S16: Micronesia

[Whimsy]

Here is your Survivor S16 topic.

[LadyChatts]

After Micronesia, that's when Survivor started going downhill for me.  It didn't help that it was followed by Gabon (great location, horrible, nasty cast).  But this season still ranks as one of my top 10 favorites.  Wasn't sure what to think of the whole FvsF concept, especially since some of the "favorites" were a loose interpretation.  Kathy was probably the first person that really made me question how thoroughly they screened applicants.  Didn't she lie about medication she was on because she knew she wouldn't get cast otherwise?  Also, remember how the initial rumor was that someone was pulled from the game because they intentionally chopped their finger off to go home (and people didn't seem to put it past Kathy once she had her first meltdown).

 

Eliza is on my list of Survivors I despise and hope to never see again (though if the Eliza that was in Ponderosa was the same Eliza in the game, I'd like her a lot more).  Really wish they'd show the final 2/3 at Ponderosa again like they did this season.  Anyway, Eliza was gold on this season with her over dramatics in the jury box, casting her final vote, and of course, one of the best lines ever, 'it's just a (bleeping) stick' about Jason's HII.  Jason didn't appear well liked by the cast from what I remember reading.  Since I adored Ozzy I loved seeing the complex Jason had when competing against him.  And of course, Ozzy being the one to plant the fake HII and Jason falling for it.  I'm surprised and somewhat disappointed TPTB haven't gone that route of making HII so ridiculous looking.  I thought they were going to do that this past season based on interviews with Probst, but the idols looked real to me.  Speaking of idols, I loved Yau-Man of all people smashing Fairplay's head into that boat to grab the idol away from him.  What a difference that first vote (and the season) might have been if Fairplay had gotten to it first.  And then there was Kathy, taking a Sunday stroll and Yau-Man had to point it out for her to grab it.

 

I always wish we had more representation from this season.  One person I'd love to see back is Tracey.  I felt bad that she got saddled with Chet and Kathy in her alliance and didn't really get a chance to play.  I think she might have been a very good game player given a chance.  But not with her initial tribe division, or the swap.  I'd also like to see Natalie and even Alexis back.  Not a huge fan of hers, but I'd be curious how she would play the game again.  This season seemed to mark the start of successful blindsides and then every season that followed they tried to turn every boot into a blindside.  I see Joel is often mentioned as being someone people want to see back (and he's made no secret of wanting to return) but personally I thought his game play was crap and he sunk it based on the decisions he made (at the hands of the people that he aligned in the first place), and he had too much of an ego to be in charge. 

 

I liked that some people learned from their previous seasons (Parvati, Cirie)  though my opinion of Cirie went down when she started saying that Amanda cost her the million by not taking her to the end-something she brought up again during HvsV.  Obviously Amanda wasn't winning regardless but I liked that she at least took her chances with Parvati.  Even if she needed some public speaking classes to help with her FTC speech/answers.  Also, something I miss during the IC is when Jeff used to tempt the contestants during the endurance ones with food.  I remember Alexis dropping out prematurely and wound up missing out on whatever food item Jeff had brought out.  And of course, Jason dropping out at the end when Probst tempted them with donuts, which lead to an amazing blindside of Ozzy later that night.  Parvati really played an amazing game.  I like Ozzy, but how I wish they had left in during the FTC where he told Parvati to do a dance for their friendship.  In all, a really fun, unpredictable season!  I wish we had more women form successful alliances like the Black Widow Brigade.

Edited January 26, 2016 by LadyChatts

[LanceM]

Before Mark the Chicken. There was Gloria the Chicken, still strutting around like a boss on day 39.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ci6jC-jXIAET5x2.jpg:large

Edited May 27, 2016 by LanceM

[Sarahsmile416]

16 hours ago, LanceM said:

Before Mark the Chicken. There was Gloria the Chicken, still strutting around like a boss on day 39.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ci6jC-jXIAET5x2.jpg:large

And much like Mark, she did not leave. They set her free and she stayed around. 

