S38.E12: Awkward

[peachmangosteen]

Can we just fast forward to Rick winning now so I can be put out of my misery? This is Ben all over again. 

Rick was insufferable to me in this ep. I feel for Gavin/Lauren/Victoria/Aurora that they had to listen to him bullshit all night and watch the jury eat it up. They better hope they have an amazing FTC in them because Rick has put on such a show and it's gonna be hard for them to get the jury to understand he had nothing to do with anything that happened.

Ron's partner is stunning. Gavin's wife is adorable. Lauren's dad is hot. Kind of a boring family visit. I still cried though lol.

[RedbirdNelly]

this season is so weird. I found myself thinking "oh, no, Devins is going to escape being voted out" and then I had to remind myself how I don't like Ron or just about anyone else who would get voted out in his place, so it doesn't matter.

That being said Devins is doing a great job of making me dislike him more and more. Dial down the obnoxious, please. You have not given me a reason to cheer for you as an underdog so it's annoying. But I don't like Ron, so yea on that.

I focused on other things during the family visit. Normally I fast forward but was watching live so caught up on sorting the mail. . .

[Bryce Lynch]

6 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Can we just fast forward to Rick winning now so I can be put out of my misery? This is Ben all over again. 

Rick was insufferable to me in this ep. I feel for Gavin/Lauren/Victoria/Aurora that they had to listen to him bullshit all night and watch the jury eat it up. They better hope they have an amazing FTC in them because Rick has put on such a show and it's gonna be hard for them to get the jury to understand he had nothing to do with anything that happened.

Ron's partner is stunning. Gavin's wife is adorable. Lauren's dad is hot. Kind of a boring family visit. I still cried though lol.

I really didn't find Rick annoying in this episode.  I found him more annoying when he first returned from EOE and was so mad at his former tribemates who voted him out after the teary, we have to vote someone out, TC.

He was clearly on the chopping block, so he fought back.  I thought him promising Final 3 to everyone if let him win the immunity challenge was hilarious and was, whether intentional or not, a great parody of Ron, who thought he could win by tricking everyone to think he was with them.

Then, Ron got way too cute, trying to fool him with the expired advantage menu, convincing himself it was a genius move, only to have it blow up in his face.   I enjoyed Rick toying with "the puppet master" and gloating a little.  I think it also made a good impression with the jury and really hurt Ron with them.  

I also had no problem with Rick calling out Aurora for going through his stuff.  Sure, it's within the rules, but nobody is cool with it being done to them.  Aurora could have at least feigned some sort of embarrassment.  She really seems to be missing a decency wire in her brain, perhaps from growing up without loving parents.  Earlier she badgered Victoria to quit an IC while Lauren was lying unconscious.   I admire her grit and ability in challenges, but I think there is something wrong with her.  

That said, I do give her credit for taking the rap and not ratting out the other players who were encouraging her to go through Rick's things.  

[Special K]

The sound was off on the transmission where I live -- the first ten minutes or so, there was soundtrack music, but no dialogue track. 

Let me tell you, this is an effective way to watch Survivor! At least this season.  I seriously got the ENTIRE gist of the Ron/Rick fake-idol-gate just from Ron's mugging face and the dramatic music, and was completely satisfied with what I gleaned about the loved ones arrivals without Probst's idiotic questions.  

[Cotypubby]

2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I.had.no.clue. I don't know why I would but color me shocked. I thought I knew his story (movie wise) but I guess I didn't.

Also, I think the EoE person will come back in the first hour of the Finale. Then get quickly voted out unless they win immunity.

I could have sworn Ron said he was gay in the very first episode? I knew he was since the very beginning. 

[Melina22]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Ron is going to expect everyone to think all his lying in the game was clever and cool, but I expect a lot of people will, like me, notice and remember just how much he enjoyed it.

Yes! His comment about how he didn't actually care at all about Gavin's having to miss his honeymoon made him sound like Cruella Deville's meaner brother.

One minute he seems nice and fun, the next he confirms it's all an act. He's my least favorite Survivor at this point. Just gratuitously mean. 

