Graceland – Hey there. Don’t worry about being late. I haven’t gotten the update ready yet so you’re under the wire by a few days. Yeah, MFashnek was definitely it here.
What you’re saying about the bug paste & sunscreen is interesting, especially since no one else mentioned it. I guess the point is that she wants to win but that she’s trying to really carry through with her persona on the island. Does that makes sense? Glad you liked the idols.
I agree that F/K/T are very close and that they’re happy for whoever won even knowing that it might cost them the chance at $1M. Nope, Tara hasn’t explained about Ariel. I’m sure Kent will explain it to Faith at somepoint. I’m glad you liked the TC. Good guesses.
irishgrl3 – Yeah, kind of hard for me to imagine too. It’s hard to Tara to have to vote off friends but I think if she wins the money, it will temper the difficulty. Faith is on target with her explanation. Thanks.
Cam – Arggghhh! Not a cat????
Artemis – Oh man. So close. Darn my being a pacifist.
Watson – I have KR narrowed down to two unless you told me a non-truth last week. But a LampLight update would be great. BTW: who is your preferred winner?
meretricious – Ooo CDs. Now you’re talking.
you'll prob. just let me keep the partridge family and the hungarian folk songs, right? ~ mary
That and the Tori Amos. Can’t stand her. Think she sounds like someone is letting one the minions beat up on Car’s cat.
Car – Ooo. Lifelong friendship and devotion. The devotion part sounds good. What exactly does that entail?
I really enjoyed this update. I'm not going to go into the specifics and quote lots of stuff, because everyone beat me to it.
Disqualified based on lameness. I’m not sure if the Art of Leaving Feedback thread says it’s ok to repeat but please do…
I’d agree that Kendra and Tara were the least scheming but Buffy didn’t get that at the time. I think that Willow started off scheming but completely gave it up once she moved to MFashnek. Basically when asked to lie, she just didn’t say anything which I think is different from scheming.
Thanks.
stillrunning – Update soon.
blue eyed girl – I like your attitude on the F2. Yes: either way it’s someone deserving. Seems everyone agrees about the close vote. Nice thoughts about Kent. Thanks.
Title – Survivor – Ash Island
Part 32 – Survivor Finale
Author – JustSkipIt
Pairing – T/W (who else?)
Feedback – Oh yes.
Spoilers – None
Rating – PG
Disclaimer – I own none of these characters nor do I own Survivor. And believe it or not, I also don’t own any small islands. On the other hand, this island is fictional so let’s say I own it. I’m making no money from this fiction and intend no copyright infringement.
Note – Thanks to Washi for the beautiful new Ashvatar
Note 2 – There will NOT be a sequel to this story but there are two more updates coming.
Note 3 – Place all bets! Window’s closing in… now.
Caption – Survivor – Ash Island Live Finale
The camera pans over the audience of the Ed Sullivan Theater, showing a capacity crowd. As spotlights sweep the room, we can see most of the attendees standing on their feet—cheering, clapping, and waving. Signs read “Go! Faith!” or “You got it Girlfriend! Go Tara!” or host similar slogans.
As the camera finally focuses on the stage we see a tribal council setting similar to that we just left, placed directly under a large screen on which the audience has been watching the prior two hours of the show. Faith and Tara sit on a log on one side of the fire. Faith wears a pair of tight-fitting black leather pants and a white blouse. Her hair is down over her shoulders and looks very full and curly. Tara wears a brightly colored sarong, red embroidered blouse, and has her hair up in a tight bun.
On the other side of the fire sit the jury members on two logs. The front log holds Kendra, Robin, Willow, and Buffy. Behind them are Joyce, Xander, and Mac. All seven jury members are wearing the clothing they wore at the final tribal council and look very nice.
