S47.E01: One Glorious and Perfect Episode

[Rodney]

Eighteen new castaways begin the journey of a lifetime after being marooned in Fiji.  New twists are introduced.

Proper episode discussion thread for the season premiere.

[Rodney]

12 minutes ago, Skooma said:

You never keep a crazy, whiny, ticking time bomb over someone who is actually sane and functional.

  Well, then . . . explain Redemption Island and South Pacific. . . .

[KeithJ]

When is Jeff going to stop handing out maps to the tribes’ camps?  All they do now is get on a boat and it drops them off on their beach.

Also, I never really thought of this before but all the bamboo the players find for their shelter has gotta be pre-cut and left by the production crew.  The contestants just walk into the jungle and find perfectly cut bamboo just lying around?

Edited September 19 by KeithJ

[gorgy]

Andy's whole speech about only having four friends in high school and Jon had none has to be some sort of cosmic foreshadowing to the elimination that occurred. I hope the Gata tribe enjoys having their new friend Andy around to be a complete menace. 

[violet and green]

Oh my god. The most interesting person to be cast on this show in years, and they vote him out first.

[Chicago Redshirt]

15 minutes ago, Skooma said:

I have no idea what these things are.  I don't know who won last year nor do I care.  The only thing I know is that keeping a crazy, paranoid quitter who threw their one ally under the bus to every single tribe in the whole game while holding a pity party for themself is not gonna work out well for the idiots that saved him.

The idea is crazy paranoid quitter is stronger/faster/more valuable in challenges than random normal guy, and therefore is more likely to prevent them from coming in last for during the three tribes phase and thus prevent them from going to tribal council in the near term. Moreover, if they do end up going to tribal council, he's an easy person to target.

I didn't pay close enough attention to see how John did versus Andy in the actual challenge to see if Andy is really that much more of an asset, but in general I could get behind that sort of logic. 

A more cynical person than I might speculate that the vote could have been influenced by the production crew because having Andy stay in the game would make for "better" TV than boring John. 

I know you personally do not care who won, but I think it is worth pointing out that there have been an abnormal number of paranoids, tantrum-throwers and/or quitters of late. The Survivor contestant screening has either gotten incredibly lax or they are deliberately going for candidates like Andy for the DRAMA!

[Rodney]

3 hours ago, Skooma said:

I have no idea what these things are.

Those are back-to-back seasons in which the casts let their respective paranoid, whiny nutcases get way farther in the game than either one deserved.  In the case of Redemption Island, the nutcase in question just as undeservedly made it to the Final Tribal Council and lost big-time.  And yeah, both were drains on their tribes like Andy is obviously going to be for Gata.

2 hours ago, gorgy said:

Andy's whole speech about only having four friends in high school and Jon had none has to be some sort of cosmic foreshadowing to the elimination that occurred. 

Oh, God.  That's right.  Andy had four people who supported him, while Jon had none.  Epic foreshadowing.

Edited September 19 by Rodney

[seacliffsal]

I'm surprised there are so few comments.  However, I completely co-sign with all of the observations about Andy.  My first thought after his break down was that the casting director should be fired as I am so over the seasons in which they cast people who fall apart in the very first episode (or shortly thereafter).  It was interesting that Andy quit the challenge and fell down right next to the challenge, but when he returned to the tribe he came out of the jungle.  I wonder if they had to talk him into staying and thus separated him from the rest of the contestants.  

I really hope the GATA tribe suffers due to their boneheaded decision to keep 'he almost quit but definitely threw them under the bus' Andy over 'he may not be our age or have many friends but at least he's stable' John.  Really reminded me of the build up to Brandon's melt-down and I know there have been others through the seasons.  Rachel already knew that Andy was endangering her game, yet she chose to keep him.  Of course, the potential drama may be exactly what the producers want.  This is one reason I miss the "old era" survivor-it wasn't a group therapy, Jeff will help you reach your true potential show like it has devolved into now.  And, of course, I miss the 39 days and the true impact of trying to survive...

Another mistake I think this episode made was immediately having all of the contestants crawl through mud so that I could not start learning/recognizing faces and names.  I really couldn't tell who was who, which tribe was which tribe, etc.  I needed those extra minutes to connect names and faces.  It would have been so much better for me if they hadn't had mud all over them.

