S34.E01: The Stakes Have Been Raised (Double Episode)

[Trick Question]

I like Tony as a player but man, against Sandra?  I'd pick him to go home 100 times out of 100.  I still feel like there's no way she could possibly go 3-for-3, but the fact that we've already gotten some classic Sandra gameplay in just two episodes is delightful.

It's interesting how in all of the "all returning player" seasons, their early focus has been on getting rid of threats moreso than physical weak links.  The veterans of the game know what's really more important in the big picture.

[azshadowwalker]

Like I said, I understand the fear of idols. I can only assume that Aubry's ties with Tony were stronger than her ties with Sandra, and the editors just didn't show it. What they did show was Aubry being excited about playing with Sandra. I can't imagine that is still the case, since she knows she was an idol away from going home, and it was by Sandra's hand. 

I also think Sandra went for the kill when Tony was voted out because he tried to blow up her game at TC. All over mishearing what Sandra and Troy said about him. His paranoia got his ass booted. 

Edited March 9, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[green]

3 minutes ago, Trick Question said:

I like Tony as a player but man, against Sandra?  I'd pick him to go home 100 times out of 100.  I still feel like there's no way she could possibly go 3-for-3, but the fact that we've already gotten some classic Sandra gameplay in just two episodes is delightful.

It's interesting how in all of the "all returning player" seasons, their early focus has been on getting rid of threats moreso than physical weak links.  The veterans of the game know what's really more important in the big picture.

Yeah I think the physically strong argument worked in old school Survivor.  But these days they mix up the tribes like 3 or 4 times it seems before the merge so no need to worry about keeping a current tribe strong.

[CraftyHazel]

33 minutes ago, Maya said:

I missed Malcolm's season. He used to look BETTER than he does now?? Lol 

Come sit in the shallow end of the pool with me, Maya.  I think Malcolm is pretty!  He and Aubry were my reasons for watching this season.

[vb68]

That legacy advantage did seem like it was just sitting out there in plain sight forfreakingever. I was really disappointed it was Sierra that got it. 

[breezy424]

Yikes, I couldn't help but notice that some of these contestants are showing their age.  I barely recognized Ozzy.  Not that there is anything wrong with it.  We all show our age but I just couldn't help it saying it to myself.  And I don't remember Ozzy's scar either.

Bye Tony....  I always found you to be annoying.  And...Sandra, you're getting annoying as well.  Enough with the 'queen'.  I have a feeling those declarations are going to come back and bite you in the butt.

It's going to be interesting how this season plays out....

[Paws]

God I love Sandra so much. She is clearly enjoying the hell out of this game! Nice to see all those players FINALLY give her credit for fantastic gameplay. Yes there IS a reason she's won twice!

Edited March 9, 2017 by Paws

[Eolivet]

30 minutes ago, vb68 said:

That legacy advantage did seem like it was just sitting out there in plain sight forfreakingever. I was really disappointed it was Sierra that got it. 

Especially with the SECRET ADVANTAGE label emblazoned on the front.

I did like the twist that it can be used at F13 or F6. I believe F13 is the first merge episode, and that would make it very interesting, given how crazy those can be.

So, the legacy advantage is back. Can I hope they just retire the reward steal? Face it -- nothing is topping last season in terms of how that was used.

[Silver Raven]

Tony is gone.  My season is made.  That's all I need to say.

Hooray.

[Quilt Fairy]

I was FFing through some of the TC discussion to get to the vote. What did Sandra have in her hair?

[blackwing]

My first thought was "aargh, I HATE two hour premieres".  For some reason, Wednesday is just an incredibly packed TV night for me.  There's Survivor, Criminal Minds Beyond Borders, Arrow, Legion and Designated Survivor.  My DVR can't handle all of it!

I found the first two boots to be eminently satisfying.  I've always thought that conceived-in-the-backseat-of-Laura-Morrett's-Oldsmobile-Cutlass Ciera was one of the most overrated players ever.  So she voted out her mom.  Big freakin' whoop.  At the time she voted out her mom, she was on the bottom and was scrambling to try and show those in charge that she was with them.  She had little choice.  It's not like she was in control and just voted out her mom to prove that she's a badass.  I have always loathed how big of a deal Jeffy makes of this.  So happy she is gone.

Also happy that Tony is gone.  I hated Tony during his season.  So arrogant.  I see that it's gotten worse.  He's even more paranoid and crazy than ever.  

Really not feeling Michaela this time around.  I loved her the last time, but this time, she just seems like a powder keg waiting to explode.  She has no filter, she just says whatever she thinks.  Then she was all pissed that she didn't get a chance to toss the rings?  Whatevs.  Malcolm singlehandedly caught their team up to the point where it was tied, after being way behind because of the issues with the snake.  Then she has the gall to complain that she's frustrated that she's being told to sit down when others can't do it but won't let her try?  She needs to check her ego.  Were it not for Malcolm her team would have lost even earlier.

