S31: Voting

[ByaNose]

So, with 20 people will we get a 2 hour premier or will there be a double boot episode? Of course, there is always the cushion of someone quitting (which I highly doubt) or a medical evacuation (which is more likely). A final 2 or 3? So many questions & so little answers. LOL!!!! Is it September yet?

[LadyChatts]

I'm guessing it'll be a 90 minute premiere (although maybe 2 hours, given the circumstances).  I'm going with a medically evac as a more likely scenario, given what we've heard of the conditions.  I will completely loathe whoever quits.  I hate quitters as it is, but people that have played this game before that quit?  You know what you were getting into.  And the 12 people left home, or the people voted out before them, that would have kept going and loved to be there.

 

I'm more interested in the tribes.  Male vs female to start, or something else?  Shane seemed to think they were going to start with 2 tribes of 10, then shuffle them into 3 tribes of 18 after the first two boots (which is what I was hoping for).  I want them to shuffle the heck out of all the tribes until the merge.  Screw with the pre game alliances. 

 

It's very early morning in Cambodia, so the game will be afoot in a few hours!  How do you even sleep?  I'm not playing and I'm having a hard time containing my excitement!

Edited May 31, 2015 by LadyChatts

[ByaNose]

I like the idea of a bunch if switch ups. Unlike a normal season we already know everybody. So, they can switch back and forth without any problem. I mentioned earlier I will be interested to see if they separate Abi & Kass & Terry & Savage at first. Both sets are sort of similar so I want them to be on two different tribes to start. I'm sure everyone is ready for whatever twist is thrown at them......I think....LOL!!!! Also, will everyone go ape crazy and try to find the HII without any clue on Day 1? Maybe, that's the twist. No HII!? Nah! They need the HII. How else will Probst be able to guarantee that his man crushes make the merge and or win.

[LadyChatts]

I think the best thing would be for Probst to totally mess with them about impending advantages, twists, etc, and make everyone go completely crazy and have paranoia run rampant-and then nothing happen.  I can see everyone staying up at night, twitching at any noise, thinking it's one of their tribe mates running off looking for some phantom idol that doesn't exist.  Frankly, I'm surprised by now people let anyone go off by themselves.  

 

In regards to tribes, they've had almost 2 weeks to figure it out, so a male/female split seems more like something done because they didn't have time to come up with something better.  In addition to Savage/Terry and Kass/Abi being split up, I'd like to see people that were together on the same season on opposing tribes, if possible (so Joe/Shirin on opposite tribes, putting Spencer/Woo together over Spencer/Tasha, Jeff/Kimmi, Cieta/Vytas.  I don't know how I would divide up the 3 SJDS).  Of course, there are definitely the Probst faves that I see him wanting to do extremely well, and who knows, maybe some of the pre-game alliances consist of his favorite people.  So he may do everything possible to spare them.  I just want to get rid of Terry, Shirin, and Kass early.  Beyond that I don't really care.  I wouldn't mind losing Kelley Wentworth, Ciera, Woo, or Vytas pre-merge, either, but they aren't the thorn in my side that those 3 are.

Edited May 31, 2015 by LadyChatts

[ByaNose]

But LadyChatts, I love Terry Dietz. I'm sorry but we are going to have to end our alliance. I will now need to find another person to take to the end. That said, if you happen to win the final immunity challenge you can still take me. I'll be your goat. LOL!!!! Happy 15th Anniversary Survivor!!!!

[Wings]

Lisa Welchel, no.  Just no.  She irritated me.  She was even worse on her short stint on Probst's talk show which was bad to begin with.  He is not cut out to do that. 

[choclatechip45]

I'm sue they'll put Varner and Kimmi on the same tribe.

[BigRedCheese]

 

Lisa Welchel, no.  Just no.  She irritated me.

 

She irritated me at the beginning too, but she pulled it together and turned out to be a really good player, one of my favorites at this point.

[ByaNose]

I still like when Lisa has that great line at Tribal Council about not taking Malcolm with her. Something on the lines of it wouldn't be good for her game. She was pretty cutthroat at that moment. I liked that much more than her crying at the beginning.

[wonald]

I believe the S31 premiere will bump against Big Bro so it should be 90 min.

