S32.E06: Play Or Go Home

[mojoween]

Nope, not gonna click on that link.

Everyone assuming Scot was going to kill at the RC made me laugh because it was essentially a free throw competition and centers are generally the WORST at free throws. Nick said he was a point guard so he actually had the better chance. If Michelle would have been able to get the rope undone they most likely would have won.

I do have to admit that "Scot what are you doing?" "Winning" made me laugh.

[PaperTree]

Here is a link to Debbie's modeling page:

http://www.modelmayhem.com/2850516

wow!

[candall]

Wow, the Doctor is a bloomin' onion idiot.  You can't go around test driving a betrayal of both your alliance members and then decide "Eh, think I'm gonna stick with loyalty."

 

**********

I'm making note of Joe's FBI direct confrontation technique because that was surprisingly effective.  I'm a poor liar and would've been pedaling madly, exactly like Peter was:  "Uhhhh. . . .what?  Come again?  I didn't really catch the question--what was the question?"  <snicker>

[Eolivet]

Even though I knew the editors wouldn't dare show Scot being any less than awesome at basketball, I took pleasure in seeing all his missed shots on the ground every time they cut to the net. That challenge clearly took a lot longer than we saw.

 

And I hate Scot's bromance with Tai because I think it's all being done in service of the super idol, which he doesn't even have himself! Show me Scot and what's-his-face being ultimately taken out by Debbie, and I'll never ask for another thing on any reality show ever, Survivor.

[Wandering Snark]

 

Here is a link to Debbie's modeling page:

http://www.modelmayhem.com/2850516

I'm not falling for THAT one again... one image permanently burned into my brain is enough thankyou... but this season is sooo boring, imagine it without her crazy though.

 

So boring in fact that all I've got is I'll agree with the oddity of Jeff saying "You are playing for... tuna salad!!" Notice nobody almost fake passed out all 'OMGZ it TUNA freakin' SALAD you guys!!!" Odd choice.

[ihartcoffee]

In that heat, it seems unappealing as heck. Odd choice indeed.

[Lantern7]

Heh. Peter's a dumbass, and a conceited one to boot. There's probably not much difference between him and Debbie in terms of reading a situation, but I'm glad he's gone and she's still in the game. The bad news: if the other tribe had lost, maybe they could have voted Jason out. Even with minimal screentime, he's still a pantload. And I hate that the Brotherhood Of The Ugly Tattoos survives another week.

 

I'm guessing that the challenges don't take into account whether the ex-NBA player is in the game. Still bullshit, though. At least force the tribes to alternate between shooters. And I hated "Winning." What a jackass. Scot got his ring without coming off the bench for the Celtics. I could have contributed more, and I'm unathletic as hell. Fuck that guy.

 

How funny would it be if Julia winds up winning because Aubrey changed her vote? I was wondering if the releases she signed forbade her from suing the producers, even though she had the same 1-in-13 chance of getting boned. But she stays in the game. Good for her. I probably can't pick her out of a lineup, though.

 

ETA: Are there any fans of The Boondocks here? I keep thinking of comparing Debbie to Uncle Ruckus, at least in terms of jobs held.

[North of Eden]

I got a good chuckle tonight over CBS and Mark Burnett apparently living in an alternate reality where things like the 1950's Quiz Show scandals never took place...how else would you explain shamelessly and blantantly tailor making a challenge to the PROFESSIONAL skills of one of the players. How that was fair in anyone's book I will never know.

 

Joe's IQ seems to be dropping each episode. Last week he posits that maybe there are NO idols and this week he actually laid a question on Peter that was the equivalent of the old "Have you stopped beating your wife?" What answer could have Peter possibly have given about wether he was targeting Joe?

 

I realized tonight with the exception of Tai...everyone on his team are not very likable people. At least the other team has a few redeemable characters like Cydney.

 

I know people don't like Peter but I hate when a good villain goes out too early. As a viewer its more fun to see how they will stir things up next.

[Primetimer]

A basketball challenge appeals to the resident former NBA player, a dynamic tribal council appeals to strategy wonks, and the rest appeals to pretty much nobody.

Read the story

[candall]

What answer could have Peter possibly have given about wether he was targeting Joe?

 

Good answer: "No!" 

Bad answer:  "Hummina hummina . . . whut?"

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, tuna salad, the meal that people eat during school and work lunch.

