S41.E10: Baby With a Machine Gun

[Whimsy]

Quote

After a grueling season with no food, a warm meal is up for grabs at the reward challenge, and the immunity challenge is a test of focus and balance.

Original air date 11/24/21 

[mojoween]

Wait was Shan voted out, or euthanized?  The music was unclear on that part.

Poor DeShawn taking that stray bullet that should have gone Ricard’s way.

Whatever, no more humming yay!  She said there’s no hard feelings, but her parting comments show that was a lie.

[vb68]

For some reason I feel like humming a little.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[CraftyHazel]

I enjoyed that way more than I expected to, and I didn’t know that was possible.  So happy to see the end of Shan in the game.

I do think that Erika is more dangerous than they realize.  She talked with DeShawn at the beginning, she approached Danny, she decided to split votes on Liana and Shan, she has won an immunity…she’s no quiet little goat.

Xander has nerves of steel.  I really do kind of hope he makes the Final Three with his idol in his pocket, after having his name thrown out nearly every TC.

[Tdoc72]

Shan says Deshawn is a snake because he wanted to vote her out. But wasn’t she talking about voting Deshawn out?  Is she a snake too or is just her hypocrisy talking?  #GladSheIsGone

I think this was the first episode where I saw Erika being really strategic, even though she was always talked about. 

Edited November 25, 2021 by Tdoc72

[LadyChatts]

I love how Xander's idol has become an obsession for everyone.  He's very brave, I have to give him that.

There were more than enough tears to last me the rest of the season tonight, and I'm sure Liana will be spreading some more next week.  I really have to hand it to Ricard, I did not expect him to go through with voting Shan off.  Shan really screwed herself, though.  She exposed herself to Deshawn when Ricard went to him about the plan to blindside him, she goofed when Deshawn/Danny/Liana/Ricard and herself were talking about the vote, and said something about her 4 when there were 5 of them there, and she also told Ricard the reason he was being targeted was to break him and Shan up.  Problem solved for Ricard, and now there's an idol out of the game (though not Xander's coveted one).

Also props to Erika, I understand why she wanted to split the vote, because she knew she was in danger.  It was bold and maybe have exposed her as more of a gamer.  She's clearly being underestimated.  

 

Just now, Tdoc72 said:

Shan says Deshawn is a snake because he wanted to vote her out. But wasn’t she talking about voting Dwshawn out?  Is she a snake too or is just her hypocrisy talking?  #GladSheIsGone

Shan's been a snake this entire game, going back to her original tribe and what she did to Brad, J.D., and Genie.  I wish I could see the look on her face when she realizes Ricard was behind getting her out (or at least one of those leading the charge).

[Brynnjk]

That was awesome!  Excellent game play.  I enjoyed that immensely.  Buh Bye Shan.  I am happy to see you exit stage left.  I think I need to rewatch this now that I can relax and not feel so tense.  What a nice Thanksgiving surprise.  And Xander still has his idol.  Love that!

[Tdoc72]

For all the talk (both online and in the show & perhaps on the streets) about idols idols everywhere, not one has been played and now 2 have gone home in pockets. Interesting. 

[ByaNose]

That was classic Survivor. Great editing with beautiful music. Do you hear that Jeff?!!?!

[vb68]

17 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

There were more than enough tears to last me the rest of the season tonight,

Oh man, the tears.  I don't think we've ever seen them that bad outside of a loved ones visit or letter from home. I guess it showed how manipulative Shan could be playing on people's emotions. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

So much for the winner's edit.

I know people really don't like Shan. But IMO it made little sense getting rid of her now for Danny, DeShawn and Ricard. 

If the three of them had stuck together for one more vote, they could have blindsided Xander, flushed his idol , and/or gotten rid of Erika. 

Ricard undermined his closest ally for the crime of revealing to him that the people she was working with wanted him out. Now who does he have to trust? 

Danny and DeShawn went from having a tight four that they could potentially ride to the end to just them. Because if Liana has any sense at all (which fill in punchline here), she's going to feel betrayed and not want to work with them going forward.

