S42.E03: Go for the Gusto

[Whimsy]

Quote

One tribe attempts to recover after drawing a line in the sand at tribal council. Also, a castaway goes on a journey and must make a decision that could change their game, and one tribe stacks their way to victory, earning immunity and a fruitful reward.

Original airdate 3/23/22

[LadyChatts]

Those are the TC I live for.  Mike and Chanelle now have to explain why they didn't have votes (because you know Hai/Lydia are going to keep asking), and Daniel loves to run his mouth so he may volunteer the information without even being asked.  I feel bad for Jenny, but I'm kind of glad Mike's alliance lost a number.  They really played that poorly on so many levels.  They banked too much on Hai/Lydia splitting the vote between Mike/Jenny.  Hai's a lot more perceptive than they gave him credit for.  I like him.  He made the right decision by not budging.  I said it in the chat thread, but it might have been worth it to sacrifice Jenny tonight knowing Chanelle possibly didn't have a vote, and Mike doesn't have one.  Not sure how this will bode for Daniel going forward.  Throwing Chanelle under the bus was not a smart idea.  I do think he made the right decision for himself, but not sure at what cost in the long run.

The IC-not sure who the heck gave clearance for that but they need to have Jonathan throw them back to the states.  With his strength he could probably do it, too.  I couldn't believe he just walked through that water no problem, carried the ladder, literally carried his tribe, and won that challenge-all while the other tribes were still struggling in the water.  I wonder how long after Taku won that Jeff finally called it?

I'm glad that all 3 tribes have now lost an IC.  It's a great way to see each tribe's dynamics and personalities.  

Edited March 24, 2022 by LadyChatts

[Haleth]

Well, that was crazy. Just goes to show what happens with too many gimmicks; only two people decide the fate of their tribe while the other four sit there helpless. Of course Probst probably loved the drama.  The only good thing is that they had to speak so everyone could hear.  No whispering.

Sheesh, I was afraid someone was going to drown during the challenge. It’s good they stopped it. It was insane to let it go on as long as they did.

If anyone can get away with making a kooky statement about bunnies and mailboxes it’s Maryann. I’m sure no one thought anything suspicious. 

[vb68]

Holy bad strategy spill on aisle one, Probst.

I just can't believe how bad that block of four played everything. And I do mean everything.

In other news, Jonathan is Superman , but everyone else has to fight Jeff for room on that train.

Edited March 24, 2022 by vb68

[DEL901]

Wow, Daniel is a bad strategist.  You never start with “I’ll do anything to avoid rocks” and then be shocked when you have to flip to avoid rocks.  And good for Hai for having a backbone and standing firm. 

As for the challenge…omg, Jonathan was a rockstar.  It wasn’t just his strength which is formidable, but how he calmly assessed the situation, then wrangled his team and pretty much won the challenge on his own. 

[PaperTree]

OK then....

A shout out to all the folks here at Primetimer.  Thank you!

[ProfCrash]

Daniel is an idiot.

1) A complete and utter idiot. Pester Mike to see the clue and the idol and then lose the idol and clue and then say he never had it and then find it with his water bottle. 

2) Totally paranoid and everyone knows it

3) Says only Mike and Chenelle can calm him down 

4) Says that he is not going to draw rocks and then stabs Mike and Chenelle in the back 

Awful game play on Daniel’s part

And what the hell was Chenelle thinking? Why would she risk her vote going into tribal especially when she knows it is going to be a split vote and Mike doesn’t have a vote? Awful game play.

What the hell was Production thinking running that challenge? I mean, Jonathon owned that challenge. Just owned it. Wow was that impressive. 

Yeah, I don’t think there is much else to say. 

Oh yeah, Maryann is still annoying. 

[vb68]

It's kinda a sweet irony that Hai still has an advantage the rest of them know absolutely nothing about from the first episode.

