S35.E06: This is Why You Play Survivor

[millennium]

40 minutes ago, simplyme said:

Simultaneously all three went for the ball, and the coconut-like sound of their heads colliding secretly delighted the bird.

looks like The Far Side!

[Lamima]

48 minutes ago, stcroix said:

How do I see Ponderosa?  Is it an episode type thing per week of the kicked off or what?

It is after merge when whoever gets voted out goes to jury...they all stay at Ponderosa. Each has a little video that can be found on you tube. The links also get posted somewhere here in the Survivor forum. 

[enoughcats]

52 minutes ago, stcroix said:

How do I see Ponderosa?  Is it an episode type thing per week of the kicked off or what?

CBS presents it on line.  It's ten or so minutes where the 'jury' go after they are voted off.  It's nicer than the camps, but not really resort, although the locales can be spectacular.  It's food and drinks and interactions away from competition and that makes the contestants a lot more human.

[djlynch]

5 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I think JP is playing smart.  Sure, we would like explosions at TC, but JP may understand that it's best to give bland non-answers to Jeff's questions than to provide any sort of motive to be voted out either then or later.  Also, the complaints about his social game were centered on his not talking strategy.  His tribe mates did mention that he talks about other things-things he enjoys doing, etc.  And they showed us his talking about the kind of first dates he likes to take women on.  So, he does talk, but not non-stop about strategy.  Again, I think that is playing smart.  Although he acknowledged that he may be seen as a physical threat, he won't be voted out because he is a strategic threat-whether he is one or not.  Other players who have gotten voted out so far have received the "too dangerous of a game player" comments from the others.  Now, I may be giving him too much credit, but I think he is down-playing his abilities.  He even stated after the one challenge that he didn't like exposing his strength.  And, firefighters have to know how to play angles and strategize as there are numerous factors that have to be constantly considered when fighting fires: wind, infrastructure, etc. (and yes, both my grandfather and father were firefighters...).  He probably is considering various eventualities during the game, but not talking about them so much.

For some reason, I was very conscious of the edit he was getting in this episode. They hit the thing about him not really having a noticeable social game so hard it kind of started to feel like they were building it up for the "previously on Survivor" reel, but I can't tell if they're setting him up to be so clueless that he doesn't see his own elimination coming or if they're setting up that he's going to surprise everyone later by making big moves.

[stcroix]

1 hour ago, enoughcats said:

CBS presents it on line.  It's ten or so minutes where the 'jury' go after they are voted off.  It's nicer than the camps, but not really resort, although the locales can be spectacular.  It's food and drinks and interactions away from competition and that makes the contestants a lot more human.

 

1 hour ago, Lamima said:

It is after merge when whoever gets voted out goes to jury...they all stay at Ponderosa. Each has a little video that can be found on you tube. The links also get posted somewhere here in the Survivor forum. 

Thank you both!  :)

[eskimo]

A sad thing happened to me this week.  I completely forgot Survivor was on, until today when I found it on my DVR while looking for 'Scientology and the Aftermath'.  I wasn't even out last night, I was home and watched Netflix.  That's never happened before, I used to count the days till Survivor aired.  This bummed me out.  I'm not planning on abandoning the show, I still do enjoy it, but it feels like Survivor's best days are behind it.  I hope I'm wrong about this, but when players know exactly when swaps and merges are coming it's time to admit that things have gotten stale.  I don't think I even need to go into casting....

My hatred for Ryan and Chrissy burns with the heat of a thousand suns. 

[Guest]

I still like Chrissie and Ryan.  Ha.  Ryan's getting a little intense at times, though.  

I totally see Anna Camp in Chrissie.  Thanks for that.  

I like this season.  Lots of likable people.   

But that was some major blindside, according to the ep description?   Ali knew she was a good possibility.   

[BetyBee]

I detest Chrissie.  She reminds me of a huge phony "life coach" I work with.  The smile is automatic and never quite reaches the eyes.  But she is playing smart.  If she wins, I'll grudgingly admit that she worked for it.  

