S31: Peih-Gee Law

[Whimsy]

Meet Peih-Gee Law from Survivor: China (Season 15), who returns to play on Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance.

 

Peih-Gee, one of the series' feistiest underdogs, finished fifth on Survivor: China. She is mostly remembered for having a quiet social game, strong opinions, and being the last surviving member of the Zhan Hu Tribe after winning a do-or-die Immunity challenge at the Final Six.

 

Here is your Peih-Gee topic.

[cherrypj]

Phoebe, you mean. :)

[LadyChatts]

Love Peih-Gee!  So happy she made it back.  Even though her throwing that IC in China cost Aaron (someone else I'd love to see return one day), it's probably the only time throwing an IC made sense and actually worked, for that vote.  Really thought she was a long shot to make it back.  I'm a little nervous reading some of her pre-game interviews.  I hope she's long for the game.

[Guest]

I liked her, too.  China was a tough one.  She and Aaron both kind of got screwed, especially Aaron.  

[JudyObscure]

I really loved her in China. I'm interested to see if I still love her as much when she's not the ultimate underdog. I doubt if she will be again because now we have Shirin for that.

[seltzer3]

Hope she does well.  She looks okay so far, but the fact Abi has made her the "RC" is kind of dicey.

[LadyChatts]

https://youtu.be/niycVheuwnQ

 

Peih-Gees day after.  Said the constant strategy from day 1 and unknown twists and turns through her for a loop.  She hopes Abi isn't like this in real life and that she's just playing a character, and doesn't understand the logic of why people want to keep her around (considering she didn't vote for her the first two times, she may be answering her own question).  Definitely identifies with the old school way of playing, and feels the game is just so different than when she played.  Said she hopes fans aren't disappointed, especially since she says she's different than how she was in China.

 

Her video was definitely a lot less bitter than Vytas and Shirin.  It does sound like she was kind of 'eh' at it all, though.  Whatever the case, I will miss Peih-Gee.  I've been wanting her back since her original season, and I know that this is likely the only chance she will have at returning.  However, I am happy she at least got this far.  I wasn't even sure if she would have made the fan vote.  She got the short end of the stick with tribes.  It seemed like she and Abi particularly had bad blood, so I'm curious if there was more to that than we were shown.

Edited October 8, 2015 by LadyChatts

[kikaha]

PG, another example of how to get yourself voted out of Survivor.  All she had to do was to keep her mouth shut, and go along with the consensus.  Instead she tried to over-strategize, and turned herself into the target. 

 

It's ironic, in a way, that last time she played she was one of the masterminds of a post-shuffle play, while this time she was the pawn or victim in one. 

[KimberStormer]

I wouldn't call it over-strategizing, unless she says more in these clips I never get around to watching.  It looked like she let her emotions get the best of her.  She just got so fed up with Abi that she put herself right on the chopping block.  OK, you don't like how she's talking to you, who cares?  Get mad in the talking heads, Peih-Gee, don't lose your head in the game.

[ProfCrash]

Peih Gee wanted to vote Abi in the first vote, she said so in the episode and in her vote out video. But Shirin and Spencer wanted Vytas. Peih Gee went with the numbers and her alliance. Abi being in the game is 100% on Shirin and Spencer. Spencer should have known better after playing with Kass.

 

I don't blame Peih Gee for not sucking it up. Abi had a list of people she didn't want to play with and didn't like before the game started. She came intot he game with a it list for no other reason then a person reminded her of someone else. She didn't like Peih Gee from the moment that they stepped on the beach. We have seen Abi require 24/7 stroking and hand holding in both of her seasons. She is emotionally volatile and easy as all hell and gone to manipulate so there are folks who think it is a good idea to keep her around. Anyone who keeps her around because they think they can make that work for them is bat shit insane and deserves to be voted out, Shirin.

[kikaha]

I don't blame Peih Gee for not sucking it up.

 

That cost her the game.  If she had simply kept her mouth shut, she'd probably have stayed. 

[ProfCrash]

And how do you stay quiet when someone is picking at you 24/7? Abi said that she didn't like Peih Gee on day one which means that Abi was going to target Peih Gee. Peih Gee is talking about building a freaking chimney and Abi is stirring up shit.

 

If  you think you could be polite and clam around someone as emotionally unstable and as irrational as Abi you are a far better person then I.

[pennben]

Peih Gee could have voted out Abi week one and gone back to her tribe and won them back (a la Varner). Her not voting out Abi either time is as much on her as anyone else.

