S33: Adam Klein

[Michel]

Hi.  My grandmother survived Auschwitz and my mother survived cancer, so I feel like I have being a survivor in my blood.

He looks a bit like Todd from China and likens himself to Spencer from Cagayan.  Could do well if he has the right strategy.

[LanceM]

Pre-game interview with Gordon Holmes:

http://my.xfinity.com/blogs/tv/2016/08/19/survivor-millennial-adam/

[LadyChatts]

My pet peeves: people who have to openly gloat about how smart they are.  Usually means they aren't very people smart, which you need to be in this game, which=crash and burn.

I do sympathize with his mom's battle with lung cancer (lost my dad to that 9 years ago), but it isn't the best comparison to winning this show and calling yourself a Survivor, to surviving Auschwitz and cancer.  His video, bio, and that one interview annoy me.  

Edited August 29, 2016 by LadyChatts

[LadyChatts]

I didn't expect to like Adam, but this season is turning into against my pre-show faves, and rooting for the people I originally wanted gone first (give or take a couple).  I loved seeing him try and turn the tribe against Jessica/Taylor again.  He's absolutely right that they need to be targeted, and hopefully the others wake up and don't just settle.  Jessica/Taylor/Jay/Michelle probably won't break from each other.  At the very least, the trio likely won't ever vote against each other.  Michelle may abandon it if it becomes a sinking ship.  I was quite impressed with him tonight.

[LanceM]

11 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I didn't expect to like Adam, but this season is turning into against my pre-show faves, and rooting for the people I originally wanted gone first (give or take a couple).  I loved seeing him try and turn the tribe against Jessica/Taylor again.  He's absolutely right that they need to be targeted, and hopefully the others wake up and don't just settle.  Jessica/Taylor/Jay/Michelle probably won't break from each other.  At the very least, the trio likely won't ever vote against each other.  Michelle may abandon it if it becomes a sinking ship.  I was quite impressed with him tonight.

According to one of Michelle's secret scenes this week she wants to work with Adam and she does not trust Figgy.  Whether or not she ends up flipping will be interesting to say the least.

Edited October 6, 2016 by LanceM

[laurakaye]

Any thoughts as to why Adam is trying so hard to be besties with Taylor?  I posted this in the episode thread also.  When I see Adam so earnestly apologizing to Tayls, giving up secrets, etc...I don't understand the point of what Adam is trying to do.  In all other aspects of the game, Adam seems to be a fairly smart super-fan.  So it makes his near-desperation to be liked by Taylor all the more confusing.  

I kind of have a handle on everyone's gameplay except for Adam.  I want to like him but he's not making it easy. 

[simplyme]

I read him as someone who wants to be strategic, but Adam values relationships too much. So he puts himself in a weird position where he votes out Figgy because as the swing vote, he is essentially going to have to make a decision between two sets of relationships and that decision is undoubtedly better for his game. But he feels bad about it and he still wants Tayls to forgive him and like him. So he tries to own what he did (with that really awkward, "I screwed you. I did that." scene) but win Taylor over after that. It's tough for me to watch. He wants Taylor to be okay with him so much that he's doing stupid things to bond. "Hey, I'll keep your food secret, but you can eat it all. Hey, I think Will stole your place. Let's get rid of him and get Jay back for you. Hey, I have this advantage, and I'm going to tell you about it to show you I trust you. You told and I'm in trouble, but I still trust you, so I'm asking you what I should do now." My guess (and only explanation other than he found some mind-altering berries) is that he's prioritizing his guilt and need to fix that relationship over strategic gameplay, probably without realizing it.

If Adam were being strategic, he'd realize Taylor didn't value him to begin with and Adam made a choice to sever ties and go with Ken and Jess. Trying to backtrack on that won't make Taylor value him. Tayls never did. Voting out Michelle is certainly not going to help. So Adam better have an epiphany soon that there IS no salvaging that relationship, because if it hasn'screwed him yet it may soon.