I can't remember what he said exactly, but after the passing out incident, when Cole was talking to Jessica, I said to Mr. Betybee that I don't believe a word that guy says.  Clearly virginal Jessica does.  

[ByaNose]

I often wonder if Chrissy goes from puking to winning. I think it depends how she handles the potential jury memebers. If she comes of as smug pre jury she might have a rough time if she sitting at the Finals. It should be interesting if she drags JP to the end. She should get praised for doing all the work but might get the wrath of the jury if she burned them more then she needed to.

[amazingracefan]

Good episode except that I would have preferred JP going, if he's just a comp beat who won't bother playing the game much he'll be inferior for the show compared to Ali.  It was always unlikely that Chrissie would vote against JP.

[peachmangosteen]

9 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I like this season.  Lots of likable people.   

I actually agree that there's a lot of likable people. I like quite of few of them and then there are a couple I could potentially like depending on what happens now. Plus, for me, there are also a few villains and that's important, too. I actually think this season is enjoyable so far, after a rough first ep. That being said though, I am fairly sure all the people I like are going to be booted one by one and the final will be full of everyone I hate.

3 hours ago, BetyBee said:

I detest Chrissie.  She reminds me of a huge phony "life coach" I work with.  The smile is automatic and never quite reaches the eyes.  But she is playing smart.  If she wins, I'll grudgingly admit that she worked for it.  

This. And I certainly hope she beats out fucking Ryan. In fact, ideally, she would blindside him soon. Or hell even at like F5/4. Either way that would probably be enough to get me to actively root for her.

Edited November 3, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

I often wonder if Chrissy goes from puking to winning.

Mike Holloway did.  

Edited November 3, 2017 by Guest

[Wings]

@Winston9-DT3 and @peachmangosteen, I like many in this cast, too.  I don't hate anyone yet.  I am not fond of Chrissy and that may grow into TV hate. 

Ryan is hated because he betrayed a favorite and aligned with one who we 'hate.'   Reverse that and he would be be praised for a good move.  For me, anyway, I tend to dislike anyone who is instrumental in booting my favorite.  

[eskimo]

8 minutes ago, wings707 said:

 

Ryan is hated because he betrayed a favorite and aligned with one who we 'hate.'   Reverse that and he would be be praised for a good move.  For me, anyway, I tend to dislike anyone who is instrumental in booting my favorite.  

For me it's 100% his attitude.  I'm not saying I would like him no matter what he did if his attitude were different, but I know I would not feel such intense disgust every time I saw him if he wasn't such a smug twat. 

I know what you mean about disliking someone who helps boot one of my favorites.  That factor complicates All-Star seasons for me when everybody I like isn't aligned with each other.  Which never happens, of course.   Lol 

[marys1000]

Ive disliked Ryan since reading and watching his pre start promos.  At least he is self aware that he is a weasel.  Disliked Chrissy since epi 1.  But getting rid of Ali makes it worse.  I wanted  to watch her play.  And she didnt even make the jury so she can vote against that weasel.  It is hard for me yo enjoy watching all the people I cant stand march toward the end.  Gag!

PS  did anyone else see Ryans red shorts/crotch shot walking toward them just before tribal?  wtf was that.  hopefully his tighty reddies were just bunched up or something.  yuck

[peachmangosteen]

57 minutes ago, marys1000 said:

PS  did anyone else see Ryans red shorts/crotch shot walking toward them just before tribal?  wtf was that.  hopefully his tighty reddies were just bunched up or something.  yuck

I meant to mention this. I am praying they give them swimsuits soon because I really don't need to see Ryan's penis anymore.

[violet and green]

6 hours ago, wings707 said:

Ryan is hated because he betrayed a favorite and aligned with one who we 'hate.'   Reverse that and he would be be praised for a good move.  For me, anyway, I tend to dislike anyone who is instrumental in booting my favorite.  

No! Ryan was hated by me from the second he opened his mouth on the boat in the opening scene, hated with an instant irrational and insane passion, that has since proved to be full of deep and prescient insight! He's a little turd.

