S31.E03: We Got A Rat

[kikaha]

Fish's first season was inland and they didnt have coconuts. I am sure he is not the only one who might be struggling with coconuts and it's not all that riveting but obviously they want to continue the Buffoon Edit.

 

At least he's getting an edit.  That makes me hopeful Stephen will turn things around and go deep.  Some other players have been pretty invisible so far. 

[Daisy]

Back in those days, Burnett liked to keep the teams even strength as much as possible. That challenge was specifically designed to eliminate the team with more members. The team with more members would obviously have a heavier boat and a more difficult time managing the challenge.

 

Wiggles had nothing to do with it one way or the other, it was production.

 

i know. it' was sort of like that challenge in Australia where Okgator could just speed through that maze challenge, and Kucha had like several extra players and they struggled.

 

But it is  still a very amazing,and iconic quote. like the whole lead up to it - like Gervase was like "I like the spot light" the fact that Jeff was like. Kelly, this is your thing...and Kelly's first reaction was.. "i just lost to the guy who can't even swim."  great Survivor-ish moment. 

 

anyway. yeah, i'd like more classic Survivor challenges in the vein of this one like someone suggested. 

 

next day   - I still think Tasha should have shut Varner down at camp not at the challenge. Like I get why she did it, but again, you don't know if you'll need Jeff's vote. it worked out NOW but later down the road? 

 

[Guest]

The rice prize was the ONLY bag of rice IN THE GAME. If you watch the extra scenes like Ciera's this wk, it confirms it. Also, Spencer confirmed to a podcast how important was that bag of rice was conpared to all the other food on the boat they scavenged.

Where does CBS hide these extra clips?  I can't find one of Ciera from this week.  Thanks.

[ljenkins782]

Hope this isn't a repeat pattern of Bayon and Ta'Keo winning now because they didn't have to start from scratch again.

I guess it's as much a luck of the draw kind of thing as the swap itself, but I thought it would have been better to have the tribes compete to see who got the shit end of the stick camp-wise. Whoever comes in last has to start over, but they'd have only themselves to blame. 

 

Surprised Wentworth was willing to throw Terry under the bus so quick.

 

That didn't surprise me and it seemed like a smart move. She's in the minority, he's the only other person in jeopardy and they weren't aligned on their old tribe. Someone posted in last week's thread that PG had tried to work with Terry's group and got turned down flat because Terry "had all his votes." THIS is exactly why that was a stupid move on Terry's part, all those votes he was counting on are on other tribes now. 

 

She's probably got a better shot worming her way into the group as a free agent rather than trying to squeeze Terry in as well. But she also played it pretty smart by not overtly throwing him under the bus and talking bad about him, she called him a good guy to Joe but vaguely mentioned not working with him and then very subtly threw in the bit about him doing a lot of searching for the idol. 

 

Varner was so stupid to do that during the IC. WTF?? He couldn't wait until he got back to camp to his little signals?? Idiot. He's the one playing too damn hard.

He was signaling to Wiglesworth, who's now on another tribe. Had he waited until he got back to camp, she wouldn't have been there to see them. 

 

Wait, what?  Don't they all know everyone still has friends on the other tribes?  Weren't they using the, "I'll get you in with my friends after the merge," as  a reason to align with them?  So what's so bad about waving to one of your old friends and mouthing a few words?  How does that make anyone a rat?

 

Ha, it doesn't, but that was a pretty smooth move on Tasha's part. Making her argument based on the old "let's keep OUR tribe strong" rather than "my butt's on the line, save me" gave the others something to agree with and relate to. 

 

That Savage and Tasha move was indicative of why Ta-Keo was losing challenges. They were just a hot mess. Even with the numbers, they imploded and allowed Tasha and Savage to just move right in.

 

I was cringing when Woo told PG they'd be okay to vote out Jeff because they still had a majority with Abi. As if Abi could ever be counted on, especially with PG in the mix. Then Abi herself came right out and said she wasn't with them and I had some hope that they would stick together with Varner and get rid of someone else.

 

But Tasha/Savage's plan was a great one, dividing that vote between Abi/PG was an easy sell to both potential targets. Wish it had been Abi, but oh well. I wasn't terribly invested in PG either. 

