Survivor 41 Discussion Thread

[PUSH]

David Bloomberg on Twitter made a good point. Why did they not take all of Xander's unnecessary and inaccurate fluff and give some of that to Erika? There are a lot of people who are upset that Erika won, but by all first-hand player accounts it sounds like Erika was a known threat. Instead of being upset at Erika, I feel like people should be upset for Erika. She was really under edited, especially after what we're hearing from the players themselves. And especially after you realize how much propping up Xander got, and how that wasn't how it actually went down.

It really makes me question the entire production and editing of the season.

 

[PUSH]

It's so hard rankings seasons and players right after a season because it's all fresh. Often times you overrate someone because of recency bias, or you underrate them because you revere players from seasons' past.

With that being said, and knowing it can move at any point, I ranked Survivor 41 as the 17th best season. Right below Kaoh Rong, and right above Palau.

I ranked Erika as the 20th best winner, which is based solely on the season they won, not a sum of all their seasons put together. Right behind JT and ahead of Sophie. I feel like Sophie is a good comparison for Erika. Under-the-radar, quiet, strategic threat.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I think the problem with Ricard managing his threat level was that really nobody other than Shan had done anything, but he couldn't wait to get Shan out because after that final 8 vote, Shan and the black alliance have control of the game. And at the final 7, it would start to make sense for Shan to vote out Ricard. So I don't think Ricard could have waited. I think he had to make that move to have any shot of making it to the final three, and that's not his fault.

Most of the time, the best player doesn't win the season. It all depends on what criteria you have for "the best".

I've also heard a lot of people say that Xander was a great player, and he was robbed (to put it lightly). If you pay attention to the exit press, nobody was concerned about Xander. They viewed him as a non-entity. He didn't have connections, and he really was just there for the ride. He was the goat of the season, not Heather. Ricard said in his exit interview with Dalton Ross that Heather was seen as a bigger threat than him. He had really bad reads of people and their perceptions. They weren't sure about his logic of taking Erika so she didn't have a chance at making a big move by winning fire, when literally everyone knew she couldn't make fire. The jury knew she couldn't, and she told everyone it took her several hours to make fire on Exile. So they weren't sure why he brought the biggest threat when everyone else was telling Xander that Erika is the biggest threat, and they've been telling him for a while. He also couldn't think of a single social strategy in the final Tribal Council. But all in all, the other players had known for a while that he was a goat, and there were several plans to take him to the final 3 because he was easily beat. This is also not taken from one exit interview. It is taken from many throughout the season.

I just wanted to put that info out there, since it's a stark contrast from what we were shown in the edit. He was not portrayed accurately, which is a little irritating as a fan. Rob and Stephen were speculating that they need a new Ozzy/Malcolm type, so they made him be the fan favorite and the person kids love.

Good point that Ricard needed to make the move first given that Shan had a solid alliance in her corner. Still, I wonder if he could have done better. By dismantling that alliance completely the power dynamic shifted too much. Could he have kept the balance of power to a one vote margin? It came down to a 4-1 vote where had nowhere to maneuver.

This is why Survivor is fun to watch and analyze. So many variables and what ifs.

For me I lean towards the notion that winning by default makes one the best player. Admittedly, Erika benefitted from twists a lot. Between the hourglass and then final five immunity coming down to chance I can see why Ricard, who wasn't so fortunate, is still seen as the better player.

Xander getting the bigger edit because he's entertaining is not shocking. It's reality TV after all, and the story portrayed is still very much scripted through the editing. No surprise they'd focus on a fun character.

I liked that the edit wasn't obvious this season. It generally focused on who was having the biggest impact at any given time. Shan was the biggest character early on and got the screen time to match. I'll take that over telegraphing who wins a mile away.

This season highlights the importance of the early game. Erika was on a winning tribe and didn't have to make moves early on. This allowed her to play a low key game and strike at the opportune time. Ricard had to play hard from the beginning, and entering the merge with a strong resume in place hurt him in the end.

 

[PUSH]

This season highlights the importance of the early game. Erika was on a winning tribe and didn't have to make moves early on. This allowed her to play a low key game and strike at the opportune time. Ricard had to play hard from the beginning, and entering the merge with a strong resume in place hurt him in the end.

It's just an underreported story that the premerge doesn't really matter in the eyes of the jury. You just have to focus on making the merge in a good position, rather than being in charge. The players in charge are typically the ones who go home early after the merge, and the quiet ones in a good position are the ones who fair better. Unfortunately for Shan and Ricard, they had no choice but to make big moves since they kept losing.

This is also the case with someone like Michele in Kaoh Rong. Similar story to Erika. Her tribe never went to Tribal until the merge, and once they merged she wasn't a target because she was playing a quiet game. Now, the end game is a totally different story, but similar starts.

Also, Erika got lucky in the premerge when Danny and Deshawn tried to throw the challenge to vote her out, but Naseer balled out to ruin their plans. Winning Survivor is also a lot of luck. It's definitely not all talent.

