S31: Abi-Maria Gomes

[cooksdelight]

LOL, I hear ya loud and clear! :D

I can't say how I'd play because I really don't have the desire to be in this situation. I think the person that I am, that my friends know, would not know the "me" that appeared on this show because I'd be doing things I don't normally do. One thing we forget, when watching, is the dozens of camera people, mics, crew, etc., all watching our every move. That alone would make me be crazy.

[ProfCrash]

I hear you. I would never apply because I fear I would get the Dan edit. I think I am awesome but I have all sorts of smaller crap moments that add up to life revealing information that is hard to swallow.

[NutMeg]

But, don't you WANT people scrambling and acting nuts to take the target off your own back? I would. I'd have done exactly the same thing.

Oh I'd love people acting nuts around me, but I would never want to be the one acting nut, because that never works long term. And the target being off  your back because you're the ideal goat? Unless she turns around and becomes delightful to all jury members (ha, not holding my breath, don't think she has it in her), I would not envy anyone willing to be so distasteful that they are the perfect goat. If it's calculated, it's even worse, because she could have calculated some other outcome. But sadly I don't believe it's calculated.

 

 Found Philip to be one of the more annoying players out there.

 

Agree for his first season, but in the second one, despite still displaying his quirks, he was playing the game, and I developed a new fondness for him. Same goes for Coach (yes, I know...) his last time around, he for once was playing the game more than playing as a character. Too little too late I guess.

 

Back to Topic, with Abi Maria, the only change I see is for the worse, because she pretended to be nice for a longer time her first time around. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt before the season started, but she's even more awful, self centered, immature and destructive that I remembered. Usually the disappointment comes from people who had mildly positive edits, in this case bad edit is getting even worse.

 

I know I should see her like a wrench in other people's gameplay, but frankly I'd trade any bad twists that even happened and that I didn't like if that meants getting rid of her. She's not even nice to look at (I'm not talking about her features, which were quite nice in her interview with Parvati, but about her constant bitchface, alternating with malignant glee at telling people she's screwing them over - now, if I'm being magnanimous, maybe she only had that bitchface sporadically, but the fact that that's all editing shows us means they are not liking her - when frankly, I thought they would).

 

Sorrry cooksdelight, I know you are friends with her in real life, but as a tranfuge from TWOP, I'm still "without pity" regarding anyone who chooses to broadcast themselves to us in this way. 

[Jextella]

I'm eating crow right about now.  Abi is a budding (and from this article, successful) entrepreneur.

 

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/from-survivor-to-entrepreneur-abi-maria-gomes-is-making-a-splash-in-the-beverage-industry-344642.htm

[CletusMusashi]

This season has made me rethink how I will vote next time. If there is a next time. And if I vote.

Because as much as I dislike her, I did vote for her. Not at first. In fact, not even "voluntarily." But with the requirement that we choose ten men and ten women, out of a largely mediocre and forgettable list, I did eventually vote for a few guilty pleasures (Abi and Shane,) just to fill the ranks up. So, ultimately, I am as much to blame for her being on my TV screen as her biggest fans are. 

Now, if only I could get some pleasure to go with that guilt...

[cooksdelight]

Her Acai Cocktail is delicious stuff. I got a few bottles and it was gone in no time.

She Tweeted (or posted on FB, they sort of go hand-in-hand) that she misunderstood what happened on the beach, and that Kelley came and talked to her about it the next morning. I wish this show would spend more time on some of the background stuff we never see, but hear about later and then wonder WTF?

She also passed her license to become a Realtor and works for Keller-Williams in Brentwood.

[BigRedCheese]

 

 

This season has made me rethink how I will vote next time. If there is a next time. And if I vote.

Because as much as I dislike her, I did vote for her.

 

I voted for her too, I couldn't stand her in her original season, but she was charming and sweet in all the post show interviews I heard. She owned up to her bad behavior, said most of it was due to a torn acl, and she regretted a lot of her behavior. It seems once she's out there, she either turns on a character or she's freaked out being out there or something, either way, I regret all my votes for her, and I apologize to any players that might accidentally read this for my part in helping bring her back.

