S40.E08: This is Where the Battle Begins

[skybolt]

I know this question was asked, but has there been any confirmation as to whether or not Rob and Natalie's immunity idols already expired? I guess that would make sense if they want everyone to start again from scratch.

[Guest]

Tyson, of all people. Oh well. I'm surprised that people are still floating conspiracy theories about production favoring and rigging things for Rob and/or Parvati...when they got voted out and are still stuck on EoE, having lost this challenge. If things were really rigged for them, wouldn't they be doing better?

Not to defend Ben, but I wonder if his "she'll be done quick" comment at the challenge was misleading. I wonder if he was referring to the challenge itself, meaning that because it was raining, no one would be able to last long and it would be over soon. Then, the editors put it in where they did to make it seem like he was talking about Sophie.

And now that I've done a little sticking up for him, let me add to the eye rolling about his "big threat" talk and including himself therein. I did appreciate Tony being part of that conversation and rephrasing it from "big threat/little threat" to "high profile/low profile". He managed to make the same basic point, but couch it in a way that gave more respect to the low profile players.

And Amber looking at Rob when were standing there at the start of the Return Challenge. That was a look of love, my goodness.

[dsteele]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I've watched every episode of Survivor and I prefer the old school game, but I don't want any of the old-schoolers to win because I'm just plain tired of them and their overblown star status.

You're reading my mind. 😏(Although I wouldn't mind Yul winning.)

[JudyObscure]

19 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Tyson, of all people. Oh well. I'm surprised that people are still floating conspiracy theories about production favoring and rigging things for Rob and/or Parvati...when they got voted out and are still stuck on EoE, having lost this challenge. If things were really rigged for them, wouldn't they be doing better?

 

I've never believed the game was rigged.  Game shows have rules they have to obey and that's why all the challenges are decided and set before the season begins.  However.  They know from the beginning who their stars are and they want to keep them in the game as long as possible for ratings.  So I can imagine a conversation in production saying, "We had better be sure to have Edge of Extinction again in case Rob or Sandra or Parvati gets voted out, that we we can continue to give them lots of face time there.  Plus, we had better make the "re-entering the game" challenge the kind of thing Rob is good at.  Plus we should make all those people jury members.  Plus lets do a new thing called "tokens" where advantages are given to the more well liked people!" Everyone at the meeting: "Brilliant."

And Amber looking at Rob when were standing there at the start of the Return Challenge. That was a look of love, my goodness.

Yes, and Rob has  actually choked up several times while talking about how hard it is for him to know that Amber was probably voted out because of him.  It's kind of  endearing, but it also makes me roll my eyes a little because no one is being deployed to Iraq or donating a kidney here.  I want to remind them they're playing  a game they chose to play.  It's particularly hard to sympathize with the Survivor's hardships, right  now, when so many people are risking their lives and losing their jobs for others.

[skybolt]

Someone needs to give Tyson a jar of peanut butter to bring out his sarcastic humorous side. Weepy Tyson reminds me of Fun Bobby from "Friends" when he hasn't had a drink.

[waving feather]

I'm glad the old schoolers are gone. Some of them have played so many times, it's kind of boring to watch them at this point. Except for Sandra, she still brings some sauce. She just wasn't trying that hard this season. I don't think she shed any tears about being voted out. So it's fine. 

I like seeing perceptive people like Sophie work. She is sharp and articulate and basically led the Wendell vote but you have Ben going to Jeremy saying "the group" decided on Wendell, when in fact it's Sophie. So it's great for her at this point.

I had expected more from Kim. She was a powerhouse on her season, she killed the social game. She was very charming and everyone followed her around like a puppy. She's still doing well at the social game here but she is playing it too under the radar for her own good.

Another person who is naturally perceptive is Adam but the problem is he is always clumsy with the execution and gets himself into all kinds of trouble. But because he doesn't have a giant ego, he manages to smooth things over for himself to survive another day. Even on the season he won, he was also bumbling around and made many mistakes but he still won, so I wouldn't count him out.

