S13.E06: Bunking With The Devil

[Hera]

It always amazes me when a survivor self-identifies as a great strategist as they are usually the least flexible in adapting their strategy to the game they are actually playing. Many times these 'strategists' feel superior and look down on the others. I think that most winners have adjusted their strategy as the game progressed. Last season Max, Shirin, and Dan all had pre-game strategies in place and couldn't really adjust. This season it seems like Shirin, again, Monica, and Stephen seem to be trapped in their pre-game mindsets. I don't think Stephen is going to be able to make strategic adjustments based on the shifts in the game and therefore I don't think he's the strategist that he thinks he is.

This is a good point. I wrote a long post about where I think Stephen's insecurity comes from in his thread. The tl;dr version is that I think he hasn't been in a position to get much information about who's allied with whom because he's only been to one tribal council so far. For Stephen and the kind of game Stephen plays/wants to play, this puts him in a terrible spot. He is not a "go with the flow" kind of player; he needs to think through every possible contingency of every vote, and he can't do that this season because he has very little to go on about anything. He has some evidence he can trust Jeremy and Kimmi, but that's not enough to give him a route to the win.

 

If he isn't in the majority for the first vote after the merge, then I think the game is pretty much over for him and I think he knows that.

[cooksdelight]

So did they do away with the clues hidden in the rewards?

Thus far, yes. They have been hidden out in the trees. And just because we're not seeing footage of people looking for them doesn't mean it didn't happen. They were looking... just not finding anything.

[ratgirlagogo]

So at this point only Kelly Wentworth and Jeremy have HIIs, correct?  I get confused.

[JudyObscure]

Thanks to everyone who posted twitter info regarding the choice of Woo.  The editing made it seem like that Ciera was just bothered that she was named as the decoy vote and decided "I'll show you and vote for somebody else. Nyah, nyah, nyah.  I will pick, um, uh, Woo.  So there!"

 

That's how it seemed to me.  I just couldn't figure out why she wanted to make Savage angry while keeping him in the game.  Otherwise it's just poking the bear.

 

I may be the only one but I really don't like how twitter, and the many interviews from evicted people, have changed how we watch the show.  It used to be that we all had the same information to work with to try and figure out what was meant, what happened, what they were thinking, etc. Now,  what a viewer believes, based on what they've seen on the show, can easily be shot down by someone who has additional information from outside the game.  I really preferred the discussions where we all shared the same source.  Now it's the viewer who can be put in the nyah, nyah, nyah position when they guess one motivation and  twitter says something else.  Besides the player, who has had months to think about it can say, "Oh no, that (dumb thing) was not what I was doing, it was all this other hindsite strategy." 

[Bryce Smith]

So at this point only Kelly Wentworth and Jeremy have HIIs, correct?  I get confused.

Yes.  I'm surprised one wasn't available on Angkor, but yes.  They are the only ones at the moment.  Kelley found hers in the very first episode, while Jeremy found his in the third.  Luckily, they're two of my favorites, so I couldn't be happier.  It's always more fun to watch when my favorites find them, not my anti-favorites. :)

Edited October 30, 2015 by Bryce Smith

[susannot]

Someone upthread referred to a remark Kass made to or about Spencer as the Winner's Quote or Winner Scene or something.  What did Kass say?  Nothing she said jumped out at me as ID'ing Spencer as the winner.  Though I would like it to be true.

[Guest]

I'm ok with tweets, though I don't read twitter.  I would actually not mind a "pop-up video" version of Survivor, where the players live-tweet about the experience and we see their tweets on screen.  Though I can't stand shows that put viewer tweets on screen.  

[TattleTeeny]

A wiki by definition is edited by a bunch of people.  It's entirely likely that Kimmi has no clue how her eating habits are described in various corners of the internet, and even less interest in it.  She may have been 'actual vegan' at some point and someone wrote it then.

 

 

...which is why I made that same parenthetical point in an earlier post and used the word "if" in the subsequent one you quoted, but thank you.

Edited October 30, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[cooksdelight]

Yes. I'm surprised one wasn't available on Angkor, but yes.

There was a clue out there for one for them, but no one found it. They looked, didn't find it. Probst & Company won't waste footage to show us people coming up empty-handed.

[ProfCrash]

"I suspect that Terry was given more details than made it into the episode, and then the show/network left it up to him and his son to decide how much they wanted to say about his situation in their blurb at the end. I don't care for Terry as a player, but I really felt for him and thought the show handled his departure really well."

