S34: Debbie Wanner

[Nalan]

Not sad to see her go.  The condescending way she talked to Aubry (followed by Aubry saying she wanted to tell her to go fuck herself), the way she sounded so cocky and arrogant at Tribal Council, and just . . . everything about her in general made me want her gone.

It might've been smarter for Andrea, Cirie, Aubry, Michaela, Sarah, and Zeke to target Brad or Sierra before her, but I can totally see why she'd be the target over them.

Goodbye, Debbie.

[ByaNose]

7 minutes ago, diana said:

So in listening to Debbie in her exit interview with Rob C, she comes across as a somewhat normal, reasonable and even slightly likable person (if not still full of herself). Apparently the whole fight thing with Brad was an act. It was part of her strategy to not show her closeness with him. What I don't get is why we as the audience couldn't be let in on that. I don't know if they didn't ask her or what, but why play that up to us in the confessionals? It only makes her look completely bat shit because my takeaway was not a good one after that episode.

Yeah, nice & normal Debbie is a pleasure to listen to. I wonder if nice & normal Debbie was like this in casting? And, casting didn't know what they were getting. Was nice & normal Debbie not nice & normal Debbie in casting but wacky Debbie? Wacky Debbie makes good tv and nice & normal Debbie might not. In all of her exit interviews with Rob, Josh Wigler & Gordon Holmes she comes off very smart, knowledgeable with a little wacky on the side. 

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, diana said:

So in listening to Debbie in her exit interview with Rob C, she comes across as a somewhat normal, reasonable and even slightly likable person (if not still full of herself). Apparently the whole fight thing with Brad was an act. It was part of her strategy to not show her closeness with him. What I don't get is why we as the audience couldn't be let in on that. I don't know if they didn't ask her or what, but why play that up to us in the confessionals? It only makes her look completely bat shit because my takeaway was not a good one after that episode.

That is likely why they did it, especially considering who we're talking about.  And probably just to show some make believe added tension in an alliance when nothing else went on in that episode.  It made Brad look good with how he handled it (and now we know why, since it was an act), and Debbie crazy.  This seems to be what people have come to expect from Debbie.

@ByaNose I'd be curious, too, although my guess is she came off as both wacky and normal/intelligent.  I don't know if she would have been cast had she been more on the sane end of the spectrum, but she probably wouldn't have gotten the airtime that she did.  I'm sure she was a casting director's dream if she came off as this insane character with 100 occupations.

Edited April 28, 2017 by LadyChatts

[violet and green]

I'm really sad that she has gone. I gather she is not everybody's cup of Survivor tea (cough), but she was one of the people I would most like to have seen win this season.

She left well, though, friendly, warm-hearted and gracious - and that is an accomplishment in itself - as opposed to the bitter hissy fits of others' favorites; Ozzy's spiteful ill-wishing last week, and Michaela's furious glares and plant-whacking on her previous season stand out.

On the other hand, I am quite glad she's gone, though, as it made for much painful reading of the weekly threads. Now that Debbie's gone, Sierra looks to be the next one to cop the mass venting of contempt for her every word, her physiognomy, her chosen accessories of blue nails and strange tattooed sharpie eyebrows. Some woman has to be the repository for this stuff, it seems.

[enoughcats]

On 4/23/2017 at 11:38 AM, Hera said:

She's the first person to play the extra vote and actually have the person she wanted to go home get voted out. Yeah, it turned out she didn't need to, but I'd much rather see someone burn

Had she kept it until this week, there's a chance she'd still be in the game.

[LadyChatts]

I like Debbie as normal, nice, rational, sane Debbie.  Not the character she portrays.  Then again, I usually detest the characters on this show because it's obvious the goal is camera time and becoming memorable enough-for better or worse-to get invited back.  I don't want a bunch of boring, one note personalities, but I think there can be a balance between someone that's kind of larger than life, and someone putting on an act.  Debbie for me is the latter.  

I have enjoyed reading her interviews though.  And since this show doesn't always portray older women in the greatest light, so maybe Debbie knew what she was doing.  She seems intelligent enough for it.

