From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a bit
boring. It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with commercials -
and the only real excitement going in was over who would win the
Immunity challenge. I was pretty confident Lisa would be voted out, as
they had been foreshadowing that and she was the only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with the two main people in her alliance voted out
last episode. The only real question was whether she could possibly win immunity. Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. three
Aussie players. By far, the strongest remaining player is Parvati,
which is ironic because she is also the only remaining former winner.
YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, yet somehow she is still
in the game and seemingly in control of things. And weirdly, nobody is mentioning that she is the only previous winner still in the game.

Actually there was a second question. As soon as I realized they were
doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had been in losing
that challenge at final four on his last season. So it was interesting
to see how he would do with it as I knew they would do some kind of
redemption story. I was pretty sure the others probably had not played
that challenge. For the record, I have never been a big fan of this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully understand. I guess I think it
depends a lot more on luck than skill, though there is obviously skill involved in timing when you drop the balls in.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the interaction
between Parv and Luke. As I have said, I thought it was a massive
mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she had that idol steal advantage, especially since it turned out she couldnrCOt use it anyway. I knew Luke would pick up on that, but I never expected him to make the
offer he did to her to basically take her to final three if she agreed
to rip up the clue. Incredibly, she went along with him and they tore
up the clue, with each keeping a half. I have no idea why she did that.
So that advantage is now dead.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final five, so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe, If Parv happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her idol to Cirie and if Luke wins
he will do the same for Janine. I think Parv feels she can easily beat
Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke feels he can beat Janine. That leaves Shonee
as the likely odd person out next episode unless she happens to win
immunity too.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke might be
favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an endurance
challenge of some kind. I like that Survivor Oz does not do an
automatic final four fire challenge as US does. It's a straight vote
which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then would fire come into
play. If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or more importantly, if Parv fails
to win the F4 immunity, it's really hard to see Parv surviving to F3.
At that point, Luke and Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would likely
try to get Cirie to join them in taking out Parv. If Cirie is to have
any chance of winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple. Luke is a
working class guy who has never had money and who has had lots of
medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic fibrosis. He is immendely popular with fans and would be a popular winner if he can
somehow win. Janine is a multi-millionaire who made a ton of money for
a product she created called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt be more
different than Luke. Their alliance is really more of convenience that anything else. It also reflects Janine's ability to influence Luke,
which I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have idols to
get them into final four, it seems likely at least one of them will be
in final 3. Should be a fun ride.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a bit
boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with
commercials - and the only real excitement going in was over who
would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident Lisa would
be voted out, as they had been foreshadowing that and she was the
only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with the two main people in
her alliance voted out last episode.-a The only real question was
whether she could possibly win immunity.-a Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from the
start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90-minute episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They just pop in
these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular seasons they
traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the 90-minute ones, but
they've really only done that once this season.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. three
Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player is Parvati,
which is ironic because she is also the only remaining former winner.
YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, yet somehow she is
still in the game and seemingly in control of things.-a And weirdly,
nobody is mentioning that she is the only previous winner still in
the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance further
into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end against Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my turn" card which may not
work against what could be a majority Australian jury.-a If anything,
they may decide to reward Parv by letting her into the two-time winner
club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized they
were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had been in
losing that challenge at final four on his last season.-a So it was
interesting to see how he would do with it as I knew they would do
some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure the others probably
had not played that challenge.-a For the record, I have never been a
big fan of this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully understand.-a I
guess I think it depends a lot more on luck than skill, though there
is obviously skill involved in timing when you drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. This
was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and up and
down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's comp to lose.
Not only had he played it before, his long reach meant he did not need
to go to the top of the stairs to drop the balls in. That helped to
conserve his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of the
balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, be in good
shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly out of
shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it may not be obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting cast. They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as much as possible. How
old is Lisa?

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the interaction
between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought it was a massive
mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she had that idol steal
advantage, especially since it turned out she couldnrCOt use it anyway. >>> I knew Luke would pick up on that, but I never expected him to make
the offer he did to her to basically take her to final three if she
agreed to rip up the clue.-a Incredibly, she went along with him and
they tore up the clue, with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea why
she did that. So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an idol
so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made his idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to play it before votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was nothing to lose by trying to get
her to rip up her advantage.

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in the
season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you can't
tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage? We've seen
plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing the power of the
idol. I also don't believe that Parv would throw away an advantage
while someone has an idol that could bite her in the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in the instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the case of an
idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan".-a And in case you
think it is like money where you can present more than 50% of a unit of currency like a dollar bill and it counts for the full amount, when she
tore it she actually gave the bigger piece to Luke.-a I'm pretty sure JLP would give her his famous raised eyebrow if she tried to present less
than half of the scroll to him and pass it off as "the scroll".-a It
could also make her look foolish and desperate in front of the jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't watched yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final five,
so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If Parv happens
to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her idol to Cirie and if
Luke wins he will do the same for Janine.-a I think Parv feels she can
easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke feels he can beat Janine.-a-a That >>> leaves Shonee as the likely odd person out next episode unless she
happens to win immunity too.

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's background
story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch Shonee's reaction when
Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 with no votes against her? That
resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away because as a super fan, she probably knew that story well and didn't want to hear it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that story
coming out?

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury,
especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still say there
is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.-a Except for that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, and the fact that she got
screwed out of being in the finals at Micronesia due to the injury to
James, what does she really have going for her except she's a nice lady
and she's played a lot of Survivor?-a I still can't think of a single big move she has ever made on her own in her Survivor career.-a In contrast, Parv actually won the game outright and came very close to winning a
second time.-a Other than Sandra and Tony, I can't think of any other
player who won the game and then made it to the finals with a chance to
win a second time.-a And there is no doubt Parv has done big things in
this game including taking out her close buddy and having both an idol
and a secret advantage.-a I think she has been the clear dominating
player in this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay, then Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and story,
Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone through with
his daughter, which the Australians would already know about.-a It will
be interesting if they talk about that at all next two episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see working
this time.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke might
be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an endurance
challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does not do an
automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's a straight vote
which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then would fire come into
play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or more importantly, if Parv
fails to win the F4 immunity, it's really hard to see Parv surviving
to F3. At that point, Luke and Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would
likely try to get Cirie to join them in taking out Parv.-a If Cirie is
to have any chance of winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these guys do
the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often do it
near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow and sometimes
it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc.-a It's great stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely win something like that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool when they
did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been like forever since
U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets her to
the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and likeability.
-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better game and would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best chance might be if she could go
up against Shonee and Janine, neither of whom have also ever made a
final jury speech.-a Getting to that particular final three combo would really be tough, though.-a I haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have
it downloaded, but I'm expecting Shonee or Janine to go next.-a And I
think the only way Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity.

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win up
against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that Shonee will
vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better game than Luke.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke is a
working class guy who has never had money and who has had lots of
medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic fibrosis.-a He
is immendely popular with fans and would be a popular winner if he
can somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-millionaire who made a ton of
money for a product she created called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt
be more different than Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of
convenience that anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's ability to
influence Luke, which I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have idols
to get them into final four, it seems likely at least one of them
will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do something
really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning the
game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win then she
wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be able to
finally make it to the end so I can plead my case." Parv: "I want my
crown back that I deserved to have 15 years ago." Shonee: "I want the
money." Shonee's statement has me wondering if she'd join Cirie and
Parv to blindside Janine? If Cirie or Parv wins F5 immunity, I could
see this being a good possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But I think
if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out Janine to
weaken Luke.

--When Lisa was voted out it looked like everyone was ready to give
her a hug. She hugged Cirie and left the rest standing there. That
move will not help Cirie as the others know they have no chance of
getting Lisa's vote. If Cirie's not at the end, I'm convinced Lisa
will be a bitter jury. She'll trash Parv if Parv is F3.

There is no question Lisa will advocate for Cirie.-a That's not really
being a bitter juror, and I think she will use logic in presenting
whatever argument she makes for Cirie.

I hope we get a long FTC so we can a hear a lot of what the jury has to say.

--There's something in the preview that could be a game changer if
they're not misleading us.

I again decided not to watch the promo after the first few seconds.
Sounds llike that was a good choice.

--
Brian
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/2/2025 3:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a bit
boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with
commercials - and the only real excitement going in was over who
would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident Lisa would >>>> be voted out, as they had been foreshadowing that and she was the
only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with the two main people in
her alliance voted out last episode.-a The only real question was
whether she could possibly win immunity.-a Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from the
start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90-minute
episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They just pop in
these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular seasons they
traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the 90-minute ones, but
they've really only done that once this season.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. three >>>> Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player is Parvati,
which is ironic because she is also the only remaining former
winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, yet somehow >>>> she is still in the game and seemingly in control of things.-a And
weirdly, nobody is mentioning that she is the only previous winner
still in the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance further
into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end against Parv
head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my turn" card which may
not work against what could be a majority Australian jury.-a If
anything, they may decide to reward Parv by letting her into the
two-time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized they
were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had been in
losing that challenge at final four on his last season.-a So it was
interesting to see how he would do with it as I knew they would do
some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure the others
probably had not played that challenge.-a For the record, I have
never been a big fan of this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully
understand.-a I guess I think it depends a lot more on luck than
skill, though there is obviously skill involved in timing when you
drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. This
was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and up and
down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's comp to
lose. Not only had he played it before, his long reach meant he did
not need to go to the top of the stairs to drop the balls in. That
helped to conserve his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of the
balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, be in good
shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly out of
shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it may not be
obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting cast. They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as much as possible. How
old is Lisa?

Lisa is 44, same age as David. They would tie for fourth oldest behind Janine, Cirie and Tony, who is 51.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the interaction
between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought it was a massive
mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she had that idol
steal advantage, especially since it turned out she couldnrCOt use it >>>> anyway. I knew Luke would pick up on that, but I never expected him
to make the offer he did to her to basically take her to final three
if she agreed to rip up the clue.-a Incredibly, she went along with
him and they tore up the clue, with each keeping a half.-a I have no
idea why she did that. So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an idol
so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made his
idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to play it before
votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was nothing to lose by trying
to get her to rip up her advantage.

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in the
season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before.

They have definitely done the vote steal before (and by Shonee herself,
of all people), but I don't remember the exact mechanic of how it
worked. And Luke wasn't on that season, so he may not have personally
ever seen it before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you
can't tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage? We've
seen plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing the power
of the idol. I also don't believe that Parv would throw away an
advantage while someone has an idol that could bite her in the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in the
instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the case of an
idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan".-a And in case you
think it is like money where you can present more than 50% of a unit
of currency like a dollar bill and it counts for the full amount, when
she tore it she actually gave the bigger piece to Luke.-a I'm pretty
sure JLP would give her his famous raised eyebrow if she tried to
present less than half of the scroll to him and pass it off as "the
scroll".-a It could also make her look foolish and desperate in front
of the jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't watched yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

We'll see. I will watch it shortly and leave some comments later in the
day. Looks like it is another of the shorter episodes.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final five, >>>> so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If Parv happens >>>> to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her idol to Cirie and if >>>> Luke wins he will do the same for Janine.-a I think Parv feels she
can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke feels he can beat Janine. >>>> That leaves Shonee as the likely odd person out next episode unless
she happens to win immunity too.

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's background
story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch Shonee's reaction when
Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 with no votes against her?
That resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away because as
a super fan, she probably knew that story well and didn't want to hear
it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that story
coming out?

No, I am sure as a Cirie fan Lisa hates hearing that story and just
didn't want to hear it again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury,
especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still say
there is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.-a Except for that
one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, and the fact that she
got screwed out of being in the finals at Micronesia due to the injury
to James, what does she really have going for her except she's a nice
lady and she's played a lot of Survivor?-a I still can't think of a
single big move she has ever made on her own in her Survivor career.
In contrast, Parv actually won the game outright and came very close
to winning a second time.-a Other than Sandra and Tony, I can't think
of any other player who won the game and then made it to the finals
with a chance to win a second time.-a And there is no doubt Parv has
done big things in this game including taking out her close buddy and
having both an idol and a secret advantage.-a I think she has been the
clear dominating player in this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay, then Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and
story, Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone
through with his daughter, which the Australians would already know
about.-a It will be interesting if they talk about that at all next two
episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see working
this time.

No, but sob stories about having a pregnant wife and a dying mother
certainly didn't hurt Jeremy and Adam when they won their seasons after telling the jury about it. The one thing different here is that Luke's
story is now old news to Australians so he can't bring it up as a
surprise the way the other guys did. I also had forgotten that Luke did
a gofundme and raised something like $500,000 to help defer his
daughter's expense.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke might
be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an endurance
challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does not do an
automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's a straight
vote which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then would fire come
into play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or more importantly, if
Parv fails to win the F4 immunity, it's really hard to see Parv
surviving to F3. At that point, Luke and Janene (assuming Shonee is
gone) would likely try to get Cirie to join them in taking out
Parv.-a If Cirie is to have any chance of winning, I don't see how
she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these guys do
the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often do it
near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow and
sometimes it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc.-a It's great
stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely win something like
that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool when they
did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been like forever since
U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets her to
the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and
likeability. -a-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better game and
would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best chance might be
if she could go up against Shonee and Janine, neither of whom have
also ever made a final jury speech.-a Getting to that particular final
three combo would really be tough, though.-a I haven't watched episode
9 yet, though I have it downloaded, but I'm expecting Shonee or Janine
to go next.-a And I think the only way Janine goes is if Shonee wins
immunity.

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win up
against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that Shonee will
vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better game than Luke.

I'm not sure about that. Luke has found an idol and won an immunity or
two. He also convinced/conned Parv into ripping up her very powerful advantage. And I think he was proactive in aligning himself with Janine.
Those are not insignificant moves. Cirie has literally done nothing in
the game of any significance and seems to be completely in Parv's
shadow. Even the one significant alliance she had with Lisa was totally initiated by Lisa. Even with Lisa and Parv potentially campaigning for
her on the jury, I think Cirie's really gonna have to give the speech of
her life in front of the jury to have any chance to beat Luke. So far, pending the final two episodes, I think Luke has the much better facts
on his side.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke is a >>>> working class guy who has never had money and who has had lots of
medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic fibrosis.-a He >>>> is immendely popular with fans and would be a popular winner if he
can somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-millionaire who made a ton of
money for a product she created called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt >>>> be more different than Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of
convenience that anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's ability
to influence Luke, which I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have idols
to get them into final four, it seems likely at least one of them
will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do something
really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning the
game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win then she
wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be able to
finally make it to the end so I can plead my case." Parv: "I want my
crown back that I deserved to have 15 years ago." Shonee: "I want the
money." Shonee's statement has me wondering if she'd join Cirie and
Parv to blindside Janine? If Cirie or Parv wins F5 immunity, I could
see this being a good possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But I think
if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out Janine to weaken Luke.

Yeah, but they are thinking about who they can beat in F3. I just don't
think they see any chance of a jury giving the money to Janine. I think
they want Janine in he finals as a kind of goat.

--When Lisa was voted out it looked like everyone was ready to give
her a hug. She hugged Cirie and left the rest standing there. That
move will not help Cirie as the others know they have no chance of
getting Lisa's vote. If Cirie's not at the end, I'm convinced Lisa
will be a bitter jury. She'll trash Parv if Parv is F3.

