Pavarti wins the big bucks and looks shocked.

Here’s our take on the culmination to an extraordinary season of “Survivor,” as provided by Ann Tatko-Peterson:

Wow, what a let-down! After so many spectacular blindsides throughout the season, the “Survivor” finale had a high bar to reach — and missed by a long shot. Sticking Parvati in the final two had me seeing red. How could the rudest, most arrogant, often juvenile, just downright despicable player come that close to winning the game? Oh but wait, it could get worse. She actually won! As my husband pointed out, Parvati Shallow — how fitting. She was indeed one of the most shallow players in this game, and for that reason, I hate seeing her take the money.

Once again, Amanda coughed up the million bucks. Let her be a lesson for all future players: doe eyes and tears, no matter how genuine, won’t score points with the jury. Last season, she tripped herself up time and time again at the final Tribal Council. She failed to answer questions directly and played up the I’m innocent look to her own detriment. Trouble reared at the second to last Tribal Council. As soon as she started crying about having to vote out Cirie, you could tell the jury wasn’t on her side. Alexis and Natalie exchanged glances, Erik tilted his head, Eliza rolled her eyes (of course, she did that so often this season it’s amazing they’re still in her eye sockets.)

Then came the final vote, where Amanda had ample opportunity to seal the deal and yet again couldn’t answer questions that were essentially gift-wrapped for her. Case in point: Cirie asked why Parv belonged next to Amanda instead of Cirie. Then Amanda made a strong case for why Parv belonged there — Parv made more bold moves and was more aggressive — that easily fueled an argument for why she deserved the million more than Amanda, too. All Amanda had to say was, you were too strong a player and too eloquent a speaker; I didn’t think I could beat you with the jury. Cirie didn’t play a strong social game and she was at the heart of the same backstabs Parvati helped orchestrate. Not taking her to the final was a mistake on Amanda’s part. (OK, granted, I disliked Parvati so anyone else winning would have made me happy.)

But of all the head-scratchers — and shame on Jeff Probst for not asking about it during the reunion show — what was Eliza thinking? How could she vote for Parvati? The woman was not just rude to Eliza, she was absolutely nasty and demeaning. I don’t care how “strategic” a game Parvati played, she did not even try to win Eliza’s vote. Maybe I should give Eliza props for being able to look beyond personal hurt feelings, but in my mind, it just shows how yet another player wasn’t using her head in this game. (Other head-shaking moments: Erik goes down as the dumbest for giving up the immunity necklace; Jason and Ozzy are close seconds for getting blindsided with the immunity idols in their pockets.)

Not everything about the finale was a buzz-kill, however. I loved that “Survivor” went back to the two-man (or in this case, two-woman) final Tribal Council. The old saying, “third wheel” really seemed to apply to the last couple seasons. Plus, as Cirie pointed out, having one more immunity challenge fit well with this season. “It’s almost poetic,” Cirie said, “We’ve been blindsiding people left and right and essentially we got blindsided.” That just goes to show, getting comfortable in this game is a mistake.

I’m also ready to do a 180 from my earlier scorn for Ozzy and Amanda’s campy romance. Trying to start a relationship in the midst of a backstabbing, trust-no-one game seemed like a huge mistake. But Ozzy brought the only real dose of reality into this reality show. He called his relationship with Amanda more important than the money. She may not have won the million, but she walks away with a keeper in him.

And at least we got to go out with the reunion show. Poor Erik took a beating, but really rallied with his speech about having no regrets about getting played, at least it allowed him to keep his morals. He was a true find in this game. As was James (and his dad). It’s easy to see how he makes so many people happy. And we got to see our beloved Yau-Man one more time. All in all, it wasn’t a total loss.

The women express their glee after Erik gets ousted.

Here’s a recap of the penultimate episode of “Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites,” as generously provided by Ann Tatko-Peterson:

Well, Erik didn’t do or say much right, with one exception — Damn! Damn! But instead of damn those girls, Erik should be damning his own stupidity. I could wax poetic but I’ll let James take this away, as he did so eloquently with the line that will go down as the best quote ever:

“I’ve lost my reign as the dumbest Survivor ever.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Ozzy and Erik sittin’ in a (coconut) tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g …

OK, so things didn’t exactly go that far, but we’ve got a huge man-crush on “Survivor” and it will be interesting to see how it affects alliances in the coming weeks.

From the very start, Erik, one of the fans, has been worshipping Ozzy from afar. Now that they’re in the same tribe,  a few cold showers may be in order. The adoration is such that it had the endlessly witty Cirie breaking out out the “Lion King” analogies (saying Erik is Simba to Ozzy’s Mufasa) and noting that “stardust” flows out of Erik’s mouth every time he talks about Ozzy. Oh that Cirie – a regular Wanda Sykes.

