We’re rounding third and heading for home. Only a few more episodes until we wrap up what’s turning out to be a better season than expected. After Blood vs. Water’s weekly emotional rollercoaster, the whole Brains-Brawn-Beauty theme sounded like a good idea, but I think we can agree those delineations meant nothing, as tribes (specifically the Brains) did nothing to validate their characteristic trait. And after a few questionable acts and decisions made by certain players, what was once a possible Top Ten season quickly deteriorated into another middle-of-the-pack soap opera. But thankfully, some incredibly big moves were made and it’s once again shaping up to be a strong finish. We’ll get to all that in a bit, let’s take care of some business first.
As always, thanks to everyone who’s been supporting the column. I’m happy to report some new readers have found us on Twitter, as well as another former player (Erik Reichenbach). And I’m thrilled that Skupin is still hanging around with us. It’s always a pleasure to get a little validation from former players.
I’ve long wondered about reality “stars” and their desire to parlay their “Q” (a TV celebrity’s popularity) into something substantial after they’ve been on a show. If you observe the different avenues that former players have chosen – parlay their newfound popularity into something substantial or simply slip back into private life and live outside the social media bubble. Personally, I see benefits in either world, and do not fault anyone for the path they’ve chosen. It’s all about finding/living your OWN storyline – not the one the show created for you – and I applaud anyone who can do that successfully AFTER they’ve exposed themselves to the vulnerable world of reality television.
Just look at the maelstrom that was thrown at Juan Pablo (deservedly so) during and after his season and ask yourself (answer honestly!) if that’s the life you’d want to live thereafter. Sure, we all think we’d take the $100,000 (or whatever he was paid) and go back to “our real life,” but is there such a thing after doing a show like that? Of course, he was under the spotlight a lot more than contestants on Survivor, but even for many of them – who have to work a bit harder to stay in the spotlight – every misstep along the way becomes their calling card. Hell, I can look at some of the comments I made in my list about a few former players and realize I’m feeding the fire. Some of those comments are based on events that took place years ago, but that’s what people (and I) choose to remember about them. It becomes their legacy. So my advice to anyone who dreams of running on the shores of some beach next to Jeff Probst… Be careful for what thou desires, you just may achieve it…!
Or, screw that, keep your fingers crossed the whole time, throw caution to the wind and try to screw a bunch of other folks with a Puer Aeturnus complex over for a million bucks! Because it seems like all those former players are having a LOT of fun after being on the show…
The other big topic this week is the whole Donald Sterling affair. I really don’t want to open up a debate about race and socioeconomic positions in America , because I know that’s not why you come here. But being from Los Angeles , a sports fan, and an opinionated sot prone to sticking my nose into other peoples’ personal lives, I’ve thought about the situation a great deal. Rather than spoiling the mood, permit me to direct you to a piece written by Kareem Abdul Jabbar, which, in my opinion, was worth the read. But please read it AFTER you’ve read my recap! You can find it at: http://time.com/79590/donald-sterling-kareem-abdul-jabbar-racism/
Moving on!
Hi Bryan,
I really should get on Twitter, I just don’t get it! But then I could read more of the comments. I really think this season is great and your comments/recap are always the highlight of each episode. I hope your sabotage idea gets some press. It seems really clever and would be fun to watch. I didn’t get at all why Tony showed everyone the idol he found. I would have kept it quiet myself. I know he said his reasons why but I thought they were stupid. Though over all, he’s a fun guy to watch and I wouldn’t mind if he won. It seems to me like Tasha should be the one they are all gunning for as soon as they can. With respect to the survivor auction, the food portions were really skimpy. Like Woo’s ribs, all you get are 3 ribs and a beer. No fries, no brownie! And Trish, all she gets is some gummies and a small popcorn/soda? Come on, these people are starving! Sorry you didn’t get to see Jefra shower-PERV! 🙂 Finally, I keep thinking LJ looks totally awful at all of these jury shots at Tribal. I will confess, I had a tiny LJ crush, but in the jury scenes, he looks like an old guy with a bad comb-over. The jury members usually look so good when they come out at Tribal, but he always looks terrible.
Yeah, I thought Trish really showed how dumb she is during the auction when she kept asking what they were waiting for. Had she never seen this show before?
