quote:

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YALL BETTER RELAX

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BRO

im still pretty much in love with jenn....even with the massive amounts of crazy

Yeah, I don't want to seem like Billy Bad A$$, but I can't imagine watching that transpire and not saying a word about it while it was going on.

At least a "Hey buddy, that might be a little too far" or something. But in the end it seems like the group of 6 was totally ok with what was said. Maybe there was, and it was edited out, but man, that was brutal and pissed me off about the whole tribe.

yeah same here...i dont like shirin at all, but nobody deserves to be treated like that

Mike did object to the way Will was treating her. At one point, Will called Mike a "beeyotch."

Probst re the extra vote advantage:

quote:

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So, do other players know you have the advantage?
It's like a hidden immunity idol. You're the only person that knows you have it until you tell somebody else.
Do other people even know the double-vote advantage exists?
No. It is reminiscent of the very first time we did a hidden immunity idol. Nobody knew it was out there. Nobody even knew it existedexcept the person that had it.
Can the person that has it split their vote and throw votes at two different people, or does their vote just count twice?
You could do what you just suggested, yes. It is literally a second vote. So imagine that you get to go up and vote once, and then you get to go up and vote again. So if you want to split your vote and do two different people, you can. If you want to bag on somebody and vote twice for the same person, you can. If you want to throw away both of your votes and just get rid of it, you can.
When it is revealed that someone has this power?
It won't be revealed at Tribal. [ED NOTE: Probst means he will not mention somebody has it in case that person wants to keep it a secret.] But like I said, it is similar to the idol in that it is a secret only if the person decides to keep it a secret. So sometimes people don't tell anybody they have an idol. And then they reveal it. Other times people use the idol as a defense mechanism or an offensive mechanism. You can do the same with this and say, "Look, I have a second vote, so you better vote the way I'm voting tonight," and then maybe not use it and do it again next week. Or, you could sabotage somebody and surprise them at Tribal and try to blindside somebody out.
How does the player have to reveal it at Tribal?
You would say something to the effect of, "Jeff, I'd like to use my advantage now."
Does that happen before the voting takes place?
Yes. And I would say, "Dalton has a second vote. A second piece of parchment. Dalton, go ahead and place your second vote." Cut to a reaction, a reaction, a reaction, and then hopefully cut to blindside.
So I would need to use it at some point during the voting processeither before the voting starts, or after I have already voted the first time. Basically, before you say, "I'll go tally the votes," I would have to say "Jeff" and then cue the dramatic music.
Yes. But to be clear, you might also start Tribal by saying, "Just want to let everybody know I have two votes tonight. So as you're thinking about what you're going to do, just know I'm voting twice for Bill." You can play it any way you want."
But if nobody has said anything by the time you go up to get the votes, then it's closed and we're done. You cannot play it after votes are read.
Once we're done voting, you can't use it after we're done.

---

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/17/survivor-exclusive-jeff-probst-reveals-big-new-twist

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I know we already spoke at length about the extra vote advantage, so I will refer people to that article to see our conversation about that, but let's talk about Mike's initial refusal to give you $20 for his loved ones letter. He tricked everyone else into doing it so he was the only one with $500 to get the advantage, and only when he caught heat for it did he run back up and change his mind. Do you buy what he said that he had a change of heart, or do you just think he realized what a terrible move that was in terms of how it destroyed his social game and made him completely untrustworthy?

JEFF PROBST: I think it's a bit of both. To be fair, I fully understand why Dan and Carolyn might think it was a revealing moment of super lame character and I'd probably feel the same way if it happened to me. But if I put myself in Mike's shoes I can see how he thought he was going to be very cagey and pull off an amazing move, without really considering how it would be received. Once he saw the animosity it drew, he quickly realized A) This is a terrible decision and could kill my chances of advancing and B) What was I thinking? That was a really lousy thing to do. I believe both exist. The bigger question is "What IS the long term damage?" Did he just cost himself any shot at winning the game? If he gets to the end, will anyone give him their vote? No question it was a regrettable move; now he has to figure out how to get out from under it. Definitely easier said than done.