The love connection appeared to be in jeopardy when Ami began hatching a plan to blindside Ozzy. Alas, the bold scheme unraveled and Tracy was sent packing. Why is it that the women on “Survivor” often seem to have trouble bonding together to take down the Alpha male? The show hasn’t had a female winner for a while and this is no doubt a key factor.

Also heading home was Chatty Kathy, who, on the verge of a complete emotional breakdown, begged out of the game. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done,” Kathy wailed after suffering through a rainstorm of Biblical proportions. No surprise here. From the start, Kathy didn’t seem cut out for the game, which she apparently enjoys much more from the comfort of her couch.

I had the urge to jeer her, but then I realized that a guy whose idea of a great wilderness adventure is sitting in front of a raging fire in a Lake Tahoe cabin and sucking down hot coco really has no room to talk.

Yau-Man Chan making like Rick Barry.

Had a chance to talk to Yau-Man yesterday, just hours after we learned that he had been evicted from “Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites.”

It was quite a come-down for Yau, who spent 38 days on “Survivor: Fiji” and came oh so close to winning the million bucks. This time, his stint lasted only nine days and he was a victim of a nasty rift in his tribe that had Cirie defecting from his alliance and orchestrating his demise. As usual, the computer whiz from Martinez was pretty pragmatic about the whole thing. 

“I have to give it to Cirie. She played a strong game,” he told me. “She quickly went from a defensive position to a completely offensive one and took me by surprise. My failiing was not reading her earlier.”

On Thursday’s episode, Jonathan was seen pleading Yau’s case to Cirie and wound up pouring fuel on the fire. Consequently, Cirie just dug her heels in. I asked Yau why, if his head was on the chopping block, he didn’t get in there and argue his own case instead of leaving it to the mouthy Jonathan.

You’ve gotta love the war paint.

“I actually had lots of one-on-one conversations with Cirie and I’m surprised they didn’t show any of that,” he said. “I told her we could be great allies just like I was with Earl (in Fiji). I tried to convince her that, if I make it to Exile Island and find the Immunity Idol, I would share immunity with her. But nothing worked.”

Yau admits he probably underestimated Cirie from the start. “My only regret was not getting to know her better earlier. She’s a strong person and much more of a leader than I thought … And she probably felt like she was on the outer circle of our alliance.”

One thing Yau didn’t miss after being elminated is the horrible weather and rugged challenges in Micronesia. He said the challenges were much more physical than they were in Fiji and pointed to this week’s rugby-like duel in the mud and sand as a prime example.

“That challenge was originally supposed to be a best 2-out-of-3,” he revealed. “But the moment we started, the rain came down. We were killing each other for 40 minutes and we still hadn’t made it through one game. So they (the directors) stopped us at that point and asked if we wanted to cut it down to just one game — first one to five points wins. Everyone, unanimously said ‘Yes!’”

Making the challenge even tougher was the fact that, just underneath the sand and surface, lie pieces of broken coral that tore at the flesh of the castways when they got slammed to the turf.

Said Yau, “It was absolutely brutal!”

Things get physical in the reward challenge.

Here’s the TV Freak take on the latest episode of “Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites.” If you haven’t yet watched, proceed accordingly:

After coming oh so close to winning the $1 million in Fiji, Martinez resident and fan favorite Yau-Man Chan won’t even sniff the money in Micronesia. Tonight, he became the third person voted out of  ”Survivor,” thanks to a nasty little rift among his tribemates.

Yau-Man’s departure, combined with last week’s ouster of Mary Sartain, puts a quick end to the East-Bay pride in the game. Now I’ve got to find someone else to root for and it ain’t going to be Cirie.

Cirie deviously (or skillfully, depending on how you look at it) orchestrated Yau-Man’s eviction. At the top of the episode, she was actually in a five-person alliance that included Yau-Man. But knowing that she represented the swing vote, she was open to come-hither wooing. “I should probably be carried on a chariot-type thing,” she said, bemoaning the fact that not enough was being done by either side to buy her vote. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s your TV Freak take on the latest epsisode of “Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites”:

I feel pretty secure right now.”

Those were among the last words spoken by Mary Sartain on tonight’s episode. Moments later, her torch was snuffed out and she was on her way back to Emeryville. Farewell, Mary, we hardly knew ye.

In a conference call before “Survivor” started, host Jeff Probst warned us that this installment would contain a record number of “blind-sides.” Chalk Mary up as No. 1 on the list. “I have no idea what happened,” our Silicone Sister moaned in her good-bye interview. Read the rest of this entry »

Johnny Fairplay didn’t have his head in the game.