Meanwhile, Xander is the biggest beneficiary. For some reason, people haven't put him to the test to make him have to play his idol, and he seems to be a real contender every immunity challenge. 

Just now, vb68 said:

Oh man, the tears.  I don't think we've ever seen them that bad outside of a loved ones visit or letter from home. I guess it showed how manipulative Shan could be playing on people's emotions. 

Why does this come down to Shan's manipulation as opposed to a genuine moment where two people bonded?

[North of Eden]

Lianna is my fave this season but she really let me down tonight. If she hadn't blabbed to Shan about the plot to get out Ricard maybe he wouldn't have tried so hard at the IC.

My dislike for Ricard had grown exponentially since episode one when he was talking smack about the young man that was so eager to play the game. Tonight showed what a really slimy snake that he is by instantly plotting the ouster of his closest ally as soon as he was safe. Speaking of which as soon as I saw how difficult the challenge would be I was like let me guess...Ricard is going to be a savant when it comes to this and sure enough.

With the Cookout Lite going down in flames tonight for sheer entertainment value I kind of want to see rivals Xander and Lianna team up and take out everyone else and let them fight it out at the end.

As for Shan she made a good villain so its kind of sad to see her sidelined with so much game left.

Don't care about Pizza Under The Stars....what I do care about is the Gross Foods Challenge. I think about it for this episode every year because of one promo they did probably over 15 years ago...."As you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner...see what the castaways are eating this year" and it was cut to the Gross Food Challenge. They were such a big part of this show early on and I think really helped because it was all just so shocking to see what they would come up with every season (for the records I've long said that Season 3 drinking blood was the most disturbing to this day). Now I can't remember the last season we had one....I hope its not the case of being PC in presenting other culture's food as gross but these days it would not surprise me. I openly invite other cultures to be repulsed by the Triple Decker Baconator at WENDYS.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Edited November 25, 2021 by North of Eden

[choclatechip45]

Solid episode with great gameplay. Shan was a great character this season. I am really rooting for Ricard to win.

[susannot]

Great game Ricard.  To blindside your closest ally but still be pledged her vote--awesome.  That said, I am not sure that he will make it to the end.  Danny and DeShawn will still want him out.  That hasn't changed. However, it is now 4 to 3 if he works with Xander and Erica and Heather.  Erica's plan is the one that worked.  Danny is right that she is smart and sneaky.

 

In the long run, I think Danny will win, because he is the alpha male of the season.  His deep bass voice gives me tingles.

[Valerie]

My mom and I were cheering SO LOUDLY when Shan finally got voted out. She played just as snakelike as the rest of them. 
 

I still don’t like Liana or Richard but I feel like Erika and Xander aren’t likely to go to the end. 

[dbell1]

The funeral dirge playing for Shan was a bit much. Maybe editing will miss her, but I won’t. Loved her getting offended at DeShawn wanting to actually play the game. She can take her humming back to her church and explain to the congregation about how she listens to them but does what she wants to do.

Glad the bottom feeders woke up to knowing where they stood.

 I actually liked Ricard tonight. It’ll probably change back to indifference next week. 😂

[Msample]

Between his ability at challenges and his public idol, why the hell aren’t they trying to get rid of Xander???? He’d be dangerous at Final Tribal. Idiots.

[susannot]

They can't.  He has always very publicly threatened to play his idol.  I expect him to make it to F3 and for the players to award him with zero votes, because that is the only way they can go against him.

[LanceM]

I don't think the other players take him seriously as a player.  We even had Erika saying tonight that Xander has zero relationships.

[Msample]

8 minutes ago, susannot said:

They can't.  He has always very publicly threatened to play his idol.  I expect him to make it to F3 and for the players to award him with zero votes, because that is the only way they can go against him.

Sure they can. They split the vote between him and someone else they want gone. Flush out the idol. Or he goes home with it in his pocket.

