S32.E12: Now's The Time To Start Scheming

[ghoulina]

9 hours ago, princelina said:

He said during the ep that Joe would be his choice - I'm assuming that no one would talk to him so he just voted with his preference.   Or maybe with whom he thought he had convinced the others to vote.

But Tai straight up told him that he was voting for Michele, and trying to get others to do so as well. Even if he didn't believe Tai, he still should have gone for it. He should have known that no one was voting out Aubry's puppet. 

 

8 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

 

I thought Tai was very foolish tonight.  His stubbornness caused him to alienate the tribe,  waste his extra vote and reveal to everyone that he had been lying about having the super idol.

I could see why he wanted Michelle out, but it wouldn't have worth anything near what it cost him, even if his plan hadn't failed miserably.

 

Very poor move, socially. I can see why he wanted her out too, and even Aubry didn't think it was a bad idea. But others, especially Cyd, were so resistant to it. When you float an idea and meet a bunch of resistance, you quietly let the idea go. You don't march on, full force, assuming people are bowing down to your superior intelligence and gameplay. Tai has gotten way too full of himself. 

[Boilergal]

Does Mark have Stockholm Syndrome now?  He wasn't tethered last night and he's hanging out with these guys?  RUN AWAY MARK!!!! 

At this point the audience has become attached to Mark - they can't show him being killed, can they?!?!?!

I was really hoping Tai would be blindsided - he's become entirely too cocky and I was hoping Aubrey/Cydney would take him out.

[ellie2205]

Re: accents, Michele is from New Jersey.  About twenty minutes from where I grew up!  Her accent is still unique though, as to me it doesn't sound very similar to most of my childhood friends.

So for the most part I found the immunity challenge a pretty good watch, but at the same time, it kind of felt like watching the end of a sprint in suuuuuper-slow motion.  It just had that air of "it's down to the last seconds! We're really down to the wire here!!!" but everyone was moving ... fast ... as ... this.  I thought it was a funny juxtaposition.

The reward challenge, however, I thought was awesome.  I loved that water labyrinth maze thing!  Really clever.

As far as gameplay ... I still think Tai can't get any votes in the final 3 and would be a good person to bring.  You could argue that he wasn't a "goat" while secretly feeling confident that he won't get any votes.  Although it's so hard to be sure (I haven't watched Ponderosa, which usually gives a good clue about how the jury is voting).  Other than that, meh.  Nothing too interesting.  I think Aubry recognizes Michele is a big threat, but she also recognizes there is still time after this vote to get rid of her.  I think getting rid of Jason was the right move for the rest of the tribe -- perhaps in part emotional, but also sometimes people do get caught up in the order they were voted out.  Like if I were Michele, I could see being upset that you kept the troll of Jason around for one more vote but got rid of me, even if you told me you had always been planning to get rid of Jason eventually.  So you get rid of Jason to keep loyal to your "final five" and keep their final tribal council votes for you -- and then worry about the details after that.

[Lamb18]

I hope that all the footage we've seen of Mark means he doesn't get slaughtered. It would be kind of a mean trick of the editors to show all these Mark scenes, then show the tribe feasting off of him later. Usually we don't see much of the chickens, they're usually in the background.

[Special K]

56 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

I couldn't take my eyes off of Scot at TC last night. He looked so weird. Like a Circuit City employee and had sex with an Amish person, and he was the result. Just so so weird. 

This made me laugh so hard.

Aubry knew that Michele was a bigger threat and wanted to vote with Tai, but was worried about pissing off basically her entire alliance/future jury members.  She might have made a mistake but she was in a tough spot.  She’s all:  “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am…”

Cydney IMO is easily the most gorgeous woman ever to play Survivor.  She even has the most gorgeous bitch face ever.

Tai needs to shut up a little.  Disappointed that he has turned into the one wielding his power and dictating the vote.

Jason cannot fail to pat himself on the back, can he?  “Now they know I can preach!”  Dude please.  And I wanted to stifle JP when he said “Grrrreat leadership being shown by Jason.”  Ugh.

Jason’s vote for Joe was total petulance over Joe having the gall to come over while Jason was sulking and talk to him. Oh, and also "not playing [with me]."

Michele – I seriously have nothing to comment on.  Yes, I think it’s a Jersey Shore accent.

Mark and the Grub was totally an Aesop’s Fable for Survivor.  The Grub being Jason.  Also, totally loved them returning from TC at the beginning and Mark just chillin’ in the hammock. 

[yamashinaryu]

I thought Tai's mouth at Tribal Council is always his problem. Or maybe that is his personality, too transparent (or too honest?) I don't know. 

I thought they could have blindsided Tai knowing that he will be safe next TC. 

Cydney is really gorgeous today.  

I think the any of the Final 5 deserves to win but Mark the chicken will be the sole survivor this season. 

[Jersey Guy 87]

12 hours ago, J.D. said:

Why do they want Jason out?  He's not a threat to anyone anymore.  He'd be a good one to take to the final three.  He can't win.

At best Kyle would get votes from Scot and Julia.  Nobody else is voting for him and Julia is iffy.  I'd keep him around no matter how annoying he is.

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Tired of team-based Reward Challenges. Whatever happened to everybody playing for themselves? I did like the reward. Nice to see Jason with his intellectual superiors.

Plus I liked when someone wins individual reward and has to select people to join him/her.  It shows the pecking order.

10 hours ago, backformore said:

Best moment for me -  Jason is excited about interacting with animals, because his daughter loves animals.  Yeah, she loves animals, so she'll be super-excited that her DAD gets to play with animals.  That's so much better than doing it herself!   Oh -  and Jason tells us that animals provide his daughter with   important STIMULIZATION.   huh? That's not a word!

