Board 8 > Reality TV Discussion Topic: Big Brother Over, Survivor and Amazing Race Ongoing

(+) Yeah! (+)

Aww, Bruce didn't get to say anything

I was thinking we might break the streak of 7-1-0 but if everyone goes to Dee except Drew on Austin, yeah...

feels like Jake got almost no airtime there after the opening, geez.

But I'm guessing 7-1-0 again, with Dee winning and Bruce voting for Jake.

Couldn't they have at least tried to make her likeable?

Really annoyed. No edit to make her even remotely ok to win?

Mewtwo59 posted...

Couldn't they have at least tried to make her likeable?

I'm glad they didn't. I'd much rather get this than some sappy, overnice edit.

I'm more frustrated that, after dominating the physical game, dominating the social game, dominating the strategic game, and generally making Austin look like a fool over the course of the last two episodes, the jury still broke the 7-1-0 curse not in favor of Jake, who at least had a unique story...but to give 3 votes to Austin, who was CLEARLY inferior to Dee.

Pokewars posted...

Really annoyed. No edit to make her even remotely ok to win?

Her edit was that of a dominant, Parvati mastermind.

Honestly, I think she loses if she doesn't bring that up at the very end. That's why it was so close. She won it on that last question.

And I'd put this in the bottom quarter of seasons. Jake needed to win to save this season, and that was never going to happen.

Blaziken posted...

Her edit was that of a dominant, Parvati mastermind.

Parvati's only win was against wishy washy Blandmanda. Who cares?

largest percentage vote total for runner-up since Ghost Island so that's neat

damn, Kellie.... she was really gone too soon damn

Mewtwo59 posted...

Honestly, I think she loses if she doesn't bring that up at the very end. That's why it was so close. She won it on that last question.

And I'd put this in the bottom quarter of seasons. Jake needed to win to save this season, and that was never going to happen.

This was the second-best new era season. Great storytelling, a negative winner instead of forcing positivity down our throats (seriously, how the fuck did Austin get three votes?), and the only bad part was the middle third, with all the twist and vote losses.

Yeah, I have to disagree, now that this post show is reminding me how much I don't like this cast.

Mewtwo59 posted...

Yeah, I have to disagree, now that this post show is reminding me how much I don't like this cast.

This post-show is showing how amazing this cast is!

Blaziken posted...

(seriously, how the fuck did Austin get three votes?)

He comes off as extremely likeable to me and I can see that translating to the social game in-game??

Bruce didn't give his reason but he was always a wild card... but Kendra voting for him, and I know she gave her reason (which i already forget) but yeah it's a surprise. At least it made things a little more interesting when the votes were being read off.

Huh, they've completely cut out recruits now? Or is Drew just saying that (or do we have more liars?)

Yeah I'm currently torn between which is the best New Era season between this and 42. I need to let this sink in some.

Also the cast was amazing. As I said last week, almost half the cast qualifies as top tier.

Immediate reaction to the season:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/683756248487035053/1187250343986331759/image.png

You'll never see me outright rank a cast again. I'd rather just give an in-no-particular-order list of my favorites and leave it at that. I have a few reasons for this. For one, as I've been working hard both in and out of therapy to let more things roll off my back, fewer people on RTV bother me as much as they used to (and I'm pretty sure that at least subconsciously the "need" to have someone at the bottom of my list often made me disproportionately hate someone who didn't deserve it). More importantly though, over the past few years, the line between raking TV characters crafted from footage of real people, and ranking the real people themselves, has become more and more blurred, and I'm absolutely not about the latter, and, especially in the age of social media and ESPECIALLY post-2018 and post-2020, it's become much harder and much more controversial to rank them just based off of what they gave us on the show and leave out things they've said and done in real life, which I always tried to do. So I'd just rather not have a part in that anymore and be happy to root for my favorites.

That being said, Inviso's top 5 and especially top 3 is <3

Blah Dee.

Vecepia tier of blandness winner.

Agree with Visos rankings but Id slot Sabiyah ahead of Dee.

Looking back the highlights of the season reallh were the lulu struggles early, Jake and Emily post merge and...thats kinda it.

Theres a reason Jake was the main character of the show post Emily boot.

