S35.E13: The Survivor Devil

[GenerationX]

The three that can make a good case to the jury at this point are Chrissy (controlled the most votes) and,Devon & Ben (voted the most people onto the jury).  Mike is well-liked, which makes him a dark horse winner in a very bitter jury situation.  Ryan doesn't have much of a chance.

My unspoiled prediction:  Chrissy wins.

[LanceM]

Call my cynical but I am willing to bet Ben found that idol long before that tribal council and it was only edited it that to make it look like he saved himself at the last moment.  

[cooksdelight]

4 minutes ago, LanceM said:

Call my cynical but I am willing to bet Ben found that idol long before that tribal council and it was only edited it that to make it look like he saved himself at the last moment.  

That’s exactly what I was thinking. I also thought he might have found it earlier in the day.

[TVFan1]

Well, this was another predictable and boring episode. This season can't end fast enough for me, and next week is the finale.

Of course Ben found yet another HII. That was not suspenseful when the show tried to make us wonder if he found the idol hidden underneath the camp. We all knew he found it. This show has got to stop with all of these advantages and idols. I mean enough is enough.

Ashley is now gone and I have nobody to root for. I'll laugh if Mike, Devon, and Ryan make it to the Final 3. Still can't stand Ben or Chrissy. I hope I can get the satisfaction of seeing at least one of them getting their torches snuffed next week. I'm hoping for both.

[ItsJessMe]

I still like Ben, so maybe I just can't see it but it seems like the hatred of him from the tribe is so personal.  I mean, he and Devon were super tight,  and now Devon can't even talk to him without seething anger and dismissiveness.   I've watched each episode but I can't really understand that level of anger.  They were all gearing up to vote Ben off and he turned the tables.  That's gameplay.  I can understand Chrissy hating him because he was playing her, but why does Devon dislike him - not just isn't allied with him but actively dislike him - now?

[stcroix]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Among the many ways Chrissy irritated me, she had to input her thoughts during TC after everyone spoke, whether Jeff called on her or not.  She just loves the sound of her own voice.

 

I thought the same thing!  She's so full of herself.  All season she's reminded me of someone, drove me crazy until tonight I realized she looks like Roberts girlfriend/wife Amy on Everybody Loves Raymond.  Only I LIKE Amy. 

[millennium]

Ashley was the only person I liked.   Strong competitor, low-key demeanor.  Love her eyes.

How can they all be so stupid and arrogant?   To sit there saying, "I'm going with the thought that Ben hasn't found an idol" while he is literally tearing apart the forest?    I am dumbfounded by how dumb they are.

Edited December 15, 2017 by millennium

[pfk505]

Not sure how anyone can be pulling for anyone but Ben at this point. "Likeable" players usually bore me to tears - Devon and Ashley no exception really. They seem like real nice people but haven't done nearly enough to deserve the win. The best Survivor players combine an intense personality with gameplay AND social graces, but I'll settle for 2 out of 3. Chrissy would be my second pick but I don't think there's any way she wins.

[spiderpig]

Chrissy.  Ugh.

As for the rest, I don't care who wins as long as it isn't Chrissy.

[blackwing]

I want anyone but Ben to win.  Can't stand him. Ugly personality.  And with each passing week he seems to me to more and more resemble a fatter Casey Affleck in full mountain man mode, which... ugh.   So ridiculous that he finds yet another convenient idol.

Upon returning to camp after tribal, did Mike really say of Ben's idol play, "that was almost as good as when I played my idol"?  Delusional.

I won't miss Ashley.  She was thoroughly useless.   So much bitter cakes at not getting chosen for reward.  Then when she got voted out, she says "you guys are crazy".  Why?  Someone had to go, and it couldn't be Chrissy or Ben.   The fact that she didn't seem to realise that Chrissy and Ryan are aligned says a lot about how astute she was.

I think at this point I have to root the most for Ryan and Chrissy.  

[green]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

Good grief!  Why are they not voting out Chrissy???  Dammit!!!

Well we could look for clues starting with the immunity necklace she was wearing around her neck at tribal.

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

...

And then she wins immunity. The universe speaks to me again, and says “I DO NOT CARE how you feel” because we have to see Chrissy start up with the rage-inducing interview by saying “I’m in control” and *I* am the one who can make things happen.

What a SHOCK that she wants to vote out the last female.   ...

Actually it was Ashley who wanted to vote out Chrissy.  That was why Chrissy said she had to target Ashley or Ashley would take her out.  And I doubt that any male saying they were in control in a confessional would be labeled "rage-induced."  Only women get tagged with something like that.

4 hours ago, me5671 said:

Hmmm.... for a pretty wild and unpredictable season, it's setting up to be a very predictable finale.  If Ben makes it to the Final 3, he wins the game hands down.  If Ben doesn't make it to the final 3, Chrissy wins.  It seems to me like Mike, Devin, and Ryan have no shot at winning unless they go to the Final 3 with each other.

I wish the producers hadn't re-introduced the Hidden Immunity Idol into the game.  IMO, Final 6 is too deep into the game to put it back in play.  I love a good blindside, but I much prefer when they happen organically.  Lately it feels like they're playing a game of Scavenger Hunt, not Survivor.

I vote to rename Survivor and just call it Scavenger Hunt at this point.  At least Idols 'R' Us.  All these endless idols are so totally annoying and take all the fun out of the show.

And everyone was searching for the idol, not just Ben.  Mike mentioned he had in this episode but we know from past season interviews that everyone spends hours looking for those things.  they just don't bother showing the loser hunts for same. 

It always amuses me to read posts about why aren't the others looking for the idol.  Why are they lazy?  They aren't.  But with 42 minutes they don't use up precious time showing endless futile searching.