[KimberStormer]

3 hours ago, violet and green said:

On the other hand, I am quite glad she's gone, though, as it made for much painful reading of the weekly threads.

I feel you.

[Rachel RSL]

13 hours ago, diana said:

 Apparently the whole fight thing with Brad was an act. It was part of her strategy to not show her closeness with him. 

I don't buy that for even a second. I think that's Debbie retconning because she realizes how batshit crazy it made her look. As mentioned, if this was some sooper seekrit strategy, Debbie would have been gloating about it in confessionals like she does with everything else. Plus, that time when they were in the middle of a challenge and Debbie said something like "See, Brad! I was first over!" and he responded with a puzzled "I like you. I don't know why you're mad at me." (Or words to that effect.) If the fight was all for show, why did that little interaction take place when there was nobody around to hear it?  Debbie's full of crapola!

[peachmangosteen]

My thoughts exactly, @Rachel RSL!

[LanceM]

Yeah this clearly some revisionist history going on here. First of all she said it was an act because she didn't want the others to know how close she was to Brad. What others? This happened at the swapped tribe with the 3 people she said were her core alliance (Sierra, Brad and Tai) and Hali who was not in her alliance. So is she saying she did it so when they did get to the merge Hali would spread this story to the others. Yeah maybe that might have worked if she hadn't you know  literally jumped and hung on to Brad with a big hug when the tribes merged .

 

.

[JustCrazy]

On 3/31/2017 at 0:44 PM, Giesela said:

I still like Debbie. Or least don't have a problem with her.  Amazing that people hate her but not Jane who I think was soooo contemptible and gross. 

If I got on Survivor but didn't think I could win what would I do?  Everybody theoretically can win but the reality is far less so.  Surely some people realize that and even though you have to express "I' here for the million' I wonder how many have other goals, make the jury, get the 100,000, be someone with name recognition.   

I wonder how much of Debbie is an act.  She has been poor with what I gather is a very dysfunctional family for her whole life. What she has, schooling, being a Captain in the Civil Air Patrol etc. was probably hard won.   Getting on Survivor and any money she can make with appearances etc. is most likely a huge big deal to her and I wonder if acting crazy is part of trying to build a reality persona.  Honestly I have no idea.  She is probably annoying in real life, but so are soooo many men.   I think the dislike/hate here is  at least in part that shallow lazy hate for older unattractive women who don't conform to sweet mothers/grandmothers.  The fact that she occasionally blows up/acts dramatic  provides a thin justification.

Even if its not an act I wonder what set her off.  Clearly she lost focus on the million with her behavior.  I'll be interested in what Brad and Hali have to say in interviews about it.  

As an older woman who is not ugly but not particularly attractive being invisible and not heard can really warp you.  And it is definetly a thing, like black men getting stopped by cops, older unattractive women might as well not exist outside their roles as mothers.   Whether its the edit or reality, in Debbie's mind or most likely some mix of all of thise, she  is feeling invisible and dismissed.  I suspect that the shown challenge was just one more thing that tripped something.  

I'm more inclined to think her behavior in this regard is due to her character and less on the fact that she's an older woman.  I dislike her intensley for her behavior more than anything else.  I'm an older woman, too, and the thought that she was invisible due to physical appearance and age, etc., never crossed my mind.  She, herself, seems to have a problem with other women.  And, also in my opinion, she appears to be quite racist.

Debbie is old enough to know right from wrong.  She's old enough to have the life experiences to know better even if she had a less than wonderful childhood.  I would expect this kind of behavior from someone in their 20s, who is just starting out in the world.

Survivor has to give you someone to hate.  The way that I do feel sorry for Debbie is the way in which the show used her.  I don't get the impression that Debbie is very self aware.

Edited May 4, 2017 by JustCrazy

[Nashville]

11 minutes ago, JustCrazy said:

I don't get the impression that Debbie is very self aware.

*I* get the impression Debbie will be the epitome of sore loser - as well as one who continues to emotionally deny their eviction and (in her mind) continue "playing the game" by trying to control the Jury.