[ByaNose]

Totally forgot about BB. I know they start in June but didn't know when it ended. I guess the 90 minute versus a 2 hour episode depends on what kind of material in the next 39 Days. I saw Parvati's Twitter and she had pictures of her, Dalton, Josh Wigler & Gordon Holmes. I sort of envy them. They are big fans of the show & get to write about, too. A win-win. One of the pictures was a nice sunny day (paddle boarding) in Cambodia. The game is a foot!

[LadyChatts]

But LadyChatts, I love Terry Dietz. I'm sorry but we are going to have to end our alliance. I will now need to find another person to take to the end. That said, if you happen to win the final immunity challenge you can still take me. I'll be your goat. LOL!!!! Happy 15th Anniversary Survivor!!!!

 

I'll consider that #blindside.  And maybe you won't be a good goat.  Maybe you'd just pretend.  I want to win, dang it!  Of course, as a viewer, seeing the best of the best sitting at the end and all having an equal shot is a dream.  But as a player, I'd be the exact person that I hate watching.  And I'd be the total goat/sheep.  If my old public speaking teacher from high school were watching, she'd probably send me a long critique about how horrible my opening/closing speeches were at tribal (if we had them).

 

I also envy those that are in the know and get all this information ahead of time because they are part of the press circuit.  Either Gordon or Dalton mentioned in their interview with Joe that they were impressed with his speed through the first IC puzzle, and said they never figured it out.  So they even get to test challenges (actually, I'd kind of like that job, even though I'd completely bomb at them).  But at least I wouldn't get voted off for being weak.

[ByaNose]

Oddly enough, I read that even though we know the cast & location we won't see/read the pre game interviews any earlier. It will be the normal late August/early September deal. I guess Season 31 is going by the book. The taping and airing schedule notwithstanding. Those poor people from Season 32. They have to wait a whole year. The person who won that season must be dying. Where's my check??????

[Rick Kitchen]

Have they said how the tribes are going to be split up?

[ByaNose]

Rick Kitchen, I haven't seen any information on the tribe dynamic, format, twist or if there is an Exile or Redemption Island in the mix. They just started filming. I'm guessing the spoilers will be out soon which I don't want to know about. I don't like to know anything. That said, knowing the cast and location in advance has been fun. I'll just wait till August/September when Dalton Ross (EW) gives us the low down.

[wonald]

IIRC, Dalton Ross did some podcast while on location during S29. Hopefully, he will do the same this time.

[Wings]

She irritated me at the beginning too, but she pulled it together and turned out to be a really good player, one of my favorites at this point.

 

 

I felt that way at the end, too.  Then I experienced her on Probst's talk show where she was a co host for a brief period.  She "processed" every emotion she had about being on his talk show.  It was exhausting. 

[BigRedCheese]

I never saw Probst's show, so I don't know about that, but I enjoyed her on Survivor.

[LadyChatts]

Rick Kitchen, I haven't seen any information on the tribe dynamic, format, twist or if there is an Exile or Redemption Island in the mix. They just started filming. I'm guessing the spoilers will be out soon which I don't want to know about. I don't like to know anything. That said, knowing the cast and location in advance has been fun. I'll just wait till August/September when Dalton Ross (EW) gives us the low down.

 

I think I'm more anxious than usual because we do know the cast in advance, and following along in real time is fun.  I doubt we will get any spoilers (or any that I would believe unless there's photos to back it up) until the group gets home next month, so probably spoiler free for now.  I want people to get home and start posting photos to their SM so we can dissect if they look horrible enough to have lasted the full 39 days, or if they look like they've been off on some resort island sipping margaritas pool side.  If filming began June 1st, we are on day 3, which means the very first person will be voted off in a few hours (Koh Rong is 11 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone, so it is after 12pm there now).  They could be doing the challenge as we speak!  I'm dying to know who it is, but I think I'm more curious as to how they take it.  I think there will be some heavy hearts leaving the game this time, and being the first boot out of a season like this is going to sting.

 

I've seen some photos of Parvati and Dalton over there doing press.  Nothing with the cast but just their shots around the area and I think Parvati had one on set with the dream team for a challenge.  I'm so jealous.  

