S29.E06: Make Some Magic Happen

[blackwing]

I'm wondering if there is a second idol at each camp.  The clues for the idols found by Keith and John Rocker were something like "Dig 7 paces north of the well".

 

The clues on the scroll that Baylor had said something like "these symbols correspond to symbols on your well".  I forget what the exact words were, but nothing seemed at all to refer to 7 paces north.  Maybe there are numbers next to the symbols on the well.

 

Reed is the only person left worth cheering for.

He is one of the chief whiners/criers to me.  He led the exchange with Jeff at the previous immunity challenge, he's shown lying down in camp fretting about the lack of food, and he sounds like he's going to cry every time.  And he actually DID cry immediately after winning the reward challenge.  I don't think he's any better than the rest of them.

[FineWashables]

Here's where I got confused (hangs head in shame at not being intellectually gifted enough to understand Survivor strategy):  

 

I get that Dale wanted Jon to think he had an idol, and Jon did seem to believe that it was the real thing at first.  Ok.  Then Dale says, "if you don't vote me out this time, I'll give this to you, Jon."  I think it was a clever of him to pretend he was playing a long-term strategy to join Jon's alliance, but it doesn't hold up if you think about it for a hot minute. This deal boils down to Dale saying "Rather than using my idol tonight so I can be certain that I stay, I'd rather give it away and just hope with all my might that you won't vote me off."  Doesn't make sense.  Once Dale announced that he wasn't going to use it, why wouldn't they vote him out?  If you're truly interested in saving yourself for one more tribal, then why not just play the idol and be done with it?  The only explanation is that it wasn't really an idol, and even blockhead Jon figured it out.  

[truthaboutluv]

He is one of the chief whiners/criers to me.  He led the exchange with Jeff at the previous immunity challenge, he's shown lying down in camp fretting about the lack of food, and he sounds like he's going to cry every time.  And he actually DID cry immediately after winning the reward challenge.  I don't think he's any better than the rest of them.

 

 

Reed rarely ever says anything. I never got any indication that Reed took it upon himself to approach Jeff about the flint after the Reward. It was clear the entire tribe planned on it and my guess is they chose him to bring it up to Jeff which is kind of telling. We saw when they weren't in agreement on a plan - Drew and his lame attempt to trade a flint. Similarly, I don't think Reed alone decided to bring up the rice to Jeff.

 

For all Jeremy's eye-rolling and mean stares, in last week's episode, when they were talking to Jeff after the Immunity Challenge, they were ALL speaking when Jeff questioned them, acknowledging that they were down to almost nothing and that they were starving. And yeah he got weepy after single handedly winning a pretty tough Reward Challenge but he was the one comforting Julie when she was falling apart during the storm while her alliance mate Jeremy was again sitting around giving evil stares and eyerolling at her.

Edited October 30, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[choclatechip45]

I feel like if I hadn't watched Frankie Grade for three months this summer on Big Brother I might of liked Reed & Josh. They both really annoyed me  with their whining about the rice. I feel like Reed & Josh are just using this to further their career which is fine. If they are such "fans of the show" they would know they would get food for almost every reward coming up. I have no issue with  people using the show to further their career I just hate it when they pretend to be such big fans of the show.

Edited October 30, 2014 by choclatechip45

[SHOgirl]

Dale and Kelly would probably have had the best chance to go far together, just because their personalities are disparate enough that there's a good chance that Kelly would pull the trigger and vote her dad out, if necessary. I don't think any other couple would do that.

I think Baylor would vote her mom out in a minute all the while crying and guilting her mom into willingly going to the slaughter.

Reminding your only chance at survival that you still consider them backstabbing daughter killers isn't a great idea.

It worked for Missy last week.

[truthaboutluv]

I feel like if I hadn't watched Frankie Grade for three months this summer on Big Brother I might of liked Reed & Josh.

 

 

Because all gay men are the same? I don't and have never watched Big Brother but I saw some articles about Frankie Grande, largely because of his relation to Ariana Grande and my understanding is that he was pretty hateful, said a lot of offensive things and was just an all around jerk on the show. I have seen none of that from Reed and Josh.

 

I almost feel like there is an effort to look for a reason to hate them simply because they are Broadway actors and so clearly that must mean they are only there to further their career which is apparently so offensive. And as I said the first time this was mentioned about Josh, I sincerely doubt every person comes on Survivor purely for the love of the show. Also, this isn't 2001 when this show first debuted. Survivor is hardly a path to celebrity success. 

