S35.E16: Reunion Special

[hyukx3]

1 minute ago, Jeanne222 said:

Seventeen years of watching survivor and last night I was disappointed.

 

Jeff's talk about last year WE had transgender and this year PTSD.  

 

That is never what this show has been about!  It's been about surviving.

 

Chrissy should have won.  She played the hardest.  A 47 year old woman won the most contests and left with the most friends.  She was able to convince the most people every tribal counsel.

 

I'll never believe Ben found all those idol necklaces fair and square.  No way!

Who knew Ben could whip up a fire so fast?  Devin made most of the campfire fires!

Survivor let me down this season!

Oh no, I gotta call you out on something. Chrissy was not on top of every tribal. Friends or not, I don't know what to say. Can friends not vote for you?

[ghoulina]

19 minutes ago, Special K said:

Honestly, I think Chrissy, as a woman, was held to a higher standard for "niceness" or personability than Ben was.  Both in the game and on some of the board discussion.  Like it's OK for Ben to be arrogant, petty, mean-spirited, and not bond with people since he played a good hard game.  But Chrissy needed to both play a good hard game AND be everyone's (genuine) BFF and/or Mom figure.  Stinks

I don't see this. What I got out of it was that Ben is overall a likeable character, but playing the game as hard as he did brought out the arrogance and mean-spiritedness at times. Whereas with Chrissy, I think people thought that's just how she was.  I think people took her behavior a bit more personal, but I could be wrong. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

I also hate that Ben used his sob story to win.  "Waaaahhhh I used to not even be able to talk to anyone and now here I am with the privilege to play with all of you."   Lauren was clearly moved by it and voted for him.  Hated it.  Ben exploited his status as a marine to win.  Just like Jeremy exploiting his pregnant wife and Adam exploiting his dying/dead mother.

Although at least with Adam, no one actually knew except Jay (and us the viewers) that his mom was dying. And I don’t think Jeremy told anyone either so t wasn’t like they were milking that to their jury constantly to build up sympathy. 

I don’t know, Ben just left a bad taste in my mouth. He’s just so off-putting. 

[hyukx3]

18 minutes ago, Special K said:

Actually, in his TH, he did say that he was only humoring Cole when they had that discussion and he still didn't care for him.

Honestly, I think Chrissy, as a woman, was held to a higher standard for "niceness" or personability than Ben was.  Both in the game and on some of the board discussion.  Like it's OK for Ben to be arrogant, petty, mean-spirited, and not bond with people since he played a good hard game.  But Chrissy needed to both play a good hard game AND be everyone's (genuine) BFF and/or Mom figure.  Stinks.

 

are you talking about on the island or at final tribal? if you're talking about the final tribal, well like I said, he sweet-talked him so he can win his vote. But Chrissy wants to act like she's your friend. What Chrissy was doing is completely different to what Ben was doing. Boys can act cool with each other even if we don't like each other. Ever follow sports?

 

15 minutes ago, Daisy said:

 

that's how I see it. 
i mean - I hate my people, and I i like my people for a myriad of reasons, but I don't understand why Chrissy. is hated for being smug, or arrogant etc, where Ben basically did the entire thing, including #BenBombs which weren't necessary (imo) and that's fine. there were a lot of things Chrissy said (or Ryan said) during the finale that people had an issue with. and I just found them funny, because imo. at that point of the game I could see myself saying it because I'd be so over it. (which is probably why I'd A: never be on the show for that long, or B: not win). 

There were moments about her game where I thought she was like. .... not seeing the forest for the trees in regards to her behaviour but i find most players tend  to have those moments. I don't understand the Chrissy hate (for a lot of the reasons why people say) but i mean i respect it coz we all have whom we like. but this one really makes me go hmm. 

if you're offended by a BenBomb and point that as a bad personality trait, then you're too sensitive.

[Jeanne222]

2 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Although at least with Adam, no one actually knew except Jay (and us the viewers) that his mom was dying. And I don’t think Jeremy told anyone either so t wasn’t like they were milking that to their jury constantly to build up sympathy. 

I don’t know, Ben just left a bad taste in my mouth. He’s just so off-putting. 

I think that's because I don't think he won fairly.  Would his marine friends have appeared had he lost?  We're they flown in for what???

[peachmangosteen]

5 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Although at least with Adam, no one actually knew except Jay (and us the viewers) that his mom was dying. And I don’t think Jeremy told anyone either so t wasn’t like they were milking that to their jury constantly to build up sympathy. 

