Survivor S41: I was f-ked from the beginning because I'm the best at everything.

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SweetJahasus: Dec 23, 2005; Dragon Slayer
Samurai Warrior
Escape Artist
Viking
Chong-Ra Master
BE THE WIZARD

Welcome, everyone, to season 41 of Survivor! We've had OVER A YEAR with no new US Survivor and finally we're back baby!

Survivor airs Wednesday, September 22nd on CBS! Check your local listings.

:siren:

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS: :siren:

Some basic rules, which should be no-brainers for pre-taped reality TV:

If it pertains to season 41 but has not aired, DO NOT spoil it in this thread. Keep that poo poo to Sucks or some other dumb Survivor fan site.
This show is now 21 years old and has repeatedly brought back previous contestants/winners (and had an all-winner season) so discussion of previous seasons is likely going to be rampant and un-spoiler-tagged. If you're spoiler averse to old seasons, tread lightly. and go watch the old seasons FFS, even the bad ones have good parts! (except 39 don't watch that one it sucks)
Keep any veiled racist/sexist/misogynist bullshit out of the thread. CBS has pushed to make this season more inclusive so let's do the same and enjoy this more diverse cast! It's worked really well for Big Brother 23, so hopefully Survivor casting did as good of a job.

Now for all of the boiler plate poo poo for new viewers in case you�ve been living under a rock for the past 21 years.
What is Survivor?

Survivor is a reality show where a group of 16 to 20 or so contestants, from all walks of life, are stuck on a remote paradise and forced to live together for 39 26 days; gathering their own food, building their own shelter, and purifying their own water. The cast is split into opposing, equal teams, called tribes. The tribes must work together to form a community, in the hopes of one contestant becoming the Sole Survivor and winning one million dollars. At least one contestant is voted off every episode.

A typical Survivor season has three phases. Pre-Merge, Post-Merge, and Endgame.

Pre-Merge: Roughly the first half of the game. The tribes compete against each other twice each episode. First for a reward, and second for tribal immunity. Tribes that fail the immunity challenge will be forced to vote one of their own members out at the end of the episode.
Post-Merge: The tribes are merged together. Players are now playing for individual immunity and all players will participate in voting out a player from the tribe.
Endgame: Once 5-7 players or so remain, the show reaches the End game phase. Usually the very strong core alliances are shaken up here as people try to reach the end or placate the jury. The last nine players voted out before the final tribal council will join a Jury that will decide who will win of the final three (sometimes two) players.

This Season�s Gimmick

This season is going to be only 26 days, shortened from the usual 39 and, per Jeff, will be brutally hard with no food rewards or given rations and require much faster gameplay due to the shortened schedule.

We really have no idea what's to come from this season gimmick-wise, but Jeff has said that there will be less of the typical gimmicky stuff and just more old-fashioned gameplay, which should be great!

The prize purse is back down to $1,000,000 from last year's 2...which is dumb and stupid considering how much money this show makes vs its cost, but hey I guess the million dollars is still something (despite inflation causing the 2000 equivalent to be $1,585,383).

Supplemental Material

Rob has a Podcast: Available on iTunes or YouTube or their website. He does a few podcasts a week discussing the latest episodes events, interviewing the player who was voted out that episode, and provides theories about strategy. This podcast provides insight into the game that was not aired on the show. It is heavily referenced in this thread.
Twitter: Survivors poo poo on each other, shill for their crap, and every once in a while tweet something that's actually amusing.
YouTube: The Official YouTube Channel occasionally puts Ponderosa videos and bonus scenes on their channel but other times they're trying to draw traffic to their CBS All-Access app so they'll put them there instead. Worst case, just search for "Ponderosa [jury member]" and you'll find someone else uploaded it so you don't have to figure that out.

