S33.E07: I Will Destroy You

[Guest]

On 11/3/2016 at 11:17 AM, wings707 said:

Brett the funeral director, yuh.  "Ok youse guys I am here to give yous comfort.  Have a set down I maybe get you some coffee or guide you witch your grief."  

BWAHAHAHA.  

I had to laugh at... was it Hannah who asked if he did funeral directing like "one family at a time"?   Um, what?  I wish he would've said, "We have great group rates.  Find another recently grieving family or four and we'll just combine things... group casket, group service, group ashes... you name it!"  

On 11/3/2016 at 11:28 AM, Alapaki said:

Well, that's my assumption. 

But I bet she just fucking crushes it, like the Steve Jobs of Del Boca Vista Phase II!

You guys are killing me with the comedy. 

Maybe she's the Michael Jordan of Disney Vacation Villas.  I can see her manning the little sales kiosk in the walkway at California Adventure.  (Because she's cute and outgoing, not a racial slur.)

23 hours ago, jumper sage said:

She is one great specimen of a human.  You go genetics.

I know, she has a veritable jackpot of beloved traits in both American society and the Survivor microcosm-- gorgeous, smart, strong, fit, youthful.  I know it's notable that she is also of the minority race out there but I think compared to say a Debbie or Tai, she was dealt a pretty good Survivor hand. 

Edited November 4, 2016 by Guest

[AliShibaz]

13 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

Kudos to Taylor for not being the whiny little shit that Zeke and Adam were when they didn't get their way. The way he treated Adam right afterwards was a complete 180 degrees from the "don't talk to us because we're mad" shit they pulled on Hannah. Again, fuck Adam and Zeke. 

Zeke is a little man with a big mouth (and when I say, "little", I'm not talking about his height). I strongly doubt he will make it much further in this game.

Do you remember a recent confessional in which Zeke made fun of one of the members of some other tribe who was good to Zeke's tribe?

Who behaves that way? In the game of  Survivor, do you really think it's a good move to piss on one of your allies? I don't think that works out too well for much of the game. Zeke has just got almost nothing of what it takes to go deep into this game.

[iMonrey]

Quote

 I also don't think Jay would have made that move had Michaela been a man

Possibly not, but we have no way of knowing that. I think Michaela's main problem isn't that she was a woman who was a threat to Jay, but that she was not originally on Team Fig-Tayls and  her "Bye Felicia" remark reminded him she had no allegiance to his core alliance. So another man, similarly outside his alliance and equally athletic and strategic, might very well have been equally a target for Jay.

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Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe these are Probst words before he tallies the votes, "after I read the votes, the person voted out will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately."  So, why was Michaela allowed to confront Jay and then menacingly stare him down? 

Are you kidding? You think Jeff Probst wasn't wetting himself over this great TV moment?

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I think Jeff would argue that 'white and male privilege' being a part of the show is true, and it's support for his claim that the show is a microcosm of society.

Jeff Probst and any other reality show producer who says that is full of shit.  These contestants aren't drawn at random, pulled off the streets. They are carefully screened and auditioned to make sure they fit the specific roles the show wants them to play. The reason we're always asking "why does this always seem to happen" in regards to so much of the game is because the show always picks the exact same type of people. They've got some formula nailed down based on market research and focus groups that they've determined makes the "best TV."

Edited November 3, 2016 by iMonrey

[AliShibaz]

26 minutes ago, CloudySky said:

He was even trying to use it wrt Brett and Sunday. Uhm, if your head is on the chopping block and you and the whole tribe know it, it's not a blindside Jeff.

I probably would have enjoyed this blindside if I didn't like Michaela so much. Regardless, this move was way too soon and I think it's gonna cost Jay. He has a chance because he still has the idol and a few people in his corner if he reconnects with Taylor and Michelle, but he'll need to win immunity A LOT.

There haven't been too many memorable (in a good way) potential returnees in the last couple of seasons but Jay and Michaela are contenders and it would be classic survivor to pit them against each other in a new season. Jeff probably wet his pants during that staredown and has their season all planned out already.

I don't know how this has played out over the history of this game. But it sure does seem logical to me that a poor player with an idol is not really much better than a poor player without an idol.

I would guess that being able to use an idol successfully, would depend on many difficult factors. A player would surely need to have a fairly good social game in order to find out just when the tribe was about to vote them out. Seems to me that inexperienced or foolish players holding an idol are right up against the wall when it comes time for them to use their idol. Knowing when to use the idol seems like a skill that would require a whole lot of skills - "all of which need to work in harmony". (quote from Tom Selleck's movie, "Mr. Baseball" - a nice little film).

Edited November 3, 2016 by AliShibaz

[ghoulina]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Yeah, her stock went down a little there, for me.  Jeff even kept saying there were only SIX possible combinations.  I understand they're exhausted and all else but it was a pretty simple puzzle

I'm beginning to think Michelle is someone who is not good under pressure. And she screwed up the last time she was responsible for something (puzzle), so that probably places even more pressure on her. It's all in her head. 

 

1 hour ago, Oholibamah said:

That said, choosing women to go over a similarly positioned man (Rachel over David, Mari over Zeke/Adam, Figgy over Taylor) is a consistent theme in Survivor that goes back to the beginning. I also don't think Jay would have made that move had Michaela been a man, and I do think white privilege and male privilege are a problem with this show. But that is a discussion for another thread. 

I don't know. I think they're just looking at people as individuals. Out of Sunday/Brett - they were going to choose Brett. Because they thought he might be shady and Sunday was far less threatening. The girls on the Gen-X tribe outed a man before the men could do the same to them. Getting Mari out was a plan hatched by other WOMEN. Figgy was more threatening than Taylor. (Hell, a dried up old piece of driftwood would be more threatening than Taylor.) I don't know, I respect everyone's perspective, but this season I don't see any prejudices behind the decisions to oust people. 

[laurakaye]

24 minutes ago, jumper sage said:

I think Probst is afraid of her.  It is too bad she had to leave but she did give the "speech" that seems to doom the speaker.  I loved her but that was some good tv right there.

 

Heck, I was afraid of her and I was watching it from the comfort of my couch.

[MissEwa]

From an editing/structural point of view, that was such an interesting episode. On the one hand, it was the classic 'inevitable downfall' story, where there's a hell of a lot of foreshadowing and every confessional leaves you thinking 'no! don't say that out loud!' except that the downfall-ee in those cases usually comes off looking like a bit of an ass, so their vote-out is satisfying as hell. But Michaela's gotten such a positive edit (YMMV, obviously, but I think the intention has been positive) that I was sitting there in a Hannah-like-state at the end. 

