S33.E01: May The Best Generation Win

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, Nashville said:

...and everybody born between 1982 and 1984 is confused as fuck.  :)

I was born in 1984 and I am personally confused about my generation. In some ways I do definitely feel like a Millennial but then I remember growing up I didn't have a computer until I was like 13 and I didn't have a cell phone until college and that makes me see myself so differently than the Millennials.

2 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

I did laugh at the fact that they were all initially walking around still fully dressed...except Model guy, who was in his underwear practically the minute they hit the beach. 

He knows why he was cast and he's going to give the people what they want!

But seriously though, can they please stop walking around in their underwear. I hate it.

[blackwing]

I assume that "Model guy" is the one that I've been calling "Tight Blue Underpants".  Usually takes me a while to learn everybody's names...

I just hope that Neurotic Bald Guy, who is apparently named David, goes out soon.  I don't think I can tolerate a season full of him.

[Alapaki]

I generally dislike the "theme" season.  But I thought I'd give this a chance because, what they hell.  

But then, seeing Probst have to explain to the contestant which overly generalized demographic/sociological box Burnett & Co were forcing them into, and explain how that made them so different from each other . . . . fuck man.  I'm not sure I'm going to make it.

I'm trying hard to ignore the bullshit grand-social-experiment narrative and focus on the players' gameplay, but I get the feeling that's going to be nearly impossible.

[TaraS1]

19 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I was wondering why he didn't sign up for Big Brother instead.

I used to think the exact same thing - that I'd be perfect for Big Brother because I would be awesome at laying around all summer.  But then I started reading about how the BB house is always overrun with ants.  And I have a major ant phobia.  Major.  So I guess I'll just stay home and not compete on anything lol.

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I assume that "Model guy" is the one that I've been calling "Tight Blue Underpants".  Usually takes me a while to learn everybody's names...

Model guy is Ken, which I only remember because it's Ken.  He's prettier than any Ken doll, though.  

[Nashville]

2 hours ago, Archery said:

When they named themselves "Tri-Force", all I could think was -- old enough to be fans of Power Rangers, I guess. 

Really?  My thoughts went immediately to Legend of Zelda - but hey, maybe that's just me.  ;)

[piequinn35]

5 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Really?  My thoughts went immediately to Legend of Zelda - but hey, maybe that's just me.  ;)

or powerpuff girls

[FlyingEgret]

2 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

I did laugh at the fact that they were all initially walking around still fully dressed...except Model guy, who was in his underwear practically the minute they hit the beach. 

And I was perfectly fine with his decision!

[Special K]

I don't have a lot to say that hasn't already been said, including that Jeff's schtick on Gen X seems to actually be about Baby Boomers, which, of course, he is one.  Aren't Millennials supposed to be the much more idealistic, global, service-oriented, straight-laced generation?  Gen X are the pot-smoking, jaded, low-affect slackers, no?!  ANYway...

So far, the people I like, or at least don't hate, are:

Jessica of the eye infection.  The way she handled David in that conversation on the beach was pretty intuitively smart, I thought.

Zeke.  Didn't think I'd like him, but he has the kind of self-deprecating humor I'm always a sucker for.  And any young person who isn't too vain to say that he is like an old person is OK in my book.

Mari.  I didn't like her in the preview, but I like her and think she's going far.  Unless, as someone else said upthread, she plays too hard.

Hannah.  She was smart to hustle when she saw the "pretty" people alliance forming.

The bat.  I guess that's a fruit bat, since it didn't go into a cave or whatever.  Pretty awesome.  I loved how the bat riding out the storm was like an admonishment to the pathetic weakness of mere humans and their structures.  Bat FTW!

Edited September 23, 2016 by Special K

[tvfanatic13]

Sorry Probst. 1963 is baby boomer, not Gen X. I don't think I am going to like this season. I hope I am wrong.

[BetyBee]

12 hours ago, blackwing said:

Homeless Shelter Guy on the other tribe is very irritating, he narrates everything in his Announcer Voice.

This!  Captain Obvious was getting on my last nerve with his announcements.

