Survivor: Island of the Idols

Like many, I have very low expectations for this season due to the gimmick but looking forward to watching it live for the first time in a while

Can see some people new folk getting overawed by the experience and not thinking rationally. You see it regularly in the first few days of seasons, running to find idols or telling unnecessary lies about themselves only to only 'come clean' a few days in. They try to get their full survivor experience straight away and it can go badly through stupid risks, like here her taking on Boston Rob or lying about what is on the island.

Lovely blindside.

Prom queen Pavarti version 2 is gone. Good call as the threesome was likely to stay very solid deep into the game.

Big fan of Chelsea,she seems like a really sweet and genuine person.

Delighted Elaine survived the first vote.

kingtut wrote: »

Survivor started out with no idols and had many successful seasons without them. It also used to be a lot more about actually surviving.

I do like your idea though of having people think idols are in play when in fact there aren't

They had successful seasons with the old format but I recently went back to the start to watch every season (hence this being my first 'live' season in a while) and I think for many there is a lot of nostalgia when they look back on those seasons rather than looking at them for what they actually were. I believe a return to a focus on surviving and no idols wouldn't hold up for most of the audience now that we're used to the more exciting gameplay.

There are now numerous survival shows that area much more aggressive test than what survivor ever offered, so they wouldn't be able to top that aspect. In previous seasons we also saw how boring the show can get when the contestants are so malnourished that they lay around all day or most players can't perform in the challenges. It isn't good viewing.

My experience of rewatching pre-idol seasons was that many ended up extremely lopsided and boring (even compared to more recent seasons that were more fresh in my mind). Despite the producers trying to do their magic to make it seem it wasn't obvious were the vote was going, it nearly always went with the side with numbers. Players are generally more aggressive now at positioning themselves to win rather than just get to the end, but it is much harder to swing big numbers moves without the help of an idol. Even when they can't get someone to change they can go down swinging and potentially take out a member or two of the majority.

It isn't impossible that a group with the numbers steamrolls their way through a game now but I think removing idols would make those run of episodes a lot less interesting.

The moaner that is Karishma survives another vote.She's insufferable and contributes a big fat zero.

Great tribal with a beautiful blindside,yet again demonstrating the vulnerability of a so called power couple.

Gonna miss Chelsea.

It's been a long standing and slightly annoying tradition that the music tends to rise to a crescendo that is predictive of the challenge finale.

Very evident on the reward challenge.

It's truly amazing how absorbed players become in ICs when Elaine can make such a hames out of attaining the advantage and nonetheless succeed.

Felt sorry for Jack re the durag comment.It didn't seem intentionally racist but I suppose it could be considered racial stereotyping.TBH I'd to google what on earth it was.

Aaron is now a marked man.Foolhardy to consider jumping ship or giving the impression he was open to it.He's only succeeded unnecessarily in putting a target on his back.