I get why they brought it back this season, but I hope exile is an extremely rare part of the show.

double aught said:

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I get why they brought it back this season, but I hope exile is an extremely rare part of the show.

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They had to. None of the winners would come on in that case.

I bet its at merge

Tabasco said:

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I bet its at merge

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That would make more sense than what they did last time.

I'd be fine with that. It's crazy that they would do that at the final 5. I get why they did it with the returning winners and it's worked so far, but don't make it too much of a factor in the game.

MuckRaker96 said:

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At first watch it was sort of a blase episode last night, but after sleeping on it I really enjoyed the strategy employed by Jeremy/Michelle/Ben/Denise to take out Ethan instead of Parvati. Ethan's just a vote at this point, dude is an amazing story that would sway a jury, but more importantly, you totally neutered Adam and let him know he's gone from his perceived spot at the top of his alliance to the bottom as they didn't let him know the switch of the vote. Now he's got to do what he's told or get eliminated next.

That said, every vote they let Rob hang around for just blows my mind. He doesn't have much power right now, but if they do a tribe swap, he could easily start wooing the other tribe's less-smart members to Team Rob. I'm sure their rationale is that they need him to win chllenges, but that hasn't worked much lately.

Updated standings
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/129-MQ3zGZiUMi8XNNEVkh010oviFhKvKPVPv23ao_yM/edit?usp=sharing

Southlake remains the overall leader with 11 points. Bobcat06 scored a week-high 6 points last night. Yours truly, as expected, bringing up the rear with 6.

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I am short a point for week 2 - Sandra and Yul, 1point each. Sarah 3 points

Thanks - I fixed it.

I like Michelle playing hard to prove people wrong

DAMMIT

I love Tyson. But with the swap it was the right time. If he teamed up with Rob they would be a strong pair.

Definitely they got rid of Tyson just in time, although I really am appreciating Tony's game of trying to use Tyson as a shield, as well as being the "quiet agreeing guy" while Tyson was on his rant last time. Tony is coming off as such a goofball to the rest of his tribe he is really flying under the radar.

Amazing thing going on at EoE. I was watching those 4 people bond and thinking back to some of the BS Tribal Councils of the last couple of seasons. What a difference.

Not much change in the standings, without any idols/advantages found or played no one got more than 2 points added to their tally.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/129-MQ3zGZiUMi8XNNEVkh010oviFhKvKPVPv23ao_yM/edit?usp=sharing

A slightly more interesting fact is that only 4 contestants - myself, tx1c, Bobcat, and Triumph have made it through the first 3 episodes without someone sent to EoE.

Might be a bit slow with the standings update next week as we'll be at Disney World Sunday-Friday. If I get a chance to watch it online, I'll do them mid-week, otherwise not til Friday or Saturday. Which means there will be 8 idols found and 14 people eliminated on the show

What a comeback in the challenge. I was really getting frustrated with the design of it up until then. But I guess it ended up making for good television.

double aught said:

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What a comeback in the challenge. I was really getting frustrated with the design of it up until then. But I guess it ended up making for good television.

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What do you mean?

No posts for Rob getting the boot?

LHIOB said:

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No posts for Rob getting the boot?

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If anyone got the short end of the stick on the swap it was him.

I do love the whole playing the game by not playing the game.

I hear so many times they get frustrated when no one wants to play the game. No. No one wants to play the game you want to play.

I'm for changing things up when one tribe is destroying another and it makes 5 episodes predictable and boring as hell. We weren't there yet, IMO.

Regardless, somebody usually gets screwed by the draw, and Rob was one this time.

Changing tribes seems to be part of the formula now.

Going to 3 small tribes instead of 2 was the killer.

Forcing everyone to stay at camp was a dumb move. Basically it tells Ben and Adam that Rob doesn't trust them but desperately needs them to stay in. Granted, it probably didn't change the outcome. Rob was dead in the water as soon as they lost the challenge.

Rob's always entertaining and usually insightful. Bummer to see him go.

double aught said:

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Rob's always entertaining and usually insightful. Bummer to see him go.

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Yep

Foxymophandlemama said:

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Changing tribes seems to be part of the formula now.

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Yeah, I'm not a big fan. I understand when one team is way ahead of another and they can pick the other off with impunity. That makes a boring season. But this season wasn't boring.

The less that luck is involved the better the show, IMO. It's what I hated about amazing race. Too much luck involved. If your taxi driver is a moron or your bus blows a tire on the last episode, you lose. Crap like that.

True. He just got unlucky with who he ended up with.

Foxymophandlemama said:

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True. He just got unlucky with who he ended up with.

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He only had one ally left on his tribe (Parv).

He was gonna be screwed regardless of how the tribe swap ended up because he did a poor job of managing the returning player alliance. Even if the tribes didn't swap, Rob and Parv were next to go on their tribe.

His early game play backed him into a corner where he needed to win challenges to stay in.

I really like Rob. But he definitely should have studied up more on the other players and how they play rather than going with his same old strategy of personality domination.

Yul's story about Penner's wife just about brought me to tears. I really dig Penner, he's one of the best self-aware players that game has ever seen and knew how to engage Probst and be funny on camera.

The contest got significantly closer this week although Southlake still leads with 16 points. I picked a week-high 6 points, and TriumphForks and Bobcat each got 5. That puts Bobcat within one point of the lead (15), while Quinn and myself are now both at 14. We are four episodes in and 10 players are within four points of the lead.

Rob getting knocked out saw TriumphForks fall from the ranks of those with all 5 players still standing. The 3 left with all five are myself, Bobcat, and tx1c.

Bulldog73 has the dubious honor of joining txaggiefarmer05 and Quinn of having 2 of their 5 gone to EoE.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/129-MQ3zGZiUMi8XNNEVkh010oviFhKvKPVPv23ao_yM/edit?usp=sharing

Lost Rob but at least he has a decent shot of winning a challenge to get back in

I also read on EW that every single player will be in the jury this year.

next two seasons (41 and 42) cast has already been selected. But filming was halted due to corona virus.

Really wish they'd mix up the locations again. Film one someplace cold would be great.

Cold also burns more calories, which means they do nothing but sleep at the campsite. It means no water challenges, which probst obviously loves.
They could still mix in more than the same 4-5 beaches in Fiji.

Tabasco said:

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Bikinis and shirtless boost ratings.

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Bikinis in cold weather would send the ratings through the roof.