S36.E01: Can You Reverse the Curse?

[Blissfool]

On 2/28/2018 at 9:02 PM, mojoween said:

 

Morgan looks and sounds so much like Ashley from MTV’s The Challenge that I absolutely hold it against her.  Sorry Morgan.

And I thought Gonzalez looks liked Nany from The Challenge. Nany's last name is coincidentally Gonzalez.

 

On 2/28/2018 at 9:57 PM, Eolivet said:

 

I don't mind if Michael lies about his age, but his job caption says he's a real estate agent. So, is he actually an 18 year-old real estate agent? Or is that his fake job to go with his fake age?

Ha! I wondered this out loud and my son said maybe he sells doghouses.

 

On 3/1/2018 at 6:38 AM, marys1000 said:

Sea Bass - we are going to call you Sea Bass. Serioiusly? 
 

I have a friend named Sebastian. Everyone calls him Sea Bass. He is not a fisherman. 

 

On 3/1/2018 at 3:08 PM, blackwing said:

 

I get that, but why her?  Why didn't they make the other Stephanie go by last name as well?  

Because Jeff couldn't say "Johnson" without giggling?

 

On 3/1/2018 at 4:36 PM, EllipticalAddicted said:

 Also, she looked like a rather bizarre fugly unicorn when she twisted her hair up into a bun almost placed on her forehead.   

 

For this reason alone I want her gone.

 

On 3/2/2018 at 3:31 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

In another thread there's an exit interview where Gonzales said once she got a whispered "Donathan" from Brendan then some other name from Michael, she knew she was gone, since those two hadn't coordinated a lie.  And her whispering prevented them from giving matching answers. 

I wish someone would have whispered back to her "You. We're voting for you."

"Just being honest."?

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Blissfool said:

wish someone would have whispered back to her "You. We're voting for you."

Ha!  Or better yet, shouted their reply aloud.  

[CletusMusashi]

So, do I understand correctly that throwing the first challenge gave the losing tribe fishing equipment, but not fire-making equipment?

Because, if so, that was a terrible production choice, because it makes it kind of obvious that fire is available anyway.

[KimberStormer]

"Fire, in the form of flint" is as far as I know always available by day 4 (unless they lose or destroy their flint, as has happened a couple times.)  Either you win it in the challenge or Jeff gives it to you at the end of the first tribal council, where as we all know, you "GET FIRE, because in this game fire represents your life!"

[millennium]

On 3/2/2018 at 12:49 PM, ljenkins782 said:

 

Donathan is such a distractingly dead ringer for Kate McKinnon's SNL impression of Jeff Sessions that I can't think of anything else while he's onscreen. Too bad Survivor is so far along in popular culture/off the watercooler talk radar because I'd love to see Kate impersonate him. 

Amazed me that it took 5 pages before someone said this -- the similarity is uncanny.   I hope he's voted out ASAP.   Can't stand him and I think he's a phoney.   Had an even greater dislike of Jacob.  Happy I'll never have to see him again. 

[lilabennet]

On 2/28/2018 at 10:05 PM, blackwing said:

I don't care for Donathan.  I get that he's sheltered and from Kentucky, but calling an Asian person "exotic"?  Plus I can't even understand what he is saying half the time.  There have been other people from Kentucky (Caleb, for one) that aren't this hard to understand.  Mostly I don't care for his attitude.  He sat on that raft and instantly refused to try to dive.  Without even trying first.

I can't stand Dom either.  Trying too hard to be the new Tony.

Michael is only 18?  Face and body don't look like 18.  He seems astute for 18.  Not sure why Jacob targeted him.

Happy with the first two boots.  Both tried way too hard.

Lingering high school resentment.

[Superpole2000]

I would like someone to count the time in this episode devoted to men speaking and compare it to the time where women were speaking. Was it 80% men? 90%? Whatever it was, it was noticeable. I learned so much about these dudes, and I know the square root of nothing about most of these women. Well...except for Desiree. I think I could pick Desiree's breasts out of a boob lineup. Forget fishing gear, I hope one of the upcoming reward challenges provides supportive undergarments.

