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Survivor S39: Island of the Idols
- Thread starter PUSH
- Start date
GenerationX
Well-Known Member
I have no idea what Season 40 is about (and I've seen every episode of the show since day 1), so I appreciate everyone's willingness to use Spoiler tags here.
I'm glad to hear Rob and Sandra will not enter the game. After the complete disaster of last season, I finally found something that would make me stop watching the show: the chance for someone who was either voted out or not part of the game for the full season to have a chance to win. Last season's finale was the hideous culmination of a horribly designed game.
We've got the series set to record, as always, and will also be recording the Masked Singer, which runs at the same time. That show intrigues both me and Mrs. GenX, so we're going to give it a shot, too. I found out the Amazing Race 32 was indeed filmed, so we're anxious to find out when that will air.
I'm glad to hear Rob and Sandra will not enter the game. After the complete disaster of last season, I finally found something that would make me stop watching the show: the chance for someone who was either voted out or not part of the game for the full season to have a chance to win. Last season's finale was the hideous culmination of a horribly designed game.
We've got the series set to record, as always, and will also be recording the Masked Singer, which runs at the same time. That show intrigues both me and Mrs. GenX, so we're going to give it a shot, too. I found out the Amazing Race 32 was indeed filmed, so we're anxious to find out when that will air.
danheaton
Well-Known Member
If any of you are interested, I run a Survivor pool through Fun Office Pools. It's totally for fun and there's no fee or prizes. Each week, you split up 20 points among which player(s) you think will be eliminated. There also a few bonus questions, and you pick a winner. If you're interested, shoot me a direct message and I'll send you the invitation link. Also, no cheating!
The past few years I've done winner picks by my male choice and female choice. This year I will continue to do that. I will say, I typically get a "vibe" from one or two players I think could win. This year, I don't get winner vibes from anyone right off the bat. But before I make this season's picks, here are some highlights from past seasons:
MvGX: Adam Klein was my male pick. Pretty accurate. Figgy was my female pick. Pretty inaccurate.
Game Changers: Andrea was my pick. She went pretty far and had some control over that season.
HvHvH: Ashley was my pick. She went far, but wasn't really a contender.
Ghost Island: Kellyn was my pick. Solid player. Not spectacular. I felt she would have done better with a different cast. Decent pick.
DvG: Dan was my male pick. He went far. Wasn't really a contender. Alison was my female pick. She went far and was a legitimate contender. Solid pick. I will say, after two episodes I changed my winner pick to Nick. I'll accept the late grade for that pick. 50%.
EoE: Kelley was my pick for returning players. Solid pick. Last remaining returnee. Victoria was my pick for newbies. Even more solid pick. She may have won if it wasn't for the EoE twist.
My lowest point in picking winners... Vytas for Cambodia. Oops. But as a whole, I'd say I've been pretty darn good with predictions! Now watch as I curse these players and make them the first two voted off of Island of the Idols...
Male pick: Tommy
Female: Molly
MvGX: Adam Klein was my male pick. Pretty accurate. Figgy was my female pick. Pretty inaccurate.
Game Changers: Andrea was my pick. She went pretty far and had some control over that season.
HvHvH: Ashley was my pick. She went far, but wasn't really a contender.
Ghost Island: Kellyn was my pick. Solid player. Not spectacular. I felt she would have done better with a different cast. Decent pick.
DvG: Dan was my male pick. He went far. Wasn't really a contender. Alison was my female pick. She went far and was a legitimate contender. Solid pick. I will say, after two episodes I changed my winner pick to Nick. I'll accept the late grade for that pick. 50%.
EoE: Kelley was my pick for returning players. Solid pick. Last remaining returnee. Victoria was my pick for newbies. Even more solid pick. She may have won if it wasn't for the EoE twist.
My lowest point in picking winners... Vytas for Cambodia. Oops. But as a whole, I'd say I've been pretty darn good with predictions! Now watch as I curse these players and make them the first two voted off of Island of the Idols...
Male pick: Tommy
Female: Molly
Lots of thoughts! Let's get into it...
1. I do not like the mentor thing. It seems cheesy. It takes too much time. It doesn't feel genuine. I feel like Rob is reading from a script. It takes away from the rest of the cast. Which brings me to...
2. This cast seems amazing. I already like several players, mainly Elaine (obviously). Janet is another one I am loving. I also love how strong the female players seem.
3. I get why Rob and Sandra need to be at Tribal Council. But do we need to see their reactions? I know reaction videos are popular, but this isn't YouTube.
4. Elizabeth shouldn't have went against Rob, but was it really a bad move? Her vote likely wasn't going to matter. Might as well attempt to get an idol.
