Naked and Afraid XL - General Discussion

[Eataton]

9 hours ago, Neurochick said:

I think the thing with Bulent is that he has this dry, snarky, nasty sense of humor that's great on TV, but probably awful personally.

I don't know if I could ever work with someone like Bulent. In real life I'd probably hate his guts. I commented that he's growing on me mainly because his attitude towards Kate and Seth was kinda funny. Too bad he didn't get to meet Joshua, the dude Wes and Gwen got rid of. He wasn't entirely wrong about Makani either, but he acted like an A-hole towards her. Even if he's gruff and unlikable I'll still root for him to make it I guess.

[Necromancer]

Love him or  hate him, Bulent could  end  up being the savior for the remaining survivalists.  Ryan is the only hunter left and  might become incapacitated.  With only two episodes left, I can see Bulent walking into the camp and scoring a much needed kill.  The group is then able to make the long, hazardous trek to extraction.  This, of course, is pure speculation on my part. I'm hoping that Ryan is able to make a kill, providing the survivalists with the protein needed to complete the challenge. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

I vaguely recall that Wes owns a company or is an entrepreneur of some sort? You can tell he has some natural leadership skills. He organized the group, assigning /suggesting tasks and chores, and kept the group steady. And managed not to piss anyone off. Excellent emotional IQ.

[AZChristian]

13 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

I vaguely recall that Wes owns a company or is an entrepreneur of some sort? You can tell he has some natural leadership skills. He organized the group, assigning /suggesting tasks and chores, and kept the group steady. And managed not to piss anyone off. Excellent emotional IQ.

Found online:  "Wes Harper is an entrepreneur and IT veteran. He is the President of LightWire, Inc."

He has five kids.  May have helped him with the organizing and assigning/suggesting tasks and chores.  

[madmax]

Really sad to see Ryan go, but he just wasn't mentally there anymore.  Sleepwalking is scary stuff.  My youngest son struggled with that for a while and I was petrified that he would end up outside during one of his walks.

Bulent in camp.  Let's see how fun THIS is...

[PaperTree]

I feel bad for Ryan.  He was under  a lot of pressure.  The sleepwalking was scary.  He could have hurt others as well as himself.

I’m glad they informed us it was spring.  Amazing how much the temperature dropped. 

Bulent always brings the comedy gold.  “fucking ducks!”  Fails at night hunting.  They are relentless, get in  his head  and they chase him out.  Wow   Moving toward extraction is not a bad idea, though.

Meat goes rancid.  Bummer.  Hello Mr. Hyena.  I would have buried it overnight and maybe use it for bait later.

The crossbow is a great idea!  They seem to be dialing it in.

Production must “discourage” them  from making shoes. I would make that a high priority.

“I love this group”… and here comes Bulent!  Hahahaha!

[LittleIggy]

The look in Ryan’s eyes was pretty scary. He looked as if he were dead inside.

Bulent with Ricardo-Richard-Dick the skull! Whatever else he is, dude is comic gold. 😆

[Necromancer]

I would think Bulent meets his fellow remaining survivalists and sets up his own shelter nearby, just like he did when he met Seth.  Bulent makes one kill providing the sustenance needed by Jon, Gwen, Sarah, Suzanne, and himself to make it to extraction. He then leaves the others and moves closer to the extraction point and waits for the final day.

Bulent strikes me as being a misanthrope and misogynist. Being a loner, I don't know why he would want to join  the others.  Bulent must know that if he throws in with Jon, Gwen, Sarah, and Suzanne,  he runs the risk of them judging him and banishing him.  The previews for the last two hour episode seems to bear this out.

On another note, none of the five survivalists seeking redemption made it to the last day.  Dawn, Joshua, Kate, Seth, and Ryan all failed to complete the 21 day challenge and won't complete the XL challenge.  The producers might have selected these failed survivalists for their drama value.

 

[LittleIggy]

I wonder if the extreme heat ruined the big roll o’ duct tape. That would have been useful on the crossbow and making shoes too.

[Cobb Salad]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I wonder if the extreme heat ruined the big roll o’ duct tape. That would have been useful on the crossbow and making shoes too.

I forgot about the duct tape so now I’m wondering how useful Gwen and Wes found it as time went on. 
Sorry to see Ryan go the way he did.  He seemed like an okay guy as far as his ability to get along with people and in those cases I’d say hope we’d see him again.  However with the things he was saying about big game hunting, I don’t think so. 
 

