S29.E07: Million Dollar Decision

[truthaboutluv]

No, someone can't take another person's idol that's in their belongings, far as I know. Last season, Woo stole the clue from Spencer by going through Spencer's pants and some viewers were mad about that. However, I don't think you can go through a person's belongings, see that they have an idol and take it. 

[Guest]

I don't know how to just quote part of a post, but what I want to respond to is if they keep their idols. Wasn't there a Survivor who found two idols and kept them both in his bag? I thought someone rummaged through his bag and found them.

Yeah, I think we used to see people put it in their bag but it seems like they've all either wisened up or the show gave them new options (like the camera crew holding it), or maybe they do bury it outside camp but the crew marks the spot with gps or something.  

[blackwing]

Wasn't there a Survivor who found two idols and kept them both in his bag? I thought someone rummaged through his bag and found them.

James (Jeffy's man-obsession from the China season) had two idols.  That was the season that the idol was some sort of tile from a sign at camp.  I vaguely recall that Todd gave the one from his camp to James, and then James retrieved the one from his own camp.  Some girl on James' tribe went through his bag and found both of them.  But she couldn't take them.

 

And of course, last season, Tony had two idols, but no one went through his bag, he openly wore one at times.

[seacliffsal]

Okay, I may be totally off, but I wonder if part of Julie's motivation to quit was that maybe she felt like she couldn't trust "her boyfriend" Jon Rocker not to cheat on her and so wanted to get back to him before he could wander off.  Yes, there were numerous other reasons, but nevertheless...

[cooksdelight]

Okay, I may be totally off, but I wonder if part of Julie's motivation to quit was that maybe she felt like she couldn't trust "her boyfriend" Jon Rocker not to cheat on her and so wanted to get back to him before he could wander off.  Yes, there were numerous other reasons, but nevertheless...

I seriously doubt that was a reason. Think of who he's sequestered with. Plus, from what I saw, he really adores her.

[peachmangosteen]

I seriously doubt that was a reason. Think of who he's sequestered with. Plus, from what I saw, he really adores her.

 

Was it the "how gross that this lowly girl beat me," that did it for ya? ;)

 

I'm glad some others brought up that "How dare these women try to eat!" bullshit that's been going around. The sexism is off the charts this season. It's maybe not as egregious as it's been other times, but it's so constant and coming from so many of the men that it's staggering.

[cooksdelight]

Was it the "how gross that this lowly girl beat me," that did it for ya? ;)

Now that they are both off the show... that was scripted for him to say. He lost on purpose so he could look for the idol clue on EI. I've met them, they are nice people, and yes they clearly adore each other.

[LanceM]

If you knew she was going to quit why did you cast her?

 

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/11/06/survivor-jeff-probst-julie-quit/

 

I think every fan will have their own take as to whether or not there is a stigma attached to quitting.  Personally, I still get frustrated but now it’s directed at myself. We are the ones who put the contestants on the show. We test them, we talk to them, we study their psych reports and then we make a decision to give them one of our very valuable spots. If they quit, it’s on us. We either missed it, or in the case of Julie we anticipated it but put them on anyway. They were always going to quit — it was just a matter of when. I do think it says much about a person’s drive for life when they voluntarily quit. It’s not someone I want in my foxhole, that’s for sure.  But we have to take our fair share of responsibility for putting them in the situation in the first place.

[peachmangosteen]

Damn, I hate Probst. He needs to STFU.

 

Now that they are both off the show... that was scripted for him to say. He lost on purpose so he could look for the idol clue on EI. 

 

I didn't realize they implied that was scripted. I mean, I could easily believe it, but I'm personally not gonna take John Rocker's word on anything.

[bluebonnet]

Has anyone happened to run across an interview where Julie describes what "take care of myself" is supposed to mean?  I'm still trying to figure out if it means general hygiene or euphemism for a boob job.  

Damn, I hate Probst. He needs to STFU.

 

 

I didn't realize they implied that was scripted. I mean, I could easily believe it, but I'm personally not gonna take John Rocker's word on anything.

But, but, but the media twists all of John Rocker's words because they are so evil so it's easy to believe that the devil, CBS, forced Rocker to sign a contract to say whatever devious things they could think up.  He says such lovely things on his twitter account that it's unbelievable he could ever be rude, bigoted, or misogynistic.*  

 

*sarcasm tone

[ElleryAnne]

Julie describes what "take care of myself" is supposed to mean?  I'm still trying to figure out if it means general hygiene or euphemism for a boob job.

 

 

I just figured she meant that she looks out for her own interests, by doing things like tucking a bit of food aside for later.

[blackwing]

I just figured she meant that she looks out for her own interests, by doing things like tucking a bit of food aside for later.

Seemed to me she was clearly saying people don't like her because of her appearance. She "takes care of herself", she got a boob job, she goes to the tanning salon, she gets collagen injections in her lips, she gets her hair coloured every three weeks, etc. In short... "people are jealous of me because I am beautiful".

I suppose it could be interpreted that she was saying she takes care of herself by hoarding food, but that seems a stretch to me. Or that she takes care of herself by napping and resting and not doing anything to help the group as a whole.

[BC Mama]

I don't blame Julie. These people suck. Does she have to be on the jury now, or can she skip all that and go with John and the other pre-merge people?

