S03.E08: Of Feast & Famine

[Quilt Fairy]

Quote

Winter arrives in full  force, and the remaining survivors must deal with rapidly deteriorating conditions. The lack of protein pushes some to new levels of depletion, and the pull to see family is more than some can bear.

[MostlyContent]

My goodness, it's starting on day 72?!?!  

These people are killing it! 

[seasick]

hmm.. my guess was day 80, but ol' Dave there has plenty of fish!   And..no talk of missing family.     I'm glad they revealed what he's been eating.  Both Fowler and Callie are pretty chipper here on days 66-68 or so, so very curious about how well they've been eating.

[LittleIggy]

Aw, sh*t! I hate when someone quits for that "I found myself" BS. Your "journey" is not going to buy your land, Callie. Go Fowler!

[riverheightsnancy]

Shocked-but not. Just like Lucas.  They had a comment that Callie made in the last segment, which I thought that they left in on purpose. About her body would tell her when it was over. And she said something after that which I thought was that she was done.  Now, Fowler ALL THE WAY!  Dave will die of dirt or starvation and they have already been plugging Megan and Carleigh tapping. Fowler has been edited as the winner (IMO) since day 1. 

[holly4755]

man so close, I accept that their mind makes it acceptable for them to leave, but it is not what watchers want to see.  I hated it with Lucas, and not happy with Megan.  I know I am not there, all cold wet and hungry, but Both of them could have gone on more, Guess they are happy with themselves, So be it. 

[Quilt Fairy]

5 minutes ago, holly4755 said:

not happy with Megan

Callie left, not Megan.  On the bright side, now that we're down to 4 people, we shouldn't have any more "There's a Megan?" moments.

I was not a fan of the backward editing from day 72, although in fairness, since no one's gone that long before, I guess they are trying to tinker with things a bit so it's not same old, same old, every week.  Up until we heard the beeps of the sat phone, I was wondering if the twist at the end would be that no one tapped and it was just the weekly med check boat.

[seasick]

I think they get a little "day 66" syndrome--which is when they came and got Dave from last season.   I'm sure it's a mental "goal' even if it's subconscious.

[MostlyContent]

I was totally shocked that the long lead-up to the tap ended with it being Callie!  Sheesh.  She looked and sounded so good compared to the others, imo.  Her feast with the fish, roe, mushrooms and greens was gorgeous.   I'll bet that when she watched this, she had some regret, as it was apparent (from what we see) that it looked like she was kicking ass.  

It is uncomfortable to look at Mike. 

Carleigh looks and sounds like I do after a week of flu.  

It's nice that Megan didn't get consumed by a cute fox.  

Fowler is awesome, as always, but I don't like him crying about family.  It was interesting that he realized that night time was his problem and so he tries to keep busy to distract him.  I still love his little house!  

6 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I was not a fan of the backward editing from day 72

Me, either!  In fact I hated it.  :)

[seasick]

30 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I was not a fan of the backward editing from day 72,

I actually liked it!  I appreciated that they are putting a bit more effort into the editing.  I enjoyed the suspense and also assumed it was going to be Megan-- and that it was such a foregone conclusion , that they had do what they could to drum up some suspense.  I wasn't that impressed with it all until it turned out to be Callie.  

At one point I was sure it was Fowler.

I have learned not to 'fall in love" or 'bet the farm' on ANY of these Aloners.  They will leave you with not so much as a kiss goodbye!!

[ethalfrida]

I'm like all Callie is so cool, awesome. How awesome is she? Then she hightails it. lwant Carleigh to roast a goose and Dave to get a hog.

[Quilt Fairy]

I really miss the "Deeper Cut" re-airings of these episodes.  Considering there is no voice-over, any additional information on what the people were really thinking and experiencing in real time added to your understanding of the situation.  Instead, we're getting extra repeats of the incredibly boring Curse of Oak Island.  Why, History Channel, why?

[muffkins]

God, that Oak Island thing.  Makes me crazy when my husband watches it.  Ominous voiceover "what will they find at the bottom of the shaft? Dun dun duh....?"  and I'm in the kitchen shouting "Nothing!  They never find anything!"  It's like watching Geraldo look for that union guy's body over and over again.  But I am off topic.  I was very surprised that it was Callie leaving.  I was sure it was Dave being pulled for medical reasons for most of the show, and then they showed his can of dried fish and I wasn't so sure.  I never thought in a million years it would be Callie, especially after they showed her massive dinner the one night.  Her cabin was snug and organized, and actually looked like a home, and she was smiling away on the beach as the boat came in.  I don't really know what to think right now.

[SRTouch]

day 72 - 10:45 am  opening scene shows a boat - but instead of showing us where it's headed we get "8 DAYS EARLIER" with what looks like good heavy wet snow coming down. All night long this boat makes appearances on day 72, then we get flashbacks to days earlier.

