S35: Spoilers & Rumors

[piequinn35]

^Cole is best buds with JP, he can persuade him to vote for Chrissy.

[peachmangosteen]

Man, if Lauren is in the F3 and Chrissy wins I'll probably lose it. 

[LadyChatts]

17 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Man, if Lauren is in the F3 and Chrissy wins I'll probably lose it. 

I'll be right there with you.  I'm not getting my hopes up about Lauren, and the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards Ben as the winner.  I'm counting out Ryan and Ashley officially, unless they do something spectacular between now and the finale.  Same with Mike, who might get jury votes, but probably not enough to win.  The juror I'm most curious about is Joe.  He hates Chrissy, and isn't fond of Ben, but said he also wouldn't be a bitter juror but I just can't see him voting for Chrissy.    

Unless there is a tie, and that can change things dramatically as to who wins.  I'm curious if there is in fact a tie, what leads to it, and what the final 3 is like.  It's weird that Probst would have talked about tie breaker rules at the end of last season, rather than just wait until it happens (if it is this season, or whenever, because he'll probably go over again what needs to happen).  I suppose this is why they'll never have a jury that can force a 3 way tie amongst the finalists.  Then what?  A jury re-vote?

[SVNBob]

5 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

It's weird that Probst would have talked about tie breaker rules at the end of last season, rather than just wait until it happens

Well, if the theory is correct, he actually did.  This season was filmed in its entirety before the reunion of last season; filming ended on May 11th, and the GC finale aired live on May 24th.  So the thinking is that they brought up the rules at that time to have them made clear to the viewing audience before the event that invokes them is shown, to preclude any claims of tampering with the results (and thus not invoke another quiz show scandal.)

I saw another bit of speculation on Reddit around the potential tie that I like, and I think several people here would  Regarding one of the soundbites in the second half of the latest episode.  Recall Chrissy's TH before the IC about her "getting the last laugh."  Now, that was put in on one level because she did win the IC, getting the last laugh of the episode.   But what if it's even further foreshadowing?  She could be the one in the F3 to get the fewest votes, and by the rules as explained, she'd be the one to break the tie.  That would truly give her the last laugh.

[Nashville]

Purely supposition on my part - but right now I'm leaning towards a Ben / Lauren / Devon F3; if so, Ben most likely for the win - and if he makes it to F3 after being floated as a significant target at F8, he probably deserves it. :)  

Between Lauren and Devon I'd count Lauren more likely as runner-up at present, but I'm not yet ready to discount Devon as a darkhorse 2nd - or a darkhorse win, for that manner.  The kid looks like he just crawled out of Jeff Spicoli's van and plays the touchy-feely goodvibe surfer role to perfection - but there is no denying his "secret agent Ben" plan was a stroke of near-genius in the context of this cast (not denying massive props to Ben for surprisingly deft execution of same).  Right now I'd say Lauren's overall strategic game would run favorably against Devon's; if Devon were to pull another such flash of brilliance out of his ass, though - or more than one, even - I'd be hard-put to argue he shouldn't be awarded the win.  Wouldn't you?

Still a lot of game between now and F3, though, so this is probably less accurate than a weather forecast for next week - if such is possible.  :)

[peachmangosteen]

Ep 12 press photos. It looks like Ben might be making a fake idol. Also, another 'stand here, hold this' type challenge. So exciting. 

Ep description:

Quote

The castaways receive a much-needed visit from their loved ones and one player must snatch an immunity idol in plain sight.

Kinda pumped about the 'snatch an idol in plain sight' part. I loved when they hid them in challenges a few times and hoped they'd go back to that.

Edited December 6, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[LadyChatts]

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Ep 12 press photos. It looks like Ben might be making a fake idol. Also, another 'stand here, hold this' type challenge. So exciting. 

Ep description:

Kinda pumped about the 'snatch an idol in plain sight' part. I loved when they hid them in challenges a few times and hoped they'd go back to that.

