S34.E10: A Line Drawn In Concrete

[millennium]

27 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

 

Yea, this season is really making it clear just how much this game is a TV show first and foremost. 

I watched an unscripted-ish Survivor knockoff this week and people were literally shitting in the camp's water source (complete with shit-cam and close-ups of the shit) to deprive fellow castaways of a water supply, in the hopes that dehydration would eliminate their rivals.

I always thought Survivor should be a little grittier, but after seeing that, nuh-uh.   We're better off with a TV show first and foremost.

[vb68]

32 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

See now if I was in Cirie's position I would absolutely hate everyone coming over to me. I would've appreciated that Michaela didn't join in on that embarrassing display. I get what the other tribe members were trying to do and they did seem sincere with it, and Cirie seemed to appreciate it, but I would've been even more mortified if that happened to me and my whole tribe came over to huddle over me.

THIS.  I that's why it made me cringe so much because I know if it was me it would be so humiliating. Let's all call attention to the person who is older and not in great shape and really rub it in. Blech. And again, I would get it more if it was her first season. But she's been doing this more than most of them. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, nooshie said:

Am I the only one who misses getting to see the (oft-mentioned) "school-yard picks"? If Michaela is the one left out, I want to see who was chosen ahead of her and why. In the early seasons they showed every single pick, and it was a great insight into the alliances and strategies at the time. The second- or third-last person to be chosen is also quite interesting. Narrowing it down just makes it less fun.

No; this is always a very popular opinion here.

[piequinn35]

13 minutes ago, millennium said:

I watched an unscripted-ish Survivor knockoff this week and people were literally shitting in the camp's water source (complete with shit-cam and close-ups of the shit) to deprive fellow castaways of a water supply, in the hopes that dehydration would eliminate their rivals.

I always thought Survivor should be a little grittier, but after seeing that, nuh-uh.   We're better off with a TV show first and foremost.

Effing Cody lol I liked Stranded with a million dollars :)

[Rachel RSL]

56 minutes ago, vb68 said:

 

2 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

What was the face Ozzy made when he walked into tribal?  Surprise or irritation that Troyzan had immunity?  He reacted to something.

Ozzy gives good stink face. I thought he was really to throw down.  LOL.  Or maybe he was mad that he saw that they still had some food with Michaela's props!

 

That wasn't me who said that. I think you meant to quote and reply to someone else.

[Wings]

42 minutes ago, MostlyContent said:

Brad and Cirie were the team captains.  I'm sure Cirie was horrified.  That meant she had to play/participate in a swimming challenge.  

I didn't know this was fact; I didn't hear it mentioned.  It makes sense that Cirie would protect herself and Michaela with a bogus pick then.  Smart.  Skipping a reward for security makes sense. 

2 hours ago, Hpmec said:

Cirie is the least athletic player, so naturally she's made a team captain who leaves Michaela sitting on the bench while she competes in the challenge in the anchor position, guaranteeing a loss for her team but creating an inspirational moment that Probst can wax philosophic over as her teammates help her over the finish line.

I assume team captains are chosen by picking rocks.  Way too many variables for that to have been a plan. 

[FrauBlucher]

2 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

I don't mind Michaela, and Abi is probably my most hated Survivor contestant of all time, so while I can understand Rob & Stephen comparing them in terms of negative attitudes at camp, I think Michaela is actually a nice person inside, whereas Abi is the devil.  No one will ever convince me that she was just playing a part or edited badly.  She took joy in being unkind and making other people miserable.  I don't see that same kind of vitriolic intent in Michaela.

 

[UncleChuck]

Quote

How did nobody notice Sarah taking the Advantage?

Dalton Ross explained in his review that when the tribes are transported from place to place in a van (or a boat) all of the windows are blacked out and they can see nothing.  With this boat, the survivors were hustled BELOW deck in the boat where they could see nothing.  Sarah simply hung back until everyone else had gone below and then she made her move.  Ross speculates that IF Probst had not allowed Cirie to keep trying to the point of absolute exhaustion, everyone would have just been directed to swim back to shore and Sarah would not have had her opportunity.

 

And BTW, I am another person who has not been able to lift myself out of the water unassisted for years.  One time I dove into a lake from the stern of a power boat and I could NOT get back on.  Most embarrassing moment--my sister threw me a rope and the boat towed me several miles back to the marina so I could walk up the boat ramp to exit the damn lake.

[ladymon]

11 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Very rarely on this show does it setup the smuggiest smugginess that ever smugged and give us the satisfying torch snuffing of said smugger.  Thank you Survivor.

