# Survivor: China - Ep. 1: "A Chicken's A Little Bit Smarter" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881 "2007-09-20T17:02:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/21 "2007-09-21T02:25:05Z")
I do not care for Ashley at all. Her implants scared me to death and she thinks _way_ too much of herself. James seems like a sweetie. And damn! Is he built or what? I hate Courtney. What a tiresome, eye-rolling bitch. And she should have put a bit of weight on before coming on the show. She’s going to look like a stick insect after a few weeks on rice. Lunch Lady (forgot her name) seems quite affable. And one doesn’t often see such an impressive mullet in the wild. Love the monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/22 "2007-09-21T03:05:31Z")
[QUOTE=Jess] I hate Courtney. What a tiresome, eye-rolling bitch. [/QUOTE] Oh, yeah, don’t you love someone who don’t like other people because they are too nice? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/23 "2007-09-21T04:17:02Z")
Interesting change in the editing tonight. (Huge-breasted wrestler) was getting the loser edit, big time. It had me fooled. Chicken must have been much more obnoxious than the episode would have you believe. Good changeup, Burnett. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/24 "2007-09-21T05:58:23Z")
I think the obvious talk about _not_ eliminating Ashley got left on the cutting room floor (to enhance tension). No how, no way, would the losing tribe vote off their best female athlete simply because she had a flu bug. Not that Survivors haven’t made dumb choices, of course. Chicken cooked his own goose. When you decide you’re going to be a recalcitrant in a social game–especially when you refuse to bring information _regarding something you’re an expert about_, C-ya, buh-bye, thanks for playing. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/25 "2007-09-21T06:31:48Z")
James is so yummy and sweet. He brings back memories of Yul. _:sigh:_ Frosti is soooo adorable! Everyone else is still a blur. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/26 "2007-09-21T07:16:23Z")
[QUOTE=Moonchild] Chicken cooked his own goose. When you decide you’re going to be a recalcitrant in a social game–especially when you refuse to bring information _regarding something you’re an expert about_, C-ya, buh-bye, thanks for playing. [/QUOTE] No, he tried to help them, and they ignored his advice. But they are stupid. Two of the axioms in Survivor are: **that groups with a strong leader do better, they become more fit to win challenges.** Note that the tribe here that didn’t have a leader lost the 1st challenge (and I predict will lose more) and **Leaders are voted out early.** Note that \*\*PG \*\*and Chicken got votes. A smart tribe should realize this and vote a leader in (which more or less happened) with a promise he/she will not get any votes _next_ Council. Chicken was trying not to get voted out for being a leader. Tried too hard, but that group is stupid for voting out the most useful guy on their tream for survival reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/27 "2007-09-21T09:59:49Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena] Oh, yeah, don’t you love someone who don’t like other people because they are too nice? [/QUOTE] Is this the NYC waitress? That was very funny (in its own very stupid way). I had forgotten about the christian wacko. Way to draw attention to yourself. Who was the other that kept doing the motions wrong and getting slapped by the monk? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/28 "2007-09-21T11:33:15Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] Who was the other that kept doing the motions wrong and getting slapped by the monk? [/QUOTE] That was Courtney, the NYC waitress. I think she’s the first Fei Long person to go. I hate her. Which means she’ll win. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/29 "2007-09-21T11:46:54Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] Way to be an ambassador to the world with your christian faith by quickly proving how close minded you are Leslie. Drama Queen much? [/QUOTE] Yeah, Leslie’s a bit of a wild card for me. On paper, I don’t think I’d like her much: she’s very evangelical, and I don’t usually like that sort. I also thought what she said at the temple – “I’m not a very religious person” – was kind of an _outright lie_, since _she’s a Christian radio show host_. She didn’t get that job by having pageant hair and teeth, you know? But I found her interaction with James to be very touching somehow, and it kind of cracked my frozen, black, cynical little heart. It seemed _genuine_, and doubly so since there were cameras around. So, in the interest of being open-minded this season, I am going to give her a little longer before I decide how to feel about her. She was off-putting at the beginning, but she might turn out to be tolerable. _Maybe_. We’ll see. _(Man, this fair-and-balanced stuff is going to give me a headache from grinding my teeth. Pass the margaritas.)