S30.E13: My Word Is My Bond

[MarquisDeCarabas]

I realise it's the first time we've seen this advantage, but that was easily the worst way to play it.

 

Dan knows he is getting one vote for sure potentially two. There are three plausible and one very unlikely scenarios:  One everyone votes Carolyn, Carolyn goes home.  Two everyone is voting Dan.  Three Carolyn has an Idol.  What's unlikely is that Rod Sierra and Will are going to split the vote in case Carolyn does have an idol and they are worried she isn't voting Dan.

 

Of the three likely scenarios for the first and second, his advantage has no impact.  If he is the real target two votes won't save him and an extra vote on Carolyn means nothing.  The ONLY way his advantage is useful and could save him is if Carolyn has an idol, in which case he has at least one most likely two votes coming his way.  The smart play is to put two votes on the person he thinks he's most likely to beat in a revote I'm not sure who that would be Sierra?  Will?

 

I know he said he'd rather go out swinging then watch the third strike go by, but what he did was pretty much swing with his eyes closed.

 

It's just simple math

[GaT]

Pretty good tribal, Carolyn played her HII at exactly the right time & Dan is gone! Now, somebody please figure out how to get rid of Mike.

 

All those close-ups on Sierra’s eyebrows make me believe that the show knows how fucked up they are. Those are seriously the worst tattooed eyebrows I have ever seen, there is absolutely no artistry there, just solid tattoo.

[Andromeda]

Oh, Ruprecht!  My kids and I use this as shorthand for someone like Rodney.  Or when my cats start knocking all the things over meaningfully.

I adore Ruprecht. Well, I find him hilarious, and I adore Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. So it warmed my heart to see it referred to here. I don't feel quite so warm toward Rodney, but he does bring the chuckles.

[millennium]

Anyway...the best way for a season to tank is when everything keeps going one person's way continually....its been this way for Mike for so  many ways I have lost count. It really saps any fun out of something when basically someone is Superman and there is no Kryptonite to be found. Early on I use to even like him but his good fortune is boring.

 

This is a dreadful, dreaful cast and I don't want any of these people to go home with their lives enriched by a million dollars...and even more confounding is that "Second Chances" vote is stacked with people from this season. Are you f'ing kidding me?

 

 

I guess in a land where nobody has any legs, a one-legged man might appear to be Superman but it doesn't actually make him one.   Mike would have been long gone if there had been even a few capable players but this cast was dumbed down like few others in Survivor history.  Even Joe, who was very good at challenges, was an utter moron when it came to game play.  "Hmm, Mike told them I found the idol, so maybe I ought to stop looking for it and let Mike find it instead."  Natalie from last season would have eaten Mike for lunch.

 

Just look at Mike's competition tonight in the Immunity Challenge: Rodney, Will, Dan, Carolyn and Sierra.    Only Carolyn was a possible contender.  Rodney can't even throw a grappling hook without screwing up.  Will is a lazy sack of lard.   Dan sucks at life and Sierra is a non-entity.   So Mike had a very strong chance of winning even before the challenge started. 

 

This was not a good episode at all.   Like the last few, it seemed an exercise in inevitability.   The only difference is, the onscreen behavior was a bit less repulsive tonight.

 

Worst season ever, IMHO.

[Artsda]

That was a great tribal I loved it.

 

So so tired of Rodney's whining, I'm glad Caroline didn't give him anything. 

They're just going to drag Will to the end aren't they. Has he won anything? He and Rodney need to go.

 

Byebye Dan.

[Turtle]

Dan knows he is getting one vote for sure potentially two. There are three plausible and one very unlikely scenarios: One everyone votes Carolyn, Carolyn goes home. Two everyone is voting Dan. Three Carolyn has an Idol. What's unlikely is that Rod Sierra and Will are going to split the vote in case Carolyn does have an idol and they are worried she isn't voting Dan.

There is also the possibility that Rodney, Will, and Dan suspect Carolyn has an idol and all vote for Sierra, but that is a level of thinking I would not expect from any of those guys.

