Board 8 > Survivor: Island of the Idols Discussion Topic #3: We are thankful for Noura

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's amazing how Lauren and Janet can both talk about booting Noura to eliminate a goat at the endgame, yet Janet comes across as genuine, while Lauren talks about "making moves" and "resumes".

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Xmfd Noura

That's seriously the hardest I've laughed at Survivor in a LONG time.

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This is a WEIRD place to put a commercial in a non-double.

Elaine goes. Finale goes 6th Noura, 5th Dean, 4th Janet, F3 Tommy > Lauren > Dan.

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...

I can't even be happy about this.

He outlasted almost every decent character before they finally pulled the fucking plug.

Fuck this shit.

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wow

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Wow.

I don't see any future in which this season is looked fondly upon. It will not be vindicated by history, people will not go "at least we had Noura/Jamal/Janet/Rob/Sandra." It will stay in the garbage tier.

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For the first player ever ejected from Survivor, I fucking LOVE how fucking soft the edit went on Dan. He got buried in the merge episode, and then one episode later, he's just a normal guy, playing the game. In fact, Missy/Elizabeth/Kellee/Lauren all took a fuckton of shit for the merge episode. MORE than Dan did. Fuck the producers and the editors for this shit.

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So a few things we can take away from that moment...

One, no Dan at the reunion.

Two, at least they basically gave him the shaft in his final episode, making him UTR and then cutting him at the end of the episode rather than at the beginning of the finale and giving him that dignity.

Three, I'm willing to be that they were already anticipating the possibility of Dan getting ejected and that's why Jack is on the jury.

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Inviso posted...

Missy/Elizabeth/Kellee/Lauren all took a fuckton of shit for the merge episode.

Not to mitigate the fact that Dan didn't get enough shit, but Missy and Elizabeth deserved the shit they got. Aaron too. I don't remember Lauren getting shit for that episode (if she did she didn't deserve it) and you're way off base with Kellee, I think she got mostly love and support.

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its crazy that just a year ago we were watching one of the best seasons in the past 5 years and now this

what a complete farce. Im still excited for S40 but if it didnt have the theme it does Im honestly not sure Id even watch the show in the spring.

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Underleveled posted...

Not to mitigate the fact that Dan didn't get enough shit, but Missy and Elizabeth deserved the shit they got. Aaron too. I don't remember Lauren getting shit for that episode (if she did she didn't deserve it) and you're way off base with Kellee, I think she got mostly love and support.

I'm not saying they didn't deserve shit. I'm saying that they received so much more shit for what they did than the creeper that was feeling up the female castaways. To the point where there were some people complaining that Dan was the victim of a smear campaign that could ruin his life and career, all because of the girls lying.

As for Kellee, once Missy/Elizabeth started taking shit, Kellee started getting dragged through the mud because "she was planning on voting Misy out for being a threat, instead of Dan".

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The reunion won't be live by the way. It's being taped four hours earlier than usual. Dalton Ross reported it during the episode tonight.

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The Mana Sword posted...

its crazy that just a year ago we were watching one of the best seasons in the past 5 years and now this

It's not crazy if you follow the trend. Beginning with Worlds Apart, Survivor has been on a downward spiral and David vs. Goliath was the outlier, not the beacon of hope. Frankly even before this plunge I'm surprised they never had a player so uncontrollable and that the players adamantly refused to take care of themselves that they had to intervene.

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Inviso posted...

To the point where there were some people complaining that Dan was the victim of a smear campaign that could ruin his life and career, all because of the girls lying.

Yeah not disagreeing with you that anyone who tried to push this narrative is a fucking shithead, especially since the episode literally showed footage of Dan doing what he was accused of as it was narrated.

Peridiam posted...

The reunion won't be live by the way. It's being taped four hours earlier than usual. Dalton Ross reported it during the episode tonight.

#TheEndIsNear But seriously before this season Survivor was looking at going to S50 and beyond. If it ends in the next couple years I think it's safe to say that this will go down as the season that killed Survivor.

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I think most people I've seen on social media - Twitter, Reddit, YouTube - already wrote Dan off the moment it happened. Not all, but a vast majority. Missy/Elizabeth were more debatable, it wasn't so night and day. Their situation was complicated for many. So the discussion revolved a hefty amount around their choice of actions instead of Dan's, who most saw as awful without the need to question.