 

I don't remember everyone who makes the merge being on the juror. I might be remembering wrong though.

 

It seems to be within the rules to go through people's bags. One time, I forget what season, some people went through someone's bag and find the idol. Oh and Lisa Welchel was going through Malcom's stuff once and found the idol. Now, they were not allowed to take it from the bag. Which made me think that going through bags is OK, but taking something from a bag is not. But they took the trail mix out of Julie's bag, so I guess there aren't any rules or the rules are loose.

 

I hope we get the full story on the trail mix. The editing made it very hard understand. I do know that someone saw Julie put trail mix in her bag at the merge feast, so at least one person knew it was Julie who had it, so I don't know why they were all acting like it was some mystery. Also, it seemed like, from what Julie was saying, they all took some food for themselves and she just decided to keep some trail mix back and not eat everything right away, which apparently everyone else did. But then them all acting like she's a selfish devil makes no sense. 

 

This was really bad edited. Was everyone else sharing? Did they all come to an agreement that the food would be communal? And, even if it was not against the rules that they went through their stuff, they should have waited to confront her. 

 

IMHO Keith "gained immunity from being voted out at the next tribal council" (approx.) and that tribal council hasn't happened yet, thus he should still be immune at the next TC however they want to work it. There are no teams to be slighted or need to come up with a new "losing" tribe to go to tribal. That means there is no reason to find another immune person for next week either. Make the immunity comp into a reward comp and all is good.

 

I agree. Even though the results for Keith would be the same no matter whether Julie quit, or they went to tribal, I still think Keith deserves to have immunity at the next tribal council. He had no more of an advantage than anyone else this week, even though he earned it!

[choclatechip45]

I really hate quitters, but I think this raises an issue with the Blood vs Water format it's pretty obvious one person applied/recruited and the other person is brought along. Once the person who was "brought on the show" is voted out I could see why the other person would want to quit. Someone like Katie from the first Blood vs. Water it was pretty obvious she was on the show so Tina could be on. So my problem isn't really with Julie it's more with the producers. As someone who spent 6 summers at sleep away camp I laughed at Jeff's point. That is always my reaction during the loved ones visit.

 

I think Josh is lacking self-awareness which I think could be his undoing. I think he could of flipped Baylor and Missy if he had used the couples argument vs. "I saved your life" argument. I didn't really mind Jeremy this episode I think he is getting a better edit than Josh.

Edited November 7, 2014 by choclatechip45

[needschocolate]

I don't remember everyone who makes the merge being on the juror. I might be remembering wrong though.

 

I think it is typical that they first post merge bootie does not get on the jury.  It seems to me that it is usually a 9 person jury and 3 final players up forhe million - making a total of 12 that make it to the final TC.  They had 13 players at the merge, so whomever was voted out (or quit) first wasn't going to be on the jury.  

 

ETA: This is wrong - there were only 12 people before Julie quit.

Edited November 7, 2014 by needschocolate

[choclatechip45]

 

I think it is typical that they first post merge bootie does not get on the jury.  It seems to me that it is usually a 9 person jury and 3 final players up forhe million - making a total of 12 that make it to the final TC.  They had 13 players at the merge, so whomever was voted out (or quit) first wasn't going to be on the jury.

It depends on the  number of people and the tribal switches. The first couple of seasons Gretchen/Varner/Roger Sexton/Boston Rob (1st time) who made the merge weren't on the jury. While someone like Marcus in Gabon never made the merge and was on the jury because there was a third tribal switch. Also, Coach and Courtney didn't make the merge and were on the jury in Heroes vs Villans.

Edited November 7, 2014 by choclatechip45

[bluebonnet]

Seemed to me she was clearly saying people don't like her because of her appearance. She "takes care of herself", she got a boob job, she goes to the tanning salon, she gets collagen injections in her lips, she gets her hair coloured every three weeks, etc. In short... "people are jealous of me because I am beautiful".

I suppose it could be interpreted that she was saying she takes care of herself by hoarding food, but that seems a stretch to me. Or that she takes care of herself by napping and resting and not doing anything to help the group as a whole.

Not to nitpick or shame or anything like that, but Julie really can't claim people are jealous of her because of her looks.  She's pretty average at best, though her breasts and the way she uses them does give her a bit of a step up in the noticeability department.  

 

I guess it could make sense that "taking care of myself" could translate to doing things that cares for one's mental health.  It makes me feel good to get my hair done once a month, so that's what I do.  I just would never think that other's would be jealous in a hostile way just because I got my hair done.  Envious, perhaps, but more in a superficial sort of way.  The kind of envy we all feign as a way to compliment someone.  "omg you're hair looks so great i'm super jealous"....that sort of thing.  

[viajero]

This really is a pretty unlikeable and boring cast.  I’ve gotten to the point where I really don’t like any of the guys.  While I’ve come to detest Josh and Alec in particular, the rest of the men are barely more tolerable.

 

Not that I like most of the women all that much either.  In fact, pretty much the only people left who I’m okay with are Natalie and Baylor.  Jaclyn might get back into my good graces if she really does stand up to Jon next episode, but somehow I suspect she’ll end up knuckling under.

 

It’s kind of funny how TAR and Survivor seem to alternate having good seasons.  Last season I found Survivor much more interesting, but TAR is far superior this time around.

