Idol Speculation: “Survivor 46” Episode Several: Wrapped Up With A Nice Little Bow

Inanimate objects, done properly, can become a character in and of themselves.  On “Survivor” immunity idols are the most common example of this, but sometimes people can create their own.  And we may just have one of those tonight.  That was a MAGNIFICENT Buff Bow on Kenzie’s head!  Even with all the emotion at her Tribal Council, I think it stole the show.  

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  While the tribe was unified against Moriah last episode, there was still the stray Venus vote to consider.  Consider it Venus does, and given how she is, she naturally jumps to the conclusion that it was cast by Soda.  Understandable, given how the pair have been interacting these past few days, but wrong.  Soda of course denies this, but this only convinces Venus further.  Everyone, Tevin in particular, is prepared to sit back and watch the fireworks.  

Charlie, then, is the rain that cancels the fireworks.  He comes clean to Venus that he was the stray vote against her.  I have to ask… WHY?  How does this benefit Charlie in any way?  Venus didn’t even suspect him, and this was tearing Nami, the biggest threat to Siga, apart.  Now she knows you moved against her, and Venus does not strike me as the type to forgive and forget.  Even in a best-case scenario, where she decides she has bigger fish to fry and doesn’t immediately try and get you out, say goodbye to that jury vote.  

So egregious is this error that Coach Q comes out again.  He sits Charlie down on the beach (with Tim also there), and just reads him the riot act about how he screwed up a good position.  Not saying Q is wrong, but unsolicited advice is not going to win hearts and minds.  Charlie defuses the situation by “apologizing”, which at least shuts Q up, but this has turned him against Q.  I don’t agree with his conclusion that “Q is running the show” based on this; at worst Q is being a bit too blunt.  It DOES show, however, that Q doesn’t respect your game, and that alone is a reason to work against him.  Point being, Q may be right about what is and isn’t a smart move, but he’s not winning friends with his style of interaction.  

After our intro, we get another scene at night, though this one a bit less confrontational.  Ben wakes up in the middle of a panic attack, and worried about how he’ll be perceived as a result.  Luckily Kenzie is used to this sort of thing, other members of her family having been through similar experiences, so she is able to assist him and comfort him.  She admits that this is something beyond the game, and she’s doing it out of general, human kindness.  Honestly, it’s a very effective scene.  A nice bit of calm before the strategizing storm, and one that didn’t need to be bolstered by turning it into a sob story.  Oddly, the understatement makes the moment more powerful, and frankly it’s just a highlight of the episode.  Well done, show.  

Because we have to stick with the stupid “Split Tribal” twist, we can’t have any more camp scenes for now.  Instead we have to cut straight to our Immunity Challenge, which is the “Stand on the Triangles” one first seen on “Survivor Caramoan”.  A challenge so boring and predictable I’m more fascinated by them using the buff design along the side of the platform in the water.  Nice touch.  

This is also where we get our first look at the Immunity Idol for this season, at least the individual one.  Solid design, in my opinion.  Reminiscent of the one from “Survivor Cambodia”, with red as a main color and a similar outline.  Being made of beads and adding geckos does help make it unique.  Maybe not an idol for the history books, but a solid entry regardless.  

I will say what this challenge lacks in interest in and of itself, it makes up for in banter.  After Probst notes that the calmer conditions compared to the last time this was run (“Survivor 42”), Q suggests playing the “Alphabet Game” with city names, without actually explaining what the Alphabet Game actually is.  A fact that comes back to bite him in the butt when basically everyone starts violating what Q perceives as the rules.  Hunter starts off with “A for Atlanta”, but then Ben gets knocked out due to not saying that again, despite saying both “Boston” and “Baltimore”.  Liz does get the C in there, but again fails to name the previous names, despite Q saying this must be done.  It’s capped off with Charlie saying he gets it, only to make the same mistake as Liz.  Pretty sure that last one, at least, was intentional.  Seems like too good an opportunity for Charlie to tweak Q’s nose in a joking manner for him not to take it.  

Q, incidentally, is the first one out of this challenge, followed shortly by Ben from his team, leaving Kenzie, Tiffany, Hunter, and Tim up on their side.  Soda falls at about the same time, but she’s on the opposite team, leaving Charlie, Maria, Tevin, Venus, and Liz up for them.  Despite being sidelined, Q still keeps up a good bit of commentary.  He explains to Probst how “Black folks ask what time it is.”, which Probst takes in stride.  When Q goes silent, he explains that he was taught to shut up if he’s not in the game.  Evidently unable to stand the silence, Tim pulls a Gabler (“Survivor 43”), and starts shouting out various people the audience doesn’t know during the challenge.  Q mocks him for this, only for Tim to remind him what his dad taught him about shutting up.  It’s honestly the one thing making this challenge fun, and it helps that it’s clearly just the cast having fun with one another, and no one taking the talk too seriously.  Probst even gets in on the fun a bit, reminding us of Jelinsky’s “Several=7” point from earlier in the season.

Eventually the challenge must get serious, though, and everyone transitions to standing on one foot.  Brenda Lowe and Andrea Boehlke can rest easy knowing their impromptu rule on the first run of this challenge remains an official part of it now.  This leads to several dropouts, but Kenzie, despite winning immunity, drops before either Tevin or Maria.  This means her team will miss out on a reward, and go to Tribal Council first, meaning whoever leaves misses the jury.  As for Tevin and Maria, they have a good battle, with Tevin even having a spectacular comeback from nearly falling over.  IN the end, though, Maria’s lower center of gravity wins the day, and she snags immunity.  

Our teams are sent to separate camps, with the winning six going to the current merge camp.  Here we find out the new tribe is dubbed “Nuinui”.  No real complaints here on that one.  The name is a decent length, and obviously Polynesian in origin (granted Fiji is in MELANESIA, but given they’re part of the same language family, I’ll take it at this point).  That said, all it really makes me want to do is get out my old Bionicle toys again.  

Despite winning, not everyone is happy.  Charlie notes that he’s in an exceptionally precarious spot, being one of only two original Siga on the tribe, and the other having immunity.  He realizes he’s exceptionally vulnerable, a status that Tevin confirms.  Tevin, however, is not content to just let things sit on the obvious target, telling us that he wants to invoke the “First Blindside of the Season”.  Jem might take issue with that characterization, Tevin.  

Over with our losers, Hunter is feeling nervous for similar reasons to Charlie.  He tells us he intents to play his idol tonight, a move I can’t really fault.  True, there is the “Journey 6” alliance he could trust in, but he is the only person without an initial-tribe ally in this group.  Further, he’s a noted physical threat at a rare moment without having immunity, making him a tempting target.  

Certainly Tim thinks so, since he tells Q that Hunter should obviously go.  Q, however, thinks it equally obvious that Ben should go.  After all, Nami is at each other’s throats, and Ben is the only one in this group not part of the “Journey 6”.  Ok, Kenzie technically isn’t either, but she’s immune, and Q is unlikely to go against an original Yanu at this juncture.  A member of the “Journey 6”, however?  He’ll turn on them in a heartbeat, now insisting it has to be Tim for his wishy-washy-ness.  A bit early to be turning on him, but also a bit early to be giving my thoughts on the targeting on these tribes.  

I will say, however, that I don’t buy for one minute that Q intentionally lost that challenge.  It was one that didn’t cover his skill set, and he lied to save face.  Understandable, but either Q’s a far better actor than I credit him, or he’s lying to the camera to save face.  

For now, let’s return to our winners, who have the more intriguing strategy.  Tevin is not the only one who wants to “Make a move”.  Soda is ready to get Venus out, and tries to enlist Charlie and Maria to that end, once everyone is done “napping” on the beach.  Understandable, given their tiff, but also a bad move for Soda.  She’s already kind of screwed since she’s not going to the end with Vcnus, and therefore if she IS in the end, Venus is guaranteed to be on the jury.  Guess who Venus will never vote for in a million years?  Even so, better to have her on the jury later than earlier, lest she poison the whole bunch against you.  

This, however, is not enough of a blindside for Tevin, who marshals Liz, along with a presumed Charlie and Maria, to get out Soda.  He considers her, fairly, to be a social threat.  Can’t deny the logic there.  Not content with this, however, Soda approaches Maria and Charlie individually to blindside Tevin.  Charlie seems on board, at least in part because he prefers ANY plan that doesn’t involve him getting voted out, but Maria is a bit more hesitant.  She wants to keep her options open with the “Journey 6”, and Tevin is a part of that.  Hence, conflict, even if getting out Tevin would be the thing to break Nami apart completely.  

Things get worse for Venus when, having already come on strong with Maria, she pushes her again.  Maria, pretty reasonably, gives Venus advice on how to come at people.  She sympathizes with Venus due to her age, but notes that people don’t like being told what to do.  This advice goes in one ear and out the other, Venus chalking it up to their age disparity.  Way to not work on yourself, Venus.  That said, she does at least tone it back to a vote against Soda, something Charlie and Maria are much more likely to go with.  They confer on the beach, Charlie noting that he’s weirdly safe.  Not sure how much of that is due to his effort as much as Nami being a hot mess, but still, good for him.  

As our targets for this group are now firmly set on either Soda or Venus, time to discuss what the best move is.  Clearly, between these two, it’s Soda.  She’s the more subtle player, and Venus’ presence will continue to make Nami at least seem more fractured (if not actually be more fractured), thus making them seem less threatening.  Further, Venus has so buried herself socially she’s unlikely to win many jury votes, and isn’t much of a challenge threat.  If she gets to the end, well, easier victory for you.  Might as well chop Soda off now.  Not to mention that Venus, if the first juror unanimously, will likely poison the jury against all of you.  Yeah, clearly go for Soda.  

In regards to our other group, there is dissension amongst the ranks.  Kenzie, admittedly, is happy with going for Tim, since her and Ben kind of vibe.  Tiffany less so.  That said, props to Ben for catching that Kenzie was not being 100% up front with him.  I thought Kenzie lied pretty effectively there, but he sussed it right out.  

Tim pitches Hunter to the group, who agree to split votes, but Q turns it on Tim as soon as he leaves.  Tiffany agrees with this, correctly noting that Nami is easy to break up, while Siga is less so.  However, Ben comes across as slightly sketchy when Q talks to him, leading to Q turning it back on Ben.  This makes Tiffany happy, but not Kenzie, especially since Q seems to waffle back and forth, and doesn’t let them get much of a word in edgewise.  

This leads to the promised pair discussing Q “running the show”, and predictably, the preview played this up.  Don’t misunderstand, there is a legit issue between them and Q, but it was built up to go somewhere tonight.  Had Charlie been in this group I might have bought it, but no.  Instead, they just note that Q is a bit inflexible, and also a bit prone to changing his mind.  All fair criticisms.  I might sum it up in that Q is a very binary player.  You’re either fully in agreement with him, or fully disagree with him.  Not much room for nuance in the world of Q.  On the one hand, if you’re truly his ally, this can be a great thing!  After all, as long as you don’t piss him off, you can guarantee he’ll stick with you.  That said, as we saw with Ben, staying on his good side is not so easy.  It’s not clear what exactly Ben did to turn Q against him from their conversation, but it flipped Q’s mind completely.  That can be a problem, so it’s understandable that they would consider moving against him.  But, as they note, it’s probably too early.  

With Hunter not much in contention, the debate is between Tim and Ben, and once again the answer of who should go is clear.  Ben is a social threat no one there apart from Tim has really connected with.  Tim is a much more predictable player, and keeping him around prevents the “Journey 6”, which Q at least is pushing hard, from fracturing.  Ben is the clear better choice here.  

We’re also left with little doubt that Ben will go, since he gets all the emotional content at Tribal.  He goes over his panic attack again, and everyone gives him sympathy, while also noting there are human moments outside the game.  Q, for his part, is also courteous, giving Kenzie major props for winning immunity.  The real star of the show, however, is Kenzie’s giant bow buff.  An hour after the episode aired, and I still love that thing.  

For as much as I hate the “Split Tribal” twist at this juncture, the show got a good draw here.  You can have the emotional climax first with this group, then the strategic one with the next.  Not intentional on their part, obviously, but a good way to balance it out, and not feel like we’re waiting for one group or the other to go.  Going to commercial in the middle before an obvious boot like this is a bit much, but hey, the other group has enough mystery to keep us happy regardless.  

Yet, once again, the show gets me.  Tim goes, which I absolutely DID NOT expect.  Good trick, editors.  The bad decision for basically everyone but Kenzie, but definitely an audience blindside.  That said, from a character standpoint, much the better decision.  Ben may not do it for me as a character, but he’s more interesting than Tim, who basically brought nothing.  Seems like a nice enough guy, but just not good tv, sadly.  I will, however, give Hunter some praise for not playing his idol.  Granted, he probably had a lot of trust in what Q was saying, so it’s not the weirdest decision ever, but still, he had valid reasons to believe he would be targeted.  Good on him for saving his idol.  

As mentioned, our second Tribal Council is the strategic climax of the episode.  Logically, this makes for less exciting banter at Tribal, with it being mostly the stuff you’d expect.  Charlie bringing up his Shot in the Dark.  Venus and Soda bringing up the tribe divisions.  We do get a couple of unusual moments, like Liz catching flak for not bringing her bag.  I do have to deduct points on Maria, however, for using a metaphor where one wasn’t asked for.  Don’t encourage Probst, Maria.  

Oddly, despite this being the more unpredictable vote, it’s also the more underwhelming one.  The group does the smart thing and votes Soda out.  She’s a bit teary about the whole thing, but thankfully she at least gets to sit on the jury.  I’m not the biggest fan of Venus, but I am glad she stayed, if only for the drama she brings.  If Ponderosa videos were still a thing, I’d want her on the jury as early as possible, but as is?  I’m fine with this.  

For the episode as a whole, it weirdly fails kind of in spite of itself.  The humor was on point, the editing top-notch.  We had good mystery, and a lot of good character bits.  Yet I confess myself, underwhelmed.  I don’t hate this episode, but it just kind of came and went with little fanfare for me.  I think it’s just a victim of how much had to be stuffed in.  With this many people, and two Tribal Councils, it just feels bloated.  The superiority of the previous factors helps make up for it, but there’s only so much you can do with this format.  Yet another reason to vary things up, show.  

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.  

Idol Speculation: Top 10 “Survivor” Episode 1 Flameouts

No, dear reader, you are not going crazy.  We have not gotten a new episode of “Survivor” a mere two days after the first one!  No, I just had a realization after last episode that I had to act upon.  I mentioned that, while maybe not the top of the list, first-book Jelinsky is definitely one of the more notable epic flameouts this show has had in the first episode.  Thus, I got to thinking “Where EXACTLY does he rank?”, and so I decided to resurrect this segment once again!

For those of you new here, back when I started doing “Idol Speculation”, I would do lists entitled “Top 5 and Bottom 5”.  As the title would imply, I would take some category of “Survivor” (challenges, idols, first boots, winners, etc.) and rank what I thought were the five best and five worst.  As time went on, however, I did this less and less.  Partly because I’d run out of obvious categories, partly because it was making the blog take longer to write, and I was less inclined to stay up as late.  The quality also began to suffer in my haste to get it out quick to get more sleep.  For a while, I just thought I would retire the segment, but that felt like a cop-out.  Then, I hit upon the idea of just making them separate blogs in my spare time, to be done when I see fit!  I’ll grant I haven’t done it as much as I thought, as the “lack of new topics” remains an issue, but it’s not entirely dead!  So that’s what brings us to where we are today.  

The astute among you have doubtless noticed this is entitled “Top 10” rather than “Top 5 and Bottom 5”.  There are some cases where I just did a straight Top 10 list where I felt that one of the two categories didn’t fit.  Such is the case today, where we’ll be ranking “Episode 1 Flameouts”.  People who spectacularly failed in the span of a first episode.  Given that success is not as evident in one episode, the format didn’t seem to fit.  Hence, a straight Top 10 list instead.  

A quick couple of notes before we begin: As the name would imply, I am ONLY looking at flameouts that happen in episode 1 of any given season of the show.  There have certainly been spectacular flameouts in other episodes, but given the confusion of “How much did this flameout happen over several episodes”, those will not be counted, but may get their own list someday.  Sorry, no analysis of Drew Christy (“Survivor San Juan del Sur”) in this list.  That said, I am looking specifically at the first EPISODE, not the first BOOT for this list.  If episode one has multiple eliminations in it (like “Survivor 41”, for example), both eliminations are up for consideration for this list.  If both make the list, they get separate entries.  And, as is often the case, there will be an “Honorable Mention” that didn’t TECHNICALLY qualify, but was close enough so as to be worth talking about.  All that out of the way, let’s talk about the biggest episode one fails of “Survivor”, starting with:

10. Gillian Larson (“Survivor Gabon”): When I set out to enumerate this list, I had a good amount of players I was certain were going to be on it.  Gillian was not one of them.  Partly this was because I’d forgotten for a moment that “Survivor Gabon” had two votes in episode one, but also because I tend to think of Gillian as very soft-spoken.  She had a distinctive accent, but she didn’t exactly overplay like a lot of people we’re going to see on this list.  However, looking at all of my other options written down, I realized that Gillian was far more of a distinctive character than a lot of them.  Hell, she titles the episode with “Want to See the Elephant Dung?”  She’s also the first person this season (though hardly the last) to earn the ire of Randy by her obsession with said elephant dung, and that counts for something.  But the thing with her gameplay, the thing that in my view put her on the list, is that she was the CAPTAIN of Fang.  She STARTED this train-wreck of a tribe.  True, she didn’t make every pick, but especially with the “mom” vibes the tribe ended up starting out with, I think she had at least some influence on it.  All that said, I can’t in good conscience put her higher than this.  Once she had her “elephant dung” moment, she became much more soft-spoken and played at least decently competently.  There wasn’t much she could have done about her elimination, given how quickly Fang was going downhill challenge-wise.  The “flameout” is really only before the first vote, rather than the second where Gillian herself was eliminated, but she had some standout over-the-top moments beforehand, and that counts for at least something.  

9. Jonny Fairplay (“Survivor Micronesia”): I say time and again that one of the things that “Survivor Micronesia” does that earns it my #1 spot in season rankings is get rid of Fairplay as quickly as possible.  That said, I know I’m in the minority here, and a lot of people enjoy his character.  Fair enough, tastes are going to differ, but I think we can all agree that even with only one episode, we got plenty of Fairplay content to help satisfy us.  Cosplaying as, and then mocking, Probst.  Getting into a (deserved) feud with Yau-Man over the idol hunt.  Being the swing vote between two alliances.  Rubbing salt in the wounds of the other tribe, only to end up spurring them on to win immunity.  And, of course, tearfully asking to be voted out, and hugging Probst on the way out.  It’s the latter point in particular that lands him on this list.  The melodrama of “I miss my wife and child!”, while not “overplaying” as such, is a quintessential early boot.  Burns out bright, but also burns out fast.  Does the fact that it’s been basically revealed that that reasoning was an act, and Fairplay was just in severe pain and denied medicine change anything?  Of course not!  If anything, it makes his performance all the more hammy and over the top!  Plus, much easier to mock if he’s not being sincere!  It may not be as crazy as his initial run, but Fairplay’s second run was certainly an exit to remember.  

8. Jolanda Jones (“Survivor Palau”): Palau actually had the MOST possible candidates for this list with 3, due to Jonathan and Wanda being eliminated via schoolyard pick.  Wanda very nearly did make this list, but in the end, I feel like Jolanda is the only one worthy of the title.  Wanda might be more memorable, but she was always going home early.  Jolanda’s flameout was almost entirely her own fault.  It kind of gets lost in how much of a disaster tribe Ulong ended up being, but even if Yolanda ended up being the overt leader, they would not have done much better, if at all.  It’s arguable that she cost Ulong that initial challenge, since she was encouraging them to take more supplies after Koror got out to a lead.  That’s the main time you see her being a bit extra, but it’s heavily implied that this was her MO throughout the game.  I would point out that she left BEFORE obvious challenge sinks like Kim.  No small feat on this particular tribe.  Speaking of which, like Gillian, guess who started putting together this particular tribe?  Yep, the disaster that is Ulong can be laid, at least partially, at Jolanda’s feet!  For me, though, the thing that put her on the list is one specific moment, one that I’m willing to bet most of my readers have forgotten.  Early on, even before the tribe swap, Jolanda decides that the heels need to be cut off her shoes.  Rather than just ask for this like a normal person, she asks arounds for a “Hercules”, and then begins chanting said name as her shoes are demolished.  That sound clip lives rent-free in my head, and for me, is more than enough to earn Jolanda a spot on this list.  The fact that most people probably don’t remember that sound clip is what keeps her for going higher, but it merits mentioning, at least.  

7. Steve “Chicken” Morris (“Survivor China”): Man, the teens or pre-teens of “Survivor” produced a lot of flameouts in the opening episodes, didn’t they? To clarify, Sekou of “Survivor Cook Islands”, and Marisa from “Survivor Samoa” were also considered for the list, but didn’t ultimately make the cut.  Now, I’m sure most of you remember Chicken, but more so for the MOMENT of his exit than his performance in the episode.  If you do, you may be scratching your head.  After all, Chicken for most of the episode was hardly an over-the-top character or player.  If anything, he was TOO soft-spoken for the game.  However, while I’m taking that into account, “flameout” to me can also mean playing epically poorly, not just being over the top.  And MAN does Chicken collapse.  One time his advice doesn’t get heeded, and he just refuses to do basically anything else for the rest of the episode.  Again, on a tribe with an actual sick person and an incredibly abrasive leader, it’s impressive to play so badly that you’re considered the obvious choice to leave.  And, if you really insist on some memorable moment for a flameout, you cannot deny that his “DAYUM” upon being voted out is worthy.  Hell, his soft-spokenness makes his outburst all the funnier, and all the more memorable as a result.  Maybe not the biggest flameout, but certainly a memorable one.  

6. Wendy Jo DeSmidt-Kohlhoff (“Survivor Nicaragua”): Similar to Chicken from the previous entry, Wendy Jo ends up on this list more for epically underplaying than overplaying.  We literally see Marty strike up a friendly conversation, the most basic part of the social game, only for Wendy Jo to give curt answers to pretty basic questions and just walk off.  There’s a lack of social awareness, and there’s TRYING to play badly.  I’m not sure this was the latter, but it really feels like it.  Also like Chicken, where Wendy Jo really shines is her Tribal Council.  The difference between her and Chicken, and what puts her one spot higher is that she goes off the rails for the WHOLE Tribal Council, not just when the votes are read.  Adding to the lack of awareness idea, Wendy Jo has no idea WHY she’s on the outs, and seems to blame everyone else for not talking to her!  When called out on this, she just rambles on and on, not making her case any better!  I don’t think she could have saved herself by this point, but if there was any doubt she would leave, she sealed her own fate.  It’s more a flameout Tribal than a flameout episode, but still epic enough to merit a spot on this list.  

5. Tony Vlachos (“Survivor Game Changers”): Ok, NOW we’re getting into the truly epic flameouts.  The people who played way too hard, way too fast.  Understandably, Tony is the patron saint of such players, even if he only ends up number five on this list.  Tony has the time where he played maniacally and it worked out for him.  He has the time where he realized that game wouldn’t work twice, and adjusted himself with skill.  And then there was the time where he played maniacally, and it bit him in the ass.  Yes, surprisingly, telling everybody to go ahead and be “nice nice” while you run off and look for the idol does NOT build trust very well.  Then, of course, Tony has to go ahead and top the “Spy Shack”.  In this case, he does it with the “Spy Bunker”, a dumb idea on par with Rupert’s death-trap shelter on “Survivor All-Stars”.  Unsurprisingly, he’s quickly found out, and Sandra is now firmly set on the warpath to his destruction.  Need I say more?  It’s freaking Tony!  One of the biggest characters from the latter half of “Survivor”!  Of course his one early exit was going to merit a spot on this list!

4. Jacob Derwin (“Survivor Ghost Island”): Yeah, pretty sure everyone knew Jacob was going to be on this list as soon as the premise was explained.  One of the more recent, and certainly more memorable, flameouts.  Jacob is sort of a textbook lesson to superfans on how NOT to play.  He started off looking for an idol clue in the rice.  Fair enough, but in doing so, he poured said rice into his distinctive monkey socks, adding a gross factor to the otherwise fairly mundane move.  Utterly pathetic in the immunity challenge, Jacob is only spared being first boot by being sent to the titular Ghost Island.  There, he’s given a chance to win some advantage, something to turn his game around… PSYCH!  It’s the Legacy Advantage, something utterly useless in the short-term, which is really what Jacob needs!  And, of course, he’s not allowed to keep it for himself!  No, no, he needs to give it to someone on the other tribe.  Jacob tries to make the best of it, and bluff having an idol… Only to be immediately called out and do a bad job of lying about it.  It’s all downhill from there, coming clean to Stephanie, only to get voted out nonetheless.  It’s just one comedy of errors from a superfan, often exhibit A about why being a FAN of the show does not PREPARE one for the show.  At this point, why Jacob is on this list speaks for itself, but I’m sure some people are asking why he isn’t higher?  Well, there’s two reasons for that.  One is that, while Jacob clearly played badly, a lot of that was either something he was forced to by production (his advantage on Ghost Island being useless to him in the short-term), or were not bad IDEAS, just poorly-executed.  Looking for a clue in the rice?  Perfectly reasonable.  Lying about an idol?  Again, a logical thing to do.  He just did those things transparently badly, but unlike the players above him, the ideas themselves are not terrible on their face.  The other reason is, well, the show really hurt Jacob.  Out of all those who did the quarantine questionnaire for “Entertainment Weekly”, he was one of the few, if not the only one, to out and out say he regretted going on the show.  While completely understandable, I feel bad for the poor guy, and it takes a lot of the fun out of discussing his flameout.  That does knock him down a few pegs, even if he definitely deserves his spot here with his performance.  