I agree with anyone who suggested that Donathan is not a hero for actually trying in a Survivor challenge. Frankly, that's the least we should expect of anyone.

[NutMeg]

7 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

"Fire, in the form of flint" is as far as I know always available by day 4 (unless they lose or destroy their flint, as has happened a couple times.)  Either you win it in the challenge or Jeff gives it to you at the end of the first tribal council, where as we all know, you "GET FIRE, because in this game fire represents your life!"

And that reminds me that I smiled when someone (I think Jacob?) was silently mouthing the ending of Jeff's catchphrase at tribal.

[peachmangosteen]

On 3/3/2018 at 8:35 AM, NutMeg said:

It felt more like some version of Survivor board game, somehow, or Survivor role-playing game ...

This is so true. And for me kinda makes me like the Ghost Island thing. 

[LanceM]

4 hours ago, Superpole2000 said:

I would like someone to count the time in this episode devoted to men speaking and compare it to the time where women were speaking. Was it 80% men? 90%? Whatever it was, it was noticeable. I learned so much about these dudes, and I know the square root of nothing about most of these women. Well...except for Desiree. I think I could pick Desiree's breasts out of a boob lineup. Forget fishing gear, I hope one of the upcoming reward challenges provides supportive undergarments.

I agree with anyone who suggested that Donathan is not a hero for actually trying in a Survivor challenge. Frankly, that's the least we should expect of anyone.

 

This is how the people over at Sucks broke down the number of confessionals for the first two episodes.

episode 1
9 - Jacob
4 - Domenick
3 - Donathan
2 - Gonzalez/Kellyn/Michael/Wendell
1 - Brendan/Chris/Desiree/James/Jenna/Sebastian/Stephanie
0 - Angela/Bradley/Chelsea/Laurel/Libby/Morgan

episode 2
6 - Domenick
5 - Jacob
3 - Stephanie
2 - Donathan/Michael/Morgan
1 - Brendan/Chris/James/Jenna/Laurel
0 - Angela/Bradley/Chelsea/Desiree/Kellyn/Libby/Sebastian/Wendell
 

[azshadowwalker]

On 3/1/2018 at 12:37 AM, cooksdelight said:

I have watched this show since day one, first season. Rudy was in Richmond and at the same restaurant where I celebrated my birthday. Gave me a hug & kiss.

My DVR forgot to record this. There must be a higher power in charge.

I decided that last season was my final one after it was won through idols and sob stories, and I read about all the twists upcoming this season. Came in to read to see if I missed anything worthwhile, and I am even more secure in the decision. Getting rid of a strong woman & keeping a weak man? How many asshole men are kept around to "keep the tribe strong"? Who knows, maybe the woman who decided to keep the weak man just hates women. I hear that's the usual cause when a woman keeps a man over another woman... 

It is time for March Madness, anyway, so I am out. Have a good season, everyone. 

Edited March 5, 2018 by azshadowwalker

[Rachel RSL]

1 hour ago, azshadowwalker said:

Getting rid of a strong woman & keeping a weak man? How many asshole men are kept around to "keep the tribe strong"?

In the spirit of equality, Gonzalez was kind of an "asshole woman". Her boot had nothing to do with gender.

[ljenkins782]

On 3/3/2018 at 1:48 AM, AUJulia said:

Actually, you said: "Donathan is such a distractingly dead ringer for Kate McKinnon's SNL impression of Jeff Sessions that I can't think of anything else while he's onscreen." Now you've gone from "dead ringer" to saying two different accents are close enough because they're both Southern. Not irrelevant at all, since Sessions and Donathan sound as much alike as a South African and an Australian. ?

