S47.E14: The Last Stand

[Rodney]

The stakes could not be higher at a crucial, muddy Immunity Challenge.  Castaways must spark a win or flame out at a fire-making showdown to earn their way to the final three.  Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the one-million-dollar prize.

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

[Rodney]

That Immunity Challenge was intense!  They were all actually in it for much of the challenge!  But thank goodness that Rachel took, because I did not want Sam to win that!

Sue going with Rachel to the Final Tribal Council seemed right, since Sue had been loyal to Rachel longer than Teeny or Sam.

Poor Teeny.  Got so close with the fire, but just got unlucky with that wind.

Rachel crushed Final Tribal Council.  The editors tried to make it seem like Sam did, too, but it's clear from the votes that he didn't.  Sue was treated as a non-entity.

7-1-0, with Sue goose-egging and Sam only getting Kyle (for a reason barely related to the game)?  Even Sierra not voting for Sam?  I think that Caroline and possibly Gabe even voted for Rachel, not Sue, to not risk Sam winning.

Well-earned ending to this game, and congrats to Rachel!

On a final note, I wish that the show could find some way to have the pre-jury castaways at the reunion, too.

[LadyChatts]

Rachel wasn’t my choice but I can’t say it was undeserved.  I wanted her or Sam and I'm glad both got votes, as I think they deserved to finish as the top 2.  I had high hopes for Sue at the start of the season but she started getting way too vindictive and taking things personally.  I don't really know why she thought her game was so great, she did well in challenges in the beginning and managed to keep her idol mostly under wraps.  Beyond that, she acted as though she did something masterful.  I felt her logic and arguments were more old-school.

The end game of this season was really dumb luck for a lot of people.  Because the people who got outplayed on a particular vote were dumber that time (and then it seemed to flip-flop the following week over who the dumb ones were).  

Despite her bitter rants and personal grudges for no apparent reason, I like Teeny and I’m glad they could acknowledge at least that their hate for Sam was more on them than anything Sam did personally.  Hopefully they can grow from this experience.  I did feel for them during the fire-making challenge because that was a rough loss.  They did everything right but the wind must have been a Sam fan.  I really thought it was going to be a blow-out win so I’m glad it was close and went to the underdog. 

 
Overall, my favorite season of the new era.  I did think the finale was pretty dull and obvious (minus the fire-making challenge, which was the most unpredictable thing to happen), but overall there were a lot of positive points to this season and cast.  Hope to see many of them return in the future!  

Also want to give a shout-out to our little community here, which may not have the numbers it once did but it’s nice to have somewhere to talk about the show and where we can respectfully share our opinions, even when we disagree :)     
 

Edited Thursday at 03:05 AM by LadyChatts

[Tango64]

Sam prevailed in the fire challenge, but if I worked so hard to get on Survivor, I’d immediately print out the acceptance email and run outside to use it practicing how to make fire. Then I’d do that 10 times a day and all day during the game while others are sitting around camp. How do you go on Survivor and not be -very- proficient at making fire?

[Skooma]

Well that was pretty anti-climatic given Rachel was near impossible to not win entering into this last episode.

She deserved it, sure.  But she got a lot of lucky breaks too.  I liked Sam way more.  He did have to scramble all the way through the merge portion of the game where for some reason he was viewed as a big threat and never got handed help out of the blue or in some french fries.

[KeithJ]

So they took our three hour finale, turned it into a four hour finale, and we got an even shorter reunion?

Very happy Rachel won.  Seemed Like Sue’s only argument to the jury was that she’s actually 58 and that she’d be the oldest woman to win Survivor?

Edited Thursday at 03:41 AM by KeithJ

[North of Eden]

In the spirit of the season: "Teacher says every time Jeff says only four women have ever won four individual immunities an angel gets its wings"

Thank you ZuZu and yes Jeff we heard you the first time!

As for the episode some quick observations:

Someone check Teeny's string to make sure it really wasn't disguised wire. How it could not burn in the middle of an inferno does not add up.

I thought last episode it was foolish not to boot Andy because Sam was more likely to get votes. I'm glad he didn't or the season would have been cringe. Its been clear for weeks now Rachel had it in the bag if she got to the end. Its funny I hated her first episode as I thought she was a mean girl but in the end was cheering her on.

Andy name droppig past SURVIVORS is why I gave up ROB HAS A PODCAST. I got tired of Rob and Steven name dropping people that we are supposed to remember who they are out of 700 contestants.

Did Geneve speak in the jury cross exam? I must have missed it.

Guess I'm in the minority but I don't think Sam gave a good tribal at all. It was embarassing his attempts to downplay and undercut Rachel's clear victories and prowess.

I was a Sue fan from episode one so good on her for making it to the end. She was never going to win but she wasn't dragged along either....she gave some good performances in challenges despite what Kyle wants to say.

