S31: Stephen Fishbach

[Whimsy]

Meet Stephen Fishbach from Survivor: Tocantins (Season 18), who returns to play on Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance.

 

Placing second on Survivor: Tocantins, Stephen was known for playing an impressive strategic game alongside winner J.T. Thomas and earned the nickname of "The Wizard" from Coach Wade.

 

Unfortunately, he was ignored by the jury when he didn’t receive a single vote to win in the Final Tribal Council. Stephen counts being in J.T.'s shadow as the biggest mistake in his own game.

 

 

Here is your Stephen Fishbach topic.

[rose711]

Omg Stephen! As a know it all fan, you are my first pick and we will be cheering you on.

I hope they give you a chance to play. The pre-game info isn't encouraging. I don't see the alpha guys keeping you around. They don't appreciate your brain!!

But I'm in your corner and you have many, many fans supporting you, win or lose.

[LadyChatts]

Stephen gave an interview where he mentioned saying a lot of bad things about these players over the years, in his blog and podcasts.  I'm not too encouraged, either.  I love Stephen, and my only surprise is he wasn't included for FvsF2 (maybe his role was filled by Cochran) or HvsV (I think he would have been a tad smarter than J.T. at least).  Strategically I think he will be viewed as a really big threat.  If he has a strong pre-game alliance or can integrate into an alliance, he should be good for awhile.  However, I think he's pre-merge or early merge at best.

[wonald]

Reading his pregame People blog, it seems to be imbued with sadness. JMO.

 

Even if he commits a JT 2.0 level boner, I will always adore him.

 

 

eta: Yeah, Cockran took Stephen's spot. Stephen said Cockran would right after SP.

Edited September 23, 2015 by wonald

[LadyChatts]

I thought Stephen might have a hard time since he would be viewed as a strategic threat, given his place in the Survivor community and being a Know-It-All.  I really did not expect him to be this much on the outs, however.  Seeing Andrew chop that tree down, and Stephen being unable to break up a large stick, was kind of oddly spliced together.  I get what they were doing, but the editing seemed choppy with that.  It did give me a bit of a laugh, though.  I do hope he is able to re-group.

[Hera]

I do, too, since I really enjoyed Stephen on Tocantins. But I worry that his edit in this episode doesn't bode well for him. He didn't get much airtime (and none before the credits) and the only stuff we did get to see was about how he was on the outs and his failure to find the clue to the hidden immunity. Hopefully having an extra three days means he can worm his way into an alliance. If Bayon ends up being split into two alliances + Stephen, he might be alright for awhile. If, however, the rest of the tribe is fairly unified, then he's an easy early boot.

[Skeeter22]

I'm worried Stephen may become Savage's new Skinny Ryan. If that's the case, I hope it means Kass becomes his new Lil.

[ByaNose]

I'm really surprised how much of a fish-Bach out of water Stephen came off. It was like he never played the game before let alone analyze & discuss it for a living. Granted, he's on a heavy macho man team but he could have bonded with the woman more. One never knows with the edit what is true or not but he really got the dodo edit with the music. He didn't get much air time other than his woe is me confessional along with trying to chop a branch. WTF was up with that? LOL!!! Hopefully, he can find his footing and a possible idol.

[LadyChatts]

I loved this tweet from Rob C last night:

 

Rob Cesternino ‏@robcesternino  21h21 hours ago
So far it looks like the branch is getting the winner's edit.  #Survivor

 

 

Either Stephen is doomed, or his edit last night means he's going to have some sort of David vs Goliath moment and redeem himself in a huge way.  Right now, Jeremy's got Tasha/Joe/Andrew (does he have Keith, too?)  That would leave Ciera, Kass, Fish, and Monica outside of that group.  I could see Monica going with the alpha alliance, since she said she was going to be more flirty this time to get her own way.  I could live with losing Ciera, but if Bayon loses the next IC, I'm hoping that they decide Kass is more of a wildcard and dump her while they can.  However, that seems too easy and obvious.

