All-Star Hawaii Author Notes - Episode 5 (Take Two)
by Mario Lanza
The most noteworthy aspect about episode five is the fact that it predated the Boston Rob/Lex fight from the real
All-Stars by about two years. Of course, my showdown wasn't quite as intense as the real one ended up being. And
of course my showdown involved a very key third party intermediary (John) while the real one didn't. But still,
I thought it was pretty cool that my story sort of predicted what was going to happen on the real All-Stars. It
wasn't as close as the Richard boot back in episode three (which was almost word for word what happened on the
real show). But it was still pretty cool to see my "Boston Rob dethrones Lex and screws him over" subplot
actually play out before our eyes on the real show.
Note: By the way, how implausible was that Boston Rob/Lex subplot on the real All-Stars? Was there any way you could have pulled that off in a fictional episode? Let's see. There's a random twist in the middle of the game, only everybody winds exactly the same, just on the opposite tribe. Yeah, that could happen. Maybe once in a hundred tries. Oh yeah, and then Boston Rob's girlfriend becomes the sole hostage on the other tribe. But then Boston Rob "saves" her by making a plea to Lex, where he basically says "If you help me, I'll help you." So Lex saves the girlfriend, he keeps his deal with Rob, and then Rob betrays him by backstabbing Lex at the very next vote.
Is there any way you could have pulled off this soap opera in a fictional story? Fat chance! It's so implausible, and so sensationalistic, that it would have sounded ridiculous had you tried to pull it off in an All-Star fanfic. And it just goes to show you that sometimes, the truth is a lot more implausible than fiction. Because on paper, the episode that developed in my story seems much more likely that it could have actually happened.
THE "NEW" BOSTON ROB
By the way, speaking of Boston Rob, there's a big difference between the way he's written in my story, and the
way he was in the actual All-Stars. The difference is that in my story, Rob's still basically a kid. He hasn't
grown up yet. I mean, I love him as a character, but he's just the same old mischievous doofus that he was in Marquesas.
There's no way he's anything like the dominant Survivor god that he became in 2004 on the actual show.
To be honest, I had no idea that Rob would have aged/matured so much between Marquesas and the real All-Stars.
Never in a million years would I ever have pegged him as a guy who could beat people like Colby and Ethan in head-to-head
challenges. In my mind, Rob was always that "fun-yet-hapless" troublemaker from the Maraamu tribe. He
was the guy who wants to be the alpha, but just never will be because he's over his head. I just never saw him
being able to play the calm, cool, collected game of someone older, like Brian Heidik.
You can especially see this dichotomy (between Hawaii Rob and All-Stars Rob) in the episode five immunity challenge.
Because I go on and on about how Rob so desperately wants to beat Colby in something, but he can't. He can't because
Colby is Colby, and Rob is Rob. And Rob will never beat Colby because Rob's just a boy. Obviously this is a HUGE
change from what happened in the real show. Because on the real show, Rob kicked EVERYONE'S ass (including Colby's)
on a regular basis.
So this just goes to show you that some of my characterizations are a little bit off from what they ended up being
on the actual show. But I still stand by them. I think that if All-Stars had happened in the summer of 2002, Rob
WOULD have been more boyish and ineffective, like he is here. The only problem is that the real All-Stars happened
two years later, in 2004. That meant that Rob had two full years to mature, grow wiser, and get stronger. And that's
why he's so much different in my story than he was on the show. In my story, he was still just a kid!
CHANGES IN THE NEW EPISODE FIVE
The new version of episode five is a lot different than the original was back in 2002. Although most of those changes
were only in the lesser subplots. The big stuff didn't change. The original version still had the "fake twist",
and the Lex/John blowout, and Boston Rob manipulating the vote. And Lex was still the boot choice at the end of
the episode. None of that has changed. In fact, if you look at the big picture, almost NOTHING has changed in the
first five episodes from the original story. If you wrote a short summary of the first fifteen days of the game,
the new version would be almost exactly the same as the original story.
