S36: Chelsea Townsend

[Whimsy]

Chelsea Townsend (Naviti Tribe)

Age: 24
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Current residence: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: EMT/Pro Cheerleader

Three words to describe you: Outgoing, dynamic, and driven.

Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor?
I have the traits needed to make me successful. I am a hard worker who is extremely driven to reach my goals. I am agile and athletic from a background in dance and gymnastics. I am personable and get along well with people of all backgrounds and ages. I am a competitor and love a good challenge.

Chelsea Townsend's Full Bio

[LanceM]

Josh Wigler interview

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/survivor-ghost-island-chelsea-townsend-preseason-interview-1080163

[LanceM]

Gordon Holmes interview

http://xfn-blogs.xfinity.com/tv/2018/02/25/survivor-castaway-chelsea-ill-sitting-end/

[TVFan1]

I want to see more of her. We didn't get anything from her yet. Waiting to see some gameplay.

[LanceM]

She speaks!  Not only that but she was the one who correctly predicted that the if the Malolos had an idol, that they would either play it for Jenna or Stephanie thinking that is how the Navitis would vote therefore they needed to vote for one of the men.  Good gameplay on her part.

P.S. I also find it amusing that it was Chelsea who came up with this plan given that Morgan in her exit interviews said she was not doing anything and had no strategy at all.

Edited March 15, 2018 by LanceM

[LadyChatts]

I think Morgan might have been hard to get along with.  She openly said she had a big mouth, and with her saying Angela wouldn't open up to her, and then Chelsea just laid around and didn't say much, I think she might have just been too in your face for some people.

In addition, there's different ways of playing the game.  One can just lay around camp but still be strategizing and scheming.  Just because they aren't doing it with you or running off doesn't mean they aren't doing it.

Makes me even more glad Morgan's gone.  Hope she ate a little humble pie watching Chelsea in action tonight.  Whether Chelsea continues to get face time or goes back to being invisible remains to be seen.

Edited March 15, 2018 by LadyChatts

[LanceM]

Oh I agree. I think Morgan assumed Chelsea had no strategy because she didn't talk any strategy with HER.  I am actually glad to see it was Chelsea that came up with the plan tonight if for no other reason to dispel this notion that just because a player is "invisible' that it means they aren't playing the game at all.

[LanceM]

Based on her secret scene this week it sounds like Chelsea is actually playing a decent game.  Unlike Bradley she is taking a different approach towards the Malolos. She is talking to them and trying to get to know them because as she says she might need allies down the line. She seemed to make the biggest connections with Stephanie and Brendan.  She had no connection with Jenna and she doesn't trust Michael at all (which would explain why she threw his name out there first but was overruled).

https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/AC4F403B-7CCC-9B91-2396-224CC406FDC4/survivor-the-importance-of-building-connections/

[LanceM]

I am very intrigued with her. She gets very little confessionals but yet when it is time to talk strategy on when to vote people out she seems to be very much involved in that process. We saw that with the Brendan boot and then tonight she seemed very much involved in the discussion with Dom on whether to vote out Bradley or Libby.  I also found it inteersting than when Jeff asked the Navitis who they were sending to Ghost Iland and why it was Chelsea who got to explain it.  Its a very strange edit indeed. 

Also, as I mentioned in the episode thread the fact that she showed no emotions whatsoever with voting out an ally she has spent the entire game with makes me wonder is she is really "the devil with  an angels body" and not Libby whose claim to that title seems to be based solely on the fact that she turned on Morgan (who she liked a lot) but was never aligned with at all.

[LadyChatts]

I'm also intrigued by her.  She went from literally no airtime and the likes of Jacob and Morgan saying her edit reflected their interactions with her, to seeming like she's got some game in her.  I don't know how long she lasts, but I think she's got more going on with her gameplay.  I believe now that she's actually calculated in who she chooses to align with and going with Naviti at NuMalolo was likely more strategic than her being loyal. 

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, I think she actually has a lot more game than we're being shown, but for that reason alone I'm fairly sure she won't make it far/won't be much of a factor in the story this season tells.

[LanceM]

Chelsea talks about the upcoming vote.

 

Talks about the fact that she felt she has more of a connection with Libby and Donathon in 6 days then she did with someone she played the entire game with in Bradley. Also, mentions that Bradley was never  a good ally for her and that it was time for him to go.

