S40.E01: Greatest of the Greats

[nutty1]

Add me to those who have absolutely no recall of Sophie. And I’ve watched every season. 
 
I am neutral on Ben, because I just don’t care. But isn’t the jury just as much to blame? They had other options.   
 

Definitely rooting for Ethan and Yul. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by nutty1

[Wandering Snark]

3 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I'm not buying the Sandra/Rob feud.  That definitely struck me as something TPTB is asking them to play up just for the sake of a storyline.

I just keep wondering if they have their 'idol' statues in their backyards now (or maybe in the basement like with the Simpsons giant tiki head).

[tvfanatic13]

I love knowing all of their names! I really don't have a favorite (although if I had to pick, it would be Parvarti), and really don't dislike anyone except Tony and Tyson. So I am all in (who am I kidding, I am all in every season). And with this group I am actually happy about EoE. 

[ProfCrash]

1 minute ago, nutty1 said:

Add me to those who have absolutely no recall of Sophie. And I’ve watched every season. 
 
I am neutral on Ben, because I just don’t care. But isn’t the jury just as much to blame? They had other options.   
 

Definitely rooting for Ethan and Yul. 

They had other options but I suspect that it might take a lot to choose not to give one million dollars to a war Vet with PTSD. It is one thing to sit on the couch and talk about why he shouldn't get the money based on game play but another thing to do it. A good amount of that season was spent on discussing how Ben had too good a back story.

And it is not like we saw Ben playing that up or playing for sympathy. He had moments when his PTSD flared and the Tribe knew what was happening. Someone would go and check on him but leave him be, It is one thing to try and vote him out but another to not vote for him to win.

All the talk about voting based on game play is one thing but the players get to know one another while they are playing. They know each other far better then most of us can imagine. Pretending like that is not taken into consideration when someone is at the finals is ridiculous. It is why the people with the powerful backstories are voted out early on or close to the merge. Because everyone out there knows that those stories matter.

So yes. The jury could have voted for Chrissy no one was particularly happy with how she played.  Chrissy played a solid strategic game and picked people off coldly. People were looking for a reason to not vote for her. Was Ryan the third person that game? He was more of Chrissy's lacky then a solid player.

Ben won some challenges, found some idols and had a very good backstory. Voting for the PTSD vet over the prickly strategist was not all that surprising.

[Alice Mudgarden]

6 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

I disagree that Rob "won" his last try. That season was so packed with sheep it was ridiculous. He also had plenty of time to perfect his manipulative skills.  I will give him kudos for learning  from each of his previous seasons whereas...Russell H. never did.

I still don't get why there is hate against Ben for his win.  The producers had a major role in making that happen but that's happened in other games as well in my opinion. We hate it but it happens.  I do agree that Devons was robbed.  He played the best game that season for sure and I blame the producers for his loss.

And yes, Ben showed how naive he is.  I do hope he seizes on that glimmer of self realization he showed last night and is the demise of Boston Rob. 

But no one was screwed out of a win with Rob. They were more naiive, for whatever the reason, and he beat them. The show didn't swoop in when it was certain he'd be voted out and create a twist - one they actually called an ADVANTAGE for the winner - to try and help make sure he didn't lose. Redemption Island was obviously there to keep Russell and Rob around longer should they get voted out the way they logically should have been, but Rob didn't even go.

Ben was dead in the water. Dead. The players all knew it, the viewers all knew it, and the producers all knew it. Instead of letting the actual gameplay finish itself out and Ben finally get voted out, they created a scenario for the 11th hour to try and make sure he didn't. It's one thing to put a seasoned vet against a bunch of newbies and let the chips fall where they may; it's another thing entirely to actively involve yourself and obliterate one person's game for another. That's the major difference, imo.

It's especially hard to swallow when Ben was just so atrocious last night. He's not the only newer winner who hasn't played since their win; Wendell and Nick are even more recent than he is and neither of them acted like slack-jawed morons around players they love. Even Rob was like "wtf?" when Ben was all swoony-eyed and going "You're so good." Rob was just talking to Ben like any other player and Ben had cartoon hearts flying out of his eyes. What was that?

Edited February 13, 2020 by Alice Mudgarden

[sara416]

Yul! I forgot why I loved him so much, but now watching him play again, I remember. This guy really did his homework. He may have been out of the Survivor world since his win, but he studeid this game and what he had to do and sank his teeth right in. I want to see him around for a long, long time. 

