Survivor megathread

[MasterJedi]

Actually, 'Survivor' is a guilty pleasure of mine still. I'm looking forward to the new season but I don't really understand this season's gimmick. Honestly, a lot of their gimmicks, especially the ones where they arbitrarily classify people, seem to be falling short of engrossing me lately.

Gimmicks are really what has made Survivor subpar. In my opinion, it's lost its charm – the survival aspect – that really defined the early seasons. My opinion has always been that there's no need for season gimmicks beyond like, men vs women or fans vs favorites, although Heroes vs Villains is great too.

I'd like to see the producers try to do a season like in the old days, less starting supplies, more difficult challenges, maybe an idol or exile island or something, really try to get that magic back. Doubt it'll happen though.


Also a personal qualm of mine is that they stopped recording a unique Ancient Voices for each season.

After the first 5 seasons they realized that seeing people starve and sit in one spot doing nothin wasn't good television.

[MasterJedi]

Wife and I are ready for it tonight!

[MasterJedi]

This is like the Avengers: Infinity War/End Game of Survivor! All the stars of their seasons coming together for this one. I was so hyped to see all these interactions between Survivor legends.

Really could do without EoE and fire tokens though. This cast is great enough to make the season stand on it own, production is ruining the flow of the season with all these over the top twists.

Some of the contestants wouldn't come back without EoE.

[MasterJedi]

Classic Sandra move, and the right one, she wouldn't be able to win her way back in.

But they took out my boy Yul.

[MasterJedi]

Not an Adam fan at all but that would have been epic if it was a hidden immunity idol.

[MasterJedi]

Tony set an all-time record on tonight's episode by having 18 confessionals in a single episode.

It was a really legendary single episode performance, considering that he:

-Found an idol in the dark
-Positioned himself as the swing vote
-Overcame a disadvantage by convincing his tribemates (from 2 different alliances) to give him their fire tokens
-Won the immunity challenge
-Led a blindside of a real threat to win the game

Thinking back to his season in Cagayan, I'm surprised that Tony doesn't get more love as the Survivor GOAT.  He's like Russell Hantz if Russell knew how to not make his tribemates hate him.

In terms of the greatest players of all time, I would go with Tony, Kim, Parvati, and Rob.  The latter two get the recognition they deserve, but the former two really don't.  Yul is probably on that list too, although his win in Cook Islands was really helped by twists.

It's Tony, the only reason he won Cagayan is because everyone post merge except Spencer and Cass were morons. He also killed every relationship outside of Nick. Nobody else is going to side with him and will boot him well before the final now.

[MasterJedi]

Natalie should have won it, she helped shape the game more than Tony did without even being in it full time. Didn't help that a lot of people played stupid this season and knew Tony didn't want them but refused to take him on.

[MasterJedi]

Also IMO the seasons after Philippines or Cagayan or something are just totally unwatchable. No unique intro song? Plus is it just me or are the competitors getting edited into being more and more boring and unlikeable?

It's shadowing how America is becoming lol

[MasterJedi]

Wasn’t the guy that spoke up with a trans man?

[MasterJedi]

Shan is a raging B.

[MasterJedi]

Caught up now. There's a bit of an uncomfortable irony of that tribal council ending with an alliance of the 4 non-black people voting out one of an alliance of 3 black people, but that's the game.

The Monty Hall Problem was a really dumb idea. Just let the game play out. Stop drawing inspiration from the dumbest parts of Australian Survivor!

Not that uncomfortable though since they had the somewhat secret black alliance going on. If they didn’t do it they would have been picked off just the same. With Shan and Liana off I have a feeling that’s going to go away as the guys are pretty likable overall.

[MasterJedi]

Xander should have taken her to fire and knocked her out.

[MasterJedi]

MARYANNE WINNER EDIT

like Fabio but smart

Unlike Fabio she’s incredibly annoying.

[MasterJedi]

The play was so stupid. You put votes on one of the three and then make it a tie, I doubt Brandon would have used his idol on anyone but him and then they’d switch or go to rocks.

[MasterJedi]

Would have kept Jaime around, she really did nothing.

[MasterJedi]

Happy Bruce gets another shot after how last season ended for him.

[MasterJedi]

Looking forward to tonight's finale. While you could say that Dee seems like the obvious winner pick (in the same was Jesse was a year ago), I'm going to go way, way out on a limb and pick ... Jake. It's just the feeling I get in the back of my mind from watching the show.

I like Austin/Jake, Katurah I don’t mind really but she’s just there. I don’t care about Mama J, just don’t like Dee, gives me bad vibes.

[MasterJedi]

Jelinsky's incompetence saved this episode for me. I felt like Hunter and was getting really aggravated by all the energy and positivity. I truly am an old man, even though this cast is mostly my fellow millennials.

And is that woman's real name "Soda?" Or is it a nickname? If it is her given name her parents must be big 'Seinfeld' fans. That's all I could think about. She won me over by referencing her "sodar" though.

Per a quick search it’s her actual name. Going to assume she has immigrant parents, who I will generally give the botd on names over Americans who should know better.

[MasterJedi]

I'm not crazy about what happened to Randen tonight. On Australian Survivor, you are allowed to leave for up to 24 hours to get medical attention and can return to the game if it's safe.

Last year on Australian Survivor, one of the biggest legends of the show was injured (completely at production's fault, not his) and had to go get an MRI on his neck in episode 1, but then returned once it was all clear. (Actually, the show let him skip tribal council altogether, which I didn't like. US Survivor shouldn't be that lax.) That was a great season, and probably wouldn't have been under American rules where he just would've been out.

They really should have let Randen return to the game once he got the all-clear.


Also, I'm going to have to drop Hunter down from #1 in my rankings. He's just too overtly good that I feel like there's no way they're letting him make it all the way to the end.

His arm did need the rest and likely wouldn’t have gotten better in the game. I pinched a nerve in my neck/arm in October of last year while sleeping and while it’s almost 100% it’s still a bit off. No way his (which was way worse than mine) is getting better in the game.

[MasterJedi]

I do like Hunter, he’s who I’m hoping for.

[MasterJedi]

Brutal result. In the "New Era" advantages are so plentiful that you really should just play something if you have any inkling that something might be up.

Me saying to my wife “you better play if you idiot” and he didn’t. Dumb, now nobody left I like besides maybe Liz.