S13.E06: Bunking With The Devil

[KimberStormer]

Things I liked about this episode:

1. Terry's son is OK

2. They went and got Terry the minute they heard, and did not fuck around with it, just got him out of there.

3. Everyone looking good at the reward challenge, particularly Woo, Jeremy, and Abi

4. Jeremy stealing a bite of balut

5. Kelley Wentworth is safe for another round, idol intact and with deep divisions amongst her tribemates

6. Ciera taking control of her fate and not sitting on her butt.  I didn't even watch Blood VS Water, but people complaining that she never did anything was getting old.

7. Savage takes Abi for granted, and learns, as so many before him, how that works

8. Update on Danny, and organ donor plug, a very important thing (I say as someone whose one family member died on the waiting list, and another family member's organs saved several people's lives)

 

Things I didn't like:

1. Probst unable to resist the TV SHOW HOST role for longer than a night and grilling people in awful fashion about their feelings as parents

2. Kass's self-regard and sense that for some reason she is the biggest deal.  I was not as put off as most people seem to be, but still, the Khaos is her own self-mythologizing nonsense.  Abi is chaos, you are just a person who's deciding what move you think is best.

3. Everyone's weird insistence that Spencer is so good at the game.  Just like last time, Spencer is nothing but a soccer ball kicked around by others.  He survives by none of his own doing, and gets credit for it.  Compare with Baylor from San Juan Del Sur, who had a similar ride, and did not get the 1930s-Serial Hero Cliffhanger edit, did she?  Spencer was a complete doofus today, starstruck by Andrew Savage of all people, who was lying right to his face.  Basically exactly what happened with Jeremy last episode.  He's real clingy on the "alpha males" these days.

 

But all in all, good episode.  I cannot tell if this was the right move for Ciera, or Kass, or Abi for that matter; but it was not what Andrew wanted and I love that.  Especially as he was so confident, for no reason at all, that his Angkor tribe was tight, and that Abi would vote his way.  I didn't care which of Spencer or Woo, in and of themselves, were going home, because I don't especially like or dislike either one, but since Woo going out represented failure for Savage, I was hoping to see Woo's name.

 

Joe Oiling Up, and Tasha's HILARIOUS reactions after (to who I wonder!?!?)

 

Believe that was Kelley Wentworth saying "Oil up, Joe!"

 

I'm not a huge Fishbach fan, but when he mentioned about the "golden boy", I totally got it. I think the other players in his season didn't know how much Stephen WAS J.T.'s game until the show aired. I can see why taking out Joe could be a big deal for him. I don't blame him for the tears. That's a big monkey he's feeling on his back.

 

Stephen was not JT's game; I think of the two JT brought more to the table, but neither of them did it alone, in any case.

 

 Joe is not JT.

 

He sure isn't.  Nice kid.  No JT.

 

Loved Spencer's comments. "My fate tonight rests in the hands of Khaos Kass. God help me."

 

I found this very hammy, and it reminded me how much Spencer resembles that kid who plays Octavian/Augustus in the HBO Rome series.

 

[Oscirus]

So sad to see Woo go. He bought such a positive energy to the game. I even love his little "blindside" quote.

 

Abi's a legit idiot.  Woo was one of your protectors and you vote him off just to teach him a lesson.  You know what? I want you to make it deep just so you knows how pointless you are when you get dumped once there's no more use for you.

 

Andrew, I know she's invisible to us television watchers but you know Kelly's on your tribe. Right? Why  the hell wouldn't you make her the fake target?

 

I would like the chaos kass stuff if it wasn't so obvious that you were going to vote with your alliance.  Good try, trying to make us believe that you'd vote out Spence, but we knew who you were voting for at tribal.

 

Ciera has the Rob Cesterino ability of having people tell her stupid shit. I get that people think that she's useless but keep that shit to yourself.

 

Jeremy I'll give you props for eating the remaining Balut. I also like the encouraging words.

 

Stephen I get where you're coming from  but a) The JT you fear is the man right in front of you. At best, Joe's just a physical threat. b) If you want people to do your bidding then show them how it benefits them.

 

Terry that's tough to hear. I assume we'll be seeing him again sometime in the near future.

 

Spencer is like the bizarre Dr. Will. He has no idea what the hell he's doing yet he still continues to survive.

 

Kelley missed you tonight.

 

I'm sorry but omg Joe is so boring. His strategy is horrible. The only reason that he's still here is that Jeremy needs a shield.

 

Kelly, you are officially the last member of the old school alliance. Please do something of substance.

 

Kimmi I'll give you props for eating the bug.

 

Keith.... yea, you can't be voted off  too soon.

 

 

 

[wallflower75]

Savage's biggest problem is that he can't take a back seat. Why suggest the Siera misdirection? Just shut up and let the group tell you how they are planning on handling Spencer. You don't have to tell people what to do all the time.

 

Exactly.  What was the thinking behind "blindsiding" Spencer?  Everyone knew he was a dead duck--except Spencer, of course, who thought he was fine.  Did someone think he had a HII?  No?  Then all Savage needed to do was say, "Everyone on board with voting Spencer?  Okay?  Good.  No one talk to him the rest of the day and he'll get the hint that he's gone."  Of course, this would've opened up the chance for Spencer to try and figure a way out of it.  Kudos to Ciera for refusing to just fall in line with Savage's plan and taking charge--after all, if he's just throwing out her name as the decoy, how long before she's the one being voted out for real?

 

I'm really surprised that it was Kass who went to Spencer to tell him the truth about Savage.