 

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I've finished my rewatch of all the previous seasons. I've now officially watched seasons 1-40 two times each. Upon my second viewings, I compiled the following lists:

1. Season rankings
2. Winner rankings (based solely on the game they played in their winning season)
3. All-time player rankings (a cumulative score of all the seasons they played)

They are only my opinion, and it's extremely hard to rank everyone who has ever played since there are so many variables such as the era, the competition, quits, medical evacuations, twists, advantages, etc. But I did the best I could. All three lists will always be fluid depending on how I'm feeling at the time. I'll put the rankings in spoilers for you, so you don't have to scroll for ages unless you open them. The player rankings is a long list, just as a heads up.

Spoiler: Season Rankings

1. Micronesia (16)
2. Cambodia (31)
3. Cagayan (28)
4. Heroes vs Villains (20)
5. David vs Goliath (37)
6. The Amazon (6)
7. Winners at War (40)
8. Borneo (1)
9. Blood vs Water (27)
10. Cook Islands (13)
11. China (15)
12. Panama (12)
13. Pearl Islands (7)
14. Philippines (25)
15. Millennials vs Gen X (33)
16. Kaoh Rong (32)
17. Survivor 41
18. Palau (10)
19. Vanuatu (9)
20. Africa (3)
21. The Australian Outback (2)
22. San Juan del Sur (29)
23. All-Stars (8)
24. Tocantins (18)
25. Ghost Island (36)
26. One World (24)
27. Marquesas (4)
28. Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers (35)
29. Guatemala (11)
30. Caramoan (26)
31. Edge of Extinction (38)
32. Game Changers (34)
33. Samoa (19)
34. Fiji (14)
35. Gabon (17)
36. Worlds Apart (30)
37. South Pacific (23)
38. Nicaragua (21)
39. Redemption Island (22)
40. Island of the Idols (39)
41. Thailand (5)

Spoiler: Winner Rankings

1. Tony Vlachos (40)
2. Kim Spradlin (24)
3. Todd Herzog (15)
4. Yul Kwon (13)
5. Rob Mariano (22)
6. Sarah Lacina (34)
7. Jeremy Collins (31)
8. Tom Westman (10)
9. Parvati Shallow (16)
10. Tony Vlachos (28)
11. Tyson Apostol (27)
12. Wendell Holland (36)
13. Richard Hatch (1)
14. Earl Cole (14)
15. Natalie Anderson (29)
16. John Cochran (26)
17. Chris Daugherty (9)
18. Sandra Diaz-Twine (20)
19. JT Thomas (18)
20. Erika Casupanan (41)
21. Sophie Clarke (23)
22. Adam Klein (33)
23. Ethan Zohn (3)
24. Sandra Diaz-Twine (7)
25. Denise Stapley (25)
26. Tommy Sheehan (39)
27. Tina Wesson (2)
28. Amber Brkich (8)
29. Vecepia Towery (4)
30. Nick Wilson (37)
31. Ben Driebergen (35)
32. Mike Holloway (30)
33. Brian Heidik (5)
34. Aras Baskauskas (12)
35. Michele Fitzgerald (32)
36. Jenna Morasca (6)
37. Danni Boatwright (11)
38. Natalie White (19)
39. Bob Crowley (17)
40. Jud “Fabio” Birza (21)
41. Chris Underwood (38)

