Once the tribe and jury sits down, Jeff opens by asking Shirin about last Tribal and the comment she made about not having any family. He emphasizes that so many players come into the game knowing they have family back home, which is why they can stay strong under such adverse conditions. She admits trust is hard to come by in her life, but she does have a support group who she considers family.
Dan, as always, takes a moment to remove his shoe so he can stick his WHOLE foot in his mouth and claims that his situation is not unlike hers (what’s with all the double negatives?) because he’s an adopted child. Even Jeff finds this comparison a bit absurd and calls Dan out on it. But I don’t think he’s grasping what Jeff is saying, because he’s distracted, once again, by the rabbits running around Tribal Council.
Shirin raises the point that no one there will fully understand how wrong it was for POS to use her (lack of) family against her, so Jeff redirects to Dan and asks if “that’s just the way it goes when you’re playing for a million bucks?” Dan replies that it shouldn’t be the way it goes, but he wasn’t there when it all went down to defend her.
Shirin finds it strange that NO ONE has spoken up or said that what POS did was wrong, or asked him to apologize since he clearly “crossed a line,” to which Jeff then asks POS for his take, but he’s just “blah blah blah, we haven’t patched it up and I’m not going to apologize.” And once again, I wish God truly did exist and decided that now would be a good time to smite someone with a bolt of lightning to prove his existence. I’m sure Jeff would appreciate a visit from the divine One.
Enough about them, Shirin knows she’s got bigger fish to fry and cuts to the chase. She announces to Jeff that he’s going to witness the dumbest move ever when she gets sent home tonight. Someone who sucks at challenges, and has no chance of winning is going to go home because none of these spineless creatures are ballsy enough to make a big move. She then says that if the guy who’s 2nd only to Mike in challenges (Tyler) makes it to the end, he’ll take the million dollars away from all the others.
Jeff prods Tyler for a reaction since he was called out so individually, but he just offers up a paltry, “I’m solid with my alliance otherwise I’d be on the jury.” Jeff asks Sierra “When is the time to get rid of a threat and instead bring someone who’s not one with you?” She replies that Shirin is 100% accurate, “but I’m just one vote.” Which prompts a response from Shirin.
“Then maybe YOU’RE not in a good position in your alliance.”
Carolyn interjects with a complete bulls**t answer that makes no sense. She says something to the effect of,
“We have a 6 strong alliance, and if you make a big move too early, that could really suck and be the worst decision of your life.” Seriously? Overly dramatic much…?
We’re nearing the vote so Jeff asks Mike what happens if they do vote out Shirin. He says that’ll force him to win every Immunity challenge, presumably. He goes on to say that if he can win immunity one more time, the Top Six will be forced to feed on each other. He reminds everyone he’s been “blue strong” since Day 1; so if Sierra, Rodney and Dan could just vote for Tyler tonight, they’d be guaranteed a much better position in the game. Tyler’s only retort, and it’s a good one, is that Mike’s track record of loyalty this past week is definitely lacking, so why would anyone listen to him now?
Tyler goes on to say that being one of the “smarter players in Survivor history” (eliciting eye rolls from Shirin) means you’re also bright enough to play with others who can be patient, not freak out, and just eliminate players one at a time.
“Or…” as Jeff adds, “if someone’s on the bottom of that six, it would be a good time to make a big move.”
Rodney is not one to keep quiet for so long, so he informs Jeff that it used to be a 7 strong alliance, but then Mike flipped. Dan adds that everything that’s happening now (to Mike, and presumably to Shirin and Jenn too) is the result of Mike’s boneheaded move at the auction. A true “butterfly effect,” that Mike…
Jeff gives Shirin and Mike the last opportunity to speak, so Mike announces he knows he and Shirin are not going home because she’s getting his idol, and then “Shirin’s going to vote for Tyler, and I’m going to vote for one of the other 4 who don’t have immunity.” So let’s see where the chips are gonna fall.
But…Mike is just saying he’s going to give the idol to Shirin, that doesn’t mean he’s going to. Which is what I think is going to happen… Let’s see.