But there were some significant changes to episode five. Some of which were planned, some of which I just made
up on the spot. For example, in the original, the two Ahis who went on the twist were Lex and Colleen (not John
and Colleen). The original title of the episode was "Little Caesar" (which referred to both the type
of pizza that the diplomats ate in the lodge, and the fact that Lex was backstabbed by his trusted ally, John.)
And there was almost NOTHING in the original episode involving Vecepia teaming up with John, or John wanting to
ally with Colleen. All of that was new for the rewrite, and all of that was an "on the spot" decision
to give Vecepia and John much more defined characters than they'd ever had at any time before.
So as you can see, a lot changed in this episode. At least, if you look at character development and motivation.
Important subplots are flying around now that just weren't there before. Characters are interacting in game-changing
ways that never happened the first time around. And it's made the story so much more complex (as well as so much
more intriguing), that I'm honestly to the point now where I may no longer follow the original template.
That's right, you heard me, fans of the original story. Starting with episode six, this may be a completely new
story. So if you think you know what happens, think again. I guarantee you that at some point in Hawaii (maybe
soon), I'll take a left turn and you're going to be stunned.
HOW THE CHARACTERS HAVE CHANGED FROM THE ORIGINAL
Speaking of changes, I thought it would be fun to see WHICH character has changed the most from my original story.
So here's a quick rundown for you. Here's a list of every character left in the story, and a summary of how (if?)
they have changed from the original story, and where they are now. Enjoy.
* Gretchen - I have made Gretchen much more proactive this time around in Hawaii. In the original version
(2002) she was basically just a humorless school marm, who marched to her own beat, and pissed off Alicia because
was played with her heart. In the new version, I made Gretchen's strategy much more of a gray area. I want you
to think, is she actually playing? Or is she going to revert back to form? I wanted her to come off much more three-dimensional
than she was last time. I also gave her more of a sense of humor (which is especially evident in the twist scene
with Colleen.)
* Kathy - I haven't changed Kathy all that much from the original story. Even though it seems like she's
been given less attention than the rest of the characters, that's only because she hasn't been critical for a while.
She's more or less "the one in the middle on Keko who tries to hold the three women together." Don't
worry, Kathy will still get a few scenes to shine coming up. Remember, just because she isn't developed doesn't
mean I don't find her interesting. Sometimes, her storyline just isn't all that dramatic compared to everyone else.
* Alicia - Alicia has changed a lot from the original. For one thing, I've made her a lot funnier. In the
original story, she was just MAD, MAD, MAD all the time and I think it made her a bit of a downer. She just wasn't
someone you could root for. And even though I know that Alicia DOES have a bit of a temper, I also know that she's
pretty funny and mischievous in real life. Seriously, how can you team up with Jeff Varner and Boston Rob and NOT
have a sense of humor? So I started writing Alicia as more of a "Varner sidekick with a stubborn streak"
and I think I've captured her much better this time around. A lot of people have told me, "Alicia is much
more strategic here than she was on the real show!" Well yeah. She is. But then again, this time she has a
few more options. I have every belief that she WOULD have been a fairly solid player in both Australia and All-Stars
if she'd actually been given the chance.
* Mike - Ah, yes. Good old Mike. He's easily one of my favorite characters in Hawaii. There are just so
many directions you can go with his character, and so many extremes, that he just becomes a writer's wet dream.
Seriously, if I ever need to fill about ten pages, I can just throw Mike out there. I can make him hack up a deer.
I can make him play "boo hoo, poor me" to Gretchen. I can make him just stare at the fire. He was one
of the most complex characters in the original story, and I think he's just as complicated (and underestimated)
in the rewrite as well. In other words, I haven't changed him much at all, except maybe made him a little more
wily.
* Colby - Colby was one of the most well-defined characters in the original story. But sadly, for whatever
reason, in the rewrite I've sort of left him behind. I'm not sure why. In fact, I didn't even notice it until right
now, when I sat down to write this. But that being said, really, how much more do you need to read about Colby
to know who he is? Seriously. I mean, he's a cowboy, he's good at challenges, he keeps his word, and he's very
articulate. And he also uses sports metaphors in approximately 125% of his sentences. If that isn't Colby, I don't
know who it is. So I apologize to all the Colby fans who are expecting a lot more character development out of
him. I've always felt that with Colby, what you see if pretty much what you get. So I've kind of ignored him. That
will change.
