# Survivor: Fiji - Ep. 3: "This Isn't Survival ... It's 'Thrival'" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262 "2007-02-22T19:13:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **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:** [February 23, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/21 "2007-02-23T14:42:31Z")
Fun episode. Papa Smurf went down hard on the Slip 'n Slide. That didn’t seem to faze him any during the Immunity challenge though. I thought his playing with Anthony’s head was hysterical. I was annoyed that they voted off the only good looking female the very first Tribal Council, but Rita’s Run kinda made up for it. How many people think that the hole Sylvia dug at the cave is going to get much larger next week? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/22 "2007-02-23T15:28:36Z")
[QUOTE=rockle] Why would you have kept Sylvia? She _sucked_ in the Slip-N-Slide Skee-Ball challenge, and in the Gross Food Challenge, and in every challenge before that. She was kind of an _albatross_, just hanging around Ravu’s neck. It’s not unreasonable to expect that the challenges are going to get harder and more physical each time. Makes sense to me to keep someone who is more physically useful – and less annoying – **than the skinny old bossy broad**. It’s not like starvation and dehydration are going to _improve_ Sylvia’s performance. [/QUOTE] bolding mine… Watch who you are calling old there youngster. She’s the same age I just turned today. And for form sake: Get off of my lawn! On the other hand, I hope my kids put me on an ice floe if I get as useless as she was on the slip-n-slide. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/23 "2007-02-23T16:27:04Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] How many people think that the hole Sylvia dug at the cave is going to get much larger next week? 😃 [/QUOTE] Interesting conundrum about the HII. Assuming Sylvia had read the clues right, it appears to be buried in plain sight of the camp. So she could’ve dug like a madman, found it, and everyone would know she has it – but she’d be immune on a week where she might be on the chopping block. Alternatively (especially after her few random scratches in the dirt came up empty) she could’ve told everyone “I’m going to … uh..gather firewood by myself” go off into the woods, make happy whooping noises, and then come back with a badly concealed grin. At least it would give everyone something to think about. ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/24 "2007-02-23T16:47:16Z")
Does anyone else get the feeling this season just isn’t put together well? Eating challenge in week 3? Only 1 challenge both last week and the first week. I think the person who bailed at the beginning really threw the show into a downward spiral. They couldn’t do the racial aspect (I don’t know if it’s been mentioned in previous threads, but I’m guessing one more hispanic makes four tribes of 5 ppl. white/hispanic/asian/black just like last season) ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/25 "2007-02-23T18:47:13Z")
[QUOTE=brownie55] Watch who you are calling old there youngster. She’s the same age I just turned today. [/QUOTE] Sorry about that … I meant “old” relative to those doofuses. I do not actually think Sylvia is “old.” Skinny and bossy, though? Yes. > [@FlightlessBird](#): > > **(1)** Does anyone else get the feeling this season just isn’t put together well? Eating challenge in week 3? Only 1 challenge both last week and the first week. > **(2)** I think the person who bailed at the beginning really threw the show into a downward spiral. **(3)** They couldn’t do the racial aspect (I don’t know if it’s been mentioned in previous threads, but I’m guessing one more hispanic makes four tribes of 5 ppl. white/hispanic/asian/black just like last season) Numbering and bolding mine, so that I can address your points as follows:[ol] [li]This is actually pretty par for the course. The first episode _always_ has only one challenge – there is no need for a “reward” when you’ve only been on the island for three days, and nobody (usually) has been sent home yet. Day 4 is around when they start the two-challenges-per-episode format, but since everyone was together until Day 3 this time, things are obviously different this season. (They made up for it by including “reward” items in the Immunity Prize Package on Day 6.) Relative to some of the other seasons, these are pretty “high-quality” challenges, too. And, in the past, the Gross Food Challeneges have been early in the game, when the _actual contestants_ had to eat the gross food (instead of the loved ones). In [Australia](http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor2/show/episode02/challenges.html), [Africa](http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor3/show/episode02/challenges.shtml), and [Marquesas](http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor4/show/challenges.shtml), the Gross Food Challenge was in the 2nd episode.[/li][li]There were definitely uninteded consequences – like Sylvia being singled out and having to pick the teams, and then getting sent to Exile Island right away – but I suspect they didn’t have to change a _whole_ lot. Probably there would have been 10 people per tribe, and after the first Immunity Challenge someone would have gone to Exile Island – and, judging from these particular teams, Sylvia might have ended up being the first exile anyway.[/li][li]Well, except the person who dropped out was white; and, I don’t know if they’d want to do the “race wars” thing again. Not so soon, anyway. In the Cook Islands they “proved” that minority players can do well in the game when everything is “separate but equal” to begin with – this time, they would most likely want to show that they can do well with _all things being equal from the start_. Then again: maybe not. Hard to say with Burnett.[/li][/ol] ---
