"Survivor's'' Manitowoc connection melts down

Just as I was about to write off "Survivor'' as a show painfully past its expiration date -- seriously, does every challenge need to involve a puzzle?! -- it was Kathy to the rescue during Wednesday night's episode.

The Manitowoc native had a meltdown -- bad for her, but good TV for us. And it wasn't just a minor meltdown, either. We're talking an EPIC meltdown of Susan the Wisconsin truck driver from Season 1 proportions.

Kathy Sleckman had already established herself as the odd woman out in the first episode of "Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites'' with her comments (see her two trips to Exile Island), so when she went up to James and asked for "one more hug'' to help bring her out of her soggy weather-induced funk, it seemed typical Kathy -- a little weird, a little annoying but basically good-intentioned deep down.

Who knew it would open the flood gates to what had to be close to a 3-minute breakdown in front of the cameras. Amid sobs and tears, as her Airai tribe mates looked on in uncomfortable bewilderment, she repeatedly said, "I can't be here one more minute! I can't take it!'' Awkward attempts to comfort her ended with: "I wanna go home! I want them to come and get a boat and pick me up and take me away!''

So they did, and Northeastern Wisconsin's connection to this season of "Survivor'' took her pigtails and went home to her family in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

For a season built on the premise of pitting the ultimate "Survivor'' fans against past "Survivor'' players, casting in the fans department hasn't been so swell. First, a feeble Chet basically begged his tribe to vote him out at Tribal Council, and then Kathy up and quits.

But, for better or worse, at least those two players felt real, which is more than can be said for the increasing number of bony models in bikinis who are cast as contestants ... and the whole fishiness of Jonny Fairplay's disappearing act this season ... and that Herbal Essences Great Escape Spa reward last night ... and ...

-- Kendra Meinert, kmeinert@greenbaypressgazette.com