S47.E12: Operation: Italy

[Rodney]

Castaways get the biggest reward of the season with surprise letters from home.  Then, balance and dexterity are tested at a crucial Immunity Challenge to guarantee a spot in the final six.

This is the episode's discussion thread for after the episode airs.

Edited December 4 by Rodney

[Rodney]

Admittedly, a good plan tonight.  But while I like Genevieve, I hate Andy and Sam and hate even more to see them get what they want.

The rest of you enjoy, though.  Shows your level of taste if you do.  *rme*

[mojoween]

Their wackass plan worked.  Woohoo!  Still can’t stand smug Andy.

Sue not playing her idol was delicious, though.

[Michichick]

4 minutes ago, Rodney said:

Admittedly, a good plan tonight.  But while I like Genevieve, I hate Andy and Sam and hate even more to see them get what they want.

The rest of you enjoy, though.  Shows your level of taste if you do.  *rme*

My taste level is divine. I don’t like Sam or Andy, and I like Caroline, but it’s fun to me to see a bigger alliance not get everything they want. Very glad Rachel had immunity tonight.

[LadyChatts]

I have no idea why we need a two-part finale.  

This episode was a roller coaster for me.  First I wanted Sam and Genevieve to stay so it wouldn't turn into a predictable steamroll, then I wanted Genevieve to go after talking with Teeny on the beach, then I wanted them to stay again after seeing how the 4 RC losers reacted to Sam not picking them.  I will say, I don't know that Teeny is 100% attached to anyone so if Sam picked her she might have been persuaded to leave the underdog alliance and vote with them (TBH, I feel like alliances have been somewhat loose all season and people are flip-flopping around).  But I still like Teeny.  At least they had the instinct that Genevieve's idol might not be real, and since they didn't get a good look I'll forgive them if they did eventually buy it was real.  I might have thought it was real though, simply because going to the Sanctuary and on rewards can sometimes mean finding an idol/advantage.

I also think Sam made the right choices.  If this plan didn't work, at least the others didn't get a nice meal, good night sleep, and letters from home when they probably were going to target him anyway.  I also don't feel too sorry for Genevieve, as I feel she put herself in the position she's in.

That plan was all Andy, though.  Who knew he'd actually be talking about what a strategic genius he was and actually have something good up his sleeve.  Even though they needed his vote, I'm not sure Sam and Genevieve were convincing enough to pull it off on their own.

The only thing I wish had happened is they targeted Sue over Caroline.  Especially seeing her smug reaction when Kyle walked in.  

Edited December 5 by LadyChatts

[Rodney]

What I don't get is why Andy jumped.  He literally had no reason to.  He'd wanted to work with Rachel for much of the game, got his chance to, and then burned her tonight for no reason at all.

[cdnalor]

4 minutes ago, Rodney said:

What I don't get is why Andy jumped.  He literally had no reason to.  He'd wanted to work with Rachel for much of the game, got his chance to, and then burned her tonight for no reason at all.

Andy wants everyone to see that he's playing the game, but flipping like that may backfire when it comes to jury votes.

I found Teeny to be a bit obnoxious today after she wasn't chosen for the reward.

[KeithJ]

So now it’s 3v3.  Rachel and Sue have idols and Rachel has a steal a vote. Rachel uses her steal a vote next week and they can vote someone out 3-2 then she has her idol for the final five.

Unless Sue or Teeny flip on her, they’re all in the final four with Andy, Genevieve, or Sam.

Edited December 5 by KeithJ

[LadyChatts]

14 minutes ago, Rodney said:

What I don't get is why Andy jumped.  He literally had no reason to.  He'd wanted to work with Rachel for much of the game, got his chance to, and then burned her tonight for no reason at all.

I think it could be one of two things: either Andy thinks it's a good resume move by flip-flopping (we saw Gabe mention in the jury that Andy flipped again) but I don't think it will be.  However, he could use the argument that he was doing what was best for his game and it got him to the end.  The other reason is maybe he felt on the bottom of the underdog alliance and saw this as his only opportunity to not be stuck in that position.  With some of the comments the girls made at TC, I can't blame him if he was thinking that.  

