S31: Kelly Wiglesworth

[Whimsy]

Meet Kelly Wiglesworth from Survivor: Borneo (Season 1), who returns to play on Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance.

 

This Tagi alliance member from Survivor: Borneo was known for her rather deceitful behavior, and was even considered by some to be the main antagonist following the merge. By winning Immunity challenges, she was able to make it to the Final Tribal Council but couldn't pull out a Season 1 victory.

 

 

 

Here is your Kelly Wiglesworth topic.

[LadyChatts]

Out of retirement, and the last of the original Survivor alliance to make it back.  I know Kelly wasn't asked back for the first AS, but was she ever considered for any FvsF or HvsV?  Also, why does everyone say that Kelly was the main reason there was a Survivor: Second Chance?  She seemed the least enthusiastic when the cast was announced.  I am hopeful she makes it far.  But, she's another one that I don't have very high hopes for.  She's probably been the most removed from the Survivor community, never watched her season until recently, and probably wouldn't have known any of these guys in passing.  And she doesn't buy into alliances.  

[Oholibamah]

Honestly, I never bought the anti-alliance thing. I think she's an opportunist, and in the game of Survivor that's a great thing. Her alliance carried her far enough that she could start appealing to the Pagongs with her "integrity".

If people give her a chance to ingratiate herself she could do some damage as a nominally aligned free agent and probably win some key challenges.

[LadyChatts]

Poor Kelly. My heart broke for her during that challenge. It was hard seeing her get emotional. We know a tribe swap will eventually happen, so I hope she's able to hang on until then and possibly slide under the radar. Right now there seems to be dysfunction at her tribe that she's not any part of. I thought for sure tonight her talking about wanting to get the shelter built and then talking about who had the work ethic was going to lead to confessionals from others taking about how alienating she was being. Maybe everyone takes it easy on the Survivor original.  Or they figure showing footage of the worker bees and non worker bees complaining about each other is too boring compared to the dueling yoga classes we had going on at each beach.

Edited September 24, 2015 by LadyChatts

[ByaNose]

Yeah, losing twice in 15 years sucks!

[marys1000]

Not criticizing or judging but I didn't recognize her.  She looks like she's had work done.  Nose job?  Botox? 

[Katmai]

Her face is definitely more "full" now. I'm not sure if it's work or weight, as her body is not as thin as it was her first go round either. I think she looks pretty good. I'd rather see her than what Sue Hawk probably looks like now.

[ljenkins782]

Not criticizing or judging but I didn't recognize her.  She looks like she's had work done.  Nose job?  Botox? 

I'm not criticizing either, but all I can think about when I see her is my curiosity about what exactly it is that's different. Botox seems be in the mix, but is it lip injections and/or nose job as well? 

 

Obviously it doesn't matter, it just personally irks me when I can't pinpoint things and her face mystifies me. 

 

As for her chances in the game, I don't see her winning but I could see her going at least into the middle. In a challenge that's actually physical (not building a pole, IOW), she's strong, her personality is low-key, and she's got the old school Survivor respect. 

[Jextella]

Her skin is taut and shiny.   More than botox, IMO.

 

Anyway, both Jeff Probst and Jeff Varner have said they really like her and I think are both tough critics.

 

She didn't do anything for me in her season because she was so quiet.  But, she made it to the end and was clearly thinking about the game.  I'm kind of eager to see how she plays the game.  Plus, Probst talked a bit about how her story will be compelling for viewers.  She's SOO quiet that I'm now curious.

[Jersey Guy 87]

She didn't do anything for me in her season because she was so quiet.  But, she made it to the end and was clearly thinking about the game.  I'm kind of eager to see how she plays the game.  Plus, Probst talked a bit about how her story will be compelling for viewers.  She's SOO quiet that I'm now curious.

 

I'm not sure if she was thinking about the game as much as she was a challenge monster and had the luck of being on Richard's team (since he was the only one thinking alliances the whole way).  Pagong had no idea how to handle the merge and lost the crucial first vote after the merge, allowing Tagi to pick them off one by one (partially via the alliance of Kelly, Richard, Rudy and Susan and partially by using Sean's idiotic "alphabet strategy" so as to get Sean's vote).  Her challenge abilities let her survive past Sean and she made it to the end but I don't think her gameplay was very good.

