S44.E04: I’m Felicia

[Whimsy]

Quote

One person from each tribe is chosen to go on a journey and receive surprising news that will shake up the game. Also, tribes must slingshot themselves toward victory in the reward challenge to earn an essential camp item.

Original airdate 3/22/23 

[Guest]

Jaime's reactions to everything are a delight. I have no faith that she's going to win, but I'm going to enjoy the heck out of her as long as she stays. If the time comes when she needs to play an idol, it seems likely she'll play the real one first, since it's got a time limit.

Props to Carolyn for one of the more inventive fake idol plantings on record. Also props for her death glare. Jesus.

[vb68]

"I join a club of sad, sad people."

Sarah you have no idea. There goes that new and exciting advantage too where she could have picked up a bunch of advantages.

Boy Carolyn is the gift that keeps on giving. She's great TV.

Yam Yam, not sorry at all that bit you right on the ass.

Edited March 23, 2023 by vb68

[LadyChatts]

Carolyn for the win!  I know it's still early, but I just love her and everything she brings to the show.  I also love how she doesn't have to talk about what a strategic genius she is-she just shows us.  The fact that no one suspects she has the idol, that she was able to plant fake clues and the fake idol (and have Sarah fall for it), and align with Josh to take out Sarah, and not be happy just going along being the decoy vote-seriously, she's the stand out so far this season for all the right reasons.

I don't think I would have cared if Josh went home or not, but I'm glad that this TC wasn't boring.  I couldn't believe he'd really feel that comfortable playing his HII on Carolyn and not himself.  I don't know if that argument at TC between Carolyn and Yam Yam was fake or not, but Josh clearly wasn't buying it or was clued in in advance.  I'm proud of Carolyn for breaking off from Yam Yam, especially if she feels undervalued.  And if Tika loses again, she might not be in a bad spot.  I just can't believe Sarah didn't play her fake idol.  I wonder when she found out it wasn't real.  I will say, it's kind of comical that Josh thinks he's in so tight with Soka, and sitting pretty in the middle of two alliances-when they were ready to vote him off.  I can't believe his read on his former tribe is so bad.

Overall, a pretty decent episode.  I have to say I'm not really rooting for too many people yet, but Carolyn tops my list.

4 minutes ago, vb68 said:

"I join a club of sad, sad people."

Sarah you have no idea. There goes that new and exciting advantage too where she could have picked up a bunch of advantages.

Boy Carolyn is the gift that keeps on giving. She's great TV.

Yam Yam, not sorry at all that bit you right on the ass.

I like how she said she got played.  And she did-but not exactly in the way she thinks.

[Haleth]

So why didn’t they vote out Yam Yam? 

How long before Sarah found out her idol was a fake?  It would have been so satisfying had she played it and gotten voted out anyway  

Caroline is a hoot. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Haleth

[susannot]

4th woman voted out.  At this rate, we may reach Jeff's nirvana at the merge:  a sausagefest of big, sweaty, burly men clashing against each other in grueling physical challenges for the win.

 

If Carolyn is the last woman left, I like her odds.

[vb68]

17 minutes ago, Haleth said:

How long before Sarah found out her idol was a fake?

Who knows, but I wouldn't rule out it might have been while watching the episodes. lol

[Maggie Mae]

I know its early days yet but I'm on the Carolyn train!!! 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, vb68 said:

20 minutes ago, Haleth said:

How long before Sarah found out her idol was a fake?

Who knows, but I wouldn't rule out it might have been while watching the episodes. lol

Yeah, around the same time Josh found out he was NOT, in fact, in a good position on his old tribe.

[GenerationX]

I'm sure the producers were pissed when Sarah opted not to play the fake idol they had made to humiliate her.

The purple team was humming along on the Immunity Challenge until they got all jam-jammed up.

Edited March 23, 2023 by GenerationX

[susannot]

2 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

I'm sure the producers were pissed when Sarah opted not to play the fake idol they had made to humiliate her.

The purple team was humming along on the Immunity Challenge until they got all jam-jammed up.

And also that she was voted out before playing the much-hyped Inheritance Advantage.

[vb68]

3 minutes ago, susannot said:

And also that she was voted out before playing the much-hyped Inheritance Advantage.

Yeah, even if it comes back in a future season (I'm pretty sure it will), it won't be quite the shocker that it promised to be this season.