4 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I was FFing through some of the TC discussion to get to the vote. What did Sandra have in her hair?

I don't think anything was actually in her hair.  It looked like a cicada or some other kind of giant flying bug that was just flying around, and buzzed her.  I thought it was funny that she thought Jeff Varner put something in it.

JT was unrecognisable.  Everyone ages, but he has aged particularly poorly.  He looks so much older, and so much fatter.  Ozzy is looking pretty rough too.

The one person I thought looked much better was Sierra (of the caterpillar eyebrows).  I don't remember her looking so hot.  I love that this is another underwear season because she looks particularly fantastic in hers.

[Callaphera]

I can't with that immunity idol. It looks like a tchotchke from Pier One Imports. Like, instead of decorative gourd season, it's decorative antique scuba gear season. I'm afraid of what the individual immunity necklace is going to look like.

The props at Tribal kept making me think that I was watching Survivor: Lost. If only there was a smoke monster out there...

[GaT]

Sandra taking out Tony was great, but I think she's gotten over confident & has made herself the big target.

[Pazlovejoy]

Why is it that people agreed that Michaela was "scary" just because she showed her displeasure about being used as a faux target? She didn't storm around and threaten anyone. She merely failed to be "cool" about being used. This makes her a less savvy player and does put her at a disadvantage. This does not make her "scary." It bugs me that women, especially black women are not allowed to show emotion without being judged.

Sandra is even more forthright and abrasive this season. I think she believes she can't win a third time, so she might as well go all out. This will hasten her elimination, but I will be entertained by her while she's there. Tony seemed to be even more "over the top" than he was on his previous season. But hypocritically, I was irritated by him, rather than entertained. He seemed unhinged and hyperactive.

I hope when Tony saw this episode, he realized he antagonized Sandra for nothing. She wasn't really being receptive to Troyzan's leading questions.

[princelina]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I found the first two boots to be eminently satisfying.  I've always thought that conceived-in-the-backseat-of-Laura-Morrett's-Oldsmobile-Cutlass Ciera was one of the most overrated players ever.  So she voted out her mom.  Big freakin' whoop.  At the time she voted out her mom, she was on the bottom and was scrambling to try and show those in charge that she was with them.  She had little choice.  It's not like she was in control and just voted out her mom to prove that she's a badass.  I have always loathed how big of a deal Jeffy makes of this.  So happy she is gone.

Really not feeling Michaela this time around.  I loved her the last time, but this time, she just seems like a powder keg waiting to explode.  She has no filter, she just says whatever she thinks.  Then she was all pissed that she didn't get a chance to toss the rings?  Whatevs.  Malcolm singlehandedly caught their team up to the point where it was tied, after being way behind because of the issues with the snake.  Then she has the gall to complain that she's frustrated that she's being told to sit down when others can't do it but won't let her try?  She needs to check her ego.  Were it not for Malcolm her team would have lost even earlier.

If I could give the bolded part of your statement a thousand likes, I would!  Why does anyone care about that?  WRT Michaela, last season she was pissed that they always felt they had to "take turns" and "include" everyone rather than trying to win the competitions.  In this instance, I think she just looked pissed at Malcolm because that was when they were losing - I'm sure her real aggravation was at being left behind to stand on a mat while Varner clung to the edge of the cage like a frightened cat.

38 minutes ago, Pazlovejoy said:

Why is it that people agreed that Michaela was "scary" just because she showed her displeasure about being used as a faux target? She didn't storm around and threaten anyone. She merely failed to be "cool" about being used. This makes her a less savvy player and does put her at a disadvantage. This does not make her "scary." It bugs me that women, especially black women are not allowed to show emotion without being judged.

Sandra is even more forthright and abrasive this season. I think she believes she can't win a third time, so she might as well go all out.

I don't think Michaela was being judged for showing anger for the reasons you stated; whenever the contestants throw someone's name out there they clutch their pearls when said person is pissed at having his/her name suggested as a vote-off.  Tony was in charge of that conversation and he knew his name was on Ciera's lips - he could have just said "Tell them you're voting for me".  Instead he throws out Michaela's name (most of the group was sitting there so he couldn't say any of them and he probably also had to avoid any names who had been making friends with the person who asked as well as think of someone on the fly).  Then when she gets pissed they all act so innocent and "what? what?" And none of them will admit they don't want their name out there either.  It's like when each contestant "knows it's a game" until someone else says that and wants to vote them off :)

ETA:  I totally agree about Sandra's attitude this season!

