S40.E05: The Buddy System on Steroids

[Quilt Fairy]

Can someone explain to me how those half & half idols work?  How do they get played?

[lyric]

It sure seems like we're getting a whole lotta Adam this season.

Heartbreaking news about Stacy Penner - ALS is such a cruel disease. I hope these efforts to raise money are giving them the financial support they need to make it through.

[Fake Jan Brady]

1 minute ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Can someone explain to me how those half & half idols work?  How do they get played?

They all have been returned to the finder who can play them at their will. The only twist seems to be they have to decide who to temporarily trust with the other half by sundown.

It seems odd that they don't have to decide to play both halves together.

I guess complications arise if the trusted player decides not to return their half [like Sophie indicated when Kim entrusted her with half] or are separated [again, like Sophie and Kim would have been if Sophie hadn't returned her half offscreen before the swap].

 

[PhoneCop]

3 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

How did Ben and Adam go to the bathroom while under the "buddy system?" 

"Hold this for me, willya?"
"Sure thing. Here's mine."
[whistling]

I like Rob, but he really is a one-way monkey (™Project Runway) strategically. Like Sandra with her Anybody But Me MO, he can be great operating within those parameters, but he lacks the flexibility to change things up when required. He's a hammer who treats everything like a nail, which may work with a bunch of starstruck noobs but I'm not sorry to see it fail him here.

[eskimo]

In my time zone the breaking news interruption came at the beginning.  It cut over when Penner and his wife were hugging, and returned when Michele and Parvati were on the beach talking about Wendell not talking to Michelle right away.  I missed the whole swap and all of the Yul, Sandra, etc tribe footage.  I understand the importance of the travel restrictions, but Wed nights I go to a tropical island and do not like to be disturbed while there.  When I come back you can fill me in on the crap that happened while I was away.  Rude. 

[CynVicious]

I don't watch every season of Survivor so I don't know all the rules. 

Who gets to keep the chickens that were won in the challenge if the tribes switch?

[Hera]

I think Sophie shot to being Zeus's favorite when she called Rob an asshole while talking to Sarah at the well (Zeus really hates Rob). As others have noted, neither she nor Sarah played their advantages, so clearly they felt reasonably sure that Adam and/or Ben were on board.

I also thought it was interesting that when Sophie and Sarah were getting information on the Sele 1 votes, Rob summarized things as, "I blindsided Adam and Ben blindsided me." I thought it was strange because as far as I'm aware, Rob blindsided nobody. He was correct that Adam got his hand slapped at the last vote, but it wasn't by Rob. Rob was not in a position on that tribe to be slapping anyone's hand or blindsiding them. I guarantee that Adam was more worried about the fact that he lost the trust of Michele, Jeremy, Ben, and Denise than he was about Rob and Parvati not trusting him. I couldn't tell if it was a bluff or if Rob genuinely thought he had more control over Sele 1 than he actually did.

Speaking of Sarah and Sophie, I thought they did great work getting information from all the guys about what went on at Sele 1. And thinking about it, it's probably not surprising that Sophie had no interest in playing with Rob. Rob probably gave her Coach flashbacks.

I was also surprised that there was such a difference between the shelters on Sele and Dakal. I thought Rob was meant to be great at building shelters. Either he got lazy this season or Wendell really is that much better.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Hera
Fixing a typo.

[30 Helens]

Oh, Penners. That is so crushingly sad.  Jonathan is one of my all-time favorites (not that that matters in this context), and my heart breaks for that whole family.

I felt a Robicide coming all episode. As a fan, I hate to say it, but he really kind of deserved it. He was playing like he was surrounded by star-struck newbies, not seasoned players who could recognize his manipulation strategy from 10 miles away. Really? You’re gonna tell THESE players to just sit there and not talk to each other? It’s a wonder they didn’t just hold an impromptu TC right there and toss his ass (and his torch) into the ocean.  

