S33: Hannah Shapiro

[Michel]

Hi.  I'm the resident nerdy, geeky girl.

At least she's self-aware that she might not do all that well at the game.

Edited August 22, 2016 by Michel

[LadyChatts]

Her bio was annoying, but I liked her from her video.  So we'll see.  If she isn't the type to try and make big moves early on and put a target on herself, she could go far.  I don't think she will come off as a threat.

[LanceM]

Pre-game interview with Josh Wigler:

http://parade.com/501925/joshwigler/survivor-millennials-vs-gen-x-hannah-shapiro/

[azshadowwalker]

On 8/23/2016 at 11:27 AM, LadyChatts said:

Her bio was annoying, but I liked her from her video.  So we'll see.  If she isn't the type to try and make big moves early on and put a target on herself, she could go far.  I don't think she will come off as a threat.

Super annoying. The try hard was overwhelming. I am not sure that she really believes that she won't do well; I think she is trying to be the adorable insecure geek by saying so. I really want her to go away quickly.

I haven't watched the video yet, because I usually just wait to see them on the show. Her bio doesn't move me to change that practice.

Edited August 25, 2016 by azshadowwalker

[kakiphony]

I actually really like her, try-hard and all. But it's so hard to really tell pre-game because it's the relationships people establish that tend to make or break my opinion of them. I think she could either be really annoying and on the outs, or the kind of cheerful person who is generally well liked and has fun, funny, relationships within the tribe. Time will tell. 

[Hera]

I like her as well. It seems like a few of the people on the Millennial tribe had fun with/were smartasses on (depending on your amenability to that sort of thing) the CBS questionnaire. She seems to be expecting to provide this season's "fish out of water" storyline. She took Max Dawson's course on Survivor, which—given how he performed—may not end up being all that useful to her.

[LadyChatts]

13 minutes ago, Hera said:

I like her as well. It seems like a few of the people on the Millennial tribe had fun with/were smartasses on (depending on your amenability to that sort of thing) the CBS questionnaire. She seems to be expecting to provide this season's "fish out of water" storyline. She took Max Dawson's course on Survivor, which—given how he performed—may not end up being all that useful to her.

I loved that bit from the Josh Wigler interview:

Quote

 

Hannah:...The first disciple. We’ll have to see. I hope I do better than he did!

Wigler: That’s not going to take too much.

 

When I found out she was a Max Dawson student, I was a little nervous reading through about how she was such a superfan and compared herself to Cochran (I just remember Max saying in post-boot interviews how he wanted to be the Cochran and Shirin his Dawn in the final 2).  As long as she doesn't start stripping for camera time, or quoting Survivor's hometowns in ABC order, I think I'll be a fan.  I just hope she doesn't overplay the 'geeky girl' persona.

[LanceM]

Pre-game interview with Gordon Holmes:

http://xfn-blogs.xfinity.com/tv/2016/09/20/survivor-millennial-hannah/

[Michel]

I'm intrigued by her partnership with Mari.  Hopefully, that ends up going somewhere, because they both seemed to be on to what Figgy was doing with Jay and Taylor.

[LadyChatts]

Another one I liked better than I was expecting.  Though I do think she has that side of her to become super annoying really fast.  I was pretty impressed with her forming that alliance right off the bat, rather than just sitting around and being the awkward wall flower.

[KimberStormer]

Something about her reminds me of my niece, so I have to root for her.  Dear Survivor Gods, please give me a Hannah, Mari, Michelle power trio.

Edited September 23, 2016 by KimberStormer

[Oholibamah]

On September 23, 2016 at 4:21 AM, KimberStormer said:

Something about her reminds me of my niece, so I have to root for her.  Dear Survivor Gods, please give me a Hannah, Mari, Michelle power trio.

Yes, please. But I fear I may have used up all of my favours with the Survivor Gods last season when the women + Tai overthrew the asshats and steamrolled to the end. 

Mari and Hannah are two of my pool picks, so fingers crossed. Mama could use some new shoes. 

[LadyChatts]

I was somewhat excited for her Revenge of the Nerds last week, but now she's just a wishy washy female Cochran (probably what she's going for).  Hope she gets blindsided big time.

ETA: Hopefully Hannah finds out what it's like getting screwed over.  Maybe being wishy washy isn't just an act.

Edited September 29, 2016 by LadyChatts

[KimberStormer]

LOVE HER SO MUCH.  Probst peeking to see what the heck she was doing in the voting booth is my kind of Survivor humor.  I am officially in on this season.

[LanceM]

Apparently Hannah was at the voting booth for a good 10 minutes.  This according to Peih-Gee Law who was on RHAP this week and who had watched the episode that night with Hannah.

[Guest]

TC already lasts an hour or more.  Why waste everyone's time like that?  I would think production would be telling her, "Enough hamming it up.  Vote and sit down."  

