S36: Rumors and Spoilers

[LadyChatts]

Hopefully it's okay to start this thread, as S36 is a ways off from airing.  But rumors and spoilers are already coming out about the season so I thought it should have its own thread.

The theme for S36 is Ghost Island, and today Redmond updated what that is going to mean for the season.

http://insidesurvivor.com/survivor-season-36-title-revealed-28030

Quote

Inside Survivor understands that Ghost Island will be more similar to Exile Island (but with a twist) than Redemption Island. It will be a separate location castaways are sent to throughout the game for short periods of time. It WILL NOT be a “ghost tribe” like the abandoned Season 30 version where eliminated players wait for a chance to reenter the game.

Still not much to go on, but at least it's not a tribe of castoffs that get to re-enter the game at the final 5, as was the original plan when they planned on doing this for S30. 

I believe filming started last week, and if it's the same as S34, they should be done by mid July.

[azshadowwalker]

I actually don't hate the original idea, except for the very late re-entry. That person has no shot to win with just 2 days to integrate, so why bother? But there was an earlier re-entry option and the swapping option. With a returnee season, I see that working, because there's a known history to base the swap on. With newbies, it would be almost assuredly be based on alpha appearance. Fuck that. 

[LadyChatts]

You can see in the background a challenge set up (looks like the boring water basketball challenge).  This was on June 11th, so I'm wondering if this is a two tribe season, or if they had already done a swap since there's only two colors present in the background.

[LadyChatts]

Here's the new logo for the season.  It was posted by Lynn Spillman.  Filming should be over any day.  Not sure about the theme but the logo is one of the best they've done in a long time.

Edited July 11, 2017 by LadyChatts

[SVNBob]

It is pretty cool.  I like the flaming Easter Island-style heads, and the silhouettes of the islands, trees, and ship on the moon making a skull is a nice thematic touch.

While it'd be cool to see this banner on "Ghost Island" itself, assuming there is such a location, I bet this is near production's camp.  The driftwood structure looks like it has been used for things like this before.  And since they're still filming in Fiji, I can imagine that they've done this for every season filmed there.

[LanceM]

The season 36 cast has been reveled with only one unidentified female.

http://insidesurvivor.com/cast/season-36-cast-revealed57579

[LadyChatts]

I think I like them better than the S35 cast already.  

Although really young.

Edited July 16, 2017 by LadyChatts

[Silver Raven]

They're changing how the Final Three are determined.

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2017/07/survivor-heroes-healers-hustlers-final-four-change/

[LadyChatts]

Here's another update on Ghost Island: http://insidesurvivor.com/survivor-season-36-title-revealed-28030

Quote

UPDATE 08/18/17: In a further update on the Ghost Island concept, Inside Survivor understands that Ghost Island will be populated with advantages from past seasons. These advantages are said to be ones associated with past mistakes, such as Erik Reichenbach’s Immunity Necklace and James Clement’s two Hidden Immunity Idols. It’s unclear at this moment whether all the advantages will be located on Ghost Island at the same time nor is it clear if/how a castaway will be able to utilize these advantages.

Because the 100 idols they give in this game aren't enough, and now the final 4 being decided by whoever holds immunity/tie breaker, why not give them more advantages?  I'm hoping there's more to it than a castaway being able to just find these advantages, like an idol on EI, and it's something else game related.  But knowing this show, if they don't directly get an immunity necklace or two idols, then it'll probably be some other safety net.  We may finally have a TC where everyone is safe!

Edited August 22, 2017 by LadyChatts

[azshadowwalker]

"Advantages". Just what the show needs more of. Ugh. 

[LadyChatts]

I'm curious what exactly it's going to be-will an immunity necklace be hidden on the island, or will it just be some kind of other advantage (like a legacy advantage with a different name).  Also, what are some other Survivor blunders?

