S35: Desiree "Desi" Williams

[Star Aristille]

Hi.  I am one of the youngest assistant professors in the country, am very well-spoken, and liken myself to Tasha from Cagayan.

I am in awe at her vocabulary, and at the answers she gives.  I can see her doing very well at all facets of the game if she can be very careful out there.  I like her already and hope she goes far.

[Hanahope]

Yeah I like her too, more than the other women. 

[LadyChatts]

One of my favorites!  Hope she goes far.

[LanceM]

Josh Wigler interview with Desi.  I am very concerned about her given that the others are looking at her already as a big threat and given that she is one of my favorites going into this season I am worried she might get taken out early. Hope I am wrong.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/survivor-season-35-player-profile-meet-desi-williams-1036735

[azshadowwalker]

I think that the only thing I really dislike about her is the recruiting aspect. I am so over people being recruited. The beauty pageant thing doesn't put her high on my list, either. People seem to be drawn to her, though, so she may be much more appealing in person. 

[Daisy]

On 9/10/2017 at 6:51 PM, azshadowwalker said:

I think that the only thing I really dislike about her is the recruiting aspect. I am so over people being recruited. The beauty pageant thing doesn't put her high on my list, either. People seem to be drawn to her, though, so she may be much more appealing in person. 

a lot of great players though have been recruited - and a lot of bad players haven't. so I don't really mind them being recruited  as long as they know how the game is. 

[LadyChatts]

I think what I hate about casting fans is the ones who come with the mentality of playing a character, trying desperately to make some big move and be some mastermind, and wanting to be memorable enough for a return invite vs wanting to win the game.  Not saying recruits can't fall into the above, either, but I notice it more from the so-called super fans more (or maybe WA and MvsGX with their super fans is still bugging me).  I do remember Redmond saying they were having trouble casting for S35 and I believe S36.  But for S35, when you have a specific theme, I can see where they'd run into trouble finding people.

Edited September 15, 2017 by LadyChatts

[KimberStormer]

I'm more sick of superfans than anything else tbh.  Max, Troyzan, Zeke, Dan Foley, fucking Adam Klein, Kass, Colton, Cochran, Neal from Kaoh Rong....superfans are garbage.  I'd be happy if I never saw one again.  Courtney Yates is a recruit, which really justifies the entire practice in my mind, but beyond that, Fiji and Cook Islands are mostly recruits, which points towards the fact that if you like diversity in Survivor, as I do, recruits are important.

Edited September 15, 2017 by KimberStormer

[azshadowwalker]

Super fan doesn't equal applicant, so that argument does exactly zero for me. Courtney as a recruit doesn't, either. ;) 

"Never seen the show until some caster gave me her card, then watched a bunch of seasons" is just as much of a problem when it comes to wanting to be a character, especially if the seasons were recent, since "character" has been the show's preference for a while now. 

Edited September 15, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[Special K]

What kind of professor teaches leadership?  I mean, as the first thing you mention.  I don't think she teaches at a business school, where you see executive classes like that.  No mean to offend, just asking. 

[Guest]

"Dr. Desiree Williams is the Director of the William R. Harvey Leadership Institute and an assistant professor of physical therapy at Hampton University. "

Interesting, another PhD.  Jessica is one, too.  A lot of healing professions and advanced degrees this season.  

That Leadership Institute is a minor available at her alma mater, Hampton Univ.  HU is pretty small... not much bigger than my teen's high school.  

Edited September 30, 2017 by Guest

[LadyChatts]

This thread deserves some more love.  Wish Desi was getting more airtime!  Was so excited to see her win the first IC.  I was nervous for her going into the merge, knowing she was probably going to be on the wrong side of numbers.  Still nervous for her going forward, since she's in the minority.  I'm glad she'll at least be on the jury, so we'll have that and Ponderosa to look forward to.

[Star Aristille]

She, Cydney from Kaoh Rong, Tasha from Cagayan, and Vecepia from Marquesas are the only four African-American women to win immunity, right?  I'm thinking there are others, but I keep remembering that Cirie (Exile Island) and Cassandra (Fiji) only won individual rewards, not immunities.

[KimberStormer]

That is some extremely distinguished company to be in, in my opinion.  Desi has been pretty blah so far to me, let's hope she can live up to those ladies!

[Special K]

On 9/29/2017 at 2:47 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

"Dr. Desiree Williams is the Director of the William R. Harvey Leadership Institute and an assistant professor of physical therapy at Hampton University. "

Interesting, another PhD.  Jessica is one, too. 