 

And Josh and Reed were not the only ones complaining about the rice. Wes and Alec were both pretty annoyed in last week's episode and stated so, that they were basically on a tribe making sure that they conserved their rice and they come to a tribe where they were going to starve. Wes especially was not happy. Julie also expressed her concern in a talking head and again, they were all explaining the circumstances to Jeff when he questioned them after the Immunity Challenge.

 

 I have no issue with  people using the show to further their career I just hate it when they pretend to be such big fans of the show.

 

 

I think Josh in particular has definitely played like someone who understands and has watched the show. 

Edited October 30, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[rozen]

I think Baylor would vote her mom out in a minute all the while crying and guilting her mom into willingly going to the slaughter.

It worked for Missy last week.

 

True, but I think Baylor is pretty invested in keeping her mom around as a goat. She'd end up waffling two or three times before committing to do it, which would make it less convincing. I think Kelly would straight up have been "yea dad, you're screwing my game, see you at jury.' Missy only got away with her histrionics because Jon and Jaclyn decided Kelly was a bigger threat than her and Baylor. Dale is a sourpuss, and Kelly was an unknown entity, they had bad leverage because of Dale's shit social game. 

 

There are plenty of ways to preserve meat without refrigeration. Was there anyone there who knew how to do it? Probably not, thinking about it. Good chance that Alec the 'meat collector' would have pitched a fit at the idea anyway, or hoovered it up when no one was looking. 

[GaT]

Something I just remembered. Did anyone else get the vibe that Jeremy was jealous that Josh & Reed got to be together & be openly affectionate, while Val wasn't there any more? He really sounded like he was pissed off that they got to hug & kiss to me.

[Special K]

Re: stretching out the kebabs, I think the larger challenge with keeping prepared food (as opposed to dried rice and beans) would be critters getting into it, right?  Not bears, but the monkeys maybe, and certainly the rats.  When camping here in the U.S., you make a bear bag and hang it out of a bear's reach, but there are probably very few places in the jungle that monkeys and rats can't get to.

[Donny Ketchum]

Natalie is in an alliance with Missy and Jeremy so her going to Exile was an attempt to further cement that alliance. Jon was a part of the men's alliance at his original tribe but that was never a real thing since Jeremy was not planning on following through with it. Jon was caught off guard with the Drew vote.

 

Jon thought he was in an alliance with Reed, Drew, Jeremy, Keith, and Natalie. Drew was very clear that Natalie was in their alliance because she was pretty much a guy.

 

Jon really only had an alliance with Drew, Reed, and Keith

 

Jeremy was in an alliance with Natalie, Missy, Julie and someone I am totally blanking on....

 

So at the merge, Missy pulled in Baylor making that alliance Jeremy, Missy, Baylor, Natalie, Julie and the person I am blanking on.

Kelley.  Kelley's the one on whom you're blanking.

[ghoulina]

Something I just remembered. Did anyone else get the vibe that Jeremy was jealous that Josh & Reed got to be together & be openly affectionate, while Val wasn't there any more? He really sounded like he was pissed off that they got to hug & kiss to me.

 

Jeremy just comes off as generally unhappy, to me. It's like he always has to have something/someone to bitch about. 

[choclatechip45]

 

Because all gay men are the same? I don't and have never watched Big Brother but I saw some articles about Frankie Grande, largely because of his relation to Ariana Grande and my understanding is that he was pretty hateful, said a lot of offensive things and was just an all around jerk on the show. I have seen none of that from Reed and Josh.

 

I almost feel like there is an effort to look for a reason to hate them simply because they are Broadway actors and so clearly that must mean they are only there to further their career which is apparently so offensive. And as I said the first time this was mentioned about Josh, I sincerely doubt every person comes on Survivor purely for the love of the show. Also, this isn't 2001 when this show first debuted. Survivor is hardly a path to celebrity success.

 

And Josh and Reed were not the only ones complaining about the rice. Wes and Alec were both pretty annoyed in last week's episode and stated so, that they were basically on a tribe making sure that they conserved their rice and they come to a tribe where they were going to starve. Wes especially was not happy. Julie also expressed her concern in a talking head and again, they were all explaining the circumstances to Jeff when he questioned them after the Immunity Challenge.