[Hera]

That was a fun episode and a great move for Erika, Heather, and Xander, since it turns Ricard into a free agent (Shan was his link to Liana, Danny, and Deshawn) and I suspect it might drive a wedge between Liana and Danny/Deshawn as well. If you can get those people mad at each other, they might spend the next few rounds plotting against each other rather than working together to get someone else out.

I also have to hand it to Ricard—he was smart enough to turn on Shan when he had the chance. She may not be very well liked on this board, but she was playing a very strong game and seemed reasonably well liked by most of the cast. She would have for sure been tough to beat (especially for Ricard) at the end. People who are really closely allied to a player like Shan don't always realize that they need to turn on them at some point. I'm glad Ricard didn't make that mistake, though I suspect that he's not long for the game as it is. I also wonder if Shan knew what she was doing in saying that Ricard would have her vote to win—that's likely to hurt Ricard in the short-run. No one wants to sit next to someone who has a guaranteed jury vote.

As for not flushing Xander's idol, Xander isn't calling any shots right now. There's no urgent need to get him out and given that he didn't use his idol to save Tiffany or Evvie, it's a safe bet that he isn't going to hand it over to anyone else who might be in trouble. Erika said he doesn't really have any connections to anyone in the game, which makes me wonder if he's actually the goat of the season, despite his reasonably positive edit.

[vb68]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Why does this come down to Shan's manipulation as opposed to a genuine moment where two people bonded?

I buy she genuinely bonded with Liana. Not so much with DeShawn.  Granted I wasn't out there, but I did see Shan playing everyone HARD.

Edited November 25, 2021 by vb68

[willco]

Wow, I really can't believe it ! I would have bet real money that the editing ( as I saw it) that Shan was going was just a fake out. I mean, we've seen that many times, that they wait too long to boot a strong player. I'm amazed and pleased that these people really made a smart move. I don't really like Ricard, as I've said I get a shifty vibe from him. But if he had waited it wouldn't have been long before Shan did it to him. 

 

So now there are several more strong players, which means that there will be some people who really need to scramble. Still hoping Xander can make a run to the end, but it's going to be quite tough for him. He got lucky tonight- I really thought he was going to win that challenge, til the last few seconds he was steady as a rock. That had to be hard, he not a small guy ! ( I would suck so bad at that one, I'd probably lose my balance in less than a minute. )

[UGAmp]

This episode got several fist pumps from me on the couch tonight: Ricard’s reward win. Ricard’s immunity win (I have all my points riding on him in my fantasy league. I’m sorry!!) and Shan’s satisfying vote out (with an idol in her pocket)! 

I thought Shan was getting the winner’s edit for the first few episodes but then they showed her nasty side so I figured she would not win. But speaking of the edit, can we PLEEEEEEASE drop the chatter pre-challenge about “Alright team. So-and-so will definitely be the target so long as they don’t win immunity.”  Cue that person WINNING IMMUNITY. I’m tired of it. I almost don’t want to see strategizing pre-challenge. 

Xander is a real question mark. I’m rooting for him as the gigantic underdog but he never seems to know what is going on at tribal. He was shocked about Shan. You would think people would want to be working with him, to a degree, as a number since he’s at the bottom and presumably safe as long as he has an idol.  But he looked baffled when casting his vote for Shan on the re-vote and there’s no point in acting for the camera there. 

Edited November 25, 2021 by UGAmp

[knitorpurl]

Erika helped take the hypothetical machine gun from the baby. Everyone keeps saying she's sneaky. No, she strategic and it isn't sneaky to talk about a plan with you, Deshawn, she's trying to include you to advance both your games.

Ricard has a very flat affect- I wonder if it has to do with his hearing and how he has to observe everyone so closely so he doesn't miss things. It makes him appear calculating and tonight he was. He decided now was the time to turn on his ally. Wonder if he'll be able to work with Erika, Xander, Heather and Deshawn to make it further or if he just set himself up to go next. 

 

 

[knitorpurl]

I thought Erika handled tribal council really well when Jeff started digging in with the "if you're on the bottom you need to make a move" type questions and you could see Shan getting nervous that Erika hadn't talked to her.