[truthaboutluv]

I think Josh is lacking self-awareness which I think could be his undoing. I think he could of flipped Baylor and Missy if he had used the couples argument vs. "I saved your life" argument. I didn't really mind Jeremy this episode I think he is getting a better edit than Josh.

 

 

I wouldn't say Josh is lacking so much self-awareness. Yes he was whiny when saying he was a little hurt that Baylor would flip on him so quickly but he didn't seem to harp on it too long or even hold some grudge, instead he just changed his focus to convincing Jon and Jacqueline to vote with him. And I actually do think that was the smarter play than trying to convince Baylor and Missy of his couples plan.  Missy as I noted before, seems very tight with Natalie and Jeremy. She was not breaking that alliance and Baylor is clearly going to stick with her mom. So I think Josh wisely realized quickly that Baylor was a lost cause.

 

On top of that, I didn't find him particularly nasty or mean about Jeremy. He actually acknowledged that Jeremy was playing a very smart game but stated with a smile that unfortunately for him, Jeremy's game is working against his game. And that's basically why they're gunning for each other. I also disagree that Jeremy has had the better edit. I don't really dislike either guy to be honest and both have had their not so great moments but honestly, Jeremy is the one that has bitched repeatedly in a number of his TH's, got into a screaming match with Keith, always seems quick to lose his temper and basically spends half the time side-eying and looking annoyed at people. While I noted above I never saw Josh being mean or nasty to Jeremy, there were a number of not so subtle angry glares and stares from Jeremy at Josh. Now of course I recognize that editing comes to play and those may have been random moments by Jeremy that had nothing to do with Josh but it certainly did not make him look so good. 

 

I think it is typical that they first post merge bootie does not get on the jury.  It seems to me that it is usually a 9 person jury and 3 final players up forhe million - making a total of 12 that make it to the final TC.  They had 13 players at the merge, so whomever was voted out (or quit) first wasn't going to be on the jury.

 

 

No, there were 12 players. Jeremy noted, when he was talking about having Jon and Jacqueline with them, that they had the numbers 7 to 5 and I think Josh himself also mentioned the same thing. The players at the merge were Julie, Jeremy, Natalie, Baylor, Missy, Jon, Jacqueline, Wes, Josh, Reed, Alec and Keith. So my guess is if Julie is not a jury member which seems to be the case with how she left, that just like last season, there will be a Final 2, rather than a Final 3, to ensure the nine person jury. 

[choclatechip45]

 

On top of that, I didn't find him particularly nasty or mean about Jeremy. He actually acknowledged that Jeremy was playing a very smart game but stated with a smile that unfortunately for him, Jeremy's game is working against his game. And that's basically why they're gunning for each other. I also disagree that Jeremy has had the better edit. I don't really dislike either guy to be honest and both have had their not so great moments but honestly, Jeremy is the one that has bitched repeatedly in a number of his TH's, got into a screaming match with Keith, always seems quick to lose his temper and basically spends half the time side-eying and looking annoyed at people. While I noted above I never saw Josh being mean or nasty to Jeremy, there were a number of not so subtle angry glares and stares from Jeremy at Josh. Now of course I recognize that editing comes to play and those may have been random moments by Jeremy that had nothing to do with Josh but it certainly did not make him look so good.

I don't think Josh or Jeremy are being mean to each other. I think it's more of two alpha males with "type a" personalities clashing.  The glares seem to be going both ways for me.  Josh seems to be playing a very hard since the beginning. I do think Josh is a bigger threat than Jeremy. I think going off in the confessionals is a smart move because you are letting of steam. The whole Keith thing is stupid and made both of them look bad.

[KaveDweller]

her constant need to refer to "my boyfriend John."

 

There's was a guy on her tribe named John though. She may have just been trying to make it clear.  It sounded really awkward though, especially since it was always obvious who she meant based on what she was saying.

 

Does she have to be on the jury now, or can she skip all that and go with John and the other pre-merge people?

 

Jeff Probst told EW that he thinks she quit because she knew if one more person went out she'd be on the jury, and she really wanted to be able to go off with John.  So, I'm guessing no she's not.  I remember when those two women quit at the same time and made the jury viewers complained.  And Jeff made some kind of statement about they were officially changing the rules to say that a quitter doesn't necessarily make the jury.  Which is a pretty meaningless rule.

 

Regarding idols....in early seasons when people found an idol, there was a note on it that said it could not be stolen from them.  I think that is definitely still a rule, since we've seen people see idols in other people's bags and not take them.  I can't remember which season that was.

[choclatechip45]

 

Regarding idols....in early seasons when people found an idol, there was a note on it that said it could not be stolen from them.  I think that is definitely still a rule, since we've seen people see idols in other people's bags and not take them.  I can't remember which season that was.

Wasn't there something with someone throwing Colton's idol in the ocean? And the producers gave him a new one I can't remember if they had shown that or it came out in the exit interviews.

 

 

Were there any other Survivors snapped up by a network to write comedy after their seasons?

Rafe from Guatemala wrote for the tv show Chuck.

Edited November 7, 2014 by choclatechip45

[Guest]

I don't think it's meaningless that quitters no longer get to be jurors.  They contracted to play the game and they quit.  Their paid vacation and effect on the game ends now.  No one wants their input on who wins.  Buh-bye, catch a flight, end of paid sabattical and tv time.  They should cut them out of reunion shows, too.  

