S18: Tocantins

[Whimsy]

Here is your Survivor S18 topic.

[Potanical Pardon]

In my binging...I fell asleep at part 1 of the merge where Joe is put out of the game and there are a thousand different schemes intertwining with each other because these people are idiots and more paranoid than I've seen yet in a season. The stream played on and then I woke up at the finale and felt like I didn't miss a thing.

Coach is the worst. I cannot, cannot, cannot stand self-deluded full of shit narcissistic people who you cannot talk to at all but are forced to be around. It's torturous! Those people are the worst in the world. You try to ignore them, avoid them and yet they keep returning into your orbit somehow because they reinsert themselves into interactions forcibly by annoying/fucking something up so that you have to bring it up. They're never to blame for anything, have experienced everything, and know everything. But what makes these kinds of people in the world the worst is their lies. Not that they lie, but that every person in the room knows that they're lying. They commit to the lie no matter how absurd as if they completely believe their own bullshit, but you know that that can't be true...where it's way more important for them to validate their nonexistent awesomey awesomeness with unbelievable tall tales because it's the only self-esteem booster they have due to loneliness since every other human being on the planet avoids the shit out of them. That is incredibly infuriating and insulting to everyone's intelligence. Especially when these delusions are followed up with dismissiveness of anything anyone would bring up who then realize "OMG, I am so exhausted from putting all that righteous anger and frustration into arguing and ended up nowhere at all. I wasted so much time, voice is gone now, blood pressure went up, and I've ultimately gained nothing."

[KimberStormer]

You missed my favorite blindside of all time!

[Potanical Pardon]

Where is it? I'll go back and watch it.

[KimberStormer]

Episode 9, "It's Funny When People Cry".  I can pretty much guarantee you will enjoy it.

[cherrypj]

I'm five episodes in, and I ... I don't have much to say. 

I think I like Tyson*. Seems like he's paying attention*. Erinn seems okay too*. (Basically anyone who doesn't like Douche, I mean, Coach.)

I do like Stephen better here than I did in Cambodia*.

*So far. 

[Guest]

I rewatched Tocantins a year or two ago and what surprised me was that first episode and the loooonnnnggg hike they made those people do in the blazing sun, carrying their supplies, to get to their camps, IF they could find them.  I don't miss the brutality.  

[KimberStormer]

It was rough, but nowhere near as bad as the Guatemalan March!

[fishcakes]

19 hours ago, cherrypj said:

I think I like Tyson*. Seems like he's paying attention*.

He gets worse, at least during this season. I hated Tyson in Tocantins, but I started to like him when he dopily voted himself out HvV, and I liked him a lot in BvW. In that respect, to me he's the anti-James, who I started out liking in China and wanted to repeatedly poke in the eye by HvV.

Erinn stays pretty great though. I'd like to see her get another chance to play.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

It was rough, but nowhere near as bad as the Guatemalan March!

Actually, I watched Guatemala more recently and I think *that* is the one I'm remembering, not the one in Tocantins!  That was horrible.  

[ljenkins782]

5 hours ago, fishcakes said:

He gets worse, at least during this season. I hated Tyson in Tocantins, but I started to like him when he dopily voted himself out HvV, and I liked him a lot in BvW. In that respect, to me he's the anti-James, who I started out liking in China and wanted to repeatedly poke in the eye by HvV.

Erinn stays pretty great though. I'd like to see her get another chance to play.

I feel like Erinn either got a bad edit or people disliked her for reasons that weren't shown. Was it because she was working against Golden Boy JT and his story was supposed to be a victory march straight through or what? 

I liked her and liked that she was fairly unapologetic about playing her own game. Plus, her "Dragon Slayed" vote for Coach and her (also Coach-related) confessional of "who IS this jackass" will always make me laugh. 

As for Tyson, he can be funny and charming OR completely evil and borderline sociopathic depending on who he's dealing with and what mood he's in. His treatment of Sierra was awful to watch and the flat affect he has while being awful is disturbing. He's definitely a character, but not someone I'd ever want to interact with.

[fishcakes]

Yeah, I am hard-pressed to say why my feelings about Tyson changed over the seasons because while I detest him in Tocantins, kind of love him in BvW, and can rewatch Tocantins and detest him all over again, I can see that he's pretty much the same in all three seasons. Maybe it's because it looks like more of an act in subsequent seasons -- even the "your seat is over there" to Katie didn't bother me the way it bothered everyone else -- or maybe he just wore me down like George Costanza with the Russian hat saleswoman.

