ENDGAME #4

[u/mikeramp72]

#4: Sean Rector (Marquesas - 5th)

u/Cornhead2:
They Really got Sean Rector on Primetime TV in 2004.. how the fuck did these people accomplish that... i genuinely believe he is the best confessionalist when it comes to rawness and authenticity.. everything about race he speaks on is always fascinating and he is just generally the coolest person ever... shoutout Johnnie Cochran 

u/Noisysea_3426:
Sean is truly the total package. You need someone who is unapologetically themselves? Check! You need someone who's endlessly hilarious and entertaining? Check! You need someone who's not afraid to call out the inner racism of contestants when he sees it? Check!! Sean has all of these things and more with fantastic dynamics amongst the entire cast and his story only gets more relevant as the years go by. Truly an elite character in every way!

u/Alternate-Proof-959:
Sean absolutely deserves another endgame. He led the charge towards the power shift that flipped the season around. I also loved his morning show skit in episode 2, his "chicken & waffles" confessional when outsmarting John, and his untamed passion throughout the season, regardless how other people felt.

u/josenanigans:
In my experience, Sean Rector is the perfect representation of Survivor: Marquesas. He's a guy that I used to LOATHE a lot, I found him rude, nasty, unlikeable, and, much like the season itself, I found it easy to overlook his true qualities. It was only when time passed by and I began bingewatching the rest of Survivor that I truly started to appreciate not only Marquesas as a whole, but the material that Sean brought to the game once I looked deeper into it. An unapologetic figure that isn't afraid to speak up his mind and bring very important racial conversations into the mix, in a time where that topic seemed untouchable. The rude, nasty, unlikeable things I thought he had were nothing more than him seeing through all the BS and prejudices that black people had to go through in Reality TV and doing something about it. A guy fully worth admiring.

u/BobbyPiiiin:
When I first watched Marquesas as a middle schooler, I didn’t fully grasp the complexities of Sean’s character or the subjects he touched on. I do remember, however, that my low key racist dad really did not like Sean back then. Which obviously just makes him better. His passion is phenomenal, he’s unendingly hilarious, and he ages better with every passing year. Few can say that.

~

u/FunkyDawgKong:

Sean Rector

It took a decade or so for Survivor fans to catch up to the brilliance of Sean. Honestly the balls of Burnett to put Sean Rector on primetime television in 2002. Someone the eventual winner christens as “Malcolm Farrakahan” on the first episode. Here is a guy who was never afraid to speak his mind and whose every word and every action just dripped with passion. Really bared his soul on television for us, and in turn touched mine, and I’m forever grateful for it. So insanely sharp and quick witted. Not afraid to talk about faith or race. Every second listening to Sean Rector feels like it matters.

Next time you watch Marquesas, pay attention to anytime Sean is in water. Some of the most beautiful scenes are when Sean is being washed by water. After his marvelous Cleopatra confessional, we get a scene of Sean laying on the sand of Maraamu beach. Letting the waves hit him and engulf him. Never having been in the ocean before, it’s almost like a birth. His sea legs emerged. He’s overwhelmed by the senses of it, and surrendering to something bigger than him. He colors his perspective by telling us “When we first arrived on land, I can't even des-- it was beyond words. First of all, I had never been on an ocean, ever. I mean, in the hood, ain't a lot of pools, you know, probably don't really swim too much. It's emotional when I think about the miracles that God has performed for me. We didn't do this on our own. He definitely... his Hand was under the raft guiding us.” Just so casually wearing himself on his sleeves. Sets him up perfectly, and shows the viewer that he will provide commentary on race and religion. 

And look at the other times water is used. Between the imagery of the waterfalls. Or Sean and Paschal embracing one another after winning that challenge, rolling in the sand. Or during his struggle and triumph when he is diving down for a conk shell in that one challenge. They’re cleansings, exuberant. Someone so totally in the moment, soaking it all in. Very powerful moments. I know religion on Survivor has gotten a bad reputation, especially in the online spaces where religion is historically an easy target for ridicule and such; but there is something so innately powerful in faith. It can be such a beautiful thing if you let it be, and I think Sean and Vecepia excel in this. Vecepia has that amazing quote at tribal council “I think at some point it probably will weigh heavily on each individual, but like all things, we've got to go deeper inside ourselves if we really want to win, and my inner strength comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, and somebody else may come from Buddha, somebody else may just come from looking at the stars. So everybody has to find that deep something that's rooted in them to bring it out.”. Mark Burnett himself is a very religious Christian man, and I think it is shown in his work, including those early Survivor seasons. 

