answer:I’m a purist. With everybody jumping in and out of alliances and backstabbing each other all over the place year after year, its easy to forget that the first season is when the playbook was written by Richard Hatch. There was nobody’s game to pattern anything after. If you watch the first season again, you realize how much harder (physically and deprivation-wise) they ALL had it. There weren’t all the lavish food rewards and such. Just pure survival and no template to follow. In the first few episodes, he basically just observed everybody analyzing their reactions to everything and each other. Then he began to organize an alliance and had sense enough to keep his mouth shut about it to keep it secret. He stayed away from all the petty squabbles which get so many players voted out early for being too obnoxious. And even tho a lot of today’s younger players are quick to toss out older players, he realized the value of Rudy and his Navy Seal training and code of honor and loyalty. That was his smartest move since Rudy was unwavering in his loyalty to the end. On the surface one would probably think Rudy would be the last person for a gay man to align himself with. But Richard saw beneath the surface to recognize the inner man who was a person with deep convictions about the importance of honor and sticking to your word. He had that quality called character. Even tho Rudy felt it necessary to make it clear that tho they were close friends, it wasn’t in a “queer way”. That was so funny, I smile every time I remember it. Richard was smart enough to realize that it wasn’t being said maliciously at all. Rudy was a product of a more old fashioned time when that was a common term. If Rudy meant it as malicious name calling, he certainly would not have remained loyal or even agreed to an alliance with Richard at all. Sometimes you have to look beneath the surface to see a persons inner self which is honorable. But both of them had their priorities straight and paid little attention to all the drama squabbles going on. I was rooting for Rudy to win, but have to be honest i have to give credit where it’s due and recognize that Richard played the better game. He had a clear game plan in his head from day one. And everyone else in all other seasons is just doing a variation on his pattern. He had to create it from scratch, so even tho he has an obnoxious personality, I give credit where it’s due. Nobody does it better…. To quote the old 007 theme song. Can’t remember which movie, but it fits here too. Tho he may be a conceited pompous ass at times, he was THE best player. The original. Russell may have been smart at finding idols but he totally misjudged the social aspect of the game big time. He figured Sandra could barely get even one vote. I wasn’t surprised at all and he’s still getting over the shock. I think Boston Rob was spot on when he commented that Russell played to get even but didn’t play to win. Russell was way to in love with himself to realize how others were reacting to him. He was a one trick pony with finding idols but Tom Westman pointed out that stabbing people in the back just because you can rather than because its necessary really turns people off Russell was an extremely vindictive little SOB with a Napoleon Complex In the end, He basically blindsided his own dang self. Really delusional during the whole game. In his own little world. Certainly not the best survivor. Not even close.