S28.E09: Sitting in My Spy Shack

[radishcake]

Homesick castaways receive letters from loved ones; a castaway seeking intel from the competition embarks on a secret stakeout; a castaway falls while gathering coconuts.

[leighdear]

Bro!  The vote is a real bummer, Dude!  *ROFL*  I love Spencer.  He really didn't have any choice
but to play the idol. 

Of course, as soon as they let Tony keep blabbing on & on & on in his talking head, we knew he had to find the idol.  I just hate him so much. Idiot!

His stupidity with some things amazes me.  He lies to LJ, so Jeffra says she doesn't trust him. So he says he doesn't trust HER because she doesn't trust him.  Trust means you don't expect people to LIE to you, idiot!

Plus, you don't sit around & strategize in broad daylight when you need to be finding food. You talk strategy when it's dark & nobody can see you, idiot!

Tasha was a rock star with that challenge, and very gracious in her win. I'm definitely rooting for her or Spencer to win.

Edited April 24, 2014 by leighdear

[hannah8976]

The most annoying thing about this episode?  Probst saying "Stay tight because we're still hot" during the immunity challenge.   

[Haleth]

Well, shoot. I was so hoping the axis of evil would vote for Spencer and have it bounce back to Woo. Very disappointing but I kept forgetting Jeremiah was there. Once again Tasha shows she is a real contender. Hope she or Spence continue to find idols and win challenges.

Will any of Tony's allies believe he has a fake idol? How dumb are they anyway?

Edited April 24, 2014 by Haleth

[RescueMom]

Trish, looking up at the papayas: "Those are as big as Morgan's boobs!"  Glad Woo wasn't hurt when he fell. 

Edited April 24, 2014 by RescueMom

[Lantern7]

Well, that sucked. Spencer misplays his idol, "Jeremy" goes out, and Tony now has an erection that is visible from orbit. Yes, I know the imagery is gross, but it's true . . . and the only way Tony doesn't make it to Day 39 now is if he loses all the blood flow from his brain and he's medevac'd out.

 

Seriously, Tony makes me conflicted. He's a primo asshole, but he's an asshole that hustles. We didn't see anybody else try to find the idol . . . and if these are fans of the show, they should know the basics of Hantzing for an idol (e.g., looking around odd-looking locales that stick out). Maybe Tony deserves to win. Maybe we can forgive him for making like Gollum over the One Ring. If only he had more humility, and if only Probst and Burnett never listened to Tyler Fucking Perry.

 

Also sucky: Jefra's wishy-washy ways. At least try to pretend that you might make a big move. Give us more entertainment! You can only get enough fun out of Probst talking aloud about "balls" and "poles."

 

David Jacoby from Grantland might have a point about Woo being a stoner. Great vote-out line from Spencer . . . if only it actually meant something.

[EC Amber]

Did the camera man pull a pointer dog with the SHII(T)?? For it to be buried between roots and for Tony to think to start digging... my credulity is stretch to its point. 

That ending was just... depressing, anticlimatic. Having Tony find the idol seemed so ridiculous that I just couldn't really enjoy the rest of the episode. 

 

Next week seems more promising if only to watch Spencer mess with Tony's head. 

[susannot]

Too bad Spencer burned the idol but I don't think he could have done anything else.  I must have missed the part where Woo telegraphed that they were voting for him, because I was really watching for a giveaway sign, but I didn't see one.

I really like to watch a smart Survivor player and I'm liking Spencer and Tasha, despite his Romney fandom.  Spencer was great in TC, standing up to asshole Tony. It was great the way they made the other team look stupid by figuring out that the reward puzzle said "Worth Playing For"  rather than "Worth Fighting For."  Dude, they're not even close.  And how awesome was Tasha's immunity win.  The only problem is that I think everyone on the jury really likes her so she probably won't go to the end, like most of my favorites never do.

[Haleth]

I want the women to wake up and realize Tony is going to walk away with the win unless they get rid of him immediately.

So Tony just happened to dig in the right spot. Without any clues. Hmm.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Haleth

[ProfCrash]

Uggghhhh

Spenser should have played the idol on Jeremiah. Jefra pretty much told Jeremiah they were voting for him when she went and apologized to him. She promised all three but told Jeremiah she wasn't good with them. That was a subtle hint who they were voting for.

I hate the finding of idols without clues. Tony hustled and found it but damn do I hate it. And it can be played after the vote. At least it can only be played by the person who found it.

