S45.E01: We Can Do Hard Things

[cdnalor]

31 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

It seems has jelly legs. It just seems like he refuses to use his legs completely. When they were climbing the wall, I couldn't help but say out loud "DAMMIT BRANDON! USE YOUR LEGS TO PUSH YOURSELF!" It seems like he was just trying to use his upper body to drag his legs, and this legs are just caving under him.

I noticed that, too.  At one of the competitions, when he got the signal to start running, it looked like his legs were weighted down with lead, the way he was clomping along.  That poor kid is just too bottom heavy.  I swear he's got the wrong build for a male: wide hips, heavy thighs, and narrow shoulders.

[dizzyd]

3 hours ago, Skooma said:

Yes it was filmed in Fiji.  Probst even said so on the program. 

I think it is still up in the air about Fiji going forward.  The new government there wants them out but negotiations are still on or maybe I read wrong.  Or was that Panama trying to get them to one of their islands like in Season 5??

I don’t understand why they have to film in another country. Can’t they just pick a beach of one of the less inhabited Hawaii islands or just throw them in the Mojave Desert and tell them to survive? Australia films survivor in Australia and it is so entertaining. This isn’t TAR where location is significant, it’s more about cast selection so strand them on a deserted anywhere and get on with it. But ffs, pick better people!

Edited September 28, 2023 by dizzyd

[eel2178]

4 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I was most disappointed in Sean, the school principal, because he immediately climbed over Brandon and joined his team when someone (I forget who) had to eventually tell him to go help Brandon.  As an educator I was shocked that he did not immediately hep Brandon as soon as it was evident that he was struggling to get up the ladder.  I could not imagine that an educator, especially a principal, would not immediately try to help someone (from his own team).

My school principal didn't help us evacuate the building when our school caught on fire in 8th grade. Then she went on the news and bragged about how many fire drills we'd had previously in the school year which was nothing but bald faced lies. She also blatantly lied about how long it had taken to evacuate the building. Maybe she had been out in 3 minutes like she said, but for the rest of us, it was more like 20 minutes because teachers kept telling us to come back in, then sending us back out again.

[Skooma]

1 hour ago, dizzyd said:

I don’t understand why they have to film in another country. Can’t they just pick a beach of one of the less inhabited Hawaii islands or just throw them in the Mojave Desert and tell them to survive? Australia films survivor in Australia and it is so entertaining. This isn’t TAR where location is significant, it’s more about cast selection so strand them on a deserted anywhere and get on with it. But ffs, pick better people!

Well I think a lot of people like the feel of a tropical island.  Robinson Crouse and Swiss Family Robinson and Lord of the Flies and Out Cast and all.  It just feels right.

And no offense but yuck to the Mohave Desert.  It was bad enough in Season 3 was it when they couldn't wash in Africa except in mud puddle sized elephant poop holes. 

But other than that the taxes and production costs are huge in the US and especially in Hawaii compared to Fiji.  And they have a whole set-up built in Fiji they have money invested in.

[Souris]

10 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

Very bold strategy from Emily, waiting a whole ten minutes into the game to basically go scorched earth with a sprinkling of possible racism for good measure.

I'm definitely Team Kaleb and Sabiyah on that tribe - but I also had the same WTF look on my face that Emily did when the whole alien/battery pyramid theory was mentioned.  Hopefully it never comes up again, so I can forget all about it.

I really disliked Emily and wanted her gone, but I was right there with her WTF befuddlement at everyone else agreeing that obviously aliens built the pyramids. How incredibly odd that someone would just bring up that subject with a bunch of strangers. 

It's certainly suspicious that the three players Emily immediately went after are Black. Too much of a coincidence IMO.

Lulu is obviously short for Loser-Loser. They are ripe for a Pagong-ing. I do feel bad for Kaleb, Sean and Sabiyah for getting stuck with the other three (alien pyramid talk aside).

The secret lawyer was amusing. "What's it like being a lawyer? I'm just not around lawyers that much."

[Shermie]

23 hours ago, Lurk said:

Oh dear sweet baby jeebus. That was painful to watch. I don't know if it's a generational thing or just the new buzz word thing but if I hear "xxx can do hard things" my head my blow off my shoulders.

At least no one said “adulting is hard!”