Bulent, on the other hand would look at first to be a great addition to the team since he was doing well on his own getting food.  The previews for next week seem to indicate he’s not going to last long with this bunch and with the way he got along with Kate and Malkani I’m not surprised.  I’m mystified why he’d even be interested in participating in this 40 day challenge.  

[riverblue22]

I was wondering why Bulent didn't try to hit a duck with his bow and arrow?  He was standing in the lake and the nearby ducks were just ignoring him and standing around in groups. Looked like an easy target to me.  Maybe they aren't allowed to go after the ducks.  And couldn't they have used the bad meat for a trap?  It drew a hyena--are they not allowed to hunt them either?  It just seemed like missed opportunities. But, no doubt, this is a tough 40 days.

[Captain Asshat]

Is it just me, or did the scenes from next week seem to, pretty much, summarize what's going to happen?

Looks like I may have been right before -- Bulent finds them, doesn't like the teamwork approach, shows them his sparkling personality, and is banished. Then it looks like he shows up for extraction, surprising the team who thought he'd tap. The guy is just not a people person. He is self-centered, which allows him to do well when surviving on his own. If he was in a true survival situation with others, though, he's the one I'd pick to go cannibal.

I have no idea why they didn't use the rancid meat as bait. It seems like all those water holes have catfish, and they love stinky meat. Doesn't the team have hooks? Team Murder Puddle had hooks at one time. Did they lose them all?

Sorry to see Ryan go, but yeah, he needed help, and nine more days of this wouldn't be good for his psyche at all. He's the only one of the "redemption" additions who provided for his original team. He also is the reason his team was able to merge with Wes and Gwen. I hope he gets help and recovers, and I hope he realizes his contribution and can hold his head high.

My final wish is to see that crossbow work. That's some ingenuity that I don't think we've seen on this show before. 

 

Edited July 28, 2020 by Captain Asshat

[tljgator]

1 hour ago, Captain Asshat said:

I have no idea why they didn't use the rancid meat as bait. It seems like all those water holes have catfish, and they love stinky meat. Doesn't the team have hooks? Team Murder Puddle had hooks at one time. Did they lose them all?

Agreed -- I keep wondering why they don't fish (or at least try it). I mean, if you can fish at the murder-puddle, why not fish at the bucolic watering hole? They lounge around in it, so it's not a terrifying deathtrap like before. I presumed when Gwen and the others went on about not being hunters and not being able to physically hunt, it would naturally segue into fishing. As I recall, not only did Team Murder Puddle have hooks, but I think having brought hooks with her was one of Suzanne's selling points for joining that team (and by then, they'd mostly stopped risking it) -- presumably, she'd still have them.

I do agree that the crossbow is amazingly smart thinking and re-engineering, though, and hope it works.

[AZChristian]

2 minutes ago, tljgator said:

Agreed -- I keep wondering why they don't fish (or at least try it). I mean, if you can fish at the murder-puddle, why not fish at the bucolic watering hole?

And if they switched off fish with red meat, they would less likely all be constipated.

[Auntie Anxiety]

On 7/27/2020 at 5:13 PM, Cobb Salad said:

Sorry to see Ryan go the way he did.  He seemed like an okay guy as far as his ability to get along with people and in those cases I’d say hope we’d see him again.  However with the things he was saying about big game hunting, I don’t think so. 

Once Ryan is feeling better, I think he will probably go back to big game hunting. One of the hallmarks of depression is no longer feeling joy doing things you once loved to do. I’m also hoping that any macho man who sees this realizes that it’s okay to get psychological help if you need it.

[SassyCat]

Well, Bulent is out there up to his old tricks of winning friends and influencing people, lol. 

Calling Makani, broccoli. Lol. That didn't sit well with the rest.

He was quick to claim Sarah started yelling and screaming and barking at him. I didn't see or hear anything like that from Sarah.

He sure is on the defensive 100% of the time. Always an ass. A lucky one tho, with that huge catfish.

[Katelynn]

I really disliked Gwen this episode. She was a bully and a bitch. She wasn’t able to kill an impala so she berates Bulent. I laughed at his “get off her fat ass” comment because I was thinking the same thing.