Andy was also allied with Sam at one point until the Sierra vote, so maybe he still felt a connection to him and wanted to help him out (thinking Sam would respect him now as a player).

[North of Eden]

Talk about a bitter pill to swallow...that the most strategic episode in years was masterminded by Andy!

As soon as they included that bit with Geneive saying all the reasons it wouldn't work, I knew that it was going to or they wouldn't have bothered to put that in. 

It really feels like it shouldn't have worked but somehow, they threaded the needle.

Caroline's genuine look of shock when she got a second vote was the money shot of the episide. She was so stunned she apparently forgot to hug Sue goodbye.

You know until the narrative veered into the whole Operation Italy thing it looked like the episode was a character study on Teeny's slow descent into madness. She was coming off as quite unhinged.

Genevieve I am enjoying as a good low-key villain. Her shades of gray make her a better watch than a mustache twirling, black hat like Russel Hanz.

Got to squeeze in my usual dig at the letters...c'mon people you just saw them 3 weeks ago and you'll be seeing them next week. Man up.

Anyway, with all that said I have no doubt in my mind Rachel already has the million dollars. There is nobody there left who can beat her.

Edited December 5 by North of Eden

[GenerationX]

Best ep of the season!  Well played.

[susannot]

Genevieve is not a villain!  She and Andy and Sam pulled off a masterful move.  Loved it!

 

[choclatechip45]

Great episode. I might have to root for Andy now. 

[LadyChatts]

39 minutes ago, North of Eden said:

 

Caroline's genuine look of shock when she got a second vote was the money shot of the episide. She was so stunned she apparently forgot to hug Sue goodbye.

What was funny is Caroline knew her name was being thrown out there (which I was disappointed about as I wanted this to be a complete blindside) and yet she looked stunned.  I mean the other 3 must have really gotten these guys good for her to look surprised it was her when she knew her name was out there.  
 

Maybe she was more stunned that Sue’s feeling of something going wrong didn’t kick in until it was too late to save her.  

Edited December 5 by LadyChatts

[Lantern7]

Which one was Caroline?

I watched the episode, but I felt it went by me. I’m just not caring. Maybe I’ll watch “live” for the “two-part finale.” Here’s what I got:

Andy: Dumbass, probably contributing to downfall of society working with AI.

Sam: Sports guy

Sue: Older lady

Teeny: Non-binary, occasionally wears cool shirts

Genevieve: ???

Rachel: ???

[Paws]

That was a really fun episode.  If Andy wins this, he won it here, and deserves it.  I’d rather Rachel win though. Teeny was my favorite player until this episode. She really does get way too emotional and isn’t a very good strategic player at all

[TVFan1]

Sad to see Caroline go, but hearing her talking in confessionals about winning the game, and all, that she was in trouble. Still can't stand Sam, Andy, or Genevieve, but I have to give them props for making the larger alliance split the vote. I'm just happy that Rachel won immunity and was safe tonight. She is the only one I'm rooting for.

[princelina]

1 hour ago, North of Eden said:

Talk about a bitter pill to swallow...that the most strategic episode in years was masterminded by Andy!

Haha no kidding!  I'll stop totally hating him since he gave me good tv tonight, but I still kind of hate him.  It will be awesome if Sue and Teeny hold giant grudges and give us a second awesome week of tv!

47 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

Great episode. I might have to root for Andy now. 

I would never go that far 😄

33 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Genevieve: ???

Rachel: ???

Genevieve:  giant white veneers

Rachel: cute with freckles and hopefully the winner!

 

[Steph Sometimes]

I'm not quite sure how I feel after all that. I didn't think Operation Italy was going to work, but good on them for making it happen (am I actually giving props to Andy?).

I'm all in on Rachel winning this thing. She needs to use her block the vote next and get the numbers back.

My favorite was when Sue told Caroline she had dirt on her face. Caroline, would it have killed you to return the favor?!

