S34.E14: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished / S34.E15: Reunion

[Nalan]

1 minute ago, MissEwa said:

I may be wrong but didn't they put out one idol per tribe pre-merge and then a merge idol? JT got sent home with one that didn't get rehidden,  so there could have been four idols at once, in theory? 

No, no merge idol was hidden.  It was just the three that Tai found during the pre-merge, the one Troyzan found, and the one that J.T. found and stupidly left behind rather than take to Tribal Council with him.  So just those five.

[KimberStormer]

They didn't put this online till a million o'clock!  I've just finished watching and it's 2AM.  I didn't even watch the reunion (realizing that I didn't have to watch the reunion was the great innovation in my Survivor experience) and of course I have not read all 13 PAGES what on earth of this thread.  I'm going to bed: but I'm sure glad it was Sarah and not Brad.  Voting out Tai over her was a million-dollar mistake that I would have thought would be totally obvious....

My brief pre-bed notes are: Cirie situation was bullshit, Aubry and Tai both made good arguments at their respective votes, new FTC format was dumb in theory but kind of great in practice, mostly because they pretty much ignored what Probst was telling them to talk about, Brad looks ridiculous in moustache and Ozzy looks great in short hair, and, as always, I was begging and pleading with all my heart: "SHUT UP, JEFF."

[Nashville]

Was it just me, or did anybody else think when Aubry made her first Jury appearance she looked absolutely smoking hawt...?  :)

[mojoween]

Nashville yes.  She looked great.

I will fully embrace that if Brad were bounced in the fashion Cirie was I would not have one single problem with it.  Any way that the ones I am not rooting for can get off that island is a-ok with me.

Edited May 25, 2017 by mojoween

[millennium]

7 hours ago, Haleth said:

 

And yes, Debbie sucks.

Which reminds me, I really thought Debbie would ask during Final Tribal: Jeff, would you mind if I performed fellatio on Brad right here and now?

The whole episode was difficult to watch, especially the scene in which Brad tries to strongarm Tai's idol away from him.  Brad's expression was that of a sociopath.  

My other complaints include the jury acting like advocates for their favorites rather than deconstructing each of the final three.  I hate that.  Always have.  Now it's become a thing and there's no stopping it, like audience sing-alongs at rock concerts. 

No more fucking puzzles.  PLEASE!  What happened to the mental challenges?  The endurance challenges?  Or was it just because Brad is good at puzzles?  (IMO, the show all but gave him the win -- and he still blew it, lol).

Hated the way Jeff kept pimping Varner outing Zeke.   I mean, okay, it happened, but Jeff prattling on and on about it only guaranteed that Zeke would be outed to even more people.   WTF?  Jeff hyped it like it was the high point of the season when in fact, it was the lowest point in this show's history, IMO.   Why do you hate LGBT people, Jeff?

What happened to Ozzy's hair?  Did he wander into that iPhone 7 commercial by accident?

On the plus side, I don't like that Sarah won but it was way better than Brad.

Aubrey is so quirky.  She looked terribly ill at ease when she came out with the jury the first time, like she had raided her mom's closet for that outfit.   She also seemed incomplete without her old school eyeglasses.  They look like she's had them since 7th grade. 

That's all, I guess.  Oh, and I have a wicked crush on Halli. 

[Bryce Lynch]

5 hours ago, Daisy said:

As It was. (from where I sat) this still was a douchey way for Cirie to go. 
I hate brad and I would have laughed my ass off had this happened to him - but i would have said the same thing. 

No one voted for Cirie. as it stood. 
But then everyone decided to play their idol. 
so then.. why not vote for Cirie. Like i would have been fine with her being voted out - I predicted this in my pool. I thought last week torpoedo'ed her game. but no. ultimately. everyone was mad at Tai, Brad tosses Aubrey under the bus, and Sarah was the one going home. Cirie was looking really good.

Then everyone plays their idols, and then the one person who has zero votes, automatically gets everything because five people can be immune? No way. and I've been consistent about this. you shouldn't be able to get yourself to final five/final four with advantages or hiis. which is basically what everyone but Brad did). at this point it should be Immunity Idol, and God help the rest of you and your talking skills. and I've been saying this since Guatemala. 

I disagree.  First, Cirie WAS voted out, they just didn't go through the formality of the revote as there was only one possible outcome.

It was a very, unusual situation, but it really wasn't contrived.

Brad - Won the immunity challenge and deserved to be immune.

Troyzan - Early in the game, left his tribe on the boat, searched for  and found and idol, told nobody about it, and held onto it through numerous votes.

Sarah - Fleeced Sierra to get the legacy advantage.  She made a smart move and earned it.

Tai - Found 2 idols, early in the game and found one without a clue, by smartly searching in his new camp, where he found the first one in his old camp.

Aubry - Benefitted from Tai's play.

Also, the immunity challenge was custom made for Cirie to win.  There was very, little physical element to it.  