Me too.  Or, has been discussed in the episode threads this season, when there were community idol clues and everyone pretended they weren't going to look, but they always did.  One of my favorites was when Boston Rob, during HvsV, missed having a clue to himself in a reward his tribe won.  His 'how did I know it was there, we didn't have idols in my season', was one of my favorite reactions.  But I do enjoy when there's a challenge to finding them, and not just them "accidentally" stumbling across it at camp.  I'm hoping it's anyone but Ben/Chrissy/Mike/Ryan that find it, because I'm really nervous for Lauren/Devon/Ashley if Ben flips back, Mike sides with him, and that group of 4 has 2 idols.  I wonder if Ben gets the idol (because of course), and that's where the fake idol making comes from.

BTW, Ryan looks terrible.  I know we're in the home stretch, but I'm worried if he actually makes it to day 39.  

[peachmangosteen]

Knowing my luck, Ben will get this other idol (which btw TOO MANY IDOLS!) and have 2. Ugh.

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

BTW, Ryan looks terrible.  I know we're in the home stretch, but I'm worried if he actually makes it to day 39.  

Yea, he is scary to look at.

Edited December 6, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[piequinn35]

Ryan's body is worse than David GenX.

[LadyChatts]

So both Joe and Ryan are saying on Twitter that tonight's TC is going to be something.  Maybe we'll get lucky and all the idols/advantages come into play and we get that over with.  

Some of the previews I've seen this week were saying it was going to be surprising, and we see Jeff saying "wow" in typical Probst fashion.  So maybe Ben and Mike do flip back to Chrissy/Ryan, and a fake idol comes into play?  Or maybe a real idol and a fake idol come into play.  I don't see why Ben would play his idol if he has a majority.  Maybe he does something stupid, like votes with Ashley/Devon/Lauren, but gives Ryan/Chrissy his idol and they save themselves, and he doesn't get caught, and flips back to them next week.

Edited December 6, 2017 by LadyChatts

[peachmangosteen]

3 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

Maybe [Ben] does something stupid, like votes with Ashley/Devon/Lauren, but gives Ryan/Chrissy his idol and they save themselves, and he doesn't get caught, and flips back to them next week.

I really don't want this to happen but also I would find it super hilarious lol.

Now I'm all excited for this ep, which only means it will end up being a huge let down. 

[LadyChatts]

1 minute ago, peachmangosteen said:

I really don't want this to happen but also I would find it super hilarious lol.

Now I'm all excited for this ep, which only means it will end up being a huge let down. 

Actually, I'd have to give Ben credit for that.  He's doing a good job playing both sides, and if he really wants to work with Ryan/Chrissy, but doesn't want to be seen as a flip flopper (or doesn't have the numbers yet to flip back), this would be a good way to do it.  And he can deny any involvement, until he makes the FTC and then uses it as a game play argument.  He could get rid of Ashley or Devon that way, too, since Ashley's been kind of the thorn in his side, and he might view Devon as a threat.  With the edits those two have gotten, I can't say I'll be shocked if one of them is blindsided.  Devon does see the fake idol, though, right?  In the preview?  Unless Devon thought it was real.  So maybe he targets Ashley. 

At least I had the high of last week with JP getting booted and Chrissy/Ryan being taken down a few pegs (for about 20 minutes of the episode).  I'm not getting my hopes up tonight that one of two people I want gone gets booted.  The TC this season have been edited well, I'll admit, but as a whole, this season has been a downer.

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

In the previews, Chrissy mentioned wanting to get Ashley out.

I laughed so, so hard at this. Leave it it Chrissy to be like, "Actually, let's vote out the only other woman here!" She probably sees her opportunity to be the last woman standing and just has to take it.

Edited December 7, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[LadyChatts]

19 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I laughed so, so hard at this. Leave it it Chrissy to be like, "Actually, let's vote out the only other woman here!" She probably sees her opportunity to be the last woman standing and just has to take it.

It's what I've been saying all along, she'll use this to brag both in her TH and will bring it up at the FTC if she makes it.  "As the only woman left standing...", yeah, that's because you aligned with a bunch of weak minded men and picked the women off.  There was no struggle to that. 

[ProfCrash]

Why exactly did Chrissy vote for Ben last night? Wasn't she pushing hard to vote for Ben? Last time I checked, Ben is a man. And I am pretty sure that Chrissy was voting for Joe or Mike the night JP got voted out, the last time she was in control of a vote. Which means that Chrissy had at least two men ahead of Lauren and Ashley. And that is with Lauren playing a pretty good game so I think we are officially stretching here.

