# Survivor 38: Edge of Extinction premieres Wednesday **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774 "2019-02-18T17:32:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/81 "2019-04-03T15:31:48Z")
Reem is a candidate for my idea for a Survivor season: Goat Island! It’s a season of returning players and all of them are goats. Secret Agent? Philip, Reem, Coach, that one annoying guy, and oh yeah I forgot about that nutcase, all compete for the $1m dollar prize. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/82 "2019-04-03T15:56:49Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Reem is a candidate for my idea for a Survivor season: Goat Island! It’s a season of returning players and all of them are goats. Secret Agent? Philip, Reem, Coach, that one annoying guy, and oh yeah I forgot about that nutcase, all compete for the $1m dollar prize. I think there are enough players that you could have a season just of people who got to the Final Tribal and didn’t get any votes. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/83 "2019-04-03T16:30:39Z")
If you’re at final tribal and you don’t know who the goat is, it’s you\*. \*Unless Philip is also in the final. If he’s there, Philip is the goat. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/84 "2019-04-03T21:03:52Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Reem is a candidate for my idea for a Survivor season: Goat Island! It’s a season of returning players and all of them are goats. Secret Agent? Philip, Reem, Coach, that one annoying guy, and oh yeah I forgot about that nutcase, all compete for the $1m dollar prize. I love this idea! You would need to cloak the true nature of the season in slightly less insulting language to get anyone to play, though, I’d think. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/85 "2019-04-03T21:23:18Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I love this idea! You would need to cloak the true nature of the season in slightly less insulting language to get anyone to play, though, I’d think. I’m just imagining guys like Coach and Phil showing up, seeing who else is there, and thinking “Finally, a real All Stars season.” ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/86 "2019-04-04T06:11:42Z")
I’m really glad the bozos not in the Kama group wised up (with a large bit of help from the Kamas fracturing, of course). Considering that the last vote left Aurora in the dark, the Kamas had effectively created a setup between their core six, Aurora, David/Rick, and Wentworth/Lauren/Wardog, which is 6-3-2-1 or 6-6 if Aurora comes to her senses and everyone else learns how to count. But Rick decided to start playing emotional and tried to blow that up. I wanted to make a joke here about Rick playing so badly I agreed with Wardog, but I think Wardog is actually playing very well strategically (he certainly helped wake up Julia and instigate the Kama blindside). It’ll be interesting to see if previously invisible people like Gavin and Julia start getting air time or if this was their one big shot. Even though she went along with it in the end, I agreed with Victoria’s reasoning, I think it was too early to be blindsiding their own. If they were worried about an Eric/Ron + David/Rick alliance (the latter of which broke on its own) they could’ve waited until they whittled down the others a bit and would only need Aurora and Wardog to carry through. I absolutely loved that David/Rick conversation. David has some guts in saying that he’s basically just going to keep his half of the HII so Rick can’t use it. Glad Lauren’s ok… I was worried for a bit when she dropped that she might’ve hit her head and really been screwed up. Had to laugh at her “dammit!” when she woke up. > [@Wheelz](#): > > I’m a bit confused about the whole jury thing. Will the Final TC jury actually consist of the _entire_ cast (minus Keith, Wendy, and anyone else who raises the sail)? That’s just too many people, and the early ejectees have no idea how anybody is playing the game, so they really have no business voting for a winner. It’s not 100% clear but that’s what the pre-season rumors were… that everyone still on EoE at the end of the game is on the jury, which could result in a 15 person jury. Thankfully there have been at least two quitters so far, and they do get to have at least some insight since they get to sit in on TC. Guess it’s good they don’t let everyone have a guaranteed question at FTC now… ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/87 "2019-04-04T12:47:15Z")
That was a classic top dog at the merge gets promptly blindsided. People never seem to realise that being visibly ‘in control’ at the merge makes you a prime target. I do wonder why Eric and not Ron though. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/88 "2019-04-04T13:56:12Z")
> [@Weedy](#): > > That was a classic top dog at the merge gets promptly blindsided. People never seem to realise that being visibly ‘in control’ at the merge makes you a prime target. I do wonder why Eric and not Ron though. Challenges I presume. Eric might win one or two - Ron has been hopeless. I also wonder if there were any discussions of “send Eric so he can keep Joe from coming back off Extinction”. I was a bit surprised they didn’t show any of the conversations between the Kama folks and Kelly/Lauren. Obviously they happened or there is 0% chance those two don’t play their idols. It would have been nice to know if Julia or Gavin talked directly to them or it all went through Wardog. I’m the kind of nervous person that probably would have played the idols anyway, but clearly Kelly is playing to win and knows she will need that idol later to have a chance. I also think Victoria probably had a point in saving the blindside for later. If you really think you have Ron/Eric/Julie/Rick isolated a foursome, then you have at least one safe vote and keeping them calm is better than rocking the boat immediately (particularly for Victoria who’s name hasn’t come up at all as a target from what we’ve seen). What keeps the Lesu group from flipping back and forth now until Wardog/Kelly/Lauren/David are a majority? Especially when you consider they have 2 idols (and possibly a 3rd if they pull Rick back in and unit that idol). ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/89 "2019-04-05T00:05:21Z")
