S36: Laurel Johnson

[Special K]

1 hour ago, Nashville said:

While I don’t think WenDom was a relationship unparalleled in the annals of Survivor history (it was a simple partnership with F4 appendages), I do think theirs was one of the most unequivocally equitable partnerships we’ve ever seen on the show - and I don’t think it was an arrangement this season’s players were mentally predisposed to consider.  Both Chris’s “who was the mastermind?” and Kellyn’s “who brought you in?” questions illustrate this blind spot in their thinking, and (I’d guess) others by representative extension: an equitable partnership was fair beyond their ken of comprehension, so they kept casting about for some way to put either Dom or Wendell in the driver’s seat.

I agree with this, especially the parts I highlighted.   I really enjoyed watching their partnership/friendship.

[peachmangosteen]

6 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Or Dom and Wendell did a brilliant job of convincing everyone they were final four and no one wanted to give up those spots. Not to mention, Dom and Wendell had enough good will with different folks that someone always told Dom and Wendell when they were in trouble. I would go with brilliant play on their part. They did a great job of dividing and conquoring. 

I would've love to have seen more of any of this! 

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

While I don’t think WenDom was a relationship unparalleled in the annals of Survivor history (it was a simple partnership with F4 appendages), I do think theirs was one of the most unequivocally equitable partnerships we’ve ever seen on the show - and I don’t think it was an arrangement this season’s players were mentally predisposed to consider.  

Definitely.

[LadyChatts]

I would have loved to have seen more of the dynamics in general this season.  Looking back I get why the focus was so centered on Dom and Wendell, but it seems we really missed out on so much more that might have made things suspenseful or explained votes.  I never knew that Laurel was close to Kellyn to the point of wanting to save her, and that's why she didn't flip with Des.  I never knew where alliances stood once Morgan was voted out, other than Dom/Wendell/Laurel/Donathan.  And I also don't remember it being quite so bad in other seasons directly focusing on a core person or couple of people (not named Russell Hantz anyway).  Even last season, where I literally can't remember half of the cast, seemed to show more dynamics.

[LanceM]

9 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I think they all equally sucked lol. They're all to blame for letting Wendell/Dom control nearly the entire game.

Hell, as @KimberStormer has said, even Dom/Wendell were stupid to keep each other as long as they did. 

A decent cast as people, but way too many players who made stupid decisions.

I just can't entirely blame all of them for letting Dom and Wendell control the entire because again Kellyn, Chelsea, Angela and Donathon all wanted to vote out Wendell at final 8 but Laurel refused to budge.  I mean are we at a point in Survivor where it is too late to vote out one member of a power couple at final 8 especially given that everyone in the game agreed they had to be broken up?  I mean if you really want to shift some blame than you could put some on Kellyn who stupidly put 2 votes on Laurel the prior tribal council.  Lurel just couldn't get past that. In her exit interviews she mentions talking to Chelsea and Angela and telling them she trusted them completely but just could't trust Kellyn for that one vote.  That is very short sighted in my opinion.