Survivor S40: Winners at War

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Just watched the Samoa merge episode. What a great episode. Laura is the target. The plan is set in place to vote her out, then she wins immunity. Everything is chaotic from there. Shambo refuses to get Monica for whatever reason, leaving Russell to think it's one of the Foa Foa Four to get the votes. Erik then whips the votes to get Monica out. He talks to Jaison, Natalie, and Mick like they are children. Jaison doesn't take well to that and suggests they go after Erik instead. Natalie then goes to Laura who says they won't have the votes for Erik until they call Kelly over. Kelly goes to Monica and tells her it's Erik. Plan is in place to vote Erik. Russell has no control over the vote, so he plays his idol unnecessarily. Erik receives all but two of the votes and goes home with an idol in his pocket.

Say what you want about Natalie, but that is such an underrated move on her part. Yes, it was Jaison's idea initially, but Natalie did a great job of building trust with the Galu girls. She was so subtle, but she knew exactly what she was doing. The way she goes back and tells the Foa Foa group that she "just got the votes" shows that it wasn't a coincidence, and that she was playing them hard.

Also, I didn't realize how boring the pre-merge was to Samoa. Maybe it seems worse because I knew what was going to happen, but it was pretty boring. Honestly, it's not a very good cast. And some of the ones who are more memorable from the cast are not likable, even going beyond Russell. Laura was more likable in Blood vs Water, but she is not someone you root for in Samoa. Though I like Shambo more in my rewatch than in my first viewing.
 
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dmw said:
Sorry I was not here to join in on the finale conversation... had to spend some time in my own version of EoE, but all is good now (account restored). I was so happy that Tony won. He was so much fun to watch this season! I definitely don't like EoE with the first player voted out being able to get back in, but Natalie played that very well. And, I still don't like how the final three are chosen. Save the fire making for a tie breaker.

The finale was too long... should have been broken into two shows. That would have given Jeff more time to talk to the players. And, Jeff did not need to be remote for the finale - he could have been on a set, assuming he could drive to the set. Plenty of room to social distance on a set. I've been involved in a live stream production just this past week. It can be a challenge, but it is doable. The home set provided to Jeff was cool, however.

Has anyone heard any more about the next season?
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I think this finale was perfect for the format that was given. I hate EoE, too, but it was satisfying to see people make sure the Edge wouldn't win again. I also hate the automatic final four fire making. It's more enjoyable when it's a tiebreaker. I think anyone who knows my Survivor thoughts knows how much I hate the twist. But it was very entertaining this season. It would have been totally different had Tony been booted due to the fire making. Also, can you imagine the outrage if Tony lost because of the person from the Edge coming back? That would have done it for many people. They are lucky that didn't happen. Anyway...

As far as next season, nothing more than what Jeff said during the finale. They are committed to airing season 41 of Survivor in the fall. He said they have some creative ideas. He also strongly encouraged 16, 17, 18, and 19 year olds to apply, as they just lowered the application age. But as of right now they are still suspending production indefinitely. But Jeff's comments have given hope to many that we will have Survivor in some capacity in the fall. It might just not be in Fiji or the exact same format we're used to.
 
artvandelay

artvandelay

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I’ve been listening to the post game “deep dives” on RHAP. Adam’s three hour + podcast was informative. Now listening to Michelle’s.
 
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My next one is Ethan's. I haven't been listening to nearly as many RHAP podcasts since I've been working from home with no commute. Kim and Ethan have YouTube videos to their podcasts, and unless I'm driving, I have a hard time just listening to podcasts. The visuals of the video really help me.
 
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Samoa ✔

I know this has been debated a million times, in this thread even, but Russell controlled the whole game. His social game was lacking, though. That jury has lots of egos. You need to appease them. He talked to them like they were pawns. I do think Russell deserved to win this game, but his social game is not good. But yes, a pretty bitter jury led by Laura Morett.

And while Russell controlled the whole game, he played with a pretty weak cast overall. In my player rankings, I currently only have 2 of the 20 Samoa players ranked in the top 150. And mind you, I have not ranked all the players yet. I have Russell at 12 and Natalie at 138. The next highest rankings I have are Laura at 152 and John Fincher at 154. Nobody else even cracks the top 200.

I think this season had a very bland pre-merge. Maybe it's because I knew what was going to happen, but it was so predictable. Foa Foa loses. The obvious player is booted. The early merge was very good, though, with lots of blindsides. Then the end game was boring again. Did they really expect us to believe that Brett was going to win after being purple up until the final 6? At least Natalie had some confessionals here and there.

