S40.E02: It's Like a Survivor Economy

[Lamima]

10 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Yeah, there several purple edits going on so far. It’s now down to 17 people and they may want to show more of the people not named Rob, Parvati or Ethan (who I like). It seems like Wendell, Nick & Michelle (somewhat) have had little to say thus far.

Michele always has little to say. She is playing same game as last time. BORING!

[Rachel RSL]

12 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Now to be fair, the others were lagging behind before he got to the puzzle. Sophie and Sandra were already working on the puzzle when Sela was still maneuvering their chests to the mat.

True, that's why I said he almost singlehandedly lost them the challenge.  But, really, it was pretty much him who tanked it.  They weren't that far behind in the puzzle and Rob is great at puzzles so I thought for sure they were setting it up for a Rob comeback.  I was so baffled when he started organizing pieces instead of just doing the puzzle.  Yes, organizing the pieces is smart when you have all the time in the world but not when you're competing for immunity on Survivor.  That was such a huge miscalculation on his part.  Very unRob-like. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that his brain was temporarily fried because he was upset about Ambuh.

11 hours ago, LanceM said:

So we know Rob considers Parvai to be his #1 but the question I have is do she feel the same?  

No way!  She may be working with him but you know she'd sell him out in a heartbeat when the time is right.  In fact, that's kind of what I'm hoping to see...her and Rob working together most of the game then she chews him up and spits him out.  Nothing against Rob, I like him, but Parvati is also a master.

11 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Which is also why I'm surprised at all the "Rob will win because these people are idiots", etc . This thing just started. There's a lot of game left to play and EoE just adds an extra layer of gameplay. This thing can take all kinds of turns before the season ends. 

In all fairness, I said that these fools deserve to lose to him (which I seem to say every season he plays lol) but I don't think he actually will win.  I mean, at some point, someone is going to wise up and say: "Uh, shouldn't we ditch this guy before it's too late?"  The only question is will they actually do it before it's too late?  The good thing about being a big target is that everybody is always like "Oh, he's an easy target, we can just vote him out later." They would be wise to do it sooner rather than later.

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

What would Adam have accomplished voting for somebody else if no one else would have voted with him? Sometimes Tribal is about planting the seeds for a future vote.

Exactly.  Adam was in a no-win situation there.  If he doesn't empty his bag, Rob makes a big deal about how Adam must have the idol.  And if he votes for Rob, he's the only one and immediately puts a target on his back.  I know Adam isn't the most popular winner but I've never had a problem with him.  He seems like a nice guy, he clearly knows the game and it's not like his win was handed to him or anything.  Yes, he had a sad story but I still feel like he would have won, even without mentioning his mom.  I'm glad he's getting another chance to play because this time he just seems like he's already enjoying the experience more, like he doesn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders this time.

[Bouffe]

7 minutes ago, neece26 said:

Was the advantage Natalie sent him good for any tribal or just the next one?  They never said whether he "bought" it and obviously he participated in tribal last night which would make me think he didn't.

I went back to check the parchemin Nathalie found. I can't find any specific timeline in which the advantage needs to be used. Just that it allows a player to walk away from TC just before the vote; this person lose their vote for that TC but also cannot be voted out.

It was also not shown if Nathalie had a token in her bag or not from Jeremy buying the advantage. All we see is Jeremy saying he was going to buy it, but we don't know if he did or not.

On the parchemin that Jeremy reads, there is a line at the very bottom that says "the last time this can be used", but I cannot make up what else it says. So it does seem like there is a time limit, but I don't know what it is.

[Wouldofshouldof]

13 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I must watch too many spy movies or something because I saw “water well” the instant they showed that sign. I’m a massive dork.

I was interrupted when the clue was shown onscreen and couldn't be bothered to rewind to read it, but when they showed the well once, twice, three times during their search I knew it was in there. But what the heck, hiding something in their drinking water? I hope they boiled it before drinking it.

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, Bouffe said:

Nathalie is smart; sending her to EoE might have been a bad idea for everyone else but Jeremy!

This is why I grudgingly have to admit that EoE is maybe sort of interesting this time. They vote off Natalie to break up her and Jeremy, and they vote off Amber to break up her and Rob, but there they are, still feeding Jeremy and Rob tokens and advantages that they wouldn't have had if Natalie and Amber were still in the game. It adds a level of risk calculation that's new. EoE still might turn out to be a total mess (especially as more and more people go there), but at least they tweaked it.

[Lamima]

Maybe Ben will be Rob's Philip this season. Rob likes to pair with and keep around a wild card crazy player. Like a legit crazy and not a paranoid crazy like Dani was. Someone to keep all eyes on them and not him. Let that guy be the bad cop while Rob is the good cop. Though Philip was kind of mean and Ben's not mean. But he's needy like Philip. Maybe Parvati will be his bad cop. She can be vicious (ask Erik).

