Eolivet

So funny you say this because I always thought Tyler and Jay (on Survivor, not necessarily here) had a lot in common (besides the hair). The laid-back attitude masking a decent competitor, among other things. Which brings me to my next question: is this the most hookup-free season of the Challenge ever? I feel like more than half of these folks have preexisting relationships (or preexisting relationships they're not willing to cheat on). Other than Bear/Kailah, everyone's seemingly kept their hands to themselves. Unless this is a kind of a "stars get special treatment and their cheating gets hidden" (like the Will and Janelle rumor in Big Brother All Stars).

For old time's sake: Let's go! Big Brother alums have acquitted themselves well here (well, not all of them, although Josh certainly gives the producers the drama they want), either by being good competitors or providing maximum drama. Kaycee is a literal Challenge beast, and I'm not surprised she smoked Kailah. I'm also still loving the 90s soundtrack. Last week, "Machinehead," this week "Closing Time." I don't know why they decided 90s music goes well with Prague, but I'm loving it. Reminds me of what the original purpose of MTV used to be.

I did appreciate how the show launched into full-on trolling of Dr. Phil this past episode. Even Jimmy Kimmel seemed to laughing at, not with, him. Kaitlin Olson did a good job. I really liked her expert friend/writer, who seemed like a genuine friend versus a "I recruited a Jeopardy champion" expert, talking out how certain JFK answers "seem too written" in ruling them out (as in too much irony). Although "Dallas doesn't love you" is up there on the irony scale.

I'm nowhere near close to a fan of Johnny Bananas, but after this week, I'm pretty sure this is rigged somehow (like The Masked Singer is rigged for certain contestants to be voted off after only doing a certain amount of episodes, not like how Twenty-One was rigged). I've watched enough cooking shows to know it's all about the protein, and Dave Coulier overcooked his protein (both weeks, actually), but got a bizarre amount of praise for his side dish (both weeks). It now leads me to believe Dave Coulier is the designated lose-to-one-of-Anne-Burrell's-team finalist (potentially to Robin Givens, no spoilers, just a theory), who will come from behind, and Johnny Bananas will be the elimination comeback kid until he's finally sent packing. Anne Burrell clearly hates him.

I wasn't upset the Night Angel won, as she was the best vocalist left (even though I thought her costume was so creepy). I found myself actually rooting against the Turtle, because I found his voice pretty mediocre and most of his performances pretty unmemorable. But I totally agree this show needs to be shorter. It felt like it dragged forever in a way past seasons didn't. Way, way too much time spent on filler and unnecessary nonsense (those 2-hour shows were painful). If Idol can do one hour with nine performers, this show can, too. I actually think this show could survive post-COVID. You could theoretically have the judges on Zoom. The "studio audience" voting would go away, but maybe they could do half-America, half-judges, like Dancing with the Stars. Mostly, these shows are reminding me how useless a studio audience is (other than an efficient spreader of disease). I hope they go the way of the dodo bird in these times. Congrats, Night Angel. The best pure vocalist remaining won, and for this show, that feels revolutionary.

Here's another one: winners should only be invited back one other time. Once they win, they get one return invite the show may or may not use, and then they disappear. They've won. There's no reason for the show to keep bringing them back, because the chances of them pulling a Sandra on returning player seasons are minuscule (Tony isn't in that boat, because it was all winners: someone was going to win again). Ethan had a great season on Africa, then was voted out embarrassingly early in both All Stars and Winners at War. I get he had a good story this time, and was in a different phase of his life. But yet, the outcome remained the same: he was voted out embarrassingly early. Was that necessary to see twice? I'm just not clamoring to see Adam try to play the pen/the tribal council set/Jeff himself as an idol because they thought he made "good TV." Or Sophie be another mid-game boot, because now everyone realizes what a threat she is. Or them to milk one last drop out of Ben's service to his country (and resulting post-traumatic stress). I think the entire Winners at War cast should be retired, and that includes newer winners. They won, they got their shot to come back, now they're done. If they want to invite back Mike Holloway and Chris Underwood (why?), be my guest. They haven't had their second shot. The others: please, no.