5. She did not do a good job of lying about IoI (not L O L, that's i o i). She literally described Ghost Island. But if she came back and said Rob and Sandra were there and they taught her how to make fire, that's kind of crazy sounding. And it would put a bigger target on her.
6. DO NOT GO IDOL HUNTING ON DAY 1.
7. I typically do not care for obstacle course challenges, but this one was fun.
8. I actually really liked the no marooning. It gave us an immediate deep dive into the characters. It's not something I'd want every season, but it's nice for a more dynamic cast, as I think we have here. Josh Wigler and Mike Bloom said this was probably the best cast they've interviewed since they've started doing preseason coverage.
9. Ronnie was too much, and his personality just screamed "I'm shady! Vote me out!" According to Mike Bloom the full Tribal Council was 90% Elaine, 10% Vince. Ronnie listing his jobs was the most he said at the TC. Bloom said he was floored when it was Ronnie voted out. Which takes me to...
10. If you know anything about Survivor, it was very obvious Ronnie was being voted out tonight. No way Elaine was going.
11. Overall, I enjoyed the first episode. The best part was from when they hit the beaches to the end of the challenge. After that I would say it was less than stellar Survivor content. But you mix together than fantastic first 45 minutes with a 45 minute chunk I was less than enthused by, and I still enjoyed it overall. I just hope the twist doesn't consume the season, but this twist is kind of hard not to. Especially assuming they are paying a good chunk of change to have Rob and Sandra there.
12. Despite my lack of excitement for the twist so far, it beats the EoE.
1. I do not like the mentor thing. It seems cheesy. It takes too much time. It doesn't feel genuine. I feel like Rob is reading from a script. It takes away from the rest of the cast. Which brings me to...
2. This cast seems amazing. I already like several players, mainly Elaine (obviously). Janet is another one I am loving. I also love how strong the female players seem.
3. I get why Rob and Sandra need to be at Tribal Council. But do we need to see their reactions? I know reaction videos are popular, but this isn't YouTube.
4. Elizabeth shouldn't have went against Rob, but was it really a bad move? Her vote likely wasn't going to matter. Might as well attempt to get an idol.
5. She did not do a good job of lying about IoI (not L O L, that's i o i). She literally described Ghost Island. But if she came back and said Rob and Sandra were there and they taught her how to make fire, that's kind of crazy sounding. And it would put a bigger target on her.
6. DO NOT GO IDOL HUNTING ON DAY 1.
7. I typically do not care for obstacle course challenges, but this one was fun.
8. I actually really liked the no marooning. It gave us an immediate deep dive into the characters. It's not something I'd want every season, but it's nice for a more dynamic cast, as I think we have here. Josh Wigler and Mike Bloom said this was probably the best cast they've interviewed since they've started doing preseason coverage.
9. Ronnie was too much, and his personality just screamed "I'm shady! Vote me out!" According to Mike Bloom the full Tribal Council was 90% Elaine, 10% Vince. Ronnie listing his jobs was the most he said at the TC. Bloom said he was floored when it was Ronnie voted out. Which takes me to...
10. If you know anything about Survivor, it was very obvious Ronnie was being voted out tonight. No way Elaine was going.
11. Overall, I enjoyed the first episode. The best part was from when they hit the beaches to the end of the challenge. After that I would say it was less than stellar Survivor content. But you mix together than fantastic first 45 minutes with a 45 minute chunk I was less than enthused by, and I still enjoyed it overall. I just hope the twist doesn't consume the season, but this twist is kind of hard not to. Especially assuming they are paying a good chunk of change to have Rob and Sandra there.
12. Despite my lack of excitement for the twist so far, it beats the EoE.
wdwtopten
Well-Known Member
I don't like it either. Rob and Sandra are already very smug and this is just going to entice them to act even more smug. Also, I highly doubt they can really help coach anyone through anything significant. Even the fire making help isn't really that useful. I mean, fire making happens on day 38, right?
I have to disagree. The cast seems pretty boring to me. Most of the men who got screen time came across cocky, except Tom and Vince. Dan is straight up cringe. Some of the women are more interesting, but no one stands out to me as being a good Survivor player.
I think her lying about the island is going to hurt her. It is only a matter of a few days before everyone knows and then she is going to look like a liar (because she is, lol) and untrustworthy.
Something else: Elizabeth lost her vote and we saw her write "no vote" on her parchment. However, we did not see whether that "no vote" parchment was revealed at tribal. If it was, or if the tribe realizes that the votes were short one, they are going to ask questions, and she is going to look bad there too. There is no escaping her being caught in a lie. I guess it is debatable whether or not it might hurt her game, but I don't see how it will help either.
SAV
Well-Known Member
Great first Episode. I like the cast.
At IOI, I was hoping that B-Rob would have told her to her face that she shouldn't have accepted the first offer given because he was ready to sweeten the deal. Tell her she made the Newbie mistake, don't tell us. She really was dumb to think that she could beat him. He had it in about 5 seconds when he taught her, so why would that change?