[LadyChatts]

And for all the talk about how bad Daniel played this, Chanelle wasn't any better.  I don't know if it was lack of communication between her and Omar or she didn't understand what she was doing, but I don't see how she couldn't go with 'protect your vote'.  Either that or she really trusted her ability to sway Hai/Lydia to do what she wanted.  She raised red flags with Hai over her plan to split the vote, and while I don't blame her for getting defensive as Daniel was throwing her under the bus, he wasn't exactly wrong.  She was the one who said to split the vote, so I don't see how she could defend the move to Hai.  Overall just bad gameplay all around on Mike's side.  As I mentioned, sorry to Jenny, but it would have been easier for them to just ax her tonight and keep up the charade that they were all with Hai/Lydia.

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by LadyChatts

[Chicago Redshirt]

Jeff is probably still trying to get the stains out of his jeans after an episode that featured two of the things he loves most in life: a big manly man doing manly man things and unprecedented Tribal developments. But in fairness, he's got every right. 

[vb68]

9 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I don't know if it was lack of communication between her and Omar or she didn't understand what she was doing, but I don't see how she couldn't go with 'protect your vote'. 

She clearly told Omar she needed her vote, so that's completely on her. I don't know how she misread Omar in that situation when she clearly steered him toward what she was likely doing. I think she got greedy.

Edited March 24, 2022 by vb68

[Chicago Redshirt]

3 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

And what the hell was Chenelle thinking? Why would she risk her vote going into tribal especially when she knows it is going to be a split vote and Mike doesn’t have a vote? Awful game play.

She suffered from two of the biggest Survivor sins there are: Big Move Fever and thinking that other players are there to support her game rather than having their own independent motivations. Too many players think "Oh, I'm on Survivor, so I gotta make big moves, I gotta risk it for the biscuit." When no, sometimes you win by standing pat.

It should be almost impossible to screw up a prisoner's dilemma where you know it's coming, you know the stakes and you talk to the person in advance of making the decision. It would be the simplest thing to do the equivalent of what Hai did: openly declare what you're doing and ask for or offer a favor in the future. 

But here, Chenelle hinted that she was going to play it safe. I think she literally said she can't risk her vote. Then she made the decision to risk because she thought that Omar would play in such a way to protect her and further her game. Girl, he barely knows you!

[Melina22]

18 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

As for the challenge…omg, Jonathan was a rockstar.  It wasn’t just his strength which is formidable, but how he calmly assessed the situation, then wrangled his team and pretty much won the challenge on his own. 

That was wonderful to watch. Has there ever been a Survivor quite like Jonathan? Insanely strong and competitive, yet well liked by his tribe and apparently fairly self-aware and humble? He's actually fun to watch, as he calmly carries a ladder and his bedraggled tribe members through giant pounding surf as it drowns the other tribes. 

Fudge! Shiz! I don't know if I could handle Maryann IRL (I guess it would depend on how kind-hearted a person she is) but I really love her on this show. I'll be disappointed if she or Jonathan leave any time soon. 

 

[Wandering Snark]

There's a song with samples in it I love and at one point it's a woman saying "You think you're big? You're not so big." And I think of that often watching reality teevee. You think you're big Chenelle? You're not so big.

She figured that saying straight out that she was in no way ever risking her vote on the way to tribal tonight would make Omar 'save' her vote for her then she could go ahead and risk it to get the extra vote. Not quite.

She thought she was the puppetmaster and as she said 'my social game is so good that I decide what happens even when I don't have a vote.' How'd that work out for you?

She thought they'd just go for her crazy 'Guys vote/girls vote' split for no reason but it was the only way to save her ass. Turns out, you're not so big.

[choclatechip45]

Chenelle and Daniel played all of this so wrong. I hope Daniel gets voted out soon.

[iMonrey]

This episode was a prime example of how the game is playing the players now rather than the other way around.

First, that awful challenge. Swim out, jump down, swim to the buoy, dive down, release the buoy, get the ladder, retrieve the keys, swim back to shore, throw the sand bags. All while the waves have white caps. Jonathan manages to pull his entire team thru but the others nearly drown. So Jeff has to re-design the challenge on the spot. Not only was that unfair to Taku who actually managed to finish the challenge, but it was unfair to whichever of the other two lost because they were suddenly competing in a different challenge than Taku did.

