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"Editing Notes - Episode 1: They Bite at the First Opportunity"
Posted by michel2 on 09-27-19 at 05:53 PM
LAST EDITED ON 09-28-19 AT 01:13 PM (EST)


I know I just wrote that I wasn't going to do an editing thread this season but the I found myself with time on my hand so why not at least write something for the premiere? We'll see from her. It will be short and maybe not very detailed but these are my first impressions:

They Bite at the first Opportunity

It was a weird start to the season, the first one where the castaways weren’t greeted by Jeff.

We started off in Lairo:

- Karishma had the first confessional of the season. It was about her excitement to be on the island but how she had to remain calm, cool and collected.
- Chelsea was next and she had an extended interview. At first she told us she was excited about meeting her tribe mates but asked where was Probst. She reacted negatively to the season’s theme, saying it will increase paranoia. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for the twists.
- Elizabeth confessed about being a three time Olympian. Survivor was as exciting as the Olympics.
- Missy told us she needed happiness in her life and about her life in the air force and her battle against cancer.
Missy’s extremely personal confessional really stood out.

Next we went to Vokai:

- Lauren talked about the season’s theme, wondering where those idols were.
- Molly liked the composition of her tribe; they were bright and sociable.
- Janet, the older woman, was worried about standing out negatively so she was going to change that. She started fire.

Back to Lairo:

- Vince told us about the Hmong people and their plight.
- Tom said he was impressed with Vince and Elaine. Being a former team captain, he valued hard work.
- Aaron was quick to form a group of seven to target the three who had walked out of camp together.
A conflict has been established between Aaron and Tom. We know who won round 1 and it seemed enough for us to expect a Knock Out is coming soon.

Vokai’s turn:

- Jamal was really impressed with his tribe. It couldn’t be going more well (sic!) according to him.
- Jason wanted to find an idol. Molly realized it.
- Dan commented on Jason’s faux-pas. He connected Survivor to his job as a talent agent.
Another conflict has been revealed but, despite Dan’s assurance that Jason couldn’t avoid the grave, we can’t be sure how this one will turn out.
- Jack caught a giant clam and told us that he was the youngest person on the tribe. He was counting on his playful attitude. Despite hanging with Molly, Jack told us that Tommy was his number one ally.
- Tommy wanted everyone to feel comfortable around him. He wanted to connect with everyone one on one. He was building a lot of alliances.

It seemed to work. The group we saw included Jack, Molly, Dan, Lauren and Kellee. Jack said he liked Jamal.

- Molly commented on how the core group just clicked and she really liked that.
- Hearing the talk about Jason, Noura went out to warn him while telling us she likes the guy.
- Jason shared his concern with us.

In Lairo, Elaine told us she was counting on humor to stick with the tribe.
- Missy claimed to be very observant and she liked the girls. She formed a woman’s alliance. She warned Elaine about the talk against her.
- Elaine was worried but she wasn’t OK with going home.
Missy, after giving us her personal story, is now established as a real player. That’s a great combination, editing wise, for success on this show.

Vokai:
- Kellee said she was a germophobe so she didn’t like Dan’s who was a touchy person.
- Molly also commented on Dan being too touchy and that he didn’t respect personal space. She didn’t want to ruffle feathers but she wanted to be careful.
These comments put more doubt on Dan being able to eliminate Jason. His own alliance has reservations about him.
- Janet also commented about Dan.
- Kellee said she talked to Dan about her reaction. She said it went well but there was a but: Dan is in trouble.

- Ronnie realized that Elaine was very likable so he tried to get in with her but knew she was dangerous: Her personal story could mean she’d easily win in the end.

Did Ronnie just give us the season’s ultimate spoiler?

- Elaine didn’t fall for Ronnie’s lies so, despite telling him she trusted him 100%, she told us that she knew the minute she started talking with Ron that they were opposites and that he was a weasel.

Elaine won that battle in remarkable fashion

The Challenge: Finally it was time for Jeff to make an appearance.

Elaine said she thought Jeff had quit. Chelsea mentioned the paranoia created by the season’s theme. She challenged the other team.
It could be a great sign for Vokai that they stood up to the challenge in a remarkable way.

The challenge revealed that Janet wasn’t satisfied with making fire; she was also the tribe’s designated player to use the grappling hook. She gave her tribe a nice lead. Dean had to give his spot to Ronnie who got the job done quickly.
Jack showed a lot of team work, first by clearing the sand that blocked the first obstacle and then by going back down the wall to help his mates climb it. Jeff called that a “Hero move”, and that Jack was a work horse.

Lairo had the lead with Chelsea, Vince and Dan doing the puzzle...or rather not doing it. When Vokai’s Jamal, Molly and Noura got started they blew pass the other team.

Elizabeth was designated to be the first visitor to the Island of the idols. She was freaking out as she left. She thought that the two statues were cool (That part HAD to be scripted!) and she was surprised when the two “idols” walked out to greet her.
I found it funny that the “Oath of the Idols” had to be written out. It removes any speculation about Rob and Sandra’s role but is it a guarantee?

Rob thought her how to make fire then Sandra helped her practice. After that practice Rob challenged her to a fire making duel. Either she’d get an immunity idol good for 2 Tribal Councils or she’d lose her vote. She jumped on the occasion, not realizing that Rib was about to give her some sort of advantage. Rob said that she was like every other new Survivor; She bit at the very first opportunity. Of course, Rob won easily. Rob told her to trust her gut and avoid jumping at every opportunity..
Meanwhile in Lairo the tribe told the 3 puzzle makers weren’t the only ones to blame.

Tom’s group put the target on Ronnie but Vince was worried because of his poor performance on the puzzle. He told Ronnie and Aaron that he was with them to eliminate Elaine.
Karishma was torn about voting against Elaine.

The Story

Rob and Sandra gave us two important themes for this season:

1- They Bite at the First opportunity.

2- I vote you out and that’s it.

Since these two are presented as Survivor mentors then we should be looking for a patient player who can play with their head, not their heart.

In that regard, Karishma’s initial confessional was very important. She did remain calm, cool and collected. Also, the first opportunity she was offered was to vote against Elaine but she didn't bite. Instead she stayed with her women's alliance. In addition, we heard Rob saying she was smart after her TC comments.

In Lairo, Missy also stood out as a strong player while Elizabeth and Chelsea seem much too excited to succeed.

Sandra and Rob agreed that they liked Vince so that should be worth something. Could the small talk that we heard between Vince and Karishma be a prelude to our Final 2? Let's keep it in mind but even if that happens then we have to remember that Vince is much more emotional and that goes against Sandra's theme.

Aaron is too isolated to fix his game.

Tom should go a long way but he looks more like an enabler, a guy that passes the puck, instead of the Gretzky that can also put it in the net.

Elaine, despite being the star of episode 1, was much too emotional to be considered a potential winner according to Sandra's theme. What I didn't like is that the tears at TC sounded all fake because she HAD to know she had the votes.


In Vokai, Tommy’s friendly approach was worth noting as were Jack’s actions and Molly’s words. If Vokai dominates the season then these three will be players to watch.

Janet and Jamal had solid premieres, Janet shining in making fire and giving her tribe an early lead in the challenge where Jamal took over and crushed the opposition during the puzzle. Let's see how their stories evolve.

Kellee had an uneven story, showing too much emotions at first when Dan came too close but then she was more reasoned when she talked to him. We'll have to wait before analyzing her chances.

Dan, Jason and Noura seem doomed to fail.

Table of contents
Messages in this discussion
"RE: Editing Notes - Episode 1: They Bite at the First Opportunity"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 09-30-19 at 10:21 PM
LAST EDITED ON 09-30-19 AT 10:35 PM (EST)

Thank you so much for posting this michel! Any commentary from you regarding editing is definitely note-worthy.

I loved your final thoughts and I concur. Elizabeth got to be somewhat of a star of the show, with her first pick status for I of the I's. I did like her, but I have to wonder what she was thinking with lying to the entire tribe regarding what is on I of the I's. She seemed to be placed in a good spot however in her tribe as many implied that they were close with her.

Elaine is likable, but I just don't know what she will bring to the table. Vince got some meaty confessionals regarding him being from Hmong. Tom seems open minded but he may be a bit bullish? I don't know how long he will make it but what a great shield for his underlings. But, the Lairo tribe really disappointed with that puzzle. Vince, Dean, and Chelsea really failed. Let's hope they can figure out quickly who is good at puzzles.

Yes, Karishma did seem to be patient and got along, and had the first confessional. She could be a long term player, and I agree, Missy, for me was the stand out in this tribe. She was with the group of 7, and she suggested the all female alliance. Will she be the first SOUL Survivor?

On Vokai Jack, albeit young and excited, really stood out. At the challenge with his "hero move" and in his choice of ally, Tommy. Tommy and Jack seem to be focusing on the social game. I also really loved Jamal. He seems more quiet, but he was amazing at the challenge. Does he have patience too?

Kelly, being a germaphobe really didn't impress me. Nor did Molly. Dan seems in trouble all ready. Despite the three that were omitted from the group that Jack, Tommy, Molly, Dan, Lauren, Kellee formed + Jamal, I think Dan is the most doomed. Noura seems fun, mostly from the preview promo, but she could be in trouble. Jason, if he doesn't find an idol could be the first out if this tribe goes to TC...I loved Lauren too. The one that seems more reserved and patient could be Jamal?

Before the confessionals in this season, we did have a bit of an intro from Jiffy, with comments from the DAWS. Thought I would transcribe and deliver it here....

Elizabeth: 39 seasons, this game is full of twists and turns,
*Did she get the first statement as she is the first to be served the biggest twist of the game.
Jack: There are endless things that you have to adapt to.
*Will Jack be able to adapt?

Aaron: Survivor is where it’s at now because of ???, and it’s about to get crazy
*It did get crazy for Aaron as he was completely blindsided at the first TC

Rob: There is always a twist. And, what these guys don’t know is that Sandra and I are out here to show the new kids how it’s done. Survivor school is in session!

Jiffy: Boston Rob and Sandra, two of Survivors most dominant winners are back.

Sandra: I am the only person that has ever won twice, and I shouldn’t even have to say this, you should already know it, but, it’s about time the queen teaches others some of her tricks.

