PASCHAL ENGLISH'S SECOND CHANCE: When asked in a recent EW interview about bringing back Michael Skupin for All Stars III, Survivor host Jeff Probst said, basically, it's hard to call him an "all star hero" among the five men being picked since his injury kept him from making it to the merge, but wouldn't it be fun to have a "what if?" season for folks who deserved second chances, citing as well Hunter Ellis from Season 4 (Marquesas). Beside Stacey Stillman's obvious deserving of such an opportunity (which I imagine she'd never take), what other non-star bootees would you like to see given another run?
Also, Probst claims, Yul Kwon wasn't archetypically heroic enough to cast again.
Kwon wasn't archetypically heroic? He made excellent and complicated strategic decisions and was respectable in the challenges. He got people to like him, and when they didn't like him, he got them to respect him. He found the immunity idol in about 15 minutes. He's one of the few people to win without deceiving or backstabbing anybody, if I remember right. He was ripped like an underfed superhero. Yul is not a hero but Rupert is? Apparently Probst thinks heroism is being yelly and acting like a little baby when people don't tell you how inspiring you are.
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ReplyDeleteI find the reasons given for both Yul and Penner to stay home really misguided. I'll give the PTB the benefit of the doubt that Rupert has a fanbase -- apparently none of them are on the internet -- but James? That must have been a Probst pick. James is not that interesting; he isn't courageous, strategic, or, gasp! that physically skilled. (It's all gym muscles.) What I'm guessing is that Yul was unlikely to return given he has a respectable job.
Probst is right that it's hard to find archetypal female contestants, though. Stephenie was practically a villain in Guatemala, and I'm guessing Jonathan would have been a villain for doing the same thing as Candice (betraying their tribe) -- and Candice is a hero this time!
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Although, as I think about it, the reason it's hard for Survivor to find archetypically heroic female contestants is because Probst, and the show, thinks of heroism as physical dominance, which is normatively better than strategic dominance to the show's thinking. "Playing the game" is sneaky. "Flirting" is villainous. In reality, Tom Westman did a real douchebag move on Ian and Terry Dietz was no great shakes, either. James, as I recall, was a real misogynist. Rupert's a straight-up...whatever he is.
ReplyDeleteStraight-up guy who stole shoes on day one of Pearl Islands.
ReplyDeleteAnd then kept announcing "I'm a pirate!" like he was a five year old with a tenuous grasp on piracy. Jerk.
ReplyDelete<span>And then kept announcing "I'm a pirate!" like a five year old with a tenuous grasp on piracy. Jerk.</span>
ReplyDeleteAs I think I said in another thread, Penner was going to be a villain until Russell stole the show on S19 and Penner got booted...bummer.
ReplyDeleteI bet they asked Yul and he said "Um, if you haven't noticed, I'm busy serving on government panels now..." and Probst made that "not a hero" comment b/c his feelings were hurt.