S37: Ponderosa *Possible Spoilers*

[KimberStormer]

Great Ponderosa so far.  Everyone waking up John is wonderful.  Carl's BS to Elizabeth about why she was voted out was as hilarious as his emotions over having a bed and a table to eat at were touching.  Brochacho commercial: glorious.  Great times, this one.

Elizabeth is very sincere and open but I personally have a lot of trouble taking compliments so it would be hard for me to sit there and take them, I would run away screaming!

[ratgirlagogo]

On 11/29/2018 at 12:33 AM, LadyChatts said:

I didn't realize Carl was an ex-smoker who quit right before he went out there, so maybe that explains some of his high emotions.

OMG, just like Crazy Shane Powers on Panama ( the guy who made a Blackberry out of driftwood and walked around texting and talking on it)!

Edited November 30, 2018 by ratgirlagogo

[RescueMom]

6 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

OMG, just like Crazy Shane Powers on Panama ( the guy who made a Blackberry out of driftwood and walked around texting and talking on it)!

 

And Zeke in the Philippines!

Edited November 30, 2018 by RescueMom
Zane, not Zeke! Oops!!!

[Nashville]

5 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

OMG, just like Crazy Shane Powers on Panama ( the guy who made a Blackberry out of driftwood and walked around texting and talking on it)!

 

5 hours ago, RescueMom said:

And Zeke in the Philippines!

Posers, both of them; they plagiarized the idea from Greg (S1) and his “coconut phone”.

[RescueMom]

56 minutes ago, Nashville said:

 

Posers, both of them; they plagiarized the idea from Greg (S1) and his “coconut phone”.

Sorry, I meant Zeke was also a brand new ex-smoker, not a pretend-phone-user :)

Edited November 30, 2018 by RescueMom
Zane, not Zeke! Oops!!!

[JudyObscure]

Awww, I love Carl again.  It's equal parts fascinating and awful how this game can turn on such small things.  Maybe if Carl had just got out of the hammock to do his strategizing, he wouldn't have seemed as arrogant and the whole Godfather image and its  consequences might never have happened. 

Now that I know he was coming off nicotine, I want to give him some sort of special hardship award.  When I quit smoking I did nothing but eat cookies and cry for the first six months.

[ProfCrash]

Maybe if Carl had spoken to Gabby and Christian or been willing to move off of Alison....

[cleo]

Ya Carl's video was great, very sweet. I want more brochacho clips though. Alec said bro like every second word. It was pretty funny. I lift weights with a trainer, and as a 42 yr old woman I'm pretty far from a 'bro' but we always joke about it bc I love lifting. 

[LadyChatts]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Awww, I love Carl again.  It's equal parts fascinating and awful how this game can turn on such small things.  Maybe if Carl had just got out of the hammock to do his strategizing, he wouldn't have seemed as arrogant and the whole Godfather image and its  consequences might never have happened. 

Now that I know he was coming off nicotine, I want to give him some sort of special hardship award.  When I quit smoking I did nothing but eat cookies and cry for the first six months.

Gabby doesn't seem like someone who smokes but maybe that's her problem, too.  I don't smoke but have friends and family who do, some of whom I've helped try to quit.  I can't imagine abandoning a habit like that cold turkey for 39 days (really, over 39 days with them going out pre-filming for about a week) and not act like a homicidal maniac.  I remember Marilyn from the Outback season had patches on, but I don't know if they allow that anymore.  Seeing how Carl's emotions seemed to cloud his game play, maybe that all goes back to that.

I really enjoyed Alec's Ponderosa more than Carl's, only for the wake up call he gave John.  I about died when he was standing there with his guitar and started belting out a song, as poor John is trying to sleep.  I thought there was kind of a different vibe when both Alec and Carl showed up, but glad it still seems to be going well.  

Edited November 30, 2018 by LadyChatts

[RescueMom]

2 hours ago, cleo said:

Ya Carl's video was great, very sweet. I want more brochacho clips though. Alec said bro like every second word. It was pretty funny. I lift weights with a trainer, and as a 42 yr old woman I'm pretty far from a 'bro' but we always joke about it bc I love lifting. 

