Will a Brain or a Brawn win Australian Survivor?

Australian Survivor returns to our screens Sunday night and it’s the first time we have seen the Brains v Brains theme here.

They have done two US seasons with this theme, with a v Beauty for good measure, but Australia has wisely dropped the third tribe.

Tony Vlachos, a Brawn, won the first time in Cagayan (one of the most entertaining seasons) while Beauty Michelle Fitzgerald took out the second one (it was a controversial win but we have since learnt the edit did not show her full abilities).

Does this theme mean we will see more challenges with a mental emphasis? Survivor AU does way too many challenges of “push each other/heavy object until someone falls over”?

The setting if Outback Queensland also mixes things up. The thought of snakes would be terrify me, although perhaps they are more at risk of heatstroke.

Survivor screens on Ten on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights. Will you be watching?



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161 Comments

  1. I just went to their FB to find out if it was a regurgitated cast, and if Flick wasn’t the same annoying girl who had been on it twice. Thankfully, it’s an all new cast so I’ll be watching.

  2. I’m intending to watch. It is what it is. Spare me your huddled influencers and empaths. May the best goat win.

    • I know! when did people start calling themselves empaths rather than empathetic? I thought an empath was a species on Star Trek – it is too funny. And they say empath with a straight face 😜

  3. Survivor is a bit hit or miss for me and I tend to be swayed by the ads.
    Just quietly, I’m a little bit excited so the ads seem to be hitting the mark.
    I saw the ads for the new Block and I am already irritated so that may have helped.

  4. I’m not sold on the concept, so far. Going in, I just expected the brainy tribe to lose. Sure, “Survivor” requires more than just brawn, but it’s not simply a game for the nerds. You need a certain kind of intelligence to survive at this game, a cynical, manipulative intelligence.

    First challenge, the brains team can’t solve a mental challenge and fall so far behind that they desperately switch to the physical challenge and fall even further behind.

    They also lose the first immunity challenge by making a really bone-headed decision to swap out the guy who’s mastering the ball-throwing challenge, with the guy who has no idea what he’s doing. And that was from Mitch, the doctor, who seems to be stepping into the leadership role, but isn’t making really good decisions right now.

    If anything, I think the brainy tribe are over-thinking some things.

    Also, the political bureaucrat guy is super-annoying, and I already don’t like him. The fact he found the advantage so quickly means he’s gonna be here for a while.

    The vote is a hard choice. I would be tempted to vote out Mitch, because he’s not doing a great job as team leader. But by the same token, the Asian woman? She’s probably nice as pie, but she’s been utterly useless at this, so far.

    Also, Phil, the nerdy guy with the crocheted crocodile on his jumper? I feel like I know him.

  5. Of course, George decides to save the useless Asian woman.

    Now, this is great for drama (and will certainly make for an interesting team dynamic, back at camp) but this is really, really stupid decision, game-wise. Because the Asian woman was useless.

    Now I’m kinda hoping the brainy team loses. Or at least, loses next time deliberately to eliminate George.

  6. I popped in and out so I haven’t really got a good impression of people as yet. Still trying to sort through them
    I have to agree that the political guy is super, super irritating. Calling himself one of the faceless men. W***er.
    I did like some of the brawn team. I liked the Fijian personal trainer, but then, 🤷‍♂️, you know.
    The best thing about Survivor is that it unfolds slowly.

    • I could still swear that I’ve met Phil — the unfortunate first boot, and the guy with the crocodile crocheted on his hat (not his jumper) — somewhere before, I just can’t think where.

      • George (Jerry Lewis’s Nutty Professor) should have saved Phil. It would have made the “cool” brains have to take out one of their own.

  7. George is loving chewing the scenery in his villain role. Those other people he “saved” are going to be cranky. Due to the focus on George and the GP he did not get to know many other people. Harley the pain scientist is interesting. She’s physically capable and I wonder if her research will give her an edge in endurance challenges. That advantage was way too much

    • I imagine the advantage was there, purely to max out the drama, for the first episode. You know, really do something big and dramatic to get our attention and make us want to tune in tonight.

      I mean, it worked. But it sucks that the brains tribe is already self-destructing.

      • The advantage was insane, really, really bad game design. I’m usually sceptical about production conspiracy theories, but Labor Apparatchik just happening to find the mega-advantage seems very unlikely to me.

  8. Gee George really really really doesn’t like Mitch. There was a guy a few seasons ago who claimed to be a mentalist but he was bloody hopeless & got played by EVERYONE. So am interested to see if this empath chick does any better.

    • George is goneski unless he turns out to be an idol-finding savant. He is acting for TV time. The Golden God was a bit the same but he saved it for his confessionals, had social game and was a beast in challenges also

    • I’m commenting here because I have only watched the first ep (Seriously, who decided to put Survivor up against the end of FWAW and the start of the Olympics).

      I can understand the first impression of George. I didn’t like him, but by the end of the ep, I think he will be needed for entertainment purposes. At least he is thinking strategy, while Mitch has made the rookie be-the-leader error.

      However, I think George played the advantage the wrong way. He should have used it humbly – “Oh, I have to use this advantage now or never, and I am a huge fan so I can’t waste a chance to have the only one I might get. I would be mad not to save myself, but I am sad that I have to choose. I’d love to choose everyone, but this early I don’t know everyone, so this is going to be a bit random…” and then he should have chosen Mitch.

