S38.E09: Y'all Making Me Crazy

[eskimo]

I thoroughly enjoyed Aubrey's reactions last night.  Thoroughly.  I don't think she was trying to be anybody 2.0.  I feel like it was completely genuine.  They are bored as hell on EOE, not coming in from a free tropical vacation resort stay with food, beds, showers, and recreation.  These people are seriously deprived of entertainment.  Also, some of these people screwed her over, in her mind, so she's personally invested as well.  She did have some serious man-spreading going on, though.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

The editors have been completely enamoured with Aubry since Day 1.  Whether she looks smart or makes a fool of herself, they absolutely love her.  I feel like a lot of shade gets thrown towards Aubry about making the show all about her, but I honestly think the editors do most of the work.  The editors could choose to make Aubry as invisible as Aurora, but they just plain won't.

If I was the editor I'd listen so much more to what Reem was saying, like at all times.  I have no complaints about Chris and his pornographic beach adventures, okay except for the poor stingray, I am sorry about that.

[Tdoc72]

7 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Because he's useless.  He looks muscular like he could be an immunity threat, but he can't throw a ball or balance on a beam or do pretty much anything.  He talks to people like he's trying to play and plot but he always seems to go in the wrong direction with the most inane logic and is willing to change his vote at the drop of a hat.  He's an unlikely goat.

Re:Wardog

Is he faking these attempts at immunity challenges?  Because based solely on physical appearance, you’d think he’d be a little better. Maybe not winning every time, but turning in a solid performance. Every time he drops early, I wonder if he’s playing the long con. Like, maybe he’ll turn it up at the last few. That would be funny. I can’t remember for sure but how were his team reward/immunity performances?

Edited April 11, 2019 by Tdoc72

[Special K]

Just now, Tdoc72 said:

Re:Wardog

Is he faking his pathetic attempts at immunity challenges?  Because based solely on physical appearance, you’d think he’d be a little better. Maybe not winning every time. But turning in a solid performance. Every time he drops early, I wonder if he’s playing the long con. Like, maybe he’ll turn it up at the last few. That would be funny. I can’t remember for sure but how were his team reward/immunity performances?

No, he's really that bad.  Last night, it looked like he really could not balance for more than 5 seconds.  He was also NOT good in team challenges -- remember how pathetic he was at throwing?  Or being unable even to be the bottom for David and Lauren to stand on his shoulders?

[SandyToes]

7 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

7 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Any Frasier fans here?  Finally figured out who Julie reminds me of - Frasiers unpleasant girlfriend, (ironically named Julia and played by Felicity Huffman) from Season 11 - she looks and sounds like her and sometimes her attitude comes across the same (not last nigh with the meltdown obviously)

That's one of my favourite Frasier episodes.  I've watched it many times.  I totally get your reference, but I don't really see the resemblance yet.  I think Julie reminds me of someone too, but not sure who.

Patricia Wettig, Thirtysomething.  Looks and sounds just like her. Drove me crazy till it snapped.

[Lamb18]

1 hour ago, Nashville said:

...that’s debatable.  

I mean: yes, the “mainstream” game contestants have already seen ONE returning-from-EoE scenario - but since then the EoEers have only been referred to as “the Jury”, and I don’t believe there’s been any game reference to the potential for another now-Juror to return to the game.  While I’m certain the EoEers know/suspect they’ll have another shot at re-entering, does that necessarily translate into equivalent knowledge for the mainstream?  

At this point I don’t think the mainstreamers even know the Jury is still sitting out at EoE; if they think about it at all, they probably assume the Jurors are spending their off-time at Ponderosa getting drunk, scarfing cheeseburgers and taking hot showers - the mainstreamers would have no reason to suspect otherwise, assuming (of course) they’re not sitting downwind of the Jury.  And every current mainstream evictee still seems a bit taken aback when their Walk of Shame takes them to the Crossroads, so I don’t think anybody in the mainstream realizes EoE is still an active thing in the game.

20 minutes ago, zscore said:

They had to have known, right? The jury were wearing the same dirty clothes they had on when there were voted out.

Right, if they were at Ponderosa the women would have clean hair and makeup on and everyone would have clean and different clothing from what they wore at camp. The men would be shaved, too.