I thought the same thing about Kyle - your daughter loves animals so she's going to be thrilled you're hanging out with an elephant and some monkeys?  Great.

I thought Tai handled tribal council really poorly.  He made it clear there's a pecking order, he made it clear Michelle is at the bottom and he was arrogant.  Of course, he still has the hidden immunity idol which probably has to be played next week so he's making final four but he probably cost himself a shot at winning.

[Daisy]

I think they are having "team award" challenges, so things can be 'shaken up' ie - the person you don't like is on a team and "oh, you like them now! they are nice! maybe we shouldn't vote him out. But I do think they miss the chances when people have to choose because it always makes someone mad. And Mad People Make Bad Decisions. :D 

I sort of understood what Jason was saying re: the animals (which I would have adored. I looovveee Elephants, so this is where I am taking it). I think what he ultimately meant was that his daughter would appreciate the experience living through Jason. like he'd come home and he'd tell her all about it, say the "wish you were theres" and everything like that. (and now I feel that I'm not explaining it). but i know for me I had had the flu one time and I couldn't go on a trip to the Philippines and my friend got to riding on an Elephant. (sob). but she told me all about it, and i got to live the experience through her, (and pictures and all of that jazz) so I didn't see it as an eyeroll inducing moment.

Cydney reminds me of Alicia in All Stars. the later it got, the more beautiful she got. Cyd looks like nothing is attacking her. (but it also looks like the heat isn't bothering her, like she's almost always covered up unless she's going to the water, - which is what Alicia did. so I'm assuming she'd rather be covered and deal with the heat, than run around 1/2 naked and be chewed up. LOL. though her "Don't tell me what to do" attitude needs to end. Girl. shut up. 

I am still team Aubrey though I think the best move should have been voting off Tai - and dealing with Jason later.  I would have rather dealt with Jason "potentially" winning immunity vs. Tai 100% being safe the next round. and I am so over Tai it's not even funny. 

[ghoulina]

10 hours ago, princelina said:

10 minutes ago, Jersey Guy 87 said:

I thought the same thing about Kyle - your daughter loves animals so she's going to be thrilled you're hanging out with an elephant and some monkeys?  Great.

 

 

I don't know...I actually understood that. My kids, especially my daughter, love animals. I think they would find it super cool to watch me touching a real, live elephant. 

9 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

 

Edited May 5, 2016 by ghoulina

[Guest]

So glad Jason is gone.  I think though at this point I would have preferred Tai being gone.  At least Jason owns the fact that he is a grade-A jerk.  Tai tries to play Mr. Nice Guy while blindsiding everyone, arrogantly ordering his alliance around, passive aggressively complaining about who is in his alliance, etc.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone go from being portrayed as a nice guy to a jerk so swiftly.  

[sadiegirl1999]

10 hours ago, Jaye said:

Aubry, Cydney, Joe, and Michelle all voted for Kyle.  Tai cast two votes for Michelle.  So even if Kyle had voted for Michelle, it wouldn't have made a difference.

 

10 hours ago, Rick Kitchen said:

Tai cast two votes for Michele, Jason voted for Joe, and everybody else voted for Jason.

OK thanks, I was kinda watching with one eye at that point.

I was thinking it was even votes for Michelle and Jason so that Jason's Joe vote meant he voted himself out. LOL

Wishful thinking b/c that would've been a spectacular finish for him.

[laurakaye]

2 hours ago, ghoulina said:

I couldn't take my eyes off of Scot at TC last night. He looked so weird. Like a Circuit City employee and had sex with an Amish person, and he was the result. Just so so weird. 

THIS!  And the way he sits, ramrod-straight, all Scowly McGlowerPants, like he's going to intimidate anyone still in the game with his eyes.  Shove over, Scot, and make room for your Bestie on the bench.  LOLOL.

 

2 hours ago, ghoulina said:

 

oops, still getting used to this new format...never mind.

2 hours ago, SnarkKitty said:

Jeff annoyed so much with the "Cydney, not even in this!" I had to mute him until he had to acknowledge some strategy. Totally agree with others that if it had been one of the guys Jeff would have been calling out "Jason, with the slow and steady approach! This is classic tortoise vs hare!"

 Cydney had the best game tonight, followed by Michelle. Got immunity, gave Michelle the heads up about her vote so she could fight and gained loyalty points with her, and got rid of a threat for winning not just challenges but the final. That she looks glowingly amazing at this point is just wrong, though.

Seriously, SHUT.  UP.  PROBST.  He's been doing this show forever.  He knows that come-from-behind victories happen and no one should be discounted during a challenge.  His announcement of Cydney having no shot was ridiculous, but I thought I saw her shoot him a brief-but-glorious side-eye, in only the way she can.  And her skin looks like highly polished and very expensive cherry wood.  She is gorgeous.  I can't believe her muscle tone remains so amazing after a month.

Tai must've not gotten the Debbie memo - when you refuse to listen to anyone else's opinions and become unswayable, you won't get your way.

I am hoping for a Final 3 of Cyd, Michelle, and Aubry.  Each played a very different game, and I could see the votes going pretty evenly to all three of them.  I love a Survivor final vote that's not a completely boring blow-out.

What number do I call to vote for Mark as Fan Favorite?

Edited May 5, 2016 by laurakaye

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, ghoulina said:

As for Jason's softer side, and maybe he's putting on a front, etc. I don't really think so. He seems very genuine when he talks about his daughter.

He referred to his wife and daughters as, I believe, 'crazy bitches,' on either twitter or instagram so I don't know. Of course he was joking, but I still find it quite a bit gross that the father of two young daughters would even jokingly refer to them as bitches on the internet.

