S40.E10: The Full Circle

[himela]

25 minutes of crying and saying that family is everything was too much for me. Do you have a competing game or a reality show?

Tony is winning as I have said in the first episodes. It's too obvious that everything is shown from his point of view.

Good riddance Tyson. Again.

[kav]

1 hour ago, tracyscott76 said:

This almost seems like trolling XD (jk, thanks for posting it)

And yeah, not seeing any traumatizing with those kids.

I am imagining a lot of very excited classmates and kids and teachers getting to talk about this experience in Zoom chats today.  How did they keep the little ones from mentioning they went to Fiji over the summer until December?  

[marys1000]

Winners at War Winner:  Most boring episode of Survivor ever. 

Partly because its been a boring season.  There are barely alliances, names get thrown out all day and then without us even hearing why, they change with all the whispering at TC.  

Whats there to watch?  

[ProfCrash]

6 minutes ago, QTBlueMoon said:

What I don't understand is how Tyson has never had a family visit before. How does a past winner NOT have a family visit? Did they not have one at all during his winning season?

He played with Rachel the season that he won. He was voted out before the merge in HvV. I am not sure if he made the family visit in his first season. I can't remember who his visit was from for the Blood vs Water season but it could have been a friend.

[Lady Calypso]

I think what bothered me about the whispering in this episode is the fact that we heard basically nothing of what anyone was talking about. Jeff got to ask one single question and then everyone was whispering. Add to the fact that this episode was edited poorly and, thus, caused confusion with the vote tonight because they didn't have the time to clearly explain what was going on. So, the whispering sucked this episode for the fact that it left more questions than answers, which an episode shouldn't do.

[rasalas]

12 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

On the subject of the family visit, I wonder if they knew their whole families were coming out.

The production had to alert the contestants at some point before filming that all of their immediate family members needed passports for international travel. So it had to at least be a possibility that they suspected something like the full family visit might happen. 

 

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Imagine being a child on a a 14 hour fight.  Then imagine being a grown-up, regular person on the flight that brought all those Survivor families.  The show should at least pay for their tickets.

The families were all flown out free by Fiji Airways, which has a relationship with the show. Survivor apparently has been a big boon to the Fiji economy, thanks to other filming it has attracted, a boost in tourism and training that the show has provided to locals.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

He played with Rachel the season that he won. He was voted out before the merge in HvV. I am not sure if he made the family visit in his first season. I can't remember who his visit was from for the Blood vs Water season but it could have been a friend.

Tyson was gone before the family visit in Tocantins (it happened fairly late). They didn't do a family visit in Blood vs Water, most likely because they were already playing with family.

[ProfCrash]

1 minute ago, marys1000 said:

Winners at War Winner:  Most boring episode of Survivor ever. 

Partly because its been a boring season.  There are barely alliances, names get thrown out all day and then without us even hearing why, they change with all the whispering at TC.  

Whats there to watch?  

Yup. The clear pre game alliances are making the season boring. It is impossible to see any game play because most of it happened before the game even started. There is little maneuvering room for anyone who did not have a pre game alliance. It doesn't help that the people who were far more interesting to me were voted out before the merge. 

And there are far too many idols/advantages and the like. 

If they have a season like this they need to go back to season 1 rules. No swaps, no idols, no advantages. When they set up the tribes, people who played in the same season cannot be on the same tribe. People who have an outside relationship should be separated. Hell, start with 3-4 tribes and make it easier to divide known relationships. Even better, the smaller tribe numbers makes needing to win Immunity that much more important and limits the number of times you vote off someone who can help you in challenges in favor of a friend or outside the game alliance.

[CountryGirl]

ITA with this:

[laurakaye]

11 hours ago, Jextella said:

Anyone know why Tyson's other daughter wasn't there? He has two kids, right?

Given the looks on some of the younger kids' faces, I kind of assumed that maybe his other girl was just too exhausted, hungry, and out of sorts and was held back by one of the interns who was wrangled into nanny duty that day.  Most of the younger kids seemed overwhelmed, and a few were crying - Tony's daughter, for one.  They've just been on a long flight, in an unfamiliar place with cameras and boom mikes and all kinds of strangers, and then they see the parent they've been missing fall to their knees and weep.  Kind of a lot for a kid, IMO.

 

7 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

I had the same question. And also who brought the Mariano children there?  They didn’t hop a plane to Fiji by themselves. 

I did glimpse an older woman with the girls, I assumed it was either Rob's or Amber's mother.

 

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

Poor Sandra.  Lol.

Spoiler

She got her family visit in Ponderosa.  Randy Bailey tweeted that Sandra better not have gotten a visit and she replied that she did indeed get to see her family.

