S37.E09: Breadth-First Search

[30 Helens]

I enjoyed Davey’s excitement about the previous TC, and his glee over getting the jacket. I may be a little in love with him at this point.  But I did not appreciate Carl’s victory celebration at this TC. I’ll give it a pass because he was probably just swept up in the moment, but rubbing it in Dan's face like that was poor sportsmanship and beneath him.

 

5 hours ago, lids said:

David actually used very little skill/military smarts, God just empowered David to win (1 Samuel 17). Since nobody in Survivor is more Godly than the other, I wish they would stop comparing themselves to the Bible account. Gabby said something weird about Alison needing to come to the “good” side. I hope she was just joking.

I doubt she was referring to anything biblical with that statement. My guess is she meant good side vs dark side, as in rebels vs stormtroopers.

 

4 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

The Angelina votes were interesting. Why vote for Angelina? Why not talk to the David’s and see how they are going to vote? The Angelina votes guarentee Dan goes home because there are not enough Christian votes. The Angelina vote was clearly orhestrated before the tribal. Did the Davids tell them Angelina as a test or did the Goliaths hope that someone like Dan wuld go home and they wouldn’t have to vote for him?

Maybe it’s too much Thanksgiving grog, but I’m puzzled by the Angelina votes. As a vote split, it’s pointless. It would not have protected Christian at all. I can only guess that the Davids told them they were voting for Angelina because they didn’t trust them and therefore didn’t want to reveal the real plan. A test, maybe, but maybe just a way to distract the Goliaths and keep them off balance. So when Kara and Alec thought they were jumping onto the David train, the train had already left the station and was barreling straight towards Dan.  

[simplyme]

35 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

Maybe it’s too much Thanksgiving grog, but I’m puzzled by the Angelina votes. As a vote split, it’s pointless. It would not have protected Christian at all. I can only guess that the Davids told them they were voting for Angelina because they didn’t trust them and therefore didn’t want to reveal the real plan. A test, maybe, but maybe just a way to distract the Goliaths and keep them off balance. So when Kara and Alec thought they were jumping onto the David train, the train had already left the station and was barreling straight towards Dan.  

The original agreement between Alison, Alec, and Kara (referred to as AKA from now on) and the Davids was to split the vote. Dan was the target, but they were afraid (Well, AKA knew) he had an idol, so in case he played it they needed a secondary target. Of the 6 Goliaths, the secondary target couldn't be AKA or Dan, which left only Angelina or Mike. 

Five Davids plus AKA = 8 votes. Only Dan, Mike and Angelina are left out of that plan to cast 3 votes against a David. So I assume the original plan was to have 4 people vote Angelina and 4 vote Dan.

And this is why I'm convinced that Alec and Kara did not just stick with the split plan after Alison told them she was going to stay Goliath Strong (aside from the fact that neither seems dumb, and sticking with a plan that someone else who is voting opposite you knows? Is dumb.). Once you remove Alison from the split plan, there are now four votes against a David. Not a sure win, and there's an idol, and Alison knew the plan...

So pretty much I think Alec and Kara felt they had to flip back to Goliath when Alison did. Then when Nick stole Alison's vote, it was pretty much a reprimand and threat for agreeing and backing out--twice. (Why Alison? She'd let the Davids down twice and she didn't have immunity so they could make her good and nervous that they were voting her.) And that's when AKA decided to pretend they'd planned to stick to the split vote agreement by having Alec and Kara vote the way they presumably would have: for Angelina.

Anyways. That's how my brain chose to make sense of what the editing monkeys showed us. :)

Although... is Alison one L or two?

[amazingracefan]

2 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I enjoyed Davey’s excitement about the previous TC, and his glee over getting the jacket. I may be a little in love with him at this point.  But I did not appreciate Carl’s victory celebration at this TC. I’ll give it a pass because he was probably just swept up in the moment, but rubbing it in Dan's face like that was poor sportsmanship and beneath him.

I thought both of those incidents were over the top, Davey's confessional went on a bit too long.  As it stands the original tribes are level, there's a long way to go yet.  I wasn't sure about Gabby describing the Davids as being the good side either, they are all in it to win it.

 

I expected the extra vote to be played, of the advantages the Davids had that was the guaranteed one, it nullified the vote advantage and was essential.  And if they were going for Dan they were obviously about to use the nullifier.

With idol hunts I'd love the editors to fake out the audience sometimes, here it was very obvious that Christian was going to find it with him being built up as some kind of expert.

7 hours ago, Mambo Queen said:

That being said, I do think either Kara or Alec told them about Dan's idol, either that or Christian did see him find it.

  Reveal hidden contents

Gabby and Carl feuding in the previews for next week,

 

I said on the previous episode threat that I thought Dan playing his other idol for someone else was a decent indication that he could well have another idol anyway.  If someone has only one idol it's rare they will play it for someone else.

Edited November 22, 2018 by amazingracefan

[amazingracefan]

3 hours ago, Sentient Meat said:

I'm not thrilled with the multitude of production twists... as they are starting to reach Canadian Big Brother or Australian Survivor levels of absurdity... but since they exist, I'm glad at least they were utilized properly, unlike the American Big Brother powers which were almost universally botched this season.

That was unfair to Dan, and I don't even like Dan... but I suppose the first time they do something new to freshen the game... this is the price the players must pay.

Agree that the Davids aren't any more likeable than the Goliaths... Gabby is a cry baby... Christian can be smug... Carl isn't the most lovable... and the lawyer guy was kind of a snake early on in the game... but I think why people are rooting for them is because no one wanted to see a boring pagonging... and that's what we were headed for before this TC.

There are enough loose cannons to propel the final portion of the season.

Classic Survivor the last two weeks.

Survivor is always more played as a game than Big Brother which doesn't have much change in alliances from the start.

 

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

Yes.  The competition had four stages:

1. The over-and-under obstacle.  Probst specifically states no further team advancement until all team members were on the disc mat under the numbers bag.
2. Numbers bag retrieval (by boosting a team member) followed by the cargo net crawl.  All team members on the mat before advancing.
3. Opening the numbers bag and using the contents to open the combo lock to free the key to unlock the puzzle piece bags.  Advancement operationally restrained until the key is free.
4. Releasing the puzzle piece bags and working the snake puzzle.

Mike was clearly aware of the rules because when he was initially on the stage 2 ending mat, he didn’t touch the bag; it wasn’t until Mike made his false start off the mat that he started working the knots on the bag.  And Mike immediately returned to the mat when Jeff called him back - but he should’ve stopped working on the knots as well, and he didn’t.  The resulting advantage is clear if you compare Mike’s second (righteous) departure from the mat with Christian’s departure; Christian is just starting to work on his bag’s knots as he runs for the combo lock, but Mike’s knots are undone and his bag open before he’s halfway to his lock.

Those kind of challenges are virtually always decided on the puzzle at the end anyway, it's normally quite even until the puzzle decides it.

