"Survivor: China": Todd Herzog Lands the Million

 

On the season finale of Survivor: China on CBS, it came down to the flight attendant, lunch lady, waitress and beauty queen.

 

As the four survivors returned to camp after the next to last tribal council, lunch lady Denise was bringing up the rear. That was very fitting, since she felt like an outsider. The reward challenge was a mini version of the Great Wall of China. Flight attendant Todd and beauty queen Amanda led the way the whole time, with Amanda eventually winning. Her reward was pizza, brownies, beer and soda. Jeff kept pointing out it was a serving for one, but after winning, he told her she could invite one or two people to share it with her. After much thought, she invited Todd.

 

That made no sense. She kept saying how she didn’t trust Todd. She even told Todd while they were eating that she didn’t trust him. So why invite him to eat?

 

Back at camp, waitress Courtney told Amanda that Todd was telling everyone a different story. Todd definitely wanted Denise out next, so Amanda was torn.

 

After paying homage to the memory of the eliminated players, it was off to the last immunity challenge. Survivors had to stack and balance dishes on a long, wobbly balancing arm. They could only use one hand, using the other to reach for additional dishes.

 

Todd’s dishes crashed first, followed soon by Courtney’s. Denise tried to make a deal with Amanda, but Amanda said, “No, I’m not giving up.” I was rather hoping Amanda would make a deal with Denise, as I would have liked to have seen her in the final three. Amanda eventually won the immunity challenge.

 

Of course, there was a lot of talking and pleading back at camp. Todd was nervous that the girls would all turn on him. Denise told Amanda, “This is all I get,” playing up the sympathy card, and after Survivor, she would go back to her job as a lunch lady making $7 an hour. Amanda said she would think about it, but after talking to Courtney and Todd, agreed they would vote out Denise. Todd said he didn’t want to lose to Denise. Courtney, ever the compassionate one, said, “This isn’t welfare” and that Denise “sucks at life.” 

 

Amanda went to talk to Courtney, who again pleaded her case. Amanda directly told her “I will guarantee you I will not vote for you tonight.” Of course, Courtney’s name never came up because--well, she hadn’t really done anything.

 

At tribal, Amanda made a big mistake. Denise said that Amanda had told her she had her back. Amanda got a strange look on her face and said, “I said that a while back. I didn’t say that today.”

 

Todd got a weird grin on his face and jury member Peih-Gee, James, Frosti and Jean-Robert all started laughing. Jeff asked what the grin was for and Todd said that Amanda’s reaction was “sharp” and he was just reacting for Denise. Then Jeff asked Amanda if the lobbying for the jury had already begun with Todd’s editorial comment. 

 

Denise was voted out by Courtney, Todd and Amanda, despite the guarantee. As the final three returned to camp, Amanda looked upset. I thought she was feeling guilty for lying to Denise, but no, she was upset at Todd for “calling me out” at tribal. Todd apologized, saying he didn’t do it on purpose but Amanda said he did. Amanda refused to celebrate making the final three and went to bed.

 

Of course, the next day when food showed up, all was forgiven. The three hugged and even held hands at tribal. The jury looked tough as they walked in. James said he was not a Bitter Betty and asked Courtney a quick and easy question about the best time she had there. Jean-Robert tried to tear into Courtney, but in defending herself, she asked Jean-Robert if he had won a challenge. Oops, you just lost his vote, Courtney.

 

Jean-Robert had Amanda saying she didn’t lie, then admitting that she did. He tried to attack Todd, but Todd kissed his ass, saying he had eliminated Jean-Robert because once he started strategizing, he was Todd’s biggest threat. James cracked up that Todd was able to shut up Jean-Robert, saying, “Ain’t never heard no one shut up Jean-Robert.”

 

Peih-Gee attacked Amanda, saying she was sick of her “doe eyes” and every time she opened her mouth, she was being apologetic, which was true. Peih-Gee even got Amanda to say it was her idea to vote out James. Even Erik attacked her by saying that deciding to vote out the guy with two immunity idols was a no-brainer.

 

Frosti attacked Courtney for throwing him under the bus, but she rather brushed it off. I was surprised that Jaime attacked the final three as she did. When she had Courtney admitting that Todd got James, Frosti and Jean-Robert voted off, Jaime fired back with “So, he deserves a million dollars more than you do?”

 

Denise took the easy way out. You could tell she was going to vote for Courtney because Todd and Amanda both lied to her. Todd stood up to the questions and criticism much better than Amanda and I think that helped him win in the end.

 

We saw Jaime vote for Todd, Erik vote for Amanda, and Denise vote for Courtney. Then Jeff did this cheesy thing, saying the votes would be read live and suddenly they were in Hollywood. Courtney looked like Debbie Harry, Amanda was all primped up, and I suddenly realized I liked scruffy Todd better than I liked clean-shaven Todd.

 

Jeff read the votes and it was pretty close, at least closer than last year when Earl got all the votes. Courtney ended up with two–who else voted for her? Amanda got only one vote, from Erik. And Todd ended up winning with four. Jean-Robert admitted he voted for Todd and Todd admitted that he played on Jean-Robert’s ego at tribal council.

 

Jeff quizzed James about making “the biggest blunder in the history of the game” by not playing the immunity idol. Ever humble, James said he just trusted his alliance too much. He also grilled Denise as to why she didn’t jump ship to Peih-Gee and Erik, but she really didn’t have much of an answer. However, we did find out why she has her mullet. She said she had to have short hair to work in the lunchroom, but she still wanted to feel like a woman for her husband. How sweet! But maybe now she can let the mullet go. They wouldn’t let her return to the lunch room because she was too much of a distraction. She is a night shift janitor now and complained about not being able to spend more time with her family.

 

Fans voted for their player of the season. The top three were James, Peih-Gee and Denise. I don’t understand how Peih-Gee got there, but it didn’t matter, James won the $100,000. After hearing Denise’s sad story about work, producer Mark Burnett decided to give Denise $50,000, which was good. I was glad to see Denise get some money.

 

Jeff teased James about the attention he was getting from the ladies. James said the craziest thing that happened was when he was at a funeral and two ladies came up to him, wanting his autograph and pictures. Turns out they were the mother and sister of the deceased, but he said he was able to make them laugh and hope he helped them overcome their grief a bit. James is such a nice guy.

 

Toward the end, we learned Jaime and Erik are dating. Jeff even asked Erik if he was still a virgin now that he was dating Jaime. What did Jeff expect him to say? Erik just nodded his head yes.

 

Survivor has been renewed for season 16 and it will return in February. This next season will pit “super fans” against competitors from the past. Jeff said one of the veterans from Survivor: China would be in the next season. I hope it is James.