Trish is loyal to a fault. Woo is an idiot. Jefra is a floater. Kass is non-strategic. Tony wins if he gets to the final.

Jefra's comment at tribal was silly. She won't beat anyone at final tribal. Spenser flat out told everyone that Tony has three votes which probably means five. Morgan will vote for Tony if Spenser/Tasha/Jeremiah vote for him. Sarah might vote Tony because he is a cop.

[susannot]

Jefra's comment at tribal was silly. She won't beat anyone at final tribal. Spenser flat out told everyone that Tony has three votes which probably means five. Morgan will vote for Tony if Spenser/Tasha/Jeremiah vote for him. Sarah might vote Tony because he is a cop.

 

True, but I'm afraid that no one will have the gumption to overthrow Tony.  Spencer and Tasha would but right now they don't have the votes.

[me5671]

NOOOOOOOO!!!  I swore out loud when Tony found the Special Hidden Immunity Idol.  And I swore out loud once again when Spencer's Idol was played on the wrong person.  

 

Way to go, Survivor producers.  You have almost assuredly ruined what until now was an exciting, unpredictable season.  This Special Hidden Immunity Idol is WAY too powerful.  It pretty much guarantees that Tony makes the Final 5!  And like others upthread, I am hugely suspicious of the fact that Tony found it without any clues.  This "twist" is just the latest in a long line of twists that add nothing positive to the show, and IMO actually ruins the whole thing.  It insulates Tony from being blindsided, which means there is absolutely no hope left for this season.

 

Although he ultimately played the idol on the wrong person, Spencer still rocked it at tribal council IMO.  This was absolutely the right time to play the idol, when he was legitimately in danger and when he still had allies in the game that he could go to the end with.  Unfortunately, he had a 50/50 chance and played it on the wrong person.  He also made some awesome points when speaking at tribal.  I hope Jefra, Trish, and Kass were listening!  Telling them that Tony will get his and Tasha's votes at the end if he's still there was genius.  If the others were listening, it forces them to see the writing on the wall and increases the chances that they'll flip to Spencer's side before it's too late.  I don't think it's been tried before, but it's a clever ploy.  I also loved how he said "i'm not rooting for Tony, I'm rooting for me".  That was a nice touch.

 

Who else got a good laugh out of Kass's comment to Jefra that "voting someone off just because they annoy you ruins your game".  Funny, because it seemed to me like that was the only reason you flipped on Sarah, you dolt.

 

Lastly, I continue to be amazed with how perceptive Trish is.  She immediately saw in Jefra's face that something was wrong and pulled her back into the alliance.  That was pretty impressive IMO.  I prefer players like Trish to players like Tony.  They both seem like tools on a personal level though!

[RescueMom]

I was really impressed that Tasha and Spencer were the last two at the immunity challenge again, and by quite a margin.  Who would have expected two of the brain tribe to be dominating in the challenges?

I also looked at the seven sitting there at tribal after Jeremiah left, and Spencer's "final three" comment to Kass and Tasha went through my mind.  They aren't that far from making it, although Tony finding the Super Special Idol could throw a wrench in that scenario.

[nutty1]

I despise that the special Idol was brought into play this late in the game.

[90PercentGravity]

It made me sad to see LJ look so grumpy, and he should never slick his hair back ever again.

 

I used to find Tony mildly amusing, but he is now on my last nerve.

 

It was weird that Jeremiah thought being a fashion model was something he had to keep a secret. He also didn't look tall enough to be a fashion model.

[Joystickenvy]

Calling shenanigans on Tony finding the SHII with no clues. Hoping for some kind of Shake up next week. Trish & Jeffra need to cut Tony loose before they run out of votes, but that accursed Idol is going to F the whole thing up. Trish should be looking to pull Jeffra & Kass to finale. Jeffra alienated the three she waffled on and she's a non-entity so far in terms of gameplay. Kass is actively despised. Tony is annoying, but might get votes for making moves.

I wish they'd quit re"hiding" the idols constantly. One set at the beginning of the game is enough. Hoping Tasha manages to pull it out somehow.

Agree that LJ should not slick his hair back. Bald spot city. He definitely looked bitter....guess he ran outta weed ;)

Edited April 24, 2014 by Joystickenvy

[KarateKate]

Tony is so conflicting. I dislike him, but the dirty-troll-of-a-cop is full of hustle and a certain je ne sais quoi (that, frankly, je ne vois pas) that draws the other survivors to crazy loyalty - and even almost fealty - to him. 