[KimberStormer]

Fuck this guy.  At least I got to see him flailing like an idiot before I quit the season.  "Vote out the leader's #2 so you can take that spot and lose at FTC" was a dumb-ass plan from Spencer in Cambodia but it's far less dumb than suggesting it for someone else!  I agree with @simplyme, he's so chickenshit he's afraid of the move he already made.

Edited November 12, 2016 by KimberStormer

[waving feather]

9 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

Fuck this guy.  At least I got to see him flailing like an idiot before I quit the season.  "Vote out the leader's #2 so you can take that spot and lose at FTC" was a dumb-ass plan from Spencer in Cambodia but it's far less dumb than suggesting it for someone else!  I agree with @simplyme, he's so chickenshit he's afraid of the move he already made.

What also kills me is he was the one who started the ball rolling about taking out one of the "cool kids" and then when his plan got blown, he panicked about it and went to the other side immediately instead of observing the situation for a while.

This game requires two-faceness but he does it in the most ridiculous and obvious way possible. And he needs to stop giving confessionals in a game show voice.

Fans of Survivor playing this game can go two ways. Adam is the type who over thinks, over strategizes and over embellish every single experience. Nice kid but not good at this game.

[huahaha]

On 11/10/2016 at 0:20 PM, laurakaye said:

Any thoughts as to why Adam is trying so hard to be besties with Taylor?

He wants to be taken to the final 4 as the goat?

[loki567]

His voice is probably the worst I ever remember on Survivor but I'm still rooting for the big mess. I was actually impressed that he (reasonably) held it together during TC when multiple people were coming after him and he managed to flip back around on Jay. He has no shot to win the game but I'm down for a feisty goat storyline. 

[LadyChatts]

I wonder if he knows he has no shot.  Granted, he did say that he'd rather be on the bottom of the GenX alliance than have been voted out the past TC.  Maybe he figures now he's perfect goat fodder since Jay and Taylor at least won't vote for him, and there's probably some others that will end up not liking the goat strategy.  

I didn't think I'd like Adam going in, but then I did as the season got going.  Now I don't again.  He's such a loose cannon, and he really isn't good at this game.  I have a feeling the fact that he jumps from one group to the other and runs his mouth is going to end up doing him in.  I agree with those in the ep thread that said the best thing he can do with that advantage is burn it in front of everyone.

[waving feather]

Just when I thought Adam can't get worse at his social game, he exceed my expectation again. This episode he was throwing it in Jay's face that he's at the bottom. Everyone knows that for a fact but no one wants to hear it like that, dude. Have some tact. Contrast with Hannah, who talked nicely to Jay, even though both basically voted against his alliance.

Even if he didn't mean it badly, it shows he has no idea how to read social cues and no idea how to talk to people. 

Edited November 17, 2016 by waving feather

[laurakaye]

Adam reminds me of Spencer, another student of the game who felt the need to frequently make his points in a tone that could be construed as condescending.  I think both Adam and Spencer felt this strong need to be recognized for their gameplay and overall knowledge of all things Survivor, and both came off as a little bit too in-your-face at times.  I can't hate on Adam too much (even though he drives me crazy) because I think he's just playing so hard all day long, and he doesn't quite know how to reign it in, sit back and observe, and gain information that way.

That said, I wish so much that when Tayls threw out the whole, "Adam could snatch your loved ones right out of your arms!", Adam would've had the presence of mind to reply, "but I would never use the advantage in that way!"  I'm not sure about him tossing it in the fire, though...he found the advantage, I think he should be able to play it.  He's just going to have to be really careful about who he plays it against.

Edited November 17, 2016 by laurakaye

[fishcakes]

15 hours ago, loki567 said:

His voice is probably the worst I ever remember on Survivor

He can get squealy when agitated, but his voice doesn't really bother me except maybe for the volume, which seems stuck at 9. Sunday's voice, on the other hand, goes through my head like a knife.

Edited November 17, 2016 by fishcakes

[Lamima]

11 hours ago, waving feather said:

Just when I thought Adam can't get worse at his social game, he exceed my expectation again. This episode he was throwing it in Jay's face that he's at the bottom. Everyone knows that for a fact but no one wants to hear it like that, dude. Have some tact. Contrast with Hannah, who talked nicely to Jay, even though both basically voted against his alliance.

