S44.E04: I’m Felicia

[HappyDancex2]

I’d like to see a survivor reboot going back to the first few seasons of basic challenges, gross eating contests and how well do you know your tribemate challenges LOL.  I can’t keep track of all of these hidden immunity fake idols and without editing can’t keep track of the stashes.  And now everything ends in some kind of block puzzle…sigh.

 

[Birnam Wood]

Well, today I learned that there’s a Lauren.

And she’s short.

[AncientNewbie]

I'm a couple days late because I've had to digest and ponder...nah, I'm kidding. Nothing major has happened this season to give me pause to reflect on gameplay or deeper thoughts. 

I get why they are making Carolyn a main character this season, but she's also so goofy that she could wander off set and disappear from the show at any minute. Her vote out wouldn't be a surprise just based on her OTT personality at any stage. I can't help but compare to last season, where there were main characters of various levels who didn't win and people were upset about it...she just feels more like a distraction before the gameplay begins than the actual season, despite being clever enough to fool someone with the stick play. 

At the same time, of all her supporting cast, every man seems to think he's secretly pulling the strings...I'd like more about their delusions and missteps. An Official Survivor(TM) Fake Idol is not funny...a certain vote with Mookie and Edgardo is funny. 

[seacliffsal]

All of the challenges, advantages, idols, and fake idols take away from the scenes that used to help explain how/why alliances were forms and how/why various survivors are targeting others.  The camp life scenes really used to clarify things for viewers-and it was always interesting to see who took control of building the shelter, how effective the shelters were, etc.  Now it seems like they just sleep out in the open on the sand as they know it will only be a few days before they switch camps, go home, or even win the season.

Ah the memories of some of the shelters of the past.  Boston Rob built like an entire resort, and in a challenge Rupert thought it was a good idea to dig a shelter in the sand below the high water mark (and then targeted Jeri because she tried to point that out).  Ah, good times...

[Scatterbrained]

This season seems to be about fantasy vs. reality,  dreamers vs. doers, what’s real vs. what’s fake (idols, relationships).  I can tell there was a “big dea” from the creators.  I don’t know if it will come to a satisfying fruition.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Scatterbrained

[SnapHappy]

If nothing else, this season is making it absolutely crystal clear that going forward, you DO NOT EVER KNOW if the Hidden Immunity Idol you found is real.  

When you can find an idol and a fake, then re-wrap the fake WITH the real idol document and hide it for somebody else to find, there is ZERO security in finding an idol of any kind at any time. 

Until you take it to Tribal Council and play it, or get voted out & watch yourself later getting suckered by a fake one on TV.  You just won't know. 

But now the entire world knows. 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by SnapHappy

[Tachi Rocinante]

Nobody on this show is that likeable. Yet.

And I couldn't give two squirts of piss to know what Eliza thinks.

[iMonrey]

Quote

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.

Agreed. It's not about winning anymore. Viewers are savvy about reality TV. It's more important to make a name for  yourself so you get invited back again and again, and can do other shows and get an agent and book appearances. The ones who are self-proclaimed "super fans" know that, and they know what it takes to get camera time.

[zscore]

17 hours ago, eel21788 said:

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

There is no rock drawing in a tribe of four. Josh and Sarah would have had to make fire.

[Matty]

Liking this season. I wasn't able to get into last season, as much as I tried, so I'm glad this group is drawing me in. I like Carolyn and Yam Yam. The edit that they're getting makes me think they are going far in the game. There has been a focus on them since the first episode.

[RedbirdNelly]

I was glad Sara didn't play the fake idol because I dislike the show giving fake idols to people to use. If you created it and fool someone, I'm good with it, but not if its producer created. I also had forgotten she had the inheritance advantage or what that even involved. That being said, it was weird that she didn't play the fake idol since the rules allow her to make that decision AFTER Josh played his (part of me wishes you had to declare whether you are playing an idol as part of your vote to avoid someone reacting to someone else's play). She had to know she was at risk for Josh to play it. I guess she assumed it was Yam Yam, who became much more annoying to me this week. 