[PaperTree]

Bulent rocks.  He comes in unusually humble and the gang jumps all over him.  Suzaaaane quickly reverts to her real self.  Sara turns nasty and Gwen thinks she’s the Queen of France.  Little Jon is firewood boy.  The whining gang of 4 are a bit over the top.

“I’m sorry.  I overslept because I was up all night surrounded by hyenas and failed to come over here in the dark and report to Queen Gwen and her court.  GFY”

German Shepherds on steroids indeed.  LOL

“Lift your fat ass up and do it yourself”

“Had every opp to prove himself and dropped the ball.”  So what have you killed Gwen?  I haven't seen her really do much.  I was once a fan of hers,  No more.

That “meeting” was funny.  Bulent tells them to f**k off before they get the satisfaction of “banishing” him.  He should have stayed nearby the spring water, and built his own blind, but he’s moving closer to extraction.

“The wind blew and took my arrow”    Waaah!!  LOLOL Sara

  OK Gwen, it’s the blinds’s fault.  Kicking Bulent out solved everything.  lol

Bulent moves on catches a big ass fish all for himself.  LOL

 I was hoping for a few 1000 bee stings, damn!

Nice how the Queens and kiss-ass Jon are using the duct tape from the dude Queen Gwen banished about Day 3.  And they laughed at him for bringing it.  He should have taken it all with him.

So at extraction,  the gang wants to show some phony respect to Bulent. Barf. They are pissed their "banishment" failed and he survived on his own. So they tell each other how great they are.

[SassyCat]

Bulent does rock. He also was the most entertaining of the group. Cute French bulldog he has there.

I did notice Queen Gwen was champion sitter arounder. When ever she did anything other than sit, it was in super slo-mo speed. 

They were so quick to banish Bulent for not sticking to their schedule for him without knowing why he didn't show up early in the morning after his hyena night, they seemed banish driven towards him for sure. They did sound silly for banishing him after he already said he had decided to go his own way again. They just had to get that last word in out of spite.

I was waiting to see their last survival scores, and individual weight loss numbers. I wonder why they left that part out.

[Cobb Salad]

Yeah, the banishment was silly.  They acted like he was lazy instead of thinking maybe something happened that caused him not to get to the blind.   Bulent had his own boma and really didn’t have to move.  Good idea to leave anyway to get closer to the extraction point though. 
Just wondering what the team dynamic would have been if Wes was still there when Bulent showed up and if they would have made another kill with him there.  
I was looking for the individual weight loss numbers too and am disappointed they didn’t show them.  Additionally I don’t see a reunion show on the schedule - are they filmed months later?  Perhaps there’s none this time due to the COVID shutdown?

Anyone see the commercial for the Shark Week Naked and Afraid episode 2 weeks from now?   Looks like everyone’s favorite Jeff will be there.  

[PaperTree]

20 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

Yeah, the banishment was silly.

You can't fire me 'cuz I quit!

(He's not losing his unemployment $ 🙂 )

[Waldo13]

40 minutes ago, SassyCat said:

Bulent does rock. He also was the most entertaining of the group. Cute French bulldog he has there.

I did notice Queen Gwen was champion sitter arounder. When ever she did anything other than sit, it was in super slo-mo speed. 

They were so quick to banish Bulent for not sticking to their schedule for him without knowing why he didn't show up early in the morning after his hyena night, they seemed banish driven towards him for sure. They did sound silly for banishing him after he already said he had decided to go his own way again. They just had to get that last word in out of spite.

I was waiting to see their last survival scores, and individual weight loss numbers. I wonder why they left that part out.

Gwen and Sarah were either so dumb or diminished that all the Impala were around the blind because Bulent wasn’t there. If they caught his sent they wouldn’t get that close.  

[Liberty]

57 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

 

Anyone see the commercial for the Shark Week Naked and Afraid episode 2 weeks from now?   Looks like everyone’s favorite Jeff will be there.  

Jeff is a creepy little person.