Glossary of Terms

Blindside: When a tribal council seems to be set up so one or one of two possible players are getting eliminated, but somehow either a secret coalition or a surprising idol play makes it so someone else is voted out instead.
"The Edit": Survivor is a show to entertain. It is produced and edited in a way to give players a streamlined personality and to create as much tension before Tribal Council as possible.
Goat: A useless, awful, or crazy person that is not being voted out of the game specifically so a player can look like a more desirable final survivor to the jury compared to the goat.
HII: Hidden Immunity Idol. They are hidden around the island. Clues will be given that could reveal their location. One-use item that a player can use after the votes are cast (but before they are read) at Tribal Council to nullify votes against that person. They can't be used at Final Four player or later.
Mactor: Portmanteau of "Model/Actor". A player who doesn't know the game very well and are just using it to further their career.
Pagonged: Going into post-merge, it's the act of voting out the former members of your opposing tribe before voting out the former members of your original tribe. It's the reason it's important to win tribal immunity pre-merge so that you outnumber the opposing tribe members in post-merge.
Pony/Poison: After the new season's cast is announced, thread members will pick a "Pony" (someone they think is awesome and will win) and a "Poison" (someone they think will suck and/or be an annoying rear end in a top hat they hope will lose or just simply suffer)
Purple Rocks: In the event of a tie at Tribal Council, there is a revote, with only the people receiving the most votes being eligible to receive votes during that revote. If the revote also ends in a tie, Survivors draw rocks. Whichever player draws the differently colored rock is eliminated from the game.
Splitting the vote/Flushing the Idol: An alliance that splits its votes between two members to counter a potential idol play. If one of those two players plays a Hidden Immunity Idol, there will still be enough players voting for the other guy to vote them out. This strategy can be risky.

Okay so enough of that, let�s get to the good stuff. This cast is all newbies so I don't have anything clever to say but here's pictures of them and something that might make them interesting or good tv or something I don't know.

Brad Reese

He's from a town named Shawnee, which sounds like Shonee, one of the most interesting AUS Survivor players. Also is tall.

Danny McCray

Ex-NFL player whose biggest pet peeve is lying. This should make him really good at Survivor.

David Voce

Wants to play the game like Russel Hantz, which means he's probably very cool and chill.

Deshawn Radden

His preseason answers are actually not bad, and I can't make fun of him for anything.

Eric Abraham

Going to have a hybrid playstyle of Richard Hatch, Wendell Holland, and Boston Rob. Will incorporate NO QUALITIES FROM NON-WINNERS

Erika Casupanan

Has been manipulative before she knew what manipulation was. So, is a sociopath.

Evvie Jagoda

Her answers to every question are so long my eyes rolled back in my head. Will probably never be able to succinctly address anything. This season's BB23 Kyland I guess.

Genie Chen

Doesn't look to be a fan, but biggest pet peeve appears to be people not wearing masks, which is going to be probably everyone on Survivor.

Heather Aldret

Has a passion for opossums, which is gross.

Jairus Robinson

Wants to play like some of the "great Survivor winners" like Fabio. Fabio.

Liana Wallace

Seems smart, good answers - can't pick on her because of her answers to the questions she got asked!

Naseer Muttalif

Didn't use a real toilet until he was an adult, aquadump 4 lyfe.

Ricard Foy�

Pet peeve is asking a question and then being ignored, which is pretty drat presumptive of a deaf guy.

Sara Wilson

Is quite confident she's the biggest physical, intellectual, and social threat ever to play Survivor. First boot material.

Shantel Smith

Hero is Xena Warrior Princess, and was in a gang!

Sydney Segal - image is kinda nsfw, depending on where you are

Wants to play a Natalie White game, so I guess be boring player who does nothing but sits next to someone retched. Also her press picture is basically softcore porn so not gonna show it.

Tiffany Seely

Says she is a "previvor" but gives no definition for this, so is probably insane. Also tries to use the phrase "situationships".

Xander Hastings

Is the token for CBS's new initiative to have someone with an X name in all of their reality shows. Thanks CBS for doing what's really important.

Well I guess that's it. We get started in a few weeks after BB ends, so pick your ponies and poisons now.

Here's some additional links to info about these people as it comes out. I haven't had a ton of time to make this OP due to work/family commitments so if you think it sucks too bad.
https://parade.com/1255355/mikebloom/survivor-41-cast/
https://parade.com/1257947/mikebloom/survivor-41-tribes/

# ? Sep 6, 2021 20:38

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 22:20

BGrifter: Mar 16, 2007; Winner of Something Awful PS5 thread's Posting Excellence Award June 2022

Congratulations!

No subtitle is kinda perfect. Or maybe something like:

Survivor S41: it�s on TV.