We saw Ashley and Ben going at it in the preview. We know Ashley has been targeting Ben for four votes now, which makes it easier for Chrissy to try and pull Ben in. Chrissy probably realizes that Ben has rubbed people the wrong way and could be a goat. Ashley has been in the majority alliance since the merge and has more votes sitting on the jury. Who would you target?

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

It's what I've been saying all along, she'll use this to brag both in her TH and will bring it up at the FTC if she makes it.  "As the only woman left standing...", yeah, that's because you aligned with a bunch of weak minded men and picked the women off.  There was no struggle to that. 

And why should she want to go up against tougher competition at the finals? She wants to win. You take out the your toughest competition first and then the weaker ones. I always roll my eyes when the Alpha Men talk about taking the strongest and most worthy to the finals. I roll my eyes because in their eyes strength = most worthy. They ignore the social game and the strategic game and get their panties in a bunch when the challenge beasts are taken out for being challenge beasts. So why should Chrissy want to take women who are more capable of making a cogent argument at final tribal with her as opposed to men who have done little to nothing and are going to struggle at the finals.

The goal is to win a million dollars not to promote the greatness of one gender.

[LadyChatts]

33 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

And why should she want to go up against tougher competition at the finals? She wants to win. You take out the your toughest competition first and then the weaker ones. I always roll my eyes when the Alpha Men talk about taking the strongest and most worthy to the finals. I roll my eyes because in their eyes strength = most worthy. They ignore the social game and the strategic game and get their panties in a bunch when the challenge beasts are taken out for being challenge beasts. So why should Chrissy want to take women who are more capable of making a cogent argument at final tribal with her as opposed to men who have done little to nothing and are going to struggle at the finals.

The goal is to win a million dollars not to promote the greatness of one gender.

I’m sounding like a broken record, so this will be my last word on Chrissy (until next week anyway): she’s had no real struggles in this game.  She’s been in the majority until getting blindsided when JP got voted off.  It looks like she’ll be back in the majority next week.  I think Ben might want to take her to the end because he thinks she’ll be easy to beat.  I think she wants to be the last woman standing, and use that argument at the FTC.   But I don’t find it a very valid argument when you yourself aligned with the men that you thought were easier to beat and purposely picked the women off.  So if she starts some argument like that, I don’t think she has a leg to stand on.  Ive encounter many Chrissy types in my life, and it’s probably why I can’t stand her.  I’ll stand by my opinion that she’s a spoiled brat when she doesn’t get her own way.  It’s why I hope the jury goes off on her because I’d like to see her reaction to that.  And I want her strategy of taking what she seems as beatable men to the end to backfire as much as I want Ben thinking she’ll be an easy victory over to backfire.

So since Ashley and Devon aren’t winning (most likely), I guess that means go Mike or Ryan?

Edited December 7, 2017 by LadyChatts

[piequinn35]

Lauren about Ryan:

Quote

Ryan didn't help out at camp. Ryan didn't do anything. He was funny! He loves to tell jokes and he had a good sense of humor, but his gameplay? I didn't see anything. He didn't help with firewood, he didn't help to cook, he didn't catch anything. He never even attempted to open a coconut. I almost thought in the beginning that he was just going around and following the next step of whoever told him to move. Then I came to find out he was actually telling Devon which way to move. He was playing without anyone knowing he was playing.

Chrissy is annoying, Ben is a jerk, Mike is nuts, Ashley & Devon are not winning?? Ryan is skeleton.

[ProfCrash]

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

I’m sounding like a broken record, so this will be my last word on Chrissy (until next week anyway): she’s had no real struggles in this game.  She’s been in the majority until getting blindsided when JP got voted off.  It looks like she’ll be back in the majority next week.  I think Ben might want to take her to the end because he thinks she’ll be easy to beat.  I think she wants to be the last woman standing, and use that argument at the FTC.   But I don’t find it a very valid argument when you yourself aligned with the men that you thought were easier to beat and purposely picked the women off.  So if she starts some argument like that, I don’t think she has a leg to stand on.  Ive encounter many Chrissy types in my life, and it’s probably why I can’t stand her.  I’ll stand by my opinion that she’s a spoiled brat when she doesn’t get her own way.  It’s why I hope the jury goes off on her because I’d like to see her reaction to that.  And I want her strategy of taking what she seems as beatable men to the end to backfire as much as I want Ben thinking she’ll be an easy victory over to backfire.