It had to be done because when Debbie said the other people enjoyed the experience of being in a plane more than her because she was in planes all of the time, I think I passed out from my eyeballs trying to crawl out of the back of my head.  She came within one step of saying her ability to recognize that a FLYING FREAKING plane offered a unique perspective since it was IN THE SKY was because of her previous job of being an eagle, perched off a New Zealand fjord.  She singlehandedly cured her own endangered species status and that's how she ended up on Survivor.

Best post ever!!!!

[TaraS1]

Thank you, @FrauBlucher - I think that photo illustrates my point nicely lol

[FrauBlucher]

1 minute ago, TaraS1 said:

Thank you, @FrauBlucher - I think that photo illustrates my point nicely lol

lol no problem - I had to google her to see if I watched her season because I don't remember her at all. I missed that season, but from the looks of her pictures I'd say your assessment is spot on. 

[vb68]

31 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

That wasn't me who said that. I think you meant to quote and reply to someone else.

I fixed it. It was some type of board error.

[KimberStormer]

One thing disappointing about this episode: the immunity challenge.  I remember this challenge being amazing in Kaoh Rong, with people frequently dropping after being about to win, and Cydney's slow-but-steady approach taking it in the end after lots of heckling by Jeff.  But this time it was just one trip for Troyzan and that's boring.

[Tara Ariano]

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

Survivor Takes A Walk On The Blind Side

Chief among the life lessons learned this week: you can be the most entertaining person on the show by just hanging out in the background looking bored.

[survivinmt]

I just re-read Miss Alli's and Sarah's recaps of Fans vs. Favorites season which showcases just how much Jedi power Cirie actually has. I believe she still has it and uses it wisely. And she never gives talking heads about her awesome powers of persuasion - just does it. Having said that I think the combined efforts of Cirie, Andrea and Aubrey were what worked on Sarah. Not to mention Debbie's own charm.

I cheered out loud to see Debbie gone. Her voice was starting to make me cringe every time I heard it.

Loving this season. Aubrey's eyeroll to me was better than Michaela's theatrics. Mostly because I was so worried she was buying what Debbie was shoveling. Not so much. Bwahahahaha!

[simplyme]

As Debbie (and others) kept talking about the line in the sand (or concrete), an annoyed SimplyMom turned to me and said, "That isn't what that saying means." My response was, "Yeah. It's Survivor. They regularly invent new meanings for words and phrases." How kind of Debbie to later drive that point home with her new definition of democracy. :P

Would it have been better to take out Sierra or Brad instead of Debbie? I think that depends who you are. For Sarah, taking out Debbie was the better move. Taking out Sierra probably guarantees no one in that alliance will work with her. Taking out a difficult-to-predict-and-control Debbie can actually be defended and leaves her with multiple options. For Aubry, Debbie is the one who gave her ammunition to present to Sarah. For Cirie or Andrea, taking out Sierra or Brad might have been better, but the vote had to be somewhat dictated by who Sarah was willing to vote for.

Re: Sarah's comment about noticing registration tags: A lot of us seem to be on the same page. I said, "Why would we notice them? We don't care. You do."

[MrsR]

I feel for Michaela.

Last year she was a whiz at challenges and considered so smart she had to be voted out. Jay saw her as a threat and Brett told her there "was nothing she couldn't do."

On this season she's been assigned the youngster newbie brat role and shunted aside at every turn. She can't plot because that's dangerous. She can't be athletic cause there are others controlling the assignments. Can't be seen going into the woods and talking.

She would have flown across that obstacle course.

Her grumbling was heard only by Probst, everyone else was 25 yrds away. 

What else is there to do? Collect coconuts and eat. I'd take pot shots at the other team as well. Undermine them. Make them uncomfortable. They've already told her she's lost, why make them happy? She's a type A personality being forced to be a type B because of circumstances.

Edited April 27, 2017 by MrsR

[ProfCrash]

2 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

I don't mind Michaela, and Abi is probably my most hated Survivor contestant of all time, so while I can understand Rob & Stephen comparing them in terms of negative attitudes at camp, I think Michaela is actually a nice person inside, whereas Abi is the devil.  No one will ever convince me that she was just playing a part or edited badly.  She took joy in being unkind and making other people miserable.  I don't see that same kind of vitriolic intent in Michaela.

