S43.E13: Snap Some Necks and Cash Some Checks

[Whimsy]

Quote

The remaining five castaways must find the perfect balance in the immunity challenge to make it to the final four. Also, two castaways will have to make fire in order to earn their seat in the final three, with one player being crowned the title of Sole Survivor.

Original airdate 12/14/22

[tvfanatic13]

Ugh. This season sucked. Gabler sucked. James’ voice still sucks. 

[KeithJ]

2 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

Ugh. This season sucked. Gabler sucked. James’ voice still sucks. 

Agreed.  Every season we see guy alliances boot the women one by one but, serious question, why can the women never seem to play together?

[Carey]

I guess I can no longer refer to Gabler as Coach 2.0

[Guest]

I thought the moment where Cassidy asked James if he voted for her and thanking him was really sweet. I ended up really liking her and was pleasantly surprised that she got into the final 3 with another immunity win. There were some subtle and not so subtle clues along the way that she wasn't going to win the whole thing, but I was still rooting for her.

Hard to begrudge Gabler the win given his plans for the money, but this was such a weird season.

[LadyChatts]

What an underwhelming end to an underwhelming season.  Gabler's an okay winner, and I'm really glad he didn't pull the charity card during his jury argument.  But seriously, the editing team needs to be fired.  I felt like we missed so much of what went on with his game play.  I was shocked that it was such a blow out, but then not really when I looked at the jury.  I was probably most surprised by Noelle's vote.  James was close to Cassidy, and if he knew that Gabler was winning he probably wanted to guarantee her second place at least.   

Karla had a really poor social game.  She was making valid argument's as to why Jesse needed to be targeted, but don't then threaten the person you are talking to that you will poison the jury against them and not vote for them.  I can't believe what a downfall she had, especially when she's not in control.  Was not sorry to see her lose and hope she doesn't return.

I was rooting for Jesse, and it seemed like the he would have had it in the bag if he won fire.  He's definitely returning for a future season with the edit he got. 

ETA: and I put this in the episode thread, but the 26 day seasons (while I know they are here to stay for now) are starting to become evident at being 26 day seasons.  The three tribe format, little time for strategy and having to rush, and the countless idols and advantages are taking away the game element to this show.  I feel like S41 went safe, and this season played it safe with the votes.

Edited December 15, 2022 by LadyChatts

[jsm1125]

I know Jesse is beloved by most, but I thought he was low key one of the more sexist men of this season. No way it’s an accident that every single person he targeted until like final 7 was a woman, and him shitting on Cassidy for not wanting to give away immunity was ridiculous. 

Production did a terrible job at showing Gabler’s game.

Thank goodness for James for respecting what Cassidy brought.

[awaken]

Super disappointed. Had to turn it off when the winner was announced. 

really enjoyed this season, but not the outcome. Lots of memorable and enjoyable contestants, but the one I wanted gone from week 1 won 😩. 

[GenerationX]

The game is not won by big strategic players.  It's won by those able to make a plausible argument to the jury that their moves were subtle, intentional, and had the expected impact on their game.

[Carey]

The 26-Day thing (which I agree with LadyChatts isn't going anywhere right now) sorta puts a damper on the season.   Though the length could've been 1.5 times as long & it still wouldn't change much, if at all.  The future is for another place to discuss, but TBH I didn't head into the finals with that feeling of "can't wait for the show to start" but maybe that'll change in the future.  Wasn't surprised at all with the finale format of pizza and wine and not seeing everyone else...basically like in past years. 

TBF the season was taped in May so who knows if they'll trend back to the past.  Might not happen until S45 if at all; however, it didn't matter due to the gameplay and the cast.  They weren't awful but just really never moved the needle or made moves or did anything to where I'd remember them instantly in the future

[Skooma]

7 minutes ago, awaken said:

Super disappointed. Had to turn it off when the winner was announced. 

really enjoyed this season, but not the outcome. Lots of memorable and enjoyable contestants, but the one I wanted gone from week 1 won 😩. 

Well there are a LOT of military veterans who will be benefited by his win so I'm happy that he did win.

I never warmed to Cassidy so am really glad she didn't win and loved how she looked so shocked that Gabler won by a landslide.

I really enjoyed Cody and Jesse and the whole cast had a nice vibe without the bittercakes of many a season.  One of the better seasons in a long long time. 

[North of Eden]

OMG that was great! Last week I was hoping for that particular final three. I expected it to be more competitive and not the turkey shoot that it turned out to be but if it had been Jesse or Karla there would have been no question who the winner was...this way I had no idea right up to the reading of the votes.

Cass seemed shocked, I say shocked that she didn't win. She was right to thank James for her sole vote so she could at least get the second place money. I wonder...if Gabler had gotten all the votes would Cass and Owen  have to split the second place money or get nothing at all?

