S34.E05: Dirty Deed

[NutMeg]

Nothing is most satisfying than someone being hoisted by his own petard, and that was our JT here and there, setting the ball in motion last episode that got him ousted this episode, just like he did in HvsV. And how sweet was it that Michaela managed to play the sacrificial goat well enough to fool him (meaning he didn't know her at all!)

Seriously, I loved this episode. I thought I was going to have to be nervous about Sandra after JT found the idol but soon there was no reason to be. I love how confident they let him be, to the point that he never thought of playing his idol (which in a worst case scenario would have sent Michaela packing, not Sandra). Sandra was masterful in how she handled the whole thing. 

11 hours ago, deaja said:

I still hate Sandra.  Her stunts are no better than when Russell or Tai do things to sabotage their tribe (though sugar is mild compared to burning people's belongings, etc.) but she gets away with it because she's well-liked.  Her 

Her stunts, as you call them, are never pointless (i.e. to create chaos for chaos sake). When she wreaks havoc, it serves a purpose, as we see here. And it helps that she's well liked (if Michaela disliked her or didn't trust her, she would never have gone with this drama they played at TC). 

10 hours ago, rasalas said:

Exactly. Why didn't Michaela go ballistic when she found out that Sandra essentially framed her for stealing the sugar -- and then took so much glee in doing so? And yet there's Michaela at TC laughing right along with the "queen." I'm also surprised that given the well-deserved viewer outrage over Southern boy JT belittling a strong black woman like Michaela as lazy and a baby that there isn't more adverse reactions about Sandra setting Michaela up as a thief.

Because Sandra never hid it from Michaela? And let her know how she intended to use it to both their advantage by getting rid of JT.    

10 hours ago, ghoulina said:

She was Tony's first lackey, before Trish. She did NOTHING worthy of being called a "game changer" and I was quite shocked they brought her back. But I could say that about quite a few of the contestants this year. 

Thank you for remembering Trish, but she was much more than Tony's lackey, as I see it she was a very good player whose game was hidden by Tony's in editing but was actually stronger (had she made final TC, her edit would have been different)  

9 hours ago, Daisy said:

I'm connected with Sandra on Facebook - she adores the game. 

it's obvious she loves this game. And she wants to win. But overall, she seems to love the game. 

Edited March 31, 2017 by NutMeg
chaas > chaos

[laurakaye]

7 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Debbie, by wide margin.  It is not even close.  Abi is entitled and paranoid and will turn on her friends in an instant without cause.  But Debbie is delusional and has an explosive and frightening temper.

And Debbie may be slight of frame, but I have no doubt she could bend a machete in half or fell a tree with a karate-chop if she got PISSED enough.

Abi was an obnoxious chattermouth.  Debbie gives off vibes of intense, nonsensical rage.  Not that it would've lessened her scariness, but it looked to me that she flew off the handle because the challenge that actually happened was much different than the challenge she re-wrote in her head.  How can you reason with someone who is furious about something that didn't really happen?

Edited March 30, 2017 by laurakaye

[Guest]

1 hour ago, KHenry14 said:

• I am a little annoyed and surprised how Debbie's tribemates kissed up to her after her meltdown. Especially since it was sort of illogical. My inclination would be to ignore her. And since she was responsible for the loss, why didn't people call her on it? Is she that intimidating? And I wonder if this story continues on in more episodes.

I'm guessing it is a combination of placating the person who flies off their handle as they weren't going to be able to get rid of her at that point and just wanting camp life with her to be as comfortable as possible.  I think the kissing up was a peacekeeping mission.

[Bouffe]

16 hours ago, MyBad said:

If you go to Fiji on Google Maps and find the sandy island they used for the peanut butter Reward Challenge, the image clearly shows the challenge course being setup or dismantled. 

 

That is so cool! Looking at the main island, one can also see a few different places where the challenges take place. I find this all very cool.

[Ms Blue Jay]

This might seem like a stupid question to the Sandra fans.  Does Sandra ever find idols and use them?  Sorry to interrupt with this pathetic lack of knowledge.

[elizacat]

1 minute ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

This might seem like a stupid question to the Sandra fans.  Does Sandra ever find idols and use them?  Sorry to interrupt with this pathetic lack of knowledge.

She found an idol on Heroes Vs Villains and while she did use it she didn't need to.

They weren't around during Pearl Islands

[Haleth]

Wow!  That was a fun blindside!  Two things l loved-- Varner's expression (absolute terror) when Sandra told him about the sugar plot and Michaela casually pouring a drink at TC and looking so bored.  What I didn't like was Debbie's meltdown.  TPTB might think it's entertaining, but I have a problem with showcasing people with emotional issues. She's BSC, I think even more than her first go round.

