LadyChatts

Dan has gotten so much screen time, but it's probably too good to be true that he's getting blindsided. Probably because he's an ass and production hates him as much as we do, so why not fan the flames.

I actually don't mind Rodney. Boy gets it's a game, and I find what comes out of his mouth a lot more interesting and entertaining that what spews from Dan's mouth. Oh, and nice half ass non-apology again from Dan.

Oh yeah, it appears to be a lot of them, not just the S30 crowd. But they're still the newbies, so I can see why they feel the need to fill in and catch up. Mike just seems to be the one jet setting everywhere, and often winds up in some hometown of a Survivor contestant. Someone on Sucks joked about Kelly Wigesworth abandoning twitter hours after joining, and said Mike's fandom probably scared her off. I hope TPTB is able to squash any possible pre-made alliances. It's my biggest pet peeve of an AS season.

Now THAT would be epic. Probably the best TC ever. Or if one lone person got thrown a vote without the intention of having them voted off, and then they are sent packing. Jenn claimed she saw Carolyn's HII in her bag, though not sure if that's true or not. It didn't seem like anyone else that was asked post boot knew about it.

Maybe that's why he's getting so much airtime lately. Not because he's going to win, but because he ends up getting booted. They have to start giving the invisibles some sort of screen time so people recognize them when they get their torch snuffed. If this IC twist was thrown in as a possible save for Mike and Shirin, I seriously question what TPTB were thinking at this stage of their cast as a whole. They must have figured it was going to be pretty horrible and predictable for them to be the next two gone, leaving us with Dan/Will/Rodney/Sierra/Carolyn/Tyler. Maybe next week's quote 'holding on for dear life' is a Carolyn quote, since she lost her #1 ally in the game. Well, much like last season, maybe the TC will make up for an otherwise dull episode. That was the only good part of last season for me was when tribal happened. I'll believe it when I see it though. Actually, there's several I'd rather see go over Tyler but I guess he's the next biggest threat. Plus Dan probably won't appreciate his advantage being found out by Tyler the Snoop. I can maybe see Shirin winning the IC. Even though Carolyn seems pretty tough and is able to hold her own, I guess it's not impossible that she might pull off a win. Even so, Mike does have his idol, so if Shirin does lose but Mike wins, hopefully he gives it to her. They can really stir stuff up at TC. I dislike just about everyone left, so I don't even care at this point who goes home. I'm over this season. I want the next Ponderosa episode already!

http://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2015/survivor-worlds-apart-heavy-editing-turns-tribal-council-into-fake-blindside-fans-outraged/ Pretty much sums up my feelings on this season (I left out the part from Dan's twitter on here, since it's been posted in other threads, but it's the one where he defends Will and goes off on Shirin again after last week):

Mike especially seems to be the biggest culprit in talking with past Survivors. I feel like he's got it on his bucket list to meet or interact with every person that's every played this game. However, it is possible that he's trying to butter up future alliance members. Considering he's gotten more of a favorable edit as the season has progressed, I wonder if that had something to do with it. They wanted him likable enough for the fan vote. I would be more worried if I was cast and a bunch from my season were also on there (like Cagayan, if the list is correct). That might paint a target on ones back to break their numbers up in case they decide to stick together. Curious why the S30 people will be-figure Joe is a lock. I hope there's massive spoilers next season. I hate the unknown. Dan would have zero chance of being voted back, so I don't see why they would even bother with him. Of course there are those that may vote for him as a joke and want to see him/us suffer. If it's true that a pre-jury boot is coming back from S30, I honestly hope it is anyone but Max. And if it is, hopefully he's out early. I wouldn't mind seeing Joaquin or So get a second shot. I wasn't crazy about either, but I would have liked to see what they could do further in the game. And one could argue So was kicked off first twice (officially and unofficially). Unlike Francesca, I think she would do better her second time around.

Yeah, I'm surprised Jeff didn't mention this in his weekly tease or that it hasn't been hyped in the promos. Which again makes me wonder if they are either scaling back to create suspense, or if it's a predictable boot and they figure why bother hyping it. All that's been featured in any promo, either video or pics (aside from the challenges), is Tyler's hunt to find out Dan's advantage. I'm hoping it means something big happens and they are just hiding it. I think calling the NC drunk was meant as a joke since they get along so well and it seems like one big party at Ponderosa with just the 3 of them. I'm sticking with the theory that Shirin is voted off and they are just grateful that they get her over one of the others.

