S30: Hali Ford

[Donny Ketchum]

Hi.  I'm yet another woman who aspires to play like Parvati.  Even though her method of gameplay can really only be pulled off once.

 

She's a law student, though, so I don't imagine her being dumb at this game, but we'll see.

[BK1978]

I still do not get how a Law Student could be put on the "No Collar" Tribe.  Why is that the case, is it due to her age?

 

[SVNBob]

I'm yet another woman who aspires to play like Parvati.

Kind of.  The bio goes into more detail about the core of Parv's playstyle and not just the flirty outer shell.  So this girl might actually be a contender.

 

I still do not get how a Law Student could be put on the "No Collar" Tribe.  Why is that the case, is it due to her age?

 

An actual lawyer (as in passed the bar) would be White Collar.  But I'm guessing it's the Student part that puts her as No Collar as much as her age.  As well as her biggest accomplishment being "surfing a huge wave".

[Miss Scarlet]

 

I'm yet another woman who aspires to play like Parvati.

I'm sure fewer female contestants would cite Parvati if they weren't told by casting to say so and if they were given previous seasons to watch other than Heroes vs. Villains and whatever the most recent season was that aired before their season was filmed.

 

Also, what is with her insisting in the Gordon Holmes interview that she's really a laid-back dude? She can't just say she's laid-back? She has to include "dude"? Then in her CBS video she says she's actually like a biker dude. Odd.

Edited February 25, 2015 by wudpixie

[Donny Ketchum]

Easily the nicest on Nagarote, the No Collars, right now.

[LadyChatts]

I really thought Hali would be one of the girls this season who disappeared after the premiere, only to re-emerge deep into the merge and you wonder where she came from.  I'm pretty impressed with her so far.  She does seem nice, and while I didn't think "law student" equaled "no collar" (but that's the theme of the season, a lot of these people don't fit their assigned collar), she hit the nail on the head last night in her speech to Nina about adapting and fitting in.  I didn't know if she'd have much game in her, but she seems to at least understand the social aspect of the game.  She strikes me as someone that'll likely get along with just about everyone left.

[LanceM]

Hali is definitely my favorite right now in the game and while Jenn and Joe are getting more attention than her at the moment I think Hali is going to be the best player out of three based on her edit.  Listen to the confessional she gives right before the vote where she talks about what would be the best move for her to make (voting out Nina or Will) that would best help her and Jenn's game at the merge. They don't usually give such a confessional to someone unless they are going far in the game. Has anyone else on any of the tribes talked about their strategy post merge at this point? I have seen some people say that she is just following Joe and Jenn but that confessional shows just the opposite. She is talking about what is good for her game and including Jenn as well (but interestingly not Joe). She also had a great answer at TC about adapting to the game and going with the flow. She is the one to watch on this tribe in my opinion.

Edited March 13, 2015 by LanceM

[viajero]

For those who were wondering what her other priorities are, Hali tweeted:

 

1 Jesus

2 friends&fam

3 crim justice system

4 surfing. not #3.

 

Also, there is an interesting interview of Hali on her law school's webpage:

 

http://www.uchastings.edu/news/articles/2015/02/Hali_Ford_Survivor.php

 

I find it interesting that she credits her ability to play Survivor not just on her law school training, but also being hardened by the experience of moving from the south (and the University of Alabama) to a highly competitive law school in San Francisco.

 

The interview does provide another possible explanation for her being placed on the no-collar tribe. Her ambitions lie in the area of criminal defense law and legal aid, rather than becoming some hot-shot corporate lawyer.  At the same time, if any girl is driven to succeed in her chosen field, it´s this one.

[Donny Ketchum]

Anyone else think that she and Jenn are the main power pair on their tribe right now?

[LanceM]

Anyone else think that she and Jenn are the main power pair on their tribe right now?

 

Yes. I think they are definitely the tightest pair and have been edited as such. The last two weeks they have shown them off together discussing on who they should vote out. I wonder how long it will take before the other players start to take notice.