 

I don't get why Adam is still such a big part of this show, unless he is getting a winner's edit.  While I completely understand his passionate fangirling about being on the show and how much the family visits mean to him, his copious weeping is too much.

And if every TC is going to involve 5 - 7 minutes of whispering, I'm not going to be happy.  It's great for the players, but it leaves the viewers completely in the dark.  Over it.

Edited April 16, 2020 by laurakaye

[skybolt]

35 minutes ago, neece26 said:

Add me to the group that is completely over the whispering at tribal.  They have more than enough down time out there to strategize and come up with a Plan A, B and even C before they head to tribal.  The scrambling is supposed to take place before they go.  Watching them get up and run around once the tribal starts is not entertaining at all to the viewers.  

Also, way too many clever advantages (steal a vote, leave tribal with no vote) really detracts  from original game.  

 

I completely agree that Jeff needs to put a stop to all the whispering. However, if that does happen then we can't have a million people pulling out all these different advantages from their behind at tribal. In this scenario you basically have to have worked out Plans A to Z at camp to account for all these advantages. In past seasons (going back 10 years) players would be accounting for maybe 1 idol potentially being played at tribal, which led to having a Plan B in place at camp. However, if at camp you have to go through all the different scenarios with your alliance, it sort of forces you to expose your game and pecking order. It'll be like what if Tyson and Kim have an idol , Denise may have a steal a vote, Michelle probably got something from EoE for her 4 tokens, I know Jeremy has something because he's acting suspicious. Ok guys, Plan J will be to vote out Nick...................oh..............wait, sorry Nick.............I thought you always knew you were at the bottom of this group. The whispering sucks, but all these advantages suck even more. I guess production has allowed the whispering to at least let players strategize to account for everyone and their grandmother having an advantage.

 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

I don't get why Adam is still such a big part of this show, unless he is getting a winner's edit.  While I completely understand his passionate fangirling about being on the show and how much the family visits mean to him, his copious weeping is too much.

I'm assuming Adam got that attention during the family visit because of his family's circumstances during the last time he played. I didn't read much into it beyond that. Similarly, to me, Ethan and his wife got more focused attention because of his personal situation.

[dsteele]

Here’s the unedited transcript from last night’s tribal council-

Probst:  Jeremy, why are you approaching me?

Jeremy:  I’m playing this for myself.

Probst:  This is a a real Hidden Advantage. Jeremy is leaving tribal council and you cannot vote him out. Nor can he vote for anyone else.

Sarah:  Wait, Jeff! I’m going to use my Hidden Immunity Idol. I think. But for Denise. I think.

Probst: I’m sorry, that idol is only transferable on Thursdays. This is Wednesday.

Ben:  Wait, Probst! I’m going to play my Steal-A-Vote Idol and take away Sarah’s idol for Denise. Can’t stand her haircut.

Tony: No f’ing way Ben! I gotta protect my cop buddy. <drops pants> I’m using my Hidden Protective Garment Idol for her.

Probst:  This is a real Hidden Protective Garment Idol, sponsored by Depends. But it can only be used at the last Tribal Council.

Tony: Shit.

Probst: Exactly.

Sophie: This is getting out of hand. So in that case I’m going to play my Hidden FijiAir Return Flight Idol for Sandra.

Probst:  This is a real Hidden FijiAir Return Flight Idol, sponsored by FijiAir. They will be returning Sandra to the game on a FijiAir flight and dropping her onto the island via a FijiAir parachute.

Michele: Well, then it looks like I’m going to have to use my Hidden Nullify-A-Previous-Vote Idol. I’m using it to bring Wendell back. 

Nick: I can’t believe this! Does everyone have an idol but me?

Probst:  Yes.

 

[skybolt]

3 minutes ago, dsteele said:

Here’s the unedited transcript from last night’s tribal council-

Probst:  Jeremy, why are you approaching me?

Jeremy:  I’m playing this for myself.

Probst:  This is a a real Hidden Advantage. Jeremy is leaving tribal council and you cannot vote him out. Nor can he vote for anyone else.

Sarah:  Wait, Jeff! I’m going to use my Hidden Immunity Idol. I think. But for Denise. I think.

Probst: I’m sorry, that idol is only transferable on Thursdays. This is Wednesday.

Ben:  Wait, Probst! I’m going to play my Steal-A-Vote Idol and take away Sarah’s idol for Denise. Can’t stand her haircut.

Tony: No f’ing way Ben! I gotta protect my cop buddy. <drops pants> I’m using my Hidden Protective Garment Idol for her.

Probst:  This is a real Hidden Protective Garment Idol, sponsored by Depends. But it can only be used at the last Tribal Council.

Tony: Shit.

Probst: Exactly.

Sophie: This is getting out of hand. So in that case I’m going to play my Hidden FijiAir Return Flight Idol for Sandra.

