S46 Ep. 4: "Don't Touch the Oven"

[BigRedCheese]

1 hour ago, Lady Lucy said:

9 months later and still delusional. I couldn't finish reading because I was so disgusted.

I tried to listen to his interview on RHAP, I had to turn it off, just going on and on about how inspirational he is.

[Rodney]

Just now, BigRedCheese said:

I tried to listen to his interview on RHAP, I had to turn it off, just going on and on about how inspirational he is.

It was all of his interviews that made me realize that, no, that was no act.  That was the genuine article we saw on our screens.

[choclatechip45]

It took me forever to get through this episode because of Bhanu. Luckily he is off my screen. 

[LadyChatts]

2 hours ago, Lady Lucy said:

https://ew.com/survivor-46-bhanu-gopal-interview-coming-to-terms-8612177

 

9 months later and still delusional. I couldn't finish reading because I was so disgusted.

I was going to post a summary of this but I didn’t even know where to start.  Not only were his answers like a short story but there was way too much ‘woe is me’ and then calling Jeff his guru?  
 

The only interesting thing was when he said he felt his tribe lacked empathy and implied he was on the outside from the beginning.  I think that further proves this 3 tribe format just isn’t working or interesting anymore.

[JudyObscure]

I can't figure out how Bhanu the super-fan has managed to watch every single episode of Survivor when he was "born into poverty" and has  only been in America for ten years.  Did his  hut get international cable?

[Rodney]

9 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

I can't figure out how Bhanu the super-fan has managed to watch every single episode of Survivor when he was "born into poverty" and has  only been in America for ten years.  Did his  hut get international cable?

It's possible that he caught up via the DVDs or Paramount+, which has every single season on it.

[violet and green]

17 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

In the past we had two separate threads.  I can't remember the reason but I think it was because the live chat threads were more lively then, and people who didn't post in real time didn't like having to read back a bunch of pages (or something like that).   We can stick to one thread though if that's what people want!   

There seems to be far fewer people posting since the live chat threads began. Also, the live chat threads used to lock at the end of the episode, but now people are continuing to post on them many hours or days later. The net result is there is not much going on on the main threads.

[MsMalin]

Does God really determine who gets on Survivor and when they are voted out? I really hate it when sports teams etc proclaim that God was on their side. It was pathetic last night seeing  Bhanus meltdown.

Oh and Probst is his mentor. I guess maybe Probst = God to him.

Edited March 21 by MsMalin

[MsMalin]

I was half expecting Q to teach Bhanu how to say "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain"

[Chicago Redshirt]

13 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I can't figure out how Bhanu the super-fan has managed to watch every single episode of Survivor when he was "born into poverty" and has  only been in America for ten years.  Did his  hut get international cable?

In addition to DVDs and streaming being things that would allow him to watch every episode of Survivor since he got to America, I wouldn't be surprised if one could watch CBS programming in 2000 in India. Plenty of poor people have access to television of their own or of friends, even in foreign countries. And despite having been born into poverty, his family's circumstances might have improved between when he was born and when he was 16ish, which is approximately how old he was when Survivor debuted.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if he is falsely claiming that he had seen every episode of Survivor. It seems hard to reconcile having watched that much of the show with him having no clue how to play the game.

Edited March 22 by Chicago Redshirt

[jsm1125]

Moriah had a confessional where she said that Probst doesn’t lie. Danny McCray and the others on season 41 probably have something to say about that. The hourglass twist was an absolute lie, negating an immunity win that Probst gave no indication was ever a possibility. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

Let me get this straight: Bhanu is a super fan of the show, has watched every episode from every season, yet didn’t understand that you have to be cunning and sneaky and duplicitous to get ahead in the game? Someone should have drawn him a diagram. 

Glad he’s out. I couldn’t take any more. When he was on his knees, my thought bubble was, “Stand up and be a man!”

[Auntie Anxiety]

11 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

 

Edited March 22 by Auntie Anxiety

[MerBearHou]

I have read a few articles today about Bhanu and wow, he is almost as bad in print.  He is delusional.  

