# Survivor - Braun, Beauty, Brains - Season Thread



## bryhamm (Jun 30, 2004)

Wow. The brains are gonna dwindle quickly. While I get "why" they did the moves they did, they are gonna backfire in the long run imo.


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## dfergie (Aug 27, 2006)

Could be either the earliest tribe mix up or extinction ... Naionka has a Sister?


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

What a laugh. 

The brains are just not that smart about all this.

And not voting out the person that dumped the rice into your fire. Oh my.

On the other hand, I could look at the leader of the beauty team all day. Oh my yes!!!


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

I am a little surprised that Jeff hasn't asked the tribes about the decision that the first folks had to make when they arrived at their camp...

Garrett obviously is gone, so he won't feel the consequence of his decision... And Trish decided to choose the extra rice for her tribe, so she won't have any problems...

Morgan on the other hand... (1) Why hasn't she broken free and taken some more time to find the idol? (2) When do you think her lie to the beauty tribe come back to bite her?


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## Fool Me Twice (Jul 6, 2004)

Very entertaining. I enjoyed seeing Vegas sleaze Garrett get blindsided even though it left one of my early favorites, Spencer, in a bad spot, and saved a worthless lump of flesh like J'Tia. 

Is J'Tia must be the biggest PhD fraud in the history of the sciences? Affirmative.

That cheerleader is the hottest fat girl in the history of Survivor.

#Spyshack. His nervous energy is off-putting, on the other hand I do love a scrambler. But, he's comic relief, so he'll get booted by mid-game. The female cop seems to have her stuff together, though.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Good start. The blindside of Garret took me by surprise.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

heySkippy said:


> Good start. The blindside of Garret took me by surprise.


What was as surprising is he left his idol back at camp! What a dope! Even if you feel confident, anything can transpire at council and may want to use it after what you've heard!


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

I wonder if Garret's idol left back at camp is fair game for anyone who stumbles across it.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

Morgan. Wow. Finally a girl with some meat on her bones. Big fan already.

I never understand why people lie about what they do when they are just a working-class person. It would make sense to hide the fact that you are a millionaire, but to hide that you are a cop is just gameplay that shows you don't really understand the game.

I like that the hidden immunity idols were not places that someone would normally look, but the clues were really straight out spoilers. Except Morgan couldn't find hers. But I thought I saw it in one of the crevices right before they went to commercial.

And how can anyone do anything secretly with the cameraman following them around? If you spot a cameraman you know one of your tribemates is there.

I loved seeing Garrett eliminated. He is no Boston Rob for sure. He needed to just be quiet and play the game but he tried to take control (seriously, telling people they couldn't talk to each other?) and it blew up in his face.

And one more Morgan for the road.


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

"They're real and they're spectacular"


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Good start and I'm loving having no RI. And I love having all new players. I always enjoy the first few episodes. Everyone comes into the game convinced they are smarter than everyone else and they are going to dominate. I love blindisides like we saw last night.


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## MegaHertz67 (Apr 18, 2005)

I posted this on Monday in the thread about the preview show that was on:


MegaHertz67 said:


> I live in Miami, and David Sampson is the President of the Miami Marlins. He's on the "Brains" team and is a very smart guy who should do great on puzzles and thinking through the different parts of the game. He can do the physical stuff too, as he has run marathons and other endurance events.
> 
> But...it will be interesting to see how he plays the social games as he is a complete jacka$$. It's a classic case of the Napoleon Complex. If he could come off as meek and blend in and be nonthreatening, he'll have a chance to go far. If he needs to lead and show off and make sure everyone knows how smart he is...he's gonna get booted a lot sooner than he should.
> 
> I just thought I would share and give you guys something extra to look for as you enjoy the program.


I knew David Sampson would not win it, but I didn't expect him to get booted first.

Let's enumerate his mistakes:
1. Allowing himself to be identified as "the leader" put the target on him. 
2. Not even appearing to agonize over the decision to single someone out made him look bad. 
3. The fact that he picked the biggest and fittest looking person in his group as the "weakest" made him look ridiculous.
4. Defending the strategy of that pick as one for later in the game made him stand out as a threat.
5. The fact that his pick allowed Garrett to find the immunity idol while swearing to take David out was just Karmic justice for wearing a blazer to a tropical beach and looking like Thurston Howell III's idiot son. (wow, I feel old for that dated reference)

And all of that happened before they even reached camp for the first time. So David's gone, Garrett's gone. Kassandra and Spencer are left clinging to each other? Kassandra is aligned with the crazy person that dumped the rice and ensured they will all be weak and starving?

The Brains tribe wasn't very smart. Somewhere Cochran is laughing his butt off.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

None of the 3 "leaders" had any idea why they were told to pick the weakest player and didn't know those picked would be given an opportunity to find the HII but yeah picking Garrett was dumb. Your prediction on how David would do are eerily accurate.


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## bryhamm (Jun 30, 2004)

Fool Me Twice said:


> Very entertaining. I enjoyed seeing Vegas sleaze Garrett get blindsided even though it left one of my early favorites, Spencer, in a bad spot, and saved a worthless lump of flesh like J'Tia.
> 
> Is J'Tia must be the biggest PhD fraud in the history of the sciences? Affirmative.
> *
> ...


You think she is fat?


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## bryhamm (Jun 30, 2004)

VegasVic said:


> Good start and *I'm loving having no RI. And I love having all new players.* I always enjoy the first few episodes. Everyone comes into the game convinced they are smarter than everyone else and they are going to dominate. I love blindisides like we saw last night.


Both of these!!!!


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

bryhamm said:


> You think she is fat?


I figured it was a poor attempt at trolling.


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## kettledrum (Nov 17, 2003)

She is definitely not fat. 

She also has some very nice pictures on her instagram page.