Haaa, three of the final five were lying about lawyering and the only non-lawyers got votes. Just a silly notice, :D

These past five seasons have left little impression on me, and I'm sure next year I'll be "Who's Dee?" just like I went "Who's Gabler?" Only winner I even remember a good deal of is Maryanne. But I overall ended up enjoying it a lot, especially after a very very rough first few episodes. I paid so little attention to the Reba Four, and Reba as a whole, that I only got invested this week, and I liked the finale.

I'm so so happy Jake got put in the fire-making because he clearly needed it after everything else that happened this episode. I would not want him taken to three and suffering all the "what-ifs" down the future.

Great season, good on Dee, great arguments. Sleepy.

Ultimately, I think my ranking of the new era would go 42>45>>44>41>>>>>>>>>>>>>43

45 could've been number 1, but I think the editors really did Reba dirty, given that they were going to ultimately end up dominating the season and producing the final two. Maybe Belo and Lulu were that innately fascinating, but it still stands out when I, someone who likes the season and the cast, still find myself rankings 5/6 of Reba in the bottom half overall.

Finally finished watching. Yesterday was a travel day for me.

That F5 vote was a disaster - everyone got votes! Amazing TV. Katurah losing because she got cold feet was awesome - it shows a lesson that you should trust your gut and not second-guess yourself. Katurah still had a weird story, but she was great. A lot of this cast was great. (What's this Inviso ranking people are talking about? That link I can't open?)

Dee is a fine winner. Seems as if she actually dropped the bombshell early at FTC to rattle Austin and he had to claw back. I get Drew voting for him but not Kendra or Bruce. Jake deserved 2nd because he was nobody's bitch. He didn't deserve to win because of his Charlie Brown defeatist energy, but he didn't suck like Austin.

Great season and my favorite of the New Era. The 90 minutes helped. The cast largely being bad at the game helped even more. Will need to re-watch next year to see if that holds up - it's the first New Era season I've wanted to do that for.

Bruce's reason for voting Austin should be obvious. Dee trashed him to his face at FTC. So obviously he was going to vote for whoever had the best chance of beating her.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

Dee is a fine winner.

Yeah people were complaining about her all season but while she isn't my favorite, I'm totally fine with her.

Also, recently made a new IRL friend who is a die-hard superfan so I actually have someone new to talk to about the show off this board haha

Inviso posted...

Ultimately, I think my ranking of the new era would go 42>45>>44>41>>>>>>>>>>>>>43

45 could've been number 1, but I think the editors really did Reba dirty, given that they were going to ultimately end up dominating the season and producing the final two. Maybe Belo and Lulu were that innately fascinating, but it still stands out when I, someone who likes the season and the cast, still find myself rankings 5/6 of Reba in the bottom half overall.

It was truly wild editing. Even in the finale episode ALL the focus is on the belo 2, as if winking to the audience to say "whichever of these two wins fire has clearly earned the win" and when we know damn well both were 0 vote goats.

Its *wild* that the top 2 were on top most of the game, were in a literal showmance and somehow wound up THAT level of dull on screen. Because you gotta figure if either of them gave production anything to work with we woulda seen it in these 90 minute eps.

To me the new era seasons go as follows...

42 and 45 are excellent. High-tier seasons.

41 is solid. Somewhere slightly in the top half.

44 has some really good stuff but also a lot of problems. Somewhere slightly in the bottom half.

43 is a snooze-fest. Solidly in the bottom half but probably not bottom 10 because there were just so many God-awful seasons in the 20s and 30s.

45 just wins by default for having 90-minute episodes. its the only season that felt like it wasn't just paint-by-numbers survivor. they actually had time to develop every tribe, whereas on the other new eras a lot of tribes just got a bunch of generic "okay its the girls vs the boys!" "oh they're looking for an idol so they're suspicious" etc just the same plots every season. if you weren't in the tika 3 or a showmance in season 44 you just got zero development. an entire tribe got shafted in the edit in favor 1 person who got medevac'd 5 episodes in. jaime, kane, brandon, lauren, an entire tribe with no relevance until suddenly its their boot episode and they get built up a little bit right before they go. 60 minutes was fine back in the day but when they have to spend 10 minutes of every episode showing the latest advantages and idols being given out like candy there was no room to develop actual cast interactions (other than giving everyone a sappy backstory montage)

I do agree that 90-minute episodes helped 45 tremendously. The show has become so convoluted with twists and advantages that the extra half hour was absolutely necessary for development of characters and story arcs, and they utilized the extra time very well.