[nlkm9]

9 hours ago, princelina said:

Mr. P and I were turned off when she greeted him with the "Bachelor Handshake"

I thought he was pretty blasé about it - it was smart of him to mention it to the jury for future points, and act slightly offended by it - but I didn't get the impression that he really gave a shit

Gavin had mentioned his wife before - I hadn't thought he was gay, but was surprised he was old enough to be married.  I hadn't noticed Ron mentioning a spouse or partner, but I had definitely "pegged" Ron as being gay 😄 

OMG when Lauren did the "bachelor handshake" I was repulsed. I dont know the tears and total hysteria seem to ramp up every year and I used to look forward to the family visits and now i dont, although it is interesting to see peoples loved ones. but the hysteria and theatrics is a bit much. but Lauren and her dad? ewww. I always wonder how the loved ones deal with what must be a bad smell--someone last nite said you smell good? lol

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 minutes ago, nlkm9 said:

OMG when Lauren did the "bachelor handshake" I was repulsed. I dont know the tears and total hysteria seem to ramp up every year and I used to look forward to the family visits and now i dont, although it is interesting to see peoples loved ones. but the hysteria and theatrics is a bit much. but Lauren and her dad? ewww. I always wonder how the loved ones deal with what must be a bad smell--someone last nite said you smell good? lol

Same!

I love the family visits and I usually am very moved, but this time, no.  The Lauren thing disgusted me (I'm sorry) and I realized I don't care about any of these people.

My only feelings were that Ron's husband is hot and that I was slightly moved by Gavin's inability to speak or emote when Jeff asked if he was ready.  That was sweet.  I like Gavin a bit more now.

[Kelda Feegle]

My favourite thing about the family visit was that Rick and his wife just seemed to acknowledge that yes it was nice to see each other,  no they weren't going to win the challenge, and neither of those things mattered. 

[Bryce Lynch]

9 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Same!

I love the family visits and I usually am very moved, but this time, no.  The Lauren thing disgusted me (I'm sorry) and I realized I don't care about any of these people.

My only feelings were that Ron's husband is hot and that I was slightly moved by Gavin's inability to speak or emote when Jeff asked if he was ready.  That was sweet.  I like Gavin a bit more now.

I hate the family visits and tears and whimpering.  But, while I get why people were creeped out by Lauren's greeting of her father, I think we have probably become a little hypersensitive about parent-child physical affection.   Sexual abuse and incest have become such prominent topics (as they should) that I think we tend to sometimes perceive non-sexual touching between parents and children as sexual or dirty, when it really is not.  

I highly doubt there was anything sexual on either of their minds.  It seemed like a young woman who was extremely excited to see her Dad, after 30 days starving with a bunch of strangers, and jumping into his arms to hug him.  The correct  way to view it, might be as her, in her emotional state, briefly regressing into a little girl, jumping into her Daddy's arms.  

I still don't get the over the top emotions after 30 days, but given how common it is on Survivor, it is obviously a real thing.   

Edited May 2, 2019 by Bryce Lynch

[nlkm9]

8 hours ago, Steph Sometimes said:

I just realized something kind of funny.

Wasn't Ron one of the guys harping on THE FAMILY VISIT and how you (meaning everyone else) should be satisfied by making it to THE FAMILY VISIT and not worry about your game after that?

Congrats Ron. You made it to THE FAMILY VISIT!

yes it was ironic that he got "voted off" after the family visit, I thought his hubby was a cuite pie 🙂

13 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Yay, it’s that time of the year when half of us bitch about the family visits and the other half loves it. As always, I loathe them. Coincidentally, tonight’s episode of Big Brother Canada also featured family visits and it was adorable. Which has made me realize that it’s Probst dragging it out with his stupid questions that makes it so unbearable for me.

Rick was actually really entertaining tonight and that Tribal was glorious! Making Ron & Julie look like they were trying to humiliate him (even though there was actually strategy behind it) and then pulling out the real idol won him a ton of jury votes if he can make it to the end.

Every time they have one of those challenges where their feet are perched on a tiny ledge, it always makes me miss handsome Yul explaining why elephants can’t run up trees.

oh Yul...::swoon:::

[nlkm9]

12 hours ago, EllipticalAddicted said:

See, I think he is getting the winner's edit.  The jury was just eating up whatever he was feeding them.   I am really starting to pull for Aurora and her give no f's attitude.

Lauren had the saddest face I've ever seen on Survivor when she didn't get chosen to bring her dad back to camp.  

she reminded me of "doe-eyes" Amanda <eyeroll> that girl could put on a sad face lol.

[gesundheit]

51 minutes ago, nlkm9 said:

OMG when Lauren did the "bachelor handshake" I was repulsed. I dont know the tears and total hysteria seem to ramp up every year and I used to look forward to the family visits and now i dont, although it is interesting to see peoples loved ones. but the hysteria and theatrics is a bit much. but Lauren and her dad? ewww. I always wonder how the loved ones deal with what must be a bad smell--someone last nite said you smell good? lol

Honestly it wouldn't have bothered me as much if she were fully clothed, but she's pretty much in her undies out there. Yeesh.