_ > [@Jess](#): > > Lunch Lady (forgot her name) seems quite affable. And one doesn’t often see such an impressive mullet in the wild. Denise. And I secretly _lurve_ her and hope she wins this thing, mostly because she is a Red Sox fan. But she is not entirely perfect, because she is also a Patriots fan. _Boo!_ But this is a flaw I can live with, considering that gorgeous, glorious, gleaming mullet. _Girl crush!_😉 Seeing Denise’s mullet reminded me that I actually kind of missed having “Treasure Hunters” on this summer. _Viva los [Wyld Hanlyns](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=376269)!_ ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/30 "2007-09-21T11:48:40Z")
“I’m not a religious person” sez the Christian radio hostess. :rolleyes: Way to Ugly-American it up right off the bat, your holiness. She and Courtney jumped right onto my hate train in short order. I knew Chicken would go as soon as he started the petulant pouting, and I don’t think PG is making too many friends either. They must’ve cut out something from tribal council - there was no reason I could see for PG’s triumpant “yes!” when Jeff said they’d reached a decision. Oh, and mine was in HiDef and beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/31 "2007-09-21T13:25:51Z")
I was just glad to see that the losing team got to take flint back from tribal council. It always bothers me a little when one team spends plural days struggling to make fire and starting to dehydrate. And I think that was the biggest downpour on an early night they’ve had. And Chicken annoyed me. ---
**Author:** ![lalenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@lalenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalenin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/32 "2007-09-21T13:31:16Z")
I just did not understand Chicken at all. This is what he sounded like to me: “mmrbmrbmma, you know, and rmndmnkrrrnmaabb, heck, rbrmbrmbr” Just for that I’m glad he’s gone. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/33 "2007-09-21T13:32:00Z")
The “I’m not religious…” thing is a bit of an eye-roller, but it’s a common evangelical shibboleth. The point is to draw a distinction between _religion_ - as a man-made construct - and _being a Christian_, which is a “personal relationship with Jesus.” I used to hear it a lot more about 20 years ago, but I also hung around with a lot more Evangelicals about 20 years ago as well, so there you go. In that subculture, it’s merely cliche; but on national TV, it’s more baffling. But on the other hand, I can’t hold her non-participation in the ceremony against her. Jeff said it wasn’t a worship service; but I can totally understand how holding your hands together in a praying stance and repeatedly bowing before a host of buddha statues while burning incense would make someone from another religion uncomfortable. It would make _me_ uncomfortable, and I’m no evangelical. And what little we saw of her the rest of the episode was pretty positive, so I’m going to give her a pass. There are much more annoying players to get rid of first (I’m looking at you, Courtney). Oh, and RE: Chicken – I actually thought during the show, “Wow! He’s so unintelligible he makes Big Tom sound like a Shakepearean actor!” ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/34 "2007-09-21T13:48:50Z")
[QUOTE=Hockey Monkey] James is HAWT! Damn! [/QUOTE] James is quite the specimen… we’ve seen muscle guys before but not with such a skinny waist. He reminds me of Stretch Armstrong. [QUOTE=Jess] I hate Courtney. What a tiresome, eye-rolling bitch. [/QUOTE] Awww, cut her some slack. She seems to be, like, sort of marooned in a land of, like, flight attendants and Sunday school teachers. [QUOTE=lalenin] I just did not understand Chicken at all. This is what he sounded like to me: “mmrbmrbmma, you know, and rmndmnkrrrnmaabb, heck, rbrmbrmbr” [/QUOTE] **DAMN!** Put me in the camp that says Chicken couldn’t get voted out fast enough… the pouting backwoods condescension strategy just wasn’t working for him. I presume the ep title was a zinger of his that got cut? Too bad, because there weren’t many quotable one-liners from last night’s show. This looks like a promising season to me. Not much hope of winning my office pool with Jean-Robert, though. Dude, keep your shirt on and wear a belt like I do. And shuddup. **Skammer** , thanks for the background on the “I’m not religious…” bit! ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/35 "2007-09-21T14:33:29Z")
