S32: Ponderosa

[illini1959]

1 hour ago, Archery said:

Jeff said, watch what happens when Cydney gets to Ponderosa, it's kinda cool.  I'm wondering if, from his perspective, he's talking about how free Cydney seems to be, laughing and smiling and owning her game.  Or the welcome she gets from Joe and Denise contrasted with the mean silent treatment from the Bullies.  There's a nice reveal of her psychology degree from UPenn to Joe -- and he's really impressed.  I have to say, Cydney handles it so well, and shows herself to be this warm, friendly, smart person (not as intense as she was on the island).  Maybe that's what he meant. 

I have to say, the Bullies conspicuously giving her the silent treatment -- and patting themselves on the back for it -- made me so sad. 

Ah. Thank you!

I'm sure she's not losing any sleep over any silent treatment, consider the source and all that ;) It's sad that in this day and age, people still feel they need to resort to that behavior. Good for Cydney.

[ljenkins782]

That was just embarrassing to watch. Julia's 19 and maybe too young to know any better but those other 2 jackasses have zero excuse. 

I was a little disappointed to see Nick and Neal sitting over with them after greeting Cydney and appearing to be civil. Looked like she was eating by herself for a little bit, where were Joe and Debbie? I did see Joe kinda perched on the edge of the table later, but they definitely made it seem like she ate alone while the other 5 sat together. 

I feel like I missed something crucial in the season because I can't figure out just why the 3 morons hate her SO much. I'm seeing posts saying that there was apparently a vicious fight between Cydney and Julia, but it was never shown and I didn't notice any friction between the two of them before Julia got voted out. When did this happen (if it happened) and how do people know about it? 

Glad she lasted until the last vote and hopefully only had to spend 1 day there. 

[ProfCrash]

It was almost a repeat of Corrine's season were the one person whose name I cannot remember was totally ignored until Randy, of all people, came over and spoke with her.

Debbie made an effort to go to Cydney's room and speak to her there. Joe spoke with her a bunch. It was disappointing to see Neal and Nick hanging out with the assholes and ignoring Cydney. Then again, neither of them really knew her in the game so I am not sure what they would have had to say to her while they had more time with the assholes at Ponderosa.

[Lamima]

Does anyone know truly who voted for who? Debbie's jury speaks doesn't sound like she voted Aubry. Could have been Cyd and Joe??? And maybe she got 3 votes, did Jeff read all 7? 

[ljenkins782]

15 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

It was almost a repeat of Corrine's season were the one person whose name I cannot remember was totally ignored until Randy, of all people, came over and spoke with her.

Debbie made an effort to go to Cydney's room and speak to her there. Joe spoke with her a bunch. It was disappointing to see Neal and Nick hanging out with the assholes and ignoring Cydney. Then again, neither of them really knew her in the game so I am not sure what they would have had to say to her while they had more time with the assholes at Ponderosa.

I know Debbie went in to speak with her in the room, but it would have been a nice gesture to sit with her for her first meal when she was being so coldly ignored by the others. Same with Nick and Neal, they could have sat down and gotten to know her a bit like they did with the other new arrivals. 

I don't know, it just seemed like a really extreme response, that's why I feel like I missed a step with Cydney's story. 

[Wings]

Where are these jury speak videos?  Google produced nothing and they are not on the CBS site.  

[Special K]

I loved how the only thing wrong with Cyd at the medical check were the scrapes on her hands from the fire making challenge she had just done.  We all suspected that she was unusually unscathed out there, because she looked so strong and her skin was so pristine, but evidently it was true!  And she lost almost 30 pounds, like 20% of her weight, and still didn't seem the worse for wear.  She really is some kind of a warrior.

Having watched all of the Ponderosas, it seems like Debbie doesn't hang out with the others a whole lot.  She doesn't seem bitter, she just maybe prefers to be alone. I had high hopes for this season's Ponderosa during the early Nick/Neal bromance, but those hopes were dashed.
 

