S37: David vs. Goliath: Previews & Speculation without Spoilers

[truthaboutluv]

12 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

The reality is that a tribe swap with 3-4 advantage is essentially the same as letting a tribe die a slow death losing challenges. The likelihood of the minority tribe ending up in the majority on a new tribe is pretty slim,

Not necessarily. It just depends on which players end up where and how loyal these players were to their original tribe and what relationship they had with the other members of their original tribe that end up on the same tribe as them. 

Sure last season had that annoying group of 5 that kept blabbering on about Naviti Strong so Michael and company who were on that tribe got screwed because they were down by one. However, the swap worked out very well for Donathan and Laurel who got into a strong alliance with Dom and Wendell who were original Naviti because Wendell and Dom wasn't loyal to this whole "Naviti Strong" plan. Hell they were the ones who came to the old Malolo players who were down in the numbers to blindside one of their own, until the Malolo blindsided them while still taking out a Naviti.

I guess I'm in the minority because I do like the swaps. I think it forces the players to keep having to adjust, think on their feet and truly survive. Personally I can't see what's entertaining in watching one tribe be decimated while bonds in another tribe just keep getting tighter because the players have more time to solidify those alliances/friendships/etc. Tribal swaps can literally change the game where one person who was in a "power position" with a solid alliance, can suddenly find themselves down in numbers, with people they now have to try and form new bonds with. 

While some go on about the starving and complaining about things being too cushy now for the contestants, I'm the person who watches and loves the show for things like tribal swaps, where someone who maybe was feeling comfortable in their spot, suddenly has to readjust their whole game. That's outwit, outplay and outlast to me. Hell were it not for a tribal swap, we would never have gotten the epic Lex and Rob convo to save Amber that led to Lex's long standing hate for Rob for years. Tribal swaps made Spencer's season on Second Chances the most topsy turvy season of one player, that I ever saw. 

[SVNBob]

On 10/11/2018 at 12:10 AM, OutOfTheQuestion said:

I was actually worried that Bi's knee injury is going to force her out of the game, thus dropping the number to an even 16 players.  But an MCL sprain isn't necessarily that bad, and people are generally only med-evaced in cases of illness or infection.

Apparently on Twitter, Randy (from Gabon and HvV) pointed out that Survivor never gives any airtime to an injury unless it leads to a medevac.  And since there were three separate moments (during the puzzle, right after the challenge was over, and after the return to camp) regarding her injury in this last episode, he's concerned for her too.

[RescueMom]

4 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Apparently on Twitter, Randy (from Gabon and HvV) pointed out that Survivor never gives any airtime to an injury unless it leads to a medevac.  And since there were three separate moments (during the puzzle, right after the challenge was over, and after the return to camp) regarding her injury in this last episode, he's concerned for her too.

I can think of a few times they have given airtime to injuries without a medivac, but I don’t remember if they showed Jeff having medical look at the injury. Two in the original FvF: Chet had coral in his heel - he asked his tribe to be voted out rather than quit, and I believe he ended up on the hospital with Penner so it was serious. Alexis really messed up her knee towards the end of the game and was dragging her leg around; she was the victim of Amanda’s delicious blindside.

 

And I can’t remember his name for the life of me, but a young super-fit guy in Palau twisted his ankle badly and asked his tribe to vote him out; they were really unhappy about it because they felt he was still more valuable than some who were left. Jeff seemed pretty pissed about it at the reunion too, and basically called it a quit and made it clear he thought the guy should have toughed it out.

Edited October 12, 2018 by RescueMom
Because toughed and touched are two different things

[peachmangosteen]

Didn't they show Missy hurting her leg towards the end of SJdS? And then she made F3.

Still, I think Bi is going to either be medevaced, quit, or simply be booted because of her injury.

[Nashville]

17 hours ago, TVFan1 said:

These tribe swaps are not only unnecessary, but it seems that the contestants even expect them to happen now. I wish these tribe swaps would just go away, but I know they won't get rid of it.

Of course they do; some variant of a tribe swap has been present in every season since S3 (Africa).  IMHO it no longer qualifies as a twist, even.  TPTB do seem to be continually bumping the first swap earlier and earlier on the game calendar every season, though.  Initially the swaps didn’t occur until 1-2 evictions before the merge; now we’re seeing them a week and a half into the season.