[blackwing]

It's been a long time since there has been a Survivor season in which I find so many of the people so very unlikeable.  Rick is an ass.  Ron was an ass, and now that he got his power taken away, he's just a sad sack passive aggressive ass.  Julie is an unstable mess.  She's in her 40s, she should be mentally stronger.  Julia is just an all around jerk.  The Warthog is a dick.  Aurora speaks, and she doesn't look that bad only because everyone around her looks bad.  Gavin complained that things turned into a dictatorship when people didn't do what he told them to do (although I'm sure he thinks of himself as a "strong leader" as opposed to a dictator).  Victoria is irritating.

Of the people left in the game proper, I think the only one I actually would want to see win is David.

Shocked to hear that Gavin has a wife.  He looks like he's 16, with the face and teenaged body to match.

Was there no reward challenge?  Or did it happen but not air so we could get even more air time for what Jeff must think of as "one of the greatest tribal councils EVAH".  I would have preferred to have seen a reward challenge.  Or more happenings on Extinction.  I would have liked to have seen more of the interactions between Chris, Eric and Joe.  They seem like they would have mutual respect for each other.

16 hours ago, princelina said:

Also:  I have always like Aubrey but she has made it clear from the beginning that she intends to be THE NARRATOR of the season.  She can dial it back with her TC reactions any time now.🙄

Aubrey was super irritating.  Hey Aubrey... Grandma called.  She wants her pearls back.  And she says to dial it down a notch and to close your mouth.  Not everything is as earth shattering as you think it is.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 minutes ago, SandyToes said:

Patricia Wettig, Thirtysomething.  Looks and sounds just like her. Drove me crazy till it snapped.

Amy Brenneman?  Am I getting closer?  Sorry, I am not familiar with Patricia.  

[blackwing]

I have to wonder if Julia was this arrogant and judgmental and unlikeable throughout the entire time she was on the show.  I am puzzled as to why she suggested that she wasn't getting any airtime because she was black.  Considering that once she got major airtime, she proved herself to be a completely hateful ass.

Chris and his wet skintight boxer briefs.  Looked like they were painted on hahaha.  I can't remember which season was when the show stopped blurring out the guy's crotches and butts, but I'm sure Jeffy loved watching this on air last night.

[blackwing]

7 minutes ago, SandyToes said:

Patricia Wettig, Thirtysomething.  Looks and sounds just like her. Drove me crazy till it snapped.

If anything, Aurora is the one that looks like Patricia Wettig.  She has the blonde hair and slightly buggy eyes.  I've also thought Aurora looks like Virginia Madsen, but now that she's on air more, maybe not as much.

Not sure who Julie looks like, but I agree she seems to resemble an actress that I can't place.

[JudyObscure]

1 hour ago, mishap said:

And I'm fine with the whispering at tribal, but if they are going to show they whispering, I want to know what they are saying.  What they choose to show us, I want to hear.  

I know there is really no way to do that.  lol  

I want subtitles, too, and I think with the big time lapse between filming and airing it on TV, the editors have time to show those scenes to the cast and ask them what they were saying when.  Then adding the subtitles.

[Wandering Snark]

2 hours ago, fishcakes said:

It's like when you play Blackjack at a table with amateurs; it doesn't matter how good you are, if dumbshits are hitting when the dealer's showing a 5, you're going to lose too.

Yeah, exactly. I was thinking of how poker pros would rather battle other pros as at least they are predictable about doing basic things right not throwing caution to the wind and going all in with a pair of twos.

[EllenB]

6 hours ago, Etta Place said:

For me, I am okay with the whispering mini-conferences at tribal (and plenty of these weren't even that whispered) because otherwise as we've heard from former players, votes rarely-to-never get changed at tribal. The public talk may make it seem like they will be changed, or may be able to be edited to seem like they will be, but people are usually too nervous to try to change it up with just meaningful looks and gestures.

I don't need to know exactly what is being promised, that'll come out later. And what I liked about last night was the constant shuffling. It seemed that the groups were changing ... and maybe they were for a while, but it turned out it was building a consensus to get rid of Julia.

We'll see the reasoning next week, but Julia's name had been thrown out there earlier in the episode and undoubtedly her attitude at tribal didn't help at all. Though I confess that when she said "shut up, Wardog" I thought "well, who hasn't wanted to say that?!"

I think it's like a disgusting boss I had.  We were free to trash-talk him all we wanted, but if an outsider did it, we defended him.  It's a low-rent loyalty.

And now I will use "Aurora Lou Who" as long as she's in the game.

[Nashville]

42 minutes ago, zscore said:

They had to have known, right? The jury were wearing the same dirty clothes they had on when there were voted out.

