Looking Back on San Juan del Sur

After Survivor Cagayan, which was full of over the top characters and twists and turns every week, I knew that Jeff Probst and co. were going to have a tough time trying to keep season 29 on the same scale. I'd be lying if I said that I thought this season was as entertaining as the Cagayan castaways but as I watched Natalie get crowned Sole Survivor at the end of San Juan del Sur, I felt satisfied that the best player came on top and won an overall enjoyable season.

Blood vs. Water

I think if Survivor decides to continue the Blood vs. Water theme, they should stick to an all newbie cast. Having half a cast of returning players go up against people who have never played will always be an unfair advantage and will usually result in a one sided game. Unfortunately, the trade off for having a all new cast is that you risk having a boring game with a bunch of people that don't know how to play. I was worried that this would be the case during the first phase of the game, which was dull and uneventful and centered around the two "masterminds" who thought they were running everything. I think everyone can agree that the cast wasn't the most strategic of the bunch. Watching Josh, who had terrible social management with players, and Jeremy, who kept talking about himself walking on water, were being angled as these great players was a little frustrating. There was also the constant reminder that it was a Blood vs. Water season. Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time they talked about surviving on the island or Jeff asked about playing with a loved one, I'd be rivaling Natalie in prize money.

We get it. Living in the wild is hard and playing with your loved one is harder. Got it.

Once the merge began, I felt like the game had new life in it. We started to see all the players who thought they had the entire game figured out get blindsided one by one. I remember watching the episode that Jeremy got eliminated. Before they revealed the vote, I turned to my roommate and said "nice smokescreen Survivor, Reed is a deadman." After the blindside, I couldn't help but look like this...

I had to use it once. I couldn't help it!

Once the merge happened, it seemed as if everyone that grabbed the reigns of the game got burned for it the following week. When you're not sure who is going home, it's incredible for viewers. It creates excitement and suspense when they tune in to see who will be the next person on the chopping block. Natalie navigated through this perfectly after she lost her number one ally. Think about it, how many times have we seen a player lose someone they're close to and then be the next boot? Natalie had the patience and strategy to wait for the right opportunity to turn on Jon and receive her revenge. Moments like that made the season entertaining and breathed new life within the show.

THE FINALE

The finale wasn't anything too special, but it had it's moments. The biggest question was if Natalie was going to make it to the end. Luckily for her she was smart enough to turn against Baylor and Missy at the final five. In my opinion, Keith winning that immunity was a godsend for her. Going into a final four where you know two people will never vote for each other is never good. Had Jacquelyn won the final four immunity, which she did of course, Natalie buys her ticket to fourth place unless she gets the tie.  

Really the only other memorable moment for me was of course the Reed speech. If you haven't seen it, I implored you to watch the video below.

Whether you agree with it or not, you have to admit it was the most memorable scene of the night. Reed saved the final tribal for me because other than him, the jurors fell flat. I was extremely disappointed in Jeremy who I expected to give a great speech about Natalie's gameplay and why she deserved to win. He was on the right track but he fumbled around his words and didn't really say much. I guess Jeremy has a hard time expressing how awesome a player's game can be unless it's himself.  Zing! 

Speaking of player's games, lets take a look at who won my awards of the season. You're on the edge of your seats, I know. First things first (I'm the realest) the season MVP is obviously...

MVP

Natalie. Not just because she won because frankly if Keith took the million, she'd still deserve this. Natalie wasn't anything special during the first halve of the game. To me she came across as Jeremy's pawn, someone who was going to follow him to the end and get third place. Once Jeremy got the boot though, we saw a different side to Natalie. She knew when to play nice and when to pull the knife out, gaining Jon's trust when she told him to play the idol and then voting him out three rounds later.  Timing is everything in Survivor and Natalie was perfect at it.

Natalie was very entertaining but who had the biggest spotlight of the season...

MOST ENTERTAINING 

Keith was without a doubt one of the biggest stories. Whether you rooted for him all the way or breathed a sign of relief when his torch was snuffed, Keith was memorable character. I mean who could forget "stick to the plan!" Keith's cluelessness made him hilarious, there were some episodes where I genuinely thought he believed he was stranded on an island with his son and some strangers. He also created great tension. During the finale, he was against all odds and had no choice but to win out.  I liked Keith but I was happy he lost. When a player is so bad that he gets his son son eliminated...he might not be the best winner. I got a sense that Keith was just along for the ride when his son got asked to play.  

WHO I'D LIKE TO SEE RETURN

I'm going to have to say Reed on this one. I was ready to put Jeremy for the longest time but at the end of the day I had to give it to the Spiderman himself. Jeremy was incredibly cocky and since he played so hard so fast, he made himself a huge target at the merge. Jeremy's game was very transparent. Everyone knew that he was talking to everyone and when he gave his reward away, eyes were rolled at the obvious move. Reed played a strong game. He hid behind the power players and laid low for the first phase of the game. When Josh left, he knew that he needed to make power moves and was able to convince the other side that Jeremy needed to go. The main reason I'd like to see Reed come back is because his elimination was at no fault of his own. I don't think Reed would have to worry about an ally not recognizing a smokescreen during tribal council and screwing himself and his entire alliance as an effect. Also, Reed's speech at the end will be talked about for a long time. Unlike some people, I'm not ready to put it above snakes and rats but it's definitely up there. 