So, we go to Fowler on DAY 64 - 10:14 AM low clouds, snow on the trees, it looks COLD. HMMM, he opens his door, and his comment? "Look at that, snow. Awesome! I'm from Maine, I love snow." Too bad we don't get a good look at his projects, because the quick glance shows he's been keeping busy. So, what's he do as the snow comes down - why take a snow day and makes a little snowman, thinking of the little girl at home --- then he pulls out the slingshot and uses it for target practice.  DAY 68 - 8: 13 PM  Sitting in the shelter carving a staff with symbols of each day's highlights. What a neat way to keep the mind engaged and a diary of sorts to take home. Always busy, creating and doing projects. DAY 71 - 11:43 AM   Still looking good, even doing a little workout. Are we sure he didn'the sneak some rations in his back pack. Ole Dave chose two ration packs in his ten items and looks like a walking skeleton. Fowler didn'the bring any, and he's looking mighty fit. Yeh, he's feeling it, but looks so much better than others - oh, but he's homesick. Actually, when he's sitting there about to cry, he does look rough. Hang in there dude!

DAY 64 - 12:16 PM finds DAVE wrapped up in his sleeping bag talking about loving cheese as he tells about his food dreams and dreaming of hanging with season 2's Jose. What's this, looks like he's carrying the found teapot to go get water as he and enjoys the beauty of the snowfall. He figures the fish will be in deeper water, but the snow will improve his chance of tracking game. Fishing without luck, he goes back to the shelter to talk about... food. DAY 66 - 1:45PM hmmm, back to green trees, so not too much snow. And, guess what he's talking about - how skinny is he! Well, the popup says he lost 40 pounds - and this guy was skinny to start with. Don't know 'bout you, but I'd much prefer snow to the low clouds and drizzle it looks like they're getting. Poor guy, lack of food is having its effect, making it hard for him to string his bow as he gets ready to head out for a hunt. Eventually, after wearing himself out trying to string the bow, he gives up and goes back inside as we go to commercial. Next DAY 67 - 10AM We again find him in his sleeping bag talking about his lack of energy. Quite a difference between skinny Dave and upbeat Callie and Fowler. He does have some dried fish put away - but I wonder if he ought to increase his daily ration to slow his deterioration.

DAY 67 - 1:44PM CARLEIGH is looking pretty good, compared to Dave, who we just left, Carleigh is clean and looks well fed - well compared to Dave anyone looks clean and well fed. This is when she hears some honkers, and figures goose would be pretty tasty about now. She gets a look at a few, and commences to make a couple bolas - hey, I was hoping someone would try this, what with being in Patagonia. After commercial, a couple hours after seeing the geese, she's ready to try her luck trying to get close enough for a throw. Nope, the with goose spotted her right off and warned the flock. We never see her attempt a throw.

DAY 64 - 3:03 PM over to CALLIE. All dressed up in a parka, she's going to take us on a winter wonderland walk - even laying down and making a snow angel. Tells she still has swelling lymph nodes, but the swelling is going down and the bite sites are healing. After the walk, back to the great shelter. DAY 70 - 2:45PM  still catching fish on her beach. She now has a rock end table to go with the bamboo chair. Can't help but again think how different her camp is from others. Work table to prep food, talk of an abundant forage, catching fish, and never forget the great shelter. Only problem - she's at peace and doesn't feel that competitive need to win like she did earlier. Great for her mind, but maybe not so great for the game - or maybe another prank coming on. Then, as she sings of the call to go home we look in on the other contestants as they settle in for the night... arghh another finds peace - is she really headed home this time?

DAY 68 - 9:36AM MEGAN opens up with comments that foxy has gotten bored and hadn'the been around lately. Ah, more homesick blues as she thinks of family and she's alone in the wilderness on her son's sixth birthday - the first time shes missed one of her kids' birthdays. Again, rain and drizzle instead of snow, though it looks like snow is just up the hill aways. No fish, so we see her trying for birds, a different type of trap than Fowler's. And hey, she still has some of the rose hips we watched her collect way back in the beginning to bait the trap. DAY 69 - 11:37AM  Out foraging with a new appreciation of the forest creatures and their struggles to survive lean times. I really think this is the real Megan, and the Megan who us afraid of the critters was created by careful editing. Her portrayal just seems like Jekyll and Hyde to me. Arghh once again a contestant traps something, only to have it escape. Megan has a twofer - both a bird and a rabbit were trapped, but gone before she got there. DAY 71 - 9:47 AM Still finding forage, but not fish. We do get a look back at the various things she's  tried. Yes, she did start to try to use the gill net - wasn't much good so she gave up early on. Hmmm guess it's legal in the lake, just a no-no to use in streams.  Hey, who was it who wanted someone to make a net to scoop up the fish when the get hooked. Megan does just that and scoops up a fish. Yep, more and more importantly think manufactured drama was making her look bad. I'm thinking about how the editing made it look like Nicole ran from a bear, only to later find out she did nothing of the sort - just editing drama.