I'm intrigued by Nick. He appears to be mild mannered but seems to have some bite in him, so I'm curious what he would do from the bottom now.

[Eolivet]

So, the entire three weeks they spent with Michele and Wendell's "Ex on the Beach" storyline was basically for nothing. Served no point in the narrative, other than providing a reason why she didn't vote him out. That story ate at least twenty-five minutes of screen time only for him to be the first merge boot?

I want that twenty-five minutes of my life back.

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

So I can imagine a conversation in production saying, "We had better be sure to have Edge of Extinction again in case Rob or Sandra or Parvati gets voted out, that we we can continue to give them lots of face time there.  Plus, we had better make the "re-entering the game" challenge the kind of thing Rob is good at.  Plus we should make all those people jury members.  Plus lets do a new thing called "tokens" where advantages are given to the more well liked people!" Everyone at the meeting: "Brilliant."

 

 

I don't doubt at all that they had Edge of Extinction this season to keep players in it, but I just don't believe it was set up for anyone specifically. It was there for all the winners because they are winners, not just Rob/Sandra/Parvati. They know those three are especially popular, but they know a lot of the others are popular, too. And "we should make them all jury members" holds no weight, because they did the exact same thing in the first EoE, when it was a bunch of new players. And the fire tokens haven't exactly played out like that, either. Yes, Sandra and Parvati got advantages via tokens, but so did Jeremy and Sarah. And tokens have been bequeathed to all kinds of people, usually based on alliances. I can't imagine production thought they were all going to go to their supposed pet favorites.

27 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

It's kind of  endearing, but it also makes me roll my eyes a little because no one is being deployed to Iraq or donating a kidney here.  I want to remind them they're playing  a game they chose to play.  It's particularly hard to sympathize with the Survivor's hardships, right  now, when so many people are risking their lives and losing their jobs for others.

I hesitate to judge someone for getting emotional out there without going through it myself. It may not be military deployment and it may be voluntary, but it's still being removed from the comforts of normal life and can take a toll. Often, when someone gets upset on Survivor, they seem surprised by how emotional they're getting, as if they know it's not THAT big of a deal, but they can't help it.

Fair point about their "hardships" compared with the current situation, but they didn't know what was going to happen, so I don't hold it against them.

[enoughcats]

7 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I need to go back and rewatch Sophie’s season, because I still don’t remember her at all,

Coach was on Sophie's winning season (IIRC).  About a month after it aired, Coach gave an interview to a local (eastTN) tv station.

He said that towards the last third of the game, Sophie disappeared.  She just wandered off and did whatever.  She'd then wander back for the competitions, but just wasn't a part of the social game.  This lasted for what seemed like a long time.

That might just have won her the game. IMO. You can't tick people off if you aren't there to interact with them in the hours of boredom.

[CountryGirl]

I was rooting for Rob to get back in, then Ethan or Yul, but I’m ok with it being Tyson. Never underestimate the power of peanut butter. 😂

Glad Wendall went to EoE. I liked him in his winning season, but not so much this season. And I hope he gets rid of his “toothpick.”

Maybe it's just me, but at this point, my interest in the main competition is waning. I'd much rather watch EoE happenings.

[ByaNose]

38 minutes ago, waving feather said:

I'm glad the old schoolers are gone. Some of them have played so many times, it's kind of boring to watch them at this point. Except for Sandra, she still brings some sauce. She just wasn't trying that hard this season. I don't think she shed any tears about being voted out. So it's fine. 

I like seeing perceptive people like Sophie work. She is sharp and articulate and basically led the Wendell vote but you have Ben going to Jeremy saying "the group" decided on Wendell, when in fact it's Sophie. So it's great for her at this point.

I had expected more from Kim. She was a powerhouse on her season, she killed the social game. She was very charming and everyone followed her around like a puppy. She's still doing well at the social game here but she is playing it too under the radar for her own good.

Another person who is naturally perceptive is Adam but the problem is he is always clumsy with the execution and gets himself into all kinds of trouble. But because he doesn't have a giant ego, he manages to smooth things over for himself to survive another day. Even on the season he won, he was also bumbling around and made many mistakes but he still won, so I wouldn't count him out.