Regardless, your point is a good one - Dan could have used his advantage to at last force a re-vote tonight. I hadn't thought about that. But if he wasn't sure about his standing, and thought Mike and Carolyn would vote for him (not a huge leap), he should have thrown both his votes to Sierra or Will or Rodney. Using two votes for Carolyn doesn't really make any sense. Even he thought his alliance flipped, one vote is not likely to change the outcome if Rodney, Will, and Sierra all voted for him.

Dan is dumb. And I am glad.

[Daisy]

1: Fiji's Edguard's vote out (i don't think there is anything on this planet that will  budge this out of first place for me)

2: Parvarti's You get an idol, you get an idol, everybody gets an Idol

3: Dan Votes himself out (which is basically what happened)

 

I will say - I really don't have a problem with Carolyn, and I liked her kind of from Day 1. (she's not my everlasting favoruite playe - but I don't dislike her as much as it seems a lot of people here do?)  So i am really excited that she is making some plays. 

 

At the same time -  I am really wondering if she was telling Sierra what she (Sierra) needed to hear (re: Dan and Will, and that Carolyn was safe) or did Carolyn really believe it. (that she (Carolyn) was safe). I truly don't know and the editing has been weird. I do think (i am going to give the show some benefit of the doubt) that Carolyn flat out knew but the show wanted to give Dan maximum hoisting on his own  petard. 

 

I will never ever blame anyone for gloating/being happy for playing their idol properly. (heck i'll never blame anyone for playing their idol wrongly LOL it gives you great facial moments such like Edguardo's boot-out). I honestly think it's an genuine reaction. it's a risk  to play it because you don't know. I would be doing a touch down dance if i played it properly. especially seeing your name five times.

 

I also got confused because i was like you can't play the idol at final five, until I was like oh yah you totally can.. it would have been nice if Carolyn could have held out one more episode. but good for her, for trusting her gut (again -there has been a few times her name has come up, but she held tight, and i was honestly thinking she was going to do so, but did not). 

Rodney was on the wrong season. had he been on last season, everyone would have rushed to give him a  reward. I love the irony. 

 

still not loving finale week on Wednesday :(

[Cousin Larry]

The "class warfare" theme for the season was bullshit, but it is satisfying to see that someone so prototypically blue collar (Mike) is succeeding, not just by being physically superior--something that his fellow blue collars Dan and Rodney couldn't hope to be--but also whip-smart. I don't think you could argue that Mike isn't a clever person. I'm a big-city liberal who tends towards slight, nerdy guys, but even I see the attractiveness in conservative Christian redneck Mike. Competence goes a long, long way.

[Lingo]

I realise it's the first time we've seen this advantage, but that was easily the worst way to play it.

 

Dan knows he is getting one vote for sure potentially two. There are three plausible and one very unlikely scenarios:  One everyone votes Carolyn, Carolyn goes home.  Two everyone is voting Dan.  Three Carolyn has an Idol.  What's unlikely is that Rod Sierra and Will are going to split the vote in case Carolyn does have an idol and they are worried she isn't voting Dan.

 

How about the scenario in which Dan, Will, and Rodney vote one way and Mike, Carolyn, and Sierra vote the other -- which is what Mike was gunning for? Then Dan's vote is the tie-breaker.

 

Speaking of Mike, did he just shoot himself in the foot by inadvertently convincing Carolyn to play her idol? I know he was trying to build an alliance with her, but she's his biggest challenge competition left out there.  He's much more likely to get to the end without her around, I think.  Of course, it's good for him that her idol is gone, but it'd be even better if she were gone probably.

[cooksdelight]

I find it interesting and funny that the tattoos getting the most talk are the ones on Sierra's forehead. Not the men's. Probst must be crying in his beer every night.

[phlebas]

Hey, Survivor!  You look great!  We've been worried about you recently.

Thanks, Entire World! I recently scraped off about 300 extra pounds of moron. Thanks for noticing!

Nice!

Yeah, everything is better when you don't have all that arrogance and misogyny to drag around.

We're proud of you.  Keep up the good work!

I'll try!  I have a long way to go before I'm healthy, though!

[marys1000]

I'm not sure why everyone assumes Rodney would be easy to beat at F3 seeing as several post boot interviewee's have mentioned that Rodney has

been playing a good game?  We haven't seen much of it but its been mentioned any number of times.   And the tribe doesn't seem to dislike him that much either.