Probst:  This is a real Hidden FijiAir Return Flight Idol, sponsored by FijiAir. They will be returning Sandra to the game on a FijiAir flight and dropping her onto the island via a FijiAir parachute.

Michele: Well, then it looks like I’m going to have to use my Hidden Nullify-A-Previous-Vote Idol. I’m using it to bring Wendell back. 

Nick: I can’t believe this! Does everyone have an idol but me?

Probst:  Yes.

 

That was hilarious! 🙂 You scared me there when you mentioned Tony pulling down his pants to use "something" as an advantage!

[Guest]

Just now, skybolt said:

That was hilarious! 🙂 You scared me there when you mentioned Tony pulling down his pants to use "something" as an advantage!

Nah, that would never happen...Babycakes told him not to, and he's listening to her advice!

[Eolivet]

15 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

I don't get why Adam is still such a big part of this show, unless he is getting a winner's edit.  While I completely understand his passionate fangirling about being on the show and how much the family visits mean to him, his copious weeping is too much.

That I got. mvgx had the best family visit of the 30s (in part due to its role in the already existing reward steal plot arc) and I'll fight anyone on that point. Before Adam became an anxious ball of one-liner energy this season, this was what he was known for.

In addition, Adam's dad was slated to go to Fiji in mvgx and couldn't because his mom's illness was too advanced, so I could see why the show revisited that, even if they understandably skimmed over that point last night.

[Jextella]

2 hours ago, LanceM said:

In case anyone needs more family time, here you go.

 

https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/72E2E7AE-1892-958E-ACB1-7F11E8ACC741/survivor-winners-at-war-secret-sc-more-fun-with-loved-ones/

I'll bet some there were some tears shed when the families had to leave - especially among the little ones who might not understand things so well.  

[skybolt]

Why do I get the feeling that next episode, in addition to an idol being hidden at camp, there will be 2 advantages hidden at the EoE to be bartered with the remaining players. When there are 6 people left, each player will be in possession of 3 advantages. Sophie will get up and use her immunity idol, but Kim will nullify it with her idol nullifier. Sophie will then use her 2nd and 3rd immunity idols just to be safe, knowing full well that she has more coming next week.

[LanceM]

Probst talks about the family visit.

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-jeff-probst-winners-at-war-loved-ones-episode-10-interview/

Also, I wish they would have shown this either in the episode it happened or in a secret scene.

". One of my favorite moments involved a role reversal between me and the players. It happened at the start of an immunity challenge. I took back the two pieces of the tribe immunity idol, and walked back to the pedestal to say, “Once again, immunity is up for grabs!” But I couldn’t get the pieces back together properly. I kept trying different versions, but they wouldn’t line up. The players immediately started mocking me!  “Probst is reallllllllly struggling.  Puzzles are not his thing!  You need to pick it UP!!!  This is when you have to dig deep!” It was a really funny moment of payback, "

[blackwing]

4 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

I don't get why Adam is still such a big part of this show, unless he is getting a winner's edit.  While I completely understand his passionate fangirling about being on the show and how much the family visits mean to him, his copious weeping is too much.

 

1 minute ago, tracyscott76 said:

I'm assuming Adam got that attention during the family visit because of his family's circumstances during the last time he played. I didn't read much into it beyond that. Similarly, to me, Ethan and his wife got more focused attention because of his personal situation.

Call me cold hearted, but I was really irritated with his extended segment.  I'm sure he still feels that his game and his win was honouring his mom's memory and wishes.  But I will never NOT view him as having exploited his dying mom to win a game.  He missed about 40 out of the last 41 days of her life.  He's never going to be able to get those days back.  Instead of being with her, he got a million dollars.  Wonder if he thinks it was worth it.  And then with his dad here, once again, more snot crying.  The snot crying about it, all over again, was nauseating to me.

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, Jextella said:

Anyone know why Tyson's other daughter wasn't there? He has two kids, right?

I thought perhaps she had a different mom, which would have been awkward lol. But I didn't even realize Tyson was still with Rachel and that she was the mother of his kid so I clearly don't follow these people once they're off my screen.

I am one of the people who loves the family visit but fucking hell half of the ep focused on it is ridiculous. Especially in an episode where, apparently, two groups of 5 formed and then there was Probst's fave 'live TC.' Utter bullshit to show 30 fucking minutes of people carrying on about their families.

I fucking hate the whispering a TC. It's a fucking TV show, the audience should be able to know what the fuck people are talking about! At the very least, they need to get these people better mics and subtitle what they're saying so we can be privy to it. GAH!

I thought Sophie's "Guys, let's just go off in our clique and talk about which of the other losers we're getting rid of," was bullshit. The fact that Tyson, Kim, Michelle, or Denise didn't just go over there and stand right by them to either overhear what they're saying or at least not let them discuss it fully was stupid as hell. It looked like Michele almost went over but then she didn't follow through. She did end up voting for Tyson though so she obviously had likely Nick telling her what was going on anyway. She should have let Kim know so that Kim could play her idol on Tyson tbh.

