S35.E09: Fear of the Unknown

[spiderpig]

I was glad to see Cole and his disgusting eating habits voted off.  Also, he was dumb.

That's all I've got.

[Rowan]

Ben is coming across as a douche. If someone tells you they feel steamrolled by you and you cut them off before they can even finish by basically dismissing them, then I hope you get what's coming to ya. So blinded by his desire to get Cole out, he's probably fucked up his game twofold. He's pissed off a couple of people in his alliance and now the douchebag parole officer is probably going to find the rehidden immunity idol. 

Ryan is such an annoying little elf. 

[KimberStormer]

"I've succeeded at everything I've ever done," [Dr. Mike] says. "I'm not gloating, it's just a fact."  Now I see how that fact works: when you fail, you just act super smug and gloaty, as if you'd planned this all along.  What a genius!  What devious brilliance!  Make an incoherent speech that would have gotten comedy gongs on it if it was a woman or Coach who said it!  Destroy any goodwill you have left!  Throw away your idol for fuck-all!  They'll never see it coming!  What's weird is, there were only two votes for Dr. Mike, Chrissy and JP.  (These morons do not understand how to split votes, it's astonishing.)  So if he had saved Cole and the three healers had voted together, they could have voted out whomever they wanted.  Because of my irrational hatred for Dr. Mike -- I sort of feel like whoever it was who kept saying "Michele is the best Survivor player of all time" in the Kaoh Rong pre-merge, and hopefully I have been granted their prophetic gift -- this humiliating, massive pile of fail is delicious to me.  I would like Dr. Mike to feel about Survivor as Russell Swan does by the time he leaves.

This season is sort of hilariously bad, but although I am not a huge fan of Ben or Chrissy as people, I respect their games (except for their inexplicable incompetence at counting when it comes to votes).  Despite people grumping at him about dictating the vote, everyone still comes to Ben with every bit of information, for no apparent reason but his dominance of the social game.  (Notice how he doesn't have to hype up his own social game, because it actually exists.)  And Chrissy has her head in the game and ducks in a row.  She knew there's no reason for her to spend her political capital on something like voting out Joe instead of Cole.  Since I'm rooting for her, and against the underdogs, I was OK with nobody making any moves, although god knows if ever a cast needed Ciera to kick them in the pants, it's this one.  Come on, tell me how "JP and Ashley are too playing, just not playing the way you want them to" blah blah blah, and how this tedious Pagonging is great TV from expert players, come on, tell me.  You seemed so sure of it before.

I'm just hoping that when the Pagonging is over then Lauren's double vote makes it interesting.  In the meantime, at least Lauren is there, though I think she would have been even more entertaining with a better cast.  Or even this one, if actually interesting people like Simone and Roark had stayed.

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

 I mean Devon is cute but so far is acting as useless as everyone accused Desi of being

Who accused Desi of that?

[piequinn35]

So what was JP looking at the bushes after he lost in IC?

[loki567]

I'll give Ben some credit for what I thought was a really good episode for him strategy-wise. One thing I've noticed about Big Brother or Survivor seasons where a single player dominates, there's usually a loud overbearing outsider who functions as a hate sink. Somebody so obnoxious that even when they're giving logical strategy advice to the other players, everybody ignores it because fuck that guy. That's clearly Joe. And even though there was some disagreement between the majority alliance, that was only because they hated Joe that much. As long as he's around, it guarantees the alliance doesn't start to turn on Ben until they're able to get rid of Joe. The fact that Ben pointed that out, showed some next level thinking from him and that he's got more going on than just being soldier guy. 

Also a good move for Ben was picking the absolute right time to stick a dagger between the Ryan/Devon relationship. Between that and his ties to Lauren, Ben seems set up pretty well when the alliance finally breaks. 

Edited November 23, 2017 by loki567

[sigmaforce86]

I liked Ben up until now but whatever got him into "push them around mode" - paranoia or lack of food or maybe even his true personality coming out - made him not just unlikable but more than a little tone deaf to his fellow tribe/alliance members.   If he can't reign it in and apologize (and sound like he means it) he's going to push his way right into the jury.

Ryan why are you showing everyone the idol after jumping through hoops to secretly find it?  And why are you doubling down on the dumb by telling each of them they're the "only ones" that know?  How can you think that will end well?

I was fooled into thinking Dr. Mike had a plan - a real plan - when he told Joe to trust him and go with it then started his more than slightly incomprehensible speech I thought he was putting the target on Joe's back to get everyone to vote for him then he plays the idol for Joe and he and Joe vote out whoever they want.   Nope, he wastes the idol on himself even though the odds of him getting majority votes were low.  Worse he risks the re-burial of the idol and if the powers that be do put it back into play and it means we have to risk watching Joe find it and gloat about so it I just might make my own idol to through at the TV.

[tessat]

I at first wondered why Ben wanted Mike on the block - but it does make sense - flush out any idols that may be there and then next week - there is a chance one of the 7 will find the idol if it is replayed. I also got the impression Mike was going to play it for either Cole or Joe. I liked Mike at first as I always root for the weird geeky underdogs usually - but Mike is too full of himself as is Ryan. I'm hoping for a Ben, Lauren, and Devin finale - I don't even mind JP.

