S34: Zeke Smith

[LanceM]

Secret scene with Andrea and Zeke this week.

http://ew.com/recap/survivor-season-34-episode-10/4/

[ljenkins782]

On 4/25/2017 at 1:31 AM, Vyk said:

That's . . . kind of his problem, though.  Zeke is so desperate to make big moves, he moves too quickly.  Nothing wrong with wanting to make a big move, but you've gotta weigh the costs vs. benefits first, and then properly gauge the timing.  Zeke did neither.  He thought it was more beneficial to work with an alliance that didn't even want or even need him, and it cost him the alliance who trusted him.  And he moved way too soon in doing so.

I like Zeke, too, but if this is his gameplay, he isn't winning this season by a longshot.  

I realize editing plays a role here, but his "big move" of flipping on Cirie and Andrea seemed not only quick, but nearly instantaneous. How about maybe riding that one out for a vote or two before burning the bridge? I agree that Cirie and Andrea are dangerous to keep around (Andrea maybe even more than Cirie since she's far more likely to win immunities), but the dominant threat right now is Brad/Sierra & Co, whose numbers meant they didn't need him. Whittle that one down a bit and THEN move on your own people. 

He was too eager to call the shots and in a JTesque way, probably needs a Stephen type to temper his enthusiasm for his own ideas, but doesn't seem likely to listen to one.

[LadyChatts]

There was so much focus on getting Zeke out, that I thought for sure he was safe.  I didn't realize he and Michaela were that close.  We've barely seen them bond out there, and I don't remember them being overly close last season.  Sometimes I wish the overall Survivor season was shorter, but the episodes longer, so maybe we could actually see more than strategizing, challenges, and a torch being snuffed.

As for Zeke-I think maybe he needs to actually take a page out of Sarah's playbook next time he plays.  Too much and too fast in trying to make moves.  His explanation of his game play (running around from person to person, ruffling feathers, making big moves), seems like something a super fan would dream of doing, but it doesn't exactly translate well in the actual game unless you can pull it off.  Zeke just tries too hard and doesn't seem to hide his cards.  I don't blame Andrea or cirie for wanting to get rid of him because he was only loosely in their alliance anyway. And already scheming to get rid of them after this vote.

Also, the whole scene with Brad and talking about football-didn't he have that same conversation with Chris last season?

[Nalan]

Zeke, you didn't worship the ground David walked on last season and made him cry like the little bitch he was.  I will always love you for that.

But you played too hard, too fast, and for no reason at all this season.  For that, you had to pay, and it finally caught up with you this week.

In that context, I'm not gonna miss you.

[ByaNose]

1 minute ago, Nalan said:

Zeke, you didn't worship the ground David walked on last season and made him cry like the little bitch he was.  I will always love you for that.

But you played too hard, too fast, and for no reason at all this season.  For that, you had to pay, and it finally caught up with you this week.

In that context, I'm not gonna miss you.

It's too bad he went off the rails with Andrea. He did it too early and it ruined his game & strong alliance. I'm interested to hear from him why he had a falling out with Andrea? For all I know it could have been her fault.

[kikaha]

7 hours ago, ByaNose said:

It's too bad he went off the rails with Andrea. He did it too early and it ruined his game & strong alliance. I'm interested to hear from him why he had a falling out with Andrea? For all I know it could have been her fault.

Maybe it was her fault, but I doubt it.  Andrea seemed to me in it for the long haul with Zeke.  Zeke had other plans though. 

Both seasons, Zeke wanted to shake things up.  He wanted to lead, to drive the action.  When he did NOT do that, things worked real well for him.  As soon as he 'came out' as a wannabe-leader, things fell apart for him. 

I also think Zeke made a mistake in appearing too smart to the other players.  Lots of them talked about that.  Being smart can make you a target, just like being a challenge beast makes you a target. 

I hoped Zeke had learned from his first season, but I think he actually just doubled down, on the same tactics that got him booted before. 

[fuzzed]

I enjoyed Zeke in the game, but Zeke in his Ponderosa video is off-putting. He thinks highly of himself.

[ByaNose]

5 minutes ago, kikaha said:

Maybe it was her fault, but I doubt it.  Andrea seemed to me in it for the long haul with Zeke.  Zeke had other plans though. 