Really interesting thing you did here by sending Will back to camp after he "won" the first item, but then giving him a secret stash of food. Where did that twist come from and did you have the sense like I did that if he shared it that the natural untrustworthy nature of the other contestants would only lead to trouble for him?

The idea came from the same place all of our ideas come fromthe Survivor gods. We pray to them daily and they have been blessing us for 15 years! As to my reaction, I was blown away that they instantly doubted his word. That one totally took me by surprise and in that moment I understood Will's frustration with having his word questioned. He made this truly beautiful gesture and all he got was "Where's the rest of it?" And this deep into the game it's so easy to get angry because you are truly at your end.

Will later asked if he could get his loved one letter if he did not partake in the immunity challenge and you said only if every player agreed to that. Shirin did not. Do you think that was on "integrity of the game" grounds or was that just a personal shot back at the guy who yelled at her earlier?

Oh, I think that was very personal. I don't think Shirin would have minded him getting his letter had everything else not happened. She never struck me as mean spirited in that sense. But that was a VERY heated argument back at camp. I think Will's outburst was totally out of line, but it came on the heels of him feeling equally offended for something totally different and so one bomb set off another bomb. I'm not excusing any of it, I'm just looking objectively at how quickly things can escalateand then when you trace them back you can see their origins so clearly.

Judging by the preview that showed Tyler finding Dan's advantage in his bag, it looks like we're going to start to feel the ramifications of that new twist. What can you say about next week's episode?

The exciting part about having a new twist is nobody has any idea of how it will be played, if it will be played, when it will be played, or how it will change the game, if at all! It's something we've wanted to do for a long time and it finally felt right and now it's a viable "thing" just waiting to be called into action!

---

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/22/survivor-host-jeff-probst-breaks-down-all-auction-drama

Rodney is a quote machine.
He is the funniest character on this season.

quote:

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Probst re the extra vote advantage:

quote:

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So, do other players know you have the advantage?
It's like a hidden immunity idol. You're the only person that knows you have it until you tell somebody else.
Do other people even know the double-vote advantage exists?
No. It is reminiscent of the very first time we did a hidden immunity idol. Nobody knew it was out there. Nobody even knew it existedexcept the person that had it.
Can the person that has it split their vote and throw votes at two different people, or does their vote just count twice?
You could do what you just suggested, yes. It is literally a second vote. So imagine that you get to go up and vote once, and then you get to go up and vote again. So if you want to split your vote and do two different people, you can. If you want to bag on somebody and vote twice for the same person, you can. If you want to throw away both of your votes and just get rid of it, you can.
When it is revealed that someone has this power?
It won't be revealed at Tribal. [ED NOTE: Probst means he will not mention somebody has it in case that person wants to keep it a secret.] But like I said, it is similar to the idol in that it is a secret only if the person decides to keep it a secret. So sometimes people don't tell anybody they have an idol. And then they reveal it. Other times people use the idol as a defense mechanism or an offensive mechanism. You can do the same with this and say, "Look, I have a second vote, so you better vote the way I'm voting tonight," and then maybe not use it and do it again next week. Or, you could sabotage somebody and surprise them at Tribal and try to blindside somebody out.
How does the player have to reveal it at Tribal?
You would say something to the effect of, "Jeff, I'd like to use my advantage now."
Does that happen before the voting takes place?
Yes. And I would say, "Dalton has a second vote. A second piece of parchment. Dalton, go ahead and place your second vote." Cut to a reaction, a reaction, a reaction, and then hopefully cut to blindside.
So I would need to use it at some point during the voting processeither before the voting starts, or after I have already voted the first time. Basically, before you say, "I'll go tally the votes," I would have to say "Jeff" and then cue the dramatic music.
Yes. But to be clear, you might also start Tribal by saying, "Just want to let everybody know I have two votes tonight. So as you're thinking about what you're going to do, just know I'm voting twice for Bill." You can play it any way you want."
But if nobody has said anything by the time you go up to get the votes, then it's closed and we're done. You cannot play it after votes are read.
Once we're done voting, you can't use it after we're done.

---

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/17/survivor-exclusive-jeff-probst-reveals-big-new-twist

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Did that guy Dalton not watch the episode? I think every one of those questions was answered when Dan read out loud the instructions for his extra vote.

