# 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:** 2
**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, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/21 "2019-09-27T14:05:13Z")
1. FRONT yard 2. Yes, and 3. Yes Clumsy lie that could have been easily avoided and there was no freaking way she should have challenged BR. What could get interesting is when the truth of the mentors becomes common knowledge. I think then you’ll see tribes start targeting anybody who gets sent there. Which means if you fail to get immunity from the mentors, you are gone. ---
**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, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/22 "2019-09-27T14:18:05Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 1. FRONT yard So for some reason I thought he lived in one of the pricier Boston burbs, where the front yard wouldn’t past muster. But it turns out he lives in Florida, so yes, front yard. Lit 24/7, possibly rotating. ---
**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:** [September 27, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/23 "2019-09-27T14:24:44Z")
I’m going to embrace the cheesiness of the Rob/Sandra thing and put it in the category with things like when they had a big treasure chest of cash on stage, or when they’d show Jeff jumping on a jet ski with the votes and then walk on stage for the live count wearing the same outfit. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/24 "2019-09-30T04:45:20Z")
First part of the episode really dragged, but that’s pretty common for the first episode, gotta introduce everyone. The Rob and Sandra stuff feels like just the right amount of cheese. I didn’t blame Elizabeth for trying the challenge, personally. Not because I thought she had a good shot at winning, but because I figured the downside wasn’t that important (the first vote usually isn’t a 5-5 split where your individual vote matters). Interesting that Rob could’ve upped the ante, though. And I do agree her lie was a bad one… but I do almost wonder if production wanted her to just keep quiet about Rob and Sandra though. I wonder if the names are permanently removed from the bags so everyone gets a shot at going (until they’re voted out of course). ---
**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:** [September 30, 2019, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/25 "2019-09-30T12:20:38Z")
I like that there are all new players competing. If you’re ever bored on a rainy day, go back and watch some of the early season episodes. They have this weird PBS vibe like the whole thing is just a big social experiment paid for by the Chubb Group and Viewers Like You. ---
**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 30, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/26 "2019-09-30T14:17:53Z")
That reminds me, and forgive the off-topic tangent… Is there any way to legally watch Amazing Race 30 for free? During my free 30 day hulu trial, I saw they offered TAR seasons 1 through 29. Amazon Prime offers seasons 31 and after for free. So every season _except_ 30 appears to be available. What’s up with that? The only season I specifically wanted to rewatch was 30, and that’s the only season not available? Hard not to feel like the universe is messing with me. ---
**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 30, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/27 "2019-09-30T15:02:25Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > And I do agree her lie was a bad one… but I do almost wonder if production wanted her to just keep quiet about Rob and Sandra though. I would’ve said the whole thing except for the challenge part. And say that you can now make fire after the tribal council. > [@](#): > > I wonder if the names are permanently removed from the bags so everyone gets a shot at going (until they’re voted out of course). I assumed that’s what they’re doing. Otherwise they would’ve just drawn rocks. > [@madmonk28](#): > > If you’re ever bored on a rainy day, go back and watch some of the early season episodes. They have this weird PBS vibe like the whole thing is just a big social experiment paid for by the Chubb Group and Viewers Like You. And then you hit the middle seasons where you can win some _Pizza Hut Pizza_ at the _Charmin Toilet Paper Lounge_ while calling your loved ones on a _Motorola Razr_, brought to you by _Cingular._ ---
**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:** [September 30, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/28 "2019-09-30T15:14:10Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > …And then you hit the middle seasons where you can win some _Pizza Hut Pizza_ at the _Charmin Toilet Paper Lounge_ while calling your loved ones on a _Motorola Razr_, brought to you by _Cingular._ Coach was the absolute master of those, “I can’t believe the picture quality on this new Motorola phone, and I’m loving that it now comes in new designer colors, including volcano and heather!” ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/29 "2019-09-30T22:53:47Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I would’ve said the whole thing except for the challenge part. And say that you can now make fire after the tribal council. > > I assumed that’s what they’re doing. Otherwise they would’ve just drawn rocks. > > And then you hit the middle seasons where you can win some _Pizza Hut Pizza_ at the _Charmin Toilet Paper Lounge_ while calling your loved ones on a _Motorola Razr_, brought to you by _Cingular._ And the late, unlamented car giveaway, which for some reason was seen as a jinx. I wonder if at the outset, Mark Burnett et al actually saw his creation as an exercise in survival, where the winner would be the person who was best at spearing fish and building fires. Then Richard Hatch unexpectedly invented the Alliance, and the whole dynamic of the show changed on the fly. ---
**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 30, 2019, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/30 "2019-09-30T23:00:35Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Then Richard Hatch unexpectedly invented the Alliance, and the whole dynamic of the show changed on the fly. I actually didn’t watch the second season. I thought “Well everyone just knows to make an alliance now. What’s the fun in that?” ---
**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:** [October 1, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/31 "2019-10-01T18:24:50Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I actually didn’t watch the second season. I thought “Well everyone just knows to make an alliance now. What’s the fun in that?” It actually didn’t take long for the game to evolve beyond that. I don’t recall the particular dynamics, but in season 2, the second and fourth players voted out post-merge were from the majority tribe, so clearly there was more going on. I do recall enjoying season 2 more than season 1, and was glad I gave it another chance. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/32 "2019-10-01T20:15:57Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > It actually didn’t take long for the game to evolve beyond that. I don’t recall the particular dynamics, but in season 2, the second and fourth players voted out post-merge were from the majority tribe, so clearly there was more going on. > > I do recall enjoying season 2 more than season 1, and was glad I gave it another chance. While season 1 was special, I would agree that season 2 was superior. The only season, I think, they made them stay out for 42 days instead of 39. The flood that washed away their camp, so many memorable moments and great players. Overall, a great season. It was the third season(Africa) that was kind of dull, though it did produce Big Tom, an all time fun character. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/33 "2019-10-01T20:59:21Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Overall, a great season. It was the third season(Africa) that was kind of dull, though it did produce Big Tom, an all time fun character. Africa had a barely survivable water source, as I recall – they were basically drinking from a muddy hoofprint\* for 39 days. After that, the producers guaranteed unlimited drinking water. A great line from True Grit. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2019, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/34 "2019-10-02T02:57:08Z")
I actually liked Africa. But I may be biased because I was born in Kenya. > [@madmonk28](#): > > I like that there are all new players competing. > > If you’re ever bored on a rainy day, go back and watch some of the early season episodes. They have this weird PBS vibe like the whole thing is just a big social experiment paid for by the Chubb Group and Viewers Like You. > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I would’ve said the whole thing except for the challenge part. And say that you can now make fire after the tribal council. > > I assumed that’s what they’re doing. Otherwise they would’ve just drawn rocks. > > And then you hit the middle seasons where you can win some _Pizza Hut Pizza_ at the _Charmin Toilet Paper Lounge_ while calling your loved ones on a _Motorola Razr_, brought to you by _Cingular._ LOL, these are both so true. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/35 "2019-10-03T05:03:33Z")
First blindside! You’d think players would know by now it’s bad to be ahead earlier these days. Never seen people so excited over spices. Kellee came up with pretty much the same lie in regards to IOTI, but next ep someone from a tribe who’s already been will go so… maybe we’ll finally see the secret get out. > [@Wheelz](#): > > It actually didn’t take long for the game to evolve beyond that. I don’t recall the particular dynamics, but in season 2, the second and fourth players voted out post-merge were from the majority tribe, so clearly there was more going on. I read an essay once that made a really strong argument that Tina played a masterful game of manipulation in Season 2. The public at large disliked the whole ‘alliance’ angle and felt it was a cheap way for weaker/unlikeable players to team up and take out stronger/likeable players. So no one wanted to be seen doing the same thing, but Tina did a good job of getting people to vote out the “least deserving,” who just happened to be the people she wasn’t allied with. I haven’t seen Season 2 since it’s original airing so can’t speak to it myself though. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2019, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/36 "2019-10-03T06:07:00Z")
I remember feeling like the alliance deal was an unfortunate subversion of the spirit of the game. Now I can’t imagine the show without alliances. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/37 "2019-10-03T18:50:30Z")
So long, Molly, we hardly knew ye. What an absolute shocker that the cute girl got voted out first from her tribe. That’s only happened like 50 times. I was cracking up at her alliance a) thinking they were flying under the radar, b) taking a nap because the vote was all locked up, and c) saying out loud at tribal council that they didn’t really have to play very hard yet. It’s a “Survivor dumb-ass” hat trick! ---
**Author:** ![flaming\_yawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@flaming\_yawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flaming_yawn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/38 "2019-10-03T19:24:15Z")
Is the new PC term “tribe culture”? I think it was Molly saying it the most too. I like yoga lady she has crazy eyes… ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/39 "2019-10-03T20:38:45Z")
> [@flaming\_yawn](#): > > Is the new PC term “tribe culture”? I think it was Molly saying it the most too. I like yoga lady she has crazy eyes… There’s nothing PC about the term “culture”…it’s kind of a carry-over from corporate buzzword vocabulary. A corporate culture is just things like: what time do we go to lunch; do we have casual Fridays? ---
**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:** [October 4, 2019, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437/40 "2019-10-04T02:42:32Z")
Right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-39-island-of-the-idols-debuts-9-25-19/840437.md?page=3)