OutWit, OutPlay, OutLast: Official Survivor Season 44 Thread

Who are the gays, besides Yam Yam and dad Michael?

Here’s a list. Apparently the little twink is setting hearts flutter. He is a real cutie.

I think Yam Yam, from what I saw tonight, is going to be a real funny character.

Every season I ask myself why I'm watching this show again - it's the same old routine. At this point I just pay attention when they do the challenges. All the babbling gets tuned out.

The thing that always annoys me is that the contestants always use the flimsiest excuses to target someone for elimination... the go-to is the tired "I can't trust them!". They get outraged to find out that someone is seeking the hidden Immunity Idol early in the show - happens every season in the first episode, someone gets the side-eye if they wander off and someone else starts the badmouthing that that one is probably out looking for an idol. How dare they! Of course you have to look for it ASAP, before someone else finds it. Like tonight, everyone hopped on Brandon because he found that birdcage in the forest. The players have so little ammunition to use on a virtual stranger, that trust becomes "something" as a motivation - it's better than nothing. It irks me every time.

The NASA kid is quite a cutie. So innocent. I'm glad that he's not the one in the reported showmance.

Last night's episode was a bloodbath. I have to say that Probst's preening during the medical interventions is sickening. The guy is passing out and profusely bleeding, and Probst can't stop promoting the Survivor experience like he's revealing a home renovation on Property Brothers.

Carolyn is a character.

I’m SHOCKED the guy in the showmance is straight. Or at least involved in an opposite sex showmance. This could be Chrisley-level cringe

So is the young virgin a homo or not?

Please let the firefighter be gay.

Did this season set a record for the most people injured in the first three days?? wow

I loved it when the gay guy fell. The two young people just watch. "That looked like it hurt. You think he is okay?" LOL...No one go help him or anything.

So who exactly are the gay characters? In list form, please

[quote]At this point I just pay attention when they do the challenges. All the babbling gets tuned out.

That’s funny, I tune out the challenges, which are basically the same season after season, and pay attention to everything else.

Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho, 36: A salon owner from San Juan, Puerto Rico (he’s the first contestant from a U.S. territory), Arocho names going to the beach with his husband as a favorite hobby.

Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, 43: A barbershop owner from Columbus, OH, Grinstead-Mayle says his proudest accomplishment is the family he’s built with his husband and son.

Frannie Marin, 23: A research coordinator now living in Cambridge, MA, Marin is proud to be a queer woman working in STEM.

Claire Rafson, 25: A Midwest-born tech investor currently located in Brooklyn, NY, Rafson is a self-proclaimed “queer Black Jew.”

Josh Wilder, 34: A gay surgical podiatrist in Atlanta, GA, Wilder is already a survivor, having beat cancer at a young age.

Carolyn Wiger, 35: A Hugo, MN based drug counselor who has had her own journey with addiction, Wiger is proudly pansexual.

R13, well done!

Thank you, R13!

I wish the show hadn't gotten the point where people suffer so much during the challenges. It's one thing to push people. It's another to torture them. That's not fun to watch. The idiot who fell off the rock he was climbing-that was his own stupidity.

I love the little NASA nerdling so far. I hope he doesn't do anything to change my mind about that. Carolyn is a fucking nutcase.

Isn’t Frankie already in a flirtation with a man on the show. How queer is she?

Frannie ….

So, three gay men and three straight women pretending to not be straight (queer, queer, pansexual) to make themselves feel special. Not a lesbian in sight.

Carolyn still seems likes she's on drugs. I like the "crazy older lady" archetype on the show, but she seems like she's really going to be over-the-top crazy. And they've really highlighted it. She probably goes early.

It's too bad what happend to Bruce he was a good looking guy. He and Danny (the fireman) are the two hottest guys for me this season. Caeson is cute, but too nerdy and seems asexual. He might just be the biggest gamebot yet.

I like Matt, but he's made some very questionable moves so far. He looks like he has a big dick though.

Yam Yam is obviously going to be the standout player this season.

Not looking forward to the 'showmance'. Ugh.

That first tribal was a mess.