[wonald]

I was taken aback by how BRUTAL his dodo edit was last nite. It wasn't just the TWO separate montages of futility but petty shit like one montage ending with that shot of a big drop of sweat dripping off his nose.

 

However (TM: Danfuck), after thinking things thru, it looks like he is geting a long redemption arc with him going well into the merge. Which is about the best result that he can realistically get considering his rep coming into the game.If he was going out late pre-merge as his type might go, he would have gotten the heroic BRob-in-HvV edit instead.

[rose711]

Stephen wrote that he was ill when the show started. That may be part of the reason why he looks so pale and out of it.

Stephen is a charming guy, I think he will be ok if he can get to the tribe swap.

[KimberStormer]

I don't think the edit necessarily bodes so ill for Stephen as some have augured.  In his last game, he started things out on the same kind of foot by ripping open the ass of his pants almost immediately.  He suffered a similar montage of failure trying to start a fire at Exile, if I remember correctly.  Right now he's reminding me of Penner in Philippines, not bonding and hunting for the idol; Penner did well enough--he was one stupid-goddamn-decision from winning the game, quite possibly, if he had agreed to Final 3 with Skupin and Lisa.  Stephen's edit has already set him up a character; I feel it's good rather than bad, to be established as a personality early on.

[jsm1125]

I too think Fishbach may not be as much in danger as it initially seems. Remember Mike from WA came off ineptly and poorly on the first (and possibly second) episode?

[LadyChatts]

Bayon didn't get much airtime during the premiere; it'll be interesting when they lose an IC.  That's why it was obvious Ta'Keo was losing this past IC, and even more obvious the vote was coming down to two people.  Had Bayon lost, I bet Stephen's name would have been circulated, but he likely would have survived the vote. I think he's going to be fine for awhile.  Whether that first edit of him being inept at doing anything right was a story arc building, time will tell.

[kikaha]

Kimber, since Stephen is the person I most want to see win this season, I hope you are right!

 

PS: one of my wishes for s31 already came true, as Vytas got booted first. 

[Skeeter22]

Savage' s comment about Stephen lacking courage, morals, and dignity was one of the harshest things I've ever heard on Survivor, especially when we've never even seen the two of them really interact. It was so over the top.

Edited October 1, 2015 by Skeeter22

[pennben]

I have a feeling they are setting up Stephen for a comeback from this awful position they portray him in for these first couple of episodes.

[ByaNose]

Yeah, Savage was pretty OTT with that comment. That said, I'm sure Savage will say it was editing. Like, he said something before & after that. Whatevs! For some reason, Savage really doesn't like and/or trust Stephen. Now, the tribe switch might be a good thing for Stephen unless they end up still together.

[LadyChatts]

Yeah, Savage was pretty OTT with that comment. That said, I'm sure Savage will say it was editing. Like, he said something before & after that. Whatevs! For some reason, Savage really doesn't like and/or trust Stephen. Now, the tribe switch might be a good thing for Stephen unless they end up still together.

 

If Stephen/Savage were to wind up on the same tribe, it still might work out well for Stephen.  It would just depend on who else is in the tribe.  Andrew's got the alpha alliance that I believe will eventually crumble, and even though he may be an asset for strength early on, he may get cut late just before/early merge.  I like Andrew, but I can see why others don't.  Unlike some of the other old schoolers, he doesn't seem to be adapting well.  As for Stephen, I think back to Mike last season.  He didn't get the greatest edit early on.  He went from being voted off if his tribe lost one of the first few challenges, to taking leadership in an alliance (and making side deals if needed) to being the ultimate underdog that stood out in the sea of the boring and nasty.  Stephen may not last long enough to get a redemption, so they may figure just give him a crappy nerd inept edit to justify an early exit and not make fans too upset, or he gets a huge redemption.  Right now I'm going with the latter.  I like Stephen, so crap edit aside, I hope he survives.