      Mitch is George’s ideal shield. Surely they have watched enough seasons to know about shields. Instead of trashing Mitch, he should be buttering him up.

      On another note, if I have been freezing the first night, I would have pulled the tarp down and used it as a blanket for everyone.

  9. I don’t understand how any rational person can boast that their job is to put lipstick on a pig (presumably to hide the fact that it’s a pig) and be proud of their ability to deceive the voters! For that reason George is on my shit list. .

  10. Geeeeezus George, could he sound any more like a whiny spoilt brat. Eugh. That voice, I can’t listen to him, but he’s getting most of the screen. So do I quit watching now? A bit funny losers have fire before the winners tho…

    • George saying, “School camp all over again”, means he was the kids who got the most….or maybe the least, wedgies. Clearly he wasn’t liked then either. But at least, unlike Emmett, he has enough self awareness to realize he isn’t liked… just not enough to know it’s because he acts whiny and entitled.

  11. George is a funny case, because he’s figured out that nobody likes him, which means that at the very next tribal council, he’s gone … so he’s going to fight twice as hard to avoid tribal, and his tribe-mates know it. And they have nothing to lose, because if they do go to tribal, well, George is the easy vote.

    This was the episode where everybody fights. Naturally, the brawny team wins. Emmett — who, in his favour, is absurdly hot, and tends to compete in a pair of neon green lycra shorts. Counting against him is the fact that he’s absurdly over-confident — decides to be a dick, taunting his opponent, and very nearly losing. It would’ve been funny as hell if he had lost, but alas, he wins it for them.

    But at the immunity challenge, the brawny team get annihilated at a puzzle challenge (and I like that the brainy Asian woman redeemed herself, tonight. She absolutely blitzed that puzzle, which was good, because last night, she was pretty hopeless) and lose. Tradie Simon also joins the “absurdly attractive” list. It’s been a long lockdown and I’m very lonely.

    Anyway, the brawny team now has to figure out who to eliminate. Some of the girls want to take out Emmett for being so cocky, knowing that this would also break up the Big Boy Alliance of green shorts Emmett, tradie Simon and the AFL player. Emmett, meanwhile, wants to go after Shannon because he sees her as a game threat. I am convinced that I’ve never seen Shannon before in my life. So I’ll go with it.

    Tribal council, up next. I need potato chips for this.

    • When Emmett was being such a tool in that challenge, I said to Mr Juz “oooh, the women on the tribe are not going to like that”. Cue Janelle the cleaner going off in her confessional. I like her

      • I’m surprised they weren’t *more* annoyed by it.

        I also didn’t buy the reasoning that they need to keep him around because he’s a big challenge threat. Um, the entire team is comprised of big challenge threats. The entire point of the brawn team is that it’s comprised of big challenge threats. They wouldn’t have missed one going home.

        I’ve watched 2 episodes, now, and I still don’t know who Shannon is.

    • Emmett is toxic masculinity personified, bringing domestic violence to the outback. What a smug little turd.

  12. Being able to spell “Janelle” is a bridge too far for these “brawn” simpletons. Surprised “Chanel ” wasn’t thrown into the mix as an attempt. Spelling “Shannon” flummoxed another brawn.

    • They refer to her as “J” but we still got Ganelle. I thought she did ok on the puzzle. I notice no one was talking about voting out her fellow puzzler because he’s an alpha male. Grrr I hate it when the older woman is targeted first.

  13. There’s self confident. It’s good.
    There’s cocky. Can be funny.
    There’s vain and narcissistic.
    Then there’s total winker. That’s Emmett.

  14. I’m very confused… once at first tribal they return to camp with lit torches… then they have fire… no? Why not brainy team in this series?. Have I ffwd that much of each Aus & US series that I miss this vital point?

    • I presumed they leave TC with the torches lit and then have to extinguish them off camera before arriving back. The torches are usually unlit when they get back, I think.

      • There’s a potential for the brawns team to start a devastating bushfire what with those torches. Or worse, ie George + torch = environmental catastrophe.

        Simon has two idols , yet can’t tell the difference between a kangaroo and a wallaby. ( probably thinks it’s a Rugby player) I hope there’s a pick the animal puzzle in the pipeline.

  15. Kez ~ “This reward brang everyone together” Pitiful. She finded a immunity clue. Now she feels shtrong. Brang it on!

  16. Emmett was useless in the brain teaser. That shut him up. No input at all. He won’t be worth a pie without the boy’s club.

  17. That was a fun episode. Why did the Brains not have fire? At first tribal (where they voted off Phil after George used his advantage AKA kiss of death) they always dip their torches in the fire and get flame. Was Andrew the survival guy laying low in his fire skills so as not to become a target? Or did production ask him to hang off making a fire?

  18. Hooray for Kez finding an idol but it shows yet again why the idols should be smaller and casting should not only approve tight-fitting clothes for women. Did Big D tip Kez off that the other side was voting for her? He is lucky that, being the swing vote, the others did not unite to evict him because he seemed wishy washy. And with the water bucket challenge, why did half the team not line up to toss all the water at once, to make it harder to block? Interesting challenge, though

    • There was a lot we didn’t see about Big D and Kez etc. I thought at the time that it was strange that he seemed to pick an alternative random name to put to the boy’s alliance, convincing them that he was testing their loyalty. I can only assume that he cooked up that plan with the others, so Kez knew to play the idol, and their choice would go home.

