S46 Ep. 6 "Cancel Christmas"

[WatcherUp2]

There's really no point to the mud crawls when the players have enormous steamer trunks full of outfits for every temperature fluctuation or occasion, and, apparently, a salon's worth of grooming products. Any mud-suffering is extremely fleeting.

I'm one who doesn't care for Venus. She seems to be posing for the camera  half the time, and also treating the other players like they're beneath her just for existing and daring to share her oxygen. If she's lucky enough to get far, she'll have pissed off just about everyone on the jury.

Maybe Tiffany will tell Q to knock off the know-it-all "coaching" crap. She might be someone he'd listen to. And, unpopular opinion here, but I like Kenzie. She's cheerful, smart, and dives into everything 100%. All I see on here is "mean girl" for the fake idol that what's-her-name tried to use at tribal way back when, but what's-her-name burst out laughing and almost seemed in on it, and acted like she was fine with leaving. I'm not going to be upset on someone's behalf if they aren't (in this game).

[HurricaneVal]

I'm totally cracking up at the +1 Alliance.  Tiffany and Maria as two of the +1s are all like "Oh.  OK.  Huh."  I'd actually really like to see Tiffany and Maria and Kenzie get together as a power trio. 

Maria's reaction, in particular, just about made me spit out my wine.  It was actually almost a recoil, so methinks she doesn't really care for Tim, and doesn't want to be associated with him.

I run hot and cold on Venus.  I think her assertiveness is fantastic, but I also find her a bit snotty.  She's young though, she's got time to learn how to read a room and temper that attitude from snotty superiority to confident authority.

Q is getting a big head.  That's too bad.  I was hoping he was going o be an exception to the rule that strong males get a taste of success and become raging assholes on Survivor.

[LadyChatts]

Moriah said something in one of her interviews that I hadn’t thought of, but that the side that won had the literal majority because of Tiffany picking them to side with (7-6).  So the 7 people that couldn’t be voted for also got to decide who to vote off.  Never thought I’d miss the hourglass twist but if a season needed it than this was the season.  They definitely need to either eliminate earn the merge or change up how it’s done.  

[Heathrowe]

I’m rooting for Venus because she loathes everyone else on the island just as much as I do!

[Rodney]

3 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

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.

Twice -- the Black Widow Brigade of Micronesia and the Salani women of One World.

[Rodney]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

I'm totally cracking up at the +1 Alliance.  Tiffany and Maria as two of the +1s are all like "Oh.  OK.  Huh."  I'd actually really like to see Tiffany and Maria and Kenzie get together as a power trio. 

Maria's reaction, in particular, just about made me spit out my wine.  It was actually almost a recoil, so methinks she doesn't really care for Tim, and doesn't want to be associated with him.

Previews indicate that Tiffany is finally getting tired of Q, so I could see her dropping him sooner rather than later.  But Maria and Tim did bond over being parents, so I think that Maria does like and respect him.  She probably just doesn't trust him on a game level.  And bringing her into this alliance without her consent and not being the one to tell her about it just cemented that distrust.

[peachmangosteen]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The show is just so lazy anymore.

Lazy and cheap.

6 hours ago, Haleth said:

Who?  😄

Big toe lol.

1 hour ago, Heathrowe said:

I’m rooting for Venus because she loathes everyone else on the island just as much as I do!

Right!

[iMonrey]

4 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Venus gets pegged as another Parvati so that makes her a threat.  And Venus spoke her peace last night but that makes her difficult.

What I found more absurd:

Q: Who is your favorite player?

Moriah: Aubrey.

Q: She has to go!!!

WTF?

2 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Never thought I’d miss the hourglass twist but if a season needed it than this was the season.  They definitely need to either eliminate earn the merge or change up how it’s done.

Traditionally the merge was the tipping point in the game and potentially the most exciting episode of the season because it sent multiple people scrambling and all sorts of names came up and all sorts of new alliances got formed. It was where lines were drawn and people showed their cards.

Now? It's a handful of people deciding which one of TWO should go. Whoever thought this would be more interesting is on drugs.

[LadyChatts]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

What I found more absurd:

Q: Who is your favorite player?

Moriah: Aubrey.

