Lurker > KujikawaRising

Micronesia is top 2. I mean, yes, Penner left way too early, and that sucked, but that's not a knock against the season. The season was consistently thrilling and surprising and aside from Mary, Chet, and Kathy, everyone was offering something. Micronesia was the "blossoming point" to the modern game of Survivor after the prior three seasons had watered the seed.

Is Parvati overrated as a winner? Yes. She did not do a great job at managing jurors. Putting Eliza down and telling her to get lost was not a good idea - there's no way Eliza would have voted for Parvati in the finals against Cirie (and had Amanda not been so emotional at the F3, Eliza might have voted for Amanda for that still-incredible idol stunt). The way she approached Amanda about having an alliance with Catalie and Alexis was also bad and only served to earn LividManda's ire. She also didn't properly do damage control with James, instead burning the bridge completely. Parvati won because she was against Amanda. Amanda had that sorry display at F3 where she didn't go for the jugular with confidence, which when mixed with her FTC performance cost her Eliza and Jason.

Still maintain that the Ozzy, Alexis, and Erik vote-offs are among the best in the show's history. The cast is a highly entertaining mix of people, the location is beautiful, and the level of play is so high. In my mind, the only knocks are having a quitter, two MedEvacs, and Chet. Everything else more than compensates for that.

The most overrated season is actually Kaoh Rong.
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I am not even watching this finale. Instead of suffering through two hours of monotony, I'm concluding my Micronesia rewatch (it remains one of Survivor's best seasons, with a great all-around cast and highly entertaining blindsides) and watching AUS Survivor episode 18 instead, which I did not get around to last night (Machete, I'll reply to your PMs after I do that).
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Worst experience I had - this was many years ago - was waiting over an hour for a wrong, disgusting, undercooked pizza, after having been lied to by management that it was "on the house" (just the drinks and garlic bread were). Very incompetent server - someone did not show up and for some reason the manager put the least experienced server (it was only her third day!) on double duty. She told us our food was coming, then asked if we'd ordered 15 minutes later. I reiterated our entire order at that time and she still got it wrong >_>

The server fixed my pizza since I stormed off in anger because I was STARVING after waiting patiently for that long... but she did not fix my sister's. Why my sister ever went back there is beyond me, because I haven't. They must have fixed things seeing as they're still there after all this time.

Sorry to hear you're sick, though. That alone probably makes it worse than mine, since an undercooked pizza is just doughy, not contaminated...
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Hi darkx! I thought that might've been you :X

BB19's first act was great, but once Paul got the cult to bully Jess and Cody to get them to quit or be expelled... it became awful and never got interesting again. Thus, its great onset will be forgotten because of how unwatchable the rest of it was.

Squirrelgate posted...

Learning To Ironically Appreciate, Because Let's Be Real Making Fun of Her Delusions Was The Best Part of the Season:
12. Raven

...you've got a good point there.
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if it's Christmas vs. Kevin, nobody wins. Big Brother might start doing final 3s instead to avoid another disastrous result.

The real solution is to fire Robyn Kass and have Lynne Spillman do it instead. She'd cast more fans of the show because that has worked so well on Survivor. Lynne would provide Grodner (who pares the semi-finalists down to 16) and Moonves (who signs off on the final cast) with a more game-oriented cast that wouldn't sheepishly follow the veteran. It would make Big Brother the show it used to be. Agree or Disagree?
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They only do 16 comics each season, so the quitter did not get one.

Some of them this year are pretty scathing. Paul and Christmas both got the nasties, so they're naturally not very happy about that. They thought they were the heroes, now they're confused.
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Australian Survivor Episodes 14 & 15
I kind of liked the mutiny twist, but it would have been better had it been "Anybody who wants to mutiny, stand up." Then Samatau would vote on the one person they wanted to steal. Would have still been Pete, but it would have been better TV. While this was better than last year's atrocity of "Brooke, please kidnap one member of Vavau." it was still kind of a buzzkill after all that buildup.