* Tina - Tina's been seriously underdeveloped for most of the rewrite. In fact (along with Kathy) she's
probably the least defined character of them all. But I tried to change that starting in episode five. I gave her
the really nice scene with John towards the end, where she tries to save Lex. I also gave her the shot at the end
of the episode, where she's befuddled by a vote for the first time in her life. But don't worry, Tina fans. I haven't
forgotten her. She was underwritten in the original too. I always knew that her storyline wouldn't really begin
until after Lex was gone, and she had to adapt. At no point in the original or the rewrite did I ever expect her
to be anything except "Tina, the Hunted."
Note: A lot of new readers might not realize this, but Tina Wesson was my favorite player back in 2002. "Mario loves Tina" was such a well-known fact at the time that there was no way I could just shower her with character development. If I had done that in 2002, people would have started to scream "favoritism!" So if you're wondering why she gets hidden so much at the start of the story, that's why. It would have been too easy to just write the whole story from Tina's perspective.
* Frank - To be honest, Frank hasn't changed much at all from the original to the rewrite. In fact, I don't think he's had a single additional scene. Everything he's done here, he did before. By the way, I've heard a few comments from readers who are surprised that I've written Frank as so "noble" in Hawaii. They find it surprising that they're actually cheering for him. Well, wouldn't you find Frank noble too if he was actually protecting you? If you were Tina (or T-Bird back in Africa), wouldn't you find him the sweetest guy in the world? That's the perspective I was sort of going for in Hawaii. Remember, the only reason they showed him as "a gruff asshole" in Africa was because the Mallrats won the initial showdown. If Silas/Lindsey had lost, Frank would have been a much more heroic and noble character. It's all editing. Just like in real life, the winners of the war write the history books!
Note: I also wrote Frank this way because of the simple fact that none of the writers back then even wanted him in the story. He was the black sheep of the cast, everyone hated him. And once I figured that out, I decided, "Well, what the hell? Let's just write him as the hero and throw everyone a curveball." So I stuck up for Frank just because no one else would. Even though I didn't really want Frank in my story, I gave him a chance.
* John - John has changed a LOT in the rewrite. Seriously. He's like a whole different character now, and
I'm fascinated to see where the story is going to go at this point. In the original, John was written as basically
another version of Lex. He wasn't quite as charismatic as Lex, but he was essentially the same type of player.
Lex had all the power, John WANTED that power, so John got greedy, he became the new Lex, and he took over the
game. In fact, the last paragraph in the original version of episode five used to read something like this, "Now
John was the man at the top. Just like he should have been since the start." As you can see, I've made John
a lot less Lex-ish this time around. He isn't quite as paranoid, he isn't quite as villainous, and he isn't quite
as cutthroat. This time around, John's a basically good person who got pushed around a little too much, then took
the best deal. A lot of people have told me that John is the most fascinating character in Hawaii this time around,
and I have to say I sort of agree. Will John turn into Lex in time? Or will he realize Tina was right, and he's
aligned with the wrong side? Will John ever align with Colleen, like he should? Or will John (despite all his best
efforts) march right into the same fate he faced back in Marquesas? Like I said before, I'm not really sure where
he's going at this point. All I know is that his storyline could end up being COMPLETELY different than it was
in the original. Wait and see. :)
* Vecepia - Like John, Vecepia has undergone some extensive changes from the original, to where she is now.