At this point, I think the only thing that’s going to save Tyler is if Carolyn protects him with her idol (thus preserving HER original White Collar alliance with him, but there’s a chance she’s taken to heart all the discussion of “Tyler can beat all you,” so perhaps she’ll keep that baby for herself and be guaranteed at least top five…
Or…and this would be awesome…Mike pulls an “Ethiopian Shim-sham” and instead gives his idol to Tyler, thus eliminating Sierra, Rodney or Dan, and perhaps forming a new alliance with Tyler and Carolyn…
Or…the other players are savvy enough to know what Mike is planning and STILL vote for Shirin (but I think that would be taking much too big a risk.)
Or…Dan busts out his extra vote and throws it at Tyler (just to guarantee he’ll go home)…
Or…not play it at all. Damn, this Survivor Russian Roulette is fun. And after all this, I can’t believe that no one’s talking about taking out POS. I can’t wait to see how it all goes down. It’s time to vote…
Shirin votes for Tyler, but no others are revealed. Jeff tallies the votes.
“If anyone has the hidden immunity idol…” Yeah, yeah, it’s 2:42am, I need to wrap this up, Jeff…
Mike rises, and sure enough, tucks the idol back in his pocket, thinking its work has been done. Jeff reads the votes:
Tyler
Shirin
Dan
Tyler
Shirin
Dan
Shirin
Shirin
And “404 Not Found” goes the Search Engine…
Seriously, that alliance is strong if they still voted for her even though the votes may have been thrown away. That’s a serious risk. And so what did it get Mike? She’s still gone, he’s got an idol that’ll be good for one or two more Tribals – more if he can win immunity – but it didn’t accomplish anything. Kind of got outplayed there, Super Dave.
And after Shirin reminds us of how big a dork she is, Jeff addresses the tribe and tells them how confused he is. And that’s pretty tough to do. Looks like the Dysfunctional States of Merica is heading for Civil War. Grab some popcorn, Mr. Lincoln.
The tease of next week reveals exactly what we thought, the Top Six is going to eat each other like Uruguayan soccer players. I guess the Mason-Dixon Line falls somewhere between Texas and the rest of the country because Mike is definitely part of the LONE star state. But, I’ll admit that with his play tonight, he may have actually bought a couple jury votes, if he gets to the finale, but getting any of the other final 6 players to vote for him is going to be difficult. He’s going to need a Final 3 season, and have the other two player be Carolyn, Rodney, Dan or the POS…
And this is why I love Survivor, the game. Despite all the stupidity of the players, the intrigue and strategy that go into the gameplay are what makes this show great. I do hope the producers don’t forget that.
You know what? It just occurred to me that another reason I haven’t been enjoying this season as much is because there’s no “sexy” left on show. And the jury doesn’t count! Look at the 7 remaining and tell me who’s hot? Sierra is literally the only one remotely attractive any more, but with those eyebrows and skin right now, let’s just say she’s seen better days. 29 days sleeping on the ground does not do her justice. We’ve literally been transported to “The Island of Misfit Toys” and it’s beginning to gross me out a little. Every season there’s a few athletes or cheerleaders left at the end of the game, but this season, I guess we’re stuck with the JV squad. This is why we need to Bring Sexy Back to casting, because everyone’s gonna fall apart as the weeks wear on. Can we please have a discussion about this?
Too tired to write any more. Golf, Gotham, AI, TAR, SNL, blah blah blah…
I need to hop on a train to Coney Island, because all this talk about NYC makes me want to grab a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog. What’s that? I can get one in Vegas? That’s cool with me. I’m sure it’ll taste exactly the same…
Trying to improve my attitude,
Fish
Email: bryan.fish.fischer@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BF_TheFish
AIM: bryan.fish.fischer@gmail.com or Bryan Fischer
I have never seen Warriors, so that all went over my head. Did read Of Mice and Men, and actually saw the last 20 minutes of the movie this week (the 90’s version)
Unfortunately did season is making me hope someone treats me like Lennie and ends it all.
There could have been so many good moves this episode, but no.
I can see why Mike held on to the idol, but that is more of the live one more week strategy. I think he should have saved Shirin, telling her in advance and the two voting for Tyler.
As for Tyler and Mama C, I cannot figure out how close they are to Sierra and POS, but learning about the extra vote, Tyler perhaps the move would be to share that info with those two and gone for a Dan exit.