I'm intrigued by Nick. He appears to be mild mannered but seems to have some bite in him, so I'm curious what he would do from the bottom now.

Yeah, I want Kim to be out front like Sophie is. It seems like Kim has never found her footing in the game and was always at the bottom. Of course, she’s still in the game which is good but she’s playing so low I worry for her even with an idol in her shorts. She truly dominated in her season but they were all pretty lifeless. Now, she’s playing against some of the best and she is getting lost. I miss her funny commentary on the game and I know she has a great sense of humor but the show isn’t showing any of that except for a sound bite here and there. Last night, it was asking asking Nick if he wanted his hair braided. Even then she was just standing around the crowd. It wasn’t her doing the braiding or the one getting braided. LOL!!!!!

[skybolt]

9 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

Coach was on Sophie's winning season (IIRC).  About a month after it aired, Coach gave an interview to a local (eastTN) tv station.

He said that towards the last third of the game, Sophie disappeared.  She just wandered off and did whatever.  She'd then wander back for the competitions, but just wasn't a part of the social game.  This lasted for what seemed like a long time.

That might just have won her the game. IMO. You can't tick people off if you aren't there to interact with them in the hours of boredom.

Even now you can see Sophie letting Tony and Ben do all the leg work relaying information to others about who gets voted off. On one hand it could be a good strategy to keep a low profile, but personally I'd rather be the messenger boy so I can interact with everyone to determine their thought process. That being said, Sophie can be extremely perceptive even if analyzing people from afar.

[skybolt]

6 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

I was rooting for Rob to get back in, then Ethan or Yul, but I’m ok with it being Tyson. Never underestimate the power of peanut butter. 😂

Glad Wendall went to EoE. I liked him in his winning season, but not so much this season. And I hope he gets rid of his “toothpick.”

Wonder if he'll continue being snarky to Parvati or if he'll just let his guard down and provide more amenities on EoE. 

[skybolt]

Other than the idol search, Tony is playing a similar game to his first season. He seems to be on 4 separate alliances, but not particularly leading the charge in any of them. He's part of the "Big Threat" alliance with Tyson, Jeremy and Ben (Hahahaha), "Cops R us" alliance with Sarah, sort of a messenger boy for Sophie as part of old Dakal tribe, and part of the Jeremy, Denise and Kim alliance. The low profile players (Adam, Nick & Michelle) who he's not currently working with are actually at the bottom of the totem pole at this point. If those 3 are voted out next, he can basically swing his vote anyway he wants with the remaining 7.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

1 minute ago, skybolt said:

Other than the idol search, Tony is playing a similar game to his first season.

I don't remember liking Tony all that much from his season (probably because I adored Woo) but I'm finding myself highly entertained by Tony this season and I honestly wouldn't be mad if he went all the way to the end.  I thought last night's episode was a little dry but he really cracked me up with his comparison of lack of fire tokens to being a broke kid in the bodega.  Hilarious.

And I really expected there to be some sort of frantic idol search after the merge.  I'm sure these veterans thought to search the food, the water well and everything in between but I guess they just didn't show that.  

[AncientNewbie]

13 hours ago, North of Eden said:

We're both from the same Adirondack County in a region known as The North Country for good reason. It gets cold here! Seeing  her all chilled and shaking left me head scratching as she would know what real cold is.

I can't speak for her, but in St. Lawrence County's Adirondacks, we wear jackets in the cold... (j/k)

It's a shame so many people remember just the incident where she snapped at Albert in trying to beat Ozzy and not the more subtle game she was playing in her first win.

In general, I liked this one. I do like Wendell as a player, but since there's no villain I hate to see win, I'm in it for gameplay this year. Even Tony sounded clued in and playing during Tribal, so the title really fit for this one.