[Kelda Feegle]

8 hours ago, Nashville said:

Now THAT’S a retirement plan I can get behind - so to speak….  🤣

(ETA: I’m planning on retiring next year)

I'm already retired,  clearly I'm doing it wrong 🙃 

[CoyoteBlue]

23 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

And Emily. Has anyone ever worked as hard to be targeted out of the gate? My husband thinks she’s a racist with her focus on Kaleb and Sabiyah.

Honestly, who else on her team was there to vote for that wouldn't die off from sheer natural selection long before the merge? I think she was hoping to be named the Sole Survivor of Lululemon.

18 hours ago, mojoween said:

Emily Has Thoughts.  And she NEEDS you to know them as soon as she thinks them.

That woman is wound way too tight. Just bursting at the seams.

[lawrbk]

10 hours ago, Skooma said:

Yes it was filmed in Fiji.  Probst even said so on the program. 

I think it is still up in the air about Fiji going forward.  The new government there wants them out but negotiations are still on or maybe I read wrong.  Or was that Panama trying to get them to one of their islands like in Season 5??

I hope they kick them out. I’m ready for a new location. 

[SVNBob]

19 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

After all we've heard from people saying Survivor is the greatest experience of their lives with the chance to challenge and change themselves and make lifelong friends -- we get Emily --  saying that she's all about the goal and if she isn't going to win she'd like to go home first thing. Followed by every mean person's favorite saying, "That's just me, being honest." After that I was so looking forward to her being first off

15 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Given her stance that she would rather be booted first off if she can't win the whole thing, I was wondering if that was foreshadowing.

Now I am kinda hoping she gets to like 4th place so she has to undergo all the suffering that involves but no additional prize money. The only problem is that we viewers will have to put up with her that long.

That would work for me, but my first reaction on hearing her quote was "I want her to get voted off just before the jury."  I think that would be the most painful for her.

 

10 hours ago, mojoween said:

I remember back in the day when the new season of players weren’t able to see the immediate prior season because they were filming while the season was airing.  Guess that’s no more with the shorter seasons.  

TBF, it is entirely possible for this cast to have seen just the first episode of 44, much like the Fans in the first FvF had seen the start of the preceding season, China.  And since that was the only episode Bruce was in, they could easily recognize him.

 

9 hours ago, Colorado David said:

i'm sorry, where is annoying jock or jockette? 

Baby Lawyer, Sifu, and if you're Emily, Kaleb and Sabiyah.

 

Pivoting off some discussion in the Live Chat thread: I remembered Sean, because of his right ear.  It looked cauliflowered or similar.  Don't know why, don't need to know why.  But now I know I'm not the only one who will have seen it.

Edited September 29, 2023 by SVNBob

[MostlyContent]

Who the hell raised these people? 

Hopefully a falling coconut and Emily's head soon meet and form a hard and fast connection. 

And btw, lawyer people....nobody has thought of lawyers as brilliant or strategic for at least half a century, so there's that.   

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by MostlyContent

[violet and green]

Even though it was a deflating way to end the episode, I am now appreciating how much better it is that "Excuse me for being honest" Emily consequently remains in the game.

I like the idea of her surviving various tribe swaps, aggravating all and sundry, and making it deep in the game purely on the basis of her unlikeability being unlikely to win her the prize, and then getting cut. Before jury, before final tribal, whatever would be most upsetting!

Maybe she'll show other aspects of her character as time goes on, but that was a dreadful first showing for her. She really has a nerve to complain about Gabler's win, after that.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

20 hours ago, Kelda Feegle said:

 

3 personalities in 1 guy is annoying, so is Hong Kong Fooey.

 

 

 

You have no idea how hard I laughed at this.   I'm trying to decide if I like him or can't stand him. Right now, the needle is dead in the middle but imma need for him to bring it way down.  

Meanwhile, there's no wavering on Emily.  THE WORST.  But I keep remembering how much I disliked Maryanne at the beginning of her season and I ended up doing a complete 180 on her.   

Didn't love or hate this first episode but this season has some big shoes to fill after Season 44 and they're off to a rocky start. 

[jabRI]

5 hours ago, MostlyContent said:

And btw, lawyer people....nobody has thought of lawyers as brilliant or strategic for at least half a century, so there's that. 

This!  I can't believe how many people talked about how 'strategic' they were and couldn't keep their mouth shut or head down for the first few days.  

Just like I can't understand why people who know they are going on TAR don't learn to drive or stick or take basic rudimentary swimming lessons, why would someone go on Survivor without quitting smoking or weaning off medicine that's not going to be available to them?