[blackwing]

What's up with the casting?  I think one or two of the cast might be vaguely part-Hispanic, but it's hard to tell.  Ostensibly, it looks to me like we had two black females, three Asian females, five white females, and TEN white males.  The Asian male and the black male are traditionally the pariahs of Survivor casting, especially the Asian male.  I love that they have three Asian contestants, but why couldn't they have swapped one of the females for a guy?  Why are there ten white men?

[Nashville]

11 minutes ago, blackwing said:

What's up with the casting?  I think one or two of the cast might be vaguely part-Hispanic, but it's hard to tell.  Ostensibly, it looks to me like we had two black females, three Asian females, five white females, and TEN white males.  The Asian male and the black male are traditionally the pariahs of Survivor casting, especially the Asian male.  I love that they have three Asian contestants, but why couldn't they have swapped one of the females for a guy?  Why are there ten white men?

Uhhh... because eleven would've been pushing it?  :D

[bosawks]

51 minutes ago, Special K said:

I don't have a lot to say that hasn't already been said, including that Jeff's schtick on Gen X seems to actually be about Baby Boomers, which, of course, he is one.  Aren't Millennials supposed to be the much more idealistic, global, service-oriented, straight-laced generation?  Gen X are the pot-smoking, jaded, low-affect slackers, no?!  ANYway...

So far, the people I like, or at least don't hate, are:

Jessica of the eye infection.  The way she handled David in that conversation on the beach was pretty intuitively smart, I thought.

Zeke.  Didn't think I'd like him, but he has the kind of self-deprecating humor I'm always a sucker for.  And any young person who isn't too vain to say that he is like an old person is OK in my book.

Mari.  I didn't like her in the preview, but I like her and think she's going far.  Unless, as someone else said upthread, she plays too hard.

Hannah.  She was smart to hustle when she saw the "pretty" people alliance forming.

The bat.  I guess that's a fruit bat, since it didn't go into a cave or whatever.  Pretty awesome.  I loved how the bat riding out the storm was like an admonishment to the pathetic weakness of mere humans and their structures.  Bat FTW!

God, I miss being a pot smoking, low affect slacker.

Sigh, memories....

[Special K]

10 minutes ago, bosawks said:

God, I miss being a pot smoking, low affect slacker.

Sigh, memories....

Hahahaha!   I'm a late baby boomer, and this sounds like a great retirement plan for me.

[JennPear]

I like this new take, being a Babyboomer.  I'm actually hoping that it proves the stereotypes wrong, but so far, it hasn't...at least, not to me.  

I'm not sure about the geeks vs. "beauty" thing going on in the Millennial camp.  I guess my ideas of beauty are much different than today's ideas.  I see those kids as pretty much plain Janes, so they would fit into the geek camp for me.  But, if it were me, I'd lay low with all of the groups forming, for now.  Much better to let the game take you to your destination, than determine early what your destination will be.  I see early alliances as a brilliant way to be cast as the bad guy and voted out.

It seems the ones that lay low and make big moves after they've rounded the mid-term do well in these games.  The ones that keep everyone on friendly terms and go with the flow, until the pompous and the authoritarians piss everyone off and get voted out.  Then, you make the moves and generally turn up the competitions a notch or two.  That's when you take that extra bathroom break and look for an idol.

I thought the Gen X assumptions about the Millennials was a bit silly, even though in the initial stages of building shelter, the Millennials did fit that stereotype of "just let it happen."   Oddly, it reminded me of the hippies of my generation...pretty much unplanned thought, people assuming they are creative when they are just lazy, and sort of an arrogance that I was turned off by, back then.  But, I did admire the way they beat the Gen Xers in the competition.  Apparently, problem solving was their specialty.  

But, I have a feeling that if the Gen Xers stop making power plays to run the camp and use their noggins, they may have a good chance of winning the game.  They seem less scatter brained at this point.  And I do think the game takes a certain amount of commitment.  They seemed to have thought long term, (fishing gear instead of chickens you have to feed, for instance).  Their shelter seemed more adequate.

