URL: http://community.realitytvworld.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/rtvw2/community/dcboard.cgi
Forum: DCForumID1
Thread Number: 4571
[ Go back to previous page ]

Original Message
"Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"

Posted by Aruba on 12-16-17 at 06:11 PM
For this last list I’m going to rank according to who I feel has the best chance winning should he/she be sitting in the Finals

BEN – I would have never thunk it before this week, but despite his flipping and single-handedly responsible for Lauren and Ashley’s boot, he has the best chance to win in the Finals. Chrissy would give him a run for the money. As for the others...he’d win going away. If parting words are any indication, I do not foresee a whole lot of Bitter Bettys on the Jury. It is yet to be seen, but I believe most Jurors will put more of a premium on game-changing moves as opposed to rewarding the most colorful social butterfly. This bodes well for Ben. Sure, it’s mostly out of desperation, but no one is searching harder and proactively trying to make the big moves in the end game more than Ben. Came up with the best and most appropriate quote this season...heck, perhaps in the history of Survivor...”DAMN FRIGGIN’ PUZZLES.”

CHRISSY – Anything other than Chrissy and Ben both in the F3 will result in a very anti-climatic last 30 minutes of the Finale leading up to the revealing of the votes to start the Reunion segment. If the remaining challenges involve more “damn friggin’ puzzles” she should control who sits with her in the F3. Ensuring Ben is not there will giftwrap her million-dollar prize. And the beauty of this gift is she will not need to work hard or campaign to eliminate Ben because that is the consensus among everyone. In the preview I’m thinking Chrissy whips out the powerless idol Ryan gifted to her. If her and Ryan are the only ones who know, it could make things interesting. Although with Ben strategically playing his idol at last TC before the votes were casted, he would relentlessly badger Chrissy to play it before the voting just as he did. Naturally, she would refuse thus confirming the suspicion it has no power. Whereas I state Ben has the best chance to win if in the Finals, I doubt Ben will make it there. Chrissy would be a deserving winner. The Ben Explosions we heard could also be prophetic to the self-destruction these casting idiots brought upon themselves this season...and no one did a better job mopping up than our New Jersey Soccer Mom.

DEVON – For the past few weeks I’ve been praising Devon for being smarter than originally anticipated. Now is when the rubber meets the road and we’ll see if he truly is as smart as I recently speculated. I believe he wins sitting next to Ryan and Mike. Conversely, he has little to no chance sitting next to Ben and/or Chrissy. If he wins the last two ICs, does he have the “smarts” to eliminate Ben and Chrissy to give him the title? I’m expecting to hear a fair share of rubbish, mostly from Devon, over “getting” Ben to play his idol...Yadda...Yadda...Yadda... Make no mistake, Ben was going to play the idol regardless, and he would have been the sixth member of the Jury had he not. If the RC F3 pact comes to fruition, he’ll probably get some votes, but a majority of the Jury will cast votes for a Mom over a Surfer Dude.

MIKE – Even though we’ve heard some players voice concern over Mike being “sneaky” good and a threat, I’m just not seeing it in the end. As the last Healer he would have four Healers on the Jury should he make the Final. Even so, I do not see Mike winning in any scenario. I cannot think of a boot where he had any influential input thus supporting his coattail riding status in the game. He appears well-spoken and may sound OK stating his case, but his resume would be weaker compared to Ben, Chrissy, or even Devon. Had he joined forces with Ben and Ashley while the others were at the reward, he probably coasts to the Finals. Now he will need to be carried there. In any event, I’ll stick with my prediction he has little to no shot.

RYAN – Out of everyone in the F5, I feel he has the best chance to make the F3 but the worst chance to win. Like Mike, I’m certain he’d handle himself well at FTC, but his resume would simply not stack up to the others. During the first half of the season he was arguably the most entertaining castaway, but in a game of “what have you done lately” I’m just not seeing it for Ryan. What I am seeing is the strong possibility of 2/3s of the F3 from the Garden State. NJ boasts of having the most roadside diners than any other state. He’ll need to hit several when he gets back home to fill out that disturbing skeletal frame.

