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Post by stephen on Oct 1, 2023 0:53:54 GMT
just finished catching up with S43. Really not enjoying the shorter seasons with 26 days, doesn't give you enough time to settle in with the characters or their alliances and a damn twist being introduced literally every episode makes it that much harder to follow the relationships or strategy. Merge used to be a momentous half-way point and now it comes after like four episodes, and all the challenges pre-merge are forgettable obstacle course/puzzle combos with re-used assets. Look, I'm mostly just bitter about Cass's loss. I like the winner just fine but Cass was the Parv of 43 and I honestly was expecting anyone but who they went with... He had a really strong FTC but was almost entirely invisible post-merge. He had a goat edit annnnyways, I'll watch 44 at some point but I'm starting to lose interest in American Survivor. Maybe it's time to rewatch some of the older seasons or finally check out the AU version. Honestly, Season 43 is probably my favourite American season since DvG, and the winner is one of my favourites because he played an old-school, Sandra-esque game in the new era, when everyone's so desperate to make big moves and wound up shooting themselves in the foot, whereas the winner basically just planted seeds of "hey, X can't beat Y so you might wanna deal with that" and then walked away from the resulting explosions. It was a masterclass in social gameplay, and frankly I thought Cassidy was pretty deluded most of the game into thinking that she was making big moves when in reality she probably loses to anyone by the merge. (Still a big fan of her as a character on the island, and she is kicking ass on The Challenge right now with some other Survivor alumni if you need your Cass fix.) Rewatch the season knowing who the winner is, and suddenly his narrative is clear-cut. He was hiding in plain sight the whole time.
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Post by stephen on Oct 1, 2023 1:01:36 GMT
Also, Season 45 is off like a fucking rocket. We got Bruce back, baby! Plus an incredible villain-in-the-making in Emily (who, I low-key think might be in it for the long haul; she dropped that beautiful Pia Miranda-esque quote that makes me think she could go all the way, which in a post-Gabler world is entirely possible), one of the most useless challenge competitors of all time in Brandon (who I hope isn't just a pre-merge flameout), and a person who might've taken Mike Borassi from Samoa's crown as the most unprepared person to ever play Survivor ever as the first boot.
My winner pick is Katurah but I am personally rooting hard for Emily for chaos.
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Post by mhynson27 on Oct 1, 2023 1:14:14 GMT
Honestly, I might break my TV if Emily wins (it ain't happening, but still). She's fucking insufferable.
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Post by stephen on Oct 1, 2023 1:16:28 GMT
Honestly, I might break my TV if Emily wins (it ain't happening, but still). She's fucking insufferable. If she makes FTC, I need you to livestream your reaction.
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Post by stephen on Oct 1, 2023 1:23:27 GMT
Also, might as well do a Week 1 leaderboard of the top four players of the week:
1. Katurah. She’s a lawyer who is hiding that fact from the other players and she’s got her tribemate Jake (a fellow lawyer) taking some of that heat off her, and she has a whole-ass alliance from Day 1 based on them being Virgos. The tribe seems strong, she’s got options if they want to target either Jake or Bruce (or, similarly, maybe she builds bonds with them as well). I feel good about Katurah for now, but hopefully the others don’t get wise to her early on and target her.
2. Austin. He found the beware advantage but he’s voteless for now. However, he seems to be on the dominant tribe physically, so maybe it won’t be a factor for a while, and he might find the idol before that point. They’re not going to vote him out at this point unless he does something obviously stupid to get negative attention on him, so as long as he stays chill, I think he’s cruising to merge.
3. Sean. He’s on the dumpster fire tribe but seemingly is completely under the radar as they have Emily as a lightning-rod of negativity, Brandon is one of the worst challenge performers ever at this stage, Sabiyah is an older woman who has shown weakness in challenges as well, and Kaleb is already getting heat from Emily. I feel like he’s probably the safest on that tribe right now, despite them fracturing early.
4. Sabiyah. I know I highlighted her perceived weakness in challenges earlier, but Kaleb is the one who is getting thrown under the bus with Emily and I think Sabiyah has a calming presence about her and she doesn’t seem easily rattled. Something tells me that is going to serve her well, and I dunno, I think if she can make it past these early days, she’s in it for the long haul (trucker).