It has nothing to do with Josh and Reed being gay it is more of the fact they have a Broadway background. If there was a straight female with a Broadway background and I thought she was playing it up for the cameras I would be saying she reminded of Frankie Grande .For me personally, I feel like they are both playing to the cameras which is what Frankie did. Frankie claimed to be a big fan of Big Brother, but did not know very much about the show besides the general concept and said in his survivor audition tape that Jeff Probst told him to apply for Survivor. From what I read Josh and Reed went on Twitter and told Jeff Probst they wanted to be on Survivor because they are big fans of Survivor. You are completely correct though Frankie did say a lot of hateful which Reed and Josh have not said. Like I said in my original post I have absolutely no problem with people going on Survivor to advance their careers. I don't like it when people go on Survivor and claim they are big fans of the show if they are not. Wes , Alec and Julie all seem like recruits to me who have never watched the show so I'm not surprised about them being annoyed. I am surprised by two people who claim they are big fans of the show.  If you are a huge fan you know there will be a merge soon or another tribal switch and reward challenges to get food and fill up for one day.

Edited October 30, 2014 by choclatechip45

[truthaboutluv]

But even if you are a huge fan of a show, you're still human, meaning you would still naturally be concerned about the possibility of having no food. And plenty of people who have competed on the show, all say the same thing - watching it and actually being there, experiencing it, is completely different. So yes, logically they can say, "well they can't make us starve and there's a Reward coming up soon" but the fact is one, there was no guarantee they would win the Reward Challenge and two, Survivor has thrown curveballs at contestants many times where they think something will happen based on past seasons and they get thrown a curveball.

 

I also don't agree about the playing up for cameras. Again, up until this past episode, Reed has been all but mute and sure Josh got a lot of face time at Coyopa but a lot of that was game related, as he was the one dictating and controlling many of the votes. And in most of his confessionals, he was often matter of fact and to the point talking about his strategy and what was going on in the game. I don't see how that was any different than anyone else's confessionals or how he was playing up for the cameras.

[choclatechip45]

 

I also don't agree about the playing up for cameras. Again, up until this past episode, Reed has been all but mute and sure Josh got a lot of face time at Coyopa but a lot of that was game related, as he was the one dictating and controlling many of the votes. And in most of his confessionals, he was often matter of fact and to the point talking about his strategy and what was going on in the game. I don't see how that was any different than anyone else's confessionals or how he was playing up for the cameras.

Good point about Reed. It came up with Drew & Kelly's exit interview that Reed started a lot of stupid drama in the beginning of the game it was pretty much the only thing they had the same perspective on. So maybe that colored my view of Reed in this episode knowing that information. In all honesty I think my issue with them is that Josh is supposed to be our narrator for the season. I just don't find Josh all that interesting or funny. The only reason he seems to be the narrator is because he has the right soundbites and knows what to say to the camera. Due to this being a Blood vs. Water season I think my annoyance with Josh has influenced my view with Reed. Just like my annoyance with Rocker, Drew, Missy and Jon have influenced my thoughts about Julie, Alec, Baylor and Jacqueline. To be fair my annoyance with Julie has worn off a little, but that has to do with Rocker being out for the game awhile.

Edited October 30, 2014 by choclatechip45

[Wings]

Here's where I got confused (hangs head in shame at not being intellectually gifted enough to understand Survivor strategy):  

 

I get that Dale wanted Jon to think he had an idol, and Jon did seem to believe that it was the real thing at first.  Ok.  Then Dale says, "if you don't vote me out this time, I'll give this to you, Jon."  I think it was a clever of him to pretend he was playing a long-term strategy to join Jon's alliance, but it doesn't hold up if you think about it for a hot minute. This deal boils down to Dale saying "Rather than using my idol tonight so I can be certain that I stay, I'd rather give it away and just hope with all my might that you won't vote me off."  Doesn't make sense.  Once Dale announced that he wasn't going to use it, why wouldn't they vote him out?  If you're truly interested in saving yourself for one more tribal, then why not just play the idol and be done with it?  The only explanation is that it wasn't really an idol, and even blockhead Jon figured it out.  

 

 

You understand and so did Jon!  That is why he is gone.  

[iMonrey]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't every Hidden Immunity Idol come wrapped in a piece of paper that says something to the effect of "Congratulations, you have found the Hidden Immunity Idol," if it's not actually carved on the idol itself? As long as this show has been on the air, and as many times as someone has tried to parlay a fake idol, by now people should be wise enough not to fall for that. It's as simple as saying "Show me the certificate of authenticity."

 

I suspect Jeremy was the one wasting all the rice based on his reaction and Reed's reference to certain somebodies who were responsible while others didn't want to stand up to them and put a target on their backs. 

 

 Biggest LOL moment was Jeff walking away with that giant carpet stuffed full of all the luxury items. How long did he drag that thing before the director yelled "cut" and the crew came and took it for him?