The downside is that it was mentioned on some other forums that she is good friends with Colton. Colton told casting about her and told them if they thought he was *****y they needed to meet her and they cast her.


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

Fool Me Twice said:


> Very entertaining. I enjoyed seeing Vegas sleaze Garrett get blindsided even though it left one of my early favorites, Spencer, in a bad spot, and saved a worthless lump of flesh like J'Tia.
> 
> Is J'Tia must be the biggest PhD fraud in the history of the sciences? Affirmative.
> 
> That cheerleader is the hottest fat girl in the history of Survivor.


If you have a career where your reputation is everything and you are dependent on other people hiring you and keeping you employed, like I don't know, a nuclear engineer, then maybe going on TV and looking like both an idiot and a crazy person isn't a great idea. But I guess that's what idiots and crazy people do.

If you think Morgan is fat, you need to get your eyes checked. She is a very healthy, very hot young woman.



gossamer88 said:


> What was as surprising is he left his idol back at camp! What a dope! Even if you feel confident, anything can transpire at council and may want to use it after what you've heard!


Garrett, Mr. Strategy, may be the worst player in Survivor history. Wow.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

kettledrum said:


> She is definitely not fat.
> 
> She also has some very nice pictures on her instagram page.
> 
> The downside is that it was mentioned on some other forums that she is good friends with Colton. Colton told casting about her and told them if they thought he was *****y they needed to meet her and they cast her.


I wonder how she knows Colton, she's from San Jose and he's from Alabama.


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

VegasVic said:


> Good start and I'm loving having no RI. And I love having all new players.





bryhamm said:


> Both of these!!!!


I should add a +1 to this. I hated RI and am so tired of returning players, especially the ones who come back multiple times. I'm glad they took a break from that.

By the way, if you don't know anything about Cliff Robinson, the guy was an incredible basketball player. Some of the former pro athletes who go on Survivor weren't anything special when they played, but he was. Seems like Cliff and Woo are going to be like the Skipper and Gilligan.


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## tonestert (Nov 15, 2007)

Dalton's recap


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## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

MegaHertz67 said:


> 5. The fact that his pick allowed Garrett to find the immunity idol while swearing to take David out was just Karmic justice for wearing a blazer to a tropical beach and looking like Thurston Howell III's idiot son. (wow, I feel old for that dated reference)
> .


I never really heard if they have total choice over what they wear. I was thinking the jacket thing was stupid, but then in the previews for next week they show


Spoiler



them shivering in the rain--if he had lasted that long, the blazer might have come in handy.



I think I would wear as many layers of clothes as I could just in case.

I like Woo and Spencer. Of course, Spencer looks to be in trouble. The girl who did that last puzzle so fast also seems promising.


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## zordude (Sep 23, 2003)

it always seems that several people are wearing the color of their new tribe right away, so the producers must give some kind of guidance


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

VegasVic said:


> None of the 3 "leaders" had any idea why they were told to pick the weakest player and didn't know those picked would be given an opportunity to find the HII but yeah picking Garrett was dumb. Your prediction on how David would do are eerily accurate.


If he'd been thinking straight David could have easily fixed this. He should have just said he knew they wouldn't just kick out three people up-front, so he suspected that the three picked might have to participate in a challenge and he thought that sending a stronger person, when the other two tribes picked weaker people, would give his tribe an advantage.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

Brains must already be thinking of taking J'Tia to the final three.


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

Allanon said:


> Brains must already be thinking of taking J'Tia to the final three.


Using her to sabotage the other teams.


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## Cragmyre (Mar 8, 2004)

zordude said:


> it always seems that several people are wearing the color of their new tribe right away, so the producers must give some kind of guidance


I always thought they were told to dress for a photo shoot and then get whisked away. But then how would they have their swimsuits on stand by? If this show ever goes off the air, I hope they make a behind the scenes episode.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

It made a little more sense to me that Garrett left the idol back at camp when I went back and looked again and he left Tribal competely empty handed - so he didn't bring *anything* with him. It wasn't just a matter of leaving the idol behind.

As it turns out, though, I'm glad he's gone. What a tool.

I haven't locked in on any favorite yet, but I really am liking Cliff.


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

betts4 said:


> On the other hand, I could look at the leader of the beauty team all day. Oh my yes!!!


I'm confused. I don't think Morgan is the leader of the beauty tribe


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

Cragmyre said:


> I always thought they were told to dress for a photo shoot and then get whisked away. But then how would they have their swimsuits on stand by? If this show ever goes off the air, I hope they make a behind the scenes episode.


Pretty sure they have some clothes waiting for them at camp. At one point they show Morgan dumping out a sack of gym shoes.


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

cherry ghost said:


> Pretty sure they have some clothes waiting for them at camp. At one point they show Morgan dumping out a sack of gym shoes.


I've read in many places where contestants have said that the producers eventually give them the swimsuits. The first few days are underwear-heavy (for obvious reasons) and then the suits are handed out.

I'm not surprised at the bad showing of the Brains tribe. Being smart and remaining smart under physical and emotional stress are 2 very different things.

Spencer will be fine. Kass aligning with J-Crazy is temporary and served its purpose. Kass needs to figure out that being honest is a detriment in this game, though.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Cragmyre said:


> I always thought they were told to dress for a photo shoot and then get whisked away. But then how would they have their swimsuits on stand by? If this show ever goes off the air, I hope they make a behind the scenes episode.


I am sure they are told to dress for a photo shoot and it will include some shots of you in your "dress" clothes and another shot of you in your swim/beachwear.

I wonder if they get reimbursed for what they bring to the island. I would hate to take a sport jacket or your nice jeans and have them all soiled up by the elements.


