Go Leslie!

Last season I was finally able to wean myself off Survivor. I just thought that the show was getting ridiculous. I couldn't stand all the bickering and idiotic behavior, so I stopped watching it.

Then I heard about Leslie, the Christian radio DJ, who is on this season of Survivor. She has auditioned many times before and was finally chosen for this season. I listen to Christian radio all the time...Way-FM is my favorite radio station here, and I know that those DJs are outspoken and sincere in what they say, so I was curious about how Leslie would play the game.

So...I watched part of the first episode last night. And I wasn't disappointed in Leslie...but I'm angry at how Jeff Probst singled her out and how the idiot below portrays her. Read the commentary below and then I'll respond to it at the end...

COMMENTARY
By Andy Dehnart
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 10:12 p.m. CT Sept 20, 2007

Leslie, the Christian talk-show host, began her time on “Survivor: China” by leaving a ceremony at a Buddhist temple that host Jeff Probst explained was not a religious ritual. Instead, he said, “the people of this land want you to feel welcome.” While she professed to be “not a religious person,” she said her “relationship with Jesus Christ” prevented her from participating in the ceremony, which “felt like worship.”

Perhaps she should be commended for doing what she thought was right. But leaving seemed unnecessary considering the nature of the ceremony, and standing out so early and so obviously by refusing to participate in a group activity is generally not the smartest move. Jeff asked her if she was worried that this would affect her game play. “I’m just going to play the game and be me,” she said, as if the game hadn’t already started.


Ok, I'm sorry, but ANY buddhist "ceremony" is a religious ceremony. And even if Jeff insists that it's not, the contestants were still asked to BOW before an IDOL. Whether in a worship setting or not, the Bible strictly speaks against this. Leslie did the absolute right thing, and I'm so proud of her for it. When she's standing in front of Almighty giving an account of her life, Jeff Probst will not be able to go to bat for her for asking her to bow to a piece of metal...Go Leslie!

The other thing that greatly irritated me about the show last night is that when Leslie made her statement about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the camera panned to the puny wimpy waitress from NYC just so we could see the disgusted look on her face. Not necessary...but it was my first clue that this wimpy girl is going to be one of my least favorite players.

I don't think that I'm going to continue to watch this season, but I will follow Leslie's progress online. I'm routing for her! I hope she keeps playing the game with integrity and faith...and I hope that her example rubs off on some of the other players.