 

Why can't I have nice things and have Andrew bounced by a twist again?

 

I was conflicted on this one. Much as I want Savage out, I really wanted it to be a clean hit where his "love tribe" blindsides his pompous ass so he can't bitch about unfair twists or whatever. 

 

Was there something edited out of the end of the challenge? Because in tribal it was described as Varner having an emotional breakdown, and I didn't see any big display of emotions or anything.

 

I thought that was just Varner trying to misdirect the others about what he was actually doing. "No, I wasn't trying to collude with the other tribe, I was just missing my friend after a hard day of losing our camp and losing a challenge, etc." He wasn't actually emotional, but had to play off what he was trying to pull. 

 

No, Varner - NOOOOO!  Stay under the radar, sweetie!  Stick around, your accent makes me all swoony!

 

Ha, I could listen to him talk all day. His confessionals are automatically more interesting to me just because I love the accent so much. 

 

ETA: I've got the episode on in the background and the "rat" scene just came on. The weirdest part of all of it is Probst deciding to hash it out right there at the challenge with the other 2 tribes present. Since I didn't have the screen up, I honestly thought the video had skipped ahead to tribal council, but no. 

 

That seems like highly advantageous information for the other tribes to have (down the road at merge time) about Angkor's inner workings, such as Woo being suspicious of Varner and always the last to know. 

Edited October 8, 2015 by ljenkins782

[ProfCrash]

I have been finding them on Youtube. There is a link in the bonus clip thread.

[wonald]

Where does CBS hide these extra clips?  I can't find one of Ciera from this week.  Thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2acpN_8uh0

 

Go to the 2 min mark. She is like - OMG! They haz rice!

[NutMeg]

Maybe that was Vytas' strategy.

Oh no...(THAT made me laugh so much it's just due to chance that I managed to NOT spill my Sauvignon Blanc on my keyboard). Your post is the best!

[fishcakes]

This was such an infuriating episode.

 

I'm beyond tired of watching Abi screw over her alliance mates. The only reason she jumped ship this week was because no one was paying attention to her. Old Ta Keo agreed they'd stay four strong and vote out Savage and Tasha first, and then after the challenge, Varner's name gets floated because he was talking to Wiglesworth and because Tasha and Savage are desperate. This goes against the narrative in Abi's head about how everyone's out to get her all the time, so she has to announce that this vote is really about her getting off the bottom of her alliance, thus making her the hero of her own paranoid story.

 

It also sucks that Savage and Tasha now think they're brilliant strategists. They got lucky that Abi is crazy, that's all. I'm no Savage fan, but Tasha is the one really bugging me right now; she's another person who said she'd play differently from her first season, but she's still smugly lecturing everyone on how the game should be played.

 

Even so, Peih Gee, Varner, and Woo panicked and played that completely wrong. Peih Gee made herself a target by going to Savage and Tasha about voting off Abi instead of Varner. She, Varner, and Woo should have let the opposing vote stay on Varner and then used their three votes against Abi, making it a tie. Savage and Tasha aren't going to go to rocks on Abi's behalf, and at least one of them is probably going to flip on the revote. Abi goes, and they still have the majority.

 

Not that it helps them, really. Old Bayon has the majority on two of the three tribes and assuming everyone other than Abi plays along original tribal lines, which is what happens the majority of the time, old Ta Keo would be going into the merge down in numbers anyway. Given the way things played out on Angkor last night, I feel like the Pagonging of Ta Keo has already started, and, if so, this is going to be a pretty boring season.

 

Wentworth is playing a smart game, but I wish she'd stop mugging for the camera.

 

And to the editors, could we see less of the "Fishbach is a loser" narrative and more of Wiglesworth in general, or, you know, at all?

 

The only good things about the episode were the non-human moments: the leopard, monkeys taking a bath, hooting baby monkey, the lizard's epic side-eye, and Spencer trying to have feelings. When did that dude become Starman? "What is ... love? What is ... Dutch Apple Pie?"

Edited October 8, 2015 by fishcakes

[azshadowwalker]

Problem with what Jeff did, he likely screwed Kelly over at her new tribe.  Now people are going to wonder what he said, and if they think Jeff was giving info to her, they may get rid of her before she can act.  