Rob and Stephen were simply commenting on the body language and glares and what affect that has on people at camp. I think it explains why Michaela is not well liked. I don't get the same extreme dislike for Michaela as I do for Abi. I think that Michaela rubs people wrong but it has a different feel then the Abi dislike although I can see some comparisons. Michaela has bit peoples head off for suggesting she be the pawn early in the season. She did not reach Abi level of insanity but there is an underlying anger there that is intimidating. Michaela wears her emotions on her sleeve and a lot of the time it is anger and frustration. It can be hard to deal with that when you are in a regular office space, dealing with it when you are hungry and tired and paranoid is going to be even worse. That said, Michaela is approachable and can listen, Cirie was bale to talk to her, but she struggles with hiding her feelings.

Michaela should have simply said she was annoyed that she didn't have an opportunity to win reward and sat down on the bench. Instead she threw a temper tantrum and pouted and huffed and complained the entire time. That type of attitude is going to rub folks the wrong way. You can argue that she is a competitor and she is annoyed that she is not being given a chance to compete, which I think is true, but her desire to be recognized at the individual events is killing her ability to compete for the much larger prize.

[sigmaforce86]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

14 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

How did nobody notice Sarah taking the Advantage?

Right! That whole sequence was very suspect to me.

Not 100% sure but I think it's because one of the boat operators was standing on the dock which partly shielded her.  She was last so if everyone was trying to get settled in a seat, maybe talking about the challenge and she knelt like she was fixing her shoes she might have gotten lucky with their being distracted and the guy blocking just enough of her so they didn't notice she was untying a scroll and not her shoes.

[Bouffe]

3 hours ago, nooshie said:

Am I the only one who misses getting to see the (oft-mentioned) "school-yard picks"? If Michaela is the one left out, I want to see who was chosen ahead of her and why. In the early seasons they showed every single pick, and it was a great insight into the alliances and strategies at the time. The second- or third-last person to be chosen is also quite interesting. Narrowing it down just makes it less fun.

I wondered why Mikaela was left out of the challenge. Did she sit out another one (they can't sit back to back challenges)? I don't remember her sitting the last one out, so I was surprised to see her sitting this one out.

[Bryce Lynch]

13 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

Rob and Stephen were simply commenting on the body language and glares and what affect that has on people at camp. I think it explains why Michaela is not well liked. I don't get the same extreme dislike for Michaela as I do for Abi. I think that Michaela rubs people wrong but it has a different feel then the Abi dislike although I can see some comparisons. Michaela has bit peoples head off for suggesting she be the pawn early in the season. She did not reach Abi level of insanity but there is an underlying anger there that is intimidating. Michaela wears her emotions on her sleeve and a lot of the time it is anger and frustration. It can be hard to deal with that when you are in a regular office space, dealing with it when you are hungry and tired and paranoid is going to be even worse. That said, Michaela is approachable and can listen, Cirie was bale to talk to her, but she struggles with hiding her feelings.

Michaela should have simply said she was annoyed that she didn't have an opportunity to win reward and sat down on the bench. Instead she threw a temper tantrum and pouted and huffed and complained the entire time. That type of attitude is going to rub folks the wrong way. You can argue that she is a competitor and she is annoyed that she is not being given a chance to compete, which I think is true, but her desire to be recognized at the individual events is killing her ability to compete for the much larger prize.

I agree that Michaela should have done a better job hiding her feelings.  But, as someone else pointed out, she was a good distance from those competing and they were surely focused on the challenge, so they probably saw or heard little of her reactions.  

[After7Only]

6 hours ago, millennium said:

I don't get the Michaela hate.  I think I've read more posts critical of Michaela than that harridan Debbie, despite that in terms of obnoxious behavior nothing Michaela has done can hold a candle to Debbie's "SHE COST US PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY!!!!" rant.

I don't blame Michaela for being disgusted at the schoolyard pic.   The cost of putting alliance ahead of ability was plainly shown in Cirie's failure.   And they keep using Michaela as fodder for tribal council.  Of course she feels bitter and devalued.

Michaela is playing a pretty bad social game, but still love her.  I do think that if she was a man, her actions would be viewed differently.  She is a very competitive girl, and when she doesn't get a chance to compete, she lets you know she doesn't like it.   Imagine if that scenario had happened to Ozzy.  He probably would have huffed and puffed too, rather than sit there quietly and cheer everyone else on.  

I will admit to getting verklempt watching Cirie finish the challenge.  But I'm a sucker for an underdog story.  I also took Michaela's reaction to that scene as her feeling emotional for Cirie, and not wanting to show it.  

