Naked and Afraid XL - General Discussion

[PaperTree]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I must be the only one who can’t stand Trish and her passive-aggressive 💩. I’d rather be around Amber than her. BTW, what did they put on that stupid sign? It looked like “Taj Mazal.”

I'm with you.  Born and raised and lived in New Jersey for 63 years and this "Jersey Girl" schtick is just an excuse to be rude/mean girl.  I've seen my sister do it.

g

[Cobb Salad]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I must be the only one who can’t stand Trish and her passive-aggressive 💩. I’d rather be around Amber than her. BTW, what did they put on that stupid sign? It looked like “Taj Mazal.”

No, I can’t stand her either, mainly because when we see her working on what she thinks is important it’s some me-centric or useless garbage like that net that seems to have disappeared. 

That sign is dumb. 
 

50 minutes ago, PaperTree said:

I'm with you.  Born and raised and lived in New Jersey for 63 years and this "Jersey Girl" schtick is just an excuse to be rude/mean girl.  I've seen my sister do it.

Another born and raised “Jersey Girl” here and I find it offensive that Trish uses that as an excuse for her behavior.  There are plenty of nice people here and she’s giving us a bad rep.  

[PaperTree]

2 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

Another born and raised “Jersey Girl” here and I find it offensive that Trish uses that as an excuse for her behavior.  There are plenty of nice people here and she’s giving us a bad rep.  

Circle gets the square!😎😎😎

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I must be the only one who can’t stand Trish and her passive-aggressive 💩. I’d rather be around Amber than her. BTW, what did they put on that stupid sign? It looked like “Taj Mazal.”

No, I also can't stand Trish.  She seems to be disagreeable just because she wants to be disagreeable.  I wish Jen weren't hanging around with her.  

[SassyCat]

Nope, I cant stand Trish either. Its just that at this point I cant stand Amber even more. Trish was a real big jerk back in episode “Trish is being a big jerk” episode 2, or 3, I forget. 

She has toned it down though since that episode, in attempts to keep the peace in the threesome and has been trying, where as Amber just doesn’t take the hint as to why Trish started acting passive aggressively in the first place. That someone might be acting that way as a reaction to her own personality of pushy know it all, doler out of ALL the tasks, teller of what to do and when to do it. Expecting immediate compliance to her constant asking of the others to perform the tasks exactly as she outlines.  Even how to use her own arms to chop a tree in a certain way, micro management of whom she has obviously deemed her employees. Then treats them like children with her false upbeat cheerleader style of praising her little gold star earners when they do anything she wants them to do. Theres no genuine warmth in her style, and the other two can sense/feel that. Her praise feels more like a tactic to steer people. Like people do with widdle children.

I’m not a passive aggressive person, but maybe I would be if stuck in the woods with someone I didn’t really know well, who is acting like Amber is. Nah...I’d probably just tell them to fuck off. I don’t use “techniques” when interacting with people, and will automatically be turned off when others try any kind of manipulation with me. Passive aggressiveness is a cowards way to deal with other people.

Who is she to go overboard with her take charge of everything on all their N&A days? ....but its mostly that Tone behind everything she says. 

Nope, they both suck, lol, it’s just I am thinking that Amber is sucking quite a bit more than Trish at this point. I do understand why Trish pushes back, and I don’t understand why Amber doesn’t take the hint. Its Trish’s method of of teaching Amber how she wants to be treated.

One of my top go to mottos is this : 

You teach people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce.

At this point Trish is reinforcing what she wont allow herself to be treated like. Amber is pushing pushing pushing her absolute desire to tell others what to do, and its not working out well.

As for Ambers military training possibly making her the way she is,.... well I have a daughter who is an Army MP staff sergeant in the reserves, who has from graduation from basic training, been the one who has been the head and leader of her troops and has never acted like this. She is greatly loved by her fellow soldiers and never wields her authority over them like a control freak. Making them feel like they are the peons who are outclassed by her. Even in her work at home, away from the army, she has made huge leaps and bounds in her career because of her great leadership qualities. Everyone just loves her and they do whatever they can, for and with her, because they WANT to. 

[roctavia]

My thoughts might be colored by just binging the last XL season in between weeks of this one where Amber and her group were doing pretty awesome until she had to medical tap, but Amber doesn't bother me so much... I mean, yes, I can see where she'd be annoying and seem like she's bossing everyone around but I also think the editing is setting it up that way. 

It seems to me the Trish and Jen are doing mostly useless stuff, wasting time instead of doing things that would help the whole camp... Did they really need a woven door? a fishing net that had too big of holes to catch fish?  But of course if Amber gives a direction or suggestion, Trish digs in her heels to be even more obstinate about it. 