Terry said that was all he was told. Jeff was not given details because of HIPPA regulations. Why Terry's wife wasn't able to tell Jeff, I don't know. Or maybe they didn't give Terry the info on camera because it might violate Danny's privacy rights. Jeff gave Terry his phone as soon as they got on the boat so Terry could talk to his wife.

[Bryce Smith]

There was a clue out there for one for them, but no one found it. They looked, didn't find it. Probst & Company won't waste footage to show us people coming up empty-handed.

I know you know Abi in real life.  Did she tell you that?  And even then, I'm surprised Probst just dissolved Angkor, knowing there was still an idol that could have been found for their tribe.

[rozen]

Sorry, not seeing the hidden greatness of Spencer this go round. I find it humorous that he unwittingly had half his ass out the door, only for Kass to come save him, and he still manages to give a snarky and condescending confessional about her. How about showing some gratitude that you go bailed out for no good reason, again? Tasha has been on the bottom, but she's hustled like a freaking champ, and gets half the screen time. 

 

I don't really like Kass's character, but she was smart to decide eviscerating Savage's new ties as quickly as possible was paramount. He is not the kind of guy you want going into merge with various alliance options. Also, gg Ciera and Kass for reading the Abi/Woo fracture and capitalizing on it. They've shown how much Abi hates Woo's guts for weeks, I didn't find it necessary for them to spell out why the vote went the way it did. Kaos Kass is irritating, but I've come to accept that it's actually kind of better to play that kind of obnoxious game, or unhinged like Abi, if you're a personality that's going to be on the bottom anyway. Its better to be the nuts, prospective goat, swing vote than running scared at the bottom of the alliance every week. People have shown that position can actually be quite profitable (e.g. last blood vs water where the swing votes extracted rewards from every new alliance).

 

Savage clearly underestimated how much grunt work Tasha was putting in to keep Abi on-task, and thought those two would just be grateful to nestle under his Just-For-Men auburn wings. How shocking...not. I think he and Jeremy are going to blow up on merge, he seemed extra tweaked this episode when Jeremy just edged him out for both challenges. Bro love only goes so far when you realize the other guy doesn't realize he's supposed to be play at being a slightly-inferior-but-still-besties. Good on Jeremy for letting Adonis Joe take the heat while he quietly sheds weight, revealing more abs than I thought possible on one human torso. Val, I see why you put up with his histrionics, girl, damn.

 

Has Keith even had a confessional this season? He's just going to coast to nothingness again, isn't he? 

Edited October 30, 2015 by rozen

[Bryce Smith]

Has Keith even had a confessional this season? He's just going to coast to nothingness again, isn't he? 

He had one in week one and another last week.  That's about it.

[wonald]

Someone upthread referred to a remark Kass made to or about Spencer as the Winner's Quote or Winner Scene or something.  What did Kass say?  Nothing she said jumped out at me as ID'ing Spencer as the winner.  Though I would like it to be true.

 

Kass paraphrased a famous quote that Spencer said about her in Cagayan - "Spencer Bledsoe. 0% of winning the game."

 

On one hand, it was a meta comment to their season.

 

On the other hand, not everyone saw Cagayan and taken on face value, it might mean that Spencer DOES win. The most famous example of the editors doing something like this was in Pearl Island when Fairplay said about Sandra the winner: "and I got a mil that says she won't be the final 1".

[NutMeg]

Sorry, not seeing the hidden greatness of Spencer this go round. I find it humorous that he unwittingly had half his ass out the door, only for Kass to come save him, and he still manages to give a snarky and condescending confessional about her. How about showing some gratitude that you go bailed out for no good reason, again? Tasha has been on the bottom, but she's hustled like a freaking champ, and gets half the screen time. 

 

I don't really like Kass's character, but she was smart to decide eviscerating Savage's new ties as quickly as possible was paramount. He is not the kind of guy you want going into merge with various alliance options. Also, gg Ciera and Kass for reading the Abi/Woo fracture and capitalizing on it. They've shown how much Abi hates Woo's guts for weeks, I didn't find it necessary for them to spell out why the vote went the way it did. Kaos Kass is irritating, but I've come to accept that it's actually kind of better to play that kind of obnoxious game, or unhinged like Abi, if you're a personality that's going to be on the bottom anyway. Its better to be the nuts, prospective goat, swing vote than running scared at the bottom of the alliance every week. People have shown that position can actually be quite profitable (e.g. last blood vs water where the swing votes extracted rewards from every new alliance).

