Survivor: Game Changers

seriously, anyone BUT sandra...she has got to go.....now!

 

That sounds like a pretty cool class, I'd have love to have gotten college credit for watching Survivor! I've always liked Sandra because she's entertaining and a perfect foil for some of the more obnoxious people she's faced off against (Jonny Fairplay, Russell, Tony...and I say this as a big fan of both Fairplay and Tony). Admittedly if she acted the way she is this season the first time she played, I doubt I'd have been a fan and I doubt she would have gotten far. I think she's well aware that the odds are way not in her favor this time so she's essentially just trolling the other players and having fun with it. As soon as she survived a single Tribal Council, I think she accomplished her mission, but she's also exploiting the fact that A) there are bigger threats, and B) she is naturally skilled at this game.

So people keep asking what exactly Sandra has contributed...but can anyone point to a solid strategic move Ozzy has made in four seasons? The closest I can think of was volunteering to go to Redemption Island, but that was reliant on him winning the challenge (admittedly a likely outcome), and it blew up in his face a round later when Cochran betrayed his tribe at the merge. He's every bit the bully people claim Sandra is to people outside his alliance. He's come close to winning twice, but the first time, half of the jury votes for him were from people who were never on a tribe with him; the second time, he spent half the game solo on Redemption Island, an environment that allowed him to avoid strategy and interaction entirely and rely solely on winning challenges.

 

but....ozzy is a provider, in more ways than just food.

and he is quite athletic, which his fellow tribe members like for challenges...sandra is certainly neither of those things.

 

I suppose that you don't even notice the irony in touting Sandra solely on her supposed strategy ability when she has zero, or next to zero abilities in anything else--including actually being able to survive without others carrying her along. Whereas Ozzy has every other skill and ability in spades. So that's numerous abilities versus one alleged ability, but she always deserves winning, and he never does. Okayyyyy, right. I'm not making any excuses for him, clearly he has been much too trusting of people who just end up back-stabbing him because that's the only way they are able to get him out of the game, people that he has otherwise treated well. Yeah, that sounds like a bully.

The season Ozzy spent on Redemption Island was one of the most impressive performances I've ever seen on the show. To survive totally on his own for so many weeks in row without any trouble, is challenging just by itself. To dominate and beat every challenger, and every different type of duel that came after him for weeks on end defied all odds, no matter how athletic he is. Plus, as I recall from that season, he treated every challenger that came up against him on Redemption Island to a comfortable place to sleep, and a full meal that he provided himself. He didn't have to do that, he could have made them find their own means or suffer without. Yeah, that really sounds like a bully.

 

I'm not denying any of that, but it has nothing to do with what I asked.

I don't notice any irony because literally the only consistent factor in determining a player's success is managing the social politics and making yourself useful (or perceived to be useful) to other players for one or more reasons. Dozens of people who were smart, strong, and social have been eliminated prematurely because they didn't fit into other people's long- or short-term plans. You can dislike Sandra all you want, but in her Survivor career, she has gone to 27 Tribal Councils and received a grand total of 3 votes against her (two of which were canceled out by her idol). [For the record: Ozzy holds the records for most votes cast against him in his Survivor career. 27 votes in 26 Tribal Councils. Admittedly, five of those were at his request to send him to Redemption Island.]

Ozzy will deserve to win as soon as he makes the finals and gets a plurality of votes. Plain and simple. If you really think that the ability to physically survive on a 'deserted' island is an essential component of this game, then I genuinely don't know what show you've been watching for the past 17 years.

I feel like you need to rewatch Micronesia if you think he's always treated people well. But as far as people "backstabbing" him and voting him out...what are these other players supposed to do? They signed up to do the show (presumably) with the intention of winning it themselves. If Ozzy is useful to them because he feeds them or helps their tribe win challenges, great. Keep him around. But at a certain point, that becomes threatening and you have to eliminate him. He's also remarkably stubborn in his strategy so he can be a hindrance to players who want to switch things up. I agree that trust has been a consistent problem for Ozzy.

One of the (many) reasons I hated the Redemption Island concept so much is because it neutered the whole core of the show, which is voting people out and then asking them to vote for you to win. It required a delicate balance that was entirely negated with Redemption Island, because you didn't have to manipulate anyone or vote them out. It was right up Ozzy's alley, because his continued time in the game was solely based on challenges, which is obviously his forte, and I'm in no way denying his impressive skills in that category. But so far his game hasn't proven well-rounded enough to net him the win. (And no, I'm not saying Sandra's game is exactly well-rounded either. But she knows how to properly play the cards she does have.)

