S31: Ponderosa

[ProfCrash]

A place to discuss the Ponderosa Clips.

I figure we are going to start getting Ponderosa clips soon. The Previews make it seem as if the merge is this week so I figure what the hey, get the topic up.

 

That and I am smiling thinking of what a ore-jury trip with Shirin, Jeff Varner, Monica, Woo, and Peih Gee would have been fun. I wish that they filmed some of that or the Pre-Jury arrival and short stay at Ponderosa. It would be kind of interesting to see what that looks like. Since they are not on the jury and the game is really over for them the vibe would have to be very different then the Jury Ponderosa.

 

Any way, just prepping for possible Ponderosa videos on Thursday.

[cooksdelight]

Varner mentioned that he is going to start posting photos of the pre-jury fun once he is allowed to, on Facebook.

[Mreid]

Here is the first ponderosa video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKocesO_gtY

[ByaNose]

2nd Chance Ponderosa is up wayyyyyyyy early. Usually, it's after midnight EST. The production values are really high for the Ponderosa video. There are opening theme & producing credits. Very high brow. LOL!!!!

[pennben]

Welp, we need to get someone else in there soon, because that was just way too much Kass. 

[ByaNose]

The Queen of Ponderosa has arrived. LOL!!!!

[Zuleikha]

I liked Kass's Ponderosa. I like that she plays hard while remaining so happy with her Survivor experience. I also think she's really funny. It's hard for any one person to carry Ponderosa, but I thought she did a decent job and I think she'll be fun as the Queen of Ponderosa. I don't expect anything to ever surpass the glory of the Courtney/Coach/music video Ponderosa, but I'm optimistic that things will be relatively light hearted. 

[yamashinaryu]

Yes, I really find her funny and Chaos Kass is just her persona. She didn't have a good welcome in Cagayan previously so I hope she will set a happy and more welcoming place this time around being the first boot. 

[Lingo]

She says she was writing stuff like stories about a dog that eats human food ... but I like to think she was writing Survivor fan-fiction, like Joe-Jeremy yaoi or something ...

[yamashinaryu]

Kass' not shaving for the final tribal council.

[ProfCrash]

Oh this could be very interesting. I like that she introduced herself to the people working at Ponderosa. The bungalows look nice enough. It is not as swank as the last bunch of Ponderosa's but it is nicer then others. It doesn't seem like there is an AC which could be interesting giving how hot it is there. Lots of time spent in the water.

I hope she shaves for tribal because I really don't think we need to see her arm pit hair.

LOL at the idea of CSI Cambodia.

[Haleth]

Wow, TPTB really did amp up the production values for Ponderosa.  Guess they finally realized that fans enjoy watching the players readjust to life outside the game.

 

She is full of crap about going into chaos mode because the "nice Kass" wasn't working.  She was in a good position until she blew it with her shit stirring.  Retcon much?  Also saying she won't be a bitter jury member?  Yeah, right.  Giving a finger and flashing hairy pits is so respectful.  I have no doubt she will spend all her time bad mouthing the players still in the game to everyone who arrives at Ponderosa.

 

That was a weird looking dog.

[Straycat80]

 

She is full of crap about going into chaos mode because the "nice Kass" wasn't working.  She was in a good position until she blew it with her shit stirring.  Retcon much?  Also saying she won't be a bitter jury member?  Yeah, right.  Giving a finger and flashing hairy pits is so respectful.  I have no doubt she will spend all her time bad mouthing the players still in the game to everyone who arrives at Ponderosa.

 

I agree. She is definitely bitter. I hope she gets fleas from that dog.

[Bryce Lynch]

She is full of crap about going into chaos mode because the "nice Kass" wasn't working. She was in a good position until she blew it with her shit stirring. Retcon much? Also saying she won't be a bitter jury member? Yeah, right. Giving a finger and flashing hairy pits is so respectful. I have no doubt she will spend all her time bad mouthing the players still in the game to everyone who arrives at Ponderosa.

I agree. She is definitely bitter. I hope she gets fleas from that dog.