Edited January 13, 2017 by fishcakes

[ozziemom]

32 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Yeah, I am hard-pressed to say why my feelings about Tyson changed over the seasons because while I detest him in Tocantins, kind of love him in BvW, and can rewatch Tocantins and detest him all over again, I can see that he's pretty much the same in all three seasons. Maybe it's because it looks like more of an act in subsequent seasons -- even the "your seat is over there" to Katie didn't bother me the way it bothered everyone else -- or maybe he just wore me down like George Costanza with the Russian hat saleswoman.

My feelings about Tyson too. I love listening to him on RHAP, he is pretty funny. It seems like most of his fellow players like him ok too. So I was surprised when I rewatched Tocantins that he was even more annoying than I remembered.

[Oholibamah]

3 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

I feel like Erinn either got a bad edit or people disliked her for reasons that weren't shown. Was it because she was working against Golden Boy JT and his story was supposed to be a victory march straight through or what? 

I liked her and liked that she was fairly unapologetic about playing her own game. Plus, her "Dragon Slayed" vote for Coach and her (also Coach-related) confessional of "who IS this jackass" will always make me laugh. 

As for Tyson, he can be funny and charming OR completely evil and borderline sociopathic depending on who he's dealing with and what mood he's in. His treatment of Sierra was awful to watch and the flat affect he has while being awful is disturbing. He's definitely a character, but not someone I'd ever want to interact with.

Erinn is one of my top 5 players of all time. 

Her Coach comments are obviously gold, but I also loved her journey toward remembering how to interact with people again. She's an outcast at Timbira, finally finds her "people" at the merge, but by the final episode, you can see she still has work to do in relating to people again. A very subtle and human character growth. 

Also, it's never addressed directly through exposition, but Erinn is an absolute beast at puzzles. I'd say she's easily up there with Penner and Boston Rob as one of the best. She's a big reason Timbira won some of the early challenges (notice, she's always assigned to the puzzle tasks, and seems to have figured out the giant block puzzle for her tribe). But the biggest show was the F4 spider puzzle where she tanks the physical part but catches up to everybody within minutes, finishing one piece behind JT. Very exciting Immunity challenge!

Finally, she's one of the most successful flippers in the game's history. Had Stephen won the final Immunity, Erinn had a strong shot at the win: sure, her tribe hated her, but Stephen would have made a lot of enemies from betraying JT, and Erinn had another unmentioned skill: she was a boss at defending herself. At F3, she speaks so convincingly that she actually made JT's job to vote her out even easier. She made Stephen look like an idiot, and I would have loved to see a Final Tribal battle between the two of them. 

Needless to say, I would die of happiness if she returned, but she played long enough ago that it probably won't happen. But I can dream. 

[enlightenedbum]

Quote

Also, it's never addressed directly through exposition, but Erinn is an absolute beast at puzzles. I'd say she's easily up there with Penner and Boston Rob as one of the best.

Eliza is the Survivor puzzle champion.  Even the tribes that hated her (you know, all of them) put her on the puzzle and I'm pretty sure she's undefeated all-time.  Watch either of her seasons and it's pretty comical, actually.  It's why she's a secret challenge beast, and if she went on the modern all puzzle version of the show would be a massive asset.

Edited January 14, 2017 by enlightenedbum

[cherrypj]

On 10/30/2016 at 0:42 AM, KimberStormer said:

Episode 9, "It's Funny When People Cry".  I can pretty much guarantee you will enjoy it.

Either 9 or 10: there was a recap episode in the middle there. But, @KimberStormer, right as usual! Stellar, funny episode. I was pounding my chest and pointing as the votes were counted. (Who knows why.)

I just wished the editors had shown JT, Stephen (it was his genius idea), and Taj talking to Sierra. There was no guarantee she would vote the same way they did, since Coach was just as awful to her. The Jalapeño three must have talked to her. I would have liked to see hope reawaken in her eyes or something.

Edited January 19, 2017 by cherrypj
It's Taj, dummy. Not Tia

[ljenkins782]

2 hours ago, cherrypj said:

Either 9 or 10: there was a recap episode in the middle there. But, @KimberStormer, right as usual! Stellar, funny episode. I was pounding my chest and pointing as the votes were counted. (Who knows why.)

I just wished the editors had shown JT, Stephen (it was his genius idea), and Tia talking to Sierra. There was no guarantee she would vote the same way they did, since Coach was just as awful to her. The Jalapeño three must have talked to her. I would have liked to see hope reawaken in her eyes or something.