[Auntie Anxiety]

Oops, didn’t know how to delete the above. 

From the jump (heh), I thought that Bhanu was playing to the cameras in the hope of winning the Miss Congeniality award or whatever they call the audience favorite. Or maybe he had his eye on the prize that Sia(?) bestows at the end of the season. How entire demeanor just didn't ring true to me.

[PaperTree]

5 hours ago, Lady Lucy said:

 

 

Edited March 22 by PaperTree

[phlebas]

I enjoyed Charlie baptizing himself in Taylor Swift's name in the challenge. Did anyone ask her if she's forgiven his sins?

[rr2911]

Like everyone here, I'm glad Bhanu is gone! 

I'm wondering if Bhanu passed the audition because of the drama he would cause.  I'm sure there is a bio that contestants fill out.  I'm sure somewhere in that bio Bhanu mentioned he wasn't playing the game for a million dollars but for a million hearts.  Surely Jeff wants people who want to win the money and play the game of Survivor!  I guess that happens when the show tweaks the way they pick the contestants.

Even though I wanted Bhanu gone, it would've gotten real interesting if there was another idol and he found it and rocked the other 3 at tribal.  Sigh, knowing Bhanu, he probably would've given it away to gain their trust.

I'm rooting for Venus!

I didn't notice the idol grab by Soda from Venus.  I hope Soda goes next!

I hope Jem's plan goes wrong and she gets outed!  Why didn't she bury the idol in the same place she found it?  Dummy! 

 

 

[TVbitch]

I can't believe Jeff let that insufferable buffoon go out a hero with swelling music, extended play sob story and a solemn torch snuffing. I think Jeff still thinks he's a talk show host bettering humanity by showcasing the power of the human spirit blah blah manifested through Survivor. 

In contrast, Survivor AU has minimal idols and twists, savvy players, two tribes, 47 days and still features individual questions from the jury. I eagerly awaited each new episode (and they have 3 a week!) I hope Jeff is watching.  

[Kelda Feegle]

3 hours ago, violet and green said:

There seems to be far fewer people posting since the live chat threads began. Also, the live chat threads used to lock at the end of the episode, but now people are continuing to post on them many hours or days later. The net result is there is not much going on on the main threads.

This. I don't get to see the show live  (geography and time zones) so I miss all the live thread chat but I have really noticed the drop in comments here.

[SVNBob]

From the Live thread:

On 3/20/2024 at 8:02 PM, Lantern7 said:

What’s with Ben’s chest? Looks like he’s got a Fruit Roll-Up stuck there.

Bandage over a tattoo.  Apparently it's Allister Fiend, Motley Crue's mascot.  Suspicion is that it was covered for copyright reasons.
Which means "If I had a nickel for every time there was a contestant on Survivor named Ben who had to have a tattoo covered for copyright reasons, I'd have two nickels.  Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice."

A tit-bit that makes the Green group dig for the Beware "funnier":  they're on the same beach as Blue from 43, and Karla revealed on Twitter that that particular tree was where they had their latrine at first.

 

Something that I noticed that I haven't seen mentioned here:  After the IC, when Bhanu figured out that he was the one about to be voted out, he went through the 5 stages of grief in rapid succession.  And the editors showed them all in the accepted order:

• Denial - "I'm safe if only I can find the Idol"
• Anger - shouting at God
• Bargaining - "help me / find me an Idol"
• Depression - collapsed on the trail
• Acceptance - peace before/at TC

However you feel about Bhanu, you have to give the editors props for that whole sequence.  It was very well done.

[SummerDreams]

Jem's plan was stupid because Maria now thinks she has no vote but when they go to tribal council she will have one so she will know someone tricked them.

People who get voted third usually have next to zero screen time. Bhanu got more screen time than all of the rest of the tribes together. This shows that the editors just focus on "big, dramatic characters" while we watch Survivor for the strategy. If we want drama, we watch Big Brother. Please, I like Bhanu but please, I don't ever want to see him again.