Jiffy: they are already establishing their world, but this time they are not competing, they won’t vote, and they cannot win the million dollars. Instead they’ll serve as mentors to a new group of players. they will live on the island of the idols. This is a survivor boot camp, run by two masters of the game.

Rob: We understand every component of this game.

Jiffy; Every player that visits will be instructed in a different facet of Survivor.

Rob to someone: This lesson is about the art of persuasion...calculated risk.....staying calm under pressure....
Sandra to someone: You came to win, right?
Rob: Alright, let’s get to work...

See Molly, then Missy, Janet, Chelsea, Vince, Janet, Noura, Dan with his face all Sandy

Rob: Are you competent enough to take the risk? see Jamal ,Sandra says: what does your gut tell you? see Vince
Rob: This is opportunity, see Ronnie;, when we saw Ronnie we heard a rattle snake noise!!!! Jiffy says they will be tested on what they learned for a chance to win an advantage.

Jiffy: Which ones will rise to the moment, cut back to the boats with the new DAWS, see first Missy, Karishma, Aaron,....

See Noura, hear Rob: here is the idol and it’s good for the next 3 tribal councils.

See Elizabeth, then hear Jiffy: which ones will fall, see Noura, victim to the lessons learned, see Tommy,

Sandra: when you lose your vote at the next TC, you will never make that mistake again. See Jamal at a challenge, then Elizabeth

Who will have the shot to outwit, see Dan, Dean, to outlast and outplay all the rest, see Noura, to claim the million dollar prize? See Tommy swimming, see Elizabeth, Aaron, and then a bunch flash through, see Jiffy on the edge of the Helicopter, 39 days, 20 people, 1 Survivor!

The first confessionals of the show were from Karishma, about staying calm, cool, and collected despite her mixed emotions.

Chelsea had the second confessional and it was a long one that reacted to the tribe flag and the theme, island of the idols.

Elizabeth, the 3 time Olympian had the 3rd confessional, she's a competitor, it's in her DNA

Fourth was Missy, the basketball player for the Air Force, who developed a brain tumor which debilitated her so she was unable to walk, but with medication she's back and wants to be the S O U L Survivor.

Interesting the first 4 confessionals of the show are all from WOMEN! No men from Lorai! Will a woman win this season?

The first three confessionals from Vokai were from 3 women as well. Lauren commented on the theme of the season, idols.

Molly comments on her very smart, bright, and social tribunates, They are all excited, and it's very positive.

Next it was Janet, who voiced her fear of being the older woman and how she was going to break that mold. She made fire, Tommy commented how "superMom" had it all over Boston Rob! She's in charge of 139 lifeguards and if you show people who you are then gender and bias will not matter. She has a plan and she's sticking to it.

Next we went back to Lairo, and finally the guys start to get confessionals. Vince tells us about the Hmong people, he grew up in low income housing, first of his family to go to an institution like Stanford, but he's the type of person that does the work!

Then we have Tom's confessional and he's commenting on Vince and Elaine, hard workers, and hitting it off with Elaine, the thing they need is team work, he was a captain of his NHL team, his goal is about discipline and hard work.

Then, the other 7 notice that Tom, Vince and Elaine have gone off.

Aaron's confessional was about the 3 of them went off together so it painted a target on their backs.

Back to Lorai with a confessional from Jamal. The tribe is great, they have shelter, fire, they are chillin', all is well!

Then, Jason's confessional comments about "It's Island of the idols, so you've got to be an idiot not to look for one"! uh oh.

This was followed by a long confessional from Dan, how he pointed it out to the group that he was out looking for the idol...he's a talent manager, and his job is like he plays Survivor everyday. These Survivors are alot like actors, very aggressive and passionate people and he needs to make them do what's best for them, and him. He just didn't want to be the first boot, and it was joyous to watch the target be put on Jason, who will find it impossible to dig himself out of that grave.

(Now, wouldn't it be ironic if this cocky statement comes back to bite Dan in a big way next week?)

Next are Jack and Tommy. Jack's playful attitude will serve him well as the youngest and his number one is Tommy, and Tommy, the fourth grade teacher wants to connect with everyone one to one.

Next is Molly who narrates, they have to get rid of the drama and the slimness, and Jason is the one.

Next is a confessional from Noura who likes Jason and tells him what the others are saying, followed by a confessional from Jason who reacts...this is his nightmare.

Then we go back to Lairo, and Elaine tells us that she's always used humor to defuse, laugh with her, not at her.

Missy has a good confessional and talks about the girls, she likes them, they won't be subservient, she wants to have an all girls alliance, and they are all in! She then tells Elaine about the comments made by the 7 when she was off with Vince and Tom.

That got Elaine worried and she is not OK with going home.

Over at Vokai, Kelly, the germaphobe, Molly, and Janet had confessionals about the touchy feely, Dan.

The show goes on like this...

I think they spent alot of time with Elizabeth as the first to Island of the Idols, and BR and Sandra. Now that it's all explained, I don't think it will take as much time up, perhaps. I would love it if BR and Sandra had a lot of snarky comments throughout. Loved Sandra having the title quote, lol! It will be interesting to see if one that goes to I of the Idols will actually win the game heeding advice. I am interested in how the theme plays out.

The conflict with Elaine, Vince, and Aaron and Ronnie plays out. I felt badly for Ronnie, but not enough to cry as many seemed to do at TC.

I really agree with Michel's assessments. I think Tommy/Jack/Jamal are one's to watch. Kelley, however, really turned me off. Missy seemed like a cheerleader.

The girls seemed much more formidable at Lorai. Missy in particular, Elizabeth I think can last a while, Karishma.

I agree Dan and Jason are in trouble, but the verdict is still out on Noura.

When I went back and rewatched the show for the confessionals, there was a rattlesnake sound after Ronnie had said something. I found that interesting. There was another associated with Dan. Food for thought.




"RE: Editing Notes - Episode 1: They Bite at the First Opportunity"
Posted by michel2 on 10-01-19 at 05:44 PM
Loved your comments FP.

You asked: "Will a woman win this season?" and I have to say that I wondered that myself. It as that feel especially considering a female allaince was proposed right off the bat and it was presented as a great idea, not something that nearly always fails. I think that idea has legs sop let's see where it goes.

Towards the end, you wrote: I think Tommy/Jack/Jamal are one's to watch. Kelley, however, really turned me off. Missy seemed like a cheerleader." I'm think you meant someone other than Missy here since you had the name at the end of a list of Vokai players. Molly maybe. I think she was more of the cheerleader type than the cancer survivor ex-military... I liked Molly though but maybe she will be surprised by a vote the same way that big clam surprised her!

"RE: Editing Notes - Episode 1: They Bite at the First Opportunity"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 10-02-19 at 06:59 PM
Michel: As always, you are right, I meant Molly, not Missy! Lol!


"Episode 2 - Listening and Paying Attention"
Posted by michel2 on 10-05-19 at 07:42 PM
LAST EDITED ON 10-05-19 AT 07:56 PM (EST)

Listening and Paying Attention

Not only did we have a weird start to the season but we had a weird start to episode 2; instead of showing us the “Previously on Survivor” segment we had a quick preview of scenes from this episode. It seems it’s a change just for the sake of change because it brings nothing new. The old player presentation formula was much more satisfying.

Lairo Night 3

Aaron was angry so Elaine explained that they kept him out of the loop because he was too close to Ronnie.

Vince was angry that his name came up so Aaron explained that he thought that’s what everyone was voting.

Vince had the first confessional of the evening, wondering what he did wrong.

In her interview, Missy told us she understood Aaron’s anger but she was happy that the women now had the numbers. Still, she knew she had to keep working with Aaron so they went out to talk.
Missy showed a lot of empathy in her talk to Aaron; she listened to his gripe and then said they needed him.

Aaron, in confessional, said he didn’t trust anyone and wouldn’t be fooled again.

Missy walked back to camp behind Aaron and had a weird expression.

Maybe Aaron said he wouldn’t be fooled a second time but that look made me think Missy would do just that!

Vokai Day 4

It was “The Noura Complaining Hour”.

Molly in interview said that Noura was annoying.

The montage of several scenes showing Noura complaining to everyone was the editors’ way of showing us that eliminating the loudmouth would have been the right thing to do. That makes me think the move won’t pay dividends in the end.

Noura told us that Molly was weak and was acting like a popular high school girl.

In his talk with Noura, Jason hit the same notes that Boston Rob had used in the first episode: You have to stay calm.

In interview, Jason said the he and Noura were on the outs so that it was a good thing for his game that he wasn’t the only one in trouble. However, he felt close to Noura.

Noura nicknamed Jamal, Molly and Jack the King, the Queen and the Jack while she and Jason were the misfits.

Lairo Night 4

Aaron told us that he tribe couldn’t get the fire started.
It isn’t often that the guy on the outs is used as narrator so that tells me Aaron sticks around for a while.

That’s when Chelsea stepped in.

Where was Elizabeth? Shouldn’t she have steeped in and used the lessons from Rob and Sandra? It seems like a wasted opportunity.
Tom sang Chelsea’s praise saying she ruined his male ego.

With the women’s alliance staying strong, I think the males’ ego will take a bigger hit this season.

Chelsea, the super fan was beaming about her exploit but it wasn’t going to be her only success.

Chelsea found an idol, something that men have done more often so we have to agree that the women of Lairo are dominating. And if Chelsea words didn’t convince you then you should look again at the end of that scene: Chelsea walked back on camp right behind Aaron and, like Missy she had a funny expression, the look of the cat who swallowed the canary.

Vokai Day 5.

As Coach before her, Noura was leading her tribe’s yoga session.
Jack said he was exhausted. He wanted to have an adventure, a good time.

I’d say it is clear; Jack is a Journey Player, out to have fun.
That’s when Kellee got a free trip to the Island of the idols.
Kellee was in shock.

Island of Those Guys

A nervous Kellee wasn’t sure what to expect...Cochran maybe?
Sandra said this was better than Cochran.

It’s debatable whether this is even a good idea but I totally agree that those two are better Survivors than Cochran.

The three started chit-chatting and Kellee quickly started showing signs that she was bored.

