The Survivor Thread

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Penner is my all time favourite narrator. There are a ton of people from Philippines that I'm surprised haven't returned to play actually.

[Alex.]

Yeah Jeff Kent needs to come back! 

And I know the guy never had many confessionals, but I liked Carter.

[Azazel]

I actually didn't want to look at that Funny115 thing to avoid spoilers but it seems I can look at the first 2.  It really does change some of my views on some players and even entire seasons.  Like Palau comes across a lot differently if you do look at it as Chris' revenge story, and that it does seem like the producers tried to manufacture a gender war that failed in the Amazon by having older and gay women.  This is one season I didn't particularly like at first because I didn't like Chris, but this kind of warms me on it (though I would have still preferred to see Ami win).

[Azazel]

Phillipines has the weirdest cast... Dawson's elimination was super creepy, staring at Jeff and kissing him... then saying the baseball dude owes her and she wants a motorcycle and a gun?  The girl who said if she could have anything it would be cookies? Russell Swan calling himself God's perfect creature?  I thought starting with a dude who's strategy was to say "vote me off" was going to be the weirdest thing in the first half of the season, I was dead wrong.

[RPS]

1 hour ago, Azazel said:

Phillipines has the weirdest cast... Dawson's elimination was super creepy, staring at Jeff and kissing him... then saying the baseball dude owes her and she wants a motorcycle and a gun?  The girl who said if she could have anything it would be cookies? Russell Swan calling himself God's perfect creature?  I thought starting with a dude who's strategy was to say "vote me off" was going to be the weirdest thing in the first half of the season, I was dead wrong.

And Abi has yet to truly blossom. 

[Azazel]

Wow.  I have no idea what the dudes name.. but they plan to blindside Penner and then he goes to Penner and asks "Katie or Penner?"  That may be the worst slip I've seen.

[Azazel]

I wasn't completely sold on Phillipines, I didn't much care for the first three episodes being about a tribe that sucked and Russell losing his mind but once you get to the merge that shit takes off.  Jeff is an idiot (the baseball dude) because he seemed to only care about getting out Penner and Skupin because they've already played, but then Penner wins immunity and the most predictable boot becomes the most insane episode I've seen so far.  If I remember it went

1. Everyone vote Penner
2. Penner won immunity, vote Skupin
3. Malcolm has the idol, blind side him
4. Vote for Jeff
5. Minor vote for Carter
6. Everyone vote Pete

Malcolm whips out the Idol, and then Abi does as well, they openly talk about their alliances to the point where you can tell Probst is just enjoying himself.  I don't even know who is with who anymore.  Of course the best part is Jeff met his worst fear in the game, being voted out before Penner.  Also, I wish RC lasted longer.

[RPS]

RC could not last any longer because she was dead to Abi. 

[Azazel]

But she was nice to look at. After reading the first Funny115 it made me look Survivor a little differently (so thank you).  I'm still going to cheer and hate people but I'm going to watch the show appreciating the subplots and ridiculous things.  Like Abi trying to bluff there is another immunity idol is comic gold.  She buys an advantage and then tells people she has an idol... even though she has to read the note at the next challenge so her lie won't even make it to the next tribal, but she STILL tries to pass it off like there was a second part of the note and Jeff just kinda of goes "ya, okay".

Malcolm's brother literally tackling him and Malcolm yelling "why did you do that?" was also stupidly hilarious.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Yeah, I think I was once in the camp of "everything needs to be super strategic" and "bad players aren't good tv". But I have totally changed my tune. There is a good example of a future season that got a lot of bad feedback at the time (especially since it's surrounded by really great seasons with good characters AND good strategy), but like, give me a train wreck cast any day of the week. 

Trainwreck personalities have their place and are typically not quite as fun when they return as they try and ham up their persona, but I think it's why I actually don't mind seasons like Redemption Island and South Pacific. 

[RPS]

I love bad players. Survivor would suck if you cast a bunch of players who sole existence on the show is to win win win. We need the Abis and Coachs of the world so the show remains entertaining. I think the best seasons are ones where people's motivations are not solely "I WANT TO WIN" but more "I want to win but also I am a Brazilian woman who nobody can understand and also by the way I'm completely insane" 

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

In a way, that's how I like my wrestling too. Everybody's motivation should be to win, but maybe they have this huge fatal flaw that keeps getting their way. Or maybe they are a little bit nuts. 

[RPS]

It's why I love Tai so much. Yeah, he wants to win, but he's also a flawed person who can't just turn his brain off and cut people's throats and go with the flow. It's like he would probably rather get voted off than do something he deems unethical or morally questionable. 

[Azazel]

I appreciate the Rob C/Matthew story so much more now once I read that it was basically Frankenstein/Monster and how Johnny Fairplays demise was the perfect end to a villainous character.

[Azazel]

I started fans vs favorites 2... and where are the favorites?  Not a single person on that tribe is someone I would have liked to have seen back.

[RPS]

20 minutes ago, Azazel said:

I started fans vs favorites 2... and where are the favorites?  Not a single person on that tribe is someone I would have liked to have seen back.

Malcolm is probably the only favourite on the season. And your criticism is basically what everyone said when the cast was announced. Like why are the majority of these people back? 

[Azazel]

That Brandon melt down was pretty wild to see, I was wondering if we would ever get a fist fight on the show and we came pretty damn close.

[RPS]

13 minutes ago, Azazel said:

That Brandon melt down was pretty wild to see, I was wondering if we would ever get a fist fight on the show and we came pretty damn close.

Brandon Hantz had a lot of mental health problems after Redemption Island aired and probably should have never been cast in Caramoan (and arguably not cast in the original season). He did not deal well with fame and his family were pretty nasty to him following RI.

[Alex.]

The 'favorites' cast of FvF 2 is the reason why I don't want to see a 3rd FvF.

[Azazel]

While I love the fact that Francesca got voted off first twice... why the hell was she even brought back?  Who is going to be on the next Fans vs Favorites?  Cowboy Rick?