Desi has a DPT -- Doctorate of Physical Therapy.  I would guess Jessica's degree is a DNP -- Doctorate of Nursing Practice.  I work with a ton of PhDs and they know the difference.  :)  I guess the DPT/DNP degrees are more applied rather than scholarly.

Chrissy also has the terminal degree in her field (MBA) as, of course, does Doctor Mike (MD probably, maybe DO)

[LadyChatts]

Looks like Desi isn't a Chrissy fan, either.

http://xfn-blogs.xfinity.com/tv/2017/11/16/survivor-castaway-desi-dont-think-chrissy-well-liked-inside-game/

Quote

Holmes: Chrissy seems very bright, she clearly knows the game. It’s hard to tell if she’s liked by people outside of her alliance. What was your take on her?
Williams: I think you have a very accurate read on Chrissy. (Laughs)
Holmes: I do this for a living, Desi.
Williams: I don’t think she’s well-liked inside the game…and maybe even outside the game.

Quote

 

Holmes: Alright, word association time.

Holmes: Chrissy?
Williams: Annoying.

 

[Special K]

I guess that means that Desi has some internalized misogyny.  LOL  :p

[LanceM]

I am getting the sense that the other women on this season don't really like Chrissy. lol.  This is four women in a row that have all basically said the same thing.

[Daisy]

man. Desi was my winner pick too. (sigh)  it would have been nice getting to know her a bit better in game. 

[Guest]

I guess because I do like Chrissy it makes me wonder if part of the Chrissy dislike is the usual bitterness.  She had a hand in voting them out, so of course they'd feel hurt.  But then again, expert players vote people out without the hurt feelings and resentment and Desi IS a juror, so Chrissy maybe could've played that better.  Though she buddied up to Ali and was warm and that backfired.  Sounds like she was cool to Desi and that didn't work, either.  Maybe to vote people out and have them still like you, you need to be seen as ... JT?  I'm not sure how some people do it.  And how much of it is the jurors' own personalities.  

[LadyChatts]

Desi's had some other comments she made about Chrissy.  I really don't think its as much bitterness as it is they really just don't like her.  I've seen her called fake by Ali, and maybe that was a lot of her problem out there.  Someone in her alliance might throw her a bone when they get voted off and say something nice, but four people trash talking her in interviews makes me think it's more than bitterness.  They seem good natured about the rest of their experience.  Ali even conceded Ryan did the right thing, and he was probably the biggest reason for her downfall. 

I do think Chrissy believed she was playing a certain way, and maybe she was going to be portrayed a certain way, but I'm wondering if she was expecting this reaction and edit.  Maybe she doesn't care, maybe that was her intent all along.  Joe still hates her and loves the hate she's getting.

[LanceM]

I like Desi, but I am not sure if this is a good look for her..

http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1137034/survivor-desiree-williams-exclusive-interview

 

"Chrissy is one of my least favorite people in the world. These are very strong feelings, but now you've got me worked up [laughs]. Chrissy does not like women, and that's very clear, at least women who she feels threatened by. You can see back-to-back-to-back women were voted out, and Chrissy was at the helm of those decisions. She either doesn't know how to work with women or doesn't care to work with women. It might be easier to manipulate guys with her "good looks," big boobs, teeth or whatever. My take on Chrissy is she's good in this game because guys are dumb and fall for big boobs and teeth. I think Chrissy crossed the moral line in this game more than once, and for that reason I have a hard time with her as a person.

Desi is also confused why Chrissy is texting her.

" It's weird, actually, because sometimes she texts me. I'm like, we're actually not friends. I don't know that she has a good read on how much I don't like her. I don't like her."

[LadyChatts]

Well, Chrissy didn't exactly hit the IQ scale with some of the men she's aligned with.  I do feel she did that on purpose.  In previous seasons, I can't see her aligning with people like Jeremy, Spencer, Brad, Troyzan, or even Adam.

I'll be curious what others have to say about Chrissy.  Like I said, it isn't just Desi that isn't crazy about her.  Maybe she saw stuff on the show she didn't know before, and it got her even more worked up, or validated her feelings.

[peachmangosteen]

Damn, Desi is at @himela levels of Chrissy hate!

[Guest]

Yikes, that's some serious dislike. 

She's got a leg up on Chrissy in the looks dept.  I wonder why she thinks these 'dumb guys' didn't 'fall for' her or any of the other gorgeous women whom they voted out?  I just don't see Ryan, Ben, JP, Devon, Joe or Mike being under some siren spell from Chrissy.  