[Ms Blue Jay]

Something I just remembered. Did anyone else get the vibe that Jeremy was jealous that Josh & Reed got to be together & be openly affectionate, while Val wasn't there any more? He really sounded like he was pissed off that they got to hug & kiss to me.

 

I don't think Jeremy was annoyed that Reed and Josh are being affectionate.

 

I think Jeremy was annoyed that Reed and Josh were being so affectionate because it meant that they weren't at all scared about being targeted or seeming like a threat.

 

This is my personal interpretation of "They walk around like they own the place."  They're not scared to be seen as extremely tight and lovey dovey.  They're not worried about being voted out.  Jeremy says that if he and Val were together on the same tribe, they'd make an effort to not be overly affectionate towards each other, so people would kind of 'forget' how tight they are.  I tend to believe him.

 

So yeah.  Jealous :)  He is kind of jealous.  I just don't see it in a bad way.  Josh and Reed get to be openly affectionate and they don't seem to be in danger in the game  -- (yet).  They get to enjoy the perks of being with their loved one in this game, without any worry of game-play.  Now that I've talked it all out, I can also see the point that he just likes to bitch about stuff.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[LanceM]

On the other side of the spectrum I think Baylor is a little too into Jon and Jaclyn's PDA.

[Trick Question]

Biggest LOL moment was Jeff walking away with that giant carpet stuffed full of all the luxury items. How long did he drag that thing before the director yelled "cut" and the crew came and took it for him?

 

This was hilarious.  I am all for more Survivor moments that make Probst look silly (i.e. his old "waterski to the reunion show" montages)

[Hera]

Here's where I got confused (hangs head in shame at not being intellectually gifted enough to understand Survivor strategy):  

 

I get that Dale wanted Jon to think he had an idol, and Jon did seem to believe that it was the real thing at first.  Ok.  Then Dale says, "if you don't vote me out this time, I'll give this to you, Jon."  I think it was a clever of him to pretend he was playing a long-term strategy to join Jon's alliance, but it doesn't hold up if you think about it for a hot minute. This deal boils down to Dale saying "Rather than using my idol tonight so I can be certain that I stay, I'd rather give it away and just hope with all my might that you won't vote me off."  Doesn't make sense.  Once Dale announced that he wasn't going to use it, why wouldn't they vote him out?  If you're truly interested in saving yourself for one more tribal, then why not just play the idol and be done with it?  The only explanation is that it wasn't really an idol, and even blockhead Jon figured it out.  

You're right on the money. I think Dale had the right idea (bluff about the idol), but overplayed it. When you're bluffing, it's better to let people "find out" for themselves what it is that you want them to think. Rupert pulled it off beautifully in Heroes vs. Villains. He stuck something heavy and idol-sized in one of his pockets and acted calm and let people guess from his demeanor (and the extra weight in his pocket) that he had one. I don't think it was necessarily a mistake for Dale to show Jon the idol, but all that stuff about giving it away was too much and doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Mind you, even if he had dialed it back, he was probably still screwed since the dominant alliance had enough people to split the vote; they didn't even need Keith to do it.

 

Biggest LOL moment was Jeff walking away with that giant carpet stuffed full of all the luxury items. How long did he drag that thing before the director yelled "cut" and the crew came and took it for him?

 

This was hilarious.  I am all for more Survivor moments that make Probst look silly (i.e. his old "waterski to the reunion show" montages)

What I loved about it was that it looked like he was just going to walk straight into the ocean with all of that stuff. Seriously, where was he supposed to be going?

 

Finally, I enjoy Jeremy. He doesn't seem to have alienated anyone at camp, so he's probably just saving it all for his confessionals. I think I'd probably be the same. There is absolutely no way that I could live under Survivor conditions and not have about a million complaints about the people who were stuck out there with me. It's a social game, so as ProfCrash pointed out, there's no benefit to him openly challenging the will of the group and there's no downside to complaining about that same group in confessionals. In fact, I wish we got to hear more of everyone's confessionals. I like hearing what people really think as opposed to what they say to each other to keep themselves in the game.

 

As for the tarp vs. rice issue, I think when it comes to things as basic as shelter and food, different people are going to prioritize different things and I don't think there necessarily is an answer that is "right". I probably would have wanted to keep the tarp at all costs, but I can understand why someone else would say, "I can deal with being cold and wet before I can deal with being that hungry." We're all calibrated differently. However, the fact that there are far more opportunities to get food as a reward on Survivor than there are to get a tarp probably plays a role in my calculation.