[Lamima]

35 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

True, that's why I said he almost singlehandedly lost them the challenge.  But, really, it was pretty much him who tanked it.  They weren't that far behind in the puzzle and Rob is great at puzzles so I thought for sure they were setting it up for a Rob comeback.  I was so baffled when he started organizing pieces instead of just doing the puzzle.  Yes, organizing the pieces is smart when you have all the time in the world but not when you're competing for immunity on Survivor.  That was such a huge miscalculation on his part.  Very unRob-like. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that his brain was temporarily fried because he was upset about Ambuh.

No way!  She may be working with him but you know she'd sell him out in a heartbeat when the time is right.  In fact, that's kind of what I'm hoping to see...her and Rob working together most of the game then she chews him up and spits him out.  Nothing against Rob, I like him, but Parvati is also a master.

In all fairness, I said that these fools deserve to lose to him (which I seem to say every season he plays lol) but I don't think he actually will win.  I mean, at some point, someone is going to wise up and say: "Uh, shouldn't we ditch this guy before it's too late?"  The only question is will they actually do it before it's too late?  The good thing about being a big target is that everybody is always like "Oh, he's an easy target, we can just vote him out later." They would be wise to do it sooner rather than later.

Exactly.  Adam was in a no-win situation there.  If he doesn't empty his bag, Rob makes a big deal about how Adam must have the idol.  And if he votes for Rob, he's the only one and immediately puts a target on his back.  I know Adam isn't the most popular winner but I've never had a problem with him.  He seems like a nice guy, he clearly knows the game and it's not like his win was handed to him or anything.  Yes, he had a sad story but I still feel like he would have won, even without mentioning his mom.  I'm glad he's getting another chance to play because this time he just seems like he's already enjoying the experience more, like he doesn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders this time.

I loved Adam's win his season. I am very excited to see if he can hang with the big dogs. He is doing better than I expected so far. When his name was tossed around during very 1st episode, I was worried. But he managed to get off Rob's radar. Though during TC last night, his arguing with Rob about dumping his bag may have flagged him to Rob. 

And Adam didn't mention his dying mother until after, right? He didn't use it to get votes at all. He worked hard to win that season, unlike someone like Michele who won because of bitter jury only (and poison on the jury).

Edited February 20, 2020 by Lamima

[peachmangosteen]

I continue to loathe this season. Sigh. Please let it pick up soon. Maybe I should just stop watching until the merge.

I like Rob but I just never enjoy watching a player dominate with no challenges. It's just boring as hell to watch for me.

13 hours ago, Somanydogs said:

I don't know if I even want to watch any more.  So contrived and so boring.

Same. And there are already like 50 idols and advantages and it's the second fucking episode. STOP! 

10 hours ago, Steph Sometimes said:

I don't want Rob to win again. Or Parvati. But weirdly I would be absolutely fine with the Queen staying Queen.

I don't really want Sandra to win but if it had to be one of those 3 I'd be fine with Sandra winning lol.

1 hour ago, DannyRugg said:

I also dread this season turning into The Rob Show. 

It already has.

9 minutes ago, Lamima said:

And Adam didn't mention his dying mother until after, right? 

No, he mentioned it during FTC before the vote.

I think the thing I hate most about this season is that it's making me like/root for Adam. Fucking Adam! Tied for the worst winner ever Adam. Fucking sigh!

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, Bouffe said:

It was also not shown if Nathalie had a token in her bag or not from Jeremy buying the advantage. All we see is Jeremy saying he was going to buy it, but we don't know if he did or not.

 

If they show someone specifically saying "I'm going to buy it", I'm just going to assume that they did buy it.

[Lamima]

9 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

 

No, he mentioned it during FTC before the vote.

I think the thing I hate most about this season is that it's making me like/root for Adam. Fucking Adam! Tied for the worst winner ever Adam. Fucking sigh!

I thought he mentioned it after the vote. 

He is by far NOT the worst winner ever. As far as playing. Maybe as a smarmy person. But any of these big dog gamers (like Rob) who are so excellent at the smarmy used car salesman (and someone mentioned up thread, bullying) and manipulation...they have to be to win. That's the outwit part. Now, Rob is also good at the Outplay as he can typically (not last night) compete well. But, boy, is Rob king of the outwit....he can sell sand in the desert, that guy.

Edited February 20, 2020 by Lamima

[laurakaye]

12 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

I can't get over that post-challenge bit with Rob and Ethan where Ethan was all "you sucked at that" and Rob just grinning. How great to have had the "Hey pretty boy" scene in All-Stars, with two young guys kind of puffing out their chests, and now 16 years later, those same two guys, all grey-haired and full of life experience, just joshing each other and (for now) working together.

So much all of this.  Small moments like the one above make me fondly recall these players the first time I watched them.  I think it's pretty cool to see how they've changed and grown.  And I adore how Ethan seems to have found his legs in this game while still giving us the "I don't really know what I'm doing" shrug/smile combo.  He seems to know more than he's letting on and I love it.  

 

12 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

I know I'm in the minority but I love Natalie.  She played that clue on EoE perfectly. I'm so glad she went for the water because Amber is still clueless about what EoE can do for her or to the game.  Jeremy and Nat are very much aware and they are the only 2 at this time.