Then that dumb twist. It's one thing to have ONE twist that costs players their vote - why on earth would they have TWO completely different twists that have the exact same outcome? At some point there are going to be so many twists NOBODY has a vote.

And I completely lost track of what the hell was going on after that point. Everyone got screwed, I know that much. Everyone looked bad, everyone had to show their cards, and everyone's game got blown up just because of these stupid twists. Not because of their game play, not because of alliances. Because the game played them rather than the other way around.

Quote

Chenelle and Daniel played all of this so wrong. I hope Daniel gets voted out soon.

Chanelle tried to pretend she wasn't part of the decision since she didn't have a vote. Nice dodge, don't buy it. Everyone else had to show their cards. I don't really see what Daniel could have done differently. Pretend he was OK going to rocks hoping Hai would flip? Yeah he played this badly but the twists forced his hand. 

[Wandering Snark]

I love that we got a glimpse of the burly guy with the mohawk from the crew that went out and got the key down from the pole. But he was only second in impressing me as Jonathan was freakin' legendary in that challenge.

On the same note I also liked that they were forced to out who didn't have votes in the best tribal since the 'well, everyone has an idol or advantage except Cirie so she goes home.' tribal. The issue is that while I think that makes the show look dumb, Jeff thinks these are the thing that make Survivor 'So. Epic.' so it's not much of a 'win' for the viewer after all...

Edited March 24, 2022 by Wandering Snark

[Pepper the Cat]

That challenge gave me flash backs to the one where 3 people collapsed from heat exhaustion and a massive medical intervention was done. 1 person had to be air lifted out. 
I think remembering that event probably causes the PLB to pull the challenge,

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, DEL901 said:

Wow, Daniel is a bad strategist.  You never start with “I’ll do anything to avoid rocks” and then be shocked when you have to flip to avoid rocks.  And good for Hai for having a backbone and standing firm. 

As for the challenge…omg, Jonathan was a rockstar.  It wasn’t just his strength which is formidable, but how he calmly assessed the situation, then wrangled his team and pretty much won the challenge on his own. 

I went back and watched, and I completely overlooked the fact that Jonathan was holding the ladder by himself in the water while Lindsey climbed up it to get the sandbags.  The way he just effortlessly swam and walked through the water while everyone around him was nearly drowning, then tossing the sandbags and getting them up there with no problem-I don't think he's human.

I laughed when the other two tribes came out of the water and MaryAnne's all "they must be so beat" as she and her tribemates got pulled in the water by Jonathan and they've all been sitting there, hanging out, waiting for the challenge to be over, for who knows how long.  

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by LadyChatts

[Pepper the Cat]

1 minute ago, LadyChatts said:

I went back and watched, and I completely overlooked the fact that Jonathan was holding the ladder by himself in the water while Lindsey climbed up it to get the sandbags.  The way he just effortlessly swam and walked through the water while everyone around him was nearly drowning, then tossing the sandbags and getting them up there with no problem-I don't think he's human.  

2 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I went back and watched, and I completely overlooked the fact that Jonathan was holding the ladder by himself in the water while Lindsey climbed up it to get the sandbags.  The way he just effortlessly swam and walked through the water while everyone around him was nearly drowning, then tossing the sandbags and getting them up there with no problem-I don't think he's human.  

 

He was amazing

[Taeolas]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Jeff is probably still trying to get the stains out of his jeans after an episode that featured two of the things he loves most in life: a big manly man doing manly man things and unprecedented Tribal developments. But in fairness, he's got every right. 

 

When Jeff heard that both picked Risk, he probably had a reaction similar to Matt and Akbar seeing a woman finish Stage 1 on ANW. 

 

And when Tribal Council went to a 2 vote Tie, they probably had to take a break to rehydrate him since his reaction probably was bigger than Matt and Akbar seeing a woman complete Stage 2. 

 

As for the Immunity Challenge, I suspect the sea wasn't as rough when they planned/set it up. I do wonder how many times they had to reset the "Survivors Go!" start due to survivors falling off the platforms in the waves.  And how long the other two tribes were stuck in the water. Changing it on the fly like that may not be exactly be 'fair' but it was probably the best way to salvage it at that point. At least the teams had time to rest and strategize for the revamped challenge.