Everyone on Extinction Island has almost no chance of getting back in the game but they're smart to stay -- if they leave, they're not on the jury. If you can't win this game, you'd damn sure at least want a say in who does. (Plus, more screentime.) That said, they need to get on with it.

I for one quite enjoy the jury's reactions to TC, makes it more fun. 

[princelina]

2 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I hate the family visits and tears and whimpering.  But, while I get why people were creeped out by Lauren's greeting of her father, I think we have probably become a little hypersensitive about parent-child physical affection.   Sexual abuse and incest have become such prominent topics (as they should) that I think we tend to sometimes perceive non-sexual touching between parents and children as sexual or dirty, when it really is not.  

I highly doubt there was anything sexual on either of their minds.  It seemed like a young woman who was extremely excited to see her Dad, after 30 days starving with a bunch of strangers, and jumping into his arms to hug him.  The correct  way to view it, might be as her, in her emotional state, briefly regressing into a little girl, jumping into her Daddy's arms.  

I still don't get the over the top emotions after 30 days, but given how common it is on Survivor, it is obviously a real thing.   

I don't think there was anything sexual on their minds either - but we didn't think it was a good look.  And I think the phrase Bachelor Handshake is funny.

As for the family visits - I get why they are emotional, and I enjoy seeing who their loved ones are - what irritates me is Jeff's questioning, designed to bring more tears and drama. It's the same reason I get annoyed at Blood vs. Water seasons.  That being said - at the end when Lauren and The Hat were clutching their dads and sobbing their eyes out as if their moms had just died - enough, ladies.  You'll see them in a week.

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, nlkm9 said:

I always wonder how the loved ones deal with what must be a bad smell--someone last nite said you smell good? lol

Gavin's wife told him he didnt smell that bad and he thanked her for the compliment. It was a cute moment.

[knitorpurl]

7 hours ago, mojoween said:

As a presumed journalism major, Rick saying “good” in that instance hurt my soul.

I think Eric was too, and it was kind of a fail on the editors part to not swing over to Eric’s reaction in the jury when Jeff mentioned it was Loved Ones 

Loved the correction, too. Grammar matters, people. 

And the Eric reaction would have been awesome but the cameramen probably have the same problem I have- which one is Eric and which is Chris?

And can they please give these people swimsuits?!? It is way past time.

[Special K]

2 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

 But, while I get why people were creeped out by Lauren's greeting of her father, I think we have probably become a little hypersensitive about parent-child physical affection.  

I just think that, once you're an adult, the only person you should probably be pressing your crotch against is your lover.

[dsteele]

4 minutes ago, knitorpurl said:

Loved the correction, too. Grammar matters, people. 

Me too! I always think it makes people look more worser when they can't write or talk using proper English.

[survivinmt]

If the jury wants to vote for Rick in the end - which by all evidence seems clear - they need to tone down their support of him. ANYONE else out there should be terrified of sitting next to him in the end, because the jury already seems to have voted him Most Popular Amongst Us Losers.

Totally got skeeved out by the Lauren - Dad hug thing. Hugging that tight to your dad while your ass is hanging out in the breeze that much is quite a sight. I pictured my husband and (21yo) daughter hugging like that with her in that few clothes and I was completely and maybe a little irrationally affronted.

[Melina22]

3 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I highly doubt there was anything sexual on either of their minds.  It seemed like a young woman who was extremely excited to see her Dad, after 30 days starving with a bunch of strangers, and jumping into his arms to hug him.  The correct  way to view it, might be as her, in her emotional state, briefly regressing into a little girl, jumping into her Daddy's arms.  

This is exactly what I thought. I totally agree with your point. I think people today oversexualize all kinds of relationships. There was a time, for example, that it was common for young girls to walk holding hands, or with their arms around each other and no one thought it was unusual. 

I certainly never had the relationship with my father that Lauren has with hers so would never have done what she did, but I know young women who do, and I'm sort of jealous. I totally get why so many people were weirded out, but personally, I thought the reunion was really touching. And not in the bad way. 😁

[Subrookie]

I've been surprised that Rick has been such a divisive player on this board. There's almost always a player like that, I'm just surprised it's Rick this season. Personally, I've liked him all along. I like his attitude and even with the stupid loved one episode he didn't get all weepy for someone he'll see either way in a couple weeks anyway. 