 

Exactly. It was a dick move to say her name out loud in front of all three tribes. She had nothing to do with it, but he dragged her into his drama. Jeff's an idiot.It hasn't taken long for me to really dislike the guy.

[Guest]

Yeah, Ciera does imply she had no rice until inheriting TaKeo's old camp.  Weird.  There must be a lot of fruit and snails around for them to entirely maroon them without even some basic food.  Thanks for the direction to the clips, from two of you.

 

I second liking Josh Wigler.  

[ProfCrash]

Andrew and Tasha did play that brilliantly. They were the bottom two. They saw a rift and they exploited it. Heck, they even manged to out Jeff and his various alliances.

 

Was it easy to exploit the rift? Hell yes. Abi is unstable and easily manipulated. Outside of that obvious piece of info, they choose the right person to vote out. Peih Gee is more likely to behave strategically. Abi is out of control and jumping all over the place. In voting out PG, they leave Abi in the game. Woo and Jeff are not likely to want to work with Abi. Abi won't work with Woo, her comment at tribal tells you that. Abi has stabbed Jeff in the back and will be happy to do so again. So Andrew and Tasha are now in a position where they remain safe even though they are still in the minority. They can vote with Abi and take out Jeff or Woo or they can vote with Jeff and Woo and take out Abi.

 

They took a shit hand and managed to do something pretty darn good with it. It will benefit them and their alliance at the merge and it will give them some serious cred if they make it to the finals.

[azshadowwalker]

Andrew and Tasha did play that brilliantly. They were the bottom two. They saw a rift and they exploited it. Heck, they even manged to out Jeff and his various alliances.

 

And this is why Jeff's attempt to communicate with another tribe at the IC is a big deal. This game isn't about "communicating with someone I care about". It's about winning, forming alliances and advancing. If Jeff is trying to communicate with someone on another tribe, that makes it pretty clear that he's trying to maintain alliances from before the split. That is a problem for Tasha and Andrew, any way you want to slice it. It not only reflects on what might happen if they allow him to make the merge, but it also reflects on what he might do right now. If he's trying to keep his old tribe strong, that would make it appear that he's unlikely to keep possible roadblocks in the game. The biggest roadblocks are people who were not on his tribe at the beginning of the game. There's a damned good reason for Tasha to call out that behavior and make it obvious to everyone out there. The fact that Jeff laid out his entire alliance just makes it a smarter move by her.

[ToastnBacon]

I agree that it was tactically sound for Tasha to call Varner out for talking cross tribes at the IC.

From a damage control perspective as far as Varner is concerned, I think he should have bluffed and blustered his way out of it rather than totally capitulating.

In the end, he survived because of Abi's vendetta against Pei Gei.

Varner can probably recover with practically minded players by keeping himself relevant. Although he probably did damage himself with emotional players, since they tend to have longer memories and are less forgiving.

[Evenshorter]

http://www.zooborns.typepad.com/zooborns/amur-leopard/

 

That baby leopard was the cutest animal I have ever seen on Survivor.  They have fantastic wildlife photography, for which they should receive more credit.  In fact, fuck the people, just show the animals.

Well, you can always turn to National Geographic or Animal Planet. Me? I'm just a person who likes watching people starve while I eat donuts.

[Vodka]

 Just once (maybe not this season because I'm rooting for too many others), I would like the jury to give the million dollars to the goat, if only so people will stop keeping obnoxious people like Abi around.

 

That's an interesting suggestion!  There's a name for this kind of thing in game theory, but I can't think of what it is.

Woo chose to not bring who everyone in their season thought of as a goat and didn't get anything but mocking for that choice.

[Waldo13]

Fuck Abi. Fuck her stupid braids and her smirkiest, smuggiest face that ever was. Fuck. Her.

Why can't I have nice things and have Andrew bounced by a twist again?

I thought for sure Stephen was a goner just because of the nature of his confessionals. And that Joe and Terry's tribe would lose because they both gave confessionals about how they were going to win all the things.

Peih-Gee is from China? James's China?