Jeff was just shining Teeny...she had a near psychotic break over Sam not taking her to the challenge a couple episodes ago making her appear unhinged. Who knew moving desks around was a high school goal these days.

Well that's it for these guys....I got to say based on the previews Season 48 may boast one of the most unattractives casts in the shows  history. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

I am glad Rachel won, but dang, I wish we could have sped up the pace getting to that almost foregone conclusion. I think if we just did the immunity challenge, Rachel saying "I know I'm putting Teeny and Sam in fire," the practice, the firemaking challenge and then go straight to the F3 tribal council, that would have shaved like 45 minutes and made it possible to have more of a reunion.

I propose that the game get switched up such that the final four all have to make fire. The first two to burn their ropes get to make their case to the jury. I'm tired of F3s where someone is a goat who has no business there. Has there ever been a close enough vote between the three finalists that it justifies having a third? Or is it usually either a runaway winner, or a close contest between 1st and 2nd with an also-ran?

I thought it was a bad omen that they talked about the women who won 4 immunity challenges but not Sole Survivor. I thought that Rachel made a strategic mistake by not bringing Teeny (who would likely have gotten 0 votes) and having Sue take Sam out. I did think that there was a potential 2-3 votes for Sam in Sierra, Andy and Genevieve. I didn't really think that Kyle would vote for Sam. It felt in part like it was less about Sam and more about him not liking someone saying Rachel supplanted him as challenge beast and/or wanting to stick it to Sue one more time.

Incidentally, it grates that Sue calls it "Tweedleydee" or whatever. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

11 minutes ago, North of Eden said:

Guess I'm in the minority but I don't think Sam gave a good tribal at all. It was embarassing his attempts to downplay and undercut Rachel's clear victories and prowess.

If you're in the minority, I'm right there with you. I think it was a particularly poor tribal. There was a way to try to pump up his strategic prowess. Or even if he wanted to throw shade at Rachel, to do so more effectively.

Meanwhile, I did love Rachel throwing shade at him about how trying to pump up her skill but failing to get rid of her was a bad move on his part. So maybe I'm just biased here.

I would have liked Rachel to take him down further and to be like, "Sam, the only reason you're sitting here is because Sue and I decided Andy was a bigger threat than you after HE masterminded Operation Italy. The truth is, you have won no challenges. You have just been meandering around after you lost Sierra. You orchestrated nothing. You built no meaningful alliances. You are deserving of nothing but a pity vote."

[dancingdreamer]

Such a satisfying  ending. I was so glad Rachel won. Sam came at her pretty  hard defending  himself. Well done Sue, it's tough for young players, and she was much older ( as she repeated a few times) 
 Teeny s  fire was an inferno,  but the wind blew it in another  direction, I think  she is well spoken, I hope she takes nothing  but positivity  home with her.

Will I watch the next Survivor,  you betcha, haven't  missed one yet.

[Jodithgrace]

When Sam got all mysterious about his jury speech, during the final three breakfast,  I thought maybe he was going to say something surprising like that he was really 60, but there were no big revelations, though he was articulate.

My closed captioning had Teeny claiming to have “Side kick” energy. I couldn’t imagine what that was until I realized that she must have said psychic energy. I love CC. I was once watching a voted out survivor interview on a morning show, and the host asked the person if they had made any “appliances” while on the island. 
 

But I digress. I absolutely knew that Sam was going to win the fire making, because I know survivor and how things are edited.  Just like the player who boasts about how well they are playing….we all know that they are about to be voted out. Well, Sam was presented as the worst fire maker in the history of the show. But then he read that letter from his dad and he went back, and by gum, learned to make fire! So of course Sam was going to win. But watching the competition, I actually thought I was wrong, that there was no way Teeny could lose. Ha! 
 

I was rooting for Rachel and I was glad she won, but that reunion show was a waste of time.

Did Teeny ask a question at the FTC? I don’t recall her asking one. 

[TVFan1]

Rachel is a very deserving winner. I thought Sam would have gotten more than just one vote, but Rachel took 7 out of 8 votes. Count me in of those that were against the whole Gata tribe after episode one to me really rooting for Rachel for weeks to win the whole thing. Proud of her win. 

The aftershow was only about 25 minutes. I wish the pre jury could attend, but with that length of it, they would have most likely been ignored or just there.

[princelina]

15 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

My closed captioning had Teeny claiming to have “Side kick” energy. I couldn’t imagine what that was until I realized that she must have said psychic energy.

No, I believe she did say "side-kick" energy.  But now she knows how to stand on her own and live life independently, etc.

Does anyone else besides Mr. P and me wonder how Sol dresses when he's just walking around his town living his life? 😄

[violet and green]

2 minutes ago, princelina said:

Does anyone else besides Mr. P and me wonder how Sol dresses when he's just walking around his town living his life? 😄

Like a prince! An Arabian prince. Like a king!