[ByaNose]

Usually, BSC people are in on the joke. I don't think Debbie is. I can only imagine how her exit interviews will go. Deny! Deny! Deny! LOL!!

[Bouffe]

16 hours ago, mishap said:

I can enjoy the quirky and the weird, but Debbie has past her expiration date.  She's full out nuts. 

Jt did not even bring his idol. 

I thought Sandra and Michaela over sold it a bit ---  tried a little to hard to make JT feel confident he was safe.  I  thought JT might see that, and get suspicious.  But the fool didn't even bring the idol with him.  Tsk tsk.  Deserved to go for that reason, if nothing else. 

Agree about Debbie. I enjoy quirky as well, but Debbie is a whole other bag. I liked her in her original season, but this episode was too much. That maniacal laugh she gave Culpepper after she told him he broke her heart? Daaaaaamn lady.

I like JT. I liked him in his original season, a little less the second time h played. I was disappointed to see how cocky he was this time around. That totally clouded his judgment. To not bring his idol was cocky, foolish, stupid. No wonder he didn't get suspicious when Mikaela seemed to be accepting her faith at TC.

I can't believe Sandra has gone through that many TC and not been voted out yet. I really liked her in her two passed seasons. She is way too cocky for my liking this season, but damn, woman's GOOD. I have to admit I like the Sandra/Mikaela/Verner trio.

16 hours ago, MKL122788 said:

So, real talk, does anyone think Sandra's primary goal was to make sure there cannot be another two time winner?

Surely seems like it! Tony and now JT... Who is left that has won before? However, if this is something she has thought of and is actively pursuing, wouldn't that put an even bigger target on her back, as the only remaining winner?

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time On Survivor

The lowest-stakes reward challenge of all time leads to a surprising excess of hurt feelings.

[laurakaye]

30 minutes ago, elizacat said:

She found an idol on Heroes Vs Villains and while she did use it she didn't need to.

They weren't around during Pearl Islands

"Jeff, I would hate to be sent home with an idol in my bra." - Sandra, HvV

One of the best idol plays I've ever seen, even if she didn't need it.

[seasick]

17 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

This might seem like a stupid question to the Sandra fans.  Does Sandra ever find idols and use them?  Sorry to interrupt with this pathetic lack of knowledge.

I wonder if anyone is looking for idols--other than the ones we see--"I need an idol I need an idol..Oh! there's one."   I understand time and editing constraints but it does make it appear that the others are back at camp whittling and singing "old folks at home" and just can't be bothered to look.

I hope they do an 'Old school" season (expect for the ties being broken by previous votes--strange and apparently unfair since they never revealed all the votes.)   If they have two simple tribes maybe we will see more of what the relationships are like.  I do believe that both Aubree and Varner agreed that Mikaila  was a whiner or PIA around camp but we never saw that.  I too liked the strategy clip and although I doubt that there is more to Debbie's story, we may have a clue as to the bigger picture about Brad. 

Editing has become a quick formula all hot-pointed just to explain TC.  It works on that level , but it simplifies the show too much.  In the end it becomes like a 15 minute recap. 

[rasalas]

46 minutes ago, NutMeg said:

Because Sandra never hid it from Michaela? And let her know how she intended to use it to both their advantage by getting rid of JT. 

This isn't true. Michaela found out about Sandra's stunt (framing Michaela for stealing the sugar) for the first time at the end of Tribal Council.

After JT departed:

Michaela: And I didn't steal the sugar, either. I don't know where it went.
[Sandra raises her hand and points to herself, smiling.]
Michaela: You took the sugar? [laughs]

So Sandra most certainly hid the act from Michaela until Sandra no longer needed the ruse to fool JT.

[piequinn35]

Haha I loved what Michaela did while the votes were being read! JT's overconfidence sent him home with HII in his pocket! 

Please vote Debbie next time she's irritating to watch! lol

Ozzy's tribe is sitting pretty while the other 2 tribes are exploding. :)

[Rachel RSL]

1 hour ago, Daisy said:

No - that was Sandra. Varner (my love), got booted out because Kimmi had a big mouth but, Varner was responsible for setting up one of the best blow ups in Survivor History.

I definitely remember Sandra dumping the fish but I could have *sworn* Varner did it too when he thought he might get voted out. For some reason, I thought dumping the fish was what made me love Varner in the first place....I guess I just loved him for the million other reasons he's awesome.

[HurricaneVal]

15 hours ago, Stinamaia said:

Debbie is a convicted felon.  She was part of a scheme to take taxpayer money by pretending to run tests to determine if water was safe some of the tests were on post Katrina samples. She has tried to get ahead by falsifying results that were important to people's lives.  She has issues, yes, but they aren't the fault of men preferring pretty young women.