Depends upon (a) how much attention the players pay to the Jury and (b) how capable they are of drawing conclusions from their observations - and given this bunch of chucklenuts, I’d be leery of assuming ANY degree of capacity on either count.

[Nashville]

26 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Shocked to hear that Gavin has a wife.  He looks like he's 16, with the face and teenaged body to match.

Personally, my only point of surprise was that Gavin was straight.

[ProfCrash]

Jeff told them that EoE was starting over after Rick returned and then sent the newly merged tribe on its way. They know about EoE.

[Special K]

22 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

Jeff told them that EoE was starting over after Rick returned and then sent the newly merged tribe on its way. They know about EoE.

Are you sure?  I thought he sent the active players + Rick off, and then we had to endure a long tearful interrogation of the "losing" EoE players and what it feels like to be out of the game for good, until JP finally told them that they were still in the game, if they wanted to be (all hands went up).

Of course they know now, since the EoE-ers have been sitting in as the jury.  But I don't think any explanation was made to the active players about the absence of Wendy and Keith.

Edited April 11, 2019 by Special K

[blackwing]

17 minutes ago, Special K said:

Are you sure?  I thought he sent the active players + Rick off, and then we had to endure a long tearful interrogation of the "losing" EoE players and what it feels like to be out of the game for good, until JP finally told them that they were still in the game, if they wanted to be (all hands went up).

Of course they know now, since the EoE-ers have been sitting in as the jury.  But I don't think any explanation was made to the active players about the absence of Wendy and Keith.

I've been wondering if there's anything to read in to Jeffy not listing the members of the jury.  He did it maybe the first time but that's it.  It's his usual spiel, "we now bring in the members of our jury... [long dramatic pause and slowly reads out each name].... A...B... C... and D, voted out at the last tribal council".  Now he is just saying "we now bring in the members of our jury" without listing the names.  Is it because there was no finality of the person getting voted out?  Or is there some other twist about the jury coming up.

I could have sworn that the episode after Wendy and Keith quit and didn't show up at TC, that the players in the game proper mentioned it after TC, something like "what happened to Wendy and Keith, did they quit?"

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

Jeff told them that EoE was starting over after Rick returned and then sent the newly merged tribe on its way. They know about EoE.

The order of events I recall was:

1. Jeff calls in the Tribes (“COME ON IN GUYS!!!”).
2. Jeff announces the merge.
3. Jeff then brings in the EoE crowd and announces they will be competing for one to return to the game.
4. Competition runs, and Rick wins.
5. Rick rejoins the mainstream group and they head off to their merge feast, leaving Probst and the remainder of EoE the sole inhabitants of the comp field.
6. After Peachy probes the dejected EoEers for teardrop potential, he surprises them with the announcement their game is NOT over, necessarily - each/all of them has the option of returning to EoE, to await one more opportunity to re-enter the game.
7. All EoEers initially choose to return to EoE.

Later:

1. Both Keith and Wendy second-guess their choice, electing instead to leave EoE and depart the game FOREVUH!!! - making them the only two true evictees this season to date.
2. Shortly after their departure, it is revealed to the EoE cast they will also serve as Jury.

...so at THIS point, anyway, the mainstreamers have no confirmed knowledge of EoE still existing as an active player option.  

What (if anything) they may be guessing is going on with the Jury is, well, anybody’s guess. 😉

Edited April 11, 2019 by Nashville

[Nashville]

<Damn post merge works one minute, doesn’t the next... grumble grumble grumble....>

Edited April 11, 2019 by Nashville

[Nashville]

On another note: I was really surprised to find I missed out on two things last night: a more full accounting of Reem’s Standard Snarky Greeting™  to Eric upon his arrival at EoE, as well as her RSSG for Julia upon her EoE arrival.  

I don’t LIKE either Reem or her negativity, mind you  but I’ve come to EXPECT it at certain specific points.  😛

[green]

14 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

That was BANANAS. I’m really surprised to see so much dislike of that TC, because I found it entertaining as hell.  

Of course, I did have to watch it 4 times to catch all the twists and turns. So for those of you who didn’t follow it, here’s a quick recap:

Things start going off the rails when Julie starts sobbing about how she can’t trust that she’s not being left out of the loop “again” and there is sure to be a blindside. This confuses Kelley because Julie isn’t part of her big plan. Has Kama gotten back together behind her back? Julia overplays trying to reassure Kelley by giggling like a loon. Julia confesses to being aligned with Kelley, which lets Rick know that she lied about being with him and David. Aurora (who?) accuses the 2 Lesu factions of having a secret alliance against Kama, which confuses the Lesus. Julia’s all, “shutupshutup, don’t let them know we’re on to them!” while chaos erupts.

