Survivor: Fiji – Sequels, Anyone?
Survivor: Fiji – Sequels, Anyone? by Ken Kellam III -- 04/03/2006 Now that Rocky’s time in the game has ended, will there, or should there, be a sequel? Join along as Ken answers these and other questions. Let’s discuss why Rocky by any other name was obnoxious, and won’t be missed. Unlike his movie namesake, the Survivor Rocky wasn’t as nearly as likable, and if he inspired you to root at all, it was for whomever his opponent was. Even Rambo was infinitely more likable than the Rocky we saw in Fiji. But just where did Rocky go wrong? Better yet, where didn’t he? It seemed at times as if Rocky were just begging people to target him, and looked for ways to antagonize either the other team, or in the last episode, his own. Remember that scene in Rocky III where Sly Stallone’s character taunts, goads, and baits Clubber Lang into going at him full force? Rocky in Fiji seemed to be doing much the same thing a lot of the time. From Episode 1, when he had it out with Dreamz, to the most recent one, when he poked fun at his tribemates’ eating habits, Rocky seemed to always be taunting, teasing, baiting, or goading someone. It seemed as if he wasn’t happy if he didn’t have someone to pick on. In the long history of the show, I’m not sure I remember anyone else ever calling out the other tribe before a challenge even started the way Rocky did before sumo wrestling Dreamz. Like his movie namesake, he wasn’t about to back down from anybody, but unlike that character, this Rocky didn’t have the punch to go along with his mouth, and he wasn’t nearly as easy to root for, even though starvation made him a clear underdog. You can try and blame his behavior on malnutrition and say hunger makes you cranky. While I won’t dispute that point for a second, the entire Ravu tribe was also feeling the effects of hunger, and none of them felt the need to draw a line in the sand and dare Moto to cross it. Then there was Rocky’s whole vendetta against Anthony. Even before his Tribal Council tirade against the self-admitted geek, Rocky seemed to have it in for Anthony. Is it possible that Anthony reminded him of how insecure he is with his own masculinity? In any event, his treatment of Anthony was so awful, Alex stated in Tribal Council that if he’d been on the receiving end of it, it would’ve hurt his feelings. Then there was his behavior after winning the reward challenge. He couldn’t resist the urge to poke fun at his tribemates and how much they ate, and had no idea how it was affecting them. Most of the above was written before I had a chance to read Rocky’s RNO interview, which definitely put a different spin on things. He stated that he knew he came across as arrogant and maybe a little hateable, but in the interview itself, he actually came across as humble and maybe a little likable. He said that if he makes fun of you and cuts you down, it shows he likes you, and if he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t bother with you. He also stated, “In some weird dimension, that’s me being nice and saying let’s be buddies.” I can actually believe that, because I’ve had plenty of friends like that in my life. They would mess with me, I’d mess with them right back, and it was all good. But the difference is, I won’t do that with someone, nor should they do it with me, until a bond or camaraderie has been formed. By contrast, Rocky was still getting to know these guys, and they hadn’t been around him enough to know how certain things were intended. Another problem was these guys had already seen the way Rocky lit into Dreamz before the tribes were formed, and they’d also seen him call out the other tribe prior to a reward challenge. And of course, a day or so before, they saw him lay into Anthony at Tribal Council. Because of all this, it was hard to tell how he meant it when he started poking fun at their gluttony. It reminds me of my first job out of college, when a certain co-worker could be nasty and vicious, take potshots at my personal life, and then try to kid around with me like she was my close friend. At that point, it fell rather flat. She would always explain that she was “just kidding,” but the friends who can do that with me don’t have to say that, because I already know. If you have to clarify that you were just kidding, maybe you shouldn’t be. Perhaps that was the problem with Rocky. His new tribemates had seen him criticize Anthony, then they saw him criticize them, and it was hard to tell the difference in intentions. There are, of course, a few more questions to be asked about Rocky: For one, is it true, as Edgardo stated, that one reason old Ravu never won was Rocky’s attitude? Or did he have a bad attitude because they never won? Yep, it’s the old “chicken or egg” dilemma. I’m not sure I agree with Edgardo here, because Rocky gave it his all in each challenge, it seemed, but like the rest of his tribe, hunger sapped more and more of his strength, leading to loss after loss. Here’s another question: Outside of the final Tribal Council and the reunion show, will this Rocky have a sequel, such as another reality show? Maybe he could go on The Amazing Race. Imagine the fireworks if he got paired up with Anthony. Or maybe Mark Burnett and Co. could bring him back next season, the way they did Bobby Jon and Stephenie. Eh, not quite. Bobby Jon and Stephenie were brought back in part because they came across as likable; Rocky, not so much. If Rocky were indeed brought back for another season of Survivor, chances are he’d go out even earlier this time, if for no other reason that past reputation. Or maybe we could have a repeat of Pearl Islands, when two ousted players, in this case Burton and Lil, got to re-enter the game. But something tells me if that happened, Rocky would come back even more abrasive than before due to the initial ouster, and be voted back out quicker than he got back in. Here’s one thing that perplexes me about Rocky: Before Tribal Council, he noted that he was nervous because for once, he wasn’t pulling the Tribal Council strings, and he admitted that while he thought Lisi was going, for all he knew it could be him. Why, then, did he state in his final words that he didn’t see it coming? If he didn’t, he should have at least considered the possibility, if for no other reason than being outnumbered by the old Moto tribe, which, it should be pointed out, was his own doing. Let’s wrap up with an irony concerning Rocky. Based on what he said about messing with people when he likes them, he’s probably the kind of person I could get along with, and maybe even be friends with, as long as I knew where he was coming from. But that’s all away from the game. If I had to play the game with him, it would be a different story entirely. Maybe this is the life lesson Rocky takes away from Survivor.