Spoiler: Player Rankings

1. Parvati Shallow (13, 16, 20, 40)
2. Tony Vlachos (28, 34, 40)
3. Kim Spradlin (24, 40)
4. Cirie Fields (12, 16, 20, 34)
5. “Boston“ Rob Mariano (4, 8, 20, 22, 40)
6. Sandra Diaz-Twine (7, 20, 34, 40)
7. Sarah Lacina (28, 34, 40)
8. Jeremy Collins (29, 31, 40)
9. Yul Kwon (13, 40)
10. Tom Westman (10, 20)
11. Richard Hatch (1, 8)
12. Rob Cesternino (6, 8)
13. Todd Herzog (15)
14. Tyson Apostol (18, 20, 27, 40)
15. Sophie Clarke (23, 40)
16. Michele Fitzgerald (32, 40)
17. Russell Hantz (19, 20, 22)
18. Wendell Holland (36, 40)
19. Earl Cole (14)
20. John Cochran (23, 26)
21. Natalie Anderson (29, 40)
22. Chris Daugherty (9)
23. Domenick Abbate (36)
24. Kelley Wentworth (29, 31, 38)
25. Aubry Bracco (32, 34, 38)
26. David Wright (33, 38)
27. Ricard Foye (41)
28. Brian Heidik (5)
29. Spencer Bledsoe (28, 31)
30. Denise Stapley (25, 40)
31. Mike White (37)
32. Andrea Boehlke (22, 26, 34)
33. Yau-Man Chan (14, 16)
34. Malcolm Freberg (25, 26, 34)
35. Stephen Fishbach (18, 31)
36. Stephenie LaGrossa (10, 11, 20)
37. Amanda Kimmel (15, 16, 20)
38. Christian Hubicki (37)
39. Adam Klein (33, 40)
40. Ethan Zohn (3, 8, 40)
41. Tina Wesson (2, 8, 27)
42. Kathy Vavrick-O’Brien (4, 8)
43. Jerri Manthey (2, 8, 20)
44. Ciera Eastin (27, 31, 34)
45. Jonathan Penner (13, 16, 25)
46. Terry Deitz (12, 31)
47. Benjamin “Coach” Wade (18, 20, 23)
48. Lex van den Berghe (3, 8)
49. Nick Wilson (37, 40)
50. Aras Baskauskas (12, 27)
51. Devon Pinto (35)
52. Rupert Boneham (7, 8, 20, 27)
53. Chrissy Hofbeck (35)
54. Colby Donaldson (2, 8, 20)
55. Natalie Bolton (16)
56. Rafe Judkins (11)
57. Jenna Lewis (1, 8)
58. Jon “Jonny Fairplay” Dalton (7, 16)
59. Carolyn Rivera (30)
60. Cydney Gillon (32)
61. Amber Brkich (2, 8, 40)
62. Zeke Smith (33, 34)
63. Sue Hawk (1, 8)
64. Elisabeth Filarski (2)
65. Ami Cusack (9, 16)
66. Julie Berry (9)
67. Vecepia Towery (4)
68. Victoria Baamonde (38)
69. Tasha Fox (28, 31)
70. Sabrina Thompson (24)
71. Ozzy Lusth (13, 16, 23, 34)
72. Erika Casupanan (41)
73. Shan Smith (41)
74. Ben Driebergen (35, 40)
75. Jenna Morasca (6, 8)
76. Mike Holloway (30)
77. JT Thomas (18, 20, 34)
78. Tai Trang (32, 34)
79. Hayden Moss (27)
80. Trish Hegarty (28)
81. Burton Roberts (7)
82. Michael Yerger (36)
83. Jay Starrett (33)
84. Hannah Shapiro (33)
85. Danni Boatwright (11, 40)
86. Kass McQuillen (28, 31)
87. Gervase Peterson (1, 27)
88. Brenda Lowe (21, 26)
89. Erik Reichenbach (16, 26)
90. James Clement (15, 16, 20)
91. Ian Rosenberger (10)
92. Twila Tanner (9)
93. Holly Hoffman (21)
94. Lisa Whelchel (25)
95. Janet Carbin (39)
96. Tommy Sheehan (39)
97. Ron Clark (38)
98. Candice Woodcock/Cody (13, 20, 27)
99. Teresa “T-Bird” Cooper (3)
100. Lauren O’Connell (38)
101. Sierra Dawn Thomas (30, 34)
102. Rick Devens (38)
103. Sean Rector (4)
104. Danielle DiLorenzo (12, 20)
105. Alicia Calaway (2, 8)
106. Kelly Wiglesworth (1, 31)
107. Courtney Yates (15, 20)
108. Vytas Baskauskas (27, 31)
109. Jon Misch (29)
110. Dawn Meehan (23, 26)
111. Heidi Strobel (6)
112. Dan “Wardog” DaSilva (38)
113. Tom Buchanan (3, 8)
114. Davie Rickenbacker (37)
115. Monica Culpepper (24, 27)
116. Kellee Kim (39)
117. Kara Kay (37)
118. Joe Anglim (30, 31, 38)
119. Ken Hoang (17)
120. Scout Cloud Lee (9)
121. Gary Hogeboom (11)
122. Chris Hammons (33)
123. Gretchen Cordy (1)
124. Brad Culpepper (27, 34)
125. Kellyn Bechtold (36)
126. Jud “Fabio” Birza (21)
127. Debbie Wanner (32, 34)
128. Debbie Beebe (18)
129. Gavin Whitson (38)
130. Andrew Savage (7, 31)
131. John Carroll (4)
132. LJ McKanas (28)
133. Taj Johnson-George (18)
134. Kimmi Kappenberg (2, 31)
135. Shane Powers (12)
136. Eliza Orlins (9, 16)
137. Corinne Kaplan (17, 26)
138. Julia Sokolowski (32)
139. Randy Bailey (17, 20)
140. Rudy Boesch (1, 8)