I bet he has his own wind machine that follows him everywhere as he struts down the road to a secret rhythm in skintight pants and a vest, flicking his hair back with his bejewelled and nail-polished fingers.

[GenerationX]

I found myself rooting for Sam.  He adapted and pivoted well, while being entertaining in interviews.  He played a far more active game than Rachel, who didn't have to do anywhere near the scrambling Sam did due to her immunity wins and advantages.  She certainly played well and deserved the win; I just had more appreciation for his game.

[violet and green]

My heart sank when I saw that final immunity challenge - with a freaking puzzle at the end. It really couldn't have been any more obvious who was going to win the challenge, and hence the season.

Jeff's intro to the episode, also, was so "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel, and the rest" that it rather took any excitement out of the equation. So I hoped there'd be a surprise event that overturned her obvious run to the finish... Nope.

I too came round to rooting for Sam. Great moment when he won the fire making. I watched the jury's reactions three times. (Sol, sitting there, impassive, stoic, unmoved!) I thought he did really well in the final tribal, too.

Sue handled herself really well, looking proud of herself and poised, and pleased for both Rachel and Sam. I'm glad she made it to the final three. And whatever anyone says about her age or her looks or her presentation, she was out there roughing it (with some sulky babies) along with a cast that was mostly half her age, won a challenge outright and came close to winning several others - and if it had been an endurance final challenge I bet she would have won that one, too.

Kind of a dull ending to the season. Operation Italy was the peak, and then it was very predictable from there on in.

 

[Andyourlittledog2]

Teeny doesn't want Sam to get in her head.  Sorry kid, apparently he's been living inside your skull since before you knew he existed. That's quite a feat!  Please seek psychological counseling when you get home.

I really hate the way that Sue and Teeny especially act about Sam.  It's like middle school level maturity. Very unpleasant to watch. I really don't like either of them.

 

 

[choclatechip45]

Glad Rachel won, but that was one bad final tribal council perfomance!

[30 Helens]

 Congratulations to the bitter jury, for meeting their obligation with minimal acrimony. Except for Kyle. BAD DOG, KYLE. BAD. DOG.

As the questioning went on, I really thought Rachel was getting screwed. In my mind, she was the obvious winner, but the jury seemed to like Sam more, for reasons I don’t understand. I would have ranked Sue above him, for the simple fact that her age placed her at a significant disadvantage in terms of TC voting, and so the fact that she survived all that while even gaining an immunity necklace or two earned my respect, I can’t think of anything of note that Sam accomplished. He looked like a challenge beast, but he was not a challenge beast. Or a strategic player. He just existed. 

I kind of wanted to see Sue in the fire-making challenge, just so she could cement her legacy as the Soot Queen (aka literal Cinderella). At least she cleaned her face for the finale.

This was a really good season, with a worthy winner, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing Andy again, but I can’t be mad about that. I have a feeling we won’t be seeing Gabe again, and I can’t be mad about that, either. Everything works out in the end.

In terms of the finale, I know Jeff has become attached to his immediate post-vote discussion for its “realness”, but I have to say that I miss the big arena show. Yes, there were drawbacks, like questions from 9-year-olds that ground everything to a halt, but I liked seeing the full cast, and how everyone looked with 3 too many coats of mascara. Both forums have their advantages, and I just wish they would do both. They certainly have the capability.

 

[Lantern7]

Another season in the books, and it will probably be forgotten two weeks into S48. Probst should just admit that he's just treading water until S50 rolls around.

Like I said in the live thread: the last challenge should be firemaking between all four players, in front of the jurors, with the vote taking place immediately afterward. Those that didn't win would vote, and if it results into a 1-1-1 (as opposed to 2-1), the person that won the challenge would cast the deciding vote. The last challenge here was impressive, but it could've been held at any time. At least we didn't have yet another endurance contest.

Seriously, in about 2-3 months, we're not going to remember how good Rachel was, how dumb Andy was, how old Sue was, and how the wind totally hosed Teeny. Hell, it might be 2-3 weeks.

[Duke Silver]

Honestly, I stopped watching after Rachel won the IC.  It was all over but the crying at that point, and I don't find any of the final 4 particularly compelling.

[SummerDreams]

I honestly can't remember the last time I watched a whole episode of the finale with anticipation to see who the winner is. Not that I disliked all winners but it was really obvious who it would be. I don't care for Rachel like she doesn't care for leaving a name behind, so yeah, thanks everyone for the discussions in here and see you in three months. 😉

[OutOfTheQuestion]

51 minutes ago, SummerDreams said:

I don't care for Rachel like she doesn't care for leaving a name behind

I thought this was a great approach.  Sam and Rome and so many other superfan types are all about being "Survivor legends" to try and get return appearances.  Rachel was happy to show up, win, and I'd be surprised if we ever see her again unless they do another all-winners season.