[LadyChatts]

So now she's a wishy washy try hard.  I questioned how much of that confliction was really playing it up.  It could have been worse, I guess.  She could have pulled an Eliza Orlin's final vote during Micronesia, or done a Dan Foley and started banging her head.  

Either way, I think Hannah was going to screw herself.  Go against Zeke and Adam and have them not trust you, or go with Michele and an alliance you aren't comfortable and probably still get burned.  Maybe she's hoping to make it to the end and ham up the 'golly gee, look at me against these unlikable cool kids'.

[azshadowwalker]

I hate the whole pigeonhole thing. I think it was @KimberStormer who mentioned being over high school. Even if I wasn't, though, I still would find these Survivor divisions absolutely stupid. I was a cheerleader who graduated in the top of my class, hung out with longhaired heavy metal kids, and eventually ended up making my life on the punk scene. So, all of these ridiculous high school storylines and divisions just don't resonate with me. Seeing Hannah cut loose from that nonsense was the first time she has endeared herself to me. Just please leave the "I'm so geeky and awkward" shit at home. It's played. 

[navelgazer]

I'm really starting to like her.  i just hope the Sunday move doesn't hurt her.  

[LadyChatts]

I'm back and forth on Hannah.  I like her, but I find her annoying at times.  She isn't someone I'm jumping for joy is still in the game.  Strategically, I question the Sunday move.  Since Sunday wasn't part of her core alliance, maybe targeting her over another threat (David, whose name always comes up, but somehow her skates by), maybe it made the decision easier.  While targeting threats is smarter, I'm not disappointed she took out a goat.  I still don't think her odds of winning are very good, unless she goes to the final 3 with Bret or Ken.  Maybe she could win against Adam, but I'd be really surprised if she could beat David or Jay.  I have a feeling some of her antics (the panic attacks, the OTT expressions at TC), might come back to bite her as well.  

This season has been unpredictable so far, so I may be proven wrong, and Hannah takes it in a sweep.  Though the way it's going, maybe this will be the first season where the FTC ends in a tie?  

[loki567]

The interesting thing about Hannah is a lot of her relationships with the other people have gotten a lot of air time, either through the show or secret scenes. She's been very close to Adam/Zeke and David/Ken. She had some bonding moments with Michelle which is probably why Michelle warned her during the Mari vote-off. And Will seemed like he wanted to move forward with her in the game. I think she has a legitimate argument to win but a big knock against her is that everything in her demeanor screams panic. 

All this to say, I'm disappointed with her move tonight. I think her best bet would have been Brett and Sunday and it probably wouldn't have took much to convince them that she was their best F3 partner. It felt to me like she took out Sunday because she wanted Sunday's goat spot. And she's probably guaranteed F3 now but I would have liked to see her go for the win. I don't think she does that if she's sitting next to Jay, David, or Adam. 

[Rachel RSL]

I can understand Hannah's motivation for voting off Sunday. She may have trouble beating the others at final TC but, in order to have even a shot at winning, she has to actually get to the final TC. Almost every season, a goat is dragged along to the finals so it makes sense to vote out someone who is very likely to be taken as a goat and then worry about beating the people who are left.

[waving feather]

I think Hannah is very astute and observant and has great intuition but sometimes she's not mature enough to own her moves and make emotional decisions. She reminds me a bit of Amanda Kimmel (though Amanda is a better liar than her).

Like in this episode, she said she doesn't want David to go because she likes him. I understand that kind of thinking earlier in the game but at this point when there are few people left, that's no time to be making sentimental decisions. She has no chance of winning against David. She might as well give him the win now. So she is playing for goat.. something that she accused Sunday of doing.

[LanceM]

Hannah is #14 on TV Guide's Best Performances on TV this year. Huh?

 

https://www.tvguide.com/special/best-of-the-year/gallery/20-best-tv-performances-2016-best-of-the-year/photo/3c5ec698-1d41-4a04-956c-37b3411977bd/

[riley702]

Yeah, well, I disagree with that.

[SlackerInc]

5 hours ago, LanceM said:

Hannah is #14 on TV Guide's Best Performances on TV this year. Huh?

 

https://www.tvguide.com/special/best-of-the-year/gallery/20-best-tv-performances-2016-best-of-the-year/photo/3c5ec698-1d41-4a04-956c-37b3411977bd/

Like @KimberStormer, I love her--so this doesn't shock me at all.

[Rachel RSL]

It's interesting how a lot of us see Hannah as a goat. I was rewatching the rock draw episode and, at one point, Adam voices concern that he needs to start making moves because he's been letting Hannah run the show. Sounds like she's been playing hard but her game might have been too subtle for anybody to really notice.

