Survivor: South Pacific (Season 23)

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

This show needs to ramp it up. Losing interest fast, which makes me sad because I've loved it for so many years.

Agreed, pretty sad when the most interesting part of the show is the Redemption Island battle.

Part of the problem is that for the most part only about 3 or 4 people (out of 18) are getting airtime. I'd love to see a percentage of the first 4 episodes of the distribution of time to each player. Coach and Brandon alone must make up close to 50-60% I'm enjoying coach this season, but I'm getting tired of all the Hanz trianlge (Brandon-Russell-God). We get it, by day 12 we know he's Russell's nephew, we know he's born again, ok, now give it a rest already. I'm just getting tired of Russell, and he's not even on the show this season, although you wouldn't know it by how often his name is brought up.

It's an age old trick, but all the previews and all the foreshadowing in the first half of the episode last night was about the big "survivor" move that Cochrane was going to make to oust Ozzy or Elise, then the other tribe loses immunity. There was never any doubt that Stacy was going to Redemption. While a stronger person, she has no personal social skills and you can tell she's an outcast.

And Rich (Rick?) whatever his name is, farmer with cowboy hat. Even when Jeff actually asked him a tribal council question I thought he wasn't going to say anything. If he's said more than about 3 words since the first episode I'll give up my Mickey ears, but he'll drift thru all the way to the merge.

Unless they premerge/mixup the tribes, I don't really see much excitement until the merge occurs. Potentially maybe an Ozzy blindside, but with him having HII, not sure the likelihood.

So yeah, this season has been pretty much a snoozer thus far.

[laprana]

Part of the problem is that for the most part only about 3 or 4 people (out of 18) are getting airtime. I'd love to see a percentage of the first 4 episodes of the distribution of time to each player. Coach and Brandon alone must make up close to 50-60% I'm enjoying coach this season, but I'm getting tired of all the Hanz trianlge (Brandon-Russell-God).

And Rich (Rick?) whatever his name is, farmer with cowboy hat. Even when Jeff actually asked him a tribal council question I thought he wasn't going to say anything. If he's said more than about 3 words since the first episode I'll give up my Mickey ears, but he'll drift thru all the way to the merge.

I couldn't agree more! I was watching with my sister last night, and when they showed Jeff ask Rick(?) the question at tribal, we both simultaneously said, "Who is THAT?" I don't think either one of us had seen him one time before that. I'm sure they showed him at least on the first episode, but I sure didn't remember it if they did! I hate how some people get absolutely no camera time, and then half way through the season they suddenly show up and you know nothing about them.

Last night's show was kind of a snoozer for me. I was impressed at how well Dawn and Stacy did at the immunity challenge, but not surprised Stacy went to RI. Oh, how I wish it would have been that wackadoo Brandon. What was with all his meaningless apologies? I half expected him to start apologizing to the palm trees for taking their coconuts.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

The other thing too that I thought of, is that the lack of seperate challenges for reward and immunity I think has hurt the show. In the past some of the team rewards were pretty exotic, and having that 2nd level of competition often could spark controversy in and of itself. Now, they throw reward in with immunity and generally immunity is the afternoon of tribal council, so the reward is generally some type of goods (like pillows or fishing gear) but nothing that takes the tribe out of their environment. I think last season they only did that once or twice. Now tribes basically spend 3 days lounging around, then have the immunity challenge on day 3. There just isn't much going on to spark anything interesting and the eliminations have been pretty cut and dried. Results in fairly boring viewing.

[Melanie]

The other thing too that I thought of, is that the lack of seperate challenges for reward and immunity I think has hurt the show.

Yes. This!

I just don't like RI, and if they carry it all the way to the end again like last season, I may be done.
Plus, the personalities this season are really blah.

[SBETigg]

I missed it this week. I think I was on Soarin at the time. Will catch it online soon, but I do appreciate the feedback so far. Brandon has got to go.

[Ian]

Survivor has just veered too far off of what made it successful originally. I don't like Redemption Island, I don't like the hidden immunity idol, and I don't like the combined reward and immunity challenges. Also, one of my favorite parts of every season was always when they did the auction and they seem to have done away with that, too.