If I were on the cast I would be huddled up to that nyc fireman 24/7. "Come on it's an island, let me blow you."

Carolyn = meh

Mama likey

I think there will be a lot of crotch blurring on the guys this season.

Is firefighter Danny a gay?

As with last few seasons, unappealing cast, too many advantages, etc. Back to AU for me

R24 god I hope so but not listed an an lgbt cast member.

Oh Lord, here comes R25 again, like the first robin of Spring and the falling of leaves in the Fall, to point out to us all, yet again, how superior the Australian version of this show is.

Thanks, duly noted. Now go get on that thread.

I'm loving Yam Yam so far.

Yam yam sure eats his share of yams. He’s a fatso.

[quote]Yam yam sure eats his share of yams. He’s a fatso.

Fag Fag.

R10 is right. The two that witnessed that fall might as well have shrugged and looked around like they were going to leave him for dead. I would’ve be surprised if they’d searched his lifeless corpse for an immunity idol.

*wouldn’t have

Pretty brutal premiere episode. No one stands out yet, but I'm also shocked the guy in the supposed showmance is straight.

My fatigue with this show is getting harder to ignore in recent years. It's also gotten worse since it came back from the pandemic hiatus. The shorter season doesn't work, and cramming a new twist in every episode is annoying. The show also seems to cast people based on what diversity checklist boxes they tick off rather than whether they are good or interesting players.

I really hate the shorter season. Is there any chance it'll switch back, or has it been said that it's permanent?

R34, I think with covid production protocols in place, it stays this way unless something changes..

Between the shorter season and always using the same location, it’s gotten terribly static. Is there anything new, ever? A sudden “new twist”, especially created to keep Jeff’s favorite in the game, doesn’t count!

All the idols and advantages have made the show more about finding things than outwitting and outplaying anyone

The show has been in Fiji for so long that you forget there were seasons in the jungles of Cambodia and Guatemala. The different locations really helped give each season a different vibe. Now even I know the geography of this island they keep returning too. (I’m sure Survivor can’t be good for the island’s environment, but there are so many islands in Fiji- couldn’t they move every once in a while?)

I didn’t understand any of the strategy with that tribal. Matt was told on the sit out bench about what happened at the other tribe, making it clear Lauren was A) lying and B) probably had an advantage. Yet no one seemed to care about this?

Jaime was a paranoid wreck to use her shot in the dark when no one was even remotely targeting her and Matt used his because? Brandon really needed his vote. I thought they were buddies. Lauren is now completely exposed because she played her blank vote way too soon to activate her advantage when she should have laid low for a week or two.

Only Brandon was smart to sense what was happening. He lost his idol, but stayed in the game. Now no one on that tribe could possibly trust anyone. What a mess!

At the lone tribal council, why did Jeff announce that Maddy was the "2nd" player voted out?

I don't like how, in every season premiere, Jeff, an executive producer no less, goes through the pretense of singling out a few contestants & ask them their names. And then, when they immediately thereafter enter into the initial challenge, Jeff dispenses with the charade, identifying each by name in his PBP.

[quote]I really hate the shorter season. Is there any chance it'll switch back, or has it been said that it's permanent?

Probst has said that it's permanent.

That's just one of the reasons some of us think that Australian Survivor is superior, R27. Their current season (#10) started with 24 castaways divided into 2 tribes and lasts 47 days. They still have 3-day cycles between tribal councils and regular reward challenges, too. The Aussies also haven't gone apeshit with multiple twists and advantages, so it plays more like old-time Survivor. On top of all that, the guys are hotter.

R39 I think he said second person to leave the game or second person out. He was referring to Bruce, the guy who was medevaced earlier with the head injury being the first to leave.

No, R42, he most definitely said “voted out.”

Does Jeff still fuck production assistants in the tents?

I’m currently watching Australian Survivor HvV

Wait, Matt isn’t gay? He’s fey as fuck, & gives me ‘70s pornstar vibes.

When I saw the notice about the guy who died, Keith Sayres, I first wondered if that was the guy who had to leave the show.