  19. It was sad to see the smiles wiped from the faces of Charles Bronson and his mate Simon.
    Aaah. I lie.
    🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. A satisfactory Survivor moment.

    Hey, here would be a good reward challenge; spell each other’s names correctly.

    Is anyone else getting the impression that The Brains trust isn’t that brainy? They seem a tad average.

  20. In the defence of the tribe-mates … “Kerryn” is a name that could be spelt in about 20 different ways.

    Plus, if you’re trying to blind-side somebody, it’s not like you can ask them. “Hey, we’re heading to Tribal Council tonight. How do I spell your name? Just wondering.”

    Anyway. Last night’s episode was intensely satisfying, for a whole bunch of reasons. Intensely.

    The brains team finally earns their name by figuring out how to catch some fish, by putting a dam in the lagoon and making the fish come to them. That was pretty clever, I was impressed. Also, George earns his pay-cheque and actually solves a puzzle for them.

    And while I was impressed that the survivalist nerd started the fire on his own … shouldn’t they already have fire? They’ve been to tribal council at least once. I was confused by that.

    Also, the brains team continues to make critical errors when it comes to reward challenges. I liked the design of the reward challenge, that was really clever. But the brawns team (who even the brain team remarked were the sexy, good-looking ones) completely out-strategised them on that.

    And then tribal council. Obviously Big D told the girl’s alliance who was being targetted. Ultimately, Kez didn’t need to play her immunity idol because it was a 6/5 split (and Big D was on their side the whole time, getting rid of Gavin), and it’s a waste to use the thing, only a few hours after finding it. But I guess, better safe than sorry. The look on Simon and Emmett, when their plan blew up in their faces, was pretty funny.

    And it’s not like they’re worse off. Between Emmett, Simon, Big D and the other guy, they’ve still got, like, 4 or 5 power-houses between them, and they’ve broken the Big Boys alliance before it did too much damage.

    But I still want them to get rid of George soon. Gosh, he’s annoying.

    • The danger with George that he talks so much nonsense that no one listens when he says something worthwhile.

      I wonder if he is trying to be like “a grain of sand in their eyes”, so they will goat him to tribal.

      At least 3 or 4 if us have said it now, so we aren’t imagining it; tribes pick up fire at tribal.

    • I wondered why they switched to Gavin when one of the other two would be more logical? Of the three, Gav was the small fry, and it would be easy to build a case later to pick off the “big shot AFL guy”. They were so mad at Emmett for his arrogance, and Simon for being the leader of the pack – why not one of them?

  21. I like a blindside. I particularly like a blindside when handsome footy fellas are so confident.
    Irrespective of whether Kerryn used her idol or not, the fact that there where that many votes for Gavin meant that his time was limited anyway. It was inevitable, and just slightly earlier than anticipated.
    Early days on Survivor are just a multitude of people shuffling deck chairs until the merge. I’m assuming there will be a merge.

    • Honestly, I thought they would’ve gone after Emmett first, because he’s far more obnoxious as a persona … but I guess that would’ve been obvious, and they were worried about him having an idol (and using it to protect himself). Plus, he and Simon are probably still necessary for challenge wins.

      • Same. Gavin seemed okay. I was surprised they went for the nice guy and not the dick head show off. Gavin is someone you could also work with after groups shuffled and merged.
        Emmett seems to have no game plan….unless it’s to be hated and saved for his unpleasantness and stupidity. He thinks he’s the prize stud bull, but he would make an annoying but good goat.

  22. Like a lot of others I was confused when they still didn’t have fire after they’d been to tribal council. And that guy who’s supposed to be a survivalist. Why couldn’t he make fire? Why doesn’t EVERYONE when they get accepted to be on Survivor practice making fire before going on? This goes for the US too. Are they going to be grateful to George now that he’s helped them win 2 challenges?

  23. Is it me or is Benny’s this year’s attempt at another “Dave the golden god”? Except with no screen presence and a fraction of the charisma?

  24. In a hilarious moment, the Brawn team loses yet another elimination challenge … this time, because they were solving a word puzzle and they couldn’t spell the word “Survivor”.

    The name of the show that they’re on. The word that is written on – literally – everything around them.

    Tribal council tonight seems thoroughly deserved.

  25. I do kind of feel for Simon, and I don’t really want him to go home.

    Mostly because he’s absurdly hot. But also because, he kind of makes a valid point.

    Benny’s an idiot. He completely screwed up the elimination challenge, and then casually gives away the entire voting strategy to the minority alliance. Honestly, is this someone you want on your team?

    • I think him blabbing is what ultimately sealed his fate. It’s a no brainer and they are in No Brains.

      • I would be surprised if that wasn’t a big part of why Dani and Shannon changed their minds and decided to get rid of him. Even if Simon is a threat, you can work with threats against common enemies.

        Benny was just … a moron. Very difficult to work with or trust them.

      • I thought that too. Nobody brought it up at TC, but he was so easily gulled into spilling the plan. In fact I don’t think he was even gulled, Rachel was just stunned that he spoke as if there were no factions.