Rick muses, “hmm, maybe we should have a Lesu alliance!” while Julia starts to panic and tries to discredit Rick by calling him a “passenger”. She scrambles to keep control of her group, but it’s already slipping away. Rick continues to propose a broader Lesu alliance, and Julie jumps on board. David grins, Julia feels the start of a migraine. Most of Lesu gathers with Ron and Julie, and then Victoria, who is always quick to spot a turning tide, and they whisper about voting out Aurora (who?). 

Meanwhile, Julia and Gavin continue to plot with Kelley while Aurora (who?) rolls her eyes in exasperation. Lesu + R/J/V decide they’re good with either Julia or Aurora (who?).  Ron, who is maybe not fully on board yet, tells Julia her name is in play. Julia comes over to try and get her people back, but Julie can only shout, “I’m out! I’m out!” 

This gives David an opening to talk to Kelley, and she confesses he was the one going out. This newfound honesty breaks the ice, and they start to plot. Rick and Gavin join in as Aurora (who?), exasperated with Julie, flounces offstage exclaiming “I can’t deal with soccer moms!”

Julia continues to work on Julie, who yells “I’m ready to jump ship!” and runs away. It seems Julia almost had her, as Victoria confesses they were just talking about voting out David. But having lost Julie for good, that plan falls into disarray. Wardog says he’s ready to vote and Julia tells him to shut up in a final burst of frustration. Maybe that’s the last straw for Ron, as he confers with Gavin one last time.

Votes are cast, David’s still unsure enough to play the idol, but Julia’s out. 

I just HAD to re-post this for people who come here and never read the posts then say they don't understand what happened at tribal.  Also because the whole post is a total masterpiece.  Thanks, 30 Helens!

7 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I feel like if people don't come together and break up Kelley/Lauren/Wardog next week then they're going to regret it, but also I really hope that doesn't happen lol. Them plus David, and hell even Rick who I hate, as a dysfunctional team is fun to watch.

Reality TV rarely mirrors what Hollywood would write so I don't see it happening but I would LOVE to see these be the final five after the whole set-up of the most horrible, sad little tribe of losers that can't win a thing and berated by Probst every week.  Combine that with the annoying Kama Strong crap. (Psst, Kama newbies, Joe was who made you "strong" by almost single handily winning you tribal immunities thus keeping you "strong" you stupid idiots).

Anyway I'd love a Hollywood "The Little Tribe that Couldn't then Does" ending to go with this last tribal and salvage this season.  Hell bring back Reem and make it a final six for the fun of it.  Or the outcast Kama in Aubrey to wreck revenge.

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

 At this point I don’t think the mainstreamers even know the Jury is still sitting out at EoE; if they think about it at all, they probably assume the Jurors are spending their off-time at Ponderosa getting drunk, scarfing cheeseburgers and taking hot showers -o the mainstreamers would have no reason to suspect otherwise

Except the jury they always look over to and nod at are all scruffy, dirty and the men still have ragged beards.  Oh yeah they know they are on EoE for sure.  And Probst even said EoE continues.  I remember that clearly.

[Etta Place]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I've been wondering if there's anything to read in to Jeffy not listing the members of the jury.  He did it maybe the first time but that's it.  It's his usual spiel, "we now bring in the members of our jury... [long dramatic pause and slowly reads out each name].... A...B... C... and D, voted out at the last tribal council".  Now he is just saying "we now bring in the members of our jury" without listing the names.  Is it because there was no finality of the person getting voted out?  Or is there some other twist about the jury coming up.

My husband and I were discussing this very fact this morning. Jeff not saying "after the votes are read the decision is final," etc had significance, and I'm wondering about this change to the script too. But I couldn't really come up with anything that seemed plausible, just some vague feeling that maybe these aren't guaranteed to be on the final jury.

[cooksdelight]

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

It sounded to me like a dubbed-in voiceover - which could have come from anybody, at any time.

I thought it was Kelly.

[ljenkins782]

5 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Answer to why we should be able to hear everything at Tribal Council:

Also I think the jury should be able to hear everything said at Tribal. The jury makes the decision on who wins and once they are voted out, TC is their only opportunity to collect enough info about what's going on and who's doing what until final tribal. (Except for what's said at Exile or Ponderosa.) What's the point of having a jury if they are excluded from the discussion at tribal council?