[fishcakes]

True. She came across as mildly hypocritical as well, since she took all the benefit of being in the only alliance and only then deciding it wasn't a fair way to play, which I think is part of what set Rich against her. Her alliance was going to vote her off even before Colleen, making it an incomplete Pagonging, but she won that immunity challenge so Colleen went after all.

[Jextella]

I'm not sure if she was thinking about the game as much as she was a challenge monster and had the luck of being on Richard's team (since he was the only one thinking alliances the whole way).  Pagong had no idea how to handle the merge and lost the crucial first vote after the merge, allowing Tagi to pick them off one by one (partially via the alliance of Kelly, Richard, Rudy and Susan and partially by using Sean's idiotic "alphabet strategy" so as to get Sean's vote).  Her challenge abilities let her survive past Sean and she made it to the end but I don't think her gameplay was very good.

Yeah, but I think the silent ones that make it to the end get a little less credit than they deserve.  Every decision has a repercussion.  Just because decisions might not be spoken out loud doesn't mean strategy wasn't involved when making them.  Fine line for many. I don't have enough recollection of Season 1 to weigh in with more detail on Kelly W.  I just remember her as quiet and thoughtful.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Yeah, but I think the silent ones that make it to the end get a little less credit than they deserve.  Every decision has a repercussion.  Just because decisions might not be spoken out loud doesn't mean strategy wasn't involved when making them.  Fine line for many. I don't have enough recollection of Season 1 to weigh in with more detail on Kelly W.  I just remember her as quiet and thoughtful.

 

In season 1 I don't think a lot of people had a strategy, per se.  Nobody really knew what the game was about - it was called "Survivor", you were "stranded" on an island with very little to help you survive, there were challenges, you needed to get food (something Richard used to his advantage to be the provider and protect himself), etc.  I don't think Kelly was playing the same game as Richard - I think she was more focused on the survival/challenge aspects while Richard was clearly most focused on the social ones (even his role as provider was designed to secure his place in the tribe).  I also think Kelly was in a no-win situation when it got to final three - Richard obviously beat her and I think Rudy would have as well.  She erred when she voted out Susan - I think she could have beaten Susan in FTC.  Instead, she changed her vote from Richard to Susan after the tie and Susan went home.  Had Kelly stuck to her guns and kept voting Richard she might have been able to vote him out (the apparent rule was they would revote until the tie was broken).  In a final three of Kelly/Susan/Rudy Kelly would have still won final immunity and been able to vote out Rudy (as the greatest threat to her) and beaten Susan.  So, she blew the most strategic decision she faced.

That said, I'm willing to give her a lot of slack.  I don't think most of the players really understood the importance of the social game in Survivor that early on (something that is still true for any number of players today).  Players didn't understand alliances, and thinking that the game was first and foremost about survival skills wasn't unreasonable.

 

I'm happy to see Kelly back on the show, I'm wondering how she'll play this season.

[Oholibamah]

In season 1 I don't think a lot of people had a strategy, per se.  Nobody really knew what the game was about - it was called "Survivor", you were "stranded" on an island with very little to help you survive, there were challenges, you needed to get food (something Richard used to his advantage to be the provider and protect himself), etc.  I don't think Kelly was playing the same game as Richard - I think she was more focused on the survival/challenge aspects while Richard was clearly most focused on the social ones (even his role as provider was designed to secure his place in the tribe).  I also think Kelly was in a no-win situation when it got to final three - Richard obviously beat her and I think Rudy would have as well.  She erred when she voted out Susan - I think she could have beaten Susan in FTC.  Instead, she changed her vote from Richard to Susan after the tie and Susan went home.  Had Kelly stuck to her guns and kept voting Richard she might have been able to vote him out (the apparent rule was they would revote until the tie was broken).  In a final three of Kelly/Susan/Rudy Kelly would have still won final immunity and been able to vote out Rudy (as the greatest threat to her) and beaten Susan.  So, she blew the most strategic decision she faced.

