Survivor: Popping Collars

[Scrambled Aegon]

Why thank you! <3

And I don't put a ton of stock in Fishbach's opinions ever since he gave Russell Hantz the Fishy for a season he wasn't even on (?????) - but yea, good call by Mike with this swap (since we can reasonably infer that he was closer to Sierra than TV made it appear.) Keeps Kelly safe and I think "Don't Throw Challenges!!" is way overhyped in general, but especially post-swap. That challenge was fun to watch as well.

[Kyoshi]

I have to ask - would have if it weren't for what? It seems to me that she had the chance to be a great player and.. well, wasn't.

(Also, I don't know why it adds the incorrect usernames. Oh well.)

If she had trusted her instinct and not been a follower. Of she and Joaquin, I think she was the most tactical. But I think the problem some of the players face is that they want to be "strategic players" who make "big moves"; I blame Probst for that, and maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I see it since he is always SAYING-IT-SO-LOUDLY-AND-IN-BROKEN-SYLLABLES...IN THIS GAME YOU HAVE TO MAKE A BIG MOVE. [i miss Season 1-3 Probst]. She should have just taken the beans; I think that's the decision that screwed her.

[Cyvasse Khal]

If she had trusted her instinct and not been a follower. Of she and Joaquin, I think she was the most tactical. But I think the problem some of the players face is that they want to be "strategic players" who make "big moves"; I blame Probst for that, and maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I see it since he is always SAYING-IT-SO-LOUDLY-AND-IN-BROKEN-SYLLABLES...IN THIS GAME YOU HAVE TO MAKE A BIG MOVE. [i miss Season 1-3 Probst]. She should have just taken the beans; I think that's the decision that screwed her.

I think Probst was definitely in the "you have to make big moves to win this game and make this show good" mindset all the way up until the end of last season where he saw that players trying to make big moves that had no idea what they were doing was just a train wreck. Also, during the Survivor Roundtable before this season he brought up the big moves = good player question and everybody (Sandra, Cochran, Parvati, Rob C) all told him "no Jeff" and he seemed to accept that. So I think Probst has a different mindset going into this season.

[Kyoshi]

^I haven't watched that yet. Need to.

[awesome possum]

So far from the first 6 episodes I would say Mike or Jenn have the best chance of winning this thing. They're the "stars" of this season, but that doesn't really guarantee anything, though they're also in probably two of the best positions in the game.

Mike has a strong alliance around him with a good Goat shield in Dan, a good under the radar shield in Kelly plus Rodney as the obnoxious first target/physical challenge threat shield. And Sierra fits in there somehow.

Jenn has a good Goat shield in Will, a good under the radar shield in Hali and an immunity challenge threat shield in Joe.

And then the wild cards of Tyler, Carolyn and Shirin. Joaquin in his post-game interviews say that it wasn't shown but he felt he, Tyler and Carolyn were 100% together which suggests Tyler and Carolyn may be a pair come the merge. Carolyn did a good job of alienating Shirin after the Max vote who was then seemingly picked up and embraced by Hali so I don't know if they'll work together again.

I like Carolyn, she's tough and fiesty and came to play, but she plays very erratically. I don't want to say emotionally, because of the negative connotations of calling a female player emotional, but it certainly seems that way. If Max can be believed, in his post-game interviews he says the reason Carolyn turned on him stemmed from that first tribal, when Max told Joaquin and So to vote for her. Even though he claims he warned her she was going to be the decoy vote and that he would go to rocks for her if Tyler went with J&S, she lost all trust in him after seeing her name written down and being told by Joaq that Max told them to vote for her. Makes me believe she either doesn't really know the game that well or is just a hot-head. Her telling Shirin she didn't know if Carolyn could trust her was just kind of nuts considering that Carolyn flipped on Shirin.

I have no idea where I'm going with any of this.