Josh, you're going to make me regret ever defending that you had some sort of strategy in Big Brother. You led the "blindside Wes" brigade, with Laurel last season. Why would you think Wes would ever tell you if Bear was going in? Johnny "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying" Bananas. I do wonder if he was the fastest in the daily challenge, but they couldn't reward the cheating/trying. I enjoyed the 90s music ("Machinehead" and Korn) more than two meat-heads sending two of the more interesting characters home. I'm waiting for the ::ring ring:: Wes and Bananas confessionals, a la Dr. Will and Mike Boogie on Big Brother.

That was David vs Goliath? I thought Millennials vs Gen X harped on that, too (featuring Hannah's "trust cluster." It's not a voting bloc! It's not an alliance! It's somewhere in between!) Or people just had very short memories, acting like every season was the biggest innovation in Survivor game play history.

But in the same breath, he said, "400 crew members." Four. Hundred. They can't quarantine all those people. They can't quarantine a fraction of those people. LA County is shut down til August, U.S. Canadian borders are closed, there's a level 4 State Department advisory against International Travel. Where do they go for this fictitious filming? Maybe they'd be trying to film something quickly in the fall, after LA County (presumably) lifts the stay-at-home order, to rush something onscreen by November/December, and hope the second wave is delayed enough for them to finish production before everything is shut down again? But a few epidemiologists are predicting a late summer resurgence, so I honestly think this was Jeff trying to put on a brave face and say, "We're sending Survivor to the farm this year, it'll be great, it's gonna love the farm," when we all know what that means.

I was going to say, given his performance so far, a.k.a. Johnny Bananas seems like he may be the designated blue team finalist-to-inevitably-lose-to-one-of-Anne-Burrell's-team in the finale. 2020 is showing no mercy.

I was shocked Ryan wasn't dressed up more for the finale. A button-down shirt for the top 10, but for the finale, he's dressed like a scuba diver? Dillon was my sentimental favorite (I really liked his Bob Dylan cover), but I knew he wasn't going to win. I was sort of anyone-but-Johnny, so Just Sam is a fine winner. She has a great voice, and the best story, and I think both were necessary in this modified version of Idol. When Lionel Ritchie said he was going to remake "We are the World," I did not think he meant ... superimposed contestant faces on mountain ranges and skyscrapers and empty beaches?! That was bizarre. How did that song manage to look more polished in the 80s, even with all the dissolves?

Dr. Phil: which of the following has caused nearly 100,000 U.S. deaths since March? A. Swimming pools B. Automobiles C. Cigarettes D. COVID-19, you public health menace

I don't know if my tastes have changed, or I'm not very nostalgic, because I think the idol-less seasons are like pulling teeth to watch. Especially after an immunity challenge. I can count the number of times on one hand in the seasons I've rewatched where there was a true #blindside, or the show didn't telegraph who was going home. As much as I hate the fire-making at final 4, idol-less seasons had the same effect -- more or less a foregone conclusion after a certain point, with rare exceptions. I could live without advantages, and maybe there should be a cap on the number of idols, but I would never, ever want to return to idol-less seasons. A hidden immunity idol adds a sense of danger to the deliberations, even if no one's found it. It's out there, what will it do? It's the great unknown variable that can shake up the game. So, you can't plan your perfect boot without taking it into effect. It's raised the level of strategy. I also feel like trivia challenges are viewed through rose-colored glasses, because they are interminable, and there are few lead changes once someone gets out front. I'm fine ending every challenge with a puzzle, because it is an equalizer, and enables a higher level of competition. And I don't want to see players starving again (or starving as much as they used to) because that also leads to lack of strategy. Hunger reinforces "stick to the plan," because who wants to orchestrate blindsides when their stomach is about to fall out? In other words: I think there are some things they could dial back on (advantages, whispering, enough idols/immunity to make it so five people are safe at a tribal council), but the idea of a "back to basics" season is almost as odious to me. I don't want to see people starving, I don't want predictable tribal councils and I don't want tons of lopsided challenges. For the most part, I believe the changes the show has made have added suspense, intrigue, strategy, and unpredictability to the game, and I fail to see what's wrong with that. Is there a such thing as too much of a good thing? Yes. But it doesn't mean overcorrecting is the answer either.