Yeah, I'm not going to research the history of Kate McKinnon's characters to find a southern accent that more closely matches the accent in question, it's not important enough for me to care. The "dead ringer" statement was in regard to Donathan's physical appearance, which is eerily similar to Kate McKinnon, but since she does not have a southern accent, the Jeff Sessions character is the most current and high profile example I can recall and I wasn't expecting anyone to be so particularly sensitive to the topic of the varieties of southern accents that I would have expected to need to specify that. But I guess everyone has their hot button issue and this is yours. :) 

Quote

I missed last season (I'll watch it eventually) and just watched the first episode. While the Ghost Island twist is contrived, I don't find it too offensive. I got amad Andrew Savage vibe from Brendan on the Malolo tribe, but then he told Jeff that he figured the days of keeping the tribe [physically] strong were over on Survivor during Tribal Council, which makes me think I'll like him far better than I do Savage. Speaking of Malolo, it's clear that Stephanie came to play, as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what she does—I hope there's a pay-off to seeing her find out about the legacy advantage.

I can sorta see the faint Savage vibes from Brendan in the sense that he is the leader and clearly following the "judge a book by its cover" principle when it comes to strength and value to the tribe, but I don't necessarily see a ton of arrogance dripping off him like I always saw with Savage. Plus, the fact that he voted out Gonzalez over Donathan means that he sees more dimensions to the game than the standard "strong for challenges" motif. 

I wish I liked Stephanie more because she did play Jacob masterfully and if she can use her information down the road, good for her. Yet, I'm not sold on her thus far, personality-wise. I'm not sure what it is, but she tweaks me a bit. 

Edited March 5, 2018 by ljenkins782

[Guest]

I liked Steph until I read she does Iron Man tris.   That’s just crazy.   

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

The "dead ringer" statement was in regard to Donathan's physical appearance, which is eerily similar to Kate McKinnon, but since she does not have a southern accent, the Jeff Sessions character is the most current and high profile example I can recall and I wasn't expecting anyone to be so particularly sensitive to the topic of the varieties of southern accents that I would have expected to need to specify that. But I guess everyone has their hot button issue and this is yours. :) 

I think now four posters have said the same thing so I think it’s definitely a real similarity.  

[jay741982]

On 3/4/2018 at 8:00 AM, Superpole2000 said:

I would like someone to count the time in this episode devoted to men speaking and compare it to the time where women were speaking. Was it 80% men? 90%? Whatever it was, it was noticeable. I learned so much about these dudes, and I know the square root of nothing about most of these women. Well...except for Desiree. I think I could pick Desiree's breasts out of a boob lineup. Forget fishing gear, I hope one of the upcoming reward challenges provides supportive undergarments.

I agree with anyone who suggested that Donathan is not a hero for actually trying in a Survivor challenge. Frankly, that's the least we should expect of anyone.

Well that's Probst for you. Devote a lot of time to the Douche boy Alpha males while those icky women don't get the screen time cause they aren't "Intresting" we wouldn't know cause probst makes sure we here from all the guys even if they aren't interesting 

[Guest]

Personally, I'd rather hear from the people the 'stories' are revolving around, not some quota-driven mix by gender, race or any other demographic descriptor. 

Jacob had far and away the most coverage this ep, and he's hardly an alpha male.  I was glad I got to see why he went home, and Steph G., too.  I'm sure we'll meet Jenna and Libby in time.  

If anyone was given the alpha edit this ep, I think it was Stephanie Johnson.  

[marys1000]

Makes sense I guess

This is how the people over at Sucks broke down the number of confessionals for the first two episodes.

episode 1
9 - Jacob - this seasons Cochran
4 - Domenick - this seasons Boston Rob?
3 - Donathan - this seasons fish out of water underdog....

 

italics are my comments

Edited March 5, 2018 by marys1000

[ghoulina]

5 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Personally, I'd rather hear from the people the 'stories' are revolving around, not some quota-driven mix by gender, race or any other demographic descriptor. 

