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Spoilers for the episode ahead...
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
Did you watch on YouTube? I can't find the episode and what I watched in
the past has disappeared.
--
Brian
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know for sure
who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode kept signaling
it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was really in trouble or they were trying to do a misdirect.-a Ultimately it seems
Kirby flew too close to the sun and her inexperience and cowboy approach
to the game finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of winning, but I thought she could make it to final
4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but when Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to
close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was genuine and real, and unless
I missed it, I donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center as the
big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC drama next
episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing way too
much.-a Things are definitely getting more intense.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up the non-US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous winners still on the show,
and LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to now been borderline impressive given her status as the only remaining non-US prior winner.
She has done nothing overt to show any kind of threat level.-a I was actually a bit surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in challenges,
and I think she is still my first choice for eventual winner.-a-a She was
in complete control in the IC and never seemed to feel any stress at
all, almost akin to that stunt guy David on the last US season.-a When
she and Parv were the last two players standing, I immediately thought
she would remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to drop
out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because she knew she had a victory
here hands down and she was going to save that deal for when she needed it.-a-a Kass was simply awesome in the challenge.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is from Quebec so English is not her first language and she struggles a bit to
find the right words when speaking.-a That just makes her more
impressive, as she may not always be able to pick up all the random
comments made by the others around camp.-a Note: Tommi likely has the
same issue, but there is frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful
businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to
strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness on her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think that is still
going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally and that seems
more out of convenience than anything else.-a Hard to believe there are
only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned about him or
is mentioning his name.-a I find it hard to believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see him making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe any of the remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential
winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of the others
IrCOm continuing to enjoy the season.-a I wonder how it is doing in the ratings or if it will be made available on the streaming platforms?
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know for sure
who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode kept signaling
it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was really in
trouble or they were trying to do a misdirect.-a Ultimately it seems
Kirby flew too close to the sun and her inexperience and cowboy
approach to the game finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I
didn't think she had much chance of winning, but I thought she could
make it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine
connection, but when Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby
didnrCOt seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was >> genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think she said
goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be going.
Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what really killed
Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv wanted
to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if she got played
by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby
did do what she said she was going to do.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center as the
big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC drama next
episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt
watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing way too
much.-a Things are definitely getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything because
I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in kind of
a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up the non-US
World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous winners still on the
show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to now been
borderline impressive given her status as the only remaining non-US
prior winner. She has done nothing overt to show any kind of threat
level.-a I was actually a bit surprised to hear her name bandied about
a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up against at
the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in challenges,
and I think she is still my first choice for eventual winner.-a-a She
was in complete control in the IC and never seemed to feel any stress
at all, almost akin to that stunt guy David on the last US season.
When she and Parv were the last two players standing, I immediately
thought she would remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv
to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to
have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that point I realized
that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because she knew she had a
victory here hands down and she was going to save that deal for when
she needed it.-a-a Kass was simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her
athletic abilities are very good.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is from
Quebec so English is not her first language and she struggles a bit to
find the right words when speaking.-a That just makes her more
impressive, as she may not always be able to pick up all the random
comments made by the others around camp.-a Note: Tommi likely has the
same issue, but there is frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate
potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from Quebec
doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S. Survivor?
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful
businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to
strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness on
her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think that is
still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally and that
seems more out of convenience than anything else.-a Hard to believe
there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I
thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, but no one seems
concerned about him or is mentioning his name.-a I find it hard to
believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see him making a
cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe any of the
remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her, Lisa
in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the winner.-a At
this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential
winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also have
trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than worship Cirie?
IrCOm continuing to enjoy the season.-a I wonder how it is doing in the
ratings or if it will be made available on the streaming platforms?
I imagine it's doing great in terms of ratings. I'm pretty sure it's available on Paramount+ in Australia. The YouTube channel I watched
Episode 5 on had recorded it off Paramount+. Hopefully Paramount Global
can strike a deal to make it available worldwide.
Some comments from me:
--Kirby at the start of the episode confirmed she wanted to play with
the best.
--The IC had an interesting reward attached to it. Kass has a scroll
that she can't open until the next morning. I wonder if that factored
into Parv not playing idol? Also, will Parv's Knowledge is Power
advantage come into play regarding Kass's scroll?
--I'm a bit confused by the vote. Why did Luke and Shonee vote for
Cirie? Luke should know Kirby doesn't have an idol from the Aussie camp
and that it's highly unlikely that she found one at the merge camp. Did
they think Cirie or Parv would play an idol for Kirby?
--To me, the Aussies are in complete disarray. Luke is lost and Janine's over confident. With Kirby out, will Shonee try to get out Cirie so she
can have Parv to herself?
--With such a short season can Kass win her way to the end? Don't forget
she has a HII to help her out. With so many idols and advantages
floating around in the game, it would be something if Cirie ended up reliving Game Changers.
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know for
sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode kept
signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was
really in trouble or they were trying to do a misdirect.-a Ultimately
it seems Kirby flew too close to the sun and her inexperience and
cowboy approach to the game finally caught up to her.-a I was
surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of winning, but I
thought she could make it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv
formed a genuine connection, but when Parv started questioning her
sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her
shock at the end was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I
donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be going.
Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what really killed
Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv
wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if she got
played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal. Based on her
vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically convinced her that Kirby has
a history of turning on her allies.-a That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became
convinced Sarah wasn't committed to her.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm not
sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a strong need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is different.-a She is a strategist
who simply wants to win in whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would go after anyone she thought could beat her.
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with the
other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she got targeted, but the person she
thought was her ally refused to play the idol,-a As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person eventually won the season.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center as the
big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC drama next
episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the TV off and
didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing
way too much.-a Things are definitely getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything because
I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in kind of >>> a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up the non-US
World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous winners still on
the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to now
been borderline impressive given her status as the only remaining
non-US prior winner. She has done nothing overt to show any kind of
threat level.-a I was actually a bit surprised to hear her name
bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up against at
the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for eventual
winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and never seemed to
feel any stress at all, almost akin to that stunt guy David on the
last US season. When she and Parv were the last two players standing,
I immediately thought she would remind Parv of their original deal
and and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and
mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at >>> that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal
because she knew she had a victory here hands down and she was going
to save that deal for when she needed it.-a-a Kass was simply awesome
in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her
athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in French literature.-a She also claims she suffers from "imposter syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is from
Quebec so English is not her first language and she struggles a bit
to find the right words when speaking.-a That just makes her more
impressive, as she may not always be able to pick up all the random
comments made by the others around camp.-a Note: Tommi likely has the
same issue, but there is frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate
potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from Quebec
doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. In her case it
obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable speaking English had
any impact on her not applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that?
Many previous US players would not call English their first language -
Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would keep her from
applying.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful
businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to
strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness on
her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think that is
still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally and that
seems more out of convenience than anything else.-a Hard to believe
there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I
thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, but no one seems
concerned about him or is mentioning his name.-a I find it hard to
believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see him making a
cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe any of the
remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her, Lisa
in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the winner.-a At >>> this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe Lisa as
potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also have
trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and she
did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she played masterfully against some pretty impressive players, including two guys
who had a secret alliance no one knew about from their friendship before
the game. I know we are not seeing it this season and she definitely
seems to be overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, but on her winning
season she came across as smart and strategic.-a-a I can definitely see
her making an articulate case to the jury because she did it before.-a As
I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of Cirie taking control
of a game and making a case for herself.-a I know people like her and she has been called the best player never to win Survivor, but I'm not
really sure where that is coming from.-a I can think of a few players
(Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make more sense as best player
to have never won the show.
Having said all that, I do agree that if Cirie can orchestrate and lead
some kind of massive blindside to get rid of Parv, and if she can make a good case for the jury, she has a shot at winning this season.
IrCOm continuing to enjoy the season.-a I wonder how it is doing in the >>> ratings or if it will be made available on the streaming platforms?
I imagine it's doing great in terms of ratings. I'm pretty sure it's
available on Paramount+ in Australia. The YouTube channel I watched
Episode 5 on had recorded it off Paramount+. Hopefully Paramount
Global can strike a deal to make it available worldwide.
Some comments from me:
--Kirby at the start of the episode confirmed she wanted to play with
the best.
--The IC had an interesting reward attached to it. Kass has a scroll
that she can't open until the next morning. I wonder if that factored
into Parv not playing idol? Also, will Parv's Knowledge is Power
advantage come into play regarding Kass's scroll?
Only if the scroll involves an idol.-a Parv's advantage is basically an
idol steal. That's all.-a It doesn't allow her to steal any other kind of advantage, like getting some kind of shortcut in a challenge or an extra vote or block a vote or leaving TC early or anything like that.-a I could
be wrong, but I got the impression that Kass's scroll would be something different than just another idol clue.
--I'm a bit confused by the vote. Why did Luke and Shonee vote for
Cirie? Luke should know Kirby doesn't have an idol from the Aussie
camp and that it's highly unlikely that she found one at the merge
camp. Did they think Cirie or Parv would play an idol for Kirby?
That's what I assumed.-a Since Luke knew he had an idol from his camp, I think they guessed that someone on World may have an idol and could potentially give it to Kirby.
--To me, the Aussies are in complete disarray. Luke is lost and
Janine's over confident. With Kirby out, will Shonee try to get out
Cirie so she can have Parv to herself?
Could be.-a Shonee is kind of in a similar position to Cirie of having
been on the show several times and never quite making it to the finals.
I do think she likes playing with people she likes playing with, so targeting Cirie so she could go to the end with Parv is possible.
Exactly!--With such a short season can Kass win her way to the end? Don't
forget she has a HII to help her out. With so many idols and
advantages floating around in the game, it would be something if Cirie
ended up reliving Game Changers.
That would be wild, but you are right it could happen.-a There are three idols still in the game, and if they can be played until final five (as
is often the rule), you could have three people playing idols at final
five and one IC winner, which would mean the fifth person could be
"Ciried" and it could maybe even be Cirie.
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know for
sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode kept
signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was >>>> really in trouble or they were trying to do a misdirect.-a Ultimately >>>> it seems Kirby flew too close to the sun and her inexperience and
cowboy approach to the game finally caught up to her.-a I was
surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of winning, but I
thought she could make it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv
formed a genuine connection, but when Parv started questioning her
sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her >>>> shock at the end was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I
donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be going.
Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what really killed
Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv
wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if she
got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal. Based on
her vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit bamboozled
(to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically convinced her that
Kirby has a history of turning on her allies.-a That's actually not
true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and it was only after Kirby
became convinced Sarah wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge disadvantage for
the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm not
sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football player before
becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a strong need to play
against add defeat the best.-a Parv is different.-a She is a strategist
who simply wants to win in whatever is the best way she can.-a I have
no doubt she would go after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to reference
and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before Parv gets her.
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with the
other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to her and
to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final five, everyone
had learned what Kirby could do and she got targeted, but the person
she thought was her ally refused to play the idol,-a As a result, Kirby
got voted out, and the other person eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had that
would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center as
the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC drama
next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the TV off and
didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing
way too much.-a Things are definitely getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything because
I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in kind
of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up the non-US
World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous winners still on
the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to now
been borderline impressive given her status as the only remaining
non-US prior winner. She has done nothing overt to show any kind of
threat level.-a I was actually a bit surprised to hear her name
bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up against at
the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for eventual
winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and never seemed to >>>> feel any stress at all, almost akin to that stunt guy David on the
last US season. When she and Parv were the last two players
standing, I immediately thought she would remind Parv of their
original deal and and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought
that too and mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was
funny.-a It was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to
bring up the deal because she knew she had a victory here hands down
and she was going to save that deal for when she needed it.-a-a Kass
was simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her
athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is apparently
a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in French literature.
She also claims she suffers from "imposter syndrome" in real life,
which is interesting.-a I couldn't find anything specific to suggest
she has an athletic or sports background so perhaps she's just a
fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is from >>>> Quebec so English is not her first language and she struggles a bit
to find the right words when speaking.-a That just makes her more
impressive, as she may not always be able to pick up all the random
comments made by the others around camp.-a Note: Tommi likely has the >>>> same issue, but there is frankly no way I can see him as the
ultimate potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from Quebec
doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. In her case
it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable speaking English
had any impact on her not applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer $1
million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of Survivor Quebec
was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Many previous US players would not call English their first language -
Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would keep her from
applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US Survivor
actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does Survivor
even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season they managed to find
people who know next to nothing about the game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're trying to help a returning player become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful
businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to
strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness on
her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think that is
still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally and
that seems more out of convenience than anything else.-a Hard to
believe there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and
Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, but no
one seems concerned about him or is mentioning his name.-a I find it
hard to believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see him
making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe
any of the remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her,
Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the
winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe
Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of the
others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also have
trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than worship
Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and she
did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she played
masterfully against some pretty impressive players, including two guys
who had a secret alliance no one knew about from their friendship
before the game. I know we are not seeing it this season and she
definitely seems to be overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, but on her
winning season she came across as smart and strategic.-a-a I can
definitely see her making an articulate case to the jury because she
did it before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of
Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for herself.-a I know
people like her and she has been called the best player never to win
Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is coming from.-a I can
think of a few players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make
more sense as best player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's doing
which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the
friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of them had
won that would not have looked good.
Having said all that, I do agree that if Cirie can orchestrate and
lead some kind of massive blindside to get rid of Parv, and if she can
make a good case for the jury, she has a shot at winning this season.
For sure. If anyone manages to take out Parv they'll get major points
for doing so.
IrCOm continuing to enjoy the season.-a I wonder how it is doing in the >>>> ratings or if it will be made available on the streaming platforms?
I imagine it's doing great in terms of ratings. I'm pretty sure it's
available on Paramount+ in Australia. The YouTube channel I watched
Episode 5 on had recorded it off Paramount+. Hopefully Paramount
Global can strike a deal to make it available worldwide.
Some comments from me:
--Kirby at the start of the episode confirmed she wanted to play with
the best.
--The IC had an interesting reward attached to it. Kass has a scroll
that she can't open until the next morning. I wonder if that factored
into Parv not playing idol? Also, will Parv's Knowledge is Power
advantage come into play regarding Kass's scroll?
Only if the scroll involves an idol.-a Parv's advantage is basically an
idol steal. That's all.-a It doesn't allow her to steal any other kind
of advantage, like getting some kind of shortcut in a challenge or an
extra vote or block a vote or leaving TC early or anything like that.
I could be wrong, but I got the impression that Kass's scroll would be
something different than just another idol clue.
I thought in U.S. Survivor the Knowledge is Power advantage allowed the holder to steal any type of power form another player? I'll have to look that up. In this case, I don't recall them saying it was idol-specific.
--I'm a bit confused by the vote. Why did Luke and Shonee vote for
Cirie? Luke should know Kirby doesn't have an idol from the Aussie
camp and that it's highly unlikely that she found one at the merge
camp. Did they think Cirie or Parv would play an idol for Kirby?
That's what I assumed.-a Since Luke knew he had an idol from his camp,
I think they guessed that someone on World may have an idol and could
potentially give it to Kirby.
If that's the case, why not target Parv? They more or less knew Kirby
and Parv were working together so if someone was going save Kirby with
an idol it would be Parv.
--To me, the Aussies are in complete disarray. Luke is lost and
Janine's over confident. With Kirby out, will Shonee try to get out
Cirie so she can have Parv to herself?
Could be.-a Shonee is kind of in a similar position to Cirie of having
been on the show several times and never quite making it to the
finals. I do think she likes playing with people she likes playing
with, so targeting Cirie so she could go to the end with Parv is
possible.
S50 makes think it's very possible Cirie gets targeted. I really wish
Jeff and CBS had not chosen Cirie to play.
Exactly!--With such a short season can Kass win her way to the end? Don't
forget she has a HII to help her out. With so many idols and
advantages floating around in the game, it would be something if
Cirie ended up reliving Game Changers.
That would be wild, but you are right it could happen.-a There are
three idols still in the game, and if they can be played until final
five (as is often the rule), you could have three people playing idols
at final five and one IC winner, which would mean the fifth person
could be "Ciried" and it could maybe even be Cirie.
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know for
sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode kept
signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she
was really in trouble or they were trying to do a misdirect.
Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to the sun and her
inexperience and cowboy approach to the game finally caught up to
her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of
winning, but I thought she could make it to final 4 or 5. I think
she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but when Parv started
questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close >>>>> the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was genuine and real, and unless I >>>>> missed it, I donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be going.
Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what really
killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv
wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if she
got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal. Based on
her vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit bamboozled
(to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically convinced her that
Kirby has a history of turning on her allies.-a That's actually not
true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and it was only after Kirby
became convinced Sarah wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge disadvantage
for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm not
sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football player
before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a strong need
to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is different.-a She is a
strategist who simply wants to win in whatever is the best way she
can.-a I have no doubt she would go after anyone she thought could
beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on her
last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before Parv
gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that.
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with the
other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to her and
to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final five,
everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she got targeted, but
the person she thought was her ally refused to play the idol,-a As a
result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person eventually won the
season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had that
would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center asOne part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything
the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC drama
next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the TV off
and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to be
revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely getting more intense. >>>>
because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in kind >>>>> of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up the non-
US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous winners still >>>>> on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to >>>>> now been borderline impressive given her status as the only
remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing overt to show
any kind of threat level.-a I was actually a bit surprised to hear
her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up against
at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for eventual
winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and never seemed to >>>>> feel any stress at all, almost akin to that stunt guy David on the
last US season. When she and Parv were the last two players
standing, I immediately thought she would remind Parv of their
original deal and and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought
that too and mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was
funny.-a It was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to >>>>> bring up the deal because she knew she had a victory here hands
down and she was going to save that deal for when she needed it.
Kass was simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her
athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is apparently
a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in French literature.
She also claims she suffers from "imposter syndrome" in real life,
which is interesting.-a I couldn't find anything specific to suggest
she has an athletic or sports background so perhaps she's just a
fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio? If
so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios and
stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously something
Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v-the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights into
the other players.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is from >>>>> Quebec so English is not her first language and she struggles a bit >>>>> to find the right words when speaking.-a That just makes her more
impressive, as she may not always be able to pick up all the random >>>>> comments made by the others around camp.-a Note: Tommi likely has
the same issue, but there is frankly no way I can see him as the
ultimate potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from Quebec
doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. In her case
it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable speaking English
had any impact on her not applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer $1
million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of Survivor
Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the 42
days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak French,
but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find it with
English subtitles.
Many previous US players would not call English their first language
- Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would keep her from
applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US
Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event
coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season they
managed to find people who know next to nothing about the game and
seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're trying to help
a returning player become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful
businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to
strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness on >>>>> her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think that is >>>>> still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally and
that seems more out of convenience than anything else.-a Hard to
believe there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and
Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, but no
one seems concerned about him or is mentioning his name.-a I find it >>>>> hard to believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see him
making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe >>>>> any of the remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her,
Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the
winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe
Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of
the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also have
trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than worship
Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and she
did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she played
masterfully against some pretty impressive players, including two
guys who had a secret alliance no one knew about from their
friendship before the game. I know we are not seeing it this season
and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero worship of Cirie,
but on her winning season she came across as smart and strategic.-a-a I >>> can definitely see her making an articulate case to the jury because
she did it before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples
of Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for herself.-a I
know people like her and she has been called the best player never to
win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is coming from.-a I
can think of a few players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would
make more sense as best player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's doing
which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the
friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of them
had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real mess. The
two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw each other first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am remembering right,
they were friends from high school but hadn't seen one another in
years.-a They were on different tribes, but they protected one another
until well after merge.-a-a Matt was finally voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But I think their deal
was that at a certain point either could turn on the other if it made
game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was upset.-a Their mutual attitude
seemed to be that as long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final summary, but the damage was done and he
ended up getting zero votes.-a To this day I have wondered whether
producers may have gotten to Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told him
he should reveal it.-a This was a season with Ponderosa videos and I
think Matt did discuss it with the other Survivors but it didn't seem
like he was going to reveal it.-a I also have wondered if the potential scandal had anything to do with the show not being renewed for a third season.
Having said all that, I do agree that if Cirie can orchestrate and
lead some kind of massive blindside to get rid of Parv, and if she
can make a good case for the jury, she has a shot at winning this
season.
For sure. If anyone manages to take out Parv they'll get major points
for doing so.
IrCOm continuing to enjoy the season.-a I wonder how it is doing in >>>>> the ratings or if it will be made available on the streaming
platforms?
I imagine it's doing great in terms of ratings. I'm pretty sure it's
available on Paramount+ in Australia. The YouTube channel I watched
Episode 5 on had recorded it off Paramount+. Hopefully Paramount
Global can strike a deal to make it available worldwide.
Some comments from me:
--Kirby at the start of the episode confirmed she wanted to play
with the best.
--The IC had an interesting reward attached to it. Kass has a scroll
that she can't open until the next morning. I wonder if that
factored into Parv not playing idol? Also, will Parv's Knowledge is
Power advantage come into play regarding Kass's scroll?
Only if the scroll involves an idol.-a Parv's advantage is basically
an idol steal. That's all.-a It doesn't allow her to steal any other
kind of advantage, like getting some kind of shortcut in a challenge
or an extra vote or block a vote or leaving TC early or anything like
that. I could be wrong, but I got the impression that Kass's scroll
would be something different than just another idol clue.
I thought in U.S. Survivor the Knowledge is Power advantage allowed
the holder to steal any type of power form another player? I'll have
to look that up. In this case, I don't recall them saying it was idol-
specific.
You're right about the US Knowledge is Power.-a This isn't really that, although Parv calls it that.-a In the episode where she gets the scroll,
she reads it aloud and it seems to apply to idols only.-a Parv reads it aloud: "Congratulations, you have found an advantage in the game.-a This advantage offers you a rare opportunity to seize power by making another player's hidden immunity idol your own..."-a The actual mechanic of how
you play it at TC seems identical to how KIP is played, so maybe that's
why Parv-a calls it that.-a The really interesting part is that Parv
doesn't seem to have any awareness of the Kass and Luke idols, so I'm
not sure how or when she'll be able to use it.
This brings up one interesting difference between the US and Aussie
shows.-a If someone won an advantage like this on US Survivor but never
got to use it, they might just edit it out and we'd never know about it.
-aOn Australian Survivor, they show everything and won't necessarily
edit out an advantage if it is never used.
--I'm a bit confused by the vote. Why did Luke and Shonee vote for
Cirie? Luke should know Kirby doesn't have an idol from the Aussie
camp and that it's highly unlikely that she found one at the merge
camp. Did they think Cirie or Parv would play an idol for Kirby?
That's what I assumed.-a Since Luke knew he had an idol from his camp,
I think they guessed that someone on World may have an idol and could
potentially give it to Kirby.
If that's the case, why not target Parv? They more or less knew Kirby
and Parv were working together so if someone was going save Kirby with
an idol it would be Parv.
My impression was they suspected an idol could be played and it would
either be played on Parv or Kirby, but they figured it definitely
wouldn't be played on Cirie.
--To me, the Aussies are in complete disarray. Luke is lost and
Janine's over confident. With Kirby out, will Shonee try to get out
Cirie so she can have Parv to herself?
Could be.-a Shonee is kind of in a similar position to Cirie of having
been on the show several times and never quite making it to the
finals. I do think she likes playing with people she likes playing
with, so targeting Cirie so she could go to the end with Parv is
possible.
S50 makes think it's very possible Cirie gets targeted. I really wish
Jeff and CBS had not chosen Cirie to play.
And it's still not clear to me if Jeff knew the results of this season
or how well Cirie did when he made the final choices for s50.
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know for >>>>>> sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode kept >>>>>> signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she >>>>>> was really in trouble or they were trying to do a misdirect.
Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to the sun and her
inexperience and cowboy approach to the game finally caught up to >>>>>> her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of
winning, but I thought she could make it to final 4 or 5. I think >>>>>> she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but when Parv started
questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close >>>>>> the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was genuine and real, and unless >>>>>> I missed it, I donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be
going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what
really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv
wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if she
got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal. Based on >>>>> her vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit bamboozled
(to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically convinced her that
Kirby has a history of turning on her allies.-a That's actually not
true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and it was only after
Kirby became convinced Sarah wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge disadvantage
for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm not
sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football player
before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a strong
need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is different.-a She
is a strategist who simply wants to win in whatever is the best way
she can.-a I have no doubt she would go after anyone she thought
could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on her
last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before Parv
gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly
think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment earlier in
the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with
the other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to
her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final
five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she got targeted,
but the person she thought was her ally refused to play the idol,
As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person eventually
won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had that
would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center as >>>>>> the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC drama >>>>>> next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the TV offOne part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything
and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to be
revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely getting more intense. >>>>>
because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in kind >>>>>> of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up the non- >>>>>> US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous winners still >>>>>> on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to >>>>>> now been borderline impressive given her status as the only
remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing overt to show >>>>>> any kind of threat level.-a I was actually a bit surprised to hear >>>>>> her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up against
at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for eventual >>>>>> winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and never seemed >>>>>> to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that stunt guy David on >>>>>> the last US season. When she and Parv were the last two players
standing, I immediately thought she would remind Parv of their
original deal and and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought >>>>>> that too and mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was >>>>>> funny.-a It was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to >>>>>> bring up the deal because she knew she had a victory here hands
down and she was going to save that deal for when she needed it.
Kass was simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her
athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is
apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in French
literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter syndrome" in
real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find anything specific
to suggest she has an athletic or sports background so perhaps she's
just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio? If
so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios and
stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously something
Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v-the-
world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-australian-
survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her
confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights into
the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is from >>>>>> Quebec so English is not her first language and she struggles a
bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That just makes her
more impressive, as she may not always be able to pick up all the >>>>>> random comments made by the others around camp.-a Note: Tommi
likely has the same issue, but there is frankly no way I can see
him as the ultimate potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from
Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. In
her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable
speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S. Survivor? >>>>>
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer $1
million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of Survivor
Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the 42
days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak French,
but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find it with
English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any
mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff. Someone
was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one person
reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people were able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
Many previous US players would not call English their first language
- Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would keep her from
applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US
Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event
coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season they
managed to find people who know next to nothing about the game and
seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're trying to help
a returning player become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful
businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to
strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness >>>>>> on her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think
that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true
ally and that seems more out of convenience than anything else.
Hard to believe there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine >>>>>> and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, but >>>>>> no one seems concerned about him or is mentioning his name.-a I
find it hard to believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see >>>>>> him making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to
believe any of the remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps
Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her,
Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the
winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe >>>>>> Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of
the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also have
trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than worship
Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and
she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she
played masterfully against some pretty impressive players, including
two guys who had a secret alliance no one knew about from their
friendship before the game. I know we are not seeing it this season
and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero worship of Cirie,
but on her winning season she came across as smart and strategic.
I can definitely see her making an articulate case to the jury
because she did it before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen >>>> examples of Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for
herself.-a I know people like her and she has been called the best
player never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is
coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob Cesternino comes to
mind) who would make more sense as best player to have never won the
show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's doing
which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the
friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of them
had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot of
controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real mess.