 

Savage clearly underestimated how much grunt work Tasha was putting in to keep Abi on-task, and thought those two would just be grateful to nestle under his Just-For-Men auburn wings. How shocking...not. I think he and Jeremy are going to blow up on merge, he seemed extra tweaked this episode when Jeremy just edged him out for both challenges. Bro love only goes so far when you realize the other guy doesn't realize he's supposed to be play at being a slightly-inferior-but-still-besties. Good on Jeremy for letting Adonis Joe take the heat while he quietly sheds weight, revealing more abs than I thought possible on one human torso. Val, I see why you put up with his histrionics, girl, damn.

 

Has Keith even had a confessional this season? He's just going to coast to nothingness again, isn't he? 

Total word to your post, especially the bolded part.

 

(I had a long post ready with quotes from previous pages, but it seems they all disappear when I read another page, any way that could be prevented?)

[Bryce Smith]

Kass paraphrased a famous quote that Spencer said about her in Cagayan - "Spencer Bledsoe. 0% of winning the game."

 

On one hand, it was a meta comment to their season.

 

On the other hand, not everyone saw Cagayan and taken on face value, it might mean that Spencer DOES win. The most famous example of the editors doing something like this was in Pearl Island when Fairplay said about Sandra the winner: "and I got a mil that says she won't be the final 1".

It might mean that, but I think it was just used to reference Spencer saying to Kass in Cagayan.  Nothing more.

[Guest]

...I'm surprised Probst just dissolved Angkor, knowing there was still an idol that could have been found for their tribe.

Why?  I think the swaps and merges happen when they're been scheduled to happen, regardless.  If they stayed in tribes until all idol clues were found, I think they'd still be out there. 

[LanceM]

"I suspect that Terry was given more details than made it into the episode, and then the show/network left it up to him and his son to decide how much they wanted to say about his situation in their blurb at the end. I don't care for Terry as a player, but I really felt for him and thought the show handled his departure really well."

Terry said that was all he was told. Jeff was not given details because of HIPPA regulations. Why Terry's wife wasn't able to tell Jeff, I don't know. Or maybe they didn't give Terry the info on camera because it might violate Danny's privacy rights. Jeff gave Terry his phone as soon as they got on the boat so Terry could talk to his wife.

 

I don't believe Terry's wife ever talked to Jeff. In his RHAP interview Terry said his wife called Lynne Spillman (casting director) who then called production out in Cambodia who then told Probst. 

[ShadowSixx]

Sorry, not seeing the hidden greatness of Spencer this go round. I find it humorous that he unwittingly had half his ass out the door, only for Kass to come save him, and he still manages to give a snarky and condescending confessional about her. How about showing some gratitude that you go bailed out for no good reason, again? Tasha has been on the bottom, but she's hustled like a freaking champ, and gets half the screen time. 

 

 

I don't know if you're referring to us viewers but I think one of the reasons some of us like him (myself included) is because he's forever the underdog. During his season he had to scratch and claw his way to stay in the game because people wanted him out, even when he was on the brain tribe and he won some immunity challenges to keep himself in the game, plus good to see Probst was wrong about Spencer. Anytime you can prove Probst wrong it's a good thing, but wasn't so great was Probst making a big deal out of it at the reunion.

 

For those that play the game with Spencer, they see him as an immunity threat because he can win challenges and he's a smart person. He was able to play the game a little bit as he was able to get some people eliminated with the alliance he had during his season. Spencer orchestrated a Plan A and Plan B and his Plan B worked. Spencer's not an idiot it's just that he has to work to keep himself in the game and that's usually through immunity challenges more than his social game.

[KimberStormer]

There is indeed!  During the season that Earl won (with Yau Man, Dreamz, the 4 Horsemen, and the best blindside ever), Earl was always being shot in hero-mode.  Standing at the top of a cliff, gazing out to sea, lit from behind, with a  big walking stick.  He was the first unanimous winner.

 

There is also the ironic mode of the Hero Edit, seen practiced on Phillip in Redemption Island, but most magnificently on Coach in Tocantins.  Epic swooping helicopter shots on the man and his weird walking stick he pretended to need, as he unsteadily walks the lonely path of the warrior (red-tailed hawk cries)

[NutMeg]

Are my eyes deceiving me or is Kass wearing the exact same swimsuit she had on last time? I know I thought then that it looked like a watermelon, and it still does this time. So what do you think, was that such a popular model that it lives on or did she dig it up (à la Rupert) to keep the visual? 