Say what you will about him, but he played that TC and the jury wonderfully. He called out Aurora for going through his bag in front of the jury and doubled down by showing how skeezy Ron and Julie were with that expired advantage. It's clear the jury was eating that up. I too was surprised he could go get the real idol after that. I don't remember anything happening on Survivor like that before.

And how can anyone take anything Reem says seriously about it being just a game. She was voted out Day 3. Tell me more Reem about Survivor and please let me have some of your wisdom on how the game is played... I can't believe someone voted out day 3 is on the jury, but that's another rant.

[Wandering Snark]

5 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Cameramen?  If you have to blur Lauren's crotch area maybe you should quit laying the camera at her feet pointing up.  They've been exploiting her all season and I'm tired of it.

I agree here completely. I thought part of the creepy vibe of her Bachelor Handhaking her dad was that beside a buff she was in her bra and panties basically like they were athletic gear. I was undoubtably checking her out as she's got a great figure but then I felt bad because it's TPTB that refused to give her anything sensible to wear and it then slips into total exploitation territory. You wouldn't have had to blur her bottoms out if you'd given the girl a pair of sensible shorts to compete in not panties that show half her ass from behind and need to be blurred from the front... Not cool.

[KimberStormer]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Gavin's wife told him he didnt smell that bad and he thanked her for the compliment. It was a cute moment.

There was that but I'm pretty sure another castaway (Victoria?? Ron?? Aurora?? Lauren??) told their loved one they smell good, and the response was "bug spray!"

[Wandering Snark]

14 minutes ago, Subrookie said:

I too was surprised he could go get the real idol after that. I don't remember anything happening on Survivor like that before. 

I think this one, once again, falls into the 'Probst is loving that this is making such good teevee that he let's anything go as long as it's dramatic' category. I'm sure Probst was loving it just as much as the jury was. No way he was going to say "Oh no Sorry Mr. Devens, we can't let you play an idol now even though it would be a great blindside. Too bad." *eyeroll*

[Special K]

43 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

 There was a time, for example, that it was common for young girls to walk holding hands, or with their arms around each other and no one thought it was unusual. 

I think that time is now.  At least where I live.

[meep.meep]

They've let people play two idols at one time (Parvati in HvV) - why is this different?

Rick was just more dramatic about it, walking back to his bag.

My daughter hasn't been watching this season, but she sat in tonight.  It's a hard season to explain.

[iMonrey]

I had no idea Ron was gay until Jeff said "Let's bring out your husband." So any viewers who thought he was based on the way he talks or whatever were paying way more attention to him than I was. But the minute he bragged about running the whole show I knew he was a goner.

There was no real downside to Rick trying to use the fake advantage as long as he had the real idol to use - it would have been different if that advantage had to be used before the vote, for example. I really liked him chastising Ron and Julie for trying to make him look like an idiot for no good reason since they were sure he was going home anyway. That's just an asshole move.

[KimberStormer]

Speaking of Parvati, two HvV challenges today.  I was amazed how badly they did on the endurance immunity challenge, particularly the smaller women.  Remember how the Villains demolished the Heroes in that challenge by sitting Russell out and letting the women handle it?  I thought it was Victoria's to lose.  Parvati would still be up there to this day.

I also couldn't help shouting "REED!!!" in angry-Colby voice all during the reward challenge.

[laurakaye]

3 hours ago, knitorpurl said:

And can they please give these people swimsuits?!? It is way past time.

When did they stop with the swimsuits?  Has that been a thing for awhile now?  Is it supposed to be better teevee to make everyone walk around in 30-day old undies?  

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

They've let people play two idols at one time (Parvati in HvV) - why is this different?

Rick was just more dramatic about it, walking back to his bag.

Yeah, Rick's running commentary as he went to fetch the real idol seemed to go on forever.  I get that he was thrilled to foil Ron's evil plan, but a tad less hubris and exposition might have made for better drama - and I think Rick, as always, was hamming it up because the jury was beside themselves with awe.  Rick and the jury seem to feed off each other.  I find it annoying as hell, LOL.

Edited May 2, 2019 by laurakaye

[Melina22]

19 minutes ago, Special K said:

think that time is now.  At least where I live.

So where you live, if you see 13 or 14 year old girls walking down the street holding hands, everyone just thinks they're just really close friends? Because it's not like that here, or frankly anywhere I've lived for a long time. 