It's already confirmed that, despite most of CBS's primetime lineup returning in February, both Survivor and TAR will continue 90 minute episodes for at least the spring seasons. I'm hyped for Survivor and hope it stays this way permanently. I'm less optimistic about TAR, especially knowing what we know about the production of 36.

Seeing the 90 minute episodes here just makes me sad that we didn't get 90 minute episodes last season with Carolyn and Yam Yam.

And after sitting on it for a couple of days, I'd say even 90 minute episodes can't keep this from being my least favorite of the new era. I'd go 42 > 44 > 41 > 43 > 45. I prefer the apathy I had towards most of 43's cast to the dislike I had towards most of 45's cast. Plus, this season got even worse with the twists than the rest of the new era, and that's saying something. The even seasons have been better in the new era, so I'm cautiously optimistic for 46.

And yeah, TAR 36 is probably not going to go well with the extra runtime. They're really going to have to stretch it out once we get past the halfway point, if it's anything like post-return 33 and 34. At least it'll be nice to see South America again.

Mewtwo59 posted...

I'd say even 90 minute episodes can't keep this from being my least favorite of the new era

Both a hot take and a bad one.

This was by far my favorite of the New Era, largely because the cast was mostly bad at the game. I found myself more emotionally invested than I had been since WaW, a returnee season. And I feel like I'll actually remember these people, whereas I just learned that there was someone named Lindsay on either 43 or 44 and I couldn't even picture her. My mind went to Lindsay from 42.

If you disliked this season, I think you might be watching Survivor for the wrong reasons. Like we all know foolmo does.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

And I feel like I'll actually remember these people, whereas I just learned that there was someone named Lindsay on either 43 or 44 and I couldn't even picture her. My mind went to Lindsay from 42.

I remember recently looking at the edgic chart for 43 and seeing the name James and legit couldn't remember him and had to look him up. And that was someone who made the merge/jury.

I will say that 90 minute episodes did this season a LOT of favors, because without them, they cut back on character development instead of twists. Like, imagine the final 7 episode with just an hour. They had a journey in which Emily did not take a risk. Do you think production would cut THAT from the episode? Fuck no. They leave in that pointless scene instead of the character-building that made the endgame so compelling.

KateMarsh posted...

I remember recently looking at the edgic chart for 43 and seeing the name James and legit couldn't remember him and had to look him up. And that was someone who made the merge/jury.

The guy who bickered with Owen and was the lone vote for Cassidy Hantz, right?

He was one of the more memorable people from 43 (that isn't saying much), and you forgetting him is saying something about how 41 to 44 were edited with a twist focus that made them redundant and easy to mix up.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

Cassidy Hantz

I literally don't even get what you're going for with this one

BlueCrystalTear posted...

Both a hot take and a bad one.

This was by far my favorite of the New Era, largely because the cast was mostly bad at the game. I found myself more emotionally invested than I had been since WaW, a returnee season. And I feel like I'll actually remember these people, whereas I just learned that there was someone named Lindsay on either 43 or 44 and I couldn't even picture her. My mind went to Lindsay from 42.

If you disliked this season, I think you might be watching Survivor for the wrong reasons. Like we all know foolmo does.

The problem with me was that I hated all of the final 6 except Jake, and the only way I was emotionally invested in them was me wanting to see them lose. I wasn't a big fan of the season before Emily's boot, and it fell off a cliff after that despite Jake's best attempts to carry the rest of the season. It's just a case of I prefer a bland, unmemorable cast (like 43) over a bunch of people I can't stand (like 45).

Just finished up Big Brother Reindeer Games...

Ugh, what a disappointing finish. So close to a great winner and instead we got a terrible one.

KateMarsh posted...

I literally don't even get what you're going for with this one

It's easy to compare the narcissism and demands that the jury just award the two of them the money. They are eerily similar.