[Scrambled Aegon]

If she had trusted her instinct and not been a follower. Of she and Joaquin, I think she was the most tactical. But I think the problem some of the players face is that they want to be "strategic players" who make "big moves"; I blame Probst for that, and maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I see it since he is always SAYING-IT-SO-LOUDLY-AND-IN-BROKEN-SYLLABLES...IN THIS GAME YOU HAVE TO MAKE A BIG MOVE. [i miss Season 1-3 Probst]. She should have just taken the beans; I think that's the decision that screwed her.

Ooh gotcha. My b. Yea, I agree that she could have been if she had done some stuff differently. But I guess if I had wheels, I'd be a wagon.

I like Carolyn, she's tough and fiesty and came to play, but she plays very erratically. I don't want to say emotionally, because of the negative connotations of calling a female player emotional, but it certainly seems that way. If Max can be believed, in his post-game interviews he says the reason Carolyn turned on him stemmed from that first tribal, when Max told Joaquin and So to vote for her. Even though he claims he warned her she was going to be the decoy vote and that he would go to rocks for her if Tyler went with J&S, she lost all trust in him after seeing her name written down and being told by Joaq that Max told them to vote for her. Makes me believe she either doesn't really know the game that well or is just a hot-head. Her telling Shirin she didn't know if Carolyn could trust her was just kind of nuts considering that Carolyn flipped on Shirin.

I have no idea where I'm going with any of this.

What I heard Max say is that he didn't warn her, and that he owns that as his mistake? Only looked at one interview w/ him, but he said in it that he didn't warn her and knows that he fucked up on that. And I think it's fair for her to distrust them based on that if Max didn't warn her - it does make it look like Max was trying to run everything and just decide at TC which way to go.

Mike and Jenn are definitely safe choices.

[Cyvasse Khal]

Season 32: Second Chances

http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2015/03/survivor-32-cast-viewer-vote/

This feels all but officially confirmed based on the past Survivor contestants tweeting about it so much this past week. I know Rob C said CBS had contacted all past Survivor contestants a couple of months ago to "update their records". A 2nd chance season is a great decision. We get to see some great players again, but it won't be the same familiar Boston Rob, Russell, Parvati, Tyson, Rupert, Amanda, Ozzy, Coach combinations that we're sick of now. I'm a little worried about how much this vote will determine who plays though. If they just take the top 18 from a public vote, you could end up with a really imbalanced cast and likely too much of the same type of player and personality. I think maybe casting should pick the first 14 and keep it private, hold the vote, have a look at which people are surprisingly more popular than they thought and pick say 4, then release the whole cast without saying who were the public choices.

[awesome possum]

Ooh gotcha. My b. Yea, I agree that she could have been if she had done some stuff differently. But I guess if I had wheels, I'd be a wagon.

What I heard Max say is that he didn't warn her, and that he owns that as his mistake? Only looked at one interview w/ him, but he said in it that he didn't warn her and knows that he fucked up on that. And I think it's fair for her to distrust them based on that if Max didn't warn her - it does make it look like Max was trying to run everything and just decide at TC which way to go.

Mike and Jenn are definitely safe choices.

Season 32: Second Chances

http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2015/03/survivor-32-cast-viewer-vote/

This guy on twitter who apparently has been right in the past has posted a clue on which players will be available for the vote. The clue was their season number and gender and the popular consensus over on the Survivor subreddit seems to be:

Bold is the clue

S3 - F - Teresa Cooper

S7 - M - Andrew Savage

S12 - M/M - Terry Deitz, Shane Powers

S15 - F - Peih-Gee Law

S18 - M - Stephen Fishbach

S23 - M - Jim Rice

S24 - F/F/M - Alicia Rosa, Chelsea Meissner, Troy Robertson

S25 - F - RC Saint-Amour

S27 - F/M/M/M - Ciera Eastin, John Cody, Vytas Baskauskas, Hayden Moss

S28 - F/F/F/M - Kass McQuillen, Tasha Fox, Sarah Lacina, Spencer Bledsoe

S29 - F/M/M - Baylor Wilson, Jeremy Collins, Keith Nale

Some hardcore recency bias, but that's to be expected I guess.