[choclatechip45]

Really like Carolyn! Joining the Carolyn train.

[LadyChatts]

37 minutes ago, susannot said:

And also that she was voted out before playing the much-hyped Inheritance Advantage.

So since Josh played his idol, wouldn't Sarah have been able to take it?  Or did she have to wait for the votes to be read?  I can't remember the exact details of how that advantage worked.

[North of Eden]

Aww, Sarah...you're not even part of that special club. This was inevitable...she was a dead girl walking the minute her BFF was voted out a couple of episodes. All I can say is I would have liked to have seen the footage of Jeff weeping in his tent that she didn't play the fake idol.

Yam, Yam's performance on the beam was pitiful....absolutely pitiful. He's full of himself and thinks he's too cute.

Lauren's slow-mo fall was the edit of the night.

Ugh Carson and the curly-haired red head guy on the same team...my two least favorite players.

As long as the Dorky Duo remain safe...all is good.

[dancingdreamer]

I definitely  underestimated  Carolyn. The faces she pulls at TC are a bit much.

I don't  mind Carson, I'm team Yam Yam all the way though, I think  he and Carolyn  make a good couple.

Do they give them soap? When Josh was washing in the Ocean, his face was all sudsy.

Edited March 23, 2023 by dancingdreamer

[jsm1125]

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

So since Josh played his idol, wouldn't Sarah have been able to take it?  Or did she have to wait for the votes to be read?  I can't remember the exact details of how that advantage worked.

I think she would have had to play the advantage as she cast her vote, therefore predicting whether someone would play an advantage that same tribal. But she only gets the advantage if she survives that same vote.

[susannot]

I liked Sarah and I was wondering throughout this episode how she looked so clean.  Seriously, she had a beautiful smooth complexion whereas everyone else looked like shit.

[TVFan1]

Not a bad episode. I'm surprised there was no gamble to "risk a vote" for an advantage on the summit, but the "you're not going back to your tribe" was a good twist. I loved the shocked faces that Josh, Carson, and Jaime made when they read that they got an idol with a time limit and then bam - not going back to their tribe. 

I did like Sarah. Curious why she didn't play her fake idol. She apparently thought she was not going to be voted for. Good on Carolyn for being savvy enough to align with Josh, planting the fake idol for Sarah to find, this girl knows how to play. I wonder if Sarah's inheritance advantage is going to go back in play or not.

Edited March 23, 2023 by TVFan1

[Michichick]

35 minutes ago, dancingdreamer said:

 

Do they give them soap? When Josh was washing in the Ocean, his face was all sudsy.

I think Josh was scrubbing his face with sand

[dancingdreamer]

24 minutes ago, Michichick said:

I think Josh was scrubbing his face with sand

It was very soapy looking, and he was washing  quite vigorously. 

[Michichick]

7 minutes ago, dancingdreamer said:

It was very soapy looking, and he was washing  quite vigorously. 

I agree that he was washing vigorously. I just rewatched that part and it still looks like wet sand to me. Unfortunately Paramount+ seems to block me from getting a screenshot (I just get a black box where the image should be).

[Fake Jan Brady]

I vote sand.

[dancingdreamer]

1 hour ago, Michichick said:

I agree that he was washing vigorously. I just rewatched that part and it still looks like wet sand to me. Unfortunately Paramount+ seems to block me from getting a screenshot (I just get a black box where the image should be).

I rewound  our TV , you're  right, it does  look like sand. 

[violet and green]

That was quite satisfying. I love how Carolyn's tribe underestimated her, and Josh trusted her. The two of them holding hands at tribal after was lovely.

[JudyObscure]

8 hours ago, North of Eden said:

Yam, Yam's performance on the beam was pitiful....absolutely pitiful. He's full of himself and thinks he's too cute.

Yes, and I'll add Jaimie to the too cute list.  Her smile may be some sort of physical trait she can't help, but it always looks forced to me, like the smile of the psycho killer just before she plunges the knife.

I called Carolyn as my favorite to win on the first episode thread so I get to be train conductor.

[MsMalin]

"I got played. I should have used my idol" 😂😂😂😂

[seacliffsal]

Oh how Yam Yam tried to deflect the tribal loss onto Josh.  After taking a lot of time (to the point that the tribe fell behind) over the balance beam (but hey, I couldn't even do it as well as he did, but that's why I'm watching at home...) he stated that Josh didn't do well at all on the puzzle.  Nope, that's just you, Yam Yam, trying to deflect as Josh and Sarah got super close to beating the other team on the puzzle.