But, here I am, and I am in for the season.  Even though I have criticisms and "what?????" moments (as in-are all of these contestants in various broadcasting jobs [podcasters, radio, sport commentaries, etc.]), I still love this show.

[JudyObscure]

Finally they cast a nice guy with a funny self-deprecating sense of humor instead of the usual cast of braggarts who can't wait to tell us that they're more than just a beautiful blonde with a dazzling smile and great legs -- and they vote him right off.  

I hope his tribe goes down one after the other in a long sad death.  Except maybe Anika who they don't like because she's smart and came prepared with more than a sad high-school story.

I think Rachel is going to be a mean player who uses the game as an excuse.  Talking to Andy on the beach wouldn't have ruined her game, last year's winner did that for someone every night.

Andy's a toddler who expects to hear people clapping when he stands back up after going boom.

The New Jersey girl who couldn't wait to tell us that the farmer jeans she chose to wear were misleading  and was next seen asking her tribe how her buff looked? Even Jeff tried to tell her we don't care.

I feel sorry for Rome and the other guy going through the HII torture. Geezo.

 

[Haleth]

That was kind of boring. As soon as Jon said the epi title I knew he was toast. 

[SummerDreams]

So I picked Andy for my winner pick without seeing any of the other players, I just felt something looking at his photo, and after seeing him in real life, I just adored him. I want to hold him and never let him go. I was so scared for him and I was crying while he was having the crisis. I'm angry with fucking Rachel who didn't give him a bit of comfort. I get that she cares more about her game, but this game is social as well and this kind of behavior can harm you later. Anyway, I'm happy with the episode, I thought the boat thing was very dangerous, it was really easy for someone to just hit their head and die on the spot when the boat turned over. So dangerous. I was disappointed with Aysha accepting to go to the challenge, she must know better, I would never accept to do that, but I'm sure of her social skills and Teeny knowing her helps her a lot. Teeny reminds me SO MUCH of my sister it's really fascinating, I like her so much. I think, except for Jon who left, I don't dislike anyone just yet. This is a good cast.

[Gummo]

Survivor's back! That's always a good thing.

I thought we were done casting psychos after the radioactive toxic sludge that was the Hantz seasons, but here we are. Keeping Andy is  going to bite his tribe in the ass in a big way. And voting off Clinton and Obama's speech writer?? Keep him around just for the stories he could tell!

I loved Teeny trying to say, "yeah, this shit may have come from the back of my closet but I would never have worn it if production didn't force me to" without actually saying it.

So we have some players this season who are beyond superfans - it will be interesting to see if it hurts or helps them or makes no difference at all.

ETA: Changed gender references for Teeny; did not know they iD'd as nonbinary.

Edited September 19 by Gummo

[violet and green]

Nothing like a superfan who can't make their way to the ocean visible a few feet away without turning back to look for "the path".

[Rodney]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

The New Jersey girl who couldn't wait to tell us that the farmer jeans she chose to wear were misleading and was next seen asking her tribe how her buff looked? Even Jeff tried to tell her we don't care.

Just in the name of PC fairness, the New Jersey "girl," Teeny, goes by "they" rather than "she," as they identify as nonbinary.

[gail56]

I knew Jon was gone as soon as he said his tribe is the greatest and they are going to win every challenge since they came back to win the first one. I call this the Ironic Quote Survivor has done a lot the last few seasons. Win every challenge? Means they lose the next one. Feeling positive about his tribe mates? Bye Bye.

[Gummo]

23 minutes ago, Rodney said:

Just in the name of PC fairness, the New Jersey "girl," Teeny, goes by "they" rather than "she," as they identify as nonbinary

Thank you, I didn't know that about them.

[Nashville]

58 minutes ago, violet and green said:

Nothing like a superfan who can't make their way to the ocean visible a few feet away without turning back to look for "the path".

Yeah; when Aysha was stumbling around in the woods bemoaning the lack of a path, my only thought was, “You’re on an island, dear, and trying to get back to the beach; I can’t tell you where the path is, but simply heading downhill would be a great frikkin’ start.”