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Peridiam posted...

I think most people I've seen on social media - Twitter, Reddit, YouTube - already wrote Dan off the moment it happened. Not all, but a vast majority. Missy/Elizabeth were more debatable, it wasn't so night and day. Their situation was complicated for many. So the discussion revolved a hefty amount around their choice of actions instead of Dan's, who most saw as awful without the need to question.

It's great that everyone concurred that Dan is terrible, but when you shift the entire focus to "was everyone ELSE terrible?", even if consensus is against Dan, he kinda avoids the vitriol and blow back that the other players received.

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By the way, Dan is officially the worst of all time.

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I don't think the entire focus was shifted - just a lot of it. But that's because the general consensus was agreed upon.

What blowback are you talking about here exactly? Dan is completely MIA online. He's never peeped a word about anything. I don't think there was anything more to do in his case.

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Beware of the KIA chat on Youtube. I peeked in there for a sec and I believe I was just spoiled on the winner.

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From what I've been told about spoilers, nothing is locked this season. Just a lot of speculation.

Although tbh I feel like the winner is pretty obvious.

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The Mana Sword posted... its crazy that just a year ago we were watching one of the best seasons in the past 5 years and now this

what a complete farce. Im still excited for S40 but if it didnt have the theme it does Im honestly not sure Id even watch the show in the spring.

I had given up on this season after the second episode. First time I've ever quit watching a season. For me it's all about how exhausting the entire Meta/Modern Era has become (See Peridiam's video on Survivor Eras if you don't know what I mean). There's no reason for me to continue watching if I'm going to have to keep hearing about Advantages, Big Moves, and Building Resumes in every future season. And then there's the fact that we've been seeing the exact same beaches over the past 5 years.

I'm still gonna watch S40 since it's gonna be fantastic no matter what era we're in, but after that I'm gonna check myself out completely unless they finally make some serious attempts to freshen up the show.

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This has been on my tongue for a long time and I'm gonna finally say it.

The worst thing that happened to Survivor was Jeff Probst becoming an executive producer.

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I don't know why you all don't like Dean. He's so hilariously stupid. If he was doing this stupid stuff to help the people you liked, you all would love him. Dan certainly deserved to go, but I'm going to be sad that we don't get to see Dean misplay the fake legacy advantage and get voted out next. It would've been a great Siska-like exit for him.

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Two things:
I think we have a better late than never moment here with Dan. It is clear, and it is completely unacceptable, that Survivor didn't understand or know how to handle the situation but, they did learn from that situation. And if you see Kellee's comments I think that's part of what she's saying but obviously I won't speak for her.

Um, I still like this season. It won't be a top half season, or maybe even out of the bottom 10, like I thought it was going into the merge. I'll be watching the finale I guess to see if there is anything that can happen to move it up.
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If you disagree with me that's your prerogative and I completely understand. I don't know how or why but I'm able to compartmentalize the whole thing but that's just where I'm at right now
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Mewtwo59 posted...

I don't know why you all don't like Dean. He's so hilariously stupid. If he was doing this stupid stuff to help the people you liked, you all would love him. Dan certainly deserved to go, but I'm going to be sad that we don't get to see Dean misplay the fake legacy advantage and get voted out next. It would've been a great Siska-like exit for him.

The thing with Siska is that, ultimately, his stupidity didn't hurt anyone but himself. Same with Drew Christy. Dean, meanwhile, has failed his way into the final 5, with a decent chance of making the final tribal council. Because of Dean, Karishma went out, Elaine went out, Chelsea went out, Kellee went out, and all of them were more interesting characters.

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Inviso posted...

Mewtwo59 posted...

I don't know why you all don't like Dean. He's so hilariously stupid. If he was doing this stupid stuff to help the people you liked, you all would love him. Dan certainly deserved to go, but I'm going to be sad that we don't get to see Dean misplay the fake legacy advantage and get voted out next. It would've been a great Siska-like exit for him.