BOOTED) ASHLEY – Played the cleanest game out of the F6. Up against a sore-losing disgruntled Jury, she would have probably won in a landslide. Although based on how the Jury is shaping up, she would have had a tough time beating the likes of a Ben or Chrissy in the Finals. I would have loved her chances in any future challenges involving endurance or athletic ability. Had she not relied so much on her partnership with Devon, she would have been better off taking Ben’s offer and reeling in Mike while the other three were making their F3 pact during the reward and hope for some Ben backlash in the Finals.


Table of contents

Messages in this discussion
"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by michel2 on 12-16-17 at 08:02 PM
Thank you for another fun season, Aruba. Hopefully we'll have another season with newbies next time so we can go at it again. Did you hear that we'll have a short season of Celebrity Big Brother right at the beginning of the New Year? I have no idea which D-Listers are on it but maybe we could bash them.

Anyway, I'll also list them by the order I think they can win which is almost always my way of doing things.

Chrissy: At first, she told us that she was banking on Ben not finding an idol.

In the reward challenge, Chrissy teamed up with Devon and she managed the race well enough that she was first to finish. From what we heard, Chrissy was the one that convinced Devon to pick Ryan for the reward, a decision that really frazzled Ashley.

During the reward, Chrissy made a Final Three agreement with Devon and Ryan. Chrissy saw the immediate benefit of taking Devon to the Final Three: It would break up his alliance with Ashley. Ashley had been calling Chrissy out in front of the tribe so Chrissy was gunning for Ashley. Ben wasn’t attached to anyone so Chrissy was thinking of going after Ashley even before voting Ben out.

The Immunity Challenge was another shining moment for Chrissy; she finished the race in second place, getting up the stairs right behind Ben. While it took her some time figuring it out, Chrissy was no match for the others on the puzzle.
Seizing Ashley’s plan to split the votes between Ben and Mike, Chrissy talked to Ryan, Mike and Devon about voting Ashley first because Ben wasn’t going to win the next two challenges and they’d flush his idol, if he had one.
While she couldn’t have predicted Ben’s theatrics during TC, her plan to go after Ashley served her well as she got everyone to vote for her nemesis. In doing so, she probably ripped Ashley’s vote away from Devon.

From what we’ve seen, Chrissy has been the best strategist this season, possibly the best since Kim in One World. Yes, she made a big mistake by being complacent after the merger but she quickly recovered and since the counter alliance was based on deceit, she beat it by using loyalty; the strongest weapon against it. She stayed loyal to Ryan, she extended loyalty to Mike and she gained Devon’s trust because of that loyalty. It was probably her loyalty that saved her from Ben’s vote when he was the lone arbiter.

Being such a huge jury threat, Chrissy might have to win a challenge to get to the Final 3 but she has been surprising even in the physical part of a few challenges so it isn’t impossible. It would also look good on her résumé. She might not be a lock to get the majority of votes but she should do well against the jury.

Devon: In talking about Ben’s move, he called it the work of the “Survivor Devil”. All his plans had been turned upside down but he vowed to win the next immunity challenge to vote out Ben. He did beat Ben in the reward challenge. He was delighted when Chrissy brought up the idea of going to the Final Three with him. He thought it was his best shot to go to the Final three and win it all.

Devon wasn’t thrilled with the idea of going after Ashley before Ben because he really liked her (and it will certainly cost him her vote in the end!) but when it came to it, Devon went along with Chrissy’s plan and voted against his best ally.

Devon proved that he was a smarter player than first impressions led many to believe but the shifts in this game have really been too complicated for him to follow. Still, I believe Devon would be a very tough opponent in the Final Three. He made enough moves to garnish a résumé and his social game has been excellent. If he is in the Finale with Chrissy and Ryan, it will probably come down to one vote.

Ben: This episode was all about Ben being the number one target and his search for the idol that would save him. In honor of our Marine, we heard military music accompanied by the sounds of canons firing as the tribe returned to camp. That really underlined his great play with the idol. Led by Devon and Chrissy the tribe quickly agreed Ben should be next. He realized he had a long road ahead.

The next day, the sun wasn’t up yet when we tagged along Ben’s first search of the idol. After losing the reward, Ben tried to use Ashley and Mike’s anger to turn them against the other three but he didn’t make any real progress. Ben went on a second search for the idol.

After losing the immunity challenge, Ben went right back to looking for the idol. Finally putting his hand on it enabled Ben to deploy his histrionics at Tribal Council.

