brainee

When Jeff told all the adults and teens to swim out and for the kids to get ready to start digging in the sand for a challenge I was getting ready for something epic! Of course he was just trolling

They haven't had the loved ones participate in challenges for a while, have they? I don't remember who it was, but I remember how one reason a player starting getting mad at his brother for costing him the challenge

mwbmis

That would be Colby Donaldson in his third and final Survivor appearance.

brainee

Yes, that's the one (Heroes vs Villains). "Come on, Reed!!!"

Cardsfan111

I am really enjoying this season. Tony's reading about the extortion advantage and going from celebration to despair was classic.

Decker

Yeah that was an all time moment right there. They shouldn't have cut away to his confessional. Just let it play out in real time. We knew what was going on.
Amazing that he 1) was able to actually come up with 6 tokens, 2) won the challenge and 3) Has almost paid back the borrowed tokens already. Add that to his massive blind side ( hot Sophie ), and he is playing a Hell of a Godfather game. Wonder if he just put too big a target on his back though.

Bill Needle

Two episodes ago I mentioned that Tony seemed primed to open up a can of gameplay and he finally did. Since then two individual immunity wins, a found idol, and he engineered blindside of a player (and her idol) who was sitting in a strong position.

Not saying he's my favorite player, but he brings a lot to the game now that he has been activated.

Josh-da-man

Yeah, Tony is a great player. He's good at challenges and scheming, but he comes off so obnoxious and douchey it's nearly impossible to root for him.

He's not someone you want to see walk away with the big prize.

windom

Tony is exactly who I want to see win the big prize.

cdollaz

Yeah, I would not mind seeing Tony win. He mostly seems like a goofball who is just having fun. He doesn't come off as an asshole or anything.

brainee

I agree ... I don't get "douche" from him. He's like a little kid having fun playing a game. Next week could be fun for Tony. Previews show him:




leeta

I actually like Tony this time. He laid low long enough that his antics are fun to watch now. Hope he wins if the Edge of Extinction players are out of it. Couldn't stand him the first time. Still not a Sarah fan.

Decker

Permit me a brief Survivor rant : I am getting sick of "Live Tribal". For a while it was entertaining. Now it's just frustrating. You can't tell what is going on. It looks chaotic. Most importantly, it just isn't fun any more.
Next season, I hope they have a rule where you can't get up until it's time to vote, and anyone who gets up early has to leave the Tribal area and vote immediately.

Also, I imagine they're still doing Rewards challenges. But they haven't shown one since the Chinese Food. I enjoy those challenges, and I feel we are missing out by not seeing them and who gets picked for which one. We saw that on the "Fire Token Menu" there was the ability to swap out for a reward, so they must still be going on. They're cut for time since with Exile there's just too much material for 44 minutes of TV time. Honestly this show should be 90 minutes per episode - at least for this season.

DWilson

If I'm reading Probst's comments (over at EW) correctly, next week's two-hour episode is a two-hour episode, rather than two one-hour episodes.

brainee

It’s too bad CBS doesn’t have some sort of “extended” episodes. Not just little interview snippets like those that show up on sites like EW but cut challenges and scenes. They don’t, do they? Seems like something that would fit in on their website, YouTube channel, or streaming service nicely. Especially since they can’t do a Ponderosa series with all jury members on Edge.

Completely agree about the “live” tribals. Can’t make out what’s being said, can’t hear Jeff and people he’s trying to talk to. I get how Jeff and viewers thought it interesting to see at first, but now it just hurts my enjoyment. Besides, that was one of the key things about tribal ... that players had to gauge and adjust their votes on the fly based on how the Q&A went. Jeff always like to talk about the game evolving, but this feels like devolution to me.

