Survivor Oct 31 - Not the only actor on this island

Excellent merge episode.

I think this is the first time they’ve ever altered a challenge to make it more equal. As soon as they started describing it I thought this was perfect for Denise. She’s lighter and stronger.

More and more the completely blank look on Carter’s face is just hilarious. He looks like there isn’t a thought that goes through his head.

With so many sub groups and half communications I can’t wait til next week to see how this sorts out.

It seems that RC got lumped in with the returning players pair and was outed due to her close ties to Skupin with everyone else on the island in on the plan. I’m hopeful that the Matt/Denise/Lisa set will pick up a couple more and break away from the Pete/Abi/Artis group. As soon as the returnee’s are gone Jeff and his puppy Carter become a real wild card because they have no strategy or alliance other than beat the returnees.

It’s also possible that Denise and Malcolm will drop Lisa - she’s a safe boot because she seems like she’s the type to recognize it as strategy and not hold a grudge.

Lisa lucked into the strongest alliance in the game. I think they’ll keep her around at least for a while – she’s got a lot more going for her than some of the others.

Glad Penner realized it was time to play the Idol.

I was also wondering if there had been other challenges that were made proportional like that – I thought that was an excellent idea.

I’m kind of hoping Lisa manages to get all the way to the end as one of the Final 3 without anyone (other than the old people) finding out who she is. I’d actually watch the reunion show, at least up to the point where they’d reveal that.

I wonder if the body weights were taken the day of the challenge? or before the game started?

Anyone notice the merged tribes name? DANGRAYNE.

DAMN RAIN They wanted to name it FUCKINGRAYNE but the producers would not allow it

I think Lisa might have had a little input

I think 10 minutes to get their shit together is a little unreasonable to move to another location. I would be wanting tarps and fishing gear etc.

Very solid episode with lots of factions and sub-factions and plenty of movement. Really interesting stuff. I was pretty shocked that Jeff Kent let his Penner-phobia outweigh the obviously inferior deal Pete was offering. He went from top-4 (or 6 if Denise and Malcolm get pulled back in) to top-8. Odd decision, especially since if Penner played the idol the target moves squarely to the defectors (Jeff and Carter).

I’m not entirely sure how it plays out now, because we seem to have a few groups:

Tandang 4: Pete, Abi, Artis, Lisa(?)
Denise/Malcolm/Lisa(?)
Jeff Kent/Carter
Skupin
Penner

I think the last two are without a true alliance at this point. With 10 left you need 6 for a solid majority. I guess the obvious grouping is Pete, Abi, Artis, Lisa, Denise, Malcolm picking off the other 4.

Cook Islands had an endurance challenge where they had to stand on narrow platforms, and the platforms were sized based on the player’s feet.

They’ve also done the “one woman and one man wins” thing on strength/endurance challenges before as well.

With RC gone, who will Abi target for her insanity next?

I’m sorry R.C. went. She has a pretty face. AND I hate to see Abi Normal sitting there smugly, thinking that she was right all along. She’s deluded, entitled, and she’s going to stay that way.

Not that I want to see her gone. I hope she does some more crazy for the entertainment value.

R.C. seems to have taken it OK.

I can’t stand Abi at all. When it’s revealed at the reunion that Pete was the one who dug up the idol, Abi will probably spit in RC’s face for some reason. Totally dislike her on a visceral level.

Pete’s kind of a dick too.

I’m still rooting hard for Denise.

Everyone would know by that point since they’re likely watching the show now, as we are.

:smack:

I always forget the timelines…

I’m really enjoying this season. The celebrities are fairly low-key, the returnees are just another player rather than dominators like Ozzy and Stephanie, and rather than the in-your-face manufactured drama, we have the potential for drama, and I’m fine with that.

We’re into the merge now, and it seems to be a free-for-all rather than an obvious one dominant alliance picking off the other one by one. Last night’s challenge was one of the best designed I think I’ve ever seen on Survivor. It was a physical challenge that was won by the smallest person left.

Has there ever been a contestant who has been to every tribal? Denise will be at every tribal if you count as a jury member.