[ProfCrash]

I will actually be surprised if we get many spoilers before and during the season. I think CBS is going to fully crack down on the contestants and make damn sure that nothing gets out. They will be threatened with massive law suits and a complete ban from future competitions if they say anything to anyone.

 

For some of the contestants, the ones from earlier seasons, the future participation ban is not likely to matter. Unless they make a big splash this time, they are not going to come back. For the contestants from the last 5 or so seasons, the threat of not returning is huge.

 

I expect a spoiler free season. Season 32 on the other hand, could be insanely spoiled because asking folks to keep their mouths shut for over a year is a bit silly.

[LadyChatts]

See, the reason I think it will be spoiled is because it is a returnee season.  I already know there are extremely strict penalties for spoiling the outcome (more so the winner than anything else), but unless TPTB can specifically nail who said it, they pretty much have to use the honor system.  Jeff even mentioned in an interview recently about spoilers, and how they get spread-contestants get home, and they may spill the beans to their family how they did or things that happened.  You want to tell, and some people can't help it.  Then their family tells someone, and eventually, it gets out.  He said he doesn't know why people would want to know and not be surprised (after last season, that's exactly why I like knowing what will happen).  And this season, having so many favorites and a few contestants I really loathe I want to know what I'm going into.  Reading spoilers doesn't ruin the enjoyment for me.  I know that the first AS, HvsV, Micronesia, and Caramoan were all spoiled, to some extent anyway.  IIRC, AS and HvsV were near perfect.  Caramoan, I think some boots were off, but I remember the final 3 being spoiled, Sherry flipping, and Erik's medevac all being in there.  Some contestants may come home bitter, others may let things leak to their fellow contestants because they get screwed over by someone and want to play the high school game of not wanting people to like that person anymore.  Everything can be done anonymously online.

[BigRedCheese]

I think I would still enjoy the show if I was spoiled, but it's more fun for me not to know.

[ProfCrash]

I am fine with spoilers, love them actually. CBS knows that Russell spoiled his last two seasons. He is never going back on the show, not because of his reputation but because he will spoil the show again. CBS clamped down hard on the BvW2 cast on social media to prevent possible spoilers. I think that they will do the same thing with Season 31 and I think that the contestants are going to get very, very clear instructions that if the season is spoiled none of them return. And god forbid they can track any of the spoilers back to a specific person.

[choclatechip45]

I know all stars and BvW were spoiled while the season was going on because people recognized some of the pre merge contestants. I know Rob C said him Tina, and Rudy were on some horseback trip and someone was taking photos and showed them to his coworkers who recognized them. I believe someone saw Candice, John Cody and Kat at a mall in the phillipines.

Edited June 3, 2015 by choclatechip45

[LadyChatts]

After CBS spoiled 3 of the final 4 this past season with their finale promo (not to mention some of their episode descriptions were dead giveaways) they should probably worry less about the contestants loose lips and more about their editors falling asleep on the job. 

 

For SJDS, part of the boot list was leaked out (I can't remember if the whole order was spoiled, though, as I think some placements were wrong).  I remember at least the final 6 was spoiled, because I groaned when I saw Missy and Baylor were there.  I do remember that TPTB put a bigger clamp on contestants SM for SJDS, and after WA I wonder if they will do it again.  Because those people were really free with their photos together and thoughts.  Plus, Joaquin let things slip in one of his interviews about Kelly being the last pre-jury boot.  I was surprised some of the contestants were doing interviews while they were still on the show.  The thing is, would they really punish everybody if one contestant let things slip?  Truthfully, of the entire second chances cast, I only expected maybe a handful or a little over a handful would ever get a return invite, anyway.  I really don't know if we would see Jeff, Kimmi, Kelly Wigles, Terry, Andrew, Peih-Gee, Keith, Ciera, and Monica back again, unless they made a huge splash this season (or one of them wins, and they do an all winners season).  Spoilers have never really hurt the show.  Unless it gets leaked who ultimately won and is published for all to see somewhere, I would guess that a majority of fans either don't read spoilers or don't go looking online anywhere.  And it's never made me not tune in or enjoy it less.  If anything, knowing what happens makes me anticipate it more (or not want to throw my TV against the wall because it looked like someone I hated was going home and my ultimate fave gets sent packing instead). 

