S35.E01: I'm Not Crazy, I'm Confident

[piequinn35]

Who is that Asian girl in hustlers, did she speak tonight? What does she do?

I don't like the heroes tribe, why would a financial analyst be a hero and a probation officer a healer?

I hope the Urologist make it far. 

?

[piewarmer]

6 hours ago, Daisy said:

Alan is insane. The redhead has bad luck (when you have a walking stick on you you are supposed to let it crawl off you unscathed). 

That ginger is dead to me for hurling that walking stick. Don't haphazardly toss creatures with exoskeletons! And yes, that also applies to the crab in your pants.

[millennium]

"I'm a Hustler because I like to line dance ..."

[Star Aristille]

5 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Chrissy is an idiot.  Saving Katrina would have put those 2 plus Alan in total control of the tribe.  Now she is probably the next to go.

Agreed.  That was completely unwise of her.  If she's next, it's her own fault.

[mertensia]

Big Brother's Raven should have been cast on the Hustler Team! I mean, a grifter is a kind of hustler.

I'm guessing Alan's crazy eyes is why he's been hopping from NFL team to team. 

Joe needs to go. Far away. And why was he so slow at the Immunity Challenge?

I was impressed that Ryan had the muscle to help pull that car up. 

[LadyChatts]

42 minutes ago, mertensia said:

Big Brother's Raven should have been cast on the Hustler Team! I mean, a grifter is a kind of hustler.

I'm guessing Alan's crazy eyes is why he's been hopping from NFL team to team. 

Joe needs to go. Far away. And why was he so slow at the Immunity Challenge?

I was impressed that Ryan had the muscle to help pull that car up. 

Jeff sounded surprised when Ryan was the one doing the lifting of the car.  I'm sure he expected Joe up there.

And Hustler is supposed to mean that they are fast at their job because it needs to get done (though apparently not fast at rowing a boat).  However, that could still apply to Raven, considering how fast she came up with new diseases and near death experiences.

[mojoween]

I missed the beginning because of stupid TV issues, so I apparently missed the urologist is called a sex doctor, and I'm trying to understand why, because doesn't a urologist specialize in the urinary tract and the like?  Like evaluating your prostrate?  I'm confused.

[Nashville]

8 hours ago, HowdyTV said:

I, too, wondered why Chrissy didn't use the idol. Makes no sense to me. Why not break up the power couple in case they become one?

I can think of four reasons why Chrissy might not choose to use the Super Idol (SI):

1. Playing the idol for Katrina would provide protection for exactly one eviction - and alienate the rest of the Tribe in the process.  Come the next couple of TCs, and her idol-less ass would be toast.
2. Saving Katrina would have necessarily meant Ashley's eviction, which would have significantly weakened the Heroes team - of which Chrissy is a part, albeit on the bottom rung of the ladder.  Something like 1/3 or better of the comps are water-based and/or depend upon strong swimming skills; think it's a good idea to vote out the lifeguard on your team?  And weakening the team increases its chances of going to TC - in which case, see #1.
3. If Chrissy's and Katrina's teammates are already targeting the two of them as some sort of "Mom Squad" association, best not to create an actual Mom Squad and provide them a convenient - and validated - target.  Better for Chrissy to cut her losses, and try working a better deal with someone else by representing herself as a free agent/vote.
4.   Chrissy is the only survivor (besides the one who "willed" it to her, of course) who knows the SI is now worthless - which might give her some bluffing leeway/leverage the next time the Heroes have a date with Peachy at TC.

 

8 hours ago, Daisy said:

true. how do you forget there's a crab in your pants?

Maybe he's used to crabs in his pants?  ;>

 

2 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I missed the beginning because of stupid TV issues, so I apparently missed the urologist is called a sex doctor, and I'm trying to understand why, because doesn't a urologist specialize in the urinary tract and the like?  Like evaluating your prostrate?  I'm confused.

Men's fertility is a specialty branch of urology.

[KimberStormer]

13 minutes ago, Nashville said:

 Something like 1/3 or better of the comps are water-based and/or depend upon strong swimming skills; think it's a good idea to vote out the lifeguard on your team? 

It's a better idea to vote out the Olympic swimmer on your team?

(I don't think Chrissy and Katrina had any connection at all from what I saw, much less alliance -- one scene where they say "oh yeah we should stick together" followed by later confessionals of Katrina saying she doesn't trust her and seeming like she barely even knows Chrissy's name -- but this seems like a funny point to me.)

[mojoween]

Thanks @Nashville!  Stupid DVR.  I waited all damn day and the stupid technology tried to thwart my favorite show.