 

The weird thing is Andrew kept saying he, Woo and Abi were unbreakable.  Did he mean Abi was 100% loyal to him and so was Woo?   Or did he think Abi was loyal to Woo, while she was actively campaigning to get him out and shaming him for writing her name down twice? 

 

Okay, I didn't see last week's episode--did something happen where Woo and Abi kissed and made up?  What made Savage and Woo think they had anything "unbreakable" with Abi?  You'd think they'd have figured out by now how vindictive she can be.  Maybe the telling sign of who was going home in the episode was the fact that we didn't hear much from Abi--working silently behind the scenes to target the person who had targeted her.

 

I had to laugh at Spencer's "My fate is in the hands of Chaos Kass.  God help me."  I'd have said much the same thing in his position.

[phlebas]

I think that would have backfired on her, I'm sure Abi was still talking about the two votes he threw her way, and Woo wasn't original Bayon, he was the easy choice for her insurrection.

Maybe they talked about it (voting out Savage) until production said "you keep saying 'Savage' when you mean Woo. It will confuse the viewers at home. Please be careful, you are voting out Woo on the same episode we lose Terry, not Savage.  Right?"

[Bryce Smith]

Although I'm not feeling Spencer all that much either. When dumbass Savage said he had to go because he was such a good player, I just had to laugh. He's not! He really isn't. He's just always lucky enough to be the second best choice to boot.

Seriously!  Why is everyone treating Spencer like he's the second coming of . . . anything?  I said it last week, and I'll say it this week.  He's just not that impressive of a player.  I mean, what's so impressive about a guy constantly on the bottom, oftentimes with no clue that he is?!

[ProfCrash]

I am going to be bad and post without reading because I am bad. And because I want to post my thoughts after seeing the show and before reading other peoples thoughts....

 

Stephen really, really sucks. He was crying because he couldn't get people on board with taking out Joe. Really? Crying? He is practically admits that he is such a non-entity in his alliance that people will not listen to him and get rid of Joe. So he is frustrated at his position in the game and the over all stress of the game has totally broken him. I mean, just wow. He is not your JT because you are not working with him. And maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't be looking for a JT. Maybe, just maybe you should have worked on not sucking at the physical game of Survivor and at how you relate with people so that folks don't look at you as a problem child in challenges and around camp.

 

Kass was fine for me. I think that she is actually thinking and trying to make decisions that work for her and not totally going over the top. I get that she didn't want to be on a tribe with Spencer and I understand why. I think part of that is that she knows that people are looking for how they interact and for the drama that was possible. If anything, Spencer on her tribe could have tipped Kass from being a calm, rational, fun person to her full chaotic nature. Instead, she handled it pretty calmly. She even figured out that it was better to keep Spencer and spoke to him in a manner that was not condescending. I thought she played well.

 

Woo is a non-target in this game. Woo is someone who can be a challenge beast but no one really sees him as someone who has to go because he is, well, Woo. He is not a strategic threat. Ciera was not happy with being named as the target and properly points to the fact that Andrew was willing to toss out Ciera's name and not Woo's as the fake target. Why would he do that? Bayon has numbers, there is no reason to put up Ciera as a fake boot name. Spencer should have seen through that immediately. Ciera does nothing at challenges, she is not going to win individual immunity . She has a good social game but I think she is not really a threat. We are past the part of the game were you vote out people weak at challenges. So Andrew must be tightly aligned with Woo if he is putting Ciera up and not Woo. So getting rid of Woo removes ones of Andrew, and Tasha's, chess pieces. That is better for Kass and Ciera.

 

Spencer, like Joe, is a nice target to have at the merge. People will focus on them as individual immunity threats and less on the Ciera's and Kass's. So I think that Kass made a good decision. She backed an alliance mate in Ciera and protected her interests. So I don't see it as chaotic and I don't think it was a bad move.

 

I know about Terry so I was not surprised by that. I am glad that they handled it right off the bat and that the show moved on. I was happy to see that they showed Danny at the end and discussed how he is doing well. I hope that he continues to do well. Transplants are hard things, the medications associated with them are insanely hard on the body.

[sadiegirl1999]

I think my favorite line was, "oil up Joe!"

 

 And I think that should've been the name of this episode. ;-)

[jsm1125]

I just realized that literally half the cast has still not received any votes agains them, and we are already at the merge! The only remaining players who have been voted for are Spencer, Wigglesworth, and Abi Maria.

[Starla]

I know Joe is considered the "golden boy," but when he and Woo were oiled up side by side I couldn't take my eyes off Woo. He is a gorgeous man and I'm going to miss gazing upon him. Plus he seems like a real sweetheart, even if a bit naive.

 

I think Stephen has performance anxiety. Being the expert nerd strategist who does blogs and podcasts about Survivor, he probably feels he has to live up to a certain expectation, and it's freaking him out. I hope he can get out of his head and just play the game in the moment. I'm not sure he can do it but I'll hold out hope for him.

[ghoulina]

First and foremost, I'm glad Terry's son is okay and that he was able to get home in time to be with him. I appreciate that the show didn't make a big thing of it, for the sake of drama. They just told Terry there was an issue and his presence was needed. Period.

Ugh, ANOTHER tribe swap??? What was the point of that? I know many of you have much better heads for this game than I do, so it probably doesn't bother all. But right now I'm just scrambling my brain trying to remember who was on original tribe together, who was together the first swap, vs. who is together now. Sigh....

I was thrilled to see Abi and Kass on the same team; I was wondering who would flip out on the other first. But it looks like that was inevitable, as they'll all be on the same team next week anyhow.

Fuck that nasty reward challenge. I don't know how so many of them excelled at it! I'd be right up there with Kass and Ciera. I would have just been praying I got the burned frog, because that looked the easiest to eat. And then when it was over Jeremy comes back for more!!! Craziness.