Even if he didn't mean it badly, it shows he has no idea how to read social cues and no idea how to talk to people. 

I found Adam and Hannah to say almost exact things to Jay. But Jay has no use for Adam so he got all bent. I don't see where Adam was rubbing anything in.

[LadyChatts]

http://people.com/tv/survivor-adam-klein-mother-died-two-days-after-show-ended/

Here's an article about the death of Adam's mother.  He talks about his decision to go out there, given the circumstances, and his charity work in memory of his mom.

But this:

Quote

Two days after the final Tribal Council for Survivor Millennials vs. Gen X, Klein got word that his mother, his “superfan” had passed.

It sounds like he didn't get home in time.

[peachmangosteen]

I think this ep moved Adam back up to #3, maybe even #2, on my list of who I think wins. He played everything perfectly.

[ljenkins782]

On November 30, 2016 at 11:19 PM, LadyChatts said:

http://people.com/tv/survivor-adam-klein-mother-died-two-days-after-show-ended/

Here's an article about the death of Adam's mother.  He talks about his decision to go out there, given the circumstances, and his charity work in memory of his mom.

But this:

It sounds like he didn't get home in time.

Oh man, that is awful. 

Quote

I think this ep moved Adam back up to #3, maybe even #2, on my list of who I think wins. He played everything perfectly.

Yeah, I was impressed by his use of the reward advantage and use of the idol, even if it turned out he didn't need to. I wouldn't have trusted Will with that vote either. 

The main sticking point I have with him winning is that I can't see him putting up a great FTC performance. There was some talk about Zeke's excellent speaking skills in his thread (which of course is moot since he's gone) and it got me thinking that there were several very good speakers among this group and 2 of them (David and Jay) are still in the running. David's got a gift for narrative and spinning himself and his story that's gotten him a lot of airtime and Jay is a very expressive, engaging speaker in a different way. 

Adam's "show voice" is, as noted above, some sort of weird, loud game show voice and he always sounds somehow...defensive when describing his game. Up against better speakers, I can see him turning into an Amanda Kimmel-esque performance OR trying to own his game and his role in voting everyone out and ending up alienating people instead (like his conversation with Jay when Jay was on the bottom or his conversation with Taylor after voting Figgy out). 

[violet and green]

On 12/1/2016 at 3:19 PM, LadyChatts said:

It sounds like he didn't get home in time.

Poor kid. What a thing to live with.

[thehepburn]

My gut feeling is that the wording that implied that Adam didnt get home in time was a misdirect. He might have gotten home with minutes or hours to spare but judging by the Cambodia cast arriving back which is a longer trip than from Fiji, he was able to say goodbye. Still very sad tho.

[riley702]

Yeah, it said she died 2 days after filming wrapped. How quickly could he get back home if they had transport waiting?

[LadyChatts]

I hope it is just the wording, but so much can happen with travel as it is.  I do hope we find out he was able to make it home after all.

[hincandenza]

21 hours ago, riley702 said:

Yeah, it said she died 2 days after filming wrapped. How quickly could he get back home if they had transport waiting?

Pondering this is getting kind of morbid, but barring weather I'm sure Adam could have been in San Francisco (assuming his mother lives there as well) within 24 hours from the end of tribal council.  Looking at Expedia, there are multiple flights a day leaving Fiji that would land in LAX between 10-15 hours later (and plenty of flights/options to get him from LA to SF in <3 hours).  However, the personal stories people have shared here about how quickly someone can pass in stage 4, it's possible no one knew she was about to pass, or that the "two days" was FTC finishing at 10pm on a Monday and Adam's mom passed Wednesday morning at 1am.  

I have my issues with Mark Burnett the producer, but I'm sure he's a decent enough human being to pull plenty of strings if Adam's mom was still conscious and there was a chance to get Adam home in time.  I guess we'll find out in a week for sure.