[Haleth]

16 hours ago, simplyme said:

Joe being a healer was answered in some interview Probst gave pre-show. From what I recall, Probst said he was talking to Joe about his job and Joe told him he wasn't really the parolee's opponent. He was there to try to help them during a difficult time of transition. However, that means he not only tries to give them goals and resource ideas, but he also holds them accountable for their actions.

Hence... he's a weird type of healer.

As to financial analysts being heroes... I think Chrissy is in there because they wanted her and that's where she fit best, but I think they're going for the angle of managing to be both a great parent and managing to be very successful in her career at the same time. Given how difficult parenting is, I don't mind the shoutout.

Well, bless their hearts (TPTB).  We saw how empathetic and nurturing Joe is with strangers, I'm sure he's just as charming with his patients parolees.  Or maybe it was just the editing.  As for Chrissy being a hero because she can juggle family and career, like the Marine said, it's just our job.  Thanks for the compliment though, TPTB.  These manufactured labels are ridiculous when the producers need to distribute players in a fair way, and end up shoehorning some of them into catagories that just don't fit.

Edited September 28, 2017 by Haleth

[Bryce Lynch]

5 hours ago, simplyme said:

Another thing I was pondering: On the surface, Joe evokes Tony. But as much as I disliked Tony, he seemed much more socially aware than Joe seems. Tony laid low at first and focused on building alliances with people and then moved on to taking out his competition and solidifying his power. Joe is starting out by very obviously trying to throw Mike under the bus to his tribemates (Would you trust a tribemate that was clearly playing that hard on day 2?) and bullying one of them.I just can't see Joe lasting very long.

Joe has Tony's worst negative qualities but none of his positive ones.  Tony played too hard and was often a jerk, but he also had a whimsical, creative approach to the game and obviously had a lot of fun playing the game.  Joe is not fun, just arrogant and overbearing.  

[Bad Example]

Cole is pretty.

Yeah, had to get that out there.  

I'm still deciding about Alan.  He's probably going to turn out to be nothing but a bucket of crazy, but at the same time...just because he's crazy doesn't mean he was wrong. And I kind of hope he was secretly laughing his ass off that JP actually stripped.  

I'm glad the hustlers didn't go to Tribal.  Because if they'd lost, why even bother?  "Yeah, Jeff, you know our team has been stacked so there is one less-pretty, non-waiflike older woman on it.  Do we really need to vote, since we all know how this is going to go?"  I'd like Lauren to at least get a chance.

 

Add me to the "I hate Joe" list.

[blackwing]

Glad the show is back, but I wish we hadn't gotten so many of the usual Survivor stereotypes right off the bat.  The skinny nerd, the bullying Italian/Hispanic bald guy, the mute Asian girl, the crazy black person, the older male nerd, the young longhair guy, the young good looking beefcake, the mom who is playing to show her kids that she can do it all.  And of course, the handful of ditzy young female blondes.

I think Chrissy erred in not using the idol, she should have done it to get Ashley out.  Then next round she can ally with Katrina and one other.  I get that she didn't want to put a target on her back, but it's already there.  Might as well play hard while she can.  

Really not liking Skinny Ryan v2.  

I found Alan's paranoia funny to watch.  He's the professional athlete, the one that's supposed to sit back and try not to call attention to himself.  Instead he goes the complete opposite.  His paranoia was fueled by feeling left out... there were the two moms, the two young kids who were already coupling, and the cowboy.  He didn't ask JP to drop his pants, he said something like "show me you don't have it".   I am assuming editing cut it out, but why couldn't it have been in JP's shorts pocket? Why did Alan assume it was underneath his testicles?  JP didn't protest, he complied.  But Ashley made it sound like "he was forced to strip off all his clothes at gunpoint and stand there stark naked while Alan slowly inspected every inch of his body".   The guy dropped his pants for five seconds.  Since Alan played in the NFL, I'm sure the casual nudity didn't even seem odd to him.

[ghoulina]

Survivor's back!!!!

Aaaaand with it, the never ending hysteria over people looking for an Idol. Gah, it grates on my nerves, year after year. Of course people are going to look for an Idol. It's SURVIVOR, not Bachelor in Paradise. And it's usually the kind of "nerdier" guys, the ones who aren't physical competition. They need something else to safeguard them in the game. Makes sense. 

On the Healers tribe, we've got the Urologist looking for the Idol. And then Joe swaggers up and starts harassing him about it. I'm getting definite Tony vibes off that one. Even my 7-year-old said, "He reminds me of that guy who made the spy shack". Other than that, though, I think this tribe will work very well together. There is a good point about them having to be strong communicators for their jobs. So far they have come in first in both challenges, so we'll see. 