4 hours ago, susannot said:

Chrissy is a very smart woman.  I love that.  I don't care if everyone else hates her.  I like smart women making it far into the game based upon strategy and intelligence.  How many have there been? The tribe wanted to get her out early on based upon her mad rapid-fire math skills in one episode.  They recognized her intelligence but failed to get her out.  

If she wins against 5 men I will be ecstatic.

Me too.

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I wish Ben had waited until after the vote to whip that idol out of his boot. If they had all voted for him again, he could have decided who is going home. Irritate the hell out of everyone at TC since you know you’re safe first!!

Devon, you’ll never win this now.

But Devon DID get Ben to play his immunity idol by calling him out and saying he thought Ben was bluffing and wouldn't play it.  Devon flushed the idol out of Ben's paws.

3 hours ago, enchantingmonkey said:

I've been wondering for weeks if I'm the only one around here who likes Chrissy.  Nice to finally meet you!

There are plenty of people here who like Chrissy.  Just the Chrissy haters tend to be endlessly hating her each and every episode.  Makes me root for her harder.

Edited December 14, 2017 by green

[GaT]

Ben, you got played, welcome to the Dr Mike school of "why the fuck did you play your idol?"

[truthaboutluv]

So I guess Ben is Tony 2.0 with the never ending supply of idols. 

[Vicky8675309]

I don't have much to add except that I find Devon attractive :)

[Nashville]

4 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

God, Ben is so obnoxious. I can't stand him. And, out of all the people he could take out, he tries to get them to vote for...Mike? Because Mike has any chance in hell of winning this game? Moron. I'm not unhappy to see Ashley go though. She always seemed miserable. I don't know if I ever remember such an unlikable cast

Not meaning to be rude, but I think you totally missed what Ben was doing there; his target was Ashley, not Mike.  

Yes, Ben was saying “Vote for Mike” - but who was Ben directly saying it TO?  More specifically, who did everybody huddled around the TC fire waiting to vote see Ben saying it directly to?  No more calls, please - we have a winner.  When Ashley shut down even the possibility of game conversation with Ben, she put that extra target on her own back.  Given the opportunity, why wouldn’t Ben target someone who absolutely refuses to even feign game talk with him?

 

4 hours ago, vb68 said:

I've said it before, but Ben gets worse every single episode.

He's insufferable. His antics at tribal tonight might very well have cost him the game.

Why?  Looked to me like the Jury was eating it up.  :)

 

4 hours ago, ElleryAnne said:

Well, I'm probably in the minority, but I enjoyed Ben blowing up everyone's game at TC. 

No, you’re not alone.  :)

 

4 hours ago, jay741982 said:

Not rooting for Devon after voting out his biggest ally cause he's an idiot. She was a lock to vote for him

I expect Ashley still is a vote on lock for Devon; hell, everybody cast a vote against her, so that’s hardly a distinguishing factor.  Once Ashley cools down, I expect she’ll be right back in Devon’s corner.

 

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I wish Ben had waited until after the vote to whip that idol out of his boot. If they had all voted for him again, he could have decided who is going home. Irritate the hell out of everyone at TC since you know you’re safe first!!

Actually, I thought that was a stroke of genius on Ben’s part - because by doing so...

1. Ben totally defused Devon’s FUD-grousing over whether or not Ben would actually play the idol - which Ben needed everybody to believe totally the idol would actually be played, for the really important part of his plan to play out successfully....
2. Ben engineered - at least in part - Ashley’s eviction, and got zero blood on his hands in the process.  With Lauren’s eviction, the opposite was true; her eviction was on Ben, and Ben alone.  Sure, Ben cast a vote against Ashley - but so did everybody else who put a ballot in that pot, and some of those were purportedly allies.  Plus from Ashley’s point of view, Ben has made two recent attempts to treat with her as a worthy player - at camp (when she shut him down), and again at TC.

I’d still count Ashley as a vote for Devon - but if Devon were to fall by the wayside, I could see Ashley giving Ben serious consideration as a fallback option for her FTC vote.

Edited December 14, 2017 by Nashville
Clarification

[ByaNose]

The Chrissy smile or smug look just kills it for me. I just can’t like her. It’s such a turn off. I don’t think she can help it but it’s almost like that resting face syndrome some people have. That’s what Chrissy has and no matter how good a game she is (possibly) playing I can’t get past it. Also, that she has to comment on everything even when she’s not being asked to. Usually, I like a challenge beast like her but even that’s not doing it for me. I guess I’m just a Chrissy hater. There. I said it. LOL!!!

[azshadowwalker]

Wish Ben or Devon was gone, but just as happy that it was Ashley. I don't think Ben is a threat for the win, and I believe Chrissy knows this. She's not letting her hatred of Ben or bitterness at his flipping get in the way of these last vital votes. I think Ashley had a much better chance of winning FTC than Ben. Probably the best chance of anyone out there to win. Her pettiness at Devon not picking her was also indication that she carries a grudge,  and blamed Chrissy for the decision but Devon for going along with it. Very much the smart target. Ben is a good goat, no matter what he thinks. 

This has been my favorite season in years. Nothing goes as expected. People think on their feet. If the idols and advantages hadn't been a part of it, this would be a perfect season. 

Edited December 14, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[Jextella]

Say what you will about Ben and Chrissy, but both pulled it out like nobody's business tonight.  Both were pretty impressive, actually. 

I'm a Devon fan but he kinda messed up.  Everyone knew he was tight with Ashley.  He could've been honest with all but Ben and tell them - even before tribal that he was fine with either Ben or Ashley going but that he didn't want to write Ashley's name down.   Doing so signaled to the others that he can't be trusted and he may have lost Ashley's vote if he gets to Final 3.  Oddly enough, there are occassions where loyalty is rewarded and this could have been one for Devon.