Q: She has to go!!!

WTF?

Traditionally the merge was the tipping point in the game and potentially the most exciting episode of the season because it sent multiple people scrambling and all sorts of names came up and all sorts of new alliances got formed. It was where lines were drawn and people showed their cards.

Now? It's a handful of people deciding which one of TWO should go. Whoever thought this would be more interesting is on drugs.

Yeah I mentioned above about what Moriah said in her exit interview-that 7 people were not only immune but also the majority.  For the people whose time in the game was about to be up, they didn’t even have the numbers of their side.  So for people who were going to survive past the TC, they got to decide everything, and didn’t have to burn any idols or advantages either.  
 

The merge used to be an exciting time and it actually meant something.  And you’d think that if you made the merge you actually earned it, but I guess that’s not interesting enough for Jeff.  But the merge could sometimes be a turning point as to what former tribe would get the numbers (and therefore run the end game, especially in the era without idols or advantages) or it’d be a lifeline for someone who was on the chopping block.  But it really came down to the two bottom feeders from their previous tribes, Venus and Moriah.  Charlie had Ben and Maria likely go to bat for him, and Soda and Liz had Tevin, even though Tevin doesn’t seem as close to Soda as she does to him.   But he clearly has some issue with Venus that’s goes back to day 1.  

[Rodney]

17 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

The merge used to be an exciting time and it actually meant something.  And you’d think that if you made the merge you actually earned it, but I guess that’s not interesting enough for Jeff.

Unsurprisingly, this new twist on the merge was Probst's idea, for which he has proudly taken credit in many an interview.  Never mind that he's apparently been repeatedly told that people don't like this new twist.

Just shows that Probst is still a douchebag who does what he wants, not what the fans want.

Edited April 5 by Rodney

[QQQQ]

13 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.

 

Omg, thank you. IRL, I often have difficulty recognizing people (I mean... I know they are people 😂 I just have trouble distinguishing facial features). But this whole Liz/Mo thing has been the worst!!

[Audpaud]

I once messaged (either FB or tweet) Jeff/Show that Fiji was so overdone. I think it was during the pandemic and I suggested quarantining the contestants someplace new stateside like the Grand Canyon or Great Salt Lake Desert and actually got a reply. It was all about how that wouldn't be "fair" to the world -wide crew and how they are all basically stationed and based in Fiji now yada yada. I replied lots of people have to change it up for their JOBS but that message didn't get a reply.

I am so sick of the tropics.

[Shermie]

I like Venus and am rooting for her. Which means she’s out next, sorry.

I miss Jem; I was willing her through my tv last week to pull out her immunity idol. She worked so hard to get it and didn’t even use it. At least she has a souvenir?

While I appreciate Hunter’s puzzle savvy, something about him bothers me.

Not sure why Q thinks he’s in charge, but it seems (from the previews) that others are thinking that too.

What I liked about the merge was that everyone got to enjoy the feast, and for a brief moment they were just one tribe enjoying the game.

[SummerDreams]

What a boring season. The game actually starts at final 8 or something. Let there be 2 tribes of 9 so we see more strategy and flip - flopping.

[Skooma]

11 hours ago, Shermie said:

I miss Jem; I was willing her through my tv last week to pull out her immunity idol. She worked so hard to get it and didn’t even use it. At least she has a souvenir?

No, production doesn't allow that.  She said they took it away from her immediately.

[laurakaye]

On 4/4/2024 at 2:30 AM, 30 Helens said:

It's quite obvious why Q and Tevan don't like her (Venus). 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.

I like Venus for these reasons.  The men are aware that she's not going to follow their instructions and then it becomes a dog-pile situation where Q at the water well is pontificating like "that's it then I am voting Venus and that's just how it's going to be, period, that's it, that's the decision, end of story."  Man, get Q a win, some fire and half a blueberry muffin and suddenly he's running the show.  I'd like to see him leave sooner rather than later.

 

On 4/4/2024 at 10:01 AM, Skooma said:

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.

Old School - I can pretty much recall the winners and place most of the cast on their correct season from season 1 - 40.

New School - I was listening to RHAP recently and Rob was discussing some NS players...Gabe?  Lydia?  Matt?  And I'd have to look them up to remember who they were if I cared (but I don't).