That's actually what made it worse for me. It felt very, "Let me play up my story at FTC so I can win," precisely because they never had brought it up before. They used it as a big moment at FTC. 

It came off to me that Ben actually didn't even think to bring it up, but then a couple of jury members kinda pushed him to say more so he went with his sob story. 

But Ben won because more jurors liked him more than they liked the others, which is pretty much why every winner won.

1 minute ago, Jeanne222 said:

Would his marine friends have appeared had he lost?  We're they flown in for what???

I think they likely would have been. Production loves that kinda shit so they would've played it up even if Ben had lost. It just happened to be every sweeter for them because he won.

Edited December 21, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[blackwing]

9 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Although at least with Adam, no one actually knew except Jay (and us the viewers) that his mom was dying. And I don’t think Jeremy told anyone either so t wasn’t like they were milking that to their jury constantly to build up sympathy. 

I don’t know, Ben just left a bad taste in my mouth. He’s just so off-putting. 

Didn't both of them pull these out during final tribal?  I could have sworn that Jeremy cried as he told the jury that his wife was pregnant and he wanted to win for her.  And I could have sworn that Adam had his Ugly Cry face when he sobbed to the jury about his dying mom's dream of seeing him on Survivor.  That's part of the reason why both of them won 10-0-0.

Edited December 21, 2017 by blackwing

[sally-can-wait]

2 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

It came off to me that Ben actually didn't even think to bring it up, but then a couple of jury members kinda pushed him to say more so he went with his sob story. 

I think it came off that way because the editors WANTED it to come off that way. I would be shocked if Ben did not think about bringing it up at FTC. 

[amazingracefan]

4 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

That's actually what made it worse for me. It felt very, "Let me play up my story at FTC so I can win," precisely because they never had brought it up before. They used it as a big moment at FTC. 

It came off to me that Ben actually didn't even think to bring it up, but then a couple of jury members kinda pushed him to say more so he went with his sob story. 

But Ben won because more jurors liked him more than they liked the others, which is pretty much why every winner won.

I think they likely would have been. Production loves that kinda shit so they would've played it up even if Ben had lost. It just happened to be every sweeter for them because he won.

The producers are always pushing it, I would always blame them more.  Whether it's a mother and her children, a father in the marines, a trans-gender etc

[Daisy]

7 minutes ago, hyukx3 said:

are you talking about on the island or at final tribal? if you're talking about the final tribal, well like I said, he sweet-talked him so he can win his vote. But Chrissy wants to act like she's your friend. What Chrissy was doing is completely different to what Ben was doing. Boys can act cool with each other even if we don't like each other. Ever follow sports?

 

if you're offended by a BenBomb and point that as a bad personality trait, then you're too sensitive.

I wasn't offended. i didn't think they were necessary but i don't ever mind a tralalalaa i'm safe. (why he needed to be safe was due to he blew up his game)
But people got irked when Chrissy was tralalaa I'm safe or tralalala my alliance is safe and chalked that as being smug. why is it bad for Chrissy but decent for Ben?

[peachmangosteen]

2 minutes ago, double-elvis said:

I think it came off that way because the editors WANTED it to come off that way. I would be shocked if Ben did not think about bringing it up at FTC. 

You know what, good point. I hated it in any case.

[Rachel RSL]

5 minutes ago, hyukx3 said:

if you're offended by a BenBomb and point that as a bad personality trait, then you're too sensitive.

Pretty sure @Daisy never said that she was offended, just that it wasn't necessary. And it wasn't. Making explosion noises and carrying on like you're the greatest is simply obnoxious gloating and I strongly suspect that Chrissy would have been crucified if she'd behaved the same way. 

[peachmangosteen]

1 minute ago, Rachel RSL said:

Making explosion noises and carrying on like you're the greatest is simply obnoxious gloating and I strongly suspect that Chrissy would have been crucified if she'd behaved the same way. 

She was crucified for less! Hell, I myself have basically crucified her for how smug she was all season. But it's absurd that Ben never got a tenth of the '[He]'s smug!' comments Chrissy got. 

Edited December 21, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[hyukx3]

1 minute ago, Rachel RSL said:

Pretty sure @Daisy never said that she was offended, just that it wasn't necessary. And it wasn't. Making explosion noises and carrying on like you're the greatest is simply obnoxious gloating and I strongly suspect that Chrissy would have been crucified if she'd behaved the same way. 

you're offended if you think that's obnoxious gloating, if you think that's not necessary, which says that you don't like it. i think it's harmless.