[piequinn35]

wings707: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJB4BECNUlvza6I3OKzmXQ/videos

[Lamima]

Just read that Nick and Joe voted Aubry. Debbie was bitter too. And Cyd too or she was just close to Michele.

[Cynna]

6 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Not revealing her degree was smart because people would assume that Brawn was not all that smart. It probably led people to underestimate her. We saw how smart Cydney was in her conversations with Aubrey.

She had revealed it before though, I remember she and Debbie talking about it and Debs saying something like "no surprise, I knew from the moment I saw you that you were educated". Because, she's a career psychic too.

5 hours ago, LanceM said:

Michele didn't really get along fine with them though. She was the one who was probably most vocal against them during the whole sabotage the camp incident. All exit interviews I have read seem some to support this and that she wanted the both of them gone immediately.

I think she hung with them a fair amount during the game, and there are tonnes of pics over the last year of the 4 of them hanging out (Michelle, Julia, Scott, Jason). Seeing those is what made me really dislike Michelle.

5 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Holy shit, Scott, Jason and Julia with their Mean Girl clique at Ponderosa? Separate lunch tables and all? Grow the fuck up, assholes. You hijacked and ruined the season by giving a million bucks to the OTHER pretty girl, despite being the least deserving of the three finalists (IMO, of course). They basically shoved the two smart girls (Cydney and Aubry) and also the gay male, into their lockers and slammed them shut, then giggled about it with the cutsey poo blondie that they're trying to impress.  Julia's a kid just out of high school, so she's pretty much acting her age, but Scott and Jason are supposedly adults. It's one thing to act like a shit weasel in the heat of the game, it's quite another to KEEP doing it once the game is over. 

Welcome to Ponderosa Senior High. 

THIS THIS THIS!

3 hours ago, tiredofwork said:

I guess I need clarification.  If I recall during the tribal jury where she was voted out, didn't Cydney tell everyone she wanted to make a better life for her mother, give her mother basic needs like health insurance?  Not saying that the Penn education equates to having money, but was that "gamesmanship" on the part of Cydney? 

She said it after, to the camera, not to the others. She had nothing to gain from it.

[peachmangosteen]

1 hour ago, Cynna said:

She said it after, to the camera, not to the others. She had nothing to gain from it.

No she said that to everyone at TC right after losing the fire making challenge.

[LanceM]

Well anyway...

Julia ‏@JuliaSokolowski  10h10 hours agoLos Angeles, CA@TheDavidHealy I do regret that behavior; but hey, emotions were heightened and fragile. You live and you learn. I have mad respect for Cyd.

Julia ‏@JuliaSokolowski  5h5 hours agoLos Angeles, CA@Tresummers I was emotional and fragile at the time which is unfortunate. I have the utmost respect for Cyd and her game. I've apologized.

[Special K]

13 hours ago, LanceM said:

Well anyway...

Julia ‏@JuliaSokolowski  10h10 hours agoLos Angeles, CA@TheDavidHealy I do regret that behavior; but hey, emotions were heightened and fragile. You live and you learn. I have mad respect for Cyd.

Julia ‏@JuliaSokolowski  5h5 hours agoLos Angeles, CA@Tresummers I was emotional and fragile at the time which is unfortunate. I have the utmost respect for Cyd and her game. I've apologized.

I always wonder if these folks wait to apologize until the episode/Ponderosa airs and they get blowback, or if they've already apologized. 

[ProfCrash]

I don't buy the emotions BS. She had been out of the game long enough and welcoming enough to the other people who had voted for her to go. If she had said she had been hanging out with the two douchebros and they influenced her opinion of Cydney I would say "OK. Stupid but at least she is being honest."

She is younger and choose to follow the douchebros. I am guessing that they were the two people who were more social and in party mood at Ponderosa. Neal, Debbie, and Joe were not going to be party animals. It is not in their nature. I don't have a  good enough read on Nick to know how interested he was in hanging out. She probably bought into their view of the game and maybe regrets that. But that is different then "emotions were heightened and fragile." Her comments in her Jury Video were far too similar to Kyle's and I know that Kyle 100% believes the BS he was spewing.