Also each year we have a core group for awhile before people actually start playing the game - this year is no different from any other - we say the same thing every year.

[JudyObscure]

6 hours ago, NeverLate said:

Ashley, Joe is annoying, but looking for idols is what some players do!!! I'm not keen on her..Lauren is getting better each week

You know someone has lost focus on the game when they start working hard to get someone out just because they're annoying. There's a million dollars at the end of the rainbow, Ashley, who cares if Joe thinks you would make the ideal goat!

On behalf of all my redheaded friends I have tried hard to dislike Lauren but she is now my favorite to win.

Devon was cute whispering, "Wow," as Desi walked in.  She was just what he needed after his bromance with Ryan proved disappointing.

Will, "I have an idol in my pants," become the new pick-up line for drunk guys in bars?

[Haleth]

9 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I thought it was a lovely dress but you could tell that it was either a few sizes too big or bought before she lost all the weight in the game. 

She only lost about 7 lbs.  

Good riddance to Cole (or Coal, lol) but again, why not Joe???  Joe may call Ashley a goat, but clearly the majority of the 7 feel he is disliked enough to keep around.  He won't be finding any allies.  If he makes it to the end I'd like to see him win since he is truly surviving each vote.

Mike isn't nearly as smart as he thinks he is, thinking he could outwit the majority alliance and get them all to vote for him.  I hope he surprises us next week and finds a hole in the 7.  I'd love to see Ben or Ryan blindsided.

The immunity challenge was brutal.  

So no one counted votes last week.  Hmm.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Haleth

[himela]

Joe is not a mean person. It's really obvious that he is playing a role in this game. When you make someone that angry as to tell you to shut up you don't then say "alright" and go on. It's a role, it's acting. He is trying to be Russell Hantz to get to the end.

Desi looked like a queen and even better.

Other than that, boring episode. The only thing that can save this season is the Hustlers realizing that they are bottom three after the two healers leave and change it up. Now it's the best time to do so, at 9. But they won't because Chrissy is close with Ryan and Devon with Ben and Ben with Lauren. Anyway something has to give. I don't want to see Chrissy going to final four by default. She was not that terrible this episode and I'm upset that the editors are showing her under a good light. Yeah we get it, you are trying to make her seem like a hero cause she gets to final two and/or wins. Ewww.

[ByaNose]

It’s funny how much time was spent on Desi making her entrance. It’s like they had never seen a clean person before. LOL!!! She did look pretty but the maxi dress looked like there was too much fabric. I’m looking forward to seeing her & Cole & the rest at Ponderosa. 

[Jextella]

12 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Bleh, I'm just not enjoying this season. I blame casting. Nobody is particularly likable and none of them seem to have much genuine affection for each other. I still think one of the best seasons in years was MvsGenX and it was 100% because of the casting. They had a bunch of people who were playing hard but understood it was just a game and seemed to genuinely like each other. This group just seems bored and unhappy which is no fun to watch at all. I still don't know who to root for during the challenges because I just don't care enough to root for or against anyone yet.

I have no clue what Mike was rambling on about at TC or why he looked so pleased with himself. You wasted your idol so...yay?

This is sort of a dull cast and the lopsided nature of the strong vs weak tribes has gone on for a long time which is also boring.   Survivor has its dud seasons from time to time.  This seems to be one.   I'll still watch though.

[AZChristian]

12 hours ago, ElleryAnne said:

eta:  Oh, and Cole was on the winning team.  I remember he made a huge bagel and cold-cut sandwich.

Because he wanted the energy so he could continue winning individual immunities.  How's that workin' for ya, Cole?

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

You know someone has lost focus on the game when they start working hard to get someone out just because they're annoying. There's a million dollars at the end of the rainbow, Ashley, who cares if Joe thinks you would make the ideal goat!

Ashley:  "We all have opinions and deserve to be respected, Joe."

Joe:  "Yeah, but . . . "

Ashley:  "Shut up, Joe.  SHUT UP."

[fishcakes]

I've finally realized that the reason I find Mike so creepy is that he seems childlike but not in a cute way, more like there's some kind of Benjamin Button thing going on and we'll later find out he's only 7-years-old. He talks like a toddler who hasn't mastered his Rs and Ws. Something about his face seems undeveloped. He hasn't yet learned the concept of water as a cleaning agent. In any case, it was hilarious how proud he was of burning his idol and weakening his own position in the game. Good job, little man!

 

41 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Ashley:  "We all have opinions and deserve to be respected, Joe."

Joe:  "Yeah, but . . . "

Ashley:  "Shut up, Joe.  SHUT UP."

