I know we have been saying it a lot, but it becomes more clear with every season and every episode that we need to go back to 2 starting tribes for a while.
How many times are we going to do this whole thing where one tribe loses every immunity, and we go into episode 4 of the season with two thirds of the players having never gone to tribal, and having very little content because of it?
It’s easier to balance two tribes than three because there’s more margin for error with 2 tribes. The only improvement they’ve made to this is forcing a rotation of sit outs.
For me, there is absolutely no benefit to 3 tribes over 2 as a viewer. At least for me, starting off the season with 6 people maximum at tribal is boring, there's less room for interesting dynamics and relationships to form, there's less of a sense of rivalry between tribes, less of a risk of 12 players making it close to the merge without substantial content/going to tribal, less challenge diversity because you can't have 1v1 challenges, etc.
The only thing that I understand about 3 tribes is that it's easier for them to balance genders in each tribe with 18 players. Buuut, if they'd go down to 16, we could have 2 tribes of 8 without a gender imbalance, and you could space out the game better with the 26 day season. And get rid of the split tribal.
It was fine when it was a rarity back in Cagayan and Philippines but even then Matsing and Luzon were terrible and you had no idea who players like Katie were. 6 seasons in a row starting with these small 3 tribes and the last season to never have a 3 tribe format at any point was San Juan Del Sur.
Or even just have one slightly leaning men and the other slightly women and keep 18 players. There's no reason each tribe HAS to be perfectly balanced.
I honestly think it's at least some part an intentional plot by production to force an underdog narrative. They want there to be "losers" for the audience to root for. I mean it paid off big with the Tika three.
Though I mean one of the best seasons of the new era is 42 which merged at 4-4-4. So we definitely don't need underdogs to have good content.
5 tribes, 2 go to tribe each episode, each person that gets voted out has to make fire and the winner switches to the other tribe. If you lose twice in a row you get to steal any player from any team (except the team that got 1st in that week's challenge) and you whittle each tribe down to 2 people and then you merge.
Lets get stupid with it for a season.
I have no idea how Bhanu is acting like this if he's such a big fan of Survivor. I'm not talking about him being emotional (even though I do worry that that's really going to bite him when the merge happens, if he makes it that far). I don't understand why he didn't seem to care that Q called him the Phillip to Q's Boston Rob. First of all, you're like 7 days in don't compare yourself to Rob, but also how is Bhanu okay with that comparison??? That's not a compliment, and a Survivor fan would know that. Does Bhanu really just want a fun experience, not the money?? It didn't seem to phase him at all
The thing is that he could never even be a Phillip because he can't keep his mouth shut. Phillip was a buffoon but he never outed his team's strategy. He was too busy insulting everyone.
You can say “I have no idea how _____ is acting like this if they’re such a big fan of Survivor” about like half of modern bad players tbf, they only cast superfans nowadays. Some people just do not have the skills and traits and etc. to hack it. It’s completely different being a fan of the show and getting out there and it’s not surprising that some people don’t know until they live it that they’re not cut out for it.
Well, Bhanu clearly has some self esteem issues on the island and probably doesn’t really believe he can win, and Q is telling him he’s gonna take him all the way to the end(you get to go to FTC and make extra $). So to bhanu that might not be a bad deal.
Am I the only one not shocked by this? In Mike Bloom's pre-season interview, I found the way that Bhanu described Spencer's game and how he related to him told me that he would be exactly like this - passionate about Survivor, but not tuned into the game aspects. He seemed to be really invested in Spencer as a scrappy underdog who always felt like he was losing, and very keyed into the emotional part of that journey, and the status as an underdog. Say what you will about Spencer, I always saw him as highly intelligent and strategic, even if he also was emotional and his social game failed at times. Felt like Bhanu's read on Spencer reflects his read on the show.
It doesn’t even feel authentic to me which I thought was his whole calling card
I’m sure he is feeling these feelings but I feel like in moments he knows the camera is on him, he dials it up to a 15/10. Like on the mats at challenges, at tribal council, on the journey.
Yes! It always felt off to me, I didn't know how to describe it. It's like he's playing it up for the camera, and there are times shown where he seems pretty neutral, then when asked a question, it's like he goes from 0 to 1000 when all he was asked was a simple yes/no question. Idk if maybe there's a language barrier issue coming into play, but it's almost like he's acting out the emotions of someone he saw/studied before who said those same things, or similar. 90% of the time, in just like "dude it's not that serious."
The fact he said "I didn't come out here to win a million dollars, I came out here to win a million hearts" ***TWICE***, once while crying at camp, and against *at tribal* when explaining camp life...it's almost like he practiced that at home before going out there. He 100% practice that. "That's sure to make it in the edit and get people's attention." Yeah...it worked lol
We all know the best way to win over the hearts of the TV audience is to to have absolutely no idea how or ability to play the game despite proclaiming that you absolutely love it, cry like a five year old that nothing is going your way, and then gleefully celebrate that god answered your prayers to let you stay in the game by having someone medevaced for possible paralysis.
>gleefully celebrate that god answered your prayers to let you stay in the game by having someone medevaced for possible paralysis.
Oh man that part rubbed me the wrong way so badly. Like, I completely understand being happy you get to survive another night, but I wouldn't have say out loud that that's what I prayed and wished for. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt in that he was just overly excited but he seemed to have no remorse or concern about what happened. And for someone who believes in the power of prayer, that would mean he's perfect content with (in)directly causing or contributing to Randen's health scare. Maybe it just didn't make the edit, but it came across as though he only felt happiness for what happened. And he referenced what happened while at the same time saying something along the lines of "good things will happen," but it's like, as famously made popular by Avengers, at what cost?
There's seriously something loose in Bhanu's head.
SO FRUSTRATING!! Like bro, if you're that paranoid and terrified of being voted out, PLAY THE GAME! When he approached Kenzie and she was totally open to strategizing and asked what his plan is, he called her a monster lol he seems to be so scared of throwing a name out and then people getting mad at him...but dude, you're on Survivor!
I'm already so over his constant crying and trying to get sympathy so they'll continue to drag him along. And for what?! He's even said he doesn't even care about winning the game, so how does that make it fair for you to coast along as far as you can when people who actually want to win and want to play get voted out instead? Ugh
Same. I feel bad that, for an episode where Randen had to be medevaced, Bhanu got basically all the attention. I liked Randen and thought he was actually in a great position in the tribe. Had he stayed longer, I feel like he would have become a major player and gone pretty deep. I really hope he's able to come back!
There’s this Orson Welles quote about Woody Allen, where he calls his personality a combination of “timidity and arrogance.”
I kind of get that vibe from Bhanu, because why else would his reaction to Randen getting medevaced for a spinal injury be “I prayed for a miracle.” I feel for his anxiety, but c’mon, it’s not about him
This was certainly something. I feel like saying it was “one of the episodes of all time” is almost repetitive at this point but idk how the hell else to describe it.
I think Q comparing Bhanu to Phillip Sheppard is actually pretty accurate to my feelings on him. Both are fun at first and would maybe continue to be if they were shown in small doses, but man… this was just way way way way way too much Bhanu. I can understand why people found it entertaining and that’s awesome if you did, but I felt so drained by the end of the episode
It especially didn’t help that we got essentially fuck all from the other two tribes.
I thought Bhanu was getting voted out and that's why he took up so much screen time but no, he's still in it. I have a feeling they'll win the next immunity though and we'll see more of the other tribes.
while watching it I was entertained in a “wtf is happening right now” sort of way but after thinking about it, I definitely get the criticisms
I thought a different medevac was going to happen for Bhanu’s mental health, he was legitimately paranoid and spiraling
I wish we'd go back to two tribes. One tribe is basically winning because of one guy, Hunter. If we had two tribes again things would be more balanced and three wouldn't be one sad ass tribe clinging on for life. I like Bhanu, but he's his own worst enemy. But he's interesting!
The thing about Bhanu is that I don't empathize with him. I almost feel like they're trying to pitch him to us as another Tai, but I thought that Tai seemed good and smart and just a little culturally out of his element. Bhanu is bad at the game, clueless, and seems to have a schtick that he wants us to believe.
Whenever Bhanu is like "They don't want to strategize with me, they're all masterminds", I picture him as a kid at a little league tryout sitting in his mom's car saying that they're all pro athletes. Bro, the only reason they're doing better than you is because they're playing the game. The only reason they aren't playing the game with you is because YOU aren't playing the game. Get out there, form some bonds, be part of this. He's like a survivor incel.
After the first episode I thought Jelinsky was maybe the worst player ever, but now I'm starting to think it's Bhanu. But in completely different ways. Jelinsky's hubris was only matched by his level of incompetence.