141. Michaela Bradshaw (33, 34)
142. Natalie White (19)
143. Lauren Beck (39)
144. Alison Raybould (37)
145. Evvie Jagoda (41)
146. Kyle Jason (32)
147. Peih-Gee Law (15, 31)
148. Josh Canfield (29)
149. Abi-Maria Gomes (25, 31)
150. Matthew “Sash” Lenahan (21)
151. Lea “Sarge” Masters (9)
152. Woo Hwang (28, 31)
153. Chase Rice (21)
154. Jessica “Sugar” Kiper (17, 20)
155. Ryan Ulbrich (35)
156. Christa Hastie (7)
157. Alex Bell (6)
158. Tijuana Bradley (7)
159. Jeff Kent (25)
160. Neleh Dennis (4)
161. Pete Yurkowski (25)
162. Missy Payne (29)
163. Laura Morett (19, 27)
164. Troyzan Robertson (24, 34)
165. Rodney Lavoie (30)
166. Keith Nale (29, 31)
167. Nate Gonzalez (13)
168. Aaron Reisberger (15)
169. Shii Ann Huang (5, 8)
170. Tyler Fredrickson (30)
171. Chelsea Meissner (24)
172. Reed Kelly (29)
173. Lauren Rimmer (35)
174. Shirin Osooki (30, 31)
175. Helen Glover (5)
176. John Fincher (19)
177. Stephanie Johnson (36)
178. Roberta “RC” Saint-Amour (25)
179. Joe Mena (35)
180. Judd Sergeant (11)
181. Michelle Schubert (33)
182. Brian Corridan (11)
183. Deena Bennett (6)
184. Neal Gotlieb (32)
185. Bret LaBelle (33)
186. John Hennigan (37)
187. Jaclyn Schultz (29)
188. Erinn Lobdell (18)
189. Desi Williams (35)
190. Jenn Lyon (10)
191. Missy Byrd (39)
192. Deshawn Radden (41)
193. Julie Rosenberg (38)
194. Sherea Lloyd (15)
195. Jeremiah Wood (28)
196. Ashley Nolan (35)
197. Laurel Johnson (36)
198. Gabby Pascuzzi (37)
199. Elaine Stott (39)
200. Jessica Lewis (33)
201. Dean Kowalski (39)
202. Tracy Hughes-Wolf (16)
203. Eric Hafemann (38)
204. Jamal Shipman (39)
205. Naseer Muttalif (41)
206. Jake Billingsley (5)
207. Gregg Carey (10)
208. Michael Snow (26)
209. Adam Gentry (13)
210. Hali Ford (30, 34)
211. Colleen Haskell (1)
212. Ashley Underwood (22)
213. Matthew von Ertfelda (6)
214. Jefra Bland (28)
215. Greg Buis (1)
216. Cindy Hall (11)
217. Scot Pollard (32)
218. Karishma Patel (39)
219. Dr. Mike Zahalsky (35)
220. Reynold Toepfer (26)
221. Michael Skupin (2, 25)
222. Frosti Zernow (15)
223. Marcus Lehman (17)
224. Albert Destrade (23)
225. Jenny Guzon-Bae (13)
226. Tammy Leitner (4)
227. Alec Merlino (37)
228. Aurora McCreary (38)
229. Charlie Herschel (17)
230. Donathan Hurley (36)
231. Bob Crowley (17)
232. Danny McCray (41)
233. Caleb Bankston (27)
234. Alex Angarita (14)
235. Jonas Otsuji (24)
236. Jessica Johnston (35)
237. Xander Hastings (41)
238. Andria “Dreamz” Herd (14)
239. Kelly Goldsmith (3)
240. Katie Gallagher (10)
241. Jim Rice (23)
242. Dave Ball (19)
243. Courtney Marit (12)
244. Crystal (17)
245. Jaison Robinson (19)
246. Julia Carter (38)
247. Chris Underwood (38)
248. Michael Jefferson (24)
249. Ryan Opray (7)
250. Cole Medders (35)
251. Matty Whitmore (17)
252. Baylor Wilson (29)
253. Elizabeth Beisel (39)
254. Liana Wallace (41)
255. Jay Byars (24)
256. Rodger Bingham (2)
257. Christy Smith (6)
258. Sierra Reed (18)
259. Shannon “Shambo” Waters (19)
260. Austin Carty (12)
261. Michelle Yi (14)
262. Ali Elliott (35)
263. Angelina Keeley (37)
264. Tiffany Seely (41)
265. Denise Martin (15)
266. Ace Gordon (17)
267. Marty Piombo (21)
268. Desiree Afuye (36)
269. Dan Barry (12)
270. Monica Padilla (19, 31)
271. Sally Schumann (12)
272. James “Chad” Crittenden (9)
273. Jean-Robert Bellande (15)
274. Bobby Jon Drinkard (10, 11)
275. Cassandra Franklin (14)
276. Aaron Meredith (39)
277. Elizabeth Olson (37)
278. Ken McNickle (33)
279. Natalie Tennerelli (22)
280. Will Wahl (33)
281. Stacy Kimball (14)
282. Caryn Groedel (10)
283. Dan Rengering (37)
284. Alexis Jones (16)
285. Lillian Morris (7)
286. Sunday Burquest (33)
287. Grant Mattos (22)
288. Bradley Kleihege (36)
289. Nick Brown (2)
290. Eddie Fox (26)
291. Paschal English (4)
292. Kelly Remington (30)