I was already rooting for Joe, but that scene cemented it. Joe comes back to the shelter and Mike tells him they were talking about him so Joe says they should keep talking, which apparently is the worst offense in the world because Chrissy and Ashley proceed to get sarcastic and condescending, roll their eyes, indignantly assert he's not the boss of them, and act like bigger assholes than he's ever been. I loved how he very calmly and correctly told Ashley she was a goat, followed by a scene of Ashley telling Ben she wants Joe gone and Ben completely ignoring what to him were just her making barnyard noises. The cherry on top was Chrissy complaining at IC about how Joe was insulting him in the shelter, as if she and Ashley didn't provoke the whole thing. This season is boring, but at least every time someone gets the shaft, chances are it will be someone I don't like.

Also fun was Ryan and Ben's repeated attempts and failures at mastering the fist bump.

 

7 hours ago, piequinn35 said:

So what was JP looking at the bushes after he lost in IC?

It looked to me like he was trying to stretch out his back; he seemed to be in more pain than anyone else when he dropped out of the IC. My back has gone into spasm before, and it is extremely painful so I wouldn't be surprised if he were turned away from everyone to hide some tears. At least that's how I was; just trying to stand from a sitting position would make me spontaneously start crying. Speaking of the IC, I thought Chrissy would win because she managed to get into position without squatting. She was bent at the waist but with straight legs. I would have thought she could stay that way from much longer than the squatters who had all that pressure on their legs and back. 

Best scene: shy octopus.

Edited November 23, 2017 by fishcakes

[Maya]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

Good riddance to Cole (or Coal, lol) but again, why not Joe???  Joe may call Ashley a goat, but clearly the majority of the 7 feel he is disliked enough to keep around.  He won't be finding any allies.  If he makes it to the end I'd like to see him win since he is truly surviving each vote.

Joe has found two idols and has survived vote after vote. If he makes it to the end, he would be able to make a great case and possibly win if there were enough non-bitter jury members. 

[Mindthinkr]

17 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Best scene: shy octopus

Oh yes. Good one! Their color and movement in the water is sheer fluidity. How ever do they fit into those small safe places? What neat creatures. I was scared for a minute that they were going to get it and boil it up for dinner. 

[Bouffe]

14 hours ago, mojoween said:

I’m sad Cole got booted even though he was gross because I thought there was going to be a coup against Ben.

I really was hoping Mike would play the idol for Cole, so that Ben could go home (I do like Ben but I want some shakin' up!) I do understand why he played it for himself, but ugh! It felt like he wasted it, AND put an even bigger target on his back. (see comment below as to why I now don't get why Mike played the idol for himself!)

I don't like or dislike Cole, and I get why they wanted him out; he is a big physical threat. But Jo... Yeah, he's annoying and all, but above that he's pretty good at the strategy game... He's also good at putting doubt in other players minds. 

14 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

And then worse, only for me to realize when the vote tally was shown during the credits that he and Joe apparently voted for Cole. Like what? Again, I guess if I was even half-way interested in this season some of this stuff would make sense to me but right now it just all seems like a bunch of nonsense playing. At best, I guess can assume that the talk changed before tribal council to Mike and Cole and editing hid that.

Oh I missed that Mike and Jo voted for Cole! I don't get why Mike played his idol then. If anything both Jo and Mike should have voted for Ben, Mike gives the idol to Cole and Bn goes home! Like you I am now assuming Mike's name must have come up at some point and we were not shown, because his playing the idol for himself does not make any sense at all.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Bouffe
new info came to light!

[ByaNose]

13 minutes ago, Bouffe said:

I really was hoping Mike would play the idol for Cole, so that Ben could go home (I do like Ben but I want some shakin' up!) I do understand why he played it for himself, but ugh! It felt like he wasted it, AND put an even bigger target on his back. (see comment below as to why I now don't get why Mike played the idol for himself!)

I don't like or dislike Cole, and I get why they wanted him out; he is a big physical threat. But Jo... Yeah, he's annoying and all, but above that he's pretty good at the strategy game... He's also good at putting doubt in other players minds. 

Oh I missed that Mike and Jo voted for Cole! I don't get why Mike played his idol then. If anything both Jo and Mike should have voted for Ben, Mike gives the idol to Cole and Bn goes home! Like you I am now assuming Mike's name must have come up at some point and we were not shown, because his playing the idol for himself does not make any sense at all.

Dr. Mike said on his Twitter said basically it’s complicated. Everyone is totally confused why he played his idol & that he voted for Cole. I was listening to RHAP last night and they got so confused trying to figure why Dr. Mike did it, too. He was in a good spot and could of held onto to the HII for another round or possible two. Overall, it was a dumb move. 

[peachmangosteen]

43 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Also fun was Ryan and Ben's repeated attempts and failures at mastering the fist bump.

Best part of the ep. I watched it multiple times and laughed every time.

I still don't understand why Mike played his idol. Fucking idiot. I can't believe there was a time I liked his creepy, stupid ass. 

I like Lauren a lot, but I look forward to her being one of the first to go among 'the 7' because it will make me laugh. Buy a clue and do something, Lauren!

I hate Chrissy, but if one of her/Ben/Ryan/Mike must win (and I feel the editing is telling me it's one of them), then I pray it's her. Her and Ben are both paying well, but I hate them both. It annoys me lol. Ryan and Mike are playing poorly and I hate them.

