The finale of the Survivor: All Star season at Madison Square Garden was truly an amazing event. 5,000 fans arrived to cheer on Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano to win the All Star title and the million dollar prize. For this reporter and Survivor fan, the goal was to cover the Madison Square Garden event and hopefully meet a few of the former Survivor finalists attending this reunion in hopes of some photos and tidbits, as well as an autograph for a friend. I had no idea how fortunate I was about to become.
It didn’t seem likely I’d get a good view. The invitation’s instructions requested audience members to arrive by 6:30 P.M. to be seated by 7:45 P.M. Having much to do before attending, I figured if I arrived by 6:00 P.M. I would be fine. I was wrong. The line snaked around the theater, then around the block from 7th Avenue and 32nd Street all the way to 8th Avenue and 34th. Any New Yorker will tell you that is quite a distance. I began to wonder if I should have invested two hours of my time on line and arrived earlier. I shook my head in disappointment and entered the line. While discussing the after party passes situation with two people ahead of me, a person behind me inquired how everyone got their tickets because it seemed odd so many people received complimentary tickets without a large giveaway. I asked how she got her after party pass, hanging around her neck, and she stated she was on the show. I took a closer look and realized it was Gretchen Cordy of season one, Survivor: Borneo! What great fortune! I introduced myself as an employee of Elites TV. We chatted for a while, mainly about the differences between her first season and subsequent strategic-heavy seasons, when Roger Bingham Survivor: Australian Outback appears and says hello to Gretchen. I cannot believe my eyes, and my luck! Are the Survivor greats all going to come to me instead of me looking for them? It couldn’t be this easy. Or could it? It dawned on me that they should be able to bypass the line, being former Survivors and all, but I didn’t mention it because I liked having them near me!
Gretchen Cordy Season 1 and Roger Bingham Season 2 at MSG
I was introduced to their respective parties and we chatted some more about what projects they have been working on since being on the show, such as Gretchen’s morning news radio show on www.Q108.com in Nashville, TN. Roger was very nice and asked me about myself. He was truly a gentleman and a down-to-earth great guy. Shortly thereafter, my party arrived, my brother, Alex and our good friend, Aileen Avalos. I introduced them to Gretchen and Roger, to which Aileen remarked I must be some kind of celebrity magnet. I mean, what are the odds that of 5,000 people on line, I’d be in front of Gretchen Cordy?! The conversations were lively which made the line go quickly. I noticed the perfect photo opt, the huge Madison Square Garden sign announcing the Survivor: All Star finale and asked if Gretchen and Roger would pose for me. They happily obliged. We continued to advance in line when suddenly Michael Skupin, also of Survivor: Australian Outback showed up with his party and joined the group. I wondered how much longer this streak would continue.
As we entered the building, I noticed Brian Heidik, Survivor: Thailand and his beautiful wife making a grand entrance to the cheers of the crowd. I noticed several former Survivors walking about, such as Ghandia Johnson, also of Survivor: Thailand. The crowds were becoming somewhat frenzied. Soon we reached the registration tables and I realized we would be separated, so I told the stars it was a pleasure to meet them and wished them well in their future projects. The three of us received our yellow wrist bands and made our way to the entrance. But two members of our party hadn’t arrived yet and so Aileen opted to wait by the entrance for their arrival while Alex and I introduced ourselves to some more Survivor stars that were walking near us.
I approached several, introduced myself as a writer for Elites TV and asked if I could take their photo for the site. First I saw Osten Taylor (Survivor: Pearl Islands), so I called out his name. He graciously stopped to talk to me and posed for another great shot (this one is for you, Honey!) I like Osten, and despite the undoubtedly frequent question fans about whether he regrets quitting (which I did not bring up), he was truly one of the most cheerful and approachable of the Survivors. Behind Osten, I could see Frank Garrison (Survivor: Africa) but by the time I finished chatting with Osten, he walked away. That was the case with several of the Survivor stars; there was simply too much mingling going on to speak to everyone, although many were spotted.