Edited April 2, 2020 by AncientNewbie

[skybolt]

50 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

I don't remember liking Tony all that much from his season (probably because I adored Woo) but I'm finding myself highly entertained by Tony this season and I honestly wouldn't be mad if he went all the way to the end.  I thought last night's episode was a little dry but he really cracked me up with his comparison of lack of fire tokens to being a broke kid in the bodega.  Hilarious.

And I really expected there to be some sort of frantic idol search after the merge.  I'm sure these veterans thought to search the food, the water well and everything in between but I guess they just didn't show that.  

I think at some point Tony needs to start searching for idols and showcase his game play to the jury. Out of the remaining 11 players (let's say 10 since Tyson has spent half his time on EoE), only Adam, Tony, Kim and Ben have not received tokens or idols to purchase from players voted out. That may not bode well for him when it comes to jury votes. He can't just coast his way through the rest of the season and expect to win, because I don't believe there's anyone on EoE playing up his game at this point. Heck, even Adam got a shout-out from Rob.

Edited April 2, 2020 by skybolt

[TVFan1]

3 hours ago, skybolt said:

I know this question was asked, but has there been any confirmation as to whether or not Rob and Natalie's immunity idols already expired? I guess that would make sense if they want everyone to start again from scratch.

When did Natalie and Rob purchase an immunity idol? I remember Natalie buying one and sold it to Sandra, but when did Rob purchase one? Can someone explain when this took place?

[skybolt]

2 minutes ago, TVFan1 said:

When did Natalie and Rob purchase an immunity idol? I remember Natalie buying one and sold it to Sandra, but when did Rob purchase one? Can someone explain when this took place?

This happened in the beginning of this week's episode. All the EoE players received a menu and Rob and Natalie were able to purchase an idol with 3 of their 4 tokens.

[fishcakes]

Day 8: still mad about Yul. Also, was Yul even on EoE long enough to earn a fire token? I don't know how much time transpired between the last TC and the competition to get back in, but he was really disadvantaged by having to dig for that rope. He still did great though and made up a ton of time.

Wendell went back to being the non-douche I remember from Ghost Island and he and Jeremy were cute together, but I'm still on the fence about him. I thought he might be voted out this time, but I expected it to be Nick who turned on him (and for Sophie not to want to get back with him because he drove the Yul vote), so I was surprised by the way it shook out.

Tyson wasn't my first, second, or even third choice to return, but I doubt the returnee has a chance to win anyway, so it doesn't matter. But for the next competition, I'm still pulling for Rob because it will make so many people insane and Yul because I love him.

At TC, with Kim and Adam sitting next to each, I was struck by how much they resemble each other. Same nose and close-set eyes. They could be brother and sister. Anyway, I adore Adam's freak-outs and his weird confessionals. I've never been that impressed with him as a player, but he's one of the most entertaining people they've ever had. He's just deeply awkward in every single way.

[iMonrey]

I think what they aren't showing us is potentially more interesting than what they are. One minute Sophie is standing there shivering, her teeth audible chattering, and then suddenly she's fully clothed for the challenge. WTF? Did production decide to make allowances for her and give her special treatment? Or were they all offered more clothing and she was the only one who accepted? 

It also annoys me they have jettisoned the vote reveal over the credits in favor of this stupid EoE arrival. Like that tells us anything useful. The whole back half of the episode made it seem like either Adam or Nick was going, and then it turned out not only to be Wendell but that his primary cheerleader, Jeremy, joined in on the massive vote against him. Another WTF.

Quote

I've never believed the game was rigged.  Game shows have rules they have to obey and that's why all the challenges are decided and set before the season begins. 

This is a common and oft-repeated fallacy. Reality shows like Survivor are not strictly considered game shows and do not fall under the purveyance of rules that govern shows like The Price is Right or Wheel of Fortune. The producers have enormous leeway to manipulate the show for "entertainment" purposes because the shows are classified as entertainment shows rather than game shows.

[peachmangosteen]

14 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

His comment about the old schoolers, along with Tyson's remark about wondering whether he's being left behind by a game that's changed so much, makes me wonder how the old schoolers feel. 

Tyson couldn't even manage to win until the 'new school' game began so he can shut the fuck up lol.