Devon is adorable. I'm hoping he somehow survives to F3 with 2 very hated people so he can win by default.

Edited November 23, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[ghoulina]

Ryan is a moron. WHY tell so many people about the Idol? JP saw it. I'm sure Chrissy knows. He tells Devon....and then he tells Ben??? So Ben turns around and tells Devon, and Devon plays it off like he didn't know - both smart moves on their parts. But now Ryan has burned the earliest alliance he built. The one guy who was loyal to him over anyone else. Chrissy? She has also has a strong alliance with Ben. Ben - vice versa, plus his alliance with Lauren. But Devon seemed to be locked in with Ryan first and foremost, and now that trust has been blown. 

This is why you don't tell people about Idols. People talk. End of story. 

Other than the above, wasn't loving Ben tonight. He is definitely playing way too hard. He won't listen to anyone. Personally, I'm sick of his vote splitting. It's unnecessary and stupid. And he is definitely steamrolling everyone, and doesn't have the self-awareness to take any constructive criticism and try and change things up. Too much ego going on. I liked him a lot prior to last night, but he's fallen. I hope he redeems himself next week, but....

At this point, I'm rooting hard for Lauren. I've liked her since the beginning as well, and her challenge performance last night was very impressive. I'm curious to see how and when she'll use her advantage. And, frankly, I'm quite shocked there was no discussion of the hinky vote back at camp. 

Joe is a douche, can't stand him. He's also a perfect "goat", depending on your definition of it. Many people see dragging an unlikeable person to the end as a great winning strategy, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. 

Dr. Mike can take a seat. All that smugness wafting off of him and he basically played his Idol for no reason. 

Not sad to see Cole go. I don't think I could sit through watching him eat at one more food challenge. 

[fishcakes]

10 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I hate Chrissy, but if one of her/Ben/Ryan/Mike must win (and I feel the editing is telling me it's one of them)

This season is the reason for the Death Is Not an Option poll.

[ghoulina]

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

She only lost about 7 lbs.  

On a small frame like Desi's, though, seven pounds can make quite a difference. 

 

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

Because he wanted the energy so he could continue winning individual immunities.  How's that workin' for ya, Cole?

I don't like Cole, but he did make it to the very end of that challenge. I was quite shocked he lost because he was super still and Lauren was moving a BUNCH, right before Cole's urn fell. 

 

55 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Best scene: shy octopus.

The octopus was beautiful! I find them so fascinating. The episode could have morphed into a sea creature documentary and I'd have been fine. 

[Bouffe]

15 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Dr. Mike said on his Twitter said basically it’s complicated. Everyone is totally confused why he played his idol & that he voted for Cole. I was listening to RHAP last night and they got so confused trying to figure why Dr. Mike did it, too. He was in a good spot and could of held onto to the HII for another round or possible two. Overall, it was a dumb move. 

Well, someone upthread brought forward the theory that perhaps Mike tried to ensure people would vote Cole and Jo out before they would vote him out, thus giving him time to jump into an alliance with someone else. I thought it was an interesting theory. But I still think Mike should have kept the idol; I'd vote him out before Jo now knowing he had an idol. To me, Mike's performance at TC antagonized the other players rather than putting even more attention on Jo.

[Charlesman]

11 hours ago, southpaw said:

Before the merge, Mike had been doing a lot of masturbating about what a genius he was with puzzles and that his tribe would not ever vote him out because they needed him to win Immunity Challenges.  He came to the merge with that same swelled head, saying that he was the only one really playing Survivor.  Tonight’s tribal council proves that he is a legend in his own mind.  Way to waste an idol!

He's a smug jerk and he makes no sense. What was up with the 'follow my lead' play? He accomplished nothing and did the whole Statue of Liberty thing like he was making a big move and showing it off... Only nothing happened. What a loser. 

Genius in his own mind. 

Fella, Ben told you the vote was going to be Cole. The only person you outsmarted was yourself.. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

5 hours ago, tessat said:

I at first wondered why Ben wanted Mike on the block - but it does make sense - flush out any idols that may be there and then next week - there is a chance one of the 7 will find the idol if it is replayed. I also got the impression Mike was going to play it for either Cole or Joe. I liked Mike at first as I always root for the weird geeky underdogs usually - but Mike is too full of himself as is Ryan. I'm hoping for a Ben, Lauren, and Devin finale - I don't even mind JP.

Also each year we have a core group for awhile before people actually start playing the game - this year is no different from any other - we say the same thing every year.

Ben straight up told Mike that Cole was the vote - and it was 100% true, LOL - and Mike still didn't play it for Cole.  Hahaha.  Dr. Mike is so funny.  I enjoy the humour of him very much.  Some intentional and a lot not.

3 hours ago, himela said:

Joe is not a mean person. It's really obvious that he is playing a role in this game. When you make someone that angry as to tell you to shut up you don't then say "alright" and go on. It's a role, it's acting. He is trying to be Russell Hantz to get to the end.