Cirie has the reputation as a puzzle master and the challenge was mostly a difficult puzzle and the other part was a maze, which is also a type of puzzle. If she had lived up to her reputation, Brad would have gone home.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Bryce Lynch

[cooksdelight]

7 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Also, the immunity challenge was custom made for Cirie to win.  There was very, little physical element to it

Yep, and she just stood there. I know viewers are upset about the way she went out, but had she been the great puzzle solver as usually touted, she'd have won immunity easily. She's just not living up to all the hype I've read about her.

I'm not sure why Jeff was hailing Ozzy's many, many, many appearances on the show. Do you really want to be the guy who keeps coming back and keeps losing? I wouldn't.

Brad, I bet you wish you'd kept your trap shut about easily winning because you're an attorney and pleading your case to the jury would be a piece of cake. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I was so happy to see him miserable last night, is that wrong? I was waiting for the cameras to pan to Monica with a river of tears streaming down her face. Now those two have something in common.

What was best about the final vote were the huge cheers for Sarah every time her name was read, and the "oh nooooooooo"s when Brad got a vote. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Zeke will be brought back 6 times until he wins. Michaela will be brought back because if Jeff loves you, you're in. She looked beautiful last night because she was smiling. Amazing what a smile can do for a person's looks, and how they are perceived by others.

I wish Jeff had mentioned Andrea's 100 days, as I'm sure he had it in his notes. He probably tossed that one aside so he could focus on his boys.

[Eolivet]

My husband (he has no cool Law & Order name because Olivet didn't have a love interest -- Jack McCoy?) had a good perspective on what I still feel was deceitful storytelling. He said that in the past few years, Survivor has moved away from having a villain. And he's sort of right. There are no more real "villains." No more people the show sets you up to hate. There are people with varying degrees of likability, but no real villains -- not since Worlds Apart, I think.

But I still don't think that gives the show permission to hide someone's true personality, just because you're trying to preserve your "no villain" edit. If Culpepper was the villain of the season all season -- not just in the finale -- he should've been edited as such. I really hated how they pulled that out of nowhere. Or he should've been edited into invisibility, a la Joe the Challenge Beast. A non-descript edit.

No one could argue Brad was getting a bad edit up until literally last night, and I get when someone's boneheaded error means the show needs to take them down (Jay and the fake idol last season comes to mind, though his edit was mixed throughout). But I'm trying to think of a time when I saw someone get a positive edit for 95% of the time, only for the show to do a complete 180.

I don't want to tune into Survivor, all "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." It's not that kind of show. I expect edges will be shaved off and things will be taken out of context. What I don't expect is the show to flat-out lie to my face, and then pull a "Gotcha."

Like, if Brad Culpepper is a jerk ... maybe don't go out of your way to tell me he isn't?

[Mindthinkr]

Who won fan favorite? Parts of the show were pre-empted by tornado warnings. 

[cooksdelight]

I don't remember them mentioning a fan favorite. Anyone else?

[mojoween]

Nope they didn't do fan fave this year.

It's funny when I see many places that Brad got a good edit right up until he didn't because from my couch I didn't see anything positive about him the entire 39 days.  Even when he was supposed to be "nice," I thought he looked like a big fake phony.  

I never once bought into the "Redemption Story of Brad Culpepper."  

Also, Monica, how 'bout you wait a freaking second for Sarah to embrace her hot husband instead of glomming on to her moment for an on-camera hug.

[Bryce Lynch]

13 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Who won fan favorite? Parts of the show were pre-empted by tornado warnings. 

I don't think they have had the fan favorite for many seasons now.  

[JudyObscure]

5 hours ago, Superpole2000 said:

If I was a juror, I would have voted for Troyzan. I know the show pushes the outwit, outplay, outlast theme, but I would be one of those jurors who just votes for who he likes most. I liked his humble speech at the end, and his sincere reverence for Season One. I totally identified with him there and got that same tear in my eye that he got in his.

I wouldn't go so far as to vote for him over my favorite, Sarah, but I loved his humility, too.  In fact I love him! He's just mellow and sweet with a beautiful attitude.

At the start of this season I didn't know who to root for because I actually liked everyone, but Sarah started doing impressive things and I began to love watching her game.

  I ended up disliking Debbie for her blatant camera hogging and her rudeness on the jury and Andrea went way, way down in my estimation.  Her smugly, judgmental attitude to Sarah for her play was, to use her word, "gross."  Sarah told a lots of lies to advance her game but never once said or did anything rude or deliberately mean, "for no reason."  Andrea's entire game seemed to be a series of teary eyed, hurt reactions over other what other people did. Check yourself, Andrea.  You're the one shaming and blaming.

No one is going to buy your book Varner.  Get a real job that doesn't involve sales or showmanship and find out what the rest of us know.

I love Aubry!  Now there's a good sport.  I've always thought she was pretty and she looked great cleaned up. just a little bit self-conscious about it because she's modest that way.

I still love Michaela, Tai, Cirie, Zeke, Caleb, Haili, most of those people in the back row, but I'm very ready for some brand new people.  Even with contrived labels like Healers, Helpers, Hustlers, Housewives, Hotties or Heffers.  Just bring them on.