[TVFan1]

I still don't like "Beware Advantages", but I kind of like how they added more to how to strengthen their idol. Good for only one tribal council to three tribal councils to good to the final five is interesting to see how many tasks the castaway will do and risk being caught  like how TK found Gabe "finding the key".

[SummerDreams]

I think people are being too strict with Andy. He has obviously had his traumas and making fun of him is not the way to go. I know I myself have been strict with contestants of these shows, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but lets stop and think for a second, he may have some insecurities as we all do, maybe he had no sleep, maybe he wasn't feeling well, maybe he was exhausted from the challenge etc. Lets not be that mean to him and nobody for that matter. Bhannu was another kind of situation and comparing him to Andy is kinda unfair.

(english is not my first language so I'm sorry if I don't make myself clear at times)

[iMonrey]

5 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I think it is worth pointing out that there have been an abnormal number of paranoids, tantrum-throwers and/or quitters of late. The Survivor contestant screening has either gotten incredibly lax or they are deliberately going for candidates like Andy for the DRAMA!

This.

I was ready to take a break from this show when I learned Jon Lovett was going to be on it. I'm devoted to Crooked Media so I had to watch. So I'm kind of glad, in a way, he was the first one voted out, because now I don't have to watch the rest of the season.

I'm just so tired of it all. The challenges are so stale, always some combination of obstacle courses and puzzles. They haven't done anything new in years. Making them crawl through mud isn't entertaining either. It's like they're Nick At Nite and think getting slimed is funny. Jeff is tedious, and all the idol and advantage hunting is old. 

I also think three tribes of six disadvantages two out of every six right out of the gate. But most egregious of all (and I know I'm beating a dead horse here) is the practice of punishing the losing tribe by taking away their flint. That's a perfect example of the show putting their thumb on the scale and deliberately disadvantaging what is obviously already the weakest tribe physically. With that and all the other twists, it's gotten to the point where making it to the final three is more or less dumb luck. 

Not to put on a tinfoil hat, but I have to wonder if maybe Jon's tribe realized he was something of a celebrity and worried he would steal the spotlight from the rest of them. That might have been a consideration the editors chose not to show us. 

Edited September 19 by iMonrey

[seacliffsal]

The various comments about how taking the flint away from the losing tribe just ensures that the tribe will be weaker just reminded me of the 'have/have not season' which turned out to be quite dismal.  I would think they should have learned from that season that while there is entertainment value (at least for me) in watching the contestants try to survive, it's not as entertaining (again, at least for me) to watch one team continually struggle while the others are not impacted.  However, having written that, I do kind of want to watch Gata struggle as they kept Andy over John (and I respect that several posters are defending Andy and his meltdown, but I have a different perspective).

[AntFTW]

Are they making the classic mistake of thinking Andy will be the "easy vote" next time?

"Andy is paranoid. We don't want someone like that in the game BUT... he's an easy vote next time so we should [X person] out now."

[fishcakes]

I really liked Jon and am sorry to see him go. I don't think he told anyone on his tribe about his speechwriter days; they seem to think he's just a podcaster. Also elderly, what with the "oh you know what Vine is?" Shut up. He's 42, not 92. His tribe made a dumb move, imo, but he is partly to blame for it. They were ready to vote out Andy, and Jon trying to save Andy (because ???) only moved the target to himself. He broke a basic rule of Survivor that if no one is targeting you or a close alliance-mate, just shut up, smile, and nod. But I hope they someday do an Early Boot returnees season and he gets invited.

I also hope this follows the pattern of most new era seasons where the first tribe that loses goes on a losing streak, and that Andy, the twitichiest mf-er we've seen on this show maybe ever, outlasts his tribemates. He can be this season's Bhanu.

Funniest moments of the show were Jeff in the nicest way possible telling Teeny to shut the fuck up about the scarecrow pants, Gabe trying to hide the Advantage box followed by it clonking down the hill loudly, and Rome head first in the water well with his legs sticking out. Also, completely mud-covered person saying, "do I have mud on my lip?" and second completely mud-covered person replying with a low-key, "yes."