Edited April 27, 2017 by After7Only

[Nashville]

16 hours ago, enlightenedbum said:

The Cirie thing felt almost more like the show making fun of an older unathletic woman while the cast and Cirie herself tried to save it from itself.  I thought it was kind of distasteful and not inspiring.

 

16 hours ago, vb68 said:

I can agree to disagree on this, but Probst laid on the "You can do it Cirie!" stuff a bit thick. I mean, it's not her first time at this. It's her fourth. I thought it was rather awkward and a tad condescending. I know Cirie didn't take it that way, but for me it was a little much.

I was pretty certain that was simply Probst stretching it out to give somebody the chance to notice the sitting-out-in-plain-sight SECRET ADVANTAGE big-block-letter label under the no-chance bench.  Thank god Sarah did.  Not that I'm ranking on Michaela for missing it, mind you.

And for everybody who is sitting down reading through these forums and saying, "what a dumbass Michaela was", I would ask one very simple question: have YOU looked to see what is directly behind YOUR right heel since you sat down?  ;>

 

16 hours ago, LanceM said:

How come super gymnast Debbie had to crawl across the balance beam?  I would have assumed she would have ran across that thing in 2 seconds flat.

Debbie couldn't do that when the balance beam was on solid ground.  Why would it be any easier on a beam bouncing in the surf?  :)

[Wandering Snark]

I liked the vote off of Debbie even if she was so kind about sharing the amazement of humans FLYING with the others so graciously... but honestly I like targeting the other alliance this way. You take out one of the foot soldiers and it not only peeves the leaders but it takes them down a peg and out of the majority position. Keep them there to witness/ponder their own demise. Chop a leg off and laugh at them hopping about.

[BTBAM310]

13 hours ago, millennium said:

The contrived Cirie moment was ridiculous.   Celebrated for utterly failing your team.   And it went on and on and on.

Thank you - and the cheesy music was too much.

[Ms Blue Jay]

15 minutes ago, After7Only said:

Michaela is playing a pretty bad social game, but still love her.  I do think that if she was a man, her actions would be viewed differently.  She is a very competitive girl, and when she doesn't get a chance to compete, she lets you know she doesn't like it.   Imagine if that scenario had happened to Ozzy.  He probably would have huffed and puffed too, rather than sit there quietly and cheer everyone else on.  

The episode he was voted out, he stomped around and huffed and puffed and kicked sand when Andrea and Tai forgot some fake fish or some damn thing.  (Their team ended up winning the challenge.)  I thought it was pretty unsportsmanlike. I was the only person who I saw that mentioned it, because I watch everything that he does.

I also think Michaela being annoyed that she wasn't picked for the RC is just so extremely inoffensive.  I personally don't find it a big deal.  I think some posters are really extrapolating/speculating with "it must be HELL to live with her".  We see these tiny clips of frustration among a lot of nothing.  She was really grumpy during the challenge, yes, and I totally see that.  I'm not seeing how it'd be hell to live with her.  People also seem to be offended by Michaela chumping on popcorn at the TC --- first of all, the other contestants are all staring at Jeff and probably wouldn't notice -- Ozzy and Hali MIGHT notice but everyone's paying attention to the vote anyway.  Michaela does these theatrics for the television audience I think.  I totally get that the other players, minus a few (Cirie, Maybe Aubry, Zeke, and Andrea?) do not seem to like her.  So yeah, I totally get that the social game needs work.  She's not the best at being fake.  Sarah has the slack-jawed stare, Aubry has her "I'm really listening" face.  Michaela might need to cultivate something like that.  Since she's our social media maven, she should try and act more like the Thinking Face Emoji: quizzical eyebrow, finger on chin.  

Edited April 27, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[Bouffe]

16 hours ago, vb68 said:

I can agree to disagree on this, but Probst laid on the "You can do it Cirie!" stuff a bit thick. I mean, it's not her first time at this. It's her fourth. I thought it was rather awkward and a tad condescending. I know Cirie didn't take it that way, but for me it was a little much.

I'm quoting this post, but replying to everyone in general.

I thought the music was a bit cheesy, yes, and Probst may have laid it on a bit thick, but I still enjoyed the moment. Cirie has repeatedly said she never gives up. Everyone knows physical challenges are not her forte. To see her not give up and finish that challenge, even tho it didn't matter... I thought it was inspiring. If it had been me out there, I would have loved to have the tribe around me like they did for Cirie. I would certainly have cried "Let me do it by myself!"  like a 4yo, but I would still have loved to feel the tribe there with me. Of course, YMMV! 