**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:** [February 23, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/26 "2007-02-23T20:02:22Z")
Did anyone hear one of the Ravu’s say something like: “If Sylvia has the idol, then she decides who goes home.” Have they explicitly said what the rule is if someone pulls out the idol and does have the most votes? I’ve been assuming it’s the previous “next most number of votes” rule, but that statement is very different. That “Finger of God” power would be a pretty neat counterbalance to the weakening of the idol. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/27 "2007-02-23T20:48:00Z")
[QUOTE=muldoonthief] Did anyone hear one of the Ravu’s say something like: “If Sylvia has the idol, then she decides who goes home.” Have they explicitly said what the rule is if someone pulls out the idol and does have the most votes? I’ve been assuming it’s the previous “next most number of votes” rule, but that statement is very different. That “Finger of God” power would be a pretty neat counterbalance to the weakening of the idol. [/QUOTE] I heard the statement, and I interpreted it as meaning that IF everyone unanimously voted for Sylvia, then the person with the #2 votes would be the person Sylvia had voted for. Ipso facto – Sylvia decides who goes home. But that’s a big IF, and didn’t even turn out close to happening. I noticed that Jeff asked for the Idol \*before \* the voting…which is new, right? ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/28 "2007-02-23T20:50:26Z")
[QUOTE=muldoonthief] Did anyone hear one of the Ravu’s say something like: “If Sylvia has the idol, then she decides who goes home.” Have they explicitly said what the rule is if someone pulls out the idol and does have the most votes? I’ve been assuming it’s the previous “next most number of votes” rule, but that statement is very different. That “Finger of God” power would be a pretty neat counterbalance to the weakening of the idol. [/QUOTE] I think they said, “If Sylvia has the idol, then THAT decides who goes home.” To answer **jsc1953** : Yes. Previously, the HII didn’t need to be revealed until AFTER the votes had been read, but they changed it this time, presumably to force it into use. Now, you can’t say you have the Idol when you don’t – it’s put up or shut up time. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/29 "2007-02-23T20:53:22Z")
Yep. That’s one of the twists this year. You have to play the idol before the votes are read. That way you can’t coast along with the idol in your pocket. You have to risk losing it each vote. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/30 "2007-02-23T20:59:57Z")
They never announced the deal with the shelters, right? IMO, the only way to salvage the debacle that is this season is to switch shelters. Now. I hate when the wins are so lopsided. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/31 "2007-02-23T22:22:30Z")
Two things: When Sylvia was competing in the reward challenge, it appeared to me that she slipped and hit the back of her head on the ground. When she got up, she appeared dazed and, to me, that’s what made her walk the way she did. But who knows… And is this the third time Rocky has tried to manipulate the vote only to have it go the opposite way he wanted? ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/32 "2007-02-23T22:24:27Z")
[QUOTE=PunditLisa] They never announced the deal with the shelters, right? IMO, the only way to salvage the debacle that is this season is to switch shelters. Now. I hate when the wins are so lopsided. [/QUOTE] The thing is, though: they’re not. Not _really_, anyway. Moto has won all the challenges, but not by _much_. The outcome in the Survivor-Slip-N-Slip-Skee-Ball game was as much “shit luck” as it was anything else. Granted, Moto has an appreciable advantage in terms of protein, since they won the fishing gear last week, but it’s not like there’s _nothing_ for Ravu to eat. They’ve been eating clams (raw, which is _gross_, but _food is food_), and they have plenty of pineapples and coconuts. Now they have fire, and they’re going to have water, so the gap should get smaller. These challenges – especially last night – have not been entirely physically demanding ones. Ravu is losing the _mental game_, which could be because of what they have not, vs. what Moto has, but … how do you explain what happened in the very first challenge? I think they’re psyching themselves out as much as Moto is beating the snot out of them. Still: I also prefer the gameplay aspects over the survival aspects, and I do think a supply drop is due. > [@Shawn1767](#): > > And is this the third time Rocky has tried to manipulate the vote only to have it go the opposite way he wanted? Yes. He’s, like, the anti-alliance builder. A one-man wrecking crew. ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/33 "2007-02-24T00:27:24Z")