[LoLo]

The tribe that used up all their rice is the laziest tribe I've ever seen & I've watched since season 1 episode 1. When Jeff took their tarp they just sat around. I would have immediately started reinforcing the roof with more fronds or anything I could find. They are not a super tribe because they keep winning. They lucked out that the other tribe has both old guys, an older woman & young girls with only 1 strong guy. I am also annoyed with Jeremy. He had no problem working with Rocker when he needed him to protect his wife but before even finding out what happened he brought up Rocker's past. I'm not a fan of Rocker or his comments but it's very hypocritical that it was ok to work with him but when it didn't go Jeremy's way, he then had to put him blast. Then last night, he really thought they didn't need the rice. That they could just eat reward food. Every reward is not food & there's no guarantee that you will win every one. The rice was the smarter move in the long run. Now Jeremy is complaining about the gay couple being too affectionate. Jeremy should be working angles & playing a better game instead of complaining all the time. Plus, he almost lost the challenge for them, all on his own.

[LoLo]

You're right on the money. I think Dale had the right idea (bluff about the idol), but overplayed it. When you're bluffing, it's better to let people "find out" for themselves what it is that you want them to think. Rupert pulled it off beautifully in Heroes vs. Villains. He stuck something heavy and idol-sized in one of his pockets and acted calm and let people guess from his demeanor (and the extra weight in his pocket) that he had one. I don't think it was necessarily a mistake for Dale to show Jon the idol, but all that stuff about giving it away was too much and doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Mind you, even if he had dialed it back, he was probably still screwed since the dominant alliance had enough people to split the vote; they didn't even need Keith to do it.

 

What I loved about it was that it looked like he was just going to walk straight into the ocean with all of that stuff. Seriously, where was he supposed to be going?

 

Finally, I enjoy Jeremy. He doesn't seem to have alienated anyone at camp, so he's probably just saving it all for his confessionals. I think I'd probably be the same. There is absolutely no way that I could live under Survivor conditions and not have about a million complaints about the people who were stuck out there with me. It's a social game, so as ProfCrash pointed out, there's no benefit to him openly challenging the will of the group and there's no downside to complaining about that same group in confessionals. In fact, I wish we got to hear more of everyone's confessionals. I like hearing what people really think as opposed to what they say to each other to keep themselves in the game.

 

As for the tarp vs. rice issue, I think when it comes to things as basic as shelter and food, different people are going to prioritize different things and I don't think there necessarily is an answer that is "right". I probably would have wanted to keep the tarp at all costs, but I can understand why someone else would say, "I can deal with being cold and wet before I can deal with being that hungry." We're all calibrated differently. However, the fact that there are far more opportunities to get food as a reward on Survivor than there are to get a tarp probably plays a role in my calculation.

Keeping the tarp & hoping to win rewards is a gamble. Not all rewards are food. What would have happened if they didn't win or the reward wasn't food. I think food trumps comfort, you can live without a blanket & hammock, you can't live with out food. I agree about complaints, as I know I would have them as well but I would try to have valid complaints. Jeremy comparing how he & his wife would be if she was there has zero to do with how the other couples interact. Everyone plays differently. Even if I would be more like Jeremy & Val, I would not hang on my hubby all day.

[SourK]

Natalie is the person I'm most interested in watching, so I'm kind of cheering for her by default, but I had this weird moment of cheering for Keith this episode. He's sort of playing the game all by himself, and he looked nervous when his name came up during Tribal, and I was really pulling for him as an underdog for about thirty seconds. I think maybe because he also has damp eyes, it makes me feel sorry for him? Like, "It's okay, Keith! You'll see your son again!" and "It's okay, Keith! You'll have a chance to play your idol!"

 

Otherwise, this is really boring.

[fishcakes]

I guess I kind of like Keith too, or at the very least I hope he doesn't die out there. He reminds me of Butch from the Amazon season in that he looks a little like him and also he never has the first clue as to what's going on.

[riley702]

I think Baylor must have a gel manicure.  They apparently are indestructible for weeks.  You have to go back to the salon to have it removed.  Probably by holding your hands submerged in turpentine or something.  :)

Yeah, but as your fingernails grow, there's no polish at the cuticles. A week is enough for it to be noticeable to me and I wear clear gel polish. I'll have to go back and look, but didn't notice a lack of orange polish near her cuticles. And I'm not sure about other people's experiences, but the guy who does my nails uses this little grinder thing to crack the top layer and then I soak in nail polish remover to get the rest off.