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, MostlyContent said:

And btw, lawyer people....nobody has thought of lawyers as brilliant or strategic for at least half a century, so there's that.   

I think it's more of a fear they'll be looked at as shady tbh.

[Chicago Redshirt]

6 hours ago, MostlyContent said:

Who the hell raised these people? 

Hopefully a falling coconut and Emily's head soon meet and form a hard and fast connection. 

And btw, lawyer people....nobody has thought of lawyers as brilliant or strategic for at least half a century, so there's that.   

 

Katurah alluded to one reason not to reveal that she's a lawyer: because all things being equal, no one is going to want to give a lawyer a million dollars. The notion is that lawyers are already making $$. 

Also, lawyers have a rep for being sneaky and underhanded, so being one puts a target on one's back.

Finally, the way you actually win Survivor is by making a closing argument to the jury. I don't happen to remember how many/if any actual attorneys have made a F3 argument or how they did. Anyone know?

Yes, there are obviously lawyers who have little to no skill in that regard because of their personalities or because their practices involve signing contracts and what not. But I would guess on average a lawyer would be better at that sort of thing than your average bear, or at least, that a reasonable player would expect that a lawyer would be a particular threat in that regard.

[Tango64]

On 9/28/2023 at 7:37 AM, violet and green said:

Brandon, that was not a panic attack! I thought, when he lumbered clumsily head first into the little boat, woah, did that guy just break his neck? Then when he was hanging a bit later by his weak arms, unable to drag his lardy arse out of the water or lift a leg, I thought, I bet he has a really comfortable giant gaming chair...

My thoughts exactly! I think someone else on the boat called it a panic attack, but I could see it was an out of shape guy who was already exhausted. I mean, I've had trouble pulling my big self up onto the snorkel boat after some exertion, but that's why I was sitting on the couch and not filling out Survivor applications. 

[Nashville]

13 hours ago, CoyoteBlue said:

That woman [Emily] is wound way too tight. Just bursting at the seams.

Swear to gawd.  When Emily was making her super-SUPER-hyper voting strategy pitch to Brandon and Quittah, I kept finding myself recalling the bit in M*A*S*H (the book, not the tv series) about the epileptic whore….

3 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I think it's more of a fear they'll be looked at as shady tbh.

Well… to be fair, they ARE lawyers….

15 hours ago, Shermie said:

At least no one said “adulting is hard!”

That’s because my youngest isn’t in this season.

[rr2911]

What I liked about the first episode of Survivor was there was no indication of any racial narratives or racial groups being formed unlike S41 and S42.  I think S43 started fresh and so far I like the direction it's going.

If only Jeff Probst could say..."Come on in guys" one more time.

 

I don't know if everything we see on this show is genuine or not, but I hope that girl who quit wasn't planned or scripted.  If it wasn't, then I hope the showrunners find a way to prevent another contestant quit.  It screws it up for the other contestants and it certainly not good for tv.

[kaygeeret]

I do have to say that comparing the casts of Survivor and TAR - - because how can you not do that since the shows follow one another?

Anyway, Survivors cast is an embarrassment to show fans everywhere.

I may not watch it any more out of sheer boredom.  On the other hand I may watch it once or twice more out of sheer disbelief.

What a huge casting foul up.

 

[iMonrey]

On rewatch I think Kendra is potentially just as exhausting as Emily. Emily is certainly antagonistic but Kendra seems like the opposite of whatever that is times ten. It doesn't have to be an either/or proposition, both of them are a lot and I wouldn't want to be on a tribe with either.

That said, if Hannah hadn't quit, voting out Brandon should have been a no-brainer and if they kept that piece of deadweight around and voted out Emily it would have been an idiotic move. They may not get along with Emily, but she almost won that first challenge for them even after Brandon put them so far behind. And she didn't have any trouble getting through the immunity challenge obstacle either. They can stand to put up with her for a few more days if it's the difference between staying in the game and going back to tribal.

And not to go too far defending her, but why wouldn't you think Kaleb and Sabiyah got some kind of advantage when they went off on their own? That's exactly the kind of thing this show does. Then there's the pyramid thing. Aliens? Really? 

[North of Eden]

Probst probably fired the casting director after the season. I don't think I've ever seen three bigger duds (Emily,Hannah and Brandon) wind up on the same team together. Usually, they are spread out.