# ? Sep 6, 2021 20:42

PopZeus: Aug 11, 2010

Pony: Deshawn

Poison: absolutely Tiffany hands down

# ? Sep 6, 2021 22:42

SLICK GOKU BABY: Jun 12, 2001; Hey Hey Let's Go! 喧嘩する
大切な物を protect my balls

I wonder if Jeff is still going to give his same pregame speech now that it is 26 days instead of 39 days. Or maybe he'll change it up so they can keep the casual viewers in the dark about the show being 2 weeks shorter?

# ? Sep 6, 2021 23:08

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

SLICK GOKU BABY posted:

I wonder if Jeff is still going to give his same pregame speech now that it is 26 days instead of 39 days. Or maybe he'll change it up so they can keep the casual viewers in the dark about the show being 2 weeks shorter?

Do you mean the "X people, Y days, One survivor! " Catchphrase

Because that would be a weird and suspicious omission unless the whole format is different

# ? Sep 7, 2021 00:20

Invalid Validation: Jan 13, 2008

I�m sure they�ll edit it enough to barely notice unless you�re a super fan.

# ? Sep 7, 2021 00:25

SalTheBard: Jan 26, 2005; I forgot to post my food for USPOL Thanksgiving but that's okay too!; Fallen Rib

I can't wait for Survivor to start.

# ? Sep 7, 2021 01:49

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

SalTheBard posted:

I can't wait for Survivor to start.

# ? Sep 7, 2021 01:53

Raxivace: Sep 9, 2014

SalTheBard posted:

I can't wait for Survivor to start.

# ? Sep 7, 2021 01:53

nexous: Jan 14, 2003; I just want to be pure

This season gonna suck compared to Australian survivor.

26 days vs 49 days

Not to mention all those people look like they got cast for the wrong tv show

# ? Sep 7, 2021 02:45

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

I'll wait and decide if it sucks after I watch it if it's all the same to you

# ? Sep 7, 2021 02:52

nexous: Jan 14, 2003; I just want to be pure

That�s not very goon like

# ? Sep 7, 2021 02:55

Big Taint: Oct 19, 2003

Pony: Deshawn, agree that his pre-season answers resulted in zero eye rolls or groans, A+
Poison: David, seems like a dick

# ? Sep 7, 2021 03:07

SweetJahasus: Dec 23, 2005; Dragon Slayer
Samurai Warrior
Escape Artist
Viking
Chong-Ra Master
BE THE WIZARD

I guess I should give my pony/poison as well!

Pony: Deshawn
Poison: David

Same as Big Taint! David just seems so arrogant from every video I've seen of him. So hard to tell from preseason press stuff they do because they're all using these canned answers that production pushes them towards, and they all sound the same. Hopefully week 1 we can get real insight into how they will play out.

# ? Sep 7, 2021 15:08

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

Ugh everyone jumped on deshawn for pony which was my gut as well but let's mix it up.

Pony: Naseer
Poison: Xander

# ? Sep 7, 2021 22:38

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

I think Naseer struggles to make the merge but if he does, he's gonna be a huge threat so long as he downplays his 'story'. Xander is giving off major Drew Christy vibes.

# ? Sep 7, 2021 22:41

Shneak: Mar 6, 2015; A sad Professor Plum
sitting on a toilet.

I'm apprehensive about this season because of Jeff's weird decision-making and this cast seems kind of dull. But I'm still glad it's back.

Pony: Shantel
Poison: Sydney

# ? Sep 8, 2021 01:25

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

If they really beat the hell out of them like Jeff is implying it should be interesting

Having to get weirdos to make it interesting is to me a sign that the format was needing some kind of change

# ? Sep 8, 2021 01:33

BGrifter: Mar 16, 2007; Winner of Something Awful PS5 thread's Posting Excellence Award June 2022

Congratulations!

Do we know when this was filmed? I worry Jeff is gonna load it up with every sad piano music confessional about COVID he can find. He likes the sappy stuff way more than I do.

# ? Sep 8, 2021 01:35

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

Personally, I could really do with absolutely 0 mentioning of covid.

# ? Sep 8, 2021 02:28

Nihonniboku: Aug 11, 2004; YOU CAN FLY!!!

