Survivor: Worlds Apart

[GoGo Yubari]

Shirin is for sure the best character on the show. I want to live in her magical world.

I also like Jenn, in part because her Twitter is hilarious. She's been foreshadowing her "Jenn is bored of Survivor" plot next week for ages.

[Alex.]

this season sucks.

[GhostMachine]

Hasn't been one of my favorites. I usually like Survivor more than The Amazing Race. Not this time.

(Surprised there's no thread for that show.)

[GoGo Yubari]

I like this season. I was down on it pre-merge, but post-merge I'm suddenly really interested. The strategy is chaotic and for the second season in a row there's no obvious winner at this stage. It's not a very likable cast overall but I've cut bait on genuinely rooting for anyone to win (this is a lie but I can't see how Shirin could possibly win) so that's fine.

I'm guessing this will go down as this period of Survivor's version of Guatemala, a season that hardcore fans generally seemed to like and casual fans had no time for.

also there is an Amazing Race thread.

[Blehschmidt]

I am just dumbfounded that Will and the white collars are so content with allowing the glaringly obvious blue collar alliance to stick together. I am dumbfounded that Sierra apparently doesn't realize that as soon as everyone else is gone, the blue collars are going to toss her away like a used condom. I am dumbfounded that Rodney and Dan are actually functioning human beings.

I am solidly rooting for Jenn and Joe and I really fucking hope that these other morons open their eyes and break this blue collar alliance to pieces, or this is going to be the most annoying end game in history.

[GoGo Yubari]

Will's a plant who is clearly there for the experience and not the game. He's for sure the worst player left, his only optimal final three is with Rodney and Dan and them being hated enough that he picks up spite votes. I'm not sure why you seem to be throwing Shirin in with Tyler and Carolyn since she's very clearly not working with them, though.

Like, Will is for sure a floater. I can't tell if Sierra's one too or if she's realized that she's actually in a potential spot to be in a final 3 with Dan and someone out of Will or Rodney so she just has to go along and put up with them and take Mike out, but she's certainly not being edited like she matters.

I kind of think that only Mike genuinely believes in the Blue Collar Is A Strong Four thing, but I could also be overestimating Sierra and somehow underestimating Dan's lack of self-awareness.

[Blehschmidt]

Honestly, I couldn't remember how to spell Shirin's name when I was typing that, so I just left her out of my spiel!

[RPS]

To me, this season is awesome because there is so much character development that is devoid of strategy. There is still game bots (Tyler) and duds (Will), but outside of them, I really get a great sense of who everyone was at the merge. Shirin, Sierra and Jen have such interesting character arcs. Last season, I really couldn't have cared less for the people involved. Now I want Sierra and Shirin to seek revenge on Dan, I want Jen to somehow eek along and figure out a way to survive (I'm pulling for her to win), I want Rodney arc to come full circle when he is outsmarted by a woman, I want Carolyn and Tyler to end up getting nerfed out before Shirin (the ultimate payback for Carolyn stupidly turning on Max)... there is so many interesting stories going on in the game.

Oh, and I kinda believe that Shirin can win? I mean... I could see a situation where people reward her ability to stick around in the game. Especially when there are unlikeable people like Rodney and Dan around and non-entities like Will.

[RPS]

His greatest contribution to the game yet.

[GoGo Yubari]

That is Will's game summarized as well as you possibly can.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

I saw someone talking about that gif where they comment on how he somehow manages to flip himself over without moving a single muscle in his body. It's astounding.

To me, the end is all about Mike vs. Shirin. I wouldn't mind either winning, really. Both were so unlikable in the beginning of the game. Mike has proved himself to be a far better player than I gave him credit for in the early stages. Shirin has proven to be far more self-aware than I gave her credit for in the early stages.

I'd be more impressed with a Shirin win, considering that she's been at the bottom of the game this entire time, but if Mike wins, I think he deserves it. He's played a fairly good game.