        We did hear Shannon and her lackeys state that if there was a tie, they were changing the plan (while placing their torches). Then it seems Shannon changed in the first vote to ensure a tie.

        I’m not a fan of hers. I would like to see some people planting the “queen bee” label on her, before she garners too much loyalty.

  26. Great move from Shannon at Tribal Council, actually referring to Benny as “dead weight” while he’s sitting there beside her.

    Sure, the weaker members of your team are disposable, but it’s Survivor 101 to never actually tell them that, to their faces.

    Great plan for team unity there, Shannon.

  27. I will say, that was a fabulously-entertaining Tribal Council.

    From the votes in the credits, it looked like Shannon and Big Dani turned on Benny. I don’t mind, because not only was he dumb, but he was kind of whiny.

    Although his parting message was to tell his former tribe-mates to “get ****ed”, which I thought was hilarious.

  28. Oh my God that was the funniest thing ever spelling Survivor wrong when it is literally written EVERYWHERE.

  29. I was surprised to hear myself saying ‘come on George’ when he was looking for the idol!! I want him to stay for some reason..
    Those brawnies are thick as. Benny – what a dick.

  30. The Brawn team are a slow moving car crash.
    Mind you, it is fun to watch. I prefer watching players that are oblivious than Machiavellian.
    I’m used to strong people dominating the game until almost the end, unless, of course, that physical challenges are just more memorable, so I think this season is an entertaining surprise. I’ve always disliked teams being beaten into submission by sheer weight of muscle.

  31. They don’t show that much of Shannon- if she is the wheeler dealer of the brawn tribe, why don’t we see it.
    Kinda flat that George found the idol. He’s one tricky dicky but it has turned out that he was right to save Wai – she’s been instrumental in two wins now.

    • Jerry Lewis (Charlie) is that weird annoying guy, who is oblivious to social cues and norms. We’ve all met them; not autistic but just socially malaware. I know. It’s not a word. He just lacks social intelligence and that makes him annoying and socially ill-fitting.

      Either that or he’s very geeky narcissist who simply doesn’t care what others think or feel.

    • I think we aren’t seeing a lot of Shannon’s back machinations because she is the wheeler dealer. I think the behaviour of the girls around her show that. Thank goodness the mooted idea of a girl’s alliance did not go anywhere. I am liking the two women who are allied with Simon and Emmett – Dani (prison guard) and (I think) Chelsea.

      Unlike many, I don’t hate George. Firstly, he is making good tv, but also underneath there is a sense of a very wounded child. He obviously was never taught the essential social skills of life, and then going into political circles would not help that at all. Out of all the things he has done, the main one that irks me is the disrespect of being willing to show his jewels by not wearing undies. Ugh.

  32. And the Brawn wins more food. I swear, they’re gonna be the only team in Survivor history to actually gain weight.

    Anyway, in a neat twist, Simon winds up with the original idol (that’s been hidden around the camp site), but finds the idol hidden in with the reward goodies. The man who’s about to be eliminated has two hidden idols in his pockets? Oooh, that’s interesting.

    I did like how JLap pointed out, “The Brawn team always wins when there’s protein involved.”

  33. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for George not to tell anyone he has the idol, let them vote for him, pretend to try and scramble and him and Wai put two votes against one of the sun bakers and then blindside by using the Idol at the tribal?

    Maybe he was nervous that the guy he told about the idol may have blabbed?

    Otherwise, that is really a bad move. Sometimes it makes sense to let people know you have an idol. I don’t think tonight was one of those times.

    • I agree with you. That wasn’t a smart move strategically, it was all about George and his ego.

      And it’s telling, isn’t it? George has an idol and *thinks* he has all the power … but the tribe-mates just plot around him, ignore what George wanted and decide to vote for Mitch.

      • Plot around him is a good description. He is hopeless but I wonder if he’s going to be one of those hapless dudes that just keep stumbling into a pot of gold.

        • I hope not. I find him intolerably annoying.

          They don’t trust him or like him, so he’s gone, the second they lose an immunity challenge and he doesn’t have an idol. He lost it for them on this one.

    • The guy he told was Baden, and he is one of my frontrunner favourites. It says something about Baden’s strategic thinking that he considered whether buttering up George might work for him. Still to see if he does, and if it is smart.

  34. Yes, it was not a good move for George to flaunt the idol, but geez it made for entertaining TV. JLP is all over it on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/jla_paglia/status/1419611269510799363?s=21
    What was with Simon finding an idol in the reward! Not just a clue or an advantage but a whole idol!!! Can’t believe the others did not tear the crate apart – there is often a clue hidden in rewards.
    Hailey again performed well in challenges and showed she’s in the swing spot. She’s looking good to go deep.

    • Hatred. Mitch said he was going to keep writing George’s name till he was gone.

      “Eh,what’s up, Doc?”

    • It probably says that nobody was telling Mitch who the real votes were, either. Seems to have been a massive turn against Mitch, which was sad because he was okay, just a bit too leader-ish.

      Love that George made it clear to Mitch that it wasn’t his alliance who voted him out. Pointless of course because we aren’t at jury time yet, but satisfying.