The twist to the IC tonight is that 2 people win: 1 man, 1 woman. Not that I'm much of a conspiracy theorist or want Shirin and Mike to leave, but really show? That's all I could think of when I read this. Mike just needs to win and then pass his idol to Shirin. I'm starting to wonder if I'm right about Jeff's "best ever" comments being more of a dig at how bad this season really is. I think going into tribal, Rodney & co will probably split the votes between Mike and Shirin if both of them are eligible. Of course, this isn't the smartest group to play, so maybe they won't factor in that one of them may have an idol and vote for Mike in a landslide. With all the hype about Dan's extra vote in the promos, I wonder if we will see it used this episode. I'm guessing it'll be a TBC with Tyler and Carolyn having the knowledge. I agree about the endurance challenges this season. I like the challenges that involve both logic and athletics to win. Mixes it up more and doesn't give anyone an advantage. In regards to my 3 favorite NC who should still be in the game: I can totally buy the drunk theory, but maybe Shirin or Mike does get voted off and they're just relieved it's not Dan, Will, or Carolyn that they have to put up with. If it weren't for production, I could almost see those 3 bolting the door to Ponderosa and turning out the lights as the new jury member bangs on the door to be let in all night. That's what I would do if I knew Dan was coming. http://www.people.com/article/survivor-worlds-apart-exclusive-immunity-challenge-preview-two-necklaces

Heh, he can be the new Russell, who no one seems to like outside of the game. Well, he wanted to be remembered. Hopefully being a complete clueless misguided asshole was what he intended. On the show, I can get his behavior. But I don't even think he's playing a character. Looking at his tweets and behavior outside the show, he's the real deal to me. 30 seasons and almost 500 castaways later, Dan will probably rank in the top 10 worst of all time. Pretty impressive to do after all this time and all the reprehensible, despicable behavior we've seen through the years. It's probably eating at him that Shirin is getting all sorts of favorable attention, since he obviously doesn't like her and he's getting the opposite treatment. It also has to be eating at him that he can't give his side of the story yet, and has to just listen to what people have to say about him and what went on out there. All his interviews will center around his behavior. I'm sure that's all Jeff will focus on at the reunion. What else has he done this season that warrants anything? Then Jeff will move on to better and more popular castoffs who get loud cheers while Dan grits his teeth after being booed. In regards to Shirin vs Will: I would sincerely hope Shirin wouldn't relish in any sort of attention from this and be milking it, as some people have claimed. I can believe that more probably went on than we are seeing. If Shirin's strategy was to be super annoying and get under people's skin, she did a good job of it, and was probably going to cross the line eventually to where someone blew up at her. I could almost sympathize with Will for blowing up at her at camp, given the circumstances: he bought himself out of the auction, missed out on a letter from home, got food and shared it, only to be accused of holding out. Not to mention the 25 days of lack of sleep, dehydration, close living quarters, and lack of food. He crossed the line with what he said, and the others don't get a pass for just sitting there. However, he kept it up at TC. And he brought God into it. I consider myself a Christian. But using God's name to justify your actions is just being a damn coward and hiding who you really are. And when did he apologize to her? Was it after the episode aired and he started catching hell for it? That seemed to be what Dan implied, but Dan also only apologized for his behavior after getting called out for it.

Damn, they aren't messing around. I wonder why the big rush for filming? To prevent pre-game alliances from truly forming more than they are now, or is this season really that horrible that they want people to be talking about the new AS over the finale. I don't really get the logic in wearing their same or similar clothes from the first time, unless that plays into something. I had wondered if they will put a cap on how much the contestants can campaign for themselves. Not all the contestants, especially the early ones, have social media. I read Kelly Wiglesworth joined twitter but then dropped it the same day. And that's the biggest platform to promote yourself. I had heard that each contestant will have a video as to why they should be picked, but I wonder if they will leave it at that. Some of those on the list already seem like a given. I feel confident that Joe will be among those selected, so I really hope that he makes it farther next time. I teared up during his Ponderosa vid when he talked about missing the family visit, so I want him to make it at least to that next time (though preferably final 3). After this season I am ready for anything. I just hope this AS season is as good as HvsV or Micronesia.

https://youtu.be/VNwGR4UG5sk Here is a clip of the RC for this week. Looks like another team challenge. Mike/Shirin/Sierra/Rodney vs Dan/Will/Tyler/Carolyn. Happy Shirin didn't have to be stuck on the other team, though I wonder if that was done on purpose.