293. Kat Edorsson (24, 27)
294. Angie Jacusz (10)
295. Becky Lee (13)
296. Rory Freeman (9)
297. Alicia Rosa (24)
298. Chris Noble (36)
299. Lydia Morales (11)
300. Libby Vincek (36)
301. Carl Boudreaux (37)
302. Hunter Ellis (4)
303. Penny Ramsey (5)
304. Brett Clouser (19)
305. Susie Smith (17)
306. Clay Jordan (5)
307. Noura Salman (39)
308. Will Sims (30)
309. Nick Maiorano (32)
310. Whitney Duncan (23)
311. Lyrsa Torres (37)
312. Greg “Tarzan” Smith (24)
313. Bruce Kanegai (12)
314. Alec Christy (29)
315. Kenward “Boo” Bernis (14)
316. Kim Powers (3)
317. Mick Trimming (19)
318. Brandon Quinton (3)
319. Chelsea Townsend (36)
320. Jane Bright (21)
321. Phillip Sheppard (22, 26)
322. Cole Medders (35)
323. Heather Aldret (41)
324. Katie Collins (27)
325. Ted Rogers (5)
326. Angela Perkins (36)
327. Edna Ma (23)
328. Artis Sylvester (25)
329. Darrah Johnson (7)
330. Brandon Bellinger (11)
331. Sherri Biethman (26)
332. Keith Famie (2)
333. Leann Slaby (9)
334. Kim Johnson (3)
335. Coby Archa (10)
336. NaOnka Mixon (21)
337. Jessica “Figgy” Figueroa (33)
338. Caleb Reynolds (32, 34)
339. Ralph Kiser (22)
340. Brandon Hantz (23, 26)
341. Morgan McLeod (28)
342. Cliff Robinson (28)
343. Sydney Segal (41)
344. Alina Wilson (21)
345. Joe Del Campo (32)
346. Ken Stafford (5)
347. Amy O’Hara (11)
348. John Cody (27)
349. Mari Takahashi (33)
350. Kelly Bruno (21)
351. Jason Linden (39)
352. Alexis Maxwell (28)
353. Erik Cardona (19)
354. Joe Dowdle (18)
355. David Murphy (22)
356. Jill Behm (21)
357. Margaret Bobonich (11)
358. Butch Lockley (6)
359. Carter Williams (25)
360. Mike Chiesl (22)
361. Sebastian Noel (36)
362. Brendan Synnott (18)
363. Yve Rojas (21)
364. Julie Wolfe (22)
365. Wes Nale (29)
366. Edgardo Rivera (14)
367. Brendan Shapiro (36)
368. Jeff Varner (2, 31, 34)
369. Dan Kay (17)
370. James Lim (36)
371. Zoe Zanidakis (4)
372. Joel Anderson (16)
373. Paul Wachter (33)
374. Matt Bischoff (26)
375. Gina Crews (4)
376. Spencer Duhm (18)
377. Stephanie Valencia (22)
378. Tyrone Davis (21)
379. Jenn Brown (30)
380. Jan Gentry (5)
381. Jamie Newton (11)
382. Dave Johnson (6)
383. Sydney Wheeler (18)
384. Jenna Bowman (36)
385. Liz Kim (19)
386. Ben “Benry” Henry (21)
387. Taylor Stocker (33)
388. Brad Virata (13)
389. Nick Stanbury (12)
390. Clarence Black (3)
391. Sundra Oakley (13)
392. Russell Swan (19, 25)
393. Jeanne Hebert (6)
394. Joel Klug (1)
395. Bobby Mason (12)
396. Sean Kenniff (1)
397. Robert “The General” DeCanio (4)
398. Genie Chen (41)
399. Erin Collins (5)
400. Travis “Bubba” Sampson (9)
401. John Kenney (9)
402. Jack Nichting (39)
403. David Voce (41)
404. Brice Johnston (28)
405. Steve Wright (22)
406. Mookie Lee (14)
407. Frank Garrison (3)
408. Rebecca Borman (13)
409. Keith Tollefson (23)
410. JD Robinson (41)
411. Leif Manson (24)
412. Ruth-Marie Milliman (12)
413. Jaime Dugan (15)
414. Silas Gaither (3)
415. Ashley Trainer (19)
416. Mikayla Wingle (23)
417. Chelsea Walker (39)
418. Dale Wentworth (29)
419. James “Rocky” Reid (14)
420. Jessica “Flicka” Smith (13)
421. Alecia Holden (32)
422. Joaquin Souberbielle (30)
423. Katie Hanson (25)
424. Kristina Kell (22)
425. Morgan Ricke (36)
426. Jacquie Berg (17)
427. Brad Reese (41)
428. James Miller (10)
429. Rick Nelson (23)
430. Brady Finta (9)
431. Kelly Sharbaugh (19)
432. Wendy Diaz (38)
433. Cristina Coria (13)
434. Dan Foley (30)
435. Erik Huffman (15)
436. Dana Lambert (25)
437. Julia Landauer (26)
438. Ibrehem Rahman (10)
439. Natalia Azoqa (37)
440. Lindsey Ogle (28)
441. Shawn Cohen (7)
442. Jason Siska (16)
443. JP Hilsabeck (35)
444. Anh-Tuan “Cao Boi” Bui (13)
445. Misty Giles (12)
446. Lindsey Cascaddan (30)
447. Trish Dunn (7)
448. Anthony Robinson (14)
449. Lisa Keiffer (9)
450. Jimmy Johnson (21)
451. Max Dawson (30)