Ali was never my favorite. In fact, she was one of my least-likeds from early on - that dull slightly exasperated tone with those outside the "inner circle", the annoying confidence, and with her dreary Patrick alliance; that long shrieky to and fro with demon-faced Ryan after the previous tribal was a really dumb move. I'm quite, make that very, pleased she's gone.

[MissEwa]

Well this was a bit depressing, although they did make it obvious from the first confessional so at least it wasn't surprising. Still, I liked Ali and I thought she could have done well. I do wonder if voting out Patrick was the right thing to do, in hindsight, but on the other hand, it was right before the switch so I don't know that it would have made any difference. 

I don't get the Ryan-Chrissy alliance. I don't feel like we've been shown the basis for it - like we've seen him give her the idol, and then tell her, but the impression I had was that he did it because he wanted to potentially weaken her tribe, and then decided to spin it for loyalty points when they ended up together, but suddenly they're a solid 2 and I don't understand what he is thinking (or what she is, either). Did he change his mind and make a genuine F2 with her? Why? I know a confessional about it would have taken the suspense out of the last two TCs but it still feels a bit like we're missing something. 

The immunity challenge was fun, but also super-suspenseful to watch. I like that in the stacking/balancing ones - the result isn't clear until it actually happens - although you did know once Jessica's team figured it out they were going to get it. 

It's interesting that they're at 12 now and still with three tribes. Will they go to two and have a late final merge, or have the merge from three tribes? Either way, I'm curious to see what happens, and hopeful it shakes things up a bit because so far this season is really not doing it for me at all. 
 

Edited November 4, 2017 by MissEwa
I can't type. They're still at three tribes, obviously.

[Brookside]

On ‎11‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 0:05 PM, Eolivet said:

 

But my other theory is they want the men and women in "supportive" undergarments -- like boxer briefs for the men and bras for the women -- for the more active, strenuous first half of the season challenges. There's a lot of "swim here, now run through this, now knock that over" immunity and reward challenges when they're in tribes. Whereas post-merge, it's more endurance and "do this maze" and "solve this puzzle," so they wouldn't need all that "support" and they can just give them their swimsuits.

And I have officially spent way too much time thinking about Survivor contestants' underwear.

Judging by the shots of Ryan's jiggly crotch, boxers are not particularly supportive. Neither are push up bras - made for the cleavage, not the coverage.  How about a sports bra or two?

(Also spending too much time thinking about their underwear!)

[SVNBob]

16 hours ago, amazingracefan said:

I would have preferred JP going, if he's just a comp beat who won't bother playing the game much he'll be inferior for the show compared to Ali.

Inferior for the show overall perhaps, but better for the strategy of the people who kept him.  After all, he's now their loyal meat-shield, whereas Ali would have been a reluctant ally at best, and a counter-strategist at worst.

[Star Aristille]

4 hours ago, MissEwa said:

It's interesting that they're at 12 now and still with two tribes.

They're at three tribes.

[amazingracefan]

1 hour ago, SVNBob said:

Inferior for the show overall perhaps, but better for the strategy of the people who kept him.  After all, he's now their loyal meat-shield, whereas Ali would have been a reluctant ally at best, and a counter-strategist at worst.

Which is why I also said that it wasn't surprising that Chrissy kept him.

But being a member of the audience that entertainment aspect I mentioned is important to me.

[himela]

Ali said in an interview that Chrissy was so convincing that they would keep her that she went as far as saying that she couldn't wait to see Ali hugging her sister during the family visit. I mean, that's very personal. I get she may have changed her mind afterwards but that was very uncalled for, she had no reason to say that. It's not that Ali had to be convinced she was the one staying because she didn't have anyone else to helpherr make a move. I'm wondering why we didn't get to see this storyline and the result I'm coming to is that they want to present Chrissy as smug and arrogant but not as mean for some reason. I'm happy Ali talked about this incident and I now have the whole picture of Chrissy.

[himela]

21 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Mike Holloway did.  