I tend to be ambivalent about the tribe swaps.  On the one hand, the players’ unfailing “SHOCKED!!!  SHOCKED, I AM!!!” expressions grow more disingenuous and irritating with every passing season; on the other hand, the swap can be a good way to defuse my aggravation with a truly crappy theme for a season.  ;)

 

Also agree - Bi ain’t long for this season.  We’ve frequently seen contestants with bandages which went unexplained all season, so Production’s focus on Peachy telling Bi to get checked out by Medical + the closeup on Bi’s knee bandage with accompanying explanation = game relevance.  TPTB could have easily edited out those clips, so their inclusion is revealing.

[Bryce Lynch]

19 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Of course they do; some variant of a tribe swap has been present in every season since S3 (Africa).  IMHO it no longer qualifies as a twist, even.  TPTB do seem to be continually bumping the first swap earlier and earlier on the game calendar every season, though.  Initially the swaps didn’t occur until 1-2 evictions before the merge; now we’re seeing them a week and a half into the season.

I tend to be ambivalent about the tribe swaps.  On the one hand, the players’ unfailing “SHOCKED!!!  SHOCKED, I AM!!!” expressions grow more disingenuous and irritating with every passing season; on the other hand, the swap can be a good way to defuse my aggravation with a truly crappy theme for a season.  ;)

 

Also agree - Bi ain’t long for this season.  We’ve frequently seen contestants with bandages which went unexplained all season, so Production’s focus on Peachy telling Bi to get checked out by Medical + the closeup on Bi’s knee bandage with accompanying explanation = game relevance.  TPTB could have easily edited out those clips, so their inclusion is revealing.

Sadly, I agree about Bi, who I like.  I wouldn't be surprised if she leaves for medical reasons, before the the tribe swap.  There are 17 players left, so either they would need to do some sort of exile island sort of deal, or someone checks out before the swap, to make the tribes 8 and 8.  

[LadyChatts]

7 hours ago, RescueMom said:

I can think of a few times they have given airtime to injuries without a medivac, but I don’t remember if they showed Jeff having medical look at the injury. Two in the original FvF: Chet had coral in his heel - he asked his tribe to be voted out rather than quit, and I believe he ended up on the hospital with Penner so it was serious. Alexis really messed up her knee towards the end of the game and was dragging her leg around; she was the victim of Amanda’s delicious blindside.

 

And I can’t remember his name for the life of me, but a young super-fit guy in Palau twisted his ankle badly and asked his tribe to vote him out; they were really unhappy about it because they felt he was still more valuable than some who were left. Jeff seemed pretty pissed about it at the reunion too, and basically called it a quit and made it clear he thought the guy should have toughed it out.

That guy was also named Jeff, and I thought it was something that Ulong would rather keep a guy who twisted his ankle because they still thought other people were weaker than him.  

I feel like there have been times Probst has said they'd have medical take a look, but I might be confusing it with something else.  Maybe they only showed it this time because Bi's knee was wrapped and needed an explanation?  Whatever the case I hope she's okay.  If she winds up on a stronger tribe post-swap maybe that will help her out if they can win right off the bat.  

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I wouldn't be surprised if she leaves for medical reasons, before the the tribe swap.  There are 17 players left, so either they would need to do some sort of exile island sort of deal, or someone checks out before the swap, to make the tribes 8 and 8.  

Bi is there when they showed the tribe swap in the preview.

New promo:

[TVFan1]

I just hope this tribe swap doesn't put the Davids at a numbers disadvantage.

[LanceM]

Players never get medically evacuated for knee injuries.  She either quits on her own (which I seriously doubt) or most likely she becomes a liability during a challenge and costs her tribe the win and she gets voted out because of it.

Edited October 13, 2018 by LanceM

[ratgirlagogo]

5 hours ago, LanceM said:

Players never get medically evacuated for knee injuries. 

Jonathan Penner was medevaced out of Micronesia because his knee injury got so badly infected they thought he might lose the leg.   I tend to think that Bi might be going too.

Edited October 13, 2018 by ratgirlagogo

[SVNBob]

Just now, ratgirlagogo said:

Jonathan Penner was medevaced out of Micronesia because his knee injury got so badly infected they thought he might lose the leg.

But that was a puncture wound (from a badly constructed challenge.)  Bi's knee injury is purely internal; straining and re-injuring her MCL according to her TH in the episode.

[ratgirlagogo]

5 minutes ago, SVNBob said:

But that was a puncture wound (from a badly constructed challenge.

