S42.E02: Good and Guilty

[PaperTree]

11 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

What compulsion is it that makes these contestants just blurt it out to everyone they think they trust?

My guess is the newfound isolation from friends and family compels people to want to blab to anyone around. 

I've lived alone for almost 40 years, wouldn't be a problem for me to just STFU and listen.  Even back when I was working, I was usually doing the job alone, following the instructions.

[PaperTree]

18 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

The scrolls are all in a bag next to the container. They reach into the bag and grab one of the scrolls.

Do they replace the used scrolls so it's always a 1 in 6 shot, or is it now 1 in 4?

[survivinmt]

I really want to know what would happen with that screwy Not-an-idol thing if someone else found it in Mike's super secret spot. I mean, that could seriously be where its hidden. Would production step in and say - Already taken? or what?

And, Jeff, I understand you narrating the challenge normally, but here, it would have been nice to hear or try to hear what the actual contestants were yelling. Sheesh. I think if I were Johnathan I would have yelled at Jeff first to shut his pie hole. I mean, isn't he miked? So that we could hear it but the contestants wouldn't have to yell over him?

[Chicago Redshirt]

15 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Maybe it's just that all the "new" twists aren't as new anymore, but it feels like they're doing a better job this time of not having them swallow the show.

I think it's a combo of things:

We now know what the twists are so we are used to them, true.

But I think the improvement in the likeability of this cast probably helps, as does the notion that in two episodes it seems like we've gotten at least some backstory on all the contestants, as opposed to the way last season started off as "The Spectacular Survivor Skills of Shan."

But I think the most important thing is that we aren't having Peachy be his own hypeman as much and talking constantly about how great the twists are and how Survivor is the greatest ever social experiment that's constantly evolving. Nor are we having the Survivors themselves go on about how wonderful and twisty the new Survivor is. Yet.

There could still be more twists to come, and the first new twist of the three-way advantage amulet could fail spectacularly. And they could bring back stuff as stupid as the Turn Back Time and pick the fire thing, or come up with even worse stuff. 

[HurricaneVal]

The nutbuster challenge!  It's been soooooo long since we've had one!  Squeeeee!

As much as I love how it brutally punishes the contestants, I am actually glad Daniel sat that one out, I think his shoulder is still bothering him, you could see it in his body language, how he would sort of turn to the side to protect it.

Maryanne sure is extra, isn't she?  I know it comes from a place of pureness, and she's the genuine article, but hooooo-boy, that's exhausting!  I was very surprised it was Marya, but maybe Maryanne brings all that energy to the comps and leaves nothing behind and that's the balance sheet the tribe filled out.  Uh......didn't Zach say, or heavily imply, that he was gay in the first episode?  Maryanne is in for a big disappointment.  She said he was her "type"?  Oh, girlfriend....you need a new type, or you're going to be constantly disheartened.  Maybe she picks that twink type because it registers "safe" to her and as she grows up and grows in confidence she'll find another type more inclined to romantic compatibility.

The extra advantages and special idols etc. are all still there for this season, but they're getting a much lower key edit and are less in our face.  Maybe we're just inured to it now, but I like to think that the producers took the pulse of the fan community and elected it dial it back with the edit.  They obviously can't change the season already filmed, but they can choose a different edit than the "LOOKY LOOKY LOOKY HERE!!!!!  WE GOT YOUR IDOLS!!!!!  WE GOT YOUR TWISTS!!!!!  WE GOT YOUR COMPLICATED ADVANTAGES!!!!!  THIS HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE IN THE GAME OF SURVIVOR!!!!!  STEP RIGHT UP FOLKS!!!!!" that the last season got.  One can hope, anyways.

[LadyChatts]

38 minutes ago, survivinmt said:

I really want to know what would happen with that screwy Not-an-idol thing if someone else found it in Mike's super secret spot. I mean, that could seriously be where its hidden. Would production step in and say - Already taken? or what?

And, Jeff, I understand you narrating the challenge normally, but here, it would have been nice to hear or try to hear what the actual contestants were yelling. Sheesh. I think if I were Johnathan I would have yelled at Jeff first to shut his pie hole. I mean, isn't he miked? So that we could hear it but the contestants wouldn't have to yell over him?

I believe the rule is once an idol is found it’s claimed.  I assume the same rule would apply here with the not-an-idol-but-almost.  