Woah are we comparing Mike Holloway with f..ing Chrissy? Please say you are joking!

[Haleth]

Ryan and Chrissy are going to have to be very careful now with their backstabbing.  Everyone knows the merge will be coming soon, with all future bootees going to the jury.  It was fine for R&C to betray non jury bootees, but they now have to tread lightly.  I don't care for either of them, but if they do make it to the end I would give them credit for making the moves they did and playing a good game.

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, himela said:

Woah are we comparing Mike Holloway with f..ing Chrissy? Please say you are joking!

Seriously though. Chrissy is already about 10 times the strategic player Mike was!

2 hours ago, himela said:

Ali said in an interview that Chrissy was so convincing that they would keep her that she went as far as saying that she couldn't wait to see Ali hugging her sister during the family visit. I mean, that's very personal. I get she may have changed her mind afterwards but that was very uncalled for, she had no reason to say that. 

I had a feeling Chrissy was playing this way so it's nice to have confirmation. It's interesting the show isn't making that known at all though. So either Chrissy doesn't make it to the end or she does and it isn't a factor. Or perhaps she stops playing that way when the merge happens, but I highly doubt it.

Edited November 4, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[kikaha]

On 11/1/2017 at 11:11 PM, blackwing said:

When was the last time a single contestant  dominated the show so greatly?  I swear, it seemed like Ryan had 50% of the airtime?  Why?   

Because Ryan basically chose who stayed and who got booted.  Not just this episode, but last time as well.  In doing so, he betrayed his ally (and fan favorite) Ally, twice in a row. 

Ryan is where the action was, the drama (actually he was the major force behind those things that are so critical for Survivor) and IMO that's why he got so much airtime.

Side note: Survivor made finding multiple idols way too easy this season.  If you found one, you had the key to finding a second at your new camp. 

[Brookside]

Enough with the idols already.  I'm sure this has been suggested before, but how about just give everyone an idol at the beginning, play it when they want up until the final four/three.  Watching them grub around, rub their hands with glee, twirl their moustaches, and tuck stuff into their underwear is boring as all get-go. 

[MissEwa]

11 hours ago, Star Aristille said:

They're at three tribes.

That's what I meant but apparently my fingers don't watch Survivor. Fixed it - thanks! 

[violet and green]

14 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Inferior for the show overall perhaps, but better for the strategy of the people who kept him.  After all, he's now their loyal meat-shield, whereas Ali would have been a reluctant ally at best, and a counter-strategist at worst.

And much better for Chrissy who gets to keep another former Blue tribe member and ally, while further decimating old Red. Ryan is a nincompoop.

 

6 hours ago, kikaha said:

Because Ryan basically chose who stayed and who got booted.  Not just this episode, but last time as well.  In doing so, he betrayed his ally (and fan favorite) Ally, twice in a row. 

Ryan is where the action was, the drama (actually he was the major force behind those things that are so critical for Survivor) and IMO that's why he got so much airtime.

 

Ryan has had an exorbitant amount of airtime from the very start of the opening episode. He is clearly the season's early narrator, at the very least, and also apparently the camera persons' delight being a tiny man with a huge schlong (my eyes!). He's been on the screen narrating more than any other player, regardless of which tribe was heading home, but admittedly it has been predominantly former Reds who have gone home so far.

[millennium]

On 11/2/2017 at 8:55 PM, eel2178 said:

If he wasn't faking, he was missing a lot of symptoms: not pale, not sweating, respiratory rate and pattern were normal. Why didn't Dr. Mike check his pulse? 

In every previous instance where a cast member shows any sign of medical distress -- such as passing out, incoherence, or keeling over -- the show has always brought in a medic to check them out.   Not out of pure concern, probably, but concern about liability.

However, when Cole passed out, no Survivor crew member or cameraman called for medical to check him out.   The absence of the Survivor medical team was glaring.

Okay, sure, Dr. Mike and Jessica were there to help out.  But I can't see Mark Burnett's company or CBS taking the word of those two as professional validation of Cole's state of health or his ability to continue.   If Cole relapsed an hour later and had a seizure, I don't think Survivor would want to find itself in the position of having to say, "We thought he was okay.  Dr. Mike the urologist and virgin girl gave him the thumbs-up."