 

He's like some weird Pied Piper of Cagayan. And I don't think the rats are going to turn from his odd troll song.

 

Also? I have missed reward challenges. That is one thing that makes this season so much more enjoyable than other recent ones. And not just for the challenge watching portion, but for the game impact they can have. I thought it was funny how Tony & Co. mentioned the problem of Jeffra with the Outsiders Alliance when they went to reward. MrKate pointed that out as soon as they divvied up - either way it shook out, Jeffra was going to be set apart with that group. Not that it ended up mattering. 

 

Other thoughts: LJ looked like a dad! A dad that is hotter in a ballcap. • The huge buildup to Woo's fall was, of course, a red herring • I was really impressed and surprised AGAIN by Tasha and Spencer on the immunity challenge. They are not to be underestimated.

[LittleIggy]

Yeah, I hate that Tony found that idol. Way to kill the suspense, idiots in charge. I loathe Jeffra (did her parents want a boy to name Jethro and had to scramble for a girl's name). Oh, and Kass, the "brain," couldn't figure out that lame puzzle. I dislike everyone on the dominant alliance except Woo.

[Eggman]

Note that two women in Tony 's alliance consider Tony to be the goat.

[henripootel]

Calling shenanigans on Tony finding the SHII with no clues.

That was some high-grade, industrial strength bullshit there.  I've been wondering since the beginning if Tony, with his antics and OTT talking heads, wasn't so much playing the game as playing the producers.  I'm not wondering any more.  Pretty certain he's willing to clown around with the frankly bizarre Spy Shack nonsense because he's being well paid - if he has a lick of sense, the SHII will pretty much guarantee him a final 4 at least.  

 

I'm tempted to say that the producers have lost all semblance of shame and aren't even trying to disguise their machinations any more, but then I remember Mr. Hantz the senior and his many, many HIIs, and B-Rob's whole last season.  Yeah, any shame they once had is now a distant memory.

Edited April 24, 2014 by henripootel

[ramble]

Lastly, I continue to be amazed with how perceptive Trish is. She immediately saw in Jefra's face that something was wrong and pulled her back into the alliance.

She also felt sure that Spencer had the idol by his demeanor. Interesting.

I hate the idea of a special idol. Hate. It's a nullification of outwitting, outlasting & outplaying. It's a simple get out of jail free card for the one who has it.

I'm starting to clearly see Spencer's arrogance again. I understand his frustration with the game & how it looks to be playing out for him, but I can see how he might annoy the heck out of me in person.

Following Jeremiah's lead I looked up his name plus model. I'd like to thank him for that suggestion. He is a pretty man. Often I get attached to the scruffy Survivor look & once cleaned up I don't find the men attractive in the same way. Jeremiah handles both looks quite wonderfully.

[Subrookie]

TPTB can take their idol with "special powers" and shove it up their ass. That is a ridiculous amount of power to give one player and totally could decide the final 3 or 4. I haven't been this mad about a twist in the game since RI. Tony makes me want to projectile vomit.

[Kromm]

To the tune of "Love Shack":

 

If you got grass and trees along a path that says

"Make me a Spy Shack!"

Spy Shack, yeah yeah!

I'm headin' down that path

Lookin for my secret getaway

Headed for the secret getaway

I got me a log to duck under

it's as big as a whale!

And I'm  headin' on down to the Spy Shack

I got me some dry grass, that ought to cover me up
So hurry up and bring my surveillance gear

The spy shack is a little old place where nobody but me can go
Spy Shack, baby (a-Spy Shack, baby)
Spy Shack, baby, Spy Shack
Spy Shack, baby, Spy Shack
Spy Shack, baby, Spy Shack (Spying, baby, that's where it's at)
Spy Shack, baby, Spy Shack (Spying, baby, that's where it's at)

Edited April 24, 2014 by Kromm

[Wandering Snark]

As much as I love a good parody song Kromm (big kudos) I'm just too pissed off to even enjoy that. This "Special" idol has effectively dealt a death blow to what was shaping up to be a great and unpredictable season and I'm f'ing livid about it. Arrrghhh...

 

I just knew that bastard was going to find it too. If only he'd been bitten in the ass by some wierd bug while hiding in his little "shack".