 

Sierra flipped on the woman's alliance idea which would have been so great.  Were I a woman on the jury she wouldn't get my vote no matter who she was up against. 

 

I don't know if we can know who has been playing the best game but Mike certainly seems to have been playing consistently and constantly  hardest from the beginning.  He has just never let up. 

 

I hope Mike wins. 

[millennium]

My vote is for Carolyn.   She has shown plenty of game-awareness, has won challenges, and instantly neutralized the almighty "advantage."

 

Plus she doesn't wear 'merica and Jesus on her sleeves.

[tobysmom]

I'm betting the fruit's been there a while.  Jeff or someone from production probably hinted it was there, probably by pointing at it with a stick and telling them that it was fruit.

OMG - laughing so hard because it is probably the truth!!

 

"Fixin's" is such a stupid Jeff non-word I think reasonable people might have struggled with it.  I'd like to think I would have gotten "Reward with all the" though.

True - Jeff said it was a phrase he has said many times - I have never heard him say a Reward with all the fixin's.  After they showed the reward - he will say - BBQ with all the fixin's and what not.  And she didn't just say fixin's she said a phrase that didn't make sense either - something like wishing for fixin's for something like that.

 

GO Carolyn for using the idol.

 

I was cracking up with Rodney and that grappling hook - that was hysterical

[BusyOctober]

 

I bet Rodney gets into a lot of bar fights.

With all due respect, Turtle, I believe your "auto-correct" may have tweaked your post.  Did you mean to write "I bet Rodney gets beaten in a lot of bar fights." ? Or perhaps "I bet Rodney has to run away from a lot of bar fights." ?

 

I'm so glad Probst intervened as much as he did tonight because I think his butt-in-sky jabber made Carolyn flip the table on the 2 idiots I dislike most.  First Jeff talked her out of handing over her reward to Cry Baby, then he reminded her about being strategic with the timing of playing advantages & HII's.  That influenced Dan's play as well and sent him packing. 

 

Rodney's never ending whining and entitlement has me yelling at my TV.  In past seasons players have been known to share or give up rewards, but it's usually out of respect of the other persons game play.  For example, if someone was a close 2nd in a challenge.  Or actually TRIES to win and gets "thisclose" almost every challenge. Or is likeable and loved by the entire tribe.  Or for strategic purposes. But honestly, what value does Rodney have for a strategic social move at this point? I don't even think he's worth schmoozing for a jury vote.  He's going to be Mr. BitterCakes regardless of who is in the Final.  He's all talk and no action.  He thinks he's large & in charge, but he's done very little in this game besides mark himself as an idiot, a goat, a momma's boy, an entitled "millennial"...etc. 

 

And I'm calling it now...unless Sierra wins or  takes 2nd place, Probst won't even talk to her at the finale.  She's been a nonentity re. game play, she isn't frat-boy fantasy model pretty (I think she is very attractive minus the eyebrow thing) and she's a girl. 

[ProfCrash]

Jeff says that the reward has all the fixins whenever it is a bbq type thing and then he lists off what the fixins are.

[Wings]

I think that fruit was growing other places, a distance from their camp, and production placed them there to be found. 

Edited May 14, 2015 by wings707

[ShadowSixx]

At the IC Rodney wasn't even trying to win. He was going slow when he was able to throw the grappling hook and hook a bag, he was pulling it all slow and cheering other people to win. I bet during the IC challenge if Will or Dan had won he would feel entitled that one of them gave him the immunity necklace as a belated birthday gift since he suffered the most on the island.

 

Dan should have known something was up during that one TC when they couldn't vote Mike out and had to vote out one of the alliance members and his name was written down twice. That should have told him that he's at the bottom of the pecking order and they would have gotten rid of him as soon as Mike was eliminated. If Mike was on the jury before Tyler, Carolyn and Tyler probably would have teamed up to get rid of Dan. He just wasn't thinking, he thought he was just gonna coast to the final 3. If he had teamed up with Mike last night with his double vote, Mike, Carolyn, and Dan could have eliminated either Rodney, Will, or Sierra. You know for someone who's a fan of Survivor, he's obviously not paying attention to the show because people who know they're at the bottom of an alliance, they scramble and usually make an alliance with other people and talk strategy on eliminating another threat and make a case as to why they shouldn't be eliminated, call yourself a GOAT if you have to. 