DAY 72 - 9:23 AM  after being teased all night with the boat coming to get someone and flashbacks, we see a bright Shiney day and hear the beeps as some makes THE CALL.  Ah, it's Callie who we see waiting on the shore and waving as the boat comes ashore. Sort of thought she might call it quits when they showed her singing about being alone in Patagonia and home calling her. Who'da thunk it? At least I don't get that bitter put on vibe when she leaves like with Trapper Dan.

Next week previews... Megan is catching fish... Fowler has a fish get away... Carleigh talks about feeling each day could be her last... and skeleton Dave takes that fall we've seen forever in the previews - well maybe, how many weeks did Jose get dunked in previews before it happened 

[Joan Z]

WTF??!!?!???!!! 

Callie!!! Why?? Why?! 

I need some time to process what i just watched *crying in the corner of the room*

[GreyBunny]

5 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Aw, sh*t! I hate when someone quits for that "I found myself" BS. Your "journey" is not going to buy your land, Callie. Go Fowler!

No kidding.  She got done in by her hippie kumbaya brain.

I'm getting tired of the "personal journey" contestants, I want to see some competitors.

"I miss my family, WAAAAAH!"  Oh, come on.  You're with them for decades, suck it up for a few months.

[Ina123]

2 hours ago, GreyBunny said:

 

I'm getting tired of the "personal journey" contestants...

 

Me too.

[walnutqueen]

Callie was a big disappointment for me.  Now I'm not rooting for anyone.  :-(

I guess it would be cool if the winner was a woman, though.

[brgjoe]

Well, that was unexpected. 

I really thought when they kept showing the boat approaching, it would be for Dave.  He really looks bad.  And seems to be very weak.  Had no idea Callie would be the one to tap out.  I thought she was BSing us again with the call.  But when I saw her waving to the boat....yeah, it was all to real and disappointing to me. 

I did say it was unexpected.  Then again, she was talking earlier about her "journey" and that it wasn't time to end it quite yet.  So I did think in the back of my mind she could suddenly decide that personal journey of hers was over and she would tap out.  I still am amazed she did though.  She was doing so well!  My goodness, she managed to scour up all sorts of decent edibles.  Not to mention, I think she had built up more structures than the entire group of castaways from Gilligan's Island!  (kids, ask your parents).  :)

Very sad to see her leave.  Wonder what she will do about the property dream of hers now.  Don't really have any rooting interest for anyone now.  Guess if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Fowler.

[seasick]

   You are warm, dry, well fed...    You've gone 72 days    2 months plus.  500 thousand dollars staring you in the face.   The challenge is never a cake-walk but there doesn't appear to be any physical suffering.   You supposedly have no idea if there are 4 others left or you are among the F2.    

And you tap out (simply)  because of some cosmic, ethereal 'sense' that is 'calling you home signaling an end to your journey'?? '  

Please.  You are either bored to tears, done done done with being alone, so Over the same diet--- something.  So let's cut the bullshit and admit *what* it was that you just could not handle anymore.    

I understand that the mind will call to you finally saying "I'd rather be with my family than win, I'd rather be warm and dry than win, I'd rather have a sticky bun than 500 grand, I'd rather save my sanity from the boredom, tedium or loneliness than win" ---- but I don't buy that a satisfied sense of completion of an 'inner journey' is enough to walk away from a half a milllion dollars and the win.  Save it.

[Joan Z]

Can someone enlighten me on why Callie tapped out?! I couldn't focus on whatever she was saying after she made that call. I was that shocked.

When they first showed the boat, i thought megan gave up with the fox situation and tapped. Then they showed Dave walking towards the shore with suspenseful music playing in the background - i thought he's gonna fall into the water and tapped. Nope, he didn't fall. Then i noticed Dave got a lot of airtime in the first few minutes so i thought maybe the boat came for weekly check up and they pulled Dave out for medical/safety reasons (that dude is a walking skeleton). Dave showed his smoked fish (33 fillets? Impressive!) so he's not going to give up soon. Then megan crying cause it's her son's birthday, i thought for sure she's out plus she haven't caught a fish in a while. But nope, she finally found a way to catch fish and caught one so she's not out yet. Next, carleigh. She tried to catch a goose, bummer, they spooked and flew away. I thought maybe she's out. Then they showed Callie catching a fish and prepping awesome meal of fish, mushrooms and greens. I was like, awesome! she's killing it. She's gonna stay there for awhile for sure. Next, fowler crying and missing his family. I was like, noooo don't tell me he's out!! Then, bam! Callie made that phone call and i spaced out. Darn it! Throughout the episode, i have guessed every single one of them EXCEPT Callie would tapped. I was hoping it's another prank but nope, she really is out. Wow! Didnt see that coming at all!