I saw Brian Heidik with his wife again and they kindly obliged a photo for Elites TV. They were a stunning couple and were very friendly. They already had their after party passes - no surprise to me that Brian would be ahead of the game, most were waiting around for another batch of passes to arrive. I took advantage of this gathering to meet more people. Tijuana Bradley, Survivor: Pearl Islands who was gorgeous, endearing and very pleasant to talk with. Then I saw Ryan Opray (Ryno) of Survivor: Pearl Islands. When I mentioned I was with Elites TV, Ryan recalled he was interviewed by another writer from Elites TV, Michele Mason, (Reality Stars Shine for Diabetes Fundraiser in the Queen City) and he gave a shout out to her. They posed for a shot together, demonstrating the powerful bond they made during their season and at other Reality fundraising events. Then Ryan posed with his date, Erica of Big Brother 4.
Brian Heidik Season 5 and his beautiful wife
Alex pointed out that Neleh Dennis (Survivor: Marquesas) was walking nearby with the Honorable Paschal English (also of Survivor: Marquesas). I wanted to take a photo of the famous friends (recall he risked and suffered from the purple rock of death instead of abandoning their alliance) but was interrupted by other fans. Paschal’s daughter noticed I wanted his attention and called out to her Dad to introduce us. By then Neleh left but I got a great shot of him. I figured he is a busy man and my understanding is he doesn’t frequent these events as often so I considered meeting him a particular coup. I noticed Darrah Johnson (Survivor: Pearl Islands) from afar, called out her name and waved. She smiled and waved back then posed for a photo. I decided to see where all these stars were coming from and noticed the VIP section behind the sign in tables to the far right. From the outside looking in I noticed Andrew Savage (Survivor: Pearl Islands), Robert DeCanio (Survivor: Marquesas), Ken Stafford (Survivor: Thailand) and Jesse Camacho (Survivor: Africa). Ken is a tall, huge guy who could not be missed in a crowd. Neither could Jesse, she was an absolute knockout with a made-by-Hollywood body. I could see this was the designated area for the stars and their associates to congregate. I knew I had to give it a shot. While talking with Shawn Cohen, Survivor: Pearl Islands, remarkably slimmer and younger looking in person, and some of his friends, I entered the VIP section as one of his party. From there I was introduced to everyone! Truly it was a reporter and Survivor fan’s dream.
I immediately hit it off with Alex Bell (Survivor: Amazon) and Gervase Peterson (Survivor: Borneo), two very social guys who had an eye for the ladies! They were extremely funny and in high spirits. Soon the after party passes were available so a mad dash was made to that table. I looked at my watch and knew that in a half an hour we’d all have to take out seats so I had to work fast. I saw Mike Skupin again and asked to take his photo. He was much more receptive in the comfort of the VIP area where he wasn’t mobbed as he was earlier. I then said hello to Gabriel Cade (Survivor: Marquesas) and his date, another of my reality TV favorites. I saw Burton Roberts (Survivor: Pearl Islands) talking to several people and moved in, hoping for a moment and a shot. As soon as I said hello, he immediately became very attentive. I asked if I could take his picture and he said, “What, of me just by myself? Take one with me!” I looked around for someone to take a photo of us and one of his friends volunteered. What a great gesture to a fan, recognizing the fans’ interests above his own and not desiring to be the center of attention. I then asked for an additional individual shot which he obliged as well. Burton then introduced me to others such as Dave Johnson (Survivor: Amazon), and Erin Collins (Survivor: Thailand). Dave Johnson tells me he still works for NASA and I found out we even attended colleges near each other in upstate NY. Erin looked gorgeous, which of course attracted Gervase over for another shot.