[msmongolian]

I don't think Josh or Jeremy are being mean to each other. I think it's more of two alpha males with "type a" personalities clashing.  The glares seem to be going both ways for me.  Josh seems to be playing a very hard since the beginning. I do think Josh is a bigger threat than Jeremy. I think going off in the confessionals is a smart move because you are letting of steam. The whole Keith thing is stupid and made both of them look bad.

 

Agreed, I definitely did not get a sense that Josh or Jeremy were acting poorly last night, even in confessionals.  Honestly, I found it refreshing that their attitudes were basically "game on."  They didn't make it personal; they just knew that the other one had to go.  And I'm not sure that either of them were glaring so much as seeing what the other person was doing and thinking about how to counter the move.  It was really fun to watch these two guys maneuver.

 

I'm not sure who is the bigger threat between Josh and Jeremy.  On one hand, Josh is still in his pair, which gives him an advantage.  No matter how tight Jeremy is with Natalie and Missy, I don't think those bonds can compete.  Missy will always be more loyal to Baylor, and I could see Natalie voting against Jeremy, particularly if she thinks that she can't beat him in the end.  But I also feel like Josh isn't as good a strategist as the show portrays him to be.  He kept arguing for a couples alliance with Jon & Jaclyn but somehow never explained how Alec was in that alliance but Missy and Baylor were not.  And he kept saying that Jeremy is targeting couples, but he never explained how Jeremy would have the numbers if Jon & Jaclyn went with him.  The pairs (Missy, Baylor, Jon, and Jaclyn) could vote Jeremy and Natalie out at Final 6 after Pagonging Josh's alliance.  Am I missing something?  I have no idea why Jon suddenly decided to switch to Josh.

[choclatechip45]

 

I'm not sure who is the bigger threat between Josh and Jeremy.  On one hand, Josh is still in his pair, which gives him an advantage.  No matter how tight Jeremy is with Natalie and Missy, I don't think those bonds can compete.  Missy will always be more loyal to Baylor, and I could see Natalie voting against Jeremy, particularly if she thinks that she can't beat him in the end.  But I also feel like Josh isn't as good a strategist as the show portrays him to be.  He kept arguing for a couples alliance with Jon & Jaclyn but somehow never explained how Alec was in that alliance but Missy and Baylor were not.  And he kept saying that Jeremy is targeting couples, but he never explained how Jeremy would have the numbers if Jon & Jaclyn went with him.  The pairs (Missy, Baylor, Jon, and Jaclyn) could vote Jeremy and Natalie out at Final 6 after Pagonging Josh's alliance.  Am I missing something?  I have no idea why Jon suddenly decided to switch to Josh.

I feel like Josh would be better at puzzles than Jeremy. If I were to bet anyone to go on a an immunity run the one I would bet on would be Reed. In all honesty Alec seems to be dumb so I'm not surprised Josh could talk him into being an alliance. Yeah I feel like if I were Jon the singles would be more attractive since I feel like Jon would have an easier time to win Individual immunity. I don't think that's a good strategy either.

[NutMeg]

It seems to me that the nuts gate ot whatever it was called was manufactured purely to provide the casual viewer for a reason to explain Julie wanting to quit. Notice how not once did we see both Kulie and rest of the tribe when nuts were mentioned. 

 

Way I see it, Julie had many reasons to want out - namely:

 

1) after initially getting on well with her tribemates, she hears two or more of them scream fury and anathem at her guy. Yes, she knows he's controversial, but I don't think she has ever witnessed anyone she likes being so vocal to and about him (if people she loves did, that does not count; mother, brother, etc. can say what they think about my guy, I'll tell them they're full of shit and will still love them; new colleague or casual acquaintance does the same and they're dead to me). And to add insult to injury, most of them don't care how it affected her - only one (was it Keith?) thought of asking "you ok, Julie?" after they were back at camp. I hope it was Keith, he might be bad at Survivor but he's my fave out there I think :-) bless his heart!

 

2) and afterwards she continues to be treated as a leper. Come merge time, when everyone was hugging, I noticed her twice looking aroung, no hugs coming her way, only back to her. Tough.

 

3) then with the comments we're supposed to think were about nuts ("shhhh") and her mentioning to Jeff comments about her boobs, I suspect some people with mouth diarrhea (one of the brothers eliminated or still in the game) or a nasty persona (was it Missy who said something like "does she think she's better than us"?) did make comments about that and it wasn't shown but also wasn't lost on her. And FWIT, I never heard her say the tribemates hated her because she was beautiful, my understanding was they made fun (behind her back, most likely) about her various enhancements, and that's what she was obliquely referring to when saying she took care of herself/her body.

 

4) so with no ally, no support, and only fake sympathy from people who didn't like her and saw her as a vote in their pocket, and without any affinity for the game that would drive her to become the uber-manipulatrix, there was a certain beauty in her saying screw that, screw them, I want out and I will be out of here now. And I thought it was the most dignified "quit" I've ever seem. Not passive, not agressive, but assertive for once, and came from a core sense of strenght rather than weakness.