[Donny Ketchum]

Yes. I think they are definitely the tightest pair and have been edited as such. The last two weeks they have shown them off together discussing on who they should vote out. I wonder how long it will take before the other players start to take notice.

Well, so far, no one else seems to have figured it out, so that's good for them.  And they have Jenn's idol in case anyone does figure it out.

[Lingo]

Fans or not, she and Jenn are just a bit too lackadaisical about the game.  After the switch they knew they needed to get to Kelly, but they took their time and let Shirin get to her first.  And then they just assumed Carolyn would not flip, not even bothering to feel her out.  They got lucky in this episode.

 

ETA: And it's probably obvious to everyone on the tribe that they're a pair, but they just weren't as important to target as Max, Shirin, and Will.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Lingo

[LadyChatts]

Hali is yet another of my favorites, and maybe it's for that very reason that I'm having trouble seeing any "mean girl" attitudes coming from her/them.  I mean, if it's Nina, yeah, maybe people could go there.  But that was situation was two-fold.  Hali certainly wouldn't be the first to say she's glad someone got the boot, because it's probably way less stressful back at camp.  Sometimes strong morale is all you need.  And Nina was way more likely to flip than Will, so they can have that little bit of security.  

 

I'm enjoying Hali, and I love that she seems to be genuinely enjoying it out there.  I'm happy to see a strong female pair, and I'm hoping that they both go the distance. With all the talk of power couples and then Jenn talking about the idol screwing up someone's game, I worry that's an omen of what might come. I don't often say this, but I really like all of the women left.  Should the red tribe lose another challenge, I wouldn't put it past their remaining tribe members to potentially break them up, especially with Joe over at blue.  

Edited March 20, 2015 by LadyChatts

[LanceM]

Hali by far is my favorite and I agree she is definitely having a lot of fun out there and it shows. But beyond that I think she is a very savvy player who understands the game very well. She also has the best secret scenes out of all the players this season.  I love this one last night and based on what she says it seems like Carolyn approached her and Jenn much quicker than what was shown last night but anyway she really nails it when it comes to Shirin and Max:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvFEDqdFgKc

[Donny Ketchum]

Good God!  So it turns out Kelly even flipped sooner than we saw!  If this is true, Max and Shirin really must've been that bad at the game!

[LadyChatts]

Hali by far is my favorite and I agree she is definitely having a lot of fun out there and it shows. But beyond that I think she is a very savvy player who understands the game very well.

 

 

That's what I like about her and Jenn's dynamic, is that they both seem to be calling the shots.  Not Jenn says 'do this', and Hali follows or vice versa.  They debate and talk things over about what's in each others best interest to move forward.  I have a feeling there's way more game playing and scheming going on with those two than we're seeing.

 

I guess I need to follow my own rule about editing and give some of these people more credit.  I thought Kelly decided to go along with the group so as not to stand out.  I didn't realize she was in on breaking up Max/Shirin so early, either!

 

Oh, and her facial expressions at tribal council crack me up.

Edited March 21, 2015 by LadyChatts

[ByaNose]

Both Hali & Jenn work well together in strategy & challenges. Obviously, the have a lot in common in being both young girls but they really excel as a team. Neither of them seem like they are the boss but more co-captains. It will be interesting to see how far they go together and who will turn on the other first. Of course, they could both go to the end without turning on each other. Personally, I like Hali more. She's super cute (reminds me of some actress but can't figure it out) and, seems less mean girl than Jenn.

[Mrs. P.]

I also like Hali more than Jenn. She seems less full of herself and not so mean-girlish. And on a completely shallow note, I think she has one of the most beautiful heads of hair ever seen on Survivor, second only to Alexis from Micronesia.

[LanceM]

Both Hali & Jenn work well together in strategy & challenges. Obviously, the have a lot in common in being both young girls but they really excel as a team. Neither of them seem like they are the boss but more co-captains. It will be interesting to see how far they go together and who will turn on the other first. Of course, they could both go to the end without turning on each other. Personally, I like Hali more. She's super cute (reminds me of some actress but can't figure it out) and, seems less mean girl than Jenn.

