Survivor Lexicon

[AZChristian]

59 minutes ago, Artymouse said:

I’m still a newbie, so here’s my question: players talk a lot about “sitting next to” someone at final tribal council. What is the significance of that? And are they speaking literally about sitting next to a specific person?

It's just an "insider" way of saying they want to be still active in the game at final tribal council (whether there are two or three finalists).  

[SVNBob]

1 hour ago, Artymouse said:

And are they speaking literally about sitting next to a specific person?

To a certain degree, yes, it is literal. 

It was absolutely literal when Survivor started, because there were only 2 finalists.  So they would literally be sitting next to each other at FTC while getting questioned by the jury.

With 3 people at FTC, they all sit in a single file line.  Technically, the only one sitting next to both the others in that configuration is the one in the center.  But, since they're all there in the finals, they're all "sitting next to each other" regardless of the actual seating arrangement.

[Nashville]

3 hours ago, Artymouse said:

I’m still a newbie, so here’s my question: players talk a lot about “sitting next to” someone at final tribal council. What is the significance of that? And are they speaking literally about sitting next to a specific person?

1 hour ago, SVNBob said:

To a certain degree, yes, it is literal. 

It was absolutely literal when Survivor started, because there were only 2 finalists.  So they would literally be sitting next to each other at FTC while getting questioned by the jury.

With 3 people at FTC, they all sit in a single file line.  Technically, the only one sitting next to both the others in that configuration is the one in the center.  But, since they're all there in the finals, they're all "sitting next to each other" regardless of the actual seating arrangement.

Correct.  

In short, there are two seating options at FTC: with the rest of the Jury, or with the rest of the finalists - and most savvy players are shooting for the latter. 😉 

[Babalu]

It’s really part of the contestants’ strategy. When someone says that s/he has to consider who s/he wants to be sitting next to at the final tribal council, s/he means that not only does s/he want to be one of the finalists, she wants to do whatever s/he can to ensure the other two are people s/he has a pretty good chance of winning against. So, at this stage, the remaining players probably wouldn’t want to be sitting next to Devens because most of the jury seems impressed with him and would want to sit next to Julie because she’s seen as ineffective.

[SVNBob]

We're  just over a month away from S39, so let's go ahead and add its' initialization to the list.  In fact, since this is on page 2, how about a collected list of season initializations including S39? 

• AO - Australian Outback (S2). [note: as opposed to AUS, which usually indicates a season of the Australian-produced version of Survivor.]
• PI - Pearl Islands (S7).
• AS - All-Stars (S8). [note: also known as ASS, for All-Star Survivor, and as a meta-commentary about how the season was received for a while.]
• CI - Cook Islands (S13).
• FvF - Fans Versus Favorites (aka Micronesia) (S16).
• HvV- Heroes Versus Villains (S20).
• RI - Redemption Island (S22).  [note: also used for the concept of Redemption Island in other seasons.]
• SP - South Pacific (S23).
• OW - One World (S24).
• BvW1 - Blood vs Water (S27). [note: the season of returnees and their family members.]
• SJDS - San Juan del Sur (S29). [note: see next entry.]
• BvW2 - Blood vs Water 2, aka San Juan del Sur (S29).  [note: all new players, but in familial pairs.]
• WA - Worlds Apart (S30).
• SC - Second Chance (aka Cambodia) (S31).
• KR - Kaoh Rong (S32).
• MvGX - Millenials Versus Generation X (S33).
• GC - Game Changers (S34).
• HvHvH - Heroes Versus Healers Versus Hustlers (S35).
• GI - Ghost Island (S36).
• DvG - David Versus Goliath (S37).
• EoE - Edge of Extinction (S38).
• IotI or IoI - Island of the Idols (S39).

Any seasons not on this list are typically known either by the full name of their location without any abbreviation or initialization (ex: Borneo, Africa, etc.), or just by the season number.

