Discussion:
S48 Ep01 Spoilers and Comments (2/26/20225)
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Brian Smith
2025-02-27 00:51:00 UTC
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Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The Get to
Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.

More later ...
--
Brian
Brian Smith
2025-02-27 22:58:14 UTC
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Post by Brian Smith
Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The Get to
Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.
More later ...
I wish I had posted some comments before the premiere aired. I watched a
grand total of two intro packages going into the premiere: Steph's and
Eva's. I found Steph so obnoxious that I wanted her gone ASAP. The fact
that she was the first boot probably means nothing else will go my way.

Here's what stood out for me in the premiere. Hopefully, I get names right.

--When Kyle and Kevin went on a Journey to compete for supplies for
their tribe, I was surprised the container they had to fill up was made
of glass. Did production do this on purpose hoping someone would get
sloppy and break the container? Kyle was smart to help Kevin after he
broke his container. Kevin seems like the type of guy that will put a
lot of stock in that move.

--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would have
been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.

--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?

--The scene with Joe and Eva was the highlight for me and probably a lot
of other people. Someone on X commented that was probably the fastest
two players have ever bonded with fans. I love Eva's work ethic and hope
Joe will help her focus when she needs help.

--There's a lot of striking similarities with recent players as far as
I'm concerned. For example, Sai is Katurah 2.0, Cedric is Bruce, and Joe
and Eva could be Ben and Kenz but in reverse roles. Jeff mentioned that
there are similarities between S46 and S48. I wonder if this is one of them?

--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get rid
of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure luck of
another player.

Overall, it was a good premiere but not outstanding.
--
Brian
Zeppo
2025-02-28 02:59:12 UTC
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Post by Brian Smith
Here's what stood out for me in the premiere. Hopefully, I get names right.
--When Kyle and Kevin went on a Journey to compete for supplies for
their tribe, I was surprised the container they had to fill up was made
of glass. Did production do this on purpose hoping someone would get
sloppy and break the container?
Maybe. But the choice of glass containers may have also been to
allow the viewers (and each of the players) to see who was making
the most progress.
It is interesting that we have now seen the machete-pot-flint search
run in two different ways. In S47, the two players did not see each
other until the very end. In the current season, they seemed to be
right beside each other the whole time. I definitely prefer the way
the challenge was run in S47.
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would have
been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.
Yes. It was a cool puzzle. But the fact that three of her tribe mates
know that she has immunity may become a problem moving forward.

It appears that Production may have returned to the traditional
approach of allowing immunity items to keep their power up until F5.
I didn’t like the S47 twist of forcing players to play their immunity
objects at their next TC, whether they needed to or not.
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
Yes, it seemed odd to me that it was even included in the edit.
Post by Brian Smith
--The scene with Joe and Eva was the highlight for me and probably a lot
of other people. Someone on X commented that was probably the fastest
two players have ever bonded with fans. I love Eva's work ethic and hope
Joe will help her focus when she needs help.
I had a hunch, based on their EW profiles, that Joe and Eva’s stories
were going to figure prominently in this season, but it had not occurred
to me that they would bond so early in the game. You might want to
go back to that EW article and read Joe’s section again. There is
something from his past that partially explains his empathic reaction
to what Eva revealed about herself.
BTW, Eva actually doesn’t look much like Caroline Vidmar. The photo
of her in EW was deceiving.
Post by Brian Smith
--There's a lot of striking similarities with recent players as far as
I'm concerned. For example, Sai is Katurah 2.0, Cedric is Bruce, and Joe
and Eva could be Ben and Kenz but in reverse roles. Jeff mentioned that
there are similarities between S46 and S48. I wonder if this is one of them?
Haha! That’s way too deep for me at this point. I need to figure out
the names of these people before I can begin comparing them to players
from earlier seasons. :-)
Post by Brian Smith
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get rid
of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure luck of
another player.
I agree. I’ve hated the SITD twist from the moment it was revealed.
Post by Brian Smith
Overall, it was a good premiere but not outstanding.
It was going to have to be pretty amazing to top the S47 premier which
I thought was outstanding. But, once again, Survivor appears to have
come up with another really interesting and diverse cast of characters.
I’m feeling good about this season.