Decker

^ Yeah, maybe they could have has an hour long After-show hosted by Jeff and the EW guy on CBS All Access with additional scenes like the Rewards challenge and with the play-by-play of the Live Tribal. Maybe show more of the conversation beforehand so you know what everyone was thinking, then breaking down the tribal and showing how everyone interacted with each other and if votes got switched up. Because right now I have no idea - - Even about the really important stuff like if Tony did something sneaky or betrayed an ally. You could show more without hurting the regular show, we already know who got voted out so there is no need for suspense. Give us total transparency.
I would probably subscribe to All Access for a couple of months to watch that.

DWilson

I would eagerly watch that.

mwbmis

It's kind of funny. I signed up for CBS All Access for Picard so since I'm home last month I started rewatching Survivor China, and it basically killed what was left of my interest for the main show. Such a simpler, cleaner game without everyone everyone having trinkets. It didn't help that season 38 and 39 were quite possibly the two worst seasons in Survivor history (for differing reasons).

Speaking of China, I had forgotten how many memorable characters there were on that season. It was a deep cast, even some of the early boots.

Inhumans99

Devolution is a great word to describe the new Tribal Councils, which have become a joke compared to past Councils. Forget any gripes about boring players (Survivor has always had players less exciting to watch than watching paint dry), too many idols (at least it lets us see them get off their butts and engage in activity on the island), etc., the single biggest thing that has to actually change is Jeff re-flexing his power at TCs and not letting them split into groups to whisper among each other. It really should now be a rule that the players are aware of when they sign the contract to go on the game that they are not allowed to have private conversations with each other at TC, as the time for that is pre-TC.

Yeah...that needs to change, otherwise, I am loving that Tony went from a player I did not care about in past seasons to one I want to see win it all.

Decker

Okay, somebody walk me through the logic of Michelle giving Jeremy her 50/50 coin that she paid 4 FIRE TOKENS for, and also VOTED FOR JEREMY. Because to me that seems like a low-key Dumbest Survivor Move of All-Time.

brainee

The way I saw it, she thought everyone was voting for Jeremy so her vote wasn't going to matter one way or another. And she wanted Jeremy to stay while maintaining the cover of voting with the majority. Of course it didn't turn out the way she thought it would. But I can see the reasoning behind it (as opposed to truly historic dumb moves of the past).

DWilson

I thought she explained her rationale effectively. On the other hand, I don't quite understand Tony and Jeremy tipping their hands and then not playing their advantages. I'll be curious if that helps or hurts them.

Decker

I'm of the mindset that you NEVER give your advantage or idol to another player. That said, I really don't see an upside for her in this case. She votes for and sides with Jeremy. If it had gone as planned, somebody else might have gone home, she would have put a target on her back and will have already spent her only chance at safety.
Upside : Jeremy maybe likes you better. But he knows that you still voted for him.
Downside : You're without your 50/50 idol and put a target on your back.

I just don't see the logic from a gameplay perspective.

Cardsfan111

I think I may have commented when it first started seasons ago that I disliked all the whispering back and forth at TC. A point was made somewhere (maybe at EW) that folks should be required to stay in their seat. If you want to say something to another, you have to risk that message (whether spoken or non-verbal signals) being intercepted.

Ironically, it seemed so chaotic among the players in last night's episode, that no one knew for sure what was going on. Yet Sarah convinced Tony not to use an idol and Jeremy decided not to use the 50/50 coin, with both being the correct moves.

DWilson

I'm not saying it's a smart move, but it was her logic at the time and what she could live (or "die") with. I wouldn't give another person my advantage unless it was part of a larger scheme (and there have been a few).

Bill Needle

She was going to vote for Jeremy because as of that moment it didn't matter if she did or not because without an idol he was a goner either way. She didn't want to isolate herself by pointlessly voting against the group decision. She gave him the coin hoping it would save him (as an ally). As long as he doesn't blab she gave it to him she still looks like she played the good soldier to the majority no matter the outcome.

Given all that, having not created a spread sheet I can't possibly keep track of the dozens of trinkets floating around in the game so I'm probably missing something.