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Post by mhynson27 on Oct 1, 2023 1:34:42 GMT
Honestly, I might break my TV if Emily wins (it ain't happening, but still). She's fucking insufferable. If she makes FTC, I need you to livestream your reaction.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Oct 1, 2023 2:06:02 GMT
Honestly, Season 43 is probably my favourite American season since DvG, and the winner is one of my favourites because he played an old-school, Sandra-esque game in the new era, when everyone's so desperate to make big moves and wound up shooting themselves in the foot, whereas the winner basically just planted seeds of "hey, X can't beat Y so you might wanna deal with that" and then walked away from the resulting explosions. It was a masterclass in social gameplay, and frankly I thought Cassidy was pretty deluded most of the game into thinking that she was making big moves when in reality she probably loses to anyone by the merge. (Still a big fan of her as a character on the island, and she is kicking ass on The Challenge right now with some other Survivor alumni if you need your Cass fix.) Rewatch the season knowing who the winner is, and suddenly his narrative is clear-cut. He was hiding in plain sight the whole time. the thing that endeared me to Cass's gameplay was that her head was constantly on the chopping block even pre-merge and she had to fight tooth & nail to get to FTC for most of the season, which is why I found her similar to Parv (especially Parv from Heroes v. Villains). She dominated the immunity challenges which was fun to watch but she also had to win those challenges or she would've gone home because everyone was constantly targeting her as a threat. I remember her being more instrumental in some of the blindsides (particularly Ryan's) than I guess she was (?) but that might've been due to the truncated season & edit. I'm telling you 26 days is too damn short! But she did engineer the Geo blindside early which kept her in the game. That was a fun moment. I didn't see the winner's gameplay as Sandra-esque tbh. I don't remember much about her Pearl Islands game but she was more visible/aggressive on Heroes v Villains. She knew when to take a step back and let Russell (and ultimately Parv) draw the heat but she wasn't coasting. She was actively participating in strategy and playing a strong social game and I don't feel that that was the case with the 43 winner much at all, especially post-merge. If they were playing a great social game it was totally buried in the edit. I went into FTC totally assuming (as was Cass apparently lol) that they were the goat.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Oct 2, 2023 17:17:12 GMT
well I couldn't resist. Started watching 44 and can't stop because this cast is so much fun. Matt and Frannie's dork romance, the three stooges alliance, Jaime being a blinding ray of sunshine everywhere she goes, Carson's adorable deviousness, and... Carolyn Wiger. One of the most insanely fun TV characters Survivor has had in years. She must be protected at all costs. Her journey to the reward sanctuary with the two meatheads and her reactions to them bro-ing down and talking up a beefcake alliance right in front of her is the hardest I've laughed in a loooong time. If they have another season with returning survivors she better be their first call. What a chaotic & fun personality. still think the season's too short for the amount of confusing twists. Feel like half the cast has immunity idols and the other half has fake idols
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Post by stephen on Oct 2, 2023 17:25:26 GMT
well I couldn't resist. Started watching 44 and can't stop because this cast is so much fun. Matt and Frannie's dork romance, the three stooges alliance, Jaime being a blinding ray of sunshine everywhere she goes, Carson's adorable deviousness, and... Carolyn Wiger. One of the most insanely fun TV characters Survivor has had in years. She must be protected at all costs. Her journey to the reward sanctuary with the two meatheads and her reactions to them bro-ing down and talking up a beefcake alliance right in front of her is the hardest I've laughed in a loooong time. If they have another season with returning survivors she better be their first call. What a chaotic & fun personality. still think the season's too short for the amount of confusing twists. Feel like half the cast has immunity idols and the other half has fake idols You're gonna have loads of fun with 44. I still think 43 is the best of the new era, but 44 has perhaps the best array of characters. And yeah, Carolyn is TV gold. Also, I'm sure you know this, but in regards to the first boot: Bruce is back in 45 .
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Post by stephen on Oct 5, 2023 21:55:52 GMT
Looks like Emily might be in it for the long haul now, because Brandon straight-up immolated himself this episode.
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Post by mhynson27 on Oct 7, 2023 17:53:04 GMT
Oh fuck off show. Trying to make me like Emily and shit. It might be working
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Post by stephen on Oct 7, 2023 21:06:53 GMT
Week 2 leaderboard:
1. Emily. Goddamn, but that was a hell of a 180 from being Public Enemy #1 from Episode 1. She's now sitting as one of the only three voters on her tribe now, she's got Kaleb putting the work in for her, and even though she's not out of the woods yet, I think that she might outlast the rest of her tribe. Sabiyah doesn't have a vote so long as the idol is in that wax candle, and I feel like Kaleb wouldn't want to dump Emily so soon after putting in the effort to save her, and I don't see Sean going against Kaleb as the swing vote. Sabiyah might be the one who gets blindsided if they go back, especially to flush the idol. But yeah, Emily needed this reprieve. (Side-note: the only reason I don't have Kaleb in the top four is I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that saving Emily will ultimately come back to haunt him.)