A couple of other thoughts:
-Green Tribe looks to have been shortchanged in terms of athleticism.
OTOH, Purple Tribe should be dominant in the early challenges.
-Joe didn’t exactly look thrilled to be included in an alliance called
the “California Girls”. :-)
-That muscle bound stuntman on Orange Tribe is beginning to irritate
me.
shawn
2025-02-28 04:43:33 UTC
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Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
Here's what stood out for me in the premiere. Hopefully, I get names right.
--When Kyle and Kevin went on a Journey to compete for supplies for
their tribe, I was surprised the container they had to fill up was made
of glass. Did production do this on purpose hoping someone would get
sloppy and break the container?
Maybe. But the choice of glass containers may have also been to
allow the viewers (and each of the players) to see who was making
the most progress.
It is interesting that we have now seen the machete-pot-flint search
run in two different ways. In S47, the two players did not see each
other until the very end. In the current season, they seemed to be
right beside each other the whole time. I definitely prefer the way
the challenge was run in S47.
Agreed. Too much gained by one player seeing what the other is doing.
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would have
been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.
Yes. It was a cool puzzle. But the fact that three of her tribe mates
know that she has immunity may become a problem moving forward.
It appears that Production may have returned to the traditional
approach of allowing immunity items to keep their power up until F5.
I didn’t like the S47 twist of forcing players to play their immunity
objects at their next TC, whether they needed to or not.
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
Yes, it seemed odd to me that it was even included in the edit.
Post by Brian Smith
--The scene with Joe and Eva was the highlight for me and probably a lot
of other people. Someone on X commented that was probably the fastest
two players have ever bonded with fans. I love Eva's work ethic and hope
Joe will help her focus when she needs help.
I had a hunch, based on their EW profiles, that Joe and Eva’s stories
were going to figure prominently in this season, but it had not occurred
to me that they would bond so early in the game. You might want to
go back to that EW article and read Joe’s section again. There is
something from his past that partially explains his empathic reaction
to what Eva revealed about herself.
BTW, Eva actually doesn’t look much like Caroline Vidmar. The photo
of her in EW was deceiving.
Post by Brian Smith
--There's a lot of striking similarities with recent players as far as
I'm concerned. For example, Sai is Katurah 2.0, Cedric is Bruce, and Joe
and Eva could be Ben and Kenz but in reverse roles. Jeff mentioned that
there are similarities between S46 and S48. I wonder if this is one of them?
Haha! That’s way too deep for me at this point. I need to figure out
the names of these people before I can begin comparing them to players
from earlier seasons. :-)
These players have names? lol. It normally takes me to about mid
season to get all of the names straight.
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get rid
of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure luck of
another player.
I agree. I’ve hated the SITD twist from the moment it was revealed.
It rarely works out (as designed) and rarely causes the other players
to change their plans (not as hoped).
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
Overall, it was a good premiere but not outstanding.
It was going to have to be pretty amazing to top the S47 premier which
I thought was outstanding. But, once again, Survivor appears to have
come up with another really interesting and diverse cast of characters.
I’m feeling good about this season.
-Green Tribe looks to have been shortchanged in terms of athleticism.
OTOH, Purple Tribe should be dominant in the early challenges.
-Joe didn’t exactly look thrilled to be included in an alliance called
the “California Girls”. :-)
-That muscle bound stuntman on Orange Tribe is beginning to irritate
me.
Brian Smith
2025-02-28 05:11:09 UTC
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Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
Here's what stood out for me in the premiere. Hopefully, I get names right.
--When Kyle and Kevin went on a Journey to compete for supplies for
their tribe, I was surprised the container they had to fill up was made
of glass. Did production do this on purpose hoping someone would get
sloppy and break the container?
Maybe. But the choice of glass containers may have also been to
allow the viewers (and each of the players) to see who was making
the most progress.
It is interesting that we have now seen the machete-pot-flint search
run in two different ways. In S47, the two players did not see each
other until the very end. In the current season, they seemed to be
right beside each other the whole time. I definitely prefer the way
the challenge was run in S47.
There's a classic challenge they do on BB which involves filling up a
container. They use a plastic container which allows us and competing
players to see how close they are to winning. This is why I wonder if
Survivor used glass hoping that someone would break their container. I
was puzzled that Kevin had to keep filling his jug. If he broke his jug
were they going to say that neither tribe was going to get supplies?
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would have
been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.
Yes. It was a cool puzzle. But the fact that three of her tribe mates
know that she has immunity may become a problem moving forward.
I agree. She's playing too hard too early and giving the others an
excuse to vote her out.
Post by Zeppo
It appears that Production may have returned to the traditional
approach of allowing immunity items to keep their power up until F5.
I didn’t like the S47 twist of forcing players to play their immunity
objects at their next TC, whether they needed to or not.
I hope that's the case. That was a lot of work to end up with an idol
with a limited shelf life.