I can recall a few experiences when I was a teenager, going places with older aunts and being so embarrassed that they either wanted to walk arm-in-arm with me, or with their own older female friends, like they did when they were young. I felt embarrassed about what people would think but also a bit jealous that they could do it without embarrassment. Nowadays people are so much quicker to attribute sexual motives to public displays of affection. It can be inhibiting. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by Melina22

[Special K]

Just now, Melina22 said:

So where you live, if you see 13 or 14 year old girls walking down the street holding hands, everyone just thinks they're just really close friends? Because it's not like that here, or frankly anywhere I've lived for a long time. 

Yup!  I live in NYC so we have people and kids from all cultures here and lots of people walk hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm here.

[Melina22]

4 minutes ago, Special K said:

Yup!  I live in NYC so we have people and kids from all cultures here and lots of people walk hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm here.

Good point. I wish I was from a culture where I felt at ease doing that with say, a close female friend. 

[blackwing]

I wish there was a way we could have lost both Rick and Ron.  Rick is so smug and always so very pleased with himself.  So irritating.  Ron thought he was in complete control and it's about time he got knocked down many pegs.

19 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Yay, it’s that time of the year when half of us bitch about the family visits and the other half loves it. As always, I loathe them. Coincidentally, tonight’s episode of Big Brother Canada also featured family visits and it was adorable. Which has made me realize that it’s Probst dragging it out with his stupid questions that makes it so unbearable for me.

Yes, agreed.  I think Jeff is insufferable pretty much almost every time he opens his mouth.  But the loved ones visit is him at his worst.  I think I thankfully missed him saying "Who's ready for some looooooovvvveee", but I think the questions are always the same.  "Janey, what's it like to see your husband out here competing after so many days?"  "Jim, tell me about your special bond."  [Mandy cries listening to Jim talk about his wife] "Mandy.  Why are you crying?"  Etc etc etc

18 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Julia is so annoying on the jury.  She renders Kelley invisible, that's how freaking annoying she is.

I especially hate the over-the-top jury reactions, and Aubrey and Julia this season have been among the worst.   Aubrey with her mouth agape and clutching the person next to her because whatever she heard was so earth shattering that she might fall over.  Julia with her stupid fishing and shaking her breasts.  Whatever.  Sit down and be silent please.

17 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

 It was stupid without the real idol. Eliza played the fucking stick, knowing it wasn’t real because who knows. And Alison played Angelina’s fake idol last year for the same reason. You play the bogus idol just in case you are wrong. 

Ron’s fake did not stop Rick from looking for the real idol. Ron’s play did not cause Rick to change a damn thing in how he played. Rick made it clear in talking heads, conversations with Ron, and at Tribal that Ron has been lying to him and that the only reason he was working with Ron was because Ron was talking to him. That is it.

All Ron’s fake idol play did accomplished is to try and set Rick up and make Rick look stupid. If Rick had not had the real idol, Ron would have looked like an ass to the jury, rubbing salt into a wound. Rick’s call on that was perfect. Ron wanted Rick to look like a fool when there was no reason, Rick was going home.

I don't agree that it was useless to try and trick Rick with the expired advantage.  If Rick had been more trusting, he might not have looked for the real idol.  He would have felt safe, sat at camp, played the expired advantage and gone home without putting up a fight.  I don't like either of them but I think it was a good strategy attempt by Ron.  It was not done just to embarrass Rick.  It was to make him feel comfortable and complacent.

15 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

Christ it is all I can do to keep watching Survivor: ALL RICK ALL THE TIME.  Fuck this dude.  I can't remember an edit like this.  This must be what Samoa was like.  There's only one person they care about.  It's godawful, I want to throw my TV in the sea.

Rick of course is the beneficiary, like many before him, of the fact that the Survivor producers care about good TV above all, or his bullshit grandstanding would have sent him back to the EDGE OF EXTINCTION, instead of letting him run back and forth and play his idol whenever he pleased.  He is an idiot, a terrible Survivor player, and a giant asshole, and should go back to whatever Hantzian hole he crawled out of.  Victoria and Aurora deserve all the credit for this move, he didn't even know about it!  Victoria continues to play better than any of these idiots and Aurora was so smart giving the extra vote to Gavin knowing he couldn't be excluded on a tie, and fucking Rick fucking Devens gets all the credit?  Bullshit.

I agree, Rick is eating this show.  I think he must have featured in half the confessionals this episode.  Ugh.  He shouldn't get any credit for getting Ron out... in fact, it showed exactly how outcast he is in the game.  Every single person was onboard with getting Rick out, and they wanted Ron as a backup.  Rick thought Aurora was going to go home.

