# Survivor 09.24.09 "Taking Candy from a Baby" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398 "2009-09-24T17:45:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/21 "2009-09-25T06:13:09Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Why should she get a pass for her behavior just because she’s black? She \*was \*acting like the stereotypical “ghetto bitch.” Where did I write that she deserved a pass for her behavior? ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/22 "2009-09-25T12:04:06Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Why should she get a pass for her behavior just because she’s black? She was acting like the stereotypical “ghetto bitch.” Well, from the cheap seats, it sure sounded like “ghetto bitch” came out of nowhere. Not excusing her, not at all: she was one of the definite two people who I thought were more nauseating that Russ H. in this episode. She was a bitch, but was the “ghetto” necessary? _Really?_ The truth is, neither Ben nor Jasmine seems likely to win the game at this point; this remains largely a social game with a strong physical component. No matter how many challenges you win, you can’t win this game if nobody wants to vote for you at the end. It’s why I don’t understand some of the strategy here. Why? Why take the cheap shots? And then why bother complaining about the sissy rules? Why would someone like, say, Jaison, vote to give you a million dollars when you insist on “cheating” and being an ass? Of course, if everybody were all nice and happy and sunshine, I’d be bored to tears and they’d probably make me vomit with rage (unless maybe they were happy cannibals, or something?), so I guess there’s _that_. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/23 "2009-09-25T12:24:26Z")
> [@rockle](#): > > I am telling you, guys: I _can’t_ keep having these episodes where Jeff looks like the sensible voice of reason (even if his rules _were_ kind of “sissy”). The mind, she boggles. “You may not choke another contestant” is a sissy rule? Jesus, I’d hate to get between you and a bag of Cheetos. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Russell may be an ass, but that was admittedly very smart for him to look for the idol, and when he found it, it did make the rest of his teammates look pretty stupid. Agree. > [@silenus](#): > > Russell the asshole must die. Coach was entertaining. Russell is a douche. Agree. Plus he’s got really, really scary eyes. Evil Eye Fleegle eyes. Seriously, look at his eyes. > [@squeegee](#): > > I’m still very startled about the blatant racism that I heard: “ghetto bitch”, “you need to go back where you came from!”. I haven’t heard talk like that in 20 years, and I’m well aware of what it means – its not just a reaction to how she was acting (which I would agree was very condescending). Those words mean “you don’t belong here” because of your race. My jaw dropped, it really did. What the hell kind of game is Ben playing? “Yeah, I kneed someone in the groin, so what?” “What’s her problem, she _is_ ghetto trash – and she has bad grammar!” Please, god, let him be the next to go. I find him way more horrifying than Russell. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/24 "2009-09-25T13:16:15Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Hmmm… Hantz is a pretty good villain name. I nominate RussHole, which I admittedly stole from another board but enjoy enormously, along with ShamWow for Shambo. All of whom can quickly disappear from my screen, along with Ben, and vastly improve this season. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/25 "2009-09-25T13:29:29Z")
Yeah, I don’t think it was a sissy rule at all. It didn’t look to me like he tripped good Russell; it looked like he whip kicked him in the knee while he was going away from him. Dick move. I can see tripping somebody and I can see a lot of other nastiness as being acceptable (really, even tackling Jasmine), but nut shots, hair pulling, biting, choking, and blindsiding people should be off limits. Plus Ben’s a total douche nozzle. He cost them any shot at winning that challenge. And then kept them up all night. Keeping me awake would have probably earned me getting booted off of the show. He’d probably kick my ass, but I’d get in a few good shots before Burnett’s jack booted thugs carted me off. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/26 "2009-09-25T13:49:25Z")
As it stands now, the only thing that will rescue this season is if Ben and RussHole both crash and burn at a high rate of speed, and soon. If that doesn’t happen, a lot of people are just going to turn to another channel rather than watch two assholes duel for Top Douche. OTOH, the way things are going, their tribe is going to be down to nothing by the middle of October. That means a switch of members and people who just might kick the shit out of B & RH. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/27 "2009-09-25T13:55:31Z")
Did anybody laugh when Ben said, “Go back to eating ketchup sandwiches and drinking Kool-aid?” I thought that was the funniest, stupidest thing any racist ever uttered. RussHole finding the HII was brilliant. This show is always a fun trainwreck. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/28 "2009-09-25T14:12:14Z")
