Monday, December 15, 2008

Survivor Gabon

I've been a fan of Survivor for the majority of it's seasons on the air. The production quality is high, and the basic formula of picturesque vignettes interspersed throughout false drama punctuated by interview confessionals--all makes for interesting TV. Combine this with seeing reality show contestants suffer at the hands of the writers and producers of the show, add the contestants general lack of knowledge and preparedness for living outdoors in less than ideal conditions, and you get a recipe for success which has kept me and millions of other viewers coming back season after season.

By these standards, Survivor Gabon was no less captivating. What I realized after this season, however, is this particular grouping of contestants epitomizes everything failing and despicable in humanity. Luckily the right contestant won in the end, and by "right"--I mean someone with character, intelligence, fortitude and decency. Compare this contestant to the people he played against and you'll see a variety of nasty character traits in their purest forms.

Corrine Kaplan -- a wretched individual with antisocial personality disorder who actually thrives in the face of public scorn (see her self created public profile on Facebook and the collage of hate spewed out by "fans"). Her defining television moment was when she denounced another contestant as needing antidepressants after expressing too much emotion over a recently deceased parent. When asked by Jeff Probst at the finale if she regretted her comments, "I don't regret any of my actions in the game." *loosely quoted as it's hell getting onto the Survivor website today.

Look farther into the cast of cretins and you'll find Randy Bailey, a vile racist who is actually a wedding photographer of all things. Bailey had no single defining moment on the show, as every time he appeared he was shallow, ignorant, rude--the list goes on and on; as another contestant put it, "He is a troll." I pity anyone who has ever had the misfortune to have this foul man take part in their day of matrimonial bliss. He has so few friends, he brought a group of strangers to the Gabon finale.

When I saw the video of a contestant who was voted off and sent to the Ponderosa compound to wait out the end of the show, I was disgusted at the display of childhood antics from grown professionals. You'll see Randy and others at their finest ostracizing a fellow contestant, and playing out a high school clique to the point where a member is afraid to be nice to the outcast for fear of being punted by the "popular" group. It's truly sad.

You have to wonder, exactly what did any one person do to another on Survivor Gabon to deserve open scorn? You have to come back to the group of individuals as a whole, and how nasty and shallow they clearly are by nature.

Take Marcus Lehman, an elitist who also had little sympathy for the contestant who'd lost her father. Lehman was the self righteous leader of the clique, and very deserving of the public mockery made of him and his puppetry of the penis (his johnson slipped out during a challenge in one of the earlier episodes). I have one thing to say to Marcus, HA HA (in the key of Nelson). He is proof a man should be judged by the company he keeps.

All in all the show was an open display of what is despicable about human nature. Most of the contestants represented everything that is unfortunate and vile in humanity, and I'm sorry I took part in the rubber necking of watching as the crash unfolded on Survivor Gabon.

I may actually have to rethink my television viewing habits.

2 comments:

Amanda said...

No! Don't stop watching Survivor.

As far as Randy and Corinne go, I always wonder how those types of people don't realize that when they are openly cruel to others it doesn't make the 'others' look bad, it only makes them look like the loser. Baffling.

I, too, was so happy to see Bob win.

TJ said...

What's even more surprising is that they are not ostracized as a result of their personality and behavior. It was equally puzzling and disgusting that the other contestants had anything to do with them.

I don't buy this, "You were either born to love me or hate me" crap. People make a choice to be a jackass.

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