Yes, it is obvious because he has admitted this himself many times.

[himela]

8 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Yes, it is obvious because he has admitted this himself many times.

You mean on the social media or in confessionals?

[blackwing]

At this point the only one I am really rooting for is Joe.  Surprised, because he was my most hated at first.  Now I am loving how irritated he makes the others.  

The only other person I want to win is JP.  I think it'd be awesome if this mute person wins. The only reason why he gets any (silent) screentime at all is because the cameraman loves to focus on him sans shirt.  

Devon and Lauren are less offensive to me than the others, but they are tainted for me by their lapdog association with the annoying Ryan and the heinous Ben.  If Lauren makes a move to get rid of Ben then to me that is probably the only thing that will redeem this season.  Otherwise it's just a slow trudge to the end.

[piequinn35]

17 minutes ago, blackwing said:

At this point the only one I am really rooting for is Joe.  Surprised, because he was my most hated at first.  Now I am loving how irritated he makes the others.  

The only other person I want to win is JP.  I think it'd be awesome if this mute person wins. The only reason why he gets any (silent) screentime at all is because the cameraman loves to focus on him sans shirt.  

Devon and Lauren are less offensive to me than the others, but they are tainted for me by their lapdog association with the annoying Ryan and the heinous Ben.  If Lauren makes a move to get rid of Ben then to me that is probably the only thing that will redeem this season.  Otherwise it's just a slow trudge to the end.

When JP starts to get a lot of confessional, that is the time he will get the boot. :/ if not, he is Ken 2.0

[iMonrey]

So remember last week when we were all wondering why none of these morons could count, and nobody even noticed there was a vote missing? And remember how certain we all were that it would come up in this episode? Like, probably at the very beginning of this episode, as soon as they returned from the last tribal council? Surely someone would go "hey, why were there only ten votes?" But no. As far as we can tell, none of these nincompoops even noticed. Lauren and Ben even said they "got away with it." Because this is one of the stupidest casts they've ever had.

Take Mike, for example. He really seemed to think he was making some big move but all he did was paint a giant target on his own back and then waste an idol for nothing. What a dummy. Even if he had played the idol for Cole, and the three Healers voted for Ben, that would have only resulted in a 3-3 tie, and a Healer would have gone home anyway on the revote. But he just voted for Cole anyway so WTF? Moron.

Quote

I still say keep Joe, he's a perfect goat.

Not really. If he wound up in the final 3 with Ashley and JP he'd probably win, because a case could be made that he played a stronger game than either of them. 

Joe's another one who's massively over-impressed with himself. There seem to be a lot of those: Mike, Joe, Chrissy, Ben, Ryan - all of them have unjustifiably high opinions of themselves.

I don't really hate Joe, but he irritates the hell out of me because he's the exact kind of delusional, loud-mouthed goomba this show loves to cast season after season and I'm sick of it.

[NutMeg]

I was stoked to see some swimming in the reward challenge, and impressed that so many of the players were no slouch. Ashley was impressive, as well as whichever dude dived and swam all the way to the underwater buoy. And as always when there is a swimming challenge, I can't help but wonder how Ozzie 1.0 would have approached it (or more precisely, I wondered if he too would have never surfaced after the initial dive until he had freed the buoy).

Despite some head scratching this episode about Mike's idol play, for which some posters above have brought insightful interpretations, I thought there were some good moves too:

Ben is stretching it by imposing his choice, but he was smart to "reveal" Ryan's idol to Devon - I think Devon was quite in shock that Ryan had lied to him. Besides, he's doubly lied to him, because Chrissy had known all along - maybe JP too, but who knows with him? He was also smart to keep Lauren's advantage secret between them two. Overall, he's solidified his alliance with Lauren, gained the trust of Devon and booted his chosen target - although why he so wanted Cole gone is somehow more of a mystery to me.

Lauren is also doing well in solidifying Ben's trust, although she does seem to rely excessively on her alliance with him - and on the one-off future power of her advantage. Good on her though for the IC win, that looked brutal.

Chrissy, I like that she raised her concerns with Ben, but that ultimately she knows when the battle is not worth it.

On the other hand, Ryan looks like he's playing from insecurity, exposing himself - the idol in his pants - to gain alliances. While I understand why he did it with Devon, to reinforce that they were still solid, it may have backfired after Devon learned that Ben was also in the secret. Why he thought Ben at all is a mystery. The best reason I can come up with is that he underestimated Ben's strategic game. ?

Ashley might also be getting too complacent, although at this stage it's not a bad idea for her to lay low. Still, you'd think she'd start working more towards the future. But maybe she is, and editing is not showing us. We'll see.

I'm almost sad to see Cole go, but then again when the episode started I was surprised he was still there, so clearly he hasn't been at the front of my mind, haha.

Joe has grown on me, I'm not sure how effective his strategy to play the goat will work out, but so far it's working. He can be quite obnoxious in the game, but his talking heads are refreshing.