Erika was able to turn it around to reassure Shan that they had just worked together on the last tribal and also drop the info to the jury that she helped orchestrate the Naseer vote out, giving herself game move points. 

Edited November 25, 2021 by knitorpurl
Your and you're are not the same

[BK1978]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

 

But IMO it made little sense getting rid of her now for Danny, DeShawn and Ricard. 

Ricard undermined his closest ally for the crime of revealing to him that the people she was working with wanted him out. Now who does he have to trust? 

 

I fully agree with you, I am not really sure why Ricard thought that was the right move to make.  Maybe it was the realization that he was the fifth wheel in a four person alliance.  I don't know but it just seemed odd to me that she was actively trying to lookout for him at that moment and he still turned on her.  I just found the whole situation odd.

1 hour ago, North of Eden said:

Now I can't remember the last season we had one....I hope its not the case of being PC in presenting other culture's food as gross but these days it would not surprise me. I openly invite other cultures to be repulsed by the Triple Decker Baconator at WENDYS.

We can hope that is not the case but I am pretty sure we all know that is the case.😄  

57 minutes ago, dbell1 said:

The funeral dirge playing for Shan was a bit much. Maybe editing will miss her, but I won’t. Loved her getting offended at DeShawn wanting to actually play the game. She can take her humming back to her church and explain to the congregation about how she listens to them but does what she wants to do.

Glad the bottom feeders woke up to knowing where they stood.

 I actually liked Ricard tonight. It’ll probably change back to indifference next week. 😂

I was thinking, "Are they honestly giving her vote out a theme song?  WTF!"  Seriously she was not even a great villain, she was just not a likable person.  Maybe that is just me but I prefer villains who are more wink and nod villains and not someone who tries to use some weird moral system to justify them being villains.  Like the whole stealing of the extra vote.

I didn't mind Ricard tonight either.  If I am being honest, he has not really annoyed me in the last two episodes.  Do I want to see him win?  Not really, but then again I would not be offended if he did.

Liana has no poker face what so ever.  When she thinks things are going her way she gets a smug look on her face and when things don't go her way she gets a pissed off look on her face.  Part of me wonders if that is why she does not like Xander.  Because I have noticed times when he has come across as being overly smug.   Maybe this whole hate boner she has for him is because she sees some of her in him.  This was just a thought that ran through my mind tonight when I watched her reaction to Shan getting voted off.

[wintrygal]

I must admit that I hummed all the time Shan was getting her flame snuffed and when she was walking out.  I would be ok with a Ricard win, he's playing a great game I think.   Next episode should be interesting, I expect some backlash from Liana, hope she's next to go. 

[millennium]

20 minutes ago, BK1978 said:

Liana has no poker face what so ever.  When she thinks things are going her way she gets a smug look on her face and when things don't go her way she gets a pissed off look on her face. 

The zits are consistent though.

(HDTV, not always a good thing.)

[30 Helens]

46 minutes ago, knitorpurl said:

Ricard has a very flat affect- I wonder if it has to do with his hearing and how he has to observe everyone so closely so he doesn't miss things. It makes him appear calculating and tonight he was.

Interesting take— he does look really intense most of the time, which could just be because he has to concentrate extra hard to keep up with conversation.

I am not a Ricard fan, but I have to give him props for bold gameplay tonight. I’m not sure it was his best move, but he may be seeing something I don’t. 

2 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

IAlso props to Erika, I understand why she wanted to split the vote, because she knew she was in danger.  It was bold and maybe have exposed her as more of a gamer.  She's clearly being underestimated.  

Shan's been a snake this entire game, going back to her original tribe and what she did to Brad, J.D., and Genie.  I wish I could see the look on her face when she realizes Ricard was behind getting her out (or at least one of those leading the charge).

Agree that there is much more to Erika than has been shown. Good on her for leading the vote split. I was sure it was going to backfire on her. Personally, I would have kept my head down and followed Sandra’s “anybody but me” philosophy. 

