S46 Ep. 6 "Cancel Christmas"

[LadyChatts]

Quote

Castaways hit the ground running to figure out where the cracks are within the other tribes; the players hope to find new life in the game if they can earn the merge

Post-show discussion thread

I know there's been some debate whether to have two threads or not, with mixed responses, but it seems like most like having two threads so I guess we'll keep having two separate ones.

[LadyChatts]

Just when I think this season hit a turning point for the better, we get this episode and I'm the one scrambling to see if there's anyone left rooting for.  

I think I'm on an island of one when I say I like Venus.  She needs to learn to control her emotions better so she doesn't get the vote turned back around to her for real next time, but I like her. 

I don't know who made Q the boss of everybody but he just acted like a condescending a*****e this week.  Guess it's easy when your the one whose safe.  I also don't see why Yanu felt so confident thinking Siga and Nami would be begging for their help.  And I don't like Kenzie's attitude that she's just so good at this game over everyone else.  Tiffany's the only one left rooting for from the Bad News Yanus.

Siga really dug themselves in a hole when they refused to commit to voting one of their own off.  I can see why they all voted for Moriah in the end.  Moriah maybe could have saved herself and I wish she had if she had spoken up sooner.  Maybe she could have helped Venus in getting the vote turned on Charlie.  Too bad she had to be so dang nice to the very people who blindsided her last week.  She owed them nothing.  

I really wish we could be old-school for a minute and have a traditional merge.  One person wins II, everyone else is eligible to be vote for, everyone can vote.  If they want to keep this format of Earn the Merge then they need to let the losers be the only ones allowed to vote, and the winners will just have to wait back at camp to see who got voted off.  This just screwed Moriah over, even more than the random draw for tribes at the challenge.  Could that have been anymore lopsided?  Though I give the underdog Orange tribe credit, they almost beat out Purple in an upset.  

[Rodney]

14 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

Moriah maybe could have saved herself and I wish she had if she had spoken up sooner.  Maybe she could have helped Venus in getting the vote turned on Charlie.  Too bad she had to be so dang nice to the very people who blindsided her last week.  She owed them nothing.

She even said that she connected with Venus.  But she shied away from it because of the "Siga Strong" thing inside of just trying to play her own game.  If she'd done that and gone to Venus about her position, then maybe she'd have survived.

[KeithJ]

Even though I’m happy about it, I honestly don’t see how Venus didn’t get herself voted out.  She even only got a single vote.

Edited April 4 by KeithJ

[LadyChatts]

12 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

Even though I’m happy about it, I honestly don’t see how Venus didn’t get herself voted out.  She even only got a single vote.

I actually wondered who that was since Moriah couldn't vote (I saw at the end it was Charlie).  I wonder if he just couldn't bring himself to vote for Moriah or what, because I know he had to be in on the plan if Ben and Maria voted for her.  I was very surprised it was a Moriah landslide.

[Rodney]

1 minute ago, LadyChatts said:

I actually wondered who that was since Moriah couldn't vote (I saw at the end it was Charlie).  I wonder if he just couldn't bring himself to vote for Moriah or what, because I know he had to be in on the plan if Ben and Maria voted for her.  I was very surprised it was a Moriah landslide.

I think that it only was after Moriah basically stuck her foot in her mouth.  Either that, or Charlie planning for an idol or a Shot in the Dark working.

[bunnyface]

Perhaps I'm old.  Perhaps  grumpy.  Perhaps I want some kids off my lawn.  

But I just don't care about any of these people.  I don't care if they win, or lose, or die trying.  I can't remember the last time I felt this level of disinterest in Survivor.  I just...eh.

[LadyChatts]

Island of one here again, but I love Venus

 

[Cotypubby]

I really don’t know why Tevin has such a hate-on towards Venus. And Kenzie was acting so much like the Cool Girl wanting to stick with all the men while making fun of the “girly girl.” Both those two seem like such toxic people.

[dancingdreamer]

I find venus smug. I quite  liked Mo, but both did a good job on the immunity  challenge 

I really  like Hunter, he's  my winner. Now he'll  get kicked off, just watch.