I thought Jaime and Matt used their shots-in-the-dark so as to avoid having to write Brandon's name down (an ally), and also to clue him in that something hinky was going on during that vote.

r45 Separate thread here

Does Jeff still fuck guys? - I hate that as well. "lady in the hat what is your name?" "guy with the excessively large bulge, what is your name?"

If the 26-day season is here for good, is there any hope for a return of the live reunion? I like to see more of the cast than just the final three & the jury. I like to see them all interact after watching the season. And I like to see them all cleaned-up.

I agree with R51. I do think it's unfair to make the finalists sit through the finale unshowered and starving. If they continue to have the finale on the island, maybe give them an hour to clean up a little like the jury has.

I really liked watching each Survivor's Ponderosa video.

Why aren't they doing Ponderosa videos anymore?

Because they were too ponderousa!

Carolyn is Dee Snider in drag, right?

Matt is a big fucking gay - JFC!

Three gay guys and three “queer” women. 🙄

I need big dykes like Twila and Shambo. Not a “queer black jew.”

Carolyn has to be one of the biggest Wack jobs ever on the show. She had to share that her son swallowed his tooth after he lost it and she looked through his poop (numerous times apparently) until she found it in his poop. You know her kids are embarrassed by her often.

Matt is so homely and looks like he smells.

Isn't Carolyn a therapist of something? Thanks Mom!

R60, I’m most states the requirement for becoming a “therapist” is getting business cards printed up.

Unlike people that advise you on the law (lawyers),or people that advise you on buying a house (realtors), or people that advise you on your hair (cosmetologists), anyone that wants to advise you on your road to sobriety (like AA) is allowed to do it and charge whatever you’re willing to pay.

Regardless, Carson lived to fight another day. He started playing both sides MUCH earlier than most. I can’t imagine the decision, so out of the norm, to do so wasn’t based on his statistical analysis of the games heretofore.

I think Carolyn was labeled a drug counselor or something similar. She's likely just a former addict who is now a nutjob peer counselor.

I figured out that Carolyn reminds me of porn star Sharon Kane. Any chance it could be her?

Warning: titties ahead

Was Matt bragging about having a big, long rod?

R46, Soka Matt is not gay. He's just from San Francisco. That's how they are up there.

These contestants are exhausting that they get mad when they find out the idol was taken and no one comes right out and says "It's me!". They turn this into a witch hunt and automatically brand the person who has the idol as a traitor not to be trusted. They turn into a mean girl clique and get salty when the idol holder doesn't outright confess. This routine has been going on for 20+ years and I was sick of it years ago.

I find it annoying that no one sees how hypocritical this attitude makes them.

What the hell was Carolyn like when she was ON drugs?

Firefighter be gayin’.

Carolyn is joining the Hagress Hall of Fame with Debbie and Wanda Shirk.

The firefighter is hot.

R69, I can't believe Carolyn is only 35.💀

Carson is one adorable twunk.

Yes he is. I’d love to bang his big…theory

R72, R73, you bitches are going to have to fight Yam Yam over Carson. And I dunno, that big 'ol queen has long nails.

This season is so much better than the last 2 or 3. Way more interesting and wacky contestants.

Carson is frighteningly duplicitous. He’s a real Tom Ripley.

Carolyn's incessant chatter reminds me of the winner Maryanne from a couple of seasons ago. JUST STOP TALKING FOR A MINUTE!

Are Carolyn's emotional spasms really that uncontrollable?? She's like an anxious chihuahua.

Carolyn’s son must be proud of her.

Carolyn: “I don’t fit in”.

Gee, I wonder why . . .

I felt sorry for the contestant who was removed. He did not look well, and a terrible headache is a frightening symptom. Maybe they’ll bring him back for another survivor series.

No, Helen, you weren’t the 3rd person “voted out.”

R80, Bruce has been invited to come back and play on another season. I'd find the link if not busy atm.

R82, that’s great. Thanks for the news.

Yes, next time he hopes to last an entire episode.

Wait, Carson ISN’T gay? I’m seriously astounded. That dude checks all the boxes.

Carson’s a virgin. He doesn’t know what he likes yet.

