S40.E01: Greatest of the Greats

[BK1978]

15 hours ago, alegtostandon said:

I'm sure I'm in the minority here but I'm not a Sandra fan.  I liked her a bit better last season as a mento.  Her starting out this season with the Queen Sandra bit was old and very immature for a woman her age.  I felt her 2nd win was handed to her because of the Russell hate.

Well I will happily join you in that minority.  What annoyed me with Sandra the most during her first season was when she thought she was the next to go she began sabotaging the camp.  

11 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

 

I've watched every single season and literally just spent 5 minutes trying to remember who won last season, which just ended a couple months ago.  I finally gave up and had to Google it.  (For the record, I did remember Noura.  Couldn't for the life of me remember the other 2 bozos though.)

That is how I am with the EOE winner.  I simply cannot remember him.

2 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Another female winner was Natalie White, I would have been curious to see her play again. Does anyone know if she was asked?

According to Russell H. on his YouTube channel, Natalie has fallen off the face of the earth and nobody seems to know how to contact her.  Which I would think in this day and age would be pretty hard to do but hey maybe she joined an anti-technology cult or something.  Or maybe she does not want Russell ever contacting her.

[SVNBob]

14 hours ago, Alice Mudgarden said:

Oh I have (well... had now haha) no idea who created it, but it was clearly used that season for Rob and Russell.

Oh, agreed.  They imported the RI idea for that reason.  But factually, it was not created for their benefit.

[himela]

I don't know if it's been mentioned but I would be really scared of the Tony - Sarah alliance and it's weird that the players didn't aknowledge it. I mean, they were in the same season, in the same tribe, they are both police officers and I'm sure Sarah has forgiven Tony for blindsiding her. I would be very wary of them.

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by himela

[ProfCrash]

Russell hate may have deprived Parvarti of some votes but I think most of the Heros on the jury remember Sandra telling them Russell was up to no good. It is not her fault that they didn’t listen. Parvarti did herself no favors by participating in the gloating and encouraging Russell’s bullying. Sandra worked with what she had and the Jury saw that.

as for the Queen stuff, eh, it’s her shtick. I like that she is trying to work with Tony. She is her normal self. I don’t think she has a chance in hell of winning but I enjoy her lack of subtlety. 

[marys1000]

21 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I'm fairly certain Amber only won 1 challenge during that season.  Rob, on the other hand, is almost always a beast in challenges. (Agree with everyone else - him literally launching people over that roller was amaaaaazing!)

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Amber on a personal level, I just think she is definitely not even close to being one of the best Survivor players.  During the first part of this week's episode, she was talking all sorts of game strategy in her confessionals and I remember thinking that maybe she picked up a lot of tips from Rob over the years and her game was going to be impressive this time.  So it's not like I'm so bitter about her All-Stars win that I was hoping she would fail here, I was hoping to see her play differently and better, I'm just not very surprised that she actually didn't.

Did she add much to their Amazing Race play?  

14 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Colby actually lost to Tina.

More like Colby gave the win to Tina

7 hours ago, BK1978 said:

Well I will happily join you in that minority.  What annoyed me with Sandra the most during her first season was when she thought she was the next to go she began sabotaging the camp.  

That is how I am with the EOE winner.  I simply cannot remember him.

According to Russell H. on his YouTube channel, Natalie has fallen off the face of the earth and nobody seems to know how to contact her.  Which I would think in this day and age would be pretty hard to do but hey maybe she joined an anti-technology cult or something.  Or maybe she does not want Russell ever contacting her.

I was shocked by Sandra but also really entertained.  Didn't she hide someones shoes in the jungle?  LOL
Me neither.    Ok, for fans who is Jud Birza and why wasn't he asked? 

2 hours ago, himela said:

I don't know if it's been mentioned but I would be really scared of the Tony - Sarah alliance and it's weird that the players didn't aknowledge it. I mean, they were in the same season, in the same tribe, they are both police officers and I'm sure Sarah has forgiven Tony for blindsiding her. I would be very wary of them.

 

Had the same thought.  

Edited February 15, 2020 by marys1000

[ProfCrash]

I believe Jud is Fabio who was awful at the game, won, and speculation is he burnt through his winnings smoking pot. There were several winners not included due to substance abuse issues. Todd, Jenna, Jud, and JT are he four I seen named.

[Josh371982]

On 2/14/2020 at 2:25 AM, loki567 said:

I dig the hell out of that Yul/Nick/Wendell/Sophie/Sandra/Sarah/Tony alliance. I hope that's the group that ultimately gains control of the game. Mainly because I love Yul, Sandra, and Tony and can tolerate the others. 