Edited August 24, 2019 by SVNBob

[Hanahope]

Question from seeing another post.  What is considered "new school" v. "old school"?  Is it when the Hidden Immunity Idol was introduced, i.e. anyone after Guatamala S9 is considered "new school"?  That would be a lot of people considered "new school."

How does that effect certain people who played early and late, i.e. Boston Rob?

Or is "new school" even new?  like S20 and later?

[fishcakes]

8 hours ago, Hanahope said:

What is considered "new school" v. "old school"? 

It's hard to draw a bright line because they started introducing twists as early as season 3 with the first tribe shuffle, so the only two really "pure" seasons were Borneo and Outback. But I'd say "old school" had more of an emphasis on the social aspect of the game (and Jeff talked about it a lot more at TC in those early seasons), whereas "new school" prioritizes HII play and maneuvering around various twists. I'd put the beginning of new school a little later than Guatemala though because those first few seasons after the HII was introduced, they limited its use enough that it wasn't the huge factor it later became. I might put new school at around the Samoa season, with Russell's idol play making the players that followed him (and, to some extent, the producers) think finding idols was the end-all be-all of the game rather than the social aspect.  Certainly by the time of Nicaragua and the introduction of dumb twists like the Medallion of Power and players just openly being assholes, I'd say old school was dead.

But I think we're past new school now and into ... I don't even know. Postmodern Survivor, maybe. Firemaking at F4, HII nullifiers, Edge of Extinction and players who never leave. Not only is the social aspect almost completely devalued, but strategy is less important as well. They're both still factors, but having good luck has moved from being a more or less important aspect of a winning game to an absolute necessity. EoE's Chris, who only played the main game for a few days, is about as random a winner as we could ever have.

Edited August 29, 2019 by fishcakes

[SVNBob]

Less than a week to go for the new season, so it's probably time to add its initialism to the list.

WaW: Winners at War (S40)

[cherrypj]

Nothing new here, still maybe worth a read.

[SVNBob]

10 minutes ago, cherrypj said:

Nothing new here, still maybe worth a read.

Not really.  It doesn't include "Plan Voodoo" and they misspelled "fixin's".  Waste of bandwidth; 0/10.

 

/sarcasm

[SVNBob]

I'm working on an updated and revised version of the the Lexicon.  But a new entry posted in another thread made me realize that there is a term that should be added before the new version is ready.  Even though we pretty much all know what it is.

 

Ponderosa: the nickname (derived from the name of the Cartwright's ranch from the NBC show Bonanza) for the resort where cast members go after getting voted off (assuming there's not an RI or EoE for them to stop on first).  Pre-jury members go first, but are all "evacuated" en masse just before the first juror is voted out.  Footage from Ponderosa is often shown as an online extra.

[Nashville]

@SVNBob - purely in the way of a suggestion/simplification:

Ponderosa: the nickname (derived from the name of the Cartwright's ranch from the NBC show Bonanza) for the resort where cast members go following irrevocable eviction from the game.  Serves as the temporary holding area for pre-jury evictees, who are relocated en masse prior to arrival of the first juror.  Footage from Ponderosa is often shown as an online extra.

[SVNBob]

On 6/22/2021 at 3:08 PM, Nashville said:

@SVNBob - purely in the way of a suggestion/simplification:

That is much better.  When I post the new Lexicon thread, that'll be the entry for Ponderosa.

[SVNBob]

I have been working on the promised updated Lexicon.  Mostly it's been editing entries to be more clear and concise, making sure people are getting their bylines for their entries, and organizing the entries into categories for easy posting and reference.  But there are a few entries that I could use a little help with.

First off, one that there was a bit of discussion about when first posted, but never fully resolved...starting around here:

On 5/30/2017 at 8:20 AM, cherrypj said:

Since @Nashville and @KimberStormer agree to disagree, why not make "Big Move" into "Big Fucking Move," or BFM?

Too close/redundant with BMF? (Which is the new "resume builder.")