[jsm1125]

“Venus has a really strong social game.” SINCE WHEN? She has no allies!

I don’t get the contempt that most of her tribe mates have for her. 

[North of Eden]

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

Post-show discussion thread

I know there's been some debate whether to have two threads or not, with mixed responses, but it seems like most like having two threads so I guess we'll keep having two separate ones.

Can't the other one at least be locked at 9:30?

Onto the show....Why can't they just merge instead of creating these faux tribes rendering 7 players safe? Jeff calls it rare but I seem to recall many on this board not happy about it last season and for good reason. Everyone should be fair game.

Canadian representation survives! I honestly thought Venus had talked her way out of safety. Glad she didn't. Really starting to tire of Tevan's obsession with her. It's starting to mirror that woman last game who was fixated on a male player almost to the point of it getting pathological.

Looks like Moriah was a poser the entire game. All of sudden she was this savvy, competent, STRONG player that we never saw until that moment. I wish she and Venus could have both stayed and Charlie went home.

Really, really liking Q. I want to see him at final 3 and preferable with the win.

What I don't want to see more than anything is this: It's only a matter of time before the other players completely overlook Liz and she floats to a critical point in the game...and that point is when the player finally notice her but notice her as the no vote getting GOAT they can drag to the end of the game. I want three WORTHY players at final tribal not the usual loser who makes it to the end through the combination above. Please, please, please castaways....cut this cannon fodder now as an easy vote!

90 minutes. 90 Minutes and there was no time to edit in a conversation between Moriah and Maria where she asks, "Hey! What happened to the girl's plus Charlie alliance? Why you cut Jem?" I find it hard to believe no such conversation actually took place either by Moriah asking or Maria feeling compelled to explain. I guess that wound up on the cutting room floor so we could spend a few more minutes with Tim proving he's a worthless in the +1 alliance.

[mertensia]

Didn't we get promised all new competitions this season?

[paul4295]

I feel like there had to be a lot of strategizing that they didn't show.  It seemed quite clear that the only two people anyone was considering were Venus and Moriah, and if you're one of those two, the obvious strategy is to play up why you're worthy and the other one is not.  Yet somehow, Venus starts campaigning for a Charlie vote like she's in a power position, and it doesn't hurt her (even after Q suggested voting her out because of it).  And Moriah didn't seem to do much at all until tribal council.

In other news, I'm enjoying the post-Bhanu portion of the season where we actually get to know some other players.

[TVFan1]

Sick and tired of this "earn the merge" nonsense. Why can't there be a normal merge where everyone gets to have a feast, get a buff, and have everyone vote for somebody other than only 6 people? Or how about the 7 players with immunity don't vote and have the 6 figure it out who to get out on their own? I'm glad that Venus didn't get booted. I like Venus too.

Charlie would have been the better boot than Moriah. Would be beautiful to see him getting his torch snuffed.

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 minutes ago, North of Eden said:

What I don't want to see more than anything is this: It's only a matter of time before the other players completely overlook Liz and she floats to a critical point in the game...and that point is when the player finally notice her but notice her as the no vote getting GOAT they can drag to the end of the game. I want three WORTHY players at final tribal not the usual loser who makes it to the end through the combination above. Please, please, please castaways....cut this cannon fodder now as an easy vote!

90 minutes. 90 Minutes and there was no time to edit in a conversation between Moriah and Maria where she asks, "Hey! What happened to the girl's plus Charlie alliance? Why you cut Jem?" I find it hard to believe no such conversation actually took place either by Moriah asking or Maria feeling compelled to explain. I guess that wound up on the cutting room floor so we could spend a few more minutes with Tim proving he's a worthless in the +1 alliance.

I don't know if I've witnessed a F3 where all three competitors were worthy, rather than 1 heads-and-shoulders-above the rest candidate and two also-rans, or 2 close competitors and a single also-ran. Survivor superfans, what might fall in the category of 3 competitors where all three seemed viable?