For me, all this new stuff just leads to the show feeling very rushed. I feel like we don't get to know these people like we used to (except for the "personalities") and there isn't enough of the camp-life footage like there was in the past.

You figure they start, do the recap, then they have to show the segment on who goes to watch the RI competition, then they have the RI competition, and by that time you're 20 or 25 minutes in. That leaves a little more than half the show for the reward/immunity challenge, and TC!

They gotta re-evaluate all this extra stuff they've crammed in. I said it again, but I think they should go back to the rules of the original show. No idols, no RI, etc. Just basic Survivor.

[TheDuckRocks]

Bored to death, I picked up a book and started reading it while watching.
Brandon's creepy level just keeps climbing.

[Disney4us2]

What a disgusting challenge tonight.

[SBETigg]

Grossest challenge ever. I know they're hungry, but I still can't believe they ate that meat afterwards. I felt sick.

Ozzy is playing the most egotistical, short-sighted game out there. I can't believe him. In the scenes from next week, his whole "free agent" speech? Ridiculous. Does he really think he can last that long on Redemption Island? They should have kept Elyse and dumped Ozzy.

[laprana]

Ozzy is playing the most egotistical, short-sighted game out there. I can't believe him. In the scenes from next week, his whole "free agent" speech? Ridiculous. Does he really think he can last that long on Redemption Island? They should have kept Elyse and dumped Ozzy.

Yep, couldn't agree more! I liked Ozzy on his first season. He was OK his second season, but started to grate on my nerves. This season, I'm rooting for him to be the next one voted out every show! He's way too cocky and really whiny at the same time. "It's sooooo hard to catch fish! No one understands!" He looks like a huge baby in the previews for next week. They totally could have blindsided him this week instead of Elise because he was so sure that he was top dog, he never would have played the idol and he would have left again with the idol in his pocket. It might not be so easy now that his little partner is gone.

That challenge was nauseating to watch. And I agree, the fact that they went back and ate all that slobbery meat was just disgusting.

Coach was cracking me up last night. His weirdness is coming out a little more, like when he was demonstrating how he was suppressing his inner dragon, but this time it's more endearing and less annoying.

[TheDuckRocks]

I had my eyes closed during the challenge last night. That was the most disgusting one ever. And giving them the spit filled meat to take back to eat..... Why didn't they just let the winning team take all the meat leftover from both pigs. It might have been slightly more sanitary.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I had my eyes closed during the challenge last night. That was the most disgusting one ever. And giving them the spit filled meat to take back to eat..... Why didn't they just let the winning team take all the meat leftover from both pigs. It might have been slightly more sanitary.

It wasn't a new challenge. If you recall they did that same challenge back in the Amazon season. I think the tie-in was the "piranha" metaphor. I don't recall if the winning team kept the meat in that season. My guess is that they washed off the meat and did a total reheating of it. I think after 14 days of coconuts and rice that I would have had no qualms of eating it after it was recooked.

[SBETigg]

It wasn't a new challenge. If you recall they did that same challenge back in the Amazon season. I think the tie-in was the "piranha" metaphor. I don't recall if the winning team kept the meat in that season. My guess is that they washed off the meat and did a total reheating of it. I think after 14 days of coconuts and rice that I would have had no qualms of eating it after it was recooked.

They did do a similar challenge before, but this one seemed to have ten times the spit and it was just harder to watch for me. Maybe it was the mouths involved (Brandon), who knows. This time, it turned my stomach.

I want to add that Whitney and Keith's strategy (which is not new, but I always hate it) seemed totally lame to me. It's not like they will earn Ozzy's gratitude for not voting Elyse, because their actions in going against his vote changed the numbers up and sent Elyse home anyway. So what is gained? You just end up looking like you have no guts. No guts, no glory. It's Survivor, baby.

