LadyChatts

It's a little scary that it may not be so much giving them a negative edit or creating a character, but that this is the absolute best TPTB had to work with what they had. Rob C. was a great character. Rich was a great character. Courtney was a great character. Dan? He's a disgusting human being. I'm sure his motive is probably to be so well remembered that he'll be asked back for a future season. He's being remembered, but I don't know if that's what he anticipated. I really don't believe Dan thinks there's anything wrong with what he's done. He's probably the toast of his town, but there's a big world out there. It's times like this when I don't like Probst hosting the reunion show, because he'll likely gloss right over it. I do hope Dan gets grilled in his post show interviews. Has anyone checked out his twitter handle? chxdigme. Yeah, he probably believes it. ETA: SpecialK, according to post boot interviews with Lindsey, Rodney was a lot worse than they showed. She claims he said a lot of racist and bigoted statements out there.

Joe's definitely the new Ozzy. Challenge beast, very likable guy, bad social game. On one of the online vids where Joe talked about his choices, it almost sounded like he was playing strategy, at least with Tyler. I think anyone would have enjoyed the experience, so not sure why Shirin won out. With Carolyn and Will, it did seem more like he was taking them along as credit for how tough they'd been. Perhaps he thought a simple act of kindness would be enough, or it would make the other people sweat back at camp. So I guess I take it back, that I don't understand his logic. I thought something else Jenn said was interesting: that Joe was more or less a problem for everyone out there. The way she said it kind of surprised me, that he was screwing up the game for everyone. Frankly he's doing what he needs to do for his game. I wonder if she feels if he finally got voted off, if people would back off her and what's left of her alliance. When he apologized to Hali after she was voted off, I thought for a minute maybe he flipped on her. I knew he couldn't be that dumb. In another vid where Joe talked about his back to back to back wins, he mentioned going into TC with his majority alliance. I'm guessing at that point he thought he had Tyler, Carolyn, and Sierra on his side.

Lol I don't know how Joe's hair still looks that good. I will say that both this week and last week, when they returned from tribal and he had his buff around his head with his hair sticking out, it reminded me of a Halloween wig I once had as a kid. But I go one day in the rain and my hair grows because of the frizz. He's out surviving on an island in all the elements, and his hair still looks like it could be in a shampoo commercial. I don't know how concrete the Hali spoiler was, but it was starting to look like a possibility. I am hoping that maybe there's still a chance a NC makes it to the final 3, but my guess is it'll probably be the NC by default, Shirin. I have a sad feeling SF was also off this week with their boot, and that Jenn is likely the next to go. This season seems to be really scarce on spoilers. IIRC, last season at least the final 6 was spoiled. Unless it was a guess, but I remember cringing at the thought of Misty and Jon still being there. I don't mind spoilers; it makes the week easy when I know what's going to happen.

Iconic? Oh for the love of...I wonder if they were just so excited that a blue collar, representing middle America, the 'people who follow the rules and made this country from their bare hands' beats out a white collar professional and what they think will be viewed as the leech on society, the no collars. I'm sure they didn't anticipate the blues not being very popular. It's actually depressing that that is what we have to represent the working class. So if Mike found the blue collar idol, does he realize that obviously isn't the clue for the merge idol? At least I'm assuming it wasn't the merge idol. It didn't seem to fit with the clue description, and the other camp idols were found in trees. I'm hoping that the merge idol is still out there, Joe finds it, and that's the "game changing moment" described by Probst. Otherwise, all I can think of that he meant by that is Mike uses his idol to avoid a blindside and goes to the end. Hey, it's a game changer! He would have been voted off and now he's won (speculation on that part obviously, but I'm leaning more and more towards that). Yeah, been there, done that. Saving yourself with an idol isn't the game changer it once was. All it means is we're stuck with Mike and his minion Dan another week if that happens.

It's possible I guess. With the cast we have, and for the first time in 30 seasons its a group of 10 finalists that I feel I know so little about overall, it's hard to know exactly what they are thinking or if they are looking at the big picture. I don't know if Tyler/Carolyn would turn on each other, and Rodney may figure that if one of them makes the jury, they will vote for the other. So why not take that one vote away that they are likely guaranteed. Will has betrayed his NC, but other than that hasn't done anything in this game and he could certainly make a good case in the final 3. At the very least, he could probably make a more compelling argument than Rodney. I just question if Rodney wins that final immunity, and there's a chance he may, will they all expect him to take them to the finals? Someone is always on the bottom, so will one of the 4 be sorry they maybe didn't make a move sooner and actually guarantee themselves a spot in the final 3. It's Survivor, so sometimes there never is a good option, and it is always about risks. I know Joe is an athlete and loves the competition, but I do have to feel sorry for him that it really is a do or die situation, that he can't ever take a breather at those challenges and at least go back to camp feeling good if he loses. I think his competitiveness probably would win out whether his head was on the chopping block constantly anyway, but to know that you automatically have to win or else has got to really increase the pressure. Especially this early in the individual game. I realized tonight how much this season has gone downhill for me when I'm actually missing Max, Vince, Joaquin, and Lindsey.