True, but I was contesting the statement that nobody ever got medevaced from a knee injury, which clearly Penner did.  I still think it's a strong possibility Bi will be gone because we've been shown the injury.  Also because we've seen a fair number of THs from her and while this might mean it's because she's going to be a major player down the line it might just as well be because she's leaving soon.

Edited October 13, 2018 by ratgirlagogo

[cherrypj]

When you tear a ligament, your body will overcompensate for the injury, going into full-on protection mode. Fluid will rush into the space and the muscles will tighten around the injury, causing a lot of stiffness. I don't think Bi will be able to move well on Day 10.

[LadyChatts]

Next week's preview looks interesting.  Alison (finally getting some screen time) looking to align with Gabby-does that mean that Green loses the IC or is Alison planning ahead?  Same thing over at Orange-Elizabeth and Davie's apparent tiff coming on the loss of an IC, or something else?  I would worry in Elizabeth's case, because I believe Carl and Davie are tight, so all they would need is Kara or Alec (both of whom have nothing to lose).  I do wonder what happens because she did look upset.  Maybe someone came to her and said Davie threw her under the bus or was throwing her name around?

[TVFan1]

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

Next week's preview looks interesting.  Alison (finally getting some screen time) looking to align with Gabby-does that mean that Green loses the IC or is Alison planning ahead?  Same thing over at Orange-Elizabeth and Davie's apparent tiff coming on the loss of an IC, or something else?  I would worry in Elizabeth's case, because I believe Carl and Davie are tight, so all they would need is Kara or Alec (both of whom have nothing to lose).  I do wonder what happens because she did look upset.  Maybe someone came to her and said Davie threw her under the bus or was throwing her name around?

Yes, I am interested in next week's episode too. I wonder why Elizabeth and Davie are angry at each other. I would say Elizabeth will be in danger if Orange loses the immunity challenge. It would be simple for Davie, Carl, and Kara/Alec to vote off Elizabeth.

Loving the closeness with Alison and Gabby. Anything with Alison getting more airtime, I am all for. It seems Alison apparently wants Dan voted out. I wonder what that's about.

Is Mike trying to get Angelina out next over on Purple? Mike said something like Angelina would turn on Nick and Lyrsa or something.

Looking forward to next week. A lot of interesting stuff.

Edited October 25, 2018 by TVFan1

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, TVFan1 said:

Yes, I am interested in next week's episode too. I wonder why Elizabeth and Davie are angry at each other. I would say Elizabeth will be in danger if Orange loses the immunity challenge. It would be simple for Davie, Carl, and Kara/Alec to vote off Elizabeth.

Loving the closeness with Alison and Gabby. Anything with Alison getting more airtime, I am all for. It seems Alison apparently wants Dan voted out. I wonder what that's about.

Is Mike trying to get Angelina out next over on Purple? Mike said something like Angelina would turn on Nick and Lyrsa or something.

Looking forward to next week. A lot of interesting stuff.

I'd say that Alec or Elizabeth would be the most vulnerable.  Alec if Kara totally throws him under the bus, especially if she says he wanted to get Davie out initially.  However, it might make more sense to the guys to stick together.  In addition, Kara is right that Alec looked like the night in shining armor for saving Davie and Elizabeth (and getting them an advantage in numbers).  I don't know where he sits with his original Goliaths at this point, especially because 'Goliath Strong' appears to be dead, at least for now, so maybe they won't care that he flipped and bring him back into the fold.  Still, it appears that bonds are forming at the Green tribe, and Nick/Mike have an alliance going on.  

I'm not sure why Alison would want Dan targeted, unless she thinks he's too big of a threat and that the merge might be around the corner.  Plus, maybe she finds out about his idols (or second idol-not sure if she knew about the first).  She might also be concerned he'll hook back up with Kara, then have Angelina, John, and possibly Christian with him.  The tone of her conversation made it seem like they lost and she was more reassuring Gabby, but it could be she was reassuring her going forward that they'd get the men out.

I am very excited to see the reaction to Natalie getting voted off.  They better deliver!

[OutOfTheQuestion]

Carl and Davie probably have no long-term allegiance to Elizabeth, since she went against them by voting Jessica out.  So Carl/Davie could easily team with Kara and/or Alec to vote Elizabeth out, or stay "David strong" for now to vote out Kara or Alec with Elizabeth as the third vote, OR Elizabeth/Alec/Kara could join forces to eliminate out of Davie or Carl.  Whew!