I enjoyed Sarah and Jeremy's 'no you go first!' charade. But also, they shouldn't have been allowed to do that tbh. After the first chance they should've just had to start voting. Probst gives them all too much leeway.

Sarah is continuing to remind me why I hate her. Her face alone is just annoying as hell but then you add in her whiny, monotone voice and her arrogance and it's just like no. I hope she gets blindsided.

Tony continues to entertain. I can't believe he won the immunity. His, 'Me, winning a challenge about patience' remark was great. He's playing a much lower key game this season than he ever has before and I'm enjoying it.

Jeremy's kids all had his resting asshole face and it was cracking me up.

[Birnam Wood]

I loathe the family visits as a general rule; however, I thought that the Edge of Extinction version was a great improvement over that bestowed upon the people still in the game, largely because I didn't have to listen to Probst yammering about LOOOOOVE.

I was really hoping that the jury had been supplied with a large jug of Gatorade to dunk over his head at the end of the show (and mess up his perfect, perfect hair), but Adam would probably have assumed that the logo was, in fact, some sort of Immunity Idol.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I fucking hate the whispering a TC. It's a fucking TV show, the audience should be able to know what the fuck people are talking about! At the very least, they need to get these people better mics and subtitle what they're saying so we can be privy to it. GAH!

If it's a choice between hearing what they're saying during the whispering and no whispering at all, I'd definitely go for no whispering at all. Otherwise, we'd know exactly how the votes were going to go, and what fun is that?

I do agree that they're being too lenient with how and when they play their idols and advantages. The show went to so much trouble in the early days of the hidden idols, figuring out how it would work best, and they ended up at the perfect solution: have to play it after votes are cast, but before they are read, thus making it a gamble for EVERYONE. But ever since Ben pulled his out in HvHvH and essentially played it before the vote, and Jeff let it happen, those rules have tumbled down.

It's always Ben, isn't it?

Edited April 16, 2020 by tracyscott76
because I totally know the difference between to and too

[peachmangosteen]

1 minute ago, tracyscott76 said:

If it's a choice between hearing what they're saying during the whispering and no whispering at all, I'd definitely go for no whispering at all. Otherwise, we'd know exactly how the votes were going to go, and what fun is that?

They manage to keep us somewhat in the dark in most eps while still letting us hear convos about who is getting votes so they could just subtitle stuff in a way so that we don't know exactly what's gonna happen but we still know fucking something! As it is, we know literally nothing about what's going on and I just don't see how that's fun or interesting for viewers. Maybe if I believed they'd give us scenes next week to sort of go over what happened but they won't. I'm sure half of next week's ep will be everyone running around looking for one of the 7000 HIIs that will be rehidden. Riveting television!

3 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

It's always Ben, isn't it?

Always.

[fishcakes]

I don't mind the family visits and this is a weird season anyway, so 30 minutes of crying? It's fine. I did have to laugh when Kim's kids came out acting like they'd never met Kim before in their lives, and then Ben's kids were only slightly more enthused to see him. Tony and Jeremy with their families was so great, but best moment goes to Tyson asking his daughter, "am I stinky?"

And as long as they were going to spend that much time on it, I too would have liked to see more of the family visits at EoE. As someone else mentioned, Yul's wife was barely visible, and I wasn't entirely sure that was Nadiya because there was never a clear shot of her face either. They also missed a bet not showing Amber and all her girls in one shot because those four are all her mini-mes with a dash of Rob in their faces. Ethan and his wife were very sweet; she looks like someone famous, but I think it might be an actress in some '80s movie that only I remember. And Parvati and Jon were looking at each other like they're honeymooners.

8 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

And also who brought the Mariano children there?  They didn’t hop a plane to Fiji by themselves. 

I think it was Amber's mom in that one shot with Amber and one of the girls. The last time I saw her was probably 15 years ago on CBS's The Early Show shortly after Rob and Amber got married and were still media darlings The show had a segment where Rob, who's a construction worker/contractor, would go around and surprise people with home repairs, and one day they surprised Rob by sending him out to Amber's parents house to remodel their bathroom. I'm not certain it was her, but she looked like the person I remember, just older.

As for the game part, no idea what happened there. Alliances broke and reformed and there was a lot of whispering and then ... Tyson goes? Dumb. I generally like Sarah but she was irritating me when she wasn't listening to what Tony was saying and then gave a TH saying that Tony doesn't listen, so I was kind of hoping her alliance would get thwarted. But then Kim stupidly played her idol for Denise, even though the person whose vote gets stolen is never the person who's the target. This season is really showing how overblown Kim's reputation has been. Ben, on the other hand, is better than I expected. I would be irritated if he won, but he's played a smarter game than at least a few other people this season.