[MisterBluxom]

8 hours ago, blackwing said:

Everyone is congratulating the Davids on reading the room correctly, but really, just like last week when they “perfectly” played the idol for Christian... it’s because they got information.  Last week Alec tipped them off about the vote for Christian.   This week Kara told about the idol and then either she or Alec told the Davids.  

I liked Dan.  He seemed like a nice guy.  He wasn’t very good at strategy but he was very loyal to his alliance.  I don’t fully understand why Kara kept saying he was ruining her game.  What did he do except stick by her?  I never heard anyone saying they were going to target her because she was allied with him.

Hate Carl’s smugness and kiss off display.  He made it personal and was rubbing it in.  Why do that?  It smacked of poor sportsmanship.  

At this point, I can’t believe it, but I think I’m actually rooting for Alison.  The Davids are getting cocky, especially Davie and Carl.

I empathize fully with you. If I was Dan I would have most definitely felt like stepping on Jeff's toes as I walked past him down the "walk of shame". Better yet, I would have felt like giving him a smack in the mouth. No shit! How is it fair to block his idol like that? He had every expectation of being safe and then Jeff blindsides him with this Idol Nullifier.

How difficult would it have been for Jeff to announce at the beginning of the season:

"One of the exciting new things we've added this season is called "An Idol Nullifier". It enables the person who finds it to block the value of an immunity idol. But they have to correctly guess who that idol will be played for and when it will be played."

What would be the harm in having done that? At least that way, Dan would not have been able to say that he was "cheated". I don't know if he ever said that. But I would sure be saying that if I was Dan.

I have to say that you seem to think the Davids did something less than brilliant because they were given some information from one of the Goliaths. But isn't that all part of the game? The reason they got that information was because they were playing smart enough such that those Goliath people trusted them and were tired of the people on their own side. I think that is all just part and parcel of playing a brilliant game.

But IMHO, surprising Dan like Jeff did was just unnecessary and really sad and shameful.  It is a stain on an otherwise fabulous season.

[amazingracefan]

9 hours ago, Eolivet said:

And way to steal Allison's vote to throw the Goliaths off the scent, that they knew Dan had an idol.

But the point of the nullifier was to make sure Dan played the idol for himself and not for someone else.  They wanted Dan to be suspicious.

 

The result of the nullifier twist (an idea I still believe may have been taken from the Dutch Mole) may be to encourage people to keep quiet that they have an idol, which would be a good result.

[Haleth]

7 hours ago, Mambo Queen said:

I think the reason this was focused on and was concerning to the David's was because of what it showed about the potentially-flipping Goliaths...that they were once again saying the right things to the Davids, but acting completely differently. Everyone was already assuming the Davids were all voting together,  but three of the Goliaths were now trying to convince the Davids they were really, truly gonna flip this time guys, promise...and then acting all Goliath strong again moments later. 

Exactly.  The 6 Goliaths huddling together wouldn't arouse suspicion at all, right?  That's part of why I credit the Davids for reading the room, disregaring whatever noises the renegade Goliaths were making and trusting what they were seeing instead.

Allison, Kara, and Alec just blew up their game by trying to flip at the last minute.  Now no one on either side will trust them.

Best part was seeing the look on Mike's face as he was outwitted two TCs in a row.

This has been a great season.  There really hasn't been a villain to speak of since the worst the editors can come up with are the likes of Angelina and Dan.  Even Natalie before the merge wasn't a horrible person.  Of course I'm rooting for a David sweep, but the remaining Goliaths as individuals seem like nice enough people too.

[sigmaforce86]

53 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

  9 hours ago, blackwing said:

Everyone is congratulating the Davids on reading the room correctly, but really, just like last week when they “perfectly” played the idol for Christian... it’s because they got information.  Last week Alec tipped them off about the vote for Christian.   This week Kara told about the idol and then either she or Alec told the Davids.

I agree with this but at the same time they do deserve some credit on the room reading front - there's getting the information and there's believing the information.  We often see in Survivor the person(s) who gets blindsided because they're fed false info and they fall for it AND the person(s) who screw up because they're fed true intel and refuse to believe it thinking it's a trap.  To get the information is one thing, to know your source, figure out if there's more to the story or when it's true and decide if you should act on it is something else.

[Rachel RSL]

I never fully trust the editing at TC because we know they edit in reaction shots that are totally out of place so who knows when the head nods all actually occurred. Plus, I’m fairly confident that Carl’s “BING!” happened right after the Idol Nullifier was announced, not immediately after Dan got booted. (Dan is in a different position and Carl’s face is different when they cut to longer shots) I mean, he’s still making a show that it was him who played it, but it just seems less “in your face” then if it had happened right after Dan’s blindside. 

Edited November 22, 2018 by Rachel RSL

[ByaNose]

Dan’s Ponderosa was pretty good. Too much Elisabeth but an hysterical “How to be a Brochacho”.  You can tell that Dan & Jon became really good friends out there. Jon was hysterical. 

[jay741982]

9 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I know it’s obnoxious but I have to “actually” you on this, only because I love reminding everyone of Kelly Wentworth telling absolutely nobody about her idol and then blindsiding Andrew Savage’s smug ass out of the game. Good times!

Loved that.

8 hours ago, Mambo Queen said:

I very much agree with your Kara analysis and would also add that she did NOT seem to want to team up and be Goliath Strong again, but felt like she was forced into it because of Alec and Allison's double-flip back into the Goliath fold. Don't sleep on Kara...she's not dumb, and turning on  Dan wasn't a mistake. I think she more than any of the other Goliath's correctly read the David-threat level and realized her best move was not to try and beat them but to join them.

Join them and be on the bottom? Nah that's dumb

[seacliffsal]

The season is everything.  However, I'm a bit worried as I just read in T.V. Guide that viewership numbers are down and I hope that doesn't lead the producers to doubt the casting and play of this season.  Sigh.

While Carl made sure that people knew he was the one who played the nullifier, I'm sure that they all realize this was a collaborative action as it involved the steal a vote as well as the nullifier.  It was also interesting that it appeared that Nick, Carl, and Davie were the ones who executed the previous week's TC play as when the Davids were all in a group of five this week, the three of them apologized for not including the entire group in last week's plans and then explaining that they still had two secret advantages.  Absolutely loved that all of the Davids not only agreed to get up while the others were sleeping to look for the idol but that they actually did so.  I also really appreciate that they understand that if they only used their advantages on themselves they would only guarantee an additional TC (which is often the goal as this game can change so quickly), whereas if they use the advantages to further their tribe they may have the opportunity to last much longer.

Loved the confusion that followed Nick's use of the steal a vote.  Usually it has been played to take the vote of the person being targeted, whereas this time it was played for several reasons: send a message, confuse the other side, flush out an idol.  Brilliant play all the way around.  Mike must be hugely worried as he was in a good position with the Davids prior to bailing on the secret alliance.  Had a strong, named alliance with Nick, had the spear head alliance, etc.  He is totally on the outs with the Davids at this point.  

Had a wonderful meal yesterday, am safe and happy in my home watching Survivor...but yet those burgers looked amazing!