- to pretend to our colleagues we're trying to be healthy

- to SAVE ON MONEY

- to save on calories

- it's incredibly light

- it barely tastes like anything, minimal enjoyment, it's food only for function, to get through the day, another meal

- you could literally open a can and boom, it's there

 

It's really weird to go on Survivor and be shown that very food, that you would only choose to eat for those reasons, as a reward.  Pretty cheap Jeff

Edited March 24, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[LanceM]

Yeah I definitely seem to be in the minority here because I am loving this season more so than Second Chances to be honest though I think that is because I prefer seeing first timers play more than returnees.  I think this is a great cast overall both in terms of people to root for and for people to root against.  The merge should definitely be interesting next week.

[woodscommaelle]

I want Cyndey's 'Damn Debbie' to be the new 'Damn Daniel.'

[Rick Kitchen]

It's ridiculous that they let the professional basketball player just stand there and shoot basket after basket.  That's wrong.

Damn, Nick is as arrogant as Peter is.

That was some great teamwork on the IC.

Why did everybody go along with Peter's strategy for stacking the blocks?  Why not outvote him?

Joe really doesn't have much game.

Scot marshals the troops?  Julia takes orders?

Aubry changed her mind, huh?  Interesting.

Buhbye, Pter.

Did somebody write "St." in front of Peter's name?

Ugh, too bad we can't more weeks of Jason shutting up.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Somebody could have been sabotaging Peter by letting him decide the strategy OR they are just so scared of Peter's "terrifying arrogance" nobody could stand up to him.  I think somebody wrote DR. Peter, not St.

 

What do people think about Aubrey's move here?

[blackwing]

So the reward challenge is a basketball challenge. Then the immunity challenge gives someone who is extremely tall a definite advantage. I don't know if all the challenges are designed months in advance, but when it was known that an "NBA CHAMPION" (snort) was cast on this edition, maybe they could have saved those challenges for another season. I'm glad Scott's team lost immunity, because I thought it was very unfair to the other team.

Good riddance Peter. What an arrogant jackass. And he's delusional. He suggests in his final words that it's because he gave a bad suggestion for the stacking. No you delusional jackass, it's because YOU ARE A JACKASS who is arrogant and untrustworthy.

I'm sure in his mind he is a "memorable hero" that should get invited back because he got a bad break. Uh.... No. He might be a villain in the sense he was unpopular, but he wasn't even a good villain. All of his villainy comes not from the way he played and who he lied to and what tricks and schemes he did, but rather, because he is a smug jackass.

[Badlands]

I don't see the shooting challenge to be overly favorable to Scot's team (in fact, he probably had more of an advantage in the other challenge). He was a center, who took the majority of his shots from less than 3 feet from the basket. He was a 71% career free throw shooter, which isn't too bad, but probably similar to what your average high school point guard (like Nick) would shoot.

[ShadowSixx]

Now Debbie had a short stint as a model. WTF???? What did she ever model? I hope it was when she was younger because if it was recently it may have been for the cover of Menopause Monthly or modeling for costumes and modeling Wicked With of the West costumes. She's so damn annoying and just needs to STFU at times about her "occupations".

 

YES YES YES YES!!!! Peter is GONE!! Just wanted to do a backflip and glad homegirl switched her vote to vote his ass out. You just can't keep that arrogant douche around, now we have one down and two to go Scot & Kyle.

[LanceM]

Somebody could have been sabotaging Peter by letting him decide the strategy OR they are just so scared of Peter's "terrifying arrogance" nobody could stand up to him.  I think somebody wrote DR. Peter, not St.

 

What do people think about Aubrey's move here?

 

If I recall she said something in confessional along the lines of "I hope this decision doesn't come back to bite me in the ass" or something to that effect which based on the way they edit this show that statement will probably come true at some point.

[Alapaki]

What answer could have Peter possibly have given about wether he was targeting Joe?

 

 

Peter:  Joe, 3 things:  First, who the fuck do you think you are?  Second, who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Third, you better step the fuck off!  Now.  What were you saying?

 

And, you know what's a fun time?  Turkey salad that's been sitting out in the hot sun.  I kept hoping what Jeff showed them was just a display.  But no.  They carted back that stuff that had been baking in the sun throughout the challenge.

[LanceM]

Peter:  Joe, 3 things:  First, who the fuck do you think you are?  Second, who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Third, you better step the fuck off!  Now.  What were you saying?

 

And, you know what's a fun time?  Turkey salad that's been sitting out in the hot sun.  I kept hoping what Jeff showed them was just a display.  But no.  They carted back that stuff that had been baking in the sun throughout the challenge.

 

I am going to guess that the actual tuna salad they brought back to camp was sitting in a cooler the entire time during the challenge.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Survivor also did a basketball challenge during former NBA player Cliff Robinson's season, the first Beauty versus Brain versus Brawn.  That season when I suggested that the show might do one I was totally kidding but yes, it happened.  So I knew this one was coming; I mentioned it last week.  This show really doesn't care about hiding advantages, LOL, no.  