3 hours ago, waving feather said:

I like seeing perceptive people like Sophie work. She is sharp and articulate and basically led the Wendell vote but you have Ben going to Jeremy saying "the group" decided on Wendell, when in fact it's Sophie. So it's great for her at this point.

The challenge of playing this way is in the end you have to convince people you were actually the one driving the game from the shadows and that is deeply hard for a woman to do. Sophie better hope she gets to the end with a couple of outright goats or she's gonna have a tough time.

Quote

Another person who is naturally perceptive is Adam but the problem is he is always clumsy with the execution and gets himself into all kinds of trouble. But because he doesn't have a giant ego ...

To me, Adam has one of the biggest egos out there. That's part of why it is immensely entertaining to watch his terrible edit this season!

Speaking of, fucking hell poor Adam! He must have done something major to Production to get this edit. I'm obsessed with him lol. I need for him and Ben to be F3 goats because I am endlessly entertained by the two of them, especially together. Adam coming to Ben about how the vote was going and Ben being an unmitigated asshole to him and Adam simpering away nearly sent me off my chair! 

I also loled hard at Ben calling himself a threat again. Oh, sweetie! And everyone just letting him have it when obviously they're all internally like 'buddy!' is fun to watch.

The segment of Nick seemingly wandering into convos was so fun. 

Jeremy pushing way too hard and going against his stated strategy all so he can be Wendell's right hand man was weird as hell to me. I'm glad Wendell is gone if only so I don't have to watch him and Jeremy broing out anymore. And also because Wendell sucks and I hate his stupid toothpick.

[simplyme]

31 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

This is a common and oft-repeated fallacy. Reality shows like Survivor are not strictly considered game shows and do not fall under the purveyance of rules that govern shows like The Price is Right or Wheel of Fortune. The producers have enormous leeway to manipulate the show for "entertainment" purposes because the shows are classified as entertainment shows rather than game shows.

Hopefully without hijacking the thread, it has nothing to do with "game shows" vs "entertainment shows" or anything else. The law refers specifically to contests of either intellectual skill or chance.

As to whether or not it applies to a particular show, it would thus depend on a court's decision as to whether the contest fell into those categories. 

For an in-depth read on it: 

Keeping it Real: How the FCC Fights Fake Reality Shows with 47 U.S.C. 509, 22 CHAP. L. REV. 369 (2019).

https://www.chapman.edu/law/_files/publications/clr-vol-22/12brietigam_online.pdf

[peachmangosteen]

Does anyone know who said the title of this ep?

[Josh371982]

Seeing these morons let that piece of shit unlikable prick Tony coast makes me Puke. Him calling himself a "lion " is one of the reasons I despise him. People like Adam  Nick and Wendell being threats over Tony is so fucking idiotic and them cheering on that smug witch Parvati is gross as was her arrogant smirk at tribal when wendell was voted out cause how dare a man not fall victim to her charms. I might bail on this season since Survivor seems to hate me lol. I'm not sticking around to see morons let Tony Coast to the end 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Does anyone know who said the title of this ep?

It was Ben, wasn't it? I know he had a whole speech at the merge about how the game really starts now.

19 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

The challenge of playing this way is in the end you have to convince people you were actually the one driving the game from the shadows and that is deeply hard for a woman to do. Sophie better hope she gets to the end with a couple of outright goats or she's gonna have a tough time.

Now I envision a final 3 of Sophie, Ben, and Adam, where the two fellas are sniping and whining back and forth at each other, and all Sophie has to do is gesture toward them and shrug at the jury and she wins unanimously.

[simplyme]

10 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Does anyone know who said the title of this ep?

Ben, right at the merge in a TH when they get the new buffs.

Technically he says "This is where the battle starts" but whatever.