[Scrambled Aegon]

Holy ew if Jim is brought back. The thought of a Teresa or Savage return is pretty exciting, though. I'm surprised they'd put in Kass/Spencer for something like this instead of just bringing them both back together for the ensured rivalry revival.

[Cyvasse Khal]

If that does end up being the cast, overall I'd be very happy with it. A great mixture of personalities and players. However, I don't like that S24 and S28 are made up of players that have such strong pre-existing relationships whether they be allies or enemies.

Re: Jim Rice. The problem with Jim was that he only took the half-measure in both playing a bold game and being a bold villain. He just got lost in the shuffle of Ozzy's tribe because he never fully committed to how he wanted to play. If Jim goes out there again with the mindset of a villain and a big schemer, he could add a lot.

[awesome possum]

If that does end up being the cast, overall I'd be very happy with it. A great mixture of personalities and players. However, I don't like that S24 and S28 are made up of players that have such strong pre-existing relationships whether they be allies or enemies.

Re: Jim Rice. The problem with Jim was that he only took the half-measure in both playing a bold game and being a bold villain. He just got lost in the shuffle of Ozzy's tribe because he never fully committed to how he wanted to play. If Jim goes out there again with the mindset of a villain and a big schemer, he could add a lot.

I agree about Rice. I think that both he and David Murphy from RI would be considered big villains/characters if they hadn't been overshadowed by the returnees their seasons.

I'm also an unabashed Stephen Fishbach fan who's excited to see him back. I've long believed that Stephen was the patience and brains behind the JT/Stephen connection and was shafted hard by just how likable JT was and also how coldly ruthless he was at that final tribal. I'd like to see how he does without JT.

The main one I really wouldn't want to see out of that cast is Alicia. She was just a mean-spirited and delusional bully who by the end of One World almost had me wishing for Colton back.

[Kyoshi]

I'm one of those people who don't think JT would have won without Stephen.

I honestly hope Alicia does not come back. She's in the league of Russell and Naonka for me...People I could do without seeing ever again.

[Cyvasse Khal]

I'm one of those people who don't think JT would have won without Stephen.

I honestly hope Alicia does not come back. She's in the league of Russell and Naonka for me...People I could do without seeing ever again.

neither would have got there without each other or Taj. It truly was one of the best partnerships the game has had though. Not only did the good old southern country boy and the white collar Jewish city boy getting together make for a compelling story, but it helped their game so much. No-one really thought they were THAT close, and by the time they realized they were they had set all the necessary plans in motion.

I really like Stephen as well, but JT definitely deserved to win IMO. Stephen is likely the better strategist, but JT was the one who had to do 90% of the relationship building and lying after the merge.Which on paper sounds like Stephen had the right idea to send JT to do the dirty work, but even after people were getting voted out they still loved JT - it was like a prisoner on death row loving their executioner. Then the final tribal showed how much of a killer instinct JT had for the game that Stephen was lacking. Tocantins was so fantastic.

[dbunting]

just doing this because I felt left out! [spoiler/]

I don't mind retread seasons, but to me one revisit is enough. After appearing twice you should be retired to the survivor pasture

[Scrambled Aegon]

Jenn and Hali openly celebrating was absolutely delightful.

Merica... I have no words.

[Kyoshi]

Joe is a beautiful man. Definitely belongs on the cover of a romance novel.

On to serious business... wow. That was an amazing episode. I think I may have to watch it again, just to make sure.

All the Jen love is absolutely deserved. I wasn't expecting Will to flip, especially after Shirin joined the No Collars and made it abundantly clear she was not a swing vote. Speaking of Shirin, I actually like her. I think we can expect a redemption arc coming along. I don't think Carolyn and Tyler made a smart choice in swinging towards Blue Collar. The Blues have a strong bond and I don't see them getting rid of one of their own before the others are gone. But maybe I'm being too simplistic in my thinking since Rodney and Sierra are potential non-predictables. But as things stand, I see them going Blue Collar all the way. That's why I am so glad Shirin is on the red side now. I hope it ends well for her. I love that after she made mistakes she went to her peers and asked where she went wrong. And now she's being an adult about it and immersing herself in the game. I hope to see her all the way to the end.