Probably in the minority here but I was tired of Jesse weeks ago so much of the three hours seemed like a Jesse-fest so I'm really glad he didn't make it. He seemed to know he couldn't build a fire to save his  life (or his game).

Jeff I think the question everyone wasn't asking if is Gabler rich but instead did he discuss the giving away all his money if he won before he left for Fiji. If not his next stop could be divorce court. Jesse's posture when Gabler was making his announcement made me think he got an extra helping of devestation for the money he wanted to much to be won by someone else and then given away!

Jeanine was always my favorite this year. I LOVED how empathetic she was especially in the reunion and her reaction that her idol proved to be  such a pivotal part of the game was priceless plus I love a woman in boots and she rocked hers!

Karla cleaned up well at final tribal.

So I guess its official the days of the Hollywood extravaganza reunion with the whole cast are gone for good...at least until they aren't. Other than not seeing the entire cast I guess in some ways its better....at least no Sia or getting random kids in the audience to predict the winner.

I knew Probst wouldn't let Nicole's come back go...but that's okay...it was probably one of the most memorable moments in recent years.

[violet and green]

Told ya! I thought Jesse tanked his chances of getting to the final three with that splashy move, voting out his ally; with their two votes and two idols in their possession, and Cody's challenge chops, he had a far better chance than going it alone. He could have knifed Cody later, if he felt it was so necessary.

I also thought it was significant when Gabler's "Hiding in Plain Sight" quote was used as an ep title. They kept showing Gabler talking about his plan to get to the end with a couple of people and then cutting to something else, and then nothing more was shown. I am thrilled, if Cody or Jesse or Owen couldn't win, that Gabler could, that he overcame his physical exhaustion and made fire, that he handled himself so well in final tribal, and that he donated that money to suffering vets is just so moving, it saved the season after the loss of Cody and Jesse for me.

Thought with the big bombastic movie hero-triumphs music playing under Cassidy's last confessional that they were pumping her up for an inevitable win, after a pale purple early edit, so I was thrilled it worked out the other way. Great having them all partying on location and no small children or past winners' being interviewed. It gave the season a really warm end, after some cold moves and big losses. And sweet that Cody brought the spotlight back to Gabler, the winner, for the last comment, which Jiff couldn't seem to manage himself. That last arm flung over Jesse by Cody as they stared up at the banner, and Jeff saying happily 'You're all nuts"... It was a really heartwarming reunion.

[rasalas]

If Jesse would have won the final immunity challenge (which we know is impossible because he was horrible at every single challenge), he would have never given up that immunity to make fire at the end just to prove himself. So for him, and then the jury afterward, to imply that Cassidy was somehow lesser for not doing that very thing is a crock of crap. Even convincingly winning the final challenge is not enough for a woman to prove herself; she always has to do something more. 

[TVFan1]

Yeah, I'm disappointed too. I was shocked Gabler got the majority of the votes to win. Thought there were going to be more votes for Cassidy. 

Gabler is an okay winner, but I wish we saw more of his gameplay. 

Can we please get the entire pre-merge boots for the aftershow with everyone else? I hope there is a future season where they can do that.

Edited December 15, 2022 by TVFan1

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, rasalas said:

If Jesse would have won the final immunity challenge (which we know is impossible because he was horrible at every single challenge), he would have never given up that immunity to make fire at the end just to prove himself. So for him, and then the jury afterward, to imply that Cassidy was somehow lesser for not doing that very thing is a crock of crap. Even convincingly winning the final challenge is not enough for a woman to prove herself; she always has to do something more. 

In fairness to Jesse, I'm not sure he actually believed that Cassidy should give up the necklace and make fire; I thought he was just trying a Hail Mary to give himself a chance to win the fire-making challenge.

It was annoying, though, that whoever it was felt the need to ask the question of Cassidy at the final tribal (I can't remember who asked; if it was Jesse, I take back what I said above lol). She had pretty much covered why she wasn't giving up immunity ("it would be dumb, and I didn't need the boost for my game") at the time, so why drag it out again? Has that question been asked of any of the other seven people who didn't give up immunity and make fire?

Edit: I checked Gordon Holmes' recap and it was Noelle who asked Cassidy why she didn't do the fire-making herself. Not surprising, I guess, but I'm still giving her a big "Whatever, Noelle."

Edited December 15, 2022 by tracyscott76

[Artsda]

I am loving that Gabler is donating the money.  This is the first time ever done and there's no way the other 2 would have done that. What an amazing move by him to donate to the veterans.  With Gabler's occupation, I do think he probably is well off enough he didn't need the money.

During the fire and seeing how much the jury was team Jesse and it was Cass who put him in that spot vs Gabler, I joked that watch the jury all vote for Gabler just against Cass. I laughed when he won because the jury did side with him.

[choclatechip45]

Ugh. Not a fan of Gabler, but his tribal performance was very good so i'll give him that. 