Edited December 10, 2016 by hincandenza

[thehepburn]

The timing of her passing seem too much of a coincidence. She probably just hanged on until Adam was able to make her side. From my experience with my father's cancer, the day he passed away was the one day all week my workaholic brother decided to not go to work and visit him. And the one day all week his BFF visited him. We all had a chance to say farewell that day so he was able to let go.

[riley702]

When my Dad was dying in Florida, my older brother and I were able to catch a flight down immediately. He had been mostly unresponsive, but when I told him I was there, he waggled his eyebrows. I told him my brother and I were there, and we would take care of Mom, so if he wanted to go, it was OK. He died an hour later. His sister thanked me, saying she'd wanted to tell him something similar, but felt it wasn't her place.

[Hanahope]

Well, the article says "Two days after the final Tribal Council for Survivor Millennials vs. Gen X, Klein got word that his mother, his “superfan” had passed."  This sounds like he was informed she had died, so he wasn't there when it happened.  You have to think how bad that was for him.  That one more day he could have been there.

I'm sure we'll hear for sure, one way or the other, come Wednesday.

[thehepburn]

Her SFGate obit said that she died with her family by her side. No qualifiers like 'all but Adam'. Yeah, we'll see.

[violet and green]

I want him voted out next, and I want him on the next damn flight. This is doing my head in. I watch Survivor to forget about things like cancer and bad life choices, I watch it for joy and surprise, not to see some kid wailing and maybe making a huge mistake in his decisions a little more important than advancing in the game or not.

[Guest]

If it makes anyone feel better, not everyone attaches importance to an in-person (or even phone) goodbye.  For some of us, we're even relieved if life circumstances keep our loved ones from suffering alongside us, or us from suffering with them.  I wasn't with my father in his last months and it was a relief.  There are cultures where, and even in the animal world usually, the preference and instinct is to go off and be alone at the end.  

I figure Adam and his mother knew full well what they were risking and would do it again.  I do feel bad for him, though.  He's young.  

[fishcakes]

38 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

If it makes anyone feel better, not everyone attaches importance to an in-person (or even phone) goodbye.  For some of us, we're even relieved if life circumstances keep our loved ones from suffering alongside us, or us from suffering with them.  I wasn't with my father in his last months and it was a relief.  There are cultures where, and even in the animal world usually, the preference and instinct is to go off and be alone at the end.  

I figure Adam and his mother knew full well what they were risking and would do it again.  I do feel bad for him, though.  He's young.  

A hospice nurse once told me that it wasn't unusual that dying patients who have loved ones sitting vigil will die as soon as they're alone for a few minutes. She said although she has no way of knowing, she believes the dying person somehow knows who's nearby and chooses the time to go as a final act to protect the person or people they love from having to witness the moment of death. Maybe that's true, or maybe it's, as you say, that people feel like they need to leave this world alone.

And I also agree with your second point. I assume that Adam's mother had thought about how she wanted to go and what she wanted for her kids, so I don't fault him at all for his choices, just as I didn't fault Jenna Morasca for choosing to play then choosing to quit so she could get home in time. The thing is, no matter what a person does, they will always have regrets and wonder if they should have done something other than what they did. That's the nature of grief.

[Jersey Guy 87]

None of us know the situation between Adam and his mom, the decision on whether to go on Survivor or not given her condition was a personal one.  I don't feel qualified to judge whether or not it was the right thing for Adam to do, only he can make that decision.  And, down the line, he might decide it was the wrong choice or he may not.  He might realize that either choice (play Survivor or not) sucked.  That his brother came for the family member visit what appears to be two weeks or less before his mother passed indicates to me that the family was on board with the decision.

Gamewise, Adam's been all over the place.  I think he loses to David or Jay, I doubt he can get both of them out.

[ljenkins782]

On December 12, 2016 at 1:25 PM, thehepburn said:

Her SFGate obit said that she died with her family by her side. No qualifiers like 'all but Adam'. Yeah, we'll see.

Well to be fair, who would ever put that kind of caveat into an obit? 

