S30.E10: Bring The Popcorn

[needschocolate]

. Probst said the winner would be iconic. If he's talking about Tyler then it might be time to put ol' Jeffy in a home.

 

Wow, really?  I can't see any of these people as being an iconic winner.  I'm not sure most of them are even memorable as players. 

 

Well, if Jeff says the winner is iconic, then maybe iconic doesn't mean what I think it means.  So, I looked it up --

 

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an icon -  "icon" has 5 definitions, but they are simialr tot he first one - "a picture, image, or other representation."

 

So, the winner will have the characteristics of an image.  That makes no sense.  Maybe Jeff was going for the "art" definition of iconic (I am sure he thinks his show is a work of art) ---

 

2.Art. (of statues, portraits, etc.) executed according to a convention or tradition.

 

So, the winner will be traditionally executed? Hmm, then I guess I am rooting for Will to win.  

 

I bet a lot of people would love to see that execution.  I'll bring the popcorn!

Edited April 24, 2015 by needschocolate

[LizBug]

Take a look at this extra video ... shows Mike & Jenn talking about Will & the box and the food.  Shirin shows up and the three of them decide that there had to be more food and go looking for the box.  They find it and decide that it's too big for just those three items that Will brought back.

 

http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video-list/195/the-castaways-comment-on-their-auction-experience-/DYf8vLgL8URbRaWTvBs_2PE5D7wa9X_i/survivor-secret-scene-will-s-box/

 

What gets me, though, is that no one thought to get the box out of the hole.  What if there's an advantage or a clue to a HII or something taped to the bottom of the box?

[hyukx3]

so will just want an excuse to bully shirin

[Guest]

With the size of that cooler and the fact that it was a cooler (when a plain box would've sufficed) and that he or someone reburied it, I would be suspicious, too.  I mean-- trail mix, jerky, powder... big cooler.  

 

I'm guessing the show reburied it but left the flag so they could get it later?  Why would Will hide it?  I imagine they told him he couldn't take it back and use it around camp, too.  Not that they have food or drinks to cool but just as another seat or a place to put stuff it seems like it'd be useful.  

[peachmangosteen]

With the size of that cooler and the fact that it was a cooler (when a plain box would've sufficed) and that he or someone reburied it, I would be suspicious, too.  I mean-- trail mix, jerky, powder... big cooler. 

 

Exactly. It makes Mike/Jenn/Shirin's suspicions even more understandable.

 

You must be right about Production barring Will from taking it and that they reburied it because otherwise Will is just dumb as hell.

Edited April 24, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[Calamity Jane]

Exactly. It makes Mike/Jenn/Shirin's suspicions even more understandable.

 

You must be right about Production barring Will from taking it and that they reburied it because otherwise Will is just dumb as hell.

I have no trouble believing that he is dumb as hell. 

[scowl]

It would have been funny if production had reburied it, leaving Will looking like he did it.

 

But if he reburied it for no reason then clearly that's going to raise questions. 

[needschocolate]

Did Will take the cooler out, or did he dig down, opened it, and removed the contents?

[Andromeda]

Did Will take the cooler out, or did he dig down, opened it, and removed the contents?

That's what I remember, he just dug down enough to open it.

[Katmai]

 

Well, if Jeff says the winner is iconic, then maybe iconic doesn't mean what I think it means.

Maybe Jeff meant "ironic" which would fit this season perfectly, like if Shirin wins.

[LanceM]

So anyway, Dan posted this a few hours ago.

 

http://imgur.com/yAGgrlT

 

 

 

[Zuleikha]

Stupid Dan. Based on exit interviews, it seems like Sierra's been trying to join up with Jenn and Shirin but there were never the numbers for her to flip. If Dan had just been willing to join in, I think she would have gone for it. 

 

Mike did squander his advantage in overhearing Rodney et al scheming. He just needed to play it cool at the auction (and either grab the Advantage or honor the deal for the letters) and then talk to Dan and Sierra privately at a calm moment. He picked the worst time to try and blow things up on Rodney, and it was silly to call Rodney out in the open like that. He could have floated the suggestion of voting out Will, Carolyn, or Tyler to make Rodney prove that he hadn't flipped since Jenn and Shirin were only two (which still seems odd to me that Dan and Sierra didn't want to do that anyway... if the real alliance is supposed to be Blue Strong and there's any question about Rodney's loyalty, why not pull in the two floaters to take out the potential dangers?). After all, logically, there must be a reason for Carolyn, Tyler, and Will to be so calm about being on the bottom of a 4-3 split in a 7 person alliance to the point where they had zero interest in working with Jenn, Hali, and Shirin. 