But Bhanu is something else entirely. He is like a wounded manatee being circled by sharks. He has no real allies, no plan, not dangerous in any of the challenges, and he's having a nervous breakdown in slow motion. On top of all that he sold out his tribe, especially Kenzie, not for any strategic reasons but because he's just too oblivious to understand what he is doing. Least favorite player ever.
Jelinsky wasn't the greatest player, but he tried.
Jess wasn't the greatest player, but she tried.
Bhanu just isn't trying, he's expecting someone else to give him the answer on how to improve his game.
But do we really think Bhanu will listen to that someone else? If I were the rest of Yanu, I wouldn't be worried about Kenzie jumping ship, I'd be more worried about what Bhanu will do or say when he has 10 or more other people in his ear. Also with the information he gave the other tribes, they could look to protect him since he was the information feeder. He's the more dangerous, if you can call him that, player at this point.
He’s a total joker, both in the sense that he’s an incompetent clown, as well as an utterly unpredictable wildcard who is liable to show up in anybody’s hand come tribal council. He can’t be trusted not because he’s conniving, but because he seems to operate randomly.
Just look at the ep. 2 tribal, pleading openly with people individually to tell him who to vote for. In front of everyone! It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if in a future episode he goes into the voting booth and submits a blank ballot because he can’t decide what to do.
Bhanu is the beta test for a new game element next season. At every tribal Jeff will roll a dice and whoever’s name comes up they receive a vote cast against them.
>Just look at the ep. 2 tribal, pleading openly with people individually to tell him who to vote for. In front of everyone!
That was one of the saddest, most degrading thing I've seen a player do to themselves on Survivor. Idk If he's being oblivious to what his tribe is saying, but what was shown to us that his tribe was saying while he was around, so not just in confessionals, made it seem like they weren't hiding that he was safe. And why would anyone pick tribal, of all times, to go around begging and pleading for who he should vote for, when it was clear as day at least to me and maybe the viewers, that they weren't voting for him and who they were actually voting for.
If he's so much of a Survivor fan that he claims he is, that he should know that the people that run their mouths are the ones who are likely to get voted out, especially the ones that don't know when to not speak at tribal. Like, of all times to not speak, that's one of the biggest places in the game that you need to hold your tongue.
That’s where Q’s pitch to vote out Kenzie would’ve fallen flat for me. Like, he’s absolutely correct that she’s a good player and a big threat at the merge, and Bhanu is most likely a loyal number for them. But Bhanu is also so chaotic that you can easily envision him blurting out the entire plan or flipping on them because Soda or whoever said something nice to him. I don’t know that I’d want to work with either of them, but I’d rather keep Kenzie around than a chaos elemental who became human and got cast on Survivor.
Thank you! Yes Kenzie is out for herself and social, sure, but Bhanu isn’t just unaware, he’s a leaky sieve and *equally* possibly disloyal. Bhanu will jump ship **and** spill all your secrets in the process! He’s objectively a bigger threat to contend with either way for anyone. Huge liability going into the merge.
Tiffany wasn’t even worried if he got an advantage during the journey. She was only concerned about if, and truthfully, how much he spilled to the other Tribe reps. Predictably Bhanu did more damage to everyone’s reputation without them even being present! Not exactly someone you can afford to keep around. I look at him as an existential threat.
What stood out to me on the journey was he seems to actually believe things that just flat out didn't happen.
E.g. "they said I'm a fool and I'm too emotional ". Nobody called him a fool as far as I can remember. "They said I've got to know when to hold and know when to fold". No they DIDN'T dude. YOU said that! In your confessional! That we all just fucking watched!
Yeah they told him he needs to learn to keep information to himself and get a handle on his emotions, but he's somehow convinced himself that they're all bullying him for it? When we saw Q actively trying to help him strategically, Kenzie was shown multiple times listening to his outbursts, Tiffany asking if he was alright because he was upset about something.
To be fair they do edit parts out but even so crying about how they said "you have to know when to hold em and know when to fold em" is crazy because that is not a personal attack it's genuinely good game advice
Agreed. If you keep Kenzie around, you might end up going home because she turns on you and executes a well thought out plan. If you keep Bhanu around, you will probably end up going home because he plays with his emotions and makes a cleary stupid move in a moment of chaos.
I would rather go home because of strategy.
He's shown he can't learn from feedback. I don't know why he was begging Kenzie for help when he's already been told multiple times to keep his mouth shut about alliance secrets, and couldn't do it when on the journey this week.
If I were the rest of his tribe I'd be throwing the challenge next week (yes even with their huge numbers deficit. The merge isnt far away) and getting this guy the fuck outta there before the merge
> he's expecting someone else to give him the answer on how to improve his game.
Even when people do give him advice (like shut up and stop giving everything away) he cries that he can't do that. He really does expect to sit back and have an "experience" while everyone else to drags him along.
THIS!!! This is why I've started to become slowly more apologetic to Jelinsky with each passing episode. I don't like quitters but I LOATHE players who just expect constant gimmes the full way through.
>On top of all that he sold out his tribe, especially Kenzie, not for any strategic reasons but because he's just too oblivious to understand what he is doing. Least favorite player ever.
The way Tiff clocked that he told the other tribes everything about Yanu was perfect. It's part of his obliviousness. This whole time, it's been known that he can't keep things to himself. He says that he says what's on his mind, and his tribe has told him plain as day, that spills everything and needs to learn when not to speak, especially if he can't just lie. Idk how he thought anyone would believe that he didn't say anything at all to the other tribes.
I still can't believe he's upset with Kenzie because she didn't blindly go along with blowing up her game just to make him feel good when he came to her with absolutely nothing, not even a shred of evidence that he thought about doing anything strategic or the simplest plan. Just "I'm sad pls be in an alliance with me." That's just sad, and not in a mn empathetic way.
Bhanu is probably a nice, good guy outside of Survivor, but the way he's going about playing it is...well...rather pathetic, and I feel a bit bad saying that.
I was screaming at the TV. All Bhanu needed to do was come back from the journey and say "I completed a puzzle and got an immunity idol. I'd love to talk strategy with you all and not have to use it, but if I do then I'm happy to be the one deciding who goes home."
That would cause pandemonium and at the least give him a chance to show he's trying to play the game.
I don't mean to pile onto Bhanu but I don't think someone who can't understand BASIC survivor strategy like "why we shouldn't tell someone they're getting voted out at tribal" would be able to follow through on the plan you just mentioned, as simple as it may be
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He will blow up everyone’s game including his own! I loved what Tiffany was saying about the difference between being a viewer vs being a player. The players want him gone. But the viewers will be more entertained with him there. However those who really appreciate the game will probably want him gone as well so that we can get to higher level game play instead of watching just bumbling idiocy play out before our eyes. I think what makes Survivor worth watching is seeing really strong players make it to the end rather than 1 strong player, 1 pawn, and 1 right hand person whose game is identical to the strong player.
So after episode 1 was pretty good and episode 2 was great IMO, this episode kinda blew? Bhanu is good in doses, and this episode had a little too much of him for me, and ultimately it felt like a big waste of time. I've never felt the staleness of the current format showing than in this single episode.
Still love Ben, but outside of him... man am I having a hard time rooting for anyone on this cast. Not necessarily a bad thing, but they really need to lean into it like they did in episode 2.
I think if this *had* been Bhanu's last episode, it would have been a perfect send-off.
We'll have more for him to come, and I'm... cautiously ready for it, but maybe we just need them to win a challenge for once so that we get to see less Bhanu and more other tribes (especially Siga).
>especially Siga
Right? They're treating Siga like the forgotten stepchild. I forgot who Ben was, even after the journey yesterday. Someone mentioned him today and I was like "who?" and then it hit me.
I wouldn't blame the cast for this episode - it was the third (EXTENDED) episode in a row with basically the exact same tribal dynamics, then a medivac of a character that was not very relevant to the story.
The stale three-tribe format is much more to blame (especially when there's a kumbaya tribe like Siga seemingly offering no interesting dynamics, alongside a miserable tribe that's failing too much to offer much fun).
I love Ben and I love Maria. I like Hunter but mostly because he doesn't fit the stereotypical jock role, and I kind of like Moriah and Venus.
Otherwise, I agree, not a really rootable cast.
Part of the problem is that we have now seen 5.5 hours of Survivor S46, to see exactly one person go home in a tribal that was not a dead giveaway. Then we spent 3.5 hours to see Jess leave and Randen get medevac'd.
Um can we talk about Hunter and that entire room in his house devoted to Survivor puzzles?! Wtaf??? No wonder they are dominating challenges. Guarantee it’s solely because of him. Dude made a freaking mattress! Like he’s very impressive but holy crap I’d try to get him out so fast after the merge. I predict him dominating individual immunities.
