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Stranded With A Million Dollars - General Discussion


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I feel like I live in bizarro world when I come to these boards and see people defending Alex and the rest of the campers. They were horrible and so much worse than makody in my opinion. Yes Cody was a cocky jerk at the beginning but he didn't do anything to the rest of the group that he didn't endure. Nobody got anything which is a decent strategy. When the four got power is where the disparity and truly gross behavior happened. They wouldn't even get the others a tarp for goodness sake. The four ate hamburgers, sandwiches and pizza while Cody and makani had to grovel for peanut butter all while carrying the majority of the cash. No I don't blame Cody for taking temptations...the campers escalated the game and he was just playing the hand he was given.

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15 minutes ago, Kippy said:

I feel like I live in bizarro world when I come to these boards and see people defending Alex and the rest of the campers. They were horrible and so much worse than makody in my opinion. Yes Cody was a cocky jerk at the beginning but he didn't do anything to the rest of the group that he didn't endure. Nobody got anything which is a decent strategy. When the four got power is where the disparity and truly gross behavior happened. They wouldn't even get the others a tarp for goodness sake. The four ate hamburgers, sandwiches and pizza while Cody and makani had to grovel for peanut butter all while carrying the majority of the cash. No I don't blame Cody for taking temptations...the campers escalated the game and he was just playing the hand he was given.

I feel the same way. Alex and group were unnecessarily cruel so anything  makody do is just payback. I don't think Cody is evil. He was the only one to help Gina in that high water. Her loyal partner Alex could have cared less and never tried to help her. I'm glad Cody didn't fall for Alex's bs. I'm glad they took the temptation. 

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In spite of the evidence right in front of us, probably about 35% of the viewers are reading Alex's social media commentary and giving him a strong approval rating.

Bizarro world indeed.

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2 hours ago, Kippy said:

When the four got power is where the disparity and truly gross behavior happened. They wouldn't even get the others a tarp for goodness sake.

This right here was their only big mistake, and Alex doesn't seem to get it even now. They weren't unfair on the food. They were dumb, but weren't trying to starve the other two.  And it wasn't unreasonable for them to order a tent when the others said they didn't need one. But the moment Makani said "We want a second tent" their answer should have been "OK, that's fair." Instead the answer was "Well we'll think about it" and they spent the next day strutting around about how much power they had.

And then, still not realizing that, Alex went and brought up the second tent as if it helps his case. You got a second one for yourself after you had no other choice. Not smart to remind them of that.

I said last week that this would be the episode Alex was most true to his character, and it's true. He had the chance to genuinely try to play peacemaker. Instead he pats himself on the back over some of the weakest strategy ever.  Cody has been the villain since day 1, but he knows it. Alex is the one who fancies himself the hero while doing nothing to earn it.  And I think that's why some people want to like him because they can see how he should be in that role. But the rest of us can't help but notice that he isn't.

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Does anyone else get the feeling Gina is the one playing the long con here?  She might just make it longer than good ole’ boy Alex!  Part of me wonders if she really is more capable than she comes off, but plays this part to get others to carry some of her weight.  It wouldn’t exactly be a horrible strategy.  I do believe she had trouble in that water, though.  That looked rough.  Kudos to Cody for not leaving her to drown.  Alex certainly couldn’t be bothered!

Speaking of Alex…whoa!  The minute he realizes he’s not fooling anyone, and things are no longer in his control, he has an absolute breakdown.  Alex even made a comment along the lines of “I’ve never had to deal with something not going my way”…not verbatim, but that was the vibe I got.  I think he’s a special snowflake type who had a very comfy upbringing, and the minute he doesn’t get his way the ugly comes out.  Alex is everything that’s wrong with our society today.  He’s the true snake of this game.  Funny how he shoved all the peanut butter in his face and only gave Gina a tiny bit.  Some alliance partner he is…

MaCody is playing dirty now.  Not that I can blame them, and I think we all saw this coming.  Withholding water is harsh, though.  I’m curious to see their reaction to the destruction of money next week.  I don’t see how MaCody could carry all that money by themselves toward the end anyway (assuming Alex and Gina flare out), so some of it would have to either be spent, left behind, or destroyed.  I wonder if they’ll have the foresight to realize that. 

