Survivor 11/25

Cafe Society
1

I come to Cafe Society at 10:30, expecting to find a thread several hours into the discussion of Survivor tonight. No thread?! People, people. Upon arrival at my aunt’s house, roasted sweet-potato cheesecake with maple cream in hand, I promptly informed her that I would need to watch TV from 7 to 8, in lieu of our usual rousing games of Farkle, Scrabble, dominoes, or Trivial Pursuit.

Now, this season is not exactly deserving of such blind devotion, but when the show rocks, it rocks, and you gotta take the good with the bad. I’m unable to give up on it.

Bye, Gary. I wasn’t sure about you in the beginning, but you grew on me. But then your sad desperate attempt at saving your ass at tribal council kind of turned me off. See ya.

Stefenie. You suck. I’d like to see you and Judd get together after the show. You deserve his dimwitted caveman mentality, and he deserves your power-tripping, evil-eyebrow-having bitchiness.

Judd, blech. Danni, blech. Cindy, blech. Lydia, while I like her okay personality-wise, having some athletic ability is a good trait in a Survivor. I was wishing for her to win the reward challenge, because I think she would have been really happy. And I don’t blame her for not wanting Stef to have it- Stef’s the mean, popular highschool girl I’ve always hated. But she should have just kept her trap shut. Will she learn?

Here’s hoping the rest of the season is more exciting. It sucks that I don’t like anyone that’s left, though.

2

The wine and turkey combo kicked in and I pulled a two-fer…I fell asleep in the first quarter of an apparently excellent football game that I not only wanted to watch but also had playoff inplications for my beloved Giants, and then I didn’t wake up until 8:32, a half hour into Survivor! DOH!

Luckily the game was on the same channel as Survivor, so at least I didn’t miss any show once I woke up, but still.

Can someone fill me in on the first half hour? As many relevant details in as few words as possible would be great.

One question: Gary said that he hated Cindy. What’s up with that? Something I missed in the first half hour, was I just not paying attention all season, or was there some dynamic we didn’t get to see?

At this point in the show, with my favorite now gone, (and I agree it was on a sour note), I have no idea who I’m pulling for. I’m basically rooting for “anybody but Lydia” at this point.

I don’t mind Stephenie; I don’t have any traumatic school memories of popular girls being mean to me. (But I’m a guy, so no real surprise there.) While I’m not as big a fan as I was early on when she was on the same team as Gary, I’m still a bit of a fan. (Those eyebrows are a bit freaky, I’ll grant you.)

Cindy was the stealth player, but now with more screen time I’m sorta starting to warm up to her.

Judd’s fine; I have no beef with him. Hell, he is sportsmanship, so he’s got that going for him. hehheh.

Rafe totally won me over at some point in the last two weeks. That guy is a demon on challenges, effectively knocking Gary out of the game by outrunnning him by mere seconds. I found him annoying and self-righteous when Jamie was talking shit during the pot-on-the-head challenge, but since then he’s really seemed to shed his timidity and taken a more active role in directing the game. Gotta respect that.

Danni rocks. Yeah, she could use a couple pounds, but she’s still cute. And she’s a football fan, so it’s all good. (And that ass!) Sadly, she’s gone in two weeks, tops. She needed Gary to carry her, and now he’s gone.

Speaking of Gary, wtf, dude? When somebody at tribal council says “You said those two didn’t deserve to be here!”, the proper response is not “Yeah, but that’s not a lie!”

Dumbass.

3

Oh yeah, Rafe. I forgot about him. I don’t find anything offensive about him, maybe he can be my favorite.

I don’t remember Gary saying he hated Cindy. Must have missed that.

4

I love Stephanie. I want to eat corn mush off of her belly. I want to give her my own ‘immunity idol.’

Rafe outed himself. Saying, “[I’m a] gay Mormon…” His ‘date’ with Cindy was actually pretty darn cool. I’m glad she chose him. Top two in that challenge and what not.

Judd got outed too. As a liar! Yeah! Too bad Hogeboom got sacked. I was really thinking it was Lydia’s turn, even with all the forshadowing that it would be her, which usually means it’s not them… I thought maybe they were trying a new twist, ya know? and actually forshadowing the real loser this show… Never try to outsmart a reality TV show, you’ll feel really cheap and dirty.

Bobby and Jamie seemed in real good spirits. Drinking?