That said, unlike last time, this pushed an interesting storyline into Monday's episode, with the reconciliation between Sarah and Luke. As those two are among my favorites, I was very happy. Odette's edit screamed the position she ultimately ended up in, even before her overplaying the swing vote position; she was clearly the final pre-juror / pre-merge boot due to her lack of content and portrayal in what she had. The merge boot is likely the final pre-juror and I cannot discern who that is as of this time. I hope it's Tara. Moron doesn't know what a blindside is, but at least she's humble enough to admit she's not too bright. Her doing that was the first moment where she endeared herself, but I still don't like how petty she is.

If I have to guess, I would think the alliances become:
Locklan, Anneliese, Henry, Michelle, Sarah, Tara
vs.
Luke, Jericho, Ziggy, Jarrad, Tessa, Pete

Luke, Jericho, and Pete might flip to avoid a tie. I don't see anyone in the former alliance moving at F12. Tara and Anneliese won't work with the foursome that voted them out, nor would Locky by association. Henry and Michelle know they're on the bottom, so they'll make a truce but will try to blindside each other at final 9 or 10. Sarah wants to work with her friends, who are all in that alliance. They will try to flip somebody. Still think Tessa is first juror, but I could be a round off. I wouldn't target her first, because she'd be the presumed "least likely to use Ziggy's idol" person. Ziggy's loose lips have divulged the position of that idol so Henry and Locky can navigate around it. Those two have the knowledge of every idol in the game and ought to presume there aren't more than three (and they should NOT hide a fourth).

Favorites are still Luke, Sarah, Anneliese, Tessa, and Jericho. Henry is a cockier Malcolm, but because of that Malcolm comparison I am starting to like him quite a bit more. Still, his ego is less disguised than Malcolm's (Malcolm is great at laughing it off), which is his weakness. This is why he lost Jacqui. I still see him as a winner contender. It's most likely Henry, Sarah, Jericho, or Anneliese. The least likely are Pete, Tessa, Tara, and Jarrad, all due to their limited presence in the edit (except Tara, who is the least likable). Still could be a surprising emergence like last year. I'm excited to watch.
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Re: Alex
Delusional Raven thinks Alex is the puppet master, according to her exit interview. One moron accuses an even dumber moron of running the house? There are no words.

Re: HOH
YES! Best case scenario. If Josh wants to win, he'll put up Paul next to a pawn like Alex and tell Christmas to evict the kingpin. If Christmas does not (because she's in love with Paul) and Kevin does not, she sinks Josh's game and ensures her own goatitude. She's not as much of a star as she thinks (despite her Arcana being Star) - she does not understand this fandom. She thinks Jessica will "ride the 'stars' to fame" but said so at the EXACT SAME TIME Jessica was filming on the set of The Bold and the Beautiful, a gig that Christmas would NEVER get. It's hysterically ironic.

Basically, I'm saying I am very hopeful that Josh will nominate Paul (finally!), but I am not hopeful that the other sheeple in the house will actually evict the kingpin. Alex is clueless. Christmas is enamored with Paul. The only hope is Kevin. It needs to be a 1-1 tie. Maybe we'll get an actually interesting final act of this season... and a Josh win might be oddly satisfying. If he welches here, then Paul is the only correct winner.

EDIT: UGH, just read what Naomi posted. Yeah, should've guessed >_>
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Re: TEOS
I'm still only halfway in, but as I said that's a companion to the full rewatch of the first 31 seasons I'm doing with my dad. We might be skipping a few shitty seasons during the Dark Ages, though...

Re: Australian Survivor
Tara is the kind of player that gets fixated on something petty as opposed to winning the game. She's made herself unlikable. I honestly doubt she can win at this point. Her edit has painted her way too negatively to the point she'd be a wildly unpopular winner. I too doubt she'll come around. She'll still find ways to indulge in her usual hypocritical bad attitude.

Michelle was brilliant in how she not only defended herself and explained why it made sense for her to stick with Samatau, but convinced Ben to admit the exact opposite. Being a young twerp, Ben was too naïve to realize that what he was insinuating was that Michelle was right.

The overlapping relationships here are going to make things interesting at the merge, with swing votes like Tara, Michelle, Anneliese, and Peter in play (one of those four might not make it, of course). I too think the bigger threats like Luke, Sarah, and maybe even Michelle might go quick - and they're the more likable ones, too.
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mnkboy907 posted...