 

22 hours ago, fishcakes said:

 Even if they're just talking about papaya or whatever, there's all this dramatic music pounding.

Look, you don't know that papaya's backstory and what it had to do to find its way to a tree in Fiji.

 

21 hours ago, Kenzie said:

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.

100% agree, but I miss his old banshee-screaming shtick like, "Penner!  Talking back to me!"  Or "Get a load of this guy, can't even make it up the rope wall!  He's literally the slowest person we have ever had on this show, what an utter disaster for the Blue Tribe!"  Now he's all "Sunshine and rainbows! THAT'S how you do it on Survivor!"  I miss Snarky Jeff.  But I think he's gone forever.

[Skooma]

27 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

Old School - I can pretty much recall the winners and place most of the cast on their correct season from season 1 - 40.

Still a lot better than me but early seasons of these shows implant more in my brain.  It's like as seasons go by here or on TAR or BB it's like my memory storage unit gets too full to handle anymore long term input.

Survivors I remember:  Rich-Rudy-Sue, Tina-Cody, Ethan, Lex, Rupert, Sandra, Boston Rob, Circe, Pravatti, Russell and some Tarzan-like guy (Ozzy?). 

There was also some silly spy-guy (Philip?) that Boston Rob had working for him one season and he (Rob) married some fellow player too I think.  Amber, that was it.

(They went on The Amazing Race twice and on All Stars Mirna of Charla & Mirna finished a Roadblock before Rob forcing his elimination because Rob couldn't spell The Philippines correctly, lol.  It was a moment I will always treasure).

Newer seasons I remember a very enthusiastic young woman (Mary?) who might have won ... or not.  And some nerdy, skinny young rocket science guy I liked but I have no memory of his name.

That is my whole memory of Survivor players in a nutshell.

Edited April 5 by Skooma

[iMonrey]

12 hours ago, Shermie said:

What I liked about the merge was that everyone got to enjoy the feast, and for a brief moment they were just one tribe enjoying the game.

Only the seven people who won the immunity challenge got to feast.

[bioprof]

I finally figured out why Survivor has lost its appeal. It’s now completely without any flavor…like eating the world’s best pizza with no taste buds.

old school : Rupert stealing the other tribe’s shoes actually meant something to the game. Him making a skirt to wear to alleviate chafing was hysterical.

new school:  God knows how many wardrobe changes they now have. And Soda’s confessional after the mud challenge had her with squeaky clean hair, nails, and make up and wearing a pink dress that was freshly ironed.

It’s now just a cast of people spending time on an island with a complete support staff behind them…..yawn!

[Nashville]

On 4/4/2024 at 12:53 AM, LadyChatts said:

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.  

Hunter did have a slightly easier time with his BA than the others, because of the specs of the Beware Advantage(s).  There were two ways to claim the BAs:

1. If a Beware’d player’s tribe came out on the bottom of an IC and was headed to TC, the player was given a clue they had to decipher to locate the key to open their box and recover the HII.
2. If a Beware’d player’s tribe never went to TC pre-merge, however, they were simply given the key - but then they had to figure out a (relatively simple) riddle clue to identify the idol’s hiding place.

Both approaches involved going through three primary milestones…
a.  A riddle to be solved. 
b.  A key to be located. 
c. An idol to be recovered.

…only differences being Approach #1 went at them a-b-c, while Approach  #2 followed a b-a-c path - with the only caveat between the two being that (presumably because of the tighter time constraints involved) Approach #2’s riddle was relatively easier to solve.

#1 was the course of action the first two players had to execute to retrieve their idol; by virtue of his tribe’s winning its way out to the buff-drop, though, Hunter benefited from the (slightly more expeditious) #2 course.

 

On 4/4/2024 at 9:46 AM, Haleth said:

Who?  😄

 

On 4/4/2024 at 12:12 PM, tvfanatic13 said:

Beat me to it @Haleth

Beat me to it @tvfanatic13.  😆

[BigRedCheese]

Quote

old school : Rupert stealing the other tribe’s shoes actually meant something to the game. Him making a skirt to wear to alleviate chafing was hysterical.