I had completely forgotten about this.  Wow.  Yeah, that does show a pattern of behavior.  I wonder if this twisted revisionist history thing she's got going in her head is what allows her to live with her shortcomings and failures?

[MrsR]

Varner did toss out the fish the night of his ouster. Tina outed him on the reunion show.

That's why Sandra pulled him into that move, she knew he would go with it.

[Wandering Snark]

Does one idol left in camp trump two idols in your bag (James) because I still think that was dumber.

[Rachel RSL]

Ah, thank you! So I'm not crazy. (Or at least not as crazy as Debbie.)

[Lorimac]

Oh My God - I forgot how much I love Ozzy!! Oh my darling, it has been a long 8 years, but now I am reunited with your presence on Survivor, and I can enjoy the customary lack of drama/ChallengeMonsterness that is you, my dearest! Alas, I know that as soon as the merge arrives, the rest of the mere mortals will vote your ass off as soon as they can...sigh.... but until then......

[Bouffe]

15 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

And Sandra's manipulation was fantastic. Don't know if she should have confessed, though. I guess Varner can't hold it over her later this way. 

When she admitted to eating the sugar, I wondered about the same thing, too. Varner was an accomplice, but Mikaela and Aubrey didn't know who had done it. I guess with so few people left, it wouldn't be too hard to guess who did it... Perhaps you are right; by admitting to it, Sandra looks "truthful". But it also shows the others what she can do (if they didn't know already). I guess we will just have to wait and see...

[survivinmt]

I thought Deb's blow up was scary and I couldn't understand why people kept coming up to her and even getting in her personal space and touching her. Leave the crazy alone to settle down. I suspect producer's interference IS to blame for that. But her laugh and the way she looked back at ?Sierra? Haley? after she screamed in Brad's face made me think she was just playing to the cameras. Hard to think anyone could be that delusional and un-self-aware.

Glad to see JT go. He has no understanding of the game really. I don't think Ozzy does either. He's a huge challenge beast but has real trouble making connections with people. And after so many tries still doesn't understand that people aren't there to help him win. Maybe we'll see something different this time - but I thought his 3rd time playing was by far worse than his second time which was worse than his first. So he'll have to pull something amazing out this time.

[Special K]

15 minutes ago, Bouffe said:

When she admitted to eating the sugar, I wondered about the same thing, too. Varner was an accomplice, but Mikaela and Aubrey didn't know who had done it. I guess with so few people left, it wouldn't be too hard to guess who did it... Perhaps you are right; by admitting to it, Sandra looks "truthful". But it also shows the others what she can do (if they didn't know already). I guess we will just have to wait and see...

I think she was better off 'fessing up rather than lying about it and letting it leak out.  I keep thinking that playing so openly will be bad for her, but it seems to keep working for her, so who knows?

I liked Aubrey's "damn, you guys are good!"  Sort of like, so this is what the major league is like.

[Jobiska]

1 hour ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I rewatched the reward challenge.  It is possible Hali took longer than it seemed, but there is no doubt Debbie failed miserably.  From the time she started her leg of the balance challenge, to when the challenge ended, with her not completing it, the following members of the blue team did these things:

1) JT finished his leg of the 1st round balance task.  He was halfway through when Debbie started round 2.

2) Varner grappled the handle for round 2.

3) Michaela dug up the bag for round 2

4) Aubry completed round 2 of the balance task from start to finish (the same leg Debbie was floundering on)

5) Sandra solved the slide puzzle.

That all obviously took a massive amount of time.  Debbie clearly did not "breeze through it in 2 minutes" or whatever she told her tribe after.  

I appreciate the play by play.  To continue just a second longer, in response to all those who said Debbie never finished:  We kept rewinding to hear something Sierra and Brad (I think?) said--"I'm getting sick of losing."  "Me too."was what it turned out to be--and so we watched Sandra's win about three times.  Almost exactly simultaneously with her solving the puzzle, Debbie finally did finish (didn't "count," of course) and Hali, waiting for the ball I guess, with all her attention on Debbie, said in a really sweet voice to Debbie something like "yay, you did it!"  This cemented for me my Hali-love.  It really seemed like true supportiveness, not bland cheering-on.  And I think she really was concerned about Debbie when she stalked off too and that is why she followed her.

During the Debbie blow-up, when they were in that cute little rocky niche on the beach which I would certainly stake out as my place if I were there for the day, Tai was leaning back against the rocks in what to me would the be most uncomfortable position ever (feet straight out in front, back lying at a slight angle, like not as low as a lounge chair) and it looked for all the world like the force of her furor had blasted him back there like a rag doll.

Speaking of Tai, someone upthread said he should have done the balance beam because he had smaller feet--a) he didn't do well last week (when Brad caught them up by great target hitting), and b) I noticed what large feet Hali had when she was doing it, and rocking it!  Another reason for size-10-feet me to like her!  