Edited December 5 by Steph Sometimes

[dancingdreamer]

Operation  Italy, I hoped it would of  been a bust.  Genevieve  is kinda smug, I don't  want her to win, or Sam.
Andy keeps flipping  and spilling , I'm not sure how they can't  see that.
Teeny has a pretty  good read on people,  I'd love her to win, or Rachel,  who should  of used her block a vote.!! Sue's  face is really dirty. She did say she'd use the idol on Caroline, if they thought she needed it. They should have stuck to their  original  plan. At this rate, Andy will win, he's moving  everyone around like chess pieces.

Edited December 6 by dancingdreamer

[HappyDancex2]

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

Which one was Caroline?

I watched the episode, but I felt it went by me. I’m just not caring. Maybe I’ll watch “live” for the “two-part finale.” Here’s what I got:

Andy: Dumbass, probably contributing to downfall of society working with AI.

Sam: Sports guy

Sue: Older lady

Teeny: Non-binary, occasionally wears cool shirts

Genevieve: ???

Rachel: ???

How can you not know who Genevieve is?  Didn’t you listen to her journey of being a person who was so deeply affected by a person she knew for 5 days saying “I trusted you” on a game called….Survivor…suffered so much trauma it made her “put up walls” so she wouldn’t have any more emotion for people?  So she played quiet and deep, she had no friends…NO FRIENDS….until she wept upon reading a letter from home that told her she needed to CONNECT and have a sense of COMMUNITY in this game to be ok with herself?

repeat story every episode x 5

[CoyoteBlue]

47 minutes ago, Steph Sometimes said:

My favorite was when Sue told Caroline she had dirt on her face. Caroline, would it have killed you to return the favor?!

Srsly, does Sue have a skin pigmentation condition? Because I cannot imagine she could be walking around looking that filthy that consistently otherwise.

Edited December 5 by CoyoteBlue

[Lantern7]

54 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

How can you not know who Genevieve is?  Didn’t you listen to her journey of being a person who was so deeply affected by a person she knew for 5 days saying “I trusted you” on a game called….Survivor…suffered so much trauma it made her “put up walls” so she wouldn’t have any more emotion for people?  So she played quiet and deep, she had no friends…NO FRIENDS….until she wept upon reading a letter from home that told her she needed to CONNECT and have a sense of COMMUNITY in this game to be ok with herself?

repeat story every episode x 5

In my defense, I don't pay close enough attention. The smart move would be to get off the bus until the fiftieth season starts up, but I'm not that bright.

[Andyourlittledog2]

Ugh, Sue. Ugh, Teeny. It's like Survivor: Middle School Edition.  Well I guess Sam can't sit with the cool kids any more.

I am completely astonished by how each of the remaining survivors has perfectly straight, pretty white teeth. Not a flaw among them. That seems statistically improbable.  I noticed this recently so I cannot say that this carries through the entire cast, but I'll bet it's close.

Was going to root for Teeny until tonight. She lost me entirely in her crazy eyed grudge against Sam. Sue and Teeny both have that look in their eyes like they could cut a $@tch.

Two episode finale over a two week period. Thanks a lot, Survivor.

 

 

[Arkay]

Well  I am properly shocked  that now I’m considering Andy to be a strategic player.  I have also awakened to the fact that Teeny is in fact operating on the emotional level of a 7th grader. (Something which I’ve known about Sue all along).

 

I don’t love Rachel but I do think she’s playing the best game. There’s really no one left for me to root for, once Sol and now Kyle were gone.

Yeah I agree that Sue and Caroline needed to be separated, but I too would’ve preferred Sue to be gone. Someone’s gotta rescue her anyway before her face melts any further.

[AntFTW]

Well... fuck. Andy's a genius.

You had to be extremely confident that everyone was going to do what you wanted them to do. That plan had so many moving parts and there were so many points of potential failure... and it worked. I'm actually shocked that plan worked.