[sigmaforce86]

The playing of the idols was one of the funniest things I've seen on this show in awhile.  Zeke when Sarah pulled out her advantage, the applause at the end.  Well, except for Cirie but she does get to carry a Survivor first with her forever.

Who told Brad to dress as Mr. Incredible for the finale?

Glad Sarah won if only to keep the other two from winning.  And I'm not buying Brad's apology to Tai.  Nice that Zeke and Jeff made up although I'm a little torn on Jeff having so much redemption that he was allowed to hawk his book on the show, that seemed like a little too much "reward" when he should still maybe be a little contrite (at least in front of the cameras)

Bring on next season with actual new faces!

[Haleth]

I was enjoying posting live during the show but had to quit for the reunion.  So glad Sarah won over Brad.  (Troy seems like a very nice person but he never stood a chance.)  Holy moley, Brad's mustache was awful.  He does look like a chemistry teacher!  

I could have smacked Probst for spending so much time on 1) badgering the jury about voting Brad vs Tai (No one cares, Jeff) and 2) talking to Varner about how difficult it has been for him.  Jerk.

After hearing only the name of next season's theme I rolled my eyes, but it might be ok.  Initially I misunderstood what they meant by "hustlers" so I was glad they meant "people with a strong work ethic."  Ok.  (I had always hoped for a season of first responders v military v teachers.)  Of course this is going to be a repeat of brains v brawn v beauty, and will not matter a bit after the first tribal shake up.  

[ItsJessMe]

1. I thought Aubry's response to Probst about Cochran was perfect.  She has a boyfriend and was probably embarrassed at how much play one offhand comment made, so deflecting it with 'everybody' has a crush on him was just a great way to deflect.

2. I loved Michaela's question to Brad and his stumbling over the answer.  But he said she went to Texas Christian U.  I clearly remember from her first season her saying she went to UPenn.  She didn't correct him at final tribal though.  I'm confused.

[Haleth]

5 hours ago, Callaphera said:

Wasn't there also a helicopter in and out one year? 

Yes.  That was the first season after 9/11.  He saluted the Statue of Liberty.  <eyeroll>

48 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I was waiting for the cameras to pan to Monica with a river of tears streaming down her face.

I was really surprised Probst didn't go out to the audience to ask Monica how she thought Brad played.  I did see Monica grab and hug Sarah before she could greet her own family after winning.

I just don't get Debbie.  She was such a cheerleader for Brad at FTC and the reunion, yet half way through the game she had that big blow up when he "crushed her heart."  She is completely whackadoodle.

[Gweilo]

Not a great season, not a terrible one.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Gweilo

[Drogo]

Brad tells Tai he needs to earn trust by giving a HII to Brad and pay for the right the be there by promising his vote to Brad:

Khaleesi:  We KNEW you were in there somewhere, Real Brad Culpepper. 

[Jolie]

I'm glad Sarah won. She really did play a good game, and took a lot of risks that could have done her in. I would also have been okay with Brad winning. I don't think he's evil or hiding his true personality. We all have a bit of douchery in us. It just needs the right buttons pushed to come out. I can see where Tai could be extremely frustrating. Should Brad have talked to him the way he did? No, but maybe he wouldn't have if he really had had that Snickers bar. Who knows how we'd handle situations when we're running on empty. Maybe Brad really is a grade A a-hole but so far I really haven't seen anything to condemn him for life. No excuse for the shirt/tie combo, or that stache either. Heh.

[cooksdelight]

It was hilarious to see Brad going from Barney Rubble at the final TC to Mr. Nerd at the live show. 

[Drogo]

Khaleesi was very happy with Sarah's win and believes that Brad handed it to her.

 

Tai proposes splitting 2/2 and going to fire:  Tai's crazy if he thinks they're going to vote him out and take Sarah to Final Tribal.  Tai's done nothing in this game and Sarah did everything- he should just write her name down and save himself the splinters.

Brad tells Troyzan they have to get rid of Tai:  You know what's more important to Brad than winning a million dollars?  His pride.  Monica is going to be maaaaa-aaad.

[Bryce Lynch]

22 minutes ago, ItsJessMe said:

1. I thought Aubry's response to Probst about Cochran was perfect.  She has a boyfriend and was probably embarrassed at how much play one offhand comment made, so deflecting it with 'everybody' has a crush on him was just a great way to deflect.

2. I loved Michaela's question to Brad and his stumbling over the answer.  But he said she went to Texas Christian U.  I clearly remember from her first season her saying she went to UPenn.  She didn't correct him at final tribal though.  I'm confused.

According to Michael's LinkedIn profile she did graduate from TCU.  Maybe you confused her with Donald Trump. :)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelabradshaw

Michaela was great on the jury, and I assume she was advocating for Sarah at Ponderosa as well..

I thought I would hate it, but I liked the new FTC format.  It made the finalists more accountable, as they could get called out by any juror at any time.  