I mean if it was down to just Kevin and Christmas, Kevin absolutely would've won lol. But Paul/Alex/Raven probably wanted to wait for him to drop out before they threw it.

Kevin loses to anybody except Christmas. Anybody who is trying, I mean.

At least this week could expose Paul if Alex and Whistle-Nut figure out the conspiracy. He's capable of doing so if he actually puts his mind to it, which is why he's the target over the dumbass with a rock where her brain should be. Whether or not he puts his mind to it is a completely different story. Alex can't figure out the difference between pancakes and waffles, so she's hopeless.

I predict Paul gets his way again and Alex and Whistle-Nut are split up... and nobody figures out that Paul is the puppet master. Because they es dum.
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eaedwards6400 posted...

There is a non-zero percent chance that Paul won't win. It requires Josh winning final 3 HOH but there's a chance.

This also involves Paul figuring out that Josh is the only person that has an iota of a chance at beating him in a jury vote. This iota involves the jury figuring out that Paul has been lying to them all and having an overly bitter reaction toward him "betraying his Friendship Franchise." I am certain you know to which malcontent I am referring. Bitterness is often infectious in jury land, so... all depends on when that one is sent there.
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Peridiam posted...

New Survivor castaway: Roarke

Which Survivor contestant are you most like?
If Sophie Clarke and Courtney Yates found a way to have a child I would be the result.

oh baby

On top of that, her mentor is Corinne, so this one is highly likely to have a productive mouth.

ImTheMacheteGuy posted...

I think we're at the same point. That assessment is good. I still don't even know which one Ziggy is. Ben and pete took some time for me to start remembering. Luke's cockiness hasn't made me like him less, but it definitely has made me concerned about where his story is going. I find Jericho a bit irritating, but his trolling is great.

It took me until her scene about playing Survivor like she plays water polo to remember who Ziggy was. Ben and Pete are both very UTR. Pete is smarter but Ben is no dummy. Luke and Jericho are likely going to get trolled back eventually and I am eagerly awaiting their response to it. They are a LOT of fun, even if they're cocky. I wonder how much of their cockiness is shtick. Probably more than we'd think... I mean, they were right when Jacqui got the boot. Because Jacqui was a bad social player. And her departure made it so Henry had zero control over anyone. It was beautiful.

eaedwards6400 posted...

Ugh. I am just am lacking hype for this season.

Same here. I don't remember the last time I was so unenthusiastic about checking out a new Survivor cast. Game Changers was so blah, this theme is so dumb, and #BB19 is so awful that I'm at the point where "Survivor is in a month!" is more of an "UGH, that long?" situation. Not even a Survivor cast announcement excites me right now. I want actual Survivor. Can the premiere just get here already to hopefully smash our expectations?
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Australian Survivor is way better than #BB19. I'm one episode shy of being caught up (so 10 episodes in)

Henry has suddenly went from "Cocky-Jocky" to one of the more complex players there. He's got a major advantage in that he has an idol. I don't think there's another one at Samatau, which isn't how it should be. You don't "unhide" an idol for a tribe if someone from the other tribe swaps over with one. The reason I think they removed that idol is because they planted the one Anneliese found... and it seems like they're putting in a God Idol in the game in the next episode. Hell, looks like it might even be a situation where the winner of the duel gets the idol and the loser goes home. THAT would be a fun twist. They vote someone who either goes home or gets a free pass to the final four.

Right now, I'm still liking Luke (even though he's getting pretty cocky) and Jericho, since they're epic trolls and unpredictable yet humorous players. Tony Vlanchos school. Sarah is playing a very well-rounded game and is using her pretty face to her advantage well, but I think the pretty face is what makes me like her. Annaliese is starting to be a rather likable underdog in the same vein that Tessa was before she took a backseat. A.K. is a very complex, interesting guy, but chances are he's idoled out by Henry. Still think Tara is an entitled princess - unfortunate that her edit is strong despite her hypocrisy. Michelle kind of is too, but unlike Tara, Michelle actually understands the game (by saying things like "if Annaliese and Tara want to earn our trust, they should just vote with us."). Locky is better than Tara as an underdog, but not as interesting as Anneliese or Tessa in such a role. I don't really have much to say about Odette, Jarrad, Pete, Ziggy, or Ben at this point.