I might have missed some of the water boiling conversation, and I think Jeff is being a total shit stirrer, but wouldn't keeping an eye on the water while weaving your dumb door be a perfect task? Can we not multi task out here? 

Amber is at least bringing back food, and maybe she's taken too much ownership of that instead of letting someone else go check the lines or something... but would they? If amber said "I'm going to collect fire wood and boil more water, does one of you want to go fishing?" would they be all passive aggressive about it and like have some other new project that was way more important? I need a bedspread for my bed, I'm busy! 

I will laugh so hard if Jeff goes out with all this vomiting... though I'm sure they'll get him a night in the medic tent first just to give him another chance. 

The other teams are so much more enjoyable to watch! EJ and Steve are a nice combo and will hopefully keep some of EJ's bullishness under control. How he is seems so dependent on the people he's with. I'm glad no one is solo anymore, it's crazy how fast people dropped out.

Edited June 1, 2022 by roctavia

[Captain Asshat]

I'm Team Amber here. After three weeks of being rebuffed by her team mates when she asks them about normal camp duties, she's being a bit more direct. I don't exactly agree with her communication style, but I don't blame her frustration level or that it's coming out the way it is now. Jeff is not happy about taking a back seat, so he's siding with Trish and Jen so he can use their numbers to "mutiny" Amber. He will then take over and ask Trish and Jen to do the exact same things Amber was asking them to do. They will do so willingly, and when he asks, because Jeff isn't Amber and is "on their side."

I hope -- and I know this hope will be dashed -- that whatever Jeff's suffering from will make him tap, and the women will remain a threesome. My larger hope -- and I know this hope will be dashed -- is that Amber leaves the group and thrives (possibly with one of the other groups), Jeff taps, then Trish and Jen won't be able to finish the challenge, because they can't eat beds and signs.

Sadly, I'm guessing Jeff will get the medical tent treatment he's gotten in the past, will miraculously recover, and will "lead the ladies in the way they need to be led," because he is Jeff and his ego demands that he lead.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Captain Asshat

[Cobb Salad]

42 minutes ago, Captain Asshat said:

I hope -- and I know this hope will be dashed -- that whatever Jeff's suffering from will make him tap, and the women will remain a threesome. My larger hope -- and I know this hope will be dashed -- is that Amber leaves the group and thrives (possibly with one of the other groups), Jeff taps, then Trish and Jen won't be able to finish the challenge, because they can't eat beds and signs.

I’m hoping the previews aren’t a ruse - Amber moves on and Jeff taps because of whatever his ailment is … or at least is that much of a detriment to the group as a whole (after Amber leaves) that Trish is resentful that she has to carry the group as far as catching fish, etc.

I didn’t keep track of how many days have passed so far during Sundays episode but I think it’s getting close to 30 so I figure the chances of Trish and Jen making it to 40 are pretty good.  With that said I was thinking about future XLs and who’d show up again to possibly attempt 60 days - if Trish is one of them I’d be tempted to not tune in but this depends on whoever she’d be teamed with.  

[AZChristian]

1 minute ago, Cobb Salad said:

I’m hoping the previews aren’t a ruse - Amber moves on and Jeff taps because of whatever his ailment is …

I've begun to wonder how much of what we see is loosely scripted.  It looked to me like Jeff filled his mouth with water, ran out of the shelter and spewed the water out - calling it vomiting.  When most people vomit after eating something, it's not a clear liquid and it has chunks of whatever made them sick.  And the vomit comes in waves - not just one mouthful of a water-like liquid.  And the whole "I don't even know what it feels like to tap" sounds like a set-up to get people to watch this week.  I suspect they'll give him some "iv fluids" and he will miraculously recover and stay on.

The women's team is the only group that's not starving.  Is production tying caimans onto their lines?

[Cobb Salad]

@AZChristian interesting point about Jeff’s “vomiting”, I’m probably going to watch the re-air Sunday to see.  I wouldn’t be surprised regarding any loose scripting here.  Someone has to be doing well in this group, right?😆

[Miss chi chi]

I ship DanWaz!

[riverblue22]

6 hours ago, AZChristian said:

The women's team is the only group that's not starving.  Is production tying caimans onto their lines?

I think they were assigned the prime location, and Steven was assigned a crap location~

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, AZChristian said:

The women's team is the only group that's not starving.  Is production tying caimans onto their lines?

Production must have drugged that frog EJ found. I’ve never seen such a chill frog! It didn’t even micturate on EJ. 🐸 

[roctavia]

I'm surprised Jeff had to go home... and I didn't see any update on how he was doing or did I miss it? Sometimes they tell us that they were in the hospital for x days etc. While Jeff is obnoxious, I hope it wasn't anything serious.  He was completely stirring shit with the Amber/Trish stuff though, so I'm glad he had to go. 