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## goblue97 (May 12, 2005)

Einselen said:


> I wonder if they get reimbursed for what they bring to the island. I would hate to take a sport jacket or your nice jeans and have them all soiled up by the elements.


I highly doubt it. I recall a guy from a few (maybe several) seasons back commenting on how expensive his shoes were and they were ruined...or something like that.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

MegaHertz67 said:


> I posted this on Monday in the thread about the preview show that was on:I knew David Sampson would not win it, but I didn't expect him to get booted first.
> 
> Let's enumerate his mistakes:
> 1. Allowing himself to be identified as "the leader" put the target on him.
> ...


He's the president of the Miami Marlins. They're probably the most dysfunctional franchise in baseball. I wasn't at all surprised to see him booted off first. He finishes in last place, just like his Marlins.


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## dirtypacman (Feb 3, 2004)

Not a fan of 2 hour premiere especially when its just back to back episodes, not bringing anything special to the table on that one. Once again I will immediately say Jeff sucks, i really wish they would bring fresh blood into this show. I did not like how the first challenge took place before they even show a tribe lasting the first night yet Jeff is yelling 72 hours in and you can't handle it, failing apart after only 3 days&#8230;. Yes just a pet peeve but I hate when they jump around time warp and sometimes you never know when something actually happened or when it was said in relation to the show. That is what they do well though, manipulate the show to get the most they can out of it. And I was sucked in yet again because I am a fan of the show. 

I really enjoy its all new players, not Redemption and 3 tribes to start. All good things in my opinion. Should be a decent season to watch. 

I don't think I have seen 2 players so bad right off the bat between Garrett and J-tie. That tribe is screwed!! lol


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## InterMurph (May 22, 2003)

Anubys said:


> I'm not surprised at the bad showing of the Brains tribe.


You are assuming that these people are, in fact, brainy. There is little evidence to support this assumption.


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

InterMurph said:


> You are assuming that these people are, in fact, brainy. There is little evidence to support this assumption.


Well, Jeff said none had an IQ of less than 130 or something along these lines. It should be safe to assume he was not lying.


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## kettledrum (Nov 17, 2003)

JFriday said:


> I wonder how she knows Colton, she's from San Jose and he's from Alabama.


I have no idea. I just read it in one place in a different forum. It could be completely made up for all I know. In fact I would prefer it that way.



stellie93 said:


> I never really heard if they have total choice over what they wear.


I seem to remember Cochran saying that he had never owned a sweater vest in his life before Survivor. 

Candice had a bit to say at the end of this article about wardrobe, basically that the producers decide everything.

There is *no* way I would ever vote to keep somebody on my tribe after they sabotage all of the rice.

Overall I like Spencer, Sarah, and Cliff the best (subject to change/additions of course!).


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

Which one is Morgan, again?


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

Donbadabon said:


> Morgan. ...
> 
> And one more Morgan for the road.


I'm just quoting to answer the last post


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

Ah yes.... Thanks for refreshing my mammary


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

This made me laugh:

Dalton on EW: "Tony has to needlessly fib because hes worried if people find out he is a police officer from New Jersey they will think he is too strategical. As someone who lives in New Jersey I can assure him that would not be the case."

:up:


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## kettledrum (Nov 17, 2003)

This is a good refresher too.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

I don't mind 2 hours since it WAS back to back episodes and two tribals. I was afraid it was going to be drawn out with only 1 elimination.


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## Dnamertz (Jan 30, 2005)

dirtypacman said:


> Not a fan of 2 hour premiere especially when its just back to back episodes, not bringing anything special to the table on that one. Once again I will immediately say Jeff sucks,


Jeff is the best. He is great at questioning the tribes during TC and isn't afreaid to challenge people if they roll their eyes or say something stupid. Unlike a host like Julie Chen who just wants to be nice to everyone.

To the person who thinks Morgan is fat, please look at the picture that someone posted on here and explain where you are seeing the fat on her body.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

Well, aren't boobs mostly fat tissue?


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## dirtypacman (Feb 3, 2004)

Dnamertz said:


> Jeff is the best. He is great at questioning the tribes during TC and isn't afreaid to challenge people if they roll their eyes or say something stupid. Unlike a host like Julie Chen who just wants to be nice to everyone.
> 
> To the person who thinks Morgan is fat, please look at the picture that someone posted on here and explain where you are seeing the fat on her body.


Its ok I say it every year. Jeff just irks me, I think he has a bit of a napoleon complex. I don't like that he is part of the producers/production of the show and can manipulate as he sees fit. His questioning is borderline interference in the game at times, he pushes to get the results that are good for tv but in doing so takes away from the game. He can make or break a tribal for a player. Yes he is part of the game, has been from the beginning but being a viewer since season 1 I have seen a huge shift in his responsibilities and influence into the game.


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## dfergie (Aug 27, 2006)

Jeff makes the show and I doubt it would still be on if he were not the host ... deal with him.


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

Another Probst fan here. Replace him with anyone else and the show will be off the air after one season.

Also, I need to avoid that gif of Morgan. I could look at that for hours.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

+1 for Jeff. The day he leaves is almost certainly the last day I watch Survivor... and I've watched every single season. Well, OK, I FF through most of each episode these days but still


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

Fool Me Twice said:


> Very entertaining. I enjoyed seeing Vegas sleaze Garrett get blindsided even though it left one of my early favorites, Spencer, in a bad spot, and saved a worthless lump of flesh like J'Tia. Is J'Tia must be the biggest PhD fraud in the history of the sciences? Affirmative. That cheerleader is the hottest fat girl in the history of Survivor. #Spyshack. His nervous energy is off-putting, on the other hand I do love a scrambler. But, he's comic relief, so he'll get booted by mid-game. The female cop seems to have her stuff together, though.


Who said j'tia has her phd? I thought she was just a nuclear engineer. That could be just a bachelors degree.