Edited March 9, 2017 by princelina

[Nashville]

4 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

Color me pleasantly surprised that Sandra survived the first two boots. Though her bickering with Tony after he had been voted off was not a good look for her.

 

4 hours ago, Fallacy said:

 I think [Sandra's] parting words to Tony are going to hurt her game a lot. She's a better player than that, so I was surprised to see her boldly declaring herself to be the queen.

Both of these x2.  Maybe I'm just old-fashioned in terms of what I consider good sportsmanship, but kicking someone when they are down and totally out has never played well in my book.  Sore winners suck, Sandra.  And I don't even like Tony.  :P

 

4 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

The two votes for Aubry were Sandra and Tony. Color me puzzled as to why Sandra voted for Aubry.

Safety vote in case Tony had somehow managed to find an idol.  Everybody but Tony was voting Tony - so if Tony had found an idol, his one vote would send someone packing.  If Tony had thrown a vote to anybody other than Aubry - like, say, Sandra:

1. Sandra's one-vote flip would insure a tie.
2. In the ensuing discussion, everybody on Sandra's side would call to evict Aubry.
3. Tony would almost certainly cave, to get the vote unanimous and avoid a rock draw.

 

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

Really not feeling Michaela this time around.  I loved her the last time, but this time, she just seems like a powder keg waiting to explode.  She has no filter, she just says whatever she thinks.  Then she was all pissed that she didn't get a chance to toss the rings?  Whatevs.  Malcolm singlehandedly caught their team up to the point where it was tied, after being way behind because of the issues with the snake.  Then she has the gall to complain that she's frustrated that she's being told to sit down when others can't do it but won't let her try?  She needs to check her ego.  Were it not for Malcolm her team would have lost even earlier.

I'm still waiting for you to say anything different from the way Michaela played her first time around.  :D

And for all the pre-show fussing about Malcom not being good in challenges, he came pretty dern close to single-handedly pulling his Tribes' biscuits out of the fire single-handedly on the second Immunity Challenge.

[Vyk]

So glad this show is back.  I can enjoy it now that everyone's Pwecious Wittle David from last season isn't here this time.

I was kinda digging the Mana tribe since they only had two people I hate on that tribe.  But one of them is already gone, and the other is a sitting duck!  Yay!

On Nuku, I like pretty much everyone but Ozzy, J.T., and Brad.  So I hope none of them win.  The other seven members are okay with me, though.

Wasn't that sad to see Ciera go, as I think her one claim to fame makes her pretty overrated, anyway.  But I am ecstatic to see Tony gone already!  I hated him so much in Cagayan and felt like he ruined that season for me singlehandedly.  I don't think he was that good of a player or a strong one.  He was paranoid and, more importantly, lucky.  And this premiere just served to prove that in spades.  I am absolutely gobsmacked that anyone would think he's entertaining.  He's just . . . not.  Will never be convinced otherwise.

I enjoyed the challenges and was on the edge of my seat for each one.  But I was also on the edge of my seat for that second Tribal Council.  When Sandra mentioned splitting the votes, I thought she was toast.  But when all of those votes came up as Tony, I was ecstatic!  How Sandra turned Malcolm, Aubry, and Caleb against Tony, I will never know!

Good premiere.  Hope this season keeps on delivering.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Vyk

[MsTree]

3 hours ago, sadiegirl1999 said:

I think I'm the only person in the world who hates Sandra.

I don't think she's great and I don't think she's funny. She's pleasant to others when she's getting her way but is hell on wheels when you cross her.

I feel Michaela gets skewered for being this way but not Sandra.

You're not the only one, Sadiegirl. I can't stand Sandra either.

Are these people stupid or what?? You keep a nasty 2 time winner AND allow her to be "queen". Idiots!

[Guest]

Great opening episode!

JT has not aged well. He's still one of my favorites though. 

Sandra is still one of my least favorites. She's so smug and obnoxious with all her queen talk.

I remember that I can't stand Tai and he did something terrible while aligned with jerks, but I can't remember what he did or what season it was so I can look it up. Similarly, I can't remember a lot of these people at all!

[KimberStormer]

Maybe half an hour into this, I found myself faced with the unpleasant feeling that I think I might be over this show.  I know you guys were all like "whyyyy do we have to wait til March" but it felt to me like way too soon, even though I bailed on last season halfway through so it's been even longer for me.  I did find myself unexpectedly delighted to see Michaela again, and then of course she was on the chopping block with one of the only other people I was happy to see back.  And saying, "that's who I wanted to go home too."  I spent the second hour just listening, doing other things.  Nice that Tony went home; not nice that the editors decided to show us absolutely nothing of how that actually went down in order to make it seem like Sandra was in danger.