Bad juju all the way around and me thinks he'll pay for it.

For Ben to last, he'll have to win immunity twice, correct?  I see no hope for him - although he could pull it out.  Can't recall the season but the one that had a character who was like Cliff Claven from Cheers.  The winner of that season went on a huge run toward the end and took it all, so who knows.  

I'd like to see a final 3 of Ben, Chrissy, and Devon.   They are most deserving from a gameplay perspective.  

Edited December 14, 2017 by Jextella

[Nashville]

6 minutes ago, Jextella said:

I'm a Devon fan and I don't mind that he voted against Ashley but he kinda messed up.  Everyone knew he was tight with her.  In the end, he coulda been honest with all but Ben and tell them - even before tribal that he was fine with either Ben or Ashley going but that he didn't want to write Ashley's name down.

Yes - but then Devon still has to write somebody’s name down.  Who would you suggest?  Because that person is going to see Devon’s vote as putting a target on their back, and respond accordingly.  If Devon knew (and he apparently did, or else he guessed VERY well) Ashley was the fallback nom after Ben, then Devon risked much and gained nothing by going against the flow.

[millennium]

It's the hat that makes me hate Ben.  

[piequinn35]

21 minutes ago, Jextella said:

Say what you will about Ben and Chrissy, but both pulled it out like nobody's business tonight.  Both were pretty impressive, actually. 

I'm a Devon fan and I don't mind that he voted against Ashley but he kinda messed up.  Everyone knew he was tight with her.  In the end, he coulda been honest with all but Ben and tell them - even before tribal that he was fine with either Ben or Ashley going but that he didn't want to write Ashley's name down.   Doing so signaled to the others that he couldn't be trusted and he may have lost Ashley's vote if he gets to Final 3.  Oddly enough, there are occassions where loyalty is rewarded and this could have been one for Devon.

Bad juju all the way around and me thinks he'll pay for it.

For Ben to last, he'll have to win immunity twice, correct?  I see no hope for him - although he could pull it out.  Can't recall the season but the one that had a character who was like Cliff Claven from Cheers.  The winner of that season went on a huge run toward the end and took it all, so who knows.  

I'd like to see a final 3 of Ben, Chrissy, and Devon.   They are most deserving from a gameplay perspective.  

Worlds Apart Dan and Mike was the winner, 

I still dislike Ben and again he found a HII and who knows next ep he will win an IC to be safe, meh. :/

[navelgazer]

I think Mike and Ryan are both goats without a prayer in hell of winning this thing.  The only way Devon wins is if he takes Mike and Ryan with him.  Chrissy wins against everyone except for Ben.  Ben beats everybody left.  My perfect F3 from the beginning was Chrissy, Lauren, and Ben, even though I thought Ben would win in that situation. 

I like both Chrissy and Ben.  I think they're both players with their own set of workable skills that brought them both far in this game through those different means, Ben being an idol-finder and Chrissy being a challenge beast.  They were both good at reading the lay of the land and making the necessary adjustments to stay ahead of whatever they saw coming. 

I want to be happy about a Survivor winner, especially after Adam and Michele. 

[Jextella]

2 hours ago, piequinn35 said:

Worlds Apart Dan and Mike was the winner, 

I still dislike Ben and again he found a HII and who knows next ep he will win an IC to be safe, meh. :/

Thank you!  I recall being only one of a handful of people who liked that season.  The game play throughout the season had to be some of the worst in Survivor history, but the people where hysterical.  They were so absurd that it truely was like a sitcom and I loved it for that reason alone.  Mike may have well been on the island all by himself.  The others either didn't play or played horribly.  He just needed to tap them and they fell like dominoes.

Other than Chrissy, I think Ben has a similar situation.  The opposing players aren't that good, and he's had a bit of an easy run of it relatively speaking.  

Or maybe I'm giving him too much credit, or the others not as much, but it sure has a Worlds Apart deja vu feeling.

2 hours ago, navelgazer said:

I think Mike and Ryan are both goats without a prayer in hell of winning this thing.  The only way Devon wins is if he takes Mike and Ryan with him.  Chrissy wins against everyone except for Ben.  Ben beats everybody left.  My perfect F3 from the beginning was Chrissy, Lauren, and Ben, even though I thought Ben would win in that situation. 

I like both Chrissy and Ben.  I think they're both players with their own set of workable skills that brought them both far in this game through those different means, Ben being an idol-finder and Chrissy being a challenge beast.  They were both good at reading the lay of the land and making the necessary adjustments to stay ahead of whatever they saw coming. 

I want to be happy about a Survivor winner, especially after Adam and Michele. 

Agree with all.

Edited December 14, 2017 by Jextella

[Eolivet]

5 hours ago, sadiegirl1999 said:

I actually like Chrissy. I feel like, if she were a man, everyone would be claiming how awesome, cunning and strategic she is. 

But she's not, and moreover, the Survivor editors know she's not. If she does win, I think their editing of her has been awful, and more proof they have no clue how to edit a woman winner. They've been editing her more like Russell Hantz than Kim Spradlin, in my opinion -- obsession with control, how dare you go against me, a stranglehold on the strategic game with no social game. Jeff even threw a dash of Cirie "good on ya, little woman" in there with "look at you on this platform, winning a challenge when you were puking the first day."