2. Drew. Evil stretchy Cochran got great content this week. He's networked very well in his tribe, with a core four and a JT/Stephen-esque dynamic with Austin, and he has the Safety Without Power. Brandon gave him intel at the summit and the tribe trusts Drew. Thing is, I feel like we're supposed to view Drew as the big villain of the season: someone that gets taken down in the endgame by the eventual winner. I don't feel like I'm supposed to be rooting for Drew, but there is a pathway for a victory where they've at least made him likable with his tribe and he's a very fun confessionalist.
3. Kellie. She didn't have much content but we see she's already thinking of options on her tribe. She's tight with Brando, she has the September Girls alliance but she already thinks that maybe Bruce/Jake are reasonable allies as well. I feel like it's going to go two ways here: either Kellie flips on the Virgos and takes out someone like Katurah (someone that is the lone voice against Bruce, whom the rest of the tribe likes), or she is caught double-dealing and is the consensus vote when Belo goes to tribal.
4. Julie. She's dressed like Chris Daugherty, so she's already got winner potential here, but beyond that, she created the Core Four with Drew and the show gave her credit for working her social game. My fear is she gets pegged as the tribe mom and her betrayals and blindsides impact her more when it gets to the jury phase, as we saw with Dawn.
If I'm looking at players I think are in immediate danger: Sabiyah (as outlined above), Sifu (getting Game Changers Tony vibes from him and I think he flames out quick), Katurah (I feel like her storyline so far went from hiding her lawyer identity to "Bruce is lame", and I don't know if the show wants us to side with her), and Jake (the de facto target on Belo, looks to have a possible faint in the NTOS).
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Post by mhynson27 on Oct 12, 2023 22:37:25 GMT
This season is starting off GREAT
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Post by stephen on Oct 12, 2023 23:04:37 GMT
Week 3 leaderboard:
1. Emily. Flipped the vote to save Kaleb and immediately bought herself so much loyalty in the long-term. She’s got a tribe swap looming but I feel like as long as she keeps a lid on it in the short-term, the Lulu leftovers will be overlooked as the Belo/Reba tribes start picking off their own. (As a side-note, I feel it’s hilarious that Emily signed up to play Survivor because she was discontented with Gabler’s win, when I actually think her path to the end will be very similar to Gabler’s—a rough pre-merge where she has an immediate rivalry with a visible player, whom she snipes at a vital time. I hope she’s ready to apologize to the Alligabler when all is said and done.)
2. Dee. I really like how she sniffed out Drew and Austin’s lies, and it seems that she and Julie are so tightly bonded that I can see that duo benefiting more as people suss out Drew/Austin, especially as a tribe swap is imminent.
3. Julie. As with Dee, she’s continuing to build that strong quartet and a stronger duo with Dee. I only rate Dee higher because I feel she might be more proactive than Julie at this point, and I feel like Julie has a steeper hill to climb as an older mom figure, which historically doesn’t do well on this show when it comes to blindsides and backstabbing.
4. Jake. Climbed out of the hole he’d dug himself in by forging bonds with Kendra, and Kendra immediately went into protection mode for him. He looks like he’s swapping to a tribe with his strong ally Bruce, too, so I feel in the immediate future, he’s golden.
In terms of immediate danger, I feel like the Lulu Three should be largely safe for the short-term. There are cracks forming in the larger tribes that I feel are going to break open now.
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Post by stephen on Oct 20, 2023 12:35:56 GMT
Even though that was a bit of a wet fart of an end result, I seriously thought that Sean was playing up the "vote for me" so that Sifu would be lulled into a sense of security . . . and I think it would have actually worked, had Sean not caved at the last second and engineered his own quit. That would've been a truly legendary move, had it gone through. I've always wanted to see someone pretend they were so on the outs that they beg to be voted out, only to orchestrate a blindside or an idol play.
As for the other tribes, I think Emily's safe till the merge because I don't see Belo 2.0 losing challenges. The Bruce/Katurah cold war is heating up, and I think that Bruce might have the upper hand, especially as the episode pretty much buried Katurah with that hilarious time-lapse confessional. I am worried about Jake collapsing again in the preview; really hoping that we're not about to lose our Boston swimmah.