The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw each other
first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am remembering
right, they were friends from high school but hadn't seen one another
in years.-a They were on different tribes, but they protected one
another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was finally voted out at final
six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But I think
their deal was that at a certain point either could turn on the other
if it made game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was upset.-a Their mutual
attitude seemed to be that as long as one of them won, it didn't
matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally disclosed
when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave claimed he was
about to reveal it himself in his final summary, but the damage was
done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To this day I have wondered
whether producers may have gotten to Matt while he was at Ponderosa
and told him he should reveal it.-a This was a season with Ponderosa
videos and I think Matt did discuss it with the other Survivors but it
didn't seem like he was going to reveal it.-a I also have wondered if
the potential scandal had anything to do with the show not being
renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually shows
look for similarities in people and cast them together but this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers stepped in and got one
of hem to confess. If one of them had won and this friendship didn't get revealed until after the season aired, the entire Survivor world would
have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
Having said all that, I do agree that if Cirie can orchestrate and
lead some kind of massive blindside to get rid of Parv, and if she
can make a good case for the jury, she has a shot at winning this
season.
For sure. If anyone manages to take out Parv they'll get major points
for doing so.
IrCOm continuing to enjoy the season.-a I wonder how it is doing in >>>>>> the ratings or if it will be made available on the streaming
platforms?
I imagine it's doing great in terms of ratings. I'm pretty sure
it's available on Paramount+ in Australia. The YouTube channel I
watched Episode 5 on had recorded it off Paramount+. Hopefully
Paramount Global can strike a deal to make it available worldwide.
Some comments from me:
--Kirby at the start of the episode confirmed she wanted to play
with the best.
--The IC had an interesting reward attached to it. Kass has a
scroll that she can't open until the next morning. I wonder if that >>>>> factored into Parv not playing idol? Also, will Parv's Knowledge is >>>>> Power advantage come into play regarding Kass's scroll?
Only if the scroll involves an idol.-a Parv's advantage is basically
an idol steal. That's all.-a It doesn't allow her to steal any other
kind of advantage, like getting some kind of shortcut in a challenge
or an extra vote or block a vote or leaving TC early or anything
like that. I could be wrong, but I got the impression that Kass's
scroll would be something different than just another idol clue.
I thought in U.S. Survivor the Knowledge is Power advantage allowed
the holder to steal any type of power form another player? I'll have
to look that up. In this case, I don't recall them saying it was
idol- specific.
You're right about the US Knowledge is Power.-a This isn't really that,
although Parv calls it that.-a In the episode where she gets the
scroll, she reads it aloud and it seems to apply to idols only.-a Parv
reads it aloud: "Congratulations, you have found an advantage in the
game.-a This advantage offers you a rare opportunity to seize power by
making another player's hidden immunity idol your own..."-a The actual
mechanic of how you play it at TC seems identical to how KIP is
played, so maybe that's why Parv-a calls it that.-a The really
interesting part is that Parv doesn't seem to have any awareness of
the Kass and Luke idols, so I'm not sure how or when she'll be able to
use it.
Interesting. Seems strange they made the advantage so specific. It's
kind of funny that in a season where share info so freely that the two players with HIIs are able to keep it a secret.
This brings up one interesting difference between the US and Aussie
shows.-a If someone won an advantage like this on US Survivor but never
got to use it, they might just edit it out and we'd never know about
it. -a-aOn Australian Survivor, they show everything and won't
necessarily edit out an advantage if it is never used.
I'm finding the Australian edit gives viewers more info to judge
gameplay on. U.S. Survivor really tries to lead viewers to buy into
their storylines via nonstop confessionals. I'll take more game talk at
camp over misleading confessionals any day.
--I'm a bit confused by the vote. Why did Luke and Shonee vote for
Cirie? Luke should know Kirby doesn't have an idol from the Aussie
camp and that it's highly unlikely that she found one at the merge
camp. Did they think Cirie or Parv would play an idol for Kirby?
That's what I assumed.-a Since Luke knew he had an idol from his
camp, I think they guessed that someone on World may have an idol
and could potentially give it to Kirby.
If that's the case, why not target Parv? They more or less knew Kirby
and Parv were working together so if someone was going save Kirby
with an idol it would be Parv.
My impression was they suspected an idol could be played and it would
either be played on Parv or Kirby, but they figured it definitely
wouldn't be played on Cirie.
Gutsy assumption.
--To me, the Aussies are in complete disarray. Luke is lost and
Janine's over confident. With Kirby out, will Shonee try to get out >>>>> Cirie so she can have Parv to herself?
Could be.-a Shonee is kind of in a similar position to Cirie of
having been on the show several times and never quite making it to
the finals. I do think she likes playing with people she likes
playing with, so targeting Cirie so she could go to the end with
Parv is possible.
S50 makes think it's very possible Cirie gets targeted. I really wish
Jeff and CBS had not chosen Cirie to play.
And it's still not clear to me if Jeff knew the results of this season
or how well Cirie did when he made the final choices for s50.
I'd be shocked if he didn't know. More importantly, did any of the other
S50 players know how Cirie did? It's very possible they knew and she was
an early target.
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know for >>>>>>> sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode kept >>>>>>> signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she >>>>>>> was really in trouble or they were trying to do a misdirect.
Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to the sun and her
inexperience and cowboy approach to the game finally caught up to >>>>>>> her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of >>>>>>> winning, but I thought she could make it to final 4 or 5. I think >>>>>>> she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but when Parv started >>>>>>> questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close >>>>>>> the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was genuine and real, and unless >>>>>>> I missed it, I donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv. >>>>>>
going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what
really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv
wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if she >>>>>> got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal. Based
on her vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically convinced >>>>> her that Kirby has a history of turning on her allies.-a That's
actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and it was
only after Kirby became convinced Sarah wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge disadvantage
for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm
not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football player >>>>> before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a strong
need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is different.-a She >>>>> is a strategist who simply wants to win in whatever is the best way >>>>> she can.-a I have no doubt she would go after anyone she thought
could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on her
last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before Parv
gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly
think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment earlier
in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites for a
reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with
the other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to
her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final
five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she got
targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused to play
the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person
eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had
that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center as >>>>>>> the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC drama >>>>>>> next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the TV off >>>>>>> and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to beOne part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything
revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely getting more intense. >>>>>>
because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up
the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous
winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the >>>>>>> radar has up to now been borderline impressive given her status >>>>>>> as the only remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing >>>>>>> overt to show any kind of threat level.-a I was actually a bit
surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up against >>>>>> at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for eventual >>>>>>> winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and never seemed >>>>>>> to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that stunt guy David on >>>>>>> the last US season. When she and Parv were the last two players >>>>>>> standing, I immediately thought she would remind Parv of their
original deal and and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought >>>>>>> that too and mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was >>>>>>> funny.-a It was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to >>>>>>> bring up the deal because she knew she had a victory here hands >>>>>>> down and she was going to save that deal for when she needed it. >>>>>>> Kass was simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her
athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is
apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in
French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter
syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find
anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio? If
so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios and
stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously
something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v-the-
world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her
confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights into
the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and she
struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That just >>>>>>> makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able to pick >>>>>>> up all the random comments made by the others around camp.-a Note: >>>>>>> Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is frankly no way I
can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from
Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. In >>>>>> her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable
speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S.
Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer $1
million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of Survivor
Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the 42
days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak
French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find it
with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any
mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one
person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people were
able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the
Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and
Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the game
after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players haven't been
told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that season because of the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back into the game, and the fact that one of
those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An even worse situation happened
on an early season of Survivor South Africa where a player was doing
well and dominating the game but was blindsided when some previously
voted out players returned to the game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended up winning the season.
Many previous US players would not call English their first
language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would
keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US
Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event
coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season they
managed to find people who know next to nothing about the game and
seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're trying to
help a returning player become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful
businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to >>>>>>> strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness >>>>>>> on her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think
that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true >>>>>>> ally and that seems more out of convenience than anything else. >>>>>>> Hard to believe there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine >>>>>>> and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, >>>>>>> but no one seems concerned about him or is mentioning his name. >>>>>>> I find it hard to believe he could win this because I just canrCOt >>>>>>> see him making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard >>>>>>> to believe any of the remaining Aussies can win other than
perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her, >>>>>>> Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the >>>>>>> winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe >>>>>>> Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of >>>>>>> the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also have >>>>>> trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than worship >>>>>> Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and
she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she
played masterfully against some pretty impressive players,
including two guys who had a secret alliance no one knew about from >>>>> their friendship before the game. I know we are not seeing it this
season and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero worship of >>>>> Cirie, but on her winning season she came across as smart and
strategic. I can definitely see her making an articulate case to
the jury because she did it before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just
haven't seen examples of Cirie taking control of a game and making
a case for herself.-a I know people like her and she has been called >>>>> the best player never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure
where that is coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob
Cesternino comes to mind) who would make more sense as best player
to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's doing
which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the
friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of them
had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot of
controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real mess.
The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw each other
first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am remembering
right, they were friends from high school but hadn't seen one another
in years.-a They were on different tribes, but they protected one
another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was finally voted out at final >>> six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But I think
their deal was that at a certain point either could turn on the other
if it made game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was upset.-a Their
mutual attitude seemed to be that as long as one of them won, it
didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally disclosed
when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave claimed he was
about to reveal it himself in his final summary, but the damage was
done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To this day I have wondered
whether producers may have gotten to Matt while he was at Ponderosa
and told him he should reveal it.-a This was a season with Ponderosa
videos and I think Matt did discuss it with the other Survivors but
it didn't seem like he was going to reveal it.-a I also have wondered
if the potential scandal had anything to do with the show not being
renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually shows
look for similarities in people and cast them together but this is
next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers stepped in and
got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won and this friendship
didn't get revealed until after the season aired, the entire Survivor
world would have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some
jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread. Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I think if
Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a fair chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa played a great
strategic game and controlled many big moves in the game including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside against Matt.-a But
Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked, even though the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never polled
the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had the reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about the issue much if
at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous at the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions from note cards.-a I think
he was told to stay away from the subject.
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but here is
the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You can clearly
see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also pick up on the
host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know >>>>>>>> for sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode >>>>>>>> kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure >>>>>>>> if she was really in trouble or they were trying to do a
misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to the sun >>>>>>>> and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game finally
caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much >>>>>>>> chance of winning, but I thought she could make it to final 4 or >>>>>>>> 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but when >>>>>>>> Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to >>>>>>>> know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was genuine >>>>>>>> and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think she said goodbye >>>>>>>> to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be
going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what
really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv >>>>>>> wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if
she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal.
Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do. >>>>>>>
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically
convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her allies. >>>>>> That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and >>>>>> it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah wasn't committed to >>>>>> her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm
not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football
player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a
strong need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is
different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants to win in
whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would go
after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on her
last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before
Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly
think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment earlier
in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites for a
reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with >>>>>> the other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to >>>>>> her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final
five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she got
targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused to play >>>>>> the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person
eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had
that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center >>>>>>>> as the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC >>>>>>>> drama next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the >>>>>>>> TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to >>>>>>>> be revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely getting more >>>>>>>> intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything
because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up >>>>>>>> the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous >>>>>>>> winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the >>>>>>>> radar has up to now been borderline impressive given her status >>>>>>>> as the only remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing >>>>>>>> overt to show any kind of threat level.-a I was actually a bit >>>>>>>> surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up
against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for
eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that
stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv were >>>>>>>> the last two players standing, I immediately thought she would >>>>>>>> remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to drop
out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to >>>>>>>> have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that point I >>>>>>>> realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because she >>>>>>>> knew she had a victory here hands down and she was going to save >>>>>>>> that deal for when she needed it. Kass was simply awesome in the >>>>>>>> challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her >>>>>>> athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is
apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in
French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter
syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find
anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio?
If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios and
stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously
something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v-the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her
confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights
into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer $1I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and she
struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able to >>>>>>>> pick up all the random comments made by the others around camp. >>>>>>>> Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is frankly no >>>>>>>> way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from
Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. In >>>>>>> her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable
speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S.
Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that? >>>>>
million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of Survivor
Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the 42
days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak
French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find it
with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any
mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one
person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people were
able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the
Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and
Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the game
after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players haven't been
told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor Season 7 (Pearl
Islands), I have always hated that season because of the gimmick of
the Outcasts being brought back into the game, and the fact that one
of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An even worse situation
happened on an early season of Survivor South Africa where a player
was doing well and dominating the game but was blindsided when some
previously voted out players returned to the game, Outcasts style, and
one of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out that
should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their first
language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would
keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US
Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event
coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season
they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the game >>>>> and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're trying
to help a returning player become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful >>>>>>>> businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to >>>>>>>> strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness >>>>>>>> on her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think >>>>>>>> that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true >>>>>>>> ally and that seems more out of convenience than anything else. >>>>>>>> Hard to believe there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine >>>>>>>> and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, >>>>>>>> but no one seems concerned about him or is mentioning his name. >>>>>>>> I find it hard to believe he could win this because I just canrCOt >>>>>>>> see him making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard >>>>>>>> to believe any of the remaining Aussies can win other than
perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her, >>>>>>>> Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the >>>>>>>> winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe >>>>>>>> Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of >>>>>>>> the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also
have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than >>>>>>> worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and >>>>>> she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she >>>>>> played masterfully against some pretty impressive players,
including two guys who had a secret alliance no one knew about
from their friendship before the game. I know we are not seeing it >>>>>> this season and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero
worship of Cirie, but on her winning season she came across as
smart and strategic. I can definitely see her making an articulate >>>>>> case to the jury because she did it before.-a As I said elsewhere, >>>>>> I just haven't seen examples of Cirie taking control of a game and >>>>>> making a case for herself.-a I know people like her and she has
been called the best player never to win Survivor, but I'm not
really sure where that is coming from.-a I can think of a few
players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make more sense
as best player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's
doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the
friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of them >>>>> had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot of
controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real mess.
The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw each other
first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am remembering
right, they were friends from high school but hadn't seen one
another in years.-a They were on different tribes, but they protected >>>> one another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was finally voted out at >>>> final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But I >>>> think their deal was that at a certain point either could turn on
the other if it made game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was upset.
Their mutual attitude seemed to be that as long as one of them won,
it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally disclosed
when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave claimed he was
about to reveal it himself in his final summary, but the damage was
done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To this day I have
wondered whether producers may have gotten to Matt while he was at
Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it.-a This was a season with
Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did discuss it with the other
Survivors but it didn't seem like he was going to reveal it.-a I also >>>> have wondered if the potential scandal had anything to do with the
show not being renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually shows
look for similarities in people and cast them together but this is
next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers stepped in and
got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won and this friendship
didn't get revealed until after the season aired, the entire Survivor
world would have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some
jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread.
Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I
think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a fair
chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa played a
great strategic game and controlled many big moves in the game
including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside
against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked,
even though the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly
helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never
polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had the
reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about the
issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous at the
reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions from note
cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter entirely.
Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but here
is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You can
clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also pick up
on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Great reminder of why reunion shows suck. Based on the video date, Lisa
won at least seven years ago. That's a long time without playing,
especially if she only played once.
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know >>>>>>>> for sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The episode >>>>>>>> kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell for sure >>>>>>>> if she was really in trouble or they were trying to do a
misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to the sun >>>>>>>> and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game finally
caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much >>>>>>>> chance of winning, but I thought she could make it to final 4 or >>>>>>>> 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but when >>>>>>>> Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to >>>>>>>> know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was genuine >>>>>>>> and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think she said goodbye >>>>>>>> to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be
going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what
really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv >>>>>>> wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if
she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal.
Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do. >>>>>>>
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically
convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her allies. >>>>>> That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and >>>>>> it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah wasn't committed to >>>>>> her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm
not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football
player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a
strong need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is
different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants to win in
whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would go
after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on her
last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before
Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly
think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment earlier
in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites for a
reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with >>>>>> the other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to >>>>>> her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final
five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she got
targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused to play >>>>>> the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person
eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had
that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center >>>>>>>> as the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC >>>>>>>> drama next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the >>>>>>>> TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to >>>>>>>> be revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely getting more >>>>>>>> intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything
because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up >>>>>>>> the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous >>>>>>>> winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the >>>>>>>> radar has up to now been borderline impressive given her status >>>>>>>> as the only remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing >>>>>>>> overt to show any kind of threat level.-a I was actually a bit >>>>>>>> surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up
against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for
eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that
stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv were >>>>>>>> the last two players standing, I immediately thought she would >>>>>>>> remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to drop
out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to >>>>>>>> have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that point I >>>>>>>> realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because she >>>>>>>> knew she had a victory here hands down and she was going to save >>>>>>>> that deal for when she needed it. Kass was simply awesome in the >>>>>>>> challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her >>>>>>> athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is
apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in
French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter
syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find
anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio?
If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios and
stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously
something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v-the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her
confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights
into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer $1I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and she
struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able to >>>>>>>> pick up all the random comments made by the others around camp. >>>>>>>> Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is frankly no >>>>>>>> way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from
Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. In >>>>>>> her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable
speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S.
Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that? >>>>>
million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of Survivor
Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the 42
days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak
French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find it
with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any
mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one
person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people were
able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the
Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and
Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the game
after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players haven't been
told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor Season 7 (Pearl
Islands), I have always hated that season because of the gimmick of
the Outcasts being brought back into the game, and the fact that one
of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An even worse situation
happened on an early season of Survivor South Africa where a player
was doing well and dominating the game but was blindsided when some
previously voted out players returned to the game, Outcasts style, and
one of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out that
should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their first
language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would
keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US
Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event
coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season
they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the game >>>>> and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're trying
to help a returning player become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful >>>>>>>> businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to >>>>>>>> strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big weakness >>>>>>>> on her first season was her lack of social skills, and I think >>>>>>>> that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true >>>>>>>> ally and that seems more out of convenience than anything else. >>>>>>>> Hard to believe there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine >>>>>>>> and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, >>>>>>>> but no one seems concerned about him or is mentioning his name. >>>>>>>> I find it hard to believe he could win this because I just canrCOt >>>>>>>> see him making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard >>>>>>>> to believe any of the remaining Aussies can win other than
perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of her, >>>>>>>> Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as the >>>>>>>> winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe >>>>>>>> Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of >>>>>>>> the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also
have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than >>>>>>> worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and >>>>>> she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she >>>>>> played masterfully against some pretty impressive players,
including two guys who had a secret alliance no one knew about
from their friendship before the game. I know we are not seeing it >>>>>> this season and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero
worship of Cirie, but on her winning season she came across as
smart and strategic. I can definitely see her making an articulate >>>>>> case to the jury because she did it before.-a As I said elsewhere, >>>>>> I just haven't seen examples of Cirie taking control of a game and >>>>>> making a case for herself.-a I know people like her and she has
been called the best player never to win Survivor, but I'm not
really sure where that is coming from.-a I can think of a few
players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make more sense
as best player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's
doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the
friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of them >>>>> had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot of
controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real mess.
The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw each other
first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am remembering
right, they were friends from high school but hadn't seen one
another in years.-a They were on different tribes, but they protected >>>> one another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was finally voted out at >>>> final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But I >>>> think their deal was that at a certain point either could turn on
the other if it made game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was upset.
Their mutual attitude seemed to be that as long as one of them won,
it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally disclosed
when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave claimed he was
about to reveal it himself in his final summary, but the damage was
done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To this day I have
wondered whether producers may have gotten to Matt while he was at
Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it.-a This was a season with
Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did discuss it with the other
Survivors but it didn't seem like he was going to reveal it.-a I also >>>> have wondered if the potential scandal had anything to do with the
show not being renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually shows
look for similarities in people and cast them together but this is
next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers stepped in and
got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won and this friendship
didn't get revealed until after the season aired, the entire Survivor
world would have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some
jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread.
Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I
think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a fair
chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa played a
great strategic game and controlled many big moves in the game
including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside
against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked,
even though the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly
helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never
polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had the
reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about the
issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous at the
reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions from note
cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter entirely.
Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but here
is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You can
clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also pick up
on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Great reminder of why reunion shows suck. Based on the video date, Lisa
won at least seven years ago. That's a long time without playing,
especially if she only played once.
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment earlier
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know >>>>>>>>> for sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The
episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell >>>>>>>>> for sure if she was really in trouble or they were trying to do >>>>>>>>> a misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to the >>>>>>>>> sun and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game
finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she >>>>>>>>> had much chance of winning, but I thought she could make it to >>>>>>>>> final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine connection, >>>>>>>>> but when Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt >>>>>>>>> seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was >>>>>>>>> genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think she >>>>>>>>> said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be >>>>>>>> going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what >>>>>>>> really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv >>>>>>>> wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if >>>>>>>> she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal. >>>>>>>> Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do. >>>>>>>>
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically
convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her allies. >>>>>>> That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and >>>>>>> it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah wasn't committed >>>>>>> to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm >>>>>>> not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football
player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a >>>>>>> strong need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is
different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants to win in
whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would go >>>>>>> after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on her >>>>>> last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before
Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly >>>>> think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that. >>>>
in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites for a
reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with >>>>>>> the other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to >>>>>>> her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final >>>>>>> five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she got
targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused to play >>>>>>> the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person >>>>>>> eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had
that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center >>>>>>>>> as the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC >>>>>>>>> drama next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the >>>>>>>>> TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed >>>>>>>>> to be revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely getting >>>>>>>>> more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything >>>>>>>> because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up >>>>>>>>> the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous >>>>>>>>> winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the >>>>>>>>> radar has up to now been borderline impressive given her status >>>>>>>>> as the only remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing >>>>>>>>> overt to show any kind of threat level.-a I was actually a bit >>>>>>>>> surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up
against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for
eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that >>>>>>>>> stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv were >>>>>>>>> the last two players standing, I immediately thought she would >>>>>>>>> remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to drop >>>>>>>>> out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to >>>>>>>>> have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that point I >>>>>>>>> realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because >>>>>>>>> she knew she had a victory here hands down and she was going to >>>>>>>>> save that deal for when she needed it. Kass was simply awesome >>>>>>>>> in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her >>>>>>>> athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is
apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in
French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter
syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find >>>>>>> anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio? >>>>>> If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios
and stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously
something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v-
the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her
confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights
into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer $1 >>>>>> million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of Survivor >>>>>> Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and sheThey've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from >>>>>>>> Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. >>>>>>>> In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable >>>>>>>> speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S.
struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able >>>>>>>>> to pick up all the random comments made by the others around >>>>>>>>> camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is
frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner. >>>>>>>>
Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that? >>>>>>
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the
42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak >>>>> French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find
it with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any
mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one
person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people were
able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the
Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and
Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the game
after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players haven't
been told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor Season 7
(Pearl Islands), I have always hated that season because of the
gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back into the game, and the
fact that one of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An even
worse situation happened on an early season of Survivor South Africa
where a player was doing well and dominating the game but was
blindsided when some previously voted out players returned to the
game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because of
Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out that
should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning would be
the worst.
I'm sure most of the popularity of S7 can be attributed to Rupert and
the whole pirate theme and stealing shoes, etc.-a And it was the first season for Sandra who became one of the all-time greats.-a But for me it will always be tainted by the Outcasts twist and the fact that Lil and
her pathetic scout uniform made it all the way to F2.-a And the less said about Jonny Fairplay, the better.-a Bleh.
Many previous US players would not call English their first
language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would >>>>>>> keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US
Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event
coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season
they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the
game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're
trying to help a returning player become the first two-time winner. >>>>>>
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful >>>>>>>>> businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to >>>>>>>>> strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big
weakness on her first season was her lack of social skills, and >>>>>>>>> I think that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her >>>>>>>>> only true ally and that seems more out of convenience than
anything else. Hard to believe there are only three Aussies >>>>>>>>> left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would >>>>>>>>> be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned about him or is >>>>>>>>> mentioning his name. I find it hard to believe he could win >>>>>>>>> this because I just canrCOt see him making a cohesive jury
speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe any of the
remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of >>>>>>>>> her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as >>>>>>>>> the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and >>>>>>>>> maybe Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing >>>>>>>>> any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also >>>>>>>> have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than >>>>>>>> worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and >>>>>>> she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she >>>>>>> played masterfully against some pretty impressive players,
including two guys who had a secret alliance no one knew about
from their friendship before the game. I know we are not seeing >>>>>>> it this season and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero >>>>>>> worship of Cirie, but on her winning season she came across as
smart and strategic. I can definitely see her making an
articulate case to the jury because she did it before.-a As I said >>>>>>> elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of Cirie taking control >>>>>>> of a game and making a case for herself.-a I know people like her >>>>>>> and she has been called the best player never to win Survivor,
but I'm not really sure where that is coming from.-a I can think >>>>>>> of a few players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make
more sense as best player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's
doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the
friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of
them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot
of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real
mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw
each other first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am >>>>> remembering right, they were friends from high school but hadn't
seen one another in years.-a They were on different tribes, but they >>>>> protected one another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was finally
voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted
against him.-a But I think their deal was that at a certain point
either could turn on the other if it made game sense, so it didn't
seem Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be that as
long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally disclosed >>>>> when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave claimed he was >>>>> about to reveal it himself in his final summary, but the damage was >>>>> done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To this day I have
wondered whether producers may have gotten to Matt while he was at
Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it.-a This was a season with >>>>> Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did discuss it with the other
Survivors but it didn't seem like he was going to reveal it.-a I
also have wondered if the potential scandal had anything to do with >>>>> the show not being renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually
shows look for similarities in people and cast them together but
this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers stepped
in and got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won and this
friendship didn't get revealed until after the season aired, the
entire Survivor world would have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at
FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some
jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread.
Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I
think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a fair
chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa played
a great strategic game and controlled many big moves in the game
including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside
against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked,
even though the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly
helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never
polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had the
reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about the
issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous at
the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions from
note cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter entirely.
Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won?
Officially, the show wasn't renewed (I don't think they ever used the
"c" word) due to low ratings.-a They also replaced it with a show called "Celebrity Treasure Island" which was also hosted by Matt Chisholm and
was considered a kind of Survivor spin-off.-a But unofficially, people
have wondered for years if the fiasco with David and Matt had anything
to do with it never coming back.
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but here
is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You can
clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also pick up
on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty pointed too. >>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Great reminder of why reunion shows suck. Based on the video date,
Lisa won at least seven years ago. That's a long time without playing,
especially if she only played once.
Right, Lisa last played in 2018.-a But to be fair, Sarah last played in
2017 and Janine and Rob last played in 2019, and they all also only
played once.-a Even among the vets, Tony and Parv last played in 2019
when Winners at War was filmed and Cirie's last Survivor appearance was
back in 2016 when Game Changers was filmed.-a I actually wondered if the long layoff from the game may have contributed to both Cirie and Parv seemingly playing with less intensity than I remember.