5

Oh yeah, the first half-hour. Nothing exciting at all happened in this episode. Rafe and Cindy got the reward, which was some good food (shrimp, beef, chicken) and a trip to a hotsprings waterfall. The alliances are starting to break up. Hopefully the rest of them will start thinking about how Judd lied about the idol and he’ll be next to go.

Of course, I was watching it in the middle of a raucous family get together, so it’s possible I missed a couple of things.

6

Gary said that Cindy didn’t like him, not that he hated her.

Lydia, Lydia, Lydia…if you really were the Tattooed Lady, it would just be one word across your forehead: bitter. I like you, I really do. You’re a spunky, hardworking woman, and so far in this game you’ve been the Chief Morale Officer for whichever tribe you were on. But tonight…tonight, my dear, you had a major case of The Bitters. And you showed it. Not a good move.

And Lydia? Rafe and Cindy didn’t just volunteer the information about the reward food. Believe me, both of them are smart enough to not even talk about it, given the choice. It was the others who asked them about the food. You grumbling in the corner about it being an insult for them to even mention it certainly didn’t help your position any.

Anyway, I call the kind of reward challenge they had tonight the “Smoke Out The Coasters” challenges. It’s really easy to just fly under the radar when you’re not REQUIRED to actually do anything that will discomfit your tribemates. The whole raison d’etre of this kind of challenge is to force the stealth survivors to put on their figurative hot pink jumpsuits and Bozo wigs. So Wanda Wallflower whom nobody really thought about all that much previously is suddenly “that bitch who cheated me out of a steak dinner!”

7

Well, Gary’s gone so the interesting portion of the season is over…now I couldn’t care less who wins. :frowning:

8

No mas for Gary. He played well, but he didn’t get it done. In the end, Rafe did the smart thing.

My fears of Rafe being unable to play the game are lessening by the week.

And so, the less anticipated, highly derivative RICH RANKINGS! (N or Y for Tribe (Nakum or Yaxha) and Last Week’s Ranking in Parentheses).

FORGOT TO FILE A 1040- I guess you couldn’t outwit everyone!

Jim,Morgan,Brianna, Brooke, Blake,Brian,Margaret,Amy,Brandon- For the duration of the season, the portion of the program where I make fun of these guys is on hiatus.

THE BOBBY JON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD- The Jury deserves a special distinction from those in loser lodge.

Bobby Jon- (Y/Juror #1)- I could see a guy like Bobby Jon favoring Danni or Cindy.
Jamie- (N/Jerky)- I loved watching his and Bobby Jon’s reactions in the jury box. He clearly favors Judd but may be open to anyone else left if Judd is not in it.
Gary- (Y/Rat)- The much heralded “switch” that happened last week switched right back to the original alliance and Gary got the boot. He clearly favors Danni, but I think Rafe is his second choice.

EATING BEEF JERKY- You’re still playing, but you’re praying for a tribe scramble!

Lydia- (N/Merge)- A huge mistake knocking out Steph. In those type of challenges, you don’t go for right or wrong. You play for strategy. Danni may go first, but I don’t think Lydia has much of a future.

WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A MERGE?-

Danni- (Y/Mohawk)- Now that Gary is gone, she’s going to have to get back to doing things for herself. Is it too late for her? I hope not. Not only do I like shake ups, she is starting to remind me of Kate from Lost.

HEY! LOOK AT HIS MOHAWK-You might make the merge, but you’re grimacing from the jury row!

Judd- (N/Merge)- He moves up because he is still part of the alliance, and he may be in the final two, but Rafe’s scowl when Gary revealed his dishonesty was telling. Bonus points for Judd’s “ok, I lied there…” Bonus commentary: when Jeff was telling the story for the IC, my wife looked at Judd and said, “It’s not sinking in!”

LOOKING FOR A BIG TOM TO ENGLISH DICTIONARY- Big Tom has spent more combined days on the show than anyone. But he didn’t quite grab the brass ring.

Cindy-- (N/Tom)- I still don’t think she is going to win, but at this point, few can. I was glad the zookeeper got the alligator tie breaker.

ARE YOU A RAT OR A SNAKE?- Reserved for a MAXIMUM of two players. You have to be in the driver’s seat for this spot.

