S31: Abi-Maria Gomes

[Zuleikha]

People tend to delete death threats, too. It's not like they just leave them public. I also thought they were happening on Instagram and not Twitter, but I am old and have a tough time following these things.

 

I don't think Dale should call Joe's followers "hoes" (although it rhymes nicely, so I don't think it's a horrible fan name for fans to choose for themselves... better then Cumberbitches and Hookers, IMHO), but I do agree that Joe should put out a statement asking people to play nice. He's not responsible for his fans' behavior, but when things are getting out of hand, it's easy enough for him to make it clear that he doesn't support it.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Zuleikha

[LadyChatts]

People tend to delete death threats, too. It's not like they just leave them public. I also thought they were happening on Instagram and not Twitter, but I am old and have a tough time following these things.

 

I don't think Dale should call Joe's followers "hoes" (although it rhymes nicely, so I don't think it's a horrible fan name for fans to choose for themselves... better then Cumberbitches and Hookers, IMHO), but I do agree that Joe should put out a statement asking people to play nice. He's not responsible for his fans' behavior, but when things are getting out of hand, it's easy enough for him to make it clear that he doesn't support it.

 

That is the one thing I'm disappointed about, is that he didn't post anywhere (I don't think) to his fans to back off.  Of course maybe he thoughts recognizing the crazies would only add fuel to the fire.  I did see him like a post written by one of his fans asking everyone to be respectful towards Kelley and Abi and remember it is just a game.  However, like I said, I don't know if Dale was doing Kelley any favors by calling Joe's fans that.  Of course reading some of these Survivors tweets and comments on SM, I think they can be just as bad as the fans sometimes when one of 'theirs' is being targeted.  Thinking of Eliza and her NYC clique on that one.  

 

I noticed in Joe's Ponderosa vid that Kass and Ciera said they were happy it was Joe and not Abi (Stephen more or less made that obvious, too).  Assuming we see Abi arrive at Ponderosa and she isn't one of the final 3, whose Ponderosa vids never get shown (not sure why that is), I'm thinking she's going to have a chilly reception.  I'm kind of surprised Kass and Ciera would say that.  I know they probably had to work with her by default, but it wasn't like she was responsible for voting either of them off.

Edited December 9, 2015 by LadyChatts

[KimberStormer]

I mean, I guess it depends what you call a "threat".  I don't know if she necessarily got people saying "I am going to come to your home in Los Angeles, California, and shoot you in your sleep" but I'm sure she got people saying stuff like "@theabimaria needs to die in a fire".  I've certainly seen a fan say "I've never wanted to punch someone as hard in the face as I do Abi" (in a collection of nasty, but otherwise non-threatening, tweets someone posted on tumblr along with her amazing "Sorry teenage girls" rejoinder.)

 

Dale continues to be completely unappealing to me.  (Also, you know, "Kelley Wentworth saying people called her mean" is a weird thing to say when we don't need to take her word for it or anything, as it's happened plenty on this very board?)

Edited December 9, 2015 by KimberStormer

[Oscirus]

I noticed in Joe's Ponderosa vid that Kass and Ciera said they were happy it was Joe and not Abi

 

I have a feeling that was for an entirely different reason then her attitude.

 

She probably should have retweeted the death threat so it could get screencapped and the jackass who posted such a thing could get in trouble.

 

 

[ProfCrash]

I mean, I guess it depends what you call a "threat".  I don't know if she necessarily got people saying "I am going to come to your home in Los Angeles, California, and shoot you in your sleep" but I'm sure she got people saying stuff like "@theabimaria needs to die in a fire".  I've certainly seen a fan say "I've never wanted to punch someone as hard in the face as I do Abi" (in a collection of nasty, but otherwise non-threatening, tweets someone posted on tumblr along with her amazing "Sorry teenage girls" rejoinder.)

See, but those are threats. They might be meaningless threats but they are threats. In a day and age where we are on guard against teens bullying each other on social media, it makes no sense to say that he wants to punch Abi in the face is ok because it is simply someone trolling.

 

I don't expect anyone to attack Abi. We have not seen that happen. Until the day that we do and then we are going to be up in arms that such behavior was allowed and not criticized.

 

I don't like Abi on the show. I won't watch her if she plays again. I think there are plenty of ways of saying that without threatening physical harm and people need to chill out.