[cherrypj]

I've just finished episode 4 (Mikey B goes home; that Joel sure got played by Tracey). The Favorites just got the chickens, but I don't remember hearing the name Gloria yet. Ozzy found the idol and made the stick replacement. (I wanna know how Kathy never once questioned what he was doing. Walking the lagoon for the clues and then "carving" the fake idol had to have taken a while.)

The season is slow so far. I really didn't like Cirie going head-to-head with Penner: own your damn vote, Cirie. Voting for Yau-man was stupid.

Yau-man didn't, by the way, smash Dalton's head into the boat: Dalton tripped over his own feet, taking a header into the side of the boat. I believe Dalton concocted the story about his girlfriend and his baby because he saw the writing on the wall--everyone was voting for him at that first tribal council. Like @LadyChatts, I wonder what happens if Dalton gets that idol! He likely goes pretty quick, anyway. 

[SVNBob]

I think there was another factor to the Dalton wanting out right way.  One that happened about week prior to the start of this season.

Back in the late-2000s, Fox had an upper-tier cable station for only reality shows: Fox Reality.  And like any other self-aggrandizing genre, they had an awards show.  In 2007, Dalton was at this awards show, presumably as a presenter.  But when he came out to do whatever he was there to do, he got booed.  At which point Danny Bonaduce came on stage.  Then this happened:

And like I said, this happened about a week or so before Micronesia started filming.  So it was the 2nd time in about as many weeks that Dalton took a major hit to the face.  I think he was in a lot of pain, and the medical staff wouldn't give him strong enough painkillers (or other drugs) for him to cope.  So he wanted out.

[cherrypj]

4 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Then this happened:

Ohhhhhh! That's gotta hurt. I can totally buy your reasoning, @SVNBob. 

[NutMeg]

On 6/7/2016 at 2:21 PM, SVNBob said:

I think there was another factor to the Dalton wanting out right way.  One that happened about week prior to the start of this season.

Back in the late-2000s, Fox had an upper-tier cable station for only reality shows: Fox Reality.  And like any other self-aggrandizing genre, they had an awards show.  In 2007, Dalton was at this awards show, presumably as a presenter.  But when he came out to do whatever he was there to do, he got booed.  At which point Danny Bonaduce came on stage.  Then this happened:

And like I said, this happened about a week or so before Micronesia started filming.  So it was the 2nd time in about as many weeks that Dalton took a major hit to the face.  I think he was in a lot of pain, and the medical staff wouldn't give him strong enough painkillers (or other drugs) for him to cope.  So he wanted out.

Wow, wtf... I had heard something about a Bunadude (didn't ever pay attention to the name as had never heard of the guy), but never imagined something like that (and was under the impression whatever the injury was had happened during a wrestling match). Thanks for posting, I was not interested enough to look it up, but wow, that was awful... and changes my perception of Johnny "Fairplay" somewhat.

[cherrypj]

Alas, poor Penner! I knew him, Parvati; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.

Damn it, Penner cried. He definitely had to go, though: that knee looked like a cantaloupe. I don't know that he had a straight shot at winning, as he said he did, but who really knows. 

They still had Tribal Council (Chet asked to be voted out). This episode might have been the last chance for the fans to do something: had Chet said OK, maybe Ozzy goes. Who can say?

Tracy really could use a second chance. 

[cherrypj]

"It's a fucking stick!"

Alas, Eliza: you should have flaunted that stick before Tribal Council.

[Nashville]

On June 18, 2016 at 7:26 AM, cherrypj said:

"It's a fucking stick!"

Alas, Eliza: you should have flaunted that stick before Tribal Council.

Mistimed flaunting was always Eliza's specialty.

Well... that, and going for the Marty Feldman Memorial Pop-Eyed Juror Award at every f**king Tribal Council.

[KimberStormer]

Eliza thought Jason had the real idol, not a fucking stick, up until a few moments before tribal, I believe.  She was like "gimme the idol gimme the idol" and Jason was like "don't worry babe, I gotchu".  If it was a real idol, probably better to blindside Ozzy & Co with it if possible.