JT giving his idol to Russell, tanking the Heroes game (well, at least being the major factor-if they had listened to Sandra and voted off Russell, Parvati's double idol play wouldn't have mattered).  Tyson changing his vote to Parvati, and getting himself voted out.  Then there was this past season with two JT blunders-telling his old tribe who they were voting for, and inadvertently securing his ally Malcolm's vote.  Then not bringing his idol to TC because he felt safe, and getting voted off (of course that applies to way more than just him).  Jason gives his idol to Scot, and Scot gets voted off with it.  Stephen blowing his vote steal by splitting it between two people because of his ego.  So basically, are we just looking at an island overloaded with idols and immunity advantages?  Yeah, sounds about right for this show.

Why am I thinking Ghost Island is going to be a twist that lasts the first part of the game, then becomes a non factor once the merge happens.

I'm also surprised the entire cast except for one has been revealed.

[LanceM]

Well the 20th person and last female has finally been revealed. And as everyone suspected it is an old fogey.  And by old fogey I mean to say Angela Perkins  is 43 which is pretty ancient compared to the rest of the kids on this season,

http://insidesurvivor.com/cast/season-36-cast-revealed-57579

[LadyChatts]

From that photo she looks like she could be 25.  So maybe like Chrissy this season, she'll lie about her age.  This must be the youngest Survivor cast ever.  I can't wait to see how Probst spins it!

[azshadowwalker]

Not only extremely young, but a huge number of models. Like someone in the comments said, this looks like a Big Brother cast. I don't hate young, pretty people, but this is really pushing it. 

[LadyChatts]

All they need to do is close off the upstairs, rip out the kitchen, and decorate the house to look like a jungle, because we are as close to BB as we can get otherwise.  And I'm still curious how the Ghost Island theme is going to work.  After the huge reaction to Cirie getting idoled out, I can't believe they are going to just give out more safety nets that could cause another Cirie ouster.  Or was Probst and company salivating at what great TV they thought Cirie's boot was (negative reactions be damned), that they want to make it happen again?  There has to be some kind of repercussion to getting those advantages, or it's not automatic immunity, automatic double idols if you find them.

Edited September 19, 2017 by LadyChatts

[Hanahope]

On 9/19/2017 at 6:30 PM, LadyChatts said:

All they need to do is close off the upstairs, rip out the kitchen, and decorate the house to look like a jungle, because we are as close to BB as we can get otherwise.

At least Survivor hasn't lowered itself to BB's latest gimmick of using celebrities.  No doubt celebs would balk at being stranded on an island without showers, clean clothes, beds, regular food.

[SVNBob]

11 hours ago, Hanahope said:

At least Survivor hasn't lowered itself to BB's latest gimmick of using celebrities.

• Jimmy Johnson
• Lisa Whelchel
• Jonathan Penner (on his first appearance)
• Scot Pollard
• Cliff Robinson
• John Rocker
• Jeff Kent

I know you mean that Survivor hasn't stooped to a "celebrity season" (beyond their own celebrities in All-Star or FvF seasons), but there have been a few celebs on Survivor.

[Hanahope]

Yeah, a couple mixed in isn't too bad, but I shudder at thinking of an entire cast of them. 

[LadyChatts]

I think the closest we've seen to Survivor meets an entire "celeb" cast is I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here.  I didn't watch the first one, but wasn't the second one filmed on a soundstage in Costa Rica?  And Heidi and her hubby Spencer Pratt couldn't even handle that.  Anyway, considering the caliber of celebs other shows get, I'm sure Survivor wouldn't do much better than the reality show D lister.  I don't even know if they could do like Dancing with the Stars and get pop stars and former child stars from decades past (the above names being the exception).  I don't know, I hope it never comes to that.  I hate seeing super fans play up characters and geek out for Probst's approval and to score a return invite.  I couldn't imagine a full cast of celebs who think they are more famous than they really are whining about sleeping in the rain, not eating, crying, nd being completely fake to the camera.  I can see why CBS is going the route for Big Brother this year.  It's winter, and going up against the Olympics, so seems like a decent fit to fill the slot until the spring.