[LanceM]

I voted for her many times precisely for the way she played in her first season. Glad to see she hasn't changed.

[BigRedCheese]

 

I voted for her many times precisely for the way she played in her first season.

 

LOL, I can see that, that's why I threw Kass and Keith some votes.

[wonald]

I voted for her too. She may be BSC but still better than the other snoozy female options. We need our villains yo!

[LanceM]

Can you imagine if Shane got cast and was put on the same tribe as Abi.  Fun times!

[Wings]

Winston!  Rum is carb and gluten free!  I take it for medicinal reasons and it works.  I become chatty, relaxed, call old friends and fall asleep on the couch.  How good is that!?

[rose711]

But, don't you WANT people scrambling and acting nuts to take the target off your own back? I would. I'd have done exactly the same thing. Sometimes, being slightly crazy in this game is an advantage. :)

No, the target was off her back already. She gave the targets enough time to scramble by announcing their plan and eliminated any chance of a blindside. In theory, she could easily have put the target back on herself. I think Peih Gee would have had no problem voting for her and maybe Kelley as well, if Spencer and Shirin had been able to flip the plan.

It's Shirin s own fault for insisting that Vytas go first instead of Abi. But Abi will screw up whatever alliance she is in.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

When you think about people who get voted off early... remember their names or anything they said or did? I can't. :)

I will NEVER forget Wanda from Palau - the one who was singing in the boat and got voted off before they even formed teams?  I would have voted for her to play again in a heartbeat.

[BigRedCheese]

I will never forget Wanda (well, the situation, I didn't remember her name) because I was so happy that she was immediately eliminated so we didn't have to listen to her caterwalling all season.

[Tryangle]

The woman remains bulletproof. Perhaps you could say that this was Tasha repeating what Terry did last episode, befriend her and get some good dirt on the tribal dynamics at the same time, but she's survived to see another day.

[LadyChatts]

I don't hate Abi.  I did throw votes her way, and she is way more entertaining than some of the ladies hiding in the background, who talked a big game.  Even without being on a losing tribe, I still think Abi would be getting herself airtime.  This is how you do it.  She is a flip flopper, but she's the kind of flip flopper you take to the end with you because she won't stand a chance in hell at winning.  Between her and PG, I would have rather seen her go.  But I also think PG dug her own grave on this as well.  

[KimberStormer]

She's starting to remind me of Baylor, somehow always escaping the guillotine.  These people are crazy to keep her, but I'm still lovin' it.

[LadyChatts]

Abi is probably the most unpredictable of them all out there.  If she's kept around and screws up the game of certain people, they deserve it if they didn't vote for her to go in the first place.  You would think second chancers and super fans would know the risk of keeping someone they think will be easy to get rid of down the road.  Barely survived week one, but watch Abi outlast the very people who voted both with and against her in that vote.

Edited October 8, 2015 by LadyChatts

[kikaha]

Somehow, I find myself Team Abi this season.  Didn't like her at all in Philippines, and didn't at first here either.  But she won my sympathy, despite her craziness and paranoia, and now I'm pulling for her to go far. 

 

It's kinda fun to watch her turn the tables on so many players, who are so sure she's getting clipped next, when in reality they go home instead. 

[ProfCrash]

I am pulling for her to go. I have been since the first week. She cannot win the game and she is not playing to win the game. She is playing to advance, which is fine, but she is burning all bridges nad cannot win.

 

I don't like people who are not playing to win.

 

She is clueless, judgemental (Hi pot, how ya doing? I am kettle) and generally an emotional train wreck. I find no joy watching her play.

 

She should have been first to go. Shirin paid massively for that decision. Peih Gee wanted Abi out first but had to go with numbers and got screwed by Shirin's decision.

[Lamb18]

I think Angkor will vote out Abi the next time they lose (like next week probably). You can only use a person like that for so long before she stops being a tool you can manipulate and instead starts becoming the angry monster you have to feed and keep happy in order to keep her from attacking you.  I don't think Angkor will have the emotional energy to deal with that kind of dynamic.