 

I guess time will tell.  I had forgotten Russell spoiled both seasons he was on (I remembered him spoiling HvsV, but forgot her was the Samoa leak).  Between that and the meltdowns of his other family members, I really doubt we will see another Hantz on this show or any other again.  Which is fine by me (and I say that as someone who once liked Russell).  Reading his twitter is a trip.

 

I remember the days when spoilers for regular seasons ran rampant.  Most posters that had the sources seems to have disappeared or their sources dried up.

Edited June 3, 2015 by LadyChatts

[choclatechip45]

For SJDS, part of the boot list was leaked out (I can't remember if the whole order was spoiled, though, as I think some placements were wrong). I remember at least the final 6 was spoiled (because I groaned when I saw Missy and Baylor were there). I do remember that TPTB put a bigger clamp on contestants SM for SJDS, and after WA I wonder if they will do it again. Because those people were really free with their photos together and thoughts. Plus, Joaquin let things slip in one of his interviews about Kelly being the last pre-jury boot. There were some other examples where contestants gave things away. The thing is, would they really punish everybody if one contestant let things slip? Truthfully, of the entire second chances cast, I only expected maybe a handful or a little over a handful would ever get a return invite, anyway. I really don't know if we would see Jeff, Kimmi, Kelly Wigles, Terry, Andrew, Peih-Gee, Keith, Ciera, and Monica back again, unless they made a huge splash this season (or one of them wins, and they do an all winners season). Spoilers have never really hurt the show. Unless it gets leaked who ultimately won and is published for all to see somewhere, I would guess that a majority of fans either don't read spoilers or don't go looking online anywhere. And it's never made me not tune in or enjoy it less. If anything, knowing what happens makes me anticipate it more (or not want to throw my TV against the wall because it looked like someone I hated was going home and my ultimate fave gets sent packing instead).

I guess time will tell. I had forgotten Russell spoiled both seasons he was on. Between that and the meltdowns of his other family members, I really doubt we will see another Hantz on this show or any other again. Which is fine by me (and I say that as someone who once liked Russell). Reading his twitter is a trip.

I remember the days when spoilers for regular seasons ran rampant. Most posters that had the sources seems to have disappeared or their sources dried up.

The way Jeremy talked about Jon in his Rhap interview I was pretty sure Jon would not make it to the end. On the flip side I was convinced Baylor would make it to the final tribal council because everyone was so bitter towards her.

[ByaNose]

I was confused about Jeremy and Josh placement because of their edits. I'm still never 100% sure who is going to win, lose or even make the jury most of the time. Some people are so invisible they even make the final 3 or 4. That's why I rewatch the first episode to pick out clues (if there are any), and then realize I should have known how everyone did. Like this season, Lindsey said, someone on this mat (Mike) is going to be the winner. Who knew? LOL!!! I don't want to be spoiled for Season 31 and will look for those clues which I never pick up on. LOL!!!!

Edited June 4, 2015 by ByaNose

[LadyChatts]

I felt like Lindsey's comment was a giveaway that someone on that mat was going to win-I just didn't know who.  My first thought was one of the ladies, especially given the edit all 3 men got from the start.  In Mike's case, he went from grumpy worker bee with a shade of chauvinism to ultimate underdog that couldn't be foiled (I actually cringe to think if Dan won and all the stuff they would have had to edit out to make him a likable winner).  Yet he had the odds against him, and in no way did I think he would be able to make it to the final 3.  But I knew if he made it, he was winning.  He had 4 jury votes locked up (I don't care what Shirin said about Carolyn still being in the running for her vote, I don't believe it).  Sierra, when she actually got a confessional, seemed to talk a good game and flipping for control, but never followed through.  But I did think maybe that was leading to something down the road.  Tyler suddenly came out of nowhere, Rodney became less annoying and was getting good feedback from the booted castoffs about his underestimated game, so I thought maybe they were giving something away there.  The only people I knew had no shot at winning were going to be Dan and Will.  This season was really funky with the editing, that they seemed to give things away, but also made it super confusing.  It seemed obvious that either Mike or Carolyn was going to win when they reached the 5, because no one else had a likable or very visible edit at that point.