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

Anubys said:


> Well, Jeff said none had an IQ of less than 130 or something along these lines. It should be safe to assume he was not lying.


He said average IQ of 130. Implies some above and some below.


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## spartanstew (Feb 24, 2002)

dfergie said:


> Jeff makes the show and I doubt it would still be on if he were not the host ... deal with him.


I seriously doubt that, but we'll never know. Survivor would be just fine (and maybe better) without Probst. His schtick has just gotten old, and he seems to manipulate the game more every season.



Squeak said:


> He said average IQ of 130. Implies some above and some below.


Exactly. One or two of them could have 110 IQ's, and even though technically 130 is in about the top 3%, I never considered 130 particularly "brainy". I would have thought they'd all be 150's.


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## dfergie (Aug 27, 2006)

spartanstew said:


> I seriously doubt that, but we'll never know. Survivor would be just fine (and maybe better) without Probst. His schtick has just gotten old, and he seems to manipulate the game more every season.


Don't watch it if you are tired of him, I think he's with the show till the end...


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## brianric (Aug 29, 2002)

dfergie said:


> Don't watch it if you are tired of him, I think he's with the show till the end...


That's because hwe can't maintain a job else where.


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

Squeak said:


> Who said j'tia has her phd? I thought she was just a nuclear engineer. That could be just a bachelors degree.


She said at one point in the show that she has a PhD in Nuclear Engineering.


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## DLL66 (Oct 21, 2002)

dirtypacman said:


> Not a fan of 2 hour premiere especially when its just back to back episodes, not bringing anything special to the table on that one. Once again I will immediately say Jeff sucks, i really wish they would bring fresh blood into this show. I did not like how the first challenge took place before they even show a tribe lasting the first night yet Jeff is yelling 72 hours in and you can't handle it, failing apart after only 3 days. Yes just a pet peeve but I hate when they jump around time warp and sometimes you never know when something actually happened or when it was said in relation to the show. That is what they do well though, manipulate the show to get the most they can out of it. And I was sucked in yet again because I am a fan of the show.
> 
> I really enjoy its all new players, not Redemption and 3 tribes to start. All good things in my opinion. Should be a decent season to watch.
> 
> I don't think I have seen 2 players so bad right off the bat between Garrett and J-tie. That tribe is screwed!! lol


Jeff Probst makes Survivor. Kinda like not having milk with your cereal.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

MegaHertz67 said:


> <snip>
> 5. The fact that his pick allowed Garrett to find the immunity idol while swearing to take David out was just Karmic justice *for wearing a blazer to a tropical beach and looking like Thurston Howell III's idiot son.* (wow, I feel old for that dated reference)





stellie93 said:


> I never really heard if they have total choice over what they wear. I was thinking the jacket thing was stupid, but then in the previews for next week they show
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...





Cragmyre said:


> I always thought they were told to dress for a photo shoot and then get whisked away. But then how would they have their swimsuits on stand by? If this show ever goes off the air, I hope they make a behind the scenes episode.


I've heard plenty of interviews with former contestants where they say that they don't get to pick what they wear. The producers dress them for the show. I suspect that if a player showed up to the show with only practical clothes for surviving on a tropical beach, the producers would provide something different and require the player to wear what was provided.

Otherwise, everyone would show up with sturdy hiking boots, Gore-Tex rain shells, and those pants with the legs that zip off and turn into shorts.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

I think the reason for their clothes is that it gives the impression the contestants were stranded on the island, and not prepared for the environment. Like in the old days when they would pretend the boat is sinking and everyone had 1 minute to grab whatever they could. I loved those openings as opposed to the current 'just show up on the beach' ones.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

brianric said:


> That's because hwe can't maintain a job else where.


You know I always though he would make a good talk show host. 



DevdogAZ said:


> I've heard plenty of interviews with former contestants where they say that they don't get to pick what they wear. The producers dress them for the show. I suspect that if a player showed up to the show with only practical clothes for surviving on a tropical beach, the producers would provide something different and require the player to wear what was provided.
> 
> Otherwise, everyone would show up with sturdy hiking boots, Gore-Tex rain shells, and those pants with the legs that zip off and turn into shorts.


I am sure production request at least 3 outfits in a category and then dictate what to wear. When I was an extra for Dolphin Tale 2 they asked me to bring at least three outfits and wardrobe did make me change my shirt (they didn't like the bright orange on my fair skin, but they loved the Hawaiian Blue shirt )


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## spartanstew (Feb 24, 2002)

dfergie said:


> Don't watch it if you are tired of him, I think he's with the show till the end...


Good one fergie. Zing.

There's other parts of the show that I enjoy that outweigh Probst's dreadfulness.


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## brianric (Aug 29, 2002)

spartanstew said:


> There's other parts of the show that I enjoy that outweigh Probst's dreadfulness.


:up::up::up:


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Einselen said:


> I am sure production request at least 3 outfits in a category and then dictate what to wear. When I was an extra for Dolphin Tale 2 they asked me to bring at least three outfits and wardrobe did make me change my shirt (they didn't like the bright orange on my fair skin, but they loved the Hawaiian Blue shirt )


Yes, I'm sure they tell the contestants to bring a few options. But if someone were to bring three different versions of very suitable clothing for surviving outdoors in a tropical setting, that doesn't mean the producers would just let them wear one if those outfits.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

DevdogAZ said:


> Yes, I'm sure they tell the contestants to bring a few options. But if someone were to bring three different versions of very suitable clothing for surviving outdoors in a tropical setting, that doesn't mean the producers would just let them wear one if those outfits.


big brother contestants have commented the clothing they'd brought had been taken by the producers due to logos and branding, colors not appealing on the broadcast, designs and patterns that create video reproduction problems, etc. i suspect it's the same with survivor - production maintains creative control of the show, similar to editing.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

InterMurph said:


> You are assuming that these people are, in fact, brainy. There is little evidence to support this assumption.