I'm hoping these people have the good sense not to reveal secrets they shouldn't or overly trust anyone this season.  That's basic survival 101.  Anyone who has actually had to survive a primitive existence knows you commit yourself to getting the jobs done first and then enjoy the free time, not the other way around.  And here's what blows my mind every season.  You know you are going on Survivor and you don't bone up on how to start a fire or build shelter BEFORE you go?  Call me crazy, but I'd be all over the internet learning just those two very basic things!  Then, I'd be studying facial expressions, gestures, signs of how to read nonverbal communication.  And I'd become an expert on how to create food from nothing that tastes good.  

[Nashville]

12 minutes ago, Special K said:

Hahahaha!   I'm a late baby boomer, and this sounds like a great retirement plan for me.

Didn't we get the same rap?  Except with us it was "hippies", not "slackers".  :>

[JennPear]

4 hours ago, Archery said:

When they named themselves "Tri-Force", all I could think was -- old enough to be fans of Power Rangers, I guess. 

Yeah, the fratboy reference sort of nauseated me, too.  And yes, in the boomer generation, it was hippies, not slackers.  Except that I would say that the Millennials are a bit more in tune with technology than we were, so I question if they slack as much as we did.  In any regard, I don't miss the selfishness of our hippie generation.  We cared about causes, but when it came to family we were disgusting.

[simplyme]

4 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Didn't we get the same rap?  Except with us it was "hippies", not "slackers".  :>

Every generation gets that rap and some names when young. *grins*  I looked up the history of the term "whippersnapper" one day (Thanks, Gabby Hays) and found this:

Throughout the years, the term "whippersnapper" became synonymous with a young person who had an excess of impudence and ambition. The term may also have been derived from those habits of young men who idled away the time by snapping whips. The actual meaning of a whippersnapper is "a diminutive or insignificant person, especially a sprightly or impertinent youngster." Author Christopher Marlow mentioned the term "snipper snapper" in "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustaus," written in 1604.

[JennPear]

The girl with the pink eye or bacterial infection in her eyes...does anyone think she won't be medically removed from the game?  I don't see her lasting much more.  She really needs to have her eyes treated.

So far, I only have two dislikes and they are both on the Gen X team.  The oldest guy, who was trying to run the show and the model guy who thought he was the resident expert on primitive living.  Anyone that comes to an island they've never lived on and thinks they know it all is a victim, in my book.  I see both of them gone, probably by mid game.

[Hera]

I suspect that Jessica is getting some sort of treatment for her eye. She seemed to know that it was a bacterial infection (as opposed to being something getting lodged into her eye), which makes me think someone from medical told her that—probably while giving her antibiotics. Both Neal and Aubry were getting antibiotics while playing last season (though they didn't work fast enough for Neal, so they had to pull him from the game), so I'd be floored if they weren't doing the same for the players this season.

[Jersey Guy 87]

I can't see an eye infection getting anyone pulled from the game if they're being given eye drops - it will probably clear up in a couple of days.

At this point the generational thing is really forced, hopefully we'll get some sort of swap/merge before too long to calm it down.

[ghoulina]

Yea, I think if it's something they CAN treat without removing you, they will. But when it's serious enough to be taken to an actual medical facility, you can no longer play. Eye infections are extremely contagious. I'd think they'd want to treat quickly, before the whole tribe winds up with red, oozing eyes. 

[Special K]

1 hour ago, Nashville said:

Didn't we get the same rap?  Except with us it was "hippies", not "slackers".  :>

I was too young to be a hippie.  Us late boomers (born 1963) really don't belong anywhere...

Actually in my suburban town in the late 1970s, the equivalent of hippies was "wasters" -- they hung out all day in the smoking "lounge" out back of high school dealing weed and getting into fights.  And yes, we had a designated smoking place in high school. 

Edited September 23, 2016 by Special K

[Nashville]

1 minute ago, Special K said:

I was too young to be a hippie.  Us late boomers (born 1963) really don't belong anywhere...

Dunno; I was '62, and still getting "long-haired hippie" as late as '87.  :D

[Special K]

4 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Dunno; I was '62, and still getting "long-haired hippie" as late as '87.  :D

You must be a perfect specimen.  :D

[iMonrey]

I don't know why they bother with these dumb tribe names instead of just calling them Tribe Gen-X and Tribe Millennial. Even Jeff is calling them GenX and Millennial, not whatever dumb name is written on their camp sign.