I feel like everyone on Goliath knew about Dan's idol thanks to Jeremy, so Alison very likely knows.  She might be trying to get him out now because of that idol, and because Alison wasn't part of that couples alliance (Natalia, Alec, Dan, Kara, John, Angelina) that seemed to be in control at Goliath.  Then again, Alec quickly voted Natalia out as soon as he could, so that alliance probably wasn't all that strong in the first place.  Anyway, I feel like there's been enough telegraphing of Gabby as "the obvious vote" that she actually won't be voted out if the green tribe loses.  At least I'm hoping this is the case since I think she's my favourite of the season thus far.

[Nashville]

2 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I am very excited to see the reaction to Natalie getting voted off.  They better deliver!

I’m wondering how long Peachy will get delayed on starting the next challenge, on account of waiting for the cheering to subside....

[MisterBluxom]

In the past, I've met some people who behave like Nastie Natalie and I'd be willilng to bet money that come Reunion Night ....

in an effort to make herself seem to be actually human (which no one who knows her will believe), she will bring an expensive jacket with her and make a big BIG BIG deal out of giving it to Angelina, telling her how expensive it is because she thought Angelina should have nothing but the best and lots of other lies. She will do this because she will learn that Angelina tried to trick her by behaving nice to her and did not vote her out. In her mind (I couldn't think of a more appropriate name for whatever it is that she has in place of a mind), she will think this will square things with her behaving like such a *@#$ to everyone.

I just hope the other contestants will be able to predict this and bring rotten eggs with them so they can throw them at her.

Edited October 25, 2018 by MissBluxom

[ProfCrash]

Oh, I can fully see Angelina agreeing to vote out Natalie and the voting for Lyrisa in order to try and get a jacket from Natalie. I can 100% see that happening. Angelina knew that Natalie was going home, Mike was trying to get Angelina to vote for Natalie, but didn’t say anything to Natalie. I think it is a reasonably obvious ploy.

[LadyChatts]

So merge next week.  We'll see if "strategic mastermind" Angelina gets her way or is totally oblivious that she's not running things.

I think that's one of the reasons I dislike her, she tries too hard.

[truthaboutluv]

17 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

We'll see if "strategic mastermind" Angelina gets her way or is totally oblivious that she's not running things.

I feel like the preview glaringly making it clear she's going to try and gun for Christian makes it unlikely it's going to be him but you never know. But yeah, will be interesting to see how that conversation goes down with Angelina and if she reads the situation well. Because while she may not be wrong that Christian is the heart of the Davids (not sure about his relationship with Davie and Carl or even Elizabeth, he is very close to Nick and Gabby), and even if her assumption on that is wrong, I can see her rationale in wanting him gone if she believes it to be true. You get rid of the heart, they're dead.

That said, I think she's going to underestimate the bond he built with Dan and John while they were on Tiva together. I don't see Dan and John wanting to get rid of Christian when they'll probably figure they have the numbers and it'd just be easier to get rid of any of the other Davids. What's going to be interesting is if she's going to push the argument enough to try and get her own that she ends up sabotaging herself. Or if the other Goliaths will just ignore her and vote another David out, that's not Christian. 

[LadyChatts]

58 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

I feel like the preview glaringly making it clear she's going to try and gun for Christian makes it unlikely it's going to be him but you never know. But yeah, will be interesting to see how that conversation goes down with Angelina and if she reads the situation well. Because while she may not be wrong that Christian is the heart of the Davids (not sure about his relationship with Davie and Carl or even Elizabeth, he is very close to Nick and Gabby), and even if her assumption on that is wrong, I can see her rationale in wanting him gone if she believes it to be true. You get rid of the heart, they're dead.

That said, I think she's going to underestimate the bond he built with Dan and John while they were on Tiva together. I don't see Dan and John wanting to get rid of Christian when they'll probably figure they have the numbers and it'd just be easier to get rid of any of the other Davids. What's going to be interesting is if she's going to push the argument enough to try and get her own that she ends up sabotaging herself. Or if the other Goliaths will just ignore her and vote another David out, that's not Christian. 

My feeling is it will be anyone but Christian, because he just seems like too much of a character with a bunch of story arcs and bonds to be a merge boot.  Angelina already thought she had John wrapped around her finger (though clearly he's proven he's smarter than that), and that the Goliaths will go back to sticking together.  However, is she not going to be made aware that it was Alec who orchestrated Natalia's boot?  Unless he comes up with a clever cover story and Kara doesn't rat him out, then why would she think he'll stay loyal to her?

