Survivor Fans Podcast

We gathered one last time to share our impressions and thoughts on the finale, reunion show, the season as a whole and to cast an eager eye forward to the next season. We will be on a short hiatus until February 2020, when we return for the season 40 On The Grill episodes.

We entered the finale with a sentimental favorite, two who played the middle really well, and what initially looked like two goats. One of the goats kicked it into high gear and made it interesting. The Final Tribal was exciting and fun and even handed. We are happy this one is finally over though and excited for who is returning for season 40.

There has been a massive, dark cloud hanging over this season since the merge episode, and it came back to dump one last deluge of yuck on us before being dismissed from our screen. The mishandling of these events is once again prominent in the feedback this week. In spite of all that, we band together and rally with hope for some kind of satisfying, resolution and logical conclusion from the finale for a show that we have previously enjoyed so much.

Normally we look forward to Survivor firsts, but not in this case. It does offer some closure and hopefully in turn will remove the gloom that has been hovering over the show since the merge. This will certainly go down as one of the most bizarre, tainted seasons of our beloved show.

Reactions to the Family Visit were mixed this time. Some loved it as usual and others found this one to be rather uninteresting. Folks who were blindsided by this week's vote out felt extremely bamboozled by the "Live Tribal" shenanigans and even more so by the edit. With only two weeks to go, the end is in sight but we still have no idea how it will play out. We look forward to more excitement and insight on Wednesday.

The Family Visit is always a fan favorite. Which ones moved you the most this time? What did you think about the choices for who got to enjoy the reward and extend their visit with their family members? We were also treated to another "Live" Tribal Council. What did you think about the decision to blow up the alternate vote that was targeting Tommy?

Everyone seemed happy with this week's boot. Feedback was split on who the remaining castaways will target next. Some think they will circle back to this week's primary target and others thing it will shift to a bigger, strategic, social threat. We are all looking forward to the Family Visit in the next episode and to observing the impact this season will take on some specific loved ones.

For now, the game appears to be focused on getting rid of Immunity Challenge threats. Thanks to the great analysis in the LF show last week, a lot of us scored full points tonight. What did you think of this IotI test? Eat or compete? Which would you choose? What did you think of all the idols that were played tonight? Who's going to find the next Hidden Immunity Idol?

Everyone seemed good with the "moving on" vibe of this episode, and they had lots to say about the two group split, goats, karma, and another double elimination. We're optimistic and looking forward to Wednesday when we get our next dose of Survivor.

We fully expect a reckoning at the reunion, but for now, the game rolls on. The twists and turns yield more blindsides. No one is safe, no matter how dominant their majority alliance appears to be. What did you make of this week's double elimination? How did your USB choice fair? What do you think of Karishma's change of fortune? Can you see a scenario where she ends up as the sole survivor?

There is a lot to unpack, process, and discuss when we get a heavy event like this in our favorite show. Working through it, talking together, sharing different perspectives like we do here is one of the best ways to get beyond it, and ideally we learn from it and each other along the way too. Let's hope the upcoming double elimination takes a turn for the better.

Many of us were wondering when the hammer would drop on the inappropriate touching issue that they have highlighted this season, and it is finally here. It is an uncomfortable topic, and we got to see an example of how complicated it can be become. What did you think of Missy and Elizabeth's choice to leverage it for gameplay? Should anything be fair game in Survivor? Where does Kellee's blunder rank in Survivor History?

They surprised us again with another good episode before the merge. The casting team and the editors have combined to give us one of the best pre-merge seasons we have had in a long time, and we are expecting a strong merge too. Wednesday's double episode should be jam packed with more excitement.

Silly me. I expected a predictable, logical boot just before the merge to keep the numbers safe for old Vokai. Wow! Glad to be wrong again. Can you believe how wild this season has become? Who did you think best exemplified calculated risk and planning several moves ahead? What did you make of Kellee's declaration at tribal council regarding women's alliances? What did you think about the two idols that were played?

Consensus this week says that was the best episode of the season. It was firing on all cylinders. Those creative editors even found a way to slot the Island of the Idols segment in without leaving us with a sense of loss. We are looking forward to more of the same on Wednesday!