# Survivor Season 30 (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642 "2015-02-26T04:29:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 22
**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:** [May 22, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/421 "2015-05-22T16:01:41Z")
The problem I’ve noticed is that the contestants hold the machete completely wrong. For fire-starting, they need to hold the machete near the wide-part at the end and _scrape_ the flint, not chop at it like a piece of bamboo. That way you can control not only the spark but the direction thereof. They would also do better to use the spine as a striker as opposed to the edge. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/422 "2015-05-22T16:53:41Z")
I’m pretty sure that Joe said that he’d practiced starting fire beforehand. I agree that people should put some effort into preparing. Not just survival skills, but if you can’t swim worth a damn, go to the YMCA and learn how to swim better. You might not be an Olympic swimmer but every second counts. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/423 "2015-05-22T16:54:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The problem I’ve noticed is that the contestants hold the machete completely wrong. For fire-starting, they need to hold the machete near the wide-part at the end and _scrape_ the flint, not chop at it like a piece of bamboo. That way you can control not only the spark but the direction thereof. They would also do better to use the spine as a striker as opposed to the edge. Also, they have the flint way too far from the kindling and they often don’t take time to prepare the larger fuel pieces so they can quickly build their fire. Does anyone remember the season where they ended up giving the contestants matches after they utterly failed at using flints? ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/424 "2015-05-22T17:39:20Z")
Everytime they had a wide shot of the firemaking from behind the firepit, [I thought of this.](https://youtu.be/b5VsYT5vbWE?t=30s) Next time, I bet they let the jury join at a third station just making fires and putting them out. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/425 "2015-05-22T17:59:13Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Dan? A big, goofy, foot-in-his-mouth boob. I don’t think he’s some kind of monster or evil dude. Just a kind of dumb guy… > > My understanding is that Dan really helps out other adoption families and actually speaks positively about he and his siblings adoption experience. > > . Yeah, I have met those kinda dudes. They really arent mean or nasty, they just talk without thinking- Dan is actually kinda smart but his mouth runs off without any control from his brain. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/426 "2015-05-22T18:02:08Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No it isn’t. There are generations of Boy Scouts that have used those things to start campfires all over the planet, under any imaginable condition. Buy one, practice over a weekend and you’re set. Yes, there is a bit of a trick to it, but nothing a moderately bright and coordinated 10 year old couldn’t figure out. Yep. Not easy, but much easier than friction. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/427 "2015-05-22T18:23:45Z")
As a Scout from the Inner City, I was able to start a fire with friction, flint and steel (real flint and my Boy Scout knife, not a commercial fire starter) and even the lens of my glasses. I haven’t done it in years, but I am sure with a hour of practice, I could get the job done. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/428 "2015-05-22T20:17:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That’s what drives me nuts about Survivor contestants. They _know_ what is coming, but they do _nothing_ to prepare for it. There is a bit of a trick to using a fire starter, but they are $5 at Walmart. Buy one and practice, people! Once you get the hang of it they are very reliable sources of ignition. > > Be prepared! After watching 30 seasons of _Survivor_, I’m convinced that the producers don’t encourage players to practice rudimentary survival skills. In fact, sometimes I think they discourage it. Every season, we see players struggling to start campfires, bickering about the correct way to do it, etc., and fans pull their hair out and complain about how stupid these people are. I think the producers view this floundering as part of the drama of _Survivor_ and don’t want to lose it. I also wonder if the producers believe that viewers won’t identify with players who are already adept at starting fires and other outdoorsy things. IIRC, the only on-air advice Jeff Probst has offered to aspiring contestants was to study John Nash’s game theory concepts. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/429 "2015-05-22T20:36:52Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > That blew me away; it was completely unprecedented. My jaw dropped when Probst actually ran that raw footage that showed production crew, boom mikes, etc., just to make the point that _yes, America, Dan is truly a douchebag_. I thought Dan handled his public humiliation pretty well. I don’t think Jeff had any choice - Dan has been making the rounds of all the Survivor Interviews and bashing the hell out of the editing with what Jeff proved with that little piece of video are either outright lies or his brain rewriting history. > [@EllisDee](#): > > Jeff polled the jurors; if it were Rodney instead of Carolyn, Rodney would have gotten three votes, including Jenn. Mike wins either way. Mike mentioned in his post show red carpet interview that the reason for that, and part of the reason he didn’t take Rodney to the end was that the one thing he’d told everyone over and over was the he was not going to the end with Rodney. He figured going back on that would definitely cost him votes and possibly the game. > [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > Wow, I’m always surprised to see anybody defend Will. I mean, I get it… > _clipped for berevity_ > So yeah, I’m not a Will fan. But everything you said 100%. Also Will, for a supposed forgiving man of god weaseled around apologies almost as much as Dan did. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/430 "2015-05-22T20:51:06Z")