[LadyChatts]

I'm seeing a lot of comments on Twitter saying that the F4 fire making needs to go.  While I don't think it would have mattered in this case (Jesse still would have been voted off in 4th and Gabler probably still would have won), I can't agree with those comments more.  I've always hated that addition to the show and never understood the point.  

Edited December 15, 2022 by LadyChatts

[TVFan1]

2 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I'm seeing a lot of comments on Twitter saying that the F4 fire making needs to go.  While I don't think it would have mattered in this case (Jesse still would have been voted off in 4th and Gabler probably still would have won), I can't agree with those comments more.  I've always hated that addition to the show and never understood the point.  

This show is based on votes, so that is how it should be all game. You're right that it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome, but it would be nice if the fire-making challenge would go away.

[30 Helens]

Given Jesse’s edit throughout the season, I was pretty sure he would win. I was certain he would at least make it to the end. In this episode, when they showed his failed attempts at making fire and how easily Owen did it, I certain it was misdirection and Jesse would be smoking Owen in a fire making challenge.

So kudos to the editors for faking me out, I guess. I never would have predicted Gabler as the winner, mostly because his edit was so lackluster. In fact, when the final 3 ended up at tribal council, this is what I saw:

I had nothing against any of them, I just hadn’t seen anything to make me feel the other players (or the editors) saw them as anything but goats. 

In the end, I’m not mad that Gabler won. He seems like a decent man, and giving the winnings to charity puts a shine on an otherwise lackluster season. So, good for him. I’m also happy about the lack of bitterness among the cast. 

My favorite part of the Q&A was Cassidy’s response to Karla’s question. I don’t remember exactly what she asked, but it was something along the lines of “what was your weakest play?” And of course the answer was something like, “underestimating how awesome you are!” It reminded me of the cliched statement in a job interview that your greatest fault is working too hard, and it made me laugh.

I thought the after show was pretty entertaining. I kind of miss the big live shows, mostly because it’s fun to see everyone with their big live show makeovers, and to get their takes after having seen the episodes play back. But those episodes had become so overblown with filler and fluff (what’s Cochran doing now? Who does this random kid predict will win? Who does Sia luuuuv?) that it’s actually nice to have a show actually devoted to the cast. I think we got more time spent with them than in the last 3 live shows combined.

Didn’t love the season, didn’t hate the end.  But excuse me while I go watch an episode of Australian Survivor, a show that still knows how to create drama without multiple idols and advantages (at least, the seasons I’ve watched— I’m on 5) and knows how to make me actually care about the people I’m watching. Remember your roots, Jeff. Newer isn’t always better.

[Kitty Redstone]

30 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I'm seeing a lot of comments on Twitter saying that the F4 fire making needs to go.  While I don't think it would have mattered in this case (Jesse still would have been voted off in 4th and Gabler probably still would have won), I can't agree with those comments more.  I've always hated that addition to the show and never understood the point.  

I dislike the fire challenge as well and hope it goes away.  I am glad that the jury wasn't bitter but am still disappointed with the outcome. 

Also, I really miss the intro montage with the names of the castaways and the Survivor theme song.  It took me forever to remember who everyone was and still don't know who was on what tribe. 

Is the shortened season because of Covid?  It seems like Survivor and The Amazing Race flew by and were (especially the latter) so frenetic it was difficult to get invested. 

[Carey]

It's more probable than not that the pandemic has impacted both Survivor and TAR to where they flew by.  On one hand, things might go back to what it was (but I'm not betting on it).  On the other hand, one might be waiting for a long time before they adjust.

It's better than nothing, to be honest.  Think the budget (especially TAR) has gone down over the years, even before 2020

[LadyChatts]

24 minutes ago, Kitty Redstone said:

I dislike the fire challenge as well and hope it goes away.  I am glad that the jury wasn't bitter but am still disappointed with the outcome. 

Also, I really miss the intro montage with the names of the castaways and the Survivor theme song.  It took me forever to remember who everyone was and still don't know who was on what tribe. 

Is the shortened season because of Covid?  It seems like Survivor and The Amazing Race flew by and were (especially the latter) so frenetic it was difficult to get invested. 

It was definitely because of COVID at first, now I think it's a combo of COVID protocols and budget.  The pre-jury doesn't even take a trip anymore until filming is done, they just send them home while filming is still going on.  And it likely saves CBS money to have the finale and reunion show right after the final votes are cast, vs flying everyone out to L.A.  And no family visit means they don't have to fly loved ones to Fiji.  

Edited December 15, 2022 by LadyChatts

[princelina]

I guess I just don't believe that all of the jurors came in totally undecided, and then Gabler's awesome presentation swayed every single one of them (except James, who gave Cass 2nd place).  Meanwhile everyone watching, and Cassidy and Owen as well, thought that Gabler was the goat who'd get no votes.  It smells to me like stealth bitter jury.