The Bloop posted:

Having to get weirdos to make it interesting is to me a sign that the format was needing some kind of change

Oh, I don't know. I think the show started to falter when almost everyone they cast were recruited, and a large number of those were models/actors who didn't care about the game at all and were just there for a free vacation.

The show started to get good again when they started casting fans. It's definitely a different show today than it was even 10 years ago, but it's better than it was for 5 years or so there.

BGrifter posted:

Do we know when this was filmed? I worry Jeff is gonna load it up with every sad piano music confessional about COVID he can find. He likes the sappy stuff way more than I do.

I seem to remember it being around March and April.

# ? Sep 8, 2021 03:23

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

Nihonniboku posted:

Oh, I don't know. I think the show started to falter when almost everyone they cast were recruited, and a large number of those were models/actors who didn't care about the game at all and were just there for a free vacation.

The show started to get good again when they started casting fans. It's definitely a different show today than it was even 10 years ago, but it's better than it was for 5 years or so there.

Yeah. I agree with this

# ? Sep 8, 2021 03:52

UltimoDragonQuest: Oct 5, 2011

Survivor is back!

https://i.imgur.com/oJ3ckLJ.gifv
https://i.imgur.com/nXpXhPj.gifv
https://zippy.gfycat.com/ZestyTangibleAfricanfisheagle.mp4
https://i.imgur.com/DA9DRCJ.gifv

Pony: Heather the Oppossum Liker
Poison: David the Russell Liker

# ? Sep 9, 2021 07:28

STING 64: Oct 20, 2006

what kind of country is 41

# ? Sep 9, 2021 07:42

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

STONE COLD 64 posted:

what kind of country is 41

we're doing metric now

# ? Sep 9, 2021 14:14

SweetJahasus: Dec 23, 2005; Dragon Slayer
Samurai Warrior
Escape Artist
Viking
Chong-Ra Master
BE THE WIZARD

STONE COLD 64 posted:

what kind of country is 41

Well start at USA (#1) and count them, then you get to 41, and survive

# ? Sep 9, 2021 18:19

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

quote:

"The other change for Survivor 41 was on the creative side," says Probst. "And that started with a phone call with former player Mike White. Survivor fans know him as the guy who almost won David vs. Goliath, but he's also one of the most successful writer-producer-directors in Hollywood. In other words, he is a master storyteller."

As Probst and his producing team were coming up with twists and tweaks for the new season, he decided to run them by the erstwhile contestant and creator of HBO's hit series The White Lotus to see what he thought. After all, it's not the first time the writer/actor had weighed in before on a creative idea. Turns out, for the second time in Survivor history, White's decidedly mixed reaction changed everything.

"I was in my garage with several white boards, working on creative for Survivor 41," says the host. "I called Mike for his insight into a story-related element. He listened politely as I laid out the idea. It was an elaborate and very complicated Survivor capitalist society that would be driven by players earning money (Fire Tokens) and spending them on shelter, rewards, and advantages. When I finished the pitch, I asked him what he thought. He paused for a moment and said, 'Well� it sounds� in-ter-est-ing. But is it fun?'"

For Probst, those four words "changed everything" about Survivor 41. "I couldn't erase the white boards fast enough," he says. "I had spent well over a year working on this idea, and yet it still felt so good to throw it out because it was so clear that it sucked! I called [executive producer] Matt Van Wagenen and said, 'Forget everything we've been working on! Throw it out! From now on, fun is the only thing that matters!'"

Survivor is a complicated game with complicated rules (good luck trying to explain all the options at play in the Ghost Island marooning challenge), and Probst's chat with The White Lotus creator made the host and showrunner realize his team should be focusing their efforts in another direction.

"Mike really gave me a gift because he not only pulled me out of an idea that would have really bogged down the game, but he connected me to a much bigger idea: After everything we have all gone through with COVID, we just need to have some fun. That became the driving creative focus on Survivor 41. Every time I would talk with Matt, one of us would ask the other, 'Is it fun?'"

So what kind of fun can we expect? "What we soon realized was the best kind of Survivor fun is the dangerous kind," says Probst. "So we really leaned into danger when crafting this season. We approached Survivor 41 as though the game was like the monster in a horror movie. Either you devour the monster, or the monster will devour you. And by giving the game the personality of a monster, it really sparked a lot of ideas. Suddenly anything was possible. There was no twist too big, too scary, too controversial. It didn't matter. The game is the monster, and let me be clear, the monster is hungry."