Tijuana Bradley Season 7 and Ryan (Ryno) Opray Season 7
After speaking to this pumped up group I noticed Sean Rector (Survivor: Marquesas) talking to a friend from the corner of my eye. As I mentioned earlier, my friend Honey wanted me to say hello for her to both Osten and Sean, but I had the idea to do one better. I mentioned to Sean that Honey is a big fan of his and asked if he would sign an autograph for her. He personalized a message for her which I am certain she will enjoy immensely. Thank you Sean for taking care of ETV’s Honey! Gretchen Cordy came up as she spotted me in the VIP section. She congratulated me for accomplishing my goals and informed me that she admired how I “worked it”. We discussed future aspirations and she mentioned that she saw promise in me, which really motivated me and gave me the idea to seek e-mail contacts from the Survivors for potential future invitations to such events. I then briefly said hello to Daniel Lue (Survivor: Amazon), sporting huge muscles and buffer than ever. Then I saw Elizabeth Filarski Hasselback (Survivor: Australian Outback) with her husband, speaking to a crowd of fans. I asked Gretchen to introduce us. Elizabeth looked fantastic; they must be treating her very well at The View. I was stunned at how flawless she appeared. First I congratulated her on her success on The View and asked, since we are both from New York, if I could interview her at another time. She provided me with her publicity agent's contact information to set it up. I was thrilled.
At this time my other guest, Jeannine Kaspar of NBC’s The Restaurant arrived. We got her wrist band and then entered the VIP section so that I could quickly introduce her to some of the former Survivors. I noticed Alex Bell first, and introduced them to each other. At this time, several of the younger male Survivors noticed her and approached us. Among them was Jed Hildebrand, Survivor: Thailand, Dan Lue, and Rob Decanio. Jeannine spotted Jon “Fairplay” Dalton (Survivor: Pearl Islands) from afar and asked “what’s with that guy?” He looked rather odd, wearing sunglasses indoors and a dark eye-catching suit, re-worn again on the Thursday night broadcast of the People’s Choice for the Million dollar winner. Then Jeannine noticed Elizabeth Filarski Hasselback and recognized her from The View. Alex Bell asked if she wanted to meet her and so we approached her. At this time my brother Alex and Aileen approached us and said that it was time to get our seats and so we excused ourselves and entered the theater.
It was a sight to behold. People were everywhere and cheered loudly. We were ushered to the back due to our yellow wrist bands and did not have a good view of the stage because of the distance. Meeting the former Survivors was worth it to me and my friends agreed. There were two very large 15’ by 15’ screens on either side of the stage with two additional 6’ by 3’ screens on either side of the mezzanine section. The stage was magnificently arranged and had the feel of the Tribal Council set. A comedian, Joey, was motivating the crowd with humor and offers of t-shirts and buffs tossed into the crowds. Directions were also given by the producers for the audience to follow for cueing certain reactions. Once everyone and everything was in place, it was time for the show.
Shawn Cohen Season 7
The lights went down, the familiar Survivor theme music blared and the audience went wild! As the opening sequence recapped the 18 All Star Survivors, the audience’s emotions ran high, especially for Rudy Boresch and his initial alliance with Rupert Boneham. The audience grew solemn as the recap described Jenna Morasca’s premonition to depart the game to be by her terminally ill mother’s bedside. It was all the more poignant that the day was also Mother’s Day. I secretly wondered if Jenna would be absent this evening in mourning. The mood lightened up by the time Richard Hatch was announced the first voted out upon tribal merge. Honestly, the audience emotional vibes alternated rapidly in succession with the images that appeared on screen – a virtual rollercoaster. When Susan Hawk quit the audience openly booed. They were also not happy when Colby Donaldson then Ethan Zohn were sequentially voted off. Whistles and catcalls were audible as Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich began their romance. They applauded as Rob admitted missing Amber and made the plea with Lex Van den Berghe to spare her. Jerri Manthey received the loudest uproar of applause and cheers as she was voted out, an omen of things to come. Rob Mariano’s revelation that he never intended to honor the pledge of unity toward Lex in return for sparing Amber’s fate received the ridiculed laughter from the crowd. Clearly Lex is vilified as much as Jerri by this unruly crowd. Amber’s decision to reveal she was given a car to the others was met with the loudest disapproval, apparently the pessimistic nature of a New York arena felt her honesty cost her $1 million. The feud between Rupert Boneham and Tom Buchanan was met with disbelief and heartache by the audience, yet every time Big Tom appeared on screen the audience burst into laughter. There is no denying Rupert and Tom’s popularity among Survivor enthusiasts. The audience was pro-Rupert so every time Rob and Amber attempted to gain Jenna Lewis’ support to oust Rupert, the audience grew discontent and actually vocalized their disapproval at the screens!