I am interested to see where things go with Tim. He seems actively bad in that a) he hasn't picked up on not being Maria's No 1 or even 2 b) he didn't apparently bother to tell her about the +1 alliance in advance. But is the +1 alliance worth talking about? Does it make sense for its Nami members to allow Nami outsiders to be voted off?

24 minutes ago, jsm1125 said:

“Venus has a really strong social game.” SINCE WHEN? She has no allies!

I don’t get the contempt that most of her tribe mates have for her. 

Despite Tevin actively trying to get her out from pretty much day one and being a loud voice at Nami, despite her being an overt Great Value Parvati-wannabe, despite her not having any allies, despite her not being of much value at challenges, despite it making sense to vote her off this time around to keep the balance of power between old Siga and old Nami, despite her "playing too hard," she's still friggin' here.

So that must say something about her social game. Or producer interference. Or how badly Mo bungled things by essentially yelling as loud as she could "SIGA CAN'T TRUST ME AT ALL, AND I'MMA STAB THEM IN THE BACK AS SOON AS I CAN, WHICH COINCIDENTIALLY MEANS NO ONE CAN TRUST ME FROM THE OTHER TWO TRIBES EITHER, AND I DIDN'T THINK TO QUIETLY ARRANGE MY POTENTIAL BACKSTABBING FOR REASONS."

2 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Just when I think this season hit a turning point for the better, we get this episode and I'm the one scrambling to see if there's anyone left rooting for.  

I think I'm on an island of one when I say I like Venus.  She needs to learn to control her emotions better so she doesn't get the vote turned back around to her for real next time, but I like her. 

I don't know who made Q the boss of everybody but he just acted like a condescending a*****e this week.  Guess it's easy when your the one whose safe.  I also don't see why Yanu felt so confident thinking Siga and Nami would be begging for their help.  And I don't like Kenzie's attitude that she's just so good at this game over everyone else.  Tiffany's the only one left rooting for from the Bad News Yanus.

Siga really dug themselves in a hole when they refused to commit to voting one of their own off.  I can see why they all voted for Moriah in the end.  Moriah maybe could have saved herself and I wish she had if she had spoken up sooner.  Maybe she could have helped Venus in getting the vote turned on Charlie.  Too bad she had to be so dang nice to the very people who blindsided her last week.  She owed them nothing.  

I really wish we could be old-school for a minute and have a traditional merge.  One person wins II, everyone else is eligible to be vote for, everyone can vote.  If they want to keep this format of Earn the Merge then they need to let the losers be the only ones allowed to vote, and the winners will just have to wait back at camp to see who got voted off.  This just screwed Moriah over, even more than the random draw for tribes at the challenge.  Could that have been anymore lopsided?  Though I give the underdog Orange tribe credit, they almost beat out Purple in an upset.  

I am actually open to a lot of people winning. Hunter seems likeable and smart and is a challenge beast. I am drawn to how much Q and Tiff tell it like it is, and seem to want to advise weaker players, and they bring the snark. Tevin is also a big sass-machine. I could even get behind a Venus win. The only ones I mildly dislike are Ben (the whole rock-and-roller thing seems a lot forced, but maybe that is just who he is) and Liz (she just seems like an odd duck who's not contributing to my entertainment while watching). Soda I could take or leave. 

A classic situation in Survivor is when there are two factions of about equal size/power and a smaller faction in between then become the swing vote. It can make sense for the two larger tribes to agree to wipe out the smaller faction and then settle things between them at future tribals. But generally it seems like it would be hard to pull that off because there's the risk of Tribe 1 running to people at Tribe 3 and saying "Tribe 2 is looking to vote a member of Tribe 3 off." Which would/should lead to Tribe 3 siding with Tribe 1. So as far as I can think of, it's almost always the middle tribe has a lot of power. This was even more pronounced this time because all the Yanus were safe. Which meant that the other two tribes were incentivized to try to woo the swing votes in Yanu to get rid of a member of the other tribe. 

Praise be to Peachy that they haven't tried resurrecting the "Turn Back Time" advantage. THAT was some bullshit. 