The test was all about listening but it should have been about empathy; how much did the listening student care about the lives of the two teaching talkers. In that regards, Kellee clearly should have been declared a loser. Even she said she hadn’t been really paying attention. Rob increased her chances of success too quickly and the questions were much too easy in comparison to the test that Elizabeth faced. Also, shouldn’t it have been good for 3 TCs if she had answered 4 questions but only 2 for three good answers? Production obviously wants the players to go for it but they shouldn’t be giving it away. Still, we have to consider Rob’s analysis: Kellee has skills and she shouldn’t be underestimated.

Vokai Day 5

Kellee used the same lie about urns and not having a shot to play a game. She also took everything out of her bag to prove she didn’t have an idol.

Day 6 The Challenge

Ronnie’s elimination surprised Vokai.

Elizabeth, the Olympic swimmer, gave her tribe and early lead. Chelsea, climbing the ladder, increased the advantage and Missy, with Elaine’s help, closed the deal.

Jamal did his best to give Vokai a shot and actually tied the score for a moment but that was as close as they came.

With Elizabeth, Chelsea Elaine and Missy taking charge, it is evident that Lairo is dominated by its women.

As a prelude to the upcoming vote, Molly took three falls from the ladder. Molly must have felt like she was reliving a calvary when she watched the episode playing out on her TV.

In confessional, Tommy told us it was going to be either Noura or Jason but the vote was going to be hard.

Vokai Day 6

Jason was staring out at sea, realizing the odds were against him. Meanwhile Noura was selling him out to Jamal and Jack.
Talking to the camera, Jamal was direct; they’d split the votes between Noura and Jason. He was surprised t see that his alliance with jack and Molly was working so well.

He was so happy with himself that, after telling Lauren and the others about the plan, he took a little nap! With Paying Attention being this week’s lesson, we see that Jamal failed miserably.

Molly preferred voting out Noura over Jason. It was going to be an easy vote.

With Jamal napping and the other two going out to the ocean, the ladies of Vokai started talking about Molly had the men in her pocket and held a lot of power.

During that whole time, Kellee was shown listening and paying attention.

Lauren was adamant Molly wasn’t going to play her; she was going to play Molly.

Hearing the new development, Jason felt it was music to his ears. The Freaks and Geeks were taking over.

Janet delivered the news to Tommy.

Almost in shock, Tommy told us he felt it was too early for such a big move especially since he’d be losing two of his biggest allies.

Tribal Council

Jason told Jeff that everyone got along well except for himself because of their paranoia.

The mention of paranoia amused Rob and Sandra.

When Jason threw the contents of his bag on the floor, Rob mentioned that he was trying hard.

Jamal told Jeff that the tribe was still in first gear.
Jason countered that by mentioning that Jamal came to Tribal without his bag.

That caught Rob and Sandra’s attention.

Jason added that he and Noura had been fighting for their lives.
Lauren said that for her, the game was already in fourth gear.
Kellee pointed out all the contradictions in the group, a group that wasn’t going to exist in the same format after the vote.

The Vote:

Molly voted for Noura.
Jamal and jack voted for Jason.
Everyone else voted against Molly. Like Sandra said: “They played her @ss.” That gave Jeff the opportunity to use his old favorite: “If it can happen to them, it can happen to you.”

The Story

The Themes of the story has to evolve around the “Lessons from the Mentors” so, up to now, we have:
1- They Bite at the First opportunity which translates into being patient.
2- I vote you out and that’s it, meaning that the players can’t let their emotions take over.
3- Listening and Paying Attention.

Which players are good students?

In Lorai, Missy is an A+ student. She didn’t jump at the first offer to boot out Elaine, had no remorse voting out Ronnie and listened attentively to the angry Aaron when they came back to camp.

Chelsea is showing good potential also and would have a B on her report card. Like the other women of Lorai, she stayed true to the alliance and didn’t vote against Elaine and she paid attentions to details around camp to find the idol. Let’s see if she can carry that momentum further into the game. Players like Lauren O'Connell in "The Edge of Extinction" showed strong early potential after finding idols only to mess it up later.

Karishma drops to a C. She had a strong premiere but she completely disappeared in this one. That isn’t a good sign.

C would also be Elaine’s grade: She was pictured as an emotional player even if she didn’t have a problem eliminating Ronnie. She said the right thing when she returned to camp but she didn’t necessarily realize that Aaron wasn’t buying her pitch.

Elizabeth merits a C-: She hasn’t put to use the fire making skill that Rob and Sandra gave her and she was only featured during the challenge.


Vince would get a C- because he got angry for receiving two meaningless votes and letting everyone know about it. Staying calm is extremely important.

Dean and Tom weren’t featured in any way so we’ll give them both a D.

Reactions from Missy and Chelsea showed us that some players did pay attention to Aaron’s desire for revenge. He won’t be able to flip the situation so he has an F.

Over in the Vokai classroom I’d give Jason an A. He showed great patience in listening to Noura and now he not only has a loyal ally but a nice shield. Even Molly had to admit that everyone liked Jason which showed he was able to get over the fact of being left on the outside. He didn’t pitch Noura under the bus but instead waited for Lauren to present him with a great opportunity.

Kellee deserves an A- because, despite being visibly bored when Rob and Sandra talked to her, the cameras went out of their way to show that she had learned the lesson and we saw her listening intently, first to Lauren and Janet, then to Tommy who was having problems with his decision and finally at Tribal Council when Jason and the others made their points. She finally showed that she had digested all that information when she delivered the last words before the vote.

Lauren would have a B-. She paid attention to what was happening in camp, realizing that Molly held too much power but she jumped at the first opportunity, She showed that she was a schemer much too fast. Trust is the most valuable commodity in this game and everyone will see that she can’t be trusted. Lauren has a lot of damage control to do.

Like I did with Karishma, I’ll give Janet a C: She had a strong premiere but in the second she really only served as Lauren sounding board.

Jamal, Jack and Tommy would all get Ds but for different reasons: Jamal and Jack simply didn’t study for the exam, napping and playing in the ocean with the popular girl so their grades suffer for not paying attention. Tommy’s hesitation and lack of mental resources cost him two valuable allies. He bit at the first chance to blindside someone instead of regrouping his alliance and building something solid.

Noura is an F student. She talks too much and barely listens to anyone. Jason was the only player to sympathize with her, yet she was eager to throw him under the bus at the first opportunity. In fact, she rivals Debbie Wanner in Survivor Soh Wrong as the fastest player to be identified as a really tasty goat.

Dan wasn’t present enough during the tribe’s first exam so I’ll give him an incomplete. He’ll have to do better to be considered as a contender.

"Thoughts Ep 2"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 10-06-19 at 03:17 PM
Great observations, michel as always, and yes, once again you've nailed the theme of the Season. It's revolving around the lessons taught at I of the I's. While I thought Kellee had a terrible first episode, with being a germaphobe and bashing Dan, this go round I do agree she handled things much better. She looked so bored with the chatty BR & Sandra. But, she was able to give the correct lame answers to the questions. Loved when BR caller her a smarty pants.

She pulled out the same excuse with telling her tribe she broke the wrong urn. I thought she was a bit dramatic on her return from I of the I's, but hey. it apparently worked for her. She was certainly listening to Lauren and Janet's exchange, and then with Tommy as well. She seemed indecisive, and cautiously went with the numbers. She seems more tied to Tommy than to Lauren & Janet, fwiw.

I thought Lauren was brilliant, and I loved it. Lauren seems to be observing and paying close attention to everything. She came to the same conclusion regarding the King, the Queen, and the Jack. She was told what to do by those 3. She wasn't asked. Then, when she pitched the alternate idea to Janet & Kellee, she approached them with what do you think of Molly?, first. She listened to Janet's response and agreed with it. We never saw the three go to others and ask their thoughts, opinions. Instead we heard Jack say he wants an adventure, and Jamal marvel at how easy it was and took a nap.

I'd say the one that hopefully got schooled the most this episode was Jamal, or at least I hope for his sake he's learned from his mistakes. Loved how Jason pointed out that he had not brought his belongings, and forced Jamal to note that he's playing in first gear because he does not have to play in fourth at this point.

Then we had Lauren say, she was playing in 4th gear, which underlined that Jamal was not with the program. Loved how BR whispered to Sandra when Jason called him out...Uh-oh! Lauren empowered the others in the tribe. It will be successful most likely because it draws Jason and Noura to "them". And it sends a clear message to Jack and Jamal that they need to be inclusive and open.

I noted that there was little air time at Lairo. We got Aaron's shock and anger, but Vince's turning it into anger about who's throwing votes at me did not play well to me. I thought Elaine did a great job, and I loved Missy! Vince moves down in the grade, where Missy is stellar, and Chelsea certainly had a starring role there.

Noura was shown to all as annoying. But, Molly's insistence because she was annoying was personal. Jason had a stellar episode as you noted.

I love the grades, Michel! Always on the money!

As we see most of the preview promo and the promo's at Lairo next week, I could predict that perhaps they will be the losing tribe at the IC. And, another one of them gets to go to I of the I's as well. I get the feeling that Karishma's "they are dead to me" statement is misdirection. Ultimately, I think the girls will indeed stick together if they do go to TC. Fwiw.



"RE: Thoughts Ep 2"
Posted by michel2 on 10-06-19 at 10:08 PM
Thank you, FP. I'm not sure if I'll stick with report cards but with Sandra and Rob's talk of lessons, it seemed natural.

Lauren's move was good TV but was it really good for her game? I can't help but feel it was motivated by jealousy more than strategy. We have long said that production cast some players to be easy early boots and it's a good idea to take the opportunity. You need that first week to settle in, establish your new "society". Tribes that jumped the gun and booted strong players early often regretted it because they then went on losing streaks. Tribes that kept outsiders were punished at the swap. We'll see how it works for Vodka but it certainly looked like the editors made it abundantly clear that Noura should have been voted out.

"Episode 3: Your Emotions Have to be Kept in Check"
Posted by michel2 on 10-12-19 at 06:15 PM
Your Emotions Have to be Kept in Check

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this but I really disapprove of the absence of the “previously on Survivor” segment especially with it being replaced with a preview of upcoming scenes.