That said, I'm willing to give her a lot of slack.  I don't think most of the players really understood the importance of the social game in Survivor that early on (something that is still true for any number of players today).  Players didn't understand alliances, and thinking that the game was first and foremost about survival skills wasn't unreasonable.

 

I'm happy to see Kelly back on the show, I'm wondering how she'll play this season.

 

Eh, I think she still loses. Sean, Richard and Rudy seemed to prefer Sue to Kelly, and Greg probably as well (since apparently the pick-a-number was just a gambit on his part). Given that, putting Sue on the jury and hoping for her forgiveness wasn't a terrible idea, although I've also heard that Colleen/Gervase switched their vote to Kelly because Sue was so harsh. So she was probably screwed in any scenario.

[LadyChatts]

I'm also happy to see Kelly back.  I only wish we could have had more Borneo people on here.  I think the only other person that season that realized the game was more about alliances/social game was Joel, who was the last pre-merge boot.  It would have been interesting if Joel had made the merge, if he would have been able to awaken anything in the Pagong tribe and make them realize that there was an alliance within the Tagi tribe.  I can remember the vote after Gretchen, Greg was talking in the woods with some of the Pagong members, and made some remark about "if you want to play like that" referring to the alliance.  I also loved that it took up until Jenna's vote for Sean to realize there was a voting bloc, and that his strategy had helped it.

 

I think Kelly would have beat Sue, though it might have been close.  Rich and Rudy likely would have voted for Sue.  Colleen didn't seem fond of Kelly, though I never knew if she really meant it when she said she was changing her vote to Kelly after Sue's speech.  And, according to Kelly, Sean and Greg only voted against her because they didn't want to lose to a much younger female.  So who knows.  I can understand her being wishy-washy.  Rich knew before the game started what it was going to be all about.  Everyone else kind of learned as they went along.

Edited September 30, 2015 by LadyChatts

[Nashville]

I'm also happy to see Kelly back.  I only wish we could have had more Borneo people on here. 

 

Same here. I would have dearly loved so see Gretchen have another shot.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Eh, I think she still loses. Sean, Richard and Rudy seemed to prefer Sue to Kelly, and Greg probably as well (since apparently the pick-a-number was just a gambit on his part). Given that, putting Sue on the jury and hoping for her forgiveness wasn't a terrible idea, although I've also heard that Colleen/Gervase switched their vote to Kelly because Sue was so harsh. So she was probably screwed in any scenario.

 

I'm not sure how she would have done against Sue.  I'm sure she would have lost to Rudy (and never would have taken Rudy to FTC in any event) but I think she could have pulled out a win against Sue.  She could have argued she dominated challenges while Sue pretty much coasted.  Richard's big argument against her was he was playing the game from the very beginning (which he was) and he still only beat her by one vote.  What argument would Sue have had to advance her cause?

She missed the opportunity to see how she would have done against Sue.  It may not have made a difference.  We'll see if she's learned more about the game this time around.

[LadyChatts]

In the case of Kelly vs Sue, it may have simply come down to  the 'who do we like more even though we can't stand either of them' vote.  I do think Richard was respected for his game play, and I do believe he 100% earned the win.  Gretchen said from the moment they got on the boat and were introducing themselves before the marooning, Rich said to her that everyone was getting voted off and he was going to win.  She thought for sure he'd be the first one gone.  Heck, even production thought he'd be one of the first to go.

[BigRedCheese]

 

I also loved that it took up until Jenna's vote for Sean to realize there was a voting bloc, and that his strategy had helped it.

 

I just can't buy that, he had to know what he was doing, I think he just wanted to look like a nice guy, if he got to the end, there would be no blood on his hands. When he got to G, Greg had immunity, and he didn't cycle back on the next vote (I remember this being a topic of conversation at work, will Sean go back to G, lol). I know Richard has said that Sean is just that goofy, but I just can't believe it.

[LadyChatts]

I just can't buy that, he had to know what he was doing, I think he just wanted to look like a nice guy, if he got to the end, there would be no blood on his hands. When he got to G, Greg had immunity, and he didn't cycle back on the next vote (I remember this being a topic of conversation at work, will Sean go back to G, lol). I know Richard has said that Sean is just that goofy, but I just can't believe it.

