Survivor Season 35

[JirinPanthosa]

Huh, I thought they got rid of the tie revote this season and went straight to trying for unanimous agreement to avoid rocks.

Also WTF did they vote out Desi in the revote? They had the chance to get out Joe. No more idols.

 

[Timewalker]

I have no idea what they were thinking. Part of it was OMG, Desi's a girl who's GOOD at this, we have to get rid of her NOW!

And part of it was that vote thing Lauren had. Since she didn't vote, who knows how it could have gone? I'd hope she would have voted to kick Joe off.

Lucky thing those two odd votes were cast, otherwise someone would have realized that one of them didn't vote. Or was that planned?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

It wasn't tied 4-4, anyone who can do arithmetic will see a vote was missing.

I get why they split the vote upfront. I don't get why on the revote they went for Desi. Can't play idols on a revote?

And am I imagining things or on the first episode did they not explicitly state ties were not revotes this season?

 

[Timewalker]

I don't remember what was said on the first episode.

 

[Timewalker]

I don't know if anyone here watches the Survivor Ponderosa videos that are done with the jury members after they're sequestered, but just thought I'd start posting them. It's a way for them to reflect on why they think they were voted out, how they feel about it, how they think they might have done better, and where they plan to go from that point on in their lives.

So here's Survivor Ponderosa #1: Desi:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Spot's Meow]

And am I imagining things or on the first episode did they not explicitly state ties were not revotes this season?

They actually said the opposite - last season they did not have revotes and instead just drew rocks, but Jeff said in the first episode of this season that they did away with that rule change. Meaning, they will be revoting after a tie.

As for why they chose Desi, I have been listening to Rob Has a Podcast's weekly podcasts and they had some good insight. Desi did an exit interview with them where she talked about how Joe basically sucked in the individual immunity challenge, while Desi was doing really well. That's really what it came down to when they decided who to vote out. Also, nearly everyone hates Joe, which often is to someone's benefit in Survivor, as the rest of the tribe thinks, "we can get rid of this tool anytime." Desi was smart and under the radar, a much more dangerous player.

I have to agree though that at first I was surprised when they read the votes. I was also surprised that no one seems to have caught on to the missing vote, although Mike did have a confused look on his face, so maybe he realizes it.

 

[Timewalker]

And... Cole bites the dust. Not sorry to see him go at all.

Too bad Mike used the idol when he didn't need to, but at least he now knows that at least two people want him gone.

Here is Cole's Ponderosa video:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

It's surprising, how some of these people clean up. He looks like a different person.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Mike is lucky he had a two person cushion beneath him, now a one person cushion. When it's just 'The seven' and him, that's when he'll have the opening.

 

[Snaploud]

I have no idea what Mike's strategy was during tribal council. Did he expect them to hate him so much that they wouldn't split the votes (and just vote for him)? Was he trying to annoy people enough that they take him to the end as a sure loser?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I think he went in planning to use it on Joe then the conversation scared him into using it on himself.

 

[Timewalker]

When he started musing about playing it for someone else, I started yelling at the TV that he was being an idiot. Giving up immunity sometimes works on Big Brother, but doing it on Survivor - where there's a lot less maneuvering room for negotiating and using some people as pawns - is just insane.

And for Joe? I want Joe GONE. He's disgusting.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The only time you should play immunity on someone else in Survivor is when it will flip the majority to you. Like, I consider the most brilliant idol play on all time when Parvati played them on both Sandra and Jerri. Doing it when you're in a dwindling minority and knocking out just one person doesn't change the strategic situation for you at all is dumb.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

This season improved drastically in today's two episodes. I don't mind anyone who's left, everyone left at least has some idea how to play the game, and we have a setup where there's a 4 on 3, one of the 4 is the one nobody wants to be at the end against and they already talked about betraying, and who is also the one person left with an idol.

And I like that this season there aren't so many immunities in play that somebody could be booted by default.

 

[Timewalker]

I hadn't realized this would be a two-hour episode.

So Ryan played an idol even though he didn't have to... sheesh. Of course they don't know it at the time, but I bet Mike is wishing he'd kept his.

The Ponderosa videos are... interesting. I won't comment until others here have seen them.

JP:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Joe:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Then there were 6.

At this point I have no idea who's going to win. The cameras seem to love Ben & Ryan the most but that's not always a hint.

At this point if I had to rank win likelihood:
1. Devon
2. Ryan
3. Mike
4. Ben
5. Ashley
6. Chrissy

I rank Chrissy last because I don't think she has any votes. But I wouldn't be entirely surprised if anyone won. Almost anyone has arguments why they might be a jury threat, alliances could really flop any which way. Devon/Ashley seems solid and Ryan/Chrissy seems solid, Mike and Ben are absolute wildcards who could be targets for both pairs or allies for either pair.

 

[Timewalker]

Please let them be able to get rid of Ben next week.

The only good part of this week is that I will no longer have to listen to Lauren's annoying accent.

 

[Timewalker]

Here is Lauren's Ponderosa video:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

It's nice that they're showing some of the things people get to do there this time.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I'm so sad about Lauren leaving, she has been my favorite from the beginning. It certainly was a dramatic tribal council though. Mike is such a wildcard and a showman. If I were in his position, I think I would have kept the half-idol, rather than throw it in the fire, in the hopes that I could somehow work with Lauren going forward. Like "listen, we each have a half which is useless without the other, so let's come up with a plan to use it together." He has no other allies, so that would have been a good opportunity for him.

Of course, he didn't know that Ben had an idol and Lauren would have gone out anyway. But from Mike's perspective, the only benefit to throwing the shell in the fire is looking cool on TV.

My favorites now are Ryan, Mike, and Devon. I'd be happy with any of those three winning, and I think that Devon has a great shot at it. Ashley is just...there, and Ben and Chrissy are not that likeable to me.

Oh, and how did you all feel about the loved ones challenge. Drawing rocks out of a bag? Seriously?! Worst Survivor challenge ever.

 

[Timewalker]

The whole episode was just weird. I kept waiting for the rest of the challenge after the rocks. What a letdown, and what a crummy way to treat everyone, to leave it up to chance and not give anyone a chance to actually be in a real challenge.

Between talk of making a fake idol and the half-idol, I think I got confused by all of it. If the half-idol thing was legit, then Mike was an idiot. I might have to rewatch this episode to understand what actually happened. I guess that's what comes of keeping one eye on the TV and the other on a computer game.

 

[Snaploud]

I fast-forwarded through the family hugs/introductions...then fast-forwarded through the reward challenge when I saw they were just drawing rocks (lame)...