https://www.theringer.com/2020/5/11/21252585/survivor-dictionary-terminology-explained Some of these are accurate, but some are ... way off. Who uses "plurality vote" instead of "vote-split?" Also, a mactor is an outdated term, because I feel like those who want more Instagram followers just apply now (versus being recruited). Also "Extinction Island" was a term Boston Rob made up, not the place it actually was. Do some fact-checking, The Ringer. But the main reason I'm posting this? We finally have a date for when contestants stopped getting bathing suits. It was fall 2018, David vs Goliath, and it was Tyler Perry's fault. And also: it's the family visit, not the loved one's visit. [/oldschool forever] And also also: Fiji wasn't a bitter jury, who gave you your information, The Ringer?

I was the most amused that the sharks assumed the Tough Tie guys were a couple ("and how long have you guys been together?") Kevin was right, that there's no demand for a child-proof potty seat. It's one thing for a kid to point to the potty seat, it's another to ... pick up the bowl?! My kids never did that. Classic solution in search of a problem.

Ken being obsessed with JAG and having him stumble onto the right guess that way made a ton more sense than Jenny knowing who Miss Missouri was married to (or that Barry Zito wore number 75). I can't buy she knew either of those without googling. When was the last time Robin guessed correctly and no one else did? He got Gronkowski, but I feel like he used to have a higher percentage of correct guesses, while Jenny's was lower, and now they've switched. Maybe that's perception. It does feel like this show has been on for a million years. It took Survivor three fewer weeks to vote off seventeen people than it will take for this show to vote off fifteen. That's just wrong.

TEA! This makes so much sense, in light of what happened. Wow, so Natalie got a sweetheart edit, all things considered. Logic implies she was likely part of this clique (or was in Danni's mind), given Danni's relationship with her. Logic also implies Nick, Wendell and Adam were not in this clique either, or were talked down to at one point, which would add to their anti-Edge sentiment. Adam, in particular, looked checked out most of the time, and Nick was quiet, too. See, we need this tea, because otherwise, people like me make fools of ourselves and have to eat a huge bunch of crow and rats bite our toes in punishment as a result. Ow!

Can we get back to challenges ... please? I didn't sign up for The Real World: Thirty-Something. I can't tell if they had to drag this out because they thought this relationship drama was so compelling, or it was really necessary to "to be continued" last episode, only to find out Jay had a traumatic brain injury. [/sarcasm only marginally more ridiculous than Cup-o-Noodles-Gate] I did not realize Nany's tastes tended towards women also. I remember something about a video of Kaycee and Rachel from her season making out. Something about Aneesa's reaction made me wonder if she and Nany had something in the past? It was a bit Ex in the Bunker. Maybe my brain was fried from all the relationship drama. Is "overconfident vet takes a fall" going to be a theme of the season? Jordan screaming at Tori was difficult to watch. Yeah, that'll make her go faster, you taking her head off. And was he wearing a woman's scarf? I was so distracted by his babushka-like neckwear the entire time.

Thanks @peachmangosteen. That makes perfect sense, and actually is the most logical explanation. I feel a lot better now.

Then I don't understand then what separates Nick, Wendell, Adam and Danni from "I couldn't vote for your little errand boy, so you'll have to do." If that is truly the case, and Michele isn't spinning the truth, then those four are no better than Lex and Alicia and Big Tom, who voted for Amber on All Stars because the idea of a Rob win was too much for them to stomach. Casting a vote to ensure someone doesn't win, as opposed to voting for someone, is the kind of pettiness I'd have hoped Survivor would be past by now, and certainly not anything I expected from hyper-aware winners who ought to know better. And, like it or not, Natalie is still a woman of color -- and they can claim all they want that had no impact, but it's a fact that doesn't go away because they want it to. If Michele is telling the truth, they ganged up to ensure a woman of color would not win. Edge of Extinction returnee or not, their intent doesn't change fact. It's too bad nobody will ask any of them that, because the defensiveness that would ensue would be highly entertaining. But I have to believe this is Michele being tone-deaf, because otherwise those boys (and Danni) look pretty bad in the year 2020.