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(edited)
13 minutes ago, hoosiermom said:

If it does come down to Makody being the only 2 left, how on earth are they going to carry all that money to the future campsites? They are struggling now.

It's as tough as production wants it to be. A bill weighs about 1 gram. In 100s, $500,000 would be 5000 bills = 5 kg = 10.4 pounds. In singles it's 1000 pounds. Also if it's bound in waterproof plastic then that weight is preserved and light. If it can soak up water, that could easily triple the weight.

So there are subtle ways producers can make it easier or harder on the contestants, even making up their mind as they go along to aid the story they want to tell.

Edited by Amarsir
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(edited)

The glampers denied Makani boiled water before, and after a while denied it to Cody. that was the whole pot thing.  So in their denying water to the glampers, it is turnabout fair play.  I cracked up hearing them say everyone got sick from drinking bad water before because Makody did n't they got clean water as opposed to muddy puddle water,. duh. So I don't think it is mean, just payback. They probably can survive drinking the water if they get clean water. 

Yes Alwex stole most of the peanut butter for himself and brought a smidge to the look out Gina.   He is far from a hero, with his pretend honesty. I think they glampers do not believe that they will stay so the money is just not important to them. 

 

From Alex's post about this show 

Quote

 The two of us found all of the cassava and taro root there was to be found.

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2017/04/mtv-stranded-alex-apple-lines-in-the-sand/

if interested - Alex is saying that his group were good people (indicating others were not) that Cody is conceited,duh, and he did this show for righteous reasons, and was never cruel and always allowed the others to buy food.  I guess he is writing to those that have not watched this show. 

Edited by holly4755
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For a guy who works in media you'd think Alex would be better at spin control. He sounds way too defensive. "In real life I'd never ask a woman to carry a heavy bag for me but this is a game." That's not helping you dude.  It's like saying "Most of the time I'd never take someone else's money but I needed the quarter he dropped for the vending machine."  Your defense is more pathetic than the crime. 

(To be fair I'm sure people are hammering him about that, but it's the sort of thing he should learn to ignore.)

Also at RealityBlurred is an essay by Makani. It doesn't really provide any insight on the episode or the show in general, but is basically just her being a hippie in an overall nonoffensive way.

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or they can leave or dehydrate enough they have to leave.  It didn't kill Cody or Manaki to live without boiled water before and no one stepped in, so it should not kill them.  Heck production did not even step in when they saw Cody clean his butt while people were drinking water from their pond without boiling it.  I think you have too high an opinion of production.

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I am actually curious what the medical intervention rules are. When Elish was evacuated they said she might be able to come back. (Before the appendicitis confirmation.) What's the most they would have given her at the medical camp yet allow her to come back? Water? A nap? I'm not suggesting they take people there lightly, since it wasn't offered to Alonzo. I'm just wondering what the rules are. I know that given the option, a few hours in a dry cot and a glass of clean water would be an advantage for any of them.  Consider it the hardcore version of going to the nurse's office to get out of gym class.

Whether or not production wants to interfere, they have to at least have been talking about heat stroke. They sit around 23 hours a day anyway and are weakened from the other conditions. You're basically counting on someone to say "Gosh I feel dizzy, maybe I should call a medic to ensure my body temp isn't over 104."  It's entirely possible someone could push themselves into it.

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4 hours ago, Hiacios said:

I just read Alex's blog and I took from it that he has been playing Cody are Makani this whole time. lol. The guy is smarter than looks.

Hahahahahahahaha! Hahaha! He looks pretty dumb, so being smarter than he looks isn't saying much.

I think they're all jerks so I hope they end up winning very little money.

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Tragically, I also sensed a setup for some C/M pitfall in this one. Injury boots one?