 

You think Dan would have considered what Mike said since Mike is a man, if he was approached by Sierra or Carolyn he would have blown them off since they're women. 

[pennben]

To be fair to Dan, he was right to stick to his alliance.  Not one single person in that alliance voted for him.  Also, it would have been insanity for him to team up with Mike/Carolyn, they'd both beat him in a heartbeat.

[ghoulina]

LOVED this episode!

 

First - Rodney was once again denied a "reward" and a trip off the island. Neener neener neener. Hey, if he can act like a child, so I can I! Seriously, that dude is insufferable. Who compares being on Survivor to jail? No one forced you to go. You knew you'd be stuck on an island for over a month. Did you come to play and hopefully win? Or did you come for reward trips? Get over yourself. I've never even been out of my country. Look around you, there is clear blue ocean, gorgeous golden sands, armadillos and sloths frolicking around. Enjoy it! Sheesh....

 

So yea, I loved that he didn't win reward AGAIN. (Was that the longest reward challenge ever? Damn!) And I was glad Carolyn didn't cave and give it to him. Your mom's not on the island, Rodney, so quit trying to manipulate everyone with your petulant, hang-dog face. 

 

And I laughed my ass off when he ate those melons and acted like that was his go-go juice! Now he's back, ladies and gentlemen! Shit's about to get real! Wait....he could barely hook a bag with his grappler. Darn you, Magic Melons, you failed! Bwahahahaha

 

I love that Dan just continued to think he was some kind of somebody in his group. Hilarious! Obviously they wanted to get Carolyn out because she's more of a threat, but Dan, you were not calling the shots. Not even close. 

 

Mike had me nervous several times last night. First, the IC. Oh my gosh. I was screaming so loud my husband thought someone was breaking in. Not the first time he's told me that. Sorry, I can't contain myself. I could tolerate Carolyn winning, but Mike is really the only one left I WANT to win. So yea, I got a bit "vocal". 

 

Then Mike freaked me out when he was going around stirring the pot. I was hoping Dan would see himself as totally safe and get voted off with his "advantage" in his pocket. But in the end, it didn't matter. I forgot about Carolyn's idol, and I was so pleased when she played it! The look on Dan's face - priceless. No one had a clue that she had that thing. THAT'S how you play an idol. Loved it! 

 

I also loved watching Shirin's face during tribal. She loves the game, that much is clear. 

 

Best line of the night? Dan, during the IC, "I suck at life". Yes, yes you do. 

Edited May 14, 2015 by ghoulina

[ghoulina]

I also got confused because i was like you can't play the idol at final five, until I was like oh yah you totally can.. it would have been nice if Carolyn could have held out one more episode. but good for her, for trusting her gut (again -there has been a few times her name has come up, but she held tight, and i was honestly thinking she was going to do so, but did not).

 

I don't love Carolyn, but she has a pretty good head for this game. She held onto that idol a damn long time, which is pretty impressive. 

[Puffaroo]

Yes! *Yes*! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

[Primetimer]

Jeff Probst’s patience is tested in new ways when the Survivors prove to be way worse at a challenge than anyone could have ever anticipated.

Read the story

[Boilergal]

I can sort of understand Rodney's thoughts on the reward

 

1- mommy probably caters to his wants, all he has to do is ask and mommy gives it to him

2 - Rodney is focused on the food, he could give a crap about the other parts of the reward

3-  Carolyn has been on at least 6 rewards, so she's not starving

4-  Carolyn told him she would throw one his way - if you don't mean it don't say it, otherwise it's kind of cruel. (can't remember if he coerced her into the "promise" or if she made it on her own)

 

Rodney needs to STFU up about it...it was old last week, this week it's moldy.  If you want a reward then pull up your big boy pants and win it -

 

Much better than last year when every week someone gave their reward to Missy to ease whatever misery she had that week - she went on almost every one, it seemed, and NEVER earned one.

[bkathi]

If I had found the fruit - I would have had Rodney eat some, then waited to see if he got sick before partaking myself. At least he would have been good for something.