So I'm really not sure what to think of the blindside tonight. I get that Sierra was annoyed because Savage was just waltzing back in and calling shots. And I get that him immediately picking her as the "decoy" instead of Woo, who had not been on his original tribe, made her suspicious. But then....why not target Andrew for the blindside??? Why Woo? Because now you went against a member of your alliance, and the plan, and you got rid of someone he had become close to. But you still have to play with him! Savage is likely going to pissed and who knows if he'll want to continue working with them from now on? I don't know. Like I said, I get being upset with the plan and wanting to take matters into your hands....didn't get the revised target.

Edited October 29, 2015 by cooksdelight
Removing preview talk

[pennben]

Stephen really, really sucks. He was crying because he couldn't get people on board with taking out Joe....So he is frustrated at his position in the game and the over all stress of the game has totally broken him......... And maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't be looking for a JT. Maybe, just maybe you should have worked on not sucking at the physical game of Survivor and at how you relate with people so that folks don't look at you as a problem child in challenges and around camp.

 

I'm so glad you posted this, because I've been trying to find a place to add this link to an extra video of Stephen (which he linked to on his twitter) mocking folks for thinking physical competitions, and performing well in them are important. He obviously has distain (insecurity?) for that notion. I'm pretty sure those few moments lead right into him with his crying tonight because no one else is as smart as he is and so he can't persuade them to play his obviously better strategic game. 

 

His lesson from his season seems to be that JT was just a dumb jock and that Stephen was the only reason he made it to the end and won.  It seems as though he can't fathom that people can be physical assets, contribute to strategy and have a social game.  He mocks what he doesn't have and bemoans that others aren't as smart as he is (or, as he says, he just isn't able to make them see the light,so he failed).

 

My estimation of him has gone down quite far at this point in the season. 

Edited October 29, 2015 by pennben

[ghoulina]

Spencer was a complete doofus today, starstruck by Andrew Savage of all people, who was lying right to his face.  Basically exactly what happened with Jeremy last episode.  He's real clingy on the "alpha males" these days.

 

I think, in some ways, Spencer is actually playing worse this time around, because he is such a super fan and is a bit starstruck by some of the veterans. He's letting his desire to be part of that "inner circle of champs" really cloud his judgement. But he ended up doing the right thing and believing Kass, which was probably hard for him. So I think that says something. I don't think Spencer is the best thing since sliced bread or anything, but I think he does pretty damn well at the challenges and that might partially count for why he's made it as far as he has. 

 

I'm really surprised that it was Kass who went to Spencer to tell him the truth about Savage.

 

What annoys me about Kass, and this is just my perception, is that she gets off on doing things she thinks people would find controversial. She likes to make moves that are the opposite of what's expected. My problem is, I don't know that those moves are always the best for her game - it's more about being controversial than being smart. It's still too early to tell if that's really the case this season, but it definitely was her last go round. 

 

Andrew, I know she's invisible to us television watchers but you know Kelly's on your tribe. Right? Why  the hell wouldn't you make her the fake target?

 

See? That's what I was thinking. If you don't want Spencer to know, but you don't want to upset your new buddy Woo, why not target the other outsider - Wigglesworth? I just did not get a lot of the moves made by Bayon last night. 

 

I found this very hammy, and it reminded me how much Spencer resembles that kid who plays Octavian/Augustus in the HBO Rome series.

 

Wow, he totally does. Yea, that line really made me cringe. I felt like Spencer had likely rehearsed it. We get it, you and Kass are mortal enemies. It's being a bit too played up, IMO. 

[cooksdelight]

Wtf was with Jeff asking each person who was a parent how they would feel in Terry's situation? What are they going to say. "fuck the kid, I'm winning Survivor!"? That was just a waste of time & meant nothing.

 

Man, I hate those gross eating challenges, I would be just like Kimmy, just give up to the other person.

This is why Probst's talk show was cancelled after one season. He sucks at that sort of thing.

[mojoween]

I read a Q&A with Jeff and it said Danny received his transplant in September. So if they left in May to start shooting, and Terry left about two weeks later, that means the poor kid waited for about three months for that heart. What a toll on the whole family and it's always sad to think what had to happen for you to get that new organ.

[pennben]

The really sad thing is that he got his new heart relatively quickly (I assume this means he was in bad shape).  So many wait for so long, too long, and often never survive long enough to get a new heart. Donors are needed, everyone should think about it.

Edited October 29, 2015 by pennben

[ProfCrash]

So my husband loves to cook Thai food. Loves it. He bought some chile paste to make a dish with but the normal chile paste was not available. He bought two other jars of chile paste (untranslated ingredients) made by the same manufacturer and brought them home. He googled the ingredients and one of them was, I shit you not, was artificial water beetle. So when the water beetle came up tonight, I paused the show and called him into the room. He was pretty happy that he tossed that jar of chile paste because the water beetle just looked all sorts of wrong and artificial water beetle strikes me as even more wrong.

 

Laughed my butt off at the reward challenge. A lot of the men looked quite nice as they oiled up. I did remark that I thought Woo looked better then Joe with the oiled chest. Laughed that Kass beat Stephen. Stephen sucks so badly at challenges that Kass beat him. I think Ciera could have beaten Stephen. I don't remember being a huge fan of Stephen in his first season and I really don't like him this season. I am sorry but you are out for your second chance and you are that inept around camp and in challenges. Worse yet, you seem to be determined to try and show how inept you are.