I do enjoy Sandra believing her own hype and lording it as Queen of Survivor, but this better pick up fast if I'm going to care.  I do not at present care.  And if I don't care it's going to be hard to watch a lot of Aubry, Zeke, Caleb, Tai, Debbie, and other worthless losers I hate, and it's going to be especially boring and lame and hard to care if it's all unanimous votes now thanks to the new anti-split-vote rule.

But we'll see.

[KimberStormer]

5 hours ago, Giesela said:

Have to say I'm down with the keeping the physical players.  And after everyone agreeing there was 1 vote for Sandra (Tony) and 1 vote for Aubry (Sandra)?  Is that right? Did I miss something?  

Nobody voted for Sandra.  Tony voted for Aubry.  Obviously it was a completely done deal before tribal.  I think the producers have inadvertantly eliminated all the wonderful chaotic tribals of the past few seasons with their no-split-vote rule, and we are back to the etched-in-stone tribals of yore where all of Jeff's questions and theater is completely pointless because it's been decided for hours.  Hope I'm proven wrong, but so far it is two essentially unanimous votes.

5 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

I also noticed a pretty big gut with JT. Though that may be strategic in order to have more weight to lose as the season goes on.

My inexplicable Survivor crush JT has always brought a good solid dad-bod beer belly to the island with him.  Check back at some challenge on Tocantins and you will see.

1 hour ago, Nashville said:

And for all the pre-show fussing about Malcom not being good in challenges, he came pretty dern close to single-handedly pulling his Tribes' biscuits out of the fire single-handedly on the second Immunity Challenge.

I didn't say Malcolm was bad at challenges, I said he was fine but not an Ozzy, and he still isn't.  His skill with the rings made him being there to throw instead of picking up the snake make a little sense, but I truly don't understand why Michaela wasn't out there.  She was totally wasted on that challenge, and we've seen her single-handedly win them before.

[Vyk]

3 hours ago, deaja said:

I remember that I can't stand Tai and he did something terrible while aligned with jerks, but I can't remember what he did or what season it was so I can look it up.

Oh, well, let me jog your memory!  He was on Kaoh Rong, season thirty-two, and aligned with the two resident villains of the season, Scot and Jason.  Earlier in the ninth episode of the season, Scot, sore that he and Jason had been beaten in the previous Tribal Council, when intended new ally Nick was blindsided out of the game, just doused the camp's fire to give a "fuck you" to Aubry, Cydney, Michele, Julia, Debbie, and Joe.  (It didn't bother them, though, as they had some dry firewood nearby, anyway.)  He and Jason also proceeded to hide food and other supplies from them around the camp.  And later in the episode, while the tribe slept, Tai decided to show his loyalty to Scot and Jason by dousing the fire the camp had going overnight, so they had to start all over again in the morning.

Tai only redeemed himself to some people by eventually realizing where he stood with Scot and Jason and then helping the main alliance get rid of Scot in the following episode, but there were still some who kept hating him (myself included) for throwing in with them and their behavior in the first place.  And he made it worse when he tried pretty terribly to bully the rest of the tribe into voting Michele out the week of the F6.

Hope that clears things up.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Vyk

[Guest]

Thank you, @Vyk! I remembered they tried doing a redemption arc on him that I wasn't having!

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, KimberStormer said:

Nobody voted for Sandra.  Tony voted for Aubry.  Obviously it was a completely done deal before tribal.  I think the producers have inadvertantly eliminated all the wonderful chaotic tribals of the past few seasons with their no-split-vote rule, and we are back to the etched-in-stone tribals of yore where all of Jeff's questions and theater is completely pointless because it's been decided for hours.  Hope I'm proven wrong, but so far it is two essentially unanimous votes.

My inexplicable Survivor crush JT has always brought a good solid dad-bod beer belly to the island with him.  Check back at some challenge on Tocantins and you will see.

I didn't say Malcolm was bad at challenges, I said he was fine but not an Ozzy, and he still isn't.  His skill with the rings made him being there to throw instead of picking up the snake make a little sense, but I truly don't understand why Michaela wasn't out there.  She was totally wasted on that challenge, and we've seen her single-handedly win them before.

I think Michaela didn't understand why she wasn't out there, either.  I worry Michaela isn't going to keep a straight poker face and get herself axed sooner than she might have.  I understand her frustration with them telling Ciera they were targeting her.  Even if you know the vote is unanimous, all it would take is for someone to say 'hey, there's another name thrown out there, we can make this a blindside.'  And even at the second TC, though she was right to be frustrated, I don't want her to start making waves over bad decisions this early.  Being a newbie in a game where no one knows you, she seems like she put an even bigger target on her.  Mana was really a mess in that second challenge.  I don't know what the hell they were thinking.