[blackwing]

I fear she's going to be around for a while. Andrew decided to keep her because she's "stronger than Varner". Really? I don't think her supposed strength is going to matter if she is causing all sorts of dissension. Now that Peih-Gee is gone, she is going to target Woo the next time they lose. Because he dared to write her name down twice. But Andrew shouldn't want to vote out Woo, because he's strong. Tasha is stronger than Abi. So logically, the vote would be either her or Varner. Hopefully they will get rid of her. I don't find her enjoyable to watch at all.

I would normally enjoy watching someone sabotaging a rival and poisoning others against them. But with Abi, not so much. Because her gameplay is based on paranoia and insecurity and emotional instability. It's just not fun to watch at all.

[ProfCrash]

Andrew kept her because she is a target. Jeff and Woo are not going to be rushing to work with Abi. They know she is not reliable and that she is going to continue to be a massive pain in the ass. They will probably vote for Abi.

 

Andrew and Tasha have a choice the next time they go to tribal: Vote with Abi and take out Jeff or Woo or Vote with Jeff and Woo and take out Abi. Either way, they use Abi to keep them in the game and even the tribe numbers.

[NutMeg]

I would normally enjoy watching someone sabotaging a rival and poisoning others against them. But with Abi, not so much.

 

 

I'm with you there. Mostly because she is not PLAYING, she is just there to ruin others people game, it seems to me. If at least she was havinbg fun out there, I could (maybe) get behind her, but she seems so miserable, until she makes someone more miserable or votes them out, then she has that very unseemly glimmer in her eye. She is truly awful. 

[Special K]

Abi has the emotional maturity of a toddler. She is self centered, throws tantrums, and has to be the center of attention. She is a nightmare who can be manipulated but you have to stroke her just right.

 

And she can't help herself sticking it to people to their faces -- like Shirin last week and Woo this week.  Not an appealing quality at all.  Doesn't pride cometh before the fall?  She must know she can't win this thing.  She said to her old alliance, 'I was on the bottom with you; I'm not on the bottom with them [Tasha and Savage]."  She really does not see that she is being used by everyone.  And yet she survives, so maybe it doesn't matter...  If we liked her (if she had even an iota of charm or charisma), we'd be calling her "scrappy."

Edited October 8, 2015 by Special K

[Zuleikha]

She should have been first to go. Shirin paid massively for that decision. Peih Gee wanted Abi out first but had to go with numbers and got screwed by Shirin's decision.

I don't think Shirin was wrong to target Vytas first. I think Shirin and Varner were both wrong not to target Abi next. Using Abi to get some wiggle with numbers in the Shelter alliance was a good idea, but then it was short sighted of everyone not to unite around getting out Abi and the element of chaos she introduces. 

 

I do think it was smart of Abi to flip to Tasha/Savage, though. She was right that she was on the bottom of the Shelter alliance, so it makes sense for her to try and create other relationships. Of course, what she isn't self-aware enough to realize is that she will always be on the bottom of any alliance she's in because of her own actions. OTOH, if she can flip her way close enough to end game, people will want her as a goat and that gets her both more money and more screentime.

[ProfCrash]

She is at the bottom of every alliance that she is on because no one trusts her. She is not third in that alliance, she is, at best, sixth. She might be ahead of Stephen, Kass, Monica, Ciera and Kimmi if Tasha and Savage put her at the bottom of the Alpha alliance. More likely she is eleventh behind everyone from original Bayon.

 

There is survive three more days and there is what Abi is doing. Kass at least stayed loyal to the Brawn tribe alliance after she flipped. Abi is on her third alliance. I suspect next week we will see a fourth alliance or Abi voted out.

[cooksdelight]

Whatever she's doing, anyone who crosses her in any way gets voted out. I don't know the strategy behind why she does the things she does, but it always keeps her head above water. I think she sees Survivor as every man/woman for themselves, not a team game. Use the people you have to use in order to advance yourself further. She's not there to make lifelong friends. At the end of the day, it's a game and I think a lot of people understand that when it's over. 