[Guest]

If you watch Abi's pre-game interviews, she makes it clear in each that she is going to gleefully play the villain, and do it to the hilt.  She's done it before so I don't know now why she's acting like she had no idea she'd be villified on social media for it.  I mean, go ahead and play the Brazilian firecracker but when people take offense at your purposeful offensiveness (like calling all Joe fans lovesick teens), why act all innocent and wronged?  At least own it.  

 

She's not above using hyperbole herself to shock people.  

"I am your friend but if you fuck with me you're dead. Seriously you are done! Just letting you know."

[fishcakes]

I don't think I've seen any death threats, but I can believe it.  Dawn got them, Will and Dan got them last season (maybe Rodney, too?)

 

I know they claimed they got them (at least Dawn and Will's wife did; I didn't hear about Dan and Rodney), but no one ever saw even one. Dawn's claim rang particularly false to me because she said she was shutting down all her social media to protect her children from the death threats, but then she opened everything back up less than two weeks later, so she obviously wasn't that concerned.

 

 

People tend to delete death threats, too. It's not like they just leave them public.

 

You really can't delete anything once you post it on twitter. I mean, you can, but there are apps (topsy is the main one, but there are others) that archive them in real time, so even if you tweet something and then immediately delete it, it can still be viewed. Also, people manually screencap this stuff all the time because they know the OP will probably delete it at some point.

 

 

(Also, you know, "Kelley Wentworth saying people called her mean" is a weird thing to say when we don't need to take her word for it or anything, as it's happened plenty on this very board?)

 

I didn't mean that it was a doubtful statement; I know people have been mean to her online. I just meant that even Kelley isn't claiming she got death threats -- the most I've seen her say is that people have called her mean and that there are haters out there. It seems to be Abi and Dale that are making the claims and now fans are picking it up and repeating it.

 

See, but those are threats. They might be meaningless threats but they are threats. In a day and age where we are on guard against teens bullying each other on social media, it makes no sense to say that he wants to punch Abi in the face is ok because it is simply someone trolling.

 

No, they're not threats. They're not okay and they're not nice, but they're not threats. If they were, then many many of us on PTV would be guilty of making threats against the players. I think @Winston9-DT3 is more accurate in calling it hyperbole and comparing it to Abi's constant "if you do X, you are dead."

 

I'm not saying that Abi and Kelley or even fucking Will and Dan should be harassed online. I talk shit about all of the players here because that's pretty much what this site is for, and the players aren't here reading it. Back on TWoP, players would sometimes register (this happened mostly on the early TAR boards) and once they did, even if it was a hated person, other posters would tone it all the way down, not because they didn't still think that person was a DB but because it wasn't polite to say it to his or her (virtual) face. I don't understand why anyone would direct a nasty or insulting tweet, Facebook post, or instagram comment to them with the intention of them seeing it. However, it's now become SOP for reality show contestants to claim they've received death threats in order to rally support from their fans and, to date, I have not seen a single one. Obviously I don't read the entire internet, but if they ever existed, someone would be able to produce one. That no one has yet tells me that there's a lot of exaggerating going on, and this is disgusting to me because there are people -- mostly women gamers or women who are prominent in the IT industry -- who do become targets of online death threats and stalking. They have strangers digging up their personal information, their home addresses, phone numbers, etc. and posting it. As far as I can tell, nothing like that is happening or has happened with any reality show contestant. When people falsely claim they've received online threats, they're only making it easier to discount and disregard the many genuine threats that people, again mostly women, get online.

 

And all that said, I'm open to believe that threats were made against Abi or Kelley or anyone else. But I need to actually see one. There have been so many unsubstantiated claims that in this regard I'm firmly in the "pics or it didn't happen" camp.

Edited December 9, 2015 by fishcakes

[cooksdelight]

During Abi's first season, nobody bothered her. This time around, I'm seeing people say some pretty ugly things to her directly online. They need to realize it's just a game, and get a life.

[Guest]

I have to admit I didn't remember Abi much, just that she was mildly bitchy out there the first time.  I had no strong feelings about her.  

 

They're angry at her for insulting Joe and/or voting him out?   That is pretty silly.  At least she realizes that it's probably kids, for the most part.  I think they all need to realize though that it's going to blow over, probably after tonight and they have some new evictee to defend or some new villainous soundbite from someone else to hate on.  

 

I think Joe's doing the right thing by not feeding the trolls by asking them to pipe down.   Kelley and Abi are just giving them more teeth by acting afraid and appalled, in my opinion.  They signed up, they hammed it up with the faces and comments, they soak up the online love when that tide comes their way, they know this happens.  Not literal death threats, of course.  