Now, Andy really has to go. He seemed like a bumbling idiot, just skating by each week, and it was cute and all... but he has to go.

Edited December 5 by AntFTW

[Kenzie]

I've never read Sue's bio, is she a coal miner?

3 hours ago, Steph Sometimes said:

My favorite was when Sue told Caroline she had dirt on her face. Caroline, would it have killed you to return the favor?!

Yeah, that's the first time I've ever seen someone contour their nostrils from the inside.

[30 Helens]

Teeny, Teeny, Teeny. Who hurt you?? Methinks some buried issues are surfacing that have nothing to do with Sam, specifically. 

A two-part finale airing over the next two weeks? Isn’t that just, um, two more episodes? (I must say, I’ve really been enjoying this 14-part season.)

I want to know what goes into an Italian margarita. 

Possible smart move by Andy, but mostly just a flex move. He’ll have to be very careful after this, because he’s blown a lot of trust on both sides.

And about Andy’s emergence as a power player: As I’ve said before, his transformation fascinates me. But the kind of confidence (and borderline narcissism) he’s showing cannot be developed over one month on a game show. I’m now thinking his first-day freakout and subsequent meek behavior may have been a calculated ruse, designed to make everyone underestimate him. And if so… brilliant strategist or psychopath? You decide.

Meanwhile, Sue continues to disintegrate in her weeks-long audition for the reboot of an old HBO show. Good luck, Sue! (Seriously, good luck. And go see somebody, quick.)

 

 

[WatcherUp2]

I can't decide if Andy suddenly got smart or if he's in the "broken clock that's right twice a day" category. Not sure if he's been right twice yet, though.

I wonder if Sue had told Caroline she'd play her idol for her (like she told the camera) and then didn't play it. That would explain Caroline not saying a warm farewell to her supposed bestie.

I guess I'm rooting for Rachel, because the others are mostly all big whiny babies who indulge in temper tantrums. I liked Teeny until this week. What the hell was that all about? If this was a longer season, I think some of these players would go in for cannibalism, the way they talk about other people who might *gasp* also want to win, as their mortal enemies.

Edited December 5 by WatcherUp2

[Tdoc72]

10 minutes ago, WatcherUp2 said:

I can't decide if Andy suddenly got smart or if he's in the "broken clock that's right twice a day" category. Not sure if he's been right twice yet, though.

 

He’s grown on me a lot. I can’t wait to see how he tries to spin this.   At the end of tribal council, he told Teeny he’d explain. 

48 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

 

And about Andy’s emergence as a power player: As I’ve said before, his transformation fascinates me. But the kind of confidence (and borderline narcissism) he’s showing cannot be developed over one month on a game show. I’m now thinking his first-day freakout and subsequent meek behavior may have been a calculated ruse, designed to make everyone underestimate him. And if so… brilliant strategist or psychopath? You decide.

 

 

 

Interesting theory about it all being a mind game, but wouldn’t he have told us in a confessional?

[violet and green]

Baby Andy is all grown up! That was a lot of fun. Thank god someone switched things up. I really enjoyed the utter shock on Caroline's face at the final vote. Sue did tell her she'd play her idol for her if she got a funny feeling at tribal... Glad she didn't, as the old chimney sweep is going to need it herself.

Also, so much shiny shiny hair and so many bright white teef...

[JudyObscure]

6 hours ago, princelina said:

It will be awesome if Sue and Teeny hold giant grudges and give us a second awesome week of tv!

I'm counting on it! 

Teeny disappointed me with her grudge against Sam based entirely on his type.  I share that bias, but I don't lean into it with such gusto.

We're seeing the real Genevieve, too.  The way she dismissed Teeny in mid-sentence gave me a peek at how it must be to work with her.

I think it's pretty clear now that Sue does not have a skin condition or an allergy to water, she's purposely wallowing in the mud because she thinks it makes her look badass. 

The finale should be exciting. I wish they wouldn't always rush the ending, Two more shows would be great.