[Zuleikha]

She is not third in that alliance, she is, at best, sixth. She might be ahead of Stephen, Kass, Monica, Ciera and Kimmi if Tasha and Savage put her at the bottom of the Alpha alliance. More likely she is eleventh behind everyone from original Bayon.

Here's why I don't think it was a bad play for Abi to flip. If Angkor keeps losing, she's in a great spot right now with Varner and Woo logical targets ahead of her. Depending on when merge happens, there's a chance that Abi could get voted out by Savage/Tasha, but it's unlikely that production will let things get to that point. They're likely to pull one of those two tribes have to vote out a member double immunity loss votes instead.

 

If Angkor pulls out some wins, Ta Keo members are likely to go from the other tribe. So whether Angkor loses or Angkor wins, the merged tribe is likely to have a strong Bayon majority. Abi may be hoping that allying with Savage/Tasha will at least buy her the time of being the last original Ta Keo voted off, and that gives her a lot of time to find and exploit the cracks in a large majority alliance. She was likely to make merge either way she went, but now she's one person more likely and has an opening into the Bayon numbers. 

[Jobiska]

Someone linked the Parade article on Peih Gee's exit in the episode thread (here it is again):  http://parade.com/428649/joshwigler/its-game-over-for-peih-gee-law-on-survivor-second-chance/

 

On page 3, Peih Gee says, 
 

That night [Abi] sat on the beach, I went to talk to her and I sat with her for a while,” she tells me. “At the very end, I was like, ‘Okay, well I’m going to try and get some rest, we have a challenge tomorrow, and I don’t want anyone to go home.’ And she goes, ‘Oh, you don’t want me to go home?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And she says, ‘Oh, you did want me to go home then?'

 

This.  This is why I, an extremely spoiler-averse watcher normally, am tempted to look up spoilers for the first time, so I know whether I'll eventually get relief from seeing her horrifyingly irrational interpersonal skills.  

I have someone in my life whom I love dearly, but who can occasionally be irrationally hurt and passive-aggressive and jump around taking offense at innocent phrases and then when you try to answer them rationally, take them all wrong, so you feel besieged like there's a swarm of hornets around your head and you are trying to swat but it's no use.  

I do not, however, love Abi dearly, in fact not at all, so I do not wish to waste my own reactions on her casual unkindness and emotional lability.  

[ratgirlagogo]

 

If we liked her (if she had even an iota of charm or charisma), we'd be calling her "scrappy."

Hmm, I don't think we'd even have to like her to call her Scrappy. 

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=scrappy+doo&espv=2&biw=1440&bih=775&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMInKylhuSzyAIVBBY-Ch0yhw8Y

[Nashville]

Andrew kept her because she is a target. Jeff and Woo are not going to be rushing to work with Abi. They know she is not reliable and that she is going to continue to be a massive pain in the ass. They will probably vote for Abi.

 

Andrew and Tasha have a choice the next time they go to tribal: Vote with Abi and take out Jeff or Woo or Vote with Jeff and Woo and take out Abi. Either way, they use Abi to keep them in the game and even the tribe numbers.

There's actually a third option: get Abi and Woo going at each other, and take out Jeff in the confusion. I like this option simply because it would be the most fun to watch. :>

[AuntieDiane6]

 

 

I'm eating crow right about now.  Abi is a budding (and from this article, successful) entrepreneur.

http://www.sbwire.co...stry-344642.htm

 

She is the contact for that article, so it's basically a press release.  And it's very poorly written:  "low in calories" is an opinion; 50 calories per 6 oz. is a FACT. 

 

And if she is so successful, why get a realtor's license?  And why leave your business with no contact for 6 weeks?

[cooksdelight]

She has a partner in the Acai business who can handle things when she's not there. She likes being a realtor, she really enjoys meeting people and showing homes. She's got the hours during the day she can do this since the Acai business doesn't take up a 40-hour week to run every single week. She does have busy peak periods with it, however.

[Guest]

Whatever she's doing, anyone who crosses her in any way gets voted out. I don't know the strategy behind why she does the things she does, but it always keeps her head above water. I think she sees Survivor as every man/woman for themselves, not a team game. Use the people you have to use in order to advance yourself further. She's not there to make lifelong friends. At the end of the day, it's a game and I think a lot of people understand that when it's over. 