[LadyChatts]

I thought I saw Kelley say people were messaging her death threats (not actually posting them to her IG or twitter account).  Regardless, she could still screencap it and post it.  I'll give them the benefit of the doubt because I would hate to think someone would lie about getting death threats (as opposed to mean comments) for sympathy.  That said, it will blow over.  I don't know if they underestimated Joe's popularity, forgot the comments they made, or forgot that editing is a thing and can make them look bad in a moment they shouldn't.  Maybe sometimes being the invisible person no one remembers a year later isn't such a bad thing, unless you want an invite back.

[Zuleikha]

They signed up, they hammed it up with the faces and comments, they soak up the online love when that tide comes their way, they know this happens.

Having an expressive face is not hamming things up. It's having an expressive face. Kelley didn't even make any nasty comments, as far as we were shown. I have no idea why she's getting hate or blamed for Joe's ouster when her only "crime" is having a slightly more expressive face than everyone else. The whole tribe celebrated when Joe lost IC, expressed concern as soon they processed what happened, wanted him voted out, and (with the exception of Keith) voted him out.

 

Abi did say some nasty things, but by his own free admission, Joe was an a-hole to Abi at two different TCs in a row in an attempt to save his own skin. He got a good edit, and we didn't see it. Abi, Kelley, and everyone who were there, didn't have the luxury of reacting to edited, nice attractive tough competitor Joe. They reacted to the actual a-hole comments Joe was making. Of course, Abi said mean things about Joe when she voted him out--he'd told her that no one on the tribe likes her!

[slowpoked]

Facebook is exhausting enough for me, so I don't have a lot of other social media avenues like Twitter or Instagram. But I notice when some people reply to some tweets, the link is there but when you click on it, it's gone because apparently, the original poster has deleted it. Again, I don't know how Twitter and/or Instagram really works but I guess if you do it fast enough, it can be erased forever?

 

I guess my point is, I do believe the threats happened whether on Twitter, or Twitter DM or Instagram. And I guess it could have been screen-capped if someone spent enough time on those to catch on time, or if Abi is really being bitchy about it and called the jerks out. I guess I'm on the camp of just because there's no pics it didn't mean it didn't happen. Abi tweeted out that teenage girls things, and I know a lot of people got pissed on that, but maybe there's still some graciousness left enough in her to not screencap and post for everyone to see the people who did threaten her. And if she did that? People would just be saying she's asking for sympathy, In this day and age of people needing everyone to know each and every single thought and opinion they have out there, I have no doubt there are some who would post those kinds of thoughts online and not even think about it first.

 

 

I mean, go ahead and play the Brazilian firecracker but when people take offense at your purposeful offensiveness (like calling all Joe fans lovesick teens), why act all innocent and wronged?  At least own it.

I think she didn't act all wronged. She acknowledged that she has also said mean stuff and that she fully knows she's the villain and that's her role, but she probably didn't think she would get death threats about it, and she shouldn't have. Just because she's playing the villain doesn't mean she's asking to be personally threatened as well. The fandom is just too strong these times, not just on Joe, but in general. Like I said, everyone has an opinion and apparently just needs to express it at every single chance they get. Like Fishbach said, when it was his time to be in the spotlight, so to speak, to go ahead and say mean things about him, he doesn't mind. He said it was ok to call him stupid, idiot, a failure know-it-all, etc., but he just doesn't understand the need to tag him and/or message him directly and say those nasty things to him.

 

 

They reacted to the actual a-hole comments Joe was making.

You just summed this up perfectly.

Edited December 9, 2015 by slowpoked

[Guest]

Of course, Abi said mean things about Joe when she voted him out--he'd told her that no one on the tribe likes her!

 

On RHAP, Joe said in the first tribal where they went at it, he had told her in advance he was going to say things and she needed to ignore them, it was a smoke screen.  He was voting with Abi regardless, to get out Stephen.  But Abi was incapable of doing that.  Then she refused to accept his apology and further explanation afterward, so it came back up the next tribal.  

 

I don't really fault Kelley the disgusted faces but it's not the best game play or the best way to avoid social media criticism.  The best players know how to keep a poker face and not take things personally, including social media.  

[slowpoked]

I don't really fault Kelley the disgusted faces but it's not the best game play or the best way to avoid social media criticism.  The best players know how to keep a poker face and not take things personally, including social media.  

