S29.E01: Suck It Up And Survive

[Tara Ariano]

Eighteen castaways compete with and against loved ones in a "Blood vs. Water" style competition that reintroduces Exile Island to the game. In the opener, the 18 players arrive in Nicaragua and participate in their first challenge.

[susannot]

This will be the first season discussion on Prev TV! Looking forward to it.  I was on TWOP from Day One and really enjoyed the impassioned discussions over there!  Many knowledgeable students of the game posted regularly and I'm happy to see some of them here.

[Wandering Snark]

 

competition that reintroduces Exile Island to the game

 

Ugh, this only serves to increase the chance we'll be subjected to "Twineeeeeeeeeeeee!! Come on Twineeeeeeeeee!!!" *retch*

[cooksdelight]

I was surprised at the way they had Exile Island set up, one from each team right off the bat. Interesting.

Dale... you have that idol in your pocket. Do NOT tell anyone. You sacrificed your sight for this tribe, you deserve to hang in there.

Josh looks REALLY familiar to me. I wonder if he's ever had any small parts on TV, maybe a Law & Order?

And a Twinnie is gone! Yay!

[NYGirl]

I got one thing to say and that's YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!! Goodbye Twinnie!!  Don't let the door hit you in the butt... Go wait for your twinnie

[ParadoxLost]

So they clearly didn't randomly select tribes given that their clothes were color coordinated.

 

This rewards/exile island thing is either going to be terrible or work out really well depending on what the Survivors do with it.  On the one hand, it has the potential to make no one want to play.  On the other hand, it has the potential to breed paranoia in that you are sending your tribe mate out with your 'blood' which could lead to cross tribe alliances for the merge.  Unless it was a one time thing?

 

Did I hear someone say that being married and divorced as many times as she had, she learned that you have to go with your gut?  Isn't that a good indicator that your gut isn't that accurate most of the time?

 

The one thing I will never understand is people who go on Survivor when a parent has been diagnosed with a terminal disease.

 

The pre-season complaints about the Amazing Race twins...completely justified.  And one down, one to go.

[truthaboutluv]

I will have more thoughts later but now all I can think is "who the hell voted Baylor?" Talk about random. Clearly there's someone in the tribe that no one spoke to or didn't get the memo for who was getting votes. I guess it could have been Dale because it does seem like no one was really talking to him. But I'm really interested in seeing the vote reveal. One twin down - one more to go. Awesome.  They're annoying. 

 

eta: So just saw the vote reveal and it was Josh. That's interesting and a little surprising. I guess he did it so his hand wasn't dirty either way knowing no one else would be voting for her. But I'm interested in seeing if he says anything about his vote next week. Also isn't Baylor the one who's all attached to him and needs his opinion to know who to vote for? 

 

Good premiere in general. I was also glad to see Josh express annoyance at that "he's one of the girls" crap and hopefully people start realizing that shit is annoying and offensive and quit with it in this game, particularly the women. 

Edited September 25, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[choclatechip45]

Suprised John Rocker wasn't the most homophobic person tonight. Also is Nadiya the first person to be eliminated first on two different reality shows?

[donnamarie]

John Rocker's girlfriend needs to put her boobs away.

[Lantern7]

Well, at least I'll know which Twinnie is which now. What's bullshit is that Probst kept blabbing about Nadiya being on The Amazing Race, but he didn't say shit about John Rocker being John Rocker. Sure, the Twinees were up front about who they were, but it's still a big dose of butt-hurt for me as a TAR fan who didn't mind the Twinnies . . . especially since Nadiya didn't outlast Rocker. He'll be the Mendoza Line on how well one does in the game.

 

Other than the vote, I was okay with the episode. Rocker didn't do anything really stupid, the battles were interesting, and the howler monkeys were out in force. I just wish Wes wasn't a Braves fan, and that he would've turned on Rocker. Hell, I'm hoping one of the boyfriends is a Mets fan and recognizes his punk ass.

 

Classy words from Nadiya. I would've thrown in a line about how Probst couldn't lift Phil Keoghan's jock, but I'm bitter like that. Speaking of which . . . "MOVE, WOMAN!"??? I hope Val slaps Probst for that.