Cant believe Alex has any defense after this ep. How dare Cody not fall for the things I admit with a smile to the camera are manipulations and think I'm against him when he catches me sticking to a stupid and obvious lie?! Alex has a very poor character.  It's been ingrained in his head to be and that he is a "good" person, but he's merely a polite person, which is not at all a direct line to a good person. A little personal integrity would go a long way with him. 

They still have camps 8 - 10? A/G must hang on a bit, as two eps with just C/M would be boring, unless the setup is that C/M go at one another to get all the money in the end. 

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2 hours ago, NoirDetective said:

Tragically, I also sensed a setup for some C/M pitfall in this one. Injury boots one?

Cant believe Alex has any defense after this ep. How dare Cody not fall for the things I admit with a smile to the camera are manipulations and think I'm against him when he catches me sticking to a stupid and obvious lie?! Alex has a very poor character.  It's been ingrained in his head to be and that he is a "good" person, but he's merely a polite person, which is not at all a direct line to a good person. A little personal integrity would go a long way with him. 

They still have camps 8 - 10? A/G must hang on a bit, as two eps with just C/M would be boring, unless the setup is that C/M go at one another to get all the money in the end. 

That's what will happen if Cody doesn't give them the pot. lol.

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it doesn't matter, this is a stupid group of people, don't tell them what you are going to do, just do it quietly is always the best plan.  You can see they are not helping with a challenge or trying to make a path, what ever.  They know they won't make it to the end and their only reason to be there now is to make the other two miserable and broke until they have to leave.  I have no idea why people think that is a fun or a good idea, but they do act like that - pure spite. 

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On 05/04/2017 at 11:03 PM, Kippy said:

I feel like I live in bizarro world when I come to these boards and see people defending Alex and the rest of the campers. They were horrible and so much worse than makody in my opinion. Yes Cody was a cocky jerk at the beginning but he didn't do anything to the rest of the group that he didn't endure.

I hear your confusion, I too can understand why some have a dislike for Cody due to the way he has played the game, I am more confused by the all the hate for Makani.  I felt up until the latest episode she played a really fair game.  At first she was working for the good of the group until she was excluded by the 4 campers.  She wanted to share the tent because she thought it was unfair for some people to have an advantage and then took the tent with the intent of sharing it, she was going to give it back at the next camp site.  She got into a big argument about carrying the tablet case but that was because she carried it last time and thought one of the campers should carry it this time.  She has made some petty/nasty comments but they all have and hers only really started once she got excluded.

Which bring me to the latest episode and how I am really disappointed by team macody's choice to take the pot for themselves.  Even though it was a tactic that the 4 campers used I just feel it lacks integrity and I wish team macody had lowered themselves to the level of the 4 campers.  I think Gina and Alex's days were numbered even if they could get water, but I think they wanted to get rid of Gina before the next temptation.  But it looks like it comes back to bite them quite quickly because when someone has nothing to lose they may as well go out in a blaze of glory.

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(edited)
21 hours ago, dstann said:

I am more confused by the all the hate for Makani.  I felt up until the latest episode she played a really fair game.  At first she was working for the good of the group until she was excluded by the 4 campers. 

She kind of excluded herself and then sulked about it, which is not the most mature of behaviors. Don't get me wrong, paragon of virtue compared to the others. It just wouldn't surprise me if people who instantly sided with the "spend money; live comfortably" crowd chose that as a reason not to sympathize with her early on and then never revisited.

Oh, and I guess she took the cooked cassava that was in the pot, which seems to have gone down as the first instance of "stealing food".

Edited by Amarsir
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22 hours ago, Amarsir said:

Oh, and I guess she took the cooked cassava that was in the pot, which seems to have gone down as the first instance of "stealing food".

I guess also if you like the 4 campers then Makani is "against" the 4 campers so she gets some hate.