 

Not really an actress but I have seen some make the comparison to a young Kathy Ireland.

[Miss Scarlet]

From that UC Hastings interview:

 

 

I am intrinsically drawn to underdogs. I like talking to outcast people -- they are more interesting to me -- and when I have an opportunity to get paid to interact with them and bring them justice, that is like my crack cocaine!

It doesn't seem like she finds outcasts that interesting, based on what we've seen of her with Nina, Max and Shirin and the video above. Yes, she was nicer to Nina than Jenn was, but still. It seems more like she's (somewhat) tolerated these people, than taken any interest in them.

 

I'm starting to think that one of the reasons she comes off as less judgmental than Jenn is because of her voice. She always sounds like she's totally out of it or something. When she said "Max, that's disgusting!" in confessional about his wart, it came off as funny rather than mean.

 

A lot of people have been thinking that Jeff's excitement about this season means that a man wins. i thought that too, but I actually think that could also mean Hali wins. In that pre-season interview with Gordon Holmes, Jeff was talking about the No Collars and said that he "fell in love" with Hali when he met her. So I could see him being pumped up if she wins. I think she's playing pretty well so far and has a good edit. She seems pretty smart.

Edited March 23, 2015 by wudpixie

[SVNBob]

A lot of people have been thinking that Jeff's excitement about this season means that a man wins. i thought that too, but I actually think that could also mean Hali wins. In that pre-season interview with Gordon Holmes, Jeff was talking about the No Collars and said that he "fell in love" with Hali when he met her. So I could see him being pumped up if she wins. I think she's playing pretty well so far and has a good edit. She seems pretty smart.

If that's the case, we'd better hope she wins. Remember last time Jeff "fell in love" with a female contestant? He barely spoke with the winner of that season at the finale.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Ok, fine I'll bite, when was it?

[viajero]

I could easily see Hali being drawn to underdogs and outcasts in real life, though this doesn't necessarily apply to overly annoying Yahoo executives.  In any case, she also seems like a smart player of this game and the views she expresses in that video are within the context of the game.

[Babalu]

Ok, fine I'll bite, when was it?

He dated Julie Berry of Survivor: Vanuatu for a few years in the mid- to late-aughts, right after her season ended. At the reunion, he spent most of the time talking to her and her alliance mates (Leeann and Eliza? - somebody help me out!) and very little time with the winner, Chris Daugherty.

[LadyChatts]

He dated Julie Berry of Survivor: Vanuatu for a few years in the mid- to late-aughts, right after her season ended. At the reunion, he spent most of the time talking to her and her alliance mates (Leeann and Eliza? - somebody help me out!) and very little time with the winner, Chris Daugherty.

 

That was Ami.  Eliza was part of that alliance but flipped on them.  I've never been a fan of Chris, and can't even believe he made it to the end (let alone won), but his game was underrated.  And I completely forgot that Probst and Julie dated.

Edited March 25, 2015 by LadyChatts

[LanceM]

I posted this link on the episode thread but thought it should ge here as well. It is an and extension of the talk between Shirin and Hali over at the water well and includes a great confessional from Hali that was not aired.  Basically she says that she is the only one on her tribe that seems to like Shirin and hopes that she will be able to work with her but not to the detriment of her own game. The fact that they didn't air is worrisome for her winning chances in my opinion though they have been known to manipulate confessionals before so it may yet come into play.

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/25/survivor-host-jeff-probst-why-players-no-longer-get-drunk

Edited March 26, 2015 by LanceM

[kikaha]

Lance, I would add one thing to your accurate synopsis: Hali also sees Shirin as a goat.  Someone she hopes to use later on --"a handy tool" -- but who has no chance of winning. 

[LanceM]

That is true, good point.

[LadyChatts]

Hali was a bit of a non-entity this episode, but she does seem to be the mediator in awkward situations.  In the Nina situation, I thought she at least attempted to try and understand/sympathize with her.  And now Shirin, I knew there had to be more to that situation than we were shown.  Even though the others may find Shirin annoying, I'm hoping Hali/Jenn can get her onboard with them at the merge and be one of their votes.