I actually think he saw it coming, too. For all his bravado in the talking heads, it looked like a facade to me.  In the end, I think his fatal flaw was not doing enough to adapt his game to this new situation.  That’s also why I think the winner will be one of the more recent players. They seem to have an easier time of adjusting their strategies on the fly.  Still, that said, Go Parvati!

Or, ”Parvarti”. Sigh. Keep trying, Jeff. One day you’ll get it right.

 

[GaT]

It was completely obvious that they were going to blindside Rob, no idea how he didn't see it.

[loki567]

Rob's eviction was predictable but still satisfying. Particularly, how the rest of the players pretty much spend the last 20 minutes talking shit about how much Redemption Island and anyone involved with it sucked. Let that be the final word on that terrible season. 

Michele and Wendell's relationship is so awkward for them but still hilarious to watch. 

I love the fact that Adam is completely repeating his first season, including voting against former tribe members after a tribe switch. 

[BK1978]

5 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

 Heck, they barely give out clues anymore for idols, and they are always hidden in the same type of spot.

The Australian version is currently having their All-Star season and a few weeks ago a guy found an advantage because it had a damn string attached to it and if I remember correctly a red ribbon tied around it.

5 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

I really enjoyed Sarah and Sophie this episode.  Glad Rob was voted out but that means he will monopolize EoE.  I want to see more of Natalie.

The less I see of Natalie the better.

I have to say Sophie is really impressing me thus far.  I am trying to think but I was pretty sure I was meh about her as one of the returning winners, but now I am all in.   I would not mind if she won.  I still do not like Sarah, something about her irks me.  Maybe it was how cocky she was going into the merge during her first season.  I am just not sure.

3 hours ago, Alice Mudgarden said:

I'm not saying I want the tea on Wendell and Michele, but if anyone has the tea to spill, I'll just be over here like

This post gets a heart because as Nick had a crush on Parvati, I had one on Lauren Conrad.  Still do if I am being honest.

Edited March 12, 2020 by BK1978
Because I swear English is my first language, but yeah I still suck at it from time to time.

[Primetimer]

Just posted: Joe Reid weighs on this week's episode and who he thinks is getting a winners edit so far this season:
https://www.primetimer.com/features/whos-getting-a-winners-edit-on-survivor-winners-at-war

[CletusMusashi]

So will Rob and Amber just team up as one on all the EoE challenges from now on? 

[violet and green]

Well, that sucked. Cops R Us got separated. That slimy weasel Adam stayed in. Huge swathes of footage about stuff that is extremely sad, but realistically completely unrelated to the show I am hoping to be watching, and stuff that is of zero interest to me, like Michelle and Wendell dated, ooo-er, so much footage around this... What are we, twelve? Then Michelle saying, Let's make them drool. Ugh. Apparently so. And now Rob is gorn. I hope he fights his way back in. Doubt it. Has a nice holiday with Amber, then. 

[ProfCrash]

7 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

What I found super interesting was Sophie's comment that she gave her half of the immunity idol back to Kim before the swap. Did I hear that right? Why would she do that when earlier she said she wanted Kim out? And if she gave it back right before the swap, does that mean they knew it was happening so Kim asked for it?

Did they show Rob arriving at Edge for anyone else? I had news footage break in during the "next time on". I wanted to see Amber's reaction.

I'm finding that there is almost no one I want voted out this season. Which is odd, because I feel like I've hated so many recent winners.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the camps hadn’t been talking about the upcoming swap. The numbers were getting close so it made sense. And while we never saw Sophie and Kim chatting and hanging out that camp did appear to be pretty up beat and happy. It made sense for sophie to give it back to Kim.

And we got to see Sandra in an immunity challenge! 
 

I had a friend who passed from ALS. I watched her rapid deterioration on Facebook. It sucked. It robs a person of everything and is crushing for the people closest to that person. I feel so sorry for the Penners. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

It was completely obvious that they were going to blindside Rob, no idea how he didn't see it.