Yeah, Stephen didn't get enough credit for that move. JT was all about voting off the "lying bitch" Sierra, who was no threat to anyone in any way. She wasn't going to win a challenge and everyone hated her, what's the rush in voting her off?

I would love to know what JT's plan was for Tyson, when did he think he was going to be able to get rid of him? 

[KimberStormer]

Stephen's best moment in 2 seasons!  "Someone always goes on an immunity run.  Let's make it you."  That is how you sell a blindside.

[JaggedLilPill]

I could never figure out why Sierra was so hated this season. Even Erinn was all "Sierra's so dumb." And yet, she had Coach's number. So, not so dumb.

Tyson's always kind of seemed like an asshole to me, though albeit a humorous asshole. 

Coach is just as deluded in this season as he is in subsequent two. 

[Hera]

I remember reading an interview with Stephen (or maybe it was his AMA on Reddit) that said Sierra got a very favorable edit and she was pretty difficult to be around a lot of the time.

I will always have a soft spot for this season because it's the first one I ever watched. I really loved Taj, Stephen, and Erinn. I thought Tyson and Coach were assholes, though I can see the entertainment value of their respective brands of assholery.

[Oholibamah]

2 hours ago, Hera said:

I remember reading an interview with Stephen (or maybe it was his AMA on Reddit) that said Sierra got a very favorable edit and she was pretty difficult to be around a lot of the time.

I will always have a soft spot for this season because it's the first one I ever watched. I really loved Taj, Stephen, and Erinn. I thought Tyson and Coach were assholes, though I can see the entertainment value of their respective brands of assholery.

Those are also my 3 favorites from Tocantins!

I hated Coach while watching live, but loved him on the rewatch when already knowing he won't win. Coach is also a fascinating case of playing differently with each appearance. The only other 3-timer who can boast that is Jerri. Both of them are fascinating each of their 3 appearances in completely different ways, and among the very few I wouldn't mind seeing a 4th time. 

[KimberStormer]

I both completely believe Sympathetic Sierra was a creation of the editing and also love the adorable smooshy-faced never-say-die hero they made out of her.  (I also know for a fact that Stephen is a total sneering asshole to anyone he's decided is not in his clique, from sniping at Andrea for going against his Cheese and Whine club in Caramoan to shit-talking Monica at every opportunity during Cambodia.  He's the sort of nerd who finds the weaker outcast and gleefully joins in the bullying.)  In a sense I'm glad she was targeted by Tyson and Coach in their respective super-douchebag peak performances and lost, because had she done better, she wouldn't have gotten that edit, and Heroine Sierra was such a key factor in my love for Tocantins.

But really there is so much to love, especially, as you say @Oholibamah, when you know the bad guys lose, in such very satisfying fashion, probably my favorite villain-loses moment in Survivor.  (The thing lacking in the downfall of Scot and Jason of Kaoh Rong, compared to that of Coach and Tyson, is that the latter was a good move by the people who did it, whereas Tai lost himself the game.)  Along with Sierra I really love snarky Erinn, I love Taj and Brendan who both seem just so happy to be there and to be not sweating it particularly in a really wonderful way, I like JT and find his performance kind of like Kim's in that it's a suspense-free total dominance that is its own kind of drama. 

[ljenkins782]

Quote

I both completely believe Sympathetic Sierra was a creation of the editing and also love the adorable smooshy-faced never-say-die hero they made out of her.  (I also know for a fact that Stephen is a total sneering asshole to anyone he's decided is not in his clique, from sniping at Andrea for going against his Cheese and Whine club in Caramoan to shit-talking Monica at every opportunity during Cambodia.  He's the sort of nerd who finds the weaker outcast and gleefully joins in the bullying.)  In a sense I'm glad she was targeted by Tyson and Coach in their respective super-douchebag peak performances and lost, because had she done better, she wouldn't have gotten that edit, and Heroine Sierra was such a key factor in my love for Tocantins.

Honestly, even with her favorable edit, I could still see why she was annoying the others. I mostly just feel uncomfortable watching some of the episodes because she seems so overmatched intellectually by Tyson. He's a complete dick, but a quick-witted, confident dick and her feeble responses to him are hard to watch. 

Quote

Along with Sierra I really love snarky Erinn, I love Taj and Brendan who both seem just so happy to be there and to be not sweating it particularly in a really wonderful way, 

I loved Brendan and Taj and wish that Exile alliance had held between the two of them. He had some priceless WTF responses to Coach too. Taj was fun to watch because she had zero desperation and was clearly there for the experience and not the money. 