[Jobiska]

8 minutes ago, Bouffe said:

I'm quoting this post, but replying to everyone in general.

I thought the music was a bit cheesy, yes, and Probst may have laid it on a bit thick, but I still enjoyed the moment. Cirie has repeatedly said she never gives up. Everyone knows physical challenges are not her forte. To see her not give up and finish that challenge, even tho it didn't matter... I thought it was inspiring. If it had been me out there, I would have loved to have the tribe around me like they did for Cirie. I would certainly have cried "Let me do it by myself!"  like a 4yo, but I would still have loved to feel the tribe there with me. Of course, YMMV! 

This is where I fall too.  Yep, cheesy, yep, brought about by Probst...but the whole thing seemed to have meaning for Cirie.  She was still crying afterward back at camp, and her words about it seemed like it had significance for her.   And I like her and I like personal growth (yes, even in Brad and his WWMD stuff).  So on balance I didn't have a problem with it.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Jobiska

[Alapaki]

22 minutes ago, Nashville said:

I was pretty certain that was simply Probst stretching it out to give somebody the chance to notice the sitting-out-in-plain-sight SECRET ADVANTAGE big-block-letter label under the no-chance bench.  Thank god Sarah did.  Not that I'm ranking on Michaela for missing it, mind you.

And for everybody who is sitting down reading through these forums and saying, "what a dumbass Michaela was", I would ask one very simple question: have YOU looked to see what is directly behind YOUR right heel since you sat down?  ;>

I agree that it was completely an effort to have someone notice the Advantage Clue.  

However, I disagree with the second part.  By now these folks (especially returnees) have to know that when TPTB create a scenario where someone "innocently" gets screwed they usually provide a payoff.  It doesn't always happen, but it happens enough that you have to be on the lookout.  Hell, how many times have we seen players rummaging through every container that every "tree mail", food reward, etc. comes in, searching for some clue or advantage?

But Michaela would rather huff and puff and call the rest of them "bitches" than keep her head in the game.

[Subrookie]

I can see why a lot of fans like Michaela, I’m just not one of them. I did think the coconut eating at tribal was kind of funny, but I’d have to agree with some of the others here that the things about her that make her popular with fans likely aren’t winning her jury votes. Survivor is ultimately a social game. She was great in challenges last season, which endeared her to a lot of fans, but it takes more than physical ability to win in the end. She is who she is and I’m not criticizing her for being herself, but her game-play would benefit from some self-awareness of how she’s being perceived by the other players.

Count me as another person that thought Peaches shouldn't have put Cirie on the spot at the end of that challenge. She seemed to not mind, but at the time I told my better half, "gee thanks Jeff, what's she going to do now? It's not like she can't finish after you called her out".  I hope she wins. She's one of my favorite players ever.

Loved the twitter pic of Sierra and Culpepper after the vote and the look on Andrea's face. 

[escatefromny]

4 hours ago, nooshie said:

Am I the only one who misses getting to see the (oft-mentioned) "school-yard picks"? If Michaela is the one left out, I want to see who was chosen ahead of her and why. In the early seasons they showed every single pick, and it was a great insight into the alliances and strategies at the time. The second- or third-last person to be chosen is also quite interesting. Narrowing it down just makes it less fun.

I also find the school yard picks fascinating and often telling. But, on the Survivor Know It Alls Podcast, Stephen Fishbach said that at this point of the game, everyone just picks the same teams and that in reality the picks are boring.  He did say that if something in the pick is unusual or foreshadows an action, he believes the editors would include it.  I'd still like to see it though maybe in an abbreviated format.  Just makes me feeling like I'm missing something.

Edited April 27, 2017 by escatefromny

[mishap]

Regarding Michaela being annoying and hard to live with .........  I realize we don't see everything that goes on around the camp. But it's hard for me to believe that Michaela is the unbearable one, when Debbie and Sierra are in the mix.

[Rowan]

Michaela, there is more to Survivor than being awesome at the challenges. You already know this. Adapt, woman. At this point, I cringe at her ill-tempered reactions to the most basic Survivor shit as much as I giggle at her tribal antics. 

See ya, Debs. You got too big for your filthy, little britches. I enjoyed that more than you'll ever know.

So, Zeke is pissed at Andrea because his big move fell flat and she survived and now she's rightfully pissed at him and he has to endure it. He's such a douche. 