 

Jeffra is going to give herself a nice big facepalm when she realizes that drawing rocks tonight was the only chance to get rid of Tony...

 

Okay, with that off my chest...

 

I continue to believe that LJ must be a hat model. Not a good look at Tribal tonight.

 

Those are really some massive papaya but Morgan's are still bigger I think.  I find it interesting that she's had dresses on in her jury appearances not like a tanktop and pants or something tropical and strapless. Modesty? Who knew?? I guess she's given up having to boob-boozle in her role as Juror.

 

I guess I'm all-in for Tasha... she's pretty fierce. I feel Spencer is too hyped over his own accomplishments (see his wild fist pumping after last week's vote, etc.) and is celebrating too hard having not won nuthin'.

 

And "You can't vote out the annoying ones." was a classic piece of Survivor truism being spoken. Right from the annoying one's mouth nonetheless. The correlative to that is "You can't quit because you want to kill the annoying ones". 

Edited April 24, 2014 by Wandering Snark

[riley702]

a certain je ne sais quoi (that, frankly, je ne vois pas)

 

Very clever! I laughed like a loon. And yeah, I'm not seeing it, either.

Edited April 24, 2014 by riley702

[Hera]

Note that two women in Tony 's alliance consider Tony to be the goat.

Indeed. My bet is that Trish wants to go to the end with Tony and Kass because by that point, both will have alienated the majority of the jury (and Kass will probably try to tear Tony down in her answers/speeches, rather than Trish). Of course, if she believes what Spencer and Tasha said about voting for Tony if he makes it to the end, then she may be forced to turn on him. I can't decide if Spencer and Tasha were bluffing about that or not. I can definitely understand why people who aren't allied with Trish wouldn't think she's doing very much. She reads people well and has managed to move on from the LJ blindside admirably because really, that helped her game. I doubt she wanted to go to the end with LJ, so Tony's and Woo's flips meant that he got out without her having to get her hands dirty—something she made clear at this most recent tribal council. But yeah, unless you are watching her reel people back in, you probably have no idea how good she is. Trish is playing the game that Caramoan Sherri wanted to play (unfortunately for her Shamar, the Tony to Sherri's Trish, didn't last).

 

I agree the super-duper idol sucks (though I'm glad it's non-transferable, at least) but it doesn't seem like Tony is an immunity threat, so at most, it'll buy him one extra round. My speculation is that he gets booted at final four and uses his spot at Final Tribal Council to give a bitter, rambly speech about how he is awesome and how none of the final three deserve to be there.

[ProfCrash]

The problem is Tony is not a goat. He might be loud but he is playing. Spenser, Tasha, and Jeremiah see it. He has made big moves, he has worked with who ever he felt he needed to and he has found idols. He is loud, we are starting to hear that from his alliance mates, but he is making plays.

Trish is playing a great game, she brought Kass over and Jefra back. She managed the Cliff blindside. I don't know that she has played in a way that is apparent to anyone not in her alliance and I am not sure that Tribal Council is the best time to convince people of that.

Tony's alliance needs to look at things from his opponents position. Tony has been targetted twice for eviction and is still there. Tony has managed to convince his alliance that his stabbing LJ in the back was a one time thing and that he did something good for them. Trish thinks that talking to Tony and telling him what he did was wrong fixes his paranoia. Woo thinks that Tony needs them to get to the final and so it doesn't matter that three people just said that Tony gets there vote if he is in the final. Jefra has no idea what she is doing. She had a chance to move to four instead of being five and she left the four. Kass pissed off the minority alliance with her ridiculous flip. They just don't see that Tony has been the target and has escaped more times then not. Spenser and Tasha will respect his game play. Tony wins this if he is at the end.

If Trish is as loyal and blinded to what is happening around her as it appears that she is, then Tony stands a good chance of making it to the final three.

I don't think that Tony's finding the idol was manipulated. They all got the same clue. It said it was near the camp and buried. Tony decided to go and look for it. There were some interesting trees that might have good places to hide things and he looked there. It really is no different then Russell finding the clues except that the tribe was told that it was there at the merge and Russell just went looking because he knew something would be around. At least this time it was buried. I don't like the new power, I have never liked that. At least they limited it to being usable only by the finder.