[ProfCrash]

They have spent far less time on the twists this season. We had Jeff showing us where things were hidden! We had easily found advantages and disadvantages! we had awful game play with the 9,000 advantages and twists! Last season they spent 1/3 of the episodes on the going to the island, the hike, each persons story back to their Tribe, and the reaction to the story. Then it was an episode with a ton of time devoted to Xander finding the stupid 3 way idol and then showing the clue to Evvie and Evvie telling the other women and Tiffany freaking out. But it was mainly the stupid new idol and its aftermath. Then there was the episode that was the night time meet up and the bonding of Shan and whats her face, I am forgetting the names already. 

This season they seem to be showing the advantages far more quickly and focusing less on those twists. Maybe there is less consequential game play on those trips, no forging of alliances and betrayal of past alliances that was going to impact the game. 

It seems to be a diverse cast but less politically active so maybe there is less chance for pseudo alliances based on a desire to support each others political/cultural feelings during super raw period of time in history and then crash in burn in a emotionally harmful manner for all involved. 

[bankerchick]

While it may seem random for someone to say 'soccer is a beautiful sport' or whatever, it at least sounds like something someone might say.  If Mike can find a way to possibly weave it into the next challenge it might slide, especially if he manages to say it before any of the others have to say their phrase as this group doesn't know about the idol.  'Broccoli looks like giant trees' or something about goats and astroturf aren't quite as neutral.  I wonder if the other two phrases are also normal-ish?  Certainly everyone had figured out what was going on last time and personally I think it would be more interesting if these idols could be kept secret by using coded phrases that don't stand out so much.

[LadyChatts]

I’m with those that think this season is already off to a better start than S41.  I think everyone has had some ounce of airtime, compared to last season where so much of the focus was on a handful of individuals and the twists/backstories right up until the merge.  S41 was clearly the guinea pig because the editing is so much better, and truthfully I think the cast is just better.  Even last night we actually spent time with all 3 tribes and had some potential situations set up with Ika and Vitai.  Still don’t care for all the advantages and idols but glad there’s at least some risk to them.  

[eel21788]

15 hours ago, Carey said:

One reason why I'm not a fan of the shot in the dark thing is that's it's such a longshot.  However, the odds are the same when it comes to Craps, yet, the seven shows up more often than not the first roll after the first point has been established!

That's why I bet the DON'T, and shooters hate me for it. 

[eskimo]

23 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

While it may seem random for someone to say 'soccer is a beautiful sport' or whatever, it at least sounds like something someone might say.  If Mike can find a way to possibly weave it into the next challenge it might slide, especially if he manages to say it before any of the others have to say their phrase as this group doesn't know about the idol.  'Broccoli looks like giant trees' or something about goats and astroturf aren't quite as neutral.  I wonder if the other two phrases are also normal-ish?  Certainly everyone had figured out what was going on last time and personally I think it would be more interesting if these idols could be kept secret by using coded phrases that don't stand out so much.

I agree with this.  The way it stands now, the clue might as well say 'you must announce to everyone, including all players on the other tribes, that you have an idol'.  Of course it's increasingly rare that the players keep it a secret anyway, but at least there was the option for the more savvy players. 

I would love, love, love it if all the zany twists were deemed so risky by the players that they just decided against them.  I know it would never happen.  Ever.  But it would probably make TPTB reconsider them if nobody took the bait.  It's just too much.  It's almost to the point where they are hindering strategy for some people, and it's coming down more to luck.  Sometimes less is more, imo. 

[eel21788]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I'm also suspicious of how this works. They have some sort of token they drop into some sort of container and out pops a little scroll of paper. Is that just random or are those placed into that container in some sort of order? If the latter then they know whether or not someone is going to get the "safe" paper in advance.

1 hour ago, fishcakes said:

The scrolls are all in a bag next to the container. They reach into the bag and grab one of the scrolls.

 

They were each issued a six-sided die at the beginning of the game. That is the "token" they drop in the container. Then they choose one of six scrolls from the bag. 

Production would have to check which scroll was drawn after each attempt, so they could replace it with a similar scroll in case the next person to vote wants to use the Shot in the Dark, too, to keep the odds the same for everyone.

[HurricaneVal]

13 minutes ago, eskimo said:

I would love, love, love it if all the zany twists were deemed so risky by the players that they just decided against them.  I know it would never happen. 