3. David Jelinsky (“Survivor 46”): There he is, the reason this list exists!  I said before that I wasn’t sure where he would rank in the pantheon of “Survivor” Episode 1 Flameouts, but I’ve ultimately decided this is where he should land.  “Survivor” is often a “Put up or shut up” game, and Jelinsky could do neither.  Epically failing at everything he volunteered to do, yet volunteered anyway!  If it just happened once, maybe it wouldn’t be that memorable, but he does this over and over!  With the “Sweat” task, with the journey, with the puzzle in the immunity challenge!  And of course we have to highlight this, both in confessional and at Tribal Council.  But the key here, the thing that makes Jelinsky hilarious, is his lack of awareness at his fate!  When he seems to display some self-awareness, telling Jess it’s going to be one of the two of them going, he admits that he is just saying that to make her feel better!  When he DOES leave, he calls it a “blindside”, despite several people not being subtle about it at Tribal Council.  The Drew Christy comparisons write themselves.  That’s an epic flameout.  Maybe not the most epic, but certainly a top-tier one nonetheless.  

2. Zane Knight (“Survivor Philippines”): The other name, along with Jacob, everyone suspected was coming on this list.  Zane is often held up as a paragon of first boots, and rightly so!  Admittedly Zane did play competently for the first half of this episode, one factor that denies him the top spot of this list, but his failure after the Immunity Challenge is just so spectacular that he can’t not be lower than this.  As a reminder, Zane asked everyone to vote him out, citing shortness of breath from smoking.  Zane tells us that this is actually a clever ploy to get people to WANT to keep him around out of sympathy, and reveal who really likes him.  Shock of all shocks, the guy who asks to be voted out gets voted out!  Who could have seen that coming?  Zane’s move seems so brilliant to him, with such an obvious outcome, that it has passed into “Survivor” legend, and if you deserve to be called a “legend” for how badly you played leading to you being the first boot, you definitely deserve to be on this list.  So why isn’t Zane number one?  Apart from competent play the first half of the episode, there IS the possibility, in my mind, that Zane could have gone first even without his play.  True, Angie and Russell Swan were probably bigger targets, but he DID fail pretty badly in the challenge, so there is an OUTSIDE chance that he could have gone first even without his epic fail.  The same cannot be said for number one on our list, who is…

1. Garrett Adelstein (“Survivor Cagayan”): Yes, Garrett somehow managed to get himself voted off over a person WHO ACTIVELY SABOTAGED THE TRIBE!  How do you manage that?  How?  Well, by trying to dictate strategy to everyone, and insisting on playing the game only one way.  Guess what, that pisses people off, again to the point that they’ll keep an active saboteur over you.  On top of that, while not as overstated as some of the others, Garrett failed pretty badly at a lot of different aspects of the game.  The elements got to him.  Not much of a feat, but Cagayan is not particularly known as a difficult season, survival-wise.  Dude wimped out pretty quickly, all things considered.  He did manage to find an idol, and didn’t use it!  And, of course, there’s the aforementioned dictation of strategy, a move so notoriously bad that, I must again emphasize, got him, not the person who threw out most of the rice, voted out.  It may not have popped the most on screen, but in terms of how badly you had to play to flame out, Garrett can’t help but be number one in this case.  

Honorable Mention: Reem Daly (“Survivor Edge of Extinction): Reem set out to prove that she wasn’t the “mother” out there, and I can say she did that.  The trouble is she did that by being abrasive towards everybody!  Moving other people’s belongings, cussing, and just generally being not that pleasant to be around, Reem definitely earned her early exit.  I get WHY she did this, and I applaud her for trying to break stereotypes.  The issue for Reem is that you need to REPLACE those stereotypes with something else positive, not something that’s going to make people dislike you.  She tries too hard, and as a result has the epic fail that could easily have put her on the list.  I could easily see her having been on around where Tony was, maybe a slot below him.  So, why only an honorable mention?  Well, like many bad things on this season, Edge of Extinction is to blame.  This twist keeps Reem around for a long time.  From an entertainment perspective, I approve (frankly it’s one of the few GOOD things the Edge of Extinction twist has done).  From the perspective of this list, however, it muddles whether Reem was really an EPISODE ONE flameout.  She was entertaining and memorable, but would that have been the case if we never saw her after episode 1?  Probably, but I can’t guarantee that, so for that reason, I must give Reem an extremely honorable mention.  

And there you have it.  Anyone I missed?  Anyone I horribly overrated or underrated?  Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll be back with my regular recap after the next episode!  

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.  

“Survivor” Top 10’s: Sit-Outs

Well, this blog was a long time coming.  We’re after episode 6 of “Survivor 43” at the time of this writing, and I hinted at this topic backing episode 2 of the same season!  Thankfully, Noelle also sat out the “Earn the Merge” challenge of episode 6, making this topical once again!

Yes, my beloved readers, it is time once again for another editor of “Top 5 and Bottom 5”, or more appropriately, “Top 10”!  As sometimes happens, we are covering a topic today that doesn’t lend itself well to a “Bottom 5”, so we’re just going to do a straight “Top 10” list instead.  That topic, as the title hopefully indicated, is sit-outs.  People not participating in the challenge at a certain point in time, and commenting on the action, or at a minimum reacting to it.  Whose reactions were the best?  The ones you can’t forget?  The images that get stuck in your mind.  

There’s actually very little business to get through in terms of who qualifies.  Anyone who didn’t play in an entire challenge, for whatever reason, qualifies for this list.  If you were sat out, if you were eliminated, if you dropped out, if you chose to eat food rather than compete, or if a challenge is going in rounds which you may not be a part of, you qualify.  The only true caveat here is that, given my limited experience with non-US versions of “Survivor”, I’m only counting people from that version of the show.  Nothing against the other versions, but I don’t have the time to watch them right now, and thus don’t know them at all well enough to put them on the list.  Other than that, the only thing to bear in mind is that, in the event that someone has played on multiple seasons, I’ll be listing their season as the one that had the sit-out moment (or moments) that made them memorable, not their original season.  All that out of the way, let’s dive right in, starting at the bottom and heading up.  

10. Dan Lembo (“Survivor Nicaragua”): Sometimes, all it takes is an image.  One singular shot, and someone gets catapulted into stardom.  Let’s face it, as soon as you saw Dan’s name, you knew what I was referring to.  Hell, you may have even expected this from the outset of the very list, before anyone was even named.  I am, of course, referring to the post-merge reward challenge for a screening of “Gulliver’s Travels”.  You know, the challenge where Na’Onka and Purple Kelly quit?  Arguably the thing that ruined the entire season?  Yes, that challenge.  Out of all that, one bright spot.  With an odd number of players at a team post-merge reward challenge, one person had to sit out, that ending up being Dan.  Nothing special about that, you might think.  Many team challenges post-merge do so.  Ah, but they decided to THEME this sit-out!  You see, rather than just having him sit on the Sandra Diaz-Twine sit-out bench, Dan got to sit on a chair.  A chair blown up to massive size, a la Brobdignag from the titular novel.  This would have made ANYONE look comedically small, but given that Dan was on the shorter end of things to begin with, the effect was only magnified, and therefore hilarious.  This is also arguably the sit-out moment most famous within the “Survivor” fan community, being something of a meme/running gag.  More notoriety than most on this list.  Why, then, do I leave it at number 10?  Well, for all that an image alone can work wonders, it IS just an image, and most of the ones above this will have something more.  Plus, while funny, this was a sit-out moment manufactured by the producers, rather than by the player himself, which lowers it a great deal in my eyes.  Still a funny image, though.  

9. Shane Powers (“Survivor Exile Island”): Like with Dan, as soon as I say the name, you all know what’s coming.  At the Final 8 of the titular season, we had ourselves an “Eat or Compete” twist.  Shane, like most of Casaya, decided to sit out and feast on burgers instead.  This, by and large, was fairly uneventful, and would probably have remained so were it not for one particular rule.  Eating could only occur while the challenge was in progress, and as soon as a winner was declared, it had to stop.  The exception was that you could finish anything in your mouth.  Shane abused this to no end, and thus, when the challenge was over, we see him with about half a burger hanging out of his mouth.  Again, an image so iconic, it’s something of a meme/running gag in the “Survivor” community.  Most of what I said about Dan’s moment applies to Shane as well, but I give Shane the edge in the ranking because apart from supplying the food, production had nothing to do with this moment.  This was uniquely Shane, and that gives it a leg up in the list.  

8. Eliza Orlins (“Survivor Vanuatu”): This moment probably requires some explanation, as it’s not as instantly memorable as our first two mentions on the list.  Our Final 9 reward challenge, the first one post-merge, was an elimination-style trivia contest.  Naturally our men, Chris, Sarge, and Chad, were the first ones out, being in the minority.  The beauty of said types of challenges, of course, is that it reveals the pecking order.  Thus, when the women had to turn on each other, Eliza was the first casualty.  In doing so, she makes a little comment along the lines “How about I come sit with you boys?” to those on the sit-out bench.  Eliza is, of course, known for her snark, and this is a great example of it.  Said in a kind of sing-song way, but with enough bitterness underneath to give it her needed edge.  Not as memorable as those that came before, but like I said, I tend to value the words of sit-outs rather than the images associated with them.  Plus, unlike the other two, this one serves a strategic purpose in its foreshadowing.  Down the line, of course, Eliza will “sit with the guys”, or at least Chris, and change the course of the game.  Man, I love these fun little moments.  

7. Coby Archa (“Survivor Palau): Speaking of little moments, sometimes all it takes is one word.  To say that Coby played messily once Ulong was dissolved and absorbed into Koror would be an understatement.  But it would also be unfair to say Coby didn’t have fun with every minute he had left.  When he dropped out of the first full-on individual immunity challenge of the season, he had some choice words for his old tribe, mocking their “unity”.  Yet, the one thing he says that is most memorable is just a single word: Koror, the tribe name, in a mocking tone.  Coby is, in my view, underrated for his snark, and while he has some more long-winded witticisms, his swan song is nice and brief, encapsulating how he feels in just one word.  That, to me, is very impressive, and worthy of a spot on the list.  

6. Cirie Fields (“Survivor Game Changers”): We move on from the unofficial section of words alone to the unofficial section of body language alone.  At our second immunity challenge, in the second half of the first episode of the season, Cirie was the sit-out.  Fairly hair-raising for her, since she wasn’t really connecting with her tribe, and was the likely boot in the event that they lost.  Then the race in the challenge tightened up, and you could just see Cirie realizing how deep she was in it.  This was pretty much her fate in the game hinging on something she had absolutely zero control over.  The sheer terror remains etched in my mind to this day.  It’s not as visible or over-the-top as other entries on this list, hence why I don’t rank it higher, but such a visceral reaction, one where you can practically read her thoughts, is definitely a stand-out one, worthy of a spot on the list overall.  

5. Noelle Lambert (“Survivor 43”): Of course the person who inspired the list was going to be getting a spot on it!  While many could argue that Noelle doesn’t have a singular “moment” as a sit-out like the others do, I think her track record overall is worthy.  Noelle is someone who wears her heart on her sleeve.  If her team is doing well, you see it in her emphatic cheerleading.  If they’re doing poorly, you see it in her frustration.  There’s a reason we cut to her reaction shots, sometimes even instead of more Probst narration.  While she may not have a singular moment, her reactions as a whole enhance the challenge experience, and is the mark of a great sit-out.  

4. Michaela Bradshaw (“Survivor Game Changers”): Michaela, being good at challenges, generally did not sit them out.  But hoo boy, you knew if she did!  I’m sure many of you, like me, are recalling a particular reward challenge from her return appearance, where, in her words, “They messed up” by not picking her.  Like Noelle, Michaela is another who wears her heart on her sleeve.  Unlike Noelle, in this case her heart had only one thing to say: That it was PISSED OFF!  Crossed arms, terse responses, not even hinting at being happy for the people playing.  That sort of honesty is why we love Michaela!  Why, she was so mad she didn’t even think to check under the bench she was sitting on for advantages!  And that, friends, is why she doesn’t end up higher on the list.  While her reaction was memorable, in the show’s narrative, it was overshadowed by her failing to look for this advantage, and Sarah subsequently getting it.  A poor choice on the show’s part, but one that diminishes the moment, however slightly.  That said, I can still clearly picture her reaction, and that gets a lot of mileage from me.  

3. Tony Vlachos (“Survivor Winners at War”): Say it with me now: “Yah, Fall!  Fall, Yah!”.  Like many others on this list, Tony is not subtle in anything he does, even if that’s just cheering from the sidelines.  In this case, he decided to blend it with his sometimes insane-sounding statements (talking llama, anyone?), and it makes for probably the singular most memorable sit-out moment of the past 20 seasons or so.  What can I say?  Love him or hate him, the man’s legendary in everything he does.  

2. Randy Bailey (“Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”): Randy’s time on his return season may have been short, but he certainly did his best to earn his Villain credentials in that time.  You’ve probably already said it a bunch of times purely in the time you’ve taken reading these two sentences, but allow me to reiterate the line that catapulted Randy this high on the list:  “Roll it over Rupert’s toe!”  In case you’ve forgotten (though how you could forget this season’s pre-merge is beyond me), this was the rare challenge were both tribes got to sit people out.  Rupert, having broken his toe at an earlier challenge, was rightly sat out by the Heroes.  However, when crates were rolled a bit too close to the sit-out benches, Randy couldn’t help but heckle a little bit.  In character and memorable, but barely loses out on the top spot for how mean-spirited it is.  Granted, this is Randy we’re talking about, but I find Randy is at his best when he’s just hating on humanity in general, rather than a specific individual.  There’s a fine difference between “All people suck” and “This particular person sucks”, and I prefer the former to the latter.  Can’t deny it’s worthy of a spot on this list, though.  

1. Sean Rector (“Survivor Marquesas”): Sean is a quote machine, and it is a crime that he has not yet returned to our television screens.  And this, my friends, is one of his greatest moments of snark.  Once again, like with the Eliza moment beforehand, we have an elimination challenge at the final 9 revealing the pecking order.  As Sean and Vecepia were the original two Maraamu left, they were naturally picks one and two to be eliminated.  Sean, however, noted that they were also the two black contestants on the season, and were eliminated first.  Thus, when Sean dropped, he threatened to call Johnny Cochran, and when Vecepia was eliminated, insisted on it.  Hilarious, but not mean-spirited, since it’s just pointing out a truth in a humorous way.  It’s also probably the most impactful sit-out moment, since this episode also saw the first totem-pole swing, when Neleh and Paschal realized they didn’t like being on the bottom of the “Rotu 4”.  While there were other factors involved, Sean’s comments highlighting this revealing of the pecking order were definitely a factor.  Humorous.  Impactful.  What more could you ask for from someone not even playing in most of the challenge?

Honorable Mention: Abi-Maria Gomes (“Survivor Philippines”): A list of top challenge Sit-Outs would not be complete without talking about someone memorable just for sitting out a lot period.  It was a tough debate for me between giving this spot to Abi-Maria or Sandra Diaz-Twine (“Survivor Pearl Islands”).  Sandra is the Queen, after all, and the sit-out bench is even named after her.  In the end, though, I give the edge to Abi-Maria for being the one with more commentary as to the fact that they were sitting out.  Sandra just had it happen a lot, but Probst himself brought up Abi-Maria’s general lack of challenge participation.  This gives her an edge, and definitely makers her a notable sit-out.  However, despite her overall snark, Abi-Maria… Doesn’t actually do anything unusual on the sit-out bench.  Were it not for just how often it happened, it wouldn’t even be worth bringing up.  In the end, it can still only muster an honorable mention, but definitely a deserved one.  

Hope you’ve enjoyed the little extra blog for the week, and see you at the next episode recap!

-Matt

Idol Speculation: “Survivor 43” Cast Assessment

Ask and ye shall receive!  I complain about the lack of an official cast reveal; a few days later we get said official cast reveal.  Now, to complain about the lack of an intro, and the 26 day format being made permanent…

My dear readers, it is my profound pleasure to welcome you back to “Idol Speculation”, my knee-jerk opinion that everyone is entitled to.  With the cast and tribe divisions now officially announced, it’s time once again for me to talk about my thoughts on them based on very little information, so that people can laugh about how wrong my takes are down the line.  Yes, even after over a decade of blogging, I still occasionally say such crazy things as “I think Katrina Radke will win the season!”

There’s not a lot of business to take care of for this one.  It will be a pretty standard cast assessment blog, at least by my standards.  That said, my longtime readers will know that I usually put a lot of emphasis on one’s pet peeves as an indicator of how they’ll do.  Generally, if it’s something you’re all but guaranteed to encounter out there (liars, for example), I’m less jazzed on your chances.  I won’t be doing that nearly as much this season.  Not because I’ve come to believe my methodology is flawed.  Far from it!  I won’t bring it up much because almost EVERYONE on this cast has a pet peeve that makes me perceive their chances negatively.  Thus, rather than being an exception, having a bad pet peeve is now the NORM.  As such, it is pointless to mention it when it happens, and I will instead be bringing up the few people who DON’T have a chances-tanking pet peeve when relevant, and also those who have concerning, but not guaranteed to be there, pet peeves.  Just wanted to make it clear why I was doing what I was doing.  The implications… will be discussed later.  For now, let’s talk about our cast, in no particular order!

Nneka Ejere (43, Phramacist, Weatherford, TX, Vesi Tribe): Confession time: I did a double-take when I first saw Nneka’s age in her bio.  Based on her photo, which I saw first, I would have easily lopped a good 15 years AT LEAST off her actual age.  I bring this up, partly to make fun of my own biases, but also to explain why I’m not immediately out on what the show considers to be an “older woman”, which is usually a safe bet in these sorts of predictive blogs.  If she has the physical strength and stamina to back up her looks, age should not be a major issue for her.  The more minor third reason is that Nneka doesn’t give us a whole lot else to work with.  Her pet peeves, while concerning, are no more so than the vast majority of the rest of the cast’s.  Her comparing herself to Cirie I would say is an issue, but more so due Cirie being such a high bar than any sort of failing on Nneka’s part.  Combine what seems like a very average player with the tribe least likely to go to Tribal Council pre-merge, and you’ve got a recipe for a good mid-merge boot.  She MIGHT be in trouble if she costs her tribe a challenge and they go to a pre-merge Tribal Council, but I find that unlikely.  Otherwise she’ll be a solid, but unremarkable, player who will have a good run in the game.  

Mike “Gabler” Gabler (52, Heart Valve Specialist, Meridian, ID, Baka Tribe): Here we have the guy who stood out to the majority of the fandom from the season preview, and understandably so.  A good, recognizable silhouette or article of clothing works wonders, especially in the short time of a preview.  Between his distinctive beard and cap, Gabler has that in spades.  He also stands out as the oldest player this season, and again, it would be easy to write him off as an easy early boot based on that alone.  I, however, am a bit more bullish on Gabler’s chances.  Granted, I can see his tribe going to Tribal Council at least an average amount early on, and they are all significantly younger than he is, so Gabler could seem to be in trouble.  What intrigues me, though is the combination of his location and his occupation.  Gabler is clearly a country boy.  Grew up in Texas, now lives in Iowa.  Even on “Survivor”, you can see the stereotypes.  Think Colby Donaldson or Ben Driebergen.  That’s the sort of person you think of as coming from those places, and certainly Gabler LOOKS the part.  Yet, the occupation that is effectively “doctor” often conjures up completely opposite images than the stereotypes just mentioned.  This means for me that A) Gabler is smarter than he looks and B) he can move comfortably in multiple social worlds.  This is why I think his age won’t be as big an issue for him, and even if his tribe loses some, I can see him making the merge.  I don’t see him making much beyond that, since people will realize how threatening he is given that he’s still around, but an early boot?  I personally doubt it.  

Noelle Lambert (25, U.S. Paralympian, Manchester, NH, Vesi Tribe): The first thing most anyone is going to notice about Noelle is that she is an amputee; her left leg now being a prosthesis.  This ground is, if you’ll pardon the pun, well-tread on the show by now, with the likes of Chad Crittenden on “Survivor Vanuatu”, and Kelly Bruno on “Survivor Nicaragua”.  I’d lean toward Noelle emulating more of the former than the latter in terms of game.  Partly this is due to her being on the tribe unlikely to attend Tribal Council pre-merge, but I don’t see her having any major conflict with her tribemates either.  All fairly athletic, on the younger side, and fairly easygoing.  Noelle should be simpatico in that regard.  Her prosthetic leg, unfortunately, is what dooms her chances in the long-run.  It’s rarely said out loud, lest someone look like a jerk, but people with a visible (for want of a better term) disability are a target, lest they get the dreaded “sympathy vote” in the end.  Noelle, while a perfectly fine player, does not seem skilled enough to overcome this, and thus will be out in the early-to-mid-merge due to being perceived as a threat in the end.  

Owen Knight (30, College Admissions Director, New Orleans, LA, Baka Tribe): Jumping ahead a bit in our discussion, one thing about this cast that separates it from most recent casts is less of the “nerd” archetype, at least overtly.  There are some “closeted nerds”, again for want of a better term, but ones who wear their nerd card proudly on their sleeve are thin on the ground.  Overall I think this is a good thing.  Even as a nerd myself, it’s nice to have more variety in the archetypes we see.  Owen is the exception to this, and it’s part of why I like the guy.  He’s also one of the first to have pet peeves that AREN’T a deal-breaker for his chances on an average season.  All right, “Entitled people” is a bit concerning, but 4-way stop signs are scare on the ground on an undeveloped island in Fiji, and thereby finding people who don’t know what to do at them will be difficult.  Unfortunately for Owen, much as I like his personality, I don’t have a ton of hope for his game chances.  He does seem to be physically fit enough to avoid a super-early target, but the lack of other overt nerds makes him stand out, and given how they’re generally perceived in this day and age of the metagame, makes him a threat.  I’d mark him as a late-pre-merge boot, probably the last one right before we merge.  It’s possible he squeaks by to the early merge, but not much beyond that.  He’s just too visible and too threatening to make it farther.  

Justine Brennan (29, Cyber Security Sales, Marina del Rey, CA, Vesi Tribe): Justine should be incredibly thankful that she is on the tribe she’s on, as there’s not much else to recommend her.  People who appear to be very “worldly” in the sense of living a fairly “polished” lifestyle usually don’t do well in my estimation, just due to not handling the environment well.  Justine is the one of the cast who most screams this, but fortunately for her, she’s likely not going to Tribal Council pre-merge.  Unlike what this archetype usually implies, she seems at least decently fit enough to not be a challenge sink, so she won’t be the factor that could cost them in an outside scenario.  Once she’s at the merge, which I don’t see her having SPECTACULAR game skills, she seems at least competent enough to not screw herself over, plus at that point it’s usually the threats who are targetted.  As such, expect Justine to be a mid-to-late merge boot, possibly even making it to the finale, though with zero chance of winning at that point.  

Cody Assenmacher (35, Elevator Sales, Honolulu, HI, Vesi Tribe): The country boy transplanted to island life (Cody is originally from Iowa), Cody is our first contestant to be from Hawaii at the time of filming (Jonas Otsuji of “Survivor One World” was originally from Hawaii, but listed as Lehi, Utah in his bio), and the second so far to share a name with a prominent “Total Drama Island” contestant.  Sadly, that’s about the most interesting thing I have to say about him.  As a player, Cody is… Fine.  He’s fine.  Just fine.  Likable, physically fit, inoffensive.  Perfectly fine guy, but just does not stand out as a player or a character.  Probably be a solid player, but uninspiring.  I can see him leading his tribe, due to being a good consensus pick, but this is why he won’t go father than the mid-merge.  Again, too big a threat to keep around, but a perfectly serviceable, if uninspiring, player otherwise.  Though I will say comparing himself to Malcolm does show good self-knowledge of his play style, at least.  

Morriah Young (28, Teacher, Philadelphia, PA, Baka Tribe): You probably remember Morriah from the season preview as “The lady with the rainbow hair”.  Much like her hair, Morriah definitely stands out as a character.  Very bubbly and energetic, Morriah is very much of the social-network-savvy generation that “Survivor” is loving lately.  She opened a “Selfie Museum” for goodness’ sake!  Sadly, much like a firework, Morriah will be a bright flash, but flare out fairly early.  Morriah’s trouble is that prowess with social media does not translate to social skills.  Not that her social skills are bad, but there’s no connection between her implied strengths and the strengths needed in the game.  Morriah seems more worldly than a lot of the other players this season, and not the most fit (though hardly unfit), which could tank her chances.  I will give credit that James Clement (“Survivor China”) is an unusual comparison in this day and age of “Survivor”, but it also supports my thesis of “Great character, not as good at the game as they need to be”.  I don’t see her being the ABSOLUTE first out, but especially if she costs her tribe a challenge, she’s out pre-merge.  Good candidate for a second chance season, though.  