Jacob had far and away the most coverage this ep, and he's hardly an alpha male.  I was glad I got to see why he went home, and Steph G., too.  I'm sure we'll meet Jenna and Libby in time.  

If anyone was given the alpha edit this ep, I think it was Stephanie Johnson.  

I'm with you. Of course we're going to hear more from those who are at the center of the action. Both Donathan and Jacob went to GI, which is the big theme of the season. And Jacob had a huge target on his back. Donathan almost went home. I felt like I heard enough from those two, are well as the girls who were heavily involved in what went down. I would have never even looked at it that way if it hadn't been brought up. 

[Rachel RSL]

On 3/5/2018 at 12:40 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

I liked Steph until I read she does Iron Man tris.   That’s just crazy.   

Why would that make you stop liking her? If anything, I think it's kind of badass. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Rachel RSL said:

Why would that make you stop liking her? If anything, I think it's kind of badass. 

Badass and crazy.  I’m not a fan of endurance fitness, especially at that extreme.   I think it’s too tough on the body.   

[EllipticalAddicted]

On 3/3/2018 at 12:26 AM, ImpinAintEasy said:

It’s too early to judge the attractiveness of the cast just from watching the show. Libby seems to be cute. Yoga Steph has a nice body, though her chest was clearly purchased. Jenna has a big booty.  If Morgan looks like Smashley from ‘The Challenge’ then she must be fairly attractive. 

 

As for the men, the two models are handsome. Sebastian has a face that does not match the body. I wouldn’t exactly call him a butterface, but it is sort of goofy looking. James and the furniture designer are good looking dudes too. 

 

Not that any of this matters, but I didn’t really think the cast wasn’t attractive enough while watching. 

 Regarding Sebastian, yes you're right that his face doesn't match his body!   Again, this is all in the "does not matter" category and I'm sure he's a great guy.   However, everytime the cameras would linger on his abs, I'd think "hot damn"!   And then they would move to his face and I'd think "nope!".     

[Rachel RSL]

Quote

Badass and crazy.  I’m not a fan of endurance fitness, especially at that extreme.   I think it’s too tough on the body.   

Heh. I ran like 20 feet to catch the bus this morning and it took me 5 minutes to catch my breath so that's probably why I find any kind of endurance fitness impressive.  

Edited March 7, 2018 by Rachel RSL

[Guest]

Yeah, I think a half marathon is nuts.  An Iron Man is a full 26 mile marathon, 2.4 mike swim and 112 mile bike ride, without a break.  Gah.  My knees need therapy just from typing it.  

[cooksdelight]

I cannot get into this season. At all. I’m out, y’all have fun!

[azshadowwalker]

On 3/4/2018 at 8:44 PM, Rachel RSL said:

In the spirit of equality, Gonzalez was kind of an "asshole woman". Her boot had nothing to do with gender.

That's kind of my point. Being an asshole is not a reason to boot someone if it's a man. More important to "keep the team strong" (i.e. keep the asshole man) rather than worry if you might need some weak person (i.e. woman) to lift or put in small places. That you don't see the contradiction in how a strong, but annoying man is treated vs a strong but annoying woman (and consider this contradiction a symbol of equal treatment) is very interesting. But, I am sure you're right, nothing to do with sex.

[susannot]

OK. totally skipped opening  episode but I enjoyed tonight's.  I don't know anyone's name but I like James (?), American Asian guy, who seems super smart, and has his head in the game.  And older (comparatively) blond Army veteran woman.  Love her.  She seems to be impervious to BS.  And cute black guy (Donathan?). who seems to be forming alliances and friendships.

[Rachel RSL]

25 minutes ago, azshadowwalker said:

That's kind of my point. Being an asshole is not a reason to boot someone if it's a man. More important to "keep the team strong" (i.e. keep the asshole man) rather than worry if you might need some weak person (i.e. woman) to lift or put in small places. That you don't see the contradiction in how a strong, but annoying man is treated vs a strong but annoying woman (and consider this contradiction a symbol of equal treatment) is very interesting. But, I am sure you're right, nothing to do with sex.