So since Ashley and Devon aren’t winning (most likely), I guess that means go Mike or Ryan?

I don't think that Chrissy has been in the majority the entire time. She was in the minority on her original tribe.  She was in a better position after the tribe swap but not in a solid position until she convinced Ryan to work with her and not Ali. There was no guarantee that she was going to be in the majority at the merge, Ryan and she worked with Ben and Lauren to make that happen.  I 100% agree that she has fallen apart since being blindsided with the JP vote. She was petty last night with her comment about Ben after the love one visit. She did the whole curl up in a ball thing and has struggled with that move. She has kept on playing and has managed to win individual immunity and break up the alliance of five, then four and now who knows what. So while her attitude has been shit, she has kept playing and figured out a way to stay in the game. Hell, she has even positioned herself reasonably well in the game. Part of that is because Lauren moved too soon and the four lost their focus really, really fast. Once Devon and Ashley started to make big moves they kept wanting to make big moves. Lauren could not control them and it bit her in the ass. Part of it is because Chrissy is playing a good strategic game and has made some good moves and is working well with what she has in front of her.

I find Chrissy annoying but I doubt her plan is to be the last woman standing. Anyone with half a brain will be able to tear that argument up. Chrissy has proven to be pretty smart and calculating, I think she will see the problems with that argument. I suspect if she is asked about her pattern she will be able to point to the various strengths of the women that she voted out and explain why they were bigger threats then Cole, JP, Joe and Mike.

The whole point of the game is to vote off the people who you think might beat you, regardless of genetalia. Why is it that Ryan and JP are not discussed as women haters when they voted for the same women? Hell, Ryan and JP could have voted Chrissy out and worked with Ali and Roarke but they didn't.

I know, I too am sounding like a broken record but this entire thing has driven me crazy. People are willing to rationalize Ryan and JP's votes as being smart strategic play but Chrissy hates women. Why is it ok for the guys to vote that way and not be called out but the woman is being called out. It screams double standard to me. I think that is my problem with the entire thread.

[LadyChatts]

Well, personally, I wouldn’t use “strategic” and “JP” in the same sentence.  In fact I can’t even say he was smart at the game.  To me, him and Ryan were doing what Chrissy wanted, or at least weren’t making big moves on their own.  Lauren’s comment about Ryan is enlightening, but I still don’t think he was the ultimate strategist out there.  I believe Chrissy was pulling the strings with those two.  I guess we can agree to disagree.  Maybe Chrissy will win, but I still don’t see her as being a great game player.  I do think it’s between her and Ben at this point, and sadly I don’t think the preview is misleading about Ashley possibly going (if not her then likely Devon), so I think the final 4 will likely consist of Ben/Chrissy/Ryan, and either of the other 3.  With the new final 3 twist (very stupid) it’ll be interesting who lucks out in getting a pass to the final 3, and how that might determine things in the end. 

 In terms of game play, I feel this cast has been weak on that end overall anyway.  

Edited December 7, 2017 by LadyChatts

[ProfCrash]

I don't think Chrissy is a great player. She is a good strategist, not great. She has one of the worst social games I have seen. She is benefiting from a foursome that moved too fast and fell apart because of it. 

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

So since Ashley and Devon aren’t winning (most likely), I guess that means go Mike or Ryan?

I can not bring myself to root for fucking Mike. And Ryan hasn't been too bad the past few eps, but I still hate his Survivor nerd ass so no. The only people I wouldn't legitimately hate seeing win are Ashley and Devon and there is literally no chance of the happening. The finale is gonna be a real drag for me to watch.

3 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

... so I think the final 4 will likely consist of Ben/Chrissy/Ryan, and either of the other 3.  With the new final 3 twist (very stupid) it’ll be interesting who lucks out in getting a pass to the final 3, and how that might determine things in the end. 

I'm gonna spec that the F4 is those 3 and Mike, with Chrissy winning the FIC and taking Ryan, while Ben beats out Mike in the fire challenge to round out the F3. I still can't decide which of Ben and Chrissy is going to win though. If only I marginally liked either of them it might be fun because I think it'll be close.

