Survivor: Suck It Up and Survive
September 25, 2014 9:40 AM - Season 29, Episode 1 - Subscribe
Season 29: San Juan Del Sur - Blood vs. Water begins, and the first tribe member is voted out.
Dale going on about how he can't be voted out because he can start fire was directly out of the Simpsons episode where the kids get trapped on an island.
posted by Gary at 10:02 AM on September 25, 2014
Milhouse: You wouldn't dare hurt me! You forget that I have... the glasses!I think Josh and Reed are going to go far. They are social, athletic and really know about the game. I want to know what Josh was doing voting for Baylor. Was he trying to protect her from the other women? Trying to force a tie in case she wasn't loyal? Just trying to stir the pot?
Nelson: [takes the glasses from Milhouse's face] Yoink!
posted by Gary at 10:02 AM on September 25, 2014
Oh god there's someone named Baylor? This is going to be the best season ever.
posted by phunniemee at 10:05 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 10:05 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, the Baylor vote was confusing, especially because she seemed to be his strongest ally. I guess he was leery of committing too early as the obviously swing vote. We'll see how he justifies that to her and if he's able to keep her on his side.
The gay bestie "You're one of the girls!" stuff was so irritating and I like that the show seemed to view it as such, as Survivor can be really outdated with the progression of social attitudes.
Seems like a strong cast and the Blood vs Water gimmick is a great way to build tension early. I tend to enjoy the first episode or two then get bored until the merge, we'll see how this one shapes up!
Also so happy to be discussing with you all! I remember the love affair we (and the world) had with Survivor in the early days of the show (and of MeFi!) and it will be great to rekindle some of that with those that are still hanging on. The format is tired by now but the drama usually remains compelling.
posted by yellowbinder at 10:11 AM on September 25, 2014
The gay bestie "You're one of the girls!" stuff was so irritating and I like that the show seemed to view it as such, as Survivor can be really outdated with the progression of social attitudes.
Seems like a strong cast and the Blood vs Water gimmick is a great way to build tension early. I tend to enjoy the first episode or two then get bored until the merge, we'll see how this one shapes up!
Also so happy to be discussing with you all! I remember the love affair we (and the world) had with Survivor in the early days of the show (and of MeFi!) and it will be great to rekindle some of that with those that are still hanging on. The format is tired by now but the drama usually remains compelling.
posted by yellowbinder at 10:11 AM on September 25, 2014
And I was so glad when Dale's fire making value was brought up when he was considered for the vote that someone immediately pointed out that, worst-case scenario, they'll get fire at tribal anyway, because YES OF COURSE BECAUSE THAT IS HOW IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND ALWAYS SHALL BE.
posted by yellowbinder at 10:12 AM on September 25, 2014
posted by yellowbinder at 10:12 AM on September 25, 2014
I stopped watching Survivor probably a decade ago, because it got so very, very mean. At the time, it felt to me like it was just cruel, horrible people doing cruel horrible things. I remember really loving the first few seasons, but the last time I tried to watch one, it was cringe inducing. Is it still like that? Is being a horrible person still the "best" way to win?
(In rereading, I hope I don't sound snarky or judgement of people who still watch. I don't intend it as value judgement or anything. I mean, just for me, it seems like reality shows have gotten a lot more mean over time, and I'd like to see one where that behavior wasn't the model that was rewarded.)
posted by dejah420 at 10:32 AM on September 25, 2014
(In rereading, I hope I don't sound snarky or judgement of people who still watch. I don't intend it as value judgement or anything. I mean, just for me, it seems like reality shows have gotten a lot more mean over time, and I'd like to see one where that behavior wasn't the model that was rewarded.)
posted by dejah420 at 10:32 AM on September 25, 2014
Or did Josh vote for Baylor because he knew she was safe and to throw everyone else off their alliance.
In a game where you need people to like you, I felt bad that Josh couldn't tell everyone off who didn't seem to know the difference between sexual orientation and gender.
posted by casualinference at 11:15 AM on September 25, 2014
In a game where you need people to like you, I felt bad that Josh couldn't tell everyone off who didn't seem to know the difference between sexual orientation and gender.
posted by casualinference at 11:15 AM on September 25, 2014
I remember really loving the first few seasons, but the last time I tried to watch one, it was cringe inducing. Is it still like that? Is being a horrible person still the "best" way to win?