I also think she's going to underestimate the bonds made at Tiva, as well as possibly not having Alec.  And whose to say Mike will stay loyal if he realizes that there is no Goliath strong mentality?  And given what Angelina's opening remarks were about the David's, she may underestimate them as gamers.  I do hope that the Goliath's don't run the merge, and steam roll over the Davids.  Besides John, I really don't care for any former Goliath's left, and much prefer the remaining David's.

Edited November 1, 2018 by LadyChatts

[truthaboutluv]

2 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

And whose to say Mike will stay loyal if he realizes that there is no Goliath strong mentality?

Especially since he made it clear this episode that he doesn't actually like Angelina very much. I definitely think Mike wouldn't hesitate to vote Angelina out if he has the numbers and other Goliaths with him. 

[TVFan1]

Looking forward to next week's merge episode. I echo the opinion on that I hope Christian doesn't get voted out. It showed in the preview that Alec tips him off, so I'm hoping he's safe. The bonds that Christian made with John and Dan over at Tiva should be strong enough to be able to vote with Christian and get out another target. Seeing a Goliath go would be great. I want all of the Davids to be safe, though.

[OutOfTheQuestion]

3 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Especially since he made it clear this episode that he doesn't actually like Angelina very much. I definitely think Mike wouldn't hesitate to vote Angelina out if he has the numbers and other Goliaths with him. 

Mike's vote against Lyrsa was a smart one, since it gives him options.  If he votes out Angelina, the Goliaths are down 7-6 and he has no guarantee the Davids won't stick together after a merge.  With the Goliaths having the 7-6 advantage, however, it gives Mike more flexibility in what he wants to do next since he has some idea of the Goliath group dynamic and can maneuver around within that framework.  He and Alison totally don't seem "Goliath strong," and Alec might've put himself on the outs by turning on Natalia.

[RescueMom]

Quote

I can't be the only one who thinks that Dan is totally being set up for a fall.  He's twice boasted over how good of a game he's playing just because he has two idols, and not in any self-deprecating way, but in a completely self-congratulatory way.  That usually means a boot is coming your way, and sometimes sooner rather than later.

Pulled this quote from the episode thread. I think there is a good chance that Dan is going to fall victim to the idol nullifier. Alec knows that Dan has an idol, and Alec worked with Davie to get Natalia out. Davie and Carl are close. And we just saw a preview that showed Alec talking about not sticking with the Goliaths. Assuming the preview is not a mis-direction (big assumption, I know), that all could lead to a place where Carl knows to use the nullifier against Dan at some point.

[treeofdreams]

I'm hoping we get an alliance of Christian/Gabby/John/Dan and whoever else they can pull in.  Alison?  Kara?  Nick?  I think the David/Goliath thing is pretty much toast.  I hope so anyway.

[peachmangosteen]

I fear the Goliath thing will not be toast and that we'll get a boring post merge that's basically just a David pagonging. I just have this sinking feeling this season will turn out exactly like last season.

[LadyChatts]

9 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I fear the Goliath thing will not be toast and that we'll get a boring post merge that's basically just a David pagonging. I just have this sinking feeling this season will turn out exactly like last season.

That's my biggest fear, too.  This season has gone really well so far, so something like that would totally foul it up.  At least for a few boots I won't be surprised if David's go.

[TVFan1]

3 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

That's my biggest fear, too.  This season has gone really well so far, so something like that would totally foul it up.  At least for a few boots I won't be surprised if David's go.

It wouldn't surprise me either. Having the Goliaths pagong the Davids will definitely put a damper on this season. My hope is the Davids and Goliaths come together to forge new alliances and eliminate whoever they see fit. Voting out of the tribal lines has been exciting so far and I hope it doesn't get messed up.

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, TVFan1 said:

It wouldn't surprise me either. Having the Goliaths pagong the Davids will definitely put a damper on this season. My hope is the Davids and Goliaths come together to forge new alliances and eliminate whoever they see fit. Voting out of the tribal lines has been exciting so far and I hope it doesn't get messed up.

My concern is that the Goliaths (like Mike and John) will not vote out the likes of Christian or Nick, but maybe go after Elizabeth, Davie, or Carl first.  People they have no connections to, and this way they can keep their loyalty to the Goliaths at first, keep the Goliath numbers up just in case, and put the remaining Davids at their mercy.  