I guess that should be part of new-school Survivor play, no? Old-school players like Boston Rob, Hatch, Parvati etc., didn't have to worry about those. I remember Savage saying that during Pearl Islands, social media wasn't really a thing and so he was surprised at the amount of criticism he's been getting this season. 

[Zuleikha]

Then she refused to accept his apology and further explanation afterward, so it came back up the next tribal.

It didn't come up. Joe doubled down. This was an active choice that Joe admits he made; it's not like Joe just had no choice but to insult Abi both personally and in her game play. Also, as someone who had been playing with Abi-Maria for quite some time, Joe really should have known that there was going to be no strategic insulting of Abi. That's classic Joe attempt at strategy... not a horrible idea on paper but executed poorly and with the absolute worst person.

 

The Kelley/Joe discussion should probably continue on in Kelley's topic rather than Abi's.

[Nashville]

I mean, I guess it depends what you call a "threat".  I don't know if she necessarily got people saying "I am going to come to your home in Los Angeles, California, and shoot you in your sleep" but I'm sure she got people saying stuff like "@theabimaria needs to die in a fire".  I've certainly seen a fan say "I've never wanted to punch someone as hard in the face as I do Abi" (in a collection of nasty, but otherwise non-threatening, tweets someone posted on tumblr along with her amazing "Sorry teenage girls" rejoinder.)

 

 

See, but those are threats. They might be meaningless threats but they are threats. In a day and age where we are on guard against teens bullying each other on social media, it makes no sense to say that he wants to punch Abi in the face is ok because it is simply someone trolling.

 

Not according to the SCOTUS: not a threat unless there's criminal intent.

Not a threat: "I hope you die in a fire."

Also not a threat (technically): "My gas can, my Zippo and I will be by your house tonight at ten. See you then!" - from someone who lives halfway across the country.

Threat: same message as above, from someone who lives in the same ZIP code.

Bottom line: free speech frequently allows one the right to be an egregious asshole, but that's not illegal - unless one takes active measures to convert their hot air into reality.

And we are most definitely NOT talking about teenagers here. We're talking about adults who volunteered - hell, lobbied - to become public figures.

[Guest]

It didn't come up. Joe doubled down. This was an active choice that Joe admits he made; it's not like Joe just had no choice but to insult Abi both personally and in her game play. Also, as someone who had been playing with Abi-Maria for quite some time, Joe really should have known that there was going to be no strategic insulting of Abi. That's classic Joe attempt at strategy... not a horrible idea on paper but executed poorly and with the absolute worst person.

You're probably right there.  I can't fault him for throwing her under the bus on his way out the door at that point, though.  She clearly wouldn't work with him.  She was an easy alternate boot suggestion:  "Hey, why not the annoying one who doesn't play rationally?"

 

Anyone else always happy it's Wednesday so we can start defending/attacking a new set of players and events for the week?  lol

[slowpoked]

Joe really should have known that there was going to be no strategic insulting of Abi. That's classic Joe attempt at strategy... not a horrible idea on paper but executed poorly and with the absolute worst person.

Hee, I love how you put it that way. I guess, on Abi's part, it didn't help that Joe was has been an enemy for all of the previous tribals, so clearly, there's just no trust and goodwill built there that you can play off "strategic insulting" as a smokescreen for other people to get complacent and get voted out. If the "insulting" came from someone that Abi fully trusted (maybe Wentworth and/or Ciera), or heck, even half-trusted like Fishbach, she would have bought into it. But who knows, maybe I'm giving Abi too much credit. 

[Nashville]

But who knows, maybe I'm giving Abi too much credit.

Would not surprise me in the least.

[phlebas]

People are the worst. 

[LadyChatts]

I'd love Abi to make the final 3, if for nothing else for the jurors to be holding up someone else's name and say 'in the words of Abi, she voted for me. Twice. That's why you are getting my vote and not her.'. I don't know if Abi really takes things personally in this game or intentionally goes after people who "wronged" her (daring to vote for her) to be the villain and the perfect goat to drag to the final 3.

Edited December 9, 2015 by LadyChatts

[BigRedCheese]

 

 

Not a threat: "I hope you die in a fire."

Also not a threat (technically): "My gas can, my Zippo and I will be by your house tonight at ten. See you then!" - from someone who lives halfway across the country.

 

I'm not a lawyer, and maybe those don't reach the the technical, legal definition of a death threat, but if I was on the receiving end of those, I would definitely consider those to be death threats. Heck, I'm not on the receiving end of them, and I consider them to be death threats.