[RescueMom]

I don't think that Tony's finding the idol was manipulated. They all got the same clue. It said it was near the camp and buried. Tony decided to go and look for it. There were some interesting trees that might have good places to hide things and he looked there. It really is no different then Russell finding the clues except that the tribe was told that it was there at the merge and Russell just went looking because he knew something would be around. At least this time it was buried. I don't like the new power, I have never liked that. At least they limited it to being usable only by the finder.

I don't think it was manipulated either.  I suspect the actual area they are playing in is much smaller than it appears from the filming, and Jeff Probst has said many times that they want the idols to be found.  They hide them so you hopefully don't just trip over them, but in such a way that if you are looking you would be able to find them.  The days of them being buried in such a way that you need a map to know where to dig are but a distant memory, I think.  Back when Russel Hantz (ugh) started finding them, he said he started looking by the landmarks because that's where they always were.  Hayden was looking hard by the same tree where Tyson found his idol, because it stood out.  I do hate the special powers idol, but I don't think that Tony finding it was rigged.

 

I also don't hate Tony.  He's hustling and (IMO) he's playing too hard, and his paranoia is ratcheting up his manic level like crazy, but I don't hate him.  He's not Russeling his way around boasting nonstop to the cameras how he is the smartest smartie that ever smarted.  He doesn't seem to be making moves just to make moves.  He expressed relief (in his own way, which of course included hamming it up like crazy) when he found the idol this episode, he didn't gloat about how of course he found it because he is so great. 

[ProfCrash]

I agree, Tony is not Russell. He is loud and obnoxious, like Russell and Rupert and Philip. He is not an asshole to people. There is no indication that he is bullying folks or being mean to people. He is not destroying peoples stuff, he is not assigning stupid nicknames. He is manipulating the people he is working with but that is part of the game and, unlike Rupert and Philip, he seems to be good at it. Trish and Kass were pretty much cool with his voting out LJ. Jefra was the only one upset by that move and it took about 5 seconds to bring her back into the final five.

 

Tony hustles, he is loud, he is obvious, he is paranoid but he is playing to win.

 

Philip and Russell were playing to get to the finals and had no clue how to win. They burnt so many bridges by being asses it was silly. Tony doesn't seem to have burnt too many bridges with his play.  People honestly think that Tony is a goat but I don't think that he is.

[Haleth]

I'm trying to convince myself that I shouldn't be disappointed when Tony wins.  

[BusyOctober]

It will never happen b/c for some reason women playing Survivor seldom ban together to take over, but my Survivor wish is for the 4 remaining ladies to look around and notice they now out number the guys and can get rid of the untrustworthy, non-goat Tony and physical threats Woo & Spencer.  Kass' notion that Tony is annoying therefore he won't get jury votes is one of the most shit-for-brains ideas ever.  Spencer may be tight with Tasha now but I'd bet my last dollar he'd vote "bro's before ho's" and kick her to the curb soon.  He may weasel his way into Tony's graces and throw Tasha under the bus as soon as next week. Tony & Woo have been buds for a while and there is NO WAY Tony would allow him to go before Jeffra or Kass. They only way any of the women see final 4 or 3 is to unite now.  But it will never happen.

[Tara Ariano]

Here's Trip's post on the episode!

[picklesprite]

BusyOctober, I love the rare times when women get it together to get together, but if they do it this time three of them would probably just be handing the win to Tasha. Which would be fine with me, but probably not with Trish, Jeffra, or Kass.

 

This probably reflects poorly on my character, but I think Tony's a hoot. He's made the season one of the most entertaining ever for me, and I'd hate to see him go. On the other hand, don't make me live in a jungle with him!

[MMLEsq]

Following Jeremiah's lead I looked up his name plus model. I'd like to thank him for that suggestion. He is a pretty man. Often I get attached to the scruffy Survivor look & once cleaned up I don't find the men attractive in the same way. Jeremiah handles both looks quite wonderfully.

I did too.  The photos of him clean shaven almost look like another person. 

 

I'm trying to convince myself that I shouldn't be disappointed when Tony wins.  

Yeah, me too. 

 

Do we know if there's a limit as to when Tony has to use special HII by?  Isn't the last time a regular HII can be used final five (or is it final four)?

 

Other than Jefra, not much was shown of the other three reading their letters from home.  I guess it wasn't the big emotional scene that the producers were expecting/hoping for.

 

As an aside, I've almost completely weaned myself off of TWOP (except for the Sitcom Survival Challenge in The Rec Room, which I'll keep up until either it finishes or TWOP shuts down the forums), so I'm happy when I come on here and see so many posts.