[Special K]

2 minutes ago, hyukx3 said:

you're offended if you think that's obnoxious gloating, if you think that's not necessary, which says that you don't like it. i think it's harmless.

Haha, being offended and not liking something are definitely NOT the same thing.  I don't like eggplant, but I'm not offended by it.  :)

[hyukx3]

5 minutes ago, Daisy said:

I wasn't offended. i didn't think they were necessary but i don't ever mind a tralalalaa i'm safe. (why he needed to be safe was due to he blew up his game)
But people got irked when Chrissy was tralalaa I'm safe or tralalala my alliance is safe and chalked that as being smug. why is it bad for Chrissy but decent for Ben?

Ben didn't blow up his game. I don't see the Survivors being irked by Chrissy tralalala. If you're talking about the people here, I'm not sure but I don't think the posters here are irked because of that.

[Rachel RSL]

Just now, Special K said:

Haha, being offended and not liking something are definitely NOT the same thing.  I don't like eggplant, but I'm not offended by it.  :)

HA! And also...exactly!

[Daisy]

2 minutes ago, hyukx3 said:

you're offended if you think that's obnoxious gloating, if you think that's not necessary, which says that you don't like it. i think it's harmless.

you can not like something, and not be offended by it.
and. quite frankly, even if I were. (which I am not), and you think i'm too sensitive. (which whatever, I don't see the problem with that is). 

the point that is being missed - is that Chrissy got slammed from like day 3 for being smug. Gloating that you have a HII, making explosion noises, and declaring "i'm not going home" can be seen as smug - and no one said boo. Goose. Gander. it should be equally applied. 

1 minute ago, Special K said:

Haha, being offended and not liking something are definitely NOT the same thing.  I don't like eggplant, but I'm not offended by it.  :)

lolol I was going to use chocolate ice cream as an example :D 

[hyukx3]

1 minute ago, Daisy said:

you can not like something, and not be offended by it.
and. quite frankly, even if I were. (which I am not), and you think i'm too sensitive. (which whatever, I don't see the problem with that is). 

the point that is being missed - is that Chrissy got slammed from like day 3 for being smug. Gloating that you have a HII, making explosion noises, and declaring "i'm not going home" can be seen as smug - and no one said boo. Goose. Gander. it should be equally applied. 

well are you gonna boo him if you're not offended? r u not offended that it is not seen as being smug?

[NeverLate]

8 hours ago, MsTree said:

Hmm...I'm pretty sure BEN made the fire himself, which got him into the finale of which he WON.

Fact! :)

[hyukx3]

in the end, a BenBomb or any type of bomb is harmless if the entire tribe wants you out. if anything, dropping a bomb gets a pass, not that it needs it, from me at least.

[Rachel RSL]

Nobody is offended by Ben's showboating, people are just acknowledging the fact that it's obnoxious. There is a difference. Again though, the point that's being missed here is that Ben gets away with being smug/gloating but Chrissy gets called out for the same things (or less).

[ProfCrash]

I think most people have hated on Ben for his crappy social game. I have actually read most of the Chrissy/Ben discussion and thought that the posters on the board were holding both to the same standard. I thought that Ben had a ton of people who hated this game and there were a good number of folks who dreaded a Ben or Chrissy win. I think both Ben and Chrissy were roasted for their social game by the Jury. Honestly, Desi flat out called both of them out for their crap social game. I have no problem with that.

I had to laugh, Ryan said in his Rob Has a Podcast interview that Desi told Ryan he had no chance of winning in her first statement and Ryan knew that he was out of the running.

[NeverLate]

9 hours ago, GaT said:

The reunion show was a lot better when it was an actual reunion show & we got to hear from all the contestants. All this other crap bores me.

What was he going to ask this boring lot? Do you still have your virginity Jessica? Yawn..I think they try and change it up, I appreciate that...

Edited December 21, 2017 by NeverLate

[hyukx3]

Just now, Rachel RSL said:

Nobody is offended by Ben's showboating, people are just acknowledging the fact that it's obnoxious. There is a difference. Again though, the point that's being missed here is that Ben gets away with being smug/gloating but Chrissy gets called out for the same things (or less).

Ben is "acting out" in one moment or moments. Chrissy is trying to fool people that she genuinely cares about them. In the case of her being smug, I noticed it but I didn't really care about it. I'm apathetic about it in the same way as Ben.

