Final Thoughts on Miss and Mister Survivor

Vote now!  

Voting for the 2014 Miss/Mister Survivor pageants ends today on Rob's website, and I encourage you to go vote if you haven't already. But first, listen to the analysis I have to offer on the candidates. I'll tell you why I voted for my choices and take a look at how this year's competition went down.




I loved both competitions this year; all the Miss Survivor candidates will be better than RC, and the introduction of Mister Survivor has been great as well. I'll start with the guys, because it's an easier decision for me.

Going into the finals, we thought we had Tyson, Malcolm, and Hayden all locked in; after all, they'd accepted their nominations. But of course, Hayden stopped responding, and was disqualified from the contest. Honestly, I'm not too disappointed. Hayden was a fascinating player in Blood vs. Water, but not really necessary in Mister Survivor. Besides, I already knew who I was voting for.

Aras dropped a bomb when he
announced he was running with Vytas.

So then we had Aras join the fray, even though we had heard that it might end up being a showdown between the Big Bad Wolf and Malcolm, which I probably would have preferred. And Aras dropped a bomb when he announced he was running with Vytas, which I was definitely not too happy about. I realize that Vytas and Aras being co-candidates is very similar to Vytas simply campaigning for Aras, but it seems too much like cheating to me. Vytas had his shot; he got 5th place, and the voters said they didn't want him. Even though I prefer the more interesting Vytas over Aras, it still wasn't his place to be in the running.

Oh well. He was there. Nothing could be done...except not vote for him. So now we move on to Tyson and Malcolm, who both gave great interviews, although I much preferred the hot sauce juggling we got to see from Malcolm than Tyson's unimpressive leg bending talents.

And now we move on to the debate, which I thought was one of the funniest shows I've watched or listened to on RHAP in a long time. I have to admit, all three guys were great, and had some awesome lines. However, Tyson came off as a little too arrogant and cocky, as though he was above the competition. As I've said before, I much preferred Tyson as a loser than as a Survivor winner. Aras was entertaining enough, but he had already lost my vote.

Malcolm is a favorite of mine,
and it was thanks to him that we
salvaged the second half of Caramoan.

None of that really mattered too much to me anyway, because my vote was decided as soon as the finalists were announced. Malcolm is a favorite of mine, and it was thanks to him that we salvaged the second half of Caramoan. Of course I'm going to back Mr. Freberg all the way! I will certainly be disappointed if Malcolm, who has really shown a lot of growth throughout his two seasons, does not clinch the title of Mr. Survivor. He's funny, entertaining, and I'm sure he'll be back to play again on Survivor 30.

Alright, let's move on to the women fighting for Miss Survivor, shall we? Here, I must say, we have a much more impressive lineup.

We started out with ABC: Andrea, Brenda, and Ciera. Already, there were some concerns that we might not be able to reach Brenda, since she lives such a private life and rarely interacts with fans, but come on, we got Amanda Kimmel to accept her nomination--surely we could get Brenda!

Ciera's four line rap written by Aras was
certainly the worst, but she definitely
made up for it with her resolve and
dedication to the RHAP community.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Maybe it's for the best, though, because Candice has proved to be a fascinating candidate. Her rapport with Rob is better than Ciera's or even Andrea's, which is surprising, because Andrea has frequented the podcast a number of times. When comparing talents, Ciera's four line rap written by Aras was certainly the worst, but she definitely made up for it with her resolve and dedication to the RHAP community. I thought Andrea's 3 minute rap featuring a "violin solo" and three random guys was incredible and there was no way it could be beaten...until Candice dumped ice water on John Cody in the shower.

Even if it was staged (and I'm sure it was), Candice's prank was the best talent we've seen in Miss Survivor (yes, better than Andrea's worm or Chelsea's beer shotgunning), and who doesn't love John Cody? No really, who? Because it seems like everyone--including me--thinks he's awesome. Getting her husband to eat paper and prostituting him to Malcolm sealed the deal for Candice and gave her the strongest interview. Going into the debate, I was really torn between Andrea's likableness and this being her second (and possibly final) shot, Ciera being my fourth favorite Survivor ever (not saying she's the fourth best or anything like that), and Candice's superb performance.

Everyone performed beyond all expectations at the debate, although I have to give the win to Ciera just based on the stories she told and again, her energy and dedication. Sadly, Andrea, you're out of the running for me. I'm sorry! I was left deciding whether I wanted to think with my head (Candice seems like a more polished, better choice and banters well with Rob) or my heart (Ciera is a favorite as mine, as I said, and she seems like the underdog). The decision was too great, and I was forced to split my vote! I know it seems like a cop-out, but I truly cannot decide. You're allowed to vote on multiple devices, so I have cast one vote for Ciera, one for Candice, and two for Malcolm.

In conclusion, if you're reading this and still have not voted (the voting closes at 8:00 PST tonight), I implore you to vote Malcolm...but I can't advise you on Miss Survivor. All three nominees will be great victors. May the best woman win! And Malcolm too.

We'll  be back after the premiere of The Amazing Race this Sunday to scrutinize the episode, so stay tuned!