I think they did that interview before the episode aired.

Gotcha.

There is a lot of power in that extra vote.

quote:

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There is a lot of power in that extra vote.

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True, but I am skeptical Dan will know how/when to wield it. Its like a 4 year old trying to shoot a bazooka.

Interesting

Outside of Tyler and Carolyn there are no tight twos. Bunch of morons, and Dan might be the biggest. I wouldn't be surprised to see him rationalize this around to not being a problem and going home next, especially after that preview. I'm ready for things to get interesting.

Brilliant move by Mike. Still has the idol and gets the six to start turning on each other. And if course, Will continues to be a horrible human being.

Mike still has to win 2 out of the next three immunity challenges, and then win immunity when there are four people left (assuming a final 3). He could actually do that since no one else really seems to be that good at challenges.

Yeah, he was always going to have to keep winning. I think this was the best way he could have used the idol at this point.

Also, how about Dan trying to make the case that being adopted is the same as being abused as a kid? What a buffoon.

Dude, you saying Mike is likable?? He's bat s$&t crazy !

That was tremendous fun, especially once Mike tells them all that he voted Tyler, which then reveals that TWO people voted for Dan (Will & Tyler). And like someone said before, they all know Mike has the HII, so someone has to go. What's great is that Dan has his double vote and it might not even be viable if he's on their chopping block. Even if he flipped back to siding with Mike and the other 5 split the vote (let's say 3 to Dan, 2 to MIke), he and Mike could only combine for 3 votes, resulting in a tie, which would then go 5-2 against Dan and he'd be gone.

In hindsight, I really wish Mike hadn't bluffed and given Shirin the idol, because it would have resulted in a 2-2 Tyler/Dan tie, which would have then been armageddon for the Strong Six.

New Standings

Aero Aggie 44 49.5

zap 48
BlackLab 48

gravy 47.5

txac 46.5

Ronnie 46

hurley 43.5

LHIOB 42.5

Moore 41.5

double 41.5

Muck 40

Earp 39.5

Cheese 38.5

Unthought 38

Chip 31

txaggiefarm 31

Quinn 30.5

jdgilberg 28.5


P.S. - I sure hope Joe took advantage of being alone at the Ponderosa with Jenn and Hali, because now that Ratgirl is there, it's pretty much the ultimate Debbie Downer situation.

If Blue Collar has any sense and get their s' together, they can take it the rest of the way.

quote:

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P.S. - I sure hope Joe took advantage of being alone at the Ponderosa with Jenn and Hali, because now that Ratgirl is there, it's pretty much the ultimate Debbie Downer situation.

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I think Joe and Jenn are "together" now, so I am assuming Joe took advantage.

Great episode
Mike is playing for keeps
Dan might be the dumbest player to ever play this game
'i agree with everything you're saying, but I'm just going to stay the course anyway'
Idiot

It appears only Mike, Tyler and Carolyn have the gumption (and ability) to win it all. I can't figure out what the rest are doing. I guess they are content with making "final six."

The people that do nothing are usually convinced in their own minds that they're doing something ,and probably convey that in interviews that are not aired during the show. Rodney claims he's running the show, but no vote he ever calls for actually happens; Sierra, despite continuing to excel at being "Island Hot" is never doing anything that I can discern as strategy.

With hindsight of a day later, it's a real shame for Dan that Mike didn't give Shirin the HII, because that would have resulted in a 2-2 tie between he and Tyler. At that point he could have used his advantage, and declared it openly that he had 2 votes, and said they're both going to Tyler - let's get him out now - directing that comment right at Sierra/Rodney. If either of them would have written Tyler's name down, along with Dan+1, Mike and Ratgirl, Tyler's gone.

Mike's physical ability has really blown my mind of late; he really is defining what a blue collar person is in terms of hard working and deceptively strong/quick. Seeing him win a weight-holding contest against a guy like Rodney, who is probably working out while I'm writing this, reminds me a lot of the legendary Pearl Islands showdown between Rupert and Osten that is still perhaps my favorite Challenge moment ever.

quote:

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The people that do nothing are usually convinced in their own minds that they're doing something ,and probably convey that in interviews that are not aired during the show. Rodney claims he's running the show, but no vote he ever calls for actually happens; Sierra, despite continuing to excel at being "Island Hot" is never doing anything that I can discern as strategy.