Week 4 leaderboard:
1. Emily. Swapped to the best position possible: the middle between two warring factions. Austin/Drew got to her first, and we saw nothing from Brando/Kendra this episode to make me think Emily would want to opt for them. Plus as I said, I think she's safe to the merge just due to challenge strength on their tribe. Pencil Emily in for a very deep run, if not endgame.
2. Julie. She called the shots on Reba, and she didn't write Sifu's name like Dee did (speaking of, what the HELL was Dee playing at there?). I was briefly worried for Julie because it showed her struggling a bit in the challenge to retrieve the balls, but she's safe as houses in that alliance right now, and I can't see her being a target once the merge hits. If she can survive the next round or two, she's golden.
3. Kaleb. Finally won flint, and everyone on Lulu 2.0 wants to work with him. Kaleb's got options, and I think he'll do well at least till merge as the big challenge asset for his tribe. I do think he's fucked once he gets there, though; everyone's sussed him out as a threat, but he'd made a good shield for someone like Emily.
4. Kellie. Probably in the best spot on Lulu 2.0 bar Kaleb, and she's got no one targeting her at the moment. I do wonder if she might overplay here, though, if the Katurah/Bruce war boils over. Still, I feel good about her chances right now.
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Post by mhynson27 on Oct 20, 2023 16:14:13 GMT
ENOUGH WITH THESE FUCKING QUITTERS
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Post by stephen on Oct 20, 2023 16:23:59 GMT
ENOUGH WITH THESE FUCKING QUITTERS I didn't really have an issue with Hannah quitting because I like that we saw someone completely unprepared for the game get knocked sideways right out of the gate with it, and I think it really does put into focus just how tough this game can be even at the early stages. Plus I thought she was a really great presence in her one episode -- probably one of my favourite first boots if I'm honest. Sean, though, feels very much like the sort of player who knew he was on the bottom and had no way to scrape himself up from the bottom, so he took his ball and went home. I feel like he did make that decision in real time, though, and probably immediately regretted it and has been trying to justify it to himself ever since.
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Post by stephen on Oct 26, 2023 20:35:15 GMT
Best part of the episode was Austin swearing vengeance for a sandwich.
As for the Week 5 leaderboard:
1. Emily. She threw in her lot with Austin/Drew, which I think was ultimately the correct call, as they have a tight bond with Julie/Dee and she can insulate herself nicely there without seeming like the big target once people start sussing out that core. I would’ve liked her to camouflage herself a bit more before the merge, but it couldn’t be helped.
2. Dee. Recovered very nicely from her Sifu vote-blunder, and J. Maya straight-up volunteered to be the pawn against him. (WTF?) I feel that even though Julie is more cautious, Dee’s boldness will work to her advantage.
3. Julie. Playing a very clandestine game, insulated probably the best on Reba 2.0 and the aforementioned core Reba alliance. I do wonder how much she’s being perceived as a follower to someone louder like a Dee or a Drew, but the show’s not given me any reason to doubt her.
4. Kaleb. Doing major bond-building is helping him out loads, although I wonder just how much of it will help considering how much people know he’s a social threat. Still, I feel he’s got Philippines Malcolm upside, which would make Emily his Denise (and I am frankly all here for that).
Now, for someone who by rights should be higher:
Kellie. Namechecked by Kaleb as the strongest player on Lulu, has bonds with everyone and now has a (lame) advantage to her name. That said, I do wonder if she’s going to be targeted, though; Austin clearly wants to cut J and Kellie to ensure his advantage gains power, and Kellie feels like someone who might be double-dealing too much without getting a whole lot of personal content. Could she be the merge boot?
I feel like the Bruce/Katurah war is going to be coming to a head soon, and while I think Bruce is chafing other players a bit, I feel Katurah has thrown up so many red flags that I wonder if they would rather stick with the annoying dad figure over her.
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Post by mhynson27 on Oct 26, 2023 22:54:42 GMT
Based off the preview for next week, looks like we're getting everyones favourite 'sike, you're not actually merged yet' baloney.