I hope the dog doesn't get fleas from Kass.

[Wings]

Kass, this is not CSI Cambodia, you have one vote.  And the kitchen staff is not afraid of you, they don't speak English.  

Edited November 5, 2015 by wings707

[Wings]

 

That was a weird looking dog.

 

 

Yes, very weird.  Looked like someone put make up on him for Halloween.  His darkened eye looked spooky-ish.  

[ByaNose]

I didn't notice a nice pool at this Ponderorsa. I don't recall which location had the beautiful pool and accommodations but it was way better than Kass has now but better then others. One season they each got a tent to sleep in.

[LadyChatts]

I didn't notice a nice pool at this Ponderorsa. I don't recall which location had the beautiful pool and accommodations but it was way better than Kass has now but better then others. One season they each got a tent to sleep in.

 

Last season the Ponderosa house rivaled the Big Brother house in a big way.  They had the really nice pool, I think they even had a fire pit.

[ProfCrash]

The ocean is right by the cabanas.

[wonald]

The Ponderosas used in the 4 seasons set in Nicaragua and the 4 in Phillippines were both 4 star resorts. I think this season's is one of the most dive-like.

[NutMeg]

while her comments were here and there, I like that she was thinking of writing a book, and from the short view we had of what she's doing for her 7 year old daughter, this seems a nice project.

 

Also found interesting what she said about going back home right after the game ends. That's the kind of things I'm sure is true for most players but that we often don't hear about.

 

I didn't liked the spoiler about armpits to come though. Also didn't like the new self-given moniker.

 

I hope she is welcoming to other jurors and sets a good vibe. Maybe she needs to be herself and stop being what she expects viewers expect from her. Usually, that dramatically improves my perception of players. 

[Jolie]

I hope Kass wasn't serious about that armpit hair. 

 

I admit I came away from this Ponderosa actually liking Kass. I didn't vote for her since I really disliked watching her gameplay (if you can call it that) in her original season. I didn't really mind her this season, but if she was going to start the "chaos" up again, I'm not sorry she's out.

 

Her reigning over Ponderosa should be amusing. I can't wait until Tasha shows up, unless she makes it to the end which I kind of doubt. 

[ProfCrash]

Ponderosa is set where they can find Ponderosa. There have been seasons where Ponderosa was a series of tents on the beach with one tent having a portable AC unit and a TV set. I suspect that the Philippines has a larger tourist trade so is more likely to have nice resorts catering to tourists then Cambodia does, especially that section of Cambodia. Where they were in the Philippines has hosted many a reality TV show and a bunch of different countries Survivors.

 

We knew this Ponderosa was going to be less luxurious because it is where they hosted the Pre Game and all the press stayed. I think the bungalows are where the press stayed and conducted interviews while the contestants were in tents. 

 

Kass is going to be fine. I think she enjoys stirring up shit and that she could be interesting at Ponderosa because she finds the shit stirring to be fun. She will either stop doing it because it pisses off others at Ponderosa or she is going to be really, really annoying.

[Special K]

I don't understand how armpit hair is expected to show hostility to the contestants.  Aren't they all living in extremely close quarters with their hairy fellows?

I guess I don't think armpit hair on a woman is that radical.

[ProfCrash]

There are some people who find women with hair in their pits and legs are deemed to be awful and bad hygiene. I don't find it radical but I know folks who do. Personally, I would prefer men shave their arm pits because it is smelly and ugly and I really don't like looking at it. It makes it hard ot watch basketball games.

[Guest]

I get the feeling she has a sense of humor like mine and I'm about the only here who gets her.  Not that everyone should or should even want to.  

 

And by that I probably sound like I'm calling myself a genius mastermind to some, right?  

[ProfCrash]

Oh, I knew she was joking and I could careless if she doesn't shave. SHe has a dry sort of humor which I udnerstand and can even laugh at but I think she would be one of those people who would be best on smaller doses.

[firebookie]

I can no longer view the Ponderosa videos on youtube, since I'm in the foreign country of Canada. Anyone have a link I can use?