I'm feeling zero sympathy for shoulder guy right now. You brought that on yourself. 

I didn't love the "here is an idol that expires and trade tribes" thing. You have to know a merger (or all living at the same place) is about to happen based on numbers so only an idiot would not play their idol at the next tribal unless some factors truly convinced them they were in the clear--and I don't see how anyone who just joined a tribe and immediately faces tribal the next day would feel that safe. 

[Scatterbrained]

Is it possible that expired idols can become fake idols?  So then there will be even more fakes in circulation?

[HurricaneVal]

Carolyn's time will come.  The folks at Tika are used to her now.  After the merge is when the folks from the other tribes who aren't used to her will be all like "She's getting on my last nerve!" and she'll get voted out.

Maybe.  We'll see!  Maybe in person she's goofy-endearing, and not goofy-annoying like she appears.

[Katie111]

13 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I’d like to see a survivor reboot going back to the first few seasons of basic challenges, gross eating contests and how well do you know your tribemate challenges LOL.  I can’t keep track of all of these hidden immunity fake idols and without editing can’t keep track of the stashes.  And now everything ends in some kind of block puzzle…sigh.

 

I agree.  All of the challenges now seem exactly the same.  Obstacle course and then a puzzle.  And it doesn't seem to really matter how long the obstacle course takes a team because the puzzle always seems to be the great equalizer.  

 

Also, it does seem like in the past couple of seasons they have way more clothes than they used to and the clothes seem to be more practical.  Less people running around in their underwear and silly things like a suit jacket.  

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, Katie111 said:

Also, it does seem like in the past couple of seasons they have way more clothes than they used to and the clothes seem to be more practical.  Less people running around in their underwear and silly things like a suit jacket.

This is an innovation that I have no problem with. Players, particularly women, were having health issues from wearing the same pair of underwear for days, which is not an essential part of the "surviving" experience. And as fun as it was the first time they did the shipwrecked theme in Pearl Islands watching their everyday clothes get progressively more ragged, I think it's much better to just let them wear practical clothing. The elements will still do their thing, so at least let them have a decent pair of pants and shirt instead of shivering in a swimsuit. As this episode shows, people will still get to appreciate the likes of Brandon (or whoever floats your boat) in skimpy attire - just not at all times.

[LadyChatts]

On 3/23/2023 at 5:47 PM, Nashville said:

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.

My sympathy is -12.  Once upon a time, Probst would totally put Matthew in his place and tell him he's the idiot who decided to go rock climbing for no reason, injure himself, then insist on competing in challenges despite the pain, so he can just suck it up and shut up.  Probst has gotten soft in this new era, though. 

There's one thing I'm not understanding about Carolyn and her tribe's perception on her gameplay.  Sarah mentioned in a post-show interview that they all knew how big of a Survivor fan Carolyn was.  Something about her playing online versions, watching and studying every season, and knowing the ins and outs of the game better than anyone.  Yet, they still didn't think she'd be capable of finding an idol?  And crafty enough to trick them about it, to the point of planting fake clues and the fake idol?  Does Carson get more credibility because he wears glasses, works for NASA, and creates hashtags for himself?  I can't even say him flipping on Helen/Sarah was a big move.  Sarah had no vote.  The alternative was sending it to a tie.  What's the argument, especially when it's the first TC your tribe is attending, and your already down 1 player?

[bankerchick]

10 hours ago, AncientNewbie said:

...a certain vote with Mookie and Edgardo is funny.

And will continue to be funny as long as I'm alive.

[LadyChatts]

19 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I’d like to see a survivor reboot going back to the first few seasons of basic challenges, gross eating contests and how well do you know your tribemate challenges LOL.  I can’t keep track of all of these hidden immunity fake idols and without editing can’t keep track of the stashes.  And now everything ends in some kind of block puzzle…sigh.