The thing with Siska is that, ultimately, his stupidity didn't hurt anyone but himself. Same with Drew Christy. Dean, meanwhile, has failed his way into the final 5, with a decent chance of making the final tribal council. Because of Dean, Karishma went out, Elaine went out, Chelsea went out, Kellee went out, and all of them were more interesting characters.

Doesn't that make him a dime store, Keith Nale? You know, without the loveable qualities?
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eaedwards6400 posted...

Doesn't that make him a dime store, Keith Nale? You know, without the loveable qualities?

Somewhat accurate.

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Mewtwo59 posted...

If he was doing this stupid stuff to help the people you liked, you all would love him.

So I was right then.


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how is dean going to play his fake legacy advantage if we go straight to five

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also i like this season, dunno what y'alls problem is

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CoolCly posted...

also i like this season, dunno what y'alls problem is

The last few episodes have been total duds, the gameplay has been rather stale following the double boot episode, and Tommy has to be one of the most boring people to ever exist, which sucks because he is very likely the winner. I don't know how he managed to be so incredibly bland even when recanting what was by all means a pretty fun tribal council at the start of this episode. I swear his character ends and begins at him shoe-horning "I'm a teacher" during plain stratbot confessionals. I also have issues with the stupid amount of idols which could have very well resulted in another Ben, and Island of the Idols is a pretty terrible time sink no matter how much Rob/Sandra attempt to make it halfway interesting. Today's lesson was a goddamn coin flip, lmao. I'd still have them in that spy shack every season, though.

Season started strong with a well-balanced edit, a refreshingly different post-Kassting ensemble, and a pre-merge that was very legit, but it's really just been going downhill ever since. The disappointment coupled with the uncomfortable topics and production's decisions concerning Dan before tonight are an easy way to sour on a season. If they wanted Lauren to seem like a contender they could have tried to give her more of a presence in the pre-merge as well tbh. I can't believe they made Purple Kelly a non entity for quitting and yet Dan all things considered didn't have a completely terrible edit, either. I suppose when half of the players remaining heading into the finale have been repeatedly clowned by the edit, it makes it realistically difficult to root for them too.

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Apparently this Dan incident happened on the way back from the immunity challenge. Seems strange they let him vote at tribal instead of booting him there.

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It's possible that it was the Final 6 immunity challenge. It did look like the afternoon when Jeff came to camp.
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I guess well see if he takes part, unless they completely edit him out of it.

Nvm, I realize they wouldnt even air that comp.

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Yeah, there's no way we see it. They probably had the foresight to give Dean the necklace before the Final 5 challenge just so we aren't confused that someone else had it.
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You might be thinking too much into it. If the incident took place after the F6 IC, the IC and ejection would have been aired as part of the finale.

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He got ejected on day 36, after Elaine was voted out. It should've been part of the finale, but it wasn't, probably because they'd rather get it out of the way now.
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Is it possible he did something to one of the family members during last weeks reward? Or was it confirmed a camera worker or something?

Mewtwo59 posted...

He got ejected on day 36, after Elaine was voted out. It should've been part of the finale, but it wasn't, probably because they'd rather get it out of the way now.

This. It seems they want the episode part of the final to be as clean as possible.
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Oh Lord. Why not sooner?

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Mewtwo59 posted...

So I was right then.

While I don't subscribe to the "hate the people that took out your favorites" mindset, and in fact generally admonish it, Dean's persistence in removing everyone and everything even remotely likable about this season with his arrogant idiocy has made an already garbage-tier season even worse. He sucks.

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Because of Dean, Karishma went out, Elaine went out, Chelsea went out, Kellee went out, and all of them were more interesting characters.

Sounds like a great reason for a jury to vote him as the winner.

As for the Dan thing, I don't want the production crew to burn in a fire or to have Survivor cancelled over this. Yes, they should have acted sooner and because they didn't, someone else was harmed. That is BRUTAL.

However, you also had Missy and Liz LYING about it on camera. So "Believe her always" can go both ways. In this case however it was very clear early on Dan was a scumbag. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't production ask Kellee if they wanted her to remove him or if she wanted to handle it herself? Then they did step in and talk about boundaries and to Dan specifically...and he STILL did something scummy, instant boot justified.