Yeah, and Debbie, why, why make me like Brad better?  Though the decorator thing did soften me a bit already.  And I am always pleased when someone looks at their play and their portrayal and tries to change, which I think he may be doing and which is apparently a lot harder than it looks, considering how so many people don't change.    But I still didn't want to like him!  

Ozzy walks on beams like he's walking across a floor.

Personally, I perceive Abi and to a lesser degree Phil as gaslighters, which I can't stand.  Debbie's delusions are uncomfortable to watch, and I wouldn't want to be around her, but gaslighting is far, far worse.  

Not sure I've ever seen people play something so straight at Tribal.  Sandra even said something about "the stronger person and we're keeping HIM."  And I think the best thing was outing herself about the sugar right after the vote--this way Michaela, still on a rush of herself being saved, could sort of lump it in as being part of the whole "save Michaela by tricking JT" thing somehow, rather than taking it personally.

With regard to Aubry, Malcolm said in one of his post-ouster interviews that she and Sandra did not get along--I definitely thing she had no inkling they were going for JT.  But I think she's smart enough to maybe come around now?  

[peachmangosteen]

This episode was awesome. There were so many amazing moments. I truly believed this season would suck but it has been consistently amazing and entertaining. And men I hate keep getting booted! It's just glorious. I am waiting for the other shoe to drop though. I predict a boring and predictable post-merge game with a winner I hate lol.

The booting of JT made me wonder if Jeff has hyped this season at all. With all the big guys getting evicted one after the other, I'm gonna guess he hates this season. Although his boyfriend Brad is doing great, so maybe he loves it.

[ghoulina]

3 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Sandra continued to work after winning

Does she work at Target? 

(Sorry, had to.)

3 hours ago, fishcakes said:

If Sarah were actually a criminal, she'd be the one who, while robbing a convenience store, walks right up to the security camera and stares into the lens for a full two minutes.

Yup. That girl is about as savvy as a stampeding rhinoceros. I'm sure she's nice enough, but not cut out for this game. Certainly not twice. 

 

3 hours ago, DallasGypsy said:

 

I don't quite understand why the whole tribe was following Debbie around.  She stalked off with her arms full of clothes or blankets and wanted to be alone. Next thing you know, the whole tribe is around her trying to "make everything better."  Instead, it seemed to rile her up even more and carry over to the immunity challenge.  Let's hope she doesn't hurt herself or someone else in trying to make her point (whatever that point might be).

 

That might have been why they followed her - maybe they were genuinely worried about her. Once they were settled around the rocks, no one was talking much to her, just letting her rant. I wondered if they didn't want to be near for safety reasons, because she seemed SO unhinged. 

 

2 hours ago, Hanahope said:

The reward was pretty minimal, imo.  Granted PB has some protein, and I presume none of the contestants had a peanut allergy.  I wonder if that's why it hasn't been used much previously.

Those cookies, though. I had just had dinner 2 hours earlier, but I was drooling over those from the comfort of my couch!

[HurricaneVal]

JT signed his own death warrant at that last chaotic Tribal Council when he went over to the other tribe and told his bestie Brad Culpepper his own tribe's intentions.  Sandra even said that in her TH during the "back from tribal" tribe debrief at the top of the show last night.  Sugargate--brilliant, though I'm not a Sandra fan--served only to keep JT off balance and distracted.  He was a dead man walking, he just didn't know it, even though he frantically searched for and found the idol because he thought he needed it.  Sugargate made him think that Michaela was the target.  I'm no fan of Sandra's, but that was indeed a master class.  She is so sly, she did that whole thing and now has Michaela cracking up about it.

Debbie.  Oh dear lawd Debbie.  Now, granted, we only see the edited footage, and Hali may possibly have spent a half hour continually boofing the balance beam and her ball-and-bow, but Hali finished her leg in first place, and Debbie started her leg in first place, then proceeded to boof the balance beam and her ball-and-handle over and over until the other two teams had completed the entire challenge.  That is some scary delusional thinking on her part.  I think her tribe was handling her with kid gloves back at camp during her epic blowups.  Culpepper is not one I would have thought who would have accepted that string of vituperative delusions, but he was very patient with her--I think because her outbursts were so very scary.  When she picked up all her stuff and "moved out" and was followed by the rest of her tribe, I think that was #1 out of sheer concern for Debbie's safety and #2 out of sheer concern for their own safety. 

The timeline was a little hard to follow, and there may have been some back and forth out of sequence scenes, but there was Debbie confronting Hali on her "golden girl" status (prompted by jealousy and probable tacit frustration that younger attractive women tend to bond better with the alpha males than older women), then there was uncomfortable Tai trying to help Debbie, then there was the full tribe just kind of awkwardly and quietly hanging out around the ranting crazy woman.  Was it my imagination, but did Culpepper try to appease Debbie by apologizing to her?  I never thought I'd see the day...