[yamashinaryu]

Are my eyes deceiving me or is Kass wearing the exact same swimsuit she had on last time? I know I thought then that it looked like a watermelon, and it still does this time. So what do you think, was that such a popular model that it lives on or did she dig it up (à la Rupert) to keep the visual? 

I thought all of them wore the same thing from their previous seasons. Not only the swimsuit but the clothes they're wearing. 

[NutMeg]

All right, so apparently the watermelon swimsuit was just better remembered by me!

[Oscirus]

Woo was not Abi's protector - he voted for her twice and expected her to go home both times.  She's right to not trust him.

 

And when given the choice to boot him, she chose to boot Jeff.  It wasn't like he backstabbed her. But even if we ignored that bit of Abi stupidity. It's absolutely insanely moronic to piss off the majority of your so called alliance by booting a member of said alliance because you're looking for your next TV moment.

 

And another key reason Joe hasn't gone home yet is he's avoided tribal council.

 

by winning a challenge that was easy to throw? If Bayon wanted him gone, he'd be gone.

 

 

The only flaw in her go-forward plan, however, is that now she's in a girl alliance with two loose cannons who vote emotionally and flip like flapjacks:  Abi and Kass.

 

One could argue that she just opened up a relationship with a possible sixth alliance member/stooge for her Takeo five going forward.

 

Ok I have a new wish for this game. Every week, Spencer is considered for targeting and every week someone else puts themselves on the chopping block by doing something crazy. That final tribal would be a glorious mix of self-righteous hate.  Call me a sadist but I live for that shit.

 

 

[Bryce Smith]

I don't know if you're referring to us viewers but I think one of the reasons some of us like him (myself included) is because he's forever the underdog. During his season he had to scratch and claw his way to stay in the game because people wanted him out, even when he was on the brain tribe and he won some immunity challenges to keep himself in the game, plus good to see Probst was wrong about Spencer. Anytime you can prove Probst wrong it's a good thing, but wasn't so great was Probst making a big deal out of it at the reunion.

Yes, Spencer being an underdog was rootable the first time, not least because he was up against an alliance many despised (and still came out on top, anyway).  But showing such a lack of understanding of the game that you wind up as the underdog again on your second chance?  Not so much.  Even worse that the editors feel the need to drill it into our heads that he is.  Everything I'd liked about him in Cagayan is very slowly slipping away because of all of this.

[pennben]

And when given the choice to boot him, she chose to boot Jeff.  It wasn't like he backstabbed her. But even if we ignored that bit of Abi stupidity. It's absolutely insanely moronic to piss off the majority of your so called alliance by booting a member of said alliance because you're looking for your next TV moment.

 

Okay, you're going to have to help me again here. Which moment are you saying it was absolutely moronic for Abi to piss off the majority of her alliance-----when she sided with Tasha/Savage or when she voted Woo out?  I have thougts on both of those votes.  I also understand voting against Varner, he was going to drag the tribe down with his injury--without him, they won, so I'm not sure that was stupid.

 

I

[Oscirus]

I actually want to hear (read) said thoughts. I'm referring to the Woo vote.

[pennben]

I think that when Abi flipped with Tasha/Savage, she thought/realized she was on the bottom of her alliance.  I think on the Woo vote, she ultimately didn't trust Woo as being part of her alliance, which was then only Woo/Abi/Savage.  I feel like Tasha did much more work in keeping Abi in the fold than Savage did (pure speculation), so she wasn't as close to him either.  So when others wanted to shake things up, she was willing if they voted off the guy who voted for her twice.  She maybe crazy, and may not go far, but I can't blame her for voting against Woo.

Edited October 30, 2015 by pennben

[Nashville]

Have to say - Tasha's little dancing-in-place schtick on the last part of the food challenge?  Kinda HAWT.

[KimberStormer]

What alliance is Abi supposed to have pissed off the majority of??

[himela]

The only flaw in her go-forward plan, however, is that now she's in a girl alliance with two loose cannons who vote emotionally and flip like flapjacks:  Abi and Kass.