During the filming of its landmark season 40, Winners at War, Probst kept saying it felt like the end of one long chapter of the series and that it needed a completely fresh one to follow it. Now, two years later, he promises that's exactly what viewers can expect.

"Even though fans will naturally want to compare Survivor 41 with past seasons, it's really a new era," says the host. "I don't think it's apples to apples. The players have a lot of new elements to contend with in Survivor 41. We had so much fun! It was as if we were creating a brand-new game."

Thank you, Mike!

# ? Sep 9, 2021 19:00

The Walrus: Jul 9, 2002; by Fluffdaddy

me to jeff

'hey, make it not suck'

jeff

'holy poo poo'

# ? Sep 9, 2021 19:05

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

The Walrus posted:

me to jeff

'hey, make it not suck'

jeff

'holy poo poo'

I mean it's about time!

Survivor: Capitalism is not escapist TV, it's just life

# ? Sep 9, 2021 19:07

Zesty: Jan 17, 2012; The Great Twist

Pony: Evvie
Poison: David

# ? Sep 9, 2021 23:07

LionArcher: Mar 29, 2010

I never watches survivor until covid, and now have binged a lot of seasons. I love Boston Rob. I love this show and can't wait for the new season and to watch it with you all.

# ? Sep 9, 2021 23:41

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

LionArcher posted:

I never watches survivor until covid, and now have binged a lot of seasons. I love Boston Rob. I love this show and can't wait for the new season and to watch it with you all.

He's kind of a goober but he's so drat likable

# ? Sep 10, 2021 01:35

SweetJahasus: Dec 23, 2005; Dragon Slayer
Samurai Warrior
Escape Artist
Viking
Chong-Ra Master
BE THE WIZARD

LionArcher posted:

I never watches survivor until covid, and now have binged a lot of seasons. I love Boston Rob. I love this show and can't wait for the new season and to watch it with you all.

# ? Sep 10, 2021 02:04

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

Oh and for additionally posterity points:

Ua tribe for hot mess tribe.

# ? Sep 14, 2021 01:50

LionArcher: Mar 29, 2010

The Bloop posted:

He's kind of a goober but he's so drat likable

exactly. I also have only seen the season where he won and the most recent season where he came back. Is it worth it to watch the season where he meets his wife?

# ? Sep 14, 2021 22:15

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

LionArcher posted:

exactly. I also have only seen the season where he won and the most recent season where he came back. Is it worth it to watch the season where he meets his wife?

I personally think so but I watched it when it aired and not since so I'm tainted with nostalgia

# ? Sep 14, 2021 23:06

SweetJahasus: Dec 23, 2005; Dragon Slayer
Samurai Warrior
Escape Artist
Viking
Chong-Ra Master
BE THE WIZARD

LionArcher posted:

exactly. I also have only seen the season where he won and the most recent season where he came back. Is it worth it to watch the season where he meets his wife?

Without spoiling anything....there's a lottttttttt of saltiness in that season so prepare yourself for that.

# ? Sep 15, 2021 01:44

Raxivace: Sep 9, 2014

All-Stars is probably one of the ugliest pieces of mainstream television out there, but that's also what makes it incredibly fascinating IMHO especially after one has binged seasons 1-7.

# ? Sep 15, 2021 04:34

SLICK GOKU BABY: Jun 12, 2001; Hey Hey Let's Go! 喧嘩する
大切な物を protect my balls

I always liked how they basically created the fan favorite prize basically just to give Rupert 1 million bucks. It's even more funny because Australian Survivor did the same thing a couple seasons ago for a fan favorite

# ? Sep 15, 2021 04:35

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 22:20

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

SLICK GOKU BABY posted:

I always liked how they basically created the fan favorite prize basically just to give Rupert 1 million bucks. It's even more funny because Australian Survivor did the same thing a couple seasons ago for a fan favorite

They totally did and only once

There must have been rumblings of major discontent in their focus groups

# ? Sep 15, 2021 13:09

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > Survivor S41: I was f-ked from the beginning because I'm the best at everything.

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