The fire tokens is giving me a Hunger Games vibe. I could do without the people on EoE having a hand in the game from afar, but I see why an all winners season needed EoE. I just wish they didn't have any influence on the current game. 

[Rachel RSL]

 

16 minutes ago, nutty1 said:

Add me to those who have absolutely no recall of Sophie. And I’ve watched every season. 

Same! It's the oddest thing.  Even after Googling her and looking at pictures and reading episode descriptions of her season, I still have literally no recollection of her whatsoever.  I remember most of the other people from her season but not her, the actual winner. Was she super boring or something? 

[Bryce Lynch]

For the first time in many years, I didn't watch.  I DVR'd it from my phone at the last minute, but when I got home I had zero interest in watching it.   

With EOE, nothing matters until the final EOE challenge.   Why bother to watch?

[truthaboutluv]

47 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

Was she super boring or something? 

Yes. She won Redemption Island 2 - the season that brought back Coach and Ozzy. It was also Cochran's first season and introduced us to nutty Brandon Hantz.

To her credit, she won the crucial Final 4 immunity challenge, which allowed them to get rid of Ozzy, as this was pre having to make fire at Final 4.

And that helped secure her the win because Ozzy was on path to actually win that season since most of the jury members hated the alliance of Sophie, Coach and Albert. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[Bryce Lynch]

6 minutes ago, sara416 said:

Yul! I forgot why I loved him so much, but now watching him play again, I remember. This guy really did his homework. He may have been out of the Survivor world since his win, but he studeid this game and what he had to do and sank his teeth right in. I want to see him around for a long, long time. 

The fire tokens is giving me a Hunger Games vibe. I could do without the people on EoE having a hand in the game from afar, but I see why an all winners season needed EoE. I just wish they didn't have any influence on the current game. 

I don't see why they needed EOE for an all winners game.  Everyone is a winner, so everyone has a target on their back.  Plus, most viewers probably have several players to root for. 

If they really needed a gimmick to keep people's favorites alive longer, they could have done a Redemption Island.  At least with that, somebody get eliminated nearly every week.  

I think I'll just tune in for the final EOE challenge to find out who the Sole Survivor will be.

[Matty]

Silly me but I was way more excited than was necessary when I saw all these former Survivor champs on my screen. Who else loves Yul? Yul is one of my all time favorites that ever played Survivor. So good to see him playing again. No matter how you may feel about Sandra she is the only person to win this game twice. She is a hell of a competitor. I love her attitude. This season is going to be good. 

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I haven't seen Wendell's season so I basically have a clean slate with him, but he seems great.

Wendell is my favorite winner of all time.  He is a great fellow.

[treeofdreams]

While the EOE Island still seems to be very unpopular, it adds more depth to the game this time around.  The players on EOE, rather than sitting around, are actively playing behind the scenes.  They can give advantages to remaining players, work against players they don't like, have a hand in messing up people's games.  And the remaining players don't yet know how much the people they vote off can affect them.  That adds an element of "be careful how you treat those you are voting off, they can still hurt you" that they are unaware of, and that might come back to haunt them.  

There is a lot of power to be had on EOE.

[Josh371982]

6 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I think Chrissy is the one who was robbed. She played a great game and I think would have won. Devon looked smooth in his edit but I don't think he did half as much as he thought that he did.

Chrissy played a great game. Just ask her! She'll tell ya how great she was with her huge ego 

[Josh371982]

6 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

I disagree that Rob "won" his last try. That season was so packed with sheep it was ridiculous. He also had plenty of time to perfect his manipulative skills.  I will give him kudos for learning  from each of his previous seasons whereas...Russell H. never did.

I still don't get why there is hate against Ben for his win.  The producers had a major role in making that happen but that's happened in other games as well in my opinion. We hate it but it happens.  I do agree that Devons was robbed.  He played the best game that season for sure and I blame the producers for his loss.

And yes, Ben showed how naive he is.  I do hope he seizes on that glimmer of self realization he showed last night and is the demise of Boston Rob. 

The Hate for Ben cracks me up. It was ok that Producers did everything to keep Rick in but not for Ben. Rick was overrated like Ben is. 