Sami Layadi (19, Pet Cremator, Las Vegas, NV, Baka Tribe): Looks like I did the “Top 5 and Bottom 5 Occupations” too early.  “Pet Cremator” should definitely be on the list.  Aside from the interesting occupation Sami, once again, doesn’t have a whole lot to make him stand out.  Perfectly nice young guy, seems like he’ll have decent gamesmanship, clearly physically fit.  Just not anything to really recommend him.  His age is really the major concern I would have (apart from the general pet peeve issue, of course), since we’ve seen that teenagers, generally, just don’t have the maturity and life experience needed to do super well.  The occasional exception (Julia Sokolowski of “Survivor Kaoh Rong” and Michael Yerger of “Survivor Ghost Island”) notwithstanding, this is a demographic that just doesn’t have good track record, and I don’t see Sami being enough of a stand-out to truly buck that trend.  I do think he makes the merge, as there are other people with bigger targets on his tribe during the pre-merge phase, but he’s going to mess up somehow, due to his age alone, and thus we have another early-to-mid merge boot.  

Karla Cruz Godoy (28, Educational Project Manager, Newark, DE, Coco Tribe): The “Tattooed lady in blue” as I described her from the season preview, and our first representative from the third tribe in the order this list is being done.  Karla was an early favorite of mine based solely on the preview, and I’m pleased to say her bio only makes me like her more.  She talks a lot about her family’s immigration and tough life growing up, which could turn people off, but I find to be a breath of fresh air on a cast that’s been fairly bland so far overall.  She stands out visually and in her stance on life, but not in a way that seems likely to be obnoxious or annoying to her fellow players.  She’s even got the least-problematic pet peeves so far!  True, “Pessimism” is a bit of a concern, but less guaranteed to come up than other’s peeves so far, and otherwise inoffensive in that area.  About the worst that I can say for her is that she has an irritating grammatical redundancy in her bio with “…became teenage parents at the age of 16…”.  I suppose I could offer the same criticism as Nneka, since Karla also lists Cirie as the player she’s most similar too, but again, it’s a question of setting a high bar for yourself rather than being an actively bad thing for your game.  So, is Karla one of my winner picks?  Sadly no.  It’s tough to talk about Karla’s placement, since it largely depends on the other members of her tribe, and she’s the first member of her tribe to come up on this blog.  From my perspective, her tribe will very much be a “bro-down”, more so than any other tribe here, but also has the most challenge sinks.  Karla is not exactly unfit, but she’s not a challenge beast like a lot of others on this cast.  She’s likely going to be more “in” with the dominant alliance on her tribe than the other women, but is also on the tribe I would say is most likely to lose a lot of challenges.  If they can break about even with Baka, Karla’s game skills probably take her to the mid-to-late merge, but if she costs the tribe a challenge, or they lose a lot in general, expect her to be out pre-merge.  Either way, expect her to be fun.  

Ryan Medrano (25, Warehouse Associate, El Paso, TX, Coco Tribe): Speaking of the bros, this guy is so into the physical part of the game that he lists Rupert as the guy he’s most like.  Not exactly a good outlook for the game in general, but for the tribe he’s on, I think he’ll do all right.  Not going to lead an alliance, but I expect him to get into the majority in the pre-merge pretty easily.  He won’t be the biggest threat come the merge, but like Rupert on most seasons, he’s out somewhere in the mid-to-late merge, since a physical player like him is always something of a threat.  Yet another player who’s generally perfectly nice, and will coast on that a good way, but just not that interesting or with the skills to overcome the few red flags he has.  

Lindsay Carmine (42, Pediatric Nurse, Downington, PA, Coco Tribe): Our third “older person” on this season.  Despite being the youngest of those three, Lindsay does not have something that can counteract the target this puts on her, unlike the other two.  No beating around the bush here: Lindsay is my pick for first boot of the season.  About the best that can be said for her is that none of her pet peeves are particularly concerning.  Cutting in line, smacking gum, and playing games on one’s phone when talking to others are not things that will be in much supply on the island.  But that “older person” target is tough to overcome, and combine this with Lindsay’s tribe not being that physically strong in general, and I look to her to be gone super early.  She’s on a tribe that doesn’t seem like a good natural mesh for her personality, and so will need time to bond to have any chance.  Time she sadly doesn’t have, if my read of relative tribe strength is accurate.  It’s unfortunate for her, since she seems perfectly nice, and again, not bad at the game by a stretch.  But you need better than “ok” to beat the “older player” target on a tribe like this, and time Lindsay does not have.  

Jeanine Zheng (24, UX Designer, San Francisco, CA, Baka Tribe): Once again, another “Wordly player” without the protection of a challenge-dominant tribe.  Jeanine pays more lip service to being good in the outdoors than the likes of Morriah, but I’m overall not seeing it.  She’s the generic attractive woman who compares herself to Kim Spradlin, with not a lot else going on.  Add onto that a described “introvert”, and a tribe that will probably lose a few challenges, and Jeanine is another textbook pre-merge boot.  

Jesse Lopez (30, Political Science PhD., Durham, NC, Vesi Tribe): On a more positive note, here we have my first pick to win the whole thing.  If you were hold me down and force me to only pick one person to do well on the season, I would go with Jesse, and not just because he’s on the tribe that I see as most likely to dominate.  The dude has something the best winners have: A non-threatening perception that hides a cutthroat mind.  Looking at him, as he says, you don’t see a scholar.  Dude seems tough, yet easygoing enough to not get on people’s nerves.  Yet, he studied political science, arguably one of the best majors for understanding the game of “Survivor”, and enjoys playing chess with his son.  Both wholesome, and good practice!  Dude is a threat, a stealth leader most won’t see coming.  His tribe may be a target some the merge, but I don’t see him as the one being targeted.  If he influences a few votes from the shadows, he very likely puts himself in a position to win the whole thing, and the game will be all the better for it.  

Cassidy Clark (26, Designer, Austin, TX, Coco Tribe): Hoo boy.  Starting out, Cassidy seemed all right.  Yeah, she was not on the best tribe for her, but she seemed easygoing enough to fit with the guys and seemed adaptable.  With some game savvy, though she might be able to worm her way in ahead of Karla.  Then I got to reading her pet peeves.  They’re bad.  GOOD LORD, they’re bad.  Even by the standards of THIS CAST, they’re bad.  “Narrow-Minded, Judgmental People” is bad on it’s own, but ultimately a run-of-the-mill red flag.  “People who have no reverence for Mother Nature and all her beautiful beings!” is a whole other level of “woah”.  You remember Courtney Marit from “Survivor Exile Island”?  Remember how awkward and cringey she was talking about nature?  How it alienated her from a bunch of her tribe?  Guess what, she gets a second shot now!  Cassidy was always going to have an uphill battle with her starting tribe being likely to lose, and the core alliance unlikely to include her, but this just really puts the kibosh on her being anything other than a pre-merge boot.  Her age JUST saves her from being the first boot, but as soon as they go a second time?  Cassidy is toast.  

James Jones (37, Event Planner, Philadelphia, PA, Coco Tribe): James finds himself in a bit of a weird spot, in terms of demographic.  He doesn’t really hit the “older” designation as the show defines it, but neither is he so young that he automatically fits in with the younger group, despite the tribe still skewing young personality-wise.  That said, just because he isn’t a natural fit doesn’t mean he can’t fit.  He seems fairly easygoing, so unless he costs his tribe a challenge, I think he’ll slot in fairly easily with the other men of his tribe.  It helps that he’s another rare one this season with non-problematic pet peeves, specifically bad customer service and pushy salespeople.  His game smarts, while fine, seem like nothing to write home about, so I’d peg him as another early-to-mid merge boot.  Probably will find himself in the majority initially, but be taken out as a safe bet when said alliance gets targeted.  

Geo Bustamante (36, Project Manager, Honolulu, HI, Coco Tribe): In contrast to James, Geo will be the figurehead of the main alliance who doesn’t have as much going on as he thinks he does, but will avoid a target for being too obvious.  I think Geo does have SOME skills, and certainly his managerial experience can be an asset in forming an alliance.  But when you’re saying you’re as smart as the likes of Cochran and Boston Rob?  Yeah, I find that hard to believe.  Geo will last a good while, as he seems decent in challenges and his tribe will need his strength, but his overinflated sense of self will get the better of him eventually.  Probably somewhere around the early-to-mid merge, though after James.  

Elisabeth “Elie” Scott (31, Clinical Psychologist, Salt Lake City, UT, Baka Tribe): My second overall pick to win the whole thing.  How could I not favor my fellow psychology peep?  Her years of experience in the field, coupled with her relative maturity compared to most of the rest of her cast give her the skills she needs to make at least a deep run.  A stealth threat, I can easily see her squeezing her way to the end, then running roughshod over the other players at Final Tribal Council.  Granted she does dislike injustice, which there can be a LOT of on “Survivor”, but if she keeps that in check?  There’s very little in the way between her and one million dollars.  Just a skilled, competent player all around.  

Dwight Moore (22, Graduate Student, Collierville, TN, Vesi Tribe): Rounding out our cast, Dwight is another one with comparatively less-objectionable pet peeves.  All right, “Arrogance” is a bit problematic, but again, lack of use of turn signals is both relatable and unlikely to happen on the island.  As to people making “The Office” jokes about his name, your guess is as good as mine.  Dwight strikes me as yet another easygoing guy, though with more charm and personality than most of them.  If nothing else, I can respect him appreciating Wendell’s game on “Survivor Ghost Island”, and it seems like that will fit well into his play style.  What stops me from giving him a better rating is his age.  Dude’s not a teenager, but 22 is still pretty young, and I just worry he doesn’t have the life experience needed to pull off a game he might otherwise have the talent for.  He should still make it deep, probably a mid-to-late merge position.  I could even see him being the person out right before the finale.  But win?  Try again in a few years, then we’ll talk.  

There we have our cast, and for the first time in a while, I’m not super thrilled.  While there are a few standouts I quite enjoy (Karla, Jesse, Owen), of the most part I found myself struggling to write about these people.  Very few of them were bad, or actively annoyed me in some way, but they were just… fine.  Nice, decent people with average game competence who just aren’t exciting.  Sort of a whole cast full of Jon Misch (“Survivor San Juan del Sur”).  That’s not the WORST a cast can do, but an exciting season it does not make for.  I hope I’m proven wrong, but I don’t have high hopes for this season to go down well in the history books.  In addition to this problem, we’re likely going to get a lot of new twists, which will take time to explain, and thus eat up screen time a la “Survivor 41”.  When you combine a cast I’m not wild about with the season likely being poorly edited, the outlook is grim.  

That said, things might be even worse than I predict.  Yes, we’re coming back to the pet peeves again.  I think there might be a reason we’ve got similar-sounding pet peeves here, and I think that reason is conflict.  By casting a lot of people with similar buttons to push, you can set yourself up for big, explosive conflicts.  Just one person does something wrong; the whole tribe goes off.  For some people, this is a plus, and makes for exciting tv.  For me, it means we’re doomed to a season of people either being bland, or yelling a lot and being unlikeable.  Let’s hope that I’m wrong.  

This negativity is too much, even for me, so let me end on a more lighthearted note: The tribe names.  Vesi and Coco are fine.  Standard, nothing to write home about.  And I’m sure Baka is an actual Fijian word, and related to the other two tribes in some way.  I’m sure what I’m about to talk about is in no way intended by the “Survivor” production crew.  But I am a nerd.  A nerd who watches a fair amount of subtitled anime.  So to me, I see “Baka”, and I immediately jump to the Japanese definition of the word.  It means, generally, “stupid”, though depending on the contest could also be translated as “idiot”, “moron”, or “dumbass”.  Thus, juvenile as it is, and even though it has ZERO bearing on the people on the tribe, I can’t help but read their tribe name that way.  Hence forth, through no fault of their own, the tribe shall be known, by me, as the “Dumbass Tribe”!

With that bit of levity out of the way, let us hope that my dire predictions are wrong, and I’ll see you in three weeks for the premier!  

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.  

A Short History of the “Survivor” Season Preview

Well, after a break of I would say reasonable length, it is time to return to our off-season discussion content.  And naturally, with the first thing I’m covering, the thing that is designed to bring back readers who may have tuned out during the off-season, I’m going with an incredibly niche topic that is likely non-controversial and interesting to few.  Because I make good decisions!

In all seriousness, my reasoning for covering this topic merits some explanation.  At the end of “Survivor 42”, I, like most fans, eagerly consumed the preview for the upcoming “Survivor 43”.  It was an enjoyable preview; pretty standard on the surface, but fun.  However, I did have a nagging thought that this preview seemed to have more cast members present in it than previous ones.  Still, this was not enough on its own to merit further investigation, particularly since it might be a “just me” thing.  Later on, though, reading around online and talking with fans myself, many people got a similar sentiment, and thus investigation seemed more warranted.  To do this, though, I needed to rewatch every single season preview “Survivor” has ever produced, taking down relevant data on each so as to be able to compare the latest preview to those that came before.  Entertaining enough, but even with such short subject matter (generally 1-2 minutes in length), that adds up over the course of 40+ seasons, so that’s over an hour of my life I can never get back.  All this research mushroomed into a lot of patterns and factoids I felt might be fun to share with the readership, hence this blog.  Or, to put it another way, I have spent over an hour of my life on this, and you will all now experience my findings with me, dang it!

Before we get to what makes the preview for “Survivor 43” different (and rest assured, there are some stark differences), we need to talk about how the season preview started out.  As one might expect, the focus of the preview when it first came to light was not on the cast, or even the twists that the new season would bring, but instead on the location.  The culture, the beauty of the land, and the difficulty of survival were the main things highlighted, if not the only things highlighted.  One need only look at how the preview was introduced to recognize this.  Rather than “Take a look at what’s coming next season” or similar language, the preview was usually brought up with “Take a look at where ‘Survivor’ is going next” or similar language.  And, for the early days of the show, this should not be a surprise.  Strange though it may seem now, in the early days, “Survivor” was pitched as a show about, well, actual survival.  Not the elaborate strategy game we know and love today, the idea was that actual physical survival in the wilderness would be important, if not the driving factor of the game.  

What MAY be a surprise is how long this method of hyping up the next season lasted.  “Survivor” may have been initially pitched and marketed as a show about actual survival, but the social survival and strategy quickly came to dominate that perception, even in the eye of the public.  The exact date the switch happened is unknown, and therefore up for debate (some might argue that it happened as early as halfway through “Survivor Borneo” with the Gretchen boot), but even being conservative, I feel like it would be hard to argue that the focus of “Survivor” was on literal survival post “Survivor The Amazon”.  The success of Rob Cesternino on that season is hard to justify if the game is truly about physical survival.  So, even with this estimate, you’d expect, around this time, that the previews would switch to talking about the casts, twists, and possibly a hint of strategy for the new season.  Yet, with only a couple of exceptions, this style of preview, focusing on the new location, continued up through the preview for “Survivor Nicaragua”, pretty much the halfway point of “Survivor” at the time of this writing.  

Conversely, a peak at the cast, now very much the norm, did not happen in any form for quite some time.  The first preview to even SHOW the cast was for “Survivor Fiji”, since the show highlighted the diversity in socioeconomic status in their casting.  They noted that they had “A former homeless street performer” and a “Harvard educated lawyer” on the same season, and showed clips of Dreamz and Alex, respectively, when mentioning this.  And it would take another year before we actually heard any of the cast SPEAK in the preview, with the first instance being in the “Survivor Micronesia” preview.  Yeah, well after the viewing audience had abandoned the idea of physical survival being a major factor on the show, the show doggedly tried to act like this was the case in the preview.  They paid lip service to it, more so as time went by.  Mostly through the use of the phrase “How will they survive the elements, and more importantly, survive each other?”.  But if you were someone new only seeing the preview for some reason, you’d be forgiven for thinking the show was about actual, physical survival.  

For every rule, however, there is an exception, and this era of preview has a few exceptions to this rule.  Most notably, in instances where the show had to reuse a location (such as with “Survivor Exile Island” or “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”), they couldn’t exactly focus on the wonder, mystery, and danger of a location the viewers were already familiar with.  Logically, they went to the next step, and focussed instead on the twist or gimmick of the season.  The preview for “Survivor Exile Island” focussed on the titular “Exile Island” twist, while “Survivor Micronesia” and “Survivor Heroes vs Villains” focussed on their respective tribe divisions, and the 10th anniversary in the latter case.  The show also began using the technique of reminding viewers of the previous exotic locations the show had been to to hype up the legacy of the show continuing, and oddly, not always when going to a reused location.  “Survivor Palau”, which could easily have had a regular season preview in the “new location” style, was the first to utilize this technique.  

Perhaps the most confusing outlier, however, is the preview for “Survivor All-Stars”.  Or rather, I should say, the LACK of a preview for “Survivor All-Stars”.  Yes, out of all of the seasons in this era, with the exception of “Survivor Borneo” (which obviously couldn’t have one due to coming first), this is the only season to not get a proper preview video at the end of the previous season.  Probst just says a couple sentences about various old castaways coming back, and asks everyone to tune in next season.  Underwhelming by any measure, but particularly baffling given that this is a season that should be EASY to hype up.  After all, this is something fans had been speculating about for years at this point, and hyping themselves up online for such an event.  Surely a preview extravaganza would be in order?  Well, while I don’t have a definitive answer, I can offer a couple of hypotheses.  

For the more cynical side of things, one might assume that production just had little faith in the season as a whole.  Filming had wrapped only three days prior to the Pearl Islands finale, so they knew how the season would play out.  It’s well known that pretty much all of production were not happy with the result, and Probst in particular was vocal that it was not fun to work on.  With all that so fresh in production’s mind, perhaps they just didn’t feel the season merited the grand preview the season premise would indicate.  If one is perhaps more optimistic, it might simply be that the show felt it did not have a good way to market itself.  Really, the entire draw of a season like this IS the cast, but as mentioned, the show was quite reluctant to give any casting hints in their previews at this time.  Perhaps they just wanted to avoid spoilers, and figured the hype of the premise itself would be enough, preview or no preview.  How badly the cast was spoiled even prior to the end of Pearl Islands might also be a factor here, but as I wasn’t part of the online fandom at the time, I can’t say for certain.  If someone is reading this who was, how soon was the cast of “Survivor All-Stars” known?  It really would be interesting data to help with coming to a  conclusion.  

Moving along, naturally the era of hyping up the location itself came to an end.  It was less due to public perception changing, however, and more due to logistical concerns.  Once the seasons started shooting back to back in the same location, every other season, at a minimum, would be hard, if not impossible, to hype up as an exotic and dangerous location if it was one we’d already seen before.  Thus, from “Survivor Redemption Island” on, pretty much up until the present day, the twist of the season became the defining feature of the preview.  How would the tribes be divided?  What new twist would our players have to face in the upcoming season?  These were now the sort of questions the preview was posing to try and hype up the next season.  

Interestingly, the format for hyping up the twist was more fluid in this era than the format for hyping up the location in previous seasons.  Initially, it stayed focussed on the twist, with rarely any appearances by the cast, either in voice over or in on-camera shot.  “Survivor Caramoan” saw the second return of contestants appearing, making it seem as though such an appearance was limited only to seasons subtitled “Fans vs. Favorites”.  

Then came the brief stretch where “Survivor” tried to focus more on social media hype than on preview hype.  “Survivor Blood vs Water”, “Survivor Cagayan”, and “Survivor San Juan del Sur” all have exceptionally short previews, only a few seconds long.  Instead, the show let people speculate on these incredibly vague previews (Blood vs. Water was just a shot of a drop of “blood” falling into water, Cagayan showed the logo with “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast” changing to “Brains, Brawn, Beauty”, and San Juan del Sur had a lot of quotes about how great “Survivor Blood vs. Water” was), and showed these speculations via tweets at the end of the reunion to hype up the season.  A decent enough idea, but really fell flat, particularly as most of the ideas they chose to highlight were ridiculous, rather than anything that could actually get people talking and debating.  Most notably, they highlighted a tweet for the “Survivor Blood vs Water” preview which suggested that the location would have a lot of sharks.  Give me a break.  

No, it would not be until the preview for “Survivor Worlds Apart” where hearing from the contestants would become the norm (since technically “Survivor Cambodia” did not get a traditional “preview”, but instead a live vote reveal), and continue up through the present day.  From that season on, the only season to get a preview and NOT feature any of the new cast talking was “Survivor Island of the Idols”, which features Rob and Sandra instead.  True, it could be argued they count as “cast”, but I’d classify them more as “on-screen producers” myself.  Helping this trend was the large number of “vs” seasons during this time period.  Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty, Heroes vs. Healers, vs. Hustlers, David vs. Goliath.  The show really had a thing for dividing tribes along semi-arbitrary lines during this era, and having the cast talk about what it meant to be a part of their particular group was a good marketing strategy.  This is also where the average of hearing from six players per season became codified, since it fit neatly into this format.  After all, if you want to talk about some divide, you want an equal number of representatives from each side, and 6 divides evenly into both a 2 tribe and 3 tribe “versus” format.  Notably, seasons during this time that DIDN’T have such a divide were less likely to adhere to the 6 contestants rule, with “Survivor Game Changers” and “Survivor Ghost Island” only having two players make appearances, and “Survivor Winners at War” having 8 (though three of the latter were voice over, more easily identified due to the winners being more iconic than unknown players).  

So, if being unable to emphasize the location was the impetus behind emphasizing the twist, you’d think that being unable to emphasize some game-defining twist would be the impetus to emphasizing the cast to the degree we saw in the last preview.  Yet, while “Survivor 41” did not get a preview at all, “Survivor 42”, which purely reused twists, still emphasized that they were reusing said twists.  It had a decent number of the cast shown (8 overall, though 4 of these were purely in voiceover, rather than a full confessional), but also talks about the twists that the contestants will have to endure, as well as the accursed “Monster” metaphor the show keeps emphasizing.  So no, “Survivor 42” still fits right in with the preview family of this era.  

Which brings us to “Survivor 43”, and the results of the date I gathered.  First off if you, like me, thought we saw more of the cast in this preview than in previous ones, you’re not wrong.  The preview for “Survivor 43” holds the record for the most individuals we see a confessional from in the preview at 9.  Technically we heard from as many people in the preview for “Survivor Worlds Apart”, but that was purely in voice-over, and there might have been some doubling-up I missed.  For now, I’m fine saying “Survivor 43” holds the record for most people shown in its preview.  

Yet, even this explanation alone is not enough.  Yes, we have more people in this preview than any other, and yes, we have no twists emphasized instead, but it’s still only slightly more than some other previews.  Again, “Survivor Winners at War” had a respectable 8 identifiable players, barely less than “Survivor 43”, yet felt like we saw much less of them.  For that, I have a simple hypothesis as to why this is: It’s not what’s present in the preview, but what’s absent that makes the difference.  That something is Probst Narration.  

Yes, with the exception of those three exceptionally short previews at the end of the 20’s I mentioned, every season preview save for “Survivor 43” has had Probst narrating the action, giving us a hint of what’s to come.  Here, however, Probst is completely absent, just letting the cast speak for themselves.  The hype doesn’t come from Probst, but from the player, and THAT, dear reader, is the big departure.  With nothing else to distract from them, you’re focussed on the cast for 100% of the preview run time, something no other preview (that’s full-length) can boast.  That, I believe, is the major factor as to why it feels like we saw more of the cast than we did on previous season previews.  

Why would CBS make this switch?  Again, I can offer a couple of hypotheses, mostly based on trends of how the show has developed.  Over the course of its history, the show has tried, in each preview, to hype up everything BUT the cast.  They started with the location.  When the locations got reused, they emphasized the twists.  It was only when the twists began being about tribe divisions on the regular that they started putting in new cast members on the regular.  This may seem like it’s been going on for a while, but really, this has only been a thing for the past 6 years or so, at least regularly.  But this trend got us used to the idea, and with “vs” twists seeming to be a thing of the past, as well as back-to-back seasons being carbon-copies twist-wise, really the only thing LEFT is to emphasize the cast.  More cynically, one could argue that the show has stopped caring about spoilers.  After all, logic would dictate that the main reason not to show any of the new cast is to avoid the public getting spoilers about your new cast.  By showing half the cast in this preview, it could been seen as the show saying “Yeah, we know you’ll know the cast by now.  Go ahead and look, we don’t care anymore.”  Still, that’s perhaps a bit cynical, even for me.  More likely there’s a marriage of the two.  With the greater prevalence of internet culture than when the show started, coupled with the realities of staying in one location for filming permanently and needing to reveal the winner on the island due to COVID, hiding spoilers is that much harder.  CBS could fight, but if the public’s going to find out anyway, why not just get a great preview out of it?  Take the lemons of a spoiled cast, and make lemonade out of an engaging preview.

And that is why, whatever you think about the new style of preview, I suggest you get used to it, as it is likely here to stay.  Again, with no location or twist to newly emphasize, all the show has left is the cast.  They may tweak the style a little bit, but without the need to hide the cast for spoilers, expect this sort of preview to become the norm moving forward.  

And there you have it: A brief history of the “Survivor” season preview.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this little romp through history as much as I have!  As a bonus, here’s a couple of fun facts I noted during my research, but didn’t have a good place to include in the body of the work:

-While Probst narration is a mainstay of most previews, Probst himself very rarely appears on-camera in them.  I only remembered him being in the preview for “Survivor The Australian Outback”, and was prepared to write this off as an example of “Early Installment Weirdness”, and was thus surprised when he put in a brief appearance at the beginning of the preview for “Survivor The Amazon”.  The reasons why remain a mystery to me.  