 

What kind of name is "Baylor" for anybody? Just asking.

 

ETA: And who got the title quote? I missed that.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I thought initially that Jon (and Jaclyn) were idiots.  Look at what they were dressed in for living in the jungle -- a dress shirt and dockers while she was wearing a puffy shirt and a bra.

 

But Jon is a madman in the challenges -- did you see him during the crawling portion, he motored through that ?

[Haleth]

So is Nadiya going to Exile Island? I didn't hear Probst say anything about it.

One twinnie gone. Good start.

[cooksdelight]

What kind of name is "Baylor" for anybody? Just asking.

Could be a family name. I know plenty of kids who were named Chastain or Hyatt because that was someone's grandma's name.

[ottoDbusdriver]

John Rocker's girlfriend needs to put her boobs away.

 

You mean her giant fake boobs -- seriously, try something with a bit more support than a buff in challenges, it's completely impractical in a challenge if she is CONSTANTLY stopping to hike up her buff to keep from falling out.

Edited September 25, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[susannot]

Dale... you have that idol in your pocket. Do NOT tell anyone. You sacrificed your sight for this tribe, you deserve to hang in there.

 

Agree, and as a similarly old person (older than Dale), I like Dale,and I admire old people who are brave enough to go on the show knowing that they're cannon fodder.  However, as someone who is visually challenged ( meaning blinder than shit according to my husband), I'm concerned about how he will survive on the island,

[cooksdelight]

So is Nadiya going to Exile Island

She's gone as far as I can tell. Redemption Island was where they sent the out-voted.

[Lantern7]

Haleth . . . no, Nadiya is gone for good. And I had dreams of her and Natalie finishing 1-2 and splitting the $1 million just to piss Probst and Burnett off. It still could happen, but I'm not expecting it.

 

ETA: I think Dale has a clue for the idol, as opposed to the idol itself. I'm hoping they Russell-proofed the game, but I'm not holding my breath.

[mojoween]

I can't even decide what I want to type about Nadiya's casual homophobia so I guess I'll just go with this - BYE.

Segue into John Rocker, who is such an ass, but dammit if his physical prowess during the IC didn't impress me. A tall athletic man is usually my catnip, but his words are forever.

I like Wes, I have no idea why. Wait, I think it's Wes I'm thinking of, the father, not the son. I also like the dark-haired one of the Broadway actors, Josh's boyfriend, but I can't remember his name.

So that one guy says he was a model? Huh.

[Straycat80]

Good first episode. Glad they voted off the twin. She talked too much and was annoying.

I'm surprised Josh voted for Baylor, I thought they were friends.

I thought twin would go to exile island, but it appeared she just goes home. So what is the point of exile island? I'm confused, or did I miss something?

[ElleryAnne]

Will I sound mean if I say that was a pleasant surprise?  I don't hate the Twinnies, but I know I'd get annoyed if I had to listen to "my twin" and "when you were on Amazing Race" every episode.

 

Did I hear someone say that being married and divorced as many times as she had, she learned that you have to go with your gut?  Isn't that a good indicator that your gut isn't that accurate most of the time?

 

 

Heh.  I thought the same thing.  If anything, she should listen to her gut, then do the opposite.

 

But Jon is a madman in the challenges

 

 

Josh and Drew were both pretty impressive, too, but in the climbing portion.  And did I hear Probst call out "John Rocks at this!"  Could be just a choice of words, but it sounded like he wanted to trigger the name for anyone who may have been having that tip-of-the-tongue syndrome recognizing Rocker.  Or maybe years of watching this show has just made me unnecessarily suspicious.

 

I think I like more of these people than not.  The only ones who I didn't like were the 3x-divorced mom and John Rocker.  But the season's young yet.

[Dust Bunny]

Baylor looks so much like Billie Piper/Rose from Doctor Who, I kept waiting for 10 to show up on the beach.

 

Most of the people are really likable. I started out rooting for Blue, but Orange won me over later. I hope Dale realizes he has an idol. I'd be bummed for him to be voted out without realizing what's burning a hole in his pocket.

 

I love Jeremy and Val. Cool to see a firefighter and police officer have such a fun and loving rivalry. 