[LanceM]

On 9/15/2017 at 7:49 PM, LadyChatts said:

From that photo she looks like she could be 25.  So maybe like Chrissy this season, she'll lie about her age.  This must be the youngest Survivor cast ever.  I can't wait to see how Probst spins it!

Yep.  This season is by far the youngest cast ever with an average age of just under 28.  The next two youngest are China and Pearl Islands each of which clock in with an average of just under 31.

[LadyChatts]

http://insidesurvivor.com/survivor-ghost-island-tribe-names-divisions-30948

Tribe names and divisions for S36.  Hope we get a little insight during the S35 what the theme is, though I'm pretty sure the speculation that it involves past mistakes that turn into advantages for this group is going to be correct.

Jeff made a brief video appearance at the live Know It Alls recently, and he said something along the lines of hoping everyone liked next season and stuck with them.  I didn't watch the video myself, but some people on other sites think he might be nervous how it goes (especially if there's idols and advantages falling out of the sky).

Edited December 18, 2017 by LadyChatts

[Wandering Snark]

Wow, so somebody is going to get all the idols James went home with in his bag?

Really this is the game basing a season on how great a game they think it is, this has Probst written allllll over it. This season will be like one continuing series of the game's makers masturbating to their own image. 

Jeez, I usually hate whatever they say will be the next 'great amazing mindblowing idea' but this one already goes too far.

ETA: Oh and I forgot that Probst already let us all down about next season using the same 'advantage' that Crissy got for winning the last immunity, which was so bad that I knew it had to be run again... damn.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Wandering Snark

[LadyChatts]

This was an original idea for WA, except it was different with people re-entering the game at like the final 5 or something.  Which makes me wonder, will they have the return of the Outcast Tribe?  That was still haunting Savage during SC.  Oh, and Savage got the double whammy because then he got idoled out as well.

I'm so confused how these mistakes are going to be implemented into the game.  You'd think that after Cirie, they'd cool it on the idols and advantages.  And do they have a chosen one next season that will get Erik's immunity necklace on top of their own, and everyone idol misplayed, and every advantage misplayed.  Hey, that one person could basically run 5 TC.  Can they not find actual super fans or just recruits that can strategize the old fashioned way?

Edited December 21, 2017 by LadyChatts

[Wandering Snark]

LC: As they say the game of Survivor is always deevolving. They don't cast like they used to. And they put all their wonderful idols and advantages ahead of the players actually, like, DOING something themselves to earn a win. It's Scavenger Hunt FTW. They have no desire, apparently, to try and recreat "old" survivor just this concept of what "modern" survivor is/has become. And no, I don't like it a bit and this season seems to be lining up as the most "twisted" ever. They appear to have gotten their Big Brother in my Survivor.

[MissEwa]

I live in a relatively small Survivor-fandom bubble (here and, before it turned terrible, the AV Club) but do all those fans Jeff meets on the street *like* all the idols and advantages? I feel like, at least here, we've been asking for a no-idols/less-idols/back-to-basics season for ages so it's boggling to me that they're rewarding us by... making idols and advantages the focus point of a whole season. Yay!

Also I get having a season where you bring back people who made dumb moves that cost them the game, but I don't get how you bring back the ghosts of old mistakes with new players? Are they going to have fake idols mixed in with real ones? Even more advantages? Encourage players to give away immunity? Unless it is literally just that they are using the actual props from those mistakes and that is the entire crappy gimmick.

But still, it has got to be better than this season, right? 

[LadyChatts]

9 minutes ago, MissEwa said:

I live in a relatively small Survivor-fandom bubble (here and, before it turned terrible, the AV Club) but do all those fans Jeff meets on the street *like* all the idols and advantages? I feel like, at least here, we've been asking for a no-idols/less-idols/back-to-basics season for ages so it's boggling to me that they're rewarding us by... making idols and advantages the focus point of a whole season. Yay!

