S32: Tai Trang

[Whimsy]

Name (Age): Tai Trang (51)

Tribe Designation: Beauty

Current Residence: San Francisco

Occupation: Gardener

 

Here's your Tai Trang topic

[piequinn35]

Why is he in the beauty tribe???

[cherrypj]

Why is he in the beauty tribe???

 

Inner beauty?

[blackwing]

Has to be inner beauty.  He raises money for HIV/AIDS patients, so that is commendable.  Physically, I think he has a funny shaped head and looks emaciated.

 

Unfortunately for him, I could see him being the first to go on this tribe.  He looks weaker than the other two males and looking at the tribe as a whole, it's a case of "one of these things is not like the others".

[riverheightsnancy]

If there is a God (or if he is in the tub ;) ), please don't let him be the first boot. I really like him and want to see more about him. His back story is very inspirational. 

[Wandering Snark]

I can't help but think of Mr. Mackey for South Park when I see Tai:

 

[ByaNose]

Tai sure didn't care about those trees when looking for the idol. LOL!!! I'm not sure how much Survivor he's watched but I don't think they bury idols under planted trees. Actually, it looks like those trees were just planted there for the show. They seemed sort of random. Anyway, I think most idols are hidden and not buried. I could be wrong but the only place I can think of them being buried were on Exile Island. That said, he's a funny guy and very Yau Man. I'm hoping he goes far and that the girls & Caleb don't vote him out.

[LadyChatts]

From what I remember about idols hidden at camp, it was usually in trees (not buried), probably to make it easier for the idol grabber to get it and not waste time digging around.  Although hiding them under toppled/dead trees would be a neat idea.  

 

I liked Tai.  I worry about his chances with his tribe, as he seems like the odd man out.  Reminds me a bit of Cao Boi during CI.  I'm curious about his designation on the beauty tribe as well, though I could argue that for just about everyone on this tribe.  Regardless of what Jeff says, I don't believe they cast first, then come up with the theme.  Any non themed season doesn't typically get the variety a themed season does.  Though I do wonder with this season, since some of the castaways seemed mismatched but maybe they were lacking somewhere so they cast them anyway and just threw them into whatever tribe needed numbers.  That or maybe they had a different theme in mind but it didn't work out.

Edited February 20, 2016 by LadyChatts

[NutMeg]

Truely adorable. If he's able to cry (honestly cry, which i think he was) for the chicken (chick?) he helped to convert to food, while making his thought process clear, I'm going to have mad respect for him.

 

And, maybe OT but i'm currently going to some hard stuff and would love his input:) He's just that real person,you know? 

[KimberStormer]

from the episode thread, talking about Tai hunting the idol:

 

legaleagle53, on 24 Mar 2016 - 9:23 PM, said:

But he did have a reason:  the girls had pretty much made it clear to him that he was fourth in that alliance and would most likely be out ASAP after the merge.

 

He was hunting that idol in the very first episode!  Before the Beauty Gals alliance was probably even strong, and in any case before they'd asked Caleb in to be their fourth.  And the fact that he was hunting it is what made them want to work with Caleb and not Tai.  He just assumed he was at the bottom, didn't have faith in his ability to win people over, which he clearly has.

 

I mean, I'm never gonna hate on someone for idol-hunting.  Always be idol-hunting.  But don't count yourself out too early either, and don't neglect the social game.

[azshadowwalker]

Well, I guess Tai has shown himself to be a snake just like Kyle and Bench. I don't care who people form alliances with. That's just game play. Destroying the ability to get food by hiding tools is lower than low. The fire part is bad enough. That's unforgivable, especially from someone who has played the "poor, sweet little me" game all season.

[LadyChatts]

Tai was my last hope for this season, even if I thought he had no chance of winning.  I still don't think he will win (they aren't going to let him get to the end), but I'm fine if he goes.  After tonight, I believe Jason and Scot have -100 chance of winning, and I think the likes of Julia and Tai are going down with them.    

[molshoop]

 

Well, I guess Tai has shown himself to be a snake just like Kyle and Bench

 

   Some people can do 9 shitty things and then 1 good thing and be forgiven and even

   praised.  Other people can do 9 good things and 1 shitty thing and suddenly their

   true nature is revealed and all the good that went before is just an act. 

 

   I have see that happen so many times in real life as well as reactions to people

   on TV: real and fictional.

 

   I knew that as soon as Tai made one false step the hammer would come down

   heavy on him.

 

   My post is not directed to you or anyone specifically.  But Tai checks so many boxes

   that I knew there would be people gleeful to see him lose his popularity.