What was Mike's deal tonight? I get not wanting Joe (or anyone else) to find the idol, but good grief, man looked ready to self-combust. Since when does he feel in so much danger? He's got the numbers on his side, unless he deems himself a threat and feels a blindside coming on. But if that's the case, why not try and do something about that now. I knew he was going to find the idol. The only ones really showcased in the hunt were Joe, Mike, and Tyler. So it really was no big deal, not the craziest idol hunt ever, other than Mike's reaction to finding it. Mike is a very complex character. I really don't know what to make of him anymore. I have to say I'm disappointed he found it. He better hang on to it, because if Rodney gets his way, he'll need it. I'm still saying he's getting the winners edit, or at least final 3. As much as Rodney wants to blindside him, I have a feeling he will have missed his chance when he finally gets around to it.

I think what I liked best about Dan's IC loss is when Probst was checking the puzzle, Dan kept his arms up in triumph. And then had to be told he had it wrong. It seemed like it took him twice to get it wrong for others to realize what it was. For the record, I used to suck at those types of puzzles. I remember having them as a kid, and it always seemed like one piece would not go where it was supposed to. Probably didn't help that I gave up after 5 minutes.

That's what I don't get about Rodney's final 4 plan. First of all, Rodney is the perfect person to sit next to in the final 3 because he can't win. So I can see why Tyler and Carolyn would want to align with him. Will I believe is along for the ride. But what's the plan when they get to the final 4? Split the vote, draw rocks. Does anyone wonder who won't be making the final 3 out of that quartet? I half wonder if they are hearing final 4, but not remembering one more person has to go home.

Right now, I think Sierra, Mike and maybe Tyler or Carolyn have the best chances of winning. I would say Joe, but I have my doubts he can keep his immunity run up to get to that point. Sierra I'm curious about, but I find myself liking her less and less each week. I guess it's just her sliding back under the radar, and not seeming to have any strategy. That we're shown, anyway. She just seems wishy-washy, and that may be what costs her. I wonder if her dislike for the men on her former tribe is really just a ploy to play the other alliance, make them think she's with them, and then turn and vote along her blue lines. I have my doubts Sierra will flip at this point. She might be playing the smart strategy of keeping people around that she knows have no chance of winning, but what happens when she gets down to the final 7. Assuming Rodney's final 4 plan is legit and doesn't fall apart, she's going to be in trouble.

I would be absolutely shocked if Joe was not on that list. The only way I could see that happening is if he declined the offer. However, I am a little nervous about him being on right after his season aired. Joe hasn't had much of a social game, but a lot has been made of his challenge ability. And he does seem like a very nice guy. But I worry he will be a very early boot, just to get him out of the way for later. A few seasons down the road, maybe someone would come along to take the pressure off of him a little bit. I just don't want him to return, get booted very early because he's deemed a threat, and then never get another chance again. I mean, it can always be the hand you're dealt, too, so he may just wind up on the wrong side of numbers like this season is going for him. Since I'm not feeling great about Jenn's chances, I wouldn't be surprised if she's on there.

I can see why Hali was shown more of a sympathetic figure towards Nina and Shirin. I was sort of surprised why Hali was put on the NC tribe because she was a law school student, but it started making more sense as the game went on. And looking at her instagram/twitter, she definitely seems to live a no-collar life, law school aside. But yet another reason why I think this theme was a bad idea. There's a video I posted in Joe's thread, and also one on the website, where both Jenn and Joe talk like Will is still with them. I found that interesting, as I figured they'd all talk back at camp and figure it out. Considering how excited Shirin was at the last TC when Jenn played the idol, why would they think she had flipped? I was also surprised that none of that was brought up at camp, either. I guess Will won't be able to hide much longer. Maybe he's better at this game than I give him credit for. I will miss Hali greatly, and I'd love to see her get another chance again. I think her game was just getting started, and since she had an entirely different take on it when she first came in, I'd like to see what she can do a second time.