Speaking of Natalie, I think she had the best move of the season. Even better than any single move Russell made. That move to swing the votes on Erik at the merge was amazing. She solidified relationships with Laura, Monica, and Kelly. That's something Russell never did. And she was the one who got the votes on Erik. Not Russell. That move changed the entire game for Foa Foa. Without that move, those four don't get very far. Natalie also did a very nice job forming a relationship with Brett. Those relationships alone give her 4 votes. Russell did not form any relationships. While Natalie wouldn't have been my pick as a voter, she is definitely a deserving winner.

Samoa ranking: 16th (out of 32 total ranked seasons)
 
Wendy Pleakley

Wendy Pleakley

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PUSH said:
My next one is Ethan's. I haven't been listening to nearly as many RHAP podcasts since I've been working from home with no commute. Kim and Ethan have YouTube videos to their podcasts, and unless I'm driving, I have a hard time just listening to podcasts. The visuals of the video really help me.
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Personally, I'm grateful for the people writing up summaries of the interviews on Reddit. I don't have the time or interest to listen to hours and hours of interviews. Lots of interesting details.

It's interesting how much pre-gaming occurred and as a result, how much of what happened was basically decided before cameras started rolling. I see it as being inevitable, but not necessarily a good thing.

As much as I sometimes get frustrated by an over reliance on twists and advantages, I think this shows that a returnee season can benefit by having more of that. Thought you had your game planned out in advance? Nope, we're going to throw a constant stream of surprises at you.

I see that RHAP is doing a recap series of the first season. I watched it recently, but I hope they keep doing this. Would be a good excuse to go back and rewatch earlier seasons. Winners at War actually spoiled this prospect for me a bit, in that there were a few seasons I honestly might not have remembered who won were it not for the current season.

I just watched Africa for the first time since it first aired. I'd forgotten this was the first incident of a tribe swap, and the start of producers trying to shake up the predictability of the game. I wonder if viewers were critical of the surprise twist at the time, much like the fire making twist was criticized upon its introduction by surprising players, and not allowing them to plan for it.

I'd also forgotten that it almost wasn't a predictable finish. Lex turned on his tribe when the numbers were close, and had he not convinced Brandon to flip the final 4 or 5 of the season would have been completely different.
 
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manmythlegend

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I think it could possibly spark the return of some players who probably wouldn't have been brought back outside of a winners season. I'm specifically thinking of Sophie and Michele. They were two you probably wouldn't have seen brought back under a different theme, but proved themselves. If they are willing, I bet producers would love to see them back.

I think this is the swan song for some players, though. For sure Amber and Danni. Most likely Ben, Parvati, Kim, Yul, Denise... I could see Rob, Sandra, Tyson, and Jeremy calling it quits. I could also see them coming back.

I think this season helped the chances of Michele or Sophie's return, if they want to come back. I'm sure producers would love to have them.

The rest, I have no idea.
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Tyson will come back every time they ask him. It sounds like he doesn't even work, he just makes money from Survivor appearances and wins. He'll come back until he physically can't do it anymore.
 
Wendy Pleakley

Wendy Pleakley

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manmythlegend said:
Tyson will come back every time they ask him. It sounds like he doesn't even work, he just makes money from Survivor appearances and wins. He'll come back until he physically can't do it anymore.
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He sells cameo videos at $49 a pop, plays poker, there are events where people can pay a fee to pay poker with Survivor players, and I'm sure he makes other appearances, sells autographs, etc. I'm sure he makes much more from all of that than any 9-5 job would pay.

For those types of players, who use their celebrity status to earn a living, going back probably isn't about winning so much as it is keeping their name in the spotlight.
 
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I just ran another simulation season through Brant Steele. Survivor Allies vs Enemies. One tribe consists of players who have been allies before. One tribe consists of those that were enemies. This would have been a fantastic season to watch. Here are the placements:

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Here's my Quirks tribe:

1. Chris
2. Phillip
3. Coach
4. Tarzan
5. Greg
6. Noura
7. Debbie
8. Shambo
9. Shirin
10. Lil

Imagine that tribe. 😂
 
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manmythlegend

Well-Known Member
Wendy Pleakley said:
He sells cameo videos at $49 a pop, plays poker, there are events where people can pay a fee to pay poker with Survivor players, and I'm sure he makes other appearances, sells autographs, etc. I'm sure he makes much more from all of that than any 9-5 job would pay.

For those types of players, who use their celebrity status to earn a living, going back probably isn't about winning so much as it is keeping their name in the spotlight.
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wow what a life
 
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Sunday Burquest from Survivor Millennials vs Gen X is a breast cancer survivor. Today she was told she has esophageal and ovarian cancer. She told people on Instagram. She seemed very positive and uplifting. She was wearing a shirt that says "I survived esophageal and ovarian cancer" because she is telling everyone already that she beat it.
 

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