S38.E01: It Smells Like Success

[Whimsy]

Castaways hover on the “Edge of Extinction” in an all-new twist, and four returning players attempt to bond with their new tribemates. Also, castaways tackle a giant puzzle in their first immunity challenge of the season.

[cooksdelight]

The teenager gushing at the returnees almost made me change the channel. Folks ... you need to worry about their experience in the game, and get rid of them quickly. Once they show you how to build a fire, etc. first. For they know more than you do about how to play people.

If they hadn’t gotten rid of Reem when they did, a machete would have wound up in her back. That woman is so freaking annoying, I don’t remember anyone like her ever being on the show before. Too bad that boat didn’t capsize. Or some wild animal didn’t come out and eat her.

[LadyChatts]

Probst: ‘Wentworth played idols! David never gave up! Joe is a challenge beast!  And Aubry cried.’ And of course the two oldest women are looking like the most worthless and annoying at camp.  Oh show, I missed you. 

And this is where we’re at with advantages now-they get to pick what they want?   

May Reem win her way back and be the Lill to the blue tribe.

[mojoween]

Never in Survivor have I seen anything more porny than Discount Malcolm humping the ground while starting the fire.

Oh Survivor, you magnificent bastard.  How I have missed you.

Why did Manu Ginobli mention anything to Wendy?  They didn’t need her vote.

Reem, if you were 20 years younger your ass would still have been bounced for being annoying.  They tried to tell you but you didn’t want to listen.

I hate this twist because it gives Reem a chance to stay around and be irritating.

Is there another Kelley?  Can we just call her by her first name?

[phlebas]

Did she just Reemsplain Survivor to Kelley Wentworth?

[dizzyd]

Yay to be back with all of you 🤗

So that place of 2nd chance made for a dramatic ending but I don't see how this is a good idea. I never like someone who has been evicted coming back to win. 

Fireman Eric was hot! 

[vb68]

Season premieres really need to be at least 90 minutes long. This felt very rushed.

Having said that, I saw enough of Reem. I was hoping she would just go home.

Meh on the Extinction twist so far.

I knew Joe would make the difference in the challenge.

Not the best premiere, but we will see how it plays out.

[cooksdelight]

1 minute ago, mojoween said:

Never in Survivor have I seen anything more porny than Discount Malcolm humping the ground while starting the fire.

Oh Survivor, you magnificent bastard.  How I have missed you.

Why did Manu Ginobli mention anything to Wendy?  They didn’t need her vote.

Reem, if you were 20 years younger your ass would still have been bounced for being annoying.  They tried to tell you but you didn’t want to listen.

I hate this twist because it gives Reem a chance to stay around and be irritating.

Is there another Kelley?  Can we just call her by her first name?

Wigglesworth, first season.

[LadyChatts]

Reem seemed like way too easy of a first boot choice.  She’s annoying, but is she the weakest person on that tribe?  Of course, I dislike everyone on that tribe not named Wendy or Keith at this point, so I would have much rather someone else get the boot (preferably WarDog or Rick).

I liked that they didn’t waste time with the marooning and got right to camp. 

There’s a few key things I would make sure to know how to do before going on Survivor.  One of them is knowing how to swim.  Keith, you seem like a sweet guy, but I’m not liking your chances when it comes to being a challenge liability.

I was wondering if anyone was going to question the title of the season.

Can someone explain to me again why people lie about being lawyers on here?  I already don’t like Wardog.  I thought I was going to dislike Wendy, but she seems sweet.  After tonight, though, she’s screwed. 

I think I dislike the rest of the blue tribe just for making a big deal out of Keith getting a swimming lesson from Wendy and Reem.  Seriously, what was that all about?  You people are up against Joe for god sake.  But yeah, not digging that tribe except for Wendy and Keith.    

As for the yellow tribe, I don’t care for Eric; I get the vibe it’s less about learning stuff on his own and more that he wants to be the alpha that calls the shots and is the hero in challenges.