I'm also hoping this season doesn't turn into predictable votes with no one flipping and majority alliances ruling until the end.  I wish they could find a way to end pre-gaming.

Edited March 9, 2017 by LadyChatts

[navelgazer]

3 hours ago, princelina said:

...while Varner clung to the edge of the cage like a frightened cat.

Brava.  A frightened wet cat.  

I'm so glad that these people are being fed well -- not luxury, but plenty of corn and other primitave foodstuffs, plenty of clean water, and no foul, awful, storming, soaking weather to deal with.  

[SlackerInc]

Michaela is so bad at this game.  People just love to root for her, but she can't control herself and she has zero chance to win.  She might be a good goat to drag along, except that a loose cannon like that is so unpleasant to be around, not to mention being unpredictable.

8 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

I don't have much to say about Ciera's boot. Did she even get an exit speech like Tony did at the end of the episode?

Hey, wait: you're right, she didn't!  That's weird.  Even when people get voted out in the middle of an episode, they usually get that speech.

7 hours ago, sadiegirl1999 said:

I think I'm the only person in the world who hates Sandra.

I don't think she's great and I don't think she's funny. She's pleasant to others when she's getting her way but is hell on wheels when you cross her.

I feel Michaela gets skewered for being this way but not Sandra.

I hear you.  I'm not crazy about Sandra either.  But I do like her for one thing: "I'm against you, Russell."  If Michaela ever takes on a horrible person like RH, maybe I'll start cutting her a little more slack.

[Vyk]

15 minutes ago, SlackerInc said:

Hey, wait: you're right, she didn't!  That's weird.  Even when people get voted out in the middle of an episode, they usually get that speech.

Back in Gabon, Michelle was the first one voted out, and she got no aired final words, either.  The viewers had to go online to find them.  Gillian, who was voted out second, got her final words aired, however.

[Trick Question]

5 hours ago, Callaphera said:

The props at Tribal kept making me think that I was watching Survivor: Lost. If only there was a smoke monster out there...

By this point, I'm thinking Sandra is the smoke monster and can't be stopped by mortal means.

[mertensia]

Man, if Sandra acted like this her other appearances, how the hell did she win?

Tony needs to stay off my screen forever. No more Survivor shows. No nothing. Off off off. Even if he was right about how fast Sandra got people on her side.

Edited March 9, 2017 by mertensia

[Squirrely]

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

He won.

(In reference to not remembering how Tony performed) I was speaking about challenge performance, and whether he was the right person to boot early. I know he was the sole Survivor. ;) 

[BetyBee]

I'm glad for both of the boots.  Tony makes me nervous, the way his eyes are always darting around and the way he can't sit still ever.  I wonder what kind of cop he is?  He seems to be born to have an itchy trigger finger.  As for Ciera, she's meh to me - just a one note person who always blathers on about big moves.  I won't miss either one of them.  I'd like to see braggart Debbie go next, but that's not very likely.  I just like to get the annoying people off my tv, but the players usually don't see it my way.

[JudyObscure]

If Ciera's tombstone reads, "Ciera voted her mother out,"  I'll be the vandal with the piece of chalk adding, "^ needlessly."

Sandra may be the queen but a little noblesse oblige would be nice.  All that bragging and rubbing it in after the vote doesn't sit well with me.  I also think she's getting more credit than she deserves for the Tony ouster.  I think Troyzan stated the main reason when he said Tony never stops.  He was getting on everyone's nerves.

I like Sarah and her accent.  At first I thought she said that the last time she played she was a cap.

I love Michaela and her lack of filter.  Please don't vote her out until I've watched her in a few more challenges!  She and Ozzie will ever be awesome in motion.

When Debbie said she worked for the military but didn't get paid in money because she got paid in training, I remembered how, last time, the editors wrote a different job title under her every time she had a new "career."  What a hoot.  She gets to come on my fantasy season of "All Crazies," with Coach and Philip and many others.

[Eolivet]

4 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

I think the producers have inadvertantly eliminated all the wonderful chaotic tribals of the past few seasons with their no-split-vote rule, and we are back to the etched-in-stone tribals of yore where all of Jeff's questions and theater is completely pointless because it's been decided for hours.

I was scratching my head at the new rule being applied to a vote split, because I thought a vote split meant like, a 4-3 or a 5-4 -- "put enough votes on someone so that if they play an idol, someone else you don't like goes home, and the other side can't get numbers to send someone from your side home." I can't even remember an even vote split that led to a re-vote. I suppose this incentivizes people not to flip in a vote split, but I also can't recall a time where someone has flipped on a vote split and forced a tie either.