In fact, it's safe to say she may be my favorite character. Back in the original, Vee was little more than Rob's
"good cop" sidekick. She didn't have a whole lot of character development, other than being slippery
and unstoppable. All I remember about Vee from back then was that no matter what you did, you couldn't ever get
her voted out. She was like Teflon. Nothing stuck. Well, in the rewrite, I decided that I wanted her to be a lot
more than that. So I gave her a few more interviews, and a few more confessionals. And then... BAM... in the middle
of episode five, I suddenly realized that she and John should team up. Because it would be perfect for both of
their characters! So I added the whole Vecepia/John pairing (which was completely made up on the spot) and it all
of a sudden zagged Vee's character into an interesting direction. Now she's not Rob's sidekick assassin anymore.
Now she's actually thinking and acting like the champion she is. In fact, I'd be really scared of Vecepia if I
were any other player in Hawaii right about now. Expect a lot of scenes involving her in episode six (and maybe
beyond).
* Boston Rob - Like I said before, Boston Rob is a lot different in Hawaii than he was in the real All-Stars.
And even though it's been tempting to change that in the rewrite (ie, make him more dominant), I have resisted
the temptation. I have tried very hard to keep this story set in 2002, rather than 2007. So if you're a Boston
Rob fan, you might be a little disappointed. He's never going to become a challenge god in Hawaii. He's never going
to start dictating what everyone else does, out of fear. He's just going to be the same mean-spirited kid that
he was in Marquesas. Because remember, Rob sucked at challenges his first time around! With that disclaimer out
of the way, I'll say that Rob has remained pretty much the same as he was in the original. Back in the 2002 version,
he wavered a lot between "evil genius" and "complete idiot", and a lot of that I've taken away
this around. This time I've made him much more competent, and much more powerful. I suppose SOME of that might
have been in reaction to Rob's dominance in the real All-Stars, but I don't think that it was. I just think that
Rob's a much more interesting character when he's playing at the top of his game. So expect him to really shine
starting in episode six, when he suddenly realizes the Ahis are his. Because the minute that Rob gets power in
Survivor, he starts to get fun. :)
* Colleen - To be honest, Colleen hasn't changed that much in the rewrite. She was an awesome character
before, and I think she's an awesome character now. And I have to give thanks to one of my most faithful readers
ever (Colleenlover), who's kind of guided me all along on what her reactions would be, and how she would act. So
many writers would just write Colleen off as a naive little sweetheart, but all along, Colleenlover has pointed
out that she is a lot more like Greg Buis than she likes to let on. In fact, the whole scene in episode five where
Colleen messes with Gretchen was sort of an homage to Colleenlover, and how much he has helped. So no, Colleen
has not changed much in the original. If anything, I've just made her more playful and more ticked off at Rob.
But she was a good character before, and you can expect her to remain a good character the rest of the way. I daresay
that, in time, she's actually become one of my favorites.
FIVE QUICK NOTES ABOUT EPISODE FIVE BEFORE I SIGN OFF:
1) Remember when I said that I have tried very hard to set this story in 2002, rather than 2007? Well that definitely
came into play in this episode, during the "fake twist" scene with Gretchen and Colleen. Right after
Colleen fools Gretchen into playing her hand, Colleen taunts her by saying, "You just got played, girlfriend."
I loved that line, but that's NOT what I would have written if this story had been set in 2007. Because in 2007,
that's not what Colleen would have said. Who even says "played" anymore? In 2007, that line would have
been something like, "Gretchen, you just got owned." I know, it's a little semantic detail ("played"
vs. "owned"). But it just bugged me that Colleen would never have used the word "owned" five
years ago. See, these are the little details I think of when I'm writing this story. I'm nothing else if not incredibly
anal.
2) All throughout my planning for Hawaii, I always knew that THE TWIST was going to be "that there is no twist."
I always thought that would be the funniest little thing to throw at the players. Seriously, how badly would it
mess with the players nowadays if the producers didn't throw a single twist at them? I always felt that they'd
do something dumb (like Lex in Hawaii), overthink things, and drive themselves mad.
3) Like the "no twist" storyline, another thing I always had in mind when planning this story (both in
2002 as well as now) was that Lex would survive the first attack, but would then fall in a second, unseen, attack
a few episodes later. I always thought that would be a cool storyline. Because here you have this charismatic leader
who's being bombarded by enemies since day one. BAM! BAM! They're coming after him! What will he do? I always wanted
Lex to survive the first attack (just barely), and then, finally, he'd sit back and relax, thinking it was over.