> [@rockle](#): > > Oh! That reminds me – what does “this Idol cannot be taken from you” mean? Seriously. Russ hid the idol near where he found it, right? So if someone else finds it, does that mean it still belongs to Russ, or what? I thought that could be a reference to the stealing of the HII in a previous season (that _did_ happen, right? Or did I jusr right now make that up?). I’m probably a total “rules lawyer,” but someone finding a re-hidden HII did not technically _take_ it from anyone else. Or did they? > > Then again, I am SO CONFUSED by Jeff being rational that up is down and white is black and I’m not sure whether to crap or wind my watch. I can’t find a cite, but IIRC it’s been explained in previous seasons that an Immunity Idol, hidden or not, is the sole possession of a single person. They can voluntarily give it away, but no one can take it from them. If they hide it in their bag and someone finds it, doesn’t matter. If an alliance decides they’ll “share” the HII, doesn’t matter - there’s a single owner. Remember when Sugar & Ace had “their” HII, and Ace asked Sugar for it, and she declined to give it to him? One of the corollaries to that is that once you give an idol away, you’ve lost all rights to it - if you give it to someone “just in case”, and they don’t use it, you can’t make them give it back. I have no idea what they’d do if someone randomly digging finds Russhole’s HII - probably tell them to leave it there and shut up about it. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/29 "2009-09-25T14:21:36Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > “You may not choke another contestant” is a sissy rule? Jesus, I’d hate to get between you and a bag of Cheetos. Well, no, _that_ was a legit rule, and I am all aboard with that – choke holds and intentional direct hits to the face are NOT COOL. (Which makes me wonder why they don’t all wear catcher’s masks, but anyway.) I _do_ think that booting Ben for tripping was kind of bogus, though – Jeff said “no cheap shots,” which I took to mean clotheslining, horse collars, etc. (No, I do NOT watch too much football, shut up.) People have tripped other people before in challenges, and while I don’t really care for it, it _was_ a full-contact game they were playing. Then again, it also looked to me at home like Ben KICKED Other Russ right in the back of the calf or in the knee, so probably it _was_ an actual cheap shot, but if it was just “tripping” … well, that’s not so bad. Relatively speaking. (Although I can completely recognize that this is a fine line that I am trying to straddle here.) **ETA** : Thanks, **muldoonthief**. I haven’t been watching as religiously as I used to for the last few seasons, and I never know whether the terms and conditions change regarding that HII. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/30 "2009-09-25T14:33:17Z")
> [@rockle](#): > > Then again, it also looked to me at home like Ben KICKED Other Russ right in the back of the calf or in the knee, so probably it _was_ an actual cheap shot, but if it was just “tripping” … well, that’s not so bad. Relatively speaking. (Although I can completely recognize that this is a fine line that I am trying to straddle here.) I definitely thought that was a kick to the back of the knee, which IS very much a cheap shot, since you can cripple someone that way. (Why do I doubt that Ben would really care if he crippled Good Russell?) ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/31 "2009-09-25T16:29:54Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > RussHole finding the HII was brilliant. > > This show is always a fun trainwreck. As much as I dislike RussHole (nice name, BTW), there is an amusing paradox in someone flaunting their lack of respect for rules, decency, and other people in a game that one might think requires respect for rules, decency, and other people. The last time a character in a reality show was as blatant was Dr. Will in Big Brother, but he was considerably more likable and entertaining… ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/32 "2009-09-25T16:33:01Z")
One of the insider videos has a “nice” Russell confessional. He was slightly injured (ankle) in the challenge, presumably by Ben. FTR, two of the girls on the purple tribe really liked the challenge. The blonde and 40 yr old Grandma Laura. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/33 "2009-09-25T16:58:37Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > As it stands now, the only thing that will rescue this season is if Ben and RussHole both crash and burn at a high rate of speed, and soon. If that doesn’t happen, a lot of people are just going to turn to another channel rather than watch two assholes duel for Top Douche. Agreed. This is the first time I’ve read the thread before watching the show; the scripted villains of the world are so old to me. We’re about cool challenges and good strategy and having some over-the-top jackass hog screen time (one who has zero chance of winning it all) to the point that my blood boils is not my idea of enjoying the one show we watch every week and I’m on Survivor strike until he’s toast. What I fear, though, is that Ben and Russell will stay around because they’re athletic and those types don’t get usually get bounced until the merge nears. And the producers just might do what they can to keep him around. Not at my expense. Sad to say it, but I’m wondering if Survivor is metaphorically airborne on water skis right now looking down at Fonzie’s shark. A lot of really good seasons previous me thinks, so maybe we’re just due for a stinker. But this might be it. I vote for a cage battle to the death between Russell and Boston Rob. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/34 "2009-09-26T05:36:10Z")