[LittleIggy]

Bulent is a drama queen because nobody was screaming and yelling at him. I do think Gwen should have gone down to where Bulent was supposed to be if there were so freaking many antelopes that they were begging to be killed. Good on Suzanne for making the shoes. Bet they had to shower for an hour to get all that dirt, grime and stank off! 🤭

[Liberty]

Queen Gwen did not make it without some help from production.  Why production chose to show the Queen and Wes receiving help from the medic was an odd decision.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Liberty

[Cobb Salad]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Bulent is a drama queen because nobody was screaming and yelling at him. I do think Gwen should have gone down to where Bulent was supposed to be if there were so freaking many antelopes that they were begging to be killed. Good on Suzanne for making the shoes. Bet they had to shower for an hour to get all that dirt, grime and stank off! 🤭

Yeah, at this point he’s not as hungry as they are so getting some sleep is far more important.  Otherwise after the night he had he wouldn’t have been as sharp to hit one of those antelopes that was supposedly going to walk right up to the blind to get shot.  If those antelopes didn’t catch a whiff of the b.o. first, lol.  I agree, if Gwen is directing the “game plan” she should have been following up on whether or not Bulent went to the blind otherwise send a backup.  Then on the other hand if you’re that hungry and desperate for food, why was she relying on some guy who just showed up and is making not no nice remarks about people who left the challenge already?

[rlc]

Sounds like an unpopular opinion, but I think Bulent was in the wrong. He’s a good survivalist, but he’s a bad person. Regardless of what he thought of the other group, he entered their territory, was greeted with kindness and water, and made plans with them. He’s allowed to change the plans, but he should have let them know so they could adjust. They say there quietly for hours to not disturb his hunt, not gathering firewood or water during that time.

I’ll be very happy to never see the ‘barehanded killer’ again, unless he’s paired with Jeff for a two-men-enter-one-man-leaves scenario.

[AZChristian]

10 minutes ago, rlc said:

Sounds like an unpopular opinion, but I think Bulent was in the wrong. He’s a good survivalist, but he’s a bad person. Regardless of what he thought of the other group, he entered their territory, was greeted with kindness and water, and made plans with them. He’s allowed to change the plans, but he should have let them know so they could adjust. They say there quietly for hours to not disturb his hunt, not gathering firewood or water during that time.

I’ll be very happy to never see the ‘barehanded killer’ again, unless he’s paired with Jeff for a two-men-enter-one-man-leaves scenario.

The fact that NO ONE wanted to stay with him in the original boma speaks volumes.  Makani walked away from him, choosing the unknown African landscape rather than tolerate another moment with him.  

He was, however, wise to build a separate boma near Seth.  Anyone with an iota of sense could see that Seth was NOT going to be a participating partner.

He absolutely should have communicated with the others about his change of mind after a sleepless night.  But he was too busy getting his feelings hurt because the woman who found him asleep in his boma didn't say, "Are you okay?  Do you need anything?"  

"Two-men-enter-one-man-leaves scenario" . . . hysterical.

 

[jackjill89]

10 minutes ago, rlc said:

Sounds like an unpopular opinion, but I think Bulent was in the wrong. He’s a good survivalist, but he’s a bad person. Regardless of what he thought of the other group, he entered their territory, was greeted with kindness and water, and made plans with them. He’s allowed to change the plans, but he should have let them know so they could adjust. They say there quietly for hours to not disturb his hunt, not gathering firewood or water during that time.

I’ll be very happy to never see the ‘barehanded killer’ again, unless he’s paired with Jeff for a two-men-enter-one-man-leaves scenario.

I completely agree with you. Bulent made plans with them and should have told them. He then said Sarah "yelled" at him. She did not.

However, the group of four shouldn't have pinned all their hopes on Bulent. If hunting impala were that easy, they would never had gone hungry. They acted like it was all his fault, which it wasn't. The past 30+ days have shown them that hunting in Africa is very, very hard. Also, when he was hunting and Gwen was all mad that he didn't see her hand signals. Um, unless she explained that she would be signaling him, why would he be looking her way? They really piled on him and blamed him for their shortcomings. 

Do we know why they never tried fishing?

Gwen completely pissed me off this episode. She really was shown to be bossy. Even when Wes was around, did she do much? 

Suzanne's blindingly white teeth confounded me. How in the world did they stay that white after 40 days? It was almost comical. 

Good for all of them for finishing. Bulent is a survival rock star, even though his interpersonal skills leave a lot to be desired. He provided some comic relief at times, but I wouldn't ever want to know him IRL. 