[LanceM]

People can say what they want about Hannah but as far as I can tell she has controlled the end game though unfortunately I am not sure the jury will see that. I am hoping she wins as far as I am concerned she has played a better game than the other two finalists.

[LadyChatts]

Adam is such a jerk to her.  Truthfully, she is doing so much better than I thought.  I assumed she would crash and burn during the jury questioning.  Adam seemed to really like picking at her and trying to set her off.  

Holy crap, Chris gave credit to Adam for getting Ken to vote David out?!  That was Hannah who went to Ken in the first place.  Why did she just sit there?

Edited December 15, 2016 by LadyChatts

[enlightenedbum]

I still think she's basically boring and not a great player, but she had the best FTC of the three.

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

Holy crap, Chris gave credit to Adam for getting Ken to vote David out?!  That was Hannah who went to Ken in the first place.  Why did she just sit there?

This so much. Especially since she'd been doing a really good job making her case to that point. I have to say, that moment aside, Hannah held her own pretty damn well and I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a few votes. I can definitely see Will and Zeke voting for her. Also, maybe it's me being cynical but I swear her face, when Adam was talking about his mom, screamed, "dammit, I didn't anticipate the sick/dying mother".

[LadyChatts]

8 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

This so much. Especially since she'd been doing a really good job making her case to that point. I have to say, that moment aside, Hannah held her own pretty damn well and I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a few votes. I can definitely see Will and Zeke voting for her. Also, maybe it's me being cynical but I swear her face, when Adam was talking about his mom, screamed, "dammit, I didn't anticipate the sick/dying mother".

Survivors should have to sign a disclaimer.  Either be up front with your sob stories in the beginning or you don't get to bring it up.  Frankly, the jury probably didn't want to vote for the nerdy girl, or the big alpha male that kicked all their asses in this game at every turn and in every way.  Probably too humbling for the likes of bitter Chris and bitter Bret at least.

[Rachel RSL]

Hannah owned that final TC but I knew the jury would never give her the credit she deserved.

[LanceM]

I wonder if Hannah did take credit for the move and they just edited it out since Adam won. I hope she is asked about this.

[LadyChatts]

I'm wondering that too LanceM.  Hannah really deserved that win.  And I wasn't saying that a few days ago, but damn, she played the best game, and she handled the FTC like a trooper.  Too bad for her the jury was not only bitter, but she had to go up against Adam.  That was one of the better under pressure moments I've seen.  

Edited December 15, 2016 by LadyChatts

[truthaboutluv]

I don't think the jury was bitter, other than Bret to be honest. I think they were just swayed by Adam's story in the end. I think a few of them were torn because Hannah did take awhile to get going in her game and also there were things they didn't know or see because they'd been voted out. So a lot of her big moves at the end, they wouldn't know about it until she mentioned it at the FTC. On the flip side, remember Adam was all over the place and threat to be booted early after the merge. So they saw him as a threat and then again, there was the dying mother and that just swayed others to his side. 

[enlightenedbum]

Basically I think F3 were all ineffectual doofs which opened the door for a sob story because Adam could use the money.

[LanceM]

I don't think the jury was bitter at all. I think they made an emotional decision based on Adam's story.

[gator12]

If Hannah had won some immunity challenge, maybe I could say she played the best game. The way the show was edited, nah.

[ElleryAnne]

She did the best job of defending her game, definitely.  I loved the fact that when Adam referred to a move as a blunder, she reiterated that it wasn't a blunder for HER game.  I'm not sure she would have won enough of the jury over (if not for Adam's reveal), but she impressed me with her FTC more than she did all season.

[LadyChatts]

The only thing Jeff could ask Hannah at the reunion was about her crush on Ken?  I mean, the girl has good taste, but really Probst?  Oh wait, look who I'm talking about.

[Sarahsmile416]

12 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

The only thing Jeff could ask Hannah at the reunion was about her crush on Ken?  I mean, the girl has good taste, but really Probst?  Oh wait, look who I'm talking about.

Yes, way to reduce Hannah's game to a moment where she talked about how big of a crush she had on Ken ?

[Rachel RSL]

Did we really expect anything else from Probst? As soon as they threw to a clip, I think we all knew immediately which one it would be.

[waving feather]

I never thought I would root for Hannah to win, but during that FTC, between Ken and Adam, she deserved it IMO. Aside from her lack of poker face to Zeke, I thought she was quite smart about her play all season. I questioned her saving David last episode but she blocked him from entering the F3, so I would have to give props to her.

Strategy wise, she definitely played better than Adam. Adam was all over the place the whole season.

Edited December 15, 2016 by waving feather

[loki567]

Sophie (from RI) was a RHaP I remember where she talked about how there are some people who could never win a game of Survivor no matter how good they play. I think that describes Hannah to a T. I think she played a really good game but because of her appearance and demeanor, I'm not sure she could ever win a season even if she played a dominant game as Kim Spradlin. 