 

I hate to say it, but I was impressed with the way Rodney kept his composure and lied like a champ. He may be an a-hole, but he's playing well. If he wins, he will have earned it.

 

So anyway, Dan posted this a few hours ago.

Normally, I would be for what's essentially a variant of the when everyone you meet is an a-hole, you're the a-hole argument. Except that everyone doesn't have a problem with Shirin. She had an insta-friendship with Max, and she's now connected to Joe, Jenn, Hali, and Mike in the game and we can see from social media that she and Sierra also seem to be close. From exit interviews, it sounds like she, Jenn, Hali, and Sierra spent a fair amount of in-game time together, too. Also, we've seen Dan be an ass to people other than Shirin, so it's not like Shirin is actually the common denominator. 

 

Plus, even if I bought that editing was kind to Shirin in the Will/Shirin blow-up and Shirin was ruder to Will than the Man-of-God response that made it on screen, it wouldn't justify Will's behavior at Tribal Council. Shirin was in tears talking about the argument and her family history, and Will was cold as ice, including sitting there saying it was true that Shirin's soulless. That wasn't a heat of the moment exchange, and Shirin wasn't insulting Will. There is no excuse, IMHO, for Will not apologizing for getting so personal or at least doing a non-pology that he was sorry she was feeling so hurt. 

[LadyChatts]

Ah Dan you never let me down.  I wonder if Mike, Tyler, and Sierra will be visiting him in Maine again anytime soon or if they'll wash their hands of him.  Regardless of what Shirin did or didn't do, and is doing in light of this, comments like this are only going to make her more sympathetic to the masses and make Dan look like an even bigger ass.  Which every time I think that's not possible...and I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the attacks on Shirin during the show.  I see a lot of tears coming from Will at the reunion, claiming he's a good person, but I wonder if Jeff will let him, Dan, or anyone else get away with making excuses for their behavior.  Simply put, say you're sorry whether you mean it or not and let it go.  Mike posted a tweet earlier to his mother, commenting on what a strong women she was for getting them out of a DV situation when he was a kid.  It actually puts Mike into a different light for me, and I can totally see why he's so close to the Survivors that he's close to.  I wonder if the fact that Shirin was disliked by a certain group out there, and now she's becoming a bigger fan favorite while they're getting buried by hate is burning them just a little inside.

 

In terms of the 'iconic' status of the winner: considering I disagree with Jeff's definitions on best ever, can't miss, exciting, explosive, jump the shark, and shocking, it makes me very scared who he could be referring to.

Edited April 25, 2015 by LadyChatts

[Andromeda]

Dan is an a**hole. He doesn't want to hear about African-American rights, gay rights (homosexual rights, as he calls it), or women's rights -- as a straight white male, the traditionally most privileged class. No wonder he can't acknowledge his own misogyny -- for him it doesn't even exist as a concept.

 

When did Will apologize? I haven't seen it or heard it. He sounds really angry, probably because people are dumping on Will so hard, with him not far behind.

[LanceM]

 

Normally, I would be for what's essentially a variant of the when everyone you meet is an a-hole, you're the a-hole argument. Except that everyone doesn't have a problem with Shirin. She had an insta-friendship with Max, and she's now connected to Joe, Jenn, Hali, and Mike in the game and we can see from social media that she and Sierra also seem to be close. From exit interviews, it sounds like she, Jenn, Hali, and Sierra spent a fair amount of in-game time together, too. Also, we've seen Dan be an ass to people other than Shirin, so it's not like Shirin is actually the common denominator. 

 

Yep and this is where Dan's "argument" falls completely apart. Not everyone did hate her. Most found her annoying that is true. Some though were able to look past that and come to like her (Hali, Jenn, Joe and Mike) while others (Dan, Will, Rodney and probably Carolyn) went the opposite direction from annoyance to hate. So yeah, Dan is full of shit.

