S28.E12: Straw That Broke the Camel's Back

[Hera]

Even as a goat, there's no way I'd keep someone who calls herself "Chaos Kass" around for a single tribal.

 

I see what you're saying, but I don't agree that Kass is all that unpredictable. Admittedly, her flip surprised the ex-Brains+ex-Beauties alliance, but she wasn't a goat before then (or at least not one from the audience's perspective) and she's voted exactly the way Tony's alliance has told her to (even though Tony and Woo haven't) since then. It is true, though, that she might end up being too toxic to take, much like Russell Hantz was for Parvati. Still, I think someone who is able to pander to her ego could keep her on side all the way to the end.

 

Just pretending to know what I'm talking about here, but I can imagine Kass's provocative style working well in a courtroom, but there's a judge there to keep her from going too far, and not to mention the opposing lawyers jumping to their feet to register objections. Maybe Kass has just never learned when enough is enough, and on Survivor there's nobody in black robes to bring the hammer/gavel down. Can you imagine her giving the finger, in front of a courtroom jury, to opposing counsel?!

Not only that, but a jurors in a courtroom aren't supposed to have a personal connection to the case being tried and are given pretty explicit instructions about how they are supposed to reach their verdict. Survivor juries, on the other hand, have lots of background information about the people they're voting for (or against) and can use any criteria they want to determine who wins. Kass may have a perfectly good argument for why she should get the $1 million, but I doubt she's going to construct it around the criteria on which this jury will base their votes.

[Alapaki]

I see what you're saying, but I don't agree that Kass is all that unpredictable. Admittedly, her flip surprised the ex-Brains+ex-Beauties alliance, but she wasn't a goat before then (or at least not one from the audience's perspective) and she's voted exactly the way Tony's alliance has told her to (even though Tony and Woo haven't) since then.

 

 

From the perspective of Tony's alliance, I think Kass has been on-board (in her ultimate votes if not her pre-TC rhetoric).  But I'm still not sure I'd be able to trust someone who walks around calling themselves "chaos" and bragging about being a "free agent."

 

Also, I think the reason she's stayed "loyal" (in her votes) to Tony's alliance is because she holds the, imo, completely irrational idea that Tony will get less votes than she will.

 

So they have a basis for mutually advantageous "game trust", even if on one side that perceived advantage is completely delusional.

[Eggman]

I agree wholeheartedly. I am so tired of women being judged because they aren't nice. Men have gotten a pass for being assholes for centuries, but when a woman is not all sweet and nurturing, it's reprehensible.

 

I totally disagree with this.  Men who are assholes are assholes.  Women who are assholes are assholes.  Kass does not get a "get out of assholery for free" pass just because of her gender, at least not from me.  

 

The only time people (men or women) get a pass for being an asshole is when they have power, and even then it's not much of a pass.  Donald Trump is an asshole.  So was Leona Helmsley.   (google her, but watch out for the image results!)     There are more famous and accomplished male assholes because men are historically more likely to hold positions of power.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Eggman

[Way Wes Jr]

Alrighty.  I put this off long enough that I ended up seeing a promo during Amazing Race.  A Final Two has been confirmed, and I’m going to go ahead and use that information.

 

1. Tony (2)  Tony wins the title of Sole Survivor (unless Spenser wins two straight Immunity Challenges.)  Kass thinks he’s her goat, snerk, so he has an extra vote trying to protect him through to the final.  Tony knows that Kass is his goat, duh, so he’ll be bringing her along.

 

2. Kass (3) Everybodies goat makes the final two, where, if I was on the jury, I’d try to get everyone to agree to say, “I don’t have a question for Kass.”

 

3. Woo (5) I suppose you have a chance to win if you win the F3 immunity, and if you take Kass to the end.  I also suppose that you are dim enough to take Tony to the final.

 

4. Spenser (1)  You have the winner’s edit, but you have to win both IC’s to make the final two.  It isn’t out of the realm of possibility, especially if you win the first IC, booting Woo, the only other IC winner remaining - but I’m playing the odds here. 

 

GONE Trish (4)  Tony recognized that you were a danger to take votes from him in a theoretical Tony/Trish/Kass F3, (and it is possible that the jury respects you more than the editors - a la Natalie White,) so he made the correct move in not saving you with his HII-regular edition.

[EC Amber]

 

2. Kass (3) Everybodies goat makes the final two, where, if I was on the jury, I’d try to get everyone to agree to say, “I don’t have a question for Kass.”

