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Survivor: Nicaragua - Page 4

post #151 of 174
12/20/10 at 10:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FilmNerdJamie View Post
Case in point: both The Amazon and Vanuatu had Battle of the Sexes as their main theme with the inevitable pre-merge switch.

Yet the former had great results (despite one of the worst winners the show has produced) and the latter...not so much.
Disagree. VANUATU is one of the show's most unfairly overlooked seasons and one of the most deserving winners.
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post #152 of 174
12/20/10 at 11:04pm
I agree with you on Chris. But besides that power-shift, Vanuatu was dulls city.
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post #153 of 174
12/21/10 at 12:38am
Yeah, the first few episodes weren't thrilling but once it built up momentum it was as good as any of the series' best.
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post #154 of 174
12/21/10 at 12:44am
Shannon, the homophobic Tom Welling clone, has taken to Facebook to air his (grammatically challenged) grievances over his treatment from Probst at the reunion. He is apparently annoyed that Probst publicly apologized to Boston Rob for the break music coming in over the account of his second child's birth.

Quote:
Wow jeff Probst never seems to amaze me!!....he apologizes to Boston rob?? Lol r u serious apologize to Yve!,Benry!,Jill!, and everyother contestant from our show u skipped over! Y ask him back as a host!?! Let him quit!!....is he a Jew?!?
You stay classy, champ!
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post #155 of 174
12/21/10 at 9:34am
Thread Starter 
"... never seems to amaze me..."???
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post #156 of 174
12/21/10 at 12:22pm
Apparently, he finds Probst to be quite predictable.
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post #157 of 174
12/22/10 at 3:02pm
I like this winner. I like that sometimes the dumb guy wins just because everyone likes him, especially on a bullshit strategy season like this. Doesn't make up for the season, but as good an ending as they could have asked for.

I liked that Marty got the opportunity to behave like an ass one last time. No real keepers, this season. Chase was like grim, stupid, unlikeable Colby.
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post #158 of 174
12/22/10 at 5:16pm
Well, there's probably going to be a couple keepers. Probst has said that he wouldn't mind bringing back Marty and Brenda for an All-Stars Season. He said his true first choice would be NaOnka but admitted that'll never happen now due to her quitting.
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post #159 of 174
12/22/10 at 9:41pm
This is the first season I haven't watched. After Heroes vs Villians, I figured nothing could top it. Having seen this season's finale, looks like I was right. The mentor-twist may work because its the only thing pulling me toward watching next season. I think I'm done with the show. They've done all they can do. There haven't been any truly inventive challenges or twists, and very few characters - save for Russell - that truly made an impact on the game, in years. And Probst seems bored, bored, bored.
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post #160 of 174
12/22/10 at 9:49pm
I wish I could disagree with you Diva, but this was a terrible season and you've done well to miss it. I'm sticking with it, because I'm off the horrible American Idol teat and I need some reality elimination show to watch, but this was the kind of season that tests one's resolve. At this point, I'd say they can't go wrong with bringing Russell back.
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post #161 of 174
12/22/10 at 10:46pm
I'll watch the first episode of the next season to see how the Redemption twist works and to try in vain to find a Survivor Girlfriend this time, but I'm definitely on the fence for the first time since Thailand.
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post #162 of 174
12/22/10 at 11:07pm
Just echoing Arjen - Diva, yeah, this season was extremely anticlimactic after HvV. I missed at least four episodes this season, maybe more - and just didn't care. I'm hoping next season is an improvement, but I've stuck with the show too long to just stop watching altogether.
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post #163 of 174
12/22/10 at 11:38pm
I would have thought that too. There was a time when I would do anything to get home in time to watch the show.* But I've been loyal through and through. I don't know what changed, but HvV was so satisfying, I just treated it as the series finale. I kinda forgot Nicaragua was on and when I finally saw promos for it, it failed to get me even curious to check out one episode. I don't know what it was, but I'm just over it. But... the draw of Rob and Russell does stir some interest. Never say never, I guess.


*Marquesas was the apex of my insanity. I had the buff that I wore every week to watch the show. And when I found out the finale was in NY and fell on my birthday, I was stoked to get tix. Unfortunately, I told my best friend about it who went behind my back and got tix via a mutual friend and went to the finale with someone else! Yeah, we didn't speak for months. And I was so invested in Amazon, that to this day if I ever saw Jenna M. I would probably punch her in the face. I rarely call women bitches, but she was one with a capital B.
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post #164 of 174
12/23/10 at 12:19am
SURVIVOR is one of those shows you can never quite count out. Every time it seems to be running out of steam (THAILAND, FIJI, EXILE ISLAND, GABON) it manages to come back with a spectacular season and a set of memorable characters. NICARAGUA was a new low, but with some strong casting and gameplay REDEMPTION ISLAND could very well make everyone fall back in love with the show again. I've correctly written off many shows in the past but can't do so with SURVIVOR. Its future quality is totally unpredictable.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva View Post
And Probst seems bored, bored, bored.
He was actually one of the few bright spots in NICARAGUA. While he overstepped his bounds a couple times, he had a number of hilarious lines and seemed genuinely amused at Tribal Council.
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post #165 of 174
12/23/10 at 12:37am
He seemed completely over the cast during the finale. I imagine Probst was less amused by what was happening and more trying to amusing himself so he didn't fall asleep at the snoozefest that was this season.
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post #166 of 174
12/23/10 at 1:02am
I won't stand for this Thailand bashing! It had the single best player in the game's history in Brian (that season's winner) and the first season where someone literally dominated from Day 1 to Night 39. When we got subsequent seasons doing that (Palau, Cook Islands, Fiji), such an angle lost its luster.