Pretty good follow-up to last week's good episode.  I think we're starting to get to where the cheese gets binding, as my old neighbor used to say, so the coming weeks should be interesting!

[ghoulina]

3 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Was it my imagination, but did Culpepper try to appease Debbie by apologizing to her?  I never thought I'd see the day...

No, he did....and then she cut him off by telling him he doesn't even realize he's doing it. Kind of like how SHE doesn't realize she's remembering things completely opposite of how they happen. 

[Bouffe]

48 minutes ago, Special K said:

I think she was better off 'fessing up rather than lying about it and letting it leak out.  I keep thinking that playing so openly will be bad for her, but it seems to keep working for her, so who knows?

I liked Aubrey's "damn, you guys are good!"  Sort of like, so this is what the major league is like.

I think you are right about Sandra fessing up to the sugar thing. Mikaela was on a high about being saved, so she most likely won't hold that stunt against Sandra. If anything, maybe it will spark a strong alliance. 

27 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Was it my imagination, but did Culpepper try to appease Debbie by apologizing to her?  I never thought I'd see the day...

I know! I was shocked. I didn't like Culpepper at all the first time he played. He seemed to have changed his game quite a bit this time around. The way he (and the rest of the tribe) handled the whole Debbie situation was pretty savvy (from what we see anyway). And the way he had Tai voting against Caleb... Culpepper's playing a good game so far. Can't wait to see how he will do if he makes the merge.

Edited March 30, 2017 by Bouffe
spelling mistake

[laurakaye]

5 minutes ago, Bouffe said:

I think you are right about Sandra messing up to the sugar thing. Mikaela was on a high about being saved, so she most likely won't hold that stunt against Sandra. If anything, maybe it will spark a strong alliance. 

I can't imagine a more bad-ass duo than Sandra and Courtney from HvV, but Sandra/Michaela sure would be fun to watch.

[Hera]

17 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Not excusing or explaining Debbie -- but I wonder if editing was leading us a little bit.  We saw Hali walking and not falling off the beam and we saw Debbie falling over and over, but we didn't really see the time thing that Debbie was talking about.  Maybe it really did take Hali ten minutes to get over the beam and, after falling a few times, Debbie went over in two.  Not that any of that would explain why Debbie was so mad at Brad.

We definitely saw Hali have to start the first balance beam over and I think it's possible she moved slowly over the second one in order to keep the ball on the bow steady. I'm not sure whether it's easier to keep the ball balanced on the bow or on the flat top thing Debbie was holding, but I suppose it doesn't really matter—if one is harder than the other, then you can't really compare the two people who were doing the balancing portion of the challenge, and so Debbie should relax.

I think what's really behind it is that Debbie suspects (justifiably or not) that Hali has supplanted her in the pecking order of the tribe. We won't know for sure if it's true until later on, but if that's what her perception was then it explains her meltdown and why she insisted that she had performed better than Hali during the reward challenge and spent the immunity challenge pointing out to Brad that she was first over the wall. She's trying to avoid getting booted ahead of Hali.

15 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

Well, I didn't expect to see this...but Phillip Shephard (Mr. pink underpants) is no longer the craziest player of Survivor.

Can you imagine Debbie and Phillip on a tribe?

I want a tribe of the batty (but not to the point of being dangerous) players: Debbie, Special Agent Phillip Sheppard, Coach, Abi Maria, Shane...the other tribe could be the sane, sensible players. The merge would be hilarious, especially if there were no tribal swaps leading up to it.

13 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

It's amazing that this season is so full of fan favorites and big players but they're all basically invisible, but if it's just going to be Sandra Being Fucking Awesome for 39 days then I'm fine with that, honestly.

Sandra is someone I will never tire of watching, but I am surprised that we've heard nothing from Ozzy, Cirie, Andrea, or Zeke for a while. I suppose when you win all the challenges and don't have to go to Tribal Council, there isn't much to show. I'm trying not to read too much into the fact that they've made a point of showing Troyzan in pretty much every episode and featured Sarah as well, but not the other four members of that tribe, but it's hard not to.

[Haleth]

Wasn't JT the odd man out on his tribe, without an ally and worried he'd be booted?  And didn't he show them his true colors by whispering to Brad at the last TC?  Why in the world would he be so deluded in thinking he was safe that he wouldn't even bring his idol to this TC?  