I loved me some Sandra. There are several Survivors I would like to see return a 3rd time, over some of the 2nd timers mentioned on the list. Always loved Courtney Yates, Penner, Sandra, Yau-Man, and can't ever get enough of Ozzy and Malcolm. Who I don't ever care to see again, or at least for a very long time, is anyone named Cirie, James, Russell, Amanda, Stephenie, Boston Rob, Tina, Colby, or Rupert. And there are some others that are 1 or 2 timers that I would add to that list. Oversaturation, too close between seasons for some of them to where they were marked because of strategy or alliances with people that they had competed with before, and not enough time to miss them or forget about their game strategy. I was never a big James fan. I did find him humorous, especially in the Micronesia Ponderosa videos. As a game player, I thought he sucked. In China, I would have rather seen Aaron last over him. Micronesia, the fans were an unlikable group so I was rooting for him by default. And he was a complete jerk to Stephenie during HvsV. Granted, that second IC where she kept butting in and ended up costing them, I can see his frustration. But he had lost me gradually through his Survivor runs, and at that point I was no longer a fan. Though I can completely see why people loved him. When you are asked back on your 3rd attempt and still can't win, finish lower than your previous attempts, or can't even best your previous attempts, that should be time to go to the end of the line and come up with a better strategy. I had nothing against Amanda, but all I can think of is her two horrible final TC appearances. Or at least, that's the first thing I think of when I remember her. I just think there were better options when she was cast on FvsF and HvsV. I heard she bumped Peih-Gee from FvsF, and I would have much rather seen her over Amanda. However, without Amanda, there likely would have been no showmance and late night smooches with Ozzy.

The fact that Dan can't even be self aware enough to realize when to just shut up and say you're sorry speaks to his true character as a person. That, and the fact that people he's been picking fights with out there are all females. We don't see him going after any of the men in the way he's treated the ladies this season. Yet, he still thinks he can win and sees nothing wrong. Even if Dan's behavior warranted him a second shot on the show (god forbid), how does it make one feel that you're only being asked to return because you were King of the Assholes and despised by the masses in your original season? Frankly I believe Dan would totally crash and burn a second time, especially in an AS season. I keep saying, get him in a season where he doesn't have a Mike or Rodney to cling to, and has to put up with more outspoken females than the ladies this season, and he'd look like an even bigger ass then he already does. No one has challenged Dan or his comments except Mike it appears. I sincerely hope Jeff lays into him at the reunion, or he tries to butt into the Will vs Shirin debate and gets booed off the stage. What worries me is the fact that season 32 (which was supposed to be season 31) is filming now. If Jeff & co truly thought this cast was the greatest and water cooler worthy, what is that going to leave us with for that season? Are we going to get more Dan, Will, Rodney types because they thought they would go over so well ("well" meaning being controversial enough to get people to tune in and talk about the show).

I'd call it an even draw. Socially Malcolm had a slightly better game, but his season dynamics also probably helped him out more than Joe's did. It seemed to be the get Joe out/anti NC/anti anyone under a certain age winning mentality. One of the reasons I both loved and loathed HvsV was the fact that there were more first time returnees that we got to see play again. On the flip side, seeing James, Amanda, Cirie, Rupert, and Colby who all added absolutely nothing was one of the downsides to the season for me. And frankly, all were disappointments. James and Amanda never did a heck of a lot in their respective seasons, and how Amanda especially was asked back for a 3rd time I'll never know. Jiffy apparently thinks he knows best; after Nicaragua, and we were subjected to 5 straight seasons of returning players (in some form) he said that the reason they kept bringing back players was because the last cast they had of all new players was a disaster. Well, Thailand and Fiji were crap too, but ultimately not every cast is going to be gold. Follow that up with Cagayan and an all new cast and that was one of the best ever. He likes what he likes, and as we've discussed, it usually is vastly different from what the fans like. I'm skeptical of this new AS season, but as long as I have favorites in for the long run, I'm in. I just don't want a re-hash of AS where threats and people who made it far the first time are targets, and there's a bunch of hurt feelings and bone headed Lex moves over friendship.

