What would we say about a person who gripes that the team that won the basketball championship isn't really all that good?
Who would suggest that the winner of the Super Bowl just "got lucky."
In no other game would we suggest that the winner (much less a two-time winner) is completely undeserving.
Yet, in Survivor we do it all the time.
Perhaps it's because we can't agree on what the game is about. It's pretty clear what it means to be a good basketball or football player--but even then those skills gain their value because they lead to winning. Who hasn't seen a basketball player in a pick up game who is all flash and dazzle but doesn't actually score much? In the end, the ability to win is ultimately what makes someone a good player.
So what do the great players of Survivor have? What are the winning qualities? I would suggest an ability to keep a clear head--to stay focused on the goal. All the best players have not let emotion cloud their judgement. Sandra tried her hardest to get Russell out--but only to the extent that it wouldn't come back to bite her. As much as she couldn't stand him, she stuck with him--until she didn't need to any more. The best players are flexible--they change their approach to the game as the circumstances around them change. The best players know how to work with people--at best they can get others to do what they want, and at the very least they can at least keep them looking at someone else when tribal council comes around. Winning challenges? Challenges are only important as a means to an end--they're sole purpose is to increase your odds of staying in the game. If you can stay in the game without winning them, than so much the better. This isn't the Olympics--you don't win the money for being the best athelete. It's outwit, outplay, outlast--not outmuscle.
Overall, I felt Pavarti was the best player, but I do not in any way feel that Sandra was undeserving. She wisely played her oppositon to Russell to the jury. I think she could read their mood, and new that distancing herself from Russell was to her advantage.
Russell's game has a short shelf life. His kind of scorched earth play only works when no one knows who he is. If they ever invite him back, I think it's unlikely he'll be able to get away with playing the kind of game he did these past two seasons.