Also I get having a season where you bring back people who made dumb moves that cost them the game, but I don't get how you bring back the ghosts of old mistakes with new players? Are they going to have fake idols mixed in with real ones? Even more advantages? Encourage players to give away immunity? Unless it is literally just that they are using the actual props from those mistakes and that is the entire crappy gimmick.

But still, it has got to be better than this season, right? 

The thing with fake idols being show confused me.  Are they going to plant fake idols out there and see if people fall for them?  If so, cool.  But why show that otherwise?  Does that just mean more real idols, or is that just part of the theme to be careful for fake idols.  Really, this theme and twist will probably end up being like any other Survivor season.  Unless there's stipulations on the idols/advantages/etc, what difference does it make?  Just plant more idols and advantages.

By the looks of the cast, I'm not overly hopeful, but sometimes they look terrible on paper and end up being amazing,  Back in the day, I typically preferred spring seasons to fall seasons anyway.  Not so much anymore, but at this point, anything's gotta be an improvement over this season.  I just hope we don't have a Tai or Ben that says they want an idol, and boom, there's an idol.

Edited December 21, 2017 by LadyChatts

[LadyChatts]

http://ew.com/tv/2017/12/20/survivor-ghost-island-jeff-probst-season-36/

Here's an article about next season.  Sounds like Ghost Island is going to basically be Exile Island, if I'm reading that correctly.  And all 35 torch snuffers are there and they will be sleeping under them, I guess so they can haunt their dreams.  They have the actual items of past Survivors mistakes, and those will be the idols and advantages.  But, so James had 2 HII that he was voted out with.  If someone finds one, does that mean they automatically get two?  Will Jason's infamous stick with a face idol make a comeback and be a working idol?  I'm intrigued, but it sounds like the same old, same old.  Also, it wouldn't be Probst without him saying something like this:

Quote

Anything else you can tease or hint at for this next season?
Ghost Island has an attitude. It’s a cocky island and it will taunt you. But if you are up for a challenge, it could be your salvation.

 

Edited December 21, 2017 by LadyChatts

[MissEwa]

58 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

http://ew.com/tv/2017/12/20/survivor-ghost-island-jeff-probst-season-36/

Here's an article about next season.  Sounds like Ghost Island is going to basically be Exile Island, if I'm reading that correctly.  And all 35 torch snuffers are there and they will be sleeping under them, I guess so they can haunt their dreams.  They have the actual items of past Survivors mistakes, and those will be the idols and advantages.  But, so James had 2 HII that he was voted out with.  If someone finds one, does that mean they automatically get two?  Will Jason's infamous stick with a face idol make a comeback and be a working idol?  I'm intrigued, but it sounds like the same old, same old.  Also, it wouldn't be Probst without him saying something like this:

 

So it's possible it's basically an exile-island season with props from the past 35 seasons (and maybe some extra exile weirdness)? I could cope with that. 

[PhoneCop]

WTF does that even mean, Jeff.

So it's on the players to take on the assembled bad mojo of JP's private collection of torch snuffers and find a way to reverse it for themselves, got it. Well, I guess that's one way to make "Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers" sound less stupid.

I dunno. Maybe it'll make more sense when we have more information. And I'll go in with an open mind. Plus it can hardly be a less engaging cast than the one we just finished with, right?

[LadyChatts]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/survivor-ghost-island-jeff-probst-mark-burnett-preview-new-seasons-twists-1069737

So it sounds like some of the bad decisions of Survivors past won't necessarily be in play, but at least around as a reminder:

Quote

The torch snuffers, the immunity idols and necklaces and other assorted relics from Survivor lore are not only on display — some of these relics are actually in play. In that regard, executive producer and series creator Mark Burnett, joining Probst and THR backstage at the live Survivor finale, reminisces about one of the most famous bad decisions ever made on Survivor, dating back to the 16th season, the first Fans vs. Favorites edition: Ozzy Lusth's fake immunity idol, an extraordinarily kind way of describing a stick shrouded in cloth, discovered by fan Jason Siska, given to veteran Eliza Orlins and ultimately played for the ruse that it was.