Survivor: Fiji – Sequels, Anyone? by Ken Kellam III -- 04/03/2006 Now that Rocky’s time in the game has ended, will there, or should there, be a sequel? Join along as Ken answers these and other questions. Let’s discuss why Rocky by any other name was obnoxious, and won’t be missed. Unlike his movie namesake, the Survivor Rocky wasn’t as nearly as likable, and if he inspired you to root at all, it was for whomever his opponent was. Even Rambo was infinitely more likable than the Rocky we saw in Fiji. But just where did Rocky go wrong? Better yet, where didn’t he? It seemed at times as if Rocky were just begging people to target him, and looked for ways to antagonize either the other team, or in the last episode, his own. Remember that scene in Rocky III where Sly Stallone’s character taunts, goads, and baits Clubber Lang into going at him full force? Rocky in Fiji seemed to be doing much the same thing a lot of the time. From Episode 1, when he had it out with Dreamz, to the most recent one, when he poked fun at his tribemates’ eating habits, Rocky seemed to always be taunting, teasing, baiting, or goading someone. It seemed as if he wasn’t happy if he didn’t have someone to pick on. In the long history of the show, I’m not sure I remember anyone else ever calling out the other tribe before a challenge even started the way Rocky did before sumo wrestling Dreamz. Like his movie namesake, he wasn’t about to back down from anybody, but unlike that character, this Rocky didn’t have the punch to go along with his mouth, and he wasn’t nearly as easy to root for, even though starvation made him a clear underdog. You can try and blame his behavior on malnutrition and say hunger makes you cranky. While I won’t dispute that point for a second, the entire Ravu tribe was also feeling the effects of hunger, and none of them felt the need to draw a line in the sand and dare Moto to cross it. Then there was Rocky’s whole vendetta against Anthony. Even before his Tribal Council tirade against the self-admitted geek, Rocky seemed to have it in for Anthony. Is it possible that Anthony reminded him of how insecure he is with his own masculinity? In any event, his treatment of Anthony was so awful, Alex stated in Tribal Council that if he’d been on the receiving end of it, it would’ve hurt his feelings. Then there was his behavior after winning the reward challenge. He couldn’t resist the urge to poke fun at his tribemates and how much they ate, and had no idea how it was affecting them. Most of the above was written before I had a chance to read Rocky’s RNO interview, which definitely put a different spin on things. He stated that he knew he came across as arrogant and maybe a little hateable, but in the interview itself, he actually came across as humble and maybe a little likable. He said that if he makes fun of you and cuts you down, it shows he likes you, and if he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t bother with you. He also stated, “In some weird dimension, that’s me being nice and saying let’s be buddies.” I can actually believe that, because I’ve had plenty of friends like that in my life. They would mess with me, I’d mess with them right back, and it was all good. But the difference is, I won’t do that with someone, nor should they do it with me, until a bond or camaraderie has been formed. By contrast, Rocky was still getting to know these guys, and they hadn’t been around him enough to know how certain things were intended. Another problem was these guys had already seen the way Rocky lit into Dreamz before the tribes were formed, and they’d also seen him call out the other tribe prior to a reward challenge. And of course, a day or so before, they saw him lay into Anthony at Tribal Council. Because of all this, it was hard to tell how he meant it when he started poking fun at their gluttony. It reminds me of my first job out of college, when a certain co-worker could be nasty and vicious, take potshots at my personal life, and then try to kid around with me like she was my close friend. At that point, it fell rather flat. She would always explain that she was “just kidding,” but the friends who can do that with me don’t have to say that, because I already know. If you have to clarify that you were just kidding, maybe you shouldn’t be. Perhaps that was the problem with Rocky. His new tribemates had seen him criticize Anthony, then they saw him criticize them, and it was hard to tell the difference in intentions. There are, of course, a few more questions to be asked about Rocky: For one, is it true, as Edgardo stated, that one reason old Ravu never won was Rocky’s attitude? Or did he have a bad attitude because they never won? Yep, it’s the old “chicken or egg” dilemma. I’m not sure I agree with Edgardo here, because Rocky gave it his all in each challenge, it seemed, but like the rest of his tribe, hunger sapped more and more of his strength, leading to loss after loss. Here’s another question: Outside of the final Tribal Council and the reunion show, will this Rocky have a sequel, such as another reality show? Maybe he could go on The Amazing Race. Imagine the fireworks if he got paired up with Anthony. Or maybe Mark Burnett and Co. could bring him back next season, the way they did Bobby Jon and Stephenie. Eh, not quite. Bobby Jon and Stephenie were brought back in part because they came across as likable; Rocky, not so much. If Rocky were indeed brought back for another season of Survivor, chances are he’d go out even earlier this time, if for no other reason that past reputation. Or maybe we could have a repeat of Pearl Islands, when two ousted players, in this case Burton and Lil, got to re-enter the game. But something tells me if that happened, Rocky would come back even more abrasive than before due to the initial ouster, and be voted back out quicker than he got back in. Here’s one thing that perplexes me about Rocky: Before Tribal Council, he noted that he was nervous because for once, he wasn’t pulling the Tribal Council strings, and he admitted that while he thought Lisi was going, for all he knew it could be him. Why, then, did he state in his final words that he didn’t see it coming? If he didn’t, he should have at least considered the possibility, if for no other reason than being outnumbered by the old Moto tribe, which, it should be pointed out, was his own doing. Let’s wrap up with an irony concerning Rocky. Based on what he said about messing with people when he likes them, he’s probably the kind of person I could get along with, and maybe even be friends with, as long as I knew where he was coming from. But that’s all away from the game. If I had to play the game with him, it would be a different story entirely. Maybe this is the life lesson Rocky takes away from Survivor.