That's why I feel like Rick's stock may have risen with the jury. He openly stated his thoughts loudly and got the pot stirred to the point of no return. So many times, a player will say something that they shouldn't have and you see expressions cross over the expressions of others, but they continue to sit there or maybe signal to one or two others. I don't think that muted approach would have gotten us to the same result of Julia going home and this TC gives Rick a great talking point at an FTC.

Quote

I've only watched it once, but I think it went like

David: There are sharks and minnows and I poop.
Rick: I could be poop
Aurora: You could be a different fish and we will still vote you out.
Julia: Stop telling everyone that we're working with Kelley.
Rick: [arithmetic]
Julia: Oh, the doooorman is talking. What, pray tell, does the doooorman have to say?
David, Rick, Lauren, Wardog, Ron, Julie: [notice Victoria]
Victoria: Um, someone said I could stand here.
David [to Kelley]: Hi.
Kelley [to David]: I know, right?
Julie: I'M LOSING IT! I'M LOSING IT!
Reem: Goddamnit, I'm the angry one. I'M THE ANGRY ONE.

Anyway it was fun, and it broke through Jeff's Botox

No, it was Julia who served up that info about working with Kelley, she blamed Aurora after the fact, but she has only herself to blame for revealing too much. Kelley's facial expression when Julia laid that out there was priceless.

Quote

I mean, not really?  Her skepticism of Julia was very well-established over the course of the episode, and in fact her expressing it while Julie was melting down is what kicked the whole thing off when Julia reacted in such a bizarre way.

I feel sure that if it had been a normal, athelete-press-conference tribal, Kelley would have played her idol, and David would have played his idol, and there would have been a different kind of scrambling.  Maybe Ron would have gone home since he was what Gavin wanted to do anyway.

Yeah, I assumed her idol was coming out until everything blew up. Someone posted something from Twitter from a contestant that implied that everyone knew Julia was going by the time the actual voting happened, so it made it easier for her to keep her idol. 

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, green said:

Except the jury they always look over to and nod at are all scruffy, dirty and the men still have ragged beards.  Oh yeah they know they are on EoE for sure. 

I don’t know if I would necessarily count on that.  In seasons past, one of the “amazing reveals” for both the contestants and We The Viewers is the first TC look at the First Juror - the formerly compatriot with whom they’ve been living and seeing in an increasingly grubby state for several weeks is suddenly magically transformed by the magic of Ponderosa showers, toiletries and laundry service into a clean, almost-unrecognizable good-looking human again.  The biggest part of the reveal’s impact is how it jars our perception of them - the difference in how they look.

But what if there’s no “jar”?  In the contestants’ bleary-eyed, food-deprived state - as Jeff announces each Juror and they each walk in looking exactly how you’ve grown to expect them to look - is it necessarily going to set off an alarm bell in your head with a little voice saying, “Hey, why don’t they look different...?”  Or might you simply check them off in your head saying, “Well, there’s Reem, and Joe, and Aubry, etc., etc.” and go on wondering about how tonight’s vote is going to go?

Just saying that if the contestants weren’t immediately primed to expect a Big Change, then the lack of a Big Change may not immediately register - especially if the contestants’ minds are focused on other things.

Quote

And Probst even said EoE continues.  I remember that clearly.

Are you referring to an occasion other than to the other EoEers after Rick’s re-entry comp, after the merged tribe had already left?  Because I don’t recall EoE being mentioned within earshot of the mainstream contestants since.  I’m not saying it didn’t happen - just that I don’t remember such.

Edited April 11, 2019 by Nashville

[LanceM]

I am fairly certain it was Victoria that said that Julie had "lost her damn mind". Victoria was of course right and based on last nights events she was also right last week when she said it was not the right time to vote out Eric. Unfortunately for her she was aligned with two dunderheads who were too concerned about their "resumes" for FTC and not concerned enough on how to get there. I do think though if any Kama is going to survivre the implosion last night it is Victoria as she was the only one Kama last night that didn't look foolish, paranoid or crazy.

As far as David and Kelley are concerend I don't think they schooled anyone at all last night.  I think that if it wasn't for Julie's meltdown than one of them would have been heading over to Reem's Island.  I do give them credit for coming together though despite the fact that they were targeting each other.