All heads turn to watch as Jeff, still carrying the container of votes, walks up the aisle on the side of the theater and onto the tribal council set. He sets down the container with a smile at the group and breathes out a huge sigh as if he has just arrived from Ash Island. He motions toward the screen where we can see the camera continuing to pan over the audience. Then the focus on the screen shifts to show the group at the tribal council stage.
“Welcome to the season finale of Survivor – Ash Island,” he booms out. “This audience has just watched the survivor contestants go from final four to final two.” He motions toward Tara and Faith. “And seen the final two take questions and comments from the jurors. Now they are about to find out who is the Ultimate Survivor.” A cheer goes up from the crowd.
“Now I’m going to read the votes and find out who the jury thinks should be the Ultimate Survivor. Will it be Tara Maclay, who used the strategy of making herself valuable with her knowledge of survivor skills?” The large screen behind the stage shows Tara gathering berries and handing out sunscreen to her tribe mates. Loud applause fills the hall as Tara smiles and blushes.
Caption – Tara Maclay’s Family
Kent, Ariel, and Sarah sit in the audience clapping wildly for Tara. The camera also quickly focuses on Willow.
Hometown Celebration: Tony’s Pizza in Reynoldsville, OH
A shot of the inside of the pizza parlor where a capacity crowd holds signs cheering on their hero and screaming and waving.
“Or will it be Faith Lehane? The personal trainer who led her team to victory after victory and did whatever it took to make it to the final two?” Again we hear cheering and loud applause. The huge screen behind the stage shows Faith competing in the “hogtied” challenge.”
Caption – Faith Lehane’s Family
The camera focuses on Kent, apparently sitting in the center of the two families, Joy, and Faith’s parents.
Faith’s Hometown Celebration – Sox Sports Bar – Boston, MA
The bar is filled with revelers who hold up signs and mugs of beer as they shout and holler.
“Ok, your friends and family as well as a lot of Survivor fans are waiting for this announcement.” Jeff pauses for more cheering and another camera shot of the crowd. “I’ll read the votes.”
He opens the container and pulls out the first vote. “The first vote: Tara.” The crowd cheers and Faith and the jury applaud. “Second vote: Faith.” Again the crowd cheers with Tara and the jury applauding. “Third vote: Faith.” He pulls out another vote and announces, “Fourth vote: Faith.” The crowd is now cheering loudly and the camera focuses again on Faith’s family.
“That’s three votes Faith, one vote Tara!” Jeff pulls another vote from the box: “Fifth vote: Tara.” The crowd now cheers just as loudly for their champion’s comeback. “Sixth vote: Tara.” As the crowd continues cheering, we see Sarah, Ariel, and Kent holding hands excitedly.
“To recap, that’s three votes Faith. Three votes Tara!” Jeff pulls the last vote from the container and looks at it for a long moment. “And the winner of Survivor – Ash Island … is Faith!” Both Faith and Tara look shocked for a second, neither moving. Then the crowd cheers and both women jump up and hug each other tightly. As soon as they let go, Faith runs from the stage into the crowd where she embraces her family including picking up Ariel and hugging her and kissing Kent deeply to the cat calls of the crowd.
The focus shifts back to Jeff. “The Ultimate Survivor for Survivor – Ash Island is Faith Lehane. Stay tuned as we return to talk about the vote with Faith, Tara, and the jury.” As the show fades to commercial, we see Faith and Tara both visiting with their families and the jury milling around on the stage.
When we return from commercial, the stage has been rearranged. The two logs now hold Faith, Tara, Kendra, and Robin on the front row and Willow, Buffy, Joyce, Xander, and Mac on the second row.
“Welcome back to the Live Survivor – Ash Island Finale where Faith Lehane of Boston has just been awarded the title of Ultimate Survivor and with it the million dollar prize.” Jeff’s voice booms out through the hall even though he now sits opposite the castaways on a log across the fire. “Congratulations, Faith.”
“Thanks, Jeff.”
“And congratulations, Tara. You played a really great game.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s talk about the vote. This game really seemed to come down to a contest between the sweet player who helped everyone and the trickster. Is that how you saw it, Faith?”