[princelina]

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

I think I'm on an island of one when I say I like Venus.  She needs to learn to control her emotions better so she doesn't get the vote turned back around to her for real next time, but I like her. 

I don't dislike Venus, but IMO her position is entirely her fault, which means I don't see her as "wicked smart" OR knowledgeable about the game.  She came in claiming to be another "Parvati", but she seems to be under the impression that Parvati won by being the hottest woman in the game, rather that what Parvati said - the biggest "flirt".  Now "flirting" includes being nice, friendly and acting as if you like the other people - none of which Venus has been able to do.  In previous episodes, I remember her having terse words with Teven, followed by him announcing that he was off to gather firewood or something, where she could have jumped up and joined him, but she just sat on the edge, looking like a sourpuss.  Then another time when the tribe was dancing, singing, sweeping their area - did she join in?  Why no - she sat in the corner, looking like a sourpuss.  I know that some of her tribe have discounted her from day one, but to me that means she should have been trying to be kind and friendly, rather than sulking in the corner.  I don't know when that sort of behavior has been successful on Survivor!

[Steph Sometimes]

I did laugh when after meeting Mo, Venus said something like "We're the same person." I thought that was Liz.

Sorry that we won't be getting any Liz and Moriah scenes.

Is Aubry the patron saint of nerdy girls? I am a nerdy girl and I love her too and wished she had won KR (Cyd would've also been acceptable; just not a fan of Michele), but I don't know if I saw Moriah's admiration of her as meaning she'd be the most dangerous player this season. But I guess anything can get you on someone's list.

Q, not everyone is asking for your coaching. Him schooling Mo at Tribal seemed unnecessary and condescending. 

Count me in with the people who hate the earn the merge BS with the random draws. 

[Lantern7]

Meh. By now, this show is just a lead-in to The Amazing Race, I'm not compelled to root for anyone, and I think the editing agrees with me. This isn't the worst cast, and we're beyond Jalinsky and Bhanu, but I am not caring that much.

All I know is that it'll take a lot of effort to get Hunter out of the game. He lost his vote, but it didn't matter because he picked the right rock. To be fair, any colored rock he'd pick would be the right one. He could have landed on the overmatched sextet, and they would have stood a better chance. And he managed to grab his hidden idol before everyone met each other. I swear, I'm not stanning Hunter. I'm just thinking that any plans to boot Venus, Ben or whomever should be put on the back burner.

I liked Soda stepping on Probst's spiel for the "earn your merge" competition. Yes, there could be a better way to handle it, but I think ol' Jeff will shrug and say, "We got rid of breaking the hourglass!" and that would be enough for us fans.

I get why Venus would be unpopular. I'm also getting how people could root for her.

I think Yanu was the big winner of the night. Q and Kenzie landed on the strong team, and Tiffan got to "bet" on them winning. I'm not bothered too much by Q, but then again, I'm not caring that much. I did notice that he has his last name tattooed on his arm. Why? And after Brandon Hantz, you'd think we would never see something like that again.

[LadyChatts]

Quote

And he managed to grab his hidden idol before everyone met each other.

I forgot to mention this earlier but did it seem like Hunter had an easier time getting the key to his idol box?  With the girls, they had to solve an equation and Jem had to go count different spots at the beach.  Hunter seemed like all he had to do was find a key under the stairs near his shelter.  Now I know he still had the obstacle of not being seen by his tribe, but editing played that beautifully when it showed Soda and Venus having an argument and not paying him any attention while he was digging nearby.  

[Duke Silver]

36 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I get why Venus would be unpopular. I'm also getting how people could root for her.

^^ Same.  Venus comes across as a bit abrasive, but I can at times as well, and some of the best people in my life are assertive/abrasive.

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, Steph Sometimes said:

Is Aubry the patron saint of nerdy girls? I am a nerdy girl and I love her too and wished she had won KR (Cyd would've also been acceptable; just not a fan of Michele), but I don't know if I saw Moriah's admiration of her as meaning she'd be the most dangerous player this season. But I guess anything can get you on someone's list.