I really don't think Rob was blindsided; he knew perfectly well that he was in big trouble. I'm sure he was hopeful that Ben and Adam would stick with him, but his look when they voted him out was more resigned disappointment that he was out than surprise.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Hera said:

I also thought it was interesting that when Sophie and Sarah were getting information on the Sele 1 votes, Rob summarized things as, "I blindsided Adam and Ben blindsided me." I thought it was strange because as far as I'm aware, Rob blindsided nobody. He was correct that Adam got his hand slapped at the last vote, but it wasn't by Rob. Rob was not in a position on that tribe to be slapping anyone's hand or blindsiding them. I guarantee that Adam was more worried about the fact that he lost the trust of Michele, Jeremy, Ben, and Denise than he was about Rob and Parvati not trusting him. I couldn't tell if it was a bluff or if Rob genuinely thought he had more control over Sele 1 than he actually did.

Well, Rob did blindside Adam because Adam thought he was on board with voting out Parvati. Adam was not expecting to see votes for himself. And I don't think Rob was claiming that HE slapped Adam's hand, just that Adam got slapped by the tribe collectively, in several directions.

Rob has a lot of bravado, but he's not an idiot. There were plenty of scenes all season long where he was talking about the difficult position he was in, so he was fully aware of the situation. And the "we have the numbers, we're in control" confessional means nothing in terms of his awareness - they ALWAYS show at least one person saying that after a tribe swap. They showed people saying that at every one of the new tribes. It's a soundbite they always get, so they can use it in case it doesn't work out for the "majority".

[ProfCrash]

There is no way that was a blindside. Rob knew he had a high probability of being voted out. I am more surprised that Sarah and Sophie thought that Adam and Ben might not vote out Rob. Then again, it was probably just the Producers trying to make it look like something was going to happen that wasn't.

I wish we had more time at one of the other camps instead of minutes of watching the losers sit around the fire discussing nothing and complaining about being bored. I wanted to watch Wendell work his magic and build an awesome camp again.

[alexa]

19 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

There is no way that was a blindside. Rob knew he had a high probability of being voted out. I am more surprised that Sarah and Sophie thought that Adam and Ben might not vote out Rob. Then again, it was probably just the Producers trying to make it look like something was going to happen that wasn't.

I wish we had more time at one of the other camps instead of minutes of watching the losers sit around the fire discussing nothing and complaining about being bored. I wanted to watch Wendell work his magic and build an awesome camp again.

I agree.  Plus it did just show how Rob hasn't upped his gameplay even after seeing how Survivor has evolved over the years.  Things have changed, and it seems silly now to have one person trying to control everyone else.  It just doesn't work the same way, and plus they know his tricks.  

[Haleth]

8 hours ago, TVFan1 said:

I'm with the posters that knew Rob was going when the editors had the talking head of him saying that Sele had the numbers and they could decide which of the girls would go home. When someone is that confident, it usually doesn't end up the way they say.

True, but we're talking about Ben and Adam who have already shown themselves to not be the best strategerizers.  It surprised me that they didn't stick with the alpha male.

8 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Especially with the machete play.

Yeah, that was not at all subtle.

7 hours ago, CynVicious said:

Who gets to keep the chickens that were won in the challenge if the tribes switch?

The chickens stay at the camp, along with whatever else (tools, comforts) were earned by the original tribe.

Does anyone else suspect shenanigans wrt Michele and Wendell ending up on the same tribe?  (Oh, I think I know why there is bad blood there - Wendel stole an L from Michelle.)

[ProfCrash]

19 minutes ago, Haleth said:

True, but we're talking about Ben and Adam who have already shown themselves to not be the best strategerizers.  It surprised me that they didn't stick with the alpha male.

Yeah, that was not at all subtle.

The chickens stay at the camp, along with whatever else (tools, comforts) were earned by the original tribe.

Does anyone else suspect shenanigans wrt Michele and Wendell ending up on the same tribe?  (Oh, I think I know why there is bad blood there - Wendel stole an L from Michelle.)

Please, Adam wants to be the stealth, social alpha and Ben just wants to be seen as an alpha. Neither can stand the idea of there being another alpha.