About everyone following Debbie after her initial outburst, I don't think any of the other 3 trusted their tribe mates wouldn't plot with Debbie to boot them. Especially Brad. I don't blame him a bit for not letting Hali and Tai wander off without him.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

54 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

...then there was uncomfortable Tai trying to help Debbie, then there was the full tribe just kind of awkwardly and quietly hanging out around the ranting crazy woman.  Was it my imagination, but did Culpepper try to appease Debbie by apologizing to her?  I never thought I'd see the day...

I know I'm cross-polinating my shows here but anyone who's seen the RHONY Scary Island episodes will have an appreciation for how you need to interact with Crazy.  Countering the Crazy with logic is useless - - at some point you just decide to disengage and hope that will diffuse the ticking time bomb.  Debbie's tribe was incredibly patient with her.  Had she been on a losing tribe with Michaela, I think it would've been a whole, different story.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, rasalas said:

This isn't true. Michaela found out about Sandra's stunt (framing Michaela for stealing the sugar) for the first time at the end of Tribal Council.

After JT departed:

Michaela: And I didn't steal the sugar, either. I don't know where it went.
[Sandra raises her hand and points to herself, smiling.]
Michaela: You took the sugar? [laughs]

So Sandra most certainly hid the act from Michaela until Sandra no longer needed the ruse to fool JT.

Yeah, Michaela laughed because she was happy/relieved/some mixture of those, but Sandra definitely didn't do it just to mess with JT.  She likes to introduce chaos to try to get people fighting.

7 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Wasn't JT the odd man out on his tribe, without an ally and worried he'd be booted?  And didn't he show them his true colors by whispering to Brad at the last TC?  Why in the world would he be so deluded in thinking he was safe that he wouldn't even bring his idol to this TC?  

 

I don't think thinking is his strong suit...

[seasick]

4 minutes ago, Haleth said:

About everyone following Debbie after her initial outburst, I don't think any of the other 3 trusted their tribe mates wouldn't plot with Debbie to boot them. Especially Brad. I don't blame him a bit for not letting Hali and Tai wander off without him.

Agree.  it only takes one loud-mouth feeling they have nothing to lose to put it out there that they are going for someone--esp. the 'head of the snake ..where no one else feels comfortable starting a whisper campaign.  Getting rid of Brad would be a great idea considering they have to know they will not be staying at 3 tribes much longer.

[mojoween]

Brad has a tattoo of the name Rex on his chest who happens to be the starting QB for the Syracuse Orange.  There was an article about Rex in my local paper today and I got irritated all over again...

that like many of you, Debbie's meltdown actually made me look kindly on Brad for a moment which I find unforgivable.  I feel like Hermione getting upset about unforgivable curses when they first learned about them in Defense of the Dark Arts.

It's incredibly distressing and I need Brad to do something ridiculous next week so I can go back to comfortably hating him.

I've never been fond of Andrea and I am hoping when it's time for individual immunity everyone remembers how competent she is and bounce her as soon as they can.

[meep.meep]

7 hours ago, deaja said:

 

Debbie.... wow.  She is sure something! I think the editors hate her based on how they show her saying one thing and then contradicting it.  It makes me laugh every time.  

The editors did the same thing to her during her original season.  They'd have a talking head with Debbie explaining who was going to get voted out and why, and it never went that way.  Debbie-splaining should be a thing.

 

2 hours ago, Wandering Snark said:

Does one idol left in camp trump two idols in your bag (James) because I still think that was dumber.

No, but two idols in your bag was trumped by handing over your immunity to someone else (Eric) and then getting voted out.

I'm just glad JT didn't use his - Fishback is sitting back cackling right now.

[Special K]

10 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Brad has a tattoo of the name Rex on his chest who happens to be the starting QB for the Syracuse Orange.  There was an article about Rex in my local paper today and I got irritated all over again...

Aren't some of his tattoos the names of his kids?

[mojoween]

5 minutes ago, Special K said:

Aren't some of his tattoos the names of his kids?

Yeah, Rex is one of them (reading it back, I wasn't clear in that his kid is the one profiled in the paper today.  As long as he stays healthy, I'm going to be hearing the name Culpepper for the next few autumns).

[needschocolate]

Well, JT owes Stephen whatever he has left of his winnings, because Stephen was the only reason JT won.

12 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

I think they believe that they can beat her, and it would be incredible feathers in their caps to do so. Now, I think Sandra very well could win a third time if she got to 39, but I don't believe the other survivors agree. 

Sandra won her first season because she convinced everyone that her "I will vote for anyone who isn't me" strategy was the only strategy she could have if she wanted to make it to the end. She won the second time because she was was sitting next to Russel and Parvati - she was the least of three goats, but Sandra.  There were more nuances to her wins than that, but I think most of the players see Sandra as someone that no one will give a third million to.  

6 hours ago, Hpmec said:

I kept hoping Probst would call in the medical team, including a mental health professional, for an on the spot evaluation of Debbie. We've watched numerous contestants being removed from the show for health related reasons, and Debbie's issues are no less serious. True she makes for good tv, but she is clearly unstable and in need of professional help. 

