Hey there everyone! It's that time again, time for a new season of "Survivor"! It's season 12, and this time the show will be in Panama for the third time (the first two being Pearl Islands and All-Stars).

There are 16 contestants this season, and they will be divided into 4 tribes instead of 2, each tribe consisting of 4 people. They will be split up into older men, older women, younger men, and younger women. Also, each week at least one contestant will be banished to "Exile Island", much as they did with Janu in Palau. These contestants can be banished up to days at a time, but will have the opportunity to look for a hidden Immunity Idol just as they did in Guatemala.

So, what does everyone think? Any favorites yet? If you want info on the contestants, go to the CBS Website. As much as I like the show, the people have been getting rather boring lately, so hopefully that will change. Although from what I've read about some of the contestants, there will be a lot of people I don't like. We'll see what happens!

Well, the first episode was on last night, and all I can say is that I think this season is in trouble. No one, and I mean no one, stood out to me at all! That's definitely a bad sign, but we'll see how it goes.

My thoughts: I'm so glad Misty didn't cry when she was exiled. That would have been annoying. And I really feel for Shane with his "detox". That has to be rough. And I don't feel that Tina was the best player in the game. She may be great at living outdoors and a hard worker, but she didn't know squat about playing the game. She really put me off when she said at Tribal Council that the others weren't pulling their weight. How dense can you get? But I do feel bad for her due to the fact that her son just died, and she gets voted off first.

It looks like from the previews on the website that next week the four tribes will become two. That should be interesting.

Oh yeah. The younger men's tribe is full of idiots!

Did anyone else watch the show? If so, what were your thoughts? Boy, I sure do miss Gatsby right now! He would definitely have a lot to comment on!

I watched and I agree that there wasn't much to grab me here. I felt for Tina as she was just taking a moment for herself to mourn for her lost child and to be judged by the others on her tribe for her "strange" behavior. I admire her for saying that she chose not to share that info with her tribemates as she didn't want to use her son's memory/loss to further her in the game. I wonder how she'd have done if she had made it to Survivor Guatemala like she was supposed to.... also makes me wonder who took her place on that show.

That WAS a strange reason for getting rid of Tina. I guess with the "older" women's group, nobody had better want to be alone if that's what happens to them.

This was the first time that I actually watched the first episode of a Survivor. I always seemed to miss them, but I'm able to catch most of the rest of the season. I was surprised at how inept the "younger" men's group was; I certainly hope they get better at surviving.

I am thrilled that Survivor is back. Too early for me to have a favorite yet. I thought the older women made a mistake getting rid of Tina. I think they are hoping for a quick merge..otherwise..another one of them is going home real soon.

I wasn't at all suprised at how inept the younger men were. The older men are far better in the real world.

Actually, getting rid of Tina wasn't very strange at all. Unfortunately, "Survivor" is not about who is the best at living outdoors and surviving. If that was the case, then Tina would have done very well and possibly have won. "Survivor" is about being able to manipulate people and scheme, all the while appearing to be likable and not a threat. While Tina was definitely a hard worker and very competant, and I commend her for that, she didn't really seem to show any aptitude in the whole scheming/plotting thing, and that is what "Survivor" boils down to. Of course, being able to survive the elements is important, but not as important as manipulating and backstabbing. That's just the way it is.

So while Tina was a very hard worker and great at living outdoors, here's what she did wrong (in my opinion): She took a leadership role WAY too soon. If you want to be a leader, you have to evolve into one because people recognize that you know what you are doing. You don't just step up and take charge. Also, she should have never gone off by herself the way she did. From what I've seen in the past, this is a sure-fire way to get yourself voted off instantly. You really have to seem like a team player, and if you isolate yourself, people aren't going to have a problem voting for you because they haven't gotten the chance to know you and think that you're "odd".

I think Ruth Marie nailed it when she said that she was going to just step back and be the worker bee. That is how you play the game in the beginning. Of course, "Survivor" is nothing like real life! Isn't that funny how it works out that way?

And Mikey, I seriously disagree with your statement above saying that older men are always better than younger men. I have known many younger men that I think are extremely capable and competant. Of course, it may just be the people I hang out with. But nobody's arguing that THESE group of younger men are idiots! I have to say, but even though I am a younger woman myself, I typically am annoyed by the younger women on this show. I don't know why! All I can say is that I know I would never act as silly and irritating as they can be sometimes (Survivor: Amazon immediately comes to mind!).

Boy, that was a long post!

Aliengoddess, I didn't mean to say that in all instances the older men are better. However, give a few older men who are in pretty good physical shape and I still belive they will run circles around many young men. Not all..but many. Experience is very important.