So far I don't loathe Extinction Island and the fire tokens as much as I thought I would.  I did like listening to Natalie talk through who might still have fire tokens, and Jeremy stating that he's one of the few that truly understand the benefit of the tokens.  So Nat gave Jeremy her token, which he then used to buy immunity - interesting.

 

49 minutes ago, Lamima said:

Michele always has little to say. She is playing same game as last time. BORING!

Don't listen, Michele!  She's my winner pick.  I am perfectly fine with her playing a boring game and staying well below everyone's radar for now.  Based on her pre-show interviews, she's aware of how many fans hated her win because she was seated next to the vaunted Aubrey, so I hope she bides her time and lets the big dogs go at each other before she makes her moves.

Tony climbing the wobbly ladder and telling everyone that he "designed it that way" was my laugh of the night.

I'm also fascinated at the eye contact Adam makes with others - like he's trying to stare into their brain or something.  He's not annoying me nearly as much as he did on his first season.

[peachmangosteen]

24 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

... Jeremy stating that he's one of the few that truly understand the benefit of the tokens.  

I am kinda liking Jeremy but it's things like this that remind me why I usually end up not liking him. He is cocky and, right now, he has no real reason to be. Parvati and Rob are acting cocky as hell too but currently they're getting exactly what they want so it makes sense and that makes it somewhat easier for me to handle. But Jeremy just sitting there doing nothing while thinking he's running things is just mind boggling and he always does that lol. I still hope he breaks up Parvati and Rob soon though but I'll take anyone doing that!

Quote

Based on her pre-show interviews, she's aware of how many fans hated her win because she was seated next to the vaunted Aubrey, so I hope she bides her time and lets the big dogs go at each other before she makes her moves.

I would love to see Michele go deep in the game by doing nothing but play the social game and then take out the big players at the end. Such fun! 

[tinderbox]

I haven't read the entire thread but I have a question that’s killing me.

When Amber and Natalie were reading the extensive clue on the board and the first letters of each word on the left hand side were highlighted I missed what they spelled out.  WHAT WAS IT?  

[RescueMom]

1 minute ago, tinderbox said:

I haven't read the entire thread but I have a question that’s killing me.

When Amber and Natalie were reading the extensive clue on the board and the first letters of each word on the left hand side were highlighted I missed what they spelled out.  WHAT WAS IT?  

WATER WELL

[Spike]

2 hours ago, SoWindsor said:

Looks like just Botox and lip fillers. I think she looks great though a bit too frozen. Less Botox would be better.

It does seem like women can’t win — they either are judged for getting Botox and having no wrinkles or not getting Botox and looking old. 
 

When did Parvati throw Ethan under the bus during tribal. I missed that. 

There’s nothing wrong with looking your age, but when you look considerably older than your age that’s odd.  Her hair isn’t doing Denise any favors, but she either has a ton of sun damage or unfortunate genetics.

[tvgoddess]

3 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

I hate Rob, that's why it generated a "fuck you, Rob."  And of course no one was obligated, but we all know what would happen to people who refused.  Everyone would get suspicious of them and they'd have a big target on their back moving forward.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[RescueMom]

Oh, I forgot - I got a big kick out of Rob calling it "Extinction Island" multiple times. I'm telling myself he was doing it as a little side-eye against a twist that most of us dislike.

Edited February 20, 2020 by RescueMom

[tinderbox]

16 minutes ago, RescueMom said:

WATER WELL

Thank you so much.  Do you think Natalie saw that and went to the water well or was her discovery accidental?  It seemed accidental, to me.

[CletusMusashi]

Danni was a good vote choice. I disagree with those who say that she was no threat to win, because the reason she won her original season was by not being a threat. Everyone else on her tribe was voted out instead of her, and she wound up in front of a jury full of her own allies.

And a vote for Rob is kind of like a vote for... I'm not gonna go to recent here, because wounds are still sore, but let's say Ralph Nader. People voted for Ralph, because they wanted to, without really believing he as going to win. If you want to vote for Rob, you can, but you'll do it knowing that other people want him to stay longer because he's usually great in challenges, or useful around camp, or pleasant to converse with, or will be a useful meat shield later, or will bring them to the end as a goat, or they've been hypnotized by him, or even simply because they want to snuggle up to him at night like Ben.

There are some people who you can throw a vote at one day and make things up with them the next. But a lot of Rob's political strength lies in his propaganda. He will figure out who voted for him, because he both interrogates and reads people very well. And then he will tell everyone "I can't believe how untrustworthy he/she is. We had an alliance. And, you know, it they're willing to lie to one person like that then they'll do it to anybody. Do you really want to keep people around who'll just turn on their friends every time the wind blows?" And he'll say it so persuasively that the people he's selling the idea to will agree, just as strongly as if those same exact thoughts are forming in their heads independently. Even if you're immune to his mojo, you're surrounded by people who, for the present at least, want to keep him.

