Survivor 11 - Guatemala - The Maya Empire

No -- they don't go straight home.

A friend of mine was nearly on the show. They have to take the entire time off from work/responsiblities/whatever. They are sent on an incognito vacation.

I don't know what happens with the jury but I imagine they are camped out at some nice spot out of contact with the cameramen, crew, etc.

I initially wondered the same thing last night, but after Gary, Steph, Judd and Dani won the reward challenge and got to spend the night together, it made sense that Gary didn't (at least yet) try to alienate Judd, who Gary was trying to enlist in a new alliance. Now that the numbers may be swinging Gary's way, he might just "out" Judd next week. We already know from the previews that Judd is going to be royally pissed at Lydia and Rafe (and possibly Steph, as well) for voting out Jamie and not sticking to the alliance.

Gary did, however, tell the group where he found the idol. I think it was a way to let the group know that Judd lied without coming out and accusing Judd of lying.

I always said that I wanted to go on Survivor and be voted out early - that way I get a nice vacation in a tropic location without paying a cent and without suffering.

Well, Gary's gone. I thought he might stand a chance, but the alliance held despite Lydia's behavior.

I'm surprised that Steph seems so safe. In past versions, she'd be gone, just because she's so powerful. No one seems willing or able to deal with the situation. Maybe they're waiting until things are down to the wire.

I missed the whole thing! I did go to the website and read the synopsis so I have a pretty good idea of what happened, but I've also read the synopses before and been unimpressed. So any first-hand stories of what happened are appreciated.

"Lydia's behavior" is one thing I am curious about. The website made her sound extremely sulky and immature. Was she?

Not particularly surprised to see Gary gone, and was relieved, mostly. (Except for Danni and Judd, I like almost everyone left for one reason or another. So I guess I'd be happy with a final four of Rafe, Cindy, Steph, and Lydia, though I bet it will be Judd instead of one of them. Which might backfire because he hasn't been so universally despised since the merge -- as in, people NOT on the jury hate him, but the jury...?)

I got a giggle from the way BobbyJon and Jamie fell on each other laughing during tribal council. They're the two jury members to date. Someone (Gary?) was talking about how some of the tribe are starstruck by Stephenie -- almost to the point of wanting her autograph.

I'd like to see Rafe win. I think that he's the best of the lot and I like his sense of humour. But he's now won the immunity necklace too many times (twice? three times?) -- when & if he loses it, others may suddenly remember that he is a nice guy, well liked by all, and a growing physical threat.

I was toying with the idea that Lydia was deliberately losing all challenges and might pull off some coup at the last minute. To me, she looks almost unbelievably inept, and yet, although short she seems physically very fit and the most comfortable in the environment.

The only person who acted badly was Stephanie.

During the luxury challenge, each person was represented by three hanging pots filled with corn. They all were required to answer questions. If they got the question right, they could smash a pot.

The first round, Stephanie was the only one who answered incorrectly. Therefore, she didn't get to smash any pots, but everyone else did. Lydia smashed Stephanie's pot. BIG EGO Stephanie was mad at Lydia for smashing her pot and accused Lydia of being jealous of her. Lydia tried to explain that she wasn't jealous; Lydia was just hungry and wanted to eat. Lydia thought that Stephanie had eaten more than her in the past and Lydia was just trying to eliminate the competition who didn't need to win a meal as much as she did.

Lydia smashed another one of Stephanie's pots and since Danni also smashed one of Stephanie's pots, Stephanie was the first one eliminated from the challenge. Stephanie was angry. She acted like a spoiled rotten brat at the challenge and also when they got back to camp. She treated Lydia very disrespectfully and claimed that Lydia was just lucky to be there. I guess Lydia was supposed to kiss Stephanie's butt rather than smash her pots. Later, Stephanie ordered Lydia to get her some water and Lydia complied.

Stephanie is letting her "power" in the tribe go to her head. She has shown a very ugly side to her personality.

Honestly I thought both Lydia and Steph acted poorly. This was the first time I did not like Lydia. She was very whiney and full of self pity. I agree to a certain point that Lydia really has done little to show she deserves to be there, however, the winner is not always the strongest, but many times the luckiest.

I also like Rafe. I think he is smart and plays well. He rarely if ever gets under anyone's skin. He seems to get along with just about everyone, and although does not appear to be a physical threat - he is...although winning so much it has to obvious to the others. But perhaps with some having such swelled heads, they may not notice.

I also like Cindy - she comes across simlar to Rafe, but even more quiet. She may just slip right in unnoticed.

Did I hear right? Did Judd actually say at the end of the show that he hadn't lied? I know I heard right when he said he hoped the remaining players get bitten by a crocodile. What a charmer.