[amazingracefan]

1 hour ago, ByaNose said:

Dan’s Ponderosa was pretty good. Too much Elisabeth but an hysterical “How to be a Brochacho”.  You can tell that Dan & Jon became really good friends out there. Jon was hysterical. 

I only saw the first one so far with Elisabeth which bored me.  I wish they'd make Ponderosa more interesting than just making it a comic segment.  The South African and even the Australian one make it more about the game, reactions and opinions on what's happening. 

44 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Loved the confusion that followed Nick's use of the steal a vote.  Usually it has been played to take the vote of the person being targeted, whereas this time it was played for several reasons: send a message, confuse the other side, flush out an idol.  Brilliant play all the way around.  Mike must be hugely worried as he was in a good position with the Davids prior to bailing on the secret alliance.  Had a strong, named alliance with Nick, had the spear head alliance, etc.  He is totally on the outs with the Davids at this point. 

I thought it made more sense to steal Dan's vote, they are voting him out, they want him playing the idol so the nullifier plays perfectly.  Pissing off someone else by stealing their vote while they remain in the game might not be the best move, it just makes them more alert that they aren't trusted.

[Haleth]

I think Allison is smart enough to figure out she isn't trusted.

[loki567]

After Ghost Island and Laurel's constant refrain of, "Now is not the time to make a move," it was so, so satisfying to watch Nick's shit or get off the pot vote steal against Alison. Especially since you could see her shaken by it, like, "What? You people aren't going to vote for me because I'm constantly lying and giving you false hope every TC?" 

[preeya]

BING!!!!

[ghoulina]

12 hours ago, jay741982 said:

I'm not sure how Alec WHO BETRAYED HER BEFORE is better for Kara's game than Dan. Yes he got arrogant and wasn't Brillant or anything but she flipped on him so fast and ratted him out when hes never betrayed her I felt bad for him some. Hes not good for her game but someone who betrayed before is? 

I get Kara wanting to distance herself from Dan, but I was confused why she suddenly became so adamant HE HAS TO GO. 

12 hours ago, Vgmastr said:

Man, you couldn't have scripted the last two episodes any better.  Knowing the Davids had the vote steal and the idol nullifier, this was the exact thing I wanted to happen, steal a vote to make it a 6-5 advantage and use the nullifier to guarantee the person you write down goes home.  Absolutely beautiful.

I was so worried that the Idol Nullifier would be too hard to figure out how to play correctly. I figured it would go unused or be misused. I'm not usually one for new gimmicks, but this worked out perfectly. 

 

12 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Mike is 100% my Bitch Eating Crackers now. I wasn’t sure who to root for in the RC but then they showed Mike and I was like “I don’t want him to win anything!” I don’t hate him as a person or anything but, for some reason, he’s incurring my Survivor wrath. And Allison is right there with him now too.

Same! Normally I hate when one side takes over but, this season, but I would be totally fine with a Pagonging of the Goliaths and then the awesome Davids can battle it out amongst themselves. Also, I truly appreciate that this show provides me with the opportunity to use phrases like “Pagonging of the Goliaths”.

Girl, you are reading my mind. I thought Mike would be one of the Goliaths I'd like at first. Boy, have I changed. He could have been in a good position, but he's overestimated how smart he actually is and now I'm not here for anything he's got going on. 

And I'm so on board with the Davids taking it all the way. I usually HATE when things are one sided. And I don't even dislike all the Goliaths. But I'm just so enamored with the Davids right now.

[cujo]

#brochachoblindside
I just hope this doesn't mean Christian completes the 3-peat next week.

 

Also watching Davie with John's jacket at the start all I could think of was an Amazing Race final challenge but for Survivor home viewers at the finale. "Hey home viewers, your chance to win $10K, in order list who's jacket was most talked about in each episode!"

[peachmangosteen]

OK, maybe I need to let go of my fear that this season is gonna turn to shit. Two amazing, like Top 10 overall maybe, eps in a row. We're so spoiled! 

I am in the camp that Carl's "BING!" wasn't so much an in-your-face to Dan as a "Hey, I made a move!" to the jury/other players. Dan and him fist-bumped afterwards as well, which I think proves it wasn't seen as a dick move by Dan imo. The Davids weren't coming off arrogant to me. They came off as excited that they were able to outsmart the Goliaths two TCs in a row and I don't think it's a bad thing to be happy about that. Especially since they seem to have been feeling like the Goliaths were treating them like idiots and disrespecting them over and over. And I don't disagree with them on that feeling tbh.

The thing with Davie and the jacket was kinda dick-ish though but it was 100% hilarious, mostly because of the previous jacket situation.

Alison somehow manages to be fascinating even though she's just another weak, follower type player that plays scared. I'm very interested to see what she does now. 

I like that they keep surprising us, but I do wish we knew more about how these crazy TCs came about. I'd like to know which David came up with the plan to use Nick's vote steal on Alison and what the reasoning was there, specifically. I wish the extra vids were more scenes like that.

I am with everyone on Mike being BEC at this point. He is the worst and I am actually rooting for a boring ep soon because I want him unceremoniously voted out lol.

I like Kara and I think she's a possible dark horse. I also like Alec a lot. I probably like them in general more than I like most of the Davids, but I just love the Davids as a unit and I really want them to succeed together. It's very Aitu 4 for me since I hated Ozzy and wasn't that into Yul, but I just loved them all as a group and them being able to overcome and get to the F4 together is one of my fave Survivor endings ever.

Edited November 22, 2018 by peachmangosteen

[Ms Blue Jay]

10 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I appreciated the zoomed in shots of his abs and v-lines when he was navigating his balls down his giant curved arrow.

 

....what?

You have company.  Thank goodness for the rewind and pause button

9 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I had to go back and watch the Davids on the beach right before TC because I loved that moment almost as much as TC.  Nick: "I have a secret advantage."  Carl: "I have a secret advantage".  Christian: "I have an idol."  You could almost feel the excitement getting bigger and bigger.  

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

@KimberStormer  Last week many people here pointed out that Mike almost orchestrated his own downfall because he just out-thought himself. This week it was Alison who said, words to the effect "My mind is going a million miles an hour". As soon as she said that, I figured we'd be seeing some ramifications of that and we surely did.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Mike being BEC at this point. He is the worst and I am actually rooting for a boring ep soon because I want him unceremoniously voted out lol.

There's no way that'd be boring.  It'd be so much fun.  He started out as one of my favourites along with Jeremy.  I respect him so much and now he's one of the villains.  LOL.  It's extremely fascinating how he went from doing the Outsider 6 to becoming obsessed with Christian to that now potentially being his downfall while the Davids go crazy banding together despite differences and lack of trust playing all sorts of advantages to save Christian.  It's like Survivor Shakespeare.  Mike could have aligned himself with Christian but instead he could be taken down by him.