Hannah was right to be worried about people being upset with her for wasting a coveted slot and probably none more so than Probst. He looked pissed to have the first tribal of the season end with a quitter.

Brandon and Hannah....I just can't. In two hundred years we've gone from pioneers who in some cases walked across the entire country to settle to a weakling weeping about being cast on his favorite show only to immediately tank his own game by being unable to climb a ladder. After that debacle, I knew he wouldn't disappoint in tanking climbing the wall. The level of suckage and ineptitude boggles the mind.

Then we have Emily....she's like that person in a horror movie who is too stupid to live. Why uproot your life and travel across the world to launch into some of the worst gameplay in 45 seasons by painting a target on your back?

Probst missed an opportunity to not make a big deal about Bruce successfully making his way under that platform this time. It begged commentary when he's usually so verbose.

Early still but don't like Kendra but am liking Dee and the young man with the immunity clue.

To close apparently Asian women need not apply. They couldn't find one but they came up with the trio of suck?

Edited September 30, 2023 by North of Eden

[ForumLou]

On 9/28/2023 at 12:52 PM, seacliffsal said:

Snip snip..... 

I was most disappointed in Sean, the school principal, because he immediately climbed over Brandon and joined his team when someone (I forget who) had to eventually tell him to go help Brandon.  As an educator I was shocked that he did not immediately hep Brandon as soon as it was evident that he was struggling to get up the ladder.  I could not imagine that an educator, especially a principal, would not immediately try to help someone (from his own team)

I think he was hearing multiple people scream from above on the boat, how to help Brandon and it was confusing him.  I think his thought was climb up then either lower down a rope or his arm or pull up the rope ladder with Brandon hanging on for dear life.  Unfortunately none of them happened, he was just going in circles. 

[ForumLou]

On 9/28/2023 at 1:08 AM, eel2178 said:

Was he supposed to be paralyzed with fear?

I've had panic attacks, but they always include a serious case of Fight or Flight, and I can't sit still. I would think it would have given him the adrenaline rush he needed to get himself up the ladder and out of a situation where he considered himself to be in peril.

But how did he get into the boat in the first place. When they have the little 'get to know you' with Jeff. He had to climb up a ladder on the opposite side of the boat.  So he did it once... 

[violet and green]

8 minutes ago, ForumLou said:

But how did he get into the boat in the first place. When they have the little 'get to know you' with Jeff. He had to climb up a ladder on the opposite side of the boat.  So he did it once... 

His clothes were wet the second time, and he'd just paddled the boat back after swimming out to flop awkwardly into it. Maybe he's quite a good swimmer, normally, but he has no upper body strength and no ability to command his limbs work or to use his energy wisely. Judging by the number of times he fell (horribly) in the immunity challenge (and then just lay there), he is not a man used to moving his body.

[Asha124]

I don't know why I still watch this show post S40. This cast is an embarrassment.

The whining, complaining and squealing was unbearable.

The astronomy chicks can all leave and bond over their September birthday at Ponderosa. (I used to be the only Gemini in a team full of Scorpios. It was not fun, since all they did was point out that I was the odd man out as if being born in a certain month means something 🙄)

Half of the yellow tribe can jump into fire. (Hannah, Emily, Brandon)

I didn't mind their talk about pyramids and aliens since I grew up watching Stargate 😀 

[seacliffsal]

Actually, the more I think about it (and yes, I know that I shouldn't spend that much time thinking about this show), maybe the pyramids/aliens talk was an attempt to gauge their competition.  See if people will just go along with something someone else says, see how easy people might be manipulative.  Most likely it wasn't strategic, but it could be a good way to start to understand your tribemates and their willingness to follow you.

[iMonrey]

9 hours ago, ForumLou said:

I was most disappointed in Sean, the school principal, because he immediately climbed over Brandon and joined his team when someone (I forget who) had to eventually tell him to go help Brandon.

I think it took them all a beat to realize Brandon was simply not going to make it up that ladder on his own. Initially Brandon just told Sean to go first and Sean did what he was supposed to do. He climbed up and went over to his tribe, expecting Brandon would follow. It was less than a minute when they all realized "hey, he's not coming up."

