In the end, Colby didn't want Keith to win the million dollars even more than Colby wanted to win it himself. And Tina took home the million-dollar first prize in "Survivor: The Australian Outback" in voting revealed live on TV on Thursday night.
After winning the final immunity challenge in the final episodes of the show — his fifth such win in a row — the 27-year-old auto customizer from Texas decided to take Tina Wesson into the final two with him instead of Keith Famie.
"I wanted to keep immunity from Keith. That was my sole goal last night," said Donaldson, adding that Keith "got us where we needed to be. And he didn't win the million dollars, that's the best part," Colby said, dissing Keith all the way.
Not that Tina was any different, professing that she and Colby carried Keith as far as he got. "I don't think Keith could've made it this far on his own accord," she said.
But Colby's decision was nonetheless rather shocking. Keith was far from popular with other "Survivor" contestants — there seems little doubt that if Colby had selected Keith, he'd be $900,000 richer today. (Donaldson didn't go home empty-handed; he won the $100,000 second prize.)
"Call Colby a fool then," Keith said in the "Reunion Special" that followed.
If not a fool, then maybe too nice a guy in the end. Which may have been reason enough for him to lose the final vote despite having dominated the competition.
(The final vote among the "Survivor" jury — the final seven voted out of the tribe — was 4-3 in Tina's favor. She got votes from Alicia, Jerri, Elisabeth and Keith; Colby got votes from Amber, Nick and Rodger.)
And as for Tina — a 40-year-old wife from Knoxville, Tenn., and mother of two — several of her fellow "Survivors" used the word "Mastermind" to describe her. And, indeed, she won the million dollars without ever winning an immunity challenge — and without ever making any enemies, despite participating in (if not actually masterminding) plots and plans that led to a number of her fellow contestants being ousted.
"It's been very clear to me since the very beginning," Jerri Manthey said, "that you have been the mastermind behind all the strategies. . . . I can't help but have a great sense of respect for that."
Manthey managed to keep her reputation as the Wicked Witch of the Outback alive on Thursday night, telling the camera, "I'm in a position of power again and I like it" before going on to claim that both Tina and Colby had "back-stabbed" her at least three times.
Which was sort of interesting, coming from the show's chief back-stabber.
Thursday's finale was relatively tame — OK, boring — by "Survivor" standards throughout much of the evening. Basically, nothing happened for the first 40 minutes of the padded two-hour telecast — and there was only about 10 minutes of action out of the first 90. There were, however, a lot of advertisements, including the inevitable product placements and spots for beer and cars.
Even though anyone who paid any attention knew it was coming, it was kind of fun to see the reaction of the contestants when they learned they'd have to wait more than five months (taping ended in November) to find out who won. And it was unintentionally hilarious when, apparently, we were supposed to believe that host Jeff Probst has been in that helicopter, holding the votes, all that time.
And, of course, CBS producers of "Survivor" couldn't help but, um, manipulate reality one last time. Video of Probst's helicopter ride over Los Angeles was labeled "live," which was a blatant lie. And not just because the show was seen on tape-delay in the Mountain and Pacific time zones — the helicopter was shown landing in the dark; the live show would have been shortly before 7 p.m. Pacific time; it wasn't dark in Los Angeles yet.
And the game will begin all over again in a matter of months — the reunion special included the announcement that "Survivor III" will take its contestants to the heart of Africa for the next series, which will begin airing in the fall.
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com