I think Rob and Parvati made a huge mistake targeting Natalie for her Jeremy connection. I could easily see Jeremy wanting to have worked long-term with Rob otherwise. 

If they kick Tony out cant stand that piece of crap. And Yul isn't dumb enough to let Sandra get far.

[Rt66vintage]

On 2/13/2020 at 6:12 AM, TeapotWakeen said:

I'm still processing the votes and strategies, but what I can't get over is WHY WAS THE MUSIC SO LOUD? WAS THE MUSIC ALWAYS THAT LOUD?? I swear, I had to turn on the captions and actually turn off the sound at various points because I just couldn't hear the dialogue anyway. I've seen every show of Survivor and don't ever remember this being a problem for such a long stretch of time and for so many scenes. Maybe it means I'm officially at the HEY YOU KIDS GET OFF MY BEACH level of fandom? No way I can listen to that level of music every week and not be able to follow conversations. Just me?

 

Ah, yes, old age. Become friends with your closed captioning button. It's available on DVD movies too! Wonderful invention. And yes, damnit, background music is too loud everywhere. In real life, if people speak to me directly and not mumble, I can pretty much get the gist of the conversation. Lol

Back to Survivor, is there a Boston Rob fan club I can join? I love everything about him. I also like Tyson; his quiet invitation to the group to eat the rice he apparently bought with his coin was nice. I'm not that invested in the Ben hate, but yeah, he's a dork in a cowboy hat, and not in a good way like Colby or Yul. 

[simplyme]

On 2/14/2020 at 12:09 PM, DEL901 said:

Cochran is also a CBS employee now (writer on one of their shows) so probably cannot participate.

Speaking of Cochran reminded me that in one of the pre-game articles about Yul, they mentioned that he was a mentor to Cochran before Cochran went out to play.

Sophie was the winner of Cochran's first season.

That gives us a Sophie-Yul connection before they got out there.

(Yes, I know Sophie had a crap social game her season, but did you SEE that season? Like everyone had a crap social game in some way. It was appalling. I think once they escaped the island, people liked each other better/ acted more human.)

[simplyme]

5 hours ago, marys1000 said:

I was shocked by Sandra but also really entertained.  Didn't she hide someones shoes in the jungle?  LOL

Nope. The only thing she actually did was toss the fish Rupert caught after he was voted out. Rupert stole shoes from the other tribe, but they were the impractical ones people were wearing at the very start (and some were mismatched, having had their mate lost at sea), not the gym shoes they'd been given. (It was also a pirate theme, and his tribe bartered them for goods before heading out. Smartest thing he did in his many appearances.)

13 hours ago, BK1978 said:

Well I will happily join you in that minority.  What annoyed me with Sandra the most during her first season was when she thought she was the next to go she began sabotaging the camp.

She talked about her plans to, but when things changed so she had hope, she didn't.

[seltzer3]

13 hours ago, BK1978 said:

Well I will happily join you in that minority.  What annoyed me with Sandra the most during her first season was when she thought she was the next to go she began sabotaging the camp.  

That is how I am with the EOE winner.  I simply cannot remember him.

According to Russell H. on his YouTube channel, Natalie has fallen off the face of the earth and nobody seems to know how to contact her.  Which I would think in this day and age would be pretty hard to do but hey maybe she joined an anti-technology cult or something.  Or maybe she does not want Russell ever contacting her.

I know that Natalie White got a ton of flack for winning Samoa.  I hear that she essentially just cut herself off from the Survivor fanbase/world after a couple years, because of that.

[violet and green]

Interestingly, having rewatched the whole damn thing again - and apparently having recovered from the shock of EoE returning and the introduction of tokens - I really enjoyed it this time.

I still do think it suffered from to much focus on duller contestants, but god bless they are pretty middle-aged(-ish!) and probably jetlagged and will spring to life again shortly, no doubt. But meanwhile the enjoyable bits were superenjoyable on rewatch, with the remote on hand to rewind, etc.

Having become a major Boston Rob fan in the interim, by bingewatching old seasons after he surprised me with his likable persona in Giant Heads Edition Survivor, I was all in for his return and he didn't disappoint.

The formerly loathsome Parvati and Rob joining up is delightful. Ethan's enthusiasm for life itself and being in the game is contagious. The scenery looked particularly pristine and beautiful. I'm adoring the smaller snippets of Tony. The nerdy alliance of Yul and co is sweet to watch... I see promise on both tribes for the season ahead.