Then, on the Heroes tribe, Alan totally loses his shit over absolutely nothing. As far as we've seen. When JP pulled his pants down to prove he didn't have an Idol in there, Alan almost reached around in there to search! Wow. That dude is certifiable. I get the aversion to a "power couple", but if you're in a team of 4, why not work on making a bond with Ben that's EQUALLY as solid? Instead he flies off the handle, starts making alternate plans left and right, and really put a target on his back. It was smart to stick with voting of Katrina, strength wise, but I would not have been sad to see Alan booted. I half wondered if Chrissy would turn around and give her Idol to Katrina. But I'm guess she figured it was not wise to ruffle feathers. I'm guessing she was right. 

So the Super Idol ended up being basically useless, but it was cool to see Ryan and Devon bonding over it. They may be a pair to watch. Hustlers looked like a hot mess at the start, but we'll see. Maybe they can pull their shit together. They did well at the IC. In fact, that challenge was pretty evenly matched throughout. I liked the choice of puzzle option. I ALWAYS like when they do stuff like that, that can highlight a certain groups strengths. And how funny that no one chose the straight line puzzle, yet Healers won with it! 

Overall, no clear "likes" yet. No tribe I'm really rooting for. But this may be an interesting season. 

[Fake Jan Brady]

4 hours ago, mertensia said:

I was impressed that Ryan had the muscle to help pull that car up. 

Probst, of course, loudly declared his surprise that Ryan was designated to that part of the challenge. His never-ending quest to suck up to the alpha males continues.

[ghoulina]

10 hours ago, North of Eden said:

In what world is a financial analyst a hero? Really?!

Ha. As usual they're playing fast and lose with tribe designations. I'm guessing they're going for "She was a career woman, but gave it all up to stay home with her kids, and now she's back at it!" kind of thing. Like she's a hero to her kids??? 

In the same vein, I do NOT see a probation officer as a healer, but maybe that's just me. I've always liked the 3-tribe dynamic, though, so I generally enjoy their themes, even if they're not exactly accurate. 

6 hours ago, simplyme said:

Another thing I was pondering: On the surface, Joe evokes Tony. But as much as I disliked Tony, he seemed much more socially aware than Joe seems. Tony laid low at first and focused on building alliances with people and then moved on to taking out his competition and solidifying his power. Joe is starting out by very obviously trying to throw Mike under the bus to his tribemates (Would you trust a tribemate that was clearly playing that hard on day 2?) and bullying one of them.I just can't see Joe lasting very long.

I agree. Tony was more subtle than Joe. Joe WANTS to be a major manipulator, but he's more of a sledgehammer so far. 

[ghoulina]

5 hours ago, piequinn35 said:

Who is that Asian girl in hustlers, did she speak tonight? What does she do?

I don't think so. On the first night, I make it a point to write down everyone's name and what they do. I have 17 names. My Hustler column is short a person, so yea.....I don't think she was shown once, except in the background. That's crap. They should make sure EVERY contestant gets at least a quick intro. 

[himela]

A couple years ago I had sent an e-mail to cbs proposing the twist that the tribe that wins the immunity challenge gets to save a person from the losing tribe so that the winning tribe makes the losing tribe weaker. I'm glad to see my idea has somwhow come to fruition.

I felt that everything in the episode happened really fast. 10 mins, poof day 2. Another 5 mins, poof day 3. I mean, I am a little spoiled with Australian Survivor where every players gets to at least speak that I found the American Survivor too fast paced for my liking. I mean, you go  there and pay all this money for cameras, equipment, cameramen running behind the players almost non stop. Why not show us more footage from the actual camp life? Why not let us know the players better? Who obligates CBS to an only one hour per week episode of Survivor? Would it be horrible to have two episodes or one longer one? Who was poor Katrina who left tonight? We'll never know.

Other than that, my winner's peak is Mike. He seems like the type of guy who will make it far. I like Ali cause she is damn hot but I'm not sure I'll like her personality. I want to see Ashley leave asap. Chrissy seems smart. Well that's about it, I don't remember any other names and I finished the episode 30 mins ago.

[tiredofwork]

Quote

I wish they would have a season with no advantages, no idol, no super idol, no super duper idol

I get lost in all the "strategery" of Survivor.., much prefer the straight forward Amazing Race concept..   But watching the first seasons absent the hidden idol, did it not get very complacent.?? They formed alliances, nobody would turn from the alliance and it was just shooting ducks in the carnival sideshow... I think the idol concept did bring that absolute game changing aspect..  Do they have to many? Probably.. But sometimes when they have those that show up at tribal council that saves someone or can be used on someone... that has made for some of the best, "drop the mike" stuff.

