S32.E01: I'm A Mental Giant

[shelley1234]

I think everyone has covered my reactions -- including that Nick looked like Phil Dunphy from Modern Family.

 

The only thing I will say is that I cannot get over how much more likable Caleb is now than he was on Big Brother, and while it might be a case of him maturing, I also think it's the difference between "real" reality show editing and "Big Brother" editing. In one episode, Survivor humanized him, whereas he was a walking caricature on Big Brother. He was soft-spoken and dare I say it...almost thoughtful (well, for Caleb). I suppose what I'm saying is you can tell which show crafts it soundbytes with (relative) care and which show just shoves words into its contestant's mouths and insists they yell them at the loudest volume imaginable.

 

I think that's it. Except one more thing...

 

SUCK IT, DERRICK!!!!!!!

 

Interesting, I have the opposite take.  BB has all those live moments and the ability for fans to watch 24/7...so a soft edit or a likable edit is much less possible than with a show like Survivor.  I also think it is early....and I remember Caleb being likable during the beginning parts of BB and then showing his more true colors as time went on.  

 

As for the bolded, haters gonna hate.  

[Kromm]

This comes up a lot lately, and it's not my favorite topic to discuss, so I'll leave it after this, but: it is THE OCEAN.  There are 321,003,271 cubic miles of water diluting that poop, according to the first result of my DuckDuckGo search.  Every saltwater fish, whale, penguin, seal, jellyfish, shark, and lobster on earth is continually pooping into that vast blue briny deep, and it amounts to nothing compared with the enormous quantity of water, which is also constantly ebbing and flowing and otherwise moving.  The poop means nothing to Poseidon.  The ocean is not befouled.  You do not dip your toe into the same sea twice, or whatever.  Don't worry about it.

That's not quite true. There's a tide. It likely draws that towards land, not out to sea.

That said, chances are the water will dissolve the poop fairly well, and yes, dilute it. Not across 321,003,271 cubic miles, I'm afraid, but enough that it's not exactly going to go floating into people's mouths or anything.

[Haleth]

Punxsutawney Krill

 

Coffee on monitor.

[AZChristian]

Yay!  Khaleesi recaps are back.  Can't wait for next week, just to read her witty thoughts.

[ghoulina]

Why were so many of them just sitting in the sun? I would have been worried about sunburn, dehydration and heat exhaustion.

 

I'm not familiar with the environment they're in, but Aubrey said something about the heat there being the kind you don't really notice as being that bad until it's too late. I don't know. I'd think no matter what I'd realize that sitting in the sun isn't a good idea, but there was something to her comment. Maybe they just felt like they were picnicking at the lake and didn't realize right away how strong it was? 

[DonitsYum]

Show me gross foods or wounds...insects in orifices? I almost fainted.

I really expected Debbie to go first with all the "I've done it all" bravado. Her fire-starting technique? The damn stick was getting a nice, relaxing massage!

[laurakaye]

To be fair - he said he was better looking than most people he knows.  My first thought was, "Man, you must know a lot of ugly people!"  hehe :)

To me, nothing is more unattractive than a person who has to tell everyone how attractive they are.  Even if I thought he was gorgeous, once he opened his mouth, he wasn't anymore.

[DonitsYum]

To me, nothing is more unattractive than a person who has to tell everyone how attractive they are.  Even if I thought he was gorgeous, once he opened his mouth, he wasn't anymore.

His head is abnormally small for his body.  I found him to be quite average, if not slightly funny-looking!

[peachmangosteen]

I think that was at least in part a set-up of Felicia* by Muscles; for whatever reason, the bodybuilder seems to have had it in for her since they hit the beach Day 1.

 

Yea, Cydney seems to have developed an intense hatred for Alecia very quickly. It feels really weird to me. I wish we got to see more. This also reminded me that when Cydney and Darnell made their alliance he asked who she'd want to target and she said she wanted to take out the girls. Sigh. Not only is that annoying, it's so foolish. And now I remember why I didn't like Cydney!

