Survivor 21: Nicaragua

[falconfan]

The premiere pulled over 12 million viewers, up nearly 10% from Samoa's. Very happy with that. I was really scared that moving the show to Wednesday would have killed its ratings.

Ratings will ALWAYS be harder to scrape up on Thursday than Wed even though Wed did get pretty crowded this season.

 

[joesman]

I don't know which of them decided... 'hey guys, lets walk around all day in nothing but our boxers, you know boxers so tight that they require us to be blurred by censors' but he or she is already the most valuable player of the season. Young tribe is PREEEEETTY. Survivor has these seasons where they're full of duds and those where they're full of gorgeous men and this is definitely one and I'm liking it.

Now onto more professional observations. Jimmy Johnson needs to be voted off early. He annoys me. I think he'll survive via tribe shuffle as most the young kids seemed to want him around. But really Survivor producers stop making this show about one person a year! Other people are allowed to have interviews too!

Shannon is a total stereotypical chavaunist which is all right if he keeps his shirt off.

I'm really feeling Chase though he's clearly not the brightest... in related news... I like Brenda. I've got my eye on her as a smart player. She was able to extract information from my dim darling see it's importance but not react and remain cordial enough that he didn't even get it.

AT least AT LEAST this is soooo much better than 2 seasons of Hantzv in his sleazy underwearv that created nauseous throw ups in the back of my mouth too many times.

Yes Chase had me lolly licking all over his blur, and he and Shannon walking side by side while someone desperately tried to hide any dong that might peek-a-boo, or these guys have some heavy packages.

 

[tommy_2_0_0_0]

Someone should post screen caps of Shannon. I know he's probably an ass, but good lord he's gorgeous.

Couldn't agree more!!

 

[Sgt Pepper]

I wouldn't have traded the power either falconfan but my point is, the power is kinda pointless because the moment you use it, it goes to the other team. What's the point then? The other team will just have a chance to benefit from it the next go-around and all you do is get to go first? Lame.

 

[slipintothefog]

But really Survivor producers stop making this show about one person a year! Other people are allowed to have interviews too!

Even though Jimmy J. was the main attraction of the premiere, and likely only due to his stunt casting, he was nowhere near Coach in Tocantins or the Russtroll in either of his seasons. THANKFULLY.

 

[altlover85]

I agree with slip. I'll be interested to see where this season goes.

 

[falconfan]

I wouldn't have traded the power either falconfan but my point is, the power is kinda pointless because the moment you use it, it goes to the other team. What's the point then? The other team will just have a chance to benefit from it the next go-around and all you do is get to go first? Lame.

Point is the power is a tribe power and tribes only last so long... there will be a last time they use it and the other tribe won't get counter use. Someone will get the last laugh.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

That's still incredibly lame, sorry. The more Survivor adds unnecessary stuff to their originally simple (but elegant) concept, the more I lose interest. This used to be my favorite reality show, but it's taken a backseat to BB for me in the past few years. Even at it's worst (like this season) BB is still appointment TV for me, whereas I usually don't even care to watch Survivor episodes as they air, and can wait until the next day when I have time to view them etc.

Final 3 instead of Final 2 (but only sometimes!), Russell times two, immunity idols everywhere, and now Jimmy Johnson AND a stupidly named power...this show is trying way too hard and becoming less interesting in the process.

 

[altlover85]

Sandra made up for Russell for me. Natalie beating Russell made up for some of the season. I like BB better, but it's easier for it to be spoiled, IMO, and I don't like it when it's on Wed and Thurs, instead of Tues and Thurs because the time between episodes is too long. I was also sick of lame Pandora's boxes. There were some good ones, but that Jessie one and the three punishments one sucked.

 

[slipintothefog]

Sandra and Natalie winning would been greater if the editors actually showed us why, beyond Russell saying "Ah'm the greatest Survivor player of all time!" Sandra went for four or five episodes without being featured at ALL pre-merge, and she only picked up after Boston Rob was eliminated and her only storyline became "I hate Russell." If I wasn't spoiled for HvV, there's no way I would have thought Sandra would win based on her awful pre-merge edit. Coach's boot episode was the only time they actually showed us Sandra's skill in that season and the rest of it was "I HATE RUSSELL I HATE RUSSELL I HATE RUSSELL btw my husband is in Afghanistan and Outback Steakhouse!"

Natalie was the most underedited winner EVER and it's really no surprise to me that the public thinks Russtroll was "screwed" for losing to her. The show never tried to demonstrate why Natalie won. And she was edited to look absolutely horrible up until FTC, when Erik came out of nowhere and made a better argument for Natalie to win than Natalie did. In reality, Laura said Natalie defended herself well against Kelly's question and was able to list tons of facts, names and other information for each of the juror members, so the editing was just PATHETIC. It was literally "sprinkle a few 'Oh my werd!'s here, add in this random scene of Natalie killing a rat and then get back to Russell all day every day! We gotta pimp this guy hard, he gets to the finals TWICE, oh my werd!"