-Much was made of the preview for “Survivor 42” intentionally deceiving us, putting the voiceover of Maryanne finding the idol over footage of Tori looking at a paper.  Yet, this is not the first time a preview has been misleading.  It’s happened a number of times over the course of the previews, but the first outright error I could find was in the preview for “Survivor Vanuatu”.  Probst specifically says there will be “16 castaways”, when there ended up being 18.  This could just be them changing the number of contestants after the preview was made, admittedly, but an error nonetheless.  

-While most season previews that feature the contestants try and show an equal number from both tribes, the major exception is “Survivor Micronesia” the first time the players are heard to talk in the preview.  They show an above-average number of players at a respectable 7, but all of those seven are from the “Fans” side.  None of the favorites are shown, a trend that continues through most All-Star type seasons.  Even “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains” did not name the players, instead showing highlights from fan-favorite past seasons, which did show some players on the season (such as Coach), but also some who did not appear (such as Jonny Fairplay).  

-When you watch these preview back-to-back, you come to realize that producers have some shots/moments they love to favor as their B-roll for the previews.  Some are mundane shots that would be hard to pick out unless you’re looking for them.  For instance, they LOVE showing shots of people jumping off the ship during the Pearl Islands Marooning.  Others, however, are more notable and predictable.  I never thought I’d say this, but I tire of hearing Erik say “I want to give individual immunity to Natalie”.  When you see it used multiple times in subsequent previews, it loses its luster.  

Hope you’ve enjoyed this off-season content!  Keep an eye out for the next one!

-Matt

Title Credit and Idea to Jean Storrs.  

Idol Speculation: “Survivor 41” Episode 1: Blue’s Clues

If nothing else, this episode of “Survivor” should put to rest any doubts anyone has about the virulency and spread of COVID.  Not only has it spread to every inhabited nation on earth, not only has it fundamentally changed our way of life, but it has even managed to reach Jeff Probst’s fountain of youth!  The horror!  Don’t misunderstand, the dude still looks WAY younger than he actually is, and some of this may be due to just not having seen him in a while, but the dude has visibly aged, in my opinion.  Perhaps it’s the mullet.  Cut that thing, Probst.  

Readers, is is my DIVINE pleasure to welcome you back, once again, to “Idol Speculation”, my knee-jerk opinion that EVERYONE is entitled to.  Yes, after a long, LONG dry spell we at last have new “Survivor” content to discuss.  Let me just switch off from the “Nick Jr.” channel my cable seems to have started on for some weird reason, and we can begin…

Wait, you mean to tell me this whole “Probst talking to the audience like he’s in your living room” thing is a part of the show now?  Yeah, it case the snark didn’t make it obvious, this first “twist” for want of a better word, doesn’t land well.  It’s bad enough that Probst interrupts the flow of the action to give us an answer to a question we didn’t need (I maintain it’s more fun to play along with a hunt for an advantage/idol than it is to be told where one is), but he actually “talks” to us, tells us how much he missed us?  Yeah, I don’t need that patronization, thanks.  Show us your gratitude to be back on the air by giving us a fantastic, well-edited episode (which this one by and large is), and through your own in-universe enthusiasm, not by going full “Dora the Explorer”.  

Oh, Probst also takes this opportunity to show us the tree in which he’s hiding the “Beware” advantage.  What does it do?  We don’t know!  We have so many advantages now that we can’t even explain them all to you!

We then get our introduction to the players this season, with the first six interviews for the players.  We hear about Evvie’s passion for the game, as well as Danny’s drive.  Jairus (or JD, as he’s going by) give the first of 8,192 confessionals about being younger than the game itself.  Tiffany talks about her joy at being selected for the game, complete with video of her reaction to being called.  If that’s genuine video of the event (which I somewhat doubt), good for her!  A fun reaction, and a pretty realistic one.  If that’s staged, then man, show.  I get that the “flashback” to stuff in real life worked on “Winners at War”.  By and large, it works here too.  But don’t force it if you don’t have the footage.  David (or “Voce”) talks about how the stress of neurosurgery prepares him for “Survivor”, thereby getting our requisite “Link your job to the game” confessional out of the way early and relatively painlessly.  Kudos.  Finally, Shantel (or “Shan” as she is going by) rounds us out by telling us that being a pastor doesn’t mean she won’t play a cutthroat game.  Decent enough, but Shan, that’s not what I’m worried about.  You’re not on a super-religious tribe, and if you bring up religion too much, that, not your ability or inability to be cutthroat, will be your undoing.  Still, a promising start.  

After three rapid-fire confessionals to assure us that yes, COVID has been a major factor in these people’s lives, we get what I can only assume is the show’s answer to “Doing something new with the intro”, as advertised pre-season.  We get some of the opening notes played over a slow-motion shot of that horrible logo, thus giving us time to linger on its horribleness, rather than do the smart thing and only show it briefly, keeping the focus on the colors and not the other, less-good design choices.  Plus, this just makes me long for the old intro even more.  Come on, show, you can spare one minute to give us that epic music and gorgeous shots of the players.  

Getting back to the players, after some more brief introductions (making sure to get Naseer’s “I learned English by watching ‘Survivor’” story in there), we get to, you guessed it, EVEN MORE CRINGE!  Probst talks about the changes that have been made to the show, highlighting in particular the diversity of the cast.  Fair enough.  Growth is important, and should be called out where applicable.  Granted, the show still has a long way to go in a lot of areas, but still, steps in the right direction should be praised.  The show praising itself is not what I would have gone for but hey, no harm done so far.  Unfortunately, Probst decides to then go in the cringe-y direction by asking if his “Come on in, guys!” is too exclusionary, and should be gotten rid of.  Now, I’m not saying this is a bad conversation in and of itself, and I’m not saying it should never happen.  But, first, it should not happening in so public a format.  By doing it this visibly, you A, put a lot of pressure on people to say that everything’s fine, and B, look like you’re trying to show people how “Woke” you are without actually putting in as much effort as you should.  Second, and more important, while the show is improving in terms of inclusivity, this is NOT a step people were clamoring for, and is not a major step towards being more inclusive.  Instead, it looks like you’re forgoing real change in favor of looking good.  Trying to give the APPEARANCE of changing the system to be more just, rather than actually doing something SUBSTANTIAL to change the system.  My fear is that the show won’t go through with things it ought to, and instead just have purely symbolic gestures towards change without actual development.  Evvie speaks up, saying they feel that “guys” is inclusive enough to keep, and we, for the moment, move on.  

With all my complaining, people are going to think I don’t like this episode.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  That said, be prepared for more snark incoming.  You see, we finally get our tribe names.  We have the blue “Luvu” tribe, which is in no way going to be confusing, given that we had a blue “Levu” tribe on “Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”.  See, this is what happens when you don’t vary up your locations.  You’re stuck in the same linguistic groups, and have confusions like these.  Our yellow tribe is “Yase”, noteworthy only that is pronounced “yeh-SAW” for some reason, making me feel like the “A” and “E” should be reversed.  As for our green tribe, they are “Ua”, and they waste no time in leaning into the fact that their tribe name sounds like a war cry.  

Probst then makes sure to inform the contestants about the shortened game and limited supplies before getting into the season opener.  Despite starting on the ship, we thankfully avoid the “Scramble for Supplies” opener that had, until recently, been standard.  While a fun way to start, it was getting played out.  Instead, our tribes must race to find six oars, which they must then use to paddle a boat around a buoy and back to the main boat to grab a flint.  First tribe to do so gets said flint, plus a machete and pot, with the other two tribes having to “earn” these later on.  We’ll get to that.  

Out of the gate, we get a sense for how well these tribes work together.  Luvu and Ua are fairly even physically.  Luvu gets a bit of a lead into the water, but forgets to unclip one part of their boat when rowing.  As such, they tow an anchor, allowing Ua to take the lead.  They may not be the swiftest, but so far, they work well together, and win reward for their troubles.  As for Yase?  they don’t even make it off the boat, missing one oar, though Tiffany does jump in the water to count and make sure.  

So, how are our losing tribes to earn their meager supplies?  Well, they have a choice in the matter, which is always a good thing, in my opinion.  They can either work as a team to solve a “How many triangles are in this picture” puzzle, or race to have two people fill two buckets with ocean water along a set course in a set period of time (4 hours).  Physical work or mental work?  It’s a decent dilemma, and adds some good intrigue to the show, though I would say the triangle one is better overall.  True, they do only get one guess, but you keep the whole team together, and don’t physically tax yourself when there’s still shelter building to be done.  Voce wants to advocate for this option, for these reasons, though has a hard time arguing against the logic of “We couldn’t find an oar, so how can we find all these triangles?”.  Even worse for him, he’s roped into doing the task, along with Xander.  Luvu also chooses this option, though are more gung-ho about it, with Deshawn and Danny stating they will have no issues completing this particular task.  Naseer, attempting to keep the tribe unified, says the four who are at camp won’t talk strategy while they’re gone.  

This plan gets thrown out the window, however, when Danny and Deshawn start taking some time off to look for an idol or other advantage.  Not bad if they think they have the time, but Naseer catches them at it, and notes the clock is ticking.  Figuring this violates the spirit of “No strategizing”, he violates it as well, and talks to the women on his tribe (Erika, Sydney, and Heather) about voting one of the other two out.  Solid, if predictable, strategy.  Xander and Voce, not being as physically gifted as Deshawn and Danny, do not have this problem, Eric instead throwing Tiffany under the bus for jumping in the water, blaming, as he says “Anyone but himself” for the loss.  This backfires, however, as Evvie and Liana have formed a tight bond, and the pair fear being next if Eric wants to start taking out those who are weak in challenges.  As such, Evvie wants to align with Xander and Voce, a bit odd considering their hatred of “Mansplaining”, but I suppose Voce has been fairly subdued so far, compared to what his introductory materials indicated.  To this end, they inform Tiffany of what’s happening, who is, of course, not happy about this course of events.  

Ultimately, the time crunch may have been somewhat exaggerated, as both tribes complete the task with time to spare.  This causes little fanfare over on Yase, but Luvu sees some intrigue, as Sydney spills Naseer’s strategizing to Deshawn and Danny, putting Naseer in their sights.  Time will tell if this bears fruit.  

Ua, with no tasks to do beyond building shelter, takes the time to pretty much all get a humanizing moment, complete with flashbacks.  Sara talks about losing her grandmother, a fan of the show, to COVID-19.  Ricard talks about leaving his husband and 22-month old daughter, while his husband is pregnant with their second child.  Genie talks about marrying her wife, and her gratitude at her mother’s implicit acceptance of this by giving her a diamond ring to use in the ceremony.  Brad… talks about working on a ranch.  One of these things is not like the others.  

I snark, I snark.  Brad talks about losing his dad as well, which hits just as hard as the others.  Shan is, admittedly, the only one who doesn’t get a flashback, but makes up for it with a fun editing moment.  She talks about “evilly” making friends with pretty much everyone in the tribe, and talks about the soundtrack that plays in her head, complete with singing a few bars.  Not one to miss such a BEAT (huh?  huh?  See what I did there), the editors, of course, turn this music into the score for this scene.  Brilliant.  Absolutely brilliant.  A highlight for the episode.  Less successful is JD.  True, he does make fire, and gets a nice flashback of moments from previous seasons, as well as his life, when he talks about how much this means to him as a superfan and former “not cool guy”.  No, JD’s problems come in his attempting to bond with people.  On paper, he does what he’s supposed to.  Talk with everyone, play nice, form bonds, try and get some sort of agreement going.  JD’s problem is that, to paraphrase Malcolm from “Survivor Philippines”, he has all the social graces of a Mack Truck.  He’s incredibly blunt about what he’s doing, and his volume is such that everyone knows he’s doing it.  This is indicated at first just by a disapproving look from Ricard in the background, though Ricard eventually solidifies this into an “Anti-JD” alliance of, well, pretty much everyone except JD.  

The following day, after some shots of Sydney trying to catch a crab, and talking about her travel experience, a boat comes up, asking each tribe to send off one player for an unknown purpose.  Sydney is initially volunteered, but backs down.  Danny tries to get rock-paper-scissors going, but when this fails, volunteers himself.  A bit risky, given what he should know about his position in the tribe.  Safer is Xander, whom the whole of Yase trusts, and sends by unanimous consent.  Evvie comments that Xander will be honest when he gets back, which is fair, though in case he meets up with the other tribe, I would worry about him spilling your secrets.  Ua, meanwhile, goes for the traditional rock draw, leading JD to go, thereby further piling on the “royally screwed”.  

Sure enough, the three meet up at an island, and have a good chat, bonding over their shared sports backgrounds.  Danny denies having played in the NFL, instead saying he runs teen football camps, though he does admit being good friends with Gary Hawkins, the landscaper from “Survivor Guatemala”.  After posing epically at the top of a mountain, the three are told to go off and each make a separate decision.  Danny tries to coordinate with the other two, but this fails.  

The decision, as Xander and later Erika will point out, is basically the prisoner’s dilemma.  Each individual must choose whether to protect their vote, or risk their vote.  Protecting your vote ensures you will have a vote at the next Tribal Council, but you have no shot at an advantage.  If you risk your vote, as long as someone else protects theirs, you get an extra vote to use down the line.  If, however, EVERYONE risks their vote, all LOSE their vote at the next Tribal Council.  What can I say, this is a twist that actually hits.  Choice, as I said, always makes the show more dynamic, and the prisoner’s dilemma is a tried-and-true such choice.  If I WERE to find fault, I would say they made the “Protect” option too appealing, as there was no negative consequence to everyone doing so, and on such small tribes, a vote is a bit thing to risk.  Plus, if someone else DOES get the extra vote, you can try to leverage the “Hey, I sacrificed my chance for you” down the line  It might not be great leverage, but it is leverage nonetheless.  

In another good bit of editing, we actually only see Danny’s choice before the commercial break.  Wisely, he chooses to protect his vote, then goes back and comes clean to his tribe about what he did.  Makes sense.  Even if you did risk your vote, there’s little reason to lie this early in the game over an extra vote, something that has historically not been all that helpful as an advantage.  Even Xander, who DID end up risking his vote, as we see in a flashback, comes clean to his tribe.  In both their cases, this engenders trust.  The same cannot be said of JD, who largely tells the truth, but his delivery is way too stilted, and only engenders more mistrust in him from his tribe.  We don’t see which option he picked, but based on his delivery, it seems pretty clear he risked his vote.  

And now we head off to challenge time, but not before Ricard brings up the “Come on in, guys” thing again.  He tells Probst that, having thought it over, he doesn’t think it’s ok to say “guys”, anymore, and it should just be shortened to “come on in”.  Probst agrees, and defies anyone to call him on it by putting his twitter handle in the lower corner.  Good on Ricard for standing up for what he thought was right, though again, I think the show focussing on it distracts from larger issues.  

Speaking of potential issues, Probst tells us about a few new twists to the game.  The first is that only the first tribe to finish wins immunity, sending the other two to Tribal Council.  A reasonable shake-up that fits with the shortened game time.  I can get behind this.  He also mentions that there is now a penalty for losing, with the two tribes who come in last having to forfeit their flint until after the next Tribal Council.  This seems a little needlessly cruel to me, and has the potential to devolve into the disastrous “Haves vs. Have-Nots” twist of “Survivor Fiji”.  If they really do get flint following Tribal, though, it probably won’t be as much of a factor.  Then, there’s the “shot in the dark”, the most confusing twist of the bunch.  Each tribe is given a bag of six dice, one for each member.  At any Tribal Council, instead of voting, any tribe member can forfeit their die for a 1/6 shot at safety.  Basically another hidden immunity idol that you don’t have to hunt for, but has a strong chance of failure.  It’s tough to say how I feel about this twist, as I need a few questions answered on how it works.  Are the six pieces of parchment determining whether you’re safe or not for the entire game, or do they get restocked?  If the latter, are they restocked after every individual votes, or after every Tribal Council.  If the former, someone could game the system, depending on where they stand in the vote order (i.e., those going up to vote later potentially reducing their odds by having others use their shots to try and find the “Not Safe” parchments, giving them better chances at drawing the “Safe” one)  If this is the case, then I fear production gaming the system by having those in danger further to the right, thus putting them later in the voting order to try and keep them safe.  

That said, based on what we do know, I see some obvious pros and cons to this twist.  On the con side, this is making yet more people safe, and while I presume the limit is one per Tribal Council, this is bringing us dangerous close to possible “Advantagegeddon” territory again, thus reinforcing my stance that the only thing that should grant full immunity are idols, won in challenges or hidden.  If there are still hidden immunity idols in the game (which, admittedly, has not yet been confirmed), then it feels like too much.  It’s also very luck based, which has the upside of being unpredictable, but not as exciting from a strategy side.  On the pro side, unlike hidden immunity idols, there’s no potential gender bias in the way idols are hidden, and everyone has equal access to it, at least in theory.  One intriguing possibility I see is bequeathing your die to someone, either as collateral, or a way to buy them into your alliance.  Sort of taking the good part of fire tokens (using them for strategic politicking), while eliminating how much time they bog down, and any value outside of use in this way.  this could lead to a savvy player having multiple opportunities to use the shot, assuming dice are transferrable.  And, if nothing else, players now have access to a game of Yahtzee to fill their downtime!  I’ll hold off on a final pronouncement on this twist until we know more details.  

We also get the reveal of our tribal Immunity Idol, and the reveal that once again, the show has been robbing my home, as this is once again clearly that cheap beach tiki I bought for use in audition videos years ago.  Seriously, art department?  This season looks gorgeous overall.  Couldn’t you at least have put a BIT of effort into the idol?  Our challenge itself is solid, but nothing to write home about.  After going over a net and through some dirt, tribes must load bags of puzzle pieces on a platform, then remove sandbags from the platform’s path onto a designated spot, before then hauling said pieces up a ramp to solve a puzzle, the first tribe to do so winning immunity and keeping their flint.  Pretty standard first challenge fare.  Kind of a combination of the first immunity challenge from “Survivor Samoa” with that challenge where they went through mud and hay on “Survivor Nicaragua”.  Not the best seasons to draw from in general, but both those challenges were solid, so it doesn’t bother me.  

What does bother me is the editing.  Up to this point, the editing has been solid, with all tribes getting some backstory, and some strategy.  Some characters are highlighted more than others, of course, but this season feels more even than some recent ones.  The one exception is in number of targets, and this is where the “Only one tribe wins immunity” thing becomes a problem.  Ua has only had one target, JD, noted, while both Luvu and Yase had multiple (Deshawn/Danny and Naseer; Tiffany and Eric respectively).  If two tribes got immunity, it wouldn’t matter if Ua was all but guaranteed a win between the editing and not having to do the water-hauling task.  There would still be tension for second between Luvu and Yase.  Having Ua all but guaranteed a win sinks that tension.  

Those were my thoughts prior to the challenge playing out.  That said, if you’ve seen the episode, you know that the editors, once again, got me, and it’s easy to see why.  Ua does indeed have a lead on the puzzle, but a piece not falling out of the bag, and their inability to move forward without it, lets Luvu gain a lead and ultimately win.    All the more impressive given that Deshawn had forced the tribe to redo part of the challenge, as one of his sandbags slipped off the designated spot.  Seemed a bit nitpicky to me, but hey, I don’t make the rules for these challenges.  We will eventually see that the editors had good reason for only giving us one target at Ua so far.  

First, though, we see the dynamic play out at Yase.  Really, there’s not much to note here.  It’s the same “Tiffany vs. Eric” debate we had earlier, with the only interesting bit being Tiffany going to look for an idol or advantage in the woods, stumbling near the well-hidden “Beware” advantage, though not finding it.  It was kind of fun knowing where the advantage was, though the same effect could have been accomplished with the light flash they gave us, rather than the cringey Probst opener.  

As for Ua, up until the challenge there only was one target, in JD.  Sara, however, is blamed for losing the tribe the challenge, given their lead (Shan is as well, though it’s Sara’s name that is brought up), and is thus now on the chopping block.  Brad in particular is on the warpath for her, even going so far as to tell her straight to her face that she should go.  As Sara rightly says, this is some “Survivor Borneo” level play here, and not the Richard Hatch kind.  Shan is scared about what a Sara boot means to her, and Ricard is still on the warpath against JD.  Meanwhile, Brad spills to JD that his name is being brought up, and Genie… Well, we don’t hear from Genie that much, but she seems awesome so far, at least.  This turn of events means that JD and Sara, two of the four I have in a fantasy draft with friends, are likely targets tonight, which only slightly influences me when I say that between JD and Sara, the correct answer is Brad.  Sara definitely should not go for that challenge mistake.  It’s an easy thing to do that anyone could have made, and doesn’t say much of anything about her challenge ability as a whole.  I’ll admit, there’s more of a case for JD to go.  He’s an unsubtle player and unsubtle liar, possibly with an advantage to use against the tribe, based on his description of the summit.  That said, he can at least play, and if allied with him could probably be trusted to not outright reveal secrets.  Brad, though?  He just showed his gameplay is too chaotic to be a reliable ally long-term, and therefore the best choice to go from the tribe.  Sadly, we never hear is name brought up, apart from Sara’s frustration at his lack of subtlety, so we had off to Tribal Council with it still being the Sara vs. JD debates.  

Our first Tribal Council is with Yase, presumably because they were furthest behind in the challenge, which is reasonable.  Yase is really a two-man show, between Eric and Tiffany, each advocating for the other to go.  True to their natures, Tiffany uses many words and talks about the social bonds she’s made with the tribe, while Eric leans on his challenge prowess, which he says speaks for itself, though saying little overall.  In the end, as it so often is in “Survivor”, social prowess wins out, and Eric goes.  Probably the smart move for swing votes Evvie and Liana, since they’d likely be next if Eric got his way.  Not overly sorry to see Eric go.  Nothing bad about the guy, but kind of a standard “Survivor” character we’ve seen a lot before.  Tiffany is more dynamic, and has a fun energy I’m happy to see continue on our screens.  That said, I do wish we’d heard Eric’s last words.  That’s a level of respect every player should get, no matter how early they’re voted out.  

Ua is much more of an ensemble piece, and starts off with a bit of humor, Brad offering to give back their reward supplies in exchange for immunity, which Probst understandably shuts down.  Angelina (“Survivor Dayid vs. Goliath”) Brad is not.  Sadly, when everyone calls out everyone else for scheming, we quickly devolve into whispering, though at least subtitled whispering, to make it slightly more bearable.  We get some good debates, Sara and JD both considering using their shots in the dark, with Ricard and Shan having to talk Sara down from this.  Worried about JD, they NOW discuss voting Brad.  Yes, somewhat non-foreshadowed which I’ve complained about in the past, but at least they showed us WHY he would be targeted, and give us the Tribal discussion subtitled so we can follow what’s going on.  Shan tries to pitch the Brad vote to JD, who’s not super happy with it, though he says he’ll vote with Shan.  If I were Brad and Genie, I’d be more concerned at being left out of the whispering, but they just kind of sit there.  

We go to vote, and shock horror, JD risked his vote, and so gets his extra vote.  This would have been really clever editing if JD were a better liar.  It is, perhaps, the threat of this extra vote that leads to Ricard and Shan turning on Sara, leading her to be the second boot of the episode.  I am sorry to see her go, and not just because I had her in my draft.  No, her confessionals about her grandmother were truly heartwarming, and apart from not shaking one puzzle bag thoroughly, I really can’t say she made much of a mistake.  Ricard and Shan, on the other hand?  I get wanting to vote with a solid majority, especially with the threat of shots in the dark and extra votes making them gun-shy.  But after such open politicking at Tribal Council, do they not think that Genie, Brad, and JD will team up against them?  They’ll need to do some serious maneuvering to save themselves, especially when they could have had a majority, though I suppose they couldn’t have predicted Genie’s rogue vote for Ricard.  Speaking of which, I’m still not sure what Genie’s plan was there.  Was she genuinely confused?  Throwing a safety vote?  The possibilities are open, and I look forward to hearing her logic in the future.  

Despite my snark at the beginning, this is a FANTASTIC start to the season, and a great return of the show we all know and love!  Once we got past the cringe of the opening, we had an episode with good mystery, a likable and engaging cast, and overall excellent editing.  I quite enjoyed the “flashbacks”, even the ones that seem staged, as they make it feel like we’re getting to know the players more intimately than on previous season, always a good thing.  I didn’t ouch on it, but production is now less afraid of showing behind the scenes stuff, as in having cameras and boats in shots, which again, I’m all for.  Help us feel like a part of the show by showing its edges and spots, not trying to hide them.  Yes, Probst had some cringe moments, but in the overall product, they get lost, and the greatness outshines them for a rocking start.  Let us hope the pattern continues!

-Matt 

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.  

Idol Speculation: “Survivor 41” Cast Assessment

Congratulations to Rob for correctly identifying the title quote from last episode as originating from Charlie Herschel of “Survivor Gabon”.  Yes, I’m well aware that the contest was over a year ago, but so help me, we haven’t had a “regular” blog since then, and this commenter has EARNED their honor, delayed as it may be.  

Friends, readers, random-internet-passers-by, it is my pleasure, once again, to welcome you back to “Idol Speculation”, my knee-jerk opinion that everyone is entitled to!  Yes, after over a year of starvation, we finally, FINALLY have new “Survivor” content to talk about.  Granted, I could wish for a bit more.  I mean, we have gotten the “EW” pictures and biographies, which are usually the marker for when I do these Cast Assessments, but you don’t want to give us anything?  No photos and bios of your own?  No videos of each of the contestants talking about their strategy?  You’re not even going to give us the official tribe divisions?  Of course not!  I mean, HEAVEN FORBID we know who’s playing with whom before the start of the season!  How dare we analyze tribe dynamics, and speculate pre-season, thereby driving up interest and internet traffic?  Do you know where that leads?  Chaos!  Chaos I say!  