 

Interesting, I have the opposite take.  BB has all those live moments and the ability for fans to watch 24/7...so a soft edit or a likable edit is much less possible than with a show like Survivor.

 

I agree with this. If you watch the live feeds (or just read recaps of them) then BB gives the viewer a much more accurate representation of the contestants than Survivor does. But they still give people soft/likable edits for sure, which makes it even more frustrating because if you watch the feeds you know how bad the edits can be.

Edited February 19, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[laurakaye]

I thought it was nothing more than an effort on his part to draw a negative reaction from the television audience.  Perhaps, an effort to get cast for future editions of Survivor or some other reality show.  Rather than being one of the ever forgettable people that have been cast on Survivor, he spouted off with something that would get a reaction.  I suspect that he will do or say even more annoying crap to garner even more attention.

The Dan Foley Approach.

Edited February 19, 2016 by laurakaye

[K2DangerGirl]

I swear I heard someone say something that made me think they'd all agreed on that spot. I remember thinking, "But why that spot?"

I thought I heard them call the area "the poop rocks", so yeah. But it did seem a little close to camp!

[piequinn35]

Best moment, Alicia using pen with cap on.   

No. 2: Jen to mental giant: Get the !@#$% puzzles!

[blackwing]

I could have sworn that when Jeffy gave the teams time to "strategise", that Brawn discussed that they were doing Dexterity.  What happened?  When they got their boat in, did they panic because other teams were doing the puzzle so they just did the puzzle as well?

 

Despite Jeff saying that both tasks took the same amount of time, I disagree with him.  Both tasks might have taken the average person the same amount of time in a relaxed environment.  But when teams are panicking and trying to go fast, the dexterity task would have been a lot harder, since rushing would lead to a catastrophic result.  Screw up the last ball and everything could fall down and you have to start over.  Screw up a puzzle piece and you just need to look for a different one without having to start over.

[piequinn35]

The mental giant was at the front with Jen pulling the boat so I guess MG was forced to do the puzzle even though she said

she is not good with puzzles, she should have just backed away and let another person do it but she wasted few minutes...

Edited February 19, 2016 by piequinn35

[Alison]

Yes, she said "caretaker to none" in that litany or increasingly wacko professions. 

 

And then when she capped it off with, "and between jobs, a server at Red Lobster," I about died.  And with no irony at all!  Seriously, that could've come straight out of an SNL skit.

Turns out this season's resident kook has a criminal record, which probably explains why she has so much science/biology knowledge and works at Red Lobster:

http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=317858

Per the court documents, "Among the tests allegedly falsified were results from Hurricane Katrina flood water samples that were to be tested for a variety of contaminants, including cyanide."

Oof.

[Special K]

Nick is built like my cat - big body and little pinhead.

 

Aww, I bet your cat is super-cute, though.

[Guest]

I was glad Darnell went.  His backstory and personality reminded me of Dreamz, whom I hated.  

 

I agree that Jen WAS getting medical attention and she probably had oil in her ear which is why they took their time letting the camera get plenty of footage of the creepy crawly.  

 

So gross.  My teen said, "I wouldn't quit Survivor if that happened.  I would just kill myself."  

 

I never minded Caleb even on BB.  I even found him really entertaining toward the end, with all the judy chop stuff.  

[Tenderfoot]

The bug in the ear was bad, but all of the teams, especially Brawn, seem to be heavily infested with dicks.

[liqidclark]

Yeah, I gotta disagree with the idea that Caleb is more likable in one episode so far of Survivor because the editing is somehow more honest or humane than the editing on Big Brother. We have no idea what really went down on Survivor, ever. On Big Brother, the edit is the only reason it was possible to like Caleb, IMO. They reduced him to a harmless clown on the broadcast episodes, when the full view on live feeds showed he's a massive toolbag. He's a good person to laugh at, though, to look better than when you stand next to him. He makes a great sacrificial goat, so I expect he was taken as far on Survivor as he was on BB.