[Kel Varnsen]

Probst's proselytizing was soooo over the top. No, Jeff, they were actually pretty smart because they got to smash all the challenges for 13 days only for you to come bail them out because starving people make bad television. They'll loose some toenails to the rain, make it to merge, and be fine. And have about double the amount of food. Win, win, win.

 

The fact that there was even an option to get more rice kind of bugged. I totally can't picture that option being available in the earlier seasons. Hell back in the day being the tribe provider was a legitimate strategy to make it to the merge. If there is no rice, find fish or bugs or something. The other team was eating crabs. Or eat tree leaves or find fruit. Jeff knew exactly how many days until the merge which makes it even more annoying.

 

EXCEPT!  Weren't Baylor and Twinner stretched out on a rock pallet over at Exile Island during that same rain storm?  Did they not get any camera time because they weren't cry-whining "I don't think I can take it anymore"?  Or maybe Production scoops up people on the beach so they don't become human lightning rods.  Either way, Julie missed an excellent opportunity to show some Survivor backbone and suffer in silence.  The squeaky wheels never win this thing.

That bugged me to. I mean the other tribe had no tarp, and neither did the exile island people. How did they make out?

[kikaha]

This season has mostly bored me... none of the contestants interests me... so I didn't really follow why Jon/Jaclyn chose to stick with Missy and daughter over Dale and daughter.  Is anyone willing to explain the reason? 

[SVNBob]

This season has mostly bored me... none of the contestants interests me... so I didn't really follow why Jon/Jaclyn chose to stick with Missy and daughter over Dale and daughter.  Is anyone willing to explain the reason?

A semi-subconscious need of Jon to be the Alpha/Only Male?  Or the higher Goatential of Missy and/or Baylor?    Those are the only ideas I've got.

[KimberStormer]

This season is not very interesting, but at least I don't feel like I'm losing my mind like I did last season.  I am "meh" but everyone else is "meh", whereas last season I was "ugh" and everyone else was "ZOMG BEST SEASON OF AAAAAALLLLLL TIIIIMMMMMEEEEE"

 

Is Natalie a secret superfan?  I could swear she said "all the fixin's!" before Jeff could say it.  You have to be a fan to know how much Jeff loves his fixin's.

 

Personally I feel like the blue tribe did not suffer nearly enough for the new rice.  Assuming Jeff is right and they won all the challenges because they were eating so much rice, losing extraneous comfort items and giving them the means to win all the rest of the challenges by doubling up on rice is just plain unfair.  He should have given the other tribe extra rice too so they could go hog-wild.  I didn't have a problem with Jeremy (though him getting such a negative edit this episode is very interesting) complaining but I think he was taking the wrong view of it.  There's at least a good possibility that they bought immunity wins for that tarp, and that's not a bad deal at all.

 

I've wanted Dale's head ever since he caused Nadiya's boot, so I'm glad his chickens finally came home to roost for that.  Add in that he was gonna be a backer for John Rocker, and I'm more than pleased to see him go.  Though I'm also surprised to see him go so soon since I really thought he was getting a long-lasting edit.

 

I really thought so too!  What was the deal with all the Dale Trash Talk, I wonder?

 

This season has mostly bored me... none of the contestants interests me... so I didn't really follow why Jon/Jaclyn chose to stick with Missy and daughter over Dale and daughter.  Is anyone willing to explain the reason? 

 

My guess is he still wants the couples to outnumber the singles, in the hopes that he can have a couples alliance, or at least prevent a singles alliance: him and Jaclyn, Baylor and Missy, Keith and Wes, Josh and Reed, outnumbering Jeremy, Natalie, Julie, and Alec.  If he votes out Missy, that's moving Baylor to the singles column and keeping Dale in the game, so it would be Jon & Jaclyn, Keith & Wes, Baylor & Missy VS Jeremy, Natalie, Julie, Alec, Baylor, Dale.  I feel like maybe I'm forgetting someone but anyway, I think that's the logic, since he was talking about this before.  Now he's probably doing that thing where "you plan to fight the last war, not the war ahead of you", and basing too much strategy on avoiding Tyson, but it's not crazy or illogical, in my opinion.

[kikaha]

Kimber, after they voted out Kelley, they pretty much had to boot Dale next, for the reason you gave.  But why did they choose Missy & Baylor over Dale & Kelley?  Baylor already betrayed the women... and Missy showed her entitled attitude with the rice.  Bob's ideas sound as good as anything I recall seeing on the screen. 

 

Imagine the uproar if they had booted Missy, and Jon then came to learn Dale's idol was fake. 