[Josh371982]

2 hours ago, skybolt said:

Other than the idol search, Tony is playing a similar game to his first season. He seems to be on 4 separate alliances, but not particularly leading the charge in any of them. He's part of the "Big Threat" alliance with Tyson, Jeremy and Ben (Hahahaha), "Cops R us" alliance with Sarah, sort of a messenger boy for Sophie as part of old Dakal tribe, and part of the Jeremy, Denise and Kim alliance. The low profile players (Adam, Nick & Michelle) who he's not currently working with are actually at the bottom of the totem pole at this point. If those 3 are voted out next, he can basically swing his vote anyway he wants with the remaining 7.

Pointing out how moronic these winners are being. I hate him but if these winners are all liking him it's why that smug punchable annoying prick needs to go ASAP

[peachmangosteen]

5 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Now I envision a final 3 of Sophie, Ben, and Adam, where the two fellas are sniping and whining back and forth at each other, and all Sophie has to do is gesture toward them and shrug at the jury and she wins unanimously.

I don't hate it.

[peachmangosteen]

Just so everyone can relive this fun segment anytime they want:

[jdunlop]

15 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

 

I also agree about Denise.  No one but her knows that Sandra got idoled out with her own idol.  She could have just as easily said she had two idols and played them, and saved the whole story if/when she makes the final 3. I'm surprised how observant Sophie was about that, and the Jeremy/Wendell connection, tonight.  I barely remember her from her season, and her season all together I don't remember fondly.  But she's impressing me.

It was shown last week that Sandra, before raising the flag, told the EoE people how she got played by Denise.  So Denise was not telling people anything that wasn’t known to at least some of the players.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Just so everyone can relive this fun segment anytime they want:

I think my favorite of these is the one where Ben, Sophie, and Adam(?) are in the "kitchen" and Nick's whole head somehow sneaks in from the upper right before his body.

[Guest]

48 minutes ago, jdunlop said:

It was shown last week that Sandra, before raising the flag, told the EoE people how she got played by Denise.  So Denise was not telling people anything that wasn’t known to at least some of the players.

And with Tyson back from EoE, it was likely that the story was going to make the rounds anyway. Better for Denise to tell it herself than let circulate a version coming through the Tyson filter.

[Otherkate]

I was absolutely rooting for Rob, so was disappointed that Tyson got in, but he amuses me too, so it's fine. I'm so bummed that the majority of the players I want to watch are on EOE, but I like most of the remaining ones too. I really liked Sophie on her season and am not surprised that she's doing so well again. She's incredibly perceptive and she's smart.

I can not STAND Ben, but am thankful to him for bringing us two great scenes: him being rude to poor Adam which led to Adam's amazing freakout and Ben saying he's one of the big threats to Tony. Haha, ok.

I don't even know what to say about Adam. I'm certainly not rooting for him, yet I desperately need him to be around as long as possible. He is endlessly entertaining and I simply can not get enough. 

[LadyChatts]

15 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

And with Tyson back from EoE, it was likely that the story was going to make the rounds anyway. Better for Denise to tell it herself than let circulate a version coming through the Tyson filter.

Are they allowed to talk about what happened on EOE, though?  I can't remember from S38.  Regardless, I still think Denise is putting more of a target on her back.  Tyson may have not even brought it up.  

[simplyme]

11 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

Are they allowed to talk about what happened on EOE, though?  I can't remember from S38.  Regardless, I still think Denise is putting more of a target on her back.  Tyson may have not even brought it up.  

The reason she brought it up, though, is that someone specifically asked what happened to Sandra. At that point either Denise tells the story or she lets someone else like Tony tell it. So Denise told it. 

And we saw Sandra specifically tell Denise not to vote her or Kim (and in Sandra's exit interview you find out Sandra specifically told her to vote Jeremy), so Denise may not have been sure if or how much Kim and/or Tony knew about Sandra's idol.

[skybolt]

No matter how hard I've tried to put down Sophie's overall game and her previous win, she has definitely won me over. Not only is she super strategic, but she has absolutely no fear of anyone. Her level of confidence also keeps her alliance loyal to the plan. The scale has completely shifted from Kim to her with respect to how I rate each player.