Rob's game has never really evolved. Rob was the alpha on his first season, and voted out Hunter because Hunter was a threat to his role. Rob controlled things in All Stars and it bit him in the ass because he broke promises in order to protect Amber. Rob was trying to do the same thing in Heros vs Villians but Tyson screwed that up by voting himself out. He was given a bunch of sheep to work with in Redemption Island and was able to win that season because no one was going to follow Philip, the wanna be alpha, and his bat shit craziness.

I can see where Rob has great instincts, reads people well, and is pretty good with strategy. But Rob's game has always been that he is strong in the challenges so people want to keep him for challenges. And he is good in camp. Both positives. But Rob has to be in charge. He has no concept of how to be in charge without being acknowledged as being in charge. There is no under the radar play for Rob. And that never changed.

But that was not going to work in a game with other people who have won, maybe with different strategies but they did win. So they have some clue as to how to play. And they all have their own egos, even if some are more hidden like Sophie, Adam, and Sarah. I am only calling out the people in Rob's current tribe because they matter the most right now. Ben is loudly against someone like Rob because Ben does not want to be seen as a Beta. Adam probably doesn't mind being seen as a Beta as long as he feels like he is working behind the scene with the "alpha" to control things. Rob had worked against Adam, so Adam was going to reject Rob.

There was no way that Rob was going to control things at the new tribe, hell I am not sure he was in control at his original tribe. He gave the appearance of control but Jeremy and Michelle seemed to be guiding things there. Adam was annoyed that he wasn't in the Jeremy role.

Rob could not adjust his game. Rob went out because of that.

[TaraS1]

My glee over Rob's demise is of course tempered by the probability that he'll win his way back in just to spite me.  But I was still thrilled to see him go.  And he made me like Sarah this episode, which I can't believe I'm saying since I've always hated her.

The way Michelle speaks (and to a lesser degree Parvati too) is maddening.  Is that vocal fry?

[AncientNewbie]

I enjoy Wendell as a player, but unless editing monkeys were involved, that "I'm just a simple tradesman, nothing but a pair of hands and honest work, nothing to see here" shtick isn't going to work around people that actually know him outside the game or even really knew him from his season.  

[Kelda Feegle]

I don't understand why Jeremy looks like a challenge beast but is an epic fail in challenges.

[ProfCrash]

1 hour ago, AncientNewbie said:

I enjoy Wendell as a player, but unless editing monkeys were involved, that "I'm just a simple tradesman, nothing but a pair of hands and honest work, nothing to see here" shtick isn't going to work around people that actually know him outside the game or even really knew him from his season.  

The camp that he built was awesome. It is clear that he is great at what he does and that he uses his skills to improve camp and keep from getting bored. I doubt that anyone is thinking he can't play, obviously he can, but his shelter rocked.

[loki567]

46 minutes ago, Kelda Feegle said:

I don't understand why Jeremy looks like a challenge beast but is an epic fail in challenges.

Very few brute strength challenges. It's better to have speed, balance, endurance, and some puzzle making ability. The ideal challenge competitor looks like Ozzy, not Jeremy. 

[AncientNewbie]

@ProfCrash yeah, I'd have him built my tropical vacation hut without question. 

But it's like if Tony was still running around claiming to be a construction worker. That stuff works the first time around (or not, "John Wetland") but people have to know more. Which makes me think the editors chopped some further talk, because he's got to be smart enough to know people will talk if you don't give them something. Or maybe they are okay to get by with the nice shelter by the furniture guy. 

I have to say, generally, though, that I liked the brief focus on him and Michelle. They are both players I enjoy and like when they can get some screen time. And I'm usually not for the awkward, but that was funny contrast in their reactions. 

[peachmangosteen]

 

12 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Sarah and Sophie lost me a little bit there. I get that it was frustrating not being able to solidify things with Ben and Adam, but they were acting like they themselves couldn't leave, either. "I'm not gonna sit in the playpen" -- ok, Sarah, then get up and go for a walk!

