Survivor Gabon: Finale! 12.14.08

The finale began with a recap of the season, and the Kota domination in the beginning was showcased. The sweet moment of Randy's departure sure was nice to see again. Susie is touted as not as useless as she looks, and Matty is shown to be "bitter at Bob" for being such a dominating force at challenges. Sugar called herself inept at the game, but has proven to be a very influential game-player. And Bob? Yeah, well, Bob is the unlikely MAN. Ken is so cocky, and I don't know if I can stand him at all. Hope he (or Susie) is the first one gone.

Back at camp, Sugar pats herself on the back for using the Hidden Immunity Idol to save Matty. She is feeling super powerful, and Ken is feeling betrayed. He said "What about the next time, will you give me the idol then?" Bob said "Why don't you get your own idol?" And *snap*. Bob said that he feels that all promises are off, because Ken was trying to out their agreement in order to embarass him. Agreed.

Sugar had a little chat with Bob, and says she is going to try to get back with Ken and try to keep him on her good side, and she admits that she would love a final three with Bob and Matty (Yes, please!). Ken and Sugar went for a walk to get tree mail, and totally drew him in with her feminine wiles and he buys that she's still with him.

The final five have to outfit themselves as warriors with paint and beads and fabric before the Immunity Challenge. Susie is all in black, Sugar is in blue, Ken is in white, Matty is in yellow, and Bob is in red. They look awesome. Probst called Bob's look "very village people." It is that.

They have to dig under a wall, and make their way across a series of planks, into a maze filled with Gabonese huts. Inside three of the huts, there are puzzle pieces, which they have to bring one bag at a time to the ending platform. They have to then build a replica of a Gabonese hut. Winner gets Immunity.

Susie is the first through her hole, followed swiftly by Kenny, Bob, Matty, and Sugar (Probst said "squeezing that booty through," and got a laugh from her.) Matty fell off the raised plank maze and had to start over. Susie, Sugar, Ken finish first, then Susie got through the gate first, followed by the others. It's very close. There are 25 huts, and only three have puzzle pieces. (and they have to get their own colored bags)

The pressure is on, and this is all about luck in picking the right huts with the pieces. Bob is looking a little weak at the ending ramp, but he kept slogging through. Sugar and Bob get to the puzzle first.

When it comes to the puzzle, it's down to Sugar and Bob, and Bob - THE MAN - came out barely on top. Susie wasn't even in it. That necklace is looking might comfortable on Bob's neck. Susie admits in confessional that she doesn't know how anyone can beat Bob ("Wizard, Fantastic Bob.")

Ken is feeling pretty confident about his place, and thinks he can just lay back and do nothing. Matty told him that he thinks Sugar is going to tell Susie that they are going to write her name down, and Matty reminded Ken that he has never written his name down, and tells Ken that if he was going to vote him out, he'd tell him. Susie is feeling vulnerable, and thinks that Matty isn't telling her as much as he usually does. Matty tells Sugar that he is with her until the end, and that's how it needs to be, no matter what. Matty wants Ken at the end with them. Sugar wants Bob. Sugar asks Bob who they should vote for. Nothing is necessarily decided before tribal. Sugar feels that Bob and Matty will vote with her.

It's Tribal Time!

Bob is now tied for most number of wins in a row. Is it Colby who holds that other record? Matty feels that Bob is deserving of this title. Ken brings up that Bob is outdoorsy, and he's a gamer. This doesn't explain why Ken is no where close to Bob on things like puzzles, and the fact that there have been no swimming challenges this season (am I wrong?), and a whole heck of a lot of puzzles and mental challenges. Which Ken lost. So there goes his theory. Susie admits that she doesn't feel safe because basically, she has no strategic gameplay. Ken is feeling safe, and again brings up the fact that he thinks Bob is re-nigging on the deal - the "small print on the bottom of the contract." Bob brings up the fact that Ken was planning on voting HIM out if he gave up the idol. The jury had a field day with that, you could tell. Ken sees nothing wrong with stabbing Bob in the back after taking his idol. That's just the game. Uh.... good thing Bob is not stupid and willing to sacrifice himself. He keeps the necklace again.