[SummerDreams]

59 minutes ago, OutOfTheQuestion said:

I thought this was a great approach.  Sam and Rome and so many other superfan types are all about being "Survivor legends" to try and get return appearances.  Rachel was happy to show up, win, and I'd be surprised if we ever see her again unless they do another all-winners season.

Being the winner of a game with such history makes you carry a burden as well in my opinion which you can't and shouldn't deny. Rachel was only there for the money and this is not something I respect. Remember the winners of Olympic games in the ancient history only cared for the olive branch which was the only reward. Rachel with this answer does not belong in the winners' list in my view so I don't see her as one. 

[dizzyd]

7 hours ago, KeithJ said:

 

So they took our three hour finale, turned it into a four hour finale, and we got an even shorter reunion?

 

 

7 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

 

I am glad Rachel won, but dang, I wish we could have sped up the pace getting to that almost foregone conclusion.

 

The 3h finale began with 5 left and the endgame usually has less material so I’m glad they did 6-4 in 1 episode and 4-1 in a shorter finale. And like most have said, Rachel was the clear winner after last week, so there was not that much to discuss, so no point in dragging it out longer. 
 

After the jury stank faces every week, last night was a letdown, jury was all respect. Yet, overall, a pretty good season and I was content with the winner 2 years in a row.

[JudyObscure]

5 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Congratulations to the bitter jury, for meeting their obligation with minimal acrimony. Except for Kyle. BAD DOG, KYLE. BAD. DOG.

Thank you for the Kyle=Old Yeller laughs and @violet and green for once calling  Sue as "a little chimneysweep," and all the other laughs this season without which it would have been pretty blah.

Rachel deserved her win, but was never particularly likeable to me.

Sam proved to be a sheep in wolf's clothing and he reeked of that scent of entitlement that would let him win a spot on Survivor and then not spend one minute making fire.

Sue believing she should win just because she was old was some weird thinking.

Kyle thinking Sam should win because he told the saddest story at final tribal was pretty weird, too.

What I took away from the finale was that Genevieve produced a lot of sneering eye rolls and her odd suggestion that Rachel's speech should have been all about how superior she was to everyone else. Shudder. 

I found Teeny to be my favorite cast member this time.  Their story about guys like Sam "being picked to move furniture around" and earning the admiration of all the girls, gave me more insight into how it might feel to be in the wrong body (or at least mixed up) than I've ever had, and I already had a lot of sympathy there. 

[seacliffsal]

My view of Sue was totally affirmed when she stated that she had lied about her age and then proclaimed that she played an honest and loyal game.  Alrighty.  My understanding of 'honest' differs from hers...  I guess she also forgot to mention how strong she was at holding a grudge...

As a teacher of several (several, not seven former survivor contestant whose name I can't even remember) decades, I don't understand Teeny's statement related to teachers asking certain kinds of students to move desks.  ALL of my students were expected to move their own desks (high school students).  And, way to totally stereotype another person (Sam).  Lack of tolerance much?  Maybe she has just never learned that one needs to look beyond the superficial in order to see the person.

Of course, I am totally dismayed that both Teeny and Sam never bothered to learn how to make a fire until they were forced to make a fire.  How can one not volunteer to make the fire at every opportunity in order to prepare for final four?  Just does not make sense to me.

Although I think Rachel deserved the win, there were a few times I was surprised by some of her statements.  She really seemed to discount the 'luck' factor of her game as well as the crucial role Sol played in sending that one advantage to her.

And, as always, no matter how frustrated I am with the 'new era', I will continue to watch Survivor as long as there is a Survivor to watch.  Started with season 1 episode 1 and will continue to the end...

[Haleth]

I thought both Rachel and Sam did well with their FTC answers but when Sam kept pointing out how he had to constantly scramble to avoid the vote Rachel should have reminded him that she busted her ass to win immunity so she wouldn’t need to scramble. I thought the vote was going to be closer, maybe 5-3. Glad Rachel won.

That fire making sequence was insane. 

[JudyObscure]

15 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

And, way to totally stereotype another person (Sam).  Lack of tolerance much? 

I thought she confessed to having done that and apologized to Sam by the end.  Or maybe I was reading too much into her chatter.

17 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Started with season 1 episode 1 and will continue to the end...

Me too.  I've never missed an episode and once when our electricity went out, I drove to the nearest place with lights on, a biker bar, and had the  nerve to ask them all to switch from their sports to Survivor. 

[ljenkins782]

10 hours ago, Rodney said:

7-1-0, with Sue goose-egging and Sam only getting Kyle (for a reason barely related to the game)?  Even Sierra not voting for Sam?  I think that Caroline and possibly Gabe even voted for Rachel, not Sue, to not risk Sam winning.