452. Peter Baggenstos (32)
453. Cece Taylor (33)
454. Molly Byman (39)
455. Sara Wilson (41)
456. John Rocker (29)
457. Sarah Dawson (25)
458. Sarita White (22)
459. Krista Klumpp (22)
460. Rita Verreos (14)
461. Lindsey Richter (3)
462. Dirk Been (1)
463. Darnell Hamilton (32)
464. Roark Luskin (35)
465. Dan Lembo (21)
466. Stephanie Gonzalez (36)
467. Tina Scheer (12)
468. Liz Markham (32)
469. Blake Towsley (11)
470. Ryan Shoulders (7)
471. Carl Bilancione (3)
472. Maralyn Hershey (2)
473. Ramona Gray (1)
474. Francesca Hogi (22, 26)
475. James “Jimmy T” Tarantino (21)
476. Matt Elrod (22)
477. Marisa Calihan (19)
478. Bi Nguyen (37)
479. Kelly Czarnecki (17)
480. Jessica Peet (37)
481. Shawna Mitchell (6)
482. Mitchell Olson (2)
483. Jennifer Lanzetti (32)
484. Mikey Bortone (16)
485. Alan Ball (35)
486. Stacey Stillman (1)
487. Stephannie Favor (13)
488. Pat Cusack (37)
489. Natalie Cole (37)
490. BB Anderson (1)
491. Sonja Christopher (1)
492. Leslie Nease (15)
493. JP Calderon (13)
494. Christina Cha (24)
495. Jim Lynch (11)
496. JoAnna Ward (6)
497. Lucy Huang (33)
498. Laura Alexander (26)
499. Marissa Peterson (27)
500. Tom Laidlaw (39)
501. Sylvia Kwan (14)
502. Sandy Burgin (18)
503. Cecelia Mansilla (13)
504. Val Collins (29)
505. Jacob Derwin (36)
506. So Kim (30)
507. Elysa Unemoto (23)
508. Melinda Hyder (12)
509. Ghandia Johnson (5)
510. Stacey Powell (23)
511. Roger Sexton (6)
512. Jed Hildebrand (5)
513. Daniel Lue (6)
514. Allie Pohevitz (26)
515. Hope Driskill (26)
516. Rachel Foulgar (27)
517. Bill Posley (24)
518. Mark “Papa Bear” Caruso (23)
519. Mary Sartain (16)
520. Jeremy Crawford (37)
521. Colton Cumbie (24, 27)
522. Laura Boneham (27)
523. Jerry Sims (18)
524. Nadiya Anderson (29)
525. Vince Moua (39)
526. Drew Christy (29)
527. Brooke Struck (11)
528. Betsy Bolan (19)
529. Anna Khait (32)
530. Jeff Wilson (10)
531. Willard Smith (10)
532. Angie Layton (25)
533. JP Palyok (9)
534. Michelle Tesauro (7)
535. Robb Zbacnik (5)
536. Mia Galeotalanza (9)
537. Christine Shields Markoski (23)
538. Patrick Bolton (35)
539. Dave Cruser (15)
540. Mike Borassi (19)
541. Candace Smith (18)
542. Morgan McDevitt (11)
543. Sarah Jones (4)
544. Yasmin Giles (19)
545. Liliana Gomez (14)
546. Dolly Neely (9)
547. Katrina Radke (35)
548. Keith Sowell (38)
549. Eric Abraham (41)
550. Kim Mullen (10)
551. Brook Geraghty (9)
552. Michelle Chase (17)
553. Nicole Delma (7)
554. Simone Nguyen (35)
555. Gabriel Cade (4)
556. Gary Stritesky (14)
557. Ashley Massaro (15)
558. Roxanne “Roxy” Morris (25)
559. Matt Quinlan (24)
560. Paloma Soto-Castillo (17)
561. Semhar Tadesse (23)
562. John Raymond (5)
563. Janet Koth (6)
564. Patricia Jackson (4)
565. Reem Daly (38)
566. Carolina Eastwood (18)
567. Nina Acosta (24)
568. Jessica DeBen (14)
569. Erica Durousseau (14)
570. Virgilio “Billy” Garcia (13)
571. Stephanie Dill (5)
572. Linda Spencer (3)
573. Brianna Varela (11)
574. Ryan Aiken (6)
575. Jessie Camacho (3)
576. Nina Poersch (30)
577. Ronnie Bardah (39)
578. Rachel Ako (33)
579. Shannon Elkins (21)
580. Osten Taylor (7)
581. Tanya Vance (5)
582. Gillian Larson (17)
583. Chet Welch (16)
584. Kel Gleason (2)
585. Ashlee Ashby (10)
586. Debb Eaton (2)
587. Diane Ogden (3)
588. Peter Harkey (4)
589. J’Tia Taylor (28)
590. Danny “GC” Brown (17)
591. Zane Knight (25)
592. Shamar Thomas (26)
593. Jolanda Jones (10)
594. Kourtney Moon (24)
595. Garrett Adelstein (28)
596. Sekou Bunch (13)
597. David Samson (28)
598. Wendy DeSmidt-Kohlhoff (21)
599. “Chicken” Morris (15)
600. Jonathan Libby (10)
601. Wanda Shirk (10)
602. Vince Sly (30)
603. Janu Tornell (10)
604. Ben Browning (19)
605. Lisette “Lisi” Linares (14)
606. Julie McGee (29)
607. Kathy Sleckman (16)
608. Kelly Shinn (21)
609. Dan Spilo (39)