[Chicago Redshirt]

15 hours ago, iMonrey said:

That said, if Hannah hadn't quit, voting out Brandon should have been a no-brainer and if they kept that piece of deadweight around and voted out Emily it would have been an idiotic move. They may not get along with Emily, but she almost won that first challenge for them even after Brandon put them so far behind. And she didn't have any trouble getting through the immunity challenge obstacle either. They can stand to put up with her for a few more days if it's the difference between staying in the game and going back to tribal.

And not to go too far defending her, but why wouldn't you think Kaleb and Sabiyah got some kind of advantage when they went off on their own? That's exactly the kind of thing this show does. Then there's the pyramid thing. Aliens? Really? 

A basic Survivor strategy (which is not to necessarily say it's always a "good" strategy) is if you hear someone is tossing your name around, that someone's got to go.

So for the Black tribe members she's targeted, keeping Brandon over Emily would mean the team would be way more likely to go to Tribal again. But Brandon would be just as easy a vote at that tribal as he was at the first. Assuming he doesn't get his big boy Survivor pants on, it's hard to think of the tribe not voting Brandon off, or Brandon being able to mount a counteroffensive. And Brandon seems like a pleasant enough person as far as camp life is concerned.

Whereas keeping Emily over Brandon might mean that the tribe would be marginally more likely to avoid tribal, but when it gets there, she's going to continue to talk about how they have to break up that strong duo and agitate against you. There's a chance that she might succeed. And from a camp life perspective, it seems like Emily is miserable to be around. That could of course be editing. 

[Tango64]

Poor Brandon strikes me as a nice fellow who really enjoys watching Survivor but is so enamored by the fantasy of TV and gaming that he was shocked by the real experience. At least he didn’t sign up for the equivalent of Call of Duty. 

[eel2178]

21 hours ago, North of Eden said:

 

Hannah was right to be worried about people being upset with her for wasting a coveted slot and probably none more so than Probst. He looked pissed to have the first tribal of the season end with a quitter.

 

It's going to be interesting to see if next week Jeff introduces the "new" tribe to the others and admits that Hannah laid down her torch or tries to claim that she was voted out.

[Ancaster]

On 9/28/2023 at 5:12 AM, Lady Calypso said:

 

Speaking of Hannah, did they not do a thorough evaluation to make sure each of the players were capable of playing this game? Because I almost attribute this to production more, since they could have clocked Hannah as not being the right fit but then they didn't. I'm surprised Jeff didn't outright freak out on her, but part of me doesn't FULLY blame Hannah. There's no way that she can know she's not the right fit until she tries. However, production's been casting for 45 seasons; they should already be acutely aware of when someone's a good fit and when they're not.

 

 

My theory is that Hannah is a casual fan who had time on her hands and nothing to lose and who decided that she'd bluff her way onto the show, planning to quit as soon as possible in order to cold turkey a nicotine addiction and get a free month's vacation at Ponderosa.  If you think about it, in this day and age it's really not that far fetched of an idea.

Edited October 1, 2023 by Ancaster

[JudyObscure]

22 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Actually, the more I think about it (and yes, I know that I shouldn't spend that much time thinking about this show), maybe the pyramids/aliens talk was an attempt to gauge their competition.  See if people will just go along with something someone else says, see how easy people might be manipulative.  Most likely it wasn't strategic, but it could be a good way to start to understand your tribemates and their willingness to follow you.

I think they've just been watching too much History channel.  They have a lot of shows where they talk to 'theorists."  Youtube has one of their shows called , "The Great Pyramids Are Power Plants?"   

[Nashville]

5 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I think they've just been watching too much History channel.  They have a lot of shows where they talk to 'theorists."  Youtube has one of their shows called , "The Great Pyramids Are Power Plants?"   

The idea that more people buy into this stuff than you’d expect is TOTALLY plausible to me.  I knew a sitting city alderman who - after a few beers at BWW - would go into purely astonishing detail about how the earth was actually hollow and encompassing an entirely separate ecosystem from the surface, where dinosaurs still existed.  

😂

[srhall79]

"Who made the pyramids" I thought was going to lead into something somewhat thoughtful, "I did a lot of study, here's what we can do to build our shelter without tools." Instead, five people agree it must be "aliens" and I'm feeling so betrayed that I have to agree with Emily.

When Bruce was introduced (and they reminded us who Bruce was), I was sure someone was going to launch into the "He already had his chance" which, I get with some of these folks who made it to the jury or whatever and are getting a second or third (or fourth) chance. But Bruce didn't even make it through the first day, much less the first episode. And he was taken out by injury. Let him play. His only advantage is I expect he spent the last 6 months really trying to learn useful skills so that he didn't blow his second chance.