I have to give credit to the people who went out and made a move-- as much as I don't like Jim. At least these people (Jim, Cochran, Dawn) are watching the numbers and the tribe, and making moves to swing the power their way. Better than last season when they all just sat there waiting to be picked off, foolishly thinking they were in with Boston Rob right to the end.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

Pretty good episode last night. Usually I can pick who is going home with almost total certainty. While I guessed right with Elyse, I wasn't that confident. I really thought that Whitney and Keith might wimp out and go back to Ozzy. I still don't agree with their splitting the vote, thinking, well if we vote Dawn instead of Elyse then Ozzy won't get made at us. Don't quite understand that logic. Sort of like Coach in HvV when he should have voted Russell and instead did a throw away vote on Courtney more to appease his conscious than to advance his game. Same with Kevin/Whitney, you think Ozzy won't be mad that you didn't tell him what was going on?

Cochran pretty much summed up Ozzy pretty well. The fan favorite from Cook Islands that turned into this sit on your <snip> middle aged guy that seems entitled. While Coach seems to have learned from his game play the first 2 go rounds and has tempered his demonstrative ego, Ozzy continues on his godhood quest. Granted, it could just be editing, but it certainly looks like a childish temper tantrum from Ozzy is forthcoming next week. Only thing he has going for him is the Hidden Immunity Idol, assuming he's learned how to play it this time.

Best thing about last night was probably the fact that Brandon got almost no air time which is great because considering they started out the episode with another crybaby session from him, I thought here we go again, another Brandon episode.

So glad to see Stacy go, as Albert said, sour grapes. That person had absolutely no social skills, probably why she ended up working with dead people.

[JanetMegan]

What does it say about me that I sort of liked the meat challenge ?

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

What does it say about me that I sort of liked the meat challenge ?

Brings a whole new meaning to a Disney Meat and Greet

[MNNHFLTX]

What does it say about me that I sort of liked the meat challenge ?

I'm not sure, Janet. Watching it almost made decide to be a vegetarian.

[SBETigg]

No comments on last week's show? Bad sign! We're getting bored. Ozzy's meltdown was not as bad as shown in last week's scenes from next week. At least, he tried to get it together again. Not much new to say maybe because we're all losing some interest in Ozzy this season, and Brandon is over the top creepy and we've said it all. Edna would have been my choice to go over Mikayla, but makes little difference to me at this point. Time for a shake-up.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

Biggest surprise to me, especially after last week was that no one has really suggested getting rid of Brandon. His open statement that "I really want Mykala to stay but I promised Edna" shows that he is a total wildcard that won't make the best strategic situation, but will instead make whatever emotional decision that hits him at the moment. I don't remember who said it, Albert maybe, but one of them said something like, "you talk to Brandon for more than 5 minutes and his head looks like it will explode". That's the first person I'd want gone. I don't think Coach trusts him, so not really sure why he's keeping him around. Coach may have also tipped his hand a bit too much fighting to keep Edna. Whereas Albert was pushing for tribe strength in keeping Mykala, Coach was advancing his own agenda in keeping Edna, which you do want, but then you are bring the target back to you. So we'll see how that strategy works out.

Ozzy is pretty much a bystander at this point. Only the fact that he's got the HII and can possibly win challenges if he makes the merge will make him a factor in the game. Jim(?) is clearly the one running the show over on that beach and I like how he's doing it. I think they feel they can pretty much take Ozzy out at any point in time, and they are probably right, even with HII.

I think now that most of the obvious players have been sent to redemption, the show should start getting a bit more interesting and a little less predictable. If coach's tribe loses, it will be interesting to see who he turns on, will he go after Albert or go with Edna or maybe even go after Brandon.

Supposedly one person asks this week to be sent to Redemption. My uneducated guess, Brandon for the one tribe, Ozzy for the other.

[SBETigg]

Supposedly one person asks this week to be sent to Redemption. My uneducated guess, Brandon for the one tribe, Ozzy for the other.

It has to be Ozzy. They pretty much showed this in last week's scenes from next week, which makes it a non-event. Unless his tribe doesn't lose. Or someone performs so badly that it overrides Ozzy's desire to go.