[Most undeserving winner of all time?]

Every winner deserved their victory.  However, if we're talking LEAST deserving, I'll go with Parvati, Cochran and Tyson since they had such a big advantage with seasons where half the cast were newcomers.

[S29.E09: I Thought We Were Playing It Nice / S29.E10: Riding a Bike Is Like Riding a Bike]

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

And Floyd couldn't bike back the first time to pick up the baskets? I'm thinking if Elise & Bert had to do the leg over, Racers would've been allowed to drop the baskets off. I mean, Floyd shouldn't tried to help London, but he shouldn't have done an additional lap.

Floyd was dropping things off his bike before he even fully left the roadblock, so he would've had to have gone back to the start anyway. 

[S29.E08: Good Job, Donkey!]

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I buy Tara & Joey's logic for U-turning Team Fun: it definitely made it more competitive for Liz & Michael, who would have been out if LoLo had burned the Uturn or if Fun got there first. I could see how it appeared like the only option to give Liz & Michael a fighting chance.

Team Fun is also a more consistently competitive team than Liz/Mike, who are either great or lousy with no in-between.  I could see Tara & Joey feeling that Team Fun was the bigger overall threat and wanting them out instead.

U-Turning the boys wouldn't have really accomplished anything.  I mean, they were right there amidst the three groups that initially arrived at the detour spot --- even if you hold them up with the U-Turn, there's still a great chance they finish ahead at least one of the three laggard teams, especially Liz/Mike who have the extra task.  Assuming there isn't yet another U-turn still to come, I think the opportunity to trip up the guys has come and gone, the other four teams will just have to beat them.

[Season 34: Previews and Speculation]

I know Sarah's legacy idol can only be used at F6, but just to be clear, the regular immunity idols (the ones held by Tai and Troy) ALSO have to be played no later than F6?  And Sarah's "remove a vote" thing can also be used no later than F6?  Good lord, that's a lot.  You'd think that at least one of Troy or Tai (especially) would be playing their idol this coming week if they don't win immunity, correct?

[S34.E12: It Is Not A High Without A Low]

12 minutes ago, blackwing said:

This legacy idol... does it function like a regular idol? So next episode Sarah can use it on herself or someone else?  Ugh.   Sarah may be playing well, but I hope that one of the later boots tells Sierra that Sarah voted for her.

The legacy idol could be played at two specific occasions --- at F13 (the merge vote) or F6.  So Sarah is still in trouble if she doesn't win immunity in either of the next two rounds, but she's safe at F6.

[S34.E10: A Line Drawn In Concrete]

18 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

I wish they would show us how they choose captains.  I'm sure it was just coincidental that Culpeper was a captain.  Interesting that he chose all women.

They randomly draw for captains.  What I'd like to see are the schoolyard picks, I feel like the order and strategy behind those would impact things.  Michaela not being chosen makes little sense to me.

[S34.E10: A Line Drawn In Concrete]

Hali and Ozzy's "wait, we have to spend the next three days with Debbie?" faces FTW

[Season 34: Previews and Speculation]

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, I feel like Brad is definitely in the F3. His edit is basically hero worship at this point. But then I remember Probst is obsessed with him so maybe this is all just to give him redemption from his first season.

I could see the merge resulting in a Brad/Sierra/Aubry vs. Zeke/Ozzy/Andrea situation. And honestly I'm not entirely sure where any of the rest of the players would fall, particularly Cirie. And if it does shake out that way, I think Cirie could end up being the big factor in who gets the upper hand. Or she could possibly grab some others and build another counter alliance.

It's pretty unusual that Survivor goes into a merge episode where it's still so unclear about who might win, though past seasons of all returning players don't have the normal "winner's edit."  Maybe it's because the show feels we're already familiar with these players so their path to victory doesn't need to be so clearly laid out by the edit?  Halfway through All-Stars you certainly wouldn't have picked Amber to win, nor would you have picked Sandra at this point in HvV, and even Jeremy wasn't too major a player halfway through Cambodia.

This season is also pretty odd because of the lopsided challenge results, as a big piece of the cast has only been to one or two tribals.  (Cirie actually hasn't been to a tribal yet all season!)  It's tougher to get a read on those players' alliances and specific group dynamics since we haven't seen much of the Andrea/Zeke/Ozzy/Sarah group until the last couple of weeks, and even then things didn't get too complex vote-wise since Sandra and Varner were such obvious targets.

