Board 8 > Survivor: David vs. Goliath Discussion Topic 3: Return of the Jacketgate

(+) Yeah! (+)

If S38 is even 1/32 as good as DvG wed be lucky!

Anyway, Ill reserve judgment at this point. Im always excited for more Aubry and David, but knowing the twist and being aware of so much negative buzz makes it hard to get too excited.

I am thankful for S37 though because it managed to actually get me excited for Survivor again. Ive been pretty down on the show since Game Changers.
---

Underleveled posted...

eaedwards6400 posted...

Underleveled posted...

eaedwards6400 posted...

So who didnt speak? The Mayor of Slam town?

To my recollection, Jessica, Bi, Natalia, Lyrsa, Liz, John, Alison, and Kara (Kara and I think Alison as well? got mentions for weight loss and face time to go with it).

And obviously Jeremy and Alec.

That's not bad considering modern reunion show?

Not bad. The best modern one (at this point I'm counting 31+ as "modern") was MvGX, where only the first 5 boots didn't get to speak.

Good point and even I think they got mentioned. Did they only have the half hour reunion show though?
---

The Mana Sword posted...

If S38 is even 1/32 as good as DvG wed be lucky!

Anyway, Ill reserve judgment at this point. Im always excited for more Aubry and David, but knowing the twist and being aware of so much negative buzz makes it hard to get too excited.

I am thankful for S37 though because it managed to actually get me excited for Survivor again. Ive been pretty down on the show since Game Changers.

The goal to a good life is low expectations.
---

Inviso posted...

So I'm tentatively ranking DvG 17th overall. It's better than HHH because at least the ending was fair and not bullshit, but still, it followed the same pattern of GC/HHH with a really strong and interesting season right until the last three episodes sent things careening over a cliff.

I'm sorry but this one definitely didn't go careening off a cliff. Like I said, the last two episodes (especially the penultimate) were among the weakest episodes of the season, but they weren't truly awful like the examples you gave. And definitely not enough to counter balance how amazing the season was as a whole.

I do agree that this one lost a bit of steam near the end - around the early-mid merge I was totally ready to call it top 5, now that's questionable... but I'm saying it might not be top 5, not that it was subpar by any means.

Overall I agree with Mana Sword. Since Worlds Apart I've been on a downward spiral with this show, and especially knowing the murmurs about 38 this one was pretty much going to be a Hail Mary for maintaining my interest and boy did it pay off.
---

eaedwards6400 posted...

So it followed GC/HHH in the fact that the person you wanted to win didn't win. Got it.

No.

Going into the endgame of GC, I had a bunch of characters to enjoy and root for, and they got picked off one at a time, with the episodes becoming blander and more soulless until the bullshit finale where you had advantageddon, Aubry underedited, Brad being a dick, and boring Sarah winning.

Going into the endgame of HHH, as you saw in my FY18 ranking, 6/8 of the final eight were characters I found amazing and fun. And then they were picked off one at a time until the endgame, where Ben just found idols every round and then was gifted a surprise fire-making tiebreaker to give him a win.

Going into the endgame of DvG, I had Christian/Gabby as wonderful characters and potential winners, Angelina as an amazing character, Davie as an interesting personality, and Kara as my hope to fuck with the producers' desperation for big moves and advantages to dominate all. And then Gabby/Christian go out after Nick becomes increasingly whiny and entitled, leading up to him winning in the most ego-stroking bullshit ending possible.
---

technically 17th isnt subpar anymore, thats in the top half of seasons!
---

I really should have done better with the season rankdown, but I had that one-week delay that basically killed the hype.
---

The Mana Sword posted...

technically 17th isnt subpar anymore, thats in the top half of seasons!