It seems like they did leave since we had that scene of them leaving to get water and then talking at the water well about how much of an asshole Rob is, which I mightily enjoyed lol.

11 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I'm finding that there is almost no one I want voted out this season. 

I'm the opposite in that I don't care who gets voted out at all lol.

Fucking hell, I am still bored. This was the most boring ep yet, even if it was fun to see Rob booted.

I need to know what happened with Wendell and Michele! It seems like Wendell thought they were just a casual fling while Michele thought they were a couple and Wendell probably hooked up with someone else. I thought Michele came off better than Wendell but that could just be because I like her and I'm mostly indifferent towards Wendell.

Nick telling Parvati he had a crush on her in high school was way too cringeworthy for me. And for Parvati as well it seemed!

I fast forwarded through the stuff about Penner and his wife. I don't need that tragedy in my life right now.

Adam as the 'damsel in distress' (as @Eolivet pointed out) is my fave part of this season I think. It is just so fucking hilarious.

[ProfCrash]

@AncientNewbie Agreed. But right now the more bold, dangerous players are the big targets. Rob, Parvati, Tyson, Amber, Tony, and Sandra. The quiteer players are sort of hanging out and making alliances, like they did on their first season.

But I think everyone knows that. Kim was mentioned early on as a danger. Yul and his love of math and game theory has been mentioned. There is no one out there playing who doesn't know that everyone in the game is a threat.

At some point in time the lens will have to turn to the more quiet, strategic players because the loud, brash players will have been eliminated or seen as few enough that they are effective shields. The Tony's, Sandra's, and Parvati's have to get to that point in the game. That will probably be soon enough. Of those three I can see Sandra being the last one standing because she is not a challenge threat and I think everyone knows that she has to go before the final tribal. Tony and Parv are challenge threats that need to be taken out as well as bigger, known personalities.

[laurakaye]

12 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

No, after fiddling with the urn lid, Adam also scanned around the whole voting kiosk as he was turning to leave. He was a-huntin', for sure.

Ah, so THAT'S what he was doing!  The voting booth looks like it's full of tchotckes and I was like, is he just somehow star-struck and taking this all in or something?  Should've known, he's scouting for idols or fire tokens or clues.  And I was not a fan of Adam's first season but the way he stares people in the eyes with that weird pouty thing he does makes me laugh every time.

 

8 hours ago, loki567 said:

Michele and Wendell's relationship is so awkward for them but still hilarious to watch. 

I loved Michele's pretend texting between her and Wendell...

Wendell: U up?

Michele: New season, who dis?

She does have that vocal fry thing going on but she's still my winner pick, and her teaming up with Parv was another duo I didn't know I wanted until it happened.

[Josh371982]

13 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

I really enjoyed Sarah and Sophie this episode.  Glad Rob was voted out but that means he will monopolize EoE.  I want to see more of Natalie.

Less Natalie is a plus for me lol. And at least we get some smart castaways with Rob being booted now wise up and Boot Parv and Tony! 

[Josh371982]

13 hours ago, SHD said:

Who did Rob give his fire token to? DVR cut off just as he raised his hand to drop it in.

Someone who doesnt need the help, Parvati

[Josh371982]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

Ah, so THAT'S what he was doing!  The voting booth looks like it's full of tchotckes and I was like, is he just somehow star-struck and taking this all in or something?  Should've known, he's scouting for idols or fire tokens or clues.  And I was not a fan of Adam's first season but the way he stares people in the eyes with that weird pouty thing he does makes me laugh every time.

 

I loved Michele's pretend texting between her and Wendell...

Wendell: U up?

Michele: New season, who dis?

She does have that vocal fry thing going on but she's still my winner pick, and her teaming up with Parv was another duo I didn't know I wanted until it happened.

If Michelle has any sense Parvati has to Go ASAP. Not be her Stooge

[seacliffsal]

This episode saddened me.  Memories of my own mom's painful decline and passing (ALS).  I am glad that there was a PSA for donations and that Yul brought some awareness of what people/families experience and suffer.