Ok, ok, enough griping at CBS.  I can still work with this, even if it’s not as much as I’m used to, and I can’t analyze tribe dynamics as I normally do (yes, I’m aware that there’s a rumored tribe division from “Inside Survivor”, but until the divisions are announced officially, I don’t consider it canon, and thus won’t write about it.  And I’m not going to frame-by-frame the preview we DID get to try and match people with buff colors.  I do have something of a life).  So, no more joking around.  let us dig into the new players we, at long last, get to overanalyze.  

Sydney Segal (26, Law Student, Brooklyn, NY): Always nice to start off a cast assessment with a strong contender.  Yes, I think Sydney is slated to do pretty well on this season.  By and large, her bio is nothing to write home about.  Pretty standard stuff, talking about how social and athletic she is.  I find it a little weird to specifically refer to your father as a “second Messiah”, but hey, you do you.  The thing that stood out to me, and the thing that makes me high on Sydney’s chances, is the “Survivor” she compares herself to.  If you’re someone new to reading cast bios, you should know that there’s a group of about a half-dozen former players who generally show up in people’s biographies.  You can expect Boston Rob (“Survivor Marquesas”), Parvati Shallow (“Survivor Cook Islands”), Cirie Fields (“Survivor Exile Island”), and Russell Hantz (“Survivor Samoa”) always show up, and to me, always spell doom for whoever picks the latter.  Then, of course, there are the “recency bias” picks, i.e. good players, but ones who only come from the most recent seasons, indicating this may just be someone production emphasized to the player.  Kelley Wentworth (“Survivor San Juan del Sur”) falls into this category, but she seems to have been replaced by Rick Devans (“Survivor Edge of Extinction”) based on this most recent set of bios.  Now, who does Sydney say she’s most like?  Natalie White, winner of “Survivor Samoa”.  That’s a deep cut, right there.  Hard for anyone to stand out on “Survivor Samoa”, aka “The Russell Hantz Show”, so Syndey’s memory of her tells me she’s got the bona-fides.  Sydney also has a good analysis of Natalie’s game, noting her strength in social bonds and flying under the radar.  A solid analysis, and hardly a bad strategy for the game at all.  Sadly, I think Sydney is screwed out of a possible win by the age in which she plays “Survivor”.  Not to say that the “Natalie Strategy” as we may call it isn’t valid anymore, but the new jury format is pretty much set up to reward “big moves”, and more visible games.  While the “Natalie Strategy” has many upsides, visibility is not one of them.  Still, even if she’s unlikely to win, expect Sydney to stick around a while.  She’s got some good skills and is largely inoffensive, so there’s no need to boot her early.  Look to her as a later merge boot, possibly even one of the people out early in the finale.  Sure, I may be extrapolating a lot from a bio that didn’t give us a lot, but hey, if you don’t do anything that stands out as making you an early target, I say you’ve got at least a decent chance.  Besides, you could also say that Michele Fitzgerald’s bio on “Survivor Kaoh Rong” didn’t give us a lot to work with, and we saw how that turned out.  

Danny McCray (33, Ex-NFL Player, Frisco, TX): Hoo boy.  It’s time once again.  Time for the segment of “People Who Are Crazy For Thinking They’re Made For This Show”.  Look, Danny seems like a nice, overall dude.  I admire him for not just relying on his talent in sports to carry him through his entire life, and his drive to continue to improve himself at what the show considers an “older” age.  But one of the main things I look at in these bios is the “Pet Peeve” section, since I feel it can give a good idea of how well you get along with others, and if your first pet peeve is “Lying”?  Man, what were you thinking!  Sure, go on the show all about lying and backstabbing when that very thing gets to you.  See how far that gets you.  Danny has a lot of good characteristics, but unless his tribe needs physical strength very badly, or he’s able to put his distaste for lying aside, the man is a pre-merge boot for sure.  

Liana Wallace (20, College Student, Washington, DC): I’ll admit, I got a bit worried when I saw Liana talk about performing her spoken word poetry.  Nothing against the art form or those who practice it, but it gave me flashbacks to Semhar from “Survivor South Pacific”, whose game is NOT one you want to emulate.  Thankfully, this is where their similarities end, so I think Liana will do pretty well on the show.  Not a lot to recommend her one way or the other.  She just seems like a nice, adventurous, younger player who won’t hold her team back anyway, and be pretty inoffensive overall.  Two things stop me from saying she’ll make it too deep, though.  She suggests emulating Tony (“Survivor Cagayan”) and Elaine (“Survivor Island of the Idols”), so I don’t know about her game knowledge credentials, as both were on the last two seasons.  Plus, I don’t see their play styles meshing very well.  The real thing that I think holds her back from a win, though, is her age.  I know we’ve had winners nearly as young before, but I think back to my college days, and even though I THOUGHT I had the skills to win at that time, I really didn’t.  I had more growing-up to do, and while Liana seems lovely overall, I just have a hard time saying anyone that young has a good shot at winning.  Still, like Sydney earlier, Liana is an inoffensive asset to her tribe, so I expect her to be out no earlier than the early-merge, and probably more like mid-merge, given the group of people on this season.  

Brad Reese (50, Rancher, Shawnee, WY): A fun fact about Brad is that he’s the first player to ever hail from the state of Wyoming.  Perhaps not surprising, as it does have the smallest population in the USA, but still fun.  I hope Brad enjoys that fact, because there’s little else to recommend him.  His bio gives us practically nothing, just a lot of generic platitudes about strength and outdoorsmanship.  As such, we have to consider how well he fits in with this group of players as a whole.  Not well.  The answer is not well.  Brad has the misfortune of being an older guy on a season that, while not as bad as some, skews young overall.  Brad is a rural outdoorsman, while most of this cast is urban.  If Brad had talked a bit about his ability to fit in with diverse groups of people, I might give him more of a shot, but amongst this group, Brad sticks out like a sore thumb, and I just don’t see him getting along with these people.  As such, Brad is my pick to be the first person out this season.  Sorry, Brad, and sorry, Wyoming.  Maybe you can get another player with a group more simpatico to their lifestyle.  

Erika Casupanan (32, Communication Manager, Toronto, ON): At last, Canada has a representative on this show!  Ok, yeah, they had Tom Laidlaw on “Survivor Island of the Idols”, but really, did they, for all the impact Tom had on the season?  Besides, Erika is a MUCH better representative overall.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we go from the worst to the best.  Erika is one of my two winner picks for this season!  Why, you may ask?  Well, as with most of the winners, she has a good balance.  Athletic, without seeming to be a threat.  Sociable, without descending into obsequiousness.  From her questionnaire, while she does list “ignorance” as one of her pet peeves, she’s not guaranteed to come up against it, and her other, “men in ill-fitting jeans” shows a good sense of humor on her part, always an asset.  She calls out good but less remembered-players in Brenda (“Survivor Nicaragua”) and Todd (“Survivor China”) as her inspirations.  And all in an unassuming package.  If I HAD to find a flaw that could cost her the game, I could see her being slightly arrogant.  She talks about paying off her student loan debt at age 27, and if she brags about that, or how smart she is, that could cost her.  That said, she seems to have enough social sense to keep that on the down-low, and I can easily see her rocketing to victory.  

Jairus Robinson (20, College Student”, Oklahoma City, OK): Jairus is one of the few players here that I have a bit more information on than some of the others.  His audition video happened to show up on YouTube, and I watched it.  This is good, because a lot of Jairus’ bio comes off as overconfident, talking about how he’s good socially, mentally, and physically.  Pretty generic, semi-bragging stuff that you see from most people, but again, especially with his age, could easily be him having a bad perception of himself.  Having seen his audition video, I can say that’s he’s not ENTIRELY unjustified in his claims.  If nothing else, the dude just EXUDES charm, and even from a 3-minute video, you can’t help but like the guy.  So yeah, of all the young people on this season, he’s the one I think his age will be least a factor for.  Still a factor, though.  Jairus will do reasonably well, being useful to his tribe and charming enough to work his way into an alliance, but will be blindsided some time in the mid-merge, just by being proverbially spun around by contestants with more life experience.  Good fodder for a returnee winner, though.  

Evvie Jagoda (28, Ph.D. Student, Arlington, MA): This is where the lack of tribe divisions gives me issue, as Evvie’s time in the game is almost entirely dependent on who she ends up playing with early game.  Her pet peeve, you see, is “machismo and man-splainers”.  There are some guys like that on the season, and thus who she’ll come into conflict with if she’s with them.  Given that these type of people tend to be useful in challenges, and thus more likely to be kept around, she’s probably out early if she’s with some of them.  Conversely, if she ends up on a tribe without such men, I could see her doing well.  She seems like she’d be a sensible, reliable alliance member.  A bit quirky, perhaps, but fun nonetheless.  That said, this blog does force me to pick one side or the other, and without the benefit of tribe divisions to give me an easy out… Sorry, Evvie, but I think you’re another pre-merge boot.  While I personally enjoy someone who’s quirky, and can hold a good, intelligent conversation (she spent an entire podcast talking about Neanderthal women.  That is awesome.), said type of person also tends to stand out in a crowd, not a good thing in the early days of “Survivor”.  I pray that I’m wrong, as I really like her and think she makes for good tv, but if I have to choose, I think pre-merge for her, unfortunately.  

Ricard Foye (31, Flight Attendant, Sedro-Wooley, WA): Apologies for not having an accent over the “e” in “Foye”, but I can never remember how to do that with a standard English keyboard.  Getting onto Ricard specifically, I like the guy.  In fact, I’d say he’s my favorite of the season. He’s charming, but still with a personality that stands out.  Dude has a lot of eclectic life experiences, but still down to earth with a relatable career and family life.  And that smile.  Dude just has a really engaging smile.  That alone may be enough to catapult him to victory, as Ricard is my second winner pick overall.  Put a gun to my head and force me to choose, I think Erika beats him, but Ricard still has pretty good shot.  Once again fairly athletic, but not obviously so.  But like I said, the dude just exudes charm, and I’m a social game like “Survivor”, it’s hard to discount the value of that.  With no major negatives that I can note, I can’t help but give the guy my seal of approval, and my second winner pick.  Plus, the dude says he wants to emulate Aubry Bracco (“Survivor Kaoh Rong”).  Can’t help but like a dude that likes Aubry.  

Shantel Smith (34, Pastor, Washington, DC): Ooh, sorry, Canada.  Not hitting on both cylinders, even this time.  Yes, I know that Shantel is currently not living in Canada, but it’s her hometown, so she still counts.  At first, I was pretty high on Shantel.  Good age for self-knowledge and game knowledge.  Good life experience.  “Bad breath” as a pet peeve a bit concerning, but hey, you don’t need to stand nose-to-nose with someone while they’re talking, and maybe her tribe will win the “toothbrush and mouthwash” reward.  A good role model in Xena.  But ooh, the religion angle.  Long-time readers will know I’m gun-shy about such overt religion on “Survivor” ever since we were seeped in it in “Survivor South Pacific”.  Yes, since then some overtly religious individuals such as Lisa Welchel (“Survivor Philippines”) or Sunday Burquest (“Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X”) have done well, but the overall trend is more towards religion separating that person from other, less-religious people, particularly in a largely a-religious cast like this one seems to be.  I tried to ignore it, and when Shantel predominately cites her “reverence for God”, as why she’ll win, I can’t ignore it any longer.  She’s not the first boot by any means, but I expect her out pre-merge.  

Naseer Muttalif (37, Sales Manager, Morgan Hill, CA): Poor Naseer.  The guy seems like an interesting character with a unique backstory, so I wanted to see him do well.  Sales is one of the few careers that I think CAN help one prepare for “Survivor” in some small way, so I hoped that Naseer might be able to parlay that into a long stay in the game.  Unfortunately, the rest of his bio does not do him any favors.  His pet peeves are “Laziness and people who don’t contribute to group efforts”, meaning unless he’s on a VERY cohesive and successful tribe early on, he’s going to rub some people the wrong way.  Then you have to add onto that his backstory, which is interesting.  He talks about coming up from being a vegetable farmer, and growing up without electricity in Sri Lanka.  Good stuff, but the dude comes across a bit arrogant, in the “I’m living the American Dream” kind of way.  Not saying he hasn’t earned it, but that kind of talk can get old fast, and if he keeps bringing it up, it won’t do him any favors.  It’s possible he can be more sociable thanks to his sales training, and if his tribe is successful early on, he might make the merge.  There, though, he becomes a threat, so I see him making it no farther than an early-merge boot of this season, unfortunately.  

Genie Chen (46, Grocery Clerk, Portland, OR): Ack!  Pain!  PAIN!  This hurts.  So much.  God Damn, I love Genie already.  An older lady who likes video games.  An older lady not afraid to get out and hustle.  Her pet peeves revolve around proper mask wearing, you guys!  If you don’t love Genie at least a little, then I don’t know what happened to you.  But love, unfortunately, does not win the game of “Survivor”, and much like Evvie, the very things that make me like her are the things that make her a likely early boot on the show.  She’s older and not as athletic; always an issue in the early game.  She stands out from the other contestants, which again, good tv, bad for game.  Unless she’s on an exceptionally winning tribe, she’s going to be an early target and our screens will be the worse for it.  I hope that I’m wrong.  I hope she becomes the next Lauren Rimmer (“Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”), and shows us heretofore unexpected social prowess that allows her to get deep and dominate the game!  More likely, however, she’s yet another pre-merge boot.  

Xander Hastings (21, App Developer, Chicago, IL): I swear this bio must be wrong.  It may say he’s 21, but the guy gives off more of a “20 year old” vibe than any of the ACTUAL 20 year olds!  A dude-bro to the end, the dude focusses on athletics above all else.  Hell, his idols in the game are predominately Jay (“Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X”), but also Joe (“Survivor Worlds Apart”), and Devon (“Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”).  Maybe it’s just my disdain for the dude-bro archetype (a large contributing factor in why I disagree with those who say Reynold from “Survivor Caramoan” should play again), but I REALLY don’t like this guy, and I get the sense that others won’t as well.  I would not put any of the above players into the “stellar player” category, but Xander is DEFINITELY beneath them.  Those guys had a certain charm, and at least a MODICUM on intelligence to help them get by.  I get none of that from Xander, and thus, he is yet another pre-merge boot.  Plus, on top off all that stuff, his pet peeves are “Laziness and cockiness”, two things that are clearly NEVER seen on this show (please note the sarcasm)!

Sara Wilson (24, Healthcare Consultant, Boston MA): Well, there’s one of these in every cast assessment.  One person who I just can’t get a good read on.  Nothing.  This woman gives me nothing.  Her pet peeves are pretty typical (loud chewing, crude humor, etc.), with only uncleanliness standing out at all, and even then only in a minor way.  Admires Kim Spradlin of “Survivor One World”, which is always a plus, though I’m not sure Sara has the life experience to pull it off.  And that’s it.  that’s all I’ve got for her.  She’s inoffensive, but doesn’t make a big splash on the tv screen.  That said, being quiet can be an advantage, and again, like with Sydney, if you’ve got nothing holding you back, I’m inclined to think you’ll do well.  We may not see much of Sara, but she’ll be there a while.  Probably out somewhere in the mid-merge area, as a blindside vote to avoid an idol.  

David Voce (35, Neurosurgeon, Chicago, IL): Once again, bad flashbacks based on an element of the bio.  This time, I see “Neurosurgeon”, and I jump to Sean Kenniff of “Survivor Borneo”.  Terrible at strategy, but hey, fun to watch.  Sadly, while David definitely has a leg up on Sean in terms of strategy, I’d say charm is severely lacking.  Similar to Xander, his pet peeves are “incompetence, laziness, and a lack of self-awareness”.  Can pretty much guarantee at least 2/3 of those on any given tribe on any given season.  Dude’s smart, which can help, but admits to a “confident exterior”, which can lead to arrogance, which again, get’s old fast.  His nail in the coffin is that he’s yet another person who thinks it’s a good idea to emulate Russell Hantz (“Survivor Samoa”).  To be fair, he DOES acknowledge the flaws in Russell’s game, and names several other players he feels he embodies, but it’s a resume stain that’s REALLY hard to rub away.  He’s lucky in that there’s a couple of other players we’ve talked about so far (Xander in particular), who have some similar issues that he does, and in a greater capacity in my assessment, which may make him seem more reasonable and even-keeled by comparison.  The thought won’t go away in others, however, particularly if David doesn’t end up on a tribe with someone else as confident as him  He’s probably smart enough to slip by pre-merge, but once all the other people who annoy the rest of the cast are gone, he’s on the chopping block.  Assuming another oversized merge, he’s probably the easy consensus boot for annoying everyone else, and goes then.  

Deshawn Radden (26, Medical Student, Miami, FL): I’ve been kind of hard on the guys lately, haven’t I?  Thankfully, Deshawn gives me a well-deserved break from that!  The dude starts out a bit weak in his bio, to be fair.  Pet peeve is being told what to do, which is bound to come up.  Apart from that, however, the man is solid.  Another athlete who is not obviously athletic, and a charmer with a great smile.  Obviously a thinker, but not leaning into the “nerd” archetype so much, which makes for a nice change.  Yeah, a lot of other people have said similar things, and I gave them flak for it, but I’m charmed by the guy even just looking at his picture.  If, in the game, he has even a fraction of that charm, he’ll go far.  The pet peeve is enough to keep him out of a possible winner’s slot for me, and if he does get into an argument with the wrong person, he could go early, but I’d expect his charm to carry him for a while.  Probably mid-to-late merge area, if I were to put a relative number on it.  

Tiffany Seely (47, Teacher, Plainview, NY): Another case where I REALLY wish we had tribe divisions.  Tiffany is our “Mom” of the season, an archetype with an overall bad track record outside of Tina Wesson (“Survivor The Australian Outback”).  Granted, this season has a fair share of “older players”, but it still skews young, and the general trend on “Survivor” is that the young people either vote out the “Mom” early, or let her get to the end and then are upset that she voted them out.  Tiffany really needs to be on a tribe with a couple other older people, both for camouflage and to prevent being cast too fully as the “Mom”.  Not helped are her choices of whom to emulate on the season.  I’m always a fan when people name a contestant of a different gender whom they’re like, but Ozzy (“Survivor Cook Islands”) and Colby (“Survivor The Australian Outback”) are not the type of games that do well these days.  Unless she gets lucky with the tribe draw, expect Tiffany to be a pre-merge boot.  

Eric Abraham (51, Cyber Security Analyst, San Antonio, TX): Eric falls into the rare “Dad” archetype, in my assessment.  This makes him tough to analyze, as there’s not really anyone else who falls into the “Dad” role so easily and obviously as Eric does.  I thought they might focus on his cyber-security job; come across as really analytical and the like  But Eric seems to see himself more as a father and family man than anything.  This can be good and comforting, and while a benefit, I don’t see him winning “Survivor” with that strategy.  It falls into a similar pitfall as the “Mom” archetype, with any betrayal seeming personal.  Plus, anyone with an Oedipus complex is going to want Eric out.  While it’s hard to psychoanalyze people based off a short interview, however, I don’t see anyone going quite that far, and thus, I don’t see Eric being an early target.  Yes, he is old.  In fact, he’s the second-oldest person playing this season.  But you wouldn’t know it from looking at him, so unless he’s the reason his tribe loses an early challenge, I expect Eric’s fatherly demeanor to keep him around a while.  Probably a mid-merge boot, maybe a bit earlier if someone really wants to go full Oedipus.  

Heather Aldret (52, Stay-at-Home Mom, Charleston SC): Well, I spoke too soon.  Meet the ACTUAL mom archetype of the season, as well as the oldest person playing.  Sadly for Heather, I don’t think she has even Tiffany’s ability to blend in.  Older, not obviously athletic, an archetype with a tendency to go out early?  Yeah, she may pay lip service to her skills at observation, and make reasonable player comparisons for herself, but unless she surprises me with evidence to back it up, I don’t see her lasting very long.  Even if she ends up on a tribe with other “older” players, she’s from a different lifestyle than most of the other players this season.  Nothing wrong with that, but it makes it difficult for her to fit in, and thus tanks her chances in the game.  We end on the downer note of one final pre-merge boot.  

Man, that was refreshing!  I may not be able to discuss tribe dynamics here but I can still discuss the cast.  I’ve gotta say, I think it’s a pretty good one.  In the COVID-19 Hiatus, amongst other things, CBS promised more diversity in casting, with at least 50% of each cast being BIPOC, a decision I’m all for, and I think this cast alone shows the benefits of doing so!  For all my snark, this is overall an engaging, likable cast.  Most everyone brings at least some unique experience to the table that adds to the flavor of the whole season, and there’s no one I really dislike on sight (except for Xander, and I’ll leave myself open to the possibility that his bio brought out the worst in him, and he’ll actually be quite a likable guy on-screen).  Obviously, we don’t know how things could play out, but based on the VERY little information we’ve gotten, I’m optimistic about how this season will play out.  

Then, we should at least talk a bit about the one video CBS DID deign to give us: A 3-minute preview where Probst talks about things to come.  First off, I was glad to see that they’re not hiding the fact that the season is shortened due to COVID-19.  I have nothing against them shortening the season, recognizing its necessity, but was afraid they might try and pull the wool over our eyes.  Thankfully, they fully admit the abbreviated nature of the season, and as such, I default to what seems to be people’s general attitudes towards this change: “Nothing wrong with it, but I hope it doesn’t stay as a permanent fixture post-COVID”.  As a fan who does enjoy the challenges, I fear that if seasons stay abbreviated, those’ll be the first things to get the axe.  The game will still be the game we all enjoy, and faster or slower, it’s good to have it back.  If this is what it takes, it’s a more than fair price.  

Probst was also keen to tout simple play-along picture puzzles for younger viewers.  Unless they’re super-intrusive, and distract from the game, I don’t mind the inclusion.  The puzzles seemed a bit simplistic to me, but hey, they’re explicitly for kids, and engagement is a good thing.  One of the few things I actually liked about “Survivor Nicaragua” was the giving us a similarly-styled idol clue to try and figure out before the players.  Fun, engaging idea.  Just don’t let it get in the way of what we came to see.  

The announcement I have the most opinions on, though, is the “asides”.  Probst has said he and production plan to let fans watching know about twists thrown in the game before they happen.  I’ll have to wait and see how they’re implemented before giving a final judgement, but I’m not a fan of this idea at the outset.  Don’t misunderstand, I get why they plan to do it.  It’s more engagement, like with the puzzles, though this time more for the older fans watching.  But for me, I feel like we superfans already did that.  Whenever some new twist or opportunity was in the game, we always backseat game.  Debated what we would have done in another player’s shoes.  But above all, knowing the twist before it happens ruins the surprise, and kind of kills the engagement in a way.  When we learn about a twist the same time as the players, we can play along with them.  React in the moment.  Probst, however, is talking about letting us know the twists early, before the players do.  This gives us more time to think, and actually removes us more from the players, rather than bringing us closer to them.  Plus, when the show is already struggling to fit everything it has into its short air time, extra narration is something we DO NOT NEED!  

That said, it’s usually cast, not production decisions, that make or break a season.  There are exceptions (see “Survivor Edge of Extinction”), but on the whole, you have a good cast, you have a good season.  For my money, it looks like “Survivor 41” has quite a good cast, so I look forward to writing with you all about them on a weekly basis come September 22nd!

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.  

“Survivor” Retrospectives: Kaoh Rong

Having gone through a controversial opinion on a season with our last blog, let’s now talk about a season that was, in and of itself, controversial. Yes, the time has come for us to discuss “Survivor Kaoh Rong”, a season that I’m confident in saying has been the most divisive amongst the fanbase since “Survivor Samoa”, at least in terms of outcome. But did it have to be that way? And does that controversy come from a good place, or a bad one? Hopefully, by dissecting this season, we can uncover the answer.

A quick word of warning before we begin: This season will be providing an objective summary of, and subjective critique of, the entire season of Kaoh Rong. This means there will be SPOILERS, as we’ll be talking about the season from the standpoint of someone who has seen the whole thing. If you are not one such person, you do not want to read the entirety of this blog. If you still wish to hear my subjective opinion on this season, without worrying about spoilers, simply scroll to the bottom of this page. There is a section labeled “Abstract”, where I give just such an opinion. For those of you who do want the details, read on.

CAST

This cast gave us Aubry Bracco. Aubry Bracco is the most perfect contestant the show has ever had.