[Bouffe]

47 minutes ago, Special K said:

Actually, in his TH, he did say that he was only humoring Cole when they had that discussion and he still didn't care for him.

Honestly, I think Chrissy, as a woman, was held to a higher standard for "niceness" or personability than Ben was.  Both in the game and on some of the board discussion.  Like it's OK for Ben to be arrogant, petty, mean-spirited, and not bond with people since he played a good hard game.  But Chrissy needed to both play a good hard game AND be everyone's (genuine) BFF and/or Mom figure.  Stinks.

This debate has been going for a long time. A man who plays aggressively, is confident and at times cocky or arrogant, is just a man who plays the game HARD. A woman who does the same thing is labeled a bitch and a fake. So yes, I agree, Chrissy was held to a bit of a different standard than Ben was. Ben had his "Ben Bombs" while Chrissy was "gloating". To me, they both looked like they were proud of what they did and of the moves they were making. But of course, YMMV.

I was happy Ben won. I guess I slightly favoured him to win. But if Chrissy had won, I would have been ok with that, too. She played a hard game. She didn't excel at all aspects of it (like Ben didn't excel at all aspects either), but she played well and hard and never stopped (until the end when she and the others let Ben find the last II). And I gotta give her props of pulling all those individual immunity wins! So I would have been ok with her winning. 

5 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

Nobody is offended by Ben's showboating, people are just acknowledging the fact that it's obnoxious. There is a difference. Again though, the point that's being missed here is that Ben gets away with being smug/gloating but Chrissy gets called out for the same things (or less).

100% agree. I just posted pretty much the same thing above. :)

[hyukx3]

3 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I think most people have hated on Ben for his crappy social game. I have actually read most of the Chrissy/Ben discussion and thought that the posters on the board were holding both to the same standard. I thought that Ben had a ton of people who hated this game and there were a good number of folks who dreaded a Ben or Chrissy win. I think both Ben and Chrissy were roasted for their social game by the Jury. Honestly, Desi flat out called both of them out for their crap social game. I have no problem with that.

I had to laugh, Ryan said in his Rob Has a Podcast interview that Desi told Ryan he had no chance of winning in her first statement and Ryan knew that he was out of the running.

I thought he played well socially. He was stubborn with his pick to go home, but he was with the majority alliance....until that alliance began to think he might win so they want him out, which is not his fault or a fault on his social game.

[sally-can-wait]

2 minutes ago, hyukx3 said:

Chrissy is trying to fool people that she genuinely cares about them. 

But...it's a game...and part of the game is trying to convince people to vote for you. And many past contestants have used the same strategy Chrissy has. 

[Special K]

Who were the other women who have won four Individual immunities?  I'm guessing Kim, Parvati....??

[hyukx3]

Just now, double-elvis said:

But...it's a game...and part of the game is trying to convince people to vote for you. And many past contestants have used the same strategy Chrissy has. 

Man, if I'm a Survivor, just lie to me, it's ok. Tell me how you outplay me, I'll give you a million dollars. But don't tell me you care about me when you don't. I'm not gonna give you a million dollars.

[ProfCrash]

Just now, hyukx3 said:

I thought he played well socially. He was stubborn with his pick to go home, but he was with the majority alliance....until that alliance began to think he might win so they want him out, which is not his fault or a fault on his social game.

People who are playing a good social game are not referred to as the dictator or king. People who are playing a good social game do not get into feuds with multiple people in their tribe. Ben had flat out feuds with Cole and Joe.  People who are playing a good social game do not need to find how many hidden immunity idols in a row to stay in the game. Ben's over the top behavior at tribal was not good social game play, it was meant to be obnoxious and out of control.

2 minutes ago, Special K said:

Who were the other women who have won four Individual immunities?  I'm guessing Kim, Parvati....??

Not Sandra (grins)

[sally-can-wait]

1 minute ago, hyukx3 said:

Man, if I'm a Survivor, just lie to me, it's ok. Tell me how you outplay me, I'll give you a million dollars. But don't tell me you care about me when you don't. I'm not gonna give you a million dollars.

Lying is lying. 

[Daisy]

59 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

Seventeen years of watching survivor and last night I was disappointed.

 

Jeff's talk about last year WE had transgender and this year PTSD.  

 

That is never what this show has been about!  It's been about surviving.