And it's interesting, I don't think their last three male winners seldom, if ever, claimed they were awesome, cunning and strategic (well ... during the season, anyway). They weren't. Mike Holloway was an underdog, and Jeremy and Adam were well-liked social gamers (per the vote). You have to go back to Cagayan (unpopular opinion: blech) to get a Master Strategist male winner, right? Have they decided this is the Master Strategist Winner's Edit now? I find it hard to believe they're that tone-deaf, but maybe they are.

On the other hand, these are the "toss Culpepper's finale edit onto the trash heap, ha ha, we fooled you" editors, so maybe the finale will feature Chrissy rescuing kittens or something -- proving the show has yet to learn the difference between "misleading" and "lying."

[KimberStormer]

Holiday work schedules mean I'm posting super late and must be brief.  Everyone is still laughably bad at this game, Chrissy and Ben still the ones who have some idea how to play it except the social game.  For example, Ben comes back from reward challenge with a super pissed off Ashley and Dr. Mike, correctly recognizes he has an opportunity here and must strike.  What does he do?  Immediately go to voting strategy discussion.  This is the worst possible approach.  You could see it immediately bring Mike and Ashley straight back to focus on what counts, which is the game, not their hurt feelings.  So what does Ben do then?  Get overtly, externally mad at them about it!  It's like an anti-lesson in how to work people on Survivor, a huge "what not to do".  If they're making it personal, keep it personal!  Empathize!  Synch your emotions to theirs!  Stir them up as subtly as you can!  Watch Cirie if you need to see how it works, or even, like, Trish from Cagayan.

But nonetheless I was happy Chrissy got the necklace and Ben got the idol because I enjoy these two the most.  I just wish to God they'd voted out Mike instead of Ashley.  I hate him anyway, but don't you guys always want to see the swing vote punished for the unmitigated gall to be a swing vote?  He sucks: he sucks amazingly.  I do enjoy his "this man is an absolute idiot" edit, but I'd rather he just go away than anything else.

Speaking of editing I have to give it up for the shot of them returning from the IC, the other five in a group and Ben all by himself off to the side.  Great visual of the strategic situation.

16 hours ago, Haleth said:

Good grief!  Why are they not voting out Chrissy???  Dammit!!!

Er, because she won the immunity challenge.

15 hours ago, enchantingmonkey said:

I've been wondering for weeks if I'm the only one around here who likes Chrissy.  Nice to finally meet you!

I've been on the Chrissy train for awhile, though I don't know if "like" is exactly the word.  I'm really happy to see a full-on Survivor Villain edit for someone who's not an actual real-life terrible person, just a Survivor Villain.  It feels like it's been a long time.

15 hours ago, tiredofwork said:

So how the fuck did Ben get the idol from under the shelter with everybody there???  Did the crew just lay it on top of the sand and not bury it? If so, that is some bullshit,

Not sure if you saw Second Chances but in that one Kelley Wentworth's second idol was attached to the underside of the shelter platform, which is always raised off the ground (I think to prevent creatures crawling in??) and I'm assuming that's where Ben's idol was this episode.  Ben is kind of the Kelley of this season, really.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him go out at 4.

12 hours ago, Nashville said:

 When Ashley shut down even the possibility of game conversation with Ben, she put that extra target on her own back.  Given the opportunity, why wouldn’t Ben target someone who absolutely refuses to even feign game talk with him?

Dr. Mike did the exact same thing though, so I feel like it was kind of a coin flip for him, and since Chrissy wanted Ashley that was that.

Edited December 14, 2017 by KimberStormer
"don't now" and "don't know" are pretty different things

[Daisy]

9 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

This season has sent my blood pressure sky rocketing with how much I hate it and everyone not named Devon that’s left.  He better immunity run his way to the end, because he’s a goner otherwise.

They seriously need to hide these idols in challenges only.  It’s way too much BS when they are hidden at camp, and whoever finds them likely is getting a push.  And it’s usually someone like a Ben or Tai type that finds them at camp.  I like idols, but they need to find a way to make them strategic again.  And the stupid suspense at ‘did he or didn’t he.’  It was obvious he did.  And since when has Probst confirmed it was a real idol before the votes were cast?  But I guess nothing else exciting was happening this episode (or frankly this season), so this is all they had to make it slightly unpredictable.  Or maybe they thought Ben would be so beloved that everyone would be thrilled for him to pull an idol out.

Why is it only red herrings when Chrissy or Ryan are boots, but everyone else that is mentioned they end up going?  I will give Chrissy and the rest of the ladies credit this season for so many challenge wins.  Must be a record, between reward and immunity.  Though Probst will probably not acknowledge it. 

Still at a loss who will actually win, though I’m still leaning towards Chrissy/Ben.  But nearly every boot has had negative things to say about Chrissy, and judging from Lauren’s interview, Ben didn’t seem overly well liked.  I just want those two to lose so badly.  They go down as some of my least favorite players ever.  Doesn’t help that Ben is getting helped along.  I hope Chrissy loses to the men she so arrogantly thought she could beat in the end, and I hope the ladies on the jury call her out.

I'm over the idols. 
Over them. (yes. i am still pissed off with what happened to Cirie). 
Jeff never had an idol played before the vote. so it makes sense to confirm it. 

I also agree. Devon needs to win. 

[JudyObscure]

8 hours ago, Wandering Snark said:

Ben playing the idol "early" is just a dick move. Sorry, that's how I feel. It should also be the kind of thing that is another arrogant jack-ass 'entry' on his 'resume'. I agree he makes final three he's in but I'll still hate that it happens to such a buffoon. He has a very aggrandized sense of his own awesomeness and gameplay. You didn't blow up shit dude, you just got the next in line out one tribal early.

 

8 hours ago, mojoween said:

Among the many ways Chrissy irritated me, she had to input her thoughts during TC after everyone spoke, whether Jeff called on her or not.  She just loves the sound of her own voice.