There is no question Lisa will advocate for Cirie.-a That's not really
being a bitter juror, and I think she will use logic in presenting
whatever argument she makes for Cirie.

I hope we get a long FTC so we can a hear a lot of what the jury has to
say.

Agreed. Unfortunately, they usually don't do a long 2 1/2 hour finale
as the US does. I'm afraid it will likely be a 90 minute episode at
best, which means maybe 75 minutes without commercials.

--There's something in the preview that could be a game changer if
they're not misleading us.

I again decided not to watch the promo after the first few seconds.
Sounds llike that was a good choice.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a bit boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with commercials - and the only real excitement going in was over who would win the
Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident Lisa would be voted out, as they had been foreshadowing that and she was the only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with the two main people in her alliance voted out
last episode.-a The only real question was whether she could possibly win immunity.-a Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from the
start that Lisa was getting booted.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. three Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player is Parvati,
which is ironic because she is also the only remaining former winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, yet somehow she is still in the game and seemingly in control of things.-a And weirdly, nobody is mentioning that she is the only previous winner still in the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance further
into the game.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized they were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had been in losing
that challenge at final four on his last season.-a So it was interesting
to see how he would do with it as I knew they would do some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure the others probably had not played that challenge.-a For the record, I have never been a big fan of this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully understand.-a I guess I think it depends a lot more on luck than skill, though there is obviously skill involved in timing when you drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. This was
also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and up and down
stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's comp to lose. Not
only had he played it before, his long reach meant he did not need to go
to the top of the stairs to drop the balls in. That helped to conserve
his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of the balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, be in good shape. I
was impressed Cirie finished third.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the interaction
between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought it was a massive
mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she had that idol steal advantage, especially since it turned out she couldnrCOt use it anyway.-a I knew Luke would pick up on that, but I never expected him to make the
offer he did to her to basically take her to final three if she agreed
to rip up the clue.-a Incredibly, she went along with him and they tore
up the clue, with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea why she did that.
So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an idol so
why tell her?

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you can't
tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage? We've seen
plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing the power of the
idol. I also don't believe that Parv would throw away an advantage while someone has an idol that could bite her in the butt.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final five, so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If Parv happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her idol to Cirie and if Luke wins
he will do the same for Janine.-a I think Parv feels she can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke feels he can beat Janine.-a-a That leaves Shonee as the likely odd person out next episode unless she happens to win
immunity too.

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's background story
makes her pretty likable. Did you catch Shonee's reaction when Cirie
told her she was voted out at F6 with no votes against her? That
resonated with Shonee.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke might be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an endurance
challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does not do an
automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's a straight vote
which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then would fire come into
play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or more importantly, if Parv fails
to win the F4 immunity, it's really hard to see Parv surviving to F3. At that point, Luke and Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would likely try
to get Cirie to join them in taking out Parv.-a If Cirie is to have any chance of winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these guys do
the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets her to the
end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke is a working class guy who has never had money and who has had lots of
medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic fibrosis.-a He is immendely popular with fans and would be a popular winner if he can
somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-millionaire who made a ton of money for
a product she created called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt be more different than Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of convenience that anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's ability to influence Luke,
which I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have idols to
get them into final four, it seems likely at least one of them will be
in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do something
really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning the game
from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win then she wants
Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be able to finally make
it to the end so I can plead my case." Parv: "I want my crown back that
I deserved to have 15 years ago." Shonee: "I want the money." Shonee's statement has me wondering if she'd join Cirie and Parv to blindside
Janine? If Cirie or Parv wins F5 immunity, I could see this being a good possibility.

--When Lisa was voted out it looked like everyone was ready to give her
a hug. She hugged Cirie and left the rest standing there. That move will
not help Cirie as the others know they have no chance of getting Lisa's
vote. If Cirie's not at the end, I'm convinced Lisa will be a bitter
jury. She'll trash Parv if Parv is F3.

--There's something in the preview that could be a game changer if
they're not misleading us.
--
Brian
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/2/2025 2:26 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/2/2025 3:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a bit >>>>> boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with
commercials - and the only real excitement going in was over who
would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident Lisa
would be voted out, as they had been foreshadowing that and she was >>>>> the only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with the two main
people in her alliance voted out last episode.-a The only real
question was whether she could possibly win immunity.-a Spoiler
alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from the
start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90-minute
episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They just pop in
these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular seasons they
traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the 90-minute ones, but
they've really only done that once this season.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs.
three Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player is
Parvati, which is ironic because she is also the only remaining
former winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, yet >>>>> somehow she is still in the game and seemingly in control of
things.-a And weirdly, nobody is mentioning that she is the only
previous winner still in the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance
further into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end against
Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my turn" card which
may not work against what could be a majority Australian jury.-a If
anything, they may decide to reward Parv by letting her into the two-
time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized they
were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had been in
losing that challenge at final four on his last season.-a So it was >>>>> interesting to see how he would do with it as I knew they would do
some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure the others
probably had not played that challenge.-a For the record, I have
never been a big fan of this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully >>>>> understand.-a I guess I think it depends a lot more on luck than
skill, though there is obviously skill involved in timing when you
drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. This
was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and up and
down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's comp to
lose. Not only had he played it before, his long reach meant he did
not need to go to the top of the stairs to drop the balls in. That
helped to conserve his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of the
balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, be in
good shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly out of
shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it may not be
obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting cast.
They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as much as
possible. How old is Lisa?

Lisa is 44, same age as David.-a-a They would tie for fourth oldest behind Janine, Cirie and Tony, who is 51.

Damn! I thought Lisa was a few years younger than Cirie and that David
was much closer to Sarah in age. Being a librarian in New Zealand must
be stressful.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the interaction >>>>> between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought it was a massive >>>>> mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she had that idol
steal advantage, especially since it turned out she couldnrCOt use it >>>>> anyway. I knew Luke would pick up on that, but I never expected him >>>>> to make the offer he did to her to basically take her to final
three if she agreed to rip up the clue.-a Incredibly, she went along >>>>> with him and they tore up the clue, with each keeping a half.-a I
have no idea why she did that. So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an idol
so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made his
idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to play it
before votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was nothing to lose by
trying to get her to rip up her advantage.

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in the
season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before.

They have definitely done the vote steal before (and by Shonee herself,
of all people), but I don't remember the exact mechanic of how it
worked.-a And Luke wasn't on that season, so he may not have personally
ever seen it before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you
can't tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage?
We've seen plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing the
power of the idol. I also don't believe that Parv would throw away
an advantage while someone has an idol that could bite her in the butt. >>>>

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in the
instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the case of an
idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan".-a And in case you
think it is like money where you can present more than 50% of a unit
of currency like a dollar bill and it counts for the full amount,
when she tore it she actually gave the bigger piece to Luke.-a I'm
pretty sure JLP would give her his famous raised eyebrow if she tried
to present less than half of the scroll to him and pass it off as
"the scroll".-a It could also make her look foolish and desperate in
front of the jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't watched
yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

We'll see.-a I will watch it shortly and leave some comments later in the day. Looks like it is another of the shorter episodes.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final five, >>>>> so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If Parv
happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her idol to
Cirie and if Luke wins he will do the same for Janine.-a I think
Parv feels she can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke feels he can >>>>> beat Janine. That leaves Shonee as the likely odd person out next
episode unless she happens to win immunity too.

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's background
story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch Shonee's reaction when
Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 with no votes against her?
That resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away because as
a super fan, she probably knew that story well and didn't want to
hear it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that story
coming out?

No, I am sure as a Cirie fan Lisa hates hearing that story and just
didn't want to hear it again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury,
especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still say
there is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.-a Except for
that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, and the fact that
she got screwed out of being in the finals at Micronesia due to the
injury to James, what does she really have going for her except she's
a nice lady and she's played a lot of Survivor?-a I still can't think
of a single big move she has ever made on her own in her Survivor
career. In contrast, Parv actually won the game outright and came
very close to winning a second time.-a Other than Sandra and Tony, I
can't think of any other player who won the game and then made it to
the finals with a chance to win a second time.-a And there is no doubt
Parv has done big things in this game including taking out her close
buddy and having both an idol and a secret advantage.-a I think she
has been the clear dominating player in this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay, then
Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and
story, Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone
through with his daughter, which the Australians would already know
about.-a It will be interesting if they talk about that at all next
two episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see working
this time.

No, but sob stories about having a pregnant wife and a dying mother certainly didn't hurt Jeremy and Adam when they won their seasons after telling the jury about it.-a The one thing different here is that Luke's story is now old news to Australians so he can't bring it up as a
surprise the way the other guys did.-a I also had forgotten that Luke did
a gofundme and raised something like $500,000 to help defer his
daughter's expense.

But did Adam and Jeremy win because of their stories or because of their gameplay?

Is that $500K just for meds or does his daughter need other help as well?

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke might >>>>> be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an endurance >>>>> challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does not do an
automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's a straight
vote which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then would fire
come into play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or more
importantly, if Parv fails to win the F4 immunity, it's really hard >>>>> to see Parv surviving to F3. At that point, Luke and Janene
(assuming Shonee is gone) would likely try to get Cirie to join
them in taking out Parv.-a If Cirie is to have any chance of
winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these guys
do the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often do it
near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow and
sometimes it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc.-a It's
great stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely win
something like that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool when
they did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been like forever
since U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets her to
the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and
likeability. -a-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better game
and would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best chance
might be if she could go up against Shonee and Janine, neither of
whom have also ever made a final jury speech.-a Getting to that
particular final three combo would really be tough, though.-a I
haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have it downloaded, but I'm
expecting Shonee or Janine to go next.-a And I think the only way
Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity.

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win up
against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that Shonee will
vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better game than Luke.

I'm not sure about that.-a Luke has found an idol and won an immunity or two.-a He also convinced/conned Parv into ripping up her very powerful advantage. And I think he was proactive in aligning himself with Janine. Those are not insignificant moves.-a Cirie has literally done nothing in
the game of any significance and seems to be completely in Parv's
shadow. Even the one significant alliance she had with Lisa was totally initiated by Lisa.-a-a Even with Lisa and Parv potentially campaigning for her on the jury, I think Cirie's really gonna have to give the speech of
her life in front of the jury to have any chance to beat Luke.-a So far, pending the final two episodes, I think Luke has the much better facts
on his side.

Cirie's been strategizing the entire game and has a pretty good handle
on what's going on. Yes, Parv's been feeding her info but Cirie's also
been feeding Parv info. Luke was very lucky in the first half or so of
the game. He had no idea what was going on but benefited immensely by
others being bigger targets than himself.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke is >>>>> a working class guy who has never had money and who has had lots of >>>>> medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic fibrosis.
He is immendely popular with fans and would be a popular winner if
he can somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-millionaire who made a ton
of money for a product she created called Boost Juice, and she
couldnrCOt be more different than Luke.-a Their alliance is really
more of convenience that anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's >>>>> ability to influence Luke, which I don't think she could ever do
with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have idols >>>>> to get them into final four, it seems likely at least one of them
will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do something
really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning the
game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win then
she wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be able to
finally make it to the end so I can plead my case." Parv: "I want my
crown back that I deserved to have 15 years ago." Shonee: "I want
the money." Shonee's statement has me wondering if she'd join Cirie
and Parv to blindside Janine? If Cirie or Parv wins F5 immunity, I
could see this being a good possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But I
think if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out Janine to
weaken Luke.

Yeah, but they are thinking about who they can beat in F3.-a I just don't think they see any chance of a jury giving the money to Janine.-a I think they want Janine in he finals as a kind of goat.

Janine's done little in the game that I've seen but she's good at
selling herself. I can't recall if she's ever said if she's made it to
the end before.

--When Lisa was voted out it looked like everyone was ready to give
her a hug. She hugged Cirie and left the rest standing there. That
move will not help Cirie as the others know they have no chance of
getting Lisa's vote. If Cirie's not at the end, I'm convinced Lisa
will be a bitter jury. She'll trash Parv if Parv is F3.

There is no question Lisa will advocate for Cirie.-a That's not really
being a bitter juror, and I think she will use logic in presenting
whatever argument she makes for Cirie.

I hope we get a long FTC so we can a hear a lot of what the jury has
to say.

Agreed.-a Unfortunately, they usually don't do a long 2 1/2 hour finale
as the US does.-a I'm afraid it will likely be a 90 minute episode at
best, which means maybe 75 minutes without commercials.

Episodes 9 and 10 are the combined finale. We might 2.5 hours in total
if it's similar in length to the earlier episodes. IIRC, Episode 9 as
about a minute shorter than Episode 8.
--
Brian
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a bit
boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with commercials >> - and the only real excitement going in was over who would win the
Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident Lisa would be voted out,
as they had been foreshadowing that and she was the only remaining
non-US, non-Aussie player with the two main people in her alliance
voted out last episode.-a The only real question was whether she could
possibly win immunity.-a Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from the
start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90-minute
episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern. They just pop in
these shorter episodes randomly. On the regular seasons they
traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the 90-minute ones, but
they've really only done that once this season.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. three
Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player is Parvati,
which is ironic because she is also the only remaining former winner.
YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, yet somehow she is
still in the game and seemingly in control of things.-a And weirdly,
nobody is mentioning that she is the only previous winner still in the
game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance further
into the game.

She will have to. And if she somehow makes it to the end against Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my turn" card which may not
work against what could be a majority Australian jury. If anything,
they may decide to reward Parv by letting her into the two-time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized they were
doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had been in losing
that challenge at final four on his last season.-a So it was
interesting to see how he would do with it as I knew they would do
some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure the others probably
had not played that challenge.-a For the record, I have never been a
big fan of this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully understand.-a I
guess I think it depends a lot more on luck than skill, though there
is obviously skill involved in timing when you drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. This was
also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and up and down
stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's comp to lose. Not
only had he played it before, his long reach meant he did not need to go
to the top of the stairs to drop the balls in. That helped to conserve
his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of the balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, be in good shape. I
was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me. For a 55-year old, seemingly out of
shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected. BTW, it may not be
obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the cast at 59.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the interaction
between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought it was a massive
mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she had that idol steal
advantage, especially since it turned out she couldnrCOt use it anyway.
I knew Luke would pick up on that, but I never expected him to make
the offer he did to her to basically take her to final three if she
agreed to rip up the clue.-a Incredibly, she went along with him and
they tore up the clue, with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea why
she did that. So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an idol so
why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made his idol worthless. He obviously didn't realize she had to play it before votes
were cast. So in his mind there was nothing to lose by trying to get
her to rip up her advantage.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you can't
tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage? We've seen
plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing the power of the
idol. I also don't believe that Parv would throw away an advantage while someone has an idol that could bite her in the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll. It clearly said in the instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan". In the case of an
idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan". And in case you
think it is like money where you can present more than 50% of a unit of currency like a dollar bill and it counts for the full amount, when she
tore it she actually gave the bigger piece to Luke. I'm pretty sure JLP
would give her his famous raised eyebrow if she tried to present less
than half of the scroll to him and pass it off as "the scroll". It
could also make her look foolish and desperate in front of the jury.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final five, so
I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If Parv happens to
win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her idol to Cirie and if Luke
wins he will do the same for Janine.-a I think Parv feels she can
easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke feels he can beat Janine.-a-a That
leaves Shonee as the likely odd person out next episode unless she
happens to win immunity too.