Talks about hie Bradley has strong connections with both Kellyn and Wendell and that at the merge could team up with them and then vote her out because Bradely had thrown her name out there previously (interesting Bradley says the opposite in his exit press)

Talks about Libby has no real connections other than with some Malolos and therefore would be a good ally for her because they did make a connection..

 

I can understand why she doesn't get many confessionals because she isn't a dynamic speaker and doesn't give real interesting soundbytes but what she does do is explain her strategic thinking and why she is doing what she is doing.  That is good enough for me.

Edited April 6, 2018 by LanceM

[phlebas]

Personally, I think Chelsea's very pretty, but this camera angle did her no favors.  This made her head look enormous.  Now when I look at her, I only see a Peanuts character :(

 

 

[Special K]

Every season, there is a contestant who isn't shown much, and there's tons of speculation on this board about whether they actually have game or not.  Chelsea is that person this season. She seems like she might have some strategy going on, but the feeling is elusive since we're only shown opaque moments.  It reminds me of the classic exchange from Seinfeld about Newman:

Elaine:  Maybe there's more to Newman than meets the eye?

Jerry:  No, there's less.

[TVFan1]

If she makes it to the end, I wouldn't mind seeing her win.

[LanceM]

Chelsea is an enigma that is for sure. But she definitely has game.  The fact that they keep showing her involved in almost every conversation about who gets voted out inclduing coming up with the correct strategy to vote Brendan out.  Desiree who isn't actually an unbiased source since she is friends with her said on RHAP that Chelsea was "playing very hard" out there and that she was the one most responsible for voting Bradley out. This to me is backed up by the secret scene I posted a few replies back. But since she is clearly not winning with this edit and Domenick with his edit is definitely a  top contender, the edit give him the credit for that boot. As far as confessionals go, yeah she is not the most dyanmic speaker I get that but she does tell you what she thinks in terms of strategy and there is no reason at all they couldn't have given her more airtime.  Perhaps if she complained about everything or insulted people or talked all cutesy and called her herself Miss Chelsea and talked about how special she is it would be a different story.

 

Someone over on reddit, who has a lot of time on his or her hands put together a montage of what could have been had they included some of Chelsea's secret scene footage during the season.o

 

Edited April 28, 2018 by LanceM

[KimberStormer]

I feel like the thing with Chelsea is we only see her when she's talking game.  Nothing, like, personal at all, except the coffee thing.  Otherwise she's hidden -- I don't think she even got a confessional about her immunity win??  So the only thing I can figure is she's a total gamebot (with a Naviti-girls finals in mind) and doesn't win, so they don't need to show her game moves and they don't want to show her because she's "boring".

[Oscirus]

It feels like she's basically trying to swim in Kellyn's wake and win by being Kellyn's no.2 similar to what Kelly was going for in Samoa. Great plan, just doesn't make for the best tv. Especially if said plan isn't successful. That being said, I do love her snarkiness.

[LanceM]

I posted this over in the media thread but this part about Chelsea cracks me up. Sadly though I could see Probst thinking this way:

http://www.truedorktimes.com/s36/baker/e10.htm

 

Probst: I can’t stand Chelsea.

Grodner: She a floater?

Probst: Actually, no. She’s been involved in a number of significant strategic conversations, she’s been pivotal in a few votes, and she won individual immunity.

Grodner: Michael hasn’t worn the necklace, but Chelsea has?

Probst: SHUT UP.

Grodner: Let me guess -- she promised to flirt, but she hasn’t, so you’re giving her the Brenda treatment.

Probst: Maybe.

Grodner: But there’s more.

Probst: Yes -- she likes the Sit Out Bench too much!

Grodner: Okay, fine, destroy her in the edit. She was on the purple tribe at the outset, right? You know what to do.

[ByaNose]

It is pretty amazing that a person has been on the winning side, made the merge, won 2 Individual Immunities...so far and is in the Top 8 and has only 3 confessionals for the whole season. She must have been shocked when she got home and been watching this season. It's crazy!

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, Chelsea's edit is so weird. It feels like someone behind the scenes must really hate her.

[LanceM]

I had some thought on this on the episode thread:

As far as her edit is concerned and her lack of confessionals, I have my theories that I base on watching all her secret scenes. First, she is too nice.  She is not insulting all the other players, or making fun of them and really not talking too negative about anyone at all including the players she didn't seem to like such as Bradley and Jenna.  Secondly, she is too normal. She is not yelling and screaming at the camera or playing up to the camera like say "miss Kellyn". Instead she is talking normally giving her thoughts on the game, her strategies, etc.  Now I grant you she is not the most dynamic speaker but still nobody is saying she needs to be a major character. There is no reason at all we can't get some confessionals here and there from someone who is clearly been involved in a lot of the strategic decisions in this game.  Not everyone needs to be big character to get some airtime.