Vokai Night 6

Jason opened the evening, happy to say that he had survived the vote. He knew Jamal and Jack would be angry.

I’m sure Noura had the same kind of interview but the editors picked Jason for a reason and, most likely because he’s a player to watch while she isn’t.

Jack reminded us that he wasn’t part of the group that voted against Molly.

After explaining the situation to Jack, Tommy spoke to us directly, saying he wanted to repair his relationship with Jack and Jamal. He knew it would be harder to get back with Jamal.

Next we heard from Jamal who said he can forgive but he wouldn’t forget. He even called himself a wild card in front of Tommy.

It seemed that Jamal was contemplating a scorched earth strategy but we’ll soon see that he is still playing hard for Vokai. It’s notable that only the male points of view were expressed in the Vokai post-Council fallout. It’s seems that the women of Vokai may not be as important. Could the season come down to a showdown between the men of original Vokai against the women of Lorai?

We then saw a tornado in the distance but the weather was nice when we got to Lorai.

That tornado had to mean something. There is trouble lurking for the Lorai tribe, there is no doubt, but was it just for this cycle or are they in for a continual downward spiral?

The girls were bonding in the ocean while the men stayed back in the “kitchen”!

Karishma told us that there was a women’s alliance but she wasn’t exactly comfortable with all the bonding but that she was going to try to make the women believe that she was.

Aaron was very aware of the women’s numbers advantage.
Vince told the guys he’d work with them but he told us that they’re stupid to believe he’s suddenly become one of the bros. He was planning on working with the women.

With birds frolicking in the ocean, returning to Vokai on Day 7 was a much more serene experience.

Dan told us that Jack and Jamal showed they were naive and that he liked naive players. He was planning on winning for the tribe and for himself and that meant eliminating Noura.

Dan shared his idea with the tribe.

Jamal reacted to Dan’s idea by saying it would be easy to vote against Noura but that he felt like going rogue; he wanted to make his moves, not Dan’s. He started spreading the idea of voting against Dan when he talked to Janet.

Janet, in interview, said that Jamal had a valid point.

When Janet presented him the idea of voting against Dan, Tommy was hesitant once again. He told us that Jamal was coming out way to strong. Maybe Jamal was the best move for his game.

Back in Lairo we witnessed Karishma cutting her hand. Feeling dizzy, she walked away from the tribe and curled up in a ball on her knees.

Karishma complained that no one came to her aid.

Seeing Karishma in pain and no one reacting was incredibly weird. Are they that heartless? I don’t want to make an apology for the group but maybe they thought she was praying and they didn’t want to disturb her. The fact was that no one explained their lack of assistance so maybe we should consider that as the kiss of death for the edit of everyone in Lairo. Karishma said that everyone in the tribe was dead to her so I’ll assume that their chances are indeed dead. The winner can only be a man from Vokai, Janet or Karishma herself. The scene was blown out of proportion because the injury wasn’t that serious: We would soon see Karishma with a big bandage on her hand but before the end of the episode it will have been reduced to a mere band-aid. Also, Jeff didn’t take the opportunity to play Sir Galahad coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress. We didn’t even see Dr. Joe as Karishma was treated by a faceless, nameless paramedic.

The next scene was about Vince going to the Island of the idols.
Elizabeth told us that she knew Vince would get a shot at an idol. They’d have to flush it.

The group agreed with that strategy but Dean made a mistake when he talked about splitting the votes. It took him a moment to realize the portent of what he had just said.

Dean’s gaffe was underlined by a rattle snake sound followed by a silent pause and then somber musical chords! You don’t talk about splitting the votes when EVERYONE is present! We hadn’t heard from Dean before this segment and all I can say is that we didn’t miss anything; what a dope!

Karishma knew that she had to be the one that Dean wanted to use as the second option.

The lesson from the mentors was about “Staying Calm Under Pressure” and while Vince accomplished his mission he never gave us the impression of a cold, calculating player so we aren’t surprised by his elimination.

Day 8 The Challenge

We didn’t hear Jeff saying the familiar “Lairo, getting their first look at the new Vokai tribe; Molly voted out”. What do we make of this? It could be nothing but if it suggests anything then I’d guess that there will be very little cross-tribal machinations this season. What one tribe decides doesn’t matter to the other because there won’t be a significant cross-tribal alliance.

Elizabeth gave her tribe a nice lead but I noted that Jeff underlined how close Janet stayed to the Olympian.

Lokai kept the lead all the way to the puzzle where Karishma and Dean were blown out of the water by Jamal and Lauren.

Aaron had the post game interview, telling us that Lairo stinks at puzzle. He announced that the vote would be between Karishma and Vince.

Tom was mad because of Karishma’s failure but he wanted to get Vince out.

Missy wanted to keep the women’s majority so putting 4 votes on Karishma was a good plan for the men, not her. Vince had shown a willingness to play with the women. She asked Vince which man could they lose.

Vince suggested Tom who was shown sleeping at that very moment.
As an athlete, Elizabeth wasn’t down with Missy’s idea of eliminating Tom. For her, Vince was the easiest vote.
Vince was upset that Karishma wouldn’t give him a name.
Now that was funny! Vince forgot that when you enter a poker game and no one tells you the name of the pigeon then that means you are it!

Chelsea weighed the options, realizing that eliminating Tom would anger the other two guys. She didn’t want to look back at this vote and say that it was here that she went wrong.

I have a feeling that is exactly what she thought when she watched this episode.

Tribal Council

It was mostly a formality; Vince was voted out with an idol in his pocket.

Vince is dumb. That idol was only good for 2 Tribal Councils so he couldn’t really save it long. This was the crucial vote, the one right after returning from the Island of the Idols. Vince KNEW this yet he sat on his hands. Unforgivable.

The Story

The “Lessons from the Mentors”:
1- They Bite at the First opportunity which translates into being patient.
2- I vote you out and that’s it, meaning that the players can’t let their emotions take over.
3- Listening and Paying Attention.
4- Staying Calm under Pressure.

After 3 sessions, I think we can see which students will be going for Graduate level Courses, which are in need of a tutor, which will have to find another vocation and which should be expelled.

1- School’s Out – These castaways will be expelled:

Everyone in Lorai except Karishma: Missy was their best student but, like everyone else in her tribe, she failed miserably when it came time to pay attention to the needs of an ally. As a member of Lorai’s women’s alliance, she’ll make the merger but none of them will come out on top.

The Women of Vokai apart from Janet: The just had an important exam but they didn’t follow-up. It was their play but their reactions weren’t judged important so we cannot see them going to the end.

Dan: He’s much too focused on his rivals when he should be focusing on building his bonds to his tribe mates.

Jamal: He’s the puzzle expert so he’ll probably be kept around for the Tribal portion of the game but when we get close to the merger he should become the biggest target out there. He doesn’t have the allies to protect himself.

2- Help! - These castaways will need a lot of help or luck to make it to the end:

Janet: Her future is hanging on to a thread. She seems to be an important member of the strategy talks but she doesn’t have the edit that leads to a win.

Jack: He rebounded from the vote much better than Jamal but his voice doesn’t really matter in the tribe’s decisions.

Karishma: The importance given to a minor accident could mean that we need to connect with this character so it’s hard to dismiss her chances.

3- Ready for their Final Exams:

Tommy: There is some hesitancy in his presentation but that could still fit with being patient. We will have to see how he handles the harder votes down the road.

Jason: While he was the tribe’s number one target, he remained calmed, waited for his opportunity, listened to Noura’s paranoia and he’s now waiting for the right opportunity. I’d say that Jason is our top contender, the most likely Sole Survivor.

"RE: Episode 3: Your Emotions Have to be Kept in Check"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 10-15-19 at 08:46 AM
Always a fascinating read, michel! This week, however, I got a bit of a different perspective. I do agree that Jason could be in for the long haul, however! Always fun to see the one that was in the most danger in the beginning start to take a turn!

I don't know if I give the editors as much credit as you propose. I saw this episode with the Karishma drama as all misdirection. I felt that she went off in a bad way especially at TC and that paranoia could be getting the best of her. Idk. We cannot know how the tribe reacted, only how they edited it. While she was decompensating at the side, the tribe did appear aloof, to say the least. Not empathetic. But, Karishma over reacted, imho. In a game of numbers, she's written off her entire tribe? Will she be the one to jump at merge? Perhaps?

At TC she may have gone a bit too far in alienating herself from her alliance. But, I have to wonder if that is misdirection for next week? Pointing out her differences and alienation will do 1 of 2 things. Make her alliance more aware of her perspective and work harder to draw her in and make her feel more a part of the group, or alienate them.

Vince: I thought he was in trouble last week, since he came at Aaron after TC instead of working to calm the situation. He was a dumb player, I agree. And way too emotional as well.

Elizabeth shined in this episode, imo. While Missy appears to be the one behind the main girls alliance, I think Elizabeth is steering quite a bit. I do think that they made the right call to get rid of Vince as there could be a tribal shuffle looming. But, clearly Dean is a major problem. He's been on the puzzle twice when they lose. And, he had a major faux pas this week. Now you have to wonder, who is dumber? Vince or Dean?

Tommy seems to be a player to watch but right now I favor Jason. I like Lauren, and I think there is a parallel with Elaine and Lauren. Elaine had a big first episode and has now flown totally under the radar, which is good for her long range game. Same with Lauren. She had a big episode in ep 2 and now flying under the radar.

Jamal said all the wrong things, imo. He's bucking the system, but they need him. But will they need him at the merge?

Great thoughts, michel


"RE: Episode 3: Your Emotions Have to be Kept in Check"
Posted by michel2 on 10-15-19 at 09:37 PM
FP, I never take your opinion lightly so you have me doubting if I went too far in eliminating all of Lairo. It'll be pretty easy to see which one of us is right about this though so we can come back to it later on.

The thing is that the editors allowed us to connect with Karishma; they chose her to open the season then we shared her thoughts on both of her tribe's votes. If she had been edited somewhat like Noura then we could have said that she was exaggerating but she's been seen as a reasonable character.

When she was hurting, the cameras lingered on her allies, especially Missy and Elaine who were too busy eating to even check in on her. The scene could have simply been about Karishma cutting herself, walking away and immediately showing the paramedic coming to her assistance. By letting us hear Karishma's words and showing that she was right, the editors portrayed the others as selfish people.