Both seasons, Zeke wanted to shake things up.  He wanted to lead, to drive the action.  When he did NOT do that, things worked real well for him.  As soon as he 'came out' as a wannabe-leader, things fell apart for him. 

I also think Zeke made a mistake in appearing too smart to the other players.  Lots of them talked about that.  Being smart can make you a target, just like being a challenge beast makes you a target. 

I hoped Zeke had learned from his first season, but I think he actually just doubled down, on the same tactics that got him booted before. 

Yeah, even Cirie commented last night that he knew WAY more then her and she's played 4 times. LOL!! There's no doubt that he knows the game but I think he went against Andrea too early. It seems she had no intention of going after him so I'm not sure why he flipped on someone he knew outside of the game.

5 minutes ago, fuzzed said:

I enjoyed Zeke in the game, but Zeke in his Ponderosa video is off-putting. He thinks highly of himself.

I thought so, too. In the first few minutes he didn't seem likable at all. He was really high on himself and why he thought they voted him out. No! They finally voted you out because you had flipped and betrayed someone who wasn't even going after you. By the end, he was okay but I like last seasons Ponderosa of Zeke.

[seltzer3]

Contestants like Zeke, why I hate modern survivor and the direction its going.  You now have all these people who are all about "Big Moves!", and overplay like crazy.

[Jersey Guy 87]

1 hour ago, seltzer3 said:

Contestants like Zeke, why I hate modern survivor and the direction its going.  You now have all these people who are all about "Big Moves!", and overplay like crazy.

People have been overplaying for "big moves" for a fairly long time.

Zeke is a Survivor nerd who doesn't know how to translate his knowledge of the game into actually playing the game.  He's too caught up in the minutia of Survivor to see the bigger picture and realize that he didn't need to go after Andrea when he did.  He may know more about the game than Cirie but he doesn't know how to apply it.

[ByaNose]

Here is Zeke's take on Michaela. He said they weren't close and was confused as to why she was crying. I thought the same thing since they were never together much on either season.

At what point did you realize who had voted you out?

At Tribal, Brad and Troy looked very shocked, so I believed they weren't part of it. What confused me was that Michaela was crying. We were never particularly close; I always tried to be as nice to her as possible in both seasons we played, but I never thought Michaela really liked me. But when Probst started reading the votes, I saw my name and knew it was me, and Michaela was crying. I didn't know it was because she was sad that she voted me out. It confused me. 

[Special K]

1 minute ago, ByaNose said:

Here is Zeke's take on Michaela. He said they weren't close and was confused as to why she was crying. I thought the same thing since they were never together much on either season.

At what point did you realize who had voted you out?

At Tribal, Brad and Troy looked very shocked, so I believed they weren't part of it. What confused me was that Michaela was crying. We were never particularly close; I always tried to be as nice to her as possible in both seasons we played, but I never thought Michaela really liked me. But when Probst started reading the votes, I saw my name and knew it was me, and Michaela was crying. I didn't know it was because she was sad that she voted me out. It confused me. 

Well, that's bizarre.

It did make for a stark contrast, Michaela breaking down while Cirie, Andrea, and Sarah sat there stone-faced, owning it.  Maybe Michaela is just exhausted, but it showed how those other three have the cojones for this game.

Another note on Michaela, whom I do get a kick out of, but she shouldn't play team sports.  The way she was scolding Tai during the RC who was just trying to pull the damn rope, showed once again that she is a terrible team player.  (Remember how harsh she was to Hannah?) She is a good athlete, but really doesn't play well with others.  I'm not sure if that's just competitiveness or that she always has to be the star.  Anyway, she's young and it shows.

[ByaNose]

16 minutes ago, Special K said:

Well, that's bizarre.

It did make for a stark contrast, Michaela breaking down while Cirie, Andrea, and Sarah sat there stone-faced, owning it.  Maybe Michaela is just exhausted, but it showed how those other three have the cojones for this game.

Another note on Michaela, whom I do get a kick out of, but she shouldn't play team sports.  The way she was scolding Tai during the RC who was just trying to pull the damn rope, showed once again that she is a terrible team player.  (Remember how harsh she was to Hannah?) She is a good athlete, but really doesn't play well with others.  I'm not sure if that's just competitiveness or that she always has to be the star.  Anyway, she's young and it shows.