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's background story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch Shonee's reaction when Cirie
told her she was voted out at F6 with no votes against her? That
resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away because as a
super fan, she probably knew that story well and didn't want to hear it
again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury,
especially one with predominantly Australian players. I still say there
is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story. Except for that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, and the fact that she got
screwed out of being in the finals at Micronesia due to the injury to
James, what does she really have going for her except she's a nice lady
and she's played a lot of Survivor? I still can't think of a single big
move she has ever made on her own in her Survivor career. In contrast,
Parv actually won the game outright and came very close to winning a
second time. Other than Sandra and Tony, I can't think of any other
player who won the game and then made it to the finals with a chance to
win a second time. And there is no doubt Parv has done big things in
this game including taking out her close buddy and having both an idol
and a secret advantage. I think she has been the clear dominating
player in this game,

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and story,
Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone through with
his daughter, which the Australians would already know about. It will
be interesting if they talk about that at all next two episodes.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke might be
favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an endurance
challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does not do an
automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's a straight vote
which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then would fire come into
play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or more importantly, if Parv
fails to win the F4 immunity, it's really hard to see Parv surviving
to F3. At that point, Luke and Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would
likely try to get Cirie to join them in taking out Parv.-a If Cirie is
to have any chance of winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these guys do
the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often do it
near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow and sometimes
it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc. It's great stuff when
they do it. Yes, Parv could definitely win something like that.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets her to the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and likeability.
And I think Parvati really has played a better game and would win in
final three against Cirie. Cirie's best chance might be if she could go
up against Shonee and Janine, neither of whom have also ever made a
final jury speech. Getting to that particular final three combo would
really be tough, though. I haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have
it downloaded, but I'm expecting Shonee or Janine to go next. And I
think the only way Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke is a
working class guy who has never had money and who has had lots of
medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic fibrosis.-a He
is immendely popular with fans and would be a popular winner if he can
somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-millionaire who made a ton of money
for a product she created called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt be more
different than Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of convenience
that anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's ability to influence
Luke, which I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have idols to
get them into final four, it seems likely at least one of them will be
in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do something
really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning the game
from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win then she wants
Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be able to finally make
it to the end so I can plead my case." Parv: "I want my crown back that
I deserved to have 15 years ago." Shonee: "I want the money." Shonee's statement has me wondering if she'd join Cirie and Parv to blindside
Janine? If Cirie or Parv wins F5 immunity, I could see this being a good possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out. But I think
if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

--When Lisa was voted out it looked like everyone was ready to give her
a hug. She hugged Cirie and left the rest standing there. That move will
not help Cirie as the others know they have no chance of getting Lisa's vote. If Cirie's not at the end, I'm convinced Lisa will be a bitter
jury. She'll trash Parv if Parv is F3.

There is no question Lisa will advocate for Cirie. That's not really
being a bitter juror, and I think she will use logic in presenting
whatever argument she makes for Cirie.

--There's something in the preview that could be a game changer if
they're not misleading us.

I again decided not to watch the promo after the first few seconds.
Sounds llike that was a good choice.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/3/2025 2:55 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 2:26 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/2/2025 3:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a
bit boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with >>>>>> commercials - and the only real excitement going in was over who
would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident Lisa
would be voted out, as they had been foreshadowing that and she
was the only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with the two main >>>>>> people in her alliance voted out last episode.-a The only real
question was whether she could possibly win immunity.-a Spoiler
alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from the >>>>> start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90-minute
episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They just pop in
these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular seasons they
traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the 90-minute ones, but
they've really only done that once this season.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs.
three Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player is >>>>>> Parvati, which is ironic because she is also the only remaining
former winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, yet >>>>>> somehow she is still in the game and seemingly in control of
things.-a And weirdly, nobody is mentioning that she is the only
previous winner still in the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance
further into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end against
Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my turn" card which
may not work against what could be a majority Australian jury.-a If
anything, they may decide to reward Parv by letting her into the
two- time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized they >>>>>> were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had been in >>>>>> losing that challenge at final four on his last season.-a So it was >>>>>> interesting to see how he would do with it as I knew they would do >>>>>> some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure the others
probably had not played that challenge.-a For the record, I have
never been a big fan of this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully >>>>>> understand.-a I guess I think it depends a lot more on luck than
skill, though there is obviously skill involved in timing when you >>>>>> drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. This >>>>> was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and up and
down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's comp to
lose. Not only had he played it before, his long reach meant he did >>>>> not need to go to the top of the stairs to drop the balls in. That
helped to conserve his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of the
balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, be in
good shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly out of
shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it may not be
obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting cast.
They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as much as
possible. How old is Lisa?

Lisa is 44, same age as David.-a-a They would tie for fourth oldest
behind Janine, Cirie and Tony, who is 51.

Damn! I thought Lisa was a few years younger than Cirie and that David
was much closer to Sarah in age. Being a librarian in New Zealand must
be stressful.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the
interaction between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought it >>>>>> was a massive mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she
had that idol steal advantage, especially since it turned out she >>>>>> couldnrCOt use it anyway. I knew Luke would pick up on that, but I >>>>>> never expected him to make the offer he did to her to basically
take her to final three if she agreed to rip up the clue.
Incredibly, she went along with him and they tore up the clue,
with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea why she did that. So
that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an
idol so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made his
idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to play it
before votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was nothing to lose by >>>> trying to get her to rip up her advantage.

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in the
season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before.

They have definitely done the vote steal before (and by Shonee
herself, of all people), but I don't remember the exact mechanic of
how it worked.-a And Luke wasn't on that season, so he may not have
personally ever seen it before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you
can't tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage?
We've seen plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing
the power of the idol. I also don't believe that Parv would throw
away an advantage while someone has an idol that could bite her in
the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in the
instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the case of an >>>> idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan".-a And in case you
think it is like money where you can present more than 50% of a unit
of currency like a dollar bill and it counts for the full amount,
when she tore it she actually gave the bigger piece to Luke.-a I'm
pretty sure JLP would give her his famous raised eyebrow if she
tried to present less than half of the scroll to him and pass it off
as "the scroll".-a It could also make her look foolish and desperate
in front of the jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't watched
yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

We'll see.-a I will watch it shortly and leave some comments later in
the day. Looks like it is another of the shorter episodes.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final
five, so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If Parv >>>>>> happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her idol to >>>>>> Cirie and if Luke wins he will do the same for Janine.-a I think
Parv feels she can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke feels he >>>>>> can beat Janine. That leaves Shonee as the likely odd person out
next episode unless she happens to win immunity too.

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's background
story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch Shonee's reaction
when Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 with no votes against
her? That resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away because
as a super fan, she probably knew that story well and didn't want to
hear it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that story
coming out?

No, I am sure as a Cirie fan Lisa hates hearing that story and just
didn't want to hear it again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury,
especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still say
there is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.-a Except for
that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, and the fact that
she got screwed out of being in the finals at Micronesia due to the
injury to James, what does she really have going for her except
she's a nice lady and she's played a lot of Survivor?-a I still can't >>>> think of a single big move she has ever made on her own in her
Survivor career. In contrast, Parv actually won the game outright
and came very close to winning a second time.-a Other than Sandra and >>>> Tony, I can't think of any other player who won the game and then
made it to the finals with a chance to win a second time.-a And there >>>> is no doubt Parv has done big things in this game including taking
out her close buddy and having both an idol and a secret advantage.
I think she has been the clear dominating player in this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay, then
Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and
story, Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone
through with his daughter, which the Australians would already know
about.-a It will be interesting if they talk about that at all next
two episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see
working this time.

No, but sob stories about having a pregnant wife and a dying mother
certainly didn't hurt Jeremy and Adam when they won their seasons
after telling the jury about it.-a The one thing different here is that
Luke's story is now old news to Australians so he can't bring it up as
a surprise the way the other guys did.-a I also had forgotten that Luke
did a gofundme and raised something like $500,000 to help defer his
daughter's expense.

But did Adam and Jeremy win because of their stories or because of their gameplay?

Considering they both won by 10-0 shutouts, I doubt the stories changed results by that much.

Is that $500K just for meds or does his daughter need other help as well?

Here's an article about the gofundme. Sounds like he made enough money
from that that he paid off his mortgage and gave money to charity as
well. So probably not the selling point I was initially thinking.

https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/survivors-luke-toki-reveals-how-family-spent-500k-gofundme-donations-ng-b881399757z

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke
might be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an
endurance challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does
not do an automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's a >>>>>> straight vote which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then
would fire come into play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or more >>>>>> importantly, if Parv fails to win the F4 immunity, it's really
hard to see Parv surviving to F3. At that point, Luke and Janene
(assuming Shonee is gone) would likely try to get Cirie to join
them in taking out Parv.-a If Cirie is to have any chance of
winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these guys
do the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often do it
near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow and
sometimes it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc.-a It's
great stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely win
something like that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool when
they did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been like forever
since U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets her
to the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and
likeability. -a-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better game
and would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best chance
might be if she could go up against Shonee and Janine, neither of
whom have also ever made a final jury speech.-a Getting to that
particular final three combo would really be tough, though.-a I
haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have it downloaded, but I'm
expecting Shonee or Janine to go next.-a And I think the only way
Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity.

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win up
against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that Shonee
will vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better game than Luke. >>>

I'm not sure about that.-a Luke has found an idol and won an immunity
or two.-a He also convinced/conned Parv into ripping up her very
powerful advantage. And I think he was proactive in aligning himself
with Janine. Those are not insignificant moves.-a Cirie has literally
done nothing in the game of any significance and seems to be
completely in Parv's shadow. Even the one significant alliance she had
with Lisa was totally initiated by Lisa.-a-a Even with Lisa and Parv
potentially campaigning for her on the jury, I think Cirie's really
gonna have to give the speech of her life in front of the jury to have
any chance to beat Luke.-a So far, pending the final two episodes, I
think Luke has the much better facts on his side.

Cirie's been strategizing the entire game and has a pretty good handle
on what's going on. Yes, Parv's been feeding her info but Cirie's also
been feeding Parv info. Luke was very lucky in the first half or so of
the game. He had no idea what was going on but benefited immensely by
others being bigger targets than himself.

I think the biggest advantage Cirie will have if she goes up against
Luke is that she is just smarter than Luke and maybe can present herself better. I do think Luke has more facts on his side in this game and can
point to more specific things he has done, especially getting Parv to
rip up that advantage and winning what would be an unprecedented for
Australia four consecutive immunity challenges. It will be hard for
Cirie to make a demonstrable case and hang her hat on the facts that she
has been "strategizing the entire game" and had a "pretty good handle"
on what's going on. That will be hard to demonstrate.

I think Cirie will have to rely on her better brain and the good will of jurors, especially Parv and Lisa, if she goes up against Luke. But
don't underestimate Luke's likability, especially among the other
Aussies. Ultimately, I think it might depend on Luke figuring out how
to string a few sentences together coherently. I think if he can just
state factually the things he has done in the game, he wins over Cirie.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke is >>>>>> a working class guy who has never had money and who has had lots
of medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic
fibrosis. He is immendely popular with fans and would be a popular >>>>>> winner if he can somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-millionaire who >>>>>> made a ton of money for a product she created called Boost Juice, >>>>>> and she couldnrCOt be more different than Luke.-a Their alliance is >>>>>> really more of convenience that anything else.-a It also reflects >>>>>> Janine's ability to influence Luke, which I don't think she could >>>>>> ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have
idols to get them into final four, it seems likely at least one of >>>>>> them will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do something >>>>> really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning the
game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win then
she wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be able to >>>>> finally make it to the end so I can plead my case." Parv: "I want
my crown back that I deserved to have 15 years ago." Shonee: "I
want the money." Shonee's statement has me wondering if she'd join
Cirie and Parv to blindside Janine? If Cirie or Parv wins F5
immunity, I could see this being a good possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But I
think if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out Janine
to weaken Luke.

Yeah, but they are thinking about who they can beat in F3.-a I just
don't think they see any chance of a jury giving the money to Janine.
I think they want Janine in he finals as a kind of goat.

Janine's done little in the game that I've seen but she's good at
selling herself. I can't recall if she's ever said if she's made it to
the end before.

She has never made it to the finals. Her best finish was sixth. Aside
from previous winners Rob, Lisa, David, Tony and Parv, the only other
players this season to make the finals were George, Kass and Tommi who
all finished second.

BTW, concurrent with this season I have also been watching the current
season of the Amazing Race Canada. It never clicked in my head, but one
of the sponsors of TAR Canada is Boost Juice, which is the product
Janine created. More examples of the reality multiverse, I guess.

--When Lisa was voted out it looked like everyone was ready to give >>>>> her a hug. She hugged Cirie and left the rest standing there. That
move will not help Cirie as the others know they have no chance of
getting Lisa's vote. If Cirie's not at the end, I'm convinced Lisa
will be a bitter jury. She'll trash Parv if Parv is F3.

There is no question Lisa will advocate for Cirie.-a That's not
really being a bitter juror, and I think she will use logic in
presenting whatever argument she makes for Cirie.

I hope we get a long FTC so we can a hear a lot of what the jury has
to say.

Agreed.-a Unfortunately, they usually don't do a long 2 1/2 hour finale
as the US does.-a I'm afraid it will likely be a 90 minute episode at
best, which means maybe 75 minutes without commercials.

Episodes 9 and 10 are the combined finale. We might 2.5 hours in total
if it's similar in length to the earlier episodes. IIRC, Episode 9 as
about a minute shorter than Episode 8.

Guess that's a valid point. Survivor US finale usually starts with
final five and here we will be starting with final four. So it will be Immunity Challenge, Tribal Council and Vote and then final TC. Probably
no real reunion or after show. Guess they can do that in 75 minutes.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/3/2025 8:14 AM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 2:55 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 2:26 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/2/2025 3:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a >>>>>>> bit boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with >>>>>>> commercials - and the only real excitement going in was over who >>>>>>> would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident Lisa >>>>>>> would be voted out, as they had been foreshadowing that and she >>>>>>> was the only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with the two
main people in her alliance voted out last episode.-a The only
real question was whether she could possibly win immunity.
Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from
the start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90-
minute episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They just >>>>> pop in these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular seasons
they traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the 90-minute
ones, but they've really only done that once this season.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. >>>>>>> three Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player is >>>>>>> Parvati, which is ironic because she is also the only remaining >>>>>>> former winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, yet >>>>>>> somehow she is still in the game and seemingly in control of
things.-a And weirdly, nobody is mentioning that she is the only >>>>>>> previous winner still in the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance
further into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end against
Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my turn" card
which may not work against what could be a majority Australian
jury.-a If anything, they may decide to reward Parv by letting her
into the two- time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized they >>>>>>> were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had been >>>>>>> in losing that challenge at final four on his last season.-a So it >>>>>>> was interesting to see how he would do with it as I knew they
would do some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure the >>>>>>> others probably had not played that challenge.-a For the record, I >>>>>>> have never been a big fan of this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt >>>>>>> fully understand.-a I guess I think it depends a lot more on luck >>>>>>> than skill, though there is obviously skill involved in timing
when you drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version.
This was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and
up and down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's
comp to lose. Not only had he played it before, his long reach
meant he did not need to go to the top of the stairs to drop the
balls in. That helped to conserve his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of the >>>>>> balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, be in
good shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly out of >>>>> shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it may not be >>>>> obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting cast.
They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as much as
possible. How old is Lisa?