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment earlier
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know >>>>>>>>> for sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The
episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell >>>>>>>>> for sure if she was really in trouble or they were trying to do >>>>>>>>> a misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to the >>>>>>>>> sun and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game
finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she >>>>>>>>> had much chance of winning, but I thought she could make it to >>>>>>>>> final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine connection, >>>>>>>>> but when Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt >>>>>>>>> seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was >>>>>>>>> genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think she >>>>>>>>> said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be >>>>>>>> going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what >>>>>>>> really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like Parv >>>>>>>> wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be wondering if >>>>>>>> she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on staying loyal. >>>>>>>> Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said she was going to do. >>>>>>>>
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically
convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her allies. >>>>>>> That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - and >>>>>>> it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah wasn't committed >>>>>>> to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm >>>>>>> not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football
player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a >>>>>>> strong need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is
different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants to win in
whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would go >>>>>>> after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on her >>>>>> last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before
Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly >>>>> think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that. >>>>
in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites for a
reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same
experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end with >>>>>>> the other dominant player that season who promised to be loyal to >>>>>>> her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble.-a By final >>>>>>> five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she got
targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused to play >>>>>>> the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person >>>>>>> eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had
that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center >>>>>>>>> as the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC >>>>>>>>> drama next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned the >>>>>>>>> TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it seemed >>>>>>>>> to be revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely getting >>>>>>>>> more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything >>>>>>>> because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up >>>>>>>>> the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous >>>>>>>>> winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under the >>>>>>>>> radar has up to now been borderline impressive given her status >>>>>>>>> as the only remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing >>>>>>>>> overt to show any kind of threat level.-a I was actually a bit >>>>>>>>> surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up
against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in
challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for
eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that >>>>>>>>> stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv were >>>>>>>>> the last two players standing, I immediately thought she would >>>>>>>>> remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to drop >>>>>>>>> out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to >>>>>>>>> have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that point I >>>>>>>>> realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because >>>>>>>>> she knew she had a victory here hands down and she was going to >>>>>>>>> save that deal for when she needed it. Kass was simply awesome >>>>>>>>> in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? Her >>>>>>>> athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is
apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in
French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter
syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find >>>>>>> anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio? >>>>>> If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios
and stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously
something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v-
the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her
confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights
into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer $1 >>>>>> million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of Survivor >>>>>> Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and sheThey've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from >>>>>>>> Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. >>>>>>>> In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable >>>>>>>> speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S.
struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able >>>>>>>>> to pick up all the random comments made by the others around >>>>>>>>> camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is
frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner. >>>>>>>>
Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that? >>>>>>
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the
42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak >>>>> French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find
it with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any
mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one
person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people were
able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the
Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and
Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the game
after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players haven't
been told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor Season 7
(Pearl Islands), I have always hated that season because of the
gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back into the game, and the
fact that one of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An even
worse situation happened on an early season of Survivor South Africa
where a player was doing well and dominating the game but was
blindsided when some previously voted out players returned to the
game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because of
Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out that
should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning would be
the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their first
language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would >>>>>>> keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US
Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event
coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season
they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the
game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're
trying to help a returning player become the first two-time winner. >>>>>>
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful >>>>>>>>> businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able to >>>>>>>>> strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big
weakness on her first season was her lack of social skills, and >>>>>>>>> I think that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her >>>>>>>>> only true ally and that seems more out of convenience than
anything else. Hard to believe there are only three Aussies >>>>>>>>> left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would >>>>>>>>> be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned about him or is >>>>>>>>> mentioning his name. I find it hard to believe he could win >>>>>>>>> this because I just canrCOt see him making a cohesive jury
speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe any of the
remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of >>>>>>>>> her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her as >>>>>>>>> the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and >>>>>>>>> maybe Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble visualizing >>>>>>>>> any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also >>>>>>>> have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than >>>>>>>> worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor and >>>>>>> she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season and she >>>>>>> played masterfully against some pretty impressive players,
including two guys who had a secret alliance no one knew about
from their friendship before the game. I know we are not seeing >>>>>>> it this season and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero >>>>>>> worship of Cirie, but on her winning season she came across as
smart and strategic. I can definitely see her making an
articulate case to the jury because she did it before.-a As I said >>>>>>> elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of Cirie taking control >>>>>>> of a game and making a case for herself.-a I know people like her >>>>>>> and she has been called the best player never to win Survivor,
but I'm not really sure where that is coming from.-a I can think >>>>>>> of a few players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make
more sense as best player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's
doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the
friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of
them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot
of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real
mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw
each other first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am >>>>> remembering right, they were friends from high school but hadn't
seen one another in years.-a They were on different tribes, but they >>>>> protected one another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was finally
voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted
against him.-a But I think their deal was that at a certain point
either could turn on the other if it made game sense, so it didn't
seem Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be that as
long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally disclosed >>>>> when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave claimed he was >>>>> about to reveal it himself in his final summary, but the damage was >>>>> done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To this day I have
wondered whether producers may have gotten to Matt while he was at
Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it.-a This was a season with >>>>> Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did discuss it with the other
Survivors but it didn't seem like he was going to reveal it.-a I
also have wondered if the potential scandal had anything to do with >>>>> the show not being renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually
shows look for similarities in people and cast them together but
this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers stepped
in and got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won and this
friendship didn't get revealed until after the season aired, the
entire Survivor world would have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at
FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some
jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread.
Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I
think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a fair
chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa played
a great strategic game and controlled many big moves in the game
including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside
against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked,
even though the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly
helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never
polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had the
reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about the
issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous at
the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions from
note cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter entirely.
Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but here
is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You can
clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also pick up
on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty pointed too. >>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This one
focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case that the pre-existing relationship between the two had a significant impact on
the outcome.-a The first four minutes briefly discusses other Survivor seasons where players knew each other, but from about 4:10 on it focuses
on the David-Matt controversy and it really hammers the point that this relationship completely changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently Lisa
herself who suggested this video be made because she wanted to lower her threat level for the current season by making it seem the controversy
helped her win.-a If so, that really is pretty advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Lisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be there. I
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d-chess-how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor
On 8/30/2025 9:04 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know >>>>>>>>>> for sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The >>>>>>>>>> episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell >>>>>>>>>> for sure if she was really in trouble or they were trying to >>>>>>>>>> do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to >>>>>>>>>> the sun and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game >>>>>>>>>> finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think >>>>>>>>>> she had much chance of winning, but I thought she could make >>>>>>>>>> it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine >>>>>>>>>> connection, but when Parv started questioning her sincerity, >>>>>>>>>> Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock >>>>>>>>>> at the end was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I >>>>>>>>>> donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be >>>>>>>>> going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what >>>>>>>>> really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like >>>>>>>>> Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be
wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on >>>>>>>>> staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said >>>>>>>>> she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically
convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her allies. >>>>>>>> That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - >>>>>>>> and it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah wasn't
committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm >>>>>>>> not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football >>>>>>>> player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a >>>>>>>> strong need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is
different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants to win in
whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would go >>>>>>>> after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on
her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before >>>>>>> Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly >>>>>> think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that. >>>>>
earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites
for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same >>>>>>>> experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end >>>>>>>> with the other dominant player that season who promised to be >>>>>>>> loyal to her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble. >>>>>>>> By final five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she >>>>>>>> got targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused to >>>>>>>> play the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other >>>>>>>> person eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had >>>>>>> that would have been the end for Cirie.
That's a fair point.Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center >>>>>>>>>> as the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC >>>>>>>>>> drama next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned >>>>>>>>>> the TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it >>>>>>>>>> seemed to be revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely >>>>>>>>>> getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything >>>>>>>>> because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up >>>>>>>>>> the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous >>>>>>>>>> winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under >>>>>>>>>> the radar has up to now been borderline impressive given her >>>>>>>>>> status as the only remaining non-US prior winner. She has done >>>>>>>>>> nothing overt to show any kind of threat level.-a I was
actually a bit surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit. >>>>>>>>>
against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option. >>>>>>>>
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in >>>>>>>>>> challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for
eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that >>>>>>>>>> stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv were >>>>>>>>>> the last two players standing, I immediately thought she would >>>>>>>>>> remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to drop >>>>>>>>>> out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to >>>>>>>>>> have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that point I >>>>>>>>>> realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because >>>>>>>>>> she knew she had a victory here hands down and she was going >>>>>>>>>> to save that deal for when she needed it. Kass was simply >>>>>>>>>> awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? >>>>>>>>> Her athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is
apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in >>>>>>>> French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter >>>>>>>> syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find >>>>>>>> anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio? >>>>>>> If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios
and stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously
something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v- >>>>>> the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her >>>>>> confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights
into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer >>>>>>> $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season ofI didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and sheThey've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from >>>>>>>>> Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. >>>>>>>>> In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable >>>>>>>>> speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S. >>>>>>>>> Survivor?
struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able >>>>>>>>>> to pick up all the random comments made by the others around >>>>>>>>>> camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is >>>>>>>>>> frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner. >>>>>>>>>
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that? >>>>>>>
Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the >>>>>> 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak >>>>>> French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find >>>>>> it with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any
mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one
person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people
were able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the
Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3
and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the
game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players
haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor
Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that season because of
the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back into the game, and
the fact that one of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An even >>>> worse situation happened on an early season of Survivor South Africa
where a player was doing well and dominating the game but was
blindsided when some previously voted out players returned to the
game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because of
Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out that
should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning would be
the worst.
I'm sure most of the popularity of S7 can be attributed to Rupert and
the whole pirate theme and stealing shoes, etc.-a And it was the first
season for Sandra who became one of the all-time greats.-a But for me
it will always be tainted by the Outcasts twist and the fact that Lil
and her pathetic scout uniform made it all the way to F2.-a And the
less said about Jonny Fairplay, the better.-a Bleh.
Many previous US players would not call English their first
language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would >>>>>>>> keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US >>>>>>>> Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event >>>>>>> coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season >>>>>>> they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the
game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're >>>>>>> trying to help a returning player become the first two-time winner. >>>>>>>
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful >>>>>>>>>> businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able >>>>>>>>>> to strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big >>>>>>>>>> weakness on her first season was her lack of social skills, >>>>>>>>>> and I think that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is >>>>>>>>>> her only true ally and that seems more out of convenience than >>>>>>>>>> anything else. Hard to believe there are only three Aussies >>>>>>>>>> left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would >>>>>>>>>> be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned about him or is >>>>>>>>>> mentioning his name. I find it hard to believe he could win >>>>>>>>>> this because I just canrCOt see him making a cohesive jury >>>>>>>>>> speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe any of the
remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC. >>>>>>>>>
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of >>>>>>>>>> her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her >>>>>>>>>> as the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee >>>>>>>>>> and maybe Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble
visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also >>>>>>>>> have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than >>>>>>>>> worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor >>>>>>>> and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season >>>>>>>> and she played masterfully against some pretty impressive
players, including two guys who had a secret alliance no one
knew about from their friendship before the game. I know we are >>>>>>>> not seeing it this season and she definitely seems to be
overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, but on her winning season >>>>>>>> she came across as smart and strategic. I can definitely see her >>>>>>>> making an articulate case to the jury because she did it
before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of >>>>>>>> Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for herself.-a I >>>>>>>> know people like her and she has been called the best player
never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is
coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob Cesternino comes >>>>>>>> to mind) who would make more sense as best player to have never >>>>>>>> won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's
doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the >>>>>>> friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of
them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot >>>>>> of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real >>>>>> mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw
each other first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am >>>>>> remembering right, they were friends from high school but hadn't
seen one another in years.-a They were on different tribes, but
they protected one another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was
finally voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave
voted against him.-a But I think their deal was that at a certain >>>>>> point either could turn on the other if it made game sense, so it >>>>>> didn't seem Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be
that as long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally
disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave
claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final summary,
but the damage was done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To
this day I have wondered whether producers may have gotten to Matt >>>>>> while he was at Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it.-a This >>>>>> was a season with Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did discuss it >>>>>> with the other Survivors but it didn't seem like he was going to
reveal it.-a I also have wondered if the potential scandal had
anything to do with the show not being renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually
shows look for similarities in people and cast them together but
this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers
stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won
and this friendship didn't get revealed until after the season
aired, the entire Survivor world would have faced a scandal. Did
this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some
jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread.
Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I
think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a
fair chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa
played a great strategic game and controlled many big moves in the
game including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside
against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked, >>>> even though the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly
helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never
polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had the
reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about the
issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous at
the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions from
note cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter
entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won?
Officially, the show wasn't renewed (I don't think they ever used the
"c" word) due to low ratings.-a They also replaced it with a show
called "Celebrity Treasure Island" which was also hosted by Matt
Chisholm and was considered a kind of Survivor spin-off.-a But
unofficially, people have wondered for years if the fiasco with David
and Matt had anything to do with it never coming back.
That sounds very weird that they would not renew a show and then use the same host for a somewhat similar show. Maybe the owners of the Survivor empire pulled the plug on the NZ version to avoid wide-scale damage?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but
here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You
can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also
pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty
pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Great reminder of why reunion shows suck. Based on the video date,
Lisa won at least seven years ago. That's a long time without
playing, especially if she only played once.
Right, Lisa last played in 2018.-a But to be fair, Sarah last played in
2017 and Janine and Rob last played in 2019, and they all also only
played once.-a Even among the vets, Tony and Parv last played in 2019
when Winners at War was filmed and Cirie's last Survivor appearance
was back in 2016 when Game Changers was filmed.-a I actually wondered
if the long layoff from the game may have contributed to both Cirie
and Parv seemingly playing with less intensity than I remember.
I knew it had been ages since Cirie last played. For some reason I
thought Sarah had played more than once and the last time was recently.
Not knowing the vast majority of the cast probably made Cirie and Parv
play less intense. As the game goes on I'd say Parv's intensity is increasing. If it was a longer season I think we'd see more "normal"
game play from most of these people.
--
Brian
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know >>>>>>>>>> for sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The >>>>>>>>>> episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell >>>>>>>>>> for sure if she was really in trouble or they were trying to >>>>>>>>>> do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to >>>>>>>>>> the sun and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game >>>>>>>>>> finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think >>>>>>>>>> she had much chance of winning, but I thought she could make >>>>>>>>>> it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine >>>>>>>>>> connection, but when Parv started questioning her sincerity, >>>>>>>>>> Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock >>>>>>>>>> at the end was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I >>>>>>>>>> donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be >>>>>>>>> going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what >>>>>>>>> really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like >>>>>>>>> Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be
wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on >>>>>>>>> staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said >>>>>>>>> she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically
convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her allies. >>>>>>>> That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - Sarah - >>>>>>>> and it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah wasn't
committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but I'm >>>>>>>> not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie football >>>>>>>> player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes she had a >>>>>>>> strong need to play against add defeat the best.-a Parv is
different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants to win in
whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would go >>>>>>>> after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to
reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on
her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of
winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before >>>>>>> Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I truly >>>>>> think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will not do that. >>>>>
earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites
for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same >>>>>>>> experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end >>>>>>>> with the other dominant player that season who promised to be >>>>>>>> loyal to her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble. >>>>>>>> By final five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she >>>>>>>> got targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused to >>>>>>>> play the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other >>>>>>>> person eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had >>>>>>> that would have been the end for Cirie.
That's a fair point.Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and center >>>>>>>>>> as the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest some TC >>>>>>>>>> drama next episode, but as soon as I realized that I turned >>>>>>>>>> the TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, as it >>>>>>>>>> seemed to be revealing way too much.-a Things are definitely >>>>>>>>>> getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything >>>>>>>>> because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break up >>>>>>>>>> the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only previous >>>>>>>>>> winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to stay under >>>>>>>>>> the radar has up to now been borderline impressive given her >>>>>>>>>> status as the only remaining non-US prior winner. She has done >>>>>>>>>> nothing overt to show any kind of threat level.-a I was
actually a bit surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit. >>>>>>>>>
against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option. >>>>>>>>
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in >>>>>>>>>> challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for
eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that >>>>>>>>>> stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv were >>>>>>>>>> the last two players standing, I immediately thought she would >>>>>>>>>> remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to drop >>>>>>>>>> out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to >>>>>>>>>> have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that point I >>>>>>>>>> realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because >>>>>>>>>> she knew she had a victory here hands down and she was going >>>>>>>>>> to save that deal for when she needed it. Kass was simply >>>>>>>>>> awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? >>>>>>>>> Her athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is
apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in >>>>>>>> French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter >>>>>>>> syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find >>>>>>>> anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show bio? >>>>>>> If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios
and stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously
something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v- >>>>>> the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her >>>>>> confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights
into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer >>>>>>> $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season ofI didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and sheThey've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from >>>>>>>>> Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. >>>>>>>>> In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable >>>>>>>>> speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S. >>>>>>>>> Survivor?
struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able >>>>>>>>>> to pick up all the random comments made by the others around >>>>>>>>>> camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is >>>>>>>>>> frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner. >>>>>>>>>
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say that? >>>>>>>
Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the >>>>>> 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak >>>>>> French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find >>>>>> it with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any
mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one
person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people
were able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the
Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3
and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the
game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players
haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor
Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that season because of
the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back into the game, and
the fact that one of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An even >>>> worse situation happened on an early season of Survivor South Africa
where a player was doing well and dominating the game but was
blindsided when some previously voted out players returned to the
game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because of
Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out that
should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning would be
the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their first
language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would >>>>>>>> keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US >>>>>>>> Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does
Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event >>>>>>> coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season >>>>>>> they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the
game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're >>>>>>> trying to help a returning player become the first two-time winner. >>>>>>>
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful >>>>>>>>>> businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able >>>>>>>>>> to strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big >>>>>>>>>> weakness on her first season was her lack of social skills, >>>>>>>>>> and I think that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is >>>>>>>>>> her only true ally and that seems more out of convenience than >>>>>>>>>> anything else. Hard to believe there are only three Aussies >>>>>>>>>> left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would >>>>>>>>>> be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned about him or is >>>>>>>>>> mentioning his name. I find it hard to believe he could win >>>>>>>>>> this because I just canrCOt see him making a cohesive jury >>>>>>>>>> speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe any of the
remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC. >>>>>>>>>
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of >>>>>>>>>> her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her >>>>>>>>>> as the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee >>>>>>>>>> and maybe Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble
visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also >>>>>>>>> have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other than >>>>>>>>> worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor >>>>>>>> and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season >>>>>>>> and she played masterfully against some pretty impressive
players, including two guys who had a secret alliance no one
knew about from their friendship before the game. I know we are >>>>>>>> not seeing it this season and she definitely seems to be
overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, but on her winning season >>>>>>>> she came across as smart and strategic. I can definitely see her >>>>>>>> making an articulate case to the jury because she did it
before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of >>>>>>>> Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for herself.-a I >>>>>>>> know people like her and she has been called the best player
never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is
coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob Cesternino comes >>>>>>>> to mind) who would make more sense as best player to have never >>>>>>>> won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's
doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the >>>>>>> friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of
them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot >>>>>> of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real >>>>>> mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw
each other first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I am >>>>>> remembering right, they were friends from high school but hadn't
seen one another in years.-a They were on different tribes, but
they protected one another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was
finally voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave
voted against him.-a But I think their deal was that at a certain >>>>>> point either could turn on the other if it made game sense, so it >>>>>> didn't seem Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be
that as long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally
disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave
claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final summary,
but the damage was done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To
this day I have wondered whether producers may have gotten to Matt >>>>>> while he was at Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it.-a This >>>>>> was a season with Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did discuss it >>>>>> with the other Survivors but it didn't seem like he was going to
reveal it.-a I also have wondered if the potential scandal had
anything to do with the show not being renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually
shows look for similarities in people and cast them together but
this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers
stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won
and this friendship didn't get revealed until after the season
aired, the entire Survivor world would have faced a scandal. Did
this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some
jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread.
Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I
think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a
fair chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa
played a great strategic game and controlled many big moves in the
game including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside
against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked, >>>> even though the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly
helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never
polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had the
reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about the
issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous at
the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions from
note cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter
entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but
here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You
can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also
pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty
pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This one
focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case that the
pre-existing relationship between the two had a significant impact on
the outcome.-a The first four minutes briefly discusses other Survivor
seasons where players knew each other, but from about 4:10 on it
focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it really hammers the point
that this relationship completely changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently Lisa
herself who suggested this video be made because she wanted to lower
her threat level for the current season by making it seem the
controversy helped her win.-a If so, that really is pretty advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a controversy.
After watching that video there's no question in my mind that Lisa's win
is tainted.
Lisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be there. I
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d-chess-how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor
wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor? Posting under
another name to trash her own game is pretty funny.
On 8/30/2025 5:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 9:04 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know >>>>>>>>>>> for sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The >>>>>>>>>>> episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell >>>>>>>>>>> for sure if she was really in trouble or they were trying to >>>>>>>>>>> do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to >>>>>>>>>>> the sun and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game >>>>>>>>>>> finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think >>>>>>>>>>> she had much chance of winning, but I thought she could make >>>>>>>>>>> it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine >>>>>>>>>>> connection, but when Parv started questioning her sincerity, >>>>>>>>>>> Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock >>>>>>>>>>> at the end was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I >>>>>>>>>>> donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be >>>>>>>>>> going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what >>>>>>>>>> really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like >>>>>>>>>> Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be
wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on >>>>>>>>>> staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said >>>>>>>>>> she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically
convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her
allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - >>>>>>>>> Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah
wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but >>>>>>>>> I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie
football player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes >>>>>>>>> she had a strong need to play against add defeat the best. >>>>>>>>> Parv is different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants to win >>>>>>>>> in whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would >>>>>>>>> go after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to >>>>>>>> reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on >>>>>>>> her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of >>>>>>>> winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before >>>>>>>> Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I
truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will >>>>>>> not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment
earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites >>>>>> for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same >>>>>>>>> experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end >>>>>>>>> with the other dominant player that season who promised to be >>>>>>>>> loyal to her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble. >>>>>>>>> By final five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she >>>>>>>>> got targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused >>>>>>>>> to play the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the >>>>>>>>> other person eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had >>>>>>>> that would have been the end for Cirie.
That's a fair point.Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and >>>>>>>>>>> center as the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest >>>>>>>>>>> some TC drama next episode, but as soon as I realized that I >>>>>>>>>>> turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, >>>>>>>>>>> as it seemed to be revealing way too much.-a Things are >>>>>>>>>>> definitely getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything >>>>>>>>>> because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break >>>>>>>>>>> up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only >>>>>>>>>>> previous winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to >>>>>>>>>>> stay under the radar has up to now been borderline impressive >>>>>>>>>>> given her status as the only remaining non-US prior winner. >>>>>>>>>>> She has done nothing overt to show any kind of threat level. >>>>>>>>>>> I was actually a bit surprised to hear her name bandied about >>>>>>>>>>> a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up >>>>>>>>>> against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option. >>>>>>>>>
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in >>>>>>>>>>> challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for >>>>>>>>>>> eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that >>>>>>>>>>> stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv were >>>>>>>>>>> the last two players standing, I immediately thought she >>>>>>>>>>> would remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to >>>>>>>>>>> drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it >>>>>>>>>>> only to have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that >>>>>>>>>>> point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal >>>>>>>>>>> because she knew she had a victory here hands down and she >>>>>>>>>>> was going to save that deal for when she needed it. Kass was >>>>>>>>>>> simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? >>>>>>>>>> Her athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is >>>>>>>>> apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in >>>>>>>>> French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter >>>>>>>>> syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find >>>>>>>>> anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show
bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios >>>>>>> and stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously >>>>>>> something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v- >>>>>>> the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her >>>>>>> confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights >>>>>>> into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and she >>>>>>>>>>> struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able >>>>>>>>>>> to pick up all the random comments made by the others around >>>>>>>>>>> camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is >>>>>>>>>>> frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner. >>>>>>>>>>They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from >>>>>>>>>> Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. >>>>>>>>>> In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable >>>>>>>>>> speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S. >>>>>>>>>> Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say >>>>>>>>> that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer >>>>>>>> $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of
Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the >>>>>>> 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak >>>>>>> French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find >>>>>>> it with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any >>>>>> mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one >>>>>> person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people
were able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the >>>>>> Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3
and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the
game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players
haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor >>>>> Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that season because
of the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back into the game,
and the fact that one of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An >>>>> even worse situation happened on an early season of Survivor South
Africa where a player was doing well and dominating the game but
was blindsided when some previously voted out players returned to
the game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended up winning the season. >>>>
of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out
that should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning
would be the worst.
I'm sure most of the popularity of S7 can be attributed to Rupert and
the whole pirate theme and stealing shoes, etc.-a And it was the first
season for Sandra who became one of the all-time greats.-a But for me
it will always be tainted by the Outcasts twist and the fact that Lil
and her pathetic scout uniform made it all the way to F2.-a And the
less said about Jonny Fairplay, the better.-a Bleh.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matterMany previous US players would not call English their first >>>>>>>>> language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would >>>>>>>>> keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US >>>>>>>>> Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does >>>>>>>> Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event >>>>>>>> coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season >>>>>>>> they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the >>>>>>>> game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're >>>>>>>> trying to help a returning player become the first two-time winner. >>>>>>>>
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful >>>>>>>>>>> businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able >>>>>>>>>>> to strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big >>>>>>>>>>> weakness on her first season was her lack of social skills, >>>>>>>>>>> and I think that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is >>>>>>>>>>> her only true ally and that seems more out of convenience >>>>>>>>>>> than anything else. Hard to believe there are only three >>>>>>>>>>> Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure >>>>>>>>>>> Luke would be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned >>>>>>>>>>> about him or is mentioning his name. I find it hard toI agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC. >>>>>>>>>>
believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see him making >>>>>>>>>>> a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe >>>>>>>>>>> any of the remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee. >>>>>>>>>>
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of >>>>>>>>>>> her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her >>>>>>>>>>> as the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee >>>>>>>>>>> and maybe Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble >>>>>>>>>>> visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also >>>>>>>>>> have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other >>>>>>>>>> than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor >>>>>>>>> and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season >>>>>>>>> and she played masterfully against some pretty impressive
players, including two guys who had a secret alliance no one >>>>>>>>> knew about from their friendship before the game. I know we are >>>>>>>>> not seeing it this season and she definitely seems to be
overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, but on her winning season >>>>>>>>> she came across as smart and strategic. I can definitely see >>>>>>>>> her making an articulate case to the jury because she did it >>>>>>>>> before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of >>>>>>>>> Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for herself. >>>>>>>>> I know people like her and she has been called the best player >>>>>>>>> never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is >>>>>>>>> coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob Cesternino >>>>>>>>> comes to mind) who would make more sense as best player to have >>>>>>>>> never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's >>>>>>>> doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the >>>>>>>> friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of >>>>>>>> them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot >>>>>>> of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real >>>>>>> mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw >>>>>>> each other first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I >>>>>>> am remembering right, they were friends from high school but
hadn't seen one another in years.-a They were on different tribes, >>>>>>> but they protected one another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was >>>>>>> finally voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave >>>>>>> voted against him.-a But I think their deal was that at a certain >>>>>>> point either could turn on the other if it made game sense, so it >>>>>>> didn't seem Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be
that as long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally
disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave >>>>>>> claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final summary, >>>>>>> but the damage was done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To >>>>>>> this day I have wondered whether producers may have gotten to
Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it. >>>>>>> This was a season with Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did
discuss it with the other Survivors but it didn't seem like he
was going to reveal it.-a I also have wondered if the potential >>>>>>> scandal had anything to do with the show not being renewed for a >>>>>>> third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually
shows look for similarities in people and cast them together but
this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers
stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won
and this friendship didn't get revealed until after the season
aired, the entire Survivor world would have faced a scandal. Did
this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some >>>>> jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread. >>>>> Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I >>>>> think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a
fair chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa >>>>> played a great strategic game and controlled many big moves in the
game including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the
blindside against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was >>>>> well-liked, even though the secret alliance with his high school
friend clearly helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never
polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had
the reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about >>>>> the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous >>>>> at the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions
from note cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from the subject. >>>>
entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won?
Officially, the show wasn't renewed (I don't think they ever used the
"c" word) due to low ratings.-a They also replaced it with a show
called "Celebrity Treasure Island" which was also hosted by Matt
Chisholm and was considered a kind of Survivor spin-off.-a But
unofficially, people have wondered for years if the fiasco with David
and Matt had anything to do with it never coming back.