I think I'm on team 'bad move', as much as I see the arguments for getting rid of Michaela. I don't actually think Michaela would have been a bitter jury member though. She would have been hella pissed for the first night at Ponderosa, and then she would have gotten over it and respected the move. She's intense and focussed, but she's also been shown as having a sense of humour about herself and the game, IMO. 

I'm always trying to get people into Survivor and I keep coming up against this whole argument that it's so obviously rigged. This is one of those results that proves otherwise, IMO. Production might lead people to idols and skew tribal divisions and run challenges that favour some players over the other, but at the end of the day, they can't control the vote. It's why I love Survivor, and why sometimes I hate it. 

[Alapaki]

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He was even trying to use it wrt Brett and Sunday. Uhm, if your head is on the chopping block and you and the whole tribe know it, it's not a blindside Jeff.

That's the kind of shit that drives me crazy about Probst, and one of the reason why when it comes to him, I'm strictly hate-watching.  I think he said, paraphrasing "whatever happens tonight someone is getting blind-sided".  No, Jeff.  Two of the people in front of you fully expect to be voted out.  There's a 33.3% chance that the person who gets voted out absolutely anticipates it.  

Quote

 

I think Jeff would argue that 'white and male privilege' being a part of the show is true, and it's support for his claim that the show is a microcosm of society.

Quote

Jeff Probst and any other reality show producer who says that is full of shit. 

 

I think you're both right.  It would be complete bullshit because the show is cast from an extremely thin demographic slice of America.  However, the OP is correct that Probst, Burnett, et al are 100% committed to selling the lie that this show is some "GRAND SOCIAL EXPERIMENT" which will yield profound insights into the human psyche.  Or, in other words, Point The Second in my "Fuck Off, Probst" Thesis.

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I would guess that being able to use an idol successfully, would depend on many difficult factors. A player would surely need to have a fairly good social game in order to find out just when the tribe was about to vote them out. Seems to me that inexperienced or foolish players holding an idol are right up against the wall when it comes time for them to use their idol. Knowing when to use the idol seems like a skill that would require a whole lot of skills - "all of which need to work in harmony". (quote from Tom Selleck's movie, "Mr. Baseball" - a nice little film).

The thing is, players lately have become so risk-averse regarding HIIs that they are reluctant to vote against anyone whom they even suspect might have one, unless they have enough numbers to split the vote.  So I guess my point is that HIIs have a pretty strong deterrent power regardless of the strategic prowess of the players who hold them.

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I don't know, I respect everyone's perspective, but this season I don't see any prejudices behind the decisions to oust people. 

I agree.  We saw a number of red-flags that Michaela waved to put a target on her own back.  Her shell/rock/sand diagram was a case in point.  First of all, it's kind of hilarious that Jay found her pontificating to be so fucking brilliant, apparently awed by the imposing power of . . . addition.  But, ultimately, Michaela wasn't being that smart at all.  The argument that "it doesn't matter whether Brett or Sunday goes" is absurd.  Sure, from a pure numbers perspective, if you assume the original Milliennial/Gen-X grouping will get back together post-merge (an assumption that the pre-merge TCs thus far seriously called into question), then, yes.  She's right.  But numbers aren't everything.  You have to give at least some consideration to the make up of each alliance.  And, ultimately, if Michaela's conclusion was that it truly didn't matter whether Brett or Sunday went home, then the ideal strategy is "shut the fuck up and let someone else make that call".

[Guest]

It'd be interesting to see Michaela play again.  I think she'd be different.  Her comments in exit interviews make it sound like she maybe watched some Survivor in between having played it and her season airing.  

[Subrookie]

I guess I find myself in the minority here not being a fan of Micaela. I started out as one but she seemed aggressive the last two episodes. Not to be confused with competitive, I'd be ok with that, but two episodes ago she was somewhat rude during the challenge and when she got voted out she pulled that even more intense than Sue Hawk stare down. 

I'm sure she'll get asked back in a later season and I appreciate her competitiveness but she was too intense for me. I found myself wondering after the vote if Survivor had security on set. I can't remember ever thinking that about anyone other than Brandon  Hantz before. 

Edited November 3, 2016 by Subrookie

[Ms Blue Jay]

Oh goodness. Michaela made no threats or threatening movements towards anyone.  Except the tree.  I understand some people don't like her demeanor.  That's fine.  But the comparison to Brandon Hantz?  God almighty.  All of this fear talk about Michaela makes me uncomfortable.  I never felt for one second she was going to hurt somebody.   She was betrayed and shocked and she showed it.  She's human.  It was just a lot of staring, saying Jay's name, and calling him stupid.    Jay was clearly unafraid, and he was on the receiving end of it.  Even Will just sat there owning it.

Edited November 3, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[TV Anonymous]

  3 hours ago, Jersey Guy 87 said:

One of her teammates said it - she had a meltdown.  I don't think anyone got the combination on the first try, there were a limited number of combinations to try you just had to be methodical about it.  She flipped out for no good reason.

Yeah, her stock went down a little there, for me.  Jeff even kept saying there were only SIX possible combinations.  I understand they're exhausted and all else but it was a pretty simple puzzle.  Try the 42 in the first slot, then swap the other two, then try the 42 in the second slot, then swap the other two, then try it in the third slot, swap the other two.  

Hey, that's 9 iterations, not 6...?  3 numbers, 3 slots... 3x3=9.  Where was he getting six from?  

It reminded me of the Harlem Globetrotter taking a 3-hour penalty on TAR when he couldn't unscramble a 5-letter word.  There are only so many possibilities!  

  3 hours ago, Adeejay said:

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe these are Probst words before he tallies the votes, "after I read the votes, the person voted out will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately."  So, why was Michaela allowed to confront Jay and then menacingly stare him down?  I can well imagine the uproar had it been someone else. 

He actually let her interrupt his reading of the votes to comment and stare-down.  He paused for her and didn't read the final vote til after the stare-down.  

There are only 6 iterations. I do not remember the numbers exactly and I assume that the internal order in the numbers itself cannot be changed - '42' can not be flipped to '24'. With 3 sets of numbers we have AA, BB and CC. The possibilities are:

AA BB CC
AA CC BB
BB AA CC
BB CC AA
CC AA BB
CC BB AA

Six iterations only.

[spiderpig]

I was glad to see Michaela get sent home.  I don't care how could contestants are in challenges if they're perpetual sourpusses.