[KimberStormer]

Yeah, I'm still feeling pretty positive about Stephen.  I think the editing has made a big enough deal about him that he has got a significant role to play, and having made it to this swap probably means he's golden for awhile.  His reaction was highlighted, after all.  There is no evidence that the Andrew Savage edit was "look at this blowhard asshole, don't you like the guy he dislikes?" but I'd like to believe that's what it was.  That's certainly how I felt.

 

I do hope Stephen doesn't form a nerd-liance with Spencer, though.  That would make them both more annoying to me.

[wonald]

 

I do hope Stephen doesn't form a nerd-liance with Spencer, though.  That would make them both more annoying to me.

 

 

I dont know how they cannot. Stephen is surrounded by oldBayon that he had NO affinity with and Spencer is outnumbered by oldBayon. And they wanted to work with each other from the pregame. Stephen FINALLY caught a break.

[LadyChatts]

I dont know how they cannot. Stephen is surrounded by oldBayon that he had NO affinity with and Spencer is outnumbered by oldBayon. And they wanted to work with each other from the pregame. Stephen FINALLY caught a break.

 

I just hope this swap isn't to save the likes of Spencer and Stephen.  I'm fine with Spencer lasting, but starting to get soured on Stephen by how he and his clique are reacting to his edit.  The new Bayon is the biggest wild card for me in how it will go.

[pennben]

For what it's worth, stephen almost immediately apologized for his twitter outburst at Rob and said he had a moment of insecurity and felt he let folks down that caused the outburst. He told Rob to not go easy on him after that. As for Eliza, I got nothing:)

[ByaNose]

It's amazing how fast things can change. Everything is hunky dory before he leaves for Cambodia. Now, the show is airing and Stephen is getting a dodo edit and people are going crazy. LOL!!! I don't think Rob said anything bad and I don't think Stephen was really mad at Rob all that much but was just responding to all the Twitter stuff.

Now, for next week it will be interesting if he is able to get into a better situation. I'm really confused (which isn't too hard to do) by the edit of Stephen & Savage. I can't tell if Stephen is going to get Savage out first or vice versa. I can hardly wait to see how it plays out.

[NutMeg]

Stephen is a player I liked A LOT in Tocantins, to the point where I was extremely surprised he didn't get more votes (I could have seen him winning his season with a better FTC/if he hadn't drank the cool aid JT was serving - which he did, because he never made any point for himself, as far as I can remember). 

 

Afterwards, instead of disappearing far from the limelights, he chose to remain under the Survivor spotlight.

 

First, he was dating Courtney (and I was very impressed for HER dating the nerdish, insecure guy, and that also reinforced to me how he must have had this amazing personality that I got a glimpse on during Tocantins).

 

Then, he was very vocal about Survivor (via RHAP and otherwise), and I thought Great, he's a fan too! He's one of us! Long live Stephenm and Courtney, our king and queen of snark!

 

Then he started critiquing other players not for their gameplay (the idea was, and still is, to WIN) but for how they destroyed the game of HIS friends. If the critique had remained light I could have played along, but it took ugly undertoners, as in rooting AGAINST the player who had played the better game but had sacrificed his friend in the process. That's when I soured on him, not as a person, but as a fan of Survivor. Show me a good game, whether I like the player or not, whether they eliminated players I like or not (who am I kidding here? they always do!), I say Bravo. Him thinking otherwise made me think less of him.

 

And then he's back. I expected all his bravado from his podcasts to have changed him, made him much more confident with himself and his abilities in the game, but also to have built connections for him in the game. But it's like we're back to an even more awkward Sterphen than we got at the begining of Tocantins. Are TPTB mad at him? Is he that awkward when he's playing? Is he waiting for another JT-type to scoop him over? I have no idea. But at this stage I'm not holding my breath. If he can make the merge, I don't doubt he'll go far, but despite all that I loved about him his first season I'm now starting to thing he needs a catalyst (call it a JT or any "hot stuff") who attaches itself to him, but cannot do it alone.(ironically enough, that was my take on JT his second time around, that without "a Stephen" he couldn't hap it)

