Survivor has been around for 22 seasons, so one hesitates before calling any particular edition its most predictable and boring ever. But that label can safely be applied to the just concluded Redemption Island season, won by “Boston Rob” Mariano on his fourth try at the game. Given that both he and wife Amber Brkich have now taken home $1 million on Survivor (and Rob actually won an extra $100,000 as the “fan favorite”), one assumes he will keep his promise to the jurors and is now finished with the show.

The key moment in this season happened right at the beginning, when returnees Rob and Russell Hantz were assigned to their tribes. Russell’s tribe was generally older and less impressed with his celebrity (leaving aside that Russell makes a point of not trying to ingratiate himself), and threw a challenge for the sole purpose of voting him out. But Rob totally dominated his tribe, making quick moves to get rid of the major younger male physical threat and the two older women who weren’t on board with his leadership.

There was never any serious danger Rob might leave the game, even as it became obvious to any veteran viewer than no one else was making a case for their victory. His jury win over Phillip Sheppard and 19-year-old Natalie Tenerelli was nearly unanimous (one sour grapes vote was cast for Phillip), because he picked the perfect opponents: Phillip was eccentric and possibly crazy, while Natalie didn’t seem to make an independent decision during her entire time in Nicaragua. Both Phillip and Natalie based their arguments to the jury on how loyal they had been to Rob, which kind of misses the point of the game.

The coming season of Survivor will take place once again in Samoa, and will be labeled Survivor: South Pacific. The Redemption Island concept will return even though it was an almost total bust this past season, as will the idea of bringing old players back for another shot. Let’s hope whoever returns will actually have to work for a victory, because Rob never broke a sweat.

Tags: rob mariano, russell hantz, survivor, survivor 22, survivor redemption island