 

Though I do believe Sean was much smarter than he appeared, and likely played goofy on purpose, I can see him voting alphabetically and not putting it together about the Tagi 4 until much later.  I do agree he probably thought the ABC strategy was fair, and that could have been his argument in the end.  I figured he was working his way through the alphabet and would eventually cycle back if he got that far.  On the subject of Greg, IIRC, he was supposed to be the last pre-jury boot but because he won immunity, they voted off Gretchen.  Would have been interesting had Gretchen made it on the jury, because that may have given Kelly the winning vote over Rich.

[Oholibamah]

Though I do believe Sean was much smarter than he appeared, and likely played goofy on purpose, I can see him voting alphabetically and not putting it together about the Tagi 4 until much later. I do agree he probably thought the ABC strategy was fair, and that could have been his argument in the end. I figured he was working his way through the alphabet and would eventually cycle back if he got that far. On the subject of Greg, IIRC, he was supposed to be the last pre-jury boot but because he won immunity, they voted off Gretchen. Would have been interesting had Gretchen made it on the jury, because that may have given Kelly the winning vote over Rich.

My theory was always that he voted alphabetically because every Pagong player was higher alphabetically than every Tagi member, and Kelly was the first Tagi player. That way he got to vote with Tagi indirectly without actually being "aligned". IIRC, he confirmed this at some point. I think his shock at Jenna going home was either acting, or he thought Gervase was going next.

That is a very interesting point about Gretchen!

Edited September 30, 2015 by Oholibamah

[NutMeg]

Question for those of you who watched season 1: In Sue's Rats-and-Snakes-speech, Kelly was the rat, right? Why? Because she had voted off Sue or for other reasons? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[fishcakes]

I plead to the jury tonight to think a little bit about the island that we have been on. This island is pretty much full of only two things: snakes and rats. And in the end of Mother Nature, we have Richard the snake, who knowingly went after prey, and Kelly, who turned into the rat that ran around like the rats do on this island, trying to run from the snake. I feel we owe it to the island spirits that we have learned to come to know, to let it be in the end the way Mother Nature intended it to be, for the snake to eat the rat.

 

"in the end of Mother Nature ..." "the island spirits that we have learned to come to know ..." I like Sue but her syntax hurts my feelings.

 

She didn't have a particularly good metaphor for Kelly being the rat; I think she just wanted to call her one.

Edited October 1, 2015 by fishcakes

[NutMeg]

Thanks fishcakes, at least I know for sure who was supposed to be represented by which animal!

 

And apparently image won over reality, so Kelly was not really a "rat", if I get you right? 

[fishcakes]

And apparently image won over reality, so Kelly was not really a "rat", if I get you right? 

 

I think so, but I'm not sure what really happened between Kelly and Sue. They were close friends out there, but when things fell apart between them, they showed a snippet of a fight where Sue said Colleen told her that Kelly had been planning to flip to Pagong to vote out Sue. Kelly denied it, but Sue didn't believe her. There was so much less social media those days that it didn't get brought up after the season ended, so we never found out what that was all about. One of Kelly, Sue, or Colleen was lying, but who knows which one.

[awaken]

She didn't get much airtime this week.

 

I'm not criticizing either, but all I can think about when I see her is my curiosity about what exactly it is that's different. Botox seems be in the mix, but is it lip injections and/or nose job as well? 

 

Obviously it doesn't matter, it just personally irks me when I can't pinpoint things and her face mystifies me. 

 

Yes, this.  Mystified.  I am really trying to place what exactly is different- she used to have a distinctive look, and now she just looks run of the mill and not very recognizable.  And it's nothing to do with being older.  I think I need to see a side by side before and after pic to figure this out.  Lip injections, cheek implants??, thinner nose??  Something with the eyes, too.  

[Zuleikha]

IIRC, he confirmed this at some point. I think his shock at Jenna going home was either acting, or he thought Gervase was going next.

Yeah, I thought Sean had confirmed it, too. He knew Kelly was on the outs with the Tagi Alliance, so he was trying to set himself up to take her place without being open about what he was doing. It probably would have worked if not for her immunity run. I think it was actually a pretty clever way to let him vote in Tagi's interests without exposing himself to Pagong.