I'm convinced the editors gave up by this point. Boring, unlikable group, and they probably wanted to be done with them. There's no story arc here at all. Wow, Sierra actually gets a confessional this time?! Oh, she's talking like she's going to do something big, but we know how that'll work out. Especially since she and Dan flipped from being at the top of their alliance to the bottom of Rodney's. These people are idiots this season. Aw, and Dan is acting like he's going to be a game player. How cute. Yeah, I believe Tyler finds the extra clue and blackmails Dan or informs the group. The "works beautifully" line from Probst earlier in the season probably has nothing to do with what Dan does with it, but what someone makes him do with it.

http://survivorfever.net/vc_s30_ep11_4_26.html Here is yet another set of promo pics, and once again the only thing it features is Tyler and Dan's advantage. And in this promo, Tyler yet again talks about finding out the advantage. But we know from the end of episode promo that Tyler knows what it is. Is there a rule that someone can steal it from you? And that's why Tyler is so anxious to get into his bag? And is there really nothing else happening this week? Tyler sure has moved up in the screen time quite a bit. Much like the "greatest idol hunt ever" or however Jiffy worded it, I have a feeling this will be another bust.

Completely agree about the editing. I felt more effort went into making Nina's boot actually seem like there was doubt that she might get sent home. I'm beginning to wonder if all this excellent game play and behind the scenes shenigans that castoffs have talked about really is just a figment of their imagination. The season was that bad, no one can tell fact from fiction anymore. I don't know why they've dropped the ball this season with editing, but it seemed to have gotten weaker with each passing episode. All I know is that future Survivor contestants should have to take a mandatory crash course as to how it's done. Rudy Boesch can teach about adapting when your on the outs; Rob C, Neleh and Paschal can show when it might be a good idea to flip and not be willing to settle; Parvati can show the girls how a girls-alliance is done; Sandra can give a lesson on not letting a bunch of misogynistic assholes get away with mistreating you; the Aitu 4 of Ozzy, Yul, Becky, and Sundra can give potential underdogs tips on turning things around in their favor; Christy and Dolly on why it's never a good idea to get too comfortable being a swing vote; and Stacy from Fiji can give a demonstration on how to successfully pull of a blindside when you aren't sure who has the idol. Throw Richard Hatch in there to pound in the final nail that it's a game, play the game, and don't be wishy washy or lose sight of why you are there. Anyone willing to settle for any placement other than #1 doesn't deserve to get cast.

It was what I had posted above, about the twist at the IC between 2 contestants, and the confrontational TC. I also realized that there was mention of a contestant using his body as a bridge during the RC, which I totally overlooked before. It doesn't sound like much happens, but maybe TPTB finally caught on they were giving away too much in the promos and teases so they are scaling back with the details. With the title 'Holding On For Dear Life', and 'My Word/World Is My Bond' (I think I like world better lol) it seems obvious that either Mike or Shirin goes this week, and the next two titles could apply to them scrambling to stay in the game. Jeff didn't offer much in his teases, either, but I'm hopeful something happens to save Mike and Shirin, and that the title for next week is one of the other 6 (or 5, if one of them is voted off this week) scrambling because they were blindsided by the vote. And again, this is where the season has brought me. I'm now rooting for Mike by default, who I don't even like, but he sure as hell beats the alternatives. So I've got them ranked Shirin (big, wide, Pacific ocean sized gap) Rodney, Tyler, and Mike. The rest can all get swallowed up like Dan's manties. Oh, and I found myself agreeing with Eliza Orlin's commentary on this season, a Survivor that I've never ever cared for and usually don't agree with. Thanks TPTB, for sending me into my own dark pit of despair.

Not sure what the logic is there, but I did love Spencer's green shirt and shorts combo, and Joe's red socks and blue sneakers. I'm assuming it's a given those 2 have punched their tickets and are secretly planning strategy behind the scenes. Although Joe's clothes at the end looked like they had seen better days. I didn't necessarily have a problem with returnees, as long as they were in the camp that had only returned one additional time. And I didn't have an issue with winners returning as long as they met that same criteria. Then I was realizing just how much of those AS or half AS seasons had 3+ time returnees, and I think 'no wonder they aren't having anyone that's played the game more than once'. And then I think of winners, and the only ones who I would be interested in playing the game again have already returned more than once or are likely too boring for TPTB. I do love me some Malcolm, and I'd love seeing him and Joe on a season together.