I'm sad that Amber had to walk away from that awesome shelter, but I'm sure the producers pushed her in the direction of better teammates since she didn't even take the pot or anything. Trish was awful this episode and comes across as a real jerk IMO. Amber should have left sooner, they can starve for 10 days and still make it out of there. 

I'm glad Matt and the other guys got some food, and they're learning/bonding. EJ and Steven also have made some good progress. The time lapse of EJ making the fishing hole was funny. That used to be Waz's camp, right? Did they leave because of the flooding or for a special reason? Just wondering if it will be a losing location for EJ and Steven, or did they just decide Dan's spot/shelter was better?

[LittleIggy]

They said Jeff was in the hospital for four days, but what made him sick was a mystery. I’m glad they didn’t let him cheat this time.
Trish gushing over how wonderful Jeff was made me 🤢. Trish is such a bitch and Jen is her Mini-Me. All Amber asked Jen to do was boil the effing fish, but she copped an attitude about it. I hope they both starve for the last ten days.

Yeah, EJ and Steven (love you, dude, for not wanting to kill the sloth! ❤️) found Waz’s old camp. It was abandoned because he went with Dan to his camp.

Edited June 6, 2022 by LittleIggy

[roctavia]

2 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

They said Jeff was in the hospital for four days, but what made him sick was a mystery. I’m glad they didn’t let him cheat this time.
Trish gushing over how wonderful Jeff was made me 🤢. Trish is such a bitch and Jen is her Mini-Me. All Amber asked Jen to do was boil the effing fish, but she copped an attitude about it. I hope they both starve for the last ten days.

Yeah, EJ and Steven (love you, dude, for not wanting to kill the sloth! ❤️) found Waz’s old camp. It was abandoned because he went with Dan to his camp.

Thanks! I must have been distracted and missed the update on Jeff... The girls were really milking his leaving- "I'm hurting in my soul" blah blah... Jeff was there for what, 9 days maybe? And puking the whole time. They just liked that the validated their complaints about Amber. 

[PaperTree]

So EJ and Steven found Waz old camp.  That was helpful.  Nice fishing spot.  Steven is kicking it.  Bitchy rain. Nice job on the hyacinths.  Good to spare the sloth.  Big cat yikes!

Nice dock Dan and them made.  Yes, avoid fungus.  Nice shot Matt!  That bird stew looked awful, but when you're starving it must look pretty good.

Trish finds bad fruit lol.  I can't stand her or Jeff.

Glad Amber overheard them.  Like they're in Jr High.

Thanks for that sweet cup of Schadenfreude Jeff.  Bye!  Don't let the fancy door hit ya.  Too bad they didn't leave before he got yanked.

Good move Amber.  I've really come to despise Trish and her lapdog Jen.  I hope they starve, or get bitten by one of Trish's snake cousins

[Cobb Salad]

Glad the drama with the women is over - or I hope.  So Jeff, Trish and Jen were going to leave Amber in the middle of the night but they’re surprised when Amber says she’s leaving the group with no discussion?  I’m glad Amber took the high road with her pep talk exit speech saying they’ll do well in their remaining 10 days.  Even if they don’t catch much it isn’t that long, maybe they can weave another mat in the meantime  😆😆😆  But the big mystery is what will Trish and Jen have to talk about now that Amber is gone????

Their remarks about not being able to leave after Jeff tapped sounded like they feel like Amber is keeping them hostage.    Watching them fish and catch nothing while Steven and EJ are catching one fish after another was pretty funny.  Whichever camp Amber ends up with it looks like she can do well, I hope she was able to leave that bad experience behind her.  

7 hours ago, PaperTree said:

Thanks for that sweet cup of Schadenfreude Jeff.  Bye!  Don't let the fancy door hit ya.  Too bad they didn't leave before he got yanked.

I was wondering if even though he wasn’t 100% at the time if they would have left that night if it hadn’t rained. Although it’s better the way it worked out what they were planning would have been interesting to watch.  
 

[suzeecat]

I haven't finished watching the latest ep but I'm glad to read here that Jeff had to tap and that Amber has moved on.  My heart broke when she overheard the group talking about her and her tearful reaction.  Maybe her delivery is wrong but her heart is in the right place and she's working her butt off to provide for her teammates, while trying to remain cheerful and helpful.  If she rubs Trish and Jen the wrong way why don't they just sit down and have a discussion?  Because they don't want to hear what Amber might have to say about their lazy butts, that's why!  I just don't get the Amber hate; I could see it if she was just lazing around shouting out orders, but I'd rather have Amber being bossy than no Amber at all!  Trish and Jenn would have tapped out a lot sooner if not for Amber.  To plot to leave her alone in the night is just vicious and despicable!  How do you do that to your teammate in a place like that ???  Heartless and totally undeserved!  I hope that Amber finds a better fit and would love to see them all at a reunion follow-up, after they have all had a chance to view the episodes.