[thesupremediva1]

Wow, that was NOT a good look for Teeny tonight. A season-long sympathetic edit got flushed down the toilet in one ep. We thought Sue was bad?? What a brat.

Thrilled to see the two of them stunned into silence, especially after their glee at ousting Kyle.

Rooting for Sam now.

And my taste level is *choice* thank you very much.

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, Tdoc72 said:

He’s grown on me a lot. I can’t wait to see how he tries to spin this.   At the end of tribal council, he told Teeny he’d explain. 

Interesting theory about it all being a mind game, but wouldn’t he have told us in a confessional?

Andy said in a confessional in this episode that he wanted people to think of him as a goat (i.e., a worthless player who gets dragged along to the FTC because he's no threat) from early on. So that indicates a strategy behind his early game. (Or it could just be spin control)

A lot of his previous confessionals seemed to be talking about how people were underestimating him but he was REALLY a smiling assassin, a spinner of webs, with great relationships with everyone, manipulating everyone, etc. He or the powers that be seemed to definitely play on the Clark Kent/Superman dichotomy by doing a lot of stuff with him taking off his glasses.

Those previous confessionals all looked pretty delusional to me because we didn't see his manipulations pay off generally or at all (with the exception of "manipulating" Sue into hating Kyle, which is the equivalent of manipulating water to be wet) and because his early efforts did seem overly pathetic to be fake. The nobody-clapped-when-I-cracked-a-coconut business was something that he said in a confessional, not to the group IIRC.

But damn if he didn't back that talk up! Operation Italy couldn't have succeeded without him. He planned it. It was almost pitch-perfect. The one thing that they didn't account for is if Rachel had thought further ahead in the 4D chess and used her block-a-vote to make sure that in their way of thinking Genevieve and Sam had only one vote at at most two, if as they knew was a possibility, Andy flipped. In such a scenario, even if Genevieve's idol is real and played, Andy and Sam/Genevieve could at best force a tie with the split votes of Caroline/Sue or Rachel/Teeny, and then then (in this instance) Rachel/Sue/Teeny would outvote Andy/Sam or Andy/Genevieve. 

9 hours ago, Rodney said:

What I don't get is why Andy jumped.  He literally had no reason to.  He'd wanted to work with Rachel for much of the game, got his chance to, and then burned her tonight for no reason at all.

He had absolutely nothing worthwhile on his Survivor Resume up till now. He had everyone perceiving him as just Hapless Andy. He was, at best, going to be brought to FTC as a goat where he would get no votes. More likely, he was at the bottom of a 5 person alliance and would get voted off at 5 once he was no longer useful as a number.

He now has perhaps the best line on a Survivor Resume of this season and of probably any season of the last few seasons: Orchestrated blindside of Caroline through a multipart plan we dubbed Operation Italy. He has gone from the bottom of a dominant alliance to an equal partner in a 3 vs. 3 situation. This could (and frankly probably should) have him get voted off in 6th.  But if he's the silver-tongued, webspinning manipulator that he claims he is, maybe he CAN explain to Teeny and the rest why he blew up the Underdog Alliance. Maybe he can say look, Sam and Genevieve are still the bigger threats. So let's get them. Nobody's on that jury is going to vote for me...I'm still safe to bring to the FTC...so don't vote me. Maybe he can kick in the afterburners and win immunity.

9 hours ago, North of Eden said:

Anyway, with all that said I have no doubt in my mind Rachel already has the million dollars. There is nobody there left who can beat her.

She still has to get to the end, which is pretty likely at this point but not guaranteed. As someone posted up thread, she should be able to get to F4 easily. Block a vote at F6 means Sue/Teeny/Rachel can vote off whoever is vulnerable among Andy/Sam/Genevieve. Spending an idol at F5 means she cruises into F4. But would she be able to win immunity at F4? If she doesn't, I don't think anyone is going to bring her. So then she'd have to fire-make her way. To use imprecise Andy-style statistics, she would have a 25 percent chance of not making FTC from there. 

As this episode shows, someone's Resume can change at any time. But here's my best summary of what each has accomplished in the game.