Probably not on Survivor, where it is such a frenzy of idolatry, but this did happen on Big Brother once.  It was the second season of the odious troll Paul's reign, and he decreed to all his flying monkeys that none shall sup from the Tree of Temptation, so none did in slavish devotion to their leader of the pack.

[himela]

I appreciate the editors trying to give us the whole picture of all three tribes but it seems that with 6 people tribes it's kinda inevitable that we know who is going home after the immunity challenge. I mean, Marya telling the story with her brother was the clue that she was going to be booted.

I liked the segment with Omar talking about his faith and being respectful about others' faith. This is how things should be in the world. Why is it so hard for some people to be like that? Respect and be respected. (I remind myself of Julie Chen Moonves "Love one another" lol).

The blindfolded challenge is one I can't watch. I rarely do watch challenges but this one is something I don't want to watch ever.

I think 42 minutes of Survivor every week is not enough. Waiting a whole week to hear from these people again, I don't remember much, we don't even have previously on Survivor anymore.

[fishcakes]

2 hours ago, PaperTree said:

Do they replace the used scrolls so it's always a 1 in 6 shot, or is it now 1 in 4?

I don't know, but I assume they replace it in the way that @eel21788 described:

1 hour ago, eel21788 said:

Production would have to check which scroll was drawn after each attempt, so they could replace it with a similar scroll in case the next person to vote wants to use the Shot in the Dark, too, to keep the odds the same for everyone.

It would have been interesting if both Marya and Maryanne had played their SITDs last night and both been safe. Or ... maybe more infuriating than interesting.

 

[Kenzie]

2 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Maryanne sure is extra, isn't she?  I know it comes from a place of pureness, and she's the genuine article, but hooooo-boy, that's exhausting!

Can you imagine the deafening scream she gave out when she found out she had been chosen for survivor? Hopefully her family was wearing ear plugs at the time.

[Msample]

Not only is Maryanne an assault on one's sense of peace and quiet, but I gotta imagine if a fellow tribe member wants to get away from her for awhile, a smart person would hesitate knowing that suspicion would immediately be raised that you were looking for an idol. So you are trapped with her in camp and have to deal with listening to her. Maybe someone will take her aside and tell her to basically STFU. 

[LadyChatts]

16 minutes ago, Kenzie said:

Can you imagine the deafening scream she gave out when she found out she had been chosen for survivor? Hopefully her family was wearing ear plugs at the time.

I'm surprised she kept her composure when she found out she had the extra vote.  And when she had to vote someone out.  Maybe she didn't like Marya?  Maybe this is all an act?  MaryAnne is an interesting one to keep an eye on.

[azshadowwalker]

15 hours ago, bankerchick said:

From your lips to God's ears.

I was wondering if I should even bother. I tried to watch the first episode, and the back story bullshit had me running for the remote. 

[HurricaneVal]

Did Marya ever get the chance to bury her necklace for her brother?  I guess she does back at the resort.  Or maybe there were she says her final words before getting her peanut butter sandwich and whisked off to medical.

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, fishcakes said:

It would have been interesting if both Marya and Maryanne had played their SITDs last night and both been safe. Or ... maybe more infuriating than interesting.

I think there's only one shot-in-the-dark that can grant immunity. All players would pull from the same 1-in-6 pool for a chance at being safe, rather than each player having independent pools. The expectation would be that they'd never have 6 or more players going for it. 

[eskimo]

3 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Probably not on Survivor, where it is such a frenzy of idolatry, but this did happen on Big Brother once.  It was the second season of the odious troll Paul's reign, and he decreed to all his flying monkeys that none shall sup from the Tree of Temptation, so none did in slavish devotion to their leader of the pack.

I remember, and he lost anyways!  Lol.  Sort of like the time Boston Rob was cast with all those numbskulls.  They were ordered to use the buddy system so they couldn't defect.  Smart for Rob, stupid for anybody who wasn't Rob.

As much as I'd love to see some of these twists crash and burn, it would be worse to see it happen because the cast was made up of mainly followers,  with one or two super strong personalities who ordered that no one use any.  I mean, I'd take advantage of my good luck too, if I were cast with a bunch of dimwits, but it is no fun to watch.  

[eskimo]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

Did Marya ever get the chance to bury her necklace for her brother?  I guess she does back at the resort.  Or maybe there were she says her final words before getting her peanut butter sandwich and whisked off to medical.

She said in an interview with EW that she didn't bury it.  