I wish the cameramen and editors had caught and shared some of this immoral behavior.  They're not exactly giving Chrissy a sweetheart edit so it should've made the show.  Though maybe it's still to come. 

Edited November 18, 2017 by Guest

[Jobiska]

On 11/17/2017 at 11:40 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

I wish the cameramen and editors had caught and shared some of this immoral behavior. 

Well, she seems to think swearing on one's kids' lives and not meaning it is immoral, which, in the context of Survivor and depending on what one believes about swearing on things (does she really think a lightning bolt will come down and hit the kids because Chrissy lied?), I don't agree with.  She also made a big deal about not wanting to turn on Joe but saying she would have turned on him before Final Three--which to me is a little less moral than the swearing thing, but whatever.  I didn't mind Desi in the game and I think in Ponderosa she's an absolute sweetheart but I agree, this interview is not a good look.

[ProfCrash]

From that same interview

"DW: I don't think my partnership with Joe is why I got voted out. I think if you ask anybody else who played the game, they would say the same thing. I was a challenge threat. People liked me well enough. That's why I was voted out of the game, not because I was working with Joe. If anything, my partnership with Joe would've helped long-term because if both of us get further in the game nobody wants to keep him around."

"SK: At this point, who do you think is playing the strongest game?

DW: I think Chrissy. We've seen Chrissy lead four votes in a row. So while I don't like her as a person, she's playing a hell of a game. She's still winning through the game by manipulating these men to vote her way time after time. For whatever reason, they don't see her as a threat even though she's controlling all the moves. It's an interesting thing that's going on. I don't like Chrissy one bit, but she's playing a hell of a game."

"SK: Did you have a plan on who you wanted to go to the final three with?

DW: I definitely had a plan on who I wanted to sit next to. J.P. is one of them because he was confused always. I went back and forth between Cole and Devon. Cole made fatal flaws over and over and over again. For Devon, when the final three talks at that final Tribal Council, he wasn't going to form a sentence that made it convincing to vote for him."

OK, so Chrissy hates women and did not want to work with Desi but Desi was voted out because she was a threat and wanted to take two of the three men that Chrissy was working with because Desi knew she could beat them because they were not going to do well at final tribal?

Is it at all possible that Chrissy has not wanted to work with the women because they were a threat to her winning? Desi admits that many of the men were easy to manipulate and would be easy to beat at final tribal. So Chrissy should have been jumping for joy and want to work with people who would be harder to beat?

And once again, there is no mention of Ryan hating women and not wanting to work with women, even though he has been involved in voting off pretty much all the same women that Chrissy has been responsible for.

Sick of the double standard. I love Desi's Ponderosa but this interview did her no favors.

[peachmangosteen]

I'm not gonna touch the stuff about Chirssy having an issue with women anymore because the people who don't see it never will so it's pointless.

But as for Desi, yea, I'm pretty much over her. That interview where she was going on about Chirssy's boobs and teeth was really gross. Although I honestly almost wonder if she was misquoted or something because she never has come off like that before. Or maybe she was drunk or something lol.

Based on the above it sounds like she had no idea what was going on. She sucked at the game.

Now this:

Quote

"SK: At this point, who do you think is playing the strongest game?

DW: I think Chrissy. We've seen Chrissy lead four votes in a row. So while I don't like her as a person, she's playing a hell of a game. She's still winning through the game by manipulating these men to vote her way time after time. For whatever reason, they don't see her as a threat even though she's controlling all the moves. It's an interesting thing that's going on. I don't like Chrissy one bit, but she's playing a hell of a game."

I super agree with and it's exactly how I feel about Chirssy.

Edited November 20, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[ProfCrash]

31 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I'm not gonna touch the stuff about Chirssy having an issue with women anymore because the people who don't see it never will so it's pointless.

But as for Desi, yea, I'm pretty much over her. That interview where she was going on about Chirssy's boobs and teeth was really gross. Although I honestly almost wonder if she was misquoted or something because she never has come off like that before. Or maybe she was drunk or something lol.

Based on the above it sounds like she had no idea what was going on. She sucked at the game.

Now this:

I super agree with and it's exactly how I feel about Chirssy.

I see why people are making that argument, I simply disagree. I think it is easy to see that there are other, good reasons for Chrissy to have voted out the people that she did. I think that the women were stronger players this season and I have no problem with someone in the game noticing that and voting those people out. I would far prefer to play against a Cole, Devon or JP in the final 7 then I would Desi, Jessica or Ali.