I really don't like EoE and hate the time wasted there, but hopefully that establishing segment will be the last extended footage and we can just get on with it; and it is nice to think of Amber able to help Rob from afar via the dread tokens, etc.

It was also helpful to read Dalton's remarkable restrained recap in EW that filled in on a lot of what was omitted that I missed seeing, who voted for who, etc. So all in all, I feel back on board for Winners at War, or Whiners at War in Sandra's case currently. Let it go! I wished they'd booted her instead of Amber first off.

 

 

[Asha124]

2 hours ago, simplyme said:

(Yes, I know Sophie had a crap social game her season, but did you SEE that season? Like everyone had a crap social game in some way. It was appalling. I think once they escaped the cult, people liked each other better/ acted more human.)

Fixed that for you.

[Guest]

8 hours ago, marys1000 said:

Did she add much to their Amazing Race play?

Doesn't relate to this show so I won't go into detail, but yes, Amber did add much to their time on the Amazing Race. Rob was naturally more dominant, because he just is, but she was right there with him. You get a much better sense of her and their dynamic (at least as it was in those early days) by watching that show, particularly their first season.

Back to Survivor, I did enjoy in a bittersweet way the parallel between when Amber's tribe lost immunity on All-Stars and this season. In both cases, Rob was worried that she was doomed, but of course the first time he put the suggestion in Lex's head of helping them out and she survived, whereas this time she didn't. When the tribes reunited in All-Stars, Rob was so happy to see Amber was still there, but this time, he's going to strongly suspect that it didn't work out that way as soon as he gets that Fire Token. 😞 

[Josh371982]

2 hours ago, seltzer3 said:

I know that Natalie White got a ton of flack for winning Samoa.  I hear that she essentially just cut herself off from the Survivor fanbase/world after a couple years, because of that.

Man that's a shame. I personally loved her kicking his ass in the final vote and it's a shame she got ridiculed for it. That nasty little troll earned his loss being a nasty arrogant obnoxious troll and having a really bad social game and it's a shame there are people in a fanbase that think you can be a nasty little troll and still win " cause they did everything and Jury is just bitter" When jury Mangement is a big part of the game and you gotta stab them without an unlikable nasty human being

1 minute ago, tracyscott76 said:

Doesn't relate to this show so I won't go into detail, but yes, Amber did add much to their time on the Amazing Race. Rob was naturally more dominant, because he just is, but she was right there with him. You get a much better sense of her and their dynamic (at least as it was in those early days) by watching that show, particularly their first season.

Back to Survivor, I did enjoy in a bittersweet way the parallel between when Amber's tribe lost immunity on All-Stars and this season. In both cases, Rob was worried that she was doomed, but of course the first time he put the suggestion in Lex's head of helping them out and she survived, whereas this time she didn't. When the tribes reunited in All-Stars, Rob was so happy to see Amber was still there, but this time, he's going to strongly suspect that it didn't work out that way as soon as he gets that Fire Token. 😞 

Yep. He's not stupid and he's gonna know when he gets that token that's she more than likely out 

[marys1000]

Russel Hantz has a podcast?  (Mentioned above) 

I just lost some love for Yul.  He mentored Cochran?  Bad enouch Cochran but what is this mentoring thing?  

Yoy get a spot on Survivor and....hire a winner to jelp you learn the game?  Hate it

[Jobiska]

I thought it was funny that there were parallel builders/carpenters on each tribe (Rob and Wendell) who didn't really necessarily want to jump into that role but felt they had to.  

I know IQ isn't everything, but I have to think that the foursome of Yul, Wendell, Sophie, and Nick may have one of the highest combined conventionally measured intelligence scores of any alliance of four on Survivor (I know, we can't measure it, I just feel it, for whatever it's worth.  And i also know that back in the day Probst said that Heidi-now-Hamels-I-forget-her-maiden-name had the highest intelligence score as of that season).

I was mostly intrigued by the snake/crab battle because those sea snakes are poisonous and I went off on a mental tangent of whether there was any way it could poison the crab or would the shell protect it.  I was once on a purported snorkeling trip in Fiji, but the water was really too rough to get out of the boat, and I was kind of glad it was when I saw one of those sea snakes (medium sized, not a baby like that one) rearing itself half out of the water kinda looking at the boat!  

Interesting how in the well chat with Sandra, Sarah, and Yul, when he said he was an outsider, Sarah immediately said "You're not, but okay," and it sort of felt not just a rote reassurance but like she really meant it.  