Elizabeth does deserve credit for saving Tom, the other professional athlete in the tribe, but was it intended to be positive? The viewers had connected more with Vince than with Tom.

What do you think Karishma said to Elizabeth and Missy just before Jeff sent them to vote? If I remember, most of the time we got to read the whispered words. Why not this time? My guess is that they wanted us to think Karishma tried to save Vince but the others didn't want nothing to do with that. If Karishma only wanted to make sure she wasn't their target then they prefered letting us guess.

"Episode 4: Is Your Perception Reality?"
Posted by michel2 on 10-19-19 at 04:38 PM
LAST EDITED ON 10-20-19 AT 03:14 PM (EST)

Lairo Night 8

After telling her tribe that she understood the vote, Karishma told us that she had a feeling her name would come up. The three votes against her meant the tribe felt she was expendable.

While Karishma was telling us about her realization, we saw Chelsea and Elizabeth laughing. It conveyed the impression that Karishma’s future didn’t worry them in the least.

Aaron, while sympathizing with Karishma said he felt like he was calling the shots and while Karishma was an easy vote, he was more concerned with Dean and Chelsea who were too close.

Dean confessed that he had a weak spot for Chelsea.

Chelsea told Elaine that she wasn’t in for a showmance because it would mess up her game.

She didn’t convince enough people though!

Missy was concerned that the Dean – Chelsea connection would mess up the girls’ alliance.

And voting out a girl wouldn’t??

Missy continued by saying she had a plan to go with Aaron, an ex-military, African American competitor just like her. They were ready to make the big move against Dean.

Vokai Day 9

Jamal told us he wanted to protect himself. He told us about himself and a relationship that had just ended. It helped him connect with the present and that presented him an idol. The tribe wouldn't be able to control him.

A boat arrived to take someone to the island of the Idol.

Kellee was afraid that the person going could blow up her game

At first the tribe wanted to just draw a name but Kellee said that was like a cop-out.

Dan asked if anyone wanted to go.

We heard that Jamal and Lauren didn’t want anything to do with volunteering.

Jason, as a fan, wanted to go, but his mom side said he’d better stay.

Tommy didn’t want to raise his threat status.

Finally, Noura said she would go so off she went, telling us she was a risk taker. She was very excited to meet the 2 idols.

Rob told her about the art of persuasion and that meant understanding someone else’s motivations.

The problem I have with this task is that it practically gave Vokai the Challenge win. While Noura didn’t get what she wanted she did give her tribe a valuable game plan going into the challenge.

Sandra sized up Noura, telling us that she was too much of a risk taker and that it will get her in trouble.

Rob’s opinion was that Noura was the last person a tribe would want as caller because she wasn’t a good communicator. He felt she was in Noura’s world, not Survivor world. She was perceptive but was her perception reality?

Noura was anxious. She got the tribe to agree that she’d be the caller in exchange to get information for the challenge.

Dan found her scenario bizarre.

Kellee liked the fact that Noura was so caught up in her lie that she wouldn’t blow up her game.

Noura thought she’d be a fabulous caller.

Lauren disagreed but it didn't matter much since it was Noura's @ss that was on the line.

Noura turned out to be a fabulous bench warmer! That was exactly the dirty trick that Vokai played on her as soon as Jeff asked for the person sitting out.

Jason was the caller for Vokai, Elizabeth his counterpart.

Vokai had a much better game plan, Jason sending everybody out together instead of separating them in three pairs like Lorai.

They built a huge lead before the puzzle but then ran into problems. Lorai actually thought they had the challenge won but their puzzle was wrong. Calmly, Jason got Kellee to make the proper corrections.

After the loss, Missy said she wanted to keep Karishma in her back pocket.

Lairo Day 11

Karishma was expecting to be voted out. She felt she was in a tribe of pansies.
Dean was ready to vote Karishma.
Chelsea felt she was in a really good spot.
Aaron told Elizabeth and Missy that he wanted Dean gone.
Elizabeth was shocked by that because Dean worked much harder than Karishma. So she went to talk to Elaine who hated the idea.
Elaine realized that Aaron’s readiness to cut his friend’s throat meant he’d have no hesitation cutting hers.
Elizabeth told Aaron first and then Missy, that Elaine wasn’t on board because she didn’t want to alienate Tom and Chelsea.

That was a bit sneaky by Elizabeth who didn’t say anything about her own reservations.

Aaron felt like he was the only one in the tribe willing to play the game.

In an unflattering way, Tom was shown goofing off right then, the women laughing at his expression. In a way, that validated Aaron’s point but not exactly in the way he meant it. I feel it told us that no one in Lairo was playing the game, at least the way it was supposed to be played.

Missy said her tribe was full of sheep. She decided it should be Chelsea and she told Elaine about the new plan.
Elaine was again was shocked by the fast change of plan. Missy’s ability to drop a name on a dime scared Elaine. She wondered what these yahoos were going to do.

Tribal Council

Karishma said no one talked to her.
Elaine told Jeff that she didn’t know what was going on.

That drew a sharp remark from Sandra: “This one never knows anything.”

Dean, Chelsea and Aaron agreed that it didn’t take much to swing a vote.
Elizabeth said that there had been many plans floating around.
Elaine asked what if I’m that plan Z?
For Missy they were playing Russian roulette.
Karishma loved that but she was quickly rebutted by Missy who said that Karishma wasn’t living to the expected standards.
That got a Wow! from Rob.

Missy got Sandra’s seal of approval when she said that they were family in some ways but complete strangers in others.

Chelsea said that blindsiding someone was a sick type of fun but that she didn’t want to be blindsided because that meant someone close was lying to her.

Dean and Chelsea voted for Karishma
Everyone else voted for Chelsea.

Like Sandra said: “You wanted a blindside, you got you one.”

The Story

The “Lessons from the Mentors”:

1- They Bite at the First opportunity which translates into being patient.
2- I vote you out and that’s it, meaning that the players can’t let their emotions take over.
3- Listening and Paying Attention.
4- Staying Calm under Pressure.

Lairo is a dysfunctional M-Tribe. Missy, Aaron, Elizabeth and even Elaine in her own way are weak leaders but leaders nonetheless. Maybe if one had taken charge and proved to be charismatic then maybe this tribe would have direction but, as it is, they need a Plan Z to get along. Even if I feel that the winner cannot emerge from this group, let’s look at those leaders first:

Missy: Her style of leadership is scary even for Elaine so imagine Karishma! She won’t have the support to make it to the end.

Aaron: He is recuperating from a bad start and doing it fairly nicely but imposing his ideas isn’t going to make it.

Elizabeth: She had no one listening to her during the challenge but it was a bit better in camp. I feel she missed her opportunity here by not turning the tables on Missy. When would-be leaders are confronted by other players trying to impose their will, the natural reaction is to gather the rest of the tribe and vote out the opposition. Surely, Elizabeth, with Elaine acting as her side-kick, could have gotten Chelsea, Dean, Karishma and Tom to vote against Missy.

Elaine: Unless her story arc is leading her to the Island of the Idols where she impresses Sandra and Rob with her understanding of the dynamics around her and the game in general then I feel that Sandra’s remark is a second Kiss-of-death in her story. This one never knows anything. It sounds fatal.

Tom, Karishma and Dean are reduced to the roles of followers and a follower should win when there are so many leaders around except it won’t be any of these three. I still held hope for Karishma entering this episode but when the vote was between her and Dean, we heard Elizabeth saying that Karishma is not only annoying but also doesn’t work in camp. Those words are Kiss-of-Death editorial marks.

Vokai is a D-Tribe that manages to work together in challenges thus avoiding the confrontations before Tribal Councils. Life is good when the tribe constantly wins Reward and Immunity so it’s easy to forget about conflicts. Lauren and Jamal are pictured as leaders.

Lauren: She was the one that put the target on Molly during their only Tribal Council and she’s the one that first voiced the dirty trick that Vokai pulled on Noura. The problem with her leadership is that she isn’t assuming the full load and not connecting strongly enough with her allies. As leader, she should have stepped up when someone had to go to the Island of the Idols, either volunteering or designating someone who secretly wanted to go but didn’t want to step up. At the very least, she should have taken Dan’s angle and asked if anyone wanted to go.

Jamal: Like I wrote, a winning tribe forgets about its conflicts but Jamal expressly told us that he forgives but doesn’t forget. He should get his revenge on his tribe but it will probably be a Pyrrhic victory. He wants to be a leader but he has no soldiers walking behind him. His only weapon is that idol so I expect his idol will terminate Dan or Lauren’s game.

Vokai’s Followers – According to Nash’s Theory, the winner is likely coming from the group of followers and it seems that the ones of Vokai have a solid advantage.

Dan: He is probably the true leader of Lauren’s group but he doesn’t have the same charisma so he has to act through her.

Noura: There’s usually a goat or two in the Final 3 and it seems that’s the best placement that Noura can get. There is an evident lack of respect which led the tribe to block her from her coveted role of Challenge Caller. The same would apply if she’s ever in a position to campaign for votes.

Jack: Maybe he could count as a soldier in Jamal’s army, having been the third member of the alliance with Jamal and Molly but Jack doesn’t look like a soldier in any army. He’s trying to disappear in the shadows and it should work until the merger. After that, he’ll be an expendable number.

Janet and Kellee: They are both well positioned inside the tribe and they’ve received some attention by the editors but they were totally ignored after the tribe’s big vote so that puts a big question mark on their chances.

Tommy: He is probably the most liked Follower in his tribe and that could spell victory but there’s something missing in his story. It’s almost as if he is constantly an afterthought in the presentation of Vokai’s story, the scenes rarely centering on him. Winners are often hidden in the middle but that usually applies to women winners. Male winners are usually driving the stories and that certainly doesn’t apply to Tommy.

Jason: He received a ton of positive comments from Jeff during the puzzle. He was calm and had good leadership. He even got Noura’s approval. “I’m proud of you” she said! It takes a lot of social skills to be able to go from Outsider and become an accepted member of the group and Jason seems to have accomplished the feat. We’ll have to keep an eye on the new tribes and how they affect Jason but he seems to have the winner’s edit.