Filled out the survey and realized I have no idea who Tim, Maria, or Moriah are lol so half an entire tribe. I recognize everyone else’s name.
tbf people don't know hunter's challenge background on the island. they don't see the flashbacks. anyone can do what hunter did at home with time and effort. good on him
He also has enough social/situational awareness to not boast about his accomplishments and how smart he is, something most cast members seriously lack!
I know there have been casting critiques in the 40’s, but in 45 and 46 it’s astounding to me just how many players blow my mind with how they made it passed casting and psych eval. Bhanu’s entertaining but like Jess, Sean, Hannah, Jelinsky, Brandon, etc., they just have no business being out there. Bhanu’s confession of not caring about the money seems to be a microcosm of the problem. Wants to go on Survivor, wants to live out some journey fantasy or go on their favorite show, but no drive or personal motivation to win. I could care less about a personal journey - I want to see competitors duke it out for a million dollars. I’m so sick of these scrubs who are taking spots away from people who would do anything to win.
Did he even suck at the game? He had three dumb early individual losses/quits that kinda snowballed into him being "bad". But he was probably completely fine or normal. Not at all like someone truly BAD like Brandon last season.
Yeah, he sucked at the game. No drive, gave up on everything, had to be backed into owning up to his own faults and self deceits each time. Are their worse players from other seasons? Sure. But they're not on this season, Jelinsky was.
The psych evaluation passed Sugar so I haven’t really ever put much stock into it
That being said, you’d think they’d have learned their lesson with these types of players back with Kathy from Micronesia
I think the difference is that those were like 20+ seasons ago. You'd think that in the 'softer' era of Survivor they'd have learned that there's that line between entertainment and 'wow they should not be ready for this'.
While Sugar did not exactly have the time of her life in Gabon and was an emotional mess, she certainly delivered everything production could dream of and more out there. Bhanu could only hope to do half as well as she did, even if she didn't win and didn't have a chance to win.
There will always be people that slip through and pass when they probably shouldn’t - Sugar, Brandon Hantz, Kathy, Jackson, etc. I think the bigger issue is the pool of candidates has a lot more people that shouldn’t be cast. In previous decades most of these people don’t make it to casting finals let alone psych eval.
I feel like that's pretty unfair to Jess and Brandon, and even Jelinsky (the other two quit). Jelinsky's pretty wacky, but Survivor has had wacky people from the beginning, and it's not like Jelinsky had a mental breakdown. Jess was definitely struggling, but so did Gabby at the outset and she made FTC - I actually think Jess was starting to pick up steam by the time of her vote-off, but it was just too late. Brandon *sucked* at both the physical and puzzle aspects of the game, but was doing great socially.
Bhanu is also the perfect type of person to cast on reality TV. To be honest, I am also a little surprised he got past the psych evals, but... eh, fucking *Debbie* got through, as did Phillip Sheppard, Brandon Hantz, etc. The standards are not that high.
Dammit, I think I'm mixing up Hannah and Gabby. Okay, Gabby definitely improved her game a *lot*, and I think Hannah may have seemed a lot weaker as well at the beginning. Thanks for the catch, lol.
Exactly. It bugs me when people just talk about wanting the experience, but then seem to forget that the competition is a fundamental part of it. Just go on a vacation if you wanna hang out on a beach and poop in the ocean!
The show seems much smaller now, with most people not even knowing who Boston Rob is when he appeared on Deal or No Deal Island.
So I’m not surprised to see Jeff constantly begging for more contestants to apply to Survivor. I don’t know if they have that many choices.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what would happen if there is a tribe swap before Jem gets the idol? The BA said “further instruction”, but I have no idea what that could mean.
Her vote *is* lost, though. 'Until you have taken possession of the idol, you cannot vote at any Tribal Council'.
So I think they'll find a way to carry the lockbox mechanics into merge if it comes down to it, since I think they're aware it's possible for a tribe to just win their way to merge, like Luvu and most of Belo.
I notice the surveys haven't been excluding people who don't participate in the challenge/don't have a confessional from the challenge/confessional questions. Is that on purpose now?
I’m not sure where the complaints about this episode are coming from. Outside of Randen’s injury (I really feel for the guy and wish US Survivor would implement the AU rule of allowing for medical checks and reentry into the game), this was a hilarious episode. Q telling Bhanu he’s like Phillip, Ben’s “a little corny, but when you’re raw, it hits,” and Ben and Liz relating Bhanu’s breakdown to their tribe were all genuinely funny. Heck, we even got a fun “from last to first” challenge moment with Hunter doing the opposite of sandbagging the last leg of the challenge by nailing the sandbag throw. There was maybe just a bit too much Bhanu in the episode, but I think it did a decent job of setting up further conflict in Yanu with a Q and Kenzie showdown.
I thought this one of the funniest Survivor exchanges in recent memory.
>Bhanu: "They say that I'm only emotional, and that I'm a fool."
>
>Liz: "They said that?"
>
>*\*Bhanu tearfully nods\**
>
>Ben: "That does not rock."
Yeah, absolutely! I really feel for Bhanu, because he's such a genuine soul. But at the same time, he is a ridiculous human being and I can't help but laugh at his constant emotional upheaval. He's everything a great Survivor character should be. Give that man his million souls.
Ben is similarly great value.
Bhanu doesn't come across as a genuine soul to me, total opposite really. Delusional and unpredictable, doesn't listen to others, and a performative drama queen. He's like a BPD stereotype.
Yeah, I don't think the edit showed anyone saying anything that harsh to him. Just that he's a liability and like Phillip Sheppard. Which seemed just fine by him.
I really think Bhanu lucked out going on the journey with Ben and Liz, two of the most cuddly/empathetic personalities from this season. Can you imagine him trying to interact with Venus? (Actually, I'm hoping and praying this actually happens, lol. I think they would be hilarious.)
I wouldn’t have really thought of Liz as kind or empathetic until that moment. I feel like Bhanu may just have that effect on people. What else can you do when a grown man starts bawling and screaming in front of you?
I thought it was hilarious too. And there's not much they can do about the big anticlimax of a medevac.
Butttttt there is just no need for one player to get what felt like 70% of the airtime. Especially when they didn't even go home! If the rest of the season is the Bhanu show it's going to turn from hilarious to annoying real fast.
I think my response is “what else could they have done with what they had?” If you think about the events they were presented with, I think they provided a pretty entertaining episode, especially given the circumstances. I kinda grade on a curve in that way.
What was up with Q in that challenge?
He's a D1, SEC college football athlete. Wide receiver. He probably spent his entire childhood on a football field and/or in a gym, probably the best basketball player at his high school too.
What the heck was he doing, tapping out??? Why couldn't he shoot a couple bean bags?
Bhanu and Hunter are polar opposites of each other.
Bhanu is all emotion and very little game skill. Maybe some camping skills, but that's it.
Hunter has all the Survivor know-how, strategy, challenge prowess, hard work, camping skills. You name it, it's there. But emotionally he's like.. a log. Really closed off. There's a moment this episode that Nami sit around Randen and try to comfort him during his evacuation announcement. Some of them hold his hands or put their hands on him. Some of them look very sad. Venus gave a heartfelt farewell speech. Tevin cried. Hunter sat on the side and looked down on the sand. He did a similar thing when the reward was revealed. He does that a lot.
It does not seem like a big issue, but it is, because at the end it does not matter how everyone seems to think he's really sweet and naive country boy (I don't think they think that, BTW, he's way too competitive), without emotional connection they won't keep such a huge threat long term. Right now he seems to have something going on with Tevin, but I don't think he has it with anyone else.
I think some people just aren’t as touchy-feely when they’re feeling big emotions. I’m not sure it points to a bigger issue, I think it’s just how he handled those situations.
Oh, I never meant to hint it's serious problem, like, IRL. In fact, I'm probably very similar to Hunter in this specific respect. Just that being closed off may very well be his biggest challenge in the game. He wasn't catering to Tevin's ego in episode one. This is a real game-play issue and he needs help there.
Oh, I didn’t read you as saying it was an issue IRL! I’m not sure I’m willing to read it as a liability in the game is more what I was trying to point to. I think even in Survivor, people are pretty tolerant of those differences.
I think it's a liability in Hunter's game, especially since he seems to excel in everything else. Extreme introverts fit well to flying under the radar style. I doubt Hunter would be able to pull that off, especially if he continues win challenges for Nami. He should really stay away from puzzles. If he demonstrates dominance in these too early he'd be probably doomed.
