Survivor: Borneo write up

I was about six or seven when I started watching Survivor, and since then the show has been a huge part of my life. I have fallen in love with this show as I watch the constants play this game that I have learned to play along with them. I thought I should do the show justice and do write ups of every season and explain what I like and dislike about them. So let's start with Survivor, or as it is known now, Survivor Borneo.

                                          At the time, no one knew there could be stupider tribe names then Tagi or Pagong.

 Borneo was a HUGE hit when it first started the show we now call Survivor. The thought of how we could live on a deserted island with a bunch of people you didn't really know had only been available in books like Lord of the Flies and other books. Survivor actually gave us real people that you could select you were  the most like and see how well you fared up. Survivor was watched by a ton of people in America because the constants were so likeable.  The idea that is was a competition realty show was just an added bonus.  There was no Project Runway of Real Housewives when Survivor started so a reality show was still a very new thing and very few shows have come close to being this good (the only one I like half as much is Top Chef).

                                                         Also known as Survivor: the college years.

As I said the contestants were more like real people then they are in later seasons (watch the Caramoan contestant video and notice how Jeff Probst refers to the players as "characters"). Differently from the more recent season I did not hate anyone in the game. Sure there were few I didn't like, but no one that existed that I was like "If this person wins, I will NEVER watch this show again!".  Contestants were more like regular folk so you could relate to them. Look at these contestants.

Sonja Christopher:  Your grandma

B.B. Andersen: Your grandpa
Stacey Stillman: that mean girl you knew in high school that your friend had a crush on.
Ramona Gray: the one that pouts all day. 
Dirk Been: The cool guy.

Joel Klug: Every Survivor player ever.

Gretchen Cordy: The coolest teacher ever.
Greg Buis: The crazy guy.
Jenna Lewis: The girl in the Eminem music video.
Gervase Peterson: The guy that began the stereotype of going on Survivor but not knowing how to swim. 
Colleen Haskell: The cute girl that later showed up in a Rob Schneider movie.
Sean Kenniff: The nice guy.
Susan Hawk: "Tapeeeeoooka"
Rudy Boesch: The perfect individual.  
Kelly Wiglesworth: The girl you most likely dated in high school.
Richard Hatch: The big gay guy who did end up winning.The amount of stuff this guy did was insane

You couldn't  help but find one person you liked in the whole show. Now I don't want to talk about every character, just what the show was like so I won't go into this other then what we have  right now.

                                                       I also do not want to talk about Dirk any more then he deserves. bro.

The show is very chaotic in terms of a Survivor season. It it very clear that this is the first season of the show as no one really knows what to do. The confessionals are sloppy, the challenges are strange,  and everyone is focused on just surviving r rather then establishing alliances. Now I am not saying this is a bad thing, but the show definitely suffers on the "things happening" scale. Watch an episode of a season like Philippians and then watch an episode of this show. I can imagine a newer Survivor fan being board by this season or laughing at how unorganized  it is. I mean seriously, watch the very first tribal council an tell me it isn't completely unorganized.

                                         B.B. actually just says "Okay" with his hands in his pockets when he is voted out.


That being said, I love this season. While yes it is kid of dumb at points it is still very fun to watch. The best thing about this show and why it is in my top ten is because the people are so great. I really do like all of the people playing in the game and I would like to meet in real life. Borneo is probably the hardest season to write about and I bet I will do better in the next few seasons. Overall, good season, but great cast.

                                                 Sue writes "souna" on her vote for Sonja. 

Survivor Borneo: top five best contestants

Since Borneo was the first Survivor season ever, people were not really sure how to act, making less mundane and a lot more like a bunch of actual people on an island. The show had a lot of people on it and everyone had the one person they loved to watch, but just like in real life there are people you like and people you respect. I decided to pick my top five  favorite  contestants and rank them. so let us begin.

The Best:

5. Colleen Haskell

Pagong was losing numbers fast going into the merge. Gretchen, Greg, Jenna, and Gervase  were all lost to the alliance of Rich,Rudy,Kelly,and Sue (also, Sean's ABC "strategy" really didn't help things). So after all that, who would have thought that the last surviving Pagong member would be the 102 pound collage student?

                                          "Like, I am voting for Sean because, I'm trying to be nice.. he is a puss."

Colleen gave a big giant "screw you" to Hatch and his alliance and almost made him throw his plans out the window by being the only Pagong member with enough brains to notice that there actually was an alliance and also the only one with enough balls (or ovaries) to try to stop the alliance.  Colleen was actually one of the most surprising people on the show being a force in almost every challenge she competed in. I love Colleen as a player, and I would like to say that this list is only about how they played the game, but I moved her to fifth place just for acting in a Rob Schneider movie, if she didn't lower herself to *HIM* she would have been top three easily.