So why didn't the official medical team swoop in?

Could it be the Survivor crew knew Cole was faking?

[Superpole2000]

16 hours ago, himela said:

Ali said in an interview that Chrissy was so convincing that they would keep her that she went as far as saying that she couldn't wait to see Ali hugging her sister during the family visit. I mean, that's very personal. I get she may have changed her mind afterwards but that was very uncalled for, she had no reason to say that. It's not that Ali had to be convinced she was the one staying because she didn't have anyone else to helpherr make a move. I'm wondering why we didn't get to see this storyline and the result I'm coming to is that they want to present Chrissy as smug and arrogant but not as mean for some reason. I'm happy Ali talked about this incident and I now have the whole picture of Chrissy.

I credit Chrissy with being convincing. If you don't ease Ali's mind then you leave the door open for Ali and JP to form an alliance. Frankly, it's just sensible game play to deceive in this manner. I don't know how you can win Survivor without lying unless you rely on random chance and idols. And that's why I appreciate Ryan and Chrissy. They are working to get further in the game instead of relying on good fortune. That control element is what I would vote for if I was in a jury.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, millennium said:

In every previous instance where a cast member shows any sign of medical distress -- such as passing out, incoherence, or keeling over -- the show has always brought in a medic to check them out.   Not out of pure concern, probably, but concern about liability.

However, when Cole passed out, no Survivor crew member or cameraman called for medical to check him out.   The absence of the Survivor medical team was glaring.

Okay, sure, Dr. Mike and Jessica were there to help out.  But I can't see Mark Burnett's company or CBS taking the word of those two as professional validation of Cole's state of health or his ability to continue.   If Cole relapsed an hour later and had a seizure, I don't think Survivor would want to find itself in the position of having to say, "We thought he was okay.  Dr. Mike the urologist and virgin girl gave him the thumbs-up."

So why didn't the official medical team swoop in?

Could it be the Survivor crew knew Cole was faking?

We don't see everything.  Why would they waste time showing medics checking him out when there was no medevac?   Much cooler to show Mike jump in.  

We don't ALWAYS see the medics.   In fact I think more often than not we don't see them.  Did we see medics check out Chrissy puking? 

[simplyme]

7 hours ago, millennium said:

So why didn't the official medical team swoop in?

Could it be the Survivor crew knew Cole was faking?

Probst has said medical checked Cole out. Taken from a Q&A with Probst at http://ew.com/tv/2017/11/02/survivor-jeff-probst-heroes-hustlers-healers-episode-6/ :

Quote

Interviewer: We saw a scary scene as Cole fainted and then was tended to by Jessica and Mike. Did the Survivor medical team intervene at all and examine Cole, and were you ever en route to the island in case it was something more serious (as we have seen sometimes in the past)?
Probst:  Any time a player has any kind of medical issue, even if it appears to be very minor, our medical team goes to the beach to check them out. In most cases, the player is fine and the reassurance from our doctors is the remedy. That was the case with Cole. He just fainted. It was scary and could have been much worse had he hit his head on something, but fortunately, he was not injured.

This incident highlights a truth about Survivor — it’s very tough for low fat, lean, muscular guys who are used to wolfing down a lot of calories every day. The smart players start to change their diet weeks before coming on the show. But vanity is a powerful thing, and if you want to look like Cole, then it comes with an invoice.

 

It's not like medical is right there at camp. They're close, but it's not like at challenges when they're pretty much on standby at the scene. The castaways deal with it the best they can until medical shows up. As @Winston9-DT3 said, unless it affects the game or is gripping footage, they've generally got other things to show us. Especially when it's just going to be a doctor checking Cole's vitals and asking a few questions and then telling him to drink more water. Wooo.

[SVNBob]

29 minutes ago, simplyme said:

they've generally got other things to show us. Especially when it's just going to be a doctor checking Cole's vitals and asking a few questions and then telling him to drink more water. Wooo.

