Ponderosa: S33

[Lingo]

Thanks, LanceM! Some interesting relationship dynamics going on there. Michelle and Zeke seem to get along well. And Chris says he has no hard feelings toward Jessica. And now we've seen that at least one Millennial was lying about something, so it's not just Gen-Xers after all.

[Silver Raven]

I like Zeke's shirts.  :)

[LanceM]

Michelle has been a great host for Ponderosa. I wish we had seen more of this side to her when she was actually playing the game. I am still cracking up at her "I am not really a missionary, I am a prostitute" joke.  I am assuming that was said after she did shots with Zeke.  I am not that surprised at all that Chris was a bitter betty when Zeke arrived.  I mean this is a guy that has held a grudge against Jessica for weeks ever since she voted out Paul.  The two of them did look they had made up by the end of the video though I do wonder what the timeline for that was.  What the hell was Taylor doing with his food during that meal?

[KimberStormer]

I really do not get the lying!  "I didn't go to THIS prestigious university, I went to THIS one!"  Who cares??

Chris being salty has the benefit of making Taylor's puzzle trolling more funny.  Hilarious to see that called back in the scene with Chris and Zeke.  I must say I felt for Zeke -- I too would be disappointed to not lose much weight on Survivor.

Michelle is great.  Probably nobody can approach Courtney Yates for Greatest Ponderosa Host, but there's plenty of game left.  Michelle could pull out a blindside or two yet.  She's definitely already in contention to take #2 from Tyson and his slip 'n' slide.

Edited December 2, 2016 by KimberStormer
obvs I did not go to a prestigious university becuz I kant spel

[RedheadZombie]

This is the Zeke I originally liked.  I wouldn't mind seeing this version again.

[loki567]

Hindsight's 20/20 but considering how happy Michelle seemed to be see Zeke, his relationship with Chris, and how quickly Adam and Hannah turned on him, Zeke probably picked the wrong allies. 

[Haleth]

8 hours ago, LanceM said:

 What the hell was Taylor doing with his food during that meal?

That was how my son used to search his food for the slightest trace of onions.  When he was 6. 

This Zeke, outside the game, is a lot more appealing.  Looks like they had a fun time at Ponderosa.  Glad Chris finally got over himself and came around.

[ljenkins782]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

Quote

 What the hell was Taylor doing with his food during that meal?

That was how my son used to search his food for the slightest trace of onions.  When he was 6. 

This Zeke, outside the game, is a lot more appealing.  Looks like they had a fun time at Ponderosa.  Glad Chris finally got over himself and came around.

Ha, I thought Taylor was just keeping his head down while people were discussing being lawyers and going to Harvard.

I also found this version of Zeke quite appealing, he was very lively and engaged without the sniping he was doing on the island. 

Quote

I really do not get the lying!  "I didn't go to THIS presigious university, I went to THIS one!"  Who cares??

I can understand the lying under certain circumstances, like hiding certain professions that people have preconceived notions about. 

But in Zeke's case, I don't get it. This guy went out of his way to use every 50-cent word he could and never hid his intelligence in any way. Plus, NYU is a very good school. I could have understood if he was pretending to be a lifestyle blogger with no education or anything, but he didn't go there. 

[SlackerInc]

On 11/10/2016 at 8:59 AM, Catstorm said:

Well at least she gets a nice nearly three week free holiday, I've always thought if you don't win being the first jury member is a great prize. 

Good point!  Especially this Ponderosa.

On 11/10/2016 at 1:30 PM, ljenkins782 said:

She definitely doesn't seem like the bitter type and it's nice to see that she gets Ponderosa to herself for a few days. She looks stunning with makeup, real clothes, and clean hair too. 

Right?  I'm blown away by this.  I thought she was kind of homely during the game, but now she looks, as you say, stunning.  And usually when players arrive at Ponderosa and complain about how awful they look and how they can't wait to get cleaned up, I'm not that impressed by the change they achieve by the next day.  (In fact, a lot of times I think they look considerably worse.)  But she has some combination of having a face that is distinctly improved by makeup and skin care, and most importantly, she herself being skilled at applying it in just the right way (which in a way isn't that surprising, because I did think she always had unusually good style in terms of her clothing, bags, etc.).