OK. That bitch/rant of mine notwithstanding, Episode29 is right. The show's had this weird ping-pong game of awesome seasons then shitty ones. Next season could be good, but Goddamn is it gimmicky and desperate. Russell and Boston Rob? Again?!? Enough, Probst, they're both overrated players who aren't as great as they (and apparently the producers) think.
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post #167 of 174
12/23/10 at 2:04am
The show may or may not improve, but my interest in it certainly has waned.

And I liked Thailand. Seeing someone dominate the game is good, every once in a while. But it just becomes B-O-R-I-N-G when you know exactly how things will go down at every vote. The show tried some fancy editing to make us think a coup would happen, but it didn't work. We all knew what was going down.

That said, I'd be more interested in the show if it were less about surprising the audience with the TC vote and more about how people strategize. My favorite moments are when people run through the scenarios and then scramble to make their vision happen. The show has gotten better about showing those moments, but only when they want to edit a character as "the mastermind". That's why HvV was so great, they were all masterminds, so we got to see how each would try and win each others' votes.

As I said, I'm no longer sustained via the challenges and game twists because they haven't been original in some time. But the element that makes the show work are the players and how they interpret and play the game. Focus more on that, and I'm interested again.
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post #168 of 174
12/23/10 at 2:58am
For the record, I'm actually a fan of Thailand and agree Brian Heidik is one the game's best players. I really wish Probst would put aside his intense hatred of the dude and invite him back for an All Stars season. I named Thailand as being a weak season more for its otherwise grim casting choices and considerable lack of popularity outside diehard circles.

Also agree with Diva very strongly regarding novelty twists. I care most about strategy and wish there was more focus on individual gameplay. Unlike the past, recent non-All Star seasons only pick a few contestants to highlight. A wider focus would be nice and perhaps make the ultimate results that much more dramatic.

Although, as much as I often deride gimmicks, the Fans Vs. Favourites season was stellar and the return of Bobby John and Stephanie in GUATEMALA turned out suprisingly well.
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post #169 of 174
12/23/10 at 3:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FilmNerdJamie View Post
OK. That bitch/rant of mine notwithstanding, Episode29 is right. The show's had this weird ping-pong game of awesome seasons then shitty ones. Next season could be good, but Goddamn is it gimmicky and desperate. Russell and Boston Rob? Again?!? Enough, Probst, they're both overrated players who aren't as great as they (and apparently the producers) think.
It seems like Survivor has fallen into its own Star Trek rule: all the fall seasons are lousy, all the spring seasons are decent.

Recent lousy fall seasons: Nicaragua, Samoa, Gabon, China

Recent decent spring seasons: HvV, Tocantins, Micronesia
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post #170 of 174
12/23/10 at 4:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratty View Post
It seems like Survivor has fallen into its own Star Trek rule: all the fall seasons are lousy, all the spring seasons are decent.

Recent lousy fall seasons: Nicaragua, Samoa, Gabon, China

Recent decent spring seasons: HvV, Tocantins, Micronesia
Although SAMOA and TOCANTINS are somewhat similar in that they are fairly mediocre seasons elevated by a couple awesome casting choices. Russell and Shambo in the former and Coach and JT in the latter.
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post #171 of 174
12/23/10 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Episode29 View Post
Although SAMOA and TOCANTINS are somewhat similar in that they are fairly mediocre seasons elevated by a couple awesome casting choices. Russell and Shambo in the former and Coach and JT in the latter.
The difference is I hated both Russell and Shambo, but found Coach endlessly entertaining. Plus, I had a big crush on Erin from Tocantins.
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post #172 of 174
12/23/10 at 1:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Episode29 View Post
For the record, I'm actually a fan of Thailand and agree Brian Heidik is one the game's best players. I really wish Probst would put aside his intense hatred of the dude and invite him back for an All Stars season.
I could see Probst's point of view, to a degree. Heidik was a cold-blooded bastard who mind-fucked his cast that season and the producers by not disclosing his past. They apparently didn't know until it leaked in the press.

But then he turns out and a-OKs scumbags like Johnny Fairplay, Russell and Boston Rob to come back multiple times. So no, I can't side with Probst.
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post #173 of 174
12/30/10 at 10:59pm
Probst hates Fairplay.

In other news, I may have to watch Survivor next season if THIS GUY gets cast.
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post #174 of 174
12/31/10 at 1:00am
There was apparently some incident during the All Stars party that pissed Probst off. Always wanted to know the specifics. But still he looked past that and let Fairplay on Fans V. Favorites. It wasn't until he quit when Probst fully washed his hands of him.
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