Anyway it was a fucking stick.  Nobody would have been fooled.

[fishcakes]

The scene of her unwrapping the stick and muttering, "it's a napkin," is so funny to me. It's like she already knew Jason just gave her a handful of nonsense and so she was going to be preemptively disgusted with every aspect of it.

[SVNBob]

7 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

Anyway it was a fucking stick.  Nobody would have been fooled.

Except the person that found it in the first place; Jason.  You can tell he was fooled, right up to the moment Peachy threw the stick into the fire.

[cherrypj]

15 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

Eliza thought Jason had the real idol, not a fucking stick, up until a few moments before tribal, I believe. 

Eliza thought Jason had the real idol, until he showed it to her well before tribal. "It has a face on it, don't worry," Jason says.

HOW was Jason a Fan? 

I think Amanda really showed her lack of strategic acumen. She couldn't figure out how to work with Jason, James, and Erik to defeat Cirie/Pavarti/Alexis/Natalie "Jugular", who had to split their votes. Oh well!

[LadyChatts]

11 hours ago, cherrypj said:

Eliza thought Jason had the real idol, until he showed it to her well before tribal. "It has a face on it, don't worry," Jason says.

HOW was Jason a Fan? 

I think Amanda really showed her lack of strategic acumen. She couldn't figure out how to work with Jason, James, and Erik to defeat Cirie/Pavarti/Alexis/Natalie "Jugular", who had to split their votes. Oh well!

There are only two times I've enjoyed Eliza on this show-her over the top reaction to Ozzy's blindside, and the "it's just a f***ing stick".

I think the term "fan" was used as loosely as "favorites".  Didn't some of the fans admit they only watched some episodes once they were cast?  Anyway, Jason-gotta love him just for the "it has a face".  I actually felt sorry for Eliza, to go from thinking she's safe and going to really pull one over on the majority at TC-only to get a stick with a face.

I don't know that Amanda wanted to work with Jason/James/Erik, or if she saw any point.  I mean, I think she was fine working with James when she thought they were in an alliance with Parvati/Cirie/Ozzy.  The fans were such a mess, they had opportunities to turn the game in their favor, but didn't.  Natalie and Alexis were too dead set on sticking with Parvati, and Jason had the Ozzy complex (but also seemed on the outs with his former tribemates).  

Edited June 22, 2016 by LadyChatts

[cherrypj]

Nice! Amanda played that idol and the "I'm going home" weepy act perfectly. Kudos to her.

[KimberStormer]

Yeah I think that was Amanda's best moment, at least TV moment, in three seasons: "About that, Jeff..."  I sort of feel like if she could just have shown that attitude of delight in the game, in duplicity, in winning, more consistently, then she would have killed it at final tribal.  She felt that she needed to play contrite, I guess, but in both cases it seems like the jury rewarded a "damn I'm good" exuberance over doe-eyed sorrow at What The Game Made Me Do.

[cherrypj]

Exactly! She really had the jury cheering for her. Gross miscalculation to then tamp that down. 

[LadyChatts]

One thing I remember is that the cast arrived home a couple days before the China finale-and many on the jury were shocked that Amanda's TC performance there was nearly identical to the one in Micronesia.  Parvati had too many allies on the jury.  She played a good game, so I'll give her that, but she likely was winning even without any of the moves she made (which really were Cirie's moves).

Amanda's idol play is one of my all time favorites.  The look on especially Natalie's face was priceless.

[cherrypj]

All right, so Erik just gave up his immunity idol.

My first thought was, "No. No! DUMB! NO! You DUMMY!" Never ever give up immunity. James yelled out, "I'm no longer the stupidest Survivor ever!" I don't like James, but I couldn't disagree.

But if I make it all about Erik being an idiot, I'm giving short shrift to the four women: Cirie, Amanda, Parvati, and Natalie (CAP'N). What a stunning plan. Stunning play. To persuade someone to give up their idol!! Amazing. 