During the commercial break, Joey returned with more pranks and gimmicks for laughs, pumped up the audience with more promotional giveaways. I noticed a production assistant was looking to fill single or double empty seats and making offers to people in the back at our location to advance to a closer section. The catch was that the seats had obstructed views but you were close to the action. We did not accept the first offers but then I suggested to my group that we could split into two pairs if they offered another round of doubles. We agreed and waited.
Michael Skupin Season 2
As Jenna discussed the pitfalls of the dreaded purple rock, the audience shouted their desire for her to stay loyal to uber-hero Rupert. When she said she wanted to take matters into her own hands, the audience feared betrayal and fiercely booed. The screen focused on Rupert who groaned “someone is going home tonight – I hope it’s not me” and was met with an explosion of laughter. The immunity challenges were obviously unanimously favored for Rupert to win. Loud chants of “Go Rupert!” were bellowed, broken only by cheers each time Rupert found a rung to his ladder in the maze challenge. As close a match as it was, the audience was in maniacal wild suspense! Although they backed Rupert, the audience was impressed when Rob made the astoundingly agile feat of walking on top of the boards to cross a difficult obstacle instead of crawling beneath them. Alas, Amber was the one who won immunity and the audience feared the worst for Rupert.
Once again we were in a commercial break. I looked for a producer but didn’t see anyone. Perhaps they were done with seats? Well Joey wasn’t done with jokes, or shirts. But he couldn’t throw them as far up as we were. If we had any kind of a chance for a shirt or a better view, we needed a producer to call us forward. Not this time, we were back from commercial break.
The dilemma Jenna faced, whether to betray Rupert or take the chance with the purple rock, and the frequency she went back and forth on the issue, was leading the entire 5,000 persons at the garden to a collective nervous breakdown. Her indecision, “play with my heart – play with my head” tug of war was maddening. In the end, Jenna changed her mind, going against her emotions opting for an intellectual solution, to which the audience let out a thunderous “NO!” Rupert who answered back, “My emotions control what I do” was applauded in a mass show of support.
Tribal Council was next and the most striking interaction between the audience and what was portrayed on screen was the reaction to the jury. The audience found Alicia Calaway’s smirks and Shii-Ann Huang’s eye-rolling infectiously hysterical! As Jeff Probst read the votes aloud and announced, “The fifteenth person voted out…”, undeniably indicating Rupert was voted out, the audience hollered a deafening groan to which I could not hear his name called, but no matter, it was clear as crystal.
A commercial break followed allowing the audience to come to terms with their disappointment. My disappointment turned into elation as I heard the voice of opportunity, “Anyone interested from the back row to move closer to the front?” Yes, I shouted, “For two?” The deal was struck, Jeannine and I said our good-byes, having previously designated a meeting place should we separate from Alex and Aileen and off we went to the exciting unknown. The assistant producer led us down to the second row, in front of the band. We were issued red wrist bands and told that after the next commercial break we would not be allowed to leave our seats. The view was not bad. We had to contend with some tropical plants and a microphone stand but otherwise we had a decent view of the stage and the screen. We definitely had a great view of the former Survivors and an assortment of other reality TV persons in our area. Three rows behind us were Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Islands) with her family. Behind Sandra was Vecepia Towery (Survivor: Marquesas) with her family. I noticed the winners were sitting in one general area and wondered if that was intentional or co-incidence? Seated in the first row of the median section was Team Guido, life partners Joe and Bill of The Amazing Race. They are also contributing writers for Elites TV offering commentary on The Amazing Race series and so I wanted to meet them afterwards to introduce myself as another one of the Elites TV family. Seated Center stage front row was of course, the man himself, Executive Producer of Survivor (as well as The Apprentice and The Restaurant) Mark Burnett. I hoped to meet him later as well.