[wonald]

I can no longer view the Ponderosa videos on youtube, since I'm in the foreign country of Canada. Anyone have a link I can use?

 

reddit always has links for internationals. Check the right sidebar.

[shok]

I can no longer view the Ponderosa videos on youtube, since I'm in the foreign country of Canada. Anyone have a link I can use?

 

Which browser do you use? I use Firefox and have installed an add-on called YouTubeUnblocker which unblocks most geo-blocked videos. It worked for me on this one so give it a try.

[elizacat]

I can no longer view the Ponderosa videos on youtube, since I'm in the foreign country of Canada. Anyone have a link I can use?

You can use Hola plug in on Google chrome

[IamSherlocked]

So why did Kass decide to abandon "reformed second chance Kass" and go back to "chaos Kass" anyway? I feel like the whole self-naming thing is a gimmick and tiresome. I did appreciate her writing to her daughter though. It would be really hard to be so far away from a child that young. But I'm glad to see she is embracing that "alone time" that you don't often get as a parent. Hope things stay smooth when other people arrive. 

[Jextella]

I think Chaos Kass is a fake.  My armchair psychoanalysis is that Kass is less sure of herself than even she thinks she is.  She wants to be a normal, vulnerable human but has shielded herself out of fear (for whatever reason) of being hurt.

 

I her season, she got backed into a corner and had to fight to get out.  It was jarring for otherwise controlled demeanor and she dubbed herself Chaos Kass. In the current season, she wanted to put that on hold and bond with people on a more real level.  It didn't work so well and so she is bring back this little tool on her shelf.

 

Kass' Ponderosa interview is telling.  She was clearly hurt, and I think now she is confused about how to act in order to connect successfully with others. In the end, all she needs to do is be herself.  I hope she gets there.

 

I like Kass and see her as somewhat fragile and lonely ... struggling to fit in.  Just my thoughts du jour.

[kikaha]

Just watched Kass' Ponderosa video.  My thoughts...

 

She was very upset and bitter right after she got voted out. 

 

She complained that Tasha told lies.  ???  Like Savage, Kass forgot what game she is playing.  The best Survivor players are fantastic liars.  And Kass also lied -- e.g. assuring Savage she was on board with the Spencer boot the week before.     

 

Kass believes Tasha was her downfall.  Not so.  Kass was her own downfall.  She tried to neutralize and then boot Savage, but failed.  That put the target squarely on her back.  Her antics with Tasha (terribly executed)  simply sealed her fate.  Ciera piled on and made things even worse, for both of them. 

 

Kass' idea that she is going to make this the greatest Ponderosa/jury ever is sad.  She got voted out of the game, but thinks she is going to have a pivotal role in choosing the winner.  My prediction is that she won't.  The other players who end up on jury are not naive.  They will have spent far more time with the finalists than Kass, and will choose based on that, not Kass.  

 

I found Kass' attempts to trip up Tasha pretty adolescent.  Kass was not in Tasha's alliance, or even her friend.  Of course Tasha would not tell her the truth about the inner workings of her alliance.  She was defending her alliance.  Kass trying to make that seem the opposite, in front of everyone, was almost guaranteed to fail. 

 

I think Kass tried to shake up the game too early.  It didn't work and now she is on the outside.  Even if it had worked, she and Ciera would have turned themselves into huge targets.  This season especially that seems to me a fatal mistake. 

[Jextella]

I don't like the idea of Kass messing around with the jury.  The goal of the game is to win - not to prevent others from winning. Plus, I have to wonder how successful she'll be.  Everyone who gets to Ponderosa after her will have had additional time with remaining players that Kass won't have seen or been around.  I can't see her having much leverage to sway the votes of other players.

[Nashville]

I don't like the idea of Kass messing around with the jury.  The goal of the game is to win - not to prevent others from winning. Plus, I have to wonder how successful she'll be.  Everyone who gets to Ponderosa after her will have had additional time with remaining players that Kass won't have seen or been around.  I can't see her having much leverage to sway the votes of other players.