Abi is not a villain she is just a bitch to the nth degree. Smirking at PC being voted out and in a way threatening Woo by telling him this was the second time he wrote her ne down. Is she going to be the goat that gets dragged to the finals? I hope not.

[jaigurudeva]

Angkor tribe is basically shipped off to a permanent Exile Island, with no shelter for rest of food for energy, and for no reason but drawing the short sticks from the bunch. No doubt they're going to be beaten at every future challenge, too. I prefer Survivor as a strategy game, not a game of chance or luck-of-the-draw.

I get the premise, in order to keep the merge from being a simple six against six, with one alliance winning over whoever felt most victimized by their tribe's 'final-five' alliance, and then picking out the next four like clockwork, as has happened the last several seasons. Adding another alliance of three or four to the merge will make it more dynamic and interesting, but only if enough equal (ish) numbers from each tribe survive to the merge, which can't happen if one tribe is severely disadvantaged.

Edited October 8, 2015 by jaigurudeva

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

And Then There Were Three
An unusual tribe swap results in a reversal of fortune for some Survivors; fast and furious strategizing ensues.

[Kromm]

It's all pre-planned, right down to the last challenge.

ETA: All buffs, printing of the clues, idols, challenge construction, set up... it's all done well in advance. Has to be.

That thing they had today was massive, three different stages, those bumpy trails, the keys... think about the man-hours that went into just that one challenge that lasted for about 10 minutes on the screen.

They didn't decide 2 days ago "Hey, let's swap them into three tribes and go build a course for three teams, complete with different colors!

 

Cook's delight, OK, if you say so.  I thought the producer manipulation theme and choosing the winner had been discredited.

SUSANNOT, I'm not sure I understand the connection between saying that the tribe split (and the idols and challenges) were pre-planned and (presumably undue) producer manipulation.  "Planning" isn't the same thing as manipulation.  If you've ever taken a trip and booked your airfair, hotels and rental car ahead of time, that's planning, not manipulation. That's all that's being said here by Cooksdelight about the tribe split, Idols, etc.  That they didn't come up with them on the spot. They were planned long in advance.  It's not manipulation, because they DIDN'T pre-plan who would win, or who would find an Idol, or who would get voted out, or anything like that.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Kromm

[barbedwire]

I am so glad Jeremy got that idol.

 

Abi is so swarmy.  I hope Woo can turn it around and bounce her butt right off the island.

 

Good for Tasha for doing all she can to stay in the game, including calling out a rat.  That is why the game is called Survivor.

 

I always feel sorry for those who have to leave an island where they earned something (fishing gear or rice) and go to a camp that has earned nothing.  Seems so unfair.

[Kromm]

I love that Abi is directly or indirectly responsible for the last 2 boots. In a season of many good players, she is an element that you have to deal with in order to win. Like the monsoons.

I know it's icky, but really if you think about it... she's The Hantz.

[ProfCrash]

A fair number of the returning players figured that there would be extra twists. A good number thought that they would go to three tribes instead of a simple tribe swap, I saw it mentioned in the pregame interviews.

 

The boxes were picked randomly by the players so I fail to see how that could have been manipulated.

 

The only problem I have is that Angkor went to an unbuilt camp with no supplies when the others returned to built camps with a lot of supplies.

[wonald]

from Parade.com today

 

 

Unlike Ta Keo and Bayon, the people at Angkor were forced to build a completely new shelter on a completely new beach, with only the bare minimum of supplies — absolutely no food or anything else the two other tribes were able to keep from the marooning.

http://parade.com/428649/joshwigler/its-game-over-for-peih-gee-law-on-survivor-second-chance/2/

Edited October 8, 2015 by wonald

[Kromm]

I wonder.  No shelter I get. No food?  Don't the teams always get basic rice?  Which admittedly they can use up (or as we've dramatically seen before, have some tribe member dump/sabotage). But it seems to go against the tradition of the show to not give them the rice.

 

Mind you, I know they strand people on Exile without rice, but that's just for 2 or 3 days a shot, and then even if the same person gets stranded again they have at least a meal or two back in camp first.  The only one I'm not sure about are the Redemption Island seasons, where one person might be off by themselves (with at most two other people but usually one).  Not sure if that person gets rice or not (but I've assumed they must get SOMETHING, because usually they've appeared fit enough for the Redemption challenges).

