# Survivor -Season 42 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [March 10, 2022, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802 "2022-03-10T06:43:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/121 "2022-05-20T21:09:24Z")
Listen to the exit interview with Omar with RHAP (Rob Cesternino). Omar said that he had Hidden Immunity Idol Nullifier (that never made the air). Found it after his team won a Reward Challenge (pre-merge) and he planned to nullify Mike’s idol at Final 5. He also said that Lindsay’s HII was non-transferable and Lindsay didn’t want to play it for him at Final 6 at the Tribal Council because it would reveal her (close) allegiance to Omar. Although Omar said he did lobby hard for her to play it. BTW it is “Lind **say** ”, and not “Lind **sey**.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/122 "2022-05-21T21:44:26Z")
Good episode. Yes, you have the challenge monsters- Jon & Lin, and then the liked people- Mary and Mike. I do not think Jonathan can win, but he ain’t a goat. The thing I don’t like about the new "final three " ending is the Goat, which means Romeo will be dragged in as the Goat, then get the totally undeserved 3rd place prize money. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/123 "2022-05-21T22:43:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The thing I don’t like about the new "final three " ending is the Goat, which means Romeo will be dragged in as the Goat, then get the totally undeserved 3rd place prize money. You’re not wrong, but it beats a Final Two with one goat and absolutely no drama. And it’s not really that “new” anymore, is it? Someone who cares more than me can look up how long they’ve been doing final Threes as opposed to Twos. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/124 "2022-05-21T22:44:18Z")
Good points. ---
**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 21, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/125 "2022-05-21T22:52:52Z")
I think it has been a great season and I’m cool with any winner aside from Romeo, who I think almost nothing of either way. Just a forgettable guy. If Mike or Johnathan win, I’ll be very happy. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/126 "2022-05-23T13:44:47Z")
The final 3 started in season 13. They still switched back and forth a bit between final 3 and final 2, but the last time they used final 2 was in season 28, and the majority of seasons have been final 3. The other thing they changed 6 seasons ago was the fire making challenge to get from final 4 to final 3, to address the issue with a clear favorite getting voted out at the last possible moment. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/127 "2022-05-26T14:41:48Z")
**FINALE SPOILERS START HERE** . . . . . . . . . . I think Maryanne is a great winner. I was pretty split between her or Mike (and I feel like the jury was too). I’m surprised Mike didn’t get more votes but he really struggled at the final tribal. All in all, a top tier season. Interesting that since the start of the fire-making final 4, the winner of the fire challenge had always won the game (except for Nick who won Immunity). Now in back-to-back season the person brought along to the end won. ---
**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 26, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/128 "2022-05-26T14:45:10Z")
I was surprised with the results as well. I liked the season except for all the advantages, but great gameplay and good contestants. Maryanne really got hot at exactly the right moment, she kicked into gear and was able to ride that momentum into the finale. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/129 "2022-05-26T14:56:44Z")
I think Maryanne also just painted a clear picture of how to play the “I had an idol that I never played” card. As opposed to Xander who was basically just “Here’s the idol I found” Maryanne was able to explain how having the idol in her pocket shaped her strategy. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/130 "2022-05-26T15:08:38Z")
MaryAnne gave great answers to the questions from the jury. She definitely deserved it. I did not get any sense the jury was bitter. Their questions were direct and they gave subtle hints to the players how they wanted them to answer. MaryAnne got the hints, but Mike did not until the very end, when he owned up to some of his play. I guess Jonathan was the lone vote for Mike. That doesn’t surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/131 "2022-05-26T15:12:25Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I’m surprised Mike didn’t get more votes but he really struggled at the final tribal. Mike’s biggest mistake was assuming everyone saw him the way he saw himself. I don’t think he gave a lot of thought beforehand about what he was going to say at tribal, and seemed surprised that he was being asked to defend his gameplay. He _could_ have come up with satisfactory answers to everything the jury asked, but didn’t think he needed to. When MaryAnne looked at Lindsay and basically said, “I could have saved you; I thought about saving you; I didn’t save you,” that was the moment she won the game. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/132 "2022-05-26T15:14:59Z")
I really liked hearing the montage of juror thoughts before final tribal. MaryAnne was a solid winner. Maybe not the most consistently excellent player, but god damn she crushed that final tribal. Well earned. Poor Mike. The guy was like in a daze after losing $900,000, and it seemed as if Jeff was putting the screws to him. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/133 "2022-05-26T16:15:07Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Poor Mike. The guy was like in a daze after losing $900,000, and it seemed as if Jeff was putting the screws to him. I don’t mind the on-island reunion, but they really need to give them some time to collect their thoughts before being questioned. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/134 "2022-05-26T17:34:39Z")
Yeah, this. I felt so sorry for Mike, who based his self-concept on his honor, finding out that he’d been tricked in sacrificing it, _AND NOT KNOWING HE DID_, until the final times. It broke him, and he had no time to recover. I’m not happy with the Maryanne win, but at least I do understand why she won. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/135 "2022-05-26T17:59:27Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Mike’s biggest mistake was assuming everyone saw him the way he saw himself. It’s partially this, but he should have just accepted it and moved on. But he stuck on it. He allowed himself to be drug into an argument about whether he did or didn’t lie, alienating the jury and wasting time that should have been spent lobbying. He should have just said, “I tried to be as honorable as I could but, hey, it’s Survivor… you have to lie sometimes.” and dropped it. Otherwise it’s seen as lying about lying, example - Coach. > [@Wheelz](#): > > When MaryAnne looked at Lindsay and basically said, “I could have saved you; I thought about saving you; I didn’t save you,” that was the moment she won the game. Game, set, match. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/136 "2022-05-26T18:01:14Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > “I tried to be as honorable as I could but, hey, it’s Survivor… you have to lie sometimes.” and dropped it. I’d likely be unable to resist adding a snarky addendum: “And if we play poker, I might bluff you.” ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/137 "2022-05-26T21:55:14Z")
That’s the exact argument I make to my wife. I don’t know why, after 40 seasons, some players feel the need to justify deception. ETA: We were noticing the glazed, out-of-it look on Mike’s face and joked that he probably had some medical marijuana stashed at the Ponderosa. ---
**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 26, 2022, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/138 "2022-05-26T22:10:07Z")
I think that Maryanne won survivor at the finale in front of the jury and I think that’s when Mike lost the game. I kind of liked the energy of the reunion right there on the island, but I think it worked because everyone seemed really mature and to genuinely like each other. I do think that something better than pizza might have been in order. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/139 "2022-05-27T00:07:27Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I do think that something better than pizza might have been in order. Yeah, actually, that bugged me. Jeff was bragging about how just the regular crew prepared the food, or were serving it or whatever. How about splurging for a proper caterer? ---
**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 27, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802/140 "2022-05-27T01:46:40Z")
I’m disappointed. I was kind of pulling for Mike or Jonathan at this point, but I definitely would rather have Mary-anne than Romeo. I was surprised, to be honest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-42/960802.md?page=8)