I don't like Hunter and I don't see what everyone sees in him. When they did the draft on RHAP they adored him, they had him as a winner pick etc, but I honestly see nothing on him except from his ability to shoot a ball. No charisma, no personality, and god the red hair is just a knife to my heart.

I guess Tevin or Maria will win this disastrous season.

[SVNBob]

3 minutes ago, SummerDreams said:

Bhanu got more screen time than all of the rest of the tribes together.

That reminds me of another bit of info I saw on Reddit.  Apparently Bhanu had more confessionals in these 4 episodes than Parvati did in the entirety of her winning season.

[Chicago Redshirt]

5 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

I don't like Hunter and I don't see what everyone sees in him. When they did the draft on RHAP they adored him, they had him as a winner pick etc, but I honestly see nothing on him except from his ability to shoot a ball. No charisma, no personality, and god the red hair is just a knife to my heart.

To be fair, we haven't seen very much of anyone off of Yanu to form much of an opinion of who they are. And while mileage may vary on things like how much charisma people might have, there are a couple things I like about Hunter so far:

1. Outside the game, his willingness to be a teacher at a rural school that needs it rather than pursue med school seems lo suggest he has both a degree of intelligence and altruism that are not common among Survivor contestants, and suggests he will be good at the outwit part of the game.

2. The amount of puzzle stuff in his Survivor hoarder garage suggests that he walked the walk of a Super Fan rather than just talking the talk, BHANU.

3. His singlehandedly lifting his team on his back the other week to win a challenge suggests he will be good at the outplay part of the game.

I am open to him demonstrating any number of bad traits as we hopefully shift to more coverage of non-Yanu contestants. And there's a good likelihood that Peachy will end up slobbering over him, since he is seemingly the kind of dominant male challenge beast that Peachy prefers. If so, that might make his ranking go down in my eyes. But I could see why people like him.

[Chicago Redshirt]

11 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Let me get this straight: Bhanu is a super fan of the show, has watched every episode from every season, yet didn’t understand that you have to be cunning and sneaky and duplicitous to get ahead in the game? Someone should have drawn him a diagram. 

While the dominant strategy in Survivor includes deception, I'd guess that there are people who did well and who even won playing an "honest" game. I would say that several recent winners, Yam Yam, Erika, and Gabler IIRC barely did anything sneaky at all. Heck, even Dee mostly only lied by omission. 

Rupert built a brand of being an honest player in his three seasons. I'm sure that people with better memories of Survivor (most people, lol) could come up with other contestants who went pretty far seeking to play an honest game.

So it's possible that actual superfan Bhanu could have hoped to build on such examples. It's also possible that Bhanu is just delusional/ACTING/had no such people in mind and just thought that he would be a pioneer in playing the game honestly.

[peachmangosteen]

6 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

Jem's plan was stupid because Maria now thinks she has no vote but when they go to tribal council she will have one so she will know someone tricked them.

I was thinking the same thing. I didn't even notice who exactly took it but I was like what is Jem gonna do when the person who has it thinks they can't vote at TC and then is allowed to? I also wondered if perhaps Production would let whoever took it actually not vote. I could see them doing that tbh. 

6 hours ago, SVNBob said:

That reminds me of another bit of info I saw on Reddit.  Apparently Bhanu had more confessionals in these 4 episodes than Parvati did in the entirety of her winning season.

Wow. I have no words. 

[Lady Calypso]

On 3/21/2024 at 2:29 AM, LadyChatts said:

In the past we had two separate threads.  I can't remember the reason but I think it was because the live chat threads were more lively then, and people who didn't post in real time didn't like having to read back a bunch of pages (or something like that).   We can stick to one thread though if that's what people want!   

I believe it was to separate the chats happening in real time (so reactions in the moment) vs people discussing the episode after, once they had time to sit and digest. Activity has certainly decreased over the years, but I think the live chat threads have been still active enough where two threads are warranted. The fact that the episode threads are still getting to two pages is still REALLY good. A lot of forums have episode threads that don't get to a second page, and only a select few have an active live chat thread.