I'm a big fan of this show and I fantasize about being on it and the way I always picture things going is to align myself really closely with someone on Day 1.  So it's interesting to me how Kara thinks, which is the opposite of how I do - which is, if someone's loyal to me, keep them around.  I don't really "get" her thinking but I don't think anything negatively about it because I would like to hear more of it and understand why Dan was apparently holding her back.

Dan goes down as being legendarily screwed by this game.  It's not like I think he's blameless; he was so starry eyed over Kara and told way too many people about way too many idols.  LOL.  But man, he could have been so threatening if kept the skill of always finding idols and got rid of the flaws like having crushes and blabbing.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[watch2much]

I didn't mind the celebrations especially in light of the moment last week when the Goliaths were assessing the David's members and the scene showed Davie and Carl and the Goliaths blew them off as any possible threats.  One flaw in the Goliath's Strong position is that if they picked off all the Davids, they would be left with all these strong players capable of winning individual immunity--a lot of competition.  So if one flipped, they could be the strongest player on the weakest physical team and in a better position to win individual immunity.  

[jumper sage]

I have read this thread and agree with all of you even when you don't agree with each other.  Does that make any sense?

This is such a great season.  The tribal council was, once again, epic.  You think you know what is going down, but no.

  Mr. Sage watched the whole episode - FIRST TIME EVER IN HISTORY - and now he too is hooked.  I would like to see this season and its castaways get a redo like you did on the playground.  With what they know it would be another epic season.

Mr. Sage just found out that Survivor is on Hulu and it starts with season 1.  He has off until Monday so..............If you hear someone banging their head on the table, it will be me.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Edited November 22, 2018 by jumper sage

[Sentient Meat]

I don't get the irritation with the player going "bing" and rubbing something in during a TC.

It's a jury game... not a done deal... if that player wants to piss off other people... they might pay for it with a vote or two.

Now, going bing after winning a million... that would be terrible sportsmanship unless their opponent had really done them dirty in game.

8 minutes ago, jumper sage said:

I have read this thread and agree with all of you even when you don't agree with each other.  Does that make any sense?

This is such a great season.  The tribal council was, once again, epic.  You think you know what is going down, but no.

  Mr. Sage watched the whole episode - FIRST TIME EVER IN HISTORY - and now he too is hooked.  I would like to see this season and its castaways get a redo like you did on the playground.  With what they know it would be another epic season.

Mr. Sage just found out that Survivor is on Hulu and it starts with season 1.  He has off until Monday so..............If you hear someone banging their head on the table, it will be me.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

CBS All Access has all the seasons... so if he's wondering where the missing seasons are, he can pay a few bucks... maybe even a free trial... and finish them there.

[Nashville]

5 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

I empathize fully with you. If I was Dan I would have most definitely felt like stepping on Jeff's toes as I walked past him down the "walk of shame". Better yet, I would have felt like giving him a smack in the mouth. No shit! How is it fair to block his idol like that? He had every expectation of being safe and then Jeff blindsides him with this Idol Nullifier.

Just as fair as the very first time an idol was played at TC, I reckon, and a runner-up in the votes found themselves taking  the Walk of Shame instead of the primary vote-getter.  :>

EVERY twist in the game works to the advantage of some, and to the disadvantage of others - and at the inaugural play of each new twist (be it idols, advantages, Exile Island, etc.), I’m sure every disadvantaged player initially considered its exercise to be just as unfair.

 

58 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

OK, maybe I need to let go of my fear that this season is gonna turn to shit. Two amazing, like Top 10 overall maybe, eps in a row. We're so spoiled! 

I am in the camp that Carl's "BING!" wasn't so much an in-your-face to Dan as a "Hey, I made a move!" to the jury/other players. Dan and him fist-bumped afterwards as well, which I think proves it wasn't seen as a dick move by Dan imo. The Davids weren't coming off arrogant to me. They came off as excited that they were able to outsmart the Goliaths two TCs in a row and I don't think it's a bad thing to be happy about that. Especially since they seem to have been feeling like the Goliaths were treating them like idiots and disrespecting them over and over. And I don't disagree with them on that feeling tbh.

The thing with Davie and the jacket was kinda dick-ish though but it was 100% hilarious, mostly because of the previous jacket situation.

Alison somehow manages to be fascinating even though she's just another weak, follower type player that plays scared. I'm very interested to see what she does now. 

I like that they keep surprising us, but I do wish we knew more about how these crazy TCs came about. I'd like to know which David came up with the plan to use Nick's vote steal on Alison and what the reasoning was there, specifically. I wish the extra vids were more scenes like that.

I am with everyone on Mike being BEC at this point. He is the worst and I am actually rooting for a boring ep soon because I want him unceremoniously voted out lol.

I like Kara and I think she's a possible dark horse. I also like Alec a lot. I probably like them in general more than I like most of the Davids, but I just love the Davids as a unit and I really want them to succeed together. It's very Aitu 4 for me since I hated Ozzy and wasn't that into Yul, but I just loved them all as a group and them being able to overcome and get to the F4 together is one of my fave Survivor endings ever.

I want to have babies with this post, I love it so much.

—————-

My favorite part of this episode’s TC (besides the absolute letter-perfection of David’s fake-out of Goliath, of course) was the ‘trust’ discussion coming from the Davids, and how it resonated against its targets: Alec, Alison and (to a lesser degree) Kara - the Goliaths who repeatedly promised to work with the Davids, but instead ran back to the safety of their original tribal numbers at the drop of a hat whenever the pressure got remotely real.  Alec and Alison were the primary offenders, IMHO; both had the best promise to (and made the loudest noises about) make a BGM by elevating this season past its original tribal lines, but both failed to realize making such moves requires a degree of backbone at least somewhat more substantial than vermicelli al dente.  

Alec, to his (dubious) credit, got the message immediately; his chiming in after Carl’s soliloquy on trust with an “I feel the EXACT SAME WAY, Jeff!” was hilarious.  BrownNose Of the Year award goes to Alec, hands down.  :>    Alison and her “Well, I didn’t expect that” when her vote was stolen, though...?  Alison is either the most clueless person on the island this season*, or the most disingenuous - take your pick.  

In either case, I don’t think the shot fired by the Davids across their collective bows could have been clearer: when you have repeatedly held out a promise of trustworthiness, but then immediately proceed to betray that trust, every time - why the hell would you expect someone to trust you now?  Was this bunch homeschooled or something?  Because I’d learned the value of keeping your word before I got out of third grade.

 

* Well... next to Dan, of course....

[Ms Blue Jay]

13 minutes ago, Sentient Meat said:

I don't get the irritation with the player going "bing" and rubbing something in during a TC.

It's a jury game... not a done deal... if that player wants to piss off other people... they might pay for it with a vote or two.

Now, going bing after winning a million... that would be terrible sportsmanship unless their opponent had really done them dirty in game.

CBS All Access has all the seasons... so if he's wondering where the missing seasons are, he can pay a few bucks... maybe even a free trial... and finish them there.