And a lot of what I've said also applies if you vote for Parvati, because she'll have Investigator Rob and weasely street informant Ben looking into who voted where. She's a better target than Rob, though. Despite all the "Oh, Parvati is one of the greatest players out there" schtick, there was only one season in which she (mostly) called the shots, albeit with Cirie also helping, and that was against a cast in which fifty per cent had never even played the game before. In her most recent season, the only person willing to work with her was Russell Fucking Hantz, for christsake. Just go into your Parvati vote knowing that, after she's gone, you will be a target of Rob's propaganda machine. He pretty much has nothing to do out there all day besides condition people to be his minions. 

I wonder if his powers also work outside the game. I mean, I shudder at the thought of raising four kids, but if they all obey him like Survivor players do then it's probably awesome. "Hey, kids, I need some spare change. Go rob a bank for me." And the bank is so honored to be noticed by him that they brag about being "Boston" robbed,

Now, Danni versus Ben, you could debate that one all day. In the end, what made sense for most players was to look at the two probable outcomes and decide which one seemed more advantageous to them personally.

[Gummo]

I'm surprising myself by how much I'm enjoying this season so far! Mariano is still the consummate smooth bully, Parvati can still flirt without flirting, Ben is an idiot, Adam is smarmy but smart, Danni -- what the hell was that?? She literally talked herself out of the game, LOL -- and on and on. Tony is still entertainingly insane: the whole ladder episode was a producer's dream. Was it Tyson who said, "I know we signed waivers, but . . . ." - that cracked me up! 

Not hating EoE as much this time, since it keeps all these old faves on our screens. Still not sure how I feel about the fire tokens, but unlike some other innovations that didn't pan out, they're already having an effect on the game, so at least that's good game design.

Can't remember ever seeing Rob flustered before. He blew that challenge big-time.

[Rachel RSL]

11 minutes ago, tinderbox said:

Thank you so much.  Do you think Natalie saw that and went to the water well or was her discovery accidental?  It seemed accidental, to me.

It was accidental.  She said so when she discovered it.

 

10 minutes ago, CletusMusashi said:

And the bank is so honored to be noticed by him that they brag about being "Boston" robbed,

OMG I just snort laughed at this.

[Cornhusker12]

good god Tony is hilarious

[CletusMusashi]

My favorite thing about the Tony ladder was his "Top that, Yul!" Um, didn't you just see him get the exact same type of fruit down using a much simpler, safer object? And the part where he made everybody else cary the stupid thing while he walked behind them and called marching count? I mean, you just know that most of them were only playing along because they wanted to see him fall on his ass!

[tvgoddess]

8 minutes ago, CletusMusashi said:

I wonder if his powers also work outside the game. I mean, I shudder at the thought of raising four kids, but if they all obey him like Survivor players do then it's probably awesome.

Those little girls have him wrapped around their finger. He's so adorable with them. The Insta video of him at the father/daughter dance a while back was precious.

As far as Survivor translating to family life, I think they just like to play obstacle course in the back yard. For parenting, I get the feeling Amber is bad cop to his good cop. I could be totally wrong on this though.

Even though on paper I should prefer the Red tribe, I can't until Rob is voted out. I'll always root for him. And even after that, I'll be rooting for Ethan of whom I was always a fan. And especially now.

Over at the other beach, is Wendell the guy with the ahem, eye-catching swim trunks? Because yes, I'll definitely want to see more of him.

Since we've ragged on the ladies' appearances already, I have to say - Tyson's hair is driving me absolutely crazy. Introduce yourself to the concept of scissors, dude.

[amazingracefan]

I like Ben trying hard to get with the new school group despite the ingrained suspicions that he is hunting idols.  Adam should trust him.  Danni was the one this episode who just fell apart. 

[ProfCrash]

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

This is why I grudgingly have to admit that EoE is maybe sort of interesting this time. They vote off Natalie to break up her and Jeremy, and they vote off Amber to break up her and Rob, but there they are, still feeding Jeremy and Rob tokens and advantages that they wouldn't have had if Natalie and Amber were still in the game. It adds a level of risk calculation that's new. EoE still might turn out to be a total mess (especially as more and more people go there), but at least they tweaked it.

And this is why I don't like EoE. These are all winners. They shouldn't need support from people who were voted out and who might get back into the game. There are idols and advantages to be found in the woods, go find them. Otherwise the idea is ridiculous.

 

[fishcakes]

I feel like there could be an alternate Episode 2 in which we see people playing well instead of like total morons. We'll see Yul and Wendell having a rational discussion and mapping out every vote for the rest of the season. Nick will give a confessional about how he's going to hide behind Yul and Wendell and then shank them before the end. Sophie, Sandra, and Sarah will be seen forming a super secret alliance. Instead we got:

Kim: I found an idol. I'll give half to someone in the alliance that targeted me last week!

Danni: Hey Rob. Parvati and I were in an alliance but today I saw her talking to you so obviously she is tighter with you than with me, so let's vote her out, okay?

Denise: I have to give half an idol to someone. I think I will write a love letter to Russell over on the other tribe and send it to him.