I know he's beloved by most fans, but boy, I so despised Rupert, and not in the fun Survivor way, the show's fixation on him almost made me stop watching the show. I found nothing about him and his antics entertaining or humorous, I'd rather watch nothing but these "new era" casts than ever see that guy on my tv screen ever again.

[realitytvfan1017]

I actually don't mind Venus. I'm not a fan per se but I find her entertaining and like how she brings chaos. She has some good points about them wanting to vote out women.

I felt bad for Mo but thought that maybe she should have spoken up earlier about the vote not being unanimous. 

I don't like many of the tribe members this year except: Hunter, Ben, sometimes Maria, and Charlie.

[Shermie]

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

22 hours ago, Shermie said:

What I liked about the merge was that everyone got to enjoy the feast, and for a brief moment they were just one tribe enjoying the game.

Only the seven people who won the immunity challenge got to feast.

I was referring to the merge of old. Not the merge in this season.

[realitytvfan1017]

I don't like mergatory and I don't like the split tribe votes . I don't think its fair that not everyone can have the merge feast and then you have half the cast safe and the other half in danger. And then in this one they have the merge feast right where the other team walks by to see it. That's so cruel. 

I don't like the split tribes vote because I'd just like to see how they interact all as one tribe and how the votes would go that way.

[PaperTree]

On 4/4/2024 at 12:57 PM, 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.

Totally agree.

I broke down and put the closed-captioning mode on a few years ago.

[rr2911]

On 4/4/2024 at 12:17 PM, JudyObscure said:

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.

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.

Wow, I guess I haven't noticed.  The music doesn't bother me at all.  I had to turn on captions only because sometimes they mumble their words. 

[Kenzie]

On 4/4/2024 at 5:50 PM, LadyChatts said:

The merge used to be an exciting time and it actually meant something.  And you’d think that if you made the merge you actually earned it, but I guess that’s not interesting enough for Jeff.  

And I think Jeff's always thinking about production costs (to the viewer's detriment). Half a merge means forking up only half the food money.

Not staying in one place, elaborate challenges, village visits and luxury spa get-a-ways are no more. I really miss old survivor. 

Edited April 8 by Kenzie

[Valerie]

I love Venus.

She's a hot mess but she is entertaining as fuck.

[ljenkins782]

On 4/5/2024 at 7:42 PM, realitytvfan1017 said:

I actually don't mind Venus. I'm not a fan per se but I find her entertaining and like how she brings chaos. She has some good points about them wanting to vote out women.

I felt bad for Mo but thought that maybe she should have spoken up earlier about the vote not being unanimous. 

I don't like many of the tribe members this year except: Hunter, Ben, sometimes Maria, and Charlie.

Mo just completely miscalculated the move she needed to make, which I can understand. If you're by yourself with no one to bounce ideas off of, it can be tough to decide whether you're better off pretending to be part of a tight group or a free agent. She figured it out too late. Kind of ironic since she was targeted for seeming like a strategic threat.

Venus definitely has potential to shake things up if she can keep herself in the game long enough, which seems like a crapshoot at this point. 

Agreed with everyone who dislikes the earn the merge thing. It would be a lot more interesting strategically to see how the 3 tribes tried to keep their majority numbers or gain a foothold (in the Purple tribe's case). A few sacrificial lambs on the chopping block doesn't move the needle much, strategically.

[Lantern7]

Erik's cartoon for the episode, "Voting Blocks":

[realitytvfan1017]

16 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Mo just completely miscalculated the move she needed to make, which I can understand. If you're by yourself with no one to bounce ideas off of, it can be tough to decide whether you're better off pretending to be part of a tight group or a free agent. She figured it out too late. Kind of ironic since she was targeted for seeming like a strategic threat.

Venus definitely has potential to shake things up if she can keep herself in the game long enough, which seems like a crapshoot at this point. 

Agreed with everyone who dislikes the earn the merge thing. It would be a lot more interesting strategically to see how the 3 tribes tried to keep their majority numbers or gain a foothold (in the Purple tribe's case). A few sacrificial lambs on the chopping block doesn't move the needle much, strategically.

That's true, Mo was really all alone in the game, so I get why she could have miscalculated that move. That's too bad for her.