Survivor 44 Discussion Thread

[PUSH]

Overall a pretty "meh" finale. This is the fourth time we've had a med-evac during the premiere, following Kourtney from One World, Pat from DvG, and Jackson from 42. Never fun to have an evacuation in the premiere.

I didn't really get all the commotion at Tribal Council. I don't know why Jaime and Matthew both played their shots in the dark. But I did not expect Maddy to go home. That's too bad, because her preseason profile was amazing. She described herself as feral.

My favorite moment from the premiere was when Claire and Matthew were sitting out of the challenge, and Claire says "excuse me" and totally throws someone she's never met under the bus. Claire gives me villain energy, and I'm here for it.

Carolyn was a whirlwind. She stopped in the middle of the opening challenge to take off her pants. To help her throw a ring up a pole. Legendary move. She compared herself to Noura in the preseason, and I get it. I hope she turns out to be more than Noura, though.

I think this cast will be great, but the premiere was bogged down by Dr. Will. He is leading in the edgic world so far.

 

[PUSH]

After thinking about it a bit more, it was actually a very interesting Tribal Council. Brandon saved himself. Three players did not vote. A shot in the dark finally worked. I think I'll have a better vibe for the premiere after listening to podcasts. The medical visits just kind of brought the overall feel down on first impressions.

 

[cjack300zx]

To me the last two seasons have just been okay, last nights episode was great and I’m excited for the rest of the season

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I didn't watch until today. I read that it was advantage heavy but it didn't turn out so bad in that department.

Cross tribal communications can be fun. Especially if there's a swap and people are still working together, as has been seen on other versions of the show. Will swaps ever return? They like to mix things up yet are still stuck on this 6-6-6 and then merge format.

Playing shot in the dark now? Why? If you're on the bottom today you're on the bottom tomorrow. Didn't quite get it.

Too bad Bruce couldn't return after a thorough check up. Heck, Australian Survivor lets players miss an entire tribal council if in need of medical treatment, and they return having been immune from that tribal. Edited to add after the fact, he said in an interview he had a concussion so needed more than 24 hours to recover.

Rob Cesternino actually called Australian Survivor the best of the franchise a few weeks ago, and this episode comes on the heels of an epic merge week for that franchise. Australian Survivor is not the best of the franchise, it has highs and lows, but right now it's delivering a huge high and that has to impact the fan reaction amongst those watching both series.

 

[JPPT1974]

Really the ending was pretty dramatic. Taking risks and knowing that it turned out right.

 

[Jedijax719]

Too early to make any assessment this season. However, I have tried to watch a bunch of Aussie Survivor. All I can say is that the 2000's called and want their gamestyle back. Shaking my head at the insanely sloppy gameplay these Aussies take part in. Breakdown:
1. George is a condescending, arrogant, , but he is clearly insecure in his alliance. That's the only explanation as to why he wouldn't want to split votes with a 7-3 alliance. Has he EVER watched US Survivor? You HAVE to split the votes and you should have split them between Simon and Sam. He's a bully but not really that great of a player. He wouldn't stand a chance against people like Rob, Hantz, Devins, Jesse, and would be crushed by Tony and even Sandra. Heck, even Maryann would have gotten together a plan to get rid of him.
2. Hayley is a winner, eh? Does she not know that joining a 7-person alliance as the #6 or #7 is a dead person's curse? She says that Simon forced his way into a minority alliance. Um...reality check. So did you. You could have become a new #3 or #4 or EVEN a #1 or #2 if you turned the tables. She should also have banked on voting out Simon unless she wants Simon there. By her words, that's not the case.
3. I had to watch the pre-vote drama and edit this one. I still think it was a HORRIBLE move not to show two idols to the rest of them. Take a page out of the Yul-Hantz-Tony-Jesse-Devins-Sarah-Kim-Jeremy (etc etc etc) playbook.
4. A FINAL 7 alliance? Are you friggin' kidding me? NOBODY in their right mind joins a final 7 alliance on the bottom unless there's a contingency plan. Fake it until you can break it. Hayley and Simon should have been playing both sides and make the minority feel desperate. Nina is the heir to the queen. She's not going to sit back and settle. Certainly her mama taught her better than that. Hayley should have solidified something with Simon, Nina, Sam and Shaun for THIS tribal council. I guess having won makes you soft. No winners-at-war game play for you. Last to join a final 7 are the first to leave.

 

[flynnibus]

Carolyn is going to melt people's brains in just days and people are going to vote her out just to remove her from their life. The fact she seems a huge challenge liability is just grease for the skids.