[LadyChatts]

In this day and age, you can't be too careful.  And I'm willing to bet even the most popular Survivors to ever play, like Joe and Spencer, have received their share of attacks (or maybe some very interesting dating offers) but don't bother talking about it.  Some people are just natural trolls.  Kelley had the double whammy of also not picking Jeremy for the family visit, even though Jeremy said in the episode that no one knew Val was pregnant.  I feel like these people attacking Kelley and Abi are harmless and have as much intent as following through on them as Joe does punching Abi and pushing Spencer.  But again, without knowing the exact threats, I can see where they might get nervous.

[fishcakes]

I'm not a lawyer, and maybe those don't reach the the technical, legal definition of a death threat, but if I was on the receiving end of those, I would definitely consider those to be death threats. Heck, I'm not on the receiving end of them, and I consider them to be death threats.

 

I agree that even though they don't meet the legal definition, a person on the receiving end would probably consider those death threats. I'm not nitpicking about whether Abi or Dale or whoever is actually correct about whether it's legally a threat; my position is that unless someone can prove otherwise, there's nothing to be correct or incorrect about. Because I haven't seen anything anyone has said that approaches the "not technically a threat but feels like a threat" kind of thing. Leaving Kelley out of it, since Kelley doesn't seem to be claiming that she's been threatened, what I've seen is people calling Abi a psychopath, vile, disgusting, etc. People are raining hate on her, and I don't think that's okay. But I haven't seen anything that could be construed as a threat, even in a non-legal, layman's sense, and even if you had a really good imagination. And when I ask if anyone can point to anything that could be construed that way, the response is always something along the lines of, "I haven't personally seen it, but I heard it was happening, and anonymous people on the internet are horrible, and I don't think anyone would make that up, so I believe it happened." I'm not directing this at anyone in this particular discussion because I've had this same discussion here and back on TWoP at least three times with regard to Dawn, Will, and Caroline and Jen from TAR, and in none of those times could anyone point out even a single specific thing that looked remotely like a threat. I find it hard to believe that these death threats are so ubiquitous, yet no one seems to have actually seen one. In any event, I've said my piece about this for this season, and I have no doubt it will come up again, probably next season, so I'll just leave it here.

[Guest]

The story in that link Nashville posted was really interesting, about if these things are considered illegal threats or free speech.  After reading that, I would say no court would ever consider a tv viewer sending an angry tweet over a reality show scene to be credible enough to be considered a death threat.  

[LanceM]

Here is Abi's Ponderosa.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC0mkHNWqSg

 

lol at Abi instigating a fight between Savage and Kass by saying that Tasha is fake.

[princelina]

Poor Abi can't understand why people "personally attack" her.  I guess calling them thief, asshole, poopypants, stinky and clown doesn't make you popular, hun.  Who knew?

Edited December 10, 2015 by princelina

[KimberStormer]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Oscirus]

These people should be glad they haven't run across the bb fandom on twitter. Those people are so crazy they called child services on someone who had the temerity to target one of their favs.

 

I did think that Abi bought a sense of fun to this season. I'm kind of disappointed that she took her boot so well. I was hoping at least one person would act up after being blindsided. But sadly, the wait continues.

[phlebas]

Apropos of nothing, this Saturday will be three years to the day when Abi's boot episode from Philippines aired.

 

Does anyone remember Abi's question from the jury in the Philippines FTC?  I am hoping for something caustic and neurotic this time.

Edited December 10, 2015 by phlebas

[cooksdelight]

You won't see Abi being bitter or vengeful like Savage or others who take this thing so seriously. "It's just a game" she's always saying. And that's how she sees it. It's not her life, it's not about making a point or seeking revenge or redemption. She enjoys playing the game and the role of troublemaker. Which, for me, is fun to watch since I know she's just playing a character in a game.

[ProfCrash]

I don't know that I buy that she likes that role. I honestly don't think she does. Her Ponderosa sure makes it seem like she doesn't do well in the game and how she is annoying. She flat out stated that she didn't have a chance to live down her Philippines rep while ignoring that she started the season off on a witch hunt over a damn bracelett. She asked people why they saw her annoying. Kelly seems to be baffled by how Abi is behaving at freaking Ponderosa.

 

Is she at Dan Foley level of self-delusion that she thinks the continual barrage of Abi making cutting statements and making fun of people is not a real reflection of her game and that they failed to show her positive side?