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
Yes, it seemed odd to me that it was even included in the edit.
Post by Brian Smith
--The scene with Joe and Eva was the highlight for me and probably a lot
of other people. Someone on X commented that was probably the fastest
two players have ever bonded with fans. I love Eva's work ethic and hope
Joe will help her focus when she needs help.
I had a hunch, based on their EW profiles, that Joe and Eva’s stories
were going to figure prominently in this season, but it had not occurred
to me that they would bond so early in the game. You might want to
go back to that EW article and read Joe’s section again. There is
something from his past that partially explains his empathic reaction
to what Eva revealed about herself.
I'll do that. I'd like to know what about him made her willing to trust
him with info that he could easily use against her. It was a gutsy move
on her part but also risky.
Post by Zeppo
BTW, Eva actually doesn’t look much like Caroline Vidmar. The photo
of her in EW was deceiving.
Totally agree. The similarity might be in their personalities as they
both seem very likable.
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--There's a lot of striking similarities with recent players as far as
I'm concerned. For example, Sai is Katurah 2.0, Cedric is Bruce, and Joe
and Eva could be Ben and Kenz but in reverse roles. Jeff mentioned that
there are similarities between S46 and S48. I wonder if this is one of them?
Haha! That’s way too deep for me at this point. I need to figure out
the names of these people before I can begin comparing them to players
from earlier seasons. :-)
Fair enough.
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get rid
of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure luck of
another player.
I agree. I’ve hated the SITD twist from the moment it was revealed.
Post by Brian Smith
Overall, it was a good premiere but not outstanding.
It was going to have to be pretty amazing to top the S47 premier which
I thought was outstanding. But, once again, Survivor appears to have
come up with another really interesting and diverse cast of characters.
I’m feeling good about this season.
Casting was a bit of a disaster from S41 to S44 because they seemed to
be focusing on diversity and nothing else. Since S45 we've been getting
diversity and some pretty good players.
Post by Zeppo
-Green Tribe looks to have been shortchanged in terms of athleticism.
OTOH, Purple Tribe should be dominant in the early challenges.
I'm bad with tribe colors. Green went to TC, correct? If IIRC, purple is
Eva's tribe. If so, I agree that they should dominate. She was super
impressive on the muddy ramp part of the IC.
Post by Zeppo
-Joe didn’t exactly look thrilled to be included in an alliance called
the “California Girls”. :-)
That reminds me that there's something about Thomas (music publisher?)
that I don't like. He doesn't seem trustworthy.
Post by Zeppo
-That muscle bound stuntman on Orange Tribe is beginning to irritate
me.
100% agree!
--
Brian
Zeppo
2025-03-01 02:38:08 UTC
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Post by Brian Smith
I'll do that. I'd like to know what about him made her willing to trust
him with info that he could easily use against her.
That’s a really good question. People who are on the spectrum
usually have a really hard time reading non-verbal cues, and
sometimes misunderstand the motivations of other people. The
fact that Eva picked Joe as the one person from her tribe to
confide in, after knowing him for less than three days, was
remarkable.
Post by Brian Smith
I'm bad with tribe colors. Green went to TC, correct? If IIRC, purple is
Eva's tribe.
Yes, on both counts. Purple Tribe is loaded with athletic looking
people (Debate Professor, Eva, Joe, and the Iberian). Thomas
and the other woman appear to be the only potentially weak
links. OTOH, Green Tribe will be going into challenges with
Saiounia, Dr. Butts, that stoner pizza guy, and little Mary. I don’t
like their chances. :-)
Post by Brian Smith
She was super
impressive on the muddy ramp part of the IC.
Yes, Eva’s a mud crawling wall climbing machine.
Post by Brian Smith
That reminds me that there's something about Thomas (music publisher?)
that I don't like. He doesn't seem trustworthy.
Speaking of untrustworthy, I wonder how Mary will be feeling about Kevin’s
vote at TC. He would have been smart to tip her off beforehand.
Brian Smith
2025-03-01 04:11:25 UTC
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Permalink
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
I'll do that. I'd like to know what about him made her willing to trust
him with info that he could easily use against her.
That’s a really good question. People who are on the spectrum
usually have a really hard time reading non-verbal cues, and
sometimes misunderstand the motivations of other people. The
fact that Eva picked Joe as the one person from her tribe to
confide in, after knowing him for less than three days, was
remarkable.
Post by Brian Smith
I'm bad with tribe colors. Green went to TC, correct? If IIRC, purple is
Eva's tribe.
Yes, on both counts. Purple Tribe is loaded with athletic looking
people (Debate Professor, Eva, Joe, and the Iberian). Thomas
and the other woman appear to be the only potentially weak
links. OTOH, Green Tribe will be going into challenges with
Saiounia, Dr. Butts, that stoner pizza guy, and little Mary. I don’t
like their chances. :-)
There's a secret scene video about Eva's tribe where Bianca says her
tribemates are all (?) athletes except for her. In the clip, we see
Bianca, Star, Joe and Eva talking. Star ran track, Joe played college
football, and Eva played (plays?) hockey and ran track. Bianca says she
was a theater kid.
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
She was super
impressive on the muddy ramp part of the IC.
Yes, Eva’s a mud crawling wall climbing machine.
Post by Brian Smith
That reminds me that there's something about Thomas (music publisher?)
that I don't like. He doesn't seem trustworthy.
Speaking of untrustworthy, I wonder how Mary will be feeling about Kevin’s
vote at TC. He would have been smart to tip her off beforehand.
That was a bit weird that we saw him saying how close he felt to her and
then he turns around and blindsides her. I expect she'll confront him