[S34.E06: Vote Early, Vote Often]

I knew there was no possible way that Sandra could win this season...and yet with each passing week, noticing how well she kept avoiding danger at tribal council, I started to think "wait, really?!"  At least she ensured JT and Tony went out, so the Queen stays Queen in Survivor history.  It really does come to a lot of luck in this game, however.  If Sandra and, say, Aubry draw opposite buffs in the tribal swap, Sandra is very likely saved for another round.  Instead, she got drawn onto the noticeably weaker tribe (even with Ozzy and Andrea) on the week when they had a very physical challenge.

1 hour ago, Eolivet said:

But I don't think a loved one ever told a contestant "If I was watching you from my couch, I would..." and started talking about "Culpepper's gonna do this, so you need to think about doing this." Maybe the intention was just a friendly ear, but Cochran sure acted like he was giving advice about the game and Debbie said in the confessional how much she admired Cochran's expertise in the game, so...I think it was intended as a Survivor 101 Tutorial.

I mean, if they had conditions that the contestant could vent, and the returning player would just listen and nod and offer some sympathetic remarks, that's one thing. But the minute the returning player injects himself (or herself) into the game, it's advice -- and it's given the sheen of respectability because it comes from a winner -- and that rubbed me the wrong way.

I'd be more upset about this as an unfair advantage if it was anyone getting it besides Debbie.  Talk about someone who won't be able to absorb advice and criticism; Cochran himself commented that Debbie seems way too overconfident about her game.

 

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I'm waiting for the day for these twists, advantages, and massive idols to finally just blow up in the producer's faces.  Maybe the biggest twist they could have is to have no twists, idols, advantages, etc.

Now I'm wishing that the "Game Changers" season would've been just a classic no-frills season like Borneo, and watching to see how long it took the players to figure it out.  Probst could even still ask about the immunity idol during TC to throw them off.

[Season 34: Previews and Speculation]

Unless this show really gets crappy and revisits the Pearl Islands outcasts twist, I have to believe the 'returning player' is someone who isn't actually participating in the game, just there as...I dunno, moral support?  Help in a challenge?  Whomever gets exiled spends a day with the returning guest hanging out at Exile Island?

I'm guessing this has to be one of the super well-known names in Survivor history, whose presence would even impress a cast of returning players.  Boston Rob?  Rudy?  Richard Hatch, as the original "game changer"?  (That would actually be kind of cool, and a nice way for CBS to hedge against actually letting Hatch play again.)

[S34.E05: Dirty Deed]

This season is like fantasy camp for Sandra fans.  At least when Tony got eliminated, he screwed up but at least went down swinging.  With JT, he could've crapped his pants on the boat ride over and embarrassed himself less than he did in the game.  Sandra is playing chess, everyone else is playing checkers.

[S34.E04: The Tables Have Turned]

Three mistakes and two semi-mistakes by Sandra's team...

1. Not having more belief that an idol could be in play.
2. Not voting for Debbie (since if you're worried about an idol, you vote for the person least likely to have it, i.e. The Edgardo Strategy)
3. Not voting for Tai, along the same lines as #2.  He and Debbie aren't big-picture threats, but as long as someone is going home from that tribe, it's fine.
4. (semi) Not voting for Hali, and just cutting the cord as to whether you can trust her or not.
5 (semi). Not trying the REALLY advanced move and eliminating JT.  If they pull Hali aside and tell her to vote for JT, you'd think she would've been on board.  Malcolm wouldn't have been up for that plan, but they wouldn't actually have needed him.  It would've gone five votes JT (Hali, Varner, Sandra, Aubry, Michaela), four votes Malcolm (Debbie, Tai, Brad, Sierra), two votes Sierra (JT, Malcolm).

 

One mistake by Debbie's team...

1. Not eliminating Sandra when you have the chance.  Malcolm is a threat but you know how to beat him.  Sandra is still the John Wick of Survivor (who has now, btw, somehow made it through THREE TRIBAL COUNCILS WITH A SINGLE VOTE).