JP. Does he keep singing songs that Survivor has not bought the rights too? Is he swearing non stop under his breath? Has he recently broken up with one of the producers who decided he would therefore be seen as little as possible?

I must be the lone watcher genuinely enjoying this season, probably because I don't care that I'm not rooting for nor against anyone. I'd take anyone left winning at this point, because each potential path to victory could be interesting.         

Edited November 23, 2017 by NutMeg
I was never "stocked"

[Rachel RSL]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

Many people see dragging an unlikeable person to the end as a great winning strategy, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. 

I think he'd gladly stick that in his pipe and smoke it since he said last night that's exactly what his plan is. He said that he purposely wanted to make people dislike him so they would drag him along to the end, thinking they could get rid of him any time. 

 

57 minutes ago, himela said:

You mean on the social media or in confessionals?

He's mentioned several times on the show that he's purposely trying to push people's buttons or annoy them for strategic purposes. (I'm sure a lot of it is his normal personality but he has definitely mentioned that he's playing up those aspects on purpose.)

[KimberStormer]

36 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

So remember last week when we were all wondering why none of these morons could count, and nobody even noticed there was a vote missing? And remember how certain we all were that it would come up in this episode? Like, probably at the very beginning of this episode, as soon as they returned from the last tribal council? Surely someone would go "hey, why were there only ten votes?" But no. As far as we can tell, none of these nincompoops even noticed. Lauren and Ben even said they "got away with it." Because this is one of the stupidest casts they've ever had.

Take Mike, for example. He really seemed to think he was making some big move but all he did was paint a giant target on his own back and then waste an idol for nothing. What a dummy. Even if he had played the idol for Cole, and the three Healers voted for Ben, that would have only resulted in a 3-3 tie, and a Healer would have gone home anyway on the revote. But he just voted for Cole anyway so WTF? Moron.

It should have worked that way, but in reality the 7-person alliance split 5-2!  So the Healers could have won out with a correct idol play.  Why the majority alliance can't count is a mystery.  But it seems to me that the three Healer men never had any real connection to each other, and have three completely different and un-complimentary personalities, so they just can't work together.  Personally I will always think "throw the other people on the outs under the bus so you last longer" is a bad strategy, but I get why you'd do it if you feel closer to people in the majority.  OK I am done being charitable, because Mike is still a goddamn moron, his entire "move" here was utter nonsense.

If you watch the Ponderosa video, it seems the confusing vote for Lauren helped to make things unclear.  Cole speculates that Probst just didn't read someone's vote.  I guess the thing is they have no reason to suspect any shenanigans with the vote because nothing like this has happened before.  But also, again, I am done being charitable, why can't these people count?

[Silver Raven]

3 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I still don't understand why Mike played his idol. Fucking idiot. I can't believe there was a time I liked his creepy, stupid ass. 

Mike played his idol because he shot off his big mouth and got backwash for it, and was afraid he had stuck his foot in his mouth.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Silver Raven

[amazingracefan]

13 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

"I've succeeded at everything I've ever done," [Dr. Mike] says. "I'm not gloating, it's just a fact."  Now I see how that fact works: when you fail, you just act super smug and gloaty, as if you'd planned this all along.  What a genius!  What devious brilliance!  Make an incoherent speech that would have gotten comedy gongs on it if it was a woman or Coach who said it!  Destroy any goodwill you have left!  Throw away your idol for fuck-all!  They'll never see it coming!  What's weird is, there were only two votes for Dr. Mike, Chrissy and JP.  (These morons do not understand how to split votes, it's astonishing.)  So if he had saved Cole and the three healers had voted together, they could have voted out whomever they wanted.  Because of my irrational hatred for Dr. Mike -- I sort of feel like whoever it was who kept saying "Michele is the best Survivor player of all time" in the Kaoh Rong pre-merge, and hopefully I have been granted their prophetic gift -- this humiliating, massive pile of fail is delicious to me.  I would like Dr. Mike to feel about Survivor as Russell Swan does by the time he leaves.

Mike's plan was very clearly to annoy them so they voted for him and then he uses the idol for himself.  It was always very much a long shot, but I'm not sure they had any other options.  It was unlikely he'd play the idol for someone else as it could have put himself at risk.

Edited November 23, 2017 by amazingracefan

[himela]

3 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

He's mentioned several times on the show that he's purposely trying to push people's buttons or annoy them for strategic purposes. (I'm sure a lot of it is his normal personality but he has definitely mentioned that he's playing up those aspects on purpose.)

Then why do viewers hate him that much?

[amazingracefan]

I don't hate anyone on it, they are all playing a game.  I did find Ashley's comment that she was getting bullied rather ridiculous though.

 

Ryan really messed up this episode telling two people about his idol. First I think he said he was tying someone to him by that tactic and then that he said that truth is power. Neither point convinced me, maybe he was just getting too comfortable at this stage in the game and let his guard slip.

[cooksdelight]

I fell asleep during this episode. Says something, right? Thanks for all the detailed recaps.