Most Ponderosas include a good number of scenes at the pool or other areas with people hanging out together. This one showed very few scenes along those lines. When we saw people hanging out it tended to be Scot, Kyle and Julia. They seemed to eat their meals together but I suspect that Debbie was not a regular at group meals. So a younger person who wants to hang out and have a good time was going to have limited options.

I am giving Julia some leeway because of her age but her condescending attitude and comments were not appreciated.

[Hanahope]

17 hours ago, Cynna said:

I guess I need clarification.  If I recall during the tribal jury where she was voted out, didn't Cydney tell everyone she wanted to make a better life for her mother, give her mother basic needs like health insurance?  Not saying that the Penn education equates to having money, but was that "gamesmanship" on the part of Cydney? 

Actually, I thought she said that after she lost the fire challenge.  She was crying a bit and talked about wanting to pay her mother's mortgage and other basic needs.  She never revealed the Penn education until Ponderosa to Joe (although she apparently also told Debbie at some point, not sure when).  Cydney also stated that she only went to Penn because of endowments, so it didn't cost her anything (or much).  Her degree is in psychology, which may not necessarily bring in a lot of money to help her parents.

I didn't realize that Cydney, Joe and Debbie were all from PA (and eastern part too).

[ProfCrash]

Cydney was very clear in her Ponderosa video that she did not mention her Penn education because she knew people would assume that meant she had money. She discusses the role of endowments at many universities which gave me the impression that she attended on a full scholarship and that she does not come from money. She did not mention her education until she landed at Ponderosa.

She is pretty young, I think 22, which means she is a recent graduate and I think she is focused on the body building for the time being. She specifically said she would play again but she would need to know far enough in advance to make sure she was at a weight were losing 20 or so pounds would not be something she could overcome quickly.

[Lamb18]

23 hours ago, Archery said:

Jeff said, watch what happens when Cydney gets to Ponderosa, it's kinda cool.  I'm wondering if, from his perspective, he's talking about how free Cydney seems to be, laughing and smiling and owning her game.  Or the welcome she gets from Joe and Denise contrasted with the mean silent treatment from the Bullies.  There's a nice reveal of her psychology degree from UPenn to Joe -- and he's really impressed.  I have to say, Cydney handles it so well, and shows herself to be this warm, friendly, smart person (not as intense as she was on the island).  Maybe that's what he meant. 

I have to say, the Bullies conspicuously giving her the silent treatment -- and patting themselves on the back for it -- made me so sad. 

Who is Denise?

[azshadowwalker]

From the jury videos, it sounds like the only one most people were adamant about not voting for was Tai. Debbie was the only one who said she wouldn't vote for Aubry under any circumstances. 

[ForeverAlone]

From listening to The Jury Speaks videos, it is easy to see why people voted the way they did. Some may not agree with some of the voting decisions, but the jurors pretty much articulated their reasons, so the Michele votes and the Aubry votes were not that surprising. No one really deviated from what they said in the videos. While most of the jurors weren't high on Michele's game, they certainly had plenty of issue with Tai and Aubry as well. Like we have seen, no one was angry with Michele, but some were definitely angry at Tai and Aubry.

[Lamima]

Something that I noticed in the jury speaks videos was that Julia, Debbie, Scot and Jason all discussed things around their ousting, very pointedly, bitterly and self centeredly. Then Nick and Cyd they spoke more generally and so their votes seem more genuine. Didn't bother to watch Joe's...maybe I'll do that now. But I am guessing he comes off as genuine too.

Wow, watched Joe's and he gives a good argument for Michele's win. I always said she did play the game pretty well as I felt all of the F4 did. So I guess in the end she deserved to win but I still feel Aubry deserved it a little more. Her constant processing steps ahead, mind always working...that's kinda me too and I guess that's why I had been rooting for her from early on (actually- after the first episode where she had panic attack, I was thinking she'd be gone first and I was so hoping for that...but she pulled it together very quickly and I was all in for her from then on).