Doubly so when that would be redundant, since they already had a scene like that in this case.

[green]

On 11/4/2017 at 6:16 AM, himela said:

Ali said in an interview that Chrissy was so convincing that they would keep her that she went as far as saying that she couldn't wait to see Ali hugging her sister during the family visit. I mean, that's very personal. I get she may have changed her mind afterwards but that was very uncalled for, she had no reason to say that. It's not that Ali had to be convinced she was the one staying because she didn't have anyone else to helpherr make a move. I'm wondering why we didn't get to see this storyline and the result I'm coming to is that they want to present Chrissy as smug and arrogant but not as mean for some reason. I'm happy Ali talked about this incident and I now have the whole picture of Chrissy.

Cool.  I'm really digging the way Chrissy is operating here.  Telling Ali this probably stopped her from being paranoid and running around trying to make moves the rest of the time.  Excellent move.  Very VERY excellent move.

I'm really loving how Chrissy is playing the hell out of the game.  She, Ryan, and to a certain degree, Joe, are the only three players worthy to be on this season so far.  More please.  (I also think Dr Mike might move into the "player" tier if given the chance and Ben may be a bit of a sly one too.  Ashley as the darkhorse).

[himela]

10 hours ago, Superpole2000 said:

I credit Chrissy with being convincing. If you don't ease Ali's mind then you leave the door open for Ali and JP to form an alliance.

 

1 hour ago, green said:

Cool.  I'm really digging the way Chrissy is operating here.  Telling Ali this probably stopped her from being paranoid and running around trying to make moves the rest of the time.  Excellent move.  Very VERY excellent move.

Ali had no options. Ryan and Chrissy were voting together and of course not one another. The only thing Ali could do would be to convince JP that they are voting him out and target Ryan and go to rocks. Would JP go to rocks to save Ali? I seriously doubt it. So there was no need for Chrissy to play this dirty psychological game on Ali to convince her that JP was the one being voted out.

[Guest]

It's hard to call it a dirty psychological game when we didn't even see it.  Maybe at the time Chrissy did plan on keeping Ali.    

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, Superpole2000 said:

I don't know how you can win Survivor without lying unless you rely on random chance and idols. 

Well there's lying and then there's being an asshole. Usually people accept lying, they usually don't accept when people lie for no reason or tell needlessly personal lies, etc. We don't really have much evidence Chrissy is verging into the type of lying that's not necessary, but if she is, then she's making a mistake.

2 hours ago, green said:

She, Ryan, and to a certain degree, Joe, are the only three players worthy to be on this season so far. 

Well, they're the only 3 players the editing/production team wants us to see as players.

Edited November 5, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[Guest]

But is it a mistake if the player you lied to isn't on the jury?  I mean, then it has no bearing on the game either way, right?  Or do you mean it's a mistake because now readers of Ali's press think Chrissy's a jerk?  

[himela]

If you want to play a Russell Hantz game you gotta take the responsibility for it as well. Russell never considered the social aspect of the game important and that was his downfall. Chrissy is under the impression she is likeable and that Ryan gave her the idol cause he loved her. In her mind she has a great social game.

[Guest]

Has she said that about her own social game?  In either case, we haven't really been shown anything to suggest that she doesn't have a great social game.  People are repeatedly voting her way, even against their prior allies, which is rare for a 40+ female, pre-merge.  How Ali feels/felt about her is immaterial to her game. 

[NutMeg]

Just watched the episode today - first thing I watched after being back from holidays!

Random thoughts:

Ryan was very aggressive in a bad way with Ali in the post mortem of the previous tribal. While this could have me screaming I'm hating Ryan from now on, I choose to see it as him having less of a social game that he thinks he has. Which could be the first clue that he doesn't win.

I'm sorry Ali left, I hope the visibility she had means we'll see her again.