 

I am not impressed with Spencer. He has been on the top in one vote and has been saved by other folks in other votes. He really hasn't even worked to save those votes. Shirin targeted Jeff and so Jeff took Shirin out. Spencer was not really in danger at that vote. He gets lucky in the buff draw and ends up not gong to tribal for a while. Last week, Spencer is saved because Monica was playing too hard and misread her relationship with Kimmi. Tonight he is saved by Ciera and Kass reading Andrew's allegiances right. Knowing that Abi would vote out Woo and that they could hurt Andrew's alliance was good for them. Spencer is saved not because of anything he did but because of what others did. Right now Spencer is being kept around because it helps others and not because he has built a new alliance with anyone.

 

Abi was quiet tonight, thank god. It was the wrong episode for that. I would put good money on the fact that Abi was bitching enough about Woo that Ciera and Kass knew that she would vote for Woo in a heart beat. So yeah, Abi has voted against her alliance four times. Really trustworthy. Great stuff. But she was quiet and I am very thankful for that.

[ghoulina]

So my husband loves to cook Thai food. Loves it. He bought some chile paste to make a dish with but the normal chile paste was not available. He bought two other jars of chile paste (untranslated ingredients) made by the same manufacturer and brought them home. He googled the ingredients and one of them was, I shit you not, was artificial water beetle. So when the water beetle came up tonight, I paused the show and called him into the room. He was pretty happy that he tossed that jar of chile paste because the water beetle just looked all sorts of wrong and artificial water beetle strikes me as even more wrong.

 

This is a great story. Really. But I think it could have been greatly improved if there had been a surprise supermodel in your house. Just sayin. ;)

[laurakaye]

While I am very satisfied that the title of this episode was called "Bunking With the Devil," I would've also 100% supported a title called "Oil Up, Joe."

 

I loved this episode (except for Terry being pulled - relieved to see his son is doing well).

 

I loved Ciera saying, "Sorry, Savage - you picked on the wrong girl."  I was hoping she'd follow through with her threat by trying to get him out.  I don't understand the logic in taking out Woo, who seems very swayable as far as alliances go.

 

I do not remember Savage being all annoyingly whispering intensity when he played before, but man, I am over it now.

 

I would love to see Kass and Spencer somehow align and go far together, even though I can't stand Kass and her self-appointed nicknames and accompanying personality traits.  "Chaos Kass" versus "Calm Kass?"  I mean, what the ?  Chaos in this game is great if you're doing it with a purpose, but in remembering Kass' previous season, creating chaos just for the sake of living up to the image you want to create for yourself is pointless.  I was surprised that she was the one to clue in Spencer as to Savage's plans.  Interesting.

 

I always love the gross-food eating challenges.  Tasha shadow-boxing the balut down her throat was awesome.  Reminded me of Gervase slapping himself upside the head while eating grubs in Borneo.

Edited October 29, 2015 by laurakaye

[Haleth]

I was surprised Spencer believed Kass so readily, given their history.  Maybe we just weren't shown him talking with other people about the Woo vote.

[Bryce Lynch]

I think it's something to do with that smug stupid face that just looks like it's dying to be slapped.

Also, there's a reason that assigning yourself a nickname was a Seinfeld storyline - it's an obnoxious thing to do!

And when she and Spencer ended up on the same team she immediately announced to everyone that she couldn't stand him - rude and stupid.

The way she seems to do everything just to cause controversy and get smug-muggy camera time

Talking about herself in the 3rd person

She's just an ass :(

Good Seinfeld reference. From now on I will call her KoKo (The Monkey) Kass.

I have found Kass to be slightly less unbearable this season, compared to her first season, but I still can't stand her.

[ProfCrash]

I think Ciera and Kass knew that they had the votes for Woo but not Andrew.

[Skeeter22]

His lesson from his season seems to be that JT was just a dumb jock and that Stephen was the only reason he made it to the end and won. It seems as though he can't fathom that people can be physical assets, contribute to strategy and have a social game. He mocks what he doesn't have and bemoans that others aren't as smart as he is (or, as he says, he just isn't able to make them see the light,so he failed).

My estimation of him has gone down quite far at this point in the season.

I really don't think Stephen thinks that. Stephen and JT are still friends and I've heard Stephen repeatedly defend JT and say that they made strategic decisions together. He's always denied being the mastermind behind JT's win. Edited October 29, 2015 by Skeeter22

[poppy-]

I don't care that Stephen cried.  It's like Jeremy said: "I haven't eaten in 16 days, Jeff".  Plus I cry when I'm frustrated.  I had sympathy embarrassment.

 

Woo said (paraphrasing) "It's nice to be in the know finally" HA!  I like that the editors give us these little moments; it's not to misdirect, it's just a nail in the coffin.

 

I could NOT eat any of those horrible things. Talk about old school  Survivor. I remember one where they drank blood?

[JudyObscure]

For all the talk about Abi's ass it's her front view that takes my breath away. That's the very shape I want in my next life! Also in the breath taking category is Jeremy. I no longer know what my sexual orientation is. Thanks show.

Has Ciera ever opened her mouth and not bragged? Even failing at the gross eating challenge was an occasion to tell us that she was proud of herself. Then at TC it was all about what a master manipulator she was when it probably would have been best for her game to suck up a vote and get rid of a contender like Spencer.

[Wings]

This is why Probst's talk show was cancelled after one season. He sucks at that sort of thing.

 

 

Yes.  His style was just like a tribal council, inane questions with that rye smile.  He did not radiate authenticity and was unnecessarily perky.

 

Online info about balut:

 

 

Not to sound cliche, but the embryo tastes like chicken. Once you get past the notion that you're eating a fertilized duck embryo, you'll find it's quite tasty. Add salt or vinegar, to taste.