 

If Peter was a so-called "villain" he was an incredibly harmless villain, at that.  All the villainy that people saw in Peter was in their own heads.  His "innocent, taken-aback" face when Joe gave him the FBI interrogation was hilarious.  A TYPICAL villain would go on the aggressive and bite back and call Joe crazy, you know, normal villain things.  Abi was a villain.  Peter was just out of his depth.

 

I forgot to mention this in my first post -- I think Debbie is very much the head of her tribe (others have pointed this out before me.)  At least that's what the editing shows me.  The editing shows me nothing on Jason, Ice Cream, Cydney.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[KaveDweller]

I got a good chuckle tonight over CBS and Mark Burnett apparently living in an alternate reality where things like the 1950's Quiz Show scandals never took place...how else would you explain shamelessly and blantantly tailor making a challenge to the PROFESSIONAL skills of one of the players. How that was fair in anyone's book I will never know.

 

They do basketball challenges a lot though, so I don't think it's completely unbelievable that they would have had this anyway. There's always going to be someone who is more skilled for a particular challenge than other people.

 

If they did consider Scot's career it's probably more likely that they think it's great drama for someone to lose in the thing they are known for. Like in season 1 when river guide Kelly Wigglesworth lost a boating competition to the guy who couldn't swim. And I remember in fans vs. favorites Cirie was insulting someone for losing a challenge that was similar to their job, only to then lose a challenge that should have been easy for someone who is a surgical nurse.

[yamashinaryu]

Here is a link to Debbie's modeling page:

http://www.modelmayhem.com/2850516

I am  not sure why everyone seems shocked that Debbie is a model. She doesn't look bad and registers well on photos. Some photos are great, and some  photographers may want her service. I am a member of modelmayhem too (as a photographer) and before your portfolio will be accepted / displayed, the staff will review at least five of your photos first. 

 

As for the episode, I can't believe that I was able to hold my interest for one hour. It's so boring and everyone is really unlikable. The bonding of Debbie and Nick amuses me. I want to have their drugs, if they are taking some. 

 

The tension in the TBC is somewhat forced, must be the editing. 

[princelina]

Somebody could have been sabotaging Peter by letting him decide the strategy OR they are just so scared of Peter's "terrifying arrogance" nobody could stand up to him.  I think somebody wrote DR. Peter, not St.

 

What do people think about Aubrey's move here?

I think that, like Peter, she should have kept her indecisiveness to herself.  That is what will make others not trust her and come back to bite her later.

[azshadowwalker]

Aubry is damned lucky the merge is next week, since she just gave away numbers. Joe and Debbie were just shown to be fools by keeping Aubry and Neal around. Neal had contempt for them from the get-go and Aubry just risked her and Joe by giving away numbers. And, speaking of numbers, Anna, Tai and Scot were damned lucky that Aubry crossed out the name. Playing the idol on Julia last week would have given them numbers this week without depending on Aubry.

I wonder if Joe ever thinks about how shitty he was to Aubry when she was talking about the need for fire and water?

[Brookside]

Nope, still don't know who Michelle is.

Don't forget Debbie also said she was a photographer.

When Julia (?) and Peter (?) were in the water she had one strap off. She must have totally been flashing him.

[GaT]

That was a boring episode. Once my brain stopped going "Debbie is a model?!?!?!?!?!?" I realized Peter was getting eliminated & just spent the rest of the episode waiting for it to be over.

[whiskeyandfeet]

Pretty clear example of something I've always disliked about the show. I really don't think the show is cooked as far as challenge performance or vote rigging or anything, but certain aspects of production are so very clearly faked, it takes me right out of the show. When the show returned from commercial after the reward challenge, it was a smash open on the tribe carrying the food and stuff into camp, setting stuff down, and talking about "Oh, what a challenge! We rocked it, you guys! Let's eat this food now!" How long was the hike back from the challenge venue? Half a mile maybe? Wouldn't all of this conversation have realistically happened during that walk? Production clearly tells the Survivors to button their lips while the cameras are off, and probably literally say "Action!" just as they're approaching the camp. It just feels so phoney baloney to me.

 

But anyway, suck it, Peter.

[KimberStormer]

Ms Blue Jay, on 23 Mar 2016 - 8:03 PM, said:Ms Blue Jay, on 23 Mar 2016 - 8:03 PM, said:

What do people think about Aubrey's move here?