 

But if no one understands what game she's playing...?  No one here seems to.  Would a jury?  I thought it was the "see my face on tv" game.  Others think it's some delusional toddler version of Survivor.  I still don't understand why she chose to lie to the press about a breakup as part of her game.  

 

The Survivor I watch has a social element.  No one has ever won playing "every man for himself".  Yes, you lie and use people but you don't tell them that as you're doing it and then smile at them like some deranged cheshire cat.  

[ProfCrash]

I am listening to Rob Has a Podcast right now. Denise is discussing Abi and it is not pretty.

 

People who played with Abi in the Philippines declined the opportunity to play this season because they did not want to play with Abi. Apparently it was more then just RC. They brought up quotes from the Philippines discussing how bad Abi was that season. And Denise sees that this season is Abi back to being Abi.

 

Denise also points out the fact that Abi tends to target the women first.

 

I hope that this is the last season we see Abi. I guess some folks just like irrational, chaotic, bullying play. I don't find it enjoyable. Abi and Russell can go away and never appear on my TV set again and I would be thrilled. I don't need them replaced with another similar person.

[peachmangosteen]

People who played with Abi in the Philippines declined the opportunity to play this season because they did not want to play with Abi. Apparently it was more then just RC.

 

Well damn!

[Special K]

Someone linked the Parade article on Peih Gee's exit in the episode thread (here it is again):  http://parade.com/428649/joshwigler/its-game-over-for-peih-gee-law-on-survivor-second-chance/

 

 

I laughed out loud at this from that interview:  "Tasha was braiding her [Abi's] hair and using her church voice on her, and Abi-Maria was loving it."

 

This says it all about both Tasha and Abi, IMO.

[pennben]

People who played with Abi in the Philippines declined the opportunity to play this season because they did not want to play with Abi. Apparently it was more then just RC.

 

Regardless of what I think about Abi, I'd put anyone who declined a second chance for other than legitimate reasons (and I don't consider this to be such) at the very end of the line for consideration in future returnee seasons.

Edited October 10, 2015 by pennben

[ProfCrash]

Oh, I don't know. I think it tells you how awful Abi is to be with in the game. Denise had a whole slew of quotes that came down to "I would rather leave the game then be with this insane woman for any more time." Skupin has been sending her the various quotes.

 

Denise is a trianed therapist who deals with all sorts of issues and she couldn't stand being around Abi. She is probably the person best equipped to deal with the insanity that is Abi's game play and she exploded on her.

 

So yeah, all this tells me is that Abi is awful to be around when playing Survivor. Really, really awful and that what we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg.

 

She is vindictive, paranoid, petty, and irrational. She needs constant stroking and to feel like she is super special and loved and protected. I can see why people would not want to play with her.

 

Don't forget delusional. Really, really delusional.

[Guest]

She needs constant stroking and to feel like she is super special and loved and protected. 

 

I can also see her befriending Survivor fans she meets online or at Survivor events for that reason.  Nice fans like Cooksdelight are probably a joy to her.   They love her, she loves their love and feels like a tv star, she keeps them close.  Cynical but that's me.  

[pamplemousse]

I remember Malcolm saying in a post-season interview, when asked his personal claim to fame: "Once I spent over a month with Abi-Maria Gomes, and I'm still considered legally sane by the state of California."

[ProfCrash]

I am sure that Abi is fine in the right environment. I seriously doubt she is good with any type of criticism.

[cooksdelight]

I can also see her befriending Survivor fans she meets online or at Survivor events for that reason.  Nice fans like Cooksdelight are probably a joy to her.   They love her, she loves their love and feels like a tv star, she keeps them close.  Cynical but that's me.

I didn't meet Abi at any type of "fan" event, and I am her friend first and foremost. She donated to me the clothes she wore during her previous season -- the green flowery off-the-shoulder dress, her boots -- to auction for the American Cancer Society. Skupin gave me a whole bunch of stuff... signed t-shirts, autographed book he co-authored, DVDs he signed of his ministry. Both very nice, generous people. She and I became friends as a result, I took her out for lunch for her birthday... it pains me to see people calling her crazy, and Denise's remarks are really wrong... but, to each his own.