There is no reason at all they couldn't have included this on the show last night. Did we really need to hear from Dom and Wendell again that they are a tight pair?

 

[LanceM]

So you know how during the immunity challenge it came down to her and Angela and they were both struggling to keep their ball dropping until finally Anglea's drops and Chelsea wins.  Yeah, shockingly it didn't happen that way at all. When Angela's ball dropped, Chelsea's was still in the same position it was at the start of the game. See the 6:12 mark. So when Chelsea was actually sruggling it was against Dom and Wendell (which is why she looks in their direction). I wonder how long she really lasted against the those two?

 

Edited May 4, 2018 by LanceM

[ByaNose]

Here is one of Chelsea's (never aired) confessionals. Oddly enough, she comes off super cute and doesn't look as dead to the earth as she appears on the show. She usually looks like she is going to die but here she is all happy go lucky. It's so weird.

 

[peachmangosteen]

She either quits or someone hates her. Otherwise it just doesn't make sense imo.

[ByaNose]

14 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

She either quits or someone hates her. Otherwise it just doesn't make sense imo.

If she somehow squeezes herself in to the Final 4 it would a travesty. I don’t think she quits or they necessarily hate her but they thought her confessionals were boring or something. Mostly likely she isn’t the winner so she wouldn’t narrate the story. If she wins another II and/or survives the next vote then it’s a real mystery. That would be Top 7 and a critical vote since it’s realy only a time when a group of 4 can take a major player out. Also, she looks pretty darn good in her blue bikini. 

[LanceM]

I don't think she quits especially given the fact that it appears that even after winning immunity the other night she still competed in that challenge to see if she could beat Dom and Wendell. I just think for whatever reason the editors don't find her that interesting or maybe she never tries to make a big move against the power duo of Dom and Wendell.  I personally find that line of reasoning kind of weak. Even if some might find her confessionals not interesting or boring it doesn't mean everyone will and it is not going to kill the show if they take  a minute or so here and there to show them. I think they underestimate the viewers in this regard but that is just me. 

[peachmangosteen]

Imagine her watching the show every week and seeing that she's never actually in it lol.

I'm just waiting for her to get 2 whole confessionals in an ep. Then we'll all now she's done.

[Guest]

If that clip above is her best offering I can see them skipping over her.  To me, she was kind of droning on about nothing interesting.   I like her fine but the high voice and the thin personality give me memories of Michelle.  I’d rather see more interesting footage and stories than a fair split of confessionals.   

[ByaNose]

It must be weird for her to know all this time (since filming) how far she made it and won 2 Individual Immunites but not be seen on the show. I’m sure every person thinks they are “star” out there while playing the game. I’m sure the camera people follow everyone around so not to miss anything. You leave the island and think how well you played (thus far) and assume you’ll get camera time. I would be so embarrassed if it was me. I’m not saying Chelsea is or should be but I know I would. After, the 2nd or 3rd episode I’d be watching it by myself. That said, she’s had a pretty attitude on Instagram about it. 

Edited May 5, 2018 by ByaNose

[LadyChatts]

Chelsea isn’t the first (nor the last) to get such an invisible edit.  I chalk it up to not playing along with the theme/story line or making yourself outrageous enough to stand out.  Sadly, this seems to apply to women more than men in this series.

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

Chelsea isn’t the first (nor the last) to get such an invisible edit.  I chalk it up to not playing along with the theme/story line or making yourself outrageous enough to stand out.  Sadly, this seems to apply to women more than men in this series.

You know I never really thought of that. I don’t know how prevalent the invisible edit is but I always imagine it being the woman who receive it. The funny thing is that the first 5 people are so that were voted out had more airtime and confessionals then Chelsea. They haven’t been on in ages but I feel like I know them so much better. It’s just crazy!

Edited May 5, 2018 by ByaNose

[KimberStormer]

6 hours ago, ByaNose said:

If she somehow squeezes herself in to the Final 4 it would a travesty.

I doubt she does, but if she did make Final 4 and lost the fire-making bullshit, then I suppose I could see them making her invisible so we don't get too mad, especially after last season when pretty much everyone saw the ending as a giveaway to Ben.