As for Shan, I think her parting words to Ricard revealed that she did know he betrayed her— she just didn’t hold it against him. I can respect her for not being bitter, at least. One thing that puzzled me, though— why did she tell Ricard that Danny, Deshawn and Lianna were voting him out when Lianna was the one who sabotaged the plan? Why not let him know that Lianna was with them? Was it to keep Ricard from knowing just how close the two women were?

1 hour ago, susannot said:

Great game Ricard.  To blindside your closest ally but still be pledged her vote--awesome.  That said, I am not sure that he will make it to the end.  Danny and DeShawn will still want him out.  That hasn't changed. However, it is now 4 to 3 if he works with Xander and Erica and Heather.  Erica's plan is the one that worked.  Danny is right that she is smart and sneaky.

I think the pledged vote was meant to throw a little spotlight on Ricard. Shan may not be bitter, but I think she still wants him to squirm a little.

Erika is certainly smart, but I hate it when a woman’s unexpected intelligence is deemed “sneaky”. Maybe Danny needs to examine why he didn’t see her coming.

Edited November 25, 2021 by 30 Helens
Missed words

[jsm1125]

5 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

Agree that there is much more to Erika than has been shown. Good on her for leading the vote split. I was sure it was going to backfire on her. Personally, I would have kept my head down and followed Sandra’s “anybody but me” philosophy. 

I do understood and don’t blame Erika for the vote split idea. Erika had a legitimate reason to believe that, had they piled votes on Shan and Shan played her idol, she would have been the one that Erika and Lianna voted for and Fike out with something like 2 votes.

Danny must be playing so under the radar if he as a former NFL player is the one person whose name hasn’t even be considered as an option. 

[Steph Sometimes]

And with that vote, I think Survivor's going to extend the streak of male winners. I don't see any of the three women left getting a majority of the votes. It's very possible one ends up in the finals and gets zero votes. I'd love to be wrong though. 

I thought this episode was weirdly funny. Liana guessing who they were talking about. "Shan? Erika?" I was hoping she'd name a few more people before landing on the correct guess. And Heather calling out Shan's humming made me laugh too. And, of course, balls and poles.

I'm rooting for Ricard and Erika I guess.

Edited November 25, 2021 by Steph Sometimes

[leocadia]

3 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

Shan says Deshawn is a snake because he wanted to vote her out. But wasn’t she talking about voting Deshawn out?  Is she a snake too or is just her hypocrisy talking?  #GladSheIsGone

Her hypocrisy was especially clear when they played the TH of Deshawn being so conflicted over whether or not he could turn on Shan and Shan blithely ratting him out to Ricard and throwing his name around.  I think if Shan had been less shady about her earlier dealings with Ricard, he wouldn't have turned on her  so quickly.  

[bunnyface]

I can only hope Liana goes next.  I hope the others get a clue that Liana's the one who blabbed their plans and blew up the whole thing, motivating Ricard even more.   Tonight's vote is a happy Thanksgiving Eve, indeed!  

Edited November 25, 2021 by bunnyface

[TVFan1]

A very satisfying ending to a great episode. Shan is gone and to the jury. As soon as Shan's votes came rolling in, I couldn't stop smiling. Then everyone votes for Shan on the revote. She's finally off my screen like I wanted. 

Can't wait to see what happens next week and beyond. So excited.

[rr2911]

A few of my points from yesterday's episode....

*  I am extremely happy that Shan got voted out!

*  I'm hoping Liana is the next one to go.  Again, she made referenced to the black players making to the final 4.  Race shouldn't be brought into the show.  A crack in the black alliance, so now the final 4 they were hoping is gone.

*  After Liana, I'm hoping Ricard is the next to go.

*  I like the game Xander is playing.  Not making any waves right now.

*  I'm rooting for Erica, Xander or even Heather to win.

*  It was nice to see Tribal Council without the whispering.

Edited November 25, 2021 by rr2911

[GaT]

Now, just vote Ricard & Liana out, & I'm really happy.