[Nalan]

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

*I* get the impression Debbie will be the epitome of sore loser - as well as one who continues to emotionally deny their eviction and (in her mind) continue "playing the game" by trying to control the Jury.

Did you see the way she flipped Sarah off at Tribal Council when she admitted to being the one who flipped?  I have no doubt that she's going to try and poison the jury against her if she makes it to Final Tribal Council.

[Gummo]

Quote

Did you see the way she flipped Sarah off at Tribal Council when she admitted to being the one who flipped? 

To quote the young Alvy Singer from Annie Hall:  "What. An. Asshole."

[Nashville]

31 minutes ago, Nalan said:

Did you see the way she flipped Sarah off at Tribal Council when she admitted to being the one who flipped?  I have no doubt that she's going to try and poison the jury against her if she makes it to Final Tribal Council.

Given Debbie's winning personality, that would probably be the best way in the world to give Sarah a Masterlock on a cool mil.  :>

[LadyChatts]

I think Sarah might be okay, depending who she's up against, and whether her flip flopping draws her too many enemies.  However, Cirie said she would vote for her if she made it to the end (unless Sarah totally backstabs her).  And I think Hali could be a vote for her, unless someone trumps her game play.  Ozzy too.  I don't think Debbie will have much say, but it'll be really crappy if Debbie, Brad, and Troy are all on the jury and are vindictive.  Thankfully I don't think they'll provide any sway.

[Stinamaia]

I'm just waiting for Debbie to respond to Zeke's claim she pooped on the bamboo pile in the middle of the night. 

[hoosiermom]

9 minutes ago, Stinamaia said:

I'm just waiting for Debbie to respond to Zeke's claim she pooped on the bamboo pile in the middle of the night. 

I don't have any idea what you are talking about but damn,that statement made me laugh so hard my dogs started barking at me! Thanks!

[Martinigirl]

15 minutes ago, Stinamaia said:

I'm just waiting for Debbie to respond to Zeke's claim she pooped on the bamboo pile in the middle of the night. 

I'm cracking up!!! LMAO!!!!!

3 minutes ago, hoosiermom said:

I don't have any idea what you are talking about but damn,that statement made me laugh so hard my dogs started barking at me! Thanks!

LOL! She blamed it on the camera guy. LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!

[hoosiermom]

4 hours ago, Martinigirl said:

I'm cracking up!!! LMAO!!!!!

LOL! She blamed it on the camera guy. LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!

Seriously? I would love to hear the whole story in detail,especially what the camera guy thought. I am still rolling from that vision.?

[Nashville]

4 hours ago, Stinamaia said:

I'm just waiting for Debbie to respond to Zeke's claim she pooped on the bamboo pile in the middle of the night. 

Ok, my life is on hold now until I find a way to work the phrase "I'd rather crap on a bamboo pile than..." into a conversation.

 

4 hours ago, Martinigirl said:

I'm cracking up!!! LMAO!!!!!

LOL! She blamed it on the camera guy. LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!

Where where where where where. Can.  We. See?

[Martinigirl]

12 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Ok, my life is on hold now until I find a way to work the phrase "I'd rather crap on a bamboo pile than..." into a conversation.

 

Where where where where where. Can.  We. See?

LOL! Zeke did an interview with the Hollywood Reporter (there is a bit more but here is a sample...)

You, Andrea and the others came back together the very next round to vote out Debbie. How were you able to put your differences aside for this vote?

Because Debbie pooped on the bamboo in the middle of camp. 

Excuse me?

There was a pile of bamboo in the middle of camp, and one night, Debbie woke up and pooped on it. She blamed a cameraman, but we all knew Debbie pooped on the bamboo.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Martinigirl

[Martinigirl]

20 minutes ago, hoosiermom said:

Seriously? I would love to hear the whole story in detail,especially what the camera guy thought. I am still rolling from that vision.?

23 minutes ago, hoosiermom said:

Seriously? I would love to hear the whole story in detail,especially what the camera guy thought. I am still rolling from that vision.?