20 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Tony continues to entertain. I can't believe he won the immunity. His, 'Me, winning a challenge about patience' remark was great. He's playing a much lower key game this season than he ever has before and I'm enjoying it.

Tony always seems to be delighted and surprised by whatever's going on, which is why I've always liked him.

Quote

Jeremy's kids all had his resting asshole face and it was cracking me up.

LOL. The daughters looked downright pissed off to be there, and they were all glaring at Jeff as if he were personally holding Jeremy hostage.

Edited April 16, 2020 by fishcakes

[HurricaneVal]

STAAAAAAHHHHPPP all the whispering at TC!  New rule:  Your butt only leaves your stump if you're voting, or if you're voted out.  Full stop.  You can lean over and whisper, but the second your last butt cheek loses contact with the stump, you've lost your vote and you must leave the tribal council area immediately and wait by the boat that takes you back to camp.  You can no longer participate in that TC. 

All the whispering takes away from what makes TC interesting to me.  I love it when Probst's probing elicits some random comment from someone that sends a flurry of panic around the members of some alliance, and then someone from that alliance gets flustered and starts to backpedal, and then there's more panic, and *BINGO* the vote changes just like that.  Now, THAT is good TV!

I have to admit I cracked up when during all the whispering, the edit swung over to the EoE folks who were moving around and whispering too.  It almost looked like they were mocking the shenanigans going on across from them.

[thesupremediva1]

This is perhaps unfair, but I'm going to say it anyway: I lost my mother last week, tragically and suddenly (not related to the virus). I watch Survivor to escape and enjoy myself. My dad and I were sick to our stomachs watching these people sob uncontrollably about a 3-week voluntary separation to be on TV and possibly win $2 million.

I have always found these visits slightly grating, but this week it was untenable. By the end I wanted them all voted off for lack of perspective. 

Tribal was so confusing. I hate the whispering. You wouldn't have gotten away with that during the early seasons. There are too many idols and advantages. I haven't watched religiously in about a decade, and now I see why. This is the pampered snowflake version of Survivor, and I'm not here for it. 

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

best moment goes to Tyson asking his daughter, "am I stinky?"

 

And her nodding "yes"!

[scowl]

I love the whispering! It adds a rare bit of realism to a completely contrived television show of people talking in front of cameras and microphones. It builds tension at the end of the episode when you think you know what's going to happen and then you have no way to know what's going to happen. I really enjoy the literal last minute scrambling after something in tribal has crushed their plans and they have to break into groups. After the vote I go back and try to figure out what they were saying.

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

They also missed a bet not showing Amber and all her girls in one shot because those four are all her mini-mes with a dash of Rob in their faces.

This whole season has been a missed opportunity as far as Amber is concerned. *sob*

[Growsonwalls]

1 hour ago, tracyscott76 said:

But at least he didn't VOTE OUT HIS MOM

Has anyone ever done that? I forget.

Ciera did with her mom Laura. Ah, the Laura/Shambo feud. Another one of those inexplicable old-school Survivor feuds.

I think you're right in terms of new school Survivors not taking the game as serious, or being more reliant on idols and twists and less on personal blindsides. I also miss the intensity of old school Survivor although maybe not people feuding for years and years after the show was over. Stuff like Lex refusing to allow his kids to watch the Boston Red Sox was ridiculous.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Tony continues to entertain. I can't believe he won the immunity. His, 'Me, winning a challenge about patience' remark was great. He's playing a much lower key game this season than he ever has before and I'm enjoying it.

I can't believe how much I'm enjoying / liking Tony this season.  He now seems like someone I'd get a kick out of IRL.  He clearly has a good heart and his personality and antics are hilarious.  Yes, he's a LOT but in an endearing way, to me.

[iMonrey]

Quote

It's a blatantly cheap trick on behalf of the producers to not clue the audience in on how and why plans and targets change. I don't know why anyone thinks it makes for riveting television to watch other people whispering and plotting and scheming, and being told much later that this is what happened and what was said, so just accept it. 

I am more convinced than ever that this is all scripted by the producers. I can understand the scramble after Jeremy has played his advantage but they had just gotten there and sat down, Probst had barely gotten a word out, and already they were up and out of their seats whispering to one another. It's ridiculous.

Clearly the show loves this shit. It happens every single week now. And now without any kind of reason for it. Good Lord, are they so disorganized and unprepared coming into tribal council they haven't even decided who to vote for yet? Or, as I suspect, is it simply that the producers are pulling them aside and asking them to do this because they think it's great TV? Is that the reason we don't hear what they're saying or even get close-captioning? Are they just putting on a show?