It's always interesting how people who think they are running the show target someone else for the "decoy" vote instead of being willing to be the decoy themselves.  And then they wonder why the "decoy" may be willing to switch votes/change alliance.

Carolyn is much deeper than the character she is playing.  I was glad that she switched to Josh, but don't know how that will work long-term as Yam Yam may be willing to work with others if he makes it to the merge.

Brandon really took one for the tribe when he had to do the second round of jump/swim/walk the balance beam.  He looked exhausted.

[Lady Calypso]

I love Carolyn. She may be quirky, but she's shown to be one of the better Survivor players this season. I love seeing her thought process on things. She reminds me a bit of Maryanne, in that sense. Bubbly and out there, but has a lot more game than the current players are giving her credit for. I don't love that it seems her current tribe aren't taking her seriously, which may hurt her chances if she gets to the end, which is why I hope we can see her make some real power moves by merge. 

I think Carolyn's decision on voting with Josh was smart. I think Josh will be beneficial for them for the next couple of challenges, and it splits up Yam Yam and Sarah potentially choosing each other over Carolyn. 

Oh joy, Carson and Matthew on the same tribe AND aligning. Guess I can tune out their scenes. Carson seems to think he's smarter than he is, and Matthew has a major ego problem. So both together just make me thoroughly annoyed. 

I guess the tribe swap works WHEN they have an idol to balance it out. But now there are WAY too many idols, fake or temporary or permanent, that I'm annoyed with.

I liked Danny until he rifled through Jaime's bag. I was annoyed when Elie did it last season to Gabler, and I'm actually more annoyed this time because everyone was super on board with rifling through someone's stuff the moment she leaves. 

Better season thus far than 43, but it's not as good as I thought it would be. It just has an average cast and I'm only rooting for Carolyn, now. I can get past her quirks for the fact that she has great insight.

[fishcakes]

Carolyn was great this episode. The only thing I thought was a misstep was in not voting for Josh herself so she could maintain deniability with Yam Yam. I assume she told Josh to play his idol for himself, so voting for him wouldn't have hurt her, especially if she told him she was doing that beforehand. It probably won't matter since there's not much Yam Yam can do now on a tribe of three, but if there's a merge within the next couple of episodes, being allied only with Josh, who's not in a good position with old Soka, won't help her.

I had to rewind this part twice because it was so hilarious.

Yam Yam: Carolyn is loyal, but Josh has connections with his old tribe that I want to have.
Carolyn: So whooo's left??? Felicia.

[iMonrey]

I'm happy the fake idol didn't get played because I know that will annoy the producers, but I couldn't care less about Sarah and in fact I'm still not rooting for anyone in particular at this point.

They are going to have to do some sort of tribal mixup pretty soon because Tika is down to two people plus Josh. Ratu and Soka have only lost one each.

One thing that struck me as suspicious is when the three who were sent away on their "journey" came back and each tribe wondered aloud if they might have an idol. I'm thinking that had to be producer prompted because . . . of course they came back with some kind of idol or other advantage. Of course they did. That's the whole point of sending them away. The other players would have to be complete idiots to think they didn't come back with some sort of advantage. Or would have to have never watched the show before.

[KeithJ]

Here's an interview with Sarah.  They asked her reaction when she found out the idol was fake but they didn't ask when she found out:

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-sarah-wade-interview/

I'm a little curious at this statement though:

"Where's the fake idol now?

The fake idol? I wish I knew. When you got voted out, you don't get to keep your things."

Players in the past have been able to keep idols they get voted out with haven't they?  I know this was a fake one but why wouldn't they let her keep it?  Or, do they take the idols from them when they leave and they give them back at a later date?

Edited March 23, 2023 by KeithJ

[TaraS1]

All I see when I look at Matthew is (the late, incredibly great) Phil Hartman playing a character.

And Carolyn?  You annoyed me in episode one, but I adore you now, so please forgive me for my wrongness!

[DEL901]

18 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

Here's an interview with Sarah.  They asked her reaction when she found out the idol was fake but they didn't ask when she found out:

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-sarah-wade-interview/

I'm a little curious at this statement though:

"Where's the fake idol now?