I like-to-love all the people that are commonly disliked, such as Tyson, Tony, etc. and I am not sick of Sandra.  But Yul is my favorite.  And Wendell is my Philly guy so I am rooting for him too. The ones who I'm not as interested in their gameplay at least mainly seem like pleasant enough people (e.g. Ben).  I always liked Sophie in her season and feel like I am about the only person who remembers her!  

[PrePreBabylonia]

On 2/13/2020 at 6:22 PM, Growsonwalls said:

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. 

 

I really liked Sandra in her first two seasons but I thought she was pretty useless as a mentor, basically repeating what Rob originally said and just talking to hear herself speak. Already, I have had enough. Colossal ego. She could go next, I'd be very happy about that.

On 2/14/2020 at 2:49 PM, 30 Helens said:

Cirie is the best!! She was so totally robbed in her last outing, when she was voted off by default because everybody else had immunity.  I’m still mad about that one.

 

On 2/14/2020 at 4:22 PM, Rachel RSL said:

Cirie is a master! It's a tragedy (in terms of reality tv - not actual real life tragedies, of course) that she never actually won. You would think her getting idol'ed out of the game would have been a wake up call to TPTB that this idol shit was getting out of hand but noooooooooo, of course Probst thought the drama was great.  Ugh!  Still so bitter about that.

Well, different viewpoints from mine. I remembered Cirie as a lazy whining lump that added nothing to her seasons, I would have been completely disappointed if she had won. Didn't like Vi either, more sitting on her ass and trying to run things from her throne of negativity. At least Sandra was amusing originally with her comments. I don't need to see athletic feats out there but at least try to pull your weight a bit in camp and in challenges.

On 2/15/2020 at 2:14 AM, BK1978 said:

Well I will happily join you in that minority.  What annoyed me with Sandra the most during her first season was when she thought she was the next to go she began sabotaging the camp.  

I didn't mind her back then but maybe I was more easily amused. Now I don't find her entertaining at all, will be happy to see her go.

On 2/15/2020 at 9:58 AM, marys1000 said:

Did she add much to their Amazing Race play? 

I don't remember much about it, other than the two of them always worked well as a team, never any squabbling like you commonly see in romantic couples. Amber has a solid social game and the two of them formed strong alliances with other couples (which they ditched when the time was right). I also remember her as being supremely organized with lists and keeping Rob on an even keel.

17 hours ago, Josh371982 said:

Man that's a shame. I personally loved her kicking his ass in the final vote and it's a shame she got ridiculed for it. That nasty little troll earned his loss being a nasty arrogant obnoxious troll and having a really bad social game and it's a shame there are people in a fanbase that think you can be a nasty little troll and still win " cause they did everything and Jury is just bitter" When jury Mangement is a big part of the game and you gotta stab them without an unlikable nasty human being

That's so unfair, I recall Natalie playing a superb game. It wasn't just her superior social skills, she also excelled in the competitions. She deserved her win!

Edited February 16, 2020 by PrePreBabylonia

[SVNBob]

17 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Russell hate may have deprived Parvarti of some votes but I think most of the Heros on the jury remember Sandra telling them Russell was up to no good. It is not her fault that they didn’t listen. Parvarti did herself no favors by participating in the gloating and encouraging Russell’s bullying. Sandra worked with what she had and the Jury saw that.

From all accounts I've heard, she was as much a victim of the gloating as the Heroes.  Meaning that, while she did gloat the one time in private shortly after the Idol Pass actually happened (as we were shown), every subsequent reading of the letter was him doing so against her protests.  Parv herself is too savvy a social player to deliberately piss off jury members.  He was obviously not.

 

15 hours ago, marys1000 said:

Did [Amber] add much to their Amazing Race play? 

 

4 minutes ago, PrePreBabylonia said:

I don't remember much about it, other than the two of them always worked well as a team, never any squabling like you commonly see in romantic couples. Amber has a solid social game and the two of them formed strong alliances with other couples (which they ditched when the time was right). I also remember her as being supremely organized with lists and keeping Rob on an even keel.

This is a key factor in their performance.  A pre-fatherhood Rob really needed a s*** wrangler, and Amber has proven from the beginnings of their relationship to be the perfect one for him.  But beyond that, Amber also performed well in every Race task that they did, including Roadblocks that she had to perform solo

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Jobiska said:

I always liked Sophie in her season and feel like I am about the only person who remembers her!  

You're not the only one! I loved Sophie; she was the pin of snark that that season of ridiculous balloons needed. She was one of the winners I was most excited to see return. So far, so good for her.

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, Jobiska said:

I always liked Sophie in her season and feel like I am about the only person who remembers her!  