  35. Why did they vote for Mitch? He didn’t seem to have a clue about what was happening either side. Why didn’t they go for someone close to George? Take one of his alliance out. Surely they knew Mitch wasn’t likely to support George. So dumb vote.

    George, I will call him Ugly George because his character us so ugly, seems to be playing Revenge of the Nerds rather than Survivor.
    My guess; Mummy spoilt him. His ego comes from that. But he was disliked at school and felt picked on so now he hates anyone who is well liked or seems popular. George doesn’t realize that he was disliked at school because he was a horrible kid. I hope his time in the sun soon ends because, although he is trying to play social justice warrior for the nerds, he is really doing it for a more deep seated selfish reason than that; payback. Payback for not being liked at school.

  36. Ok I’m sick of the brawn tribe always winning the reward challenges. They are always physical ones which preference the brawn team. George parading around with his idol was hilarious. We must be nearly due for a tribe swap which means some poor suckers who have never won a reward challenge will be put on another team which doesn’t win a reward challenge.

  37. Does George have an alliance?
    I was guessing that he was disliked by all but the main alliance hadn’t had a chance to gather everyone together as yet.
    Maybe I missed something. I do tend to move in an out. I have a short attention span for the self indulgent pieces to camera.

  38. Joey’s tattooist failed Grammar.Scarred for life. Naturally, Joey’s on the “brains” team.

  39. Oh my freaking gosh.

    George is going to be the idiot who everyone ends up using as a meat shield because he’s far more hated than they are, and he’s going to make it to the end and stumble onto the prize money because everybody was too busy knifing each other. It might be great strategy from the other tribe-mates, but he is intolerable and I cannot stand him.

    Playing silly buggers with the immunity idol, tonight? That was just obnoxious. I would’ve evicted all three of them.

    Meanwhile, the Brainy team have been at Tribal a lot less, so I still barely know who half of them are. And the ones I do know? I don’t like at all.

    • I told you! He’s hapless but keeps landing upright.

      Surviving Bankstown politics indeed. No way this kid is a strategist.

      I agree with Daisy, he is too insecure to be clever. The fact he couldn’t take feedback that maybe trashing the team publicly before a challenge doesn’t help moral. What was his thoughtful answer? A whiny “why are you attacking me?”

      • He’s absolutely unbearable. I could feel that blonde woman’s frustration when she attempted to address the team trashing and he turned it back on her by playing victim.

        If it wasn’t his mother who spoiled him, then he was raised by his grandmother.

        Watch him go after Wai next. He went after Georgia because she tried to talk to him. He claims to be strategic, but so far his votes have been vindictive. Never mind not wearing undies, he needs a nappy.

        BTW one girl didn’t bring anything warm, and George only came with the undies he was wearing. Not too smart.

  40. I did like the post-eviction twist.

    Part of me really wishes that the plan had succeeded and they’d knifed George.

    Because now, he’s their problem. Alas, it was only Cara who changed sides.

    • Interesting twist indeed. I do hope Cara finally gets to eat something.
      Now, why did they sit Wai out of the puzzle challenge? Deliberate? How interesting Baden has become a loyal foot soldier after his initial interactions with George.

  41. Wow Wei, what a traitor you turned out to be. Saying you didn’t ask to be saved. How fucking ungrateful. When you are in a minority alliance you don’t turn on them. How bloody unfair were BOTH of those challenges for the Brains tribe? Yeah one was a puzzle but the first half of it was very physical. And what a sweetheart Cara was. Really liked the twist at the end that saved her. Can’t wait to see their faces at next challenge. Hopefully there will be a tribe swap soon to even things up a bit.

    • I thought Wei made sense and she came out as very strong for the first time. Even her voice was different – she was kind of forced into alliance with George and that guy looked like he was taking her over the cliff. It didn’t work out in the end because of the unexpected Cara move.
      Then again, if she was targeted early on, maybe she had no chance. Don’t know but she has to play her game.

      • Agree. Wei being in that alliance wasn’t her call but George doing George. I think the evidence that you’ve been chosen by a volatile, controlling, crazy, immature player would make you want to cut yourself loose. George gets “King George” because he tries to rule. In his team, no one but George has a voice. If they do, we don’t see it.

        • I agree as well.

          It was less an alliance and more, George just deciding to adopt her.

          If George just decided he wanted to be my best friend, one day? I’d get the hell away from him, too.

          It’s just a shame that they’ve had two opportunities to get rid of George, and both times he’s had an idol to protect him, and both times, they’ve lost someone else in collateral damage.

        • If George hadn’t saved Wei she would have been the first one out. So, yes, she does owe him something. But I also agreed with her “one good turn doesn’t last for the whole game”. For some people, who value integrity and loyalty, it does, but I see her point.

          She turned me off her at that TC. It is not smart to tack yourself onto the bottom of the majority, unless it is very close to merge. Wei will be the first sacrifice when the majority run out of minority people. I don’t want it to get to that stage because we would lost Baden, whom I really like and want to go far.

  42. Was the twist introduced at this stage because production could see only one outcome – George being booted?
    They need to change the challenges around, it’s so boring I don’t watch because we know the outcome before they begin.

    • I thought the same, that the twist was inserted to make sure George stayed for a while. That makes sense because so many of the people are not big enough personalities, they really need George to stay for several weeks. Throwing him into the other tribe would have been like dynamite.