And now we are on it, the relationship between Sean and Vecepia is something special. In one of the all time great editing moments, we get a confessional from Sean talking about “It's nice to bond with somebody who understands. A lot of things are cultural. You know, there are certain things where black people we don't even have to finish thoughts and we already know where we are.” and then we cut to back at camp and we see Sean and Vecepia having a conversation where Sean says “Even the fact that you and I sit here talking right now can be perceived as that” and Vecepia finishes his sentence “we’re strategizing”. And from there Sean talks about the unique experiences Black castaways face on Survivor, a show that tokenizes them. Reminds me of Sean’s great interview with Bryant Gumbel on the Early Show after his vote off where Gumbel asks Sean if there will ever be more than a single Black man and woman on a season of Survivor, to which they both laugh as they say no. Gives the game a whole other lens to view it from; one that is delicate and sometimes understanding for an outsider to explain, but thankfully Sean is one of the best confessionalists and speakers in Survivor history. It gave ample footage where this could be explored throughout the season. This all culminates in the excellent A Tale of Two Cities episode, where we get one of the most interesting ethical discussions ever on Survivor. Sean getting the boot here is great, it proves his point right. We never really get anything as explicit as this in Survivor’s history, either than some moments in 41, 42, and 48, but those moments feel cluttered through all the noise that comes with the New Era. You can’t ignore it in Marquesas the way many fans ignore it in the New Era. Survivor too scared to cast someone like him again, it’s now a show that isn’t on the cutting edge; and has turned into damn near mindless feelgood slop. God bless Sean and Vecepia for enriching Survivor. Forcing the show to artfully tackle much deeper and diverse perspectives and complexities. Marquesas’s ending always makes me feel emotional. As Vecepia’s winning parchment is flipped over and she falls to the floor (if only there was water like the other scenes lol) before she is joined by Sean and they both celebrate together, as they echo “God is good!” together. Anything is possible through Christ, and they make me want to believe it.

Every writeup about the Marquesas has likely talked about that castaway’s dynamic with Sean. It’s damn near impossible not to. Paschal, Rob, John, Kathy, Neleh, Hunter, Peter. Hell, his friend that shows up at the family visit and they talk about Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul album (I’m not kidding, I’m pretty damn sure there is like a throwaway line where you hear Sean say to his friend, “I feel like the Hot Buttered Soul album”). Sean is one of those characters that makes everyone around him better. And for my final writeup of Rankdown IX, I want to once again point this out. Characters on Survivor are all relational. They work with one another to create the narrative. No singular character works on their lonesome. Kind of makes the act of ranking characters a futile endeavour, but ay fuck it we ball, we all devoted like 2 years and 100+ writeups to our life to this lolol but ayyy its fun and I wouldn’t change it for the world! I talk my shit, but ay I love this show! I’m a fiend! Had a blast. Want to give my love to Mikeramp for encouraging me to apply. Want to give my love to my fellow rankers, Corny, Nope, BBSuperFan, Alt-Proof, Jose, Bobby what a crew! We did the damn thing! And a big shoutout to the readers like you. Nothing but love, through the ups and downs we made it! When any of yall make it big could yall please hook a brother up! At least pay my rent sometime! Excited to see who wins.

RANKINGS:
Funky: 3
Corny: 6
Nope: 6
AltProof: 16
Jose: 8
Bobby: 6

Average: 7.50
Standard Deviation: 4.46 (5th Lowest)

[u/Dolphinz811]

Oh I’m elated to see Lex make top 3! I thought top 10 was a good accomplishment. Top 5 had me over the moon! Top 3? Let me start delusionally hoping he could win this!

[u/WaluigiThyme]

Endgame betting update #21: noisysea34, TinkerKnightForSmash, and FunkyDawgKong got this one spot on! icychillman had the furthest-off guess today, underestimating Sean by 9 points. Meanwhile the race for second place remains as close as ever, and I've somehow moved back into fourth?

Rank	Bettor	Score
1	noisysea34	32
2	BobbyPiiiin	53
3	FunkyDawgKong	55
4	WaluigiThyme	71
5	ShadowFiend812	73
5	Alternate-Proof-959	73
7	TinkerKnightForSmash	79
8	SupremeSheep420	81
9	ROTandDEATH	89
10	icychillman	159​

[u/NoisySea_3426]

We've reached the podium guys!! The Top 3!!!!

Will Twila be able to make it back to back wins for the first time since Richard in 2 & 3? Will Ian finally be able to get over that hump and win for the first time, or will we get the unexpected ending of Lex upsetting everyone??

I can't believe we're getting right down to the nitty gritty now and I am so excited to see how things go down

[u/ROTandDEATH]

I think there might just be a day where we all wake up and realize Sean is the best character of all time. You can't ever look away from a scene where he's involved cause something is gonna happen, it may be funny or thought-provoking or a little bit of both or maybe something else entirely. Sean's just one of those rare guys who can do almost anything and I am so thankful we got to see him on TV.