[millennium]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

I missed the beginning because of stupid TV issues, so I apparently missed the urologist is called a sex doctor, and I'm trying to understand why, because doesn't a urologist specialize in the urinary tract and the like?  Like evaluating your prostrate?  I'm confused.

Am I the only one who snickered when the guys asked the erectile dysfunction doctor to help them get wood?

[mertensia]

I was watching The Vietnam War on PBS after this and the urologist looks like one of the POW vets on the show-Hal Kushner.

[NYGirl]

You know what would be fun?  Having the super idol on every episode!! give the advantage to someone who can use it if his tribe loses or pass it to the losing tribe.  I like this better than regular idols!  Good idea??  No?  Ok..I'll show myself out.

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

Men's fertility is a specialty branch of urology.

Exactly.  In many ways, a urologist is to men what a gynecologist is to women.

And by the way, the Super Idol is simply what the regular idol was up until about Season 14 (which, I believe, was also the last time the show was filmed in Fiji).  Its use was changed after Season 14 because it was believed that allowing the idol to be used after the votes were read gave it too much power.  Also, this Super Idol has nothing on the one that was introduced and used on Australian Survivor this year.  That Super Idol not only had the power to grant its user immunity, but even the power to nullify someone else's immunity idol as well -- and it was used in exactly that way to devastating effect a few weeks ago!

Edited September 28, 2017 by legaleagle53

[Boilergal]

During the commercials leading up to tonight I thought Hustlers - as in con men.

Disappointed it wasn't at least a 90 minute episode.

Called Dr and Firefighter just from seeing them on the boat.

Alan's paranoia was really off the charts for the first 3 days - 

[cooksdelight]

I had to watch it online just now as my DVR didn’t pick it up, due to the name change. But.... LOL

Joe, pull your pants up. You want to be a combo of Tony & The Specialist, but it ain’t happening. Grow a pair.

WHY does anyone who finds an idol want to share it with someone? WHY?? After 34 previous seasons, you’d think the bellhop would know to keep it quiet.

JP... another guy with initials as a name. No, you aren’t winning, no way, no how.

Alan needs to take a Xanax or eat one of those stick bugs and calm the hell down. He’s an early goner if he keeps asking people for a strip search.

[marys1000]

7 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

I saw no losing of morale. There were divisions, whether it was against the older women or against JP and Ashley. Why is the division against the latter bad for morale, but the former isn't? Because JP will drop his pants if challenged? It was a unanimous vote, after all. 

One person who is drama all the time, Alan, whether its paranoia bullying crazy in general - it just takes so much energy to deal with, its a constant distraction and sucks the life out of the team.  Alan is strong and Im usually for keeping strength before the merge as the goal is to not go to TC.  But with 3 tribes they only have to be second.  I would have gotten rid of Alan.

Off to discuss preview in seperate thread :(

Edited September 28, 2017 by marys1000

[ghoulina]

21 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

WHY does anyone who finds an idol want to share it with someone? WHY?? After 34 previous seasons, you’d think the bellhop would know to keep it quiet.

Generally, I agree with this. I think there is WAY too much sharing of Idol info on this show. However, since this Idol was a one-and-done, I think it was a good way for an otherwise "weaker link" to form a quick bond with a stronger member of his tribe. 

[mertensia]

23 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

 

Alan needs to take a Xanax or eat one of those stick bugs and calm the hell down. He’s an early goner if he keeps asking people for a strip search.

Or maybe everyone will join in on the paranoia and this season will be non-stop stripfests!

Edited September 28, 2017 by mertensia

[himela]

I don't blame them for choosing to evict the oldest person in the tribe. It's sad but the tribe needs strength and Katrina was the least strong however you look at it. It seems the oldest people are cast to either be the first boots or the perfect goats to take to the end. I don't see any older person winning in modern survivor unless the jury is really bitter.

[Wouldofshouldof]

13 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Hustlers: I love Ryan!  Who knew the guy that I thought would annoy me was my favorite of the night?

I noticed he was out in front during the immunity challenge.  I thought it was smart of him to give off the impression of being capable competitively, even if he wasn't actually doing much to pull his own weight.  That or he really IS strong athletically, lol.

[AZChristian]

I'm the world's worst strategist, but . . . 

If Chrissy had saved Katrina and Ashley would have been eliminated (the only other person with a vote against her), I could see where Ben would have joined the "Mom Squad" alliance because he noticed that Alan is insane and was trying to form alliances with everyone else.  That would have created a 3-person alliance on a 5-person team.  JP would have been pissed because Ashley was gone, but he seemed pretty anti-Alan because of all the "power couple" talk at tribal.  At this point, it now looks like the alliance on Hustlers is "4 people and anyone other than Alan."  He's unreliable, and his physical strength isn't enough of an asset to make them want to keep him.