What leverage???

"Agree with me at dinner tonight, or I'm swiping your tapioca pudding"???

What bullshit.

[Bryce Lynch]

What leverage???

"Agree with me at dinner tonight, or I'm swiping your tapioca pudding"???

What bullshit.

Agree. Kass was an unpopular player with no strong alliances. I can't see her having much influence. Plus, I would think the first member of the jury would normally be the least influential as she played the least.

[phlebas]

The rebel alliance would probably die as more and more of the people who wronged Kass get voted out.

[peachmangosteen]

I don't like the idea of Kass messing around with the jury.  The goal of the game is to win - not to prevent others from winning.

 

But once you're on the jury your goal shifts. It becomes about getting to decide who wins. I don't really have a problem with members of the jury trying to influence other people to vote the way they want it to go. That's kind of the point. It certainly is annoying when people I hate try to fuck over people I like though!

Edited November 15, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[Zuleikha]

I found Kass' attempts to trip up Tasha pretty adolescent.  Kass was not in Tasha's alliance, or even her friend.

Kass/Tasha were actually aligned together at Bayon in at least one alliance (along with Jeremy, Stephen, and Ciera--this was discussed on Twitter and a bit in Kass's exit interviews). This is why I get grumpy about Survivor editing. We saw basically nothing of the inner workings of Bayon for weeks, and now that we're in post-merge, we don't understand any of the Bayon dynamics that are key to the game without resorting to outside-the-show information. 

[Jextella]

But once you're on the jury your goal shifts. It becomes about getting to decide to who wins. I don't really have a problem with members of the jury trying to influence other people to vote they way they want it to go. That's kind of the point. It certainly is annoying when people I hate try to fuck over people I like though!

 

I get it.  Kass' perspective will be severly limited, but I guess that is part of the game.  Each bootee won't know how the rest of the game pans out so none will have full awareness on which to base their votes.  What they have will be based on their own experiences right up until getting booted AND discussion with other players that takes place at Ponderosa.

 

This really speaks to the social nature of the game.  I don't see how early bootees can possibly judge the F3's game play given how early in the game they may have left.  But voting based solely on game play - rather than personal issues - is the fine line that makes Survivor so interesting I guess.

[Skeeter22]

Kass has talked about hating the way she was treated at Ponderosa in Cagayan, and wanting to make this a more positive experience. I don't see her wanting to ostracize her enemies and poisoning the jury. I also don't see her letting someone off the hook for bad gameplay. Survivor is a social game, so if you mistreat someone and dump them on the jury, that's on you. Everyone knows what happened to Russell.

These are two-time players, some with pre-existing relationships. If Kass is wrong about the dynamics of the players left, the other jurors aren't just going to fall in line with her.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Skeeter22

[kikaha]

Kass/Tasha were actually aligned together at Bayon in at least one alliance (along with Jeremy, Stephen, and Ciera--this was discussed on Twitter and a bit in Kass's exit interviews). This is why I get grumpy about Survivor editing. We saw basically nothing of the inner workings of Bayon for weeks, and now that we're in post-merge, we don't understand any of the Bayon dynamics that are key to the game without resorting to outside-the-show information. 

 

Tasha got split off from Bayon after the 2nd tribal.  She and Kass were on separate tribes from that point till merge.  In the meantime all the players went through multiple shuffles and alliance realignments: many early alliances ended up meaning nothing.  Most important of all, though, by merge Kass had shown she was NOT in Tasha's alliance: she had gone after Savage, one of Tasha's closest allies.  She could not have made her intentions or loyalties more clear. 

 

The reason we didn't see much of Bayon those early episodes is they never lost an IC then.  Ta Keo/Angkor lost the first four ICs.  So the jockeying, backstabbing and manipulations were taking place in Ta Keo.  There simply wasn't time to cover that and also cover the inner workings at Bayon.  

 

I also believe this game is trickier to follow for us, the viewers, because it's trickier for the players as well.  All those shuffles and early merge threw a lot of chaos into the mix this season.  The contestants themselves are sorting things out.  i.e. it's not the edit.  It's the fundamental processes and twists Survivor has introduced to this season. 