[vibeology]

9 hours ago, Eolivet said:

I have a real bone to pick with the editors. Why on earth they showed this evolved! Brad Culpepper all season, shoved Monica Culpepper down our throat, treated us to numerous confessionals about how much he'd changed and then completely trashed his edit in the final episode to prove he was the same condescending jerk he was the first time.

That's not good storytelling. You're trying to show how certain people won and lost throughout the season. Not reinvent Keyser Soze.

See, I am perfectly willing to believe that as Brad was feeling more powerful and secure in the game, he was acting a bigger and bigger fool. I can bet that when things weren't going well he was making at least some effort to get along with people who he thought could help him. I do think the editors were playing a little but I also am willing to believe that Brad got even worse as he got closer to winning.

9 hours ago, awaken said:

Same for cirie, they went way too far with the false eyelashes, outfit, and fake hair!  She looked so much better as herself during the show. 

I love Cirie and I hate knocking someone's looks, but she could barely open one eye with those lashes. They needed to dial that back.

8 hours ago, OldWiseOne said:

Maybe next year we could have a separate thread for live chat of the finale? Then I won't have to scroll through 11 pages of live chat to get to the overall show discussion.

I'd vote for this. I don't watch live since I hate commercials so it's just a dozen pages to skim.

I didn't mind the idoling out. It's not ideal and I do think in general there are too many advantages in the game, but once all of that was out there I sort of knew the possibility existed that we'd end up with a tribal where only one of two people could even be voted out. I wish it hadn't happened to Cirie because I like her, but she cost herself her chance when she booted Andrea instead of Brad. It does suck to see someone go home who wasn't even in the conversation, but everyone knew there were idols out there and no one had really put much effort into flushing them so anyone who went home in that situation played a part in it.

[Drogo]

27 minutes ago, ItsJessMe said:

2. I loved Michaela's question to Brad and his stumbling over the answer.  But he said she went to Texas Christian U.  I clearly remember from her first season her saying she went to UPenn.  She didn't correct him at final tribal though.  I'm confused.

The very beautiful

Spoiler

Cydney of Kaoh Rong

went to UPenn. 

[violet and green]

I liked the discussion format, too. It made it less about the jurors and their terrible non-questions, speechifying, and bitter moments and got down to the heart of things.

Sarah acquitted herself well. Really interesting to watch the jurors eyes being opened to how cunningly she  played this season.

Troyzan was sweet and generous in defeat.

Brad remained a knob.

And Ozzie got a haircut!

I just wish Tai hadn't crumbled and confessed he had two idols to Braaad. I'd have loved to see how this would have played out if he hadn't done that. I'd also have liked Tai to get some final place money. After all, Brad flat out said he didn't need the million. Sheesh. It wasn't my favorite season, but a good ending, and not bad reunion.

Does anyone know who was the other vote for Bradley? Sierra, I am guessing.

[Bryce Lynch]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

Which reminds me, I really thought Debbie would ask during Final Tribal: Jeff, would you mind if I performed fellatio on Brad right here and now?

The whole episode was difficult to watch, especially the scene in which Brad tries to strongarm Tai's idol away from him.  Brad's expression was that of a sociopath.  

My other complaints include the jury acting like advocates for their favorites rather than deconstructing each of the final three.  I hate that.  Always have.  Now it's become a thing and there's no stopping it, like audience sing-alongs at rock concerts. 

No more fucking puzzles.  PLEASE!  What happened to the mental challenges?  The endurance challenges?  Or was it just because Brad is good at puzzles?  (IMO, the show all but gave him the win -- and he still blew it, lol).

Hated the way Jeff kept pimping Varner outing Zeke.   I mean, okay, it happened, but Jeff prattling on and on about it only guaranteed that Zeke would be outed to even more people.   WTF?  Jeff hyped it like it was the high point of the season when in fact, it was the lowest point in this show's history, IMO.   Why do you hate LGBT people, Jeff?

What happened to Ozzy's hair?  Did he wander into that iPhone 7 commercial by accident?

 

On the plus side, I don't like that Sarah won but it was way better than Brad.

Aubrey is so quirky.  She looked terribly ill at ease when she came out with the jury the first time, like she had raided her mom's closet for that outfit.   She also seemed incomplete without her old school eyeglasses.  They look like she's had them since 7th grade. 

That's all, I guess.  Oh, and I have a wicked crush on Halli. 

I like the jury acting like advocates. 

I agree that they have way too many puzzles.  They did have some endurance challenges, but I wanted a mental challenge and a gross food eating challenge.  In fairness, the puzzles are really designed to give physically weaker players a better chance to beat guys like, Brad, but Brad, to his credit, aced the puzzles.  

Varner was despicable.  He hurt another human being, but he acts like he is the victim, makes it all about him and then gets to plug his new company (which I hope fires him or goes bankrupt) and his book.  He is slime.  

Everybody has a crush on Halli. :)

[ShadowSixx]

I need to add in as others have pointed out, had to laugh at Ozzy and why I continue to dislike his ass and don't ever want to see him again. He has reached his limit on how many times he can play. Anyways when he voted for Culpepper and said he hoped Culpepper does what he always wanted to do. What was that LOSE??? Culpepper lost so yeah you should see that your style of gameplay doesn't net a win.

