Malcolm's Dilemma
Jeff took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, this may just be his favorite feeling in the world. He paused to try to take note of every little detail of the moment, the feel of the sifting sand beneath his feet, the hot relentless sun on his skin that was only relieved by the cool breeze. He was standing on one of the most beautiful beaches in Caramoan. On his left was the deep blue water that gently rolled onto the shore and on his right was the deep expanse of jungle filled with towering trees and exotic animals but his eyes were completely focused on the twenty contestants in front of him. Each season of survivor was always different, with its own unique winner, chemistry and twists but there was something about the very first moment of each season which always felt the same to Jeff and that similarity was in the expression of each contestant. On first glance everyone looked excited about the 39 day long adventure in front of them but their eyes betrayed their true feelings, whether they were nervously sizing up their competitors or subtly filled with the slight fear that their Survivor dreams would end in being the first one voted out.
Of course this season already had a complex dynamic, seeing as how the tribes were divided by the line of fans vs. favorites. The fans were a collection of ten fresh-faced rookies who had gone from excited to nervous wrecks at the sight of the returning players. They had spent years dreaming of being on the show and now they stood, faking confidence while silently calculating the new odds of them winning the million dollars. They were no longer competing against random players who were going to be startled by the hardships of living outdoors or were unwilling to lie. The favorites were players specifically brought back because they had proven they could physically dominate in challenges, mastermind plots or dazzle people with their social skills. It may appear to be a one-sided battle but Jeff knew things were not quite as simple as that. He had complete faith that each one of the return players had the potential to be great but none of them had managed to clinch the title on their first try. They all had come up short, whether by a brutal blindside or a final tribal council where they were raked over the coals by the jury. More than anything the returning players looked antsy, shifting their weight from foot to foot, and ready to go. They may be going into the season with knowledge and experience but they also were carrying the baggage of their last season and the pure hunger for redemption to prove that they weren't just their last tribal council's vote count. Finally Jeff eyes glanced on Malcolm from Survivor: Philippines, one of his favorite contestants of all time. Malcolm was 25 and had a look that was a mixture of all-American boy next and Tarzan/wildman. He had long straggly hair that when down fell just past his shoulders, his body was lean but muscular and his skin was still sun kissed and tan from his previous season. He had a big jovial smile that put everyone around him at ease but as Malcolm rubbed his hands together Jeff could tell there was something about him that just felt nervous. He came so close to winning last season and had the physicality, strategy and social skills required but unfortunately for him he couldn't pull it off in the end and was voted out. Malcolm was a superfan, losing once was hard enough and he couldn't bear to do it again.
Jeff cleared his throat and smiled as he greeted the new cast. They clapped on cue unaware of the challenge before them but Jeff couldn't help but smile. He always loved starting off a season with a challenge especially with a physically demanding one because this was the one chance to see 20 well-rested and well-fed people give everything they had, desperate to prove themselves to their tribe. The concept of this challenge was simple. In the shallow end of the water running parallel to the beach was a roped off rectangle that would be the court. On one side of the court were two poles, one for each of the tribes. Two members from each tribe would begin at their pole race all the way through the water across the course to grab and battle to grab a giant ring-shaped life preserver the size of their chests. The players then had to do whatever it would take to drag, wrestle or yank the ring back to their pole to score a point. The first team to three points wins.
Jeff's prediction was right this challenge was spectacular! Everyone was fighting with every ounce of muscle and fortitude they had. People had been thrashed, soaked, dragged, humiliated and slammed to the ground as their teams cheered and groaned depending on which direction the ring went. The teams had proven to be surprisingly well matched with the first four matches being nail-biters and being split evenly between the two teams, meaning that the fifth and final match would determine which team won the flint for fire-making and earn some valuable moment. The fans sent out Allie and Reynold, both of whom looked as if they had stepped out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue. Allie was a young, beautiful blond girl who everyone assumed was a model/actress from L.A. Reynold was older but still extremely good looking mainly thanks to his ripped physique and the air of supreme confidence he gave off. The favorites were sending out Corrine and Malcolm, who was beginning to feel nervous as he watched Corrine struggle through the water that rose midway up her thighs. Corrine was in her thirties and in relatively good-shape but despite being one of the most infamous contestants ever was never discussed or praised for her physical abilities. He was just beginning to realize the fact that his season had yet to air, which meant everyone must be looking him as a giant question mark and a potential danger to their games. He desperately needed a victory. Malcolm waded slowly through the water until he had one hand on his team's pole. He looked over and saw the two fans looking like athletes, already in running positions in their swimsuits. He looked down at his own waist, slightly regretting his impulsive decision to not change into a bathing suit and instead remain in his grey boxers which loosely hung to his hips. He pushed that distraction out of his mind and hitched his underwear up and got ready to run.