Indeed. It's hard to believe that Russell Hantz's debut episode is officially in the first half of the series.
---

I dont really he stroked his ego that much at all. He played from behind and pulled it off and as far big moves he didnt have anything to tout. Mike did. He talked about his move against John and the rest were smaller and social moves that won him the game. I'm gonna out the phone down lol I cant do this again.
---

I meant specifically the whole "I'm a David and I beat four Goliaths by myself" ending in terms of ego stroking.
---

this was a pretty great season, underwhelming ending aside. my gut instinct is to put it right behind kaoh rong, but it's a top-tenner for sure

and i'm really surprised inviso is so down on the finale, given angelina was ridiculous and hilarious throughout, saving us from just the boring march of nick winning
---

Naye745 posted...

this was a pretty great season, underwhelming ending aside. my gut instinct is to put it right behind kaoh rong, but it's a top-tenner for sure

and i'm really surprised inviso is so down on the finale, given angelina was ridiculous and hilarious throughout, saving us from just the boring march of nick winning

That's just it. I ONLY had Angelina in that finale (who was obviously never gonna fucking win.) Other than her, you had Davie (who was likable enough, but delved into gamebottery too often), Alison (boring as fuck), Kara (only rooting for her so I could be smug), Mike (was a shitty, boring gamebot until the finale, where he became a weird mess), and Nick (literally Spencer if Spencer won a season of Survivor.)

Eliminating Gabby/Christian back to back right before the end, and then giving the win to a whiny, entitled little shit...it drained a lot of the enjoyment I had for the season, especially since the penultimate and antepenultimate episodes were SO strategy-focused and soulless, even during the family visit.
---

i dont understand how someone can hate good/strategic players in games like survivor/bb like tc does. what is the payoff in constantly rooting for the worst players available?
---

i'm always a little leery of letting personal rooting interest color my opinion of the season, since it's really about how fun the episodes were and how things played out

my hot take reaction to kaoh rong was definitely a lot worse after aubry lost lol
---

andel posted...

i dont understand how someone can hate good/strategic players in games like survivor/bb like tc does. what is the payoff in constantly rooting for the worst players available?

Because sometimes a good player can be a shitty character. It's not fun to watch boring or outright awful personalities win (in fact, often times I can appreciate or even outright like a clearly shitty person if they do poorly in the game and get their comeuppance).

That being said I think Inviso's hatred for Nick is WAY overblown.
---

andel posted...

i dont understand how someone can hate good/strategic players in games like survivor/bb like tc does. what is the payoff in constantly rooting for the worst players available?

Because "good" is subjective. And too much "good" gameplay leads to one of two things: you either have a "good" strategist that manages the other players perfectly, finds idols, and dominates the game until we end up with an extremely boring and obvious winner (Redemption Island/Ghost Island, except it was a 50/50 between the two dominant players that made the final vote kinda interesting but otherwise ruined the rest of the season), OR you have everyone making trust clusters and voting blocs and showing no personal connections because all that matters is strategy and highlighting your resume.

Sloppy players lead to more fuck-ups, which are interesting in and of themselves. And more fuck-ups means a much more fluid game, which means more characterization and personality.
---

I'm guessing andel would rather watch a professional chess match between guys that practically sit in silence making methodical moves as they stare at the board than two guys who aren't very skilled but are obviously having a lot of fun, reacting to everything, exchanging playful insults, perhaps even making it almost theatrical.
---

I play with items on in smash. the srs bsns players at work dont ;(
---

Some wrap up thoughts before bed...

I stand by my DVD cover - Nick, Mike, Angelina, Davie, Christian, Gabby.

People I see as returnees, in order from most to least likely - Christian, Angelina, Gabby, Davie, John (if they can make it work; Jeff said he was tough to get due to scheduling). I can only see Nick on an all winner season. I dont see him coming back for a standard all star season.

Lastly I really dont get why Jeff doesn't like this season (if that's even true... I only ever heard that like third hand). On paper it seems to have everything he would have wanted. Some strong personalities, gameplay that ran the gambit, a very Jeff-like winner, and the theme played out well.
---

Underleveled posted...

Some wrap up thoughts before bed...

I stand by my DVD cover - Nick, Mike, Angelina, Davie, Christian, Gabby.

People I see as returnees, in order from most to least likely - Christian, Angelina, Gabby, Davie, John (if they can make it work; Jeff said he was tough to get due to scheduling). I can only see Nick on an all winner season. I dont see him coming back for a standard all star season.

Lastly I really dont get why Jeff doesn't like this season (if that's even true... I only ever heard that like third hand). On paper it seems to have everything he would have wanted. Some strong personalities, gameplay that ran the gambit, a very Jeff-like winner, and the theme played out well.

I mean, it's possible that he was hoping his buddy, Mike, would be the winner. Especially since Mike hit a lot of the same beats as Nick.
---

Do we even know that Jeff doesn't like this season or are we just assuming that because he didn't hype it up beforehand like he's done in the past?
---

Mewtwo59 posted...

