Spoiler Ahead!

The finale of Survivor is on tonight and I’m a bit embarrassed at how much I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been hooked all season, and if Terry doesn’t win I will be so disappointed.

Unfortunately, I’ve gotten so addicted that I went on a Google-search spree and found a whole bunch of pages with Survivor info. And I read them all. (It’s Mother’s Day and I was told I could do anything I wanted. So I’ve been Google-ing “Survivor,” “Survivor Winner,” “Survivor Spoiler” all afternoon.) Did you know there are hundreds of places to bet on who wins? Real money changing hands about the outcome of a television show! And there’s a Usenet newsgroup with over 2000 posts about the game, including a thread about how the game ends.

According to some 24 year old editor at CBS who saw two minutes of the finale, Aras and Danielle make it to the Final 2 and Danielle wins.

If this is true I will not be happy!

How in the world have I gotten so involved in a silly television show? Especially one where the contestants can be so dang mean to each other? And why do I want to watch a show that requires lying in order to win?

Because it’s F-U-N! It’s like a traffic accident; you want to drive right by, but by golly, you end up looking just to see. Just to see what? Someone lying on the road bleeding? Someone hanging out of his car because he didn’t wear his seatbelt? When I pass wrecks I often challenge myself to not look as I drive by. I'm not always successful.

Is my Survivor obsession a character flaw? Is this something I should try to rise above? Or is it just mindless entertainment?

I suppose if I were changing my character as a result of watching the show I would be concerned. I don’t think it is. I don’t trash-talk the players. I truly felt sorry for Courtney when she was blindsided, and I felt almost as bad for Shane, although not as much because Shane drove me crazy.

But even saying that I know I won’t feel sorry for Cirie when she’s booted. I want that chick to get the heave-ho. She has played the game like a mastermind and caused Terry’s tribe to get picked off one by one after the merge.

The questioning of my character should begin now…

Anyway, tonight you know where I’ll be: glued to the TV, watching the final vote, hoping against hope Terry wins. And hoping I can keep up this obsession with my good character intact.