Season 1-lucas. Season 2-mike/jose. Season 3-callie. I thought those 3 people would either win or first runner up. Aren't I bad at guessing huh?! I probably should give up guessing for this show. 

I was so sure fowler gonna win this season but after this episode, him crying and missing his family and callie's unexpected tapped out, i don't wanna be so hopeful anymore. At this point, all of the remaining contestants (and Callie) are winner. They lasted 2.5 months so far. Plus, we've seen they put more effort into their shelter (except megan) and more effort in trapping and getting food. Overall this season is definitely better than the first 2 which is a good thing cause you want a show to improve each season. 

One thing next season's contestants can learn from this season is animals are smarter than we think so up your trapping game folks! 

The good news is there are only 2 episodes left. 

They've been showing medic staff doing check up on someone's boney back (Dave). What if he win? What if that check up is actually when the crew telling him he won (like they did to Alan and David)? 

[Scaeva]

I'm disappointed to see Callie go. She was kicking ass and was never not entertaining. I don't doubt she's sincere however when she said no longer cared about the money, and was ready to go. The spider bites would have been easy out if she was just looking for an excuse to quit. 

It wouldn't be Alone without some people who have no issues with the survival aspect of the series, eventually walking away before the end. There have been a couple with each season. On that note, as much as I hope Fowler is in the final two, he is also no shoe-in for the prize, particularly with homesickness kicking in. 

I'm glad they showed that Dave had quite a bit of fish stored up. He's not looking well, but at least he's got food to fall back on if he fails to get that boar. I wonder though if maybe he'd be better off at least doubling his calorie intake instead of trying to stretch his fish stores for two months. 

Edited January 27, 2017 by Scaeva

[AZChristian]

Seems that Dave might do well to eat more of his store of fish and gain back enough strength to string his bow.  If he could bag a pig, he'd more than replace the extra fish he'd eaten.

Edited January 27, 2017 by AZChristian
Grammer.

[Ocean Chick]

I'm disappointed in Callie, like the rest of y'all.  But I'm still rooting for either Fowler or Carleigh.  Which means that either Dave or Megan will win.  Because that's just how my luck rolls.

[Whyyouneedaname]

was screaming at the tv when Fowler was talking about his family " just shut up, don't even go there" and Dave, dude don't hoard all that food while you are literally starving.

oh and the diary Fowler is keeping on the wooden stick, how cool is that. Dude is seriously talented, I recall him saying he was dyslexic, I guess he tapped in to his other talents to make up for his shortcomings with reading. 

[holly4755]

such tough viewers, ha ha  I don't think I can be unconnected for 12 hours, not  to mention 72 days and who knows how much longer this will last. For parents of small children it is even worse, Kids change so much from day to day, when they are small, teens, you would be happy to be away from,but toddlers are a draw.  many have mentioned this is a mind game more than anything else.  two and  1/2 months of being out of touch.  It is tough. 

I really thought Greg was going to win considering he lived off the grid and alone for so long.  But twas not to be. Starvation led him to too many bad decisions.  there are so many things that can be called a journey. In the first year, I thought Lucas was struggling with some demon, I think he resolved what he wanted to do was convinced he had to do it then. There was another man who had a mother dying of cancer and she convinced him to go, but eventually his wanting to spend the last days together got to him, he did have a deadline.   Mike had his issues, and I could not blame him, he was happy at home and really wanted to get back to that, he never seemed to feel whole without his Barbara.  In this case, I think what drew us to Callie was probably what brought her to desire home and decide she could live without the money. She seemed very social, and I think eventually just reached enough where she needed people again, it was just so much time until she could convince herself money was not the whole thing, this was a tough crowd she was in, there would be 9 losers and only 1 winner.  I don't think any of us know how hard this in onthe reasoning part of the brain, and how it can convince you of various realities.  

[seasick]

11 hours ago, muffkins said:

 

God, that Oak Island thing.  Makes me crazy when my husband watches it.  Ominous voiceover "what will they find at the bottom of the shaft? Dun dun duh....?"  and I'm in the kitchen shouting "Nothing!  They never find anything!" 

 

Me too! And I'm beginning to think even the few meaningless things they find have been planted.

[HurricaneVal]

3 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Seems that Dave might do well to eat more of his store of fish and gain back enough strength to string his bow.  If he could bag a pig, he'd more than replace the extra fish he'd eaten.

No kidding.  I had exactly the same idea.  Only 300 calories, every other day?  Dave.  That's why you can't string your bow.  Build up some reserves then you can go forage further afield, bag a pig (or fox, or rabbit or...?), go get more fish!  But impressive that he's cached that much food, and is disciplined enough to let it sit there and only have one every other day.