I would like to know what got Ben to vote against Ashley in the end. We didn’t see Ben participating in any of the whispering that went on after he played his idol and he looked determined to vote against Mike but in the end, he rallied to vote out the only person that was ready to listen to him. He’ll certainly need to win the last two challenges to make it to the end but his problem is that he has never done well in challenges. The consensus of players there is that he’d easily win the jury vote so I have to place him here but I have my doubts. His behavior over the last few days has been so confrontational that I believe he wouldn’t get enough votes. More likely, he will be sitting on the jury, acting as bitter as jurors always are.

Mike: He was stunned that, as the swing vote, Chrissy didn’t pick him for the reward. Mike came to the conclusion that Devon had taken his spot next to Chrissy and Ryan. All that did was get Ben to call Mike a reputation a cry-baby. It was funny to hear Mike say that he searched everywhere for the idol when we were about to see that it was right under their shelter. Mike was certain Ben couldn’t find it either.

When Chrissy brought up the idea of eliminating Ashley before Ben, Mike said he needed Ben out of the game because of his ferocity.

While Mike would have a great underdog story to sell the jury, I don’t think he’d convinced enough of them. Even Joe couldn’t quite understand where Mike was going when they were supposed to be on the same page so how would any juror buy his pitch? Still, he wasn’t part of Chrissy’s Final Three so he’ll have a tough time making it to the end.

Ryan: Once again, he was a disaster during the reward challenge, constantly slowing his team. Ryan loved the idea of going to the Final Three with Chrissy and Devon because, despite the differences he had with Devon, he still felt closest to him and Chrissy.

This season’s nerd had a nice run as narrator but his game play didn’t follow, especially after the merger. In fact, it started fizzling out right after the swap when he found a spot under Chrissy’s wing. He should have an easy time making it to the Final Three but I have a hard time finding any votes for him on that jury.

Booted – Ashley: She played a strong game but never quite made the move that needed to be made.


"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by Aruba on 12-17-17 at 08:29 AM
Despite all our sparring and friendly bantering throughout the season, we’re pretty much in agreement as we head into Finale Wednesday. Yes, I’ve had TWO snow storms so far...and winter does not officially start until Thursday. LOL. Pretty rare in my neck of the woods for this time of the year.

I too believe Chrissy will ultimately win. Although my ranking was who I feel has the best chance to win should they being sitting in the Finals at FTC. Despite his confrontations, there must be reason why EVERYONE feels he would take the title should he fight his way to become one of the F3. Whether it’s a former Marine with a story, or the underdog who defied the odds to make it to the Finals, the consensus is Ben would receive most of the Juror’s votes. But barring a finish for the ages, he will be on the Jury. I’m kind of 50-50 whether he will be bitter; actually, I’m leaning more to NO if his boot is a result of savvy gameplay and none of the Finalists pull a “Joe/Sluggo” and turn it into a personal attack. Your statement that Jurors are “ALWAYS” bitter is one assessment I disagree with. Is bitterness more than occasional? Yes, but not ALWAYS.

Upon seeing Ben’s vote for Ashley, my immediate reaction was Devon’s stone-cold stare at Ashley during Ben’s plea at TC to convince Ashley and Devon to rejoin forces and target Mike. The last time I saw a stare that cold at TC was when Jay blindsided Michaela. Devon’s facial expression and body language was enough to convince Ben it wasn’t going to happen, so he went with the majority to make it unanimous. I honestly did not read a whole lot into it.

My gut tells me we are looking at a Chrissy-Ryan-Mike F3 despite the RC pact that was made. But if Chrissy and Devon are in the Finals, I believe she wins by more than one vote. Not that it’s worth debating because it doesn’t matter how many votes you win by. Although I truly believe if Devon is sitting in the Finals with Mike and Ryan, he wins by much more than one vote. For Devon not to see that obvious scenario is a hit on his recent emerging “intelligence.” If Ben’s perseverance and proactive play makes him immune at the next TC, I believe Devon will be the next victim.

Because the RC was played in pairs, it was Chrissy’s decision to make as much as Devon’s. What we saw was Devon whimping out and deferring the decision to his partner. He would have done that regardless who he was partnered with. To her credit, Chrissy ever the opportunist, took full advantage of it and made the correct choice picking the quintessential goat.

We’re on the same pages with Mike and Ryan. Ryan’s game fizzled more as a result of self-destruction when he felt the need to involve too many other castaways with his idol possession. That blunder labeled him a conniver he was never able to shake. All he would have at that point is his fellow New Jersey comrade with whom he initiated a bond when he gifted his II to Chrissy.