And yeah, that is a Tribal Council for the record books. Lots of misplays going up to it, but man it was fun to see it all fall apart there. 

[ProfCrash]

40 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

 

And I completely lost track of what the hell was going on after that point. Everyone got screwed, I know that much. Everyone looked bad, everyone had to show their cards, and everyone's game got blown up just because of these stupid twists. Not because of their game play, not because of alliances. Because the game played them rather than the other way around.

Chanelle tried to pretend she wasn't part of the decision since she didn't have a vote. Nice dodge, don't buy it. Everyone else had to show their cards. I don't really see what Daniel could have done differently. Pretend he was OK going to rocks hoping Hai would flip? Yeah he played this badly but the twists forced his hand. 

Hai looked great. Confused but great. He kept is ally, learned that two people didn’t have votes, learned that Daniel is not trustworthy, and has his amulet which he may not have told anyone about.

Lydia came put ok. She was on the block but didn’t hurt herself. Mike got caught in the blindside attempt and will have to explain his lack of a vote. Chenelle got caught in a blindside, lied about what happened on the island, and got run over by Daniel. Daniel provided to be even more of an idiot then I thought. 

[knitorpurl]

Jonathan is Aquaman! He looks and certainly acted the part in this challenge.

Other than him, watching the rest of the challenge was stressful. It was like waiting to see who drowned or got a head injury from being thrown into the wooden pole by the waves. All while Jeff narrates how impossible it is.

That tribal council was explosive in the way the overage of twists works against the players as well as blowing up the entire tribe's games. Any semblance of loyalty, except between Hai and Lydia is pretty much gone.

[Melina22]

1 hour ago, Wandering Snark said:

l love that we got a glimpse of the burly guy with the mohawk from the crew that went out and got the key down from the pole

Okay, so I didn't imagine him! We just saw him for a fraction of a second. Tantalizing! 😁

[ByaNose]

1 minute ago, Melina22 said:

Okay, so I didn't imagine him! We just saw him for a fraction of a second. Tantalizing! 😁

Saw that too but then thought I didn’t. LOL!!!

[Auntie Anxiety]

1 hour ago, Wandering Snark said:

The issue is that while I think that makes the show look dumb, Jeff thinks these are the thing that make Survivor 'So. Epic.' so it's not much of a 'win' for the viewer after all...

The entire episode felt like the rules were being changed/made up as they went along. At some point, I’m going to need a flow chart to follow all the immunity idol nonsense.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Auntie Anxiety

[Melina22]

58 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I laughed when the other two tribes came out of the water and MaryAnne's all "they must be so beat" as she and her tribemates got pulled in the water by Jonathan and they've all been sitting there, hanging out, waiting for the challenge to be over, for who knows how long

This whole Jonathan scenario was one of my favourite things in many seasons. As Wandering Snark said, Jonathan really was legendary. Usually at least 50 % of posters are going to snark on pretty much everything and everybody, but I'm noticing a real dearth of snark about Jonathan's exploits here. His singlehandedly winning immunity was a thing of beauty, and yet somehow hilariously OTT. 

[knitorpurl]

Not sure if Maryann will be able to make it through another tribal council if they go back soon- they all know she doesn't have a vote until all 3 advantages are played and that once that happens she has an extra vote. If I had been her I might have only pretended to look for the idol just to keep less spotlight on me. But don't think that's her style. 

But if anyone could pull off a bunny eating lunch in a mailbox story she's the one. (But really, what the heck with that- Mike gets to talk about soccer in a somewhat ridiculous way, but bunnies and mailboxes are definitely way more off the wall)

[princelina]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Chanelle tried to pretend she wasn't part of the decision since she didn't have a vote. Nice dodge, don't buy it. Everyone else had to show their cards. I don't really see what Daniel could have done differently. Pretend he was OK going to rocks hoping Hai would flip? Yeah he played this badly but the twists forced his hand. 