As for the barrel challenge, I am shocked blue did as well as they did with the stupid rolling the barrel strategy. I am not happy with the immunity challenge giving the women the advantage. Jeff’s answer in some website I read was just pathetic. He claimed everyone should be happy, since two idols in play. No, men still get screwed. Why is Jeff still bringing up the Shirin/POS crap? Too much talking from Jeff at tribal. At least the players seem to be ignoring Jeff’s advice.
I did not need to see the mama C crotch shot during the immunity challenge.
So losers get to kill a chicken, a new rule?
As for the extra vote box. I could not read the fine print. Does Dan need to produce the box? If not, why the heck did he not throw that in the ocean. If yes, why are players allowed to go through others players belongings? How did Tyler know Dan had something hidden in his bag? Did he figure Dan was too stupid to dispose of the evidence?
I have to say I just don’t get the Will vs. Shirin situation. How could no one there stand up for her? I am pretty sure he told her at one point that she was entirely “without worth” if he is a POS I get that, some people just suck. But for everyone else there to just sit back and let it roll is mind boggling. How shitty is this cast? And I have to say, I think Dan is a bigger ass than even Will. Basically everything that comes out of his mouth is either smarmy, ignorant, ridiculous, cruel or a toxic combination. I feel like he went and said “sorry you cried” or whatever out of some desire to be involved in the drama of her past and be the big hero he fancies himself to be, quickly realized he still didn’t like her and moved onto embracing the “I tell it like it is” side of himself. I would think someone with such a false sense of self like he has could really benefit from seeing themselves on TV, but most likely it will go well over his head.
I wish they would do a season of survivor composed solely of “threats” all the joes and Malcolms–strong, easy going, good looking, intelligent leaders who were voted out simply because everyone knew they were winners. The gay couple from last season (can’t remember their names) and the firefighter from last season, Joe, Malcolm, off the top of my head, John from last season, and I can think of several girls from previous seasons but they were too long ago for me to remember their names. Basically having no weak links, no “following” personalities. I think it would make for a crazy, exciting season where everyone would be rooting for someone different. And all of them would be in it to win it. There would be alliances but every one would be trying to be in charge and making independent decisions. I think it would be awesome.
It is a sad, sad day when the only big boobs to look at are on a man. I’m sorry. There isn’t any man candy either, le sigh. There are some things that annoy me about Shirin but I did notice that when she isn’t getting beat up she looks like she is having fun.
I think Mike accomplished exactly what he was trying to do. Create a fracture in the alliance that he may be able to break open. As he said at the end, “Dan got 2 votes”. I think, he can try to use that to his advantage to show both Sierra and Dan that they are at the bottom of the alliance. However, this plan will require Dan to show some brains, so who knows if it will work. If he can get Dan and Sierra to flip, with Dan’s extra vote, the game could get very interesting the next couple weeks….
Hey Fishy, Yeah we are good. Making up is so much more fun right! Never saw the Warriers either, sounds familiar though. Maybe more of a boy movie. But it did make me think of The Outsiders which was around that same time too I bet? Mike is def. Johnny. My 6th grader had to do a big report on that and I forgot how many famous people were in that movie! Anyway, stop getting so upset about POS! One of the great things about this game is that it will fix itself. He won’t win, no matter who he’s up against. Shirin will have ample time to make the jury hate him even more, and he hasn’t done anything to warrant a win. Plus, I really think the verbal abuse is sort of part of the game. Yeah its yucky and I think if it was racial everyone would be freaking out more, but still, if that’s his game so be it. He’ll loose because of it. Case closed. Poor Mike. He has such great plans that all fail, and he’s a doofus but he’s one of the nicer people playing. So if you hate Will bc he’s mean, than you must love Mike because he’s nice. Logic 101! Dan is really smarmy. His stupid comments about being adopted were lame, I’m sure his adopted parents really appreciated being put on an equivalent level with domestic violence. Shirin has def. drank the Silicon Valley kool aid though with all her men are mean etc. But she actually did become more lovable if that’s possible. Did you see in the Ponderosa video that she said the only reason she was naked was bc she was boiling her undies. SO GROSS! Between Max’s feet in the pot and Shirin’s undies, I’m shocked anyone has survived past day 10! And I loved the commenter above saying the only big boobs we have now are on the men. Classic! Sierra has smaller boobs than Dan and POS, though that’s not saying much. Poor Fishy, only 2 A cups to watch and one’s on a 50 year old woman. I don’t think Sierra will get a clue, she’s pretty and probably has pretty girl disease where it never occurs to her that she won’t win. Dan may wise up but he’s such a weirdo, its hard to say. There is something odd and sort of serial killer like about Tyler. Thats all I got this week.