[rose711]

I don't understand why she came back to this show. I wonder if being on the first season and losing by one vote was traumatic for her? She seems to have trouble talking about it. Or else she's just moved on.

[BigRedCheese]

I remember there being an online thing back then that was taking donations, the goal was to raise 900 k for Kelley so she would have a million dollars, I guess started by somebody that felt she deserved to win. Way, way, before Kickstarter and such sites, I donated a dollar, I wonder how much was raised, and if she ever actually received any money.

[fishcakes]

When Jeff asked her how often she thought about losing the million, and she said "every day," I figured that was a callback to the first time she was asked that question, on the Reunion Show 15 years ago. That first season, they announced the winner at FTC, so by the reunion, she'd already known for several months that she had lost. Bryant Gumbel asked her the same question, she shrugged and said, "every day," and it got a laugh from everyone. I think maybe she was going for a laugh when she said it here, but instead it got crickets and the other players' faces indicating how sad that was. I doubt (or maybe I just hope) she doesn't think about it all the time, but you never know what people are tortured by. For people who can't let it go, I would think returning is a bad idea because it just gives you two or more seasons' worth of perceived mistakes or unfairness to obsess about. I don't know about Kelly, but I'm pretty sure Savage will be 102-years-old on his death bed complaining about the Outcast twist and, if gets voted out early this season, probably Fishbach as well.

[BigRedCheese]

In her interview with Dalton Ross, Kelly said she thought a lot about her loss for the first year or two, but didn't think about it much since then. I think Probst probably asked her the question until he got the answer he wanted, she's no dummy, she knows what he wants to hear.

[cooksdelight]

Yeah, they do retakes if Jeff wants a different response.

[LadyChatts]

I'm surprised by being the first ever RUP on this series, as well as the original challenge beast, that she is getting such a quiet edit.  I'm glad she survived the vote.  Even if she isn't doing much to cause drama behind the scenes, I figured Kelly of all people wouldn't get the silent treatment from the editors.  But invisible edit or not, I still like Kelly.  Also, this is the first time ever she's received votes against her (the only one this season I think, besides Stephen).  It was cute that Spencer mentioned her coining the phrase "I'm not here to make friends" (honestly I don't remember her ever saying that, so something to look for when I watch Borneo at some point again).

Edited October 22, 2015 by LadyChatts

[rose711]

Does anyone think that Kelly might have some emotional scars from her first season that I've never healed? She may be quiet anyway, but she seems to be almost actively avoiding participating in large parts of the game. I think production wants her to keep looking back at her first season and commenting on her second chance, but possibly, looking back is just too painful for her. I mean she's pretty much taken her self completely off the grid and her real life, so she doesn't seem so concerned with survivor

[KimberStormer]

Little did I know that the Kelly Kurse would strike even the original Kelly.  That's some powerful dark magic.  Let's pray for Kelley Wentworth.

[Zuleikha]

oes anyone think that Kelly might have some emotional scars from her first season that I've never healed?

I think she's just an outdoorsy person, who was interested in doing Survivor for the survival stuff. I don't think she cares about winning, and it sounds like she's just not interested in having a lot of TV time or doing crazy strategizing. 

 

I am sad that we're not seeing more of Kelly the competent outdoorswoman. Joe didn't need confessionals to get that edit, so even if she's super boring in her own confessionals, we could at least get some clips and some other people commenting on her.

[LadyChatts]

I think she's just an outdoorsy person, who was interested in doing Survivor for the survival stuff. I don't think she cares about winning, and it sounds like she's just not interested in having a lot of TV time or doing crazy strategizing. 

 

I am sad that we're not seeing more of Kelly the competent outdoorswoman. Joe didn't need confessionals to get that edit, so even if she's super boring in her own confessionals, we could at least get some clips and some other people commenting on her.