 

Exile Island >>> Redemption Island. Still not great, but definitely an upgrade. 

[cooksdelight]

ETA: I think Dale has a clue for the idol

If I remember correctly, the clue that the lady got on the island in her urn, showed a diagram of the idol and it said it was near the water. The diagram looked exactly like what Dale found. And he found it at the well.

[Machiabelly]

Do we know for sure it is an idol? He took it from the top of the well and I am sure that the clue said to dig.

[Constantinople]

Found this a little dull, but I'm not much of a fan of the Blood vs Water idea  -- skipped Blood vs Water Original Recipe because I was spoiled about the winner  - ugh -- casting "celebrities" or contestants from other reality shows (GET OFF MY LAWN!).

 

I was surprised the Cambridge firefighter was surprised that he'd go up against his wife in the reward challenge.  That seemed the most obvious idea in the world.

 

Since they have Exile Island, I wish the hidden immunity idol were there rather than back at camp.  Harder to find and riskier to send someone to EI.

 

I think I'm getting too cranky for this show.

[Wandering Snark]

So, my random comments/observations:

 

And THAT is why you don't volunteer first for anything on this show. If only it could have been the Twinnies...

 

Glad to see someone already calling out John Rocker as an ass.

 

"DIG WOMAN!" Annnd Probst is already pissing me off... SHUT UP PROBST!

 

Jeremy is giving me reality tv cross-flashbacks because I see that shoulder tattoo and think 'Wow look how raised that thing is, that tat is beat.' Def. not done by an Inkmaster, that's for sure.

 

I don't know if I'd go so far as intentionally breaking my glasses to get an "in" with the tribe. Short range brilliant, long term stupid...

 

"I'm dating John Rocker" is something you should probably keep to yourself, not wear like some badge of stupidity/gullibility.

 

More offensive?  Probst's 'DIG WOMAN' or 'I was counting you as one of the girls."?

 

There IS a Survivor god benevolently looking down upon us!! Seeya Twinnie!

[truthaboutluv]

So that one guy says he was a model? Huh.

Oh thank you for reminding me of one of my favorite unintentionally hilarious moments from the episode. "So yeah I did some modeling, I'm sure you've seen me many places..." Uh no. And that fool is kind of butterface to declare himself some big deal model. Whatever.

I also like the dark-haired one of the Broadway actors, Josh's boyfriend, but I can't remember his name.

His name is Reed. I actually recognized him more than his boyfriend as he dated Clay Aiken some years ago and was the lead on Broadway's Spiderman which sadly didn't last too long.

I liked Val and her husband, who for some reason his name is escaping me right now but if I had to put money on which might last longer, I'd say it's her. Val looks completely focused on the game period and she's not worrying about anything else while her husband can't help putting her in that "little woman I have to protect" role.

When I saw the scene with him thanking Keith (is that his name) for protecting her out there, I just imagined her giving him the stink eye tonight, watching the episode. Like why couldn't it be she took care of Keith, especially as Probst pointed out, he and his idiot son were the ones who one, lost the thing to scrape the flint and then managed to break the damn flint in half. Val and her husband (really what is his name) actually remind me a little of Rob and Amber during All-Stars.

I remember how many people were convinced Amber was playing Rob the whole time because she never seemed as emotional as he was and it always seemed like she wanted to win while he started focusing more on getting them to the end. And well clearly we know now she wasn't but I think Val, like Amber then, just realized this is a game, let's play it and go back to real life when it ends.

Edited September 25, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[susannot]

I love Jeremy and Val. Cool to see a firefighter and police officer have such a fun and loving rivalry.

 

I do too. They are my faves so far.  Val's interaction with the Southern firefighter was great. It is so cool to see a Northern and a Southern person bonding

[lilly6]

Josh's boyfriend is Reed Kelly.  He really is a Broadway dancer/actor and he's a model too.  Josh has done a few community theatre things and a short stint off-Broadway.  He's not a consistently working actor by any means.  Reed is Clay Aiken's ex.

 

I liked Keith, the dad from Louisiana. 

 

I would have liked to see more about why Baylor was so attached to Josh.  She clearly had no idea he played her.