I've had enough of that in my career.  This is TV.  If I don't like you, you may go home any time now.  Buh-bye.

[ghoulina]

17 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

I was glad to see Michaela get sent home.  I don't care how could contestants are in challenges if they're perpetual sourpusses.

But the thing is, I don't think she WAS a perpetual sourpuss. I think she was harsh during challenges, but otherwise a fun person to have around. She seemed to cut up a lot around camp and make people laugh. And someone (Jay?) commented on what a positive person she was to have on their tribe. 

[ljenkins782]

Quote

 

I can certainly see the argument that Jay blew up his own game by voting Michaela out but on the flip side: 1. any time someone comes out like a general on a battlefield and starts making physical tactical maps, you have to consider whether or not it's a good idea to keep them around, even if they're on your side at the moment, 2. keeping a "shield" has backfired in the past - when the moment comes that they don't win, there are often other fish to fry and you may not get enough chances to try again, and 3. it's possible that the other Millennials will react with a "whew, thanks for taking care of that for us" instead of seeing it as a reason to distrust Jay.

And I have not liked Jay much this season, but I was absolutely floored (in a positive way) by his reaction to Michaela after the vote. Steady, straightforward, and not smug.

 

I think there's enough evidence on either side that it could end up being a great move or a terrible one and that's interesting enough to keep me watching. 

The fact that Michaela had just gotten done pissing off Taylor (with her glee at Figgy being gone) plus Jay's tailor-made sheep (and goat if he continues to not do anything noteworthy) Will being firmly in Jay's pocket plus Jay's relationship with Michelle (and Michelle's already noted that Michaela is a threat and one to watch) AND the fact that he just saved Brett and Sunday, losing Michaela may not mean anything to his numbers game. Zeke's and Adam's relationship to Michaela is unclear, so that leaves Hannah as the lone millenial who is definitely rocked by this vote. 

As for needing a shield, there are other strong players left, like Ken and Chris, who are both challenge threats as well. So it may have been a mistake, but maybe not. 

I loved his reaction to her and honestly, what could she do to him at that point? Too many people around for it to get physical and her not being on the jury means she can't affect his game now. 

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And I was irritated at Adam's simpering explanations to Taylor regarding Figgy.  Telling Tayls that "I totally and completely screwed you over and thanks to me, your game is now total crap" doesn't do anything but make Tayls even more ticked off than he already was.  Adam could take a lesson or two from Jay on "How to Own Your Vote."

Adam is such a dork and since he's the superfan (right?), I felt like he was trying to create a Survivor moment for himself. That speech was so stilted and so pointless. Taylor KNOWS you screwed him, sitting him down and telling him over and over that you screwed him, lied to him, and YOU, ADAM did all of that was completely unnecessary and strange. Was he reliving some high school experience where he wanted revenge on the popular kid but didn't have any power and this was his chance? 

Quote

 

It was not so much as she forgot as she was still in shock. She doesnt address it either way in her Day After video but Fishbach (who played just a year ago) said that Michaela could have said it and he should know the rules I would think.

Also, as mentioned earlier, Eliza already did it in S16.

 

Eliza wasn't voted out yet when she outed Ozzy's idol, she did that after Jeff threw "the fucking stick" fake idol into the fire, but before the votes were read. 

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If Michaela wants to get rich someday, she's going to need either a personality transplant or a new career.  She does vacation rental sales?  I can see her blocking the exit doors at a time share sales luncheon.  "What do you mean you're not buying a time share today?!?  Are you fucking stupid?  Did you not just sit through my amazing presentation?!  You said when you signed up you were interested!   Don't you realize I'm not going to get rich if you don't buy this stupid time share like you're supposed to!?!"  

I liked Michaela, but I have to agree that time share salesperson (or any salesperson at all) doesn't seem like a good fit for her. At all. She strikes me as the kind of person you have to get to know before she'll warm up and schmoozing/fake bonding with strangers is the name of the sales game. Jay would actually be excellent at that, lol. 

Poor Michelle at that reward, those guys were disgusting. I can understand that the amount of food may cause gastrointestinal issues, but sitting next to people are still eating and openly farting? Gross. 

[spiderpig]

2 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

But the thing is, I don't think she WAS a perpetual sourpuss. I think she was harsh during challenges, but otherwise a fun person to have around. She seemed to cut up a lot around camp and make people laugh. And someone (Jay?) commented on what a positive person she was to have on their tribe. 

I respect your observations, ghoulina.  I tend to zone out during the endless talky-talky parts.  Just basing on what I see in the challenges. :-)

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, TV Anonymous said:

There are only 6 iterations. I do not remember the numbers exactly and I assume that the internal order in the numbers itself cannot be changed - '42' can not be flipped to '24'. With 3 sets of numbers we have AA, BB and CC. The possibilities are:

AA BB CC
AA CC BB
BB AA CC
BB CC AA
CC AA BB
CC BB AA

Six iterations only.

Yes, thanks.  Did you miss the three posts from 3 hours ago that covered that?  

[Calamity Jane]

I really liked Michaela, and I lean towards this being too early to vote her off for it to work well for Jay.  It was, nonetheless, a very satisfying blindside, and almost rose to the level of the ultimate, when someone leaves with an idol in the pocket.  I will miss her, though - beautiful, strong, smart, but just not quite strategic enough, alas.  And wow, I think she could stop an insurrection with that death stare.  As a teacher, I developed a pretty good stink eye, but Michaela could quell a riot.  

[Hera]

18 hours ago, Gummo said:

I'm quite enjoying this season. I actually know who's who, there's no psychos, and Production's twists have been **gasp** entertaining.

I agree. There is no one on this season who I think is completely awful, so that puts it well ahead of the last few of seasons. I also think the editing this season has been good at not letting one player completely take over the show. The first few episodes tilted strongly towards David, but they seem to have eased off of that and, with only a couple of exceptions (Sunday and Bret), I feel like I have a good grasp of the kind of game everyone is trying to play at the moment.

I'm looking forward to the merge and want to see what happens when David, Zeke, Jay, and Adam go up against each other (with three idols spread out among them). I sincerely doubt that this season has a larger than usual number of people who are actively trying to build alliances and control their fates in the game, but it sure feels that way because we're being shown more of it. I don't really care if people play badly; I just want to see them play.

Re: the hidden immunity idol: I'm glad to see people using it to build alliances, though in Jay's case, he didn't have a choice, at least as far as his "alliance" with Michaela was concerned. I think there probably is something to the speculation that he was eager to get her out in part because he never intended to tell her about the idol and was worried she'd tell other people or that she'd expect him to use it to save her down the line. Now it's just Jay and Will who know about it, as he intended.