Score: 10 out of 10

Ok, ok, let’s actually talk about the cast now. In all seriousness, Aubry is easily the biggest name to come out of the cast of this entire season. It’s actually fairly easy to detail why, as Aubry’s whole story was laid out in a microcosm during the first episode. As such, we’ll summarize Aubry’s episode 1 story arc, and use that to explain her overall story arc. Initially, Aubry was not doing so well. Heat was a big problem this season, and it hit Aubry hard in the first two days. She got severely dehydrated, and even talked about quitting. She was talked out of it by her fellow contestants (Debbie in particular), but was still on thin ice going into the immunity challenge. Said challenge involved a lot of individual phases, including diving down to retrieve paddles, pulling a heavy boat up on shore, and of course, solving a puzzle. All physically and mentally demanding tasks, yet Aubry did them all for her tribe. Sure, she had help on the puzzle and pulling the boat, but it’s still no easy feat. Plus, as Probst pointed out, Aubry retrieved all the paddles for her tribe, when the other tribes had to switch out at some point. This, on a season wherein one tribe was explicitly labeled “Brawn”. The nerdy kid schools everyone, shows hidden depths, and overcomes great adversity. This shows us Aubry in episode 1, and shows us her throughout the season. While not quite to the degree of Spencer (“Survivor Cagayan”), Aubry was plagued by bad luck, often not of her own making, yet somehow managed to not only hang on, but become a dominant strategic force as the season progressed. Through it all, she was a charming and likable narrator, with a lot of good metaphors for the game (I’m particularly fond of the “Oregon Trail” one). Admittedly, Aubry did occasionally shoot herself in the foot (note that a large part of what she had to prove in the end during that first challenge was because of her own collapse), and had some good luck as well. However, the former is rarer than people give her credit for, and the latter could be said of just about every winner. Not that Aubry wins. Oh, we’ll be getting to that, I assure you. But the perception definitely comes across, and Aubry both benefits and suffers for it in future seasons. For now, though, Aubry is the narrator and driving force of the season, coming in an unexpected package, and making her my personal favorite player of all time. Definitely a benefit to the season.

Not to say that Aubry was or is the most universally beloved of the cast. No, that honor could only go to one Tai Trang. A diminutive Vietnamese man, Tai was going to be a bit of an odd duck from the beginning. Placed on the “Beauty” tribe despite not being conventionally attractive, Tai further stood out by being a staunch vegetarian and general friend of the environment. He looked for an idol early on, but dug up entire saplings so as not to damage them in the process. When the tribe won chickens, Tai made sure they were able to roam relatively free, and even saved one (Mark) from overall execution. Further, Tai developed a close bond with Caleb Reynolds. Caleb would fall into the category of “Memorable at the time, but now forgotten”, but since he’s so closely tied in to Tai, we’ll talk about him here. Caleb was already well-known coming into the season, having previously been a player on “Big Brother”. Caleb was also well known for being fairly socially conservative, particularly when it came to homosexuality. This could easily have put him in conflict with Tai, who’s gay. However, echoing the Richard/Rudy dynamic of “Survivor Borneo”, the pair seemed to move past that obstacle, and formed a tight bond during their mutual time on the island. True, they didn’t have the same cutthroatness that Richard and Rudy had, but they made up for it with more heart than the former pair. True, Rudy did come to accept Richard, sexuality and all, but Caleb was even willing to let Tai playfully kiss him, the sort of open embrace I’m not sure Rudy would ever have been capable of. That helped Caleb and Tai stand out, and made everyone like them all the more. We’ll have to save the thoughts on Caleb (and why he’s now largely forgotten) for the “Twist” section as a lot of it relates to the manner of his exit. Getting back to Tai, though, the fact is we’d really never seen anyone quite like Tai, and he was nothing if not unapologetically himself. Many of his stances, particularly regarding the chickens, should have got him voted out. We’d seen it in previous seasons (see Kappenberg, Kimmi). Yet, thanks in part to avoiding early Tribal Councils, Tai survived, and came to be accepted, quirks and all. Always an uplifting story, and one that made Tai, for my part, a rightly beloved part of the season.

If you were to ask about the biggest character of the season, and another unapologetic personality, one could only look to Debbie Wanner. How to describe Debbie? I’m not sure there’s a way, since even the show couldn’t. Debbie had a running gag, having listed off her many careers in the first episode, of having her career change in every chyron for every interview she gave. They even had it change MID-INTERVIEW once, when she mentioned a career that she had previously forgotten. Debbie was also a cheerleader, though, and so could often be heard yelling such gems as “We have the biggest frontal lobes!” in the background of scenes, even if she wasn’t the focus. Debbie was there, and much like Tai, always herself. If someone makes it deep, this is endearing. Debbie did make it deep, and so she is endearing.

But for all this talk, we’ve yet to actually talk about our winner of the season. Michele Fitzgerald falls into the odd category of “Memorable for Not Being Memorable”, kind of similar to Purple Kelly from “Survivor Nicaragua”. Michele had her moments, to be sure. A few key challenge victories, and some snarky comments helped keep her in the public eye. Yet, it’s the fact that she won, up against steep competition, that people remember her for. In my opinion, despite this relative lack of screentime, Michele is still a good addition to the season. She’s not the main draw, but what she does bring is good, and you see enough of her game to make her a solid winner in her own right. Of course, she doesn’t exist in a vacuum, but we’ll talk about THAT controversy in the “Overall” section. For now, Michele may not be the biggest character to come out of the season, but she’s certainly a sound player.

Rounding out our players who are still memorable to this day would be Cydney Gillon. Our only “Brawn” representative in this category, Cydney actually started out a bit low-key. Despite promising confrontation and drama (she mentioned having “split personalities” in her cast bio), she got herself into the majority alliance on her tribe and just kind of sat there. We saw her make a few sub alliances, and play both sides of the fence, so we knew she was a player, but she didn’t really come into her own until after the merge. Cydney was once again in a solid majority there, but due to some miscommunication and suspicion, Cydney flipped on her alliance to become what was shown as a power couple with the aforementioned Aubry, effectively running the game from that point on. What works best about Cydney for me is that she defies expectations. You hear “brawn” as a designation, and you think of them as being the “dumb jocks”, the effective opposite of a “brain”. And yes, Cydney definitely has physical skills, but what really made her stand out was her social and strategic prowess. She may not have made the smartest move in flipping the game when she did, but damn if she didn’t do a good job of keeping control once she had it. A fascinating arc, meaning all the memorable characters from this season are still memorable for a good reason.

Moving on to the players who were remembered at the time, but now seem to be lost to “Survivor” history as a whole, this is where the bulk of the “Brawn” tribe ends up. Chief amongst these would be our villains for the season, Scot Pollard and Kyle Jason, who went by his last name. Scot and Jason were the aforementioned dominant alliance on the “Brawn” tribe, and, to put it mildly, were not the nicest people around. Bossy, arrogant, and hypocritical, the pair effectively used their might as a reason to keep them around, and felt they could behave however they wanted. Post-merge, this led to a lot of camp sabotage once it was clear they were no longer in the majority, but pre-merge, this led to the bullying of one Alecia Holden. Alecia was a bit of an oddity on the “Brawn” tribe, having no obvious physical strength, and making few contributions to anything survival-wise or challenge-wise. Despite this, she continued to stand up for herself, and even survived a few votes (admittedly mostly due to other members of her tribe self-destructing, but survived nonetheless). I have to admire her for refusing to kowtow even in the face of scathing attacks, even if she wasn’t my favorite, and brought little to the table besides. Our first boot is really not memorable as first boots go, so rounding out our “Brawn” tribe is Jennifer Lanzetti, a Ming-Na Wen lookalike who did little in the game, but did have to have a bug floated out of her ear, and stood up during her exit Tribal Council to protest the way the vote seemed to be headed. Not the biggest character, but deserves some respect for being willing to shake things up. That said, I can’t fault most of these players for being forgotten. They made for some interesting pre-merge drama, but even Scot and Jason, the only two to make it deep, were, well, villains, and so not the most pleasant. I will say it’s a bit of a shame that Jason has fallen by the wayside, since he does seem to be open to criticism and change in post-game interviews, and could make for a decently interesting returnee.

In contrast to the “Brawn” tribe, there’s really only one person each from the “Brains” and the “Beauty” that’s been forgotten post-season. From the “Brains”, we get our pre-merge “Villain” of Peter Baggenstos. I say “villain” because while Peter was portrayed negatively, he didn’t really do much that was evil. Apart from conspiring to betray Aubry, this Barack Obama look-alike had sort of a mini-Spencer arc from “Survivor Cagayan” in and of that everything he tried to do blew up in his face. He had no traction, and was unceremoniously voted out pre-merge. He helped keep that part of the game interesting, but as he had no impact beyond that, I can’t fault his being forgotten. More upsetting is the vanishing of Julia Sokolowski of the “Beauty” tribe. Julia was a teenager playing “Survivor”, at this point a rarity but no unheard of. What separated Julia from previous teenage players, however, was her skill at the game. She successfully lied about her age, was considered a “threat” by the other big threats, and even managed to sneak in an immunity win at a crucial time. Maybe not as huge in the character department, but for such a youngster, that’s some serious skill! It’s a real crime that she hasn’t been invited back at this point.

This begs the question, though: Why were these people forgotten? Well, apart from there being such stiff competition (I really can’t overemphasize how big Aubry, Michele, Tai, Cydney, and Debbie are), the big problem will actually come up in the “Overall” section. As I’ve hinted at, there’s a controversy about this season we’ll talk about there, and that controversy kind of colored people’s perception of the season as a whole. Suffice to say, it was a negative effect, and people don’t like negativity (shocking, I know). Given that, it’s frankly astonishing we’ve had as many returnees as we’ve had, and speaks to the strength of the cast as a whole. True, we got a few duds, but we also got a good helping of being characters and strategists, most of whom made it fairly deep. Maybe not the best cast the show has ever had, but an above-average one to be sure.

Score: 8 out of 10.

CHALLENGES

Kaoh Rong continued the trend of newbie seasons not really caring about getting creative or innovative with the challenges at all. Not to say that the challenges were boring or uninteresting. Indeed, one thing I will credit this season with is making the individual challenges as big and epic as the tribal challenges. There was really no weak link, but few challenges from this season went on to become staples in later seasons, but the challenges are not this season’s main selling point. They hold their own, but do little more than that. I will make this score slightly higher than this summary might seem, for reasons that will become clear shortly in the “twist” section.

Score: 7 out of 10.

TWISTS

As I’ve hinted at before, the theme this time around was a rehash of “Survivor Cagayan”. This was “Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty 2”, and on paper, this seems like a very poor choice. However good Kaoh Rong ended up being, it was going to be compared to “Survivor Cagayan”, which was and is widely considered one of the best seasons ever, and of the “modern” era in particular. It’s sort of the same pitfall “Survivor Caramoan” had by being “Fans vs. Favorites 2”: However good you are, you most likely will be looked down upon for not being as good as the first. It’s true that Kaoh Rong does not live up to the standards of “Survivor Cagayan”, but oddly this choice doesn’t have as much of an impact as one might think. The theme is brought up less than it was on “Survivor Cagayan”, allowing the cast of Kaoh Rong to stand more on their own merits, and it is interesting to see the same twist play out differently with different casts. For instance, the “Brains” were the disaster tribe on “Survivor Cagayan”, while for Kaoh Rong, the disaster tribe were the “Brawn”. Also, if you HAVE to divide three tribes by some theme, “Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty” feels more natural a divide than any other one the show has tried, so I can’t fault them too much.

Our announced pre-season gimmick this time around was the essential return of the “Super idol”, which could be played after the votes were read. Unlike previous ones, however, it wasn’t just one idol to be found. Instead, individual hidden immunity idols could be locked together to form a super idol, thus necessitating cooperative play. I do like the increased emphasis on social play as facilitated by this twist, but that’s really about it. Super idols, as the name would imply, are just too overpowered, and while they ultimately didn’t factor in too much to this season, it’s more an absence of bad than the presence of good with this twist. Plus, if someone had managed to get their hands on two hidden immunity idols, they would have had basically a free super idol with no social play needed, a possibility too horrible to consider.

The other pre-season gimmick, though far less prevalent and less hyped, was the presence of choices at challenges. I’m not just talking about choosing between types of reward, though there was a certain amount of that in the season as well. Starting with the first immunity challenge, and used a few times throughout, people could choose how they wanted to do the challenge. For example, after a certain race, one could choose to either solve a puzzle or complete a balance portion. This was a brilliant move with the only flaw being that it wasn’t utilized more throughout the season. When it did show up, it led to greater strategizing regarding the challenges, and fun dilemmas you could debate with fellow fans. The downside? None I can think of.

Episode one actually played out in a pretty straightforward manner, after our usual “Grab supplies off the boat” opener, with our first blindside coming in episode two. The Brawn tribe had an initial majority of four, being Cydney, Jennifer, Jason, and Scot. However, when Jennifer got caught trying to form a women’s alliance against Jason and Scot, the tables were turned on her, despite Jennifer not ultimately going through with the plan. This also was our first hint at the beauty of Cydney’s game, since she used the opportunity to get close to Alecia, and then get Jason and Scot to grab the idol from Alecia, despite Alecia having found the clue first. The Brains tribe followed a similar blindside pattern in Episode three. The majority had originally been the pairs of Peter and Liz, plus Aubry and Neal, joining up against Debbie and Joe, the latter of whom is really only notable for being the second-oldest person to ever play, behind Rudy Boesch of “Survivor Borneo”. This plan got derailed when Peter and Liz planned to split the vote to blindside Aubry. Debbie, however, got wind of the plan, informed Aubry and Neal, and used that information to flip the vote against Liz, explaining why she didn’t get mentioned earlier. While none of these blindsides are earth-shattering, they did set the stage for the majority alliance never being quite safe this season, which is always good in terms of mystery and unpredictability. Maybe not spectacular, but still a solid start to the season, setting up for good things to come.

Episode four is infamous, but not for any blindsides. Rather than market the challenge choices pre-season, one thing the show DID hype up was a record number of medical evacuations, the first of which occurred in this episode. Players competed in a challenge that involved digging in the sand. The trouble was, they had the hottest weather yet, and the challenge took longer than expected, leading to three players (one from each tribe) getting heat stroke. Debbie got it for the Brains, and Cydney for the Brawn, but it was Caleb, so determined to get his tribe even a second-place finish, who pushed himself too far and needed to be evacuated, the first beauty loss. Frankly, a painful thing to watch, and not helped by the lackluster back-half of the episode. Alecia was predictably booted, and while I respect her refusal to hold Tribal Council immediately after the challenge, as suggested by Jason, it did lead to a forgettable exit. This is also pretty much the only reason Caleb was remembered, as he brought little else to the season. He was determined, and wanted his second chance. He got it, and so now there’s no real further need for him in “Survivor”.

The usual tribe swap comes in episode 5, though with an odd number of people, we have someone getting left out. That someone was Julia, who got sent to live at the Brawn camp, renamed “Exile Island”, to rejoin the losing tribe later. While unplanned, this did make the shake-up more memorable than most of the recent tribe swaps, and gave us a good chance to see the inner strength of Julia, which was always a plus. Chan Loh (the former Brains tribe), had a 2-2-2 split of all original tribes, while Gondol (the former Beauty tribe) had 3-2-1 in Brains, Beauty, and Brawn. The former never went to Tribal Council, so the only thing of note there was that this was where Michele and Cydney low-key aligned themselves, and where Michele’s most snarky confessionals come from, as her fellow “Beauty” Nick was more than a little condescending to her. The latter was a little more complicated, however. As one would expect, Aubry, Peter, and Joe of the Brains agreed to work with Scot of the Brawn to get rid of a Beauty, in this case the heretofore unmentioned Anna Khait. However, Scot bonded with Tai, the other Beauty on the tribe, and once he found out that Tai had the Beauty idol, informed him of Jason’s idol, forming a Power Trio despite being on opposite tribes. When Julia returned to Gondol in episode six, this led to Scot wanting to turn the tables on the Brains. This was done through manipulation on Julia and Tai’s part, whispering to Aubry about Peter’s planned insurrection for the blindside of Liz a few episodes back. As Aubry had never trusted Peter since then, and Joe was able to get out of Peter that he had made these plans, Aubry went along with the plan, but did so in a way that just plain wasn’t smart. She made her decision AT Tribal Council. Normally not a major misstep, the issue here is that Aubry initially voted for Julia, then crossed out her name and wrote Peter, such that Julia knew she had voted against her. Unsurprisingly, this would sully their relationship for the rest of the game, and put Aubry in hot water in the immediate future. For all that it’s painful to watch as an Aubry fan, it must be said that this is one of the more memorable moments of the season, and again, prevents us from having a solid majority that just steamrolls the entire game through.

Then, the merge, and to pile on the “Royally Screwed”, we get our second evacuation of the season. Neal has a bad enough infection to need to be sent away, taking with him the Brains’ idol, and thus giving the former Brawn and Beauty complete control. While this is probably the least emotional of the medical evacuations, it’s probably the one that hurts the most, because it makes the entire merge feel pointless. We’re setting up dynamics already established by previous episodes, ending with no actual vote out, but the elimination of the player with the most ability to shake things up. This should set up for a predictable post-merge. Thankfully, this is Kaoh Rong, where the majority never stays the majority for very long. In the next episode, Cydney gets paranoid about a men’s alliance, and so counters with an alliance of the remaining women+Joe, leading to a blindside of Nick. I can’t overstate how awesome this move is. While it feels semi-foreshadowed, as we had seen Cydney make side deals before, it still shakes things up in an unexpected way, and the cocky and arrogant are usurped by the smart and likable, which is always nice to see (take note “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”). A brilliant move that breathes new life into the post-merge.

Say it with me now: This is Kaoh Rong, so the majority doesn’t last. With Scot, Tai, and Jason on the outs, they start sabotaging the camp, confident in the protection of their super idol. Julia starts playing both sides, with Aubry being the main one to take notice. Unfortunately with Julia immune in the next episode, and wanting to flush the idols, a new target is needed. Debbie is the decided victim, due to being a bit too dictatorial in her conversations with the alliance. Again, a good shakeup, though not as good a move, as it give a threesome with inordinate power for their size even more power. Plus, there’s a super idol to flush. Granted, the alliance can’t possibly know about that (Scot and Jason had shown off the idols at Tribal Council, but did not mention the Super Idol twist), but still, objectively a bad move in that regard.

Our next reward challenge brings a twist, and I’m not just talking about the reward choice again. The extra-vote advantage is back from “Survivor Worlds Apart”, won in this case by Tai. Not a bad twist to bring back, but unneeded in this environment. What IS needed is another power dynamic shakeup. With seven people left, and no idols flushed, plus the Super Idol, Scot, Jason, Julia, and Tai seem set to control the rest of the game. Aubry, however, has other plans. Noting that Scot and Jason in particular come across as bullies, Aubry talks to Tai and gets him to side with herself, Cydney, Michele, and Joe. Thus, when Scot gets the majority of votes, Tai refuses to join up and make the Super Idol, leading to Scot’s elimination with the idol in his pocket. If you’re wondering why Cydney’s women’s alliance wasn’t the greatest move of the season, it’s only because this flip was. Not only were the twists of the season beaten, they were beaten purely though social manipulation, the core of what “Survivor” is about. Plus, it’s always nice to see the villains and bullies get so thoroughly beaten in such an ironic way.

The next two votes actually remain fairly predictable, in a rarity for the season. Michele does agree to vote out Julia, despite being allied with her, and Tai wastes his extra vote against Michele, but really not much happens until the final five. This comes in the form of our third medical evacuation, and probably the most pathetic yet. Joe, going on a reward, ate too much red meat, got his colon blocked, and needed to be evacuated. Rough to see, and yet another obstacle going into the finals.

Good manipulation of Cydney by Aubry puts Michele on the chopping block. When Michele wins immunity, and gets Cydney back on her side, Aubry uses her connection with Tai to get it to fire making, which she wins. An exciting start to the finale, and a good demonstration of why, despite being an excellent strategist, Cydney still had some flaws in her game. It was clear from their chatter that the jury HATED her, and wanted her to lose. In a shock to the audience, but not, for some reason, the players, we don’t have a final two, despite the numbers being right for one. I guess the show didn’t want to copy “Survivor Cagayan” too much. Instead, our final three challenge lets a player eliminate a juror of their choosing. They get immediately sequestered, and get no vote at Final Tribal Council. This twist gets a lot of hate, but on paper, I actually like it. It can be a good safety net, and requires some knowledge of both self and others to use properly. It’s never come back, probably because of its use this season, but I think it could actually have some potential. At the very least, it would cut down on the massive juries we’re having to deal with nowadays. That said, its use here does reek of both desperation and cruelty. It’s become obvious at this point that production wants Aubry to win, and it feels like they put in this twist just to ensure that she made finals. On top of that, Michele wins the advantage and uses it against Neal. A wise choice, given that Neal was a solid Aubry vote, and gave Michele a very vindictive speech upon leaving, but it felt cruel to Neal. I mean, the guy got to cast one vote the entire season, made the merge, and doesn’t even get to hang around that long? That feels wrong.

Not so much a “twist”, but it is worth noting that this season brought back closing speeches by our finalists, probably in an attempt to help them side with Aubry. It doesn’t work, as our real twist comes in the form of Michele winning 5-2. Why? Well, join me in the next section, as we’ll discuss it.

For now, though, let us summarize the overall twists of the season. Kaoh Rong is a rarity in the 30’s in and of that there’s very few twists from production, but a bunch implemented by the players. This, I think, is to the season’s advantage. It helps the season stand out, while still maintaining unpredictability, and feels very “real” to the audience, for want of a better term. Granted, pretty much every production twist at best had no impact, but with cast twists this good, less is more. Most every episode had something exciting in it, and good triumphed in the end, and so we get what is probably the strongest overall category of the season.

Score: 9 out of 10.

OVERALL

On the aesthetic side of things, the show really shot itself in the foot by leaning too heavily into the traditional architecture of Cambodia during the previous season. This one felt much more generic by comparison, and just looking at it, you couldn’t tell it from one of many other seasons. It’s easy to forget that it IS in Cambodia at times. I’ll give credit that we got nice popping colors (the buff designs are some of my all-time favorites), but the season just doesn’t seem to have a cohesive theme, and when it does try, it’s reused from another, better season.

But of course, we’re all here to talk about the big flaw in the season. Forgive me for repeating myself from the last blog, but Kaoh Rong is another season where the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts. Most every element in Kaoh Rong is at least ok, and the gameplay this season is some of the best we’ve ever had. There was a great story here, so why didn’t it equate to a great season? The answer, my friends, is in the edit.

As I said, there’s a great story to be told for this season, but it’s not the one the editors were interested in telling us. Rather than the story of Michele Fitzgerald, Social Queen, they wanted to emphasize Aubry Bracco, Robbed Goddess. As an Aubry fan, I’m not COMPLAINING, per se, about her being presented positively, but doing so when she doesn’t win sets the season up for failure. Look at it this way: Kaoh Rong had a very likable final four. Possibly the most likable final four the show has ever had. There was pretty much no outcome viewers would not find satisfying. Yet you managed to find one! I’m not sure that was possible! While it would be unfair to say Michele was INVISIBLE, Aubry was clearly the dominating force of the season. Again, not a dealbreaker on a good season, but you need to show why that dominating force lost. What was their fatal flaw that kept them from winning in the end? Weird though it is to say, the show needed to take a cue from “Survivor All-Stars”. On that season, we had another dominating force in Boston Rob who ended up losing. People can argue about whether or not Rob should have won, but even the most ardent Boston Rob fans can still see the flaws in his game that led to his loss. Even if you don’t agree with the outcome, you still understand why it happened.

This is not the case with Kaoh Rong. Aubry’s flaws, if shown at all, were very much downplayed, to the point where they weren’t talked about much beyond the episode they appeared in. Rather than a brilliant, but flawed, strategist, Aubry got presented as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Even her enemies were shown as liking her, with Scot and Jason complimenting her game at Tribal Council in what turned out to be Scot’s boot. From what we, the audience, saw, Aubry had most of the jury (save Julia and Debbie) wrapped around her finger, guaranteed to win pretty much no matter who she was up against. Michele? She played well, certainly, and was known to be liked, but the common consensus at the time was that Michele’s win was predicated on Aubry being voted out. Cydney and Tai had both had social gaffes, to the point where Michele was commonly seen as more likable than them, but Aubry? Again, apart from Julia and Debbie, we were never shown any dislike of Aubry by the jury, or even why the rest of the jury’s liking of Michele was greater than their liking of Aubry. Put simply, the editors tried to make their own story out of the season, instead of the actual story of the season, and it left us feeling wanting.

Case in point, what should have been a well-received season led to one of the biggest blowups in the fan community since the outcome of “Survivor Samoa”. If “Survivor” were still a cultural touchstone, there would have been rioting in the streets. The Aubry fans argued loudly for her win, leading Michele fans to fire back in anger. There was hatred and nastiness on both sides. It was a rough time to be a fan.

In the end, that is the tragedy and the failure of Kaoh Rong. It was never going to be perfect. No season is. But it could easily have been one of the greats. Instead, by trying to make the season that pleased themselves, production made a season that pleased no one else. The good elements do still shine through, but the damage is done by this point.

Score: 30 out of 40.

ABSTRACT

“Survivor Kaoh Rong” is definitely a necessary season if you’re planning to view future seasons. It has a lot of impact, both in returnees and twists, down the road. “Survivor Kaoh Rong” feels like a very back-to-basics season, with most of the best elements springing forth from the cast themselves, rather than production. That said, when production DOES stick its hand in the show, it always makes it worse, or at best has no impact. This season is definitely worth a watch, but be prepared to be disappointed by what could have been.

-Matt

“Survivor” Retrospectives: Cambodia

Well, that break went on far longer than intended. But no matter! With no new season on the horizon, I’d say it’s a fine time to resurrect an old series. A look back at the past, if you will. Yes, it’s time once again for the return on “‘Survivor’ Retrospectives”!