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-42-marya-sherron-interview/

 

[eskimo]

Interestingly Marya said that they edited out an entire portion of the Immunity Challenge.  WTH?  I don't mind short back story clips, emphasis on short, but not at the expense of actual game play.  What a shame that game play is  secondary to players biographies.   

[peachmangosteen]

The IC isn't game play to me and I normally fast forward through it anyway. I watched this one though because I like seeing people run into things lol.

[Melina22]

14 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I watched this one though because I like seeing people run into things lol.

Apparently I do too. Wouldn't miss it! 

[eskimo]

10 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

The IC isn't game play to me and I normally fast forward through it anyway. I watched this one though because I like seeing people run into things lol.

I think it's game play in terms of who's valuable in keeping the tribe strong, and who's a liability.  Like last week when we watched Zach (is that his name) take the fall for losing the challenge when we saw with our very own eyes that they all sucked.  But I also ff through challenges on occasion.  They are all the same now.  Bring back the challenges that reveal everyone's position in the tribe, while also revealing what people think.  Or remembering a story Jeff tells and running through the jungle to different stations.  But let ME decide when I want to watch and when I want to skip a challenge, or parts of one.  

[ZeeEnnui]

3 hours ago, Msample said:

Not only is Maryanne an assault on one's sense of peace and quiet, but I gotta imagine if a fellow tribe member wants to get away from her for awhile, a smart person would hesitate knowing that suspicion would immediately be raised that you were looking for an idol. So you are trapped with her in camp and have to deal with listening to her. Maybe someone will take her aside and tell her to basically STFU. 

TakBOOOOOOO! You had one job. Vote out the Human Embodiment of a Care Bear on Meth. Honestly, Maryann's cheerfulness (no matter how genuine) is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, and if I were on an island with her, I'd have to fight the urge to not push her into a pit full of crabs every time she opened her mouth (which is apparently all the time). 

Also, cringe about Maryann's dubious dating life. She might have more luck with a little gaydar because if Zach is her type then I see a lot of cats and Precious Moments figurines in her future. 

I love that Daniel is a stealth game ninja. Last week, he was hardcore about paddling with a dislocated shoulder, and this week he's playing chess while Mike is losing a game of Hide and Seek. 

Religion may be why Omar is a virgin at 30, but that ostrich t-shirt is the reason why he'll still be a virgin at 40 and 50.

I will never understand why people who come on the game who are like I hate spiders, mosquitos, sand in my bathing suit area, the outdoors, etc. come on this show. I hate all of those things too. It's why I don't go camping, and why I don't submit an application for Survivor. There are other ways to win money - Vegas has a whole industry devoted to it. 

[violet and green]

It was all right. I hate the banging into hard objects blindfolded with someone shouting at them challenges. I think Taku made a mistake having brawny Jonathon as the caller. Maryanne is loud as hell, and he seemed to struggle shouting whereas he would have powered through those obstacles like a bull. Marya seemed to just be standing around cluelessly a lot in the puzzle section while Omar did the work, and I can see why they kept goodhearted Maryanne in over her from a future challenge standpoint. Plus the bit where she wove the prayer mat for Omar.

It is so much better than Season 41! I don't think I could have lived through Probst's Preschool another time.

[nlkm9]

I don’t understand how mike had already lost his vote through the merge? Or did i misunderstand 

[LadyChatts]

7 minutes ago, nlkm9 said:

I don’t understand how mike had already lost his vote through the merge? Or did i misunderstand 

He found the idol clue, but he has to wait for the other two tribes to find theirs, too.  Only then will the idol be activated, but he loses his vote until the other idols are found or the merge happens (whatever comes first).

[GenerationX]

The CBS site needed to start selling programs as of S41.  S42 is no different.  Either Peachy needs to voice over ("For those of you scoring the idols/advantages/amulets/curses at home...") or some Pop-Up Video call out needs to do it.  How else do we know who has what?

And pre-S41, a tribe member found something, and a small piece of parchment told them what it was.  Now they find a scroll with more rules than the U.S. tax code.  All less favorable to them.

I don't care to hear about backstories or current issues on the show.  I watch to be entertained by gameplay and personalities.  The more insulated the game is to the game, the better it is for me the viewer.  I get enough real life in real life.

[SoMuchTV]

12 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

And pre-S41, a tribe member found something, and a small piece of parchment told them what it was.  Now they find a scroll with more rules than the U.S. tax code.  All less favorable to them.