17 hours ago, NYCFree said:

I find Jessica weirdly untrustful.  She did it first with Ken, when he gave her the news that she was being targeted, she disbelieved him to the extent she went directly up to the targeter to ask if it was true.  No trustworthy answer can come from that question.  Now with Adam having clearly sided with the Gen Xers over the Millenials, she chooses to think of Taylor as more open and trustworthy than the guy who just publicly committed himself to your alliance.

As others have said, it's because she thinks (correctly, in my opinion) that Taylor is more easily led than Adam, but you are right that Jessica seems unusually suspicious, and in a way that can't be entirely put down to her having previously been targeted by someone she thought she could trust. She was suspicious of Paul over an off-hand response he made to a hypothetical situation about an all-male alliance (which, it turned out, hadn't occurred to anyone but her). Maybe because she's willing to turn on people for tenuous reasons, she thinks everyone else is, too? I think Ken and maybe David have earned her trust forever for trying to warn her and then saving her, but it's not clear how anyone is supposed to build trust with her outside of those very specific circumstances.

[Oholibamah]

3 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Choosing the old to go over the young is also a consistent outcome.  I think both are going to be part of any game where the challenges are largely physical and the athletic ability of your tribe is your only security for the first half.  

I think Jeff would argue that 'white and male privilege' being a part of the show is true, and it's support for his claim that the show is a microcosm of society.  You can't remove these things from Survivor anymore than you can from society.  You never know if the reason someone didn't win is their race, gender, age, personality or a hundred other things.  The players themselves may not know for sure, as they're casting votes.  Whichever traditionally negative traits you enter with, you need to compensate some other way.  Women have won, old people have, blacks have, virtually every type has.  

I think we need to be careful about labelling certain identities as "traditionally negative traits" and think about why they are seen as negative.

Society sucks. Sure, the show is a microcosm of such, but that isn't an excuse for why its particularly repulsive aspects are being replicated before my very eyes. At the very least, it provides a chance to talk about these macro issues instead of sweeping them under the rug. 

[Guest]

Yeah, I should've put negative in quotes.  I wasn't implying black is traditionally negative, just that it's viewed as a hindrance in the context of this discussion, in the context of Survivor seasons where most of your tribe is white.  Like being over 40 is not a negative in the real world but it is on Survivor.  

[violet and green]

Sorry to see her go as she was entertaining to watch. A lot of balled up violence in that woman from day one on this show. That was one rage-filled intimidating death stare. Scarier than a straight-out punch in the face, in my experience. What a strange season this is. Thank God for Zeke and Ken.

[LadyChatts]

I tend to agree with those who say it's just a coincidence that it's been all women (and women of color) who've made up the pre merge group.  So far there's been actual reasons for voting the women out.  It hasn't been the strongest group of ladies, and really the only strong players I've seen voted off were Mari and Michaela.  While I still think voting Michaela out wasn't in Jays best interest just yet, I get why he did it.  I hope it comes back to bite him in the ass, but I get it.  

[seacliffsal]

I think Michaela made a huge mistake in her big explanation to her alliance members.  Not only was she explaining basic math, she used shells and rocks to help them visualize what she was saying.  And, she downplayed the selection process of who they should vote out.  All of which, when combined, implies that she thought her alliance members were stupid.  Not only was it insulting, it lent support to the idea that she saw herself in charge and that only her opinion mattered.  Adding to this, her satisfaction of Figgy's elimination would be enough to lead one to wonder how loyal to her alliance she actually was; just because she said it would the four of them to the end doesn't mean she meant it.

Also, if Jay was going to vote her out, voting her out before the merge was the time to do it.  I think she would have been a really upset jury member who may try to sway the vote against the person who led the vote out.

I am LOVING this season!

[iMonrey]

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 I think there probably is something to the speculation that he was eager to get her out in part because he never intended to tell her about the idol and was worried she'd tell other people or that she'd expect him to use it to save her down the line. Now it's just Jay and Will who know about it, as he intended.

You're right, I forgot about that part of it. The problem is that we don't necessarily know the real reason why Jay and Will decided to vote her out. The reason we were given, via editing, is that they feared her mad skillz and brains. Which was kind of a nice, flattering edit for her. There may well have been other considerations the show chose not to air. Especially if she's already been marked for an all-stars season, which seems pretty likely. They want to make sure she gets the best "fan favorite" edit.

Edited November 3, 2016 by iMonrey

[peachmangosteen]

7 hours ago, mojoween said:

Now I'm curious why Michaela's shoes weren't on her feet.

 

7 hours ago, AZChristian said:

She had taken them off because she was so supremely confident that she was in control that she wasn't going to need them until they all got up and picked up their torches to head back to camp.  Pride goeth before a fall.

I just rewatched and it looks to me like Michaela has shoes on, so I'm assuming she had two pairs of shoes and happened to forget the pair she wasn't wearing.

[PerfidiousAmber]

12 hours ago, ghoulina said:

(Although, poor Michelle and the male flatulence choir!)

I felt so bad for her! I would have totally reamed those uncouth boors out, I wonder if she held back because she didn't want to make any waves in her position?

[Stinamaia]

I didn't see Michaela as menacing or frightening or anything like that.  She was shocked and her feelings were hurt.  She thought about outing the idol but decided that she didn't want to blow up Jay's game.  She has been nothing but gracious in her exit interviews and feeely admits she made mistakes that led to hater being voted out.  I will miss her. 

[PerfidiousAmber]

12 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

21 hours ago, simplyme said:

No, Brett, it is not true that your only option is for you to write down Sunday's name and Sunday to write down your name. There are a bunch of other options. *headdesk* That's just stupid.

I thought that too until he explained the logic behind it.  In the context of the game with what he knew (taking out what we see that he couldn't be aware of) it sort of made sense.  He's telling Sunday if she votes for anyone in the majority alliance and Brett is voted out then the person she voted for and the rest of that alliance could potentially go after her even harder then they are.  With no changes she could be out next tribal but she has a chance if there's a merge or a tribe switch.  So his logic was they can't break the alliance and to avoid pissing them off they shouldn't write down the name of anyone in that alliance.  He was so convinced that one of them was going home (and without Jay's move that would have happened) that he was looking a few tribal's ahead and using that nights vote to protect either himself or Sunday by not rocking the boat.  I'm not going to defend him and say it was the best strategy in the world but with only two of them and with what looked to him like no other options it wasn't a bad idea to ingratiate themselves even a little with that vote so they could claim "loyalty" later on.