On another note, unless there's a big twist at the end where the winner of this season is decided on who has the most fire tokens, the addition of this gimmick has been overhyped and underwhelming if not altogether pointless.

 

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Sarah is continuing to remind me why I hate her. Her face alone is just annoying as hell but then you add in her whiny, monotone voice and her arrogance and it's just like no. I hope she gets blindsided.

Every time someone posts about how much they hate Sarah, I smile a little.  The hate, it burns!  "Her face alone is just annoying as hell".... and then the monotone voice hahaha that's exactly how I feel about her.  Flames on the side of my face hate going on here from me with respect to Sarah.

40 minutes ago, scowl said:

I love the whispering! It adds a rare bit of realism to a completely contrived television show of people talking in front of cameras and microphones. It builds tension at the end of the episode when you think you know what's going to happen and then you have no way to know what's going to happen. I really enjoy the literal last minute scrambling after something in tribal has crushed their plans and they have to break into groups. After the vote I go back and try to figure out what they were saying.

I don't agree, I don't mind the whispering itself but I HATE that they are able to "scramble" and change their plans at the last minute.  I live for the moments when people's games get ruined and I would love the miscommunication causing someone to unexpectedly go home.  Having Sophie call all of her side over for a discussion was ridiculous.  

19 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Ciera did with her mom Laura. 

Pretty sure the question was asked facetiously. 🙂  I don't think anyone who has ever watched even 2 minutes of Survivor is unaware that "SHE VOTED OUT HER MOM!"  That is going to be on her tombstone.  "Ciera Eastin, beloved wife, mother, and daughter, who VOTED OUT HER MOM"

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

I thought perhaps she had a different mom, which would have been awkward lol. But I didn't even realize Tyson was still with Rachel and that she was the mother of his kid so I clearly don't follow these people once they're off my screen.

I didn't realize it had been that long since he had last been on the show that he now has two kids.  Or Jeremy having an additional kid after the "SOB my wife is pregnant I should win" kid.  I don't follow these people either... I was all excited to see Jenna Morasca and was surprised when some other lady was kissing Ethan.  I had no idea when they broke up but it just made me feel really really old to think that I still clearly remember her and Heidi saying "Jeff I will take my clothes off for peanut butter."

[eel21788]

15 hours ago, Vgmastr said:

Can we please be done with the whispering at Tribal?  That needs to be a new rule, it's ruining the game.  Can you imagine how fun that Tribal could have been if everyone had been forced to immediately vote after Jeremy left without being able to talk and decide on a new plan?

Well, since the rest of the world is no longer allowed to be within 6 feet of each other, I say that should be the new rule for tribal council. Everyone sits at least 6 feet apart. If you're going to try to have any last minute communications with each other, it is has to be hand signals or shouting.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, blackwing said:

31 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Ciera did with her mom Laura. 

Pretty sure the question was asked facetiously. 🙂  I don't think anyone who has ever watched even 2 minutes of Survivor is unaware that "SHE VOTED OUT HER MOM!"  That is going to be on her tombstone.  "Ciera Eastin, beloved wife, mother, and daughter, who VOTED OUT HER MOM"

It was. But sarcasm does not always translate well via the written word. *shrug*

I was running down the list of people still in the full game I'd be happy to see win, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it's still the majority. I mean, there's no one who I'd flip a table over if they won, but there would be some who would be a disappointment. But surprisingly few! Let's hope this lasts.

[LanceM]

10 minutes ago, blackwing said:

 

Pretty sure the question was asked facetiously. 🙂  I don't think anyone who has ever watched even 2 minutes of Survivor is unaware that "SHE VOTED OUT HER MOM!"  That is going to be on her tombstone.  "Ciera Eastin, beloved wife, mother, and daughter, who VOTED OUT HER MOM"

 

Just wait until Survivor season 60: Marianos at War.

She voted out her Mom!  and she voted out her Dad! and her sisters too! Can't wait.

 

[Growsonwalls]

9 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I didn't realize it had been that long since he had last been on the show that he now has two kids.  Or Jeremy having an additional kid after the "SOB my wife is pregnant I should win" kid.  I don't follow these people either... I was all excited to see Jenna Morasca and was surprised when some other lady was kissing Ethan.  I had no idea when they broke up but it just made me feel really really old to think that I still clearly remember her and Heidi saying "Jeff I will take my clothes off for peanut butter."