At this point, I don't know what I'd rather see. I absolutely loathe Rodney and Dan to the point that I've hated very few contestants on this show before, but I don't know who I'd rather see get served first. Rodney has no chance of winning, and as much as I hate agreeing with him on anything, he sort of seems to have a somewhat decent approach to this game. Not so much the social part, but he knew what would happen if they didn't vote Joe off when they had the chance. He also realizes that maybe laying low now isn't a bad idea. Since he thinks he has a solid 4 alliance, that really isn't too bad of a plan. Why draw more attention to yourself? That's assuming of course that a plan of Rodney's will actually work, and I don't want it to. There's still 2 idols in play, that no one knows about (except Tyler with Carolyn). But I don't know if I want to see Rodney blindsided, or his 4 get down to the 7 and blindside Mike/Dan/Sierra (who I have to believe will sense something at that point). It's one of those scenarios you don't want to even get to, but if you had, which is more satisfying. If Joe loses the next IC, he's gone. But if he wins, I have a feeling Jenn or Shirin are going to be sent packing, then we'll probably see some scrambling after that.

Here's a secret scene involving Jenn getting stung by a scorpion. Poor Jenn. First a bee sting to the region, then this. On top of being stuck with Rodney and Dan, no wonder she's ready to throw in the towel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4XnIStYFFY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WXKcsqq1M0 I thought this video from Jenn being upset with Joe over the reward was a little interesting. I can understand everyone being upset at not getting picked, and while I understand Joe's logic, it might have been smarter to bring along people in his alliance. At the very least, if one of them had seen the idol clue, it wouldn't have been made so public to Mike. What intrigues me here is Jenn calling Joe sketchy and saying he hadn't really talked to her and Hali since the merge happened. I was actually surprised he didn't pick at least Jenn, who he seemed the closest to out there. Why can't we see more of the goings-on like that instead of 10 minutes of looking for an idol, and Dan and Rodney being...well, Dan and Rodney. I did find it amusing that there's such a frantic mentality about beating Joe in the challenges, like its some sort of test you have to pass to reach adulthood or something. Mike and Dan maybe should have slowed down, and they might have had a better chance in the challenges tonight. At the very least, I hope Joe can hang in there, or that he gets some sort of Hail Mary from another contestant to save him, because that will be the most predictable boot in Survivor history.

I was the one who said he was trying to woo her, but I think the other posters were right that he was playing school yard bully. It's hard to know with Dan, though. I mean, he gave an apology that wasn't an apology to Sierra, but apparently thought that was good enough. So I thought maybe that was his weird way of trying to earn points with Shirin. At any rate, where does Dan think he stands with his tribe? He isn't part of Rodney's final 4 alliance. If Joe, Jenn, and Shirin are the next to go, and I'm forced to watch the remaining snakes, rats, and idiots, I guess it will be interesting where loyalty lies. Would Rodney stick with his 3 blues, or turn on them and stick with his current alliance; Mike didn't tell anyone he had the idol, so if he keeps that under wraps until a tribal when he needs it, that will probably blindside someone (hey, maybe that was foreshadowing tonight-Rodney plans to target Mike, but Mike has the idol and uses it, thus blindsiding Rodney). Or maybe he's too loyal to even Rodney so he blindsides someone else out of the game. And could Dan be on the receiving end of a blindside (I'd like it to be him and Rodney, but I'll take either getting blindsided). At any rate, Dan got extremely lucky that he landed on the tribe that he did. He would have been long gone by now had that not happened. And he got lucky having Mike being a leader and calling the shots. Dan's just his lap dog.

This could be exactly what Probst meant. But again, he seems to think differently than a good percent of viewers when it comes to what makes the show good. Maybe he just figured Dan would be some big old fat guy that's a huge super fan and people would find his sense of humor charming. Even though I don't believe it's humor as much as that's how Dan really is. Of course he could always have known that viewers would get repulsed by him and think that's what made great TV. Dan is the very poster child for people looking for love-if he can find someone that puts up with him, there's hope for anyone out there. What I don't understand are all the people being so tight lipped this season. On another season, no one (especially no woman) would put up with Dan or Rodney's BS. They would give them a huge tongue lashing. No one seems to be doing that this season.

Very surprised (but extremely happy) that Jenn survived the vote. I figured they would take her as a bigger threat than Hali. At any rate, I think I looked as depressed as her, Joe, and Shirin sitting there when Hali got her torch snuffed. Unless someone flips, and flips fast, they are done for. Right now its 7-3, so they would need at least 2 people to flip to their side to make it even, 3 people to take the majority. So at this point even Tyler/Carolyn flipping might not save them. The only thing that'll get me through next week is to believe something good will happen to change their fortunes. At this point even the odd men out on the other side may run out of options.