Rachel: I won two immunity idols at key points, allowing us to get rid of massive challenge threat Kyle, and avoiding being the target of Operation Italy. Then I earned two key advantages to make sure Operation Italy didn't have a lasting effect to result in the voting off of two members of that alliance. I formed good relationships with everyone. 

Andy: You thought I was this bumbling idiot, but really I'm a smiling assassin! I meant to do all that dumb shiznit! Fooled ya! Operation Italy! Operation Italy! Operation Italy! But don't hate the player, hate the game. (I think if Andy gets to the end, he has a good shot of winning over Rachel or anyone)

Genevieve: I rediscovered how to listen to my heart and reach out and developed ties to all of you...just in time for jury season. That wasn't a coldblooded, transparent ploy that a corporate lawyer came up with. Synergy! Thinking outside the box!

Sue: Surprise, I'm really in my 60s! I kept up with you younguns and won an individual immunity. Plus i'm nice and grandma-ey.

Sam: I was on the outs until I learned to be honest. And then I learned to lie again. Despite being seen as a power couple with Sierra, I managed to get here. I also formed a bond with Andy and co-collaborated with him in Project Italy.

Teeny: I'm cute and non-binary and I learned about emotions and stuff while not impacting the game much.

[KeithJ]

10 hours ago, Rodney said:

What I don't get is why Andy jumped.  He literally had no reason to.  He'd wanted to work with Rachel for much of the game, got his chance to, and then burned her tonight for no reason at all.

I don't quite understand it either.  If he didn't jump, he was going to be guaranteed final 4 and, at worst, he'd be making fire.  Now he's in a 3v3 situation and everyone knows about Rachel's steal a vote so he's really in a 2v3 situation and only has a chance to make it to fire (if he doesn't win immunities).

[Haleth]

I don’t know if Andy is a genius or a loose cannon. 

[cdnalor]

I'd give the million dollars to Rachel mainly because she found a practical use for the SITD when she played it to see if she needed to use her idol.  She's a pretty smart player and a decent challenge competitor.

[Skooma]

12 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

That plan was all Andy, though.  Who knew he'd actually be talking about what a strategic genius he was and actually have something good up his sleeve.  Even though they needed his vote, I'm not sure Sam and Genevieve were convincing enough to pull it off on their own.

The only thing I wish had happened is they targeted Sue over Caroline.  Especially seeing her smug reaction when Kyle walked in.  

Oh yes.  They should have taken Sue out.  Not only would they have eliminated a hidden idol they didn't know existed by luck but they would have spared me having to watch her next week which is the most important of the two. 

(I'm guessing the "Vengeance is mine saith the Sue" will be on full blast next week targeting Andy causing Sue's "beloved daughter" in game to go).

12 hours ago, Rodney said:

What I don't get is why Andy jumped.  He literally had no reason to.  He'd wanted to work with Rachel for much of the game, got his chance to, and then burned her tonight for no reason at all.

He knew he was the fifth wheel at the very bottom.  Also the resume stuff these players are obsessed with.

11 hours ago, North of Eden said:

You know until the narrative veered into the whole Operation Italy thing it looked like the episode was a character study on Teeny's slow descent into madness. She was coming off as quite unhinged.

Genevieve I am enjoying as a good low-key villain. Her shades of gray make her a better watch than a mustache twirling, black hat like Russel Hanz.

Yeah Teeny lost major points with a lot of us I am guessing.  Now I love pizza but even I think that was a tad over the line, hah.

And yes a sneaky big corporation lawyer is the perfect villain.  Her ability to shut off her play acting to Teeny in that convo when Teeny wasn't buying it and left was chilling.

I've liked Sam and Andy from the get go and am glad to see Andy bring more than just the comedy so I'm glad they survived.  I fear next week with a known "block a vote" and two not known immunity idols in play for the other side Operation Italy will be their high water mark though.