[TVbitch]

Probst really lit up when Andy had his melt down and cried out that he "gave all." Queue patented Probst "never give up" pep talk. Then the two of them exchange "I love you's". Ugh. The U.S. show seems more and more like some kind of motivational outbound camp or wilderness therapy show. 

I'll still watch though, cuz there is usually a contestant or two to root for.  

[iMonrey]

30 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

Are they making the classic mistake of thinking Andy will be the "easy vote" next time?

"Andy is paranoid. We don't want someone like that in the game BUT... he's an easy vote next time so we should [X person] out now."

There was no reasonable rationale for keeping Andy after that epic meltdown at the immunity challenge. They even enumerated the many reasons he couldn't be trusted or couldn't be worked with at the tribal council. Then they voted out Jon instead.

Best case scenario, they overthought it. Worse case, someone tipped them off that Jon was a "name" and it spooked them, but the editors didn't show it.

I know most of the generation represented in 97% of this cast isn't' typically all that politically engaged, but Pod Save America is a really huge deal. It's one of the biggest podcasts in terms of downloads and notoriety. And if they found out Jon had worked with the likes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, I can easily see them going "Whoa, we've got to get this guy out now."

Edited September 19 by iMonrey

[AntFTW]

24 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

I really liked Jon and am sorry to see him go. I don't think he told anyone on his tribe about his speechwriter days; they seem to think he's just a podcaster.

He did tell them he was a speechwriter but they didn't show Jon giving the tribe any further details about his speechwriter days as far as I remember.

[JudyObscure]

4 hours ago, Rodney said:

Just in the name of PC fairness, the New Jersey "girl," Teeny, goes by "they" rather than "she," as they identify as nonbinary.

Sorry, I had no idea. I miss about half of what they (and by they I mean the entire Survivor cast and Jeff) because the sound track of crashing noises and shouts plays louder than the dialogue on my TV. 

I try to be PC, but I don't see what I said as unfair.  However they identify they still talked about their clothing as though it was something they thought the viewers would all be terribly interested in.

[AntFTW]

11 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I know most of the generation represented in 97% of this cast isn't' typically all that politically engaged, but Pod Save America is a really huge deal. It's one of the biggest podcasts in terms of downloads and notoriety. And if they found out Jon had worked with the likes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, I can easily see them going "Whoa, we've got to get this guy out now."

I thought Jon would have kept that under wraps but I thought maybe he thought someone would recognize him. I thought people knowing of his several podcasts and that he was a speechwriter for Clinton and Obama would have made him a target.

2 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

Sorry, I had no idea.

Neither did I. I must've missed it. I don't recall any mention of it in the episode.

[princelina]

I guess I'm mean then too, but Rachel didn't bother me.  I know the girl won last year, but if I was on a tribe with someone who expected me to stay up all night with them soothing their anxiety I'd be trying to vote that person out pronto!

[Arkay]

Jeff’s desperation to portray “new era” survivor as fraught with peril at all times is just maddening.

And for some reason he felt the need to give a Survivor tutorial at the beginning?

“ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ON NEW ERA SURVIVOR! 

YOU MIGHT GET VOTED OUT!”

I think Peachy was thrilled to have Andy passing out just to “prove” this game is DANGER at any moment.

I do feel bad for Andy though because of living in 25 foster homes or something. But I agree, if you want to give NEW ERA Survivor a shot, then you need more verbal self-control.

 

Also, what a waste of time to send two people on an expedition to get supplies for one tribe. It was done stupidly. Because DANGER!

 

Why are half the contestants podcasters or similar? 

Edited September 19 by Arkay

[watch2much]

Andy's insecurities are off the chart.  My immediate thought was "how the heck did he get chosen"?  I feel sorry for him because it's only going to get worse for him.

[fishcakes]

9 minutes ago, princelina said:

I guess I'm mean then too, but Rachel didn't bother me.  I know the girl won last year, but if I was on a tribe with someone who expected me to stay up all night with them soothing their anxiety I'd be trying to vote that person out pronto!

Also, I can see why she wouldn't want the others to think she was allied with the loose cannon. Same as when Andy announced that Jon was his best friend out there and we cut to Jon wearing his, "I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative" face.