 

Fowler is doing well, he's keeping his humor up while still missing his family.  We got a good look around his hobbit house last night, and it was pretty cute!  The little hobbit chair he was sitting in with the bent bamboo back was adorable, as was his "story stick" for his time while on the show.  I hope he stays strong and keeps going.  He was carving spoons, tools, lots of stuff.  Odd that his new car broke down on the way to the airport.  I suspect the "friends" he hitchhiked with were actually part of the production staff.  But how heartbreaking is it that he only got to say his farewells there by the roadside, leaving his wife and two young children abandoned by the side of the road?  Yes, yes, I'm sure production had AAA out toute de suite for them, but that had to have weighed on Fowler, that he didn't get the goodbyes he was envisioning in his head at the airport.   I hope production at least let him talk to his wife on the phone before he took off so he could confirm that they were OK and that the situation was taken care of.

 

I hope we see more of Megan now that she's one of the final four.  She must give really boring footage (and nothing I've seen so far negates that impression) since the most interesting thing we've seen her do is shave her legs.  Well, she made that scoop net, but geeze loueeze, how late in the game did it take her to get on and do that?

 

Once again, trapping doesn't seem to be doing well for these folks.  I think they should just go ahead and give it up, I don't think we've seen anyone successfully trap anything (except for those mice in deadfall traps), so it seems to me that those who took snare wire would have been better served using that slot in their optional equipment list for something more useful.  Didn't Britt--a reportedly good trapper in real life--run out of snare wire really early in the game and had to resort to fishing line?  Which was easily chewed through?  Megan's gill net wasn't working, so she finally repurposed it.  Actually, I think a gill net wasn't the wisest choice.  Yes, it was on Vancouver Island where there are tides to swish the fish in and out to where you can get them off the net.  In Patagonia on the lakes there, it is just a static net sitting in the water where you must get wet to check it.  Not a good idea!  Apparently gill netting across rivers and streams is illegal there.  So Megan brought something that couldn't be used legally in the area where you could catch the most fish.  Not wise...

 

Fowler didn't take extra rations as one of his slots, and he replaced those with tools and that seems to have been a really good choice on his part. 

 

I wonder if the other contestants can see the boat out on the lake when picking someone up and if that lifts their spirits or depresses them?  They've got to know it isn't the regular checkup schedule...

 

Callie, Callie, Callie...  You could have gone all the way.  Did you miss your mommy?  Seriously, Megan is missing her kids, Fowler is missing his kids, and that has to be a deep, deep ache.   I kind of lost respect for you with that tap out.  I would have understood if you were starving.  I would have understood if you spider bites were throbbing.  I would have understood if you'd freaked out about a puma.  But you'd just had a feast, your spider bites were healed up, and we haven't had footage of glowing wildcat eyes in weeks.  You just punked out.

 

Fowler and Carleigh for the win!!!

[pagooey]

Dang, Callie. I absolutely did not see that coming! I can't begrudge anyone their reasons for choosing to tap out--I would be crying and begging to return to civilization on Day 1 with one leg still in the boat, if by some inexplicable nightmare I found myself on this show--but I don't even have an inkling of her reasons. That final feast looked like some rustic farm-to-table fare you'd pay $100 a plate for in a hot new pop-up restaurant. I don't get it, but I wish her luck. 

Quote

Seems that Dave might do well to eat more of his store of fish and gain back enough strength to string his bow.  If he could bag a pig, he'd more than replace the extra fish he'd eaten.

I wasn't fond of Dave from the beginning; he just rubs me the wrong way. But seeing him hoard food while not comprehending the possible consequences--like being too weak to string his bow or, eventually, hunt--makes me think I'm watching an eating disorder develop in real time. That, or he had some undisclosed disordered behaviors before, and that will take him out. 

(Am I nuts, or did they tease him taking a bad fall in one of the very first episodes? Black-and-white, eerie foreshadowing? I've been waiting for it ever since; looks like we're finally getting to it next week. I don't want that to be in the context of him winning this thing...but only because I don't like 'im. Petty, I know!)

I'm rooting for Fowler. His "journaling staff" is going to be a magnificent souvenir of this experience. I'd be happy to see a woman win this thing, too, but I don't have particularly strong feelings for either Megan or Carleigh. 

As for the flashback editing: After the first commercial break, I said aloud (to my living room) "oh, so they're gonna dick us around with this boat all night!" But I appreciate the effort to mix things up a little. It really did build suspense, as I imagined horrific injuries for everyone as the days ticked by. I'm still jumpy every time anyone uses any sort of blade!

[piequinn35]

Oh geez Callie tapped, I am now 95% sure that Fowler will win, the 2 ladies doesn't have a winning edit, and Dave I am not sure.

[Canada]

Callie!  You idiot!!  I can't believe you tapped out!!  So disappointed.  I really thought you had such a good chance of winning this and you just turned into such a flake.

Crazy Dave gets crazier as he starves himself.  He would be a really ugly winner.  I really hope Fowler takes it over Dave.

[GreyBunny]

I was trying to pinpoint what bugged me about Dave and I finally figured it out.  In his audition and at-home videos he comes off as such a manchild.  He's over 40 and still acts like a teenager and not in a good way.  It's a little creepy. 