[Miss Scarlet]

 

It was weird that Jeremiah thought being a fashion model was something he had to keep a secret. He also didn't look tall enough to be a fashion model.

It was hilarious that he thought this was something he had to hide. Also hilarious? Trish saying the papayas were like Morgan's boobs. Also hilarious? When Tony found the Tyler Perry idol (that part was not so hilarious) and said "I love you, man!!" to the idol! This episode really brought the funny. Sometimes I look at Survivor as a comedy instead of a reality TV show and I have to say, I enjoy it a lot more when I do that.

 

Maybe I'm really mean, but I laughed at Spencer's voting confessional for Woo. It was just so...accurate based on what we've seen from Woo (which, granted, has not been much). 

 

Does Jeff Probst seriously believe that people will think it's awesome that Tyler Perry watches Survivor? He think it's really so cool? If he does then he is way off! No one care if Tyler Perry is a fan of the show and I really, really hate the special powers idol.

 

I've thought for the last 2 weeks that Spencer was going to win (just based on the edit) and everyone has been writing Tony off, saying that he's going to self-destruct or that if he gets to the end he won't get the jury votes. I think this jury will respect game play though. I know Spencer and Tasha saying they would vote for Tony at the end was part of their strategy last night, but I actually think they would. I think Kass, Trish and even LJ would too. 

 

I'm not really rooting for anyone this season, but I think Trish should win. A lot of Tony's moves have been big and flashy, but ineffective (the cop lie to Sarah was stupid, he played his idol wrong). It's pretty amazing that Trish has even made it this far when you think about it. She was picked as the weakest on day 1 and was outside the majority alliance on Brawn. I agreed with her move to blindside Cliff, because if she hadn't I don't think she would have made it very far past the merge. She developed this 5-person alliance and has now saved it twice, but Tony gets all the credit.

Edited April 24, 2014 by wudpixie

[ShadowDenizen]

Count me in with those who think the SHI is a gigantic load of bull-shizz. Being able to see the results of a vote, and THEN play the Idol? BEYOND lame, and WAY too much power in a game of surivival.

 

A lot of Tony's moves has been big and flashy, but ineffective (the cop lie to Sarah was stupid, he played his idol wrong

 

Yes, he certainly does have an overly-inflated opinion of himself, doesn't he? However, Tony sure does seem to have the producers wrapped around his fingers. Are we 100% positive he's not a part of the Hantz family? Man does he BUG.

 

Seriously, this was shaping up to be a great, unpredictable season; no "Redemption Island", no returning players.. The way Survivor SHOULD be. But now we're back to big tribe beating small tribe, with no chance of deviation. (I'm hoping, for Spencers sake, he either wins Immunity or there's a producer shake-up down the line.

 

The most interesting hting this season, for me, has been the devolution of Woo; he could have been a power-player from the outset; strong, likable, a worker... But instenad he blindly latched onto Tony (and to the "Aliance"), which forestalled any potential moves that hec ould have made. Now, he's simplay a carcicuature of a Survivor player, but I wouldn't be surpised if he makes Final Two.

 

The thing I'm noticing more this season than ever before? This season (and to a lesser extent the last few seasons) the contestants are way more about "Playing the Game" than actually PLAYING THE GAME.  It's great to be a superfan, or know your Survivor history, but every scenario/season should be different [based on teh casting alone, not even facotring in some of the ridiculous "Twists"], and it seems like many of the last few seasons don't adjust their strategies to the actual players they're playing with.

Edited April 24, 2014 by ShadowDenizen

[leighdear]

 

As an aside, I've almost completely weaned myself off of TWOP (except for the Sitcom Survival Challenge in The Rec Room, which I'll keep up until either it finishes or TWOP shuts down the forums), so I'm happy when I come on here and see so many posts.

Same with me.  I feel like my posting the same thing in 2 different places that have overlapping members just seems attention-grabbing...*LOL*   There's only just over a month left there, so I'm personally cutting my cord!

 

I'm with BusyOctiober in LOVING when the women have put on their big girl panties & decided the men need to be removed.  And agree, it just doesn't happen enough.  I think they tend to get too wrapped up in the "Ooh, we needs the mens for those physical challenges".  Not many challenges any more that require brute strength.  Besides, I think the men usually eat more.  That would ALWAYS concern me!  