But Sam and Andy remain my two favorites no matter what.  And I respect Rachael's play.  Teeny slipped down a few rungs.  And I cannot stand either Vengeance Is Always Mine Sue or Cold Corporation Lawyer Claiming to Be the Tin Woodsman Finding a Heart Genevieve.

Weird factoid.  The always dysfunctional and backstabbing Yellow Tribe had 3 of it's members somehow make the final 6.  Meanwhile Red Tribe's big numbers just a few tribals ago got taken down 4, 3, 2 and now just 1 left.

Edited December 5 by Skooma

[TVbitch]

54 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

I don't quite understand it either.  If he didn't jump, he was going to be guaranteed final 4 and, at worst, he'd be making fire.  Now he's in a 3v3 situation and everyone knows about Rachel's steal a vote so he's really in a 2v3 situation 

Was going to say exact same thing. Perhaps he felt he needed the big move. 

I would not put it past production to "guide" Andy toward the story that he came off as weak initially as a ploy but was masterminding the whole time. I recently saw Vice's "Dark Side of Reality TV" on Survivor and former players said production suggested "character notes" to them and what would make good TV, and even nudged them on who to vote for. 

[Skooma]

^  Andy would not have made final 4 if he stuck with the so-called "underdogs" if the other 4 had their way.  He was the fifth wheel.  The bottom feeder.  The 4 women had a inner 4 alliance inside that one.

And the TV show you saw was all about the very early seasons and Season 1 in particular.  No need to do that stuff these days.  Contestants nowadays aren't going to stick to one alliance all game long etc.

Edited December 5 by Skooma

[LadyChatts]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

I don’t know if Andy is a genius or a loose cannon. 

Genius might be a stretch but I think he’s both, if that’s possible.  

[KeithJ]

52 minutes ago, Skooma said:

^  Andy would not have made final 4 if he stuck with the so-called "underdogs" if the other 4 had their way.  He was the fifth wheel.  The bottom feeder.  The 4 women had a inner 4 alliance inside that one.

Ah you're right.  I got my counts all mixed up.  He was definitely fifth there. I guess this way it at least gets him to four unless the girls get pissed he flipped and he goes next.

[SummerDreams]

Andy's plan was impressive but I think it will be the reason he will be voted out next.

I'm starting to see a chance Rachel wins.

[RedbirdNelly]

I was not an Andy fan but full props to him for last night, and props to the acting talents of all 3. That no one backed out/got cold feet/over acted, etc. was impressive. It was especially nice after Teeny arrogantly announces at tribal that the pecking order has been set.

I liked Teeny previously but what the heck was that melt down? What did Sam do that was so awful besides have the nerve to win a challenge? to complain about not being picked was indirectly saying "yea, I'm obviously the most likely of this 5 to flip" to her alliance members. Also, the 4 pretty strongly dissed Andy at tribal--referring to him as part of those 3, which if he was wavering, gave him full reason to follow through with Operation Italy. We're past the years of being ok with 5th. 

The nice thing for all 3 in Operation Italy was that they had very little to lose. None were obsessed with going out in 7 vs 5th place, etc. Andy had more on the line but seemed to get he was in 5th most likely. 

As it turned out, picking only Andy from the 5 was smart (while also lucky since it was Andy's plan)--if you are trying a flip move, only having to get one person on board can be easier than trying to convince 2. If he'd taken Teeny and they came up with a plan, odds are Teeny goes back to camp and spills all the beans, I was just faking etc. Working with one person simplified things in this case vs wasting an opportunity. 

One thing I've realized is how much I lean towards the underdog (unless I just despise them for some reason). The underdog alliance were ahead 5 -2 which made them not underdogs, and I found myself not rooting for them as a result. Even though I'm otherwise neutral on Sam and think Genevieve stupidly dug her own grave by masterminding a move against Sol that was not needed.

[AntFTW]

3 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

The nobody-clapped-when-I-cracked-a-coconut business was something that he said in a confessional, not to the group IIRC.

He did say that to the group.