                                               something about this offends me, I am just not exactly sure what it is.

Besides that, Colleen is still one of the greatest Survivor girls ever, only beaten by another person from this season.  Colleen is a person who I would love to see compete again.

4. Sean Kenniff

Most people are probably asking why Sean isn't on a worst list. His ABC voting strategy, the superpole 2000, and the fact that he was indecisive are just a few reasons  most people thought he was a loser. Yeah Sean is kind of a dork, but that is why I like him. Sean was just to nice of a guy and I think I am in the minority in thinking that helped him play the game. the ABC voting made him easier to fly under the radar becuase he was not really hurting anyone with his votes. The way  he voted made peopel not threatened by him and made the game easier for him.

                                           I mean look at this guy, does he look like a threat to anyone? 

Plus, being a nice guy made Sean a character to respect and, dare I say it, LIKE after the Pagong tribe fell. Sean just was a nice person and while that may not make him the best Survivor player it still made him fun to watch.  

                                Sean with the superpole 2000. One of the only things on the island that enjoyed his company.     3. Greg Buis

The reason Greg is so likeable to me is because it is very clear that he doesn't give two shits about this show our Jeff Probst. Greg took every chance he could to make an ass of himself and expose the show for what it was. He comically overreacted to every little thing that happened to him and his tribe, and acted crazy for absolutely no reason. 

                                                             "All work an no play makes Greg a dull boy." 
Greg is probably most known for bursting into song while his team explains a clue, yelling "WHO COUNTED THE CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCHED!?" at his tribe when the chickens they won were eaten by lizards, interrupting his interview to watch a flying fish, and  fake crying hysterically when he was voted out. There is even a rumor that he got his whole tribe to vote for Jeff one tribal council just to be crazy.  Greg is one of the funniest people to ever play Survivor and I would love to see him compete again even if Jeff and the producers hate him.

               Greg on his coconut phone. A crazy idea that would later be done by Shane Powers in Survivor: Panama 

2. Jenna Lewis 

Jenna is my favorite female Survivor contestant ever and the more and more  I watch Borneo and All-Stars, I find myself  liking her more and more. What is it that I like about Jenna so much? Why do I always wish that she aliened with Colleen and Gervase to vote out Rich?

 

                                                         Besides the obvious I mean. 
Jenna was actually one of the most compelling and nicest people in Survivor history. She never hurt anybody's feelings on purpose   and she always tried her best in challenges. Jenna was always a good person at heart and could make good decisions and have fun at the same time (that was surprisingly not supposed to be a reference to the sex tape BTW). Jenna actually was able to be a human player and be sympathetic when she didn't get the tape (the tape from her KIDS not the *other* tape). I always was amazed in the season of terrible female players, one of them actually is my favorite of the whole show. So good job Jenna, you actually gave Borneo two women on the show that were not terrible people (excluding Sonja and Gretchen). Also, appearing in an Eminem music video is pretty sweet.

                                                       Little does Jenna know that in eight seasons, Jeff will 100% cost her a million dollars 

 1.  Rudy Boesch 

If Rudy isn't the greatest Survivor player of all time he is definitely up there. Every moment with Rudy on screen made me crack up with laughter, that is just the way he is a person. He made Borneo a very enjoyable season by being the most quotable person in Survivor history. Also, Rudy wasn't a lazy ass like Dirk or Ramona, Rudy did very well in the kitchen and went very hard in the challenges.  Rudy is one of the players that I would like to meet and talk to at some point in my life and  I guarantee I would have a whole notepad of funny stuff to write when I did.

                            
                                                  The quote generating man himself. He did America proud.  

Rudy was the fan favorite that year and if it wasn't for Kelly, Rudy would have easily CRUSHED his opponents. Not only was he great enough to return to All-Stars, and write a book, he was also a NAVY SEAL which makes him all kinds of awesome. Rowdy Rudy, you did America proud, great job sir. 

                 "you guys know I could have whooped both your asses if I hadn't taken my hand of that stupid pole right?"

P.S. RIP to Rudy's wife, Marge, who  passed away on 11/1/2008)

Intro

I have been a huge Survivor fan since I first watched it and I have watched nearly episode. That being said, I am one of those people who loves to pick on the show and love to watch the chaos unfold around the show.  I love websites like Survivor Sucks and the Funny 115 and I thought I could start doing something like that. So I wanted to get this out of the way before anyone thinks I am making fun of these contestants, I thank them for the humor and fun they have given me over the years and I do not mean to offend anyone. I welcome feedback and new readers.