[Josh371982]

4 hours ago, Cornhusker12 said:

Can somebody explain why Ben is so hated, and what the producers did to "give him a win?" I watched his season but I don't remember much of it. He seems like a decent dumb/affable guy though so I'm surprised to see so much hatred toward him.

The hate from what I've seen comes from people who were ok with Production helping Rick but not Ben

[fishcakes]

Didn't one of us once suggest an all senior citizen season of Survivor? I think this is pretty close.

Denise's hair hurts my feelings. Adam's and Ben's voices hurt my ears.

Why do I love Ethan now? When did that happen? Life is strange. I also love that he's decided to stick with the old school alliance. It might not be the best game move, but it makes me happy for some reason.

So I don't know if the Sandra vows vengeance on Rob is an act or not. If she were just mad, I would be more inclined to believe that, but there was one moment, very brief, where she seemed actually hurt that he'd lied to her about it. He didn't just not tell her he was playing; he distinctly said he would never play again. If she is actually hurt, she shouldn't try to take that out on him in the game, since the person who's playing emotionally is more likely to make a wrong move, but I don't know how much it matters. Before last night, I would have said both of them were doomed, but the fact that they're both still there instead of on EoE tells me that they're already outplaying the others.

I was never that impressed with Kim and last night is why. Playing against fools like Kat and Tarzan is one thing; playing against people with something on the ball is another thing entirely, as she just learned. I don't agree that she handled it well at all; yes, she's still there, but that's only because Sandra wanted Amber gone. When Kim found out she was a target, she didn't try to pull people into her alliance and target someone else; instead she got all teary-eyed and insecure and whiny and fell to the ground in front of Sandra to demonstrate her desire to stay in the game or whatever. To me, she was every bit as embarrassing as Ben was when he was schvitzing over Boston Rob.

15 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Seriously though, watching so many great players (and Ben)

LOL

14 hours ago, Wandering Snark said:

I had a pretty good handle on everyone competing except I was all "There was a Sophie? She won huh? Okay..."

As someone else mentioned, she looks a bit different. She's blonde now and looks thinner. For me, the biggest difference is that she was smiling and pleasant last night. She spent all of South Pacific sneering and being rude to people. I could not stand her in South Pacific, but if this version of Sophie sticks around, I could end up liking her a lot. Being allied with Yul, Wendell, and ... Nick? helps too because I love all of them.

3 hours ago, Riplet68 said:

Robb snd Amber have to have a plan for one or both being voted out; theyre not stupid.  Im sure Rob went over multiple options and what the next step would be.

Yeah, there was that one moment where Amber was talking about how it would be dumb not to get rid of Sandra and described how Sandra will rat out people for floating someone else's name, then they cut to a clip of Sandra ratting out ... Nick? (I'm sorry, Nick, I like you, but for some reason, everything goes gray when you come onscreen) for floating someone's name. Rob knew Sandra was playing and he's played with her, so I'm sure they discussed her extensively, as well as everyone else who was likely to play.

2 hours ago, candall said:

I read all three pages before I posted.  EVERYONE LOVES YUL!  It's the first time we've all agreed. 

: )

I know, right? He's one of the best people to ever play this game. Anyone who doesn't love Yul needs to examine their own values, is my thinking on the matter.

 

[laurakaye]

1 hour ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Some of you really wanted Vee to come back?  Seriously?  One of the least deserving and least talented players (not just winners) in the history of this game.

Any other season and she's a pre-merge boot.

Having just re-watched Marquesas, Vee won her share of immunity challenges and was up against Neleh in the FTC  - sweet lil' Neleh, who sat in front of the jury and admitted that she only started playing the game on day 24, while Vecepia stayed far under the radar and made quiet moves to make sure her name wasn't the one coming up.  It wasn't a flashy game by any means but she still won.

I think an argument could be made for every winner, even the less memorable ones.  Sophie also seems to be a forgettable winner but the fact that she managed to play Coach, manage Brandon Hantz and beat Ozzy makes her a deserving winner, too.

[amazingracefan]

42 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

For the first time in many years, I didn't watch.  I DVR'd it from my phone at the last minute, but when I got home I had zero interest in watching it.   

With EOE, nothing matters until the final EOE challenge.   Why bother to watch?