Burton Roberts Season 7
We were back from break, and on screen Jeff Probst approached the remaining three with the Final Rite of Passage phase of the finals. The audience applause meter indicated how well received each All Star met public approval overall rather than their performance on the All Star season. Tina Wesson received respectful applause. Rudy Boresch garnered an electrified, honorable cheer. Jenna Morasca welcomed somber applause, most likely because of the solemn nature of her mother’s untimely death. Rob Cesternino received laughter, particularly after his remark as a “victim of his own success”. Richard Hatch was met with a mixture of cheers and jeers. Sue Hawk only raised reluctant applause, most likely because she quit under questionable circumstances. Colby Donaldson received the sex factor applause, mixed with whistles and cat calls, from what I gathered were both female and some male fans. Same could be said of Ethan Zohn, except the cheers were broken with a sudden mass moan as the screen footage showed him get clocked on his head with the end of the pole while taken down by Mariano. The magnification of the huge screens made the hit seem much worse than from home. Jerri Manthey once again received the loudest jeers and hisses. I don’t think she will ever live her image down. Lex Van den Berghe brought forth mixed cheers and jeers equivalent to that of Hatch. Kathy Vavrick-O’Brien was given respectful cheers and applause. Alicia Callaway garnered light applause which rose slightly louder for Shii-Ann Huang. Tom Buchanan received the expected laughter and cheers, especially when he was shown dancing. Finally, Rupert Boneham garnered the most powerful applause I have ever heard, and it lingered for some time.
Commercial break again. Each time this occurred, the cameras would roam around the audience to capture their strong reactions and cheers. I also noticed that the commercial breaks were promoting many summer blockbuster movies that also caught as much cheerful approval from the audience as the program itself.
The final Immunity Challenge was up next. The greatest reaction by the audience was to the disclosure that the three remaining all stars, Amber, Jenna, and Rob were competing in an endurance challenge in 108 degree sweltering heat for over two hours. Finally when Jenna lifted her foot slightly, was disqualified and tried to fight the call, the audience burst out in mockery, as she is blamed for Rupert’s downfall. I recalled that Jenna’s brother, Guy, also tried to contend Jeff’s judgment ruling when he took a premature swing of water while biting down on a tarantula. I guess it must run in the Lewis family. Rob’s show of competitive spirit by declining Amber’s plea for forfeiture roused the audience to sports arena type cheer. “You’re gonna hafta beat me.” He replies which received a brutish grunt from all the males in the crowd. As Amber touched the Idol with her free hand, the audience gasped in alarm and goes wild with disbelief. Rob Mariano has won immunity.
Rob played with the audience’s hearts by considering the notion of eliminating Amber from contention, taking Jenna into the finals. The required suspense adequately set, we were taken to Tribal Council. A composed audience did not react to the questions Jeff asked but as the final vote was read, the audience reacted in amazement to the realization that Rob and Amber pulled off their strategy which seemed blatantly obvious over a period of several tribal councils, yet no one put a stop to it! Alicia, Lex, Kathy and Shii-Ann’s looks of disgust and devastation drew chuckles from the audience.
It is time for another commercial break. At this point Mark Burnett got up and walked to the left side of the theater, directly in front of us. Jeannine stood up to catch his attention and say hello, having worked for him on his NBC program, The Restaurant. After a brief exchange, he excused himself to work on a production matter. This interaction of course drew attention from those seated near us and suddenly the realization that another Reality TV star was in their midst created a wave of intrigue and gawking. Speaking of waves, Joey the comedian has gotten the audience to commence in a series of waves himself, much as he’s done earlier when we first took our seats in the nosebleed section.