Steven with the piranha saying "nom nom nom" was delightful!  I felt bad that he was so depleted his hands were shaking, hopefully no more of that!

Totally superficial but I have a hard time with EJ's lumpy fat.  It's hard to imagine a caveman like him couch surfing and eating Cheetos, but how else does one end up looking like that?  (Trish too, truth be told, but I can totally see her couch surfing with a bag of Cheetos!)

Edited June 6, 2022 by suzeecat
wording

[SassyCat]

It was mean of the trio to plan a secret run away to leave Amber behind by herself without an explanation of why, or even having the much needed sit down to hash out the personal qualms each has with each other. I think Trish is a huge coward in that aspect. Jen.... pfftt. She acts like shes only working with half a brain to begin with, so she was good only as a wood gatherer from the get go.

Jeff was the champion of shit stirrers this season and is also added to the list of cowards for not trying to get any of the girls to listen to each other, but instead choosing to sit in and stir the stew instead of having a real powwow started and try to mend some of the wounds in that groups dynamic.

Ambers gonna Amber, and she is still always trying to get Trish to defer to her. Why not ask JEN outright to do something like clean or boil the fish?  Its always only Trish she outright asks by name to do the task she wants someone else to do. 

Amber also said she asked the girls to all go fishing, the 3 of them together that day, but we never saw that, and I don’t believe she did ..having only 3 little pieces of bait for the job. I highly doubt she would relinquish even one crumb for anyone elses (inept in her mind) hook.

I can see why Amber annoyed the crap out of all of them. She really was performing the whole time for the camera as if she was self promoting to get herself instagram fame and hopefully a sponsorship of some sort, having to do with survivalism. Much like the women and men these day do on the Bachelor/Bachelorette series. They want to all be models or movie stars or get their own talk show or whatever, and not really there to find the love of their life. 

If I were out in the jungle with her trying to do this 40-60 day survival, it would annoy the crap out of me to watch her prancing and preaching and back patting herself and overseeing micromanagement of every foot placement on a raft, water boil, or roll of a log down a hill, etc, etc, etc, etc. I would be there for the experience of the “journey” lol, and living like that for a while, and not using it as an audition for a wilderness show of my own. Or whatever. 

She definitely is not doing it in a mean spirit though. Shes doing it in a self centered motivation with an end result of fame in mind, and it must be kind of nauseating for the others to have to watch and feel like the “extras” in the constant performance for the audition (in her own mind) Amber was putting on for the camera crew.

Still, the other 3 sucked as human beings, much more than Ambers desire for fame, dominance, and worldly recognition sucked.

EJ and his fat potato body should not be taking any bites of fish out of Stevens mouth at this point. I have never seen Steven look so “slender” and look so shaky as he has this season. If I were EJ, I would not have accepted the last bites of fish Steven offered him. Now Steven has to worry about 2 mouths getting fed and making sure the old guy doesn’t break a hip on his watch. 

Edited June 6, 2022 by SassyCat
Addition

[riverblue22]

I think Jeff, Trish, and Jen leaving was just talk.  If Jeff wasn't sick, I still don't think they would have really done it. They would have just continued their complaining about Amber.

Jeff was a real drama queen about his illness~

[roctavia]

1 hour ago, riverblue22 said:

I think Jeff, Trish, and Jen leaving was just talk.  If Jeff wasn't sick, I still don't think they would have really done it. They would have just continued their complaining about Amber.

Jeff was a real drama queen about his illness~

They didn't want to leave the great shelter... no way would they have left... I kind of wish they had, and then Jeff tapped like a day later so they'd get stuck out there with nothing.... Amber would have done great by herself in that shelter. 

[madmax]

5 hours ago, suzeecat said:

Totally superficial but I have a hard time with EJ's lumpy fat.  It's hard to imagine a caveman like him couch surfing and eating Cheetos, but how else does one end up looking like that?  (Trish too, truth be told, but I can totally see her couch surfing with a bag of Cheetos!)

I said to Mr.  Max, if they can't find any fish, just slice off a piece of EJ. 

I think Jeff made Trish and Jen worse.  They were downright bitches at the end.  I truly don't like Amber, mostly because of the points that @sassycat made regarding how it really felt like The Amber Show, with everyone else just bit players in her show.  And the fact that she brags about how great she is and only completed one challenge out of 4.  I'm sure she was guided towards Steven & EJ's camp.