Still, I'll give her props for turning the FTC into a good old fashioned slobberknocker and not letting Adam have it easy.  

[Lingo]

I don't know. She deserves a lot more credit than she got, but I think she lost because she couldn't convince the jury of her decisions to vote out Sunday and Bret over David. Hell, I'm still not convinced either.

[Trick Question]

8 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

The only thing Jeff could ask Hannah at the reunion was about her crush on Ken?  I mean, the girl has good taste, but really Probst?  Oh wait, look who I'm talking about.

Wow, were the confidence tables ever turned in that exchange.  Hannah was all "sure I was flirting with Ken, who wouldn't?" while Ken was all mumbling and blushing. 

[Jillibean]

Quote

I don't know. She deserves a lot more credit than she got, but I think she lost because she couldn't convince the jury of her decisions to vote out Sunday and Bret over David. Hell, I'm still not convinced either.

In my opinion, part of the issue is that the only way she maybe could have won was by keeping Sunday. I sort of followed her logic in why Sunday needed to go, but to me it was ultimately faulty. Yes, Sunday could have been brought as a goat to the FTC--and that's exactly what Hannah needed to happen to have a chance to win. Sunday and Ken sitting next to her might have done the trick. I think Hannah is very smart and did play strategically, though it might not be the same strategy I would have employed. But I think one of her weaknesses consistently throughout the game, from the initial Zeke/Adam conversation to her choice of players in the FTC, was not being able to read the room. I think Hannah thought she was coming off as a much more in control player than she did and legitimately thought she could beat most people at the end. I'm sure it didn't help that she was an inch from going home not once but twice. I think she did the best job presenting her case at FTC, but I think it was too little too late, and I don't think any of the jury members (and that includes some of her closest allies at one point in the game or another) really believed she was the person driving the moves. The ones she did appear to "control"--Sunday and Bret--were perceived as mistakes. I also think she oversold a bit--like saying that every member of the jury in order was there because of her--which I'm sure had people like Zeke and David mentally eyerolling. 

[gator12]

24 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

I sort of followed her logic in why Sunday needed to go, but to me it was ultimately faulty.

Her getting rid of Sunday and Bret but letting Jay David and Adam come so far was just dumb

 

25 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

which I'm sure had people like Zeke and David mentally eyerolling. 

She probably lost their vote than if they haven't already made up their mind to vote for Adam.

[kikaha]

6 hours ago, loki567 said:

Sophie (from RI) was a RHaP I remember where she talked about how there are some people who could never win a game of Survivor no matter how good they play. I think that describes Hannah to a T. I think she played a really good game but because of her appearance and demeanor, I'm not sure she could ever win a season even if she played a dominant game as Kim Spradlin. 

Still, I'll give her props for turning the FTC into a good old fashioned slobberknocker and not letting Adam have it easy.  

Funny (ironic) that Sophie says that, because in key ways she seems to me a similar player as Hannah.  Both quiet, both imagine themselves strategic masterminds while in reality others pulled the strings most of the season, both performed well at FTC.   I disagree with Loki pretty thoroughly about how Hannah played, though. 

In the early stages of the game she was a basket case, socially, strategically and in the challenges.  The others kept her because she was harmless and they had bigger fish to fry.  At no time did she drive strategy, though she did follow the others fairly well. 

After merge she screwed up royally the attempt to blindside Zeke.  She survived on a rock draw only because of Jessica's colossal blunder.  

By F7, Hannah IMO had no chance to win against at least three contestants: Jay, Dave or Adam.  Jay was gone at six by unanimous group decision.  But then, instead of trying to boot Dave and Adam, Hannah a) made sure Adam reached F3, and gave Dave two extra chances to get there as well! 

Dave himself was stunned to make F5 and F4.  He said in a confessional last night that he shouldn't still be there.  He was right.  At F4, he was good odds to make F3, for two reasons.  One, he was a fair bet to win the FIC.  Two, his BFF the whole season was Ken, which meant he likely had two votes no matter who won, which would probably lead to fire, which he would  likely win.  

In place of Dave, Hannah's brilliant (in her mind) strategic decision was to boot that great jury/challenge threat Sunday, and the one guy who stood virtually no chance of winning any kind of individual immunity, Bret. 

So while Hannah made F3, she pretty well guaranteed she could not win in the process. 

It's not clear who out she would beat of those who made merge.  Maybe if she sat next to Wil and Sunday, and the others see her as the one who engineered that?  Hard to see that happening, given this season's players, though, and in fact she never came close to anything like that. 

btw, Sophie won because the guy who had a majority of jurors going into her FTC blew it and lost two sure votes.  Adam, who had the votes going in, did not blow tribal, and won going away.