Your assessment of Ashley is dead-on. I liked her game, but yes, it lacked that big game move.

I recall Julie mentioned during the Big Brother summer season we would have a special Celebrity Edition. I don’t know...I’m not really feeling that. I might catch as episode here and there, but will definitely not be tuning in three times a week to watch that nonsense. I guess I’ll always be a Reality Show purist at heart and will only regard first-time no-name players as REAL seasons.


"Survivor Juries are ALWAYS bitter."
Posted by michel2 on 12-17-17 at 10:18 PM
I remember a post over at Sucks a long time ago when the poster tried to demonstrate that every single vote had been done on purely emotional grounds. Jurors either rewarded a friend who hadn't betrayed them or punished those who had done them wrong. While I wouldn't say it applied to 100% of jurors, I agreed with most of his analysis.

Think of it this way: For us, Survivor is a little TV show that entertains us once a week twice a year but, for the participants, it's a huge commitment. They have to spend about 2 months of their personal lives in audidions and preparations BEFORE even making it to the island. Some have gone through that grueling process a couple of times. Worse, some have even made it to the island as reserves only to be turned back at the last minute.

So, when they finally make it to the island and survive long enough to reach the Final 12 (Final 9 in the good old days), they firmly believe that they have a shot. Being voted out is a hugely traumatic event so they naturally become bitter either at the game in general or at an individual in particular. I firmly believe that it is the players responsibility to avoid having a majority of jurors bitter at them in particular. If not, then the jury has every right to award the million to someone who hasn't done them wrong.


"RE: Survivor Juries are ALWAYS bitter."
Posted by Aruba on 12-19-17 at 08:18 PM
I don’t know anything about “Sucks” and I don’t know how long “a long time ago” was, but right now with 35 seasons almost in the books, EVERY castaway knows darn well the lying, backstabbing, deceit, and hypocrisy that awaits them when they sign on the dotted line and agree to partake in the game and willingly put themselves through your so-called described “trauma”. You could paint a traumatic scenario all you want, but with a million-dollar prize for the winner, there’ll be no sympathy coming from me.

That being said, a person who is a bitter sore-loser by nature (regardless of the “trauma” they KNOW they will experience on Survivor) will be a bitter sore-losing Juror because that is who they are. Conversely, a good sportsman by nature will more than likely not be a bitter Juror because that’s who they are.

Yes, you (and whomever this infamous case study analyst is) are correct that “most” are bitter...that’s because that’s the type of sore-losing individuals CBS usually cast. But not all the time. As previously stated, what’s more deplorable than the bitterness is the sheer hypocrisy. What’s even more disturbing than a bitter Juror is a Juror who casts a crybaby vote against someone because of some negative tactic that worked against them when THEY THEMSELVES displayed the SAME pathetic approach/behavior in THEIR own game!

Here’s the summation...anyone given the opportunity of a lifetime, plays the game of Survivor as a 39-day extension OF THEIR LIVES. and when the season goes in the books, their Survivor experience becomes a 39-day chapter OF THEIR LIVES.

Note the emphasis on “OF THEIR LIVES.”
Your are...who you are...who you are.


"RE: Survivor Juries are ALWAYS bitter."
Posted by michel2 on 12-19-17 at 11:09 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-19-17 AT 11:21 PM (EST)


You make a mistake when you write: "the “trauma” they KNOW they will experience on Survivor..."

Yes, they all go in knowing the odds are against them but once they reach the merger they start to think they can win. I've never played for the million but I can tell you that I felt terrible after being voted out in on-line games. Imagine if I had invested the same as them. I KNOW I'm not bitter by nature but the person who backstabbed me would have a hard time earning my vote because Survivor isn't real life. I cannot go to the authorities to right the wrong done to me, I can only right it with my own vote. If I feel someone stole the Million dollar from me and my family I'll need to hear a lot of great arguments before giving that million to that person.

You make another mistake when you write: "Juror who casts a crybaby vote against someone because of some negative tactic that worked against them when THEY THEMSELVES displayed the SAME pathetic approach/behavior in THEIR own game!"