[Miss Scarlet]

 

I'm trying to convince myself that I shouldn't be disappointed when Tony wins.

I find it interesting that the players' perception of him seems to be that he's the "big player" in the game. Yes, he's made some moves, but he makes the wrong ones or makes one that don't even change the course of the game. Of course this has to do with him being the loudest player there and the theatrics around everything he does. The only moves he's made that worked were blindsiding LJ and...I guess we can count finding the TP idol as another. That's it, but everyone believes he's running the show.

 

 

Lastly, I continue to be amazed with how perceptive Trish is.  She immediately saw in Jefra's face that something was wrong and pulled her back into the alliance.  That was pretty impressive IMO.  I prefer players like Trish to players like Tony.  They both seem like tools on a personal level though!

This was impressive. It's funny that we had Tony and LJ who both proclaimed several times to read people really well, but it's Trish who actually does. I think she's playing the mother angle perfectly with Jefra (and part of it probably is just natural and not for the sake of the game). When they were talking near the "spy shack", Trish leaned over and took a twig or something out of Jefra's hair. It may seem insignificant, but I think it's little moments like these that probably helped make Jefra feel comfortable and trusting of Trish.

[ElleryAnne]

I wouldn't have called shenanigans on Tony finding the idol, because it seemed like he reasoned the kind of place it would probably be hidden based on previous seasons.  I was closer to calling shenanigans on the split of the teams in the reward challenge, because Jeffra ending up with the three who needed to talk to her seemed awfully convenient.  But I suppose it was a lucky coincidence.  And it ended up coming to nothing.   I guess Jeffra's letter-from-home-based belief in fate was short-lived.

[Eggman]

Jefra has no idea what she is doing. She had a chance to move to four instead of being five

I believe Jefra thinks she's four and kass is 5, especially based on the conversation Tony had with Kass, even though it was out of Jefra's earshot (she was on reward), where Tony tells Kass that "we four" have promised to stick together, and we'll extend that to you (Kass).  

 

Another thing I believe is that Tony found his special idol before the previous week's TC.  That would explain the "bag-o-tricks" that he bought to the LJ vote.  I think that the "finding it" scenes were carefully spliced into this episodes timeline. 

 

And I don't call BS on the idol find.  If you've ever tried to hide something in the woods for someone else to find you find out pretty quickly that you need to hide it relative to some sort of landmark that can be described in a clue.  Without the landmark, you would just be saying "dig somewhere in this large open area."  Knowing that a landmark is necessary means that anyone that is on the ball can just look and dig around everything that looks like a landmark.  One of Russell's idols was hidden underneath a small 4-foot long footpath bridge.  Russell just looked around everything that stood out even if in a small way - every bush, every tree trunk. 

 

The real surprise is that the other people don't do this, or at least that we're not shown that.  Why did they not go out unless there was a printed clue sitting right in their face?  Does the great mass of people really lack that much initiative?

Edited April 24, 2014 by Eggman

[Kromm]

You know, there's a big part of me that thinks that if Tony wasn't such a big character, we'd be getting more of Woo, and from the little we've seen of Woo he is also fairly ridiculous... man.. brah...totally!

 

As for SpyShack II: Electric Bugaloo, I was hoping it would be a little... shackier looking.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Kromm

[Izzyboy]

And I thought I already had enough reason to hate Tyler Perry.  I didn't even know he suggested the SHII to Probst unitl I came here...

 

I think Trish and Kass are misreading the room if they think they can take Tony along to be the goat a la Russell.  From what we've seen at least, Tony hasn't been anywhere nearly as personally offensive as Russell was.  Annoying?  Yes.  But people seem to take him more as a loud attention seeking glory hog (which he is) than an out and out asshole (which he may still be...but Russell was in spades).

[Yeldarbe]

Does this special hidden immunity idol have the same rules as a regular one with regards to only being able to play it up to a certain point? Once you get to the final 5 idols can't be played, right? My point is that maybe it's not what it's cracked up to be. Tony will play it if/when he gets voted out and be saved. All everyone would have to do is vote for him at the next TC, right?

[Miss Scarlet]

I thought it was ridiculous when Tony got offended that Trish called him out on playing both sides. Like, dude, why shouldn't she call you out? Did you actually think you'd be able to get away with all this without someone saying something? I mean, the answer is clearly yes, but still.

 

I watched one of Tony's secret scenes where he claims that without him, most of the alliance of 5 would already be gone. I think he has confused himself with Trish.