      It is a big bonus that it saved Cara, although I still don’t quite understand why she sacrificed herself. I did think at first, that she had brokered a side deal with Wei but if she did, Wei didn’t stick to it. If my numbers are right, that still wouldn’t have saved her.

      I would have liked Georgia to go. I sensed an arrogance under the sweet exterior, and I would have loved to see King Joey’s face if she had gone. I couldn’t believe how different her appearance was in the Bio – the perfect example of how many women are so much more attractive without makeup.

  43. I just read an article that said big Dani actually attended the protest marches on the weekend.

    Oooh, I’m totally judging him now.

    • Well he wasn’t on the Brains team. What a stupid and dangerous thing those protestors are doing.

      I heard another protest has been planned.

      • Probably. They got attention, which is all they wanted in the first place, so they’ll keep on doing it. I’ve reached the point where I just think, good. They’ll show up to protest, the police will arrest them, and the rest of us won’t have to deal with them anymore.

        I’m sure it’s a coincidence that the case numbers in NSW have spiked dramatically, the last 2 days.

      • If they don’t believe the government, or the doctors, or the medical scientists or the data from the deaths in other countries regarding this pandemic then where are they getting their information from? Is it from the genius who punched a police horse at the Sydney demonstration?

        Dani is on my shite list.

        • While wearing knuckle-dusters on the fingers of both hands.

          Because that’s totally something you’d wear to a peaceful protest.

          • Knuckle dusters are illegal in NSW. Just sayin’

            Farmer Sam had seven domestic violence offences to his name.

            Not part of the show,maybe but a heads up to steer clear of these folks.

        • I have a friend who listens to podcasts from that American motivational speaker, Tony Robbins and from the beginning of the pandemic he has been convincing listeners, my friend included that this is just the flu, no different from any other.
          She tells me he gets “doctors” on who back up this theory.
          Anyhow, there is no convincing her that 2000 deaths a day in Italy and the US, and other countries was a genuine pandemic because she had been listening to these podcasts. She won’t get vaccinated.
          She’s not even a flat earther.

          • Yeah, I have a friend who adores Tony Robbins, and worships everything he says. It worries me.

            All these self-empowerment guys hate the idea of medical illness, because their entire business is telling people, “Pay me money and listen to me tell you how to live a perfect, happy and illness-free life!” Self-empowerment is great, up to a point, but things like diseases can be very random and out of someone’s control. And that hurts their business model.

            By and large, with hardcore anti-vaxxers? It always comes back to money.

    • We need to say bluntly to the protesters that for every protest, two weeks lockdown will be added. That’s the final result anyway, but the formula needs to be hammered into their heads:
      1 Protest = 2 weeks more lockdown.

  44. Can we keep the comments at least TV related if not Survivor?
    I joined this community at the beginning coming across from Reality Ravings. If I want to engage in political health discussion and judgements of others I can go to mainstream media for that.
    TIA, appreciate it.

    • Dani a survivor contestant was at the demonstration that is the connection – its no not a big Leap and comments are judgments

      • Yep, and statement of judgement of his action declared in original comment, discussion about and judgement of others continued, all beyond the connection that was highlighted in original comment.

        • Go through all the comments – you’ll pull a lot that go beyond the original connection.
          You don’t a have strong position here regarding the commentary – why don’t you just say I disagree with your position re the demonstrations and leave it at that. I can cope with your disagreement and wont take any offence. But I don’t accept your assertion that only comments strictly in connection with the show can be made. Lots of commentators refer to instagram, facebook and twitter activities by the contestants.

          • I tend to agree.

            On Ninja Warrior, almost every single contestant had their Instagram and FB page flashing on the screen as they were competing.

            People go on these things for attention. It’s not our fault for giving them exactly what they want, and it turns out that they don’t like it very much. Be careful what you wish for, etc.

          • What? Did you read the comment you replied to? ‘… discussion about and judgement of others continued, all beyond the connection that was highlighted in original comment.’
            The discussion evolved to judging and commenting about a group of people with no connection to the contestant or a TV show.
            Oh FYI – cos I don’t appreciate people making assumptions about me and my views, particularly incorrect assumptions, especially those recorded for all time – I couldn’t care less one way or another if people are for or against, do or don’t, demonstrate about anything.

          • I can’t respond to the last comment from PB because it won’t let me – Dictating what people tchoose make comments on including people that you have stated you have no opinion about whatsoever is ridiculous and I won’t abide by it – Feel free to scroll past comments that you have no opinion about. I still think the demonstrators are Dicks

          • I’m responding to your comment below.

            “I can’t respond to the last comment from PB because it won’t let me – Dictating what people tchoose make comments on including people that you have stated you have no opinion about whatsoever is ridiculous and I won’t abide by it – Feel free to scroll past comments that you have no opinion about. I still think the demonstrators are Dicks”

            The only thing I’m dictating is for you to stop making statements about what you assume my opinions are.

            My opinion, which you are still choosing to ignore, is this site is for comments about TV shows, contestants and related subjects.  Not for judging and commenting about joe public who have no connection to reality TV. Doing that is ridiculous and I won’t abide it. Feel free to scroll past comments you can’t grasp the context of.