[Zuleikha]

Yeah, that was part of the "bye bye Bayon" conversation history.  Tasha was effectively telling Kass their old alliance was done though really they just sort of regrouped without Kass and Ciera, right?

Most important of all, though, by merge Kass had shown she was NOT in Tasha's alliance: she had gone after Savage, one of Tasha's closest allies.

Putting those together since they're essentially the same question. On orignal Bayon, Kass/Tasha were in an alliance with Jeremy/Stephen/Ciera. They called themselves the Five Elements.

 

So yes, Tasha was essentially telling Kass that their alliance was done, but no, they didn't regroup. As best I can figure out, multiple people were in a number of overlapping alliances on Bayon. We know Jeremy/Tasha were also in the Alpha alliance with Savage/Joe (but supposedly not really Keith... don't know how reliable that info is, though). Stephen was in at least one other alliance in addition to the Five Elements. I don't know about Kass/Ciera... I don't think they were until Ta Keo 5. Since Bayon never went to TC, the alliances were never tested, so the tribe split and swap happened with no one really knowing who their solid Bayon alliance members were.

 

Kass did not betray her alliance with Tasha at point of conversation. Kass's alliance with Tasha never included Savage, so going after Savage wasn't a betrayal. Also, Kass/Ciera did vote out Woo, who wasn't even on Bayon. Kass appeared to be actively working to build Ta Keo 5+ without Tasha (and thus betraying her alliance), but what I gather from exit interviews is that Kass was sincerely trying to establish whether her old alliance with Tasha was still present because if possible, Kass wanted to go to the end with Tasha (since she thought Tasha was abrasive and upsetting people). The "bye bye Bayon" debate was apparently responsive to Tasha trash talking (and per Kass lying) about things Kass said, so I think Kass was just trying to take some control back of her last hours in the game (and maybe win Joe/Spencer/Kelley/Keith back). 

 

There simply wasn't time to cover that and also cover the inner workings at Bayon.

I don't believe that. We saw Bayon; we just saw fluff. That fluff could have been replaced with some well chosen confessionals or group scenes that let us known a bunch of overlapping alliances were being made to set up the post-merge craziness that the editors knew was coming.

[peachmangosteen]

We saw Bayon; we just saw fluff. That fluff could have been replaced with some well chosen confessionals or group scenes that let us known a bunch of overlapping alliances were being made to set up the post-merge craziness that the editors knew was coming.

 

It's even more irritating knowing that 9 out of 10 Bayon members made the jury. Come on now, we should have seen more from them pre-merge.

Edited November 11, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[pennben]

It's not a spoiler, the jury started last week with the Kass boot. I think that is all the poster is saying.....nine make the jury phase, I don't think the poster is trying to say anything beyond that. I could be wrong, but that's how I read the post.

[ByaNose]

Suffice to say that Ponderosa tonight should be a doozy! It might be up now since it was so early last week.

[pennben]

There once were two lawyers in 'rosa

Who likely spat out their mimosas

So bitter they be,

And let "birds" fly free,

Two egos, so shallow....Omarosa.

Edited November 12, 2015 by pennben

[ByaNose]

First off, Savage takes Survivor way too seriously. That said, I'm glad he was able to vent when he first arrived at Ponderosa. I was really concerned he was going to be a bitter Savage but time & Kass turned him around. I still think he looks better with his scruff and even looked good with his ski cap (wtf is with that??). In the end, it looks like he & Kass are friendly and are the King & Queen of Ponderosa.

[LadyChatts]

I'm glad that Savage came around.  I'd hate to see Kass being ignored again like she was during her first Ponderosa stint.  She's right that what she did to him at TC was not chaos, it was the game.  Savage seemed like a completely different person by the time he and Kass became friends.  I'm sure that was really raw for him, and he had a point about twists not being kind to him in this game.  But, even though he was idoled out, he did make the jury, and is still a part of the game.