 

   He is a different race, he is a different religion, he is gay, he is an immigrant with a heavy

   accent, he is old (not to me), and he has no physical beauty. Oh yes, I forgot that

   he isn't a brilliant strategic player.

 

   He doesn't feel good about what he did.  It was childish and mean.  I wont defend it.

   But I will defend a good person's right to make a mistake and not be reviled for it.

  

    I still really like him, admire him and I hope he wins.

  

 

[azshadowwalker]

Yep. People hate Tai being a selfish, sneaky, back-stabbing jerk who directly tries to hurt people's ability to eat and have clean water while he plays the poor little martyr because they're all racist, xenophobic homophobes. Absolutely. It couldn't be because he's trying to keep people from having food and clean water. It couldn't be because he did it in secret, so he didn't have to face the music until it actually aired. It couldn't be because he's showing his own cowardice and pettiness when things don't go his way. Nope. It's because he's a gay immigrant.

[piequinn35]

All I can say is that he is a terrible liar :))

[peachmangosteen]

All I can say is that he is a terrible liar :))

 

Seriously. How the women didn't immediately figure out he was the one to put out the fire is astonishing. His "Huh what what happened wow I have no idea what happened huh!" act was so transparent.

 

My dislike for Tai has actually been slowly growing since the Caleb kiss episode and it just reached a crescendo with his behavior in this last ep. And now I'm convinced he's probably the winner so I'm prepared to, yet again, dislike the winner.

[fishcakes]

Tai seems to be torn about playing dirty in the game. He doesn't want to, but he seems to think he has to in order to stay in with Scot and Jason. Seeing as how if he's not in that alliance, at best the other will side use him for his vote and discard him as soon as they don't need him, I can see why he'd want to stick with the guys. Also as someone noted in the episode thread, Tai has endured some genuine atrocities in his life, so while he doesn't like the meanness of putting out fires and hiding tools, he knows that while people will be uncomfortable, they won't truly suffer.

 

But honestly, I'm not bothered by Scot and Jason hiding tools and putting out fires either. I think it's idiotic and childish, but I don't feel like they're hurting anyone, especially since everyone knows it's them and are basically laughing at them for it and then getting on with their day. I didn't care when J'Tia dumped the rice or Sandra dumped the fish or even when Russell poured out water and burned socks. There were rumors that Russell peed in the water in HvV and that is something to be concerned about (mainly just for the grossness factor since I'm sure everyone gets screened for disease before they let them play), and even more so because when Brandon flipped out in the Caramoan season, he said he'd pee in the rice, which makes me think that the rumors about Russell were true and he went home and bragged about it. And I was worried when Brandon dumped out food because he seemed to be in a full-scale meltdown where it was likely that someone might get hurt. For the most part, though, I think people sabotaging the camp is within bounds, although obviously not a nice thing to do and also it usually makes no strategic sense, though I do understand why Tai is doing his part. It's sort of a When In Douchebroland thing for him. It's disappointing, but it doesn't make me hate him.

Edited April 14, 2016 by fishcakes

[peachmangosteen]

Also as someone noted in the episode thread, Tai has endured some genuine atrocities in his life, so while he doesn't like the meanness of putting out fires and hiding tools, he knows that while people will be uncomfortable, they won't truly suffer.

 

I feel like for me this is probably why I expected so much more from Tai. But that might not be fair to him.

 

But like I said I never truly liked him anyway and I just still don't like him now.

[phlebas]

A friend just called him "Tai-lo Hen"

 

I love Star Wars nerds.

[violet and green]

All I can say is that he is a terrible liar :))

 

But he did do a nice recovery lie about his vote for Jason to Jason and Scott when they asked crossly who he voted for, saying he voted for Debbie - they can't disprove it.

 

I was disappointed in some of his actions, but he is still my favorite player and  favorite person out there and so I will continue to keep rooting for him to go far and hopefully win. He is a decent person making tentative little sneaky and evil and sometimes flat-out silly moves as part of the game - not a vile bully with no soul. Big difference.

[Hanahope]

I didn't understand why he voted for Jason when he ran a bit too long at the mouth.  How did that solve anything?  All it did was force him to make up a lie to his ally.  He could have voted for one of the other people not in his alliance and just said he got flustered and voted for the wrong person.  But its a bit hard to say you got flustered and voted for your own alliance mate.

 

That said, I think Tai is a bit of a "look at me and all that I've gone through, you should honor me for it".  He's definitely more of a tell, not show kindof person and I find it a bit hypocritical.  If you are doing something because you think it will be better for your game, then own it.  