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6 minutes ago, Amarsir said:

Hadn't heard of it, but it sounds interesting. I'll certainly watch the first episode or two.

great! I just stumbled onto it last week and I was instantly hooked.  Its a bunch of 18-24yos trying to create a sustainable town together in the Panamanian jungle.

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16 hours ago, ChristmasJones said:

great! I just stumbled onto it last week and I was instantly hooked.  Its a bunch of 18-24yos trying to create a sustainable town together in the Panamanian jungle.

I saw the first two now. The premise is enough to keep me interested, but I don't like how they focus on tidbits of drama and the abstract instead of actually addressing stuff. For example, one guy was saying that he doesn't like how they use tin roofs and expected thatched. But he doesn't go into detail nor is there any answer. We also don't really know what their food system is, only that one thinks it isn't enough, another suspects it isn't local, and the founder is back in the US buying snacks at the supermarket.  It's shallow and obvious and doesn't seem interested in getting to fundamentals. But I'll keep watching anyway.

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Getting back on topic to Stranded and to say this before it's completely outdated: I wish Cody had made Alex twist a little more last week.

The latter was sneakily playing Double! Agent! and told Cody he would turn against Gina in return for being taken on the temptation. But between those events they had the group buy. The one where Alex was going "Well me personally I don't need peanut butter but hey Gina wants some so I'd probably join in just to be polite." (Which is the same technique I use when someone asks if I want dessert.)  It would have been great for Cody to go "*cough* hey Alex, why don't you tell her she doesn't need it, prospective ally..." I mean putting aside that Cody probably doesn't know the word "prospective", how hilarious would it be to watch Alex have to tell Gina not to buy something while the other two were sitting 5 feet away?

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20 minutes ago, Hiacios said:

Told you guys Cody shit in the water! That sick piece of shit! (pun intended)

It's gross and depraved no matter what, and I wouldn't be shocked if MTV considered it grounds to boot him off the show.

However, I also don't think it will work! They can't catch anything from him that he didn't already have. If Cody has no parasites, he can't pass them on.  The most that could happen is it becomes a breeding ground for more bacteria, but that takes time.

So he's done one of the sickest things in tv history and can't even get a short-term benefit from it.  This show is amazing.

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1 hour ago, Amarsir said:

It's gross and depraved no matter what, and I wouldn't be shocked if MTV considered it grounds to boot him off the show.

However, I also don't think it will work! They can't catch anything from him that he didn't already have. If Cody has no parasites, he can't pass them on.  The most that could happen is it becomes a breeding ground for more bacteria, but that takes time.

So he's done one of the sickest things in tv history and can't even get a short-term benefit from it.  This show is amazing.

They can catch an illness from drinking water contaminated by Cody's shit/piss. Eilish and Alonzo proved that. 

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51 minutes ago, Hiacios said:

They can catch an illness from drinking water contaminated by Cody's shit/piss. Eilish and Alonzo proved that. 

From Web MD:

Quote

What is an E. coli infection?

E. coli (Escherichia coli) is the name of a germ, or bacterium, that lives in the digestive tracts  of humans and animals.

There are many types of E. coli, and most of them are harmless. But some can cause bloody diarrhea. Some strains of E. coli bacteria may also cause severe anemia orkidney failure, which can lead to death.

Other strains of E. coli can cause urinary tract infections or other infections.

What causes an E. coli intestinal infection?

You get an E. coli infection by coming into contact with the feces, or stool, of humans or animals. This can happen when you drink water or eat food that has been contaminated by feces.

I don't think I'm being overly dramatic by suggesting that Cody is attempting to poison Alex and Gina.   There is something very, very wrong when a network condones cast members trying to cause serious physical and potentially life-threatening physical harm to each other.

What are the boundaries of behavior in this game?   Can Cody find a poisonous snake and hide it in Alex/Gina's tent?   Can Alex and Gina dig a tiger pit along one of the paths and fill it with sharpened stakes in the hopes that Cody will happen along? 

It is probably madness to question propriety in a show that allows $65,000 to be torn up and cast to the wind when there are so many better things it could have been used for. 