“Jeff,” Faith says, “I knew my strengths coming into this game. I knew that I had the smarts and the physicality but I also knew I’d need luck and tricks to win it.” She smiles. “I don’t know what made four jurors decide to vote for me over this wonderful woman.” She pats Tara on the back lightly. “But I’m thrilled that they did.”
“That’s a good question. Let’s find out a little about why people voted the way they did.” He focuses on the jury and asks, “Who voted for Faith and would like to say why?”
The jurors all look at each other for a few seconds. Then Robin raises his hand. “Great, Robin. Why did you vote for Faith?”
“Just like she said, Jeff,” Robin says, “she was our leader. Look at this setup here. We’ve got four original MFashnek tribe members in the front row and five original Akathla in the back row. She was the one that got us that far.” He smiles before adding, “And she engineered the exit of six out of seven jury members.” Some other jury members are nodding their heads as Robin speaks.
“But Tara and Faith were together in their alliance,” Jeff argues. “They voted together in every vote on the Island.”
“Yes,” Kendra says, “but 4when we would meet to decide who was out next, Faith was always the player who said the strategy for our alliance first. She had the entire game planned out from day two.”
“Is that true, Faith? When did you start planning your game strategy?”
Faith smiles at Jeff and the jury. “Jeff these people are all smart. They all are fit. They all want to win a million dollars. I came on this island playing the game.”
“You would lie in bed plotting your strategy? If this person does this, I’ll do this?”
“Not so much in bed, Jeff.” Faith’s joke gets a big laugh from the crowd. “But yeah, I’d plan and plan. What if this happens? What if this happens?”
Jeff turns his attention to Tara. “And Tara, it’s not like you didn’t know how to play this game.” A shot on the large screen TV shows Tara discussing her selection with Kendra and then voting Kendra off.
“I think I k-knew my strengths, Jeff.”
“But you didn’t play the same kind of game that Faith did.”
“No. We played very different games. We said that all through the final tribal c-council. The jury had the opportunity to make their choice.” Tara looks down at the floor as she finishes speaking but then immediately raises her face and smiles.
“But it must hurt? I mean you are probably the most accomplished survival expert we’ve ever had on the game. You started fire without flint, made sunscreen and insecticide, and fed your team but the jury gave the prize to Faith.”
“The jury felt that her leadership was a greater f-factor than my wilderness skills, Jeff.”
“Is that true?” Jeff directs his question to the jury.
“Not for me,” Mac speaks up. “I voted for Tara because the skills she brought to this game should be what the game is about. We weren’t ever on the same team but all I heard was that she was just magic. That’s what I wanted to reward.”
The audience claps loudly.
“Most of the jurors seemed to see that game the way that Faith and Tara described.” Jeff looks at Buffy. The focus shifts to the large screen as they show a show clip:
Final Tribal Council
But I think that you’re worse, Tara.” Tara looks puzzled at Buffy’s statement. “I had a friend in this game, an alliance member.” Everyone glances at Willow. “But you used her. You told her lies about who you were and what she meant to you. You sold yourself and you sold her and that makes you pretty disgusting in my book.” Tara is shaking her head and mouthing “no” but she isn’t given an opportunity to respond by Buffy who angrily turns on her heel and sits back down. A shot of Willow shows her mouth clenched, her fists balled at her side.
The sound of the audience booing is very loud in the studio. Jeff has to wait and hold up his hands to finally get some control in the room again. “Tara, you seemed surprised at what Buffy had to say.”
“I w-was.” Tara looks at the floor again.
“Buffy, you were pretty hard on both Faith and Tara. Do you think it was just a sour grapes at not being in the final?”
Buffy takes a long breath. “I don’t think it was sour grapes at all. I meant what I said to both of them at the time. The thing about this game is that you only know what you know and suspect what you suspect. Looking back on my speech now, I have the gift of hindsight and I can see where I wouldn’t say those things now. Now my vote would probably be different than it was then but I didn’t have the time and the knowledge that I have now.”