On a different point entirely, Jeff looks like he's got so much botox/fillers in his face that the only distinguishing features he has left are his dimples.  There's not enough filler in the world to affect them (thank goodness).

[Gummo]

Big scary loony raving black man? Schlubby little Jewish doctor? When it comes to stereotypes, Survivor never disappoints!

Otherwise, the photography is beautiful as always, the editors still seem to work from the 'leave out anything that might help the audience make sense of what's going on' school of editing mystery and wonder, and the team 'themes' are still ridiculously forced, arbitrary and in some cases, just downright stupid.

Can't stand bully parole officer, but Dr. Mike was an idiot to go off idol-hunting first thing instead of building relationships, which is always Job #1 on Survivor. Lucky for him that he was crucial to the Immunity win.

Are we going to have to hear all season about how Ryan (The Mule*) is a woman repellent? That'll get old fast. On the other hand, as a bellhop I wasn't surprised that he was a lot stronger than he looked. And I like how it looks like Mr. Beautiful Blond & Buff appears to be teaming up with The Mule.

(*Extra point to everyone who gets the Asimov reference!)

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, himela said:

Other than that, my winner's peak is Mike. He seems like the type of guy who will make it far. I like Ali cause she is damn hot but I'm not sure I'll like her personality. I want to see Ashley leave asap. Chrissy seems smart. Well that's about it, I don't remember any other names and I finished the episode 30 mins ago.

Who on earth is Mike???  The only names I know are Chrissy, Alan, Ashley, JP, Skinny Ryan.

I don't care for Chrissy at all.  I question her being called smart.  I hate her manner of speaking, she has that faux-intelligent way of speaking.  But she can't even say "important" properly, she said "im-pour-dent".  Didn't care for how she said "I don't want people voting me off because I have money".  Oh please.  There's plenty of other reasons to vote her off.  

[peachmangosteen]

9 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

Did Alan ask JP to drop his drawers? No, JP is an insecure fool who did that on his own, from what I saw. Instead of walking away and even using it as leverage against Alan, he whips it out? Christ on a crutch, but he's an idiot. 

That was how I thought it went too, but since everyone on the show and here thought Alan asked JP to strip then I'm gonna assume that was how it really went. And honestly I checked out a lot during this ep so I don't have a good grasp on it.

This episode was somehow a combination of really bad and super boring. Worst premiere in awhile imo. I'm hoping it's just because they didn't have much time and not a sign of things to come.

Desi is so gorgeous. And she seems like she has potential. Ditto for Ali. 

Joe can go. Hate him. Alan can stay because he's funny.

The guy that Ryan aligned with looks so familiar to me but I can't figure it out. Wait, I think I maybe just did. Josh from The Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise. 

I'm pretty much undecided on everyone except Joe, who I hate. I figure I'll end up hating everyone on the Heroes tribe though.

Edited September 28, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[blackwing]

24 minutes ago, himela said:

I don't blame them for choosing to evict the oldest person in the tribe. It's sad but the tribe needs strength and Katrina was the least strong however you look at it. It seems the oldest people are cast to either be the first boots or the perfect goats to take to the end. I don't see any older person winning in modern survivor unless the jury is really bitter.

Katrina seemed stronger to me than Chrissy.  In that respect, I think Katrina erred in not disclosing her athletic background.  An Olympian is disciplined and will work hard.  Katrina needed to distinguish herself from Chrissy.  I don't know why she didn't tell anyone.  It's not like they would have been threatened by a 45 year old as a physical threat.  She's not even that old, sad that a 45 year old is being thought of as older.

Not sure exactly where you are drawing the line as "older" or what you are considering modern Survivor, but Tom Westman and the old guy with the bow tie were winners.  As was Tony, and I think he was 40 and would probably be considered "older".

[cooksdelight]

38 minutes ago, himela said:

I don't blame them for choosing to evict the oldest person in the tribe. It's sad but the tribe needs strength and Katrina was the least strong however you look at it. It seems the oldest people are cast to either be the first boots or the perfect goats to take to the end. I don't see any older person winning in modern survivor unless the jury is really bitter.

Old people win sometimes. :)

http://survivor.wikia.com/wiki/Bob_Crowley

[JudyObscure]

12 hours ago, simplyme said:

Joe being a healer was answered in some interview Probst gave pre-show. From what I recall, Probst said he was talking to Joe about his job and Joe told him he wasn't really the parolee's opponent. He was there to try to help them during a difficult time of transition. However, that means he not only tries to give them goals and resource ideas, but he also holds them accountable for their actions.