Then I worried, "Is this bullying? Piling on a young guy like that?" I didn't think so. So why do I think Tom bullied Ian? Is it because I liked Ian more than I liked Erik (I do)? Is it because it was the coordination of CAP'N? I can't consider one bullying and the other not. (Funny enough: Palau and Micronesia were the same place.)

What an iconic moment. 

[ForeverAlone]

I consider the Black Widow Brigade convincing Erik to give up immunity to be more of a form of seduction than bullying. I can't see him falling for it if the pitch came from a couple of males rather than attractive women. 

[LadyChatts]

Funny that this season 2 people were tricked into giving up immunity.  Erik, which backfired big time (and to me is the dumbest move EVER on Survivor).  Then there was Jason, who knew he was on the chopping block and was one of two left standing in a challenge, but gave up immunity after being promised he wouldn't be voted out (complete with showing people with their fingers crossed behind their back).  Had it not been for Ozzy getting blindsided, he would have been gone.

Of course, his good fortune was short lived, as he was given the boot 3 days later.

And I have to say, I don't know if it's because we had vets in this group, but I don't understand why women can't work together like the Black Widow Brigade.  Every season I get excited we might finally get another kick ass women's alliance.  And every season some woman in said potential alliance runs back to the boys.

Edited June 25, 2016 by LadyChatts

[Sarahsmile416]

Loved this season so much! So many classic moments! My one moment of frustration came from Amanda when it was down to her, Parvati, and Cirie and Cirie told her perfectly honestly that she knew that she was at the bottom of that alliance. Amanda put on this act and got angry at her as if "how dare you think this!" However, it was obvious to everyone watching that she was at the bottom and to be honest, in my opinion, if Cirie felt that way, who is to say she is wrong. Of course she wasn't...she joined the Black Widow Brigade late when it was only a Couples Alliance, but I got annoyed at Amanda acting like she was insulted by the insinuation.

Honestly though, I wasn't an Amanda fan by the end of this season...

[Guest]

On 6/25/2016 at 9:57 AM, ForeverAlone said:

I consider the Black Widow Brigade convincing Erik to give up immunity to be more of a form of seduction than bullying. I can't see him falling for it if the pitch came from a couple of males rather than attractive women. 

Me too.  Though I think Eric was probably trusting and impressionable enough for really resourceful guys to manipulate him, too.  

I disliked Tom's manipulation of Ian because (iirc) he appealed to Ian's sense of gallantry and honor, and it relied on Tom abusing Ian's seeing Tom somewhat as fatherly.  Though I guess in essence it's the same-- they used misplaced trust to remove an opponent.  There's just something more heinous about stabbing a son figure in the back than a suitor.  

[ForeverAlone]

After just watching Palau, I would be reluctant to call what Tom did to Ian to be bullying, unless there is way more footage of that final immunity challenge that shows more. Based on what we saw, Tom was trying to get Ian to step off by saying he would take him to final two if he quit, but he would choose Katie if Tom beat Ian fair and square. But what Ian proposed to Tom after nearly 12 hours was completely different. He only said he would quit if Tom took Katie to the final two, and Tom even reconfirmed with Ian his decision before voting him out on the spot. Because I tend to think that Tom actually would have taken Ian if he had quit. Sure Tom lied in the game, but his lies seemed to have more of an air of plausible deniability, whereas he would not be able to deny that he shanked Ian after getting Ian to quit by promising him final two. Granted, at that point, both Tom and Katie had emotionally worked Ian over hard in the previous couple of days (though some of that was simply capitalizing on some of Ian's rookie mistakes), so Ian may have been a bit more vulnerable to anything he thought would win back Tom and Katie's respect. But Tom did propose a straight forward deal if Ian quit; instead Ian came up with something crazy on his own. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by ForeverAlone

[fishcakes]