Hannah, I'm not sure what more can be said. Lots of us have figured out that this would be hard, and that's why we watch from the couch. I can get the weather, the lack of food, the lack of sleep, the physical and mental strain reaches a point that maybe you need to tap out. But she's skipped a meal and had a bad night of sleep, and she's done? Someone's going home from that first tribal, but to go in ready to quit if you're not voted out. I almost wish they just edited her out completely. Jeff has a moment, "we had 18 people, but one didn't want to play so we're not going to televise her." I would not have given her the final speech. 

[HurricaneVal]

8 hours ago, srhall79 said:

But she's skipped a meal and had a bad night of sleep, and she's done? Someone's going home from that first tribal, but to go in ready to quit if you're not voted out. I almost wish they just edited her out completely. Jeff has a moment, "we had 18 people, but one didn't want to play so we're not going to televise her." I would not have given her the final speech. 

You forgot stupidly going cold turkey on a nicotine addiction.

Yes.  Complete erasure, redaction, and cancellation would have been great.  It was so frustrating for us fans, obviously angered Jeffy, and really, really, not a good look for production.I

All the discussion and flurry of publicity of the first episode quitting makes me wonder if it was on purpose.  I wonder if Hannah presented herself very differently to the casting directors and Jeff himself and she really is a Superfan with the diabolical plan of being infamous to make herself a "Survivor first!" by quitting so early, or she faked it to get on board to boost something she's going to do outside of Survivor.

Seriously.  I'm trying to figure out her agenda.  Participating in this show, from the entire casting process to putting your life on hold to preparing for what is to come to actually playing the game is not trivial.  It takes a major effort.  I seriously hope there's a hidden agenda here rather than Hannah being just generally pathetic.  

If this was a plot to get a six week vacation in Fiji on CBS's dime, I purely hope they sent Hannah and an intern to a Holiday Inn Express next to a Denny's in Tulsa for the duration of filming.  Gotta avoid those spoilers, 'ya know!

[Lamb18]

On 9/28/2023 at 2:20 PM, AntFTW said:

Emily says she's an investment analyst. I'm curious as to how Emily gets along with people in her office. What are her office politics like?

She works from home, most likely.

I don't think she would have to work with clients in her job, just do research on assets, etc.

[Nashville]

8 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

[Emily] works from home, most likely.

I don't think she would have to work with clients in her job, just do research on assets, etc.

So, the financial equivalent of a lab rat?  I could see that.

It would go a long way in explaining Emily’s simply scintillating social skills, at least.

[iMonrey]

19 hours ago, srhall79 said:

But Bruce didn't even make it through the first day, much less the first episode. And he was taken out by injury. Let him play.

Bruce reminded me of the fact that the show needs to reconsider some of its challenges given the seriousness of his injury. But have they? No.

10 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I wonder if Hannah presented herself very differently to the casting directors and Jeff himself and she really is a Superfan with the diabolical plan of being infamous to make herself a "Survivor first!" by quitting so early, or she faked it to get on board to boost something she's going to do outside of Survivor.

Nah. I think the casting people just thought she was an interesting "character" and she herself had no real idea how hard the experience would be. There are a lot of people that go on reality shows expecting everything to be fake and scripted and are then shocked to learn they actually have to do stuff and it's hard.

[Tango64]

47 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

There are a lot of people that go on reality shows expecting everything to be fake and scripted and are then shocked to learn they actually have to do stuff and it's hard.

A friend came over as I was finishing the Survivor episode. He said, "They don't really sleep outside and find their own food, right? When the cameras are off they go to the resort hotel for dinner and sleep before the next day's shooting?"

Now, I've griped mightily about the show's easing up on some of the rigors of the earlier seasons and giving them too many conveniences. But his comment made me wonder if people like Brandon and Hannah really think there's some secret contestants find out when they get to Fiji, that the producers were just creating a faux image of hardship.

[Nashville]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

There are a lot of people that go on reality shows expecting everything to be fake and scripted

Truth be told, many of them are - a friend of mine (who lived in Alaska at the time) and his new bride went to this luxury cabin resort place for their honeymoon, only to find out that’s where the cast of “Alaskan Bush People” was staying in the off-camera hours - but Survivor isn’t one of them.