[Haleth]

Once again an older, mouthy woman talked herself out of the game, just like what's her name last time, the manager whose employees would take a bullet for her. 

So how is Edge of Extinction Island different from Redemption Island?  (Other than the bootee is sent.). It's the same concept. 

I had no idea this was on tonight. It was just by chance I ran across it. 

Edited February 21, 2019 by Haleth

[Lamb18]

First impression of Wardog: massive jerk. All he had to do is open his mouth. Whoa, Joe's mustache. Was he emulating Joey from Celebrity Big Brother?

Did Ron find a clue? He picked up something from the floor.

There's the woman with my favo rite last name - Baamonde. She looks like Anne of Green Gables.

New York woman is annoying. Aha - Ron did find a clue!! And he just found an Adventure Menu!! So he can order an advantage from it.

News anchor guy is bugging me, too. 

That's a cool-looking immunity idol.  That dragon is kind of cute.

Is there really a tribe called Comma? Oh oh, one team is lagging. Gavin - mighty crash into the net! This challenge looks like a Mousetrap game. Nasty scrape for Kelley. I hope she can get some disinfectant for it. And she needs to keep her hands off of it!

I think if Reem is voted out it's more for her personality than her age. Wow, votes are all over the place. Well, I guess I'd rather have Reem voted out than Wendy or Kelley.

And there's still hope for Reem! 

[Ms Blue Jay]

This show is so funny.  I love the stupid twist.  It's hysterical.  Especially because I forgot all about it until Reem was actually voted out and saw the weird signs.  LOL.  It'd be so much funnier if she made a humongous "Fuck you" speech right before leaving.  Oh no, she just HAAAAAAD to be classy about it.  LOL

Edited February 21, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Straycat80]

Don’t these people watch past seasons? They always vote off the oldest player and especially if they are pushy, loud and aggressive. And then Reem curses her ex-tribe with rain and shot herself in the foot because now she’s stuck on a beach alone, in the rain. 

I am intrigued by this last chance island adventure. Can’t wait to see what it looks like in the daylight.

There’s a guy on the one tribe called Wardog. My kid thinks this is awesome. 

[wallflower75]

Sometimes I feel like the only person on the planet who doesn’t find Joe appealing whatsoever. And that mustache is not doing him any favors.  The sooner he's blindsided and gone from the game...uh...oh, yeah.  The latest and not-so-greatest twist in Survivor means that even if Joe gets voted out early, we'll have him shoved down our throats on a weekly basis regardless.

And an advantage MENU? Whaaaat?  I see that we’re off and running with the ridiculousness on Survivor early.

For all the surprise that Reem was open about knowing she was the target and how pissed off she was about it...I was surprised the vote was that close between her and Wendy.

[cooksdelight]

1 minute ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It'd be so much funnier if she made a humongous "Fuck you" speech right before leaving.

Give her time. I’m sure it’s on her to-do list. Along with laying everyone’s clothes out on the beach when they take the dreaded boat ride of doom.

[CletusMusashi]

I think I might enjoy this season once I manage to keep straight who's who and who's on which tribe, but the shortness and uneven editing of the pilot did not help me with that goal. Hence my use of the word "might."

[Ms Blue Jay]

19 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

That woman is so freaking annoying, I don’t remember anyone like her ever being on the show before.

There is at least one contestant like that almost every season, dating all the way back to Season 1.  LOL.  Sometimes they're men, but there's pretty much always at least one.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[ByaNose]

Pretty good episode. Typical first vote off with the older woman/mother. Kelley was a little too bitchy and entitled. I’m guessing she going to play Stephenie Lagrossa’s second time out and play balls to the wall. Overall, the cast didn’t impress me that much. I was kind of meh on all of them. I got the anchor guy and the teacher guy confused. The anchor wasn’t talking about his advantage before Tribal and then I realized I had the wrong guy. Too funny!!! I’ll be back next week as usual. I LOVE Survivor. 

[SHD]

Reem is like an Edie Falco character.