[Steph Sometimes]

I honestly don't know how I feel.  This season was so meh to me, and the final 3 was meh as well. I really was hoping for either Jesse or Karla in the finals, but I think a part of me figured this would be the final 3 because they were three of the most meh. I think I liked Owen the best of the 3 and Gabler the least, but all I can muster up is a big meh to the winner (although I assumed Noelle would be voting for either Cassidy or Owen).

God, I hate the "Let's save Ben" Final 4 Fire challenge. Every season, I hope they get rid of it, and no.

I really don't have much to add. It was a season. It's done now. That's about it/

[MKL122788]

I have a lot of thoughts on what happened here...

Karla threatening to poison the jury against Cassidy was an interesting plot twist considering Karla was the one who turned on Cassidy first. It is often interesting to see how a players behavior changes when in control versus when fighting for survival. It brought an uglier side out of Karla.

Second, I have massive respect for Jesse as a player. His fatal flaw is his physical game, though. It felt like when he was doing the goodbye hugs that he was more salty towards Cassidy than Gabler despite being beaten by Gabler in fire. The fallen hero music and spending 3-4 minutes talking to him after was a bit much along with all the confessionals about his family.

After he was gone, I was pretty sure Cassidy was going to have the advantage, but then the final 3 montage landed.

All of them claiming to be open books in the final 3 montage was strange. Especially followed by a few of their statements. Noelle mentioning cheering for Owen over someone "who was in the majority most of the time" was clearly a shot as Cassidy, despite the claim that she was open. I cringed a bit when Ryan described Cassidy as a sweet girl. I really don't like when people minimize women like that. You hear things like "sweet girl" exponentially more than you hear "sweet boy". And you hear it from men more. Those two things set of the alarm bells in my head.

Lets get to the actual FTC:

This honestly felt like a bitter jury, but not in the way that we traditionally angry way we see it. This cast has generally been too perceptive of fallout to be openly bitter. One of the problems with a lot of the game-bots getting that far and not winning is how their desire to control bleeds into wanting to shape the outcome of the game and continue to control the narrative.

It seemed pretty obvious relatively early into the FTC that Ryan, Karla, Cody, and Jesse had absolutely zero intention of letting Cassidy win the game. Noelle also seemed to be leaning towards outsiders coming in. Sami and Jeanine also spent significantly more time with Gabler/Owen than Cassidy. The pathway to winning for Cassidy seemed non-existent from the beginning of questioning. I even get the sense that if Gabler was removed, Owen would've actually gotten more votes than Cassidy between those two. Getting outplayed(primarily physically/socially) by Cassidy is not fun and they had no intention of validating that.

Gabler had a good tribal council and after Jesse's emotional exit the night before, he at least gave the jury permission to feel good about effectively voting for the jester of the season. Because let's be honest, the main thing he did at the FTC was make them laugh. He claimed to have multiple pathways at different steps of the game, but he never got fact checked in any way. Cassidy was right though. The reason people used Gabler and Owen for votes was because they would be easy to beat. It is revisionist history to claim otherwise. Somehow, they rewarded Gabler for being part of the Ride or Die alliance when in reality, he was pulled in as a third wheel that they didn't even need for that vote(with Ryan and Cassidy targeting each other, 2 was enough). He even admitted he would've gone all the way with them! He would've lost in a landslide. That is not good gameplay. His credit for getting rid of Elie is somewhat iffy in my book. Yes, he threw her name out, but this was at 13. At the time, Baka had 5 when the others had 4, so it made sense to target her as well.

Cassidy didn't have a good FTC. I don't think it was Amanda bad where she fumbled it, but I think some of the lines of questioning were intentionally set up to expose her. None more obvious than the last one. Cassidy was targeted early and often so obviously she was perceived as more of a threat. The edit never fully fleshed out why, but given the way the ladies were generally targeted this season, I think we can maybe figure out why. Before that last question, she did talk about her physical prowess, her going after people who threw out her name, and her ability to read where the votes were going socially. Her choices this episode were also correct. She correctly told Owen at the F5 reward that they needed to get Karla out now and Jesse couldn't win challenges, so they could get him at 4. She also chose the right person to guarantee Jesse left the game. One thing that I did gather from watching her speak is that she is pretty honest, but she lacks charisma in some way. Her answer to the last question was pretty bad, but what if she had said Noelle? She was the first one who threw Noelle's name out, but I get the feeling the guys would've taken that credit away from her as well. Why? Because despite throwing the name out, targeting Noelle made sense. Much like Elie for Gabler.

Owen had an okay FTC. He owned his curmudgeon-ness. He was always going to be a longshot, but like I said above, if this was a Cassidy/Owen F2, I actually think he would've gotten more votes than Cassidy. He owned his highs and lows, he apologized for some of his outbursts, and he talked about being the resilient underdog. He owned his lack of control and generally knowledge of tribal goings-on in the game.