“After commercial we’ll return and have the chance to catch up with all 16 castaways.” Jeff smiles and the camera again pans the jurors and final two.
The stage now contains all sixteen castaways sitting on three logs. They are sitting in the order they left the game so the first log contains Faith, Tara, Kendra, Robin and Willow. Behind them are Buffy, Joyce, Xander, Mac, and Richard. The back row includes Oz, Riley, Andrew, Darla, Amy, and Wesley.
“Welcome back to the Survivor reunion show,” Jeff announces. “We’re here to catch up with the Survivors from Ash Island.” After the applause dies down he continues. “Many of the Survivors have had their lives changed by the show and public reaction.”
Show Clip
A shot of Wesley telling the others about the weight of the leaves for the roofing materials.
“Wesley, your reception was not that great.”
“Truly it was not, Jeff. It was quite disturbing to have people on the street stopping me to tell me that I needed to go with the flow better or not be such a know-it-all.”
“Do you regret your performance on the show?”
“No, Jeff. I went on the show knowing that my intellect would be my greatest asset. It also turned out to be my greatest weakness.” He crosses his hands over his chest before lowering his hands to his lap as the audience groans.
“This show saw some hugely popular Survivors,” Jeff says. “Oz, how has your life changed since the show ended?”
Oz smiles, his hair a day-glo green. “Well first off, I learned to swim.” The audience laughs as a clip of him dog paddling in the boat building challenge is displayed on the screen. “But fans have been great. They’ve stopped me on the street as well as showing up at my shows in greater numbers than before.”
“The two most popular Survivors according to the Survivor website were Tara and Faith.” He has to wait a few seconds for the applause and cheering to die down during which time the focus shifts to the large screen behind the stage.
“It’s the first time the two most popular Survivors have ever been the final two.” Again applause and cheering fill the hall.
“Tara, you’re a very shy person. How has attention affected you?”
“It’s b-been hard for me, Jeff. I know that I should have prepared m-m-more but I just wasn’t expecting it. But you know what? People were just so nice. Women would stop me in the s-store or the PTA and say how much they hoped I would w-win.”
“Now Faith and Tara, both of you are in new relationships with people you met on the Island. Is that correct?”
Tara glances at Willow and Faith both. Faith takes the question for the pair. “Jeff, I’m probably the luckiest person on earth right now. I mean first off, I just won a million dollars.” She waits for the audience to laugh and cheer. “And second while on the show I met a guy who is just fantastic.”
Show Clip
Faith is talking to Kent as he sits by the fire in camp.
“So you’re actually dating Kent, Tara’s family member?”
Faith smiles broadly and then the camera shows Kent who is holding a sleeping Ariel in his lap. “Yeah, Jeff. It’s strange the way fate works.”
“Willow,” Jeff says, “you played one of the strangest games we’ve ever seen.”
“Um, Thanks?” The audience laughs at Willow’s reserved response.
Show clip
Willow intentionally chooses the fish dinner so she can eat with Tara. Then she tells the blonde that that was her motivation.
“Some people thought that the two of you were just playing the game. At what point did you know that it was more than that?”
Willow looks sideways across Robin and Kendra at Tara and smiles. “This sounds completely corny, Jeff, but I knew the two of us could have something real from when Tara won the immunity necklace and came over to Akathla for the day. I didn’t know if she would be open to it, especially on the island, but I knew I wanted to know her better.”
“Tara,” Jeff says, “when you came on the show you didn’t intend to be out to the other players. Then you ended up dating someone on the Island.“
That’s t-true. But Willow is right about the connection we had.”
“And one other Survivor has a big life change coming.” Jeff looks at all the Survivors before directing his question to Joyce. “Joyce, would you like to share your news?”