I have a niece who is a parole officer and it does seem like social work and life coaching  when she talks about it.  I still don't like Joe because of the way he wears his pants hanging off his penis.  Maybe the urologist can advise him against that.  It's sad he wants to be seen as a "sex doctor," when we all know most of his patients have urinary tract infections.

Chrissy would have been my person to root for if she hadn't said, "I have no trouble thinking of myself as a hero!"  Please lady,  even the firemen and soldiers who risk their lives for others don't say it about themselves.

[fishcakes]

Joe reminds me more of Russell than Tony. Tony was manic and paranoid, but he wasn't mean. Joe seemed more interested in making Mike feel uncomfortable than in gaining any kind of strategic advantage.

Not sure what's up with Alan. I think he thought playing crazy would be a good strategy, but since he might actually be a little crazy, it got away from him. I'm enjoying him though.

Ben gave the most obvious humblebrag ever when Jeff asked him about being considered a hero since he was in the military. Paraphrasing, but it was, "some people might call us heroes, but we're just doing our jobs, protecting our country and laying our lives on the line NBD." Oh. Okay.

Not playing the idol (and voting for Katrina) might end up working out okay for Chrissy since JP and Ashley are isolated now, but I would have liked to see how she arrived at that. She said she was going to see how things developed at TC before she decided what to do, but it seems like they edited out all the most pertinent/interesting parts of TC and left us with a generic, "gotta keep the team strong!" discussion.

36 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

On a different point entirely, Jeff looks like he's got so much botox/fillers in his face that the only distinguishing features he has left are his dimples.  There's not enough filler in the world to affect them (thank goodness).

I was noticing that in the promos, and it's a shame. Jeff used to be really good-looking and he would have aged well if he'd left things alone. Now he's starting to get that immovable Joker face thing going on.

30 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

This episode was somehow a combination of really bad and super boring. Worst premiere in awhile imo. I'm hoping it's just because they didn't have much tie and not a sign of things to come.

Yeah, all in all, it was a pretty dull premiere. I'm getting Nicaragua vibes from this cast: crazy, mean, boring. But Millennial vs. Gen X seemed super boring for the first few episodes as well and it turned out to be one of the better seasons, or at least one of the better recent seasons, for which the bar is low, so maybe things will improve here too.

Edited September 28, 2017 by fishcakes

[ByaNose]

Just now, fishcakes said:

Joe reminds me more of Russell than Tony. Tony was manic and paranoid, but he wasn't mean. Joe seemed more interested in making Mike feel uncomfortable than in gaining any kind of strategic advantage.

Not sure what's up with Alan. I think he thought playing crazy would be a good strategy, but since he might actually be a little crazy, it got away from him. I'm enjoying him though.

Ben gave the most obvious humblebrag ever when Jeff asked him about being considered a hero since he was in the military. Paraphrasing, but it was basically, "some people might call us heroes, but we're just doing our jobs, protecting our country and laying our lives on the line NBD." Oh. Okay.

Not playing the idol (and voting for Katrina) might end up working out okay for Chrissy since JP and Ashley are isolated now, but I would have liked to see how she arrived at that. She said she was going to see how things developed at TC before she decided what to do, but it seems like they edited out all the most pertinent/interesting parts of TC and left us with a generic, "gotta keep the team strong!" discussion.

I was noticing that in the promos, and it's a shame. Jeff used to be really good-looking and I think he would have aged well if he'd left things alone. Now he's starting to get that immovable Joker face thing going on.

Yeah, all in all, it was a pretty dull premiere. I'm getting Nicaragua vibes from this cast: crazy, mean, boring. But Millennial vs. Gen X seemed super boring for the first few episodes as well and it turned out to be one of the better seasons, or at least one of the better recent seasons, for which the bar is low, so maybe things will improve here too.

I couldn't believe when the hour was up and I was like, "That's it?". I've been watching since Day 1 and have never missed an episode but the was really a dull episode. Even, the boot didn't make sense because she wasn't even shown and I think only had 1 confessional. I guess it can only go up from here, right? Of course, Nicaragua never went up so we might be in trouble folks. LOL!!!

[Mumbles]

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Oh, the probation guy was unfortunately reminding me waaay too much of Tony. And not in a good way.

Ugh, I know. And to Big Brother fans, he reminds me of Paul, who doesn't think anyone should play the game but him. Like when he was giving the urologist a hard time for *daring* to look for the idol. What's stopping the rest of them from doing so? It's called playing Survivor.