I was pretty sure Gabler ran away with it after the tribal council, but even before that, when they showed the short clip of the announcement happening before commercial and how happy Ryan was on the jury, it kind of spoiled that Gabler was going to win.

Thanks to champagne, I thought Cassidy handled her loss in stride. I really feel she got shafted pretty badly by the jury. The reunion shows normally feel rushed, but this one was simply just meh. And my goodness did it drag.

Overall, it was a good season. Some weird editing choices that I am starting to think were more about protecting characters they intend to bring back due to entertainment value more than to showcase the finalists. I'm not sure I will think much about this season or watch it again, as I'd probably be clueing in on some of sexist undertones.

[LadyChatts]

The reaction on Twitter that I've seen is pretty amusing.  A lot of people did not like this outcome and felt Cassidy was robbed.  Which kind of surprises me, because I thought Cassidy was more of a floater than Gabler.  I still think he just happened to luck into the numbers, but editing definitely didn't tell us everything with his game, and I think what we didn't see is where he won the game.  I hope that the editors take note and don't try this new era of editing the winner.  They don't need to put a blinking red arrow above them but show us more of their game at least.  I also don't think the fire making final 4 winner really gets resume points unless they do something risky like Chris Underwood in S38.  Even then I don't think it's a guarantee. 

But this outcome and season aren't being perceived well at all.  I just don't think Gabler isn't the worst winner this show has ever produced, but he is underwhelming.  I don't think he'll be super memorable.  I can't say I dislike this season, but it's lower middle tier for me.  Not as bad as some that have come before it, but I think it'll be a distant memory by the time next season rolls around.  I'll remember Cody, Jesse, and Noelle, but likely blank on anyone else when their name gets brought up.  I guess S43 will be a season that's just there.

Edited December 15, 2022 by LadyChatts

[GaT]

I am so surprised that Gabler won, I really didn't think it was possible, I felt like he just existed in the game, not that he was really playing it. I am surprised that nobody voted for Owen, I wanted him to win.

Edited December 15, 2022 by GaT

[Carey]

I actually don't have a problem with the F4 Tie-Breaker.  That's a solo take, but part of it is due to the nature of the show where changes occur to the point where they're not reversing it (i.e. HII, twists, tribal swaps).

The only way I'd be on board with the show getting rid of the F4 Tie-Breaker is if they went back to a Final 2.  Period.

Of course, as mentioned, changes to Survivor are usually permanent.  Despite what took place for Seasons 16, 18, and 28, I wouldn't bet on a F2 showing up again.  Therefore, there is one other thing I'd be okay with if they did away with the automatic fire-making task: The HII has to be valid until FTC.

As mentioned, it would've changed nothing in terms of the order, but it might have (I think it definitely would have) in past seasons!

[PhoneCop]

The veterans thing puts a redemptive spin on this mess of a season. (Open memo to CBS/Probst: Matching donations—rarely a bad look.) But man, I hope 44 is edited by actual editors; I don't think the interns they used for this one have a future in the biz. I like Jesse, but this should not have been his 13-episode audition reel for a returnee season.

[LizBug]

Really disappointed that Cassidy didn't win or, at least, get more than one vote.  Like others, I felt that Gabler was invisible most of the season.  Surprised too by Jesse ... his backstory and desperation for the money to "save his family" led me to believe that he was still one step above being on the streets.  And the guy just got his PhD!   

I know the jury talks to each other at Ponderosa but to develop a whole checklist of points that the final three have to tick off to get their vote seems like total collusion.  And those points can be easily manipulated by bitter and outspoken jury members.

[nlkm9]

So, as usual, I have missed certain changes, why isn’t the season 39 days anymore? Will they ever go back to a two person finale? I actually didn’t mind the full-blown live reunion, which ends up being kind of a time waster., So that part of the format is nice anyway, thank you in advance. These are a few things that confused me

[peachmangosteen]

I was OK with, even into tbh, Gabler winning until this morning I saw Eliza's tweet about him. Ugh.

Still happy Jesse didn't even make F3. I liked him in the beginning but he got increasingly awful, as did Karla. Owen was also a whiny little asshole but I found it funny all the way to the end lol.

Who got the title quote?

[KeithJ]

The more I think about this, the more I think that Cassidy was absolutely robbed by a bitter jury because they really wanted Jesse to win and I still don't understand why.  It's like he was the first person in the history of the world to have a sob story and they all just ate it up.

You could tell that the jury was 100% behind Jesse and I think Cassidy was punished by the jury for not taking him to the final. 

Noelle knocking Cassidy down for not making fire after she had won the challenge was asinine.  Cassidy won the challenge, she earned the spot she was in.  Nobody on that jury would have voluntarily gave up that immunity and made fire.