Given that it’s been so long, I’d say a refresher on the concept is in order. In this series, I go back through all the major elements of a season (the casts, the challenges, the twists, etc.), both recapping them objectively, as well as giving my subjective opinion on each. Each category is then given a score out of 10 for how well it holds up on its own. The exception is the “Overall” category, in which the marks from the previous categories are combined with the mark from the “Overall” category (which considers both the themes and aesthetics of the season, as well as how all the elements of the season came together), leading to a score out of 40. Naturally, this means there will be SPOILERS for the season. I will be writing as though everyone reading knows the outcome of the season, as well as the major players and events of the season. Thus, if you have not watched the season in question, as indicated by the title, read on beyond this paragraph only if you are prepared for said spoilers. However, if you wish to know my general, spoiler-free opinion on the season, scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, I have a section labeled “Abstract”, which will give you just that.

With those warnings out of the way, let us considered the case of Cambodia. The season that really felt like it began the 30’s, for good and for ill. Does it become the standard-bearer for the sins of later seasons, or does it have merit on its own? Read on and find out!

CAST

As the subtitle “Second Chances” would imply, Cambodia is an all-returnee season. This makes judging the cast a lot harder. Usually, when looking at a cast, I look at the big names to come out of a season. The flaw with a returnee season, unlike an all-newbie season, is that people can be big names both going into and coming out of a season, yet not have done much on the season as a whole. Consider the case of Rupert on “Survivor All-Stars”. The guy was a big name coming into the season, and still a big name coming out of the season, but did he really do anything during “Survivor All-Stars” to earn it? Not so much. Really, all he did was avoid tarnishing his legacy. As such, in this section, I’m only going to be discussing members of the cast who actively maintained or improved their overall perception amongst the fandom.

With that in mind, no one had a higher rise this season that Kelley Wentworth. Originally of “Survivor San Juan del Sur”, Kelley was that one person who gets on a returnee season that you think “Huh?” For reasons I’ll get into in the twist section, Kelley didn’t have that obstacle, but as a fifth boot who was nearly invisible during her first run on the show, she had arguably the lowest floor in terms of perception. Even so, Kelley can be said to have dominated the fandom in this season. She showed herself to be a sound strategic player, and a scrappy fighter, as she was rarely in the majority on the season. She also gave off a number of good sound-bytes, making her one of the rare people named “Kelly” who is not, as I once said, “as bland as beige wallpaper”. Perhaps it’s the odd spelling that does it? In any case, I can’t go into too much detail about why Kelley is so beloved without delving into the twists of the season, though her snark in confessionals definitely helped. For now, suffice to say that Kelley proved why she was considered a threat her first time around, and became a beloved fan darling for all the right reasons.

If you’re looking for someone who was popular before coming on the season, but increased it during the season, look no further than Joe “Joey Amazing” Anglim. Hailing from “Survivor Worlds Apart”, the season immediately before Cambodia, Joe was seen as something of the nice, good-looking challenge threat with not much else to note about him. Basically a newer version of Ozzy from “Survivor Cook Islands”. Cambodia did little to change that, but it did take the comparisons to a whole new level. Joe was pretty good in challenges? Now he’s immune for a month before you even have the chance to vote him off. Joe seemed comfortable in the outdoors? Now he’s so handy that he’s being referred to as “MacGyver”. He had a determination and competitive drive? Now he’s collapsing out of exhaustion during a challenge. You get the idea. This is a tried-and-true character archetype that people eat up, and Joe was no exception. I can definitely see why, and I’d argue he did more to earn it this season than on “Survivor Worlds Apart”, with just how over the top it was. That said, I do think the love for Joe is a bit overdone. There’s nothing wrong with him, of course. He’s a perfectly inoffensive guy, and quite likable, even on screen. When I first started watching the show, Joe is the sort of guy I would have gravitated toward, rooted for, and been heartbroken by his inevitable defeat. But as I’ve grown as a fan, I’ve fallen out of love with this sort of character. Again, not that there’s anything wrong with them, but they just don’t have a lot of depth to them. They’re good at survival, and that’s about it. Perhaps, then, the bet way to describe Joe is that he’s one-dimensional, but a likable one-dimensional.

Now, if Kelley and Joe are the two biggest characters to come out of the season, surely they’re the ones the season focussed on story-wise, right? Wrong! That honor would go to Spencer Bledsoe of “Survivor Cagayan”. Coming into the game, Spencer was the person I expected to do well above all others. He was perceived as an underdog, but a likable one, with a good strategic mind to boot. Add onto that him being “robbed” due to playing with Kass (who’s also on this season, but sadly doesn’t make much impact despite a valiant attempt to change up her game), and he seemed to be in the same position Cochran was in on “Survivor Caramoan”: perfectly set up to go far. And go far he did, making the final three, though not winning due to one mistake at the finish line, wherein he got a mite aggressive when campaigning against Kelley to try and avoid being voted off at the final four. This turned off what few jurors might have voted for him, leading to a perfect victory for our eventual winner, Jeremy. We’ll get to him in the next paragraph. Getting back to Spencer, though, Spencer was set up early on with the arc of needing to be more “emotional”. Understandable, considering he was a primary target of the “gamebot” criticism, but I don’t think the show pulled it off as well as they wanted to. We’re TOLD that Spencer has grown in various ways, such as professing his love for his girlfriend, or opening up with his tribemates, but since a lot of that deals with matters outside the game, it comes across as the producers shoehorning in an arc to try and get the audience to like someone. That said, I do think Spencer has an arc, and a good one at that. It’s just not the one the show pushed. Spencer may not have grown as much emotionally (at least on screen), but his arc in terms of strategy is an interesting contrast to his arc in “Survivor Cagayan”. On his first season, Spencer was plagued with perpetual bad luck. Every plan he put together pretty much fell through, and he never really found his footing. Doing well despite this made everyone praise his potential. While Spencer’s second go-around did continue his bad luck trend early on, particularly with his tribe swaps, Spencer seemed to have a better footing on where he was in the game, and more in control of his destiny. Further, come the merge, Spencer seemed to be the man of the hour. His name was rarely brought up, and he was almost always the swing vote in determining who went home. A picture-perfect strategic game, right? Possibly, but in spite of that, Spencer still lost in the end, with little to no “bad luck” to blame this time around. We may not have seen Spencer’s emotional growth on screen, but we did see him come to terms with the fact that playing well and having good luck can still result in a loss. A fascinating arc. Shame the show didn’t do more with it.

But now, onto Jeremy, the winner of the season. Similar to Spencer, Jeremy is not as big of a character, but big on the strategy Jeremy this season would pioneer what he called his “meat shield” strategy, which meant keeping around people who were perceived as bigger threats than him, to avoid getting booted post-merge. This is why Joe stuck around past his first immunity loss. Jeremy had a bit of charm that had shown through during confessionals, but the bulk of his screentime this season was devoted to strategy. And again, to his credit, that strategy worked. Jeremy was the first man to win an all-returnee season, and arguably played a perfect game (he did receive votes against him at the final six, but they were negated with an idol. Whether or not this disqualifies his “perfect game” status is up for debate, and I’m not sure there’s a wrong answer). It even got rehashed on the later “Winners at War”, though we’re nowhere near there yet. For my part, Jeremy is a fine addition to the season. Extra strategizing is always welcome, though I did tire of hearing of it after a while. Still, Jeremy played well and is a likable enough winner to be welcome on the season. Also worth mentioning here is Jeremy’s right-hand man for much of the season. Stephen Fishbach, originally of “Survivor Tocantins”, was brought back after a six-year hiatus. That said, it’s interesting to look back on Stephen’s first appearance to his second, as they make an odd contrast. On his first season, Stephen was paranoid about being cast as the “wimpy guy” who couldn’t make it in the outdoors, yet was portrayed as competent in all areas of the game, and a strategic force on the season. While his second appearance did keep some of that strategic competence, it was too focussed on the aforementioned Joe, who became a proverbial white whale for Stephen. As such, Stephen came across as paranoid and obsessed, somewhat dampening his strategic prowess, and not helped by his getting what I call “the goober edit”. Had his tribe gone to Tribal Council first, he likely goes home, due to everyone being suspicious of him, and his not being that helpful around camp. Note the scene, with goofy music, of him trying to break a tree branch, and losing. On top of that, Stephen’s general failure at challenges, coupled with the coining of “#severegastrointestinaldistress”, and it’s clear that Stephen was not meant to be taken seriously. Even so, he managed to have his moments of brilliance, and a lot of emotional insight that dwarfed what we were told Spencer had. Not the same Stephen we got the first time around, but still a fun character and occasionally good strategist.

Every major alliance needs a rival, and the head against Jeremy would be Ciera Eastin of “Survivor Blood vs. Water”. While Ciera is usually referred to as “The Woman who Voted out her Mom”, this to me is really where Ciera came into her own. She showed some good strategic chops, but now had the chance to flex them. She led the counter-alliance, referred to as the “Witch’s Coven” by Jeremy’s alliance, and actually hung on for a few votes through a combination of cunning and hidden immunity idols. Her defeat was inevitable, just due to her numbers disadvantage, but she did her best to shake up the game, making the post-merge all the more exciting. That said, she did coin the phrase “Big Moves”, which would come back to bite the show down the line, but we won’t hold that against her. That’s the show’s fault, not her’s. For what she was, Ciera was a good spoiler: Not going to win, but keeps the game from becoming so smooth that it’s boring.

Now we move on to the characters who were big at the time, but are now kind of lost to history. Really, though, there’s only one name in Cambodia that qualifies, and that name is Jeff Varner. Being from the earliest days of the show (though Kelly Wiglesworth of “Survivor Borneo” was also cast), Varner was built up big time. He had a big game personality, lots of preparation, one of the more aggressive campaigns to get on the show, and a vendetta against peanut butter to help make him memorable. Once on the show, he controlled the earliest votes, only to mess up a twist that shouldn’t really have screwed him, but ended up doing so anyway. He made a mess of his standing in a swapped tribe (the exact circumstances will be gone over in the “Twist” section), and had an early exit as a result. Varner certainly made the pre-merge exciting, and put him back on the radar for modern season. So, why was someone so influential to the early game forgotten? “Survivor Game Changers”. Yeah, wait a few seasons, but Varner will basically be writing himself out of “Survivor” history. For the moment, though, he’s a short but enjoyable part of the season, keeping up the unpredictability that will make this season so good overall.

That covers everyone that gets remembered today, but I feel like it does a disservice to the cast. Yes, there were few standouts, but most everybody brought something to the table. Usually it’s what we expected, and thus their legacy was maintained. Abi-Maria Gomes (“Survivor Philippines”) created conflict despite swearing not to do so. Keith Nale (“Survivor San Juan del Sur”) brought back the humor, and I would argue did it better, now that it wasn’t the only entertainment game in town. Andrew Savage (“Survivor Pearl Islands”) finally proved that no, he’s not good at “Survivor”, but can at least make the jury. Really, even if they weren’t the most memorable, everyone brought something to the cast. Or, I should say, almost everyone. Who in their right mind thought that Monica Padilla (“Survivor Samoa”) would be a good addition to the cast? She brought NOTHING! She appeared in the background a bit, was a focus in her boot episode, then NOTHING! Just a waste of a space that could have been filled with the more interesting T-Bird (“Survivor Africa”). The only argument I ever heard for bringing her back, apart from her looks, was that “She put the fear of God into Russell Hantz on her first season, ruining his game.” To be fair, she did do that. What I don’t agree with is that this makes her some sort of strategic mastermind. Bear in mind, RUPERT of all people also managed to put the fear of God into Russell Hantz on “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”. Heck, Rupert did it BETTER, as his interaction with Russell actually saved him for a couple of votes. Monica? Voted out the same day. Why was she impressive again?

My score for this section may seem a bit weird, and that’s because this case is inexorably tied with a twist of the season. I’ll get to it shortly, but for now, be satisfied with the idea that the show did something with this cast that gave us, the fans, more buy-in than with previous casts, even if the majority just maintained their respective legacies this season.

Score: 9 out of 10

CHALLENGES

Every challenge in Cambodia is a repeat of an old challenge. Every. Single. One. But, since this is a returnee season, that’s to be expected. They even make a big deal out of it, with Probst noting which players left had done each challenge before, and their overall performance in said challenge. Now, this got a bit old by the end, and I would argue it led to self-defeating scenarios in some challenges (people putting themselves in a position they weren’t the best at to “redeem themselves”), but overall it was a fun touch that didn’t take up too much time overall. And as for the challenges they chose to redo? For the most part, good ones; big and memorable. They didn’t show favoritism for modern “Survivor” either, as they pulled from seasons like “Survivor Borneo” and “Survivor Africa”, which we hadn’t seen in a while. Not every challenge was a hit, of course. They used “Simmotion” from “Survivor Tocantins” for the final immunity challenge, which I maintain is among the weaker final immunity challenges due to the lack of epicness. Still, apart from one or two missteps, the challenges this season were a solid addition to the overall product, and even at their worst, tend to just be a neutral component.

Score: 9 out of 10.

TWISTS

Cambodia holds the distinction of being one of few seasons whose twists actually began in the previous season. As the title “Second Chances” indicates, the season was made up of people who had only played once before, and never won. What split it apart from returnee seasons before and after, however, was that the producers did not entirely pick the contestants. After narrowing the field to 32 potential returnees (16 men and 16 women), those watching the show were allowed to go online and vote in 10 men and 10 women to get their second chance. The results were revealed live at the end of “Survivor Worlds Apart”, also known as “The Best Thing About ‘Survivor Worlds Apart’”. Aside from the requirement that you select 10 people to return no matter what had some logistical issues (a player who gets people to vote specifically for them does not receive sole benefit of convincing people to vote for them), I’d say this is still a major hit of a twist, and the reason why the cast as a whole is stronger than it looks on paper. With pretty much any returnee season, there’s always going to be controversy in the casting choices. “Why did you ever put this person on?”; that sort of thing. You’ll also have players who don’t bring as much as they during their first go-around, and thus lose a big part of their legacy and memorability as a result. The same is true for this season, but even those early boots, you were still happy they were on and much less likely to question the choices. Why? Because, if you were a fan YOU PICKED THEM! You had a say in who got on, which created a buy-in to the cast no season has had before or since. Even if someone failed to live up to expectations, you viewed them charitably because they were, in a sense, your cast. You had ownership like you never had before, thus effectively snuffing out most criticism of the casting decisions before it even had a chance to develop. This is why Kelley doesn’t come off as a weird choice for the season, particularly given her aggressive social media campaign to return. Now, there is an asterisk to this aspect of the season, but as it deals with how the season can be seen overall, I’ll be saving it for the “Overall” section. Suffice to say that by giving the fans more say on this season than on any other, the show started itself off on the right foot.

Continuing this trend, Cambodia’s first twist was a blend of old and new. After being divided into the Bayon and Ta Keo tribes, all players did the “scramble for supplies” start, a tribute to “Survivor Borneo”. However, a new hiccup came in the form of a race to a second boat, which the tribe must do together, with the reward of extra rice hanging in the balance. While not the most exciting aspect of the season, it was a good look to start the season out on: Paying homage to the past while simultaneously not just repeating everything that had been done before. Another old twist with a new spin was the hidden immunity idols. There were two new quirks to them, one good and one bad, or at least underused. Hidden immunity idols would now not look the same, just with different coloring based on tribe camps. They were new different shapes. The theory was that this made it harder to tell a fake idol from a real one. In actuality, it was pointless. While the idols no longer looked exactly the same, they still looked production-made, and very clearly not something made by one of the players. I don’t know, I was expecting them to go all-out in making the idols different. Maybe Ta Keo is your traditional idol, but then Bayon’s is a tin can with a hole in it. Harder to identify, and makes for potential hilarity when you try and convince someone it really IS an idol, and not just trash. That said, the twist itself wasn’t BAD, just kind of pointless. More impactful, however, was the hiding of idols at challenges. A clue was hidden at camp that, if found, told you where in the challenge to look for the idol. You could grab it, but had to risk being seen by your teammates. A dynamic new twist that adds drama to an already drama-filled component of the show? Sign me up! Watching someone go for one of these idols is like watching a really good spy movie, or at worst, an average spy movie. Admittedly, this twist works better during the tribal phase rather than the individual phase, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Kelley was the first recipient of this twist, getting the Ta Keo idol at the first immunity challenge. This plus her usage helps explain why she became such a big character of this and future seasons. Not that she had much of a chance to strategize with her idol at first, since Ta Keo had to go directly from the immunity challenge to Tribal Council, with no talking. Bad flashbacks to the Michelle Yi boot on “Survivor Fiji” come up, and I must admit this was an ill-conceived twist. Thankfully it didn’t hurt anything, but it didn’t help either.

Tribal Council itself was good in terms of a twist outcome, though. Roughly speaking, Ta Keo was divided between “Old School” players and “New School” players, vying for control with Varner and Peih-Gee (“Survivor China”) in the middle. I say “roughly” because although most early players fell into “Old School”, and later players into “New School, there were exceptions. Vytas, despite being firmly from the later seasons of the show, fell into the “Old School” alliance due to his connection with Terry Deitz (“Survivor Exile Island”), who was an old school player who played with Aras, Vytas’ brother. In a blindside, Vytas himself was voted out first, and Jeff and Peih-Gee sided with the new-schoolers to vote him out. This could have made for boring tv, if it was just “New School” steamrolling “Old School”, but thankfully, this was not to be. Varner, along with everyone except Spencer and the as-yet unmentioned Shirin Oskooi from “Survivor Worlds Apart” flipped to vote out Shirin. While the second could hardly count as a “blindside”, it did show that alliances were not going to be as firm this season, helping lead to a constantly-shifting season, leading to some great moments down the road.

Episode 3 brings us our tribe swap, though not in the way expected. Instead of dividing into two new tribes, with nine members each, the show decided to create a new third tribe, Angkor, with all three tribes getting six members each. A twist that worked out well in the end, I would argue, but that badly needed the tweaks it got in later seasons. It’s good for keeping people on their toes, and helps subdivide the cast to prevent Pagongings, but MAN did the Angkor tribe get screwed in this deal. Later subdivisions like this would see the third tribe get some advantage, or at least some supplies to start them over. Angkor? Squat. Naturally, going up against two tribes that didn’t need to expend extra energy building their shelters, and already had supplies set up, Angkor was going to lose. A lot. And they did. A fun twist, but not the fairest, and in need to some tweaking.

Now, Angkor had a 4-2 majority favoring original Ta Keo, while the other two tribes had a 4-2 majority favoring the original Bayon. Had Angkor lost, and just gotten rid of the minority 2 on their tribe, there would have been boredom to be found. The weakest tribe loses constantly, and Pagongs the minority. Simple and dull. Thankfully, this did not happen, largely due to the presence of Abi-Maria on Angkor making it impossible for the original Ta Keo to stick together. Savage and Tasha were able to exploit Abi-Maria’s divisiveness, and vote out first Peih-Gee (with whom Abi-Maria had argued early in the game), then Jeff Varner (who was weak in challenges). Disappointing boots at the time, particularly as Varner was the driving force behind a lot of the early-game excitement, but again, good at keeping things shook up, and the audience on their toes. Say what you will about this season, but don’t say it had one dominant alliance steamroll over everybody the entire time.

Before we get to our next big shakeup in episode five, we should get to two minor twists that happened in between. In episode 3, Jeremy found the clue to the idol, and got it during the challenge. Fine work for him, though less exciting since we had already seen Kelley do the same thing in episode 1. Episode 4, meanwhile, featured what Probst termed a “Hero Challenge”, which had just one player from each team compete for the entire team. Not the worst idea, but it lost the epic scale that most team challenges give us, and is a stupid thing to go in for from a strategy perspective. In the end, apart from a heart warming scene of Savage handing Angkor one of the few victories (though only for reward), this twist brought little to the game, and I’m not upset about its exclusion from future seasons.

On to episode 5, and Angkor gets an honest-to-goodness challenge victory! And it’s even an immunity challenge! Thanks in large part to Stephen’s “skills” at target shooting, his tribe, Bayon, ends up going to Tribal Council. There, they continue the trend of not letting the bold majority maintain control. Monica goes home, the only original Bayon member to not make the merge. Again, while maybe not the most sound strategic decision, it is good to see that the season remains unpredictable, and solid majorities don’t stay solid for long.

Episode 6, unfortunately, starts off on a sour note. Terry gets a visit from Probst informing him that his son, Danny, has been hospitalized, and Terry needs to leave the game to be with his son. Terry understandably agrees, and gets a tearful goodbye with his fellow Ta Keo players. It doesn’t impact much in terms of the game, since Terry was likely to be voted out should Ta Keo have ever lost, but it was still a depressing and unfortunate way for a decent player to go out. Dude should have had the honor of playing his full game without outside life getting in the way, PLUS having to go through the trauma of being far from home when your child is in serious danger. Certainly memorable, but something all involved would have preferred not to happen. Sort of like Penner’s medivac on “Survivor Micronesia”.

Terry’s exit sets the stage for a reunification back into two tribes. New Bayon is stacked with the challenge beasts, and so Ta Keo goes to Tribal Council. Shockingly, given the opportunity to vote Spencer out, Kass does not do so. Instead, allying with Spencer, Abi-Maria, and Ciera, she conspires to vote out her other original-season player Woo. Once again, the season does a good job with playing with strategic expectations, and keeping us guessing at every Tribal Council. Granted, this does label Kass as “Chaos Kass” once again, and gets her voted out at the next Tribal Council, so possibly not the smartest move Kass could have made. Still, hindsight is 20/20, and it did help keep the season exciting, if nothing else. Plus, Kass does get to make the jury, though I’m not exactly happy as to why. The merge comes in the next episode, with 13 people left. Good for helping ensure fan favorites make the jury, but bad in terms of comprehension. For all that I say Kass’ actions got her the boot, it’s really that she was the easiest person to come to a consensus on. Probably the least interesting strategy we’d seen so far this season, and hard to follow due to the sheer number of players left. Yeah, I get why production merged this early, but it was still a stupid decision.

Speaking of stupid decisions, it’s time to talk about hidden immunity idols. Now that challenges were individual, they couldn’t be hidden at challenges anymore, since it would be too easy to get them with everyone focussed on their own work. Instead, you now found clues that had them hidden in obscure places in or around camp. Not bad, but what we’d seen before, and the difficulty in obtaining the idol varied. Kelley, for instance, would have to crawl under the shelter in order to get her idol, while Jeremy got his second idol just by walking away from camp at night, with little to no risk. The variation in quality just makes the whole thing unfair, and it’s all inherently less interesting to watch than what came before.

Fortunately, the unpredictability that has characterized the season so far continues. After Kass’ boot, Kelley remains on the outs, but uses this and her idol to negate a record-setting (for the time) number of votes, leading to the elimination of Savage. From here up until pretty much the finale, it’s just a series of blindsides, with the groups swinging between “The Witch’s Coven” and other two and threesomes to form what Stephen termed “Voting Blocs”. Again, good for unpredictability, but loses points for overuse of the term “Voting Blocs”. It wasn’t even that original idea. You could argue they were seen as early as “Survivor The Amazon”, or possibly even “Survivor Marquesas”, depending on how liberal you wanted to be. It was a fun watch, but it wasn’t as innovative as the show made it out to be.

That about covers the player-implemented twists up until the finale, but the producer-implemented ones kept coming every couple of episodes. First, players were given the option to step out of an immunity challenge to race for a “secret advantage”. No one knew what it was, and players were given very little time to make the decision. Spencer and Stephen both swam for it, with Stephen ultimately getting the “Steal-A-Vote” advantage, at the time unseen. Powerful, earned in a unique and exciting way, and the potential to flip the game? Yeah, despite what we see in later season, I’d call this one a winner. It even has a funny conclusion, with Stephen stealing Joe’s vote, leading to Joe technically voting for himself, only to himself go home as a result of a split vote. To follow this twist (the vote steal, not the boot of Stephen) up, production offered to build everyone a better shelter (the weather was causing people to basically shut down), if a majority would sit out of an immunity challenge. A decent prisoner’s dilemma, but I would argue not executed well. No real drama came of it, because people had too long to think. This might have worked if we had seen the negotiations, but we didn’t. Most everyone sat out, and Joe won again. Even when he did lose, Jeremy’s aforementioned “meat-shield” strategy kept him safe for a bit. On the whole, while I’m glad the cast was saved from further strife, this was just unnecessary.

And so we come to the finale, a big blowout at first that leads to a predictable conclusion with no surprises. The final six vote came down to a 3-3 split, with both Kelley and Jeremy playing their remaining idols, leading to a 0-0 vote. A revote resulted in a tie again, which would normally mean rocks, but this time would have only one person eligible. As a result, we got to see an actual negotiation for the boot go down, leading to Kimmi’s ejection. A boot so complex, Probst had to chart it out during the reunion show. A little hokey, and I know a lot of people hate on it, but I think it continues the trend of unpredictability that has so far been this season’s greatest strength. Sadly, it’s also the END of that trend, as the rest of the finale goes predictably. While the majority changed at about every Tribal Council, Jeremy didn’t face real opposition until about this point. Fortunately, with Spencer as the omnipresent strategist, and Kelley as the underdog that just won’t die, there was real question about whether Jeremy could win in the end against them. This notion was killed prior to Final Tribal Council, with Kelley eliminated and Spencer being so mean to her before leaving in front of the jury that all chances of his victory were shot. Add onto that Jeremy’s gender reveal of his unborn child at Final Tribal Council, and the vote was unsurprisingly 10-0-0 in favor of Jeremy. A well-deserved victory, but a foreseeable one for at least the last half of the finale.

