A Quick Thought on Survivor Before Tonight's Episode

This idea came to me after reading my sister Melanie's comment on last week's episode. Her point was (cue the lightening strike) that Matt's religious convictions were working against him--he was too trusting, and it made him unable to read social cues, both of which are big obstacles to Survivor success. I think, sadly, she may be right.

Perhaps Matt thought Rob would really respect his honesty, or view it as an act of loyalty when he came clean with his master plan. (A plan which, a fried of mine regretfully pointed out--and I absolutely agree with him--would have been one of the most epic hostile take-overs in the show's history. Just too bad.) We all know how Rob actually responded.

The whole situation reminded me of a Saturday Night Live skit from 1995 called "Clara Turley's Bible Challenge." I cannot find the video anywhere, but let me see if I can sum it up for you in a way that makes clear the connection between it and Matt's blunder:

The scene is a Bible quiz show, with cash prizes given for each correct answer. The panel of contestants includes a Bible scholar, a nun, and Stan Hooper--a former transient turned biblical genius who is riding a 47 game winning streak (and is played by Norm MacDonald). Stan is introduced while he's smoking and eating a hamburger, and he wears a leather jacket.

How is it that Hooper is so good at this game, since your first impression is that this man has never picked up a Bible in his lifetime? The answer comes on the first question, an obscure reference to the exact number of years the Israelites were in Egypt. Incredibly, Clara Turley (the host) then provides the answer--430. She asks the contestants one by one: "Did you know that?" The scholar did not know the answer, and is given no money. Same with the nun. But Stan? Stan immediately rings his bell, and, with a bite of hamburger in his mouth proclaims, "yeah, I knew that!" He is given twenty dollars.

In some ways, this is the situation Matt is in. Just like Clara Turley and the other contestants, he is unmindful of the fact that players in the game are self-interested and opportunistic. I'm confident that when Matt told Rob about how he was going to join up with the Zapatera's and take him (Rob) down, Rob smiled the same way Stan Hooper did while ringing his little bell.

Only instead of twenty dollar bills, Survivor hands out a great big check for a million bucks.