Was talking to a friend about whether or not they'd do Reindeer Games again next year and what the cast would look like. I think they will and could look something like...

Jag
Felicia
Tyler
Da'Vonne
Ian
Nicole A.
Victor
Vanessa
BB26 Flavor of the Month

Realized I should update now that another season is in the books.

The cream of the crop:
1. Kaoh Rong
2. Vanuatu
3. Pearl Islands
4. San Juan Del Sur
5. China
6. Philippines

Very good seasons with a few minor flaws:
7. Marquesas
8. Borneo
9. Heroes vs. Villains
10. Nicaragua
11. Guatemala
12. Gabon
13. Survivor 42

Largely solid seasons, but with some major flaws that prevent them from being better:
14. David vs. Goliath
15. Cagayan
16. Exile Island
17. Survivor 45
18. Fiji
19. Amazon
20. Survivor 44
21. Survivor 41
22. Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
23. Micronesia
24. Palau

Has some distinctly negative aspects, but has enough fun and enjoyable content to not hate outright:
25. Game Changers
26. Winners at War
27. Blood vs. Water
28. Edge of Extinction
29. Samoa
30. South Pacific

Mostly bland and forgettable:
31. Tocantins
32. Africa
33. One World
34. Australia
35. Ghost Island
36. Survivor 43

Extremely, extremely negative and unpleasant, but at least KINDA interesting in that negativity:
37. Thailand
38. Worlds Apart
39. Island of the Idols

Aggressively boring and soulless, and revolving around a twist that honestly makes the season worse through its existence:
40. Millennials vs. Gen X
41. Cook Islands
42. Caramoan
43. Cambodia
44. All-Stars
45. Redemption Island

It's weird seeing the new seasons with no location tags or themes in lists like that

KateMarsh posted...

Was talking to a friend about whether or not they'd do Reindeer Games again next year and what the cast would look like. I think they will and could look something like...

Jag
Felicia
Tyler
Da'Vonne
Ian
Nicole A.
Victor
Vanessa
BB26 Flavor of the Month

I feel like they'd have to cast Angela with Tyler for maximum drama

And just since it's the end of the year, let's wrap up 2023 with a ranking of the CBS reality show contestants I actually watched.