Also, the reason why live chat threads aren't locked anymore is because moderators are the only ones who can unlock/lock them and there aren't any moderators anymore to do that. Thus, the threads are left open.

I'm glad Bhanu left. I think this season has gone back to being very poorly edited and characters are being favoured more than actual gameplay. There's been way too much focus on Bhanu in these four episodes. No, I have no interest in seeing him whine and complain and cry about his position while expecting everyone else to solve his problems for him.

He's just a terrible Survivor player, probably one of the worst I've seen, quite frankly. He was ok physically but his social and strategic game are pretty much at the bottom of a well. People seemed annoyed to coddle him the entire time, and people seemed annoyed to have him ask them to solve his game issues. Kenzie wasn't wrong in being annoyed that she has to waste time apologizing to Bhanu when she didn't say anything wrong. 

And Tiffany telling him to get off his knees and stop begging was a great scene.

I was less impressed with Q. He was trying to pull a Kaleb to Bhanu's Emily, but the biggest difference is that Emily was able to pivot the game on her own once she had a good standing, and she didn't need to lean solely on Kaleb to figure out how to turn her game around. Kaleb gave her advice, but Emily was also a decent Survivor player under the right circumstances. Bhanu would be hopelessly bad in ANY scenario of the game, even if he had tribemates who bonded with him. 

I had to laugh at Soda's attempt at a song session, Tevin joining in, but Venus, Hunter and Liz looking like they'd rather be anywhere else. 

But Hunter's getting himself into tricky water if he keeps beasting these comps. Unlike 42's Jonathan, he doesn't have a solid alliance beyond Tevin to get him super far, especially since he already wants Soda out. 

Siga's a solid tribe, but I don't get the point of Jem's excitement in tricking the tribe with the advantage. It's fun to watch, but does she realize that could easily backfire on her? They may assume Tim for now but Jem would need to have an excellent standing with her tribe to keep it that way. Plus, she still needs to get the idol. 

 Back to Yanu tribe, I'm glad they basically just said "yeah, Bhanu's going, we aren't changing our minds." I'm less impressed with Jeff not just skipping the vote, presumably to spare Bhanu's feelings, but he gave him a hug afterward. Jeff, you need to be more informed about what's going on at the different camps. Because Bhanu solely caused his own demise. He could have turned it on Kenzie, as Q was interested in voting Kenzie out and so was Tiffany. But Bhanu ensured he was gone, no matter what.

He might be a decent guy, but he was a terrible player and also very fake with the way he presented himself. It was clear he was there for fame, not for the game. I mean, he was the one uttering that he wanted to win a million hearts.

He did not succeed in that.

[SummerDreams]

15 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I also wondered if perhaps Production would let whoever took it actually not vote. I could see them doing that tbh. 

No way will they do that. It's the same as presenting a fake idol.

[SnapHappy]

I'm assuming Bhanu was just on the show to get more footage for his movie & TV show audition reels. 

The groveling on his knees was actually a solid piece of acting, along with the pleading to the heavens to save him!!!  

All of the torment, angst & garment rending magically disappeared when the deal was done and they were walking to Tribal Council. 

He knew the next scene would be his redemption arc denouement, his upbringing and true "story". 

I was actually waiting for his torch snuff, he turns to the group then says "And.....Scene"! 

[iMonrey]

12 hours ago, TVbitch said:

In contrast, Survivor AU has minimal idols and twists, savvy players, two tribes, 47 days and still features individual questions from the jury. I eagerly awaited each new episode (and they have 3 a week!) I hope Jeff is watching.  

Where can you watch Survivor AU?

[JH Lipton]

 

Black women have to work 3times harder to get a third of the respect, especially from Black gay men.  Soda was making sure that Venus and Hunter felt like part of the Tribe once the merge came, not crack it apart when strong Tribes last longer past the merge, Tevon.  "She's playing too hard." is such a stupid thing to say.  He's not as irritating as some but his wanting to be Sole Leader of his Tribe is off-putting.