Quote

 None of us know the situation between Adam and his mom, the decision on whether to go on Survivor or not given her condition was a personal one.  I don't feel qualified to judge whether or not it was the right thing for Adam to do, only he can make that decision.  And, down the line, he might decide it was the wrong choice or he may not.  He might realize that either choice (play Survivor or not) sucked.  That his brother came for the family member visit what appears to be two weeks or less before his mother passed indicates to me that the family was on board with the decision.

I'm not comfortable judging him either. There was no way to know how long she had left. His getting to know you video addresses this (though sadly, he was still hopeful at the time that he had many more years with his mom :( ) 

I'm glad he was playing amongst this group of people, particularly Jay. I'm happy that he was able to watch the show and see Jay's compassion and kind words after he told him about his mom. With some of the dicks that have been on the show in the past, the confessional following that conversation could have been far more callous. 

[LadyChatts]

I can't believe this kid has a chance at winning with how arrogant he's been this episode.  Will really be disappointed if he winds up winning.  I'm sorry for everything he went through with his mother, but I don't watch for people that have the sob story that get them through.  It's why I gave up watching certain reality shows.

[enlightenedbum]

He's also a moron.  You know who needed to know you had an idol?  NOBODY.  Ultimately didn't matter because the same boots probably happen anyway, but yikes.

[LadyChatts]

Adam's been kind of a jerk during the finale.  Wow.

[enlightenedbum]

Second worst winner ever.  Only Fabio was more useless.  And he wasn't a jerk so I may like this less, actually.

Edited December 15, 2016 by enlightenedbum

[gator12]

I'm happy he won

[LadyChatts]

Very underwhelming winner.  I don't remember a winner coming off as unlikable during the finale.  There's some exceptions, like Hatch and Tony, but Adam's edit wouldn't have screamed winner to me normally.  If I knew he didn't have the mom story to fall back on, I would have been shocked that he won (then again, I don't know if he would have if it weren't for that).

[truthaboutluv]

I like Adam and I'm fine with his win but I don't think he played a game deserving of a clean sweep in the votes. I hate to say it but I do think talking about his mother helped sway the few jurors who were unsure. I knew he was getting Jay, Bret and Chris' vote but I think Will, Zeke and even David might have been swayed a bit more to Hannah until Adam spoke about his mom. And I hate to feel like that sucks because the guy's mom died but it does suck for Hannah. And they thought David was the big threat. David didn't have any other story than his journey from scared awkward geek to great player, so not much different than Hannah's.

[hoosiermom]

So disappointed.

[Maverick]

 Oh wow.  He went there with the sick mom thing.  I'm not going to be totally cynical and assume it wasn't a calculated move but I hate he threw that out there (and for the record, I hate Ken trying to tug the heart strings with the his daughter).  

[FormerMod-a1]

I don't know who I wanted to win, so I can't say I'm surprised or disappointed he won.  I'm not.  I'm just surprised it was unanimous.

[ElleryAnne]

I liked Adam well enough and am terribly sorry about his mother, but it feels like he won simply by a lot of sympathy votes.  (Although I'm sure somewhere Chris is patting himself on the back, thinking he convinced the jury to vote the way he wanted them to.)  A bit of a letdown to a good season.  

[Straycat80]

I'm disappointed too. This guy was the threat to win and he did. Ken's social guy killed him. Hannah did not have a chance. 

[Rachel RSL]

Well, damn. I realized while I was watching that I didn't want Adam to win. Oh well. He was still a deserving winner.

[JaggedLilPill]

His FTC turned me off. Like completely.

But I do hope he and his family gain comfort from this. 

[LadyChatts]

Okay, I'm glad the reports were wrong and he did make it home in time.  Barely.  Damn, it sounded like she really went downhill fast.

[Rachel RSL]

I'm so glad he got to see his mom. Sounds like she was just waiting for him to get home to say goodbye.

Edited December 15, 2016 by Rachel RSL

[Miss Chevious]

Adam played the sympathy card and it worked for him. It's unfortunate that winning the most immunity challenges doesn't matter much anymore in the final tribal council. Outplaying and outlasting have been trumped by outwitting.