If this is how he acts with the people on probation whom he supervises, I hope their lawyers or public defenders are consulting their clients as to whether they've been bullied or manipulated.

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Ben gave the most obvious humblebrag ever when Jeff asked him about being considered a hero since he was in the military. Paraphrasing, but it was, "some people might call us heroes, but we're just doing our jobs, protecting our country and laying our lives on the line NBD." Oh. Okay.

Ugh. Talk about fishing for a compliment. Years ago while on the air, Howard Stern talked down a guy who was going to jump from the George Washington bridge. The radio station arranged for a press availability and Howard was talking to his gang before it, "Okay, I'm going to go out there and say 'I am not a hero' and you guys are gonna start yelling back, 'Yes Howard, you are!'" That's what that reminded me of.

Edited September 28, 2017 by Mumbles

[himela]

20 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Who on earth is Mike??? 

 

The urologist. I have the feeling he will go far just like David Wright who was thought to be voted out first.

15 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Katrina seemed stronger to me than Chrissy.  In that respect, I think Katrina erred in not disclosing her athletic background.  An Olympian is disciplined and will work hard.  Katrina needed to distinguish herself from Chrissy.  I don't know why she didn't tell anyone.  It's not like they would have been threatened by a 45 year old as a physical threat.  She's not even that old, sad that a 45 year old is being thought of as older.

Not sure exactly where you are drawing the line as "older" or what you are considering modern Survivor, but Tom Westman and the old guy with the bow tie were winners.  As was Tony, and I think he was 40 and would probably be considered "older".

I have read in interviews that the general consensus regarding Chrissy was that they liked her but for Katrina they said she was weird and seemed like she was sick. I think appearances influence people. Plus Chrissy said she'd lie about her age and say she is 39. This must have played a role as well. And also there's a ton of stuff of strategy that we don't get to see. Maybe Chrissy made a secret alliance with someone that will be revealed later.

By "older" I mean surely over 50. I just don't see people in the jury who are 20-35 voting for a person the age of their parents over a younger person. Tom was young at the time (40?) and Bob was an exception that will never happen again in my opinion.

I may sound too harsh but I find it frustrating that a spot is taken of hundreds of thousands of people applying for the show to be filled from an older person (or an un-fit person) who are only cast to be the first boots. This of course happens to follow the script of "people from all ages, sexes, walks of life, education etc etc".

[cooksdelight]

I was dismayed at all the wasted fruit and food floating in the ocean. Then I saw the big whale and realized they’d all eat well that night.

[Hanahope]

Hopefully the Hustler tribe scooped up some the floating fruit and food, once they realized they weren't getting to the beach first or second.

[himela]

This episode was like having watched it on fast forward. Everything happened so fast. It's annoying.

[walnutqueen]

10 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I was dismayed at all the wasted fruit and food floating in the ocean. Then I saw the big whale and realized they’d all eat well that night.

I don't think fruit is part of a whale's diet, and I doubt whale is part of a Survivor's diet, so I don't know who was eating well that night.   Guess it depends on how much of that jetsam actually made it to the beach, and with which tribe.  ;-)

Alan was giving some great Ramona Singer crazy eyes.

[ljenkins782]

13 hours ago, simplyme said:

Note: Neither Alan nor Trina were going to mention to people that they were an NFL player/former Olympian. So no idea what the Heroes thought Katrina did, but they probably didn't know about that. Also, I don't know that Chrissy was close to Katrina so much as they were the two odd moms out. Getting rid of Katrina means Ben and Alan are more likely to pick up Chrissy as their third since they're worried about JP & Ashley, and Chrissy may have decided Katrina was weaker than Ashley. 

I can see why Alan wouldn't mention being an NFL player. People hear that and assume you're a millionaire, nobody wants to give a millionaire another million (I know nothing about him, so he may not be rich, but that would be the go-to assumption). Is he famous enough that he might get recognized by somebody? Sounds like he was on a lot of teams. 

As for Katrina, I don't see a downside to mentioning her Olympian status as a swimmer at this stage of the game. Or any stage, really. It could certainly have given her the edge over the "barfed at a challenge" other mom. So many of the early challenges involve swimming, while few of the individual immunity really do, so swimming is a huge asset to a team, while not necessarily painting you as a huge immunity threat in the individual stage. 

Obviously Chrissy would have saved herself anyway had she been the target, but if they still threw a vote Ashley's way, Katrina would have been saved too. I guess those two were more of an assigned pair than actual alliance mates, the others decided they were basically the same and grouped them together in the standings without bothering to find out anything about them, which is annoying but typical, both on this show and in life. 