[Ms Blue Jay]

28 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I think I dislike the rest of the blue tribe just for making a big deal out of Keith getting a swimming lesson from Wendy and Reem.  Seriously, what was that all about? 

I thought that segment was magic.  That was great.  Have we ever seen somebody trying to teach somebody else to swim before?  I remember Osten being terrible at swimming and freaking out in like, waist deep water.  

God forbid Wendy didn't listen to what New York guy demanded that she do.  (Rolls eyes)

I thought Joe looked great, but I didn't like the mustache either.  I still think he's really cute though.  Ozzy's my favourite in the Ozzy-Malcolm-Joe sweepstakes, but I forgot how striking and cute and tall and hot Joe actually is......

Edited February 21, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Eolivet]

2 minutes ago, wallflower75 said:

Sometimes I feel like the only person on the planet who doesn’t find Joe appealing whatsoever. And that mustache is not doing him any favors.  The sooner he's blindsided and gone from the game...uh...oh, yeah.  The latest and not-so-greatest twist in Survivor means that even if Joe gets voted out early, we'll have him shoved down our throats on a weekly basis regardless.

Shove over in that boat, please. I'm heading with you to Edge of Extinction. I find Joe massively overrated. I can't get past that he's all muscle and no brain.

But I will say it's interesting that Joe and Aubry appear to be working together, while Wentworth and David are not (they even voted on opposite sides and didn't talk to each other once). Manu seems so fractured, and it's only the first episode. Was that ... four people that got votes?

[cooksdelight]

I don’t like Joe. He’s too stuck on himself.

Not even the pink-pantied Specialist Phillip was as annoying as Reem.

[Haleth]

1 minute ago, Eolivet said:

. Was that ... four people that got votes?

Reem and Wendy voted for Kelly and Lauren, everyone else split the Reem/Wendy vote. 

[EllenB]

Was it Wendy who some mouthy, pushy guy deemed a troublemaker because she wouldn't take orders from him on how to vote?  Screw you, dude, it's only the first TC.  Too bad the women didn't coordinate a plan to vote him out.

I'll bet they can hear Reem bitching on that island all the way back at camp.  And I'll bet her kids are happy she decided to stay away longer.  She must be exhausting to live with.

[LanceM]

Well I am glad to see people recognize that a power couple can actually mean when two people of the same sex form a tight alliance.  But since Lauren and Kelley have been named as such makes me wonder if they will both last.

Also, I can not support a grown ass man calling himself "Wardog".Not going to happen.

[PaperTree]

I am always leery of these mixed veteran/newbie seasons.

I'm not up to speed on the names yet.

So we have this "extinction" twist.  Looks like a harsher Redemption Island. (sigh)

The cliche black man who can't swim.  Ugh

"OH YEAH!!"  Oh no dude.  Go feed a shark.

NYC mom.  Too funny.  Being a suburbian, I get it 🙂

Advantage dude.  Very annoying, but a nice find.

Pretty Joe makes fire.   Cobra Aubry, quick target of some dumb bros.

STOP MOVING MY STUFF MOM!  What a bunch of whiners.  Cheetoh's deprivation?

Green hair tourette's is an easy target, but the gang should appreciate the effort made to strengthen the tribe teaching this dude to swim.  Oy!  The "Us vs. THEM" behavior manifests quickly.

Rarely do we see what Yellow did in that challenge.

Stop.  Take a step back and formulate a plan.  Well done!  Flailing is not a strategy and hope is not a plan.

Reem.  I like her.  Her TC was great.  Lay it all out and call the bullshit.

I hope she comes back with some vengeance.

[LadyChatts]

Also, tonight when Wendy was talking to WarDog and David at the well, and she said she wasn't going to vote for Reem out of loyalty-then when she walked away, WarDog was like 'well, maybe we should vote for Wendy.'  Because she isn't just following what you want her to do?  He's a jerk.  Unfortunately there will be a tribe swap at some point but I'd love to see Manu or whatever they're called go total Ulong and self destruct.    

[mojoween]

13 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Wigglesworth, first season.