I'm still amazed that Steph hasn't been targeted. If she makes it to the final two, I wonder how she'll fare with a jury of people she's double-crossed.

I've often thought that the way each player leaves says much about their true character. I was pleasantly surprised by Jamie, while BobbyJon's and Gary's exit reinforced my opinion of them. Judd ("scumbags") was no surprise either ~ he is one of those people who sees the world through a very selective and self-interested filter IMHO. He applies standards differently to other people, the ones he loves, and himself. The concept of "lying" is flexible for him, I'm sure.

I'm still liking Rafe. Cindy must be concerned about the fact that she (and Judd) were the only two who didn't know Judd was being voted off. She needs to reinforce her alliance with Rafe, who I see as the true leader of the group. Steph thinks she is, coasting on star power, but I think she's only there for as long as Rafe supports her. And he may be using her as a shield, to deflect attention away from his actions.

I totally agree with all of that, Tico. Rafe actually engineered the thing with Danni while keeping his hands completely clean.

I agree about the shield, and I think it's smart.

Yeah, with the current jury -- Bobby Jon, Jaime, Gary, Judd -- I don't think there is any way that Steph would get the final two votes, except for maybe against Lydia but then I'm still not sure.

Wait a minute, is Rafe the only guy left out there? I wonder if an all-female final four could be orchestrated by whomever feels most threatened? Lydia showed some chops in how she approached Judd.

I bet the Judd questions at the final two thing will be, er, interesting.

I still have residual fondness for Steph but there is a sense of entitlement that is starting to grate on me. She's acting like the chosen one, which she may well be, but I'm wondering more if they're setting her up for a fall.

I definitely think Rafe is one of the smartest guys to play Survivor in a long time, playing it like a chess game, thinking several moves ahead. Part of his game is trying to make sure people don't realize it, so if he slips up there, bye-bye.

I like Cindy a lot. She's smart and strong and really hanging back in a good way -- in the previews for next week she challenges the others about how she's always the last to know, she has to be careful there.

I'm having a hard time predicting who will go next. If she (Cindy) makes too big of a deal about this stuff, could be her. If Rafe is really orchestrating things, he could get rid of Steph; on the other hand, she's shaping up as the one you want to bring to the final 2 (least votes). Lydia is the one who would've gone if it hadn't been Judd this week. Danni is the one who would've gone if she hadn't gotten immunity this week. And Rafe's mask might slip.

I didn't say anything, soz.

Oh, you weren't talking to me.

Carry on.

----

And what is all this talk about my empire?

You should have known that if your name was preceded by "I totally agree with all of that" I wasn't talking to you...

:-D

Well, there was this one time you wholeheartedly agreed with me. I still hold on tightly to the memory. LINK

I'm seriously tickled that you actually remembered at all, not to mention remembered in enough detail to FIND it -- unless you have it, like, saved on your desktop?

(When you're not talking politics I can usually find stuff to agree with, to be sure. So, nice to see you out of the politics forum!) (Are you watching Survivor?)

I venture out, or not, depending on my mood. Some days I'm not in the mood to tackle the world, and I don't spend a lot of time trying to explain the error of their thinking to the Misguided (no offense ). Other days when I'm feeling particularly masochistic, I'll jump in with both feet.

No, I'm not watching Survivor. I think I caught about 10 seconds last night, but that was purely by accident, as I was flipping through the channels trying to find the K.U. basketball game. Considering the outcome of the game, I might have enjoyed Survivor more.

I really haven't been able to get into reality shows all that much ... although I did like The Mole when it was on ABC. I also watch Real World when it's on. All in all I'm not that big of a regular TV watcher in general.

Yeah, me either. (Will I see this get cited a year from now? ;-)) I watched the first season of Survivor, then stopped, then watched the season that there was a deaf contestant, and got re-hooked, and have been watching most (but not all) seasons since then. It's the only reality show I watch. (Which isn't necessarily saying much, as it is the ONLY prime-time adult TV show I reliably watch -- the rest of the time when the TV is on it's kid's shows or videos.)

Tell me about it. I can recite the regular Disney Channel prime time schedule for you if you'd like.

Ticomaya is a family man? Damn! There goes my plan at making us a couple.

(TM, if you're looking in, I did ask the admin to change my username but didn't get a response. Sorry, guess we'll just live with the potential confusion. OTOH I care very little about politics in general and US politics in particular, so we may seldom cross paths on this huge site.)

LOL. Yep ... a family man I am.

(I'll send a note along to the hamsters on your behalf about your name change request. You were wanting to change to "Tica," right?)