I expected Jeff to come walking up the beach, stand behind Debbie, and start massaging her shoulders.  

5 hours ago, DallasGypsy said:

I don't quite understand why the whole tribe was following Debbie around.  She stalked off with her arms full of clothes or blankets and wanted to be alone. Next thing you know, the whole tribe is around her trying to "make everything better."  Instead, it seemed to rile her up even more and carry over to the immunity challenge.  Let's hope she doesn't hurt herself or someone else in trying to make her point (whatever that point might be).

Perhaps they were worried she would do something to the blankets and clothes.  

[millennium]

On 3/30/2017 at 6:47 AM, ferretrick said:

Debbie, is that you?

 

Pretty damn magical since I'm pretty sure Sandra the Queen continues to hold the "never had a vote cast against her" title after 2 1/2 seasons now.

I actually went back and rewatched the Reward Challenge segment to make sure Debbie was as delusional as I thought.  She is:

1)  She bragged about her balance skills and Brad was like "Great!" and assigned her the 2nd balance beam position, the ANCHOR position.  Yet she says Brad is a dictator who doesn't treat her with respect.

2)  Their tribe was in FIRST PLACE when Hali completed her segment.  They were.  Ozzy beat Hali across the first beam, but Hali made up time on the 2nd one, and Sierra's skill with the grappling hook had put them back in lead.  Yet Debbie believes that Hali cost them the challenge.

3) Debbie was incompetent at getting across that beam.  Yet she continues to brag about her gymnastics skills. 

I think Debbie is monstrously insecure inside, which is why she has these delusions and has to brag so much about all the jobs and accolades she supposedly holds.  The thing is, I think she actually makes herself believe that all that she says is true, and then when facts contradict it, she can't handle it.  Deep down, she sees the truth, but the truth cannot be allowed to pierce that fragile cloud of lies she has created because then that massive ego would have to face what a small, pathetic person she really is.  Thus she lashes out at anyone and anything and rewrites the facts in her head to protect her delusions.  I actually really pity her, but I don't have to live with her on a beach 24/7.  I don't know how Brad and Hali, especially, managed to restrain themselves from just straight out calling her on her shit. 

I thought the lowest point was when she started ranting about Hali, accusing her of "costing us peanut butter and jelly."   The picture of a grown woman, 51 years old, losing her shit over peanut butter and jelly, and repeatedly saying "peanut butter and jelly" like a mindless child, made me embarrassed for her.

I wouldn't want to walk in her shoes.   She is a woman obsessed with appearances and the illusion of beauty -- she describes herself as a model, brags about her physique -- but her ego is writing checks her face can't cash.   To extend the metaphor, that account must be perpetually overdrawn.   It must eat at her, and to be confined in a scenario that not only gives preferential treatment to those of fair countenance, but also strips away every creature comfort and distraction that keeps the rest of us from dwelling on our own shortcomings, has to be pushing her over the edge.   Hali's gorgeous.   No wonder Debbie hates her.

Edited March 31, 2017 by millennium

[Rowan]

I go back and forth between love and dislike with Sandra. That being said, the woman knows this game. She ate that sugar knowing the only two people that would care would go at it. She doesn't piss off Varner or Aubrey cause they don't care about the sugar. She knew JT would lose his shit and target Michaela. So, then she admits what she did when the vote is over because she knows that Michaela will be less inclined to be pissed cause JT made such an ass of himself.

Hali gets all the kudos in the world for patiently listening to Debbie's delusional outburst. 

[ptuscadero]

12 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

I can't find too much fault with JT. He was up against some extremely wicked and evil people. Or maybe it was really just Sandreck. She may well have exerted some kind of mind control over Mikaela. I feel disappointed with Mikaela. But when it comes to Sandreck, I am at the point of evil rage. I've wanted to see her voted out for the longest time. But after tonight, I now want to see her suffer some incredible and unspeakable evil.  I have never felt this way about any other Reality TV contestant.  By the way, I call her "Sandreck" because the world "dreck" means something very nasty in a foreign language that many of you may never have heard before.

Too bad that Probst has so little imagination. Otherwise, he would have told the audience that from now on, the principle of always bringing your idols to TC - just in case - will forever more have the name, "The JT Principle".  I have a great deal of sympathy for JT. Can you imagine just how glorious it would have been if he had played the idol and somehow Sandreck would have been bounced?  Delightful.

If anyone can arrange to bounce her it will be Sandreck herself. She is her own worst enemy. She calls herself the "Queen" and she don't care who knows it. She is just asking for it and I hope she gets it in a most painful and humiliating way. 