I wonder if Aurora has any soccer moms for clients?  lol

[iMonrey]

I understand the entertainment value the show obviously finds in these chaotic tribal councils and sure, it's a nice change of pace. But at the end of the day I don't understand why everyone jumped on the bandwagon to vote Julia out. Except, of course, Julia herself, and Aurora. I expected more of a split. I don't know what it says about players like Gavin and Victoria that they would just cave and go with the majority to be "with the numbers." It's not as if their alliances or intentions are unknown. There was still a good chance they could have voted out David. Seemingly every last one of them threw their arms up in the air and gave up. It's not as if it's going to win them any points back at camp, like they'll be able to say "See? We voted with you!" and that's going to change anything.

[LanceM]

It says that Gavin and Victoria are smart players.  Throwing a vote on David or Kelley would do absolutely nothing as Julia would still go home. They knew that. When your alliance is gone you next step has to try to forge new ones.  Voting for one of the people that you might need to align with going forward is not the right way to start that process.

Edited April 12, 2019 by LanceM

[green]

6 hours ago, LanceM said:

As far as David and Kelley are concerend I don't think they schooled anyone at all last night.  I think that if it wasn't for Julie's meltdown than one of them would have been heading over to Reem's Island.  I do give them credit for coming together though despite the fact that they were targeting each other.

I wonder if Aurora has any soccer moms for clients?  lol

Neither would have.  David would still have played the split immunity idol and Kelley was ready to until it became clear everyone had turned on and were going to vote out Julia.

Edited April 12, 2019 by green

[ljenkins782]

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

I don’t know if I would necessarily count on that.  In seasons past, one of the “amazing reveals” for both the contestants and We The Viewers is the first TC look at the First Juror - the formerly compatriot with whom they’ve been living and seeing in an increasingly grubby state for several weeks is suddenly magically transformed by the magic of Ponderosa showers, toiletries and laundry service into a clean, almost-unrecognizable good-looking human again.  The biggest part of the reveal’s impact is how it jars our perception of them - the difference in how they look.

But what if there’s no “jar”?  In the contestants’ bleary-eyed, food-deprived state - as Jeff announces each Juror and they each walk in looking exactly how you’ve grown to expect them to look - is it necessarily going to set off an alarm bell in your head with a little voice saying, “Hey, why don’t they look different...?”  Or might you simply check them off in your head saying, “Well, there’s Reem, and Joe, and Aubry, etc., etc.” and go on wondering about how tonight’s vote is going to go?

Just saying that if the contestants weren’t immediately primed to expect a Big Change, then the lack of a Big Change may not immediately register - especially if the contestants’ minds are focused on other things.

There are two returning players plus a lot professed lifelong fans of the show, I doubt it would escape their notice that no one has shown up to the jury looking any different. The men always shave the island scruff and put on regular clothes, the women are usually made up (granted, Aubry isn’t necessarily the type to show up with a blowout and full makeup, not sure about Reem). I just don’t think food and sleep deprivation would make them forget that the jury always looks different after Ponderosa. Especially since they know that EOE was a thing, they’re going to be even more aware of any clues even if they weren’t expressly told.

“It says that Gavin and Victoria are smart players.  Throwing a vote on David or Kelley would do absolutely nothing as Julia would still go home. They knew that. When your alliance is gone you next step has to try to forge new ones.  Voting for one of the people that you might need to align with going forward is not the right way to start that process”

Yeah, there was nothing to be gained by going down with Julia’s ship. Aurora is the one on the outs yet again, not sure if she can bounce back this time.

[azshadowwalker]

On 4/10/2019 at 6:27 PM, Lamima said:

^Cause it's boring and sucks. The whole point of watching Survivor is us, the viewers, being privy to the dynamics. We aren't at a whispering fools TC. I just had angst, not in a good way, and wanted to get to the vote already. And then the result was like...a deflated balloon because we had no idea where that came from.

How often do we actually get a coherent depiction of why a vote happened? From after-the-fact interviews, we know that what we're shown is often half (or less) of the story. 

I found that TC much more compelling than the vast majority of TC where they create a "story" instead of showing what happened. I got an idea of what happened there. Most of the time, it's largely bullshit. 