 

This would be so worth watching. Just to see her go from confident to surprised to angry to frustrated to deflated. Pure gold.

[Miss Scarlet]

 

Kass is an unemotional woman.

I think this is an interesting point to discuss. A lot of her moves have actually been pretty emotional. The way the merge episode was shown, it seemed like Kass basically voted Sarah off because she didn't like the attention Sarah was getting. I think Kass is cold, but not unemotional. The way she speaks, sort of monotone and with a flat affect, makes her seem really unemotional. That and her lack of facial expressions. If she gets angry she doesn't yell, doesn't glare or anything like that, but she is pretty emotional.

 

She has an interesting secret scene this week where she talks about double standards on Survivor. I really wish it had made it into the show. She points out a lot of thing that have always bothered me with gender and Survivor.

 

 

And wow Tony sucks at puzzles. Dude was just throwing stuff around hoping something would stick.

The puzzles this season have been pretty easy. LJ was getting a lot of praise for being good at them, but I kept thinking, these are not that hard! Being better at easy puzzles than Tony, Woo, Trish and Kass really isn't that great a feat.

 

I also liked the distinction that Tony made between Kass in the real world and Kass in Survivor. What I've realized from listening to exit interviews this season is how much more interesting some of these people are than what the show portrayed. It makes more sense now as to how they got cast in the first place. 

 

Generally I have liked Trish more than Kass, but if the fight actually went down the way it was portrayed in the episode then Trish really needs to relax. She started going off on Kass because told Woo they should vote Trish out. Kass is allowed to do that. Trish and Tony are not the only ones who can play the game. I did like how Trish calmed down Tony earlier in the episode when he was fighting with Kass and then later on Tony calmed down Trish. Woo was on point at tribal, because that really did remind me of my parents.

[Alapaki]

Kass is an unemotional woman.

 

I think this is an interesting point to discuss. A lot of her moves have actually been pretty emotional. The way the merge episode was shown, it seemed like Kass basically voted Sarah off because she didn't like the attention Sarah was getting. I think Kass is cold, but not unemotional.

 

 

I'm not sure if the words I would use for Kass' gameplay are "cold" or "emotional" or "unemotional".  But, rather, rational/irrational and realistic/delusional.

 

It's really a bit of a mystery to me, because Kass seems like a completely different person pre-merge and post-merge.

 

Pre-merge I think Kass' only misstep was in "week" One, in telling J'Tia to her face that she was voting her out (so much for "trial by ambush", I guess).  But maybe we can write that off as an early error, or underestimating J'Tia's resolve to stay in the game and/or the fact that other players have their own agendas and buttons to push.

 

But I think in "week" Two, now finding herself on the wrong end of a 4-1 split after Dave got voted out, she bounced back pretty solidly.  She went from voting against J'Tia to aligning with J'Tia and Tasha against Spencer and Garrett.  

 

Then, she was smart enough to finally cut J'Tia loose when it was apparent that she was no good as an alliance-mate, even with her massive goat potential.

 

When they blended the Tribes, Kass found herself still together with Spencer and Tasha.  The Beauties' infighting made it a no-brainer to vote out Alexis, so we don't know exactly where Kass' head was at that point.

 

So, Pre-Merge, I really didn't see any hint of "Chaos Kass" or an unaligned free-agent.  

 

I'm wondering if shortly after her flip to vote out Sarah at the merge, Kass realized that she'd shit the bed.  And then, perhaps she was too arrogant or proud to try to repair things with Spencer and Tasha, so she's assumed this persona to make it seem like it's all been one big plan.  

[FineWashables]

I think Kass is a very emotional player.  I see her as a very intelligent person who's accustomed to filtering every experience through her intellect.  When you're sure you can outthink everybody but you really aren't sure how to handle your feelings, that's a common way to deal.  Because everything gets filtered through her mind while she shuts out her emotions, she really believes that whatever she does is motivated by pure logic rather than by feeling.  But in watching her play and interact with others and interview with the camera, I think she's mistaken about what's really driving her.  She doesn't see it, but that doesn't mean it's not the elephant in the room.  This is why I'm continuing to believe that she's not really very self-aware.  YMMV.

 

Also: the set of skills required to win in a courtroom doesn't intersect much with the skills required to make yourself likeable.  Kass doesn't seem to see the difference.  I do, and I think that will keep her from the million.  And again, YMMV.

[Haleth]

What is the matter with Kass? How delusional can she be to think that being a perpetual shit stirrer is a good strategy?