Joyce smiles broadly. “Actually I’d be happy to. Rupert and I are expecting another baby.” After a moment of stunned silence, the audience claps and cheers loudly.
“Well it may be hard to equal that announcement but let’s take a moment to check in with all of the Survivors. Amy, what has been happening for you since your appearance?”
“My career is going well, Jeff. I have landed some spots in national advertising and reception has been very positive.”
“Darla?”
“I’m back home and enjoying my time with my family and my growing law practice. I’ve also taken up skeet shooting.”
“Andrew, I understand you’ve had a career change?”
“I wasn’t on the show long but I think I’ve found my true calling. I was a chef and I’ve always loved cooking but the experience of being in different environment, with all the fauna and flora was life changing for me. I’m now a floral designer. I’ve started doing weddings and parties and just through word of mouth, business is picking up.”
“That’s really great. Riley, how is the leg?”
“I’ll say again that Tara was a Godsend on the island. When I got off the island and had my orthopedist look at the leg, he said that he couldn’t have done better himself. I’ve run one race since returning and have four scheduled for next year.”
“Richard, how has your life changed since coming on the show?”
“Jeff, that’s a great question. I’ve just been re-elected as mayor of Sunnydale, CA for the 8th straight term. I think that my constituents are more willing to talk to me about their problems now that they see me as a real person.”
“Mac, you were this season’s tough guy. I think that a lot of pre-season bets had you as the Survivor to beat.”
“Thanks, Jeff.”
“How have you been since coming home from the Island?”
“I’ve been enjoying my retirement again. My oldest daughter just had her first child so we’ve been very busy and very happy with that addition.”
“Xander,” Jeff says, “you were a very popular Survivor.”
“Thanks, Jeff. I don’t think I played a very good game but people are very forgiving about things like that. Maybe there was something in me that a lot of people could relate to.’
“And do you have an update for us?”
“I’m back at work and my wife and I are discussing having children. I had always said that I wanted to wait until I had one great adventure and now I have so we’re ready to start trying.”
Choruses of ‘Ahhhsss’ can be heard throughout the hall.
“Ok, quickly, Buffy, Robin, and Kendra?”
“I’m back at school and excited to have a new brother or sister.”
“I’m finding that my popularity and ability to relate to the students at my high school is much higher. It was a really great experience coming on this show.”
“The biggest change in my life has been that I’ve moved from New York to Connecticut. I really enjoyed the visit to nature and decided I wanted to be nearer to it. I bought an old house and am slowly fixing it up.”
“Ok. All the Survivors have a lot going on in their lives. After the next commercial, find out where Survivor is going next.”
“While we were at commercial, the audience was quite outspoken about wanting to hear from the one Survivor we didn’t ask for an update. Willow, what do you have planned?” At the mention of Willow’s name the crowd starts screaming and cheering.
Willow smiles as the crowd cheers. When they slow down she announces. “I plan on doing more of the same: spending time with Tara and her daughter and working.” Again the crowd cheers.
Jeff stands center stage. “After eleven seasons of taking our Survivors to desert, beach, jungle, next season Survivor goes to … Austin, Texas.”
The focus shifts to the large screen which begins showing various shots of Austin: Town Lake Hike & Bike Trail, Hippie Hollow, Whole Foods Market.
Voice-over”Austin, Texas is a city that is over a hundred years old. Its live music scene is one of the greatest in the world and the South by Southwest music and media festivals draw thousands of visitors annually. Corporations including Dell computers, Whole Foods Market, and Schlotzsky’s are headquartered in Austin.” The city is home to such sights as the world’s largest Half-Price Books and North America’s largest population of migratory bats as well as professional sports teams the Austin Ice Bats and Wranglers.”
“Sixteen ‘castaways’ will be stranded in Austin with no maps, no soap, and little ability to converse with the natives.”
We see a shot of a dreadlocked guy with a pierced lip serving ice cream at Amy’s with a disgruntled look on his face.