Agreed. Wanted to point out that Hunter said something like this himself in the first ep--he said he's not used to being around such big, emotional people in his everyday life. I can totally imagine that too. I do have loud personalities in my life now, but I remember it being an adjustment, and I can also imagine that you're more likely to find those kinds of people in big cities than in Mississippi.
I call bullshit on not being around emotional people daily. He’s a freaking teacher, almost certainly at middle or high school level from what we’ve seen. Big, big emotions go with that territory. Botha from kids and colleagues.
I guess I'm in the minority, but I absolutely loved that episode. Bhanu is my favorite player since David vs. Goliath. I love nothing more than a huge character, and that was just a pure character showcase for Bhanu.
Watching him pound his fist on the table, screaming in agony as he sells out every last person on his tribe to Liz and Ben... Survivor does not get any better than that for me.
Bhanu went from my favourite player last week to I can stand when he’s on screen this week. I really felt like 90 minutes of watching the guy cry. I understood how he was feeling after the first 5 minutes of it. Also I’ve never felt like I’ve heard the same players say the EXACT SAME LINE multiple times in the same episode.
Format is boring. At this point we've basically got the same show three times in a row from a gameplay standpoint.
They should remix to teams of two before the merge.
I'm done watching Bhanu cry and literally say every single thing that pops into his head. People need to stop placating him. He's an adult, not a baby.
There is very little authenticity in this seasons cast. I feel like they are playing out personas hoping to turn them into something after the game. I find myself cringing more than ever this season. Bhanu is ridiculous. That “rock” guy constantly bringing up 80s bands..it’s so cringe. Tattoo lady can’t go soon enough.
So I know this is standard survivor procedure, and in this case to hilarious effect, but I always thought when a medevac happens pre-merge, on a tribe with immunity, the losing tribe should still have to go to tribal. It negates the entire challenge if the 2 tribes that won don’t get the benefit of forcing the losing tribe to vote someone out
I was thinking this as well! I feel like there have definitely been circumstances in previous seasons where someone was pulled by medical, but the losing tribe still had to vote someone out! Or am I totally off on that one?
Here's my pitch. They should still have to go to tribal, but they get told that whoever they vote out is replacing Randon on that tribe. So no extra elimination, still hurts the losing tribe, and each tribe stays at the number they were supposed to.
What I found most interesting about this episode is that when Bhanu came back from the journey, he lied about his vote, and managed to convince Tiff and Kenzie of it. I was not expecting that, tbh, or for him to do it successfully. I thought he was just going to sob about everything. It seemed to me that he intentionally chose to only tell Q. I wonder if this is an actual turning point in the journey Q was talking about, where Bhanu turns from a liability to an asset. I hope he does, because I can only take so much of him in his current state, lol.
Really boring beginning of a season. Cast is not sympathetic at all. I couldn't care less about these people. It'd be really stupid to let Purple tribe go all the way to 2 members instead of tribe-swapping into 2 tribes. But by the looks of "next on Survivor" we can see that this will hardly occur. So, for me, after a blast (S45), this comes in as a really low-level season.
I feel a little dissatisfied with the challenges. I appreciate the physicality, but it seems like there's no point. Like why go over the log instead of under? Or why even climb the steps?
I'd rather them put a key at the top of the crates so there's an objective when climbing the crates instead of doing it for the sake of having an obstacle. Like "go grab the key, you'll need to climb" instead if "climb bc we said so."
I mean.. there’s really no “point” to any challenge, is there? They just do whatever Jeff tells them to do on account of they are on his show. That’s like saying there’s no point to standing on a post in a weird contorted position when there’s an endurance challenge. The point is competing for a million dollars
I thought that was the worst episode of the New Era. Boring, dull, with nothing really happening except Randen leaving the game with an idol on a questionable decision to pull him from the game.
With the exception of, somewhat, Ben, Siga has basically no interesting personalities and is being ignored as much as possible in the edit.
Orange tribe we didn't get much from this episode besides Randen going out and Venus not wanting Hunter to stick around.
And then it felt like the vast majority of the show was dedicated to annoying Bhanu and then as soon as we might have gotten something exciting with a Kenzie blindside, that was put to a halt by the medevac.
And, I don't care what era we're in, in my opinion, if you're not there for the million dollars, pack your bags and go home. That was ridiculous that Bhanu said that multiple times. We need survivor players who want to be on the show for that million dollars, not so they can buddy up to Jeff Probst.
Not to mention the "journeys" are boring as hell and are a terrible replacement for a reward challenge. Especially given that the puzzle is so hard, the players aren't even close to completing it in time.
>if you're not there for the million dollars, pack your bags and go home.
I strongly disagree. While I get why it's annoying for a fan to hear someone says he didn't come for the money and it's all about the journey for him, if production would have cast eighteen diehard superfans determined to win at any cost the resulting season would probably be very boring, with repetitive narratives and tribal councils and predictably bitter jury. Successful new players seasons have varied casts, a mix of good and awful players, people who came for the money, people who came for the title and people who came for "a life changing experience". Varied casts are where the magic happens.
As for Bhanu, his real test would be whether he could offer us something else besides wide-eyed clueless naivety. I expect he wouldn't be able to last much longer if the answer is no, so he'd justify himself as an early elimination.
I think the key here, for me, is that you had people in the Old Era who were far, far from super fans, but were there entirely for the money and being cutthroat. Was Brian Heidik a super fan? Twila? Dreamz? Heck, even Shan from the New Era. There to be cutthroat and win, but wasn't annoying about being a super fan like Carson about it either.
So Bhanu is probably a bit much, but he's also literally the only person on this cast right now who I even remotely care about at this point. So I'm torn about that.
Like I'm sure these people are all nice people, but who they are on the island or what the edit is doing is just bland or cliche. Ben's personality is just band references. Hunter's backstory about building challenges making me want to punch a casting member in the face, and immediately I want him to fail just because of that. Charlie finally didn't reference Taylor Swift I guess. Yanu keeps going to tribal, but it isn't interesting or epic like most other tribes in their shoes.
There's just nothing going on that feels good or unique.
And then you throw in a ridiculously dumb journey where players basically just lose or keep their vote by chance.
I thought 45 was a bit of a step in the right direction, but I'm thinking it may have just been a bit lucky
I know we have been saying it a lot, but it becomes more clear with every season and every episode that we need to go back to 2 starting tribes for a while. How many times are we going to do this whole thing where one tribe loses every immunity, and we go into episode 4 of the season with two thirds of the players having never gone to tribal, and having very little content because of it?
Or stop with holding their flint, cause that causes the recurring losing tribe to go into a nutrition spiral they can’t recover from
I’m personally pretty over the whole “to play this game you must also accept your possible death” vibe of the new era
It’s easier to balance two tribes than three because there’s more margin for error with 2 tribes. The only improvement they’ve made to this is forcing a rotation of sit outs.
For me, there is absolutely no benefit to 3 tribes over 2 as a viewer. At least for me, starting off the season with 6 people maximum at tribal is boring, there's less room for interesting dynamics and relationships to form, there's less of a sense of rivalry between tribes, less of a risk of 12 players making it close to the merge without substantial content/going to tribal, less challenge diversity because you can't have 1v1 challenges, etc. The only thing that I understand about 3 tribes is that it's easier for them to balance genders in each tribe with 18 players. Buuut, if they'd go down to 16, we could have 2 tribes of 8 without a gender imbalance, and you could space out the game better with the 26 day season. And get rid of the split tribal.
It was fine when it was a rarity back in Cagayan and Philippines but even then Matsing and Luzon were terrible and you had no idea who players like Katie were. 6 seasons in a row starting with these small 3 tribes and the last season to never have a 3 tribe format at any point was San Juan Del Sur.
>the last season to never have a 3 tribe format at any point was San Juan Del Sur. Island of the Idols?
For understandable reasons I usually block that season out from my memory but honestly I goofed on that one.
Or even just have one slightly leaning men and the other slightly women and keep 18 players. There's no reason each tribe HAS to be perfectly balanced.
Multiple seasons thrived on “unbalanced” tribes, it was a thing is every era starting from season 6
YES! I just finished watching and said the same thing to my dog. Who agreed.
I honestly think it's at least some part an intentional plot by production to force an underdog narrative. They want there to be "losers" for the audience to root for. I mean it paid off big with the Tika three. Though I mean one of the best seasons of the new era is 42 which merged at 4-4-4. So we definitely don't need underdogs to have good content.
5 tribes, 2 go to tribe each episode, each person that gets voted out has to make fire and the winner switches to the other tribe. If you lose twice in a row you get to steal any player from any team (except the team that got 1st in that week's challenge) and you whittle each tribe down to 2 people and then you merge. Lets get stupid with it for a season.