I feel like I'm going to be disappointed with the rest of this season. I'm not a fan of Thai or Troyzan, and they both have idols that will surely eff up my fav's games. 

[omophagia]

I was worried that this would be an underwhelming season from the first time I read the spoilers for the cast list. While the casting had definitely been a huge liability, what's making this season such a chore for me is the endless series of twists: tribe splits and surprise merges, immunity idols hidden like the world's easiest Easter egg hunt, legacy advantages, Exile Islandish, effing Cochran, secret advantages... It all just makes the outcome of the game feel entirely arbitrary. There's always a degree of luck involved in any season, and it's compelling to see how strong players navigate that. But when it's twist upon twist upon twist, it gets to a point that it negates the kind of "long game" strategy that makes Survivor the game it is.

I mean, if I wanted to watch Big Brother, I'd watch Big Brother.

This week's episode at least felt a little bit more like actual Survivor, in that there was some actual strategy on display. Sarah's winner's edit has fully resolved at this point-- she's had two proper Hero Moments with the Varner TC statement and now the Very Special Reward Challenge Where We All Learned A Valuable Lesson About Trying Your Hardest, plus she found the Sit-Out advantage and orchestrated Debbie's blindside. Unless Andrea or Aubry suddenly starts turning on an underdog story arc, it's hard to see how the editing could be pointing to a win for anyone else.

Debbie managed to be insufferable right to the very end, though it was gratifying to see some callbacks to her nonsense from earlier in the season-- her civics lesson on the differences between dictatorships and democracies, her Simone Biles level gymnastics history, her being the Wright brothers' lesser-known sister who actually invented aviation-- in her eventual boot episode. I'm eager to hear in her exit interviews how she was Sandra Bullock's far-distance body double for The Blind Side.

As for Eyebrows: I've said previously that she was the least unpleasant person in the majority alliance on Worlds Apart, but that's never been intended as an outright compliment considering the competition there. When she isn't surrounded by a cast that's almost entirely composed of toxic assholes, her cockiness and mean-girl tendencies become more overt. If this episode marks the beginning of the end for her, so much the better. Bitching about how someone eats too much coconut when you've personally just gotten back from another food reward is almost as bad a look as those brow tatts.

[cujo]

Going way out there but it's been mentioned a few times so I'm coming out of the shadows.

In regards to who is braiding everyone's hair: it's Cirie. Andrea mentioned it on a post on Instagram: 

[NeverLate]

1 hour ago, Bouffe said:

I'm quoting this post, but replying to everyone in general.

I thought the music was a bit cheesy, yes, and Probst may have laid it on a bit thick, but I still enjoyed the moment. Cirie has repeatedly said she never gives up. Everyone knows physical challenges are not her forte. To see her not give up and finish that challenge, even tho it didn't matter... I thought it was inspiring. If it had been me out there, I would have loved to have the tribe around me like they did for Cirie. I would certainly have cried "Let me do it by myself!"  like a 4yo, but I would still have loved to feel the tribe there with me. Of course, YMMV! 

I think Cirie may have wanted to do that challenge. Probst knows his casts very well, and if she needed a little push, fine by me I'm not even a fan of hers, but last night she seemed very vulnerable, and I liked that.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Fanny Mare

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, Wandering Snark said:

I liked the vote off of Debbie even if she was so kind about sharing the amazement of humans FLYING with the others so graciously... but honestly I like targeting the other alliance this way. You take out one of the foot soldiers and it not only peeves the leaders but it takes them down a peg and out of the majority position. Keep them there to witness/ponder their own demise. Chop a leg off and laugh at them hopping about.

I actually prefer this sort of strategy.  I know it looks to be so much more of a BIG MOVE if you chop the head off the snake, but in reality it only works if you can then immediately move to chop up and kill the remainder of the snake - which you can't do in Survivor.  The remnants of the attacked alliance have three days to regroup, re-analyze, re-strategize, and re-target.  Consider this:

1. In any alliance of more than two people, there is almost certainly a hierarchy - core members, and (for lack of a better term) affiliates.
2. Core members are the Inner Circle, the top of the alliance.  They're probably going to hang tough with each other until the end, because they know if the alliance is outed each will have targets on their backs too large to overcome individually.
3. Affiliates are the low-hanging fruit.  Affiliates accept the meat-shield protection of the bigger-target core members - but implicit in that arrangement is a tacit understanding when the time comes for the alliance to have to eat one of its own, they will probably be the first appetizers on the bill of fare.

So what happens when an alliance member is targeted?