Edited May 2, 2019 by blackwing

[fishcakes]

I think that Aurora did care about getting caught going through Rick's bag; to me, she had a frightened deer-in-the-headlights look every time it came up, was fronting all of that "so what?" attitude and not very well either. Rick seemed to catch on to that too, and brought it up at TC knowing that she would do that, "and I'm fine with it [gulp]." Knowing her background, I guess she's always had to act tough, but I get the impression she's anything but tough because she really can't pull that off.

Aurora giving the advantage to Gavin made no sense. She was worried that she would be one of the targets in a split vote and be tied with someone (and thus unable to use her extra vote on the revote), so presumably she was concerned that Ron, Julie, and Rick were going to vote for her. The possible scenarios are (sorry about the long-winded bullet points but trying to figure out what morons might do is a lot of work):

• Ron and Julie are lying to her and are voting for her, but Victoria, Lauren, and Gavin are telling her the truth about wanting to split the votes between Rick and Ron and they think that Rick might play an idol. In that case, the extra vote has to be used on the initial vote and it has to be used to vote for Ron. Because if not, then the votes are three for Aurora, two for Rick (that don't count), and two for Ron, and Aurora goes home. So in that scenario, Aurora should have kept the extra vote, used it herself, and voted twice for Ron to force a tie and then hope that V, L, and G all stick with her on the revote.
• Ron and Julie and at least one of Victoria, Gavin, or Lauren are lying to her. Then she's fucked anyway with at least four votes, and giving away her advantage does her no good.
• Or what actually happened: Ron and Julie were telling the truth and voted for Rick; Victoria, Lauren, and Gavin were telling the truth, and the votes ended up being one for Aurora (from Rick), four for Rick (from Ron, Julie, Aurora, and Victoria, all nullified by the HII), two for Ron (from Lauren and Gavin) and then an additional unneeded vote for Ron from Gavin, who clearly didn't understand that he was supposed to hold the extra vote in case there was a revote. In this case, giving away the idol was completely pointless.

I think the only way giving away her advantage to Gavin makes sense is if one but not both of Ron or Julie is lying, Gavin, Victoria, and Lauren are all telling the truth, and Gavin is not a complete idiot who is unable to follow simple instructions. Which seems like a lot of contingencies to bank on. Bottom line for me is that she should have kept her advantage and she has no standing to claim that Rick doesn't understand math.

8 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

I have no real vested interest in any of these people, but I kinda like Rick/Devens screwing with the others' plans.  If he ends up winning, I'd be neutral on the disappointed scale.

That's my feeling about it. I don't feel either positive or negative about Devens, but I guess he's slightly less objectionable to me than everyone else left because they're either doing nothing or doing something stupid.

I don't mind the loved ones visit and I usually tear up at least a little because I cry when other people cry, but I was stoic through last night's visit, mainly because I don't care about these people at all. I too was a little bothered by the Bachelor handshake, but I was more interested in the genetics of redheaded, light-eyed Victoria and her dark-haired, dark-eyed dad. This show is so boring, I was reduced to thinking, "adoption, stepdad, or cuckolded husband?" (But Professor Google tells me red hair is a recessive gene that can skip generations, so most likely he is her bio dad and at least I've added to the bank of information I'll never use.) Ron's husband is gorgeous, but he has terrible taste in spouses.

Edited May 2, 2019 by fishcakes

[dstann]

7 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Julie is this season's token goat, right?  Otherwise, I don't get why she's still in the game.  She's boring and hasn't been shown making any major decisions has she?  I guess she isn't obsessed with building her "resume" like the others.

Most of the players left seem like goats.  Everyone who has had the guts to organise a big move has been voted out. 

Lauren mainly just rode Wardog and Kelley's coat tails

Victoria seems really smart but doesn't appear to have much influence

Gavin just seems to do what he is told same with Julie

Aurora lacks the social skills to be subtle and I don't think could convince people to follow her.

[mikewho]

1 hour ago, Melina22 said:

I totally get why so many people were weirded out

I will never get why people were weirded out over this. Fer Gawd's sake, it was father and daughter. And I think it says more about the people who were 'weirded out' by it than it does about their embrace. If it hadn't been brought up so much here, I never even would've noticed it.

[eel21788]

19 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Edited May 2, 2019 by eel21788
see below; cat on keyboard royally screwed original post

[laurakaye]

I'm still trying to figure out how the finale is in two weeks and we still have 75 people left in the game.  At this point, Probst is going to have to pull out a jaw-dropping stunner to salvage this season, IMO, and I am too bored to even consider what that might be.  I'm also trying to figure out what sense it makes for one person out of that swarm of unwashed humanity known as "the jury" to come back into the game from EOE when there's only a few days of game left - unless the person who comes back automatically goes to Final Three?  I don't know, nothing about this season makes sense and I still can't tell the difference between Eric and Chris.