 

But he doesn't seem any different to me so far, anyway. We saw like five minutes of him, in which he was sometimes okay, sometimes should've kept his foot in his mouth --  and apparently he instinctively used another human's head as a handle to pull himself off of a boat in a hurry. I'm not too worried that the impression I got of this dude, from watching a bajillion hours of him on Big Brother, is going to change much.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Liqidclark

[Tasya]

Brawn is incredibly stupid for voting out Darnell over Alecia. She's perhaps the most deadweight of a person that we've ever had on Survivor. I don't blame Cydney for saying she had to do the puzzle; what else did she do for her tribe in the challenge? She didn't help paddle, she had to be helped into the boat, she didn't help push the boat; we all know that Jen did most of the pulling on the rope side of things. If she wasn't designated for the puzzle, she would have contributed nothing. In the end that's what happened anyway. 

 

On Beauty, the little head guy is delusional. There is nothing attractive about him, and I question his sanity and that of the other girl that called him dreamy. Blech. I don't watch BB so I only had an impression of Caleb from this show and he seemed ok and he looks a lot better than Nick. I don't have a lot of opinions on them yet except for the fact that Tai definitely tried to kiss Caleb in the preview and he is on the wrong tribe. 

 

On Brains, I wish they hadn't campaigned to get rid of the old people. But Debbie bugs and can go any time. The older guy is probably more useful than most of the others, so he should be a keeper. 

 

Overall so far I like Cydney, Jennifer, Neal and Joe? (older guy). 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

It's A New Season Of Survivor! What Could Possibly Kaoh Rong?
A new season of Survivor kicks off with an all-new cast and a recycled tribe-dividing gimmick.

[Wings]

Khaleesi is back to Survivor-town this season and thanks to her, the term "Hot Fudge Murder" has made its debut on Earth.

Caleb jumps into the ocean to rescue a chicken, she's familiar with him from Beastmode Cowboy on BB

Khaleesi: "He's already much less annoying than he was on Big Brother."

 

Caleb comments about Tai's "Mr. Miyagi" glasses

Khaleesi: "Oh, there it is."

 

Tai gets caught red-handed looking for an idol and instead of going back to camp with his tribemates, he asks them for "five more minutes" to search on his own.

Khaleesi: "He should have asked them to bring him some water, too."

Bug crawls out of Jen's ear, Brawn tribe comments, bug crawls back into Jen's ear

Khaleesi: "Way to come through in the clutch, Supposedly Toughest Tribe."

Brains tribe talks about getting rid of Joe because he's "old" and going to slow them down

Khaleesi: "That old guy could probably kill the Ice Cream Man with an ice cream scooper. The Hot Fudge Murderer."

 

ETA:  Khaleesi is now 9.

 

 

I love this child.  "Oh there it is" is my favorite quote of hers!   

[Guest]

If this is true, why wouldn't they simply recruit a man and a woman who actually fit the bill? It's not like there's a shortage of people vying for spots on the show.

 

I think they pick their cast and then fit the theme to the cast, not vice versa.  Or at least Jeff said he got the idea for 'collars' looking at that cast.  

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Reminds me of the horrific Twilight Zone episode where an earwig burrows into the character's brain..and lays eggs.

Not Twilight Zone, but Night Gallery.  I know, I know, same difference.  But for those of you interested in the original episode:

http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2008/11/night-gallery-blogging-caterpillar.html

 

(ETA: sorry I somehow missed Latervian Dipolomat's earlier post saying the same thing.)

 

And from Entertainment Weekly here's Jeff Probst"s explanation of why the medics didn't intervene earlier:

 

 

Dalton Ross:What exactly is the Survivor protocol for when someone has a bug enter their ear and start rooting around their head? Was the medical department consulted at all when Jennifer was experiencing that massive pain?