[cooksdelight]

I'm hoping southern firefighter somehow shouts out John Rocker's name at an appropriate moment. Please, Survivor gods.... please???

[Lamb18]

My favorite line: "Does it have five letters?" (Wes about Rocker's last name.) It seemed weird that Jeremy was so upset about being separated from his wife because she was going to Exile Island. They were going to be separated anyway. Model guy--he'll be an early vote-off, too full of himself. The picture was so clear--the shots across the water were stunning. Liked the monkey talk.

[Pepper the Cat]

I am glad to see one Twinnie gone. Hated them on Amazing Race, hate them now.

For once, there is not one team I am immediately pulling for.

[Haleth]

I like Val and Jeremy too and (for now) will root for one of them to win in light of their professions, but Jeremy was starting to annoy me with his continual "gotta protect my woman!" She seems pretty capable of taking care of herself.

[susannot]

I'm pulling for the monkeys.  They were so cute!

 

I think Jeremy just pulled out the "respect my woman" strategy once, when he picked guy (name I forgot) to go with his wife.  I think he felt terrible about putting his wife in jeopardy. Don't think he followed a protect my little woman at all costs strategy.  He seemed pretty cool with women.

Edited September 25, 2014 by susannot

[KaveDweller]

The one thing I will never understand is people who go on Survivor when a parent has been diagnosed with a terminal disease.

 

It's a good hook to get them past the audition.

 

So just saw the vote reveal and it was Josh. That's interesting and a little surprising. I guess he did it so his hand wasn't dirty either way knowing no one else

would be voting for her.

 

I find it really annoying when people throw out a random vote to avoid making a decision.  I actually thought he was going to vote for Nadia because of how she kept calling him a girl at tribal council.

 

Do we know for sure it is an idol? He took it from the top of the well and I am sure that the clue said to dig.

 

I thought he specifically said it wasn't the idol.

[ratherbereading]

I don't know if I'd go so far as intentionally breaking my glasses to get an "in" with the tribe. Short range brilliant, long term stupid...

 

 

 

I thought I heard him mention they were reading glasses when they were at tribal. Definitely not as bad as if they were distance glasses.

 

Very glad twinnie #1 is gone. John Rocker was surprisingly not as douchetastic as I thought he would be.

 

Exile Island is a better choice than Redemption Island. I do wish they would bury the HII at Exile though. Wonder if the next pair to go will also get an urn choice and one clue.

[Chit Chat]

I like Val and Jeremy too and (for now) will root for one of them to win in light of their professions, but Jeremy was starting to annoy me with his continual "gotta protect my woman!" She seems pretty capable of taking care of herself.

 

I agree that she can take care of herself, but most men want and/or need to feel like the protector (I've learned this over many years of marriage!)  I'm pretty independent myself, but it's reassuring to know that your spouse cares about you so much.  I think that my spouse and I could play against each other in this setting, but it would suck knowing that you unwittingly got them sent to Exile Island right off the bat. 

 

Only one episode in, but I didn't find anybody particularly horrible just yet!  Oh, Nadiya.  That was about as un-PC as it gets with your comments! Live and learn.

[Hannah Lee]

I'm hoping someone on the show is a Sports Night fan, and lets loose with a good "John Rocker is a big honking doofus" reference at some point.

[bluebonnet]

I can't believe how casually homophobic Twinnie was.  It's so much worse that she seemed so proud of it.  Sort of like "Oh yeah, I'm totally fine with teh gayz, so fine that I have to pretend they have different genitalia than what they claim."  

 

Sometimes it really ticks me off how they seem to purposely cast such dumb women.  Baylor can't make a decision to save her life, her mother thinks three failed marriages is indicative of good gut instinct, the baseball players gf decides that is her ticket to being worthy not to mention she does all she can to make sure her boobs are on camera as much as possible.  Thank fuck for Val, the Boston police officer.  

 

I don't follow baseball so I didn't know who John Rocker was until I did a google search.  It's super annoying for some has-been to complain about not having a lot of anonymity while on a reality show and talking all about his has-been status.  

Edited September 25, 2014 by bluebonnet

[ghoulina]

Thank you, sweet little baby Jesus. Christmas has come early. Now I only have one "Twinnie!" to deal with. 