Overall, I'm still rooting for the No Collars [plus Shirin], especially Jen and Joe, they make a perfect pair. Neither is dumb and both can more than hold their own in a challenge. But I wouldn't be disappointed if Hali made it further than them, I think she's also brilliant.

The tribe name...yeah...I don't have words.

[awesome possum]

I wonder if the producers tell Joe he has to put his hair down at Tribal so they can get those shots of his hair waving in the breeze.

That was fun though. I love it when idols are played correctly, whether I like the person or not, that was a perfect idol play. I believe it prevented a Pagonging that would have left the 5 Blue Collars standing.

I can see why Tyler and Carolyn chose Blue Collars. Tyler and Mike seemed to connect and Carolyn was part of Rodney's posse. Together they both have a different in to the BC group while still not being seen as a pair, which would allow them to get information from two different sources and gauge how much of it was BS. They don't have that with the No Collars, thanks to Tyler being scared of Joe and refusing to having anything to do with him. Plus a fractured 5 is much easier to make things happen with than a very tight-3 plus Shirin.

I think a Blue Collar is going home next week. Or Will. Will could be one of those guys who Joe/Jen/Hali target and Mike just says "fuggit, we still have the numbers with him gone."

[Cyvasse Khal]

Very strong episode, although all merge episodes are usually up there with the best because you never really know where the allegiances lie until that first merge vote. I said it a couple of weeks ago that I was very much crushing hard on Jenn - after this episode I think it's bordering on infatuation now. She's just great at the game and great at life. The idol play was gutsy and obviously a great move, but the real moment where she confirmed her place as the strongest player was a) immediately keeping tabs on Kelly and knowing she went straight to Mike and what that meant, and b ) figuring out and telling Hali that one of them was likely to be going home. It's a great skill to have to be able to put yourself in another person's shoes and know where they are likely to go. I'm not sure she knew Will was going to flip, but she figured out that Tyler & Caroline would side the way they did.

Anyway, enough of my admirational ramblings. I'll balance my thoughts out by saying if I were Jenn's alliance I wouldn't be celebrating too hard. They lost the vote 8-4 (7-4-1 but whatever, semantics, who needs em, not Merica). So technically as we stand they are down 7-4 in the numbers. I don't expect that to remain that way, but I just found it a bit presumptuous how much they were hi-5ing and fist bumping and hellz yeahing.

[Slurktan]

I think a Blue Collar is going home next week. Or Will. Will could be one of those guys who Joe/Jen/Hali target and Mike just says "fuggit, we still have the numbers with him gone."

If Joe doesn't win II next week he's gone. They still have the numbers and Joe is a big enough threat that Rodney will be a team player.

[awesome possum]

I don't expect that to remain that way, but I just found it a bit presumptuous how much they were hi-5ing and fist bumping and hellz yeahing.

I don't think they believe they won the war, just a battle that prevents them from being Pagonged.

I do think it's very strange how the pre-merge had so many split votes and this one did not. Of course, they couldn't know that Tyler, Carolyn and Will were with them so they didn't realize they had the numbers to split the vote.

If Joe doesn't win II next week he's gone. They still have the numbers and Joe is a big enough threat that Rodney will be a team player.

I definitely don't think Joe is going to make it much further, mainly because he's engaging and strategic enough that he would have a lot more confessionals if he made it really deep into the game. But Probst in his Q&A with Entertainment Weekly said next week is one of the best episodes of the season which suggests to me another blindside. I don't see a Joe boot being big enough to qualify as a blindside unless it's Mike using an idol to take him out (Probst's irrational man-crush this season is Mike).