Mikey, I do see what you are saying, and in most instances, you are probably right. Personally, even though I am in my 20's, I tend to get along better with men in their 40's than guys my age. I just don't think that you should write off all younger men. Like I said, there are so many young men out there who are so competant and smart, they would make any mother proud. But then again, it may just be what I'm exposed to. I really don't spend time with younger guys like the ones on this season. I think I'd tear my hair out!

I feel that it's got to be a popularity contest to some degree, especially in the beginning. Granted some don't make that far to show how well they could really play the game of Survivor. Tina could definitely live off the land but by isolating herself she certainly put a huge target on her back. I felt like I was watching "Mean Girls" Survivor-style with that camp. As far as the men vs. women I think that in the beginning most players take some time to get their footing. Remember how the men totally relied on the women at the start of Guatemala? All those strong, healthy men falling out from the heat and dehydration and Margaret the nurse taking care of all of them! The women's side on Survivor:Amazon were totally underestimated and yet they beat the men in the first three or four challenges.

I thought I remembered hearing that there would be some kind of merge on the upcoming episode ~ can anyone substantiate this?

On another note, I think that in few more seasons they should have a special Survivor (kind of like the All-Stars) except they use all the first castoffs for the show. Give those guys a second chance

Or remember how the men were almost decimated by the women in Vanuatu? It took a special guy like Chris to outsmart them! If they had gotten rid of him sooner, I don't think any of the other guys would have won against Ami the barracuda ice-queen.

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I thought I remembered hearing that there would be some kind of merge on the upcoming episode ~ can anyone substantiate this?

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For the previews of the next episode at the CBS Survivor website, it says something about the 4 tribes becoming 2. Isn't this a bit early? I mean, if you have a new idea like this, at least let it hang around for a while! Of course, having such small tribes means that they can be wiped out much easier.

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On another note, I think that in few more seasons they should have a special Survivor (kind of like the All-Stars) except they use all the first castoffs for the show. Give those guys a second chance

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I have thought of this as well! I think it would be a great idea! Except, how much would it suck to be the first one voted off AGAIN!?

Well, a few episodes have gone by since the last post, so I thought I'd resurrect the thread.

This doesn't seem to be a good season for women! The fourth consecutive woman was just voted off last week. None of the men have been voted off yet. Interesting.

Shane is crazy! But at least last week he was a bit funny and I agree with what he was saying when he lashed out at a few annoying tribe members. And I'm starting to like that Aras too.

Since I'm a younger female engineer, you'd think I'd like Misty, right? Well, I didn't. I have no idea why; she just didn't evoke any positive feeling from me. So I'm not sad that she's gone.

I love the game Cirie is playing!

Any other thoughts? Gats, this thread is just waiting for you to join in!

Initially Cirie rubbed me the wrong way because I thought she might have ganged up on Tina. Now though I think that she has kept her mouth shut and pulled her weight on the island. It's a good strategy for her to sit back and watch the rest of them self-destruct. I agree that Shane is wacky. It's uncomfortable watching him, no wonder Courtney (?name?) has such an attitude!

Well, now that the Immunity Idol has been found there's nothing left for us to look forward to watching the castaway do on Exile Island....unless...there's more than one idol! Wouldn't that be a nice twist?

Argh. I missed the last episode (someone PM me, please [or spoiler it, you pick ]). Who found the immunity idol? Was I right, AG? Was it 'Kung Fu Eddie'? I'll assume, after reading, that Shane was not the one voted off last time - now there's a pity indeed. Sometimes the annoying contenders make for, at least, interesting TV. Not that dude! The best I can make of him is that he reminds me of a psychotic dentist or something. As usual, I'm adrift on names still but I do recall Cirie. Interesting one - reminds me a lot of Angie the bartender a few islands back. I'll keep reading, though. Please, folks, keep me updated if I snooze through Thursday prime time again!

Just to throw my hat into the younger/older discussion: it's hard to say which is overall "better". Older anybodys have a little more life experience thus innately more wisdom. Younger anybodys have more energy (usually) and have more immediate goals and such. Naturally a cobination of both things is the ideal but, in my opinion, the 'youngers' seem to think about winning the next challenge while the 'olders' seem to think about winning the total game. Sometimes, anyway. I might add, too, that I was quite itchy with the demarcation decided as to what makes one older and what makes one younger. Harumph to that!

Hey Gats, just to get you caught up a little bit...when last we left Exile Island Karate Bruce had been exiled but had no time to search for the Immunity idol has he was busy trying not to get blown off the island during what seems to be yet another tropical storm. He returned to his tribe a bit more "weathered" (groan!) but he participated in the Immunity Challenge well enough that his team won again. As a result Mindy got the axe despite her and Sally's efforts to recruit Ruth Marie in a female alliance against the men of LaMina. Dan had offered to take Ruthie to the merge and gave his word that he would never vote her off....and this was enough for Ruth Marie to go his way with that night's vote.