This isn't a very entertaining show.   It's depraved. 

Edited by millennium
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9 hours ago, millennium said:

I don't think I'm being overly dramatic by suggesting that Cody is attempting to poison Alex and Gina.   There is something very, very wrong when a network condones cast members trying to cause serious physical and potentially life-threatening physical harm to each other.

You're definitely not, and like I said MTV would be justified in disqualifying him because of it. I'm pretty sure they do have a rule against actual fights and I kinda hope they step in here for the same reason. 

Ruining the reward and making each other miserable is fine by me as a social experiment because it's all voluntary and zero-loss. If you last 40 days and go home with $300 that's really no worse than the person who flared out after 3 days and went home with nothing.  But it does stop being fun when deliberate and potentially permanent injury is occurring.

That said:

Alex: This trail's actually pretty easy.
Gina: Yeah it is. . . Whoa! [falls]

Hilarious. These editors know their stuff.

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Alex, Gina, and Cody are all terrible people. And yet, Gina and Alex have  disgusted me with their antics when they were in the majority to the extent that I will support anything that Cody wants to do to get them out of the game at this point.

I wish Makani could just win this whole thing by herself. 

Edited by Zima
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Here is an excerpt of what Alex had to say about this episode.

No pot, no problem

The previous episode left viewers with a bit of a cliffhanger as the pot was stolen by our opponents hoping to starve out Gina and me or force us into dehydration.

Cody is laughably obsessed with what he perceives as our dehydration. Unfortunately for him, each camp has dozens, if not hundreds, of water sources, if you just know where to look. As the tide recedes in Fiji, fresh water springs up through the sand in small running ripples.

In order to obtain water, all one has to do is test the small streams coming up through the sand. At least half are fresh water, good to drink, purified by the sand.

Upon arrival at camp eight, the short-sighted play to dehydrate Gina and me hit another roadblock. There is a giant freshwater stream extending from a waterfall deeper into the jungle. The water moves at a fast pace and is fit for drinking without having to boil it.

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I don't know how anyone says, "I'm using our common resources to sustain myself; no food or shelter for you."  I don't get it when someone refuses to share the weight of a mutual burden, so someone else has to carry the whole load.  I don't understand a politician who's never had to face a lonely day without access to food voting to abolish Meals On Wheels for shut-ins, but it feels like the same mentality as these reality show contestants.

Who the hell raised these people?

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9 minutes ago, candall said:

I don't understand a politician who's never had to face a lonely day without access to food voting to abolish Meals On Wheels for shut-ins

Not the forum, but Meals on Wheels has not been abolished. Nor has there been a vote to abolish it. Nor has abolishing it been proposed. The only thing connecting that program and politicians right now is whether or not the federal government will continue to provide a minority of funding to it. 

Don't misinterpret my statement as an endorsement or indictment of that proposed budget. I just don't want misinformation spread.

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18 hours ago, Amarsir said:

It's gross and depraved no matter what, and I wouldn't be shocked if MTV considered it grounds to boot him off the show.

I suspect this was staged.  Maybe Cody put shit in the water, we didn't see that, but if so, not into where they were all drinking is my guess.  Drama, you know.  

Edited by wings707
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42 minutes ago, ChristmasJones said:

I will watch to the end, but I am not enjoying it. There is a meanness in this game that doesn't appeal to me. It is an interesting social experiment, and that is the only reason I keep watching.

I will finish it, too but not because I like it.  Yeah, there is the mean aspect but for me it has little substance.  Every episode is exactly  the same.  How many more episodes, anyone know? 

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2 minutes ago, wings707 said:

I will finish it, too but not because I like it.  Yeah, there is the mean aspect but for me it has little substance.  Every episode is exactly  the same.  How many more episodes, anyone know? 

 

2 more episodes are left I think.

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In any type of game (whether a board game, card game, or Survivor), it all comes down to the rules. I think it would be interesting to see if they do this show again but change up the rules a bit.