Despite my complaints, on the whole I would say that this season actually did pretty well in terms of twists. While there were a fair number of misses, they tended to be minor things, or things that only look worse in hindsight. In general, this season had new, innovative twists that largely kept things up in the air, while still being recognizably “Survivor”. In a season that largely focusses on strategy, there’s little more you could ask for.

Score: 9 out of 10.

OVERALL

Aesthetically, Cambodia was and still is a breath of fresh air for the show. Bear in mind that for the previous 12 seasons, the show had been to precisely three countries: Samoa, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. Admittedly, two different areas of the Philippines, but the fact remains that from a visual and cultural standpoint, the show was getting stale. Not a lot new to draw on, making a lot of the seasons blend together in terms of colors and visuals. This would get more pronounced when, shortly after this season, the show made what seems to be a permanent move to Fiji. As such, Cambodia visually feels like the last “Hurrah” of creativity. Stunning vistas, unusual wildlife, and a varied and bright color pallet really help this season stand out on a purely visual level.

That said, Cambodia is a season that suffers pretty badly on rewatch, though not always fairly. Some criticisms simply come from trends started by Cambodia, which I’ll get to later. For now, though, one aspect of Cambodia that I will say doesn’t work overall is engagement. I’m not talking here about keeping interest in the season (we’ll get to that), but to the buy-in of the characters I mentioned earlier. I stand behind the statement that voting in this cast gave those of us voting a lot of buy-in, that let us forgive the weaker aspects the cast may have had. The flaw in this, however, is that it REQUIRES the viewer to be an active participant in the casting process. If you’re someone getting into “Survivor” after this season, or just someone who didn’t vote for whatever reason, the cast seems a LOT weaker. Without that buy-in, a lot of the early boots are forgettable, and even some of the later boots don’t stand out, and you just wonder why they were even shown. This means, in a sense, that this season suffers on rewatch, and as that’s one of my main criteria for overall enjoyment of the season, Cambodia suffers in the rankings for it.

Before we go on, one more word of warning: I can’t talk about Cambodia without talking about the seasons that came after it, as trends there have had a direct effect on the perception of Cambodia as a whole. Thus, I’m going to be breaking my cardinal rule, and talking about the seasons that came after it, to help explain the overall perception of Cambodia. I’m going to talk in very general terms, but I cannot guarantee no spoilers. Therefore, if you have not watched any of the seasons post-Cambodia, I highly encourage you to stop reading here, or else scroll down to the “Abstract” section.

For better or for worse, Cambodia is seen seen as the start of the 30’s of “Survivor”. Technically “Survivor Worlds Apart” holds that distinction, but in terms of buildup and legendary feel, Cambodia really does feel like the start of something new. Thus, it gets to be the standard-bearer for all that happens in the 30’s. And, to put it mildly, the 30’s are not looked on positively by the fanbase as a whole. An emphasis on strategy over character. Strategic game over social game (at least a perceived one; wait until the retrospectives on “Survivor Ghost Island” and “Survivor Island of the Idols” for my thoughts on that). Twists being thrown out with no rhyme or reason. Time taken away from what the viewers want to focus on what production wants. Overall, a perceived decline in the quality of the show, and as such, Cambodia gets a lot of flak for it. And I cannot deny, Cambodia did start some trends that are a negative part of the show. Cambodia, for instance, coined the term “Big Moves”, which has since been used as justification to shift more emphasis to strategic play rather than social play. This was annoying even on Cambodia, and a trend in the wrong direction. As Probst himself used to say, “Survivor” is a social game. Therefore, that is where the emphasis should be. I’ve also mentioned my annoyance at things like “voting blocs”, and having too many people stay too late in the game. Again, these are problems in later seasons, and I can’t deny that Cambodia both started them and suffered for them. Perhaps most disappointingly, Cambodia started the trend of “invisible” players making the finals. To a greater or lesser extent, “invisible” players, or at least players we didn’t get much depth on, had been a part of “Survivor” since the beginning, usually more so in seasons with more players. However, these players usually left in the pre-merge, or the VERY early merge at the latest. With Cambodia? A third of the players in the finale (Kimmi and Keith), were shown as having no chance to win going in, despite reportedly playing good games that didn’t get shown, thus weakening the mystery of who would win. Sadly, given Cambodia’s overall success, production took the lesson that viewers wouldn’t care if a member in the finale had basically no screentime, and thus we saw it more and more, to the detriment of good gameplay. All these things, it’s fair to blame Cambodia for starting.

I think it’s important, however, to remember that Cambodia was actually quite well-received when it came out. Most reviews I saw were positive, and the few that weren’t were more along the lines of “Not my cup of tea” than “The season that ruined ‘Survivor’”. My guess is that production saw these same reviews, said “We want more seasons like this”, but took the wrong lessons from Cambodia. As I hope I’ve emphasized by now, what makes Cambodia great is the unpredictability brought about as a result of the PLAYERS. Production, however, saw that they’d tried new twists, concluded that this was what the viewers liked (along with, again, “Big Moves” and not needing every player in the finale to have a story), and thus threw more and more of them into the game until it became a bloated scavenger hunt instead of an intricate social game. This is something I cannot argue with viewers hating.

What I CAN argue, however, is that Cambodia is not at fault for the decisions of production. Just because production took the wrong lessons from Cambodia does not make Cambodia, in and of itself, bad. Yes, it probably did lead to the inundation of twists we’re now stuck with, but if you look at the numbers, Cambodia didn’t do that much-in game from a production standpoint. We had the two-tribe to three-tribe shakeup. A bit unfair, but new and exciting. We had the steal-a-vote advantage. Led to some good comedy, and didn’t overstay its welcome. And we had them give the players a new shelter after some social dilemmas. Could have been better, but doesn’t intrude on the game too much. We had idols hidden at challenges. Clever and innovative, without adding any new advantages to the game. Yes, despite evidence to the contrary, Cambodia only had ONE new advantage (two if you count the Angkor idol) into the game. hardly the oversaturation we see today. And remember, these twists were popular for a reason. These twists WORKED. Most of them get hate today, not for their content, but for their overabundance. Cambodia does not have that problem. It should not be tarred with the same brush as later seasons just because of dumb production decisions that may have been influenced by it.

Finally, however, there is one criticism Cambodia has had since its airing that cannot be denied. Love it or hate it, this season is very much a “strategy” season rather than a “character” season. I wouldn’t say the season has NO character (I mean, Keith Nale is on it, and he’s pretty much nothing but a character), but the fact remains, as evidenced by the forced Spencer arc mentioned earlier, that this season favors strategy above all else. Personally, as someone who enjoys talking about and dissecting the strategy, I found it engaging and innovative. However, my preferences are by no means universal, and I cannot deny that if you’re someone who prefers seasons with big characters above all else, you will not find much to enjoy in Cambodia. I still think the hate is overrated (just because something isn’t your cup of tea doesn’t make it “bad” overall), but the lack of universal appeal does make Cambodia a rare case where the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

SCORE: 34 out of 40.

ABSTRACT

Cambodia is very much a love-it-or-hate-it season. The emphasis on the strategic is pronounced, and while there’s not no character, fans who primarily want big characters will not find what they are looking for this season. That said, this season is wroth a watch for any fan of strategy, though as so much of this season is seeped in the lore of previous seasons, I would not recommend watching this season early in your “Survivor” viewing career.

-Matt

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Winners at War” Episode 2: I Didn’t Consent

Yes, making the blog title a quote from a past season was TOTALLY something I had planned out ahead of time, and not something I noticed come up twice in a row and decided to just run with since it fit well with the season anyway. Why do you ask?

Welcome back to “Idol Speculation”, my knee-jerk opinion that everyone is entitled to. And hoo boy, do we have opinions tonight. Yeah, the love for this season died pretty quickly this time around, as aside from a few bright spots, this episode just kind of sucked. Not the worst I’ve ever seen from this show, but for a season this legendary, we can and should have far better. With that in mind, let’s take another moment to wrap ourselves in the cozy blanket of last episode, with another edition of…

MATT’S MESS-UP!

Yep, only one episode in, and already we have an error. In my defense, a minor point I wanted to comment on in an episode two hours long, but a missed point nonetheless. So focussed was I on littering in Fiji that I neglected to mention one of Adam’s best moments in the last episode. Ever suspicious of production just giving up something for free, even if it’s champagne, Adam hilariously looked at the bottom of his champagne flute just to make sure there was nothing hidden under there. I’d comment on how ridiculous this looks, but honestly, it’s the smart thing to do, and I most likely would have done the same were I in his position. We may mock you sometimes, but we love you, Adam. Never change.

Sadly, we must now return to the episode at hand, which starts off with Amber desperately trying to convince us she’s still relevant to this game, before more realistically saying she’s hoping to support an eventual Rob victory. After that unfortunate flashback to “Survivor Edge of Extinction” we get to see Rob’s side of things, as he correctly assumes that his being bequeathed a fire token means Amber is most likely no longer on Dakal. He commiserates with Parvati, and tries in vain to convince himself that Sandra might have gotten voted out instead. Gotta say, even without Rob knowing that Sandra thinks she did him dirty, that seems like a stretch. Sandra don’t play that way. What have you done for her lately? She’s much more likely to bequeath it to an ally on her current tribe than you.

Moving on to one of the few good scenes we get this episode, we get shown how Ben is changing up his game. Recognizing that his idol/immunity path to the end is A: Risky and B: Unlikely to work twice, Ben has decided to adapt his idol hunting skills in a clever new way: Build trust with others by teaching them the basics of idol finding. For all the flak I gave Ben last episode, and will continue to give Ben flak this episode, this is not a terrible idea. It builds a close bond with someone while giving you a powerful secret to share, and puts the emphasis on the social aspect, rather than the advantage aspect. Granted, it has the major drawback of helping people who aren’t you find idols, and as we saw on “Survivor Island of the Idols”, help with idols can mean jack squat, but the concept as a whole is not bad. Why he’s giving these tips to DENISE, when she comes from the era when idols abounded, somewhat escapes me, but I take it Ben is against the “Old School” players, and he does help Denise find that idol, so I can’t fault him too much.

Before we get into the catch of this idol, let me just say that I love the editing of this scene. While it doesn’t go the whole “Survivor David vs. Goliath” route of telling us about the idol find before showing us, it does surprise us with the find. No triumphant music, just the “goober” music until Ben’s tips are interrupted by an idol find. Now to the catch: Similar to how returning idols worked on “Survivor Edge of Extinction”, this idol must be split in half, with the other half given to someone else. Not a terrible concept, but I have to admit, it feels too “cute”. It just seems like a needless wrinkle complicating a game where there’s already far too many idols and advantages, to the point where chyrons need to be altered to keep track. That said, there’s potential there, since as Denise notes, it can be helpful in building social bonds. Ben isn’t pushy about getting half himself, even though he’d have every right to do so, so Denise thinks he’s on board. She talks with Adam, a solid ally, about what to do. Adam is upset about Ben knowing about the idol, correctly recognizing that Ben has not been so great at keeping a secret this season, and gets even more upset when Denise suggests trusting Parvati with the other half of the idol. Look, Denise, I’m not opposed to using the idol half as a social bond, but do it with someone YOUR ALLIANCE CAN TRUST, AND IS NOT TRYING TO TARGET! Give it to a swing vote you don’t think will screw you over. If you weren’t going to use it as insurance for Ben, then I’d say Ethan (he’s been seen talking with Adam, so he might be persuaded to your side) would be the safest bet, especially as he’s probably not cutthroat enough to screw you over, but Michele would not be a bad choice either. In the end, Denise chooses Adam, evidently abandoning the “bonding” strategy. Can’t fault it from the “Likely to get the idol half back” perspective, though.

So far, all of Sele’s content has been centered around idols and advantages. Well, can’t leave Dakal out of that discussion! After a brief interlude where Yul rigs up a piece of bamboo to get a breadfruit (a device so unwieldy that he himself admits he probably burns more calories getting the breadfruit than he would from the breadfruit), we cut over to Kim, who despite the reassurances at the end of the last Tribal Council, still feels on the outs. As such, she goes idol hunting, which she describes as a spiritual experience. Oh God, please don’t tell me we’re going back to “Survivor South Pacific” again! I can’t take it! No, the dramatic music proves that Kim finds an idol, and learns of the twist, same as Sele. Given that Yul gave Kim that reassuring pat at the end of the last Tribal Council, I’d have thought he’d be her top choice, but she goes with Sophie, his lieutenant, due to have a “connection” with her. On paper, not a bad second choice. Sophie, however, makes it clear that Kim made a terrible mistake, so her idol likely won’t help her much. Gee, so much fun to see the players I respect make moves that make them look like idiots!

Unfortunately, we now need to cut back to the Edge of Extinction, as it’s once again time to find an advantage to sell. Amber and Natalie get a nice cryptic note that does do a good job of hiding the location of the advantage, though I think something like that would have worked better if there was a way for viewers to play along. Do something similar to “Survivor Nicaragua” and release the clue online for others to try and figure out. Admittedly, since these advantages need to be found in the same episode, it would be hard to do, but you could release the clue early or something. Instead, we the audience are clued in that taken together, the first letters of each line spell “Water well”, meaning that even if Amber and Natalie can’t figure out the clue, one of them is likely to stumble across it in passing. Which, after scouring the entire island, is exactly what happens. Natalie finds “Safety without power”, meaning someone can be immune from the vote, but also not vote themselves. Not bad. At least it’s different from a regular old idol. Natalie tells us she needs to figure out who had fire tokens left, and who’s likely to buy, as there’s no restriction on which tribe she can sell to this time.

Or, you know, she could sell it to her best buddy! I kid of course. While I’m certain a personal bond had something to do with it, she DOES know that Jeremy has two fire tokens, and is on the outs due to her ouster, so he’s not a bad choice at all. Jeremy takes the time to schill for the fire tokens as a twist. Yay. It doesn’t feel forced at all.

Meanwhile, at Dakal, we get the best scene of the night. Tony, so far, has been doing a great job of changing up his game, keeping himself under control, and not making himself seem unreliable. Of course, that manic energy has to go somewhere, and apparently that energy this time has gone into channeling the spirit of Angelina Keeley “Survivor David vs. Goliath”, in and of that he builds a ladder to gather, you guessed it, more food. The thing, at first, looks pretty well put-together, and it seems as though Sophie and Tyson snarking at it is just them being their usual snarky selves. Then, as we see it go up a tree with rungs swinging free, you really start to wonder about Tony’s sanity. Even Tyson is concerned, and if the man who played two seasons with COACH is questioning your sanity, you’ve got issues.

Tony is not without strategy, however, and we get a bit of him talking with Sarah on the beach. We see that Tony has not fully learned from his past, as he doesn’t do a good job managing his threat level, wanting to go public about his alliance with Sarah, on the grounds that everyone will think that anyway. Sarah, however, rightly points out that pairs are being targeted this season, as evidenced by the boots of Natalie and Amber, and so they need to keep on the down-low. Why either Sarah or Tony trusts the other, I’m not exactly sure, but I gather this is a case of “The Devil You Know” for both of them. Needless to say, Sarah has the right idea here.

Perhaps a bit early to talk about my overall thoughts on the episode, but as I said, this is the best scene in the episode, so let me talk about what’s so disappointing about this episode: The focus. We’ve only got two people on the Edge of Extinction, but with all the talk of fire tokens and idols and advantages, they dominate the conversation. While I would not want them eliminated entirely, neither of these things should be the FOCUS of the episode. But with the exception of one or two moments, it’s all focused on idols and strategy, when a good episode, like the last one, provides a balance of BOTH human moments and strategic moments. It doesn’t help that a lot of the talk, particularly around the fire tokens, feels forced, with everyone using the “economy” metaphor. Again, I don’t think it’s a bad twist in principle, but stop trying to force it down our throats, show. It’s like medicine: It doesn’t matter if it tastes delicious, the fact that we HAVE to take it makes us hate it. This season doesn’t need to be bad, but it damn well seems to be trying to be.

On to our immunity challenge, which is a pretty good one. “Dragging the Dragons” from “Survivor Cagayan”, specifically the first immunity challenge of that season. Hauling crates on a cart, disassembling and reassembling that cart, and a sweet puzzle at the end. A solid challenge if ever there was one. While I wouldn’t say the misdirection is a STRENGTH for this episode, it’s not too bad going into this challenge. We’ve gotten more strategy talk from Sele than Dakal, but we’ve gotten enough story from both sides that either is plausible. Fittingly, most of the challenge is fairly even. Dakal pulls ahead towards the end, but then Sele comes back on the first puzzle portion. In a nice twist, however, the tribe we see strategize despite Probst’s taunting actually doesn’t pull out a clutch victory. Rob tries to SORT the pieces before putting them in, which is a solid strategy, Probst. Quit your whining. Yes, I know it does lead to a Sele loss, but I’m not sure that was the problem. Sele, as I’ve hinted, does lose, but I don’t think it was the blowout that Probst makes it out to be. Rob had a solid strategy. It just didn’t work this time. Parvati leads us out saying that one of the new school players needs to go, thereby ensuring that the boot is an old-school player this time around.

We start off with some good-natured ribbing of Rob by Ethan, before we see that pair plus Parvati discuss who among the minority should go. Jeremy is the most on the outs, but Ben’s volatility makes him a possibility as well. I would go into how Ben is the clear superior choice to eliminate this episode, since volatility is to always be avoided on “Survivor”, and Jeremy has shown a previous willingness to work with his enemies, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s clear that neither of them will be the target tonight. The mechanism comes from Danni, who’s getting particularly paranoid after all her time out of the game. Thus, since she tells us she isn’t being talked to, she’s on the outs, and needs to flip the scrip. Specifically against Parvati, since she and Parvati were apparently close, and now Parvati won’t talk to her. The issue with this is that we haven’t SEEN this happen yet! We had ONE shot where Ethan, Rob, and Parvati talked without Danni. Otherwise, there’s no risk to her that we see. I don’t think Danni’s an idiot, so I doubt this is coming out of nowhere. I’d bet money that she really was excluded to some degree, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Danni was excluded. But we didn’t see that. Instead, we had to deal with Edge of Extinction, and idols, and fire tokens. You see where I’m going with this?

Danni’s downfall continues when she talks to Ethan about the old school alliance with Ben present. Ethan, ever the charmer, tries to play it off to Ben, but even Ben isn’t that foolish. He’s now on the warpath against the new schoolers, but he may not need to do much. Ethan spilled the beans to Rob, and now Danni is back to being the target. Understandable, and good news for Adam, who wanted to break up that group to begin with. He talks with Jeremy and Michele, both of whom are fully on board. Jeremy, who we now see won the season called “Survivor Safety Without Power” (thanks, chyron), is mostly happy that it isn’t him, but he wonders if now is the time to take out a big target. Adam latches on to this as well, noting that between himself, Danni, Denise, Jeremy, and Michele, they have the votes to get rid of Parvati. Good thinking on Adam’s part, and an interesting debate. On the whole, though, I would say not rocking the boat and going for Danni would be the correct move at this juncture for the group. Yes, Parvati is a bigger target, but since this group seems reluctant to target Rob (due to his strength, and though it’s not mentioned, probably due to his wife being voted out, thereby lowering his threat level somewhat), you need a standard to rally against. Danni is not that standard. Parvati is. It would be one thing if Danni and Parvati were still aligned, and the group was deciding who to target with no other influences. But they’re at odds, and you can vote out Danni as a relative consensus boot, while still keeping the numbers against the old school players. The debate rages as we head off to Tribal.

At first, this Tribal Council seems like it will be fairly quiet compared to the previous ones. Then, of course, Ben gets involved. ben comments on the paranoia of the old school players, but makes the mistake of saying that he himself was not paranoid. Ethan jumps on this, followed by Rob and Parvati. All point out the conversations he’s had with other players, leading Ben to backtrack and say that he is paranoid. This initially seems like it will just lead to the usual whispering, but Boston Rob calls for a Hali Ford (“Survivor Worlds Apart”) strip search, asking everyone to turn out their bags. Denise, fortunate enough to be sitting on the end, is able to hide her idol behind the flap of her bag. In his one gaffe of the night, Adam weighs in on the idol debate when he didn’t need to. Drawing attending he did not need on himself, and by his actions, hinting he has an idol. He doesn’t take a lot of flak for it, but it seems to me a narrow miss.

With Ben now a target, we head to vote in our lazy urn. While this episode has many flaws, I will say the outcome is still a mystery as we vote. Heck, even Ben now returns as a viable target after his performance, but on the whole, given his strength, I’d say Danni is still the smart move. And that’s what the tribe goes with, getting rid of a consensus vote while maintaining the majority alliance. That said, Danni is the first boot I’m really sad to see go. Like with Kim so far, I’m just disappointed that a player I so respect flopped around and gave a poor performance, plus, as the first returnee from “Survivor Guatemala”, I really wanted her to do well. Hopefully this does not impact the future returnee prospects of the season.

Like I said earlier, this episode just fails on so many levels. Apart from the occasional bright spot, it was mostly forced talk about idols and advantages, leading to a depressing exit. While there are far worse sins an episode can have (this one had decent mystery at least), for a season that should be legendary, it leaves a lot to be desired. Still, I need to cheer myself up, so I say it’s time for another:

TOP 5 AND BOTTOM 5!

Ok, so I wanted to talk about this last episode, but the blog was running long. Still, the lameness of that urn cannot be denied, and must be discussed. I don’t usually talk about the urns on the show because, well, they’re usually not the focus at the point in the episode when they show up. They are an integral part of the show, though, so now we’re going to discuss the best and worst of all time, starting at the top.

TOP 5

5. “Survivor Cagayan”: With rare exception, most urns are round or cylindrical. This one, however, was basically an ominous black cube with a lot of pointy bits. Dark, foreboding, and memorable, this one was always going to be on the list. It loses points, though, for those pointy bits. While they do help distinguish the urn, it also has a lot of little details on it. Normally not such a bad thing, but it makes the urn feel “busy” and tough to look at in the brief glimpses we get on the show, which loses it some points.

4. “Survivor China”: Sort of a blend between cylinder and cube, this was an urn that was just on point, plain and simple. A faded gold look and Chinese characters on the sides helped it fit with the season, and it brought the grandeur needed from an urn. Just a solid, memorable job.

3. “Survivor Micronesia”: We’re into cylinder territory now, and frankly, the urn of this season could easily have slipped into obscurity. Seashells, carvings on the side? We’ve seen this before. The strength of this urn, however, comes when the lid comes off. While having the carvings extend up over the edge with the lid off is a bit off-putting at first, but it makes for an impactful silhouette, and helps the idea that lid and urn are meant to fit together, the carvings acting almost as latches. Clever way to distinguish it, show.

2. “Survivor Gabon”: Above all else, authenticity, or at least the appearance of authenticity, is key in an urn. With the exception of our number one slot, no season does that better than “Survivor Gabon”. The faces on the urn match those seen at the challenges and Tribal Council, unifying the season, and feel like an authentic Gabonese art piece (which it very well could be, I don’t know). That, alone, is a feather in the cap of this urn.

1. “Survivor Borneo”: Now, “Survivor Borneo” is not known for having a strong aesthetic theme. I mean, they used literal Pier One tiki torches at Tribal Council, for crying out loud! But that urn, man, that urn. Unlike most every other urn, this one really feels like it was made by some guy out on a deserved island. I think it’s the lid, coiled like a snake, that sells it. That was an art project we had in elementary school, making clay snakes, and so it adds to the idea that this could have been made by someone with materials on the island. That, alone, is enough to earn it the top spot on this list.

Honorable Mention: “Survivor Palau”: To be fair the urn from “Survivor Palau” is on theme. Using a WWII ammo box on the season centered around WWII? Can’t think of anything more appropriate. The trouble is, army surplus tends to favor form over function, and at the end of the day, it’s just a box. The attached lid is nice, but not enough to earn it a spot proper.

BOTTOM 5

5. “Survivor Winners at War”: For all my complaints, this urn really isn’t that bad. It gets the job done, fits with the “theme” of flotsam. It just feels lazy. I’m sorry.

4. “Survivor Game Changers”: I’m coming to realize I don’t like “flotsam” urns. They just feel like a way for the production department to not try to hard. Still, at least this season’s urn is functional AS an urn. It keeps the votes secret. But a lamp is, wait for it, translucent! You may not be able to read the votes, but you can definitely see them. That just feels wrong.

3. “Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X”: Not flotsam, but just as lazy. Yeah, stick a bunch of tiki heads together, and call it an urn. See how memorable that is.

2. “Survivor Vanuatu”: This one takes the concept of the “Survivor Gabon” urn, but does it so much worse. Maybe I’m insulting a culture’s art style, but the faces on these urns just feel weak, like a kindergartener did it. And while I acknowledge the pig tusks are appropriate, they just don’t work well with the concept of the urn.

1. “Survivor Cook Islands”: Perhaps an odd choice, as this urn is nothing if not unique, which I usually like. I mean, the thing’s an envelope. How many other urns have THAT distinction? But the problem with envelopes is… THEY’RE FLAT! It’s hard enough to remember an urn when they’re 3-D. If we can’t even see the darn thing when it’s on the table with Probst, it really stands no chance at being remembered.

Honorable Mention: “Survivor Pearl Islands”: This one’s really not that bad. Nice and shiny. But this was a pirate themed season. Why was the urn not a treasure chest? FAIL!

Hoo boy, that was a rough episode. Hopefully the next one will be better.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.