IMO - starting out saying he wants to avoid rocks, followed by, "I only did it because Chanel told me to" were 2 of the dumbest things he could have done.  He claims to be a lawyer?  I was not impressed 😄

1 hour ago, Wandering Snark said:

On the same note I also liked that they were forced to out who didn't have votes in the best tribal since the 'well, everyone has an idol or advantage except Cirie so she goes home.' tribal. The issue is that while I think that makes the show look dumb, Jeff thinks these are the thing that make Survivor 'So. Epic.' so it's not much of a 'win' for the viewer after all...

It was a win for this viewer - I enjoyed watching it and that's what I'm here for!  I know it's become common to complain about Survivor gimmicks, but at this point we've all been doing that for so many years that I'm ready to concede that Survivor is whatever they say it is each season.  In case anyone from production is reading here - I'll reiterate my suggestion that they do one where they replicate everything from season 1, without informing the cast so that they have to figure it out.  But until they do I'm going to go with what they give us! 😃

[TVFan1]

I feel bad for Jenny. She got screwed by having more twists in the game and players losing their vote. If it weren't for the 3 way idol rule and the prisoner's dilemma, Jenny probably would have been safe. Chanelle and Daniel played very badly. The only players with a sense of strategy is Hai and Lydia.

I have to say that Jonathan is a powerhouse. The way he ran that challenge basically by himself was incredible. Carrying that ladder while walking across the water and pulling his tribemates over the water so effortlessly was something to see. I agree with everyone else that he is superhuman.

[Lantern7]

Helluva Tribal Council. And I don't blame Daniel for blinking. It probably wasn't the right move, but he really didn't want to go for rocks and have a 25 percent chance of going home* that early in the game. The negotiating, though, was annoying. I'll be mildly surprised if he doesn't get slugged by the end of the season. Looking like Quentin Tarantino's second cousin probably doesn't help him either.

Between the Tribal Council, Jonathan destroying the challenge and players coming close to drowning, I don't think Probst was able to sleep on his stomach, And damn, Jonathan was overqualified for that challenge. He didn't have to toss bags onto the stands. He could've just dropped them in. Also, I don't believe it's too early to mythologize a player.

Mike is still Fireman Tony. Probably a nice guy, but he's looks easy to irritate. Daniel's neuroses doesn't help him out there.

Maryanne is still Maryanne, for good and bad. I get how she's a bit "much," but I'm having fun watching her. And she came up with a way to spout the activation phrase. Even funnier: Probst no-selling it.

1 hour ago, Taeolas said:

When Jeff heard that both picked Risk, he probably had a reaction similar to Matt and Akbar seeing a woman finish Stage 1 on [American Ninja Warrior].

Too funny! "I see you taking that risk!" Sadly, it's just another gimmick that complicates a format that doesn't need addendums. Watching Tribal Council, I kept imagining Wallace Shaw in The Princess Bride taking way too long to determine which cup was poisoned.

*Is it weird that I know these people don't actually go to their homes after being voted off, and that I get annoyed when someone acts like they're sending people home?

[Cheyanne11]

Hai’s reactions at TC were everything.  Confusion, annoyance, flabbergasted—it was fantastic.  I loved that he stood firm.

Jonathan is Thor.  Lord.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Cheyanne11
correctly the spelling for Hai.

[LadyChatts]

13 minutes ago, TVFan1 said:

I feel bad for Jenny. She got screwed by having more twists in the game and players losing their vote. If it weren't for the 3 way idol rule and the prisoner's dilemma, Jenny probably would have been safe. Chanelle and Daniel played very badly. The only players with a sense of strategy is Hai and Lydia.

I have to say that Jonathan is a powerhouse. The way he ran that challenge basically by himself was incredible. Carrying that ladder while walking across the water and pulling his tribemates over the water so effortlessly was something to see. I agree with everyone else that he is superhuman.