Yes and yes!  We've had insufferable, smug players every year, but these two are the all-stars.  Ben can't talk about Chrissy without lifting his upper lip in an actual sneer and Chrissy keeps tattling on Ben to Jeff like the snotty little school girl she is.

One of them will probably win and I don't know if I'll be able to stand it.

  The others keep saying Ben can't lose, but I honestly don't know why the jury would reward him if they really don't like him.  They sure don't need to honor his service when he does it himself twenty times a day.  It makes me throw up a little to picture him winning the million and his child bride running up to hug him

Can a Survivor really say she/he lasted 39 days if one of those days was spent sleeping over at a spa?  I hated that reward.

[Daisy]

8 hours ago, enchantingmonkey said:

I've been wondering for weeks if I'm the only one around here who likes Chrissy.  Nice to finally meet you!

I don't hate Chrissy. 
there are some aspects of her game I don't like but i don't hate her. 

[Haleth]

5 hours ago, blackwing said:

Upon returning to camp after tribal, did Mike really say of Ben's idol play, "that was almost as good as when I played my idol"?  Delusional.

Yes!  I did a spit take at that.  Unless by "good" he means "terrible."

5 hours ago, green said:

Well we could look for clues starting with the immunity necklace she was wearing around her neck at tribal.

LOL  Oops, I forgot about that.  Thanks, Green and KimberStormer for the reminder.

Quote

Good grief!  Why are they not voting out Chrissy Ryan???  Dammit!!!

There.  Fixed it.

As much as I dislike Chrissy I'd definitely be rooting for her to win if Ben doesn't make F3.  I'd rather see someone win who was actively working for it than a nice coattail rider like Devon.  In fact, I'd love to see Ben and Chrissy up against each other in the final and I wouldn't begrudge either winning.  Lauren would have made my ideal third at F3 until she lost her mind.  Ryan started out with some strategy but has relied on Chrissy for the decisions since the merge.  Mike has tried some moves but is just this side of Secret Agent Phillip (Shepard?) territory.  Wacky antics don't make for good game play although it increases likelihood of being asked back.

[cooksdelight]

6 hours ago, green said:

But Devon DID get Ben to play his immunity idol by calling him out and saying he thought Ben was bluffing and wouldn't play it.  Devon flushed the idol out of Ben's paws.

That’s all he’s done. He constantly flips to whichever person asks him to team up. First it was Ben, Lauren and Ashley. Then he turns on Ashley last night since he’s now under Chrissy’s spell. No chance he wins.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy, he’s been one of my favorites all along.  He doesn’t have the gameplay to back up a win.

 

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

Ben was saying “Vote for Mike” - but who was Ben directly saying it TO?  More specifically, who did everybody huddled around the TC fire waiting to vote see Ben saying it directly to?  No more calls, please - we have a winner.  When Ashley shut down even the possibility of game conversation with Ben, she put that extra target on her own back.

He asked Ashley, “Do you want to go back to camp with me tonight?” And he asked Devon the same thing, which brought out that glaring stare. He was trying to convince them both to vote for Mike, and be assured of being safe by aligning with him again. Chrissy must have some sort of hypnotic powers, the way she has gotten so many to fall under her spell. She needs to go quickly if anyone else stands a chance.

[plurie]

Since they couldn't vote out Chrissy or Ben, Ashley was the obvious choice. She's the only challenge threat left after Chrissy. Dr. Mike will NEVER win immunity, and is the perfect goat. Since Devin, Chrissy and Ryan are a new "alliance" (although I'm not really sure how committed to it any of them really are), Ashley had to go. Ben just keeps getting more obnoxious, which is not good juror management. Chrissy isn't warm and fuzzy, but she only seems really hostile to Ben, so I don't think this will hurt her as much. I think Chrissy will win if she makes it to FTC. If she doesn't, Ben might win despite being obnoxious. If neither of them make it to FTC, Devin probably wins, but Dr. Mike has a long shot chance if he makes a good argument. Ryan has no chance unless he does something amazing next week.

[Lamb18]

10 hours ago, enchantingmonkey said:

I've been wondering for weeks if I'm the only one around here who likes Chrissy.  Nice to finally meet you!

I like Chrissy, too, and there's 2 or 3 others of us who do. I've felt a little lonely when cheering for her!

[ProfCrash]

Long time member of the Chrissy is playing a good game club here. I think I have been championing her game for ages.

I said this before but I will say it again. Ben and Chrissy are playing an awful social game, nothing about their game play has been graceful or smooth. That said, they are playing hard and I think they have had a good grasp on who they are playing with and how to advance themselves in this game. While obnoxious, we have not seen them attack people personally or cross into harassing or bullying people. It is fascinating to me to see how people with such shit social skills have run the game. Ryan has faded but he tried to play a social game that everyone saw through. Ben and Chrissy have played an awful game but have been responsible for just about every eviction in the game and have controlled their alliances. They have won immunity when they lost control of their alliance and managed to blow up other people’s game in order to advance themselves.

This season has been the season of socially awful game players who are not personal assholes.

 

“But Devon DID get Ben to play his immunity idol by calling him out and saying he thought Ben was bluffing and wouldn't play it.  Devon flushed the idol out of Ben's paws.”

Please, Ben was going to play the idol. Devon didn’t force anything. Ben could have simply kept the idol in his pocket and played it after the vote and sent home whoever he wanted to. Ben showed the idol and played the idol to force the other folks to bicker at tribal. This helps Ben in the moment, he makes the alliances show their colors and it wins him favor with the jury by forcing the others to respond to his move at tribal.