55 minutes ago, Daisy said:

but it also looks like the heat isn't bothering her, like she's almost always covered up unless she's going to the water, - which is what Alicia did. so I'm assuming she'd rather be covered and deal with the heat, than run around 1/2 naked and be chewed up. LOL.

Is she covered up? I feel like she mostly wears that crop top and bathing suit bottoms all the time. I can not understand how she is keeping from getting all the bug bites and infections that everyone else is getting.

I feel like Cydney made another emotional/petty decision with this vote, but it also happened to be a good play for her so she lucked out there.

I'm guessing Aubry doesn't consider Tai much of a FTC threat. I'm thinking maybe she wants a F3 with Tai and Joe. And she probably thought Cydney would be much more likely to be pissed/hold a grudge if she didn't vote her way then Tai would be so I get her decision.

I have really come to love this season. It's really unpredictable, which is fun. Plus I actually genuinely like 4 of the 5 remaining players and I don't hate the other one so that's sort of amazing. Normally by this time I hate or am meh on almost everyone. Plus I really feel like everyone but Joe could potentially win and that's awesome. Most seasons it's painfully obvious who will win by now.

Edited May 5, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[slowpoked]

2 hours ago, SnarkKitty said:

That she looks glowingly amazing at this point is just wrong, though.

My personal Survivor girl crushes are Brenda Lowe and Chelsea Meissner, but damn if Cydney doesn't look so fine 30+ days in. She must have put on some magic lotion on her skin before going on the island to make it look this fabulous late in the game. I just hope she doesn't disappoint come reunion time - there were some women in Survivor who looked much hotter while on the island than off it.

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, Jersey Guy 87 said:

Why do they want Jason out?  He's not a threat to anyone anymore.  He'd be a good one to take to the final three.  He can't win.

At best Kyle would get votes from Scot and Julia.  Nobody else is voting for him and Julia is iffy.  I'd keep him around no matter how annoying he is.

I think I disagree, Kyle is a legitimate threat in FTC.  He would get votes from Scott and Julia for sure.  He would also get... ah, I can't even remember his name.  Tall guy with the big body and little head who thinks he is extremely good looking.  That guy was so up Scott and Kyle's butts.  I think Kyle might also have gotten Neal's vote, as Neal seemed friendly with Little Head Guy and has probably been swayed over.  Depending on who he is up against in FTC, especially if it is a three person final, he could have the votes.  He could win immunity multiple times and argue his strength and perseverance.  Just like Mike Holloway, he was down and all alone at the bottom and managed to make it to the end, that deserves recognition.  So I think they were right in getting rid of Kyle.

I am irritated by Cydney and her repeated "ain't nobody gonna tell me what to do" mantra.  Part of being on Survivor is learning how to work with others, and she seems to bristle whenever anyone makes a suggestion that she didn't come up with.  So she's probably just as stubborn as others.  I guess it's a fine line and how you say it, "we are voting for Michelle" as opposed to "what about Michelle".  Tai overplayed and played poorly, but he said "it has to be Michelle" and then I'm not sure why there couldn't have been more open discussion.  

Tai is poor at reading social cues.  Aubrey agreed with him that Michelle is a threat, but Tai should have gone to her in private to discuss this.  Aubrey would likely have agreed, and brought along lapdog Joe.  Then Tai plays his extra vote and blindsides Michelle.  Instead, he was all "it has to be Michelle" and then got upset when others didn't agree.  He foolishly wasted his advantage and now can only rely on his idol.

[Alapaki]

Quote

 

I feel like Cydney made another emotional/petty decision with this vote, but it also happened to be a good play for her so she lucked out there.

I'm guessing Aubry doesn't consider Tai much of a FTC threat. I'm thinking maybe she wants a F3 with Tai and Joe. And she probably thought Cydney would be much more likely to be pissed/hold a grudge if she didn't vote her way then Tai would be so I get her decision.

 

Cydney: "No one's gonna tell me how to play my fucking game!" (as she's telling Aubrey how to play her game)

Up until about 8:40 EST last night I was convinced that Tai was a substantial FTC threat.  I know some here have criticized him for being too passive.  But I based my assessment on statements that multiple players made in confessionals where they have no incentive to lie.

However, after that FTC performance, I'm wondering if everyone there does find him to be just insufferable (and that this is the first we've really seen him acting that way) but that they just assume others like him?

I have to say that, of everyone left, Aubrey has the strongest FTC argument against Tai.  Tai made the big move to oust Scot, but Aubrey was the one who really got that done.  She can argue that Tai wouldn't have made that move without her prompting, and thus diffuse the value that Tai's big move would give him.

Aubrey's biggest risk in keeping Tai around is getting past F4 (and F3 if it's a 2-person FTC) because if Tai wins immunity at either of those ICs then Aubrey is the logical target for elimination.

[needschocolate]

Before the show started, I said that I don't care if this is the most boring episode in the history of the show, as long as Jason is out, I will be happy.  

So, I am happy.  However, I would have been happier if Joe or Aubry had voted for Michelle so that it would be Michelle 3, Jason 3, and Joe 1, then they would re-vote and Jason would go home and he could join the other fools who voted themselves out of the game.   

 

11 hours ago, backformore said:

Best moment for me -  Jason is excited about interacting with animals, because his daughter loves animals.  Yeah, she loves animals, so she'll be super-excited that her DAD gets to play with animals.  That's so much better than doing it herself!   Oh -  and Jason tells us that animals provide his daughter with   important STIMULIZATION.   huh? That's not a word!