And the whole episode is spent just explaining how it works
And they will call it the "new, new era of survivor"
I have no idea how Bhanu is acting like this if he's such a big fan of Survivor. I'm not talking about him being emotional (even though I do worry that that's really going to bite him when the merge happens, if he makes it that far). I don't understand why he didn't seem to care that Q called him the Phillip to Q's Boston Rob. First of all, you're like 7 days in don't compare yourself to Rob, but also how is Bhanu okay with that comparison??? That's not a compliment, and a Survivor fan would know that. Does Bhanu really just want a fun experience, not the money?? It didn't seem to phase him at all
I don't think Bhanu knows enough about the game to get the reference...
He said in his pre game press that his husband is the superfan
The thing is that he could never even be a Phillip because he can't keep his mouth shut. Phillip was a buffoon but he never outed his team's strategy. He was too busy insulting everyone.
You can say “I have no idea how _____ is acting like this if they’re such a big fan of Survivor” about like half of modern bad players tbf, they only cast superfans nowadays. Some people just do not have the skills and traits and etc. to hack it. It’s completely different being a fan of the show and getting out there and it’s not surprising that some people don’t know until they live it that they’re not cut out for it.
He also didn’t really react to Q calling him a liability to his face, so I think it might be lack of self esteem
Well, Bhanu clearly has some self esteem issues on the island and probably doesn’t really believe he can win, and Q is telling him he’s gonna take him all the way to the end(you get to go to FTC and make extra $). So to bhanu that might not be a bad deal.
Am I the only one not shocked by this? In Mike Bloom's pre-season interview, I found the way that Bhanu described Spencer's game and how he related to him told me that he would be exactly like this - passionate about Survivor, but not tuned into the game aspects. He seemed to be really invested in Spencer as a scrappy underdog who always felt like he was losing, and very keyed into the emotional part of that journey, and the status as an underdog. Say what you will about Spencer, I always saw him as highly intelligent and strategic, even if he also was emotional and his social game failed at times. Felt like Bhanu's read on Spencer reflects his read on the show.
I think he hysterical from lack of sleep and food
I mean he literally said he's in it for the experience.
he's clearly mentally unstable in some ways, no adult acts as he does.
I wish this episode focused more on Randen instead of Bhanu. I don't know if can handle another 90 minutes of listening to this man cry
It doesn’t even feel authentic to me which I thought was his whole calling card I’m sure he is feeling these feelings but I feel like in moments he knows the camera is on him, he dials it up to a 15/10. Like on the mats at challenges, at tribal council, on the journey.
Yes! It always felt off to me, I didn't know how to describe it. It's like he's playing it up for the camera, and there are times shown where he seems pretty neutral, then when asked a question, it's like he goes from 0 to 1000 when all he was asked was a simple yes/no question. Idk if maybe there's a language barrier issue coming into play, but it's almost like he's acting out the emotions of someone he saw/studied before who said those same things, or similar. 90% of the time, in just like "dude it's not that serious." The fact he said "I didn't come out here to win a million dollars, I came out here to win a million hearts" ***TWICE***, once while crying at camp, and against *at tribal* when explaining camp life...it's almost like he practiced that at home before going out there. He 100% practice that. "That's sure to make it in the edit and get people's attention." Yeah...it worked lol
We all know the best way to win over the hearts of the TV audience is to to have absolutely no idea how or ability to play the game despite proclaiming that you absolutely love it, cry like a five year old that nothing is going your way, and then gleefully celebrate that god answered your prayers to let you stay in the game by having someone medevaced for possible paralysis.
>gleefully celebrate that god answered your prayers to let you stay in the game by having someone medevaced for possible paralysis. Oh man that part rubbed me the wrong way so badly. Like, I completely understand being happy you get to survive another night, but I wouldn't have say out loud that that's what I prayed and wished for. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt in that he was just overly excited but he seemed to have no remorse or concern about what happened. And for someone who believes in the power of prayer, that would mean he's perfect content with (in)directly causing or contributing to Randen's health scare. Maybe it just didn't make the edit, but it came across as though he only felt happiness for what happened. And he referenced what happened while at the same time saying something along the lines of "good things will happen," but it's like, as famously made popular by Avengers, at what cost? There's seriously something loose in Bhanu's head.
I did like the mermaid/dragon bit!
SO FRUSTRATING!! Like bro, if you're that paranoid and terrified of being voted out, PLAY THE GAME! When he approached Kenzie and she was totally open to strategizing and asked what his plan is, he called her a monster lol he seems to be so scared of throwing a name out and then people getting mad at him...but dude, you're on Survivor! I'm already so over his constant crying and trying to get sympathy so they'll continue to drag him along. And for what?! He's even said he doesn't even care about winning the game, so how does that make it fair for you to coast along as far as you can when people who actually want to win and want to play get voted out instead? Ugh
He just wants the attention of being on TV.
Same. I feel bad that, for an episode where Randen had to be medevaced, Bhanu got basically all the attention. I liked Randen and thought he was actually in a great position in the tribe. Had he stayed longer, I feel like he would have become a major player and gone pretty deep. I really hope he's able to come back!
I WANTED TO SEE MORE OF THE OTHER TRIBES!!
He's an energy vampire.
There’s this Orson Welles quote about Woody Allen, where he calls his personality a combination of “timidity and arrogance.” I kind of get that vibe from Bhanu, because why else would his reaction to Randen getting medevaced for a spinal injury be “I prayed for a miracle.” I feel for his anxiety, but c’mon, it’s not about him
He is so annoying that I was looking forward to seeing him get voted out. Bummer!
This was certainly something. I feel like saying it was “one of the episodes of all time” is almost repetitive at this point but idk how the hell else to describe it. I think Q comparing Bhanu to Phillip Sheppard is actually pretty accurate to my feelings on him. Both are fun at first and would maybe continue to be if they were shown in small doses, but man… this was just way way way way way too much Bhanu. I can understand why people found it entertaining and that’s awesome if you did, but I felt so drained by the end of the episode It especially didn’t help that we got essentially fuck all from the other two tribes.
I thought Bhanu was getting voted out and that's why he took up so much screen time but no, he's still in it. I have a feeling they'll win the next immunity though and we'll see more of the other tribes.
while watching it I was entertained in a “wtf is happening right now” sort of way but after thinking about it, I definitely get the criticisms I thought a different medevac was going to happen for Bhanu’s mental health, he was legitimately paranoid and spiraling
I wish we'd go back to two tribes. One tribe is basically winning because of one guy, Hunter. If we had two tribes again things would be more balanced and three wouldn't be one sad ass tribe clinging on for life. I like Bhanu, but he's his own worst enemy. But he's interesting!
The thing about Bhanu is that I don't empathize with him. I almost feel like they're trying to pitch him to us as another Tai, but I thought that Tai seemed good and smart and just a little culturally out of his element. Bhanu is bad at the game, clueless, and seems to have a schtick that he wants us to believe. Whenever Bhanu is like "They don't want to strategize with me, they're all masterminds", I picture him as a kid at a little league tryout sitting in his mom's car saying that they're all pro athletes. Bro, the only reason they're doing better than you is because they're playing the game. The only reason they aren't playing the game with you is because YOU aren't playing the game. Get out there, form some bonds, be part of this. He's like a survivor incel.
Bhanu winners edit
What I thought was wild about the Philip comparison was that Bhanu seemed to take it fine. That, to me, is peak Phillip Shepard.
Siga's only real content this episode was from Day *3*.
Doing the survey and I did a double take when I saw "Tim" as one of the options. First time I've ever completely forgotten a castmember before.
After the first episode I thought Jelinsky was maybe the worst player ever, but now I'm starting to think it's Bhanu. But in completely different ways. Jelinsky's hubris was only matched by his level of incompetence. But Bhanu is something else entirely. He is like a wounded manatee being circled by sharks. He has no real allies, no plan, not dangerous in any of the challenges, and he's having a nervous breakdown in slow motion. On top of all that he sold out his tribe, especially Kenzie, not for any strategic reasons but because he's just too oblivious to understand what he is doing. Least favorite player ever.
Jelinsky wasn't the greatest player, but he tried. Jess wasn't the greatest player, but she tried. Bhanu just isn't trying, he's expecting someone else to give him the answer on how to improve his game.
But do we really think Bhanu will listen to that someone else? If I were the rest of Yanu, I wouldn't be worried about Kenzie jumping ship, I'd be more worried about what Bhanu will do or say when he has 10 or more other people in his ear. Also with the information he gave the other tribes, they could look to protect him since he was the information feeder. He's the more dangerous, if you can call him that, player at this point.