 

Seems totally bananas to me, for all the reasons I thought Tai made a mistake last episode but even worse because she doesn't come away with an idol at the end of it!  I also think not ideal for Tai and Julia (not that they had much choice), because Peter was the weak link they could have pulled over from the Brain side.  But good for Scot because the Brawns now hold all the power and can flip at will between the Brains and Beauties.  (Peter was a bad choice for them to target last time too.  What they should have done was idol out Aubry, then this episode it would have been Anna, Julia, Tai, Scot, and certainly Peter voting out Joe, and Peter would have nowhere to go at the merge but to stick with Beauty.  Even if Scot flipped, Peter would give them a majority of 6.  See, I'd be so good at Survivor, assuming I had access to everyone else's confessionals and idol-get footage.)

 

I thought Aubry was playing very well right up until they told her Peter brought her name up.  I don't know why people always overreact so badly to this.  What difference does it make if Peter mentioned you, as opposed to Joe?  Just the rumor that your name came up sends people into spirals of paranoid silliness, not just crazy jerks like Russell Hantz, but seemingly cool and rational people like Aubry.  Silly.  Coming across as unreliable, to the extent that you literally write one name and cross it out, very very silly.

 

Anyway, it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.  It's will certainly be more interesting at the merge with the numbers we have now than it would probably be with smarter play.

 

candall, on 23 Mar 2016 - 6:45 PM, said:

I'm making note of Joe's FBI direct confrontation technique because that was surprisingly effective.  I'm a poor liar and would've been pedaling madly, exactly like Peter was:  "Uhhhh. . . .what?  Come again?  I didn't really catch the question--what was the question?"  <snicker>

 

I think I remember Parvati taking a similar direct route towards the beginning of HvV and noting how it totally threw veteran players.  Something to remember!

 

whiskeyandfeet, on 23 Mar 2016 - 11:01 PM, said:

 Production clearly tells the Survivors to button their lips while the cameras are off, and probably literally say "Action!" just as they're approaching the camp. It just feels so phoney baloney to me.

 

Yes, I believe they are indeed required to not talk until cameras are rolling.  I can't say this strikes me as anything but correct of them.  Supposedly, the rule was set after a game-changing conversation with Tina and somebody on the walk to tribal in Australia, which, since it was not captured by the camera, could not be part of the show, though it was very important somehow, and made subsequent events inexplicable?  I don't really know what I'm talking about since I never watched Australia, but this is what I've heard.  Anyway, the very possibility of missing something important is terrible...would you rather have them keep silent until getting back to the beach, or stiltedly reenacting a scene that happened with cameras off?

 

Finally: Debbie FTW!  She may be ridiculous and a bit obnoxious, but she has everyone eating out of the palm of her hand.  Get it girl!

Edited March 24, 2016 by KimberStormer

[Euriph]

Yes, it was obvious Peter was being eliminated. If you find it predictable, try putting yourself in peter's shoes. He did have a chance to be a great villain for the season. Things that were going for peter was his personality was so infamous and being on the outer circle of any alliance. He could of been used by players to get stronger players out. This would cause him to be greatly disliked by the jury making players keep him in. Of course, he himself would have to keep strong players out of the game to sway the jury that he made strong moves. If a player stuck already in a hard position ends up worming his way to the finally, I can respect his game play.

 

On this episode, Peter could have eliminated Aubry or Joe in the game. All Peter had to do was stick to his original plan. Julia would of went with it because she was already in a corner. He could have persuaded Tia and Scott by pointing out either how strong Aubry is playing the game or how strong the connection between the other two brains. The other three would just be happy if one of the brains was voted off.(preferable a stronger player). All Peter had to do was to ignore Joe and not be scared of him. His worst mistake was ignoring Scott and just sticking with the brains.

 

Peter also had other choices he could of made. (I wouldn't call these mistakes) He could of let Julia decide who to kick off and proceed from there. This would of kept the door open for him to keep with the brains. He could of follow the brains and backstab them later. The most difficult choice would be play as a double agent and build a better relationship with Tia and Scott. Peter had options!

 

Merge! What could happen?

 

We have 4 beauties (Nick, Tia, Michele, and Julia); 3 Brawns (Cydney, Kyle, and Scott); and 4 brains. (Debbie, Aubry, Joe, and Neal)

[Gweilo]

I think Debbie might just be the challenge monster to beat once we get to individual immunities.

 

I am LOVING hating Nick.  I find him just so amusing.  Every time he has to grudgingly talk to a human there's this long pause while the little robots in his (tiny) head insert the correct script into his 'empathy' slot.

 

Scott and firstnameKylesecondnameJason are going to be insufferable once they get back together.

[Nashville]

Oh. My. God. 

 

God got nothing to do with that.

 

 

I'm guessing that the challenges don't take into account whether the ex-NBA player is in the game.

 

I doubt Scot really had that much of an advantage.