Alex Bell Season 6 and Gervase Peterson Season 1
The commercial break is over and we are introduced to the final day on the island for Rob and Amber. The montage of events was rather lackluster and didn’t peak the interest of the action starved audience. An occasional whistle or cat call could be heard over the romance between the two young lovers but nothing grand. The only fact that seemed to provoke the squeamish audience was that Rob was scaling a live fish.
The moment has finally arrived, the Final Tribal Council wherein all of the seven jury members get to voice their opinions and questions to determine who wins the All Star title and prize! During Rob Mariano’s opening comments the serious looks on Lex and Alicia’s faces drew belly laughs from the audience, as did Tom’s smirk. Amber’s opening comment, focusing on luck and her alliance with Rob as the contributing factors toward her finalist status drew an incredulous and suspicious look from Kathy, which had the audience groan, fearing Kathy’s influence on the panel.
Each jury member was allowed to direct a question or comment to the finalists. Lex went first and was unrelentingly booed for his hypocrisy regarding his feelings and betrayal over friendships given he had done the same to Colby, Ethan and Jerri. When he stated Rob and Amber sold out their values the audience recognized the double standard and supported the finalists. Kathy was next and was applauded for her concern over public appearance and maintaining integrity in one’s image. Suddenly the screens go blank! The infuriated audience lost control and complained openly. When the screens come back on Rupert is speaking and the audience gasped in unison in collective disappointment over missing an important introduction. Laughs returned however, when Rob answered Rupert that he should give Rob his vote because he is a man of his word. The chutzpah of that guy!
Alicia was up next and the audience was prepared to witness a tongue lashing on Rob. She did not disappoint as she berated him verbally causing a near riot in the theater. The crowd hooted and hollered, screamed, yelled, cheered, applauded and stamped their feet when Alicia said “…fine art of butt-kissing and ego-stroking, you both did such a fine job of it…that I don’t know which one of you has more crap on their lips.” The audience lost their collective minds! “You have out-witted us, out-played us, and out-lasted us, but you have not out-classed us!” Chaos ensues. That was truly the quote of the night which may go down under equal par with Sue Hawk’s infamous “Snake and Rat” speech.
Shii-Ann is next and her approach was entirely different, perhaps fortunate in order to resume order in the theater. First she congratulated Rob and Amber for being the finalists, a gesture which seemed to calm the crowd. Then she lambasted her own jury members for their hypocrisy stating “A lot of people’s feelings are hurt, but as someone who has competed with all of them…I want to say people who live in glass houses – shouldn’t throw stones.” The camera quickly pans Lex and Kathy and chaos resumes once more, the feet stomping shook me in my seat! I was shocked by the passion enrolled at this event!
Jenna Lewis is next and reiterates Shii-Ann’s concern that while others may feel vengeful on the jury, she does not share their sense of betrayal, instead wants to know what each would do with the money. Rob unconvincingly says he’d donate a portion to create a scholarship fund for kids he coaches on a hockey league. Scoffed by the audience, Jenna incredulously repeats his answer and shrugs, drawing more laughs from the crowd. She repeats the question for Amber who also wisely emphasizes she’d donates a large portion to fight Muscular Dystrophy, an ailment which has afflicted several people she knows. Doubtful of her sincerity, the audience gives her the benefit of the doubt and applauded cautiously.