I see the logic of this per se, however I was a little surprised that Bret and Sunday did practically no scrambling at all and basically just let themselves be lambs for slaughter. Did the "Kumbaya" vibe of their tribe really lull them into such a brain-dead state?  Bret's only "strategy" was his obviously unsuccessful attempt at disguising his profession. (Again... why? Some posters have made guesses as to his reasoning but I think it was a dumb idea.) Sunday's only strategy...*crickets chirping*...They were so sheep-like I kept expecting the next words out of their mouths to be "Baaaa". I am most definitely not impressed with their Survivor skills and Sunday in particular can go home any time now.

Edited November 4, 2016 by PerfidiousAmber

[susannot]

I'm completely fucking done with this show.  Really, how racist and sexist  is it?  All minority women voted out before the merge?  Only 4 women left? Mark Burnett is an ultra-conservative Trump supporter.  Over and out.

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

Yea, Jay just gained alot of points with me.  I still love Mr. Broody Ken but I have to respect someone who can make a strong move, is smart enough to see the opportunity and totally owns the moment.  

I would have more respect for that moment and consider really ballsy if Michaela was going to be on the jury and so she was one of the people who would decide whether or not he got a million, if he makes it to the end. She left pre-merge, meaning she quite literally had no more power in the game. 

Quote

 

Even if he honestly believed the rest of the millennials would stick together, by not alerting Hannah, he basically is forsaking her, and an inclination for her to flip would give the other side the numbers at a merge. And if they didn't merge, he would end up numbers down on his own tribe if she flipped.

Right now, Adam and Zeke are in line with the Gen-Xers and he basically just sent Hannah that direction.

 

And before the tribal switch-up, Zeke and Adam were at the bottom with the millennials and scrambling. Adam and Zeke have no reason to be fully loyal to some millennial code if they think siding with the Gen-Xers will further their game. And yes, Hannah and all her anxiety now feels like a fool who can't trust him. At least Michelle told her about the plan to vote out Mari, admittedly AT tribal council but she could still come away thinking she was with them. She won't feel that after that tribal council.

Now granted the Gen-Xers have their own trust issues so they're not a solid group either but the fact is the millennials outnumber them right now going into the merge so they may see it in their best interest to work together and get rid of them. And Jay getting rid of Michaela may have opened up a wide door for them. 

Quote

If Michaela was a guy, and Jay(and Will) saw someone 100% loyal, strong, and strategic, he wouldn't at all be threatened. He would likely feel closer to that person and want to go far with them.

Uh actually many strong men have been booted pre-merge because while the players keep them around early to win challenges, they see them as a threat going into the individual immunity challenges. Just ask Joe about that. I never saw any great strategy from Joe and yet everyone wanted him gone as quickly as possible post-merge because he was too much of a threat in individual immunity challenges and was a nice guy who people figured a jury would vote for. 

Quote

I find Jessica weirdly untrustful.  She did it first with Ken, when he gave her the news that she was being targeted, she disbelieved him to the extent she went directly up to the targeter to ask if it was true.  No trustworthy answer can come from that question.  Now with Adam having clearly sided with the Gen Xers over the Millenials, she chooses to think of Taylor as more open and trustworthy than the guy who just publicly committed himself to your alliance.

IA. It's the curse of overthinking in this game. Everyone's trying so hard to be this great strategist that they sometimes make things a lot more complicated than they need to be. Her whole "Taylor is too dumb to have any strategy and so I believe everything he says because he's too dumb to lie" was funny because Taylor was completely full of shit when saying he had no alliance and loyalty on the other side.

Taylor is the one who was still in the numbers with the other millennials, not Adam, who like Zeke was at the bottom before the switch-up came. And if Jessica is as smart as she thinks she is, she'd realize that based on Figgy's reaction to Michelle being saved and realize that what Adam said to them about the group and the numbers was true. 

Quote

And, by the way, on Joe's season 2 (I didn't see his first season) they were gunning for him and when they got to merge they had a hard time getting rid of him because he was a beast at IC (how many did he win in a row?). 

He only won two in a row but when he lost the first time, Spencer and Kelly decided to blindside Steven instead. Joe was not this great challenge monster post-merge. Good sure but he didn't immunity win his way to victory like Mike did. 

By the way, speaking of Spencer, all season I have not been able to stop thinking about how he would have done on this season, particularly because he would have been in the millennial tribe. 

Quote

Second, Michaela needed to pipe down some (I think her reaction to Figgs being voted out probably rubbed Jay wrong)

I sincerely doubt Jay cared. Jay was the one who was all ready to go with the plan to boot Figgs until Michelle laid it out to him how that would be bad for them long term. 

Quote

I'm completely fucking done with this show.  Really, how racist and sexist  is it?  All minority women voted out before the merge?  Only 4 women left? Mark Burnett is an ultra-conservative Trump supporter.  Over and out.

Survivor is the reality show that has probably had the most diverse group of winners - women, men, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, gay, old and young have all won Survivor. I think the only winner they've never had is a mentally handicapped person but I could be wrong because I missed a few seasons. And the ratio of male to female winners throughout the show's history is 17-12. I really hate the immediate cries of racism when people of color are voted off a show because in my opinion, it starts to cheapen a very real and serious issue. 

Edited November 4, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[Haleth]

I like Michaela and hope we see her again but that stare down was epic. "Yeah, I did that."  I like someone who takes responsibility for his actions in this game rather than snivel and apologize.  (Looking at you, Adam.)

[PerfidiousAmber]

I really can't say for sure at this point whether Jay's decision to oust Michaela so soon was the right or wrong thing to do, too many variables. However, I think that Michaela definitely overplayed her hand with that little strategy session. I would have been going "Whoa.." in my mind too. Contrast her approach with her alliance members with Boston Rob's subtlety.
She was definitely not devious enough. (This is not a bad thing in itself as a personality trait, just an observation for the game.)

[Ms Blue Jay]

32 minutes ago, susannot said:

I'm completely fucking done with this show.  Really, how racist and sexist  is it?  All minority women voted out before the merge?  Only 4 women left? Mark Burnett is an ultra-conservative Trump supporter.  Over and out.

Good for you.  I genuinely admire your convictions.

I'll see how I feel next week because I don't know.  So far I don't have your strength of will.