On 11/10/2016 at 3:43 PM, Lamima said:

They showed her room, which looked way more swanky than past years, which looked more campy than swanky.

The whole resort does--including the quality of the food (I'm on a self-restricted whole foods type diet, and that was painful to see that "food porn").  I want to put staying there on my "bucket list", but it wasn't obvious what the name of the place is.  I'm actually surprised they don't make it clear how to make a reservation at these places, as I bet the owners would be willing to heavily discount or even completely comp the players' stays in return.

[piequinn35]

Recap of the latest ponderosa

2 lawyers, 1 finance grad from Harvard, 1 picking his food, and 1 prostitute.

[LizBug]

Looks like Michelle gave Zeke a haircut too.  

[peachmangosteen]

9 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I wouldn't want to ally with geniuses.  I'll take the Phillips.  I'd want the geniuses and super-strategizers and chess masters out asap.

I'd want the geniuses and the Phillips out asap! OK maybe I'd keep the Phillips if I had a BRob type way of getting idiots to do what I want, but otherwise no.

[Rachel RSL]

1 hour ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I feel like 'professional gamer' got Mari voted out because that's another label that hints at genius.

It does? I must be on the wrong side of the generation gap because I think it hints at "slacker who plays video games for a living". Maybe not all gamers are slackers, maybe they just found an easy way to make money, but I would never assume someone who plays video games all day is a genius. But, like I said, maybe that's just my age showing.

[Rachel RSL]

Anyone can earn a large income on YouTube even by doing the dumbest stuff so maybe that's why it doesn't make me lean towards thinking of Mari or other gamers as a genius. Although, don't get me wrong, I liked Mari. I don't know, maybe I'm biased against YouTubers because YouTube gave us Bieber and I will NEVER forgive them for that.

[thehepburn]

4 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I

Did Mari tell them her profession even?  I don't know.  She may have been recognized.  I'd seen her before and I'm not exactly a follower of that industry.  I feel like a lot of the pro gamers hide it on reality shows.  Poker players, e.g.   Though that has a lying/reading people component that videos don't.  

she was recognized by Will

[Haleth]

17 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

It does? I must be on the wrong side of the generation gap because I think it hints at "slacker who plays video games for a living". Maybe not all gamers are slackers, maybe they just found an easy way to make money, but I would never assume someone who plays video games all day is a genius. But, like I said, maybe that's just my age showing.

I thought the same thing.  But anyone who can convince people to pay them to play games for a living must be a genius.

[Rachel RSL]

YouTube isn't a matter of convincing people to pay you though. If enough bored people click on your video, you eventually make money. That's why we have all these random teens who are now rich and "famous" for the most ridiculous reasons.

[waving feather]

10 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

It is, though, via convincing people to watch you.  The more viewers you draw, the more money you make.  A YouTube star isn't much different from a TV star, though the YouTubers are often the creative team and on-screen talent.  

I've never watched her, I don't know if she's a genius.   But I bet her income is more than the other 19 cast members' combined.  

Anything that you are doing for the sake of earning money wouldn't be easy IMO. She says she plays video games for a living like it's that simple, but I bet it's hard work like any other job.

[Rachel RSL]

We'll have to agree to disagree then. I, personally, just don't think that playing video games equates to being a genius. *shrug* To each their own.

[Silver Raven]

Mari is part of a team, not a stand alone player like Pedwdiepie, the multimillionaire who is the number one most watched Youtuber.  She's a member of Team Smoshgames, so they have to share the profits.

[Haleth]

That just blows my mind.  Earning millions for making videos of people playing games.  But then, I'm old, so...

[simplyme]

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

That just blows my mind.  Earning millions for making videos of people playing games.  But then, I'm old, so...