I try and keep in mind that part of Ben’s aggressive response is his personality and I don’t think he is that different then Tony or Mike. Maybe he is less humorous but, come on, Tony with his Lama crap with Kass was totally over the top. He is a big personality playing hard who should not have a chance in hell of winning. Ben’s more aggressive personality is probably why he choose the Marines as the branch of military to serve in. The Marines have a rep for being hyper aggressive and the tip of the spear. Toss in different response to stimulus because of his PTSD and life experiences and I think you have a different way of processing and responding to information.

Devon thinks that he is making great moves? Ben tells him he is not and then Devon ends up voting with the group for his alliance mate and friend. That will cost Devon votes on the jury. Ben gets credit for the big move and can easily say he was playing to save himself and blow up the various sub-alliances.

 

“So how the fuck did Ben get the idol from under the shelter with everybody there???  Did the crew just lay it on top of the sand and not bury it? If so, that is some bullshit,”

There are several less conspiracy theory ridden explanations. 1) He got it earlier in the day and it wasn’t as climatic as showing him sitting there with people packing up to go to tribal. 2) Production knew that they could not get a good angle to show Ben getting the idol because of all the people around. Ben managed to pull it out but the camera shot wasn’t there.

 

“Yes and yes!  We've had insufferable, smug players every year, but these two are the all-stars.  Ben can't talk about Chrissy without lifting his upper lip in an actual sneer and Chrissy keeps tattling on Ben to Jeff like the snotty little school girl she is.”

Chrissy is not tattling, she is exposing someone else’s game and trying to minimize what Ben has done. Chrissy reminded people that Ben’s game was based on betraying their trust, possibly when he did not need to blow up someone’s game. That is good game play on her part. Both Ben and Chrissy have been working on reminding the jury of what they have done and what the others have not done.

Devon can say that Ben doesn’t need to know his resume but if Ben doesn’t know his resume, then the jury probably doesn’t know his resume.

The only person who beats Ben is Chrissy. They have similar resumes in terms of calling the shots and immunity, Ben with the idols and Chrissy winning immunity. Then it comes down to do you prefer to reward the loud, aggressive play or the more cold, calculating play.

[amazingracefan]

Devon has an alliance handed to him by Chrissy, but really he still isn't doing anything, I enjoyed Ben calling him out at tribal.  Also I always notice how the chirpy pretty boy persona completely vanishes every time when Devon doesn't get his way, his face just looks like thunder.

While Ben probably won't make the end, I'm thankful for him stirring things up recently.

[ghoulina]

Mike is so delusional. As they get back to camp, he remarks (in regards to Ben's surprise Idol), "That might have been better than MY Idol play". What? You mean the one you DIDN'T need to play? The one you wasted? Oh okay, yea. I'd say it's better. And then he acts all perplexed as to why Devin and Chrissy didn't pick him for the Reward. He just really does not get it, or his standing in this game. 

I'm kind of over Devon. I loved when he realized Ryan was playing him, and turned on him. Now he's cozying back up to him and wants a final 3 with him and Chrissy? Stupid, IMO. And who the hell was serving themselves salad from the communal bowl with their bare hands on that reward? Did someone let Cole back in? 

TC was fun. I'm back to rooting hard for Ben. Lauren replaced him for awhile, but with her gone....I just can't think of anyone else I really want to see win. Ben can be a prick at times, for sure. But he's been playing hard from day one. And I have a tendency to root for the under dog. I just can't help it.

Good on him for finding another Idol. I know they don't show us everything, but it was kind of annoying to hear the others say, "We just have to hope Ben doesn't find another Idol". Why aren't YOU guys out looking for one??? If you find it first, he can't get it. Common sense. It doesn't seem like anyone even considered that, while he's getting up early and taking every chance to look for one. So he deserves it. And I like how he just played it before the vote and shut Devon's cocky ass up. 

I was a bit surprised to see Ashley go, though. I'm not sure if that was the best move. Maybe. I mean, I always think the jury will vote based on game play. I always HOPE they do. But I'm so often let down by bitter juries who won't give the win to someone they dislike. Ashley was probably pretty well liked. And, while she was not strategist, she did well in comps. So it might have been a good move. Time will tell. I did feel badly for her, though. 

I guess I would have voted Chrissy out at this point, since I see her as the only other clear winner, after Ben. Yet, she had Immunity. So who else do they go for? Mike, but he might seem like a better goat.  Ryan and Devon (stupidly) would never consider voting out Chrissy anyhow.  They need to take her out soon, though. If Ben or Chrissy is in the F3, they win. If they're both there, could get interesting. I don't like Chrissy, but I'd respect a Chrissy win. The other 3.....eh, not so much. 

Edited December 14, 2017 by ghoulina

[TaraS1]

This is such a garbage season, but at least it gave me Devon.  I very rarely remember, or care about, players from one season to the next but he has such a great spirit about him.  I think he'll always stand out as one of my favorites that I'd be happy to have come back and play another time.  (Whereas, I hope I never see Ben, Chrissy or their teeth ever again.)

[Haleth]

I wish Ben had told them at TC that he did indeed have an idol, but not show it to them.  Let them decide to take a chance or not, then hand it to Jeff before the votes were read.

[seacliffsal]

I LOVED this episode!  It had everything (well, almost...).  Intrigue, betrayal, righteous indignation, humor (Mike and his "almost as well as I played my idol"), suspense, etc.  I loved Ben forcing the betrayal of Ashley by her supposed alliance mate, and her cool rejection of Devon's attempted hug as she was leaving.  I like that Ben is playing hard and I, too, have a soft spot for the underdogs of this game as long as they are at least trying to play.