 

Last season, Natalie is a good example of a winner that was basically invisible for most of the season and then came out swinging.  I literally remember nothing of her other than going after Jon for blindsiding Jeremy, and going on and on about not having her twinnie in the game so it made it that much harder for her compared to others who still had loved ones on their side.

[ByaNose]

It will be interesting to see the edit for Season 31. We have 20 established people we either did or did not vote for. So, will their edit be harder to show or hide since we basically know their first edit. Abi had an edit where she was mean and bitchy. Was that really her? Will she get the same edit or be dramatically different. After 15 years, I never even thought about the edit until Season 30 aired. Now, I want to see how everyone is portrayed on this upcoming season and how the winner is edited.

[LadyChatts]

No one coming into this current season got a really horrible edit their first time around.  One might say Kass and Abi, but both owned their behavior.  For Abi it was a reality check.  I know Kass has said she planned on being more of the goat taken for a ride this time over making any moves (so it sounds like she wants to play down the #chaoskass).  Whether that works or not we will see, but I expect her to be a target.  I think Abi will be fine for the time being.  Even if she plays up her villainous role again, I see bigger threats being targeted before her.  Unless Abi gets on the wrong side of numbers or makes a bad call that ends up backfiring, I can see her going pretty far again. 

 

Back to the edit, I don't know that anyone will necessarily be looking for redemption in that department or trying to be careful of how they come across.  Sometimes that's a factor, but again, no one really got a horrible edit the first time around.  I see people looking for redemption more from a game play perspective (like Savage, Woo, Jeff, Monica, Kelley).  I also see someone like Joe changing his strategic game, and hopeful he gets a chance to.  I will be curious how the editing goes, though.  This season was just crazy, with people getting bad edits out of the gate and suddenly you find yourself rooting for them mid way through, or people disappearing and reappearing at the weirdest times.  I hope we actually see game play going on.  I do expect that some of the big favorites going in will probably end up getting a negative reception for however they played the game or came across this time, and likewise people that were disliked or forgettable the first time may become popular with the fans.  Seems to happen in all returnee seasons.

[ByaNose]

I am curious how Woo will play this time. He looked so pissed & shellshocked at the live final tribal council. He realized that Tony had made a bigger fool of him than he realized. So, will he still be nice Woo or come back and play like Stephenie LaGrossa played in Guatemala? She made the final 2 and still lost but played a totally (mean) game the second time around. What will Woo do?

[LadyChatts]

I am curious how Woo will play this time. He looked so pissed & shellshocked at the live final tribal council. He realized that Tony had made a bigger fool of him than he realized. So, will he still be nice Woo or come back and play like Stephenie LaGrossa played in Guatemala? She made the final 2 and still lost but played a totally (mean) game the second time around. What will Woo do?

 

Woo strikes me as the type that will probably try to redeem himself from the first time.  But I don't think he could pull off mean.  He continues to take a lot of heat for being a nice guy who made a dumb move that seemed obvious to everyone but him (I don't care what he says to justify it, I believe he was doing damage control over taking Tony to the end).  So he'll show why he deserves this second chance, that he knows how to play the game, and that he wasn't some goat of his own doing by taking Tony over Kass to the final 2.  Whether Woo succeeds in attempting to repair his image and show he's got strategy is another story.  My guess is he'll fail.  He just doesn't strike me as the type that could carry this game or form an alliance and be pulling the strings.  He was a nice guy.  I could see him going far this time, more so due possibly being a physical asset to his tribe and being in an alliance with numbers.  I suspect he'll be on the bottom of those numbers, however. However, I could also see a pre-merge boot where he's trying hard to be a puppet master but getting blindsided early on.

 

So if Survivor is filming on schedule, two people have already been voted off and the third boot is coming up today.  Time's already flying!  Wonder how it is going for everyone, and for the first two boots.  If it was someone like Spencer or Joe or Andrew, that would have to be extremely rough.  If it was Kass, she probably saw it coming.