Q, not everyone is asking for your coaching. Him schooling Mo at Tribal seemed unnecessary and condescending. 

It really threw me off that Moriah suddenly made herself a threat because she said Aubry was her favorite player.  I mean really?  I love Aubry and am also in the camp that thought she should have won KR.  But it's just funny that it made Moriah suddenly seem so threatening to Q.

And this was my biggest issue with Q tonight.  It's like he had his mind made up that Moriah was going, so how dare anyone else try and throw any other names out or have an opinion.  Did he give Moriah any reason why she should have come forward before TC?  From what she said at camp he was coming on too strong with the questions and strategy talk.  Maybe if he'd taken a different approach she might have been more willing to open up.  Of course it also seemed like Siga wanted to stay strong and together, so maybe not.  But I think I can see what she meant.  I'd love it next week if Q or Kenzie was taken out.

[30 Helens]

The come-from-behind almost-victory of the tiny scrappy women (plus Charlie) was fun to watch, and likely would have succeeded if not for Hunter. I'm sure he has 3 of those puzzles in his backyard.

3 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

“Venus has a really strong social game.” SINCE WHEN? She has no allies!

I don’t get the contempt that most of her tribe mates have for her. 

It's quite obvious why Q and Tevan don't like her. She's smart. She's a woman. She doesn't accept them as her lords and masters. To be sure, she would be doing a lot better if she would tone down the abrasive side of her personality, and she could use a bit more self-awareness, but I love that she takes no shit from anyone.

Speaking of women who don't want to be in the shadows, I was wondering how the "plus ones" would feel about being, well, plus ones in the Big Testosterone alliance. I'm glad to see that Maria has no interest in playing that role. I doubt Tiffany will, either. 

32 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

It really threw me off that Moriah suddenly made herself a threat because she said Aubry was her favorite player.  I mean really?  I love Aubry and am also in the camp that thought she should have won KR.  But it's just funny that it made Moriah suddenly seem so threatening to Q.

Ridiculous. And yet another reason there is no "I" to be found at the front of Q's name. Just because Moriah admires Aubrey does not mean she's anything like her. I mean, if I were to say Ozzy is my favorite player, would that make me a legendary challenge beast? (Spoiler: it would not.)

 

Edited April 4 by 30 Helens

[luv2lurk]

I could not help myself. During the episode I kept wondering . . . how does everyone keep their glasses so clean?

 

[OutOfTheQuestion]

Venus was 100 percent right about voting Charlie off, by the way.  If Tim and Ben hem and haw about giving a Siga name before begrudgingly saying Moriah, then the absolute right play is to target Charlie or Maria since they're the ones Siga REALLY doesn't want to lose. 

Maria would've been safe due to the "Journey Six" alliance, but Charlie would've been the much more logical boot.  Q and Tevan seemed upset at the idea that Venus would try to vote a man out to keep the women's numbers, but a women's alliance isn't likely to work since Venus/Soda/Liz all hate each other.

[JudyObscure]

6 hours ago, Steph Sometimes said:

Q, not everyone is asking for your coaching. Him schooling Mo at Tribal seemed unnecessary and condescending. 

Plus he simply repeated back to her the very thing she had just said about herself! My opinion of Q went way down this episode.

Moriah's exit made me sad and that rarely happens when I watch Survivor.  I want to see a smug grin fall off someone's face.  Next time. let it be one of the many men who thinks he's in charge.  Or Kenzie.

What is up with Tim?  It was funny how Q and Hunter were all set to take up their secret plan along with their plus ones and Tim was all, 'What plan was that, now?"  His "let me think about it for awhile,"  comes across so shady to me, I wonder if others are going to mistrust him for it.

 

[Haleth]

At least now I don't have to worry about trying to remember which one is Mo and which is Liz.

 

Edited April 4 by Haleth

[GenerationX]

Moriah claims to like Aubry, and Q knows exactly who that is and what her playing style was.  I have ZERO idea who Aubry is, and I have seen every show of every season.  I am apparently not a Superfan.  I've never rewatched a season or built a challenge replica.  I could identify some of the bigger names throughout the years, but I will likely forget everyone on this season within a year.