[Puffaroo]

Does Rodney even try during the challenges? He jumped the gun by picking up all the blocks in the reward challenge and dismissed Sierra'S suggestions. And in the immunity challenge, he couldn't get all his bags.

 

I'm convinced he was only cast for comic relief.

 

Thank you Carolyn!  I swear to Gawd that Dan's man boobs were jiggling.  Are you trying to kill us, Survivor editors?  Hasn't he lost any weight?

 

Frankly, none of them look like they've lost much weight.  Remember how painfully skinny some past survivors were?  These are being fed.

 

Say whaaaaa? Mike is an oil rig worker and has never been in a helicopter? Every book, tv show movie I have read or seen always has people flying out to the drill platform.

 

 

Helicopters are expensive and only hold a few people.  Gotta keep those profits in the billions, ya know.  ;)

[ozlsn]

Could be any of the following:

 

A)  Because Will is a man but Carolyn's a woman, and women are supposed to hold themselves to a higher standard by being kind and generous and by keeping promises that Rodney thinks they made.

 

B) Because Carolyn's a woman, and women aren't as important as men and therefore shouldn't take rewards that men like Rodney deserve simply by virtue of being men.

 

C) Because even Rodney knows Will is an idiot who can't be expected to understand normal human behavior well enough to even be susceptible to feelings of guilt or sympathy, so Rodney couldn't play those cards.

 

D) Because Rodney never expected Will to be part of a team that won anything, and so wasn't prepared to be angry with him about it.

 

E. (or F because I think someone else had E. up above): Carolyn's identified as a "mamma" and so should be giving up rewards because that's what mammas do, place their sons before themselves.  Even when said sons aren't actually, um, their sons.

 

Rodney actually reminds me of a boy I used to work with, who'd never encountered women who fell outside of his predetermined categories of "authority figure", "relative", "sexually attractive".  He had literally no idea how to deal with me, who was 15 years older than him and who he really obviously didn't find attractive (the feeling was entirely reciprocated).  Rodney seems to be dealing with it by putting Carolyn into the "relative" box to some extent.

 

Mind you there's also G. Rodney's entire focus is on food because he's huuunnngggrrryyy...

 

 

Thank all gods, everywhere! I think I disliked Dan the most and that mofo is GONE! Plus, now I don't have the nightmare scenario of a Dan, Rodney, & Will final three. I would have been so bummed by that. But, yay!, it is no longer an option. I'm fairly certain that Carolyn, Mike, or Sierra will win the million. Do I like them? No, but I don't hate them!

 

Yeah this season is pretty much down to the least worst option as to who to cheer for.

 

I guess in a land where nobody has any legs, a one-legged man might appear to be Superman but it doesn't actually make him one.   Mike would have been long gone if there had been even a few capable players but this cast was dumbed down like few others in Survivor history.  Even Joe, who was very good at challenges, was an utter moron when it came to game play.  "Hmm, Mike told them I found the idol, so maybe I ought to stop looking for it and let Mike find it instead."  Natalie from last season would have eaten Mike for lunch.

 

Just look at Mike's competition tonight in the Immunity Challenge: Rodney, Will, Dan, Carolyn and Sierra.    Only Carolyn was a possible contender.  Rodney can't even throw a grappling hook without screwing up.  Will is a lazy sack of lard.   Dan sucks at life and Sierra is a non-entity.   So Mike had a very strong chance of winning even before the challenge started. 

 

 

Sierra came pretty close to winning the Immunity challenge if the editing is to be believed.  She may have started off slow but she was the only one anywhere near Mike at the end.

 

I don't love Carolyn, but she has a pretty good head for this game. She held onto that idol a damn long time, which is pretty impressive. 

 

I still can't believe that in this group with so many "superfans" that no one she didn't tell apparently knew she had the idol.  Either she hid it really well or this bunch are too nice to search her bag.

 

I couldn't believe how happy I was when Mike won though, mostly because I knew how much it screwed up everyone else's (particularly Dan and Rodney's) plans.  And then watching Dan screw up the advantage and be taken out by Carolyn... awesome. 

[peachmangosteen]

That was a really fun episode. Dan and Rodney were cracking me up. And then Mike coming at Carolyn/Sierra like a crazy person and scaring Sierra. A lot of comedy gold last night.

