Julia, let's just hope for a more secular season come this spring....
Yeah. Survivor needs that to survive.
I wouldn't mind if there were people with faith on the show, it would just be nice if they didn't try to make it part of the game. If I was on Survivor, I'd be praying, but for personal strength to make it through the elements and difficulties and to be able to not take things personally or blow up at people. :lol But not to win... and not as a way to get people to believe me. If anything this show should demonstrate you believe in people because of who they are, what they do and their consistency NOT because of what they say they believe.
....quite frankly, there's not nearly enough strategy or bold moves in this game--Russell Hantz being the exception. He made his seasons soooo exciting, seasons without him, before and since, seem boring in comparison. I know you're not a big fan of his, even though you admired his avuncular handling of Brandon last night, but do you see what I mean?
The Wook
I see what you mean - in that why OTHER people found Russel so exciting, but it just wasn't my experience watching him. I actually really enjoyed the decisions that Cochrin was trying to make - or what Ozzy did thinking he could go to redemption and come back. I enjoy the show more when people I like that I'm not expecting to make big moves to try it. IF they win or fail.
Most episodes have some trash talking about other players behind their backs and I dislike that the most, especially when people are doing the SAME thing they are complaining about someone else doing.
And that was Russel the whole way. He was sneaky and dirty and he did play the game well that way BUT any time anyone would have any kind of plan against him he NEVER respected them for it, he got all paranoid and indignant, sincerely seeing them as being these horrific trolls... when they were just playing the game; same as him.
If Russel would have played the game sneaky and even if he realized he had to vote them out because they were on to him BUT understood when others did the same and didn't take it personal, I might have been able to tolerate him and respect his game more. As it is, ugh. Just awful to watch.
I believe Brandon's take that, that type of mentality is what is screwing him up in life and he decided to be as honorable as he could be. Kudos to the kid for standing up for a belief system. I believe the Hanson's "have some issues".
Good point. I hope watching his uncle and now watching himself he finds his way with a wiser faith.
Coach lost every single bit of respect I might have still held out for him by voting out Ozzy. That single vote negated 3 seasons of "I want to take the best of the best with me to the end."
I hadn't even thought about that - I totally expected him to throw Ozzy under the bus. But all of my respect for him and his word and principles was already destroyed by then. Part of what I loved about Ozzy was that he saw right through it. He outed him and that seemed to shock and 'hurt' Coach.
It was like, "You mean, what I did in the past means more to you than this lie I just told you swearing on my religion, again?"
I hoped he would learn something, but even though he came out and admitted what he'd done, it just seemed like more of him knowing the right thing to say like a parrot, but not meaning it if he gets in a tough spot that conflicts with what he really wants.
I know it is just a game and who you are in the game doesn't define who you are as a person, but when it comes to your religious belief system... whew... I don't know that I would be willing to throw it under the bus like that for a game...
That's the thing, isn't it? Because in the world people compartmentalize all the time - blocking God out of portions of their lives because He just doesn't fit there comfortably or He gets in the way and they justify it by saying who they are is not defined by how they are in business or in the courtroom or whatever. But heart, mind, strength, body and soul doesn't leave much room for - 'except when a million dollars is at stake.'
I think this was yet another bitter jury vote against Coach. It is the one part of this game I do not like time and time again. I think those who work the hardest to do what the game is designed to make people do (lie, cheat, and screw one another over) do not get rewarded and that is lame, because so many seasons it isn't who played the best game, but who pissed people off the least by riding coattails the longest. I know that is all part of the game, but I don't care for it.
And this is where you and I differed last time... :lol I still say the social 'game' is and should be just as big a part as anything.
Very, very few people are able to lie well socially; especially under those conditions. Either they overdo it, like Coach and it backfires, or they ignore it completely, like Russel.
Social insincerity is a skill that I personally do not like or have, but it is part of Survivor as much as any other lie that they have to tell to win.