‘Survivor’: In a huge upset, Natalie beats out Russell for the title of ‘sole survivor’

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Wow.

My mouth is still agape. I cannot believe that Natalie actually managed to take home the title of ‘sole survivor’ on this season in Samoa.

My money was absolutely on Russell. It’s no secret that I had been rooting for him since early on. His strategic ability constantly amazed me: He found hidden immunity idols without clues, orchestrated a number of big votes and even managed to oust Brett in the final immunity challenge.

His major flaws were obvious: He lied to get what he wanted and boasted about how he was the best player ever to grace ‘Survivor.’ But I could forgive him for those negatives. He was fun to watch. And I don’t really think he’s an evil person deep down. (Even though that lie about Hurricane Katrina was ... pretty low.)

On Day 39 in camp, it was clear his ego had reached a pretty insane level. He kept goading Natalie and Mick, saying they had no plan to win the game and no strategy to argue their case.

‘You ain’t been thinkin’ about your speech too much,’ he said, chuckling to himself. ‘If you want second place, you had better do better than that.’

And neither Natalie nor Mick really did do a great hard sell in front of the jury.

Natalie spewed a story about how she surprised herself by being able to make it on the island of ‘Survivor,’ thanking her fellow contestants. Boooring.

But I was even more disappointed by how poorly Mick performed in front of the jury. I think he had just as good a shot at the million bucks as Natalie did. He, too, aligned with Russell from the beginning. He generally remained quiet and let other players be the aggressors. And he arguably did more work around the camp and was a better physical competitor than many in his tribe.

And yet the jury opted to sympathize with Natalie because of the way he came across to the jury. His opening statement was weak. He argued that he played a moral game, trying not to use people as ‘pawns’ -- which visibly angered Shambo and Jaison, whom he did kind of use as pawns. Natalie, meanwhile, was smarter, making no claims about moral high ground.

What I think really pushed the jury over the edge was Erik’s final speech. He criticized Mick’s poor leadership skills and said Russell played an unethical game, questioning why no one respected Natalie for choosing not to lie, cheat and steal.

‘In an environment filled with arrogance and delusional entitlement, the person who thinks she is the least entitled is the least deserving,’ Erik said.

It was an argument that clearly resonated with the jury, which opted to hand the million bucks over to a blond pharmaceutical saleswoman from Arkansas who’d arrived on Samoa, as she reminded us, in ‘a sundress and a pair of gold wedges.’

It was pretty incredible to watch Russell sitting through the reunion special after Jeff read the votes, gritting his teeth in anger over losing the game. I’ll admit: I think Russell deserved to win. He played a better game, and Natalie rode his coattails. Somebody has to make the big moves in a game like this, and it always bothers me when that ends up coming back to bite them.

While watching the finale, my family debated who deserved to win.

At the end of the day, one side argued, people who treat others poorly will never get ahead. It doesn’t matter if you make it to the end -- it does matter how you get there. I suppose it’s easy for the audience -- who clearly loved Russell, since he took home the $100,000 fan favorite prize -- to sit at home and relish in evil game play because it’s fun to watch. If I were on the island and Russell had lied to me repeatedly, would I still be able to put my feelings aside and respect his game play? Maybe not.

In the end, do you think this was truly the best season of ‘Survivor’? Did Natalie deserve to win the million dollars? And could Russell get a chance at redemption on the 20th-season ‘All Stars’ special? Let’s discuss below in the comments section.

-- Amy Kaufman (follow me on Twitter @AmyKinLA)

Photos, from top: Natalie White took home the title of sole survivor on this season’s game in Samoa. Russell Hantz and White formed an alliance early. Credit: CBS

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