After the votes, which they only showed Susie voting for Ken and Ken voting for Susie, Ken the Cocky is out. I'd say he deserved that. I daresay Probst was pleased to snuff his torch. Matty did vote for Ken, by the way, so he went back on that word. Wonder why he said anything at all.

I just have to comment that Matty is wearing a skirt. That is all.

The final four returned to Nobag (I still can't stand that they named the tribe that). Sugar and Bob went out fishing. Matty told Susie that he could tell she was super nervous. Susie admits that Bob's winning streak is "more than just luck - he's pretty skilled."

Tree Mail - and it's time for the Fallen Comerades Trek. They have to go to Exile and collect the torches to the 14 before them, and then bring them to the highest peak and burn them, then head to their Immunity Challenge.

Michelle, we hardly knew you, and you were gone, in your shivering coldness. Gillian, the spunky grandma, who I wanted to be what Bob has turned out to be. Sweet little Paloma, who I really wanted to do better than she did. Jacquie, another one who I wished had lasted longer. So many of these people had the bad luck of being on Fang, and no other fault. GC, I do not miss. He was kind of miserable. I don't appreciate people who give up. Kelly, who also should have lasted longer, I think. She was a cutie. Ace, who Sugar feels really guilty about. Matty said "He was a shizter, but he was cool." Ace, in his slightly slipping accent (was that fake?), who felt so superior to everyone. Dan who was inept at finding the Hidden Idol. Marcus, who was also out sooner than anyone would have thought. Charlie, with his crush on Marcus. The Onion's center, which didn't hold strong enough to last. Randy, who no one misses. Sugar razzed him, and Bob said "at least you know where you stood with him, because he didn't mince words." Corinne, who "certainly knew how to tell you what she thought." Crystal, the seemingly least athletic Olympian ever. Ken, the "mastermind," who fell in the end.

Before burning the masks, the Final Four was serenaded by Gabonese Tribal musicians. They held hands and listened to the music as they watched the fallen 14 go up in flames.

And they went onto their Immunity Challenge.

The Survivors will have 200 wooden tiles, which they have to use to build a house of cards 10 feet tall. And that's the whole challenge. It looks challenging. If after 30 minutes, no one has built a 10-foot tall tower, the highest tower wins.

Everyone has a different strategy. Sugar immediately made very quick progress, but it may not be sturdy enough. Susie was making some progress, but hers fell over, followed quickly by Sugar's toppling. Amazingly, Bob is having difficulty in the beginning. Susie and Sugar built tall skinny towers again, and Sugar's went down, followed by Susie's. Bob's fell down next, and Matty's seems solid. Sugar and Susie again built very tall towers, and Matty was going strong behind them. Bob is really having troubles. Susie is visibly nervous, and has an 8 foot tower and she stopped instead of going on. Bob's toppled over and over. Right at the end, Sugars tower fell, and Susie won the final immunity.

I have doubts for Bob's continuation in the game. Susie won with some skill, but I still can't feel that she belongs in the final three.

I would like to see Matty gone, but at this point, I really think that Bob is out. Can I cry now?

Sugar is feeling like they underestimated Susie when they voted out Ken and is feeling unsure.

The problem with Susie not really playing with any strategy is that no one really has strong ties or alliances with her. Problem is, Sugar is not going to vote for Matty, and Bob is basically saying goodbye to everyone right then. Susie is absolutely sure that Bob would kick her butt in the challenge, and was sure she would be going home instead of holding the immunity around her neck. Susie again displayed the insanity of blabbing blabbing blabbing like she did when she told Corinne that she was planning on voting for her. Susie then asked Bob if he thought he would get a lot of jury votes. Bob doesn't want to talk about it. Susie kept going on about how much in shock she was that she won. Sugar told Susie that she didn't need to keep rubbing the salt in Bob's wounds.

Sugar brings up the (fabulous) idea of causing a tie between Matty and Bob. She is feeling like Bob is a father figure, and since she just lost her dad, that's an important thing. I hope that Sugar's emotions get the better of her, and she forces that tie. The only problem is that she promised Matty she would never write his name. I hope that she goes back on her word.

Bob, in his genius, went off to "be by himself" for a while, which was basically his practicing the are of fire making - just in case there is a tie breaker. And Sugar thought he was going off to meditate or something. Oh, good luck, Bob.