It also saddened me that Rob was voted out, but I've expected it since the season began.  I think he knew he would most likely be voted out.  I also think his heart hasn't really been in this season, and when he found out the whole tribe voted Amber out I think he realized that even those he thought he could align with would not have his back.  I had heard/read that he was a last minute addition and that they were paying him to appear which makes sense.  I also think he knew there would be no way that he would even get close to the end.

Having said all that, I am very interested in how the season will progress.  I am rooting for Yul and Wendell but have many survivors that I like.  

[tvgoddess]

I was mostly prepared for Rob being voted out so that helped, but I was still hoping there would be some kind of miracle he'd somehow work his way out of it. Ah well, at least he's reunited (and it feels so good!) with Amber. 

Pretty much narrowed my choices of who I want to win to Parvati and Jeremy. If Yul won I certainly wouldn't complain, but he's not my top pick. And maybe Michele. Adam and Sophie deserve to lose for losing that huge lead that Yara had alone. But also because they suck.

[rasalas]

Rob: Shhhh. See, I have this secret plan. It's called the Buddy System.

Rest of Tribe: Rob is obviously using his Buddy System. 

😂

[tvgoddess]

14 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

It is kind of a relief, surprisingly. Him getting voted out was inevitable, so now it's happened and we can all move on.

I'm not ready yet! You guys move on without me lol.

[cherrypj]

3 hours ago, Kelda Feegle said:

I don't understand why Jeremy looks like a challenge beast but is an epic fail in challenges.

I think it's deliberate. Lowers his visibility. 

[iMonrey]

Thank the Lord, indeed. Notice there was no EoE segment, because the show needed to spend as much time on Rob as possible. Next week there is sure to be an extended EoE segment when Rob reunites with Amber. Maybe the whole show, who knows?

I find it delicious that Rob got voted out much the same way he did in his original season on Marquesas. He was initially an a power position until the tribal swap (the first time the show ever did one of those) then got screwed. The difference is that back then the show had no trouble portraying him as a villain. They didn't start giving him a hero edit until All-Stars because they saw something developing between him and Amber, and Survivor loves nothing more than an island romance. But he was a jerk on Marquesas and I've never seen him otherwise since.

Maybe I'm just inclined to be cynical that way but I thought Wendell came off as kind of a jerk too. It must have been awkward for Michelle to even broach the subject of awkwardness between them and he just wasn't having it. I tend to believe her assessment that this is a guy who just thinks he's hot shit, but I don't want to turn this into a #meToo moment or anything. I'm just not the type to get the vapors over some guys because he builds stuff.  

[tvgoddess]

15 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I felt like Michelle came across as someone who still had feelings for Wendell — she called him her ex-boyfriend but then said they only went out a short time so boyfriend seems like a stretch. Wendell came across as someone who didn’t feel the same for her as she felt for him.  I didn’t think he seemed douchey and I didn’t think she seemed catty.  It just felt “unbalanced” in who liked who more during their dating spell.

And yeah, Wendell’s a cautious, observant player.  It seemed like Michelle felt a little spurned that he didn’t want to immediately team up with her again on the new tribe.

Yeah, I got major "he's just not that into you" vibes. It sounds like it was just an extended hook-up, and Michele thought it was more than that. What'd he say again? Oh yeah, we kicked it lol. Definitely a one-sided "relationship" if you can call it that.

12 hours ago, Hera said:

I was also surprised that there was such a difference between the shelters on Sele and Dakal. I thought Rob was meant to be great at building shelters. Either he got lazy this season or Wendell really is that much better.

Rob is great at building shelters. He still works in construction, he owns his own company. I don't think Wendell is that much better or that Rob is lazy. He probably just didn't want to draw any more attention to himself when he was already that big of a target.

