Gummo

The only episodes I ever skipped involved Russell Hantz. I don't find naked sadism entertaining.

Well, we close the book on another season. Congratulations to Rachel, who played well and deserved her win. It was rather dull & cookie-cutter until the last couple of weeks, when we finally had some good play and surprises. I hope to never see Gabe, Rome, Sue or Andy again, which probably means all 4 will be back for Season 50. And please, can we get back to some MOTIVATED players, who get off their asses and fish and practice fire and don't just lie around whining! See you all in a few months!

But that's true. It may have been impolitic to be so upfront about it, yes. But with Andy out (I can't stand him, but he did play hard), who else has any accomplishments to point to? Sam hasn't been a factor pretty much since the merge. Teeny is clueless. The less said about Sue, the better. This isn't the time for fake performative humility. Both women played great games. Getting Genevieve out now should cement Rachel's resume. But if anyone manages to get her out at four with fire, they deserve to win. Period. (I don't get the Rachel hate, anyway. I like her.)

I'd be surprised if she got even a single vote. By her own admission, she's been clueless the entire game!

Wowie wow wow! And just like that, a mediocre season is redeemed by a WILD double episode! That was CRAZEEE. As a Rachel fan, I ate that up with spoons in both hands! See, Survivors? THAT's why you keep your damn idol a secret! Andy talking himself into elimination was so in-character, it was hysterical. Yeah, dude, just keep telling Rachel how awesome your game was and what a good story you have for the jury! I knew then he was writing his own epitaph, and sure enough.... I really enjoyed the way both Genevieve and Rachel handled their frenemy rivalry. It was a far cry from the early days when EVERYTHING was personal. Absent a big final twist or a complete meltdown, this season is Rachel's to lose. She's played a good game.

With the season winding down, I can honestly say it's been a meh season of Survivor.

*sigh* Andy's gonna win this thing, isn't he. 🤮

Isn't the All Stars season going to be new-era players only? In that case, I could certainly see Kyle being added back.

I'm glad contestants finally realized the worthlessness of the SITD. A 1-in-6 chance at safety is shitty odds compared to actual food in your belly. I also found Probst's astonishment at the deal quite funny - he obviously thinks the SITD is some kind of gamechanger. It isn't. Well, I take that back - it changes the game for the worse - it makes players too cautious, second-guessing who might use it and who won't, and it really circumscribed game play. Hopefully, ignoring and dismissing the SITD becomes a Survivor trend. Gabe was a good choice to go, but [Matthew Perry voice] could it BE any more obvious that they shoulda gotten Kyle out when they had the chance? Teeny seems like such a nice person and they're gorgeous, to boot. I wish them the happiness they deserve! Sue started out unattractive both inside and out, and she's only getting worse - both inside and out. "Hating" Kyle for playing the game is astonishingly ugly. And watching her face melt like a cheap wax candle as the days pass is not entertaining. Not for me, at least, I'm not a big horror movie fan.

Or he's just a feckless dumbass.

This. It's a diet, not a religion. And I haven't seen this mentioned yet: Does anyone else think the immunity necklace look like something they found at the bottom of the $1 bin at a pop-up Halloween store? I mean, cheap & tacky is one thing, but ... come on! I know it's season 47 or whatever, but make an effort, prop people!

Me, too!

That was fun! Sorry/not sorry for Tiyana - I mean, I liked her well enough but not enough to care, ya know? But that all worked out a little TOO neatly, didn't it? I get the feeling that, during his confessionals, producers were asking Sol questions like, "Wow, that advantage would work best on Rachel, don't you think?" and "Giving that advantage to Rachel would be a real gamechanger, wouldn't it?" I can't stand Andy. I can't stand Sue. Which means they're both going to be around for way too long.

The best way to use the amulet idol is after the merge, to engineer the ouster of the other 2 people who hold it so that you now have a complete & independent immunity idol without any complications. That's easier if all 3 don't go back and immediately spill their guts after the Journey, like these 3 did.

That? Was glorious! Rome didn't learn the #1 rule of sharing information - you have to get it exactly right. You need to report someone else's words verbatim so they can't wriggle out. But no, he thought he'd embellish what people were saying and it bit him in the butt. He made it so easy to deny everything he was saying! I even enjoyed the immunity challenge - I love those table mazes. And of course, Rome was heaving the ball every which way - it was a perfect visual encapsulation of his whole game. In 6 weeks, the only genuine, sincere emotion I saw from Rome was his joy & gratitude at getting a chance to sit on the Probst Throne and pontificate - and the funny thing was, he was exactly right in his evaluation of the amulets advantage - his background as an esports commentator came out then. Sol could not get that shit-eating grin off his face. He's had to take so much shit from Rome, he deserved his moment. Looking forward to Andy's renewed paranoia breakdown. Sam's dismissal of the buoy was emblematic of everything wrong with New Era Survivor - no hustle!