It's just redemption island

[Josh371982]

2 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

I have to admit I'm unreasonably excited to see Rob's face at the next IC when the tribe walks in and Rob see's Amber isn't there.  Will he keep the poker face, get pissed, give Sandra the stink eye or keep cool but vent it all in a talking head?  As much as I don't want this to be the Rob/Parvati/Sandra season I am looking forward to the screen time Rob might get for his reaction.

Tyson please don't make me like you - I'm very comfortable rolling my eyes at that fact that you're even a contestant and you have to go and share something cute and sweet with the "My kids and I made a daisy chain to count down the days" remark.

Yul is still a handsome devil and I'm happy to see him go as far as he can.  Ethan too because he's pretty nice and chill but I wonder if he's mellowed to the point where it's too much nice not enough game play or if he's holding back.  Other than that there was too much going on, too many people; pretty much like the first episode of any season where even though we know these people (some more than others) it's too soon to see who is going to stand out, who really has their game play and alliance's going and who is going to crash and burn early.

Also how did half of Sandra's tribe fall for her "I heard so and so throw out your name for the vote" ploy?  Have they never seen her play before?  She is the last one they should be trusting to tell them the truth especially when it's about something that keeps her in the game.

Robs probably gonna know Amber's on EOE before the Challenge. Remember the Token Jeremy got from Natalie? Robs gonna get the same thing and likely know pretty quickly his wife was voted out 

[amazingracefan]

51 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

Yes. She won Redemption Island 2 - the season that brought back Coach and Ozzy. It was also Cochran's first season and introduced us to nutty Brandon Hantz.

To her credit, she won the crucial Final 4 immunity challenge, which allowed them to get rid of Ozzy, as this was pre having to make fire at Final 4.

And that helped secure her the win because Ozzy was on path to actually win that season since most of the tribe members hated the alliance of Sophie, Coach and Albert. 

Was that the one where they all helped out against Ozzy at the final immunity to make him lose, some kind of puzzle I think it was.  That left a really sour taste for me, it was meant to be an individual immunity where they all compete against each other.  Just remembering that turns me against her.  They were so scared of him they felt the only way to beat him in a challenge was to help her out.

Edited February 13, 2020 by amazingracefan

[Arkay]

I'm another one of those who have watched every episode of Survivor, yet have no memory of Sophie. I also don't remember Danni, though most of you seem to remember her. 

I want Ethan to win for all the reasons....he's kind, he's spent his post-Survivor life on charitable endeavors, and of course because he twice came close to death. His joy in being alive and well enough to play again is the personification of happiness and I'm rooting for him completely. I do love Yul as well, and I love Adam, even though he doesn't seem popular here. 

I have never cared for Rob or Sandra, and last season's idolatry of them went way overboard for me. Rob's clever and persuasive, yes, but an actual hill-sized idol of him was undeserved, in my opinion. It took him four tries to win, so he isn't the greatest of the great. 

It makes total sense to knock out Amber. Someone above noted that in a Survivor alliance, particularly New Order Survivor, one can never be certain of an alliance's loyalty. For Rob and Amber, there is no ambiguity. A win for one is a win for both, and obviously they will always be loyal to one another. They already have won $2 million between them, and Sandra has won $2 million. I would want them out A.S.A.P. 

[Rachel RSL]

36 minutes ago, Matty said:

No matter how you may feel about Sandra she is the only person to win this game twice. She is a hell of a competitor.

The only thing that makes me sad about this season is that Sandra will no longer be the only 2-time winner.  That being said, if she loses, I'm already prepared to fanwank that she's still the Queen because winning against a bunch of non-winners is harder than winning against a full season of winners (where everyone has the same target painted on them) /Sandra fangirl

36 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I think I'll just tune in for the final EOE challenge to find out who the Sole Survivor will be.

You say that but you know you're gonna get sucked in and post  every week 😉

 

14 minutes ago, Josh371982 said:

The hate from what I've seen comes from people who were ok with Production helping Rick but not Ben

If you're specifically referring to things posted here on this site, I think you're misremembering.  Rick Devens was on that horrible Edge of Extinction season and nobody here was ok with anything that happened on that season.  Rick might have been more tolerable than some of the others but it's not like he was a fan favourite.  Pretty much everyone here disliked almost everything about that season so, no, nobody was ok with anything Production did that season.