 

About Jeff's reactions to quitters, I suspect a lot is based on info he gets from filming at camp. I remember how he was super nice with someone (Kathy?) who quit in fans vs. favs, and it later transpired that she had threatened to mutilate herself if she couldn't get out. If his leniency or lack thereof is based on what he sees from camp, I'm assuming Julie may have been subjected to some verbal abuse, intended or not, and that might explain why she was away from the others as much as she could (starting from the episode John was the verbal target of her tribe). In a sense there is poetic justice that she's getting back at Jeremy and Natalie, the most vocal about John, and leaving them outnumbered at the mercy of an alliance including either Josh or Baylor, the real catalysts behind the eliminations of both Val and Nadiya.

 

Jeff's talk with Julie made me laugh - he was channeling Oprah, Dr. Phil, and probably his own self when he had his show. It's not that his concern was bad or anything, it just seemed so weird in the context of Survivor to have this kind of one-on-one. 

[shelley1234]

Damn, I hate Probst. He needs to STFU.

 

 

I didn't realize they implied that was scripted. I mean, I could easily believe it, but I'm personally not gonna take John Rocker's word on anything.

 

I agree, I will not take Rocker's word on ANYTHING.  He has zero credibility.  Nada.  

[Kel Varnsen]

Jeff's talk with Julie made me laugh - he was channeling Oprah, Dr. Phil, and probably his own self when he had his show. It's not that his concern was bad or anything, it just seemed so weird in the context of Survivor to have this kind of one-on-one. 

What made me laugh was when he was talking to the rest of the tribe he told them that with Julie leaving their odds of winning the million dollars just got a little bit better. As if Julie had any chance of winning the million, even if she made the jury.

[JudyObscure]

And I thought it was the most dignified "quit" I've ever seem. Not passive, not agressive, but assertive for once, and came from a core sense of strenght rather than weakness.

 

I think Julie was selling it that way with her remarks about doing what was best for herself and no one else could know how she felt, but I still think she was quitting because it was too tough for her out there. 

 

All those excuses about not being away from John for more than four days -- couldn't most young couples say that?  That doesn't mean that if one has to go away on business for a few weeks the other one can't take it. I could see that she was unpopular, but that's what happens when you don't do any work around camp and go off and sun bathe by yourself.  Even if someone did make a remark about her boobs, tacky as that is, it's not like making fun of someone's height or nose size, those boobs were something she deliberately  chose for the purpose of drawing a certain kind of attention to herself.  It's not the boobs themselves that people are laughing at but her decision, just like we might make fun of someone's cartoon tattoo.

 

I think she blew a chance at a million dollars because she was cold and hungry and wasn't having any fun and probably thought she didn't need to try to win a million when she could use her looks to marry someone rich like John Rocker.  

Edited November 7, 2014 by JudyObscure

[ProfCrash]

Jeremy and Josh are the two power players this season and they see that the other is their counter part. They are targeting each other for valid reasons and are doing so respectfully. I don't have  a problem with that.

 

Jon and Jacquelyn are in an interesting place. I don't think that Keith and Wes would be happy to keep Jon and Jacquelyn over Josh and Reed. I think the votes tossed to Keith last week are going to be a deal breaker, so that puts Jon and Jacquelyn in positions 5/6 in that alliance. I think they would be in a better place with Jeremy, Natalie, Missy, and Baylor. Missy and Baylor are another couple, so Jon and Jacquelyn will not be targeted for being a couple and are with people that they have been in an alliance with for a while.

 

Should be interesting to see how it plays out next week.

[BusyOctober]

I was surprised there was no clue to an HII in all of the swag they got after the merge.  There usually is.

There probably was, but this group is so lazy! Unless it got accidentally got scarfed up into one of their mouths during the feeding frenzy, none of these slackers were going to spend an extra ounce of energy to look for it. I'd love to hear what some of the "old timers" (Seasons 1-4 for example) have to say about this group's lack of initiative to find food or shelter. 

 

This season not only lucked out getting food given to them frequently, but the weather gods have been very kind as well.  So far only one bad rainy night!  Remember the almost constant soaking some tribes got  from Day 1 - Philippines maybe??  People were losing toe nails and skin was sloughing off because it was so wet!

[Guest]

I agree, I will not take Rocker's word on ANYTHING.  He has zero credibility.  Nada.  

I don't even understand the claim that Rocker's "beat by a girl" remark was scripted.  By whom?  Jeff, on the fly?  By John himself?  He was throwing the challenge to go to Exile Island so he decided to drama it up by adding a little he-man, girl denigrating?  So it doesn't "count"?  

[Kel Varnsen]

There probably was, but this group is so lazy! Unless it got accidentally got scarfed up into one of their mouths during the feeding frenzy, none of these slackers were going to spend an extra ounce of energy to look for it. I'd love to hear what some of the "old timers" (Seasons 1-4 for example) have to say about this group's lack of initiative to find food or shelter. 

 

Maybe they can just ask Jeff to give them one at one point. The old timers comments would be cool. Doesn't Rudy usually come to the reunion. Would love to hear his comments or questions directed directly at this group.

[truthaboutluv]

Agreed, I definitely did not get a sense that Josh or Jeremy were acting poorly last night, even in confessionals.  Honestly, I found it refreshing that their attitudes were basically "game on."  They didn't make it personal; they just knew that the other one had to go.  And I'm not sure that either of them were glaring so much as seeing what the other person was doing and thinking about how to counter the move.  It was really fun to watch these two guys maneuver.