Did Ozzy go to the barber and say fuck my shit up?? That's exactly what it looks like, that's the FMSU hairstyle.

As far as the theme (ugh another theme) IDK but when I hear the word hustler I don't think of a bellhop as hustling. When I hear the word hustler or people say they hustle to make money I think of those people who go out in the streets and make money. I would also say that waiters/waitresses are hustlers because they make little and basically have to live off of their tips so they have to hustle the customers by being great and an exotic dancer/stripper are hustlers cause they have to live off the money that's given to them by customers. We don't have bellhops where I live so I don't know what they make and if they live off tips.

[penbrat]

Even though there were some really fun tribal counsels this season (I love me some blindsides)  - I thought this was a horrible season overall.

I am NOT a fan of Sarah.   She played a good game at points but I found her obnoxious and arrogant and off putting.  However, because Troy (who I like) was basically a non-entity this season and Brad (who I liked until the finale) turned into a jerk or reverted back to being a jerk (not quite sure which), I guess Sarah was the only choice for a “winner”.

I want the old school Survivor back – no idols, no gimmicks, no second chances to get back in the game, no returning cast members no “Such and Such vs. Such and Such” – just a mixture of average people trying to outwit, out last and out play each other.

[himela]

Just finished the finale. I'm happy for Sarah winning cause she was indeed a great player and I know her life will be better with this money.

But, the one thing I will never forget is the sad and confused eyes of Zeke when Varner asked that question at tribal. I had not watched this scene a second time cause it was too emotional for me so after watching it at the finale I started crying again and couldn't stop for like 5 minutes. I'm happy that Zeke has been able to get past it and make this incident a positive influence but I'm wondering how many young people like Zeke will be bullied, called out, made fun of in their lives cause of who they truly are and this saddens me deeply. I do hope these young people will know that they are not alone and they should stay true to who they are and what makes them happy. Thank you Zeke for existing and for being such a good role model for people to deal with haters and insecure people who only take strength from making others weak. Bless you kid.

Edited May 25, 2017 by himela

[Rachel RSL]

7 hours ago, Superpole2000 said:

 That said, I do like the tiebreaker that Jeff revealed they would use if two people were tied on the final vote. I really want to see that tiebreaker vote happen on the live reunion show some day!

I don't think I like this way of breaking the tie.  This would mean that the person who casts the tiebreaking vote would have had the opportunity to watch the entire season and see & hear everybody's secrets and (possibly not so pleasant) interviews. 

6 hours ago, Sonoma said:

Had Brad been idoled out instead of Cirie, people would've been whooping with excitement instead of crying foul or shaking their fist at the injustice of it all about how a great player was screwed over. 

I have to respectfully disagree. From most of the comments I've seen, the majority of viewers aren't necessarily upset that one of their favourites got screwed by a twist, they're upset because the mechanics of the game just seem wrong when 5 immunities can be in play with only 6 people left. To get booted from the game with zero votes is a crappy way for anybody to go out, no matter who it is. 

[rebeccalj]

7 hours ago, Superpole2000 said:

The Cirie "Get up off the couch!" messaging has grown old, not that it was ever applicable to most of us anyway. Most of us can't drop our work and family commitments for 6 weeks at a time. Nice enough person, but she blew up her own strategic game this season and was terrible in nearly every challenge. I didn't see a need for the in-game speech from Jeff nor the standing ovation from the live crowd.

I started watching Survivor in the last few years or so.  So, I'm not sure if I've ever seen Cirie play before, but based on this season I am not impressed.  She seems like a perfectly lovely person, but as a player she sucks.  She sucked at challenges and she made some really fucking stupid mistakes (ie. the vote stealing thing) that I just can't forget.  I really cannot see why people like her as a player whatsoever.  To me, she seems like someone who gets dragged along by the coattails of others who are actually playing.  

[Bryce Lynch]

11 minutes ago, ShadowSixx said:

I need to add in as others have pointed out, had to laugh at Ozzy and why I continue to dislike his ass and don't ever want to see him again. He has reached his limit on how many times he can play. Anyways when he voted for Culpepper and said he hoped Culpepper does what he always wanted to do. What was that LOSE??? Culpepper lost so yeah you should see that your style of gameplay doesn't net a win.

Did Ozzy go to the barber and say fuck my shit up?? That's exactly what it looks like, that's the FMSU hairstyle.

As far as the theme (ugh another theme) IDK but when I hear the word hustler I don't think of a bellhop as hustling. When I hear the word hustler or people say they hustle to make money I think of those people who go out in the streets and make money. I would also say that waiters/waitresses are hustlers because they make little and basically have to live off of their tips so they have to hustle the customers by being great and an exotic dancer/stripper are hustlers cause they have to live off the money that's given to them by customers. We don't have bellhops where I live so I don't know what they make and if they live off tips.

I was briefly a bellhop during college and they do live off of tips.  I would put a bellop in a similar category as a waiter or waitress.  If anything, I think a bellhop needs to "hustle" a little more, as his/her tips are going to be entirely dependent upon how the guests like his/her service, and unlike waiters and waitresses is there isn't a universally known customary tipping standard for bellhops.  