I think Christy is playing a good game. From potentially first person voted out, she's moved to a situation where she has at least three allies with different strengths that, if needed, could serve as shields for her, i.e. Ryan as "the most strategic", JP as "the most physical" and Ben "most likeable, most down to earth or rather, because of the theme, best embodiment of a hero", which is no mean feat. Yes, she's a woman, yes, she's not the best in challenges, and yes she's proud of herself and how she's doing in life and in the game: no reason there for me to hate on her, on the contrary, I'm rather impressed with her game (even while being unhappy with her targets, but hey, I get that what's good for her game is not necessarily what my viewing pleasure would prefer).

I also like Ben a lot, more each episode in fact, because we are allowed to see his personality and damn, it is very nice and multi-faceted and not the kind we often see on Survivor, so thanks Casting for giving us this gem and thanks Editing for not rendering him two dimensional.

Ditto for Lauren and Mike. I've loved Lauren more and more since the episode she was almost voted out, and Mike has grown on me too.

People who think medics automatically rush to the scene when someone faints obviously have not seen Guatemala, which probably provided us with the scariest scenes of young buff males dropping like flies (truly harrowing) due to dehydration, with apparently only nurse Margaret to monitor their status. 

Lastly, I liked both challenges and thought they were innovative.

Last lastly, because I've meant to say it for weeks and keep forgetting: how cool are all these multiple coloured fish we see in the opening credits? They put me in a good mood right there and then!   

[MVFrostsMyPie]

On 11/1/2017 at 7:20 PM, UGAmp said:

Devon makes me think of... someone famous... and I cannot put my finger on it. The closest my brain can come up with is Aladdin and that’s just not quite right.

It might be because I had a long day and it's late, but I don't think I've ever actually literally laughed out loud from anything written on these forums as much as I did with this comment. 

[Nashville]

On 11/1/2017 at 9:20 PM, UGAmp said:

Devon makes me think of... someone famous... and I cannot put my finger on it. The closest my brain can come up with is Aladdin and that’s just not quite right.

The Captain Morgan logo, maybe?  :>

 

 

[amazingracefan]

Survivor is different to Big Brother.  I think contestants, in general, can appreciate big moves more, that might even mean being blindsided.  Of course you may get some who are bitter still but I think they are fewer in number than on Big Brother.  And that's reflected in the fact that some people on Big Brother don't really even play the game, whereas on Survivor it's really expected among the cast that everyone should.

Edited November 6, 2017 by amazingracefan

[green]

On 11/5/2017 at 11:55 PM, NutMeg said:

...

I think Christy is playing a good game. From potentially first person voted out, she's moved to a situation where she has at least three allies with different strengths that, if needed, could serve as shields for her, i.e. Ryan as "the most strategic", JP as "the most physical" and Ben "most likeable, most down to earth or rather, because of the theme, best embodiment of a hero", which is no mean feat. Yes, she's a woman, yes, she's not the best in challenges, and yes she's proud of herself and how she's doing in life and in the game: no reason there for me to hate on her, on the contrary, I'm rather impressed with her game (even while being unhappy with her targets, but hey, I get that what's good for her game is not necessarily what my viewing pleasure would prefer).

I also like Ben a lot, more each episode in fact, because we are allowed to see his personality and damn, it is very nice and multi-faceted and not the kind we often see on Survivor, so thanks Casting for giving us this gem and thanks Editing for not rendering him two dimensional.

Ditto for Lauren and Mike. I've loved Lauren more and more since the episode she was almost voted out, and Mike has grown on me too.

...

I think this is a great summary.  Chrissy does have some interesting allies.  And Ben may bring in Dr Mike and Lauren to a lesser extent.  And Ryan may bring in Devin and, again, Lauren to a lesser extent.  And JP is thick with Ashley who is now thick with Devin.

This puts Chrissy in the center of it all.  This possible mega-alliance could run things short term then will break apart in the long term.  And then Chrissy will be in a position to choose her side and manipulate things in ways even Ryan can't dream of.

Chrissy is sitting in the catbird's seat right now and that is pretty damn good for a 40-something woman on Survivor where most of them are sacrificed to appease the "gods of youth" early on each and every season. 