Next season looks like a good one. I don’t mind returning players but I prefer it when it is all returning players. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/431 "2015-05-22T21:44:06Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > I don’t think Jeff had any choice - Dan has been making the rounds of all the Survivor Interviews and bashing the hell out of the editing with what Jeff proved with that little piece of video are either outright lies or his brain rewriting history. Jeff did mention Dan’s complaints before rolling the video, but I had to Google “survivor dan” to find out how far out on a limb Dan had gone. In a [People interview](http://www.people.com/article/survivor-worlds-apart-dan-foley-exit-interview) he proudly describes how he confronted Probst and “ripped him a new one.” Probst mentioned in an [Entertainment Weekly interview](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/21/survivor-host-jeff-probst-answers-finalereunion-burning-questions) that he wouldn’t have shown the video if Dan had retracted his criticisms during the reunion show. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/432 "2015-05-24T12:27:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yeah, Shirin is a professional victim and a bitch. No one mentioned how much of a bitch she was to Will after he made that really nice gesture and shared his personal reward. Nobody really talked about why Will went off on her, just that he did it and wouldn’t stop. By my way of thinking, part of a decent apology is an explanation for why you did whatever you did that was wrong. We didn’t hear anything from the other two people who were discussing the food with her; it’s not like she was just sitting in camp pontificating about Will not sharing all the food. I would have liked to see at least a roll-call at the reunion, asking each person to say a few words about how things have been since they got home, but no. We only heard from about half a dozen Survivors at the reunion show; it’s like Jen’s only reason to be there was to sit there and look pretty (which she’s good at, I have to admit…). I don’t even remember most of their names, so, no big loss, but it would have been nice to see Jeff at least acknowledge their existence. Wow. Camping in Cambodia in June. That’s gonna be… special. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/433 "2015-05-24T18:05:06Z")
Max [tweeted](https://twitter.com/fymaxwell/status/601992471803920384) that he won $7000 for his 14 days on Survivor and he got $10,000 for the reunion show. ---
**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:** [May 24, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/434 "2015-05-24T21:24:23Z")
I like the idea of voting on returnees, but I would have preferred they just announce who are the winners instead of taking up 10 minutes revealing it slowly. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/435 "2015-05-25T13:06:52Z")
Yeah, that struck me as a bit mean, particularly considering how dark the rest of the reunion show was. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/436 "2015-05-25T13:32:02Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Yeah, that struck me as a bit mean, particularly considering how dark the rest of the reunion show was. I think Jeff regretted the producer’s decision on this. He tweeted and commented elsewhere that the looks on the non-chosen folks’ faces was too painful and it was one of the hardest things he’s had to do. Jeff and the show in general are not mean-spirited and I think they won’t do this again. It felt like a cheezy reality show reveal, something this show avoids. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642/437 "2015-05-25T14:21:17Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > As a Scout from the Inner City, I was able to start a fire with friction, flint and steel (real flint and my Boy Scout knife, not a commercial fire starter) and even the lens of my glasses. I haven’t done it in years, but I am sure with a hour of practice, I could get the job done. I haven’t made a fire with a flint since my scouting days (35+ years ago), but am 100% sure I could make one within 5 minutes given the coconut husk, my previous experience, and problem-solving skills. As stated upthread, you hold the blade close to the flint and scrape… when a spark flies off, you need to be close/fast enough to capitalize and help it ignite the husk. These two seemed clueless throughout the entire process and Rodney simply got lucky that a spark of his self-ignited the husk before Mama C’s… they should both have been booted after 30 minutes! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-30-spoilers/713642.md?page=21)