I don't think you should immediately eject someone based on an accusation without some kind of investigation, however Survivor did have taped evidence. I'm torn, but I have to think that production did the best they could with what they knew. There is no possible way they thought it was a good idea to keep him on if everything they heard was true, there needed to be some due diligence. Plus I'm sure Dan is massively lawyer'd up and probably swung that leverage around as much as he possibly could.

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Yeah, I'm expecting some sort of lawsuit to come out of this. Either the victim towards Dan or Dan towards CBS/Survivor.
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i suspect something is already happening, which is why the press has been so tight-lipped about the incident leading up to his removal.

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Omniscientless posted...

I can't believe they made Purple Kelly a non entity for quitting and yet Dan all things considered didn't have a completely terrible edit, either.

Yeah, this is kinda gross. When people quit the editors fucking bury them, either by effectively deleting them from the season or making them into an OTTNN supervillain. Dan does what he did, gets ejected, and other than the premiere and the merge episode, gets the generic curmudgeon edit.

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Yeah, but they buried him so hard in those episodes. Like even Na'Onka has fans. Dan is going to go down as the consensus worst person to ever play.
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It's interesting to think about a lot of things people are mad about - how Dan isn't that badly edited, how they didn't openly hold discussions about what happened publicly after the merge episodes, how sparse interviews have been, how little their statements actually tell us. A lot of people (including the people in this topic) are super hating on Survivor for not handling that stuff right.

But knowing Dan was kicked off now, I think that adds a lot of perspective to this - there probably is a lot of legal action being taken behind the scenes. The little black screens with font might be all they can legally tell us. If Jeff held a round table discussion with cast members about what happened, that could just be fuel for a legal fire. If they edited Dan to be a villain too strongly, then Dan might actually have grounds to sue them for smearing his name. Instead of smearing him, they just showed us what he was doing, all over the place. We saw it all season long. Casually. It's just normal footage of daily life at camp, so there's not really anything he can sue them over there.

One thing people are mad about is not pulling him from the game sooner, and maybe that's valid. But I don't think Survivor production ignored the problem or brushed it under the rug or anything. They just handled it the best way they saw fit at the time. Maybe they could or should have gone farther, but I think it's really weird to crucify them too harshly for not handling exactly the way you think it should have been handled. They didn't ignore it, they just handled it differently than you think it should have been handled, which of course they did, they were making choices in real time with what they thought was the right thing. I think saying "fuck survivor" for stuff like that is really childish and, honestly, hurtful.

And I think they did the absolute best thing they could - they showed it to us. We saw what happened. They didn't edit Dan to be a villain, but they didn't ignore it either. They just showed us what he did casually all the time. Then showed us how people responded - some people were hurt, some people stood up against that behaviour, some people used for their own advantage, and some people brushed it under the rug and act like it wasn't an issue. We even saw how the man himself minimized it and charismatically convinced people that he didn't do anything wrong and that he would never do anything wrong. It's a remarkable way to see how this kind of situation plays out in real life - everything about the way people can react to this kind of thing is captured by what Survivor showed us.

This whole situation doesn't hurt the season IMO - it elevates it to a remarkable case study in human behaviour, showing a genuine issue in society that really does happen today, and that lots of people try act like isn't a real problem. Take Jeff Varner's recent take, or even people in this very topic like Pokewars. They see an issue like this being presented in Survivor and complain about this SJW BS or whatever. I think highlighting stuff like this is peak reality TV.

So I think this is a good season, and that Survivor Production has done a good job trying to navigate a really difficult and real issue.

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I think there is too much flak of "why now, not then?" Its simply because Survivor wasn't smart enough about the first incident. They didn't think of day 3 as something that should have required a warning and therefore, they were one step behind the 8 ball when the merge happened and that's why he was just removed now not then. That being said, Survivor has learned from this situation already. Stephen said on KIA yesterday that the cast members of 40 were told up front about touching and that they were taking a no tolerance policy going forward, period.

Should they have known this already? um duh! but the fact is things are being made to right this going forward.

Sometimes bad things have to happen for things to be fixed. Hopefully we will never have a Ted/Ghandia, Rich/Sue, Dan/Kellee moment again.
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Just saw the episode. Everything is horrible.

I wonder how much someone like Josh Wigler knew about this to quit podcasting about Survivor entirely.

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