Jeff raised his hand and bellowed "Alright on the count of three you can begin. One…Two…Three!" The last syllable had barely left his mouth as all four contestants took off, running through the water leaving splashes and small wakes behind them. The girls stopped halfway down the court to serve as a defensive line in case the other tribe had possession of the ring on the way back. It was now a race between Malcolm and Reynold, the two fittest men this season, as they leaped through the water. Reynold had a look of near madness and testosterone in his eyes as he raced down the court. He reached the end first and greedily grabbed the life preserver ring. He turned around to race back to his team's pole but saw Malcolm barreling towards him desperate to make up ground. Reynold faked going left and then took a few steps right but Malcolm was locked onto him. In a moment of desperation Reynold leaned back in order to hurl the ring to Allie so she could have a free path to scoring her team a victory, but Malcolm threw himself at Reynold with a sense of mindless determination. The two muscled bodies collided with an audible thud as the ring became caught between them. The momentum caused the two to fall, temporarily submerged beneath the water. They began thrashing in the water as they each tried to grab the ring and push the other man down. Water splashed everywhere as Malcolm and Reynold wrestled for control. Jeff squinted his eyes from the sideline trying to see which player was going to come up with the ring.
By now Allie and Corrine had come up to enter the fray, Allie grabbed the ring and began helping Reynold yank it to their pole only to have Corrine put her arms around her and pull her off, but the moment of confusion was enough for Reynold to stand up and pull the ring so hard that Malcolm lost balance and fell forward. Malcolm desperately gasped for breath and tried to shake his hair out of his face. He pulled the ring from side to side with all his might, desperate to stop Reynold from dragging him all the way to the other team's pole. God I didn't come back for another season to start things off by losing Malcolm thought. So with a grunt of determination he began to stand up and pull Reynold in the opposite direction. Malcolm was so absolutely focused on Reynold and his physical combat that he hadn't noticed that his underwear had gotten completely soaked and instead of hugging his hips had sagged down exposing half of his ass. It's a sign of how fierce of a competitor Malcolm was that he was able to fight every instinct he had to pull his underwear up and keep both of his hands on the ring. Reynold suddenly twisted his body weight and gave the ring a sharp tug causing both of them to fall to the ground. Malcolm grimaced, he knew that if he hadn't been distracted or embarrassed he would have been able to counter that move. He had to stay focused to win this! Before either of the guys could stand up Allie and Corrine grabbed the ring and tried to give the final push to pull their teams to victory. Malcolm made another attempt to stand up but he found that his underwear had sagged even lower so now his entire butt was showing. He tried to focus despite the fact that he was suddenly aware that a few girls on the sideline were giggling at his embarrassing predicament and of course that's to say nothing about the 6 cameramen who surely had their lenses zoomed in on Malcolm's rear end, which despite his past 38 days on a beach remained pale white. He may have considered doing some intimate tanning in the privacy of his backyard at home but he didn't think he would be mooning the cast and crew of Survivor: Caramoan on the very first day.