[laurakaye]

15 hours ago, MsMalin said:

I was half expecting Q to teach Bhanu how to say "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain"

That was a profoundly weird scene to me, especially if Bhanu is indeed a superfan.  He shouldn't have needed coaching in what to say or not say from Q, but even as Q was explaining things, it was pretty clear to me from the unhinged look in his eyes that Bhanu wasn't taking any of it in.

 

56 minutes ago, SnapHappy said:

All of the torment, angst & garment rending magically disappeared when the deal was done and they were walking to Tribal Council. 

Personally I was disappointed that he didn't tear his "Be Kind" shirt in half.  I haven't cringed in second-hand embarrassment so hard while watching Survivor since Philip Shepard walked around in his sagging pink undies.

I appreciate the opening segment has gone back to giving us the names of the players.  However, episode 4 has come and gone and there are still two or three people that pop up on my screen and I'm like, who the heck is that??

Sigh.....whatever, Survivor.  I'll still watch.  I just don't want to start hate watching.

Edited March 22 by laurakaye

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

No way will they do that. It's the same as presenting a fake idol.

I assume we will eventually see what happens. But if Maria (?) or whoever got the sloppy-seconds Beware Advantage note goes to vote and there's the typical parchment there, they may put together that she does have her vote and thus someone's been sneaky. Or she could think that it was a screw-up by production, or that production just is not counting her vote.

We have seen in past seasons people who didn't have a vote had a note saying in so many words "You don't have a vote. Go back to your seat." But the person who thinks they have a Beware advantage may not know that/may not put it together after several days in the game/may think that Production has changed it up for whatever reason.

[SVNBob]

I'm pretty sure that Maria was involved in one of those conversations with Jem that theorized that Tim was who found the Beware and planted it where it was found by the group.  So she may already be thinking along the lines that she still has her vote.

Or, Maria may not be concerned because she got an Extra Vote on the Day 1 Journey, so she might still have a vote despite the Beware.  Though she may try to get someone else to cast the Extra on her behalf if she is concerned.

[srhall79]

We stream Survivor, so the earliest I'm seeing it is Thursday night. I like having the live thread because I can follow along while watching, seeing reactions along the way. I suppose if there was just one thread, live reactions would just be the first few pages, but I like the divide between that and here where people can comment on the episode as a whole.

My reaction at the start, where Bhanu compounds telling the other tribes about their whole dynamic (filtered through his perspective- I don't think Kenzie is a "mastermind" except maybe when compared to Bhanu and Jess) by then telling his tribe he did a tell-all on them, I thought that maybe the gal who basically quit first episode last season was more deserving of her spot than he was. My opinion didn't improve.

I don't know how Hunter is as a person or a social player, but I do enjoy someone doing what they do very well. Watching his jump almost take him to the next platform. Jeff narrating that he still needs to climb up with the buoys and then he's there. "Just get the balls in his hands" and yup, quick victory after that.

The tribe still lacking its flint- have I created a memory? I recall in early seasons, the winner of the initial challenge would get fire or flint. The other tribe goes to tribal council, "Fire is life, dip your torch in," then after they could take their torches back to have fire. Was that a thing? My wife was telling me about the Have & Have Nots season, one I skipped, where the tribe that had more did better. We seem to be watching that again, for the second season, hey, the tribe without a fire, limiting their food options and comfort, just keeps struggling. It does seem tribe make-up contributes (when you decide one of your biggest guys is a liability right from the start, that's not good) but also the losers keep losing because they have less.

Bhanu's final speech... I'm speaking from a place of privilege, I didn't have to climb out of poverty, good on him for schooling and a degree. But I'm not sure it's that inspirational to go "If you believe, you two can rise up to do terribly on a game show!"