1. Carolyn Wiger (Survivor 44, 3rd Place)
2. Michaela Bradshaw (The Challenge USA, 6th Place)
3. Bruce Perreault (Survivor 45, 8th Place)
4. Chris Underwood (The Challenge USA, 1st Place)
5. Steve & Anna Leigh (The Amazing Race 35, 4th Place)
6. Cirie Fields (Big Brother 25, 5th Place)
7. Emily Flippen (Survivor 45, 7th Place)
8. Jake OKane (Survivor 43, 3rd Place)
9. Jaime Lynn Ruiz (Survivor 44, 6th Place)
10. Yamil Yam Yam Arocho (Survivor 44, 1st Place)
11. Felicia Cannon (Big Brother 25, 4th Place)
12. Sabiyah Broderick (Survivor 45, 16th Place)
13. Akeela al-Hameed (Tough As Nails 5, 6th Place)
14. Cheryl Lieteau (Tough As Nails 5, 8th Place)
15. Hisam Goueli (Big Brother 25, 14th Place)
16. Morgan & Lena (The Amazing Race 35, 7th Place)
17. Andrea & Malaina (The Amazing Race 35, 8th Place)
18. Rob & Corey (The Amazing Race 35, 3rd Place)
19. Jessica Hayes (Tough As Nails 5, 4th Place)
20. Cassidy Clark (The Challenge USA 2, 10th Place)
21. Katurah Topps (Survivor 45, 4th Place)
22. Kaleb Gebrewold (Survivor 45, 11th Place)
23. Claire Rafson (Survivor 44, 15th Place)
24. Dee Valladares (Survivor 45, 1st Place)
25. Hannah Rose (Survivor 45, 18th Place)
26. Isabel Izzy Gleicher (Big Brother 25, 12th Place)
27. Desi Williams (The Challenge USA 2, Winner/3rd Place)
28. Tiffany Mitchell (The Challenge USA 2, 17th Place)
29. Beth Salva-Clifford (Tough As Nails 4, 8th Place)
30. Carly Steiman (Tough As Nails 5, 10th Place)
31. Carolina Paredes (Tough As Nails 5, 12th Place)
32. Blue Kim (Big Brother 25, 7th Place)
33. Frannie Marin (Survivor 44, 8th Place)
34. Danny Massa (Survivor 44, 7th Place)
35. Liam & Yeremi (The Amazing Race 35, 9th Place)
36. Julie Alley (Survivor 45, 5th Place)
37. Kendra McQuarrie (Survivor 45, 9th Place)
38. Todd & Ashlie (The Amazing Race 35, 5th Place)
39. Marcus Jones (Tough As Nails 5, 9th Place)
40. Cory Wharton (The Challenge USA 2, 2nd Place)
41. Maddy Pomilla (Survivor 44, 17th Place)
42. Kellie Nalbandian (Survivor 45, 10th Place)
43. Josh Wilder (Survivor 44, 12th Place)
44. Paulie Calafiore (The Challenge USA 2, 22nd Place)
45. Reilly Smedley (Big Brother 25, 15th Place)
46. Amanda Garcia (The Challenge USA 2, 20th Place)
47. Ilima Shim (Tough As Nails 4, 6th Place)
48. Sergio Robles (Tough As Nails 4, 9th Place)
49. Synethia Bland (Tough As Nails 4, 12th Place)
50. Brandon Donlon (Survivor 45, 17th Place)
51. Alexandra & Sheridan (The Amazing Race 35, 13th Place)
52. Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt (Survivor 44, 2nd Place)
53. Chanelle Howell (The Challenge USA 2, 5th Place)
54. Alyssa Lopez (The Challenge USA 2, 19th Place)
55. Jocelyn & Victor (The Amazing Race 35, 11th Place)
56. Carson Garrett (Survivor 44, 4th Place)
57. Matt Blankinship (Survivor 44, 11th Place)
58. Renee Kolar (Tough As Nails 4, 11th Place)
59. Jorge Zavala (Tough As Nails 4, 1st Place)
60. Elizabeth & Iliana (The Amazing Race 35, 12th Place)
61. Kenji Ngo (Tough As Nails 5, 3rd Place)
62. Austin Li Coon (Survivor 45, 2nd Place)
63. Nicholas Sifu Alsup (Survivor 45, 12th Place)
64. Kane Fritzler (Survivor 44, 9th Place)
65. Bruce Perreault (Survivor 44, 18th Place)
66. Aly Bala (Tough As Nails 4, 10th Place)
67. Ellery Liburd (Tough As Nails 4, 5th Place)
68. Mister Frost (Tough As Nails 4, 2nd Place)
69. Todd Anderson (Tough As Nails 5, 2nd Place)
70. Mecole Hayes (Big Brother 25, 10th Place)
71. Kirsten Elwin (Big Brother 25, 16th Place)
72. Jonna Mannion (The Challenge USA 2, 23rd Place)
73. Janani J. Maya Krishnan-Jha (Survivor 45, 13th Place)
74. Lauren Harpe (Survivor 44, 5th Place)
75. Helen Li (Survivor 44, 16th Place)
76. Robbin & Chelsea (The Amazing Race 35, 6th Place)
77. Wes Bergmann (The Challenge USA 2, 13th Place)
78. Tori Deal (The Challenge USA 2, 7th Place)
79. Sarah Wade (Survivor 44, 14th Place)
80. Larren Ables (Tough As Nails 4, 4th Place)
81. Luis Colon (The Challenge USA 2, 21st Place)
82. Joe * Ian (The Amazing Race 35, 10th Place)
83. Michael Red Utley (Big Brother 25, 13th Place)
84. Monte Taylor (The Challenge USA 2, 16th Place)
85. Paul Hamilton (Tough As Nails 5, 7th Place)
86. America Lopez (Big Brother 25, 6th Place)
87. Joel & Garrett (The Amazing Race 35, 2nd Place)
88. Alyssa Snider (The Challenge USA 2, 14th Place)
89. Tyler Crispen (The Challenge USA 2, 12th Place)
90. Ameerah Jones (The Challenge USA 2, 24th Place)
91. Sean Edwards (Survivor 45, 15th Place)
92. Michele Fitzgerald (The Challenge USA 2, 11th Place)
93. Greg & John (The Amazing Race 35, 1st Place)
94. Brandon Brando Meyer (Survivor 45, 14th Place)
95. Dustin Bradford (Tough As Nails 5, 5th Place)
96. Yesi Reyes (Tough As Nails 5, 11th Place)
97. Laura Bernotas (Tough As Nails 4, 7th Place)
98. Sebastian Noel (The Challenge USA 2, 15th Place)
99. Ben Dempsey (Tough As Nails 5, 1st Place)
100. Brandon Cottom (Survivor 44, 10th Place)
101. Jake Cope (Tough As Nails 4, 3rd Place)
102. Josh Martinez (The Challenge USA 2, 9th Place)
103. Faysal Shafaat (The Challenge USA 2, 8th Place)
104. Drew Basile (Survivor 45, 6th Place)
105. Johnny Bananas Devenanzio (The Challenge USA 2, 4th Place)
106. Jared Fields (Big Brother 25, 11th Place)
107. Miranda Bowie Jane Ball (Big Brother 25, 3rd Place)
108. Matt Klotz (Big Brother 25, 2nd Place)
109. Dusty Harris (The Challenge USA 2, 18th Place)
110. Cory Wurtenberger (Big Brother 25, 8th Place)
111. Matthew Grinstead-Mayle (Survivor 44, 13th Place)
112. Jagateshwar Jag Bains (Big Brother 25, 1st Place)
113. Cameron Hardin (Big Brother 25, 9th Place)
114. Luke Valentine (Big Brother 25, 17th Place)