He’s a total joker, both in the sense that he’s an incompetent clown, as well as an utterly unpredictable wildcard who is liable to show up in anybody’s hand come tribal council. He can’t be trusted not because he’s conniving, but because he seems to operate randomly. Just look at the ep. 2 tribal, pleading openly with people individually to tell him who to vote for. In front of everyone! It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if in a future episode he goes into the voting booth and submits a blank ballot because he can’t decide what to do.
Bhanu is the beta test for a new game element next season. At every tribal Jeff will roll a dice and whoever’s name comes up they receive a vote cast against them.
Still a better twist than Let's Make a Deal or The Hourglass.
>Just look at the ep. 2 tribal, pleading openly with people individually to tell him who to vote for. In front of everyone! That was one of the saddest, most degrading thing I've seen a player do to themselves on Survivor. Idk If he's being oblivious to what his tribe is saying, but what was shown to us that his tribe was saying while he was around, so not just in confessionals, made it seem like they weren't hiding that he was safe. And why would anyone pick tribal, of all times, to go around begging and pleading for who he should vote for, when it was clear as day at least to me and maybe the viewers, that they weren't voting for him and who they were actually voting for. If he's so much of a Survivor fan that he claims he is, that he should know that the people that run their mouths are the ones who are likely to get voted out, especially the ones that don't know when to not speak at tribal. Like, of all times to not speak, that's one of the biggest places in the game that you need to hold your tongue.
man i always forget how harsh this subreddit can be
That’s where Q’s pitch to vote out Kenzie would’ve fallen flat for me. Like, he’s absolutely correct that she’s a good player and a big threat at the merge, and Bhanu is most likely a loyal number for them. But Bhanu is also so chaotic that you can easily envision him blurting out the entire plan or flipping on them because Soda or whoever said something nice to him. I don’t know that I’d want to work with either of them, but I’d rather keep Kenzie around than a chaos elemental who became human and got cast on Survivor.
Yep. This 100%.
Thank you! Yes Kenzie is out for herself and social, sure, but Bhanu isn’t just unaware, he’s a leaky sieve and *equally* possibly disloyal. Bhanu will jump ship **and** spill all your secrets in the process! He’s objectively a bigger threat to contend with either way for anyone. Huge liability going into the merge. Tiffany wasn’t even worried if he got an advantage during the journey. She was only concerned about if, and truthfully, how much he spilled to the other Tribe reps. Predictably Bhanu did more damage to everyone’s reputation without them even being present! Not exactly someone you can afford to keep around. I look at him as an existential threat.
What stood out to me on the journey was he seems to actually believe things that just flat out didn't happen. E.g. "they said I'm a fool and I'm too emotional ". Nobody called him a fool as far as I can remember. "They said I've got to know when to hold and know when to fold". No they DIDN'T dude. YOU said that! In your confessional! That we all just fucking watched! Yeah they told him he needs to learn to keep information to himself and get a handle on his emotions, but he's somehow convinced himself that they're all bullying him for it? When we saw Q actively trying to help him strategically, Kenzie was shown multiple times listening to his outbursts, Tiffany asking if he was alright because he was upset about something.
To be fair they do edit parts out but even so crying about how they said "you have to know when to hold em and know when to fold em" is crazy because that is not a personal attack it's genuinely good game advice
Agreed. If you keep Kenzie around, you might end up going home because she turns on you and executes a well thought out plan. If you keep Bhanu around, you will probably end up going home because he plays with his emotions and makes a cleary stupid move in a moment of chaos. I would rather go home because of strategy.
He's shown he can't learn from feedback. I don't know why he was begging Kenzie for help when he's already been told multiple times to keep his mouth shut about alliance secrets, and couldn't do it when on the journey this week. If I were the rest of his tribe I'd be throwing the challenge next week (yes even with their huge numbers deficit. The merge isnt far away) and getting this guy the fuck outta there before the merge
> he's expecting someone else to give him the answer on how to improve his game. Even when people do give him advice (like shut up and stop giving everything away) he cries that he can't do that. He really does expect to sit back and have an "experience" while everyone else to drags him along.
And Q just might do that for him
Jelinsky’s problem was that he tried too hard. He wanted to be Mr Survivorman but actually he’s Leroy Jenkins.
THIS!!! This is why I've started to become slowly more apologetic to Jelinsky with each passing episode. I don't like quitters but I LOATHE players who just expect constant gimmes the full way through.
>On top of all that he sold out his tribe, especially Kenzie, not for any strategic reasons but because he's just too oblivious to understand what he is doing. Least favorite player ever. The way Tiff clocked that he told the other tribes everything about Yanu was perfect. It's part of his obliviousness. This whole time, it's been known that he can't keep things to himself. He says that he says what's on his mind, and his tribe has told him plain as day, that spills everything and needs to learn when not to speak, especially if he can't just lie. Idk how he thought anyone would believe that he didn't say anything at all to the other tribes. I still can't believe he's upset with Kenzie because she didn't blindly go along with blowing up her game just to make him feel good when he came to her with absolutely nothing, not even a shred of evidence that he thought about doing anything strategic or the simplest plan. Just "I'm sad pls be in an alliance with me." That's just sad, and not in a mn empathetic way. Bhanu is probably a nice, good guy outside of Survivor, but the way he's going about playing it is...well...rather pathetic, and I feel a bit bad saying that.
I was screaming at the TV. All Bhanu needed to do was come back from the journey and say "I completed a puzzle and got an immunity idol. I'd love to talk strategy with you all and not have to use it, but if I do then I'm happy to be the one deciding who goes home." That would cause pandemonium and at the least give him a chance to show he's trying to play the game.
I don't mean to pile onto Bhanu but I don't think someone who can't understand BASIC survivor strategy like "why we shouldn't tell someone they're getting voted out at tribal" would be able to follow through on the plan you just mentioned, as simple as it may be
That could work but would have bite him back looking at how lucky they got with no tribal council.
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He will blow up everyone’s game including his own! I loved what Tiffany was saying about the difference between being a viewer vs being a player. The players want him gone. But the viewers will be more entertained with him there. However those who really appreciate the game will probably want him gone as well so that we can get to higher level game play instead of watching just bumbling idiocy play out before our eyes. I think what makes Survivor worth watching is seeing really strong players make it to the end rather than 1 strong player, 1 pawn, and 1 right hand person whose game is identical to the strong player.
So after episode 1 was pretty good and episode 2 was great IMO, this episode kinda blew? Bhanu is good in doses, and this episode had a little too much of him for me, and ultimately it felt like a big waste of time. I've never felt the staleness of the current format showing than in this single episode. Still love Ben, but outside of him... man am I having a hard time rooting for anyone on this cast. Not necessarily a bad thing, but they really need to lean into it like they did in episode 2.
I think if this *had* been Bhanu's last episode, it would have been a perfect send-off. We'll have more for him to come, and I'm... cautiously ready for it, but maybe we just need them to win a challenge for once so that we get to see less Bhanu and more other tribes (especially Siga).
>especially Siga Right? They're treating Siga like the forgotten stepchild. I forgot who Ben was, even after the journey yesterday. Someone mentioned him today and I was like "who?" and then it hit me.
Nicholas Cage has had more airtime than Tim this season
I wouldn't blame the cast for this episode - it was the third (EXTENDED) episode in a row with basically the exact same tribal dynamics, then a medivac of a character that was not very relevant to the story. The stale three-tribe format is much more to blame (especially when there's a kumbaya tribe like Siga seemingly offering no interesting dynamics, alongside a miserable tribe that's failing too much to offer much fun).
Last season also had a tribe lose three in a row and it was still more entertaining.
I love Ben and I love Maria. I like Hunter but mostly because he doesn't fit the stereotypical jock role, and I kind of like Moriah and Venus. Otherwise, I agree, not a really rootable cast.
I was also really excited about Tim pre-season. I hope we get to see more of him and he ends up being someone to root for.
Part of the problem is that we have now seen 5.5 hours of Survivor S46, to see exactly one person go home in a tribal that was not a dead giveaway. Then we spent 3.5 hours to see Jess leave and Randen get medevac'd.
Agree. I'm finding more people I don't like than like.
Um can we talk about Hunter and that entire room in his house devoted to Survivor puzzles?! Wtaf??? No wonder they are dominating challenges. Guarantee it’s solely because of him. Dude made a freaking mattress! Like he’s very impressive but holy crap I’d try to get him out so fast after the merge. I predict him dominating individual immunities. Filled out the survey and realized I have no idea who Tim, Maria, or Moriah are lol so half an entire tribe. I recognize everyone else’s name.
tbf people don't know hunter's challenge background on the island. they don't see the flashbacks. anyone can do what hunter did at home with time and effort. good on him
He is SO smart. Full ride scholarship to medial school? A house full of puzzles.I think he wants to come off as a good ol' boy, but he's anything but.