The thing is, the Davids aren't a tight unit.  Christian/Nick had their Mason/Dixon alliance, Carl/Davie are close, Gabby is close to Christian, and then there's Elizabeth, whose on her own.  But Davie/Carl have no real bonds or ties to the others, including the Goliaths, besides Alec. 

Angelina seemed dead set on a possible Goliath strong in the preview.  Where it could get interesting is that Alec doesn't share that mentality from what we saw (or at the very least he doesn't want Christian to go) and Alison wasn't initially part of the 6 person alliance Angelina put together.  She wants Dan out, and if Angelina gets the remaining part of her alliance back, plus thinks Allison is with them, she might be in for a surprise.  Still, I think Elizabeth, Davie, and Carol have reason to worry.  I think Nick might be safe because of his alliance with Mike and his ties to Christian, Gabby will be safe because of Christian and possibly Allison, and Christian because of his connections to John/Dan/Nick.  That's assuming Mike doesn't think Nick is too much of a threat, or John doesn't think the same thing about Christian.  Should be interesting, but I'm going with some predictable David boots.  Davie at least has his idol, so that might spare him.

[KimberStormer]

I too fear the possibility of a Naviti Strong Pagong merge situation, but maybe it's not a foregone conclusion.  Going off of @LadyChatts's David-tribe breakdown, I'm thinking about Goliath tribe dynamics.  It's a little tricky -- I'm not sure how much we know.  But it seems to me the eliminations so far have somewhat fragmented them as well.

We had the "couples alliance" of wannabe Black Widows and their ostensible other halves: Kara and Dan, Angelina and Slamtown, and Natalia and Alec.  Natalia is of course gone and at Alec's hands, no less, so that whole thing seems kind of more notional than real.  Kara and Dan are doubtless still a thing, especially as far as Dan is concerned.  Post-island gossip seems to indicate that Angelina and John were indeed close, though there has been no hint of it on TV.  John and Dan are of course the Brochachos, although I actually get the feeling, based on pure body language vibes, that Christian is the actual mortar holding together the Brochacho edifice?  Like John and Dan are coworkers, but John and Christian are real friends?  Nevertheless I think this is still a thing, though greatly reduced because Natalia is gone and Alec is surely no longer on board.  But it feels like the only real thing.

Alec is a total free agent/possible outcast, since he turned on his Goliath tribemates and left Kara out of the loop on it.  Mike seems rather adrift too, as the only two people I remember him interacting with on the Goliath tribe, Jeremy and Natalie, are both gone, and he doesn't seem to trust Angelina, his swap tribemate, very much at all.  And then there's Alison, who is a total mystery, but wants to blindside Dan, a Goliath.  So I see three very credible potential flippers there.  Of course a core four can often run the table (if I'm using that phrase right) but I don't even know how enthusiastic these four are about working together, except for Dan really wanting to be with Kara and Angelina really wanting to be in charge.  The Mayor, in particular, seems to be looking elsewhere, as he was looking at Natalie as an ally, and now seems to be bonding with Christian on a more personal level than he was with anyone on Goliath.

All in all it's interesting; I just hope it lives up to these possibilities and doesn't just fall into a relentless Pagonging, where people like Alison and Mike go straight to the slaughter for no reason.  Although even thinking of that makes the idea sound crazy -- who would possibly fall in line for Angelina of all people, and are Dan and Kara the sorts to be power players everyone is afraid to go after?  Hard to imagine, although there was a period when Fan Favorite Sierra Dawn Thomas was playing the role of Big Boss so I guess anything is possible in the crazy game of Survivor.

[ProfCrash]

Gabby is probably safe because she gets along with Jon, Dan and Alison. Gabby was Dan’s vote in the tribe because he had less of a relationship with her then Christian. That does not translate to Dan is targeting Gabby when there are other options. 

I would love to see a Goliath go but I suspect it will be a David. I would guess Carl, David or Elizabeth because I don’t think that Kara is tight with any of them. 

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

My concern is that the Goliaths (like Mike and John) will not vote out the likes of Christian or Nick, but maybe go after Elizabeth, Davie, or Carl first.  People they have no connections to, and this way they can keep their loyalty to the Goliaths at first, keep the Goliath numbers up just in case, and put the remaining Davids at their mercy.  

Yep, exactly like last season, which is where I think this season will go too, unfortunately. There are lots of possibilities considering there doesn't seem to be a super close bond between the Goliaths, but then there wasn't really with Naviti either and yet they all still stuck together until Dom and Wendell decided to throw the few Navitis overboard to keep their new bonds.