when they get back to camp.
--
Brian
Zeppo
2025-03-01 04:37:58 UTC
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Post by Brian Smith
There's a secret scene video about Eva's tribe where Bianca says her
tribemates are all (?) athletes except for her. In the clip, we see
Bianca, Star, Joe and Eva talking. Star ran track, Joe played college
football, and Eva played (plays?) hockey and ran track. Bianca says she
was a theater kid.
Ah..so the other woman is named Bianca. Good to know. :-)
As I mentioned in my earlier post, Debate Professor looks
athletic. Thomas...not so much.
Post by Brian Smith
That was a bit weird that we saw him saying how close he felt to her and
then he turns around and blindsides her. I expect she'll confront him
when they get back to camp.
If he had not given her a “heads up” before TC, I think a confrontation
is likely. To give Kevin the benefit of the doubt for now, his arrangement
with Mary appeared to be a pact to inform each other if their names
were brought up by other players. The edit did not show them agreeing
to vote together.
Rick
2025-03-03 01:00:46 UTC
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Permalink
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
Here's what stood out for me in the premiere. Hopefully, I get names right.
--When Kyle and Kevin went on a Journey to compete for supplies for
their tribe, I was surprised the container they had to fill up was made
of glass. Did production do this on purpose hoping someone would get
sloppy and break the container?
Maybe. But the choice of glass containers may have also been to
allow the viewers (and each of the players) to see who was making
the most progress.
It is interesting that we have now seen the machete-pot-flint search
run in two different ways. In S47, the two players did not see each
other until the very end. In the current season, they seemed to be
right beside each other the whole time. I definitely prefer the way
the challenge was run in S47.
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would have
been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.
Yes. It was a cool puzzle. But the fact that three of her tribe mates
know that she has immunity may become a problem moving forward.
It appears that Production may have returned to the traditional
approach of allowing immunity items to keep their power up until F5.
I didn’t like the S47 twist of forcing players to play their immunity
objects at their next TC, whether they needed to or not.
I noticed that too. I'm not a fan of idols, but I agree that if you are
going to give them out, they should be good well past merge. Otherwise,
players just tend to just use them when their shelf date arrives rather
than for any strategic purpose.
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
Yes, it seemed odd to me that it was even included in the edit.
Post by Brian Smith
--The scene with Joe and Eva was the highlight for me and probably a lot
of other people. Someone on X commented that was probably the fastest
two players have ever bonded with fans. I love Eva's work ethic and hope
Joe will help her focus when she needs help.
I had a hunch, based on their EW profiles, that Joe and Eva’s stories
were going to figure prominently in this season, but it had not occurred
to me that they would bond so early in the game. You might want to
go back to that EW article and read Joe’s section again. There is
something from his past that partially explains his empathic reaction
to what Eva revealed about herself.
BTW, Eva actually doesn’t look much like Caroline Vidmar. The photo
of her in EW was deceiving.
Post by Brian Smith
--There's a lot of striking similarities with recent players as far as
I'm concerned. For example, Sai is Katurah 2.0, Cedric is Bruce, and Joe
and Eva could be Ben and Kenz but in reverse roles. Jeff mentioned that
there are similarities between S46 and S48. I wonder if this is one of them?
Haha! That’s way too deep for me at this point. I need to figure out
the names of these people before I can begin comparing them to players
from earlier seasons. :-)
Post by Brian Smith
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get rid
of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure luck of
another player.
I agree. I’ve hated the SITD twist from the moment it was revealed.
Post by Brian Smith
Overall, it was a good premiere but not outstanding.
It was going to have to be pretty amazing to top the S47 premier which
I thought was outstanding. But, once again, Survivor appears to have
come up with another really interesting and diverse cast of characters.
I’m feeling good about this season.
-Green Tribe looks to have been shortchanged in terms of athleticism.
OTOH, Purple Tribe should be dominant in the early challenges.
-Joe didn’t exactly look thrilled to be included in an alliance called
the “California Girls”. :-)
-That muscle bound stuntman on Orange Tribe is beginning to irritate
me.
Zeppo
2025-03-01 02:07:31 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would have
been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.
I went back and watched it again and, to her credit, Sai appeared to
have figured out how to crack the code on her own. Dr. Butts’ main
contribution was printing the letters in the sand.
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
On “X”, Mike Bloom reported that Kevin “separated his shoulder” and,
“when the challenge was over”, medical examined him and “popped
it back into place”.
Brian Smith
2025-03-01 03:54:32 UTC
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Permalink
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would have
been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.
I went back and watched it again and, to her credit, Sai appeared to
have figured out how to crack the code on her own. Dr. Butts’ main
contribution was printing the letters in the sand.
I need to go back and watch that again because I thought he said
somethings that helped to clue her in as to what to do.
Post by Zeppo
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
On “X”, Mike Bloom reported that Kevin “separated his shoulder” and,
“when the challenge was over”, medical examined him and “popped
it back into place”.
I saw that during the episode.