 

I can see the Hali/Jenn situation ending where both get their hands dirty, but Jenn was more open about it or seen more as a threat and winds up going before her BFF out there.  Hali's playing a great game right now.  

Edited March 26, 2015 by LadyChatts

[KimberStormer]

I think even the scene as we were shown it was good for Hali.  She was empathetic but honest.  She also knew not to let herself blow the challenge for her tribe.  Good episode for Hali.

[viajero]

I got a kick out of this recent photo of Hali (with Jenn) in Santa Cruz, CA.  It somehow really matches their personalities.

 

https://instagram.com/p/0nxTAetskW/

[SVNBob]

This thread started with a joke about Hali emulating Parvati's game.  But looking at it, she kinda is.  To be specific, she's trying a variation of Parv's FvF winning game, not her flirty game that lost to Yul and Ozzy or her Ox-riding strategy of HvV.

 

Hali seems to be attempting to connect with everyone on some level, even if she's planning on voting them out.  She's trying to be the social center of her tribe, and thus the game.  She's also being set up as the "nice one" in the pair of her and Jenn.  So if both of them make the finals, Hali should be able to pull votes for being kinder about things, even if the both of them made identical moves.

 

It is very Parvati-like.

[LanceM]

I have to move Jenn ahead of Hali in terms of my winners pick this season as she has by far the best edit of anyone. Though that being said I still think Hali has a shot especially if Jenn gets voted out before the FTC. 

 

Here is why. Anyone notice at the immunity challenge right after Sierra, Shirin and Kelly all dropped out Probst said "The fact that some people are out early doesn't mean this won't go for a while. It only takes two to make an epic battle" and the camera immediately focused in on Mike and Hali. Considering the battle in that challenge happened to come down to Joe and Carolyn but the editors instead focused on these two when that line was said I found quite interesting to say the least. A possible foreshadowing of the FTC? The question is who is the third?

Edited April 2, 2015 by LanceM

[Donny Ketchum]

. . . I think it was just an editing coincidence.

[LadyChatts]

I think Hali has the potential to go further than Jenn, even though I'm hoping for a final 3 including those 2 and Joe.  But Jenn tonight proved why I see her putting a much bigger target on herself: 1) by hanging in there in the challenge so long (bee sting and all), and 2) even though I believe Hali has an equal part in the decision process of their alliance, Jenn will probably be seen as more of the leader of their twosome.  She seems more outspoken, whereas Hali's in the background.  I said it last week, Hali's more the mediator in bringing people in.  Others might look to Jenn as being the one running the show.  

 

I did like getting more Hali confessionals this week than we've seem to had in the last couple.  Shirin seemed really excited to be voting with them at tribal tonight.   

Edited April 3, 2015 by LadyChatts

[LanceM]

Donny Ketchum, That is possible but remember they had atleast an hour of footage from that challenge to use in the editing room but for whatever reason they decided to use the footage of Mike and Hali when Jeff made that comment. It is interesting to say the least

Edited April 2, 2015 by LanceM

[Donny Ketchum]

Donny Ketchum, That is possible but remember they had atleast an hour of footage from that challenge to use in the editing room but for whatever reason they decided to use the footage of Mike and Hali when Jeff made that comment. It is interesting to say the least

We'll see in the upcoming weeks, but I didn't find it "interesting" at all.  Just footage that just happened to be used.  Nothing major.

[loki567]

Hali rapping about corporations:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=25&v=DpE5j12YTCU

[NutMeg]

Pretty cool :-) 

 

I didn't close youtube right away, and it moved to "Consent searches" (

), another video by Hali. I kind of see how she was labelled as a No Collar now and she certainly loves her Constitution!

[kikaha]

However far Hali goes this season in Survivor, I bet she goes real far in the game of life. 