[violet and green]

16 hours ago, NeverLate said:

Did Lauren cast two votes this week? They never said

 

 

I think she only had to do her throw away vote that week, and then could choose a time to cast her two votes, when she needed them?

Well, disappointed Mike burned his idol. But he had some fun in the process, I guess? He has no idea what he's doing but good on him for giving it a red hot go. His little boy will be cringing! I wish he, Joe, and Cole had got together and he'd trusted Ben (after all that sucking up to him lately) that Cole was it, and played his idol for Cole, and the Healers had voted Ben out, even though I used to/still half like Ben - just for some freaking action!

The pretty octopus in its beautiful underwater sequence made the ep worthwhile, and I enjoyed that squatting challenge. They are a very dull cast, with moments.

[spiderpig]

6 hours ago, ghoulina said:

 

The octopus was beautiful! I find them so fascinating. The episode could have morphed into a sea creature documentary and I'd have been fine. 

There was a documentary on Discover Science (or similar) about a pregnant female octopus searching out a seafloor cave where she would give birth, knowing she would die there and her offspring would survive on her body.  Mr. pig and I were crying like babies.

Wah!  Sushi has never been the same.

[akr]

I liked the yawning bat, too.  Surprisingly cute!

[NeverLate]

2 hours ago, himela said:

Then why do viewers hate him that much?

I sure don't hate him, I cannot imagine survivor without him.

 

( are we talking Jeff?) 

Edited November 24, 2017 by NeverLate

[Ms Blue Jay]

6 hours ago, himela said:

You mean on the social media or in confessionals?

Confessionals on the show.

[Misty79]

This cast is pretty awful. It says something that I'm rooting for Lauren at this point, someone who's neither playing that well or a sparkling personality. 

[eel2178]

20 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

  Gawd.  I hope Survivor provided in-camp chiropractic service or a candy bowl of Motrin back at camp.  Seriously, I'm in agony just watching that!

I was thinking, "The next reward better be a massage."

[SourK]

So.. is this the first time someone played an idol just because they were bored?

On 11/22/2017 at 9:06 PM, ElleryAnne said:

Can Ryan please stop talking about the idol in his pants?

Especially because it's not literally true at the moments he's saying it. Like, he's not continuing to carry it around in the waistband of his shorts. I get that he's telling people because he's so pleased with himself that he wants to brag to the other men -- which is probably a large part of the reason most people who tell somebody tell -- but he also seems unduly pleased with this specific phrasing; almost like he needs to make up for not whispering it to someone right at the moment it happened. /psychoanalysis

On 11/22/2017 at 9:25 PM, Rachel RSL said:

Also, I was wrong. I thought for sure they would be discussing the missing vote from last week's TC but, nope, Lauren really did get away with it. I probably wouldn't have noticed either. I can't keep track of the votes half the time when I'm sitting at home on my couch.

On a normal vote, I'd agree that it would probably be easy to let it slip by but, in this case, the first vote came back as a tie, which means that people should have been counting a lot more closely to figure out how that happened. I'm seriously confused that no one brought it up.

16 hours ago, loki567 said:

I'll give Ben some credit for what I thought was a really good episode for him strategy-wise. One thing I've noticed about Big Brother or Survivor seasons where a single player dominates, there's usually a loud overbearing outsider who functions as a hate sink. Somebody so obnoxious that even when they're giving logical strategy advice to the other players, everybody ignores it because fuck that guy. That's clearly Joe. And even though there was some disagreement between the majority alliance, that was only because they hated Joe that much. As long as he's around, it guarantees the alliance doesn't start to turn on Ben until they're able to get rid of Joe. The fact that Ben pointed that out, showed some next level thinking from him and that he's got more going on than just being soldier guy.

I read that more as Ben being the only one to really buy into Joe's "plan" to make people hate him so that he becomes a goat to take to the end. At the same time, though, I'm disappointed by the strategy in general this episode. People seem to be making moves that take a lot of effort but have questionable value overall -- and Joe's "plan" to be unlikable is one of them. It didn't work the way he wanted it to, because only Ben seemed to believe it was best to keep him around but, even if it did work, the jury's not likely to vote for someone who made them feel angry and upset all the time, so then what?

15 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

I liked Ben up until now but whatever got him into "push them around mode" - paranoia or lack of food or maybe even his true personality coming out - made him not just unlikable but more than a little tone deaf to his fellow tribe/alliance members.   If he can't reign it in and apologize (and sound like he means it) he's going to push his way right into the jury.

...

I was fooled into thinking Dr. Mike had a plan - a real plan - when he told Joe to trust him and go with it then started his more than slightly incomprehensible speech I thought he was putting the target on Joe's back to get everyone to vote for him then he plays the idol for Joe and he and Joe vote out whoever they want.   Nope, he wastes the idol on himself even though the odds of him getting majority votes were low.  Worse he risks the re-burial of the idol and if the powers that be do put it back into play and it means we have to risk watching Joe find it and gloat about so it I just might make my own idol to through at the TV.