JeffProbst:Yes, our medical team was aware. They knew she thought she had something in her ear, but as you saw on the show, it was inside her ear canal so there was no easy way to get it out.  Had it become a life-threatening situation then she would have been taken out of the game. Our protocol is this: We will not help any player in a way that gives them any kind of an unfair advantage. So if someone is dehydrated, we can’t give them electrolytes and an apple. That wouldn’t be fair to other contestants. But lancing a boil or giving a contestant some wraps to put on a sunburn is acceptable. In this case I would have said that if they can get the worm out easily to go ahead and do it. Fortunately, that little sucker came out on its own and of course … we got the shot!

Which still doesn't tell me why they were so sure it WASN'T something serious.  How could they possibly know?  

Edited February 19, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[blackwing]

Every household that has had a child has one of those bulb syringes.  They couldn't have flushed it out for her?  I see that as no different than giving someone a band aid,  I don't get the "we will not help someone that gives them any kind of unfair advantage."  At some point, you don't want people to die or become seriously injured.  I never agreed with the cameraman not helping Michael "I'm curious as to what fire feels like" Skupin.  What about women on their periods?  I know that production gives them sanitary supplies and perhaps Midol or painkillers.  Isn't that an unfair advantage to other women who planned their cycles ahead and don't get the painkillers?

 

He says there was no easy way to get it out, but seriously, it's not like the ear canal is the small intestine.  It's a few inches long at most and they could have easily flushed out the bug with a bulb syringe and some water.  Considering that it was only about a centimeter long.  He acts like it was this foot long worm that burrowed its way into her brain.

[TattleTeeny]

I think they pick their cast and then fit the theme to the cast, not vice versa.  Or at least Jeff said he got the idea for 'collars' looking at that cast.  

I wish they'd just ditch the themes altogether. 

[Guest]

I don't believe him.  I don't think she would be lying on her side like that with the camera aimed at her ear if they didn't flush the inner ear and expect something to crawl out.  I think he lied because it makes a better story-- it just happened to crawl out like that and medical wasn't on hand.  

[Big Mother]

women on their periods?  I know that production gives them sanitary supplies and perhaps Midol or painkillers.  Isn't that an unfair advantage to other women who planned their cycles ahead and don't get the painkillers?

There are no painkillers on Survivor. I guess that the girls who get really terribly periods aren't good candidates on survivor. I also assume that after a month of not eating, they probably don't get a second period if they had one in the first few days. Birth control pills are allowed I think, so if they get a 3-month supply they can go the entire time without a period. 

 

This is a question I should ask one of the female survivors... Hmmmm..

[MissEwa]

Show me gross foods or wounds...insects in orifices?

I know, right?

Me: this is the worst thing I have ever seen on this show.

Husband: A guy fell in a fire and the skin came off his hands in sheets.

Me: ...no, this is worse.

[Nashville]

Coffee on monitor.

My work here is done.

  

I'm not familiar with the environment they're in, but Aubrey said something about the heat there being the kind you don't really notice as being that bad until it's too late. I don't know. I'd think no matter what I'd realize that sitting in the sun isn't a good idea, but there was something to her comment. Maybe they just felt like they were picnicking at the lake and didn't realize right away how strong it was?

  

Just a guess here, but it's also entirely possible her previous experience with sunburn may well be damn near nonexistent.

I thought it was nothing more than an effort on his part to draw a negative reaction from the television audience. 

 

If that's the case, then:

Good job, dude! You did it!

:>

 

Turns out this season's resident kook has a criminal record, which probably explains why she has so much science/biology knowledge and works at Red Lobster:

http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=317858

Per the court documents, "Among the tests allegedly falsified were results from Hurricane Katrina flood water samples that were to be tested for a variety of contaminants, including cyanide."

Oof.

Purely in terms of being a stickler for accuracy - the article says "indicted", not "convicted". Being indicted doesn't automatically confer a criminal record. Was she convicted, or did she plead down, or were the charges dropped? I searched around, but couldn't find any follow-up.

[Guest]

Which still doesn't tell me why they were so sure it WASN'T something serious.  How could they possibly know?  

I don't think having a foreign object or live insect in your ear for a time is serious, and they must've assumed she was right about the cause because her symptoms matched.   

