Survivor: San Juan Del Sur (Blood vs. Water 2)

[Your Mom]

I don't like Missy and I don't like Baylor when she is around Missy. I don't mind Natalie but I can't stand the twins when they are together

[RPS]

I don't get the Missy hate.

I was listening to the Survivor Historians podcast and they brought up a great point in one of them. In older seasons of Survivor, everyone loved the bitter bitchy old women like Tina, Kathy, T-Bird, Helen, etc. It seems nowadays, those are the most loathed characters for some reason and they frequently take a lot of shit from the jury. I have no idea why.

[GoGo Yubari]

She comes off like a pageant mom to me.

I think that's an interesting point on character types. I imagine Trish is probably the closest personality-wise to those players, and she does fit the bill in terms of being widely loathed by viewers in her season. But I also think the edits of most of those players, and the players they were typically in opposition to, were vastly different.

[RPS]

I'm gonna watch next week and see if that I get that vibe. I get the vibe she is just protective.

Blood vs. Water does weird things to people out there. I know I'm a very logical and social person and I think I'd do okay in a game like Survivor. You throw my husband out there and somebody starts messing with him, I'm going to lose my shit and start acting like an ass. I get that vibe from Missy.

[Beeker00Zero]

Just gonna throw this out there, but Jeremy's rant against Josh and Reed made me slightly uncomfortable. I mean, I don't know if he is pissed because Val isn't there or he's just an irritable guy in general, but being pissed off that a couple is showing affection is strange.

Jeff Probst says that a move is coming next week that the audience and the players are going to hate. So somebody may be quitting.

I was uncomfortable with this at the outset, because I feared Jeremy was going to suddenly start a homophobic rant, but his logic was sound. Don't be seen as a lovey-dovey couple, two people = double the chance to work the social game. He just happened to say it in a confrontational tone. I think GoGoGrimes nailed it when he said Jeremy feels there is Only One Way To Play Survivor.

Which, clearly, there isn't.

What I like about Blood vs. Water is that is messes up the traditional game-play as there are fanatics mixed with noobs.

I think everybody deserves to be left standing. They weeded out most of the bad players.

I disagree. Missi is a terrible player and a bossy bitch who should have been booted before Kelley. Missi is actively terrible in challenges. This last episode she actively harmed her tribes chances at winning immunity, which they then lost. At this point, I'd keep her around because I would want to be in the finals with her.

Kelley may have been a good player, it is hard to tell.

Also Jon is a clueless moron who sticks around for being good(ish) looking and physical. Mental/social games are not his strengths.

Finally, I despise how they switched up the tribes an episode before the merge. It would have been far more interesting for Tribe Too Much Rice to have to deal with Jeff "Dickish Negotiator" Probst than how it played out. I'm sure the producers have their reasons, but that whole switch seems utterly contrived to me. Also I felt the cost of the extra bag of rice wasn't enough, it should have been an additional penalty at a challenge (immunity or reward.)

Edited November 1, 2014 by Beeker00Zero

[GhostMachine]

I think the penalty should have been something like an on the spot tribal council....

[Blehschmidt]

If Jeremy teams up with the girls to get rid of the sexist douchebags, I'd be pretty okay with that.

Edit: Jon and Jackie are way too dumb to have as much control of this game as they do!

Edited November 13, 2014 by Blehschmidt

[Beeker00Zero]

I think Jon and Jacklyn made their choice, and the right one at hat, to side with Jeremy's faction over Josh's alliance. They are now in a group of six, instead of seven. Jon's about as dumb as that rock he eventually climbed, I'm not sure about Jacklyn as she hasn't received too much screen time really.

And as long as Drew or Missi don't come close to winning, I can tolerate any of the others.

[Blehschmidt]

I really hope Drew goes home next. I thought his brother was the biggest jackass of the season until he was handing Baylor stuff like she was his slave.

[GoGo Yubari]

That's Alec. Same difference though.

[Blehschmidt]

Then who is Drew?

[RPS]

They are the brothers. Alec is the one still around. Drew was already voted off.

This is my bi-annual rant about Survivor. Last weeks quit took the wind out of the sails for me. It's a testament to poor casting when you place somebody on the show who is willingly to quit. The first six seasons of Survivor didn't feature a single quit. The last 10 seasons have basically had a quitter per season. Go back and watch the episode where Osten "quits" (when they are at tribal council and he is still in fact voted out) in Pearl Island. Jeff Probst goes apeshit. Last season he said it was a good that Lindsay quit. It really sort of devalues the show when you've got people saying "oh, no big deal, I'm just going to leave because I want a vacation with my boyfriend" or "I can't deal with this person, I'm going to punch them in the face, so I quit" and it is just this accepted part of what happens.