[Guest]

But you contacted her as a fan of the show, right?  

 

I don't like insulting your friend but it's hard to believe she doesn't expect people her to call her crazy with all the crazy act she puts on.  I believe you she has a generous, sweet side but it's hard to tell if the other side is an act or reality.  And if it's an act, that's almost harder to excuse than it being a reality.  

[cooksdelight]

I contacted the person who handles PR, she and Skupin were the two who responded.

You've got to understand that people on reality shows are never anything like that in real life. I know several other people who have been on various shows, and I was astounded at how they came across. The editors and producers pull out the best/worst footage for ratings. Does she act up on the show to get attention? Of course she does. They all do, some do it better than others.

[ProfCrash]

See, she has control over how she is portrayed. She could not act like a but job on TV. She could have done the work needed to not play the game the way she does but she didn't. She knew how she was portrayed in her first season. She knew what her fellow cast mates said about her. She saw how her behavior was edited. She had all of that info in hand and a few years in order to process what she heard and was told.

 

And she is playing the exact same way she did then. No change. It started before she even hit the beach. Her pre-game interviews had her labeling people as RC and other players she didn't like. All the players were asked the impressions of each other and some where negative and some were positive. But Abi was described by pretty much every interviewer as already being in her Philippines persona.

 

I am thrilled that she is a good person off the show. But she was crazy to have returned to the show without looking at how she played in the past and what caused her to play that way so she could fix it. There are other Survivor's who I can say the same thing about, Shirin, Vytas, and Tasha come to mind. And I think that was a poor choice on their part but Abi's behavior was awful it's first season and is just as bad this season.

 

Denise's remarks reflect Denise's experiences. Same for Malcolm. Perhaps if Abi had listened to what people were saying then there would be less of a rinse and repeat right now. I have no idea if she reached out to her past cast mates and asked them what they thought of her game and why they reacted to her the way that they did. If she did, I don't know that she heard what they said very well. we know Shirin heard from her cast mates last season and she couldn't adjust her play. You could argue that Shirin had less time to make the needed changes but she stepped on the beach, found her Max and went into strategy 24/7 mode. She paid the price for that. Abi hit the beach and went into paranoid, irrational, emotional not filter mode.

 

I know myself well enough to never play a game like this. It would be ugly. Abi had a couple of choices. She could have chosen not to return, knowing that her last edit hurt her and that she probably could not change her game. She could have changed her game. She could go on and know she was going to get hammered for playing the same game. I have to assume that she was ok with the later because she sure as heck did not take the second route. Or if she thought she did and she is surprised by what she is seeing then she needs to do some real serious self examination.

 

And maybe call Denise and ask her why she responded to Abi the way she did the first time. Hearing the negative is hard but it can lead to many positives if you see it as an opportunity to grow.

 

People are complicated. Abi has many sides to her. I wish she had shown us the side that you know on the show. Instead she reverted to her original portrayal.

[cooksdelight]

LOL, if she'd shown the side I know, she'd be so boring and in the background you'd not know she's there. Monica, anyone?

For the record, I also reached out to other shows and got signed items from Top Chef, Food Network Star, Chopped, and a couple of other lesser known shows. Raised more than $25,000 for ACS.

[Guest]

I contacted the person who handles PR, she and Skupin were the two who responded.

You've got to understand that people on reality shows are never anything like that in real life. I know several other people who have been on various shows, and I was astounded at how they came across. The editors and producers pull out the best/worst footage for ratings. Does she act up on the show to get attention? Of course she does. They all do, some do it better than others.

 

I do understand how reality tv and editing work.  And I don't mind people playing the villain for attention.  But when your attention act extends to the level of virtually gaslighting other women on your tribe and making up lies to tell the press, I think you've gone past any level I can respect.  Whether you donated some clothes to charity or not.  

Edited October 9, 2015 by Guest