Edited October 8, 2015 by Kromm

[wonald]

Rice has not always been a given. The all-stars didnt get any rice in S8. All they got was one pot and one machete.

This is an all star season.

Edited October 8, 2015 by wonald

[Guest]

I'm thinking it must depend partly on the locality.  Like maybe they get rice and/or beans when there is a strong chance they wouldn't be able to catch or forage enough for basic survival?   These places with abundant coconuts and easily found shellfish can't be too hard to survive in.  Coconut is loaded with calories.  I think a medium coconut is like 1200 calories or more?  Eat two a day and you'd gain out there.  

 

I wonder if the producers think the 'have not' scenario can be turned into an advantage or at least a resume point at the end.  I think I've heard Jeff postulate on whether or not the tribes that NEED to win the most dig the deepest in challenges or if they're just too beaten and weak.  I personally don't like it and I think we've seen time and again that the 'have nots' lose, which is just making the stronger tribes stronger.   We want to see underdogs win, not get smashed to bits.   

Edited October 8, 2015 by Guest

[cooksdelight]

The put the 10 men of "Alone" in the middle of British Columbia in the winter, no food, no shelter... nothing. If these kids cannot find food with the ocean at their feet, or fruit trees all around them (follow the monkeys, boys & girls), that's their problem.

[Wings]

I just watched again and missed this the first time.  Fishbach actually said he wanted to find the idol for his alliance.  What?  At this point in time, especially given the fact he co hosts a podcast,  he thinks it is a good idea to tell someone else he has it.   He thinks that sharing he has it won't instigate a blindside to flush it?  And he thinks he will hand it to someone else to save them?   Oh good grief.  

[needschocolate]

I wonder if the producers think the 'have not' scenario can be turned into an advantage or at least a resume point at the end.  I think I've heard Jeff postulate on whether or not the tribes that NEED to win the most dig the deepest in challenges or if they're just too beaten and weak.  I personally don't like it and I think we've seen time and again that the 'have nots' lose, which is just making the stronger tribes stronger.   We want to see underdogs win, not get smashed to bits.   

 

Probst said something at the end of TC to the effect of "You could be the next underdogs but you have to hit rock bottom first" - which made no sense to me, because (1) he made it sound like people should want to be the underdog, and (2) I think he was confusing underdogs with addicts. 

[KimberStormer]

No one should be playing who does not want to actually win the big prize. They are not all going to be playing a game that will let them win, luck might screw them over but their goal should be to win. Abi doesn't play to win. She knows that. She knows that her emotional overraction to everything is bad for her but that is what she does. THen she smirks and smiles and rubs it in when she stabs someone in the back for no good reason. She gloats.

 

See now, I think Abi wants to win and is trying to win, she just doesn't know how.  As people pointed out, it's crazy for her to say "I'm not on the bottom with them" when no matter how you count it she totally is: but that's only if you're looking at it in a certain way (the way most of us look at it), and Abi is not looking at it that way.  To her, "on the bottom" is an emotional state, a feeling.  She is on the bottom when she's feeling down, on the top when she's feeling in control.  People coming to her asking for her vote, saying they'll take out who she wants to take out = Abi on the top.

 

To me an example of someone infuriatingly not playing to win is Denise from China.  What can you do, when you're Peih-Gee and Jamie, if the idiot on the bottom knows she's on the bottom and refuses to do anything about it whatsoever but mope?  Abi is not like that.  She is making moves for her own benefit.  They are crazy moves.  They won't help her win.  But she's playing for herself, the way you're supposed to play.

 

Now I agree that everyone is incredibly dumb to keep her.  Eliminate the element of chaos.  But if they're going to grab this radioactive isotope of a goat-vote, they absolutely deserve to suffer for it and get voted out by her undirected scattershot radiation.  That's on them, not on Abi.  And I love seeing them go down for it, though I can see that I'm in a tiny minority.

 

I just watched again and missed this the first time.  Fishbach actually said he wanted to find the idol for his alliance.  What?  At this point in time, especially given the fact he co hosts a podcast,  he thinks it is a good idea to tell someone else he has it.   He thinks that sharing he has it won't instigate a blindside to flush it?  And he thinks he will hand it to someone else to save them?   Oh good grief.  