 

Jeff didn't really say for certain that they didn't give her any treatment at all, just that the bug came out on its own.  If the bug chose to do so because the alternative was dying in the baby oil medical dribbled in her ear, that would be consistent with Jeff's comment.  

[henripootel]

Jeff didn't really say for certain that they didn't give her any treatment at all, just that the bug came out on its own.  If the bug chose to do so because the alternative was dying in the baby oil medical dribbled in her ear, that would be consistent with Jeff's comment.

I'll double down and propose this sequence, also consistent with Jeff's statement: bug crawled in, bug crawled out, they did some 'reshoots' with rolling around in pretend agony, found a little inchworm thing, put it on her ear, and 'got the shot'.  I wouldn't fault them at all for doing this - it 'happened' so a bit of reshooting is not out of bounds.  

 

But I'm right there with you - Jeff lied about it.  Well, 'prevaricated' might be a more accurate term, but it's still a lie.  No fucking way she was in that kinda agony and medical just let it go, or couldn't treat it on the spot.  That kind of pain could spell actual, permanent damage.

Edited February 20, 2016 by henripootel

[mythoughtis]

I also think Darnell was picked at revote time over Alicia because he and Cyndey had an alliance.  Cyndey had agreed to vote for  him, grudgingly.  Maybe she didn't (I didn't see her vote at the end), and the others realized it.  I waffled myself over which one of the two should go.  Alicia has no alliance, so it was safer to keep her.  However, I think they will end up at tribal again next episode. 

 

Really disliked the 4 young-ish people on Brains wanting to gang up on Joe and Debby 'because they will slow us down'.  How many seasons have we seen the younger people say this as they lounge in the water while the old folks do all the camp work?  Joe seemed pretty strong and resilient to  me, as did Debby.  I would vote her off because she talks way too much and is way too proud of her own abilities. 

[riverheightsnancy]

Every household that has had a child has one of those bulb syringes.  They couldn't have flushed it out for her?  I see that as no different than giving someone a band aid,  I don't get the "we will not help someone that gives them any kind of unfair advantage."  At some point, you don't want people to die or become seriously injured.  I never agreed with the cameraman not helping Michael "I'm curious as to what fire feels like" Skupin.  What about women on their periods?  I know that production gives them sanitary supplies and perhaps Midol or painkillers.  Isn't that an unfair advantage to other women who planned their cycles ahead and don't get the painkillers?

 

He says there was no easy way to get it out, but seriously, it's not like the ear canal is the small intestine.  It's a few inches long at most and they could have easily flushed out the bug with a bulb syringe and some water.  Considering that it was only about a centimeter long.  He acts like it was this foot long worm that burrowed its way into her brain.

No joke. I have to put hydrogen peroxide solution in my ears on occasion. Just THAT would have killed the bug quickly, cleaned out the wax, and then a quick ear flush would have extracted the bug. I thought it was going to be bigger and get stuck, but the method I am talking about would have worked quickly. 

[Synth]

Lest you think, I am calling 34 old, rest assured I am not...I am a year older that Not-Obama and while I would not call myself old, I also would not call myself young.

I was surprised to find out that Peter was 34, assuming he's not telling fibs that is. Maybe it's the grey hair but I was sure that he was already in  his 40s so it did strike me as odd and slightly amusing that he was labeling someone who is still in their 40s (49) as old.  

 

 

 

I thought it was priceless that Obama lumped himself in with "young".  34 to me is pretty much middle-aged.  It's not old, but it's not young.  Young is 19 or 20s.  But mostly, he looks 45.  I wonder if he called himself young because he looks more the same age as the "old lady" than the others.

Middle age is usually considered to be around the mid 40s to early 60s. If  Peter's claim that he was born in 1980 is to be believed, he is  just 4 or 5 years older than Liz, who is almost 30, who was the other castaway involved in dismissing Debbie and Joe as the old timers who are bound to hold the tribe back in challenges.  He isn't a spring chicken but middle age would more aptly describe someone like Debbie. 

