The television season ended Wenesday with two big finales. In the end “American Idol” remained the ratings winner over “Survivor,” but both shows concluded with off-putting winners.
On “Idol,” it was Caleb Johnson, whose rock screech makes him good on karaoke version of ancient rock songs, or maybe a winner of that “Rockband” show years ago, but with no future in any current recording world. His skills are best suited as replacement pipes on the reunion circuit. No record excutive has ever said, “That’s what I need: A younger Meat Loaf.” Not in this century. He has no brighter future than Taylor Hicks did.
His opponent Jena Irene Asciutto fit an “Idol” demographic — a high school girl with spirit and a big voice. But the next great recording artist? Not any more than the first year winner of the “X Factor,” whatever her name was. At any rate, his winning will probably make more awkward his promised appearance as date for her high school prom in suburban Detroit next weekend.
Johnson’s win came despite a much repeated quote in which he called his twitter followers morons. And it came on a finale that managed to top the one for “Survivor,” though there places in the ratings were the opposite a week ago.
While the “Idol” finale is full of time-killing while awaiting the announcement that comes in the final minute (enough time to have even Ryan Seacrest make an unmemorable singing debut), a lot actually happens in the “Survivor” finale, especially when young Spencer was still amid the final four and trying to find a way to exist.
He was on his way to immunity on one of the last challenges, only to be beaten by Kass, who had been so far behind on the task you wouldn’t have been surprised if she had given up altogether. Before he left, Spencer told Tony, the New Jersey cop who had been the hyperactive, hyper-paranoid bully of the season, that since signs pointed to a final two rather than a final three, kicking out Woo would make more sense than voting him out. Why would Woo take Tony to the end rather than Kass?
Well, Tony went with eliminating Spencer anyway; Woo chose Tony — out of honor, a quality that “Survivor” does not always raise up. And he lost the $1 million prize to him. (In a hand vote at the reunion segment, jurors showed that had it been a Woo vs. Kass final, he indeed would have won).
Tony’s win came after a brutal jury, where Tony was taken to task for all his lies, breaking promises right and left after swearing on his badge, his wife, his baby and his dead father. And as repugnant as that was to people, he still got the votes to win. This is not always the case. Russell Hanz famously clawed his way to the finals too, only to be surprised that those who fell by his hand hated him so much they could never give him the prize.
But it was up to Spencer again to turn the tide, to tell his fellow jurors that love him or hate him, Tony went out there to play, found three hidden immunity idols, and controlled much of what happened. It must have had an effect. But to what end for Spencer? There was no fan favorite award this year, so he went home without a cent. Though host Jeff Probst gave him a letter apologizing for dismissing him as a player early in the season.
It was an odd finale for a number of reasons. Just as there was no fan favorite prize, there was no walk among the snuffed torches either. No nostalgia for this bunch. And by starting at the live show and going back to it sort of robbed viewers of that first moment in the reunion show of all the players — fattened, shined up and sometimes unrecognizable.
The next season of “Survivor” this fall will be another stab at a Blood vs. Water — I hope without returning players.