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Survivor: Cook Islands (1 Viewer)

Hanson

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Purposefully losing a member at this stage of the game is just pure insanity. You are putting yourself at a numbers disadvantage out of the gate -- they could have just as easily made him the first to go when it was his turn instead of forcing the issue. When the time comes when each tribe has to vote out a member (which will happen at least once considering there are 20 castaways) they will really regret their decision. OTOH, it's possible Billy was beyond the pale horrible to be around and between the food he was taking and the weird vibes he was giving off. Maybe it was the snoring.

BTW, Billy also has "still a virgin" written all over him.

Also, when they chose Yul to go to Exile Island, my wife (who is not Asian) said, "Why are they sending the Asian guy to Exile Island? It's like they're giving him the immunity idol." I chuckled at the time, but she was serious. She was also correct.

They gotta make the clues harder. I think Yul could have gotten it from the first set of clues.
 

Chris_Morris

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As creepy as Billy was, Ozzy is just purely a smug slimeball. I was hoping the girls would flip it around and vote Ozzy out.

Was it just me, or did it seem like the hidden idol was easier to find this year? The clues were more straightforward and obvious. Seems like the producers wanted it in play longer to increase the chance of it being used.
 

Matt^Brown

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I don't know that the idol was easier to find. It just seemed to me that more effort was put into finding it. Did you see the size of the hole that he dug? I can see a lot of people just digging a few inches down and then moving to another spot.
 

Hanson

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BTW, Ozzy is Blossom era Joey Lawrence. I keep expecting him to go, "Whoa!"

While I appreciate that it took some effort to dig up the idol, it didn't take much to locate the idol. I think the determined contestants wouldn't quit after 2 inches.
 

GordonL

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Under the circumstance, from their perspective, they made the right choice. They don't know the intelligence level of any of the other players so they had to choose the greatest physical threat from the strongest team.
 

Hanson

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The whole Exile Island thing has not been used strategically enough. The issue is that whoever is sent could find the immunity idol, meaning that choice is potentially a backfire. Sending the strongest/most capable to Exile island to weaken the tribe just doesn't work -- it didn't work last season, where it at least rained to give the exiles a hard time. They should always send the person least likely to find the idol, not the most likely.
 

Radioman970

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FIXED!

I've been calling him "the Blue Lagoon Dude".


(Not actor Christopher Atkins but a suitable stand-in)

I think they should've voted him off instead. That's how my strategy would work. Blue Lagoon dude is too much of a player. He'll probably win.
 

GordonL

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Do you mean send the person least likely to find the idol from the strongest team? Or from any team? Given that the Asians are the strongest team, how do you pick the one least likely to find the idol if you don't know anything about them? From any team, for that matter. Intelligence is not something that is detectable by physical appearance.

True, in the past, the exiled person hasn't really suffered much physically, but there are other ways he could be affected. Less bonding time, less time to strategize with other players, etc.
 

Michael:M

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Agreed that they should have voted Ozzy out. He's an obvious threat, and once again I'm amazed at how the people in the show vote with annoyance factors rather than strategy.
 

Patrick Sun

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But that's the thing, in the early phase of the game, if you're a player in the game, do you go all "Hunter" and boot out the strongest of the tribe and leave your tribe weaker in the immunity challenges which leave yourself vulnerable for the boot at tribal council, or do you boot off the lazy, less-worthy, non-productive members of the tribe, regardless of their physical superiority over you at this point in the game? Sometimes you have to align with people who can keep you around in the game longer, and that means keeping Ozzy in the game longer because he gives you a better chance of not going to tribal council, which furthers you in the game for the time being.
 

Patrick Sun

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One other change that would be interesting is that not only does the exile person go to exile island, but that person can't compete in the next immunity challenge. That would make it worthwhile to cripple a better team in that fashion (even if the exiled finds the immunity idol, it has a better chance of being put into play if that team falters and ends up at tribal council).
 

Stephen_L

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Survivor strategy has two phases: team and individual. The objectives for each are opposite which makes this game so darn fascinating. Early on, teammates with strength and resourcefulness are a benefit as they help carry the team to rewards and immunity. Kicking out the strong then is cutting your own throat; you'll keep loosing in immunity challenges and be decimated. To paraphrase Patton, make the other poor bastard die for his country and force other tribes to vote out folks. When the merge occurs, the game becomes individual, and these same strong leaders become threats and must become targets. The game is designed to foster betrayal because the rules change midstream. Ozzy collects food, competes strongly in challenges and puts the tribe in good position for survival week to week. Voting him out early is insane. Billy was a liability to the tribe for the same reason. Having said that, deliberately losing the challenge was insane. Time will come when you will lose despite your best efforts. Better to jetison dead-wood then.
 

Hanson

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Find that guy or girl with that totally lost look on their face from any team and send them. Don't send the person who looks capable. I know this isn't scientific, but there are always a couple of people where you just know by looking at them.

Patrick is right -- unless there's more of a penalty for going to Exile Island (more than just being a bummer), it's gimmicky more than an effective strategy. I could see people getting lost in the shuffle if there were two tribes of 8 each, but there are only 5 members in each tribe -- it's not like Yun's going to come back feeling alienated from the tribe and out of cliques.

This is one of the weaknesses with having only 5 members -- you don't get that clique within a tribe effect nearly as much. Two people with a bond is nothing like a 4 person clique in a 7 member tribe and having the other three looking in.
 

Mike Frezon

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You see, my perception's just the opposite. When you are spending time with the five people in one of four tribes, there are 15 (or so) others who are off-screen and not getting any "face" time.

The smaller tribes also, in my mind, make for a lesser dynamic at the early tribal councils. Instead of a group of eight which might include splintered factions, there are just 4 or 5 tribe members (out of 18 or so players left in the game). Again, we are getting less involvement from the other players during the actual broadcast.

During the Exile Island season last year, it really felt like the show took off when they merged to two tribes.
 

Charlie Campisi

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I don't remember anyone eating on exile island. So if you send the biggest physical threat there and they eat much less for two days than they would with their tribe, then maybe you are accomplishing something. Just a thought.
 

Charlie Campisi

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I've been complaining the last couple of seasons that it seems they are showing less 'camp time' so that it's harder to get to know the survivors and what living with them is like for their tribemates. I feel just the opposite about this season, that we've gotten more camp time footage. The reason I point to is the combined immunity/reward challenge leaves a lot of extra air time that they fill with time in the camps. Funny that you and I could see it so differently. :)
 

Hanson

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Isn't Exile Island one night? It's after reward and they come back the next day for the immunity challenge. Only since there is a combined reward/immunity, they just come back the next day.

The only thing anyone really complained about was the weather back in Panama, but it's actually been very temperate so far this year.

One interesting thing is that the tribes seem relatively well fed this go around with the fish and whatnot, so being away from the tribe will be more of a factor. But it didn't seem like it really bothered Yun. Could you imagine if Billy were out there? He'd go apeshit. That's why I think it's more strategic to put someone wholly unprepared to go there, not someone who looks like they can handle themselves.
 

GordonL

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Appearances can be deceiving. Ibrehem from season 10 looked like he could handle tough challenges but he practically gave up. And he didn't even have to deal with Exile Island.
 

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