 

These people are pretty bad at this game. Like honestly the only person who hasn't made a huge mistake is Sierra and that's probably only because she's playing such an UTR/quiet game. Will is probably the only other person who hasn't made a lot of little mistakes, which is sad really. Dan is just a buffoon. Rodney has made some good moves, but he's also an idiot. Mike and Carolyn have made some terrible social moves and are very lucky this season was full of unmitigated douchebags or they'd be screwed. I hope Sierra wins to be honest.

 

I'm thinking the finale could be pretty fun. I look forward to Rodney trying to convince people to vote for him to win or to him trying to ask the F3 a question. Either way that should be funny.

Edited May 14, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[Drogo]

Maybe Probst was right and this is the best season ever. Because his dripping-with-disdain "So, is that just like... entitlement?" to Rodney gave me a man-crush for the evening.

And Mike's "I feel for him, but umm, if he wins it's a guarantee he'll go on the reward" was just the cherry on top.

Khaleesi was loooooooving the Dan ouster. She jumped off the couch when he said he wanted to be remembered and oh-no-she-didn't yelled "Oh, you'll be remembered... for getting HOSED even with the best advantage you could get!"

And Rodney, when he was saying that now because of Carolyn he's going to give the challenges everything he's got, she loved that too. Khaleesi: "Ohhhhhhhh, so until now you've just been losing because you weren't trying? Got it."

We have decided we may want Rodney and Will in the F3 just for the scathing jury questions.

[peachmangosteen]

Maybe Probst was right and this is the best season ever. Because his dripping-with-disdain "So, is that just like... entitlement?" to Rodney gave me a man-crush for the evening.

 

We were thinking this exact thing at my house last night. Maybe Probst thinks this is the best season because he's actually likable this time. That's so Probst! He really was killing it in this ep.

Edited May 14, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[Runningwild]

Dan going out having his extra vote nullified is infinitely better than him going out with the vote in his pocket.

[Guest]

Sierra must've been that close to Mike in the immunity challenge because if she was behind him she wouldn't still be playing after he won.  This isn't like The Amazing Race where they're not in the same challenge at the same time.  

[LizBug]

If Rodney & Will are in the F3, what sort of questions could the jury ask about their gameplay?  

 

Rodney's "big moves" seemed to evaporate each time.  He couldn't protect Dan from being blindsided (not realizing that Carolyn ... a woman!! for gosh sakes ... could have an immunity idol).  He seemed to enjoy sitting in the big boy chair while others kept the fire going and found melons.  And BTW, Rodney is 25, not 30.

 

Will, except for his going-off on Shirin, is almost as much of a non-entity as Sierra.  He's just "there."  But, he has gone on two rewards.  And, he did share his goodies from the auction.

[humbleopinion]

The only way this episode could have been more entertaining is if Rodcrybaby had grappled his own calf and yanked himself down.

Wish Probst hadn't given any hints to the puzzle, it tainted the challenge.

[pennben]

 

Next week on Survivor...Rodney..."Why didn't you tell us you had an idol"   BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

Why didn't you tell us you had the idol.  We wouldn't have voted for youse if you had just told us.

 

I mock, but remain quite frightened that somehow Rodney pulls this off.

[AZChristian]

Wish Probst hadn't given any hints to the puzzle, it tainted the challenge.

 

Yep, but Jeffy was in a hurry to get to the crew dining room for bbq with all the fixin's.

[pennben]

 

Wish Probst hadn't given any hints to the puzzle, it tainted the challenge.

 

Taint or SHAIN'T?

[macaddict]

But who's going to Dansplain things now?

[Latverian Diplomat]

I still think this is the worst group in a finale ever, but the only redeeming factor is if Mike or Carolyn wins.  And they will still rank as among my least favorite ever.  Rodney, Sierra, and Will have the numbers, so that first vote will likely be predictable.  Considering everyone left thinks Mike is psycho and don't seem to like him, I'm surprised they'd want to get rid of him.  And really, what did he do that was so bad?  The reward auction, then calling Rodney out-that makes him psychotic?  Or are they just trying to find an excuse to get him out and don't want to admit he's the most likable left.