[Guest]

I would be happy to have a low profile edit.    I’d be happy with anything not a negative edit.  

I wonder if some of them are purposely not giving great confessionals for that reason.  I think Brenda Lowe played for invisibility in the edit her second time out.  

[ByaNose]

Yeah, the Brenda edit was accurate. The other cast members said she would go to the end of the beach and cry, workout or pray... one of those. So, the editors didn’t follow her much. Also, I know there always talk of the Michelle Fitzgerald edit but I would have to watch her season again. I know she wasn’t as visible as Aubrey but I couldn’t tell you how many confessionals and airtime she actually got. I’m pretty sure she got more airtime then Chelsea but she also won II a lot like Chelsea is now. Time will tell with only 8 left.

[Oscirus]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 6:57 PM, LanceM said:

I had some thought on this on the episode thread:

As far as her edit is concerned and her lack of confessionals, I have my theories that I base on watching all her secret scenes. First, she is too nice.  She is not insulting all the other players, or making fun of them and really not talking too negative about anyone at all including the players she didn't seem to like such as Bradley and Jenna.  Secondly, she is too normal. She is not yelling and screaming at the camera or playing up to the camera like say "miss Kellyn". Instead she is talking normally giving her thoughts on the game, her strategies, etc.  Now I grant you she is not the most dynamic speaker but still nobody is saying she needs to be a major character. There is no reason at all we can't get some confessionals here and there from someone who is clearly been involved in a lot of the strategic decisions in this game.  Not everyone needs to be big character to get some airtime.

There is no reason at all they couldn't have included this on the show last night. Did we really need to hear from Dom and Wendell again that they are a tight pair?

 

Even in that scene, we get a hint of why Chelsea's shown much. It's this late in the game and she's just talking about coming out of her shell. If one's not a character or they don't have an effect on the endgame or they aren't the swing vote, they tend to get ignored in editing.

Another thing that scene is proof of is how much it seems that Kellyn's fucking up. If anybody should be have that talk with her its Kellyn, not Wendell. Might be editing but it still not a good look.

[LanceM]

Well since I have heard some people say how we are at week 12 and we don't even know anything about her all I thought I'd post this from her instagram in case anyone is interested. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg9zIr0j0nC/?hl=en&taken-by=chelseatownsend

[LanceM]

So Dalton Ross weighed in on Chelsea's edit in his column tonight.

http://ew.com/recap/survivor-season-36-episode-12/4/

"So what’s that all about, you ask? I’ll tell you. Chelsea is simply not a great interview. I met Chelsea and spoke with her before the game and really liked her. Super nice. Humble. Had a great laugh. Solid, all around. But she simply was not a dynamic personality when it came to answering questions and narrating the action. You all have heard me say this a million times before, but the most underrated aspect of any great Survivor personality — and the thing that producers look for the most — is somebody who can tell a story and narrate the action. Jeff Probst has not narrated the show since those super awkward scene intros of season 1, so the players have to tell the story themselves, and some are simply better at it than others. That’s why people like Zeke, Fishbach, Cirie, and Aubry were so valuable to the show. They could dispense information in an entertaining and funny way. Unfortunately, that’s just not Chelsea’s strong suit.

Now, you can agree or disagree with that production approach, but if you’re wondering why she was so invisible this season, well, now you know. But she did win immunities. And she did try to make a move with Desiree, which shows she was not simply content to sit back and let the game pass her by. So kudos to her for that."

 

I agree with him to an extent. They need the more dynamic personalities to narrate the action.  But here is the thing.  Nobody is arguing that Chelsea needed to be the narrator.  All I am saying is that 4 confessionals for someone that appeared to be playing hard and always involved in strategic discussions and someone won two immunities deserves more than 4 confessionals in 12 episodes. That is all.  I would have been happy with about 10 all season.  The other problem with her being so under edited is that once she got a confessional tonight it was obvious she was gone. There was absolutely no suspense at tribal council.

Edited May 10, 2018 by LanceM

[Special K]

I think at the very least they should have given Chelsea confessionals when she won immunity.  Often those are banal, sort of, "I really needed to win this for our alliance" kind of thing anyway, or "I'm so glad I could prevent X from winning immunity today."

I mean, at least show her that modicum of respect.

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, I always find it rude when they don't give the IC winner a confessional about winning.