[pennben]

 

He doesn't want to hear about African-American rights, gay rights (homosexual rights, as he calls it), or women's rights -

 

Let's all thank sweet baby Jesus, or whoever you thank, that Dan didn't decide to mansplain human rights many years ago.  Honestly.   

Edited April 25, 2015 by pennben

[BigRedCheese]

Wow, as bad as this was for Shirin, you would think this episode would be a godsend for Dan, Will almost made him seem not quite as bad, then he has to open his trap and he's right back in the disgusting asshole square with Will.

[peachmangosteen]

Well, this is the cast that just keeps on giving, aren't they. Wow. Their best bet at this point is to just shut up because most of them can not manage to be decent people.

Edited April 25, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[Mabinogia]

The really interesting thing about the whole Will/Shirin thing I that I actually missed Will going off on her. So what I watched was Will get a secret stash of food he could have kept for himself but chose to share, and then Shirin saying that the game has rules and no Will can't have letters from home. I was fuming that she would be so callous. When I came on here and found out what really happened, wow, It got me thinking a lot about editng and how easy it would have been for the editors to make Shirin the villain in this rather than the victim. Sure it would have come out eventually, but I it does make me think about smaller things and how easy it is for editing to tell a story that never happened.

 

I do wish Shirin had been honest about why she was voting against Will getting his letter. When you treat someone like shit, you can't expect them to be nice to you. IMO that is a more legit reason than because he bid on a crap prize and that's the way the game is played.

 

I'm glad I missed that moment, however, because I can't stand seeing that kind of personal attack. It's just ugly. Most of the folks left on the show are ugly on the inside. I'm done with this season. I can't be happy seeing any of these people win. I wish they'd just show Ponderosa footage from here to the end, then just tell us which asshole won this half assed popularity contest.

 

Mike was a moron. He wants people to trust him after the shit he pulled at the auction? And then he doesn't even go through with it and looses the advantage. So now he has no advantage and no one trusts him.

 

Worst cast ever!

[needschocolate]

If Shirin did call Will what Dan said she did, I cannot believe that Will wouldn't have mentioned it during his blustering at TC.  And since he was talking over Shirin during most of it, they couldn't cut out him saying "but she called me a ..."  I guess, theoretically, it is possible he made a comment and they were able to not use it without making the editing seem off, but it is unlikely.  

 

I know that they shoot three days worth of film and show us 42 minutes. I know that TPTB have a story in mind in their editing.  But if I find out that Shirin really was as horrible as Will and they never showed any of it, I may stop watching - and I have seen every episode since Richard, Sue and Rudy first stepped on an island (their first time around).  

[Alapaki]

Well, color me shocked that Dan is a right-wing Teatard.  Lots of projection going on there, too.

 

For me, it doesn't matter that Shirin is a woman.  I would think that Will was just as much out of line if he'd been berating a white, heterosexual man.  (Although I suspect Will is such a coward that he wouldn't have been doing that).

[cooker30]

Does anyone want to volunteer to explain to Dan that the founding fathers of 'Merica defined human rights as the rights of straight white male Christians? And that ever since then we've been fighting to get everyone else included.

Here's a question...somewhere in these pages there were some comments wondering how Mike was able to overhear all these conversations and if he was doing a good job hiding while listening. Even if he was hiding wouldn't people notice the camera person filming him? If I was out there talking to my alliance and noticed somone 10 feet away pointing a camera at some bushes I think I'd shut up!

[Alapaki]

If Shirin did call Will what Dan said she did, I cannot believe that Will wouldn't have mentioned it during his blustering at TC.

 

 

Are you referring to Dan's post about Shirin calling Will a "fat, fucking, piece of shit"?  

 

Because, honestly, I don't find that out of line.  Hell, I've probably said worse about him here.  

 

For me, the comparison is with Dan's confrontation with Shirin a couple of weeks ago.  (when he called her "another fan who can't count").

 

That was an example of someone being an arrogant, condescending, patronizing dick, (not to mention being oblivious to pissing away a potentially necessary jury vote) but not necessarily crossing a line.  It's not a strategy I would advise.  But it's Dan's chance at $1 Million.  If he wants to piss it away, be my guest.