Among other things, Mike has done well in the individual challenges and that always plays well with juries, especially against people like Rodney and Will who are terrible at the challenges.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[fishcakes]

Watching these idiots try to figure out the reward challenge puzzle while Jeff did everything but walk over and solve it for them reminded me of the time a coworker tried to guess my middle name by asking me what each letter was in order.

 

I'm a little sad to see Dan go, if only because I wanted him to get to FTC and receive zero votes. On the other hand, it was pretty satisfying to watch him vote himself out. If he hadn't played his advantage, Carolyn wouldn't have played her idol. She didn't even realize Sierra was against her; there's no way she thought all the guys were against her. Even though Mike was right before about Rodney's F4 alliance and Carolyn knew he was right because she was part of that alliance, she still doesn't have the sense to listen to Mike when he tells her she's in danger. Instead, she says he's crazy and paranoid. All of the people remaining except for Mike are really into having an in-group/outcast mentality; they can't just say, "we're voting out [whoever] because he's not in our alliance." For them, it has to be, "that person has no honor, she's a soulless drama queen, he eats babies." First it was Shirin, now it's Mike. When Mike's not an option, it's Carolyn because she broke her non-existent promise to Rodney. And I have no sympathy for her because it's the way she played the game too. I've gone back and forth on whether I like Mike over the course of the season, but at this point, he's the only one I want to see win.

[ProfCrash]

The only way the finale is interesting if it is Carolyn and Mike vs Will but that is not going to happen. Carolyn or Mike will win if they get to the final. Given that no one else has shown the ability to win anything, Carolyn or Mike is going to win.

 

Mike and Carolyn have a great track record of winning challenges, both immunity and rewards. Mike and Carolyn have both played idols at strategic moments. Mike and Carolyn were both in the underdog position at some point in time in the game, Carolyn at the merge and Mike after the auction. It is scary how similar a game they played.

 

I am still struggling with the idea that Rodney is more of a goat then Dan. I just can't see that...

[ElleryAnne]

Wish Probst hadn't given any hints to the puzzle, it tainted the challenge.

 

 

Without hints, it's entirely possible they'd still be out there.  Survivor Mensa, this group ain't - or should I say, shain't?   I was hoping they'd still have a problem solving it even with the hints so Jeff would have to make the puzzle easier, the way he did when Mike was trying to throw the challenge to Kelly earlier this season.  Maybe take away one of the longer words, or give them credit for using all the letters to make any words at all, or just let them build a house of cards out of the blocks.

 

If I can't be impressed with the season, at least I can laugh at its absurdity.  

[ghoulina]

I'm convinced he was only cast for comic relief.

 

I think you must be right. 

 

Frankly, none of them look like they've lost much weight.  Remember how painfully skinny some past survivors were?  These are being fed.

 

I will never forget Heidi and Jenna's emaciated bodies in their bikinis, begging for peanut butter. I agree that these people don't look like they're starving all that much. I am willing to bet Rodney's inability to form a complete sentence is normal, and not due to malnutrition. 

 

We have decided we may want Rodney and Will in the F3 just for the scathing jury questions.

 

YES, PLEASE!

[Guest]

The only way this episode could have been more entertaining is if Rodcrybaby had grappled his own calf and yanked himself down.

Wish Probst hadn't given any hints to the puzzle, it tainted the challenge.

If Jeff hadn't given them hints, they'd still be out there.

 

I was across the room doing something and forgot to rewind but at some point in the grappling challenge I thought I saw a shot of Mike(?) on the second part and in the background the people still tossing hooks could be seen, and someone tossed a hook almost straight up, so it looked a bit like it was going to come down on their head and clobber them.  Who was that?  One of the girls?  

[ghoulina]

Without hints, it's entirely possible they'd still be out there.  Survivor Mensa, this group ain't

 

Maybe they needed J'tia from the Brains tribe of Cagayan?

[Way Wes Jr]

Nothing particularly new to add, but I just watched the episode, and want to make some comments before I write up my last rankings post of the season.

 

Is it wrong that I wished Dan's beard would catch on fire?

 

I was actively (vocally!) rooting for it to happen also.  So, not in my book.

 

Sierra mentioned "Fixin" and Dan the misogynist said "No". What an idiot! 