Stephenie- (N/Mohawk)- She’s showing her fangs a little too much. Oddly, the further this goes along, the less the jealousy of her second chance matters. Gary’s “autograph” comment notwithstanding.
Rafe- (N/Tom)- He is completely in the driver’s seat. He is the oddly perfect combination of competitive AND under the radar. Now that Gary is gone, I am rooting for Rafe to win it.

9

Hey, Steph, a little social skills tip: if you’re going to rag on everybody about how you haven’t gotten any more food than anybody else, it’s probably best if you’re not stuffing your face at the time. Just a thought.

10

Buh-bye, Gary, you lying slime. Don’t let the door smack you on the way out.

There, I feel better!

I’m strictly rooting for Rafe to win the Million Bucks. He’s a cool nerd and he’s playing a great, straight-up game. He deserves the win. But I wouldn’t be upset if Cindy won. In her quiet, honest way, she’s a real Survivor.

Judd is a dope.

But I really like Stephenie. There’s something very likable about her. And she’s an awesome competitor. I just don’t want her to win. I don’t like the “second chance” aspect of SURVIVOR. It just doesn’t seem fair to the other players.

Lydia is toast. Maybe not next week, but soon. And Danni better attach herself to The Four, or she’s going to Jury Lockup! I have no feelings one way or the other about her.

11

Yes, but Steph’s rubbing it in her face really was just plain pure Mean Girl. Steph has a really nasty streak, especially where other women are concerned; note that all her tightest alliance-mates have been men right down the line? The more I see of her, the less I like her. Especially when she was being nasty to Lydia, who yes, should have been a little more subtle, but Lydia definitely had the point in that argument. Number of extra meals? Steph 3, Lydia 0. What’s not to bitch about?

I was sorry to see Gary go. But what puzzles me? I didn’t notice who had voted for who at the end, and thanks to the game running a bit long my VCR switched to Apprentice before the reveal so I can’t go back and check it on tape, but according to Papa T. everyone voted for Gary. Including Lydia and – strangely enough – Danni. Is there some other alliance at work here we don’t know about?

12

That is correct! And it floored me that Danni voted for Gary! That’s some alliance!
Gary voted for Cindy.

13

which basically says that Gary, at the end, had no clue. Like half of the rest of the people voted off this island. At least Judd voted with Jamie… He didn’t even vote for somebody that the rest of them wanted out of the game, at least a little bit, like Lydia.

14

My vcr cut over to the apprentice too. Did anyones not?? What were the previews of next week???

I think people voted for Gary so they wouldn’t piss off anyone else that they’d be stuck with.

Judd…uff. “I’ve never lied.” 2 minutes later. Okay, that was a lie.

Sorry to see Gary go. Cindy or rafe are my favorites now, and that’s it. No mas.

I’d like to see a Survivor season with just the dumbest dozen or so, man. Judd would be there leader, man.

15

I’ve always liked Cindy. She’s the cutest one this season. :slight_smile:

16

I think they keep trying that, but smart people keep slipping through the selection process.

Note how few survivors show up having:

a. Practiced making a fire.
b. Practiced building a shelter.
c. Learned how to forage for food.
d. Practiced catching fish with just hooks and line, which, as was demonstrated in Palau, is possible.
e. Watched the show before, as evidenced by the lack of certain strategic skills as “don’t piss on people who will be in your jury” and “four is greater than three.”

17

I’d be ok with Rafe or Cindy winning. I would’ve liked to see Gary win, but - oh, well. I will be totally NOT ok with Judd or Steph winning - I’ve been despising them almost from day one, and they keep giving me reason to, each week.

I watched the show through CSI, so I should have seen previews of next week, but I swear I can’t remember them. Sorry.

18

I hate Stephanie and I have her in our pool. I’d rather lose my money anyday than see her win.

Did you guys hear that gasp that was let out in Salt Lake City and other heavily inhabited Mormom environs when Rafe outed himself not only as gay but also as “a gay mormom.” You go girl!

Did I mention that I hate Steph.

Just for the record, I hate Stephanie.

19

I didn’t know he’s a Mormon, but wasn’t it clear from the beginning he’s gay? I thought it was mentioned in, like, the first episode.

20

You know, the other times that I’ve seen strong, adept, smart, capable role models for young gay men and women…

they usually seemed to be stronger, adepter and more capable than Rafe… I’m really glad that he’s pulled out some sort of inner reserves, and he’s doing a great job now, but, dude, the first week? He couldn’t even climb 3-rung ladder…