That sounds very weird that they would not renew a show and then use
the same host for a somewhat similar show. Maybe the owners of the
Survivor empire pulled the plug on the NZ version to avoid wide-scale
damage?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but
here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You >>>>> can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also
pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty >>>>> pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Great reminder of why reunion shows suck. Based on the video date,
Lisa won at least seven years ago. That's a long time without
playing, especially if she only played once.
Right, Lisa last played in 2018.-a But to be fair, Sarah last played
in 2017 and Janine and Rob last played in 2019, and they all also
only played once.-a Even among the vets, Tony and Parv last played in
2019 when Winners at War was filmed and Cirie's last Survivor
appearance was back in 2016 when Game Changers was filmed.-a I
actually wondered if the long layoff from the game may have
contributed to both Cirie and Parv seemingly playing with less
intensity than I remember.
I knew it had been ages since Cirie last played. For some reason I
thought Sarah had played more than once and the last time was recently.
Not knowing the vast majority of the cast probably made Cirie and Parv
play less intense. As the game goes on I'd say Parv's intensity is
increasing. If it was a longer season I think we'd see more "normal"
game play from most of these people.
I agree.-a The fact they are playing such a short season really changes
the playing strategy significantly.-a It definitely has the feel of an "exhibition season" that doesn't really count for much since you don't
have time to develop long-term relationships and you don't even have to
deal with physical hardships too much.-a It almost feels more like "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here" than real Survivor.
On 8/30/2025 6:22 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not know >>>>>>>>>>> for sure who was leaving until the votes were read.-a The >>>>>>>>>>> episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt tell >>>>>>>>>>> for sure if she was really in trouble or they were trying to >>>>>>>>>>> do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to >>>>>>>>>>> the sun and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game >>>>>>>>>>> finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think >>>>>>>>>>> she had much chance of winning, but I thought she could make >>>>>>>>>>> it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine >>>>>>>>>>> connection, but when Parv started questioning her sincerity, >>>>>>>>>>> Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock >>>>>>>>>>> at the end was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I >>>>>>>>>>> donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be >>>>>>>>>> going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but what >>>>>>>>>> really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like >>>>>>>>>> Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be
wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on >>>>>>>>>> staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said >>>>>>>>>> she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit
bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically
convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her
allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - >>>>>>>>> Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah
wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but >>>>>>>>> I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie
football player before becoming a coach, and like many athletes >>>>>>>>> she had a strong need to play against add defeat the best. >>>>>>>>> Parv is different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants to win >>>>>>>>> in whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt she would >>>>>>>>> go after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to >>>>>>>> reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on >>>>>>>> her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of >>>>>>>> winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before >>>>>>>> Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I
truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will >>>>>>> not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment
earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites >>>>>> for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same >>>>>>>>> experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end >>>>>>>>> with the other dominant player that season who promised to be >>>>>>>>> loyal to her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble. >>>>>>>>> By final five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and she >>>>>>>>> got targeted, but the person she thought was her ally refused >>>>>>>>> to play the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the >>>>>>>>> other person eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she had >>>>>>>> that would have been the end for Cirie.
That's a fair point.Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and >>>>>>>>>>> center as the big target going forward.-a The previews suggest >>>>>>>>>>> some TC drama next episode, but as soon as I realized that I >>>>>>>>>>> turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any more of the preview, >>>>>>>>>>> as it seemed to be revealing way too much.-a Things are >>>>>>>>>>> definitely getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything >>>>>>>>>> because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time in >>>>>>>>>>> kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to break >>>>>>>>>>> up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the only >>>>>>>>>>> previous winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability to >>>>>>>>>>> stay under the radar has up to now been borderline impressive >>>>>>>>>>> given her status as the only remaining non-US prior winner. >>>>>>>>>>> She has done nothing overt to show any kind of threat level. >>>>>>>>>>> I was actually a bit surprised to hear her name bandied about >>>>>>>>>>> a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up >>>>>>>>>> against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option. >>>>>>>>>
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in >>>>>>>>>>> challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for >>>>>>>>>>> eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that >>>>>>>>>>> stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv were >>>>>>>>>>> the last two players standing, I immediately thought she >>>>>>>>>>> would remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to >>>>>>>>>>> drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it >>>>>>>>>>> only to have Parv shush him.-a That was funny.-a It was at that >>>>>>>>>>> point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal >>>>>>>>>>> because she knew she had a victory here hands down and she >>>>>>>>>>> was going to save that deal for when she needed it. Kass was >>>>>>>>>>> simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? >>>>>>>>>> Her athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is >>>>>>>>> apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in >>>>>>>>> French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter >>>>>>>>> syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find >>>>>>>>> anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports
background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show
bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios >>>>>>> and stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously >>>>>>> something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v- >>>>>>> the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of her >>>>>>> confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights >>>>>>> into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass is >>>>>>>>>>> from Quebec so English is not her first language and she >>>>>>>>>>> struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be able >>>>>>>>>>> to pick up all the random comments made by the others around >>>>>>>>>>> camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is >>>>>>>>>>> frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner. >>>>>>>>>>They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from >>>>>>>>>> Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is Quebec. >>>>>>>>>> In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being comfortable >>>>>>>>>> speaking English had any impact on her not applying for U.S. >>>>>>>>>> Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say >>>>>>>>> that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer >>>>>>>> $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of
Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with the >>>>>>> 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't speak >>>>>>> French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I can find >>>>>>> it with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see any >>>>>> mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy stuff.
Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, and one >>>>>> person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other people
were able to compete to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the >>>>>> Wikipedia article doesn't give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3
and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the
game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players
haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor >>>>> Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that season because
of the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back into the game,
and the fact that one of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.-a An >>>>> even worse situation happened on an early season of Survivor South
Africa where a player was doing well and dominating the game but
was blindsided when some previously voted out players returned to
the game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended up winning the season. >>>>
of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out
that should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning
would be the worst.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matterMany previous US players would not call English their first >>>>>>>>> language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that would >>>>>>>>> keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US >>>>>>>>> Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does >>>>>>>> Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event >>>>>>>> coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season >>>>>>>> they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the >>>>>>>> game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're >>>>>>>> trying to help a returning player become the first two-time winner. >>>>>>>>
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a successful >>>>>>>>>>> businesswoman and corporate executive in the way she is able >>>>>>>>>>> to strategize and influence the way people think.-a Her big >>>>>>>>>>> weakness on her first season was her lack of social skills, >>>>>>>>>>> and I think that is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is >>>>>>>>>>> her only true ally and that seems more out of convenience >>>>>>>>>>> than anything else. Hard to believe there are only three >>>>>>>>>>> Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure >>>>>>>>>>> Luke would be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned >>>>>>>>>>> about him or is mentioning his name. I find it hard toI agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC. >>>>>>>>>>
believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see him making >>>>>>>>>>> a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe >>>>>>>>>>> any of the remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee. >>>>>>>>>>
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of >>>>>>>>>>> her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her >>>>>>>>>>> as the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, Shonee >>>>>>>>>>> and maybe Lisa as potential winners, but I have trouble >>>>>>>>>>> visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also >>>>>>>>>> have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other >>>>>>>>>> than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor >>>>>>>>> and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season >>>>>>>>> and she played masterfully against some pretty impressive
players, including two guys who had a secret alliance no one >>>>>>>>> knew about from their friendship before the game. I know we are >>>>>>>>> not seeing it this season and she definitely seems to be
overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, but on her winning season >>>>>>>>> she came across as smart and strategic. I can definitely see >>>>>>>>> her making an articulate case to the jury because she did it >>>>>>>>> before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of >>>>>>>>> Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for herself. >>>>>>>>> I know people like her and she has been called the best player >>>>>>>>> never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is >>>>>>>>> coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob Cesternino >>>>>>>>> comes to mind) who would make more sense as best player to have >>>>>>>>> never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's >>>>>>>> doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the >>>>>>>> friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of >>>>>>>> them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a lot >>>>>>> of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a real >>>>>>> mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they saw >>>>>>> each other first episode that they were both on the show.-a If I >>>>>>> am remembering right, they were friends from high school but
hadn't seen one another in years.-a They were on different tribes, >>>>>>> but they protected one another until well after merge.-a-a Matt was >>>>>>> finally voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave >>>>>>> voted against him.-a But I think their deal was that at a certain >>>>>>> point either could turn on the other if it made game sense, so it >>>>>>> didn't seem Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be
that as long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally
disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave >>>>>>> claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final summary, >>>>>>> but the damage was done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To >>>>>>> this day I have wondered whether producers may have gotten to
Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it. >>>>>>> This was a season with Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did
discuss it with the other Survivors but it didn't seem like he
was going to reveal it.-a I also have wondered if the potential >>>>>>> scandal had anything to do with the show not being renewed for a >>>>>>> third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually
shows look for similarities in people and cast them together but
this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers
stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won
and this friendship didn't get revealed until after the season
aired, the entire Survivor world would have faced a scandal. Did
this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some >>>>> jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have spread. >>>>> Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from Matt.-a I >>>>> think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, there's a
fair chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa >>>>> played a great strategic game and controlled many big moves in the
game including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the
blindside against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was >>>>> well-liked, even though the secret alliance with his high school
friend clearly helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never
polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had
the reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked about >>>>> the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous >>>>> at the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his questions
from note cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from the subject. >>>>
entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but
here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.-a You >>>>> can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can also
pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are pretty >>>>> pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This one
focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case that the
pre-existing relationship between the two had a significant impact on
the outcome.-a The first four minutes briefly discusses other Survivor
seasons where players knew each other, but from about 4:10 on it
focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it really hammers the point
that this relationship completely changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently Lisa
herself who suggested this video be made because she wanted to lower
her threat level for the current season by making it seem the
controversy helped her win.-a If so, that really is pretty advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a controversy.
After watching that video there's no question in my mind that Lisa's
win is tainted.
Well you can look at that two ways.-a On one hand you can argue that if
Matt hadn't outed Dave, it is possible Dave would have won.-a But in that case, it would be HIS win that was tainted since he would have won based
on cheating and a material piece of information not being disclosed to
the jury.-a You can argue that by Matt outing him, he was simply exposing all the players to the actual truth of what happened and the players
then decided collectively to give the win to Lisa.
By the way, after Dave was outed in TC, he claimed (and this video
reflects this) that he planned on revealing the friendship in his final summation, but I never believed that for a moment.-a If he had been able
to keep the secret all the way to the end, there is NO way he would have admitted it in his final words to the jury.
The real villain here is clearly the show's casting director for not
taking what would seem like the simple step of checking where people
went to high school and dates of attendance.
Lisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be there. I
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d-chess-
how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor
wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor? Posting under
another name to trash her own game is pretty funny.
I would not have expected to see Cirie either.-a I figured if you're limiting the Americans to three participants, go with three previous winners, not someone who never made the finals.-a I'm sure she figured someone like Sandra or Boston Rob would have made more sense.
Even among the Aussies (who have played far fewer seasons than the
Americans and have fewer winners to choose from) the choice of two one-
time players like Sarah (who finished 8th in her season) and Janine (who finished 6th) seemed really odd.-a I can think of several better choices, including a couple of prior winners as well as non-winners who played multiple seasons) who would have been better choices.
And I'll say again that excluding anyone (especially the winner) from
the very recent Survivor UK season doesn't make much sense.
On 8/30/2025 7:24 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 6:22 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not >>>>>>>>>>>> know for sure who was leaving until the votes were read. >>>>>>>>>>>> The episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I couldnrCOt >>>>>>>>>>>> tell for sure if she was really in trouble or they were >>>>>>>>>>>> trying to do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too >>>>>>>>>>>> close to the sun and her inexperience and cowboy approach to >>>>>>>>>>>> the game finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>> didn't think she had much chance of winning, but I thought >>>>>>>>>>>> she could make it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv >>>>>>>>>>>> formed a genuine connection, but when Parv started
questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to >>>>>>>>>>>> close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was genuine and real, >>>>>>>>>>>> and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think she said goodbye to or >>>>>>>>>>>> embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would be >>>>>>>>>>> going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but >>>>>>>>>>> what really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like >>>>>>>>>>> Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be
wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on >>>>>>>>>>> staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said >>>>>>>>>>> she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit >>>>>>>>>> bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically >>>>>>>>>> convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her
allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - >>>>>>>>>> Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah >>>>>>>>>> wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but >>>>>>>>>> I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie
football player before becoming a coach, and like many
athletes she had a strong need to play against add defeat the >>>>>>>>>> best. Parv is different.-a She is a strategist who simply wants >>>>>>>>>> to win in whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no doubt >>>>>>>>>> she would go after anyone she thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to >>>>>>>>> reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on >>>>>>>>> her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of >>>>>>>>> winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv before >>>>>>>>> Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I >>>>>>>> truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will >>>>>>>> not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment
earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs. Favorites >>>>>>> for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the same >>>>>>>>>> experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the end >>>>>>>>>> with the other dominant player that season who promised to be >>>>>>>>>> loyal to her and to play an idol on her if she got in trouble. >>>>>>>>>> By final five, everyone had learned what Kirby could do and >>>>>>>>>> she got targeted, but the person she thought was her ally >>>>>>>>>> refused to play the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, >>>>>>>>>> and the other person eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she >>>>>>>>> had that would have been the end for Cirie.
That's a fair point.Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and >>>>>>>>>>>> center as the big target going forward.-a The previews >>>>>>>>>>>> suggest some TC drama next episode, but as soon as I
realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any more >>>>>>>>>>>> of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing way too much. >>>>>>>>>>>> Things are definitely getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say anything >>>>>>>>>>> because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time >>>>>>>>>>>> in kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to >>>>>>>>>>>> break up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the >>>>>>>>>>>> only previous winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability >>>>>>>>>>>> to stay under the radar has up to now been borderline >>>>>>>>>>>> impressive given her status as the only remaining non-US >>>>>>>>>>>> prior winner. She has done nothing overt to show any kind of >>>>>>>>>>>> threat level. I was actually a bit surprised to hear her >>>>>>>>>>>> name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up >>>>>>>>>>> against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option. >>>>>>>>>>
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in >>>>>>>>>>>> challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for >>>>>>>>>>>> eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC and >>>>>>>>>>>> never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to that >>>>>>>>>>>> stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and Parv >>>>>>>>>>>> were the last two players standing, I immediately thought >>>>>>>>>>>> she would remind Parv of their original deal and and ask >>>>>>>>>>>> Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too and >>>>>>>>>>>> mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was funny. >>>>>>>>>>>> It was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to >>>>>>>>>>>> bring up the deal because she knew she had a victory here >>>>>>>>>>>> hands down and she was going to save that deal for when she >>>>>>>>>>>> needed it. Kass was simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? >>>>>>>>>>> Her athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is >>>>>>>>>> apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in >>>>>>>>>> French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter >>>>>>>>>> syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't find >>>>>>>>>> anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or sports >>>>>>>>>> background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show >>>>>>>>> bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast bios >>>>>>>> and stories that came out before the season, and it is obviously >>>>>>>> something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia-v- the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of-
australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of >>>>>>>> her confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good insights >>>>>>>> into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass >>>>>>>>>>>> is from Quebec so English is not her first language and she >>>>>>>>>>>> struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking.-a That >>>>>>>>>>>> just makes her more impressive, as she may not always be >>>>>>>>>>>> able to pick up all the random comments made by the others >>>>>>>>>>>> around camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but >>>>>>>>>>>> there is frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate >>>>>>>>>>>> potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being from >>>>>>>>>>> Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is
Quebec. In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being >>>>>>>>>>> comfortable speaking English had any impact on her not
applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say >>>>>>>>>> that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd prefer >>>>>>>>> $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her season of >>>>>>>>> Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with >>>>>>>> the 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't >>>>>>>> speak French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I >>>>>>>> can find it with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see
any mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy
stuff. Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people quit, >>>>>>> and one person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like other >>>>>>> people were able to compete to get back into the game.
Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article doesn't give episode
breakdowns. They dis a F3 and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed >>>>>>> in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the
game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players
haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like US Survivor >>>>>> Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that season because >>>>>> of the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back into the game,
and the fact that one of those Outcasts lasted until Final Two.
An even worse situation happened on an early season of Survivor
South Africa where a player was doing well and dominating the game >>>>>> but was blindsided when some previously voted out players returned >>>>>> to the game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended up winning the >>>>>> season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because
of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted out >>>>> that should be it for your game. Someone coming back and winning
would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their first >>>>>>>>>> language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that >>>>>>>>>> would keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US >>>>>>>>>> Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does >>>>>>>>> Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and event >>>>>>>>> coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this season >>>>>>>>> they managed to find people who know next to nothing about the >>>>>>>>> game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's like they're >>>>>>>>> trying to help a returning player become the first two-time >>>>>>>>> winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a
successful businesswoman and corporate executive in the way >>>>>>>>>>>> she is able to strategize and influence the way people >>>>>>>>>>>> think.-a Her big weakness on her first season was her lack of >>>>>>>>>>>> social skills, and I think that is still going to be an >>>>>>>>>>>> issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally and that seems more >>>>>>>>>>>> out of convenience than anything else. Hard to believe there >>>>>>>>>>>> are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>> thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, but no one >>>>>>>>>>>> seems concerned about him or is mentioning his name. I find >>>>>>>>>>>> it hard to believe he could win this because I just canrCOt >>>>>>>>>>>> see him making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it >>>>>>>>>>>> hard to believe any of the remaining Aussies can win other >>>>>>>>>>>> than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC. >>>>>>>>>>>
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of >>>>>>>>>>>> her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing her >>>>>>>>>>>> as the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, >>>>>>>>>>>> Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential winners, but I have >>>>>>>>>>>> trouble visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should also >>>>>>>>>>> have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done other >>>>>>>>>>> than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor >>>>>>>>>> and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season >>>>>>>>>> and she played masterfully against some pretty impressive >>>>>>>>>> players, including two guys who had a secret alliance no one >>>>>>>>>> knew about from their friendship before the game. I know we >>>>>>>>>> are not seeing it this season and she definitely seems to be >>>>>>>>>> overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, but on her winning season >>>>>>>>>> she came across as smart and strategic. I can definitely see >>>>>>>>>> her making an articulate case to the jury because she did it >>>>>>>>>> before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of >>>>>>>>>> Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for herself. >>>>>>>>>> I know people like her and she has been called the best player >>>>>>>>>> never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is >>>>>>>>>> coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob Cesternino >>>>>>>>>> comes to mind) who would make more sense as best player to >>>>>>>>>> have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's >>>>>>>>> doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about the >>>>>>>>> friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If one of >>>>>>>>> them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a >>>>>>>> lot of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been a >>>>>>>> real mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until they >>>>>>>> saw each other first episode that they were both on the show. >>>>>>>> If I am remembering right, they were friends from high school >>>>>>>> but hadn't seen one another in years.-a They were on different >>>>>>>> tribes, but they protected one another until well after merge. >>>>>>>> Matt was finally voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I >>>>>>>> think Dave voted against him.-a But I think their deal was that >>>>>>>> at a certain point either could turn on the other if it made
game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was upset. Their mutual
attitude seemed to be that as long as one of them won, it didn't >>>>>>>> matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally
disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave >>>>>>>> claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final summary, >>>>>>>> but the damage was done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To >>>>>>>> this day I have wondered whether producers may have gotten to >>>>>>>> Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it. >>>>>>>> This was a season with Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did
discuss it with the other Survivors but it didn't seem like he >>>>>>>> was going to reveal it.-a I also have wondered if the potential >>>>>>>> scandal had anything to do with the show not being renewed for a >>>>>>>> third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually >>>>>>> shows look for similarities in people and cast them together but >>>>>>> this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers
stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won >>>>>>> and this friendship didn't get revealed until after the season
aired, the entire Survivor world would have faced a scandal. Did >>>>>>> this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told some >>>>>> jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have
spread. Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from >>>>>> Matt.-a I think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through,
there's a fair chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the
finale.-a Lisa played a great strategic game and controlled many
big moves in the game including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that
resulted in the blindside against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong >>>>>> game too and was well-liked, even though the secret alliance with >>>>>> his high school friend clearly helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never >>>>>> polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had
the reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked
about the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed >>>>>> nervous at the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his
questions from note cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from >>>>>> the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter
entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won? >>>>>
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but
here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.
You can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can
also pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are >>>>>> pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This one
focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case that the
pre-existing relationship between the two had a significant impact
on the outcome.-a The first four minutes briefly discusses other
Survivor seasons where players knew each other, but from about 4:10
on it focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it really hammers
the point that this relationship completely changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently Lisa
herself who suggested this video be made because she wanted to lower
her threat level for the current season by making it seem the
controversy helped her win.-a If so, that really is pretty advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a controversy.
After watching that video there's no question in my mind that Lisa's
win is tainted.
Well you can look at that two ways.-a On one hand you can argue that if
Matt hadn't outed Dave, it is possible Dave would have won.-a But in
that case, it would be HIS win that was tainted since he would have
won based on cheating and a material piece of information not being
disclosed to the jury.-a You can argue that by Matt outing him, he was
simply exposing all the players to the actual truth of what happened
and the players then decided collectively to give the win to Lisa.
I'm not saying Lisa wouldn't have deserved to win. Just that there
should be an asterisk by her name. Have any of the jurors ever been
asked about this since the season aired? It would be strange if no
podcast has ever asked a juror about this friendship reveal.
By the way, after Dave was outed in TC, he claimed (and this video
reflects this) that he planned on revealing the friendship in his
final summation, but I never believed that for a moment.-a If he had
been able to keep the secret all the way to the end, there is NO way
he would have admitted it in his final words to the jury.
The real villain here is clearly the show's casting director for not
taking what would seem like the simple step of checking where people
went to high school and dates of attendance.
If the budget really was small the casting director probably just said
screw it and I'll gamble. Stupid move given how small NZ is population
wise.
Lisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be there. I
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d-chess-
how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor
wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor? Posting under
another name to trash her own game is pretty funny.
I would not have expected to see Cirie either.-a I figured if you're
limiting the Americans to three participants, go with three previous
winners, not someone who never made the finals.-a I'm sure she figured
someone like Sandra or Boston Rob would have made more sense.
But would she have known how many U.S. Survivor Players there would be?
You also have to factor in S50. If I was Lisa, I would have assumed
Sandra, Boston Rob, and Parv would all do S50. Cirie doing Australia
would make more sense to me. Cirie doing both makes no sense.
Even among the Aussies (who have played far fewer seasons than the
Americans and have fewer winners to choose from) the choice of two
one- time players like Sarah (who finished 8th in her season) and
Janine (who finished 6th) seemed really odd.-a I can think of several
better choices, including a couple of prior winners as well as
non-winners who played multiple seasons) who would have been better
choices.
And I'll say again that excluding anyone (especially the winner) from
the very recent Survivor UK season doesn't make much sense.
To me, including someone from a now defunct version of the franchise
makes no sense. Is Lisa well-known to Australian viewers? It's possible they're catering to New Zealand viewers as this season is being
broadcast there. It's also weird they went with Tommi and Kass. I'm glad they cast Kass as she's been a huge pleasant surpris
On 8/30/2025 11:18 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 7:24 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 6:22 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not >>>>>>>>>>>>> know for sure who was leaving until the votes were read. >>>>>>>>>>>>> The episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I >>>>>>>>>>>>> couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was really in trouble or they >>>>>>>>>>>>> were trying to do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>> flew too close to the sun and her inexperience and cowboy >>>>>>>>>>>>> approach to the game finally caught up to her.-a I was >>>>>>>>>>>>> surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of winning, >>>>>>>>>>>>> but I thought she could make it to final 4 or 5. I think >>>>>>>>>>>>> she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but when Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>> started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to >>>>>>>>>>>>> know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was >>>>>>>>>>>>> genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think she >>>>>>>>>>>>> said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would >>>>>>>>>>>> be going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, but >>>>>>>>>>>> what really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like >>>>>>>>>>>> Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be >>>>>>>>>>>> wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned on >>>>>>>>>>>> staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she said >>>>>>>>>>>> she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit >>>>>>>>>>> bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically >>>>>>>>>>> convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her >>>>>>>>>>> allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally - >>>>>>>>>>> Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah >>>>>>>>>>> wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge
disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but >>>>>>>>>>> I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie >>>>>>>>>>> football player before becoming a coach, and like manyI agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example to >>>>>>>>>> reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did turn on >>>>>>>>>> her last #1 Sarah.
athletes she had a strong need to play against add defeat the >>>>>>>>>>> best. Parv is different.-a She is a strategist who simply >>>>>>>>>>> wants to win in whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no >>>>>>>>>>> doubt she would go after anyone she thought could beat her. >>>>>>>>>>
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way of >>>>>>>>>> winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv
before Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I >>>>>>>>> truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will >>>>>>>>> not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment
earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs.
Favorites for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the >>>>>>>>>>> same experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to the >>>>>>>>>>> end with the other dominant player that season who promised >>>>>>>>>>> to be loyal to her and to play an idol on her if she got in >>>>>>>>>>> trouble. By final five, everyone had learned what Kirby could >>>>>>>>>>> do and she got targeted, but the person she thought was her >>>>>>>>>>> ally refused to play the idol, As a result, Kirby got voted >>>>>>>>>>> out, and the other person eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she >>>>>>>>>> had that would have been the end for Cirie.
That's a fair point.Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and >>>>>>>>>>>>> center as the big target going forward.-a The previews >>>>>>>>>>>>> suggest some TC drama next episode, but as soon as I >>>>>>>>>>>>> realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any more >>>>>>>>>>>>> of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing way too much. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Things are definitely getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say
anything because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time >>>>>>>>>>>>> in kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to >>>>>>>>>>>>> break up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the >>>>>>>>>>>>> only previous winners still on the show, and LisarCOs ability >>>>>>>>>>>>> to stay under the radar has up to now been borderline >>>>>>>>>>>>> impressive given her status as the only remaining non-US >>>>>>>>>>>>> prior winner. She has done nothing overt to show any kind >>>>>>>>>>>>> of threat level. I was actually a bit surprised to hear her >>>>>>>>>>>>> name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up >>>>>>>>>>>> against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option. >>>>>>>>>>>
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in >>>>>>>>>>>>> challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for >>>>>>>>>>>>> eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC >>>>>>>>>>>>> and never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to >>>>>>>>>>>>> that stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and >>>>>>>>>>>>> Parv were the last two players standing, I immediately >>>>>>>>>>>>> thought she would remind Parv of their original deal and >>>>>>>>>>>>> and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too >>>>>>>>>>>>> and mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was >>>>>>>>>>>>> funny. It was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt >>>>>>>>>>>>> going to bring up the deal because she knew she had a >>>>>>>>>>>>> victory here hands down and she was going to save that deal >>>>>>>>>>>>> for when she needed it. Kass was simply awesome in the >>>>>>>>>>>>> challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's background? >>>>>>>>>>>> Her athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is >>>>>>>>>>> apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest in >>>>>>>>>>> French literature. She also claims she suffers from "imposter >>>>>>>>>>> syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I couldn't >>>>>>>>>>> find anything specific to suggest she has an athletic or >>>>>>>>>>> sports background so perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show >>>>>>>>>> bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast >>>>>>>>> bios and stories that came out before the season, and it is >>>>>>>>> obviously something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples: >>>>>>>>>
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia- >>>>>>>>> v- the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of- >>>>>>>>> australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of >>>>>>>>> her confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good
insights into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with >>>>>>>>> the 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I don't >>>>>>>>> speak French, but I might try to grab that season and see if I >>>>>>>>> can find it with English subtitles.I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass >>>>>>>>>>>>> is from Quebec so English is not her first language and she >>>>>>>>>>>>> struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking. >>>>>>>>>>>>> That just makes her more impressive, as she may not always >>>>>>>>>>>>> be able to pick up all the random comments made by the >>>>>>>>>>>>> others around camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, >>>>>>>>>>>>> but there is frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate >>>>>>>>>>>>> potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being >>>>>>>>>>>> from Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is >>>>>>>>>>>> Quebec. In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being >>>>>>>>>>>> comfortable speaking English had any impact on her not >>>>>>>>>>>> applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she say >>>>>>>>>>> that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd
prefer $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her
season of Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players. >>>>>>>>>
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see >>>>>>>> any mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy >>>>>>>> stuff. Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people
quit, and one person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks like >>>>>>>> other people were able to compete to get back into the game.
Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article doesn't give episode
breakdowns. They dis a F3 and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was filmed >>>>>>>> in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the >>>>>>> game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players >>>>>>> haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like US
Survivor Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that
season because of the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back >>>>>>> into the game, and the fact that one of those Outcasts lasted
until Final Two. An even worse situation happened on an early
season of Survivor South Africa where a player was doing well and >>>>>>> dominating the game but was blindsided when some previously voted >>>>>>> out players returned to the game, Outcasts style, and one of them >>>>>>> ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it because >>>>>> of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're voted
out that should be it for your game. Someone coming back and
winning would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their first >>>>>>>>>>> language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that >>>>>>>>>>> would keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't.
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on US >>>>>>>>>>> Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. Does >>>>>>>>>> Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders and >>>>>>>>>> event coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For this >>>>>>>>>> season they managed to find people who know next to nothing >>>>>>>>>> about the game and seem incapable of learning the game. It's >>>>>>>>>> like they're trying to help a returning player become the >>>>>>>>>> first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a
successful businesswoman and corporate executive in the way >>>>>>>>>>>>> she is able to strategize and influence the way people >>>>>>>>>>>>> think.-a Her big weakness on her first season was her lack >>>>>>>>>>>>> of social skills, and I think that is still going to be an >>>>>>>>>>>>> issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally and that seems more >>>>>>>>>>>>> out of convenience than anything else. Hard to believe >>>>>>>>>>>>> there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine and >>>>>>>>>>>>> Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by now, >>>>>>>>>>>>> but no one seems concerned about him or is mentioning his >>>>>>>>>>>>> name. I find it hard to believe he could win this because I >>>>>>>>>>>>> just canrCOt see him making a cohesive jury speech.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>>> actually find it hard to believe any of the remaining >>>>>>>>>>>>> Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC. >>>>>>>>>>>>
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe of >>>>>>>>>>>>> her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble seeing >>>>>>>>>>>>> her as the winner.-a At this point I can see Parvati, Kass, >>>>>>>>>>>>> Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential winners, but I have >>>>>>>>>>>>> trouble visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should >>>>>>>>>>>> also have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done >>>>>>>>>>>> other than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of Survivor >>>>>>>>>>> and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that NZ season >>>>>>>>>>> and she played masterfully against some pretty impressive >>>>>>>>>>> players, including two guys who had a secret alliance no one >>>>>>>>>>> knew about from their friendship before the game. I know we >>>>>>>>>>> are not seeing it this season and she definitely seems to be >>>>>>>>>>> overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, but on her winning >>>>>>>>>>> season she came across as smart and strategic. I can
definitely see her making an articulate case to the jury >>>>>>>>>>> because she did it before.-a As I said elsewhere, I just >>>>>>>>>>> haven't seen examples of Cirie taking control of a game and >>>>>>>>>>> making a case for herself. I know people like her and she has >>>>>>>>>>> been called the best player never to win Survivor, but I'm >>>>>>>>>>> not really sure where that is coming from.-a I can think of a >>>>>>>>>>> few players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make >>>>>>>>>>> more sense as best player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what Cirie's >>>>>>>>>> doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about >>>>>>>>>> the friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If >>>>>>>>>> one of them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a >>>>>>>>> lot of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been >>>>>>>>> a real mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until >>>>>>>>> they saw each other first episode that they were both on the >>>>>>>>> show. If I am remembering right, they were friends from high >>>>>>>>> school but hadn't seen one another in years.-a They were on >>>>>>>>> different tribes, but they protected one another until well >>>>>>>>> after merge. Matt was finally voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 >>>>>>>>> vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But I think their >>>>>>>>> deal was that at a certain point either could turn on the other >>>>>>>>> if it made game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was upset. Their >>>>>>>>> mutual attitude seemed to be that as long as one of them won, >>>>>>>>> it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally
disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave >>>>>>>>> claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final summary, >>>>>>>>> but the damage was done and he ended up getting zero votes.-a To >>>>>>>>> this day I have wondered whether producers may have gotten to >>>>>>>>> Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told him he should reveal >>>>>>>>> it. This was a season with Ponderosa videos and I think Matt >>>>>>>>> did discuss it with the other Survivors but it didn't seem like >>>>>>>>> he was going to reveal it.-a I also have wondered if the
potential scandal had anything to do with the show not being >>>>>>>>> renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually >>>>>>>> shows look for similarities in people and cast them together but >>>>>>>> this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers
stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If one of them had won >>>>>>>> and this friendship didn't get revealed until after the season >>>>>>>> aired, the entire Survivor world would have faced a scandal. Did >>>>>>>> this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told
some jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have >>>>>>> spread. Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was from >>>>>>> Matt.-a I think if Matt had kept the secret all the way through, >>>>>>> there's a fair chance Dave would have gotten some votes at the
finale.-a Lisa played a great strategic game and controlled many >>>>>>> big moves in the game including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that
resulted in the blindside against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong >>>>>>> game too and was well-liked, even though the secret alliance with >>>>>>> his high school friend clearly helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm never >>>>>>> polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have gotten had >>>>>>> the reveal not happened, and I don't think they really talked
about the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm (the host) seemed >>>>>>> nervous at the reunion and it was apparent he was asking all his >>>>>>> questions from note cards.-a I think he was told to stay away from >>>>>>> the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter
entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa won? >>>>>>
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but >>>>>>> here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner.
You can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can >>>>>>> also pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments are >>>>>>> pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This one >>>>> focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case that
the pre-existing relationship between the two had a significant
impact on the outcome.-a The first four minutes briefly discusses
other Survivor seasons where players knew each other, but from
about 4:10 on it focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it
really hammers the point that this relationship completely changed
the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently Lisa
herself who suggested this video be made because she wanted to
lower her threat level for the current season by making it seem the >>>>> controversy helped her win.-a If so, that really is pretty advanced. >>>>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a controversy.
After watching that video there's no question in my mind that Lisa's
win is tainted.
Well you can look at that two ways.-a On one hand you can argue that
if Matt hadn't outed Dave, it is possible Dave would have won.-a But
in that case, it would be HIS win that was tainted since he would
have won based on cheating and a material piece of information not
being disclosed to the jury.-a You can argue that by Matt outing him,
he was simply exposing all the players to the actual truth of what
happened and the players then decided collectively to give the win to
Lisa.
I'm not saying Lisa wouldn't have deserved to win. Just that there
should be an asterisk by her name. Have any of the jurors ever been
asked about this since the season aired? It would be strange if no
podcast has ever asked a juror about this friendship reveal.
That's what's frustrating.-a This should have been asked and discussed on the reunion show when it was still relatively fresh in everyone's minds,
but it wasn't.-a Matt Chisholm pretty much sat there and awkwardly read a bunch of standard questions from note cards, and the whole David-Matt subterfuge was not addressed.-a I would love to have heard him poll the
jury to ask them how they would have voted if Matt hadn't revealed the friendship, but that didn't happen. I have to assume Chisholm was told
not to being it up.-a If any jurors were ever asked about it afterward, I can't find any evidence of that.-a I also can't find any post-show interviews with the producers or show runner about the controversy.
I think things might have been different if David had actually won the show.-a In that case all hell would have broken out, and you might have
seen producers on the hot seat.-a But once it was clear he was getting
zero votes and the person who won - Lisa - played an honest and smart
game, the pressure was off and producers probably breathed a collective
sigh of relief.
By the way, after Dave was outed in TC, he claimed (and this video
reflects this) that he planned on revealing the friendship in his
final summation, but I never believed that for a moment.-a If he had
been able to keep the secret all the way to the end, there is NO way
he would have admitted it in his final words to the jury.
The real villain here is clearly the show's casting director for not
taking what would seem like the simple step of checking where people
went to high school and dates of attendance.
If the budget really was small the casting director probably just said
screw it and I'll gamble. Stupid move given how small NZ is population
wise.
Agreed.
Lisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be there. I
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d-chess- >>>>> how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor
wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor? Posting under
another name to trash her own game is pretty funny.
I would not have expected to see Cirie either.-a I figured if you're
limiting the Americans to three participants, go with three previous
winners, not someone who never made the finals.-a I'm sure she figured
someone like Sandra or Boston Rob would have made more sense.
But would she have known how many U.S. Survivor Players there would
be? You also have to factor in S50. If I was Lisa, I would have
assumed Sandra, Boston Rob, and Parv would all do S50. Cirie doing
Australia would make more sense to me. Cirie doing both makes no sense.
Even among the Aussies (who have played far fewer seasons than the
Americans and have fewer winners to choose from) the choice of two
one- time players like Sarah (who finished 8th in her season) and
Janine (who finished 6th) seemed really odd.-a I can think of several
better choices, including a couple of prior winners as well as non-
winners who played multiple seasons) who would have been better choices. >>>
And I'll say again that excluding anyone (especially the winner) from
the very recent Survivor UK season doesn't make much sense.
To me, including someone from a now defunct version of the franchise
makes no sense. Is Lisa well-known to Australian viewers? It's
possible they're catering to New Zealand viewers as this season is
being broadcast there. It's also weird they went with Tommi and Kass.
I'm glad they cast Kass as she's been a huge pleasant surpris
Lisa's NZ season was covered by RHAP which has a lot of fans in
Australia.-a In fact, if I am remembering right, Shannon Guss covered the
NZ season for RHAP with Luke from the current season, which makes it
pretty funny that Luke couldn't remember what country Lisa played for (unless he was joking).-a-a The Finland and Quebec selections came out of left field because I had never anything about either franchise before
Tommi and kass were announced.-a I have no idea why they of all people
were selected.
it's also unclear how they decided on the mix of seven Australians,Is this season being shown in South Africa? I wonder if some of these
three Americans and one each from Quebec, Finland, NZ and South Africa,
with none from the UK.-a South Africa has had almost as many seasons as
the modern Australia run (nine vs eleven) so it is odd they only had one South African participant.-a Much about the cast selection seems
arbitrary if not random.
On 8/30/2025 10:35 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 11:18 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 7:24 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 6:22 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not >>>>>>>>>>>>>> know for sure who was leaving until the votes were read. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> The episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I >>>>>>>>>>>>>> couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was really in trouble or >>>>>>>>>>>>>> they were trying to do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby flew too close to the sun and her inexperience and >>>>>>>>>>>>>> cowboy approach to the game finally caught up to her.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>>>> was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of >>>>>>>>>>>>>> winning, but I thought she could make it to final 4 or 5. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> I think she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but when >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem >>>>>>>>>>>>>> to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was >>>>>>>>>>>>>> genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think >>>>>>>>>>>>>> she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would >>>>>>>>>>>>> be going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, >>>>>>>>>>>>> but what really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look like >>>>>>>>>>>>> Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to be >>>>>>>>>>>>> wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby planned >>>>>>>>>>>>> on staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do what she >>>>>>>>>>>>> said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit >>>>>>>>>>>> bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically >>>>>>>>>>>> convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her >>>>>>>>>>>> allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally >>>>>>>>>>>> - Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became convinced Sarah >>>>>>>>>>>> wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge >>>>>>>>>>> disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, but >>>>>>>>>>>> I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie >>>>>>>>>>>> football player before becoming a coach, and like many >>>>>>>>>>>> athletes she had a strong need to play against add defeat >>>>>>>>>>>> the best. Parv is different.-a She is a strategist who simply >>>>>>>>>>>> wants to win in whatever is the best way she can.-a I have no >>>>>>>>>>>> doubt she would go after anyone she thought could beat her. >>>>>>>>>>>I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example >>>>>>>>>>> to reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did >>>>>>>>>>> turn on her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way >>>>>>>>>>> of winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv >>>>>>>>>>> before Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I >>>>>>>>>> truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie will >>>>>>>>>> not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment >>>>>>>>> earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs.
Favorites for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the >>>>>>>>>>>> same experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to >>>>>>>>>>>> the end with the other dominant player that season who >>>>>>>>>>>> promised to be loyal to her and to play an idol on her if >>>>>>>>>>>> she got in trouble. By final five, everyone had learned what >>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby could do and she got targeted, but the person she >>>>>>>>>>>> thought was her ally refused to play the idol, As a result, >>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby got voted out, and the other person eventually won the >>>>>>>>>>>> season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she >>>>>>>>>>> had that would have been the end for Cirie.
That's a fair point.Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and >>>>>>>>>>>>>> center as the big target going forward.-a The previews >>>>>>>>>>>>>> suggest some TC drama next episode, but as soon as I >>>>>>>>>>>>>> realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any >>>>>>>>>>>>>> more of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing way too >>>>>>>>>>>>>> much. Things are definitely getting more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say >>>>>>>>>>>>> anything because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first time >>>>>>>>>>>>>> in kind of a serious way as the Americans debated how to >>>>>>>>>>>>>> break up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv are the >>>>>>>>>>>>>> only previous winners still on the show, and LisarCOs >>>>>>>>>>>>>> ability to stay under the radar has up to now been >>>>>>>>>>>>>> borderline impressive given her status as the only >>>>>>>>>>>>>> remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing overt >>>>>>>>>>>>>> to show any kind of threat level. I was actually a bit >>>>>>>>>>>>>> surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up >>>>>>>>>>>>> against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an option. >>>>>>>>>>>>
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability in >>>>>>>>>>>>>> challenges, and I think she is still my first choice for >>>>>>>>>>>>>> eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the IC >>>>>>>>>>>>>> and never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost akin to >>>>>>>>>>>>>> that stunt guy David on the last US season. When she and >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parv were the last two players standing, I immediately >>>>>>>>>>>>>> thought she would remind Parv of their original deal and >>>>>>>>>>>>>> and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP thought that too >>>>>>>>>>>>>> and mentioned it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was >>>>>>>>>>>>>> funny. It was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt >>>>>>>>>>>>>> going to bring up the deal because she knew she had a >>>>>>>>>>>>>> victory here hands down and she was going to save that >>>>>>>>>>>>>> deal for when she needed it. Kass was simply awesome in >>>>>>>>>>>>>> the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's
background? Her athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is >>>>>>>>>>>> apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest >>>>>>>>>>>> in French literature. She also claims she suffers from >>>>>>>>>>>> "imposter syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>> couldn't find anything specific to suggest she has an >>>>>>>>>>>> athletic or sports background so perhaps she's just a >>>>>>>>>>>> fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show >>>>>>>>>>> bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast >>>>>>>>>> bios and stories that came out before the season, and it is >>>>>>>>>> obviously something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples: >>>>>>>>>>
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-australia- v- the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of- >>>>>>>>>> australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of >>>>>>>>>> her confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good
insights into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with >>>>>>>>>> the 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I >>>>>>>>>> don't speak French, but I might try to grab that season and >>>>>>>>>> see if I can find it with English subtitles.I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that Kass >>>>>>>>>>>>>> is from Quebec so English is not her first language and >>>>>>>>>>>>>> she struggles a bit to find the right words when speaking. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> That just makes her more impressive, as she may not always >>>>>>>>>>>>>> be able to pick up all the random comments made by the >>>>>>>>>>>>>> others around camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, >>>>>>>>>>>>>> but there is frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate >>>>>>>>>>>>>> potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being >>>>>>>>>>>>> from Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language is >>>>>>>>>>>>> Quebec. In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not being >>>>>>>>>>>>> comfortable speaking English had any impact on her not >>>>>>>>>>>>> applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she >>>>>>>>>>>> say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd >>>>>>>>>>> prefer $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her >>>>>>>>>>> season of Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players. >>>>>>>>>>
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see >>>>>>>>> any mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy >>>>>>>>> stuff. Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people >>>>>>>>> quit, and one person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks >>>>>>>>> like other people were able to compete to get back into the >>>>>>>>> game. Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article doesn't give episode >>>>>>>>> breakdowns. They dis a F3 and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season was >>>>>>>>> filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into the >>>>>>>> game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other players >>>>>>>> haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like US
Survivor Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that
season because of the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought back >>>>>>>> into the game, and the fact that one of those Outcasts lasted >>>>>>>> until Final Two. An even worse situation happened on an early >>>>>>>> season of Survivor South Africa where a player was doing well >>>>>>>> and dominating the game but was blindsided when some previously >>>>>>>> voted out players returned to the game, Outcasts style, and one >>>>>>>> of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it
because of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once you're >>>>>>> voted out that should be it for your game. Someone coming back
and winning would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their first >>>>>>>>>>>> language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that >>>>>>>>>>>> would keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't. >>>>>>>>>>>
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on >>>>>>>>>>>> US Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. >>>>>>>>>>> Does Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders >>>>>>>>>>> and event coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. For >>>>>>>>>>> this season they managed to find people who know next to >>>>>>>>>>> nothing about the game and seem incapable of learning the >>>>>>>>>>> game. It's like they're trying to help a returning player >>>>>>>>>>> become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a >>>>>>>>>>>>>> successful businesswoman and corporate executive in the >>>>>>>>>>>>>> way she is able to strategize and influence the way people >>>>>>>>>>>>>> think.-a Her big weakness on her first season was her lack >>>>>>>>>>>>>> of social skills, and I think that is still going to be an >>>>>>>>>>>>>> issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally and that seems >>>>>>>>>>>>>> more out of convenience than anything else. Hard to >>>>>>>>>>>>>> believe there are only three Aussies left:-a Luke, Janine >>>>>>>>>>>>>> and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would be targeted by >>>>>>>>>>>>>> now, but no one seems concerned about him or is mentioning >>>>>>>>>>>>>> his name. I find it hard to believe he could win this >>>>>>>>>>>>>> because I just canrCOt see him making a cohesive jury >>>>>>>>>>>>>> speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe any of the >>>>>>>>>>>>>> remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee. >>>>>>>>>>>>>I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe >>>>>>>>>>>>>> of her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble >>>>>>>>>>>>>> seeing her as the winner.-a At this point I can see >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential winners, >>>>>>>>>>>>>> but I have trouble visualizing any of the others
If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should >>>>>>>>>>>>> also have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done >>>>>>>>>>>>> other than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of
Survivor and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched that >>>>>>>>>>>> NZ season and she played masterfully against some pretty >>>>>>>>>>>> impressive players, including two guys who had a secret >>>>>>>>>>>> alliance no one knew about from their friendship before the >>>>>>>>>>>> game. I know we are not seeing it this season and she >>>>>>>>>>>> definitely seems to be overdoing the hero worship of Cirie, >>>>>>>>>>>> but on her winning season she came across as smart and >>>>>>>>>>>> strategic. I can definitely see her making an articulate >>>>>>>>>>>> case to the jury because she did it before.-a As I said >>>>>>>>>>>> elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of Cirie taking >>>>>>>>>>>> control of a game and making a case for herself. I know >>>>>>>>>>>> people like her and she has been called the best player >>>>>>>>>>>> never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where that is >>>>>>>>>>>> coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob Cesternino >>>>>>>>>>>> comes to mind) who would make more sense as best player to >>>>>>>>>>>> have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what
Cirie's doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about >>>>>>>>>>> the friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If >>>>>>>>>>> one of them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a >>>>>>>>>> lot of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have been >>>>>>>>>> a real mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know until >>>>>>>>>> they saw each other first episode that they were both on the >>>>>>>>>> show. If I am remembering right, they were friends from high >>>>>>>>>> school but hadn't seen one another in years.-a They were on >>>>>>>>>> different tribes, but they protected one another until well >>>>>>>>>> after merge. Matt was finally voted out at final six on a >>>>>>>>>> 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But I think >>>>>>>>>> their deal was that at a certain point either could turn on >>>>>>>>>> the other if it made game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was >>>>>>>>>> upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be that as long as one >>>>>>>>>> of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally >>>>>>>>>> disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning.-a Dave >>>>>>>>>> claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final
summary, but the damage was done and he ended up getting zero >>>>>>>>>> votes.-a To this day I have wondered whether producers may have >>>>>>>>>> gotten to Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told him he
should reveal it. This was a season with Ponderosa videos and >>>>>>>>>> I think Matt did discuss it with the other Survivors but it >>>>>>>>>> didn't seem like he was going to reveal it.-a I also have >>>>>>>>>> wondered if the potential scandal had anything to do with the >>>>>>>>>> show not being renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. Usually >>>>>>>>> shows look for similarities in people and cast them together >>>>>>>>> but this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if the
producers stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If one of >>>>>>>>> them had won and this friendship didn't get revealed until
after the season aired, the entire Survivor world would have >>>>>>>>> faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told >>>>>>>> some jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would have >>>>>>>> spread. Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes was
from Matt.-a I think if Matt had kept the secret all the way
through, there's a fair chance Dave would have gotten some votes >>>>>>>> at the finale.-a Lisa played a great strategic game and
controlled many big moves in the game including the pivotal
3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside against Matt.-a But >>>>>>>> Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked, even though >>>>>>>> the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly helped. >>>>>>>>
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm
never polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have
gotten had the reveal not happened, and I don't think they
really talked about the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm >>>>>>>> (the host) seemed nervous at the reunion and it was apparent he >>>>>>>> was asking all his questions from note cards.-a I think he was >>>>>>>> told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter
entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa >>>>>>> won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, but >>>>>>>> here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the winner. >>>>>>>> You can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and you can >>>>>>>> also pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the comments >>>>>>>> are pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This
one focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case
that the pre-existing relationship between the two had a
significant impact on the outcome.-a The first four minutes briefly >>>>>> discusses other Survivor seasons where players knew each other,
but from about 4:10 on it focuses on the David-Matt controversy
and it really hammers the point that this relationship completely >>>>>> changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently Lisa >>>>>> herself who suggested this video be made because she wanted to
lower her threat level for the current season by making it seem
the controversy helped her win.-a If so, that really is pretty
advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a controversy. >>>>> After watching that video there's no question in my mind that
Lisa's win is tainted.
Well you can look at that two ways.-a On one hand you can argue that
if Matt hadn't outed Dave, it is possible Dave would have won.-a But
in that case, it would be HIS win that was tainted since he would
have won based on cheating and a material piece of information not
being disclosed to the jury.-a You can argue that by Matt outing him, >>>> he was simply exposing all the players to the actual truth of what
happened and the players then decided collectively to give the win
to Lisa.
I'm not saying Lisa wouldn't have deserved to win. Just that there
should be an asterisk by her name. Have any of the jurors ever been
asked about this since the season aired? It would be strange if no
podcast has ever asked a juror about this friendship reveal.
That's what's frustrating.-a This should have been asked and discussed
on the reunion show when it was still relatively fresh in everyone's
minds, but it wasn't.-a Matt Chisholm pretty much sat there and
awkwardly read a bunch of standard questions from note cards, and the
whole David-Matt subterfuge was not addressed.-a I would love to have
heard him poll the jury to ask them how they would have voted if Matt
hadn't revealed the friendship, but that didn't happen. I have to
assume Chisholm was told not to being it up.-a If any jurors were ever
asked about it afterward, I can't find any evidence of that.-a I also
can't find any post-show interviews with the producers or show runner
about the controversy.
One good thing about Jeff being the showrunner for U.S. Survivor is that
he can go off script and deal with such issues. Not saying he would in a case like this, but also having a big role and say in casting would make staying quiet look really bad. The NZ host probably had no skin in the
game.
I think things might have been different if David had actually won the
show.-a In that case all hell would have broken out, and you might have
seen producers on the hot seat.-a But once it was clear he was getting
zero votes and the person who won - Lisa - played an honest and smart
game, the pressure was off and producers probably breathed a
collective sigh of relief.
I'll give them credit for not editing all of this out of the show and canceling the reunion. They could have played dumb if the players
brought it up after the fact.
By the way, after Dave was outed in TC, he claimed (and this video
reflects this) that he planned on revealing the friendship in his
final summation, but I never believed that for a moment.-a If he had
been able to keep the secret all the way to the end, there is NO way
he would have admitted it in his final words to the jury.
The real villain here is clearly the show's casting director for not
taking what would seem like the simple step of checking where people
went to high school and dates of attendance.
If the budget really was small the casting director probably just
said screw it and I'll gamble. Stupid move given how small NZ is
population wise.
Agreed.
Lisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be there.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d-chess- how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor
I wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor? Posting
under another name to trash her own game is pretty funny.
I would not have expected to see Cirie either.-a I figured if you're
limiting the Americans to three participants, go with three previous
winners, not someone who never made the finals.-a I'm sure she
figured someone like Sandra or Boston Rob would have made more sense.
But would she have known how many U.S. Survivor Players there would
be? You also have to factor in S50. If I was Lisa, I would have
assumed Sandra, Boston Rob, and Parv would all do S50. Cirie doing
Australia would make more sense to me. Cirie doing both makes no sense.
Even among the Aussies (who have played far fewer seasons than the
Americans and have fewer winners to choose from) the choice of two
one- time players like Sarah (who finished 8th in her season) and
Janine (who finished 6th) seemed really odd.-a I can think of several >>>> better choices, including a couple of prior winners as well as non-
winners who played multiple seasons) who would have been better
choices.
And I'll say again that excluding anyone (especially the winner)
from the very recent Survivor UK season doesn't make much sense.
To me, including someone from a now defunct version of the franchise
makes no sense. Is Lisa well-known to Australian viewers? It's
possible they're catering to New Zealand viewers as this season is
being broadcast there. It's also weird they went with Tommi and Kass.
I'm glad they cast Kass as she's been a huge pleasant surpris
Lisa's NZ season was covered by RHAP which has a lot of fans in
Australia.-a In fact, if I am remembering right, Shannon Guss covered
the NZ season for RHAP with Luke from the current season, which makes
it pretty funny that Luke couldn't remember what country Lisa played
for (unless he was joking).-a-a The Finland and Quebec selections came
out of left field because I had never anything about either franchise
before Tommi and kass were announced.-a I have no idea why they of all
people were selected.
I thought it was strange that Luke couldn't remember a nearby country.
More than likely a friendly jab at New Zealanders.
Another weird thing about Tommi and Kass being selected is that English
is not the mother tongue for either of them. Kass is doing fine as far
as I'm concerned, but Tommi clearly struggles with English. Other than
the UK, what other Survivor versions are done in English?
it's also unclear how they decided on the mix of seven Australians,
three Americans and one each from Quebec, Finland, NZ and South
Africa, with none from the UK.-a South Africa has had almost as many
seasons as the modern Australia run (nine vs eleven) so it is odd they
only had one South African participant.-a Much about the cast selection
seems arbitrary if not random.
Is this season being shown in South Africa? I wonder if some of these
people agreed to play as long as someone else did? For example, David
and Sarah, and Cirie and Parv? Who they selected might also be a factor
of who turned them down. I'm impressed they got Tony, Cirie, and Parv.
It sounds like Lisa would have been an easy get. No idea about the
Aussies. I do have to say I find it strange David agreed to play after having won $5.8 million. Did he agree to do this season knowing in
advance the show/network were going to stab Jonathan in the back? RHAP
needs to dig into that if they haven't already.