The fake idol? I wish I knew. When you got voted out, you don't get to keep your things."

Players in the past have been able to keep idols they get voted out with haven't they?  I know this was a fake one but why wouldn't they let her keep it?  Or, do they take the idols from them when they leave and they give them back at a later date?

They always keep these things…they have an end of season auction for charity.  

[tvfanatic13]

I still think that there is something really off with Carolyn, but damn if she didn't win me over this week. Felicia for the win!

[Lantern7]

On the live thread, I referred to Sarah as “not-Carolyn.” This is what most of the cast is right now: Carolyn, a few other characters, and people who are not Carolyn.

At least the tribe switching was interesting, though it feels like it gives more power to those affected than necessary. Josh would’ve had to been an idiot not to burn his idol (Josh from Big Brother and The Challenge being my “go-to” here), and Carson and Jaime had better follow suit should they go to TC before the merge.

Once again . . . would putting a puzzle in the middle of a challenge be that weird?

I’m an asshole . . . I was thinkIng Yam Yam would go out, so I started looking up GIFs of Yamcha from Dragon Ball Z freshly killed in a crater. Yeah, that would work for anyone, but there’s the whole “Yam” thing, even if they’re not pronounced the same.

I’m not ready to compare Carolyn with Maryanne. I just can’t right now.

ETA: Erik presents “Carolyn Thinks a Thought”:

Gotta love the teeny versions of Carson and Yam Yam in the lower right.

Edited March 23, 2023 by Lantern7

[HurricaneVal]

I cannot believe how everyone fell for the whole stick thing.  It's a fucking stick!  OK, it was four fucking sticks, but still....

I mean, Survivor is not known for subtlety.  Their schtick is overblown production.  No way would they take some random sticks they found lying under a tree somewhere and do makeshift Xs with them.  The ones on the cage would have been intricately carved with a rebus puzzle where the solution is a clue to search camp for the idol.  Then there would be, perhaps, a rudimentary stick-like X marking the spot.

That said, Sarah's casually draped underwear over her hand as she uses the end of the log to lever herself up from the ground, neatly snagging the "idol" package as she did so was masterfully done.  Kudos to her.    Too bad it was a fake idol.  Too bad it wasn't one of those real clues like "your idol is hidden under the balance beam at the next challenge.  Good luck, sucker!"  Having seen her performance with the underwear and the fake idol at camp, she would have rocked one of those mid-challenge retrievals. 

I cannot believe Carolyn is proving to be such a tricky player.  I honestly did not think she had it in her.  She's still goofy as hell, evidenced by all the faces she was literally pulling at Tribal Council, but she's playing a quieter game than I thought she was capable of.  They've toned down her editing, but I don't think Carolyn herself is actually toned down.  I suspect the editors are trying to only use footage where she is acting normally and not spazzing out with flailing arms like Animal on the drums.  (A poster in an early episode thread likened Carolyn to a Muppet, and I cannot get that image out of my brain.)

Gawd help me, but I like Yam Yam.  Don't ask me why.  I hope he and Carolyn were fake fighting at TC and are secretly in cahoots, but somehow I doubt it.  There seemed to be a little edge to the bickering, and he was backpedaling his Freudian slip of the pronouns awfully desperately with more than a little panic in his eyes. 

[Asha124]

You get an idol, and you get an idol, everybody gets an idol! 🙄

4 episodes in and I'm already bored out of my mind. All the idols and advantages are ridiculous. I don't care for any of these people. Probst is downright annoying. I think I was spoiled by the glorious seson of AU Survivor we got this year because I just don't feel any joy watching the US version anymore.

Yam Yam was super dumb. He throws out Carolyn's name as a decoy in case Josh has an idol and is shocked that she is not happy about it. Of course, she is not happy, if Josh plays an idol, she goes home 🙄 Carolyn might be a little whacky but she is no fool. I applaud her playing the way that would make HER safe. (She got o lot of hate on SM last week which I don't appreciate at all. It's okay to dislike someone but sending someone hate messages and outright cyber bullying someone is not okay)

16 hours ago, susannot said:

4th woman voted out.  At this rate, we may reach Jeff's nirvana at the merge:  a sausagefest of big, sweaty, burly men clashing against each other in grueling physical challenges for the win.