 

 

While I'm used to Survivors new and returnee getting the silent treatment from editors, I do hate it more in AS seasons.  And Kelly is probably the bigger disappointment for me this season in terms of players not getting air time.  Why does it only have to be the alphas, the flirts, or the drama queens getting all the screen time (even if I have been fans of those types).  I like Kelly and would really enjoy getting more of her outtake or some of the others who grew up watching the show and remember seeing that first season.  I was actually pretty surprised (though happy) when it was announced she was coming back to take part in the second chance season.  I originally even wondered if Kelly cared that much about being selected or making it far.  A good majority thought she was a lock to make, which is why they assumed she didn't campaign to the extent of some others.  But again, I thought that was just Kelly.  This was the girl who did recaps for Outback without having owning a TV, so she had to use a friends.  After this week, I'm thinking she wants it a little more than I'm giving her credit for.  My feeling is she isn't giving TPTB what they want in terms of soundbites (namely she probably doesn't want to go on and on like this second chance is do or die for her, or that losing by one vote all those years ago still haunts her).  Monica mentioned that Kelly is playing a very old school Survivor game, in that she is very good at the camp life aspect and being a team player in that regard.  But seems almost like a deer in the headlights with how ruthless the game has become since her season.  Frankly, I think I like the old school way better when there was a balance and it wasn't just constant strategy talk or alliance building every second of every episode.  However, PG said in her post boot interviews she also was caught off guard by just how much scheming, strategizing, and backstabbing was going on.

 

Kelly is unique in that she had a Survivor experience that probably only the people in the first season would ever understand.  The season itself was very much a learn-as-you-go.  I think Kelly was in the boat that definitely thought it was going to be more about survival and challenge strength, less about the social aspect.  That seemed to drain her and she mentioned it was hard putting on this fake facade every day  I remember that Kelly had some minor brushes with the law brought up through TMZ, and she said in a special about the women of Survivor a few years after her season that the show kind of came between her and her boyfriend at the time.  She wasn't the only one to have their personal lives splashed all over, but not knowing it was coming, and being a private person like she seemed to be at the time, probably wasn't easy to deal with.  I believe she was ready to move on once the spotlight did and seems happy with her life.

Edited October 24, 2015 by LadyChatts

[Guest]

Does anyone know if they pay some players more to come play?  It kind of seems like she never wanted to but they talked her into it.  Same for Kimmi, really.  That season where Johnny Fairplay came and practically quit on day 3, I wondered the same.  Do they get a lump sum for just signing up and going?   If I really didn't want to but the pot got sweet enough eventually, I'd play like Kelly-- invisible, without drama.

[BigRedCheese]

I don't think they pay more for certain players, I know Brian Heiduk  insisted on more money, and they refused, so he's never been back, he said recently that he would come back for the going rate. Kelly did do an interview on Survivor Oz a year or two ago and she said she would be interested in coming back, maybe that even gave the producers the idea for this season.

[fishcakes]

Ethan and Tina also tried to get more money for the first All-Stars season, saying that because they were winners, they were entitled to more. Probst very publicly told them if another adventure and chance at $1M wasn't enough, then they could stay home. They blinked and played anyway, and knowing that they agitated for more money, it made me pretty happy that they crapped out of the season early. I thought Jenna Lewis's "strategy" of voting out winners first was stupid, but since she was targeting Tina and Ethan, I didn't mind.

[Guest]

Wow, interesting.  I respect the show for taking that stance.  I don't know why past winners would feel entitled to more.  If anything, I was always less interested in seeing past winners play.  I feel like they should be excluded.  

[jsm1125]

From what Cesternino has said, while the winner of the first All Stars season still won $1 million (pre-tax), the prize money for 2nd through 18th finishers was higher than in any other season.

[BigRedCheese]

Yeah, second place was 250k, I kind of wish they would keep it that way, maybe even up the the million to to 2 mil, but I guess there's no incentive to do that,  they could probably lower it and get the same exact applicants.

[Guest]

If Big Brother casting is any indication, they better stick to the million.  

[LadyChatts]

I wish they had passed on Tina and Ethan for doing that.  While I wouldn't entirely object or see the problem with upping the jackpot in an AS season, it is pathetic that former players (especially winners) expect that or expect to get a fee just to appear.  An appearance fee for the very show that already gave you a million and your 15 minutes of fame?  Didn't Brian also say he wanted to be guaranteed a jury spot, since he figured he would be targeted early on for being a winner?  I remember the first boot used to get something like $2500, and then the prize amount went up.  That was with 16 players, but since the majority of seasons now average 18-20, I'd be curious what the totals were now.