[S34.E04: The Tables Have Turned]

1 hour ago, LanceM said:

I think there is a good possibility that Tai found that in a previous episode and they just used the footage of him finding tonight because it was more dramatic. But I could be wrong.

Agreed, the editing seemed wonky.  They're all sitting around camp chatting, cut to Tai looking around and finding a clue that requires him to dig in the middle of camp, then smash cut to them all sitting around again and he reveals his idol.  Rather than producer interference, it could be that there was one idol hidden at each of the original campsites (Mana-Red and Nuku-Blue), and then for the newly-created tribe (Tavua-Green) they instead did the "clue to idol at the challenge" thing that Troy found.  So based on this, there should still be an idol hidden somewhere at the Nuku camp that Sandra, Michaela, JT, Varner or Aubry could find.

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I thought he was going to pull out the pom poms and start a cheer during the RC, all for his man crush Brad.  It's like he forgot anyone else was competing at that point.  The look on his face and excitement in his voice "Mana won thanks to Culpepper" was like idol worship.

In fairness, Culpepper was legitimately super-impressive in that challenge.  He was so good at throwing my friend asked if he played quarterback in the NFL, rather than linebacker.

[S34.E03: Survivor Jackpot]

2 hours ago, PerfidiousAmber said:

Sandra, how could you?? When you already have so much food!! And trying to get someone else to do the killing but telling them how to prepare the carcasses!

"Trying to get someone else to do the killing but telling them how to prepare the carcasses" is basically a perfect analogy for Sandra's style of playing Survivor.

Let's break this scene down.  You have everyone gung-ho about catching and eating a goat, with JT (a farmer) and Malcolm leading the charge.  Once they're caught, it seems like everyone has a change of heart about eating the mama and baby.  I assume JT's real reason for switching was that he didn't want to be the one who actually killed one or both of the animals --- again, the guy worked on a cattle ranch, so obviously he can't be that worried about killing animals.

Sandra, meanwhile, was clearly the biggest "eat 'em all" proponent, but look how she handled that.  They discussed the situation, had a vote, came to a compromise and she didn't make a big deal about it after the goats were released.  This show seems to go out of its way to try to present Sandra as a "villain" when she's ultimately just pragmatic about how Survivor works.  If she has to cast a vote, hey, anyone but her.  If she sees food apparently walking freely around camp, hey, why not eat it?  After 33 seasons of fish, pigs, chickens and god knows what else being eaten on this show, goats are fair game.

Unless, of course, that Rob Cesternino tidbit is true, which makes me think the goats were really just there for dramatic effect.  After all, the Survivor personnel have that entire section of jungle cordoned off.  I'm guessing goats couldn't wander in there unless the producers wanted them in there, probably in order to try and create more 'Tai befriends animals' stories.

[S34.E01: The Stakes Have Been Raised (Double Episode)]

5 hours ago, Callaphera said:

The props at Tribal kept making me think that I was watching Survivor: Lost. If only there was a smoke monster out there...

By this point, I'm thinking Sandra is the smoke monster and can't be stopped by mortal means.

[S34.E01: The Stakes Have Been Raised (Double Episode)]

I like Tony as a player but man, against Sandra?  I'd pick him to go home 100 times out of 100.  I still feel like there's no way she could possibly go 3-for-3, but the fact that we've already gotten some classic Sandra gameplay in just two episodes is delightful.

It's interesting how in all of the "all returning player" seasons, their early focus has been on getting rid of threats moreso than physical weak links.  The veterans of the game know what's really more important in the big picture.

[S34: Sandra Diaz-Twine]

If Sandra wins a third time, I might have to stop watching Survivor.  No future event could possibly top that for sheer joy.

[Survivor In The Media]

If you were under any impression that Sandra isn't still the best, well, here

[S42.E12: Aziz Ansari / Big Sean]

45 minutes ago, Negritude said:

I actually liked the dirty talk sketch but Melissa Villasenor is starting to come across as a one trick pony using that same voice and scrunched up facial expression. It did work in this sketch.

It's not really a trick, it's her actual voice.  She actually sounds 90% like Owen Wilson, which is why I didn't get her 'impression' until she actually said his name.