Ben: I helped someone find an idol. Actually it's a split idol. So now two people have half an idol. I can't remember who though.

For fuck's sake people GET IT TOGETHER.

I like to think that Tai was at home watching Ben's abysmal performance and being grateful that he's no longer the worst at Tribal Council.  And that Christina is watching and feeling all the schadenfreude at Kim being frozen out.

I'm finding Adam far more annoying than he was on his first season, but damned if his facial expressions don't entertain me. There are all these long shots of him looking as if he just learned that his boss found his secret twitter account and now he's screwed.

14 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

I can't get over that post-challenge bit with Rob and Ethan where Ethan was all "you sucked at that" and Rob just grinning. How great to have had the "Hey pretty boy" scene in All-Stars, with two young guys kind of puffing out their chests, and now 16 years later, those same two guys, all grey-haired and full of life experience, just joshing each other and (for now) working together.

I love their friendship so much. As another poster said last week, we rarely see genuine moments on this show, but we've seen a couple of them between Rob and Ethan, which is lovely in and of itself, but given their past (semi-)rivalry over Amber just a nice surprise. I really like seeing them set down the game for a minute and talk to each like people.

4 hours ago, RescueMom said:

Also super impressed with Ethan, and I adore him now even more than I did in Africa. I wasn't expecting that. He seems to be involved in almost every conversation of >2 people, old school or new school.

Ethan is playing a really good game so far. He's allied with Rob and Parvati but not being tainted with their threat status. He's showing a flexibility that could get him to the end. I never would have thought I'd say this, but I would be thrilled to see him win the whole thing.

[Rachel RSL]

17 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

I like Ben trying hard to get with the new school group despite the ingrained suspicions that he is hunting idols.  Adam should trust him.  Danni was the one this episode who just fell apart. 

That reminds me of one of the more unintentionally hilarious moments of the episode.  After Denise tells Adam that Ben also knows about the idol, his immediate and unfiltered reaction is: "Oh *bleep*". 🤣  Even he knows that Ben is a dumbass who is easily manipulated.

[iMonrey]

I might be done with this, at least for awhile. I was on the fence about this season to begin with and my fears have been confirmed. It's the Boston Rob show. The narrative revolves around him (and, to a lesser extent, Amber). He does the talking heads, he does the ordering around, nobody makes a move against him.

This is, what - the sixth time he's been on the show? Seventh? He is the biggest reality TV star on CBS. Nobody is going to try to vote him out. They all want to be his friend, they all want to work with him and ride those coat tails to some sweet, lucrative reality TV spin-offs. Nobody has the decked stacked in their favor like this guy does and even if a plot to vote him off started to develop he'd still be on Extinction Island. It's the safeguard against him leaving the show at all.

Look, I get it. Boston Rob is popular with a lot of viewers. But, can't they just give him his own show? His advantages on Survivor outweigh anyone else's by a wide margin. And those of us who are sick to death of him are going to bail, rather than watch him gather every idol, token and advantage the show can throw at him to make sure he makes it all the way to final three. Again.

[tinderbox]

1 hour ago, Rachel RSL said:

It was accidental.  She said so when she discovered it.

 

 

THIS is why you don’t watch Survivor in a room filled with talking people and a ton of distractions.  Again, thanks.

[peachmangosteen]

40 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

I'm finding Adam far more annoying than he was on his first season, but damned if his facial expressions don't entertain me. There are all these long shots of him looking as if he just learned that his boss found his secret twitter account and now he's screwed.

This is precisely why I’m enjoying Adam this time. That’s a great summary of his face lol. Also, just the whole thing with Denise telling him and the idol, Ben knowing about it, and her wanting to give it to Parvati was gold.

I also totally agree with you about loving the Rob/Ethan partnership. Hell, I’m even enjoying the Rob/Parvati one and I’d like to see more from Parvati/Ethan. I’m actually really liking a lot of the dynamics between players this season and there’s been a lot of fun moments so far, it’s just that the game itself is both boring and aggravating which is such a terrible combo lol.

13 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I might be done with this, at least for awhile. I was on the fence about this season to begin with and my fears have been confirmed. It's the Boston Rob show. The narrative revolves around him (and, to a lesser extent, Amber). He does the talking heads, he does the ordering around, nobody makes a move against him.

This is, what - the sixth time he's been on the show? Seventh? He is the biggest reality TV star on CBS. Nobody is going to try to vote him out. They all want to be his friend, they all want to work with him and ride those coat tails to some sweet, lucrative reality TV spin-offs. Nobody has the decked stacked in their favor like this guy does and even if a plot to vote him off started to develop he'd still be on Extinction Island. It's the safeguard against him leaving the show at all.

Look, I get it. Boston Rob is popular with a lot of viewers. But, can't they just give him his own show? His advantages on Survivor outweigh anyone else's by a wide margin. And those of us who are sick to death of him are going to bail, rather than watch him gather every idol, token and advantage the show can throw at him to make sure he makes it all the way to final three. Again.