 

It worked perfectly for him last game.  He got the idol thanks to Taj, shared it with her, she loved him.  Shared it with JT, he loved Stephen too.  He never needed the idol for anything else.

 

 

Wentworth is playing a smart game, but I wish she'd stop mugging for the camera.

 

I understand this but I love it!  She's adorable.

Edited October 8, 2015 by KimberStormer

[SuburbanHangSuite]

I want to punch Abi in the face. That is all.

[himela]

Wow such an amazing episode! I'm so happy this season compared to last season's dullness and mediocrity, now every minute of every episode I feel is awesome and has a purpose. I loved how Spencer could realize his mistakes and try to correct them in his new tribe and I loved how he did it. I do believe this bonding will result in something later on - maybe Jeremy will take Spencer with him after another tribe switch or the merge and save him. I feel nothing shown is in vain, everything leads to something, like the drama with the bracelet on day 1 resulted in this animosity between Abi and PG which led to PG getting voted out. Oh I love it. I wish the episodes were longer. I was surprised with Tasha, she did a great job finding the gap where she and Savage would get in. I hate Savage but he played it well today. Even Terry saying in the beginning of the episode that he feels safe will eventually result in something. I feel the producers have done a good job presenting things how they happened this time. I'm left thinking whether this Sandra like strategy of Abi ("if it ain't me I don't care") will do her any good. How stupid of Varner to try to talk to Kelly in the other tribe? Hello? We are in Survivor 31, have you watched any other seasons after yours? Varner needed a miracle to stay and he found it. Never underestimate women's catness lol.

[ProfCrash]

Well, the gap was pretty obvious. I think there was a bright, flashing neon sign telling Tasha and Andrew were to go. They did a great job taking advantage of it  and using it to their benefit but it wasn't exactly well hidden.

[Alapaki]

See now, I think Abi wants to win and is trying to win, she just doesn't know how.

 

 

I agree with this.  She's just so fucking smug that she thinks she's running the game.  When, in reality, the other players are simply allowing Abi to decide which of her own fingers they cut off.  And she doesn't even fucking realize it.

[himela]

I think they meant that it was production that decided to have a tribe shake up.

I always wonder whether production has everything decided before the season starts (like on what day they do swaps, what challenges they do, when they merge etc) or they just decide while the game is being played.

[cooksdelight]

I always wonder whether production has everything decided before the season starts (like on what day they do swaps, what challenges they do, when they merge etc) or they just decide while the game is being played.

Yes. Production has everything decided before the season starts.

[Gentian root]

"I'm going to have feelings."
Good for you, Data.

[Guest]

It worked perfectly for him last game.  He got the idol thanks to Taj, shared it with her, she loved him.  Shared it with JT, he loved Stephen too.  He never needed the idol for anything else.

I think technically Taj found the idol, handed it to Stephen to hold because he had pockets, and Stephen kind of acted like it was his after that, though sometimes Taj held it.  But I think it was always Taj's idol.  And I think she was smart to align with Stephen and JT and let them think it was their idol as much as hers, though it only got her fourth.

[Alapaki]

HIMELA, ON 08 OCT 2015 - 2:48 PM, SAID:

I always wonder whether production has everything decided before the season starts (like on what day they do swaps, what challenges they do, when they merge etc) or they just decide while the game is being played.

Yes. Production has everything decided before the season starts.

 

 

 

I could certainly see them switching up the order of pre-planned challenges, tribe-swaps, etc., although frankly I think there are enough ways for them to shape the narrative in casting and original tribe selection before filming even begins that they wouldn't bother micro-managing to that extent.

 

Also, splitting up into 3 Tribes with 18 players left seems to make perfect sense.  The alternative (assuming they wanted 3 equally-sized Tribes) would be to wait until 15, which is pretty close to when the jury and and the merge happen.

 

My reality-tv version of Occam's Razor is to not assume a Knollish motive if there's a plausible non-Knollish one.

[himela]

Maybe Tasha's thinking was, Abi is so unpredictable so it's better to agree with her than disagree with her. Now Abi feels that Tasha did her a favor (crazy, I know) and Tasha will be on her good side - until she is not again, because, well, it's Abi.