 

I think she comes back from the game and knows what she did and how she did and says one thing, she wants to be a troublemaker, but I don't believe that is true. Her first response was I didn't get a chance to live down my rep and how the game doesn't let people play honestly.

 

Let's face it, calling people names is not being honest. Running around camp implicating a person for stealing a personal item is not being honest. Snarking on people as they are voted out is not honest.

 

ETA: I listened to Abi's day after video. She thinks she was picked on at the begining and that she had a stigma from the Philippines. She honestly does not get it. She fails to see that the great bracelet escaped was simply a return to her Philippines days. And she has no clue that the outbursts, interupted conversations, and over all poor treatment of others is the reason why she was ostricized. She flat out doesn't get it.

 

Seriously, Dan freaking Foley level of delusion. She wanted to be in control of her emotions and that she was trying hard to deal with her emotions. And she really does see the world that way.

 

She didn't need to be aggressive in finding idols and winning challenges. She needs to learn how to treat people well and not be in continual bitch mode. She describes herself as blunt but even I see it as not blunt but as something totally different.

 

Cooks: Someone has to get through to her that when the perception of pretty everyone that she played with is that she is, at best, annoying, and that her personal interactions are difficult that it is not a problem with everyone else but how she is interacting with everyone else. Because I don't think she gets it. Two seasons in a row people have said the same damn thing about her. Even her allies discussed how hard it is to work with her. They laugh it off as Abi being Abi but I am not sure that is really what is best for her, if not in life, if in the game of Survivor. At some point in time she is going to come to understand that her way of interacting with folks causes her a ton of headaches and problems.

 

Dan freaking Foley level of delusion.

 

I think the whole trouble maker thing is more a cover because she has no clue how her behavior leads to her being a goat and on the outside with only a few people who like her.

 

I hope she does not return to the game because I really cannot stand how she plays and her personality is not fun for me to watch.

Edited December 10, 2015 by ProfCrash

[slowpoked]

I'm surprised that Abi has been doing her exits pretty fast. Two have come out already and I like the one with Gordon Holmes, because he does the word association thing. Apparently, she called Fish Poopy Pants, because he was literally Poopy Pants out there, and she was worried about getting infected since it was a small shelter and they all have to huddle together especially with a cold. 

 

And Abi does confirm that she and Joe had a nasty argument that wasn't shown because they both had roles to play, as far as TPTB goes, he being the golden boy and her being the villain. 

[LanceM]

She is sure playing the villain role quite nicely in Gordon's word association game.  lol

[Zuleikha]

I feel bad for Abi after watching her on Survivor Talk, but also, like I really wish she could watch some of those early conversations with Peih-Gee and really, truly see herself. I think she's also right that her strategic game is not getting the respect it deserves... it's just, I totally understand why her poor social game has dwarfed it. I do hope she sees that her firey ways has garnered her a lot of love, too, though. 

 

It does make me wonder how the season would have changed if Ciera survived that tribal council. Abi seemed to be at her best working with Ciera.

 

I feel pretty confident that if Tasha's at final Tribal Council, she's not getting Abi's vote! Wow, was Abi way more negative about Tasha than I expected!

[ProfCrash]

She starts off saying she wish Tasha had drowned and then talks about how Shirin and Peih-Gee are bitter and not ready to accept her apology.

Clueless

Ok, she didn't really want Tasha to drown, we all get that, and she admits to being bitter. She was not in the position she was in because of the edit from Philippines but because she played the same as she had in the Phillipines.

So over her

[loki567]

Me too. You get to that point when dealing with an irrational person when you realize that there's never going to be any self-reflection and their behavior isn't going to change. There's never even going to be a satisfying comeuppance to be had with Abi because she's always going to figure out a way to turn herself into a victim just like she did in the Philippines when she turned on the waterworks and a few people started to take her side over Denise. And she did the same thing at the Philippines Ponderosa as she did this time, "Why are you getting upset? It was just a game!" She knows that's the best way to avoid blame for her actions and behavior. 

 

She's awful and even though her third time playing is guaranteed, I hope any future players realize she's completely unreasonable and she goes first.  

[Swedee]

I call BS on the whole idea that Abi is such a nice person IRL and was just playing a character on the show. I think we've all experienced this type of delusional, paranoid narcissism from a coworker or family member. Everything is rosy as long as she gets her way and gets her ego stroked. It was too chillingly accurate to be a character.