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, srhall79 said:

The tribe still lacking its flint- have I created a memory? I recall in early seasons, the winner of the initial challenge would get fire or flint. The other tribe goes to tribal council, "Fire is life, dip your torch in," then after they could take their torches back to have fire. Was that a thing? My wife was telling me about the Have & Have Nots season, one I skipped, where the tribe that had more did better. We seem to be watching that again, for the second season, hey, the tribe without a fire, limiting their food options and comfort, just keeps struggling. It does seem tribe make-up contributes (when you decide one of your biggest guys is a liability right from the start, that's not good) but also the losers keep losing because they have less.

 No you’re not wrong.  I almost feel like in the early seasons Jeff also gave the losing tribe flint after the first TC too because that used to be a reward for winning the IC.  So even if they lost they still got fire and the ability to keep it going but the sacrifice was they lost a person.  I can’t remember when this ‘I’m keeping your flint and you can’t use your torches to start fire’ began but it is annoying.  At least give them flint.  Who knows if they will even succeed in getting fire but at least you can say you tried to help.  
 

The have/have nots season was S14 (the first Fiji season) and I think it was a very quick, put together theme because a contestant dropped out and they couldn’t do the original theme.  The Have-Not tribe had a pot and that was it, and the Have tribe lived like Club Med.  They finally lost a challenge and were given the chance to skip TC if they agreed to switch camps and they wouldn’t even do that.  

Edited March 22 by LadyChatts

[Kenzie]

3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

It was clear he was there for fame, not for the game.

It seemed like he was always playing to the camera.

Bhanu acted as if Cecil B. DeMille was personally filming his screen test.

[eel2178]

On 3/20/2024 at 8:53 PM, North of Eden said:

Bhanu! Why are you throwing shade at The Almighty?

Isn't it blasphemy to show anger towards your deity or even question him for that matter, especially when everything you're blaming him for is due to your own ineptitude?

My philosophy:

God doesn't get anyone on Survivor, and God doesn't have you voted out after 9 days. Some higher power does give you a skill set to use in life which may include appearing on a game show. However, if you're not going to utilize what you've been given and expect everything you want to be (miraculously, to use Bhanu's own words) falling in to place without any effort from yourself (or even worse despite your own total screw ups), you're going to be sorely disappointed over and over again. In short, you're expected to do the best you can with what you've been given, not sit back and demand "Why aren't you helping/giving me what I want?"

He reminds me of someone I went to college with who said Jesus was giving her bad grades because he didn't want her to be a doctor.

[Chicago Redshirt]

16 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

Isn't it blasphemy to show anger towards your deity or even question him for that matter, especially when everything you're blaming him for is due to your own ineptitude?

My philosophy:

God doesn't get anyone on Survivor, and God doesn't have you voted out after 9 days. Some higher power does give you a skill set to use in life which may include appearing on a game show. However, if you're not going to utilize what you've been given and expect everything you want to be (miraculously, to use Bhanu's own words) falling in to place without any effort from yourself (or even worse despite your own total screw ups), you're going to be sorely disappointed over and over again. In short, you're expected to do the best you can with what you've been given, not sit back and demand "Why aren't you helping/giving me what I want?"

He reminds me of someone I went to college with who said Jesus was giving her bad grades because he didn't want her to be a doctor.

Without going too deep, there are going to be different philosophical/religious models for how God/gods might work, assuming his/her/its/their existence.

Some people might believe everything is absolutely predestined to happen as it does. In such a scenario, God essentially does orchestrate all the actions of Survivor (and elsewhere). God caused Bhanu to be on Survivor, to make the choices Bhanu did, to get voted off when he did, etc. No matter what people might have wanted or how awesome or poor Bhanu might be at this game, he was always going to be selected for Survivor 46, always going to be booted 4th, always blather on about winning a million hearts, etc. Because that was what God wanted.

Some people might believe that God sets things in motion and basically takes a laissez-faire attitude to most everything, potentially intervening here or there, but mostly leaving people and things to their own devices. In which case, it's Bhanu's own attributes, plus luck, plus the interaction with various people and their attributes and intentions that leads to consequences.

And I'm sure there are numerous other things in between and outside of these. 