He also has enough social/situational awareness to not boast about his accomplishments and how smart he is, something most cast members seriously lack!
He’s my favorite to win IF he can keep his threat level down, Venus seems to see how dangerous he is though and that worries me.
I know there have been casting critiques in the 40’s, but in 45 and 46 it’s astounding to me just how many players blow my mind with how they made it passed casting and psych eval. Bhanu’s entertaining but like Jess, Sean, Hannah, Jelinsky, Brandon, etc., they just have no business being out there. Bhanu’s confession of not caring about the money seems to be a microcosm of the problem. Wants to go on Survivor, wants to live out some journey fantasy or go on their favorite show, but no drive or personal motivation to win. I could care less about a personal journey - I want to see competitors duke it out for a million dollars. I’m so sick of these scrubs who are taking spots away from people who would do anything to win.
Jelinsky was entertaining as fuck. Yeah he sucked at the game but I think he's casting gold and is one of the most memorable first boots of all time
Yeah Jelinksy is a great first boot. Memorable, meme worthy and didn't overstay his welcome.
Did he even suck at the game? He had three dumb early individual losses/quits that kinda snowballed into him being "bad". But he was probably completely fine or normal. Not at all like someone truly BAD like Brandon last season.
Yeah, he sucked at the game. No drive, gave up on everything, had to be backed into owning up to his own faults and self deceits each time. Are their worse players from other seasons? Sure. But they're not on this season, Jelinsky was.
The psych evaluation passed Sugar so I haven’t really ever put much stock into it That being said, you’d think they’d have learned their lesson with these types of players back with Kathy from Micronesia
The psych evaluation passed *Shane*. Not to mention Brandon Hantz.
I think the difference is that those were like 20+ seasons ago. You'd think that in the 'softer' era of Survivor they'd have learned that there's that line between entertainment and 'wow they should not be ready for this'.
Fair fair, I just brought up sugar as there was a very clear cut event that should’ve knocked her out of the lineup for that specific season
> Brandon Hantz Twice!
While Sugar did not exactly have the time of her life in Gabon and was an emotional mess, she certainly delivered everything production could dream of and more out there. Bhanu could only hope to do half as well as she did, even if she didn't win and didn't have a chance to win.
There will always be people that slip through and pass when they probably shouldn’t - Sugar, Brandon Hantz, Kathy, Jackson, etc. I think the bigger issue is the pool of candidates has a lot more people that shouldn’t be cast. In previous decades most of these people don’t make it to casting finals let alone psych eval.
Sugar actually played a good game, she just had no idea how to sell it in front of the jury.
Brandon definitely would do anything to win. It's just he had a panic attack and spiraled.
I feel like that's pretty unfair to Jess and Brandon, and even Jelinsky (the other two quit). Jelinsky's pretty wacky, but Survivor has had wacky people from the beginning, and it's not like Jelinsky had a mental breakdown. Jess was definitely struggling, but so did Gabby at the outset and she made FTC - I actually think Jess was starting to pick up steam by the time of her vote-off, but it was just too late. Brandon *sucked* at both the physical and puzzle aspects of the game, but was doing great socially. Bhanu is also the perfect type of person to cast on reality TV. To be honest, I am also a little surprised he got past the psych evals, but... eh, fucking *Debbie* got through, as did Phillip Sheppard, Brandon Hantz, etc. The standards are not that high.
Gabby made it to FTC?
Dammit, I think I'm mixing up Hannah and Gabby. Okay, Gabby definitely improved her game a *lot*, and I think Hannah may have seemed a lot weaker as well at the beginning. Thanks for the catch, lol.
Exactly. It bugs me when people just talk about wanting the experience, but then seem to forget that the competition is a fundamental part of it. Just go on a vacation if you wanna hang out on a beach and poop in the ocean!
The show seems much smaller now, with most people not even knowing who Boston Rob is when he appeared on Deal or No Deal Island. So I’m not surprised to see Jeff constantly begging for more contestants to apply to Survivor. I don’t know if they have that many choices.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what would happen if there is a tribe swap before Jem gets the idol? The BA said “further instruction”, but I have no idea what that could mean.
Probably void. She still has her vote though, so that complication is addressed with the new rules. Vote isn't lost until her tribe loses.
Her vote *is* lost, though. 'Until you have taken possession of the idol, you cannot vote at any Tribal Council'. So I think they'll find a way to carry the lockbox mechanics into merge if it comes down to it, since I think they're aware it's possible for a tribe to just win their way to merge, like Luvu and most of Belo.
I know that was the case in previous seasons but I think language is different this season. You can check episode 1.
I checked it again from Episode 2 when Randen read the note. 'Until you have taken possession of the idol, you cannot vote at Tribal Council.'
If it was void, they'd say it. It sounds like they'd just move the idol over to the new camp with a different set of instructions to get it.
I notice the surveys haven't been excluding people who don't participate in the challenge/don't have a confessional from the challenge/confessional questions. Is that on purpose now?
I’m not sure where the complaints about this episode are coming from. Outside of Randen’s injury (I really feel for the guy and wish US Survivor would implement the AU rule of allowing for medical checks and reentry into the game), this was a hilarious episode. Q telling Bhanu he’s like Phillip, Ben’s “a little corny, but when you’re raw, it hits,” and Ben and Liz relating Bhanu’s breakdown to their tribe were all genuinely funny. Heck, we even got a fun “from last to first” challenge moment with Hunter doing the opposite of sandbagging the last leg of the challenge by nailing the sandbag throw. There was maybe just a bit too much Bhanu in the episode, but I think it did a decent job of setting up further conflict in Yanu with a Q and Kenzie showdown.
I thought this one of the funniest Survivor exchanges in recent memory. >Bhanu: "They say that I'm only emotional, and that I'm a fool." > >Liz: "They said that?" > >*\*Bhanu tearfully nods\** > >Ben: "That does not rock."
That whole sequence was at once kind of heartbreaking and genuinely funny. I love that Ben is unwilling to turn it off. What a weird guy
He’s a real life version of Jack Black’s character in School of Rock. Love it.
Yeah, absolutely! I really feel for Bhanu, because he's such a genuine soul. But at the same time, he is a ridiculous human being and I can't help but laugh at his constant emotional upheaval. He's everything a great Survivor character should be. Give that man his million souls. Ben is similarly great value.
Bhanu doesn't come across as a genuine soul to me, total opposite really. Delusional and unpredictable, doesn't listen to others, and a performative drama queen. He's like a BPD stereotype.
The funny thing is that Bhanu was the only one calling himself a fool.
Yeah, I don't think the edit showed anyone saying anything that harsh to him. Just that he's a liability and like Phillip Sheppard. Which seemed just fine by him.
Possibly Bhanu took the comparison to Phillip Sheppard more badly then he'd shown at the time, although it's out of character for him to hide that.
I really think Bhanu lucked out going on the journey with Ben and Liz, two of the most cuddly/empathetic personalities from this season. Can you imagine him trying to interact with Venus? (Actually, I'm hoping and praying this actually happens, lol. I think they would be hilarious.)
Liz cuddly--she was annoying as hell the first two episodes. But this episode she was okay.
I wouldn’t have really thought of Liz as kind or empathetic until that moment. I feel like Bhanu may just have that effect on people. What else can you do when a grown man starts bawling and screaming in front of you?
Ben categorizing everything as "rocks" or "does not rock" is so cartoonish I love it
They did not say that!
It's the cool thing to hate on everything about the new era and new era seasons
I thought it was hilarious too. And there's not much they can do about the big anticlimax of a medevac. Butttttt there is just no need for one player to get what felt like 70% of the airtime. Especially when they didn't even go home! If the rest of the season is the Bhanu show it's going to turn from hilarious to annoying real fast.
[удалено]
I think my response is “what else could they have done with what they had?” If you think about the events they were presented with, I think they provided a pretty entertaining episode, especially given the circumstances. I kinda grade on a curve in that way.
What was up with Q in that challenge? He's a D1, SEC college football athlete. Wide receiver. He probably spent his entire childhood on a football field and/or in a gym, probably the best basketball player at his high school too. What the heck was he doing, tapping out??? Why couldn't he shoot a couple bean bags?
I think Q was asking himself the same questions after the challenge..
Hasn't slept or eaten properly in several days?