With gamers like these, I feel like they want to eliminate people walking into tribal council prepared to go to rocks -- so that it's 20 minutes (for the viewers) and 90 minutes (for the show) of theater from the contestants because nobody is flipping. That wastes the producers' time and Jeff Probst's time. I feel like they're saying not eliminate a tie vote, but eliminate the drama involved in "vote, now re-vote, now try to decide, now go to rocks" when the mindset of all the contestants is already "go to rocks." If that makes any sense.

ETA: Though I suppose they risk a whole "Tyson can't count" situation with a vote split, if it immediately goes to rocks. I don't know -- I feel like this was done for producer convenience, not to eliminate drama in a foregone conclusion.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Eolivet
Forgot Tyson's idiocy

[brilliantbreakfast]

Some observations:

1) Is anyone else really tired of those "repeat players" seasons?  Many of these people know each other outside the game now, and the dynamic is just different.  Of course you're not going to get a season like the last one (which was great) every time, but I'm tired of even the players I like.

2) Am I the only "Homeland" fan who keeps thinking of Malcolm as "Quinn"?

3) I remember thinking J.T. was adorable in his first season and smarmy in his second.  He's still smarmy.

4) I love Michaela.  I love her so much and she is so gorgeous I would switch teams for her.  I hate that on every freakin' season of this show, the black woman is ALWAYS the first one to be targeted.  So much for post-racial society, eh?  Also, they all forgot how she helped everyone in that challenge and yet they STILL targeted her because she makes faces.  

5) I obviously missed two seasons because I have no idea who Aubry and Debbie are.  And I have completely forgotten Sierra.

6) Andrea STILL looks like she could be Billie Joe Armstrong's sister.

7) Remember when Cirie was afraid of leaves?

8) I don't remember liking Sandra this much before.  Her bulls#!t detector is hilarious.

9) Enough with Ozzy.  OK, he's a water challenge beast, which makes any season he's on not a fair fight in the first few challenges.

[Ms Blue Jay]

32 minutes ago, Squirrely said:

(In reference to not remembering how Tony performed) I was speaking about challenge performance, and whether he was the right person to boot early. I know he was the sole Survivor. ;) 

Absolutely atrocious at puzzles.  Hilariously bad.  I assume pretty good at physical challenges.  His tribe, "Brawn" pretty much dominated along with Beauty.  Brains, with Spencer, J'Tia, and Tasha, etc. kept failing I think.

Spencer has his fans, including me half of the time, but it's not like he was good at the game per se.  Not from what I remember.

And now my favourite contestant this season is the second bootee so how bad is Tony / how good is Sandra. Sigh.

I was actually wondering whether Tony was gaslighting Michaela to see what her reaction would be.  Or was he just being his normally stubborn lunkhead self.

I thought Tony was looking pretty handsome.  I thought he looked in much better shape than in Cagayan.

What I liked about Michaela here is that she's self-aware. She knows her "flaws" in the game.  She can't help herself sometimes but she knows where she goes "wrong".  When the big dogs on the tribe are talking about who to vote off she was just gathering sticks and listening.

It's interesting how the episode was Cirie versus Ozzy (with Tai caught in the middle, LOL) and Tony versus Sandra.  I have no idea what happened to Malcolm, Caleb, and Aubry at the end there.  What a disappointment.  Tony saw the writing on the wall and couldn't do anything about it.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[Haleth]

Game changers?  Shoot, I can't remember half of these people.  Andrea?  Caleb?  Blonde Sierra?  Sarah?  They must have made very subtle game changes since I am clueless about who/when they played.

Sandra, on the other hand, has never been subtle but continues to work her Jedi magic.  I don't especially like her as a player and I know IRL I wouldn't care for her at all, but watching her handle people is masterful.  She is abrasive yet can always deflect the vote to someone else.  In this case, Tony, a man who seemingly has a decent alliance yet gets voted off.  Too bad, I didn't like him but he was certainly entertaining.  Crazy and entertaining.

5 hours ago, Vyk said:

I am absolutely gobsmacked that anyone would think he's entertaining. 

Sorry about the gobsmacking.  :)

It's fun seeing the real game changers-- Sandra, Ozzy, Malcolm, Cirie.  Even Tony.  (Thank goodness no Hantz.)  I think the rest are just place fillers.  I wonder how many players turned down the offer before settling for the D list?

I had to laugh when the players found real goats.  Not the kind you drag along to FTC, but the 4 legged kind.  Was that a joke provided by production?  Are they toying with us?  There's a new rule to discourage splitting votes and they have real goats.  I may end up rooting for the goats.

[ghoulina]

I have to say, I was a bit underwhelmed last night. I think I'm just really burned out on returning players right now. Not to mention, I think calling some of these people "Game Changers" is a reallllll stretch. But any Survivor is better than no Survivor, so I'm still in. Hopefully I get more excited as the season goes on. 