But this season is far better than last year's because these people actually want to play the damn game instead of "be a hero" when they're anything but.

I'll look at the H3 cast at home tonight.
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Cody's been on top every day for almost three weeks now, except the night of Mark's eviction when they all gave Mark some love.

Kevin is the only rootable person left in the house. The rest are all jerks. Some are playing better than others... and are less nasty than others. Please note that in other seasons someone like Josh could be in the bottom tier. There are simply four people that are on my all-time shit list this time, which taints my stance on the season. I still think BB9 was worse, but not by much.

Rooting for:
Kevin (probably the best Hierophant they've ever cast)

I'd be okay with:
Josh

If I had to accept somebody:
Whistle-Nut
Christmas

PLEASE, GROD, NO:
Paul
Alex
DoorMatt
Raven
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#BB19 live feeds spoilers

DoorMatt asked production to give him a penalty vote. They said no, then he said he'd make them do it so he ate cereal while a Have-Not. They then obliged. He has since declared himself no longer a Have-Not and has been given a talking-to by production. They're being too lenient with him. Here's how it should be IMO: First penalty is an extra vote against you next time you're nominated. Second is a penalty nomination (as a third nominee if you're not already on the block) and a second penalty vote. Third is expulsion from the house and eradication from Big Brother history (no mentions at the finale, no jury presence, not allowed at cast events, other HGs not allowed to talk about you, memory wall picture replaced by Cameron, and, worst of all, no prize money).

Anyway this yet again proves how much of a dumbass DoorMatt is. He is "taking one for the team" here. And for some even stupider reason, he said he'd have been more offended by the outcome if Whistle-Nut had used the Veto and put up Paul. Wastes of space like him are why people are over Big Brother. Robyn Kass needs to put more people on that know how to play the game. People who don't even know what the show is have no place to famewhore on it.

P.S. I only know all of this because of last night's epic LFC Roundtable. Even TARAN was going on rants about how dumb these people are!
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Also, I'm through episode 5 of Australian Survivor 2017.
Luke is still my favorite. A charismatic, fun-loving troll who is complicit in pretty much all the trouble on his tribe, alongside his right hand Jericho (who is getting a bit cocky). I am starting to really appreciate Tessa as a fighter and A.K. as a schemer.

Another clueless player, Tara, claimed she was making a "Big Move" when... it was anything but. Voting out the eighth rung on your totem pole in ninth is not even remotely close to a Big Move. A Big Move is a power shift, not switching the bottom two of the boot order. A.K. however made a Big Move by getting #4 (Pete) to flip and take out #3 (Aimee).

I also must observe that each person who's been booted so far has made a mind-numbing decision that has sealed their fate, save for one.
Joan said she was a puzzle genius, then flubbed the puzzle, causing her tribe to blame her for the loss and get rid of her. Common in first boots.
Adam had no idea how to harness the trust of his tribe and only ended up getting them to flip on him when they thought he had the idol. He seemed to be extorting them into being his peons. Oops.
Kate was simply in the minority. Just a bad choice of ally for her in Adam.
MarkZan flashed the idol to A.K. for no reason at all. He was right to give it to Tessa, but he should've told her to keep searching for the idol. At Tribal, he could have voted for Lochlan and Tessa should've voted for Tara. Everybody else votes for Tessa, she plays an idol and flabbergasts them, then the entire tribe has to turn on itself in a 1-1 revote situation. I liked MarkZan, so it was sad to see him go.
Aimee had diarrhea of the mouth at Tribal, which spooked Pete into thinking she was a loose cannon and got him to vote her out. I honestly expected Pete to not flip until she did that. Aimee's cute, but... she was a victim of herself.

