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Jeff is annoying in his blatant rooting at times, but for the most part that has no effect on the game.

His worst misdeeds have involved the so-called quitters. Up through S7, no one left the game without a vote taking place (except Michael, which couldn't be helped) even though there were occasions, including the second vote ever (B. B.), where players asked to be voted out by their tribemates. Even more importantly, the players could have a request to be voted out denied, particularly Shawna, but also Jenna. Then, because Jeff decided to get on his high horse with regard to Osten, he unilaterally decided to forego the vote. (He did at least query his tribemates if they were OK with Osten quitting.) I'm not defending Osten's lame performance that season at all, but I will say Jeff was unduly harsh on calling Osten a quitter when Osten was giving respect to the game by following its structure. There was no reason not to have a vote as usual. The only difference between Osten and previous such "quitters" including Jenna is that Jeff was angry that Osten didn't try harder.

This was bad enough, but Jeff's hypocrisy was further revealed by future actual quits. Sure, Jenna had a good reason, and due to Susan's emotional breakdown, it was probably just as well that she did leave the game, but the idea of quitting as a terrible thing was severely diluted just the following season. And then there's Palau, where several of the early boots asked to be voted off just like Osten did, and yet they didn't get Osten's treatment, Then there's Janu, who clearly wished to be voted off and probably expected to be voted off prior to TC. Still, she was respecting the game structure and waiting to be actually voted off. That's when Jeff basically told her that she could quit to get out of the game, and he'd still allow her to join the jury. Now, quitting isn't only not to be punished, but to be rewarded, and who cares if the tribemates are OK with it? It is a terrible precedent, and it definitely screwed with Gregg's game plan in Palau at least. Ian joined the jury as another "quitter" that same season, but at least he would have been voted out if a formal vote had been held.

Fortunately, since then, we've only had "quits" due to injury (or breakdown in Kathy's case) or via asking to be voted off, and there have been quite a few of the latter. But none of these latter day players got the treatment that Osten got.