1. If a core member is evicted, the remaining alliance goes on full alert.  The remaining core bonds tighter to each other.  The affiliates - initially, anyway - huddle closer together under the protection of the core, because they know the core will take action to defend the alliance.  Result: alliance cohesion is stronger.
2. If an affiliate is the target, though...?  The alliance response is likely to be less extreme.  The core is relieved (and possibly more than a little confused) one of them wasn't targeted - and the target was a member they considered kind of a throwaway anyway - so their reaction may be a little more, shall we say, languid.  Point being, though: the affiliates see this - and nothing will better clarify their place in the pecking order.  So maybe they go looking around for better options than remaining in an alliance which has just telegraphed it's ok with the odd affiliate getting squished every now and then.  End result: alliance affiliate support is destabilized.

Kind of the difference between a lightning strike versus a low-scale earthquake.  The lightning may be big and loud, but in the end it may only burn one building - whereas the earthquake, though less flashy, could eventually reduce the entire town to rubble.

[Rachel RSL]

1 hour ago, Nashville said:

And for everybody who is sitting down reading through these forums and saying, "what a dumbass Michaela was", I would ask one very simple question: have YOU looked to see what is directly behind YOUR right heel since you sat down?  ;>

 

Not even once. However, if I were on Survivor where there are routinely idol clues hidden at challenges or rewards, you can be damned sure I'd be doing at least a quick once over. (I thought for sure that Tai or Brad would find some sort of clue or advantage when they had to sit on the Bench of Sadness during the merge feast.)

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

The episode he was voted out, he stomped around and huffed and puffed and kicked sand when Andrea and Tai forgot some fake fish or some damn thing.  (Their team ended up winning the challenge.)  I thought it was pretty unsportsmanlike. I was the only person who I saw that mentioned it, because I watch everything that he does.

Heh. I noticed the stomping and sand kicking too. Then Tai fell down and I was so sad we didn't get to see Ozzy's reaction to that because there might have been literal smoke coming out of his ears.

[blackwing]

Manufactured or not, I found the Cirie moment to be touching.  I like Cirie a lot, and she seems very aware of her need to be a role model for her children.  She seems like a genuine person.  

Michaela... not surprising that Brad wouldn't want her, and I guess Cirie didn't pick her to avoid people suspecting they had an alliance.  Michaela pouting about it just makes her look so bad.

I'm starting to really dislike Sarah.  Her voice makes my ears bleed.  And she typically has this dumb vacant blank expression on her face that is not flattering.  She seems to think she is a mastermind, but I don't think she's all that at all.  I hated her "I notice things" comment.  Of course nobody notices expired licence plate tags.  She does, because she's a cop, and because she has a computer in her police car that can provide that information.  

Good riddance Debbie.  I'm relieved she is gone but I'm unclear as to why the other alliance wouldn't have taken the opportunity to get rid of Brad.  He is a physical threat.  Or Sierra.  I think she must have played basketball in high school or college, because she typically is designated to do all of the shooting / targeting type challenges.

[Nashville]

1 minute ago, blackwing said:

And she typically has this dumb vacant blank expression on her face that is not flattering.  

I just took that to be her Resting Cop Face.  :>

[Nedsdag]

It finally dawned on me who Debbie reminded me of:

And like Miss Gulch, Debbie is a goner. Go backflip into Ponderosa.

Michaela needs to bring more food to TC. First it was the tea, now it's the toasted coconut chips. Could a bowl of rice be next?

Speaking of Michaela, Sarah should give her a small portion of her prize money if she wins since her pouting cost her a chance to find the "secret advantage" by her feet.

[Nashville]

14 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

Not even once. However, if I were on Survivor where there are routinely idol clues hidden at challenges or rewards, you can be damned sure I'd be doing at least a quick once over. (I thought for sure that Tai or Brad would find some sort of clue or advantage when they had to sit on the Bench of Sadness during the merge feast.)

Yeah, but keep in mind (a) they've been at this for just shy of a tired quarter-starved month now, and (b) such examinations the previous 18 challenges would have rewarded Michaela with zilch.  

So I wouldn't fault Michaela - or anyone else, for that matter- if the once-overs were getting a little perfunctory by now, and details were getting missed.  And I don't even like Michaela.  :)

[pamplemousse]

3 hours ago, simplyme said:

Sarah's comment about noticing registration tags: A lot of us seem to be on the same page. I said, "Why would we notice them? We don't care. You do."