Both Chrissy and Devon showed their anger when things don't go their way.  I know that exhaustion makes it harder to not show one's emotions and reactions, but both of them showed such disdain for Ben at the TC.  

I can see why Jeff enjoyed the last part of this season as I am also enjoying it.  I find it fascinating to watch the politics and socialization strategies and how they change based on the circumstances.

At this point I'm hoping for a Ben win.  Truly, the only person I don't want to see win is Mike.  I will be a Survivor fan until the day it is no more.

[ghoulina]

8 hours ago, ItsJessMe said:

I can understand Chrissy hating him because he was playing her, but why does Devon dislike him - not just isn't allied with him but actively dislike him - now?

Because Chrissy does. And Devon can't think for himself. 

 

7 hours ago, GaT said:

Ben, you got played, welcome to the Dr Mike school of "why the fuck did you play your idol?"

Because they would have voted him out otherwise? 

[amazingracefan]

4 hours ago, Jextella said:

Thank you!  I recall being only one of a handful of people who liked that season.  The game play throughout the season had to be some of the worst in Survivor history, but the people where hysterical.  They were so absurd that it truely was like a sitcom and I loved it for that reason alone.  Mike may have well been on the island all by himself.  The others either didn't play or played horribly.  He just needed to tap them and they fell like dominoes.

One World was really all about the men, they were the characters.  The women were quite boring and as the men got eliminated it got more boring.

9 hours ago, LanceM said:

Call my cynical but I am willing to bet Ben found that idol long before that tribal council and it was only edited it that to make it look like he saved himself at the last moment.  

Yes, but I don't mind, it helped build suspense. 

[blackwing]

Devon and his "they don't know how good I am at this game" strategy sure doesn't seem to be working.  If he's really the mastermind he thinks he is, why wouldn't he want to final three with Ashley and Mike?  Ashley and Mike are both zeroes who can't point to anything concrete they did in the game.  

Mike is going to claim post-show he was playing a character.  100% guaranteed he will say that he wanted to be the lovable loser who was non-threatening.  In my book, he is just a Loser.  Imagine trusting your penis to that buffoon.

What about the amazing disappearance of Ryan?  In the early episodes he dominated this show, now it's like he barely speaks and defers to Chrissy.  Wondering if it has always been this way, because right now editing doesn't seem to indicate he wins.

[Rachel RSL]

7 hours ago, Nashville said:

Not meaning to be rude, but I think you totally missed what Ben was doing there; his target was Ashley, not Mike.  

Yes, Ben was saying “Vote for Mike” - but who was Ben directly saying it TO?  More specifically, who did everybody huddled around the TC fire waiting to vote see Ben saying it directly to?  No more calls, please - we have a winner.  When Ashley shut down even the possibility of game conversation with Ben, she put that extra target on her own back.  Given the opportunity, why wouldn’t Ben target someone who absolutely refuses to even feign game talk with him?

HOW RUDE!!! (kidding)  I suppose it's possible I zoned out and missed a talking head where Ben explained his strategy to target Ashley. I remember him telling Ashley and Devon to vote for Mike. If he was targeting Ashley, why didn't he just tell everyone to vote for Ashley? They were already targeting her anyway, so it would have been an easy sell. I'll just take your word for it because I don't have it in me to sit through that episode again. 

[mojoween]

Almost an entire episode of following Ben  around looking for an Idol and wondering WILL HE FIND IT?!? is a terrible episode of Survivor.

Mike (the annoying guy who won whatever season you all said) was smug and obnoxious in his confessionals.

Andrew Savage was smug, obnoxious and declared to all who were around him that he was controlling things.

Terry with the sick kid was super smug and obnoxious and thought he was controlling things.

I hated them all.  A LOT.  Gender is irrelevant to me personally with who I find rage-inducing.  You smirk like Brad Culpepper and I hate you in Survivor world.  Chrissy is not special in that regard.

Edited December 14, 2017 by mojoween

[djlynch]

11 hours ago, LanceM said:

Once the idol is played than Jeff has to say if it is real or not. That has always been the case.  

They may not be able to stop mid-Tribal and decide to change things, but it's not as if the rules of Survivor don't change season to season. That something is what has been done before doesn't explain why it should continue to be that way.

Although, after the first season where people start making it through votes because they play fake idols before the voting begins and Jeff doesn't say that they're fake, I might change my opinion on whether it's best to wait until after the vote to reveal whether an idol is real.

[amazingracefan]

25 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

HOW RUDE!!! (kidding)  I suppose it's possible I zoned out and missed a talking head where Ben explained his strategy to target Ashley. I remember him telling Ashley and Devon to vote for Mike. If he was targeting Ashley, why didn't he just tell everyone to vote for Ashley? They were already targeting her anyway, so it would have been an easy sell. I'll just take your word for it because I don't have it in me to sit through that episode again. 

The tribals aren't always edited in a way easy to understand and that's probably because they are trying to create suspense and that means we can't know all that goes on.

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, sadiegirl1999 said:

I do admire Ben for hustling (ha), and I actually like Chrissy. I feel like, if she were a man, everyone would be claiming how awesome, cunning and strategic she is. 

The fact that Chrissy is a woman is literally the only thing keeping me from hating her at Terry/Tom levels.

9 hours ago, ItsJessMe said:

I still like Ben, so maybe I just can't see it but it seems like the hatred of him from the tribe is so personal.

He's getting what he gives in that regard.

Quote

Upon returning to camp after tribal, did Mike really say of Ben's idol play, "that was almost as good as when I played my idol"?  Delusional.

Quote

Yes!  I did a spit take at that.  Unless by "good" he means "terrible."