A juror may have used those tactics on some other players but if they were backstabbed by one of the finalists then they certainly DIDN'T display the same behavior towards that person; they didn't vote him out. Now, if Player A and Player B vote against each other at TC despite being in an alliance and A is voted out, THEN I'd agree with you but usually Player A TRUSTED Player B and was "cruelly" betrayed. That entitles Player A to cast a bitter vote. You simply don't understand Survivor if you don't consider that an alliance is a contract with one clause: "You f@ck with me, I will F@ck with you in the end."

Survivor certainly isn't part of anyone's NORMAL life so people don't behave like they do in their NORMAL lives.


"RE: Survivor Juries are ALWAYS bitter."
Posted by Aruba on 12-20-17 at 07:02 PM
Sure, the adversities faced on Survivor may differ from the adversities encountered back at home, but how any individual reacts to any adversity IS REAL LIFE. I don’t’ care if the adversity is a fight with a spouse, issues at work, or dehydration and lack of shelter in the game. A person’s true colors will come to surface when confronted with any or all of these issues REGARDLESS where these adversities occur. Many will resort to bitterness, lying, self-centeredness, hypocrisy or other negative approaches because THAT’S WHO THEY ARE.

When a castaway’s ugly true colors are seen on Survivor, it is viewed by millions. Naturally as a lame and meager attempt at self-preservation a castaway has little choice but to save face and say something to the effect of, “Golly Gee, that’s how I was in the game...but I am never like that in real life…Yadda…Yadda...Yadda...Blah...Blah...Blah...” And I’m sure many fans/viewers drink their Kool-Aid and give them the benefit of the doubt. I’m just not one of them.

During your online games, what I’d be curious to know is if YOU, YOURSELF initiated any of the same backstabbing/deceit that victimized your game and made you upset? If your answer is NO then I can understand your feeling, note, I still do not necessarily agree with it, but it is understandable. If your answer is YES, then that’s a clear-cut example of bitter hypocrisy.

The one caveat is if you come across a real sack of sh!t who deliberately goes all out on a PERSONAL attack that is outside the context of the game. Wil’s verbal personal attack on Shirin in World’s Apart would be an example.

Short of that, I stand by my conviction against sore-losing and hypocrisy.


"RE: Survivor Juries are ALWAYS bitter."
Posted by michel2 on 12-20-17 at 08:57 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-21-17 AT 00:18 AM (EST)

>Sure, the adversities faced on Survivor
>may differ from the adversities
>encountered back at home, but
>how any individual reacts to
>any adversity IS REAL LIFE.
>I don’t’ care if the
>adversity is a fight with
>a spouse, issues at work,
>or dehydration and lack of
>shelter in the game. A
>person’s true colors will come
>to surface when confronted with
>any or all of these
>issues REGARDLESS where these adversities
>occur. Many will resort to
>bitterness, lying, self-centeredness, hypocrisy or
>other negative approaches because THAT’S
>WHO THEY ARE.


I've got a counter example to show you are wrong: In real life, when betrayed or deeply hurt, many men always resort to violence something they can't do on Survivor so if THEY aren't showing their true colors then others can also.


>When a castaway’s ugly true colors
>are seen on Survivor, it
>is viewed by millions. Naturally
>as a lame and meager
>attempt at self-preservation a castaway
>has little choice but to
>save face and say something
>to the effect of, “Golly
>Gee, that’s how I was
>in the game...but I am
>never like that in real
>life
…Yadda…Yadda...Yadda...Blah...Blah...Blah...” And I’m sure many
>fans/viewers drink their Kool-Aid and
>give them the benefit of
>the doubt. I’m just not
>one of them.

I certainly know that many use spin in post game interviews but I'm talking about what they're saying on the island.

>During your online games, what I’d
>be curious to know is
>if YOU, YOURSELF initiated any
>of the same backstabbing/deceit that
>victimized your game and made
>you upset? If your answer
>is NO then I can
>understand your feeling, note, I
>still do not necessarily agree
>with it, but it is
>understandable. If your answer is
>YES, then that’s a clear-cut
>example of bitter hypocrisy.

I've led many, many fun blindsides during my on-line games and, each time, I fully expected that the people that I blindsided were going to be hurt, angry, and resentful. So I certainly was NOT being hypocritical when I react that same way when it happened to me. It always hurts when someone you trusted gets you out.