[Kel Varnsen]

Personally I feel like the blue tribe did not suffer nearly enough for the new rice.  Assuming Jeff is right and they won all the challenges because they were eating so much rice, losing extraneous comfort items and giving them the means to win all the rest of the challenges by doubling up on rice is just plain unfair.  He should have given the other tribe extra rice too so they could go hog-wild.  I didn't have a problem with Jeremy (though him getting such a negative edit this episode is very interesting) complaining but I think he was taking the wrong view of it.  There's at least a good possibility that they bought immunity wins for that tarp, and that's not a bad deal at all.

 

I don't think they suffered enough either. Personally I don't think there should have been any kind of option for more rice. But if the producers decided that they had to, then they should have had someone from the other tribe come over to the blue tribe and negotiate for what it would take for them to get more rice. Because the orange tribe is the ones that got screwed over because they better rationed their rice, so in a way I think they should decide what more rice is worth for the other team.

[RescueMom]

I would take the rice over the comfort items every time.  Even if every single reward challenge contained nutritious food (some don't - think pastries and coffee), and they won every one, the reward challenges happen every three days at best.  And they have no way to store any extra food safely to ration reward food out for days.  Even if they ate well for an entire day off of a reward meal, that leaves two days with nothing to eat, and I remember them saying something like their beach was barren for food in an earlier episode.  Even one two-day stretch is a long time to go with literally nothing to eat.

 

[cooksdelight]

Because the orange tribe is the ones that got screwed over because they better rationed their rice, so in a way I think they should decide what more rice is worth for the other team.

That would have been sweet. March the orange team over, let them decide what they want to take. A person, or all the luxury items. It's one thing for Jeff to take it away, would have stung a lot more for the opposing tribe to get it all.

[ProfCrash]

Rice is not all that nutritious. A serving has 10% your daily need of protein and barely any vitamins and minerals. It is a filler but one that does not last all that long. Rice and beans is another story. The combo of the two makes it reasonably nutritious and good for you.

 

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5707/2

[CarolMK]

This whole season seems like a snoozer to me, especially after watching the last 2. I am wondering if Josh is getting a winner's edit. 

[RescueMom]

Rice is not all that nutritious. A serving has 10% your daily need of protein and barely any vitamins and minerals. It is a filler but one that does not last all that long. Rice and beans is another story. The combo of the two makes it reasonably nutritious and good for you.

 

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5707/2

 

Oh, I know rice isn't nutritious on its own - I probably should have stated that differently.  What I meant was, some rewards provide good, nutritious food, while others provide food that not only isn't going to give you nutrition, but probably will make you sick to your stomach on top of it.  Like the candy rewards.  There is no guarantee that any food they won on reward would be high-quality food that would trump the rice and would provide them with protein, vitamins, etc.  I still might not be stating this well.  Apparently I need another cup of coffee :)

[Kel Varnsen]

Oh, I know rice isn't nutritious on its own - I probably should have stated that differently.  What I meant was, some rewards provide good, nutritious food, while others provide food that not only isn't going to give you nutrition, but probably will make you sick to your stomach on top of it.  Like the candy rewards.  There is no guarantee that any food they won on reward would be high-quality food that would trump the rice and would provide them with protein, vitamins, etc.  I still might not be stating this well.  Apparently I need another cup of coffee :)

I always wonder what happens with those rewards. I mean how would someone's digestive system react when for a week or two you have been surviving on 2 servings of rice and beans a day, and then all of the sudden you are gorging yourself on steak skewers. My guess is probably not very well. On the rewards where you get alcohol after basically fasting, it is probably even worse.

[cooksdelight]

You poop a lot, and it's not pleasant, from what I've been told.

[KimberStormer]

Kimber, after they voted out Kelley, they pretty much had to boot Dale next, for the reason you gave.  But why did they choose Missy & Baylor over Dale & Kelley?

 

Good question!  But I guess they left that out in order to create suspense last episode, and we'll probably never know till Jon and/or Jaclyn's exit interviews.

[peachmangosteen]

I suspect Jeremy was the one wasting all the rice based on his reaction and Reed's reference to certain somebodies who were responsible while others didn't want to stand up to them and put a target on their backs.

 

I suspect this, too, but it might just be my Jeremy hate talking. Also, just from what we've been show, I see Jeremy as the leader of the tribe, so I'm gonna assume if he didn't want to eat all the rice, he would've kept it from happening. Plus, obviously, he doesn't think rice means shit, so he probably wasn't thinking about it being gone much. But it's more that I see him as the leader that makes me assume he was the one behind 'let's eat rice 10 times a day yay!'