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, Subrookie said:

Say what you will about him, but he played that TC and the jury wonderfully. He called out Aurora for going through his bag in front of the jury and doubled down by showing how skeezy Ron and Julie were with that expired advantage. It's clear the jury was eating that up. I too was surprised he could go get the real idol after that. I don't remember anything happening on Survivor like that before.

Total agreement.  I’m not a big Rick fan, with Rick’s vote for Aurora it’s obvious he wasn’t in on this TC’s Master Plan - but there’s little doubt Rick will be see as the contestant who OWNED that TC.

Frankly, there’s no one person in particular this season that I’m rooting for to win over anybody else.  Gavin, maybe, simply because he’s a Tennessee boy - but the fact I choose him for reasons which have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the game should be telling.

18 minutes ago, mikewho said:

I will never get why people were weirded out over this. Fer Gawd's sake, it was father and daughter. And I think it says more about the people who were 'weirded out' by it than it does about their embrace. If it hadn't been brought up so much here, I never even would've noticed it.

Same here.  All I saw was a young woman - who’s been homesick and tolerating weeks of nonstop stress - momentarily reverting back to Daddy’s Little Girl.  And if someone can’t see childlike joy in an adult without ascribing prurient motivations to it, then I feel sorry for them.

[eel21788]

18 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I would never want to win the family visit, or get picked for it.  I'd probably ask one of my friends to come or some relative I don't care for so I wouldn't get picked.  

If I was ever on Survivor (never going to happen) and made it to the family visit, I think they would end up with another Jenna situation from season one. Almost none of my relatives would ever be willing to get on an airplane. If someone somehow enticed my father to come, I could just visualize him limping out of the jungle with his brace and cane. His first words would be to cuss me out in Yiddish for participating and involving him in such foolishness. Then there is the idea of having someone disabled spend time at camp and having to pretend to enjoy it.

Edited May 2, 2019 by eel21788

[Nashville]

7 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

18 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I would never want to win the family visit, or get picked for it.  I'd probably ask one of my friends to come or some relative I don't care for so I wouldn't get picked.  

 Wife and I were discussing this last night while watching the episode; while she’s the one I would want to see above anybody else, she has a bad hip and probably could not participate in any challenge – so odds are it would be one of my daughters, if they could get off work. 

[blackwing]

35 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

I was more interested in the genetics of redheaded, light-eyed Victoria and her dark-haired, dark-eyed dad. This show is so boring, I was reduced to thinking, "adoption, stepdad, or cuckolded husband?" (But Professor Google tells me red hair is a recessive gene that can skip generations, so most likely he is her bio dad and at least I've added to the bank of information I'll never use.) 

Hahaha I thought I was the only one.  When the brown haired, brown eyed dad came running out, I was immediately thinking the exact same thing.  

30 minutes ago, mikewho said:

I will never get why people were weirded out over this. Fer Gawd's sake, it was father and daughter. And I think it says more about the people who were 'weirded out' by it than it does about their embrace. If it hadn't been brought up so much here, I never even would've noticed it.

I agree.  She is very young and she previously talked about how much she missed her family.  I imagine that she and her dad are very close.  Add in exhaustion and loneliness and all the other things Survivor brings and I didn't think anything of it.  I don't like Lauren all that much but I thought it was nice to see a daughter who so very obviously loves her dad.

[gesundheit]

In fairness to the contestants during the loved ones visits, the people who have family come to visit (as opposed to spouses/partners) won't all see them in a few weeks. Some of them don't live anywhere near each other, and may only see one another a few times a year, so this is a big deal in any context. But then living in isolation with strangers like this just amps it up a ton.

Admittedly I was a little bummed that Aurora's loved one was her brother and not a partner, only because I have a weird curiosity about what Aurora's taste in women would be. She's such a cipher. 

[cherrypj]

14 minutes ago, Nashville said:

...so odds are it would be one of my daughters, if they could get off work. 

So we would see a Nashville Handshake?

[eel21788]

18 hours ago, North of Eden said:

. It's just so ridiculous. I was gong to cut Gavin some slack given the situation, but then I realized he was probably with his fiancee for a long time before they got married...all the crying, all the sobbings is just so overblown.

It isn't as though this is the 1960s, they were high school sweethearts, he just got his draft notice and they had to suddenly elope so they could consummate their relationship before he was shipped off to Vietnam. They'd probably been living together for years, and she was going to see him again in six weeks just like everybody else.

