Wanda's Words of Wisdom - Survivor: Exile Island, Finale by Wanda Shirk
On the final four:
ARAS is one of the most worthy of all Survivor winners! He was a great competitor mentally and physically, beating champ Terry twice. Most of all, though, Aras was a champ in "work(ing) hard at establishing real relationships," as he put it. He entered the game with that as a goal; Terry ("I did not come here to make friends with 24 year olds!") did not. Aras has a real heart for being the best human being he can possibly be. He told Bruce he wants to use the responsibility of the win to make himself a better person, and I have no doubt that Aras will always live a life of personal growth. This is a great young man, honest and humble in both successes and shortcomings. I love him! One thing he needs to study, though, is mathematical probability. Four is not where you go in "pick a number between one and a million"!
Can't go on without reviewing this tidbit: "That's life – You fall, you get back up, and you try again. Sometimes you have to get stitched up before you try again." Aras is quick to ponder every experience and draw a lesson. Wow. LOVE HIM!
DANIELLE had a strong finish in S-12, but it could not overcome her weak start. She pondered long over whether she could more easily beat Aras or Terry, but Jeff's poll of the jury revealed a 5-2 vote either way. Shane said she wasn't much of a worker around camp. The strong finish couldn't compensate for the slow start. She and Aras made a beautiful final two, though. When they got their celebratory final two meal, I felt as if I were looking at Adam and Eve, innocently reveling in the garden of Eden. And Danielle was classy and beautiful for the Reunion show.
TERRY is a great guy but for his age fell short of the people skills Aras demonstrated. His fan club fell off somewhat in the last two weeks. He's a good man, but young Aras was more caring and other-oriented. Against the backdrop of great successes, Terry might always ponder whether he should have risked more with the immunity idol, which remained, though not exactly wasted, still unplayed. Had he given it to Danielle before the fire-building competition, he would have secured her loyalty for a final two spot, but he would never relinquish it. Suppose he had saved Nick with it, or Austin, or Sally, sending a Casayan off earlier in the ricochet of the vote? LaMina could have retained more power in the early merge stage, and the game might have ended quite differently. Terry was not willing to share or to risk, and it could well have cost him a million dollars.
CIRIE deserves all the praise that can be heaped on her! I tend to want my Survivors to be outdoor-adventure people like myself, so when the leaf-phobic couch-potato took out Timber Tina in round one, I was disappointed. However, Cirie has joined the Trail Blazers, become comfortable in nature, conquered her fears, lived with exuberance and joy, and inspired millions of viewers. She didn't quite have the package for physical competition to take her to the end (I think the balancing act would have been really tough for her!), but from her quiet observations to her grand smiles and marvelous laughter, she was delightful every week. Hurray for her getting the keys to a new vehicle! As with Rupert, CBS/SEG knew they had someone special here that deserved a special "fan-favorite" prize. Cirie would have made a great million dollar winner, too, but she knows, and we all know, that she won more in life-changing experience than a million dollars could ever buy.
JURORS:
From his unruly hair to his green sweater and oversized striped cuffs, SHANE continued to call attention to his unconventionalities, but he showed us some of his best side again. It was great to see him bring Boston's mom to the reunion show, to praise her for the job she does as a single mother, and to acknowledge that she makes possible much of his happiness. Shane for President of the Planet, anyone? (LOL!) He claims his intentions are the best, and I do have to grant that I see that goodness inside his outlandish exterior!
COURTNEY was wonderful, both in her jury speech and her reunion comments. "I've dropped my guns in the sea of forgiveness ... Chips on your shoulder weigh you down; I'm a bird – I gotta fly!" "My life is about growth and experience and living my dreams ..." Reminded me of Saul Bellow's Henderson the Rain King, who decided not to be a "being person" but to accept himself as a "becoming person." Yes, a "becoming person" is a "becoming person" – if you appreciate the two senses of the word. Courtney is the quintessential example of what Survivors have said over and over, that the experience of Survivor changes the lives of those fortunate enough to participate. Yay for Courtney! I loved her last night. (It would be interesting if a quantifiable study could be done on how long a stay in the game is necessary to have a truly life-changing impact ... Early-outs don't experience the dynamics so powerfully. I am glad Courtney had the opportunity for a long, enriching experience.)
I was sorry to hear that BRUCE's school gave him a hard time about being gone. Survivor has had quite a number of teachers, and it's interesting how differently schools react to the idea of having a teacher participate in the experience.
SALLY is wonderful. I've loved her all the way. She came to the game as a huge, long-time fan, so I rooted for her, and it was good to see her go as far as she did on a tribe that missed so much by just seconds.
AUSTIN has always impressed me with his sincerity. I hope I get to meet him someday.
NON-JURORS:
We sure didn't get to hear much from these folks, did we? Quick now – okay, Bobby's cuddly, Ruthie's cute, Melinda's – well, it went past too fast! Misty's a gem who had great potential we missed seeing; Dan and Nick and Tina were people we always admired.
And Jeff P --- who dressed him for the reunion show? But forget the sweater; the dimples always work for me!
AND COOK ISLANDS:
Another new island setting with a fascinating history is great to look forward to for next fall. I'm glad to see the Exile Island theme will be brought back; it had untapped potential, since the immunity idol wasn't played in this game. We're assured of some new twists, too!
Well, I'm glad the show is off for the summer, because I want to spend all the time I can in the woods and mountains and not have to wonder what great episodes I'm missing. But come September – I'll be ready for a great new season!
Read Wanda's buddy Jolanda Jones' thoughts on past Survivor episodes here Jolanda!
Visit Wanda on the World Wide Web at WackyWanda.com.
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