5/15 Show Discussion *spoilers*

[Minney]

To me, the addition of the RI aspect has one fatal flaw: Whoever comes back from Redemption Island a) was put there for a reason and b) is likely to be labeled an "underdog". It's very unlikely that anyone in the "active" game would want a person like this around. So unless the returnee goes on an immunity streak, they're probably toast.

In this season I strongly agree with your assessment of RI. Now that it's completed (yeah BR!) I've realized that there are other situations where some of the remaining tribe members would be happy to have the RI player return and stay in the game. Thinking back to past seasons when the F4 hasn't been made of one tribe or alliance a returning player could have caused a huge shake up. RI certainly has the possibility to create some good drama and game strategy. RI helps equalize the big target strong challenge players respresent. You can vote them off but they might just come back and get you later! Too many great players have been targeted early due to their challenge strenght--use them for wins then dump them premerge. I can see many interesting strategies coming from RI.

[spockwhat]

To me, the addition of the RI aspect has one fatal flaw: Whoever comes back from Redemption Island a) was put there for a reason and b) is likely to be labeled an "underdog". It's very unlikely that anyone in the "active" game would want a person like this around. So unless the returnee goes on an immunity streak, they're probably toast.

Two fatal flaws even! Redemption Island takes the edge off of being voted out in the game. Used to be Jeff snuffing a person's torch was an act of finality and led to people really scrambling to save themselves... now, with R.I, that edge is gone. Sure people still don't want to be voted out but with the chance to return to the game there, tribal doesn't have the same punch for the players OR for the viewers.

All of that said, my biggest problem with the new formula is not R.I so much as the retread problem. Let inexperienced players play together and save the experienced players to return for an all-star. For me, the shine was taken off of Rob's win because he was playing with noobs. If he had won all-stars, I'd feel like he played "the perfect game."

[mindy384]

Yup, because they have pretty much screwed themselves so far. At least they should have thought it out and said "maybe not Rob, but Philip". It's like they forgot an idol was out there. Wow-you could put a stuffed animal up against those two girls and fluffy would walk away with the million.

When we got to the top 5 I thought--wow, here is where they need to target phillip or rob and almost guarantee an all girl final 3. Since it is more likely that Rob would have the idol over crazy phil it would be best to target phillip then take rob out at f4. Even though there is a chance he could win final immunity the 2 girls (ashley and natalie) had to know that one of them would be voted out by rob in favor of phil if they went the other route (the route they ended up taking) and so this all-gal scheme represented the best shot at the million (especially since so many on Zapatera respected Rob's game).

Just think, if the girls werent so stupid there is a good chance Natalie would have received more than 0 votes and Ashley or Andrea would have ended up with the million. Man they are dumb.

[Tilden]

When we got to the top 5 I thought--wow, here is where they need to target phillip or rob and almost guarantee an all girl final 3. Since it is more likely that Rob would have the idol over crazy phil it would be best to target phillip then take rob out at f4. Even though there is a chance he could win final immunity the 2 girls (ashley and natalie) had to know that one of them would be voted out by rob in favor of phil if they went the other route (the route they ended up taking) and so this all-gal scheme represented the best shot at the million (especially since so many on Zapatera respected Rob's game).

Just think, if the girls werent so stupid there is a good chance Natalie would have received more than 0 votes and Ashley or Andrea would have ended up with the million. Man they are dumb.

I think in the case of the final five scenario, it was Ashley and Natalie who were the stupid ones, as Andrea would probably have gone for an all girl alliance at that point. She certainly was suggesting Phillip or Rob as the ones who had to go. It was the other two who wouldn't go along with it.

[rfromp]

I think in the case of the final five scenario, it was Ashley and Natalie who were the stupid ones, as Andrea would probably have gone for an all girl alliance at that point. She certainly was suggesting Phillip or Rob as the ones who had to go. It was the other two who wouldn't go along with it.

Ashley and Natale might have been thinking they couldn't win against Andrea if they went the all girl alliance route but how could they even consider they could beat Rob at the final tribal council? Especially Natalie with her pitiful final TC opening statement. I guess they were playing for second place instead of at least trying to go for the win. It seemed they conceded the loss long ago.

[PWS]

A couple of people remarked how they saw a quick shot of Matt during the mention of returning players bit. There is some speculation it will be him. Just as a side note, there was a shot of a girl as well, and I believe it was Andrea.

If it is the "lovers" and they use the same pattern as this time they will be the leaders of opposing teams.... I think that romance is doomed! Unless of course they betray their followers and team up at the merge!
Of course that assumes their followers don't vote them off right away!

[KeepItReal]

There is not one single person from this past season that I would like to see come back. Not one.This RI thing, I hope they dig further down into their bag of former Survivor contestants to find someone who we might want to see again. Whatever they do, please just skip over the "Survivor-Robfather" season and look for someone else.

As much as I have a love hate relationship with Rob, I'm so glad that he won so that he can move on from this particular game. On a season that introduced a "redemption" twist it only seems fair that the player that has tried numerous times to redeem himself in the game finally won. Good for him, better for me if that means he's hanging up his buff for good. I give him his credit where it is do, he played a good mind game with some of these people, so good that he made it look easy and loads of people won't respect it. On one hand, he's had enough practice at it and on the other hand he had the good fortune of drawing a team full of people who were not a bit strategic. Not one surprise this season, not one exciting blindside. Not once did I get to sit on the edge of my seat and hope that "so and so" was safe. It was like watching someone with their Masters in Survivor schooling a group of Survivor grade schoolers. Fun for Rob and for huge Rob fans, kind of boring for the rest of us.

[buglover]

I doubt Rob will be back since he's currently traveling to film his new show for either the history channel or the travel channel, I'm not sure which. I'd like to get a whole group of people who really have no idea to play the game, like the first couple seasons, and let them hash it out the whole time.

[Bronwyn]

I was thinking that the new season was generally already in the can by the time the finale of the current season aired.

They always film around June or July for the season that will air in September, and while that season is airing they will film the season that will begin airing in February. They don't have as long a time frame to get that season edited and ready to air, so they film that one around October, November and usually they have just come back from filming it, when they air the December finale.

[Tilden]

Ashley and Natale might have been thinking they couldn't win against Andrea if they went the all girl alliance route but how could they even consider they could beat Rob at the final tribal council? Especially Natalie with her pitiful final TC opening statement. I guess they were playing for second place instead of at least trying to go for the win. It seemed they conceded the loss long ago.

If Natalie thought she could beat anyone, she was deluding herself. Ashely could have at least pointed out that she won immunity when she needed to, had she managed to make it to the final three.

And yeah, they might not have had the greatest shot against Andrea either, but if they'd managed to help oust Rob, they could point out that had they not gone along with Andrea, she would not have been able to oust him and that they had successfully used Rob until he became too much of a threat to keep him, at which point they strategically axed him. They would have looked far less stupid if they had done that, because it would have showed they'd been thinking at least a little bit.

If the three girls had managed to get rid of Phillip and Rob, they'd have had a better shot against each other. Yet none of them thought of that, except, perhaps, Andrea.