I like that she reference what they said about lying and then used it in the game. Now the lie she told wasn't the best, so that's a different story.
I have no problem with them sitting at Tribal and getting the cutaways. It's 3 seconds and adds to the tribal for the viewers.
Gotta be smarter about going Idol hunting on day 1.
At IOI, I was hoping that B-Rob would have told her to her face that she shouldn't have accepted the first offer given because he was ready to sweeten the deal. Tell her she made the Newbie mistake, don't tell us. She really was dumb to think that she could beat him. He had it in about 5 seconds when he taught her, so why would that change?
I like that she reference what they said about lying and then used it in the game. Now the lie she told wasn't the best, so that's a different story.
I have no problem with them sitting at Tribal and getting the cutaways. It's 3 seconds and adds to the tribal for the viewers.
Gotta be smarter about going Idol hunting on day 1.
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
My first impression of this season is positive. Mostly just due to an entertaining cast right off the bat. Good choice jumping into into those relationships instead of a 10-minute marooning intro which wouldn't tell us much.
Island of the Idols? Mixed reaction. I like the mentoring but is it going to make the game imbalanced? By luck of the draw, some people will get insights and advantages no other players have access to. I didn't mind the tribal council mini-commentary.
This episode raises a question that was brought up on a podcast this summer, when it comes to visiting a place one may or may not gain an advantage - what is the better lie the person could have used? You want to tell something to the tribe that is a plausible benefit you gained on the island, but not something that makes you a target.
Claiming one got nothing makes on an instant target. People will speculate you've got an idol or a vote steal ready to be played. Maybe you tell your tribe you got a bowl of fruit. Maybe you tell the truth that you learned how to use flint, but leave out the rest. Share the knowledge so you're not painted as a fire building threat come final four.
Island of the Idols? Mixed reaction. I like the mentoring but is it going to make the game imbalanced? By luck of the draw, some people will get insights and advantages no other players have access to. I didn't mind the tribal council mini-commentary.
This episode raises a question that was brought up on a podcast this summer, when it comes to visiting a place one may or may not gain an advantage - what is the better lie the person could have used? You want to tell something to the tribe that is a plausible benefit you gained on the island, but not something that makes you a target.
Claiming one got nothing makes on an instant target. People will speculate you've got an idol or a vote steal ready to be played. Maybe you tell your tribe you got a bowl of fruit. Maybe you tell the truth that you learned how to use flint, but leave out the rest. Share the knowledge so you're not painted as a fire building threat come final four.
danheaton
Well-Known Member
I like having more time to meet the cast with a 90-minute premiere. For the most part, I think this is a great group of players. Everyone except for Dean had a confessional, so it was also solid editing (with a focus on the main story). I didn't mind the Rob and Sandra content too much. Yes, it's cheesy, and it is going to take some time from the rest of the show. But I'd much rather see this than Edge of Extinction. It's a twist on the Ghost Island formula and while not as good as what Survivor: South Africa just did with Island of Secrets (or what New Zealand did with The Outpost), it still has a shot. I'm also really partial to Rob and Sandra, so that helps too.
I agree that it was obvious that Ronnie was going home. It was an interesting counter point where Elaine was presented in a similar way to Reem last season, but the results were very different. I think the combination of Missy and the girls alliance plus Elaine and Vince forming a good relationship with Tom made the difference. Also, no one beyond Aaron was too interested in having Ronnie around. There are a lot of strong women on this season (in all facets of the game), and that's a good thing.
I agree that it was obvious that Ronnie was going home. It was an interesting counter point where Elaine was presented in a similar way to Reem last season, but the results were very different. I think the combination of Missy and the girls alliance plus Elaine and Vince forming a good relationship with Tom made the difference. Also, no one beyond Aaron was too interested in having Ronnie around. There are a lot of strong women on this season (in all facets of the game), and that's a good thing.
I was actually surprised to hear that a lot of people who cover Survivor for a living were actually surprised by Ronnie being voted off. I thought it was obvious. No way they're going to set Elaine up to be such a likable character then boot her off first.
As a separate note: ET Canada had Jeff and Matt Van Wagenen randomly choose future Survivor themes and rank them based on likelihood of them happening. They both pulled a Second Second Chances and ranked it #1. First Boots was relatively low on each list. Heroes vs Villains 2 Jeff said, "Survivor has moved past that", which tells me it will never happen. Matt ranked "Back to the Basics" dead last saying he can't see a Survivor without idols anymore.