It could just be editing, and that Hali was more of a threat than we were shown. Since Mike tried to convince the others (a little too enthusiastically, imo) that Joe found the idol, I wonder if they thought Joe would give it to Jenn so they decided to vote Hali. It probably wasn't that strategic, because I don't believe this group is that bright. Is the Escemeca idol out of play now? I'm surprised no one even thought about that. Especially the former blue tribe.

I actually think Dan believes he can win this game. His defense will be being the old fat guy that was the first to go on his tribe, if they didn't win. Wasn't a physical threat but stayed loyal, and that the game is all about loyalty and blindsides. Maybe he'll work in some reference to a chainsaw in there too. That's about the only argument Dan can make. When he's hit with how disrespectful he's been, he'll turn it around as being real and honest. This season has felt very edited to me, more so than normal. I'm thinking there's a good reason why they seem to focus on so little.

But can he spell it?

You can go back to being invisible now. Really don't know why he shared the exact clue with Mike. Or even told Mike Joe had it. He could have lied and said Joe wanted to make people think there was an idol clue, and there wasn't. Maybe he just feels a little too protected. I knew he wasn't going to flip the second he shared the clue with Mike and said he didn't want to ruffle any feathers with his alliance. I'm thinking he'll be getting the Natalie edit-invisible all season, finally getting screen time, his ally in Carolyn gets blindsided, so he's out to avenge her. And since he's not longer part of a power couple, no one targets him.

So when exactly is this twist and "power move" happening? Maybe its not Tyler, maybe its Shirin? Or Mike, since he mentioned being the next to go. Which I'm not sure where that came from. If it wasn't for Jeff mentioning the twist after the season filmed, I would almost think I mis-read his original quote. So I'm wondering if the remaining NC alliance gets dwindled down to one, and they throw the twist in there to prevent an actual Pagonging. But I would think something like that would be mentioned in the promos, and it looked like another boring ep. Jenn probably won't quit (I love you Jenn, but I hate quitters-so even though I believe it's a red herring, please don't). Joe loses immunity, he gets voted off. Joe wins immunity, Jenn or Shirin gets voted off.

There are no words to describe this baboon that calls himself a man. And it is seriously creepy when Dan is in the water and talking to one of the ladies out there. All that's missing is some cheap 70s porno music. He doesn't seem to get that look when one of the guys is out there with him. So Dan, explain the numbers thing to me-Shirin is on the bottom of her alliance. Are you just trying to woo her to your side so she can be on the bottom there, or were you rubbing it in? I thought at first he was trying to appeal to her to join their side, but yeah, now I see he was likely just rubbing it in. Either way one of the worst people ever cast. Your Mike's minion that can't play this game for yourself, and if they didn't need your vote you'd be getting voted off. The more vitrol they throw at Shirin, the more I like her. Oh, and apparently not only can favorites not do simple math, but can't spell the very tagline that has been used since season 1, episode 1.

She is the first juror. In regards to alliances, given that this season has left a lot out (from what I've gathered in reading interviews with booted castoffs), I wouldn't be surprised if Joe tried until he was blue in the face to try and convince Carolyn and Tyler to join his alliance. The writing might just be on the wall. Also, after the swap, Joe mentioned that Tyler and Joaquin didn't talk to him at all. I'm curious why that is. There was way too much regarding the stupid idol. And next season, maybe find somewhere other than a tree to find them. Speaking of idols, no one has found the old Esecmeca idol, right? Joe and Jenn will be predictable boots. With so much emphasis on Mike being a target, I'm calling final 3 for him, and god forbid, he drags his minion to the end with him in Dan. Also thinking Tyler makes the final 3. Only way Joe gets there is to keep winning immunity. Carolyn and Rodney will probably get blindsided once the old NC are down to its last person and some flipping goes on.

Lol yeah, we've seen how Dan has talked to and apologized to the women out there. I think he was trying to make some move in getting Shirin on his side, by telling her she was on the bottom of Joe's alliance (which I wonder if Shirin asked who exactly he was following? If they edited that part of the conversation out, I mean). But typical Dan, that's the only way I think he knows how to handle the opposite sex, and maybe just people in general. He doesn't know how not to insult them. I cringe to think that Tyler, Carolyn, and Sierra are really sticking with Mike, Dan, and Rodney, and they don't have some other master plan about double crossing them. I thought maybe they were waiting for the right moment, but now I'm believing that's really how it is going to go. I suppose it should be fun when they have to start picking each other off, but I dislike that whole group so much right now it's not even worth it.