• Those buoys were hard plastic spheres, not textured leather or rubber.
• They were a good bit smaller than a regulation basketball.
• Doubt they had the same weight and/or balance as a basketball as well.
• Lastly, I'd be surprised if that "goal" was the same regulation height or diameter of a basketball goal.

Actually, I halfway suspect extended experience at the free-throw line could be more of an impediment than a benefit.

[marys1000]

So I'm not the only one that thought "Tuna in 100 degree heat? Who thought that was a good idea?" 

Or even anything that someone would be missing in their food fantasies.  I think I would have been afraid to eat it and I wouldn't have problems drinking the water provided without boiling. 

I will say it looks like it has been colder thought its only been a few weeks and that seems strange. 

 

I too thought it strange that there was such an advantage to the NBA basketball player  - not even just with the free throw part but also he had an advantage popping the boxes out of the net from below for sure, throwing people up into the net he had an advantage (Nick was pretty incredible getting up there), then on the stacking block things height was an advantage - so that's 3 parts of the challenges where height made a big difference, plus the free throw.  And I can't even believe that people are comparing a high school player to an NBA player.  Even a bad NBA player is miles away.

 

I thought Peter's blocks plan was a good one honestly though maybe not the best one considering they had someone with Scott's height.  A bunch of NBA cheerleaders doing a pyramid would have rocked it.

 

I didn't care deeply who went home as long as it wasn't Debbie or Tai.  Would liked to see Michelle go home because of the petting tigers thing.

 

I think Aubry switched her vote because she decided in the end that with the merge coming she would have more options even if she couldn't convince

Joe to stick with her.  Personally though I don't see why. Peter doesn't seem that much more of a threat than Julia once she gets back with more beauty peeps after the merge and while Peter wasn't particularly trustworthy and annoying he didn't seem to be a very good player.  And why believe whoever it was telling her that Peter was tgting her?  You have to consider it's true but you also have to consider they are lying. 

I will say that Peter has done pretty well out there physically considering I read somewhere he herniated a disk or something like a week before.  I did that and stayed in bed for 3 days.  Watching him flip himself up into that high net I was cringing.

 

Cyndy spoke!  Two words!  She has been getting the quietest edit. 

 

Love Debbie.  And she wanted to get rid of Jason.

[Sarahsmile416]

Aubry is damned lucky the merge is next week, since she just gave away numbers. Joe and Debbie were just shown to be fools by keeping Aubry and Neal around. Neal had contempt for them from the get-go and Aubry just risked her and Joe by giving away numbers. And, speaking of numbers, Anna, Tai and Scot were damned lucky that Aubry crossed out the name. Playing the idol on Julia last week would have given them numbers this week without depending on Aubry.

I wonder if Joe ever thinks about how shitty he was to Aubry when she was talking about the need for fire and water?

[Sarahsmile416]

It wasn't Aubry who Joe was a jerk to about the fire and the water, it was Liz.

[nutty1]

I thought the last 2 episodes were a bit boring, except for the tribal councils. They were good!

I am happy Peter left. He was arrogant. Though he was great in challenges.

I cannot believe I am saying this, but I am liking Scott and Debbie! And of course, Tai!

I thought Nick was going to beat the NBA player. He did a good job of putting the pressure on him. He doesn't bug me as much as he bugs others.

Aubry seems miserable all the time!

It is merge time, and I feel like I still don't know some of the contestants!

Edited March 24, 2016 by nutty1

[himela]

It's like watching a season with amateurs tbh. Peter made a good move wanting Joe out. So what if Joe found out? Just go on with your plan and vote him out already! Plus, are you really waiting to be on tribal council to decide who to vote? Really? Didn't you have like 5-6 hours to do that? I think there is something we missed here or these players are really dumb.

 

Merge after 2 tribal councils after the swap? Oh I can't even...

 

Such a shame. Such a bad season. Such a waste.

 

I would like to see what Jason and Cudney have in their minds at this point. Who are they going to align with now?

 

Why did Joe stay loyal to Peter in the end? Makes no sense.

[ghoulina]

I was glad to see Peter voted out, because I'm so sick of his smug, superior face. But then I sat there debating whether that was a wise move or not. On the one hand, Peter WAS talking about taking fellow Brains out and he doesn't appear very trustworthy. On the other hand, who hasn't had conversations like that before? Just out of speculation and curiosity? In the end, Peter decided to stay with them. So that's numbers going forward. It may be that no one else trusts Peter either, and that's why they didn't want to go along with him in voting Joe out. If they had kept Peter, Brains would have 5 still in the game, pending a potential merge. Brawn would have 3 and Beauty 4. Of course, it's possible Beauty and Brawn could team up to take down Brain. It's possible that original tribal alliances won't even matter. That's what I love about this game, you might THINK a move is a bad move, but it turns out to be a great move. And vice versa. 

