4/7/05 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

[Shady64]

It's really easy to criticize people like this, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more empathetic. I'd rather not bust out any of my cheesy math camp stories, but it is really hard to solve a puzzle in poor conditions. There's just a lot more in solving a puzzle than people think, because we're all used to doing it in the comfort of our own home, without a great deal of pressure. I just don't think it's fair to expect Ulong to win in a mental challenge considering how mentally beaten they are. In fact, I'd say BJ and Steph would be just as any Kororian if they lived in freaking Shangri-La.

It's hard to balance on a beam in the ocean or stand on stumps the longest or any one of the other challenges other survivors have had to do (with a ton of pressure). I don't feel empathy for Ulong in the least bit. Let's see, they applied to the show and were fortunate enough to have a 1 in 16 shot at a million dollars. They knew what they were getting into. By the way, lack of sleep, food and shelter as well as head games has been suffered by all Survivor contestants of past seasons. They aren't going through any worse hardships than any of the others did in 1-9 and others have had to go through things they haven't, like headgames and backstabbing, so it evens out mentally with the losing streak. Like being ousted unfairly. Does anyone feel empathy for someone like Sue Hawk? She got screwed out of the F3 and went ballistic. I didn't feel bad for her, its all part of the game. How about Rudy taking his hand off the idle? It was just a dumb thing to do and even he admits it. And Paschel? He got stuck with the purple rock and he wasn't even a target in TC!!

I have to laugh when Ulong makes comments like " we just had bad luck" or the other nonsense excuses. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the dog ate my homework, i got a flat tire and there was an earthquake! What was it Jeff said at the beginning? The decisions you make at every step in the game effect what happens. They brought it on themselves. Bad decisions, lack of leadership, not working as a team, not learning from mistakes and just plain old stupidty is why they have continually lost. They couldn't even get a game plan in place going for TC voting.

The motto is "Outwit, Outlast and Outplay" and every single one of Ulong was outwitted, outplayed and with the exception of Steph (right now), Outlasted.

[Bearcata]

Poor Bobby Jon from day one he didn't get it. He doesn't think, therefore he cannot strategize, therefore he cannot win. Duh!

The look on his face when he lost to Tom was priceless. I could just see the laser beams coming out of his eyes and frying Tom. But lets step back and look at strategy. Tom was slower, but more deliberate and took a bite and got it down unlike BJ's stuffing your face strategy that was almost garanteed to make you have a gag reflex. Dumb.

Then the fire immunity challenge. BJ relys way too much on being fast and strong. Yes, he got to the coconut husks first, but Stephanie build a platform of kindling 2 or 3 inches high that immediately gave her a height advantage. Steph wins by outwitting BJ.

[snickers]

hmm interesting jeff picking kim for the flirting factor

and i agree with shady, i have no sympathy for ulong, they did it to themselves

[dagwood]

Maybe Steph could invite Tom over to her camp to help tend her fire.

Forget Steph, I would love to invite him over to my house to wait on me hand and foot.

[Leo]

A few things about the eating IC:

I found it strange to see balut in this edition of Survivor, since it's a Philippine delicacy, not a Palau one. Balut is basically a three-week-old duck embryo. As someone who has eaten balut, a few notes: it's not usually served the way it was here. It's always sold as a complete egg (usually kept warm). I won't go into the whole process of balut-eating, but it's easier than Survivor (and Fear Factor) have made it out in the past. For one, the actual embryo on the shows is a lot drier than it is when eaten the Philippine way. That's because the producers always remove the embryo from the egg, and let it out in the air for a while. Here, when you eat it, removing it from the egg is only done right before eating it - which means it's kept relatively moist, and it goes down much easier.

Oh, and it's usually eaten with salt or chili-laced vinegar.

[homeontherange]

The motto is "Outwit, Outlast and Outplay" and every single one of Ulong was outwitted, outplayed and with the exception of Steph (right now), Outlasted.

Shady, I'm agreeing with you 100%. These people have all seen the show and know what they are getting into. All the challenges are difficult in their different ways. Staying mentally tough throughout the game, as well as physically, is part of what makes Survivor hard. Steph has been able to do that but most of her tribemates were not and that's why they are gone. Outwit Outlast Outplay.

Now, I'm ready for some individual immunity challenges so we can lose some of the deadweight on Koror.

[Strangelove]

It's hard to balance on a beam in the ocean or stand on stumps the longest or any one of the other challenges other survivors have had to do (with a ton of pressure). I don't feel empathy for Ulong in the least bit. Let's see, they applied to the show and were fortunate enough to have a 1 in 16 shot at a million dollars... The motto is "Outwit, Outlast and Outplay" and every single one of Ulong was outwitted, outplayed and with the exception of Steph (right now), Outlasted.

You made a very good point and I agree with you almost completely. Now at the risk of sounding like a hippy:

I just wanted to defend a few of the contestants from the snarks coming their way. I'm fine with people calling any single contestant an idiot or a loser in an isolated instance, but it irks me when they take the insult even further. I agree that these people have a great opportunity and that they've signed their way into public criticism; they have set themselves up for humiliation and every manner of ridicule. However, this doesn't mean it's right to do so. Calling a single tribe member an idiot incapable of solving simple puzzles (or any other function), based on their Survivor performance, is mean spirited and deliberately obtuse.

Now a person's attitude is a completely different matter. I just feel bad when a tribe/tribe member tries their best and gets criticized on a personal level.

[karen14]

All things being said, Now we have a race!!! We finally get to see strategising amongst Koror!!!

[Leftcoaster]

I'm fine with people calling any single contestant an idiot or a loser in an isolated instance, but it irks me when they take the insult even further. I agree that these people have a great opportunity and that they've signed their way into public criticism; they have set themselves up for humiliation and every manner of ridicule. However, this doesn't mean it's right to do so. Calling a single tribe member an idiot incapable of solving simple puzzles (or any other function), based on their Survivor performance, is mean spirited and deliberately obtuse.

A large part of the draw of these reality show (for me) is being able to talk trash about the contestants whether they deserve it or not. I can cop an attitude about someone if i care to simply because of the way they part their hair. It doesn't appear that I'm alone, considering the heebie jeebies that others experienced due to the fact that Angie, for example, had hair under her arms.

I'll go further, these aren't people to me, I don't know any of them personally; they're just a form of televised entertainment no more worthy of consideration than the original cast of Gilligan's Island. I may like some of them, I generally do at one stage or another; but again, part of the attraction to me is reading and writing uncomplimentary things about them.

Having said that, I suppose you're referring to Bobby Jon, at the moment (with the puzzle comment), and though I believe he assisted in his own demise (particularly favoring Ibrehem over Angie), I thought that the losing had taken a measurable and marked toll on him. He looked nutritionally deprived coinciding with an unfortunate obligation to pick up the slack for all the missing people on his tribe. Poor Stephenie now, having to row a boat meant for 9 all by herself back and forth, back and forth. I believe she ought to start out to the challenges as soon as she learns of them in order to hopefully regain some strength before she's thrown into the fray once again.

It may be entertaining on some nasty level, but it seems unfair to consider it a competition when the situation is such that by the time you arrive you're already depleted to the point of mumbling to yourself while staring off into neverneverland.

[Shady64]

I wonder what would happen if she just didn't show up for the challenge? Its not an issue that's ever had to be addressed before. Whether she was able to move that big boat in the water or not, she should pretend she can't. Why expend the energy? Her and BJ just barely got it in the water, no way can she do it herself.

I would assume that if they don't give her a smaller boat and she couldn't get it into the water, the camera man would say something to someone. Its not like she's choosing to ignore the challenges that are being held