My girls! So nice to hear from you… 🙂
(kinb) As you may recall, I was hesitant to get on Twitter all of last season, but it’s necessary for what I’m trying to do now. I get it if people don’t wanna get on it, so here’s my two cents based on my 6 months:
1. If you don’t wanna tweet a lot and just follow a couple people, that’s best. Just as long as the people you follow aren’t fanatically tweeting shit all the time (annoying!)
2. If you follow too many people, you’ll just end up missing everything. I’m following a ton of ex-players now and it’s more work trying to catch up on every tweet I missed than it is joy from reading some good ones.
3. It’s hard/frustrating trying to get followers at the beginning. Believe me!
And thanks for being such a big fan. I’m glad you’re digging my columns.
-I wont’ hold my breath on my Sabotage theme, but I wont’ give up either.
-Re: Tony, if you had Twitter, you would have seen my post where I wondered if Tony’s going to end up “pulling a Russell Hantz” and make it all the way to the end but lose to a Trish, Woo, or Tash because of the way he got everyone voted out. He’s putting WAY TOO BIG a target on his own back, seemingly orchestrating everyone’s departure. That’s not the way to cull jury votes…
-And yeah, the auction was very…sparse. I wonder why?
-Me? A perv? Pul-lease… 😉
-Totally agree on LJ. Is anyone doing hair & make-up SUGGESTIONS for these people at Ponderosa? He looks older than me!
Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it!
(ericah) Something about Trish just makes me think she’s not the brightest light on the porch. Just comes across as a very simple person. Nothing wrong with that, but in a game based on outwitting, it seems like she’s unprepared. Like going to battle without a weapon…
Thanks for writing! Have a great weekend!
Fish
1) I like your “Sabotage” idea in some respect. It would be different and would definitely change how someone plays the game. Here’s what I fear though – I really like having someone to root for. There has to be players who I WANT to win the money. I tend to be totally turned off by players like Tony, Russell, and Brad C (to name a few). Those that are rude, overbearing, obnoxious people. I don’t even care if “they played a good game” by the end. I just want them to lose. SO, if they pick up your idea, I wouldn’t want it to be all totally cut throat and mean players. For example, Rupert stole those shoes at the very beginning of his first season. He could have come off as a total jerk, but instead he came off as a lovable guy with a mischievous streak. I could back a Rupert …. never a Russell or a psycho like J’Tia.
2) I wanted to scream at Tash during the auction. First she bid on some stupid thing for $20 or something – WHAT?!? Do you realize you are playing Survivor? You know there will be some type of advantage at the end. You NEED that; you don’t need some jelly beans (or whatever). And then to let it go at just the two of them. Did you start out on the Brains tribe? Isn’t she an accountant or something? You don’t realize that you two have a better shot with 2 out of 3 than letting Spencer go it alone for a 50/50 shot? She did at least have an explanation …. But I still think she should have gone all in.
3) Russell ran the game through fear, but he also played well (I still didn’t want him to get the money – see #1). Tony seems to be getting more and more irrational. I’m waiting for a J’Tia moment to pop up any time. I think he has lost any chance of getting votes from the jury at this point. Who knows though – these people tend to change their mind a LOT more than their underwear.
Thanks for the great recap – as always!
Hi rsanon, I totally agree with your point #1. If you recall, I said when I revealed it that you can’t have just a bunch of villains, America wouldn’t get behind it. You need to have some contestants who embody the “outwit” part of the theme. Whether that’s someone like Vytas who tried that cheap shot on his brother, or someone like Ciera who was willing to play both sides and make big moves, or even a guy like LJ, who everyone seems to love. It’s just the theme of the show, and Jeff can spin players any way he wants to make them more “sabotag-y.” If that’s a word…
But I’m with you on not having a mean player win. As much as I enjoy a good blindside, deep down I want someone to win who a) deserves it (up to my discretion), b) played a smart game, and c) isn’t a jerk. There have been some players who played a strong game (like Russell H.) but the way he bullied people and his chauvinistic comments were troubling for me to get behind. I would have voted for Mick… And don’t even get me started on X’XXX…
2. I discussed all that in the column. I totally agree with you. Why not go for the advantage and face off against Tony? Even if you don’t win, you’re making it more difficult on him. Oh well…
3. I have a feeling that Tony’s actions are losing him jury votes (or LOST him jury votes) but he’s blinded by his own game. He’s thinking about how HE would vote for a winner, rather than how THEY should vote for a winner. It’s all about communication… You gotta figure out what they want to hear rather than what you wanna say…
Thanks! Stay tuned for an epic conclusion to the season and the recaps…and hopefully more!
Fish