Abi. Hate.

I wonder what Pete’s full jury vote was. “…I don’t like you…” (it was chopped on both ends - super edited)

I don’t think I like Artis either, but I get the feeling he may be ok outside the game. But I reserve the right to take that back later.

Was definitely a very interesting merge dynamic. Lots of little factions. The Yellow tribe was split between the Pete/Abi/Artis/Lisa and Skupin/RC. Red seemed together but Jeff Kent and Carter wanted to get Penner out above all else. And Malcolm/Denise are together but trying to play off other alliances.

Also was really surprised Jeff was so homed in on getting Penner out. Penner seemed pretty disconnected from what was going on (the vote for Pete when RC was his competition) so keeping him on your side seemed the better move.

Really? Survivor’s had plenty of challenges like that over the years… and I’ve never liked them because the winner is always the smallest person, whether it’s “who has the smallest feet and can stay on these little pegs the longest.” This one seemed particularly poorly designed because while they adjusted it based on body weight, the only strength that was necessary was wrist strength and grip - things which you don’t get an advantage from being more muscular. I said as soon as the challenge started the two thinnest people would win, and was right. That’s not fun.

So what the heck is the deal with the jury/final this time? Didn’t hear anything about RC joining the jury, but if they went with the typical Final 3 and 9 Jury members, we would’ve heard something about jury members.

Wikipedia does list RC as the 1st jury member… so just a final 2 this season? (Fine with me!)

Jeff Kent could have lasted another hour. He’s a baseball player who’s power is in his wrists. He gave it up because he gained a sycophant and maintained his anonymity.

I’m pretty sure Probst said “first member of the jury.”

Random thoughts:[ul][]While I think I believe Lisa didn’t mean to find Malcolm’s idol, I have to wonder if maybe she’s not as clueless/guileless as she seems. Aside from being incredibly invasive to literally air out everybody’s laundry, in the world of Survivor, personal belongings are, if not sacrosanct, at least assumed to be private. For obvious reasons.[]Jeff Kent’s insistence that a returning player not win is a bit weird to me. This is a guy who has earned millions throughout his career and has admitted he is not in the game for the money. So why begrudge the returnees a chance to win? Neither of them is a returning winner - although I can see him simply using this as a strategy with the others, he has been insistent even in his confessionals.[]Probst definitely did say RC was the first member of the jury, so will be interesting to see if we have a final two with a nine-member jury or a final three with an eight-member jury.[]Now that they’ve merged, I’m wondering if Pete will be stirring up more “chaos” like the drama he managed to manufacture between Abi and RC (which worked wonderfully for him).So want Abi to get blindsided with her Idol.[/ul]

I get the impression that Jeff Kent is trying to apply some strategy he has learnt outside Survivor to Survivor. He just decided Penner was the enemy, and he would go after him. Like he needed to give himself some structure.

The basic boot order now would be:

Penner -> Skupin -> Kent -> Carter -> Denise -> Malcolm -> Lisa -> Artis -> Abi & Pete

I cant see a lot Penner and Skupin can do, cos even if Malcolm wants to make a move, he is better off waiting to deal with Carter or Kent. Any bigger alliance is too unstable.

The funny thing is that could easily have been the plot of a “Facts of Life” Episode. Blair, in an attempt to butter up her roommates, decides to do everyone’s laundry. She accidently finds Natalie’s birth control pills/Tootie’s crack pipe/Jo’s lesbian porn. She and her accidental victim agonize a bit over her discovery, and decide to come clean to Mrs. Garrett, and they all learn something at the end.

I love it!

LOL! I love it!

There’s part of me that is dumbfounded that more people haven’t figured out her identity. I know part of it is generational, like Penner said, but still you’d think that more of them would have at least caught a Facts Of Life rerun, and Lisa basically looks the same, albeit older (if they hadn’t advertised her being on, I would’ve picked her out in an instant).

OR…maybe more people do know her background but they’re keeping quiet about it? I tend to think that’s not the case, though.

Jeff is easier. Unless you’re a huge baseball fan, you wouldn’t know who he is. I certainly didn’t.