Nice to meet you, swole sister! I turn 50 next week and same thing - the brochachos are so much like the guys I hang with every day when I’m lifting.

[cleo]

That's great @RescueMomnd happy birthday!. My 42nd birthday is Monday.

[brilliantbreakfast]

I'm surprised at how much I liked Dan at Ponderosa.  He seemed so arrogant and alpha-male on the game, but so real and likeable at Ponderosa.  You know, there are worse things that making it to jury and getting a nice long tropical vacation with at least in this season seem like really cool people.

[peachmangosteen]

On 11/30/2018 at 4:13 AM, KimberStormer said:

Elizabeth is very sincere and open but I personally have a lot of trouble taking compliments so it would be hard for me to sit there and take them, I would run away screaming!

Yea really! I feel like those scenes are all kinda half awkward because it does look like most of them are like "Please stop" lol. But yea she does seem genuine, which somehow makes it both more and less embarrassing.

My main takeaway from the 2 latest eps is that Carl is fine as hell. Also, he and his wife are a very attractive couple.

[Nashville]

3 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea really! I feel like those scenes are all kinda half awkward because it does look like most of them are like "Please stop" lol. But yea she does seem genuine, which somehow makes it both more and less embarrassing.

My main takeaway from the 2 latest eps is that Carl is fine as hell. Also, he and his wife are a very attractive couple.

My favorite part?  Carl sees his wife, quits talking mid-sentence, and just takes off and dashes down the dock to her.  

Now there’s a man who has his priorities in proper order.  :)

[Jextella]

On 11/30/2018 at 3:36 PM, RescueMom said:

Nice to meet you, swole sister! I turn 50 next week and same thing - the brochachos are so much like the guys I hang with every day when I’m lifting.

Happy Bday Maple Grove neighbor!

[RescueMom]

On 11/30/2018 at 4:56 PM, cleo said:

That's great @RescueMomnd happy birthday!. My 42nd birthday is Monday.

Happy birthday!! Mine is Wednesday.

2 hours ago, Nashville said:

My favorite part?  Carl sees his wife, quits talking mid-sentence, and just takes off and dashes down the dock to her.  

Now there’s a man who has his priorities in proper order.  :)

That scene with his wife was wonderful!! I am loving Pondersoa this season!!

[Hanahope]

I liked that they still got to see their family members, who had already been flown out to Fiji.  They didn't do that in many prior years.

[Special K]

I cracked up when Carl didn't want to look in the mirror because he knew he was sporting a "George Jefferson look."  LOL.

[ljenkins782]

Seriously, where did they find these people? I have never seen a more cheerful bunch of people who just lost a shot at a million dollars. I could watch a whole show of just Ponderosa with this group.

Amazing that Carl was going cold turkey off cigarettes out there, he handled himself pretty well, considering. Hopefully he can keep it up outside the game, a 28-day forced abstinence is a big advantage in trying to quit. 

On that topic, I kinda wonder if Survivor is going to screw up Dan's weight loss maintenance. Starving for 20-something days and then gorging at Ponderosa isn't a great pattern for moderation back in the real world. I think others have  said they struggled with food issues after competing, that carte blanche of eating anything and everything immediately after the game could turn into some very bad habits. But at least Dan has John and Alec there, I could see those three being workout buds and trying to keep each other in check on the food.

Quote

Yea really! I feel like those scenes are all kinda half awkward because it does look like most of them are like "Please stop" lol. But yea she does seem genuine, which somehow makes it both more and less embarrassing.

It does! I would have a hard time sitting and taking compliments like that, especially if I wasn't entirely prepared to reciprocate (I'm as bad at giving compliments as I am at getting them). 

Watching Elizabeth here, it's interesting to remember the terrible edit she got in her boot episode. No sign of that person at all. 

