Survivor 46 Discussion Thread

[Jedijax719]

Wow Kenzie's the biggest distraction in the history of distractions. I'd say that nobody from Yanu has a chance but the other tribes are just....nothing burgers with no depth. Ben is everyone's best friend. Maria's a possibility but needs a major breakout episode. Charlie's probably the only one from Siga with a shot, but I see him getting blindsided.

As for Nami, I'm not sure about Tevin. Everybody else on that tribe just hits a big zero for me.

Kenzie seems to be a big distraction for her buddy Tiffany. Right now, I have Tiffany as my #1 pick to win.

 

[PUSH]

Wow Kenzie's the biggest distraction in the history of distractions. I'd say that nobody from Yanu has a chance but the other tribes are just....nothing burgers with no depth. Ben is everyone's best friend. Maria's a possibility but needs a major breakout episode. Charlie's probably the only one from Siga with a shot, but I see him getting blindsided.

As for Nami, I'm not sure about Tevin. Everybody else on that tribe just hits a big zero for me.

Kenzie seems to be a big distraction for her buddy Tiffany. Right now, I have Tiffany as my #1 pick to win.

I don't think we've seen enough of the other tribes to make many judgements, which is unfortunate because we've had two long episodes where they could have definitely shown us more.

It's too early to pick a winner, but I haven't ruled many people out. The only one I'd be absolutely shocked at through three episodes is Bhanu, but we've also seen someone like Gabler win in the new era. But Bhanu would be a new level.

As a whole, I don't feel like this cast connects through the screen as well. I'm not sure if it's their personalities, how the start of the season has gone, or editing, but something seems off.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I don't think we've seen enough of the other tribes to make many judgements, which is unfortunate because we've had two long episodes where they could have definitely shown us more.

It's too early to pick a winner, but I haven't ruled many people out. The only one I'd be absolutely shocked at through three episodes is Bhanu, but we've also seen someone like Gabler win in the new era. But Bhanu would be a new level.

As a whole, I don't feel like this cast connects through the screen as well. I'm not sure if it's their personalities, how the start of the season has gone, or editing, but something seems off.

This is the third episode and i still can’t remember any of them after I’ve turned off the show.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

This was another dud of an episode, although there was no way to avoid it. You can't plan for a med evac. And even with the med evac, I enjoy it more than last week. There were some enjoyable moments.

Bhanu on the journey had me cracking up. I know it's not good to laugh at someone being in an emotional state like he was, but the entire situation was hilarious. Bhanu couldn't believe his tribe said he isn't strategic, and he's too emotional while he's in the middle of a break down. And then Liz says, "Noooo...... really?????" in a very sarcastic tone after he says that. Then Ben says to his tribe that he barely said anything and Bhanu just let lose. It was hilarious.

I don't like Bhanu even gave all the correct information. He's saying Q and Tiff are tight, which is true. But then he said Kenzie is the mastermind calling the shots. That's not true. Q and Tiff have had control so far. Q decided to get rid of Jelinsky. He and Tiff decided to get rid of Jess instead of Kenzie or Bhanu.

Even though they threw Kenzie's name into the mix tonight, I don't think Tiff would have voted her out. Kenzie is loyal to Tiff, and Tiff is too smart to lose that for a wild card player like Bhanu. Q wants Bhanu to stay because he knows Kenzie will come after him at some point. Not because he thinks Bhanu will be an asset. Also, what an insult to tell Bhanu that he's the Phillip to his Boston Rob. That's such a slap in the face, but Bhanu doesn't know the game to realize that. It was actually kind of funny.

I feel for Randen. He did nothing wrong, and ultimately the doctor was the reason he couldn't stay. I know he was just doing his job, and you have to lean towards being cautious, but Dr. Will kind of ruined the whole experience for Randen.

I was hoping to see a tribe swap in the previews, but was sad to see we didn't get that. We have to stop with the three tribe format, because it becomes so lopsided. Especially when rewards are tied in with immunities. And the flint on top of that. The strong get stronger and the weak get weaker. Even before the new era, there are examples of three tribes having a disaster tribe (Philippines and Cagayan).

Yeah, I was just annoyed because the tribe without fire for seven days lost again and it's just so tedious.

Then it ended anti-climactically.

It seems to be a consistent of Survivor lately that the pre-merge just doesn't matter. They do small tribes and throw in advantages so things are "interesting" but it feels like one big placeholder until things actually start.

 

[dmw]

Another loser episode, IMHO. Too much talk. Too much Bhanu. 90 minutes was too long for this edit. I feel for the editors if this is the best they can come up with. I freelance in the video industry and I know how many hours of recordings go into 5 minutes of actual broadcast.
I agree with other comments that it would be better to have separate challenges for reward and immunity. The challenge last night was the only fun thing to watch. And the move over the roller by the yellow tribe - great move! And, why don't they show more of the winning teams using the rewards? Those nails looked interesting...
The excursion was predictable - Bhanu meltdown. Multiple times. Ugh!