 

To say any more I would be just repeating what has been said, so I will address the mac and cheese.  I love to see them go nuts at the mere mention of that and fried chicken!  I love to see the bonding that happens with a food reward, too.  Under those conditions I would crave carbs, fat and protein, too.  Yum and now I want that for dinner.  I am very impressionable that way.  

 

 

Abi was quiet tonight, thank god. It was the wrong episode for that. I would put good money on the fact that Abi was bitching enough about Woo that Ciera and Kass knew that she would vote for Woo in a heart beat. So yeah, Abi has voted against her alliance four times. Really trustworthy. Great stuff. But she was quiet and I am very thankful for that.

 

 

I agree, Abi had to have played a part in that.  

Edited October 29, 2015 by wings707

[gunderda]

I cracked me up when they showed that Abi was the one that wrote Woo's name with the smiley face.  Because of course she did!  I had totally forgot that she was gunning after him. 

 

And I like the frequent tribe swaps.  Makes things interesting.  No one can get comfortable and create a solid group. 

[peachmangosteen]

Every time Savage does not get what he wants, I break out into a happy dance. More please!

 

This! I mean I was really hoping he'd end up being the boot, but him not getting what he wants is good enough.

 

I think Keith cheated. When he opened his mouth it seemed like he had a huge bulge of stuff either under his tongue or at the side of his mouth. I noticed he didn't stick out his tongue. Then when he turned away, he was seen visibly still chewing.

 

I noticed a couple of them still had bits in their mouths when they were declared winner. Usually they make you show a completely clean mouth. I guess they relaxed the rules a bit this season.

 

I know Joe is considered the "golden boy," but when he and Woo were oiled up side by side I couldn't take my eyes off Woo.

 

Replace Woo with Jeremy and I agree. Like how are these women getting all riled up about oiled up Joe when Jeremy was there looking like a Greek God? But whoever upthread said that maybe it's because Joe is single and Jeremy is married is probably on to something.

 

Has Ciera ever opened her mouth and not bragged? Even failing at the gross eating challenge was an occasion to tell us that she was proud of herself.

Saying you're proud of yourself is not really bragging.

 

I actually don't think Ciera (or Abi for that matter) was given enough credit for this vote in the edit. The edit gave Kass all the credit for it when it was Ciera's plan and Abi's decision. I mean sure Kass was kind of the deciding vote, but still. I think they probably all deserved equal credit in how that went down.

 

I really can't stand Stephen, but I was actually endeared by his crying. But he still sucks. He has however made me like Jeremy more, so there's that.

 

This was the best ep so far imo. I'm excited about how this season is shaping up.

Edited October 29, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[Guest]

I'm so glad you posted this, because I've been trying to find a place to add this link to an extra video of Stephen (which he linked to on his twitter) mocking folks for thinking physical competitions, and performing well in them are important. He obviously has distain (insecurity?) for that notion. I'm pretty sure those few moments lead right into him with his crying tonight because no one else is as smart as he is and so he can't persuade them to play his obviously better strategic game. 

 

His lesson from his season seems to be that JT was just a dumb jock and that Stephen was the only reason he made it to the end and won.  It seems as though he can't fathom that people can be physical assets, contribute to strategy and have a social game.  He mocks what he doesn't have and bemoans that others aren't as smart as he is (or, as he says, he just isn't able to make them see the light,so he failed).

 

My estimation of him has gone down quite far at this point in the season. 

I think Stephen was reacting to Jeremy's weird reprimand to him after he failed at the challenge, about, "You have to have confidence in yourself!  We do!"  I agree with Stephen that not winning a ring toss isn't exactly a sign of low self-worth or a character flaw.  I'm not sure I agree that 'staying up all night running the scenarios' is a better skill, but maybe if he left off that 'up all night' part.  I do think it's more important to be a smart player than a challenge beast, if you have to be just one.  

 

He's gone down in my eyes this season, too, though.  And I think JT could've aligned with anyone and gone to the end and won in Tocantins.  He was that good.  Stephen was a handy, loyal sidekick but not essential.  

[Primetimer]

After the gross food challenge rears its squishy, oddly-shaped head for the first time in several seasons, two former adversaries are compelled to reunite and work together.

Read the story

[thejuicer]

I didn't understand the target Woo either. He's a total non-entity in terms of strategy and physical prowess will only get you so far in this game. But good on Ciera for turning on Savage, I wouldn't have liked my name so casually tossed into the mix either.

 

I like Spencer and hope he makes it far. I don't think he's just lucky, BTW. There may be things that we don't see either which make people gun for him so hard.

 

I also like Kass! Say what you will about her, she makes the show more interesting for me. I actually like how she doesn't play into the stereotypical middle aged woman "character" on the show - motherly, afraid to "make moves", looks to a younger alpha male to make decisions for her. See Monica Culpepper/Dawn/Mama C. etc.

 

Oh, and Joe does nothing for me. He is no JT.

[peachmangosteen]

I didn't understand the target Woo either.

 

It seems that, based on what Ciera said on twitter, the main reason was that Abi was ready and willing to vote him out and they needed her vote. Also, as Ciera said, she was worried about how close Woo had gotten to Andrew because that isn't good for her or her Bayon alliance.

[Wouldofshouldof]

With all this talk about JT I had to google him as I didn't remember him.  Hmm.  OK.  I still don't remember him.  You guys can have JT.  I'll take Joe.  Oiled, unoiled . . . makes no difference to me!

[Kromm]

Fishbach crying and his pitiful ring toss did not win him any points with me.