I'm pretty sure that was Ryan who said that and I'm pretty sure he was joking. But if it was Mike then yea he was totally serious and that's embarrassing.

[ProfCrash]

I will say this, most of the people who hate Chrissy hate Ben as well and for the same reasons so it is a personality thing.

[AZChristian]

So, there's one guy who recognizes that whenever an idol is played, it's usually re-hidden pretty quickly.  So while everyone else is sleeping, he goes out to "gather wood" and look for the idol.

Everyone else wakes up, and all they do is comment and joke about Ben looking for the idol, while standing with their arms crossed doing nothing.

And then they're surprised when Ben plays the idol?  Hey . . . they had their chance to look, too.  In this crazy game, alliances are made out of spun sugar - sweet for a moment, but easily broken.  The only person you can trust is yourself. 

WTG, Ben!

[marys1000]

I haven't been able to stand Chrissy from the beginning.  She is obviously one of "them".  The petite smiley blondes that swan through the world with everything going their way as they smile at men and get them to do thir bidding without even having to flirt.  And they are not women friends.  Of course she and her husband get the rock! Them's are born lucky.   Yes she is smart (give her props on the gear puzzle)  and I wish I could like her because I would love to love a smart strong woman winner on Survior.  But not Chrissy.   How on earth has no one even called her a threat?  That's crazy.  Has she really had to really defend herself and work for it?  She has been controlling the game and no one even notices.  I think based on her being a them she wins.  Them's always win.  Yea yea I know she is smart.  Lots of smart people out there who don't do as well because they don't have that....whatever.  Its not about smart.  Its about smart and the X factor which is like being born with a silver spoon in your mouth.  Can't train for it, can't work for it, can't buy it, and you apparently can't play against it in Survivor.  You either have it or you don't.  I'm an underdog sort of person so not a Chrissy fan.  I also agree that she takes things personal.  What?  Someone wants to play the game against me?  How dare them.   I think her edit says winner and its making me barf. 

Its been an interesting season in the sort of wild and undisciplined play.  I kind of like but get mixed feelings because it gets so random.  Lauren, here Mike have my idol.  Mike, I'm going to throw it in the fire.  Everyone telling everyone about their secret plans.  In some ways it is more interesting than a season with a strong alliance and everything just clicks along as planned. 

 Ben giving up that last idol before the vote.  I do wish he had tried harder with Ashley.  She sent herself home.  Ben at least would work with anyone regardless.  AFAIC Ashley let her personal feelings get in the way by not considering working with Ben.  Oh boo hoo he didn't stroke her right.  Cost her a million. 

Love Mike calling out Ryan for being useless in challenges.  Finally someone notices.  In one of Lauren's intervies she said Wyan did NOTHING around camp.  Never even opened a coconut.  He tells jokes and told Devon how to vote.  That's it.  

I am so mad at Ben for voting out Lauren as Lauren was my favorite.  Mad at Lauren for giving up her idol.  Still, btw weasely Wyan, doofus Devon and no game Mike, I have to hope that Ben lasts.  He has to win immunity or he's a goner.  Why Devon or Wyan would want to go to f3 with Chrissy IDK, she is an obvious win and those 2, ANYONE!,  are seriously delusional if they think they have a chance against her.  but even if someone in that 3 breaks I don't see it leading to f3 with Ben unless he wins immunity.  Ben might win in an f3 w/out Chrissy but it would be closer I think.  

Regardless how you feel about idols being put back in the game, Ben is the one finding them.  Do you think they wait to toss them out in front of his path as he walks around?  In that case you could argue that any puzzl;e challenges favor Chrissy.  

----------

Here are some post exit interview clips from Desiree

SK: You mentioned that Chrissy had no interest in working with you. What is your take on Chrissy?

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

SK: What did she do to cross the line with you?

DW: It was not shown because it would've aired in my elimination episode. There was a point Chrissy swears on her kids about something she is in fact lying about. That, to me, draws the moral line. At that point, it was not something that even needed to be lied about. We all saw what went down. The fact that you're swearing on your kids' lives about something that you are actually lying about. It was something that doesn't matter because we all saw it go down. You can't even lie. It felt stupid and she had gone too far.

SK: Can you tell us what happened?

DW: It was the whole digging for the Idol thing. It was something about seeing the clue and then digging for the Idol. It was all in that whole thing that went down where she and Cole were wrestling in the sand. It all surrounded that moment with that clue they found in the group reward.

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

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

From Ali

SK: Is there anything about Chrissy in particular you really doubt?

AE: There were times I thought she was just lying to me to calm me down and keep me on the outside. But there was one thing she said that I thought maybe I was appealing to her. She told me that after the merge we would be set up. She said, "Ali, you have nothing to worry about. You stick with us. We're gonna be great." I was like, "OK. Sure." We had talked about family, and she told me her husband was coming to the family visit. I told her it would be my sister. She knew my sister and I are great friends, and Chrissy said something along the lines of, "We're so good. I can't wait to see you run and jump into your sister's arms." I was wondering if she was starting to believe I was willing to work with her. It seemed like something so heartfelt to say. Why would you lie about something like that? I understand the game, but when you make a lie personal, just don't say anything about my family. That was probably the only thing I can say that really had me thinking I had a small chance with Chrissy. I don't know.

-----

I can't remember who it was, (I thought it was Denise Martin but I can't find reference to it) who got voted out for swearing to a lie on her son?   

Edited December 14, 2017 by marys1000

[marys1000]

Jeff talking about how amazing next week is, how Ben playing the ido early was so amazing (still not sure I understand that since it very predictably sent Ashley out) and how amazing Ashley is. She might be back. 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/survivor-jeff-probst-previews-season-35-finale-1067363