Edited May 25, 2017 by Bryce Lynch

[Bryce Lynch]

3 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

I don't think I like this way of breaking the tie.  This would mean that the person who casts the tiebreaking vote would have had the opportunity to watch the entire season and see & hear everybody's secrets and (possibly not so pleasant) interviews. 

I have to respectfully disagree. From most of the comments I've seen, the majority of viewers aren't necessarily upset that one of their favourites got screwed by a twist, they're upset because the mechanics of the game just seem wrong when 5 immunities can be in play with only 6 people left. To get booted from the game with zero votes is a crappy way for anybody to go out, no matter who it is. 

I would have disliked the 5 immunities if TPTB has been sprinkling idols and advantages all over the camp in the final 10 days.  But, the advantages were hidden early in the game, and those who had them, held onto them through, many votes.  

As for the tiebreaker, it is possible Jeff would have tallied the votes at camp and then asked the 3rd finalist for his her vote on the island.  It is also possible that all 3 finalists are asked to hand in their tie breaker votes before or after FTC.  I think the latter is more likely.  

[Wings]

Jeff doing the 'what if' Tai were in F3, though pointless, gave me pleasure watching Brad doing his best to stop it but failing.  Sweet.

Brad's apology to Tai was damage control.  He was embarrassed watching his true nature play out on TV.  The sting was fresh with no time to spin it. . The crowd cheering with delight after each vote for Sarah drove him deeper into his sour hole of regret.  

Since Cirie was the victim of excessive advantage play I wonder if they will pull back on that next season.  Historical moment, sure (Jeff loves those) but a favorite of his fell prey.  To me, it is no better than a purple rock.  How about a 'what if' (hate them) had Cirie been in F3.  That would have been more interesting.  

Edited May 25, 2017 by wings707

[mojoween]

I did not like how somehow Zeke's pain was put into context of how it affected Sarah's grandmother.  That was unnecessary.

Varner giving every penny of profit to a LGBT foundation would be the only palatable way for that book deal to go down.

[Bryce Lynch]

26 minutes ago, rebeccalj said:

I started watching Survivor in the last few years or so.  So, I'm not sure if I've ever seen Cirie play before, but based on this season I am not impressed.  She seems like a perfectly lovely person, but as a player she sucks.  She sucked at challenges and she made some really fucking stupid mistakes (ie. the vote stealing thing) that I just can't forget.  I really cannot see why people like her as a player whatsoever.  To me, she seems like someone who gets dragged along by the coattails of others who are actually playing.  

I haven't seen as much of Cirie as most either, but I was mostly impressed.  She sucks at challenges, though she apparently has the reputation as a great puzzle solver.  But she was very good socially and strategically, up until the fiasco with Sarah's non-transferable steal a vote.  

I think her best move was getting Sierra and Brad to vote for Tai during the Zeke blindside, fracturing that alliance permanently.  

[Wings]

5 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I did not like how somehow Zeke's pain was put into context of how it affected Sarah's grandmother.  That was unnecessary.

I thought it was an excellent illustration of accepting Zeke for who he is and rooting for him.  We are predisposed to think an older generation is unable to embrace transexuality.  More stories like this in the media are needed! 

[DonitsYum]

On what planet did Brad think he could beat Sarah at a final tribal? Nobody on that jury would have voted for Tai, except maybe Aubrey, I don't care what Jeff's "what if" scenario said.

[Whimsy]

I separated out most of the live chat,  but there are still some posts here that quoted from there. It was just too much to scroll through with this thread both the live chat and the episode discussion thread. 

[Bryce Lynch]

10 minutes ago, DonitsYum said:

On what planet did Brad think he could beat Sarah at a final tribal? Nobody on that jury would have voted for Tai, except maybe Aubrey, I don't care what Jeff's "what if" scenario said.

i believe the jurors who said they would have voted Tai, but it is a moot point and Troy said he would have voted for Brad in the tiebreaker, so he clearly made a million dollar mistake by taking Sarah rather than Tai to FTC.

I could sort of understand Brad thinking "devious, flipping Sarah" might not do well with the jury, especially if it was full of Bitter Betties.  

For me, what made Brad's error so horrible was that he apparently did not even consider who would be a bigger threat with the jury.  Tai "lied to him and betrayed him" (It's Survivor, Dummy!) so he HAD to be voted out.  It was a matter of pride! 

If he had simply read the jury wrong and chosen the wrong person to bring to FTC that would be much, more forgivable. 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, backformore said:

Probst's hypothetical question "what if Brad had voted Sarah out instead of Tai?"  was flawed.  a 5 - 5 tie?  Maybe.   But, it's also possible that Troyzan would have received a vote or two, and then it wouldn't have been tied.   People who voted Sarah over Brad, might not have voted for Tai.  If they were voting "anyone but Brad", they may have voted for Troyzan.