 

Same deal with Will spewing about Shirin doing nothing but "running her mouth and eating" (and, bizarrely, wondering "what else will fit in that mouth?" ?!?).  Up to that point?  Dumb gameplay, but not out-of-line.  

 

In fact, I'd say that even calling Mike Shirin's "little bitch" was not necessarily out-of-line.  It was a crude assessment of how he saw their alliance. (it was an invitation to get his ass kicked if they were outside of the game, but that's another issue).

 

And I'd say that even if Shirin had called Will a fat fucking piece of shit, that would've been no more than her assessment of his value as a player.

 

It's when he started with the "there's no one at home who cares about you at all", etc. where he crossed a line.  Nothing justifies that.

 

At least when Dan called Rodney's mother "a whore", I was at least 50% sure he was trying to make a typical, guys-busting-other-guys'-balls type of joke (although, as I said at the time, one which you'd better be damned sure will be received as a joke before you say it).  But to the extent that Dan wasn't joking, that remark would be in the same category as what Will said about Shirin's home life.  So it's no surprise to me that Dan is taking the lead in defending Will.  

Edited April 25, 2015 by Alapaki

[BigRedCheese]

 

I would think that Will was just as much out of line if he'd been berating a white, heterosexual man.  (Although I suspect Will is such a coward that he wouldn't have been doing that).

 

We already saw that he was a coward about that, when he did say something to Mike, he made sure he was sitting down and at a distance from him. It absolutely is more disturbing to see a 350 pound man getting in the face and screaming with such spittle flecked rage at a young woman. Even the cowardly way he meekly called out Mike was BS, according to Jenn, he pulled her aside and let her know he wasn't mad at her because he liked her, he wasn't even really that angry about being called a liar, he was just yelling at people he didn't like, and really gave it to the weakest person he could out there.

Edited April 25, 2015 by BigRedCheese

[BigRedCheese]

 

Shirin calling Will a "fat, fucking, piece of shit"?

 

Boy that's some low hanging fruit, it's actually laying on the ground, if somebody as fat as Will wants to start getting personal, they better be ready to hear comments about their weight. I say that as a former fat guy myself, I knew I was fat, and if I had ever been low class enough to say anything Will said, I wouldn't have been shocked to hear that exact insult.

[Alapaki]

While Will was walking out I said to my wife "if I was him I'd be checking the inside/outside/all over that parchment (that told him to go back to camp) because I was sure there was more to it.  

 

I'm surprised if none of the other supposed super-fans didn't think the same thing.

[scowl]

Earlier in this thread I said that bullies target the smallest and weakest people. Thank you, Dan, for reminding me that they also target the people most people don't like because if no one likes them then there's nothing wrong about abusing them. Now that Will has shown that no one will defend Shirin, it looks like Dan and Will have found a way to feel better about themselves. 

[ElleryAnne]

I do wish Shirin had been honest about why she was voting against Will getting his letter.

 

 

I think she was.  I think that she didn't want to give him something within the game that could help him (the emotional boost from the letter).  His earlier attack just made it that much easier for her to do so.   I get the impression that her own efforts to play the game as a bit of a villain might have been undermined by how the others treat her, making her seem more sympathetic than she may have set out to be.  I'm basing that on just a couple of TH's, so I could be wrong of course.

 

Are you referring to Dan's post about Shirin calling Will a "fat, fucking, piece of shit"?

Because, honestly, I don't find that out of line.

 

 

I agree.  Calling people nasty names isn't nice, but it's not in the same league as the kind of personal attack we saw.  If Will had called Shirin a stupid soulless bitch, for instance, I'd be annoyed at him but I'd attribute it to conditions.  (On this show, I'm not sure that comment would even register anymore.)  For Shirin to deserve what Will said to him, she'd have had to be calling him a bad father to his children or something.  And there's no indication that she did anything like that.

 

After all, logically, there must be a reason for Carolyn, Tyler, and Will to be so calm about being on the bottom of a 4-3 split in a 7 person alliance to the point where they had zero interest in working with Jenn, Hali, and Shirin.

 

 

Assuming we're not missing some super-sekrit strategy from them, it's interesting that they do seem confident in their place.  If it's due to Rodney being that successful at keeping two separate groups believing they're the lock for a top four with him, then he probably does deserve the win.   I don't like him, but if he's got all of them fooled, more power to him.  Maybe using his dead-sister tattoo as a pick-up line has been good practice for convincing people he's sincere.  