I think ignoring people's race and gender (and other things) when it comes to their circumstances in any sort of social 'experiment' like this one is more harmful than not.  It's interesting and important to think about.  (Not saying that this thread is the place for it.)  Sorry, but to me it's not at all a coincidence.  I'm not calling any players outright racist or sexist -- it is so much more complex than that.

[green]

9 hours ago, AliShibaz said:

Zeke is a little man with a big mouth (and when I say, "little", I'm not talking about his height). I strongly doubt he will make it much further in this game.

Do you remember a recent confessional in which Zeke made fun of one of the members of some other tribe who was good to Zeke's tribe?

Who behaves that way? In the game of  Survivor, do you really think it's a good move to piss on one of your allies? I don't think that works out too well for much of the game. Zeke has just got almost nothing of what it takes to go deep into this game.

Funny because Zeke is my pick to win the whole thing. 

He recovered nicely with the tribal swap and has pretty strong connections with both Chris and David now to add to his Adam one.  Heck David even told him about his idol.  And through them he has semi-connections now with Ken and Jessica as well as Brett and Sunday.  And even screwed over Hannah will likely want to join his "side."  They all form a very loose alliance against the now Michaela-shieldless Jay Gang.  (Yes Jay, YOU are now the face of that alliance and everyone will be targeting you first last and foremost and your idol can only save you once).

Anyway Zeke sits like a spider at the center of all these web of people vs The Jay Gang.  And he will not be seen as an immunity threat.  He will totally fall under the radar for some time to come.  He is good to go for a long time in this game unless he suddenly freaks out and goes crazy or gets injured or something.  He is not on anyone's radar to vote out and has strong allies in David, Chris and Adam and through them with all the others.

So we got The Jay Gang of Jay, Will and probably Taylor and possibly Michelle.  Though Michelle could see the writing on the wall and try and make side deals with her latest tribe members.

We have the Gen-Xer's who should be smart enough to set any differences aside enough to take out at least one if not two of the above before they start attacking each other.

And we have Zeke, Adam and now screwed over Hannah seeing openings more with the Gen-Xers.  Once The Jay Gang is honed down some then all the marbles start to roll around and anything can happen which means that Zeke, Adam and Hannah won't just be at the bottom of some Revenge of the Gen-Xers scenario alliance. And of the three Zeke has his hands in the most pots of possible mini-alliances. 

Of course if Jessica and her paranoia screw things up all bets are off.  Though I don't see how simple-minded Taylor will remain "loyal" to her once the merge happens and he can go back to his home boy, Jay.

Edited November 4, 2016 by green

[MerBearHou]

I've watched 99% of the Survivor seasons and Jay staring straight and unflinchingly at Michaela and saying "yeah I did" was one of my favorite moments of all time.  Who knows, maybe his vote wasn't smart for him in the long run, but in that moment I had mad respect for him and his guts.

[MerBearHou]

Deleted - double post - who knows why

Edited November 4, 2016 by MerBearHou

[SlackerInc]

8 hours ago, brilliantbreakfast said:

In any litter of puppies, there is always one who is timid and scared.  Usually it's the runt of the litter, but not always.  Every time I look at Ken, I think of him as part of a litter of puppies where the other two are Jon Hamm and Colin Donnell (of Chicago Med and The Affair fame).  The breed is called Blue Eyed Chiseled Jaw Hunk.  Jon Hamm is the alpha dog of the litter, always mounting the others and taking their toys.  Colin Donnell is the scamp of the litter, the easy-going one who is always getting into mischief.  And Ken is the runt -- the shy, timid dog who seems more like an old dog than a puppy.

Now all those metaphors aside, Michaela.  Waaah!  I LOVE her.  She's strong, smart, funny as hell and drop-dead gorgeous.   I'm straight and I couldn't take my eyes off her.  I hope she gets another chance to play; she deserves it.

I didn't click the heart because I so strongly disagree with you about Michaela.  (Well, she's definitely strong and gorgeous, that much is true.)  But that first paragraph is one of the greatest things ever.

2 hours ago, PerfidiousAmber said:

I felt so bad for her! I would have totally reamed those uncouth boors out, I wonder if she held back because she didn't want to make any waves in her position?

What should they have done?  Maybe this isn't true for some people, but personally if I have eaten a big meal that is causing flatulence, there are going to be several "emissions" per minute, over a period of an hour or two, and there's nothing I can do to hold it back.  Not for more than maybe thirty seconds, at which point there's going to be even more built up.

1 hour ago, susannot said:

Mark Burnett is an ultra-conservative Trump supporter.

This is false.

[Charlesman]

Michaela had no social game. She insisted everyone listen to her plan that proved it didn't matter which GenXer went home. A smarter social player would have realized the same situation, then gone to another person in the alliance and asked them "Who do you want to go home?" Let someone else lead for once. Be the second banana in a meaningless vote, just to keep everyone cool. It was pointless to make such a big display for a meaningless decision. 

[PerfidiousAmber]

1 minute ago, SlackerInc said:

2 hours ago, PerfidiousAmber said:

I felt so bad for her! I would have totally reamed those uncouth boors out, I wonder if she held back because she didn't want to make any waves in her position?

What should they have done?  Maybe this isn't true for some people, but personally if I have eaten a big meal that is causing flatulence, there are going to be several "emissions" per minute, over a period of an hour or two, and there's nothing I can do to hold it back.  Not for more than maybe thirty seconds, at which point there's going to be even more built up.

I'm sorry, but I wasn't brought up to accept flatulence at the "table" to be an acceptable practice. When other people are still eating? No. If they were that badly off they should have excused themselves to go off elsewhere at least a little bit.

[green]

1 hour ago, green said:

Funny because Zeke is my pick to win the whole thing. 

He recovered nicely with the tribal swap and has pretty strong connections with both Chris and David now to add to his Adam one.  Heck David even told him about his idol.  And through them he has semi-connections now with Ken and Jessica as well as Brett and Sunday.  And even screwed over Hannah will likely want to join his "side."  They all form a very loose alliance against the now Michaela-shieldless Jay Gang.  (Yes Jay, YOU are now the face of that alliance and everyone will be targeting you first last and foremost and your idol can only save you once).

Anyway Zeke sits like a spider at the center of all these web of people vs The Jay Gang.  And he will not be seen as an immunity threat.  He will totally fall under the radar for some time to come.  He is good to go for a long time in this game unless he suddenly freaks out and goes crazy or gets injured or something.  He is not on anyone's radar to vote out and has strong allies in David, Chris and Adam and through them with all the others.

So we got The Jay Gang of Jay, Will and probably Taylor and possibly Michelle.  Though Michelle could see the writing on the wall and try and make side deals with her latest tribe members.