I don't think Troyzan would've received votes, since all 10 raised their hand for either Brad or Tai.  I think the jurors understood the question and 'voted' as accurately as they thought they could under the circumstances.  But what I think it tough to mentally consider is that Tai *could* maybe have swung some votes his way by his replies at tribal, if he'd been in that seat instead of Sarah.  Probably not, but maybe.  Also, would the jurors really consider Brad such a bad choice withOUT his fatal error of taking Sarah to FTC,  and without her much better remarks at FTC?  

But I think in the end no one wants to give the money to anyone who (1) doesn't need the money and (2) freely admits they don't care about the money.  Or that commits insurance fraud despite not needing the money.  

7 hours ago, GaT said:

Sierra’s eyebrows look a lot more normal when she’s wearing makeup, not completely normal, but close.

We think she's stunning in makeup.  I actually made an eyebrow tat appt.  Though mine are dark, just sparse, so I won't have that odd 'gold wires on brown tats' look.  And I'll get the sort of tat that is individual hairs, not a block of solid brown.

6 hours ago, HahYallDoin said:

Agreed. 

He also looks like an idiot who doesnt know that you never wear a tie with a short sleeved shirt. Wonder if the moron wears short sleeves with his suit coat in court. 

His porn star 'stache is ridiculous as well! 

I thought he looked like a young Gerald McRaney or an old Tom Hanks, playing someone with no style.  His attempts at recycling his bully image and getting Jeff to NOT prove he'd cut his own throat by taking Sarah were funny.  Good for Jeff for not letting him squirm out of that one.  

4 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

They didn't put this online till a million o'clock!  I've just finished watching and it's 2AM. 

CBS forces me to purchase All Access by withholding the finales for Amazon Prime customers for DAYS.  They suck.  

4 hours ago, Nashville said:

Was it just me, or did anybody else think when Aubry made her first Jury appearance she looked absolutely smoking hawt...?  :)

My teen daughter now wants a perm so she can have Aubry's hair.  We think she's beautiful.  

[vibeology]

52 minutes ago, rebeccalj said:

I started watching Survivor in the last few years or so.  So, I'm not sure if I've ever seen Cirie play before, but based on this season I am not impressed.  She seems like a perfectly lovely person, but as a player she sucks.  She sucked at challenges and she made some really fucking stupid mistakes (ie. the vote stealing thing) that I just can't forget.  I really cannot see why people like her as a player whatsoever.  To me, she seems like someone who gets dragged along by the coattails of others who are actually playing.  

As someone who has watched Cirie every time she's played, this was easily her worst game. She made far more mistakes here than in the past, though circumstances were against her too. Voting out Andrea instead of Brad was dumb. Trying the whole vote stealing thing was a problem too because even if it had worked, Sarah was never going to be okay with that move. I don't blame her for not knowing about the fine print since everyone has said Cirie was only given the advantage as the tribe was heading out to TC so she would never have had time to read it. Still, just trying it was a mistake in my mind because it was always going to push Sarah away from her and towards Brad and Troy. Also, this was her worst performance that I can remember in terms of challenges. Cirie is never winning a physical challenge but even her puzzle game was weak this season. I don't know if it's Survivor fatigue or what but I do get why, if this is your only exposure, you don't get the hype.

[jzygayle]

17 minutes ago, DonitsYum said:

On what planet did Brad think he could beat Sarah at a final tribal? Nobody on that jury would have voted for Tai, except maybe Aubrey, I don't care what Jeff's "what if" scenario said.

This.  I didn't think anyone could top Tai's stupid move of telling Culpeper that he had two idols.  And then Culpeper chose Sarah instead of Tai--snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[JustCrazy]

Jeff is such a dick.  The pissing contests between Jeff and the show's alpha males is pathetic.  "Oh, and Sarah, you played a good game, too." WTF, Jeff.  I'm not sure who should be more insulted by Jeff's comments....Brad or Sarah.

I don't remember Sarah in her first season.  Apparently her behavior was something she later felt asamed of, but she played a brilliant game this time around.  None of the final three would have been my choice.

I freakin LOVE Michaela!!!  Have I said that already? ?

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, vibeology said:

As someone who has watched Cirie every time she's played, this was easily her worst game. She made far more mistakes here than in the past, though circumstances were against her too. Voting out Andrea instead of Brad was dumb. Trying the whole vote stealing thing was a problem too because even if it had worked, Sarah was never going to be okay with that move. I don't blame her for not knowing about the fine print since everyone has said Cirie was only given the advantage as the tribe was heading out to TC so she would never have had time to read it. Still, just trying it was a mistake in my mind because it was always going to push Sarah away from her and towards Brad and Troy. Also, this was her worst performance that I can remember in terms of challenges. Cirie is never winning a physical challenge but even her puzzle game was weak this season. I don't know if it's Survivor fatigue or what but I do get why, if this is your only exposure, you don't get the hype.

I think she should've read the fine print *and* realized what non-transferable meant, in that context.  But I think if that move had worked out, it could've been a great move and if the stars aligned right, might've been the resume point that won her the game.  I think Sarah would've forgiven her once she realized it might've been the only thing allowing Sarah to survive that night.  Sarah apologized to Cirie and shut down Tai immediately after Tai admitted he threw Sarah's name out there to Cirie.  