The thing about Sue's loyalty with Gabe and Caroline is that it was always a one-way street. They were aligning with her as a part of their master plans for their own games, whereas she seemed to be seeking life rafts and would be loyal to anyone who made her feel safe. Like, she regretted not playing her idol for Caroline, but if the shoe was on the other foot, Caroline would never have played an idol for Sue unless it fit into the plan for herself. Sue was really never playing to win, whether she realized it or not.

Quote

My closed captioning had Teeny claiming to have “Side kick” energy. I couldn’t imagine what that was until I realized that she must have said psychic energy. I love CC. I was once watching a voted out survivor interview on a morning show, and the host asked the person if they had made any “appliances” while on the island. 

She did say sidekick energy, it's the modern version of 'always a bridesmaid, never a bride', IMO. This episode revealed a lot about Teeny's insecurities, which I found interesting because for the majority of the show, she had a pretty good edit. Seemed like an affable person who made friends easily and was always in the mix, but I guess everybody wants to the star sometimes.

Quote

I found myself rooting for Sam.  He adapted and pivoted well, while being entertaining in interviews.  He played a far more active game than Rachel, who didn't have to do anywhere near the scrambling Sam did due to her immunity wins and advantages.  She certainly played well and deserved the win; I just had more appreciation for his game.

Rachel had one advantage handed to her, the Sol one. Her idol clue was a lucky break, but she did have to work to get the idol unnoticed. Her block a vote advantage was on a journey where she had to complete a task to win it. And her immunity wins were all things she had to work for. 

Given Sam's not so stellar challenge performances and somewhat casual attitude toward work in general (don't wanna practice fire til the last day, don't wanna fish with the fishing gear, give me food instead of these chickens, etc), I don't know that he could have capitalized on those opportunities like Rachel did. 

I also didn't see the big scramble game he was playing, if anything, his threat level dropped at the merge and he just wasn't much of a priority to boot after that. They had a choice between him and Sierra and they decided she was the bigger threat. That seems to have been correct because he faded without her.

[Gummo]

Well, we close the book on another season.

Congratulations to Rachel, who played well and deserved her win.

It was rather dull & cookie-cutter until the last couple of weeks, when we finally had some good play and surprises. 

I hope to never see Gabe, Rome, Sue or Andy again, which probably means all 4 will be back for Season 50.

And please, can we get back to some MOTIVATED players, who get off their asses and fish and practice fire and don't just lie around whining!

 See you all in a few months!

[LadyChatts]

5 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I thought she confessed to having done that and apologized to Sam by the end.  Or maybe I was reading too much into her chatter.

Me too.  I've never missed an episode and once when our electricity went out, I drove to the nearest place with lights on, a biker bar, and had the  nerve to ask them all to switch from their sports to Survivor. 

They seemed to acknowledge that their hate for Sam was more one sided and really because of their own issues more than anything he actually did to them.  Teeny seemed to be going through a lot dealing with their identity out there and maybe someone like Sam was just an easy target to direct their hate at.  I’ve seen Sam hanging out with some of the cast since the season ended (including Rachel) so I don’t think he’s a bad guy by any stretch but the women seemed to have it out for him in a bad way.  

And count me in as a season 1, episode 1 watcher of Survivor.  Even though this new era is not my Survivor, I’m sticking with it until the end.  Still can’t believe we are just about 25 years and almost 50 seasons in!  Not too bad for a show that everyone predicted would be dead and buried in less than 5 years.

Edited Thursday at 06:34 PM by LadyChatts

[fishcakes]

A not-at-all surprising ending, but still disappointing for me. Rachel deserved it, compared to the rest of the F4, but I found her insufferable last night. It's particularly a letdown to me because she was someone who I thought, at the beginning of the season, was going to be one of my favorites. She's just become so full of herself in the last few episodes and last night especially, saying things like, "everything I do, I do with incredible determination," which is a fine thing to say about someone else, but not oneself. And then when Sam gave that emotional answer at FTC and she felt she had to match it, so she talked about how accomplished, yet humble, she is in real life and how her husband is the best whatever in the world but has no confidence and how she realized that [start holding back non-existent tears here] is actually a description of herself. GTFO. I was also surprised that her statement that she was loyal to everyone and that no one was loyal to her until she found Sue didn't lose her at least a couple of votes because that statement is only true if they were playing Bizarro Survivor.

Best moment for me was Andy pointing out to Rachel how she doesn't think Ben or Mike were deserving winners and how does she reconcile playing the same game they did and her face when she realized he was right.

But she won, so congratulations or whatever.