Ahh.  My first season was Australia so I missed that!

[cooksdelight]

20 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Ahh.  My first season was Australia so I missed that!

Try to watch it, it’s great. No big rewards, no idols... just solid gameplay.

And Rudy. I named my cat after him. He’s awesome. One of the oldest players ever.

Edited February 21, 2019 by cooksdelight

[Haleth]

1 minute ago, LadyChatts said:

Also, tonight when Wendy was talking to WarDog and David at the well, and she said she wasn't going to vote for Reem out of loyalty-then when she walked away, WarDog was like 'well, maybe we should vote for Wendy.'  Because she isn't just following what you want her to do?  He's a jerk.  Unfortunately there will be a tribe swap at some point but I'd love to see Manu or whatever they're called go total Ulong and self destruct.    

But I couldn't understand why Wendy was so willing to go to the wall for Reem, someone she's known for 3 days.  At least agree with whatever the alpha male says, don't make yourself a target. 

[susannot]

Oh Fuck Jeff Probst and Survivor.  Once again the oldest woman was voted off first.  I don't care why.  She is ALWAYS designated as annoying for some reason. It doesn't matter why. This time it was because she tried to act as a Mom; in other words, tried to be nurturing.  Fuck this show.  Fuck, fuck, fuck it.

[LadyChatts]

2 minutes ago, susannot said:

Oh Fuck Jeff Probst and Survivor.  Once again the oldest woman was voted off first.  I don't care why.  She is ALWAYS designated as annoying for some reason. It doesn't matter why. This time it was because she tried to act as a Mom; in other words, tried to be nurturing.  Fuck this show.  Fuck, fuck, fuck it.

I thought Jeff was kind of condescending at TC when Reem was trying to plead her case.  He just seemed bored.  I hope they aren't going to make all the votes this obvious, because they didn't even try to throw a red herring in that someone else might be going home.  I'm surprised Jeff even made them get up and vote.  But as long as his beloved Wentworth sticks around...yeah, wasn't a fan of her tonight, either.  I kind of had high hopes for Lauren but not sure she's going to do much other than be star struck by the favorites.

Quote

But I couldn't understand why Wendy was so willing to go to the wall for Reem, someone she's known for 3 days.  At least agree with whatever the alpha male says, don't make yourself a target. 

I get that, but Wendy already was a target whether she knew it or not (how dare she try and teach Keith to swim!).  I get where she was coming from, but Wardog seemed like 'how dare she'.  Your getting rid of her only ally, so who cares how she votes.  

[truthaboutluv]

Kind of a so-so premiere for me. Can't say there's anyone I'm really loving so far and the personalities aren't really standing out to me yet. Still adore Aubry and David, so nice to see them back. I am interested to see how the whole Extinction thing plays out and affects the game, especially because the existing players don't know about it. I do think that was smart as opposed to Redemption Island, where they told the players about it, so they were playing with that aspect in mind. 

Quote

Also, tonight when Wendy was talking to WarDog and David at the well, and she said she wasn't going to vote for Reem out of loyalty-then when she walked away, WarDog was like 'well, maybe we should vote for Wendy.'  Because she isn't just following what you want her to do?  He's a jerk. 

I didn't see it that way. I think Wendy was very forceful in how she was going to vote and saying why Kelly and Lauren made sense strategically. And what he said was that it made him realize how much more of a strategic player she was than he initially realized. And so it might have made more sense to go for her versus Reem, whose only real issue was that people found her annoying. 

Edited February 21, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[vb68]

26 minutes ago, Straycat80 said:

There’s a guy on the one tribe called Wardog. My kid thinks this is awesome. 

Isn't  Wardog the one who doesn't want anyone to know he's a law student (aka supposedly "smart"?). I find that amusing.

11 minutes ago, Haleth said:

But I couldn't understand why Wendy was so willing to go to the wall for Reem, someone she's known for 3 days.

I think the whole "Mom" thing gave Wendy some sense of security for some reason just like it did with Keith..

