S45.E12: The Ex-Girlfriend at the Wedding

[SnapHappy]

Ok, "Crotch Idol" is the phrase of the episode.....That was great.  Go Jake, I hope you win the million. 

I cannot stand Dee.  She's worse than Drew, convinced she's in charge, puppet-master and ringleader.  

Drew totally deserved that blindside.  I've said it before, he is NO Cochran 2.0, except in his own delusional fantasies. 

And yes, Austin is being led around by his dick.  He's an idiot.  He deserves no money.  But it was nice of him to take Katurah for lunch.  I'll give him that.  

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, bunnyface said:

i do think this season is Dee's to lose, but I have also come to realize I like my winners to overcome a bit of adversity to win.  I don't remember Dee ever being in any real danger this season and has basically run things.  (Of course I may have forgotten something, I'm not sure what happened yesterday sometimes.)  But I don't remember her ever being in danger.  I realize I kind of like an underdog story.  To that end, Jake would be the perfect winner for me, but I don't think that is going to happen.  If Dee doesn't screw up majorly, and why would she at this point, I think it's hers.

To my way of thinking, things hinge on Julie and Austin realizing that their path to winning is easier without Dee than with Dee. I think Julie could potentially win against Dee, but I don't think Austin can. 

[weaver]

12 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

To my way of thinking, things hinge on Julie and Austin realizing that their path to winning is easier without Dee than with Dee. I think Julie could potentially win against Dee, but I don't think Austin can. 

I agree.   Last week when Julie was saved the jury seemed very happy.   They like her.  
Austin is a good guy.  He has to grow a little.   Maybe the two betrayals by Dee will jolt him a bit.  

[ljenkins782]

On 12/14/2023 at 12:06 AM, dancingdreamer said:

Now that's a blindside. I'm glad Dee didn't tell Austin anything, real glad. Jake with his idol down his crotch, lol. I don't mind him, his idol has to be played next week.
Austin really likes Dee, he doesn't think he's worthy,but he is. I haven't got a favorite, so I'm looking forward to the finale and the jury questions .
Drew was pissed, but he seemed over it right at the end.
Hoping for a bitter jury!

I knew she wouldn’t tell him. A. because it would be dumb to do so but B. because she has the upper hand with him and can most likely get away with it. He’s got an inferiority complex from being a chubby kid with braces and acne and she seems pretty confident. She’ll be his demise, but he won’t be hers.

Drew was so incredibly bitter toward Julie for having the audacity to save herself when he deemed it her time to go, I was rooting for his blindside for that alone. I don’t think Julie could get his vote now even if she’s sitting next to Jake and katurah, he won’t be able to reward her gameplay.

Jake is my entertainment for the season, but he’s getting such a buffoon edit that I can’t see him winning. It’s like he’s playing his own game within a game and his experience isn’t aligning with what’s actually going on. He’s definitely got a shot to be final 3 though, his goat level goes up with each tribal he skates through due to being the lesser threat.

[Gummo]

6 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

I cannot stand Dee.  She's worse than Drew, convinced she's in charge, puppet-master and ringleader. 

That's because she IS in charge, puppet-master & ringleader!

I'm looking forward to a Dee win. She's played a great game.

[bunnyface]

3 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Drew was so incredibly bitter toward Julie for having the audacity to save herself when he deemed it her time to go, I was rooting for his blindside for that alone. I don’t think Julie could get his vote now even if she’s sitting next to Jake and katurah, he won’t be able to reward her gameplay.

He did the same thing to Jake.  He told Jake he was going down and Jake said "maybe I'll say your name" and Drew came unglued in that "how DARE you??" way.  He was kind of a dick all the way around.  

[JH Lipton]

9 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

I cannot stand Dee.  She's worse than Drew, convinced she's in charge, puppet-master and ringleader.  

3 hours ago, Gummo said:

That's because she IS in charge, puppet-master & ringleader!

I'm looking forward to a Dee win. She's played a great game.

Same!

Dee & Austin would be the second consequetive successful showmance (if it continues after the game).  From all accounts, Matt and Franny are still together.

 

[Arkay]

Similar to Austin’s musing about he and Dee being the next Rob and Amber, we also had in this episode Drew and Austin imagining themselves as one of the greatest duos in Survivor history.

 

But Austin blew that up twice. Telling Dee about the Julie vote which of course kept Julie in, and then saying he didn’t need a souvenir and nonchalantly handing his idol to Jeff. If Austin had instead given it to Drew, even though Austin didn’t know he was in trouble, would’ve saved Drew.

 

So if I were Drew my anger would be most directed at Austin. The duo fell apart due to Austin’s naïveté and his blind spot where Dee is concerned.

 

Plus, omitting Drew from the reward when they are supposed to be besties…Drew was already so upset at being left behind to “babysit.”

I’m not a Drew fan but from his perspective I’d think he’d feel most hurt by Austin, even if it was unintentional on Austin’s part.

Dee is an extremely savvy player. I feel bad for Jake as he hasn’t gotten his footing this whole time, but that’s not a way to win this game.