My only negative so far is how many challenges involve throwing shit at the end. The challenges are otherwise solid - I like how they're doing their own this time and I hope that continues, except for a recycled Hand On Hard Idol for the final IC. The cast is VERY strong and Samatau is a fascinating trainwreck. A.K. and Tessa are two of the most compelling people there. Getting Saanapu vibes from Asaga - they won't be going to Tribal in the next episode before the inevitable swap at 18. If the Medevac tease in the preview is as much of a red herring as it would be in the US version, Anneliese probably goes next, since 1) she's the weakest of the minority and 2) she's someone potential swing vote Pete will be willing to cut. If not her, then it's Lochlan. I am sure some of the Asaga folks have been aching to vote each other out, so Samantha/Mark will go mano-a-mano against Henry/Jacqui... and they'll use the Samatau folks to do it. I think Samatau needs to go the "intentional Matsing" route here, just to get Asaga more ready to get rid of each other.

But yeah, loving this right now. Way better than anything Game Changers not related to Aubry or Queen Sandra.

Peridiam posted...

But I guess, given your fond memories of it, I might consider it a little better.

Didn't I say that those fond memories were almost all in the first four episodes? Like the "Franchesqua" fight and Hantz crying home to Mommy.

Everything after the second Elrod blindside is complete garbage, though, which is why people remember it in a terrible light. They forget that most people were enjoying it quite a lot in its first few weeks. I try to focus on the positives here. South Pacific is the one I can't find ANY with >_>
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Christmas and DoorMatt's zings were absolutely fantastic. Most of the others weren't even slightly inspired.

I repeat: Redemption Island is not the worst Survivor season. The first four episodes of that season are infinitely rewatchable. The rest of it, save for the merge episode, was utter garbage. But four great episodes is way better than the zero the very next season had >_>

Keep in mind I rank seasons by the fond memories I have of them. Redemption Island has at least SOME good memories. BB19 will be held in the same esteem for its onset, but the everything after the first quarter will taint my memory of the season as a whole. So, again, Redemption Island is an apt comparison: A phenomenal onset with an intolerable jury phase due to the lack of a resistance to the shepherd.

In summary, BB9 is worse than this one, just like South Pacific is worse than Redemption Island. But BB19 is still a bottom-tier season on the whole, just like Redemption Island is for Survivor. Just think: "It could have been this bad from the start."
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Peridiam posted...

andy do you have a crush on jessica?

A little one, but only because she's hot >_>

She's Cody's girl, though, and I'm going to respect that and back off. I'm not an obsessive idiot like I used to be. I'm not as into her personality as I was with the others, also.

I happen to like her move to announce that she had a superpower to the house. She misplayed after that, however, and should have just left it as an ambiguous power. Scare 'em all into thinking it was a Coup. So while she had balls, she didn't use them properly. She was not a great player by any means. She was just more willing to take risks than most of this house, which makes her look better in comparison.
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BakusaiTenketsu posted...

Christmas keeping her hands clean trying not to be the first duo to strike since it's going to be a 5v2 situation dependent upon whoever is HoH after the Kevin eviction next week. By far the safest season of BB ever, and yeah, Paul is almost assuredly going to win.

Agreed. Christmas should have struck now if she wanted to win. Since Paul was made immune by Mark in a plea to scratch each other's backs, she could have tried to tip the apple cart. If Christmas made a new alliance with Mark, Kevin, DoorMatt, and Raven, she could win the game provided she betrayed Mark later. But nope, she's "playing it safe." Ugh, I've never seen a group so unwilling to change fate. HEY, ROBYN KASS! Cast more people that have balls, like Jessica. THX!

Though, honestly, if you ask me, the cast as a whole... isn't that bad if you take Paul out of the equation. DoorMatt and Raven should never have been cast - one is a doormat, the other is Death - and Megan was obviously a dud (because quitting), but aside from them this is a pretty solid group. We have a true American Psycho in Cody, his ballsy never-say-die lover Jessica (who happens to both be hot and a fan), an ex-fatty in a Greek god's body in Mark, a comedic old man in Kevin, a villain prankster in Alex, and then other solid casting choices in Josh, Dominique, Elena, and even Christmas. Paul ruined it all. Obvious winner, unless miracles happen...
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#BB19

Replacement nom: ...Mark... :/

Season status: Completely hopeless...
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