 

I really hope I'm wrong :-(  

Edited October 19, 2015 by NutMeg

[LadyChatts]

Courtney and Stephen seemed like such an odd couple to me, but odd enough from what I had seen of them that it was adorable and seemed right.  I think they were more alike in personalities than they came across on their respective seasons.  When the Tocantins cast was first revealed, Stephen screamed the skinny little nerd who was going to have no luck and get strong armed or bullied by the cliquey alpha males and mean girls.  I was quite pleased he not only made it to the FTC, but that he also had game to back it up.  I loved JT during that season (less after HvsV, though) but Stephen deserved that win.  I can 100% see how JT got it, however.

 

Stephen mentioned he was worried about what the cast would think of him because of all the smack he has talked about fellow Survivors over the years.  And he obviously wasn't happy with his first episode edit.  However, I can never think highly of someone that goes off on other players for playing the game.  His little buddy Eliza still has it out for Andrew, and I'm sure she's snarling behind the scenes because Stephen isn't running away with this but instead is getting the doofus edit.  At first I was hoping for some sort of redemption for Stephen, and thought that might be coming.  Now, I don't know that I care.  If he steps up and takes control of the game, great, but if he's going to just get carried along, then I hope he is kicked to the curb sooner rather than later.  I could see him being the Cochran of SP and, if it works out for him, picking off his former Bayon members out of spite at the merge.  I mean, it wouldn't be the first time that has happened and won't be the last.  I guess it makes sense if you feel like you are going either way, but from what I know of Stephen, that's like throwing in the towel and giving in to the other "cool kids" clique that is accepting you for a short time to help do their bidding.

[ByaNose]

I do wonder if Stephen is getting the dodo edit because he doesn't make the merge, goes really far or wins. And, there is the added supposed rivalry between him and Savage. It's an unusual edit but I'm not sure what the true purpose of it is. I'm looking forward to finding out though. I have loved Survivor since Day 1.

[wonald]

My theory on Fish's edit is that Spencer is the Chosen One and will win this season. Since he and Fish are the same archtype - "The Know It All" oddly enuff, as labeled by Angie Chaunce - Fish is getting this dodo edit to differentiate him from Spencer.

[ByaNose]

I never thought of that wonald. I wouldn't be opposed to Spencer winning but I would like Stephen to go far and hopefully look less stupid doing it. LOL!!!!! For some reason, I thought the two of them would work together but there hasn't been any indication that they are. Of course, Varner and his decimated tribe was getting the most airtime. So, now that Varner is gone we might see it. Right now, you see Stephen and Jeremy talking and you see Spencer and Jeremy talking but not Stephen and Spencer.. Hopefully, that will happen soon.

Edited October 19, 2015 by ByaNose

[Guest]

I think Stephen just makes good tv.  He always did.  He's pretty good looking, too, so I think he and Courtney made a cute couple.  

[innocuouspuff]

Rob C keeps complaining that Stephen is not the nerd weakling the show paints him as. Though the only point of the argument I remember is something about muscles and Crossfit. But like Andrew Savage, Jeff/the show really has very specific criteria for manliness, and if you don't fit them then too bad for your edit.

[wonald]

I never thought of that wonald. I wouldn't be opposed to Spencer winning but I would like Stephen to go far and hopefully look less stupid doing it. LOL!!!!! For some reason, I thought the two of them would work together but there hasn't been any indication that they are. Of course, Varner and his decimated tribe was getting the most airtime. So, no that Varner is gone we might see it. Right now, you Stephen and Jeremy talking and you see Spencer and Jeremy talking but not Stephen and Spencer talking. Hopefully, that will happen soon.

 

Yeah, I am disapoointed that it looks like they wont be doing a Tom-Ian type bromance too. It would have been a Survivor-nerd's wet dream.