 

 

For the record, I don't think either Josh or Jeremy loathe each other and I did note about the glares that it is more than likely, that with this show, it was editing misdirect and they probably just used a clip of Jeremy at some other point. What I was responding to was the comment that Josh lacks any self-awareness and that Jeremy has gotten the better edit. In my opinion, I don't believe Josh lacks self-awareness in the game and I also disagreed that Josh has gotten this worse edit than Jeremy. Honestly, in my opinion, neither has really gotten a really horrible edit but I was just pointing out that Jeremy though is the one that the show has shown going off about people in a number of his TH's. Yes it's great he does it in his TH's so they don't know he's doing it but when it comes to the edit, I was considering what the viewers see and what opinion they draw. 

 

But I also feel like Josh isn't as good a strategist as the show portrays him to be.  He kept arguing for a couples alliance with Jon & Jaclyn but somehow never explained how Alec was in that alliance but Missy and Baylor were not.  And he kept saying that Jeremy is targeting couples, but he never explained how Jeremy would have the numbers if Jon & Jaclyn went with him.  The pairs (Missy, Baylor, Jon, and Jaclyn) could vote Jeremy and Natalie out at Final 6 after Pagonging Josh's alliance.  Am I missing something?  I have no idea why Jon suddenly decided to switch to Josh.

 

 

I'm not sure, but I don't think Alec was sitting near them when Josh was talking about a couples game to Jon/Jacqueline and Keith/Wes. My guess is that he has conveniently not mentioned that aspect of his plan to Alec which really is nothing new in this game. Plenty of people throughout many seasons never realize until it's too late that they're at the bottom their alliance. So I imagine Jon and Jacqueline didn't care about Alec because they view him as likely someone Josh and company are just using as a vote they need right now and once the others are gone, they get rid of him. 

 

As for the numbers thing with Jeremy, again I may be reading the editing wrong, but don't think I am, and I believe that Jeremy, Natalie and Missy are a tight threesome and something tells me that's what Josh used on Jon to convince him to switch, if Jon even really does switch that is. Kellie, in her exit interview confirmed that she and Missy and maybe Julie, not sure, had been wanting to get Drew and Jon out for some time.

 

So douchebag Drew wasn't wrong on that score apparently. It's also why, she said, when they got to Coyopa, Missy kept trying to get her to say she was still trying to get Jon out, knowing at that point Jon and Jacqueline were the swing so she could use that to bias Jon and Jacqueline against Kellie and Dale. 

 

So my guess is the play Josh made to Jon is that he and Jeremy are not as tight as he believed when Jeremy voted with the women, what are the odds that he will get Missy and Baylor to work with them and get rid of Jeremy and Natalie when it comes down to it when Missy was the one who had talked about wanting to get him out because he was strong and a threat. 

Edited November 7, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Bryce Lynch]

I'm hoping that Keith's immunity is still good next week & that they let someone else win immunity too so that 2 people are safe. That would make the scrambling more interesting.

I agree, having 2 people with immunity, and one of them (Keith) also having a HII in his pocket could make for a lot of scrambling and strategy,  both before and during the TC.  I'm guessing this is what will happen, not because it is in the rules, or because it is necessarily the most fair approach (debatable, IMO), but because it would make for the best television. 

[cooksdelight]

 

I think she blew a chance at a million dollars because she was cold and hungry and wasn't having any fun and probably thought she didn't need to try to win a million when she could use her looks to marry someone rich like John Rocker.

 

She doesn't need to marry John for money. She has her own business and has begun getting acting roles.

 

 

I don't even understand the claim that Rocker's "beat by a girl" remark was scripted.  By whom?  Jeff, on the fly?  By John himself?  He was throwing the challenge to go to Exile Island so he decided to drama it up by adding a little he-man, girl denigrating?  So it doesn't "count"?

 

From what I was told, he wanted to go to EI, he decided to let Julie win. The "beat by a girl" statement was a long-running joke between them. He said it on purpose, not to put down women or his girlfriend. I would think it's a safe bet that a lot of what we see and hear people say on this show has double meanings between the loved ones.

[Special K]

John Rocker saying (and thinking) misogynistic things and him and Julie being nice to the people they are friends with are not mutually exclusive things.  Many people with objectionable opinions are nice.  Indeed, many of such people have been on this show.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Special K

[needschocolate]

No, there were 12 players. Jeremy noted, when he was talking about having Jon and Jacqueline with them, that they had the numbers 7 to 5 and I think Josh himself also mentioned the same thing. The players at the merge were Julie, Jeremy, Natalie, Baylor, Missy, Jon, Jacqueline, Wes, Josh, Reed, Alec and Keith. So my guess is if Julie is not a jury member which seems to be the case with how she left, that just like last season, there will be a Final 2, rather than a Final 3, to ensure the nine person jury. 

 

You're right - I wasn't paying attention (I am finding it difficult to pay attention this season).  I knew they had equal numbers at the tribe switch-up and thought there was only one tribal council since then, but there were two (makes sense that I would forget about Kelly - every time someone on the show mentioned Kelly, I would think "there's a Kelly?") 