[peachmangosteen]

I think he's just not a very good player/much of a thinker and he just got confused during that TC and voted randomly. His vote for Jason really doesn't make sense. He was quick on his feet with the lie about who he voted for though.

[Jersey Guy 87]

A lot of people have gotten upset at Tai for saying he respects all living things, etc. and then joining in on the camp "sabotage" with the tattoo brothers, calling him a hypocrite.  I'm actually all right with that - we complain when people get all whiny about wanting to play "true to themselves" and not recognizing that in-game morality has nothing to do with your real life morality, Tai seems to recognize that.  I don't think anything he's done in the game would make me think he's any less a lover of all creatures, etc. outside the game.  Inside the game do anything that's allowed - lie, backstab, put out the fire in the middle of the night like a spoiled 4 year old, whatever.  You're playing a game for a million dollars that has its own set of rules, you're not attempting to become a saint.

[pamplemousse]

Posters have been really harsh on Tai, overall, when I feel like he's a pretty harmless guy. He got trashed for not using his idol to save Anna (when he never promised to), people are still calling him a hypocrite for uprooting obviously just planted trees where it wouldn't have damaged the trees, people complain that he's a shit player because he doesn't make a 'big move,' and now that he's tried to make a big move, people are saying he's like the worst player ever (just like they were saying when he didn't save Anna of all people for a Beauty alliance he was never really included in) and just threw away his chance to win. The over-the-top flagellating of and harshness towards Tai is mystifying to me (although I have my suspicions) and it's just not a cute look. At all.

[NutMeg]

A lot of people have gotten upset at Tai for saying he respects all living things, etc. and then joining in on the camp "sabotage" with the tattoo brothers, calling him a hypocrite.  I'm actually all right with that - we complain when people get all whiny about wanting to play "true to themselves" and not recognizing that in-game morality has nothing to do with your real life morality, Tai seems to recognize that.  I don't think anything he's done in the game would make me think he's any less a lover of all creatures, etc. outside the game.  Inside the game do anything that's allowed - lie, backstab, put out the fire in the middle of the night like a spoiled 4 year old, whatever.  You're playing a game for a million dollars that has its own set of rules, you're not attempting to become a saint.

I have a problem with Tai as a player, but not that one.

 

My problem is that he doesn't seem to have any strategy and plays innocent of even any knowledge or understanding of the concept of strategy, instead of embracing and being willing to be accountable for his choices, good or bad. I don't get a player who plays the game in a "oh, now, I hurt someone, didn't mean to", "oh, now, I pissed off my game, didn't mean too", "oh, now, players a, b, c are happy with what I did, but players x, y, z are very unhappy, didn't mean to". I like players who take responsability for their gameplay and he frustrates me with his wishy-washiness. 

[Jersey Guy 87]

I agree with you, NutMeg.  I don't think Tai is a particularly good player either.  About the only thing I like about is game is his ability to separate real life from the game and the fact that he seems to be a serious endurance challenge threat.  But I don't think he's a very good strategic player at all.

[NutMeg]

thanks, Jersey Guy 87, I think between the love and the dislike he gets, his strategic acumen is sometimes absent from the discussion :)

[peachmangosteen]

Yea I'm in the camp that thinks he's basically a terrible player that luckily fell into some good moves. I don't think he's some kind of consciously manipulative genius at all.

 

But I am not with the group who thinks he has no chance of winning now. I mean if he can make it to FTC he'll probably still win. He probably has a harder go at actually making it there now though. But he has the only HII, an extra vote, and he is an IC threat so I could see him making it to the end.

Edited April 21, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[NutMeg]

Sure, he could still win, but it will all depends on whom he sits next to and what will have happened until then.

[peachmangosteen]

Sure, he could still win, but it will all depends on whom he sits next to and what will have happened until then.

 

Exactly, but that was true before and is true for everyone all the time. It's not like Tai staying with the dick twins meant he was guaranteed FTC and the win. Julia certainly would've done her best to prevent that! He definitely had an easier path to the end with them, but he still has a path to the end and a chance of winning now.

Edited April 21, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[Special K]

I don't want to overanalyze Tai, but I think he is experiencing a moral dilemma.  Sort of like Lisa Welchel, but way less dramatic.  Which is why his playing might seem erratic.  One moment, he is "this is a game, I'm going to put my true nature aside and play dirty," and the next he is like, "I think we should stop trashing camp and present and olive branch and go back to being nice to everyone."  

 

Aubry played on his sense of morality, or, to state it less cynically, helped nudge him to remember his core values.