See post above :)

Edited May 10, 2017 by Martinigirl

[Nashville]

10 minutes ago, Martinigirl said:

LOL! Zeke did an interview with the Hollywood Reporter (there is a bit more but here is a sample...)

You, Andrea and the others came back together the very next round to vote out Debbie. How were you able to put your differences aside for this vote?

Because Debbie pooped on the bamboo in the middle of camp. 

Excuse me?

There was a pile of bamboo in the middle of camp, and one night, Debbie woke up and pooped on it. She blamed a cameraman, but we all knew Debbie pooped on the bamboo.

That poor reporter.  Hope s/he wasn't chewing gum when Zeke popped out with that answer, else they'd HAVE to have swallowed it.

[Martinigirl]

Just now, Nashville said:

That poor reporter.  Hope s/he wasn't chewing gum when Zeke popped out with that answer, else they'd HAVE to have swallowed it.

Reporter -  "Excuse me?" LOL!!!!! 

[Nashville]

Just now, Martinigirl said:

Reporter -  "Excuse me?" LOL!!!!! 

EXACTLY.  ?

[Guest]

On 4/28/2017 at 7:30 AM, Rachel RSL said:

I don't buy that for even a second. I think that's Debbie retconning because she realizes how batshit crazy it made her look. As mentioned, if this was some sooper seekrit strategy, Debbie would have been gloating about it in confessionals like she does with everything else. Plus, that time when they were in the middle of a challenge and Debbie said something like "See, Brad! I was first over!" and he responded with a puzzled "I like you. I don't know why you're mad at me." (Or words to that effect.) If the fight was all for show, why did that little interaction take place when there was nobody around to hear it?  Debbie's full of crapola!

The cameras were around to hear it.  I believe her it was all an act but it wasn't for her tribe, it was for the cameras.  She couldn't even keep a straight face through parts of it.  

[violet and green]

You know, sometimes in midlife a woman gets a little ropey, a little frayed around the edges, a touch unhinged... 

If you start out a little left of centre and spend a bit too much time on your own in your head, and circumstances are going poorly, all the crazy bits we humans carry can get out of hand. And then you go on Survivor! because fun! money! (even if you don't win they have to pay you a bit for being there, don't they?) post-show opportunities! (you never know your luck!), and then you go a little more loco in that environment, and maybe you bung it on for the cameras to cover it a bit, and you laugh at yourself even as you're a bit out of control, and maybe you stumble out after a few hours of fractious sleep and poop in the wrong place, and hey you wear a crazy pattern on your swimsuit to remind yourself you are one brave lady...

And that's all people see. They don't even see a human anymore. Honestly, it's breaking my heart.

[Guest]

I think the people that go on this show and play the clown do it 100% consciously because that is just the sort of attention they love.  Some people love being on TV and being a clown or villain gets you air time plus re-invites.  It's much easier to be the clown or villain than the winner.  I think their brand of crazy is 98% an act and I feel only amusement and mild disdain, not pity.  There are enough real crazies in the world with real problems to pity.  The ones who sign up and put on the jester shoes themselves... have at it!  

[MisterBluxom]

On 2017-04-27 at 8:46 PM, Nalan said:

Not sad to see her go.  The condescending way she talked to Aubry (followed by Aubry saying she wanted to tell her to go fuck herself), the way she sounded so cocky and arrogant at Tribal Council, and just . . . everything about her in general made me want her gone.

It might've been smarter for Andrea, Cirie, Aubry, Michaela, Sarah, and Zeke to target Brad or Sierra before her, but I can totally see why she'd be the target over them.

Goodbye, Debbie.

Many people seem to agree with you. At least they seem to share your feelings towards Debbie.  It seems to me that you just don't like her and neither do I.

My primary reason is that I think she is a blowhard. She's always talking about all the great things that she's done.  At the beginning of S32, she launched into a long speech about all the jobs that she's had.  Among other things, she talked about how she could start a fire with no flint.  But when she got the chance to prove it, she failed. And it all just went downhill from there.  If she makes it to the FTC, do you think she can win any of the big money?  I sure don't.