💯

[KittyMom4]

1 hour ago, Gummo said:

Can't remember ever seeing Rob flustered before. He blew that challenge big-time

Me neither, he was totally off during this puzzle. I'm not his biggest fan but I have always respected how good he was at puzzles, and manipulation of other players. 

3 hours ago, Bouffe said:

Denise really dissapointed me when she thought giving the idol to Parvati was a good idea. Have none of those people do research on the other winners?

Gosh, I was so excited to see her play but I have come to the realization that it was her physical game, and Malcolm, that got her to the finish. That woman has no idea what she's doing! 

 

 

 

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

5 hours ago, RescueMom said:

Also super impressed with Ethan, and I adore him now even more than I did in Africa. I wasn't expecting that. He seems to be involved in almost every conversation of >2 people, old school or new school.

Ethan is playing a really good game so far. He's allied with Rob and Parvati but not being tainted with their threat status. He's showing a flexibility that could get him to the end. I never would have thought I'd say this, but I would be thrilled to see him win the whole thing.

Agreed. Ethan was everywhere and nowhere last night, if you know what I mean.

[Wandering Snark]

5 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Tony...did make me laugh with his ladder bit, but I think he's too much energy for me. I felt similarly when I watched Cagayan. He seems like a very nice guy, but too much energy for me to handle all at once. I did enjoy the return of Cops R Us, though. 

He's too much like Wile E. Coyote for me, too animated you could say. And he can only keep so much 'Tonyness' under his hat before it comes spilling out... and you for example end up with The Ladder.

[Fallacy]

21 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I might be done with this, at least for awhile. I was on the fence about this season to begin with and my fears have been confirmed. It's the Boston Rob show. The narrative revolves around him (and, to a lesser extent, Amber). He does the talking heads, he does the ordering around, nobody makes a move against him.

This is, what - the sixth time he's been on the show? Seventh? He is the biggest reality TV star on CBS. Nobody is going to try to vote him out. They all want to be his friend, they all want to work with him and ride those coat tails to some sweet, lucrative reality TV spin-offs. Nobody has the decked stacked in their favor like this guy does and even if a plot to vote him off started to develop he'd still be on Extinction Island. It's the safeguard against him leaving the show at all.

Look, I get it. Boston Rob is popular with a lot of viewers. But, can't they just give him his own show? His advantages on Survivor outweigh anyone else's by a wide margin. And those of us who are sick to death of him are going to bail, rather than watch him gather every idol, token and advantage the show can throw at him to make sure he makes it all the way to final three. Again.

Heroes versus Villains also had a ridiculous amount of Rob time in the first five episodes, but if the people who hate Rob waited it out, then they got to watch a great season unfold. I think the same will happen this season. I really think the red tribe has the advantage and Rob will be out before the merge. I haven’t read any spoilers because I hate spoilers with this show in particular, but I just can’t image Rob making it deep into this game.

The other side on their tribe already have two advantages over team Ethan, Rob, and Parvati in the form of Denise and Adam’s shared immunity power and Jeremy’s advantage to leave tribal if he needs to. So if Rob’s tribe goes back to tribal council next week, Rob can really only target Ben safely without an immunity idol bouncing him out of the game, and I can totally see Adam and Denise using their idol and their votes to get him out. 

Even if Rob’s tribe doesn’t lose another immunity challenge, he will still get voted out by team red immediately.

Basically, to me, all signs point to Rob being an early vote out. Now I happen to love him so I hope I’m wrong. 

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I might be done with this, at least for awhile. I was on the fence about this season to begin with and my fears have been confirmed. It's the Boston Rob show. The narrative revolves around him (and, to a lesser extent, Amber). He does the talking heads, he does the ordering around, nobody makes a move against him.

This is, what - the sixth time he's been on the show? Seventh? He is the biggest reality TV star on CBS. Nobody is going to try to vote him out. They all want to be his friend, they all want to work with him and ride those coat tails to some sweet, lucrative reality TV spin-offs. Nobody has the decked stacked in their favor like this guy does and even if a plot to vote him off started to develop he'd still be on Extinction Island. It's the safeguard against him leaving the show at all.

Look, I get it. Boston Rob is popular with a lot of viewers. But, can't they just give him his own show? His advantages on Survivor outweigh anyone else's by a wide margin. And those of us who are sick to death of him are going to bail, rather than watch him gather every idol, token and advantage the show can throw at him to make sure he makes it all the way to final three. Again.

I'm willing to bet that if someone actually broke down the screen time people are getting, Rob wouldn't be dominating as much as he seems. When he's in the mix, he's very present, but otherwise there were lots of moments where he wasn't on screen at all. If you add up all the time spent showing Tony's ladder adventures, Yul's slightly less insane breadfruit-getting device, the Denise/Ben/Adam idol sequence, the Kim/Sophie idol sequence, the time spent on EoE (most of which featured Natalie) and Jeremy buying his advantage from Natalie...that's a lot of non-Rob time.