Jenna Morasca had a very rough couple of years although she seems to be on the mend after this incident:

https://www.eonline.com/news/914113/survivor-s-jenna-morasca-arrested-for-dui-after-allegedly-biting-cop

She's a vet now. Here's her IG:

https://www.instagram.com/jennamorasca/?hl=en

ETA: in fairness to Ciera, Laura later said that she and Ciera discussed the vote. So it's not like she blindsided her mom. 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Growsonwalls

[skybolt]

5 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I thought Sophie's "Guys, let's just go off in our clique and talk about which of the other losers we're getting rid of," was bullshit. The fact that Tyson, Kim, Michelle, or Denise didn't just go over there and stand right by them to either overhear what they're saying or at least not let them discuss it fully was stupid as hell. It looked like Michele almost went over but then she didn't follow through. She did end up voting for Tyson though so she obviously had likely Nick telling her what was going on anyway. She should have let Kim know so that Kim could play her idol on Tyson tbh.

I was thinking about this as well. Did Nick  secretly let Michelle know what was happening without the rest of his new alliance catching on? I could see them being upset at him since as you noted, Michelle could've easily turned the tables on Sophie. If they did know that Michelle was a mole working for them, maybe they told Nick that they were splitting the vote 3-3 to give the impression that even if Michelle switched her vote to Sophie, she'd be risking having to draw rocks. If Tony, Ben, Sophie and Sarah continue to work together, I'm not sure if Nick is now a bonafide member or was just useful for this vote. 

[eel21788]

15 hours ago, Daisy said:

remember when poop used to go down during TC? like shouting matches and crazy stuff? 
i miss that. the whispering annoys me to no end.

One episode first season, they weren't allowed to talk unless they were holding a conch shell. They need to reinstate something like that.

[eel21788]

15 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Ok not to get indelicate here but ... with all the families back at camp I suppose some people wanted a conjugal visit. Anyone know what the protocol is for that? Are they given condoms? Can they request not to be filmed? DO they just find some place under a rock?

I don't know if this still applies, but in season 2 in Australia there were condoms in their first aid kit. As for getting privacy, it is still a mystery as to what went down between Colleen and Greg in season 1.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

One episode first season, they weren't allowed to talk unless they were holding a conch shell. They need to reinstate something like that.

I think that, as Ralph and Piggy learned, that rule would be virtually impossible to enforce for any length of time. Which is probably why they abandoned it (that, or a possible lawsuit from William Golding's estate).

It would stifle the conversations at tribal a little TOO much, in my opinion.

[JudyObscure]

2 hours ago, rasalas said:

 

 

The families were all flown out free by Fiji Airways, which has a relationship with the show. Survivor apparently has been a big boon to the Fiji economy, thanks to other filming it has attracted, a boost in tourism and training that the show has provided to locals.

Yes, I assumed that the Survivor families flew for free.  It was the other non-Survivor  passengers on the flight that I felt sorry for.  Fourteen hours is a long time to spend with that many bored little ones and crying babies.

 

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

The statement was made that "Tony's daughter was probably traumatized for life." I'm sure it was confusing and even unsettling for the kids to see their parents crying, but I just don't agree that it did permanent damage and shouldn't have happened.

But I'm not a child psychologist, just a heartless bastard who doesn't care about children going through bad experiences.

My "traumatized for life" wasn't meant to be taken quite so literally, that's just how their faces looked to me.  The  "Because they're children" was a call back to earlier this season when you and many others, were laughing at my concern for the babies who were missing they're mothers, saying it wouldn't matter, "because they're babies."  

[AncientNewbie]

So many thoughts....

I was okay with the family thing. I felt it went a bit long and I'd have liked more interacting and less Peachy, but...I've accepted that this isn't a "real" season. It's akin to one of those stunt celebrity overnighters various local stations and talk shows did when the show was young. This time it's all about the 20 people who have some sort of following (hate is a following, Ben) and a bit of game.

I think that's just a function of the casting. The winners, even now that the show isn't a cultural touchstone, still do a lot of press and work the con/appearance world. There are a lot of established relationships that are going to impact this season that aren't easy to sum up on tv in the shorthand way they need to cover things. The "poker alliance" touches on it because that's an easy summation but it's more than that. And I also think it's more nebulous for the younger (or newer) cast. I've mentioned before how Nick is everpresent on former castmember IG accounts, but I see others there too--there's an ease of interacting through social media.

It makes me question how they can do a returner season again--it's either got to be a FvF or a few at a time like EoE, unless they want to sort by era or hermit status, because a collective group of returners will always show up with existing ties.

Which is spiraling off topic...so I didn't have strong feelings about the tribal and the whisper and the loose rules on when things play, because if I cared about that stuff like I would in a regular season, I'd have gone mad already.

 

[skybolt]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

STAAAAAAHHHHPPP all the whispering at TC!  New rule:  Your butt only leaves your stump if you're voting, or if you're voted out.  Full stop.  You can lean over and whisper, but the second your last butt cheek loses contact with the stump, you've lost your vote and you must leave the tribal council area immediately and wait by the boat that takes you back to camp.  You can no longer participate in that TC. 

