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Survivor season 30 - White/Blue/No Collars (1 Viewer)

Patrick Sun

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Anyone check out the season 30 premiere of Survivor where the them is White collar folks vs. Blue collar folks vs. No collar folks (free spirited)?


Jen cracks me up already. Vince is a stalker dude, geez, what a wacko.


I like the division of players this time out, with each group of 6 having to outlast those who share similar outlooks in achieving goals in the initial phase of the game.


Too bad some eye candy got booted So quickly...
 

Ronald Epstein

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Ooooh, forgot to tape it. I guess I will have to watch it online and put this show in my TIVO lineup
 

Mike Frezon

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I know it's a common theme in these threads to bash the early episodes...but I'm about at the point where I'm ready to give up on this show.


I've seen each season and enjoyed them all for the most part.


But white collar, blue collar and no collar is a dumb idea (to start with). As one contestant so ably pointed out during the opening discussions, "I am not defined by what I do."


Secondly, all this does (and by "this" I mean the creation of the false labels) is allow the producers to feed the contestants ideas and themes which they, then, will spit back out in their side interviews. "Oh, I'm a real blue collar kind of guy, so I'm gonna work really hard and get done whatever needs gettin' done!" Or, "my white collar experiences have taught me to lead by example....blah, blah, blah."


It is the same trite gambit used on many reality shows nowadays. It is a common ruse on Masterchef Junior, for example, for these little kids to be spouting trite phrases that they are way too young to be hung up on...such as: "I was born to be Masterchef Junior." I am not going to let this opportunity pass me by. It is the most important thing in my life to win that coveted trophy and check for $100,000." None of it rings true and that is what I am now feeling from this season of Survivor. (For the record, I also doubt greatly that those kids could create those dishes--but that's for another thread.)


I know when Ron Epstein started watching Survivor a few years ago, he was repeatedly asking if the show was "scripted." I was among those who said, no. I felt as if there might have been instances when the production assistants might get involved in events/strategies and that jeff might impact the social part of the game depending upon how he conducted questioning at tribal council...but that I did not think contestants were told what to say or do or that the winner was predestined.


But I am now starting to think differently. By casting the survivors into "roles" and encouraging them to act in certain ways, I think much of the spontaneity is lost. That original premise of Survivor...to take a group of strangers, place them in strange surroundings and expect them to "survive" the elements and each other by outwitting, outlasting, and outplaying the others is cast aside in order to feature the gimmicks--whether they are groupings by "collars", sex, loved ones or "game twists" such as endless hidden immunity idols (first episode, really?), surprise reshuffles, exile island, whatever.


Very little of the broadcasts any more feature their camp life, shelter, eating issues...or much of the interplay which lets us know where alliances are being formed. Instead, now we see an emphasis on the challenges and whatever "premise" is being sold this season to keep things "fresh"--this time, of course, it's cast members telling us about their white collar/blue collar/free spiritedness.


What started as a simple premise...is being water-down and manipulated to the point where they are now to the point of fixing what just wasn't broke.
 

Charlie Campisi

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Mike -


I would largely agree with you, except that I think the sheer number of seasons has pretty much necessitated some changes in order to preserve the sense of unscripted-ness you like. After 30 seasons, the bulk of the contestants are prepared for the elements (2 tribes were able to start fire from scratch) and also prepared for the strategic game play, e.g., alliances on day 1. You've got a much better prepared contestant class and in order to surprise them and keep them off balance, you need significant rule changes, events, etc.


I don't like it either, but i think if they went back to the straightforward formula, you wouldn't get a reversion back to the pure game that you (and I) fell in love with.


In addition, the audience has now seen the show so many times that the novelty of weight loss and struggles with nature aren't interesting enough to hold the audience through the first few episodes as they get to know the characters. In a show like this, if you miss an ep or two, you are unlikely to try and catch up if it involves anything more than finding it quickly to stream. The early idols and division of the teams according to some premise probably holds some audience in.


Footnote on the weight loss - it's just not that significant anymore to my eyes. I think the contestants have gotten more sophisticated in keeping themselves nourished and hydrated. You might get some airtime showing them hunting and gathering food, but keeping fed doesn't seem to be as difficult as it was in the early seasons.