[fishcakes]

I loved that Operation Italy worked, even though I would have preferred to see Sue or Rachel voted out. Caroline is too boring for me to care about. I'm a little surprised it wasn't Sue because she's been better in challenges than Caroline, but her name never comes up, so she probably has goat immunity. They might just regard her as the filthy elderly woman who won't shut up about Kyle even after he's gone.

8 hours ago, CoyoteBlue said:

Srsly, does Sue have a skin pigmentation condition? Because I cannot imagine she could be walking around looking that filthy that consistently otherwise.

A couple of weeks ago I was thinking it was a skin condition because the discoloration was in the same places on her face for at least 3 episodes. But since then we've seen her be a little cleaner and now much dirtier again. They tried to explain it by showing her crawling on the ground, but unless she's putting her whole face in the dirt and grinding it around, I don't think that's the reason. Whoever it was here that last week said she's deliberately putting dirt on her face as a substitute for contouring makeup is probably on to something.

Teeny, aaah, I don't even know. I was starting to like her and then she went insane and not even in a way that's fun to mock like when what's-her-name last season lost her shit over an Applebee's burger.

12 minutes ago, RedbirdNelly said:

I liked Teeny previously but what the heck was that melt down? What did Sam do that was so awful besides have the nerve to win a challenge? to complain about not being picked was indirectly saying "yea, I'm obviously the most likely of this 5 to flip" to her alliance members.

lol, she did show her hand there by complaining to the others that if Sam were smart he'd be trying to get her to flip instead of Andy. I think Teeny probably will try to flip next week because Rachel will likely still be the target and if she wins immunity again, which seems like a decent bet, someone she's allied with is getting axed.

[SummerDreams]

21 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

He did say that to the group.

This incident has come out of proportion in my opinion. What he said was that he was feeling like he didn't belong in the group, and he gave an example that, while people were clapping for Jon doing the stupidest thing like opening a coconut, they weren't doing the same for him, giving him the impression that they didn't like him and accept him in the group. It was just a feeling he had and an example he used to show his emotions. In no way was he really expecting people to clap for him opening a coconut. This just became a whole story that the editors used to make it funny and exaggerate his point of view.

[Tachi Rocinante]

Sue is taking mud mask treatments to new extremes.

Teeny, thy name is Hypocrite.

Genevieve is a good example of why some women hate working for other women.

[Tippi]

Maybe it's just the time of the year, but I was startled by the resemblance of the dirty faced player to both the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who.

Kudos to Andy for pulling off a big move and at least saving this episode from being a complete bore.  The little hate fest at camp while the others had their reward was really off putting.

 

[bankerchick]

22 minutes ago, SummerDreams said:

This incident has come out of proportion in my opinion. What he said was that he was feeling like he didn't belong in the group, and he gave an example that, while people were clapping for Jon doing the stupidest thing like opening a coconut, they weren't doing the same for him, giving him the impression that they didn't like him and accept him in the group. It was just a feeling he had and an example he used to show his emotions. In no way was he really expecting people to clap for him opening a coconut. This just became a whole story that the editors used to make it funny and exaggerate his point of view.

Respectfully disagree.  He mentioned it in a comment to the camera, which struck me as a weird thing to be upset about.  When he mentioned it again while lying on the ground at the immunity challenge as part of his 'woe is me' rant, it was obvious to me that he seriously considered this to be another example of people not liking him and him always being the outsider.  YMMV.

ps.  you haven't mentioned his beautiful teeth and hair yet?  (I do agree with you on this.)

Teeny lost not only her mind, but a lot of respect from fans last night.  What the hell was that?  OK, everyone who wasn't the football jock or part of his crew always hates those guys, mostly because they're jealous, but articulate some valid reasons why he should be voted out instead of acting like a 3rd grader who didn't get invited to the party.

Is it possible as someone mentioned above that Sue is using dirt as makeup?  The giant square of dirt beside her mouth when she was talking to Caroline had me wondering if it was a bruise or some kind of filler fail.  It was too symmetrical/square-edged to be dirt from crawling around but later in the episode it was gone, replaced with different dirt in a different area.