Big Tom is next and of course drew laughter, especially when he pointed out their broken promise to ol’ Tom. Hysteria nearly consumed the audience when Amber said she would reply honestly and Tom, not missing a beat said he’d appreciate that with a wink. The tables were turned however, when Tom asked the same question of Rob, “Why should I give the money to you over the other finalist?” Rob sternly answered “In all fairness Tom, we both know you plotted to kick me off first…I found out about it and kicked you out first.” Tom repeated the answer questionably, expressing this did not happen. “You did try to kick me off.” Rob answered again adamantly, strongly holding his ground without flinching. Meekly, Tom backed down, conceding fault “well ok then,” bowing slightly, “that’s all then.” The audience burst into thunderous laughter at poor Tom’s expense. Public humility is the price you pay for this kind of public exposure. Not to worry, Big Tom is still beloved by all. That is…until he approached Rob with his hand extended gesturing a truce. Just as Rob was about to shake his hand, Tom pulled away and snorted, “Don’t be stupid, Stupid! I fell for it once, maybe twice, but not this time!” The audience gasped in shock then quickly applauded Tom’s loutish bravery and admonishment of disrespect to the tarnished Robfather. As far as entertainment went, this was truly an All Star finale comparable to a close World Series or Super bowl game.
We were back into another commercial break but something is different this time. From my vantage point I couldn’t see but something was definitely happening on the other side of the stage based on the audience rising to their feet and cheering uncontrollably. Yes, the All Star jury panel and finalists were entering the stage! Suddenly an announcement came over the P.A. system; this is it, the final commercial break before we go LIVE! I must admit, I was physically thrilled! My heart raced in anticipation and the excitement of the moment. If I felt this way, I couldn’t imagine how Rob and Amber were feeling. The audience remarked on Amber’s shirt which read “I Love Rob”, which trickled down the rows as people were asking what the commotion was about. Final announcement, we are returning from break.
The final words of each finalist to the jury before voting commenced were rather bland, except for Rob’s apology over hurt feelings which the audience did not buy. The look on Rob’s face as he heard the audiences reaction to what was said on screen – priceless! Jeff Probst instructed the jury to vote and Jenna was up first. Her statement to own your accomplishment and be proud was well received by the audience in general as was the revelation of choosing Rob for the Robfather fans in the crowd. She said he deserved it for dominating in the game. Alicia was next and continued to amuse the audience with her carefully selected scrutiny. She said to Rob, “Remember in the middle of the game when we shook hands and I promised to never write your name down? Well I’m a woman of my word” revealing Amber’s name. The audience was electrified! Big Tom revealed Amber’s name giving her the lead in the count to the satisfaction of the Amber fans in the audience. Kathy immediately revealed Rob’s name, tying up the count and tying up the muscles and nerves in my neck into knots. She expressed a strong unbreakable friendship that was merely damaged not severed. Jeff announced that the votes would be read live back in the United States, to which the audience broke into a frenzied cheer!
Dave Johnson Season 6
As the helicopter picks Jeff up and returns him to New York City the audience rose to its feet and delivered a bellowing thunderous applause. It was literally non-stop for the duration of the segment, perhaps five minutes. Scenes of the New York City skyline energized the audience. As the footage on screen revealed Madison Square Garden the audience was completely invigorated. Finally Jeff Probst enters the theater and the crowd cheers incessantly. What followed next was all recorded live and so I will only highlight that which could not be seen or heard on screen, or requires repetition due to it’s vital importance.
The first surprise was intensely emotional as Rob surprised everyone by proposing to Amber. Mark Burnett could take a lesson here from Rob on unscripted television. I looked around and noticed the expressions of pure joy on 5,000 faces. They still had the matter of the vote to tend to, which seemed moot from recent events. With a 3 – 3 vote going into the last decisive placard, the audience had no idea who would win and the revelation exploded in genuine exhilaration! As Amber was announced the winner of Survivor: All Stars she approached the front of the stage where her parents and Rob’s parents sat and was embraced by both families in a congratulatory union. I got a very good look from where I stood and must say it was rather moving to witness. At that point, all 18 All Stars entered the stage to the audience’s utter delight.