I'm okay with any of the remaining contestants winning, even Dave.  His eking by on his fingernails (2 calories, 1 gm of protein each) does make for a suspenseful win.

2 hours ago, pagooey said:

I imagined horrific injuries for everyone as the days ticked by. I'm still jumpy every time anyone uses any sort of blade!

I expected the boat to go and pick up everyone else, leaving Callie by herself to munch on her fish and greenery feast in her cozy cottage town.   I wonder if they stagger the weekly medical checks (this contestant on this day, that contestant the next day) so the contestants see the boat every day and can't figure out a schedule or know if the boat is picking up someone else.  Or maybe production just drives the boat around the lakes once every day so contestants can't figure out if someone is being picked up.   

[holly4755]

I don't have a link but remember reading on the bushcraftusa forum in the past that the weekly medical check up s mess with your mind, you have a quick touch to humans and them the are gone, and you still want to talk to someone, they don't want to here stories, and you can't have note pads because you are supposed to make the camera your journal. Ina way Fowler is getting around the rules with his story staff. he still has that staff and his notebooks of things he wanted to build there that he wrote before he left.

Oh a few days ago the participants were talking about when they were told where they were going and when they left - it seems to be 3 to 3.5 weeks ahead.  they had to get things in order, so did not have a lot of time to google the area. 

[raven]

Quote

I hope production at least let him talk to his wife on the phone before he took off so he could confirm that they were OK and that the situation was taken care of.

That whole sequence was weird - he says their rescuer is there and he'll have to hitchhike, but then he gets in the car and leaves them and obviously cameras are there, so there must have been someone there to pick them up. 

I still have hope for Fowler even with all the family talk.   Love his hobbit shelter.  Everyone has pretty good shelters actually but his is my favorite.  I did like Callie's but she's gone so it is too.  I admit I was surprised by her tap.  Oh well, glad she apparently will have no serious after effects from the bites.

Odd Dave has grown on me.  I think he could go the distance if he doesn't starve first.   I have a good feeling about Megan, she's been worried and hungry which usually leads to lots of "missing family" talk but we haven't really heard that from her.  Maybe she has more endurance than I thought.

I liked that they worked backwards, nice to shake things up a little.

[Quilt Fairy]

11 hours ago, Joan Z said:

The good news is there are only 2 episodes left. 

I don't consider it good news at all.  This is the one show on TV right now that is appointment viewing for me.  Although without Callie the last few episodes may be a lot less interesting.

ETA: Did Dave say he had 30 fish or 30 fish heads?  Because I heard 30 fish heads as in "fish head soup" or fish heads to use as bait, etc.  It didn't look like a huge store of food to me.

Edited January 28, 2017 by Quilt Fairy

[TVbitch]

Oh Callie, everyone who calls for the boat "taps out on their own terms."

She must have become physically or psychologically uncomfortable enough about something. But pushing past that is the whole point I would think, especially for a love & light, personal growth, granola chick. She should have at LEAST taken more time to sit with her compulsion to leave and explore what it was all about instead of allowing herself to go straight to "I feel complete!" 

I'm not sure if she acutally "learned" anything about herself out there. Seems like she just re-affirmed the (very good) qualities that she already appreciated about herself. She never really pushed herself past an emotional or physical breaking point like some of the others have.

I'd still buy her a beer though!  

[cooksdelight]

Callie, I got news for you.... you can find yourself and take that damned journey in your own fricken back yard!!! I am really pissed at her, she had it made there. Plenty of food, it looked like, a damn house to live in. And no kids at home crying for their mom. Geez!!!!!

Dave needs to dip his hands in some water and wash. His dirtiness made me gag a little.

Fowler, hang in there, stop talking about your wife and kid. You're going to psych yourself right out of the game.

Megan..... that fox is not going to kill you. Outsmart you, yes, no question.

Carleigh, duck-hunting is not your forte.

[SRTouch]

7 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

No kidding.  I had exactly the same idea.  Only 300 calories, every other day?  Dave.  That's why you can't string your bow.  Build up some reserves then you can go forage further afield, bag a pig (or fox, or rabbit or...?), go get more fish!  But impressive that he's cached that much food, and is disciplined enough to let it sit there and only have one every other day.

Totally agree. Dude, it makes no sense to starve yourself to the point that you can't hunt or forage. Losing weight is expected in these eituations, but not to the point you look like a prison camp survivor.

7 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I hope we see more of Megan now that she's one of the final four.  She must give really boring footage (and nothing I've seen so far negates that impression) since the most interesting thing we've seen her do is shave her legs.  Well, she made that scoop net, but geeze loueeze, how late in the game did it take her to get on and do that?