 

Wouldn't that be an advantage if you think you're in trouble? Adam would've been like "hey Jeff, my butt is fully off the stump, can I go back to camp now?" 🙂 Seriously though I would consider installing a seat belt at each stump keeping people in place. You can only unclip  when Jeff gives you permission.

[skybolt]

1 hour ago, fishcakes said:

This season is really showing how overblown Kim's reputation has been. Ben, on the other hand, is better than I expected. I would be irritated if he won, but he's played a smarter game than at least a few other people this season.

I have to admit that Ben has had a really good social game this time around. He knows when to jump off a sinking ship and then quickly ingratiate himself with the crew of the next ship that picks him up. He has been on the right side of the vote every time and is basically in on every conversation at camp. It's funny how Nick looked out of place when he sneaked in on the women fixing each other's hair, while Ben was already sitting there chatting like he's getting his hair braided next.

[blackwing]

I don't necessarily mind the family visits, because I do think that the contestants genuinely miss any kind of interaction with their families.  What I dislike is the 2 or 3 minutes that we have to spend on each one.  "Tell me, Ursula, what does it mean to you to have Ezekiel here with you?"  How do you think she feels, Jeffy?  I don't think anyone in the history of Survivor family visits has ever said "What?!  I asked for Jebediah, why is Ezekiel here instead???"  My criticism of them stems from the fact that EVERY single one is exactly the same.  Every season, there's Jeffy saying "who wants some luuuuuuuuuvvvvvvvv" followed by squealing and tears.  Then it's almost like there's a checklist of responses.  1) "just seeing her here, it just reminds me of what's really important in life", 2) "having him here with me just tells me why I'm playing and that it's all worth it; 3) "she's my best friend"; 4) "he's my rock"; 5) "I love everyone here but at the end of the day I just really miss my family"; 6) "Grandma died"

Hate to say it, but I think Johnny Fairplay's family visit was probably one of the only interesting and different interactions in all these seasons.  Maybe Lauren's Bachelor Hug on her dad counts.  If it were me, I would just bring everyone out all at once, air maybe 15 seconds of hugging whatever, then get to the contest.  Jeff can introduce everyone to the TV audience when the challenge starts.  I just am not here to listen to Jeffy trying to relive his talk show host days and elicit more weeping.  As others have said, the Edge family visit was better only because we didn't have to be subjected to Jeffy.  But all that time saved by not having blustery Jeffy gabbing, and we still didn't get a view of Mrs. Yul.  No idea what she looks like other than she appears Asian.

Did Tyson really say to his daughter something like "this is what Daddy does for a living".  Does he really have no job?  I get that he won a million dollars, but I would think for most people it's certainly not enough to retire on.  Now I'm wondering if some of these better known winners also just make money on the Survivor appearance circuit or if any of them have actually gone back to their regular lives and jobs.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I don't necessarily mind the family visits, because I do think that the contestants genuinely miss any kind of interaction with their families.  What I dislike is the 2 or 3 minutes that we have to spend on each one.  "Tell me, Ursula, what does it mean to you to have Ezekiel here with you?"  How do you think she feels, Jeffy?  I don't think anyone in the history of Survivor family visits has ever said "What?!  I asked for Jebediah, why is Ezekiel here instead???"  My criticism of them stems from the fact that EVERY single one is exactly the same.  Every season, there's Jeffy saying "who wants some luuuuuuuuuvvvvvvvv" followed by squealing and tears.  Then it's almost like there's a checklist of responses.  1) "just seeing her here, it just reminds me of what's really important in life", 2) "having him here with me just tells me why I'm playing and that it's all worth it; 3) "she's my best friend"; 4) "he's my rock"; 5) "I love everyone here but at the end of the day I just really miss my family"; 6) "Grandma died"

This is true enough, and makes me think of Gordon Holmes' comment on it in his recap of this episode:

"It’s always weird the way Jeff asks them questions during the reunions. It’s like, 'What’s it like to have human emotions?'”

[AncientNewbie]

8 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Did Tyson really say to his daughter something like "this is what Daddy does for a living".  Does he really have no job?  I get that he won a million dollars, but I would think for most people it's certainly not enough to retire on.  Now I'm wondering if some of these better known winners also just make money on the Survivor appearance circuit or if any of them have actually gone back to their regular lives and jobs.

 

Tyson, according to preseason stuff, is a a stay at home dad. I'm not sure what his wife does. But he came on his first season a a pro cyclist and I'm not sure he's ever held a straightforward 9-5.

As for the others, it's a mix. $600,000ish isn't really enough to retire on at standard winner age, so most people are either working their old job or spun the money into an education/opportunity for a new job. (Sophie paid for her med school, Tony invested in some real estate, Wendell into his business, Ben some magic beans, etc)