I don't know if I'd call it bullying, but Tom definitely manipulated Ian in a way that crossed the line from strategic to dirty play. He acted like the Disappointed Dad to Ian and his puppy-like need for approval. The difference to me between what Tom did to Ian and what the Black Widows did to Erik is that while the argument in both situations was, "you haven't been honorable; here's what you need to do to redeem yourself," in Erik's case it was that he hadn't been an honorable player and in Ian's, it was that he hadn't been an honorable person. A Tony or a Boston Rob can more or less shrug off an assault on his character, chalk it up to the other person's gameplay, and go on and do what they need to do to win, but for whatever reason, Ian was too sensitive or needy or something to do that and Tom knew it. It also didn't help that Katie had also been playing the victim with Ian for a few days, but I don't think that was strategic so much as it was that Katie is a horrible human being and that's what she routinely does with people.

[simplyme]

I mostly remember thinking Ian had gone insane, then wanting to smack all three of them.  Repeatedly.  The details of who did or said what between Tom, Katie, and Ian got lost in the fog of time, but oh, the urge to smack is still clear as day.

[ForeverAlone]

Oh yeah, Ian seemed to completely lose it emotionally in the last four or five days and he made some very questionable decisions. He was doing pretty well up to that point and then he just dropped off a cliff. 

[Guest]

Yeah, I just know that I loved the Black Widow's manipulation and hated Tom, after his.  Part of it might be that I genuinely liked Ian, and also Parvati.  

[azshadowwalker]

Tom spent the whole season acting like he was the epitome of a Good Man. Then, the slobbering over him in the TWoP recaps, as if he was the best thing ever (with blue eyes and "dad strength", of course). All of that combined to make me despise Tom to this day. His view of himself was only exacerbated by the online ass kissing. Cirie and Parvati never tried to sell themselves as especially honorable people, and none of the fanbase or recappers did, either. Tom was dripping with hypocrisy, as was his online portrayal. That's why I despised what he did to Ian, but had no issues with what the women did.

[cherrypj]

All right: finally finished this one. I don't think Amanda could have beaten either Parvati or Cirie. I don't think she was awful, and I actually believe her trouble started at the next-to-last TC, not the final one. Such a gross miscalculation to be so apologetic. Maybe it was genuine--her consternation over voting out Cirie--but no one believed it.

Aside from Ozzy and his declaration of love. Good grief.

[Potanical Pardon]

Amanda's a really great player. Don't know if she plays again, but I want her to win one. I liked her in China, liked her gameplay in Micronesia, but would definitely hate her in real life. That said, she is by far the most beautiful contestant in all the seasons that I've seen. Trying not to sound too shallow here, but there are definitely pretty and "hot" ones, as far as the looks that they're personally going after...these are all replicatable. She's her own level of stunning. Her performances are great, but her crying thing is dumb and insulting; I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, but there is a huge major flaw that burned her both final TCs as far as public speaking. You can see the pageant-training with the answers, and she is naturally intelligent, but she screws herself up with the pouts and overacting. She used the sad act and pouts to perfection during those blindsides, so it's like why is that done so well, and then later on she's terrible at it.

[Michel]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 3:41 AM, Potanical Pardon said:

Amanda's a really great player. Don't know if she plays again, but I want her to win one.

She plays again in Heroes vs. Villains.

[ljenkins782]

1 hour ago, Michel said:

She plays again in Heroes vs. Villains.

HvVs was the first season I had seen her in (watched China and Micronesia later) and she did NOT make a good impression. Her worst season, hands down. 

Quote

 The difference to me between what Tom did to Ian and what the Black Widows did to Erik is that while the argument in both situations was, "you haven't been honorable; here's what you need to do to redeem yourself," in Erik's case it was that he hadn't been an honorable player and in Ian's, it was that he hadn't been an honorable person.

There was so much of the Erik situation that just didn't make sense to me. The only part of it that DID make some logical sense was the idea that group of attractive women talked a naive younger guy into doing something stupid. They did that masterfully, though another piece that I never understood based on what they showed us was why Natalie was such a perfect person to talk him into it. I guess it was all of the interviews where she tore people apart and reveled in it that gave me a different view of her than the players had in the game. 