[ProfCrash]

Phei Gee tried to get Shirin and Spencer to vote out Abi. Shirin had a pre game alliance with Abi and thought she could work with her. Spencer and Shirin targetted Vytas. Peih Gee could have voted Abi and then there would be a tie and a revote or she could vote with her alliance, which is what she did.

 

It sure looked like Shirin, Spencer and Kelly had a pregame alliance complete with who to vote out. Peih Gee tried to change that but she couldn't. THe alliance voting for Abi brushed off her attempts to work with them and told her she would be fifth and that is all. She was in a rock and a hard place.

 

Abi should have been the first vote but blaming Peih Gee for not being able to change a pregame alliance target is a bit harsh. Peih Gee played the hand she was dealt as much as possible.

 

Tasha and Andrew were smart. Vote out Peih Gee, they are still in the minority but there is no reason to believe that Woo and Varner want to work with Abi. So Tasha and Andrew can choose to take out Woo or Jeff, with Abi, or Abi with Woo and Jeff.

[kikaha]

And how do you stay quiet when someone is picking at you 24/7? Abi said that she didn't like Peih Gee on day one which means that Abi was going to target Peih Gee. Peih Gee is talking about building a freaking chimney and Abi is stirring up shit.

 

If  you think you could be polite and clam around someone as emotionally unstable and as irrational as Abi you are a far better person then I.

 

PG was not exactly an innocent bystander.  She's the one who regaled the alliance in the second episode by repeatedly mocking and laughing at Abi, including a cute little mime.  That was after Abi caught Shirin and PG in the act, complaining about her: PG told Shirin she'd been bitching about Abi all day long.  Those were her words. 

 

It was also after Abi's bag and bracelet ended up in PG's bag.  OK, so the bag didn't have a name on it.  PG still knew it wasn't hers.  But she took it anyway? 

 

PG let Abi get to her.  In the second episode that, plus Shirin's reaction to it, got Shirin booted.  This episode it got PG herself booted.  PG misread the room and the power dynamics, and now she's out of the game. 

 

PS: after seeing Abi on two seasons now, I'm sure she would drive me crazy too, if I played Survivor with her. 

[ProfCrash]

Wow. Listening to Peih Gee's interview with EW. She refers to Abi as a rabid dog that you cannot control.

 

There is no love lost there.

[KimberStormer]

I mean, I understand not being able to deal with it, but that doesn't mean I can't say it was wrong from a game perspective.  In my opinion, it's clearly bad Survivor play: it got her voted out!  I empathize, but I criticize.

[Guest]

I believe PG that she didn't even see that little bracelet in that bag.  

 

I also sympathize.  Sometimes your plan backfires, sometimes not.  If it's not in your makeup to be a 100% under-the-radar, never-have-an-opinion player, it's not.  I wouldn't be able to do it, either.   

[Oholibamah]

So Peih-Gee is being criticized for targeting Abi AND for not targeting Abi sooner? I get that timing is important, but that's a bit of a damned if you do scenario.

The drama between them was going to come to a head eventually. Working with Abi indefinitely when she hates you is just a ticking time bomb.

Given that Tasha and Andrew were parroting a "keep the strong!" argument for staying, I don't blame Peih-Gee for thinking this was the time to take out Abi. It'll be even harder to get rid of Abi when challenge strength is no longer a factor, and Peih-Gee has a working relationship with Jeff.

IMO, her only error this week was coming across wishy-washy. Yes, she could've just stfu and went with a Jeff vote, but where does that land her next week? There's nowhere to hide in a 6 person tribe.

The China players were extremely rational and predictable. I don't think Peih-Gee was expecting volatile players like Jeff and Abi or overbearing players like Spencer and Shirin. I will miss her, because she is my favorite player this season as a human. It's a shame that she probably won't ever be back.

[marys1000]

Wow. Listening to Peih Gee's interview with EW. She refers to Abi as a rabid dog that you cannot control.

 

There is no love lost there.

 

That was pretty entertaining. 

 

In all her interviews she has a lot to say about how hard Abi was.  In one she actually says it was almost worth getting voted off to get away with her. 

She felt her mistake was not approaching Savage and Tasha about voting Abi off first thing before they got to her.  I think that is absoutely correct.  she should have realized that Abi would be the crack in their alliance, their first tgt and she knew how unstable she was and had been wanting her out for a long time. 

She also said she realized after the game, recently, that to manage Abi you have to contanstly prop her up with compliments and reassurance - so if she is just realizing that now, then yea.  She wasn't going to be able to work with Abi. 