And which one of the brainiacs on Tribe Millennial listed one of his life achievements as having "gone to North Dakota?"

[Nashville]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

And which one of the brainiacs on Tribe Millennial listed one of his life achievements as having "gone to North Dakota?"

Someone taking the whole GenX-vs-Millennials thing about as seriously as us, no doubt.  ;)

[Alapaki]

Red eye woman had clearly been diagnosed (and I'm 100% certain also treated) by the medical staff.

The biggest threat for her being pulled would be, like someone else mentioned, that those infections are very contagious.  With school kids they're one of those "STAY THE FUCK HOME" conditions.

Maybe the medical staff determined that having been treated with antibiotics for however long the Tribes were evacuated due to the Cyclone was sufficient to reduce the risk of transmission enough to allow her to stay.

By the way, with respect to the Legacy Clue, or Idol, or whatever they called it:

How many people are typically left on Day 36?  Five or Six or so?

2 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Someone taking the whole GenX-vs-Millennials thing about as seriously as us, no doubt.  ;)

Maybe someone who's the stealth nephew of the guy who bragged about being "off the grid" in the "jungles of Maui".

[Special K]

9 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

And which one of the brainiacs on Tribe Millennial listed one of his life achievements as having "gone to North Dakota?"

That made me laugh out loud.

[Nashville]

5 minutes ago, Alapaki said:

Maybe someone who's the stealth nephew of the guy who bragged about being "off the grid" in the "jungles of Maui".

Swear to GOD I about popped a hernia laughing at that.

[Eggman]

1. North Dakota has Mount Rushmore, and I'll bet that's where he went.

2. Some infections are problematic at school, because it's hard to actually get children to not touch each other.  In this girls case, I'm sure they said "don't touch her."   It costs a lot of money to get these people all the way out there and onto the beach, and they don't have understudies, so I figure they aren't going to pull the trigger for anything short of sepsis (last season) or a Heart Attack (previews.) 

3. Not only did Rachel fail at the puzzle, she was talking too much and looking like she was pushing people around in the game.   Easy first boot.

4. Why did they vote for Cici?  Did I miss something?

[Alapaki]

1 minute ago, Eggman said:

2. Some infections are problematic at school, because it's hard to actually get children to not touch each other.  In this girls case, I'm sure they said "don't touch her."   It costs a lot of money to get these people all the way out there and onto the beach, and they don't have understudies, so I figure they aren't going to pull the trigger for anything short of sepsis (last season) or a Heart Attack (previews.) 

True.  But that Immunity Challenge was pretty close-quarters physical.  All in all, I'd have been happy to have been on the other Tribe at that point.

[Charlesman]

On 9/22/2016 at 7:38 AM, simplyme said:

Here's an article that susses out the generations and general dates for them. They're somewhat debatable:

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/03/here-is-when-each-generation-begins-and-ends-according-to-facts/359589/

Gen X is 1965 to 1984.

Gen Y is an old term.

Millennial is 1982 to 2004.

And I'm pretty sure Probst was attempting to say that the birth years on the tribes ran from 63 to 82 for Gen X and 84 to 97 for Millennials, not that those were the defined years for the generations because they aren't. 

 

I personally prefer Gen X as up to '75, and Millennials as post-'81, with the middle ground transition as the "Carter Kids" born 76-81, too young to identify with 'Slackers' when it came out, too old to have watched Lizzie McGuire. Used a typewriter, got your first email address in college, wasn't old enough to go to a Nirvana show by yourself.

 

I think when casting they may have tried to make sure those borderline people around '83 on the show also had personalities that matched the construct they were trying to enforce, so maybe sliding the terms around is fine if the people picked fit the molds.

[Silver Raven]

7 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Model guy is Ken, which I only remember because it's Ken.  He's prettier than any Ken doll, though.  

Heh, I was calling him Ken Doll up above.  :)

[Silver Raven]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't know why they bother with these dumb tribe names instead of just calling them Tribe Gen-X and Tribe Millennial. Even Jeff is calling them GenX and Millennial, not whatever dumb name is written on their camp sign.

After they shuffle the tribes, they already have the tribe names available.