Edited February 20, 2016 by Synth

[marys1000]

I also think Darnell was picked at revote time over Alicia because he and Cyndey had an alliance. 

 

  How many seasons have we seen the younger people say this as they lounge in the water while the old folks do all the camp work? 

Agreed.  I tried posting this too about the Darnell Cyndey alliance as a reason for ousting but I'm not sure if something happened to it. 

 

Also agreed.  It seems like older people know they have to work harder to have a reason not to get picked off, but half the time it doesn't help them anyway.  Its really irritating to see them slaving away while the younger crowd braids hair and compares penis sizes. 

 

Why are they all so focused on weaving palm fronds?  In the past don't you just layer the palm fronds on the shelter roof the way they are? 

 

Aubry was giving me a Cochran vibe but so far she has done waaaayyy better them him. 

 

As of this episode I would love to see the Beauty girls run that table.  The guys are insufferable. 

 

I read an AMA on reddit that was with a Survivor cameraman (supposedly I guess) who said they get a little booklet with tips on what plants are

edible, insects etc. but that he hasn't seen many do more than glance at it.  I got the impression he's been filming for quite a few seasons.  I find that alternately hilarious and stupid.  Or hilarious because its stupid. 

He also said that they usually discuss where to poop.  I imagine they decide on outhouse vs. aqua dump.  Me?  I don't care how big the ocean is I'm not going to want to go in it with more local poop.  People get ear infections from contaminated water all the time, its why they close beaches periodically.  Its just gross.

Edited February 20, 2016 by marys1000

[Guest]

I would think they'd have an area designated for land poops vs. sea.  I wouldn't want to go wading into the ocean at night to go to the bathroom, plus it seems pretty unsafe for the show to let them do that regularly.  

 

I still can't get over that the show doesn't provide them a porta-potty, out of basic health/sanitation and respect for the land owners they lease from.  In Cambodia, they had to remove buildings and replant vegetation to make it look uninhabited where they are.  

[Guest]

I'll double down and propose this sequence, also consistent with Jeff's statement: bug crawled in, bug crawled out, they did some 'reshoots' with rolling around in pretend agony, found a little inchworm thing, put it on her ear, and 'got the shot'.  I wouldn't fault them at all for doing this - it 'happened' so a bit of reshooting is not out of bounds.  

 

But I'm right there with you - Jeff lied about it.  Well, 'prevaricated' might be a more accurate term, but it's still a lie.  No fucking way she was in that kinda agony and medical just let it go, or couldn't treat it on the spot.  That kind of pain could spell actual, permanent damage.

 

I could see it going down like this.  Jen wakes up in pain.  The cameraman calls for medical and films her suffering while they wait the 20 minutes it takes for a medic to arrive.  The medic agrees it's probably a bug (not serious, just painful and annoying) and gives Jen the option of being taken away from camp for treatment in which case she might be removed from the game, or waiting it out a bit longer.  She chooses to wait it out a while.  By morning it's not out on its own so medical comes back with the field treatment of oil and puts it in her ear.  The bug comes out while camera films.  

[laprin]

Hmmm...the beauties team makes me feel like I'm being punked.

[henripootel]

The medic agrees it's probably a bug (not serious, just painful and annoying) and gives Jen the option of being taken away from camp for treatment in which case she might be removed from the game, or waiting it out a bit longer.

Plausible, but I'd think that they'd want to avoid having to boot anyone this early unless they absolutely had to.  I do agree that there's just no way medical wasn't involved, just too risky not to.  And whatever really happened, we saw a version of the truth.  It was pretty well done - this isn't one of my 'things' and even I squirmed a bit.  

[violet and green]

It's explained, sort of, here.

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/18/survivor-kaoh-rong-jeff-probst-premiere

 

DR: What exactly is the Survivor protocol for when someone has a bug enter their ear and start rooting around their head? Was the medical department consulted at all when Jennifer was experiencing that massive pain?