Yeah, she might do better with tennis versus soccer. LOL!!!

[LadyChatts]

Zeke played back to back and never had a chance to evaluate his mistakes from the first time.  Whether he realizes he actually made mistakes, or just believes he's a great player that was targeted solely because he was dangerous, I don't know.  If he came back a third time and played the same way, I'd have my answer.  He seemed so caught up in making moves, and being a leader that everyone followed.  Brad and Troy seemed to have no problem throwing Tai under the bus and voting him out, but whose to say Brad and Troy wouldn't flip on Zeke?  They had nothing to lose, so let Zeke could some member of the other alliance out, then go to them (knowing they already hate Zeke), and flip on him.  I think this is why I hate super fans sometimes.  They don't always play smart, even if they think they are, and just want to be in control, make big moves, and be some character (for some of them).

[Silver Raven]

Zeke said in an exit interview that the reason they had enough votes to get rid of Debbie was because she pooped in the middle of camp.

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, Silver Raven said:

Zeke said in an exit interview that the reason they had enough votes to get rid of Debbie was because she pooped in the middle of camp.

Well, that would do it.

[303420]

8 hours ago, Special K said:

It did make for a stark contrast, Michaela breaking down while Cirie, Andrea, and Sarah sat there stone-faced, owning it.  Maybe Michaela is just exhausted, but it showed how those other three have the cojones for this game.

I just wanted to underscore the correct spelling of "cojones." So often it's written "cajones," which means boxes.

[Wings]

I am going to call Zeke out on his claim that Debbie shit "in the middle of camp."  I suspect she did but not in the middle but rather a little closer than she should have.  The outhouse is probably enough of a distance to make the trek at night, without a flashlight, just too far.  She came back from a reward and got the urge in the middle of the night.  Not a good idea but I sense an exaggeration on Zeke's part.  She was voted out because she is impossible.  

Edited May 5, 2017 by wings707

[Nashville]

3 hours ago, wings707 said:

I am going to call Zeke out on his claim that Debbie shit "in the middle of camp."  I suspect she did but not in the middle but rather a little closer than she should have.  The outhouse is probably enough of a distance to make the trek at night, without a flashlight, just too far.  She came back from a reward and got the urge in the middle of the night.  Not a good idea but I sense an exaggeration on Zeke's part.  She was voted out because she is impossible.  

Considering how much this bunch of bums have been eating*, I would expect the route between camp and the outhouse to be the most clearly-defined path on the island.

 

* When was the last time they had a reward challenge WITHOUT a food reward???  I mean, come on now...!!!

[waving feather]

Zeke is smart and charismatic enough but I don't know if he would ever be really good at this game because of his huge ego. He seems to want to be in control all the time and feel unbalanced when he's not. That got him voted out sooner than necessary both last and this season. You don't always have to be controlling the vote to be safe, Zeke! Sometimes you just need to be close to the ones who do.

[Rachel RSL]

On 5/4/2017 at 0:32 AM, Nalan said:

Zeke, you didn't worship the ground David walked on last season and made him cry like the little bitch he was.  I will always love you for that.

I've seen a few people who disliked David make this same comment and it still puzzles me. When exactly did Zeke make David cry like a little bitch? When did he make him cry at all? The only really negative interaction I remember between those two was when Zeke had his asshole moment at TC ("Are you gonna cry now?") and I seem to remember David just smiled and shook his head.

[Lamb18]

19 hours ago, Nashville said:

Well, that would do it.

Like that one guy from a season or two ago who did a full moon dump in the ocean and was voted out first.

I sometimes think Zeke was playing more to be a memorable Survivor character who made thought-provoking groundbreaking statements on the game than just playing to win.

[Silver Raven]

Zeke and David are really good friends.  They hang out together, they tweet each other, and Zeke has a picture of David on his Twitter account home page.

[Nalan]

3 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Zeke and David are really good friends.  They hang out together, they tweet each other, and Zeke has a picture of David on his Twitter account home page.

Good for him.  I still enjoyed seeing him treat him badly.