[Mreid]

Can i just say that Monica is sooooo boring. How and why did she get voted back onto this season. I keep forgetting she is even there. I hope the Bayon tribe loses the next challenge so we can see some strategy talk from her or Kimmi they are like invisible.  Though its gotta be tough to get a decent edit when there are so many people early in the game. I wish we had more 90 minute episodes :)

[Jersey Guy 87]

The shot of Keith attempting to get into a hammock (something he clearly has not done before) was priceless.

 

It was also a reminder that Keith is in the game.  I had forgotten.

 

Bayon really lucked out with that tribe swap. They ended up dominating two of the tribes. And then the third tribe, they were on the bottom, but still ruled that tribe. Part of that was just sheer luck - to have Abi and PG on the same tribe. But I also thought Tasha and Savage played it really well. They worked the members of Ta Keo, without overdoing it. It was thrilling to watch it go from Varner to Abi to PG, and round and round and round. I can't stand Abi and had no real attachment to PG, so I didn't care either way. I was just glad it wasn't Varner. 

 

 

The third tribe was a perfect storm of clusterfuck.  Woo is clueless, Varner is constantly trying to stir things up although he's overplaying, Abi and PG hate each other.  There's no way they were going to work together, Tasha and Savage were handed a free pass to dominating their tribe.

 

Fishbach  - this is his second stint on Survivor and he cannot open a coconut??  Wouldn't one practice - I don't know, SURVIVAL skills - if one is going to be on Survivor?

 

Why would they?  There hasn't been a season of Survivor when survival skills have really mattered since Wigglesworth played the first time.

 

Probst said something at the end of TC to the effect of "You could be the next underdogs but you have to hit rock bottom first" - which made no sense to me, because (1) he made it sound like people should want to be the underdog, and (2) I think he was confusing underdogs with addicts. 

 

Also, it's one challenge for this group.  That's not exactly a long history of sucking (although this does look like one disaster of a tribe).

[ChicksDigScars]

Jesus Christ. Abi's histrionics are sucking the viewing pleasure right out of this season. How can any of these idiots think that keeping her around is a GOOD thing. Sure, sitting next to her at the end is a huge advantage, because NO ONE is going to hand her a million bucks, but you have to make it there, first. And her flying off the handle, paranoia, switching alliances and generally being the worst person on earth not named Hantz...no way. Not to mention that she's getting WAY too much face time. Please make it stop. 

Edited October 8, 2015 by ChicksDigScars

[seasick]

See now, I think Abi wants to win and is trying to win, she just doesn't know how.  As people pointed out, it's crazy for her to say "I'm not on the bottom with them" when no matter how you look at it she totally is: but that's only if you're looking at it in a certain way (the way most of us look at it), and Abi is not looking at it that way.  To her, "on the bottom" is an emotional state, a feeling.  She is on the bottom when she's feeling down, on the top when she's feeling in control.  People coming to her asking for her vote, saying they'll take out who she wants to take out = Abi on the top.

 

 

 

 

 

  . .  

I agree.  If her original 4 could have done anything at the point when Woo was talking "4 strong" ,they might have looked to Abi to sort of 'make the decision to stay 4 strong (and not vote Varner out)  In other words put her into a feeling of leadership.  They often do this with crazies or goats on other seasons.   I admit that's a big 20/20 hindsight.

 

Also Abi knew that Varner found her to be "a joy" and was her BFF.  So she didn't necessarily have to decide she was on the bottom of the 4.    But her soft spot is the glee she gets in skipping up and telling her alliances that she's screwing them over.and watching them sweat.  

 

.In the previous ep., once Terry,and Varner got a foot-hold with Abi   getting the others to vote for Shirin/Spencer was easy.  2 of S/S's alliance had defected and the others were still not solid.  Of course they saw those two as the biggest strategic threats.

 

In either case the only hope the losing side had was to convince the others that indeed Abi, with her big mouth and her crazy emotional state, and her willingness to throw anyone under the bus strickly for her own sick pleasure was a bigger threat to everyone.  Shirin should have done it  like I said in my last ep post and blew her up to the rest-- saying Abi came right to me and told me what you guys were planning and suggest that she did it in a betraying way to the others. 