In hindsight it's really annoying to me. Sandra was my favorite player ever BEFORE Heroes vs Villains and the show edited the first two-time winner as a joke, only defined through her relationship with the villain and only being portrayed as winning because the Heroes were "bitter" or whatever. And Natalie seems like a really sweet girl. If they hadn't waited until, like, episode four or five to even INTRODUCE us to her, I probably would have been more into Samoa.

 

[aijalon18]

Just out of curiousity. Would Shannon lovers still be drooling over him if he had made homophobic comments instead of sexist ones?

 

[joesman]

Just out of curiousity. Would Shannon lovers still be drooling over him if he had made homophobic comments instead of sexist ones?

I am not going to answer that with my hand in my pants but I will say, in his defense, (for now) that his early mistake of getting a girl pregnant and feeling obligated to marry her and have more kids with her says a ton about his commitment to not do what was done to him as a child. Dumb but honorable, even though I think his wife has sucked the soul out of him. His message about losing freedom once you are married, being told what to do said tons to me about her. People who stay in bad marriages for the sake of anything is just numbingly dumb. So I forgive him for that.

 

[aijalon18]

I am not going to answer that with my hand in my pants but I will say, in his defense, (for now) that his early mistake of getting a girl pregnant and feeling obligated to marry her and have more kids with her says a ton about his commitment to not do what was done to him as a child. Dumb but honorable, even though I think his wife has sucked the soul out of him. His message about losing freedom once you are married, being told what to do said tons to me about her. People who stay in bad marriages for the sake of anything is just numbingly dumb. So I forgive him for that.

Nobody made him fuck this girl with no condom. I don't get why all the sympathy is for him and little for the girl. I doubt she planned on being a teen mom. Marrying her and having more kids is even more irresponsible if your relationship already isnt satisfying.

Immediately taking up for him isnt fair w/o knowing the dynamics of the relationship. For all we know, she is perfectly reasonable and he just wants to live a bachelor lifestyle. But somebody has to be responsible at all times and it might be her. The only the thing we know for sure is what he said is unequivocally sexist.

It's hard to make excuses for one and not the other. If he said something homophobic, very few people would accept something like "maybe his dad left the family b/c he was gay" so it's understandable that he's homophobic. We would say homophobia is unacceptable period.

 

[joesman]

I don't think it any longer acceptable to just blame the guy because he didn't wear a condom. Her pussy, her body and his didn't go into her without her opening up. Two irresponsible pups.

I did say in my post you quoted 'his early mistake'.

 

[altlover85]

slip, I thought Russell's edit for last season made him look like a clown. Sandra's edit made me think of her as someone who was smart enough not to start shit and also play her own game and not just be a duo with Russell.

I am not going to answer that with my hand in my pants but I will say, in his defense, (for now) that his early mistake of getting a girl pregnant and feeling obligated to marry her and have more kids with her says a ton about his commitment to not do what was done to him as a child. Dumb but honorable, even though I think his wife has sucked the soul out of him. His message about losing freedom once you are married, being told what to do said tons to me about her. People who stay in bad marriages for the sake of anything is just numbingly dumb. So I forgive him for that.

We're only hearing his side of the story. He sounds like a sexist idiot. If she's sucking his soul out he can get divorced.

aijalon, I totally agree with you.

I don't think it any longer acceptable to just blame the guy because he didn't wear a condom. Her pussy, her body and his didn't go into her without her opening up. Two irresponsible pups.

I don't think anyone is just blaming him. She shouldn't have had sex until she was ready, but people make mistakes. It's just harder to feel sympahty for him when he sounds sexist and complains about how horrible she is, when he could have decided not to have more kids with her and divorced her.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

I'm with falconfan, Jimmy Johnson needs to go and Survivor needs to start showcasing multiple personalities again instead of centering the show on these bozo "journeymen" at the expense of everyone else. Coach, Russell, Russell again, and now Jimmy Johnson

It's gotten to where I wish Survivor was on once a year and Big Brother twice instead.

 

[aijalon18]

We're only hearing his side of the story. He sounds like a sexist idiot. If she's sucking his soul out he can get divorced.

aijalon, I totally agree with you.


I don't think anyone is just blaming him. She shouldn't have had sex until she was ready, but people make mistakes. It's just harder to feel sympahty for him when he sounds sexist and complains about how horrible she is, when he could have decided not to have more kids with her and divorced her.

