After almost 10 years and more than 100 days in the game, arguably the biggest celebrity 'Survivor' has ever produced finally won the game. Even Jeff Probst had to admit it was as close as he had ever seen to a perfect game -- and the viewers agreed with him. Not only did Rob Mariano win the title of sole survivor, he also won the fan favourite award, making the purse $1.1 million.

It was a satisfying if unsurprising ending to a pretty decent season of 'Survivor.' Rob was too good at the game to have lost. But maybe the rest of the cast feel like cannon fodder for Rob's run. I've never seen a more miserable bunch at the reunion show. Usually, there's one or two who feel the need to make a self-righteous speech so-many-months later, but most let their grudges go and are all smiles by the time the winner's name's announced.

This time, it was palpably uncomfortable -- especially when people didn't realize they were on camera. Grant, Matt, Phillip, and Russell lapsed into dull, blank stares when they thought the show was on commercial break.Why so serious?

I wonder if they're embarrassed by how they played the game. Is it possible this cast realizes they laid down and let Rob walk all over them -- all the way to the bank? I somehow doubt it -- as usual, I was taken aback by the tone at the final tribal council as Andrea, Ashley and Julie, in particular, said nasty, horrible, personal things to Rob, Natalie and Phillip while accusing them of being nasty, horrible people who betrayed them personally.

How someone can tell a 19-year-old girl her mother would be ashamed of her and then claim the high road is something I'll never understand (I hope Natalie's mother found Julie in the crowd after the reunion and set her straight).

No, I think the source of the discomfort may have something to do with the easy-going pace of this season. Think about it -- the more treacherous the season, the more polarizing the players, the more bonded the cast has seemed. You don't just survive the bugs and rice, you survive Richard Hatch, Sue Hawk, Russell Hantz, Jonny Fairplay or Rupert Boneham. You may get voted out, but you go out swinging -- spitting and cursing the name of the player who ousted you. A combination of two factors denied this season's cast the thrill of a last-minute scramble. One of those is Rob's all-blindsides-all-the-time approach. The other is the 'Redemption Island' twist.

And since 'Redemption Island' looks to be sticking around, it's the one thing that really concerns me more. At the opening of the season finale, we heard both Matt and Mike wax lyrical about 'Redemption Island.' It was a place to find themselves -- and God. Even Grant got a bit beatnik about the experience. Of the four people who could have won their way back into the game, only Andrea was silent on the charms of her purgatory. Jeff thought she was an underdog who'd win -- she didn't. Anyone praising the natural beauties of their prison is not likely to break out.

'Redemption Island,' it seems to me, is a place where people who don't want to or don't know how to play 'Survivor' can go and pretend they're actually a factor. The people on Redemption are not playing the game, but they've convinced themselves they are. In 'Survivor,' people are voted out. The don't just lose a contest and go home. With four people on Redemption, I can see how it'd start to feel like another tribe. But it's not: Tribes have tribal council. Playing this game means casting a vote and living with the consequences.

As you can imagine, I'm relieved that 'Redemption Island' had little bearing on the outcome of the game -- but I figure it's only a matter of time until it does, since the twist will be back next season, along with two familiar players. I hope one of them is David, who seems like a natural successor to Boston Rob -- dark hair, frank talker, lacklustre first season; he even got engaged at a 'Survivor' reunion.

Now that it's all over, what do you think of the 'Redemption Island' twist? And who do you think is coming back for season 23?