[JudyObscure]

7 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

 

 

I hesitate to judge someone for getting emotional out there without going through it myself. It may not be military deployment and it may be voluntary, but it's still being removed from the comforts of normal life and can take a toll. Often, when someone gets upset on Survivor, they seem surprised by how emotional they're getting, as if they know it's not THAT big of a deal, but they can't help it.

 

I hesitate to call people judgemental for rolling their eyes over a thing on reality TV.

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, Otherkate said:

I don't even know what to say about Adam. I'm certainly not rooting for him, yet I desperately need him to be around as long as possible. He is endlessly entertaining and I simply can not get enough. 

Right! I have to say though, I'm starting to feel bad about how entertaining I find him. Like I was full on rolling at his "I'm scared!" pleas, so I think I'm probably a terrible person. But he's so funny in his ineptness!

[ljenkins782]

21 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Wait, so Jeremy voted against Wendell?!  I thought he looked surprised, and Michele didn't.  

But if he saw he couldn't get the vote changed from Wendell to Adam, maybe he went along with it.

I could tell he’d voted for Wendell when they panned over the group and he was sinking into the collar of his shirt, staring at the floor. That was his hallmark in the season he won, he always looked like a puppy who peed on the rug after complicated tribal councils, lol. 

Im trying to figure out why it is that I don’t like Denise this time around when I liked her a lot on her season. Is it just the stupid haircut or what? 

Seriously though, she seemed so competent and socially adept on her season and something seems awkward about her this time around.

But Ben was annoying this episode.  First actually thinking he's a big threat, then his comment about Sophie at the IC ("She gonna be out quick"), and the fact that he just sucks at the strategic part of the game.  He wasn't doing anything but going along with what everyone was saying.

Ben is ALWAYS annoying, IMO. I feel like he was shoved down our throats in his season because we were supposed to root for the veteran,  but his personality is unpleasant. He’s sycophantic and annoying with the men and fairly dismissive of women in general.

and it’s laughable that he considers himself a threat among this group of people. Based on what, exactly? All I remember of his original season is the horrible twist that gave him the chance to win when he was absolutely going out 4th and that he found idols. Not a strategic, physical or social threat, IIRC. 

As for EOE, I was bummed that Rob lost out by a millimeter and Tyson was one of the last people I wanted to see get back in. I’m concerned for Ethan and Danni, they both look quite frail and like this may not be the best thing for them to be doing. Made sense for amber to throw her support behind Rob, he has a better chance without her than she has without him.  

[Guest]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

I hesitate to call people judgemental for rolling their eyes over a thing on reality TV.

Just expressing my opinion, as you were, and they happen to be different. But you're free to read into it what you like.

And yes, it's "a thing on reality TV", but they are also people, so I try to state my views with that in mind. That's all I was saying.

[violet and green]

6 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

To me, Adam has one of the biggest egos out there. That's part of why it is immensely entertaining to watch his terrible edit this season!

Speaking of, fucking hell poor Adam! He must have done something major to Production to get this edit. I'm obsessed with him lol.

I can't stop laughing... Need a good laugh these days, too.

I was really hoping they'd vote him out last night, but sulkypuss Wendell going was even better, and it means more screen time for Adam's terrible bumble of an edit. Living the dream!

[riprock]

7 hours ago, skybolt said:

This happened in the beginning of this week's episode. All the EoE players received a menu and Rob and Natalie were able to purchase an idol with 3 of their 4 tokens.

To answer the original question, Probst confirmed to Dalton Ross that the purchased immunity idols expired after the challenge. Bunch of crap, really; feels like overkill. The idols already have no power on EoE and the players earned them...

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-jeff-probst-winners-at-war-episode-8-interview/

Quote

The Edge of Extinction has a no layaway and no return policy. You must have the dough to buy what you want… and once you buy it, you cannot return it… and once the challenge is over, any power in any of the items is gone. They are starting from square one.

 

[violet and green]

So could Rob have said, 'Here you go, buddy, take my idol,' to Tyson?

That's rough. Hope they told them this before they used up their tokens...

