SVNBob

To be fair to TAR5 Colin, a lot of those teams didn't know what a scarab was. The switch at the HtH wasn't necessarily risky. Since Chris went first, Bret was able to watch both Chris and Victor. Which means he saw not only what Chris was doing wrong, but what Victor did right. So he was able to do better. Chris also basically implied at the Mat that he didn't really get the puzzle, so it was in their better interests to switch. And I dislike the HtH too. The TAR Theme techno-remix! I was slightly disappointed that that didn't play over the closing credits like other musical moments usually do. Given that Chris has the hashtag on his hat, I believe so. Technically there was a race to a mat, just not the Mat. There was a special mat at the top of the stairs leading to the zip-line. That was the point that determined the order of the zip-lining, so that was actual finishing line for the leg. That explains their reaction to winning that trip. "Oh boy, another non-LGBTQ+ country..." That hug at the airport made me think that Colin actually "threw" the HtH. Meaning that since they were the teams competing for first, Colin didn't try as "intensely" as he could have. He knew how important taking first in Uganda was to Tyler and Korey. And his post-leg TH lamenting how they could have had a first didn't dissuade me of that though. Something about the tone of his voice. And of course, he'd never admit to throwing the HtH, even if he did. If had been for a different position, or for first versus any other team though, I think Colin could and would have beat them on the first try. Well, they did have to reset the drums between each round, so Phil would be walking back to the arena while that was happening. Janelle and Britt were not sidelined by a bad cab driver. The look on her face during that traffic snarl was also one of "what the fuck?". She was just as incredulous as her passengers. That was a situation outside her control. The cabbie in Dubai on the other hand....

That shot cannot be blamed on a human. They show shots from those angles on a regular basis. Typically it's either for the voting confessional from "the deciding voter" that is just vague enough to apply to either side, or for the reading the vote over the shoulder shots. To have a cameraperson stationed there for those angles would be silly, so it makes more sense that there's a stationary camera (or two; one over each "shoulder") mounted in the ceiling of the voting booth near the doorway. So a cameraman cannot be blamed for that shot. But, an editor can be blamed for using that angle instead of the front-facing one. I mean, I get why they'd want to cut to that camera during a 13-person voting montage... it's at least different and adds visual interest. But specifically going to it for Lauren adds a different kind of visual interest. However, given that there's a slight and unimportant rumor that says that the reason they kept cutting to that weird audience shot during the reunion (the semi-static uninterested crowd shot) is because Lauren kept having wardrobe malfunctions during the reunion. (And CBS takes those seriously...since it is their fault that phrase even exists.) So it might be that something similar happened during the voting, and the over-the-shoulder angle was actually the better option. (I doubt that, but it is possible.)

I'd love for someone to draw up a relationship map for this group. Known connections (beyond the obvious Rob and Amber, and all the Survivor event stuff): Rob, Sandra, Tyson, and Parvati were all on the Villains tribe together, but Parv was not part of same alliance as the other 3. Jeremy and Natalie were allies in BvW2, bonding after their loved ones were the first two voted out. Parvati and Yul first played together, with some level of mutual respect between the two. Mostly because Yul could see what made Parv so dangerous at the game, and told her so before she was voted out. Amber and Ethan dated before she connected with Rob. Tony and Sarah have always played together. And Sandra was also on their second game. And I think Adam and Nick were friends before either of them played.

According to speculation on Reddit, there are reasons for not bringing in these 3. (And everyone else not on the list, but I'll only talk about these 3.) With Hatch, he says he wasn't even asked in the first place. And it's thought it's either because of his previous legal issues that prevented him from leaving the country before, or because of what he did to Sue in All-Stars. Or both. Tina's the biggest question of everyone not playing. It might be health issues, but no-one's really sure. As for Jenna... she's apparently had similar issues as Todd, and some legal issues on top of that. That makes her inclusion a risky proposition on multiple levels.

A head-to-head between these two will be both respectful and epic! Plus Yul vs. Parvati again...that'll be interesting to watch.

Floyd expressed both these opinions in the Team Fun recap of episode 3. He said he highly suspects that for tasks like these, the judges are told not to pass the first team on their first attempt, no matter how well they did. They also talk about the "peace conference" at the airport. Becca's peace offering trail mix was designed for Tyler and Korey, since Team Fun knew the others were snackers. Meanwhile, the "gift" the sisters brought as their offering to Team Fun was the bag that held the elephant snacks from the previous leg's Roadblock... and they probably shouldn't have had that with them in the first place. (Becca uses the word "stole".) Floyd says that Becca didn't want anything to do with it, but he eventually decided to be magnanimous and took it.

Finally read through the live thread, and didn't see anyone say this. Yes, Lauren made a mistake in playing her idol for Chris. But saving it also would have been a mistake. She should have popped up first when Peachy asked about idols at F6#2 and played hers...for Rick. Doing that would have done two things. First of all, it would have been playing her idol "correctly", since he did get the majority of the votes. But more importantly, it would have changed the story. With Rick saving himself with his own idol, he was going through the same story as Ben. But if Lauren had saved him, she'd take away that power and change the narrative. Now Rick looks like he owes his position at F5 to Lauren, which elevates her over him to some degree. It also means that the idol is not re-hidden, and Lauren can ask for quid pro quo after Rick wins the next challenge.

