RescueMom

I actually just watched that season for the first time last month, and it is definitely one of my least favorites.

I love most of the seasons that have already been mentioned, but I'll add 2. I know a lot of people don't like it (mainly because they don't like the winner, I think), but I loved Millennials vs Gen X and thought it had a great all-newbie cast. Another one I really like is the first Blood vs. Water season.

So challenge beasts Dean and Tommy were out first and second in the immunity challenge. Ha! Unpopular opinion, but I like the loved ones visits. I like to see the people who show up from the players' regular lives, and I especially like how hurt feelings or picking wrong can shake up the game. We wouldn't have had Noura's amusing time-lapse rant without it, and that was my favorite part of the episode. I feel so badly for Dan's son. How exciting for a 13-year-old kid to be on Survivor - I'm sure all of his friends have been watching, and he had to be super excited to watch it himself. And then his dad is outed as a harassing pig halfway through. I feel no sympathy for Dan whatsoever, but feel awful for his kid. Survivor has been my favorite show and I have always said even bad Survivor is better than no Survivor to me. But between Ghost Island, Edge of Extinction, and now this horrible season that started out so promising, I'm not so sure anymore. If it wasn't for David vs. Goliath, I might be ready to throw in the towel on the show completely.

Lauren is the latest of an awful lot of IoI visitors who have gone nuts over Sandra and then been like, "oh, and Rob's here too." It is interesting to me how lopsided the excitement has been. People seem to really love Sandra.

I personally think the win still goes to Carter from the Philippines, but Dean is close!

I actually really liked her dress and thought she looked stunning. Mileage definitely varies! And I initially thought Joe looked really nice because the first pic I saw was from the side, but then I saw the mustache. Just not my cup of tea. But what really matters is that they liked it, and are happy, and it looked like they had a beautiful ceremony full of friends and family and love.

I do like Dan Rengering from David v Goliath. He's the One Good Dan.

Honestly, I've been feeling the same way but didn't realize it until I read what your wrote. I hate to lose my favorite show this way but the silence from Jeff and TPTB is deafening and they way they have handled this is appalling. I don't know that I can - or should - get over that.

I, on the other hand, strongly agree. Kellee made it clear in her interview with Dalton that she had no say in how this was handled by production, how it was shown in the episode, etc. She has repeatedly had her power taken away from the very first time Dan disregarded her saying no. She absolutely has the right to decide how much of this deeply unsettling experience she wants to talk about. She signed up to play a game, not to be harassed. She was happy to talk about the game. She respectfully set boundaries when talking about the rest. I have zero problem with that.

Kass was a guest on Rob C's podcast a week or two ago (before last week's episode aired), and she argued strongly that Survivor needs more women in production roles. I keep wondering how that interview with Kellee might have differed if the producer she was talking to was female (or if a large percent of the people in power who later discussed what to do about it were female). Maybe nothing would have changed, but I think it is just as likely that a woman would have perceived the effects Dan's behavior could have differently than a man would. As to if this constitutes harassment or assault, I believe sexual harassment and assault at their root are acts of power, domination, and control. In varying degrees certainly, but the root is the same. If someone touches you and you clearly say "no," the next touch is more than just a touch - it is saying "I will do whatever I want to you, and you can't stop me." In some ways it is a harder decision to say something if he contact is not overtly sexual, because then we get the whole "he was only brushing aside her hair" discussion, when the true issue is violation. It's an awful place to have to decide between rocking the boat (which has its own unpleasant consequences) or allowing someone to continue to assert power over you in a situation like this.

I keep thinking about that clip of Dan throwing his entire leg over (Missy? Elizabeth?) in the shelter, and I am 100% confident he would never have done that to Aaron, Tommy, or any of the other men. I also just tried to imagine anyone other than my husband stroking my leg like we saw Dan do and there is zero chance I would find that kind of touching OK. That type of touch is absolutely intimate and NOT OK without consent. Period. Grabbing Noura to demonstrate. Tickling toes. Defensively trying to gaslight Kellee about touching her hair (implying there is something wrong with her for seeing it as anything other than innocent) and continuing to try to do it while she is literally running away. Just wrong, all of it. And those were things we saw. I forget who posted this in a different thread, but it is perfect: either TPTB knew Dan was being highly inappropriate at best and left him in the game, or they did not think he was and chose to destroy his reputation. Neither are OK. I firmly believe it was the first, just saying the second would be appalling as well. Dan started it but they allowed this shitshow to happen.

Yes, that was super disturbing. And you can see the uncomfortable look on her face as she leans away from him.

These episodes were really triggering for me, and it has been helpful to read through all of the insightful discussion and commentary on this forum. I don't post often anymore but I read every week, and I thank all of you who have taken the time to post so thoughtfully. My heart breaks for Kellee and Janet to be put in such bad situations. I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said, except for this: in all of the pre-season hype, Jeff was constantly talking about the amazing group of strong women playing this season, and how much we were going to love them. And it seemed to be true until this week, and I was so excited to watch a kick-ass season of kick-ass women. And then this happened. And we got to watch the truly strong and kick-ass women got smacked down over and over again, while a few vile ones behaved reprehensibly and that is what people are almost certainly going to remember about the women this season. (NOTE: I know Dan is the root of the problem here and I am not giving him a pass one bit, only commenting on the women's behavior because it contrasts with what I was led to expect from the women this season.) I don't know if I will watch next week. I hope that Janet and Noura and Karishma are able to turn things around and make it all the way to the end. But I am sick to my stomach imagining a final 3 of Dan, Missy, and Elizabeth, because that would mean that Kellee and Janet would actually have to vote to give one of them a million dollars. Which would be just the icing on the cake.

I have! She also got Rodger Bingham from season 2, who is one of my favorite players!! And I just got a notice that an interview with Frank from Africa is available, which I am super excited to listen to. Sounds like they are focusing on Survivors from the first 15 seasons. I listen to them during my commute and I hope they keep doing them!!

I'm with you - I never read them and only came here now because I figured it was still safe. Just wanted to see what others were thinking about the cast. And soon I'll stay out of this thread until after the finale when I'll come back and read it all!