And I really don't think people are keeping Rob in the game so they can ride his coat-tails and get their own spin-off. He's still popular, but he isn't on TV anywhere near as much as he was 10-15 years ago. He shows up when Survivor asks, but that's pretty much it. I doubt any of the other players see him as some ticket to (more) fame. If they're keeping him around, it's for game reasons only, in my opinion.

[Prower]

God, Rob's stunts annoy the shit out of me. "Hey, everybody empty your bags beause I said so". Can somebody please nut up and vote that twat out of the game? I'm not sure how much longer I can take it.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Prower

[Prower]

16 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

That tribal council reminded me of the "Community" episode where Annie lost her pen.

Do you think Anniesboobs has found an immunity idol?

Edited February 20, 2020 by Prower

[CletusMusashi]

No, that was more of a Guatamala thing.

[laurakaye]

Loved the juxtaposition of Yul versus Tony explaining their methods for gathering the breadfruit:

Yul:  "While I'm probably expending more calories than necessary as I construct this fruit-gathering device - essentially a long bamboo pole with a loop attached, like a coat hanger - I believe that in the end, it will work suffiently to clear this tall tree of its nourishing food."

Tony:  "I can't stand not being able to run around this stupid island looking for idols so I'm gonna lash some sticks together with twine, make it fifty feet tall, and enlist my entire tribe to help me carry it through the jungle.  When the bottom rung falls off I'll tell my tribe that I designed it that way, and then I'm gonna scamper to the very top and show Yul how it's done."

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

I am kinda liking Jeremy but it's things like this that remind me why I usually end up not liking him. He is cocky and, right now, he has no real reason to be. Parvati and Rob are acting cocky as hell too but currently they're getting exactly what they want so it makes sense and that makes it somewhat easier for me to handle. But Jeremy just sitting there doing nothing while thinking he's running things is just mind boggling and he always does that lol. 

I didn't think he came across as thinking he's running the game, because in fact, it was the reason he later pointed out the very obvious to Adam that Rob and Parvati are running things and they're allowing them to.

But I do see your point regarding his comments about their not realizing the importance and power of the coins but he does, because it's like dude, of course you do, since you've gotten stuff from Natalie on EoE.

There'd only been two tribal councils at that point and so it stands to reason that if Natalie got the advantage, Amber didn't and so yeah, you're aware of how powerful the tokens are because you're getting help the others aren't yet getting. 

Quote

His advantages on Survivor outweigh anyone else's by a wide margin. And those of us who are sick to death of him are going to bail, rather than watch him gather every idol, token and advantage the show can throw at him to make sure he makes it all the way to final three. Again.

I understand those who don't care for Rob are understandably sick of watching him on the show and yes, he seems to be in a power position at the moment in his tribe but I'm not really seeing this dominance/deck stacked in favor of him thing that's being suggested. 

Again, aside from it only being two episodes, as I noted in other posts, we've seen Rob's tribe lose twice, we've seen him massively screw up a challenge, his so-called power wasn't enough to save Amber and in fact was likely why she was booted so quickly. 

So far he's gotten no advantages and token other than Amber's exiting fire token. Natalie is the one wielding all kinds of power from EoE so far, to the point that Sandra, someone who likely needs no additional help in this game, has an immunity idol without her having to lift a finger to find it.

And of course Jeremy has an advantage, also courtesy of Natalie and it's clear as long as she can, she'll send these things to him. So who's really getting helped right now? And as EoE gets more and more crowded, that's more people to compete against for advantages. And ain't nobody but Amber sending Rob those advantages if she gets them. 

Quote

Heroes versus Villains also had a ridiculous amount of Rob time in the first five episodes, but if the people who hate Rob waited it out, then they got to watch a great season unfold. I think the same will happen this season. I really think the red tribe has the advantage and Rob will be out before the merge. I haven’t read any spoilers because I hate spoilers with this show in particular, but I just can’t image Rob making it deep into this game.

This exactly. Rob has played this game four times and twice he didn't make the merge. And all four times, there was a lot of him in the first couple of episodes, until he either was booted before the merge or made it all the way to the end. 

I agree completely with you that I don't see Rob dominating or winning this season. Unless Sela can get their shit together, they're going to likely be decimated by losing immunity challenges. And if the tribe members are somehow foolish enough to go to the merge with him, I don't for one second see Tony, Sandra (if she's still there), Sarah, Yul, etc. keeping Rob in the game unless he wins immunity. 

Sure I guess EoE presents the possibility of his getting back in but I just don't think this will be a Rob domination season, simply based on two tribal councils. 

 

[AncientNewbie]

11 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

I understand those who don't care for Rob are understandably sick of watching him on the show and yes, he seems to be in a power position at the moment in his tribe

 

My original point was to roughly agree, but to say that seeming to be in a power position is part of his game. He's become the Robfather character because it largely works for him to stand around and give orders and somehow people always assume he's in charge and gift him the power. 

I do think production gives him a lot of focus, but he also delivers exactly what they want with him gameplay. With the multi-camera challenge sets, he's a physical powerhouse. But his social game around camp is to literally camp out and look relaxed with his ring game and pithy comments. It's easy filming and it's higher quality content because of the sound bites compared to mining hours of conversations for lines as people stroll the beach. 