 

In other news, Dan is an idiot.  Anyone surprised?

Edited April 25, 2015 by ElleryAnne

[Alapaki]

If it's due to Rodney being that successful at keeping two separate groups believing they're the lock for a top four with him, then he probably does deserve the win.

 

 

I've been fearing that's exactly what Rodney has been doing.  And, IMO and as I've opined previously, making yourself the sole overlapping pivot-point between two small alliances who don't know about each other is one of the best end-game strategies.

 

Now that Jenn and Mike have blown the whistle on the Rodney/Tyler/Carolyn/Will alliance, it will be interesting to see the way Rodney handles Dan and Sierra next week.

 

But up to this point I think most of the players have been, unfortunately given who they are, playing rationally given what they know.

[JudyObscure]

Mike was a moron. He wants people to trust him after the shit he pulled at the auction? And then he doesn't even go through with it and looses the advantage. So now he has no advantage and no one trusts him.

I wonder why Mike doesn't seem to get any credit at all for not actually doing anything bad. Moronic yes, but not bad, and yet Rodney and everyone else seems to act like he went through with it. The way I saw it was, Mike overheard the plan to vote him out that night. He was feeling desperate. He thought he absolutely had to have that advantage and on the spur of the moment he saw that he could lie about buying a $20 dollar letter, then not buy it, then have his whole $500 for the bidding on the advantage. But, just moments later, he realized he couldn't do anything that dishonest, so he didn't do it. I mean, he didn't do it. The Survivors now all say he's a terrible person and they can't trust him, when I thought he just proved the opposite.

[Mabinogia]

But, just moments later, he realized he couldn't do anything that dishonest, so he didn't do it.

 

That's not even remotely how I saw it. I saw a guy deceive his alliance so he could get the advantage then, seeing how pissed they all where and that he was loosing them, he tried to backpeddle with his whole "OMG I couldn't do anything that dishonest". But the damage was done. Hew as VERY deliberate in making sure everyeone else went up first, and was asked more than once if he was going through with it "yes yes" he said, shoving Dan in front of him, then just walked back to his chair not putting up the money. Then he sees their reaction and that is when he acts in the moment and tries to take it back. too late. Once you are caught in a lie no one is going to trust you. He should have just gone through with it. At least he'd have had the advantage. Instead he walks away with nothing.

 

If these people accuse Will of being deceitful for not sharing the whole stash that he had no obligation to even share in the first place, then they are going to tear Mike apart for breaking his word and trying to not buy the letter when he said he would and made sure everyone else did.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Mabinogia

[ProfCrash]

Did anyone else hear Mike's pitch to Dan? He reminded Dan that he had said he couldn't let someone so vile as Rodney win.

Yeah

[Guest]

On rewatch I noticed Dan and others really tried to get Mike buy his letters first and he kept reassuring them he'd never welsh on the deal, but refusing to go first.  Then he welshed.  But either changed his mind due to either Jeff possibly letting Carolyn return hers OR his conscience.  But I'm thinking the former.  He's been strategic, not impulsive.  Welshing probably wasn't an impulse decision. He was willing to trick his alliance but only if he definitely got the advantage.  Which is odd since in the past it's been an immunity challenge advantage.  Why lose your allies over that?  Or maybe Jeff admitted it was some brand new, super-advantage.  

[Mabinogia]

That's right. I forgot, it wasn't until Carolyn was going to have as much money to spend as him that he bothered to find his conscience. He just really screwed the pooch on that one. At this point, these are the people who are going to hand you a million dollars, if you make it that far. Showing them you are willing to screw them over to get it isn't the best strategy, but nor is it the worst. The worst would be berating and attacking the personal life of someone who might hold your fate in her hands because some of her friends said you were hiding food that was yours to hide and because she was the easiest target. That is bad gameplay.

 

These people are idiots. It is sad that Rodney really does have the best game right now. Ugh I hate him but at this point, other than being really annoyingly Bostonian, I can't remember why since others like Dan and Will have made him seem nearly heroic in comparison.

[SlackerInc]

It also really, really disturbs me that the victim of every season that gets picked on for no reason is almost always a woman (or once in a while a "weak" guy like Cochran, but if I remember correctly, Cochran was ostracized because he was bad at challenges and then bedause he flipped so at least those were in-game reasons). 