[LanceM]

8 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I laughed so, so hard at this. Leave it it Chrissy to be like, "Actually, let's vote out the only other woman here!" She probably sees her opportunity to be the last woman standing and just has to take it.

The ironic thing about this is that Ashley has a secret scene from last episode where she talks about how she thinks that she will be the last woman standing. 

[piequinn35]

Or both of them in the finals, who do you think will win if f3 is Ash, Chrissy, Ryan?

[LadyChatts]

14 minutes ago, piequinn35 said:

Or both of them in the finals, who do you think will win if f3 is Ash, Chrissy, Ryan?

Lauren mentioned in an interview that Ashley was super sweet and well liked.  Which is quite a turn around, considering pre-show her fellow castaways described her as unfriendly and standoffish.  Again, I think it will depend what weights more-game play or popularity.  Chrissy no doubt will have JPs vote, and I think Joe would definitely vote for whoever is not named Chrissy or Ryan.  I'm really up in the air with the rest.  Normally I'd love outcomes so up in the air like this, but since I don't give a crap about the obvious contenders, it's disappointing.  If I thought Ashley or Devon had a serious shot of making the final 3, I might feel a little bit excited.  And Ashley doesn't really do anything for me to begin with.

Edited December 8, 2017 by LadyChatts

[SVNBob]

On 12/5/2017 at 0:09 AM, SVNBob said:

I saw another bit of speculation on Reddit around the potential tie that I like, and I think several people here would  Regarding one of the soundbites in the second half of the latest episode.  Recall Chrissy's TH before the IC about her "getting the last laugh."  Now, that was put in on one level because she did win the IC, getting the last laugh of the episode.   But what if it's even further foreshadowing?  She could be the one in the F3 to get the fewest votes, and by the rules as explained, she'd be the one to break the tie.  That would truly give her the last laugh.

Quoting myself to bring this back up.  If this line of speculation is true, then there was another piece of the puzzle in this episode.  Chrissy's TH about "screwing over Ben if given the opportunity".  While in the immediate, that applied to the RC.  But it could also mean that two of the F3 are Ben and Chrissy, and she's the one that will be breaking the tie.

[cooksdelight]

18 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

The goal is to win a million dollars not to promote the greatness of one gender.

Yes, but from what I’ve heard others say. Chrissy truly wants all the other women out so she can say she’s the last woman standing, vote for meeeeeeee!

[AG921]

8 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Quoting myself to bring this back up.  If this line of speculation is true, then there was another piece of the puzzle in this episode.  Chrissy's TH about "screwing over Ben if given the opportunity".  While in the immediate, that applied to the RC.  But it could also mean that two of the F3 are Ben and Chrissy, and she's the one that will be breaking the tie.

I thought of this as well when Chrissy said something about how Ben will regret ever crossing her

[peachmangosteen]

I am kinda into this idea that Chrissy is in F3 with Ben/whoever else and gets to break the tie between Ben/other person and picks the other person. Bonus points if she makes a big speech to Ben about doing it because he 'crossed her.' That is a level of petty that I can really enjoy!

I'm back on my bullshit of thinking Ashley is a big dark horse to win. I don't know, something about her edit screams 'winner that we don't really know how to properly portray' to me. A Michele type edit. And hearing from Lauren that she was really well liked makes me even more convinced Ashley might be the winner. I need to see what the other jurors have said about her. Plus, she is probably the biggest IC threat left. But maybe this is all wishful thinking because she's really the only one left I'm still actively rooting for and I have her on my fantasy team.

Edited December 8, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[Special K]

1 minute ago, peachmangosteen said:

I am kinda into this idea that Chrissy is in F3 with Ben/whoever else and gets to break the tie between Ben/other person and picks the other person. Bonus points if she makes a big speech to Ben about doing it because he 'crossed her.' That is a level of petty that I can really enjoy!

I'm back on my bullshit of thinking Ashley is a big dark horse to win. I don't know, something about her edit screams 'winner that we don't really know how to properly portray' to me. A Michele type edit. And hearing from Lauren that she was really well liked makes me even more convinced Ashley might be the winner. I need to see what the other jurors have said about her. Plus, she is probably the biggest IC threat left. But maybe this is all wishful thinking because she's really the only one left I'm still actively rooting for and I have her on my fantasy team

At this point, I would be very happy if Ashley wins.  But I am also experiencing the sinking dread that we will be subjected to Ben and Chrissy in a future season.