[S04.E02: The Lying Detective]

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Heehee... I've started re-watching the episode already, in order to see how it all fits together after the 20/20 hindsight. Therapist scene... girl in 221B scene... it's now PAINFULLY obvious that it's the same actress, the same voice... and yet I'd totally honestly missed it the first time.  Well done, show. Disguising the same actress in THREE different parts and none of us (or at least very few) were any the wiser. I'd even noted how the girl-on-the-bus so strongly resembled Zooey Deschanel (and all the other Hollywood girls who look like her), and yet didn't see it at all with her in this episode... the shade of lipstick, the hair, it's amazing how much we really don't pay attention, especially when it's just a side character.

Given the text alert at the end, I was actually thinking "Culverton Smith's daughter" would be revealed as Irene, and I was looking forward to going back and seeing how they hid Lara Pulver so well under the wig and makeup.

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I didn't know why Mrs. Hudson broke every speeding law to reach John, why Sherlock spent 10 minutes on how the letter reflected the sun, and why he was walking up walls.

The whole 'letter reflection' scene might've been the first hint that something was off about Miss Smith.  If her father is this wealthy philanthropist, she wouldn't be living in a place with a small kitchen.

[Past Seasons Talk: The Tribe Has Spoken]

The idea of Rob/Amber returning in a Blood vs. Water season was broached in another topic, and by this point it'd be quite easy to have an all-star BvW season.  Were there any more "Survivor marriages" besides Rob/Amber, Whitney/Keith, Jamie/Erik and Kim Powers/Alex Bell?

[Survivor In The Media]

13 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

I don't think Natalie and Alexis were morons, either.  But I think Erik has probably had his fill of Survivor, and Chet too; and Kathy would never be allowed back on (even if she wasn't threatening to cut her fingers off or whatever the rumor was).  On the Caramoan side, Shamar sure didn't seem to want to be there, and if we're talking about morons, surely Eddie Fox is right up there in the Survivor Hall of Infamy.  But I'd like to see Laura Alexander and Allie get another go.

Chet and Shamar both had their fill of Survivor about two episodes in, so yeah, a return visit is unlikely.

It's too bad so many of the fans ended up being non-entities, since another easy hook for a season could've been 8-9 of the original "fans" returning to face 8-9 newcomers.  But of all the "fans," maybe Erik is the only one semi-recognizable to a casual Survivor viewer.  I doubt the likes of Eddie, Jason Siska, Sherri, etc. hold much appeal.

[Survivor In The Media]

35 minutes ago, KimberStormer said:

Ah, Julie, one of the many many people for whom I had hopes, dashed to pieces.  God what a terrible season Caramoan was.

This would never happen, but a fun season concept would be the eight 'fans' from Micronesia against the eight 'fans' from Caramoan in a "sorry we put you at such a massive disadvantage, here's a chance to actually play Survivor."

[Past Seasons Talk: The Tribe Has Spoken]

19 minutes ago, KimberStormer said:

The dynamics kind of do change at the non-merge anyway; but part of the fun of Palau is the total domination of Koror over Ulong, just week after week of it.  There are some great post-merge moves, but in general it pretty much goes as you might expect.  Since Ian was my first Survivor Boyfriend I never got bored, but I could see why you might.

There was the week-to-week suspense of "wait, is Koror actually going to run the table??" combined with the fact that Bobby Jon and Steph (in her first appearance) are both pretty likable underdog characters.  And post-merge, there's a good deal of suspense about whether or not anyone will overthrow Tom and Ian --- Gregg and Jenn were underrated terrific players, only thwarted by Ian/Tom's plan to weaponize the threat of a rock draw.

Also, the Tom/Ian duel in the final immunity challenge is still maybe the craziest thing that's ever happened on the show.

[S08.E10: Ringmaster Keifth]

Let it be said for the millionth time how perfect the casting was for Fred Willard as Phil's dad.  He and Ty Burrell even look like they could actually be father and son.

It's too bad Kelsey Grammer is a jerk in real life, as he has the most amazing speaking voice.

1 hour ago, voiceover said:

Okay.  Was it supposed to be a meta thing that they were doing a retread of the Ronnie/Martin story on Frasier & having Kelsey guest-star?

Also seemed like that Frasier episode when he hires the incredibly resourceful butler, played by Victor Garber