Poor, poor Jeff.  You know in his description of this, he'll say he was forced to tap.  There was no force.  He did it on his own.  And good riddance.

Glad Matt finally got his bow-jo back. 😁  It's really nice to see him teaching Waz & Dan. But why the hell didn't they boil one bird overnight for breakfast and roast one for dinner?  Seems to me that was a waste, eating both birds in one meal.

[riverblue22]

56 minutes ago, madmax said:

Poor, poor Jeff.  You know in his description of this, he'll say he was forced to tap.  There was no force.  He did it on his own.  And good riddance.

I believe he said that he was forced to medically tap, but actually I think they recommended that he medically tap.  So the decision was his, but that will not be how the story will be told.

[Captain Asshat]

On 6/2/2022 at 9:57 AM, Captain Asshat said:

I hope -- and I know this hope will be dashed -- that whatever Jeff's suffering from will make him tap, and the women will remain a threesome. My larger hope -- and I know this hope will be dashed -- is that Amber leaves the group and thrives (possibly with one of the other groups), Jeff taps, then Trish and Jen won't be able to finish the challenge, because they can't eat beds and signs.

Oh, TV gods, thank you for granting my hopes so far. I will continue to hope for a total Trish/Jen failure, because Suck it, Trish. Even if they manage to make it to 40 days, I hope they’re starving and broken and, to quote Jeff, humbled. 

[MamaGee]

On 5/30/2022 at 11:26 PM, LittleIggy said:

I must be the only one who can’t stand Trish and her passive-aggressive 💩. I’d rather be around Amber than her. BTW, what did they put on that stupid sign? It looked like “Taj Mazal

You aren't the only one. While I can't stand Amber, I think Trish is being far more childish. If you don't like how someone is treating you and you are an adult, you talk to that person and work it out. Trish acts like a hormonal preteen. Someone previously mentioned adult ODD and that seems spot on!

I think Amber leaving Jen and Trish was the right thing to do. I don't want them to succeed and I don't give a whit about Amber. I will say that I won't be shocked if they do o.k. Sometimes the "leader" has to leave for the others to step up. 

[Liberty]

On 5/13/2022 at 6:16 AM, AZChristian said:

A lot of these folks are self-employed wilderness teachers and other similar occupations.  And some of them (probably Jeff) are professional reality show contestants.  Being on TV IS their job.

Our recording always seems to include the end of the previous show, this week it was the end of an episode that I believe was Clarence Gilmer's first N & A appearance.

As the credits scrolled by at the bottom of one column was:

"EJ Snyder - Consultant"

Just verifying AZChristian was right about these cast members developing financial relationships, in this case with Discover, as a job.  Hell EJ would not have made it through his first challenge without an antibiotic injection in his foot. What has EJ contributed since being dropped off at Steve's?  He sure clung to this poison dart gun when fishing with Steve, as if it were his ticket to safety, but when his and Steve's camp was circled by an unidentified animal, the dart gun was nowhere to be seen.  In fact neither EJ or Steve was even holding their Machete/knives.

Amber heading out on her own, with no pot, no fire, clearly pointed to Production guiding her to another group that had resources available. 

😡 - I'm an adult watching a children's show.

(Great comments on this episode from you all!) 

[LittleIggy]

6 hours ago, Liberty said:

Hell EJ would not have made it through his first challenge without an antibiotic injection in his foot. What has EJ contributed since being dropped off at Steve's?

Don’t forget EJ’s Balzac stitches in the last XL in Louisiana (all of us wish we could forget)! The only thing EJ has contributed so far is psychological support (someone to talk to) for Steve.

[Captain Asshat]

My rambling take on why I think Amber seems so "bossy" to some people:

This season started with four XL veterans, each put with two NAA XL rookies. On Day 1, each of the vets was talking about mentoring their teammates and getting/leading them to their 40 days. From Day 1, they were all acting as mentors and were having some teachable moments or were leading their respective teams. That was working out until, within the first week...Steven's team tapped, so there was no one for him to mentor. Gary tapped, so there's no one to mentor the other two guys (who were already proactively working hard on the shelter), Kaila tapped, so there was no one mentoring Dan and Jamie (who also tapped). That leaves only one veteran attempting to mentor XL rookies, one of whom is a fan who has completed only a 14-day fan challenge. In the beginning, Jen was happy to learn from Amber. Well, she was happy to learn until Trish started being a total pill over the very idea that a shelter roof was more important than taking five days to create a bed for her own comfort. So, since Episode 2 or 3, all we've seen is Amber attempting to get the other women to perform basic camp duties or to join her in other tasks. The more the XL rookies did nothing (or took on tasks that were not priorities), the more passive/aggressive Amber seemed to be about her requests.