On 8/31/2025 1:34 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 10:35 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 11:18 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 7:24 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 6:22 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did not >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> know for sure who was leaving until the votes were read. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was really in trouble or >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> they were trying to do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby flew too close to the sun and her inexperience and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cowboy approach to the game finally caught up to her.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> winning, but I thought she could make it to final 4 or 5. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I think she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> when Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> end was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv would >>>>>>>>>>>>>> be going. Parv's game experience was too much for Kirby, >>>>>>>>>>>>>> but what really killed Kirby was Janine.
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look >>>>>>>>>>>>>> like Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to >>>>>>>>>>>>>> be wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>>> planned on staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do >>>>>>>>>>>>>> what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit >>>>>>>>>>>>> bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically >>>>>>>>>>>>> convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her >>>>>>>>>>>>> allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one ally >>>>>>>>>>>>> - Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became convinced >>>>>>>>>>>>> Sarah wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge >>>>>>>>>>>> disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, >>>>>>>>>>>>> but I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an Aussie >>>>>>>>>>>>> football player before becoming a coach, and like many >>>>>>>>>>>>> athletes she had a strong need to play against add defeat >>>>>>>>>>>>> the best. Parv is different.-a She is a strategist who >>>>>>>>>>>>> simply wants to win in whatever is the best way she can.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>>> have no doubt she would go after anyone she thought could >>>>>>>>>>>>> beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example >>>>>>>>>>>> to reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did >>>>>>>>>>>> turn on her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way >>>>>>>>>>>> of winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv >>>>>>>>>>>> before Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I >>>>>>>>>>> truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie >>>>>>>>>>> will not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment >>>>>>>>>> earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs.
Favorites for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the >>>>>>>>>>>>> same experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to >>>>>>>>>>>>> the end with the other dominant player that season who >>>>>>>>>>>>> promised to be loyal to her and to play an idol on her if >>>>>>>>>>>>> she got in trouble. By final five, everyone had learned >>>>>>>>>>>>> what Kirby could do and she got targeted, but the person >>>>>>>>>>>>> she thought was her ally refused to play the idol, As a >>>>>>>>>>>>> result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person
eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If she >>>>>>>>>>>> had that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> center as the big target going forward.-a The previews >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> suggest some TC drama next episode, but as soon as I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> more of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing way too >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> much. Things are definitely getting more intense. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say >>>>>>>>>>>>>> anything because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> time in kind of a serious way as the Americans debated >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> how to break up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> are the only previous winners still on the show, and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to now been >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> borderline impressive given her status as the only >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing overt >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to show any kind of threat level. I was actually a bit >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be up >>>>>>>>>>>>>> against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an >>>>>>>>>>>>>> option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in challenges, and I think she is still my first choice >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> IC and never seemed to feel any stress at all, almost >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> akin to that stunt guy David on the last US season. When >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> she and Parv were the last two players standing, I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> immediately thought she would remind Parv of their >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> original deal and and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm glad JLP >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> thought that too and mentioned it only to have Parv shush >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> him.-a That was funny. It was at that point I realized >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal because she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> knew she had a victory here hands down and she was going >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to save that deal for when she needed it. Kass was simply >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's
background? Her athletic abilities are very good.
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is >>>>>>>>>>>>> apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest >>>>>>>>>>>>> in French literature. She also claims she suffers from >>>>>>>>>>>>> "imposter syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>>> couldn't find anything specific to suggest she has an >>>>>>>>>>>>> athletic or sports background so perhaps she's just a >>>>>>>>>>>>> fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her show >>>>>>>>>>>> bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason.
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast >>>>>>>>>>> bios and stories that came out before the season, and it is >>>>>>>>>>> obviously something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples: >>>>>>>>>>>
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor-
australia- v- the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of- >>>>>>>>>>> australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one of >>>>>>>>>>> her confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good >>>>>>>>>>> insights into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor with >>>>>>>>>>> the 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes?-a I >>>>>>>>>>> don't speak French, but I might try to grab that season and >>>>>>>>>>> see if I can find it with English subtitles.I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kass is from Quebec so English is not her first language >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and she struggles a bit to find the right words when >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> speaking. That just makes her more impressive, as she may >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> not always be able to pick up all the random comments >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> made by the others around camp. Note: Tommi likely has >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the same issue, but there is frankly no way I can see him >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> as the ultimate potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being >>>>>>>>>>>>>> from Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language >>>>>>>>>>>>>> is Quebec. In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not >>>>>>>>>>>>>> being comfortable speaking English had any impact on her >>>>>>>>>>>>>> not applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she >>>>>>>>>>>>> say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd >>>>>>>>>>>> prefer $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her >>>>>>>>>>>> season of Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players. >>>>>>>>>>>
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't see >>>>>>>>>> any mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some crazy >>>>>>>>>> stuff. Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two people >>>>>>>>>> quit, and one person reentered the game on Day 24. It looks >>>>>>>>>> like other people were able to compete to get back into the >>>>>>>>>> game. Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article doesn't give
episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season >>>>>>>>>> was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into >>>>>>>>> the game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other >>>>>>>>> players haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like >>>>>>>>> US Survivor Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that >>>>>>>>> season because of the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought >>>>>>>>> back into the game, and the fact that one of those Outcasts >>>>>>>>> lasted until Final Two. An even worse situation happened on an >>>>>>>>> early season of Survivor South Africa where a player was doing >>>>>>>>> well and dominating the game but was blindsided when some
previously voted out players returned to the game, Outcasts >>>>>>>>> style, and one of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it
because of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once
you're voted out that should be it for your game. Someone coming >>>>>>>> back and winning would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their first >>>>>>>>>>>>> language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure that >>>>>>>>>>>>> would keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't. >>>>>>>>>>>>
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on >>>>>>>>>>>>> US Survivor actually applied or were they recruited?
Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. >>>>>>>>>>>> Does Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders >>>>>>>>>>>> and event coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. >>>>>>>>>>>> For this season they managed to find people who know next to >>>>>>>>>>>> nothing about the game and seem incapable of learning the >>>>>>>>>>>> game. It's like they're trying to help a returning player >>>>>>>>>>>> become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> successful businesswoman and corporate executive in the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> way she is able to strategize and influence the way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> people think.-a Her big weakness on her first season was >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> her lack of social skills, and I think that is still >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and that seems more out of convenience than anything >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> else. Hard to believe there are only three Aussies left: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned about him >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> or is mentioning his name. I find it hard to believe he >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> could win this because I just canrCOt see him making a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to believe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> any of the remaining Aussies can win other than perhaps >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at FTC. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> seeing her as the winner.-a At this point I can see >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of the others >>>>>>>>>>>>>>If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should >>>>>>>>>>>>>> also have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done >>>>>>>>>>>>>> other than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of >>>>>>>>>>>>> Survivor and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched >>>>>>>>>>>>> that NZ season and she played masterfully against some >>>>>>>>>>>>> pretty impressive players, including two guys who had a >>>>>>>>>>>>> secret alliance no one knew about from their friendship >>>>>>>>>>>>> before the game. I know we are not seeing it this season >>>>>>>>>>>>> and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero worship >>>>>>>>>>>>> of Cirie, but on her winning season she came across as >>>>>>>>>>>>> smart and strategic. I can definitely see her making an >>>>>>>>>>>>> articulate case to the jury because she did it before.-a As >>>>>>>>>>>>> I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of Cirie >>>>>>>>>>>>> taking control of a game and making a case for herself. I >>>>>>>>>>>>> know people like her and she has been called the best >>>>>>>>>>>>> player never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure where >>>>>>>>>>>>> that is coming from.-a I can think of a few players (Rob >>>>>>>>>>>>> Cesternino comes to mind) who would make more sense as best >>>>>>>>>>>>> player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what >>>>>>>>>>>> Cirie's doing which is basically what Parv is doing.
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about >>>>>>>>>>>> the friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If >>>>>>>>>>>> one of them had won that would not have looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused a >>>>>>>>>>> lot of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have >>>>>>>>>>> been a real mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know >>>>>>>>>>> until they saw each other first episode that they were both >>>>>>>>>>> on the show. If I am remembering right, they were friends >>>>>>>>>>> from high school but hadn't seen one another in years.-a They >>>>>>>>>>> were on different tribes, but they protected one another >>>>>>>>>>> until well after merge. Matt was finally voted out at final >>>>>>>>>>> six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But >>>>>>>>>>> I think their deal was that at a certain point either could >>>>>>>>>>> turn on the other if it made game sense, so it didn't seem >>>>>>>>>>> Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be that as >>>>>>>>>>> long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally >>>>>>>>>>> disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning. >>>>>>>>>>> Dave claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final >>>>>>>>>>> summary, but the damage was done and he ended up getting zero >>>>>>>>>>> votes.-a To this day I have wondered whether producers may >>>>>>>>>>> have gotten to Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told him he >>>>>>>>>>> should reveal it. This was a season with Ponderosa videos and >>>>>>>>>>> I think Matt did discuss it with the other Survivors but it >>>>>>>>>>> didn't seem like he was going to reveal it.-a I also have >>>>>>>>>>> wondered if the potential scandal had anything to do with the >>>>>>>>>>> show not being renewed for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks.
Usually shows look for similarities in people and cast them >>>>>>>>>> together but this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if >>>>>>>>>> the producers stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If one >>>>>>>>>> of them had won and this friendship didn't get revealed until >>>>>>>>>> after the season aired, the entire Survivor world would have >>>>>>>>>> faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told >>>>>>>>> some jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would >>>>>>>>> have spread. Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes >>>>>>>>> was from Matt.-a I think if Matt had kept the secret all the way >>>>>>>>> through, there's a fair chance Dave would have gotten some
votes at the finale.-a Lisa played a great strategic game and >>>>>>>>> controlled many big moves in the game including the pivotal >>>>>>>>> 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside against Matt.-a But >>>>>>>>> Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked, even though >>>>>>>>> the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly helped. >>>>>>>>>
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm >>>>>>>>> never polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have >>>>>>>>> gotten had the reveal not happened, and I don't think they
really talked about the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm >>>>>>>>> (the host) seemed nervous at the reunion and it was apparent he >>>>>>>>> was asking all his questions from note cards.-a I think he was >>>>>>>>> told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter
entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after Lisa >>>>>>>> won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, >>>>>>>>> but here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the
winner. You can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, and >>>>>>>>> you can also pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of the >>>>>>>>> comments are pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This >>>>>>> one focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case >>>>>>> that the pre-existing relationship between the two had a
significant impact on the outcome.-a The first four minutes
briefly discusses other Survivor seasons where players knew each >>>>>>> other, but from about 4:10 on it focuses on the David-Matt
controversy and it really hammers the point that this
relationship completely changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently
Lisa herself who suggested this video be made because she wanted >>>>>>> to lower her threat level for the current season by making it
seem the controversy helped her win.-a If so, that really is
pretty advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a
controversy. After watching that video there's no question in my
mind that Lisa's win is tainted.
Well you can look at that two ways.-a On one hand you can argue that >>>>> if Matt hadn't outed Dave, it is possible Dave would have won.-a But >>>>> in that case, it would be HIS win that was tainted since he would
have won based on cheating and a material piece of information not
being disclosed to the jury.-a You can argue that by Matt outing
him, he was simply exposing all the players to the actual truth of
what happened and the players then decided collectively to give the >>>>> win to Lisa.
I'm not saying Lisa wouldn't have deserved to win. Just that there
should be an asterisk by her name. Have any of the jurors ever been
asked about this since the season aired? It would be strange if no
podcast has ever asked a juror about this friendship reveal.
That's what's frustrating.-a This should have been asked and discussed
on the reunion show when it was still relatively fresh in everyone's
minds, but it wasn't.-a Matt Chisholm pretty much sat there and
awkwardly read a bunch of standard questions from note cards, and the
whole David-Matt subterfuge was not addressed.-a I would love to have
heard him poll the jury to ask them how they would have voted if Matt
hadn't revealed the friendship, but that didn't happen. I have to
assume Chisholm was told not to being it up.-a If any jurors were ever
asked about it afterward, I can't find any evidence of that.-a I also
can't find any post-show interviews with the producers or show runner
about the controversy.
One good thing about Jeff being the showrunner for U.S. Survivor is
that he can go off script and deal with such issues. Not saying he
would in a case like this, but also having a big role and say in
casting would make staying quiet look really bad. The NZ host probably
had no skin in the game.
Right.-a The closest example I can think of on US Survivor (although it
was obviously a much different situation) was the controversy over Dan
Spilo on Season 38, and to his credit Jeff did discuss that at the reunion.
I think things might have been different if David had actually won
the show.-a In that case all hell would have broken out, and you might
have seen producers on the hot seat.-a But once it was clear he was
getting zero votes and the person who won - Lisa - played an honest
and smart game, the pressure was off and producers probably breathed
a collective sigh of relief.
I'll give them credit for not editing all of this out of the show and
canceling the reunion. They could have played dumb if the players
brought it up after the fact.
Right, but I think things might have been different if Matt had kept
quiet and David somehow won.-a In that case, I'm not sure what would have happened.-a If the truth eventually came out before the season aired, I wonder if it would have been kept off air.-a We'll never know.
By the way, after Dave was outed in TC, he claimed (and this video
reflects this) that he planned on revealing the friendship in his
final summation, but I never believed that for a moment.-a If he had >>>>> been able to keep the secret all the way to the end, there is NO
way he would have admitted it in his final words to the jury.
The real villain here is clearly the show's casting director for
not taking what would seem like the simple step of checking where
people went to high school and dates of attendance.
If the budget really was small the casting director probably just
said screw it and I'll gamble. Stupid move given how small NZ is
population wise.
Agreed.
Lisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be there. >>>>>> I wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor? Posting
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d-
chess- how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor
under another name to trash her own game is pretty funny.
I would not have expected to see Cirie either.-a I figured if you're >>>>> limiting the Americans to three participants, go with three
previous winners, not someone who never made the finals.-a I'm sure >>>>> she figured someone like Sandra or Boston Rob would have made more
sense.
But would she have known how many U.S. Survivor Players there would
be? You also have to factor in S50. If I was Lisa, I would have
assumed Sandra, Boston Rob, and Parv would all do S50. Cirie doing
Australia would make more sense to me. Cirie doing both makes no sense. >>>>
Even among the Aussies (who have played far fewer seasons than the
Americans and have fewer winners to choose from) the choice of two
one- time players like Sarah (who finished 8th in her season) and
Janine (who finished 6th) seemed really odd.-a I can think of
several better choices, including a couple of prior winners as well >>>>> as non- winners who played multiple seasons) who would have been
better choices.
And I'll say again that excluding anyone (especially the winner)
from the very recent Survivor UK season doesn't make much sense.
To me, including someone from a now defunct version of the franchise
makes no sense. Is Lisa well-known to Australian viewers? It's
possible they're catering to New Zealand viewers as this season is
being broadcast there. It's also weird they went with Tommi and
Kass. I'm glad they cast Kass as she's been a huge pleasant surpris
Lisa's NZ season was covered by RHAP which has a lot of fans in
Australia.-a In fact, if I am remembering right, Shannon Guss covered
the NZ season for RHAP with Luke from the current season, which makes
it pretty funny that Luke couldn't remember what country Lisa played
for (unless he was joking).-a-a The Finland and Quebec selections came
out of left field because I had never anything about either franchise
before Tommi and kass were announced.-a I have no idea why they of all
people were selected.
I thought it was strange that Luke couldn't remember a nearby country.
More than likely a friendly jab at New Zealanders.
Luke had to be joking.-a I'm 100% sure the players would have all
introduced one another at the beginning of the game at their first
challenge and certainly by the merge.-a There is no way Luke wouldn't remember Lisa was from neighboring NZ.-a There's also the fact that he
was a guest commentator on Sharon Guss' RHAP coverage of Lisa's winning season.
Another weird thing about Tommi and Kass being selected is that
English is not the mother tongue for either of them. Kass is doing
fine as far as I'm concerned, but Tommi clearly struggles with
English. Other than the UK, what other Survivor versions are done in
English?
I'm pretty sure the only English language versions of the show are from
the US, UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.-a Interesting that Quebec, where French is the official language, did its own version but Canada as a whole has not.-a Canada is by far the largest English-
speaking country in the world to never do its own Survivor version,
probably because of the ready availability of the US show.
it's also unclear how they decided on the mix of seven Australians,
three Americans and one each from Quebec, Finland, NZ and South
Africa, with none from the UK.-a South Africa has had almost as many
seasons as the modern Australia run (nine vs eleven) so it is odd
they only had one South African participant.-a Much about the cast
selection seems arbitrary if not random.
Is this season being shown in South Africa? I wonder if some of these
people agreed to play as long as someone else did? For example, David
and Sarah, and Cirie and Parv? Who they selected might also be a
factor of who turned them down. I'm impressed they got Tony, Cirie,
and Parv. It sounds like Lisa would have been an easy get. No idea
about the Aussies. I do have to say I find it strange David agreed to
play after having won $5.8 million. Did he agree to do this season
knowing in advance the show/network were going to stab Jonathan in the
back? RHAP needs to dig into that if they haven't already.
I'm not sure if the show is airing in South Africa, but I doubt it..-a I
do know that in the past, the better South African and Australian
players have seemed to be aware of each other's country's versions, but
I don't know if it's because the show aired live or they just got copies somehow.-a I'm guessing the latter.
David was probably recruited before DONDi, and I don't think him winning that show would have affected his decision to play on the Aussie
Survivor v World season.-a He has a gigantic ego,-a and I think the chance to play against the likes of Tony, Parv and Cirie was probably irresistible.-a And besides, even if you have won a few million dollars after taxes from one source, you're not gonna turn down the chance to
win a couple hundred K more.
And I don't think there were plans at the time to fire JLP.-a There was a full season of Aussie Survivor filmed after this that actually aired
first, earlier this year, in fact.-a Everyone is thinking that JLP's last Survivor episode will be this seasons finale, but that will be the last aired episode.-a The last filmed was actually the finale of the prior
aired season.
On 8/31/2025 10:05 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/31/2025 1:34 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 10:35 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 11:18 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 7:24 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 6:22 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...The first part of the episode made it look like Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> would be going. Parv's game experience was too much for >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby, but what really killed Kirby was Janine.
This was another great episode, and once again I did not >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> know for sure who was leaving until the votes were read. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was really in trouble or >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> they were trying to do a misdirect. Ultimately it seems >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby flew too close to the sun and her inexperience and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cowboy approach to the game finally caught up to her.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> was surprised.-a I didn't think she had much chance of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> winning, but I thought she could make it to final 4 or >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 5. I think she and Parv formed a genuine connection, but >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> when Parv started questioning her sincerity, Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> didnrCOt seem to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> at the end was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I donrCOt think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> like Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> be wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> planned on staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did do >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit >>>>>>>>>>>>>> bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically >>>>>>>>>>>>>> convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her >>>>>>>>>>>>>> allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one >>>>>>>>>>>>>> ally - Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became >>>>>>>>>>>>>> convinced Sarah wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge >>>>>>>>>>>>> disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, >>>>>>>>>>>>>> but I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Aussie football player before becoming a coach, and like >>>>>>>>>>>>>> many athletes she had a strong need to play against add >>>>>>>>>>>>>> defeat the best. Parv is different.-a She is a strategist >>>>>>>>>>>>>> who simply wants to win in whatever is the best way she >>>>>>>>>>>>>> can.-a I have no doubt she would go after anyone she >>>>>>>>>>>>>> thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one example >>>>>>>>>>>>> to reference and it was clear in that case that Kirby did >>>>>>>>>>>>> turn on her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her way >>>>>>>>>>>>> of winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>> before Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who I >>>>>>>>>>>> truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie >>>>>>>>>>>> will not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment >>>>>>>>>>> earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs. >>>>>>>>>>> Favorites for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the >>>>>>>>>>>>>> same experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to >>>>>>>>>>>>>> the end with the other dominant player that season who >>>>>>>>>>>>>> promised to be loyal to her and to play an idol on her if >>>>>>>>>>>>>> she got in trouble. By final five, everyone had learned >>>>>>>>>>>>>> what Kirby could do and she got targeted, but the person >>>>>>>>>>>>>> she thought was her ally refused to play the idol, As a >>>>>>>>>>>>>> result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person >>>>>>>>>>>>>> eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If >>>>>>>>>>>>> she had that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> center as the big target going forward.-a The previews >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> suggest some TC drama next episode, but as soon as I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> more of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> too much. Things are definitely getting more intense. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> anything because I'll be shocked if it happens.
A few other random thoughts:I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> up against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't an >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> option.
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> time in kind of a serious way as the Americans debated >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> how to break up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> are the only previous winners still on the show, and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to now >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> been borderline impressive given her status as the only >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> overt to show any kind of threat level. I was actually a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> bit surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in challenges, and I think she is still my first choice >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the IC and never seemed to feel any stress at all, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> almost akin to that stunt guy David on the last US >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> season. When she and Parv were the last two players >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> standing, I immediately thought she would remind Parv of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> their original deal and and ask Parv to drop out.-a I'm >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to have >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parv shush him.-a That was funny. It was at that point I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the deal >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> because she knew she had a victory here hands down and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> she was going to save that deal for when she needed it. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kass was simply awesome in the challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> background? Her athletic abilities are very good. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she is >>>>>>>>>>>>>> apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an interest >>>>>>>>>>>>>> in French literature. She also claims she suffers from >>>>>>>>>>>>>> "imposter syndrome" in real life, which is interesting.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>>>> couldn't find anything specific to suggest she has an >>>>>>>>>>>>>> athletic or sports background so perhaps she's just a >>>>>>>>>>>>>> fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her >>>>>>>>>>>>> show bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast >>>>>>>>>>>> bios and stories that came out before the season, and it is >>>>>>>>>>>> obviously something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples: >>>>>>>>>>>>
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor- >>>>>>>>>>>> australia- v- the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of- >>>>>>>>>>>> australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one >>>>>>>>>>>> of her confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good >>>>>>>>>>>> insights into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor >>>>>>>>>>>> with the 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes? >>>>>>>>>>>> I don't speak French, but I might try to grab that season >>>>>>>>>>>> and see if I can find it with English subtitles.I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kass is from Quebec so English is not her first language >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and she struggles a bit to find the right words when >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> speaking. That just makes her more impressive, as she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> may not always be able to pick up all the random >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> comments made by the others around camp. Note: Tommi >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> likely has the same issue, but there is frankly no way I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> can see him as the ultimate potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> from Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is Quebec. In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> being comfortable speaking English had any impact on her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> not applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she >>>>>>>>>>>>>> say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd >>>>>>>>>>>>> prefer $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her >>>>>>>>>>>>> season of Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 players. >>>>>>>>>>>>
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't >>>>>>>>>>> see any mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some >>>>>>>>>>> crazy stuff. Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two >>>>>>>>>>> people quit, and one person reentered the game on Day 24. It >>>>>>>>>>> looks like other people were able to compete to get back into >>>>>>>>>>> the game. Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article doesn't give >>>>>>>>>>> episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. Season >>>>>>>>>>> was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into >>>>>>>>>> the game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other >>>>>>>>>> players haven't been told about it.-a Although many people like >>>>>>>>>> US Survivor Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always hated that >>>>>>>>>> season because of the gimmick of the Outcasts being brought >>>>>>>>>> back into the game, and the fact that one of those Outcasts >>>>>>>>>> lasted until Final Two. An even worse situation happened on an >>>>>>>>>> early season of Survivor South Africa where a player was doing >>>>>>>>>> well and dominating the game but was blindsided when some >>>>>>>>>> previously voted out players returned to the game, Outcasts >>>>>>>>>> style, and one of them ended up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it
because of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once
you're voted out that should be it for your game. Someone
coming back and winning would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their >>>>>>>>>>>>>> first language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not sure >>>>>>>>>>>>>> that would keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been on >>>>>>>>>>>>>> US Survivor actually applied or were they recruited? >>>>>>>>>>>>>Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Does Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders >>>>>>>>>>>>> and event coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. >>>>>>>>>>>>> For this season they managed to find people who know next >>>>>>>>>>>>> to nothing about the game and seem incapable of learning >>>>>>>>>>>>> the game. It's like they're trying to help a returning >>>>>>>>>>>>> player become the first two-time winner.
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> successful businesswoman and corporate executive in the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> way she is able to strategize and influence the way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> people think.-a Her big weakness on her first season was >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> her lack of social skills, and I think that is still >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and that seems more out of convenience than anything >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> else. Hard to believe there are only three Aussies left: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke would >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned about him >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> or is mentioning his name. I find it hard to believe he >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> could win this because I just canrCOt see him making a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> believe any of the remaining Aussies can win other than >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in awe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have trouble >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> seeing her as the winner.-a At this point I can see >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of the others >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> also have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa done >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> other than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Survivor and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched >>>>>>>>>>>>>> that NZ season and she played masterfully against some >>>>>>>>>>>>>> pretty impressive players, including two guys who had a >>>>>>>>>>>>>> secret alliance no one knew about from their friendship >>>>>>>>>>>>>> before the game. I know we are not seeing it this season >>>>>>>>>>>>>> and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero worship >>>>>>>>>>>>>> of Cirie, but on her winning season she came across as >>>>>>>>>>>>>> smart and strategic. I can definitely see her making an >>>>>>>>>>>>>> articulate case to the jury because she did it before.-a As >>>>>>>>>>>>>> I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of Cirie >>>>>>>>>>>>>> taking control of a game and making a case for herself. I >>>>>>>>>>>>>> know people like her and she has been called the best >>>>>>>>>>>>>> player never to win Survivor, but I'm not really sure >>>>>>>>>>>>>> where that is coming from.-a I can think of a few players >>>>>>>>>>>>>> (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make more sense >>>>>>>>>>>>>> as best player to have never won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what >>>>>>>>>>>>> Cirie's doing which is basically what Parv is doing. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know about >>>>>>>>>>>>> the friendship of the two guys with the secret alliance? If >>>>>>>>>>>>> one of them had won that would not have looked good. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused >>>>>>>>>>>> a lot of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have >>>>>>>>>>>> been a real mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't know >>>>>>>>>>>> until they saw each other first episode that they were both >>>>>>>>>>>> on the show. If I am remembering right, they were friends >>>>>>>>>>>> from high school but hadn't seen one another in years.-a They >>>>>>>>>>>> were on different tribes, but they protected one another >>>>>>>>>>>> until well after merge. Matt was finally voted out at final >>>>>>>>>>>> six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted against him.-a But >>>>>>>>>>>> I think their deal was that at a certain point either could >>>>>>>>>>>> turn on the other if it made game sense, so it didn't seem >>>>>>>>>>>> Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude seemed to be that as >>>>>>>>>>>> long as one of them won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally >>>>>>>>>>>> disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning. >>>>>>>>>>>> Dave claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final >>>>>>>>>>>> summary, but the damage was done and he ended up getting >>>>>>>>>>>> zero votes.-a To this day I have wondered whether producers >>>>>>>>>>>> may have gotten to Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told >>>>>>>>>>>> him he should reveal it. This was a season with Ponderosa >>>>>>>>>>>> videos and I think Matt did discuss it with the other >>>>>>>>>>>> Survivors but it didn't seem like he was going to reveal >>>>>>>>>>>> it.-a I also have wondered if the potential scandal had >>>>>>>>>>>> anything to do with the show not being renewed for a third >>>>>>>>>>>> season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. >>>>>>>>>>> Usually shows look for similarities in people and cast them >>>>>>>>>>> together but this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if >>>>>>>>>>> the producers stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If >>>>>>>>>>> one of them had won and this friendship didn't get revealed >>>>>>>>>>> until after the season aired, the entire Survivor world would >>>>>>>>>>> have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help Lisa win? >>>>>>>>>>>
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told >>>>>>>>>> some jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would >>>>>>>>>> have spread. Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes >>>>>>>>>> was from Matt.-a I think if Matt had kept the secret all the >>>>>>>>>> way through, there's a fair chance Dave would have gotten some >>>>>>>>>> votes at the finale.-a Lisa played a great strategic game and >>>>>>>>>> controlled many big moves in the game including the pivotal >>>>>>>>>> 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside against Matt.-a But >>>>>>>>>> Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked, even though >>>>>>>>>> the secret alliance with his high school friend clearly helped. >>>>>>>>>>
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm >>>>>>>>>> never polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have >>>>>>>>>> gotten had the reveal not happened, and I don't think they >>>>>>>>>> really talked about the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm >>>>>>>>>> (the host) seemed nervous at the reunion and it was apparent >>>>>>>>>> he was asking all his questions from note cards.-a I think he >>>>>>>>>> was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter >>>>>>>>> entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after >>>>>>>>> Lisa won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, >>>>>>>>>> but here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the >>>>>>>>>> winner. You can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, >>>>>>>>>> and you can also pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of >>>>>>>>>> the comments are pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This >>>>>>>> one focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case >>>>>>>> that the pre-existing relationship between the two had a
significant impact on the outcome.-a The first four minutes
briefly discusses other Survivor seasons where players knew each >>>>>>>> other, but from about 4:10 on it focuses on the David-Matt
controversy and it really hammers the point that this
relationship completely changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently >>>>>>>> Lisa herself who suggested this video be made because she wanted >>>>>>>> to lower her threat level for the current season by making it >>>>>>>> seem the controversy helped her win.-a If so, that really is
pretty advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a
controversy. After watching that video there's no question in my >>>>>>> mind that Lisa's win is tainted.