Edited May 21, 2016 by Lamima

[azshadowwalker]

18 hours ago, Lamima said:

Something that I noticed in the jury speaks videos was that Julia, Debbie, Scot and Jason all discussed things around their ousting, very pointedly, bitterly and self centeredly. Then Nick and Cyd they spoke more generally and so their votes seem more genuine. Didn't bother to watch Joe's...maybe I'll do that now. But I am guessing he comes off as genuine too.

Any bitterness expressed by Kyle was aimed at Tai. Debbie was as rambling as ever, and was both complimentary and put out when it came to Aubry.  I missed Scot. Julia said almost exactly the same thing Kyle said. I firmly believe that Tai is the one with the argument for "bitter jury", if I believed in the concept. 

[LanceM]

I was reading an interview with Michele and she said that her and Julia were out in the water one day and made a pact that they would vote for each to win if one of them ended up in the FTC and the other one was on the jury.  When Julia held up her parchment the other night she even said "I told you I would do it" which seems to back this up.  She held the social game higher than the strategic game (which is completely legitimate).  She voted for her best friend. It is simple as that.

http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-survivor-kaoh-rong-winner-michele-fitzgerald-talks-(part-1)-19825.php

It's a really strong friendship. And I told her -- we were sitting in the water one day -- and I was like, "If you get to the end, I will vote you to win $1 million." And she said, "Michele, you too," and I hoped she meant it! Because I sure as hell meant it. And so, I was glad that she kind of flipped the script and complimented me in the end. 
 

Edited May 21, 2016 by LanceM

[LanceM]

So apparently they turned Ponderosa into James Bonderosa for one night. No martini for Julia though

 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjAtSs7VEAAk3q6.jpg:large

Edited May 22, 2016 by LanceM

[KaveDweller]

On 5/20/2016 at 1:44 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

I heard something like, "pay off her mortgage, get a college education and basic needs like health insurance".  Poor Aubry looked so stricken, like she'd just taken food from the starving or something.  I would love to have someone pay off my mortgage but that's not something most adults even of my/her age really have.  Though I recall my mother probably WAS struggling financially at age 50, and it's not the most hire-able age for women who don't have degrees and experience, so I probably would've had the same goals for the money as Cydney.  Though I wouldn't have made it sound like it was some important humanitarian mission, like Cydney sort of did.  I'm sure many, many players have helping family in need as their goal.  

I assume Debbie.

Yeah, she definitely said something about college in that speech. Maybe she meant get her mother a college education? Or she was lying, but it seems unnecessary at that point.

Cydney's Ponderosa makes her look like she's got a really good head on her shoulders. She didn't seem bitter at all and took other people's bitterness in stride.

Were there videos for the final three arriving at Ponderosa? I know they do that sometimes.

[AZChristian]

Mama and Daddy seemed to have a lot of money to spend at the gym.  Maybe they use that in lieu of health insurance.

[SlackerInc]

On 4/28/2016 at 1:33 PM, Special K said:

Maybe it's how they edited this, but she sure seems proud of being so young.

And maybe it's middle-aged me, but if somebody told me a deep dark secret that they weren't 22, they were actually 19, I'd be like <<shrug>>.  Is there really that much difference?  She'd still be the youngest one out there, right?

Middle-aged me feels ya, but OTOH I do remember being that age and it felt a lot different to be 22 vs. 19.  We're talking college senior vs. freshman, someone who is in their second year of being able to drink legally vs. someone who is still a couple years away.

 

On 5/5/2016 at 1:15 PM, Hanahope said:

I don't know that they're allow to come out and say "I'm voting for so and so" but I'm sure they discuss the remaining players, they pass along additional information as to events that happened while they were in game, and have some general 'worthiness' discussions.  I suspect that some players have a good idea of who some other players are likely voting for, but its possible they're not supposed to outright confirm anything.

My reaction to this was to suggest what Slowpoked posted shortly afterward:

On 5/5/2016 at 1:41 PM, slowpoked said:

Probst also mentioned that one of the changes he wanted to see (but will never happen) is to sequester the jury. I'm guessing he meant they would be sequestered from each other, in order to avoid influencing on who to vote during FTC.