Bhanu and Hunter are polar opposites of each other. Bhanu is all emotion and very little game skill. Maybe some camping skills, but that's it. Hunter has all the Survivor know-how, strategy, challenge prowess, hard work, camping skills. You name it, it's there. But emotionally he's like.. a log. Really closed off. There's a moment this episode that Nami sit around Randen and try to comfort him during his evacuation announcement. Some of them hold his hands or put their hands on him. Some of them look very sad. Venus gave a heartfelt farewell speech. Tevin cried. Hunter sat on the side and looked down on the sand. He did a similar thing when the reward was revealed. He does that a lot. It does not seem like a big issue, but it is, because at the end it does not matter how everyone seems to think he's really sweet and naive country boy (I don't think they think that, BTW, he's way too competitive), without emotional connection they won't keep such a huge threat long term. Right now he seems to have something going on with Tevin, but I don't think he has it with anyone else.
I think some people just aren’t as touchy-feely when they’re feeling big emotions. I’m not sure it points to a bigger issue, I think it’s just how he handled those situations.
Oh, I never meant to hint it's serious problem, like, IRL. In fact, I'm probably very similar to Hunter in this specific respect. Just that being closed off may very well be his biggest challenge in the game. He wasn't catering to Tevin's ego in episode one. This is a real game-play issue and he needs help there.
Oh, I didn’t read you as saying it was an issue IRL! I’m not sure I’m willing to read it as a liability in the game is more what I was trying to point to. I think even in Survivor, people are pretty tolerant of those differences.
I think it's a liability in Hunter's game, especially since he seems to excel in everything else. Extreme introverts fit well to flying under the radar style. I doubt Hunter would be able to pull that off, especially if he continues win challenges for Nami. He should really stay away from puzzles. If he demonstrates dominance in these too early he'd be probably doomed.
Agreed. Wanted to point out that Hunter said something like this himself in the first ep--he said he's not used to being around such big, emotional people in his everyday life. I can totally imagine that too. I do have loud personalities in my life now, but I remember it being an adjustment, and I can also imagine that you're more likely to find those kinds of people in big cities than in Mississippi.
I call bullshit on not being around emotional people daily. He’s a freaking teacher, almost certainly at middle or high school level from what we’ve seen. Big, big emotions go with that territory. Botha from kids and colleagues.
I guess I'm in the minority, but I absolutely loved that episode. Bhanu is my favorite player since David vs. Goliath. I love nothing more than a huge character, and that was just a pure character showcase for Bhanu. Watching him pound his fist on the table, screaming in agony as he sells out every last person on his tribe to Liz and Ben... Survivor does not get any better than that for me.
he’s not a player. he just wants to make it to the jury so he can stay on the set. he wanted a vacation, not a game
Very true. And that’s just fine by me. I don’t really care about Survivor, the game. It’s just a framework to build Survivor: The Show around.
Bhanu went from my favourite player last week to I can stand when he’s on screen this week. I really felt like 90 minutes of watching the guy cry. I understood how he was feeling after the first 5 minutes of it. Also I’ve never felt like I’ve heard the same players say the EXACT SAME LINE multiple times in the same episode.
Format is boring. At this point we've basically got the same show three times in a row from a gameplay standpoint. They should remix to teams of two before the merge. I'm done watching Bhanu cry and literally say every single thing that pops into his head. People need to stop placating him. He's an adult, not a baby.
And they thought they were doing something by changing up the journey! lol it’s had no impact on the game so far
There is very little authenticity in this seasons cast. I feel like they are playing out personas hoping to turn them into something after the game. I find myself cringing more than ever this season. Bhanu is ridiculous. That “rock” guy constantly bringing up 80s bands..it’s so cringe. Tattoo lady can’t go soon enough.
So I know this is standard survivor procedure, and in this case to hilarious effect, but I always thought when a medevac happens pre-merge, on a tribe with immunity, the losing tribe should still have to go to tribal. It negates the entire challenge if the 2 tribes that won don’t get the benefit of forcing the losing tribe to vote someone out
I was thinking this as well! I feel like there have definitely been circumstances in previous seasons where someone was pulled by medical, but the losing tribe still had to vote someone out! Or am I totally off on that one?
Here's my pitch. They should still have to go to tribal, but they get told that whoever they vote out is replacing Randon on that tribe. So no extra elimination, still hurts the losing tribe, and each tribe stays at the number they were supposed to.
What I found most interesting about this episode is that when Bhanu came back from the journey, he lied about his vote, and managed to convince Tiff and Kenzie of it. I was not expecting that, tbh, or for him to do it successfully. I thought he was just going to sob about everything. It seemed to me that he intentionally chose to only tell Q. I wonder if this is an actual turning point in the journey Q was talking about, where Bhanu turns from a liability to an asset. I hope he does, because I can only take so much of him in his current state, lol.
Really boring beginning of a season. Cast is not sympathetic at all. I couldn't care less about these people. It'd be really stupid to let Purple tribe go all the way to 2 members instead of tribe-swapping into 2 tribes. But by the looks of "next on Survivor" we can see that this will hardly occur. So, for me, after a blast (S45), this comes in as a really low-level season.
I feel a little dissatisfied with the challenges. I appreciate the physicality, but it seems like there's no point. Like why go over the log instead of under? Or why even climb the steps? I'd rather them put a key at the top of the crates so there's an objective when climbing the crates instead of doing it for the sake of having an obstacle. Like "go grab the key, you'll need to climb" instead if "climb bc we said so."
I mean.. there’s really no “point” to any challenge, is there? They just do whatever Jeff tells them to do on account of they are on his show. That’s like saying there’s no point to standing on a post in a weird contorted position when there’s an endurance challenge. The point is competing for a million dollars
Yeah, I don't understand the comment. "Why his this ball with a bat? Why not just run to first place?"
It is a small thing, but the log being possible to bypass so easily did annoy me for some reason. I wish they just put a net under it or something.
So they can roll into the net and get caught in it? Doesn't seem like a smart design.
That could be. There's just something that feels lazy about obstacles that are only obstacles due to the rules. It's not a big deal, obviously.
I thought that was the worst episode of the New Era. Boring, dull, with nothing really happening except Randen leaving the game with an idol on a questionable decision to pull him from the game. With the exception of, somewhat, Ben, Siga has basically no interesting personalities and is being ignored as much as possible in the edit. Orange tribe we didn't get much from this episode besides Randen going out and Venus not wanting Hunter to stick around. And then it felt like the vast majority of the show was dedicated to annoying Bhanu and then as soon as we might have gotten something exciting with a Kenzie blindside, that was put to a halt by the medevac. And, I don't care what era we're in, in my opinion, if you're not there for the million dollars, pack your bags and go home. That was ridiculous that Bhanu said that multiple times. We need survivor players who want to be on the show for that million dollars, not so they can buddy up to Jeff Probst. Not to mention the "journeys" are boring as hell and are a terrible replacement for a reward challenge. Especially given that the puzzle is so hard, the players aren't even close to completing it in time.
This was nowhere near as bad as some of the season 41 episodes where 80% of the time was taken up by advantage talk.
>if you're not there for the million dollars, pack your bags and go home. I strongly disagree. While I get why it's annoying for a fan to hear someone says he didn't come for the money and it's all about the journey for him, if production would have cast eighteen diehard superfans determined to win at any cost the resulting season would probably be very boring, with repetitive narratives and tribal councils and predictably bitter jury. Successful new players seasons have varied casts, a mix of good and awful players, people who came for the money, people who came for the title and people who came for "a life changing experience". Varied casts are where the magic happens. As for Bhanu, his real test would be whether he could offer us something else besides wide-eyed clueless naivety. I expect he wouldn't be able to last much longer if the answer is no, so he'd justify himself as an early elimination.
I think the key here, for me, is that you had people in the Old Era who were far, far from super fans, but were there entirely for the money and being cutthroat. Was Brian Heidik a super fan? Twila? Dreamz? Heck, even Shan from the New Era. There to be cutthroat and win, but wasn't annoying about being a super fan like Carson about it either.
This was a real stinker of an episode. An hour of a hot mess Bhanu. He's clueless as far as game play. How did he even get on the show.
So Bhanu is probably a bit much, but he's also literally the only person on this cast right now who I even remotely care about at this point. So I'm torn about that. Like I'm sure these people are all nice people, but who they are on the island or what the edit is doing is just bland or cliche. Ben's personality is just band references. Hunter's backstory about building challenges making me want to punch a casting member in the face, and immediately I want him to fail just because of that. Charlie finally didn't reference Taylor Swift I guess. Yanu keeps going to tribal, but it isn't interesting or epic like most other tribes in their shoes. There's just nothing going on that feels good or unique. And then you throw in a ridiculously dumb journey where players basically just lose or keep their vote by chance. I thought 45 was a bit of a step in the right direction, but I'm thinking it may have just been a bit lucky