 

[LadyChatts]

I think both the game of Survivor and the editors hate Stephen.  That, or they figure only one Survivor nerd can be shown in a good light so they picked Spencer as the chosen one.  I was impressed with his strategic side.  My feeling is that we might finally see Stephen's big redemption coming, or he is going to be like those who went before him and play too hard at the wrong time, and get the boot.

[ByaNose]

Monica said Stephen always looked like a deer in the headlights. It's sorta odd since he played before, made the Final 2 & is now years older. I'm m guessing he gave the editors a lot to work with because he's acting some 21 year old newbie. Maybe, he's getting goofy redemption edit. I think the (non) wallflower edit is being taken by Spencer. The editing this season is really contrived like. That said, it's still a great season to me.

[LadyChatts]

Monica said Stephen always looked like a deer in the headlights. It's sorta odd since he played before, made the Final 2 & is now years older. I'm m guessing he gave the editors a lot to work with because he's acting some 21 year old newbie. Maybe, he's getting goofy redemption edit. I think the (non) wallflower edit is being taken by Spencer. The editing this season is really contrived like. That said, it's still a great season to me.

 

I'm enjoying it more than the last two seasons by a wide margin.  But it still isn't the greatest for me.  However, once the merge happens, that is usually a strong turning point as to how well the rest of the season plays out.  Some of the tribe dynamics have been really boring, but the TC so far have been some of the best ever.

 

I am also surprised by Stephen, unless he really feels ostracized and nervous about being deemed a threat/having the very people he trashed not wanting to work with him, or if it is an act.  Maybe it is a mix.  I thought Stephen played so much better when he was a newbie.  However, I can see why Spencer is getting airtime.  He's got his own redemption and learning curve going for him, plus he was on a recent, popular season, and was one of the most popular players to emerge from it.

[rose711]

Stevens insecurity is probably based on his strong social skills and he realizes that he isn't in a solid alliance with pretty much anyone. Savage blocked Jeremy from working with him and then felt comfortable utterly trashing Stevens character. Even Jeremy went pretending to be Stevens Ally lied about the idol. I don't think anyone has Stevens back. It makes me sad.

[LadyChatts]

I really don't know what to make of Stephen or the edit he's getting (and I'm still on the fence as to whether it will turn into some moment of triumph, where he pulls one over on the golden boy, or fails to make his case and ends up getting himself booted).  It seemed like he thought people would be jumping onboard at getting Joe out for betraying Bayon (which, he did last week by helping to vote Monica out).  And once again, he got the whiny little nerd edit.  He had to have the big strong guy give him a pep talk at the RC about confidence, then that same big strong guy shoot his idea down for getting rid of Joe.  And of course, then we see him crying.

 

I'm so over the concept of "second chance" but I know we are stuck with everyone talking about it, and that the show is probably crafting edits to go along with what did people in before or what they see as the ultimate redemption. 

[pennben]

I feel like his story is going to (i) remind us that he's not a challenge person and is a somewhat awkward person (check); (ii) remind us that he is a strategist (check); (iii) remind us that he stuck with an alpha-male his first season, so he's terrified of them (gamewise) now (check); and (iv) show us that he overcorrected on what he perceived to be his mistake on his first chance (???).

Edited October 29, 2015 by pennben

[KimberStormer]

I will never not be surprised by how vehemently people dislike seeing tears on Survivor.  I don't really like Stephen, especially this season without his relationship with Taj to make him likeable, and have always thought he was severely overrated (and JT way underrated), so I hope this was not another phase of Redemption Edit, but it didn't really bother me either.  I sort of understand his emotion.  I think, if I may wildly speculate, I think Stephen expected to lose at FTC, but like most of us, was surprised by just how negative about him people were.  Getting no credit whatever (and even I don't think he deserves anything like a "coattail rider" label) must have been shocking; I would certainly have broken down crying right then and there if it was me.  My best friend is far more charismatic than I am, and when sometimes we have done projects together, she always gets all the credit and nobody even notices I exist, even when it was my idea and I did more of the work; that's super hurtful.  It just is.  And my God, if my friend ever sort of joined in, the way JT did (which was gameplay that I respect; though probably unnecessary, JT never stopped playing the game, and he apparently turned to Stephen and apologized the instant the votes were cast) it would be seriously devastating. 