And to think, I started out liking both of them!
 

[LadyChatts]

3 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I am kinda into this idea that Chrissy is in F3 with Ben/whoever else and gets to break the tie between Ben/other person and picks the other person. Bonus points if she makes a big speech to Ben about doing it because he 'crossed her.' That is a level of petty that I can really enjoy!

I'm back on my bullshit of thinking Ashley is a big dark horse to win. I don't know, something about her edit screams 'winner that we don't really know how to properly portray' to me. A Michele type edit. And hearing from Lauren that she was really well liked makes me even more convinced Ashley might be the winner. I need to see what the other jurors have said about her. Plus, she is probably the biggest IC threat left. But maybe this is all wishful thinking because she's really the only one left I'm still actively rooting for and I have her on my fantasy team

If Chrissy does that, makes me wonder if she’ll get booed by the audience.  It would figure she of all people would get the important task of breaking a tie should it happen.  And yes, I expect her to be petty about it.  

[TVFan1]

I'm going to just guess that Ashley is going to win this season. I'm probably going to be wrong, but I will stand by this statement until the very end.

[piequinn35]

Who will win if f3: Ashley, Mike & Ryan?

Ash will win the FIC and she will bring Ryan or Mike as she thinks she can beat him in FTC, the other will win the fire making challenge.

Final votes:

Ash: Devon, Lauren

Mike: Cole, Joe, Desi

Ryan: JP, Chrissy

I'm torn about Ben's vote.

[LadyChatts]

4 hours ago, piequinn35 said:

Who will win if f3: Ashley, Mike & Ryan?

Ash will win the FIC and she will bring Ryan or Mike as she thinks she can beat him in FTC, the other will win the fire making challenge.

Final votes:

Ash: Devon, Lauren

Mike: Cole, Joe, Desi

Ryan: JP, Chrissy

I'm torn about Ben's vote.

I don't think Ben would vote for Ashley.  My guess is, out of that final 3, he'd vote for Mike.

I'm curious what the breakdown would be for a Ben/Chrissy/anyone else final 3.  If it were Ryan or Mike, I'm not sure they would get any votes, or at least enough to win (god, I just had a horrible thought of Mike the obnoxious super fan getting to break the tie).  He'll probably make stupid puns on his twitter for the rest of his life over that.  Devon and Ashley could be wild cards and win over Ben/Chrissy. 

But who would vote for who? 

Chrissy would no doubt get JPs vote, and Ryan if he's on the jury.  Lauren doesn't seem bitter so she's probably the one juror who will definitely vote based on game play.  But given her blow up with Ben and her remarks in interviews, she might go for Chrissy.  Joe doesn't like Chrissy or Ben, but I can't see him voting for Ryan if Ryan were in the final 3.  So he'd probably vote Ben, unless someone else made it to the end.  Desi and Cole I'm iffy on.  For argument's sake, if Devon/Ashley/Mike are on the jury, I'm also not sure who they'd vote for.  I don't see Ashley voting for Ben, so Chrissy maybe? 

ETA:  okay, so in one interview Lauren seems pro Ben, but in another one I read, she didn’t seem too fond of him.  I’ll have to go see if I can find that now. Given the negative remarks she made about Chrissy, along with some of the other jurors feelings, I’m having a hard time believing she’s winning.  Sounds like her excellent social game wasn’t so excellent.

Edited December 9, 2017 by LadyChatts

[loki567]

Big props to the editor that late in the game, I really can't state with any confidence who the winner's going to be. Considering that this was a fairly bland cast, the editors did a good job in presenting their story. 

[LadyChatts]

https://youtu.be/mIqzq63DIJU

Next week's episode is called "The Survivor Devil."  This preview gives me flashbacks to Mike Holloway after he was ditched by his alliance and had to go on an immunity run to survive.