 

Chrissy should have won.  She played the hardest.  A 47 year old woman won the most contests and left with the most friends.  She was able to convince the most people every tribal counsel.

 

I'll never believe Ben found all those idol necklaces fair and square.  No way!

Who knew Ben could whip up a fire so fast?  Devin made most of the campfire fires!

Survivor let me down this season!

here here. 

9 minutes ago, Special K said:

Who were the other women who have won four Individual immunities?  I'm guessing Kim, Parvati....??

Kelly Wigglesworth, (Borneo), Jenna Morasca (Amazon), Kim Spradlin (one World), + Chrissy. 

Amanda has won 4 total, as did Parvarti, and Andrea. (multiple seasons) 
Andrea won immunity on 3 seasons (only one). 

Edited December 21, 2017 by Daisy

[Special K]

2 minutes ago, Daisy said:

Kelly Wigglesworth, (Borneo), Jenna Morasca (Amazon), Kim Spradlin (one World), + Chrissy. 

Thank you! 

[Daisy]

Just now, Special K said:

Thank you! 

no problem (I amended the post. because there have been some who won 4 just not in one season). 
 

[Haute Messe]

10 hours ago, deaja said:

I’m done with this show. Ben didn’t win, IMO, as much as production gave him $1,000,000. Couldn’t they have done that without the production of a whole season? 

I'm done too. This felt like a grade 1 class where everyone gets an award just for participation. Manipulation and rigging was way over the top.

[Eolivet]

26 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I could have sworn that Jeremy cried as he told the jury that his wife was pregnant and he wanted to win for her.  And I could have sworn that Adam had his Ugly Cry face when he sobbed to the jury about his dying mom's dream of seeing him on Survivor.

It cracks me up that Jeremy and Adam are thrown into the same category, story-wise, because other than timing, their stories couldn't have been more different. I loved Jeremy for pulling out that revelation when he did, dropping it like a #bomb at final tribal council, but I don't believe for a minute that "my wife is pregnant" swayed any undecided jury members. I think Jeremy had won already, and that was "running up the score."

Adam is a little murkier of a line -- he claims he was winning throughout, that it was edited out -- but "my mom is dying" a heck of a #bomb to drop at final tribal council for anyone who might have been undecided. But given that Adam's mom died minutes after he came home, I think he's paid his karmic dues for that win.

What's interesting about Ben is that Mike was saying all along that he'd win if he got to the end because of his story ... and then didn't vote for him. So, Mike really was that useless.

[hyukx3]

1 minute ago, ProfCrash said:

People who are playing a good social game are not referred to as the dictator or king. People who are playing a good social game do not get into feuds with multiple people in their tribe. Ben had flat out feuds with Cole and Joe.  People who are playing a good social game do not need to find how many hidden immunity idols in a row to stay in the game. Ben's over the top behavior at tribal was not good social game play, it was meant to be obnoxious and out of control.

Not Sandra (grins)

1

Joe called him king, but that's Joe. Ben feuded with Joe...because it's Joe. Do you understand what I'm saying? Have you seen Joe's game? Ben didn't like Cole but can you blame him. There's a line between honest and be friends with everybody. Depends on what kind of person you wanna be or if you decide to put on a mask on Survivor and keep smiling to everybody you don't like. I can appreciate Ben keeping it real.

And you definitely are not keeping it real here. Ben has to find the hidden immunity not because of his social game, as I've said before, but because of something else but I won't repeat myself.

I find it funny how people are not offended by obnoxiousness. I don't find it obnoxious.

Just now, double-elvis said:

Lying is lying. 

Fine, if you wanna have a fake friend who will talk shit behind your back rather than someone who just says I don't like, we're not gonna hang out.

[Special K]

6 minutes ago, Daisy said:

Amanda has won 4 total, as did Parvarti, and Andrea. (multiple seasons) 
Andrea won immunity on 3 seasons (only one). 

Speaking of Andrea, no comment yet on the poor previous Survivors out in the parking lot doing "challenges" with the fans!  Andrea looked like she was in a cocktail dress and heels.  ;)

[peachmangosteen]

31 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I had to laugh, Ryan said in his Rob Has a Podcast interview that Desi told Ryan he had no chance of winning in her first statement and Ryan knew that he was out of the running.

That makes his FTC performance even more cringe.

11 minutes ago, Eolivet said:

What's interesting about Ben is that Mike was saying all along that he'd win if he got to the end because of his story ... and then didn't vote for him. So, Mike really was that useless.