 

I was glad Dale didn't go just because he was older. I didn't think he showed a real lack of ability at all. And the fact that he was willing to break his glasses in order to make fire shows a real commitment to the team. I like him. 

 

I know it's early, but I really didn't notice anyone falling too far behind in that first IC. Everyone seemed to really be competing, balls to the wall. We shall see. 

Edited September 25, 2014 by ghoulina

[mojoween]

I know that kid said he was a Braves fan, but I call shenanigans that he recognized John. That kid would have been so young when John was an active player.

[truthaboutluv]

I can't believe how casually homophobic Twinnie was.  It's so much worse that she seemed so proud of it.  Sort of like "Oh yeah, I'm totally fine with teh gayz, so fine that I have to pretend they have different genitalia than what they claim."

 

 

It's not surprising as she and her sister were the same way on their original season of The Amazing Race, towards the gay couple who ended up winning the season. I think their names were Brent and Josh. You would think they would have grown and educated themselves a little more since then but I remember Brent and Josh defended them on social media when people tweeted them saying how offensive the twins were. And they of course gave the, "they're sweet girls with big hearts..." line. And that may be true and it is quite possible they are unaware of how offensive the comments are but giving them a pass on it only makes it worse. Nadiya was as cringe-worthy as Corrine in Fans vs. Favorites II when she kept going on about "loving her gays..."

[North of Eden]

I will have more thoughts later but now all I can think is "who the hell voted Baylor?" Talk about random. Clearly there's someone in the tribe that no one spoke to or didn't get the memo for who was getting votes. I guess it could have been Dale because it does seem like no one was really talking to him. But I'm really interested in seeing the vote reveal. One twin down - one more to go. Awesome.  They're annoying. 

 

eta: So just saw the vote reveal and it was Josh. That's interesting and a little surprising. I guess he did it so his hand wasn't dirty either way knowing no one else would be voting for her. But I'm interested in seeing if he says anything about his vote next week. Also isn't Baylor the one who's all attached to him and needs his opinion to know who to vote for? 

 

Good premiere in general. I was also glad to see Josh express annoyance at that "he's one of the girls" crap and hopefully people start realizing that shit is annoying and offensive and quit with it in this game, particularly the women.

Blame the casting director. The only time they let a non stereotypical gay man on the show was the late Caleb(rest his soul) and that was only because he was with Colton.

[Superpole2000]

I like Val and Jeremy too and (for now) will root for one of them to win in light of their professions, but Jeremy was starting to annoy me with his continual "gotta protect my woman!" She seems pretty capable of taking care of herself.

 

That was so condescending and self-aggrandizing. Your wife will live just fine if you are not around. Really, she will. You don't have to walk around thanking everyone she knows for making sure she is safe. She is not 3 years old, and you are not THAT important!

 

I dislike the blood vs. water idea. It isn't a dealbreaker for me, but all it seems to add is a bunch of melodramatic moments that seem overdone when this is essentially just a game show.

 

I was very impressed by the collective athleticism in this cast. I had to look really hard to find any dead challenge weight, which is a bit disappointing. I often find the challenge duds (J'Tia) to be interesting viewing.

[riverblue22]

I think Josh voted for Baylor because he had an alliance with the Twinnie and didn't want to break his word.  He also didn't want to go against the guys--it would be team suicide if they started voting the guys out.  He is definitely not going to ally with all the girls while they are still playing as a tribe.

[Pixiebomb]

So according to Drew the famous model (and not rocket scientist), the orange tribe's shelter is "levitating". WTF? I wish I had a levitating fort in my back yard.

[terracool]

Long time lurker back at twop - good to see familiar faces here.

John Rocker is a hilariously stupid. When the kid from Louisiana asked his last name, he came up with Wetteland. John Wetteland was a relief pitcher, like Rocker, but pitched for the Yankees at about the same time that Rocker was pitching - they were contemporaries in the same job. Wetteland was the Yankee closer right before Mariano Rivera.

So Rocker tries to hide the fact that he was a professional baseball pitcher by falsely giving the name of ... a pro baseball pitcher? Best line of the night.