 

I think Baylor is a little too into Jon and Jaclyn's PDA.

 

Yea really. It's quite odd. But it does kinda help explain why Jon/Jaclyn chose to go with Missy/Baylor.

 

As for Baylor's manicure, there a press image from the next ep here (which spoils something, but just what was shown in the promo for the next ep) that shows that her nail polish is completely gone from at least 3 of her fingernails, but weirdly looks almost completely in tact on the others.

Edited October 31, 2014 by peachmangosteen

[Pattycake2]

I don't understand the whole Jeff thing saying Hunahpu was winning because they were eating more rice.  But, isn't Coyopa eating fish?  They have the fishing gear. I laughed when Jeremy said if Val was still there they'd make sure to stay far away from each other.  Heck, no.  From all indications,Val would have done what ever was the dumbest thing to do.  With Josh and Reed being the only couple on Hunahpu, I think they figured that they already had a target on their back so why not act like a couple?

 

If Jeremy thought that the merge was coming and that they could hold out for food, why not also consider the opposite?  The that the merge was coming and shelter would come back so why not eat and keep up their strength? 

 

ETA:  I read somewhere that Jeff delivered the rice and took back the supplies at sunset.  Time would have been limited to work on the shelter.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Pattycake2

[ProfCrash]

I don't think anyone has the fishing gear. The fishing gear was offered and turned down in favor of flint and then I think the tribe took comfort over fishing gear

[truthaboutluv]

You're right. The fishing gear was only offered once and Hunahpu who won it had to give it up for a new flint. Also, Coyopa could not have any fishing gear for the simple reason that they've never won a Reward Challenge. They've lost every single challenge except for one Immunity Challenge.

[cooksdelight]

The orange tribe had something to catch fish with, Rocker was bringing in fish his last night there.

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah I remember that but I think this was something they made on their own just like this episode where you can clearly see Keith fishing with something that looks hand-made.

[Wings]

Good question!  But I guess they left that out in order to create suspense last episode, and we'll probably never know till Jon and/or Jaclyn's exit interviews.

 

 

I think it is all about alliances and they felt more comfortable with Missy and Baylor.  Jon knew Missy from his tribe and clearly Jackie  mended her fence with Baylor.  No one liked Dale so Kelly was expendable since no alliance with them was possible.  Better to get her out first since she is an comp threat.  

 

Good point, imonrey!  It makes total sense that Jeremy was the force behind eating large portions of rice.  

[iMonrey]

 

The orange tribe had something to catch fish with, Rocker was bringing in fish his last night there.

 

Kelly was holding a fishing spear last week when she pulled Dale aside to talk him down, and it didn't look like something home-made. 

[Guest]

I think the show does give them rice and beans (and sunscreen and other necessities for basic health), they just choose to show only the rice rations.  Probably because it seems more austere.  For that reason, I think the tribe had no choice but to take the bag of rice and whatever price it entailed.  

 

I think they showed Julie's rough night and not Exile Island because it relates to the story they were spinning-- the price of the rice.

 

I would not just 'forget' that a married couple was a couple if they didn't engage in PDA, so I don't know what Jeremy was thinking.  

[meep.meep]

You can survive a looooooong time without food, like around 20 days.  You can't go very long without water.  Jeremy was 100% right.  Plus, based on what they've shown, the Hunapoos haven't even been looking for food.  Try to fish, look for edible plants (Sue Hawk and her tapioca quest), bugs, crabs, clams, birds, etc.

 

Probst alluded to losing the rice in Australia.  Interesting that he didn't bring up Brandon Hantz throwing all his tribe's food away.  That got replaced.

 

I watched a show earlier in the day called Dual Survivor.  It featured two US Senators (Flake from AZ and Heinrich (?) from NM) who spent a week marooned on an island in the Marshall Is.  They got in late and in a few hours before nightfall managed to make a waterproof shelter by weaving palm fronds together.

 

You lose your tarp and rainclouds are on the horizon, get off your duffs and get a roof over your heads.  

[JudyObscure]

I'm with meep.meep. I think they make too much of the food on Survivor. As someone who has been on total water fasts for three to five days at a time, I sort of think that eating decent size servings of rice, rather than tiny half cup servings is the way to go, even if it results in a few days of starvation before the merge or before the end. Calories are burned twenty four hours a day and it's not as though you start at zero each morning. If you ate well early in the week you'll still have some stores to burn later on. I know that a tiny high carb serving of rice would spike my blood sugar and make me much hungrier than nothing at all. The appetite quiets during total fasts.