He point blank said Ben played one of the best games ever and that he was a legend and then voted for Chrissy. Which I get and respect as I too would just vote for who I liked better but still it's funny and so Mike. I wish we could see the FTC voting. I'd like to hear what reason they all gave for their vote.

9 minutes ago, Special K said:

Speaking of Andrea, no comment yet on the poor previous Survivors out in the parking lot doing "challenges" with the fans!  Andrea looked like she was in a cocktail dress and heels.  ;)

That was the only part of the sorry ass reunion show that I liked. I'd rather have just watched that for 20 minutes.

Edited December 21, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[Bryce Lynch]

1 hour ago, Special K said:

Actually, in his TH, he did say that he was only humoring Cole when they had that discussion and he still didn't care for him.

Honestly, I think Chrissy, as a woman, was held to a higher standard for "niceness" or personability than Ben was.  Both in the game and on some of the board discussion.  Like it's OK for Ben to be arrogant, petty, mean-spirited, and not bond with people since he played a good hard game.  But Chrissy needed to both play a good hard game AND be everyone's (genuine) BFF and/or Mom figure.  Stinks.

I didn't like Ben or Chrissy, but I had started to tune out by the time Ben started to get really bad, which probably made me dislike him less than I might have.

What bothered me most about Chrissy was:

a) She was smug and full of herself.  She acted like she was the first person ever to form an alliance with another castaway.  She was sure Ryan must have seen something special in her to pass the advantage on to her.

b) She played an extremely manipulative, cutthroat game, but seemed morally outraged by others who played a similar game.  I have no problem with people playing cutthroat (though it is not my favorite style).  I also have no problem with people who get offended by cutthroat play.  But, you can't play that way while getting offended by others playing the same way.  

[gesundheit]

Yet another thing I don't like about this new final twist is that it seriously changes the momentum going into FTC. Watching the game's clearest underdog stay alive in a fire-making challenge gives them more rootability. Which is fine for the audience, but not for the jury. There's a reason they don't sit around Ponderosa watching videos of what's happening at camp and the challenges. The great thing about the idols being out of play at the final 4 is that that's IT. You can play them to your heart's content but there is ONE LAST TIME you absolutely have to just convince people to keep you in the game, no other strategy or strike of luck will work.

[Special K]

All I can say at this point, is thank god Top Chef is on.  To cleanse my palate as it were.

[Bryce Lynch]

38 minutes ago, double-elvis said:

But...it's a game...and part of the game is trying to convince people to vote for you. And many past contestants have used the same strategy Chrissy has. 

Sometimes lying about "caring" for people and forming fake bonds with other players works, usually it doesn't.  I think that is crossing a line in the eyes of many players and fans.  In the end, the jurors get to make up the rules and the standards for what it going too far and what is not, and every jury is different.  Some jurors are hyper bitter and will hold a grudge against a finalist for merely outplaying them.  Others, have an "It's all in the game." attitude about everything, and will vote for whoever dominated the season, regardless of how low they stoop.  Most are somewhere in the middle and have sort of an informal code about which moves they will tip their hats to and which  ones they will punish.  Fake bonds seem to get punished more frequently than other, less personal, forms of deception.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Bryce Lynch

[ljenkins782]

17 minutes ago, Eolivet said:

It cracks me up that Jeremy and Adam are thrown into the same category, story-wise, because other than timing, their stories couldn't have been more different. I loved Jeremy for pulling out that revelation when he did, dropping it like a #bomb at final tribal council, but I don't believe for a minute that "my wife is pregnant" swayed any undecided jury members. I think Jeremy had won already, and that was "running up the score."

Adam is a little murkier of a line -- he claims he was winning throughout, that it was edited out -- but "my mom is dying" a heck of a #bomb to drop at final tribal council for anyone who might have been undecided. But given that Adam's mom died minutes after he came home, I think he's paid his karmic dues for that win.

What's interesting about Ben is that Mike was saying all along that he'd win if he got to the end because of his story ... and then didn't vote for him. So, Mike really was that useless.

Jeremy had a legit reason to hide it until FTC, it wasn't just about dropping a bomb at the end, it was about keeping other people from seeing that bomb coming and not letting him get to the FTC to drop it. Adam's reasoning might have been similar, he could have been seen as a "sympathy vote" threat and taken out for that reason. 