[Rachel RSL]

30 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

I didn't think he came across as thinking he's running the game, because in fact, it was the reason he later pointed out the very obvious to Adam that Rob and Parvati are running things and they're allowing them to.

Agree.  I've never thought Jeremy came across as cocky in any of his seasons.  He's always struck me as pragmatic but not obnoxious about anything.  I didn't get the impression he was boasting or being judgy about the others not knowing the value of the fire tokens, I thought he was simply pointing out the fact that he has a small advantage for now in that he's privvy to information that most people don't know about yet.

30 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

I understand those who don't care for Rob are understandably sick of watching him on the show and yes, he seems to be in a power position at the moment in his tribe but I'm not really seeing this dominance/deck stacked in favor of him thing that's being suggested. 

Agree again!  Plus, I don't think the deck was stacked for him in the season he won either.  For years people have claimed that he had an advantage because his winning season was filled with idiots and starstruck fans but here we are in a season filled with intelligent winners (and Ben) and the exact same thing is happening. He's excellent at observing/reading people and it's not his fault that he has this je-ne-sais-quoi that makes people fall under his spell.

[truthaboutluv]

34 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

Agree again!  Plus, I don't think the deck was stacked for him in the season he won either.  For years people have claimed that he had an advantage because his winning season was filled with idiots and starstruck fans but here we are in a season filled with intelligent winners (and Ben) and the exact same thing is happening. He's excellent at observing/reading people and it's not his fault that he has this je-ne-sais-quoi that makes people fall under his spell.

And many of the players in his tribe later said what was edited out of the season was all the individual conversations Rob had with most of the members of the tribe.

Apparently he worked to build some kind of rapport with almost all of them, to where it made it easier for them to buy the bullshit he was selling and be loyal to their tribe rather than wanting to flip. And by the time they would have wanted to, it was too late.

I always remember Andrea saying how the two of them one day at camp just spent hours building a day bed, just because and the whole time they talked about everything and nothing, like it was the most casual and normal thing. 

Edited February 20, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[Rachel RSL]

Yep, I remember him saying that he basically had to be in game mode 24/7 in order to make everyone feel like they had a special bond with him. I think maybe the problem with Rob is that he's so good at it, he makes it look easy so a lot of people think he's got the deck stacked in his favour.

[tvgoddess]

 

1 hour ago, tracyscott76 said:

I'm willing to bet that if someone actually broke down the screen time people are getting, Rob wouldn't be dominating as much as he seems. When he's in the mix, he's very present, but otherwise there were lots of moments where he wasn't on screen at all. If you add up all the time spent showing Tony's ladder adventures, Yul's slightly less insane breadfruit-getting device, the Denise/Ben/Adam idol sequence, the Kim/Sophie idol sequence, the time spent on EoE (most of which featured Natalie) and Jeremy buying his advantage from Natalie...that's a lot of non-Rob time.

All of this. That first part of the challenge seemed like it went on forever, and Rob was nowhere to be seen. I think what it comes down to is that Rob is very polarizing. There is no in between and there is likely not much of changing minds on how you feel about him. 

I don't see him lasting far in the game at all. And while I don't need him to win necessarily, I'd love to see him on the jury since he hasn't been in that capacity before.

[Guest]

Just now, tvgoddess said:

That first part of the challenge seemed like it went on forever, and Rob was nowhere to be seen.

He probably wishes he was nowhere to be seen during the second part of the challenge, too XD

[amazingracefan]

4 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

That reminds me of one of the more unintentionally hilarious moments of the episode.  After Denise tells Adam that Ben also knows about the idol, his immediate and unfiltered reaction is: "Oh *bleep*". 🤣  Even he knows that Ben is a dumbass who is easily manipulated.

Adam, the one who doesn't even know where to place his torch and Ben had to help him.

I know the edit at tribal with the cutaway to Denise's face (probably from another moment at tribal) and the funny dance is meant to turn me against Ben, but I have my own brain.  He made a mistake with Rob early on but he has clearly turned against the old school group and he is happy to plant the seeds against them (with of course Danni's help).  No doubt others like Jeremy will run with that and take credit.  And maybe Rob's group is more popular here.

[willco]

17 hours ago, Spike said:

If we are going there, did Danni have bad plastic surgery?  She looks like Janice Dickinson.  And how can Denise be late 40s yet look 70?

Whoa ! Denise is only in her late 40's ?? I had no idea, as she is another winner I don't really remember ( I really have a bad memory when it comes to Survivor). I think she looks a lot older than that, maybe not quite 70, but still. Interesting bit of info, thanks.

[Rachel RSL]

8 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

Adam, the one who doesn't even know where to place his torch and Ben had to help him.

Yep, in a darkly-lit place, Adam saw a stain or a shadow or something and thought it was a hole to put his torch in.  Which isn't quite exactly the same as being a shitty Survivor player who gives away information freely to people who are working against him.

Edited February 20, 2020 by Rachel RSL