I listened to Jeff's podcast last night and this came up. Jeff said he
figured people would be confused because the footage of Kevin being
attended to by medical was included in the promo for the season. He said
that they wanted to include the scene in the premiere but after the
initial edit they had 20 minutes too much content. Since his injury had
no impact on the vote they decided to cut it out. Jeff said they figured
the confessional Kevin did where he talks about the injury was good
enough to convey something happened. I'd like to know what they didn't
include that made the initial cut. They managed to find time to include
a record number of confessionals by Sai.

Concerning the podcast, Rachel was great. She's got a scary deep
understanding of the game. And when Jeff was mentioning past cohosts, he
referred to Devens as a legend but no one else.
--
Brian
Rick
2025-03-03 00:57:06 UTC
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Permalink
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Brian Smith
Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The Get to
Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.
More later ...
I wish I had posted some comments before the premiere aired. I watched a
grand total of two intro packages going into the premiere: Steph's and
Eva's. I found Steph so obnoxious that I wanted her gone ASAP. The fact
that she was the first boot probably means nothing else will go my way.
I never watch into packages before the season so I went in cold, not
knowing anyone. I had the same instant reaction to Steph. I hated her
right from the start and was hoping she would be voted out. One of the
most unlikable characters I can recall from any opening episodes.

BTW, this excludes Australian Survivor which is running its season
concurrently. Incredibly and coincidentally, that series had two
extremely unlikable characters introduced in the first episode who, in
that case, both got past that first ep.
Post by Brian Smith
Here's what stood out for me in the premiere. Hopefully, I get names right.
--When Kyle and Kevin went on a Journey to compete for supplies for
their tribe, I was surprised the container they had to fill up was made
of glass. Did production do this on purpose hoping someone would get
sloppy and break the container? Kyle was smart to help Kevin after he
broke his container. Kevin seems like the type of guy that will put a
lot of stock in that move.
I don't think they were hoping the container would break, as that could
have easily led to someone being cut and bleeding, etc. It also didn't
really make for great TV. I presume the dream team testing out the
challenger just had no issues and it didn't occur to the challenge
designer that the prop would actually break.
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would have
been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.
I didn't figure it out that the colors of the numbers matched the clues
we had seen earlier. Once they got the letters, I recognized
immediately that the word was "LISTEN" which seemed pretty obvious.
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
I'm glad they didn't slow down the ep for that. I would have just
spaced through it since Jeff talking to the doctor is easily one of the
more boring aspects of the show.
Post by Brian Smith
--The scene with Joe and Eva was the highlight for me and probably a lot
of other people. Someone on X commented that was probably the fastest
two players have ever bonded with fans. I love Eva's work ethic and hope
Joe will help her focus when she needs help.
I agree. That was a great and well presented scene, and I could easily
see myself instantly bonding with Eva were I to be the other party in
that situation. That was one of the best moments of the show in a while
that I can remember. It's hard to hanyone not rooting for Eva at this
point.
Post by Brian Smith
--There's a lot of striking similarities with recent players as far as
I'm concerned. For example, Sai is Katurah 2.0, Cedric is Bruce, and Joe
and Eva could be Ben and Kenz but in reverse roles. Jeff mentioned that
there are similarities between S46 and S48. I wonder if this is one of them?
Sai definitely reminds me of someone, but I can't place who it is. I
don't think it was Katurah, who was a lawyer if I remember right.
Post by Brian Smith
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get rid
of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure luck of
another player.
Frankly, the same could be said for an immunity idol or advantage that a
player just stumbles on or is given. I frankly don't like any advantage
except a good old-fashioned immunity win.
Post by Brian Smith
Overall, it was a good premiere but not outstanding.
It wasn't bad and had a satisfactory outcome.
Brian Smith
2025-03-03 03:24:47 UTC
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Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Brian Smith
Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The Get
to Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.
More later ...
I wish I had posted some comments before the premiere aired. I watched
a grand total of two intro packages going into the premiere: Steph's
and Eva's. I found Steph so obnoxious that I wanted her gone ASAP. The
fact that she was the first boot probably means nothing else will go
my way.
I never watch into packages before the season so I went in cold, not
knowing anyone.  I had the same instant reaction to Steph.  I hated her
right from the start and was hoping she would be voted out.  One of the
most unlikable characters I can recall from any opening episodes.
I watched Eva's package on purpose and Steph's happened to come up in my
X feed for some reason. Her bragging about regularly doing business
deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars was a real turnoff.
Post by Rick
BTW, this excludes Australian Survivor which is running its season
concurrently.  Incredibly and coincidentally, that series had two
extremely unlikable characters introduced in the first episode who, in
that case, both got past that first ep.
I'm not surprised. That's how it usually goes.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Here's what stood out for me in the premiere. Hopefully, I get names right.
--When Kyle and Kevin went on a Journey to compete for supplies for
their tribe, I was surprised the container they had to fill up was
made of glass. Did production do this on purpose hoping someone would
get sloppy and break the container? Kyle was smart to help Kevin after
he broke his container. Kevin seems like the type of guy that will put
a lot of stock in that move.
I don't think they were hoping the container would break, as that could
have easily led to someone being cut and bleeding, etc.  It also didn't
really make for great TV.  I presume the dream team testing out the
challenger just had no issues and it didn't occur to the challenge
designer that the prop would actually break.
You could very well be right. It was very anticlimactic how the
challenge just ended.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would
have been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have either
without Cedric's help.
I didn't figure it out that the colors of the numbers matched the clues
we had seen earlier.  Once they got the letters, I recognized
immediately that the word was "LISTEN" which seemed pretty obvious.
Cedric appeared to have figured out "LISTEN" pretty quickly. Before Sai
IIRC.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown. I
thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
I'm glad they didn't slow down the ep for that.  I would have just
spaced through it since Jeff talking to the doctor is easily one of the
more boring aspects of the show.
It depends on the situation. When it looked like BMC was about to die in
S32 that was worth watching.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--The scene with Joe and Eva was the highlight for me and probably a
lot of other people. Someone on X commented that was probably the
fastest two players have ever bonded with fans. I love Eva's work
ethic and hope Joe will help her focus when she needs help.
I agree.  That was a great and well presented scene, and I could easily
see myself instantly bonding with Eva were I to be the other party in
that situation.  That was one of the best moments of the show in a while
that I can remember.  It's hard to hanyone not rooting for Eva at this
point.
We've had some very smart and likeable female players since S45. Do we
know if this was the first season Eva applied for?
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--There's a lot of striking similarities with recent players as far as
I'm concerned. For example, Sai is Katurah 2.0, Cedric is Bruce, and
Joe and Eva could be Ben and Kenz but in reverse roles. Jeff mentioned
that there are similarities between S46 and S48. I wonder if this is
one of them?
Sai definitely reminds me of someone, but I can't place who it is.  I
don't think it was Katurah, who was a lawyer if I remember right.
Yes, Katurah was the lawyer who kept that aspect of her life hidden
until the end, IIRC. The similarity I see between her and Sai is their
aggressive gameplay. Being attached to an older black male player is
another similarity. So far, Sai's doing better in that department as