I too liked Sophie and was super pumped when she won. She's one of the select few winners I predicted early on in the season. Also, I love her hair!

Quote

Interesting how in the well chat with Sandra, Sarah, and Yul, when he said he was an outsider, Sarah immediately said "You're not, but okay," and it sort of felt not just a rote reassurance but like she really meant it.  

I didn't notice that but it intrigues me. I love Yul but I am hoping someone sees through the "I'm an outsider!" bullshit that he's laying on so thick. 

[Hudson0325]

13 hours ago, marys1000 said:

I just lost some love for Yul.  He mentored Cochran?  Bad enouch Cochran but what is this mentoring thing?  

Yoy get a spot on Survivor and....hire a winner to jelp you learn the game?  Hate it

That’s not quite how it happened. According to Yul, after he won Survivor, he was working in DC (I think at the FCC) when one of the interns told him there was a Harvard student who was a big Survivor fan and asked to meet Yul. So he met Cochran and they chatted about the show. This was before Cochran played Survivor and no, he didn’t hire Yul after he got his spot on the show a few years later.

[Rt66vintage]

Yesterday I was Boston Rob's biggest fan. Later in the day I watched Rob Cesterino interview him & Amber on the red carpet. It was a YouTube E clip. So a few minutes in, Ethan comes up to Rob C, who's a great fan of the show, and Boston R starts making fun of Ethan's tweed jacket, saying [paraphrased], "Oh, look at him in his vintage jacket, straight from the 90s American Eagle..." Ethan turned around to talk to someone else. 

Now, there's Boston Rob in a pink untucked 2XL shirt hanging down over his pants zipper, so let's say size 2XL Tall. Come on Rob, you're better than that, I had no idea you were so insecure. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

I too liked Sophie and was super pumped when she won. She's one of the select few winners I predicted early on in the season. Also, I love her hair!

I admit being somewhat perplexed when I first saw her hair in the promotional photos, but once I saw it in motion, I guess I "got" it better. I think it looks nice!

[Jobiska]

7 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

I admit being somewhat perplexed when I first saw her hair in the promotional photos, but once I saw it in motion, I guess I "got" it better. I think it looks nice!

I found the promotional photos, especially the black and white ones, had "rugged outdoorsperson" dialed up to 11.  Denise was almost unrecognizable!  They'd all fit in with the crew deemed (I think by Sophie?) the "gritty ones" (Tony, Sandra, and Sarah).  heh.

Oh, speaking of gritty, I just realized that Tony does kind of act like the new Flyers Mascot Gritty.  

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Jobiska said:

Oh, speaking of gritty, I just realized that Tony does kind of act like the new Flyers Mascot Gritty.

So that's what's under all that orange hair!

[PrePreBabylonia]

On 2/16/2020 at 10:41 AM, Rt66vintage said:

Yesterday I was Boston Rob's biggest fan. Later in the day I watched Rob Cesterino interview him & Amber on the red carpet. It was a YouTube E clip. So a few minutes in, Ethan comes up to Rob C, who's a great fan of the show, and Boston R starts making fun of Ethan's tweed jacket, saying [paraphrased], "Oh, look at him in his vintage jacket, straight from the 90s American Eagle..." Ethan turned around to talk to someone else. 

Now, there's Boston Rob in a pink untucked 2XL shirt hanging down over his pants zipper, so let's say size 2XL Tall. Come on Rob, you're better than that, I had no idea you were so insecure. 

I don't know that it was insecurity, as much as playing his on-air persona of villain. I think you could expect that kind of talk from a lot of guys, and most of them would snap right back with a retaliatory insult. Unless they are kind of quiet or just plain nice, as Ethan clearly is, at this point too, we don't know how far the two of them go. If they were to both make it to final Tribal Council, I would expect that kind of a tease, especially if Rob expected to lose to him in that last vote.

Overall, I find Boston Rob to be  highly entertaining, and I would love to see him replace Jeff Probst when that day finally comes, but he has an edgy side to him. Watching him in any of his reality show appearances, I generally like him but he does and says somethings that I find questionable. I think in real life I would like him, but not totally trust him not to shred me to pieces in private. Or on TV!

Edited February 17, 2020 by PrePreBabylonia
Wrangling missing letters....

[seltzer3]

38 minutes ago, PrePreBabylonia said:

I don't know that it was insecurity, as much as playing his on-a persona of villain. I think you could expect that kind of talk from a lot of guys, and most of them would snap right back with a retaliatory insult. Unless they are kind of quiet or just plain nice, as Ethan clearly is. at this point too, we don't know how far the two of them go. If they were to both make it to final Tribal Council, I would expect that kind of a tease, especially if Rob expected to lose to him in that last vote.

