[tivotvaddict]

So I just discovered prior Survivor seasons are on Hulu. Since I forgot to cancel after my great deal last year, I'm trying to get some use out of it. There are a few seasons in the 20s I missed that I wanted to watch but first and foremost I wanted to revisit the Fans vs. Favorites season with Parvati, Ozzy, Eliza, Penner, Cirie, Natalie, James and Erik in Micronesia.

That season had 2 medical removals (Penner and James), an all female final 4 and not just one but TWO iconic moments!

Eliza to Jason "that's not an immunity idol! It's a f'en stick!" hahahahahahahahahaha

Erik going down as officially the dumbest player in the history of Survivor, ever." James rejoicing in "I've lost my reign as dumbest Survivor ever." Jeff "I think that's what you call a life lesson."

I could have lived without seeing James eat fruit bats.

In comparison to present seasons, I don't miss having a reward competition every single episode. I do miss having challenges that are a more focused with just 1 or 2 tasks, rather than 4-5 (swim here, run this, untie that, assemble this, hit that). Jeff has really mellowed over the years, or at least his portrayal as a host was much less sympathetic to the players.

 

[realityboy]

While I prefer a final 2 to a final 3, Cirie got screwed this year as they changed to from 3 to 2 due to the removals. She’s got be the unluckiest Survivor.

 

[tivotvaddict]

While I prefer a final 2 to a final 3, Cirie got screwed this year as they changed to from 3 to 2 due to the removals. She's got be the unluckiest Survivor.

So true! I would have loved to have seen Cirie on the winner list.

 

[JFriday]

So true! I would have loved to have seen Cirie on the winner list.

No thank you. What a waste, 4 times she still never prepared physically, she's the GOAT Goat.

 

[tivotvaddict]

No thank you. What a waste, 4 times she still never prepared physically, she's the GOAT Goat.

I only remember her 3 times, will have to catch up on her other season. None of the 4 finalists were very physically fit. Sounds like you're a fan of the physical players like Ozzy or Joey Amazing. One of the things I enjoy about Survivor is that the winners are a strong mix of physical and not so physical. Ethan Zohn, Tom Westman, and Mike Holloway won but so did Sandra Diaz (twice!) and Richard Hatch.

ETA: Cirie isn't a goat because she never got to the final. A goat is someone who can't possibly get votes to win at the end if they get there, like Missy in San Juan del Sur. Cirie would definitely, imho, get votes to win.

 

[realityboy]

After her first season, Panama, Cirie was on Fans vs Favorites, Heroes vs Villains, & Game Changers. I won’t comment on how well she did on those since you haven’t seen one of them.

 

[tivotvaddict]

I appreciate it! No worries, it's a spoiler thread. I'm an avid RHAP listener so certainly most things Survivor have already been talked about in rich detail, even if I can't always remember them.

 

[gweempose]

While I prefer a final 2 to a final 3, Cirie got screwed this year as they changed to from 3 to 2 due to the removals. She's got be the unluckiest Survivor.

I agree. Cirie may very well be the best player to never win the game. Certain things happened that were simply beyond her control.

 

[gweempose]

This video does a great job of breaking down the various eras of the game ...

 

[gweempose]

Erik going down as officially the dumbest player in the history of Survivor, ever." James rejoicing in "I've lost my reign as dumbest Survivor ever." Jeff "I think that's what you call a life lesson."

If you haven't already read it, you need to check out Dalton's super in depth look at the Erik blindside. It offers some great insight ...
Ultimate blindside: An oral history of the greatest 'Survivor' moment ever

 

[brianric]

So I just discovered prior Survivor seasons are on Hulu.

There are quite a few seasons available on Amazo Prime.

 

[Steveknj]

I agree. Cirie may very well be the best player to never win the game. Certain things happened that were simply beyond her control.

Disagree. She might have been one of the most popular players, but best player? Hardly. She got to the final 4 the first two times she played, and not as far the last two times.

 

[Matty-Matt]

If you subscribed to the previous HULU Black Friday deal, which was ($0.99/month) for 12 months, then you can get the new Black Friday deal ($1.99/month) for 12 months. Here's how...

Establish a new email account with your favorite service (google, outlook, etc...). Call HULU directly and cancel your existing subscription. You will need to explain that you were unaware your previous subscription deal had expired. I did this and they refunded the $5.99 fee for December 2019. Go online and set-up a new HULU account with you new email address.