Extremely interesting TC. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Julie is simply not cut out for this. She's probably a lacrosse or field hockey mom, not a soccer mom, but here we go again with her lack of understanding of how Survivor works even though she's such a big fan. Someone call the waahhhh-mbulance.
1) "voting out someone who shouldn't have been able to come back into the game in the first place is unethical!" 
2) "I can't believe Aurora is still trying to play the game even though Jeff said they're... going to keep going. Lauren could be like super super dead! Even though Dr. Joe said she's fine!"
3) "No one talked to me! I'm ignored! This is so hard! I wonder why it's called 'Survivor'!"
 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Gavin saying he'd dreamt about having immunity around his neck since he was 8 made me think, "huh... so like, for the last 10 years at most?". I still can't believe he's married. Maybe he did so in a state where child marriage is still legal?

[violet and green]

I can't wait for all my... important stuff! to get disappeared when we migrate some time this week. 

Reem was looking fabulous at tribal - it's true, a smile and a good laugh really is the best facelifter.

Apart from poor stingray - that was horrific and unnecessary to show at such hideous length - I am enjoying EoE footage and so glad they skipped a Reward challenge...

Seeing Julia get the boot was satisfying, but bloody hell, how did that happen? Devens and David in fine form - there were so many good moments. Pity about the idol... Or was it the last chance to use it as someone suggested upthread? Eh, who cares!

I am just keen for this season to get to the point where we spend 90% of the time on Extinction, watching tears form as people stare bleakly out to sea.

[SVNBob]

8 hours ago, Nashville said:

The order of events I recall was:

1. Jeff calls in the Tribes (“COME ON IN GUYS!!!”).
2. Jeff announces the merge.
3. Jeff then brings in the EoE crowd and announces they will be competing for one to return to the game.
4. Competition runs, and Rick wins.
5. Rick rejoins the mainstream group and they head off to their merge feast, leaving Probst and the remainder of EoE the sole inhabitants of the comp field.
6. After Peachy probes the dejected EoEers for teardrop potential, he surprises them with the announcement their game is NOT over, necessarily - each/all of them has the option of returning to EoE, to await one more opportunity to re-enter the game.
7. All EoEers initially choose to return to EoE.

You forgot point 5.5.

Peachy says to the merged tribe before he sends them back to camp that EoE is "back in play."  Meaning that every post-merge boot will have the same choice to make that the pre-merge boots did.

[KimberStormer]

9 hours ago, Nashville said:

Personally, my only point of surprise was that Gavin was straight.

I'm very glad to hear you in particular say this because I was surprised by this as well and then thrown into a spiral of self-doubt that this was just some Yankee dumbassery on my part.

[txvoodoo]

13 hours ago, eskimo said:

Also, some of these people screwed her over, in her mind, so she's personally invested as well.

AND there's a chance she might be back in it, so seeing all these fractures is valuable.

[Nashville]

3 hours ago, SVNBob said:

You forgot point 5.5.

Peachy says to the merged tribe before he sends them back to camp that EoE is "back in play."  Meaning that every post-merge boot will have the same choice to make that the pre-merge boots did.

You’re right - I missed that.  So I pulled up the episode and rewatched that segment.  Peachy’s exact words were “Extinction begins again.  Every person voted out will have the same opportunity.”

Reckon maybe the mainstream contestants think the chance to return applies only to post-boot merges - that since EoE has begun anew, it only applies to players evicted after the restart?

See, I recognize the source of my confusion; for such a game-altering twist, it puzzles the hell outta me why it never seems to be a point of discussion for the tribe.  And considering Production is trying to amp up EoE as THE BIGGEST TWIST EVAH!!! - yaknow, like they do with every season’s Big Twist - you just know any campfire discussion about EoE would be certain to make it to the broadcast.

So why isn’t anybody at camp talking about it?  If there has been any discussion beyond the minuscule bit of Q&A with Rick at the merge feast, I don’t recall seeing/hearing it.

[Nashville]

4 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

I'm very glad to hear you in particular say this because I was surprised by this as well and then thrown into a spiral of self-doubt that this was just some Yankee dumbassery on my part.

I dunno - maybe it’s the shirt....

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, Nashville said:

I dunno - maybe it’s the shirt....

Or the colourful underpants?  Cue Angelina saying “we don’t get to pick our own clothes” haha.

But really, I don’t think there’s ever been a season where there were more than two gay men, has there?  Seems like a token casting just like the casting of racial minorities.  And this season they cast Ron and Keith.

[kikaha]

3 minutes ago, blackwing said:

But really, I don’t think there’s ever been a season where there were more than two gay men, has there?  Seems like a token casting just like the casting of racial minorities.

