the duel of highway workers conclusion

Finally Chris Daugherty won Survivor: Vanuatu, as I thought, hoped for, and calculated. The funny thing is, if you noticed the name of the image file on the left, you will see that it was dated on November 12th. More than a month ago. At that time, I was preparing a writing about Chris, the last man standing.

Believe it or not, Chris recieved three votes in the first tribal council (cbs.com made a mistake), and his opposing alliance were pretty damn sure that he would go home that night. The problem? Balance beam. The first immunity challenge, copying the surprising result of the first immunity challange in Survivor: the Amazon, also took balance beam as one of the obsticles. Eventhough the other men did not have trouble in crossing them other than getting pain on their stomach, Chris couldn't get across. In the official Survivor talk on its website, Survivor Live, the first bootee and both hosts talked in disgust about Chris because he lost the challange for the tribe. Chris comment was:

"In this game you outwit, outplay, outlast people. You don't outbalance them."

At that certain second, I started to like him instantly.

He survived throughout the first course of the game, when the castaways were still in different tribes, solely because of his alliance. But people, including Chris Booker and I (you're not alone, Booker, trust me, dude!) started thinking that Chris (Daugherty, not Booker) was actually the brain of the fat-five (as the bootees call them) alliance.

During the merge, Chris was definitely on the minority when Julie and Twila jumped side to the women. Pagonging started with Sarge, and followed by Chad.

Funnily, when Chris's pecking order came, he didn't scrambled around to save his ass. The women's alliance was prepared to sack Eliza, one of the most annoying (she's a smart sweet girl, but just talk too much) girls. However, Chris knew that pecking order that low was not his ultimate goal, he approached Eliza to vote with him. This was done after he was approached by Twila, who was not happy about the pecking order as well, because Scout was not happy. (Try to figure it out)

He did it. The women's alliance crumbled, and couldn't get back on its feet. He continued to the final four after one of the hardest vote he ever made by voting his very close friend, Julie. I thought it was the smartest move. Julie might take him to the final two, but he won't beat Julie with the Jury. Especially if he stabbed Scout and Twila on the way to two.

Chris won the last two immunity challenges (cbs.com screwed up again), which was very important to him, because the odds of him going to the final two was only possible if he did won them. The challenges were awesome, by the way. Especially the final four. In the final tribal council, he played his last card. Sucking up. Damn, he was good. I wondered if I am able to suck up for a million dollars. I mean I might be able to, but I won't be good. Chris chooses Twila to sit next to him, because (1) he knew that Twila had more friction with the judge (2) Twila can be more easily played. He was right. And I too thought about that.

I didn't imagine that the final tribal council could be very emotional. Whoosh..

Now he won. I didn't recall that I rooted him to win before the final four, but he was certainly one of my favorites. He has a funky accent. Right now, everytime I say 'no' in english, I always say it in a Chris kind of way.

Congratulation Chris.. From the first obvious target, to become the sole survivor.

So, what's up with the title? Hmm.. It's just that Chris is credited as highway construction worker, while Twila is a highway repair. That's that.