And Ozzy's infamous horrible fake idol that Jason thought was real apparently will make an appearance:

Quote

Could we see the "effing stick" rear its head again when someone visits Ghost Island? According to Probst: "One hundred percent."

[peachmangosteen]

I ... still don't get it lol.

[LadyChatts]

18 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I ... still don't get it lol.

I thought I did and now I'm confused again lol

So it sounds like they are having Exile Island again, but will call it Ghost Island instead.  This season of newbies, which is what makes this theme confusing, is basically trying not to repeat the mistakes of Survivors past (Erik giving up immunity to Natalie, then getting voted off; Stephen stealing Joe's vote, then arrogantly using his own vote and Joe's vote for two separate people, thus getting himself voted off; people going home with idols in their pockets; and being named JT, because that in itself is a curse).  Ghost Island has all 35 torch snuffers to remind players of seasons past, and it sounds like some artifacts of mistakes made (like one of James's two idols he went home with, and Jason's fake idol I'm guessing) are around on Ghost Island to again remind players to be alert and wary.  Of course, past idols/advantages are coming into play as well, though I don't know if that is more super idols along with regular idols or what (like Scot getting voted off with Jason's half idol after Tai refused to combine his with him, making that super idol powers activate).  So basically, it sounds like it'll be nothing different for idols and advantages, just ones we've seen before.  And since they don't want to leave Fiji, they have to come up with something to call this season.  Maybe it was too soon to do MvsGX again.  

So we get Ghost Island, which is just Exile Island that's designed to look like some haunted place of Survivor mistakes.  And we get idols and advantages that have shown up in past season's of Survivor, which again is nothing new. (I'm assuming vote steal, extra vote, and legacy advantage will be back)  They are just basing this theme on whether new players will make the same mistakes of past Survivors.  Too bad they didn't think of it for S34.  Calling that season Ghost Island instead of Game Changers might have made more sense, since a lot of those contestants could say they made bad decisions and mistakes vs changing the game in some way.

Edited December 22, 2017 by LadyChatts

[peachmangosteen]

That helps @LadyChatts, so thank you.

It sounds like it's like every other themed season; the theme means nothing really and it's just exactly like it always is lol.

Edited December 22, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[Special K]

It really seems that this would be a better "theme" for a returnees season.

[ProfCrash]

I would prefer Ghost Island being bringing back people who are haunted by their loss by their stupid game play rather then whatever the hell this coming season is going to be.

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, this really only makes sense for a returnees season. I wonder if that was the initial plan and it fell through and rather than come up with a new idea they just used it with newbies.

[Special K]

9 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I would prefer Ghost Island being bringing back people who are haunted by their loss by their stupid game play rather then whatever the hell this coming season is going to be.

Yeah, and if they are recruits, they won't know what the hell Jeff is talking about anyway.

[marys1000]

If they are all superfans they would be familiar.  Still not sure how this works though. 

Like....don't fall asleep in the fire!  Or wasn't it Stephanie who ate the chicken going against some superstitution and it rained and everyone was super pissed at her?

So...don't eat the chicken!  

Don't lie about your grandmother.....don't lose your mind like Brandon, don't throw all the riice in the fire or annoy everyone like Abi...so many mistakes aren't associated with idols etc. 

Edited December 23, 2017 by marys1000

[cooksdelight]

Ratings would go through the roof if they’d go back to season 1, no big food rewards, no idols.... just surviving. I’m getting bored.

[LadyChatts]

I loved the rewards back in the early days.  One candy bar to split between 6 people.  One slice of pizza.  The fact that they utilized clues, like a can of dog food they got that the Tagi tribe ended up cooking for themselves.  Or a reward that was parachuted in, and they used the parachute as part of their shelter.  Tagi actually had one of the best camps I've ever seen on this show.  I'm amazed that people still lose weight on this show with all the food they get.

[peachmangosteen]

Not this again!