Fast forward to Day 21: By the time Matt showed up, Dan and Waz had "found each other" and were doing marginally OK with some food wins. Matt started mentoring them with the dock building and, later, with bow lessons. Dan and Waz were happy to learn from Matt and take direction from him. Neither of them ignored him. Neither of them told him they'd rather not build a dock, because they were already catching fish. They took his mentorship. The differences I see between those two camps are 1) Amber's communication style isn't as good as Matt's. I think she could stand to communicate better, and learn some conflict resolution, but she is not wrong about anything she's said or has asked for. 2) Trish doesn't like taking direction. I don't know whether her issue is taking direction from Amber or from other women in general, but she preferred to be a petulant child rather than work it out. 3) Trish sucks.

In short, Amber wasn't doing anything or expecting anything the other veterans wouldn't have done or expected had they (or their team) remained in the challenge. Amber was simply the *only* veteran with someone to mentor after a week, so that's all we saw. Given Trish's reactions, viewers seemed to either agree or disagree on whether what Amber was doing was out of line with the others.

Here's my speculation on Jeff's arrival:
Production told him that a large number of people tapped in the first week, and "now we need you to come in and help one of the teams get to the end." He came in thinking *he* would be the mentor, and he arrived to a team that was still whole and sustaining itself, but had some personality issues. He realized he couldn't be the "Great Team Savior," because Amber was already providing for the team (and he started getting sick on his Day 1), so he worked with the Mean Girls to oust her so he could take her place. When the Mean Girls saw Mr. Great Team Savior was on their side, suddenly they were all about gathering firewood and boiling water. Well, now they have no one. I'm interested in seeing how they fare in their remaining 10 days. I kind of hope they catch a Karma Fish, which tastes like shit and actually removes calories from your body.

I really wish that Amber had started catching enough fish only for herself and told Trish and Jen, "Y'all say you have everything under control, and will do things as they come, but I'm hungry. So, I am just going to go ahead and get myself some fish and make myself some breakfast. I left the lines in the water for y'all to check when you're hungry."

My final nail in the "Trish Sucks" sign: Jeff left his fishing lines/hooks behind for the team, and Trish is suddenly the camp quartermaster when Amber stated a need for more line. "Well, you can have *some*." WTF was that? Suck it, Trish.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Captain Asshat

[Captain Asshat]

24 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Don’t forget EJ’s Balzac stitches in the last XL in Louisiana (all of us wish we could forget)! The only thing EJ has contributed so far is psychological support (someone to talk to) for Steve.

But Steven needed that. He was at a low point. EJ came in fresh, told Steven to take it easy for a while, and he looked for food and resources. EJ's arrival was a boost for Steven's mental well being, and I think it gave him new life.

Also? I totally agree on the wish I could forget EJ's stitches.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Captain Asshat

[Cobb Salad]

@Captain Asshat yes 100% to both of your posts. 
Rewatching the first episode, Amber/Trish/Jen had a (seemingly) quick discussion and resolution about the shelter spot, building, etc.  No conflicts then.  That roof?  It should be secure enough for it to be toasty warm as well was waterproof - I’m not sure if I missed something but why did they even stop working on the shelter at all before all the fireworks started - it got too dark?  That’s the part I’m not clear on but yeah, that’s about the time the problems started.  Then later with the fishing line and that crappy net.  Trish has the nerve to take ownership over Jeff’s fishing line, I hope she struggled with catching fish with it, along with finding lousy bait.  I suppose they’ll get their “savior” catch right before extraction but if they’re going to attempt it from the spot where that dock is, good luck with making it through those hyacinths.  🤣🤣🤣🤣

Then with Jeff’s arrival, boo on the producers not making the teams 3-3-3 but whatever. 

Dan had mentioned that he spoke with Matt before the challenge for advice so no surprise he’s delighted to take some mentoring from him.

Steven did need EJ for help, even if it was just for someone to talk to and be able to answer back and have a real conversation. 

[rlc]

I have a strong feeling that production hasn't shown us how much Trish and Jen actually do in a day (I suspect it is far more than Joan of Amber claims it is) and just how belittling Amber is when she speaks to the 'girls'. I 100% do not believe that the only food they've had has been supplied by Amber. There has to have been some foraging going on that we were not shown. I'm sure production talked the mentoring role up to Amber- unfortunately they didn't mention that to the potential mentees. That said, if they had actually planned to leave Amber without saying anything, that would have been beyond sh**ty, but I suspect that was just talk. I am truly interested to see how Trish/Jen do on their own. I suspect that they will be fine, but I think I'm the only one on the board that feels that way. Amber will join up with some other legends, and complain about the people who wouldn't take her advice. 

