Thoughts about last night's episode...

Abi the dementor - love it! Thanks, Malcolm!

Lisa might very well earn herself a place in the Returning Wackos season. I get that the game can be brutal on the players' emotions, but I was seriously concerned for Lisa's mental health last night. She's a mess.

I really hope Denise wins immunity next week. Otherwise, I suspect she'll be the next to go. If the tribe keeps Abi over Denise, I'll appreciate the strategery but I'll be really disappointed. This part of the gameplay always bums me out. (It didn't bother me so much this week, but that's probably because we didn't get a chance to meet Carter until Week 8 or something.)

Did I miss the part that was in last week's previews about Malcolm's brother sharing info? I don't remember seeing anything like that at all.

At this point I'm just rooting for Malcolm because he's hot and no one else has very many redeeming qualities. Except Skupin, but I'm not a fan of returning Survivors except in an All Stars season.

I read that her divorce became final days before she left for Survivor, so my guess is we're seeing her process all kinds of stuff in the context of the game. Kind of interesting, in a strange sort of way.

I still wouldn't put her in wacko category, though.

Nope. Apparently it was just that Malcolm was afraid he might spill something.

Thanks producers. :rolleyes: (I need to go back to last week and see exactly how they worded that preview.)

The other thing I wondered is whether they were worried that Abi really did have an HII and would play it. They don't have the numbers to be able to do a first choice/second choice vote to flush it out and still vote someone else of their choosing out.

I wondered the same thing, especially given the looks on their faces when she didn't play an idol.

Technically, they did have enough. If they got Carter on board and Carter voted with 3 of the four person alliance and the other person voted Carter. Abi had no logical choice but to vote Carter. It would be 4-2 Abi vs Carter. It would be a slight risk that Carter might not go along with the plan, but at the very worst, Carter votes someone in the Alliance, there's a 3-1-1 vote, Abi plays her idol (if she had it) and there's a re-vote where they vote out Carter. I suppose the other risk would have been that Abi and Carter both vote for people in the alliance, but Abi already knew that her idol was fake and it wouldn't have done any good to try and mount a counter in that case. BUT Carter had had no reason not to go along with that plan, which would have bought him 3 more days and another shot at winning an individual immunity.

Bump... finale tonight!

I'm annoyed that Malcolm didn't win the Spring "Favorite Player" award, or whatever it's called. Lisa - meh.

I love Lisa, but I loved Lisa on the Facts of Life too. I found her openness about how the game changed her, improved her, and her apparent love for the game was refreshing.

I'm glad Denise won it because I do think it is significant that she went to every single Tribal Council and somehow survived. She was a strong competitor in challenges. She worked hard around camp. We thought that both she and Malcolm were goners when their tribe of two was split up and then when the merge happened. It is kind of a miracle they didn't become instant targets as the outsiders. I could have seen any of the final four winning, honestly.

I see Denise in my local Target...I guess now I can give her congrats :)

Am I remembering wrong -- was this the first season where everyone in the final three was over 40?

BTW, based on interviews with Lisa and Denise that I read, Penner thought Lisa looked familiar but couldn't place her. Denise, on the other hand, recognized her immediately. She and Lisa talked about it during that challenge where they were in the mud for so long, and Denise said she she wouldn't tell anyone, but she did tell Penner.

So both of the people in the final three knew who Lisa was but didn't say anything or exploit it in the final TC. Lisa's comment was that she thought Penner brought it up not to affect the outcome but to show everyone that he knew. In other words, she thought it was all about him, not her.

I can see that.

I can't imagine any woman over 40 not recognizing her immediately. She looks exactly the same, sounds exactly the same. If I wasn't sure, as soon as she said she was Lisa, I would know for sure. I could see that being the motivation for Penner saying something too.

Co-sign all.

But didn't Penner turn to the jury and say something like "so consider that <Lisa's "celebrityness"> when placing your vote"? To me, it sounded like he was trying to poison the jury vote against Lisa.

So I don't mess it up in trying to summarise, here's what she said (full interview here):

EW: Let’s talk about Penner outing your past on The Facts of Life just moments before everyone went up to vote. Did that hit you like a bombshell? People’s minds were probably already made up before then, but you’re sitting there fighting for your life and then he comes out and does that.

I should have been expecting it, and I don’t know why I wasn’t. But I was actually shocked when he came out with that. So it absolutely threw me back. I think you’re right, I don’t think it affected the outcome. I’m not saying he didn’t affect the outcome, but he had already affected it at Ponderosa with the many speeches I’m sure he gave there which were just as bitter. But at that moment, I wasn’t prepared for him to out me. Now, stepping back as performer and a lover of the show Survivor, it was absolutely what was needed to bring resolve to that question: Did they recognize you? Who didn’t recognize you? Why didn’t they recognize you? So as far as good storytelling, I think it was an important part of the last chapter.

EW: Well, he was certainly performing and it was a great performance, but it did feel below the belt. I wouldn’t have had a problem if Skupin or Denise had done it since they were still fighting for the money, even though I’m not sure how well it would have reflected on them to bring it up at that point. I could see why someone competing for a million dollars would bring it up. Penner, not so much.

I think he was still fighting to prove the point to Michael and me that when he said “If you vote me out, there is no way you will win the million dollars.” So he was pulling out all stops — not so that his favorite person, Denise, would win. But so that his favorite person, Penner, would ultimately be right.

BTW, apparently next season will be another Fans vs. Favorites.

And I bet Malcolm will be there with bells on.