Tribal #2

Susie preens about how happy she is that she won, and Bob admits to being very uncomfortable. Matty says he couldn't stab Sugar in the back by voting for her, because she gave him the immunity. Bob says that Matty is well-liked on the jury, and Sugar is not, so it'd be smarted to get rid of Matty. Sugar says that she feels like Matty is her brother, and Bob is her dad, so she feels really close to both of them. Bob is proud to be a father figure to Sugar, and broke down a bit, saying, "I am a father, and I'm a damned good one, because I had the greatest father as a good example that I tried to follow." He also says that Sugar's decision is the cruelest she could ever make, but he hopes she makes a good one.

Me too.

And she did!! It's a tie!

Sugar was in tears, and the jury was looking very interested.

Bob's preparation was a good decision, as it's a firemaking challenge tie-breaker.

Bob was first to get flame going, and it was very strong a he tried to build it up. He lost his breath a little and lost his spark. He blew on the embers like crazy, and managed to bring his fire back to life. He built the fire up as Matty desperately tried to get his started. Bob - THE MAN - with an inferno to be envied, burned through his rope and secured his spot in the final three. He and Matty had a good strong hug and Matty's torch was extinguished.

Matty seems to harbor no ill will towards sugar for his ouster. We'll see what he says on the jury.

The Final Three get a feast for brunch - including pancake batter, croissants, and Mimosa fixings. Sugar says that "Except for Marcus, I pretty much had something to do with the ouster of everyone on the jury." She's not expecting to win them over, but hopes to get a vote or two.

Bob's "final gadget" is a testament, he says, to why his mother wouldn't let him play with matches. They set fire to the Nobag hut in a blaze of glory. It went up and scared wildlife. They walked away with it blazing (and I'm sure with the production crew standing by with fire extinguishers.)

Ken got a chance to speak, and said that he admires Sugar's gameplay. Randy admitted that he doesn't like any of them, and is looking forward to the revenge. Corinne is looking forward to letting them have it, and letting her true colors show. This ought to be interesting.

Final Tribal

First, the Final Three get their opening statements.

Susie says that she just wanted to try to be in the game. She feels like her confidence has grown throughout the game.

Bob says that he played with gusto and with heart, and he used his personality and his survival skills to make their lives better. He says he doesn't feel like he outwitted them, and he doesn't feel like he outplayed them, all he did was outlast them.

Sugar says that she feels like she played the perfect social game, but never got her name written down, and admits that she lied, but it was part of the game. She said that she never sought out an alliance until she made an alliance with Bob to save him. Matty and Ken didn't seem to like that answer.

Charlie's question: When Jeff asked for everyone to be rated according to usefulness, Susie was at the bottom, and Sugar was next to last. What makes them think they deserve to be at the top now?

Susie says that she is still trying. Sugar said that she doesn't think he has to vote for her, but it would be nice. Not the best answer.

Charlie's second question was funny, basically asking if Bob liked the cuddling and spooning. Bob said that he stayed warm at night, and likes Charlie, and that's what mattered. Charlie liked that answer.

Crystal applauded Susie's skill at coattail riding, and told Bob that Sugar controlled him like a remote control car. She wants to know what Bob has done strategy-wise other than what he was told to do, and Bob said he was also riding coattails. She asked Sugar why she voted her out, and Sugar said that it was because of the way Crystal talks to people and bullies them, and while she likes it, she doesn't think it was nice, and it would have been smarter to keep her instead of Bob, but that's not the way it went down.

Ken asked Susie why she deserves the money. Susie says it's because she's an underdog and average. He asked Sugar why she backstabbed him (and made a comment about her being the first girl he felt he could trust, and thought this might improve his dating life in the future, which was kind of funny). She admitted that she had alliances with everyone, and thought he was a bigger threat than Susie, who then went on to win the challenge, so oopsie. Ken didn't believe her. Then, he asked Bob again about the Immunity Idol Agreement, and Bob said that as soon as he found out that Ken was going to vote him out as soon as that necklace left his neck, all bets were off. Ken was not happy with that answer. Apparently, Bob was supposed to step right onto the train tracks to please Ken.