I'm gonna take this back to something Dr. Mike (I believe) said after said after the merge -- which is that he had made the mistake of strategizeing as if he were the only player. That seems like something that happens to a lot of people on Survivor, but especially to people who maneuver into a powerful position and manage to hold it for a while. I think that's what's going on with Ben -- he's clear-sighted as far as the order of eliminations that leaves him in the most secure position, but he's losing sight of the reality that other people don't make their decisions based on what's best for his game. Even if you ultimately want to be the one who calls the shots in your alliance (which, in general, I think you do), you can't make it look like that's what you're doing -- you have to have patience to listen to people say stuff you think is wrong and counterproductive. You may even have to do a vote that's a little bit wrong or counterproductive in order to keep the alliance together, sometimes.

As far as Dr. Mike playing his idol, all I've been able to guess is that he just went into panic mode and literally did every single thing he could possibly do to not get voted off, all at once, with no regard for whether any of those things were redundant. He voted with the majority alliance for Cole, he told the majority alliance to vote for Joe, he surprised everyone at tribal council to confuse the vote, and he played an idol for himself. It's the Select All strategy. And it was all unnecessary because he wasn't the one going home and now he's in a worse position than he began from.

[Nashville]

16 hours ago, himela said:

Joe is not a mean person. It's really obvious that he is playing a role in this game. When you make someone that angry as to tell you to shut up you don't then say "alright" and go on. It's a role, it's acting. He is trying to be Russell Hantz to get to the end.

In that case, I hope Joe is happy with Russell Hantz money at best - which is to say, second-place money.

 

13 hours ago, ghoulina said:

Ryan is a moron. WHY tell so many people about the Idol? JP saw it. I'm sure Chrissy knows. 

Chrissy definitely knows, and Ryan knows she knows.  When Chrissy first approached the tribe flag under which they both knew (from the plate in the spaghetti reward) the idol was buried, Ryan said to Chrissy, "Fill that in.  I have it" - "that" being the hole he'd dug retrieving the idol.  And Chrissy was doing just that - filling in the hole - when Cole saw her, mistakenly assumed she was digging for the idol, and bumrushed her.

 

8 hours ago, himela said:

Then why do viewers hate [Joe] that much?

Because Joe has a nasty habit of picking extremely personally sensitive, non-game-related buttons to push - and when confronted about it, keeps pushing all the harder.

 

13 hours ago, ghoulina said:

I don't like Cole, but he did make it to the very end of that challenge. I was quite shocked he lost because he was super still and Lauren was moving a BUNCH, right before Cole's urn fell. 

In truth, I assumed Cole was going to lose precisely when the edit started concentrating on Lauren's movements.  :)

 

13 hours ago, ghoulina said:

The octopus was beautiful! I find them so fascinating. The episode could have morphed into a sea creature documentary and I'd have been fine. 

Echo echo.  To be truthful, the best part of the episodes for me are the gorgeous HD vista shots at each return from a commercial break - sometimes they're the only reason I keep watching.  :>

[NeverLate]

6 hours ago, Misty79 said:

This cast is pretty awful. It says something that I'm rooting for Lauren at this point, someone who's neither playing that well or a sparkling personality. 

I felt that way at first about Lauren,but there is something about her I really like. She's not Chrissy for a start. I think she's quite shy, but alone with her thoughts,Lauren is playing this game!!. I'm rooting for her to be in the F3. I bet her daughter is proud of her.,

[KimberStormer]

53 minutes ago, Nashville said:

In truth, I assumed Cole was going to lose precisely when the edit started concentrating on Lauren's movements.  :)

Same here.  This was one of those "you know the show too well so you're your own spoilers" moments.  I know those editors' tricks.

[SVNBob]

52 minutes ago, Nashville said:

In truth, I assumed Cole was going to lose precisely when the edit started concentrating on Lauren's movements.  :)

3 minutes ago, KimberStormer said:

Same here.  This was one of those "you know the show too well so you're your own spoilers" moments.  I know those editors' tricks.

Ditto.  That's always the way it goes down in the finals of this type of IC.  One person in the final 2 is shown on the edge of failing, then the other one fails out of nowhere.  Every.  Single.  Time.

[JudyObscure]

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

Because Joe has a nasty habit of picking extremely personally sensitive, non-game-related buttons to push - and when confronted about it, keeps pushing all the harder.

 

Yes, if this is all game play on Joe's part, I don't see the advantage.  If his competitors have watched the show at all, they know that the jury definitely will vote for annoying people to win over quiet ones whom they think "weren't playing hard."  So Joe's plan to be carried to the end because "no one will vote for him," won't work.  If they all suddenly had to vote between Joe and Ashley I'll bet Joe would win.

No, I think Joe is kidding himself when he says it' strategy, his real truth is when he says, "That's just me, I can't help myself."  Half of the time, when he's being annoying, I don't think he's even aware of it. Did he know he was causing me to scream in my recliner, during episode one,  while he was taking tiny bites out of the potatoes before tossing them into the woods?  I don't think so, I think that's just Joe.  He gets my Obliviously Obnoxious Award.   His wife deserves the million dollars.