[willco]

11 hours ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

Oh, guuurrlll. Time to get your prescription lenses renewed. 

Well, I'm a guy and I'm not a gay guy, so I guess I pay more attention to the women on the show than the men. And I just didn't see any obvious signs from Ron that made me think, 'Yeah, he's for sure gay." Several posters have mentioned him crossing his legs-- I didn't realize that was an indicator ! If you watch some of the older talk shows, more often than not, the male guests almost always crossed their legs during the interview ( and these were people like John Wayne, Dean Martin, etc) , so I guess I just didn't know that it was out of fashion. Bottom line, I just didn't realize it.

But you are correct about one thing-- my glasses are kind of old & it's time to get new ones !

[HeShallBMySquishy]

15 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

I look at it this way: For however many days, you’ve been able to trust very few people and have been thinking about the game for every hour you’re awake. All the strategizing, stressing and questioning every move you make. It must be so overwhelming to just see someone you know & trust, who’s on your side and even for a few minutes, you don’t have to think about the game. So I get it from a player’s view, even while at home, I’m on team ‘it hasn’t been that long’.

I see it the same way as you, which always baffles me why so many people abhor the family visits. I get it, to each their own, but, like you said, just to see someone you love, and trust, and know will always have your back, and will never lie or cheat you. To see them on this remote island, and feel their arms wrapped tightly around you, after all the physical and emotional exhaustion this game brings ... yeah, I'm sure I'd be a teary mess too.

This episode was actually somewhat interesting! And then I remembered that Edge of Extinction is still a thing, and Ron will be back next week, and Jesus Christ, will this season ever fucking end?

I did like that Tribal Council, it was mildly entertaining to see Ron and Julie get knocked down several pegs, but I wish Rick wasn't so boastful about a blindside he had no hand in. I go back and forth on that guy, find him entertaining and irritating in equal measure. As someone pointed out last episode thread, Rick was already voted out, and has only been right twice out of six votes since being back, plus he has been brought up quite frequently since as someone who needs to go. So all this talk here about how Rick is "an awesome player" and "playing the best game" is a little puzzling to me.

But I do think he has a good shot at winning the whole thing, if the editing is anything to go by.

Yay, Gavin! Something else memorable about you! I found his whole admission about being married for 2 whole days while struggling not to cry, to his wife, to said wife commenting on his smell and his response, to be really adorable.

[Bryce Lynch]

2 hours ago, Wandering Snark said:

I think this one, once again, falls into the 'Probst is loving that this is making such good teevee that he let's anything go as long as it's dramatic' category. I'm sure Probst was loving it just as much as the jury was. No way he was going to say "Oh no Sorry Mr. Devens, we can't let you play an idol now even though it would be a great blindside. Too bad." *eyeroll*

I don't think that was it.   A player can play multiple idols on the same vote, and Probst always tells the players immediately if an object is a valid idol or not.  Why couldn't he try to play the questionable one first and then the one he knew was real?  

[eel21788]

18 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

And in this hot mess of a season with the completely pointless EoE crap, the loved ones visit definitely wouldn't even register on my radar of things to be bothered by. And I saw someone say the season is ending in two weeks? Is that right? WTF then...no really, are they just not going to end this ever? Like will Jeff be reading the winner and the other two will be given the option to "continue in the game"? Like WHEN WILL THIS END?

They have managed to ruin both Survivor and Amazing Race simultaneously. I hate returning contestants to begin with, but forcing them into the game and making sure nobody actually gets voted out is beyond ridiculous. Then Amazing Race is all contestants who have played something in some capacity. The only thing I hate more than returning contestants, is contestants who have made reality TV their livelihoods.

[Bryce Lynch]

6 minutes ago, willco said:

Well, I'm a guy and I'm not a gay guy, so I guess I pay more attention to the women on the show than the men. And I just didn't see any obvious signs from Ron that made me think, 'Yeah, he's for sure gay." Several posters have mentioned him crossing his legs-- I didn't realize that was an indicator ! If you watch some of the older talk shows, more often than not, the male guests almost always crossed their legs during the interview ( and these were people like John Wayne, Dean Martin, etc) , so I guess I just didn't know that it was out of fashion. Bottom line, I just didn't realize it.

But you are correct about one thing-- my glasses are kind of old & it's time to get new ones !

I am also a straight male and, before I saw it online, I had no clue Ron was gay, but I suspected Gavin was.  Maybe we need to order Gaydar from The Sharper Image.  :)