Edited May 13, 2017 by MissBluxom

[MisterBluxom]

On 2017-05-09 at 9:17 PM, Nashville said:

Ok, my life is on hold now until I find a way to work the phrase "I'd rather crap on a bamboo pile than..." into a conversation.

 

Where where where where where. Can.  We. See?

You want to see?

You really want to see?

Really? Really?  Oh please, say it ain't so. You don't really want to see. Do you?  Do you really?

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, MissBluxom said:

You want to see?

You really want to see?

Really? Really?  Oh please, say it ain't so. You don't really want to see. Do you?  Do you really?

Not - I repeat, NOT - see Debbie doing the deed; I wanted to see exactly what Zeke said about it, and how.  There's no way on God's green earth that wouldn't be entertaining.

[JudyObscure]

I never minded Debbie, the quirky, unconventional types are my soulmates and I find them entertaining, but after Debbie's jury behavior I hope to never see her again.  She loves Brad Culpepper, fine, but loud laughing in someone's face the way she did at Sarah, all the while looking around for others to join her, is just rude and ugly.  You can disagree with someone without ridiculing them and trying to incite others to do the same thing.  Her speech about voting for Brad because she wanted to show America that good guys can win was also a low blow, implying that Sarah was not a "good guy."  It was pretty rich, too,  coming from someone who took money to lie about the safety of a community's water supply.

[Bryce Lynch]

39 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

I never minded Debbie, the quirky, unconventional types are my soulmates and I find them entertaining, but after Debbie's jury behavior I hope to never see her again.  She loves Brad Culpepper, fine, but loud laughing in someone's face the way she did at Sarah, all the while looking around for others to join her, is just rude and ugly.  You can disagree with someone without ridiculing them and trying to incite others to do the same thing.  Her speech about voting for Brad because she wanted to show America that good guys can win was also a low blow, implying that Sarah was not a "good guy."  It was pretty rich, too,  coming from someone who took money to lie about the safety of a community's water supply.

Well, Debbie being a convicted felon, it makes sense that she doesn't like members of law enforcement.

[ljenkins782]

4 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I never minded Debbie, the quirky, unconventional types are my soulmates and I find them entertaining, but after Debbie's jury behavior I hope to never see her again.  She loves Brad Culpepper, fine, but loud laughing in someone's face the way she did at Sarah, all the while looking around for others to join her, is just rude and ugly.  You can disagree with someone without ridiculing them and trying to incite others to do the same thing.  Her speech about voting for Brad because she wanted to show America that good guys can win was also a low blow, implying that Sarah was not a "good guy."  It was pretty rich, too,  coming from someone who took money to lie about the safety of a community's water supply.

Yeah, that's where my amusement at Debbie on tv intersects with my certainty that I wouldn't be able to stand being around her IRL. I do think she plays up certain aspects of her personality for TV purposes, but there appears to be an underlying belief on her part that she's fooling everyone because she is just smarter and more worldly than all of us. And that's where she becomes insufferable. Everything is a pronouncement, not an opinion, and I can't stand people like that. 

[Jersey Guy 87]

4 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I never minded Debbie, the quirky, unconventional types are my soulmates and I find them entertaining, but after Debbie's jury behavior I hope to never see her again.  She loves Brad Culpepper, fine, but loud laughing in someone's face the way she did at Sarah, all the while looking around for others to join her, is just rude and ugly.  You can disagree with someone without ridiculing them and trying to incite others to do the same thing.  Her speech about voting for Brad because she wanted to show America that good guys can win was also a low blow, implying that Sarah was not a "good guy."  It was pretty rich, too,  coming from someone who took money to lie about the safety of a community's water supply.

I never liked Debbie and her calling Brad a "good guy" was laughable.  He's a bully.  Those aren't good guys in my book.

[peachmangosteen]

Debbie's FTC performance just proved what I already suspected: Debbie has a real problem, like a scary problem, with women, which is both infuriating and deeply sad.