[LadyChatts]

 

I was a little nervous the fun, festive vibe at Ponderosa would change with Gabby and any bitterness with Carl, but it was just as fun as the other ones.  I loved the welcome she got; I hadn't even though about Elizabeth being the only woman there (but in a Ponderosa with Dan, Alec, and John?  Yeah, I wouldn't complain.  Even Carl is nice to look at).  I wish we could have seen this side of Gabby in the game, and this is why I hope she gets another shot.

Edited December 6, 2018 by LadyChatts

[ProfCrash]

Love the sombreros and the hugs. I am a bit disappointed that we didn’t see Gabby waking John up at 6:30 AM. Love the overall attitude of the people playing this game this season. It really is a great cast. 

[Kenzie]

Gabby's Ponderosa:

 

[ByaNose]

It almost worth it to get voted out and be a member of the jury. You get to clean up, eat, sleep and have fun. Throw in some alcohol and you're set.

[Wildcard]

Quote

It almost worth it to get voted out and be a member of the jury. You get to clean up, eat, sleep and have fun. Throw in some alcohol and you're set.

I was thinking the same thing. If you're not going to win, you might was well be early jury. It seems like they have the most fun. Of course, that's this Ponderosa - some have been super awkward.

[ByaNose]

8 minutes ago, Wildcard said:

I was thinking the same thing. If you're not going to win, you might was well be early jury. It seems like they have the most fun. Of course, that's this Ponderosa - some have been super awkward.

and, you never want to be 5th. They only get a day at Ponderosa. At Final 5 you might as well try to win at that point. LOL!!!

[Lamima]

If I knew I wasn't going to win or be in finals, I'd want to be 2nd at Ponderosa. 

[Straycat80]

Ponderosa Gabby is so different from Game Gabby! She’s a sweetheart and didn’t cry. This Ponderosa is not so bad, everyone is welcoming with hugs and sombrero ‘s. Elizabeth was so happy to have another woman there and the guys seems fun to hang around with (and look at too :)) . 

[enoughcats]

Gabby's toes from the weigh in!  How could her face look so clean and her toes so Neanderthal-ish?

Again, a good Ponderosa clip. 

[SVNBob]

19 hours ago, enoughcats said:

How could her face look so clean and her toes so Neanderthal-ish?

People don't have tear ducts in their ankles.  ;)

[peachmangosteen]

I loved Elizabeth being so happy to have another woman at Ponderosa. I also noticed she said that Gabby was the fun, bubbly Gabby she remembered, which makes me even more sure that Gabby wasn't crying 24/7 like the edit wanted us to think.

My fave thing about this season's Ponderosa is probably how happy everyone seems and then there's Dan, either looking forlorn or with a mostly fake and/or wistful smile on his face. So hilarious.

Edited December 7, 2018 by peachmangosteen

[LadyChatts]

 

Christian's Ponderosa.  No surprise that Gabby was the first one to hug him.  Apparently he ordered more food for his first meal than the other 3 men there.

I loved his 'science of Survivor' and getting the rest of the jurors together like they were in a classroom.  I seriously have loved this cast (give or take but even the ones I haven't liked are hilariously bad) and this Ponderosa has been so much fun.  I hope they change course and give more time at the reunion this year.

Edited December 13, 2018 by LadyChatts

[KimberStormer]

John's first words to Christian were so great I don't want to spoil them!

[LadyChatts]

19 minutes ago, KimberStormer said:

John's first words to Christian were so great I don't want to spoil them!

I loved that!

[cherrypj]

1 hour ago, KimberStormer said:

John's first words to Christian were so great I don't want to spoil them!

There are no captions. Someone, pretty please, tell us what John said?

[ProfCrash]

LOL Christian ordered five dishes and the one that shocked everyone was the salad. The looks on everyone's face when he dug into the burger, pizza, surf and turf and whatever else came to the table. I wish he hadn't shaved, he looked better with the beard. I think they all tolerated the white board session only because it was a short time for the video. I don't think I saw John or Dan at the lecture.

1 hour ago, cherrypj said:

There are no captions. Someone, pretty please, tell us what John said?

Essentially that he wishes Christian was still in the game and that there are weights waiting for Christian to join the Brocachos in their workouts.

[Ellee]

So Christian now tells everyone what has been taking place, who orchestrated what, the why’s.