          • Haven’t ignored your comments whatsoever PB – you’re pushing your point even though it is totally incorrect. You are NOT going to dictate what people choose to comment on. There is that plain enough?
            Demonstrators are still dicks.

            Love you too Daisy.

    • Which one is Dani? Is it the prison guard?
      Asking for a friend.
      I still haven’t got all these people attached to names as yet.

      • I don’t want to sound politically-incorrect, but he’s the big black dude on the Brawn team. I think he’s got some Pacific Island heritage?

        I think the prison guard woman is also named Dani, so they’re calling him Big D or something.

        • The Big D is Daini. who irritatingly refers to himself in the third person. I dislike that.
          Dani is the lardarsed prison guard. I bet she guards the prison food more than prisoners. Awesome saddlebags.

          I care little for their names. Most of these contestants are loathsome.

        • I remember the personal trainer. He seemed like a nice fellow and i think i mentioned that in a comment very early on.
          I am disappointed in him.
          Unless he was one of the small business owners that were mislead by the organisers. We can only hope.

    • Sorry, Polly, I saw your request after commenting. You are right, we need to try not to get carried away.

      • Especially carried away in a coffin….

        I just watched an unmasked old lady( using the term loosely) cough her guts up for the best part of a supermarket aisle. I gave her a spray of a kind, too.

      • We are all a little stressed, FJ.
        This is a lovely place to be distracted. ❤️
        But, even then, this business permeates every moment of every day.
        And just in case anyone has lost track, 2 weeks and 2 days and I am all over it 💉. For those who can’t see, that is a very, very tiny vaccination needle.

  45. I don’t get the skin tight work out that most of the girls and some of the guys are wearing- Someone else mentioned that they can’t hide idols but how do they keep clean with all that grime stuck to the skin? Does anybody know whether they get a choice about what they wear?

    • There have been interesting commentary around what women athletes are forced to wear lately. If producers of Survivor are listening, I would guess that we will see a change next season.
      Pink is going to pay the fine handed out to one of the Norwegian teams.
      Another athlete reminded the viewing audience that if you have to have a bikini wax to wear the uniform then something is very wrong with the uniform.
      And another volleyballer said that they had someone on the sidelines on tampon watch. Now if that image doesn’t change the system, then nothing will.
      I guess I was aware because I knew someone who represented Australia in beach volleyball and she said that the worst thing about the whole thing was sand up your clacker. Funnily enough, not a problem for the men

      • Go Pink. It’s really suss that they make women play volleyball in bikinis. Totally for pervs.
        As for Survivor, I thought they chose their own outfits. Am I naive?

        • Latest news is that the organisation who issued the fine is now going to pay it themselves. Go figure. Hopefully the genie is out of the bottle now, thanks to the brave Norwegian handball team, and we can see uniforms that enable performance, not ogling. The German gymnastics team have made a similar stand, although theirs was not against the rules, just tradition. And they look great, too.

      • Yes I saw that – and even though it had nothing to do with survivor let me comment further (HA!) I’ve always thought the volleyball uniform was more about sexualising the female athletes. The men don’t wear speedos – and how uncomfortable would that be having your business bouncing along. I think the assumption that women wouldn’t have the same concerns is sexist. Any sport where you must wear a bikini is trying to convey a lot more than points on a board.

    • Haha. Yes. You would think they would wear some big baggy cargo pants shorts with all the pleated button-up pockets. How handy would that be?

      • Daisy I would show up in safari shorts and a safari shirt – try and find an idol in that get up!

      • Hide the idol “internally” and then boldly produce it at TC.

        Rusty Hill from ZZTop. R.I.P.

      • Past players have had looser clothing so I do wonder if they are told, or it is just the players who want to show off on tv. Someone should tell the girls that the wedgie look is profoundly unattractive. Brings new meaning to “does my bottom look big in this?”.

      • Yes that is exactly what I was thinking when she complained her shorts were skin tight & she had nowhere to hide the idol. Future Survivor contestants wear baggy shorts with pockets.

  46. Hey Daisy, because your comment on listening to Tony Robbins is too far up the chain, I am here. Ta-dah!
    I am not a Tony Robbins fan. I think he’s a charlatan. “We can do, have, be exactly what we wish”. Firstly, wtf? And secondly, I wish to be an astronaut. Any day now 🤣🤣.
    As a reminder because I know everyone is not a fan, I am a Dr Swan podcast listener. If he told me the world was flat I would believe him – I am convinced by science – and his warm, dulcet tones soothe and reassure me every morning. So I am guilty. I just have more faith in my guy.
    I was at the dentist listening to one of the helpers talk about her daughter (I did interject with the occasional, “Uh-guh, guh-huh”.) who is refusing all vaccinations. Her bf’s husband – go with me here – was in the military and was given test drugs for malaria. They have all been given huge pay-outs for the health problems that that caused, and needless to say, their collective distrust of Government is off the Richter scale.
    I am understanding on this front. My trust in Government is a mixed bag. I am in favour of State leaders (yes, even Gladdie) but my view of federal government is that it is a cesspool of corruption.
    In a round about way, I’m suggesting that distress is infectious. I have a friend in full lockdown isolation without her family and it’s hard not to be upset on her behalf.
    Feelings are not rational. No argument was ever won by using logic alone and people are seeking comfort.
    My comfort will come when I, finalllllly, get that last dose of vaccine in three weeks.