JP: Yes, our medical team was aware. They knew she thought she had something in her ear, but as you saw on the show, it was inside her ear canal so there was no easy way to get it out.  Had it become a life-threatening situation then she would have been taken out of the game. Our protocol is this: We will not help any player in a way that gives them any kind of an unfair advantage. So if someone is dehydrated, we can’t give them electrolytes and an apple. That wouldn’t be fair to other contestants. But lancing a boil or giving a contestant some wraps to put on a sunburn is acceptable. In this case I would have said that if they can get the worm out easily to go ahead and do it. Fortunately, that little sucker came out on its own and of course … we got the shot!

[BetyBee]

I just wish Survivor would stop handing out defenseless chickens.  I really hate it every season.   

[henripootel]

It's explained, sort of, here.

 

Not really.  I'm with Winston9-DT3 on this one, this statement seems parsed, and possibly intended to deceive about what actually happened.  Let's pick it apart.

Yes, our medical team was aware. They knew she thought she had something in her ear, but as you saw on the show, it was inside her ear canal so there was no easy way to get it out.  Had it become a life-threatening situation then she would have been taken out of the game.

They were 'aware' but also aware that there wasn't any real threat.  The first part sounds like it was no big deal, not enough to directly involve Medical anyway.  The second part sounds like Medical was involved enough to know that it wasn't life-threatening.  So was Medical on the scene or not?  The edit (and Jeff) seem to imply not, but she also seemed to be in fucking agony, for a goodly while.  My guess: Medical was there but weren't shown, and Jeff is prevaricating. 

 

Our protocol is this: We will not help any player in a way that gives them any kind of an unfair advantage. So if someone is dehydrated, we can’t give them electrolytes and an apple. That wouldn’t be fair to other contestants. But lancing a boil or giving a contestant some wraps to put on a sunburn is acceptable. In this case I would have said that if they can get the worm out easily to go ahead and do it. 

Sounds like more weasel-wording.  Of course policy is not to give unfair advantage, but how could this possibly be anything other than a 'boil' situation?  And I'm not an EMT but how hard is it to flush something out of an ear?  Bit of rubbing alcohol and an eyedropper and I'd think that's that.  If someone was in that kinda pain I'd assume that the presumption is 'serious danger', and we've seen Medical called in all the time for people who ultimately didn't have to leave the game.  My guess: no way this was tricky 'judgement call', Medical was there (and maybe took care of it) and Jeff is again prevaricating.  

Fortunately, that little sucker came out on its own and of course … we got the shot!

These may be two entirely different events, but that's not what we're supposed to think.  First, that thing looked like a maggot (ugh) so who's to say there weren't more in there?  The edit would have us believe she had something in there for some time, and Jeff kinda implies that Medical never really checked, and the situation resolved itself.  He also implies that the shot they got was of the thing that caused the problem in the first place, but he could flat-out state it, but doesn't.  'That little sucker' may not be the one that caused the problem, so 'coming out on its own' may not be related to the original event.  Sounds like weasel wording to me but it's hard to be sure.

 

'We got the shot', I think, explains a lot about how this played out.  Good of Jeffy to be up-front about his priorities (I mean he is a game show host, no judgment) but again, we don't know if 'the shot' documented what actually happened.  I think there's good reason to suspect that lots of stuff happened that we didn't see, and Jeff could be completely candid about this but fails to do so.  "We got the shot" thing sounds like he's trying to convey that he is being candid here.  I'm not so sure.

 

Full disclosure - I actually don't care one way or the other, nor do I think any of this is 'dirty pool' by the producers.  It was an effective segment and added some drama, but I do like to be clear about things.  

Edited February 22, 2016 by henripootel

[Stinamaia]

Turns out this season's resident kook has a criminal record, which probably explains why she has so much science/biology knowledge and works at Red Lobster:

http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=317858

Per the court documents, "Among the tests allegedly falsified were results from Hurricane Katrina flood water samples that were to be tested for a variety of contaminants, including cyanide."

Oof.

Debbie meet Joe.