13 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

He's one of the best people to ever play this game. Anyone who doesn't love Yul needs to examine their own values, is my thinking on the matter.

Co-sign! (I also feel the same way about people who don't love monkeys.)

[himela]

I understand the logic behind not voting out Rob; Rob has shown that if you are aligned with him, he treats you good and protects you. They know that sooner or later a swap is going to happen so Rob would very easily be targeted by another tribe. Why make yourself the one to vote out Rob, lose a big meat shield and piss off all his allies from the other side?

I also get why Natalie gave Sandra the immunity idol; She knew that Sandra was the biggest target in that tribe and also the weakest member in challenges, so she gave Sandra the opportunity to blind side someone. It was a smart move. Also, making Sandra your friend is never bad.

I'm glad Amber left, I consider her a bad player and it's a shame she is in the winners' list and some really great players aren't.

[Cornhusker12]

2 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Also, poor Tyson, wahhhhh. "I can't work a 9 to 5 job like everyone else". Well, I can't do it either, but I do cause like, adulting.

I'm confused by this haha. Wasn't he talking about how grateful he was that winning Survivor enabled him to be a stay at home dad rather than work a 9-5 job? Did I miss something there?

[Cornhusker12]

3 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I'm an oddball because Tony has never bothered me.  I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a Tony fan but his antics tend to amuse me rather than annoy me.  I mean, that underground spy shack he tried to build last time was hilarious!

I am the only person I've ever talked to or seen posts from who absolutely loves Tony hahaha. He's insane, he's constantly at a 10, he makes wild leaps that either miraculously work out or totally faceplant, I'm just completely entertained by the guy.

Now that I'm seeing him again he kinda reminds me of Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems, another character that I absolutely loved watching while others couldn't stand to sit through 3 minutes haha.

[ProfCrash]

2 minutes ago, Cornhusker12 said:

I'm confused by this haha. Wasn't he talking about how grateful he was that winning Survivor enabled him to be a stay at home dad rather than work a 9-5 job? Did I miss something there?

Pretty much. He did say he could never work a 9-5 job which was a bit eye roll inducing but the context was more that Survivor allowed him to not worry about that. Had he not found Survivor he would had to figure put that job thing. I am sure he would have figured it out, most of us do.

[Cornhusker12]

8 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

Pretty much. He did say he could never work a 9-5 job which was a bit eye roll inducing but the context was more that Survivor allowed him to not worry about that. Had he not found Survivor he would had to figure put that job thing. I am sure he would have figured it out, most of us do.

Ohhh gotcha yeah I missed that bit, makes sense now

[amazingracefan]

4 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I'm an oddball because Tony has never bothered me.  I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a Tony fan but his antics tend to amuse me rather than annoy me.  I mean, that underground spy shack he tried to build last time was hilarious!

The whole spyshack thing was copied on the AU version, outside the show the guy gave credit for the idea to Tony but they never broadcast that it wasn't an original idea.

Edited February 13, 2020 by amazingracefan

[cleo]

I don't mind Tony. I've always swung between amused and irritated. So far I've been amused. It helps that everyone knows his tricks now. I also thought he was making more sense in tribal than Amber. Of course he was talking to people and trying to make things happen. What did she expect?

[MrsR]

Really surprised at Sandra targeting Amber.  I put forth a super alliance theory of Rob, Tyson, Ethan, Amber, Parvati and Sandra. Well it looked like that might come to be but Sandra mucked it up. Another factor is that outside the game Sandra and Rob are super tight with Courtney Yates and both visit her in New York for a yearly party. Very confusing Sandra.

 

So many folks I like. Yul, Wendell and Nick. Jeremy and Natalie. My heart broke for Natalie. I loathe Tony and Sarah.

And Ben, what a fool. What an utter fool.

Rob and Parv's talk on the beach was everything!

 

[amazingracefan]

1 hour ago, Josh371982 said:

The Hate for Ben cracks me up. It was ok that Producers did everything to keep Rick in but not for Ben. Rick was overrated like Ben is. 

The line has always been that the producers decided on the fire making decider before the season began, not just when it benefited Ben.  With the idols the other contestants didn't really keep that strong an eye on him when they should have been ahead of the game and going for the idols as much as him.