[LanceM]

The millennial whose achievement was that he went to North Dakota was Taylor, or "Tails" as his bro Jay calls him.  I am not really impressed by this feat as according to his bio the kid is from Idaho.  If he was from like Florida and traveled to North Dakota than maybe I'd be imperssed. : )

To Eggman, Mt. Rushmore is in South Dakota. But really why do we even need two Dakotas anyway?

Edited September 23, 2016 by LanceM

[needschocolate]

7 hours ago, tvfanatic13 said:

Sorry Probst. 1963 is baby boomer, not Gen X. I don't think I am going to like this season. I hope I am wrong.

According to some sites, Gen X is those born between 1961 and 1981 (most just say "early 1960s to early 1980s").  Boomers are 1946-1964.  So there is some overlap and, being born in 1962, I am one of the overlappers.  I have to say though, that I don't identify with either group.  I was too young to remember JFK being shot or grow up watching Howdy Doody, but I am too old for Kurt Coabin's death to have an impact on me (I already had 2 kids by the time Nirvana released their first album).

I think I will like this season because they will eventually stop making such a fuss about generation generalizations and because I always end up liking the season. The fist part of the season is usually a bit dull, but I feel that, if you suffer through the early episodes, you get more enjoyment out of what happens later on.  

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I'm an '86er. I am embarrassed to be associated as a millennial. If anything, I feel like I've had to work even harder because I graduated college during the economic crash. Worst welcome to the "real world" ever. Nothing was handed to me. If I was on the millennial tribe, I'd feel like everyone's mom. I think it's stupid to even group by generations anymore. So much has changed and advanced, and continues to change and advance rapidly that we should just start categorizing people by decades. 

Edited September 24, 2016 by MattDuffysCat

[Nashville]

49 minutes ago, needschocolate said:

According to some sites, Gen X is those born between 1961 and 1981 (most just say "early 1960s to early 1980s").  Boomers are 1946-1964.  So there is some overlap and, being born in 1962, I am one of the overlappers.  I have to say though, that I don't identify with either group.  I was too young to remember JFK being shot or grow up watching Howdy Doody, but I am too old for Kurt Coabin's death to have an impact on me (I already had 2 kids by the time Nirvana released their first album).

So we're genblends?  Cool.  I despise labels.  :)

[RedheadZombie]

On September 22, 2016 at 9:59 AM, Lamb18 said:

I thought it said Vanilla, too. I wish there weren't pictures of icky toenails at the bottom of this page (ad).

I hate the ad with the two lions standing over the little injured fox. 

[needschocolate]

49 minutes ago, MattDuffysCat said:

I think it's stupid to even group by generations anymore. So much has changed and advanced, and continues to change and advance rapidly that we should just start categorizing people by decades. 

For the year of birth to make a difference, they would need to put more space between the years.  For instance, a tribe made up of people who that lived through the great depreciation vs a tribe of people were born after, say, 1985.  But there would be a plethora of reasons why I wouldn't want to watch a tribe of 80 and 90 year olds, and the talk of "our work ethic or life style is so much better than theirs" would be through the roof.  

I still think the main reason why we have these silly labels is because they no longer name seasons after the locations, then they do their darnedest to sell us on the idea that the labels make a difference, until they shuffle the tribes then the labels fizzle out.  

[ratgirlagogo]

28 minutes ago, needschocolate said:

I still think the main reason why we have these silly labels is because they no longer name seasons after the locations, then they do their darnedest to sell us on the idea that the labels make a difference, until they shuffle the tribes then the labels fizzle out.  

I realized during Cook Islands (the amazing Race War season, much criticized when it was announced) that the whole point was that when everyone started seriously trying to win the million dollars, any kind of ethnic solidarity would go directly into the toilet and and it would become every person for themselves and God (in this case the producers) against all.  The same will be true with this bullshit generational thing, just as it has turned out to be for EVERY supposed hot button rivalry they've used.  It's one of the great pleasures of the show for me.

[KimberStormer]

7 hours ago, Charlesman said:

 

I personally prefer Gen X as up to '75, and Millennials as post-'81, with the middle ground transition as the "Carter Kids" born 76-81, too young to identify with 'Slackers' when it came out, too old to have watched Lizzie McGuire. Used a typewriter, got your first email address in college, wasn't old enough to go to a Nirvana show by yourself.