[RPS]

Shirin is a weird character. She knows the game and is astute, but she apparently has this irritating personality that grates on people. We've seen that a few people hate her - Tyler, Dan, Mama C, apparently Will next week. The problem is, if Shirin somehow makes it to the end, how can you not vote her to win? She is basically Sandra in Heroes vs. Villains. She can be abrasive and off-putting, but at the end of the day you have to admire somebody who is despised so much and yet somehow manages to keep moving and shifting herself in the game. Another factor? There are jury members who may sympathize with her because she keeps getting shit on by these people. For every Tyler or Dan or Will, there is a Joe and Hali or Jenn who will vote for her because she took all that shit and still made it through.

Do I think Shirin wins? Not necessarily. But I do think the list of people who can win is shrinking. I think it'll either be Sierra, Shirin, Jenn or Mike. I can't see Dan or Will winning. Rodney is a long shot. Caroline and Tyler have to make it to the end and their path is a little bit more cumbersome. I think if Shirin ends up, she may actually have the best resume for who deserves to win. Winners like Denise, Sandra and Fabio prove that somebody who overcomes a lot of obstacles but may not have made all of the "strategic moves" is often times rewarded over somebody who had a much easier path to the end.

[Alex.]

talk about a terrible season (of course in my opinion.) the cast is very unlikable and im loling when jeff said this will be one of the best seasons.

yeah, no.

[GhostMachine]

I can see either Rodney or Will making it to the end....as the jabroni who gets brought along because the others know there's no way in hell either one is going to win. Rodney is a meathead, and Will is Generic Contestant #Whatever.

Absolutely do not want Rodney, Dan or Sierra to win. Dan comes off too much like an asshole. Sierra should have been gone the episode where she cost the team the challenge with the blindfolds because of her shitty directions, and she proved she's too thin skinned by how she dealt with what Dan told her.

As my girlfriend put it, Shirin is a fruit loop. I want Matt to win, but will be happy as long as the three I mentioned do not.

[GoGo Yubari]

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh

EDIT: Hahaha the Survivor Sucks forum description for this week:

[Alex.]

one of the worst casts ever assembled. jeff probst should be banned from survivor for saying this season is one of the best.

[RPS]

I'll go on record (again) as saying I love this season. Terrible cast are the greatest. I definitely get Panama vibes from this season. Just a whole lot of unlikable people doing some funny shit.

Also, greatest moment of the season yet...

I've been team Shirin since day #1. Make it to the end, baby!

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

I have to agree with RPS. I think it's been great.

I've saying for the last week or so that Mike or Shirin are the only ones I want to win. Then this episode happens and they both (arguably) make some questionable calls that produce some of great television.

Shirin's decision has put her in a worse spot. She can never get Will's vote, but ultimately, I think she redeemed herself quite a bit with her speech at tribal. If she makes it to the end, she's got all the No Collar votes so at the very least she could make it interesting.

[RPS]

I don't think it put Shirin in a worse spot - Shirin was never going to get Will's vote. He clearly hates her. There is a block of people - Dan, Caroline, Tyler, Will - who hate her. It has nothing to do with what she does in the game. I mean, arguably she has done nothing terrible in the game.

What is working in Shirin's favor? The jury is currently filled with three people who will likely vote for her if she is in the finals. All she needs is one or two more votes and game is hers. And that assumes somebody like Dan, Caroline or Tyler won't vote for her over whoever she is sitting beside because Shirin somehow is still around.

[GoGo Yubari]

If Sierra suddenly remembers that oh yeah, she hates Dan and Rodney then Shirin can win with those two or Will. She has a voting bloc in the actual No-Collar alliance and potentially Mike. Tyler and Caroline would have to get really screwed over to make me think they'd ever vote for her, though.

This is still more Guatemala than Panama to me, though, I think because the awful qualities of the Panama cast were pretty cartoonish and harmless. With Guatamala, it never got as personal as it has here but by the end of the season everyone was pretty bitter (and also Rodney is Judd 2.0).