[Waldo13]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Bulent is a drama queen because nobody was screaming and yelling at him. I do think Gwen should have gone down to where Bulent was supposed to be if there were so freaking many antelopes that they were begging to be killed. Good on Suzanne for making the shoes. Bet they had to shower for an hour to get all that dirt, grime and stank off! 🤭

To me Bulent was much less of a drama queen than Gwen and Sarah. They were bossy for the sake of being bossy. Suzanne, on the other hand was authoritative in concern for others. 
 

Even though Bulent was grumpy and at times disrespectful, he gets my respect for completing 40 days mostly on his own.  

[AZChristian]

21 minutes ago, Waldo13 said:

Even though Bulent was grumpy and at times disrespectful, he gets my respect for completing 40 days mostly on his own.  

Based on what we saw of his personality on the show, I suspect he does 98% of his life on his own.

[Neurochick]

2 hours ago, Waldo13 said:

To me Bulent was much less of a drama queen than Gwen and Sarah. They were bossy for the sake of being bossy. Suzanne, on the other hand was authoritative in concern for others. 
 

Even though Bulent was grumpy and at times disrespectful, he gets my respect for completing 40 days mostly on his own.  

Bulent rocks!  To me he was the real survivalist.  Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean they're not a good survivalist.  

And Queen Gwen was just fowl IMO.

And I forgot about Duchess Sarah, "by tomorrow morning we'd like to see you out."  Yes, your grace.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Neurochick

[madmax]

4 hours ago, rlc said:

Sounds like an unpopular opinion, but I think Bulent was in the wrong. He’s a good survivalist, but he’s a bad person. Regardless of what he thought of the other group, he entered their territory, was greeted with kindness and water, and made plans with them. He’s allowed to change the plans, but he should have let them know so they could adjust. They say there quietly for hours to not disturb his hunt, not gathering firewood or water during that time.

I’ll be very happy to never see the ‘barehanded killer’ again, unless he’s paired with Jeff for a two-men-enter-one-man-leaves scenario.

I agree with you for the most part.  He lied about Sarah yelling at him (he does know that those cameras record, right?), he didn't let them know about the change in plans for the first hunt, he sat around and waited for them to get him for the second hunt, even though they had made the plans the night before.

But...

Why didn't Gwen and/or Sarah go into the other blinds for the second hunt?  Why weren't they in those blinds every morning once the crossbow(s) were done?  I really did like Gwen in her first challenge, but in this one, I didn't see her do much of anything.  Could be the edit, I don't know.

I would totally love to see Jeff and Bulent in the Thunderdome.

 

[Necromancer]

My take on the final episode of XL: Banished is that Bulent arrived in the new area and was immediately perceived as being an uneducated, surly, immigrant who spoke broken English.  In fact, Bulent holds a Masters Degree and is a licensed pilot.

His characterizations of the failed  survivalists he interacted with were not well received by the final four.  When Bulent told them of catching catfish with his bare hands and catching terrapins, the group dismissed this as exaggerations.

However, he could be useful and earn his keep - not by chopping wood - but  by hunting and killing fresh game while  the others relaxed in the boma.  Bulent incurred the displeasure of the owners of his new found territory when he didn't observe Gwen flashing hand signals and when he had the audacity to sleep in when he was supposed to be hunting at 8 am.  For his transgressions, Bulent was told he could no longer remain in this area with his fellow survivalists and must leave in the morning.  

But Bulent didn't need these do-nothings.  Except for the fresh spring water, Bulent wouldn't miss the area.  Gwen, Sarah, Jon, and Suzanne might have thought they were condemning Bulent to failure when they cast him out but he once again thrived in his new  space.   Maybe they were secretly hoping Bulent would fail.  They didn't appear to be happy  when Bulent arrived at the extraction point.  Once again Bulent proved his detractors wrong. He completed the grueling 40 day challenge largely on his own and like the famous song....."I did it my waaaaaaaaay."

I can't wait for the reunion show when all of the survivalists are brought together to talk about their experiences in Africa.  Except for Dawn, Joshua, Ryan, and Wes- the four survivalists that had no interaction with Bulent - the other seven could direct their misplaced anger and frustrations at Bulent.

 

 

 

 

[LittleIggy]

Did Bulent have any proficiency in bow hunting? Serious question. I never saw his original stint on N & A.