To me, Chanelle's the one who really screwed Jenny by taking 'risk your vote'.  That made her lose her vote, and therefore put her alliance at a disadvantage.  Watching the events again, she seemed confident that they had Hai/Lydia on their side and that the vote was probably going to be split.  Daniel played badly, too, but he was put in an impossible position thanks in part to Chanelle taking that risk.  Mike or Chanelle could have easily pulled the bad rock and gone home.  In reality, it likely would have been one of those 3 based on the odds.  Only 4 of them were going to draw rocks, and Hai would have been the outsider of the 4.  The better question Daniel should have asked Chanelle and Mike is if they really wanted their games to end on rocks, considering their names weren't even written down.

[bankerchick]

So, I guess the word 'must' has a different meaning when the clue says, 'at the next challenge you must say the phrase' but for two challenges, Mike has not said the phrase?  Good for Maryanne for being able to say her insane phrase in a way that just seemed like another crazy Maryanne outburst.

I wonder if the players were aware that it was not necessarily under their control for others to find out they had no vote?

[30 Helens]

I really want to participate in the discussion, but I’m having so much trouble getting into this season. I spend so much time figuring out which advantages are in play, what conditions are required to set up the latest twist, and the ramifications of each 10-pronged decision that I can’t recall, week to week, who the actual players are. Aside from a few big personalities like Maryann, I see them all as interchangeable pawns on Jeff’s crazy Escher chessboard. I’m still watching, but I’m not really having fun.

All I know after tonight is, Jeff has a new man crush. Step aside, Ozzy.

[vb68]

I don't disagree that Daniel looks just like Albert Brooks, but I have to think Mr. Brooks is much, much better on his feet.  

[GaT]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

So, I guess the word 'must' has a different meaning when the clue says, 'at the next challenge you must say the phrase' but for two challenges, Mike has not said the phrase? 

That's a really good point, how can he get away with not saying it?

Edited March 24, 2022 by GaT

[Wandering Snark]

I guess they think that not saying the silly phrases dooms you to continue on without a vote and that's enough deterrent?

[Primetimer]

Just posted: Primetimer's Joe Reid weighs in on Daniel's epic fail of a Tribal Council:

Quote

Mistake #1: Daniel kicks off the deliberations by announcing that he under no circumstances wants to go to rocks, thus immediately establishing himself as the weaker party in the negotiation. Daniel — who is a LAWYER! — has basically handed Hai the upper hand, knowing that Daniel is desperate to avoid a deadlock. So all Hai has to do is be more willing — or even just seem more willing — to go to rocks in order to prevail here. So Daniel is probably going to have to flip over to Hai and Lydia's side and vote out Jenny, which honestly wouldn't be so bad for him if he plays it right. [Narrator: "He doesn't."]

Mistake #2: Rather than simply say "My hands are tied, I can't go to rocks, sorry Jenny," Daniel tries to pass the buck onto Chanelle, telling Lydia that it was Chanelle's idea to vote her out and then asks Chanelle for permission to switch his vote, which he seems to think will absolve him of all responsibility but instead makes him look like a massive weasel, and completely burns his closest strategic ally in Chanelle.

After asking Hai and Lydia to assure him they won't hold this flip-flop against him if he votes their way (they 100% lie to him that they won't), Daniel votes for Jenny, having alienated every single member of his tribe and pretty much nuked all chances of anyone ever trusting him again. It was truly a remarkable sight, watching one person plummet from tribe's most powerful member to tribe pariah in a matter of 15 TV minutes.

More here: https://www.primetimer.com/features/survivor-delivers-an-object-lesson-in-how-to-blow-it

[HurricaneVal]

Jenny was screwed.  She was a victim of too many twists present at the same time in a small tribe.  That would have played out very differently if there were two instead of tree tribes, or if it were post merge.  She got screwed.

Mike should lose his idol.  Unless he said his phrase and it was edited out.

I owe Jonathon an apology.  Just by appearance alone, I decided he was a racist, selfish, jerk because he so greatly resembles the racist, selfish, jerk Jack from Big Brother 21.  They're like long lost Jason Momoa wannabe reality show twin brothers.  But Jonathon just calmly got shit done.  Singlehandedly winning the comp and incidentally saving his tribemates from drowning by casually tossing them to safety--one-handed--while simultaneously carrying a ladder welded together from angle iron and rebar.  