Setting aside any questions about whether blindsiding Eric was the best thing to do at that particular point - as a viewer, that was an _extremely_ satisfying vote. Ron was so sure he had everything under control, and the look on his face when he realized he didn’t was priceless. As to why Eric and not Ron, I agree with **Jas09** that Eric was more of a challenge threat. And I also think he may have been able to adapt his game going forward, and I doubt Ron will. He acted like a jackass and doesn’t have many friends left. Keeping him in the game may actually be a worse fate than voting him out. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/90 "2019-04-11T01:21:59Z")
That tribal was insane. Can someone remind me, what was Julia’s plan before it all blew up? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/91 "2019-04-11T02:56:52Z")
I’m very confused. I would love to see some kind of animated graphic showing the evolution of plans. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/92 "2019-04-11T05:24:11Z")
That was a pretty good TC, well worth spending all the time on. Would be curious to know what the original plans were and why everyone except Aurora turned on her. For example, were Gavin and Victoria ready to jump ship because she spilled the beans, or just because they saw how the winds were blowing? Too bad the IC was a bummer. I’m getting really tired of every immunity post-merge being some sort of balance/endurance challenge. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/93 "2019-04-11T06:12:08Z")
I don’t mind the balance challenges. I’d love to try this one myself (I wonder who invented it). I think, but can’t be sure without trying it out, that it’s a mistake to try to balance the ball in the middle, where it has downslopes on each side. I think it’s better to balance it near (but not too near) one end. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/94 "2019-04-11T15:56:32Z")
What a fun tribal. I’m really enjoying this season, and was bummed to see in TV Guide that it’s down 3 million viewers compared to last season. Not great. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/95 "2019-04-11T16:02:24Z")
When the TC turns into a free-for-all sequence of huddles, I wonder how the producers manage the debate and call a vote. Is it Roberts Rules of Order? Does somebody make a motion to close debate? I’m bored with balance/endurance challenges. I know that there are other ways of doing individual immunity…right? It’s been so long… ---
**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:** [April 11, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/96 "2019-04-11T16:53:42Z")
I thought it was hilarious when Gavin was complaining that his alliance mates wouldn’t agree with his plan to vote out David, and described it as a “dictatorship”. No Gavin, when 3 members of a 4 person group get their way and the 4th doesn’t, that’s a pretty classic example of “democracy”. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/97 "2019-04-11T18:26:02Z")
I certainly don’t recall every word that was said at that Tribal, but it seemed to me the catalyst for all the chaos was Aurora running her mouth. (I don’t even remember exactly what she said, but I remember thinking, “Aurora needs to keep her mouth shut.”) I thought she might end up as the target, but Julia was probably a bigger ultimate threat and thus the smarter choice. People say way too much at TC all the time. My strategy would be to volunteer absolutely nothing, keep my facial reactions to a minimum, and give vague, evasive answers to any direct questions Jeff asks me. Of course, after I’ve been sleep- and food-deprived for several weeks, I’ll ley you know how that plan goes. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/98 "2019-04-11T18:54:51Z")
Yeah, it looks like Julia’s plan was to take out either David or Kelley, but everyone seemed to sense that something was afoot and on edge. Then Aurora and Julia both said to much, making it clear that there was a plan that not everyone was aware of and then all hell broke loose. As Dalton Ross pointed out, no one seemed to be targeting Julia until tribal, when she managed to put the target on herself with her “Aurora, you’re spilling the beans” comment. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/99 "2019-04-12T00:46:53Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > What a fun tribal. I’m really enjoying this season, and was bummed to see in TV Guide that it’s down 3 million viewers compared to last season. Not great. Not sure how the numbers work but the ones cited on Wikipedia (TV by the numbers?) has this season in the 7 million range, which is about the same as last season. There’s been a slow steady decline in the finale viewer numbers but nothing worrisome yet, I think. > [@jsc1953](#): > > I’m bored with balance/endurance challenges. I know that there are other ways of doing individual immunity…right? It’s been so long… Thinking about it more, I do think they tend to do these sorts of challenges because they’re easy to setup with so many people remaining in the game. Having 12 people do an obstacle course would probably be pretty difficult for Jeff to narrate, for example. But having them all stand in place and hold something is pretty easy to design, shoot and edit. Though I’m still waiting for a scenario where the last two people drop simultaneously and they need to go to Survivor instant replay. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2019, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774/100 "2019-04-12T11:50:26Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > Not sure how the numbers work but the ones cited on Wikipedia (TV by the numbers?) has this season in the 7 million range, which is about the same as last season. There’s been a slow steady decline in the finale viewer numbers but nothing worrisome yet, I think. Yeah, my mistake, I badly misremembered. Here’s what it actually says: Survivor 7.5 The tribe has spoken! Four episodes in, “Edge of Extinction” is pulling a season average 7.4 million fans, 1 million fewer viewers that at the same point in last spring’s “Ghost Island” installment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-38-edge-of-extinction-premieres-wednesday/829774.md?page=6)