 

Having seemingly thrown off (or lessened) the devil on his shoulder, it'll be interesting to see how he continues.  If Jason targets him, as I expect he will, I think he gets even closer to Aubry et al.

 

You catch more bees with honey, Jason and Scot!
 

[ByaNose]

Tai probably would have been cut by Scot & Jason before the end. So, it was a good move but it might have been too early but there aren't many people left. I guess if Scot & Jason were on the jury Tai wouldn't get their vote. Now, if it's Tai & Jason in a Final 2 he might have a chance. That said, Tai has emerged as the fan favorite so it will interesting how much further he gets. I doubt any of the girls want to sit next to him, right? I don't know what the perfect scenario is.

[azshadowwalker]

He goes with whoever makes him feel good at any given moment. First, obsessing over Caleb. Then, latching onto Scot. Then, loving Aubry's "energy", and going with her. He will do whatever the people around him do, because he doesn't have the character to either stand up (and, really, who forced him to douse the fire? No one.) or own his own decisions. He didn't make a big move. He once again relied on someone else to do his thinking. It helped the women, so I am thrilled that he found one of them to glom onto.

I am not going to engage in the red-baiting excuses based on his past, either. We have seen people with horrible disadvantages do things that got them savaged in the media. This dude fits some archaic, American guilt relieving propaganda from my youth, so it is apparently okay.

As for not causing harm, we have seen people medevaced for dehydration and heat stroke just this season. I argued that the water issue was the most important part of that, based on my life in extreme climates. Wasting the water and destroying their means of getting clean water repeatedly is a stupid, dangerous thing to do.

[Dobian]

Tai strengthened his position by backstabbing Scot.  Now he gets to keep his idol instead of donating it to make a super idol, gets his extra vote advantage that he will use soon.  He will need to watch his back because no one wants him in the final three.  I'm sure Aubry ideally wants to take Joe with her to the end and maybe Michele or Cydney.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Dobian

[peachmangosteen]

He goes with whoever makes him feel good at any given moment. First, obsessing over Caleb. Then, latching onto Scot. Then, loving Aubry's "energy", and going with her. He will do whatever the people around him do, because he doesn't have the character to either stand up (and, really, who forced him to douse the fire? No one.) or own his own decisions. He didn't make a big move. He once again relied on someone else to do his thinking. It helped the women, so I am thrilled that he found one of them to glom onto.o.

 

+100

Edited April 21, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[fishcakes]

Tai didn't glom onto Aubry. Aubry suggested that the two of them form an alliance but didn't specify what she meant by that; in fact, Tai thought she was offering to ditch her own alliance and join his. When he proposed that to Scot and Jason and their response was that they should vote Aubry out instead, Tai saw where he stood with them and began to consider flipping. We don't know who came up with the idea to let Julia and Michele vote Tai while the rest of them voted Scot, but I didn't see anything that suggests that Aubry or anyone else did the thinking for Tai and he blindly followed along.

 

Ultimately, his flip saved Aubry, not the other way around. If he stuck with Scot and Jason, it would have been 2 votes for Tai, 3 for Scot, 3 for Aubry, Tai saves Scot with the superidol, and Aubry's at Ponderosa asking Neal why he didn't give her his HII before he was medevaced.

[piequinn35]

Ultimately, his flip saved Aubry, not the other way around. If he stuck with Scot and Jason, it would have been 2 votes for Tai, 3 for Scot, 3 for Aubry, Tai saves Scot with the superidol, and Aubry's at Ponderosa asking Neal why he didn't give her his HII before he was medevaced.

There would be a revote, Tai won't use the idol, Julia would probably flip and vote Aubry, and she goes to Ponderosa 

asking Neal why he didn't give her his HII before he was medevaced. :)

[fishcakes]

Oh, you're right! I too got caught up in superidol frenzy and didn't realize it wouldn't be needed there.

[KimberStormer]

pamplemousse, on 21 Apr 2016 - 07:28 AM, said:pamplemousse, on 21 Apr 2016 - 07:28 AM, said:

 people are saying he's like the worst player ever (just like they were saying when he didn't save Anna of all people for a Beauty alliance he was never really included in)

 

I think that only I was saying he should have used his idol there, and I certainly didn't say or mean that he was the worst player ever.  It was a totally understandable thing to not do it, but I just think it would have been better to do it.  When people pushed back on that I explained my reasoning because that's exactly what makes Survivor so fun to me, talkin' strategy, debating moves, not because it was a big deal.