 

The other possible issue, though, is Aubry pissing off Joe. I want to like Joe. I always have a soft spot for the grumpy, older guys. Plus, he's in insane shape for his age! But he might be just too grumpy. He seems very rigid, and that's not going to work in this game. He was getting all pissy because Aubry was contemplating a different move right before voting. Sometimes that's when the best moves are made! He needs to be a little more flexible or he's not going to get much further. 

 

One thing I noticed, and it may have been just the editing, but it seemed like Aubry and Joe were very insular at camp. They were complaining about Peter being all over Julia as soon as she got to camp, but did they even try to court her? I feel like they just assume they're running things, but they're not bothering to establish good relationships with anyone else. Maybe we're just not seeing everything, but that's the impression that I get and it may come back to bite them. Soon. 

 

I did love all the scrambling going on at Tribal. That always makes for good TV. I also really enjoyed that IC. It was very different from anything we've seen before, and really highlighted some strengths and weaknesses on both tribes. It was also interesting how Nick almost beat the basketball player at that reward challenge. I wonder if Scot just assumed he had this, and didn't practice like Nick did? Those comps are never quite the same as basketball, so I don't understand not practicing. The size is totally different, and the buoys are staying IN there, so that totally affects the subsequent shots. 

 

 

On the other tribe, it seems Scot is still laying around camp all day, doing freaking nothing. I'm glad Debbie is already getting sick of him. I hope she pounces soon! Also, she's now a soccer coach, Girl Scout leader, animal rescuer, and PART TIME MODEL???? I can't. I just can't. I am not sure if I'm rooting for her to actually win yet, but I at least want her to stay around for awhile so we can find out all of the many jobs she's had. 

 

Nick was being pretty douchey to Michelle. I hope she lives up to her word and ends up playing HIM in the end. 

[Haleth]

 I think somebody wrote DR. Peter, not St.

That was Tai.

 

I would have been giving the producers a side eye had the basketball challenge not been closer.  If there hadn't been a problem getting the balls loose blue could have won.  Nick did a great job making the baskets.

 

Poor Peter.  I do feel sorry for him.  He was trying so hard to use his superior intellect to gain control, but those cats refused to be herded.

 

I thought Aubry was playing very well right up until they told her Peter brought her name up.  I don't know why people always overreact so badly to this.  What difference does it make if Peter mentioned you, as opposed to Joe?

 

And why would she immediately believe it?  Didn't it occur to her that Julia and Scot may be, I dunno, lying to break up the brains and save Julia?  For someone who seems to be overthinking her decisions most of the time this was one instance where she didn't think enough.  (Yes, what they told her was true, but she should have considered the motive.)

[ghoulina]

Good answer: "No!"

Bad answer:  "Hummina hummina . . . whut?"

 

But I don't necessarily think "no" would have been a good answer to Joe. He seemed to already be convinced that Peter was targeting him when he asked the question. He kept insisting that Peter not lie. So I agree with the poster who said there WAS no good answer. Say "no" and Joe confirms to himself that you're a liar. Say "yes" and that confirms for Joe that you're shady and trying to betray him. 

 

I thought Aubry was playing very well right up until they told her Peter brought her name up.  I don't know why people always overreact so badly to this.  What difference does it make if Peter mentioned you, as opposed to Joe?  Just the rumor that your name came up sends people into spirals of paranoid silliness, not just crazy jerks like Russell Hantz, but seemingly cool and rational people like Aubry.  Silly.  Coming across as unreliable, to the extent that you literally write one name and cross it out, very very silly

 

I totally agree with you, that people just freak out upon hearing their name has been discussed. And they cease to think rationally. Number one, have YOU not ever considered Peter's name? It's a game, it happens. You two were never close to begin with, so I don't see it as all that shocking, or some big betrayal. Also, do these people not ever consider they're being played? That their alliance member never brought their name up, and someone from the other side is trying to get them to do their bidding? Yea, it was like as soon as Aubry heard her name was allegedly mentioned, it was all downhill from there. 

[laurakaye]

Even though I knew the editors wouldn't dare show Scot being any less than awesome at basketball, I took pleasure in seeing all his missed shots on the ground every time they cut to the net. That challenge clearly took a lot longer than we saw.

 

It was Scot's challenge to lose.  All Nick - I mean, Adonis - had to do was sink a couple of shots to make Scot sweat.  The camera showed Scot glancing over at Nick several times instead of just concentrating on what he was doing, like Adonis did.

 

In that heat, it seems unappealing as heck. Odd choice indeed.