When Jeff was giving Sue the stats on women over 50 in the game and got to the number who made it to FTC, I was thinking, yeah, but they were dragged there as goats, but fact-checking myself and actually no. Kim Johnson won final immunity in Africa and voted out Lex to bring Ethan with her, Lil Morris won final immunity in Pearl Islands and voted out Fairplay to bring Sandra, and Carolyn Rivera in Worlds Apart won the F4 fire-making challenge to get to the end with Mike and Will. So kudos to all of them, but less so to Carolyn because she was an ass.

I like splitting the finale into two parts because starting the finale with six people and having to have 4 TCs in one episode was always too much, but if they're going to end up adding an extra hour anyway, I wish they'd go back to a real reunion show. It'd doesn't have to be a big production with an audience, just get the whole cast together and give everyone a few minutes to talk about their game. When Jeff first took over the reunion shows, he did a great job for a few seasons, so I know he's capable. Just take out all the extraneous stuff like kids predicting the winner and Terry Bradshaw and Tyler Perry and it will be fine.

[Gummo]

The only episodes I ever skipped involved Russell Hantz.

I don't find naked sadism entertaining.

[tv echo]

Rachel was not my favorite, but if we were stuck with this final four, then I think she was most deserving of the win out of that four.

[seacliffsal]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I thought she confessed to having done that and apologized to Sam by the end.  Or maybe I was reading too much into her chatter.

Me too.  I've never missed an episode and once when our electricity went out, I drove to the nearest place with lights on, a biker bar, and had the  nerve to ask them all to switch from their sports to Survivor. 

For the past two Thanksgivings a friend and I have stayed at a Hampton Inn near our family and have watched the Wednesday night Survivor episode in the lobby.  So, yes, to watching Survivor no matter where one is.

[realitytvfan1017]

12 hours ago, Rodney said:

That Immunity Challenge was intense!  They were all actually in it for much of the challenge!  But thank goodness that Rachel took, because I did not want Sam to win that!

Sue going with Rachel to the Final Tribal Council seemed right, since Sue had been loyal to Rachel longer than Teeny or Sam.

Poor Teeny.  Got so close with the fire, but just got unlucky with that wind.

Rachel crushed Final Tribal Council.  The editors tried to make it seem like Sam did, too, but it's clear from the votes that he didn't.  Sue was treated as a non-entity.

7-1-0, with Sue goose-egging and Sam only getting Kyle (for a reason barely related to the game)?  Even Sierra not voting for Sam?  I think that Caroline and possibly Gabe even voted for Rachel, not Sue, to not risk Sam winning.

Well-earned ending to this game, and congrats to Rachel!

On a final note, I wish that the show could find some way to have the pre-jury castaways at the reunion, too.

I didn't want Sam to win either. I was wondering at first if the jury was going to say it was a mistake to take Sue as maybe she was really good at fire and would have guaranteed getting Sam out, but it ended up being a non issue. 

Not a big Teeny fan but definitely felt bad for Teeny at the firemaking.

From what I heard on the RHAP podcast, there is so much that is edited out on FTC, especially if it makes it look especially obvious that one person is going to win. 

I thought maybe Sierra would vote for Sam. I was surprised. 

So happy for Rachel too.

I'd have enjoyed seeing the prejurors at the finale. But I'd really like to have the old reunion back but it seems like that is definitely a thing of the past from the way Jeff talks.

12 hours ago, Tango64 said:

Sam prevailed in the fire challenge, but if I worked so hard to get on Survivor, I’d immediately print out the acceptance email and run outside to use it practicing how to make fire. Then I’d do that 10 times a day and all day during the game while others are sitting around camp. How do you go on Survivor and not be -very- proficient at making fire?

So agreed!!

11 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

If you're in the minority, I'm right there with you. I think it was a particularly poor tribal. There was a way to try to pump up his strategic prowess. Or even if he wanted to throw shade at Rachel, to do so more effectively.

Meanwhile, I did love Rachel throwing shade at him about how trying to pump up her skill but failing to get rid of her was a bad move on his part. So maybe I'm just biased here.

I would have liked Rachel to take him down further and to be like, "Sam, the only reason you're sitting here is because Sue and I decided Andy was a bigger threat than you after HE masterminded Operation Italy. The truth is, you have won no challenges. You have just been meandering around after you lost Sierra. You orchestrated nothing. You built no meaningful alliances. You are deserving of nothing but a pity vote."

I like what you said about what Rachel should say to Sam

[realitytvfan1017]

11 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

When Sam got all mysterious about his jury speech, during the final three breakfast,  I thought maybe he was going to say something surprising like that he was really 60, but there were no big revelations, though he was articulate.

My closed captioning had Teeny claiming to have “Side kick” energy. I couldn’t imagine what that was until I realized that she must have said psychic energy. I love CC. I was once watching a voted out survivor interview on a morning show, and the host asked the person if they had made any “appliances” while on the island. 
 