Plus he was rebuffed by each person he tried to convince to vote Joe.

He is irrelevant.

Well he's comic relief at least.

 

Also it's hilarious that he STILL thinks he knows how to play the game. Oh, he claims it's because he's figured out the "right" way this time because he's learned his lessons... but... no. He hasn't learned squat. He still has no idea what to actually do. So we get these funny Talking Heads of him pontificating on what the tribe should do that are totally irrelevant.

[ProfCrash]

This is a great story. Really. But I think it could have been greatly improved if there had been a surprise supermodel in your house. Just sayin. ;)

You don't know me or my husband. Just sayin. ;)

 

I think Stephen was reacting to Jeremy's weird reprimand to him after he failed at the challenge, about, "You have to have confidence in yourself!  We do!"  I agree with Stephen that not winning a ring toss isn't exactly a sign of low self-worth or a character flaw.  I'm not sure I agree that 'staying up all night running the scenarios' is a better skill, but maybe if he left off that 'up all night' part.  I do think it's more important to be a smart player than a challenge beast, if you have to be just one.  

 

He's gone down in my eyes this season, too, though.  And I think JT could've aligned with anyone and gone to the end and won in Tocantins.  He was that good.  Stephen was a handy, loyal sidekick but not essential.  

Jeremy's comment wasn't about ring toss. It was about all of Stephen's challenge performance, his inability to chop wood, his inability to open a snail, his inability to chop a coconut and a fair number of other things that Stephen sucks at. He has given many a confessional about how awful he is at the physical and survival elements of Survivor. There are many a secret scene which show how bad he is at this part of the game. Jeremy, well all of them, realize that Stephen is awful at pretty much every element of the game and was trying to build his confidence. My husband, who watches only because he likes being with me, commented that he though Stephen might land a ring on the other tribes post. Stephen has been that inept this season.

 

Which is why I find Stephen's tears more then a bit silly. He knows, based on numerous confessionals, how badly he sucks at a lot of the important elements of Survivor. He did nothing to improve on some important skills, like throwing crap on posts and cutting wood. He desperatly wants the game to be about the strategy and the moves. He ignores the other elements of the games. He is annoyed by people who think that those elements are important. Yes, $1,000,000 will buy you a lot of fried chicken but you have to get to the end. You know what helps you get to the end? Winning competitions that provide you with food and keep you away from tribal. You know what you need to be able to do to win those? Throw a fucking ring on a pole.

 

This is the problem with how the nerds approach this game. They require the protection of the stronger, more physical players. Without them winning the challenges, the nerds go home because they are a liability. And yet it seems that many of the nerds seem to want to ignore this.

 

You know who else was up 24/7 strategising? Mike, Tony, Boston Rob in his fourth season (well and his second and third seasons) You know what else they did? Not suck at physical challenges and not underestimate how important those challenges are.

 

Look, I am a nerd. I have 40 boxes of comic books in my basement (only a few thousand books, bagged and boarded). I own Babylon 5 action figures for gods sake. I have read the entire Robert Jordan Wheel of Time Series. I am boycotting Game of Thrones because I think Martin is an asshole who abused the fans of the books with insane delays and increasingly long and poorly edited books so he could sell more books. I proudly carry the nerd card. Stephen drives me nuts. I did not like Cochran either. Shirin and Max were the epitome of annoying. The game is more then strategy. There is a personal element, a survival element, and a challenge element. You have to be able to do more then stratagize. And the fact that you have failed to do so and cannot convince your alliance to vote out who you want out is your own damn fault. You have brought little to the table for your alliance. You have not helped them win squat and you do nothing useful around camp, why should they listen to you?

 

Jeremy was more willing to listen to freaking Kimmi then Stephen. If Stephen was crying because he realized how badly he actually sucks at the game, I would be more sympathetic. I get that he is frustrated but I don't think he actually understands the game any better then Shirin or Max understand the game. At least Spencer understands that there is a survival and challenge element to the game and why that is important.

 

I actually think Stephen might annoy me more right now then Abi?

[Mreid]

Stephen more annoying than Abi??? No way jose! Lets not go overboard here lol

[ProfCrash]

Abi is obnoxious but I think a part of her knows that she is not a great Survivor player and that she cannot win. Stephen thinks that his approach to Survivor will win him the game. Worse of all, Stephen claims to love the game, he writes about the game, he podcasts about the game and he still doesn't understand that it is not just about strategy. He still acts like challenge prowess and helping around camp isn't important.

 

If anything, Stephen's behavior this season points to why JT won their season. JT played a well rounded game, Stephen did not. Clearly Stephen has not learned from that experience. He might be more pleasant on the beach but his claimed understanding of the game has led to crappy play.

 

That actually annoys me more then Abi's abrasive, rude, awful behavior.

 

It is like Stephen is flipping the entire Survivor franchise a giant finger and then crying because the game requires more then strategy and that he should actually care about the challenges and camp life. Rubs me the wrong way.

 

Hell, I normally defend the criers but Stephen's tears just point to his inability to understand the game that he claims to love and to have devoted his life to try and win.

[peachmangosteen]

It is like Stephen is flipping the entire Survivor franchise a giant finger and then crying because the game requires more then strategy and that he should actually care about the challenges and camp life. Rubs me the wrong way.

 

It's so very Russell of him!

[Guest]

I just don't think anyone can really properly prep to be good at challenges on Survivor.  Either you're good at what happens to pop up that season or you're not.  It's not like the physical beast types always rule the challenges.  A lot of times it's the oddballs and average dudes like Bob and Terry and Mike who do do the best.  