I think it would be hard to create a really good version of this particular game. One of the main problems is that the players get more money if fewer make it to the end. So right there is an incentive for them to get rid of each other. But if you make the reward equal at the end (say $100K for everyone who makes it, for example), then they would all just work together and help each other to get there - so that wouldn't necessarily make for good TV. 

But they could use the challenges as a way to eliminate folks. Then you are getting too much into a Survivor-like format.

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The rule that purchases need a majority makes sense but shared by all was not enforced.  That has to be iron clad.  This season would have been more interesting had that been in place.  

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2 hours ago, ChristmasJones said:

In any type of game (whether a board game, card game, or Survivor), it all comes down to the rules. I think it would be interesting to see if they do this show again but change up the rules a bit.

I think it would be hard to create a really good version of this particular game. One of the main problems is that the players get more money if fewer make it to the end. So right there is an incentive for them to get rid of each other. But if you make the reward equal at the end (say $100K for everyone who makes it, for example), then they would all just work together and help each other to get there - so that wouldn't necessarily make for good TV. 

But they could use the challenges as a way to eliminate folks. Then you are getting too much into a Survivor-like format.

I think this format is the best at what it set out to be. The game didn't put them on teams, diminish the pot, or send anyone home. They did that to themselves. It has rules, but not structure. I'm not sure we need to see that for another season, but as a one-time thing it was very interesting. (I do believe with other casting they could have had a much more pleasant outing, but reality shows always cast for drama.

1 hour ago, wings707 said:

The rule that purchases need a majority makes sense but shared by all was not enforced.  That has to be iron clad.  This season would have been more interesting had that been in place.  

I'd go so far as to say "shared by all" isn't a rule at all, let alone and enforced one. Possession is the law.  In another run we might have seen people sprinting for the drop in order to grab food before anyone else does.  You can say "shared by all" in theory, but I'm not sure how that works for something like a pair of socks.  It just isn't how this is set up.

Now one possibility for more harmonious existence is to scrap the "majority" rule and say every buy needs to be unanimous. Clearly this swings the result toward "spend nothing". But that still creates drama, as it might have turned into everyone against Cody. Or a "we won't vote for a backpack unless you vote for tents" standoff.

Yet another even gentler possibility is to split all the money when awarded and then basically play individual games side-by-side. If 10 people arrive, they each get $10,000. 5 each get $20k. (You could even have challenges for the money to manufacture excitement and force them to come together.) If you want to buy something it comes from your share. When you leave you take what you earned so far.  It would remove the most essential conflict as there would be no need to fight over "spend vs no spend". However, you might get some interesting peer pressure as the wet people look at the tent and go "I wish I'd bought that", or the eaters look at the someone else's cash stack and go "I'm not sure I spent wisely."

But that's a vastly different game. It might be gentle to the point of being bland.

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Apparently I missed the crap scene, so I can't judge it.  I did not mind so much the previous crap scene because Cody told Alex exactly what he was doing as he did it  while Alex scooped up the water and drank it.  So unless Alex was blind ad deaf at the moment, it was on him,. But I did not see this one and Iam not going to watch the whole show again, this show is pretty hard to watch.  But I do it once. 

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13 hours ago, ChristmasJones said:

I will watch to the end, but I am not enjoying it. There is a meanness in this game that doesn't appeal to me. It is an interesting social experiment, and that is the only reason I keep watching.

Yeah I am finding it is getting a little repetitive and a little bit too mean.  Alex and Gina's twisted perspective on being the victims, that they have power and that they played in the spirit of the game just keeps me interested.

 

I thought Gina's temptation was a little lame compared to the one Cody got.  I thought as it was close to the end that the temptations would be getting bigger and better but a meal was a step down from the boat which included a meal, a bed and the ability to wash.

 

Given that there seem to be other water sources now, should Macody stop hogging the pot?  That would take away Alex's excuse of not carrying anything on the journeys which i think would be a better way to get them to leave.

Edited by dstann
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