Talk about changing the rules as they go along.

The survivors seemed to be taking this in stride pretty well. I know I'd be quite pissed, and I imagine a lot of comments were left on the editing rule floor.

Part of the fun is seeing them strategize, and if they have no idea how to do that, the game just becomes about the challenges. I'd rather watch "Battle of the Network Stars".

Further, this blatant change probably only adds fuel to Stacey's lawsuit that MB manipulates the rules to make sure the old folks don't get booted early, lest the CBS demographic gets upset.

Finally, regarding Jeff's cryptic comment about the merge, I would bet he's just screwing with them to show his "superiority" (a la Alex Trebek- easy to do when you are the host. Any one else think Jeff's getting tired of this gig already and showing his orneryness?)

Here's why, from the CBS web page, Survivor FAQ's:

Will there always be two teams?
No. Beginning in episode seven, the two teams merge. The remaining Survivors, accustomed to thinking of each other as "the enemy" or members of the "other team" will come to live together and compete as individuals. At that point, the challenges become person against person, as opposed to team against team; only the winning individual will receive a reward and/or immunity.

Thanks for indulging me!!

• I am pissed!,TODDLJ, 12:30 PM, 11-09-01
  • RE: I am pissed!,zzz, 12:38 PM, 11-09-01
    • RE: I am pissed!,MikeD, 03:30 PM, 11-09-01
      • RE: I am pissed!,yianni_65, 05:39 PM, 11-09-01
        • RE: I am pissed!,evilj9, 06:15 PM, 11-09-01
          • RE: I am pissed!,chuck, 06:51 PM, 11-09-01
          • MB Did Have Control Over...,IceCat, 01:13 AM, 11-10-01
            • RE: MB Did Have Control Over...,I_AM_HE, 01:31 AM, 11-10-01
              • No pity here either...,IceCat, 01:35 AM, 11-10-01
              • RE: MB Did Have Control Over...,dabo, 02:03 AM, 11-10-01
                • RE: MB Did Have Control Over...,zzz, 01:49 PM, 11-10-01
            • RE: MB Did Have Control Over...,Naked, 01:45 AM, 11-10-01
              • You assume...,IceCat, 02:01 AM, 11-10-01
                • RE: You assume...,zzz, 01:54 PM, 11-10-01

I'm with you, Chuck. Last nights show pissed me off big time!

I know a lot of people hated Silas and the Mallies, but that's really not the point. The point is, we and they were lied to about how the game works.

Silas was basically taken from a very strong position to a very weak one with an unnanounced rule change. This was such blatant tampering with game results.

As much as I disliked Silas, I dislike the annoyingly smug Frank and Teresa much more at this point. And I hate MB the most of all.

I guess MB's strategy is to make us hate everyone, and to not care anymore who wins. Well, after last night's show, he succeeded.

Todd--

I am reluctanlty forced to agree with you. I was looking forward to the twist and considered 3for3 a reasonble possibility (although I still think my preferred idea of three tribes would have been much more interesting). But after seeing it played out, it just makes the game a sick MB joke. I am not sure why he thinks this is more interesting (other than he thinks Frank is good to keep around).

COMPLETELY AGREE - They took all of the strategy out of the show and I am curious to see what rule MB will change to prevent Lindsey from winning the game as well. I lost some enthusiasm for the show last night with the BS that went on.

PS: It was fun to watch Jerri crash and burn the way she did. Would it have been as fun if they got her off the show right away?

LAST EDITED ON 11-10-01 AT 08:17 PM (EST)

LAST EDITED ON 11-10-01 AT 08:16 PM (EST)

I'm going to have to be the one to disagree here. The original rules had made the game predictable. Survivor I was fresh, because no one knew what to expect. By Survivor II, it became obvious that the key to success was to establish a strong alliance and simply pick off your enemies. The "twist" and any others that follow will keep everyone on their toes and the game and its outcome fresh. The Gen X'ers are hurt by their cocky and unconsiliatory attitude. Would Lindsey and Silas have become so vunerable if they had played the game like the all the members of Boran (pre-swap) had done? MB's twist simply keeps the game unpredictable. This game is much more about entertainmnet than anything. One could not ask for a much more contrived situation than placing these strangers in the middle of nowhere, competing for a million dollars. Anything that creates turmoil in the plan, ensures that the most cunning and clever will outlast and unoriginal and simply-minded.

As far as I am concerned, Mark Burnett has done his show and and all of us a favor.

Finally, I am going to predict that the merge does not happen until there are 8 survivors left. This way, everyone will have spent the same amount of time with the new alignment as the old and new alliances and loyalties will have formed.

I must say I somewhat agree with yianni. Although MB did screw with the rules, he cannot be accused of manipulating the outcome. Remember, each tribe was instructed to choose who they sent on the journey. The tree mail told them to make their choice wisely. MB had no idea who would get picked.

None of the Romper Room kids (I refuse to consider them GenX)were willing to get off their lazy asses and take the journey. They were more than willing to allow Frank and Theresa to go. They sent Silas to "watch over" F&T. They made their beds and have been laying around in them since the start of the show.