Seriously.  Please pass me a heaping scoop of E. Coli with lettuce on rye, hold the tomato!  I've seen 4-day old stale pizza served up on Survivor that looked more appealing than tuna salad on a 100-degree day.

 

The editors are totally slipping up on Debbie.  Yes, they included her career as a part-time model (I actually laughed out loud and clapped my hands in glee). But did they not catch her talking to Adonis about her career as an animal rescuer?  I believe she also said something about soccer as well.  Get it together, Survivor!  The list is long and you need to INCLUDE IT ALL.

 

The tease for this week was that we were going to see something at TC that we've never seen before.  I assume it was Aubry's cross-out?  I totally thought Probst was going to say something like: "Survivor Rule 763, Article 14, sub-section G: the first name written down is the name we have to use.  Cross-outs do not count."  But I feel like Aubry should've scribbled over Julia's name a little harder.  It looked like she wrote both names down and played eenie-meenie-miney-mo to choose the one she crossed out.  The single line through Julia's name made her seem even more indecisive than ever. 

 

My random thought: I spent this whole episode trying to figure out who Scot reminded me of, in both looks and voice.  It finally came to me: Bill Laimbeer of the Pistons.  Bad Boys, anyone?  Most of you weren't born when the Bad Boys played in Detroit, you say?  Moving on..........;)

Edited March 24, 2016 by laurakaye

[Lamima]

Did you all see Peter's final words? He actually seems like a nice guy who is just utterly and completely socially clueless...like he has no idea how to read social clues. He should have stuck with Julia, Scot and Tai (to vote out Joe) but Joe was all apologetic to him so he swung back to their (Joe's and Aubry's) side not grasping that he would ALWAYS be at the bottom of the brains group. And Joe is an idiot and annoying. I wish he had been the one to go. That TC was a hot mess. I had no idea who was voting for who.

 

Oh, and Debbie (the model) wants to get rid of Jason...ha! Wished they had lost then. Debbie said he does nothing but lay around...didn't he get all over Alecia (Blondie) for supposedly 'doing nothing'????? Can't wait for Jason to go.

 

And Scot shooting the baskets...he almost was beat by Nick (the Greek God). I was so happy to see him losing at one point...#winning, more like #barely.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Lamima

[laurakaye]

 

And Scot shooting the baskets...he almost was beat by Nick (the Greek God). I was so happy to see him losing...#winning, more like #barely.

Oh my goodness, the editors missed a golden opportunity there!  #barelywinning

[nutty1]

 

Did somebody write "St." in front of Peter's name?.

 

I thought that at first also, but it was Dr.

[ellie2205]

What do people think about Aubrey's move here?

I'm not a big fan. I think she should've kept the Brains together for one or two more votes (even if she guessed the merge was coming) (perhaps especially if she guessed the merge was coming). As she herself mentioned, she gave the other people on her mini-tribe the numbers.  They're also down now when they go into the merge.  Peter is interesting in that he wanted to switch things up, but was cowed quite quickly by Joe's not-even-too-aggressive (in my opinion) line of questioning.  So I think when it came time to the merge, Peter would've stayed in line for the Brains for at least one or two more votes.  But who knows?

 

Good riddance Peter. What an arrogant jackass. And he's delusional. He suggests in his final words that it's because he gave a bad suggestion for the stacking. No you delusional jackass, it's because YOU ARE A JACKASS who is arrogant and untrustworthy.

Ha, I noticed this too.  His exit confessional was like, "I guess I made one tiny mistake in the challenge and that's why they voted me out."  No, you were arrogant and changed your mind a bunch of times.  I think they could've forgiven the mind-changing if he wasn't also super arrogant.  Also, it's interesting to note that people very seldom get voted out for doing poorly in a challenge.  I was surprised at the beginning of this season when Brawn voted out that guy (I forget his name ...) over Alecia and it seemed mostly based on his challenge performance.

 

Survivor also did a basketball challenge during former NBA player Cliff Robinson's season, the first Beauty versus Brain versus Brawn.  That season when I suggested that the show might do one I was totally kidding but yes, it happened.  So I knew this one was coming; I mentioned it last week.

 Just giving you credit that I totally remember you mentioning it last week!  When I saw the challenge I told my husband that someone on the forum had predicted another basketball challenge :)

  

I thought Aubry was playing very well right up until they told her Peter brought her name up.  I don't know why people always overreact so badly to this.  What difference does it make if Peter mentioned you, as opposed to Joe?  Just the rumor that your name came up sends people into spirals of paranoid silliness, not just crazy jerks like Russell Hantz, but seemingly cool and rational people like Aubry.  Silly.  Coming across as unreliable, to the extent that you literally write one name and cross it out, very very silly.

... 