[QUOTE=lalenin] I just did not understand Chicken at all. This is what he sounded like to me: “mmrbmrbmma, you know, and rmndmnkrrrnmaabb, heck, rbrmbrmbr” Just for that I’m glad he’s gone. [/QUOTE] I was having trouble understanding him, too. They should have subtitled him! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/36 "2007-09-21T14:36:12Z")
I was kind of glad he went. I was afraid I was going to have to go digging around in the storage room to find my Big Tom - English dictionary again. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/37 "2007-09-21T14:37:38Z")
Before the show, I was hoping I’d like Chicken, but man, what a doofus! I couldn’t understand him either. Big Tittied Wrestler is not my favorite by any means. Neither is Big City Airhead Girl. So far, I’m pulling for Lunch Lady Denise, just because. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/38 "2007-09-21T14:44:47Z")
[QUOTE=Skammer] The “I’m not religious…” thing is a bit of an eye-roller, but it’s a common evangelical shibboleth. The point is to draw a distinction between _religion_ - as a man-made construct - and _being a Christian_, which is a “personal relationship with Jesus.” I used to hear it a lot more about 20 years ago, but I also hung around with a lot more Evangelicals about 20 years ago as well, so there you go. In that subculture, it’s merely cliche; but on national TV, it’s more baffling. [/QUOTE] This was how I took her statement, as well. I don’t think she was intentionally trying to misrepresent herself, but she should realize that she’s not using the term “religious” the way most of the world does. There are some evangelicals who don’t believe in the concept of “church” at all…she may be one of those. > [@](#): > > But on the other hand, I can’t hold her non-participation in the ceremony against her. Jeff said it wasn’t a worship service; but I can totally understand how holding your hands together in a praying stance and repeatedly bowing before a host of buddha statues while burning incense would make someone from another religion uncomfortable. It would make _me_ uncomfortable, and I’m no evangelical. Yeah, I can’t quite condemn her on that one. I’m not even totally buying that it wasn’t a worship service…“worship” may not be the right word or concept, but it seemed pretty close. It’s not just Christians who would be uncomfortable, either…Jews take the “no other gods” commandment very seriously. I have a friend who was very uncomfortable once at a Hindu wedding ceremony because of the statues. This friend is not religious at all…hasn’t seen the inside of a synagogue probably since his Bar Mitzvah, but the idea is just so ingrained in him that he couldn’t shake it. What I would have done if I were her is just pretended I was an actor playing a buddhist in a movie…it’s sort of like that, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/39 "2007-09-21T15:25:03Z")
[QUOTE=Skammer] But on the other hand, I can’t hold her non-participation in the ceremony against her. Jeff said it wasn’t a worship service; but I can totally understand how holding your hands together in a praying stance and repeatedly bowing before a host of buddha statues while burning incense would make someone from another religion uncomfortable. [/QUOTE] I gotta agree. Her actions were the kind that give Christians a bad name, but at least she was hanging on to some convictions. Courtney, on the other hand, gives New Yorkers, blondes, waitresses…the human race a bad name. What a total beyotch. I’m glad she made it past week 1, so she can get some more screen time to make a complete ass of herself and alienate her entire tribe. Hopefully. Jean-Robert, the giant pot-bellied poker player, demonstrating his “behold my madd psychological playa skillz”. Seemed like a complete tool. James the Gravedigger – my early favorite. And dang, is he ripped/cut/buff. Can we call one tribe John Who? cuz it sounded like that’s what they were saying. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881/40 "2007-09-21T15:25:34Z")
I like Ashley myself,my early favorite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-china-ep-1-a-chickens-a-little-bit-smarter/419881.md?page=3)