The Rebel Billionaire: The Finale
Harness Your Dreams - Then Set Them Soaring
By Eleanor Meilinger
January 14, 2005
What a roller-coaster ride! In the end, our (not-so) unwavering loyalty was rewarded and all of the doubts we have harbored are extinguished. Tonight, Virgin investors can rest easy and yet Sir Richard Branson was able to pull off the impossible -he delivered exactly what he promised from the beginning. I am in awe of his clever resolution and ready to admit that I was swayed by popular opinion into questioning the integrity of the man I so admired before this journey began. The two-hour season finale delivered the "Big Pay-Off" and I'm glad I stuck around to share the moment.
When we left the two remaining contestants, Shawn and Sara, with Richard on his private island in the British Virgin Isles (some say that they are the only things that bore the Virgin brand before sir Richard got there) about to plead their cases before their former opponents. The cast mates who had been left behind on the tarmac over the previous seven weeks remain stone faced when they are reunited with the two potential winners. It was clear that they would be a tough audience to win over.
Branson had given the contenders the assignment of summing up their entire experiences and their hopes and dreams in a three-minute speech designed to convince the panel why they should remain the last one standing. Sara and Shawn had resolved to speak from the heart and not deliver prepared speeches. Rattled by the cool reception they receive, neither performs at their best.
Sara is obviously uncomfortable as she approaches the group. She manages to elicit a few grins when she begins by telling Richard that she did all of her brainstorming in her bathroom. She apparently transformed it into "Mission Control", which may account for why her presentation quickly heads south. She rambles, repeats herself and never focuses her thoughts as she tries to convey what she has learned, how she came to be in a position of power and what her goals are for the future. She repeats the notion that making women's butts look better is not her ultimate ambition. She hopes to take the money she has made and use it to somehow benefit women. This is where she is unclear. She wants to support women and help them fulfill their dream but she never outlines any definite plans for doing so or even hints at how she plans to set about achieving her aim. Jermaine is the first to note that she starts out with a general notion "I want to help people" but quickly narrows those "people" down to "women". He takes exception to her gender-biased plans. Candida mentions that Sara doesn't talk about herself or reveal any insights into her character. She never stops rocking nervously. She gives Shawn some props and moves on to point out that she never lost a challenge throughout the competition. Richard is impressed with how she tackled the challenges and faced her fears.
Shawn enters with much more confidence and is clearly at ease in front of the group. He begins with a self-deprecating remark and then states that he should win because he wants it so bad that his teeth hurt. This annoys Tim, the first cast member left on the tarmac after the hot-air balloon competition. He eloquently points out that Shawn doesn't make his case by saying he should win because he wants it the most. Hearing Tim speak you realize that he would probably have been a terrific player. Too bad Jenn waited a week before chickening out - he might have had a chance to prove himself. Shawn has at least formulated his speech to convey his goals for the future and he defends his position without losing focus. When he talks about making his company a success in order to fulfill the dreams of the people who have stuck with him through the hard times he begins to win over some of the crowd. Others remain skeptical; all they hear is his cocky attitude. It doesn't escape anyone's attention that he does not repay Sara in kind by describing her attributes. Candida is moved by his recognition that everyone has a dream that they should be given the opportunity to explore.
Nothing is resolved at the end of this round; it was merely a formality to set up a later challenge. Branson suggests that everyone change into bathing attire and meet him on the beach where Shawn and Sara will face=off in an additional physical challenge. As they reassemble, it is clear that a major tropical storm is brewing. Richard poses a different challenge for each of them to complete. Sara will learn to kite surf and Shawn will learn to sail. Their challenge will be to race to a reef located a distance off the island and return. The first one back to the shore will be the winner. Sara once more must face her fear of heights head-on under the worst imaginable conditions, while Shawn will be taking on a previously un-attempted skill alone. Sara had a pretty good idea from the remarks Richard made when they arrived on the island that kite surfing would be one of the feats they were asked to perform. She never imagined that the conditions would be as harsh or the instruction time so limited.
The others gather to watch the event as Sara has a brainstorm. She notes that Richard instructed them to get out to the reef and return using their designated modes of transport - he never insisted that they go alone. She wisely enlists her instructor, Ludo, to carry her riding on his shoulders, since she knows there was no chance of her making it on her own. As it turns out her instructor is a world champion kite-surfer and they easily pass Shawn as he struggles to keep his one-man sail craft afloat in the turbulent storm. Shawn is unaware of Sara's ruse at first and is amazed to see her speed by so effortlessly. When the surfers pass him on their return trip, while he is still trying to guide his craft to the reef, he recognizes Sara's ruse but instead of being disgruntled he appears to be impressed with her resourcefulness. It appears that Sir Richard shares that sentiment. He concedes that Sara did not break any rules and she was clever to find a loophole that allowed her to finish the challenge and beat the competition. It is not the first time that Richard admits that he didn't really expect both players to be able to fulfill their end of a challenge.
The competitors are given little time to recover from that grueling task before they are presented with a new, but equally difficult one. That evening they return to the room where their 14 cast mates have gathered as Sir Richard outlines the next test. He tells us that in order to be successful in business it is necessary to surround yourself with the best people, trust them and draw on their expertise. Sara and Shawn are instructed to chose teams that they feel will best help them "grill" their opponent by coming up with five of the toughest questions they can confront them with. Richard says that the 16 players have lived together for 2 months (This implies that the tarmaced contestants were not sent home right away but I don't think that was the case - simply a misstatement.) He thinks that watching the selection of teams will be as telling as hearing the questions and answers later on. At first both finalists choose Gabriel, forcing him to make a choice. Gabe decides to go with Sara, explaining that he still had some questions he wanted to pose to Shawn.
Reality TV Calendar will send you the latest casting calls as soon as they are released. Calls are often short notice with short deadlines. You need to make contact immediately. You can't do that unless you have immediate notification of the call. One Time Payment, Only $7.95.
Click For More Information.