[Rick Kitchen]

God, Jeremy, stfu.  His "protect the little woman" shit is as offensive as Nadiya's crap about gays.

 

I couldn't stand Wes before the show even started just from his fanboying over Russell Hantz and his offensive comments about women, but he's a total doofus as well.

 

Drew is a model?  With that pot belly?

 

With Rocker and Wes on the yellow team, I'm all team blue.

 

I'd love to hear Josh's explanation as for why he voted for Baylor.

 

Go Dale! (even though he's on team yellow)

 

Goodbye Twinnie.  And you were a bitch on the way out.

Long time lurker back at twop - good to see familiar faces here.

John Rocker is a hilariously stupid. When the kid from Louisiana asked his last name, he came up with Wetteland. John Wetteland was a relief pitcher, like Rocker, but pitched for the Yankees at about the same time that Rocker was pitching - they were contemporaries in the same job. Wetteland was the Yankee closer right before Mariano Rivera.

So Rocker tries to hide the fact that he was a professional baseball pitcher by falsely giving the name of ... a pro baseball pitcher? Best line of the night.

 

He also misspelled Wetteland when he was lying to Wes the Doofus about who he was.

[Eolivet]

"Couldn't win that challenge, huh, John? It's like you needed someone to give your team a strong finish -- it's like you needed...what's the word...a closer?"

 

Seriously, Jeff -- I want as many baseball puns in your tribal councils as possible. If we have to deal with yet another washed up baseball player on Survivor trying to conceal the fact that he is...a washed up baseball player on Survivor, I at least want to see them squirm a little.

 

I like Blood vs. Water because it's the only season where the pre-merge episodes actually mean something (especially if you can still trade places with your partner), but I still thought it was really weird how the opening sounded just like Amazing Race. I expected to hear Phil and not Jeff.

[Jobiska]

ETA: And who got the title quote? I missed that.

 

I'm pretty sure it was Josh, while he was lying down temporarily blinded by the sap from the branches they used for their roof (sooooo helpful of Nadiya to be all "oh yeah, it was that exact kind!" after they'd covered the roof with them. Durr.  And how non-waterproof).  

I agree that the "5 letters" (ROKER maybe?  Al, is that you?) was one of the funniest quotes, but I also really enjoyed the college-football-playing John staring up at the howler monkeys and saying with every evidence of sincerity and admiration, "I wish I had a tail!"   Reminds me of the time I was so moved by the wild geese that I said wistfully back at them "Honk!" and my future husband and dear friend laughed their heads off at me.

I am a big TAR fan and not historically a Twinnie-hater, but after all that "Josh is one of the girls" thing I'm just as glad to have Nadiya gone.  I'm interested to see how Natalie does without her.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Jobiska

[Turtle]

Ugh, this only serves to increase the chance we'll be subjected to "Twineeeeeeeeeeeee!! Come on Twineeeeeeeeee!!!" *retch*

 

Problem solved!

 

So they clearly didn't randomly select tribes given that their clothes were color coordinated.

 

Contestants are told to bring clothes in a few different colors, so I think it's possible that they brought blue and orange clothes, to fit in with whichever tribe they ended up on.  Pretty standard for Survivor.

 

Josh voting for Baylor might have been smart - she is already willing to do what he wants, and now he can use the vote against her to set her sights on whoever he chooses to target.  He can pin that vote on whoever he wants to, and she'll probably believe him.  

Really annoyed at Nadiya insisting Josh was a woman.  Girl, that is not how gay works.  And your ignorance cost you the game.  So, karma, I guess.  And I was happy to see it.  Her comments were so offensive.  

 

I'm surprised - I think this is going to be a really good season!  I really like that we don't have the usual "model/ actor" cast.  Even the self-described model is not the typical pretty boy (although he does appear to be pretty stupid).  Wes also appears to be a few sandwiches sort of a picnic.  But I found John Rocker and his wife kind of fun (no one is more surprised than me), and Twinnie Natalie was significantly less annoying than I remembered her being.  And it seems like we may actually have some Survivor fans and people who want to really play in the mix, instead of just the usual mix of famewhores.

 

I reserve the right to amend or retract any or all of these statements as the season continues and I learn who these people really are.  

Edited September 25, 2014 by Turtle