[QUOTE=FlightlessBird] Does anyone else get the feeling this season just isn’t put together well? Eating challenge in week 3? Only 1 challenge both last week and the first week. I think the person who bailed at the beginning really threw the show into a downward spiral. They couldn’t do the racial aspect (I don’t know if it’s been mentioned in previous threads, but I’m guessing one more hispanic makes four tribes of 5 ppl. white/hispanic/asian/black just like last season) [/QUOTE] **rockle** gave her take, I’d like to add mine. The quitter, herein after known as the quitter, could not have changed the game that much. The quitter reportedly stepped out just before the game began. I can’t believe they would have had enough time to come up with the scenario of the Haves and Have-nots and set up all of the infrastructure to support it in that short time. The challenges we saw tonight could not have scaled up well to a 4 tribe scramble. Granted, they could be moved up from later, post initial merge challenges, but I just got they impression they were the early “see who’s strong, smart, or adaptable” tests we usually get about now. So, while I think the quitter really stabbed Sylvia in the back, I don’t believe she changed the game. Oh, and **rockle** , rereading the thread, I actually ended up wiki-ing [peanut worms](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_worm) and it from the description they have neither teeth or faces. However, the way they shot the scenes last night, it did look like they had both. I never doubted you. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/34 "2007-02-24T02:30:35Z")
[QUOTE=brownie55] Oh, and **rockle** , rereading the thread, I actually ended up wiki-ing peanut worms and it from the description they have neither teeth or faces. However, the way they shot the scenes last night, it did look like they had both. I never doubted you. [/QUOTE] Seriously: you have _no idea_ how _relieved_ I am to hear you say that. Because I thought I _dreamed_ that little sequence, and I was _terrified_ that it was time to cut back on the Mountain Dew. Which _ **AIN’T** _ gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/35 "2007-02-24T12:42:11Z")
[QUOTE=rockle] The thing is, though: they’re not. Not _really_, anyway. Moto has won all the challenges, but not by _much_. The outcome in the Survivor-Slip-N-Slip-Skee-Ball game was as much “shit luck” as it was anything else. Granted, Moto has an appreciable advantage in terms of protein, since they won the fishing gear last week, but it’s not like there’s _nothing_ for Ravu to eat. They’ve been eating clams (raw, which is _gross_, but _food is food_), and they have plenty of pineapples and coconuts. Now they have fire, and they’re going to have water, so the gap should get smaller. These challenges – especially last night – have not been entirely physically demanding ones. Ravu is losing the _mental game_, which could be because of what they have not, vs. what Moto has, but … how do you explain what happened in the very first challenge? I think they’re psyching themselves out as much as Moto is beating the snot out of them. [/QUOTE] I disagree about the imbalance. Ravu might have a few pineapples and coconuts, but the other team has rice and fish and plenty of fresh water. They also have warmth – fire and comfortable beds and blankets. I think the imbalance is huge. That is why the one dude from Moto cracked me up when he complained that the other team was being “unsportsmanlike” during the food challenge. Uh, dude, you live in a cave for a few days without fire, water, or much food and let’s see how diplomatic you are during the next challenge. Granted, the challenges haven’t been all that physical but solving puzzles ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/36 "2007-02-24T14:33:46Z")
But luxury doesn’t always lead to advantage. Often, it’s quite the opposite. When the coddled meets the desperate, the result can be the fall of Rome. Moto was a stronger team to begin with. If their situations were reversed, Moto might well have gotten fire and all the other things from the luxury comps. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/37 "2007-02-25T07:18:10Z")
[QUOTE=MadTheSwine] That was well spent TV time just to watch Rita run down the slip-n-slide. [/QUOTE] Coming in late, posting before reading. Someone wondered, in the first thread I think, where the hotties were. I almost posted that I thought Rita was a cutie. She doesn’t look 38. Why did they blur her breasts? It didn’t look as if they were hanging out. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/38 "2007-02-25T07:32:26Z")
**HII** : I agree that Sylvia should have dug like a madwoman. She had to have known she was vulnerable, and she would have had to reveal the idol that night anyway. The only danger would have been if someone decided to try to dig for the idol with her. **IC** : Sylvia had no enthusiasm. Was she the one with the fish eyes? I looked at the reveal and thought, ‘Easy! Scoop them up and swallow them in one go!’ And the other two – Anthony and the other guy… They didn’t even seem to try. I wanted to shout to them to just swallow and not bother chewing. **RC** : What about the cutaway when Yao Man was matched against the muscular black guy? What’s-her-name laughed, apparently at the site of a bespecticalled Asian shooting baskets against a black guy. Obvious editing to enhance the stereotype. Man, I was hoping You Man would sink it! ---
**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:** [February 25, 2007, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262/39 "2007-02-25T07:40:24Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] **IC** : Sylvia had no enthusiasm. Was she the one with the fish eyes? I looked at the reveal and thought, ‘Easy! Scoop them up and swallow them in one go!’ And the other two – Anthony and the other guy… They didn’t even seem to try. I wanted to shout to them to just swallow and not bother chewing. [/QUOTE] No, Princess Michelle had the fish eyes. The general consensus here at Chez Jayjayfreak is that we don’t like Michelle very much… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-fiji-ep-3-this-isnt-survival-its-thrival/393262.md?page=1)