But it did make me think about how funny it'd be if they recruited a bunch of bartenders in LA and then the season was old school with no idols or advantages and the rewards were a 2 liter of Mountain Dew and a bag of Doritos.

[LadyChatts]

8 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Not this again!

But it did make me think about how funny it'd be if they recruited a bunch of bartenders in LA and then the season was old school with no idols or advantages and the rewards were a 2 liter of Mountain Dew and a bag of Doritos.

I just mostly want to see how these so-called super fans who claim they've watched since season 1 handle it.  

Maybe this is why Survivor has gotten so stale.  They don't have sponsors like Target, Mountain Dew, and Home Deport plastered everywhere for rewards.  So they can't get as creative and have to just say 'hey, here's a bunch of food and some really cushy chairs and blankets.'  I mean, even in Palau they got a shelter hand built for them as a reward, and also clean water for their bathroom that they had to construct on their own.  It was probably one of the cushier moments this show had seen, yet something didn't seem as 'gimme, gimme, gimme' about it.  They still had to work to get it.  

[anthonyd46]

I looked at the video closer. 

The ghost island paper says:

Ghost Island Game Of Chance:

I'll Wager

Feeling Lucky?

So it sounds like they need to put something on the line to get these advantages. No idea what kind of wager this thing is, but its far from just a scavenger hunt it sounds like. You don't just get handed these advantages you need to give something up for them.

[peachmangosteen]

Great, let's add more luck to the game. Perfect. That's what was needed.

[anthonyd46]

Someone made a video of all the important things in the promo:

Video

I added some still images of the note and the player faces from that video here:

Still Images

[LadyChatts]

Truthfully, I'd be fine if they had to give something up to gain something.  It's kind of like how some seasons started, where the contestants had to pick someone they trust, and that person was tempted with an idol clue or a bag of food for their tribe.  That helped lead to So's downfall during WA, and it wasn't even her fault.  

But this season would be a bust of people don't give something up to get an advantage, so I'm sure whatever they have to wager won't be a big deal.

[anthonyd46]

4 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Truthfully, I'd be fine if they had to give something up to gain something.  It's kind of like how some seasons started, where the contestants had to pick someone they trust, and that person was tempted with an idol clue or a bag of food for their tribe.  That helped lead to So's downfall during WA, and it wasn't even her fault.  

But this season would be a bust of people don't give something up to get an advantage, so I'm sure whatever they have to wager won't be a big deal.

They have bet on teams or individuals to win immunity challenges before I wonder if it could be something like that. 

AlI know is the way that paper is read there's no way its just like a normal idol and they find it. Like you said with the rice bag might be a good guess.

However it says "Game of Chance" that wouldn't be a guaranteed outcome. Could they put something on the line for their tribe and not get the advantage if they fail as well as the tribe being screwed?

Edited December 29, 2017 by anthonyd46

[anthonyd46]

Someone on Reddit suggested it might just be what they did in Tocantins which was there was two bottles/boxes one bottle had an idol clue the other bottle had nothing. The difference would be one "box" would have the "mistake" advantage that has actual power (JT's idol he gave to Russell), the other box would have the "mistake" advantage that has no power (the stick idol). This sounds very plausible to me.

Edited December 30, 2017 by anthonyd46

[SVNBob]

Since the clip shows several "stations" on Ghost Island, each with a unique "cursed item" (I assume), my guess is the Game of Chance is about which station someone will go to, and thus which "advantage" they will get.  And later in the season, the Game may send someone to a station with an already claimed item, which could be a bust, or just some good information.

[anthonyd46]

57 minutes ago, SVNBob said:

Since the clip shows several "stations" on Ghost Island, each with a unique "cursed item" (I assume), my guess is the Game of Chance is about which station someone will go to, and thus which "advantage" they will get.  And later in the season, the Game may send someone to a station with an already claimed item, which could be a bust, or just some good information.

That sounds plausible as well, but still not sure where the part of "will they make the same mistake" fits into all this.