Petty shallow stuff - some of these people are looking rough! Ozzy's age was especially noticeable for me. As was JT's, and I kind of had a crush on JT his first time around. Le sigh....

Gamewise, I'm uncommitted right now. I liked some of these people their previous game, disliked some, and there's some I liked their first time and then later didn't like much (Cirie). I also only saw Sandra's second win. So I'm going to just keep an open mind and try to based my opinions on how everyone plays THIS time. But....going in, I'm leaning towards my girl, Aubry, and Malcom. 

I know many people hate Tony and I don't really like him as a player, but he does make the game hilarious for me. I watch with my sons (7&8) and we were cracking up so hard over #spybunker and they were trying to make their own with blankets and the couch. Personally, I would have kept him over Sandra, but that's just me. Sandra's arrogance is showing big time, and I hope people took her "queen" comment seriously. Plus, it looks like Target is missing a manager, so she might want to get back to her day job. 

But I am kind of glad that Tony won't be able to turn Caleb into this year's Woo. I just hope Aubry can recover from this because she's one of my favorite females over the past few years and I really wanted to see her get a second chance. 

I WAS satisfied with the Ciera boot, though. That girl has played this game just one too many times.

DEBBIE! So glad Debbie is back. Not because she was a great player or anything but the snark is going to be awesome with that ol "captain in the civil air patrol". And I did love how she saw right through Ciera. Homegirl is not as slick as she thinks she is. 

Tai is already driving me crazy with the chickens. I get that he's a huge animal lover, and I am too, but he's going to really rub people wrong if he keeps acting like they're pets and not there for a purpose. 

Cirie is scrambling way too hard this early. She's lucky her team hasn't lost yet. 

[Giesela]

Is there a canon of irrefutable Survivor rules that includes don't be the one that plays to hard right of the boat?  Because I feel like that is what got both Ciera and Tony booted. 

Worry that is going to get Micaela too.  Last season she stayed really quiet the first half.  

I did find Tony entertaining.  I kind of wonder what he was doing out there, playing to the camera?  I mean the idea of digging and underground spy shack with your feet that was virtually 5 feet from the water hole was just.....your kidding right?  I didnt even understand that.  Honestly it was like he was off his medication. 

Someone up thread was giving Tai some hate for sticking with a couple of assholes (Scott and Jason).  I hope they give Sierra the same hate for sticking with Dan and that other asshole who's name I can't remember.   I read a Hali interview that she does not want to work with Sierra.   

I was sort of upset that Mana looked like a pagong in the making but now I'm a little upset that I don't get to see the results of how Sandra's whole tribe alliance that voted out Tony  plays out. 

I wonder if the goats are going to be a bigger thing than the chickens for Tai and other animal lovers.  Not sure I want to see a replay of the pig killing.  

Edited March 9, 2017 by Giesela

[Alison]

2 hours ago, navelgazer said:

Brava.  A frightened wet cat.  

I'm so glad that these people are being fed well -- not luxury, but plenty of corn and other primitave foodstuffs, plenty of clean water, and no foul, awful, storming, soaking weather to deal with.  

Gordon Holmes, a reporter who was there on the first day of filming, said on Twitter that there was so much food available on the ship that one tribe's camp "looked like the produce section of Whole Foods."

42 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Game changers?  Shoot, I can't remember half of these people.  Andrea?  Caleb?  Blonde Sierra?  Sarah?  They must have made very subtle game changes since I am clueless about who/when they played.

I know in the case of Sierra, she was called in last-minute because Natalie Anderson had to drop out. Who knows if anyone else is a second-string selection...

[ghoulina]

1 hour ago, brilliantbreakfast said:

I love Michaela.  I love her so much and she is so gorgeous I would switch teams for her.  I hate that on every freakin' season of this show, the black woman is ALWAYS the first one to be targeted.  So much for post-racial society, eh?  Also, they all forgot how she helped everyone in that challenge and yet they STILL targeted her because she makes faces.  

But she wasn't the first targeted. Ciera was. Michaela flipped about being the decoy, but the reasoning seemed pretty logical to me - a big number of them were at the well when Ciera walked up. So they had to quickly throw out the name of someone who wasn't at the well. Pickings were slim. And it had to be believable, which (IMO) Micheala was, because of her extreme competence at challenges. I know no one likes to hear their name tossed around for ANY reason. But her reaction is what made people give her a second glance, but they still sent Ciera home. I like Micaela, but she is often her own worst enemy. 

Edited March 9, 2017 by ghoulina

[thejuicer]

I know Sandra is polarizing and I am almost certain she won't win a third time, but seeing her shout "Take your ass home!" to Tony while his torch is being snuffed out will be one of my favorite Survivor moments from now on. She just gives no fucks, and that's why I like her, always have.