Also, the episode description/cheat tweet don't exactly give much away (unless you didn't know there'd be an immunity challenge and the final 5 would be determined):

Quote

CASTAWAYS BATTLE TO WIN INDIVIDUAL IMMUNITY AND EARN A SPOT IN THE FINAL FIVE, ON “SURVIVOR,” WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13
“The Survivor Devil” – Castaways battle to win individual immunity and earn a spot in the final five, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Dec. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Quote

CHEAT TWEET: Castaways battle to win individual immunity and earn a spot in in the final five @SurvivorCBS #HeroesHealersHustlers 12/13 8-9PM

[peachmangosteen]

LOL at that generic ep description. It's either a boring ep or a really good one. I'm gonna assume boring.

10 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

https://youtu.be/mIqzq63DIJU

Next week's episode is called "The Survivor Devil."  This preview gives me flashbacks to Mike Holloway after he was ditched by his alliance and had to go on an immunity run to survive.

UGH. I hate this.

[cooksdelight]

It’s probably Ben-centric, and he’d better hope he finds another idol AND gets rid of Chrissy. Unless they have some weird secret alliance, which I don’t believe in now.

[LadyChatts]

The big difference between Mike and Ben is that Mike literally had no one, whereas Ben is at least getting approached by Chrissy in the preview to target Ashley.  I think only once this season the intended target in a preview (Roark) ended up getting voted off.  But with so few people left, I guess they can only point in so many false directions.  And then last week, Lauren seemed like a potential boot, and she was.  So I'm wondering/hoping the Chrissy/Ben alliance is another red herring, and one of them gets bounced (preferably Chrissy).

I'm also agreeing that it probably will be a boring episode, unless something so exciting happens they couldn't talk about it.

Edited December 10, 2017 by LadyChatts

[TVFan1]

Based on the preview which is so focused on Ben, I highly doubt he gets voted out. I hope I am wrong and he goes, and I wouldn't mind seeing Chrissy finally get the boot, too. Either one is fine with me.

Edited December 10, 2017 by TVFan1

[nutty1]

I am bummed there are no spoilers this season. 

[peachmangosteen]

15 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

The big difference between Mike and Ben is that Mike literally had no one, whereas Ben is at least getting approached by Chrissy in the preview to target Ashley.

I don't think they showed Chrissy approaching Ben about the Ashley vote. I believe it's Mike and Ryan she's talking to.

[cooksdelight]

The way things are edited, she could be talking to Probst.

[LadyChatts]

6 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I don't think they showed Chrissy approaching Ben about the Ashley vote. I believe it's Mike and Ryan she's talking to.

I thought that was from the preview at the end of the episode?  Or maybe it was just Chrissy approaching him about working together.  This season has me so confused, and so not invested in the remaining players lol

[peachmangosteen]

21 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I thought that was from the preview at the end of the episode?  Or maybe it was just Chrissy approaching him about working together. 

It was. I didn't see Chrissy approach Ben in either of the 2 promos I've seen.

This shot in the second promo has me rolling. Ben way off to the side of everyone else.

 

[LadyChatts]

3 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

It was. I didn't see Chrissy approach Ben in either of the 2 promos I've seen.

This shot in the second promo has me rolling. Ben way off to the side of everyone else.

 

Wow, they really are hammering in the "Ben is all alone", aren't they?  And I was trying to figure out who the little guy was in the back of the group.  Didn't think I'd forget Mike was still there, but I guess I did.  

It'd be interesting if Ben did in fact get voted off after all this hype about him having no allies and whether he can make it, but I still think this is the beginning of a winners edit (or at least a final 3 edit).  I'm sticking with Ashley or Devon going.  Devon might be seen as a bigger threat, so I'd probably lean towards him over Ashley.  If it were some shocking blindside, my guess is Ryan.

[loki567]

I could totally see Chrissy and Ryan being the types to overthink, let Ben slip past this vote, and target Ashley/Devon. I feel like Chrissy's, "I'll get Ben if it's the last thing I do!" has to pay off somehow. Either by tainting the jury against him or winning the final immunity that takes him out. 

[Nashville]

23 hours ago, loki567 said:

I could totally see Chrissy and Ryan being the types to overthink, let Ben slip past this vote, and target Ashley/Devon. I feel like Chrissy's, "I'll get Ben if it's the last thing I do!" has to pay off somehow. Either by tainting the jury against him or winning the final immunity that takes him out. 