I wonder why he says it will never happen.  I do think it would be a good idea.  I would miss the videos, but I think it would be worth it due to the beneficial effect on the game.

On 5/19/2016 at 9:18 AM, ProfCrash said:

There was nothing special in Cydney's Ponderosa. She did reveal that she graduated with a degree in Psychology from Penn, which is pretty impressive. Penn is an Ivy League school and hard to get into. She went there on a full scholarship. She intentionally withheld that she is a college graduate and what school she attended because she did not want people to think she was smart and rich. She actually spent time discussing endowments and how they help people like her who could not have afforded to attend such a school without financial support. 

Not revealing her degree was smart because people would assume that Brawn was not all that smart. It probably led people to underestimate her. We saw how smart Cydney was in her conversations with Aubrey.

 

On 5/19/2016 at 0:50 PM, Archery said:

Jeff said, watch what happens when Cydney gets to Ponderosa, it's kinda cool.  I'm wondering if, from his perspective, he's talking about how free Cydney seems to be, laughing and smiling and owning her game.  Or the welcome she gets from Joe and Denise contrasted with the mean silent treatment from the Bullies.  There's a nice reveal of her psychology degree from UPenn to Joe -- and he's really impressed.  I have to say, Cydney handles it so well, and shows herself to be this warm, friendly, smart person (not as intense as she was on the island).  Maybe that's what he meant. 

I thought--without being primed for it, as I hadn't heard what Probst said--that Cydney's video was exceptional.  I'm not sure I would have even come back to this thread based on the couple before her.  But I was really impressed by how well she came across there, as you describe, and how by contrast it really didn't come across in the game.

ETA: Where/when did Probst say this about Cydney's Ponderosa video?  I don't understand why he would take note of what an engaging personality she had outside the game, but then never talk to her at the reunion.  She was the last member of the jury, still playing in the season finale, FFS!  And in 2016 why would you so blatantly open yourself up to charges of sexism/racism like that?

Edited May 23, 2016 by SlackerInc

[Special K]

I don't think Jeff intended to suggest that Cydney's Ponderosa video was exceptional or that anything earth-shattering happens in it.  I think he was just saying (in the live show) that you can check out Ponderosa and it's great to watch -- and he just referenced Cydney since she had just, moments before on the show, been ousted.

To me it sounded like:  "Cydney just got out on a fire challenge!  If you want to see what happens next with Cydney, go watch the Ponderosa video, they're amazing."

[Cynna]

Re previous discussions about Julia & Jason, I was looking at Neal's IG today and noticed this. :/

[JudyObscure]

Ewww. 

[ByaNose]

Julia had a fun vacation with the old guys, didn't she? Kind of gross but what else was she going to do. Hang out with Debby? LOL!!!

[fishcakes]

What I hate most about that photo is that she looks unconscious.

But I'm going to cut her a break because of her age. I don't think she's had enough life experience to understand how this is coming across.

[Special K]

Sure, but you'd think that Jason, a married father twice her age, would have some sense of decency. 

Wait, what am I thinking?

[ProfCrash]

Scot has daughters close to her age. Neal and Nick are old enough to know better. Julia is 18 or 19 years old. She might have drunk a bit in high school but access to unlimited, free booze was probably not the best idea. Maybe she was just really tired and took a nap? Let's face it, there is a reason why employers are reminding young people interviewing for jobs that they want to make their Social Media stuff private or clean it up because they are job hunting. We have all read about the cases were young people have posted images of crimes. I suspect that a fairly normal 18-19 year olds page is going to contain party pictures and some of those may very well be friends who are passed out.

[LadyChatts]

I feel like that picture is something we would see on a Dateline special, reporting the pretty blonde sorority girl missing.

[ByaNose]

40 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I feel like that picture is something we would see on a Dateline special, reporting the pretty blonde sorority girl missing.

and, 48 Hours where it's always the husband or boyfriend. If you are ever asked to go on a hike. Just say no!