 

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

and are then shocked to learn they actually have to do stuff and it's hard.

But they can do hard things, right?  RIGHT???

1 hour ago, Tango64 said:

A friend came over as I was finishing the Survivor episode. He said, "They don't really sleep outside and find their own food, right? When the cameras are off they go to the resort hotel for dinner and sleep before the next day's shooting?"

Now, I've griped mightily about the show's easing up on some of the rigors of the earlier seasons and giving them too many conveniences. But his comment made me wonder if people like Brandon and Hannah really think there's some secret contestants find out when they get to Fiji, that the producers were just creating a faux image of hardship.

Not trying to be Mr. OK Boomer over here, but I do wonder if it’s a generational thing; given the nature of today’s society, many Millennials simply have never really had much in the way of exposure to true “roughing it” situations unless they’ve actively pursued them.  Hell, 3/4 of my daughter’s friends don’t know how to change a tire (and I really wish that was an exaggeration, but I’ve been called on for WAY too many late-night rescues).

If a person has never had to personally deal with any sort of true physical hardship scenarios then I expect they’d be pretty damn hard-put to successfully comprehend what they’re like, much less live through them.

[ForumLou]

On 9/30/2023 at 1:13 AM, violet and green said:

His clothes were wet the second time, and he'd just paddled the boat back after swimming out to flop awkwardly into it. Maybe he's quite a good swimmer, normally, but he has no upper body strength and no ability to command his limbs work or to use his energy wisely. Judging by the number of times he fell (horribly) in the immunity challenge (and then just lay there), he is not a man used to moving his body.

Ahhh very good points I didn't think of.  Consider me redacted 🙃

[peachmangosteen]

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

Not trying to be Mr. OK Boomer over here, but I do wonder if it’s a generational thing; given the nature of today’s society, many Millennials simply have never really had much in the way of exposure to true “roughing it” situations unless they’ve actively pursued them.

We've grown up in and currently live in a hellscape so I don't think that's it lol.

[Nashville]

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

We've grown up in and currently live in a hellscape so I don't think that's it lol.

Not denying that at all; I would describe the American sociocultural landscape in which we all currently live as akin to being lightly dipped in a moderately functional toilet. I was thinking more in terms of how much (or how little) the vast majority of people today have ever had to experience or deal with acute physical discomfort for any extended period of time, however - much less deal with situations where their lives or health were in true immediate peril, and which required extreme expenditure of physical reserves simply to keep themselves alive and/or safe.

I only mention this because I personally have noted that social issues notwithstanding, the physical lifestyles of most Americans today seem unbelievably cushy compared to when I was growing up - as I’m certain my parents & grandparents (Tennessee dirt farmers who survived the Great Depression) felt about the America of the 60s/70s/80s in which I was raised.

Does current-day society have its own unique challenges to survive and thrive?  Definitely.  As time and our society continue to press forward, however, fewer and fewer of those challenges/perils are physical in nature - which means that unless folks have gone out of their way to preemptively prepare for such, societal conformance renders them less and less capable of dealing with such challenges.

Let me put it this way: back in my college days I was an avid rock climber, and one of my favorite ways to practice was solo freestyling in some of the local abandoned rock quarries.  This was not without its risks, however, as I got into a situation which resulted in me at the bottom of a 40’ rock face with (among other things) two busted ankles and no one else around for miles.  I had to crawl on my hands and knees for about a mile and a quarter to get out of the quarry and back to my car, and then drive some 20-30 miles to the nearest hospital.  Took me about 2 or 3 months of healing up to get walking reasonably normal again, and another 4 or 5 months to get back into something resembling competent climbing condition.

I relate this experience solely to pose this question: in a similar situation, how well do you think Brandon would do?  Or Hannah?

Somehow I don’t think Call Of Duty really does much to prepare one for stuff like this….

[Nashville]

Damn, didn’t mean to kill the thread.  Y’all carry on, please.

[Lantern7]

I had to wait a while to see if Erik Reichenbach is doing comics for S45. This popped up on his Instagram:

He also wrote this, which explains the sympathy towards Brandon:

Quote

“Premier Panic” 🌊 #Dabudoodle for #Survivor45episode 1 ✍️ Full disclosure I had one of the two panic attacks of my life while at Micronesia Casting, and they are not fun. Brandon has gotten a lot of comments online recently and I just wanted to come at this one with a different perspective, having been there myself. #panicattack#comic #survivor #survivorpremiere

ETA: This is what Erik posted on Reddit:

Quote

Someone on Instagram just asked why,”producers would have identified these anxiety issues and should have not cast Brandon?” It’s tough, because players omit things like this in casting because they don’t want to miss out having come so close, but also this could literally happen to anyone.