I have some hope though in Alec since he is clearly someone who doesn't really care about tribe numbers. 

I still think ultimately we'll get a boring Pagonging of the outlier Davids (Elizabeth/Carl/Davie) initially.

[ProfCrash]

Alec was the one targeting Christian in the previews so I suspect that Alec will try and stay Goliath Strong.

I can see Jon and Mike working with the David's.

Angelina, Alec Kara, and Dan are going to be Goliath Strong.

I have no clue about Alison.

Mike was willing to toss Lyrsa because he knew that tossing another Goliath would put him at the bottom of two groups, the Goliaths and the Davids. I suspect that Mike is more then willing to keep working with Nick and would be willing to form an alliance with Nick and Christian. I am not sure who on the Goliath's Mike is allied with right now, I know it is not Angelina which probably means not Kara. Honestly, Mike is still probably on the bottom of the Goliath and David tribe. The Goliath because he is older and not as strong did not seem to have alliances with many of them. The Davids because he is from the Goliaths and voted out Lyrsa instead of Angelina.

Dan is so into Kara that he is going to be working with her and only her. Kara had no clue that Natalia was going to be voted out and I think she was aware that she was most likely the next one out for her new tribe. I have not seen any indication that Kara or Alec really bonded with Davie, Carl or Elisabeth.

Jon seems to enjoy Christian and Jon was willing to work with Natalie. I suspect that Jon will be happy to work with Christian and Gabby. In many ways, an alliance with the nerds would help John because he would be in a good position to win immunity challenges against Christian and Gabby. Using them to vote out Dan and Alec, probably Jon's biggest physical immunity competition, would make sense.

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Alec was the one targeting Christian in the previews so I suspect that Alec will try and stay Goliath Strong.

Really? I may have to watch the preview again because I could have sworn we clearly see Angelina saying that Christian is the heart of the Davids so they need to take him out and then Alec shown talking to Christian, letting him know that he wants to play with him and isn't in line with the plan to get rid of him. 

[RescueMom]

12 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

Really? I may have to watch the preview again because I could have sworn we clearly see Angelina saying that Christian is the heart of the Davids so they need to take him out and then Alec shown talking to Christian, letting him know that he wants to play with him and isn't in line with the plan to get rid of him. 

That is what I thought as well.

[peachmangosteen]

Same. Now, the preview is possibly (even likely) misleading, but it definitely showed Alec trying to keep Christian.

[ProfCrash]

More likely then not I am misremembering. I knew Alec was discussing Christian and I thought he was targetting him. 

[LadyChatts]

https://youtu.be/HnqFNamlqEA

So here's another preview for next week.  It's allegedly the "most unpredictable night of the season", Dan is furious about something, and Alec seems to be getting quite a bit of narration in this tiny clip.  Plus, an Alison sighting!

I went back and watched the preview from this week's episode, and it was Alec letting Christian in on Angelina targeting him.  He was part of the group Angelina was talking to about that, which has my interest piqued.  If Alec turned on Natalia, why would Angelina be willing to trust him?  As for some other possible scenarios: Alec tells Christian what Angelina's plan is, Christian goes to his brochachos and either confronts them or uses it to rat Alec out in hopes of turning the vote on him, John/Dan go to Angelina/Kara and let them know Alec isn't with them, and either Alec goes home or they shift their target to someone else and don't let Alec know.  It would be another David, just not Christian.  I do think John will try to save him anyway, and this might be all that he needs to do it.  I could see Davie being a target if he's viewed as a physical threat, and Elizabeth for just being the odd woman out.  On the other hand, that might work in her favor if she literally has no allies and could be a valuable vote.  There's a lot of different scenarios that could play out to make it really exciting and not have the season take a predictable turn.  Unfortunately, I don't know if any of them will play out.  Christian/Nick may very well vote with the Goliaths, knowing they have potential allies with John/Dan/Mike, and Gabby could get drawn in because of that connection and Alison if she goes along with the Goliaths, too.  

I am very curious if Alison is suddenly going to have some big role.  Last week she was deal making with Gabby after being invisible nearly all season, now she's featured in the preview.

Edited November 3, 2018 by LadyChatts

[MisterBluxom]

On 10/31/2018 at 9:05 PM, LadyChatts said:

So merge next week.  We'll see if "strategic mastermind" Angelina gets her way or is totally oblivious that she's not running things.

I think that's one of the reasons I dislike her, she tries too hard.

I will reply in the Angelina thread .... assuming she has one.