[tvfanatic13]

20 hours ago, Kenz said:

Hmm, Sophie had so few clothes on when she was shivering and shaking, then suddenly on the pole she had a shirt and pants on. It's all set up for maximum drama on this show.

I noticed the same thing and scratched my head. 

So, everyone in the game (except Sandra) is in the jury??

Edited April 3, 2020 by tvfanatic13

[Otherkate]

4 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Right! I have to say though, I'm starting to feel bad about how entertaining I find him. Like I was full on rolling at his "I'm scared!" pleas, so I think I'm probably a terrible person. But he's so funny in his ineptness!

Same here. I cackled, I swear to god. I really needed the laugh though, so thank you Adam!

[Nashville]

On 4/1/2020 at 8:36 PM, LanceM said:

I mean [Adam] didn't really live through a cyclone, though. They were evacuated off the beach. lol

Soooo... Adam lived through being near a cyclone...?  😁

[srhall79]

Yul was the name that took me from shrugging about an all winners season to being very interested, so I was hoping he'd make it back in. Parvati would have been second, but Tyson grew on me over his seasons. The down to the wire finish between Tyson and Rob is the sort of challenge ending Jeff dreams about.

I'm watching Tony's original season and just amazed that anyone would trust anything out of his mouth.

[princelina]

6 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

m trying to figure out why it is that I don’t like Denise this time around when I liked her a lot on her season. Is it just the stupid haircut or what? 

Yes!  

[30 Helens]

 

17 hours ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

It's worth noting that Tyson's purchase of the peanut butter seems to have paid off. There's something to be said for buying an item that has no strategic value but will strengthen your body.

True, but I don’t think it gave him any real advantage in this particular challenge. This was more a challenge of concentration and steady nerves than strength. Plus, Rob was just a second behind and he didn’t eat no stinkin’ Skippy.

16 hours ago, waving feather said:

I had expected more from Kim. She was a powerhouse on her season, she killed the social game. She was very charming and everyone followed her around like a puppy. She's still doing well at the social game here but she is playing it too under the radar for her own good.

Pure speculation, but Kim may still be playing a great social game that we’re just not seeing because she doesn’t last much longer.  Plotting and strategizing makes for better TV than making nice. Now, if making nice is what our eventual winner does best, then we’ll see a lot of that. But if not.... Again, just a theory.

16 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I can imagine a conversation in production saying, "We had better be sure to have Edge of Extinction again in case Rob or Sandra or Parvati gets voted out, that we we can continue to give them lots of face time there.  Plus, we had better make the "re-entering the game" challenge the kind of thing Rob is good at.  

I am reminded of someone on the bench saying (when Jeff was explaining the balance portion), “Rob’s really good at that.” To which someone else replied, “Rob’s good at everything.” So there’s that, too.

15 hours ago, enoughcats said:

Coach was on Sophie's winning season (IIRC).  About a month after it aired, Coach gave an interview to a local (eastTN) tv station.

OK, so there go my plans for a Sophie rewatch. Coach was on her season? Blech. No wonder I blacked it out.

14 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

I don't remember liking Tony all that much from his season (probably because I adored Woo) but I'm finding myself highly entertained by Tony this season and I honestly wouldn't be mad if he went all the way to the end.  I thought last night's episode was a little dry but he really cracked me up with his comparison of lack of fire tokens to being a broke kid in the bodega.  Hilarious.

And I really expected there to be some sort of frantic idol search after the merge.  I'm sure these veterans thought to search the food, the water well and everything in between but I guess they just didn't show that.  

Tony always cracks me up. I am not sad that he’s still in the game.

As for the lack of idol search: At the merge feast, I was yelling at all of them to look under the plates, inside the baskets, wherever. I was certain there would be an idol clue hidden somewhere. But since there was no closeup shot of some random piece of wood, I guess I was wrong.

12 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Just so everyone can relive this fun segment anytime they want:

Haha..thanks for posting. It was fun to see that again. I love the way they framed the shots, so that Nick just sidles in from nowhere. There would have been much less comedy value in a wider shot. Good job, editors.