I just realized, there's an interesting analogy between the gloating after TCs and how controversial it is and how controversial it is to celebrate in major league baseball.  I don't know the other sports that well but it doesn't seem to piss people off if you celebrate in soccer, hockey, or football (I THINK?!??!?!!) but in baseball, some players seem to have this old school American philosophy that if you celebrate after a homerun in baseball, you are committing a sin and therefore need to be met with violence afterward (which sometimes does happen) and some of these same people even think the resulting violence is more appropriate and in the 'spirit of the game' than the showboating/celebrating.  One of them used to be a celebrated commentator in Toronto until he was fired for accusations of sexual harassment.

@jumper sage, I mention this here way too often, but I ran through about 20 seasons in a summer a few years ago.  Now I'm a crazy fan.  I often bail on the season a few episodes past the merge.  The top 6 is when it usually got really boring for me, and just way too emotional.  But the machinations leading up to the merge and the immediate aftermath are always almost delicious.  Tell your husband never to read Wikipedia because the winner is always spoiled immediately at the top of the page for any season.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[green]

8 hours ago, simplyme said:

The original agreement between Alison, Alec, and Kara (referred to as AKA from now on) and the Davids was to split the vote. Dan was the target, but they were afraid (Well, AKA knew) he had an idol, so in case he played it they needed a secondary target. Of the 6 Goliaths, the secondary target couldn't be AKA or Dan, which left only Angelina or Mike. 

Five Davids plus AKA = 8 votes. Only Dan, Mike and Angelina are left out of that plan to cast 3 votes against a David. So I assume the original plan was to have 4 people vote Angelina and 4 vote Dan.

And this is why I'm convinced that Alec and Kara did not just stick with the split plan after Alison told them she was going to stay Goliath Strong (aside from the fact that neither seems dumb, and sticking with a plan that someone else who is voting opposite you knows? Is dumb.). Once you remove Alison from the split plan, there are now four votes against a David. Not a sure win, and there's an idol, and Alison knew the plan...

So pretty much I think Alec and Kara felt they had to flip back to Goliath when Alison did. Then when Nick stole Alison's vote, it was pretty much a reprimand and threat for agreeing and backing out--twice. (Why Alison? She'd let the Davids down twice and she didn't have immunity so they could make her good and nervous that they were voting her.) And that's when AKA decided to pretend they'd planned to stick to the split vote agreement by having Alec and Kara vote the way they presumably would have: for Angelina.

 

Great summary.  At first I was sitting there going well it was 6 to 5 and now it is 6 to 6 with Nick's added vote.  Took me awhile to realize that Nick's vote made it a TWO vote swing since Allison lost hers.

I think Nick's role in all of this was top of the line because he also did the best of the Davids to convey the need for the flippin' Goliaths to "prove" themselves to the Davids without threatening them in the immediate moment.  Even the Allison vote steal was more a shot across her bow than a broadside shot at her.  Hey, turn your ship around and join the winning fleet, this is your last warning kind of thing.  It also sent a strong message to Alec and Kara that "we don't even need you guys this TC because we don't even need to steal Dan's vote.  We got this one just fine so you better get back into our good graces asap or find yourself on the wrong side of the future numbers."

 

4 hours ago, jay741982 said:

Loved that.

Join them and be on the bottom? Nah that's dumb

This was about Kara but she would be joining them with Alec and, she thought at the time, Allison as well.  Their numbers assured they would be a strong component of the New Davids and when the New Davids fractured eventually they would be in great shape being the power brokers that decided what faction of the Old Davids to go with.  Had Kara stayed with Dan she would be the target because of the showmance/power couple stuff.  Kara made a damn smart move that Allison almost screwed up.

 

3 hours ago, amazingracefan said:

I thought it made more sense to steal Dan's vote, they are voting him out, they want him playing the idol so the nullifier plays perfectly.  Pissing off someone else by stealing their vote while they remain in the game might not be the best move, it just makes them more alert that they aren't trusted.

Again as I said above, it was a shot across Allison's bow to bring her back into the fold.  It also tells Alec and Kara they trust those two more so picking Allison turned out to be perfect to send all the messages needed including the fact that they didn't even NEED to nullify Dan's vote that TC the Davids were so sure of themselves which could have been the final straw in Alec's and Kara's decision to go with the Davids then and there.  If they had decided to target Dan instead they would have showed themselves weaker and more predictable and Alec and Kara may have thought they might be bluffing instead and Dan would save himself with his idol.

 

38 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I just realized, there's an interesting analogy between the gloating after TCs and how controversial it is and how controversial it is to celebrate in major league baseball.  I don't know the other sports that well but it doesn't seem to piss people off if you celebrate in soccer, hockey, or football (I THINK?!??!?!!) but in baseball, some players seem to have this old school American philosophy that if you celebrate after a homerun in baseball, you are committing a sin and therefore need to be met with violence afterward (which sometimes does happen) and some of these same people even think the resulting violence is more appropriate and in the 'spirit of the game' than the showboating/celebrating.  One of them used to be a celebrated commentator in Toronto until he was fired for accusations of sexual harassment.

 

OT:  Football was where the over the top celebration first started.  Football used to penalize same but now allows some but draws the line if the celebrator is literally in the face of someone from the other team or the celebration goes on way too long.  BTW football started backing down from the old "no celebration at all" stance when it became a racial divide with black athletes pointing out that the "stoic" approach was more a European heritage thing and that African cultural traditions celebrated victories far more openly.

You are right about baseball ... but in the past.  No more.  Baseball is trying to join the 21st century and realizes it's image is too old fashioned for many younger people and is trying to change that image.  In fact MLB had a promo that ran throughout the playoffs this year where they talk about the "no fun" era of the unwritten rules about no celebrating being over and dead and letting the "boys play" and have fun and let the emotions of joy out with shot after shot of bat flipping and celebrating and such shown in a very happy and positive light.  This October Major League Baseball officially said yes to having fun and celebrating finally.

Edited November 22, 2018 by green

[Sentient Meat]

32 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I just realized, there's an interesting analogy between the gloating after TCs and how controversial it is and how controversial it is to celebrate in major league baseball.  I don't know the other sports that well but it doesn't seem to piss people off if you celebrate in soccer, hockey, or football (I THINK?!??!?!!) but in baseball, some players seem to have this old school American philosophy that if you celebrate after a homerun in baseball, you are committing a sin and therefore need to be met with violence afterward (which sometimes does happen) and some of these same people even think the resulting violence is more appropriate and in the 'spirit of the game' than the showboating/celebrating.  One of them used to be a celebrated commentator in Toronto until he was fired for accusations of sexual harassment.

@jumper sage, I mention this here way too often, but I ran through about 20 seasons in a summer a few years ago.  Now I'm a crazy fan.  I often bail on the season a few episodes past the merge.  The top 6 is when it usually got really boring for me, and just way too emotional.  But the machinations leading up to the merge and the immediate aftermath are always almost delicious.  Tell your husband never to read Wikipedia because the winner is always spoiled immediately at the top of the page for any season.