I saw they are beginning casting for 41 and 42 and will film next year for those two seasons. I assume those will be two newbie seasons (at least hopefully) with the run we've had on seasons featuring returning players. Maybe at that point they'll feel confident in having 30-35 contestants worthy of returning for a fan-voted Second Second Chances. There are probably more than that right now that diehard fans would love to see back, but maybe the average fan would not remember from back in the day.
As a separate note: ET Canada had Jeff and Matt Van Wagenen randomly choose future Survivor themes and rank them based on likelihood of them happening. They both pulled a Second Second Chances and ranked it #1. First Boots was relatively low on each list. Heroes vs Villains 2 Jeff said, "Survivor has moved past that", which tells me it will never happen. Matt ranked "Back to the Basics" dead last saying he can't see a Survivor without idols anymore.
I saw they are beginning casting for 41 and 42 and will film next year for those two seasons. I assume those will be two newbie seasons (at least hopefully) with the run we've had on seasons featuring returning players. Maybe at that point they'll feel confident in having 30-35 contestants worthy of returning for a fan-voted Second Second Chances. There are probably more than that right now that diehard fans would love to see back, but maybe the average fan would not remember from back in the day.
danheaton
Well-Known Member
I would love to see another Second Chances season, especially if there's fan voting. I think with a second chance (especially if it's been a while), there's a real sense of urgency to the play. By combining that with the fan vote (which drives players to do well), it really could make for another great season. I re-watched Cambodia again recently, and while the pre-merge has some slower moments, the cast is nearly great across the board. Replace Woo and Monica with T-Bird and Shane, and it would be almost perfect from the options available. There are still plenty of other possibilities from each era that could be part of it.
Outbound
Well-Known Member
I'd like a "Back to Basics" season. Last season especially it felt like idols were way too common and powerful. But if they did fewer idols, they need to troll everyone in the process. Constantly mention the possibility of an idol (say in treemail "there may be an idol in this challenge") so everyone becomes paranoid.
That's what Jeff said. For Second Chances, the player really want it. And T-Bird needs to come back. If nobody has listened to the summer series, Talkin' with T-Bird, on Rob Has a Podcast, it's amazing. Rob and T-Bird talked with old school players we haven't heard from in a long time. One of my favorite series on RHAP.
I don't think we need to scrap all idols and advantages. But I think it needs to be limited to just two idols/advantages out at a time. It's one thing to have Cambodia where two idols are played at the final 6, forcing the players into a tiebreaking situation. But the situation with Cirie in Game Changers should have never happened.
Outbound
Well-Known Member
Not for good, but considering every season’s need for a twist, I think the most surprising move would be “the twist is there is no twist”. They can go back to the idol mania the season after.
danheaton
Well-Known Member
I totally agree. I haven't listened to all of them yet, but I really enjoyed hearing from Judd, Stephanie, Gretchen, and others on there. Given how many old-school players ended up on the Second Chances cast (Kelly Wigglesworth, Kimmi, Varner), I'm still surprised that T-Bird didn't make it (Shane surprised me even more). But I'm in the RHAP bubble in both cases, so I don't always see how the "casual" fan sees the cast. I have a co-worker that watches the show, and his favorites each season always surprise me.
I started listening to RHAP after Second Chances. I think it may have been MvGX that I truly started listening. I started with the Survivor Know-It-Alls. To this day I still watch the YouTube videos the weekend after it aired. DvG is when I started to more consistently listen to the non-video podcasts. It's pretty much the only thing I listen to on the commute to and from work these days.
At the time I was happy Shane did not get on Second Chances because I couldn't stand him in Panama. But now I wish he would have gotten on. When I voted, I did not know who everyone was because I hadn't caught up on all the past seasons (I started with Caramoan). I believe I voted for Monica because of that. And now I'm shocked she got on. She didn't do much in Samoa. Shane, T-Bird, and Carolyn should have been on that cast. Take away Woo and Monica for sure. The second woman would have been tough, but I would have preferred Carolyn over Shirin or Peih-Gee. Probably Shirin. But even with those couple of misses, Cambodia is one of the greatest casts of all time. And they didn't fall short of expectations like many believe Game Changers and All-Stars did.
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
I listened to quite a few of the RHAP podcasts during the Summer seasons - Shannon Gaitz is fantastic.
I feel I need to step away from those detailed analysis a bit, because they're almost too good in predicting things ("based on the editing of the first five minutes of the premiere, here is the order that everyone will now get voted out...").
Plus, at what point does it become unhealthy to spend hours and hours of my time on one TV show? On the other hand, need to fill some time in the car on the drive to/from work...
I feel I need to step away from those detailed analysis a bit, because they're almost too good in predicting things ("based on the editing of the first five minutes of the premiere, here is the order that everyone will now get voted out...").
Plus, at what point does it become unhealthy to spend hours and hours of my time on one TV show? On the other hand, need to fill some time in the car on the drive to/from work...