Overall, I find Boston Rob to be  highly entertaining, and I would love to see him replace Jeff Probst when that day finally comes, but he has an edgy side to him. Watching him in any of his reality show appearances, I generally like him but he does and says somethings that I find questionable. I think in real life I would like him, but not totally trust him not to shred me to pieces in private. Or on TV!

The Ethan/Rob relationship is probably the most curious one.  Since Rob and Ethan had some bad blood between them during All-Stars (and that Ethan and Lex are best friends).  Also Ethan used to date Amber, before she dated Rob (Survivor during the first 10 seasons had a ton of cross-dating).  Granted a lot of years have passed, so hopefully most of that is under the bridge.

Which is why I'm upset that Vecepia from Marquesas didn't get on to the all winners season.  I think that would have been a really interesting dynamic.  Since both Vee and Rob are both really good friends with Sean Rector.  But Vee actually backstabbed Rob, by voting him off at the merge.  I hate that Survivor now pretends that Marquesas is simply Boston Rob, when there were a lot of interesting characters as well.

Edited February 16, 2020 by seltzer3

[tvgoddess]

47 minutes ago, seltzer3 said:

The Ethan/Rob relationship is probably the most curious one.  Since Rob and Ethan had some bad blood between them during All-Stars (and that Ethan and Lex are best friends).  Also Ethan used to date Amber, before she dated Rob (Survivor during the first 10 seasons had a ton of cross-dating).  Granted a lot of years have passed, so hopefully most of that is under the bridge.

What is the bad blood that happened between them during All Stars? Even back then, I thought that Rob thought of him as a good competitor. And they never were on the same tribe.

[PhilMarlowe2]

Not to add my voice to a familiar chorus, but seriously? I know I watched Heroes/Hustlers/Healers, and I see that Ben created a lot of controversy here, and I am telling you: I have zero memory of this guy. I even went and watched some highlight clips from this season - and I do not recognize any of these people! It's honestly making me concerned for my memory!

That said, I do remember Denise - the sex therapist who teamed up with Malcolm - but I don't remember her winning.

[Jextella]

The Yul/Sophie/Wendell/Nick alliance is pretty interesting.   It has bundled together players with pretty amazing academic credentials.  I'm really eager to see how they do.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, tvgoddess said:

What is the bad blood that happened between them during All Stars? Even back then, I thought that Rob thought of him as a good competitor. And they never were on the same tribe.

Mostly I remember early on, when they did that sort of "Memory/Go Fish" challenge where they were looking for pairs of objects and had to ask other players what they had. Rob asked Ethan if he had a particular item and began with "Hey, pretty boy..." and Ethan looked up XD

Other than that, I don't remember a lot of direct conflict. But as was mentioned, Ethan had dated Amber in the past, and Rob, already smitten, was perhaps projecting some jealousy. I have no idea how things played out between them afterwards (if at all).

[violet and green]

4 hours ago, seltzer3 said:

  I hate that Survivor now pretends that Marquesas is simply Boston Rob, when there were a lot of interesting characters as well.

There were - but Vee wasn't one of them!

[Rachel RSL]

On 2/15/2020 at 8:03 AM, ProfCrash said:

Russell hate may have deprived Parvarti of some votes but I think most of the Heros on the jury remember Sandra telling them Russell was up to no good. It is not her fault that they didn’t listen. Parvarti did herself no favors by participating in the gloating and encouraging Russell’s bullying. Sandra worked with what she had and the Jury saw that.

I’ve always been convinced that Sandra sealed her victory at the TC where Russell said, almost in disbelief, that Sandra had openly said that she was against him. The jury ate that shit up! Love her or hate her, she’s a master at jury management, which is why these people will never let her get even close to the end this time. 

On 2/15/2020 at 9:28 PM, Jobiska said:

Interesting how in the well chat with Sandra, Sarah, and Yul, when he said he was an outsider, Sarah immediately said "You're not, but okay," and it sort of felt not just a rote reassurance but like she really meant it.  

I’ve grown to really love Sarah over the years. She’s got that kind of monotone voice that makes her come across as kind of....bland? (for lack of a better word) But she has always struck me as a genuinely kind person. 

