Seems this is the annual family-member reward challenge. Bring me the tissues already – next to the “letters from home” segment, it’s the one that always makes me go a big rubbery one, to quote “Fight Club.” 
I’ve got no confirmed speculation to speak of this week, so it’s really anyone’s guess from here on in.
Anybody got any idea who the booted will be this week?
Is it on tonight (Wednesday), or are you just posting the thread a day early?
A little off the subject but related to your OP, so i’ll post it here.
Am I a cold hearted prick, or does anybody else find it really annoying how emotional everybody gets on the family contact stuff. I mean they’re off playing a game for a month or so, get ahold of your self. Maybe it’s just cause I grew up around an air force base where family members would often get sent on assignment for years at a time. and now that there’s a war on I’m sure many people on dangerous assignment might not have a chance to contact their families for months at a time. I would be flat out embarrased to be seen on TV bawling my head off cause I hadn’t seen my brother for a month while I’m trying to win a million dollars.
A dying family member or a first child under one year might be worth a tear, but I’m wondering if they look for emotionally weak people. I’ve been on three week camping trips sleeping on the ground eating dried beans and trout, but when I get back I just call mom to tell her I’m still alive, then go to sleep. Hell, my parents sent me off to summer camps for a couple months with nothing more than a postcard or two sent.
So am I a callous ass or does anybody else feel like me?
Just subscribing.
I can hope that Rob or Amber goes home this week – in fact, I’d really like it to be Amber, just so Rob has to be “lonely” for awhile.
After her complete asshattedness last week, I hope Shii Ann gets booted. God, she is annoying! She’s useless, obnoxious … and not entirely unlike her apparent idol, Richard.
Still, hope springs eternal that eventually someone will get it together and boot Rob. But if Shii Ann doesn’t go, it might be Jenna instead.
A “Chapera” surprise. I wonder what that means. They have some stupid merged tribe name now, don’t they?
That is the most stupid of the Survivor “traditions”, the naming of the merged tribe using the letters of each individual tribe. Come up with something intelligent, sometime.
i think it would be more fun if shi anne won the next few immunity challenges…
Is it a tradition? I’ve only been watching since Thailand, so I’m not sure. I know Pearl Islands they picked a different pirate for the merged tribe (Balboa).
Checking the Survivor website at CBS.com, 1st season tribes were Tagi, Pagong, and Rattana. Second season (Outback) were Kucha, Ogakor, and Barramundi. Africa was Samburu, Boran, and Moto Maji. Marquesas was Maraamu, Motu, and Soliantu. Thailand is where you start to see it happen: Chuay Ghan, Sook Jai, and Chuay Jai. Amazon was Jaburu, Tambaqui, and Jacare. Pearl Islands was Morgan, Drake, and Balboa. All-Stars is Mogo Mogo, Chapera, Saboga, and Chaboga Mogo.
So we have two seasons out of eight where tribal names were combined to name the merge tribe. Hardly a tradition.
I’m not saying you’re not a callous ass 
, but you’re not alone. I find those segments deeply annoying.
And after seeing that little clip of Rob’s brother an episode or two back, I thought Rob choosing not to watch his video from home wasn’t a sacrifice, it was a mercy for both the viewers and himself.
Agreed. I was all “Yay, Rob!” at the beginning (I loves me those Boston boys) but I don’t think I could have taken even more Mariano-ness. I actually think I’d prefer to see a video from Johnny Fairplay’s second banana, Big Dave (or whatever his name was).
The last few seasons, just after a merge, I always find myself at a point where I feel I just don’t care anymore. I’m getting there now. I’ll get all excited again really soon, but this week, I just can’t seem to bring myself to care. sigh And I’m still torn by the fact that I want Rob GONE, but I win ninety bucks if he makes it.
And thanks for warning me about the family member visit. I’ll remember to keep the kleenex handy. I’m such a pushover.
I hate the family episodes as well.
They always make me wonder, “What would they do if I were on this stupid-ass show?” I mean, I live alone and there is not a single family member within 1,000 miles of me. I’m quite used to living without them and coping with everything by myself. First, most members of my family would be hard-pressed to figure out how to make a tape of themselves. Second, seeing a tape of relatives who live 1,200 miles away from me under normal circumstances… I just can’t see myself getting all weepy about it. Seeing them in person would be nice, but I think I’d rather not in that sort of mind-game setting. For me, it would be more of a distraction than a welcome relief. (And that, my friends, is one major reason why I live 1,200 miles away from the folks.) I think I’d be more annoyed than anything else. (What the hell is mom/dad/sister doing here? Since when is she/he supportive?)
They could bring some local friends, or have them make a tape, but they’re not family and I really wouldn’t get weepy, I think, over them. They might make me laugh, which would probably be appreciated.
About the only things I would miss enough to get weepy over would be my dogs. And they would have trouble making a tape, since they don’t have thumbs. If the producers were smart (in my fantasy world, where I’m on the show) and really wanted to turn on the waterworks in me, they’d have to send a video camera to my friends, who would be keeping my dogs and would film them… and then when it was time for the family visit, they’d bring my dogs to me and let them stay with me until I’m voted out! 
I’d probably never make it on the show, because I’d make bad TV with very few and tenuous at that, emotional connections. Or I’d be voted out because I’m cold and dead inside.
Anyway. Back to my world. I don’t care anymore either because the morons have passed up so many opportunities to get rid of Rob that I’ve deemed them all too dumb to win. I believe Ramber (Rob + Amber = Ramber) will win and I’ll just be pissed off.
Feh 
Dogzilla, I love everything about your post. One suggestion: if you get on the show, you should have your friends send you a tape of all your favorite TV shows that you’ll be missing. Maybe quick, 5-minute recaps. Secondly, I LOVE “Ramber”. I, too, have deemed the rest of the contestants too stupid to win - so many opportunities to take out Rob, all of them wasted.
One thing I don’t understand - why does everyone on the show hate Jenna? I really like her.
You could just do like What’s-his-name did and use the whole family thing as a game tactic. The curly blond guy. Lied about his grandmother dying.
Does anyone find it suspicious that we haven’t seen Rob in the promos for this week? Or Amber, I don’t think, for that matter?
Oh … maybe there’s a terrible tragedy involving both Hawaiian slings and an unfortunate condom mishap … ? Dare we even dream it?
If I were Rob’s brother, I’d’ve sent a tape of a Sox-Yanks game that the Sox won. If I were Rob, I’d rather see that anyway.
When was this filmed, anyway? Surely not during the '03 playoffs?
From the promos I’ve seen, it looks like they make the visiting family members eat the nasty foods (I’m guessing fried bugs or spiders :eek: ) for the reward. It looks like someone cheats or something - you see Jeff saying, “No, no, you’re out!” as everyone looks on in horror. I can’t quite tell who it is that is disqualified.
I think it was filmed last fall. IIRC, Rupert had just gotten back from this one when they had the live reunion for the Pearl Islands one. That’s also why he didn’t do the Early Show and Letterman appearances when he was “voted off” on Pearl Islands - he was busy filming this edition.
Aren’t Rupert and Jenna the remaining Chaperas? I predict that they will join forces with Shii Ann and Big Tom (not as dumb as he acts) and vote off Rob.