Cedric seems more engaged in the game and a lot smarter than Bruce.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get rid
of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure luck
of another player.
Frankly, the same could be said for an immunity idol or advantage that a
player just stumbles on or is given.  I frankly don't like any advantage
except a good old-fashioned immunity win.
At least with HIIs and advantages the player holding them has to employ
some strategy for the power to be effective. SITDs are just pure luck.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Overall, it was a good premiere but not outstanding.
It wasn't bad and had a satisfactory outcome.
I was happy with the outcome and love that I have some likeable people
to root for. It's also nice that there appears to be no Rome-like character.
--
Brian
Rick
2025-03-03 04:07:17 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Brian Smith
Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The Get
to Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.
More later ...
I wish I had posted some comments before the premiere aired. I
Steph's and Eva's. I found Steph so obnoxious that I wanted her gone
ASAP. The fact that she was the first boot probably means nothing
else will go my way.
I never watch into packages before the season so I went in cold, not
knowing anyone.  I had the same instant reaction to Steph.  I hated
her right from the start and was hoping she would be voted out.  One
of the most unlikable characters I can recall from any opening episodes.
I watched Eva's package on purpose and Steph's happened to come up in my
X feed for some reason. Her bragging about regularly doing business
deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars was a real turnoff.
Post by Rick
BTW, this excludes Australian Survivor which is running its season
concurrently.  Incredibly and coincidentally, that series had two
extremely unlikable characters introduced in the first episode who, in
that case, both got past that first ep.
I'm not surprised. That's how it usually goes.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Here's what stood out for me in the premiere. Hopefully, I get names right.
--When Kyle and Kevin went on a Journey to compete for supplies for
their tribe, I was surprised the container they had to fill up was
made of glass. Did production do this on purpose hoping someone would
get sloppy and break the container? Kyle was smart to help Kevin
after he broke his container. Kevin seems like the type of guy that
will put a lot of stock in that move.
I don't think they were hoping the container would break, as that
could have easily led to someone being cut and bleeding, etc.  It also
didn't really make for great TV.  I presume the dream team testing out
the challenger just had no issues and it didn't occur to the challenge
designer that the prop would actually break.
You could very well be right. It was very anticlimactic how the
challenge just ended.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--Sai's Beware Advantage was very well done. I don't think I would
have been able to figure that out. I don't think she would have
either without Cedric's help.
I didn't figure it out that the colors of the numbers matched the
clues we had seen earlier.  Once they got the letters, I recognized
immediately that the word was "LISTEN" which seemed pretty obvious.
Cedric appeared to have figured out "LISTEN" pretty quickly. Before Sai
IIRC.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--I'm surprised the medical response to Kevin's injury wasn't shown.
I thought Jeff lived for stuff like that?
I'm glad they didn't slow down the ep for that.  I would have just
spaced through it since Jeff talking to the doctor is easily one of
the more boring aspects of the show.
It depends on the situation. When it looked like BMC was about to die in
S32 that was worth watching.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--The scene with Joe and Eva was the highlight for me and probably a
lot of other people. Someone on X commented that was probably the
fastest two players have ever bonded with fans. I love Eva's work
ethic and hope Joe will help her focus when she needs help.
I agree.  That was a great and well presented scene, and I could
easily see myself instantly bonding with Eva were I to be the other
party in that situation.  That was one of the best moments of the show
in a while that I can remember.  It's hard to hanyone not rooting for
Eva at this point.
We've had some very smart and likeable female players since S45. Do we
know if this was the first season Eva applied for?
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--There's a lot of striking similarities with recent players as far
as I'm concerned. For example, Sai is Katurah 2.0, Cedric is Bruce,
and Joe and Eva could be Ben and Kenz but in reverse roles. Jeff
mentioned that there are similarities between S46 and S48. I wonder
if this is one of them?
Sai definitely reminds me of someone, but I can't place who it is.  I
don't think it was Katurah, who was a lawyer if I remember right.
Yes, Katurah was the lawyer who kept that aspect of her life hidden
until the end, IIRC. The similarity I see between her and Sai is their
aggressive gameplay. Being attached to an older black male player is
another similarity. So far, Sai's doing better in that department as
Cedric seems more engaged in the game and a lot smarter than Bruce.
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get
rid of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure
luck of another player.
Frankly, the same could be said for an immunity idol or advantage that
a player just stumbles on or is given.  I frankly don't like any
advantage except a good old-fashioned immunity win.
At least with HIIs and advantages the player holding them has to employ
some strategy for the power to be effective. SITDs are just pure luck.
Well there is one major strategic element, which is figuring out whether
and when to use it. The SITD is unique in that once you deploy it, you
can't ever use it again. Even with an idol, there is always a chance
that if you use it, you can possibly find another one. So calculating
when to use it is a non-trivial exercise.
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Overall, it was a good premiere but not outstanding.
It wasn't bad and had a satisfactory outcome.
I was happy with the outcome and love that I have some likeable people
to root for. It's also nice that there appears to be no Rome-like character.
Brian Smith
2025-03-03 07:30:29 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Brian Smith
Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The Get
to Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.
More later ...
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get
rid of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure
luck of another player.
Frankly, the same could be said for an immunity idol or advantage
that a player just stumbles on or is given.  I frankly don't like any
advantage except a good old-fashioned immunity win.
At least with HIIs and advantages the player holding them has to
employ some strategy for the power to be effective. SITDs are just
pure luck.
Well there is one major strategic element, which is figuring out whether
and when to use it.  The SITD is unique in that once you deploy it, you
can't ever use it again. Even with an idol, there is always a chance
that if you use it, you can possibly find another one. So calculating
when to use it is a non-trivial exercise.
Yes, that's all true. However, whether or not a SITD will save a player
is still pure luck. For me, the SITD is far from the stupidest thing
they' ever done when it comes to powers. The Idol Nullifier holds that
dubious distinction as far as I'm concerned.
--
Brian
Rick
2025-03-03 14:30:05 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Brian Smith
Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The
Get to Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.
More later ...
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get
rid of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the pure
luck of another player.
Frankly, the same could be said for an immunity idol or advantage
that a player just stumbles on or is given.  I frankly don't like
any advantage except a good old-fashioned immunity win.
At least with HIIs and advantages the player holding them has to
employ some strategy for the power to be effective. SITDs are just
pure luck.
Well there is one major strategic element, which is figuring out
whether and when to use it.  The SITD is unique in that once you
deploy it, you can't ever use it again. Even with an idol, there is
always a chance that if you use it, you can possibly find another one.
So calculating when to use it is a non-trivial exercise.
Yes, that's all true. However, whether or not a SITD will save a player
is still pure luck. For me, the SITD is far from the stupidest thing
they' ever done when it comes to powers. The Idol Nullifier holds that
dubious distinction as far as I'm concerned.
Here's something I wasn't sure about. If the SITD had worked for Steph,
could Sei have then turned around and used her idol? Or does Jeff
effectively close out the opportunity for anyone else to use their
advantage once he deploys the SITD? It's not really clear from the editing.