I don't like all the changes and long for the days of the pure game. I just don't think it can exist anymore the way that it was.
 

Carabimero

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I agree some of the introductory comments the contestants said sounded a little too cute. Smacked of premeditation. But I think as the episodes continue, the whole division thing, which is simply a way to freshly promo a long-running show, will become less and less important and the game will heat up as the good players rise to the top and the artificial divisions and cute one-liners are a forgotten thing of the past. What struck me here that did not strike me in the opener for season 29 was that we seem to have more than 3 or 4 good players this time. So I am actually encouraged.
 

TonyD

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I agree with you Mike.
I usually watch for the first 10 eliminations or so and then get bored with it.

Now that it's 30 in maybe we could get a season of all the people who were

eliminated first or all winners.


Might need a few more seasons for winners as I think a few have won twice.
 

Patrick Sun

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Regarding weight loss - I sure some of the problems that past contestants had upon returning to the real world weighed on the producers' minds so that all the contestants would have some food help during the game so that it was easier to regain their normal health again once they were out of the game.


Glad one person taught himself how to start fire without flint.
 

mattCR

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When they talk about groundbreaking and all of that I roll my eyes.


I want to see them try something they've really never attempted before.


Let's try a Survivor Manitoba.. set it up at some lake in Manitoba where it's cold enough that building a shelter and sleeping outside is a totally different damn ballgame. Give them logs and some material.. and let them try and figure it out. I would love that.


Or, how about Survivor International. Team United States Vs. Team UK. Or Team United States VS Team Australia. Something like that.


I also think the first two eliminations should be changed. They should be removed from the voting practice. Just setup 'challenges' where teams compete but the entire team competes in a way that there is a clear bottom. everyone on your team must complete the same puzzle. After you are done with yours, you can help a teammate but.. the winning team gets reward, etc. but the person who finishes dead ass last? That person is just automatically eliminated.



I also want one season that is VERY different, in which tribes are both given at the very beginning that is a shed full of real tools. Enough to assemble real stuff. I want to see people make more than a standard hut or whatever.. I'd love a season where someone with basic tools could construct some while stuff.. I'd love for this to turn into a real 'battle of the brightest' in some way, in which some tribe says: you know what... our shed has not a lot, but it does have empty 50 gallon barrels, and we've got trees.. whala, we're going to start making wood grain alcohol.


Whatever.


I want to see a year where someone takes the whole concept and completely innovates it, as they say they do every year
 

Ronald Epstein

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Just watched it online. Annoying. Tons of commercials I could not bypass.


In any event....


Uhm....I dunno. I am willing to stick with this season a bit, but thus far, I am not impressed with this cast nor the concept.


Will check back in on Thursday.
 

DaveHof2

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Two decent episodes in a row, though they are also losing some potentially interesting/polarizing characters very early.


I would pay good money for the unblurred footage of the Hali and Jenn skinny-dipping excursion.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Good play, indeed.


I was on the edge of my seat when Jenn's name was brought up. What a hotty. Hope we get a lot of life out of her and Hali.


Yeah, this season is shaping up to be pretty damn good. Don't think the "No Collars" have much of a chance in whole.
 

Dheiner

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He cut his own throat, three times. First he weirded-out Jenn, then he challenged Joe, then he became a threat to Will.

He got what he deserved.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Mike Frezon said:
Sort of a wacked-out, coconut-selling "Coach."
Dheiner said:
He cut his own throat, three times. First he weirded-out Jenn, then he challenged Joe, then he became a threat to Will.

He got what he deserved.
Patrick Sun said:
I like Jenn's persona on the show, too. :D Glad the no-collars booted who they did, that person just had a weird vibe, too paranoid and controlling.

Agreed, guys. He was very weird and dominating.


That "no collar" tribe is going to diminish fast. Hope we can keep Jenn around for as long as possible.
 

Hanson

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From the shoulders up, Shireen looks like she's in her twenties. From the shoulders down, she looks like she's in her forties. She's actually in her thirties -- I guess she split the difference.
 

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