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Post by stephen on Oct 27, 2023 14:25:26 GMT
Based off the preview for next week, looks like we're getting everyones favourite 'sike, you're not actually merged yet' baloney. I still don't hate the earn-the-merge because it allows for some interesting dynamics (throwback to Gabler's game-winning Elie move, which is one of my favourites in recent memory just because of how hilariously blatant it was). Right now, I'd say the original Belos are at risk here. Bruce could be a consensus boot if he winds up on the wrong side of the immune grouping, but something tells me that he's got longevity ahead of him. I don't feel it makes a satisfying end to his war with Katurah just to have him go out like that. I feel like someone like Kellie, seen as the soclal hub of the Belos, might be poised for a possible blindside, especially if Kaleb goes back to Emily and wants in with a going thing with the Rebas.
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Post by mhynson27 on Oct 27, 2023 18:31:38 GMT
Based off the preview for next week, looks like we're getting everyones favourite 'sike, you're not actually merged yet' baloney. I still don't hate the earn-the-merge because it allows for some interesting dynamics (throwback to Gabler's game-winning Elie move, which is one of my favourites in recent memory just because of how hilariously blatant it was). Right now, I'd say the original Belos are at risk here. Bruce could be a consensus boot if he winds up on the wrong side of the immune grouping, but something tells me that he's got longevity ahead of him. I don't feel it makes a satisfying end to his war with Katurah just to have him go out like that. I feel like someone like Kellie, seen as the soclal hub of the Belos, might be poised for a possible blindside, especially if Kaleb goes back to Emily and wants in with a going thing with the Rebas. "By throwing out Elie's name I was trying to...throw out Elie's name."
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Post by stephen on Oct 27, 2023 18:38:06 GMT
I still don't hate the earn-the-merge because it allows for some interesting dynamics (throwback to Gabler's game-winning Elie move, which is one of my favourites in recent memory just because of how hilariously blatant it was). Right now, I'd say the original Belos are at risk here. Bruce could be a consensus boot if he winds up on the wrong side of the immune grouping, but something tells me that he's got longevity ahead of him. I don't feel it makes a satisfying end to his war with Katurah just to have him go out like that. I feel like someone like Kellie, seen as the soclal hub of the Belos, might be poised for a possible blindside, especially if Kaleb goes back to Emily and wants in with a going thing with the Rebas. "By throwing out Elie's name I was trying to...throw out Elie's name." I don't care what anyone says, that might be the best actual move of the season. Yeah, Jesse's idol ploys were very flashy and fun to watch but the man had absolutely zero follow-through with being able to capitalize on it, because he was shite at challenges and should have cut Cassidy and forced fire against the injured Karla. If you're going to make that sort of big move, you have to be able to weather the aftermath. And Jesse couldn't. Gabler's Elie pitch, followed with his surreptitious planting of seeds to Jesse and Cassidy against Cody and Karla, were actually strokes of genius. The Elie move seems so goofy but it bonded everyone immediately against a common enemy at the merge, it forced the Baka boys to stick with Gabler because they were immediately on the outs, Gabler showed the other tribes he was a straight shooter and wasn't conniving them at all, all while coming off as a harmless klutz. Frankly, I feel like his game (along with Sandra's first game) really needs to be the one most players emulate, especially in this new era. Just ride the middle, cut side deals, and make sure you're not the biggest target in the endgame.
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Post by stephen on Nov 2, 2023 22:26:44 GMT
That tribal was one for the record books. Wentworth who?
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Post by stephen on Nov 2, 2023 22:34:05 GMT
Week 6 leaderboard:
1. Emily. Now that the dust has settled at the earn-the-merge, she's still got her #1 ally and the Reba bonds she's forged, and it seems she's made up with Bruce. Honestly, I really don't see anyone targeting Emily at this point in the game, and she's positioned to make a very deep run. Still chafes me that J. robbed her of a potentially perfect game, though.
2. Dee. Successfully eluded suspicion of the hinky Sifu vote and she's insulated well with the Reba core. The preview seems a bit concerning that someone will be gunning for her, but as far as this episode goes, I'd rate her highly.
3. Austin: He's 50% of the way towards avenging his sandwich, his amulet has gained power, and his idol has now been activated. I worry he'll be a potential target if he doesn't win immunity, but it seems like all eyes are on Kaleb and that makes for a good shield for Austin at this point in the game.
4. Julie: See Dee. She successfully got her wish of having J. out of the game and she's set up to go far, as Dee will likely be a bigger target over her in the long run. Hopefully she can differentiate herself a bit more going forward.
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Post by mhynson27 on Nov 3, 2023 0:40:10 GMT
It was my Mum's Birthday yesterday, and Kaleb is in her Top 2 faves. Thank FUCK that SITD worked.
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