 

 

And I see this as a positive rather than a negative. Abi and Kass are the same emotional and unstable players who need special treatment. Abi needs reassurance that she is pretty and smart and Kass needs reassurance that she is in control. Cierra is a young mother so I guess it's easy for her to pamper two insecure people in order to get them on her side. "Yes Abi, you are beautiful and smart, people will love you" "Yes Kass, you are calling the shots, you are the mastermind, you are in control, nothing will go wrong". Easy. Cierra is a strategist and she plans all her moves and behavior. She is a thinker rather than an emotional social player. Woo, in the other hand, was going to be loyal to Savage till the end. I don't know why Woo feels the need to clinge on a strong male rather than become himself a strong male, that he is. Cierra has better allies in Kass and Abi than in Woo every day of the week.

[Oscirus]

I think that when Abi flipped with Tasha/Savage, she thought/realized she was on the bottom of her alliance.  I think on the Woo vote, she ultimately didn't trust Woo as being part of her alliance, which was then only Woo/Abi/Savage.  I feel like Tasha did much more work in keeping Abi in the fold than Savage did (pure speculation), so she wasn't as close to him either.  So when others wanted to shake things up, she was willing if they voted off the guy who voted for her twice.  She maybe crazy, and may not go far, but I can't blame her for voting against Woo.

 

I understand what you're saying but here's the thing as far as she knows she's in a four person alliance. In my opinion, at this juncture in the game, it's quite the foolish move to throw away an alliance for a grudge. Now she threw away an alliance member and got nothing for it, no promises, no new alliance, nothing. And at best the people that she thinks she's  aligned with are either not trusting her or over her. 

 

Truth be told, the move won't affect her for a while. She's in a decent position with her new tribe and come merge time, there's bigger targets. But that move effectively killed her endgame. There's no way that she's in the final 2/3 because most of the bigger alliances are shored up and the one she was a part of  is likely over her with this move.

[KimberStormer]

I'm honestly confused what big alliance Abi was in, I'm not being snarky or anything, just trying to understand.

 

Cierra is a young mother so I guess it's easy for her to pamper two insecure people in order to get them on her side. "Yes Abi, you are beautiful and smart, people will love you". . . Easy.

 

Woe betide Ciera if she believes this.

[ToastnBacon]

The players who use phrases like "Bayon Strong" annoy me, and the ones who think allegiance to a Survivor tribe should mean anything really annoy me.

[pennben]

I'm honestly confused what big alliance Abi was in, I'm not being snarky or anything, just trying to understand.

 

I'm with you on that.  I think the closest she was to a four person alliance was with Varner/Woo/Abi/Peihgee, but that was a forced alliance based on the swap which, clearly wasn't going to hold. 

 

I also don't have a notion of a four person alliance she was in from this most recent swap.  I think Savage thought he had a five person alliance, of which he was the head with Abi/Woo on the one side and Ciera/Kass on the other, but I'm not sure that puts Abi in a four person alliance. At most, I think Abi came out in the swap with a shaky three person alliance, which is what we saw.

 

At best, she might be in a four person alliance post voting Woo, Ciera/Kass/Abi/Spencer, but that seemed like a one vote only thing.

[himela]

I'm with you on that.  I think the closest she was to a four person alliance was with Varner/Woo/Abi/Peihgee, but that was a forced alliance based on the swap which, clearly wasn't going to hold. 

 

I also don't have a notion of a four person alliance she was in from this most recent swap.  I think Savage thought he had a five person alliance, of which he was the head with Abi/Woo on the one side and Ciera/Kass on the other, but I'm not sure that puts Abi in a four person alliance. At most, I think Abi came out in the swap with a shaky three person alliance, which is what we saw.

 

At best, she might be in a four person alliance post voting Woo, Ciera/Kass/Abi/Spencer, but that seemed like a one vote only thing.

 

I don't think Abi works with alliances. She is taken where the wind = her mind blows. She aligns with every group suits her every time = the group that has a person who can reassure her of her beauty and wits. Abi is not playing to win. She is playing to have fun, show her beauty, make friends and/or enemies and become famous. If she happens to be in a final three she will just be satisfied with herself. Nothing more, nothing less, imo.

[cooksdelight]

I know you know Abi in real life. Did she tell you that? And even then, I'm surprised Probst just dissolved Angkor, knowing there was still an idol that could have been found for their tribe.

Yes, they were looking for an idol, cared very much about finding one. It seems they only show us when someone finds one, as a camera person is with each person 24/7.

I thought all of them wore the same thing from their previous seasons. Not only the swimsuit but the clothes they're wearing.

Abi has new clothes, that much I know. She borrowed that blue/white plaid shirt from Kelley for one challenge when they were all still together. I had her dress and boots from her first season. It's hard to tell with the guys since shorts are shorts, to me. If Phillip were out there with more pink underwear, THAT I'd notice.