With hindsight of a day later, it's a real shame for Dan that Mike didn't give Shirin the HII, because that would have resulted in a 2-2 tie between he and Tyler. At that point he could have used his advantage, and declared it openly that he had 2 votes, and said they're both going to Tyler - let's get him out now - directing that comment right at Sierra/Rodney. If either of them would have written Tyler's name down, along with Dan+1, Mike and Ratgirl, Tyler's gone.

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You never want your best alliance to be more than half the remaining survivors. That is, if there are 12 people left and you're told "top 6", you're good. If there are 8 people left and you're told "top 6" by some and "top 3" by others, you're good. If there are 8 people left anad you're told "top 6" and nothing else, you're not long for the game.

A reasonable person would realize that and start asking around (to Sierra and Rodney's credit, they've been told top 3). But Dan's moronic "flippers never win" philosophy prevents him from ever betraying his current alliance even if it means voting out his blue til I die alliance.

quote:

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Mike's physical ability has really blown my mind of late; he really is defining what a blue collar person is in terms of hard working and deceptively strong/quick. Seeing him win a weight-holding contest against a guy like Rodney, who is probably working out while I'm writing this, reminds me a lot of the legendary Pearl Islands showdown between Rupert and Osten that is still perhaps my favorite Challenge moment ever.

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There's muscle and then there's grit. Muscle determines how much you can lift. Grit determines how much you can take. Real life blue collars (e.g. roughnecks like Mike) have beeen conditioned to taking a ton of punishment. Weightlifters (like Rodney, Osten & Garrett Adelstein) don't deal with alot of pain outside the gym.

Mike mentioned that he does crossfit during the reward challenge last night, so that's probably why he's in pretty good shape and used to doing odd exercise activities. Hopefully he makes a run to the end, otherwise I will be rooting against everyone.

quote:

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There has been a lot of unfortunate behavior and comments by men (Will, Dan, Rodney) towards and about women this season. I've heard from a lot of fans that are very upset about that, and I've also heard from some others who appreciate that we're seeing a forum in which these people are called out for their attitudes. Talk a little bit about the show's responsibility in terms of casting so many people that have been acting and speaking in such a disrespectful fashion, and then also your decision making in terms of how much to show of this type of behavior.

JEFF PROBST: One of the key elements in the premise of Survivor is that the game is to be played with people from various walks of life. In a perfect world, it's a tapestry of people from different parts of the country, raised with different religious and political beliefs, with a range of IQ's and physical abilities. You then put them in extreme conflict, in this case, being abandoned on an island, deprive them of everything else and force them to work together while voting each other out. It's a tremendously stressful situation and typically, the tougher it gets, the more a person's faade is stripped away and the more truth is revealed.

And because Survivor is ultimately a game aboutsocial politics and the relationships you form with others, it's only a matter of time before personal opinions and points of view begin to clash. Those battles can be funny, annoying, cathartic, deeply personal and at times incredibly hurtful. They often evoke strong reactions from the other players and from the audience.

While I certainly don't think of Survivor as a social or moral compass, I do believe strongly in doing our best to tell the contestants stories accurately flattering or not. There is obviously a touch of bias in every editing decision you have to make about what to put in the show and what to leave out, but our primary goal is to always to reflect the essence of their adventure. That includes moments that show them at their most heroic as well as moments that expose a less than attractive side of someone's personality.

I really can't imagine a scenario in which we would not show a scene like the one between Will and Shirin simply because we were afraid that viewers would be upset. That's just not the way we approach the show. There is no denying that was a very difficult exchange to witness and no matter how many times you watch it, it does not get any easier or any less emotional. But, that level of honesty and vulnerability from people who have been stripped to their very core is a large part of the reason I am still excited to be a part of the show.