[LadyChatts]

I was very neutral on Hali when this season started, and figured she'd just be one of those contestants I was rooting for solely because she was in the alliance of my favorites/wanting her to outlast people I didn't like.  But I've really grown to love her in the game, though I think part of it is because of how she is outside of it.  It comes full circle for me.  She doesn't strike me as the type, looking at her, that would even want to pursue a career in law.  But I have little doubt she'll be a kick ass lawyer.  Appearances can certainly deceive.  Praying to the Survivor gods that the NC3 + Shirin survive the week.

Edited April 6, 2015 by LadyChatts

[LanceM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfOt73B64C4

 

Hali arrived in Ponderosa. True to her words at tribal council she had a shot of Jack Daniels when she arrived and ate about half a gallon of ice cream at 4:30 in the morning. Interestingly she thought Shirin had flipped on them twice and that Will stayed loyal. Makes me wonder if the other NC realized Will flipped since we heard nothing from them about Will this episode. She was shocked that she was not placed on the white collar tribe since she has been working her butt off in law school the previous two years. She was not proud of the way she played the game as she played more emotionally and not more strategic as she intended. She once again reiterated how much she gravitates towards the underdog, in this case Shirin, who she feels was probably bullied her own life. I do think if Shirin makes the finals that Hali would vote her. No doubt about it

Edited April 9, 2015 by LanceM

[LadyChatts]

I can see why Hali was shown more of a sympathetic figure towards Nina and Shirin.  I was sort of surprised why Hali was put on the NC tribe because she was a law school student, but it started making more sense as the game went on.  And looking at her instagram/twitter, she definitely seems to live a no-collar life, law school aside.  But yet another reason why I think this theme was a bad idea.  

 

There's a video I posted in Joe's thread, and also one on the website, where both Jenn and Joe talk like Will is still with them.  I found that interesting, as I figured they'd all talk back at camp and figure it out.  Considering how excited Shirin was at the last TC when Jenn played the idol, why would they think she had flipped?  I was also surprised that none of that was brought up at camp, either.  I guess Will won't be able to hide much longer.  Maybe he's better at this game than I give him credit for.

 

I will miss Hali greatly, and I'd love to see her get another chance again.  I think her game was just getting started, and since she had an entirely different take on it when she first came in, I'd like to see what she can do a second time.

[ByaNose]

Hali is really cute and I think will make a great greeter at Ponderosa. I also thought it was odd that she thought that Sherin was the flipper and no mention of Will. In fact, there hasn't been any (aired) talk or screen time of anyone thinking Will has flipped. I think Hali will land on some soap opera. She just has that look and all of that hair. She's a cutie!!

[ProfCrash]

Hali does not strike me as the most intelligent person on the planet. Some of her Ponderosa quotes are, well, interesting

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, she's dumb. About Survivor at least. But she used the word 'misogynistic' so I can't help but like her.

[ProfCrash]

I am starting to lean towards young as the best descriptor. Once she had some food in her she seemed to be more articulate.

[LadyChatts]

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/09/hali-survivor

 

Interview with Hali.  

 

On how it may have been her and not Mike that actually come up with the tribe name Merica:
“I think that I escaped shouldering much of the blame for Merica. The true origins of Merica are murky this season, and I‘m just going to leave it that way.”

 

 

Will anyone end up owning up to creating the worst tribe name ever?

 

 

On Nina saying six months later that she still feels Hali and Jenn were not nice to her and made her feel like an outsider:
“I called Nina after the first episode and we hashed some things out. It was my understanding on the beach that Nina and I had established a good rapport. I was surprised when she came out as strong at me as she did. I didn’t see that coming. I thought we worked through that…I was pretty surprised as the level of how distraught she was.”

 

 

Which again makes me think that Nina was just liking the attention she was getting because of the so-called "mean girls".

 

On watching Dan talk about wanting someone to come over and slap Shirin because she annoyed him and then repeating that he was begging for someone to  “slap her and shut her up already.