[phlebas]

He had one in week one and another last week.  That's about it.

I tune him out when he's on screen, and come back to the game when I hear the sound of spitting.

[ghoulina]

I don't think Ciera is really in an alliance with Abi. She might be, but it could just as easily be that she used Abi this time for the vote and would just as easily vote her out if that made sense.

 

I hope that's the case. I think it would make more sense for her to stick with the alliance she formed while she was with TaKeo and Abi was with Ankor. 

[laurakaye]

I may be the only one but I really don't like how twitter, and the many interviews from evicted people, have changed how we watch the show.  It used to be that we all had the same information to work with to try and figure out what was meant, what happened, what they were thinking, etc. Now,  what a viewer believes, based on what they've seen on the show, can easily be shot down by someone who has additional information from outside the game.  I really preferred the discussions where we all shared the same source.  Now it's the viewer who can be put in the nyah, nyah, nyah position when they guess one motivation and  twitter says something else.  Besides the player, who has had months to think about it can say, "Oh no, that (dumb thing) was not what I was doing, it was all this other hindsite strategy." 

SO MUCH THIS.^

 

I avoid following any of the cast on Twitter - in fact, I pretty much avoid Twitter during Survivor.  I like my Survivor pure and unedited by the players telling us that what we're seeing is not what really happened, or there's more to the story, etc.  Social media changed the entire fiber of how the viewers get their information and interpret the game.  It seems that a game based so much on secrecy is being spoiled when we learn about things we're not seeing on television.

 

Boo to Twitter.  Now get off my lawn.

[ProfCrash]

(shrugs)

 

I take a lot of the Twitter stuff, and even the interviews, with a grain of salt and that grain of salt is about the size of a salt lick. Most of it is reactionary and is an attempt to paint themselves in a better light. I know that. But Ciera's tweet about Abi fits right into the story line we have seen all season long. I am more then a bit surprised that we did not get the Abi voting for Woo as a story line in the show because it was so freaking obvious. A part of me thinks that the Production team played it down because they didn't want to over take the Terry leaving the game story line with the continuation of Abi being Abi story line. Or there was less time to show why Woo was booted because the beginning of the game had to be on Terry and we all would know that Abi would vote Woo out so it was easy to cut. All Ciera's tweet says to me is that what most of us suspected happened, happened.

 

I will also say that some of Terry's edit is probably because of how he exited the game. All signs point to Terry having played a pretty poor social game to start the season off, including Jeff Varner interviews and Jeff and Terry are friends, but we saw none of it. I am ok with that because we don't see a lot of the early game stuff but I think that we might have seen his rejecting Peih Gee and Kelley right off the bat if he had left the game under different circumstances. Listening to his exit interview with Rob, he knew he was on the bottom because of his initial game play and he understands that he played the Abi thing well to change that but we never saw that element on the show.

 

I don't think Terry is a bad person, I think he is kind of clueless socially and he is used to doing well in life because he is a nice guy, who is smart and athletic and has worked hard to do well in his profession. He has his blind spots in terms of how he interacts with folks but I don't think it is intentional. I think he said some stupid stuff and played poorly and got lucky at the first tribe swap. I think he kept playing poorly, as evidenced by the fact that he was on the bottom of his new tribe, but was lucky to be on a tribe that was going to win a lot by virtue of its composition and the fact that Angkor sucked that bad. And I think that some of his more obvious bad game play was left on the cutting room floor because they knew he was pulled.

 

And I am totally cool with that. Nice guy, did the right thing, but not a great Survivor player and that traditional Alpha Male player that just bores me. (shrug)

Edited October 30, 2015 by ProfCrash

[truthaboutluv]

But showing such a lack of understanding of the game that you wind up as the underdog again on your second chance?  Not so much.

 

 

But is he showing a lack of understanding or is it a combination of his performance from Cagayan hurting him and the way the numbers just shape up. Spencer got in what he thought was a solid alliance as soon as the game started. After one vote, Varner decided he and Shirin were too smart to keep around and he needed to try and get rid of them immediately and let's face it, a big part of Varner thinking this was because of Spencer's previous season.. One moment with Abi and her crazy, with Terry playing sympathetic ear to her and the game flipped, with the previous underdogs Terry, Wigglesworth and Woo suddenly having Varner and Abi. With the majority, people like Pei-Ghee and Wentworth were pretty much just, "as long as it's not me" and suddenly Spencer and Shirin were in trouble. 