I respect tradition and good manners in general, but baseball has been sliding in the ratings compared to football and basketball, and I also find it ironic that the same cultural mores that insist that a pitcher throw a 100 mile an hour brush back pitch at someone's head, get so offended by a bat flip.  Sure, Carl was obnoxious... but who knows how cliquish or dismissive the Goliaths were before the TC.  Mike, Alison, and Alec have all reneged on their deals at certain points... Angelina can be annoying...  for all we know it was an appropriate reaction depending on the context.

I don't really have a dog in this fight... I just like to see good gameplay, and that's what we've had the last few weeks.  A few more twists and turns, and this season should be considered one of the better ones.

[Ms Blue Jay]

26 minutes ago, green said:

You are right about baseball ... but in the past.  No more.  

I watch baseball throughout the season.  I am not sure why you say "no more".  I disagree vehemently.  Players are still currently being pitched at and beaten for showboating.  The players with the old school mentality still exist in the league regardless of MLB rules, and there are legions of baseball 'fans' out there who back them up.  The difference between the MLB and the World Baseball Classic this year made the cultural differences very obvious.  The Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Japanese teams in the WBC act incredibly differently from the teams playing in the MLB because MLB players still fear retribution.  That was 2017.

16 minutes ago, Sentient Meat said:

I respect tradition and good manners in general, but baseball has been sliding in the ratings compared to football and basketball, and I also find it ironic that the same cultural mores that insist that a pitcher throw a 100 mile an hour brush back pitch at someone's head, get so offended by a bat flip.  Sure, Carl was obnoxious... but who knows how cliquish or dismissive the Goliaths were before the TC.  Mike, Alison, and Alec have all reneged on their deals at certain points... Angelina can be annoying...  for all we know it was an appropriate reaction depending on the context.

I agree with you that it's ridiculous, but I also don't respect tradition at all ;)

TCs would be boring without reactions like Carl's.  That's what makes the show fun and different every season, those weird moments like that.  (Spencer saying You have zero chance of winning this game.  Randy screaming at TC?  Am I remembering that right?  Michaela's meme-able reactions with the tea cup) and on and on.  That's the specialness of the show.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[Matty]

I was on the edge of my seat watching to see how TC would play out. That was pretty much perfect play by the Davids and absolutely strategic use of two of their advantages. I hope Mike gets voted out soon. He comes across as thinking he's smarter than everyone else. I liked him at the beginning of the season but now he's become insufferable with all of his Goliath strong BS. I hope the Davids screw him sooner rather than later. His surprised expression at Tribal Council was so damn enjoyable to behold because he thought he knew exactly what was going to happen. I know the Davids will have to start picking each other off soon but I really like them working as a team. They're smart and scrappy.

[lids]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm a big fan of this show and I fantasize about being on it and the way I always picture things going is to align myself really closely with someone on Day 1.  So it's interesting to me how Kara thinks, which is the opposite of how I do - which is, if someone's loyal to me, keep them around.  I don't really "get" her thinking but I don't think anything negatively about it because I would like to hear more of it and understand why Dan was apparently holding her back.

Dan goes down as being legendarily screwed by this game.  It's not like I think he's blameless; he was so starry eyed over Kara and told way too many people about way too many idols.  LOL.  But man, he could have been so threatening if kept the skill of always finding idols and got rid of the flaws like having crushes and blabbing.

But would you keep somebody like Phillip Shepherd (feather and all) because he promised to be loyal? Or even Coach, if he promised to be your sensei and tell you exactly what you needed to do to succeed with honor? There have been plenty of people on Survivor who have been loyal but also a real headache to manage. Dan is just that hard combination of dumb and arrogant. You never know what dumb people are going to do and that stresses their teammates out. (Looking at you Tyson of Heroes vs Villains.)

I’m also pretty confident we will see Dan again. He has the best story arch for a redemption season. Can’t you just hear Probst voiceovering, “He blabbed about his advantages and played two idols unsuccessfully leading to his being ousted in part by his own island romance. Will he able to overcome his mistakes and scheme his way to a million dollars?”

Heck, I’ll root for him if he comes back humbled and wiser. I love a good comeback and Dan kind of played like how Boston Rob did in the beginning (although Boston Rob is way smarter), so I can see Dan studying the game and surprising everyone if he comes back. I hope they bring back all the Brochachios at the same time. That would be epic. Also, if they play with fans, in a fan favorite season, Dan will be much loved because he’s such a memorable character.

[djlynch]

54 minutes ago, lids said:

I hope they bring back all the Brochachios at the same time. That would be epic.

That gave me an idea for an all-returner season that starts out as four tribes, each of which was an alliance from a previous season. Call me, Probst.

[ghoulina]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

You have company.  Thank goodness for the rewind and pause button

 

That scene was so thrilling to me. The only time I was glad that everyone was spilling their guts about their various advantages.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, lids said:

But would you keep somebody like Phillip Shepherd (feather and all) because he promised to be loyal? Or even Coach, if he promised to be your sensei and tell you exactly what you needed to do to succeed with honor? There have been plenty of people on Survivor who have been loyal but also a real headache to manage. Dan is just that hard combination of dumb and arrogant. You never know what dumb people are going to do and that stresses their teammates out. (Looking at you Tyson of Heroes vs Villains.)

No, but I don't find Dan similar to Coach and Phillip.  He seemed ok.  He doesn't provoke any strong reaction in me at all.

[MisterBluxom]

9 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I never fully trust the editing at TC because we know they edit in reaction shots that are totally out of place so who knows when the head nods all actually occurred. Plus, I’m fairly confident that Carl’s “BING!” happened right after the Idol Nullifier was announced, not immediately after Dan got booted. (Dan is in a different position and Carl’s face is different when they cut to longer shots) I mean, he’s still making a show that it was him who played it, but it just seems less “in your face” then if it had happened right after Dan’s blindside. 

Excellent observation!

2 hours ago, ghoulina said:

That scene was so thrilling to me. The only time I was glad that everyone was spilling their guts about their various advantages.

Oh. Just look at that expression on Chrstian's face. He looks like a drowning man who has just been saved. What a thrill!

[jay741982]

4 hours ago, green said:

Great summary.  At first I was sitting there going well it was 6 to 5 and now it is 6 to 6 with Nick's added vote.  Took me awhile to realize that Nick's vote made it a TWO vote swing since Allison lost hers.

I think Nick's role in all of this was top of the line because he also did the best of the Davids to convey the need for the flippin' Goliaths to "prove" themselves to the Davids without threatening them in the immediate moment.  Even the Allison vote steal was more a shot across her bow than a broadside shot at her.  Hey, turn your ship around and join the winning fleet, this is your last warning kind of thing.  It also sent a strong message to Alec and Kara that "we don't even need you guys this TC because we don't even need to steal Dan's vote.  We got this one just fine so you better get back into our good graces asap or find yourself on the wrong side of the future numbers."

 

This was about Kara but she would be joining them with Alec and, she thought at the time, Allison as well.  Their numbers assured they would be a strong component of the New Davids and when the New Davids fractured eventually they would be in great shape being the power brokers that decided what faction of the Old Davids to go with.  Had Kara stayed with Dan she would be the target because of the showmance/power couple stuff.  Kara made a damn smart move that Allison almost screwed up.