Carla basically poisoning the jury against Cassidy was just petty and childish.  Pretty much "if I don't win I'm going to make sure you don't either".

Cassidy did everything she needed to do to win.  At the final five her two biggest threats were Carla and Jesse and she orchestrated both of them going home.  She talked Owen into voting Carla during their reward and then she won the final immunity and made Jesse make fire.

I know we don't see 99% of what happens out there but, from what we were shown, Gabler had ZERO game play.  He was taken along for the ride because everyone thought they could control him and didn't see him as a threat.  That's the reason he never received a single vote.

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I was OK with, even into tbh, Gabler winning until this morning I saw Eliza's tweet about him. Ugh.

Still happy Jesse didn't even make F3. I liked him in the beginning but he got increasingly awful, as did Karla. Owen was also a whiny little asshole but I found it funny all the way to the end lol.

Who got the title quote?

Cody got the title quote, natch. 

Eliza is sometimes kind of suspect in things she posts, and I didn't see those tweets she shared on Gabler's actual twitter, but it wouldn't surprise me, unfortunately.

Feeling a growing sense of irritation at that whole bit where Cassidy was asked for a time that she influenced the vote, she gave the Ryan vote as an example, and the bros were all "nope, that was all us, our minds were already made up, you had nothing to do with that" and all she could say was a weak "...oh. Well, you got me." Felt like a set up from a jury of dudes, jock Noelle, and increasingly unpleasant Karla to minimize anything the skinny young blonde woman did because obviously she's just an inconsequential player carried along by others, right? And sadly, the show seemed to agree.

[Skooma]

21 hours ago, North of Eden said:

Cass seemed shocked, I say shocked that she didn't win. She was right to thank James for her sole vote so she could at least get the second place money.  ...

I knew Probst wouldn't let Nicole's come back go...but that's okay...it was probably one of the most memorable moments in recent years.

And James put dollar signs for the two S's in her name too.

Also who is Nichole?  Was she on some past season or this one?  I really don't remember any Nicole.

21 hours ago, rasalas said:

If Jesse would have won the final immunity challenge (which we know is impossible because he was horrible at every single challenge), he would have never given up that immunity to make fire at the end just to prove himself. So for him, and then the jury afterward, to imply that Cassidy was somehow lesser for not doing that very thing is a crock of crap. Even convincingly winning the final challenge is not enough for a woman to prove herself; she always has to do something more. 

Oh please, he played the only game card he could with Cassidy knowing full well from experience around camp that she wasn't as good at making fire as Owen or Gabler.  This has nothing whatsoever to do about gender bias.  It was just good game play because you know what?  Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and looking for hidden meanings where there weren't any is just stirring the pot on an innocent person.

21 hours ago, TVFan1 said:

Gabler is an okay winner, but I wish we saw more of his gameplay. 

Can we please get the entire pre-merge boots for the aftershow with everyone else? I hope there is a future season where they can do that.

I agree they needed to show more of Gabler's path to victory.  But pre-merge boots on the show's "aftershow?"  Please no.  I can't even remember them and they waste too much time on people already completely forgotten.

This "aftershow" is so much better having it in the moment and cut down to a half hour too.  Major reasons are REAL emotions (and surprises) following an immediate reading of the votes.  And especially for me NOT seeing them all dolled up 21st century style but still looking like real human beings without all the fake make-up and silly clothing.

20 hours ago, Kitty Redstone said:

I dislike the fire challenge as well and hope it goes away.  I am glad that the jury wasn't bitter but am still disappointed with the outcome. 

Also, I really miss the intro montage with the names of the castaways and the Survivor theme song.  It took me forever to remember who everyone was and still don't know who was on what tribe. 

Is the shortened season because of Covid?  It seems like Survivor and The Amazing Race flew by and were (especially the latter) so frenetic it was difficult to get invested. 

Both were shortened because of Covid.  The Amazing Race still has valid reasons for their truncated version because one positive test with Racers exposed to the real world and the team is out like one team was this season and because different countries still have different requirements for covid protocols.  But Survivor is filmed in a cocoon on Fiji and has no reason NOT to return to 39 days except for saving money and getting lazy about their product.

And the lack of the theme music and montage of names on both of these shows is really REALLY a bad choice.  Not only for us having a hard time sorting people out but also there is no real "feel" generated or "energy" or whatever going into each episode.  And every episode of both these shows has had WAY more than 30 seconds of filler that could easily be cut for the full themes/montages.

18 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

The reaction on Twitter that I've seen is pretty amusing.  A lot of people did not like this outcome and felt Cassidy was robbed.  Which kind of surprises me, because I thought Cassidy was more of a floater than Gabler.  ...

But this outcome and season aren't being perceived well at all. 

Which means most people must have really liked this season because Twitter is the armpit of humanity and their opinions don't resonate well with the rest of us ever.  (And yeah I agree Cassidy was a floater).