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, Captain Asshat said:

But Steven needed that. He was at a low point. EJ came in fresh, told Steven to take it easy for a while, and he looked for food and resources. EJ's arrival was a boost for Steven's mental well being, and I think it gave him new life.

Also? I totally agree on the wish I could forget EJ's stitches.

Oh, I agree that Steven needed the psychological boost EJ’s arrival gave him. 

[Cobb Salad]

3 hours ago, rlc said:

I am truly interested to see how Trish/Jen do on their own. I suspect that they will be fine, but I think I'm the only one on the board that feels that way. Amber will join up with some other legends, and complain about the people who wouldn't take her advice. 

They should be fine based on how they each did on their challenges prior to this XL however Jen’s reaction to Amber announcing she’s leaving (What? You’re leaving without discussing it first?) made me think she’s certain they’re screwed, undermining themselves and their survival abilities.  If at the time she was aware Amber overheard their conversation with Jeff she might have thought differently, who knows.  

[SassyCat]

I didnt mean to be rough on EJ. He is a great boost mentally for Steven after showing up. And hey, we all will be worrying about our hips someday. I actually thought he was great when dealing with the difficult member Suzaahn last season. He really handled that very well. 
I just wish he was the one who insisted that Steven ate the last bites of that fish, because at this point Steven is feeding off his own muscle and bones, while EJ still has plenty of body fat to keep him alive and out of the danger zone.

[SassyCat]

Did I see Trish lift one of those black olive-like things to her mouth and pretend to taste as Jen actually did take a nibble into it and experienced almost instant tongue tingling and numbness and extreme bitterness? 
Trish tricked Jen into being guinea pig. What a sport! 
Trish didn’t immediately have her tongue go whacko, meaning she faked it.

Mikey will try it! ( from a long time ago commercial selling cereal where kids used the little brother as taste tester before they would try it)

[Yvonne]

Hi this is my first time on this site.

I'm a fan true, but Trish wanted to have superior role over Amber.  Things could of been handled differently.  She should of talked to Amber one on one and Jeff should of done the same instead of formulating an escape plan so he too looked gossipy and petty.  Oh yeah he had malaria too from what I hear.  Jen is passive aggressive and screwed herself by letting the negative energy into her brain to stifle her game.  If I was Jen, I would of left with Amber as she could of thrive more and did her 40 days.  I dont know how they are going to do now seeing the clip of them not getting fish.  Watching Trish old episodes, she too never procur any food so I think she set herself and Jen up for failure.  Where is the net?

[PaperTree]

Old camp s ej  nice fish spot.  bitchy raain nice job on the hyas.  sloth  big cat yikes!

nicr dock dan  avoid fungus  nice shot matt 

Trish finds bad fruit lol.  can't stand her or jeff.

Glad amber overheard them.  like jr hi

Thanks for that sweet cup of Schadenfreude Jeff.  Bye!  Don't let thefancy door hit ya.  too bad they didn't leave before he got yanked.

good move amber.  ive really come to despise trish  I hope they starve.

[PaperTree]

Loving Amber!  Loving Trish and her lapdog getting nothing.

[Cobb Salad]

1 hour ago, PaperTree said:

Loving Amber!  Loving Trish and her lapdog getting nothing.

I’m glad Amber found EJ and Steven and they’re working together so well.  This is the show I want to watch, along with Matt, Dan and Waz. 
It’s funny that when Jen talked about all the teammates she’s lost she’s sitting next to the person who helped drive one of them away.  
So it takes 2 of them to catch a little fish with that crappy net.  Then that crappy fruit.  Not so tough are they?

[LittleIggy]

Now Jen knows how Amber felt. 😏 Trish is one lazy POS. 
Amber and Steven are ace fishers. I wish EJ could bag something. The huge tarantula! 😮

I’m glad the dudes didn’t kill the anaconda (and I don’t even like snakes). Once again, I could not watch the anteater getting killed.

[rlc]

Hyperbole much, Amber? ‘Jeff almost died and I bawled when he tapped.’
 

Amber approached Steven and EJ as equals, not as her underlings. Regardless of your thoughts about Trisha and Jen, Amber showed them zero respect from day one. I would have been ready to throttle her if she treated me like that, regardless of how many fish she brought in.

When Steven caught the frog, he cleaned and prepped it himself. He didn’t toss it at Amber to prep it because she has been back at the camp. See? It’s possible to provide without being a dick.

Edited June 13, 2022 by rlc

[Hellohappylife]

2 hours ago, rlc said:

Hyperbole much, Amber? ‘Jeff almost died and I bawled when he tapped.

I was so confused by her statement Jeff didn’t “almost die” not even close…over dramatic exaggeration.