 

I almost wonder if Stephen, even at that very moment in front of the jury, sort of suppressed his feelings by more-or-less pretending he was happy for JT and was OK with second place.  Like, I mean, I'm sure he was happy for JT, but I imagine he emphasized that feeling to himself, rather than the hurt and humiliation of being shut out and berated/belittled by the jury.  It might be that only during this confessional did it really hit him how hurt he was and how terrible it felt.  He seemed honestly surprised by his own tears, and that's something I can completely understand and believe.

[jsm1125]

I second Kimberstormer's mantra of crying on Survivor and in general. Many people get emotional about something game-related on Survivor, whether it be through anger, fear, frustration, or jealousy. Tears are a response to an emotional state, but for some reason, this particular response seems to be lambasted more than any other.

 

Having said that, while I understand Stephen's frustration at the others not sharing his sentiment of getting Joe out of the game, I have a feeling that given Joe has played more recently than anyone else and as an obvious immunity and likability threat, Joe will be a target soon enough.

[ProfCrash]

I don't mind tears on Survivor. I am someone who cries when frustrated. Stephen's tears were just ridiculous. He was crying because he couldn't convince people to vote out Joe. Instead of thinking of ways to work around Joe, Stephen is so invested in voting one person out he is crying because Jeremy and others are telling him no. Essentially, it  looked to me that Stephen was throwing a private temper tantrum that the cool kids would not play the way that he wants them to and its just not fiar.

 

There is a secret scene with Stephen talking about how he could careless about winning the ring toss and how ridiculous it is that people put so much emphasis on the challenges. His attitude is that his way to play, his hustling and thinking out the 9,000 possible strategies is better then people who look to do well in challenges is condescending. He has no clue how he comes off to folks. Kimmi figured out he was idol hunting. Andrew is able to point out that Stephen is only thinking about the game when Stephen asks if Jeremy left the group to idol hunt. Andrew's story might have been lame to us but everyone there was in an emotional place and seemed to know that Jeremy stepped away for personal reasons but Stephen.

 

He cannot read the room. He is condescending. And his crying because people won't vote out Joe is just another example of how Stephen thinks that his way is the only way to play Survivor.

[wonald]

Wow. I thought Fish's tears were one of the most emotionally honest, raw moments I've ever seen on Survivor. He was not crying bc he couldnt get people on board on Joe. He only started crying when he realized all the damage he probably had been surpressing all these yrs over his failures. He was surprised which made it all the real. 

 

It looks like he will become to fixated on Joe the Golden Boy and he wont be able to outlast Joe as I thought.

 

 

ETA: in Wigles secret scene this wk, she talked about how she AND Fish cried when they heard about Terry. I think it was an emotional cycle for everyone and tears were close to the surface. Of course, Fish wasnt shown crying over Terry bc his edit still remains so negative. I guess the reason for his doofus edit just might be bc he went after the Golden Boy.

Edited October 29, 2015 by wonald

[peachmangosteen]

I will never not be surprised by how vehemently people dislike seeing tears on Survivor.

 

Same. For one, some people are just criers. Doesn't mean they're weak or ridiculous. I'm not much of a crier, but if I get very frustrated or angry I go full-on bawl, which just makes me more frustrated and angry because everyone stops listening to your valid points and acts like your're crazy for crying. Anyway, this is OT, sorry!

 

Stephen's tears were just ridiculous. He was crying because he couldn't convince people to vote out Joe.

 

I don't think it was that simple at all. I think Stephen failing to get people immediately on board with targeting Joe made him think about his failings last time, think about JT, etc. and it all came flooding together. And then I think it was probably a bit of being embarrassed he was crying ("This is so silly."), which ended up just making him more emotional. I can relate.

 

This all being said, I really can't stand him and I will relish him getting voted out.