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Wow...I think that SUPER IDOL may have been the biggest flop since the "MEDALLION OF POWER". 

Ugh, the biggest failure of the Medallion of Power was the name 'Medallion of Power.' Even amongst all the cheese on this show, that stands out as impossible to take seriously. 

I'm on the fence about whether or not Chrissy should have saved Katrina, it would certainly have put a huge spotlight on her, but if they lose again right away, she could be in big trouble.

The now useless idol has potential power as a mode of deflection, so it might still be useful. I wonder if she could rip the note so only the "super idol/can be used AFTER the votes" part is there, but the stuff about it only being good for that tribal/sending it to another tribe is gone and make sure someone else on her tribe finds it in her stuff. They would know that splitting the votes in hopes of flushing the idol wouldn't work because she could play it after she saw how many votes she had, so it could actually save her from getting votes at all. 

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What bugged me about this episode is that when all the votes were revealed it became obvious that they all had a pre-arranged agreement to take out Katrina -- but there wasn't the slightest hint of any such plan in the strategizing before TC.   Essentially, everything they showed us pre-TC was irrelevant and meaningless.

 They also never showed us the guy who found the idol laying out his reasons for picking Chrissy. He did have a generic TH about potentially saving someone on the outs and hopefully knocking out somebody strong, but nothing after the actual IC. I guess that's why they showed Chrissy puking, that was a fairly clear sign of someone who might be in trouble. 

But given the rushed nature of the whole episode, I guess there wasn't time. Why was the premiere so short, that stupid Navy Seals show couldn't wait until next week to start? 

[Wings]

14 minutes ago, Mumbles said:

Ugh, I know. And to Big Brother fans, he reminds me of Paul, who doesn't think anyone should play the game but him. Like when he was giving the urologist a hard time for *daring* to look for the idol. What's stopping the rest of them from doing so? It's called playing Survivor.

This happens every season.  Someone is "accused" of looking for an idol.  Moronic.  

6 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

Hopefully the Hustler tribe scooped up some the floating fruit and food, once they realized they weren't getting to the beach first or second.

I didn't see any food in their boats.  There are many fruit and vegetable eating fish in Fiji (thank you google).   Whales are mammals and  eat plankton and fish.    

32 minutes ago, himela said:

I have read in interviews that the general consensus regarding Chrissy was that they liked her but for Katrina they said she was weird and seemed like she was sick.

From what I saw in this rushed episode she came across as weird to me, too.  She was an Olympic swimmer in 1988. That is pretty far back to claim athletic prowess today.  I was not surprised that Chrissy did not save her.  One diary talk from Katrina said she was aligned with people who she didn't trust and mentioned Chrissy.  I question if those she named thought they were an alliance with her at all.  

[jumper sage]

14 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Alan of the Crazy Eyes needs to stick around purely for my entertainment. It was one thing when that dude dropped his pants but then Alan actually went over and inspected his junk! I'm still laughing.

I was late getting home so when I turned on the show this scene is where I came in on.  Shocking to say the least.  My questions are:  Did the girl have to strip too?  Why didn't they tell crazy eyes to strip.  Usually the finger pointer is usually the one.

14 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I hope Alan's eyes bug out all the time, because then it might be a little normal. Some football players suffer concussions. He would have really minor ocular trauma. I kinda wish the guy stripping took it farther. "I'm bending over! Do you see an idol in there?!?" "No, but I see plastic." "Oh, I smuggled cocaine into Fiji. I swear on this white powder that I am not betraying you."

You had me giggling like crazy with this!

[eurekagirl mOo]

How ya'll know anyone's name is beyond me! I was waiting to be introduced to all the players not just one from each group! What the hell Survivor?? They couldn't get a 2 hour premiere for Season what...102? 

I'm still calling for Survivor  Senior. I am sick of people being voted off because they are "older".  We're older but we're not dead! Lot's of us work out and are in great shape even if we are over 40 (!) (I'm not but I'm a lazy ass and I wouldn't last 5 mins. on that show) I know some wonderful 60 year olds who work out every day and a few who surf every day. Appearances can be deceiving guys. 

Just like Jeff was surprised the skinny guy could pull so hard! Remember "Don't judge a book it's cover". That woman was in the damn OLYMPICS for swimming. I don't care if was 1988. Athletes tend to stay in good shape and she looked like she sure had! So congrats-You just voted out the strongest swimmer because of "how she looks"

I just wanted Jeff to point to 3 signs-Hero's-Helpers-Hustlers and say "You pick. What team do you think you should be on?" THAT would have been telling!

Sigh----It always gets better...or so I am telling myself.....