Seriously he's such an idiot with this ruin your life bullshit. I'm sure he always dreamed of marrying a guy who said things like that on TV. Sorry but his personality makes him so unattractive. Plus the whole "we're alpha males so we're gonna dominate" doesn't help him.

 

[slipintothefog]

So I rewatched the premiere. For Heroes vs. Villains, I would do what Survivor Sucks calls "edgic" - paying attention to the edits of each player to try to determine the winner from a storytelling perspective. Since I'm not spoiled this season, I thought I would be fun to do it again for Nicaragua and see how well I can pick up on the show's storytelling clues. Here's what I feel after rewatching the first episode.

Who had a good first episode edit?
Brenda (La Flor) - Was featured evenly throughout the episode. Started an alliance with Chase, making him look like a fool. Had some complexity, but wasn't featured at the expense of other people on her tribe.

Holly (Espada) - Gave several confessionals that told her feelings on making an alliance with Wendy and then having to betray the alliance.

Jane (Espada) - Edited positively to the casual viewer, as she was the woman who could make fire on Day 1 and was generally known for being good in the outdoors. Also had character development as she explained that she on the show to win money after her husband died.

The women in general were portrayed better than the men from an editing standpoint. It makes me believe that this season will have a female winner. Especially with Shannon's "I don't want another female winner" sentiment.

Who had a mixed first episode edit?
Alina (La Flor) - Had several confessionals, including one before the first commercial break. Had some strategic complexity, but also had to be shown BECAUSE she found the immunity idol.

Marty (Espada) - Was featured throughout the episode and had some defined character traits, but a lot of his edit was restricted to narration.

Jill (Espada) - She was a bit underedited in the first half, but she got some content in the second half when the tribe was debating between Jimmy and Wendy.

Kelly Bruno (La Flor) - Hard to say. She pretty much HAD to be featured in the episode because she only has one leg and she found the Immunity Idol. She could be the distraction character on the younger tribe but she wasn't as much of one as Jimmy J was on the older tribe. I don't think she would have gotten this edit for episode one if she were the winner.

Jimmy T (La Flor) - Kind of a strange edit. Had the first confessional of the season, was featured prominently throughout the premiere and was never thrown in our faces. But the scene when he suddenly got tired and started yelling at Marty about how he had something to say about Jimmy J. stuck out to me.

Jud/"Fabio" (La Flor) - Was introduced to the viewers with a good amount of screentime and a defined character, but was portrayed as a buffoon.

Na'onka (La Flor) - Had two confessionals. The one about racing Kelly Bruno seemed very oddly edited, as if to portray Na'onka in a negative light for having an issue with the one-legged girl. A bit of an UTR edit overall, too.

Shannon (La Flor) - Much like Jud, he had solid presence and a defined character, but it was a negative, anti-old/anti-female one that was at contrast with Brenda making Chase look like an idiot in the next scene.

Chase (La Flor) - Already looked like he had no idea what he was doing. Made an alpha male alliance with Shannon and then immediately made another one with Brenda despite claiming he didn't want to get caught in a web of alliances. Brenda's confessional confirmed that he approached her, so he ends up looking silly.

Who had a bad first episode edit?
Yve (Espada) - Had very little content. Mostly restricted to one-liners like "Don't winners wear gold?!" and how she doesn't want people to ask her age.

Sash (La Flor) - Had one confessional and didn't appear anywhere else in the episode. The confessional did little to define him to the casual viewer.

Tyrone (Espada) - Was essentially non-existent until Tribal Council when he started slamming Wendy. For a male who was on the tribe who went to TC, not a great edit.

Kelly Shinn (La Flor) - Was only identified as "Purple Kelly" at the challenge. It's harder to rule out underedited females as winners after Amber and Natalie, but she's not connected to the main male of the season, so her chances are not good at all.

Jimmy Johnson (Espada) - Classic editing distraction. People shown this hard, this fast are never the winner.

Dan (Espada) - Was never even identified by name, and was on the tribe that got more screentime. Not likely.

Benry (La Flor) - Literally all he said was "I'm Benry." He'd be the show's ideal kind of winner - a young, fit attractive male. In other words, he would have been established from the first episode, and he wasn't.

Wendy (Espada) - Well, she was the first boot, so... no kidding?

So after the first episode I think only twelve people remain in contention. Let's see what tonight brings!

 

[altlover85]

Interesting slip! We'll see where the season goes.



I basically just repeated myself from an earlier post. What I wrote still stands though. I think it'll be interesting to analyze the season from slip's post.

 

[altlover85]

I thought that episode was great! There was a lot of drama, from the shoes, to Fabio and Naonka, and then Shannon, Brenda, and Chase at tribal council.

Easily my favorite episode since I started watching again a few years ago.