 

A tribal switch happens and he finds himself on a new tribe where four of the six members were on an original tribe together and already had days to bond and form an alliance, which meant without doing anything, he and Wigglesworth were automatically at the bottom. Yes Tasha and Savage were at the bottom and they were able to use Abi's unpredictability and her hatred for Pei-Ghee to flip things for themselves. However, I don't think Spencer had that option. Kimmi may not have cared for Monica, but she was not going to risk upsetting her alliance and looking like the disloyal one by suggesting Monica over the obvious two boots, until Monica directly gave her the ammunition with her girls alliance comment. 

 

Then a switch happens again and Spencer's back with some former Ta'Keo members but it's Woo, who he was never aligned with and crazy, unpredictable Abi. And seems in the time they were on a tribe with Savage, he managed to secure an alliance with them. Then there's two original Bayon members - Kass who hates him since Cagayan and Ciera who he doesn't know and had never played with so no chance to establish any alliance with her. And apparently they're tied to Savage as well from the Bayon days and so with Abi and Woo's votes, Savage has a group of five, which means once again, immediately Spencer is at the bottom again.

 

So yeah when Savage comes to him and suggests a friendship or alliance I guess, he goes with it and believes it because he doesn't see a reason for Savage to lie, since he, Spencer is at the bottom. But Savage wants him out immediately, why, because he sees him as a threat to keep around, much like Varner did. Which again is why I said Spencer is in a way a victim of his performance from Cagayan. Even if he has no strong alliance, numbers, people seem to think keeping him around is dangerous and that in an odd way does sort of speak to his ability in the game. 

 

I can respect judging one's gameplay when it seems like they are always at the bottom and that's fair. I certainly would not say I think Spencer is playing a fantastic game at this point. However, I always agreed with Boston Rob who said that as much as you can strategize, play the social game, etc. in Survivor there is a fair amount of luck that goes into winning. I mean look at Keith right now - Keith is in a good position but is that from playing a great game or the fact that he's never had to go to tribal council. And that's because he's been on strong tribes who have avoided tribal council, therefore keeping their numbers. Again, I'm not saying I think Spencer is playing an amazing game by any means but I do think he hasn't had great luck with the numbers.

Edited October 30, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[BigRedCheese]

 

Boo to Twitter

 

I agree, or at least I did, I don't have any interest in Twitter, but I still hear about what they say on it, and I miss how it was before. I firmly felt that they should reinstate the social media ban, but after thinking about it some more, if they want to continue to pick up new fans, especially younger ones, they probably need the players tweeting and facebooking (and whatever other newfangled crap they're on). I'm always afraid there will be an announcement that the next season of Survivor will be its last, so whatever they need to do to keep it fresh and popular enough to keep going, I'm ok with.

[Jersey Guy 87]

While Ciera appeared to be the one who masterminded the vote to get out Woo, I am having a hard time understanding why it was so offencive to her that Andrew suggested her name as the decoy in his effort to get out Spencer.  Andrew knew that Spencer knew that he, Abi and Woo were a solid alliance.  Spencer is a smart guy.  So Andrew had to suggest someone else.  The only other people were Kass, Ciera, and Kelly.  He picked one of them.

 

If you're going to suggest someone as the "alternate boot" it's best to make sure they're okay with it first.  Savage did not - he threw out Ciera without ever checking in with her.

 

Yes.  I'm surprised one wasn't available on Angkor, but yes.  They are the only ones at the moment.  Kelley found hers in the very first episode, while Jeremy found his in the third.  Luckily, they're two of my favorites, so I couldn't be happier.  It's always more fun to watch when my favorites find them, not my anti-favorites. :)

 

I'm sure an idol clue was available, it wasn't found.

 

"I suspect that Terry was given more details than made it into the episode, and then the show/network left it up to him and his son to decide how much they wanted to say about his situation in their blurb at the end. I don't care for Terry as a player, but I really felt for him and thought the show handled his departure really well."

Terry said that was all he was told. Jeff was not given details because of HIPPA regulations. Why Terry's wife wasn't able to tell Jeff, I don't know. Or maybe they didn't give Terry the info on camera because it might violate Danny's privacy rights. Jeff gave Terry his phone as soon as they got on the boat so Terry could talk to his wife.