Edited March 12, 2020 by tvgoddess

[HurricaneVal]

I think Rob got screwed by the swap.  Yeah, his old tribe had the numbers in the new tribe going in 3/2, but the two other tribemates that got swapped in with him were probably the two worst ones for him.  Ben seems to really hate him, probably stemming from Ben's internal shame at his enthusiastic succumbing to the famous Boston Rob's Svengali-like probing in those first couple of days.  I think Ben was embarrassed by being played like fiddle and dancing to that tune.  His pride was stung, and he's been wary of Rob (rightfully so) and gunning for him (rightfully so) ever since.  Adam also went into the swap realizing that Boston Rob voted against him at the last tribal, knew he was totally on the losing end of his old tribe, so he was completely ripe and ready to jump ship and get in with a tight alliance from the other tribe.  Bonding together to take out a big threat (Boston Rob) could potentially make a strong threesome, especially if they follow that up by taking out another big challenge threat in Ben.  The handwriting was on the wall as soon as the new tribes were revealed. 

So far as Wendell and Michele are concerned......I kind of got the impression that Michele was way more into Wendell than Wendell was into Michele.   Supposedly they only dated a few times, but she was throwing words around like "boyfriend" and "relationship" and "heartbroken" and the tone of her confessionals went from breezy when she realized they were going to be thrown together in a small tribe to kind of pathetic.  Wendell was way more casual about it, but also kind of wary.  Since that's all we saw, the only conclusion I can draw was Wendell was into it for a casual thing, and Michele was looking for twu wuv.  I'm really hoping that was a just story the editors were going for, but I did catch a wee whiff of bunny-boiler wafting off of Michele, but I hope that was manipulation and not reality.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Ah, so THAT'S what he was doing!  The voting booth looks like it's full of tchotckes and I was like, is he just somehow star-struck and taking this all in or something?  Should've known, he's scouting for idols or fire tokens or clues.  And I was not a fan of Adam's first season but the way he stares people in the eyes with that weird pouty thing he does makes me laugh every time.

 

I loved Michele's pretend texting between her and Wendell...

Wendell: U up?

Michele: New season, who dis?

She does have that vocal fry thing going on but she's still my winner pick, and her teaming up with Parv was another duo I didn't know I wanted until it happened.

RE: Adam and his weird pouty stare, it's like he's a little kid who's been promised a trip out for ice cream and is now being told that they're not going. That look of sadness and "but...but you said..." disbelief, silently daring you NOT to take him and therefore break his heart and faith in humanity.

RE: Michele's pretend texting, that didn't really work for me, because she was acting like Wendell was trying to get things going with her (not romantically, necessarily) and she wasn't interested...but from what we saw it was the exact opposite! Granted, maybe they had more conversations that we weren't shown, but it seemed like an odd choice for the editors to show many scenes of Michele talking about their relationship (to us, to Parvati, to Wendell himself) and one little interview with Wendell where he barely acknowledges that they dated, and THEN show that bit with Michele texting which contradicted what we saw. Didn't really make her look that great, in my opinion.

[fishcakes]

Rob gone, Ben there = conceptually incorrect. Not surprising, but still wrong.

17 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I do think Rob played this badly and actually showed that despite what he said in his talking head after the challenge, he was very nervous. And so he did the thing he himself has spoken about in the past about not doing. He played scared. 

That "we can't move" play was the absolute wrong one to pull with two guys who already weren't that close to or trusting of him. It just furthered their resolve of his being too dangerous a player to keep around. 

I agree. Rob's strength has always been schmoozing. In All Stars and Redemption Island, the other players all said they trusted Rob because he made each of them feel special. He'd talk to them and make them feel like they were his number one. They'd know he was telling everyone the same thing, but each thought it was him- or herself he was telling the truth to. Ironically, his downfall this time was honesty; he never should have acknowledged that he and Ben and Adam don't trust each other and instituted the Buddy System so they could ostensibly all keep an eye on one another. Instead he should have had a big fake Hey Guys Let's Bury the Hatchet and Start Fresh Together! talk, and maybe also worked Sarah and Sophie in a similar way. Instead he indicated that he didn't trust Adam and Ben, which made them know they couldn't trust him.