[Chicago Redshirt]

5 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

It's quite obvious why Q and Tevan don't like her. She's smart. She's a woman. She doesn't accept them as her lords and masters. To be sure, she would be doing a lot better if she would tone down the abrasive side of her personality, and she could use a bit more self-awareness, but I love that she takes no shit from anyone.

Speaking of women who don't want to be in the shadows, I was wondering how the "plus ones" would feel about being, well, plus ones in the Big Testosterone alliance. I'm glad to see that Maria has no interest in playing that role. I doubt Tiffany will, either. 

Ridiculous. And yet another reason there is no "I" to be found at the front of Q's name. Just because Moriah admires Aubrey does not mean she's anything like her. I mean, if I were to say Ozzy is my favorite player, would that make me a legendary challenge beast? (Spoiler: it would not.)

 

Nobody seems to like Venus, regardless of how non-sexist they might be. I don't see Tevin as particularly sexist or unwilling to deal with smart women. I'm not saying there's not a touch of misogyny and condescension in Q's makeup. But I do think Q genuinely likes and respects Tiffany, who is smart. I think he likes and respects Kenzie, though he wisely distrusts her beyond a point. 

It continually surprises me how the show regularly and overtly has Survivors scheming on gender lines, but rarely has them plotting on racial ones or sexual orientation ones. Maybe it is happening but the editors are leaving it on the cutting room floor. The +1 alliance is interestingly most of the people of color in the game, with Soda traded out for Hunter. (A seeming upgrade). I find it tough to believe that the Black Survivors don't explicitly talk about their communal experiences in the game and out (racial or otherwise) as a way to bond, or even give the head-nod. 

 

[violet and green]

It's hard to get worked up about a player leaving, who we barley got to know. Plus the way it was obvious from the edit once the rocks were drawn that the orange team would lose, as the people featured earlier on so heavily just happened to be on the orange team, and then, lo! the vote came down to the two of them.

It's making me miss Jelinsky. Those were the days.

[seacliffsal]

Well, I, for one, really enjoyed the fact that everyone had to participate on the puzzle portion of the challenge.  I thought the orange team might be able to pull ahead because of that, but when Hunter was on the final portion for the purple team, they were able to get the win (and they were behind before Hunter got there).  I was impressed with how the orange team was able to catch up to purple at the puzzle.

I wondered if Moriah sealed her fate at the TC due to proving she was willing to disclose strategies and alliances so publicly.  It would have been wild had her shot in the dark worked as then just Charlie's lone vote would have sent Venus home.  

Now that Namu has the plurality, it would be interesting to see them team up with Siga to get rid of Q, Tiffany, and Kenzie but I doubt that would happen as Siga will probably try to pull them in to get rid of Namu.  It's not always a disadvantage to go into the pre-merge, kind of merge, earn the merge, whatever, with smaller numbers as that often leads to that tribe being in the position of determining votes and alliances.

This episode just further reminds me of how much I miss original recipe Survivor.  They haven't even been there 2 weeks and act like they would have 'died' without the merge coming at 12 days.

[choclatechip45]

I forgot there was a Mariah on this season.

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, North of Eden said:

Can't the other one at least be locked at 9:30?

PM someone in charge and ask them if they can start the threads because they are the only ones who can lock them.

Sigh, this season is total trash. I actually fast forwarded most of this episode. I have watched every episode of every season but I think I'm gonna have to give up on this one.

[Skooma]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

Moriah claims to like Aubry, and Q knows exactly who that is and what her playing style was.  I have ZERO idea who Aubry is, and I have seen every show of every season.  I am apparently not a Superfan.  I've never rewatched a season or built a challenge replica.  I could identify some of the bigger names throughout the years, but I will likely forget everyone on this season within a year.

That makes you a superfan in my book.  I forget them totally within 24 hours.  I have no idea whatsoever who won last season.  And I really have no reason to want to know.

[peachmangosteen]

22 minutes ago, Skooma said:

I have no idea whatsoever who won last season. 