[SummerDreams]

20 minutes ago, Arkay said:

I do feel bad for Andy though because of living in 25 foster homes or something

That was Kyle not Andy.

[AntFTW]

35 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Also, I can see why she wouldn't want the others to think she was allied with the loose cannon. Same as when Andy announced that Jon was his best friend out there and we cut to Jon wearing his, "I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative" face.

I felt like Jon wanted to say "Woah buddy, I just met you."

Andy's confessing that he intended to screw Jon and throw him under the bus... but that literally throws Jon under the bus.

47 minutes ago, princelina said:

I guess I'm mean then too, but Rachel didn't bother me.  I know the girl won last year, but if I was on a tribe with someone who expected me to stay up all night with them soothing their anxiety I'd be trying to vote that person out pronto!

Same. I completely understood Rachel's position. I would have tried to vote him out too. Andy's anxiety makes him a loose cannon. Although I may empathize with Andy's anxiety, if I believed that anxiety was a detriment to my game, I would be trying to get him voted out.

Edited September 19 by AntFTW

[JudyObscure]

 

2 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

I think people are being too strict with Andy. He has obviously had his traumas and making fun of him is not the way to go. I know I myself have been strict with contestants of these shows, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but lets stop and think for a second, he may have some insecurities as we all do, maybe he had no sleep, maybe he wasn't feeling well, maybe he was exhausted from the challenge etc. Lets not be that mean to him and nobody for that matter. Bhannu was another kind of situation and comparing him to Andy is kinda unfair.

(english is not my first language so I'm sorry if I don't make myself clear at times)

Your English is lovely, much better than mine,  but we're not being "strict," with Andy, we're being  "critical," of him.  You'll find we tend to be critical of lots of people.  We don't hate anyone, we just think their behavior is fair game if they go on this show. Next week it will be someone else.  I like that you're defending him, he does have a great smile.

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

but Pod Save America is a really huge deal. It's one of the biggest podcasts in terms of downloads and notoriety.

Favs, Tommy and Dan are never going to let Lovett forget he was voted out first.

[SoMuchTV]

4 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

Favs, Tommy and Dan are never going to let Lovett forget he was voted out first.

I don't remember the exact words but he said something in his exit talking head along the lines of "this is such a great gift to my family and friends."

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

I think people are being too strict with Andy. He has obviously had his traumas and making fun of him is not the way to go. I know I myself have been strict with contestants of these shows, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but lets stop and think for a second, he may have some insecurities as we all do, maybe he had no sleep, maybe he wasn't feeling well, maybe he was exhausted from the challenge etc. Lets not be that mean to him and nobody for that matter. Bhannu was another kind of situation and comparing him to Andy is kinda unfair.

(english is not my first language so I'm sorry if I don't make myself clear at times)

I get feeling sympathetic toward Andy, and I do have some empathy toward him.

However, it's not like Andy was caught in a situation outside his control. He went out of his way to sign up for this. He had to know that the situation entails such things as backstabbing and lying, physical hardship, lack of sleep, lack of food, being held up to public scrutiny/ridicule, etc.

He should have had a decent idea for his tolerance level for all of the above and more. As a human being, I obviously don't like seeing decent people suffer and have sympathy for him. But as a viewer, I expect someone who comes in this game to have the wherewithal to not get in their fee-fees over no one applauding for them opening a coconut despite someone else getting applause. I expect someone to last more than a couple days in without having a meltdown. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was suffering injury/dehydration within the short period he's been playing, I dunno...it seems like most people bear those things better than he did. And of course, his behavior when he had seemingly recovered wasn't much better.

I think comparing Andy to Bhanu is unfair...to Bhanu (words I never thought I would type, but here we are.) Bhanu's paranoia at least had some level of basis in reality and came after several days in the game. 

[eel2178]

1 hour ago, Arkay said:

And for some reason he felt the need to give a Survivor tutorial at the beginning?

I was thinking "after 24 years of this show airing, why does Jeff feel the need to man 'splain the concept of the show to the contestants now?"

That was 10 minutes of show time that definitely could have been put to better use.