[Necromancer]

Bulent Gurcan appeared on Naked and Afraid twice before he attempted the 40 day XL challenge.  His first episode is Stalked on all Sides  and his second episode is Blood, Sweat and  Fears. All 11 seasons of  Naked and Afraid are available on Xfinity.  Both of Bulent's episodes can be watched for free on YouTube. 

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Necromancer said:

Bulent Gurcan appeared on Naked and Afraid twice before he attempted the 40 day XL challenge.  His first episode is Stalked on all Sides  and his second episode is Blood, Sweat and  Fears. All 11 seasons of  Naked and Afraid are available on Xfinity.  Both of Bulent's episodes can be watched for free on YouTube. 

I’m not that curious about Bulent! 😆

[riverblue22]

I think they knew who Bulent was when they met him.  Even I remember him from past episodes and they are students of the show--I'm sure they knew the reputations of the wandering Kate and Seth.

Bulent is a great lone survivor but he seemed to get kind of lazy when he was part of a group.  He should have told them he was too tired to go to the blind so they could send someone else. I think he intentionally invites controversy because he likes to hold a grudge and set  himself above the others.  He has never shown to be a team player.  He might do very well on Alone if he could take the cold.

[Liberty]

On 8/3/2020 at 11:39 PM, LittleIggy said:

Did Bulent have any proficiency in bow hunting? Serious question. I never saw his original stint on N & A.

IIRC he was practicing with the bow Seth left him.  Did not look like he was experienced to me, and he was identifying the range he thought he could be effective at.

[ForumLou]

On 8/2/2020 at 8:42 PM, Cobb Salad said:

Yeah, the banishment was silly.  They acted like he was lazy instead of thinking maybe something happened that caused him not to get to the blind.   Bulent had his own boma and really didn’t have to move.  Good idea to leave anyway to get closer to the extraction point though. 
Just wondering what the team dynamic would have been if Wes was still there when Bulent showed up and if they would have made another kill with him there.  
I was looking for the individual weight loss numbers too and am disappointed they didn’t show them.  Additionally I don’t see a reunion show on the schedule - are they filmed months later?  Perhaps there’s none this time due to the COVID shutdown?

Anyone see the commercial for the Shark Week Naked and Afraid episode 2 weeks from now?   Looks like everyone’s favorite Jeff will be there.  

Hmmm i haven't seen if there's a reunion.  On Alone the last 1/2 hour they do a virtual wrap up with all the peeps.  Plus on N&A they're doing those virtual reruns with commentary from the peeps.  So it is possible.  The logistics of setting it up might suck.  But that's why they're the pros 🙃

[Neurochick]

I'd like to see Princess Suzzahhhne when she realizes that everything Bulent said was true.  She thought he was lying when he said what he'd killed.  

Duchess Sarah wasn't yelling and screaming at Bulent, but she did sound like a nasty schoolmarm, surprised she didn't shake her finger at him.  She didn't even act like a person and say,  "how're you doing?" first.  And how can those royals tell Bulent that he's banished if HE TOLD THEM HE WAS LEAVING FIRST.  Dumbasses.  

I think there should be an XL where you CAN'T banish anybody.  You have to make it work, because in life you have to work with people you don't like.

The three of them talking to Bulent looked like:

Edited August 6, 2020 by Neurochick

[ForumLou]

On 8/6/2020 at 8:26 AM, Neurochick said:

I'd like to see Princess Suzzahhhne when she realizes that everything Bulent said was true.  She thought he was lying when he said what he'd killed.  

Duchess Sarah wasn't yelling and screaming at Bulent, but she did sound like a nasty schoolmarm, surprised she didn't shake her finger at him.  She didn't even act like a person and say,  "how're you doing?" first.  And how can those royals tell Bulent that he's banished if HE TOLD THEM HE WAS LEAVING FIRST.  Dumbasses.  

I think there should be an XL where you CAN'T banish anybody.  You have to make it work, because in life you have to work with people you don't like.

The three of them talking to Bulent looked like:

I think this is the first season they tried a banishment feature.  I don't recall it in past ones.  If there was conflict you just got kicked to the curb.  No banishment needed.  So i guess just to add drama.  

[TzuShih]

On 8/2/2020 at 11:12 PM, Waldo13 said:

Gwen and Sarah were either so dumb or diminished that all the Impala were around the blind because Bulent wasn’t there. If they caught his sent they wouldn’t get that close.  

