Yes, and then Esperanza Spalding beats Justin Bieber for Best New Artist and The Arcade Fire wins album of the year over Gaga, Perry, and Eminem.

Kimberley Caldwell was painted as a Group Night Dickhead — big fight with Julia DeMato.  Made it halfway through season 2.

He's wrong.  I'll give you two memorable ones from folks who went far:
Blake Lewis/Chris Sligh/others: http://www.youtube.com/watc…
Frenchie Davis and Kimberley Locke: http://www.youtube.com/watc…

Except the film doesn't own that contradiction; it sees Keating as heroic even though the boys weren't mature enough to handle this freedom and one of them died.

Anything but Werewolves.

Up next:The AV Club recaps LOOKING FOR LOVE: BACHELORETTES IN ALASKA!

Agreed.  Anytime they've used locals for their "exotic" nature — I remember the Mayan rituals in Guatemala (but weren't they extinct?) — it's given me the oogies.

The two RW series that deserve this kind of treatment are SF or Hawaii.   Each of them is fascinating in its own way.

When Brandon's occupation was listed as "Russell Hantz's Nephew" on the chyron, I knew we were in trouble.

Hatch got as far as he did because he was playing an alliance game and more than half the people there were voting on an ad hoc, non-strategic basis.

Also: Thank you, Meredith.

If I were to construct a list of favorite Survivor challenges ever, @avclub-eaaf6236c28c668e40fdf9b17394b7ec:disqus , the "chopping coconuts" one in Marquesas which completely flipped the game by revealing the pecking order would be top ten.

That's what made the first All-Stars so fascinating, because here there was an obvious backstory, including the publicity circuit in which many got to know each other, and occasionally (Lex/Boston Rob) it'd seep into the game.

The worst is when they'd occasionally use a Rent-A-Native as a tribal reward in the early going — 24h services from someone who'd help you find food, build shelter, etc.  Was first used in the Vanuata (Boys v Girls) season.

The S1 version, FWIW, had no commentary from the Survivors, just a montage of faces and memories. I generally because you get to see who the editors wanted to mock.

Final rite of passage (and the rest of the episode) online. Includes rent-a-natives (same guys from the "Survivor Bar"?) waving palm fronds in front of the trio: 
http://www.youtube.com/watc…

Yes.  I watched the finale at the official CBS viewing party at a local bar (my wife was a reporter at the time, covering the event; Will Mega was there), and the uproar when Rudy was eliminated and then especially when Richard won was unreal.  People could not accept that "playing the game well" was more important…

Chuck Klosterman said it best in his last book of essays. I've probably posted it before during this great series of recaps, but here's where it belongs: 
"Those first voters made a critical distinction. They decided that the ability to succeed at Survivor without natural skills was more impressive than succeeding with…

And, baby, when I tell ya the boy has got his own money, I mean the boy has got his own MONEY!

Yep.  Knowing your Latin helps the episode make more sense.