 

I really don't think it was just that he was bad in challenges.  They were seriously just horrendously picking on him because, to go back again to the "Lord of the Flies" metaphor, he was their Piggy, complete with nerdy glasses.  And I think he was absolutely right to blow up their game.  Not only did it feel good, that even serves an implicit strategic, game-theory purpose: don't treat people in the game that way or there might be consequences for you.

 

I don't know what I'd do if I was cast on the show in a season of assholes. I could get on my high-horse and lecture them about their vile behavior, or I could shut up and try to win the money. It's a rock-and-a-hard-place situation, and until I hear a little more from the participants, I'll reserve judgment on their characters.

 

I think the odds are so low for any individual in that situation to win the money, in EV terms you are basically taking an average payout in the five figures to fail to do the right thing in front of millions of people.  If someone was offering me a guaranteed ten million dollars if I just sat silently on national TV and failed to defend someone against bullying, I might feel torn.  Or if they offered me eighty grand to do the same in a small group of people that won't be nationally televised, also torn.  But if it's that much money and I'm on national TV, it's an easy choice: stand up and do the right thing.  The positive karma/PR you get from that might even end up working out financially to your favor, and you'll feel a lot better too.

 

Every human being deserves some compassion, and someone trying to understand and walk a mile in their shoes... even more so when- like Shirin on the show, or Will after that episode aired- most people are piling on them.  It's as fair for us to judge those who stood idly by when Shirin was attacked, as it is a reminder that I shouldn't do the same thing from the safety of this board.  That some are trying to understand his actions, and then to defend or downplay them- while I think mistaken in this case- is not an instinct we should discourage in ourselves or others.  I didn't even take my own advice in that same post!

 

Sorry about that, SM. 

 

Nice post.  It put me to mind of the book So You've Been Publicly Shamed, by Jon Ronson, that has been getting a lot of publicity lately.  He described a case where a guy at a tech conference made a joke about "big dongles" to his friend sitting next to him.  A woman nearby overheard and took his photo and called him out on Twitter for it.  This went viral and the guy got fired.  But then there was a social media backlash against her for getting him fired, and so then she got fired.  Put me to mind of the old saw "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

 

 

• I don't like Shirin at all. I don't like her face, and I don't like the fact that she is Ms. Survivor Encyclopedia; HOWEVER, as a woman, I found what he said to her was offensive and disgusting.

 

 

You don't like her face?  WTF is that about?

 

 There's a reason we all are familiar with the cultural stereotype of the brilliant but socially awkward nerds being bullied by the "popular" kids.

 

I read about an interesting (and, as an American, somewhat dispiriting) study that found that the U.S. is the only country where this happens.  In other countries, many of the cliques ("stoners", for instance) are the same but "jocks" and especially "brains"/"geeks" are not seen distinctly the way they are here.  And in those other countries, it generally adds to a teenager's popularity to be strong academically.  I think there are some signs that we are moving slowly toward being more like that here; but for people of the average age of those on Survivor, that uniquely American anti-intellectual attitude tends to hold sway (and note that those players defending Shirin are more on the younger edge).

 

Well, color me shocked that Dan is a right-wing Teatard.  Lots of projection going on there, too.

 

I know, right?  Shocking, indeed!

Edited April 25, 2015 by SlackerInc

[ratgirlagogo]

 

 

mojoween:  See I'll never ever quit Survivor. Even if every contestant was a member of the Hantz family, I just love this show so much I will always watch even if I hate all of the contestants.

I mean, I just won't buy the DVD if the winner displeases me. It's why I only own Cook Islands. So whichever of these fools takes home the big paper check won't cause me to take the show off the DVR.

Oh, me too.  Survivor Ride or Die, that's me.  And if I have learned one thing from watching it religiously for all these years, it is that two seasons from now people who were apoplectic with rage over Dan or Will (or Nayonka or Osten or Colton) will have a hard time remembering what these terrible people even did, or why anyone hated them.  It's all short term memory stuff, unless you are one of the Maxes or Shirins of this world ( and not a bad thing to be, or course.)

 

We're at 535 posts for this episode - far more than any episode this season.   This is why we ALWAYS get episodes like this, and always will.