And then of course, he'd finally be taken out by the second attack he never saw coming. For some reason I always
thought this was cool. I always pictured Rob and Vecepia as a pair of raptors attacking you in Jurassic Park. Sure,
you might survive the first one. But you never saw the other one, who was standing behind you, next to the bush.
In other words, I always knew that Lex would never make the merge in Hawaii. No way. No how. Sure, he might survive
the attack from Sue, but that wasn't the one that would eventually get him. I always knew that the second one...
"Take Two"... would be the most memorable moment of the pre-merge episodes.
4) A lot of people have asked me about Vecepia's whole "I never had a final two deal with anyone in Marquesas!"
speech. Is that true? Did Vecepia really never have a final two deal with Sean? Is there some sort of insider knowledge
I might actually know? Well, as much as I'd love to say that I talked this over personally with Vecepia, in truth
I don't know any more than you know. All I know is that Vecepia has CLAIMED she never had a deal with Sean. And
that at other times she's claimed that she DID. She's always been very elusive over this particular subject ("Sean
and I were never an alliance!"), either because she's just elusive in general, or because it touches on an
uncomfortable subplot (black people will automatically align) that she wants to avoid. So I have no idea what the
real truth is on this subject. All I know is that Vecepia told John she never had an alliance before, and maybe
she means it. Then again, maybe she doesn't. Who knows. At times, I've never been all that sure that even Vecepia
knows. Like I said in the story, getting her to admit to ironclad details can sometimes be a bit of a chore.
5) Episode six is coming soon, and it should be a fun one. Like I said before, it is going to be completely different
from the original version, I'm no longer going off any sort of a template, and it should be a lot of fun to see
how it actually plays out. I do expect to have the same boot choice as I had in the original story (I always vowed
that none of the boots would change in the first six episodes), but getting to that actual moment should be a little
bit different.
EPISODE SIX PREVIEW
By the way, as a sneak peek, here are some of the big storylines that are coming up as we head into episode six:
A) Will Ahi be able to maintain their numerical advantage, with Rob now at the head of the pack? And how on Earth can Rob control two players like Frank and Tina? Will they ever "kneel before Zod", and defer control to some kid they will never respect?
B) Will the mythical John/Colleen alliance ever work out? And at what point does Colleen just get sick and tired of the bullshit around her? Just how solid an ally is she, and will Rob cut her loose? Because remember, Rob's no idiot. He's well aware that Colleen can be difficult. He's said since the start that he wished she were Sarah.
C) What's going to happen with Gretchen on Keko? After all, Alicia is certainly wary of her uncontrollable nature. Plus Alicia still has ties to Mike and Colby, if she wants to go back. So it seems like Kathy is going to have to push REALLY hard to get Alicia to stick with the plan. Alicia's sort of in the driver's seat in Keko, and Kathy's really the only one of her teammates who actually knows it.
D) Remember when Gretchen made that promise that Mike would make the merge? Well that sure could turn out to be important, if Keko were to lose immunity. But then again, so would Vecepia's "gentleman's agreement" with Tina. If Ahi were to lose immunity, Tina would become a lightning rod of controversy because she has ties to so many people (on both tribes!) Would the new Ahi powers-that-be target the obvious choice, outcast Frank? Or would they go after the much more dangerous Tina (who actually has value to both Vecepia and Colleen)?
E) How does John explain himself to Tina and Frank? Does he even try? What is his game plan now? And what does he do once he realizes he's willingly aligned with an asshole like Rob?
F) And finally... most importantly... what happens to the Ahi Morning Show?? How will it go on without DJ Lex???
Find out all this, and more, in the next episode of All-Star Survivor. Episode six. Tentatively titled either
"Good Morning, Ahi!", "The Three Women of Keko", or "A Ship Run By Fools."
Episode six should be posted in the next ten or so days.
-Mario