[Subrookie]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 5:33 AM, fuzzed said:

I enjoyed Zeke in the game, but Zeke in his Ponderosa video is off-putting. He thinks highly of himself.

I don't often watch the Ponderosa videos or post on individual player threads, but I decided this season to watch Zeke's and Debbie's Ponderosa. I agree about his video, it was not flattering. He went on and on about who cares how you get in the Hall of Fame as long as your in the HOF and in general came across like he has a big ego. Given the number of jurors now making the jury is not really as big of an achievement to hang your hat on anymore. Borneo had 7 jurors, Caramoan had 8, now there's 10. Essentially, half the people competing end up on the jury.  

I don't have a positive or negative opinion of him really. He'll be memorable because he was outed in Tribal by Varner, but his game play never came across as very good. As others have said, he tried to make big moves too early and you'd think he'd not repeat the same mistakes in this season he did in the GenX one, but he did.

Edited May 12, 2017 by Subrookie

[ljenkins782]

2 hours ago, Subrookie said:

I don't often watch the Ponderosa videos or post on individual player threads, but I decided this season to watch Zeke's and Debbie's Ponderosa. I agree about his video, it was not flattering. He went on and on about who cares how you get in the Hall of Fame as long as your in the HOF and in general came across like he has a big ego. Given the number of jurors now it's not really as big of an achievement to hang your hat on anymore. Borneo had 7 jurors, Caramoan had 8, now there's 10. Essentially, half the people competing end up on the jury.  

I don't have a positive or negative opinion of him really. He'll be memorable because he was outed in Tribal by Varner, but his game play never came across as very good. As others have said, he tried to make big moves too early and you'd think he'd not repeat the same mistakes in this season he did in the GenX one, but he did.

Two seasons in a row he did that ridiculous intro for his Ponderosa video, but perhaps since he didn't get to see his season air before returning, he didn't realize how stupid it looked the first time. ;) 

However, the fact that he didn't make it to the end should have clued him in that something in his gameplay didn't work, but he made the same mistakes anyway. It's not like Russell or Amanda who made it to the end, but didn't know they'd lost. Granted, a different cast will mean that it won't be exactly the same experience, but he still played way too hard both times. 

I do think the Varner incident has put him in the running to be a 3rd time player, but I don't know that I'm that interested in seeing him play again. He's a pretty good narrator, but I don't think his game is that interesting.

[LadyChatts]

I'm only interested in seeing Zeke a third time if he changes his game play up, and isn't such a super fan.  I can see where he might have been star struck in this season, not having time to really decompress from his last season (did he and Michaela even go home?), and not being able to see his mistakes from last time.  Plus, Probst compared him to Russell in front of everyone, so I'm sure that put a chip on his shoulder.  Zeke seems more concerned with being a super fan that was about creating a legacy and being memorable.  If he doesn't change up his game play the next time, then I have no interest in seeing him again.  There's no doubt a bunch of play-to-the-camera super fans that want to be remembered more than win coming up in the next two seasons.

[Subrookie]

I don't want them to bring him back. There's nothing exceptional about Zeke's game play. Compare him to Cochran, who totally screwed his first attempt to play the game as a fan. He didn't screw it up the second time. Zeke's game was exactly the same the second time. But, there's no doubt Peaches will have him back. 

I liked seeing Cochran drop in this season because I think he was a good Survivor player ultimately. I have no interest in seeing Zeke again. 

[SVNBob]

2 hours ago, Subrookie said:

There's nothing exceptional about Zeke's game play. Compare him to Cochran, who totally screwed his first attempt to play the game as a fan. He didn't screw it up the second time.

But, as people are saying, Cochran at least had time between his appearances; over a year.  That included him being able to watch his first appearance and make new plans accordingly.  Zeke had two weeks (apparently) between his seasons, and didn't have the luxury of seeing his first game play out like most other repeat players.

Zeke was in a similar position as the bandy legged little troll, or Malcolm on his second attempt, with both the advantages and disadvantages that come with playing Survivor so soon after playing Survivor.  So it would be interesting to Zeke play again now that he's had time to process the experiences and how his plans worked within them.  But I'd prefer to see him wait for a while before doing so.