[90PercentGravity]

If anyone deserves credit for them still being there, it is Kass. If she hadn't flipped, Tony would already be gone.

[ReadingZombie]

I think Trish and Kass are misreading the room if they think they can take Tony along to be the goat a la Russell.  From what we've seen at least, Tony hasn't been anywhere nearly as personally offensive as Russell was.  Annoying?  Yes.  But people seem to take him more as a loud attention seeking glory hog (which he is) than an out and out asshole (which he may still be...but Russell was in spades).

I agree. He might be annoying as all get out, but he is just playing the game, and he's not being an overt asshole about it. He's also making sure that everyone knows now that he's playing the game-- he's not waiting until FTC to do it. He's admitted he's making big moves, (hell, he's not just admitted it, he's relishing it) but he's not making it personal, and I think everyone knows that. I do wonder, though, how wearing his small dog on steroids personality is day after day after day.

 

Trish is also playing a great game, but it's so UTR. I'm not sure the jury knows what she's really been doing, how she's been the glue that has kept the alliance together (LJ vote aside). I think people like her, but do they like her enough to give her a million dollars over someone who played the hell out of the game? I don't know.... I also didn't understand her "we've talked to Tony and he's going to stop doing that." WTH did that even mean? Going to stop playing? That made no sense to me. I don't think it made sense to the jury either, based on facial expressions after she said it. 

 

I think Kass and Jefra and possibly Woo are the only goats left in the game. Everyone else I could see getting jury votes no matter who they are sitting next to. 

 

If anyone deserves credit for them still being there, it is Kass. If she hadn't flipped, Tony would already be gone.

 

Actually, I think that credit should go to Trish for seeing the cracks in that alliance and convincing Kass to come over to their side. 

Edited April 24, 2014 by ReadingZombie

[Wandering Snark]

Tony has been a bit of an ass in recent TC's with his "Bag of Tricks" and "By the way Jeff this is a fake idol" BS. He needs to keep from bowing down too much to his own greatness if he's going to survive to the end... he hasn't been an asshole but he certainly does firmly believe his shit doesn't stink.

[KimberStormer]

This season is now basically over for me.  The moment the Tyler Perry idol was announced I knew it would be the death of the season.  You didn't need it, producers!  Trust your cast!  Ah well.

 

I feel very strongly that Trish is playing a great game of Survivor, probably a top-20 kind of game for me so far.  She's got a Cirie-like ability to know how to manipulate people.  It's not that she noticed that Jefra was not with them anymore, it's realizing that calling out Tony in front of her was the way to get her back in the fold.  Nobody will ever notice and if she makes it to the final I'm sure she'll get no credit, but she's a master as far as I'm concerned.

 

I don't know where the editing is going with Jefra.  I figured she was getting idoled out of the game the episode.  I guess they're trying to make her look like an idiot.  Doesn't change the fact that the only people she could possibly beat are in her original alliance.  (I guess maybe she could have beaten Jeremiah?)  If people are bitter at Tony, the genki girl could beat him; she can also beat Kass.  I suspect she could out-talk Woo.  Not Spencer, not Tasha.  Going to rocks to be final 4 with people you can't beat doesn't make much sense to me, anyway.  Maybe she's in that spot where nobody has anything to offer because she's in just as bad a spot with anyone, what do I know. 

 

I don't know why they put the focus on the Jeremiah-Jefra relationship a couple times this episode--the head-shot in the challenge, his subsequent apology, their handshake, her telling him she couldn't vote with him after all.  I'm interested that she tried to warn Spencer about the "fake" idol.  (How I wish it was a fake.  Tony goes up, hands it to Jeff, gets the "this is a fucking stick" treatment and the Tyler Perry goes in the fire...sigh.)

 

But in general I just feel "whatever".  I don't care much anymore.  Well, usually seasons start slow and gain steam, so I shouldn't mind it going the other way this time.

[KimberStormer]

I forgot to say, I'm getting sick of Tony and Spencer, who got all the airtime this week, and are both obnoxious drama queens at tribal.  When you make a big idol-playing speech, guys, make it funny at least, not so self-righteous.

[Kromm]

Why isn't #spyshack a huge ass meme?  It should be.

 

I also like the idea of the official hashtag #tylerperryidol.  I approve!  Things that stupid deserve to be mocked that blatantly.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Kromm