"RE: Episode 4: Is Your Perception Reality?"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 10-20-19 at 09:38 AM
michel. After this episode, I am sold. I can see clearly now, as the saying goes. I think you have spelled it out with your identification of the tribes, and the ole Nash Theory. I see Jason as the front runner to win the game. And, I do believe this has happened before, where the winner is apparently the one in the most trouble in episode one. Tommy is a starring character and despite Jack being left out of the loop, I see Jack as a Tommy side-kick.

With keeping Dean outside of the loop, they have alienated him at a bad time, just before the switch. So currently we have Karishma and Dean who are at high risk to cross tribes. At this point, it could be a pagonging of the original Lairo tribe. Dean and Karishma could indeed be the last Lairo standing.

Well done, michel! Excellent take!


"RE: Episode 4: Is Your Perception Reality?"
Posted by michel2 on 10-20-19 at 12:16 PM
LAST EDITED ON 10-20-19 AT 12:18 PM (EST)

Thank you,

FP. Maybe MY perception isn't reality but I've rarely seen such obvious differences in tribe portrayal. Ok, we all knew that the winners had to come from the David, Brawn and Heroes tribes but that was inherant to the gimmick. These two tribes, a priori, should be equal but it's been a lot like Fei Long vs Zhan Hu.

PS. I loved China right from the start but I'm far from sold on this season.

"Episodes 5 - Truths:"
Posted by michel2 on 10-26-19 at 06:39 PM
There can be many Truths that Exist Simultaneously

Lairo Day 12

In interview, Dean admits he had been totally blindsided by the Chelsea vote-out. He said he’d have to become Detective Dean trying to figure out who ordered the hit.

He talked in succession to his main suspects, Elizabeth, Elaine, Missy and Aaron.

After being stonewalled by Elaine, Aaron and especially Elizabeth who pleaded total ignorance, Dean came to the conclusion that he was dealing with a mastermind that was very good at this game.

That led the detective to interrogate Missy, accusing her of talking nonsense.

An angry Missy reacted in confessional, saying that she was the one who got rid of his girlfriend. We even had a rare Survivor replay of the key moment when Missy told Elaine they should go after Chelsea if they couldn’t agree on Dean. Her argument was that she had kept Dean in the game so that he shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds him.

A conflict has been established between Dean and Missy but the swap would soon put it to rest. Will we revisit it later on? It’s something to put on the back-burner until the merger. For now, we have to keep in mind that this vote particularly caught Vokai’s attention when the two tribes got together on the sand bar. The cameras focused on Jason’s reaction. Obviously, he was expecting Karishma to be out so he now has evidence that Lairo is an untrustworthy bunch of blindsiders.

Before the swap, we heard from the nervous Elaine and Lauren. Elaine told Jeff she was always unlucky while Lauren told us she apprehended starting over again.

The Swap:

NuVokai: Dan, Jason, Tommy, Lauren, Aaron, Missy, Elizabeth and Elaine

NuLairo: Noura, Kellee, Jamal, Jack, Janet, Tom, Dean and Karishma.

Our first impression is that NuVokai is much stronger, the only wildcard being Jamal’s ability in puzzles.

Dan was happy to remain purple but realized it was a 4-4 split which he saw as a doomsday scenario.

Elaine told us that she had actually been lucky with the swap.
Time will tell if she is right.

Dean was happy that things had changed but he realized he was in a tough spot.

The Reward Challenge

It started out as an Applebee’s commercial. Karishma even telling us it was her favorite sit-down restaurant.

Really?? Ironically, she wasn’t going to taste any of the crap offered.

Even if the challenge finished with a puzzle, NuLairo never had a chance because they fell so far behind in the creeping and crawling phase of the challenge.

Tom, once more pointed the finger at Karishma.

We saw that Tom and Janet had already surrendered a big lead on the first leg of the challenge. In fact, NuVokai had started on the puzzle even before Noura and Karishma took the last relay. It wasn’t only her fault but that’s the way the narrative went.

Vokai Day 12

Tommy had the first interview which turned into a long commercial for Applebee’s.

Jason’s interview told us about the dangers of the 4-4 split. First, there was the danger of a tie vote leading to drawing rocks. They need to find a Lairo player to come over with them.

Elaine like the new tribe but worried what would happen after the honeymoon. She hated seeing her former tribe mates fraternizing with Vokai because she felt they needed to stay 4 strong.

Tommy and Jason are our two front runners for the title of Survivor so the contrast between their juxtaposed interviews is crucial. Interviews last anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes so I’m sure Jason talked about Applebee’s also while Tommy must have said something about the game but that wasn’t what the editors chose to present. What we saw leads us to see Tommy as simply enjoying the experience while Jason is playing the game. As for Elaine, Lairo was never a united tribe so how can they stay 4 strong? Our impression is that she’d be the one voted out if NuVokai goes to Tribal Council. Her comment about being unlucky will probably be proven right.

The sea was angry and the music somber as we rejoined Lairo.

Karishma told us she was screwed so she’d have to flip on Lairo.

Tom gave us his point of view.

Janet told Tom they were all shocked when they saw that Karishma had survived the last Council.

Janet must now realize why it happened since she was about to save Karishma also!

Dean realized that Kellee knew his girlfriend; they had gone to business school together.

Kellee told us she wanted to work with Dean.

This secret bond could go a long way.

Karishma opened up to her new tribe about her family and she felt good about that. She divorced from Lairo.

It sounded like she was preparing another divorce!

Vokai Day 12

Elaine and Missy were engaging in a wrestling match.

Bodyweight prevailed.

Aaron admired Elaine’s social skills. Aaron knew he had to work on forming some real bonds. Tommy was his first connection.
Tommy called Aaron his “Bro”.

Since Aaron appears to be the one that will vote with the Old Vokai, it stands to reason that Aaron will work to spare Missy who was his closest ally. That puts Elizabeth and Elaine on the chopping block so it will probably be the unlucky one.

After talking to Aaron, Missy came to the conclusion that Lairo was dead.

I’ve been saying that for three weeks now! The spider feeding on a worm right before Aaron talked to Missy makes me think that Missy could actually become the target. For Vokai, it would be smart to test Aaron’s loyalty by asking him to eliminate Missy.

The Immunity Challenge Day 14

It seems that Day 13 was unlucky for everyone so the editors simply skipped it.

Once more, Karishma put her team in trouble. I have to wonder who put her in the physical portion of the challenge. She could have been one of the four waiting on the platform because three of those four didn’t have much of a role to play. Doing nothing at all is Karishma’s specialty. Her position in the challenge had to be imposed by production. That’s the only logical explanation.

Despite falling far behind, Dean made two free throws, tying the score but Tommy made the final shot.

Jack told us he wanted to win challenges. He pointed the finger at Karishma but he didn’t do a thing in the challenge except returning balls to Dean.

Once again the waves were crashing hard when we got to Lairo. It indicates a tribe in turmoil.

Dean told us he was a division I basketball player so he felt bad about blowing the challenge.

Tom thought it would be Karishma.

The deciding factor would be tribal connections. Vokai knew that Karishma and Dean had no ties to the original Lairo because one had been their target the other had been left out of a crucial vote.

Jamal also pointed the finger at Karishma.

Janet told us that Tom was a straight shooter.

Kellee wanted to work with Dean.

Noura reminded us that she lost her vote but it was still 4-3.

Something to note; while Noura appeared to be in control of this vote, she was shown in the familiar “Fog of War” scene, standing behind that smoke from the camp fire. We can expect she’ll make the wrong calculation soon.

Tribal Council

Tom didn’t see a crack in Vokai.
Janet said that the tribe needed to win.
When Noura started laughing at Jeff’s question, we turned to Sandra who said she loves Noura.

If she is going to laugh at Jeff then I’ll start loving her also.

Noura talked about players having different abilities.
Dean said he pitched himself as Vokai’s sixth man but that he also talked to them individually to help their own game.
Janet interrupted him saying that he never talked to her.
That destabilized Dean.
At that moment, Rob thought Dean was going.
Jamal told Jeff that his main criterion was connection to the other side.
Since that is what decided the vote, we can say that Jamal’s role was mostly hidden.
Dean jumped on Jamal’s opening to say he had been totally blindsided by the last vote.
That comment made Rob change his mind.
Karishma said she just got a name right before the vote and didn’t know whom she owed.
Tom said that was a lie.
Kellee told Jeff that there can be many truths that exist simultaneously.
Sandra liked that comment and so did I.
It was time to vote.
Tom and Dean voted against Karishma.
Everyone else voted against Tom.

The Story

The “Lessons from the Mentors”:

1- They Bite at the First opportunity which translates into being patient.
2- I vote you out and that’s it, meaning that the players can’t let their emotions take over.
3- Listening and Paying Attention.
4- Staying Calm under Pressure.

This episode had a swap, two challenges and free commercials for the big sponsor of the evening so there wasn’t much time left to gather new information. I think three scenes were critical:

1- The reward confessionals
2- The wrestling match
3- The spider feasting in its web.

The reward scene comforted me in thinking that Jason will be our Sole Survivor. The editors decided to juxtapose interviews from our two front runners giving us a golden opportunity to compare them. We were shown two very different portraits. Tommy appeared like someone who was just happy to be on reward while Jason was entirely in game mode. That is the approach that is usually rewarded.

The other two scenes had Missy as the common denominator. First, it was with Elaine and then it was with Aaron. Elaine was very present in this vital episode and not only did she appear to be in grave danger, she told us that she is unlucky in general. Aaron seems to be set going forward because of his alliance with Tommy so that could be another factor in favor of Missy but the symbolism is completely different. In the wrestling match, Elaine pinned Missy and the spider ate the worm just as Aaron reassured Missy that she’d be safe. Vokai might not go to a Tribal Council because they are clearly stronger for most types of challenges and we even heard Rob saying that Lorai can’t win but if Vokai goes to TC or if the game comes down to a decision between Missy and Elaine, I have no doubt that the Kentucky factory worker will come out on top.