But the parts about him being dishonorable or whatever, the show didn't show me enough of his behavior to understand that one. He was the last man standing in an explicitly stated "women's alliance," who in that group was he supposed to be loyal to? Literally, his only shot at staying in the game was winning immunity, which makes it doubly ironic that he willingly gave it up. But the argument they used about the whole jury being mad at him and how terrible he was? I just didn't see that. And if he had won immunity down to the last day (which was a possibility), I think he had a damn good shot. Last fan standing, last man standing in a group that was completely transparent about their plan to have all women at the end, etc. 

[Michel]

On Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 11:27 AM, LadyChatts said:

Funny that this season 2 people were tricked into giving up immunity.  Erik, which backfired big time (and to me is the dumbest move EVER on Survivor).

I don't know, @LadyChatts.  I think Brandon giving up his immunity to Albert in South Pacific out of no other reason than feeling that God compelled him to do so could very easily trump that.

[enlightenedbum]

Every account I've read was that the idol handover was just before tribal council, which is why Eliza did nothing but go berate Jason hilariously.  Eliza is secretly awesome in lots of ways, both on and off the show.  Her "fuck you" nod to Ami when the tables finally got turned in Vanuatu is the best single moment of that season and is basically the best non-Edgardo tribal council moment ever.  And her background is pretty privileged (she went to Sidwell Friends, which is where the Obamas sent their kids) and she works as a public defender in New York.

The lost great thing about the fucking stick is that it planted the idea to vote out Ozzie in Cirie's head.  Because Eliza knew where the fake came from she identified who had the real idol.  And this was back in the days before everyone raced around to tell everyone they had found it.  She earned that hilarious reaction.

[Zima]

Just finished this season. I've already seen the next season that Erik is on where they showed a flashback to the TC where he gives immunity away. I knew what was coming, and was cringing the entire last few episodes, waiting for him to do it.

I liked the all-women alliance and that they out-smarted the guys, but I wasn't crazy about Natalie's "women are smarter than men always" line. It just made me go, "Huh?" 

I don't get the James hate on this board. I think he's hilarious, and nice to look at ;) 

I think I would have voted for Amanda for the win. She did rub me the wrong way with her innocent act, but her performance when dropping the Immunity Idol was freaking amazing. I also really admire contestants who are good at challenges, so her winning the last 3 individual immunity challenges would have earned favor from me. 

Edited January 3, 2017 by Zima

[ljenkins782]

34 minutes ago, Zima said:

Just finished this season. I've already seen the next season that Erik is on where they showed a flashback to the TC where he gives immunity away. I knew what was coming, and was cringing the entire last few episodes, waiting for him to do it.

I liked the all-women alliance and that they out-smarted the guys, but I wasn't crazy about Natalie's "women are smarter than men always" line. It just made me go, "Huh?" 

I don't get the James hate on this board. I think he's hilarious, and nice to look at ;) 

I think I would have voted for Amanda for the win. She did rub me the wrong way with her innocent act, but her performance when dropping the Immunity Idol was freaking amazing. I also really admire contestants who are good at challenges, so her winning the last 3 individual immunity challenges would have earned favor from me. 

Part of the James "hate" (which I don't think he gets a ton of, honestly) comes from what a grumpy, nasty person he was on Heroes vs Villains. I liked him in this season, with the notable exception of his dismissiveness toward Parvati as an "apple-biter" after the Ozzy blindside. She was 100% correct to take him out before he could immunity run himself into the finals, but James acted like she was a flighty nitwit who was just looking to stir up trouble. Very irksome. 

[enlightenedbum]

James was always a sexist jerk, it just became more obvious in each subsequent appearance.