Lisa is 44, same age as David.-a-a They would tie for fourth oldest
behind Janine, Cirie and Tony, who is 51.

Damn! I thought Lisa was a few years younger than Cirie and that David
was much closer to Sarah in age. Being a librarian in New Zealand must
be stressful.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the
interaction between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought it >>>>>>> was a massive mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she >>>>>>> had that idol steal advantage, especially since it turned out she >>>>>>> couldnrCOt use it anyway. I knew Luke would pick up on that, but I >>>>>>> never expected him to make the offer he did to her to basically >>>>>>> take her to final three if she agreed to rip up the clue.
Incredibly, she went along with him and they tore up the clue,
with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea why she did that. So >>>>>>> that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an
idol so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made his
idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to play it
before votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was nothing to lose
by trying to get her to rip up her advantage.

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in the
season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before.

They have definitely done the vote steal before (and by Shonee
herself, of all people), but I don't remember the exact mechanic of
how it worked.-a And Luke wasn't on that season, so he may not have
personally ever seen it before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you
can't tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage?
We've seen plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing
the power of the idol. I also don't believe that Parv would throw >>>>>> away an advantage while someone has an idol that could bite her in >>>>>> the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in the >>>>> instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the case of
an idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan".-a And in case >>>>> you think it is like money where you can present more than 50% of a >>>>> unit of currency like a dollar bill and it counts for the full
amount, when she tore it she actually gave the bigger piece to
Luke.-a I'm pretty sure JLP would give her his famous raised eyebrow >>>>> if she tried to present less than half of the scroll to him and
pass it off as "the scroll".-a It could also make her look foolish
and desperate in front of the jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't watched
yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

We'll see.-a I will watch it shortly and leave some comments later in
the day. Looks like it is another of the shorter episodes.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final >>>>>>> five, so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If
Parv happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her idol >>>>>>> to Cirie and if Luke wins he will do the same for Janine.-a I
think Parv feels she can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke
feels he can beat Janine. That leaves Shonee as the likely odd
person out next episode unless she happens to win immunity too.

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's background >>>>>> story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch Shonee's reaction
when Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 with no votes against >>>>>> her? That resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away because
as a super fan, she probably knew that story well and didn't want
to hear it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that story
coming out?

No, I am sure as a Cirie fan Lisa hates hearing that story and just
didn't want to hear it again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury,
especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still say >>>>> there is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.-a Except for
that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, and the fact
that she got screwed out of being in the finals at Micronesia due
to the injury to James, what does she really have going for her
except she's a nice lady and she's played a lot of Survivor?-a I
still can't think of a single big move she has ever made on her own >>>>> in her Survivor career. In contrast, Parv actually won the game
outright and came very close to winning a second time.-a Other than >>>>> Sandra and Tony, I can't think of any other player who won the game >>>>> and then made it to the finals with a chance to win a second time. >>>>> And there is no doubt Parv has done big things in this game
including taking out her close buddy and having both an idol and a
secret advantage. I think she has been the clear dominating player
in this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay, then
Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and
story, Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone
through with his daughter, which the Australians would already know >>>>> about.-a It will be interesting if they talk about that at all next >>>>> two episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see
working this time.

No, but sob stories about having a pregnant wife and a dying mother
certainly didn't hurt Jeremy and Adam when they won their seasons
after telling the jury about it.-a The one thing different here is
that Luke's story is now old news to Australians so he can't bring it
up as a surprise the way the other guys did.-a I also had forgotten
that Luke did a gofundme and raised something like $500,000 to help
defer his daughter's expense.

But did Adam and Jeremy win because of their stories or because of
their gameplay?

Considering they both won by 10-0 shutouts, I doubt the stories changed results by that much.

Is that $500K just for meds or does his daughter need other help as well?

Here's an article about the gofundme.-a Sounds like he made enough money from that that he paid off his mortgage and gave money to charity as
well.-a So probably not the selling point I was initially thinking.

https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/survivors-luke-toki-reveals-how- family-spent-500k-gofundme-donations-ng-b881399757z

Thanks for the link. I didn't think CF meds would be that expensive in Australia. It's good he gave some to charity.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke
might be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an >>>>>>> endurance challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does >>>>>>> not do an automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's a >>>>>>> straight vote which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then
would fire come into play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or
more importantly, if Parv fails to win the F4 immunity, it's
really hard to see Parv surviving to F3. At that point, Luke and >>>>>>> Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would likely try to get Cirie to >>>>>>> join them in taking out Parv.-a If Cirie is to have any chance of >>>>>>> winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these guys >>>>>> do the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often do
it near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow and
sometimes it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc.-a It's
great stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely win
something like that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool when
they did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been like
forever since U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets her >>>>>> to the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and
likeability. -a-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better game >>>>> and would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best chance
might be if she could go up against Shonee and Janine, neither of
whom have also ever made a final jury speech.-a Getting to that
particular final three combo would really be tough, though.-a I
haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have it downloaded, but I'm >>>>> expecting Shonee or Janine to go next.-a And I think the only way
Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity.

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win up
against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that Shonee
will vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better game than
Luke.

I'm not sure about that.-a Luke has found an idol and won an immunity
or two.-a He also convinced/conned Parv into ripping up her very
powerful advantage. And I think he was proactive in aligning himself
with Janine. Those are not insignificant moves.-a Cirie has literally
done nothing in the game of any significance and seems to be
completely in Parv's shadow. Even the one significant alliance she
had with Lisa was totally initiated by Lisa.-a-a Even with Lisa and
Parv potentially campaigning for her on the jury, I think Cirie's
really gonna have to give the speech of her life in front of the jury
to have any chance to beat Luke.-a So far, pending the final two
episodes, I think Luke has the much better facts on his side.

Cirie's been strategizing the entire game and has a pretty good handle
on what's going on. Yes, Parv's been feeding her info but Cirie's also
been feeding Parv info. Luke was very lucky in the first half or so of
the game. He had no idea what was going on but benefited immensely by
others being bigger targets than himself.

I think the biggest advantage Cirie will have if she goes up against
Luke is that she is just smarter than Luke and maybe can present herself better.-a I do think Luke has more facts on his side in this game and can point to more specific things he has done, especially getting Parv to
rip up that advantage and winning what would be an unprecedented for Australia four consecutive immunity challenges.-a It will be hard for
Cirie to make a demonstrable case and hang her hat on the facts that she
has been "strategizing the entire game" and had a "pretty good handle"
on what's going on.-a That will be hard to demonstrate.

Cirie will probably try and convince the jury she was seldom out of the
loop, if ever. Luke can't say that. And as you said, Cirie's smarter and
will be able to present her case much better than Luke will be able to
present his case. We also have to factor in that some of the jurors had
no idea what was going on in the and still might not know. I have no
idea how Tommi will vote.

I think Cirie will have to rely on her better brain and the good will of jurors, especially Parv and Lisa, if she goes up against Luke.-a But
don't underestimate Luke's likability, especially among the other
Aussies.-a Ultimately, I think it might depend on Luke figuring out how
to string a few sentences together coherently.-a I think if he can just state factually the things he has done in the game, he wins over Cirie.

We'll find out next week. I think Kirby and Shonee will vote based on
game, but I fear Janine will vote based on nationality.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke >>>>>>> is a working class guy who has never had money and who has had
lots of medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic
fibrosis. He is immendely popular with fans and would be a
popular winner if he can somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-
millionaire who made a ton of money for a product she created
called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt be more different than
Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of convenience that anything >>>>>>> else.-a It also reflects Janine's ability to influence Luke, which >>>>>>> I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have
idols to get them into final four, it seems likely at least one >>>>>>> of them will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do
something really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning the >>>>>> game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win then >>>>>> she wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be able
to finally make it to the end so I can plead my case." Parv: "I
want my crown back that I deserved to have 15 years ago." Shonee: >>>>>> "I want the money." Shonee's statement has me wondering if she'd
join Cirie and Parv to blindside Janine? If Cirie or Parv wins F5 >>>>>> immunity, I could see this being a good possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But I
think if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out Janine
to weaken Luke.

Yeah, but they are thinking about who they can beat in F3.-a I just
don't think they see any chance of a jury giving the money to Janine.
I think they want Janine in he finals as a kind of goat.

Janine's done little in the game that I've seen but she's good at
selling herself. I can't recall if she's ever said if she's made it to
the end before.

She has never made it to the finals.-a Her best finish was sixth.-a Aside from previous winners Rob, Lisa, David, Tony and Parv, the only other players this season to make the finals were George, Kass and Tommi who
all finished second.

Wow! I'm surprised they cast a sixth place finisher.

BTW, concurrent with this season I have also been watching the current season of the Amazing Race Canada.-a It never clicked in my head, but one
of the sponsors of TAR Canada is Boost Juice, which is the product
Janine created.-a More examples of the reality multiverse, I guess.

Are you the sponsor isn't BOOST? According to the Boost Juice website,
they do not operate in North America yet. If you happen to have USD $1
million in liquidity you can become a franchisee.

--When Lisa was voted out it looked like everyone was ready to
give her a hug. She hugged Cirie and left the rest standing there. >>>>>> That move will not help Cirie as the others know they have no
chance of getting Lisa's vote. If Cirie's not at the end, I'm
convinced Lisa will be a bitter jury. She'll trash Parv if Parv is >>>>>> F3.

There is no question Lisa will advocate for Cirie.-a That's not
really being a bitter juror, and I think she will use logic in
presenting whatever argument she makes for Cirie.

I hope we get a long FTC so we can a hear a lot of what the jury has
to say.

Agreed.-a Unfortunately, they usually don't do a long 2 1/2 hour
finale as the US does.-a I'm afraid it will likely be a 90 minute
episode at best, which means maybe 75 minutes without commercials.

Episodes 9 and 10 are the combined finale. We might 2.5 hours in total
if it's similar in length to the earlier episodes. IIRC, Episode 9 as
about a minute shorter than Episode 8.

Guess that's a valid point.-a Survivor US finale usually starts with
final five and here we will be starting with final four.-a So it will be Immunity Challenge, Tribal Council and Vote and then final TC. Probably
no real reunion or after show.-a-a Guess they can do that in 75 minutes.

Episode 9 started with F5 and that was 47.xx IIRC. If Episode 10 is
around 75 minutes that will be about equal to a U.S. Survivor finale.
--
Brian
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/3/2025 5:40 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/3/2025 8:14 AM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 2:55 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 2:26 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/2/2025 3:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a >>>>>>>> bit boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with >>>>>>>> commercials - and the only real excitement going in was over who >>>>>>>> would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident Lisa >>>>>>>> would be voted out, as they had been foreshadowing that and she >>>>>>>> was the only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with the two >>>>>>>> main people in her alliance voted out last episode.-a The only >>>>>>>> real question was whether she could possibly win immunity.
Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from >>>>>>> the start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90-
minute episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They
just pop in these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular
seasons they traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the
90-minute ones, but they've really only done that once this season. >>>>>>

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. >>>>>>>> three Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player is >>>>>>>> Parvati, which is ironic because she is also the only remaining >>>>>>>> former winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted long ago, >>>>>>>> yet somehow she is still in the game and seemingly in control of >>>>>>>> things.-a And weirdly, nobody is mentioning that she is the only >>>>>>>> previous winner still in the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance
further into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end against >>>>>> Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my turn" card
which may not work against what could be a majority Australian
jury.-a If anything, they may decide to reward Parv by letting her >>>>>> into the two- time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized >>>>>>>> they were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had >>>>>>>> been in losing that challenge at final four on his last season. >>>>>>>> So it was interesting to see how he would do with it as I knew >>>>>>>> they would do some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure >>>>>>>> the others probably had not played that challenge.-a For the
record, I have never been a big fan of this challenge, for
reasons I donrCOt fully understand.-a I guess I think it depends a >>>>>>>> lot more on luck than skill, though there is obviously skill
involved in timing when you drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version.
This was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and >>>>>>> up and down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's >>>>>>> comp to lose. Not only had he played it before, his long reach
meant he did not need to go to the top of the stairs to drop the >>>>>>> balls in. That helped to conserve his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of
the balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, be >>>>>>> in good shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly out >>>>>> of shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it may
not be obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the
cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting cast.
They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as much as
possible. How old is Lisa?

Lisa is 44, same age as David.-a-a They would tie for fourth oldest
behind Janine, Cirie and Tony, who is 51.

Damn! I thought Lisa was a few years younger than Cirie and that
David was much closer to Sarah in age. Being a librarian in New
Zealand must be stressful.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the
interaction between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought it >>>>>>>> was a massive mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that she >>>>>>>> had that idol steal advantage, especially since it turned out >>>>>>>> she couldnrCOt use it anyway. I knew Luke would pick up on that, >>>>>>>> but I never expected him to make the offer he did to her to
basically take her to final three if she agreed to rip up the >>>>>>>> clue. Incredibly, she went along with him and they tore up the >>>>>>>> clue, with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea why she did
that. So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an >>>>>>> idol so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made his >>>>>> idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to play it
before votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was nothing to lose >>>>>> by trying to get her to rip up her advantage.

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in the
season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before.

They have definitely done the vote steal before (and by Shonee
herself, of all people), but I don't remember the exact mechanic of
how it worked.-a And Luke wasn't on that season, so he may not have
personally ever seen it before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you >>>>>>> can't tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage? >>>>>>> We've seen plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing >>>>>>> the power of the idol. I also don't believe that Parv would throw >>>>>>> away an advantage while someone has an idol that could bite her >>>>>>> in the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in the >>>>>> instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the case of >>>>>> an idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan".-a And in case >>>>>> you think it is like money where you can present more than 50% of >>>>>> a unit of currency like a dollar bill and it counts for the full
amount, when she tore it she actually gave the bigger piece to
Luke.-a I'm pretty sure JLP would give her his famous raised
eyebrow if she tried to present less than half of the scroll to
him and pass it off as "the scroll".-a It could also make her look >>>>>> foolish and desperate in front of the jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't
watched yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

We'll see.-a I will watch it shortly and leave some comments later in >>>> the day. Looks like it is another of the shorter episodes.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final >>>>>>>> five, so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If >>>>>>>> Parv happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her >>>>>>>> idol to Cirie and if Luke wins he will do the same for Janine. >>>>>>>> I think Parv feels she can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke >>>>>>>> feels he can beat Janine. That leaves Shonee as the likely odd >>>>>>>> person out next episode unless she happens to win immunity too. >>>>>>>

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's
background story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch Shonee's >>>>>>> reaction when Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 with no
votes against her? That resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away because >>>>>> as a super fan, she probably knew that story well and didn't want >>>>>> to hear it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that story >>>>> coming out?