Corinne got her chance next. She asked Susie if she would have her vocal chords removed if she won the money. Susie denied that request. Corinne then asked Bob to show his nasty side (because no one can just be nice, in Corinne's mind.) She says that she's met Nice Bob and she's played with Nice Bob and she finds him one-dimensional. (I find Nasty Corinne one-dimensional, too). She wants him to make him believe that he doesn't like Sugar. The only thing he can say is that he didn't like the way Sugar reacted to the fake idol play on Randy. He began to talk about how in the past few days... but Corinne told him not to get nice, because she doesn't relate to nice people. Bob wisely shut his mouth. Corinne then targeted Sugar. "You are an undereducated, unemployed leach on society," and the only thing she wants to give to her is a handful of antidepressants so no one would have to be subjected to her constant crying, so it seemed more sincere when she was crying about her dead father. Sugar (understandably) gave Corinne the middle finger about that statement, and Corinne spat that Sugar didn't deserve the million. God, Corinne is a miserable human being.

Marcus was up next. He thought that Susie didn't live up to being a role model like a mother and a child-educator should, even though it is just a game. He then told Sugar that he was assuming that he father did actually die and that wasn't a lie (she assured him that is was the truth), and since he has also lost his father, wanted to know if she would use part of the winnings to do something to honor her father, as he would have. Sugar said that she never thought that she would win the money, but she would absolutely give some money to lung cancer research, but also wants to help children. Marcus wants Bob to take responsibility for his actions in the game. Bob said that he never really had the need to take charge. He said that others made good decisions and he didn't ever have the need to step on anyone's toes. True enough.

Randy's bitter diatribe is next. He told Susie that if 39 days ago, someone had told him where they both would be, he would have told them they were crazy. She told him she was sorry for him, and she elaborated that it's because he seems like such an unhappy person and she wishes she knew how to help him. He asked Sugar why she felt the need to roll on the ground laughing when he played the fake idol, if she was even aware that he was going to be on the jury, and asked if she thought she could make a jackass out of him, since there was no way she was getting his vote. She said that she didn't need to make a jackass out of him, because he'd already done it to himself. I guess she's honest, but that's not winning her any votes. She called him out for being a jerk. Randy then asked Bob if he felt the need to make a jackass of him. Bob said he intended to use the Fake Idol to protect himself by letting someone see it, and the opportunity came to play it, and he did, but also admits that he was outraged at Sugar's reaction (and this is true).

Matty's got the last say. He asked Susie why she is more deserving than the others. Susie also said that she was disappointed in Sugar's reaction to Randy's ouster. She then said that Bob congratulated her for winning immunity, but then snapped and she took that to mean that he was short tempered. (I think I would have snapped, too, if someone kept yattering at me about how well they had done at my expense. And he basically just told her to stop talking about it, and let him enjoy what time he had left, since he had no idea that Sugar would flip to save him. I cannot blame him.) Matty asked Sugar what her evil side is, since she portrays herself to be so innocent. She said that she feels like she broke Kenny's heart in voting him out. I think Matty was looking for something involving her vote against him. Matty asked Bob why the two girls are more deserving of the money than he is. Bob said that he doesn't think they are, and that was the end of that.

Matty looks better scruffy. Randy looks really stupid with a mohawk. Despite those follicular misfortunes, it's time for the jury to vote.

Matty voted for Susie. Corinne voted for Bob, though she is still not sure how such a nice guy survives in the real world. Randy said (loudly enough to be heard) "All three of you, kiss my *bleep*." Pleasant.

And after the voting, Probst took the votes and departed. Through camera magic, he left tribal council and arrived in LA instantaneously. So much better than the overdramatic taking off in a helicopter.

And HOLY HELL Sugar looks gorgeous in her full pin-up model styles. Very Marilyn. They all looked pretty nervous.

Corinne's vote for Bob was first revealed, followed by Matty's vote for Susie. Susie took another vote, and another. Bob took his second vote, and then his third, and it was tied. The last vote is a vote for Bob.

BOB WINS. I cheered. I admit it.

Sugar was not surprised to garner no votes.

Bob's jubilant family embraced him. He is the oldest winner in Survivor history.

I'll blog the reunion show separately.

I am so freaking thrilled at this outcome. GO BOB!!!