Also, the last few seasons of Survivor have been good or okay; just not great. Even this season. It does feel a bit boring. A few seasons ago I was saying "it'd be nice to see some fresh faces, lets stop bringing Survivors back". But the cast just hasn't really turned out to be all that strong this season and there isn't really anybody standing out to me. I think a large part of that is editing and the presentation of the show. Everything being shown is related to who is being voted off or what the strategies are. I think my favorite moment of the season so far was Baylor and Alec arguing a few weeks back. It didn't explain why anybody was voting some off or why so-so got kicked off. It was a character building scene. You got to know something about Alec and you got to figure out who his character was. It may explain why he does something in the show, but it also just might explain to who Alec is. I kind of dug the Jeremy and Keith stuff that was happening about bonding and being firefighters, but it instantly became so strategic focused.

I think what the show needs is a really great and different season. And I'm not talking about something so twist heavy or something that instantly changes the game. Post-Russell and HvV, the show has really become just strategy, strategy, strategy. Strategy obviously has to be part of the game, but we need the characters and we need the stories to go along with it. And everything on the show revolves around strategy. I think the show needs somebody to come along who is dynamic and interesting and who needs to shake up the formula.

[Blehschmidt]

Wow, that was quite the tribal council. Stupid move by Baylor and Missy. This game is now totally up in the air.

[GoGo Yubari]

This is a really bad cast, man. This is a really bad cast. Of the players left I like Reed and Natalie of all people and that's kind of it? Keith's kind of alright.

[RPS]

Yeah. Jon and Jaclyn are dumb. So dumb. Jaclyn's entire reason for wanting to join up with the Jeremy and Natalie to begin with was iffy. So the boys are crass and they don't talk to you. That doesn't necessarily make them worse allies than Jeremy and Natalie, both of whom have been vocal in voting off pairs. And even if that were the case that you wanted to join Jeremy and Natalie, why would you vote off Josh, who was the only one who seemingly was talking to you and relating to you and wanted to work with you? Why not insist you won't vote with them unless they targeted somebody like Wes or Alec?

But you made your (dumb) decision. You no longer wanted to be with the boys and you switch sides. But the next week you flip and vote off Jeremy. So basically, you fucked over Alec/Wes/Keith/Reed/Josh. Your next move is than to flip and fuck over Jeremy/Natalie. That makes no sense. Nobody is going to trust you anymore in the game. You basically just put a sign above your head that says 'nobody trust us'. I don't really see the benefit in Missy and Baylor voting off Jeremy either. So he is a jury threat. You've still got 5-6 votes left to take him out. Missy knows that Alec, Wes and Keith want her daughter off. She effectively took out one person who wasn't going to vote her daughter out and kept 3 people who want her daughter out. It is a terrible decision.

I'm with GoGo. The only two people who I'd be okay with winning at this point would be Reed and Natalie. Jon and Jaclyn are complete idiots. Missy and Baylor are out to to lunch. Keith is funny, but dumber than a bag of rocks. Wes and Alec have no social skills.

[Beeker00Zero]

Give it a week (or two) and I'd have been fine with Jeremy being blindsided but as of right now, they know Keith/Wes has an idol, so this week I'd have voted out Reed (who is now my favourite, even if he did betray Keith because... lol... Keith). With Reed gone, then the six (Jeremey, Jon, Jaklyn, Natalie, Baylor and Missy) split their votes for Keith and Wes to flush the idol. With then vote out whichever of them doesn't play the idol.

Instead Jon and Jaklyn pretty much ruined any chance they had at winning this game because well Jon is an utter moron.

The only people I want to see win this now... are Reed, Keith or Natalie (and I can't believe I am rooting for Natalie.)

[GhostMachine]

I like Keith and Reed, am indifferent about Natalie, and dislike everyone else. I'd love to see either Jon, Missy or Baylor get voted out next, though.

[RPS]

Josh and Reed have a habit of getting screwed by the terrible players around them.

[Your Mom]

IS WE STILL DOIN THE PLAN REED??????

[RPS]

I fully expected to hate Josh and Reed this season because they reeked of being smug, but they actually were pretty likeable this season, knew how to play the game and did really great in challenges. Even Reed has been great the last few weeks after being quiet for the first half. I wouldn't mind seeing either of them get another shot.