Edited February 21, 2019 by vb68

[JudyObscure]

Reem said she had watched this show since day one.  How could she have missed the two dozen times the first boot was  a bossy older woman?  So the first minute we see her she's striding through camp, shouting order about drinking water.    Reem deserved to go, but I was hoping she would manage to turn them against Wentworth the Smug.

I do hope the people on the Edge of Extinction get a flag to wave when they're ready to give up.

[Wandering Snark]

That is one shoddy looking Redemption House is what I was thinking...

But really it is too early for me to pick out anyone except the "old and annoying" vote out.

The guy on the blue tribe with the glasses reminds me of Jared Fogle so that's not a good look...

And Joe looks like a young Gallagher, 'cept he's smashing coconuts instead.

[cooksdelight]

The one thing I kept reminding myself about ... if I’m stuck on an island with no bed, no comforts of home ... and this woman is moving my clothes out to the beach, harping at me to do this and do that .... I don’t care if she’s 18 or 80, she would get on my nerves bigtime.

[green]

30 minutes ago, wallflower75 said:

I was surprised the vote was that close between her and Wendy.

It wasn't.  Its a typical mega-majority splitting the vote in case Reem had an idol.

19 minutes ago, PaperTree said:

STOP MOVING MY STUFF MOM!  What a bunch of whiners.  Cheetoh's deprivation?

Yeah that and her trying to help Keith become something other than a handicap in water challenges.  "Oh my God my clothes are warm and dry and Keith can help us now in challenges.  How evil of her.  The horror, the horror!"  Gits.

15 minutes ago, susannot said:

Oh Fuck Jeff Probst and Survivor.  Once again the oldest woman was voted off first.  I don't care why.  She is ALWAYS designated as annoying for some reason. It doesn't matter why. This time it was because she tried to act as a Mom; in other words, tried to be nurturing.

Yeah she stood up for herself which would be lauded in a male.  But in a female she is "annoying."  I hope Reem survives to "ream" revenge on those bastards. She is my current favorite for sure!

[vb68]

2 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

And Joe looks like a young Gallagher, 'cept he's smashing coconuts instead.

Ha! That's really not a good look.

Joe is a lot like Rupert now. He's way too aware that he's "Joe from Survivor"and is more about his self-image than anything else. It just kills any of the charm and mystique he once had.

[Wandering Snark]

Also, somewhere Stephanie is all "Been there, done that!" when she was Reem being subjected to being a 'tribe of one' though I doubt she'll be alone long. I miss pre-mergefest Survivor.

[LadyChatts]

10 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Ha! That's really not a good look.

Joe is a lot like Rupert now. He's way too aware that he's "Joe from Survivor"and is more about his self-image than anything else. It just kills any of the charm and mystique he once had.

I had to laugh when Joe said he wanted to shake the Joey Amazing label-then we cut to Joe making fire, helping with the shelter, offering advice, breezing through the challenge.  I would want to keep Joe around for challenge wins alone.

I still love Joe and his manbun, though I think he does need a trim and to lose the mustache.

Edited February 21, 2019 by LadyChatts

[mojoween]

Yeah the Snidely Whiplash mustache is a big ol’ nope.

Aubry’s hair is magnificent.  I can’t stop staring at it.

[North of Eden]

So, obviously sexy, Asian women need not apply or none could be found in a nation of millions and millions of people....either that or there is simply no room in order to bring back Probst's personal favorites...that's right...keep bringing Joe back until he wins, we've got your number Jeff...you're going to Boston Rob him until victory.

Anyway...on with the show:

Tropes were falling like anvils tonight.

*Automatically target people who are different in this case old, black and Latina with a dose of Tourettes as icing on the cake.

*A clueless player (anchorman) who doesn't realize he's only with the cool kids by virtue of standing in the right place at the right time.

*Talk of targeting a returning player (in this case Aubrey) meaning they are going nowhere.

*Probst assigning special "Last Name" status to a fave in this case Wentworth (is she the one that played with her father the first time on?)