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Worse case, someone tipped them off that Jon was a "name" and it spooked them, but the editors didn't show it.

I know most of the generation represented in 97% of this cast isn't' typically all that politically engaged, but Pod Save America is a really huge deal. It's one of the biggest podcasts in terms of downloads and notoriety.

Oh, that cat was definitely way out of the bag.  Watch the episode’s closing montage revealing the individual votes; Sam wrote “Love It” along with Jon’s name on his parchment, which IMHO is an absolutely clear indicator Sam (at least) knew exactly who Jon Lovett was - which is hardly surprising, considering Sam works in media as well (he’s a sports writer employed in the publicity office of the Tennessee Titans).

[Chicago Redshirt]

7 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Oh, that cat was definitely way out of the bag.  Watch the episode’s closing montage revealing the individual votes; Sam wrote “Love It” along with Jon’s name on his parchment, which IMHO is an absolutely clear indicator Sam (at least) knew exactly who Jon Lovett was - which is hardly surprising, considering Sam works in media as well (he’s a sports writer employed in the publicity office of the Tennessee Titans).

Sam could have just known that Jon's name was "Jon Lovett" and written "Love It" because that's a pretty natural nickname/thing to do without knowing anything about Pod Save America or that there was a Jon Lovett affiliated with it, or connecting the dots between contestant Jon Lovett who is known to him as a speechwriter and PSA's Jon Lovett.

(I say this as someone who is aware of the podcast, but never listened to it and who had no idea who put it out until now.)

[sugarbaker design]

11 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Oh, that cat was definitely way out of the bag.  Watch the episode’s closing montage revealing the individual votes; Sam wrote “Love It” along with Jon’s name on his parchment, which IMHO is an absolutely clear indicator Sam (at least) knew exactly who Jon Lovett was - which is hardly surprising, considering Sam works in media as well (he’s a sports writer employed in the publicity office of the Tennessee Titans).

Lovett did mention during the group washdown that he was a host of Pod Save America.  The wolf in wolf's clothing mentioned he had heard of it.

Edited September 19 by sugarbaker design

[AntFTW]

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I think comparing Andy to Bhanu is unfair...to Bhanu (words I never thought I would type, but here we are.) Bhanu's paranoia at least had some level of basis in reality and came after several days in the game. 

Agreed. Bhanu had actual reasons to be paranoid about the game. Bhanu received info and signs that his game was screwed and therefore became paranoid.

Bhanu's paranoia was about the game and came as a result of the game. Andy's paranoia was preexisting and brought into the game. Andy had already assumed he was unpopular before the immunity challenge. During the immunity challenge, he assumed he was going to be medically DQed out of the game. Once that's over, he assumes he's going to be voted out.

It felt like Andy was practically begging them to have TC right there on the spot after the challenge and vote him out.

ETA: If the tribe said they wanted to have TC right there on the spot, and Jeff said "ok, but it has to be unanimous so even Andy has to agree," I get the feeling that Andy's anxiety would have gotten him to agree to that because he already assumes the worst and seems resigned to accept it.

Edited September 19 by AntFTW

[Rodney]

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

Yeah; when Aysha was stumbling around in the woods bemoaning the lack of a path, my only thought was, “You’re on an island, dear, and trying to get back to the beach; I can’t tell you where the path is, but simply heading downhill would be a great frikkin’ start.”

Yeah, Aysha badly overthought that.  She should've just booked it straight back to the beach like T.K. did.  That's how he made up the time and won.

[Rodney]

2 hours ago, AntFTW said:

Neither did I. I must've missed it. I don't recall any mention of it in the episode.

Oh, no, it's in their bio.  It wasn't said onscreen.  So easy to miss since it hasn't been said on-air (yet).

Edited September 19 by Rodney

[Arkay]

2 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

That was Kyle not Andy.

Oh, it was? My mistake then….I can’t even visualize who Kyle is.

Okay, now I’m fully behind Andy having to go!