Actually, it looked to me like a lot of the footage they showed last night was from way earlier in the show. As I remember, the pop up where she pulled her gill net was from day 3 or 4. Then things look pretty green and nice as she converts the gill net to a dip net. In fact, I think everyone else was on day 71 when they finally showed us what she had done on day 4! Most of her footage last night seemed to be from much, earlier before the cold weather started. Everybody else was running around bundled up, then cut to Megan and she's outside working with no gloves. Course on the other hand, maybe she's out there because she has a lousy shelter. Or does she? Maybe they're hiding her shelter from us, too, and a lot of those monologues at night in her shelter are from before she built s permanent shelter. That's why I think she's going to last, I think the editors hid her from us to sort of be a dark horse come from behind contestant.  

[riverheightsnancy]

21 minutes ago, SRTouch said:

Actually, it looked to me like a lot of the footage they showed last night was from way earlier in the show. As I remember, the pop up where she pulled her gill net was from day 3 or 4. Then things look pretty green and nice as she converts the gill net to a dip net. In fact, I think everyone else was on day 71 when they finally showed us what she had done on day 4! Most of her footage last night seemed to be from much, earlier before the cold weather started. Everybody else was running around bundled up, then cut to Megan and she's outside working with no gloves. Course on the other hand, maybe she's out there because she has a lousy shelter. Or does she? Maybe they're hiding her shelter from us, too, and a lot of those monologues at night in her shelter are from before she built s permanent shelter. That's why I think she's going to last, I think the editors hid her from us to sort of be a dark horse come from behind contestant.  

That was the tune I was singing last year regarding Jose and we all know how that turns out. I don't think the editors of this show are that crafty to create a "story" in which the winner is only in 4 episodes. They have been telegraphing a Fowler win from day 1. They have to place a little doubt about him for the viewer (like they played with us last night making us believe that it could be any of them that tapped last night), so they include a little homesickness, but the vast majority of their edit about Fowler is very positive. It is very similar to Alan's edit. Alan had a moment at one point where he seemed a little down, but the vast majority of his edit as well, was positive. As I said about last year, they are not going to hide the winner. The winner is always featured in the vast majority of episodes. No chance that Dave wins. Carleigh and Megan are whatever, we don't know them enough. I would lay money on Fowler. That makes me pretty happy actually. Callie would have been a great winner too, and if it had come down to the 2 of them, I think I would have wished for a dual prize because they would have both been deserving.

[ethalfrida]

I think Callie was a plant. She wasn't supposed to win. 

[Snarklepuss]

The backwards editing clued me in that the show was messing with us again.  I had a sinking feeling it would be either Callie or Fowler tapping this time.  I was sorry it was Callie as she seemed to be doing better than most of them and probably could have lasted much longer.  ITA with the people who want to see true competitors instead of these "personal journey" people and I ranted about that here in prior seasons too.  Although, to be fair to Callie, she lasted longer than any of the winners so far, so she didn't give up too soon by any means, just too soon to win in this season.  So I'm better with her than with the Lucas type.

I see I'm not alone in that Dave annoys me.  I think the show wanted to fake us out thinking it was him tapping out.  With only 2 episodes left there will have to be more than one tap out per episode from this point.  It's so hard to predict, but with Fowler starting to complain about missing his family I worry about how long until he taps....Which would totally suck.  Dave starving himself when he actually has food leads me to believe he is trying to last as long as possible and is over-conserving his resources in some kind of strategy to achieve that, although I think he's coming close to sabotaging himself at this point.

Carleigh and Megan are totally hard to predict at this point but despite her fixation on that fox and having a comparatively flimsy shelter, Megan's hair looks pretty darned good, especially for being 70 or so days into this adventure.  My hair looks worse than that after one night in my own bed, LOL.  I am not particularly invested in any of the remaining people winning, but I would not be so happy if it were Dave.

[seasick]

7 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Oh Callie, everyone who calls for the boat "taps out on their own terms."

She must have become physically or psychologically uncomfortable enough about something. But pushing past that is the whole point I would think, especially for a love & light, personal growth, granola chick. She should have at LEAST taken more time to sit with her compulsion to leave and explore what it was all about instead of allowing herself to go straight to "I feel complete!" 

I'm not sure if she acutally "learned" anything about herself out there. Seems like she just re-affirmed the (very good) qualities that she already appreciated about herself. She never really pushed herself past an emotional or physical breaking point like some of the others have.

I'd still buy her a beer though!  

Exactly.  And that is really the thing that bothers me.   She had hit a point that she could not push past.  Very understandable!!     But she refused to admit to it.  

 "I feel complete"  is code for "I just can't stand to do this another day--not even for half a million dollars.  I want out".      She did not leave on any more superior terms than anybody else did.

[cooksdelight]

1 hour ago, seasick said:

She did not leave on any more superior terms than anybody else did.

But she sure wanted viewers to think that, with her nose in the air and a smile on her face. With all she had there to stay comfortable and fed, producers must have been throwing things at the wall when she tapped.