 

And that was the only hope PG and Woo had.here.  Sure, Tasha looked sincere about voting out Abi and concerned when PG was bashing Abi, but saying it's because she doesn't like the way Abi speaks to her is no reason.  She should have realized that NO WAY was Tasha and Savage going to miss the oppty to grab Abi's vote and risk being still 2 and 3 for that reason.  (how they got Varner aboard I don't know, but It wouldn't be hard..he was too vulnerable and once again crazy Abi paved the way)    

 

PG and Woo's only hope was to convince them that Abi's way of never keeping her mouth shut and always screwing her alliance over for the sheer glee of it will kill them soon. The might have agreed to vote Varner out if they voted Abi going 2-2 into the merge and remind them they already are aware Varner is a "Rat".    

 

I think it was their only shot.  And not at TC, but at camp.  But it does amaze me how they will blab to Probst about their alliances and who's on the block etc. but wouldn't at least spill about Abi's big mouth and disloyalty even then.  

 

I just have to say..off strategy   that when I think of Abi's princess emotional state I find it very strange that she does Survivor at all !!, - and withstands the hunger, bugs, rain, cold, dirt, same nasty clothes--- she doesn't fit the 'camper, outdoorsey profile at all.  

[Zuleikha]

(how they got Varner aboard I don't know, but It wouldn't be hard..he was too vulnerable and once again crazy Abi paved the way)

I think it was numbers. Savage and Tasha presumably told Varner they were going with PG. That means Varner voting Abi would make a 3/3 tie whereas voting PG makes a 4/2 eviction. Of course, Varner could have advocated for PG and put Savage/Tasha in the position of forcing a tie to protect Abi, which it is very unlikely they would have done.

 

IMHO, that would have been the smarter play because Varner/PG/Woo would have been up 3/2 against Tasha/Savage whereas now Varner is in a very weak position. He knows that Tasha doesn't trust him and neither Woo nor Abi have any reason to risk themselves to try and protect him. If Angkor loses again, Varner's only hope is that Abi pisses off Savage/Tasha enough that they vote her out instead of him. Definitely possible given Abi's Abiness, but I don't think it's likely. Jeff better be hunting for the idol.

[Wings]

 

 

 

Now I agree that everyone is incredibly dumb to keep her.  Eliminate the element of chaos.  But if they're going to grab this radioactive isotope of a goat-vote, they absolutely deserve to suffer for it and get voted out by her undirected scattershot radiation.  That's on them, not on Abi.  And I love seeing them go down for it, though I can see that I'm in a tiny minority.

 

 

It worked perfectly for him last game.  He got the idol thanks to Taj, shared it with her, she loved him.  Shared it with JT, he loved Stephen too.  He never needed the idol for anything else.

 

 

 

 

I agree about Abi.  And thank you for telling me about Fishbach.  I have zero memory of him playing this game at all.  Huge blank spot. 

[laurakaye]

I've been slowly re-reading and savoring old Survivor recaps on Brilliant But Cancelled.  I am currently reading up on Season 19, which featured Russell, Shambo...and Monica.  I'm reading about her season and I STILL don't remember her.

[ghoulina]

Also, it's one challenge for this group.  That's not exactly a long history of sucking (although this does look like one disaster of a tribe).

 

Well, it is comprised of 4 members of Ta Keo, who had previously lost the other 2 challenges. They're all ready not cohesive in the slightest, so I could see them continuing to lose in the future. But we shall see. 

[mojoween]

I suppose it's good for Tasha for finding an in, but I thought the way she called out Jeff after the challenge was incredibly obnoxious.

[RedheadZombie]

Abi said that to Woo because she is an emotional, irrtional trainwreck and loves to rub it in that some how or another she is still there. She is going to target Woo because he had the audactity to vote for her insane ass twice.

 

I really don't like Abi. Why the hell did anyone vote for her? I fail to see how anyone sees this as good Survivor play and any form of entertainment.

Woo is Abi's target at this time. But next tribal is three days away and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she changes her focus to Tasha. She seems to have a bit of a problem with other women.