Survivor Retrospective: Nicaragua

Rating: 3.5/10

Survivor: Nicaragua was an objective disaster. It began with awful gimmicks and a dubious cast and devolved from there. Its best players were eliminated before the homestretch. Its most memorable moment came 29 days in when two players quit. Its victor was considered an idiot by many of his competitors. But Nicaragua and its champion shouldn't be ranked in the bottom tier, as many pundits have ranked them.

The biggest problem with Nicaragua was its misguided young vs old tribal gimmick. The younger tribe predictably clobbered the older one in the immunity challenges and voted the old out when they mixed and merged. This was particularly problematic because the older tribe included the season's most interesting players, while the younger tribe was mostly comprised of imbeciles. The early game was further complicated by a poorly-explained challenge feature called the Medallion of Power.

Former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson met an early demise, leaving Marty in charge of the old folks. Marty was the season's tour guide, highly articulate and strategic. He played a mean, aggressive game, compiling enemies, allies, idols and screentime. He lost his top ally, Jill, through an unfortunate tribal swap. Marty received votes at five straight tribal councils but clawed his way to the merge. He managed to convince Fabio he was a chess Grand Master before the Powers That Be (Brenda and Sash) knocked him out.

Brenda, who Marty called "Black Widow, King Cobra and Black Mamba all rolled into one" was identified as the shot-caller by some weaker players and offed next. She would get another crack at Survivor; Marty is still waiting for his call-back. That was the end of Nicaragua's entertainment value, outside of some impressive endurance challenges from Marty's foil and fan-favorite winner Jane. Strategic Sash snaked his way to the finale, but received no votes from a disenchanted jury.

21 year-old Judd, nicknamed Fabio by his tribemates, defeated NASCAR pit crewman and country singer Chase 5-4 at Final Tribal. Fabio got an idiot edit early, but redeemed himself (and the season to some degree) down the homestretch. He won the last three immunity challenges with his head on the chopping block. He iterated his plan in confessionals: play dumb, avoid backstabbings and keep a low profile while allowing his gentle soul to shine through the game's grit. That was enough to beat dense, wishy-washy Chase and slimy Sash to become Survivor's youngest champion.