'Survivor All-Stars': Amber wins $1 million, Rob's heart
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Proving there's no justice even on a deserted island, the pretty girl got the guy, the car and the million bucks after last night's two-hour "Survivor: All-Stars" finale on CBS.
But who cares? In what was certainly the most dramatic rose ceremony yet, runner-up "Boston Rob" Mariano, apparently confusing "Survivor" with "The Bachelor," proposed to winner Amber Brkich moments before the big reveal. So it didn't really matter who won, since presumably the newly engaged couple will be sharing the reward.
But for the record, Boston Rob deserved to win. He schemed, strategized and ruled the challenges. Sure, he made some enemies in the process; still, the jury's vote was a close 4-3. Boston Rob probably had a better chance of winning against second runner-up Jenna Lewis, but he chose to take Amber into the finals after winning the last immunity challenge.
Fan favorite Rupert Boneham was voted out after his former alliance mate Jenna turned on him rather than risk a tie in the Final Four Tribal Council. No one can blame her for playing it smart — just don't think we're dumb enough to buy the hemming-and-hawing, I'm-so-torn act. (Did you see jury member Alicia Calaway roll her eyes when Jenna gave Rupert a hug after stabbing him the back?) Please.
In the end, Boston Rob lost the money but got the girl. Maybe that's a bigger prize. But did anyone else snicker at the thought that Amber's memory of her marriage proposal will include a tacky yellow T-shirt that says, "I (Heart) Rob"?
Viewers may note that "Survivor's" Curse of the Car Prize stands: Boston Rob's loss makes eight straight seasons in which the winner of the car-reward challenge has never gone on to take the title of Sole Survivor.
Meanwhile, the recurring question of whether Boston Rob got played by Amber, whose "strategy" appeared to be sitting back and letting him do all the dirty work ("Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain!"), appears to have been resolved.
But will it last? An "Us Weekly" magazine cover is undoubtedly in the works and will get to the bottom of this.
What we really want to know is, when does "Romber," Survivor's answer to Bennifer, get its own reality show? No doubt the wheels are already turning in producer Mark Burnett's crafty mind. "Survivor: Newlyweds," anyone?
Pamela Sitt: 206-464-2376 or psitt@seattletimes.com