 

I remember that those types of challenges didn't necessarily mean you needed brute strength to keep around.  There's a variety of reasons why women are being failed in this new era, but the challenges we're getting where it's obvious you need strength doesn't help.  When I re-watched the Outback season, when Ogakor was debating voting off Marilyn (who was older and had fallen in the IC), Keith gave a TH where he said that he felt Marilyn could still be useful in challenges, especially puzzles, and said something along the lines of the challenges not always being about strength.  Even though Marilyn still got voted off, it was still nice to see that type of logic used in wanting to keep someone that messed up in a challenge (funny enough, I think it was the next RC or IC that happened to be a puzzle and Ogakor lost).  I mentioned this in another thread but I also liked the distress signal challenges they used in the early seasons.  It was such an easy, winnable challenge, yet it was funny how badly some tribes could do.  I also liked the challenge where Jeff would tell them some story that had to do with their location, and they had to run to different stations and pick the correct answers.  I hope the rumors are true that Survivor may be leaving Fiji after the next couple of seasons, because maybe that will inspire them to create some fresh challenges if they aren't in the same location for years.  

Edited March 25, 2023 by LadyChatts

[Lamb18]

Although it's fun, I think it's unwise to trick your tribemates with fake idols. I think it's better to wait until the merge and trick someone from another tribe.

[Lamb18]

What is this, Oprah giving everyone cars idols?

[Lamb18]

Here I thought Yam Yam and Carolyn were tight. I guess not! I

He seems to be spiteful.

[peachmangosteen]

13 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I hope the rumors are true that Survivor may be leaving Fiji after the next couple of seasons, because maybe that will inspire them to create some fresh challenges if they aren't in the same location for years.  

They'll probably just ship all the sets they already have to the new location because they're cheap and lazy lol.

[Jobiska]

On 3/23/2023 at 3:27 PM, Grizzly said:

Danny can stop somersaulting any time now.

Apparently, he cannot ;-)  

whenever he did it so dramatically on the net, I was sure he'd get an appendage tangled.  Isn't that how one person (woman with tattoos?  Angie maybe?) went out early one season?

[Guest]

55 minutes ago, Jobiska said:

Apparently, he cannot ;-)  

whenever he did it so dramatically on the net, I was sure he'd get an appendage tangled.  Isn't that how one person (woman with tattoos?  Angie maybe?) went out early one season?

I believe that was Kourtney on One World (Kim's winning season). She hurt her arm dropping down onto a net from some height and left first as a result. I think they might have been instructed to keep their arms tucked in when landing, but her instinct led her to brace herself with her hands, leading to the injury. A little foolish perhaps, but understandable.

Danny's somersaulting might be a practical way to negotiate the net, but considering he also did it while avoiding his tribemates during the birdcage grab earlier this season, pretty sure it's just showboating.

[LadyChatts]

6 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

They'll probably just ship all the sets they already have to the new location because they're cheap and lazy lol.

Eh, they'll probably figure out some way to stay in Fiji, with my luck (not only do I want fresh challenges but I'm ready for a change of scenery).  I think at least the next two seasons will be filming there, so they'll have some time to figure it out before next spring when the next two cycles usually film.  It had something to do with a new government in place that didn't like the tax breaks the previous government had agreed to for the show, and also that they were taking away facilities that tourists could be using (so I guess the island was losing money?)  

Since Jeff likes to listen to celebrities input, maybe he'll cross paths with Tom Brady and he can tell him those challenges are so easy his daughter's kitten could do them.

Edited March 25, 2023 by LadyChatts

[seacliffsal]

I would love for them to go elsewhere.  It used to be so fun to watch how they adapted to their environment.  With this many seasons in Fiji, the survivors all know what to expect, and I would imagine they can't find enough food in their areas as so many people have already been through.

[SnapHappy]

They have to have jungle, they have to have beach, they have to have salt water, they have to have fresh water.  The weather has to be tropical & temperate, so no cold areas.  There has to be food growing there and enough infrastructure close by in case of emergencies.