I think the only reason why Jason didn't kill Mark may be because his daughter loves animals.

 

1 hour ago, yamashinaryu said:

II thought they could have blindsided Tai knowing that he will be safe next TC. 

I am guessing they didn't consider blindsiding Tai because they assumed that his advantage was an idol that could be used after the vote or that he had a second idol and could turn his idol into a super-idol to be used after the vote. There were comments made about his "second idol or super idol or whatever" at TC.   Aubry and Joe knew about the second vote advantage but they didn't want to get rid of Tai.

[Alapaki]

Quote

Depending on who he is up against in FTC, especially if it is a three person final, he could have the votes.

I would also add that, IMO, Jason could be more persuasive in pulling people to align with him than Michelle would be.  Keeping him around would increase the risk that someone would flip at F5.

However, I think the quoted portion above is a critical point.  IMO, a HUGE part of a contestant's odds at FTC depends upon who they're sitting next to.  For example, in a Jason/Joe FTC, unless a juror is bitter enough to vote for Joe as a "protest vote", Jason's running the table.  Likewise, I think at FTC Jason probably takes at least two votes away from Aubrey which she otherwise might very well get if she's not sitting next to Jason.

Other than Joe, at this point I think it's impossible to rule anyone out as a winner at FTC.

[Charlesman]

I thought both challenges were great. Fun to watch.

Although I have no idea how the tilt table thing worked, because they all had slack in the rope. If you're holding a slack rope and the table starts tilting towards you, what can you do? Push? That doesn't make sense to me.

Still, great to watch. Some new stuff this season making it interesting.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Regarding Cydney ---

I think these little clips might make Cydney look like she has a short temper, but I disagree.  You have to remember she is spending 24 HOURS A DAY with Joe.  How could you not find these people annoying?  I find my coworkers annoying after 5 minutes!  I love the fact that she articulates every feeling she has to Aubry.  They have a real partnership; almost like a marriage.  She's completely upfront and honest.  I know we're not shown much, but they're a fascinating coupling.  Two different people who are working well together.

Agreed very much about the challenges this episode.  It was so cool to see a totally new challenge -- the rolling ball one.  It was not that exciting to watch, to be honest, but it was new.  I appreciated that.  The block one is familiar though right?  (Going back to read all the posts now; sorry if this was answered.)

Edited May 5, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay
I'll quote everyone in the next post

[piequinn35]

I am really enjoying this season, we don't know who gets the boot at tc, 

there's nothing on the spoiler thread other than speculations

or maybe just Caleb's medevac, Neal's medevac was not spoiled, 

and the final 3 was not spoiled either. :)

1 minute ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Regarding Cydney ---

I think these little clips might make Cydney look like she has a short temper, but I disagree.  You have to remember she is spending 24 HOURS A DAY with Joe.  How could you not find these people annoying?  I find my coworkers annoying after 5 minutes!  I love the fact that she articulates every feeling she has to Aubry.  They have a real partnership; almost like a marriage.  She's completely upfront and honest.  I know we're not shown much, but they're a fascinating coupling.  Two different people who are working well together.

Agreed very much about the challenges this episode.  It was so cool to see a totally new challenge -- the rolling ball one.  It was kind of not that exciting to watch, to be honest, but it was new.  I appreciated that.  The block one is somewhat familiar though right?  (Going back to read all the posts now; sorry if this was answered.)

and she spent time with Bounty haha just sitting there sleeping, eating and doing nothing else. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Speaking of which - it annoys me when a contestant whines about "no one playing" - because they are on the outs.  

Agreed. People are playing, they're just not playing the way he wants them to. It's to nobody's advantage but Jason's if they change their gameplay at this point - that doesn't mean they're not playing. Goes to show how self centered people like Jason are. 

And I'm relieved he's gone because despite popular sentiment I think he was a real threat to win if he made the final three. In fact all the screen time he was getting was making me even more nervous about that prospect.  I guess the show just thought he was entertaining. But he could seriously get to the final TC and start boo-holing about his daughter having autism and that right there could get him the votes he needs to win.

[ljenkins782]

11 hours ago, blackwing said:

So happy I don't have to listen to Kyle again.

That's the absolute best part of him going, even better than wiping the smug off his face. I can't stand his accent and the way he clearly thinks he's giving clever soundbites with the dramatic facial expressions and hand gestures. "He's flipping more than a flapjack..." etc. Bleh. It's such a Dan Foley thing to do and anything that calls Dan Foley to mind is a very bad thing. 

This episode's editing definitely kept the outcome in suspense. Between Joe pissing off Cydney and Aubry, Tai seeming to warm back up to Jason, Tai being a dictator about the vote AND a babbling jackass at tribal, I really wasn't sure who was going. Very glad they just stuck with the getting rid of the last of the Scot/Julia/Jason, it was risky to leave him in another round. 

I liked the twist on that RC of having it be a life-size ball maze, but man, that had to be frustrating to actually play. Those things are hard enough as a small puzzle, but trying to work it with 3 people together? Madness. I think that's what would do me in on Survivor challenges like that RC and the IC, I have no patience for stuff like that. 

Next week should be interesting, particularly with the idol factor. Ordinarily, I'd assume Tai is toast but if he has a brain cell in his head, he'll use his idol no matter what (and is it the last week he can use it?) and there's nothing they can do about it. At this point he's looking like a prime goat anyway, half the jury hates him and he's making more enemies every day. Plus, if his TC performances are anything to go by, he'll be an epic disaster at FTC. 

[ghoulina]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

THIS!  And the way he sits, ramrod-straight, all Scowly McGlowerPants, like he's going to intimidate anyone still in the game with his eyes.  Shove over, Scot, and make room for your Bestie on the bench.  LOLOL.