EXAAAAACTLY!  (As tho the herd would be in 'petting distance' if Bulent were in the blind, arrow positioned...and scent wafting!!)  I did not enjoy that "Lord of the Flies" reenactment initiated by Gwen & Sarah.  I'll be kind and blame it on the 100+ degree temps frying their brains.  But, dang!, I wish that at least ONE member of all those tribes "got" Bulent's droll dark humor.  Finding even a smidgen of humor in the harsh indignities of those 40 days could save one's sanity.  (That said, I'd welcome Bulent to my boma,)  ☺️

[ForumLou]

One last comment on a not too too bad season, please don't bring her back for anymore redemption eps.  She is beyond redemption. Suck It Kate!  And please take her off the credits.  Just because the bitch screams and is bat shit crazy, doesn't make her worthy.  Ditch the bitch and suck it kate!  

Ok this is my final comment on a pretty good season, can we have an XL not in Africa?  I know when it comes to badass locations, its the King.  I'm just getting a lil tired of it.  Ready for a change.  Just a thought

[madmax]

22 hours ago, ForumLou said:

One last comment on a not too too bad season, please don't bring her back for anymore redemption eps.  She is beyond redemption. Suck It Kate!  And please take her off the credits.  Just because the bitch screams and is bat shit crazy, doesn't make her worthy.  Ditch the bitch and suck it kate!  

Ok this is my final comment on a pretty good season, can we have an XL not in Africa?  I know when it comes to badass locations, its the King.  I'm just getting a lil tired of it.  Ready for a change.  Just a thought

They tend to put controversial people in XL.  Kate & Bulent this year, Jeff last year, Lacey and Shane the year before that, etc.  Unless they stop getting the ratings, they will keep putting people like Kate in.  Hell, they may give her another chance.  They gave Duck 2 chances at XL and he tapped both times.

[ForumLou]

22 hours ago, madmax said:

They tend to put controversial people in XL.  Kate & Bulent this year, Jeff last year, Lacey and Shane the year before that, etc.  Unless they stop getting the ratings, they will keep putting people like Kate in.  Hell, they may give her another chance.  They gave Duck 2 chances at XL and he tapped both times.

True true all you said.  Question about Duck though.  The last season with Jeff...i can't think of the guy's name, but he had to medically tap.  They tapped him though, he didn't tap them.  He so badly didn't want to leave and was just despondent. Duck elected to tap in order to walk out with the upset guy, so he didn't have to go alone.

So i ponder...he did tap on his own volition.  But its hard to say he didn't make it, when he clearly would have.  He was just following his inner morals and what he could live with himself about.  I wouldnt mind seeing him give one more college try.  Plus he wasnt annoying at all like Suck it Kate!

P.s.  kate is like a female Shane to me.  Shrug.  

 

Edited August 12, 2020 by ForumLou
Adding

[madmax]

18 minutes ago, ForumLou said:

True true all you said.  Question about Duck though.  The last season with Jeff...i can't think of the guy's name, but he had to medically tap.  They tapped him though, he didn't tap them.  He so badly didn't want to leave and was just despondent. Duck elected to tap in order to walk out with the upset guy, so he didn't have to go alone.

So i ponder...he did tap on his own volition.  But its hard to say he didn't make it, when he clearly would have.  He was just following his inner morals and what he could live with himself about.  I wouldnt mind seeing him give one more college try.  Plus he wasnt annoying at all like Suck it Kate!

P.s.  kate is like a female Shane to me.  Shrug.  

 

Yeah, Duck tapped so Charlie didn't have to leave by himself.  But he tapped.  And I really like Duck, but he tapped.  Mr. Max and I discussed it when it happened and we both think he wanted to go back to his family and used that as an excuse.

Kate is a female Shane.  Toxic to all who cross her path.

[ForumLou]

18 hours ago, madmax said:

Yeah, Duck tapped so Charlie didn't have to leave by himself.  But he tapped.  And I really like Duck, but he tapped.  Mr. Max and I discussed it when it happened and we both think he wanted to go back to his family and used that as an excuse.

Kate is a female Shane.  Toxic to all who cross her path.