If you quit watching that early then it's probably not for you. It got a lot worse and then better, but maybe not to a level you would like. They had a bad habit of bringing back "interesting" players again and again. That usually meant domineering bullies who caused drama for TV (Russell Hantz, Ben the "Coach"). This season is an all-new cast and looks promising, but they also included John Rocker so it's hard to predict how it will pan out.
posted by Gary at 11:20 AM on September 25, 2014
If you quit watching that early then it's probably not for you. It got a lot worse and then better, but maybe not to a level you would like. They had a bad habit of bringing back "interesting" players again and again. That usually meant domineering bullies who caused drama for TV (Russell Hantz, Ben the "Coach"). This season is an all-new cast and looks promising, but they also included John Rocker so it's hard to predict how it will pan out.
posted by Gary at 11:20 AM on September 25, 2014
I took the Baylor vote as Josh playing it safe at this point. He didn't seem clear on who the best person to vote out was. It was clear to me though during Tribal Council that _______ was going. They could not shut up. Always a bad sign.
posted by cairnoflore at 11:20 AM on September 25, 2014
posted by cairnoflore at 11:20 AM on September 25, 2014
Dejah, do you recall which players/seasons gave you that opinion? There's been a recent player who got lots of screen time and preferred a strategy of being deliberately antagonistic to others. Many of these actions weren't shown when several days' worth of activities are condensed into a 42 minute show, so some viewers weren't aware to the extent of how terribly he treated people. He made it to the finals in 2 of his seasons because other players were well aware of just how horrible and hated he was- between the two seasons, he only received one vote for the million. As far as winning, I'd say that cruelty isn't generally an effective strategy, though it can help you get to the end.
posted by casualinference at 11:20 AM on September 25, 2014
posted by casualinference at 11:20 AM on September 25, 2014
I've never seen a season with Exile Island before and I don't really get it's purpose. Seems kinda unnecessary so far.
Also, when Probst snuffs out the exiting person's torch he uses a (presumably fake) skull and that's pretty cool.
My take in the Baylor vote was that Josh was pretty sure he had Baylor on his side and there were enough votes for Nadiya to leave, but in the off chance he was being blindsided he could vote for whoever he wanted so he just voted for the person who would have been blindsiding him. Not sure if this is smart or overplaying too early. I hope it's explained further.
I love the Blood v Water stuff because all the episodes are filled with crying and the person I watch this with just yell out "Waterworks!" and laugh when that happens.
posted by dogwalker at 11:39 AM on September 25, 2014
Also, when Probst snuffs out the exiting person's torch he uses a (presumably fake) skull and that's pretty cool.
My take in the Baylor vote was that Josh was pretty sure he had Baylor on his side and there were enough votes for Nadiya to leave, but in the off chance he was being blindsided he could vote for whoever he wanted so he just voted for the person who would have been blindsiding him. Not sure if this is smart or overplaying too early. I hope it's explained further.
I love the Blood v Water stuff because all the episodes are filled with crying and the person I watch this with just yell out "Waterworks!" and laugh when that happens.
posted by dogwalker at 11:39 AM on September 25, 2014
I love the Blood v Water stuff because all the episodes are filled with crying and the person I watch this with just yell out "Waterworks!" and laugh when that happens.
This season, that might make a better drinking game than use of the phrase 'loved one!'
posted by casualinference at 11:41 AM on September 25, 2014
This season, that might make a better drinking game than use of the phrase 'loved one!'
posted by casualinference at 11:41 AM on September 25, 2014
I've never seen a season with Exile Island before and I don't really get it's purpose. Seems kinda unnecessary so far.
It was supposed to be a Redemption Island this season I believe, but was switched to Exile when one of the pairs had to drop out of the game at the last minute. The way it should play out is there will be a loved one (DRINK) duel every episode with the loser sending their partner to Exile.
The wrinkle of taking people out of the social game for a day or more at a time and giving them an idol clue doesn't really add much to the game usually though. It's been so long since they did it that I can't really remember much on its effects, except for Sugar getting sent there a million times.
posted by yellowbinder at 11:57 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
It was supposed to be a Redemption Island this season I believe, but was switched to Exile when one of the pairs had to drop out of the game at the last minute. The way it should play out is there will be a loved one (DRINK) duel every episode with the loser sending their partner to Exile.