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by Lantern7

[ljenkins782]

On 9/28/2023 at 12:33 AM, LadyChatts said:

Out of all the things they could have cut from the episode, this is what they decided?

https://parade.com/tv/survivor-45-twist-jeff-probst-podcast

Apparently, the first winning tribe at the IC (Belo) sent one of their members as an ambassador to the loser's tribe.  And on top of that, that person actually cast a secret vote at TC to vote someone out.  But because Hannah quit, apparently they didn't see the need to air this.  It doesn't say if this will be a regular thing all season, just that it could proceed.

But even with the Hannah quit, I'm still shocked this was cut.  

It was revealed on Probst's podcast who went and who they voted for.  I didn't listen, but posters on Sucks said it was Kendra and she voted for Brandon.

Why on earth would someone from another tribe vote for Brandon? He's a millstone around the necks of the yellow tribe, the other tribes should want him to stay forever so they never have to go to tribal. 

Kaleb won my affection with his "he's SO bad at challenges, it's still tempting to vote him, not gonna lie..." How awful does a tribe have to be when there are THREE incredibly appealing boots straight out of the gate, I was hoping Brandon, Hannah, and Emily could all join hands and skip off to loser's lodge together. I honestly think the rest of the tribe would still be better off even down 3 people at once. 

Also, who assigned Emily that terrible 70s mustard-y colored top, it's truly awful. 

Quote

Maybe at that exact moment in time it occurred to Brandon that he might have left his stove on… I dunno.  What I do know is Brandon just demonstrated why he’s exactly the person you want at your side when you’re trying to, say, outrun a bear….

LOL. Brandon's crying jag in minute 1 just set the tone for his abysmal performance all episode. I wouldn't be surprised to find out his mom is standing just off camera, I find it impossible to believe this person traveled alone all the way to Fiji.

Quote

Quitters are the worst kind of Survivor loser. I guess the episode title should have given it away that Hannah was going since that was her personal tagline. I don’t understand how Survivor applicants can be so clueless about hard this game is. Have they never watched the show? She seemed stunned that she was hungry and tired and mentally worn out when that’s literally the premise of the game.

Not to mention, how do you go on Survivor if you're a smoker who hasn't made some effort to quit first. Her sudden lightbulb moment "OH, it's nicotine withdrawal!" was another clue that she gave zero thought to the reality of this show.

[princelina]

On 9/28/2023 at 5:04 PM, Chicago Redshirt said:

Emily's profile talks about having been an exchange student to China and being accustomed to working with and competing against people from diverse backgrounds. So I'm willing to concede that it may just be something else than racism that has led her to irrationally attack three Black players the way she has.

 

On 9/28/2023 at 10:05 PM, Souris said:

It's certainly suspicious that the three players Emily immediately went after are Black. Too much of a coincidence IMO.

Hello!  I just got home from a trip away and am so excited to start the new season!  In my opinion Emily is an abrasive person, here to win but also seems to want to make a tv presence, and she is doing so by being aggressive and paranoid.  I barely remembered Bruce and wouldn't have recognized him if Jeff hadn't pointed him out, but Jeff did, and Emily immediately got whatever she was looking for by "pushing back" - I feel like she would have done that with whomever had been in that situation - it's not her fault Bruce was black. 

Then when Kaleb and the woman whose name I forget immediately decided together to go participate in the challenge - that's a thing that often raises red flags on Survivor - both the willingness to go AND the desire to do it together - and since Emily seems really eager to look for things and call them out immediately (!!!) I don't find that suspicious either.  

Emily seems to be an obnoxious person who is playing too hard right out of the gate, but she's not calling out anything different than we've been seeing for years.

 

 

[violet and green]

On 10/5/2023 at 2:36 PM, princelina said:

In my opinion Emily is an abrasive person, here to win but also seems to want to make a tv presence, and she is doing so by being aggressive and paranoid. 

In her bio:

3 Words to Describe You: Direct, genuine, aggressive. 

I have never heard anyone outside of the sporting world use the term "aggressive" about themselves as a positive!