>The one caveat is if you
>come across a real sack
>of sh!t who deliberately goes
>all out on a PERSONAL
>attack that is outside the
>context of the game. Wil’s
>verbal personal attack on Shirin
>in World’s Apart would be
>an example.

I'm usually very likable in those games, even had a few showmances!!



"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by kingfish on 12-17-17 at 12:19 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-17-17 AT 03:40 PM (EST)

Order of Finish:

1st, the Mill, Chrissy. They pretty much gave it to her when they elected to boot JP instead of her. JP never presented the threat that Chrissy did, as she's proven. There were and still are scenarios that don't end up with her winning the Mill, but she got the inside track with that vote. She has won challenges, formed two dominate alliances, and taken the lead when it counted. Ben won't get any votes if he lasts to F3. Ryan doesn't have the resume or loyalty from the jury to beat her, neither does Mike. Devon would be her only real opponent and he's easy to manipulate. Chrissy is the master of manipulation.

2nd, Runner up, Devon. Devon won't get Ashley's vote or Ben's, and maybe there will be a pity vote or two thrown his way, but although he did have one pretty good item on his resume, still, his play has been sub-par, and I still haven't seen any ability to articulate why he should win over Chrissy. I have a funny feeling that Devon might be the TV audience favorite, and so might win that money. But probably not if he gets second place money.

3rd, Mike. Quirky Mike probably qualifies as a goat now, along with Ryan. Together they are Devon's only chance to win if they sit beside him at F3.

4th, Ryan. Ditto Mike's position. Ryan faded into a background player and became a goat.

5th, Ben. Ben should be gone after the producers quit hiding HIs. I don't expect him to be at F3, and even if the others wake up and have the opportunity to boot Chrissy and pull it off, and he ends up with any two of the others, he won't get a vote. He has antagonized, backstabbed, and trash talked the others to the extent to where his name is mud anong any possible remaining combination of jury.

Gone Girl Ashley. At F6 she was my personal favorite. Not becasue I thought she could win, I think the odds were stacked against her, but I would have been happiest if she won this season.

Fan Favorite. Maybe Devon, but I think Lauren might get the money, and I would not be surprised if Ali didn't get it either. While Ashley is beautiful in her "Girl Next Door with a killer body" way, Ali was beautiful in her "Pavlovian Salivating way".

Those that are left aren't the worst Survivor group we've had by any means, in fact this F5 is probably the best F5 we've had in a long time. Also this seasons' F6 and F7 were also. This season the odious personalties were eliminated earlier, along with (alas) some of the the prettiest women in survivor history. You takes your bad with the good, I guess

.


"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by michel2 on 12-17-17 at 10:26 PM
Nice list, Messire Fish. I have to disagree on one thing though. After voting JP and even after voting Joe, Chrissy was still an easy target. It was the "rebel Alliance" that imploded on their own.

Also, I don't remember them voting for and rewarding a "Fan Favorite" for many years now. Of course, I understand that you wanted to plug your gal Lauren once more!!


"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by kingfish on 12-18-17 at 01:04 PM
Thanks. When it's down to 5, it gets pretty simple. At this stage, even though there can be reasonable differences of opinion (contrary to others of us I don't see Ben getting a single vote), I imagine that for each of us the our lists are pretty obvious.

We've had the JP/Chrissy debate. Let's call it done. They should have done it the first time they had the chance, because, as they and we are all too aware, things change and what seems possible one week, isn't the next. Using your reasoning, JP could have also been dispatched anytime they pleased, so they should have gone after the bigger threat at the first opportunity.

Yeah, it's been a few years. 2013. So they probably won't revert to that again. Kind of a dumb award anyway, but a sop for that segment of the audience that is turned off by the show when their favorite loses.

Although I do think Lauren played an admirable game (up to the end), and she did become a favorite of mine, you obviously missed my comments about Ali. About whom I'll freely admit to having lustful thoughts. My fan favorite vote would have gone to her, without reservation.


"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by michel2 on 12-18-17 at 08:46 PM
I've watched a few Ponderosa videos and I didn't see anything definitive regarding feelings towards Ben. Judging by their reactions on TV' they have been amused by his game so maybe he'd get some. Everyone is certain he'd win so that cannot be dismissed.

About our JP/Chrissy debate, you've added a big layer by writing: "They pretty much gave it to her when they elected to boot JP instead of her..." so I felt the need to open it up again. This formulation completely dismisses Chrissy's own game. First of all, she saved herself by winning an immunity and then her loyalty helped secure votes on her side. They didn't "give it to her", they simply gave her another chance and she seized it.