Not everyone will understand it, but I can try to explain it. :)

Have you ever watched American Ninja Warrior? Doing well on a video game is the geek version of ANW. It takes strategy, perception, excellent reflexes, and good hand-eye coordination. If it's a multiplayer game, everyone has to have those skills and learn how to work together, often in extremely complex maneuvers. I've been involved in 10-player online "battles" where if one person's timing is off anywhere in a ten-minute battle, their character dies. Then everyone else dies because what needs to be done can't get done. So some people enjoy watching people who are experts handle the tough situations. They admire their skill and their strategy. (I've heard it referred to as e-sports, which kind of makes me laugh but kind of makes sense.)

Like any sport or game or show of skill/athleticism to an audience as a business, there is a lot of careful marketing done too. They know their market and how to promote themselves and are pretty savvy. So Mari's skills wouldn't just include being good at video games. She also has to know how to present herself in person at conferences and other gatherings and on video to people as a representative of her company. She has to talk knowledgeably about her company, games she plays, and gaming in general. And trust me, gamers are a very critical audience, especially towards women (unfortunately).

It may not be someone's cup of tea, but it probably involves a lot more actual work than some folks realize in order to be successful at it.

Edited December 4, 2016 by simplyme

[LanceM]

Not sure why Ponderosa #6 hasn't been uploaded yet but here is #7.

 

[Lamima]

They have a #6 but it has Sunday's on there too.

[LanceM]

Here is Will's Ponderosa video.  

 

[LadyChatts]

I was hoping Jessica wouldn't be bitter at seeing Sunday.  I'm glad the ice seemed to thaw between them.  And I can't even remember why Jessica was targeted in that vote where she was saved by David.

Edited December 8, 2016 by LadyChatts

[LanceM]

I wish we saw more of the lying game with Will which they apparently kept up all night. I wonder if Michelle stuck with her Prostitute story or if she switched it up to something a little bit more believable.  lol.  I was actually expecting Jessica to be  a little bit bitter at Sunday but like Chris it is nice to see that they made up the next day.

[KimberStormer]

OMG Sunday's confessional hair

[Haleth]

The lying game was funny, but Zeke asking to be Will's prom date was hilarious.

I'm glad Sunday and Jess made up.  Carrying a grudge into Ponderosa is childish.

[piequinn35]

Haha Zeke told them he's an fbi agent :) these jury are a bunch of liars!!! 

[JaggedLilPill]

9 hours ago, Haleth said:

 

The lying game was funny, but Zeke asking to be Will's prom date was hilarious.

 

LOL! I loved it. "You blindside me and now you're not going to let me take you to prom?" 

Dying.

[Lingo]

It'd be hilarious if they kept it up during the Final Tribal Council. Like Zeke just casually mentions in his speech, "As an FBI agent, I have to deal with liars every day, but you three are the worst!" And the F3 are like, wtf?

[waving feather]

59 minutes ago, Lingo said:

It'd be hilarious if they kept it up during the Final Tribal Council. Like Zeke just casually mentions in his speech, "As an FBI agent, I have to deal with liars every day, but you three are the worst!" And the F3 are like, wtf?

Mwahahaha. I can think of a couple of prostitude jokes for Michelle to make at FTC too. I can imagine the faces of F3.

Edited December 9, 2016 by waving feather

[Lingo]

Jessica: "Living with you three was worse than the torture I endured in China!"

Never mind the F3: Imagine the reactions of the viewers who aren't in on it!

Edited December 9, 2016 by Lingo

[hincandenza]

22 hours ago, Lingo said:

It'd be hilarious if they kept it up during the Final Tribal Council. Like Zeke just casually mentions in his speech, "As an FBI agent, I have to deal with liars every day, but you three are the worst!" And the F3 are like, wtf?

LOL!!! I love this idea and want to take it behind the middle school gym and get it pregnant.  It's like if a little bit of "The Mole" accidentally entered "Survivor".

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, hincandenza said:

LOL!!! I love this idea and want to take it behind the middle school gym and get it pregnant.  It's like if a little bit of "The Mole" accidentally entered "Survivor".

As God is my witness, I'm more than a little scared to Like this.