There would have to be some big, sweaty, burly men first. I would say only Danny, Brandon and Josh qualify... 🙄 But I do wonder why they didn't vote out Yam Yam instead of Sarah. But then I don't really care about this season 🤷‍♀️

[Grizzly]

Danny can stop somersaulting any time now.

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, Asha124 said:

Yam Yam was super dumb. He throws out Carolyn's name as a decoy in case Josh has an idol and is shocked that she is not happy about it. Of course, she is not happy, if Josh plays an idol, she goes home 🙄 Carolyn might be a little whacky but she is no fool. I applaud her playing the way that would make HER safe.

If Josh hadn't played his idol and it had been a tie, what would have been the ultimate outcome? 

I think Yam Yam would have been the one to cave immediately and change his vote to Sarah to avoid drawing rocks. I don't see Carolyn as backing down once she had made up her mind.

[Nashville]

A few notes:

1. I really REALLY wish Carolyn would drop the Look At Unconventional Me schtick, but I don’t know how much of it is internally generated; I still kinda get the feeling about 15-20 years ago somebody told Carolyn she was prime MPDG material, and the notion stuck.
2. That being said - you have a bunch of people on Tika who are continually talking about how to play the game, but Carolyn appears to be the only one actually playing it.
3. Gameplay-wise, Yam2 is a frikkin’ joke; thinks he’s in the driver’s seat (WHY?), but in reality second only to Josh in his level of self-delusion.  
4. Question: why target Sarah over Yam?  After Carolyn drilled down so hard on Yam’s verbal gaffe and generated so much friction with him, I thought for sure Yam was going to get the boot - but instead, Carolyn and Josh choose to evict a player who was barely relevant strategically (Sarah) in favor of hanging onto the guy Carolyn just spent a substantial amount of time raking over the TC coals…?
5. RE Matthew and his Incredible Trick Shoulder: enough already with the continuing attempts to milk sympathy for a self-inflicted injury - either DOR, or shut the fuck up about it already.  On a scale of 1 to 10, my sympathy meter for Matt’s moaning and bitching is currently floating somewhere around -3.

[meep.meep]

Why target Sarah over Yam Yam?  Because Sarah was honing in on Josh's little super secret about being a doctor.  And Carolyn wouldn't care either way.  None of them are coming to her to talk strategy.  

[CraftyHazel]

6 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Danny can stop somersaulting any time now.

This. I was really liking him, then all of the showboaty cartoonish flips and somersaults started to show up, and the problem is, he’s totally playing to the cameras and the people watching at home.  It’s annoying.

And I know everyone loves Carolyn, but her eye rolls and pulling faces make me feel the same way about her.

My sad truth about this show is that too many players are trying too hard to become fan favorites, memes, and “beloved weirdos” for the fans at home.  It’s not cute.

[bankerchick]

12 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Brandon really took one for the tribe when he had to do the second round of jump/swim/walk the balance beam.  He looked exhausted.

But also incredibly freaking hot.

[Dewey Decimate]

7 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

But also incredibly freaking hot.

It always takes me more than half the season to gradually figure out most of the castaways' names, but now I definitely know Brandon. And his lithe, glistening muscles.

[violet and green]

3 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Why target Sarah over Yam Yam?  Because Sarah was honing in on Josh's little super secret about being a doctor.  And Carolyn wouldn't care either way.  None of them are coming to her to talk strategy.  

I think it was more because Yam Yam and Carolyn had been allies since the first episode, whereas Sarah was allied with Helen, and Carson was the swing vote prior to his tribe shift. After Helen went out, it was obvious (whatever was said at tribal) that Sarah would be Carolyn's target.

[Tango64]

Nothing about hunger, food needs or rationing, sleeping difficulty, homesickness,  etc.

So apparently these Survivors are surviving just fine!

Biggest challenge is what wardrobe to wear for the next scene. 

[Meowwww]

Carolyn is not putting on an act, not at all.  She’s been through some things.  She’s as quirky in real life as she is on the show.  I cheer extra hard for her, she’s my favorite. 

[AEJ79]

I just wanted to tell “stop touching your face!” to Carolyn during Tribal Council. 
 

That’s my main take away from this episode 😂

[Maverick]

4 minutes ago, AEJ79 said:

I just wanted to tell “stop touching your face!” to Carolyn during Tribal Council. 
 

That’s my main take away from this episode 😂

 Me too.  All I could think was "how did you not get a new variant of covid every three days during the pandemic?"