I think they should rename the "brains" as the "brians".
Several LOL moments ... loved the impression of "MalnuTrisha".


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

dfergie said:


> Jeff makes the show and I doubt it would still be on if he were not the host ... deal with him.


There's a difference between liking Jeff (I do) and his interference in the show. But I've come to realize that the outcome of the game is in Jeff's hands and he's going to manipulate for a certain outcome as much as he could. I would like a cleaner, more fair game, but I don't think that's why people watch. That's why the game has evolved from it being more like a game show where the players actually send in tapes and audition to the majority of the contestants having an "in" with someone involved with the show. So it's less of a game show and more of a reality show. Jeff has a big hand in who gets picked and then has a big hand in trying to push certain people ahead in the game for entertainment value. How else do you explain people like Colton coming back. and others making 3 or more appearances on the show?

So Jeff's role has evolved over the years as the show has moved away from being a game show.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Squeak said:


> Who said j'tia has her phd? I thought she was just a nuclear engineer. That could be just a bachelors degree.


I think when she says she's a nuclear engineer, I took it to mean she's an engineer who's gone nuclear (bonkers).


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

DLL66 said:


> Jeff Probst makes Survivor. Kinda like not having milk with your cereal.


Hey, Art Fleming made Jeopardy, and then we got Alex Trebek.

The Price is Right is still going strong without Bob Barker.

Nobody is irreplaceable. That said, I am fine with Jeff being the host and don't want him replaced.


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## dfergie (Aug 27, 2006)

Jeff was against Colton coming back ...


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

Steveknj said:


> There's a difference between liking Jeff (I do) and his interference in the show. But I've come to realize that the outcome of the game is in Jeff's hands and he's going to manipulate for a certain outcome as much as he could. I would like a cleaner, more fair game, but I don't think that's why people watch. That's why the game has evolved from it being more like a game show where the players actually send in tapes and audition to the majority of the contestants having an "in" with someone involved with the show. So it's less of a game show and more of a reality show. Jeff has a big hand in who gets picked and then has a big hand in trying to push certain people ahead in the game for entertainment value. How else do you explain people like Colton coming back. and others making 3 or more appearances on the show?
> 
> So Jeff's role has evolved over the years as the show has moved away from being a game show.


I don't feel like Probst manipulates the game to get an end result that he wants, as in he wants person X to win so he tries to make that happen.

I do think he tries to make the show as entertaining as possible and he is good at sniffing out tension and drama and making tribal councils entertaining, which is fine with me. Otherwise it just "OK everybody vote and I'll count the votes" and that's it. Some of the best moments of the show have occurred in tribal council, and sure they all wouldn't have happened without Probst's probing, but I don't see that as a bad thing. That's to his credit.

This show isn't just about who can swim the fastest and do puzzles the best and so on. There's the social aspect, and to me that includes dealing with Probst. He is definitely part of the game and not just a narrator-type of host, but I see that as a plus. This show would have run its course a long time ago without Probst.

I don't even consider myself a big Probst fan. I'm just surprised that people say they watch Survivor in spite of him. If I didn't like him, I would have stopped watching a long time ago.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Steveknj said:


> There's a difference between liking Jeff (I do) and his interference in the show. But I've come to realize that the outcome of the game is in Jeff's hands and he's going to manipulate for a certain outcome as much as he could. I would like a cleaner, more fair game, but I don't think that's why people watch. That's why the game has evolved from it being more like a game show where the players actually send in tapes and audition to the majority of the contestants having an "in" with someone involved with the show. So it's less of a game show and more of a reality show. Jeff has a big hand in who gets picked and then has a big hand in trying to push certain people ahead in the game for entertainment value. How else do you explain people like Colton coming back. and others making 3 or more appearances on the show?
> 
> So Jeff's role has evolved over the years as the show has moved away from being a game show.


Jeff is on record has having NOT wanted Colton back. So he's obviously not as in charge of things as you suspect.

And I don't agree that he influences the game for any particular person. He's said (and I believe him) that he doesn't watch footage of what's going on at camp before Tribal Council: he basically sees the contestants at challenges and TC. I don't think he's trying to get certain people voted out, or keep certain people in the game. I think he's just trying to ensure that the TC's are dramatic, that the challenges are close, and that the Survivor interactions are entertaining.

ETA: or what tivoboy and dfergie said... (I should remember to refresh before typing!)


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

tivoboyjr said:


> I don't feel like Probst manipulates the game to get an end result that he wants, as in he wants person X to win so he tries to make that happen.
> 
> I do think he tries to make the show as entertaining as possible and he is good at sniffing out tension and drama and making tribal councils entertaining, which is fine with me. Otherwise it just "OK everybody vote and I'll count the votes" and that's it. Some of the best moments of the show have occurred in tribal council, and sure they all wouldn't have happened without Probst's probing, but I don't see that as a bad thing. That's to his credit.
> 
> ...


I've watched enough Survivor to see Jeff's questions push a voting decision one way or the other. Maybe it's not intentional, but in the back of his mind he's got to be thinking...yeah, lets keep this person because them staying is going to make the show better, getting rid of boring so and so, is better for the show. He's human and he's going to push in a direction that he thinks is better. I don't think he has a pre-determined outcome in mind for every tribal, but I would think some, he's pushing to have it go a certain way.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

madscientist said:


> Jeff is on record has having NOT wanted Colton back. So he's obviously not as in charge of things as you suspect.
> 
> And I don't agree that he influences the game for any particular person. He's said (and I believe him) that he doesn't watch footage of what's going on at camp before Tribal Council: he basically sees the contestants at challenges and TC. I don't think he's trying to get certain people voted out, or keep certain people in the game. I think he's just trying to ensure that the TC's are dramatic, that the challenges are close, and that the Survivor interactions are entertaining.
> 
> ETA: or what tivoboy and dfergie said... (I should remember to refresh before typing!)