[ProfCrash]

I think Abi is different in person because she is well rested, feed and not stressed 24/7. I do think that the Survivor environment is totally different then our day to day real world environment and it brings out a core piece of who you are that might be something that you can control in your day to day life.

 

A lot of Survivors have discussed how hard it is to return to the real world after they play the game because you are moving from an environment were people are targeting you and you have to be paranoid. That paranoia carries over and it takes a while to remember that not everyone is out to get you.

 

I think that Abi is someone who is very loyal and nice to her friends and family. I think that she is someone who would bend over backwards to help people she likes and who she thinks need help. I think she is probably someone who will cut people off if she sees them as having betrayed her in her life. Those people can be avoided in real life or treated civilly in small doses in real life. On a beach playing Survivor where you are living together and you can't avoid them things are very different.

 

Abi describes herself as blunt. I suspect she has no to a very limited filter. She sees herself as telling the truth. I am sure that there is less of an edge if you are a friend and the truth is normally positive. I also think that her comments are less cutting when she is happy and not sleep deprived.

 

So I can see how she would be very different in real life then in the game. But game time Abi is a very real part of her personality, it is just less likely to be seen in her day to day life. Clearly her comments regarding Tasha, Peih-Gee and Shirin demonstrate that. Peih-Gee and Shirin have not exactly been classy and have been pretty mean on social media so I get Abi's visceral response. Saying that she wish Tasha had drowned, even in jest, was more then a bit too much.

[LanceM]

Another fun interview with the Brazilian Dragon.

 

http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1105709/

 

SK: When you say that Kimmi and Tasha are the ultimate goats this season, Spencer had said the same thing about you. What's your response to that?

 

AMG: I think that Spencer needs to remember that he was saved by me and Wentworth many times. If it wasn't for us, he wouldn't have been there. One of my biggest regrets in the game was taking him to where he's at right now. I think that Kimmi is way more of a goat than I am. So is Tasha. She just had a relationship with Jeremy. She didn't make any moves. The biggest move that she did was building a relationship with me at Angkor. I think that I would up her as far as the final jury

 

SK: Explain a bit more why Tasha is the ultimate goat in your eyes.

 

AMG: What has she done? What has she done to be in the game? I initiated the alliance with her and Savage at Angkor. What has Tasha done? She was sitting next to Jeremy as far as her alliance goes. She had a strong alliance with Jeremy at Bayon. Then she went to Angkor and saved her. I thought she was going to have my back. She didn't. Back to Bayon, she took the time doing whatever Jeremy told her to do. Obviously, she has a freaking alliance with Spencer. She played with him in Cagayan. Spencer should have been out of the game prior to merge. It was a mistake to let him get so deep

 

SK: When I interviewed Shirin, she compared you to this season's Donald Trump. Thoughts on that?

 

AMG: She's funny. That makes me laugh. She's so ignorant. That comment just says it all. Ignorant. She's entitled to her resentful energy toward me, but I wasn't the one manipulating the votes to get her voted out. I was actually trying to work with her. If she doesn't see that, then I'm so sorry for her. I had to do what I had to do in order to stay in the game. I'm not just gonna sit there and have people walk all over me.

 

SK: In your eyes, do any of the final six deserve to win at this point?

 

AMG: Team Wentworth all the way!

.

[ProfCrash]

Abi and I agree on Tasha. I don't think Tasha has done much. Abi handed her and Savage safety.

 

Where Abi and I disagree is how Abi is perceived in the game and that means nothing to Abi. (grins) But I think that I see Abi more like the other contestants do. How many people have said that they were happy to be seperated from Abi in the game? Tasha is miming shooting herself in the head while left with Abi. Ciera and Kelley, two of Abi's allies, have said that she is difficult to work with in the game.

 

But none of those comments means anything to Abi.

[RedheadZombie]

You won't see Abi being bitter or vengeful like Savage or others who take this thing so seriously. "It's just a game" she's always saying. And that's how she sees it. It's not her life, it's not about making a point or seeking revenge or redemption. She enjoys playing the game and the role of troublemaker. Which, for me, is fun to watch since I know she's just playing a character in a game.

Can I be your friend? I don't like Abi, but I admire the hell out of how you continue to be a loyal friend to her. I know it can be hard going against the tide of opinion.