 

Again as I said above, it was a shot across Allison's bow to bring her back into the fold.  It also tells Alec and Kara they trust those two more so picking Allison turned out to be perfect to send all the messages needed including the fact that they didn't even NEED to nullify Dan's vote that TC the Davids were so sure of themselves which could have been the final straw in Alec's and Kara's decision to go with the Davids then and there.  If they had decided to target Dan instead they would have showed themselves weaker and more predictable and Alec and Kara may have thought they might be bluffing instead and Dan would save himself with his idol.

 

OT:  Football was where the over the top celebration first started.  Football used to penalize same but now allows some but draws the line if the celebrator is literally in the face of someone from the other team or the celebration goes on way too long.  BTW football started backing down from the old "no celebration at all" stance when it became a racial divide with black athletes pointing out that the "stoic" approach was more a European heritage thing and that African cultural traditions celebrated victories far more openly.

You are right about baseball ... but in the past.  No more.  Baseball is trying to join the 21st century and realizes it's image is too old fashioned for many younger people and is trying to change that image.  In fact MLB had a promo that ran throughout the playoffs this year where they talk about the "no fun" era of the unwritten rules about no celebrating being over and dead and letting the "boys play" and have fun and let the emotions of joy out with shot after shot of bat flipping and celebrating and such shown in a very happy and positive light.  This October Major League Baseball officially said yes to having fun and celebrating finally.

 

LOL Kara shouldn't even trust Alec who betrayed her before and the Davids sure as hell shouldn't trust Kara the way she flipped on Dan. Kara wants to be on the bottom of a seven person alliance that's on her and Davids are Dumb if they trust Kara and Alec more than Allison like someone on here said Alec Kara Allison should be equal on how much Davids shouldn't trust them. Again look how Kara turned on Dan for Allison and a Guy who stabbed her before. I'll laugh when Kara is out Soon. 

Edited November 22, 2018 by jay741982

[green]

4 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I watch baseball throughout the season.  I am not sure why you say "no more".  I disagree vehemently.  Players are still currently being pitched at and beaten for showboating.  The players with the old school mentality still exist in the league regardless of MLB rules, and there are legions of baseball 'fans' out there who back them up.  The difference between the MLB and the World Baseball Classic this year made the cultural differences very obvious.  The Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Japanese teams in the WBC act incredibly differently from the teams playing in the MLB because MLB players still fear retribution.  That was 2017.

I agree with you that it's ridiculous, but I also don't respect tradition at all ;)

TCs would be boring without reactions like Carl's.  That's what makes the show fun and different every season, those weird moments like that.  (Spencer saying You have zero chance of winning this game.  Randy screaming at TC?  Am I remembering that right?  Michaela's meme-able reactions with the tea cup) and on and on.  That's the specialness of the show.

OT but one more time:  Because as of October 2018 Major League Baseball put out that promo commercial that ran several times during every single playoff game last month saying celebrating and showboating are fine in Major League Baseball.  It amounts to an edict from the Commisioner's office.  If any pitcher wants to go head hunting after a bat flipper the umpires will come down hard now in 2019.  The old school approach is being weeded out. 

Yeah there will be a few retro players around.  You can't snap your fingers at the end of the season and end it immediately. But they will face punishment and fines for retaliation more and more.  MLB WILL change it's image and the retro guys will change or be miserable resisting it. 

Also there have been a number of news stories about how players on my home town team are being actively encouraged to show emotion on the field now as well.  It is a brand new era MLB is promoting.

[violet and green]

15 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

Another fantastic episode and the thing that makes it so fantastic is how so many people are playing and thinking, the moves and counter-moves.  

[big snip]

So now the Goliath tribe is a total shambles with no credibility on any side because of Allison.

 

I double-heart your whole post!

How great is it, also, that the mighty Goliath tribe is in a shambles because of Alison, who is a wet lettuce.

15 hours ago, Sentient Meat said:

Agree that the Davids aren't any more likeable than the Goliaths... Gabby is a cry baby... Christian can be smug... Carl isn't the most lovable... and the lawyer guy was kind of a snake early on in the game... but I think why people are rooting for them is because no one wanted to see a boring pagonging... and that's what we were headed for before this TC.

I am rooting for them because I liked a few of them so much, initially, most of whom remain, and because they are the underdogs, and because of the way they have come together to share their advantages in hilarious group scenes of joy, and then because they keep pulling these moves out of their back pockets with such straight faces, while the ones with the upper hand are stony-faced, dismissive, or smug, and completely unawares. Really, it is the first scene on the boat over and over, only much more fun. Like this:

15 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I had to go back and watch the Davids on the beach right before TC because I loved that moment almost as much as TC.  Nick: "I have a secret advantage."  Carl: "I have a secret advantage".  Christian: "I have an idol."  You could almost feel the excitement getting bigger and bigger.  

It is such a joy to watch!

[enchantingmonkey]

10 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Plus, I’m fairly confident that Carl’s “BING!” happened right after the Idol Nullifier was announced, not immediately after Dan got booted. (Dan is in a different position and Carl’s face is different when they cut to longer shots) I mean, he’s still making a show that it was him who played it, but it just seems less “in your face” then if it had happened right after Dan’s blindside. 

Oh, good catch!  That explains the fist bump, which seems less likely to happen after Dan just gets blindsided.  And Dan is resting his face against his other hand when he fist bumps, not standing up to get his torch.  Those editing monkeys are so sneaky!

[MisterBluxom]

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

Just as fair as the very first time an idol was played at TC, I reckon, and a runner-up in the votes found themselves taking  the Walk of Shame instead of the primary vote-getter.  :>

EVERY twist in the game works to the advantage of some, and to the disadvantage of others - and at the inaugural play of each new twist (be it idols, advantages, Exile Island, etc.), I’m sure every disadvantaged player initially considered its exercise to be just as unfair.

<snip>

Yes indeed. Every new twist works to the advantage of some and to the disadvantage of others.

But it would have been very simple for Jeff to have announced the concept of the Idol Nullifier sometime before this episode. That could have then given everyone fair notice there was an Idol Nullifier and it would have prevented anyone from thinking they were somehow treated unfairly when it was used. Can you imagine if you were Dan? For 37 seasons, whenever someone played a HII, they could be certain they would be safe from the vote. But, all of a sudden, that was no longer true and Dan had no chance at all to see it coming.

Wouldn't that be comparable to someone getting voted out and then Jeff announcing they would not in fact "really" be going home? Getting voted out and going home is one of the main planks in the Survivor platform. I know this sort of thing did happen once before with Redemption Island. But I seem to recall that before someone actually got "voted out" without being sent home, Jeff had explained what would be happening before hand so that everyone got fair notice at the same time. So if someone had risked their game on the idea that somebody else would be getting voted out and going home, that person would not be surprised and be left up the creek. Why was it fair for Redemption Island but not fair for the Idol Nulliier?  My heart goes to Dan. He really got the short end of the stick. He had no chance at all to defend himself against this development. It was kind of like just getting a tap on the shoulder and having someone tell him, "Sorry mate. But there has been a change in the rules and you are done!" Time for you to go home now!