 

I think when casting they may have tried to make sure those borderline people around '83 on the show also had personalities that matched the construct they were trying to enforce, so maybe sliding the terms around is fine if the people picked fit the molds.

Yeah, me too, I've heard it called several things, including Generation Catalano as I referred to before.  (My So-Called Life was like my actual life because I was exactly the age of the characters when it was first airing.  My best friend was born within hours of Claire Danes.)  There is a late-70s trough between the humongous Boomer wave (Gen-X was a spike at the end of that) and the much smaller echo boom of the late 80s/90s.  (And it's been all downhill from there, birthrate-wise.)  I definitely feel between those generations, not a part of either one.  Generation X were the cool older people I looked up to as a kid, how can I be one of them?  Yet Ken is even younger than me D:  I mean the whole concept of generations is kind of absurd, but like, I didn't watch Schoolhouse Rock, man.  That's someone else's nostalgia, not mine.  But nobody at college had a cell phone either.

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't know why they bother with these dumb tribe names instead of just calling them Tribe Gen-X and Tribe Millennial. Even Jeff is calling them GenX and Millennial, not whatever dumb name is written on their camp sign.

@Silver Raven has it; in a few episodes they will swap and the entire generations conceit will be completely forgotten until the reunion, when Jeff will insist it explains everything about the season and the winner, whoever it is, will be held up as the perfect representative of their respective generation.

3 hours ago, MattDuffysCat said:

 Worst welcome to the "real world" ever.

I graduated college and moved to Lower Manhattan in August, 2001.  GENERATION CATALANO WINS AGAIN

[mertensia]

Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

On 9/22/2016 at 10:10 AM, Lamima said:

As a gen X (1973) mom of 3 millennials (1997 and twins-1999) I am liking the theme a little bit. Watching with my kids is fun (we argue with each other and root for our peeps). Yes, there are some similarities (we were thought of as lazy and spoiled when younger too) but there ARE differences between the generations. Not everyone can be labeled by their generation, I get that, but it does seem that with each new generation folks remain dependent kids longer and harder than the previous generation. We were grown by around 21 but now 26 year olds are still called kids. At 23, I was graduated from college, working, married with a baby on the way and a house bought at 24. My nephew is 23 and has not graduated college yet, is in an apartment his parents pay for with furniture they bought and a car they bought. I think I was an outlier though as most of my friends were not married with kids until 30s but at 23 they were graduated, working and providing their own housing and car.

Aren't '98 or later another generation? :-o

I have to say as a current 30 year old, it's a little harder to afford a house in your early 20s these days depending on what you do and where you live, especially for people who aren't married/partnered-for-life yet and don't have dual-incomes. Same with having kids - it's kind of an expensive life decision :) I even have genX friends who still can't afford to or want to "settle down" with a house, 2.5 kids and a car or two. And a lot of people grew up with divorced parents and broken households from previous generations, so there might be more hesitancy to jump into marriage. A lot of people also delay a lot of these expected milestones because they might go back to school for a higher degree for hopes of a higher paying job, and going to grad school is both time-consuming and money-consuming. 

I'm pretty sure as long as I live in the bay area and stay single, I'll probably never be able to buy even a shack, and I definitely don't plan on having kids (being an aunt is enough and cheaper!) But that's the price I pay for living here, and I'll put up with that for a while longer at least to call this place home.

I think a lot of millennials were coddled too much by their parents who are enablers - why move out if your mom and dad will pay for your life's expenses? I have a friend who is 27 and still lives with her parents, but she sure has saved thousands of dollars in rent money, than those of us who don't, ha! 

Edited September 24, 2016 by MattDuffysCat

[Haleth]

16 hours ago, Nashville said:

And which one of the brainiacs on Tribe Millennial listed one of his life achievements as having "gone to North Dakota?"

While there he snapped some whips.

(Something about that image of idle young men sitting around snapping whips makes me laugh.)

Yeah, I don't expect the labels to mean much after a shake up or merge, except Jeff will continue to insist there is a significance to how individuals behave based on age.  These labels are meant to imply the current edition of the game is NEW! and IMPROVED! but it always falls into the same old routine.  The producers hope and pray they've picked a couple characters who will differentiate each season from the last and make it memorable, because that's what we remember most.  