Edited April 25, 2015 by ratgirlagogo

[needschocolate]

We're at 535 posts for this episode - far more than any episode this season.   This is why we ALWAYS get episodes like this, and always will.

 

And more people talk about a train wreck than they do a field of flowers or a chess game, but Probst & Co doesn't care if we are discussing out of admiration or out of disgust, just as long as we are discussing.  It's a shame, because I don't want casts like this season or episodes like this one, I want people will real strategies, people that make great moves, or at least have a good sense of humor or intelligent insight (I am okay with stupid and funny, but not with stupid and mean).  But they will probably look at the numbers and think that they need to give us more of this, just like they did with Russell.   

[Guest]

And I don't think anyone's even mentioned their BIG TWIST-- Dan's extra vote.  lol

[LadyChatts]

At the end of the day this episode gave producers exactly what they wanted.  Max even had something on his twitter about it not mattering if the season and cast were likable or not, the ratings speak for themselves.  Survivor is the #1 show in its hour with ratings and the demo, beating out pretty handily American Idol, a show that has had half the seasons but that has only been on 1 year less than Survivor.  The contestants themselves ultimately are the ones who will come out smelling like roses and forever a fan favorite, or thrown into the dark pit of despair with the likes of Colton, Na'Onka, and Brandon Hantz.  I don't know that it will matter what Will or Dan say when it's all over, they've made their bed.  Part of my issue early on this season was everyone seemed way too nice too each other and afraid of making moves or causing a stir.  Of course, I didn't want it to take the turn it did, I just wanted the right balance of crazy and chaos.  I've only ever completely tuned out of 2 Survivor seasons, and I would have stuck with RI if not for the Boston Rob factor.  Usually by the time I decide to tune out, the season is almost done so I say to heck with it and keep watching.  Normally the merge is when things really get going and start getting interesting, but it seemed like this season the opposite happened.  

 

When I was looking through the list of seasons last night, I have to say that WA right now is in my bottom 10 when I actually go through the trouble of ranking them (as a season and a cast).  I'm rooting for Shirin at this point, but the only others I want to see win are by default (Mike, Rodney, and Tyler).  And I've long been a champion of Shirin, but part of me wants her to win is just to spite all her haters out there.  I'm glad she get the last word and a lot of love at the reunion, if it eats at the likes of Will and Dan.  I do have to begrudgingly give credit to Rodney for recognizing it is a game and never stopping to play, always looking for alternatives and plan bs if his first plan got foiled.  This season has been boring and predictable since the merge, and I can totally see what Jenn was saying about everyone being miserable and fighting at camp.  Even the Merica camp looks gray and gloomy all the time.  I'll probably keep watching, even though I vow I won't, but I definitely want to tune into the finale.  I guess on the plus side, if the cast is going to make it miserable TV viewing, then at least that black part of my heart can take comfort in the fact that they not only will have to deal with the aftermath outside of the game, but that they also have to wait to do so.  Now that part would be frustrating.

Edited April 26, 2015 by LadyChatts

[Guest]

  The contestants themselves ultimately are the ones who will come out smelling like roses and forever a fan favorite, or thrown into the dark pit of despair with the likes of Colton, Na'Onka, and Brandon Hantz.  

That dark pit of despair where many including Colton and Brandon are invited back for more, unfortunately.  I guess it's almost a dark pit of fortune.  Infamy but chances.  

[niklj]

Booooo I can't believe how much this sucky cast and this sucky editing on this sucky season have managed to even make one of my favorite reward challenges, the auction, suck. I always looked forward to seeing who went for the rewards and who stayed for the possible advantages, it was hilarious when they would have the booby prizes, it was great seeing the temptation...but this group had it so figured out that it was over in like, a minute. With Carolyn playing with the rules and Dan winning an advantage.

 

That was as lame as last season when they didn't even play the reward challenge because they automatically wanted to give it to one of the people. They really shouldn't be given so much freedom, these contestants are really getting too big for their britches. I would look forward to the gross-eating challenge with this cast, but seeing as how boring and predictable these guys are, they'd probably find a way to ruin that challenge too.

 

Also, I knew I had Will pegged ever since he turned on the No Collar tribe after they made him the birthday chicken. They made you a birthday chicken and you went around and turned on them when there really wasn't that much of a reason to. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

 

I'm out as well.