6 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Mostly I remember early on, when they did that sort of "Memory/Go Fish" challenge where they were looking for pairs of objects and had to ask other players what they had. Rob asked Ethan if he had a particular item and began with "Hey, pretty boy..." and Ethan looked up XD

Heh. I forgot about that. I loved that challenge. After seeing them use one of the old school challenges in the first episode, I’m really hoping they bring back a lot of the oldies but goodies for this season. I’m so sick of obstacle course followed by puzzle! I want “Listen to a story then cross a weird ass bridge to 5 different stations while you crawl over each other to get there”. I want “Collect symbols while blindfolded in a giant maze” I want “Answer questions then cut ropes to eliminate people one by one” I really hope we get nothing but old school challenges!

[Fukui San]

Hey, so I haven't watched in a bit and am catching up to the first episode now. I have a question about recent seasons. In the seasons in which new players played alongside returning players in one way or another, have new players ever won those seasons? What are the stats on that?

[awaken]

On 2/15/2020 at 11:39 AM, ProfCrash said:

I believe Jud is Fabio who was awful at the game, won, and speculation is he burnt through his winnings smoking pot. There were several winners not included due to substance abuse issues. Todd, Jenna, Jud, and JT are he four I seen named.

Oh no. JT?  Todd?  I just learned about Jenna. This makes me sad. 

[Asha124]

6 hours ago, Fukui San said:

Hey, so I haven't watched in a bit and am catching up to the first episode now. I have a question about recent seasons. In the seasons in which new players played alongside returning players in one way or another, have new players ever won those seasons? What are the stats on that?

Guatemala, South Pacific, Philippines and EoE had 2-4 returning players, and a newbie won. Other than that I can't think of any other season with returning players won by a newbie. Both FvF, BvW 1, RI were won by returning players. So 50/50? If I haven't forgotten a season.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Asha124

[truthaboutluv]

7 hours ago, awaken said:

Oh no. JT?  Todd?  I just learned about Jenna. This makes me sad. 

Wow, surprised you didn’t know about Todd. He was featured on Dr. Phil’s show and the whole thing made some entertainment shows. It was pretty harrowing stuff. 

I think people are making way too big a deal about the Rob and Ethan thing. Rob is a snarky person who snarks on everyone.

Kind of been his thing since his first season and one of the things that makes him an entertaining player to watch. Look at how he made fun of Dean last season and his never ending flexing. It doesn’t mean he’s harboring some deep resentment or jealousy or even dislike of that person.

And seriously, Ethan and Amber dated for like half a minute before Rob and Amber even met and the latter are going on 15 years of marriage and four kids. I cannot imagine this is still something that factors in those three lives’.

Edited February 17, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[himela]

6 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

Rob is a snarky person who snarks on everyone.

Kind of been his thing since his first season and one of the things that makes him an entertaining player to watch.

 

... and an unlikeable human being in my eyes.

[Rachel RSL]

1 hour ago, himela said:

... and an unlikeable human being in my eyes.

If you feel that way about snark, you must haaaaate most of us here. Me for sure! 😂  His sense of humor has always amused me. Even just the memory of “Hey, pretty boy...” cracked me up!

[ProfCrash]

9 hours ago, awaken said:

Oh no. JT?  Todd?  I just learned about Jenna. This makes me sad. 

I am not sold on JT but there was a topic at Survivor Sucks and it sounds like JT is having some issues but it wasn’t clear with what substance(s). Honestly, I would have been disappointed if JT was invited back. He was awful in his later appearances.  

[Cornhusker12]

3 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I think people are making way too big a deal about the Rob and Ethan thing. Rob is a snarky person who snarks on everyone.

Yeah he clearly was just goofing around, and Ethan didn't come up to talk to them he was doing an interview next to them and he and Rob kept accidentally bumping into each other before Rob started ribbing him:

That being said, fashion does not seem to be Rob's strong suit so he probably could've chosen something else to razz him for hahah

Edited February 17, 2020 by Cornhusker12

[Matteo]

Yeah, Todd's had some pretty severe issues with alcohol, and I knew about Jenna's arrest or issues.  I haven't ever really heard anything about JT or Fabio... Also, if anyone knows, was Mike Holloway asked to play? Not one of my favorite winners, but just curious.

[Nashville]

On 2/14/2020 at 4:43 PM, Josh371982 said:

Probst jumping the gun saying this seasons winner would be the greatest ever! UMM hardly. If not Sandra the winner has 2 wins like she does. But then with his disrespect to the women at times and slobbering over guys like Rob and Tony Probst probably wanted a guy to win 

Dunno about that.  Whoever wins this season could conceivably be said to have won against stiffer competition than any of them (including Sandra) have faced previously - plus, they’ll have won more Survivor prize money than anybody else in history. 😉 

[Rachel RSL]

6 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Dunno about that.  Whoever wins this season could conceivably be said to have won against stiffer competition than any of them (including Sandra) have faced previously - plus, they’ll have won more Survivor prize money than anybody else in history. 😉 

Damn you! That’s a good counterpoint to my previously mentioned fanwank plan if Sandra loses. 

