Survivor-Fan vs Favorites Finale!

I can't believe we've come to the end of another season of Survivor, this one being the best one in recent memory. I say memory, because once they leave the island, I can barely remember who participated! The girls are celebrating their victory over the mind bending blindside they played on unsuspecting naive Erik. They couldn't beat him in challenges, but proved that they could beat him in mind control. Great job! Amanda, Cirie, Parvati and Natalie get tree mail calling for them to prepare for their final 3 immunity challenge. This challenge of balance (on a pole in the ocean) and filling up the tube which held the key to the puzzle ladder on shore, was a challenge in quickness and concentration. I was holding my breath as Natalie takes a huge lead, but Amanda managed to keep steady and won immunity. I really didn't care who won as along as it wasn't Natalie! Ok, ok, I'm a favorites fan! It was pretty much a sealed deal that Natalie got eliminated, say goodbye Natalie, sorry to see ya go, you seemed to have lost steam at the end.

At tribal, the jury looks freshly polished and washed. Ozzy still looks pissed at Parvati, get over it Oz, it's a game and you lost! Erik seems to be taking his elimination with good humor and is all smiles.

At camp the girls decide to let the chicken, Gloria go. No wonder they didn't eat her, any animal with a name is a pet in my book. Now that it's just the girls, I'm wondering what they are eating, since no one has caught any fish, just coconuts? I think the cameramen must be secretly sneeking food to them. Our chicken Gloria doesn't want to leave camp and decides to make a nest, why leave paradise now, she knows whose feeding her!

When the final survivors make the journey of remembering, I always start to feel sentimental, ok, maybe for 10 seconds. I forgot who originally played in the game, it seemed so long ago, so it's a good refresher. Bye Fairplay, bye Yauman, gee were they even in this game?

The final challenge was one of concentration and determination, holding blocks together without dropping the ball on top. Of course, Parvati is the first one to drop her ball, has she ever won any challenges? That challenge looked hard with the sun beating down and Amanda and Cirie licking the sweat off their lips. I was sweating just looking at them and Amanda wins the final challenge. I kinda wanted Cirie to win to mix things up, but I was ok with any of them winning. Get the Kleenex out because Amanda starts to whine on how she has to make the decision to cast off one of them and you know whose going home, Cirie. I don't know why she wanted to keep Parv. They are like two slices of white toast and at least if she would have kept Cirie, there would have been a big difference between them, stragety and game playing. I think Amanda would have had a better chance with Cirie sitting next to her than Parv. But in the end, did it matter who was up against Amanda? Amanda just doesn't have any verbal skills. Being on equal footing between Parvati and Amanda, I think it came down to how they came across to the jury during the final Inquisition. The only thing Parv had going for her was her strategic underhanded game play, which it seems, that the meaner, the more devious, the more you have back stabbed people and lied, the more you increase your chances of winning, with the exception of Ethan, from Survivor Africa. Amanda didn't have a chance against anyone, because she couldn't verbalize her playing ability. I thought she should have said that she managed to be in the final two twice, which I think is a total testament to the way she played the game and is proof that she has what it takes to be the ultimate survivor. But because she was unable to persuade the jury, she lost the vote of confidence. All they saw was a weak, sniffling Amanda, what they needed to see was a strong, competent Amazonian woman, but instead they got give me a hankie please!

In the end, Amanda might not have won the game, but she managed to win the guy, Oz. Isn't love grand. I loved Ozzy's speech and his denouncing Parv's game play for the sake of a million dollars, but Oz, it's a million dollars, let's face it, I'd sell my husband for a million dollars! Ok, not really sell him, well maybe for George Clooney. I thought he was going to produce a ring for Amanda's finger, I'm forever a romantic!

Hey have you been tuning into the webcast of Ponderosa? I love the peek at life after Survivor. It's hysterical and makes the Survivors back into real people and not the contestants you love to hate. Ponderosa is like a glorified camp with all the food, drink and Crest white strips you could want. Hey I could live like that forever and with the gorgeous beach at their footsteps. Well, this season was totally satisfying, like eating a good surf and turf dinner, can't wait for Survivor Gabon, Africa, looks promising! See you on the blog!-Single D

Here we are, the final four - 3 faves and one fan. The girls are celebrating but now the interesting part starts. I'm sure Natalie will be the next one out if she doesn't win immunity. We'll see who steps next into the Venus fly trap.

