Tony was inept in puzzle-solving. As a matter of fact he flat out sucked at it. But to make a blanket statement that he was "inept in challenges" is erroneous.

He more than held his own in the team challenges. One in particular was mastering a non-"brawny" task of nailing all the sandbags in the baskets in no time flat bringing home the victory for his team. Oh yeah...that was luck coming out of his arse.

In the first IC after merge he hung tough and outlasted eight other castaways on the Bermuda Triangles only to lose to surfer boy Woo. I don't recall any puzzles in that challenge. Oh yeah...more luck coming out of his arse.

He totally KILLED the RC when he chose to bring Trish on a pizza party. The buckets were supposed to be weighed but he dominated so handily they didn't even have to. I don't recall any puzzles in that challenge but I guess that was more luck coming out of his arse. *snort*

As stated before, several times his challenge performance deservingly got him an early lead only to watch it falter due to the puzzles.

By no means was Tony a "challenge beast" but far from "inept" in challenges.

Allow me to repeat my opening line from the last Love/Loathe List this past season:

"If Daniel Defoe was inspired to write "Robinson Crusoe" today after watching Survivor, I think he might have to add a chapter when Crusoe finds a crate washed up on shore containing puzzles, sudokus and rubic's cubes."

As long as Production will continue to be orgasmic about puzzles I guess "big brawny" players will need "little ole" puzzle solvers to help them along the way.

It doesn't kill me when a pathetically inept castaway wins the title...what's disappointing is idiotic morons allowing it to happen by committing (what I regard) one of the biggest cardinal sins in the game: "AWWWWWW, Don't worry about that non-threat inept player...there's enough time to deal with him/her later on the game." Historically castaways have been lucky to be the sole survivor as a result of that blunder...one was even allowed to increase her net worth by two million.

As much as you want to knock Tony, he was determined to NOT allow that to happen with Pillow Morgan and did not make the same blunder that benefitted other subpar players who backed into wins. Kudos to him!

I was being partially sarcastic when I said Kim must have been the luckiest of all. Yes part of her win was attributed to playing the game well, but a big part was dumba$$ luck too.

Production admitted on Finale Night they were hoping for Spencer to find the HII with Special Powers. But it was Tony who found it. Jeff Probst said himself that same night that Tony worked harder and searched harder than any other player this season. This is not insinuation, it is not spin...these are exact words coming from Production/Jeff.

So I will stated one last time and this will be my last post here...

Tony worked harder, played harder, searched harder, and put more thought into the game than anyone else this season culminating in a deserving win.

If you still refuse to see that obvious fact then you were watching this season with two blind eyes.