Edited December 16, 2022 by Skooma

[peachmangosteen]

7 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Feeling a growing sense of irritation at that whole bit where Cassidy was asked for a time that she influenced the vote, she gave the Ryan vote as an example, and the bros were all "nope, that was all us, our minds were already made up, you had nothing to do with that" and all she could say was a weak "...oh. Well, you got me." Felt like a set up from a jury of dudes, jock Noelle, and increasingly unpleasant Karla to minimize anything the skinny young blonde woman did because obviously she's just an inconsequential player carried along by others, right? And sadly, the show seemed to agree.

100%. 

@tracyscott76 I just checked Gabler's likes (I only looked at like 10 of them) and while I didn't see those, there are plenty of pro-Elon ones.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

@tracyscott76 I just checked Gabler's likes (I only looked at like 10 of them) and while I didn't see those, there are plenty of pro-Elon ones.

Ok, thanks. My twitter ability is limited and my relationship with Eliza is complicated 😆 so I just didn't want to assume she was correct in what she was saying. But it looks like she was, so f*** Gabler.

[North of Eden]

17 minutes ago, Skooma said:

And James put dollar signs for the two S's in her name too.

Also who is Nichole?  Was she on some past season or this one?  I really don't remember any Nicole.

Sorry, Noelle! It was Noelle.

[Carey]

Does anyone remember John Carroll?  I guess he was a legend in his own right, though most would not agree.

To be honest, it's possible I'll forget Noelle was on Survivor, but she does have a great story.  She didn't win, but she overcame adversity based on her situation.  I don't think I'll remember Owen or Jeanine 4-5 years from now.  By then we'd have 50 seasons so that factors in

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I mostly don't understand the support for Cassidy I keep seeing. I don't think she was so clearly the frontrunner that it could only be bitterness from the jury that denied her the win.

What exactly did she do all season that meant she was "predestined" to win?

I don't really love Gabler or anything but to me, the final three were basically at the same level of "it's fine, I guess." Personally, I likely would have thrown a vote Owen's way because he was such an underdog all season.

But nothing that Cassidy did really stuck out as to why it was an overwhelming convincing argument that she should win. So I think it is entirely possible that the jury was persuaded by Gabler's argument that he was playing a strategic game by going underground and that he made a move or two when necessary. I don't think that the jury needed to be bitter towards Cassidy to be persuaded by that argument. (FWIW, I likely would have felt the same way if she had persuaded them to vote for her - they both had reasonable arguments, but this jury was more persuaded by Gabler).

[seacliffsal]

Oh this finale was laugh out loud for me at the final tribal council and vote.  So, I say, well done in that it was entertaining!  I was a Jesse fan throughout the season-he displayed a lot of strategy which I always enjoy and he actually demonstrated that it IS possible to keep an idol secret.  Once he lost at fire I thought Cassidy was going to win (as did she based on her reactions to hearing the votes for Gabler and that she lost).  So, it was just entertaining to watch Gabler (who I thought should have been first out) actually win.

There have been many times when the person I thought/wanted to win didn't, so it's not upsetting for me to see an unexpected winner due to jury bitterness, jury jokesters, jury apathy, or whatever other reason there may be.  

I have stated before (and apologize for stating again) that I think the shortened seasons lessen alliance dependence as there are so many switches in a very short amount of time.  And, I think that makes the show less entertaining.  This "whatever, I will be on a new tribe tomorrow..." attitude really impacts alliances as well as strategy.  No, Jeff, it's NOT a more difficult and dangerous game when they are playing it for about three weeks instead of about six weeks.  I think the longer seasons really have a greater impact on the players themselves.

There we have it-an unexpected winner (at least to me) that brought outright laughter to me making it at least entertaining.

[rhygirl720]

I guess I really don't get all the Cassidy deserved to win stuff. She was in a majority alliance throughout the game. I really didn't see her as playing a great game. She played a good game, but so did Gabler and Owen deserved his underdog spot. If she wants to make a statement about the women being voted out early and she was in on every vote, then you are part of the problem I thought it was BS for anyone to think she should have given up immunity and challenged Jesse to fire? Stupid move. She played the end very well, but the rest of the game was meh as far as what we were shown.

Jesse made a mistake he got rid of Cody too soon and became the obvious target. if you make that move you need to have your ducks lined up to get to the end. He didn't. Or be a challenge beast. He wasn't... There have been other very strategic players who didn't win. Add Jesse to the list

Karla was never going to be at the end. too out front too soon. The way she turned on Cassidy was not pretty. She also turned on her alliance too soon and didn't read the game right as far as Jesse and Cody.

Owen should have been gone long ago but he somehow kept himself there. Won immunity when needed.

I don't think Cassidy had the greatest final tribal and I'm sure that didn't help her cause.