Edited November 25, 2021 by GaT

[Nashville]

 

[Primetimer]

Just posted: Primetimer's own Joe Reid weighs in on Shan and Ricard...

Quote

This was the first episode in a while where I wasn't left wondering why these two who were constantly butting heads were even aligned with one another. Their bond, it turned out, was deeper than I realized, rooted in friendship, yes, but also in their shared enthusiasm for playing Survivor at its most aggressive and cutthroat. That means they both knew that sooner or later they were going to go after one another. There are many reasons why Shan ended up on the crappy end of a Jeff Probst torch-snuffing, but the most significant one is that Shan wasn't ready to pull the ripcord on their alliance, and Ricard was.

More here:
https://www.primetimer.com/features/a-shocking-elimination-in-survivor-most-emotional-episode-of-the-season

[Nashville]

3 hours ago, BK1978 said:

I am not really sure why Ricard thought that was the right move to make.  Maybe it was the realization that he was the fifth wheel in a four person alliance.  I don't know but it just seemed odd to me that she was actively trying to lookout for him at that moment and he still turned on her.  I just found the whole situation odd.

My best guess?  Ricardo realized a few things:

1. Up to this point Ricardo had done a passable job of using Shan as his own personal meat shield - too good of a job maybe, though, because Shan was getting 100% of the credit for any game moves.  In a Ricardo/Shan F2, there was NO way Ricardo had a chance in hell of beating Shan.
2. Pretty much the only reason people were currently targeting Ricardo was because of his association with Shan. No Shan? No target!
3. Should Ricardo make it to F2, burning Shan (his primary ally) to go further would be a helluva major note on his Finale résumé.

[violet and green]

I like Erica, but I don't think splitting a vote makes anyone a mastermind! It was like she said, three and three equals six! Pretty simple. Out comes an idol, doesn't matter; idol stays in, revote.

I feel like Shan leaving now was a little anticlimactic, but no more of that humming is an upside.

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, Primetimer said:

Just posted: Primetimer's own Joe Reid weighs in on Shan and Ricard...

More here:
https://www.primetimer.com/features/a-shocking-elimination-in-survivor-most-emotional-episode-of-the-season

Minor correction: Shan used her extra vote last week to help boot Naseer. So she left only with a pocket idol.

[phlebas]

How long has it been since we've gone this far without anyone playing an idol? Maybe that should tell production there's too much crap in the game.

[Tdoc72]

6 hours ago, bunnyface said:

I can only hope Liana goes next.  I hope the others get a clue that Liana's the one who blabbed their plans and blew up the whole thing, motivating Ricard even more.   Tonight's vote is a happy Thanksgiving Eve, indeed!  

Yes, I thought it was weird they D&D were mad at Shan for telling Richard, when it was Liana that they asked not to tell Shan. 

[Leeds]

Anybody who wears a fat velvet headband with fake pearls on a "desert island" deserves to be sent home.

[mojoween]

Three different people leaving with idols in their pocket will never trump one beautiful James leaving with two.  I wonder if he still has them?

Is it clear to us watching that Danny and DeShawn know that they were ratted out to Ricard?  I honestly can’t remember since obviously they had to change the plan because of immunity but I don’t know if they would have had to change anyways.

[Lady Calypso]

I do get that Shan caused her own demise and I knew that she'd likely be going at some point, but I actually am a bit sad by her elimination. Yes, she could be frustrating at times and she made countless mistakes. And I guess, in hindsight, Ricard's thinking wasn't THAT bad.

However, with Shan's elimination, it now almost ensures Danny or Deshawn or Xander winning this game (at least in my head; if I'm wrong, I'll be pleasantly surprised). Danny's name has never been brought up and it seems like he can skate to the end fairly easily. Deshawn has been personable and made some decent moves and is now fairly solid in terms of getting to the end. Xander seems to continue to skate by with his idol and has also done very well on challenges so I could see him beasting it out the last few comps. Plus, he has a pretty good case to make with a mixture of big moves and challenge wins. He could sway people, depending on who he's sitting beside. 