Yes! I'm so glad they're both going to be warming the bunch. I do look forward to rolling my eyes at whatever bitter nonsense they spew at FTC. 

 

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

He referred to his wife and daughters as, I believe, 'crazy bitches,' on either twitter or instagram so I don't know. Of course he was joking, but I still find it quite a bit gross that the father of two young daughters would even jokingly refer to them as bitches on the internet.

Did not know that. I don't really follow people outside of the show, so I'm only going by what I see on the episodes week to week. I do agree that even if meant as a joke it comes off very nasty. I still remember when Terry Dubrow called his 3 yo a "bitch" on RHOC. I never got over that. My kids drive me crazy, but I never refer to them by derogatory names. I also think using "crazy" when he has an autistic daughter is pretty damn far over the line. 

[piequinn35]

IMO, they just couldn't stand Bounty that's why they voted him out, that outweighed the no one will vote for him in ftc OR he was a threat. He was just dislikable and ugly guy :>

[Jersey Guy 87]

21 minutes ago, Charlesman said:

Although I have no idea how the tilt table thing worked, because they all had slack in the rope. If you're holding a slack rope and the table starts tilting towards you, what can you do? Push? That doesn't make sense to me.
 

I think they were all stacking the blocks on the "far side" of the balance point so if the rope starts tilting towards you (because you've pulled too hard on it) you could get it to move back by giving some slack.  Keep in mind that even the the ropes were not taut they were still pulling the table in the direction of the player.

[fishcakes]

I had to laugh at Jason saying the only card he had to play now was the "lazy card." According to Debbie, all he did was lie around in the shelter, so I'm not sure how continuing to lie around in the shelter is going to make everyone suddenly go, "oh, you know who deserves to stay? Jason!"

[alexa]

Who is Kyle (referenced further above about FTC)?  I keep seeing that in these threads and need to finally ask.  

[piequinn35]

Alexa,

Kyle is the first name of Jason  a.k.a. Bounty

[tvfanatic13]

So, if Michele wins immunity next week, and Tai plays his idol, with Cyd and Aubry turn on each other or will they vote out goat Joe?

3 hours ago, Special K said:

This made me laugh so hard.

Aubry knew that Michele was a bigger threat and wanted to vote with Tai, but was worried about pissing off basically her entire alliance/future jury members.  She might have made a mistake but she was in a tough spot.  She’s all:  “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am…”

Cydney IMO is easily the most gorgeous woman ever to play Survivor.  She even has the most gorgeous bitch face ever.

Tai needs to shut up a little.  Disappointed that he has turned into the one wielding his power and dictating the vote.

Jason cannot fail to pat himself on the back, can he?  “Now they know I can preach!”  Dude please.  And I wanted to stifle JP when he said “Grrrreat leadership being shown by Jason.”  Ugh.

Jason’s vote for Joe was total petulance over Joe having the gall to come over while Jason was sulking and talk to him. Oh, and also "not playing [with me]."

Michele – I seriously have nothing to comment on.  Yes, I think it’s a Jersey Shore accent.

Mark and the Grub was totally an Aesop’s Fable for Survivor.  The Grub being Jason.  Also, totally loved them returning from TC at the beginning and Mark just chillin’ in the hammock. 

This!!! I loved that.

[blackwing]

5 minutes ago, alexa said:

Who is Kyle (referenced further above about FTC)?  I keep seeing that in these threads and need to finally ask.  

His name is Kyle Jason but for some reason, he told Jeff he wants to be referred to on the show only by his last name, "Jason".  Many people here call him "Kyle" just to spite him.  For what it's worth, I like the name Kyle better than Jason.  Jason is a name from the 70's, it's uncommon these days to see a baby Jason.

THIS!  And the way he sits, ramrod-straight, all Scowly McGlowerPants, like he's going to intimidate anyone still in the game with his eyes.  Shove over, Scot, and make room for your Bestie on the bench.  LOLOL.

I think it's funny the way he sits very straight.  I imagine that he's used to sitting on the bench throughout his basketball career and I'm assuming at one point one of his coaches drilled into his players that they always need to have good posture when warming the bench.  It's a lifelong habit he has acquired through years of honing and refinement!

[princelina]

12 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I agree with Aubry and Tai that Michelle is a bigger threat to win the game than Jason.  While Jason certainly has Scot's vote, Michelle certainly has Julia's.  Debbie would in no way vote for Jason.  

Debbie said from the beginning that she "wants a woman to win" and I think she will stick with that even if she is not that woman.

4 hours ago, ghoulina said:

As for Jason's softer side, and maybe he's putting on a front, etc. I don't really think so. He seems very genuine when he talks about his daughter. And having a child on the spectrum myself, who adores animals - I can relate. But, that doesn't make me rethink every other thought about him. People are multi-faceted, and it's very possible that he can be compassionate and devoted to his daughter, but a total ass with other people. Personally, I think Jason is kind of insecure. I don't think he was a cool jock in high school OR one of the geeks (who have their own cliques). I think he was probably more of a loner outcast. So when he's around those former jocks (Scot) he instantly gloms onto them and acts like a total jackass. He tries very hard to be this macho guy, but he needs someone else to validate him. But outside of all that, he's also very immature and hot headed in his own right. Glad he's gone. 

I couldn't take my eyes off of Scot at TC last night. He looked so weird. Like a Circuit City employee and had sex with an Amish person, and he was the result. Just so so weird. 