The Gallup Poll from May 25, 2018 found 3.9% of all American men identify as gay.  How is casting 20% of all men players 'token?' Its over five times as much as their proportion of the population.   

[knitorpurl]

17 hours ago, scowl said:

I think the last thing Survivor needs is more rules. Rules requirement punishment and the only punishment on Survivor has been to get kicked off the show. Do you want to see someone get kicked off because they lifted their ass two inches above their seat?

I was smiling all through the chaotic tribal and I'm usually tempted to skip over them and get to the vote. 

Just wishing for a bit of restraint. Just like the jury "isn't allowed to speak" keeps them from shouting over to the current players but certainly doesn't preclude some amount of muttering, asides to one another and dramatic facial reactions without anyone getting kicked out.

But no worries..... the producers seem to like the new, chaotic style so we'll get to see plenty more.

[knitorpurl]

17 hours ago, SandyToes said:

Patricia Wettig, Thirtysomething.  Looks and sounds just like her. Drove me crazy till it snapped.

That's it! I keep looking at her thinking there is something familiar. 

[Bryce Lynch]

14 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I thought it was Kelly.

Maybe is was Kelly, from an earlier conversation, or a prior season. :)

After seeing this video, I would not be at all shocked, if whoever said "She lost her damn mind" said it at a different time and perhaps wasn't even talking about Julie.  

Edited April 12, 2019 by Bryce Lynch

[Bryce Lynch]

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

I dunno - maybe it’s the shirt....

The floral tattoo on his shoulder doesn't exactly scream, "I am a hetero male!"  either.  :)

I am not a big tattoo fan, in general, but that one seems out of place, on his otherwise ink free body.   Maybe he should get one on the other shoulder to balance things out.   

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, Bryce Lynch said:

The floral tattoo on his shoulder doesn't exactly scream, "I am a hetero male!"  either.  :)

I am not a big tattoo fan, in general, but that one seems out of place, on his otherwise ink free body.   Maybe he should get one on the other shoulder to balance things out.   

It's a big and ugly tattoo. It looks like he got it just for the show. It's so new looking. Not a good look for him.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

1 hour ago, ByaNose said:

It's a big and ugly tattoo. It looks like he got it just for the show. It's so new looking. Not a good look for him.

Well, looks like he waited until he was legally of age to get a tattoo, so it probably IS pretty new. 

Because we all agree he’s like barely 18, right?

[Trepis]

6 hours ago, Nashville said:

So why isn’t anybody at camp talking about it?  If there has been any discussion beyond the minuscule bit of Q&A with Rick at the merge feast, I don’t recall seeing/hearing it.

There was a brief conversation the first night after Tribal when they saw the three jury members. They correctly concluded that a) The three jury members where still living on the Extinction island, and b) that Kieth and Wendy were missing because they chose to quit. 

This is a rough season ( what should have been an exciting tribal was still a bit meh for me ; I think the reason is tribal only matters if someone leaves the game, with this set up all your really doing is voting someone on to the other tribe. 

When Aubrey leaves the game ( assuming she doesn't win her way back in ) it wont have been the incredible blindside by Victoria that sent her home, it will be that she didn't win the challenge. 
Same for Julia, this craziest tribal ever! didn't cost her the game, she's still going to be there week after week. And if/when she leaves, it will be that she lost a challenge. 

I don't think I saw the seasons with outcast island or redemption island, but I imagine I would have felt the same with those. When survivor goes from 'You have to survive every tribal one way or another or You Cannot Win! ' to 'Even if you fail at tribal, if you can win one specific challenge it then that tribal didn't matter' it's really not the same game (

[mikewho]

I was debating whether or not to say anything about this episode at all, because I just found it to be very boring. Not much to be said.

But maybe that's a point for me to make. I found the LAST few seasons to be extremely entertaining. I even started to like it more than TAR, which is generally unusual for me.

I didn't find that clusterfuck of a Tribal Council to be shocking, or even interesting.

To me, Survivor is becoming Talk Talk Talk about alliances, then a challenge. Then more Talk Talk Talk, then (usually) another challenge. Then more Talk Talk Talk about alliances, then TC.

And it seems to me, they're now editing all TC's to make the one voted off a seem like a Big Blindside. It's all getting very rote.

When I watch the show, I just wanna kick back and enjoy what I'm watching. But this season, it's hard to care. I appreciate the fact that SVNBob takes the time and energy tracking who's aligned with who, but why should that be necessary?

Enough said, I guess.