I was racking my brain yesterday to figure out who won last season and it never came to me lol. I just googled it; it was Dee.

[iMonrey]

I do not understand why the show thinks this "earn the merge" gimmick makes the game more interesting. It does not. You go from having eleven or twelve possible evictions to just six, and ultimately, just two. How is that more interesting? 

Who put Q in charge of the vote? I get that both Nami and Siga wanted the Yanu tribe to vote with them, but there were six people to choose from and we never once heard anyone throw Maria, Liz or Soda's name out there. Nor did we ever hear from them. Instead we got a lot of Q running his mouth, changing his mind, telling everyone who to vote for and lecturing Moriah at tribal council. He's getting an awful lot of screen time and I find him insufferable. Which means he'll probably win.

I also don't understand why every freaking challenge has to be running through an obstacle course and putting together a puzzle. It's so old and so stale and I'm sick of it. And I don't get the show's obsession with making them crawl through mud pits either. I don't find it the least bit funny or entertaining seeing them covered head to toe in mud and sawdust.

The show is just so lazy anymore.

[Haleth]

21 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I was racking my brain yesterday to figure out who won last season and it never came to me lol. I just googled it; it was Dee.

Who?  😄

[rr2911]

13 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Post-show discussion thread

I know there's been some debate whether to have two threads or not, with mixed responses, but it seems like most like having two threads so I guess we'll keep having two separate ones.

It's good to have two threads.  I don't do the live chat.  I sometimes watch Survivor later.

[Tango64]

After that mudfest in the challenge, I was especially struck with how nice Venus and Moriah looked at the tribal council. Venus had nice hair, makeup, and a graceful scarf draped over her shoulders. Moriah's curly hair looked very clean and well styled. They were like the Ginger and Marianne of Survivor.

I expect Venus to show up next week in a sequined evening gown.

[seacliffsal]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

 

I also don't understand why every freaking challenge has to be running through an obstacle course and putting together a puzzle. It's so old and so stale and I'm sick of it. And I don't get the show's obsession with making them crawl through mud pits either. I don't find it the least bit funny or entertaining seeing them covered head to toe in mud and sawdust.

The show is just so lazy anymore.

I wonder if they like having the participants covered in mud/sand/dirt to make it look like they are truly 'surviving' in all of the elements due to the shortening of the seasons/days.  They no longer look to lose as much weight as during the traditional 39 day Survivor nor do they look as worn and ragged, so maybe the producers think a layer of dirt makes up for the much more grueling longer seasons.

[suebee18]

Man, I don't get all the Charlie hate on here. Am I missing something?

For that matter, I REALLY don't get the "let's hate on all the men" (what did Venus call them, kings?).

 

It seems like it happens more often and more blatantly that the women form an all-female alliance than the other way around. For some reason, that's acceptable, but the men get graded pretty harshly for any whiff of a comment about the women.  I don't know, doesn't that seem a little hypocritical? 

Edited April 4 by suebee18

[meep.meep]

5 hours ago, Haleth said:

At least now I don't have to worry about trying to remember which one is Mo and which is Liz.

 

It's hard but Liz has multi-colored glasses and Mo had clear glasses.  But now it's pointless.

I'm with those who think that the team that "wins" the merge shouldn't get to vote in the tribal.

 

[fishcakes]

That was boring for a merge episode, especially because Moriah and Venus both seemed to be trying to move the target off the other one and back to themselves. Don't worry, ladies; you'll both go home before the end.

This is me in cranky-you-kids-get-off-my-lawn mode, but jesus christ why is the music on the show constant and so loud? I have to hit instant replay about a dozen times each episode because I can't hear the conversations over the drums and that one horn making an "aaaaooooooh!!!!" sound. Even if they're just talking about papaya or whatever, there's all this dramatic music pounding.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, rr2911 said:

It's good to have two threads.  I don't do the live chat.  I sometimes watch Survivor later.

Me too.  And a lot of you forget about the time difference east to west.  You're done two hours before the show starts out west.  

[iMonrey]

13 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

It's hard but Liz has multi-colored glasses and Mo had clear glasses.  But now it's pointless.