No, I am sure as a Cirie fan Lisa hates hearing that story and just
didn't want to hear it again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury,
especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still say >>>>>> there is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.-a Except for >>>>>> that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, and the fact
that she got screwed out of being in the finals at Micronesia due >>>>>> to the injury to James, what does she really have going for her
except she's a nice lady and she's played a lot of Survivor?-a I
still can't think of a single big move she has ever made on her
own in her Survivor career. In contrast, Parv actually won the
game outright and came very close to winning a second time.-a Other >>>>>> than Sandra and Tony, I can't think of any other player who won
the game and then made it to the finals with a chance to win a
second time. And there is no doubt Parv has done big things in
this game including taking out her close buddy and having both an >>>>>> idol and a secret advantage. I think she has been the clear
dominating player in this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay, then >>>>> Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and
story, Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone
through with his daughter, which the Australians would already
know about.-a It will be interesting if they talk about that at all >>>>>> next two episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see
working this time.

No, but sob stories about having a pregnant wife and a dying mother
certainly didn't hurt Jeremy and Adam when they won their seasons
after telling the jury about it.-a The one thing different here is
that Luke's story is now old news to Australians so he can't bring
it up as a surprise the way the other guys did.-a I also had
forgotten that Luke did a gofundme and raised something like
$500,000 to help defer his daughter's expense.

But did Adam and Jeremy win because of their stories or because of
their gameplay?

Considering they both won by 10-0 shutouts, I doubt the stories
changed results by that much.

Is that $500K just for meds or does his daughter need other help as
well?

Here's an article about the gofundme.-a Sounds like he made enough
money from that that he paid off his mortgage and gave money to
charity as well.-a So probably not the selling point I was initially
thinking.

https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/survivors-luke-toki-reveals-how- family-spent-500k-gofundme-donations-ng-b881399757z

Thanks for the link. I didn't think CF meds would be that expensive in Australia. It's good he gave some to charity.

I don't remember the details of Luke's daughter's case to know how
serious it was. Many CF cases can be managed through medications, but I
think more serious cases can require surgery, even transplants in some
cases. Sounds like the gofundme covered whatever treatments she needed.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke >>>>>>>> might be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an >>>>>>>> endurance challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does >>>>>>>> not do an automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's >>>>>>>> a straight vote which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then >>>>>>>> would fire come into play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or >>>>>>>> more importantly, if Parv fails to win the F4 immunity, it's
really hard to see Parv surviving to F3. At that point, Luke and >>>>>>>> Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would likely try to get Cirie >>>>>>>> to join them in taking out Parv.-a If Cirie is to have any chance >>>>>>>> of winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these
guys do the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often do >>>>>> it near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow and
sometimes it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc.-a It's >>>>>> great stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely win
something like that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool when >>>>> they did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been like
forever since U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets her >>>>>>> to the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and
likeability. -a-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better game >>>>>> and would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best chance >>>>>> might be if she could go up against Shonee and Janine, neither of >>>>>> whom have also ever made a final jury speech.-a Getting to that
particular final three combo would really be tough, though.-a I
haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have it downloaded, but
I'm expecting Shonee or Janine to go next.-a And I think the only >>>>>> way Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity.

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win up >>>>> against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that Shonee
will vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better game than
Luke.

I'm not sure about that.-a Luke has found an idol and won an immunity >>>> or two.-a He also convinced/conned Parv into ripping up her very
powerful advantage. And I think he was proactive in aligning himself
with Janine. Those are not insignificant moves.-a Cirie has literally >>>> done nothing in the game of any significance and seems to be
completely in Parv's shadow. Even the one significant alliance she
had with Lisa was totally initiated by Lisa.-a-a Even with Lisa and
Parv potentially campaigning for her on the jury, I think Cirie's
really gonna have to give the speech of her life in front of the
jury to have any chance to beat Luke.-a So far, pending the final two >>>> episodes, I think Luke has the much better facts on his side.

Cirie's been strategizing the entire game and has a pretty good
handle on what's going on. Yes, Parv's been feeding her info but
Cirie's also been feeding Parv info. Luke was very lucky in the first
half or so of the game. He had no idea what was going on but
benefited immensely by others being bigger targets than himself.

I think the biggest advantage Cirie will have if she goes up against
Luke is that she is just smarter than Luke and maybe can present
herself better.-a I do think Luke has more facts on his side in this
game and can point to more specific things he has done, especially
getting Parv to rip up that advantage and winning what would be an
unprecedented for Australia four consecutive immunity challenges.-a It
will be hard for Cirie to make a demonstrable case and hang her hat on
the facts that she has been "strategizing the entire game" and had a
"pretty good handle" on what's going on.-a That will be hard to
demonstrate.

Cirie will probably try and convince the jury she was seldom out of the loop, if ever. Luke can't say that. And as you said, Cirie's smarter and will be able to present her case much better than Luke will be able to present his case. We also have to factor in that some of the jurors had
no idea what was going on in the and still might not know. I have no
idea how Tommi will vote.

Luke doesn't have to make the case that he was in the loop on every
vote. If Cirie tries to say he wasn't, all he has to say in his Luke
way is that he must be doing something right because he survived to the
end in spite of being a challenge threat, and he can also point out his
four consecutive immunity challenge wins at the end of the game when it mattered are unprecedented. He can also say he is one of only three
people this season to find an idol (and he did so without a clue) and he
was only able to use that idol because he convinced Parv to rip up her advantage for really no good reason. I still say those are significant
moves which if properly presented are much more impressive than Cirie
merely "being in the loop" and having been on the right side on every
vote. She may have been the most aware person on the beach (and in some
ways she probably was), but what has she actually done that she can
prove was her doing and no one else's? Juries want to see specific
actions and accomplishments that get a player to the end, and Luke can
do that. Unless Cirie proactively acts to get rid of Parv at F4, I
still don't see a really specific concrete thing she has done.

Course all this assumes Luke goes up against Cirie in F3. A lot of
things have to fall in place for that to happen.

I think Cirie will have to rely on her better brain and the good will
of jurors, especially Parv and Lisa, if she goes up against Luke.-a But
don't underestimate Luke's likability, especially among the other
Aussies.-a Ultimately, I think it might depend on Luke figuring out how
to string a few sentences together coherently.-a I think if he can just
state factually the things he has done in the game, he wins over Cirie.

We'll find out next week. I think Kirby and Shonee will vote based on
game, but I fear Janine will vote based on nationality.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke >>>>>>>> is a working class guy who has never had money and who has had >>>>>>>> lots of medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic >>>>>>>> fibrosis. He is immendely popular with fans and would be a
popular winner if he can somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-
millionaire who made a ton of money for a product she created >>>>>>>> called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt be more different than >>>>>>>> Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of convenience that
anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's ability to influence >>>>>>>> Luke, which I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have >>>>>>>> idols to get them into final four, it seems likely at least one >>>>>>>> of them will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do
something really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning
the game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win >>>>>>> then she wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be >>>>>>> able to finally make it to the end so I can plead my case." Parv: >>>>>>> "I want my crown back that I deserved to have 15 years ago."
Shonee: "I want the money." Shonee's statement has me wondering >>>>>>> if she'd join Cirie and Parv to blindside Janine? If Cirie or
Parv wins F5 immunity, I could see this being a good possibility. >>>>>>>

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But I >>>>>> think if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out Janine >>>>> to weaken Luke.

Yeah, but they are thinking about who they can beat in F3.-a I just
don't think they see any chance of a jury giving the money to
Janine. I think they want Janine in he finals as a kind of goat.

Janine's done little in the game that I've seen but she's good at
selling herself. I can't recall if she's ever said if she's made it
to the end before.

She has never made it to the finals.-a Her best finish was sixth.
Aside from previous winners Rob, Lisa, David, Tony and Parv, the only
other players this season to make the finals were George, Kass and
Tommi who all finished second.

Wow! I'm surprised they cast a sixth place finisher.

Sarah finished 8th in her only season.

BTW, concurrent with this season I have also been watching the current
season of the Amazing Race Canada.-a It never clicked in my head, but
one of the sponsors of TAR Canada is Boost Juice, which is the product
Janine created.-a More examples of the reality multiverse, I guess.

Are you the sponsor isn't BOOST? According to the Boost Juice website,
they do not operate in North America yet. If you happen to have USD $1 million in liquidity you can become a franchisee.

There is definitely a TAR Canada sponsor called BOOST. Check out this
article from before the season started announcing the TAR Canada sponsors:

*https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/ctv-announces-the-amazing-race-canada-partners-and-grand-prize-sponsors-ahead-of-season-11-premiere/

Maybe it's a different juice company?

*

--When Lisa was voted out it looked like everyone was ready to
give her a hug. She hugged Cirie and left the rest standing
there. That move will not help Cirie as the others know they have >>>>>>> no chance of getting Lisa's vote. If Cirie's not at the end, I'm >>>>>>> convinced Lisa will be a bitter jury. She'll trash Parv if Parv >>>>>>> is F3.

There is no question Lisa will advocate for Cirie.-a That's not
really being a bitter juror, and I think she will use logic in
presenting whatever argument she makes for Cirie.

I hope we get a long FTC so we can a hear a lot of what the jury
has to say.

Agreed.-a Unfortunately, they usually don't do a long 2 1/2 hour
finale as the US does.-a I'm afraid it will likely be a 90 minute
episode at best, which means maybe 75 minutes without commercials.

Episodes 9 and 10 are the combined finale. We might 2.5 hours in
total if it's similar in length to the earlier episodes. IIRC,
Episode 9 as about a minute shorter than Episode 8.

Guess that's a valid point.-a Survivor US finale usually starts with
final five and here we will be starting with final four.-a So it will
be Immunity Challenge, Tribal Council and Vote and then final TC.
Probably no real reunion or after show.-a-a Guess they can do that in 75
minutes.

Episode 9 started with F5 and that was 47.xx IIRC. If Episode 10 is
around 75 minutes that will be about equal to a U.S. Survivor finale.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/3/2025 6:19 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 5:40 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/3/2025 8:14 AM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 2:55 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 2:26 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/2/2025 3:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it a >>>>>>>>> bit boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour with >>>>>>>>> commercials - and the only real excitement going in was over >>>>>>>>> who would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty confident >>>>>>>>> Lisa would be voted out, as they had been foreshadowing that >>>>>>>>> and she was the only remaining non-US, non-Aussie player with >>>>>>>>> the two main people in her alliance voted out last episode. >>>>>>>>> The only real question was whether she could possibly win
immunity. Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt.

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from >>>>>>>> the start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90-
minute episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They >>>>>>> just pop in these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular
seasons they traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the 90- >>>>>>> minute ones, but they've really only done that once this season. >>>>>>>

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. >>>>>>>>> three Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player >>>>>>>>> is Parvati, which is ironic because she is also the only
remaining former winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted >>>>>>>>> long ago, yet somehow she is still in the game and seemingly in >>>>>>>>> control of things.-a And weirdly, nobody is mentioning that she >>>>>>>>> is the only previous winner still in the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance >>>>>>>> further into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end against >>>>>>> Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my turn" card
which may not work against what could be a majority Australian
jury.-a If anything, they may decide to reward Parv by letting her >>>>>>> into the two- time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized >>>>>>>>> they were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke had >>>>>>>>> been in losing that challenge at final four on his last season. >>>>>>>>> So it was interesting to see how he would do with it as I knew >>>>>>>>> they would do some kind of redemption story.-a I was pretty sure >>>>>>>>> the others probably had not played that challenge.-a For the >>>>>>>>> record, I have never been a big fan of this challenge, for
reasons I donrCOt fully understand.-a I guess I think it depends a >>>>>>>>> lot more on luck than skill, though there is obviously skill >>>>>>>>> involved in timing when you drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. >>>>>>>> This was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth and >>>>>>>> up and down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was Luke's >>>>>>>> comp to lose. Not only had he played it before, his long reach >>>>>>>> meant he did not need to go to the top of the stairs to drop the >>>>>>>> balls in. That helped to conserve his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of >>>>>>>> the balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, >>>>>>>> be in good shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly out >>>>>>> of shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it may >>>>>>> not be obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the >>>>>>> cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting cast. >>>>>> They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as much as
possible. How old is Lisa?

Lisa is 44, same age as David.-a-a They would tie for fourth oldest >>>>> behind Janine, Cirie and Tony, who is 51.

Damn! I thought Lisa was a few years younger than Cirie and that
David was much closer to Sarah in age. Being a librarian in New
Zealand must be stressful.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the
interaction between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought >>>>>>>>> it was a massive mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that >>>>>>>>> she had that idol steal advantage, especially since it turned >>>>>>>>> out she couldnrCOt use it anyway. I knew Luke would pick up on >>>>>>>>> that, but I never expected him to make the offer he did to her >>>>>>>>> to basically take her to final three if she agreed to rip up >>>>>>>>> the clue. Incredibly, she went along with him and they tore up >>>>>>>>> the clue, with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea why she did >>>>>>>>> that. So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an >>>>>>>> idol so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made
his idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to play >>>>>>> it before votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was nothing to >>>>>>> lose by trying to get her to rip up her advantage.

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in the >>>>>> season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before.

They have definitely done the vote steal before (and by Shonee
herself, of all people), but I don't remember the exact mechanic of >>>>> how it worked.-a And Luke wasn't on that season, so he may not have >>>>> personally ever seen it before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating you >>>>>>>> can't tear apart the instructions that came with the advantage? >>>>>>>> We've seen plenty of players throw away HII notes without losing >>>>>>>> the power of the idol. I also don't believe that Parv would
throw away an advantage while someone has an idol that could
bite her in the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in >>>>>>> the instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the
case of an idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan".
And in case you think it is like money where you can present more >>>>>>> than 50% of a unit of currency like a dollar bill and it counts >>>>>>> for the full amount, when she tore it she actually gave the
bigger piece to Luke.-a I'm pretty sure JLP would give her his
famous raised eyebrow if she tried to present less than half of >>>>>>> the scroll to him and pass it off as "the scroll".-a It could also >>>>>>> make her look foolish and desperate in front of the jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't
watched yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

We'll see.-a I will watch it shortly and leave some comments later
in the day. Looks like it is another of the shorter episodes.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final >>>>>>>>> five, so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If >>>>>>>>> Parv happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her >>>>>>>>> idol to Cirie and if Luke wins he will do the same for Janine. >>>>>>>>> I think Parv feels she can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke >>>>>>>>> feels he can beat Janine. That leaves Shonee as the likely odd >>>>>>>>> person out next episode unless she happens to win immunity too. >>>>>>>>

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's
background story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch
Shonee's reaction when Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 >>>>>>>> with no votes against her? That resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away
because as a super fan, she probably knew that story well and
didn't want to hear it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that
story coming out?

No, I am sure as a Cirie fan Lisa hates hearing that story and just >>>>> didn't want to hear it again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury,
especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still >>>>>>> say there is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.-a Except >>>>>>> for that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, and the
fact that she got screwed out of being in the finals at
Micronesia due to the injury to James, what does she really have >>>>>>> going for her except she's a nice lady and she's played a lot of >>>>>>> Survivor?-a I still can't think of a single big move she has ever >>>>>>> made on her own in her Survivor career. In contrast, Parv
actually won the game outright and came very close to winning a >>>>>>> second time.-a Other than Sandra and Tony, I can't think of any >>>>>>> other player who won the game and then made it to the finals with >>>>>>> a chance to win a second time. And there is no doubt Parv has
done big things in this game including taking out her close buddy >>>>>>> and having both an idol and a secret advantage. I think she has >>>>>>> been the clear dominating player in this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay,
then Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and >>>>>>> story, Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone >>>>>>> through with his daughter, which the Australians would already
know about.-a It will be interesting if they talk about that at >>>>>>> all next two episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see
working this time.