You mean he doesn’t yet know how MUCH he’ll like it…

The hair, the legs…Carson is really yummy.

One of our queer folks is gone

LOL Claire was useless. Not doing any challenges was beyond stupid on her part.

The firefighter pings my gaydar

No, Jeff, Claire was not the 4th person voted out.

Is Claire a lezzy?

Danny seems gay. Carson seems super gay. He was practically Edina from Ab Fab running back and forth trying to complete that challenge, wrists a floppin’.

I took a screenshot of R13 and I refer to it while I’m watching to remind me who is gay. I was surprised to see that Danny and Carson were not on the list lol.

Danny is very hot but straight. He lacks basic self awareness of how he’s coming across at times, which is not something you will usually find with a jacked muscle gay, especially one with a height issue. This is a straight guy who has been encouraged his whole life and has total confidence. A lot of wishful thinking in this thread but R94 made me laugh with his Carson as Edina visual.

They should have a cast that is all gay one day.

Danny has ADHD, I think.

r97 Survivor: Masc Vs Fem

[quote]They should have a cast that is all gay one day.

Then we might get a showmance that's actually worth watching.

Knowing this show, R100, it will be between a bio woman and a trans woman, it will be called peak lesbian representation, and highly celebrated because it takes the ick factor out of actual same sex relationships, like when that Ricard tried to masquerade himself and his pregnant wife as a MM relationship.

Carolyn is a rehab counselor which means she was a junkie or drunkie. That job is perfect for former users.

All these forgettable young chicks of various ethnicities leaving first.

Another boring season. I met Jeff Probst (before Survivor). Total A-WHOLE even before Burnett.

I like Carolyn because her crazy is somewhat interesting. Unlike the fem boy who pretended to be interested in a WOMAN from his tribe a couple of weeks ago. A few scraps of semi attractive guys but barely.

Josh has more abs than I've ever seen on a human being.

NASA boy seems queeny but maybe it's a generational thing. Or a closet Christian thing; I noticed the giant cross on his neck during one of his testimonials

Carolyn is a complete whack job but I'm starting to love her. She won't make it too far but she's great TV for now.

I'm liking Carolyn more than I did at the beginning of the season.

[quote]I'm liking Carolyn more than I did at the beginning of the season.

She's a fan favorite! So EW says, anyway. I like her, too.

That was an anti-climatic ending to the episode. They spent all time with Carolyn setting up the X with the red sticks and then planting the fake idol in the log. Then Sarah finds it and the wheels are set in motion for her to get egg on her face when she tries to save herself at tribal.

All this set up is for not as Sarah doesn’t even attempt to use her (fake) idol! When ever got the payoff to the storyline.

Am I the only one who noticed that Carolyn gave away the wrong idol? She got the idol in the cage but it said the one necklace was worthless and she held it up saying it was the idol and the beads were worthless. Did she give away an immunity Idol thinking it was the worthless one?

I went hmmm when it happened. Need to rewatch the show Carolyn found the key, and compare.

I wish Sarah had played her real/fake idol, that would have been interesting. If spastic Carolyn has the fake one, a new key will appear around the group.

My friend said the same thing as r110 but I was remembering when the guy on the other tribe found the key and held up a string of beads saying they were worthless and do whatever you want with them and I thought that’s what Carolyn hid. But maybe they spent all that time showing the setup with no payoff because Carolyn did hide the actual idol and it will come back to bite her when she tries to use the one she kept

Maybe Sarah didn’t play it because she thought she was safe

I believe that the fake idol was the sting of beads that they’ve shown a couple of times. I don’t honestly don’t believe that Carolyn gave away the real idol.

According to this interview it was the fake idol that Sarah went home with

I thought it was funny in Sarah’s exit interview over the credits when she was saying, “Now I join that hallowed group of people who go home with an idol in their pocket!” I thought, “Joke’s still on you, bitch!” lol

So I swear when the hot fireman got it it said this was the real idol and this metal necklace was just a trinket, Maybe they reversed it for Carolyn?

The real and fake idols were different for each tribe. I assume they're hoping that this will create some interesting future play.