[Zima]

4 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Part of the James "hate" (which I don't think he gets a ton of, honestly) comes from what a grumpy, nasty person he was on Heroes vs Villains. I liked him in this season, with the notable exception of his dismissiveness toward Parvati as an "apple-biter" after the Ozzy blindside. She was 100% correct to take him out before he could immunity run himself into the finals, but James acted like she was a flighty nitwit who was just looking to stir up trouble. Very irksome. 

 

2 hours ago, enlightenedbum said:

James was always a sexist jerk, it just became more obvious in each subsequent appearance.

I thought he was better in his second appearance. I did get annoyed by the "apple-biter" crap, but he said that about everyone and every situation in his first season.  He only said it about Parvati in Micronesia, and I think it's because he was genuinely hurt by her.  I have yet to see Heroes vs. Villains, so I'll have to reserve my judgement until then. 

[Guest]

I think he got a great edit in China, his first season.  He won fan favorite then, too.  

[Michel]

6 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I think he got a great edit in China, his first season.  He won fan favorite then, too.  

I actually liked him well enough in China until Peih-Gee and Jaime (smartly, IMO) threw that challenge and he apeshit over it.  Then, laughing in his confessionals two episodes later of how stupid Jaime would look to play what she thought was the hidden Immunity Idol was so incredibly arrogant and obnoxious to me that it turned me off to him for good.  Nothing he would say or do that season, in Micronesia, or in Heroes vs. Villains would ever make me like him again.

James puts on a smiley, happy façade.  But I can tell that there is lots of negativity boiling beneath the surface.  And post-show interviews I've read from several castaways in all three of his seasons pretty much proved it to me.

And as a black person myself, I try not to hate on the black players since they have more social obstacles in this game quite often, and so few of them play.  But James is so negative and nasty, he ends up being one of my few exceptions.  Every time.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Michel

[MissEwa]

It was a long weekend here and I had a terrible cold so spent most of it binge re-watching this whole season. It's so moreish. Some random (very rambling) thoughts:

It was much more brutal than I remembered - the setting, the challenges and the gameplay. Which is funny because those three things are highlights in this season. The setting is gorgeous: I love the cave, and Exile Island is stunning, but all that rain - ugh. I also thought there were some really good challenges - the one where they build a barricade then race to take it apart, the one where they're connected by poles and have to navigate sliding the poles through a central hub, the Last Gasp (which gives me the willies every time... I'd be out in 15 seconds) - it was just a good mix of challenges, and even the physical-element-then-puzzle challenges were well-designed and interesting. But a couple of them were just screaming for injuries, and got them. And the gameplay - I love Parv and I love that a woman's alliance won it but their manipulations did make me uncomfortable more than once. 

There are so many people on this season I end up feeling bad for. Jonathan. Kathy - it's so clear from how Jeff handled her that there was more going on there than 'I miss my kids'. Jason and Erik, because god they got played. Cirie, whose face when they find out it's a final two... oof. Tracey, who I think has the makings of a great Survivor player but just got lumbered with Chet (who I also felt bad for until he didn't give her one... more... day... just quit tomorrow dude, come on). Even Eliza and Ami, who I have no love for - their outsiderdom was hard to watch. 

Ozzy was an ass. That blindside was beautiful and so, so, so deserved, but even I'll admit that the fake idol was adorable. James was just an ass. 

Ami's machete-weilding chat with Erik after he outs her to Malakal to save himself is so perfectly strange and creepy. Everything Natalie does after the merge: ditto. 

Parvati's edit is smaller than I remembered, and while I think she's a great winner she definitely lucked out a few times. She could have gone third and, as @LadyChatts mentioned elsewhere, changed the whole fate of not only this season but HvV as well; any one of those super-risky blindsides could have failed, completely flipping the game; Erik could have used his brain... and if there hadn't been three quits she probably would have been in an F3 and may well have lost to Cirie.