He may still be a jerk, we haven't seen enough from him to eliminate that possibility entirely.  But if he does turn out to be a jerk, it will be on his own merits, and not because he looks like that BB jerk.

 

[GaT]

25 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

I guess they think that not saying the silly phrases dooms you to continue on without a vote and that's enough deterrent?

Apparently it's not LOL

[HeShallBMySquishy]

5 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

The entire episode felt like the rules were being changed/made up as they went along. At some point, I’m going to need a flow chart to follow all the immunity idol nonsense.

Truthfully, I feel that way every episode, this season and last. I've noted before how incredibly complicated the challenges were when Jeff took almost 90 seconds just to explain the goddamn rules, but what happened this episode is ridiculous and egregious. Like others have said, what will happen when all these fucking twists completely work against each other that no one is voted out? Unbelievable.

3 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I owe Jonathon an apology.  Just by appearance alone, I decided he was a racist, selfish, jerk because he so greatly resembles the racist, selfish, jerk Jack from Big Brother 21.  They're like long lost Jason Momoa wannabe reality show twin brothers.  But Jonathon just calmly got shit done.  Singlehandedly winning the comp and incidentally saving his tribemates from drowning by casually tossing them to safety--one-handed--while simultaneously carrying a ladder welded together from angle iron and rebar.  

He may still be a jerk, we haven't seen enough from him to eliminate that possibility entirely.  But if he does turn out to be a jerk, it will be on his own merits, and not because he looks like that BB jerk.

Honestly, I don't think you should feel that bad. I think a lot of people, myself included, felt that way (or some type of way) about Jonathan from his pre-game interviews, and also, just based on the men who look like Jonathan who have appeared on Survivor over the years, I think we, as devoted fans, can be given a bit of leeway in our thinking. It is unfair to Jonathan that so many of us thought of him as the screeching douchebag you-will-not-speak-unless-spoken-to alpha-male, but I believe that's more down to who Survivor usually casts in that role.

Jonathan is different, at least based on what we've been shown so far. He hasn't screamed and berated his teammates for being useless idiots that he's had to (quite literally in this case) carry through a challenge. As others have pointed out, he has remained calm and collected and has concentrated on getting the job done. (Also... swoon.)

It's also wild how perceptions can change one's opinion in a matter of (highly-edited) episodes. I wouldn't mind if Maryanne goes soon and, while I still like her positivity, I don't think I could handle Maryanne making everything All About Maryanne. I felt this way during her ugly-scream-crying when Jackson left in the first episode, but I was still reserving judgment then.

But holy shit, David, you got me rooting for players I rooted against in the beginning, due to his terrible game-play, and Hai (who I thought his tribe would get out first if they ever went to Tribal Council) stuck to his backbone and kept Lydia. Good for him!

4 hours ago, vb68 said:

I don't disagree that Daniel looks just like Albert Brooks, but I have to think Mr. Brooks is much, much better on his feet.  

Holy shit, is this a reference to Mr. Brooks? I stumbled on that movie at 2 AM once on some movie channel, and needless to say, I was still awake at 5 when it ended (bloody commercials) in a place I was not expecting it to end! That is a mid-tier movie that you aren't expecting to unfold the way it did.

Edited March 24, 2022 by HeShallBMySquishy
Added a word for clarity

[candall]

8 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Daniel is an idiot.

1) A complete and utter idiot. Pester Mike to see the clue and the idol and then lose the idol and clue and then say he never had it and then find it with his water bottle. 

[...]

Yes.  I didn't think much of it when he misplaced his shoes and earned some snickers for being absent-minded, but "I'm returning these, except I never had them, oops I must've dropped 'em, hey look here's my water bottle, wow I really screwed that up, I almost lost the [your[ Idol.  Hahahahahaha" made me wonder seriously about a brain disorder. 

With anyone else, I would suspect the package had been cleverly wrapped to indicate the idol and paper were still in there and the "confrusion" was just a plausible coverup for a clever theft of the goodies.  But Daniel doesn't seem capable of concocting such a strategy.