When I was looking at her during tribal council, it struck me that Liz sort of looks like Paula Poundstone. 

[tvfanatic13]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

Who?  😄

Beat me to it @Haleth

[JudyObscure]

The requisite mud puddle was at it's very worst last night.  it was in no way earned, as it sometimes is, by those most willing to crawl through something they could get over more slowly some other way.  It was just a mandatory, deep puddle they were forced through, and then it covered people so completely that I was having trouble telling who was who so i couldn't root for any one person. I think any added interest they were expecting back fired on them. 

The worst thing about crawling through mud is the big chance of swallowing  parasites and getting eye infections.

13 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

This is me in cranky-you-kids-get-off-my-lawn mode, but jesus christ why is the music on the show constant and so loud? I have to hit instant replay about a dozen times each episode because I can't hear the conversations over the drums and that one horn making an "aaaaooooooh!!!!" sound. Even if they're just talking about papaya or whatever, there's all this dramatic music pounding.

It's the single thing most likely to make me quit watching.  I miss half of what people are saying and last night it even drowned out Jeff, their star,  at one point.  It's not only  turned too loud over the dialogue it's an incredibly stupid sound track from the beginning.  Most of it sounds like someone hitting metal trash cans with a ball bat.

[LadyChatts]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I also don't understand why every freaking challenge has to be running through an obstacle course and putting together a puzzle. It's so old and so stale and I'm sick of it. And I don't get the show's obsession with making them crawl through mud pits either. I don't find it the least bit funny or entertaining seeing them covered head to toe in mud and sawdust.

This is one of the reasons they need to get out of Fiji.  It makes it easy when they can leave all their props and sets behind (which I assume they do, maybe I’m wrong).  But I think the bigger issue is when the show went to other countries, we got a cultural element in the challenges.  Jeff said that’s one of the reasons they quit doing the gross food challenge, because it was usually based off of that countries delicacies or some ritual.  Looking back at early seasons, the challenges seemed a lot simpler yet are more refreshing than what we get now.  I do question if budget is another reason why we get the same stuff re-hashed, but I think even with what they have they could still get more creative.

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, suebee18 said:

Man, I don't get all the Charlie hate on here. Am I missing something?

For that matter, I REALLY don't get the "let's hate on all the men" (what did Venus call them, kings?).

 

It seems like it happens more often and more blatantly that the women form an all-female alliance than the other way around. For some reason, that's acceptable, but the men get graded pretty harshly for any whiff of a comment about the women.  I don't know, doesn't that seem a little hypocritical? 

The only man I was hating last night was Q, who I’d actually been a fan of up until now.   But give that guy a little power and he acts like he’s running the show.  I think my issue is that it seems like the women can’t do anything on here without the men being suspicious of a women’s alliance.  An alliance type that has really only worked successfully once in Survivor history.  Episode 1, Tim was suspicious of the girls walking around together and that must mean they are up to something.  And he wasn’t wrong but it’s just the idea that that’s where his mind went.  Venus gets pegged as another Parvati so that makes her a threat.  And Venus spoke her peace last night but that makes her difficult.  Q seemed like she was conspiring to get the guys out, but as someone already said, her and Soda hate each other, and Liz hates Soda, so a women’s alliance isn’t going to work because of those 3 at least.  In reality, Venus was more right that Charlie was probably a threat than Moriah long term.  I’d like to know why Q didn’t at least entertain the idea.  He’d still be getting a Siga out.

As for Charlie, I find him kind of annoying but I don’t hate him.  He’s probably mid tier for me right now.

Edited April 4 by LadyChatts

[Kenzie]

32 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

but jesus christ why is the music on the show constant and so loud? I have to hit instant replay about a dozen times each episode because I can't hear the conversations over the drums and that one horn making an "aaaaooooooh!!!!" sound.

The unrelenting pounding background noise and headache-inducing music is my biggest gripe against Survivor.

I get sick of rewinding too and usually watch the challenges on mute with closed captioning because Jeff's non-stop banshee screaming makes me want to kill.