[phlebas]

And I don't think anyone's even mentioned their BIG TWIST-- Dan's extra vote.  lol

That could be an effective tools in the hands of someone who understands strategy.

 

In Dan's hands... well, it'll be something else.

[needschocolate]

That was as lame as last season when they didn't even play the reward challenge because they automatically wanted to give it to one of the people. 

 

I forgot about that (I hope that means I can someday wipe this season from my memory too).  So, last season was the overly nice season and this one is the overly mean one.  Yuck. 

[kikaha]

From one of Jenn's recent interviews

 

"I stole all the food. Me, Shirin, and Sierra? We stole everything and we buried it under the ladies couch. We’d go out and eat our dinner there."

 

Now we know why Jenn did not lose much weight.  Stealing food lowers Jenn (and Shirin and Sierra, though I never liked them so much) a fair amount in my estimation.

 

It also makes Shirin's/Jenn's accusation of Will even more absurd.  They are the ones stealing food... he actually is sharing his (in Jenn's case not just what he found but his everyday portions as well)... and they charge him with lying and hoarding. 

Edited April 26, 2015 by kikaha

[Guest]

They stole all what food?  How is that even possible?  And "women's couch"?  Are you sure she wasn't being sarcastic?  What interview?  

[kikaha]

They stole all what food?  How is that even possible?  And "women's couch"?  Are you sure she wasn't being sarcastic?  What interview?  

 

The interview with Gordon Holmes, that is linked in the Jenn Brown thread.  She wasn't sarcastic: she was bragging.  A few more nuggets from the same interview:

 

"Sierra will deny this, but since I cooked all the food…her, Shirin, and I realized, these guys are suffering so hard…the last week of the game, let’s make sure there’s no food so they will maybe die and we’ll be fine. So, I’d throw in more scoops of rice. We’d hide things just to make sure we ran out of food. It was so much fun."

 

Just some wild and crazy kids, hunh? 

[peachmangosteen]

With each interview I read I love Jenn more and more. At least Ponderosa eps will be fun now! I really do hope Shirin goes next so that I can focus on Ponderosa and stop caring entirely about the actual show.

[BigRedCheese]

That kind of stuff happens all the time, it's why people don't really believe it when you claim you told them about all the food, like with So and Will. Tyson and Gervis snuck off and drained all the coconuts. Richard Hatch was the designated fisherman in his first season because he was so good at it, but he said there were days he would purposely not catch fish, so the tribe would be hungry and they would feel more dependent on him, he said if you didn't question whether a player is lying about the amount of food they provided, then you're an idiot in the game of Survivor. He said that without question, he would have reburied the food and kept it for himself, knowing that nobody would believe he was turning over all the food anyway.

[fishcakes]

People probably mess with the food every season, but we don't see it unless it's entertaining or leads to a fight. Jane in Nicaragua snuck off to cook a fish for herself, Russell hoarded papayas in Samoa, and on Redemption Island after the merge, the two tribes didn't pool the food, and Zapatera had more food and fewer people so they purposely ate more than they wanted just so the Ometepe people would go hungry at the end. I remember Julie struggling to swallow a huge mouthful of rice and saying she didn't even want it, but they had to eat all of their food before they were Pagonged. I don't like this aspect of the game; they're out there with so little that I feel like taking care that everyone has an equal share of the food is just basic decency, but how they deal with food and how they use it strategically, not just with rewards but also with their regular rations, has always been part of the game. 

Edited April 26, 2015 by fishcakes

[Guest]

The interview with Gordon Holmes, that is linked in the Jenn Brown thread.  She wasn't sarcastic: she was bragging.  A few more nuggets from the same interview:

 

"Sierra will deny this, but since I cooked all the food…her, Shirin, and I realized, these guys are suffering so hard…the last week of the game, let’s make sure there’s no food so they will maybe die and we’ll be fine. So, I’d throw in more scoops of rice. We’d hide things just to make sure we ran out of food. It was so much fun."

 

Just some wild and crazy kids, hunh? 

Thanks.  I read it.  Sorry, I found it funny.  I'm sure "we stole ALL the food" is hyperbole and no one was actually in danger of dying.  The men were idiots to never cook.