 

I don't think Jeff is bound by HIPAA regulations to not tell Terry details of his son's condition.  After all, Jeff is not a medical professional.  I think it's more likely Jeff didn't know what was up with Terry's son so he didn't have anything more to tell Terry.  The doctors caring for Terry's son couldn't tell anything to Jeff but Terry's wife is perfectly free to tell anyone she wants whatever she wants.  She was also free to not give out any details.  But HIPAA regulations only cover medical professionals, not private individuals.

[cooksdelight]

I don't think Jeff is bound by HIPAA regulations to not tell Terry details of his son's condition.  After all, Jeff is not a medical professional.  I think it's more likely Jeff didn't know what was up with Terry's son so he didn't have anything more to tell Terry.  The doctors caring for Terry's son couldn't tell anything to Jeff but Terry's wife is perfectly free to tell anyone she wants whatever she wants.  She was also free to not give out any details.  But HIPAA regulations only cover medical professionals, not private individuals.

 

Exactly. I think the family wanted to keep it private until they knew more details and a definitive prognosis. At that point, neither his wife or Terry knew a whole lot except that it was serious.

[ToastnBacon]

If you're going to suggest someone as the "alternate boot" it's best to make sure they're okay with it first.  Savage did not - he threw out Ciera without ever checking in with her.

 

 

I'm sure an idol clue was available, it wasn't found.

 

 

I don't think Jeff is bound by HIPAA regulations to not tell Terry details of his son's condition.  After all, Jeff is not a medical professional.  I think it's more likely Jeff didn't know what was up with Terry's son so he didn't have anything more to tell Terry.  The doctors caring for Terry's son couldn't tell anything to Jeff but Terry's wife is perfectly free to tell anyone she wants whatever she wants.  She was also free to not give out any details.  But HIPAA regulations only cover medical professionals, not private individuals.

I'm pretty sure that Terry had an idea what his son was in the hospital for because it was an existing medical condition that got worse and not the result of an accident.

At least that was the impression I got.

[Special K]

Kass paraphrased a famous quote that Spencer said about her in Cagayan - "Spencer Bledsoe. 0% of winning the game."

 

On one hand, it was a meta comment to their season.

 

On the other hand, not everyone saw Cagayan and taken on face value, it might mean that Spencer DOES win. The most famous example of the editors doing something like this was in Pearl Island when Fairplay said about Sandra the winner: "and I got a mil that says she won't be the final 1".

 

This.  When she said that, I thought instantly "Spencer's winning this thing."

 

[himela]

This.  When she said that, I thought instantly "Spencer's winning this thing."

 

Nah. It was just a phrase Spencer used for Kass (or against Kass) after she flipped on their alliance creating enemies, meaning these people would never vote for her. It made sense at the time. Kass said it like it was her time to take revenge of Spencer, but in the end she didn't.

[ProfCrash]

"And Jeff didn’t really know what was going on with Danny because of HIPAA rules."

 

http://my.xfinity.com/blogs/tv/2015/10/29/survivor-castaway-terry-dannys-heart-is-pumping-like-a-champ/

 

I am not saying I agree with the explanation only that is what Terry is saying. Jeff said in his interview with Dalton Ross that as soon as Terry was on the boat he gave Terry his phone and Terry was able to get a signal and call home. They did not have a camera man on the boat so they did not record that. That is when Terry found out what was really happening and the exact problem with Danny. I have no reason to believe that Jeff did not know the specifics of Danny's illness, only that Terry had to go and had to go now. I don't think HIPAA is the correct explanation but that is what Terry is saying.

 

Toastnbacon it was not a preexisting condition. When Terry left, Danny was feeling fine. He was running out of breath but he was otherwise healthy and doing ok. A few days after Terry left, Danny started coughing and having issues. He was diagnosed with Bronchitis and was put on antibiotics and an inhaler. The cough didn't clear up. They took an X-Ray of his lungs and found the lungs were clear but that his heart was enlarged. Terry was well into the game by the time that happened. As soon as Danny was at the hospital and the doctors diagnosed what was wrong, they called Terry.

 

There was no indication that Danny had a heart problem. He had been out playing lacrosse and getting ready for football season  before Terry left.

Edited October 30, 2015 by ProfCrash

[pennben]

I'm pretty sure that Terry had an idea what his son was in the hospital for because it was an existing medical condition that got worse and not the result of an accident.

At least that was the impression I got.

 

Please read exit interviews with Terry.  If you do, you will understand that this was a life-threatening condition that wasn't  discovered until Terry was on the island. 

Edited October 30, 2015 by pennben