If, like myself, you've been addicted to Last Man Standing for the last few weeks, then you'll understand how frustrating the final episode turned out to be.The show follows six men - three from both Britain and America - as they visit the most remote areas of the world to compete in tribal games and competition. Each week (not consecutive weeks I must add - it was filmed over a year) the last man standing wins a point. After eight weeks, the person with the most points wins.
Competitions included Zulu wrestling, Mongolian wrestling, Trobriand cricket and Mexican endurance running. Whilst you may think that American muscle-man Brad (above, far right) would ace the lot of them based on his physical power, when faced with something like the final challenge, Sepik canoe racing (like normal canoeing except you have to stand up), the top heavy demeanor scuppered his chances.
The overall winner was Jason, an American BMX champion and tree surgeon. The title was decided through a vote right at the end after a three-way tie between him, best-Brit Rajko and Brad.
The frustration came from the way they decided the winner. Instead of having a face off following the tie, which would have been in keeping with the spirit of the competition, they decided to have a secret vote. Jason wasn't too bad, but it's just that out of the three he deserved the title of Last Man Standing least. He could perform well, but was too cockey and consistently used dirty tactics to ensure victory, including breaking two of Rajko's ribs in the Nagaland kickboxing event. He was a great athlete, but my vote would have been for Brad who had the added battle of being away from his pregant wife and child.
This doesn't take too much off the show overall though. Not only were they under extreme pressure to perform every week to impress the villagers, they had to let themselves be absorbed into every aspect of local life, including slaughtering animals, performing rituals, summoning spirits and eating insects. This truly was reality TV at its best - a late slot on BBC3 ensured no limelight or fame for any of the athletes, and the trials relied on skill, determination and ability to adapt to the task in almost no time at all. It takes a specific type of person to do what these guys have done, and I think a metaphorical taking off of the digital hat is in order. Well done sirs.