They are changing the game into 'who has what advantage and plays when' instead of actual challenges and people's social skills to manage their way through their tribes. I'm falling more and more out of favor with the show.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Too early to make any assessment this season. However, I have tried to watch a bunch of Aussie Survivor. All I can say is that the 2000's called and want their gamestyle back. Shaking my head at the insanely sloppy gameplay these Aussies take part in. Breakdown:
1. George is a condescending, arrogant, , but he is clearly insecure in his alliance. That's the only explanation as to why he wouldn't want to split votes with a 7-3 alliance. Has he EVER watched US Survivor? You HAVE to split the votes and you should have split them between Simon and Sam. He's a bully but not really that great of a player. He wouldn't stand a chance against people like Rob, Hantz, Devins, Jesse, and would be crushed by Tony and even Sandra. Heck, even Maryann would have gotten together a plan to get rid of him.
2. Hayley is a winner, eh? Does she not know that joining a 7-person alliance as the #6 or #7 is a dead person's curse? She says that Simon forced his way into a minority alliance. Um...reality check. So did you. You could have become a new #3 or #4 or EVEN a #1 or #2 if you turned the tables. She should also have banked on voting out Simon unless she wants Simon there. By her words, that's not the case.
3. I had to watch the pre-vote drama and edit this one. I still think it was a HORRIBLE move not to show two idols to the rest of them. Take a page out of the Yul-Hantz-Tony-Jesse-Devins-Sarah-Kim-Jeremy (etc etc etc) playbook.
4. A FINAL 7 alliance? Are you friggin' kidding me? NOBODY in their right mind joins a final 7 alliance on the bottom unless there's a contingency plan. Fake it until you can break it. Hayley and Simon should have been playing both sides and make the minority feel desperate. Nina is the heir to the queen. She's not going to sit back and settle. Certainly her mama taught her better than that. Hayley should have solidified something with Simon, Nina, Sam and Shaun for THIS tribal council. I guess having won makes you soft. No winners-at-war game play for you. Last to join a final 7 are the first to leave.

There's a secret scene on Youtube about the George/Hayley relationship and players have confirmed she played up the rivalry to protect herself.

They're close friends outside the game and were ALWAYS going to be a team once they were on the same tribe. She is not joining a group at the bottom.

I don't know why there wasn't a vote split but I think you're underselling George. He's been on the bottom several times and always turns it around. He has made moves people will talk about for years to come.

There's a reason Survivor AU is overshadowing US Survivor right now.

 

[Jedijax719]

There's a secret scene on Youtube about the George/Hayley relationship and players have confirmed she played up the rivalry to protect herself.

They're close friends outside the game and were ALWAYS going to be a team once they were on the same tribe. She is not joining a group at the bottom.

I don't know why there wasn't a vote split but I think you're underselling George. He's been on the bottom several times and always turns it around. He has made moves people will talk about for years to come.

There's a reason Survivor AU is overshadowing US Survivor right now.

So is there an international season on the horizon at some point? I'd love to see George, Hayley and others from Australia go up against Tony, Devins, Jesse, etc.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

So is there an international season on the horizon at some point? I'd love to see George, Hayley and others from Australia go up against Tony, Devins, Jesse, etc.

It's a fan dream, but is it realistic?

I don't know what the audience crossover is but I'm guessing most US viewers would have no idea who the international players are. They could still enjoy it just as they enjoyed Fans vs. Favorites but it wouldn't be the big selling point.

On the flipside, most international viewers started by watching US Survivor before getting a local version, so they'd be invested in it.

The most likely candidate is Australis who have already brought in Russell and Sandra, however, the international versions have smaller budgets and don't even do runner-up prizes, so would they be able to attract many US players? Granted, it's rumored Sandra was paid an appearance fee.

 

[PUSH]

Carolyn is going to melt people's brains in just days and people are going to vote her out just to remove her from their life. The fact she seems a huge challenge liability is just grease for the skids.

They are changing the game into 'who has what advantage and plays when' instead of actual challenges and people's social skills to manage their way through their tribes. I'm falling more and more out of favor with the show.

The biggest problem with seasons 41 and 43 were that we hardly knew anybody. We didn't know social dynamics. I think part of that is the 26 day format. It doesn't allow as much time to build strong bonds, so therefore it's not as exciting when blindsides happen. It feels like there isn't as much at stake when we don't truly know how close people are.

I thought 42 was a very good season, and I feel like we knew the players better. Even Lindsay, who we didn't hear from for most of the pre-merge, got lots of airtime in the post merge. She ended up becoming my favorite player.

 

[PUSH]

It's a fan dream, but is it realistic?

I don't know what the audience crossover is but I'm guessing most US viewers would have no idea who the international players are. They could still enjoy it just as they enjoyed Fans vs. Favorites but it wouldn't be the big selling point.

On the flipside, most international viewers started by watching US Survivor before getting a local version, so they'd be invested in it.

The most likely candidate is Australis who have already brought in Russell and Sandra, however, the international versions have smaller budgets and don't even do runner-up prizes, so would they be able to attract many US players? Granted, it's rumored Sandra was paid an appearance fee.

I watched part of Brains vs Beauty when it was on Paramount+. I never got to finish it because they pulled the international seasons without warning. I know who some of the Australian players are, but unless you're a RHAP listener, you probably don't know who any of them are. And while RHAP has a large following, I'm not sure we make up a large enough audience to warrant it.