[hincandenza]

2 hours ago, Nashville said:

As God is my witness, I'm more than a little scared to Like this.

Heh... the middle school line was in reference to a joke on the TV show "30 Rock":

[RedheadZombie]

When did Will become a redhead?

Sunday really thinks they voted her out because they knew she'd win because of her story? Everyone has a story. 

[Guest]

True but if 'cancer survivor' wasn't a touching one to some segment of the population, it'd probably drop off the reality show buzzword list.  Which I'd be ok with.  I'm sure cancer is a tough experience but I feel like is remission really due to the person's great strength of character or something?  I'm sob storied out, though.  

[riley702]

8 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

...is remission really due to the person's great strength of character or something? 

As a cancer survivor, I'd emphatically say no. IMO, that's a slap in the face to the many wonderful, strong, brave people who didn't make it. And I suspect this idea is so prevalent because people want to believe they'd have an ace in their pocket if it ever happened to them, instead of facing the reality that one's survival is contingent upon things mostly outside of their control, like insurance, socioeconomic status, genes, pure luck, which doctor you see and whether or not you have access to a clinical drug trial, etc.

[Lamima]

18 hours ago, riley702 said:

As a cancer survivor, I'd emphatically say no. IMO, that's a slap in the face to the many wonderful, strong, brave people who didn't make it. And I suspect this idea is so prevalent because people want to believe they'd have an ace in their pocket if it ever happened to them, instead of facing the reality that one's survival is contingent upon things mostly outside of their control, like insurance, socioeconomic status, genes, pure luck, which doctor you see and whether or not you have access to a clinical drug trial, etc.

Mostly, how quickly it's caught.

[riley702]

4 hours ago, Lamima said:

Mostly, how quickly it's caught.

True, but sometimes... I found my lump and would swear it hadn't been there the week before (the day before!) and it was already marble-sized and going like a house on fire. In the month it took for diagnosis, appointments, procedures to qualify for a drug trial, etc., until I actually started chemo, it went from marble-sized to 2 inches across. I dodged a huge bullet in that there was no evidence of spread, even to my lymph nodes. A lady I met in a support group diagnosed at the same time with a less aggressive tumor was metastatic at diagnosis, no chemo worked, and she was dead in 2 months. There's a huge element of sheer luck involved. She was optimistic and positive and I was so freaked out, they put me on anti-depressants. Six years later, I'm still here. And I promise I won't discuss it further, because I know this is off-topic. Mea culpa.

[Special K]

Something like 40% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.   Which is a lot of us.  Maybe that's why so many of us develop fatigue over the stories on reality tv.  But probably that's also why so many people can relate to them.

[SlackerInc]

On 11/24/2016 at 3:59 PM, Lingo said:

OMG I can't believe Chris ate dog poop for his Survivor audition video!

Yeah, I lost some respect for him there.  Why, Chris, why?  I would never do that for any amount of money--only at the risk of death or dismemberment for me or a close family member.  And how is this a positive thing for Survivor anyway?

[LadyChatts]

When have they ever made a contestant eat dog poop?  So it's one of those things where I don't understand why some people think it's a good idea to put in their video.  I guess be extreme so you can stand out from the rest, but aren't there other ways?  

[Guest]

Didn't he say too it was an old audition video, too, not this season's?  So it didn't even work.  I did think that was gross and stupid.  I guess it shows casting that you're willing to degrade yourself like any good fame 'ho?  Blech.  

[LadyChatts]

Jay's Ponderosa.  I'm going to miss that smile.  

Edited December 15, 2016 by LadyChatts

[waving feather]

The day after video. He is so freakin' adorable and good natured. I love his little "life lesson" learnt after each jury vote. Zeke is right; Jay has a beautiful outlook on life.

 

Edited December 15, 2016 by waving feather

[LanceM]

Bret

 

 

David

 

[KimberStormer]

Jay is a really beautiful human being!  He likes to make sort of silly speeches, but you can see the really true goodness in his interactions with people.

Also I really like the Jury Montage at the end of David's Ponderosa.