And even though taking out Rob is something that needed to happen for Ben or Adam to win the game, this was the worst possible time for them to do it. It was really a stupid move on their part because if and when their tribe loses again (and just looking at them ... yeah, that's going to happen), who do those two idiots think is getting voted out? Not Sarah with her Steal-a-Vote and not Sophie with her immunity idol. Not that they know about those advantages, but even without them, at best all they can hope for is a tie and a rock draw. I look forward to the demise of each of them.

 

5 hours ago, Kelda Feegle said:

I don't understand why Jeremy looks like a challenge beast but is an epic fail in challenges.

I think it's a little bit of hiding behind feigned incompetence, but it did crack me up when he was throwing beanbags at the puzzle pieces, did the big wind-up, and threw it directly into the ground five feet in front of him. It was almost as funny as Wendel's panicked face when Michele asked him if them being on the same tribe was awkward.

 

13 hours ago, eskimo said:

In my time zone the breaking news interruption came at the beginning.  It cut over when Penner and his wife were hugging, and returned when Michele and Parvati were on the beach talking about Wendell not talking to Michelle right away.  I missed the whole swap and all of the Yul, Sandra, etc tribe footage.  I understand the importance of the travel restrictions, but Wed nights I go to a tropical island and do not like to be disturbed while there.  When I come back you can fill me in on the crap that happened while I was away.  Rude. 

I don't know if your local affiliate does this, but whenever Survivor or a portion of it gets preempted here, our local station runs it again at some godawful 2 in the morning on a Friday or Saturday timeslot. I tweet at them and ask when they're rerunning it, so I can record it. You can't rely on your DVR to pick it up automatically since it's just dropped into the slot after the schedules are out.

Edited March 12, 2020 by fishcakes

[AncientNewbie]

I also wondered if Michele was inflating the story as she told Parvati, to build some connection with another woman by commiserating about a broken relationship. 

[MerBearHou]

5 minutes ago, AncientNewbie said:

I also wondered if Michele was inflating the story as she told Parvati, to build some connection with another woman by commiserating about a broken relationship. 

100% without a shadow of a doubt.

[Asha124]

Finally! The Robfather is gone (sort of). Can't stand his smug mug. And no EoE this episode! I wish it would stay this way.

[Jeanne222]

I think Sandra and Rob did themselves no favors appearing as experts on Survivor last season!  Memorials of the two of them carved in wood!  Huge targets.

I don't think there was ever a question.  Get Rob!!!I

Nobody got all the publicity those two got.  I don't think any of them needed to leave camp to decide who to vote out!  

Sandra will go next.  She's a little bit more savy than Rob but I think she's a huge target!

Edited March 12, 2020 by Jeanne222

[candall]

That "disqualify a vote/substitute your own" advantage is perfect for these tiny new five-person tribes.  I was surprised she was waffling on whether to use it--ousting Rob would have been a worthy trade.  Glad it worked out.

 

 

P.S.  Can you still be cast on Survivor if you understand object pronouns?

[Guest]

4 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

17 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

 

It seems like they did leave since we had that scene of them leaving to get water and then talking at the water well about how much of an asshole Rob is, which I mightily enjoyed lol.

Sure, they did leave, and as I said, I get their frustration over Ben and Adam not leaving - I just don't understand why they acted like Rob was dictating to them. He suggested to Ben and Adam that they all stay put, but we never saw him say anything to Sophie and Sarah. Was it just some sort of passive aggressive Stockholm Syndrome? Did they try to get Ben or Adam to leave, and Rob shoved his oh-so-sharp machete in their face? I have a hard time believing it came down to that, so it just seemed like pointless grousing on their part. In fact, the whole thing was weird and pointless on everybody's part, because apparently all the necessary planning had already been done before the challenge even happened.

Edited March 12, 2020 by tracyscott76

[Prower]

I looooooooove that Rob's stupid buddy system backfired on him. Not so easy when you aren't playing against handpicked Noobs that are only there to give you an easy win, is it?