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Meh episode…again, too much drama and again, I agree also, go back down to 2 teams…and I HOPE the show gives Randen the opportunity to compete in another season…it felt like Gary Sinise’s character in “Apollo 13”, prevented from flight because of exposure to measles, but he never had them. Hopefully, he’ll get another chance to compete.

 

[PUSH]

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for these past two episodes. Last week they probably didn't know it was going to be a two hour episode until well after they filmed it. If they had, it would likely have included a journey or something else. This week, filling 90 minutes without a Tribal Council is a lot.

We saw last season that the length of the episodes weren't an issue. However, I do wonder if these episodes could have been better if they had a 39 day season. There's just not as many days to film content in the 26 day format. The other possibility is it's the cast that's not bringing anything interesting or exciting, but I still think that's too early to tell.

 

[PUSH]

This episode wasn't as bad as the past two. We had an extra challenge, which helped. However, it was still a very straightforward episode, but the way it was edited is very uncommon. We rarely have an episode where there are no decoy votes. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head is the Shan boot in 41 and the Erik boot in Micronesia. We knew what was coming in both. I'm not saying this episode is on par with those two, because it's not even close, but it's the same concept of knowing what's going to happen. I appreciate that more than a fake narrative when there really is no other plan.

With all that said, it continues to be a slow start for the season. We've had three votes, and they've all been extremely straightforward. We were able to predict Jelinsky, Jess, and Bhanu. Hopefully this ends the streak of obvious votes, and we can get on with the game.

It was nice seeing Yanu win the reward challenge. As has been said over and over, seeing the same tribe lose every challenge is boring.

I thought the Bhanu content was better this week, but I'm ultimately glad it's over. He had run his course, and we don't need that for an entire season. He was a huge pre-merge character, but the type that grinds on you because it's the exact same thing every time. He's not the type that always brings something new and fresh.

I thought Jem rehiding the beware advantage note was excessive and not smart. Yes, it instills distrust amongst the tribe, but it's also pretty easy to debunk. Keep your eyes on everyone, so they can't go find the idol when they actually lose a challenge. At tribal council, find out who didn't vote. It's not foolproof, but it's not super hard to figure out who was lying. It's better to rehide the note when you've already found the idol and nobody knows about it. It seems like a case of having nothing to do because you keep winning, so she's getting antsy and wants to make a move.

It's interesting that Tevin might want Soda out. It is concerning that Soda is talking to everyone all the time, but is that worse for his game than having Venus? I would still vote out Venus first, because she isn't going to be loyal to you. I would agree that Liz is probably better to keep than Soda, though. She doesn't seem to have the ability to make those same kind of bonds that Soda does, and she seems pretty loyal.

I'm optimistic that now that Bhanu is gone, this season will start getting better. Bhanu was a screen hog. I hope Yanu can win, because I think Tiff, Kenzie, and Q could be interesting players if they make the merge.

 

[dmw]

"White girls can't jump" - that should have been the title. I enjoyed that little distraction.
After the first episode I thought Bhanu would be a fun character. Now, I am so glad he is gone.
They will go to two tribes next week - can't have a tribe of three. The makeup of the two new tribes will dictate how things play out. But, the three remaining purple team players are toast, unless they somehow manage to all get on the same new tribe and outnumber the others.

 

[PUSH]

"White girls can't jump" - that should have been the title. I enjoyed that little distraction.
After the first episode I thought Bhanu would be a fun character. Now, I am so glad he is gone.
They will go to two tribes next week - can't have a tribe of three. The makeup of the two new tribes will dictate how things play out. But, the three remaining purple team players are toast, unless they somehow manage to all get on the same new tribe and outnumber the others.

I'm not sure about the two tribes. Jeff has said multiple times that they like three tribes because "there's nowhere to hide". And they also had a tribe of three in season 41, where Shan and Ricard voted out Genie.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I feel like I'm trapped in some sort of time loop where I just come here to say the same thing week after week.

Keeping one tribe consistently disadvantaged just isn't necessary and isn't fun to watch at all.

It seems to be the new norm for Survivor. Pre-merge feels a bit like its' own self contained story and we're just waiting for it to end so we can watch the real game play out.

Side note that Australian Survivor wrapped up this week and delivered a highly regarded season.

 

[JPPT1974]

Really when you have no vote, no shot in the dark, gave the tribe members up to your counterparts in other tribes, that is the nail in the coffin for you. Sorry Bhanu!