[KimberStormer]

Although the ending was a big let-down, I didn't think it was such a bad episode.  I feel like there are at least people playing the game; they're not that good at it but they're playing.  We've got the two kingpins Jeremy and Josh, we've got Missy playing her daughter and spectacularly failing to play Julie, we've got the somewhat under-the-radar Jon/Jaclyn couple playing quieter than Josh and Jeremy.  I disagree that they've put a target on their back with the "power couple" thing.  Personally I think Jon is being underrated somewhat; he may look and talk like a big lunk but I think he's got a pretty good head for the game.  They like to highlight his Survivor Geek cred, and really I wonder if both Jeremy and Josh are going to end up taking the fall while Jon sneaks to victory.  If it wasn't for the fact that this episode he just told Jaclyn "no we're doing this instead", I'd like him a lot better, but I definitely don't think he's a moron.

[JerseyGirl]

Horrible episode.  People shouldn't be given an option to quit unless for medical reasons.  I hate when they do that, don't freaking apply to the show!!

[Bryce Lynch]

I agree, I will not take Rocker's word on ANYTHING.  He has zero credibility.  Nada.  

I don't necessarily take anyone's word on anything, but for all his faults, I don't see Rocker as a particularly dishonest person.   His history is more of getting in trouble for not hiding what he is thinking or feeling very well.  . 

[Daisy]

Someone hit the nail on the head. There are some seasons of survivor that are so hard (not just the earlier years - but recent ones, ie: the Philippians having non stop torrential rain for 6-8 consecutive days, or things are so tough physically that it really takes a toll on players.

 

Even seeing Yellow Starving Tribe lose all the time doesn't have that "Oh my god - are they going to Ulong?!" factor anymore because you know they're going to switch things up (which, even if it's planned - I would seriously start re-considering it some seasons. like this one would have been interesting, especially adding the fact that Blue tribe had no food 6? days before merge). 

 

No one is suffering or hurting, or anything, except by their own stupidity, and that's not 'fun' (per se), that's just. people being stupid. There's no being hoisted on your own petard, nothing. For me,1/2 the fun of Survivor is that people are struggling to survive. (shock, right?) 

 

I just find it hilarious that all these people who basically have it better than people from seasons 1 through 10 (even counting Osten whose suffering came from his and his tribe's sheer stupidity, and Janu's who did it pretty much did it to screw Tom so. I approve ;) ), but they quit more easily.  Which I do totally pin on Jeff and Lynn Spellman, and the casting crew. Stop  casting for pretty/shock-factor/name dropping people, and cast for those who truly want to play the game -recruited or not). 

[Guest]

She doesn't need to marry John for money. She has her own business and has begun getting acting roles.

 

 

From what I was told, he wanted to go to EI, he decided to let Julie win. The "beat by a girl" statement was a long-running joke between them. He said it on purpose, not to put down women or his girlfriend. I would think it's a safe bet that a lot of what we see and hear people say on this show has double meanings between the loved ones.

 

Well, if it was an inside joke, that's not 'scripted'.  No one put words in his mouth.  

 

I do find it a little odd that he never told the cameras, or anyone, he threw the challenge, did he?  You'd think they'd snap that up for the broadcast.  

[fishcakes]

But I also feel like Josh isn't as good a strategist as the show portrays him to be.  He kept arguing for a couples alliance with Jon & Jaclyn but somehow never explained how Alec was in that alliance but Missy and Baylor were not.  And he kept saying that Jeremy is targeting couples, but he never explained how Jeremy would have the numbers if Jon & Jaclyn went with him.  The pairs (Missy, Baylor, Jon, and Jaclyn) could vote Jeremy and Natalie out at Final 6 after Pagonging Josh's alliance.  Am I missing something?  I have no idea why Jon suddenly decided to switch to Josh.

 

There seemed to be several different pitches happening at once. At one point, I heard someone from Josh's alliance proposing an all-couples alliance to Jon, saying that once they got rid of all the singles, then the eight of them would fight it out. Which I didn't understand at all because that means Alec is out of the alliance and Missy and Baylor are in, and neither of those two options ever seemed to be available. I think as others have said, this was just a poorly edited episode; maybe it was done that way intentionally to throw us off where the real alliances stand, but it's equally likely that Josh is just making wild pitches because he feels like he's in trouble.

 

 

Maybe they can just ask Jeff to give them one at one point.

 

Ha. I could see that happening, probably from Alec. "Jeff, we know you've given us several clues to the hidden immunity idol, but someone lost them. Not me. Anyway, we'd like to propose a mutually beneficial trade. You give us a clue and we'll give you [presents leaf]  ... this palm frond."

 

 

I don't necessarily take anyone's word on anything, but for all his faults, I don't see Rocker as a particularly dishonest person.   His history is more of getting in trouble for not hiding what he is thinking or feeling very well.  . 

 

He's dishonest in that he's always claiming he was misquoted or that his remarks were taken out of context and that everyone who knows him understands that he's being victimized by the media. All anyone has to do is look at one of his World Net Daily posts or his disgusting twitter feed to see that the guy doesn't need anyone else to make him look like a sack of shit. To be fair, I think he believes all his own BS and that he's a great, fair-minded guy who's simply misunderstood, so in that sense isn't lying, but that doesn't make his constant after-the-fact explanations the truth.

[peachmangosteen]

I don't think it's meaningless that quitters no longer get to be jurors.  They contracted to play the game and they quit.  Their paid vacation and effect on the game ends now.  No one wants their input on who wins.  Buh-bye, catch a flight, end of paid sabattical and tv time.  They should cut them out of reunion shows, too.  