Well you can look at that two ways.-a On one hand you can argue
that if Matt hadn't outed Dave, it is possible Dave would have
won.-a But in that case, it would be HIS win that was tainted since >>>>>> he would have won based on cheating and a material piece of
information not being disclosed to the jury.-a You can argue that >>>>>> by Matt outing him, he was simply exposing all the players to the >>>>>> actual truth of what happened and the players then decided
collectively to give the win to Lisa.
I'm not saying Lisa wouldn't have deserved to win. Just that there
should be an asterisk by her name. Have any of the jurors ever been >>>>> asked about this since the season aired? It would be strange if no
podcast has ever asked a juror about this friendship reveal.
That's what's frustrating.-a This should have been asked and
discussed on the reunion show when it was still relatively fresh in
everyone's minds, but it wasn't.-a Matt Chisholm pretty much sat
there and awkwardly read a bunch of standard questions from note
cards, and the whole David-Matt subterfuge was not addressed.-a I
would love to have heard him poll the jury to ask them how they
would have voted if Matt hadn't revealed the friendship, but that
didn't happen. I have to assume Chisholm was told not to being it
up.-a If any jurors were ever asked about it afterward, I can't find
any evidence of that.-a I also can't find any post-show interviews
with the producers or show runner about the controversy.
One good thing about Jeff being the showrunner for U.S. Survivor is
that he can go off script and deal with such issues. Not saying he
would in a case like this, but also having a big role and say in
casting would make staying quiet look really bad. The NZ host
probably had no skin in the game.
Right.-a The closest example I can think of on US Survivor (although it
was obviously a much different situation) was the controversy over Dan
Spilo on Season 38, and to his credit Jeff did discuss that at the
reunion.
IIRC, Jeff also dealt with Varner outing Zeke in Game Changers.
I think thigios might have been different if David had actually won
the show.-a In that case all hell would have broken out, and you
might have seen producers on the hot seat.-a But once it was clear he >>>> was getting zero votes and the person who won - Lisa - played an
honest and smart game, the pressure was off and producers probably
breathed a collective sigh of relief.
I'll give them credit for not editing all of this out of the show and
canceling the reunion. They could have played dumb if the players
brought it up after the fact.
Right, but I think things might have been different if Matt had kept
quiet and David somehow won.-a In that case, I'm not sure what would
have happened.-a If the truth eventually came out before the season
aired, I wonder if it would have been kept off air.-a We'll never know.
That's a possibility. It's also possible they knew it was the end for
the show before the season ever aired.
By the way, after Dave was outed in TC, he claimed (and this video >>>>>> reflects this) that he planned on revealing the friendship in his >>>>>> final summation, but I never believed that for a moment.-a If he
had been able to keep the secret all the way to the end, there is >>>>>> NO way he would have admitted it in his final words to the jury.
The real villain here is clearly the show's casting director for
not taking what would seem like the simple step of checking where >>>>>> people went to high school and dates of attendance.
If the budget really was small the casting director probably just
said screw it and I'll gamble. Stupid move given how small NZ is
population wise.
Agreed.
I would not have expected to see Cirie either.-a I figured ifLisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:there. I wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor?
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d- >>>>>>>> chess- how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor >>>>>>> She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be
Posting under another name to trash her own game is pretty funny. >>>>>>
you're limiting the Americans to three participants, go with three >>>>>> previous winners, not someone who never made the finals.-a I'm sure >>>>>> she figured someone like Sandra or Boston Rob would have made more >>>>>> sense.
But would she have known how many U.S. Survivor Players there would >>>>> be? You also have to factor in S50. If I was Lisa, I would have
assumed Sandra, Boston Rob, and Parv would all do S50. Cirie doing
Australia would make more sense to me. Cirie doing both makes no
sense.
Even among the Aussies (who have played far fewer seasons than the >>>>>> Americans and have fewer winners to choose from) the choice of two >>>>>> one- time players like Sarah (who finished 8th in her season) and >>>>>> Janine (who finished 6th) seemed really odd.-a I can think of
several better choices, including a couple of prior winners as
well as non- winners who played multiple seasons) who would have
been better choices.
And I'll say again that excluding anyone (especially the winner)
from the very recent Survivor UK season doesn't make much sense.
To me, including someone from a now defunct version of the
franchise makes no sense. Is Lisa well-known to Australian viewers? >>>>> It's possible they're catering to New Zealand viewers as this
season is being broadcast there. It's also weird they went with
Tommi and Kass. I'm glad they cast Kass as she's been a huge
pleasant surpris
Lisa's NZ season was covered by RHAP which has a lot of fans in
Australia.-a In fact, if I am remembering right, Shannon Guss covered >>>> the NZ season for RHAP with Luke from the current season, which
makes it pretty funny that Luke couldn't remember what country Lisa
played for (unless he was joking).-a-a The Finland and Quebec
selections came out of left field because I had never anything about
either franchise before Tommi and kass were announced.-a I have no
idea why they of all people were selected.
I thought it was strange that Luke couldn't remember a nearby
country. More than likely a friendly jab at New Zealanders.
Luke had to be joking.-a I'm 100% sure the players would have all
introduced one another at the beginning of the game at their first
challenge and certainly by the merge.-a There is no way Luke wouldn't
remember Lisa was from neighboring NZ.-a There's also the fact that he
was a guest commentator on Sharon Guss' RHAP coverage of Lisa's
winning season.
Another weird thing about Tommi and Kass being selected is that
English is not the mother tongue for either of them. Kass is doing
fine as far as I'm concerned, but Tommi clearly struggles with
English. Other than the UK, what other Survivor versions are done in
English?
I'm pretty sure the only English language versions of the show are
from the US, UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.-a Interesting
that Quebec, where French is the official language, did its own
version but Canada as a whole has not.-a Canada is by far the largest
English- speaking country in the world to never do its own Survivor
version, probably because of the ready availability of the US show.
Canadian media companies are very cheap. Global "canceled" BBCAN because they didn't want to pay the licensing fees the Banijay empire was asking for. The ratings were fine.
it's also unclear how they decided on the mix of seven Australians,
three Americans and one each from Quebec, Finland, NZ and South
Africa, with none from the UK.-a South Africa has had almost as many
seasons as the modern Australia run (nine vs eleven) so it is odd
they only had one South African participant.-a Much about the cast
selection seems arbitrary if not random.
Is this season being shown in South Africa? I wonder if some of these
people agreed to play as long as someone else did? For example, David
and Sarah, and Cirie and Parv? Who they selected might also be a
factor of who turned them down. I'm impressed they got Tony, Cirie,
and Parv. It sounds like Lisa would have been an easy get. No idea
about the Aussies. I do have to say I find it strange David agreed to
play after having won $5.8 million. Did he agree to do this season
knowing in advance the show/network were going to stab Jonathan in
the back? RHAP needs to dig into that if they haven't already.
I'm not sure if the show is airing in South Africa, but I doubt it..
I do know that in the past, the better South African and Australian
players have seemed to be aware of each other's country's versions,
but I don't know if it's because the show aired live or they just got
copies somehow.-a I'm guessing the latter.
David was probably recruited before DONDi, and I don't think him
winning that show would have affected his decision to play on the
Aussie Survivor v World season.-a He has a gigantic ego,-a and I think
the chance to play against the likes of Tony, Parv and Cirie was
probably irresistible.-a And besides, even if you have won a few
million dollars after taxes from one source, you're not gonna turn
down the chance to win a couple hundred K more.
If we knew exactly when DONDI and this season of Survivor were filmed,
we'd have a better idea of DONDI had any impact on David playing.
And I don't think there were plans at the time to fire JLP.-a There was
a full season of Aussie Survivor filmed after this that actually aired
first, earlier this year, in fact.-a Everyone is thinking that JLP's
last Survivor episode will be this seasons finale, but that will be
the last aired episode.-a The last filmed was actually the finale of
the prior aired season.
When was this season filmed? I thought it was last summer?
On 8/31/2025 2:55 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/31/2025 10:05 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/31/2025 1:34 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 10:35 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 11:18 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 7:24 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 6:22 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...
This was another great episode, and once again I did >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> not know for sure who was leaving until the votes were >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> read. The episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, but >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was really in trouble >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> or they were trying to do a misdirect. Ultimately it >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> seems Kirby flew too close to the sun and her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> inexperience and cowboy approach to the game finally >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't think she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> had much chance of winning, but I thought she could >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> make it to final 4 or 5. I think she and Parv formed a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> genuine connection, but when Parv started questioning >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem to know how to close >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end was genuine and real, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and unless I missed it, I donrCOt think she said goodbye >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to or embraced Parv.
The first part of the episode made it look like Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> would be going. Parv's game experience was too much for >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby, but what really killed Kirby was Janine. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> like Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> be wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> planned on staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> do what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a bit >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine basically >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> convinced her that Kirby has a history of turning on her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby turned on one >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ally - Sarah - and it was only after Kirby became >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> convinced Sarah wasn't committed to her.
Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge >>>>>>>>>>>>>> disadvantage for the other players.
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> but I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Aussie football player before becoming a coach, and like >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> many athletes she had a strong need to play against add >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> defeat the best. Parv is different.-a She is a strategist >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> who simply wants to win in whatever is the best way she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> can.-a I have no doubt she would go after anyone she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one >>>>>>>>>>>>>> example to reference and it was clear in that case that >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby did turn on her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her >>>>>>>>>>>>>> way of winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take out >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parv before Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who >>>>>>>>>>>>> I truly think would have stayed with her to the end.-a Cirie >>>>>>>>>>>>> will not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's comment >>>>>>>>>>>> earlier in the season that she should have won Fans vs. >>>>>>>>>>>> Favorites for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> same experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to go to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the end with the other dominant player that season who >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> promised to be loyal to her and to play an idol on her if >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> she got in trouble. By final five, everyone had learned >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> what Kirby could do and she got targeted, but the person >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> she thought was her ally refused to play the idol, As a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> result, Kirby got voted out, and the other person >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If >>>>>>>>>>>>>> she had that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> center as the big target going forward.-a The previews >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> suggest some TC drama next episode, but as soon as I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt watch any >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> more of the preview, as it seemed to be revealing way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> too much. Things are definitely getting more intense. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> anything because I'll be shocked if it happens. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A few other random thoughts:I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> up against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> an option.
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> time in kind of a serious way as the Americans debated >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> how to break up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> are the only previous winners still on the show, and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to now >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> been borderline impressive given her status as the only >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> remaining non-US prior winner. She has done nothing >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> overt to show any kind of threat level. I was actually >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a bit surprised to hear her name bandied about a bit. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her ability >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in challenges, and I think she is still my first choice >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for eventual winner.-a-a She was in complete control in >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the IC and never seemed to feel any stress at all, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> almost akin to that stunt guy David on the last US >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> season. When she and Parv were the last two players >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> standing, I immediately thought she would remind Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of their original deal and and ask Parv to drop out. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned it only to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> have Parv shush him.-a That was funny. It was at that >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to bring up the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> deal because she knew she had a victory here hands down >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and she was going to save that deal for when she needed >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> it. Kass was simply awesome in the challenge. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> background? Her athletic abilities are very good. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> interest in French literature. She also claims she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> suffers from "imposter syndrome" in real life, which is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> interesting.-a I couldn't find anything specific to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> suggest she has an athletic or sports background so >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her >>>>>>>>>>>>>> show bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in cast >>>>>>>>>>>>> bios and stories that came out before the season, and it is >>>>>>>>>>>>> obviously something Kass talks about.-a Here are two examples: >>>>>>>>>>>>>
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor- >>>>>>>>>>>>> australia- v- the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of- >>>>>>>>>>>>> australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one >>>>>>>>>>>>> of her confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good >>>>>>>>>>>>> insights into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up.
I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kass is from Quebec so English is not her first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> language and she struggles a bit to find the right >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> words when speaking. That just makes her more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> impressive, as she may not always be able to pick up >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all the random comments made by the others around camp. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate potentiaol >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. Being >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> from Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first language >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is Quebec. In her case it obviously is. I wonder if not >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> being comfortable speaking English had any impact on her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> not applying for U.S. Survivor?
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd >>>>>>>>>>>>>> prefer $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her >>>>>>>>>>>>>> season of Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor >>>>>>>>>>>>> with the 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim episodes? >>>>>>>>>>>>> I don't speak French, but I might try to grab that season >>>>>>>>>>>>> and see if I can find it with English subtitles.
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't >>>>>>>>>>>> see any mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some >>>>>>>>>>>> crazy stuff. Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two >>>>>>>>>>>> people quit, and one person reentered the game on Day 24. It >>>>>>>>>>>> looks like other people were able to compete to get back >>>>>>>>>>>> into the game. Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article doesn't >>>>>>>>>>>> give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. >>>>>>>>>>>> Season was filmed in the Philippines.
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into >>>>>>>>>>> the game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other >>>>>>>>>>> players haven't been told about it.-a Although many people >>>>>>>>>>> like US Survivor Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always >>>>>>>>>>> hated that season because of the gimmick of the Outcasts >>>>>>>>>>> being brought back into the game, and the fact that one of >>>>>>>>>>> those Outcasts lasted until Final Two. An even worse
situation happened on an early season of Survivor South >>>>>>>>>>> Africa where a player was doing well and dominating the game >>>>>>>>>>> but was blindsided when some previously voted out players >>>>>>>>>>> returned to the game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended >>>>>>>>>>> up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it >>>>>>>>>> because of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once >>>>>>>>>> you're voted out that should be it for your game. Someone >>>>>>>>>> coming back and winning would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> first language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sure that would keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> on US Survivor actually applied or were they recruited? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Does Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of bartenders >>>>>>>>>>>>>> and event coordinators seem long gone. BB still recruits. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> For this season they managed to find people who know next >>>>>>>>>>>>>> to nothing about the game and seem incapable of learning >>>>>>>>>>>>>> the game. It's like they're trying to help a returning >>>>>>>>>>>>>> player become the first two-time winner.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cirie's doing which is basically what Parv is doing. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> successful businesswoman and corporate executive in the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> way she is able to strategize and influence the way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> people think.-a Her big weakness on her first season was >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> her lack of social skills, and I think that is still >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only true ally >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and that seems more out of convenience than anything >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> else. Hard to believe there are only three Aussies >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> left: Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for sure Luke >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> would be targeted by now, but no one seems concerned >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> about him or is mentioning his name. I find it hard to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> believe he could win this because I just canrCOt see him >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> making a cohesive jury speech.-a I actually find it hard >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to believe any of the remaining Aussies can win other >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv at >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> awe of her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> trouble seeing her as the winner.-a At this point I can >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of the others >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you should >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> also have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has Lisa >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> done other than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Survivor and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> that NZ season and she played masterfully against some >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> pretty impressive players, including two guys who had a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> secret alliance no one knew about from their friendship >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> before the game. I know we are not seeing it this season >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero worship >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of Cirie, but on her winning season she came across as >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> smart and strategic. I can definitely see her making an >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> articulate case to the jury because she did it before. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen examples of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cirie taking control of a game and making a case for >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> herself. I know people like her and she has been called >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the best player never to win Survivor, but I'm not really >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sure where that is coming from.-a I can think of a few >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) who would make >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> more sense as best player to have never won the show. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know >>>>>>>>>>>>>> about the friendship of the two guys with the secret >>>>>>>>>>>>>> alliance? If one of them had won that would not have >>>>>>>>>>>>>> looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it caused >>>>>>>>>>>>> a lot of controversy. If one of them had won, it would have >>>>>>>>>>>>> been a real mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt - didn't >>>>>>>>>>>>> know until they saw each other first episode that they were >>>>>>>>>>>>> both on the show. If I am remembering right, they were >>>>>>>>>>>>> friends from high school but hadn't seen one another in >>>>>>>>>>>>> years.-a They were on different tribes, but they protected >>>>>>>>>>>>> one another until well after merge. Matt was finally voted >>>>>>>>>>>>> out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think Dave voted >>>>>>>>>>>>> against him.-a But I think their deal was that at a certain >>>>>>>>>>>>> point either could turn on the other if it made game sense, >>>>>>>>>>>>> so it didn't seem Matt was upset. Their mutual attitude >>>>>>>>>>>>> seemed to be that as long as one of them won, it didn't >>>>>>>>>>>>> matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally >>>>>>>>>>>>> disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Dave claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his final >>>>>>>>>>>>> summary, but the damage was done and he ended up getting >>>>>>>>>>>>> zero votes.-a To this day I have wondered whether producers >>>>>>>>>>>>> may have gotten to Matt while he was at Ponderosa and told >>>>>>>>>>>>> him he should reveal it. This was a season with Ponderosa >>>>>>>>>>>>> videos and I think Matt did discuss it with the other >>>>>>>>>>>>> Survivors but it didn't seem like he was going to reveal >>>>>>>>>>>>> it.-a I also have wondered if the potential scandal had >>>>>>>>>>>>> anything to do with the show not being renewed for a third >>>>>>>>>>>>> season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. >>>>>>>>>>>> Usually shows look for similarities in people and cast them >>>>>>>>>>>> together but this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if >>>>>>>>>>>> the producers stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If >>>>>>>>>>>> one of them had won and this friendship didn't get revealed >>>>>>>>>>>> until after the season aired, the entire Survivor world >>>>>>>>>>>> would have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help Lisa >>>>>>>>>>>> win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already told >>>>>>>>>>> some jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word would >>>>>>>>>>> have spread. Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of her votes >>>>>>>>>>> was from Matt.-a I think if Matt had kept the secret all the >>>>>>>>>>> way through, there's a fair chance Dave would have gotten >>>>>>>>>>> some votes at the finale.-a Lisa played a great strategic game >>>>>>>>>>> and controlled many big moves in the game including the >>>>>>>>>>> pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the blindside against >>>>>>>>>>> Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too and was well-liked, >>>>>>>>>>> even though the secret alliance with his high school friend >>>>>>>>>>> clearly helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm >>>>>>>>>>> never polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have >>>>>>>>>>> gotten had the reveal not happened, and I don't think they >>>>>>>>>>> really talked about the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt Chisholm >>>>>>>>>>> (the host) seemed nervous at the reunion and it was apparent >>>>>>>>>>> he was asking all his questions from note cards.-a I think he >>>>>>>>>>> was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter >>>>>>>>>> entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after >>>>>>>>>> Lisa won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, >>>>>>>>>>> but here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the >>>>>>>>>>> winner. You can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, >>>>>>>>>>> and you can also pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of >>>>>>>>>>> the comments are pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season.-a This >>>>>>>>> one focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes the case >>>>>>>>> that the pre-existing relationship between the two had a
significant impact on the outcome.-a The first four minutes >>>>>>>>> briefly discusses other Survivor seasons where players knew >>>>>>>>> each other, but from about 4:10 on it focuses on the David-Matt >>>>>>>>> controversy and it really hammers the point that this
relationship completely changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently >>>>>>>>> Lisa herself who suggested this video be made because she
wanted to lower her threat level for the current season by
making it seem the controversy helped her win.-a If so, that >>>>>>>>> really is pretty advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a
controversy. After watching that video there's no question in my >>>>>>>> mind that Lisa's win is tainted.
Well you can look at that two ways.-a On one hand you can argue >>>>>>> that if Matt hadn't outed Dave, it is possible Dave would have
won.-a But in that case, it would be HIS win that was tainted
since he would have won based on cheating and a material piece of >>>>>>> information not being disclosed to the jury.-a You can argue that >>>>>>> by Matt outing him, he was simply exposing all the players to the >>>>>>> actual truth of what happened and the players then decided
collectively to give the win to Lisa.
I'm not saying Lisa wouldn't have deserved to win. Just that there >>>>>> should be an asterisk by her name. Have any of the jurors ever
been asked about this since the season aired? It would be strange >>>>>> if no podcast has ever asked a juror about this friendship reveal. >>>>>>
That's what's frustrating.-a This should have been asked and
discussed on the reunion show when it was still relatively fresh in >>>>> everyone's minds, but it wasn't.-a Matt Chisholm pretty much sat
there and awkwardly read a bunch of standard questions from note
cards, and the whole David-Matt subterfuge was not addressed.-a I
would love to have heard him poll the jury to ask them how they
would have voted if Matt hadn't revealed the friendship, but that
didn't happen. I have to assume Chisholm was told not to being it
up.-a If any jurors were ever asked about it afterward, I can't find >>>>> any evidence of that.-a I also can't find any post-show interviews
with the producers or show runner about the controversy.
One good thing about Jeff being the showrunner for U.S. Survivor is
that he can go off script and deal with such issues. Not saying he
would in a case like this, but also having a big role and say in
casting would make staying quiet look really bad. The NZ host
probably had no skin in the game.
Right.-a The closest example I can think of on US Survivor (although
it was obviously a much different situation) was the controversy over
Dan Spilo on Season 38, and to his credit Jeff did discuss that at
the reunion.
IIRC, Jeff also dealt with Varner outing Zeke in Game Changers.
Yes he did, good point.-a In fact that was one of the rare cases where
they dispensed with the TC vote and Jeff basically said something to the effect that everyone was in agreement Jeff leave.
I think thigios might have been different if David had actually won >>>>> the show.-a In that case all hell would have broken out, and you
might have seen producers on the hot seat.-a But once it was clear
he was getting zero votes and the person who won - Lisa - played an >>>>> honest and smart game, the pressure was off and producers probably
breathed a collective sigh of relief.
I'll give them credit for not editing all of this out of the show
and canceling the reunion. They could have played dumb if the
players brought it up after the fact.
Right, but I think things might have been different if Matt had kept
quiet and David somehow won.-a In that case, I'm not sure what would
have happened.-a If the truth eventually came out before the season
aired, I wonder if it would have been kept off air.-a We'll never know.
That's a possibility. It's also possible they knew it was the end for
the show before the season ever aired.
By the way, after Dave was outed in TC, he claimed (and this
video reflects this) that he planned on revealing the friendship >>>>>>> in his final summation, but I never believed that for a moment. >>>>>>> If he had been able to keep the secret all the way to the end,
there is NO way he would have admitted it in his final words to >>>>>>> the jury.
The real villain here is clearly the show's casting director for >>>>>>> not taking what would seem like the simple step of checking where >>>>>>> people went to high school and dates of attendance.
If the budget really was small the casting director probably just >>>>>> said screw it and I'll gamble. Stupid move given how small NZ is
population wise.
Agreed.
I would not have expected to see Cirie either.-a I figured ifLisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here:there. I wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor? >>>>>>>> Posting under another name to trash her own game is pretty funny. >>>>>>>
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d- >>>>>>>>> chess- how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor >>>>>>>> She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be
you're limiting the Americans to three participants, go with
three previous winners, not someone who never made the finals. >>>>>>> I'm sure she figured someone like Sandra or Boston Rob would have >>>>>>> made more sense.
But would she have known how many U.S. Survivor Players there
would be? You also have to factor in S50. If I was Lisa, I would
have assumed Sandra, Boston Rob, and Parv would all do S50. Cirie >>>>>> doing Australia would make more sense to me. Cirie doing both
makes no sense.
Even among the Aussies (who have played far fewer seasons than
the Americans and have fewer winners to choose from) the choice >>>>>>> of two one- time players like Sarah (who finished 8th in her
season) and Janine (who finished 6th) seemed really odd.-a I can >>>>>>> think of several better choices, including a couple of prior
winners as well as non- winners who played multiple seasons) who >>>>>>> would have been better choices.
And I'll say again that excluding anyone (especially the winner) >>>>>>> from the very recent Survivor UK season doesn't make much sense.
To me, including someone from a now defunct version of the
franchise makes no sense. Is Lisa well-known to Australian
viewers? It's possible they're catering to New Zealand viewers as >>>>>> this season is being broadcast there. It's also weird they went
with Tommi and Kass. I'm glad they cast Kass as she's been a huge >>>>>> pleasant surpris
Lisa's NZ season was covered by RHAP which has a lot of fans in
Australia.-a In fact, if I am remembering right, Shannon Guss
covered the NZ season for RHAP with Luke from the current season,
which makes it pretty funny that Luke couldn't remember what
country Lisa played for (unless he was joking).-a-a The Finland and >>>>> Quebec selections came out of left field because I had never
anything about either franchise before Tommi and kass were
announced.-a I have no idea why they of all people were selected.
I thought it was strange that Luke couldn't remember a nearby
country. More than likely a friendly jab at New Zealanders.
Luke had to be joking.-a I'm 100% sure the players would have all
introduced one another at the beginning of the game at their first
challenge and certainly by the merge.-a There is no way Luke wouldn't
remember Lisa was from neighboring NZ.-a There's also the fact that he
was a guest commentator on Sharon Guss' RHAP coverage of Lisa's
winning season.
Another weird thing about Tommi and Kass being selected is that
English is not the mother tongue for either of them. Kass is doing
fine as far as I'm concerned, but Tommi clearly struggles with
English. Other than the UK, what other Survivor versions are done in
English?
I'm pretty sure the only English language versions of the show are
from the US, UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Interesting that Quebec, where French is the official language, did
its own version but Canada as a whole has not.-a Canada is by far the
largest English- speaking country in the world to never do its own
Survivor version, probably because of the ready availability of the
US show.
Canadian media companies are very cheap. Global "canceled" BBCAN
because they didn't want to pay the licensing fees the Banijay empire
was asking for. The ratings were fine.
it's also unclear how they decided on the mix of seven Australians, >>>>> three Americans and one each from Quebec, Finland, NZ and South
Africa, with none from the UK.-a South Africa has had almost as many >>>>> seasons as the modern Australia run (nine vs eleven) so it is odd
they only had one South African participant.-a Much about the cast
selection seems arbitrary if not random.
Is this season being shown in South Africa? I wonder if some of
these people agreed to play as long as someone else did? For
example, David and Sarah, and Cirie and Parv? Who they selected
might also be a factor of who turned them down. I'm impressed they
got Tony, Cirie, and Parv. It sounds like Lisa would have been an
easy get. No idea about the Aussies. I do have to say I find it
strange David agreed to play after having won $5.8 million. Did he
agree to do this season knowing in advance the show/network were
going to stab Jonathan in the back? RHAP needs to dig into that if
they haven't already.