[Cornhusker12]

Since I don't resent Ben or Rob I thought it was equal parts hilarious/charming/impressive how susceptible Ben was to Rob's Jedi mind tricks. I remember now why so many people think producer shenanigans led to Ben's win but I'm not sure why that makes him hateable as a person, he just seems like he's an admittedly kinda simple guy who was able to laugh at himself for being put under Rob's spell so easily in that moment.

It's not like he had any control over the producers allegedly giving him a path to winning his season (unless I'm totally remembering wrong).

[cleo]

If Rob and Sandra are actually super tight they may explain why she is hurt (and then angry) he didn't tell her. Because they could have cooked something up together, especially given they had all that time together. I just didn't think they were that close, but I dont follow people once the show is over.

 

[amazingracefan]

1 hour ago, treeofdreams said:

While the EOE Island still seems to be very unpopular, it adds more depth to the game this time around.  The players on EOE, rather than sitting around, are actively playing behind the scenes.  They can give advantages to remaining players, work against players they don't like, have a hand in messing up people's games.  And the remaining players don't yet know how much the people they vote off can affect them.  That adds an element of "be careful how you treat those you are voting off, they can still hurt you" that they are unaware of, and that might come back to haunt them.  

There is a lot of power to be had on EOE.

See my post at the top of the page, and look back at previous Edge of Extinction and Rick and Aubry both giving extra votes to a player.

[Bryce Lynch]

41 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

It's just redemption island

Are they doing duels or truels nearly every week to eliminate someone for good?  Or can voted out players hang out on EOE for the whole game and get 2 chances to get back in, as it was on EOE?   

At least with RI you had to win challenges to stay in.  

1 hour ago, treeofdreams said:

While the EOE Island still seems to be very unpopular, it adds more depth to the game this time around.  The players on EOE, rather than sitting around, are actively playing behind the scenes.  They can give advantages to remaining players, work against players they don't like, have a hand in messing up people's games.  And the remaining players don't yet know how much the people they vote off can affect them.  That adds an element of "be careful how you treat those you are voting off, they can still hurt you" that they are unaware of, and that might come back to haunt them.  

There is a lot of power to be had on EOE.

I think that makes it worse.  They were voted out, they should go home, and not be on the jury.   Giving voted out players power over the players are still in the game is an insult to the game.   Votes mean next to nothing now.  Why even have them?  

I think they should just hand out participation trophies to everyone in the first episode and let them have a beach party for the rest of the season.  

[nutty1]

37 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

The line has always been that the producers decided on the fire making decider before the season began, not just when it benefited Ben.  With the idols the other contestants didn't really keep that strong an eye on him when they should have been ahead of the game and going for the idols as much as him.

Just curious, because I don’t pay that much attention after a season is over. Was it proven they decided to do the fire making challenge last minute, or just an assumption?

[amazingracefan]

1 minute ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Are they doing duels or truels nearly every week to eliminate someone for good?  Or can voted out players hang out on EOE for the whole game and get 2 chances to get back in, as it was on EOE?   

At least with RI you had to win challenges to stay in.  

I think that makes it worse.  They were voted out, they should go home, and not be on the jury.   Giving voted out players power over the players are still in the game is an insult to the game.   Votes mean next to nothing now.  Why even have them?  

I think they should just hand out participation trophies to everyone in the first episode and let them have a beach party for the rest of the season.  

It's still the same aim, to get someone back in the game. 

Edge of Extinction probably is easier, the idea maybe to have some parallel storyline but that didn't really work as they don't have time with the schedule to show much there anyway

[SoWindsor]

5 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Breaks my heart that Vecepia wasn't even asked, and she would've played if she had.  That's kind of unforgiveable, IMO.

how do you know who was asked and who wasn’t and why the decisions were made?

Edited February 13, 2020 by SoWindsor

[amazingracefan]

2 minutes ago, nutty1 said:

Just curious, because I don’t pay that much attention after a season is over. Was it proven they decided to do the fire making challenge last minute, or just an assumption?

I haven't seen it proven. 

I think they used it on the following season before the Ben season was shown as well?  So they were in for at least more than one season from the start anyway.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

Just getting a chance to comment.  SO glad this is back--I'm giddy with happiness at how good I think this season will be.

 

18 hours ago, Eolivet said:

 

Rob and Jeremy put that tribe on their backs. My god, the rest of them were beyond useless.