Watching Brandon bond with the Boranites does show that he is smarter than the cameras have been indicating. I would expect Lindsey to go next, provided Samburu actually tries at the next IC. If not, Clarence's days are numbered.

Either way I expect L/T/K to rejoin their Boran friends, pick off the remaining Romper Room Kids and let the fun begin with Ethan, Lex, Tom, Kelly, Kim J, Frank and Theresa.

IMHO the twist has provided some excitement to a show that was getting methodical at best. Let the games beging!!!

As always, in evil, j9

To be clear, I personally am not pissed. I could care less who wins. However, if I was playing, I certainly would be.

Its hard to play a game when the rules keep changing.

Also, as I have posted, the merge will definitely take place in Episode 7. The CBS website has said exactly that.

... one thing:

The number of people who would be switched. Since Samburu had only two OFA left and all four of the GenExers left, MB guranteed that the GenExers would be split up by switching three from each tribe. MB's decision to swap three tribe members is blatant gerrymandering and it does constitute a direct attempt to control the outcome of the game.

Not so much as to give an advantage to a particular player or group of players but to, most definitely, disadvantage a group of players - the GenExers.

LAST EDITED ON 11-10-01 AT 01:31 AM (EST)

I'm still not convinced MB didn't have this up his sleeve from the beginning though. He may not have decided on three though, in which case you're absolutely right IceCat

but i still can't find any pity for so completely despicable a group (though i do feel a slight bit of pity for silas-dumb as he was, he only became the sacrificial lamb because the other three were too lazy to get out of bed)

I hates the lazy little twerps!

>I'm still not convinced MB didn't
>have this up his sleeve
>from the beginning though.

Think about it, though. Had Boran and Samburu not had numerical parity, ie. had it been 5 Boran remaining to 7 Samburu, would a 3 for 3 switch have been in the works? This is clearly a case of a decision made on the spot in order to shake things up as much as possible. Honestly, the 3 for 3 switch only accomplished early what was clearly inevitable, the destruction of the dunderheaded GXA4.

"If all machines were to be annihilated at one moment, so that not a knife nor lever nor rag of clothing nor anything whatsoever were left to man but his bare body alone that he was born with, and if all knowledge of mechanical laws were taken from him so that he could make no more machines, and all machine-made food destroyed so that the race of man should be left as it were naked upon a desert island, we should become extinct in six weeks. A few miserable individuals might linger, but even these in a year or two would become worse than monkeys." (Samuel Butler, "Erewhon")

>Honestly, the 3
>for 3 switch only accomplished
>early what was clearly inevitable,
>the destruction of the dunderheaded
>GXA4.
>

Exactly--it definitely seemed inevitable the GXA would go down--unless they got some tremendous luck--e.g., merge at 5-5 with Teresa deciding to forgive them and vote with them and then winning the tie break one way or the other. MB took even this slim hope away from them. More to the point, he hastened their demise. MB obviously thought he had to break them up to avoid making the middle episode increibly boring. Whatever you think of the GXA, that was a pretty crappy thing to do--although I believe it is the game they all signed up for (i.e., a game in which MB pretty much has free reign to change the rules at any time at his whim--whithin certain minimal boundaries).

Icecat, I happen to disagree with you on this subject. I do not think that this rule change would really have that much outcome on the final survivor anyway. As a student of anthropology, I have always looked at the game in that perspective, and there is no way that the GenX alliance was going very far post merge. There was only four of them, and it seems like that all of the other contestants disliked them. They would have been picked them off one by one after the tribes combined for certain. As far as Silas is concerned, There is no way that he could have won all of the immunity chalenges, and because he was such a physical threat, He would have been voted out the first time he lost. The only change because of this rule that I can forsee is who will go to the jury. All in all, the twist made an otherwise boring and predictable mid season to be something that we would have to think about.(and spoil hopefully). By the way, I have really enjoyed reading your posts. you have given a lot of thoughtfull insights, and things to chew on. keep up the good work. Even when we are all dead wrong it's still fun to speculate
Naked

... that the Boran would have acted as a group once the merge had taken place. I submit that there is ample evidence that potential allies for the GenExers, in the form of alienated Boran (not just Clarence) may have formed an alliance of desperation with the GenExers and prevented a 'pagonging'...

... but we shall never know as the course of the game was altered by a rule change. It's all a little 'deus ex Markina' for my taste.

Thank you for the compliments on my posts... I shall endeavour to continue to contibute positively.

Ice Cat--

I agree with you on this one, I think. I agree with others that chances are the GXA would have been doomed. But there would have been possibilities for them to triumph. You listed one possibility. Above I noted the possibility that Teresa would have forgiven them and they would have somehow won the 5-5 tie break.

MB made sure that the GXA would go down and go down fast. While it may be allowed in the official rules, it seems to be a bit too much tampering for my taste.

P.S. I still maintain that three tribes would have been both more fair and more interesting. But we will never know.