[surfgirl]

People like Andy had NO business being on a show like this. None whatsoever. He is so out of control and is mentally unstable, and that is neither entertaining to watch,  or is it a responsible/healthy thing ti do to a contestant. There is no way I will ever believe that casting had no idea he was this unstable. He cannot control himself ir his impulses at all. He is physically twitchy and to be honest, I would feel unsafe having him in my tribe. Imagine needing to sleep but wondering if you'd given Andy enough props thar day for having his forest bowel movement or opening his coconut and thus he might go off on you while you sleep. Yes, I think he's that off his rocker. And as for they're have to keep him because he's strong BS', he has not proven to be a physical strength and we've already seen his mental state so, yanno, thst was a bulkshit excuse to vote John out.

Now John also irritates me because he should have kept his mouth shut re his job if he's so well known, but nope, his ego couldn't allow him to just say he's something else instead. That mistake is on him IF he was voted out because of who he is (because being a high level speech writer would be a huge advantage in swaying others throughout the game).

The dude who went running through the forest while the rest of his tribe wondered where he was? Man that dude is clueless and CANNOT read a room! Talk about putting a target on your own back. 

Most of what I got last night is that this cast are a bunch of dimwits, and Peachy is working overtime to sell us this alleged NEW ERA bullshit when we all can see its basically the same old shit. The only difference between pre NEW ERA and actual NEW ERA is no guaranteed rice, 2-3 challenges regurgitates over and over, and too many nutter contestants. No thank you Jeffy, hard pass.

[Skooma]

10 hours ago, KeithJ said:

Also, I never really thought of this before but all the bamboo the players find for their shelter has gotta be pre-cut and left by the production crew.  The contestants just walk into the jungle and find perfectly cut bamboo just lying around?

They have done it for many many years.  They hold Survivor in Fiji and any natural growing bamboo would have been cut down and used years and years ago.

4 hours ago, SummerDreams said:

I think people are being too strict with Andy. He has obviously had his traumas and making fun of him is not the way to go. ...

It is here.  He signed up for this and he deserves every criticism he gets for especially throwing his "one friend" under the bus for no reason at all and doing it in front of all three tribes.  Lowest of the low. 

And wanting applause for opening a coconut?  Please.  He is the picture postcard of a generation that got way too many "participation trophies" and who thinks the entire world is about them and them alone.

Add all this into the fact that he is crazy as a loon and a ticking time bomb and Yellow Team deserves it's coming fate for not getting rid of this nut case asap.

3 hours ago, Arkay said:

Why are half the contestants podcasters or similar? 

A decade ago these types were "pharmacy reps" or "entrepreneurs" or some other fake occupation.  All code words in the day for either z-list mactors or wannabe mactors.

The type that wanted to be mactors back then now are wannabe internet stars and influencers.  In other words fame whore wannabes of the internet age.

Edited September 19 by Skooma

[Arkay]

28 minutes ago, surfgirl said:

The only difference between pre NEW ERA and actual NEW ERA is no guaranteed rice, 2-3 challenges regurgitates over and over, and too many nutter contestants. No thank you Jeffy, hard pass.

I miss the days of two finalists, not the no-vote goat that we’ve had now for far too long.

i also miss challenges that had no physical component, such as those multiple  choice  blocks they used to have to answer questions about their environment. 

[AntFTW]

Andy clearly has really bad anxiety issues. I think anxiety tends to create self-fulfilling prophecies. If your anxiety drives you to think that people dislike you, you'll likely act in a manner makes people dislike you, which then reinforces reaffirms and heightens the anxiety.

People are already barely sleeping and barely eating. Andy's anxiety keeps him up at night, and he wants to talk about it with someone he feels comfortable with, but no one wants to be woken up in the middle of the night when they're barely sleeping (and uncomfortably sleeping at that). People aren't in the position and don't have the strength to be Andy's emotional support blanket when he needs it and also be that for themselves because they are living this experience just like he is. Then, if they don't accept his emotional weight or say "please don't wake up" or say "we can't talk right now", he might interpret this as "they don't like me" and it makes him more erratic, which will make people dislike him.

2 hours ago, Skooma said:

It is here.  He signed up for this and he deserves every criticism he gets for especially throwing his "one friend" under the bus for no reason at all

His "best friend"

Drove that knife right into his BEST FRIEND's back.

Edited September 19 by AntFTW