Yes - Mr P works in a prison - he said from the beginning that Jason is just a punk who's all tattooed and crazy looking just to make others think he's a badass, to hide his own insecurity.  And great description of Scot :)

[Ms Blue Jay]

I am LOVING this season.  With the exception of Joe - I think it took me a full 7 minutes of this episode to remember that Joe, indeed, is a castmember on this show - all four would be great winners, to me.  My only (TINY) quibbles is that it really sucked that Caleb got medevac'd and I would have preferred to see Peter and Nick stick around longer than some others.  But to have a potential final four that are all worthy winners is INSANE.

Quote

RedheadZombie:  I thought to myself - when you're sitting at home without the million dollars, keep telling yourself, "well at least no one's telling me what to do". Guess what Cydney, everyone hates being bossed around.  Aubry hated it too, but she managed to work with it rather than voting emotionally, or being a doormat.

Very good point.  I have no rejoinder.  I totally get how Cydney is feeling and acting, but you're right - to me, the million is worth more than that.  That's the game.

Quote

Trick Question:  My Survivor-watching crew (two men, two women) had a long discussion tonight about whether Cydney was the best-looking woman in the show's history.  Two votes were ultimately yes, one vote was for Brenda Lowe, one vote was for Andrea Boehlke (this one wasn't without some bias since my friend's wife looks quite a bit like Andrea Boehlke).

My first love was always and will always be Colleen.  But Brenda and Cydney have to be top 5.  I never cared for Andrea, but I have a soft spot for Kat.  I actually think Michelle is sooooooo beautiful.  But I forget about her easily.  The hottest women have to have a combination of personality and looks.  I know Parvati's divisive, but she's sexy too.  

SnarkKitty – you made a great case for Cydney voting out Jason.  Of course I’d never expect her to vote for Michelle, but I totally see your rationale.

Quote

Special K:  Jason cannot fail to pat himself on the back, can he?  “Now they know I can preach!”  Dude please.  And I wanted to stifle JP when he said “Grrrreat leadership being shown by Jason.”  Ugh.

Goes to my point that if it was Jason doing Cydney's slow and steady strategy, Jeff would be remarking on how manly it was or whatever.

Quote

Deaja:  Tai tries to play Mr. Nice Guy while blindsiding everyone, arrogantly ordering his alliance around, passive aggressively complaining about who is in his alliance, etc.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone go from being portrayed as a nice guy to a jerk so swiftly.  

Other posters have described what I want to say better: he's bad at reading a room; he knows that he has to get Michelle out as a threat but has no idea how to go about doing so.

I agree with the poster who thought that Tai surmised that everyone would be on board with the Michelle plan and is actually confused that they weren't.  Tai was straightforward in saying to Aubry and Joe: let's vote for Michelle (he assumed they were a tight 3 who would vote together.)  I think he was confident his plan would work; hence the two votes.  It was a good plan and it was a smart plan.  He didn't think that Aubry could possibly disagree, because why would she?  He probably thought Michelle could say whatever she wanted, but she was getting voted out tonight anyway.  

I think Cydney is pretty good at hiding her feelings towards Joe and Tai because they are CLUELESS about it.  Also, though, Tai thought he was in tight with Joe and Aubry and didn't need anyone else anyway. His flaw here was obviously underestimating Cydney and Michelle.  But I don't see him as a jerk.  Clumsy and single-minded.  He should not have ran his mouth so much at Tribal but his mouth at Tribal seems to be this unstoppable force.  At the beginning of the show who would have figured that Debbie would be a calm Zen force at Tribal while Tai would be the wild west?

Quote

Tall guy with the big body and little head who thinks he is extremely good looking.

Nick

Edited May 5, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Wandering Snark]

I forgot how heinous and now burned into my brain it was to watch Tai kissing Kyle all over his shoulder after they won the RC. *shudder* Hellooooo 'personal space' please!

[Mreid]

If Michelle or Joe win this season I am gonna be really disappointed. 

[piequinn35]

6 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

I forgot how heinous and now burned into my brain it was to watch Tai kissing Kyle all over his shoulder after they won the RC. *shudder* Hellooooo 'personal space' please!

Bounty kissed Tai too lol

Edited May 5, 2016 by piequinn35

[fishcakes]

58 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Also, though, Tai thought he was in tight with Joe and Aubry and didn't need anyone else anyway. His flaw here was obviously underestimating Cydney and Michelle.  But I don't see him as a jerk.  Clumsy and single-minded.  He should not have ran his mouth so much at Tribal but his mouth at Tribal seems to be this unstoppable force.

Yeah, Tai is TURRIBLE at TC, but otherwise he's a good player. His reasons for wanting Michele out were good ones, and he thought that Aubry and Joe were with him, if for no other reason than because Aubrey straight up told him she agreed that Michele had to go. When he talked to the others about voting for Michele, it doesn't look to me like he got very much pushback; Aubry agreed with him and Joe and Cydney talked to each other about it, but didn't say much at all, if anything, to him. If they had all just told him they were voting for Jason and that was that, I have no doubt he would have voted for Jason and not played his second vote for nothing. But I've gotten to used to the fact that for whatever reason, Tai is going to be criticized no matter what he does. If he goes along with someone else's plan, then he's called a follower who can't think for himself. If he expresses an opinion, then he's called a dictator and a bully.

Edited May 5, 2016 by fishcakes

[backformore]

1 hour ago, alexa said:

Who is Kyle (referenced further above about FTC)?  I keep seeing that in these threads and need to finally ask.  

Yeah, Jason=Kyle=Bounty=Cupcake.   It took me a while to figure all of it out.
The forum is a lot harder to follow when everyone refers to players by different names.

[Special K]

13 minutes ago, piequinn35 said:

Bounty kissed Tai too lol

They are very kissy this group. 