For some reason I see him doing that as fair and accurate as possible.   

Am I crazy?

[Lamima]

And Gabby says, as she leads Christian to the mirror, 'this is what your girlfriend saw'. Nice.

[lids]

31 minutes ago, Lamima said:

And Gabby says, as she leads Christian to the mirror, 'this is what your girlfriend saw'. Nice.

I thought that just showed that Gabby is kind of obsessed with the Emily situation. Nobody else has said anything like that when commenting on the person’s looks.

Also, Christian was all: “I can’t wait to see Gabby;” “Gabby was the first person to hug me;” “Gabby said I looked like a mountain man.” Dude, we get it!

[enoughcats]

And Gabby was taking copious notes when Christian was doing his White Board lecture.

[ProfCrash]

1 hour ago, lids said:

I thought that just showed that Gabby is kind of obsessed with the Emily situation. Nobody else has said anything like that when commenting on the person’s looks.

Also, Christian was all: “I can’t wait to see Gabby;” “Gabby was the first person to hug me;” “Gabby said I looked like a mountain man.” Dude, we get it!

No one else arrived after their loved ones visit, except Gabby. So why would anyone else comment on it? I thought it was a sweet nod to Christian's relationship with Emily and how different he must have looked to her. I still think Christian looked far better with a beard then clean shaven. You could tell he had lost a ton of weight because of how his back up clothes were hanging off of him.

And Christian seemed to be pretty happy to see Gabby and the others. He seemed to take everything in stride, just like everyone else who arrived at Ponderosa. Although I was disappointed that he did not wake up John at 6:30 AM. All the Brochachos woke John up. And I kind of wanted to see Christian lifting weights with the guys. I totally would have preferred that to the white board stupidity. It was clearly engineered and ridiculous but it wasn't nearly as much fun as the Brochachos commercial and some of the other set ups.

[LizBug]

Christian ... wearing a sweater and long pants??  What gives, dude?  

[Special K]

13 minutes ago, DallasGypsy said:

Christian ... wearing a sweater and long pants??  What gives, dude?  

The producers clearly made him wear that, in order to look more professorial.

[KimberStormer]

8 hours ago, cherrypj said:

There are no captions. Someone, pretty please, tell us what John said?

Spoiler

I know what you're thinkin' bro -- don't worry, inside there's a bunch of weights!

[Special K]

9 hours ago, cherrypj said:

There are no captions. Someone, pretty please, tell us what John said?

Spoiler

He said, "too bad you didn't make it to the end."

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

All the Brochachos woke John up. 

Who besides John, Dan, and Christian is a Brochacho?

Christian, man, bring the beard back. You are certifiably hot, the most attractive guy this season (or at least tied with Carl), with it!

Edited December 13, 2018 by peachmangosteen

[LadyChatts]

50 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Who besides John, Dan, and Christian is a Brochacho?

Christian, man, bring the beard back. You are certifiably hot, the most attractive guy this season (or at least tied with Carl), with it!

This is what I hate most about when the contestants get voted off and cleaned up.  They look so much better dirty and scruffy (though John, Dan, and Alec look pretty dang good cleaned up, too).  At first when I saw Christian with his beard in his 'this is my Ponderosa' and it was daylight I was excited because I thought that meant he didn't shave right away.  

[ProfCrash]

Alec woke up Dan. He might not have been a brochacho though. But it was Dan and then Alec who woke up Jon and Alec strikes me as someone who could easily fit into the Brochcaho club.

[Straycat80]

I have been enjoying this seasons Ponderosa so much. I like that everyone gets along so well. Personally, I think Christian should have kept the beard, it looked attractive on him. 

[peachmangosteen]

14 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Alec woke up Dan. He might not have been a brochacho though. But it was Dan and then Alec who woke up Jon and Alec strikes me as someone who could easily fit into the Brochcaho club.

Alec was never shown to be a Brochacho during the show though, right? I don't remember a lot of the earlier eps lol.

[ProfCrash]

Nope. I don't remember the Brochacos being a thing until the swap