If this year's Black Friday Deal has expired, then try again next year. With the streaming competition heating-up, and cord-cutting gaining new converts, I am sure HULU will be aggressively attracting new subscribers.

Speaking of Survivor... I don't understand why some of the repeat players never bother to improve their physical game (swimming, climbing, balancing, endurance) or perfect their camping skills (making fire, fishing, building shelters, scavenging edible plants). Sure, the social game is key, but improving your skills would definitely give you an edge on the competition. Early on, you don't want to be singled out as the weak player who prevents the tribe from winning challenges. Later, when food is scarce, you want to be resourceful enough to maintain your strength. I think players like Cirie are sometimes viewed as physical handicaps, which limits their chances of winning.

 

[gweempose]

Disagree. She might have been one of the most popular players, but best player? Hardly. She got to the final 4 the first two times she played, and not as far the last two times.

She actually made it to the final three in Micronesia, and probably would have won the game if they hadn't changed it to a final two that season. Cirie was also the mastermind behind the Erik blindside. That was huge!

On Game Changers, she had maneuvered herself into a great position and only went home at the final six because three idols and a legacy advantage were all played at once. Since she was the only person left without immunity, she was voted out by default, even though no votes were cast against her.

Perhaps I should have said "one of the best", but I still stand by my assertion that she is a brilliant strategist with an amazing social game who got screwed over deep in the game on two separate seasons by circumstances that she couldn't possibly have predicted.

 

[Steveknj]

She actually made it to the final three in Micronesia, and probably would have won the game if they hadn't changed it to a final two that season. Cirie was also the mastermind behind the Erik blindside. That was huge!

On Game Changers, she had maneuvered herself into a great position and only went home at the final six because three idols and a legacy advantage were all played at once. Since she was the only person left without immunity, she was voted out by default, even though no votes were cast against her.

Perhaps I should have said "one of the best", but I still stand by my assertion that she is a brilliant strategist with an amazing social game who got screwed over deep in the game on two separate seasons by circumstances that she couldn't possibly have predicted.

Yet she never won, never made it to the final. If she was a great player, she at least makes it to the finals. I've had the same argument in the Big Brother threads. To me, to be considered the best player you need to win the whole thing, or, at least make the finals, which she never did. She made some great moves sure, but that doesn't make her a great player. A QB might make some great throws but ultimately if he throws an interception at the end of the game he's a loser. She was popular, and got picked for FOUR seasons because she was popular, so that gave her a LOT of hours in the game. When she had tougher competition in the last two seasons, they got her out early. A BRILLIANT strategist figures out how to win. She was missing something in her game thus she never made a finals.

 

[gweempose]

Yet she never won, never made it to the final. If she was a great player, she at least makes it to the finals. I've had the same argument in the Big Brother threads. To me, to be considered the best player you need to win the whole thing, or, at least make the finals, which she never did.

I didn't say she was the best player ever. I said she was "the best player to never win the game". There is a big difference. I agree with you that to even be in the conversation of best player ever, you have to have won the game.

When she had tougher competition in the last two seasons, they got her out early.

As I stated above, she made it to the final six her last time playing. How does that equate to being voted out early?

 

[Matty-Matt]

Great discussion and some excellent incite on the pit-falls of Survivor. Players can do everything in their power to win: align with the right tribe members from the beginning, make key strategic moves, find immunity an idol when it counts, sniff out blind-sides, win immunity challenges, and switch alliances after the merge. However, the stars really need to align to propel them to the finals. There is an element of luck that you cannot discount. Thanks for reminding us that Cirie had maneuvered into a great position on two of her four seasons. You have to respect her game!

 

[Matty-Matt]

I wish they would revert back to the final 2 format. I think the final 3 format assures that one the finalists is likely to be a goat, when in reality, there are always only two actual contenders to win. Jeff, are you listening?

 

[DancnDude]

I wish they would revert back to the final 2 format. I think the final 3 format assures that one the finalists is likely to be a goat, when in reality, there are always only two actual contenders to win. Jeff, are you listening?

That's the entire reason they went to a final 3 instead of a final 2. With 2, you'd get rid of your competition and take the goat to the end and then it's not an exciting finish because everybody knows who is going to win. With 3, even if there is a goat, there's a better chance of a more exciting final.

 

[Matty-Matt]

You almost have me convinced that a three player final is better. However, I think that as Survivor evolves and players become more sophisticated, they will become more adverse to the "goat tethering" strategy. You always run a risk that the goat will be sympathetic to the jury, and could be rewarded with a few rogue votes, thus costing you the win.