 

In terms of, you might say, "game pieces" he certainly came out on top with this flip on Scot--he has the advantage, he has the idol.  But I think in terms of social game, in terms of the classic game of Survivor, persuading people, getting them to vote with you and then for you, he's in a worse position.  I personally don't believe Scot and Cupcake had any intention of getting rid of him--having Julia was like insurance, so that whoever wins final 4 immunity, both of them go to the end.  And I think Tai would certainly destroy the two of them at FTC.  So, although I'm thrilled to see the Super Idol go away and Scot to take his jerk-ass to Ponderosa, I don't think it was a great move for Tai. 

Edited April 22, 2016 by KimberStormer

[violet and green]

I loves him. I've liked him from the start. I'm so glad he peeled away from the awful men. I don't care what happens from here on in, so long as Tai is there to protect Mark the chicken. My preference would be to see Tai sitting meekly on a log at the final tribal with Mark on his lap, spouting his philosopy of life and the game, with a chance to win the million.

 

PS: who says Tai can't lie, now?!

[NutMeg]

I love the idea of Tai (whether a juror or a finalist) with Mark the chicken on his lap!

[peachmangosteen]

I was struck by the stark contrast in these two extra videos: this one after RC and this one after IC. After RC he is talking about how he didn't want Aubry to get the advantage because he's fighting for his alliance (i.e. Scot/Jason) and then after IC it's completely changed to Jason being the last person he wanted to win, him wanting Aubry to win, just general gushing about Aubry, saying 'bad for me and Aubry,' and even feeling bad that he wasn't there for her. That's why imo it seems like he latched onto Aubry in the same way he latched onto Caleb and then Scot. He threw Scot overboard very quickly for Aubry. It's kind of hilarious. But it's proof to me that he's just playing very emotionally and erratically and is not a manipulative genius.

 

Also, I didn't realize he named the chicken after his boyfriend. That's cute!

[Guest]

Maybe he changes allies as he learns more about them and as the game evolves.  When he allied with S&J, they weren't being sore winner assholes.  I'm good with people dumping their allies when the allies start playing shitty games.  

 

Scot screwed up by not making Tai feel equal in their 3-man alliance.  He deserved to lose Tai's loyalty.  

 

Tai did the right thing there, I think.  He got resume points for slaying the giant and removing all idols not his own, and can label it as the 'nice' move, for the camp's sake.

[Special K]

Or maybe his feeling of trust with the BotUT became eroded and he realized that they were only using him for a vote/the SI and he decided he had a better outlook and better future with Aubry et al.

 

Just because he is open with his emotions in general doesn't mean he can't make a reasoned decision.   And in Survivor, the trick it to know when to use your gut, your mind, and your instincts -- which includes emotions.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Maybe he changes allies as he learns more about them and as the game evolves.  When he allied with S&J, they weren't being sore winner assholes.  I'm good with people dumping their allies when the allies start playing shitty games.  

 

Scot screwed up by not making Tai feel equal in their 3-man alliance.  He deserved to lose Tai's loyalty.  

 

He had no problem with the tattoo brothers wrecking the camp the week before, he even joined in.  I think he felt that he could win by going to the end with them. However, when he realized he had zero input on strategy (the let's work with Aubry/let's target Aubry conversation) he realized he might not be able to win against the tattoo brothers.  They could argue that he was only riding their coattails while they did all the strategy.  So he jumped ship.

 

Scot and Kyle screwed up, neither of them treated Tai as an equal partner, they both treated him as an accessory carried along for his vote.

[peachmangosteen]

Every "big move" he has made has been someone else's idea.

 

Yep. That's really the main reason why to me he comes off like a follower/latcher on-er (lol). 

 

I'll use my idol to save myself/Anna, oh never mind Scot told me not to. Oh Scot put out the fire I will too. Oh Aubry told me to go against the dick twins so I will.

 

That all being said though, I think he'd probably have a good shot at winning if he makes it to FTC.

Edited April 23, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[phlebas]

I *hate* that I made an Anakin Tai-walker joke on my own stupid podcast, then caught up with others to hear the same joke.

 

At least no one else has said Princess Ju-Leia, Master Joeda, or Nick-Nick Binks yet.

[SlackerInc]

So the reunion reminded me that there was another chicken named Jeff that was eaten.  How did Tai convince them not to eat Mark but failed to do the same for Jeff? 

[azshadowwalker]

Wasn't Caleb involved in killing the first one? Maybe Tai didn’t make as much of an argument because it was what Caleb wanted. 

[SVNBob]

On 4/22/2016 at 4:36 AM, NutMeg said:

I love the idea of Tai (whether a juror or a finalist) with Mark the chicken on his lap!

And you got it.