[eel2178]

31 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Some people might believe everything is absolutely predestined to happen as it does. In such a scenario, God essentially does orchestrate all the actions of Survivor (and elsewhere). God caused Bhanu to be on Survivor, to make the choices Bhanu did, to get voted off when he did, etc. No matter what people might have wanted or how awesome or poor Bhanu might be at this game, he was always going to be selected for Survivor 46, always going to be booted 4th, always blather on about winning a million hearts, etc. Because that was what God wanted.

Then why was he so angry about going home or begging to stay? If the whole thing was predestined to play out the way it did, what was supposed to change with all his crying and whining?

By your scenario, wasn't he committing blasphemy by wanting to change what had been predetermined by his God?

Edited March 22 by eel2178

[TVbitch]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Where can you watch Survivor AU?

I don't think I am allowed to say on the forum. I will PM you when I get a chance later.

[gesundheit]

I can easily see why they cast Bhanu - very overzealous, enthusiastic, warm guy who's incredibly animated and will probably be beloved at first, but it's always dramatic to cast someone on Survivor who was simply born without guile. Had he not ended up in that tribe situation, the guilelessness probably would've been an occasional wacky moment but not really doing damage until later in the season where he'd emerge from the supporting cast and then everyone could see how unhinged he was and then he'd flame out fast. It could be extremely entertaining! But instead we got we got, and it was deeply un-entertaining. 

On 3/21/2024 at 8:53 AM, Chicago Redshirt said:

We will see where Jem goes with trying to create the suspicion that the idol is still out there. But there are a couple possible directions. She could throw suspicion on a particular tribemate that that person has the idol and thus needs to be blindsided. She could reveal to someone she wants to get closer to that in fact she has the beware advantage and laid out this trap (a strategy that could in fact backfire). 

If it just get revealed at tribal, she's going to be a fast target for the schadenfreude of it all.

On 3/21/2024 at 10:04 AM, mertensia said:

Dear lord. Bhanu removed my will to live last night. 

I remain amazed, however, that people get all offended that tribe mates who know they're at the bottom of the pile spill the beans to other tribes. Like, duh. 

Exactly! His mistake wasn't trying to get new allies by giving them dirt, his mistake was telling his tribe he'd done that.

On 3/21/2024 at 12:42 PM, iMonrey said:

 

(Side note - I vote for keeping a separate Live thread. They are two different animals. Live threads are for immediate reactions, show threads are for after you've gathered your thoughts and meaningful discussions.)

Me too.

16 hours ago, TVbitch said:

In contrast, Survivor AU has minimal idols and twists, savvy players, two tribes, 47 days and still features individual questions from the jury. I eagerly awaited each new episode (and they have 3 a week!) I hope Jeff is watching.  

I loved Survivor AU and was halfway through a marvelous season when Paramount+ yanked it. Heartbreaker! (I was also in the middle of Survivor South African and Survivor NZ -- depressingly small grand prize, but still fun!)

 

[susannot]

Survivor AU and savvy players:  Haley and Pia gave me goose bumps with their brilliant game play.  And David The Golden God gave me an entirely different kind of goose bumps.  (Sorry O/T.)

[suzyq8017]

I feel like I’ve missed something. Since when have they been able to have full winter wardrobes? 

[iMonrey]

10 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I assume we will eventually see what happens. But if Maria (?) or whoever got the sloppy-seconds Beware Advantage note goes to vote and there's the typical parchment there, they may put together that she does have her vote and thus someone's been sneaky. Or she could think that it was a screw-up by production, or that production just is not counting her vote.

Also, sometimes Jeff doesn't read all the votes. There are only six members of the Siga tribe. If there are four votes for one person he doesn't need to read the other two. Or even reveal if there are two more.

But I suspect it's a moot point. If they don't do a tribe swap then Yanu will continue to die out by attrition. Maria might not get to a tribal council anytime soon enough to make a difference.