 

Okay, the "N" piece included an apostrophe, for crying out loud!  "A", "reward", and "the," are all taken.  The 'long' word is one that should include 'ing,' morons.  (I also yell at people who buy vowels on Wheel of Fortune, btw.)

 

  I wonder if Dan's extra vote swayed Carolyn's idol play.  

 

We won't know until she exit interviews, but the editing did a good job of convincing me that Dan playing his advantage put her over the top.

 

That was satisfying.

 

It would be super awesome if Carolyn/Mike/Sierra decided to say "EFF THE GOATS". No, no, I can't get myself that excited.

 

That would be the fan-fiction perfect ending, wouldn't it?

[Cricketoo]

Did anyone notice Rodney breaking the 4th wall?  He was sitting by the fire, staring off into space, then his eyes shifted and he looked straight into the camera.  It was very brief, but for some reason, it gave me the shivers.  

[Skeeter22]

What was really funny about Carolyn thinking Mike was "psycho" for suggesting she was their target is that Mike's "psycho" rep comes from him thinking he'd been flipped on. Carolyn knows for a fact that Mike wasn't being paranoid then. It's like they created the narrative that Mike is a crazy flipper and then convinced themselves it was true.

[ProfCrash]

Mike was pretty paranoid before the conversation to vote Mike out. Remember his whole speech about finding the idol and why he had to have the idol?

 

I think Mike was pretty well aware he was never at the top of his alliance. He was too much of a threat to win it all. He broke up Joaquin and Rodney because he feared what Rodney would do with Joaquin. He was running around talking to people 24/7. He ahd folks following Joe 24/7 to make sure Joe didn't find the idol or strategize. I think he was more active then we saw and it rubbed people the wrong way. That is why he was in place to overhear the conversation that he did.

 

So I get the paranoid thing. Sierra played it perfectly. She knew that they were voting for Carolyn and was able to cold sell Carolyn that they were voting for Dan and that Mike was being paranoid. Carolyn was pretty comfortable going into tribal. I said it in my first vote, I don't think Carolyn plays the idol if Dan had not played his advantage.

[ljenkins782]

Loved this episode! Dan just has zero redeeming qualities. It's not even that much fun to wait for him to fall because he's too stupid and inexplicably self-confident to realize how foolish he looks. And that fucking voice and dramatic emphasis just bugs the hell out of me. 

 

I haven't been thrilled with Carolyn, but as with Mike, I enjoy her more when she's on the outs. I enjoyed her completely unfazed reaction to Rodney screaming in her face in the preview. 

 

On a purely shallow note, if she does win the million, I hope she takes a few bucks and does something about that fried hair. Not a good look. 

 

Loved the reward challenge idiocy, from Dan authoritatively shooting down Sierra's entirely correct guess to Sierra completely ignoring Jeff's attempts to give them the answer to Jeff 100% talking Carolyn out of giving her reward to Rodney. Ha! He so had his hopes up too and if not for that "he'll fill his belly and re-energize himself" comment, she would have given him her spot. 

 

Tribal was the best part though, so happy that Dan not only didn't get any food at the auction in order to buy that advantage but that it got his fat ass bounced. His grandstanding when casting his extra vote only to get a big boomerang mark on his forehead, I actually cheered out loud. 

 

Now that Dan, one of the bigger goats, is gone, I wonder what the final 3 plans are for the others. Like, who does Will think he can beat? Rodney? 

 

Personally, I'd like to see Rodney get to final 3 because he's so hapless and it's so entertaining to watch him fail. Plus, he's  such a reactive hothead that FTC will be fun. 

 

I could easily lose Sierra because I don't think shell be any more interesting at FTC than she's been all season. I'm not that interested in seeing Carolyn get there either but she has played a good game.

 

At this point, I'm almost hoping Will gets to the end just so I can figure out if he actually has a pulse. And I'm curious to see how HE thinks he played. 

 

ETA: Ugh, Dan actually repeated his "go out swinging..." quote from his TH at tribal, further proof that he practiced his "lines" ahead of time. But being Dan, he screwed it up and said "I'd rather GROW down swinging..." Way to biff the dramatic line on your big move...

Edited May 14, 2015 by ljenkins782