Edited October 29, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[NutMeg]

I think Stephen failing to get people immediately on board with targeting Joe made him think about his failings last time, think about JT, etc. and it all came flooding together. And then I think it was probably a bit of being embarrassed he was crying ("This is so silly."), which ended up just making him more emotional. I can relate.

Ok, that makes sense. 

 

My first reaction was that since playing he seems to have invested a lot of his self-perception in things Survivor related and that he sees as desastrous the possibility that he could not do well, so setbacks affect him particularly hard (I don't think it's specifically Joe related, as I see Joe as more the "case of the day" than a constant fixation).

 

I see him as both condescending and insecure. He looks like a guy who masks tons of self-doubt with bragging and talking up strengths he has and talking down qualities he doesn't possess while himself not really buying what he is selling.

 

This episode, Joe acted as the symbol of that his malaise, so Stephen wanted the symbol gone, but needed help for that and couldn't get it. So he had a strong emotional reaction because he was incredibly frustrated, and trying to analyze his frustration brought him back to a previous similar situation and forced him to look at things he probably tries to keep hidden.

 

Sorry for the psychobabble, I just couldn't resist :-) 

[Wings]

I don't fault Fish for the tears.  Emotions run high in this game and always on the surface for most.  He laughed at himself and knew it was silly and embarrassing.  He is a dork and there is nothing wrong with that.  It would serve him to embrace that because it is not likely to change.   If you lack self confidence, fake it until it feels comfortable and it will in time.  It really will.   

[peachmangosteen]

I see him as both condescending and insecure. He looks like a guy who masks tons of self-doubt with bragging and talking up strengths he has and talking down qualities he doesn't possess while himself not really buying what he is selling.

 

I completely agree. Normally I am sorta drawn to people with insecurities, but since Stephen's defense mechanism is being a condescending dick it's hard for me to really feel for him.

 

See, for me, Stephen had identified a very really threat: Joe was suggesting to Tasha and Stephen that the tribe vote out ally Kimmi to keep Kelley Wentworth. Joe  specifically pointed to Kimmi's weakness in challenges as the reason to vote her out when making his case to Stephen... who isn't strong in most challenges (gross food being a clear exception). Stephen recognized the pitch as something that wasn't good for him in any way. He has to assume there's a chance they'd go to more than 1 tribal council in their current tribe formation, and he's a target if physical challenge prowess is the main metric for the vote.

Yea, I agree. I think it makes complete sense for Stephen. Which actually makes me even more annoyed by him, since hey, Monica made complete sense too and Stephen was all too giddy to lambaste her. 

 

That's also why his 'Bayon Stong' bullshit is annoying. You/Jeremy/Kimmi took the first chance you got to get rid of a Bayon memeber, so stfu.

[peachmangosteen]

Everywhere basically.

[wonald]

I think 'lambaste' is an exagerration. Esp since Monica and Fish still comment on each other's twitter so it doesnt seem like a big deal.

[peachmangosteen]

He certainly criticized her, which I just find very rich coming from him, especially with his breakdown last night. But that's Stephen's MO this season, act like a condescending dick to mask the fact that he knows he sucks pretty hard at the game but won't/can't admit it.

[KimberStormer]

See, for me, Stephen had identified a very really threat: Joe was suggesting to Tasha and Stephen that the tribe vote out ally Kimmi to keep Kelley Wentworth. Joe  specifically pointed to Kimmi's weakness in challenges as the reason to vote her out when making his case to Stephen... who isn't strong in most challenges (gross food being a clear exception). Stephen recognized the pitch as something that wasn't good for him in any way.

 

Yeah, there was nothing wrong with his reasoning.  In the hammock with Kelley, Joe even said Stephen should go before her.

 

I am going to take this moment to complain to the Survivor gods for giving us two nerdy white guys named Stephen and Spencer on the same season.  They both start with S and have p's and e's and n's in them....I have typed Spencer when I meant Stephen and vice-versa more times than I can count in the past few weeks!