Corrine and Malcolm's combined efforts had put them impressively close to their team's pole but now the weight of Reynold and Allie was too much to drag any further. From the sideline Erik screamed "Go naked!". Malcolm rolled his eyes that's easy for him to see, he isn't the half-naked one. All he could think was thank God Little Malcolm hadn't made an appearance. Malcolm didn't have too much to be embarrassed about; he had the body of a Greek God with his bronzed skin and muscle tone. His butt, albeit a little too pale, was cute and perfectly round. However, despite his physique and confidence Malcolm always had been a little modest when it came to this sort of thing. Even in his gym's locker room back home he was careful to keep his towel on and avert all eye contact while changing his swimsuit and now here he was half-naked in front of a crowd and the entire CBS audience. Suddenly Reynold grabbed a hold of Malcolm's left thigh and pulled him to the ground and inadvertently ducking his head under water. Malcolm stretched out his hand as far as he could but he still was about three feet short. He knew all had to do was stand up because then he could reposition himself and his arm span would be long enough to have one hand on the ring and the other hand on his team's pole. All he had to do was break Reynold's damn hold on him. Malcolm kept his head above the water and frantically tried to wiggle to his way out of Reynold's grip. Malcolm hoped that his leg was wet enough for it to slip past Reynold but his movement only caused Reynold to tighten his hold on him. Still Malcolm could feel himself inching forward when it happened. See Malcolm had moved forward but his underwear, which Reynold had a firm hold on, hadn't and was now stuck around his knees. Malcolm submerged his body even further underwater hoping that it would be enough to blur his nudity for the cameras. It was bad enough that everyone had seen his butt but he wasn't ready for Little Malcolm to make his national debut. Corrine's gasp for air suddenly brought Malcolm's attention back to the game, she had been making a valiant effort to push the ring towards their team's pole but she was running out of energy and looked as if she was ready to pass out. A few more minutes and Allie and Reynold would be able to drag her right over to their pole and then the Favorites' tribe would lose the first challenge and it would be all Malcolm's fault. Since the ring was temporarily stagnant and deadlocked by the force of two tribes pulling in opposite directions, Malcolm took a moment to assess the situation. Allie and Corrine were hopelessly intertwined, Malcolm was only a few feet from the pole and if he could stand up he could grab the pole. Unfortunately Reynold still was holding onto his leg, except Malcolm realized Reynold wasn't holding his leg he was gripping the only thing he could get a firm grasp on Malcolm's underwear.
Erik's shout of "Go naked!" echoed through Malcolm's head and he knew what he had to do. Malcolm pushed the thought of the other Survivor contestants, the cameras and the fact that his mother was going to watch this and focused on how good it would feel to win. Malcolm squirmed and kicked his legs and bam! He was free and completely naked. Reynold grunted with surprise once he realized he was holding the only stitch of clothing Malcolm had on. Malcolm got into a crouching position so his waist was still underwater and reached his arm out but still just short. My tribe better be grateful for this Malcolm thought as he took a breath and without a second thought stood up. The collective jaws of Jeff and the players on the sideline dropped open, they didn't realized Malcolm had gotten naked and were subsequently surprised to see his nude body arise from the water completely flashing them. Jeff wanted to applaud Malcolm's competitive nature. Of course, he didn't want to applaud Malcolm nearly as much as the women standing on either side of him. Malcolm wished he could use a hand to cover himself but unfortunately he needed to keep one hand on the ring and the other for the pole. He stretched his arm out as far as could hoping to get this over with but much to his chagrin he was still about half a foot too short. He stretched and strained every bit he could but was still not there. God if I got my dick out on the first challenge and still ended up getting beat I'm going to go down as the dumbest Survivor ever. Malcolm closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and gave a final push with every ounce of strength he had and to his relief felt his fingertips touch the pole.
"Malcolm scores! Victory for the Favorites!" Jeff roared as Malcolm's tribe exploded with cheers. Everyone holding the ring let go and took deep breaths in exhaustion. Malcolm immediately reverted back to his modest instincts and instantly covered his cock with his hand and turned around so he was no longer flashing everyone there. Of course that now meant that they all, cameramen included, had a lovely view of his bare derrière but Malcolm knew that at this point that was nothing new. He had forgotten how good it felt to win on Survivor, adrenaline was pumping through his veins and in that moment he felt nearly invincible. Malcolm's humility was overridden by his swell of confidence and both his hands in the air like a boxer like a champion. He may be a little exposed but god did it feel good. He sank back beneath the water and turned around so everyone could see his big cheesy grin.
Reynold looked at him dumbfounded "Good job bro!" he said "I got to give you props for that."
"Thanks" Malcolm laughed. Getting buck naked isn't the way he typically makes first impressions. There was a long awkward pause "Can I have my underwear back?". Reynold blushed and immediately tossed it over to Malcolm and turned away so he could have at least the pretense of privacy. Jeff couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This was definitely going to be a season to remember.
