Adiós Survivor: Guatemala

It appears that Guatemala's 15 minutes of fame have come to an end.

Tonight was the final episode of Survivor: Guatemala. As a service to my readers, I made the sacrifice of sitting though the final two-hour special. (What, you think I'm exaggerating? I actually had to pass up an episode of the West Wing for this drivel.)

If you notice a tone of resentment in this journal entry it's probably due to the fact that tonight a young woman, Danni Boatwright, received ONE MILLION DOLLARS for "surviving" 39 days in Guatemala. Meanwhile I've been "surviving" here for 16 years and can't get anyone to pick up my lunch tab.

Anyway, here is my final thought on this reality tv series: I guess it wasn't as harmful as I had feared, nor as helpful as I had hoped.

I haven't read any reports of ecological damage from the presence of the cast, crew, and staff who invaded the protected archeological site to film the series. (Although I am guessing that some clear-cutting had to take place to build the mega-maze used in tonight's show, for example.)

On the other hand, my hope that the show would somehow generate an interest in, and knowledge of, Guatemala seems to be overly optimistic.

It wasn't until tonight's program that some real, live Guatemalans make a guest appearance on the show. (That's right: at the end of 39 days surviving in Guatemala, the contestants actually get to meet a few of the people who actually live here!)

A group of five indigenous men and women arrive at the Survivor camp to perform a Mayan ceremony. Sadly, viewers aren't enlightened as to the significance of the ceremony (the colored candles, the honey, the spices, etc.) but instead have to depend on the half-cocked comments of the confused contestants.

During the brief ceremony a chicken is sacrificed (something I have never seen in any of the Mayan ceremonies I've attended) and thrown in the fire.

Sadly, the post-ceremony conversation of the "survivors" centers not on the social, cultural, or religious implications of the event that they were privileged to attend but rather... whether they should eat the chicken (after being told by one of the Mayan priests that this wasn't allowed.)

Once the Guatemalans depart from the scene, three of the four remaining contestants agree to devour the burnt chicken carcass left in the ashes. Shortly thereafter a wicked thunderstorm descends on the camp and the worried gringos wonder if they've angered the Mayan gods.

Pissed-off gods or no, it certainly was a pathetic conclusion to one of the few truly cultural moments on the show.

When the two-hour ordeal had finally ended I was amazed. Amazed, that is, that the show hadn't completely ruined my appetite. (My respect for American culture was crushed, but not my hunger.)

I decided to walk to a nearby Pollo Campero for a late night chicken dinner (fried, not sacrificed).

As I was eating my "pollo frito", a young Mayan girl, maybe five years old, accidentally backed into my chair. I looked at her, and she looked at me. Suddenly a huge smile lit across her beautiful face. "Buenas noches" I said, as she broke into a fit of giggles and ran off to join her sisters.

And then it hit me:

If it meant being allowed to stay here for only 39 days, I wouldn't want to be a contestant on... or even the winner of... Survivor Guatemala. You can keep the million dollars, because I have the true prize: when tomorrow comes, I'll still be here.

Tags: Guatemala, Survivor, Survivor: Guatemala, Mayan, Ceremony

Posted by elcanche at December 11, 2005 11:03 PM