PS: Getting rid of Ali was a great move for her so that Ryan didn't feel pulled back to Ali at some point.  And Ali isn't on the jury so she didn't have to bother to jury manage her exit.

Of course a thousand and one things can go wrong on the way to winning Survivor and probably will.  But at this point in the game Chrissy has played the hell out of the game with no missteps

Edited November 7, 2017 by green

[ProfCrash]

I was away for the week and watched the show on CBS's website. This is really my first time to post.

Ryan is an interesting character. I don't buy for a second that Ryan is a weasel in real life but I like that he can acknowledge that he is playing the part of a weasel in this game. I tend to prefer players who own their game and their actions. Ryan knows that he is not going to be a challenge threat and that he is not going to be great in challenges. I would not say he is playing a social game, I think he is using the wrong term here, but he is focused on individual connections and alliances. He is willing to blind side people, which is totally appropriate for Survivor, but he is not really smooth enough to have a great social game. He is smart enough to understand that and dump Ali because he knows that he could not win her back. He handled that conversation totally wrong, which is why I don't think he is playing a social game. He does not have the skills to smooth over what he did and bring Ali in for a period of time. I think he knows that and he cut Ali for that reason. I think Ryan knows the game and understands the benefit of keeping JP. JP is a great target. He is a challenge threat and seems like a nice game. JP is someone great to have on your side because JP will protect Ryan and will be easy to vote off when JP loses an individual challenge. Ben is another person who will be seen as a target because he is a physical threat and seems like a nice guy. Chrissy might be a goat, she looks that way to us based on her edit but I am not sure that I buy that. She seems to work well with Ben, JP and Ryan. I don't think she is that much of a pain in camp and I think she is hiding some of her real thoughts about people in her talking heads.

I remain fine with Chrissy. I think that there were some clear issues with her and her initial tribe mates and I suspect that those issues were based on age. I think she is smart and a savvy player. I think that she responded aggressively when Roarke and others tried to blame Chrissy for whatever problems existed between Chrissy and others in her original tribe. And I thinks he was correct, conversation is a two way street and to try and blame Chrissy for being on the outside is a bit silly. Chrissy was on the outside because of how you treated her. And we didn't see nay indication that Chrissy was rubbing people the wrong way, the way we have with other players, so I suspect it was more that Roarke and her alliance decided they didn't need Chrissy and just ignored her. Chrissy has three strong allies who have worked to protect her which makes me think she is in a good place. We have not seen any indication that Chrissy is a pain around camp or acerbic or anything else. Chrissy is less of a threat in individual challenges and if I am right and she is not a pain in the ass around camp, then she is in a good place. She has clear shields in JP and Ben. I suspect that people will focus on Ryan pretty fast and see him as a manipulator and remove him for that reason.

I like Lauren. She is not a warm fuzzy woman but who cares? She seems to get along with most people and is working well with different folks. She allows other people to destroy their own games. She sees what people are doing that annoys others and talks to people individually to call out those issues. She is playing quietly in the back ground. I suspect she is going to do well in individual challenges and that she will be able to stay around for a while. I have no problem with how she responded to Cole's fainting. There was a Doctor and a Nurse on hand. For all we know she was concerned and we did not see those shots. She let the professionals take care of the situation and was perfectly willing to turn it into another reason to vote off Cole.

I like Jessica. I like that she is smart and on top of things. I like that she has a degree of loyalty to her allies but has figured out that Cole can't be trusted. All that means is that she will hopefully not share info with Cole but will continue to work with him. I don't think she has rocked the boat in any way and she has helped in challenges.

I am enjoying this season.

[ghoulina]

On 11/3/2017 at 4:30 PM, peachmangosteen said:

I meant to mention this. I am praying they give them swimsuits soon because I really don't need to see Ryan's penis anymore.

From your lips to production's ears. My young sons watch this with me! 

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

From your lips to production's ears. My young sons watch this with me! 

Yup! Ryan really got the wide angle walking towards the camera shot with his junk. Ewwwwwww!