I’m not quite as cynical as some here, but I did have to LOL at that. 

Also, I find this thread helpful:

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by SoMuchTV

[Nashville]

On 3/16/2022 at 9:02 PM, Cotypubby said:

I’m sure Maryanne is genuinely a sweet person but 5 minutes of her was enough for me. I have no idea how her tribe mates can spend multiple days with all that nonstop energy coming at them without wanting to commit murder. She is just way too much.

11 hours ago, PaperTree said:

Do they replace the used scrolls so it's always a 1 in 6 shot, or is it now 1 in 4?

 

9 hours ago, eel21788 said:

They were each issued a six-sided die at the beginning of the game. That is the "token" they drop in the container. Then they choose one of six scrolls from the bag. 

Production would have to check which scroll was drawn after each attempt, so they could replace it with a similar scroll in case the next person to vote wants to use the Shot in the Dark, too, to keep the odds the same for everyone.

As Jiffy has taken pains to repeat the “1 in 6 chance” mantra every chance he gets, I’d guess:

1. During the TC vote Production keeps an intern near the voting booth with a few spare 6-scroll bags (1 Safe scroll & 5 Not-Safe scrolls in each).
2. If someone plays their SITD, then the intern scoots into the booth between voters and swaps the used bag for a fresh one.

I can’t think of any other day to do it which wouldn’t be a dead giveaway to the other players - and could possibly influence those who had not yet cast their vote.

 

7 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Did Marya ever get the chance to bury her necklace for her brother?  I guess she does back at the resort.  Or maybe there were she says her final words before getting her peanut butter sandwich and whisked off to medical.

Marya was still wearing the necklace when she brought her torch to Probst for snuffing.

[princelina]

8 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I'm surprised she kept her composure when she found out she had the extra vote.  And when she had to vote someone out.  Maybe she didn't like Marya?  Maybe this is all an act?  MaryAnne is an interesting one to keep an eye on.

"Big personalities" still know where their bread is buttered 😄

My favorite Daniel line tonight was something about if they vote out Mary Anne she'll have fun on Ponderosa with Zach 😄

[millennium]

10 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

I was wondering if I should even bother. I tried to watch the first episode, and the back story bullshit had me running for the remote. 

The backstory bullshit seems to play a large role in who gets cast for the show.   I always suspected it did, but it has seemed more blatant this season.   When Jeff was talking to Jackson about his medications last week, he started off with "When we heard your story, we just knew we had to have you on the show."   And then this week Marya reveals that her brother was the first American health worker to die of Covid.   Does anybody think that was a coincidence?  Or was Marya chosen because Survivor wanted to exploit her story?

[SVNBob]

19 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I thought the Vegan story line was interesting. He had every reason to think there would be rice, sometimes there is even beans. He could make that work with what ever fruit they found around the island. It wouldn't be easy per se but it was workable. I appreciate that he made a hard choice and that his Tribe was supportive. You could see that this wasn't a trend chosen thing but something he believed in. And I think it was good that he could see that the crab tasted good but that he felt guilty. 

I do believe that most people would make a similar choice in a real survival situation but I can see how eating meat for a TV show would be a different type of choice because then it is not "eat crab or die" but "eat crab to be able to stay in a game to win a million dollars" and that feels different.

Very true.  It was good to see that the rest of the Green tribe didn't appear to be pressuring Hai into eating.  And Mike even apologized for saying he wanted a burger after the game was over.  I think that respect and support was part of the reason Hai wanted to be able to contribute to the team, and thus needed to eat something.

 

14 hours ago, PaperTree said:

Do they replace the used scrolls so it's always a 1 in 6 shot, or is it now 1 in 4?

IIRC from interviews from last season, TPTB only refresh the bag of scrolls at a new TC.  So the odds do change at any given TC once one person uses their SITD.  So if Maryanne also played her Shot, she would have had either a 1 in 5 chance, or a 0 in 5 if Marya had drawn Sate.

 

10 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Did Marya ever get the chance to bury her necklace for her brother?  I guess she does back at the resort.  Or maybe there were she says her final words before getting her peanut butter sandwich and whisked off to medical.

When she first brought up her plan to bury the necklace on the island, I immediately had a flash-forward a few seasons to a future (recruited) contestant digging the necklace up, and thinking it was an HII.  Followed by the scene where they try to play it at TC, only for Peachy to say it wasn't an idol and throw it in the fire.