Do we even know that Jeff doesn't like this season or are we just assuming that because he didn't hype it up beforehand like he's done in the past?

That's why I said what I said in parentheses.

By the way, I'm seeing on Reddit that Jeremy was banned from the reunion for leaving Ponderosa early.
---

phenomenal season

easily the best full season I've seen, which includes HHH, Ghost Island, and Samoa.
---

Underleveled posted...

I'm guessing andel would rather watch a professional chess match between guys that practically sit in silence making methodical moves as they stare at the board than two guys who aren't very skilled but are obviously having a lot of fun, reacting to everything, exchanging playful insults, perhaps even making it almost theatrical.

i would rather watch extremely good gameplay which inevitably leads to blindsides. see bb seasond 20 and especially bb 7, 10 and 14 and 15 all of which had some of the best gameplay and game players and were the most exciting seasons
---

andel posted...

Underleveled posted...

I'm guessing andel would rather watch a professional chess match between guys that practically sit in silence making methodical moves as they stare at the board than two guys who aren't very skilled but are obviously having a lot of fun, reacting to everything, exchanging playful insults, perhaps even making it almost theatrical.

i would rather watch extremely good gameplay which inevitably leads to blindsides. see bb seasond 20 and especially bb 7, 10 and 14 and 15 all of which had some of the best gameplay and game players and were the most exciting seasons

Okay, then shut up about what other people like and dislike. Because to me watching a season with good gameplay and boring, bland personalities is like watching a movie with a few great action sequences and shitty acting, writing, characters and special effects. It doesnt make the movie good and certainly not the characters.
---

no need to get hostile
---

Just finished the finale, not a bad season overall, I would say it makes top half for me, but doubt it would be top 5 like some of you are saying. It was pretty clear who was winning this one too - at least Mike kept it somewhat close, unlike many other seasons.

Reading through this, I think I am about the only one here that didn't really like Christian much as well. I'm a bit surprised everyone seemed to have him as one of their favourites. He was OK, but got annoying quickly.
---

Should we do the Survivor Save-My now that Andy has gone MIA? lol
---

CoolCly posted...

phenomenal season

easily the best full season I've seen, which includes HHH, Ghost Island, and Samoa.

please start watching better seasons
---

Good to see Inviso is still crazy
---

Surskit posted...

CoolCly posted...

phenomenal season

easily the best full season I've seen, which includes HHH, Ghost Island, and Samoa.

please start watching the whole series from the start

---

I can honestly say that Angelina is the best thing in Survivor in the last 4 years and possibly more.

Underleveled posted...

Surskit posted...

CoolCly posted...

phenomenal season

easily the best full season I've seen, which includes HHH, Ghost Island, and Samoa.

please start watching the whole series from the start

i just want you to know that i do not respect your opinions
---

illuminatusbubu posted...

I can honestly say that Angelina is the best thing in Survivor in the last 4 years and possibly more.

Boy. Dont get me wrong she's funny but come on lol
---

eaedwards6400 posted...

illuminatusbubu posted...

I can honestly say that Angelina is the best thing in Survivor in the last 4 years and possibly more.

Boy. Dont get me wrong she's funny but come on lol

I mean not a lot of conpetition.

That puts us as far back as 29. I think the only people to debut in 29-36 that I would put above Angelina are Aubry and Tai. Mayyybe Debbie.
---

Wentworth people come on.
---

No way is Wentworth better than the Kaoh-Rong trio and Angelina.

She's not even the best person on either of her seasons.
---

Who would you pick over her on Cambodia
---

Stephen and Kass
---

Abi too tbh
---

*facepalm* I disagree heavily.
---

Underleveled posted...

Okay rewatch done.

1. Abi
2. Keith
3. Wentworth
4. Ciera
5. Kass
6. Terry
7. Jeremy
8-19. *conducts the meh-lelujah chorus*
20. Savage

---

Watching the finale tonight. No spoilers in the next topic title please!

New topic:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77320834
---

I would go Stephen > Kelley > Abi > Kass of those 4 on Cambodia
---

i bet mario of funny 115 fame would agree with that angelina assessment tbqh
---

What do you get when you cross a troll with the devil?
---

bwburke94 posted...

What do you get when you cross a troll with the devil?

Russell Hantz.
---