Currently, only BMF is in the list of initialisms and acronyms.  The definition for that contains the phrase "Big Move", so another initialism or acronym might be redundant.  I'm not sure though. 

 

Then there's these two potential terms and definitions.

On 9/18/2016 at 6:01 PM, ratgirlagogo said:

The Edgardo blindside is so perfect I almost feel like it ought to be its own category term,  like Pagong, especially since the term blindside has become so diluted.  "We Edgardo'ed that guy!"

I don't think this one is that necessary, but I can be convinced otherwise.

 

On 9/19/2016 at 1:28 PM, NutMeg said:

I cannot help but think that "having Stephened oneself out of the game" has a very clear meaning and should somehow figure in the lexicon. Despite the term not being likely to be used much. Because you have to 1) get the ability to steal one vote, 2) blinders that only let you see one target, 3) an, hmm, let's say interesting, strategy that makes it seem like it's the best idea ever to use the vote you "stole" differently than yours, 4) an inability to read the room before the vote (i.e. just 5 min ago, you were saved from elimination by someone playing his idol for you). So 4 very specific things needed to make it possible to use your advantage to get yourself voted off.

This one is also an extreme edge case that may not need to be included.  But maybe with some refining....

[ProfCrash]

I would think that some terms should only be included if the players are using them. Players used the term Pagonged and everyone knew what it meant, back in the day. I have never heard players talk about Edgardo or Stephanie’s play. I have watched every season of this show and I don’t remember what those are. They were big in their seasons but did not have a lasting impact on more casual viewers, if you include me as a casual viewer, and many Survivor players. 

Not like the big dude voted out with two idols during China or the dude who gave up his immunity to be voted out. Or the fucking stick. 

I mean, there are somethings that are pure Survivor stupidity that go down in the history books and others that are wow moments in a season but less so as time wears on. Tyson essentially voted himself out in Heros vs Villains when he bought Russell’s line of BS and voted out Boston Rob, that stands out to me more then Stephanie or Edgardo.  

[Nashville]

16 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Currently, only BMF is in the list of initialisms and acronyms.  The definition for that contains the phrase "Big Move", so another initialism or acronym might be redundant.  I'm not sure though. 

Well… similarities aside, they’re not exactly the same thing:  😉

• Big Fucking Move (BFM): a game play calculated (not always successfully) to effect a significant strategic shift in the course of the season’s progression.
• Big Move Fever (BMF): the sometimes-irresistible impetus felt by a player (or players) to make a BFM.

 

17 hours ago, SVNBob said:

I don't think this one is that necessary, but I can be convinced otherwise.

I’d be inclined to agree.

[SVNBob]

6 hours ago, Nashville said:

• Big Fucking Move (BFM): a game play calculated (not always successfully) to effect a significant strategic shift in the course of the season’s progression.
• Big Move Fever (BMF): the sometimes-irresistible impetus felt by a player (or players) to make a BFM.

Now these I can work with, and also take the third option for the debate.  (Which I honestly should have thought of earlier.)

• BAM: Big Ass Move.  See BFM.

[SVNBob]

New Lexicon was posted before the premiere.  And just now a new entry was added.  SITD for the new Shot in the Dark.

[Nashville]

Stunned Look Of Shocked Surprise (SLOSS): the exaggerated gape-jawed expression adopted by a camera-time-hungry contestant when reacting as if a 100% foreseeable game-guaranteed occurrence (ex. someone being voted out at Tribal Council) is the biggest blindside twist in the history of reality television.

[Nashville]

Fidol: a fake Idol or Advantage, constructed by a player (or Production) for the purpose of misleading/misdirecting another player or players.

[SVNBob]

Now that it's a multi-seasonal thing:

OF: On Fire; The Official Survivor Podcast.  Hosted in part by Jeff Probst, with episodes initially releasing as soon as the related Survivor TV show episode finishes its' East Coast airing.