I could totally see that.  And he tapped.  He did.  I agree.  He knew the consequences.  Not like the medics said oh sure you can walk with us to the parking lot, and then rejoin the group.  Riot ensues haha.  Can you imagine the peeps on the other side, seeing this naked, grungy, dirty caveman (all due respect but it had been 40ish days) with a spear emerge from the trees,  hug his buddy bye bye, turn and walk back into the trees.  Whatta scene heh.

Ok La Familia alibi....yup i could totally see that as well. My only debate is that didn't all of the above happen on or the day before of Exertion Day?  Were it not for that 1%, you'd have my total 100%. Yeah i threw some math in, i went there people *hmph*  heh.  But I just dont think he would choose to tap so close.  I know it has happened a couple other times but i don't remember the circumstances.  Regardless, ugh he would be vilified.  He just needs to wait a few more hours and he's got showers and food galore waiting for him. Adoration from family and friends. An abundance of riches!  What's not to want? Just tell them you're working! Lol

Easy for me to say.  When you hit the wall, you hit the wall and people just need to understand that.  

Edited August 13, 2020 by ForumLou
Adding

[ForumLou]

On 7/28/2020 at 7:38 AM, Captain Asshat said:

Is it just me, or did the scenes from next week seem to, pretty much, summarize what's going to happen?

Looks like I may have been right before -- Bulent finds them, doesn't like the teamwork approach, shows them his sparkling personality, and is banished. Then it looks like he shows up for extraction, surprising the team who thought he'd tap. The guy is just not a people person. He is self-centered, which allows him to do well when surviving on his own. If he was in a true survival situation with others, though, he's the one I'd pick to go cannibal.

I have no idea why they didn't use the rancid meat as bait. It seems like all those water holes have catfish, and they love stinky meat. Doesn't the team have hooks? Team Murder Puddle had hooks at one time. Did they lose them all?

Sorry to see Ryan go, but yeah, he needed help, and nine more days of this wouldn't be good for his psyche at all. He's the only one of the "redemption" additions who provided for his original team. He also is the reason his team was able to merge with Wes and Gwen. I hope he gets help and recovers, and I hope he realizes his contribution and can hold his head high.

My final wish is to see that crossbow work. That's some ingenuity that I don't think we've seen on this show before. 

 

Hell yeah that crossbow was awesome. Not sure if it ever got used though, other that strolling around posing with it hehe.  You KNOW Gwen took that home!  The ultimate souvenir.  No i guess that would be an animal.  And that would devastate me.  We are here in THEIR space, killing them.  Anyway i thought Gwen had a pretty good journey this time.  She and Wes made a great team.  They just blended right together, until Duck Tape err Man i guess. He totally ruined things.  Back to Wes.  Ive never seen him before.  How many times has he tried it? Whos his partners?  I guess i could Wiki all this lol. His ending sucked bigtime.  He got such a raw deal. I just hope he didnt do any damage.  Oh and PS lol i liked that they shook up the cast and had a lot of newbies.  Not so heavy on the OGs.  The OGs can spin off with their own adventure, maybe a harder one.  Just thinking...dotdotdot

PPS about Ryan..from one sleepwalker to another, please be careful dude!  When he was standing over Suzanne, in full trance, didnt he have a rock or a machete in his hand?  Man of man. There's no freak out big enough for that.  She handled it so well, though, slowly getting him back to his bed.  I've got mine down to mostly just stress and sleep related.  Mostly lack of sleep.  The migraines are starters and having no quality sleep in awhile. They just do the same thang, guide me back to bed.  Cussing like a sailor the whole time hah!  But i have been known to rearrange furniture in a sleepwalk..  one year my mom saw me go into the hall closet and not come out.  She went to see, i was taking everyone's coats throwing into a huge pile and was going to donate them to Burlington or somewhere they are collected.

Edited August 23, 2020 by ForumLou
Stupid

[madmax]

1 hour ago, ForumLou said:

PPS about Ryan..from one sleepwalker to another, please be careful dude!  

I never had a problem with sleepwalking, but my youngest rugrat did.  I don't know how many times we had to guide him back upstairs.  Rugrat #1 had to stop him from peeing down the steps.  It really freaked me out, not knowing if he would walk outside or something.  Thank Jeebus he grew out of it or Camp Lejeune would have a fun time with him.

It really bothered me to see Ryan sleepwalking because it brought back those memories.