 

[Jedijax719]

Wow, I had NO idea there were people here who watch Survivor let alone a thread about it! I had been analyzing the show and posting on major forums since 2001.

I liked that Erika won and that she explained her entire game. However, I wished we had seen more of it. Here is a very interesting graphic which shows how poorly female winners have been featured.

 

[PUSH]

Wow, I had NO idea there were people here who watch Survivor let alone a thread about it! I had been analyzing the show and posting on major forums since 2001.

I liked that Erika won and that she explained her entire game. However, I wished we had seen more of it. Here is a very interesting graphic which shows how poorly female winners have been featured.View attachment 611658

Yes! We've been posting here for years. I actually got into Survivor after seeing the Survivor Caramoan thread here on WDWMagic. That was the first season I watched, and I've seen every episode since. As well as gone back to watch every season a second time. Once Survivor 42 gets closer, I'll start a new thread. Feel free to join. It's a lot of fun to talk with everyone about the show. Especially since for the most part, we all know the history of the show... unlike anyone in my real life. We'd love to have another person!

I saw this chart recently, too. It's crazy that someone like Chris Underwood has been edited more than some of those other winners. And it goes to show how much less of an edit women and POC receive. Even someone like Kim who immediately comes to mind as a dominant edit still ranks 12th, yet is the most over-edited woman to win. It's also a little surprising that Parvati's win is so under edited, given she's widely considered one of the top 5 winners of all time.

 

[Jedijax719]

^^^Darn it! I wish I could use the time stone and go back in time just a little bit to discuss the season in real time (or just go back a couple of weeks and also have Christmas break again lol).

I read a few posts and this would have been the place to reflect my feelings too. I LOVED Shan and also Liana this season. I also like Evvie. I like Erika but never saw her as an entity. As you said @PUSH I was very upset FOR Erika not AT Erika. She did what most "under the radar" (or in what we call Edgic as UTR) winners are never shown to do. She explained her entire pathway from start to finish and won the jury over. Some of Shan and Xander's screentime could have been shared with Erika. A confessional here and there during the pre-merge time, a couple more confessionals discussing the impact of her hourglass smash in episode 7, etc. It would just have taken a tiny bit more attention to showcase the first female winner in 4 years (yes it's been that long). Just enough to catch the viewers attention but still having people like Shan, Deshawn, Xander, and Ricard as distractions. Heck, show us more about her relationship with Heather and the rest of her tribe for that matter. The season made me think of Rise of Skywalker....a good sequel to a movie we never really got to see, making it look like not such a good sequel. Erika explained to us a game she played very well while we were denied to see it.

If I could sum it up, I'd say that this season needs an "extended director's cut". It was a good season, but there were serious gaps in editing. The chart I posted says it all about how Survivor is edited. The most highly edited female winner was on an all-female tribe.

All of this bad editing spits in the face of the fact that the Asian community has, this past year, finally come into focus as being targeted by certain other groups and finally being recognized for their struggles as well as accomplishments. Really sucks because Erika is, without a doubt, someone I would have rooted for from the start but they just didn't give her much screentime pre-merge.

Btw, I watched my first episode of Survivor when Greg Buis was voted off. My parents convinced me to watch it. Soon after I realized that my neighbor and friend from high school (Doctor Sean Kenniff) was on the show. Been hooked since. I had posted on Survivorsucks for many many years but stopped when it became way to immature and hostile. I returned to a sub-site within the main one where they discuss "Edgic" (editing and logic to predict winners). I joined a couple of Facebook pages but left at least one of them because many of the posters were clearly acting like subtle or direct sexists or even, in cases, sounding racist. Looking back at posts here THIS is the place I should have been discussing!

You bet I will be ready for discussion on Survivor 42! Bring it on!

 

[BrianLo]

I'm late too! I enjoy the conversation of edits. I binged the whole season so it is still fresh.

Erika could have received a slightly better edit. It would have been nice to know she was a Canadian player well before the tail end of the season.

BUT... I get why the edit went down the way it did though and have to excuse the producers somewhat. She simply never had a vote pre-merge. Nor did any events or challenges really seem to hinge around her early on. Certainly it wasn't for lack of a foreword edit or woman or POC. I think Shan in many ways got the heaviest edit. Which is too bad because I do think Erika will be lumped in with bad winners by some, it's not her fault that she was in a winning tribe for the first half of the game.

What is up with all the American's just rolling with the Survivor in Quarters analogy? Especially when over and over again they kept saying there were three to Survivor.

I have to wonder if Xander had way more character flaws than the edit let on. He wasn't just a goat. Liana had that very odd comment about hating his face and not being able to stand him. At the time I thought that was petty and out of the blue... but I figure something else had to have been there.

He seemed to be an Eric (the one who gave away his idol) type who just simply never got run over by the strategist.

 

[Jedijax719]

Yeah the way Erika described her journey and the way the other players called her bright and a good player, I REALLY want to see THAT version of the season. I have no doubt we could still see a lot from Shan, Liana, Xander, Deshawn, and Evvie while still seeing most of Erika's journey. Her win would still be a nice surprise because she'd still have been hidden somewhat by the others I mentioned. I'd rather have seen her type of win than someone who simply finds idols all the time like Ben and Mike.

 

[PUSH]

I'm late too! I enjoy the conversation of edits. I binged the whole season so it is still fresh.

Erika could have received a slightly better edit. It would have been nice to know she was a Canadian player well before the tail end of the season.

BUT... I get why the edit went down the way it did though and have to excuse the producers somewhat. She simply never had a vote pre-merge. Nor did any events or challenges really seem to hinge around her early on. Certainly it wasn't for lack of a foreword edit or woman or POC. I think Shan in many ways got the heaviest edit. Which is too bad because I do think Erika will be lumped in with bad winners by some, it's not her fault that she was in a winning tribe for the first half of the game.

What is up with all the American's just rolling with the Survivor in Quarters analogy? Especially when over and over again they kept saying there were three to Survivor.