I have a feeling shed flipped and was a government witness against the owner of the lab who the Feds were really after. She was charged July 2011 and the crime had a max penalty of 6 years. So if this was filmed early 2015, that would put it at about 3 years from any conviction . I'm thinking she got a plea deal. Still a very shady past in my opinion. This is something that can have a negative on many people. Hope she learned something.

[princelina]

I was surprised to find out that Peter was 34, assuming he's not telling fibs that is. Maybe it's the grey hair but I was sure that he was already in  his 40s so it did strike me as odd and slightly amusing that he was labeling someone who is still in their 40s (49) as old.  

 

Middle age is usually considered to be around the mid 40s to early 60s. If  Peter's claim that he was born in 1980 is to be believed, he is  just 4 or 5 years older than Liz, who is almost 30, who was the other castaway involved in dismissing Debbie and Joe as the old timers who are bound to hold the tribe back in challenges.  He isn't a spring chicken but middle age would more aptly describe someone like Debbie. 

Did Debbie tell them her age?  I know she told us and my jaw hit the floor, because I am 48 and more or less look my age/mid-40s, and I would have guessed that she was at least 10 years older!  So they could all be thinking she's around 60 :)

[Lamb18]

Khaleesi is back to Survivor-town this season and thanks to her, the term "Hot Fudge Murder" has made its debut on Earth.

Caleb jumps into the ocean to rescue a chicken, she's familiar with him from Beastmode Cowboy on BB

Khaleesi: "He's already much less annoying than he was on Big Brother."

 

Caleb comments about Tai's "Mr. Miyagi" glasses

Khaleesi: "Oh, there it is."

 

Tai gets caught red-handed looking for an idol and instead of going back to camp with his tribemates, he asks them for "five more minutes" to search on his own.

Khaleesi: "He should have asked them to bring him some water, too."

Bug crawls out of Jen's ear, Brawn tribe comments, bug crawls back into Jen's ear

Khaleesi: "Way to come through in the clutch, Supposedly Toughest Tribe."

Brains tribe talks about getting rid of Joe because he's "old" and going to slow them down

Khaleesi: "That old guy could probably kill the Ice Cream Man with an ice cream scooper. The Hot Fudge Murderer."

 

ETA:  Khaleesi is now 9.

Sorry, this brings out my inner first-grader, but I thought the Hot Fudge Murderer was going to be a reference to Darnell.

[Special K]

Hmmm...the beauties team makes me feel like I'm being punked.

 

The Beauty Tribe makes me feel beautiful.  ;)

[Hanahope]

Did Debbie tell them her age?  I know she told us and my jaw hit the floor, because I am 48 and more or less look my age/mid-40s, and I would have guessed that she was at least 10 years older!  So they could all be thinking she's around 60 :)

 

 

I know my youngest daughter was in shock when Debbie told the cameras she was 49, two years younger than me, yet my daughter thought Debbie looked 10 years older than me.

 

I wasn't surprised or grossed out at all by the contestants using the ocean as their toilet.  I bet people have been doing that for thousands of years, those that live near oceans before toilets were invented.  Its not like they drink sea water and fish and mammals that live in the ocean obviously have waste products in the ocean as well.  Clean up is a lot easier than using leaves.  But yes, I would have expected it to be a little further out, so he would at least be 'covered' before pulling his shorts down.

 

I felt bad for Darnell that one mistake, that anyone could make, doomed him as the first bootie.  I totally expected the more useless contestant, Alecia, to go.  Darnell should have tried to at least get one oar.

[Synth]

Did Debbie tell them her age?  I know she told us and my jaw hit the floor, because I am 48 and more or less look my age/mid-40s, and I would have guessed that she was at least 10 years older!  So they could all be thinking she's around 60 :)

Not that I can recall from the footage that we've seen  thus far. Although they may still have shared their ages in conversations that didn't make the edit I suppose.

 

I also  presumed that Debbie was around late 50s/early 60s. Only the producers know for sure whether those 2, Peter and Debbie, are embellishing the truth in that regard.

[violet and green]

Not really.

 

I thought 'sort of' covered that.