That made me laugh out loud when she said that and I pretty much said the same thing you did. Quintessential Sarah, bragging and being self-satisfied over something ridiculous that ought to be a total duh thing, a complete given based upon her occupation. Her talking heads are embarrassing -- she talks with such portent as though she's making very wise and complex announcements when she's really saying not much of anything important and sometimes is saying something outright silly. With that said, props to Sarah for at least trying to play a different and more proactive game than her original season, even though I still see her as being near the bottom of every alliance she joins because she just seems like a follower of whoever has dented her ego the least.

[mojoween]

I don't know what state Sarah is from, but in New York it's actually pretty obvious when someone is driving with expired tags because the color-coded registration and inspection stickers are right there on the front windshield.  Also, regular citizens don't drive around in cars with computers that can run license plates in seconds.

[Subrookie]

Re: the hidden advantage. I'm not exactly sure production didn't place that there knowing that whoever was on the bench likely wouldn't see it. It seemed to be obvious by design, so that it created some drama if someone else participating in the challenge saw it. 

I was pretty impressed Sarah managed to find a way to grab the advantage without anyone else knowing what she was doing. That in and of itself was more interesting than the person sitting out the challenge finding it.

[meep.meep]

9 hours ago, ByaNose said:

 That said, I still think they should have take Brad or Sierra out. I'm guessing Sarah said she would only do it if it was Debbie. She might be trying to keep SIerra and her "Final 3" deal. Why else would they get rid of someone like Debbie when they could have gotten rid of Brad?

Because you still have to work with people and it's easier to work with Brad and Sierra than it is to work with Debbie.  Because it sends a message to them when you take out the person they had doing their dirty work.  Because if you don't go to the end with them, then they will be on the jury, and you want them to remember that you took out Debbie, not them.

Lots of reasons.

[ByaNose]

4 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

Because you still have to work with people and it's easier to work with Brad and Sierra than it is to work with Debbie.  Because it sends a message to them when you take out the person they had doing their dirty work.  Because if you don't go to the end with them, then they will be on the jury, and you want them to remember that you took out Debbie, not them.

Lots of reasons.

I sign off on all of this. LOL!!! 

[UncleChuck]

In Missouri, all car tags do not expire at the same time, but one or two years from the month you purchased your tag.  So your same color coded sticker (e.g. 2017) may vary up to 11 months from your neighbor if yours is January and his is December.  One year, I forgot to renew and I was ticketed twice on one Friday afternoon.  Police in neighboring towns both got me.  Then I learned that the Missouri police don't need to read the fine print on the sticker--the first two letters of the tag itself will tell the cops your month.  (AAx-xxx or BCx-xxx are January while XYx-xxx is likely December)  No computer needed for an eagle-eyed traffic enforcer.  Well, once I knew how easy it was for cops (like Sarah) to spot my infraction, I drove like a paranoid criminal for the rest of the weekend because I couldn't do anything about new tags til Monday.

[goodolmom]

Just a couple random thoughts.  Tonight I was searching for Debbie's modeling photographs and realized her maiden name is Donato.  I wonder if she's a distant relative of Evel Dick Donato of Big Brother fame.  

I've also noticed that this season the focus seems to be more on challenges than environment.  In past seasons, contestants were faced with terrible weather - especially rain, a lack of food, blisters or other injuries, etc.  This year they seem to be fairly comfortable (at least to the point no one is complaining about being cold, wet, etc.) and much better fed.  I wonder if that was just coincidental or if they planned this season that way because they're all returning players.  

[ByaNose]

18 minutes ago, goodolmom said:

Just a couple random thoughts.  Tonight I was searching for Debbie's modeling photographs and realized her maiden name is Donato.  I wonder if she's a distant relative of Evel Dick Donato of Big Brother fame.  

I've also noticed that this season the focus seems to be more on challenges than environment.  In past seasons, contestants were faced with terrible weather - especially rain, a lack of food, blisters or other injuries, etc.  This year they seem to be fairly comfortable (at least to the point no one is complaining about being cold, wet, etc.) and much better fed.  I wonder if that was just coincidental or if they planned this season that way because they're all returning players.  

In fact, last nights Tribal Council (for us) seemed really windy and a little chilly. Hali looked liked she was freezing wearing her summer dress. Everyone else seemed to be wearing jackets. I agree the weather seems to be a non factor this season. Has it even rained during a challenge? It probably has and it's skipped my mind. They aren't having the extreme heat of Koh Rong nor the rain of Second Chances. I guess Fiji is perfect. Maybe, that's why they are back there again.