The wrinkle of taking people out of the social game for a day or more at a time and giving them an idol clue doesn't really add much to the game usually though. It's been so long since they did it that I can't really remember much on its effects, except for Sugar getting sent there a million times.
posted by yellowbinder at 11:57 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
%n: "Dejah, do you recall which players/seasons gave you that opinion? "
There was a season where two of the contestants ended up getting married after the show...maybe they split the winnings or something, or the both won, or there was some sort of "aw, you guys...so totes adorbs" prize. I think maybe their names were Rob and Laura...or maybe that's the Petris....I get confused. ;)
I think that was the same season where they brought back horrible naked man, the one who rubbed his junk all over a lady from the other team, and she ended up quitting the game because of it; I think that was the point where I was all "Ok, sexual assault is something this game is just going to brush off....I think I'm done."
To be fair, iirc, I had a new baby, so there wasn't a lot of time for TV anyway, and once I got out of the habit of watching it regularly, I lost motivation to follow it at all.
posted by dejah420 at 7:02 PM on September 25, 2014
There was a season where two of the contestants ended up getting married after the show...maybe they split the winnings or something, or the both won, or there was some sort of "aw, you guys...so totes adorbs" prize. I think maybe their names were Rob and Laura...or maybe that's the Petris....I get confused. ;)
I think that was the same season where they brought back horrible naked man, the one who rubbed his junk all over a lady from the other team, and she ended up quitting the game because of it; I think that was the point where I was all "Ok, sexual assault is something this game is just going to brush off....I think I'm done."
To be fair, iirc, I had a new baby, so there wasn't a lot of time for TV anyway, and once I got out of the habit of watching it regularly, I lost motivation to follow it at all.
posted by dejah420 at 7:02 PM on September 25, 2014
That said: The TWOP Suvivor wrapups were some of my favorite snark fests of all time, and even when I didn't watch the show, I would read some of the synopsis because they were so brilliantly done.
posted by dejah420 at 7:04 PM on September 25, 2014
posted by dejah420 at 7:04 PM on September 25, 2014
Ah, All-Stars Survivor (also known as ASS)!
That was the first season with returning players. So, people had pre-existing relationships with each other when they appeared together on the same season, as well as relationships that developed just from being on the Survivor circuit. I'm not sure whether it's agreed conclusively that Rob and Amber, the couple in question, were dating before their on-air relationship, but it's certainly a rumor. So, there are plenty of relevant dynamics that the audience wasn't privy to. Players were targeted based on their past performances, so some of the better players were voted off early because they were known to be threats.
That thing with Rich and Sue was terrible. He was voted off afterwards, but I wonder if he would have been kicked off if his tribe had won immunity or voted for someone else. Sue seemed to be trapped in her head and wasn't in a great environment to deal with it, so she ended up leaving (though it was called a quit).
In defense of Rob and Amber, they seem to be a perfectly legitimate couple. They've been together for 10+ years and have several kids. I've only seen a few seasons of the Amazing Race, including the two on which they appeared, and they consistently treated each other with fondness and respect, which is more than I can say for a lot of the teams.
posted by casualinference at 7:31 PM on September 25, 2014
That was the first season with returning players. So, people had pre-existing relationships with each other when they appeared together on the same season, as well as relationships that developed just from being on the Survivor circuit. I'm not sure whether it's agreed conclusively that Rob and Amber, the couple in question, were dating before their on-air relationship, but it's certainly a rumor. So, there are plenty of relevant dynamics that the audience wasn't privy to. Players were targeted based on their past performances, so some of the better players were voted off early because they were known to be threats.
That thing with Rich and Sue was terrible. He was voted off afterwards, but I wonder if he would have been kicked off if his tribe had won immunity or voted for someone else. Sue seemed to be trapped in her head and wasn't in a great environment to deal with it, so she ended up leaving (though it was called a quit).
In defense of Rob and Amber, they seem to be a perfectly legitimate couple. They've been together for 10+ years and have several kids. I've only seen a few seasons of the Amazing Race, including the two on which they appeared, and they consistently treated each other with fondness and respect, which is more than I can say for a lot of the teams.
posted by casualinference at 7:31 PM on September 25, 2014
There's been a recent player who got lots of screen time and preferred a strategy of being deliberately antagonistic to others.
Ok, you can't just drop something juicy like that and leave us hanging. Who???
posted by primethyme at 9:29 PM on September 25, 2014
Ok, you can't just drop something juicy like that and leave us hanging. Who???
posted by primethyme at 9:29 PM on September 25, 2014
but they also included John Rocker [Wikipedia]
Yes...John Rocker. [Different link.] The former athlete so desperate for some privacy and anonymity that he signs up for Survivor and confirms his identity to the first person who asks—and throws in a gratuitous dig at his former team. What was his comment? "Back when the Braves were good"? Class act, that guy.