Sorry, but I don't buy it. If he comes out and says, yeah, I push for certain outcomes, the show's credibility is shot, and it's over. Only Jeff knows what's going on in Jeff's head and maybe you're right. But you can tell, sometimes, he wants someone to go (or someone to stay) and he pushes that way.


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## bryhamm (Jun 30, 2004)

Steveknj said:


> Sorry, but I don't buy it. If he comes out and says, yeah, I push for certain outcomes, the show's credibility is shot, and it's over. Only Jeff knows what's going on in Jeff's head and maybe you're right. But you can tell, sometimes, he wants someone to go (or someone to stay) and he pushes that way.


It's also possible that you are basing this on what you've seen (ie edited). It's possible that he asked the same hard questions to everyone but it simply wasn't shown. TC goes on for a very long time and we only see 5-10 minutes of it.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

bryhamm said:


> It's also possible that you are basing this on what you've seen (ie edited). It's possible that he asked the same hard questions to everyone but it simply wasn't shown. TC goes on for a very long time and we only see 5-10 minutes of it.


True, but it's also possible they edited out more "leading" questions as well. We just don't know.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I don't think Probst conducts TC with the intention of favoring any single player or any single outcome. I think he just wants to create the most drama and mine the best stories, so when the players give him something, he's very good at grabbing on and not letting go. And that's the difference between the first several seasons and now, because he's gotten much better at spotting the potential drama or tribe disharmony, and then he just finds a loose thread and starts to unravel things.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

DevdogAZ said:


> I don't think Probst conducts TC with the intention of favoring any single player or any single outcome. I think he just wants to create the most drama and mine the best stories, so when the players give him something, he's very good at grabbing on and not letting go. And that's the difference between the first several seasons and now, because he's gotten much better at spotting the potential drama or tribe disharmony, and then he just finds a loose thread and starts to unravel things.


i had always envisioned there were producers and editors reviewing the raw video footage (editing it for the show), and they were the ones who gave jp insight and direction where to aim questions...am i wrong?


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

NorthAlabama said:


> i had always envisioned there were producers and editors reviewing the raw video footage (editing it for the show), and they were the ones who gave jp insight and direction where to aim questions...am i wrong?


Jeff has stated several times that he has no prior knowledge of anything that happens with the tribes when he is not around. He goes into tribal council with only the knowledge from the challenges, and then fishes for whatever he can get.

No one has to answer anything he asks. Or they can lie. But for some reason he gets them to spill the beans.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

Of course what he tells us doesn't need to be true either. 
Between that and the contractual confidentiality agreement all contestants must sign, we will just never know. 

I take it for what it is. A show. Not a documentary.


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## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

getreal said:


> Several LOL moments ... loved the impression of "MalnuTrisha".


That was actually pretty good, I even forgave the hairdresser her dreadlocks for a few minutes.

Two people found their HIIs already, right? Which person is still looking for theirs?


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

LlamaLarry said:


> Two people found their HIIs already, right? Which person is still looking for theirs?


Morgan. It is in the rocks by the water, but she didn't find it before her tribe showed up.


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## The Flush (Aug 3, 2005)

I suspect the HII is under water since the other 2 were.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Evel Dick is having a Survivor Watch party in Sanford FL not tomorrow, but a week from tomorrow on March 12th. It will be at Buster's Bistro and Spencer Duhm, Kat Edorsson Casey from BB11, Tanya from Survivor Thailand and many more are suppose to be there as well.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

Einselen said:


> Evel Dick is having a Survivor Watch party in Sanford FL...


i read he was soon moving out of the country, to dublin, ireland. is this his going away party?


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

NorthAlabama said:


> i read he was soon moving out of the country, to dublin, ireland. is this his going away party?


You are correct he is moving soon but I don't think this is going away party but maybe it is.


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## LifeIsABeach (Feb 28, 2001)

Donbadabon said:


> I loved seeing Garrett eliminated. He is no Boston Rob for sure.


I loved seeing him eliminated as well, but remember that Boston Rob was a clueless, arrogant dimwit the first time he played.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

DUDE_NJX said:


> Of course what he tells us doesn't need to be true either.
> Between that and the contractual confidentiality agreement all contestants must sign, we will just never know.
> 
> I take it for what it is. A show. Not a documentary.


This is how I see it. I'm not saying it's any different than Jeff says it is, but I don't see any advantage to him revealing that it would be anything different. And it is entirely possible that he knows nothing about what's going on in camp, but can get enough of an idea during the challenges that it sways his questioning. We see 10 minutes of the challenge, but I would imagine they are there for hours between setup and learning the game and so forth. Plenty of time for Jeff to form an opinion about certain people or get an idea of what is going on in camp. So while him saying he doesn't know what's going on in camp, is probably true, he just might not need to know.

Again, I think over the years the game has changed in what the producers are looking for and how they want things played out. I think there is MUCH more manipulation than their used to be. I think this is especially true during seasons where there are returning players. Jeff knows a lot of them away from the game. That also could be a factor in the questions he asks and who he might want to stay in the game or leave.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Everyone at my office claims that Probst knows what's going on out there because his questions always make it look like he has the inside track on everything...

I tried to explain to them that tribal council has been reported to be 3-4 hours long sometimes... If you edit anyone down to 5-10 minutes from a 3-4 hour long conversation, you can make anyone appear to be a genius...