 

But according to Probst, the new rule is that quitters won't necessarily make the merge. Which mean absolutely nothing. I'm sure all the rules are similarly ambiguous. "You can't neccessairly take people's belongings unless you're a big asshole that we, the producers, love and think letting you burn someone's socks would be really great tv."

 

And FWIT, I never heard her say the tribemates hated her because she was beautiful, my understanding was they made fun (behind her back, most likely) about her various enhancements, and that's what she was obliquely referring to when saying she took care of herself/her body.

 

Yea, that's what I got from her, too. I didn't get "They're just jealous!" vibes from what she said. And honestly, I've seen lots of comments online about Julie that are super gross so I can easily imagine some of these people who have proven to be assholes saying some nasty shit. I don't think they're coming from jealousy, I think they're coming from misogyny/internalized misogyny.

 

I think she blew a chance at a million dollars ...

 

Oh, I don't think Julie ever had a chance in hell of winning. And I'm pretty sure she didn't think so either.

 

Personally I think Jon is being underrated somewhat; he may look and talk like a big lunk but I think he's got a pretty good head for the game.  They like to highlight his Survivor Geek cred, and really I wonder if both Jeremy and Josh are going to end up taking the fall while Jon sneaks to victory.  If it wasn't for the fact that this episode he just told Jaclyn "no we're doing this instead", I'd like him a lot better, but I definitely don't think he's a moron.

 

I'm with you on this. I think the only likely winner outside of Jeremy or Josh is Jon and I could easily see Jeremy and Josh both making a big mistake that gets them booted and Jon sailing to the win.

 

I don't necessarily take anyone's word on anything, but for all his faults, I don't see Rocker as a particularly dishonest person.   His history is more of getting in trouble for not hiding what he is thinking or feeling very well.  . 

 

This is a good point, but as fishcakes pointed out, he does try to make himself look better by claiming he's 'misunderstood' and 'misquoted' and whatnot, so I could see him claiming everything he said was scripted to look better and saying he threw the challenge to save his ego.

Edited November 7, 2014 by peachmangosteen

[Guest]

But according to Probst, the new rule is that quitters won't necessarily make the merge. Which mean absolutely nothing. 

That does mean nothing.  In fact, it makes no sense.  Where did he say that?  

 

Ah, never mind, I think you typed 'merge' but meant 'jury'.

 

His comments are kind of opposite what they've said in the past.  He said Julie quit now to avoid jury duty (LOL).  After Naonka and Kelly quit, they said the new rule was "quitters don't get to be on the jury".  So they must've told people this season that there was no escaping jury duty, due to the number of players.  If Julie quit (which they knew she would) and was supposed to be a juror but was excused, they'd have an even number of jurors, which wouldn't work.  So they'd have to exclude another player from the jury somehow, which also wouldn't be very fair.  

 

Here's the EW thing.  

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/11/06/survivor-jeff-probst-julie-quit/

He doesn't say anything about a "new rule" or "necessarily" but it seems obvious that Julie would not have been excluded from jury duty, which does seem to be a new stance.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Guest

[peachmangosteen]

Jeff Probst told EW that he thinks she quit because she knew if one more person went out she'd be on the jury, and she really wanted to be able to go off with John.  So, I'm guessing no she's not.  I remember when those two women quit at the same time and made the jury viewers complained.  And Jeff made some kind of statement about they were officially changing the rules to say that a quitter doesn't necessarily make the jury.  Which is a pretty meaningless rule.

 

There you go, Winston9-DT3. Of course it's not a direct quote, but I personally find it very easy to believe they added that kind of completely meaningless and ambiguous rule.

Edited November 7, 2014 by peachmangosteen

[blackwing]

I'm hoping that Keith's immunity is still good next week & that they let someone else win immunity too so that 2 people are safe. That would make the scrambling more interesting.

I don't agree, he won immunity and he was safe from the impending eviction.  Just because there was no eviction doesn't mean he didn't benefit.  He didn't have to stress about being voted out, his alliance could take that into account, etc.  It turns out that everyone was safe because Julie quit, and that stinks for him.  But I don't see it as him losing his advantage.  It's just that Julie's decision had the effect of putting people on a level playing field.

 

Jon and Jacqueline would be best off sticking with Missy, Baylor, Natalie and Jeremy.  They would be immediately picked off by Josh and Reed.  Wes and Keith are non-entities, I think they barely deserve to be in the game, they don't do any strategising of their own, they just do what people tell them to do.  If I were Jon and Jacqueline, I'd stick with their alliance.  Pick off the others.  Then pick off Jeremy and Natalie.  Keep Missy and Baylor with them, nobody likes them but use them for numbers.

 

I should start calling Jon and Jacqueline "The Kennedys".  Beautiful people and could be the power in the game right now.

 

There has been a lot of discussion and focus on Julie's breastesses.  What about Jacqueline's?  Seems like hers could be fake too.

Edited November 7, 2014 by blackwing

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, after reading some thoughtful posts here, I no longer care about Keith's IC win. However, I do still kinda hope he gets to keep it for the next vote in addition to whomever wins the next IC just because, as others have stated, it might make the vote more interesting and the season is super boring so far.

Edited November 7, 2014 by peachmangosteen

[Donny Ketchum]

Why is everyone calling Jon's girlfriend "Jacqueline?"  It's "JACLYN!"