Aaron: The next time Lairo goes to Tribal Council will probably be an Aaron-centric episode because it will be his vote that will be in demand. It could turn against him but I suspect that he’ll want to get revenge on the women who tricked him in the first vote. I also suspect that Tommy will ask him to prove his loyalty by voting out Missy. Aaron shouldn’t have a problem with that.

Elizabeth: She completely disappeared in this important episode so that can’t be good for her long term prospects but is she in immediate danger? The editors keep showing her lies and while it could be seen as smart game play, she doesn’t get to share her thoughts with us so I don’t like her chances to make it far after the merger.

Other Long term players should include Noura and Kellee. Both received Sandra’s seal of approval. Noura got a lot of positive comments from Jeff when she pulled Karishma along in the reward challenge and Kellee has a secret bond with Dean which could serve her well.

Dean got a very sympathetic edit after losing his ally. First, we heard from Detective Dean, later the division I basketball player almost saved his tribe from a trip to Tribal Council and then he changed Rob’s perception. First the old-timer thought Dean didn’t have a chance of surviving the evening but then Dean showed that he was still in the fight. How long will that serve him? I have the impression that he’ll be one of the last two original Lorai players standing with Elaine.

"Episode 6: Black Lives Matter"
Posted by michel2 on 11-02-19 at 10:35 PM
Survivor prides itself on being a social experiment but Probst's constant push for "Big Moves" altered that reality into creating one dimensional characters who were only concerned with finding idols and exploding the game. The editors rarely give us the opportunity, the pleasure of watching interactions between the castaways and how they connect with each other if it doesn't lead to a vote. The last episode gave us one of those rare moments when Jack accidentely made a derogatory comment, calling Jamal's buff a dorag. What followed between the two and their subsequent interviews were golden television moments. If only the country would have such open discussions about race we'd all be better for it.

Now, after the last elimination, I have no idea of who is going to win but I have to fall back on Tommy who was my second option. Elaine's interactions with Rob and Sandra were promising for her future because she erased their perception that she never knew anything but Elaine remains one of those doomed original Lairos.


"RE: Episode 6: Black Lives Matter"
Posted by Chez on 11-03-19 at 11:45 AM
Michel, I always enjoy your editing commentary and look forward to reading it each week. I agree with you the last elimination was very surprising (Jason) in view of recent editing. Maybe we need to relook at our assumptions regarding the editing and make a clean start to guessing how the season will unfold. For example, I am not convinced the original Lairo women are doomed.
"RE: Episode 6: Black Lives Matter"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 11-06-19 at 08:37 PM
I have to admit I was totally blindsided with the Jason vote out. I also tended to put him at end game. Wow!

Jamal got a big uptick this week, mostly due to his very eloquent way of handling the young, albeit entitled, Jack incident. Classy guy with great insight that he narrates so beautifully. I feel like this moment could precede a boot perhaps. After all, we have heard Noura target both he and Jack.

Elaine had a huge uptick as well, but mostly because she was blindly had faith in her tribe, all the while they are plotting her demise. Had she not gotten that advantage, she would have been toast.

Karishma disappears this episode. thank gawd. Could spell her demise as a "hidden boot". I hope so.

Tommy is a great candidate to go end game. I wonder if he will work with Aaron post Jason boot?



"Episode 7: Calculating Risks"
Posted by michel2 on 11-09-19 at 04:48 PM
Vokai Night 16

The aftermath of Jason’s elimination gave us confessionals from Elaine who explained her move to block his vote, Lauren who felt betrayed especially by Missy.

As consolation, Missy offered this important line: “No woman has gone home since the swap.”

With Jack’s upcoming elimination and the merger to follow, I don’t think a woman is going home for the next 2 votes. Maybe it won’t happen until all the men are gone!

Aaron told us that the original Lairo were in control.
Lairo Day 17


After a wet night, Jamal tried to get the fire started. He failed as Karishma told us in her interview.

Kellee wanted to take over but Jamal wanted one more shot. That frustrated Kellee as she mentioned in her interview.

Jamal finally realized he was out of line and Kellee got the fire started on her first attempt.

Let’s keep this in mind if, somehow, the Final 4 Fire challenge features either Jamal or Kellee!

If that wasn’t enough, Jamal got into an argument with Noura over the rice portions.

Noura didn’t waste time informing us that she hated Jamal. She wanted to cut his throat so she suggested a women’s alliance.

Janet wanted to wait for the merger to make that move.

The dark musical chord that followed her intervention made Janet’s words sound like a prophecy.

Janet talked about Noura’s proposal but as of right now, she wasn’t into it. For her it had to be Dean.

That’s when the boat arrived to take a frightenmed Janet to the

Island of the Idols.

Jamal was confident that Janet would do the right thing for their alliance.

The Key Scene - They should have posted a Spoiler Alert!

Feeling like she was sitting in a good spot, Janet didn’t like the fact that this trip would put a target on her back.

A pot-bellied Rob told Janet about calculated risks.

After careful deliberation, Janet declined the offer.
Rob was happy to see that she understood the lesson.

Sandra, who had bandages on both her wrist, (how could she injure them? All she did was stand there, watching Rob building their shelter?) gave a very important interview: “Janet was the first person to come here and just say no to our offer. Everyone else? They were chomping at the bit ready to accept anything that Rob and I put in front of them.” To Rob she said: “I keep feeling that the winner of this season will be a female. I’m just waiting for you to take me up on that bet.” Even if she offered 2 to 1 odds, Rob declined. Sandra’s interview continued: “Janet is a very logical player because she has wisdom, she ahs age, she’s done this for years already. Right there, that tells me that her longevity in this game... She’s got the makings of a winner. We need an older winner.”

Like Rob, I won’t bet against Sandra. This season’s winner will be Janet!

I'll be back to add some observations from the rest of the episode but this is really all that needs to be said.

"RE: Episode 7: Calculating Risks"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 11-10-19 at 09:27 AM
Like Rob, I won’t bet against Sandra. This season’s winner will be Janet!

Ha!

I will be back later with my 2 cents. Well one thing I will say for now is that laying low for as long as you can before you have to start playing big is a good thing for longevity, imho.



"RE: Episode 7: Calculating Risks"
Posted by Chez on 11-10-19 at 01:41 PM
FP - I totally agree with that comment. Kim Spradlin stated that exact thought midway through her excellent play in One World, and she managed to stay under the radar for a long time.

Kellee made a terrific play in this most recent episode, but I can't help thinking it might be too much too soon. It could prove difficult to keep that move hidden from her alliance members, in which case she might be toast in the near future.

"RE: Episode 7: Calculating Risks"
Posted by michel2 on 11-10-19 at 01:41 PM
Yes, Janet has laid low but let's not forget that we saw her making fire in the first episode and she's repeatedly went up against an Olympic swimmer in water challenges and never looked outclassed. Also, we've heard her take on all her votes.

I want to add right now that Kellee makes a strong contender but I don't have time to get to the second half of the episode where she really stepped forward. Maybe Monday.

"Episode 8 - Not MeToo"
Posted by michel2 on 11-16-19 at 04:42 PM
Survivor is an amoral game where lying and deceipt are part of the approved tactics. I have no problem with a player fabricating a story about someone targeting another player and then spreading that lie to get their target voted out. I don't have a problem with someone making multiple Final 2 deals and then blindsiding all those allies. That is actually the way to play. I do have a problem when people gang up on someone that expressed real life vulnerability.

The biggest problem with the latest episode is that it gave a voice to all those intervet trolls who think women ALWAYS lie about sexual harrassment. They looked at Elizabeth and Missy's deplorable actions and generalized them to all women. They saw how everyone protected Dan's reputation and said the same should be afforded to all men.

Some even commend Jiffy's actions saying he did all he could. Really? He knew Kellee had told Dan to keep his hands off of her at numerous times yet Dan continued. Doing everything that he could would have meant DISQUALIFYING Dan. Giving him a warning amounted to handcuffing him which was enough to reassure all the other women making it possible to keep him around. Instead of an aggressor production turned him into a goat and while you go after an aggressor, you keep a goat around for as long as you can.

What is more toubling, on a spoiler level, is that both Elizabeth and Missy issued apologies, both saying they weren't aware of all that had really went on. To me, that seems to imply that they never got to Ponderosa to talk to Kellee. Does that put them in the Final 3? Seeing one of those ugly two-faced liars win would be simply awful.

The most interesting part of those two episodes is that Janet really stood out as a moral compass, someone who knows that there is more to their life in Fiji than the game. Unfortunately, she is now without allies and isn't laying low anymore. Will she be able to rally and return to the good position she enjoyed before stepping in this week?

Another interesting storyline is that Karishma continues to evade elimination. She was the secondary target when the tribe decided to split the votes between her and Jamal. Hearing that the women would vote for Karishma even made it sound like she'd be the primary target because there were 5 women and 4 men voting together. Unfortunately for him, Jamal, who turned out to be another moral compass got the boot instead, leaving Karishma to live 3 more days once more. Is that theme going to carry all the way to the end? Let's not forget that Karishma had the first confessional of the season and we've been following her story all along. If she winds up in the F3 against Elizabeth and Missy, I'll be rooting for her.

"RE: Episode 8 - Not MeToo"
Posted by Sheldor on 11-19-19 at 01:11 AM
"What is more toubling, on a spoiler level, is that both Elizabeth and Missy issued apologies, both saying they weren't aware of all that had really went on. To me, that seems to imply that they never got to Ponderosa to talk to Kellee."

Aaron also issued a video apology (I think before Missy and Elizabeth) which makes me wonder the same thing about Aaron.

There were 8 players that voted out Kellee (Aaron, Dan, Dean, Elaine, Elizabeth, Lauren, Missy, Tommy); hard now to root for any of them.

5 players voted for Dan and 2 are gone (Kellee, Jamal, Janet, Karishma, Noura)

Those are the 3 I'm now rooting for but it would take a miracle I think!

"RE: Episode 8 - Not MeToo"
Posted by michel2 on 11-19-19 at 12:32 PM
Being a man, Aaron wasn't really part of the whole Dan's a creep discussion and, unlike Elizabeth and Missy, he certainly didn't tell Kellee he had problems with Dan so maybe he wouldn't have discussed the issue in Ponderosa. Men don't really talk about those things so that leaves me hope he'll be voted out!!