If Michele really didn't want to make herself look bad, and her friends by extension, she could leave Natalie out of it. "My friends told me if Tony hadn't been there, they'd have voted for me, but he played the best game and they couldn't vote on a personal level in an all-winners season." Natalie's name didn't need to come up. Why did it? This is why I feel like Michele has always had problems with other women. Why did she frame it as ensuring a Natalie loss versus rewarding Tony for playing the best game? It's not controversy, it's just mean and petty, and she makes her friends look mean and petty, too. Like they all ganged up to make sure Natalie didn't win? Why was that necessary to share?

Thanks, had forgotten about that. Spin from Michele then. I also find it hard to believe Adam, who was losing his mind over the Spy Nest too, secretly wanted to vote for his friend, but he had to "make sure Natalie didn't win." Or I really hope not. Michele should know better. Like it or not, Natalie is a woman of color, and that's a bad look to say your friends did everything in their power to make sure she didn't win. Edge of Extinction returnee or not, race/ethnicity and gender still exists.

I have to say, with all the talk of gender bias, about how few women have won in the last few years ... if these "woke" millennials, Adam, Nick and Wendell, (and Danni, a Gen X-er) seriously considered it to be a huge breach of justice if a woman, and a woman of color, would happen to win, and this would be so unacceptable in their eyes, they couldn't vote for their BFF Michele to make sure this injustice didn't happen ... that says a lot about them. I really hope this is spin from Michele and not a thing that happened. Tony was absolutely a deserving winner, but if these votes cast for the winner of an all-winners season were actually anti-votes to ensure a woman (even an Edge of Extinction returnee) didn't win ... Yikes.

From the episode thread: After listening to Sarah and Amber talking about feeling inferior to dominant men, even as winners, this is the reason Michele's "I get no respect" tour this season never rang true for me. Because she didn't beat a dominant man, she beat Tai (who got no votes, right?) and a woman the jury didn't like as much. She won immunities and made the right relationships, yes, but I can't imagine Michele suffered the backlash from the male Survivor fandom that Sarah or Amber did. Jeff Probst didn't like her, not in favor of Boston Rob or Culpepper, but ... Aubry! How ... dare he? I grew tired of Michele the victim, because I think a lot of it was self-imposed. She chose not to be part of the dominant alliance, and then complained nobody was doing anything to get them out. Everybody was against Michele, even Wendell in their failed relationship. She won immunities and was on the wrong side of the vote. Even Natalie knew Michele was the Noura of this season. So, the above quote has a ring of "oh, my friends would've voted for me, but they had to make sure that other girl didn't win." And maybe it's just that Natalie was an Edge of Extinction returnee. But it has a bit of a mean girl streak to it. That she was fine losing to Tony, but not Natalie. It adds some evidence to the idea that Michele can't stand when another woman is seen as superior to her. Because I bet if Aubry faded into the woodwork, instead of being asked back two more times, Michele's resentment would've faded, too. I just found it an interesting contrast between Sarah and Amber, who seemingly kept their heads down as winners, playing also-rans to men, and probably dealing with real gender bias crap, and Michele who spent all season pouting, "nobody believed I was the prettiest princess in Kaoh Rong."

Ha. This is why I don't have a published novel. I looked at Natalie's edit and went "well, that's so obvious. It's too much foreshadowing. Viewers aren't that dumb." Oops. One interesting tidbit to come out of the spoilers thread (no spoilers since the winner is known) is the cast was asked not to go to Hearts of Reality (the annual charity event/excuse to party for mostly CBS reality stars in August) and Wendell and Adam went anyway. Could explain their (in some ways, outsized) negative edits. It's not quite Purple Kelly, but Survivor isn't exactly above a little revenge editing. I also cannot believe they reverted to the "smack you in the face with editing" technique again. Lesson learned: on a returning players' season, no edit is ever too good (unless it's too early. Miss you, Game Changers Malcolm).