I think Chrissy is playing a great game but she is unlikeable. It is clear that she has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way both when playing the game and as she is portrayed on the show. Something about her is not exactly likeable. I do wonder how much of Desi and some of the other dislike is being feed by watching the show and what happened in Ponderosa. Because most of the interviews sound like poor losers who are tagging on one person for their loss and not really looking at their own game play. But it is clear that Chrissy was seen as unapproachable by some people out there.

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Although I honestly almost wonder if she was misquoted or something because she never has come off like that before. Or maybe she was drunk or something lol.

I chalk it up to her being smart enough to know, or told beforehand, that that sheknows.com site probably has about 100 readers so she could let her hair down and be as un-PC as she wanted.  Then again she should be smart enough to know it's the internet and it could be seen by future employers or anyone.  Who knows, though.  I imagine it's tough to do the interview circuit after your boot episode and have to keep commenting on the same crap over and over, and try to be charming and gracious if you're feeling more bitter and pissed off.  It might be a nice vent to just bitch for a change.  Was she bitter on RHAP?  

[ProfCrash]

No, she was great on RHAP. Or at least, I do not remember her saying anything that struck me as problematic or surprising. I listened and I cannot remember anything specific from it.

[ProfCrash]

OK so relistened to the podcast.

Desi says she approached Chrissy to discuss game but Chrissy had no interest in working with Desi in the game. She says she sees four women go out back to back, Chrissy didn't want to work with women, especially women who she was threaten by. She said she could not get a good read on Ryan and that he was charming but you couldn't have a real conversation with him. Ben didn't convince her of anything. Devon, JP and Lauren had some nice conversations and she thought she might ba able to work with them. Ryan she never thought she had a chance to work with.

It is a more balanced interview and I think more fair. Ryan and Chrissy are working together. Ben is currently working with them. Lauren is clearly aligned with Ben but it might be that she is keeping that under wraps on the beach or doing a better job of coming off as approachable then Ben, Ryan or Chrissy.

But there is an undertone of Chrissy doesn't like women but it ends up washing out a bit when she discusses the other players on the beach at the time.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

Desi says she approached Chrissy to discuss game but Chrissy had no interest in working with Desi in the game. She says she sees four women go out back to back, Chrissy didn't want to work with women, especially women who she was threaten by.

I feel like Ali damned Chrissy for the opposite-- acting like she did want to work with Ali.  

Three of those four women were original Healers, too.  They have been targeted by all because at the merge they had 5 remaining members vs. 4 Heroes and 3 Hustlers.  

[ProfCrash]

Yup. I find it interesting that Desi specifically says that Ryan and Ben were not interested in talking or allying as well but directs her wrath towards Chrissy.

[Special K]

Desi complaining about Chrissy using her womanly attributes to manipulate the men is kind of LOL.  This is a 46 year old woman on Survivor, which basically makes her a grandma!  I mean, unless the editors REALLY aren't showing it, but it still kind of makes me do a massive eye-roll. 

Maybe some projection there?  I mean, she mentioned Chrissy's teeth of all things!  I cannot even remember Chrissy's teeth, but I can tell you that Desi has some beautiful chompers as I'm sure do all pageant queens.   Anyway, what guy goes all gaga and loses his reason for TEETH!?!  LOLing all over again. 

What an embarrassment for her.

ETA:  Also, not a spoiler, just a speculation, I suspect this means Chrissy goes far....

Edited November 20, 2017 by Special K

[LadyChatts]

In the SheKnows interview, Desi said something before the boobs and teeth bit about the interviewer getting her going.  I’m assuming these interviews are probably edited, or conversations are had that don’t make it to paper.  So maybe there was something in between the question before that and that answer that set her off.  I still believe there’s more to Chrissy that we aren’t seeing.  I don’t think she’s getting a very likable edit to begin with, so if this is the best they can do, I really wonder how unlikable she is.

Though I originally thought Desi wouldn’t be a Chrissy vote if she made the FTC, I’m questioning now if she would be.  Chrissy may be hated by the jury, but they may rather her win than Ryan or JP.  So if Desi gave her vote to someone she hates, I can respect that.

Edited November 20, 2017 by LadyChatts

[himela]

On 18/11/2017 at 2:38 AM, peachmangosteen said:

Damn, Desi is at @himela levels of Chrissy hate!

Haha I just saw that! Actually I think I hate her even more because if I were on the island with her we would have had some kind of a fight for sure!!! :P