All these are found only in places like Fiji, so any other place is gonna look almost exactly the same as this one.  

They can move 5 miles down any shoreline & have fresh supplies of animals & food for the next season.  Nature renews itself quite nicely, and they seem to be very eco-conscious, for a TV show.

I don't see them going anywhere else unless they are asked to leave by the government. . 

[Scatterbrained]

They used to be in Panama.

[LadyChatts]

6 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

They have to have jungle, they have to have beach, they have to have salt water, they have to have fresh water.  The weather has to be tropical & temperate, so no cold areas.  There has to be food growing there and enough infrastructure close by in case of emergencies.

All these are found only in places like Fiji, so any other place is gonna look almost exactly the same as this one.  

They can move 5 miles down any shoreline & have fresh supplies of animals & food for the next season.  Nature renews itself quite nicely, and they seem to be very eco-conscious, for a TV show.

I don't see them going anywhere else unless they are asked to leave by the government. . 

They've done landlocked locations before though, like in Africa (S3 was in Kenya and S17 was in Gabon), plus the Amazon, Outback, Guatemala, and even Cambodia.  I know in Cambodia they had the ocean locale, but the show has made the other spots work.  In S3 and I think S2 they were given some supply of fresh water until they could make fire to boil their own.  They can adapt wherever they are.  From what I've heard, the new government doesn't want to renew their contract to have them film there.  I don't know if they will get anything worked out between now and next spring when the next cycle of filming will happen.  One of the big pluses to filming there before was the tax breaks the island was willing to give them, but if that incentive is gone, CBS may decide to look elsewhere.

[tvfanatic13]

On 3/23/2023 at 11:15 PM, Meowwww said:

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. 

Is this from personal experience? 

[IdEatThat]

On 3/23/2023 at 9:35 PM, CraftyHazel said:

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.

Almost makes me miss Rupert.  Not.

Edited March 27, 2023 by IdEatThat

[AEJ79]

On 3/24/2023 at 1:15 AM, HappyDancex2 said:

I’d like to see a survivor reboot going back to the first few seasons of basic challenges, gross eating contests and how well do you know your tribemate challenges LOL.  I can’t keep track of all of these hidden immunity fake idols and without editing can’t keep track of the stashes.  And now everything ends in some kind of block puzzle…sigh.

 

Yes! I would love a totally stripped down version. No idols, no advantages, bring back the food auction! Just real game play with real people.

[CountryGirl]

I went from rolling my eyes watching Carolyn to cheering for her to win the whole shebang.

I think targeting Sarah was part Josh feeling nervous about Sarah's suspicion that he was not a PT (psst, Josh, if you want a chance at believability...look people in the EYE), part Carolyn, not knowing that motivation, but knowing she needed this newcomer on her side, siding with him on this vote for someone she wasn't tight with anyway, and part Carolyn, still maybe-sorta wanting to work with Jam-Jam, but wanting to send him a clear message that "You think you're running this? You ain't running shit."

And I can believe they would fall for the Xs/fake idol (especially when the idol came with the real idol's  paperwork and just last season, they had that very simple idol package smack dab in the middle of a tree trunk that Cody found while the others hilariously milled about and didn't see it. 

[KittyMom4]

On 3/22/2023 at 11:24 PM, dancingdreamer said:

The faces she pulls at TC are a bit much.

On 3/23/2023 at 9:35 PM, CraftyHazel said:

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

Yes and Yes. I like her but constant face-pulling, eye-rolling and lip-sneering are on my last nerve. Other than that I am Team Carolyn.

On 3/23/2023 at 7:12 AM, JudyObscure said:

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.

....she reminds me of the Marcy, the annoying neighbor on Married w/Children. Not a fan.

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by KittyMom4

[Scatterbrained]

Jaime seems like a “fake it ‘til you make it” kind of person.  Her smiles look very forced, she looks very uncomfortable on the inside, BUT she’s “making it”.  She is succeeding thus far.  She’s working on forming relationships, and she’s checking items off her survivor bucket list.