Seems to me that it takes away an element of the game if players can
wait to decide to use their idol based on whether another player's SITD
worked.
Brian Smith
2025-03-03 23:18:55 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Brian Smith
Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The
Get to Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.
More later ...
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get
rid of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the
pure luck of another player.
Frankly, the same could be said for an immunity idol or advantage
that a player just stumbles on or is given.  I frankly don't like
any advantage except a good old-fashioned immunity win.
At least with HIIs and advantages the player holding them has to
employ some strategy for the power to be effective. SITDs are just
pure luck.
Well there is one major strategic element, which is figuring out
whether and when to use it.  The SITD is unique in that once you
deploy it, you can't ever use it again. Even with an idol, there is
always a chance that if you use it, you can possibly find another
one. So calculating when to use it is a non-trivial exercise.
Yes, that's all true. However, whether or not a SITD will save a
player is still pure luck. For me, the SITD is far from the stupidest
thing they' ever done when it comes to powers. The Idol Nullifier
holds that dubious distinction as far as I'm concerned.
Here's something I wasn't sure about.  If the SITD had worked for Steph,
could Sei have then turned around and used her idol?  Or does Jeff
effectively close out the opportunity for anyone else to use their
advantage once he deploys the SITD?  It's not really clear from the
editing.
Seems to me that it takes away an element of the game if players can
wait to decide to use their idol based on whether another player's SITD
worked.
IIRC, Jeff once said in an interview that players can play idols, etc.
up to the time he starts to read the votes. I can't remember if this
interview was pre or post SITDs. If idols, etc. have to be played before
he reveals the SITD result, you'd think Jeff would make an announcement.
It's also possible they'll change the rule to get an outcome they want.
--
Brian
Brian Smith
2025-03-04 00:36:40 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Rick
Post by Brian Smith
Post by Brian Smith
Tonight's the premiere of S48. Tonight's episode is titled "The
Get to Know You Game" and it's two-hours long.
More later ...
--Once again playing a SITD did not work out. They should just get
rid of this twist as someone's game shouldn't end based on the
pure luck of another player.
Frankly, the same could be said for an immunity idol or advantage
that a player just stumbles on or is given.  I frankly don't like
any advantage except a good old-fashioned immunity win.
At least with HIIs and advantages the player holding them has to
employ some strategy for the power to be effective. SITDs are just
pure luck.
Well there is one major strategic element, which is figuring out
whether and when to use it.  The SITD is unique in that once you
deploy it, you can't ever use it again. Even with an idol, there is
always a chance that if you use it, you can possibly find another
one. So calculating when to use it is a non-trivial exercise.
Yes, that's all true. However, whether or not a SITD will save a
player is still pure luck. For me, the SITD is far from the stupidest
thing they' ever done when it comes to powers. The Idol Nullifier
holds that dubious distinction as far as I'm concerned.
Here's something I wasn't sure about.  If the SITD had worked for Steph,
could Sei have then turned around and used her idol?  Or does Jeff
effectively close out the opportunity for anyone else to use their
advantage once he deploys the SITD?  It's not really clear from the
editing.
Seems to me that it takes away an element of the game if players can
wait to decide to use their idol based on whether another player's SITD
worked.
We might have an answer! This is from the Survivor Wiki.