For me it often comes down to one question: Does an action that we take under duress define us? Does it speak to the truest part of our character? If so, does that mean we live most of our life behind a mask of social politeness that belies our natural tendencies? Because, to be fair, I have to share that Will was nothing but delightful throughout the entire casting process and most of the show and I imagine in the bar where he works he has a lot of regulars who love him. Rodney would argue that his comments about women were never meant to offendin fact he feels the same way about his own mother who is the light of his life. And Dan would tell you that he is adored by many people, is one of the most loyal friends you could ever have and loves his wife, as he said, "like you read about."

Nobody is ever happy when they see themselves in an unflattering light. We don't want to see ourselves that way. But sometimes we say and do things that we wish we could take back. In Will's case, I am curious if, upon reflection he will choose to publicly apologize to Shirin at the live Reunion show. With Rodney, I hope to talk to his mom to hear her take on her son. I expect that she will help us better understand where he is coming from and then his story will probably make more sense. With Dan, I am not sure what to expect. Dan is one of the most colorful individuals to ever be on the show. As he said to us in casting many times, one of his main goals was "to be remembered." Mission accomplished. The question is, did Dan's desire to be remembered compel him to go a bit over the top with some of his comments? Are they authentic to who he is? And if so, do those comments define him?

As for the audience, I believe they are on this ride with us. Survivor is a devilishly fun game and a big part of the appeal is watching human behavior play out in front of you every Wednesday night.

You awarded both a male immunity and a female immunity this week, which I actually do like. However, you also know all too well that I spend my off-hours moonlighting as an unpaid volunteer for the Fairness Police, and in this case it meant the women had a 1 in 3 chance of getting immunity while the men only had 1 in 5. Any worry about that discrepancy and not having an even chance for everybody?

Given how you have posed the question, the simple answer is no, I don't see an issue with this situation. In fact, couldn't you make the argument that everybody's odds actually increased as a result of the two idols? Similar to the theme of my earlier answer, we really do strive to keep the game as absolutely fair as possible at all times and so far every time we have done dual immunity idols it has felt right.

Mike tells everyone at Tribal that he is going to give Shirin his immunity idol thereby forcing the alliance of six to vote for each other. He was bluffing, of course, and did not use it, but I thought it was a pretty savvy move to start to turn folks against each other. What do you make that move and what would you have done in Mike's position? Do what he did? Actually give Shirin the idol? Never take the idol out and keep it a secret? What say you?

I'm with you: I was pretty impressed and really surprised by Mike's move! Not sure I would have thought to do that. It was psychological warfare. He dropped the fear bomb right in the lap of the alliance of six. It's a great example of how one small action can change the game. Now there are some obvious cracks in the alliance that he might be able to exploit. Brilliant! As for actually playing the idol or notthat's a really tough call to make from the armchair. I guess it's really about odds. If you give your idol up for someone else it better result in you being in charge of the numbers because otherwise your odds of going home increase, because now you are vulnerable. If you keep it, you know you have at least one more week of security and that is huge.
What I really enjoyed about Mike's move was he gave the alliance of six so many dilemmas to deal with at once: 1) Am I going to play the idol for Shirin? 2) If I do play it, and you all vote for her, then she is safe and one of you will be going home. 3) My one vote could decide who is voted out and if you think it's you, you better think about changing your vote to someone else. Fantastic! Though Shirin was voted out, Mike accomplished a major goal. He showed dissention in the ranks. He opened a crack. Now he has to pry it open and wedge his way in.

Okay, sir, what can you tease up for next week?

It's Rodney's birthday. Did you hear me? It's RODNEY'S BIRTHDAY!

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http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/30/survivor-jeff-probst-recap-sexism

Bro

I've been using "work hawd, play hawd" much to the annoyance of the family. I will have to add "you godda relax, bro."

quote:

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With hindsight of a day later, it's a real shame for Dan that Mike didn't give Shirin the HII, because that would have resulted in a 2-2 tie between he and Tyler. At that point he could have used his advantage, and declared it openly that he had 2 votes, and said they're both going to Tyler - let's get him out now - directing that comment right at Sierra/Rodney. If either of them would have written Tyler's name down, along with Dan+1, Mike and Ratgirl, Tyler's gone.

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If Dan and Tyler are involved in a tie, Dan and Tyler don't get to vote.

Ah, I am shamed that I forgot this point.

Seriously, bro, shamed.