I don't have a problem with it. I am surprised that the cast has been allowed to be so open in their interviews (heck, Joaquin spoiled that Kelly was the first merge boot in one of his), and especially with the complaints about editing, how much the castoffs have been allowed to divulge what was going on behind the scenes. I always thought interviews and the questions were screened, not sure if they still are. SM, I guess I don't have a problem. But I wonder if the ban will be back in place next season. After the Will vs Shirin blow up, it appears the producers are at least attempting to put a clamp on that, given some of the comments. I noticed that most of the twitters got relatively silent after Wednesdays episode, and those that did speak out couldn't seem to help themselves. It did put things into an interesting perspective when I saw who was close with who out there, although that isn't always a giveaway how the game goes. There was a lot of speculation on another site that Carolyn went pre-jury because she and So were apparently friendly outside the game, and therefore must have spent time together in pre-jury Ponderosa. I actually find the SM interactions almost nauseating, and I could live without ever hearing 'dirty 30' again.

Those promos are confusing. In the one that aired directly after the episode, we do see Tyler tell Carolyn he knows what the advantage is. Yet in the promo pics I posted we see Tyler talking about going through Dan's bag because he doesn't know what he has-just that he knows he has something. It's like they've gotten them backwards. Also, the voice over from Jiffy at the end of the episode mentioned Tyler turning on one of his own (Dan)-since when is Dan suddenly on Tyler's side? I know he flipped to Rodney's alliance, but Dan hasn't really been with him, more like they were all just going along with each other. I have a feeling that this episode will be a whole lot of disappointment. Next week's episode (May 6th) is titled "Holding on for Dear Life" and since there isn't a lot in the episode description about anything shocking happening, I'm resigned to the fact that I'm losing the last person I'm truly rooting for (Shirin). I'm hoping the crazy TC predicted is maybe some major flip flopping and calling out the other 6. What do Mike and Shirin have to lose at this point? Make everyone say where they believe they stand. Of course Dan and Sierra seem content on getting 5th and 6th.

Jeff said the twist plays out "beautifully", but I'm hoping that's more of a dig at Dan because he ends up totally blowing it and getting himself voted off from the game. It is Dan after all, and it seems the bigger someone claims to be a super fan, the worse they are at this game. Dan hasn't done anything right yet, and done nothing on his own. Tyler will probably find out the advantage and be the one who ends up making the decision how it'll be used.

Totally agree! In fact, the NC trio seems so happy and fun on their own that I hate for anyone else to join them, except Shirin. Can we just have the remaining BC and WC sleep outside in a tent and let Jenn, Joe, Hali, and Shirin keep the house? I'm sure it's only going to get ugly once the remaining 6 have to go at each other. Which is hopefully soon, but again, I feel sorry for the NC having to put up with them. ETA: I am especially enjoying Hali. I wish she had gotten more screen time while she was on the show. I'd love to see her get a second shot. Like Joe, she seems to understand her strategy was all wrong. It'd be interesting if she were to get a second shot how she'd change, especially if they had people out there willing to play and not settle or live by the 'flippers never win!' argument.

http://survivorfever.net/vc_s30_ep11_4_25.html Here are a few promo images for next week. Not much here to dissect, other than Tyler attempting to find a way to get into Dan's bag for the clue. So he apparently doesn't know what the advantage is. I wonder if this will be Tyler's turning point in the game where he uses it as blackmail against Dan, or attempts to use it to his own advantage to get someone out and then have it fall back on Dan for causing that person's elimination. I would love nothing more than for that to happen, or for a Malcom-esque scenario that unfolded during Caramoan where Mike gives immunity to Shirin, then pulls out his idol and gloats that they are safe tonight-then says who those two are voting for. I would almost like for Mike to spring it on everyone at TC, but it might do him more good to pull Dan and Sierra back into the fold by revealing that info to them prior to TC. With Dan's extra vote they'd have a majority, plus Mike and Shirin would be off the table so someone in the other group of 6 would be going home. The 'Russian Roulette' could mean a lot of things, but I'm going with it plays out over votes and possibly Dan using his extra vote and knowing it might not work out as well. Even though no one has brought it up, I have to think there's some paranoia about idols. Jenn played hers, and they know that there was the clue for Joe's that no one but Mike knows has been found. Jenn said she knew Carolyn had the idol (saw it in her bag) so I wonder if everyone is savvy to those that have them.