 

I'm not even that convinced Stephen is sucking any worse than any average player out there but that the edit is playing it up.  And he's obliging by playing it up in confessionals.  

 

It's not like Jeremy can't cut weight and make new allies if he feels like Stephen is tanking things.  

 

I would've taken offense at his comment about self-confidence, too.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

As a Russell fan I concede that that is a great and hilarious point.  Russell did literally cry about that.   Hahahhahahaa.

 

By the way.  When the balut came up and Kass had to eat it, Spencer made things about a billion times worse for his "tribemate" by loudly guffawing at how disgusting it was.  Look we know it's disgusting, but you don't even have to eat it, so why not chill?  

 

I love Jeremy.  I wanted him to go far in his first season and he didn't.  I was heartbroken.  So excited to see what happens this year.  I love the reference to him being King Jeremy because he literally did lie on a hammock and dismiss Stephen's ideas.  Pretty hilarious.  Love him not telling anyone about the idol.  Love the fact that he knows he needs Joe around as a shield and making sure it happens.  

Edited October 29, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[peachmangosteen]

By the way.  When the balut came up and Kass had to eat it, Spencer made things about a billion times worse for his "tribemate" by loudly guffawing at how disgusting it was.  Look we know it's disgusting, but you don't even have to eat it, so why not chill?  

 

I can't blame him for that because I am fairly sure I would've been gagging at the mere thought of having to eat that stuff, too. Hell, I did! I had to cover my eyes when they were eating the pig snout!

[ghoulina]

It seems that, based on what Ciera said on twitter, the main reason was that Abi was ready and willing to vote him out and they needed her vote. Also, as Ciera said, she was worried about how close Woo had gotten to Andrew because that isn't good for her or her Bayon alliance.

 

Yea, I get that. But I wonder how what Ciera did was good for her Bayon alliance. Is Savage still going to be on board with their 5 when Ciera went behind his back and changed the plan? I don't know....

 

 

With all this talk about JT I had to google him as I didn't remember him.  Hmm.  OK.  I still don't remember him.  You guys can have JT.  I'll take Joe.  Oiled, unoiled . . . makes no difference to me!

 

LOL, I Googled him too and he was like a TwoFace. One picture - hot. Next picture - NOT! I don't want Joe either, though. I don't think any of the guys on this season do it for me, sadly. 

I had to cover my eyes when they were eating the pig snout!

 

Ugh, I don't know what was worse - the snout or the brains. I just cannot wrap my mind around eating a snout. I give huge props to anyone who even put those things in their mouth!

[Wings]

I'm so glad you posted this, because I've been trying to find a place to add this link to an extra video of Stephen (which he linked to on his twitter) mocking folks for thinking physical competitions, and performing well in them are important. He obviously has distain (insecurity?) for that notion. I'm pretty sure those few moments lead right into him with his crying tonight because no one else is as smart as he is and so he can't persuade them to play his obviously better strategic game. 

 

His lesson from his season seems to be that JT was just a dumb jock and that Stephen was the only reason he made it to the end and won.  It seems as though he can't fathom that people can be physical assets, contribute to strategy and have a social game.  He mocks what he doesn't have and bemoans that others aren't as smart as he is (or, as he says, he just isn't able to make them see the light,so he failed).

 

My estimation of him has gone down quite far at this point in the season. 

 

Me, too.   No more slack for you Fish!   What a ridiculous rant that was. Pathetic really. 

 

 

Ugh, I don't know what was worse - the snout or the brains. I just cannot wrap my mind around eating a snout. I give huge props to anyone who even put those things in their mouth!

 

I think that was the easiest.  We are all familiar with the taste of pork and many countries eat the entire animal.  The spider would have been the most difficult for me.  

Edited October 29, 2015 by wings707

[ProfCrash]

I just don't think anyone can really properly prep to be good at challenges on Survivor.  Either you're good at what happens to pop up that season or you're not.  It's not like the physical beast types always rule the challenges.  A lot of times it's the oddballs and average dudes like Bob and Terry and Mike who do do the best.  

 

I'm not even that convinced Stephen is sucking any worse than any average player out there but that the edit is playing it up.  And he's obliging by playing it up in confessionals. 

There are always challenges that involve rolling balls, balancing balls, balance, and tossing crap. Those are all pretty easy to practice. Maybe not the specific game but many of the challenges, especially the individual challenges, end up involving some element of games you play at a cook out. Find a friends kid or a niece/nephew and go to Chucky Cheese. Play some horse shoes or bag toss. Do some exercises on one leg. Find a running course that has the basic gym exercises on them. Stephen took the time to do Cross Fit training, he knows the game well enough to know that he needs to be able to do some type of ring toss game. He knows that starting fire is important. He knows what is required out there and he flat out says in a confessional that he doesn't care about that element of the game. He is running strategy 24/7. His pregame strategy should have included some stupid kids game that mimic the individual challenges. People buy puzzles in order to get better at puzzles, buy a set of horse shoes.

 

Stephen is sucking up the challenges. How many other people hit another teams target? I don't buy for a second that was intentional. How many other people did as poorly as he did on the ring toss? Even if he isn't sucking it up as badly as others, he is self conscious and clearly has made an issue out of it. He has made comments in confessionals and in deleted scenes when he is talking to his tribe mates. Jeremy said what he said because Stephen has made an issue out of it. Jeremy didn't have to worry about what to do with Stephen because the tribe was winning and when they did lose there were other targets. I think if Stephen keeps trying to change the vote to a different target, Jeremy might very well dump him.

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, I get that. But I wonder how what Ciera did was good for her Bayon alliance. Is Savage still going to be on board with their 5 when Ciera went behind his back and changed the plan? I don't know....