Then once she was voted out, I wondered if she'd bury it there at the final interview spot or back at Ponderosa where it would be safe.  But from the EW interview, she didn't do either.

[millennium]

7 minutes ago, SVNBob said:

When she first brought up her plan to bury the necklace on the island, I immediately had a flash-forward a few seasons to a future (recruited) contestant digging the necklace up, and thinking it was an HII.  Followed by the scene where they try to play it at TC, only for Peachy to say it wasn't an idol and throw it in the fire.

I wanna see that episode!

[grandmabegum]

1 hour ago, SVNBob said:

Then once she was voted out, I wondered if she'd bury it there at the final interview spot or back at Ponderosa where it would be safe.  But from the EW interview, she didn't do either.

I very much agreed with her reasoning why she chose not to bury it.

[Jtrain]

Maryanne can go now!!! Dead lord she is annoying, hopefully she goes soon. 

[Hanahope]

So changes.  Probst opened Marya's SITD, whereas Zach opened his own.

Mike can "choose" not to "activate" his idol by not saying the phrase yet, whereas last season, they had to say the phrase immediately at the next challenge.  And they seem to be hiding those idols a bit more, though maybe last season they practically threw it into the middle of camp when they needed the third one found.

I was surprised that Jon was the caller for orange, but maybe he was smarter to protect this balls.  he did much better at the puzzle part than I would have thought, but unfortunately close didn't count at the end.  

 

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, princelina said:

My favorite Daniel line tonight was something about if they vote out Mary Anne she'll have fun on Ponderosa with Zach 😄

Daniel isn't on a tribe with Maryanne so it wasn't him who said that. It was either Jonathan or Omar.

6 hours ago, SVNBob said:

IIRC from interviews from last season, TPTB only refresh the bag of scrolls at a new TC.  So the odds do change at any given TC once one person uses their SITD.  So if Maryanne also played her Shot, she would have had either a 1 in 5 chance, or a 0 in 5 if Marya had drawn Sate.

Huh, interesting. I wish the show was more transparent with the audience about this stuff. I assume they are with the contestants but honestly who knows lol.

[ProfCrash]

57 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

So changes.  Probst opened Marya's SITD, whereas Zach opened his own.

Mike can "choose" not to "activate" his idol by not saying the phrase yet, whereas last season, they had to say the phrase immediately at the next challenge.  And they seem to be hiding those idols a bit more, though maybe last season they practically threw it into the middle of camp when they needed the third one found.

I was surprised that Jon was the caller for orange, but maybe he was smarter to protect this balls.  he did much better at the puzzle part than I would have thought, but unfortunately close didn't count at the end.  

 

I don't believe that they had to say the phrase when they found the clue. I think Xander choose to say it hoping that someone else had found theirs. Daniel's suggestion to Mike was to not say the phrase until he hears someone else say theirs, which is what Xander ended up doing after that first time. Xander didn't repeat the phrase until Ricard and Shan started that chain. 

The idol won't activate until all three phrases are said, so there is a reason to say the phrase at the first opportunity but I do not believe that it was mandatory.

[CountryGirl]

Even though folks are playing the twists differently thus far, I'm so over them. I just want some old-school Survivor where the only advantages are winning tribal or individual immunity or perhaps winning an advantage that can be used in a challenge vs all of this other stuff that I honestly quickly lose track of.

I still don't understand why the felt the need to fix something that didn't need it. The show has been on for over 2 decades and it's only more recently that we've had all this gimmicky nonsense. 

What used to be one of my favorite shows just isn't anymore. 

Also, Maryann honey, there is a reason why you're still single. She seems very sweet but lacks any self-awareness and even the biggest extrovert in the world would be "I'm OUT!" after listening to her after 5 minutes.

[ProfCrash]

8 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

Even though folks are playing the twists differently thus far, I'm so over them. I just want some old-school Survivor where the only advantages are winning tribal or individual immunity or perhaps winning an advantage that can be used in a challenge vs all of this other stuff that I honestly quickly lose track of.

I still don't understand why the felt the need to fix something that didn't need it. The show has been on for over 2 decades and it's only more recently that we've had all this gimmicky nonsense. 

What used to be one of my favorite shows just isn't anymore. 

Also, Maryann honey, there is a reason why you're still single. She seems very sweet but lacks any self-awareness and even the biggest extrovert in the world would be "I'm OUT!" after listening to her after 5 minutes.