I thought my Rob & Jeremy love could grow no higher until I saw that challenge.  Rob LAUNCHING the women over the roller.  Beer belly or no, he remains a challenge BEAST.

Jeremy calmly stepping up and landing those rings?  I screamed with joy and scared the cat.

 

17 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

 

I don’t care what the situation is or how many other winners are playing, how do you not vote out Boston Rob first?! You know he has magic svengali powers, you need to get him out before he has time to activate them! 

 

Russell tried to tell 'em, "You can't leave Boston Rob in this game!"  and all these years later, they still refuse to listen.  And I'm glad.  I think it only shows how masterful a social game he plays.  People know they should vote him out but he's so damn likeable (and useful!) that they always delay his ouster.  Fools.  LOL

 

7 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Same here, re. Sophie, but I'd also add that I have NO recollection of Denise or Michele.  

I remember but Sophie but Adam?  Crickets.  I'm still not convinced he really played because I don't remember him AT ALL.  He was my pick for first boot for just that reason.  

 

6 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

 

Because she doesn't deserve any credit.  She did literally nothing to earn that win, other then attach herself to Rob.  I've seen people say that they're bummed Amber was voted out because they wanted to see how she would play without Rob but, the thing is, we did see it....we saw her play without Rob and she sucked.  She was voted out first.  And we can't really blame that entirely on the fact that her husband was also in the game because Rob was in the exact same position and he managed to have the right conversations with the right people and somehow kept himself out of the line of fire.  (Not to mention, I can't feel sorry for Amber getting voted out because of Rob when the only reason she's on this season in the first place is because of him.)

 

Preach!  I sat there last night waiting for her to do something, ANYTHING to look like she was playing hard and trying to win.  If she strategized, we didn't see it.  She looked overwhelmed and out-matched from the outset and it was smart for Red to get her up outta there.  

For now?  I'm totally Tribe Blue(with the exception of Yul.)  Hope to see Rob, Ethan, Yul & Jeremy go far.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, fishcakes said:

Didn't one of us once suggest an all senior citizen season of Survivor? I think this is pretty close.

It is pretty amazing that there are only 4 people on this season in their 20s (Adam, Michele, Nick and Sophie) and the youngest of those 4 are 28.

[KaveDweller]

 

8 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Because she doesn't deserve any credit.  She did literally nothing to earn that win, other then attach herself to Rob.  I've seen people say that they're bummed Amber was voted out because they wanted to see how she would play without Rob but, the thing is, we did see it....we saw her play without Rob and she sucked.  She was voted out first.  And we can't really blame that entirely on the fact that her husband was also in the game because Rob was in the exact same position and he managed to have the right conversations with the right people and somehow kept himself out of the line of fire.  (Not to mention, I can't feel sorry for Amber getting voted out because of Rob when the only reason she's on this season in the first place is because of him.)

I think all winners deserve credit for their season, because they made it to the end and got people to vote for them. If you can do that, you deserve credit. Amber formed a strong alliance. Not just with Rob, but they had a final four alliance, and then she and Rob had a sub-alliance. She played a role in Rob making her his number 1. Then she used him as a shield so that people were more likely to vote for her at the end. It is a similar tragedy to Natalie White, who beat Russell. 

She also did well in challenges, and I remember she once threw a challenge so that Rob would win and not be on the chopping block. That may sound like she was just protecting him, but she was really in her best interest.

3 hours ago, amazingracefan said:

Was that the one where they all helped out against Ozzy at the final immunity to make him lose, some kind of puzzle I think it was.  That left a really sour taste for me, it was meant to be an individual immunity where they all compete against each other.  Just remembering that turns me against her.  They were so scared of him they felt the only way to beat him in a challenge was to help her out.

Yeah, there was a balancing challenge where Sophie asked her alliance partner to drop his puzzle to help her, in order to beat Ozzy. I don't remember if he actually did. 

She was kind of bratty with it, but I thought it was smart. 

1 hour ago, nutty1 said:

Just curious, because I don’t pay that much attention after a season is over. Was it proven they decided to do the fire making challenge last minute, or just an assumption?

I don't think it's possible to prove when producers made the decision, unless someone hacks into CBS's emails or something. I am not suggesting anyone do that, I'm just saying we'll never know.

[Growsonwalls]

Sandra in Pearl Islands was the scrappy and funny underdog who could barely swim but fought her way to the end. In Heroes vs. Villains she was still sort of like that. She won again.