I would actually love to see one unedited tribal council... The whole 3-4 hours without any background music... Just they way the contestants experience it... While I know they would never waste that much broadcast time on television, the internet allows this to happen... I think it would be very interesting to watch...


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Wasn't there a controversy + lawsuit in season 1 by one contestant claiming the producers pushed the rest of the cast to vote for him/her instead of Rudy?


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

MikeekiM said:


> Everyone at my office claims that Probst knows what's going on out there because his questions always make it look like he has the inside track on everything... I tried to explain to them that tribal council has been reported to be 3-4 hours long sometimes... If you edit anyone down to 5-10 minutes from a 3-4 hour long conversation, you can make anyone appear to be a genius... I would actually love to see one unedited tribal council... The whole 3-4 hours without any background music... Just they way the contestants experience it... While I know they would never waste that much broadcast time on television, the internet allows this to happen... I think it would be very interesting to watch...


I've never heard 3-4 hours. I've heard they are often as long as 1.5-2 hours, but not always. I think Jeff just talks to them until he feels he's milked all he can get from them. If the players are smart and being tight lipped, it may last less than an hour.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

heySkippy said:


> Wasn't there a controversy + lawsuit in season 1 by one contestant claiming the producers pushed the rest of the cast to vote for him/her instead of Rudy?


Yes. One of the contestants claimed that. Then CBS trotted out the contract she signed that had a $5 million penalty for breaching the confidentiality clause, and the case quickly got settled. But not before this contestant gave a deposition, and there's lots of good information in it. However, it's info from year 1 when the producers mostly didn't know what they were doing, and also didn't know they had a huge hit on their hands.

I suspect that as the years have progressed, the producers have figured out how to do their manipulating through casting, through challenges, etc. and not through blatantly telling players to vote for. There's way too much at stake for them to be doing such obvious manipulation.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

DevdogAZ said:


> I've never heard 3-4 hours. I've heard they are often as long as 1.5-2 hours, but not always. I think Jeff just talks to them until he feels he's milked all he can get from them. *If* the players are smart and being tight lipped, it may last less than an hour.


As we saw last week with the brains, that's a big if.


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## Ibanez (Nov 22, 2013)

No brains in the brains tribe..


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## pendragn (Jan 21, 2001)

DevdogAZ said:


> Yes. One of the contestants claimed that. Then CBS trotted out the contract she signed that had a $5 million penalty for breaching the confidentiality clause, and the case quickly got settled. But not before this contestant gave a deposition, and there's lots of good information in it. However, it's info from year 1 when the producers mostly didn't know what they were doing, and also didn't know they had a huge hit on their hands.


Stacey Stillman.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

DevdogAZ said:


> I've never heard 3-4 hours. I've heard they are often as long as 1.5-2 hours, but not always. I think Jeff just talks to them until he feels he's milked all he can get from them. If the players are smart and being tight lipped, it may last less than an hour.


I wonder how much of that time is production stuff. Setting mics up correctly, moving people around, retaping things? So while there may be 2 hours of TC, the actual Q&A part is considerably less.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

DevdogAZ said:


> Yes. One of the contestants claimed that. Then CBS trotted out the contract she signed that had a $5 million penalty for breaching the confidentiality clause, and the case quickly got settled. But not before this contestant gave a deposition, and there's lots of good information in it. However, it's info from year 1 when the producers mostly didn't know what they were doing, and also didn't know they had a huge hit on their hands.
> 
> I suspect that as the years have progressed, the producers have figured out how to do their manipulating through casting, through challenges, etc. and not through blatantly telling players to vote for. There's way too much at stake for them to be doing such obvious manipulation.


I thought up-thread it was debunked that there was any manipulation going on?  I seriously doubt the crew overtly manipulate the game by telling who to vote for, but I still think Jeff's questions are leading, much like a defense lawyer might lead questions to make a jury think a certain way. I don't think they control the actual vote, but I do think they want a certain outcome.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

I am a little surprised that Jeff didn't bring out the decision that each person had to make when they got to their camp early... Morgan's lie that she chose the rice and camp basics instead of something for her would have been revealed...

Or perhaps they made the call early on that this would not be revealed by Jeff during TC? It just seems like a natural topic for a TC that lasts an hour or more...


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Steveknj said:


> I thought up-thread it was debunked that there was any manipulation going on?  I seriously doubt the crew overtly manipulate the game by telling who to vote for, but I still think Jeff's questions are leading, much like a defense lawyer might lead questions to make a jury think a certain way. I don't think they control the actual vote, but I do think they want a certain outcome.


What was debunked?

As for Jeff's questions: Of course they're leading. That's the whole purpose of him being there and he's very good at asking those types of questions. Where you and I apparently disagree is that I don't think he asks leading, pointed questions to some contestants with the intention of getting the rest of the tribe to vote a certain way. I think he finds the little fraying pieces of yarn in the tribe's sweater and he pulls on those yarns as much as he can. He follows the story where the tribe takes him. If one contestant provides a lot of info, Jeff is going to keep going back to that person, especially if it's clear that the person is under attack from the rest of the tribe and doesn't have the brains to shut their mouth.

I think Jeff asks pointed questions to everyone and then the editors have to take 45-120 minutes worth of material and find the best 7-8 minutes to tell the story. So Jeff asks tough, leading questions to everyone, but we only see the questions and answers that are consistent with the story edit that they've chosen to tell us.



MikeekiM said:


> I am a little surprised that Jeff didn't bring out the decision that each person had to make when they got to their camp early... Morgan's lie that she chose the rice and camp basics instead of something for her would have been revealed...
> 
> Or perhaps they made the call early on that this would not be revealed by Jeff during TC? It just seems like a natural topic for a TC that lasts an hour or more...