 

Yea, it remains to be seen how it'll go. But honestly we have no idea what was really going on at Old Bayon so we don't know the dynamics. The only thing that seems pretty clear is that Kass and Ciera felt pretty close. Maybe they weren't even that closely aligned with Andrew and were better with any or all of Jeremy/Joe/Tasha/Keith/Kimmi/Stephen. If so, it might actually have been a great move to save Spencer because Stephen/Jeremy/Kimmi appear to be at least somewhat close to him.

[TattleTeeny]

What is the big deal with mac and cheese?  Just for carbs purposes?  Seems like everyone always gets so excited when that is a reward.

 

Because it's awesome. I get excited for it and I am not starving on a barren beach.

 

I am terrible and shallow, but I find Kass and Kimmi very unpleasant to look at and listen to. And Abi has evil little eyes.

 

Speaking of Kimmi, exactly what is her dietary designation? Vegetarian? Vegan except for the show? 

Edited October 29, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[Neerbeena]

 

Could there have been more rounds to the IC than we were shown?  I was also surprised that Kass, Ciera, and Kimmi went twice when all 3 struggled the first time (and they knew it was a risk sending Kimmi up).  She didn't seem to worry as much this time that not eating the brains would cost her.

 

For these disgusting food challenges in the past, the opposite teams had to pick who went up, so they usually picked the ones with the weakest stomachs.  I'm pretty sure this was the case but they didn't show it for some reason.

 

 

 

Why on god's green earth did Ciera find it necessary to go after WOO of all people?

 

 

That was weird; she was pissed at Savage for suggesting her as the decoy vote but then suddenly Woo is on the chopping block.  Don't know where that came from.

[Vodka]

If Kass wanted chaos, she should've written Abi Maria's name. She will explode.

I like Kass. Love Woo. Hate Ciera and Abi even from their first seasons.

[peachmangosteen]

That was weird; she was pissed at Savage for suggesting her as the decoy vote but then suddenly Woo is on the chopping block.  Don't know where that came from.

 

Ciera has said on twitter that Abi was the reason. I assume that Ciera did want to get rid of Andrew, but Abi was pushing for Woo. Getting rid of Woo isn't necessarily a bad way to go anyway and it was easy since Abi hated him, so it made the most sense to just go with that.

[ProfCrash]

When Andrew tossed out Ciera's name he sent a strong signal to everyone in the tribe.

 

He signaled to Woo and Abi that he saw them as valuable members of his alliance and that he was not willing to even to pretend that he was going to vote for him. He signaled that he was willing to protect them.

 

He signaled to Ciera that he was willing to use her as a pawn which means that she is not that important to his game. Big Brother fans fully understand that it is never good to be the pawn because the pawn is going to get votes and could go home. You don't want to be the pawn. Pawns are in a weak position.

 

Ciera read that signal 100% correctly. She knew that it was not good to be the pawn and had to change up the game.

 

If Andrew was willing to protect Woo and Abi, then Woo and Abi were an important part of his future game. Why keep someone who is an important part of a strong players game especially when that strong player just told you that you are not an important part of his game? Abi advertises who she doesn't like and who she is willing to vote for. We might not have seen it but I am sure that Abi had a neon light with a flashing arrow clearly pointed at Woo.

 

Ciera could target Andrew or Woo. She knew that she had Abi's vote for Woo. Spencer would vote with her to protect himself. Ciera was able to convince Kass that Woo was the right call, so Ciera had Kass. Kelly would have a good reason for keeping Spencer, they started together and had together on the swapped tribe. Taking out Andrew would have been harder. I don't think Abi would vote Andrew and I think she would have told him if he was the target.

[himela]

Oh wow, another great episode and I loved the editing cause it had both new tribes' dynamics and I couldn't really say who was going to get voted out so good job editors. Before I start commenting on the episode I have to say I just finished rewatching Brawn vs Beauty vs Brains season and I have to say that I love Spencer even more than I remembered. He spent his whole game being on the edge, convincing people to give him chances and honestly he had one of the toughest games out there. I mean Tony was a worthy winner, don't get me wrong, but he always had the majority alliance and he was a leader of it calling the shots. Spencer again has a hard game and it's like it's his fate if we could use this term. I'm happy he is doing that good.

 

I'll comment on some players.

 

First of all I'm happy for Terry's son, I wish him the best and to have a great life. I can't say I liked Terry rather than admired him for his challenge achievements so I'm not that sad he left.

 

Kass is a really complicated person, she is like an Abi but with more brains it seems. If you agree with her and don't mess with her, she can be sweet. She is like a hedgehogs, if you don't mess with her she will leave you alone. I don't like her and I guess it's hard to live with her, but seeing her cooperate with Spencer makes me believe she really has the will to change.

 

Wigglesworth was mute once more. Goat much?

 

I was happy seeing the Cierra I had grown to love from Blood vs Water 1 emerging. It's true that Savage took the leader role and he forgot that this game is also social, you cant treat people like you are in the army, barking orders. Savage is stupid and he proved it in this episode. Only having the numbers does not ensure that you will get what you want.

 

I was surprised with Abi who was not involved in any conflict or argument. She silently took revenge from Woo writing her name down TWICE and showing her new tribe she is there to be alligned with them and ready to make moves to take her game further.

 

I didn't get the whole Fishbach drama, I usually love dramas but it was pointless in my opinion. They do have the majority of 6, why all the fuss to vote our Joe NOW? In general I don't like Stephen, I don't like the way he behaved last week in twitter and social media in general and I don't even care for his game. If he wins I will just forget it the next day.

 

Well that's it for now.