No, but sob stories about having a pregnant wife and a dying mother >>>>> certainly didn't hurt Jeremy and Adam when they won their seasons
after telling the jury about it.-a The one thing different here is
that Luke's story is now old news to Australians so he can't bring
it up as a surprise the way the other guys did.-a I also had
forgotten that Luke did a gofundme and raised something like
$500,000 to help defer his daughter's expense.

But did Adam and Jeremy win because of their stories or because of
their gameplay?

Considering they both won by 10-0 shutouts, I doubt the stories
changed results by that much.

Is that $500K just for meds or does his daughter need other help as
well?

Here's an article about the gofundme.-a Sounds like he made enough
money from that that he paid off his mortgage and gave money to
charity as well.-a So probably not the selling point I was initially
thinking.

https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/survivors-luke-toki-reveals-
how- family-spent-500k-gofundme-donations-ng-b881399757z

Thanks for the link. I didn't think CF meds would be that expensive in
Australia. It's good he gave some to charity.

I don't remember the details of Luke's daughter's case to know how
serious it was.-a Many CF cases can be managed through medications, but I think more serious cases can require surgery, even transplants in some cases.-a Sounds like the gofundme covered whatever treatments she needed.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke >>>>>>>>> might be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually an >>>>>>>>> endurance challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz does >>>>>>>>> not do an automatic final four fire challenge as US does.-a It's >>>>>>>>> a straight vote which often results in a 2-2 tie, and only then >>>>>>>>> would fire come into play.-a If Luke wins the F4 challenge, or >>>>>>>>> more importantly, if Parv fails to win the F4 immunity, it's >>>>>>>>> really hard to see Parv surviving to F3. At that point, Luke >>>>>>>>> and Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would likely try to get >>>>>>>>> Cirie to join them in taking out Parv.-a If Cirie is to have any >>>>>>>>> chance of winning, I don't see how she doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these >>>>>>>> guys do the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often do >>>>>>> it near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow and >>>>>>> sometimes it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc.-a It's >>>>>>> great stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely win
something like that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool
when they did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been like >>>>>> forever since U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets >>>>>>>> her to the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and
likeability. -a-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better >>>>>>> game and would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best >>>>>>> chance might be if she could go up against Shonee and Janine,
neither of whom have also ever made a final jury speech.-a Getting >>>>>>> to that particular final three combo would really be tough,
though.-a I haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have it
downloaded, but I'm expecting Shonee or Janine to go next.-a And I >>>>>>> think the only way Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity.

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win
up against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that
Shonee will vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better
game than Luke.

I'm not sure about that.-a Luke has found an idol and won an
immunity or two.-a He also convinced/conned Parv into ripping up her >>>>> very powerful advantage. And I think he was proactive in aligning
himself with Janine. Those are not insignificant moves.-a Cirie has >>>>> literally done nothing in the game of any significance and seems to >>>>> be completely in Parv's shadow. Even the one significant alliance
she had with Lisa was totally initiated by Lisa.-a-a Even with Lisa >>>>> and Parv potentially campaigning for her on the jury, I think
Cirie's really gonna have to give the speech of her life in front
of the jury to have any chance to beat Luke.-a So far, pending the
final two episodes, I think Luke has the much better facts on his
side.

Cirie's been strategizing the entire game and has a pretty good
handle on what's going on. Yes, Parv's been feeding her info but
Cirie's also been feeding Parv info. Luke was very lucky in the
first half or so of the game. He had no idea what was going on but
benefited immensely by others being bigger targets than himself.

I think the biggest advantage Cirie will have if she goes up against
Luke is that she is just smarter than Luke and maybe can present
herself better.-a I do think Luke has more facts on his side in this
game and can point to more specific things he has done, especially
getting Parv to rip up that advantage and winning what would be an
unprecedented for Australia four consecutive immunity challenges.-a It
will be hard for Cirie to make a demonstrable case and hang her hat
on the facts that she has been "strategizing the entire game" and had
a "pretty good handle" on what's going on.-a That will be hard to
demonstrate.

Cirie will probably try and convince the jury she was seldom out of
the loop, if ever. Luke can't say that. And as you said, Cirie's
smarter and will be able to present her case much better than Luke
will be able to present his case. We also have to factor in that some
of the jurors had no idea what was going on in the and still might not
know. I have no idea how Tommi will vote.

Luke doesn't have to make the case that he was in the loop on every
vote.-a If Cirie tries to say he wasn't, all he has to say in his Luke
way is that he must be doing something right because he survived to the
end in spite of being a challenge threat, and he can also point out his
four consecutive immunity challenge wins at the end of the game when it mattered are unprecedented.-a He can also say he is one of only three
people this season to find an idol (and he did so without a clue) and he
was only able to use that idol because he convinced Parv to rip up her advantage for really no good reason.-a I still say those are significant moves which if properly presented are much more impressive than Cirie
merely "being in the loop" and having been on the right side on every vote.-a She may have been the most aware person on the beach (and in some ways she probably was), but what has she actually done that she can
prove was her doing and no one else's? Juries want to see specific
actions and accomplishments that get a player to the end, and Luke can
do that.-a Unless Cirie proactively acts to get rid of Parv at F4, I
still don't see a really specific concrete thing she has done.

Course all this assumes Luke goes up against Cirie in F3.-a A lot of
things have to fall in place for that to happen.

Luke's win streak at/near the end will be a big selling point.

I think Cirie will have to rely on her better brain and the good will
of jurors, especially Parv and Lisa, if she goes up against Luke.
But don't underestimate Luke's likability, especially among the other
Aussies.-a Ultimately, I think it might depend on Luke figuring out
how to string a few sentences together coherently.-a I think if he can
just state factually the things he has done in the game, he wins over
Cirie.

We'll find out next week. I think Kirby and Shonee will vote based on
game, but I fear Janine will vote based on nationality.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple.-a Luke >>>>>>>>> is a working class guy who has never had money and who has had >>>>>>>>> lots of medical expenses for a 5-year old child who has cystic >>>>>>>>> fibrosis. He is immendely popular with fans and would be a
popular winner if he can somehow win.-a Janine is a multi-
millionaire who made a ton of money for a product she created >>>>>>>>> called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt be more different than >>>>>>>>> Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of convenience that
anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's ability to influence >>>>>>>>> Luke, which I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have >>>>>>>>> idols to get them into final four, it seems likely at least one >>>>>>>>> of them will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do
something really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning >>>>>>>> the game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't win >>>>>>>> then she wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want to be >>>>>>>> able to finally make it to the end so I can plead my case."
Parv: "I want my crown back that I deserved to have 15 years
ago." Shonee: "I want the money." Shonee's statement has me
wondering if she'd join Cirie and Parv to blindside Janine? If >>>>>>>> Cirie or Parv wins F5 immunity, I could see this being a good >>>>>>>> possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But I >>>>>>> think if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out
Janine to weaken Luke.

Yeah, but they are thinking about who they can beat in F3.-a I just >>>>> don't think they see any chance of a jury giving the money to
Janine. I think they want Janine in he finals as a kind of goat.

Janine's done little in the game that I've seen but she's good at
selling herself. I can't recall if she's ever said if she's made it
to the end before.

She has never made it to the finals.-a Her best finish was sixth.
Aside from previous winners Rob, Lisa, David, Tony and Parv, the only
other players this season to make the finals were George, Kass and
Tommi who all finished second.

Wow! I'm surprised they cast a sixth place finisher.

Sarah finished 8th in her only season.

Is it possible David wanted Sarah to be part of the cast as a condition
for him playing? Cirie and Parv might have done the same thing.

BTW, concurrent with this season I have also been watching the
current season of the Amazing Race Canada.-a It never clicked in my
head, but one of the sponsors of TAR Canada is Boost Juice, which is
the product Janine created.-a More examples of the reality multiverse,
I guess.

Are you the sponsor isn't BOOST? According to the Boost Juice website,
they do not operate in North America yet. If you happen to have USD $1
million in liquidity you can become a franchisee.

There is definitely a TAR Canada sponsor called BOOST.-a Check out this article from before the season started announcing the TAR Canada sponsors:

*https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/ctv-announces-the-amazing-race- canada-partners-and-grand-prize-sponsors-ahead-of-season-11-premiere/

Maybe it's a different juice company?

BOOST is a protein/nutrition supplement and meal replacement drink
intended for people who are not getting enough calories in their diet or
want to consume healthier calories.

There's a company in Canada called Booster Juice that looks very similar
to Janine's company. I wonder if that's why she hasn't expanded to Canada?
--
Brian
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/3/2025 10:26 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/3/2025 6:19 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 5:40 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/3/2025 8:14 AM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 2:55 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 2:26 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/2/2025 3:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it >>>>>>>>>> a bit boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour >>>>>>>>>> with commercials - and the only real excitement going in was >>>>>>>>>> over who would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty >>>>>>>>>> confident Lisa would be voted out, as they had been
foreshadowing that and she was the only remaining non-US, >>>>>>>>>> non-Aussie player with the two main people in her alliance >>>>>>>>>> voted out last episode. The only real question was whether she >>>>>>>>>> could possibly win immunity. Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt. >>>>>>>>>

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed from >>>>>>>>> the start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90- >>>>>>>> minute episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They >>>>>>>> just pop in these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular >>>>>>>> seasons they traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the >>>>>>>> 90- minute ones, but they've really only done that once this
season.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players vs. >>>>>>>>>> three Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining player >>>>>>>>>> is Parvati, which is ironic because she is also the only
remaining former winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been targeted >>>>>>>>>> long ago, yet somehow she is still in the game and seemingly >>>>>>>>>> in control of things.-a And weirdly, nobody is mentioning that >>>>>>>>>> she is the only previous winner still in the game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance >>>>>>>>> further into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end
against Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my
turn" card which may not work against what could be a majority >>>>>>>> Australian jury.-a If anything, they may decide to reward Parv by >>>>>>>> letting her into the two- time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized >>>>>>>>>> they were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke >>>>>>>>>> had been in losing that challenge at final four on his last >>>>>>>>>> season. So it was interesting to see how he would do with it >>>>>>>>>> as I knew they would do some kind of redemption story.-a I was >>>>>>>>>> pretty sure the others probably had not played that
challenge.-a For the record, I have never been a big fan of >>>>>>>>>> this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully understand.-a I guess >>>>>>>>>> I think it depends a lot more on luck than skill, though there >>>>>>>>>> is obviously skill involved in timing when you drop the balls in. >>>>>>>>>

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. >>>>>>>>> This was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth >>>>>>>>> and up and down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was >>>>>>>>> Luke's comp to lose. Not only had he played it before, his long >>>>>>>>> reach meant he did not need to go to the top of the stairs to >>>>>>>>> drop the balls in. That helped to conserve his energy.

This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of >>>>>>>>> the balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, >>>>>>>>> be in good shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly out >>>>>>>> of shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it may >>>>>>>> not be obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in the >>>>>>>> cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting
cast. They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as much >>>>>>> as possible. How old is Lisa?

Lisa is 44, same age as David.-a-a They would tie for fourth oldest >>>>>> behind Janine, Cirie and Tony, who is 51.

Damn! I thought Lisa was a few years younger than Cirie and that
David was much closer to Sarah in age. Being a librarian in New
Zealand must be stressful.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the
interaction between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought >>>>>>>>>> it was a massive mistake for Parv to reveal to the others that >>>>>>>>>> she had that idol steal advantage, especially since it turned >>>>>>>>>> out she couldnrCOt use it anyway. I knew Luke would pick up on >>>>>>>>>> that, but I never expected him to make the offer he did to her >>>>>>>>>> to basically take her to final three if she agreed to rip up >>>>>>>>>> the clue. Incredibly, she went along with him and they tore up >>>>>>>>>> the clue, with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea why she >>>>>>>>>> did that. So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has an >>>>>>>>> idol so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made >>>>>>>> his idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to play >>>>>>>> it before votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was nothing to >>>>>>>> lose by trying to get her to rip up her advantage.

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in
the season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before.

They have definitely done the vote steal before (and by Shonee
herself, of all people), but I don't remember the exact mechanic
of how it worked.-a And Luke wasn't on that season, so he may not >>>>>> have personally ever seen it before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating >>>>>>>>> you can't tear apart the instructions that came with the
advantage? We've seen plenty of players throw away HII notes >>>>>>>>> without losing the power of the idol. I also don't believe that >>>>>>>>> Parv would throw away an advantage while someone has an idol >>>>>>>>> that could bite her in the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in >>>>>>>> the instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the >>>>>>>> case of an idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan". >>>>>>>> And in case you think it is like money where you can present
more than 50% of a unit of currency like a dollar bill and it >>>>>>>> counts for the full amount, when she tore it she actually gave >>>>>>>> the bigger piece to Luke.-a I'm pretty sure JLP would give her >>>>>>>> his famous raised eyebrow if she tried to present less than half >>>>>>>> of the scroll to him and pass it off as "the scroll".-a It could >>>>>>>> also make her look foolish and desperate in front of the jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't
watched yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

We'll see.-a I will watch it shortly and leave some comments later >>>>>> in the day. Looks like it is another of the shorter episodes.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final >>>>>>>>>> five, so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If >>>>>>>>>> Parv happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her >>>>>>>>>> idol to Cirie and if Luke wins he will do the same for Janine. >>>>>>>>>> I think Parv feels she can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm sure Luke >>>>>>>>>> feels he can beat Janine. That leaves Shonee as the likely odd >>>>>>>>>> person out next episode unless she happens to win immunity too. >>>>>>>>>

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's
background story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch
Shonee's reaction when Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 >>>>>>>>> with no votes against her? That resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away
because as a super fan, she probably knew that story well and >>>>>>>> didn't want to hear it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that
story coming out?

No, I am sure as a Cirie fan Lisa hates hearing that story and
just didn't want to hear it again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury, >>>>>>>> especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still >>>>>>>> say there is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.
Except for that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, >>>>>>>> and the fact that she got screwed out of being in the finals at >>>>>>>> Micronesia due to the injury to James, what does she really have >>>>>>>> going for her except she's a nice lady and she's played a lot of >>>>>>>> Survivor?-a I still can't think of a single big move she has ever >>>>>>>> made on her own in her Survivor career. In contrast, Parv
actually won the game outright and came very close to winning a >>>>>>>> second time.-a Other than Sandra and Tony, I can't think of any >>>>>>>> other player who won the game and then made it to the finals
with a chance to win a second time. And there is no doubt Parv >>>>>>>> has done big things in this game including taking out her close >>>>>>>> buddy and having both an idol and a secret advantage. I think >>>>>>>> she has been the clear dominating player in this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay,
then Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability and >>>>>>>> story, Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has gone >>>>>>>> through with his daughter, which the Australians would already >>>>>>>> know about.-a It will be interesting if they talk about that at >>>>>>>> all next two episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see
working this time.