 

I think the majority of people on here just enjoy the experience and were fans of the show for years, or might just enjoy the limelight and a vacation somewhere exotic.

Edited October 24, 2015 by LadyChatts

[fishcakes]

The weird thing about it to me at the time was that before the cast was announced, there were rumors that the prize was going to be $2M but it wasn't confirmed. It was only after Tina said previous winners were worth $2M and Ethan, the idiot, said it should be $5M, that Probst said it was $1M, take it or leave it. But then there was also for the first time the additional fan favorite prize, which was $1M that season, but only $150K every other time they did it. I think that money came from CBS/Burnett and not Sprint that season, but I'm not certain about that. So I wonder if maybe the sole survivor prize would have been more if Tina and Ethan hadn't gotten greedy about it, and when they did, TPTB didn't want to set a bad precedent by making it look like former players could dictate the prize money, so instead they came up with the America's Tribal Council thing. I mean, I have no idea and I'm just speculating, but considering that the prize money for 2 - 18 was higher, it seems odd that the prize for Sole Survivor was the same.

 

Overall, the America's Tribal Council thing was stupid, but it did lead to a moment of greatness, where the winner of the $1M was announced and you see Sue Hawk mouth, "aaah, it's fucking Rupert" to Jenna Morasca, who rolls her eyes in response.

 

On topic, this version of Wiglesworth makes me sad. She seems like a completely different person, not just the way she looks -- although that's a big part of it -- but, I don't know, she seems to have lost all her fire. I hope it's just that she's being low-profile in order to guard against being portrayed as the season's biggest ass (though she needn't worry because ... Abi), and not that she's really been as beaten down by life as she comes across.

[LadyChatts]

On topic, this version of Wiglesworth makes me sad. She seems like a completely different person, not just the way she looks -- although that's a big part of it -- but, I don't know, she seems to have lost all her fire. I hope it's just that she's being low-profile in order to guard against being portrayed as the season's biggest ass (though she needn't worry because ... Abi), and not that she's really been as beaten down by life as she comes across.

 

 

 

I wonder if this game has evolved that Kelly was caught off guard by how ruthless it had become and that it really is about strategy/alliances/blindsides.  I don't know how well she stays in touch with any of the other Survivors, but that might also be a factor, if she feels like the new kid at school when everyone else has been hanging out and forging friendships for years.  I remember Stephenie said during the HvsV reunion show that she wasn't part of the LA Survivor clique and had a hard time adapting in her tribe because everyone seemed to know each other and already had alliances made (though I don't believe that was the reason she got voted off, or at least the main reason).  In addition, Kelly has a son now (not sure how old but I believe he's pretty young) so it could be the separation anxiety with that.  I do hope she is enjoying her time out there and, like you said, that the low profile thing is just her not drawing attention to herself.

[pennben]

I thought Kelly had a nice moment right after the Monica boot when she reached over and patted Spencer's arm.  It was such 'mom move', if you will, essentially comforting Spencer and indicating 'hey, I have no idea what just happened, but we're both still here'. Like you, Ladychatts, I hope Kelly is enjoying the experience and we get to see this mysterious story of hers that Jeff alluded to earlier.  Although, by now, we've already put more thought into what Jeff meant than Jeff did when he initially made the comment!

Edited October 24, 2015 by pennben

[Jextella]

The show is as much about the adventure of playing the game as it is about the money.

 

Since the odds of winning are so slim, contestants who have already experienced the adventure may be wary of coming back and need a financial incentive.

 

Not sure how I feel about bumping up the pay grade.  Could be good, could be bad.   Whatever brings back players who actually want to play the game is my big thing.  I don't want to see a bunch of loafers or people who are burned out.  We've seen that a few times and it's not fun.

[BigRedCheese]

I just thought it might be in order to be  bumped up since it's been on for 15 years, but I can also see the other side, it's not the cultural phenomenon it once was, so if current prize money levels is what keeping it greenlit, then so be it.