I don't really see Ben's PSTD story as similar to those 2, it was known (or at least speculated about) throughout the game, I don't recall if he said aloud at the family visit that his wife saved him or if that was in interviews. But the war vet part was probably seen as a threat and people were actively trying to get him out because of his odds to win. 

I don't really understand what you mean about Mike's vote. He can think others will vote for Ben to win and yet still vote for the person that HE thinks played the best game, those two things aren't at odds with one another. I'm glad he did so Chrissy didn't end up tied with Ryan for third. After the game she played, she didn't deserve to tie with the dragged goat. 

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The reunion show was a lot better when it was an actual reunion show & we got to hear from all the contestants. All this other crap bores me.

What was he going to ask this boring lot? Do you still have your virginity Jessica? Yawn..I think they try and change it up, I appreciate that...

 

I don't mind them changing things up if they add something worthwhile. Picking people from the audience to talk brings absolutely nothing to the table. Why even fly the rest of the cast out if all they're going to do is pan over them for 2 seconds? 

And this particular "reunion" just had far, far, far too much Jeff Probst in it. He's in every damn episode, we don't need even more talking from him. 

[sally-can-wait]

6 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Sometimes lying about "caring" for people and forming fake bonds with other players works, usually it doesn't.  I think that is crossing a line in the eyes of many players and fans.  In the end, the jurors get to make up the rules and the standards for what it going too far and what is not, and every jury is different.  Some jurors are hyper bitter and will hold a grudge against a finalist for merely outplaying them.  Others, have an "It's all in the game." attitude about everything, and will vote for whoever dominated the season, regardless of how low they stoop.  Most are somewhere in the middle and have sort of an informal code about which moves they will tip their hats to and which  ones they will punish.  Fake bonds seem to get punished more frequently than other, less personal, forms of deception.

I totally agree with you. My point was more not that the strategy is good or even works just that it IS a strategy of the game and I think shaming Chrissy for it outside the game is going a little too far. (I still find her off-putting though). 

[Special K]

2 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Sometimes lying about "caring" for people and forming fake bonds with other players works, usually it doesn't. 

I also think it is a very muddy area.  I mean, it's possible to actually care about someone in this game and still vote them off or lie to them.  Ryan and Devon are a good example of that actually.  They bonded but couldn't always trust each other.   Look at Kim Spradlin with Cat or Chelsea (who she ended up taking to FTC anyway).  I think Kim really did care for Chelsea, but felt she had to lie to her in the interest of her game. Most of the personal encounters we don't actually see so it's hard for us to judge the depth of the relationships at home.  Mostly we have to rely on what they tell us in THs.

When it's so blatantly bad, it stinks to high heaven, though.  Like remember Sash telling Jane she was like a mother to him? 

[NeverLate]

1 hour ago, Jeanne222 said:

I think that's because I don't think he won fairly.  Would his marine friends have appeared had he lost?  We're they flown in for what???

They were flown in after the show knew the F3 (months ago. )

Once they knew Ben was in the F3, they wanted to surprise him with his men, brave men. . The way he teared, was awesome

13 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

Yet another thing I don't like about this new final twist is that it seriously changes the momentum going into FTC. Watching the game's clearest underdog stay alive in a fire-making challenge gives them more rootability. Which is fine for the audience, but not for the jury. There's a reason they don't sit around Ponderosa watching videos of what's happening at camp and the challenges. The great thing about the idols being out of play at the final 4 is that that's IT. You can play them to your heart's content but there is ONE LAST TIME you absolutely have to just convince people to keep you in the game, no other strategy or strike of luck will work.

Fire happened in Cook Islands too. Both contestants were so bad they broke their flints, then had to move onto matches, before one of them ran out of matches and had to sit and watch the other one struggle to burn the rope to raise their flag.

[Bryce Lynch]

1 minute ago, NeverLate said:

They were flown in after the show knew the F3 (months ago. )

Once they knew Ben was in the F3, they wanted to surprise him with his men, brave men. . The way he teared, was awesome

Fire happened in Cook Islands too. Both contestants were so bad they broke their flints, then had to move onto matches, before one of them ran out of matches and had to sit and watch the other one struggle to burn the rope to raise their flag.

IMO, if nobody can build a fire without matches, they should both be eliminated.  

[NeverLate]

51 minutes ago, double-elvis said:

But...it's a game...and part of the game is trying to convince people to vote for you. And many past contestants have used the same strategy Chrissy has. 

Of course they have. I love that we the viewer never know, never, just how the jury will vote!