We have the Gen-Xer's who should be smart enough to set any differences aside enough to take out at least one if not two of the above before they start attacking each other.

And we have Zeke, Adam and now screwed over Hannah seeing openings more with the Gen-Xers.  Once The Jay Gang is honed down some then all the marbles start to roll around and anything can happen which means that Zeke, Adam and Hannah won't just be at the bottom of some Revenge of the Gen-Xers scenario alliance. And of the three, Zeke has his hands in the most pots of possible mini-alliances. 

Of course if Jessica and her paranoia screw things up all bets are off.  Though I don't see how simple-minded Taylor will remain "loyal" to her once the merge happens and he can go back to his home boy, Jay.

[huahaha]

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Now, the fact that Hannah "read him" as a cop says more about him - not because of his mental prowess, but more likely because he looks exactly like the stereotypical, out of shape, donut-eating cops you see on TV, like Chief Wiggum on The Simpsons.

Ha! I loved Hannah knowing that Brett was a cop. He is a total stereotype of one. See Matt Parkman from Heroes:

 

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I can't be sure, since they didn't show it, but I suspect Michaela's "Bye Felicia" might have reminded Jay that she was never on Team Fig-Tayls, like he and  Michelle are, and that even if they manage to get rid of all the Gen X-ers after the merge, she's never going to be aligned with them. 

Exactly. I wasn't at all surprised that Jay went after Michaela after she killed his main alliance. Jay had a crush on Figgy to boot.

The second I saw the sea shells, I knew it was over. You can maybe do that with your extra-special best friend/alliance partner after the final swap, but you don't do that in a group of dubious loyalty that early in the game. She could've made all the same moves but only revealed them one at a time and been fine.

I didn't really understand Michaela's outrage. She did the same thing to Mari, for similar reasons.

As a side note, I'm amazed that Zeke has become the glue of his tribe. He shares the millennial connection with Michelle, geek connection with David, and Oakie/sports fan connection with Chris. I would never have guessed that combination would end up gelling so well.

[sadiegirl1999]

11 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

To posters who said Michaela was shocked to see her name written down by Brett and Sunday.  Of course she would be shocked.  For goodness sake.  It meant that at least 1 of the people in her 4 person alliance turned on her and allied with Brett and Sunday instead.

I was one who said that.

She was shocked at the FIRST reading of her name and the 2nd. She should realize that Brett and Sunday could/would vote for her.

Now, by the 3rd vote, THEN she would know someone had turned.

But to act gobsmacked to get a vote, ever? That was a bit ridiculous. Must've hurt falling off her high horse.

[Lingo]

13 hours ago, mojoween said:

That, other than the fauna attacking Michaela on her way down the plank, is something else I found amusing, when she told Jay that he just fucked his own game.  Um, how, exactly?  It's not like Michaela has a say in anything from that point on; she's not on the jury.

She's not saying she'll get revenge. She's saying she thinks he made a bad move.

12 hours ago, sadiegirl1999 said:

Her arrogance/confidence was too much for me when she was shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, that she got 2 votes at tribal. Who did she think Brett and Sunday were voting for?

If I had to guess, probably Hannah, or maybe Will. You know, someone it makes sense to vote off if you're trying to keep your tribe strong. Someone who Brett and Sunday probably tried to half-heartedly suggest as an alternative before TC. We don't see everything that goes down and I don't believe Brett and Sunday did literally nothing before Jay roped them in. And speaking of that, I don't need to see Jay telling Brett and Sundae who to vote for. I can connect the dots myself, thanks. It's obvious it happened, so there's no need to show it. In fact I'm glad they didn't show it, because throughout TC I was still in suspense as to which way the vote would fall. If I'd seen a meeting, it would have robbed some of the suspense for me.

12 hours ago, waving feather said:

Since this is related to the episode, Jay told in a secret scene that he is thinking of voting Michaela out because she's a threat due to the following reasons:

1. She's smart.

2. She is good in challenges.

3. She has no poker face. She will expose to other alliances who she likes/ dislikes and intending to vote for and Jay can't have that because he needs someone in his alliance to be sneaky and under the radar.

I thought point number 3 is particularly interesting because that's what was speculated that could get her in trouble. It just happened sooner than later for her. She should not have been so open with her dislike for certain people. I thought it was silly of her to be rejoicing about Figgy's ouster at the reward challenge. Come on, even Taylor had the sense to say "No comment". Michaela is too much of an open book for this game. Even she herself said perhaps she should not have shined so brightly during challenges. She should also not have shared her war map strategy to others as well. Keep some cards close to the chest, girl. This is Survivor.

Time will tell if Jay made the right decision or not voting out his trusted alliance member but I can understand his reasons why he did and respect the way he did it. He kept eye contact till she dropped her death stare first.

Yeah, that is a good reason to vote her off. I too thought it was very dumb of her to be so open of her dislike for Figgy. It showed Taylor that she didn't give a shit about him. She and Figgy really are a lot alike in multiple ways, actually.

12 hours ago, thehepburn said:

Answered once and for all. From Xfinity:

http://xfn-blogs.xfinity.com/tv/2016/11/03/survivor-castaway-michaela-better-hit-tree-hit-person/

Well, I'll be darned. I really thought there was a rule against blurting out strategically-relevant information on your way out, as I can't remember it ever happening (Eliza doesn't count, she said it before the votes were read) -- except once early in S1, one survivor (Stacy I think?) exclaimed that Sue was a liar, and I think Jeff chastised her for it. Well I'm very surprised it doesn't happen more often. I guess contestants are by and large much classier than I take them to be -- either that or just too shocked!

(I mean, how is it that all the people who got voted out with an idol in their pocket never mention it on the way out?? Sure it makes you look dumb, but a lot of players take the game in stride on their way out and would be willing to embarrass themselves for a laugh.)

Anyway, that was a good interview. Re the voting off of minorities and women, Michaela pretty much says what I was thinking:

Quote

Holmes: I think we were all excited when we saw how diverse the casting was on the women’s side. And yet, five of the first seven people out were women of color. What is your take on this outcome? Did something feel off out there or is that just how the cards fell regardless of race?