Edited December 16, 2023 by Arkay

[JH Lipton]

As for Drew's "I've always been picked last", Survivor is a horrid place to try to rectify that.  I thought that had seen previous seasons!

[JudyObscure]

3 hours ago, JH Lipton said:

As for Drew's "I've always been picked last", Survivor is a horrid place to try to rectify that.

Survivor is also a crazy place to say that, just after the producers have picked you out of thousands of others.

[SummerDreams]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

Survivor is also a crazy place to say that, just after the producers have picked you out of thousands of others.

You have a point here but I think that Survivor producers just want to have certain types of people every season that just repeat themselves; the cute, outgoing girl, the fit guy, the old person who was a professional athlete or a war veteran, the mommy type of woman, the nerdy guy and/or girl, and so on. I think that Drew just fits this nerdy type of guy they wanted, and I think that's the problem with modern Survivor; they don't search for interesting personalities, they just want to have 3 teams of 6 people who fit these types and are more or less equal. Or maybe we as fans have started to get bored with Survivor and we are not as enthusiastic about it as we used to be.

[JH Lipton]

4 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

You have a point here but I think that Survivor producers just want to have certain types of people every season that just repeat themselves; the cute, outgoing girl, the fit guy, the old person who was a professional athlete or a war veteran, the mommy type of woman, the nerdy guy and/or girl, and so on. I think that Drew just fits this nerdy type of guy they wanted, and I think that's the problem with modern Survivor; they don't search for interesting personalities, they just want to have 3 teams of 6 people who fit these types and are more or less equal. Or maybe we as fans have started to get bored with Survivor and we are not as enthusiastic about it as we used to be.

Drew was still picked out of hundreds (or more) "nerdy guys".  And if he watched Survivor, he'd know that the "nerdy guy" is going to be picked last.  It's on him to realize that it's no one's obligation to pick him just because of his history.

[iMonrey]

21 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Jake is my entertainment for the season, but he’s getting such a buffoon edit that I can’t see him winning.

I said the same thing about Gabler.

5 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

I think that's the problem with modern Survivor; they don't search for interesting personalities, they just want to have 3 teams of 6 people who fit these types and are more or less equal.

To be fair, I think Survivor has gotten better about this in general, but yes - they have a cast list of specific characters and just hire different people to play them every season. 

It's why I scoff at Jeff's insistence that Survivor is some sort of "social experiment." It's the same recipe and the same ingredients every season, the only experimentation is new twists, gimmicks and advantages. 

[ljenkins782]

15 hours ago, Arkay said:

Similar to Austin’s musing about he and Dee being the next Rob and Amber, we also had in this episode Drew and Austin imagining themselves as one of the greatest duos in Survivor history.

 

But Austin blew that up twice. Telling Dee about the Julie vote which of course kept Julie in, and then saying he didn’t need a souvenir and nonchalantly handing his idol to Jeff. If Austin had instead given it to Drew, even though Austin didn’t know he was in trouble, would’ve saved Drew.

 

So if I were Drew my anger would be most directed at Austin. The duo fell apart due to Austin’s naïveté and his blind spot where Dee is concerned.

 

Plus, omitting Drew from the reward when they are supposed to be besties…Drew was already so upset at being left behind to “babysit.”

I’m not a Drew fan but from his perspective I’d think he’d feel most hurt by Austin, even if it was unintentional on Austin’s part.

Dee is an extremely savvy player. I feel bad for Jake as he hasn’t gotten his footing this whole time, but that’s not a way to win this game.

Agreed. Plus, Austin saying out loud that he was leaving someone behind to babysit seemed so tone deaf. Like, it's not a bad plan to work out with your alliance ahead of time, like "hey, if we get rewards, we should alternate so we don't leave a whole group behind who could turn on us while we're gone" but you wouldn't announce to the entire group that that's what you're doing. 

Also, choosing someone outside your group could be an opportunity to lather them up and make them them think they're in with you, but announcing that you're leaving your real ally behind and choosing that other person by default doesn't exploit that opportunity.

Quote

I said the same thing about Gabler.

LOL, fair enough. But given that I can't even remember who Gabler beat, I think it might have been an outlier that he won, like a lack of better options at FTC. 

In this season, there are some decent contenders left in Dee and Julie, and maybe Austin too. If Jake somehow wins, Dee and Julie would have to go.

Quote

Drew was still picked out of hundreds (or more) "nerdy guys".  And if he watched Survivor, he'd know that the "nerdy guy" is going to be picked last.  It's on him to realize that it's no one's obligation to pick him just because of his history.

Drew was slightly interesting to me only because he didn't entirely carry himself like a nerd who was always picked last. Maybe he benefited from the nerd revolution of the last few decades where people wear the nerd label more proudly, but he carried himself with more confidence than I would have expected from Napoleon Dynamite's skinnier twin.

Austin actually seems more insecure than Drew, but he has the benefit of an exterior that doesn't match his interior. Drew in personality was more like Yul, who was pretty prone to making geeky observations and expounding on them, but since Yul had an 18-pack stomach and good looks, his nerdiness got overlooked. If Drew looked like Austin, he'd probably have gotten the Yul 2.0 label.