[jwc]

It seemed to me that some people had super flat and sunny spots, with great foraging.  Fowler not so much.  It will be interesting to see how it pans out when the snow really hits.  I agree with everyone who thinks Dave should up his ration a bit.  In 2 months he will be in organ failure from starvation.

[SRTouch]

35 minutes ago, jwc said:

It seemed to me that some people had super flat and sunny spots, with great foraging.  Fowler not so much.  It will be interesting to see how it pans out when the snow really hits.  I agree with everyone who thinks Dave should up his ration a bit.  In 2 months he will be in organ failure from starvation.

Yeah, they had a popup that said he lost 40 pounds, but not really sure if that was 40 pounds at that point or all together for however long he stays. But, 40 pounds weight loss in a couple months, especially as I thought he was pretty lean at the start? Unhealthy, dude, up your rations, you have those dried fish and brought 2 ration packs, yet you're concentration camp thin and too weak to hunt!

Edited January 28, 2017 by SRTouch
Wording changed

[riverheightsnancy]

In the video that we saw at the side of the road, Fowler came in a little hefty, so he has slimmed down too. He is looking pretty good. But you can see how much slimmer he is in comparison to that video. I wonder if that would be a good strategy to gain some weight before coming in on this show? I know that has been discussed on Survivor thread as well. While Megan and Carleigh seem nice, I don't think they have focused on them enough for me to root for them. I think Carleigh has gotten more camera time than Megan or Dave. Just as a guess I would say it comes down to Carleigh and Fowler, we will see if my editing guess is correct. 

[ClareWalks]

Unpopular opinion: I don't fault any of these folks for leaving for ANY reason. If they feel they're done, they're done. I guess most folks want to see these people stay out there until they are just barely hanging on and slowly starving to death like Sam and Dave, but I find it uncomfortable to watch people go out like that, and it would be torturous to watch *everyone* go out like that. I was surprised Callie left but I can't blame her or be annoyed with her about it. 

Edited January 28, 2017 by ClareWalks
Her name isn't Cassie. Derp.

[riverheightsnancy]

8 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Unpopular opinion: I don't fault any of these folks for leaving for ANY reason. If they feel they're done, they're done. I guess most folks want to see these people stay out there until they are just barely hanging on and slowly starving to death like Sam and Dave, but I find it uncomfortable to watch people go out like that, and it would be torturous to watch *everyone* go out like that. I was surprised Cassie left but I can't blame her or be annoyed with her about it. 

Yeah, I think Dave will get pulled for medical.  I think Callie is more of a spiritual sort and she made peace with her journey after overcoming the spider bites. I know a lot don't think that is legit to quit for a reason like that, but it is, after all, her journey.  I cannot imagine what it feels like to see your shelter torn down-hers was pretty cool. I wonder if they do that for the contestant after they leave? 

[ClareWalks]

3 minutes ago, riverheightsnancy said:

Yeah, I think Dave will get pulled for medical.  I think Callie is more of a spiritual sort and she made peace with her journey after overcoming the spider bites. I know a lot don't think that is legit to quit for a reason like that, but it is, after all, her journey.  I cannot imagine what it feels like to see your shelter torn down-hers was pretty cool. I wonder if they do that for the contestant after they leave? 

Good question! I would hope so. Let the contestant relax on the boat with pumpkin pie (Lucas's food of choice) while the crew packs up the stuff. 

Dave looks horrific. His "plan" to subsist on 100 cal/day is idiotic. He thinks he can go two more months? On that restricted diet, he will lose another 40 lb in two more months. He doesn't have 40 lb to lose. He has maybe 10 more lb, or 2 more weeks before organ failure unless he gets some real food, real fast. He needs to be eating at least two fish a day, not one fish every two days.

[SRTouch]

32 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Dave looks horrific. His "plan" to subsist on 100 cal/day is idiotic. He thinks he can go two more months? On that restricted diet, he will lose another 40 lb in two more months. He doesn't have 40 lb to lose. He has maybe 10 more lb, or 2 more weeks before organ failure unless he gets some real food, real fast. He needs to be eating at least two fish a day, not one fish every two days.

I'm not all that knowledgeable about nutrition, but seems to me fish would be a poor choice to try to maintain his weight. I wonder which of the food rations packs he chose to take - remember he took two packs. It'd be a real bummer if he chose to take the wrong food. He could have chosen 5 pounds beef jerky and 5 pounds biltong to go with his dried fish - protein yes, but no fats, carbs or sugars. Looking at the various choices http://www.history.com/shows/alone/articles/gear-list and given his dried fish (not sure if it was 30 fillets or 30 fish) he should be okay if he choose the 5 pounds of pulses/legumes/lentils. Have we ever learned if the people with 2 rations can double up on one choice? If so, he could have ten pounds of dried beans. He could make an awful lot of fish head stew with 10 pounds of beans.