Wow! Really great comments… I am honored with your input.
doc – Thanks for “stopping by” every week. Love that… Truth be told, I’ve never even read Of Mice and Men (Don’t tell anyone!). I’ve read a lot of classics, but that’s just one I never got to. Yeah, I know what it’s about (kinda hard not to) so the analogy was just an easy pull…
-You really should watch The Warriors. It was a cult classic from that era, kinda like “Escape From New York” where you’re in an alternate reality. Walter Hill directed some other great movies too (Southern Comfort, 48 hrs., The Long Riders) and he produced a bunch of huge films.
-I agree about moves. This ep was set up where huge moves could have been made, but this crew is just so damn chickenshit to try ANYTHING. At least Mike, in his failed way at the auction, TRIED to do something. Adorable as it was, it was like a cat-burgler dressed in black, trying to sneak into a building…in the daytime.
-You’re spot on about him holding onto the idol. Like I’ve said before, I think players are aware of the escalating payouts, and the difference between 7th and 6th (or possibly higher) could be significant. This is never discussed on the show, but I’ve always wondered about it. KInda like Kass making some of the choices she made, just to finish higher in the game, but knowing she had no chance to win with that gameplan.
-Re: Tyler’s choice to not move on Dan. Same thing I said above, no one’s making any moves. This whole, “We’re 6 strong and then we’ll decide how to splinter,” is not the best strategy. Flip it up and create new alliances. That’s how the game is supposed to be played. He seems afraid to rock the boat too much.
-Blue had a bad combination of players. Mike is no genius, and when you let dumb people lead you, you’re gonna fail. Plus, guys like him seem to let their ego get in the way, so in that moment of possible failure, they try to overcompensate and “fight through” the failure, not wanting their pride to take a hit. Typically, they fail, and even worse off.
-Maybe there should have been 2 necklaces for men and one for women, based on the uneven gender balance (5-3)?
-I read somewhere Jeff’s rationalization for his lack of involvement on the Shirin/POS situation. He’s claiming he was in “host” mode while it was going on, but he’ll definitely be addressing it at the reunion show. Can’t wait for that!
-Maybe Dan thought he wanted to keep the box as a souvenir? Kinda stupid to not bury the clue somewhere. Seems a pretty easy thing to do considering other people have gone through bags in the past. Silly, silly Dan…
oyoung – Thanks for joining the conversation! Re: the Shirin/POS thing, I agree with you 100%. The only thing I’ll add is that I hope THAT’s the way it went down and it’s not some Production cockamamie “story line” that they had the contestants play out. Since they can’t reveal for 3 years any Production secrets (per their contract) it would be nice to know someday if it actually went down as it’s shown. Let’s all meet up somewhere in 3 years to discuss… How about Bergin’s Tavern on Fairfax on May 2nd, 2018? Say…6pm. See you there…
-I LOVE your idea for a “Demi-gods” and goddesses season. That’s kinda what I’ve been craving for years. Give us the superheroes season so the “game” takes precedence over the “drama.” Let’s give this some idea some legs people! But, I don’t Josh and Reed could play, unless it became a “B vs. W” season too. Just unfair to have them both play, lest they become targets on Day 1. You’d either have to “pair up” demigods (by season? race? finish order? tats?) or…just invite Reed because his jury “question” to Missy will go down as one of the best ever. He deserves another shot. Neither are in the running for the “Second Chance” season, which is a surprise, but I’d guess the show asked Reed and he said he couldn’t do it unless Josh is with him. (Because, yes, I know how everyone in the world would respond to anything…). So maybe they’re saving them for a future “Legends” season…?
susie – Hiya Toots! Definitely something’s wrong when the only candy is on a reward! And it’s like they conspired to get rid of every sexy body early: So, Vince, Lindsey, Max, Joaquin Dead, Hali, Joe. I’m not saying that all of these folks are sexy, but they’re all a hell of a lot in better shape than the bucket of rocks we’re left with. You get to fantasize about Rodney, but I’m sure you have to turn the volume down for that. I’m stuck with Sierra (who’s friggin hot in real life!) but right now she’s looking more like Andy Rooney with those eyebrows…!