I did a speedy rewatch (read: put it on Hulu and slept through a lot, but caught some bits) and I have to say Taj got the easiest loved ones choice of all time at the auction. Compared with other seasons where they can only pick one or two people and most memorably, poor Brenda in Caramoan who had to screw herself and Dawn over, Taj was handed a huge goodwill freebie by being allowed to spend the night at Exile with her husband while every other person got to bring their loved one back to camp. 

Really, that's a tough choice? A chance to see your loved one completely alone where you can speak freely and do whatever you want without anyone around and everyone else loves you for letting them see their loved one? That was a head-scratcher from a producer point of view.

Quote

I hated Coach while watching live, but loved him on the rewatch when already knowing he won't win. Coach is also a fascinating case of playing differently with each appearance. The only other 3-timer who can boast that is Jerri. Both of them are fascinating each of their 3 appearances in completely different ways, and among the very few I wouldn't mind seeing a 4th time. 

He is definitely easier to take once you know he's not winning, but I still find him hard to watch in this season. He was much more palatable in later seasons. He really seemed to believe his own bullshit in this season, but the cracks in his bravado showed in HvVs and his other season.

[cherrypj]

On 1/18/2017 at 4:49 PM, Hera said:

I remember reading an interview with Stephen (or maybe it was his AMA on Reddit) that said Sierra got a very favorable edit and she was pretty difficult to be around a lot of the time.

On 1/19/2017 at 2:15 AM, KimberStormer said:

I both completely believe Sympathetic Sierra was a creation of the editing and also love the adorable smooshy-faced never-say-die hero they made out of her. 

It's true: Sierra was the answer to the questions: "who is most likely to stab you in the back?" & "who would you least like to see win this game?" Brutal coconut-chop game for her. She got voted out that episode, too.

[cherrypj]

The editors turned the season into the Douche show. That made over half the cast totally forgettable, and the gameplay pretty much non-existent because there wasn't time to show anything else. 

And man, Stephen pulled a Kimmel there. He was smart until Day 36! 

On to Samoa! From Douche to Russell. Pray for me. 

[Michel]

13 hours ago, cherrypj said:

The editors turned the season into the Douche show. That made over half the cast totally forgettable, and the gameplay pretty much non-existent because there wasn't time to show anything else.

Sadly, I think this was the season that started the shift from focusing on the game and its players to it's "characters."  Coach got way too much screen time.  No doubt.  But they still found the time to focus on some gameplay and tribal dynamics.  But still . . . so much air time was dedicated to Coach.  And then . . . it spilled over to the next two seasons, giving almost all of the screen time to Russell in Samoa and Heroes vs. Villains (with Shambo being the second-biggest camera hog in the former, and Rob in the latter).  And then, it kept on going after that in Nicaragua (Na'Onka, Sash), Redemption (Rob again, Russell early on), South Pacific (Coach, Ozzy, Brandon, Cochran, and a side of Jim), One World (Colton pre-merge, Tarzan post-merge), Philippines (I know people like Penner, but I don't, and he, too, got way more screen time than justified, and also Malcolm, Pete, Lisa, and Jeff Kent), Caramoan (Cochran, Brandon, Phillip), Blood vs. Water (Tyson and Gervase), Cagayan (Tony), San Juan del Sur (John Rocker, Josh, Jeremy, and Jon Misch), Worlds Apart (Dan, Mike, and Rodney), Cambodia (Spencer), Kaoh Rong (Scot, Jason, Tai, Debbie, and Caleb, at least in the early goings), and the most recent season, Millennials vs. Gen-X (David, Ken, Jay, Adam).

I miss the days when the editing was at least a bit more about the game than the characters in it.

[NutMeg]

On 2/9/2017 at 6:43 PM, Michel said:

 

On 2/9/2017 at 5:17 AM, cherrypj said:

The editors turned the season into the Douche show. That made over half the cast totally forgettable, and the gameplay pretty much non-existent because there wasn't time to show anything else.

Sadly, I think this was the season that started the shift from focusing on the game and its players to it's "characters." 

 

yes, indeed, and totally yes!

[SVNBob]

I think that the shift might have actually started in the previous season, Gabon.  Sugar was character enough on her own, then decided to play kingmaker.  And with no real "hero" or story otherwise, they had to go along with the one narrative they had; hers.  Hence her positive edit.

