A Salute to "Survivor"

I'm not proud, but the best part of my day may have been the hour I spent staring at the television watching an EPIC (yes, I know that word has been adulterated beyond recognition but...) episode of "Survivor."  A loyal fan from its Richard Hatch-i-ish beginning when unshaved, stinking, starving contestants seined "fresh" water from an elephant dung hole to its now-evolved state of white-toothed, discreetly tattooed tribe members who make clitchy jungle-themed furniture inspired by Ikea, I am inspired by the show's commitment to keep things interesting.  Horrible ideas are abandoned (Exile Island was a doozy), atrocious sanitation issues were addressed, health standards directly proportional to viewer tolerance were implemented (we can only watch malnourished players vomit x number of times before irretrievably connecting the show to the original version of The Exorcist) and, most importantly, the show either includes pretty-to-look-at people or the-freakishly-behaving-so-their-looks-don't-matter people.  I refuse to write too much more regarding my devotion to this show but I love, love, love that it still has the ability to surprise. With three good-looking guys in serious jeopardy at Tribal Council, all hope appeared lost.  But one of the
"Three Amigos" (a label they mockingly assigned to themselves), doggedly won the Immunity Challenge, Malcolm (the Mosiman-family-female favorite) harbored a hidden Immunity necklace, and then in a dramatically public fashion, found ANOTHER Immunity necklace so Tribal was jaw-dropping to the smug alliance of seven who thought they had this vote in the bag...NOT!  Now, with our heroes safely immune and smiling happily, the shuffling seven scrambled to strategize.  "The Three Amigos are voting for Phillip," Malcolm announced, clearly enjoying himself while we, at home, laughed out loud. It is moments like these that keep us watching.  No laugh track...gorgeous, exotic settings (a fresh water lake harboring giant non-stinging jellyfish...right out of a dream)...the utter unpredictability of human nature...a sometimes (ok...often) perverse anthropologic experiment of the annoying, the sickeningly sweet, schemers, betrayers, and the completely clueless.  Just like real life.  I refuse to allow myself to ponder too deeply where I would fall in the   social stew that is "Survivor."  Although now that I think about it, every episode includes a nut or two.