Malcolm had a shower idea for a season, and posted a long Tweet-stream about it. TL;DR version: giant towers near tribe beaches with colored flags that mean something about the game status, if the castaways can figure it out. Interesting concept.

Here's a Hollywood Reporter article and interview from Josh Wigler with BRob and Sandra on day 2 of the season. They talk about what they're going to be doing and what wisdom they'll be dispensing...and when.

He was talking about the same idol. Literally. The one he got when he returned from EoE and split with David. That's how Rick "knew" Chris had something. He just didn't know it was the exact same thing he'd got.

And now what I was planning to post after last week. I do enjoy doing this thread and am going to continue with this type of thread next season...and given the theme, it may actually be necessary like it was for GI. (And that season I tracked in two threads, because some of what I tracked was spoilery.) But the content of what I keep track of might change, if you want it. In other works, I want feedback. For those of you who do read this thread, what do you think is important to keep track of? And is it easy to find the information you want? I started off this kind of thread because of all the non-joking "There's an X on this season?" comments that pop up on a regular basis throughout each season. So player names are still item #1 on the list, with their current tribal affiliations a close #2. And since idols and other advantages aren't going away anytime soon, it makes sense to keep track of those too. Both who has what, and what has been used or made void by expiring or going home in someone's pocket. The show will only be keeping track of the active advantages, but that helps me keep track too. Is there anything else though? Someone made mention in an episode thread this season of this thread keeping track of alliances. I haven't been, but I could if that's something that is wanted. Any other suggestions for information to keep track of are also welcome. In addition, the format of how I display this information can always be tweaked if needed and requested. For example: I always start the first post of the thread for a season with links to the player's individual threads here, but eventually drop that. However, I can keep the links throughout the season if so desired. And any other ideas for making things easy to read and understand will be considered.

Yup. Chris was a Bunny-like Bear. Gavin was the weakling Fox. And Julie had a pair of horns on her from the moment she connected with Ron.

The post I was not planning on making tonight... but so much went on I had to track it all one last time. Vata Red: Chris (KM) Gavin (K2) Julie (ML) Lauren (MLE) Rick (KM) Victoria On the Jury: Reem (KM) Aubry (K2) Joe (KM) Eric (K2) Julia (ML) David (ML) Kelley (ML) Dan (K2) Ron (K2) Aurora (KM) Victoria (ML) Lauren (MLE) Rick Extinct: Keith (MM) Wendy Used/Expired/Voided Advantages: The Advantage Menu: Steal a Reward, Extra Vote, or Hidden Idol. Found by Ron during the Marooning. Expired after the 3rd TC.Given to Rick as if it was still valid as a bluff. "Played" as an idol by Rick. Manu Hidden Idol Found by Lauren Played by her for Chris Kama Hidden Idol Found by Aubry. Status Officially Unknown but Presumed Void on her boot. "Practice": Bamboo Pieces and string used for making a pole as in the Jail Break challenge. Part of EoE Re-entry Challenge #1. Found by Chris. Extra Vote to be sent anonymously into the game #1. Found by Rick. Given to Aubry. Valid through F7, so definitely void. May have become void on Aubry's boot. Knots: A disadvantage to be placed on one of the others in EoE Re-entry Challenge #1. "Found" by Reem, but claimed by Keith. Placed on Chris during challenge. EoE Halved Idol #1 - 1/2 had to be given to another player and both holders had to survive the first merge vote to activate the idol. Secretly awarded to Rick on his return from EoE. Rick gave half to David, and they both survived the vote. Idol now valid once both halves were combined. David returned his half to Rick. Rick played the complete idol for David at F10. "Practice" - First stage of EoE Re-Entry Challenge #2. Found by Aubry. Did not appear to be helpful. Extra Vote to be sent anonymously into the game #2 - Expired at F7 Found by Aubry. Given to Aurora. Given to Ron by Aurora to build an alliance. Returned to Aurora by Ron to demonstrate trust. Given to Gavin by Aurora at F7 to make sure it got used. Vote cast on Ron. IC Advantage: Goal of challenge reduced by one ball. Found by David Given to Rick. Lesu Hidden Idol Found by Kelley. Status Officially Unknown but Presumed Void on her boot. Vata Hidden Idol #1 Found by Rick Played by Rick on himself at F7. Vata "Hidden" Idol #2 Found by Rick. Played by Rick on Gavin at F5. EoE Halved Idol #2 - Same rules and restrictions as with #1 Secretly awarded to Chris on his return from EoE. Chris gave half to Rick, and they both survived the vote. Idol now valid once both halves were combined. Rick returned his half to Chris. Chris played the complete idol for himself at F5. Fake Idol #1 Made by Rick. Found by Julie. "Played" by Julie on herself at F5. Fake Idol #2 Made by Rick. Found by Lauren. "Played" by Lauren on herself at F5.

Three. There was also a "Chris pictured with a red buff" spoiler from way back.