I'd be shocked if Jeff didn't ask them about that. But as I said above, they only have 7-8 minutes to show what happens at TC. Since Morgan clearly wasn't the one voted out, either she was able to effectively continue her lie, or her answer apparently didn't have much of an effect on the rest of the tribe. Since that didn't have any effect on who was eventually voted out, it wasn't shown.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

Donbadabon said:


> Jeff has stated several times that he has no prior knowledge of anything that happens with the tribes when he is not around.





DevdogAZ said:


> As for Jeff's questions: Of course they're leading.


if jeff has no prior knowledge of events within the tribes, how could he ask leading questions, know who to ask, or which direction to lead?


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## dfergie (Aug 27, 2006)

Tribal Councils are hours long, Jeff has no clue what is going on with the tribes, as referenced above they only show the best parts of Tribal ...


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

NorthAlabama said:


> if jeff has no prior knowledge of events within the tribes, how could he ask leading questions, know who to ask, or which direction to lead?


It's pretty easy. He starts off with things that he knows about: "So Billy, you looked frustrated with your team at the last immunity challenge. Tell me about why you were frustrated." or "Shelly, you really looked like you gave your all at the last immunity challenge, yet here you are at tribal. How does that make you feel?" or "Last time you guys were here at tribal, you blindsided Bobby and it looked like a few of you didn't know that was going to happen. Tell me about what happened when you got back to camp after that tribal council."

Once Jeff gets answers to a few easy questions like that, it will be clear to him who is willing to talk and based on their answers and body language, he should be able to tell who is paranoid, who is frustrated, who thinks they are safe, etc.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

not to mention tribal council can easily last for hours and eventually the people breakdown/slip up and then he pounces.


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## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

DevdogAZ said:


> I think Jeff asks pointed questions to everyone and then the editors have to take 45-120 minutes worth of material and find the best 7-8 minutes to tell the story. So Jeff asks tough, leading questions to everyone, but we only see the questions and answers that are consistent with the story edit that they've chosen to tell us.
> 
> I'd be shocked if Jeff didn't ask them about that. But as I said above, they only have 7-8 minutes to show what happens at TC. Since Morgan clearly wasn't the one voted out, either she was able to effectively continue her lie, or her answer apparently didn't have much of an effect on the rest of the tribe. Since that didn't have any effect on who was eventually voted out, it wasn't shown.


I am not surprised he hasn't asked about that yet. I don't think Jeff ever intentionally reveals information that has not already been discussed. Jeff never discloses any information about HII until it has been outed that there is one in play. In fact, I don't think he even asks if anyone wants to play their HII until then.

Now, if someone asks Morgan at TC "What were you looking for?" and she says something, then everything is fair game.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

TriBruin said:


> I am not surprised he hasn't asked about that yet. I don't think Jeff ever intentionally reveals information that has not already been discussed. Jeff never discloses any information about HII until it has been outed that there is one in play. In fact, I don't think he even asks if anyone wants to play their HII until then.
> 
> Now, if someone asks Morgan at TC "What were you looking for?" and she says something, then everything is fair game.


I'm not saying that Jeff would come out and ask Morgan about looking for the HII. But I'm sure that he would start his questioning by asking what Morgan thought about being selected as the weakest player, what happened when she got to the beach, what happened when the rest of the tribe arrived, etc. If she kept up her lie and it didn't lead to any additional threads for Jeff to unravel, then there would be no reason to include that part of the questioning in this episode. And especially since that happened three episodes prior and because Morgan wasn't getting voted out, so unless something really juicy was said, it just wouldn't fit into the story edit for this episode.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

I don't know why they waited so long to get rid of J'Tia but thank god they finally saw the light and jettisoned that dead weight.

The female cop is probably one of the dumbest strategists ever to play the game. Throwing the challenge based on a lie that could easily have been debunked... I hope I never find myself in her jurisdiction.


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## brianric (Aug 29, 2002)

jradosh said:


> The female cop is probably one of the dumbest strategists ever to play the game. Throwing the challenge based on a lie that could easily have been debunked... I hope I never find myself in her jurisdiction.


Throwing a challenge is one of the dumbest ideas on Survivor, but she almost pulled it off except for the gross incompetence of the Brain tribe.


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## bryhamm (Jun 30, 2004)

Yeah, glad they got rid of her.


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## dfergie (Aug 27, 2006)

jradosh said:


> I don't know why they waited so long to get rid of J'Tia but thank god they finally saw the light and jettisoned that dead weight.
> 
> The female cop is probably one of the dumbest strategists ever to play the game. Throwing the challenge based on a lie that could easily have been debunked... I hope I never find myself in her jurisdiction.


Neither one (Cops R' Us) should be more than a crossing guard ... worse than dead weight, dead weight with a degree and an attitude.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

dfergie said:


> Neither one (Cops R' Us) should be more than a crossing guard ... worse than dead weight, dead weight with a degree and an attitude.


I think the guy cop is pretty smart actually. He's definitely playing Sarah by letting her use her cop loyalty thing to give him an ally. He's playing the game like I would, except I might not be so arrogant (although I think his arrogance is reserved for us, not his teammates).


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## goblue97 (May 12, 2005)

brianric said:


> Throwing a challenge is one of the dumbest ideas on Survivor, but she almost pulled it off except for the gross incompetence of the Brain tribe.


I almost expected Cliff to say that if he didn't know any better, he would think his tribe was trying to lose the challenge on purpose.


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## bryhamm (Jun 30, 2004)

*please Do Not Post In Here Any More. A Thread Will Be Started Each Week Instead.

Thanks.*


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

This is a season thread, all episodes from the season are fair game, if you are not caught up stay out and come back later. Also like you did (or maybe someone else, I don't see the OP) if you want to discuss episodes while you are behind create a weekly episode thread for each episode.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

Actually, bryhamm was the one that started this season thread. Someone else started the episode thread.


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