I believe Survivor host Jeff Probst has crossed a line — one could conceivably call it Survivorgate. Jeff should return to his sundry duties as the grumpy overseer of Tribal Challenges and his weekly stint as Tribal Council’s King Oprah — nudging wary and shy contestants to unload their pent up souls — and actually stop worming his way into the game and manipulating the outcome. This is exactly what occurred this last episode. Janu was shoved into dropping her torch — thus possibly standing this Palau excursion on its head.

By David W. Taylor ( Email Me )
Reality Reel Media
04.23.05

Since its nascent beginnings, the unofficial yet ubiquitous motto of the Survivor show has been “The Tribe Has Spoken.” On this Palau episode, at this Palau Tribal Council, the Tribe, Koror, was ostensibly stripped of its obligation to do so. To judge whether Janu was destined to remain on Palau or if another tribe member was more suitable for a hasty departure was their own collective prerogative to determine. That chance, that right, was snatched.

Many past contestants who have expressed mournful desires to leave their Survivor digs — notably, even, Survivor Amazon “winner” Jenna — have escaped vote-offs because of strategic tribal wrangling. It was not for Janu to upstage Koror’s obligations... it was not Jeff’s “cross to bear” to entertain Stephenie’s crybaby plea, filter it through to a befuddled Janu, and ultimately give Janu the option, the mandate, to vote herself off, or not, at that solemn affair. It was an abuse of everything Survivor and Tribal Council has stood for and has come to exemplify.

As it so happens, stunningly, Janu did not decide to leave Survivor in the midst of the rigors of the game. She did not collapse frothing on the beach because of mental stress or disease or physical injury or psychological pain or because of tragedies back home in Nevada.

In fact, she was coming off a recent Reward Challenge win in which she was a welcome contributing factor; more involved in the exercise than even Caryn. And she was one of four Koror members to participate in a spectacular, sumptuous Palauan Feast. And, she came to Tribal Council unusually fit and lucid because she had spent the previous night abandoned on a distant Palau beach — due to being the first to withdraw from the Immunity Challenge — and had painstakingly conquered its myriad obstacles. She ended up, ironically, singing to the stars and dancing on the beach.