Survivor: Cagayan (Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty) **SPOILERS**

[GoGo Yubari]

The cast has been announced!

I'll give my thoughts more once I've actually read through all of them but oh boy, Spencer looks insufferable (though credit for slipping in a reference to Debb from the Australian Outback in his bio).

[RPS]

Casting seems really great, actually.

I think it may have been a blessing to have so many returnee seasons in a row, because it seems like they've got a really interesting bunch.

Early favorites are everyone on the brains tribe (minus Marlins Owner David and Kass... I think Spencer's right wing aspect could be interesting), Lindsey and Trish from the brawn tribe. Brice looks to the be the lone person who won't be insufferable from the beauty tribe.

[GoGo Yubari]

Yeah? I wasn't really impressed with Brice's bio but I haven't watched any of their videos yet.

[RPS]

I didn't watch the videos, either. I guess it comes down to the fact everybody on the Beauty tribe compared themselves to the obvious people ever (Boston Rob and Parvati) and that question wasn't included for Brice. My guess is that the Beauty tribe will likely not be filled with fans, haha.

[GoGo Yubari]

My favorite comparison was maybe Woo comparing himself to Ozzy (which I agree with) because, among other reasons, he's humble (which Ozzy was most certainly not but probably thought himself to be).

[Your Mom]

I actually haven't watched this since Season 3 but was thinking about giving it another chance. Anything I need to know or should I just read the bios and go for it?

[RPS]

Yep. Survivor does a great job of explaining any changes in the game. The only change since #3 is that there is likely 3 people, as opposed to 2, that get to plead their case to the jury and in addition to immunity won during challenges, there is an immunity idol one can find that can be played in addition to immunity. You could go back and binge watch old seasons (I think me and GoGo likely could suggest which ones are the best), but it is a pretty easy show to just tune into.

[XMS]

I didn't watch the videos, either. I guess it comes down to the fact everybody on the Beauty tribe compared themselves to the obvious people ever (Boston Rob and Parvati) and that question wasn't included for Brice. My guess is that the Beauty tribe will likely not be filled with fans, haha.

Brice compared himself to Ozzy, Cirie and Colton. That last one is worrisome.

[Pleatherface]

Anyone actually know what the Tyler Perry provided twist is? I couldn't find out because I heard Jeff Probst say the words Tyler Perry and Tweet with the largest smile I've ever seen, but I am curious.

[GoGo Yubari]

The Tyler Perry "twist" is that the Hidden Immunity Idol can be played after voting which is so unbelievably fucking stupid that I'm at a loss for words now that I've heard it. I found that out via listening to another edition of Corinne Kaplan taking a hatchet to a new Survivor cast on Rob Has a Podcast.

[Your Mom]

So what happens then? No one eliminated?

[RPS]

The person with the next highest votes is eliminated.

Example: there are 8 people remaining in the game. 5 people have the majority alliance. 3 people are in the minority alliance and are the next three to be eliminated. One of the individuals in the three person alliance has the hidden immunity idol. The majority alliance, not realizing that the individual has the hidden immunity idol, vote for him. The three vote for a member of the majority alliance. After the votes are read, he reveals his hidden immunity idol. This nullifies the votes against him, which makes up the 5 votes from the majority. This means only 3 votes remain - his alliances votes against the majority.

The old way the hidden immunity idol was played before the votes were cast. Here is an example.

Same set up in alliance - 5 people have the majority alliance, 3 people are on the outs. One person from the minority alliance has the hidden immunity idol. However, they have no idea who the alliance will be voting for. They therefore have no idea how to play their idol. It is therefore in the main alliances best interest to hide who they are voting for and to be as erratic as possible in who they vote. The holder of the immunity idol has to think whether he wants to randomly use his immunity idol to save himself, somebody someone else in his alliance or to hold onto it for the next vote. However, if he holds onto it, he himself risks being voted off and therefore leaving the game with the immunity idol. Under the new rules, none of this would be possible. If the Idol is played, the votes are nullified in the same way, but it leads too far more calculated game play from everybody involved. Now, literally somebody just has to wait until the votes are ready and they could hypothetically use the hidden immunity idol to save anyone, not just themselves.

[GoGo Yubari]

Oh my fucking god, the Brains tribe. What a disaster.

[XMS]

Has a tribe ever imploded so quickly?

[DYSI]

Garrett pretty much ruined that tribe single handedly by holding a grudge and voting David out when they should've voted the bossy nuclear chick who has a crazy name. She cost them the next challenge plus nearly all the rice that they had, and it seemed like he had no interest in playing Survivor after the first night. Hates those types of players - why bother applying then?

[Your Mom]

Garrett was like the biggest idiot I've ever seen. These are supposed to be the smart people?

[GoGo Yubari]

Garrett and David were basically both the epitome of "smart" Survivor players who are playing with endgame in mind from day one, which is an absolutely stupid decision at the start of the game. If David had made the right call and sent Kass on the helicopter, J'Tia would have been voted off after the first challenge and the Brains wouldn't have lost the second one.

Has a tribe ever imploded so quickly?

It's... there are a couple, but I don't think any of them just made decisions as awful as Brains have both times. I think Tasha, Spencer, and to a lesser extent Kass (I get why she took out Garrett but man, unless her next move is to bring Spencer in and boot J'Tia first thing...) were all good choices, but they were completely sunk by J'Tia's uselessness, David's transparency, and Garrett's.... everything about Garrett.

[RPS]

The collapse in Palau was quite sudden. They made some pretty baffling decisions early on.

[GoGo Yubari]

I found this quote on Survivor Sucks that killed me, because it sums up the disaster that was Garrett better than anything else possibly could:

In retrospect, he should have taken the second bag of rice.

[EddieG]

I really like Matt Serra that Jersey cop.