All in all, I think San Juan del Sur was a solid season. It didn't rock our world with strategy but it kept us engaged during the heat of the game. I hope that Survivor will take at least a couple seasons off before Blood vs. Water returns. The dynamics are interesting and unique but could get stale if so heavily relied on for the future of Survivor.

Agree or disagree on my thoughts? Tell me what you think! For all updates, follow my twitter https://twitter.com/JacobHarpel

An Introduction: No Escape from Reality

I would say that I'm a pretty big fan when it comes to reality shows.

Okay, you got me...I'm addicted. 

My name is Jacob Harpel and I'm not an alcoholic. Truth be told, I'm just addicted to reality television. 

Now before you spew hate on me for being part of a television culture viewed as pathetic and phony, let me just say that I'm not one for all those weird housewife shows...I'm not that far down the rabbit hole. I will confess that I have been known to turn my brain off and watch Rock of Love from time to time. 

Nobody's perfect. 

ANYWAY

This is the introduction for my blog. What am I anticipating to do with this thing? Well, right now I'm leaving it open. My main goal is to cover Big Brother and Survivor since those are arguably the two most popular reality competition shows right now as well as my favorites. Big Brother Canada is supposed to air sometime in January or February, so I'm excited to kick off the blog by following the third season and writing my critiques opinions on the houseguests and game. Survivor San Juan del Sur is also wrapping up, so instead of jumping on the train late, I imagine I'll do an end of the season critique just for funzies!

Until then, I decided that I would do something special with my first post and give you all some insight on who I am. 

(I'm the one in the center, the other two are the people I hired to be my friends...whatever it takes, right???)

Whether I'm chatting at my office or talking to a friend, I can't help but get consumed with a passionate energy whenever the topic of conversation shifts to Big Brother or Survivor. I can talk about it for hours, whether we're discussing past seasons, who we can't stand in the game currently, or how the only people that think Survivor is fake are the ones who don't even watch the show! (I'm looking at you, Janet, in the break room with your judging eyes.)

But why? Why such the obsession? Why watch a show three times a week or even write about it?

I think I've always been a super competitive person, someone that's always wanted to be the very best (I mostly blame Pokemon). My friends and I played video games on a regular basis, and every weekend I would always get crushed by one of my best friends. Even with the consistent defeats, I couldn't help but anticipated the tournaments we would have on our birthdays. We would all put our skills to the test to try and be the last one standing, the one that was able to beat everyone else. To outwit, outplay, outlast...

Sound familiar?

That same feeling really carried over when I started watching reality game shows. The first one I ever remember following was a game called The Mole. To sum it up quickly, 10 contestants try and complete missions in order to make money while figuring out which one of them is a mole whose sole purpose is to sabotage each mission. Every round they would have to answer a questionnaire that asked them questions regarding who they thought the Mole was, the person who got the most questions wrong would be eliminated. The game sounds difficult, but once you start thinking about the intricacies about it...it actually sounds impossible. I'm pretty sure they're the mole...but what if he isn't...what if he's a contestant who is posing as the mole trying to sabotage my questionnaire?!

The Mole, in my opinion, is one of the most challenging and mentally stimulating games ever. I was hooked after that show, I loved watching the constant struggles between people as they had to climb over countless obstacles and be the last one remaining. I was so interested to see what other games were out there that pushed people to their limits. I started watching Solitary, Real World Road Rules Challenge (say that 10 times fast) and eventually...Big Brother. 

The first episode I ever watched was the All Stars season when Chicken George had to shave his head off in order to win veto and save himself from the block. Most people would have watched the displayed and though...what a ridiculous show. My thoughts? 

Now that's a show I could see myself on.

I watched season after season and then went back to watch the older seasons. I fell in love with Danielle Reyes, cursed at Evel Dick and worshiped Dan Gheesling. Big Brother is like the social olympics, where you have to spend 90 days locked in a house with people who are equally or more looney than you are. There are so many levels of gameplay that goes on that CBS offers 24/7 live feeds, so you can literally watch the houseguest's games evolve as they engage in strategy. 

It wasn't long until I also gave Survivor a try and i am now embarrassed proud to say that I have been able to catch up on all 2900 seasons. I will admit that Survivor seems more formulaic which is bound to happen when you continue a show like that for so long. The biggest element I love about Big Brother is that you can go from almost being eliminated to calling the shots next week. That sort of power shift is so rare in Survivor and harder to pull off. It takes a majority to turn things around in Survivor but in Big Brother...it only takes one. Regardless though, it's very easy to get caught up in game of Survivor, it's simplistic yet effective. In a way, the lack of power shifts helps the show's entertainment level, because when they do happen...oh boy. 

My point is that I love both of these shows and others like them because they're all special in their own way but still tie in that main theme of being the last one standing. You have to work hard and out maneuver your competition every single round so that when the next torch is snuffed or the latest portrait turns grey...you're still there. 

To be honest, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for in this whole thing so I won't be giving myself a strict timeline. At the end of the day, I just want to talk about Big Brother and Survivor! It makes me happy and I think I know more than the average Joe (sorry Chief). I'm excited to explore and see where this whole thing takes me and to hear the feedback along the way.  If you like what you see then follow me +JacobHarpel or just tweet me https://twitter.com/JacobHarpel. It's the best way to get in contact with me and to share my posts to anyone that might find them interesting.

I hope you enjoyed my rambling. I promise to make this thing the best it can be for anyone who reads.  Here's hoping! Write ya later! ;)

J

Out of Mind, Into Reality