From my point of view, Lauren had it easy on the Hustlers when casting gave them two easy boots. After the swap, Yawa didn't go once to TC and Cole,Jessica and Ben played a much bigger role in earning those ICs than Lauren who often sat out. When we reached the merger, the Healers became natural targets due to their numbers. Then Ryan busted his and Chrissy's game by telling both Ben and Devon about his idol. Lauren and the Rebel Alliance could have had it easy from that point on but, as you pointed out, they messed up royally. What's admirable about that?


"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by kingfish on 12-19-17 at 03:24 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-19-17 AT 06:04 PM (EST)

I agree that the Ponderosa videos aren't definitive, but I'm sure that any statements that might give away their final vote would have been edited out, such is the nature of our sneaky producers, which is to obscure the results until the reunion. I am thoughtful of the other's opinions, but right or wrong, I can only go with my own opinion. Even though they are right more often than I. They work hard and are reasonable, so I respect almost everyone's conclusions, usually.

But, you aren't going to change my mind for reasons stated before and below until you can present any shred of real video evidence (not suppositions or imaginary scenarios or guesses about what they "really" meant) that somehow JP presented a bigger threat at that time than did Chrissy. So basically we are just repeating ourselves.

So, Ok.

My statement reads;

"They pretty much gave it to her when they elected to boot JP instead of her. JP never presented the threat that Chrissy did, as she's proven. There were and still are scenarios that don't end up with her winning the Mill, but she got the inside track with that vote.

So you overlooked my qualification of that first line. And ignored my previous posts where I also stated that she was pretty much given the Mill with that misstep. So nothing new was opened up there. Obviously since they kept the biggest threat and booted an innocuous background character, we don't know with absolute surety how the alternative scenario would have turned out. But it still remains that in general, you should choose to boot the bigger threat over the biggest non-threat at your first opportunity. It's just a very simple concept, and although I have the greatest respect for your opinions in general, I am very surprised that you don't see that, and that we are even having this debate.

Also, even though we aren't at the end yet, don't you think that Chrissy is still the major threat left? At least more so that JP could ever have been? There are those that think Ben has worked himself into the winner's edit, and I also think that if the jury isn't emotional and is in a mood to reward a proactive seat-of-the pants player, he might have a chance. But like you, I think juries tend to vote emotionally and are influenced by their festering resentments.

.


"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by michel2 on 12-19-17 at 08:27 PM
I didn't disregard the second part of your comment but the first sentence was so damning that any way Chrissy could possibly lose now is by being a complete moron.

And it's not that I don't see that Chrissy was a bigger threat than JP because, if you remember, at the time, I wrote that they should have voted against Ryan. Somehow, FOR THEM, JP was the best option. Instead of asking myself how Lauren and her pals could have been so dumb, I imagined the following:

Ben, for example, could have said: "We have to get rid of Ryan because he's the most dangerous with that idol."

Devon could have replied: "I really think that Chrissy is more dangerous."

Lauren and Ashley may have chimed in saying both were very dangerous so then one of the 4 would have found the solution: "We can't agree on who is the most dangerous strategically but I'm sure we can agree that JP is the most dangerous physically so why not go for him first and then it won't matter because we'll have the numbers."

Anyway, while the events turned dramatically against Lauren and Ashley, you can't deny that Devon has greatly benefitted from keeping Chrissy AND Ryan around!!


"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by Aruba on 12-20-17 at 07:05 PM
I must say it is an entertaining change of pace to sit back and spectate a bantering session instead. LOL

I can’t help but think if Chrissy was not Michel’s “Darling” of the season, we might have been “treated” to yet another conspiracy theory with Production’s intervention deciding JP was expendable to ensure Chrissy advances...Yadda...Yadda...


"RE: Survivor S35 FINAL Ranking"
Posted by michel2 on 12-21-17 at 00:22 AM
You are wrong: Even if I liked Chrissy, I still wrote that it was possible that production's interviewers asked pointed questions to Ben, Devon, Ashley and Lauren, saying things like: "Don't you want fans to like your season? If so, then wouldn't it be better to keep fan favorite players like Ryan and Chrissy over someone as boring as JP?" See, even with players I like, I simply do not trust production.