*~ 68. SANDY BURGIN ~*
Another "wacky" older woman. I'm not sure why they stopped casting older women who would have some semblance of a chance at this game, but it keeps me entertained regardless. Sandy was pretty kooky and a definite fighter but she didn't have the longevity that some of the more infamous old crazies had. What she did have is an understanding and appreciation for the gameplay aspect of Survivor, which is pretty rare for her archetype. I was glad to see someone work the crazy old mom angle hard. During the premiere of Tocantins I had a lot of sympathy for Sandy because she was voted out before everyone knew her name and she got a lot of "old lady" descriptions, which is a bad sign in the game and just generally insensitive. How would Stephen have felt if Sydney had written "the dorky guy" or "the clumsy, inept, completely asexual guy". I mean yes it gets the point across but find some tact.
I also thought it was bullshit when Jeff Probst was mad at Sandy for being excited when she learned she was still in the game. He was like "IT'S
NOT SOMETHING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT. THEY JUST VOTED YOU OUT I THINK YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED. IF IT WERE UP TO ME THERE WOULD NEVER BE VAGINAS ON THIS SHOW LET
ALONE AN OLD ONE." That last part was the subtext but you know what I'm saying.
On Sandy's personality: Sandy was a scrapper. I think most people will carry around the visual of her riding Erinn like a bull forever. I liked that Sandy was manipulating and working her angles, and I also liked that she was so open and real. She was a little batty but also outgoing and fun. I think she would be a total hoot to be around. I guess a lot of her younger tribe members thought she was annoying, but she was obviously less annoying than Carolina.
On Sandy's gameplay: Sandy was self-aware and worked with what she had. When she arrived at camp after just being faux voted out by her tribe, she neglected to build some half-ass shelter on her own and instead decided to look for the idol, which she had every reason to believe she would need. There's been some debate about what the right choice was but I think Sandy was reasonable about her choice and explained her rationale very well. Of course the editing suggested that Sierra's crappy shitstorm of a shelter saved her ass but we all know that's not true so w/e. Sandy was also pretty competent in the challenges.
On Sandy's placement: Sandy was cool and a fun character, but she really only had one mode and that was 'zany'. And after a few episodes, 'zany' becomes 'annoying' and eventually 'grating'. I liked that she busted her ass and played the game full tilt tho, and that's why I ranked her this high.