But this is the season where it crystallized.  Granted, given the material they were handed by the one person, I fully understand why they did it here.  While not good Survivor, it was good TV.

Now, if they'd stopped this form of seasonal storytelling here, it would have been good.  A nice couple of seasons that were different because of "characters" instead of players.  The problem came with the Problem in the next two seasons.  While he was a player, he was also a dominating character.  And given his story over both seasons, he had to be a focal point.

[scowl]

I'm rewatching this on Amazon and I remember why this season got me started watching Survivor: I'm a shallow male and the women were stunning. Carolina, the models Sierra and Sydney, Candace, and Erinn were great in high definition. Erinn was hilarious, saying some of the funniest things anyone ever said about Coach. I would like a smartass like Erinn every season.

This was the best Exile Island gimmick I can remember since it allowed a secret intertribal alliance to form. 

[scowl]

On 1/28/2017 at 0:16 PM, cherrypj said:

It's true: Sierra was the answer to the questions: "who is most likely to stab you in the back?" & "who would you least like to see win this game?" Brutal coconut-chop game for her. She got voted out that episode, too.

The thing I read at the time was that Sierra was a young and successful model and constantly talked about her career. Everyone had to hear about all the places she had lived, all the famous people she had met, and so on. She was oblivious to everyone rolling their eyes or walking away when she was talking. 

[scowl]

I haven't watched this since it first aired and I have forgotten how great it was. The Tyson blindside was one of my favorites. I love listening to Erinn. Exile Island was much worse than the Sugar Shack last season. 

It's too bad that Coach obviously influenced the show to cast people who have difficulties understanding reality for the sake of viewer entertainment. Everything about him was a real life Michael Scott on a reality game show living in a make-believe world of Dungeons and Dragons. 

[Daisy]

I often say this regarding Cirie and how she got shafted - but Erinn got shafted as well by not having a final 3 appearance. And the thing is - I don't know if JT sweeps if she's there. She was very articulate. Yeah her entire tribe hated her, but that's the beauty of Final tribal. Stephen imploded - had he not, JT doesn't sweep either (I think he still wins, JT was a wizard in that tribal, but I don't think it's a sweep). 

I do agree if Gabon started to shift between camp-life and the entire cast (Thanks, Sugar), this season put it in then oven, and then Samoa baked it into a never changing thing. really a shame. But I do think this was really the the last... Classic Survivor season. (well for what it was). There was Exile, but that was there since Season 10/12 for sure, so it was part of the tapestry. just. 1 idol, 1 EI, 2 tribes, no tribe swaps.. just. Survivor. 

I have to say this was my favourite Coach moment (because you just can't stop laughing). Especially because the lead up was that Coach did not want to go to Exile Island and I think because Stephen aptly points out. Coach does not know how to make fire. lol

[healthnut]

Just watched this season for the first time, really enjoyed it. I don't think Stephen had a chance but he was alwful in final tribal, I don't think he was as bad as Amanda but then at least she got votes. Amazing that JT doesn't get penalized for voting out Taj, but Stephen seemed to get penalized for the thought of voting out JT. I was quite entertained by how much they went at each other. Tyson's blindside ranks up there for me with Ozzy's blindside in Micronesia. 

Obviously, some of these players have played multiple times but I wouldn't mind seeing Erinn, Sierra, or Taj again. Game Changers was my first introduction to JT and I definitely wasn't impressed, I haven't seen HvV yet (I know he makes a huge gaffe). It was good to see him actually play well. I do think returning players tarnish their "legacies" a little upon returns.

[Lamb18]

Hey guys, I'm watching Tocantins. I'm watching the episode following the one where Joe was evacuated. Coach says some story about taking a military helicopter to the source of the Amazon in Peru so he could go kayaking. Then some indigenous tribesmen captured him and tied him to a stake and beat him over and over again. My attention wandered while he was saying how he got out of there and next thing I know he is back in the kayak paddling for his life. Someone asked how much it cost to have a military helicopter take him there. It was free! says Coach. And National Geographic contacted him and wanted to accompany him but he said no.

I'm curious, those of you who watched it when it originally aired, what was the reaction? Did people check to see if that story was really true? (I think he's blowing smoke; Coach is a big blowhard who likes to self-aggrandize under the pretense of being inspirational.) You can tell the rest of them are over him, except maybe for J.T.

ETA: You can tell Jeff is over Coach. At the Immunity challenge Jeff shouts with glee, "Coach is in last place struggling with the rope! Nothing prepared him for the rope-a-dope!"