Here’s your TV Freak take on the latest episode of “Survivor.” Proceed accordingly:

Well, who woulda thunk it? Johnny Fairplay rolls over and plays dead! The most vile villain in “Survivor” history de-clawed and de-fanged.

And I feel a little cheated.

Going into “Survivor: Micronesia  — Fans vs. Favorites,” CBS had been using JFP in many of its promo ads, leaving the impression that the King of Scheme would be a major factor this season, stirring the pot and ticking everyone off. Visions of juicy conflicts danced in our heads.

Instead, we got a kinder, gentler JFP who wanted off the island to be with his pregnant girlfriend. His tribe granted him his wish and – poof — just like that he was gone. 

It was the second big surprise of the night — the first being the Favorites getting jackstomped by the newcomers in the immunity challenge. So much for veteran know-how. Read the rest of this entry »

Mary Sartain joins the East Bay “Survivor” club

NOTE: On Thursday, “Survivor” returns with its latest edition — “Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites.” The cast will include two East Bay residents: Yau-Man Chan (Martinez), who is making an encore appearance, and Mary Sartain (Emeryville). Her entry brings to seven the number of locals who have competed in “Survivor” over the years. With that in mind, we thought it was a good time to look back on the substantial imprint the East Bay has left on the show. And so, for the first time, we have a story that features all seven of our “Survivors” under one roof, so to speak. Check it out:

Emeryville’s Mary Sartain thinks she knows why so many residents from her East Bay ‘hood have popped up on “Survivor.” “There’s a lot of diversity and interesting people around here — very driven people who won’t stop at anything to succeed,” says Sartain, one of the “ultra-fans” competing in “Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites.” “You’ve got to be a little crazy, a little different and very motivated to live in the Bay Area. And that’s what it takes to be a ‘Survivor.’”

Sartain apparently fits the mold. An energetic, self-made, small-business owner and a former high school sports star, she is the newest member of an exclusive tribe of East Bay types who have left an indelible imprint on the iconic reality TV series.

It’s a legacy that stretches back to the original landmark installment in the summer of 2000, when Walnut Creek’s Sonja Christopher became the answer to a trivia question as the first castaway voted off the island.

“Looking back, it was better to have gone first than somewhere in the middle,” she says. “That way, more people remember you.”

But the East-Bay’s “Survivor” Seven also includes two winners — Hayward’s Vecepia (Towery) Robinson, the show’s first black champ (”Survivor: Marquesas,” 2002); and Concord native Yul Kwon, who outwitted, outlasted and outplayed the competition in the show’s so-called race-war edition (”Survivor: Cook Islands,” 2006).

They are joined by Livermore’s Chad Crittenden, who competed with a prosthetic leg and made an inspiring showing in “Survivor: Vanuatu” (2004); and Cecilia Mansilla, an Oakland resident, who played alongside Kwon in “Survivor: Cook Islands.”

Then came Yau-Man Chan, the computer whiz from Martinez who, if not for one bad move, likely would have captured the grand prize in last year’s “Survivor: Fiji.” This week, Chan becomes the first East Bay contestant to make an encore appearance on the show as one of the “favorites” facing off against Sartain and the other newcomers. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to EW.com, we had the news earlier this week that Yau-Man Chan of Martinez and Mary Sartain (above) of Emeryville would be bringing some East Bay pride to “Survivor Micronesia: Fans Vs. Favorites.” Now that CBS has officially released the info on a wide basis, we can provide some photos and extra details.

 Here’s a look at the so-called “super fans” who will be competing against the past players:

And here’s a shot of the returnees looking primed and ready to go:

In this week’s edition of “EW,” Yau-Man admitted that he was able to keep a low profile during the Fiji installment, playing the “weak old man under the radar before the merge. I definitely cannot do that (this time).” As for Mary, the 29-year-old small business owner told EW, “This is closer to $1 million than I’ve ever been. I’m definitely in it for the money. I’m largely money-driven.”

Hmmm. Sounds like she could be casting herself as a villain. For bios on the castmembers (and photos of the newcomers), continue to Read the rest of this entry »

Yau-Man Chan, the Martinez resident who got a raw deal during his stint on “Survivor: Fiji,” apparently will have a shot at redemption. EW.com is reporting that he’ll be among the “returning favorites” competing in the upcoming “Survivor: Micronesia.”

Chan, 55, is one of 10 all-stars participating in the 16th edition of the reality series, which pits past contestants against “super fans.” The East Bay will also have a representative among the newbies — Mary Sartain, 29, a small-business owner from Emeryville.

The show debuts on CBS on Feb. 7. Read the rest of this entry »