No, but sob stories about having a pregnant wife and a dying
mother certainly didn't hurt Jeremy and Adam when they won their
seasons after telling the jury about it.-a The one thing different >>>>>> here is that Luke's story is now old news to Australians so he
can't bring it up as a surprise the way the other guys did.-a I
also had forgotten that Luke did a gofundme and raised something
like $500,000 to help defer his daughter's expense.

But did Adam and Jeremy win because of their stories or because of
their gameplay?

Considering they both won by 10-0 shutouts, I doubt the stories
changed results by that much.

Is that $500K just for meds or does his daughter need other help as >>>>> well?

Here's an article about the gofundme.-a Sounds like he made enough
money from that that he paid off his mortgage and gave money to
charity as well.-a So probably not the selling point I was initially
thinking.

https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/survivors-luke-toki-reveals-
how- family-spent-500k-gofundme-donations-ng-b881399757z

Thanks for the link. I didn't think CF meds would be that expensive
in Australia. It's good he gave some to charity.

I don't remember the details of Luke's daughter's case to know how
serious it was.-a Many CF cases can be managed through medications, but
I think more serious cases can require surgery, even transplants in
some cases.-a Sounds like the gofundme covered whatever treatments she
needed.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke >>>>>>>>>> might be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually >>>>>>>>>> an endurance challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz >>>>>>>>>> does not do an automatic final four fire challenge as US
does.-a It's a straight vote which often results in a 2-2 tie, >>>>>>>>>> and only then would fire come into play.-a If Luke wins the F4 >>>>>>>>>> challenge, or more importantly, if Parv fails to win the F4 >>>>>>>>>> immunity, it's really hard to see Parv surviving to F3. At >>>>>>>>>> that point, Luke and Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would >>>>>>>>>> likely try to get Cirie to join them in taking out Parv.-a If >>>>>>>>>> Cirie is to have any chance of winning, I don't see how she >>>>>>>>>> doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these >>>>>>>>> guys do the old school balancing on a pole type challenges?

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often >>>>>>>> do it near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow >>>>>>>> and sometimes it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc. >>>>>>>> It's great stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely >>>>>>>> win something like that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool
when they did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been
like forever since U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's >>>>>>> dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets >>>>>>>>> her to the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and
likeability. -a-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better >>>>>>>> game and would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best >>>>>>>> chance might be if she could go up against Shonee and Janine, >>>>>>>> neither of whom have also ever made a final jury speech.
Getting to that particular final three combo would really be
tough, though.-a I haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have >>>>>>>> it downloaded, but I'm expecting Shonee or Janine to go next. >>>>>>>> And I think the only way Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity. >>>>>>>

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win >>>>>>> up against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that
Shonee will vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better >>>>>>> game than Luke.

I'm not sure about that.-a Luke has found an idol and won an
immunity or two.-a He also convinced/conned Parv into ripping up
her very powerful advantage. And I think he was proactive in
aligning himself with Janine. Those are not insignificant moves. >>>>>> Cirie has literally done nothing in the game of any significance
and seems to be completely in Parv's shadow. Even the one
significant alliance she had with Lisa was totally initiated by
Lisa.-a-a Even with Lisa and Parv potentially campaigning for her on >>>>>> the jury, I think Cirie's really gonna have to give the speech of >>>>>> her life in front of the jury to have any chance to beat Luke.-a So >>>>>> far, pending the final two episodes, I think Luke has the much
better facts on his side.

Cirie's been strategizing the entire game and has a pretty good
handle on what's going on. Yes, Parv's been feeding her info but
Cirie's also been feeding Parv info. Luke was very lucky in the
first half or so of the game. He had no idea what was going on but
benefited immensely by others being bigger targets than himself.

I think the biggest advantage Cirie will have if she goes up against
Luke is that she is just smarter than Luke and maybe can present
herself better.-a I do think Luke has more facts on his side in this
game and can point to more specific things he has done, especially
getting Parv to rip up that advantage and winning what would be an
unprecedented for Australia four consecutive immunity challenges.
It will be hard for Cirie to make a demonstrable case and hang her
hat on the facts that she has been "strategizing the entire game"
and had a "pretty good handle" on what's going on.-a That will be
hard to demonstrate.

Cirie will probably try and convince the jury she was seldom out of
the loop, if ever. Luke can't say that. And as you said, Cirie's
smarter and will be able to present her case much better than Luke
will be able to present his case. We also have to factor in that some
of the jurors had no idea what was going on in the and still might
not know. I have no idea how Tommi will vote.

Luke doesn't have to make the case that he was in the loop on every
vote.-a If Cirie tries to say he wasn't, all he has to say in his Luke
way is that he must be doing something right because he survived to
the end in spite of being a challenge threat, and he can also point
out his four consecutive immunity challenge wins at the end of the
game when it mattered are unprecedented.-a He can also say he is one of
only three people this season to find an idol (and he did so without a
clue) and he was only able to use that idol because he convinced Parv
to rip up her advantage for really no good reason.-a I still say those
are significant moves which if properly presented are much more
impressive than Cirie merely "being in the loop" and having been on
the right side on every vote.-a She may have been the most aware person
on the beach (and in some ways she probably was), but what has she
actually done that she can prove was her doing and no one else's?
Juries want to see specific actions and accomplishments that get a
player to the end, and Luke can do that.-a Unless Cirie proactively
acts to get rid of Parv at F4, I still don't see a really specific
concrete thing she has done.

Course all this assumes Luke goes up against Cirie in F3.-a A lot of
things have to fall in place for that to happen.

Luke's win streak at/near the end will be a big selling point.

I think Cirie will have to rely on her better brain and the good
will of jurors, especially Parv and Lisa, if she goes up against
Luke. But don't underestimate Luke's likability, especially among
the other Aussies.-a Ultimately, I think it might depend on Luke
figuring out how to string a few sentences together coherently.-a I
think if he can just state factually the things he has done in the
game, he wins over Cirie.

We'll find out next week. I think Kirby and Shonee will vote based on
game, but I fear Janine will vote based on nationality.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple. >>>>>>>>>> Luke is a working class guy who has never had money and who >>>>>>>>>> has had lots of medical expenses for a 5-year old child who >>>>>>>>>> has cystic fibrosis. He is immendely popular with fans and >>>>>>>>>> would be a popular winner if he can somehow win.-a Janine is a >>>>>>>>>> multi- millionaire who made a ton of money for a product she >>>>>>>>>> created called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt be more different >>>>>>>>>> than Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of convenience that >>>>>>>>>> anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's ability to influence >>>>>>>>>> Luke, which I don't think she could ever do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have >>>>>>>>>> idols to get them into final four, it seems likely at least >>>>>>>>>> one of them will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do
something really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning >>>>>>>>> the game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't >>>>>>>>> win then she wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want >>>>>>>>> to be able to finally make it to the end so I can plead my
case." Parv: "I want my crown back that I deserved to have 15 >>>>>>>>> years ago." Shonee: "I want the money." Shonee's statement has >>>>>>>>> me wondering if she'd join Cirie and Parv to blindside Janine? >>>>>>>>> If Cirie or Parv wins F5 immunity, I could see this being a >>>>>>>>> good possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But I >>>>>>>> think if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out
Janine to weaken Luke.

Yeah, but they are thinking about who they can beat in F3.-a I just >>>>>> don't think they see any chance of a jury giving the money to
Janine. I think they want Janine in he finals as a kind of goat.

Janine's done little in the game that I've seen but she's good at
selling herself. I can't recall if she's ever said if she's made it >>>>> to the end before.

She has never made it to the finals.-a Her best finish was sixth.
Aside from previous winners Rob, Lisa, David, Tony and Parv, the
only other players this season to make the finals were George, Kass
and Tommi who all finished second.

Wow! I'm surprised they cast a sixth place finisher.

Sarah finished 8th in her only season.

Is it possible David wanted Sarah to be part of the cast as a condition
for him playing? Cirie and Parv might have done the same thing.

I suppose it's possible but I kind of doubt it. Dave knew Sarah from
his modeling days but never played on the same Survivor season. And
it's hard to believe someone like Dave or Parv could just make demands
about being on the show only if certain people were included. I would
think they would all jump at the chance to be on a supposed "all-time
great" type contest like this.

BTW, concurrent with this season I have also been watching the
current season of the Amazing Race Canada.-a It never clicked in my
head, but one of the sponsors of TAR Canada is Boost Juice, which is
the product Janine created.-a More examples of the reality
multiverse, I guess.

Are you the sponsor isn't BOOST? According to the Boost Juice
website, they do not operate in North America yet. If you happen to
have USD $1 million in liquidity you can become a franchisee.

There is definitely a TAR Canada sponsor called BOOST.-a Check out this
article from before the season started announcing the TAR Canada
sponsors:

*https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/ctv-announces-the-amazing-race- canada-partners-and-grand-prize-sponsors-ahead-of-season-11-premiere/

Maybe it's a different juice company?

BOOST is a protein/nutrition supplement and meal replacement drink
intended for people who are not getting enough calories in their diet or want to consume healthier calories.

There's a company in Canada called Booster Juice that looks very similar
to Janine's company. I wonder if that's why she hasn't expanded to Canada?

If I remember, I will try to send a question to Jess Liese or Dan Heaton
who cover TAR Canada for RHAP and see if they have any info on this,
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.survivor

On 9/3/2025 10:16 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 10:26 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/3/2025 6:19 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 5:40 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/3/2025 8:14 AM, Rick wrote:

On 9/3/2025 2:55 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 2:26 PM, Rick wrote:

On 9/2/2025 3:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:

On 9/2/2025 8:38 AM, Rick wrote:

-a-a n
On 9/2/2025 4:01 AM, Brian Smith wrote:

n 9/1/2025 9:03 PM, Rick wrote:

Spoilers aheadrCa

I only have brief comments on this episode because I found it >>>>>>>>>>> a bit boring.-a It was one of the shorter episodes rCo an hour >>>>>>>>>>> with commercials - and the only real excitement going in was >>>>>>>>>>> over who would win the Immunity challenge.-a I was pretty >>>>>>>>>>> confident Lisa would be voted out, as they had been
foreshadowing that and she was the only remaining non-US, >>>>>>>>>>> non-Aussie player with the two main people in her alliance >>>>>>>>>>> voted out last episode. The only real question was whether >>>>>>>>>>> she could possibly win immunity. Spoiler alert rCo she couldnrCOt. >>>>>>>>>>

Episode was 48.xx which surprised me. The edit telegraphed >>>>>>>>>> from the start that Lisa was getting booted.

Yes, Aussie Survivor tends to rotate between hour long and 90- >>>>>>>>> minute episodes, but I've never figured out the pattern.-a They >>>>>>>>> just pop in these shorter episodes randomly.-a On the regular >>>>>>>>> seasons they traditionally throw in a reward challenge on the >>>>>>>>> 90- minute ones, but they've really only done that once this >>>>>>>>> season.

With LisarCOs departure, we are now down to three US players >>>>>>>>>>> vs. three Aussie players.-a By far, the strongest remaining >>>>>>>>>>> player is Parvati, which is ironic because she is also the >>>>>>>>>>> only remaining former winner. YourCOd think sherCOd have been >>>>>>>>>>> targeted long ago, yet somehow she is still in the game and >>>>>>>>>>> seemingly in control of things.-a And weirdly, nobody is >>>>>>>>>>> mentioning that she is the only previous winner still in the >>>>>>>>>>> game.

Maybe Cirie will remind them that Parv won so she can advance >>>>>>>>>> further into the game.

She will have to.-a And if she somehow makes it to the end
against Parv head-to-head, she'll have to play the "it's my >>>>>>>>> turn" card which may not work against what could be a majority >>>>>>>>> Australian jury.-a If anything, they may decide to reward Parv >>>>>>>>> by letting her into the two- time winner club.

Actually there was a second question.-a As soon as I realized >>>>>>>>>>> they were doing Simmotion, I remembered how devastated Luke >>>>>>>>>>> had been in losing that challenge at final four on his last >>>>>>>>>>> season. So it was interesting to see how he would do with it >>>>>>>>>>> as I knew they would do some kind of redemption story.-a I was >>>>>>>>>>> pretty sure the others probably had not played that
challenge.-a For the record, I have never been a big fan of >>>>>>>>>>> this challenge, for reasons I donrCOt fully understand.-a I >>>>>>>>>>> guess I think it depends a lot more on luck than skill, >>>>>>>>>>> though there is obviously skill involved in timing when you >>>>>>>>>>> drop the balls in.

This version of Simotion is much harder than the U.S. version. >>>>>>>>>> This was also an endurance comp having to run back and forth >>>>>>>>>> and up and down stairs to drop and catch the balls. This was >>>>>>>>>> Luke's comp to lose. Not only had he played it before, his >>>>>>>>>> long reach meant he did not need to go to the top of the
stairs to drop the balls in. That helped to conserve his energy. >>>>>>>>>>
This challenge is pure skill. You need to time the dropping of >>>>>>>>>> the balls pretty precisely, stay focused, and in this version, >>>>>>>>>> be in good shape. I was impressed Cirie finished third.

Cirie definitely surprised me.-a For a 55-year old, seemingly >>>>>>>>> out of shape woman, she lasted longer than I expected.-a BTW, it >>>>>>>>> may not be obvious, but Janine is actually the oldest player in >>>>>>>>> the cast at 59.

Interesting. That might have been a factor in Janine getting
cast. They probably wanted to keep the tribes as balanced as
much as possible. How old is Lisa?

Lisa is 44, same age as David.-a-a They would tie for fourth oldest >>>>>>> behind Janine, Cirie and Tony, who is 51.

Damn! I thought Lisa was a few years younger than Cirie and that
David was much closer to Sarah in age. Being a librarian in New
Zealand must be stressful.

For me the most interesting part of the episode was the >>>>>>>>>>> interaction between Parv and Luke.-a As I have said, I thought >>>>>>>>>>> it was a massive mistake for Parv to reveal to the others >>>>>>>>>>> that she had that idol steal advantage, especially since it >>>>>>>>>>> turned out she couldnrCOt use it anyway. I knew Luke would pick >>>>>>>>>>> up on that, but I never expected him to make the offer he did >>>>>>>>>>> to her to basically take her to final three if she agreed to >>>>>>>>>>> rip up the clue. Incredibly, she went along with him and they >>>>>>>>>>> tore up the clue, with each keeping a half.-a I have no idea >>>>>>>>>>> why she did that. So that advantage is now dead.

What Luke did made zero sense to me. Parv had no idea he has >>>>>>>>>> an idol so why tell her?

Well he knew she had a steal an idol, so in his mind that made >>>>>>>>> his idol worthless.-a He obviously didn't realize she had to >>>>>>>>> play it before votes were cast.-a So in his mind there was
nothing to lose by trying to get her to rip up her advantage. >>>>>>>>

I'm surprised he didn't know that. IIRC, you stated earlier in >>>>>>>> the season that these guys have done Knowledge is Power before. >>>>>>>>

They have definitely done the vote steal before (and by Shonee
herself, of all people), but I don't remember the exact mechanic >>>>>>> of how it worked.-a And Luke wasn't on that season, so he may not >>>>>>> have personally ever seen it before.

I don't think the advantage is dead. Is there a rule stating >>>>>>>>>> you can't tear apart the instructions that came with the
advantage? We've seen plenty of players throw away HII notes >>>>>>>>>> without losing the power of the idol. I also don't believe >>>>>>>>>> that Parv would throw away an advantage while someone has an >>>>>>>>>> idol that could bite her in the butt.