Shan was at least an obstacle for these three and now any of the three will very likely win. Heather has zero shot in winning, and even if she got to the end, she wouldn't get a vote. These players seem so threatened by Erika so I doubt, even if she got to the end, that she'd win. Ricard, I genuinely think screwed himself by not getting out one of Danny, Deshawn or Liana FIRST because none of them are going to be eager to keep Ricard. And Liana might get SOME votes but with how many bad moves she's made, I don't think anyone, besides Shan, will truly respect her enough to give her the win. 

 Again, totally get that Shan's snakey behaviour has cost her. But I think that women in these games, especially women who make moves, are vocal, and fight hard, are undervalued and underappreciated. See how people are so threatened by women like Erika and Shan and Liana that others are skating by. 

Yes, I know Xander, Ricard, and Deshawn's names have been thrown out. Obviously these men have gotten votes before. But they've been threatened by Xander's idol yet haven't voted him since their plan to flush out his idol. Deshawn only got votes during the Tribal that Sydney went home, in which Sydney was considered the bigger threat, and it was STILL more between Evvie and Sydney than Deshawn. Ricard's been lucky in winning challenges, for sure, but he decided to go with the three people who threw his name out and will easily target him next chance they get over someone that was at least going to keep him another few Tribals. Yes, Shan was snakey, and she may have chosen the four over Ricard eventually, but she wasn't going to turn on him yet AND Shan was even wavering on going with the four and could have taken Ricard. Yes, he had to get her out at some point, but he needed to get out Deshawn, Danny or Liana FIRST, because now there's nothing stopping those three from getting Ricard out next week. 

Maybe because, as a woman, I've seen this pattern before with women who either fight too hard and are deemed a threat or who haven't really done anything and are deemed a threat. Yet men like Danny, who are a clear threat to win at the end for doing nothing, or Xander/Deshawn, whose names have been out there but continue to survive, are able to fly under the radar and increase their chances to win. 

Erika keeps being called sneaky (has been called that since very early on) and yet did nothing to warrant that. So what, she's playing the game. Yet you don't see people calling Deshawn sneaky. Ricard says that he doesn't trust Deshawn, yet in the same breath says that he wants to go with him and Danny over Shan. But...why? What makes THEM more trustworthy than Shan? What makes them less dangerous than Shan? In hindsight, Ricard thinks he made this big move but it won't matter when he's gone before Final Tribal Council. 

It's just a shame that we've genuinely had some amazing female players this season (Shan, Evvie, Tiffany even) and they've been picked off or have no shot of winning because men are usually able to skate by and earn votes just based on that. Women DO tend to have to work harder or make flashier moves in order to get any votes. That's why Heather won't earn a single vote, Erika will find it difficult to earn votes despite making moves herself, and Liana won't be valued over players like Deshawn, Xander, and even Danny. Unless one of the women can get out those three on their own, they won't win the game.  

I still have some hope, but it's ALL going to depend on the next Tribal Council. If they get out Deshawn or Danny, then I think it's a good move. And if Xander goes the next week, even better.

 

[KeithJ]

Oh my.  The dramatic music and the slow motion voting during the tie-breaker?  It was like the hero was dying in an action movie.

I think we know who the producers wanted to win.

[watchingtvaddict]

7 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

Oh my.  The dramatic music and the slow motion voting during the tie-breaker?  It was like the hero was dying in an action movie.

I think we know who the producers wanted to win.

Shan: Don't do it Jeff.. don't do it. 

Jeff: I take no joy in this. 

Shan: I know. I played a good game and this was a dream come true (turns to Ricard) I love you babe.

 

Has Jeff ever stated his opinion about a vote at tribal before? 

[Cheyanne11]

Shan getting torched really fractured that alliance.  It might be only DeShawn/Danny now.  Liana is pissed (though she's also not super bright, so she may get convinced back in) and Ricard was never a super lock with them.  I think things just got a whole lot more interesting.