It was the hissy fit that we all saw coming. From the moment that we learned that the nuttier than a fruitcake Phillip and Brandon the poster boy for anger management were going to be forced to share the same patch of sandy squalor, we knew that somebody's self-control was going to grind to a screeching halt, causing the kind of mayhem not usually found outside the confines of popular hangouts frequented by teenagers.
It was just a matter of time.
It took twelve days. Twelve days of Phillip yammering nonstop about himself. Twelve days of Phillip prattling on about Stealth R Us and assigning spy-themed nicknames that any prepubescent boy would be proud to bear. Twelve days of Phillip (in the role of Boston Rob) dictating and condescending and endlessly irritating. I usually require beverages of the alcoholic variety in order to better suffer people like that for longer than an hour. I cannot fathom being trapped for twelve days in the eighth circle of Hell with Phillip and nothing to preserve my sanity but warm water and a sense of humor.
On the thirteenth day, Brandon snapped. After ping-ponging between volunteering to quit and playing the game he signed up for, Brandon lost control of himself and his decision to stay when Phillip's narcissism elevated Phillip to hero status and neglected to share the credit that Brandon deserved for his equal contribution during the Reward Challenge. The confrontation led to Phillip dubbing Brandon "persona non grata" and devising a plan to throw the next Immunity Challenge in order to rid himself of an outspoken dissenter in his ranks sooner rather than later.
Phillip shared his top secret plan with his trusted underling The Terminator (Big Mouth Andrea who suffers from the worst case of diarrhea of the mouth in Survivor history), who promptly blabbed it to Brandon, who, predictably, reacted badly. The tribe's supplies of rice and beans were dumped on the ground and a physical confrontation seemed imminent.
Stealth R Us unanimously decided that Brandon's instability had become a liability, necessitating his immediate departure from the game. They forfeited the Immunity Challenge, aired their dirty laundry at a public Tribal Council held at the challenge site, and voted Brandon out of the game.
Being a Hantz, Brandon is not wired to go quietly. He informed the "fans" that he had leveled the playing field for them by ensuring that the "favorites" would starve right along with them and begged them not to let Phillip get to the Final Tribal Council. He aired his views about Phillip pretending to be Boston Rob, giving orders and assigning nicknames, Phillip being dragged through his season of Survivor by Boston Rob who used him as everyone made fun of him, and Phillip's condescension toward him. He threatened Phillip with physical violence, but was kept calm by Jeff, who gave one of his finer performances as he balanced his role of instigator with that of unlicensed shrink.
Brandon's behavior has raised the question of the responsibility that reality show producers bear for casting people with emotional issues into situations guaranteed to unhinge them for the sake of ratings. It may very well be true that competing on Survivor was not good for Brandon at the time and the professionals charged with making that call failed him when they did not act in his best interest. I cannot presume to know.
What I do know? Brandon stood up to insufferable self-appointed leader, Boston Rob's failed disciple, Phillip. And it took twelve days longer than it probably should have.
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