The way RussHole has been hyped has really annoyed me–it seems so blatantly contrived and produced. “Look, we created…erm, found…another villain! And he’s the WORST EVER!” That alone makes me think this show is losing something. Ben, however, is a thousand times the douchebag to me. RussHole is being smart, if nasty–Ben is being as big an idiot as he is a douche. Hubby feels that once the merge occurs, if RussHole is around, he’ll blend in well with the other tribe as he can manipulate others and will know how to blend. But, count me in on the “this better turn around soon” mindset. I’m tired of the Russells and Bens and Yazmins of the Survivor universe. I miss Rudy. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/35 "2009-09-26T05:57:02Z")
First, tripping is absolutely a cheap shot. **rockle** mentioned a bunch of NFL cheap shots like horse collar tackles, but then seemed to imply that tripping is less wrong. Flozell Adams just got fined $12,500 for tripping Justin Tuck in last Sunday’s SNF game between the Giants and Cowboys. When it happened in the game, the announcers couldn’t stop railing against the trip as both cheap and dirty. (It also injured Tuck, who upon being tripped landed awkwardly on his shoulder and partially tore his labrum.) The worst was Ben calling Jeff’s rules “sissy” rules. Tripping is a sissy move, right up there with biting, hair pulling and groin kicking. So yeah, Jeff’s rules could be called sissy rules in that they disallowed sissy moves. Ben even went further, explicitly stating that the guy was bigger than him so of course he couldn’t possibly man up and try to tackle him. Such a total pussy. Plus the racist angle. I find the ultra-stereotypical sassy black woman unwatchable, but damn, Ben, could you _be_ more of a racist douchebag? [/Chandler] ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/36 "2009-09-26T11:10:15Z")
This group may be one of the most unappealing ever to appear on Survivor. I don’t know if I can watch this whole season. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/37 "2009-09-26T11:57:48Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > First, tripping is absolutely a cheap shot. **rockle** mentioned a bunch of NFL cheap shots like horse collar tackles, but then seemed to imply that tripping is less wrong. Flozell Adams just got fined $12,500 for tripping Justin Tuck in last Sunday’s SNF game between the Giants and Cowboys. When it happened in the game, the announcers couldn’t stop railing against the trip as both cheap and dirty. I didn’t know this (but in my [pathetic] defense I hate both the Giants AND the Cowboys and so didn’t watch the game). It didn’t seem so egregious to me, but then again, it’s not something I would do, either, so I guess that says something. About what, entirely, I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/38 "2009-09-26T13:34:03Z")
> [@rockle](#): > > (but in my [pathetic] defense I hate both the Giants AND the Cowboys Redskin fan? Lets have a beer! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/39 "2009-09-26T15:49:37Z")
> [@rockle](#): > > Well, no, _that_ was a legit rule, and I am all aboard with that – choke holds and intentional direct hits to the face are NOT COOL. (Which makes me wonder why they don’t all wear catcher’s masks, but anyway.) I _do_ think that booting Ben for tripping was kind of bogus, though – Jeff said “no cheap shots,” which I took to mean clotheslining, horse collars, etc. (No, I do NOT watch too much football, shut up.) People have tripped other people before in challenges, and while I don’t really care for it, it _was_ a full-contact game they were playing. Accidental tripping is one thing, but Ben deliberately kicked Good Russell in the back of the knee. That is way the fuck over the line. And I think it’s hilarious that Fat Russell thinks he’s running the game. But I also agree that this group is pretty unappealing and if the final group includes Yasmin, Fat Russell and Ben, I just might… keep watching. But I’ll be really mad at myself about it. Oh, and the Shambo love from last week? It’s gone, she’s an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398/40 "2009-09-26T19:18:57Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > But I also agree that this group is pretty unappealing and if the final group includes Yasmin, Fat Russell and Ben, I just might… keep watching. But I’ll be really mad at myself about it. Oh, and the Shambo love from last week? It’s gone, she’s an idiot. Right there with you on all counts, except I never liked Shambo. I worry that BB spoiled me. I watched it this summer for the first time ever and got totally sucked in. Now with Survivor – where I’ve watched maybe 15 or 16 of the seasons – I keep looking for the genuine, nice, honest people who never look to backstab or fuck with anyone else. (There were three such people on BB, and one of the them won it all.) And I’m just not finding them out in the jungle; they’re all cutthroat scumbags by comparison. BB had the vile bad guys who turned your stomach every time they appeared on camera, much like what Ben and Yasmine are fast becoming. BB also had the wacky, thinks-he’s-a-genius self-proclaimed “bad guy”, and surprisingly enough his name was also Russell. Not unwatchable, but not someone I’d tune in for. What made BB compelling was watching the genuinely nice people deal with and overcome the assholes and scumbags. I hope BB hasn’t spoiled me and now I require a good guy to root for or I lose interest. Because that would suck. Especially because Survivor edits are a million times more misleading than watching BB live feeds on Showtime2, so on Survivor there is no real way of knowing if what is presented as a genuinely good person is actually that. EDIT: I like to think that both Ethan and Yul were genuinely good people, but in thinking back over various seasons, weren’t they the exception rather than the rule? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-09-24-09-taking-candy-from-a-baby/511398.md?page=3)