[phlebas]

You won't see Abi being bitter or vengeful like Savage or others who take this thing so seriously. "It's just a game" she's always saying. And that's how she sees it. It's not her life, it's not about making a point or seeking revenge or redemption. She enjoys playing the game and the role of troublemaker. Which, for me, is fun to watch since I know she's just playing a character in a game.

I believe you :)  

 

But since she's played this character the whole game, I want her to turn it up to 11 in her final scene. She set her feet on this story arc, it would be a shame to step off it before the denouement.   Once the votes are cast and Jeff gets on his Ski Doo or whatever (I miss him doing that), THEN I want her to pop up and hug everyone and be friends and go back to a happy life and feed you stories that you feed to us.

 

But let's make the Final 3 squirm first.  I hate the "bring a goat to the end" strategy, so let's make them pay for it.

[Jextella]

Poor Abi can't understand why people "personally attack" her.  I guess calling them thief, asshole, poopypants, stinky and clown doesn't make you popular, hun.  Who knew?

Seriously.  Abi missed the lesson about "if you can't say something nice, don't say it at all" ... and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

 

She takes everything personally and delivers the same in return.   Putting the psychology that underlies this tendency aside, she lacks common civility.   Not cool.  I'd like her more if she hadn't said such mean things to people.

 

I think the game would have been more fun and interesting without Abi.  She didn't contribute much to the process in any meaningful way.  People worked around her - not with her - out of necessity.

[BigRedCheese]

 

she's just playing a character in a game.

 

I like Abi outside of Survivor, and once the merge happened, I didn't have a problem with her, she seemed to settle down some, maybe the merge calmed her nerves a little. But in no way do I believe she's just playing a character, since even she doesn't seem to understand why people were upset with her. It seems that when she's in that stressful environment, it affects her in ways maybe she doesn't even understand.

[cooksdelight]

Have you ever been at work or somewhere and had a huge project dumped on you at the last minute? You work crazy hours to get it finished, you don't get any sleep and barely anything to eat besides coffee and a sandwich. And while you're working on this project, people are talking about you and trying to get you fired. Once it's all over and you can crash, rest, eat... you have no idea what just happened during the past week. That's sort of what it's like out there. And it takes a while for all of them to decompress once they get out of there. Being at Ponderosa, you're still stressed because you are with people you may not necessarily want to be around (see Wiglesworth's attitude). I guess I don't know how to explain the Abi I know versus the Abi on TV. They are two entirely different people. It's weird even for me to watch things happen, and I know "that's not how she normally behaves..." I shudder to think how I would be in an environment like that. When I talked to Julie from last season about why she quit, she said "You have NO idea how awful it is out there." And she wasn't just talking about living conditions.

[Swedee]

We get it cooksdelight. You know Abi in real life. The only problem is, everyone else on Survivor had to deal with the exact same conditions as your precious Abi. She should not get a pass for her reprehensible behavior when others in the same situation are managing to deal. This was also her second time playing. She can't say she didn't know what it was going to be like.

[LanceM]

What reprehensible behavior?   I mean I know she annoys people out there and occasionally gets into arguments but what about that is so reprehensible?  Is it the mean and provocative things she says in confessionals something that all cast members know is one way to get your face on tv, as is clearly the case with Abi who admits she plays for the camera? Is it because she jokingly referred to Stephen as poopypants? Like what is it? I mean I completely get not liking her as a viewer I just don't see what she has done out there that so over the top or reprehensible in anyway. To each their own I guess.

Edited December 12, 2015 by LanceM

[Jobiska]

It's the subtle, gaslighting, apparently irrational sort of things that to me are...well, I won't say reprehensible, because I'm not sure she can control them, but that make me dislike watching her, never would want to meet her, etc.  I quoted this Peih Gee statement several pages ago:

 

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?'

 

 

I guess she could say she was just joking but I don't like this kind of joking.  How do you answer something like that?  How do you even converse with someone who talks like that?

It seems so minor and like something one could laugh off, but you're stuck with her (just like I'm stuck with some relatives who make me "walk on eggshells" in case they suddenly react with irrational moodiness) and in some ways dependent upon her, it would be very difficult to live with and feel sane.

[bagatelle]

I like Abi outside of Survivor, and once the merge happened, I didn't have a problem with her, she seemed to settle down some, maybe the merge calmed her nerves a little.

 

They didn't feature her as much, which is not to say she settled down.  Before the merge, she was never shown displaying much that was insightful or strategic,  After the merge, there were more important matters to focus on, given that it's an hour show and the editors need to direct our attention more to the winner's edit.