There have been plenty of strong men who have been voted off because they were assholes. With all due respect, I think it’s a little unfair of you to basically tell me that I’m not getting your point (trust me, I get it) when you admitted that you didn’t even watch the episode. Gonzalez wasn’t that much of a strong asset to her tribe, they still lost the challenge, and her personality was extremely abrasive. I would have voted her off too.

[Cthulhudrew]

On 2/28/2018 at 7:25 PM, GenerationX said:

Best moment of the show was James (I think) mentioning the "information imbalance" aspect of Ghost Island, and Professor Probst being legitimately impressed by it.

What is even more impressive is that the producers didn't immediately hashtag "#informationimbalance." Uncharacteristic restraint!

On 2/28/2018 at 8:09 PM, PaperTree said:

I've read that production dictates the castaways' clothing.

Speaking of which, is this the first season that color appropriate, Survivor branded "Team Bags" were issued to all contestants at the start of the game? How much do you want to bet those are going to feature as purchasable items on the website? And how long until all contestants are also outfitted in Survivor-branded clothing for the same reason?

[marys1000]

11 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

There have been plenty of strong men who have been voted off because they were assholes. With all due respect, I think it’s a little unfair of you to basically tell me that I’m not getting your point (trust me, I get it) when you admitted that you didn’t even watch the episode. Gonzalez wasn’t that much of a strong asset to her tribe, they still lost the challenge, and her personality was extremely abrasive. I would have voted her off too.

BUT there are far more, far more, male assholes who get pass because they are either (1) needed for challenges (2) used for meat shields or (3) just boss their way along

[Rachel RSL]

3 hours ago, marys1000 said:

BUT there are far more, far more, male assholes who get pass because they are either (1) needed for challenges (2) used for meat shields or (3) just boss their way along

Oh, for sure. There are many times when tribes say they need to keep the big dudes in order to win challenges.  I'm just saying that wasn't the case this time. Gonzalez wasn't an asset to the tribe, physically or emotionally. Obviously they're going to keep the nice guy who they think they'll be able to work with (and stuff into small places lol) over the irritating woman who adds nothing to the tribe.

[Hanahope]

I thought Jacob made three huge mistakes.  1.  looking for an idol immediately when he knows people know he's doing that (especially since he didn't find one).  2.  telling people that the reason he 'mouthed off' was in order to get a Ghost Island vote  3.  "admitting" to finding a (fake) idol.

When you know you're the odd one out, don't add to that impression, change it.  idol hunt when its not so obvious and talk more to people, make a connection before the bad impression takes hold.  mouthing off to get the ghost island vote is fine, but don't tell people that's why you did it.  That's why you didn't get the second vote.  No one wants to play your game when they know it.  Make them play your game without knowing it - cackle about how you got them to do your bidding to the camera, not to the other team.  Not only did he harden the blue team against him, but he made it known to his own tribe that he can't keep a secret and/or poker face.

If you're going to tell your tribe what happend on GI, fine.  Tell them the truth when it really didn't work to your advantage.  Or, tell them nothing.  Say you got the "intro" game, but all you won was flint to make fire that he had to leave there.  Then tell a select person or two that you may have a way to make an alliance connection at the merge (or switch) with the legacy advantage.  All Jacob did was give his tribe a reason to vote him out, get the idol out of there, and/or get rid of Jacob, and he screwed Morgan by outing her advantage to a non-friendly adversary.  Either way, the tribe won and Jacob would lose.

Not surprised Gonzalez got votted out.  She was very abrasive.

On the first challenge, I get why Brendan chose Laurel for the puzzles.  She was wearing glasses, ergo, she must be smart.  But didn't quite get what Chris saw in Desiree for puzzles, and she said later they were not her thing.  But I guess he had no clear marker, like glassesl, from which to make a decision.  At least Morgan gave a clue that she was not a puzzle person.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Hanahope