In this case, the advantage IS the scroll.-a It clearly said in >>>>>>>>> the instructions to "present the scroll to Jonathan".-a In the >>>>>>>>> case of an idol, it would say "present the idol to Jonathan". >>>>>>>>> And in case you think it is like money where you can present >>>>>>>>> more than 50% of a unit of currency like a dollar bill and it >>>>>>>>> counts for the full amount, when she tore it she actually gave >>>>>>>>> the bigger piece to Luke.-a I'm pretty sure JLP would give her >>>>>>>>> his famous raised eyebrow if she tried to present less than >>>>>>>>> half of the scroll to him and pass it off as "the scroll".-a It >>>>>>>>> could also make her look foolish and desperate in front of the >>>>>>>>> jury.

I have a feeling we'll find out in Episode 9. FYI, I haven't
watched yet assuming it's available. I'm just conjecturing.

We'll see.-a I will watch it shortly and leave some comments later >>>>>>> in the day. Looks like it is another of the shorter episodes.

IrCOm pretty sure idols can normally only be used through final >>>>>>>>>>> five, so I guess next episode Parv and Luke will be safe,-a If >>>>>>>>>>> Parv happens to win immunity, IrCOm guessing she will give her >>>>>>>>>>> idol to Cirie and if Luke wins he will do the same for
Janine. I think Parv feels she can easily beat Cirie and IrCOm >>>>>>>>>>> sure Luke feels he can beat Janine. That leaves Shonee as the >>>>>>>>>>> likely odd person out next episode unless she happens to win >>>>>>>>>>> immunity too.

I'm not so sure Parv thinks she can beat Cirie. Cirie's
background story makes her pretty likable. Did you catch
Shonee's reaction when Cirie told her she was voted out at F6 >>>>>>>>>> with no votes against her? That resonated with Shonee.

The funnier part of that was Lisa turning and walking away
because as a super fan, she probably knew that story well and >>>>>>>>> didn't want to hear it again.

Or maybe Lisa actually wanted to win and she didn't want that >>>>>>>> story coming out?

No, I am sure as a Cirie fan Lisa hates hearing that story and
just didn't want to hear it again.

Thing is, likeability isn't usually enough to win over a jury, >>>>>>>>> especially one with predominantly Australian players.-a I still >>>>>>>>> say there is not a lot of "there" there in Cirie's story.
Except for that one advantage-geddon or whatever you call it, >>>>>>>>> and the fact that she got screwed out of being in the finals at >>>>>>>>> Micronesia due to the injury to James, what does she really >>>>>>>>> have going for her except she's a nice lady and she's played a >>>>>>>>> lot of Survivor?-a I still can't think of a single big move she >>>>>>>>> has ever made on her own in her Survivor career. In contrast, >>>>>>>>> Parv actually won the game outright and came very close to
winning a second time.-a Other than Sandra and Tony, I can't >>>>>>>>> think of any other player who won the game and then made it to >>>>>>>>> the finals with a chance to win a second time. And there is no >>>>>>>>> doubt Parv has done big things in this game including taking >>>>>>>>> out her close buddy and having both an idol and a secret
advantage. I think she has been the clear dominating player in >>>>>>>>> this game,

I totally agree. If the jury votes based strictly on gameplay, >>>>>>>> then Parv should win in a landslide.

Also, if the jury makes a decision based just on likeability >>>>>>>>> and story, Luke wins hands down because of the problems he has >>>>>>>>> gone through with his daughter, which the Australians would >>>>>>>>> already know about.-a It will be interesting if they talk about >>>>>>>>> that at all next two episodes.

Stories about needing money never seem to work and I don't see >>>>>>>> working this time.

No, but sob stories about having a pregnant wife and a dying
mother certainly didn't hurt Jeremy and Adam when they won their >>>>>>> seasons after telling the jury about it.-a The one thing different >>>>>>> here is that Luke's story is now old news to Australians so he
can't bring it up as a surprise the way the other guys did.-a I >>>>>>> also had forgotten that Luke did a gofundme and raised something >>>>>>> like $500,000 to help defer his daughter's expense.

But did Adam and Jeremy win because of their stories or because of >>>>>> their gameplay?

Considering they both won by 10-0 shutouts, I doubt the stories
changed results by that much.

Is that $500K just for meds or does his daughter need other help
as well?

Here's an article about the gofundme.-a Sounds like he made enough
money from that that he paid off his mortgage and gave money to
charity as well.-a So probably not the selling point I was initially >>>>> thinking.

https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/survivors-luke-toki-
reveals- how- family-spent-500k-gofundme-donations-ng-b881399757z

Thanks for the link. I didn't think CF meds would be that expensive
in Australia. It's good he gave some to charity.

I don't remember the details of Luke's daughter's case to know how
serious it was.-a Many CF cases can be managed through medications,
but I think more serious cases can require surgery, even transplants
in some cases.-a Sounds like the gofundme covered whatever treatments
she needed.

If Final Four ends up Parv, Cirie, Luke and Janine, then Luke >>>>>>>>>>> might be favored to win the final immunity, which is usually >>>>>>>>>>> an endurance challenge of some kind.-a I like that Survivor Oz >>>>>>>>>>> does not do an automatic final four fire challenge as US >>>>>>>>>>> does.-a It's a straight vote which often results in a 2-2 tie, >>>>>>>>>>> and only then would fire come into play.-a If Luke wins the F4 >>>>>>>>>>> challenge, or more importantly, if Parv fails to win the F4 >>>>>>>>>>> immunity, it's really hard to see Parv surviving to F3. At >>>>>>>>>>> that point, Luke and Janene (assuming Shonee is gone) would >>>>>>>>>>> likely try to get Cirie to join them in taking out Parv.-a If >>>>>>>>>>> Cirie is to have any chance of winning, I don't see how she >>>>>>>>>>> doesn't do that.

I wouldn't count out Parv in an endurance challenge. Do these >>>>>>>>>> guys do the old school balancing on a pole type challenges? >>>>>>>>>>

Yes they have done that and similar challenges, and they often >>>>>>>>> do it near the water so that over time the winds starts to blow >>>>>>>>> and sometimes it rains and water blows in from the ocean, etc. >>>>>>>>> It's great stuff when they do it.-a Yes, Parv could definitely >>>>>>>>> win something like that.

Hopefully they do something like that for F4. It was also cool >>>>>>>> when they did the nighttime second IC in Episode 7. It's been >>>>>>>> like forever since U.S. Survivor has done a challenge when it's >>>>>>>> dark.

I agree that Cirie won't hesitate to vote out Parv if it gets >>>>>>>>>> her to the end. If Cirie makes F3, I think she'll win.

I'm not sure she can beat Luke due to Luke's popularity and >>>>>>>>> likeability. -a-aAnd I think Parvati really has played a better >>>>>>>>> game and would win in final three against Cirie.-a Cirie's best >>>>>>>>> chance might be if she could go up against Shonee and Janine, >>>>>>>>> neither of whom have also ever made a final jury speech.
Getting to that particular final three combo would really be >>>>>>>>> tough, though.-a I haven't watched episode 9 yet, though I have >>>>>>>>> it downloaded, but I'm expecting Shonee or Janine to go next. >>>>>>>>> And I think the only way Janine goes is if Shonee wins immunity. >>>>>>>>

If Shonee's on the jury along with Parv, I think Cirie would win >>>>>>>> up against anyone. My sense based on just this season is that >>>>>>>> Shonee will vote based on game and that Cirie's played a better >>>>>>>> game than Luke.

I'm not sure about that.-a Luke has found an idol and won an
immunity or two.-a He also convinced/conned Parv into ripping up >>>>>>> her very powerful advantage. And I think he was proactive in
aligning himself with Janine. Those are not insignificant moves. >>>>>>> Cirie has literally done nothing in the game of any significance >>>>>>> and seems to be completely in Parv's shadow. Even the one
significant alliance she had with Lisa was totally initiated by >>>>>>> Lisa.-a-a Even with Lisa and Parv potentially campaigning for her >>>>>>> on the jury, I think Cirie's really gonna have to give the speech >>>>>>> of her life in front of the jury to have any chance to beat
Luke.-a So far, pending the final two episodes, I think Luke has >>>>>>> the much better facts on his side.

Cirie's been strategizing the entire game and has a pretty good
handle on what's going on. Yes, Parv's been feeding her info but
Cirie's also been feeding Parv info. Luke was very lucky in the
first half or so of the game. He had no idea what was going on but >>>>>> benefited immensely by others being bigger targets than himself.

I think the biggest advantage Cirie will have if she goes up
against Luke is that she is just smarter than Luke and maybe can
present herself better.-a I do think Luke has more facts on his side >>>>> in this game and can point to more specific things he has done,
especially getting Parv to rip up that advantage and winning what
would be an unprecedented for Australia four consecutive immunity
challenges. It will be hard for Cirie to make a demonstrable case
and hang her hat on the facts that she has been "strategizing the
entire game" and had a "pretty good handle" on what's going on.
That will be hard to demonstrate.

Cirie will probably try and convince the jury she was seldom out of
the loop, if ever. Luke can't say that. And as you said, Cirie's
smarter and will be able to present her case much better than Luke
will be able to present his case. We also have to factor in that
some of the jurors had no idea what was going on in the and still
might not know. I have no idea how Tommi will vote.

Luke doesn't have to make the case that he was in the loop on every
vote.-a If Cirie tries to say he wasn't, all he has to say in his Luke
way is that he must be doing something right because he survived to
the end in spite of being a challenge threat, and he can also point
out his four consecutive immunity challenge wins at the end of the
game when it mattered are unprecedented.-a He can also say he is one
of only three people this season to find an idol (and he did so
without a clue) and he was only able to use that idol because he
convinced Parv to rip up her advantage for really no good reason.-a I
still say those are significant moves which if properly presented are
much more impressive than Cirie merely "being in the loop" and having
been on the right side on every vote.-a She may have been the most
aware person on the beach (and in some ways she probably was), but
what has she actually done that she can prove was her doing and no
one else's? Juries want to see specific actions and accomplishments
that get a player to the end, and Luke can do that.-a Unless Cirie
proactively acts to get rid of Parv at F4, I still don't see a really
specific concrete thing she has done.

Course all this assumes Luke goes up against Cirie in F3.-a A lot of
things have to fall in place for that to happen.

Luke's win streak at/near the end will be a big selling point.

I think Cirie will have to rely on her better brain and the good
will of jurors, especially Parv and Lisa, if she goes up against
Luke. But don't underestimate Luke's likability, especially among
the other Aussies.-a Ultimately, I think it might depend on Luke
figuring out how to string a few sentences together coherently.-a I >>>>> think if he can just state factually the things he has done in the
game, he wins over Cirie.

We'll find out next week. I think Kirby and Shonee will vote based
on game, but I fear Janine will vote based on nationality.

Regarding Luke and Janine, they are really an odd couple. >>>>>>>>>>> Luke is a working class guy who has never had money and who >>>>>>>>>>> has had lots of medical expenses for a 5-year old child who >>>>>>>>>>> has cystic fibrosis. He is immendely popular with fans and >>>>>>>>>>> would be a popular winner if he can somehow win.-a Janine is a >>>>>>>>>>> multi- millionaire who made a ton of money for a product she >>>>>>>>>>> created called Boost Juice, and she couldnrCOt be more
different than Luke.-a Their alliance is really more of >>>>>>>>>>> convenience that anything else.-a It also reflects Janine's >>>>>>>>>>> ability to influence Luke, which I don't think she could ever >>>>>>>>>>> do with Shonee.

One way or the other, given that Luke and Parv will both have >>>>>>>>>>> idols to get them into final four, it seems likely at least >>>>>>>>>>> one of them will be in final 3.-a Should be a fun ride.

I can't see neither of the making it to F3 unless they do >>>>>>>>>> something really stupid with their idols.

Some comments from me:

--I thought it was interesting we got statements about winning >>>>>>>>>> the game from four of them. Lisa basically said if she can't >>>>>>>>>> win then she wants Cirie to win. Cirie: "After 20 years I want >>>>>>>>>> to be able to finally make it to the end so I can plead my >>>>>>>>>> case." Parv: "I want my crown back that I deserved to have 15 >>>>>>>>>> years ago." Shonee: "I want the money." Shonee's statement has >>>>>>>>>> me wondering if she'd join Cirie and Parv to blindside Janine? >>>>>>>>>> If Cirie or Parv wins F5 immunity, I could see this being a >>>>>>>>>> good possibility.

Shonee would join with anyone anytime to take anyone out.-a But >>>>>>>>> I think if she loses F5 immunity, she is probably gone.

I can't see Cirie and Parv passing up the chance to take out
Janine to weaken Luke.

Yeah, but they are thinking about who they can beat in F3.-a I
just don't think they see any chance of a jury giving the money >>>>>>> to Janine. I think they want Janine in he finals as a kind of goat. >>>>>>

Janine's done little in the game that I've seen but she's good at >>>>>> selling herself. I can't recall if she's ever said if she's made
it to the end before.

She has never made it to the finals.-a Her best finish was sixth.
Aside from previous winners Rob, Lisa, David, Tony and Parv, the
only other players this season to make the finals were George, Kass >>>>> and Tommi who all finished second.

Wow! I'm surprised they cast a sixth place finisher.

Sarah finished 8th in her only season.

Is it possible David wanted Sarah to be part of the cast as a
condition for him playing? Cirie and Parv might have done the same thing.

I suppose it's possible but I kind of doubt it.-a Dave knew Sarah from
his modeling days but never played on the same Survivor season.-a And
it's hard to believe someone like Dave or Parv could just make demands
about being on the show only if certain people were included.-a I would think they would all jump at the chance to be on a supposed "all-time
great" type contest like this.

You never know. When BB did their All Stars season (BB7), Dr. Will would
only do the season if his BB2 side kick Mike Boogie was also cast. This
is a proven fact. The funny thing about that season is that Boogie won.
If not for Dr. Will, Boogie never would have been cast. Maybe the same
thing happened with David and Sarah.

BTW, concurrent with this season I have also been watching the
current season of the Amazing Race Canada.-a It never clicked in my >>>>> head, but one of the sponsors of TAR Canada is Boost Juice, which
is the product Janine created.-a More examples of the reality
multiverse, I guess.

Are you the sponsor isn't BOOST? According to the Boost Juice
website, they do not operate in North America yet. If you happen to
have USD $1 million in liquidity you can become a franchisee.

There is definitely a TAR Canada sponsor called BOOST.-a Check out
this article from before the season started announcing the TAR Canada
sponsors:

*https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/ctv-announces-the-amazing-
race- canada-partners-and-grand-prize-sponsors-ahead-of-season-11-
premiere/

Maybe it's a different juice company?

BOOST is a protein/nutrition supplement and meal replacement drink
intended for people who are not getting enough calories in their diet
or want to consume healthier calories.

There's a company in Canada called Booster Juice that looks very
similar to Janine's company. I wonder if that's why she hasn't
expanded to Canada?

If I remember, I will try to send a question to Jess Liese or Dan Heaton
who cover TAR Canada for RHAP and see if they have any info on this,

Canadian media conglomerates are so frickin' cheap. Every last aspect of
a show seems to be sponsored.
--
Brian
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