# Survivor 39 (Island of the Idols) debuts 9/25/19! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437 "2019-09-18T15:26:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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 18, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/1 "2019-09-18T15:26:36Z")
[Link to bios.](https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/photos/1008804/who-s-in-the-cast-of-survivor-season-39-island-of-the-idols-/23/) Sandra and Boston Rob return as “mentors.” My cursory look at the tribes leaves me unimpressed. ---
**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 18, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/2 "2019-09-18T18:31:54Z")
Yeah, I’m bummed about the two captains, both in terms of how the show premise will involve two veterans bestowing wisdom (or whatever), and because of the specific two people they picked. Nothing against Rob & Sandra, but please, anyone but Rob and Sandra! (Too harsh?) I’ll be watching regardless, so I guess the show is wise to ignore any complaints from me. ---
**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 18, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/3 "2019-09-18T18:40:11Z")
Bad captains, a perhaps misguided hook, no eye candy to speak of… This will be a season I fast-forward through. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/4 "2019-09-18T18:46:46Z")
Eh, I thought David vs. Goliath was going to be bad and it ended up being one of the best. You just can’t predict these anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/5 "2019-09-18T20:26:16Z")
I hope this is great. I know next season(February) is all winners. _That_ should be interesting. ---
**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 18, 2019, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/6 "2019-09-18T20:48:49Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I hope this is great. I know next season(February) is all winners. _That_ should be interesting. That does sound good, but I hope it doesn’t mean we get both Rob and Sandra two seasons in a row. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/7 "2019-09-18T21:03:26Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > That does sound good, but I hope it doesn’t mean we get both Rob and Sandra two seasons in a row. I’m guess they’re on this one because they didn’t want to come back for All Stars. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/8 "2019-09-18T21:17:41Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I’m guess they’re on this one because they didn’t want to come back for All Stars. It is speculation at this point, but I believe Sandra and Boston Rob _are_ on season 40. ---
**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 19, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/9 "2019-09-19T14:47:23Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I hope this is great. I know next season(February) is all winners. _That_ should be interesting. Maybe they’ll take another cue from Hunger Games and make the tribe members actually murder each other at TC. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/10 "2019-09-19T15:50:35Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Maybe they’ll take another cue from Hunger Games and make the tribe members actually murder each other at TC. I heard they raised the payout to $2 million in order to encourage them to get out there. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/11 "2019-09-19T16:53:28Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Eh, I thought David vs. Goliath was going to be bad and it ended up being one of the best. You just can’t predict these anymore. Exactly. I’m just going to watch and see what happens. Although the “mentor” premise seems stupid and I’ve seen enough of Rob and Sandra. Hopefully the season can overcome all that. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/12 "2019-09-19T17:01:34Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > Exactly. I’m just going to watch and see what happens. Although the “mentor” premise seems stupid and I’ve seen enough of Rob and Sandra. Hopefully the season can overcome all that. Yeah, I just hope they don’t spend too much time with them. This show is best when it’s about group dynamics, but the producers feel it’s necessary to spend 10 minutes an episode on a player away from the game (Exile, Ghost, Extinction, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/13 "2019-09-19T17:17:30Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I heard they raised the payout to $2 million in order to encourage them to get out there. Its amazing to me that the prize money (for regular shows) has not increased in 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/14 "2019-09-23T01:28:25Z")
The concept is silly and I’m totally prepared for this season to be a shitshow. That said, at least it should be a cheesy shitshow, and going in with low expectations means there’s a better chance of being pleasantly surprised. And even crummy Survivor is still worth watching. (I am much, much more disappointed that they will be ruining the all-winners season by returning the Edge of Extinction gimmick) ---
**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:** [September 26, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/15 "2019-09-26T18:17:32Z")
Watching somebody learn to make a fire (a skill which, frankly, every contestant with half a brain should have already learned and practiced over and over long before getting to the island) was not terribly entertaining, but the payoff was good. The lesson was less about making fire than about not taking foolish risks in the game. If all of the Idol Island visits are structured similarly I’ll be OK with the concept. I wonder how long it will be until somebody spills the beans and everybody knows Rob and Sandra are there. My guess is, not very long. Ronny was clearly a snake, and a smart first vote by the tribe. I don’t think he even would have made a fun villain; good riddance. There seem to be a few interesting personalities and the potential for a fun season. Like **enlazi** said, though, you just never can tell. ---
**Author:** ![J-P\_L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/j-p_l/32/3156_2.png) [@J-P\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J-P_L)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/16 "2019-09-26T18:34:53Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I wonder how long it will be until somebody spills the beans and everybody knows Rob and Sandra are there. My guess is, not very long. And then Elizabeth will be exposed as having lied, not good. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/17 "2019-09-27T01:35:20Z")
> [@J-P\_L](#): > > And then Elizabeth will be exposed as having lied, not good. Why even lie about something like this? I understand if she hid some details about her immunity idol challenge, but her pathetic lie about the entire situation over there is the kind of thing that an even brief think would reject. Ridiculous and it will be immediately revealed by the next person who gets sent there. ---
**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 27, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/18 "2019-09-27T02:19:36Z")
It would have been better for her to just say “I can’t talk about it.” and leave it at that. Everybody will think she got instructions or something and not worry. So far not as bad as I thought it was going to be. There. I just jinxed it! ---
**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:** [September 27, 2019, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/19 "2019-09-27T04:55:56Z")
I thought it was a pretty good start, although I’m sad as a poker player to see the poker pro go out first. Got to give that one woman credit though for seeing right through him. Apparently his bluffing game is not as strong as he thinks—or else she is very good at reading people and ought to take up poker herself. Interesting that Rob had a better offer if she held out. And yeah, I get that she’s an Olympic swimmer and likes to compete, but she just learned how to make fire and it was pretty easy for Rob to destroy her. Showoff! ---
**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 27, 2019, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/20 "2019-09-27T12:46:50Z")
So we all agree that part of Boston Rob’s compensation is that he gets to take the gigantic statue of himself home and put it in his back yard, right? I really hope we don’t lose 1/4 of each episode to Rob & Sandra. I’m out if that’s what actually occurs. And Elizabeth was a moron to (1) accept the challenge and (2) make up a remarkably dumb lie. I did like the Spy Shack for R&S at tribal though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437.md?page=2)