Immunity challenge is a ladder puzzle but to get the key to unlock the pieces, the girls have to stand on twenty foot pole and use buckets of water to raise the key. Cirie wasted too much time trying to reach the key and fell behind quickly. Is it just me or were there holes in the bottom of those buckets? It seemed to me that there was a lot of water leaking out when they were raised. Anyway, Natalie and Parvati take an early lead dashing my hopes for Amanda. Oh ye of little faith I tell myself, for our Amazon Amanda comes back and blows them out of the water! She really is a good match for our Jungle Boy Ozzy!

As Jeff talks about the blindsides at tribal later that day, the camera pans to the jury and we get a shot of Ozzy glaring at the girls. I guess he's still upset about his blindside. It's your own fault Ozzy, how many times do people say don't get too comfortable. No one is safe in Survivor! Cirie starts saying that she feels she is on the bottom as she plays the poor pitiful me card. Well she can stop saying that as the vote comes back and Natalie becomes a jury member.

As they return to camp, Cirie is still doing the poor me thing and starts yelling at Amanda which makes Amanda start yelling back, kind of. I think Amanda was just defending herself and trying to make Cirie see that she has not been on the bottom. After all, if Cirie was on the bottom all this time, I don't think she would have made it this far. Amanda starts crying, her and Cirie make up and they all have a group hug and all is right with the world. The next morning they decide to free the last chicken which they have named Gloria. Gloria doesn't seem to want to leave as she makes a nest right in front of the girls. That chicken has ceased to be a chicken and is now a pet!

Next comes the reflection walk. Who is Mary? I had already forgotten some of the players, not Yau-man though! He got such a raw deal! There is something about this part that brings out my emotional side. It's almost like watching a memorial for a funeral, I have to remind myself that these people are alive just not in the game!

The last immunity challenge, balance a metal ball on a cylinder while adding pieces to the handle every 5 minutes. I'm still cheering for Amanda. As they add the pieces, Jeff stirs the pot telling the girls they are battling each other. Parvati drops out first and as I'm sitting on the edge of my sofa, Cirie loses concentration in the final seconds giving Amanda immunity and me a quick calorie burn as I jump up and down cheering. Jeff explains to Amanda that by casting her vote at tribal, she is saying who she will take with her to the end (really?!). With that, Jeff tells the girls to have a fun afternoon. Nice Jeff, drop a load like that then say "have fun". Nothing like some mind games to polish off an afternoon.

Back at camp, Parvati is talking to Amanda like it's already them in the final two. Parvati tells Amanda that Cirie has pissed off more people than she has making Amanda's decision that much harder. At tribal, Amanda starts crying again about the decision she has to make but she votes out Cirie, crying the whole time while Parvati breaks out in a huge grin.

Cirie's little speech at the end didn't make me feel sorry for her. Cirie pretty much rode everyone's coat tails. I will say that she did do some fast talking to save her butt and was instrumental in some of the blind sides, but other than that, she didn't do anything around the camp and remember when she was going around saying that she was in control and everyone should be bowing to her and doing her laundry? That's right, and she says she was on the bottom, HA! Ultimately she was on the bottom, but HA!

Now it's the jury's turn. Eliza comes out with guns blazing but we all expected that didn't we? Natalie's questions to Parvati about how her flirting translates into the bedroom gets everyone so confused that Jeff asks Parvati if she knew what was being asked of her. I think Natalie was just feeling out Parvarti for a date. Cirie is still pissed off at Amanda for voting her out and she still thinks she should have been in the final two. I'm sorry, but Cirie is sitting there dripping in diamonds and she should get a million bucks?! Maybe she needs it to pay off her jeweler.

Ozzy is still mad about being blindsided telling Parvati she threw away their friendship for a million dollars. Ozzy pours his heart out to Amanda telling her his is falling for her. Isn't reality TV love grand?

What is wrong with Amanda?! During the jury questioning, she just sat there like she expected them to hand her a million dollars. Now is the time to toot that horn girl! But does she?! No! And Parvati is talking herself up saying how well she played the game. I was yelling at the TV for Amanda to stand up for herself! She was final two twice, she won a lot of challenges, she worked around camp, she stayed loyal to her alliances. I don't know, maybe when you get to the end you are so worn out physically and emotionally you just want it to be over.

So Parvati wins the million. At least Amanda still has Ozzy. Maybe they will make little jungle king babies and we will see them on Survivor 36! Double D