“If you step on my friends and smear them then you are offending me… His comment about slapping a woman? First of all, that came out of his mouth, and if that came out of his mouth towards anyone that is reprehensible. That fact that it came out of his mouth against someone who was a victim of domestic violence takes it to another level. There’s no excuse for that.…I watched the show with Shirin last night, who was tearful, understandably, and we were all booing the screen and shouting at him and everything. That was disturbingly wrong the way that he and Rodney treated Shirin…. She was taken aback. She was rattled last night.”

 

 

This makes me love Hali even more than I did (despite seeing her defend Rodney in some interviews), and makes me hate Dan more than I thought I could.  I'm sure Jeff will bring up the issues involving Shirin being annoying, so I really hope she lets them have it.  And it would be a live, unedited environment, so she could really stick it to them.

On (what she thought was) a secret alliance with Mike:

“I was in cahoots with Mike, believe it or not. We were in cahoots. I thought maybe he could swing the votes the other way for me, one more time actually because that’s what he did the first vote.”

 

 

This is a reason I think Mike has a good shot with the jury.  He isn't offending anyone, and I'm sure ultimately people will vote for him because they respect his game play.  Even if he was playing a bunch of different sides, if he keeps his hands cleaner than the next guy, I believe that will result in a hefty pay out.  I can also see why he's the closest to just about every contestant that was out there.

[KimberStormer]

I can't get in the dang episode thread again (I have no idea what's going on there but it's crashing my browser) but I'm extremely dismayed to see people turning on Hali and the No Collars in general for not knowing Will was betraying them.  It's real easy to judge when you're watching on TV and can see everything.  Why wouldn't Will still be with them?  It doesn't make any sense for him to have flipped in the first place.  Assuming everyone is sticking with their initial tribe (and therefore it's Shirin who cast the Hali vote last episode) doesn't seem like a stupid assumption to me.

 

There's like a weird paradoxical assumption in these criticisms that somehow what's onscreen is all that happens (and so the No Collars "never talk to Will") and also that somehow the players have the same omniscient viewpoint as the cameras.  When the opposite is true.  We know both more and less than any player in the actual game.  Our knowledge and their knowledge will never be the same.  (Although I remember an interview, I think with Cochran? where a player mentioned that what's on TV takes over your actual memories of the event, which sounds about right to me, and is also sort of scary.)  "Now we know they're actualy stupid dumb!  Haha!" is never the right conclusion to draw.  I think usually the opposite is the case, we assume people are dumb, but probably everyone who's ever been out there has been thinking and working towards winning in one way or another, and we're not shown when it doesn't work.

Edited April 10, 2015 by KimberStormer

[LadyChatts]

I don't blame Hali or the NC for not realizing Will wasn't with them.  I'm surprised they didn't realize it, or didn't talk amongst themselves and figure it out.  That's why I'm hating the editing this season.  Hali said in several interviews that she thought Will flipped on them, but the others didn't believe her.  She tried talking to Will and tried to get a vibe from him, but it didn't sound like she got very far.  Other than Will didn't think they were treating him like a strategic player and involving him, which may very well be true.  In the first vote they had against Vince, Will was involved, but since then, it seems like he's gone along with the crowd.  It makes me wonder if maybe Will tried talking with his former tribe mates, but they wouldn't listen, so he flipped.  Again with the lack of game play that we're seeing.  Of course maybe there really isn't anything to be shown, and they are all doing damage control or really can't remember exactly how it went down lol  At any rate, reading post show interviews makes me think that they did want they thought they had to, but weren't seeing the bigger picture.  I suppose out there, logic would assume Will would stick with his old tribe, and be the bottom of 4 over the bottom of 7. 

 

I can't find the exact place I read it, but Hali was asked if she and Jenn were trying to help Joe at all find his idol.  Hali said she did try, but Jenn didn't want to.  I know she wasn't happy about the reward, but I wonder if there was more animosity out there than we're being shown as well.  They have to show the underdogs as a tight unit, whereas they can show the majority alliance in a worse light that doesn't get along with each other and give the impression they want to flip.

Edited April 10, 2015 by LadyChatts