Edited December 16, 2023 by ljenkins782

[millennium]

I hope Austin feels as stupid as he looked in this episode.   Done in by a misguided attempt to redeem his past as a chubby nerd.  Oh my God, a cool girl likes me!

I don't know what he sees in Dee, other than she's the only female his age left on the island who isn't lesbian.  I get that Dee playing him is part of the game, but it's hard to watch.  It isn't just an alliance or friendship she's messing with, it's his emotions, and it feels dirty.   Some I'm sure applaud the strategy but I suspect if the genders were reversed Austin would be loathed.

[Heathrowe]

Just watching now - I honestly would never have thought Austin was an awkward kid. He is so gorgeous and seemingly confident now - it just goes to show that you can’t judge on appearances. It did help me to understand why he’s so goofy for Julie, if he still feels like that awkward kid inside.

[Blissfool]

On 12/15/2023 at 8:51 AM, SnapHappy said:

Ok, "Crotch Idol" is the phrase of the episode.....That was great.  Go Jake, I hope you win the million. 

I have seen past Survivors hide their idols in their shorts/underwear, but this was different. Made me think Jeff needs to start putting on protective gloves before he is handed an idol.

 

[SnapHappy]

20 hours ago, Heathrowe said:

Just watching now - I honestly would never have thought Austin was an awkward kid. He is so gorgeous and seemingly confident now - it just goes to show that you can’t judge on appearances. It did help me to understand why he’s so goofy for Julie, if he still feels like that awkward kid inside.

Agree, he kinda reminds me of Ozzie.  The charming, handsome young man who was great at challenges & very at home in his body, in a graceful way.  Plus, charismatic & personable. 

[JudyObscure]

6 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

.  The charming, handsome young man who was great at challenges & very at home in his body, in a graceful way.  Plus, charismatic & personable. 

Yes, I was watching everyone struggle through the reward challenge in the last episode and then Austin stepped up and I thought, "His body simply does what ever he wants it to do."  It's beautiful to see.  I can barely get mine to lift me out of a chair these days.

I miss watching Emily in the challenges.  She had a uniquely feminine way of moving.  Not so great for the challenges but pretty to see.

[Lantern7]

Here is Erik's take on the penultimate episode, titled "Galaxy Brain":

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 12/16/2023 at 1:53 PM, millennium said:

I hope Austin feels as stupid as he looked in this episode.   Done in by a misguided attempt to redeem his past as a chubby nerd.  Oh my God, a cool girl likes me!

I don't know what he sees in Dee, other than she's the only female his age left on the island who isn't lesbian.  I get that Dee playing him is part of the game, but it's hard to watch.  It isn't just an alliance or friendship she's messing with, it's his emotions, and it feels dirty.   Some I'm sure applaud the strategy but I suspect if the genders were reversed Austin would be loathed.

People's mileage may vary, but even putting aside Dee's being hot (which I think she is), it seems to me that Dee is smart and funny, which goes a long way. She's got riz, as the kids today apparently call charisma. Yes, she has been (probably correctly) labeled a mean girl, but I would guess that when a mean girl allows you in her inner circle, it is a pretty big ego boost. 

And I do not think that the emotions in the showmance are a one-way street. I think Dee feels something for Austin too...it's just that she is not going to let li'l Dee get in the way of big Dee's thinking, or $1 million. It's not her fault that Austin is -- also in the parlance of kids today -- a total simp so far. The question is whether he's going to wake up at the 11th hour and realize that a) Dee has played him a couple times and b) his chances of winning in a F3 with Dee are probably non-existent.

[Lady Calypso]

On 12/16/2023 at 2:53 PM, millennium said:

I get that Dee playing him is part of the game, but it's hard to watch.

Dee isn't playing Austin. She had her segment with the producer that proves that she also has feelings for him. She got giddy just talking about him. What separates her and Austin is that she has the ability to separate gameplay from personal feelings. She's able to recognize that she's still only just met Austin, so even though she may like him, she's there to win. If she was actively playing him, we'd hear it in a confessional. She's said that she likes Austin. But they also only just met.

Austin got blinded by his feelings; that's not on Dee. It's not her fault that Austin's decided to throw away his whole game for a woman he met less than a month prior. 

[millennium]

On 12/18/2023 at 11:25 AM, Lady Calypso said:

Dee isn't playing Austin. She had her segment with the producer that proves that she also has feelings for him. She got giddy just talking about him. What separates her and Austin is that she has the ability to separate gameplay from personal feelings. She's able to recognize that she's still only just met Austin, so even though she may like him, she's there to win. If she was actively playing him, we'd hear it in a confessional. She's said that she likes Austin. But they also only just met.

Austin got blinded by his feelings; that's not on Dee. It's not her fault that Austin's decided to throw away his whole game for a woman he met less than a month prior. 

I have certainly called out Austin's stupidity, the last two episodes in fact.  But I think Dee is as shallow and phony as they come.   She said she told herself before the game, "Don't get into a showmance."   But she is in a showmance, and that seems about the depth of it, whereas Austin appears to have deluded himself that it's something much more.