Rating: 5.5/10
Samoa's legacy as one of the more memorable Survivor seasons is entirely due to its introduction of legendary villain Russell Hantz. From the opening stanza of the season, when the oil tycoon immediately pioneered a new level of depravity by pouring out the water of his tribe's canteens, Russell dominated the game. He established franchise benchmarks for screen time, idols found (all three without a clue!) and played and tribal councils survived. He controlled the game's strategy like few players ever have. He reveled in the season's brutally rainy conditions, celebrating the adversity he was best equipped to handle. He won the final immunity challenge over a must-defeat foe. Yet Russell's most memorable moment came at the Reunion when he received just two of nine jury votes.
Russell quickly sought to forge allegedly longterm alliances with everyone on his tribe. Those who agreed latched onto his flowing coattails. Those who astutely recognized him as a charlatan were immediately sent packing for their suspicions. Russell ran an authoritarian regime from the first vote. Any dissent was immediately crushed.
Dissent dissipated as Russell's Foa Foa tribe kept losing challenges to Galu. By the time the tribes merged, Russell's loyalists had been condensed to Bible-beating bimbo Natalie, affable doctor Mick(Dreamy) and law student Jaison. Galu's numbers doubled Foa Foa's at the mergepoint, but unconventional ex-marine Shambo had long detached from Galu and fell under Russell's wing. Natalie pulled an ace out of her sleeve to sow seeds of doubt surrounding Galu's Erik. Whether it was deft social play from Natalie, the opposite from Erik, or other unexplained motivations, Galu ripped the heart out of one of their own - while an idol languished in his pocket - and the lid off Pandora's Box.
Russell ironically wasted his first idol on that 10-2 vote, but immediately made up for it. He found a second idol the next day and hid its identity from Galu. He successfully played the idol at the next Tribal to save himself and dust Galu's Kelly. Just like that, the factions had drawn even at 5-5. Russell next bamboozled cocksure rocket scientist John, getting him to break a 5-5 headed-to-rocks tie on a revote under the guise of a faux secret power pact. Betrayed by John, the remaining Galu were happy to take Russell's suggestion and vote him out at the next Tribal. The Foa Foa four executed one Galu after another. Lightly-featured nice guy Brett provided some late game intrigue by winning three straight immunities - forcing Foa Foa to turn on Jaison - but Russell beat him in the climactic final immunity.
Russell's resumé - hand-picked eliminations of most of the season's players, three immunity idols found without any clues, one of them successfully played to save himself and defeat an entire tribe, another so unnecessary it was taken home as a souvenir, a final immunity defeat of a sure-fire winner - was objectively impressive, staggering even. Russell was convinced of his own merits, repeatedly telling the cameras he was taking Natalie because there was no way she could beat him in votes and proclaiming himself the victor after defeating Brett. Even in the Reunion, when he could have been chastened by the 7-2 margin, Russell affirmed he'd played the greatest strategic game in Survivor history. But Survivor's merits aren't objective. The defining accolade of the game lies in the eyes of the beholders - the Jury culled from fallen competitors.
In this instance the Jury heftily repudiated Russell's tactics. It was shocking at the time, even disenchanting. Russell had been the star of the season since its opening moments. He impeccably accomplished every objective he'd delightfully articulated from the season's opening moments. Indeed, he was the season's narrator - more so than Jeff Probst, despite the latter's unnecessary, patronizing previously-ons. Russell's narration stood alongside that of Survivor's premier tour guides - Richard Hatch, Rob Cesternino and Rob Mariano. He was the season's most interesting, exciting and charismatic player - and certainly edited as such. Natalie once killed a rat and ate it.
But if you examined the proclivities of each jury member, Natalie's landslide wasn't a surprise. Brett bonded with her over the Bible. Jaison said in his exit interview that Russell's unnecessary blindside of him was a deal-breaking betrayal. Monica and Laura despised him. Kelly was repulsed by Russell's hypocritical Final Tribal claim that honor, integrity and loyalty were his most important values outside the game. Erik used his Final Tribal platform to lambast Russell and Mick before singing Natalie's praises. Most jurors valued Natalie's qualities more than Russell's. She played this particular iteration of Survivor better than Russell - even if his skills were more likely to translate to other versions.
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