At the start of the game, each castaway receives a six-sided die. If a
player perceives certain trouble at Tribal Council, they may invoke the
Shot in the Dark at any point until the final seven (or final six in
Survivor 42). To do so, the player will not vote and instead insert
their die in a smaller urn next to the regular voting urn, after which
the player will randomly select one of many rolled-up parchments from a
container. The player takes their selected scroll to their seat until
the host returns with the voting urn. When the host asks if someone
wants to play an advantage or a Hidden Immunity Idol, the player(s) who
used the Shot in the Dark must present their still-unopened scroll; if
it reads "Safe", then all votes cast against them will be negated,
similar to how a regular idol is played. If the scroll reads "Not Safe",
all votes cast against the player will remain valid and the gamble is
considered unsuccessful.

Source: https://survivor.fandom.com/wiki/Shot_in_the_Dark
--
Brian
Zeppo
2025-03-05 00:44:46 UTC
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Permalink
Here's something I wasn't sure about. If the SITD had worked for Steph,
could Sei have then turned around and used her idol?
The answer to your question is “yes”, and such an event occurred at
the first TC in S44. IIRC, two players played their SITD’s after which
a guy named Brandon played his hidden immunity object. The end
result was that Brandon had the only vote which he used to eliminate
one of Brian’s favourites, Mandy. So, in total, three plays occurred
prior to Probst reading the vote.
Rick
2025-03-05 15:50:39 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Zeppo
Here's something I wasn't sure about. If the SITD had worked for Steph,
could Sei have then turned around and used her idol?
The answer to your question is “yes”, and such an event occurred at
the first TC in S44. IIRC, two players played their SITD’s after which
a guy named Brandon played his hidden immunity object. The end
result was that Brandon had the only vote which he used to eliminate
one of Brian’s favourites, Mandy. So, in total, three plays occurred
prior to Probst reading the vote.
First, I'm happy to say I have no recollection of this or much else from
the early part of S44, which remains one of my least favorite seasons.
I have absolutely no idea of who Mandy was, and there have been multiple
Brandons on the show in just the new era alone. I think the only
players I really remember from that season are the final four and maybe
Matt and Frannie.

Regarding the timing of the SITD, I think the show is missing an
opportunity on this. I think the way they should do it is, Jeff asks if
anyone wants to play an advantage or idol. Someone presents the SITD.
I think what Jeff should do at that point is say, are there any other
advantages anyone wants to play. When all advantages have been
presented, only then should Jeff unroll the SITD scroll that says SAFE
or NOT SAFE. That way anyone with an idol knowing that the votes are
going on the SITD person has to make a calculation on whether to use the
idol or take a chance on the person playing the SITD being safe. It
would add a definite strategic decision to anyone with an idol in that
situation.
Brian Smith
2025-03-05 20:00:26 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Zeppo
Here's something I wasn't sure about. If the SITD had worked for Steph,
could Sei have then turned around and used her idol?
The answer to your question is “yes”, and such an event occurred at
the first TC in S44. IIRC, two players played their SITD’s after which
a guy named Brandon played his hidden immunity object. The end
result was that Brandon had the only vote which he used to eliminate
one of Brian’s favourites, Mandy. So, in total, three plays occurred
prior to Probst reading the vote.
Thanks for mentioning that incident. I thought there was such a case but
I couldn't remember if it was S44 or S45. Now I know why I couldn't
recall which season. My mind had repressed that horrible memory of
seeing my angel Maddy screwed over by a stupid twist.
--
Brian
Zeppo
2025-03-05 21:01:51 UTC
Reply
Permalink
Post by Brian Smith
. Now I know why I couldn't
recall which season. My mind had repressed that horrible memory of
seeing my angel Maddy screwed over by a stupid twist.
Yes. I thought that might have happened. :-). Thanks for correcting me on
the gal’s name; Maddy not Mandy.

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