[blackwing]

18 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Yeah, Tai is TURRIBLE at TC, but otherwise he's a good player. His reasons for wanting Michele out were good ones, and he thought that Aubry and Joe were with him, if for no other reason than because Aubrey straight up told him she agreed that Michele had to go. When he talked to the others about voting for Michele, it doesn't look to me like he got very much pushback; Aubry agreed with him and Joe and Cydney talked to each other about it, but didn't say much at all, if anything, to him. If they had all just told him they were voting for Jason and that was that, I have no doubt he would have voted for Jason and not played his second vote for nothing. But I've gotten to used to the fact that for whatever reason, Tai is going to be criticized no matter what he does. If he goes along with someone else's plan, then he's called a follower who can't think for himself. If he expresses an opinion, then he's called a dictator and a bully.

I thought he got pushback when they were in the water, the others didn't seem like they wanted to do it and then they were interrupted by Michelle.  As far as criticism of him, I don't think it's as black and white as you state... I do think he was a pushover and a follower when he was blindly following Kyle and Scott, and I do think he was being a bit of a dictator last night in pushing to vote out Michelle.  But certainly there could have been some middle ground.  

I think he had good strategy and a good thought to try and oust Michelle, but his execution was terrible.  And he doesn't think before he speaks at Tribal.  He just says whatever he thinks without filtering it first.  To try amd get Michelle out, I think his approach was all wrong... the way he sat in the water and just said "it has to be Michelle" was not the way to do it.  There are ways to advance your agenda and push for who you want out without looking like you are making a decree.  He got cocky because of his idol and his extra vote and he seems to think that makes him in control.

[Wings]

It was smart to boot Jason.  He is an II threat and if in F3 he has a compelling story of getting there against all odds; he had no allies.

We are not seeing enough footage to see why Michele is such a threat.  IIs I suppose, she is a master at puzzles but is that it?  There is more and I don't see it.  

I love that Mark comes when she is called and sleeps in the shelter with them.  She just hangs out waiting for her family to return from challenges, in the hammock, no less!   Precious.  I would love to see her at the reunion.  That cannot happen but a fun thought.  Maybe they can do a follow up as to where she went after they wrapped.  It is likely that she was eaten shortly after but you never know. 

Edited May 5, 2016 by wings707

[laurakaye]

41 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

I forgot how heinous and now burned into my brain it was to watch Tai kissing Kyle all over his shoulder after they won the RC. *shudder* Hellooooo 'personal space' please!

Yeah, that was kind of icky...a kiss on the cheek, the neck, the shoulder...I was both disgusted and awestruck, wondering what Tai was going to kiss next.

[alexa]

1 hour ago, piequinn35 said:

Alexa,

Kyle is the first name of Jason  a.k.a. Bounty

Thanks, I had no idea.  Too funny.

[meep.meep]

13 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I think he had good strategy and a good thought to try and oust Michelle, but his execution was terrible.  And he doesn't think before he speaks at Tribal.  He just says whatever he thinks without filtering it first.  To try amd get Michelle out, I think his approach was all wrong... the way he sat in the water and just said "it has to be Michelle" was not the way to do it.  There are ways to advance your agenda and push for who you want out without looking like you are making a decree.  He got cocky because of his idol and his extra vote and he seems to think that makes him in control.

He only tried one thing.  If you really want to get someone else out, you need a whole list of strategies.  If he had really recruited Jason, and indicated that he was going to use his extra vote on Michelle, then they only needed one more vote.  That's when you make the case to the other three, separately, that Michelle is popular with the jury, has won immunity, that they can get out Jason another time, etc. etc.  Which Tai apparently didn't try.  And you don't say "It has to be Michelle,"  you say "Who do you think it should be; I was thinking Michelle because the jury likes her."

I'm just glad that they actually got rid of Jason and that Tai burned at least one of his specialty items.

[needschocolate]

I think the only treason why Jason's team won the RC is because Jason was on the team and it helped that he was on it with Tai. Jason was the biggest player out there - the ball would roll toward Jasonno matter where the others stood.  Tai doesn't weigh enough to impact which way the ball moved, and Michelle probably only weighs enough to determine ho fast the ball moves toward Jason, but the ball would always move toward Jason as long and Tai and Michelle didn't stand very close together.  The other team had three people that were closer in weight, so they needed to work together to move the ball the way the wanted (and they also needed Joe to not be one their team)

I am hoping Aubry had some discussions with Tai and Cydney (separately) rating the pros and cons of getting rid of Michelle or Jason, and that her vote was based on more than "do I let this person tell me what to do or do I let this person tell me what to do?"

1 hour ago, Charlesman said:

Although I have no idea how the tilt table thing worked, because they all had slack in the rope. If you're holding a slack rope and the table starts tilting towards you, what can you do? Push? That doesn't make sense to me.

 

1 hour ago, Jersey Guy 87 said:

I think they were all stacking the blocks on the "far side" of the balance point so if the rope starts tilting towards you (because you've pulled too hard on it) you could get it to move back by giving some slack.  Keep in mind that even the the ropes were not taut they were still pulling the table in the direction of the player.

My take on the block/balancing/spelling bee challenge is that the ones who designed the game thought that people would put the blocks toward the far side and use the rope (keeping it taut for the most part) to keep it balanced.  However, it looked like most of the players tried to get the blocks balanced on the table without using the rope instead, which is closer to what is done on most of the balance-these-on-top-of-this-wobbly-thing type challenges

 

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

His name is Kyle Jason but for some reason, he told Jeff he wants to be referred to on the show only by his last name, "Jason".  Many people here call him "Kyle" just to spite him.  For what it's worth, I like the name Kyle better than Jason.  Jason is a name from the 70's, it's uncommon these days to see a baby Jason.