I'm not sure if the show is airing in South Africa, but I doubt it..
I do know that in the past, the better South African and Australian
players have seemed to be aware of each other's country's versions,
but I don't know if it's because the show aired live or they just got
copies somehow.-a I'm guessing the latter.
David was probably recruited before DONDi, and I don't think him
winning that show would have affected his decision to play on the
Aussie Survivor v World season.-a He has a gigantic ego,-a and I think
the chance to play against the likes of Tony, Parv and Cirie was
probably irresistible.-a And besides, even if you have won a few
million dollars after taxes from one source, you're not gonna turn
down the chance to win a couple hundred K more.
If we knew exactly when DONDI and this season of Survivor were filmed,
we'd have a better idea of DONDI had any impact on David playing.
And I don't think there were plans at the time to fire JLP.-a There
was a full season of Aussie Survivor filmed after this that actually
aired first, earlier this year, in fact.-a Everyone is thinking that
JLP's last Survivor episode will be this seasons finale, but that
will be the last aired episode.-a The last filmed was actually the
finale of the prior aired season.
When was this season filmed? I thought it was last summer?
I thought that as well.-a In fact I thought I had read that somewhere.
But I just looked it up and it seems this season was actually filmed in sequence after the prior season aired.-a The prior season - Survivor 12 - was filmed July 29 through Sept 13, 2024 and aired earlier this year, February 17th thru April 14th.-a The current season airing now - Aussie Survivor v. World - was apparently actually filmed September 20th
through October 4th of 2024.-a DONDI was filmed from mid-July through
August 2024 but did not air until January of 2025.
On 8/31/2025 2:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/31/2025 2:55 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/31/2025 10:05 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/31/2025 1:34 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 10:35 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 11:18 PM, Brian Smith wrote:One good thing about Jeff being the showrunner for U.S. Survivor is >>>>> that he can go off script and deal with such issues. Not saying he
On 8/30/2025 7:24 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 6:22 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/30/2025 1:29 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/30/2025 12:02 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 6:38 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 4:53 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/29/2025 8:55 AM, Rick wrote:
On 8/29/2025 1:44 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:32 PM, Rick wrote:
On 8/28/2025 10:09 PM, Brian Smith wrote:Not knowing the history of the Aussie players is a huge >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> disadvantage for the other players.
On 8/27/2025 7:44 AM, Rick wrote:
Spoilers for the episode ahead...The first part of the episode made it look like Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> would be going. Parv's game experience was too much for >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby, but what really killed Kirby was Janine. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This was another great episode, and once again I did >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> not know for sure who was leaving until the votes were >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> read. The episode kept signaling it would be Kirby, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> but I couldnrCOt tell for sure if she was really in >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> trouble or they were trying to do a misdirect. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ultimately it seems Kirby flew too close to the sun >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and her inexperience and cowboy approach to the game >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> finally caught up to her.-a I was surprised.-a I didn't >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> think she had much chance of winning, but I thought >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> she could make it to final 4 or 5. I think she and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parv formed a genuine connection, but when Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> started questioning her sincerity, Kirby didnrCOt seem >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to know how to close the deal.-a-a Her shock at the end >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> was genuine and real, and unless I missed it, I donrCOt >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> think she said goodbye to or embraced Parv. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I didn't see Kirby say goodbye to Parv. It didn't look >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> like Parv wanted to say anything anyway. Now Parv has >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to be wondering if she got played by Janine or of Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> planned on staying loyal. Based on her vote, Kirby did >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> do what she said she was going to do.
Kirby definitely seemed legit, and I agree Parv got a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> bit bamboozled (to quote Richard Hatch) when Janine >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> basically convinced her that Kirby has a history of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> turning on her allies. That's actually not true.-a Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> turned on one ally - Sarah - and it was only after Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> became convinced Sarah wasn't committed to her. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I think Kirby truly intended to go to the end with Parv, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> but I'm not sure Parv wanted the same.-a Kirby was an >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Aussie football player before becoming a coach, and like >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> many athletes she had a strong need to play against add >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> defeat the best. Parv is different.-a She is a strategist >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> who simply wants to win in whatever is the best way she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> can.-a I have no doubt she would go after anyone she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> thought could beat her.
I agree. Unfortunately for Kirby, Parv had just one >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> example to reference and it was clear in that case that >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kirby did turn on her last #1 Sarah.
Parv would definitely take out anyone who stands in her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> way of winning. That's why I think Cirie needs to take >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> out Parv before Parv gets her.
That's what's really interesting.-a Parv took out Kirby who >>>>>>>>>>>>>> I truly think would have stayed with her to the end. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cirie will not do that.
I think you're right. I'm sure they included Cirie's >>>>>>>>>>>>> comment earlier in the season that she should have won Fans >>>>>>>>>>>>> vs. Favorites for a reason. Foreshadowing?
The ironic part of this is that Kirby had pretty much >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the same experience in her prior season.-a She wanted to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> go to the end with the other dominant player that season >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> who promised to be loyal to her and to play an idol on >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> her if she got in trouble. By final five, everyone had >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> learned what Kirby could do and she got targeted, but >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the person she thought was her ally refused to play the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> idol, As a result, Kirby got voted out, and the other >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> person eventually won the season.
Yikes. And Parv considered playing her idol on Kirby. If >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> she had that would have been the end for Cirie.
Unfortunately for Parv, this will now put her front >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and center as the big target going forward.-a The >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> previews suggest some TC drama next episode, but as >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> soon as I realized that I turned the TV off and didnrCOt >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> watch any more of the preview, as it seemed to be >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> revealing way too much. Things are definitely getting >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> more intense.
One part of the preview is pretty funny. I won't say >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> anything because I'll be shocked if it happens. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A few other random thoughts:
LisarCOs name was thrown out this episode for the first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> time in kind of a serious way as the Americans debated >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> how to break up the non- US World three.-a Lisa and >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Parv are the only previous winners still on the show, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and LisarCOs ability to stay under the radar has up to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> now been borderline impressive given her status as the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> only remaining non-US prior winner. She has done >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> nothing overt to show any kind of threat level. I was >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> actually a bit surprised to hear her name bandied >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> about a bit.
I wasn't. Tommi's done nothing and would be great to be >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> up against at the end. Kass had immunity so she wasn't >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> an option.
That's a fair point.
In contrast, Kass continues to impress with her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ability in challenges, and I think she is still my >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> first choice for eventual winner.-a-a She was in >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> complete control in the IC and never seemed to feel >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> any stress at all, almost akin to that stunt guy David >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> on the last US season. When she and Parv were the last >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> two players standing, I immediately thought she would >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> remind Parv of their original deal and and ask Parv to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> drop out. I'm glad JLP thought that too and mentioned >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> it only to have Parv shush him.-a That was funny. It >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> was at that point I realized that Kass wasnrCOt going to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> bring up the deal because she knew she had a victory >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> here hands down and she was going to save that deal >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for when she needed it. Kass was simply awesome in the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> challenge.
That challenge looked crazy hard. What is Kass's >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> background? Her athletic abilities are very good. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I wondered that too.-a All I could find out was that she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is apparently a "web editor" in real life and has an >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> interest in French literature. She also claims she >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> suffers from "imposter syndrome" in real life, which is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> interesting.-a I couldn't find anything specific to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> suggest she has an athletic or sports background so >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> perhaps she's just a fitness buff.
"Imposter syndrome" is interesting. Is this part of her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> show bio? If so, they probably included it for a reason. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I didn't see it in the official show bio, but it is in >>>>>>>>>>>>>> cast bios and stories that came out before the season, and >>>>>>>>>>>>>> it is obviously something Kass talks about.-a Here are two >>>>>>>>>>>>>> examples:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/australian-survivor- >>>>>>>>>>>>>> australia- v- the- world-meet-the-cast.html
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2025/08/17/meet-the-cast-of- australian- survivor-2025-australia-vs-world/
If she makes it far, I'm sure we will hear about it in one >>>>>>>>>>>>>> of her confessionals.
BTW, if you go to the above links, you'll get some good >>>>>>>>>>>>>> insights into the other players.
I'll do that while we wait for Episode 7 to show up. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Looking at Kass's season which was filmed in 2024, I don't >>>>>>>>>>>>> see any mention of nonelimination cycles. But I do see some >>>>>>>>>>>>> crazy stuff. Someone was medically evacuated on Day 2, two >>>>>>>>>>>>> people quit, and one person reentered the game on Day 24. >>>>>>>>>>>>> It looks like other people were able to compete to get back >>>>>>>>>>>>> into the game. Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article doesn't >>>>>>>>>>>>> give episode breakdowns. They dis a F3 and Kass lost 8rCo0rCo0. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Season was filmed in the Philippines.I didnrCOt realize or it just didnrCOt click with me that >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kass is from Quebec so English is not her first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> language and she struggles a bit to find the right >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> words when speaking. That just makes her more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> impressive, as she may not always be able to pick up >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all the random comments made by the others around >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> camp. Note: Tommi likely has the same issue, but there >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is frankly no way I can see him as the ultimate >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> potentiaol winner.
They've mentioned Kass is from Quebec quite often. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Being from Quebec doesn't necessarily mean your first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> language is Quebec. In her case it obviously is. I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wonder if not being comfortable speaking English had >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> any impact on her not applying for U.S. Survivor? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
How do we know she never applied to US Survivor?-a Did >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> she say that?
We don't know that. Given the choice, I'm assuming she'd >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> prefer $1 million and an easier game over CAD $100K. Her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> season of Survivor Quebec was 42 days long and had 20 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> players.
Sounds like Quebec is modeling after Australian Survivor >>>>>>>>>>>>>> with the 42 days.-a I wonder if they have non-elim >>>>>>>>>>>>>> episodes? I don't speak French, but I might try to grab >>>>>>>>>>>>>> that season and see if I can find it with English subtitles. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
I really dislike seasons where a player is brought back into >>>>>>>>>>>> the game after being voted out.-a Especially when the other >>>>>>>>>>>> players haven't been told about it.-a Although many people >>>>>>>>>>>> like US Survivor Season 7 (Pearl Islands), I have always >>>>>>>>>>>> hated that season because of the gimmick of the Outcasts >>>>>>>>>>>> being brought back into the game, and the fact that one of >>>>>>>>>>>> those Outcasts lasted until Final Two. An even worse
situation happened on an early season of Survivor South >>>>>>>>>>>> Africa where a player was doing well and dominating the game >>>>>>>>>>>> but was blindsided when some previously voted out players >>>>>>>>>>>> returned to the game, Outcasts style, and one of them ended >>>>>>>>>>>> up winning the season.
Did people like S7 because of the Outcasts twist or was it >>>>>>>>>>> because of Rupert? I hated that twist with a passion. Once >>>>>>>>>>> you're voted out that should be it for your game. Someone >>>>>>>>>>> coming back and winning would be the worst.
Many previous US players would not call English their >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> first language - Abi Maria comes to mind - so I'm not >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sure that would keep her from applying.
Abi's comfortable speaking English. Kass said she isn't. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I'm also curious if the Canadian citizens who have been >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> on US Survivor actually applied or were they recruited? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Applied. Gen applied for years before finally getting on. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Does Survivor even recruit anymore? The days of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> bartenders and event coordinators seem long gone. BB >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> still recruits. For this season they managed to find >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> people who know next to nothing about the game and seem >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> incapable of learning the game. It's like they're trying >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to help a returning player become the first two-time winner. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As for the others, Janine shows again why she is a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> successful businesswoman and corporate executive in >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the way she is able to strategize and influence the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> way people think.-a Her big weakness on her first >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> season was her lack of social skills, and I think that >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is still going to be an issue here.-a Luke is her only >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> true ally and that seems more out of convenience than >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> anything else. Hard to believe there are only three >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Aussies left: Luke, Janine and Shonee.-a I thought for >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sure Luke would be targeted by now, but no one seems >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> concerned about him or is mentioning his name. I find >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> it hard to believe he could win this because I just >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> canrCOt see him making a cohesive jury speech.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> actually find it hard to believe any of the remaining >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Aussies can win other than perhaps Shonee.
I agree. Luke would get eaten alive by Cirie and Parv >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> at FTC.
As for Cirie, I know a lot of people like and are in >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> awe of her, Lisa in particular,-a but I just have >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> trouble seeing her as the winner.-a At this point I can >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> see Parvati, Kass, Shonee and maybe Lisa as potential >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> winners, but I have trouble visualizing any of the others >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>If you have trouble seeing Cirie winning then you >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> should also have trouble seeing Lisa winning. What has >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Lisa done other than worship Cirie?
Well for starters, Lisa has actually won a season of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Survivor and she did it pretty convincingly.-a I watched >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> that NZ season and she played masterfully against some >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> pretty impressive players, including two guys who had a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> secret alliance no one knew about from their friendship >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> before the game. I know we are not seeing it this season >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and she definitely seems to be overdoing the hero >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> worship of Cirie, but on her winning season she came >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> across as smart and strategic. I can definitely see her >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> making an articulate case to the jury because she did it >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> before. As I said elsewhere, I just haven't seen >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> examples of Cirie taking control of a game and making a >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> case for herself. I know people like her and she has >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> been called the best player never to win Survivor, but >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I'm not really sure where that is coming from.-a I can >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> think of a few players (Rob Cesternino comes to mind) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> who would make more sense as best player to have never >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> won the show.
I was referring to this season. Lisa's just doing what >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cirie's doing which is basically what Parv is doing. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lisa's NZ season sounds suspicious. Did the show know >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> about the friendship of the two guys with the secret >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> alliance? If one of them had won that would not have >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> looked good.
No, the show didn't know about the friendship and it >>>>>>>>>>>>>> caused a lot of controversy. If one of them had won, it >>>>>>>>>>>>>> would have been a real mess. The two guys - Dave and Matt >>>>>>>>>>>>>> - didn't know until they saw each other first episode that >>>>>>>>>>>>>> they were both on the show. If I am remembering right, >>>>>>>>>>>>>> they were friends from high school but hadn't seen one >>>>>>>>>>>>>> another in years.-a They were on different tribes, but they >>>>>>>>>>>>>> protected one another until well after merge. Matt was >>>>>>>>>>>>>> finally voted out at final six on a 3-2-1 vote and I think >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dave voted against him.-a But I think their deal was that >>>>>>>>>>>>>> at a certain point either could turn on the other if it >>>>>>>>>>>>>> made game sense, so it didn't seem Matt was upset. Their >>>>>>>>>>>>>> mutual attitude seemed to be that as long as one of them >>>>>>>>>>>>>> won, it didn't matter which one.
Dave made it to final three. but the alliance was finally >>>>>>>>>>>>>> disclosed when Matt revealed it during jury questioning. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dave claimed he was about to reveal it himself in his >>>>>>>>>>>>>> final summary, but the damage was done and he ended up >>>>>>>>>>>>>> getting zero votes.-a To this day I have wondered whether >>>>>>>>>>>>>> producers may have gotten to Matt while he was at >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ponderosa and told him he should reveal it. This was a >>>>>>>>>>>>>> season with Ponderosa videos and I think Matt did discuss >>>>>>>>>>>>>> it with the other Survivors but it didn't seem like he was >>>>>>>>>>>>>> going to reveal it.-a I also have wondered if the potential >>>>>>>>>>>>>> scandal had anything to do with the show not being renewed >>>>>>>>>>>>>> for a third season.
Sounds like casting didn't do enough background checks. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Usually shows look for similarities in people and cast them >>>>>>>>>>>>> together but this is next level. I wouldn't be surprised if >>>>>>>>>>>>> the producers stepped in and got one of hem to confess. If >>>>>>>>>>>>> one of them had won and this friendship didn't get revealed >>>>>>>>>>>>> until after the season aired, the entire Survivor world >>>>>>>>>>>>> would have faced a scandal. Did this reveal at FTC help >>>>>>>>>>>>> Lisa win?
That's a good question.-a By that point, Matt had already >>>>>>>>>>>> told some jurors about it at Ponderosa so it's likely word >>>>>>>>>>>> would have spread. Lisa ended up winning 4-3-0 and one of >>>>>>>>>>>> her votes was from Matt.-a I think if Matt had kept the >>>>>>>>>>>> secret all the way through, there's a fair chance Dave would >>>>>>>>>>>> have gotten some votes at the finale.-a Lisa played a great >>>>>>>>>>>> strategic game and controlled many big moves in the game >>>>>>>>>>>> including the pivotal 3-2-1 vote that resulted in the >>>>>>>>>>>> blindside against Matt.-a But Dave played a strong game too >>>>>>>>>>>> and was well-liked, even though the secret alliance with his >>>>>>>>>>>> high school friend clearly helped.
It's unfortunate that at the reunion the host Matt Chisholm >>>>>>>>>>>> never polled the jury to see how many votes Dave would have >>>>>>>>>>>> gotten had the reveal not happened, and I don't think they >>>>>>>>>>>> really talked about the issue much if at all.-a-a Matt >>>>>>>>>>>> Chisholm (the host) seemed nervous at the reunion and it was >>>>>>>>>>>> apparent he was asking all his questions from note cards.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>> think he was told to stay away from the subject.
The show and the network probably wanted to avoid the matter >>>>>>>>>>> entirely. Do you know why they didn't do more seasons after >>>>>>>>>>> Lisa won?
I don't know if there is a full video of the reunion around, >>>>>>>>>>>> but here is the beginning part where Lisa was declared the >>>>>>>>>>>> winner. You can clearly see the RHAP shirt she was wearing, >>>>>>>>>>>> and you can also pick up on the host's nervousness.-a Some of >>>>>>>>>>>> the comments are pretty pointed too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYlw8fknJk
Here is another interesting video about Lisa's NZ season. >>>>>>>>>> This one focuses on the David-Matt controversy and it makes >>>>>>>>>> the case that the pre-existing relationship between the two >>>>>>>>>> had a significant impact on the outcome.-a The first four >>>>>>>>>> minutes briefly discusses other Survivor seasons where players >>>>>>>>>> knew each other, but from about 4:10 on it focuses on the >>>>>>>>>> David-Matt controversy and it really hammers the point that >>>>>>>>>> this relationship completely changed the season.
The most interesting aspect of this is that it was apparently >>>>>>>>>> Lisa herself who suggested this video be made because she >>>>>>>>>> wanted to lower her threat level for the current season by >>>>>>>>>> making it seem the controversy helped her win.-a If so, that >>>>>>>>>> really is pretty advanced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fbibv3ysQ
Low budget, no background checks. No wonder they had a
controversy. After watching that video there's no question in >>>>>>>>> my mind that Lisa's win is tainted.
Well you can look at that two ways.-a On one hand you can argue >>>>>>>> that if Matt hadn't outed Dave, it is possible Dave would have >>>>>>>> won.-a But in that case, it would be HIS win that was tainted >>>>>>>> since he would have won based on cheating and a material piece >>>>>>>> of information not being disclosed to the jury.-a You can argue >>>>>>>> that by Matt outing him, he was simply exposing all the players >>>>>>>> to the actual truth of what happened and the players then
decided collectively to give the win to Lisa.
I'm not saying Lisa wouldn't have deserved to win. Just that
there should be an asterisk by her name. Have any of the jurors >>>>>>> ever been asked about this since the season aired? It would be
strange if no podcast has ever asked a juror about this
friendship reveal.
That's what's frustrating.-a This should have been asked and
discussed on the reunion show when it was still relatively fresh
in everyone's minds, but it wasn't.-a Matt Chisholm pretty much sat >>>>>> there and awkwardly read a bunch of standard questions from note
cards, and the whole David-Matt subterfuge was not addressed.-a I >>>>>> would love to have heard him poll the jury to ask them how they
would have voted if Matt hadn't revealed the friendship, but that >>>>>> didn't happen. I have to assume Chisholm was told not to being it >>>>>> up.-a If any jurors were ever asked about it afterward, I can't
find any evidence of that.-a I also can't find any post-show
interviews with the producers or show runner about the controversy. >>>>>
would in a case like this, but also having a big role and say in
casting would make staying quiet look really bad. The NZ host
probably had no skin in the game.
Right.-a The closest example I can think of on US Survivor (although
it was obviously a much different situation) was the controversy
over Dan Spilo on Season 38, and to his credit Jeff did discuss that
at the reunion.
IIRC, Jeff also dealt with Varner outing Zeke in Game Changers.
Yes he did, good point.-a In fact that was one of the rare cases where
they dispensed with the TC vote and Jeff basically said something to
the effect that everyone was in agreement Jeff leave.
That's a possibility. It's also possible they knew it was the end forI think thigios might have been different if David had actually
won the show.-a In that case all hell would have broken out, and
you might have seen producers on the hot seat.-a But once it was
clear he was getting zero votes and the person who won - Lisa -
played an honest and smart game, the pressure was off and
producers probably breathed a collective sigh of relief.
I'll give them credit for not editing all of this out of the show
and canceling the reunion. They could have played dumb if the
players brought it up after the fact.
Right, but I think things might have been different if Matt had kept
quiet and David somehow won.-a In that case, I'm not sure what would
have happened.-a If the truth eventually came out before the season
aired, I wonder if it would have been kept off air.-a We'll never know. >>>
the show before the season ever aired.
By the way, after Dave was outed in TC, he claimed (and this
video reflects this) that he planned on revealing the friendship >>>>>>>> in his final summation, but I never believed that for a moment. >>>>>>>> If he had been able to keep the secret all the way to the end, >>>>>>>> there is NO way he would have admitted it in his final words to >>>>>>>> the jury.
The real villain here is clearly the show's casting director for >>>>>>>> not taking what would seem like the simple step of checking
where people went to high school and dates of attendance.
If the budget really was small the casting director probably just >>>>>>> said screw it and I'll gamble. Stupid move given how small NZ is >>>>>>> population wise.
Agreed.
I would not have expected to see Cirie either.-a I figured if >>>>>>>> you're limiting the Americans to three participants, go withLisa's motive for wanting the video made is explained here: >>>>>>>>>>
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-08-2025/quadruple-4d- >>>>>>>>>> chess- how- nzs-lisa-holmes-prepared-for-her-return-to-survivor >>>>>>>>> She did all that prep but wrongly assumed Cirie wouldn't be >>>>>>>>> there. I wonder who she was expecting to see from US Survivor? >>>>>>>>> Posting under another name to trash her own game is pretty funny. >>>>>>>>
three previous winners, not someone who never made the finals. >>>>>>>> I'm sure she figured someone like Sandra or Boston Rob would
have made more sense.
But would she have known how many U.S. Survivor Players there
would be? You also have to factor in S50. If I was Lisa, I would >>>>>>> have assumed Sandra, Boston Rob, and Parv would all do S50. Cirie >>>>>>> doing Australia would make more sense to me. Cirie doing both
makes no sense.
Even among the Aussies (who have played far fewer seasons than >>>>>>>> the Americans and have fewer winners to choose from) the choice >>>>>>>> of two one- time players like Sarah (who finished 8th in herTo me, including someone from a now defunct version of the
season) and Janine (who finished 6th) seemed really odd.-a I can >>>>>>>> think of several better choices, including a couple of prior
winners as well as non- winners who played multiple seasons) who >>>>>>>> would have been better choices.
And I'll say again that excluding anyone (especially the winner) >>>>>>>> from the very recent Survivor UK season doesn't make much sense. >>>>>>>
franchise makes no sense. Is Lisa well-known to Australian
viewers? It's possible they're catering to New Zealand viewers as >>>>>>> this season is being broadcast there. It's also weird they went >>>>>>> with Tommi and Kass. I'm glad they cast Kass as she's been a huge >>>>>>> pleasant surpris
Lisa's NZ season was covered by RHAP which has a lot of fans in
Australia.-a In fact, if I am remembering right, Shannon Guss
covered the NZ season for RHAP with Luke from the current season, >>>>>> which makes it pretty funny that Luke couldn't remember what
country Lisa played for (unless he was joking).-a-a The Finland and >>>>>> Quebec selections came out of left field because I had never
anything about either franchise before Tommi and kass were
announced.-a I have no idea why they of all people were selected.
I thought it was strange that Luke couldn't remember a nearby
country. More than likely a friendly jab at New Zealanders.
Luke had to be joking.-a I'm 100% sure the players would have all
introduced one another at the beginning of the game at their first
challenge and certainly by the merge.-a There is no way Luke wouldn't >>>> remember Lisa was from neighboring NZ.-a There's also the fact that
he was a guest commentator on Sharon Guss' RHAP coverage of Lisa's
winning season.
Another weird thing about Tommi and Kass being selected is that
English is not the mother tongue for either of them. Kass is doing
fine as far as I'm concerned, but Tommi clearly struggles with
English. Other than the UK, what other Survivor versions are done
in English?
I'm pretty sure the only English language versions of the show are
from the US, UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Interesting that Quebec, where French is the official language, did
its own version but Canada as a whole has not.-a Canada is by far the >>>> largest English- speaking country in the world to never do its own
Survivor version, probably because of the ready availability of the
US show.
Canadian media companies are very cheap. Global "canceled" BBCAN
because they didn't want to pay the licensing fees the Banijay empire
was asking for. The ratings were fine.
it's also unclear how they decided on the mix of seven
Australians, three Americans and one each from Quebec, Finland, NZ >>>>>> and South Africa, with none from the UK.-a South Africa has had
almost as many seasons as the modern Australia run (nine vs
eleven) so it is odd they only had one South African participant. >>>>>> Much about the cast selection seems arbitrary if not random.
Is this season being shown in South Africa? I wonder if some of
these people agreed to play as long as someone else did? For
example, David and Sarah, and Cirie and Parv? Who they selected
might also be a factor of who turned them down. I'm impressed they
got Tony, Cirie, and Parv. It sounds like Lisa would have been an
easy get. No idea about the Aussies. I do have to say I find it
strange David agreed to play after having won $5.8 million. Did he
agree to do this season knowing in advance the show/network were
going to stab Jonathan in the back? RHAP needs to dig into that if
they haven't already.
I'm not sure if the show is airing in South Africa, but I doubt it..
I do know that in the past, the better South African and Australian
players have seemed to be aware of each other's country's versions,
but I don't know if it's because the show aired live or they just
got copies somehow.-a I'm guessing the latter.
David was probably recruited before DONDi, and I don't think him
winning that show would have affected his decision to play on the
Aussie Survivor v World season.-a He has a gigantic ego,-a and I think >>>> the chance to play against the likes of Tony, Parv and Cirie was
probably irresistible.-a And besides, even if you have won a few
million dollars after taxes from one source, you're not gonna turn
down the chance to win a couple hundred K more.
If we knew exactly when DONDI and this season of Survivor were
filmed, we'd have a better idea of DONDI had any impact on David
playing.
And I don't think there were plans at the time to fire JLP.-a There
was a full season of Aussie Survivor filmed after this that actually
aired first, earlier this year, in fact.-a Everyone is thinking that
JLP's last Survivor episode will be this seasons finale, but that
will be the last aired episode.-a The last filmed was actually the
finale of the prior aired season.
When was this season filmed? I thought it was last summer?
I thought that as well.-a In fact I thought I had read that somewhere.
But I just looked it up and it seems this season was actually filmed
in sequence after the prior season aired.-a The prior season - Survivor
12 - was filmed July 29 through Sept 13, 2024 and aired earlier this
year, February 17th thru April 14th.-a The current season airing now -
Aussie Survivor v. World - was apparently actually filmed September
20th through October 4th of 2024.-a DONDI was filmed from mid-July
through August 2024 but did not air until January of 2025.
That explains why I'm seeing this season labeled as Season 13 on some videos. The timings now all make sense.