Edited March 9, 2017 by thejuicer

[Lamb18]

I am so BUMMED! My CBS Access live-streaming, which worked fine for last year's Big Brother, BB OTT, last fall's Survivor, Hunted and a Vikings game, suddenly didn't work last night when it worked fine two weeks ago. I got the sound but no picture, just a list of links to shows. I also didn't know the episode was two hours, so at first I was confused by reading about Tony's booting.

I was able to figure out who most people were by their voices. Some I recognized right away, others I figured out by what they were saying. Like others have said, I think Aubry got votes because if Tony had an idol, they would have to do the unified vote or go straight to rocks. What I don't understand is why Aubry was selected for votes. I guess I'll find out more when I watch tonight. Watching episodes should still work.

I heard the goats and I'm hoping they don't get caught. Or did they already? I'm also watching season 4 with the pig booby trap and am hoping no pigs get caught.

I'm curious to see the people I haven't seen before (season 25 my first full season) so I haven't seen Sandra, J.T., saw a little of Culpepper but not much, Ozzie, Troyzan, Cirie, saw Andrea a little bit on her most recent season. I'm happy to see Aubry, Malcolm, Mikayla, Tai, Hali and I guess Caleb. Neutral on Sarah, Sierra. I thought Sarah found the Legacy Advantage until I read here it was Sierra.

This is off-topic, but can anyone recommend a laptop good for watching video and live-streaming? I don't think my 9-year old Toshiba is up for it anymore. I don't do gaming, but like storage for photographs, too. I'm doing some shopping this weekend!

[Primetimer]

Twenty returning contestants hit the beach for Survivor's 34th season premiere, its 500th episode, and roughly the billionth scene where someone's not there to make friends.

View the full article

[BusyOctober]

So happy Tony and his maniacal giggle won't be plaguing me the rest of this season!  He's a previous winner, so congrats for that, but I can't stand that guy.

Michaela was one of my favorites in her season and I had hopes that she'd learned a lesson or two about the game. But...nope.  Maybe Michaela should try out for a show with more focus on individual abilities over team play.  She'd be good on American Ninja Warrior for example.

I love Cirie but she was never a good physical player, so I am worried for her.  Time & aging isn't kind to most of us, so it's not as if Cirie has become a challenge monster over the past 8 years.  I hope she and Sandra can keep using their brains and their mouths to stay around for a while.

Debbie is back. Yay!...said no one anywhere, ever.  I guess lugging around her expansive resume of jobs, abilities and skill is what keeps her arms jacked.  I just remember Debbie extolling all her virtues and experiences...usually new ones added to the list each week...to her tribe.  I found her exhausting.  And she still reminds me of her:

 

[djlynch]

Please tell me that I'm not the only person who has to stop and remember which of the handsome but somewhat personality deficient dudes with long blonde hair is Malcolm and which is Joe from Worlds Apart and Second Chances.

[Boilergal]

Tony exhausted me from the beginning he seemed so manic - super happy to see him go.  I'm sure he was just as exhausting to the others in the tribe and a relief when he left.

I have a feeling Tai won't be as successful in saving the chickens this year, and won't be long for the game if he continues to use tribe food to feed the chickens.

Michaela was all worried about her attitude - until she witnessed Sandra at TC - and then was all daaaaaaaaaaayumm. Hopefully she doesn't take that as a signal that it's okay to wear her heart on her sleeve. 

[Haleth]

52 minutes ago, Giesela said:

 I hope they give Sierra the same hate for sticking with Dan and that other asshole who's name I can't remember.

Ooooh, now I remember her!

28 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Have hated Caleb going all the way back to his douche bag ways on Big Bro

Ooooh, now I remember him too!  He was injured and had to be taken out, right?

[Lamb18]

He wasn't exactly injured, it was heat-related, like heat stroke. His organs started failing so they had to med-evac him.

[annewithaneee]

Yeah, Caleb "Beast Mode Cowboy" is completely hate-able. He was a Grade A sexist creep monster on Big Brother, acting verbally and physically aggressive against a woman who he targeted for a showmance and just wouldn't take no for an answer. It was really disappointing that not only did Big Brother production let him get away with it, they saw fit to spin him onto another, much larger, reality franchise. He was on his first Survivor season so relatively briefly that it's not clear if he's still a deluded, dim little sexual harrassment suit waiting to happen though.

[Avalanche]

So glad that I don't have to watch Tony "tweaking" all over my TV screen anymore... I get twitchy myself just watching him! 

I really do prefer watching and getting to know new Survivors as opposed to watching previous survivors.  None of them seem to have new game. 

This will not stop me from watching each week, of course.  Because maybe, just maybe... someone will pull off a Survivor first!