Survivor Samoa: John Fincher Had Never Watched The Show

That is John Fincher, Rocket Scientist, from the recently concluded Survivor Samoa. The first few weeks of the most recent Survivor I thought John Fincher and the seldom seen, Brett Clouser, were the same person. Til John grew a beard and Brett did not. Then I realized these were two different people.

Yesterday, while bouncing around the Internet, I came upon an interview with John Fincher that I found both interesting and annoying.

I thought it odd that John called himself a Rocket Scientist. John says he is an Aerospace Engineer and knows of no one on the planet who calls himself a Rocket Scientist. It was the Survivor producers who thought it was clever to call John a Rocket Scientist.

Speaking of those Survivor producers.

John had never watched a single episode of Survivor. John did not apply to be on the show. John was recruited. Why? I don't know. After John agreed to be on the show that he'd never seen, he asked the producers for video of past shows so he could study how the game is played.

Now, this just strikes me as all kinds of wrong. You have thousands, maybe millions, of loyal Survivor fans who would love the opportunity to be on the show. There are only 16 or 18 slots and they give one to a Rocket Scientist who has never watched the show? That is just annoying.

Recruit me. I'd be good on Survivor. Though I suck at starving. I'm great at back stabbing and blindsiding.

John also said he tried to put on weight prior to being stuck on an island and gave up boozing, so as to maximize his healthiness. Boozing and a Rocket Scientist seems sort of counter-intuitive to me.

Speaking of weight, John says he weighs 180 and is 6 feet 2. He thought his size would make him a target, but turns out other guys were bigger. That explains why John looked like a small guy to me.

So, the Survivor producers also cast for giants? I wonder how big Shambo is? That annoying Eric guy must be at least 6 feet 6.

How many other Survivors has been recruited, rather than send in an application?

And now we've got the upcoming Survivor Redemption: Heroes vs. Villains, with everyone having been on at least once already.

Between Survivor All-Stars, Fans vs. Favorites, Heroes vs. Villains and John Fincher, what percentage of people, who are on Survivor, have not been recruited, in some manner, by the producers?

I guess it is their show to cast how ever they like. But it sort of ruins it for me.

I may not watch Heroes vs. Villains.

Survivor Samoa: Finale Tonight, Brett, Mick Natalie, Jaison or Russell Sole Survivor

There is Sunday Night Football on NBC, a Christmas in Washington special on TNT with the President and Mrs. Obama in attendance, but there is only one thing I'm going to watch tonight.

Survivor: Samoa
8/7c CBS

It's down to 5 Survivors, Brett, Mick, Natalie, Jaison and Russell.

If Brett continues to win the challenges he seems a shoo-in to win, what with the majority of the jury made up of his former Galu members, many of whom are bitter about being blindsided, with Brett playing no role in the blindsiding, except for going along with the blindsides, vote-wise, for the most part.

After 2 hours of Survivor tonight we won't know who won. That requires watching the start of the 1 hour Reunion show. I usually bail part way through the Reunion show. 3 hours is way too much television for me.

Survivor Samoa: Shannon Waters aka Shambo Asked to Leave

The Baby-Faced Assassin, Brett Clouser, won immunity again last night on Survivor. Russell felt safe enough that he did not bother using his Hidden Immunity Idol on his last chance to do so.

With Brett unable to be voted out it became Shambo's turn to go.

During the course of the season, it seems Shambo got more face time than everyone, with the possible exception of Russell.

Shambo did make for some good TV, at times.

Supposedly Shambo lost 4 pant sizes and 70 pounds before filming began. Ms. Waters is a former Marine. I don't know if she had the bad mullet hair do while she was a Marine. I suspect not.

I was surprised to learn Shambo currently lives in Renton, Washington. Being a Washingtonian myself, Shambo does not strike me as a native. I don't know that I've ever seen a mullet hair-do in Washington. Certainly not in this century.

The Immunity Challenge, that Brett won, was so complicated I couldn't follow it. Count a bunch of stuff, write down a number, spin a combination lock. It all made no sense to me, but apparently it did to Brett.

Brett had more screen time on last night's episode than all previous episodes combined. If I had any money to bet I'd bet it on Brett to win Survivor.

Survivor Samoa: Brett Wins Immunity On Way To Winning?

The promos for the next Survivor have the remaining Survivors worried about King Russell, with King Russell worried about Brett, with the narrator saying "Will this baby faced assassin surprise everyone?"

So, I think we now know why Brett Clouser has been pretty much invisible til last night. Out of nowhere, virtually unseen, he is the last Galu standing.

And now with a great storyline.

Brett spoke last night. Several times. We heard him actually plotting strategy. He was the target of the next elimination, ahead of Monica. And then he won immunity.

Monica was sent to the jury, the 7th Galu on the all Galu jury. As the tribe walked away, Brett turned and shot a sly knowing look at the jury. And that was the point where the plot became Brett solo against Foa Foa.

This has been such a great season of Survivor. No reason for that to stop now. Usually I lose interest or get annoyed at the misleading editing. Not this season. And now we've got a set up with Brett possibly winning immunity over and over again. Somehow making it to the final 2 or 3, where he wins due to his blindsided former tribemates extracting the final revenge.

Near as I can tell, we find out if Brett wins Survivor this coming Sunday in one of those way too long 3 hour finales I never make it through.

Watch the Survivor preview below focused on the Baby Faced Assassin....

Survivor Samoa: Why Is Brett Clouser Invisible?

I was several weeks into Survivor Samoa when I realized the two guys in the photo were not the same person

The guy on the left is named Brett Clouser. He makes t-shirts. The guy on the right is John Fincher. He's a rocket scientist.

It only became obvious to me that Brett and John were two different people when John started to have a beard while Brett's face remained bald.

I supposed if I watched the opening credits I would have noticed both Brett and John. Maybe.

One of the reasons it was easy not to notice Brett is that in the history of Survivor no cast member has ever been given less face time. The minimalist appearance of Brett, at the point where we are down to only 8 left on the island, has sparked all sorts of debate in various spots on the Internet.

One theory is that Brett is so boring he gives the editors no material to work with. The few times we've heard Brett speak he does sound a bit morose and monotone. I believe his longest screen time came when Shambo told him she was voting off Laura. Brett just seemed sort of resigned. Strange mournful music was the soundtrack for that scene.

Brett's facial expressions are a bit one note too. As others sit at Tribal Council all a-twitter over another blindside, Brett just sits there like a Zombie about to fall asleep.

The dumbest theory, one with an entire thread on Survivor Sucks, with the title "Brett--Gay Bashing Homophobe," has someone claiming a Survivor insider informer told them that an editor or producer or someone high up on the Survivor production chain overheard Brett making some sort of rude anti-gay remark and so edited Brett into virtual non-existence as revenge.

Like I said. Dumb.

Early on there was quite a lot of speculation that Brett wins this edition of Survivor. That would seem highly unlikely at this point in time, since we have had no Brett storyline, no Brett strategy, hardly any Brett anything. He'd be the most under the radar winner ever.

Then again, a Brett win would not be the first time Survivor didn't make a lot of sense.