Boston Rob Choice of Hat Appropriate?
by Rich Glanzer
If I ever make it onto Survivor, one thing I will not do is wear a Boston Red Sox hat. Don't get me wrong, I respect Boston Rob Mariano for showing support to his team, but it may just cost him a million bucks. OK, maybe it's his lying and telling everyone that he will not write their name down that may be the official reason players like Lex, Alicia, and a couple of Survivors to be named later may give, but I'm telling you, that hat cant help.
I mean lets look at a couple of facts here. The Red Sox haven't won the World Series since 1918, and no Survivor ever wearing any Red Sox paraphernalia has ever won Survivor! Coincidence? Hardly.
But is Rob Mariano the man to end it all and bring the Red Sox Survivor curse to an end? Signs point to no. In his first season, he didn't make it past New York native Rob (The General) Decanio. And last night, we saw him lose a physical challenge to New Yorker Shii Ann, who provided the biggest New York over Boston upset since the Mets were down by two runs and two outs in the 10th inning of Game 6!
Boston Rob supporters may say, "He's playing the game great." That maybe true, but it also maybe false. While up until this week, he's been nothing short of dominant, dominant players tend to be eliminated at this stage of the game. Also, there are three members of the jury {Lex, Kathy, Alicia), and all three feel betrayed by Rob. And if Rob makes it to the final four, that guarantees at least one other Survivor between Amber (who he's likely to keep his alliance with), Rupert, Big Tom, and Jenna will most likely feel betrayed by Rob as well. So while he may make it to the final two, he may be looking jealously at the other guy/girl when Jeff Probst announces who the, "Ultimate Survivor" is. Rob's only hope if he makes it to the final two is, the jury rewards his dominance.
And that's a strong possibility. Richard Hatch and Brian Heidik were dominant players who were rewarded for their game play.
And there's something to be said about surviving the loss of immunity. While Brian had a strong alliance and won the final few immunities, Richard Hatch had to skate by a couple of times.
Rob also is getting luck on his side it seems. Alicia somehow didn't realize she was next on the chopping block, even though the reward challenge basically gave Ruperts' alliance away. Of course Alicia had her own alliance with Rob, whom she admitted she didn't trust, yet when the time came to make decisions, she played like she did. Had she been nice previously to Shii Ann, she may have been able to talk her and Big Tom to form a quick alliance of three. Then she could have tried with all her might to pull Rupert and Jenna with them. From there they could have made a four person alliance without Shii Ann, and had Rob out of the game. But instead, all the players gave Rob a 2nd chance, and that may cost them in the long run.
Rob plays the "stepping on the throat" kind of game, where once a strong player is vulnerable he makes sure their torch is snuffed. Long Island Rob, and Lex can attest to that. Keeping Rob in the game may turn out to be the biggest mistake the remaining Survivors make.
But judging from his choice of hats, it probably won't.
While one of the first things I ever wrote on this site was Shii Ann was not worthy of being an All-Star, she certainly provided an All Star moment. It was six on one with everyone vociferously voicing their rooting interests against Shii Ann, yet she remained calm, cool, collected, and most importantly focused. It was one of the better Survivor moments in my opinion. Whether you like her or not, credit should be given for her will to win. She went against two Survivor studs in Rupert and Rob, and she was the one who showed no fear and even guarantee victory when she told Rupert, "Dude, I'm going to win." She won't win it all, but at least she has something to hang her hat on when she does get eliminated, probably next week.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Alicia proved why she was voted the player who isn't as smart as she thinks, and doesn't belong on the show. Her complete and utter rudeness to Shii Ann probably would have cost her any chance of receiving Shii Ann's vote in her favor had she made it to the final two. I'm all for truth and sticking up for yourself and your teammates, but in Survivor, tact is important. She seems to have none.
In case you're wondering, I'm not a Yankees fan or a Red Sox hater. I just wanted this article to be a little more fun than usual. If I had to pick a winner from the remaining six, it would be Rob. Everyone seems to have too much trust in the guy. Didn't they watch his original season?
Questions and Feedback, Rich can be reached at rich@survivorskills.com
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