Bradshaw: It feels like America. You don’t feel it in the moment until you step back and look at it. Then you realize that we’re playing a social game. Part of making alliances is who you feel like you can trust. Part of who you feel like you can trust is who you feel familiar with. Part of who you feel familiar with is who you’re typically around. And part of who you’re around is who people look like. In a social game, what you look like can have an effect on what’s familiar to a person which can impact how quickly they trust you and how long they trust you. And so, maybe that had something to do with the boot order, maybe it was random. But I can say that I noticed.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Lingo

[Ms Blue Jay]

To me, it's logical for Michaela to be surprised Brett and Sunday would vote for her.
1.  Brett and Sunday probably implied they'd vote for each other.
2.  Why would Brett and Sunday vote for Michaela out of all 4 Millennials?  You don't know the relationship between Brett, Sunday, and Michaela.  Maybe all three players got along fabulously. We saw Brett cry out complimenting her last episode, saying "There's nothing you can't do." Michaela was the challenge beast of the tribe.  Why would she expect their vote, now, so early?
3.  To me it's logical that Michaela would be surprised by even one vote.  It goes against everything she was told.  I'm not saying it's good to believe everything you're told in Survivor.  I'm saying it's logical, based on what we've seen, that Michaela would be surprised.

I did not see her on a high horse. I saw her as in control and confident.  She had the game all worked out but she didn't look down on anyone.  Her alliance had the numbers.  She didn't walk around like King of the tribe or something.

If Jay got a vote, I think he would be shocked.  I don't think that makes him arrogant.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[sadiegirl1999]

3 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

To me, it's logical for Michaela to be surprised Brett and Sunday would vote for her.
1.  Brett and Sunday probably implied they'd vote for each other.
2.  Why would Brett and Sunday vote for Michaela out of all 4 Millennials?  You don't know the relationship between Brett, Sunday, and Michaela.  Maybe all three players got along fabulously. We saw Brett cry out complimenting her last episode, saying "There's nothing you can't do." Michaela was the challenge beast of the tribe.  Why would she expect their vote, now, so early?
3.  To me it's logical that Michaela would be surprised by even one vote.  It goes against everything she was told.  I'm not saying it's good to believe everything you're told in Survivor.  I'm saying it's logical, based on what we've seen, that Michaela would be surprised.

I did not see her on a high horse. I saw her as in control and confident.  She had the game all worked out but she didn't look down on anyone.  Her alliance had the numbers.  She didn't walk around like King of the tribe or something.

It's Survivor. You never know how it's going to go and 30+ seasons in, we've seen time and time again, when you feel comfortable is when you get voted out.

She's strong and confident and a challenge beast. I believe the others were saying she was crazy smart too? If she's so smart, she should know she was a target.

[Ms Blue Jay]

So, she's not smart and the vote was not shocking?  I disagree.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[hincandenza]

HA HA HA HA well ding dong, the witch is dead.  Michaela was just the epitome of class as she left, eh?  That was among the top 5 poorest examples of sportsmanship in being booted I've ever seen on Survivor; a less graceful exit doesn't come immediately to mind, but I'm sure they exist.  I'm sure she'll do great in life believing that everyone around her exists solely to boost up her own success.  Seriously, blindside or no, that was some shitty, mean-spirited, attitude and aggressive body language; hell, when she went back for her shoes I thought for sure she was going to punch Jay.  I loathed Abi in S31: Second Chances, and consider her a mentally ill person who should not have been on the show; yet even Abi accepted her blindside with some grace.  

Michaela utterly lacked the wisdom to realize that being consistently so vocal about who she disliked made her a liability for anyone in an alliance with her. I've lived long enough to know plenty of people like her, and suspect Michaela has done the "I'm just an honest person, and if you can't handle that..." line before cruelly eviscerating someone with words.  Plus, her closing statements to the camera showed how dumb about the game she actually was: 33 seasons into Survivor, and people still don't realize you can't take four to the end, or convince all but the dumbest people that the math somehow won't leave them out in the cold.  Tough luck, whiner- that's Survivor.  Contrary to Probst's blathering, it's not a great social experiment- but it is a game, with its own set of perverse rules and unexpected outcomes.  It's not fair, it's not perfect, it often doesn't reward any of the "best" players or people in a given season, it can be arbitrary in derailing a brilliant gameplan or ousting a deserving victor at the wrong time for the pettiest of reasons.  Ultimately, it's just a brutal little game of backstabbing, scheming, unexpected merges/shuffles/gimmicks, and outright physical or mental competition.  That's what we tune in for, that's what the players sign up for, and if you internalize the game or its outcome to the point of being pissed off you have only yourself to blame.  The sheer arrogance and entitlement to act as if writing your name was a crime against humanity... fuck Michaela.  She's a snotty little brat with serious anger management issues.

 

Phew.  :)  Anyway, I am enjoying this season more than I thought I would.  While I "hated" Michaela more and more each episode, by and large I don't think this season has any true villains or heels.  I actually think Jay made a really smart- or at least ballsy- move, like David's early HII save of Jessica: Michaela *was* a big post-merge threat, so why not get rid of her now when she least expects it, before she does well individually or solidifies alliances among the larger tribe?  Contrary to Michaela thinking she was owed a final four berth, clearly Jay and Will were comfortable enough to throw her to the side and still have people they can work with; they also have sewn up their HII secret to stay between them.  I don't think it will even backfire because post-merge, those individual tribal alliances are very quick to reshuffle anyway; can anyone here honestly say the merged tribe, whenever it comes, has a crystal clear Pagong line set up?  Because what I see right now is a half-dozen different alliances and friendships, the arbitrary coalescing of which can result in some interesting tribal votes and voting blocks for the next few weeks; it's unclear how the web of variously allied people like Zeke, David, Chris, Jay, Will, Adam, Ken, Jessica etc will even play out.

So I have to praise Jay for actually realizing "Hm, maybe now is the time to do this", and Brett and Sunday totally played their parts well in acting as if they were just glumly waiting for the guillotine to fall.  And major props to Jay for staring her down: I'd have been sorely tempted to mention "Well, you won't even make the jury, so I don't give a crap what you think of me.  Bye bye now".

[sadiegirl1999]

5 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

So, she's not smart and the vote was not shocking?  I disagree.

No, you're twisting my words.

I think she's very smart and I think the vote was surprising.

I just think her reaction was a bit over the top.

Hell, I like her. But people turn on their alliance every day in Survivor...the last 2 votes had tribe members voting out their own tribe mates. It is not unreasonable to think that it could happen to anyone out there. I think the absolute shock from her was too much.

[Wandering Snark]

12 hours ago, needschocolate said:

I was really looking forward to seeing Michaela compete in individual immunity challenges.  She could have been another Ozzy, challenge-beast-wise.

I don't think Jay was quite as excited when thinking of what kind of a run Michaela could go on post-merge, thus the vote.