But I digress. I absolutely knew that Sam was going to win the fire making, because I know survivor and how things are edited.  Just like the player who boasts about how well they are playing….we all know that they are about to be voted out. Well, Sam was presented as the worst fire maker in the history of the show. But then he read that letter from his dad and he went back, and by gum, learned to make fire! So of course Sam was going to win. But watching the competition, I actually thought I was wrong, that there was no way Teeny could lose. Ha! 
 

I was rooting for Rachel and I was glad she won, but that reunion show was a waste of time.

Did Teeny ask a question at the FTC? I don’t recall her asking one. 

I thought Teeny didn't either.

[KeithJ]

4 minutes ago, realitytvfan1017 said:

I'd have enjoyed seeing the prejurors at the finale.

I go back and forth on this. The first boot may get a question about being first booted out but 2, 3, and 4 usually don't get any questions and they just sit there for an hour.  With the current format (and time), Jeff can barely get a question to every jury member.

[rhygirl720]

5 hours ago, OutOfTheQuestion said:

Rachel was happy to show up, win, and I'd be surprised if we ever see her again unless they do another all-winners season.

 

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Although I think Rachel deserved the win, there were a few times I was surprised by some of her statements.  She really seemed to discount the 'luck' factor of her game as well as the crucial role Sol played in sending that one advantage to her.

I doubt Rachel would come back and if she did, she'd get eaten alive. I just don't see her as that strategic.... lucky is an understatement, Rachel was good at puzzles. These days the challenges are janky carnival games a little endurance and puzzles...overall snoozefest except for the fire duel.

[realitytvfan1017]

9 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

 Congratulations to the bitter jury, for meeting their obligation with minimal acrimony. Except for Kyle. BAD DOG, KYLE. BAD. DOG.

As the questioning went on, I really thought Rachel was getting screwed. In my mind, she was the obvious winner, but the jury seemed to like Sam more, for reasons I don’t understand. I would have ranked Sue above him, for the simple fact that her age placed her at a significant disadvantage in terms of TC voting, and so the fact that she survived all that while even gaining an immunity necklace or two earned my respect, I can’t think of anything of note that Sam accomplished. He looked like a challenge beast, but he was not a challenge beast. Or a strategic player. He just existed. 

I kind of wanted to see Sue in the fire-making challenge, just so she could cement her legacy as the Soot Queen (aka literal Cinderella). At least she cleaned her face for the finale.

This was a really good season, with a worthy winner, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing Andy again, but I can’t be mad about that. I have a feeling we won’t be seeing Gabe again, and I can’t be mad about that, either. Everything works out in the end.

In terms of the finale, I know Jeff has become attached to his immediate post-vote discussion for its “realness”, but I have to say that I miss the big arena show. Yes, there were drawbacks, like questions from 9-year-olds that ground everything to a halt, but I liked seeing the full cast, and how everyone looked with 3 too many coats of mascara. Both forums have their advantages, and I just wish they would do both. They certainly have the capability.

 

I 100% agree with this message!!!

[realitytvfan1017]

5 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

I go back and forth on this. The first boot may get a question about being first booted out but 2, 3, and 4 usually don't get any questions and they just sit there for an hour.  With the current format (and time), Jeff can barely get a question to every jury member.

I get your points. Still why the old reunion would have been best but sadly probably a thing of the past?

[Tachi Rocinante]

Not sure how she is in the real world, but in-game, Sue was one of the most immature 58 year-olds I've ever seen.

[LadyChatts]

58 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

A not-at-all surprising ending, but still disappointing for me. Rachel deserved it, compared to the rest of the F4, but I found her insufferable last night. It's particularly a letdown to me because she was someone who I thought, at the beginning of the season, was going to be one of my favorites. She's just become so full of herself in the last few episodes and last night especially, saying things like, "everything I do, I do with incredible determination," which is a fine thing to say about someone else, but not oneself. And then when Sam gave that emotional answer at FTC and she felt she had to match it, so she talked about how accomplished, yet humble, she is in real life and how her husband is the best whatever in the world but has no confidence and how she realized that [start holding back non-existent tears here] is actually a description of herself. GTFO. I was also surprised that her statement that she was loyal to everyone and that no one was loyal to her until she found Sue didn't lose her at least a couple of votes because that statement is only true if they were playing Bizarro Survivor.

Best moment for me was Andy pointing out to Rachel how she doesn't think Ben or Mike were deserving winners and how does she reconcile playing the same game they did and her face when she realized he was right.

With Rachel and Sue it’s like they found each other because they had to.  Rachel lost an ally in Anika pre-merge and then lost Sierra, and for whatever reason her and Sam didn’t seem to find themselves on the same page (maybe they figured every former Gata for themselves).  And then Sue lost Gabe and finally Caroline.  I also don’t think anyone truly considered Sue any sort of threat in the end and she was clearly sticking around to take to the end for fodder.  
 