 

[PUSH]

This was the best episode of the season by far. The disaster tribe storyline is so tired. It's essentially built into the show now, so seeing Yanu win was a breath of relief.

I'm not normally a journey person, but tonight's journey was fantastic just because of the challenge. The Survivor superfans were going crazy. Twitter was going off. I was no expecting to hear about Survivor Vanuatu or see Survivor Thailand's logo tonight. How can Hunter have all those challenges and not know the order of the seasons?! Just goes to show that the right way of watching old seasons is to start at the beginning and watch them all. This is the one challenge I would have been able to do easily, eyes closed, in a deep sleep, while underwater.

I figured Siga was going to go to Tribal tonight after they've been building a little bit of momentum towards the "Vibe Tribe" breaking up. And then Hunter found the beware advantage, and they made sure to include in when he said there's still a chance to get it if he doesn't go to Tribal Council.

I was hoping for Ben or Tim to go home, honestly. I like Jem, and I'm not connecting with Ben or Tim. Ben's rock band references are getting old already. However, the vote was still interesting, which we can't say we've seen this season. The decision came down to Maria and Charlie. I wonder if part of the reason was Maria could keep her extra vote if she votes out Jem. The plan to split votes on Ben and Tim was more complicated, and it involved using her extra vote. It also creates more tribe divisions. Also, Jem is more likely to flip come the merge. She's going to rock the boat, whereas Ben is going to be more loyal to Siga.

The alliance they discussed on the journey is interesting. I say "discussed" instead of "formed", because it requires three other people to just be okay that they were pulled in without being asked. It reminds me of Micronesia when Parvati told Amanda she pulled in Natalie and Alexis, and Amanda seemed hesitant. I don't think Tiff is going to want to abandon Kenzie. I don't think Maria is going to go with Tim over Charlie. I don't think Tevin is going to just hop on board. And I don't think any of those three are down to join the "big, strong, man" alliance, where they are clearly on the outs. It sounds like a good plan in the moment, until you actually think about it. But I guess you try anything and see if it sticks in that situation. Try to make any connection you can for the merge. You never know what will take you one step closer to the end. Although, I think Q really meant it and thinks the plan is flawless.

I'm excited for the merge next week!

EDIT - Sounds like Maria DID use her extra vote anyway. I didn't confirm it, but I saw it on Twitter. Interesting move if she did use her extra vote. Seems a bit foolish when they had Maria, Charlie, and Tim to go against Jem and Moriah.

 

[CynBeth]

So thrilled with who went home.

 

[artvandelay]

Maria did use her extra vote. She wrote JEM on one vote and Jemila on her second vote. Also, one vote was block lettering and the second vote was in script. Is she trying to hide that she used her second vote?

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Finally an end to one of the least compelling sagas in the history of this show.

Not only did Yanu win but we got an interesting vote.

Q's alliance idea makes sense. Unfortunately, I assume we'll get the usual merge-atory vote with small group(s) that ends up being a safe vote. They really need to understand that a full merge vote is more interesting.

The journey challenges seem overly difficult. I could probably order seasons 1-20 since I actually rewatched them, but there's no way I'd get the rest correct. Add food and sleep deprivation to the mix and expecting anyone to get 28 correct answers to a question is too much.

 

[Jedijax719]

This all feels like one big coronation for Kenzie.

 

[PUSH]

I am over the mergatory. They're literally merged on one beach. IT'S THE MERGE!!! Stop saying half of them have to earn the merge!

It's also becoming a dogpile on someone that a tribe is willing to cut. It's not interesting.

Venus' plan to get Charlie was actually smart for Nami. Why take out Moriah when she's expendable for Siga? Why not go for Charlie who they don't want to lose? If Tevin or Hunter came up with the plan, it probably would have happened. Venus just has no social capital.

I also don't get why Tim didn't go to Maria with the journey alliance. He's lucky it didn't backfire on him yet.

I really don't have tons of thoughts on the episode... I'm just glad all the Yanu stayed. And Venus, too. Venus is really fun. She reminds me of Eliza.

Now that we're into the merge, I'll bring back my winner rankings. These are based on how I feel each player's winning odds are based on what's happened so far. All of this is assuming that each of these players is in the final 3 in the end. It's not taking into account whether they will actually make it there.

Tier 1 - Favorites
1. Hunter
2. Tevin
3. Tiff

Tier 2 - Good Chance to Win
4. Charlie
5. Maria
6. Q
7. Kenzie

Tier 3 - Outside Chance
8. Soda
9. Tim
10. Ben

Tier 4 - Not Winning at This Point
11. Liz
12. Venus

 

[DryerLintFan]

I’m glad Yanu finally got to eat their fill

 

[CynBeth]

I wish they had voted off Venus or Charlie. Mo was no threat and one of the few people I like.