*sticks fingers in ears*  I can’t hear you lalalalalalalalalalalalalalala!!!

[Hanahope]

So this is a criticism more of Survivor's casting than anything else, but seriously, but for Sandra, Denise and Natalie, I could not tell the rest of the women winners apart.  If you lined them up, I could not pick out who was Kim, Sophie, Parvati, Danni, Amber, Michelle, Sarah.   Of course, part of that is because the winning men always seemed to be asked back to play other 'returning players' seasons much more often than the winning women, so you get to know them more (close, but non-winning women seemed to get asked back more).  I probably could pick out Parvati and Sarah, because they have played more than once. 

It didn't help that I'm fairly certain 75% of the talking heads/flashbacks were men.  Did we even get a talking head with Natalie before she was voted out?  Nice that they give EoE players a bit more to do this time, at least.

I know Sandra and Rob knew each other was coming back. They knew while filiming Island of the Idols. They have something planned, if they get that far.  Maybe that's why Sandra was ok with voting out Amber, so he'd rely on her more.

 

[RedbirdNelly]

On 2/12/2020 at 10:41 PM, Wandering Snark said:

I had a pretty good handle on everyone competing except I was all "There was a Sophie? She won huh? Okay..." I admit, at the end of every reality tv season I purge my mind of any details pretty much but I still recognized everyone. Maybe not Kim... some I'm not happy I remember. Like Ben and Tony *eyeroll*

I despise Nat and her twinnie (ugh I can still hear that rattling around my brain) and was happy to see her voted off. Kinda sucks for Amber but someone's gotta go. Looks like they will have more to do than just sit around EoE all day this time.

Fire tokens? I'm on the fence. I'd love to have a six pack of cold beer were I on EoE though! Hopefully it gives people another strategic tool but these things always seem to go south and we quickly hate them.

I have to admit that for the first time in many a season I was just excited to see how this one will play out and I'm kinda psyched about it. That is with great "this is teevee" trepidation but for now I'm along for the ride. It seems to be an interesting concept at least. For once.

Or I'll be just as bitter and jaded as always in a few weeks.

I've watched every season but still can't remember Sophie. 

I also couldn't remember Denise--even though I remember Malcom. 

I hated EoE the first time around but for this type of all winner game, I'm ok with it so far. I also like that it's a known thing, so it's more a legit part of strategy for everyone. 

I'm hoping they don't start dropping idols everywhere. i would normally hate the fire tokens but again, since this is entirely past winners, I'm ok with mixing it up. 

Voting off Amber was an obvious move. You really can't just let someone sit around with 2 players in the game. I see keeping Rob because he definitely helps with the challenges. 

[marys1000]

1 hour ago, Cornhusker12 said:

Yeah he clearly was just goofing around, and Ethan didn't come up to talk to them he was doing an interview next to them and he and Rob kept accidentally bumping into each other before Rob started ribbing him:

That being said, fashion does not seem to be Rob's strong suit so he probably could've chosen something else to razz him for hahah

Thanks for posting that.  Lots of interesting info there. 

Sandra made it sound like they were asked about 40 when they had been on the S39 island for a few weeks?  Rob said NO right away?  (Sandra said yes) Rob made it sound like a phone call after?  Didn't sound like he was going to say yes till they asked Amber. 

Sandra thought Mike Holloway was a definite should be there.  

The island has wild chickens eggs, and lots of food, So is it still the same island?  Then the EoE people have a bit of a food advantage. 

Ethan really studied and practiced hard to get ready as did Sophie.  Parvati really looks thin, she catch a parasite or something?

Edited February 17, 2020 by marys1000

[RedbirdNelly]

On 2/13/2020 at 1:11 PM, MerBearHou said:

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

Wendell is one of my favorites. Him voting out that Chris ( I believe that was his name) and telling him to stop. rapping. now. is one of my all time favorite moments.

[himela]

5 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

If you feel that way about snark, you must haaaaate most of us here. Me for sure! 😂  His sense of humor has always amused me. Even just the memory of “Hey, pretty boy...” cracked me up!

I don't like people who are trying to be funny in the expense of other people and they end up being between insulting someone and making a joke about them. Really funny people make fun of themselves mostly and not others.