Yes, I believe they are indeed required to not talk until cameras are rolling.  I can't say this strikes me as anything but correct of them.  ...would you rather have them keep silent until getting back to the beach, or stiltedly reenacting a scene that happened with cameras off?

People do always freak out when their name is brought up, don't they?  From the couch it seems like an overreaction but I'm guessing that in real life, it's unavoidable considering how many times it's happened on Survivor.  Also, I'm guessing that a player might think it's okay if their ally gets voted out since they still have a relationship with the "backstabber," but when the "backstabber" mentions the actual player's name, that makes the so-called relationship seem that much more questionable.  Similarly, when someone puts down another person's name at Tribal Council as a "throwaway vote," it seems like people get really offended.  From the couch it doesn't seem like a big deal if you already know someone else is going home, but people say that Tribal Council is the place to see where the lines are really drawn, so I guess it's a big deal.

 

I agree that I have also read they're required not to talk on the walk home for exactly the reason you mentioned.

 

I doubt Scot really had that much of an advantage.

...

Actually, I halfway suspect extended experience at the free-throw line could be more of an impediment than a benefit.

That's what my husband said too, but I pointed out that Scot has spent a lot of his life (practice, games, presumably middle and/or high school) trying to get a round object into a basket-shaped object.  So in that sense, even if he is somewhat used to a basketball and a basketball net, he still might have an advantage.  But I don't know.  Any professional basketball players thrown into a non-basketball, making-baskets-type situation and can weigh in on this? ;)

 

It's like watching a season with amateurs tbh.

... They are amateurs ...

 

I really dislike Aubrey and Joe.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I dislike all of the Brains tribe except I have a grudging wish for Debbie to win for many of the reasons stated above.  But Aubrey strikes me as very similar to Peter -- thinks she's running the game, thinks her way of playing is the only and obvious best way, changes her mind about who to vote out (more often than Peter actually), and is arrogant -- but she's able to keep it to confessionals, which probably makes her more tolerable as a player (but not for this viewer).

 

Regarding Joe, at a previous Tribal Council he said he thought there weren't any idols because, um, he hadn't found one basically.  I thought this might be misdirection for Jeff's sake.  But now I realize that's totally just what he thinks.  He is a super straightforward guy who seems really inflexible, and seems like a has-to-see-it-to-believe-it kind of person.  I think the scrambling before this week's Tribal Council seemed like a fairly normal amount, but he accused Aubrey of being paranoid and basically said he was sticking to the plan of voting out Julia no matter what.  I had high hopes for him, but I don't think he's well-suited for Survivor.

Edited March 24, 2016 by ellie2205

[plurie]

If Aubrey had voted for Julia, it would have been a tie. They would revote, and, if no one changed their vote, Julia and Peter would be safe and the rest of them would draw rocks. So, to avoid a tie, it makes sense to vote out Peter, who is wishy washy, arrogant, and untrustworthy.

 

 

[ghoulina]

It was Scot's challenge to lose.  All Nick - I mean, Adonis - had to do was sink a couple of shots to make Scot sweat.  The camera showed Scot glancing over at Nick several times instead of just concentrating on what he was doing, like Adonis did.

 

His face was hilarious. He kept getting angrier and angrier. It was as if he was thinking, "How dare this guy beat me!" 

[Wouldofshouldof]

Anyone notice we didn't hear a word from Jason all night?

Actually, they showed him saying "Now we just push all the geeks into the lockers" or something like that, and I was thinking, ...And, he shows his asshattery once again.

[fishcakes]

Peter's as good a vote-out as anyone, but personally I would have preferred Aubrey or Joe. Aubrey thinks furrowing her brow = critical thinking, and Joe is frankly stupid. To paraphrase Kass, how are these people on the Brains tribe? I'd like to see the data on that.

 

But I don't necessarily think "no" would have been a good answer to Joe. He seemed to already be convinced that Peter was targeting him when he asked the question. He kept insisting that Peter not lie. So I agree with the poster who said there WAS no good answer. Say "no" and Joe confirms to himself that you're a liar. Say "yes" and that confirms for Joe that you're shady and trying to betray him.

 

Exactly. Once Joe finally let Peter get a word in, he did say "no," and Joe's reaction was to walk away convinced that he'd been lied to. It wasn't so much that he was looking to confirm that Peter was a liar, since there is literally nothing Peter could have said that would have made him think otherwise, it's just that Joe wanted to look like a badass master interrogator who put the screws to someone who wronged him. Except he actually looked like an incompetent fool. He didn't trap Peter into betraying himself; every time Peter started to talk, Joe would growl, "answer the question! Yes or no! Answer!" So Peter says "no," and Joe's response: "never mind!" Oooh, Special Agent Crankypants really cracked that case.