I started getting turned off from Rachel the last couple of episodes too, and Genevieve lost me when she said that she hoped Rachel just stood up and told everyone how better she was than the others in the final 3.  Like these two are not legendary type Survivor players in my book. Especially Genevieve.  I don’t know if there really is such a thing anymore in the new era anyway.  Why I don’t consider Rachel’s idol play impressive is that she outwitted Genevieve, Teeny, Sam and Andy (3 of whom outwitted her the previous vote-so maybe they are all equally smart or equally stupid in the game sense).  All Andy, Genevieve and Teeny had to do was vote for Sue and her plan would have been for nothing.  But again, it’s like going up against the Three Stooges.  It would have been bad if it didn’t work.  And Genevieve voted off Sol because he went after Rome, and seemed to not be able to take the emotions of the game well.  She seemed particularly rattled by what Kishan said.  Maybe she got too used to watching the new era of Survivor where every vote off gave hugs and kisses and somehow got on a season where people gave old school bitter exits. 
 

All that said, I’ll probably remember Rachel more than I do Gabler and Erica (winners of 2 seasons I forgot even happened).  The whole finale just seemed like a let down from how the season went.  I’m not blaming that so much on Rachel and the obvious nature of her win, but overall the jury was eh (which is why I’m convinced they knew who they were voting for and didn’t even care to do the Q&A with the final 3).  None of the final 3 seemed that impressive.  The thing I’ll remember most is Teeny losing in fire in epic fashion.  
 
But I’ll be back next season to go on this show that’s been a roller coaster to my emotions for the past 24 years :) 

Edited Thursday at 04:14 PM by LadyChatts

[fishcakes]

55 minutes ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Not sure how she is in the real world, but in-game, Sue was one of the most immature 58 year-olds I've ever seen.

She couldn't even stop herself from getting in a couple of digs at Kyle during FTC. "I'm not dumb. I'm not Tweedley-dee." (The world: "It's Tweedledee, dumb ass.") and also saying how supportive her tribe was when she was feeling down, "even Kyle!" as if he's some kind of monster. I don't think this is why he did it, but I'm glad he voted for Sam, which pushed Sue into third place, instead of letting her tie for second. At the same time, I do think she was gracious about getting shut out.

50 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

Like these two are not legendary type Survivor players in my book. Especially Genevieve.  I don’t know if there really is such a thing anymore.  

I agree. Players are now relying too much on finding advantages over having any kind of long-term strategy, which is only partly their fault, but also it means that the show can cast weaker players and I think they have. I was struck last night by one of them saying something about the feeling of reaching Day 25 in the game. If they weren't New Era players, all reaching day 25 would mean is that there are still two more weeks left in the game and good luck with that.

Now that I think about it, the most entertaining part of this season was the Ghosts commercials where the ghosts were watching the show. Thor: "Sue's face very dirty. Thor like that."

Edited Thursday at 05:02 PM by fishcakes

[iMonrey]

1 hour ago, rhygirl720 said:

These days the challenges are janky carnival games a little endurance and puzzles...overall snoozefest except for the fire duel.

Amen.

So, Rachel won, ho-hum. Like we didn't see that coming for weeks. I zipped thru this whole thing in about 25 minutes. Honestly, my interest in this show has fallen so far, I was more excited to watch the season finale of The Floor.

Highlight for me was Teeny losing the fire challenge. And then Jeff rubbing it in, making Teeny talk about how they were feeling. I'd have way more respect for Teeny if they had just told Jeff to fuck right the hell off. Honestly, some day, somehow, someone has to tell Jeff to fuck off. I'm so sick of him running his mouth.

I've watched this show from the beginning too. It has gotten so stale, especially with the above mentioned challenges. I've skipped several seasons over the years, and almost skipped this one. Only came back when I found out Jon Lovett had been cast, and then stuck around anyway. Don't know why. Don't know if I'll be back again.

[mojoween]

If you win, you deserve it, even if you suck (not saying she does, thinking of other annoying boys who walked away Sole Survivor), but dang I don’t know if I’ll stop thinking about how if Sol didn’t save her she would have been gone that night.  

[Katie111]

Totally random but why did they suddenly all look so clean at the FTC?  Especially Rachel's hair.  And Sue's face suddenly looked normal again.  Do they get a shower before the FTC?  And I don't know why but it totally bothered me that Sam and Rachel were wearing the exact same shade of ugly yellow.  

[OldWiseOne]

Sue at FTC: "I'm here to represent all the 59 year old women to show them that age is just a number."

Also Sue: "I'm 44 years old!"

[SG429]

2 hours ago, fishcakes said:

Now that I think about it, the most entertaining part of this season was the Ghosts commercials where the ghosts were watching the show. Thor: "Sue's face very dirty. Thor like that."

Didn't Thor also toss out a line about Jon Favreau (#1 boot)?