Since then she's sort of become Reality TV Royalty. Unlike many old Survivor winners she remains very active in the reality tv appearances circuit and many Survivor players now idolize Sandra. That attitude really seeped through last night. 

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, lostmydamnmind said:

YUL! Be still my nerd loving heart.

Interesting, so many comments on Amber leaving her kids, but none about Tyson doing the same. I wonder why that is?

Or Rob?

3 hours ago, Cornhusker12 said:

I am the only person I've ever talked to or seen posts from who absolutely loves Tony hahaha. He's insane, he's constantly at a 10, he makes wild leaps that either miraculously work out or totally faceplant, I'm just completely entertained by the guy.

Now that I'm seeing him again he kinda reminds me of Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems, another character that I absolutely loved watching while others couldn't stand to sit through 3 minutes haha.

Oh come on.  Tony is my favourite player in this season's cast.  His personality has got to be in the top 5 of all time on this show for me personally.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[amazingracefan]

26 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

Yeah, there was a balancing challenge where Sophie asked her alliance partner to drop his puzzle to help her, in order to beat Ozzy. I don't remember if he actually did. 

She was kind of bratty with it, but I thought it was smart.

She definitely got help in that vital immunity (maybe from more than one player) and it's unlikely she would have won it otherwise.  But individual immunities are really meant to be won by individuals.  The only other example I can think of was the Australian version where I think someone - was it Janine? - got someone to come over and swat a fly off them during some immunity challenge.  The Sophie immunity win needed even more help though.

[seacliffsal]

I am just so happy that Survivor is back!  I thought Rob looked older and out of shape which just shows how wrong I can be at times as he literally threw people over the roller on that challenge.  I used to love watching him during challenges as he was so good at so many different types of challenges, so am glad that although he is older he is still able to contribute to his tribe in many different ways.  I'm sure he won't win (no spoilers, just assuming), so I will enjoy him as long as he is in the game.

So happy to see so many familiar faces.  Not so happy to see some returnees I didn't really care for when they won or were on other seasons.

I think doubling the money to $2,000,000 provides the extra incentive to go all out for some of these players.

[DEL901]

6 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

It was nice to hear Tyson say he appreciated Survivor because it allowed him to live how he wants to live. I know plenty of folks who would be perfectly happy to not have to work a regular job, myself included. So I am fine with Tyson owning up to the fact that he has been able to parlay his Survivor experience into a life that he loves.

He has done more then play Survivor. He has a Podcast with Rob C. now. I am assuming that Tyson receives some type of income from those podcasts.

If I am remembering correctly, Tyson was a professional bike racer, or aspiring bike racer, when he first played.

I think he does Survivor-related events to draw an income, which has let him be a stay at home dad with his kids.   Good for him. 

Edited February 14, 2020 by DEL901

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I am just so happy that Survivor is back!  I thought Rob looked older and out of shape which just shows how wrong I can be at times as he literally threw people over the roller on that challenge.  I used to love watching him during challenges as he was so good at so many different types of challenges, so am glad that although he is older he is still able to contribute to his tribe in many different ways.  I'm sure he won't win (no spoilers, just assuming), so I will enjoy him as long as he is in the game.

During the rowing portion, when his tribe was having difficulty maneuvering their boat to the platform, I seem to recall Rob leaping from the boat and landing nimbly on the RAILING around the platform. Did I imagine that? If not, he's still got great balance in addition to strength.

Edited to add another observation from that challenge: When Jeff handed over immunity, the tribe pushed Jeremy forward to accept it (justifiably, as his ring-tossing skills got them the win in the end). But then I thought I saw Jeremy offer to let Rob touch it, and Rob seemed to demur with a "nah" expression, as if to say, "the credit is yours." This kind of thing is part of how Rob manages to stick around despite his threat, in my opinion.

Edited February 14, 2020 by tracyscott76

[truthaboutluv]

7 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

During the rowing portion, when his tribe was having difficulty maneuvering their boat to the platform, I seem to recall Rob leaping from the boat and landing nimbly on the RAILING around the platform. Did I imagine that? If not, he's still got great balance in addition to strength.

No, he did. The other factor that made Rob and Amber so strong together during All Stars is that they were both really strong in challenges.