Again I ask...is there one strategic Ozzy move you can point to that changed the course of the game the way Sandra rallying the women against Burton and Fairplay in Pearl Islands or rapidly securing a majority alliance to take out Tony this season did?

 

You just answered that question yourself!

 

eve

so, tell me, just how are you related to sandra..........or, are you sandra?

 

good answer

 

And how did that work out for him? He agreed to protect Cochran (even temporarily giving him the hidden idol) only to return to the game the next round, where Cochran immediately betrayed his tribe. Ozzy himself would have been voted out right away if he hadn't won immunity, and he was sent back to Redemption Island--unintentionally this time--one round later.

So I guess it did change the course of the game...by allowing Ozzy's tribe to get decimated at the merge. And let's not forget Ozzy's Oscar-worthy "for revenge...basically" performance before that duel.

Distant cousins.

Why is the rebuttal to every point I make, "Whatever, you're wrong," without actually countering it?

 

whatever....i'm done with this.

you can't be talked to, your mind is made up and we are both wasting our time, we'll have to just agree to disagree.

 

Well that was a close call. Or so it seemed.

I was wondering why Sandra would set up Michaela with regards to emptying the sugar bowl and then suddenly be part of an alliance of sorts with her. But maybe she was playing JT instead.

Anyway, JT is boring and Michaela isn't, so I'm fine with the vote.

 

That Debbie meltdown was classic. Who would have thought that she had competed in gymnastics for 10 years? That woman has quite a resume!

 

That blew me away. The woman threw a temper tantrum and it didn't seem to effect anyone. I'd stay as far away from her as possible. No one needs abuse from the likes of her. Was she that bizarre before?

I finally realized that Sierra was the cute blonde during her season.

 

Oh yes!

 

and sandra is still there, not only did she not get a single vote, no one even mentioned her name! she did, however, do the puzzle, her very first contribution to any challenge this season............varner witnessed the whole 'sugar' thing and never said a word, he could have nailed right to the wall right there, but his fear of sandra was very evident. i would love to see just what she says and does that isn't shown.

well the 3 most dominant (probably) players are all gone now, so it's culpepperr and troyzan's game to lose.

i am starting to foresee an all girl final....sierra, aubrey, and sarah....unless ozzy can win all the challenges to carry him to the end.

 

I know I'm not paying enough attention, but who is voting with Sandra? They don't show her strategizing, that I can see. Is her power in her personality? I can't say that she's struck me so much that I remember her. I barely remember her. She's just never made an impact on me.

 

i can just hear Debby after watching this season "man, they really gave me a bad edit..."

 

it's hard to imagine why there wasn't any discussion to vote out Sandra. i guess there could've been but they just didn't show it. i have to give her credit for the sugar disappearing act. she pitted JT and Michaela against each other and it worked out beautifully for her. and now it seems she has Varner and Michaela on her side. but with the upcoming buff dropping it looks the deck gets re-shuffled again.

 

And what happens at Redemption Island or whichever Island Jeff discussed?

 

good question. plus they showed someone else coming into the game?? looks they're throwing everything out there but the kitchen sink.

 

Probably Ozzy goes there

 

Idiots apparently since she should have been first or second out. I can't imagine having to suffer through living in a tribe with her around. Plus it's probably no coincidence that no matter what tribe she has been on this time, they are the ones who lose most often. If not for the tribe switch-up next week, they perfectly primed themselves to lose again by EITHER of the brain-dead choices put up to vote out last night. Let's choose between the only two people who are physically capable performers in challenges to make the team stronger to win next week.

 

i believe that the evolution of survivor has greatly changed the way people now play the game.

it has become paramount to rid the game of the physically strong as soon as possible. it then evens the playing field for the non-athletic/physical and enhances the importance of the mental and verbal game instead.

it won't surprise me to see brad go next and/or then troyzan, which would leave zeke, tai, and varner as the only men. think about that finish, it would be anyone's game for sure.

and the whole "who do i want with me at the final 3" aspect has also become huge, which allows disliked players to stick around a lot longer than they used to.

survivor is definitely a different game that was even 5 years ago.

 

As usual. Until he's beat. Again.

 

And then you end up with Debbie's and Sandra's. Ugh.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Just a few years ago, it was, "Keep the strong people until the merge." Now it's "get rid of the strong people" and will end in potentially boring shows at the end. I'm pretty sure Probst is working hard to keep it interesting. Maybe freakouts are the new normal.