Handsome Reward

The Final Chapter: Naked Guy gets his groove on; Brian gets moody; and the Roadies get their handsome reward while we get a rip-off!

Analysis

Going into this episode I didn't really expect much; In fact, I feel like I got a rip-off of some sort after viewing this finale.

For one, the season finales haven't been as emotionally impacting over the past four seasons (With the exception of Australia). And not to get all sappy but, I feel that not enough spotlight was shown on the cast trying to express and mend their true feelings. And instead, it all felt like a scripted emotional farewell to me.

And unlike the hour long finales of season's one and two, here the producers try to stuff a elephant into a bird cage! Over the course of 30 mintues (20, if you ax the commercials) we see the kids escape from Spider Island, leaving the renegades behind hopping around like a bunch of mad baboons, to discovering their "awesome" reward (Which I'll get to in a minute!), to the naked group orgy scene, to the standard sappy dinner, to finally, the one-by-one-till-there-were-none goodbyes at the airport.

That's way too much stuff to pad-out in just 20 minutes! And after it's all said and done, I'm left with more questions than answers. Brian's double bombshell he dropped at dinner regarding his crush on Holly and his terrorizing experience on the trip both hit me so hard I'm still recovering from whiplash!

Where the hell did this come from? Brian's "Crush on Holly" revelation may have carried some weight since I could account for a few scenes this season where they were spotted arm-in-arm. But I never witness any chemistry between them that was shown on camera. And as far as..."this trip scarring him for life" is concerned.....ya, I guess camping out in deluxe hotels, stuffing yourself three times a day, and walking away with a spiffy new ride can surely leave behind some emotional damage. I mean this came out of NOWHERE for crying out loud! The producers would have us believe that over the past 15 weeks Brian has been screaming inside while showing no evidence on the outside.

Unless you count that little incident in "Image Is Everything" where he ditches the group to go spend the night with Sylvia; but you can categorize that as Brian just wanting a little breathing space. But are the producers that starved for ratings that they'll bribe any cast member into dishing-out anything to ensure some conflict? I recall asking that same question in regards to Holly's jealous streak in "Tigers and Sharks", which like the incident here, doesn't show any relevance given previous situations. Hey, here's some food for thought: If Brian was soooo disgusted with being on the trip, why didn't he pack his bags and catch the next flight back to Jersey?

Now on to my main beef with this season finale. Even weeks before this season began, BMP was hyping to everyone that the kids would receive a handsome reward unlike any other handed out in previous seasons. Even going as far as to label it as a "Awesome Reward". So I asked myself, "What kind of reward would be so spectacular that it would even outshine those Honda Civics and Semester at Sea package? What kind of reward that is made in Mexico (Not that there's anything wrong with items produced in Mexico) would be so eyepopping?"

Especially a handsome reward that turns out to be a (gasp!) VW Beetle! C'mon, that's absurd! Frankly, I'd find it more plausible that a $100,000. beach house would be wating in the wings for our intrepid troopers than a compact VolksWagon that your average joe can buy from almost any used car dealer! And you mean to tell me that after weeks of mounting suspense, this is what you'd call a unprecedented reward? I want my money back! Now I wish I had never known that there was going to be a awesome reward in the first place because it seems like a total waste of a good mystery. How the hell can I take anything seriously BMP says ever again!

However, there were some positive elements in the finale such as Abe and Holly finally coming to the realization that they both weren't made for each other. Heck, I already came to that conclusion during the second episode! Perhaps things would've turned-out a little different had Brian been abit more forthcoming...or maybe not. Josh was his usual freehearted-down-to-Earth self who was finally able to fulfill his earlier prediction by getting everyone naked in the hottub.

The closing scene at the airport where the Roadies said their goodbyes one-by-one-till-there-were-none was rather fitting. But to tell you the truth, I prefer the group hug endings we were shown in season's: one, two, five, and six. One big eyeroller chiche that was wisely avoided by the editors was the use of that one sad-sappy song. I don't know the artist, but it goes something like...."Don't go [Pause] Don't goo [Pause] Don't goooo!, you get my drift.

Man, I've developed the same negative vibe about that song as I did towards that damn Céline Dion Titanic soundtrack! The producers wore the "Don't Go!" song out during the Real World Seattle and Road Rules Australia seasons. And I suppose some slacker fell asleep and left the "continuos replay" button "on" during the Gladys goodbye scene in "Sticks and Stones". And since it's become firmly rooted into the Real Rules music selection, I was fearing the worse when the season finale came...but thankfully they chose a another route, good job!

WHAT'S NEXT: Reviewer gets a break, but stay tuned for my annual season recap! Until then, seeya in June.

Start all over again at "Ai Chihuahua!". Or Go back to "El Predator".

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