Karishma could be taken to the end and would have a small chance of getting the votes over Elizabeth and Missy.

"RE: Episode 8 - Not MeToo"
Posted by sj007 on 11-19-19 at 04:01 PM
I agree with Michel. I'm a man and what's really sad is you still have women not sticking up for women for except Janet. She tried doing the right thing and should be commended. For those other girls to exploit and exaggerate sexual harassment into game play is disgusting. The culture has changed quite a bit since the metoo movement came to light a couple of years ago. This just shows there is a long ways to go yet. For things to really change and make things on an almost level playing field is women have to stick by women and they still don't. Many women are still happy being portrayed as sexual objects. They are conditioned from a young age to feel that way. Also those ##### men who take part in this behavior have to realize it's wrong and maybe this was normal years ago but no more. And men have to call out these ##### men who do it. That can be harder though. I'm guilty though as I'm sure many men are. I've never sexually harassed a woman, but when I was younger I partook in conversations with other men about women that disparaged them. I enjoyed Playboy and SI swimsuit issues. Men are conditioned also at a younger age to view women as sexual objects. Both sexes have to change for there to be a huge cultural shift.
"RE: Episode 8 - Not MeToo"
Posted by CTgirl on 12-04-19 at 01:04 PM
I've been thinking about who to vote for in tonight's episode and my overwhelming thought is: I don't care. And it comes back to the editing. At the beginning of the season I was so excited because I thought with all the girl power that a woman would finally win. I was excited to watch the season - A female winner is way overdue. Then we had the Dan and Kellee episode which left a really bad taste in my mouth. But I accepted it and moved forward but now I can't help but think that they left a huge part of the story untold. I keep waiting for the story to reemerge and for Dan to get voted out but they've just dropped it. It's back-to-business on Survivor and I feel let down. I am rooting for Janet and wouldn't mind an Elaine win but those two don't have a consistent winner's story. Karishma has been edited too negatively so I feel like she's got the journey edit and won't win. Noura is just a kook but I suppose her story could ramp up. Tommy is blah and Dean is unlikeable. I really liked Lauren from the preseason interviews but if she's our winner, the editing has done a disservice to her. There's still a lot of game left but to date the way this season has been edited is horrible. You should look forward to an episode each week not dread it!
"RE: Episode 8 - Not MeToo"
Posted by michel2 on 12-04-19 at 06:14 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-04-19 AT 07:57 PM (EST)

I agree with you and that's why I've stopped writing the analysis. I can't watch the episodes over and over to get the quotes right so why bother giving just impressions? Karishma could be our winner because she had the opening confessional and we've followed her turmoils closely. Why would the jury vote for her? She could make a case that she wasn't entirely dragged to the end because she saved herself with the idol and she was the one that decided the votes when they were split in half. Getting Missy out was a big score for her. Also she could say: "Those two thought they could beat me in the end so that's why they voted you out. The best way you can show that they made a mistake in voting you out is to vote for me in the end." Or she could profit from a "vote for the worst" mentality!

ETA: I want to clarify that I'm not saying that I think Karishma is going to win, just that she could.

"Who's story is this?"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 12-15-19 at 08:52 PM
I agree with CT Girl. I had high hopes that we would have a female winner. And, frankly, I am still hopeful. I have thought that Lauren has had quite a story. She was somewhat quiet but present in the early stages. When the switch up came she was the rational and strategic one. She shined when she went to I of the I's and won the advantage. Her social skills were stellar and she correctly predicted who would win the IC. She's made reference to her mentor Sandra in a season that has two of the greats of the show dispensing advice and offering risks and rewards. She told her husband at the family visit that she was going to win! She as a winner would be fitting with the theme of Island of the Idols.

Could Tommy win....he's the only one that has not gone to I of the I's. He wouldn't be a fitting winner with that theme.

Janet could be a fitting winner. She had a STELLAR visit at I of the I's and Sandra called her as possible winner.

Dean has been coming on toward the tail end of this show, but he's had a very poor edit.

Who's story is this?

"RE: Who's story is this?"
Posted by CTgirl on 12-15-19 at 09:55 PM
Both Lauren and Janet had confessionals in the first section of the premiere. I believe Tommy was the first man but I can't tell from my notes if he was just before or after a commercial break. I do feel (hope) that strong women is part of the theme so those are the only two winners who would make sense to me. Lauren has been consistent throughout and as I said before, she was a preseason fav of mine. Janet has been the voice of the audience when speaking about the Dan situation. She has put it in a real world context but that doesn't necessarily indicate she wins either. But I do "idolize" her for what she's said and done! Janet also made fire and has had several shots of her with fire. How she gets past Final 5 would be a great story because it's looking bleak for her at the moment!

Noura is a great character but she's a goat.

Tommy is a nice guy but I haven't seen him do much.

Dean has been annoying since the beginning and may come on strong in the finale but I doubt he can be redeemed.

"RE: Who's story is this?"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 12-15-19 at 11:08 PM
Just saw a promo for the finale and it looks like all of the DAWS are on I of the I's with Rob and Sandra and there is one final test. So, perhaps there is a chance that any of them could get through. Even Janet!
"RE: Who's story is this?"
Posted by michel2 on 12-16-19 at 09:30 PM
Interesting take, FP.

Yes, Sandra's words suggested a woman could win this season and, if so, it has to be Lauren. Janet has a Hero's edit and she's this season's moral compass but it doesn't have the characteristics of a winner's edit. Lauren does have those at least in part.

However, I have to go back to the early part of the season, before all the messy events clogged the proceedings. After episode 3 I concluded:

(These Players are) Ready for their Final Exams:

Tommy: There is some hesitancy in his presentation but that could still fit with being patient. We will have to see how he handles the harder votes down the road.

Jason: While he was the tribe’s number one target, he remained calmed, waited for his opportunity, listened to Noura’s paranoia and he’s now waiting for the right opportunity. I’d say that Jason is our top contender, the most likely Sole Survivor.

With Jason being long gone then that still leaves Tommy who has had a strong personal story; he's a teacher with the dilemma of having to lie. He's married and is doing this for his family. Finally, he has been present in every episode and he's been a vital part of the strategy in each of his tribes.

"RE: Who's story is this?"
Posted by sj007 on 12-17-19 at 04:26 PM
I agree with all of you. First of all I usually root for someone towards the end and it usually is an underdog. I could care less though. I don't like any that are left but Janet is the most honest and real. I do think the terrible editing has a lot to do with it. Second, some of these tribals have been the worst like the one where Dean spilled the beans and changed his vote at the last minute. Gimme a break! I couldn't play with morons like that. Third, where do they find these idiots for contestants? I guess the applicant pool is getting thin. Fourth, again the overabundance of the idols has ruined the game. I don't call them hidden idols anymore, they're pretty much in plain view. What a joke! Fifth the concept of this season was poorly executed with dumb tests. That all adds up to this season as going down as one of the worst. I say it will be ranked bottom five. I haven't even touched on all the stuff that happened with dumb Dan. It's a shame, I really loved Survivor and Amazing Race but maybe they both jumped the shark! As for the possible winner, if both Tommy and Lauren are at final tribal, could make it very interesting.
"RE: Who's story is this?"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 12-18-19 at 12:15 PM
I agree with all of you. First of all I usually root for someone towards the end and it usually is an underdog. I could care less though. I don't like any that are left but Janet is the most honest and real. I do think the terrible editing has a lot to do with it. Second, some of these tribals have been the worst like the one where Dean spilled the beans and changed his vote at the last minute. Gimme a break! I couldn't play with morons like that. Third, where do they find these idiots for contestants? I guess the applicant pool is getting thin. Fourth, again the overabundance of the idols has ruined the game. I don't call them hidden idols anymore, they're pretty much in plain view. What a joke! Fifth the concept of this season was poorly executed with dumb tests. That all adds up to this season as going down as one of the worst. I say it will be ranked bottom five. I haven't even touched on all the stuff that happened with dumb Dan. It's a shame, I really loved Survivor and Amazing Race but maybe they both jumped the shark! As for the possible winner, if both Tommy and Lauren are at final tribal, could make it very interesting.

Pretty much sums up the entire season, 007. Beginning with the horrible casting this season. Clearly, more vetting of good candidates needs to HAPPEN!

Also, couldn't agree more with the number of idols in play. Let's take a big step back! Remember when they didn't even have HII's? Whoa!

"RE: Who's story is this?"
Posted by sj007 on 12-27-19 at 05:31 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-27-19 AT 05:33 PM (EST)

Flower,
I think the game was much better without all those idols. Having one or two that are well hidden like the olden days. All those idols and how easy they are to find can help a weaker player get further due to just sheer dumb luck. Luck plays a lot in the game but there is a difference between luck like your tribe winning at the right time, and not having to go to tribal, then dumb luck like almost stepping on an idol. I guess the one redeeming thing of this last season is that a strong social game does matter and all those other gimmicks mean #####. The fact that Tommy won without any advantages or idols is validation. Memo to any future survivor players a strong social/strategical game wins most of the time over any challenge beast/idol finder. Of course unless you have an idiot like Woo who takes you to the end. I always laugh to myself when I see idiot players who wanna kick out strong challenge people early. First of all if you keep your tribe strong you don't have to go to tribal council, simple. If you get rid of a strong social/strategist player early it helps everyone and doesn't hurt the tribe at all. Usually the challenge beasts aren't the ones with strategy. They just wanna win challenges because they're very competitive. That would be me. The ones who are being sneaky from the get go and point out the so called threats are the real threats.

"RE: Editing Notes - Episode 1: They Bite at the First Opportunity"
Posted by Agent99 on 12-19-19 at 09:50 AM
To all the contributors to this editing analysis board and most especially to Michel, a great big THANK YOU! I love reading all your insights, most especially when the editing makes it difficult. I may not post but I read every word that you all post.

Gratefully,
Agent99

ps post show comments: I might not have been nearly disappointed in this season 1)had they not made an issue about an all girls alliance 2)Kelli was not in jeopardy for speaking up about Dan and 3)Janet's price for supporting Kelli. Hopefully, (yes I'm an optimistic individual) the new protocol will resolve anything from happening like this again.

Thank you everyone!