But mostly: Parvati lucked out aligning with a player who arrived at the F4 FTC as a strong, worthy player and then just turned into a terrible, embarrassing, simpering mess. I remembered how bad Amanda's FTC performance was but I think she actually lost the game when she got snippy with Cirie at that F4 FTC for daring to suggest she was on the bottom of the Ozzy-Amanda-Parv-James-Cirie alliance (which Amanda, as the previouslies kept reminding us, herself kept referring to as a 'four-clique', minus Cirie) and then that she as on the bottom of the Amanda-Parv-Cirie threesome, which... again: totally true, and then she just cemented that with her woe-is-me sobbing right through that F3 FTC. So very eye-roll worthy. 

That said, the way Parvati positioned herself in that alliance of five was masterful. It was two alliances of three and she was the key to both, and they never even considered turning on her. 

Not a perfect season - like I said: much more brutal than I remembered - but really really good, and I think still my #1. I don't know what it is but it gave me, as the kids say, the feels. Not all good feels, but so many feels. 

[KimberStormer]

While Amanda sucking and people getting medevaced are to some degree lucky I don't think not getting voted out third is.  She made that happen, specifically, by making a final 3 deal with Cirie and making the boys vote out Yau-Man like Cirie wanted instead of trying to force Cirie to do what they wanted like Penner was.

[simplyme]

1 hour ago, KimberStormer said:

While Amanda sucking and people getting medevaced are to some degree lucky I don't think not getting voted out third is.  She made that happen, specifically, by making a final 3 deal with Cirie and making the boys vote out Yau-Man like Cirie wanted instead of trying to force Cirie to do what they wanted like Penner was.

In Penner's defense, Yau-man was his right hand. Penner has few social skills, but he ain't an idiot. Getting Cirie, who he doesn't trust, in exchange for Yau-man, who he does, is reeeally questionable. That said, getting antagonistic with the vote you need is stupid. If he had to give up Yau, he had to. 

[MissEwa]

3 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

While Amanda sucking and people getting medevaced are to some degree lucky I don't think not getting voted out third is.  She made that happen, specifically, by making a final 3 deal with Cirie and making the boys vote out Yau-Man like Cirie wanted instead of trying to force Cirie to do what they wanted like Penner was.

Yep. This is true. 

I don't know what kind of hold Parvati had on Amanda but she pulled her into these alliances that I don't think Amanda was 100% down for (I don't think Cirie would have been in Amanda's F3 at that point), and blindsided her Survivor boyfriend without telling her, and Amanda would get a little annoyed but then just... forget and go along with it. I was almost reminded of Tony in Cagayan, whose alliance never turned on him no matter how many times he went off-plan without telling them. Only Parvati I actually like, so it's less infuriating and more amusing. 

1 hour ago, simplyme said:

That said, getting antagonistic with the vote you need is stupid. If he had to give up Yau, he had to. 

I was so surprised by Penner's attitude at that TC. I know he's a fan favourite and I don't dislike him, and I get that he was annoyed by the way it was going but 'don't be a dick to the person whose vote you need' is pretty basic Survivor. Cirie was less composed than I remember too (here and at the F4 FTC especially) but she did actually have a point, whereas he was full of it. 

[simplyme]

4 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

While Amanda sucking...

I've decided to stick with my theory that the real, ass-kicking Amanda is chained somewhere in a temple in China. She got switched with DoppelManda shortly before the China F3. It's painful to watch useless, sniveling DoppelManda play.

I either have to go with that theory or admit that Amanda will never be effective on a season with an alpha male who isn't gay.

[enlightenedbum]

Amanda will only be effective when everyone else is a complete moron, like China.

[MissEwa]

I think Amanda has game, but she also comes across as very entitled and whiny. 

I'm torn on Parvati's FTC performance. On the one hand, watching it without context, it's not stellar. But on the other, I wonder if her habit of answering questions kind of awkwardly and then finishing with 'is that okay? Is that... enough?' actually played to the jury perfectly. She had just the right amount of humility, didn't claim mastermind status or declare herself some sort of evil queen - even if sometimes I got the feeling she thought of herself that way - but wasn't overly apologetic or snivelling. s