...or it might pay off by Chrissy gunning for Ben so single-mindedly she misses the threat twist which takes her out.  Personally, I’d love the shit outta that.  :D

At present, I’m in kind of an F3 wash at present; the Production editors are doing their obfuscation job better than usual this season, so I’m not even going to try going there yet.  I will say, though - on Devon I’m getting more of a finalist vibe than a winner vibe.  Devon has shown a flash or two of strategic near-brilliance, but it currently comes off as anomaly rather than as part of a cohesive strategy.

That being said...

Given Devon’s recent “I can’t trust anybody” rant, I wouldn’t discount the possibility of at least a temporary three-way Ben-Devon-Ryan alliance.  If you can’t trust anybody but have to trust somebody, then human nature is to gravitate to those you have trusted in the past - and for Devon that would be Ryan and Ben.  Both Ben and Ryan are in strategic pits right now so they be amenable to a working relationship, at least in the short term.  Right now we have a 3/2+1 power split; Chrissy/Ryan/Mike vs. Devon/Ashley, with Ben as a floater.  A 3way carved out of both sides of the existing  dominant factions could be immensely powerful, particularly if its initial target was one of the remainder of the three (Chrissy or Mike).

[jay741982]

On 12/7/2017 at 0:29 PM, ProfCrash said:

Why exactly did Chrissy vote for Ben last night? Wasn't she pushing hard to vote for Ben? Last time I checked, Ben is a man. And I am pretty sure that Chrissy was voting for Joe or Mike the night JP got voted out, the last time she was in control of a vote. Which means that Chrissy had at least two men ahead of Lauren and Ashley. And that is with Lauren playing a pretty good game so I think we are officially stretching here.

We saw Ashley and Ben going at it in the preview. We know Ashley has been targeting Ben for four votes now, which makes it easier for Chrissy to try and pull Ben in. Chrissy probably realizes that Ben has rubbed people the wrong way and could be a goat. Ashley has been in the majority alliance since the merge and has more votes sitting on the jury. Who would you target?

And why should she want to go up against tougher competition at the finals? She wants to win. You take out the your toughest competition first and then the weaker ones. I always roll my eyes when the Alpha Men talk about taking the strongest and most worthy to the finals. I roll my eyes because in their eyes strength = most worthy. They ignore the social game and the strategic game and get their panties in a bunch when the challenge beasts are taken out for being challenge beasts. So why should Chrissy want to take women who are more capable of making a cogent argument at final tribal with her as opposed to men who have done little to nothing and are going to struggle at the finals.

The goal is to win a million dollars not to promote the greatness of one gender.

Except Chrissy is a fucking Moron if she thinks Ben is easy to beat. He needs to go. And since when is Ashley such a threat to win according to others here? And Chrissy is also an idiot if she thinks the guys would NEVER just vote her out after Ashley! I think Ben beats everyone left and they shouldn't leave him in to potentially win the rest of the IC's

[Nashville]

2 hours ago, jay741982 said:

Except Chrissy is a fucking Moron if she thinks Ben is easy to beat. He needs to go. And since when is Ashley such a threat to win according to others here? And Chrissy is also an idiot if she thinks the guys would NEVER just vote her out after Ashley! I think Ben beats everyone left and they shouldn't leave him in to potentially win the rest of the IC's

I wouldn't say Chrissy is a moron - not necessarily, anyway - but she *is* focused on a kind of spite vendetta against Ben, and enmity is frequently a thief of rational thought.  People villainize their enemies and disparage them; they frequently minimize their enemy's strengths and exaggerate their weaknesses - none of which is conducive to sound strategy.  

Not to mention - focusing on one threat to the exclusion of all others leaves one exposed to those unobserved threats (a.k.a. blindsides).

[peachmangosteen]

Ep 13 press photos.

At least it's not an endurance-y IC finally!

This pic is funny to me:

Ben and Ryan look kinda inquisitive, Devon looks meh, but Chrissy and Ashley look overjoyed.

ETA: Oh, and my current prediction for how tonight's ep goes is that Ben wins immunity and/or finds another HII and Ashley is booted. Or possibly Devon. Basically, I feel pretty confident Ben won't be booted and that one of Ashley/Devon will.

Edited December 13, 2017 by peachmangosteen