We went back to a commercial break. During these breaks audience members would call out to their favorite All Stars. The producers would then give the warning signal that we were going back live just as an overly jealous fan shouted “Amber get a pre-nup” invoking a wave of laughter from the difficult to compose crowd. The audience reacted strongly to the villains, cheering loudly when Lex was called out regarding his hypocrisy for backstabbing his alliances with friends Colby, Ethan, and Jerri yet complaining of the same behavior from Rob. Obviously, the audience envisioned him as villainous as Jerri. As much as Big Tom was beloved by fans, they found his behavior and disrespect toward Rob unacceptable and wanted them to make amends. It bewildered me why the audience was so fickle, having cheered on this very act earlier on screen but now wanted it mended. Whatever, they shook hands and the audience was content. But they weren’t content with Jerri. The second she opened her mouth to comment on the unequal balance between entertainment versus the emotional pain and suffering sustained in the game was unrelentingly booed. I must say the volume in the theater was much greater than what is heard on television (having experienced both as I re-watched the program I recorded). The audience found her insincere considering her ulterior motive was to enact revenge against fan favorites Colby and Tina, her former alliance partners from the Outback season.
The heroes received an equally strong response. Colby was selected to speak next and the fans erupted in vivacious cheer. He provided his usual – a highly praiseworthy response full of integrity. “It is one thing to know how to play this game well, it is another to be successful at it – these two were successful at it.” Following the hero parade was 75 year old, war veteran and venerable fan favorite, Rudy Boresch. In his usual playful humorous fashion he stated “I am glad I was voted out early because all the backstabbing would have made me do something I’d later regret.” Shii-Ann and Big Tom were also sanctified, Shii-Ann for supporting friends and Tom for defending his family from malicious personal attacks. The audience granted them their due applause.
Another commercial break relieved the tension in the theater but also sent Jerri Manthey angrily storm off stage as well. I must report that the audience was severely harsh and insensitive toward her, which must have been difficult to take. Alas, the break was over and time to wrap things up.
Jeff announced that as the winner, Amber would reward another Survivor All Star with a car to which the audience wanted Rupert to win. After careful deliberation with her new life partner Rob, she selected Shii-Ann. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Jenna Morasca was present for the finale on stage, again given it was Mother’s Day. But she had an announcement of her own; she and Ethan Zohn are another Survivor power couple. They are both former winners and dating seriously. Then the final twist was announced. America would get to vote for another recipient from the All Stars to win $1 million – something of a People’s Choice award. Could Mark Burnett be experimenting with the producer’s winning formula for American Idol?
Gervase Peterson Season 1 and Erin Collins Season 5
The finale was over and as people stared dispersing, Jeannine and I wanted to talk to Mark Burnett. I noticed a big crowd starting to surround him and opted to first speak with Sandra Diaz-Twine and Vecepia Towery. Jeannine and I agreed to split up and said our good-byes in case we were unable to reunite. I was able to approach Sandra first and congratulated her for her victory last season. She was very pleasant and we carried our conversation off in Spanish. After excusing myself, I briefly congratulated Vecepia for her win during the Marquesas season as she was quickly headed out the door with her large congregation of family. I had lost sight of Team Guido but noticed that Jeannine was close to Mark Burnett and he was looking in my direction. I seized the opportunity and introduced myself from two rows away, congratulating him for the success of all of his programs and that I looked forward to seeing him at the Reality Cares Foundation tribute to him at the Kenneth Cole Flagship store in Rockefeller Center on May 20th. He acknowledged my remark with a nod and wave, to which Jeannine expressed her kudos and good-bye to me with a thumb’s up. As I searched outside Madison Square Garden for the rest of my party, whom I never found, I ran into Team Guido and introduced myself, expressing my affiliation with ETV. They were pleased to meet me and introduced me to Sonja Christopher (Survivor: Borneo). The finale may have ended and I cold not find Alex or Aileen anywhere but that didn’t mean the night was over. I received a last minute invitation to join the Survivor after party at Crowbar (apparently someone wasn’t feeling up to it and so a pass became available) and so I decided to see where the next adventure lay in the exciting unknown.
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