LogFAQs > #922094927

34. The Mafioso

The Mafioso archetype is the man cast on a season to play the godfather role on a tribe. He uses intimidation as a strategic tactic, frightening his tribemates into doing his bidding. You're either with him or against him, and if you're against him, know that your days in the game are numbered.

Members:
Boston Rob Mariano, Dan Wardog DaSilva, Domenick Abbate, James Rocky Reid, Joe Mena, Kyle Jason, Rodney Lavoie Jr., Russell Hantz, Tony Vlachos

As a subtype:
Chris Daugherty, Scot Pollard

I debated for a long time whether to have this one really low or just kinda low. I ultimately settled for really low because, while I recognize that this archetype is good at producing big characters and absolutely has its place on the show, these characters can easily ruin a season and their increased presence in recent seasons is becoming irksome from all angles to a point that I cannot ignore. I mean, I cant say in good conscience that this archetype has, for better or worse, ever produced a casting dud. I cant look at any of these guys and ask myself what on earth did casting see in them? and thats not something I can say for many of these archetypes, even the smaller ones. But that leads to one of the biggest problems of this archetype - the editors become too reliant on them to carry a season. These guys can so easily dominate a season not just strategically, but in the edit to the point where the confessional count is uncomfortably off-balance, robbing us of potentially good characters in some of the underrated archetypes. Furthermore, this archetype is highly susceptible to imitation - Id actually consider some of the more recent members of this archetype, particularly Jason and Wardog, to be wannabes of this archetype rather than the archetype itself (which generally leads to them coming off more as just plain bullies rather than Godfather-like strategists). Theyre also becoming really easy to identify. If you see a guy in his 30s who is bald/shaven, broad-shouldered, and has a thick northeastern accent, hes probably been cast to fill this archetype, and he knows it. But the worst thing about this archetype is that they, their fans, and even many of the producers, think that this is the right way to play Survivor, and that anyone who can get to the end using this strategy ought to be automatically rewarded with the money, regardless of their faults and failures, or the merits of the other finalists, leading to frequent cries of _____ got screwed that last long after their season is a distant memory. This is one of the two archetypes that has been actively made worse for me by the fanbase, hindering my enjoyment of what can produce some pretty funny characters when paired with a subtype that allows it, like the Wacky Wildcard or the Freelancer.
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darkx
Score: There goes bracket