Edited June 7, 2015 by LadyChatts

[ByaNose]

I think anyone who doesn't make it to the merge or the jury won't be happy. Of course, being the first voted off is really going to suck. Most of the guys must know they are just a huge threat and aren't long for the game. I'm dying to know who the two are (waiting patiently for September to see) that got voted off and why. I could see Jor or Shirin being voted off first because their season is so fresh in everyone's mind. It would be an easy reason to just vote someone out other than you.

[peachmangosteen]

Dalton Ross has been posting pics on his instagram of the cast with a little message they wrote thanking the fans. Shirin, Terry, and Kelly W. are up so far. I think he's maybe going to post one every day.

Edited June 7, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[fishcakes]

Ha, Shirin signed her message, "Shanini."

 

I can't figure out why Wiglesworth looks different; there's no obvious cosmetic surgery, but there's something going on there. Regardless, she looks great. And Terry looks exactly the same. It's been ten years and he doesn't seem to have aged at all.

[wonald]

Wigles had too much botox. That's what wrong.

 

Surprised that Shanini could only fit 4 meta references in her message.I see that she is still in her I'm So Special Because I'm A Superfan game mode. Perfect strategy to win . . . . first boot.

Edited June 7, 2015 by wonald

[LadyChatts]

Woo has one up now, too.  Shirin I'm already ready to see gone and I hope to god she is.  I'm really disappointed she is back so soon.  If she's still geeking out I hope that means she'll get on the last nerve of everyone there and, friendships/pre-game alliances aside, gets booted early.  Someone could make the argument that a person who knows that much about Survivor would be a threat.  Yes, these are all returning players, but I feel like Shirin probably knows stuff about their game that they probably forgot about.

 

I could see Joe being an early exit.  He is one that I truthfully wouldn't be surprised to see gone first.  Spencer would probably make it past the first boot, but I still see him as a possible early exit as well.  I know going first on this show is the nightmare of anyone, but these returnee seasons they seem to take it a lot harder.

 

I don't know what and why Kelly did that to herself.

Edited June 7, 2015 by LadyChatts

[ByaNose]

Terry has found the fountain of youth. He's a modern day Dorian Gray. Kelly doesn't look bad just different. Maybe, she went to the same plastic surgeon Sue Hawk went to. I liked Woo's thank you. Of curse, it's only been a year for him so he looks the same. LOL!!! I'm looking forward to seeing Andrew Savage's thank you. He didn't look any different from what I could tell from the reunion. I'm trying to get hints from the pictures of the weather conditions. It doesn't look totally sunny in all but it doesn't look totally horrendous either.

Edit to add: Season Premier is 90 minutes & airing on September 23.

Edited June 9, 2015 by ByaNose

[LadyChatts]

So glad they are doing a 90 minute premiere.  Sometimes (depending how well the season is going) I wish they could do more 90 minute episodes throughout the season.  

 

I will say some of these Survivors haven't learned the meaning of the word 'aging'.  Some of the old schoolers look better 10+ years than some of the newbies, imo.

Edited June 9, 2015 by LadyChatts

[choclatechip45]

 

I will say some of these Survivors haven't learned the meaning of the word 'aging'.  Some of the old schoolers look better 10+ years than some of the newbies, imo.

Kimmi, Savage and Terry look like they haven't aged at all!

[fishcakes]

Ugh, Vytas wrote "Namaste Bitches" on his thank you note. It wasn't funny or clever when he said it on the show, and it still isn't.

[choclatechip45]

 

I will say some of these Survivors haven't learned the meaning of the word 'aging'.  Some of the old schoolers look better 10+ years than some of the newbies, imo.

Even though we just saw her last year Tasha looks amazing I had no idea she was 39. I thought she was 25 until I looked up her age.

Edited June 11, 2015 by choclatechip45

[Special K]

Jeremy Collins has beautiful handwriting.  Just saying.

 

https://instagram.com/thedaltonross/

[ByaNose]

They're back. I've seen Spencer & Abi Maria tweeting. C'mon, September! That was a fast 39+ Days. I hardly lost any weight. LOL!!!!

[LadyChatts]

Here's a thank you video featuring all of the second chancers:

 

 

And a random promo, taken from the same soundstage as the one above:

 

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

 

 

[Special K]

Thanks LadyChatts for posting those, but I still don't remember who Monica is.  :-/