“Castaways will have to endure stares at hippie hollow, navigate rush hour traffic in the urban sprawl, and find an apartment with affordable rent.”
“All next season on Survivor – Back to the City.”
“It will be a change for the Survivor team, but next season we’re city bound.” Jeff looks proud at the declaration. “Tune in tomorrow on the Early Show to see the final four Survivors visit with Harry and Julie and to see Faith Lehane, Ultimate Survivor, get her check for a million dollars.” The Survivors are milling around on stage behind Jeff. “From New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater, Good Night.”
Survivor Credits
Writing -- JustSkipIt
Editing – JustSkipIt
Planning – JustSkipIt
Valuable Advice—Rachel
Indepth Writing Feedback—Patches
Graphic Support—Chris Cook
Distribution—Chris Cook, Susan Carr, Kitten Board
Name Inspiration—Asher Griffin
Ashvatar—Washi
Feedback—Kittens Rock!
Kitten Board—Mods Rock!
Survivor Cast:
Team Mafashnek:
Faith Lehane – 22 – Personal Trainer – Boston, MA – Ultimate Survivor
Riley Finn – 31 – Pro-Triathlete – Des Moines, IA
Richard Wilkins – 51 – Small Town Mayor – Sunnydale, CA
Joyce Summers – 47 – Art Gallery Owner – Los Angeles, CA
Kendra Young – 27 – Interpreter – New York, New York
Robin Wood – 38 – High School Principal – Seattle, WA
Darla – 33 – Lawyer – Mobile, AL
Tara Maclay – 25 – Medical Receptionist/Aspiring Artist -- Columbus, OH
Team Akathla
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce – 33 – Researcher – Los Angeles, CA
Amy Madison – 24 – Waitress – New York, New York
Colonel McNamara – 53 – Retired Military Colonel – Buffalo, NY
Xander Harris – 25 – Carpenter--San Jose, CA
Buffy Summers – 23 – College Student—Chicago, IL
Daniel “Oz” Osbourne 24 – Musician – New Orleans, LA
Andrew Wells – 23 – Chef – Tempe, AZ
Willow Rosenberg – 21 – Software Startup Company Owner – Atlanta, GA
Vote Recap
Mac-Tara
Xander-Faith
Joyce-Tara
Buffy-Faith
Robin-Faith
Willow-Tara
Kendra-Faith
I wouldn’t worry about understanding it but you just might not be familiar with the structure. 
I remember the feeling of being new to Texas when I first went to college. And "little ability to converse with the natives" was SO me back then. (EEP! That was 19 years ago! When did I get old?) Luckily, I have the ability to adapt and blend. Maybe I should start working on a submission tape for the next Survivor...hmmmm.
) it's just a pity the vote wasn't done during the show, since if it had been Buffy would have voted for Tara who would have won.
Well, back when I did watch Survivor, my pick never won, so why should this be any different. *cries* I know that the rest of the fic will make it all better (seeing Tara with the REAL prize...Willow!), but at the moment I'm just sad. And bitter. Very...very...bitter.
)
Well, I'm not too upset, as I've said before, Faith rocked hard. The whole 'lying, deceitful' thing - I don't get it. To me, if you're on Survivor and someone comes up to you and says "Hey, let's vote off so-and-so, trust me," and you don't consider whether or not they're trying to pull a fast one on you, you can't really complain. Now, I think a show where the tribe's unity and survival is the aim, and people aren't voted off until only one remains, would be kind of cool, but that ain't Survivor. So, yeah, Faith rocked, and totally earned her reward.
; I love how you write Wesley's dialogue, he's so 'rogue demon hunter' wannabe; and I think once all the celebrations are over Ariel will probably be sleeping in her grandmother's room at the hotel, because Willow and Tara, and Faith and Kent, will be getting up to some stuff that she's way too young to know about 
? Oh no! 
I am so sad that it's ending, though. I am looking forward to the two last updates!