[Tippi]

I don't watch every season of Survivor, but it seems like every season I catch there is a runaway winner.  I looked it up and the last time there was a close vote was Season 36.  I thought this vote might have been close, since the big threats had been eliminated, but apparently Gabler had the connections on the jury to win big.

It was a "nice" season, with no one in particular to get invested in, and no one to hate.

[Cheyanne11]

One word to sum up not only the winner, but the entire season: Meh.

Final thought: Gabler's only 51?  I thought he was a decade older.

[bankerchick]

12 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Karla had a really poor social game.  She was making valid argument's as to why Jesse needed to be targeted, but don't then threaten the person you are talking to that you will poison the jury against them and not vote for them.  I can't believe what a downfall she had, especially when she's not in control.  Was not sorry to see her lose and hope she doesn't return.

I could never understand the attraction.  Aside from the superficial hate of that stupid ring in her nose, I did like her competitive spirit, staying in the game when injured, but she always struck me as the kind of person who would poison the jury when she didn't get her way.

12 hours ago, North of Eden said:

Probably in the minority here but I was tired of Jesse weeks ago so much of the three hours seemed like a Jesse-fest so I'm really glad he didn't make it. He seemed to know he couldn't build a fire to save his  life (or his game).

OMG.  Was Jesse the first person on the show who had a difficult upbringing, or who has kids that need shoes?  That the show had to have a cry session after he was voted out, then another at the jury told me that he was a production fave and we haven't seen the last of this political science PhD who studied elections. Oh, and did you know he was in a gang before he got that PhD?

11 hours ago, Artsda said:

I am loving that Gabler is donating the money.  This is the first time ever done and there's no way the other 2 would have done that.

I love this too though I don't blame anyone else for not donating a life-changing amount of money, yet would hope that they would donate a sizeable sum.

2 hours ago, Skooma said:

Oh please, he played the only game card he could with Cassidy knowing full well from experience around camp that she wasn't as good at making fire as Owen or Gabler.  This has nothing whatsoever to do about gender bias.  It was just good game play because you know what?  Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and looking for hidden meanings where there weren't any is just stirring the pot on an innocent person.

Agreed.

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Ok, thanks. My twitter ability is limited and my relationship with Eliza is complicated 😆 so I just didn't want to assume she was correct in what she was saying. But it looks like she was, so f*** Gabler.

I have never been on Twitter, but can you provide some details about what was said?  F* Gabler?  Did he shoot some puppies?  Renege on his promise to give the money away?

[iMonrey]

I would have bet money that Jesse won given the endless teary-eyed confessionals he got. No doubt he will be returning for a future season, clearly the show loved him.

In hindsight, it was rather telling we heard Gabler repeat his "hiding in plain sight" line in the past three episodes. It was sort of lazy foreshadowing but probably all they had to offer given Gabler's seemingly non-existent gameplay. 

I think the final three we wound up with speaks to how random the game has become. With all the twists and idols and advantages, getting to the end is as much dumb luck as it is strategy or skill. 

I may need a break from this show for awhile. It's really gotten stale, with the tiresome and tedious obstacle course challenges and Jeff's nonstop play-by-play. Man, the guy loves the sound of his own voice.

Quote

God, I hate the "Let's save Ben" Final 4 Fire challenge. Every season, I hope they get rid of it, and no.

I don't necessarily think Jesse should have won, lots of people have families that need money so I was never moved by his tears. That said, the show's need to justify that rigged season continues to screw over players to this day.

Quote

I was OK with, even into tbh, Gabler winning until this morning I saw Eliza's tweet about him. Ugh.

What Tweets are you talking about? What did she say?

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I have never been on Twitter, but can you provide some details about what was said?  F* Gabler?  Did he shoot some puppies?  Renege on his promise to give the money away?

This is the tweet by Eliza that was initially referred to:

https://twitter.com/elizaorlins/status/1603245501947600896?cxt=HHwWgICj9cTS778sAAAA

Not going to say anymore because it would probably infringe on the "no politics" rule, but it's there for anyone who would like to explore it.

[Haleth]

This season started out bad but then started getting more interesting in recent weeks.  But last night?  My interest started waning as soon as Karla was voted out, then I lost interest completely when Jesse was.  Of the three finalists the jury chose Gabler?  Gabler???  I could make a case for both Cassidy and Owen because of their immunity wins, but... Gabler???  Were they watching a different show than I was?  The "hide in plain sight" strategy may sway the jury, but it didn't translate to tv.

At least the reunion show made them all seem like nice people.  They all seem to have bonded and created real friendships.  The champagne may have helped.  Another toast, Jeff?

13 hours ago, rasalas said:

So for him, and then the jury afterward, to imply that Cassidy was somehow lesser for not doing that very thing is a crock of crap

Eh, it was worth a try.  He didn't believe she'd actually do it.