[NutMeg]

She also said she realized after the game, recently, that to manage Abi you have to contanstly prop her up with compliments and reassurance - so if she is just realizing that now, then yea.  She wasn't going to be able to work with Abi.

I get that a lot of things made more sense for her after watching the first few episodes, because Abi is such an irrational player that you cannot foresee it so early in the game. Especially in a season of returning players.

 

I will miss Peih Gee because I liked her a lot in China (would have loved an F3 of her, Amanda and Courtney!) and because I thought her interviews after being voted off showed a great personality with a good sense of humour (I particularly liked how she referred to her drinking game with Shirin, and what the triggers were, although I wouldn't have liked to be there because I would have been dead on the floor before the episode ended).

 

Oholibamah, you wrote

 

Working with Abi indefinitely when she hates you is just a ticking time bomb.

 

I hadn't read your post before, but I also refered to Abi as a time bomb in her thread earlier today. Great minds thinking alike? (I'm presumptuous, that's the only thing that would be an asset if I ever were to play Survivor)

 

Edited because spelling (Abu is not Abi)

Edited October 11, 2015 by NutMeg

[KimberStormer]

So Peih-Gee is being criticized for targeting Abi AND for not targeting Abi sooner?

Given that Tasha and Andrew were parroting a "keep the strong!" argument for staying, I don't blame Peih-Gee for thinking this was the time to take out Abi. It'll be even harder to get rid of Abi when challenge strength is no longer a factor, and Peih-Gee has a working relationship with Jeff.

IMO, her only error this week was coming across wishy-washy. Yes, she could've just stfu and went with a Jeff vote, but where does that land her next week? There's nowhere to hide in a 6 person tribe.

 

So I have been thinking about this and the problem I have in particular is, what is she going to Andrew and Tasha for anyway?  Asking for things?  It's frustrating to me (no doubt solely because I don't like Savage at all, or Tasha very much) to see the majority begging the minority for what they want.  If PG wanted Abi out (and hopefully she could have articulated it better than "I don't like how she talked to me") she should have gotten Woo and Varner solid, and told Savage and Tasha as a done deal.  "It's Abi.  Enjoy your 3 free days."  I wouldn't even present the option of rocks, because why would the minority push for rocks when they're already being saved?  Varner just rolled over to whatever option was not him; Woo did in fact vote for Abi; there's no reason Savage and Tasha's opinion on keeping the strong should have any weight whatsoever.  The polar bear doesn't care what the seal thinks is best.

 

By presenting it the way she did she ceded all power to the minority.  Of course--as rational players--they are going to take advantage of that.  I don't believe PG's problem was a lack of rationality on her tribemates' part, it was her own lack of rationality, presenting an emotional case (which has nothing to do with anyone else) from a position of weakness, when she could have asserted a rational choice from a position of strength.  Even as a social game thing, I think surely people would prefer the confident assertion to the whine.

Edited October 11, 2015 by KimberStormer

[Guest]

But she didn't have Jeff if Abi had Tasha and Andrew (which she did) because Jeff wouldn't allow a tie.  So what could Peih-Gee do besides try to talk Andrew and Tasha out of siding with Abi and into getting rid of her instead?  She needed four solid votes to not have the potential tie situation.  She only had Woo and hers.  

[NutMeg]

I think the point is the timing at which she approached (or not) the "minority" (or not) alliance to ask/tell them to vote for. Timing was key if you didn't want to vote with the minority, and that's where Peih Gee was too late IF she wanted to vote for someone of her initial tribe. Then again, if she didn't target either of Tasha/Savage, she must have known her initial tribe alliance was screwed. But why no thinking about voting either Tash or Savage then is what puzzles me about her game play. I mean why appeal to the minority rather than threaten them with one of them going next unless they vote for x and/or the other? Was it because of two people easily flip-flopping, such as Jeff and Abi? It would make sense but that's not an explanation she gave about her choices. I see how she could have wanted to play another persona, but that was the time to go all tough on the two new people and tell them that they could go with her or be out. None of them knew about idols, Tasha could have caved thinking PG had it. Or Savage. Or Jeff if he thought the other two were doing what she wanted.   