[jumper sage]

6 hours ago, Sentient Meat said:

I don't get the irritation with the player going "bing" and rubbing something in during a TC.

It's a jury game... not a done deal... if that player wants to piss off other people... they might pay for it with a vote or two.

Now, going bing after winning a million... that would be terrible sportsmanship unless their opponent had really done them dirty in game.

CBS All Access has all the seasons... so if he's wondering where the missing seasons are, he can pay a few bucks... maybe even a free trial... and finish them there.

No were are not paying for CBS when we already get Hulu.  I hate that CBS is being a dick about streaming.

6 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

@jumper sage, I mention this here way too often, but I ran through about 20 seasons in a summer a few years ago.  Now I'm a crazy fan.  I often bail on the season a few episodes past the merge.  The top 6 is when it usually got really boring for me, and just way too emotional.  But the machinations leading up to the merge and the immediate aftermath are always almost delicious.  Tell your husband never to read Wikipedia because the winner is always spoiled immediately at the top of the page for any season.

He is not one to work a computer and has downloaded viruses on his cell phone by clicking on "not reliable" links.  He has walked by for years while I have watched but this season is just too good and even he is all up in the gameplay.  I think season 1 will be crappy for him since we know they give them rain gear and food.  I don't think the challenges were anywhere near as good.

6 hours ago, Nashville said:

Just as fair as the very first time an idol was played at TC, I reckon, and a runner-up in the votes found themselves taking  the Walk of Shame instead of the primary vote-getter.  :>

I cosign to this.  A fan of the game will always be looking for the twist.  I am really surprised that more people don't know that when an idol is used it is put back into the game.  I truly think the player could just find the camera man and the lights..................................

[Destiny74]

I'm just worried that if the Davids do pagong the Goliaths, Christian is the first one out when they reach 5.  Nick would be the deciding vote and he knows how well Christian is doing in the social game.

Then again, Davey is making me smile.  I'd have a hard time choosing between a final two of Christian and Davey.

[amazingracefan]

46 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

Wouldn't that be comparable to someone getting voted out and then Jeff announcing they would not in fact "really" be going home? Getting voted out and going home is one of the main planks in the Survivor platform. I know this sort of thing did happen once before with Redemption Island. But I seem to recall that before someone actually got "voted out" without being sent home, Jeff had explained what would be happening before hand so that everyone got fair notice at the same time.

I don't remember as the season didn't interest me (preferred the following one), I know the Israeli version that did the come back twist first kept it a complete secret.

[Rachel RSL]

2 hours ago, violet and green said:

Alison, who is a wet lettuce.

This is the perfect way to describe her and also absolutely hilarious!

[nottopbravo]

2 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

But it would have been very simple for Jeff to have announced the concept of the Idol Nullifier sometime before this episode. That could have then given everyone fair notice there was an Idol Nullifier and it would have prevented anyone from thinking they were somehow treated unfairly when it was used. Can you imagine if you were Dan? For 37 seasons, whenever someone played a HII, they could be certain they would be safe from the vote. But, all of a sudden, that was no longer true and Dan had no chance at all to see it coming.

 

That's why I only cursory watch this show and don't invest much into it.

Christian got nearly all the votes last week (but production likes him--he does a lot of the talking heads) so we'll make sure he gets an idol.

Next week someone will find the Double-Nullifier, play it, only to be countered by the Triple Sun Idol.  If the sun is shining, the idol has triple the power and you can save three castaways.  

But play that carefully, because the Steal-An-Idol Idol is not far away.  You can steal someone's idol by asking them if they have one, and if they do, it's yours.  This is not to be confused with the Steal-A-Vote Thrice advantage, where you can steal someone's vote and vote three times yourself.

But if you're stealing someone's vote, make sure they don't have the Advantage Double Back, which will mean two votes for you at Tribal Council.

If you don't believe me, ask Jeff. 

[MisterBluxom]

26 minutes ago, nottopbravo said:

That's why I only cursory watch this show and don't invest much into it.

Christian got nearly all the votes last week (but production likes him--he does a lot of the talking heads) so we'll make sure he gets an idol.

Next week someone will find the Double-Nullifier, play it, only to be countered by the Triple Sun Idol.  If the sun is shining, the idol has triple the power and you can save three castaways.  

But play that carefully, because the Steal-An-Idol Idol is not far away.  You can steal someone's idol by asking them if they have one, and if they do, it's yours.  This is not to be confused with the Steal-A-Vote Thrice advantage, where you can steal someone's vote and vote three times yourself.

But if you're stealing someone's vote, make sure they don't have the Advantage Double Back, which will mean two votes for you at Tribal Council.

If you don't believe me, ask Jeff. 

I'd really like to ask him but there are so many new idols, new anti-idols and new uncle-idols being planted that he just doesn't have time for questions.

Edited November 23, 2018 by MissBluxom

[violet and green]

1 hour ago, nottopbravo said:

Christian got nearly all the votes last week (but production likes him--he does a lot of the talking heads) so we'll make sure he gets an idol.

I dunno. We saw almost all the Davids up before dawn, scouring away. They told us they knew the idol went back into play after it was played, and they knew they were down on the numbers and needed every advantage they could find, and so they put a lot of grit into it. We weren't shown Goliaths searching, and presumably some of them did, but they lacked the need that the Davids had, and we then saw Christian explain his spread it out search method that gave this ep its title, et voila! That is hardly an idol being handed to someone on a platter by production -- that is the sweat and determination and organisation of the Davids making a plan and working together, and it is a beauty to behold.

Edited November 23, 2018 by violet and green
rogue apostrophe

[GenerationX]

Absent thoughts on episode 9 - "Null Values"

• The reverse-pagonging continues, as the Davids again show how much better they are at this game than the Goliaths
• In the showmance divorce, Kara gets custody of a couple of potential alliances and the room to maneuver.  Dan takes a seat on the jury.
• We got to see Alec hurdle the obstacles all three times, which goes to show the editors are looking for something, anything that's remotely unusual about challenge performances after some 700+ challenges and will highlight the crap out of them.

[Wandering Snark]

17 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

One of the exciting new things we've added this season is called "An Idol Nullifier". It enables the person who finds it to block the value of an immunity idol. But they have to correctly guess who that idol will be played for and when it will be played."

They would never give up the DRAMA they are specifically looking to create by bringing in a new item and giving due briefing of the new twist. They've always added things to the game and the players just have to deal. Tehy never described Ghost Island or other additions to the players. While it works from a "fairness" standpoint, full disclosure makes for weak teevee.

And I thought Alec hurdling the obstacle was cheating as everyone else plodded through he chose not to engage the obstacle at all. But Probst seemed to love it so of course nothing was done.

Edited November 23, 2018 by Wandering Snark