[millennium]

On 3/21/2024 at 10:28 AM, QQQQ said:

Had to laugh at the two Van Halen shoutouts within 5 minutes of each other (David Lee Roth/Jump and Jeff saying "diver down" during the competition).

Three.  He also said "Somebody get me a doctor!"

There's a word for the spectacle that was Bhanu: unseemly.   I wanted him gone from episode 1 but even I never imagined what an outrageous embarrassment he would become.  The crying, the praying, begging Tiff on his knees, shaking his fist at God ... the only thing he didn't do was start punching himself in the face for pity and attention.

These extended episodes suck.  Every event, even cleaning a damn fish, becomes a therapy/weeping moment.  I don't want to know the players' sob stories or hear about their dead parents.   Ostensibly I watch the show to be entertained, not "moved."  For all these so-called "superfans," Hunter is the only one out there who seems like an old school Survivor. 

The guy yelling "Taylor Swift" seems to be angling for a meet-and-greet with Ms. Swift after the season airs.  I don't think he could be more transparent.   Oh look!  Another opportunity to use the word "unseemly."

 

[Chicago Redshirt]

10 hours ago, eel2178 said:

Then why was he so angry about going home or begging to stay? If the whole thing was predestined to play out the way it did, what was supposed to change with all his crying and whining?

By your scenario, wasn't he committing blasphemy by wanting to change what had been predetermined by his God?

I can't pretend to truly know what conception of God Bhanu might have.

But I would imagine that he -- like most believers -- conceive of a God/god/gods that do not predetermine any outcome but can intervene in mysterious ways and/or for purposes that are not entirely clear. It's hard to conceive of one's self as having absolutely no free will at all, and of everything being scripted, especially if you throw an all-powerful and all-good entity in the mix doing the scripting. 

Assuming Bhanu was not just acting, it's not uncommon for people who are religious to be frustrated at what they believe to be an unjust outcome, or a puzzling outcome. 

Even if someone believes in 100 percent predestination, the crying and begging would be part of the predestined outcome. 

I don't think by any conventional definition of "blasphemy" (either  showing contempt for God, or pretending to be a god) that questioning God's will in the way Bhanu did would be blasphemy. 

[millennium]

10 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I don't think by any conventional definition of "blasphemy" (either  showing contempt for God, or pretending to be a god) that questioning God's will in the way Bhanu did would be blasphemy. 

I don't know if it's blasphemous, sacrilegious or just plain ridiculous the way some players seem to believe God is seriously concerned about who wins Survivor.

Having been raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools and Catholic college, I can't recall any scenes or teachings from the Bible where God intervenes to make people rich.   For players to think he does so, especially in a game predicated on anti-Christian values like greed, lying, betrayal, humiliation of others  ... a game where players proclaim "a miracle" when another player is injured ... seems like pure lunacy.

To pray to be the winner of Survivor is to pray that the hopes of all the other players are crushed, and that they will have to live the rest of their lives knowing they failed, while you smugly bask in your wealth.

I'm not suggesting playing Survivor is a sin.  I just don't think God is a superfan.

 

Edited March 23 by millennium

[fishcakes]

17 hours ago, suzyq8017 said:

I feel like I’ve missed something. Since when have they been able to have full winter wardrobes? 

They started letting them have more clothes about four or five seasons ago. The show got some bad press about forcing the players to live in one pair of underwear for the entire season, which resulted in several players ending up with UTIs, some so severe that a couple of them had to be hospitalized.

[millennium]

On 3/22/2024 at 1:43 PM, eel2178 said:

God doesn't get anyone on Survivor, and God doesn't have you voted out after 9 days. Some higher power does give you a skill set to use in life which may include appearing on a game show. However, if you're not going to utilize what you've been given and expect everything you want to be (miraculously, to use Bhanu's own words) falling in to place without any effort from yourself (or even worse despite your own total screw ups), you're going to be sorely disappointed over and over again. In short, you're expected to do the best you can with what you've been given, not sit back and demand "Why aren't you helping/giving me what I want?"

The Parable of the Talents.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 25%3A14-30&version=ESV