Cirie is a master because she helped engineer a crazy move that DID work out in a past season.  They won't always but I'd much rather see people try them than not.  A non-win is a non-win.  

I didn't love that Troy didn't go out swinging, for example.  He realized he'd badly misjudged his chances and just lay down at tribal.  

One thing I don't love about the 'Cirie on the couch' thing is it feels vaguely racist and/or ageist to me.  I know in this case it is Cirie herself who labeled herself a couch potato who decided to get off.  But the fact Jeff glommed onto that and repeats it and repeats it feels subtly wrong.  I love that Jeff thanked US the viewers, for still watching.  But I'm not sure I love the suggestion that we all should maybe get off the couch and audition for reality tv.  Nuh uh.  

[Drogo]

What Tai says:  "I have two idols, Brad."

What Brad hears:  "You have two idols, Brad."

What Brad does with this information:

[ProfCrash]

ah, there is the asshole, bullying Brad that I remember so well. Brad does not seem to get that strong arming people doesn't work. On top of that, he is an emotional player. Why did he get rid of Tai when he could have brought a goat to the final tribal? Why the hell would he bring Sara? Seriously, she got along with everyone even after voting out their alliance mates.  But Tai made Brad angry. Brad did not get the idol from Tai and allow Brad to control him so Tai had to be voted out.

Yeah, it took all season but there was the asshole. Props to his puzzle acumen. He did a great job with those. I expect him to win challenges because he was a professional athlete. He should win games that involve running, throwing and lifting stuff. The puzzle wins are more impressive but I don't think anyone thinks of him as a dumb jock, he is a lawyer. That means he has enough intelligence and perseverance to go far in school and pass the bar exam. Those are not easy things to do.

But my god his strong arm tactics were painful to watch. There is no subtly there. And he was happily bragging about his condensation and bullying. He was freaking celebrating his bullying with Troyzan.

And then there is Tai being Tai. He can never win the game because he cannot lie or intentionally hurt people and winning the game really does entail the willingness to lie and stab people in the back. He is a good guy who is great at finding idols but he cannot win this game. I love that he stood up to Brad and tried to find another way to deal with that mess.

Troyzan was useless. He was invisible and did nothing. He was such a non-entity in the game that no one cared about him at tribal. So, yeah. That was a waste of space.

I loved Sara's tribal performance. I loved that someone asked her straight up how she could be so friendly and personal with people and then stab her in the back. Her argument was perfect. My job requires that I act the role fully or bad things happen and that made it possible for me to do it in this game. I also think she was honest that she liked the people she hurt and it bothered her but she knew that she had to do it to win the game.

And fuck Ozzy. Ozzy lost every time you play because you are an idiot. People can handle starving for a week or two to win the money. Your fishing does nothing to advance your game. And you are screwed when you lose immunity because people know that you are a target. Brad was on the bottom for a good portion of the game. He didn't have to play a good social game. And we saw his game when he has any type of power. Egotistical, wanna be dictator, bullying asshole. Just because you are a physical threat does not mean you deserve to win. Learn to play nice with people and form a freaking alliance that might stick together.

I am not surprised that Debbie voted for Brad. She is the person who will latch on to the Alpha because it makes her feel special. And she is always going to be angry at the person who takes her out because she has to be the best at everything. How dare you beat me?

Cirie's ouster is a clear example that there are far too many idols and advantages in the game. Cirie received no votes but is sent home. That is just wrong. She did everything she needed to do and still gets screwed. Just BS.

[Special K]

I feel like I was being punked by Brad's look at the reunion.  Like he was trying to dress like a 1950s NASA engineeer.....why?  To make me think he's smart or something?  Seriously that was the biggest mind-f*ck of the whole thing, and that counts Cirie's ouster as well.

God help me, but I love Troyzan.  He just loves Survivor and life.  I liked this final FTC speech.  He knew he wasn't winning, and he was full of gratitude and humility. 

Debbie, what a fool, with that Brad tongue-bath.  At least Ozzy's made sense. 

Aubry, Michaela, Cirie, Sierra all looked really really beautiful at the reunion. 

2 hours ago, ItsJessMe said:

 

2. I loved Michaela's question to Brad and his stumbling over the answer.  But he said she went to Texas Christian U.  I clearly remember from her first season her saying she went to UPenn.  She didn't correct him at final tribal though.  I'm confused.

That was Cydney, the gorgeous bodybuilder, who went to U Penn.  And kept it secret, I think, to downplay her intellect.

[rasalas]

19 minutes ago, vibeology said:

As someone who has watched Cirie every time she's played, this was easily her worst game.

Seriously. All of the advantages and HIIs passed out this season were a joke. But they were available to Cirie just as they were to everyone else. She didn't work to find or get them. The others did -- save for Aubrey, but her close relationship with Tai made the difference there. So while it was a shame the way Cirie left this season, she did play a part in it.