Edited October 2, 2017 by Lamb18

[fishcakes]

1 hour ago, Lamb18 said:

My attention wandered while he was saying how he got out of there and next thing I know he is back in the kayak paddling for his life.

You missed the best part then, where his captors turned out to be cannibals who attempted to eat him, apparently while he was still alive, starting with his butt.

2 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

I'm curious, those of you who watched it when it originally aired, what was the reaction? Did people check to see if that story was really true?

Everyone just assumed it was false and mocked him for it. It will come up again at the reunion show in a ridiculous way, but I won't spoil it for you.

I know I mentioned this somewhere here (probably in the Past Season thread), but I rewatched Tocantins on DVD and there was a bonus scene where Coach is telling Stephen and JT that a few years earlier, his doctor told him he had an incurable brain tumor and that he only had six weeks to live. Coach said he went home and meditated, visualizing his immune system killing off the tumor and when he returned to the doctor a few weeks later, the tumor was gone. So just in general, I would say that Coach is eternally and entirely full of shit.

[ljenkins782]

12 hours ago, fishcakes said:

You missed the best part then, where his captors turned out to be cannibals who attempted to eat him, apparently while he was still alive, starting with his butt.

Everyone just assumed it was false and mocked him for it. It will come up again at the reunion show in a ridiculous way, but I won't spoil it for you.

I know I mentioned this somewhere here (probably in the Past Season thread), but I rewatched Tocantins on DVD and there was a bonus scene where Coach is telling Stephen and JT that a few years earlier, his doctor told him he had an incurable brain tumor and that he only had six weeks to live. Coach said he went home and meditated, visualizing his immune system killing off the tumor and when he returned to the doctor a few weeks later, the tumor was gone. So just in general, I would say that Coach is eternally and entirely full of shit.

Ha, that's a succinct and accurate way to put it. 

Actually, that side of Coach didn't bug me that much. Such obvious bullshit is easy to dismiss, but he genuinely bothered me with his treatment of some of the people, such as Sierra and to a lesser extent, Erinn (mainly because Erinn seemed more able to take it and she saw through him from the start). He was relentless and his arrogance and complete lack of self-awareness were difficult to watch, that was what made me loathe him so much that I couldn't enjoy the absurdity of the rest of his "character." 

[Lamb18]

Yeah, he was really mean to Sierra.

 

13 hours ago, fishcakes said:

I rewatched Tocantins on DVD and there was a bonus scene where Coach is telling Stephen and JT that a few years earlier, his doctor told him he had an incurable brain tumor and that he only had six weeks to live. Coach said he went home and meditated, visualizing his immune system killing off the tumor and when he returned to the doctor a few weeks later, the tumor was gone.

I think Coach and Raven from Big Brother are a match made in heaven.

[SpecialKay]

On 10/27/2016 at 5:21 AM, Potanical Pardon said:

In my binging...I fell asleep at part 1 of the merge where Joe is put out of the game and there are a thousand different schemes intertwining with each other because these people are idiots and more paranoid than I've seen yet in a season. The stream played on and then I woke up at the finale and felt like I didn't miss a thing.

Coach is the worst. I cannot, cannot, cannot stand self-deluded full of shit narcissistic people who you cannot talk to at all but are forced to be around. It's torturous! Those people are the worst in the world. You try to ignore them, avoid them and yet they keep returning into your orbit somehow because they reinsert themselves into interactions forcibly by annoying/fucking something up so that you have to bring it up. They're never to blame for anything, have experienced everything, and know everything. But what makes these kinds of people in the world the worst is their lies. Not that they lie, but that every person in the room knows that they're lying. They commit to the lie no matter how absurd as if they completely believe their own bullshit, but you know that that can't be true...where it's way more important for them to validate their nonexistent awesomey awesomeness with unbelievable tall tales because it's the only self-esteem booster they have due to loneliness since every other human being on the planet avoids the shit out of them. That is incredibly infuriating and insulting to everyone's intelligence. Especially when these delusions are followed up with dismissiveness of anything anyone would bring up who then realize "OMG, I am so exhausted from putting all that righteous anger and frustration into arguing and ended up nowhere at all. I wasted so much time, voice is gone now, blood pressure went up, and I've ultimately gained nothing."

Coach was so vile and delusional that I actually stopped watching Survivor for years. I am a professional musician and play the same instrument as Coach so I also see all of his ridiculous music lies too. He was nothing but a goat and was too stupid to know it. Thanks for your wonderful post.