I dig Survivor. It's a great show. But I'd almost rather see Colton Cumbie than John Rocker.
posted by cribcage at 10:20 PM on September 25, 2014
Yes...John Rocker. [Different link.] The former athlete so desperate for some privacy and anonymity that he signs up for Survivor and confirms his identity to the first person who asks—and throws in a gratuitous dig at his former team. What was his comment? "Back when the Braves were good"? Class act, that guy.
I dig Survivor. It's a great show. But I'd almost rather see Colton Cumbie than John Rocker.
posted by cribcage at 10:20 PM on September 25, 2014
There's been a recent player who got lots of screen time and preferred a strategy of being deliberately antagonistic to others.
Ok, you can't just drop something juicy like that and leave us hanging. Who???
Russell Hantz, though Gary beat me to it!
I dig Survivor. It's a great show. But I'd almost rather see Colton Cumbie than John Rocker.
If Rocker continues to get so little screen time, I think I'll be okay. I'm not sure if I'd prefer Colton, but I wonder if putting the two of them on the same tribe would cause them to both self-destruct.
posted by casualinference at 4:52 AM on September 26, 2014
Regarding the vote for Baylor: As a long-time, consistent fan of "Survivor", one of the things that does annoy me about the show is that in putting together the episodes the inevitable focus of the last 20-30 minutes of every episode is on creating the mystery of which of generally two players is going to get voted off.
In order to create this drama, frequently we don't get to see much of the player alignments, developing strategy or decision making processes, since all of that gets sacrificed in the name of suspense. Thus the attempt to always make it appear that two players are equally on the chopping block and who is going home is anyone's guess (frequently followed by a totally lopsided vote, indicating that most of the drama was completely manufactured).
Personally, I find the strategizing and alliance making the most interesting part of the show; I'm disappointed when those portions are deliberately obscured in order to maximize suspense. I would have found it much more interesting to hear the reasoning behind Josh's vote rather than having that information intentionally concealed so that the end of the show could have a quick "shocking" moment. (In fairness, I imagine his reasoning will be revealed next week).
posted by The Gooch at 7:43 AM on September 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
In order to create this drama, frequently we don't get to see much of the player alignments, developing strategy or decision making processes, since all of that gets sacrificed in the name of suspense. Thus the attempt to always make it appear that two players are equally on the chopping block and who is going home is anyone's guess (frequently followed by a totally lopsided vote, indicating that most of the drama was completely manufactured).
Personally, I find the strategizing and alliance making the most interesting part of the show; I'm disappointed when those portions are deliberately obscured in order to maximize suspense. I would have found it much more interesting to hear the reasoning behind Josh's vote rather than having that information intentionally concealed so that the end of the show could have a quick "shocking" moment. (In fairness, I imagine his reasoning will be revealed next week).
posted by The Gooch at 7:43 AM on September 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
I just got around to watching this. Usually my eyes kind of glaze over during the challenges, but I have to say: I would happily watch Rocker fling scrappy little Josh up a wall or Jeremy just stride right up one in a couple steps any day of the week. Apparently I really like watching people defy gravity.
posted by phunniemee at 8:49 AM on September 28, 2014
posted by phunniemee at 8:49 AM on September 28, 2014
i forgot to look here! yay! i love discussing survivor with mefites!
posted by nadawi at 7:04 AM on September 30, 2014
posted by nadawi at 7:04 AM on September 30, 2014
The Josh-voting-for-Baylor thing puzzled me, too. I've only been able to find one hint:
Dalton Ross recorded an interview with Jeff Probst right after that tribal council, and it mentions that Josh apparently changed his vote in response to something that happened at tribal council. It also reveals that Baylor seemed to be getting close to... um... Alec, I think?
So putting two and two together-- maybe at the tribal council, Josh learned that Baylor had another guy she was allying with, and he decided he couldn't trust her.
posted by yankeefog at 7:05 AM on October 1, 2014
Dalton Ross recorded an interview with Jeff Probst right after that tribal council, and it mentions that Josh apparently changed his vote in response to something that happened at tribal council. It also reveals that Baylor seemed to be getting close to... um... Alec, I think?
So putting two and two together-- maybe at the tribal council, Josh learned that Baylor had another guy she was allying with, and he decided he couldn't trust her.
posted by yankeefog at 7:05 AM on October 1, 2014
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posted by phunniemee at 9:58 AM on September 25, 2014