Whoa. You do know this is just a game show, right? Wishing for someone to "suffer some incredible and unspeakable evil" seems a little over the top. It's not like she killed somebody, after all.

[ImpinAintEasy]

So, is it too early to analyze the edits some players are receiving? Brad,Hali,Tai, and Troyzan seem to be getting positive edits to go deep in the game. Sarah is getting a low key positive edit too. I would not be happy with any of them winning, TBH.  I like Sandra, and she is receiving a ton of face time, but I'm not sure it's a winner's edit. The green tribe wins so much that they have been pretty much non-existent in the talking heads. I hope they are just doing a super sneaky edit and the eventual winner has yet to be given much face time, unless it's Sandra.

[sadiegirl]

NM

[UncleChuck]

2 hours ago, Hera said:

Michaela: And I didn't steal the sugar, either. I don't know where it went.
[Sandra raises her hand and points to herself, smiling.]
Michaela: You took the sugar? [laughs]

So Sandra most certainly hid the act from Michaela until Sandra no longer needed the ruse to fool JT.

I

Sandra had this move figured out just right.  If she had talked to Michaela BEFORE it happened, it is likely that Michaela would have blown another gasket about being the decoy (She's done it before!) and likely would have ruined the whole plan.  Sandra moved all her pawns around on her little chessboard, and then--AFTER checkmate--she fessed up and Michaela was fine with the result.  I agree with previous posters who said that Sandra was playing chess while the others were playing checkers, although it appears that some of the players don't know how to play either game--they are just sitting in the sand sucking on their game pieces.

What about J.T.s unused idol?  I assume that production would remove his belongings from camp before they return from Tribal Council, so unlikely that it would be "found" by another tribemate.  I don't know if they would return that idol to him to take home as a souvenir (it is his, after all) but I am sure that his idol or another just like it would be re-hidden by production and be "back in the game" for another to find and use.

 

Seems a shame that Debbie would have been charged with serious crimes involving water testing in real life.  She should have just explained to the authorities, as she explained to her tribe on her original season, that she was a water expert--and could determine quality and safety of water by just looking at it.  No fancy testing needed.

Edited March 30, 2017 by UncleChuck

[peachmangosteen]

I forgot to mention what was possibly my fave part of the ep (which involved Brad so I'm not happy about loving it but anyway): I think it was after Debbie was all telling him how good she did at some part of the IC and he said, "I like you, I don't know why you're mad at me," or something like that. Just the way he said it, so defeated and confused, it was hilarious.

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

I'm just glad JT didn't use his - Fishback is sitting back cackling right now.

Stephen actually defends JT's stupidity all the time. Personally I think it's a little bit out of some need for JT to not look so stupid since he beat Stephen and Stephen is afraid it'll make him look bad if he admits JT is a bad player and also just the fact that Stephen likes JT.

42 minutes ago, needschocolate said:

I think most of the players see Sandra as someone that no one will give a third million to.  

And yet some of them said that they would be hard pressed to not give Sandra the million if she made it to the end. 

Edited March 30, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[fishcakes]

2 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I forgot to mention what was possibly my fave part of the ep (which involved Brad so I'm not happy about loving it but anyway): I think it was after Debbie was all telling him how good she did at some part of the IC and he said, "I like you, I don't know why you're mad at me," or something like that. Just the way he said it, so defeated and confused, it was hilarious.

There was also that other scene where he's sitting apart from the rest of the tribe, who were all gathered around Debbie right before she did the push-ups of mental health, and he looked so forlorn and left out. He even apologized to her, although as far as I can tell his only crime was being the unwitting star of her persecution delusions. Again, I blame Debbie for making me say this, but Brad was damned endearing this episode.

[peachmangosteen]

16 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

There was also that other scene where he's sitting apart from the rest of the tribe, who were all gathered around Debbie right before she did the push-ups of mental health, and he looked so forlorn and left out. He even apologized to her, although as far as I can tell his only crime was being the unwitting star of her persecution delusions. Again, I blame Debbie for making me say this, but Brad was damned endearing this episode.

Yes, that was also a great scene. Brad really was super endearing in this ep. Fucking Debbie!

[Sugar]

The most confusing thing, is that Hali was at the bottom of the tribe after the swap, and most likely would have been voted off if the red tribe went to tribal and there hadn't been a twist. So out of all of Debbie's ranting and raving, that's the part that really made me "WTF?!?!". Well that, and her unflappable defense of her gymnastic abilities, and non-angry(!) exercise routine.

Whoever said that Debbie and Philip could be soulmates - I've never read a fanfic, but would 100% pay money for this.

Watching that scene with Sarah was painful. I enjoy watching crazies who are delusional about their own abilities, but find it embarrassing to watch people who are just bad players pretending to be genius masterminds. Her scene with Troyzan made me cringe.