*The shadowy threat that this could devolve into "The Dave Show" with him as the go to narrator.

And for the Record  your clothes were dry should have been the episode title!

Points for the eerie ending as Reem is swept away to Extinction Island.

One last thing...refresh my memory. Was it Aubrey or Sharine that liked to walk about sans bikini bottom going full frontal?

Edited February 21, 2019 by North of Eden

[Alice Mudgarden]

Edge of Extinction is what happens when someone smooshes Redemption Island and Exile Island together and calls it a new twist.

[Lantern7]

Wasn't really paying attention. Just got bits and pieces. One, what kind of nickname is "Wardog"? If his real name is Herbert or Floyd, maybe I could give him a pass. Two . . . "Reem"? As in what she does to people's ears?

I'll give Reem credit for going to Extinction Island, even if she doesn't know what sort of hell Burnett and/or Probst has in store. The one bright side is that future boots might elect to go there, see her, and immediately hit Ponderosa.

56 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Not even the pink-pantied Specialist Phillip was as annoying as Reem.

After one episode?!? Lets not say stuff we can't take back. I mean, I can understand her getting the boot and deserving it, but she didn't seem like a Section 8 to me. Philip was a Section 8 squared . . . a Section 64.

Only returnee I'm pulling for is David. He's my people, this is only his second shot, and he's got the same name as the recently retired Mets third baseman. Here's hoping this David isn't rocked by injury after serious injury.

[OutOfTheQuestion]

1 hour ago, LadyChatts said:

There’s a few key things I would make sure to know how to do before going on Survivor.  One of them is knowing how to swim.  Keith, you seem like a sweet guy, but I’m not liking your chances when it comes to being a challenge liability.

In fairness to Keith, we've heard of contestants not officially getting the call until only a few days before shooting begins.  Even if he knew a month in advance and started taking swimming lessons as prep, there's only so much you can learn in a short amount of time.  Swimming is hard to learn!  Especially if you're an adult!  No, I'm not defensive about not learning to swim until I was in my 30's!  🙂

Survivor premieres should be a minimum of 90 minutes long.  I also may have been spoiled by last season's great first episode, that seemingly introduced almost everyone or gave them some type of moment of focus. 

I'm not sure if I would've wanted to see the scene where this clown told everyone to call him "Wardog," or if it was better left on the cutting room floor.

[princelina]

29 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I had to laugh when Joe said he wanted to shake the Joey Amazing label-then we cut to Joe making fire, helping with the shelter, offering advice, breezing through the challenge.  I would want to keep Joe around for challenge wins alone.

I still love Joe and his manbun, though I think he does need a trim and to lose the mustache.

I have always like him since he found out he was going to be on the show, googled how to make fire and practiced until he could do it!  I also like about him that he just can't help himself to do everything with enthusiasm, even when it's to his detriment in the game. I am not a fan of the facial hair though. 😄

21 minutes ago, North of Eden said:

One last thing...refresh my memory. Was it Aubrey or Sharine that liked to walk about sans bikini bottom going full frontal?

It was not Aubrey.

[Maya]

Who wouldn’t take the opportunity to return to the game? Seems like it’s barely even a choice. 

Edited February 21, 2019 by Maya

[Bryce Lynch]

Just now, Maya said:

Who wouldn’t take the opportunity to return to the game? Seems like it’s barely even a choice. 

Yeah, I was expecting more of an explanation of how brutal EOE Island would be before she got to make the choice.  The way it was presented, nobody would choose to leave the game.

Maybe the drama will be about whether they choose to tap out after spending some time on EOE.

[LadyChatts]

1 minute ago, Maya said:

Who wouldn’t take the opportunity to return to the game? Seems like it’s barely even a choice. 

I'm going to be curious if anyone passes up the opportunity, but my guess is they won't since it's not specific what they are going to have to do to earn their sport back.  It'll be interesting to see how many are left standing when the first opporunity to re-enter the game rolls around.

BTW, did anyone notice tonight that Jeff didn't say 'once I read the votes the decision is final.'