Edited September 24, 2016 by Haleth

[NutMeg]

Yeah, well, this season has started slow for me. Despite the length of the first episode, there are still people I know nothing about (there was that smiling guy coming to the challenge, I'm sure I had not seen him before).

I know it will pick up, and I hope the gimmick will go dead, although in past seaasons Jeff made it a point of not letting it die, and sometimes, especially when the cast is new/not savvy, they (the cast) let it stick and even embrace it (very silly. Has it ever helped anyone so far to stay true to it? It rather seems to me that the winners exploited this artificial dichotomy that some were buying into. I'm sure my memory is faulty and someone will remind us of counterexamples).

I wish the evacuation had been treated differently: either don't tell us until after the wrap, of show us where they go (Ponderosa before Ponderosa? Fance hotel? Ugly warehouse? I want to know) and how they interact there, and how that change of surroundings impacts on them. As it was, it seems to me like a big (time consuming) drama for nought. Although there was the nice bat parallel, wrapping itself in and waiting to weather the storm. This coming from someone who has an irrational fear of bats, heh!

Interesting that Michelle resonated with so many - I feel like she could go far, she has this laugh that is so natural that she could work it. Instantly relatable. Other people I find interesting: Hannah, Mari, Zake, Jessica, David, basically means those we were shown, with a few others shown but not interesting so far. I hope there are Survivor savants somewhere hidden about the rest deemed less deserving of talking heads in the first episode. The more contenders, the merrier, as far as I'm concerned.

For the future, if we must have themes, I vote for favorite colors. Red vs. blue for the first batch (action vs. thought, maybe?), they we go more subtle purple vs. orange (maybe ambition vs. passion? original minds vs. blood red Americans?), before moving to gold vs. silver/platinum (which team wants it more/is the classier?) and then of course the ultimate Black vs. White.

Then after that we move to stones. Precious or non precious? then Ruby, Sapphire and Amethyst (would be nice, because in theory one team is between the other two - we could have villains, heroes, and none of the above). Opal or tiger's eye (newbies). Etc. What I mean I've just realized is that a random pairing based on random criteria would make more sense to me that what they have going now. At least initially it would be more balanced.

I like the idea that Survivor contestants have a game plan that goes beyond the season and sometimes play for that goal as well as (or even more so that) for the actual game. In that respect, I posited that David had an additional agenda, and I put my ramblings in the Speculation thread.

One last thing: As David writes for Tv (right?). I'll quote this:

"I tell writers, especially those trying to break in, write from your soul. That way, the powers that be may sense something they like in your script, something they want to use. [...] You must communicate your soul to the audience and move that audience as a whole. Whatever journey you want to take your audience on, you must decide as some point where you want to take them, how to take them there, and then take them there. But always remember, as a screenwriter, you are a builder of plots, complete actions that can move a viewer to new heights of emotions, and hence give clarity and insights into being human, which is the sum total of all the actions a person must take to register as a part of the universe." (from Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters, Michael Tierno)  (italics his)      

[riverheightsnancy]

On 9/23/2016 at 1:36 PM, tvfanatic13 said:

Sorry Probst. 1963 is baby boomer, not Gen X. I don't think I am going to like this season. I hope I am wrong.

Agree. I am a 1964 and while I really do not identify with Baby Boomers, I also do not identify with the GenXer's either. I used to run a music store during th e 1990s when Pearl Jam and Nirvana were popular and the Friends TV show was too, I could not relate. I was sort of beyond that Seattle Grunge thing. I felt too old to be in that generation. Sigh, I am a part of a "lost" generation. 

[Blissfool]

If that pretty-bro millennial could stop picking his teeth with a bamboo stick as Jeff announced the evacuation, it would be great.

My son, the millennial, instantly recognized the YouTube Smosh girl. Me, not so much.

Whenever an older person brings up the f-ed up "everyone gets a trophy" mentality, it makes me think....."aren't  we, the Gen-Xers, guilty of giving the trophies out for participation? Another example, we complain that kids nowadays are disrespectful and lazy. Well, aren't WE the ones raising these miscreants?