[LadyChatts]

I think part of Peih-Gees problem, and she even admitted as much, is that she was overwhelmed by all the talk of strategy from the minute they landed on the beach.  She said it was very different than it was on her season, and in reality, I think the other tribe did more strategizing than hers.  I don't know if she could have pulled off a scenario where she told Tasha and Savage vote Abi or else force a tie and possibly go home due to rocks.  Abi was not going to vote with her old tribe.  Tasha and Savage could have easily called her bluff and said no, and then possibly got Varner rattled enough to flip with them.  Varner admitted he was afraid of the first vote going to a tie breaker and that's what he was trying to avoid when he called PG out and made sure they were all on the same page.  PG needed to keep her China persona while she was playing this game.  Unfortunately, she seemed in over her head.  I don't think she handled bracelet-gate well, and it seems she was on the downhill slope ever since.  I would like to think that, if given a 3rd chance, PG might have learned a few things and come back with a better concept on the game.  Sadly, I doubt she will get the 3rd chance to prove herself.

[Zuleikha]

But why no thinking about voting either Tash or Savage then is what puzzles me about her game play. I mean why appeal to the minority rather than threaten them with one of them going next unless they vote for x and/or the other?

I think it's because Tasha/Savage weren't actually the minority. Abi flipped. PG knew Abi flipped. Once Abi made that choice, PG/Woo/Varner weren't in a position where they could simply choose the target. They needed to get one or more from the Tasha/Savage/Abi alliance to vote with them. Abi was pretty clearly not coming back. Tasha/Andrew were unlikely to flip for the purpose of targeting the other, so Tasha/Andrew became safe from the vote.

 

So PG's play to get Abi out was logical. Voting out Jeff would put her in a perilous position of not being able to get the majority numbers. Voting out Abi kept her in a great position. The problem is that Jeff, for whatever reason, didn't back it, and Tasha wasn't honest with her. If Tasha had told PG that she (Tasha) wouldn't vote Abi but would vote Jeff, PG probably would have stuck with the Jeff vote out of self-preservation. But PG thought Tasha and Savage were on board with voting out Abi because they said they were. If Jeff had been willing to back PG's play, he/Woo/PG could have presented a united front and almost certainly intimidated Tasha/Savage into going along with Abi to avoid rocks. But for whatever reason--be it fear of tie or because he honestly thought it was better for his game to keep Abi and lose PG--Jeff wouldn't do it. 

Edited October 11, 2015 by Zuleikha

[KimberStormer]

Yeah, getting Jeff was the key to this lock, and I guess maybe I'm being too cavalier in saying he would have done it if she'd told him to.  But I think she could easily have made him do it, since he was on the chopping block and scared.

The more I think about this vote the more complicated and interesting it gets; I love Survivor

[SimonHumboldt]

PG, another example of how to get yourself voted out of Survivor.  All she had to do was to keep her mouth shut, and go along with the consensus.  Instead she tried to over-strategize, and turned herself into the target.

 

Exactly. Abi told her and Woo that she was now voting with Savage and Tasha, and they were targeting Jeff. She should have agreed to vote Jeff, shut up, and regroup with Woo later to discuss options.

 

The way she played this was stupid. Abi admitted that she was in a new alliance with Savage and Tasha. So PG's play was to go to Savage and Tasha and basically say, "Hey, let's vote off your brand-new ally!" Really?

 

It sure looked like Shirin, Spencer and Kelly had a pregame alliance complete with who to vote out. Peih Gee tried to change that but she couldn't.

 

It looked to me like she was all too willing to vote out Shirin when the tide turned. She and Woo could have gone to Shirin, Spencer, and Kelly and booted Abi 5-4. I have no idea why she wouldn't take this massive shift against Shirin and Spencer as an opportunity to boot someone who actively hated her.

[Guest]

Peih-Gee said she tried to turn the others off of Abi because she'd already lost Abi's vote, so losing Jeff too would leave Peih-Gee virtually alone and almost sure to go next. 

[Zuleikha]

I have no idea why she wouldn't take this massive shift against Shirin and Spencer as an opportunity to boot someone who actively hated her.

I think the problem was Varner. PG had a bonus clip where she talked about how close she felt to Varner. She also felt close to Woo and Wigles, so she had felt in a good place after the Shirin vote, where she still had flexibility with alliances. Which, who knows, if the division hadn't happened, she may have been right that she was in a good spot.

[azshadowwalker]

Peih Gee wanted to vote Abi in the first vote, she said so in the episode and in her vote out video. But Shirin and Spencer wanted Vytas. Peih Gee went with the numbers and her alliance. Abi being in the game is 100% on Shirin and Spencer.

 

Since that wasn't the only vote before Peih-Gee was booted, I tend to doubt it's 100% on Shirin and Spencer. She, after all, voted for Shirin the second vote. That wasn't Shirin or Spencer's doing.

 

but there is no reason to believe that Woo and Varner want to work with Abi.

 

Except for the fact that Jeff has been working with her since the beginning. 

Edited October 13, 2015 by azshadowwalker