-I look at Shirin and I can just know who she is. Just a dorky ugly duckling who grew up and made something of herself, but is still that dorky kid inside. Good for her. To have gone through as much shit as she has and still be able to smile, have fun, and remain dedicated to the game (at least to the outcome of it) is worthy of praise. I’m sure she gets a lot more respect in the real world, which is a sad commentary on how this game works. There’s a reason why the military works and that’s because there’s rank and order. In business, you have supervisors and subordinates, however, in Survivor, everything starts out equal and the “ranks” are established quickly. She immediately became a subordinate, but she probably didn’t see it going that way… Thankfully, she’s a big enough fan to realize that was happening…
sheila – Welcome! I appreciate your input.
– I’m not sure Mike is clever enough to have thought it through that much. We could ponder if he said,
“If i give my necklace to Shirin at the beginning, ____ will happen, so I need to do ____
And if I give my idol to Shirin, ____ will happen…
And if I keep everything secret, _____ will happen…”
I really don’t give him that much credit. I think a great player would run through all those scenarios, and then consider the outcome of each. And then consider what might happen for each outcome, and then commit to one. At least, that’s the way I think I would play. But Mike, I think he just thought, “If I pretend to give my idol to Shirin, chances are they won’t vote for her, and maybe one of them will go home.” But, look what happened, 4 people STILL voted for Shirin, and while they may have been possibly throwing their votes away, they accomplished what they wanted. So, Mike’s only saving grace is that he still has his idol. That’s great for one more week, but if he had given Shirin his idol, that may have made Dan play his second vote against (Tyler?) sending him home, and that would have reshuffled the Top Six into:
Mike/Shirin/Dan/Sierra
vs.
Rodney/Carolyn/POS
And then it’s just a walk in the park from there.
Hindsight is 20/20, but I just wonder if Mike put as much thought into it, as we just did in 6 minutes of typing… Meh, we’ll never know…
kinb! – Welcome Back! You know we can’t quit each other… :-*
– I dig what you’re saying about The Outsiders, but I’m now leaning more towards a film where you just hate everyone. The only film I can think of is Glengarry Glen Ross. There’s another movie (or TV show) that I saw within the last few years. It’s slips my mind. After seeing it, I just realized that no one was likable. I can’t friggin remember it and it’s bugging me. If anyone can remember it for me, please do…
-Let’s PRAY that POS doesn’t win. If he did, I’d be done with this show. Yes, Shirin will definitely have time to prepare the jury, but that shouldn’t be hard to do. Remember how a few weeks ago, one of the big comments was how little game he was playing? And now he can go to the finale? That is the one thing that needs to be fixed on this show. Not necessarily by Jeff, but by the players. Again, the farther you go, the more money you make, so just from the standpoint of who “deserves” to get paid, that kind of player should be eliminated. I know it’s a huge part of the game to drag losers along, but that’s why I think it should be: win and get a million, or come in 2nd-18th place and get $10,000 (or similar). It’s just the way it should be… I read that everyone gets $10,000 for being on the reunion show, so that’s $20,000 for losing out on 8 weeks(?) of work.
(Damn, I’m writing a novel here…)
-I know what you’re saying about Mike, but I have 4 criteria for liking someone:
1. Don’t be mean/don’t be a dick
2. Don’t be stupid
3. Be good at the game
4. Be hot
POS is obviously #1 and Mike is #2, and none of the other players are really doing any of the 4 for me. Like I said, Sierra (in her present state) is borderline #4, so I’m leaning towards her.
-Dan is disgusting. Period. I hate everything about him.
-Undies in the food pot! Fantastic. Should we put our toenail clippings and dead skin in the broth now to make soup…?
-Maybe you hit the nail on the head. I don’t “not like” Sierra because of her eyebrows, it’s her boobs… Probably.