Finally watched it, good editing and such but so few surprises. I did think Austin would only get like 1 vote so that was a bit surprising. Good season overall, hope it's mostly the same but with better gameplay next season.

foolm0r0n posted...

Finally watched it, good editing and such but so few surprises. I did think Austin would only get like 1 vote so that was a bit surprising. Good season overall, hope it's mostly the same but with better gameplay next season.

I agree with this. None of the blindsides felt like proper mind games, just not the obvious target votes

Inviso posted...

Realized I should update now that another season is in the books.

The cream of the crop:
1. Kaoh Rong
2. Vanuatu
3. Pearl Islands
4. San Juan Del Sur
5. China
6. Philippines

Very good seasons with a few minor flaws:
7. Marquesas
8. Borneo
9. Heroes vs. Villains
10. Nicaragua
11. Guatemala
12. Gabon
13. Survivor 42

Largely solid seasons, but with some major flaws that prevent them from being better:
14. David vs. Goliath
15. Cagayan
16. Exile Island
17. Survivor 45
18. Fiji
19. Amazon
20. Survivor 44
21. Survivor 41
22. Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
23. Micronesia
24. Palau

Has some distinctly negative aspects, but has enough fun and enjoyable content to not hate outright:
25. Game Changers
26. Winners at War
27. Blood vs. Water
28. Edge of Extinction
29. Samoa
30. South Pacific

Mostly bland and forgettable:
31. Tocantins
32. Africa
33. One World
34. Australia
35. Ghost Island
36. Survivor 43

Extremely, extremely negative and unpleasant, but at least KINDA interesting in that negativity:
37. Thailand
38. Worlds Apart
39. Island of the Idols

Aggressively boring and soulless, and revolving around a twist that honestly makes the season worse through its existence:
40. Millennials vs. Gen X
41. Cook Islands
42. Caramoan
43. Cambodia
44. All-Stars
45. Redemption Island

I mostly agree with this except have Africa and Australia way higher because of the cultural phenomenon they were.

I also thjnk Earl singlehandedly moves Fiji to the tier its in.

Cook Islands is weird because I think Yuls a great winner but that win is so tainted by his completely broken idol. And it was well cast but lots of that cast count Cook Islands as their worst season.

Eddv posted...

And it was well cast

Bruh there are like 8 people on that season that I can't tell you a thing about. And two of them made the final four.

Thats pretty commonly the case though.

Im not gonna remember a damn thing about the post merge cast from 44 this time next year.

I can't even remember who the f3 of most seasons I've watched were