I don't mind watching him dither around, though.  So far, I only know the goofballs, and Hercules.

#######

And now Hai.  Could Hai really not control his Huh?! WTF??? face?  There might finally be someone I could beat at poker.

[Jtrain]

I think Jonathan being so dominant in the challenge and such a good dude is gonna screw him come merge. They gonna try and get rid of him quickly cause otherwise he may win everything. Daniel is a moron, and probably won't be around too much longer. Maryanne is still annoying as hell and needs to go away. Now. 

[violet and green]

Fudge! Shiz! What a mess of a tribal. I am sorry Jenny went, as she was one of my top favourites. Daniel is sitting out all the challenges, is a klutz, and has a wrecked shoulder - why weren't they targeting him?

I now don't like Chanelle, with that idiot move up on the hill and then the bragging about her (lousy) social game... But it's great all the tribes have now been to tribal.

And Jonathon was like a giant picking up the Lilliputians! That was so good.

[mojoween]

I couldn’t watch last night (we were at Hamilton eeeee!) and I’m just through the immunity challenge now so I’ll have to go back and read the thread later.

I’m here now because I, along with Peachy, am totally in love with Jonathan.  HOLY moly and I just couldn’t wait to say it.  *hearteyes*

[OutOfTheQuestion]

9 hours ago, Melina22 said:

That was wonderful to watch. Has there ever been a Survivor quite like Jonathan? Insanely strong and competitive, yet well liked by his tribe and apparently fairly self-aware and humble?

 

He reminds me of Grant, the former NFL player who destroyed pretty much all of the challenges in the first Redemption Island season.  But I think Jonathan might have already gotten more screen time than Grant got, since Grant was unfortunately on the BOSTON ROB IS THE BESTEST season.

[ProfCrash]

6 hours ago, bankerchick said:

So, I guess the word 'must' has a different meaning when the clue says, 'at the next challenge you must say the phrase' but for two challenges, Mike has not said the phrase?  Good for Maryanne for being able to say her insane phrase in a way that just seemed like another crazy Maryanne outburst.

I wonder if the players were aware that it was not necessarily under their control for others to find out they had no vote?

I don't think he has to say it unless he wants to. If he doesn't, he doesn't have a vote and that is a significant penalty. I think the key is that you have to say it when the other tribes are present at the challenge and people are focused on the you have to say it at the challenge bit. 

Although that points back to more crappy game play from Daniel, who told Mike not to say the phrase because he doesn't want Mike to have an activated idol and thinks it is good for Mike to not have a vote. How did that work out for you?

Omar is going to be pissed when he doesn't have a vote. And Maryann isn't likely to have a vote, or her second vote, at their next Tribal. So Chennelle burnt Jenny and Mike with her game play, blew up her alliance on green, and pissed off Omar which is going to hurt her at a tribe swap or the merge. What the hell was she thinking?

[DEL901]

7 hours ago, Melina22 said:

This whole Jonathan scenario was one of my favourite things in many seasons. As Wandering Snark said, Jonathan really was legendary. Usually at least 50 % of posters are going to snark on pretty much everything and everybody, but I'm noticing a real dearth of snark about Jonathan's exploits here. His singlehandedly winning immunity was a thing of beauty, and yet somehow hilariously OTT. 

Jonathan was built for the challenge.   As a surfer, the waves probably didn’t bother him at all because he is experienced with handling them.  And according to his bio, he has broken a Guinness World Record…most pull ups with 100pounds on his back.  So he is crazy strong.  I hope he goes far, but he is a prime post merge target.  If MaryAnne can make it to the merge, between her advantages and people may see her as a goat, she could go far.  

Regarding saying the phrase that pays and the word “must”… I think must refers to activating the idol.  All three of you must say the phrase at the same challenge in order to activate the idol and get your vote back.  Not you must say the phrase at every challenge.  

[mojoween]

8 hours ago, princelina said:

He claims to be a lawyer?  

Daniel: “As a lawyer…”

Chyron: “Law Clerk”

That made me giggle.