[LadyChatts]

I hated to see the Goliaths comfortably and arrogantly talking strategy again in the preview for next week.  While I'm resigned that we might lose another David or two, I really just want them taken down a few pegs.  I hate the fact that Dan has two idols, and I pray that Carl correctly uses his advantage.  Not much else going on in the preview except Mike wanting Gabby out, so I hope it isn't a boring predictable episode next week.

[OutOfTheQuestion]

It seems like the only "Goliath strong" group is John/Angelina/Kara/Dan, whereas Alec, Alison, and Mike all know what's up and want to break up that core quartet.  Nick, Gabby, and Christian might all be safe due to this counter-Goliath plan, and Davie might seems to be on the outs but at least he has his idol.  Carl might be an outsider as well though his name wasn't mentioned at all in the episode.  Lady OutOfTheQuestion had a theory that people might be wary of Carl since they think HE might have an idol, from his time on the Exile Island.

[LadyChatts]

1 minute ago, OutOfTheQuestion said:

It seems like the only "Goliath strong" group is John/Angelina/Kara/Dan, whereas Alec, Alison, and Mike all know what's up and want to break up that core quartet.  Nick, Gabby, and Christian might all be safe due to this counter-Goliath plan, and Davie might seems to be on the outs but at least he has his idol.  Carl might be an outsider as well though his name wasn't mentioned at all in the episode.  Lady OutOfTheQuestion had a theory that people might be wary of Carl since they think HE might have an idol, from his time on the Exile Island.

I found it slightly humorous that those 4 are all hugging and acting like BFFs together-and then here comes Alec, and they don't really let up on the camaraderie.  Like, they do realize there's a lot of people left that might just mess up their final four?

I hadn't thought about that with Carl, but that's a good point.  I won't be surprised if he or Davie are the next targets.  Both performed well in the challenge, don't really have any ties, and if they are looking to pick Davids off, they seem like the next two to go.  Unless Angelina gets her belated wish and they vote out Christian, but they clearly don't know about the counter alliance.  I think Mike targeting Gabby is going to be much ado about nothing.  Just a passing comment, then he gets reassured.  

[TVFan1]

I also think the talk about Gabby being the one voted out next week is a misdirect. It will most likely be a David boot, so I'm guessing either Carl or Davie. I'd love to see a Goliath (besides Alison) get voted out instead, but that's wishful thinking.

[truthaboutluv]

12 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I found it slightly humorous that those 4 are all hugging and acting like BFFs together-and then here comes Alec, and they don't really let up on the camaraderie.  Like, they do realize there's a lot of people left that might just mess up their final four?

Especially surprising since they know he blindsided the hell out of Natalia and they were all clearly bothered by it when Carl told them what happened. And yet they just seemed to welcome him openly back into the fold and accept that he's down for "Goliath Strong". And that's why I do think Alec is playing it smart in saying for that vote he HAD to go with the Goliaths because he needs them to believe, despite his blindsiding of Natalia, that he's back with them. That said, like I mentioned in the episode thread, I can't shake the feeling he's being set up for an epic blindside.

 

12 hours ago, TVFan1 said:

I also think the talk about Gabby being the one voted out next week is a misdirect.

Well the preview actually makes it seem like they'll try to go for Christian again. We only see Mike saying to Christian that he's not sure Gabby is committed to their alliance of six but when the Goliath group is talking, it sounds like they're discussing a guy and there's a shot of Dan saying it may be "hashtag brochachos over" or something like that. Well the brochachos are him, John and Christian and I don't think he's going after John. Or maybe he is. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[phlebas]

I don't know how this could happen, but if Carl and Davie are really the targets next week (and I think they're the only Davids not in the Strike Force group), I want Davie to play his idol to save Carl but there's a miscommunication and Carl nullifies it.

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, OutOfTheQuestion said:

It seems like the only "Goliath strong" group is John/Angelina/Kara/Dan, whereas Alec, Alison, and Mike all know what's up and want to break up that core quartet.  Nick, Gabby, and Christian might all be safe due to this counter-Goliath plan ...

This sounds exactly like last season, with Dom/Wendell having the Donathan/Laurel alliance, but they still voted out all the other non-Navitis and I really fear that's what we're gonna get again this season.

But I agree with @truthaboutluv that they seem to be setting Alec up for a blindside, so I still have a smidgen of hope that we're not just headed down a repeat of last season.

Edited November 8, 2018 by peachmangosteen