Your comment got me curious (I am generally too curious for my own good - if I were a cat, I woudl be dead)... One of my jobs is as a substitute elementary school teacher and, in the ten years I have been subbing, I have known a few Jasons, but no Kyles.  I figured that my experience is unusual, as there are a lot of kids with "older" names in the classes I sub in.  I checked the Social Security website's baby name popularity page and was very surprised to see that Jason was the 75th most popular name for babies born in 2014, and Kyle was 178th (5,510 Kyles born in 2014 vs 2,370 Jasons).  Kyle was in the top 30 names from 1085-1999, Jason was in the top 30 from 1969-1988, and was in the top 10 for most the 70's

Although I have called him Kyle, Cupcake, and maybe even, Bounty, I generally call him Jason, because of the Friday the 13th movies. 

[riverheightsnancy]

2 hours ago, piequinn35 said:

Alexa,

Kyle is the first name of Jason  a.k.a. Bounty

Also Cupcake, and, bully, jerkhead, badtat, it just keeps going. ;)

[Calamity Jane]

4 hours ago, needschocolate said:

I think the only treason why Jason's team won the RC is because Jason was on the team and it helped that he was on it with Tai. Jason was the biggest player out there - the ball would roll toward Jasonno matter where the others stood.  Tai doesn't weigh enough to impact which way the ball moved, and Michelle probably only weighs enough to determine ho fast the ball moves toward Jason, but the ball would always move toward Jason as long and Tai and Michelle didn't stand very close together.  The other team had three people that were closer in weight, so they needed to work together to move the ball the way the wanted (and they also needed Joe to not be one their team)

I am hoping Aubry had some discussions with Tai and Cydney (separately) rating the pros and cons of getting rid of Michelle or Jason, and that her vote was based on more than "do I let this person tell me what to do or do I let this person tell me what to do?"

 

My take on the block/balancing/spelling bee challenge is that the ones who designed the game thought that people would put the blocks toward the far side and use the rope (keeping it taut for the most part) to keep it balanced.  However, it looked like most of the players tried to get the blocks balanced on the table without using the rope instead, which is closer to what is done on most of the balance-these-on-top-of-this-wobbly-thing type challenges

 

Your comment got me curious (I am generally too curious for my own good - if I were a cat, I woudl be dead)... One of my jobs is as a substitute elementary school teacher and, in the ten years I have been subbing, I have known a few Jasons, but no Kyles.  I figured that my experience is unusual, as there are a lot of kids with "older" names in the classes I sub in.  I checked the Social Security website's baby name popularity page and was very surprised to see that Jason was the 75th most popular name for babies born in 2014, and Kyle was 178th (5,510 Kyles born in 2014 vs 2,370 Jasons).  Kyle was in the top 30 names from 1085-1999, Jason was in the top 30 from 1969-1988, and was in the top 10 for most the 70's

Although I have called him Kyle, Cupcake, and maybe even, Bounty, I generally call him Jason, because of the Friday the 13th movies. 

In 26 years of teaching, I had a few Kyles and a few Jasons, but last year I had two KYLERs.  It made me chuckle because when my son was a teenager, he watched Beavis and Butthead, and there was one episode where they read the word "killer" as "kiler" and couldn't figure out what it meant.  Saying Kyler just gave me a little giggle every time.  

Edited May 5, 2016 by Calamity Jane
Fixing name

[KimberStormer]

6 hours ago, SnarkKitty said:

It's pretty clear to me that she was voting to keep HER best interests around. Aubrey very clearly has Joe and now Tai. If Cydney votes out Michelle, who she has some sway with, she really does give up all recourse. Plus Jason was doing much better at challenges than Michelle, so getting him out accomplished another benefit. Now Cydney has given herself some options - get Michelle and Tai to vote with her, since she and Michelle have more loyalty to one another than they do Aubrey; or stick with Aubrey and Joe.

Cydney had the best game tonight, followed by Michelle. Got immunity, gave Michelle the heads up about her vote so she could fight and gained loyalty points with her, and got rid of a threat for winning not just challenges but the final. That she looks glowingly amazing at this point is just wrong, though.

This is very true.  Keeping Michele makes sense for Cydney.  Just like voting out Michele made sense for Tai.  Both of them executed weirdly though--I would have thought "you can't tell me what to do!" would have been a losing strategy to persuade your alliance.  BUT now that I've thought of it, she can't exactly say to Aubry "Well I want to keep Michele because that helps me beat you" so perhaps using her (genuine, I suppose) annoyance as a decoy reason was a great idea.  And it worked, after all!   (I still think voting out Tai would have been better for her though--why vote out Cupcake, who is not tight with Aubry, and keep Tai, who is?) 

(You don't mean to say that she doesn't look glowingly amazing, do you?)

[Adeejay]

13 hours ago, InfiniteMystery said:

Also, it seems to me every week Cydney is ticked off by anyone who supposedly bosses her around, yet she bosses everyone around, goes off and gets her way. It is her way or the highway as much as it was pinned on Tai.

I find Cydney to be bossy, bad tempered and hard headed. She has a problem taking orders, but doesn't seem to have a problem giving them.  If she makes it to the final, I can't see her winning. 

Edited May 5, 2016 by Adeejay

[spiderpig]

3 minutes ago, Adeejay said:

I find Cydney to be bossy, bad tempered and hard headed. She has a problem taking orders, but doesn't seem to have a problem giving them.  If she makes it to the final, I can't see her winning. 

My feeling too.  She comes across as mean-spirited.