-and finally, I know what you’re saying about Tyler. It’s like his earlier attitude toward Shirin when she was naked. Like, he couldn’t even look at her. Really? I’d like to see that guy at a strip club, he’d be looking at the DJ or the pole, or the other customers. Weird…
3 weeks to go! Can’t wait to see us all eat our words and LOVE the final episode…
Carpal tunnelingly,
Fish
At the heart of it all, it’s a GAME. Play to have fun, with a general game plan, knowing that at any moment it can’t be turned around. That’s why you have to be pliable in your game plan. The only super serious decisions to be made are at the top 5? 4? THAT’s when the end is in sight and only then should the possibility of winning the game be considered. People spend WAY too much time thinking about end game when they need to think about other things. That’s why Woo’s decision to take Tony to the end will never sit well with me. You play to win, not play for “honor.”
Hey Fish, sorry I didn’t leave any comments earlier. Friday was a PTO day. Avengers and all that which pretty much left me spent the entire weekend.
Now that I’m back at work, plenty of excuses to goof around.
The final seven… One step closer towards my nightmare final three now that Shirin is gone. I hear you on why you don’t like Mike, but he’s honestly the only hope I have for someone winning that I can stomach unless Tyler gets a LOT of positive editing these last few episodes.
Mike may be the proud owner of a couple of stupid moves, but Dan is so ignorant… so clueless that he’s being played…. I just can’t even. I finally understand the meaning of that phrase. Still think it’s a stupid phrase, but with Dan, I just can’t even.
POS is POS. No need to go on about why he’s a part of the nightmare scenario crew. I’m with you, if he somehow wins… I’m for sure out season 31, potentially out of Survivor for good.
Carolyn… I liked her so much at the White Collar camp. Felt like she was making moves, hunting down hidden idols without clues, I loved it…. Then she got it and pretty much decided to just sit there and do nothing. She’s not given me any reason to hate her, but man, she’s just not exciting.
Tyler… I liked him a little more after last week’s episode, but I’m not a fan of suddenly appearing to be in control in the last few episodes. I won’t cry if he wins, but like Carolyn, it’s not exciting for me. Plus anyone who really thinks they “share” a Hidden Immunity Idol with someone else is a fool, and I loathe people sneaking around in other people’s bags, even idiots like Dan.
Boston Rod… I’d love to hear Boston Rob’s opinion on him. Rob being an amazing player in my book, would surely have a lot of things to say about Rod and his game play thus far. Thinks he’s in charge, but maybe he’d be a disappointment in the eyes of Ultron. Rod may have strings attached and the real puppet master here is Tyler… Maybe…
Sierra… is boring. She’s done NOTHING. No big moves, no big flips, no game changers… Would be a disappointing wrap up to the season if she were to win.
Mike’s move at tribal, I think is the right one. If he played it for Shirin, Dan and his advantage would go home. By keeping it, he lost an ally, but has hopefully caused the shots that will start the fracturing and the start of the civil war within the Axis of Evil. Dan got two votes. If nothing else will make him realize that he’s CLEARLY at the bottom of the “six strong” totem pole, nothing will.
As for Boston Rod announcing that he’s ready to go home in next week’s sneak peek… I can only hope that it really happens.
I agree with thatguy…Mike did an interesting thing by seeming to offer his idol to Shirin. Sussing out those two votes for Dan. But I can’t bring myself to credit Mike with such clever tactics…I think for him it was a happy accident. If Dan doesn’t really get a clue as to where he stands with his precious alliance…he is an even bigger fool than I thought. (and that’s saying something)
I’m torn on my opinion of this season. Without doubt this is one of the worst casts as a whole…and we are now left with the least likable folks as potential winners. (I’d most rather see Mike win of those left though). On the other hand…I have had a bit of entertainment with some of the antics of this group. When Shirin raised her hand thus denying POS his letters…I literally cheered! That was hilarious. And Jenn was pretty entertaining as well….wish she had stuck around longer…droopy drawers and all. But mostly I spend the hour rolling my eyes at the screen when Dan, Rodney or just about anyone else opens their mouth. This is Nothing like Chochran’s season. He was fun to cheer on. This is not a rooting for your favorite kind of a season…more like a cringing and hoping the lesser of the remaining losers can somehow come out the winner sort of season.
I’m not one to say that “If so and so wins I’m not watching Survivor again”…I enjoy the show too much really. But…my gosh….if Dan or Rodney win…I can’t even… 😉
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