Trish & Jen are horrible, but Amber probably still would have found issues with any female partners she was paired with. She gives off  a“ I only have guy friends” vibe.

Matt, Dan & Waz are a perfect example of true teamwork. They respect one another, they don’t have giant egos, they listen to everyone’s advice on how to improve with out getting offended. They are refreshing to watch.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Hellohappylife

[rlc]

4 hours ago, Hellohappylife said:

Trish & Jen are horrible, but Amber probably still would have found issues with any female partners she was paired with. She gives off  a“ I only have guy friends” vibe.

Totally- her voice changes when she's with men. She's one of the guys in her head, but she still switches to flirty voice/laugh in the company of men.

Two things can be true- Amber can suck, and Trish/Jen can be not great partners.

Dan needs to stay long enough to try his doody tomatoes, so 60 days it is!

[Captain Asshat]

So, I just saw this on Reddit, and my opinion of Amber shot way way up. She can view episodes, look back at herself, and realize she has more to learn about working with people. She is humble, reflective, and apologetic. I would be interested in seeing if either Trish or Jen have expressed themselves similarly on social media.

[AZChristian]

I found it interesting to watch Jen seem to come to the realization that maybe the problems between Amber, Jen, and Trish weren't all Amber's fault.  Now that Trish is back to doing nothing, Jen is feeling some of the stress - and fatigue - Amber must have felt.

I wonder how/whether Amber's attitude towards her original teammates would have been different if they had not constantly displayed an attitude of "we're gonna do what WE want to do, and we don't wanna boil water/gather firewood/clean the fish you caught for us all to eat until we're in the mood to do that."  

Edited June 13, 2022 by AZChristian

[Cobb Salad]

2 hours ago, Captain Asshat said:

So, I just saw this on Reddit, and my opinion of Amber shot way way up. She can view episodes, look back at herself, and realize she has more to learn about working with people. She is humble, reflective, and apologetic. I would be interested in seeing if either Trish or Jen have expressed themselves similarly on social media.

I saw the same posting there too and while I was generally supportive of Amber through the episodes my opinion of her has risen. There’s also a post from Matt that’s pretty diplomatic in saying don’t blame the edits that made you look bad on TV.  

Talking about Matt, Dan and Waz - handling that anaconda, wow.  When they were talking about the spiritual nature of it with reference to the natives, my thinking was, then you’re going to eat it? That’s nuts!  Respect to them for letting it go despite its size.  Just wondering though if that’s another one of those animals that are on the do not kill list in exchange for filming there.  

EJ trying to nab that eel - it seems any time there’s an eel catch there’s 2 people involved.   Hoping he gets it but having help could increase the chance.   

With both 3 person teams thriving I’m wondering which one is going to move since they all usually join up into one team.  I’m eager to see how well they all work together.   

Edited June 13, 2022 by Cobb Salad
Added thoughts

[LittleIggy]

5 hours ago, rlc said:

Two things can be true- Amber can suck, and Trish/Jen can be not great partners.

I don’t think Amber sucks. Not “great partners”? Trish and Jen, especially Trish, are horrible partners.

12 hours ago, rlc said:

When Steven caught the frog, he cleaned and prepped it himself. He didn’t toss it at Amber to prep it because she has been back at the camp. See? It’s possible to provide without being a dick.

She probably would have cleaned it without complaining.

[AZChristian]

15 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

I don’t think Amber sucks. Not “great partners”? Trish and Jen, especially Trish, are horrible partners.

-----

She probably would have cleaned it without complaining.

I agree; Amber would have cleaned and cooked anything that was brought into the camp.  If I were in a situation like that and someone else had gone to the effort of bringing food into the camp, I'd like to think I wouldn't sit there doing a personal-choice project and refuse to at least clean the food that someone else provided.

THAT is teamwork.  Spending days weaving mats to make your personal bed more comfortable is not.  Weaving can be postponed to an actual idle time.  

Trish and Jen just didn't seem to understand the true meaning of teamwork.  

How would Trish/Jen have reacted if Amber plopped down next to them and worked on her own personal comfort?  "Amber, aren't you going to go catch some fish?"  "No, I'm going to weave mats and build up the roof over my part of the shelter.  I'm not in the mood to fish right now."  

But - IMO - whatever Amber did would be the wrong thing in Trish's eyes, and Jen (probably to her eventual regret) hitched her wagon to the wrong star.

Edited June 13, 2022 by AZChristian
Clarity

[Captain Asshat]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

She probably would have cleaned it without complaining.

This. I'd also like to add that, while Steven and EJ were out, Amber proactively gathered firewood, kept the fire going, and boiled water.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Captain Asshat