I have to wonder if Xander had way more character flaws than the edit let on. He wasn't just a goat. Liana had that very odd comment about hating his face and not being able to stand him. At the time I thought that was petty and out of the blue... but I figure something else had to have been there.

He seemed to be an Eric (the one who gave away his idol) type who just simply never got run over by the strategist.

On multiple RHAP podcasts they speculate about Xander's edit. One theory being that he's the person kids will get hooked on, so they want to paint in a positive light to encourage future Survivor fans and players. Not that that's right.

I think Liana's comment was just a response for someone her age. That's something a 20-year-old would say, and they don't mean it, and nobody takes it seriously. It sounds like they had a flirtatious enemy-type of relationship going on.

 

[PUSH]

Yeah the way Erika described her journey and the way the other players called her bright and a good player, I REALLY want to see THAT version of the season. I have no doubt we could still see a lot from Shan, Liana, Xander, Deshawn, and Evvie while still seeing most of Erika's journey. Her win would still be a nice surprise because she'd still have been hidden somewhat by the others I mentioned. I'd rather have seen her type of win than someone who simply finds idols all the time like Ben and Mike.

The Ben and Mike winners are my least favorite. It's why I was so hoping Devens wouldn't win... although in hindsight I would have gladly taken that over what actually happened that season.

There's just not a lot of fun in it. Ben and Mike didn't have good social or strategic games. And Devens had the abilities, but even he got to the point where he didn't have to use them and ended up being boisterous and obnoxious to everyone.

I'd much rather have a Natalie White or Michele Fitzgerald winner, who used their social game, than someone who finds idols and wins challenges, but hasn't showcased any other skills for the majority of the post-merge. Even if that player doesn't get the big, fancy edit.

It's also a more effective strategy. There are a lot more "social" winners than "idol/challenge" winners.

 

[Jedijax719]

Chrissy should have won season 35 in my opinion, but Ben was the American Hero so, you know. He is a good guy, no doubt about it. But it was the typical case (that Sarah eluded to on season 35) where we had a female strategist who was seen as a b@#$% whereas if it were Boston Rob or Tony he's be a mastermind.

With Michelle, we at least got her perspective throughout. I wished Erika got an edit like her. I wanted Aubry to win, but Michelle got a decent edit that season. Erika COULD have gotten, based on her own admission of gameplay, an edit like Cirie.

But at least we don't have to create our own headcanon for Erika's win. We heard her gameplay, we saw how the jury appreciated it, we got just enough big episodes to see where she was at emotionally and strategically. It wasn't necessarily shown as a journey, but the game was there to at least perceive the journey that wasn't shown.

 

[PUSH]

Chrissy should have won season 35 in my opinion, but Ben was the American Hero so, you know. He is a good guy, no doubt about it. But it was the typical case (that Sarah eluded to on season 35) where we had a female strategist who was seen as a b@#$% whereas if it were Boston Rob or Tony he's be a mastermind.

With Michelle, we at least got her perspective throughout. I wished Erika got an edit like her. I wanted Aubry to win, but Michelle got a decent edit that season. Erika COULD have gotten, based on her own admission of gameplay, an edit like Cirie.

But at least we don't have to create our own headcanon for Erika's win. We heard her gameplay, we saw how the jury appreciated it, we got just enough big episodes to see where she was at emotionally and strategically. It wasn't necessarily shown as a journey, but the game was there to at least perceive the journey that wasn't shown.

Chrissy is an interesting one for me. Yes, in my opinion, she should have won HHH. However, I went back over the past year or two to rewatch all the seasons. I ranked all the seasons, winners, and every single player in the process. HHH was last summer, and I was surprised to find that Chrissy played a pretty flawed game. She didn't have strong social skills. She was very transparent. It was obvious she that when she was trying to be caring and win people over with her social game, that she was only doing it to advance herself, and it wasn't 100% genuine. Prior to my rewatch, I thought she played a pretty perfect game. I think the fan think influenced me in that way. On RHAP's top 40 countdown, he and the panel had similar thoughts about her gameplay. So I see why she lost. Honestly, I think Devon played the better game that season, and I think he would have won if he beat Ben at fire.

 

[PUSH]

The Survivor 42 cast dropped today! I created a new thread. Come on over and join the fun! I'm excited to talk Survivor again!

Survivor 42 Discussion Thread

It's that time again! The Survivor preseason is back! This time for Survivor 42. The cast announcement was dropped today. Take a look below. I look forward to talking Survivor with everyone again! https://parade.com/1332679/mikebloom/survivor-42-cast/

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[The Great Gonzo]

41 was so bad that I'm not sure if I'm going to watch the next one.

It was racist, woke and they didn't even give the win to the right person. Whose offended by the term "Come on in Guys!"

 

[The Great Gonzo]

If you want to watch a real Survivor, check out "Australian Survivor". It's on the streaming service "Paramount Plus".

 

[PUSH]

Just a reminder that Survivor 42 starts on Wednesday! Come join the new thread! I may also be posting this link again because I'm talking to myself over there.

Survivor 42 Discussion Thread

It's that time again! The Survivor preseason is back! This time for Survivor 42. The cast announcement was dropped today. Take a look below. I look forward to talking Survivor with everyone again! https://parade.com/1332679/mikebloom/survivor-42-cast/

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[Jedijax719]

Oops wrong thread