Imagine her on the amazing Race. I mean, Penn drove some folks nuts this season. Maryann puts Penn to shame.

[CountryGirl]

12 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

Imagine her on the amazing Race. I mean, Penn drove some folks nuts this season. Maryann puts Penn to shame.

I really liked Penn, especially how supportive and still so much in love he was with wife Kim.

[fishcakes]

1 hour ago, Hanahope said:

Mike can "choose" not to "activate" his idol by not saying the phrase yet, whereas last season, they had to say the phrase immediately at the next challenge. 

Mike read the note out loud and it did say, "at the next immunity challenge, you must say the secret phrase," so I'm wondering how he got away with not saying it. Either Production made a decision on the fly that it was more interesting to let Daniel and Chanelle manipulate him, or maybe a PA stepped in and told him he had to say it at the next challenge (I vaguely recall this happening a few seasons ago on one of those not-an-advantage advantages, but I can't remember the specifics) and he did say it, but they didn't show it to us for some crafted narrative reason.

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

I wish the show was more transparent with the audience about this stuff. I assume they are with the contestants but honestly who knows lol.

I agree. I don't mind if it's a situation that may or may not happen, like when they instituted the rule about going to rocks after ties, but when it's something that's already playing out, it would help to understand the players' strategies if we had the same information they have.

[Chicago Redshirt]

11 hours ago, Nashville said:

As Jiffy has taken pains to repeat the “1 in 6 chance” mantra every chance he gets, I’d guess:

1. During the TC vote Production keeps an intern near the voting booth with a few spare 6-scroll bags (1 Safe scroll & 5 Not-Safe scrolls in each).
2. If someone plays their SITD, then the intern scoots into the booth between voters and swaps the used bag for a fresh one.

I can’t think of any other day to do it which wouldn’t be a dead giveaway to the other players - and could possibly influence those who had not yet cast their vote.

Given that Jeff is not exactly a math whiz, I wouldn't make too much of the repetition of "1 in 6 chance." Remember, he used to constantly say that people would be "guaranteed" a 1 in X chance of being the next winner, when that's not how odds work. 

Presumably, all the scrolls are kept in a bag/box that is only revealed to someone going for the SITD. People who don't play the SITD would have no way of knowing how many scrolls were taken, so the specific notion that 1 person/2 people/etc had played their SITD couldn't really influence them. Even people who play the SITD would only know if there were still 6 scrolls or fewer after such a choice. So no dead giveaway until it's too late to have any meaningful effect on strategy.

If a fresh bag is introduced for every SITD, it makes no difference for either player's strategy.

If the same bag of six is used for the SITD, it's the same for the first player. The second and subsequent players can make a mental note that someone else has chosen a SITD and hope that that means they have a better SITD or fear that they literally have no shot. But presumably, they can't back away from their choice or do anything different. 

[ProfCrash]

17 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Mike read the note out loud and it did say, "at the next immunity challenge, you must say the secret phrase," so I'm wondering how he got away with not saying it. Either Production made a decision on the fly that it was more interesting to let Daniel and Chanelle manipulate him, or maybe a PA stepped in and told him he had to say it at the next challenge (I vaguely recall this happening a few seasons ago on one of those not-an-advantage advantages, but I can't remember the specifics) and he did say it, but they didn't show it to us for some crafted narrative reason.

I agree. I don't mind if it's a situation that may or may not happen, like when they instituted the rule about going to rocks after ties, but when it's something that's already playing out, it would help to understand the players' strategies if we had the same information they have.

What is the entire sentence?  Is it you must read the phrase period or you must read and the others must read their phrases to activate the idols. I honestly don't know but Daniel's take on it after reading the note was that if he kept Mike from saying the phrase, and triggering the others, then Mike didn't have a vote. Daniel didn't say that based on what Mike repeated but after reading the note.

[DEL901]

11 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

What is the entire sentence?  Is it you must read the phrase period or you must read and the others must read their phrases to activate the idols. I honestly don't know but Daniel's take on it after reading the note was that if he kept Mike from saying the phrase, and triggering the others, then Mike didn't have a vote. Daniel didn't say that based on what Mike repeated but after reading the note.

All three must say the phrase at the same challenge to activate the idols.    In the fine print it says that until the activation (or the merge if that comes first) the advantage finder loses their vote.