[Special K]

20 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Debbie's FTC performance just proved what I already suspected: Debbie has a real problem, like a scary problem, with women, which is both infuriating and deeply sad.

Yes, this.  We saw it earlier with Hali and Andrea.

[KimberStormer]

To me it was delicious to see how Debbie's obnoxious partisanship was hurting Brad's chances.  Like getting to the end and having Russell on the jury advocating for you.

[simplyme]

7 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I never minded Debbie, the quirky, unconventional types are my soulmates and I find them entertaining, but after Debbie's jury behavior I hope to never see her again. 

Or, as the convo went in the Simply household:

SimplyMom: "What is wrong with that woman?"

SimplyMe: "I think she must have had a bad life. She certainly has some issues."

SimplyMom: "But haven't you heard about all her accomplishments? She's met presidents and prime ministers!"

SimplyMe: "Yeah. I sometimes have really funky dreams too. I once slew a dragon with the Duke brothers.* We could all fly."

ETA: * Technically, Bo and Luke are cousins. Whatever.

Edited May 25, 2017 by simplyme
80s TV show genealogy

[Mabdul Doobakus]

Debbie has a loose association with the truth which I think borders on pathological.  I think she is able to convince herself of just about anything.  All that stuff about her anger with Brad being an act?  Come on.  Is that why she was still yelling during her confessionals?  Just to sell the cameraman on the act too?

This lady would drive me insane IRL because her reality is so subjective and it can be really hard to coexist with people like that.  

[NutMeg]

23 hours ago, Jersey Guy 87 said:

I never liked Debbie and her calling Brad a "good guy" was laughable.  He's a bully.  Those aren't good guys in my book.

To play the devil's advocate here for a minute, Debbie never saw the angry Brad that we saw. Instead, she knows a level-headed guy who wondered why she was mad at him (and she may have reflected that she was acting as a big baby) but didn't seem to judge her or resent her for her tantrum. Which may be gold to her, assuming (and I know it's a big assumption) she may have acted similarly in her life and it was not brushed over so easily.

20 hours ago, Mabdul Doobakus said:

Debbie has a loose association with the truth which I think borders on pathological.  I think she is able to convince herself of just about anything.  All that stuff about her anger with Brad being an act?  Come on.  Is that why she was still yelling during her confessionals?  Just to sell the cameraman on the act too?

This lady would drive me insane IRL because her reality is so subjective and it can be really hard to coexist with people like that.  

Yes. And a nice illustration of what I was saying above :)

[Tryangle]

The icing of the cake that came with Sarah's win was that it put all of Debbie's blathering about Brad being the good guy, to waste.

Please show, don't bring her back.

[Nalan]

2 hours ago, NutMeg said:

To play the devil's advocate here for a minute, Debbie never saw the angry Brad that we saw. Instead, she knows a level-headed guy who wondered why she was mad at him (and she may have reflected that she was acting as a big baby) but didn't seem to judge her or resent her for her tantrum. Which may be gold to her, assuming (and I know it's a big assumption) she may have acted similarly in her life and it was not brushed over so easily.

Except she saw and heard him condescend to, and explode on, Tai during the F4 Tribal Council.  That really should've told her something.

[NutMeg]

2 minutes ago, Nalan said:

Except she saw and heard him condescend to, and explode on, Tai during the F4 Tribal Council.  That really should've told her something.

I admit F4 is already a fuzzy memory - was there anything as bad regarding Brad/Tai interactions as during the episode? Or just the usual bad blood we sometimes get before a vote?

[Nalan]

6 hours ago, NutMeg said:

I admit F4 is already a fuzzy memory - was there anything as bad regarding Brad/Tai interactions as during the episode? Or just the usual bad blood we sometimes get before a vote?

Brad had just dropped the bombshell on Tai that he was getting voted out, and they got into their very open fight in front of the jury.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Nalan

[LanceM]

And the jury did not like it one bit. I watched Hali's jury speaks video and she was not liking Brad Culpepper after that tribal council because of the way he was treating Tai, specifically she thought Brad was making fun of him.

Apparently Debbie saw something different.