    • Just for interest, what “science” are you convinced by? “Science” is not a fixed entity, it is an ever evolving art of discovery. It changes every day, and frequently discovers itself to be wrong, when it had previously decided it was right. If Science had always been set on a pedestal, we would all be flat-earthers and never allowed to change, or investigate anything else.

      I’m not trying to have a dig, I am just finding this statement of “I follow the science” to be baffling. “Science” includes fields as wide-ranging as industrial chemistry, and podiatry, and psychology, and political sciences, and computer science etc etc. It is a huge part of society and can’t really be coalesced into a single infallible entity.

      By all means, accept the opinions of scientists you trust to have looked thoroughly at well-run studies but also be educated about scientific methods and how easy it is to publish a poorly conducted study and have that dubious information spread as if it is proven.

      In essence, science is not truth, but an ongoing uncovering of truth. It is simply a tool towards understanding the world.

      Dr Swan is a very helpful scientist, who has a talent for breaking down complex issues for the lay person, but I think he would be the first to acknowledge that he is only a small part of the fluid community of science.

      • Science and Medicine have saved my life once already. I would have written a few unkind things about Dr. Swan over the years, because he was the “expert” on The Biggest Loser. I felt he was a fool to align himself with such a shallow , unscientific show.

        Last year , I took my doctor’s opinion that Dr Swan was one of the best opinions on Covid at the time. So I’m following my doctor and a new found regard for Dr. Swan , cos he cuts through the bullshit. I’m too dumb to dig the science. He convinced me to have Astra Zeneca. My doctor told me the only folks dying are the unvaccinated. I’ve met doctors I wouldn’t trust, but this one’s good.

        This is what really convinces me:
        “Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is the best.” ~ Frank Zappa.

      • I believe in Science, as in ‘based on the weight of evidence’.
        And what I like about Science is that when the weight of evidence suggest another path, generally egos do not get in the way. Everyone readjusts.
        Simple stuff.
        Based on the weight of evidence, the most likely place you will catch COVID is in hotel quarantine. Last time I looked, your chances were 1 in 167.
        Now if they ask people to get vaccinated before they come home, obviously that stat will change and the hypothesis will change.
        Science.
        Not hard. Not difficult. And not wrong because the outcome is now different.
        We all move on.

        • I agree with you about the weight of evidence, and certainly when evidence is tested over time, we can come close to full knowledge. This works better for things that can be empirically measured, like the chances of getting an illness in a particular setting. There are a lot of things in the world and in history that can’t have an measurable result, and are then subject to opinion, supposition and guessing (maybe educated, but still guessing).

          Just for comparision, imagine if Daisy’s friend from 29th July above was here commenting. He/she could insert Tony Robbins (I don’t know who he is, btw) wherever we mention Norman Swan, and he/she could argue that the weight of evidence proved the point. Their perception of the evidence is dependent on who is feeding it to them, just as ours is by those feeding it to us. Essentially a person has to be quite highly educated to read the evidence for themselves, otherwise we are all just making a choice of who we think is trustworthy to believe. For that reason, I am reluctant to dismiss it when others are seeing a different perspective.

          Of course in a social situation where the choice of the individual can affect the outcome for all, the stakes are higher. For that reason, when it is said people can do whatever they like in the privacy of their home, I wonder. It doesn’t just apply to the pandemic.

          On a side note, off to get my first shot tomorrow, and really hoping for few side effects, mainly because I don’t want the young adults in the house to be put off.

          • If you could bear it, and you hold on to your britches, you should watch a very short utube of Tony Robbins. It’s a bit of an eye-opener.
            He was one of the earlier motivational speakers. He has presence.
            My SiL was a fan so I got it second hand. The only thing that stopped her from going down the rabbit hole was the questions we were asking. We were genuinely interested, btw. Nothing clever on our part. Every time we asked what ‘that’ meant, she couldn’t explain and finally the penny dropped.
            You can’t tell someone something is gobbledygook. They have to figure it out for themselves.

  47. Hi Juz, Survivor seems to have a lot of followers here, can we have new threads maybe weekly or fortnightly so it doesn’t get so long? Thanks.

  48. On Tony Robins; um, I don’t think he could be considered interchangeable with Dr Norman Swan. For one thing he’s not a doctor but akin to a slick American TV evangelist, but without a god. Well, money and even white teeth are the gods.

  49. BTW my friend and I have said our piece but we don’t try and convert each other. We want our friendship to survive covid.

    And double btw, I think she agrees with Paleo Pete. I have no horse in that race, but I think he’s an anti vaxxer.

    • I think I’ve mentioned that I’m with you on this one.
      I have a friend who is bordering on racist.
      I say bordering because I don’t know for sure and I don’t want to find out.
      I’ve known her forever. As I get older, friends disappear. I can’t afford to lose any more, and, of course, she has redeeming features.

    • I read in the SMH Good weekend about someone losing a friendship because their experiences of lockdown were just too different. She came to the conclusion that to save another friendship, they mutually agreed not to compare hardships, but to be free to talk about what was happening without having to apologise for being “free-er” than the other. Seems to be working for her.

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