[piequinn35]

wtf Julia :/

[LanceM]

Yes that is a picture from Ponderosa and yes Julia was not allowed to drink.   I think people are making wild assumptions and overreacting to what appears to be five people just posing for a fun picture.

[LadyChatts]

Would that matter in another country if the drinking age was 18?  I know they haven't had too many under-21s on the show, but she technically wouldn't be doing anything wrong if the age was 18.

[LanceM]

Nope. They are bound by U.S laws when they are out there so anyone under 21 is not allowed to drink.

(though who knows if she was able to sneak a few in she is a clever girl)

[Cynna]

On 2016-05-24 at 4:32 PM, LanceM said:

Yes that is a picture from Ponderosa and yes Julia was not allowed to drink. 

Wasn't she drinking the 'special smoothie' she told Joe about? I'm pretty sure she was drinking alcohol.

As for the picture, I think it says a lot more about Jason than it does young Julia.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Cynna

[azshadowwalker]

Oh, the drama. Not everyone views everything with some weird sexual connotation.

[LanceM]

13 hours ago, Cynna said:

Wasn't she drinking the 'special smoothie' she told Joe about? I'm pretty sure she was drinking alcohol.

As for the picture, I think it says a lot more about Jason than it does young Julia.

Nope. Look again. Jason was drinking a  special smoothie. Joe was getting a  special smoothie. Julia had a bottled water sitting on the table right in front of her. I am not even sure why we are talking about drinking as there is nothing in that photo that suggests anyone was drinking least of all the 19 year old.

[Lamb18]

My first thought was that Jason's wife wouldn't like that picture. Then, yuck! Why would anyone want to put her head on Jason's lap? (except for his daughters) Nick's lap, more understandable.

[ProfCrash]

I could understand restricting her drinking on rewards. The show is aired in the US and they don't want to encourage underage drinking. She should have been able to drink once she was out of the game. She was not in the US, she was in Cambodia with different laws. When I traveled to Canada, Mexico and throughout Europe between 18-20 I drank. It was legal there so why not.

When my high school traveled to Montreal to compete in a competition the 18 year olds were not allowed to drink and the few who did were punished. I think that was more of a decrease the schools liability thing then anything else. Clearly my older classmates were able to get booze at the bar because the drinking age was 18. Hell, I attended Michigan State and students regularly headed to Canada so they could drink. Not that there behavior wasn't a pretty good reason for not allowing them to drink since it was pretty atrocious....

Any way, Julia should have been allowed to drink at Ponderosa.

[peachmangosteen]

2 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

When my high school traveled to Montreal to compete in a competition the 18 year olds were not allowed to drink and the few who did were punished. I think that was more of a decrease the schools liability thing then anything else.

The liability thing is probably why they didn't let her drink at Ponderosa.

Edited May 26, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[ProfCrash]

Why? She is living in Cambodia and an adult participating in a reality show which is very different then high school teachers being responsible for the well being of their students and the possibility that the 18 year olds would buy booze for the 15-17 year olds who the teachers and chaperones are legally responsible for.

Sorry, I just find that flimsy.

Mind you, my Vice Principal got so drunk on the trip he was chaperoning in the Soviet Union that I had to take care of his drunk ass at the hotel. I was 15 at the time. I won't bother telling you how hammered he allowed my class mates to get. It was pretty awful. I stayed sober because my parents would have killed me if I drank on a trip like that never mind got drunk.

[peachmangosteen]

It might not make sense to you but it's probably the reason. I'm sure they're also thinking about appearances and thinking it wouldn't look good for them to be showing an 18 year old drinking.

[azshadowwalker]

Besides that, there's already been so much drama about the show being "irresponsible" because of the heat. I can only imagine the outcry if they let a kid drink. 

[LanceM]

The reason that Julia can't drink is because it is in the contract that they all sign that they must obey all U.S. and local laws.  Reality Blurred got a hold of the contract back in 2010. The rule about abiding all U.S laws is #8

http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2010/05/survivor-cast-contract/

[ProfCrash]

And I still say that is stupid but thems the rules so thems the rules.