Jeff has also been apprehensive in the past from bringing in players from different reality shows. He didn't want Hayden in 27. The only others we've had have been Natalie/Nadiya and Caleb. And I think Caleb is the only one Jeff actually wanted. The others were pushed by Lynn Spillman. Now that she's out and Jeff pretty much runs casting, I think we're pretty much done with players from other shows.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

They are changing the game into 'who has what advantage and plays when' instead of actual challenges and people's social skills to manage their way through their tribes. I'm falling more and more out of favor with the show.

I can't disagree, but, I think the post merge show is still pretty decent. They want every tribal to be a surprise and to be dramatic, so we have these small tribes to start and a lot of advantages.

It makes the pre-merge more interesting, from the perspective of the show, and perhaps the pre-merge in general just isn't that impactful on the game as a whole, so I can kind of let it go knowing the "real" show starts later.

 

[Jedijax719]

@PUSH
@Wendy Pleakley
Thanks-you guys seem up on all this international stuff.
Another question: in Australia, do they make fire in the final 4? I looked up seasons and voting and it seems that in most, they straight up vote like they used to (I HATE the fire challenge in the USA).

I've also seen records of a few 2-1-1 votes in the final 4 in Oz. That takes some major brilliant work on the players and is something we never saw in the US.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

@PUSH
@Wendy Pleakley
Thanks-you guys seem up on all this international stuff.
Another question: in Australia, do they make fire in the final 4? I looked up seasons and voting and it seems that in most, they straight up vote like they used to (I HATE the fire challenge in the USA).

I've also seen records of a few 2-1-1 votes in the final 4 in Oz. That takes some major brilliant work on the players and is something we never saw in the US.

They do not. I know South Africa has outright said they won't do it. Their producer is a super fan himself and really adheres to that core gameplay where voting is what matters.

Australia has a new executive producer this year which appears to be why the show is much better than recent years, which had some bad and dubious twists that impacted gameplay.

Australia still has a lot of non-elimination votes, because of their episode count, but they've been handled better this season.

 

[Jedijax719]

Thanks! I heard rumors and read some stuff about this season so that is why I am asking.

Has US Survivor had a player like George in a long time or at all? I can't imagine someone like George in US Survivor making it far at all....not in this day and age. Hantz was the closest and his seasons changed the way the game was played moving forward. People have their radars up quickly for people like that now.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Thanks! I heard rumors and read some stuff about this season so that is why I am asking.

Has US Survivor had a player like George in a long time or at all? I can't imagine someone like George in US Survivor making it far at all....not in this day and age. Hantz was the closest and his seasons changed the way the game was played moving forward. People have their radars up quickly for people like that now.

Australia recruits some cast members because they're well known (i.e. professional athletes) to drive ratings.

As a result you get players who haven't even watched the show.

This season has a mix of experienced players and people who know almost nothing about Survivor. There have been some fun players in the past whose lack of knowledge ends up paying off, but this season has a resulted in a lot of disposable characters who flamed out quickly.

If this was an experienced cast there's no way George makes it far, but a lot of the cast just doesn't have the knowledge and experience to play well.

 

[Jedijax719]

Australia recruits some cast members because they're well known (i.e. professional athletes) to drive ratings.

As a result you get players who haven't even watched the show.

This season has a mix of experienced players and people who know almost nothing about Survivor. There have been some fun players in the past whose lack of knowledge ends up paying off, but this season has a resulted in a lot of disposable characters who flamed out quickly.

If this was an experienced cast there's no way George makes it far, but a lot of the cast just doesn't have the knowledge and experience to play well.

Like Rob in Redemption Island I guess. All of which makes Tony's second win all that more amazing.

 

[Jedijax719]

Just saw that another episode aired (and another one tomorrow?). I am not sure how they do editing in Oz, but I will say that

Spoiler

George feels like a last boot to me

. Unless they do editing Very DIFFERENTLY in Oz than the USA, he is too sure of himself. A couple of things stand out to me.
1. He says that if anyone votes him off, he will not vote for them. I get the suspicion he will end up getting booted and reward the person who orchestrated it. He probably always intended that if it happens.
2. He says it's too late to make a big move. To me that is also foreshadowing that the biggest move is yet to come.

 

[PUSH]

I am hearing mixed reviews on the premiere. Some loved all the craziness. Some didn't like how we didn't know why anything happened, or that we didn't really get to know too many people. I am leaning to the latter. There were too many "things" in the premiere. It created an interesting Tribal Council, but it doesn't matter much if we aren't shown what really happened or who these people are. Specifically, we were never told why Jaime played her SitD, but apparently she was the target most of the time until it changed to Brandon late. We had no idea she was ever a target, based solely on the show.

That's my biggest complaint with modern day Survivor. We spend so much time on trips to a new island, or finding new idols/advantages that we don't have time to see what's actually going on in the game and at camp.