Fast forward to last week's show....Reward Challenge offered up a real bathroom for the winners (including a potty, TP, soap, linens, a wash bowl and adjoining shower head complete with fresh water). The winning team also had to choose a person from the losing side to go to Exile Island until it was time for the next Immunity Challenge. Despite all the infighting we've witnessed at Camp Casaya they managed to pull off another win and chose Terry to be exiled. That move couldn't have been better for Casaya as LaMina was completely lost without him. None of these adults could decide what do or when to do it. I can't believe how one person could be so deeply missed or relied upon. In shows past anyone who came forward in that leadership role was quickly dispensed off the island but here it's as if this tribe needed their hands held for everything! All they did was talk about how they missed Terry and his guidance! Well, Terry made good use of his time in Exile as he carefully deciphered the clues that led him straight to quite a valuable prize - and now that it's been found I don't know how they could keep it a secret from the next island inhabitant. (this is why I hope there might be more than one idol!) He was certainly welcomed back with open arms when it came time for the next Immunity Challenge where members were paired off to carry buckets of water across balance beams to fill a larger bucket acting as a counter-balance to lift another tribe member up to release the tribe flags. AGAIN! AGAIN! Casaya managed another win (how are they ever going to vote Shane off if they don't even try to lose a challenge?) Back at Camp LaMina Terry took things into hand right away much to the relief of his beleaguered tribemates. Lack of food has certainly taken its toll on this bunch but the men stand strong in their decision to oust another female, namely Sally. At this point I should mention that Sally was very effective at the last challenge to the point that even Jeff noticed. She knows her head is on the block and yet she continues to perform for her team. Terry, Nick and Austin have had their heads together conspiring somewhat against Dan to vote Ruth Marie off instead of Sally as they feel that Sally is a stronger player. Dan says while agrees with that opinion he feels that Ruth Marie is more loyal and they will be able to count on her vote after the merge. Sally reiterates that she is a strong player at Tribal Council and for this reason she should be kept. It seems the others agreed with her as they all voted against Ruth Marie, except for Dan who kept his word that he would never vote against her. Sally is safe, for now.

Hope this helps you...I know it's longwinded, but that's me sometimes.

*Gatsby tips his hat* Thanks, BurgGurl. I am now cozily caught up - good thing, too, because I didn't even realize until I read your post that I missed two episodes! Gasp, I'm a-slippin' indeed. Thank Heavens "Dancing With The Stars" is over. Now I can watch one show at a time and at least have a grip on what's happening on one or the other .

Finally, they actually voted a man off! After voting out 4 women in a row from the beginning, I was starting to wonder if they were getting rid of the women 8 in a row.

Casaya was entertaining again, as usual. What was up with the rock garden?! I mean, it looked nice and all, but couldn't Bruce see that the others were having trouble with the fire, which to me would rank high on the priority list. And the whole wine/outhouse thing? Considering that this show has run as long as it has, you'd think people would pick up on certain things, such as oh, I don't know, it's not the best idea to hog on food that the whole tribe won!

I don't like Shane, but I love it when he rants at Danielle and Courtney, probably because I dislike them more. I loved it last week when he asked Danielle if she had "an aversion to working", and this week when he asked Courtney what she was "babbling about". It's hilarious! By the way, I have to agree with Bobby how Courtney is one of the most annoying people in the world.

Well, I can honestly say that drinking an entire bottle of wine in an outhouse is something that I have never done, nor do I ever have any intention of doing.

A note to everyone: "Survivor" will show on Wednesday this week instead of Thursday. However, indications have shown that this will be a typical "recap" episode instead of a real one. Can anyone confirm this?

Also, it looks like there won't be a new episode for a couple of weeks due to basketball. So don't set your VCR/DVR to record!

I've read the same information. The next show is supposed to be 3/30 as far as I know.

WorldB

So, did anyone watch the recap on Wednesday? I did, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Usually in the past when the recap has promised extra footage, there were hardly any extra scenes, but this season's recap really delivered. For a recap, it was pretty good!

And I'm just starting to realize that this season has a generous amount of eye candy. Yum!

And you're right WorldB, the next episode won't be until 3/30. Sigh.

Yes, I enjoyed the recap also. Who do you consider as eye candy? I like Aras, Nick, Terry and Austin. We have a long wait!!

I personally really like Shane. But then you should meet my hubby. I seem to have a thing for cranky mouthpeices, LOL.
Cirie I get a big kick out of. I just love how she sits back and laughs as alliances fall apart. She's got the right idea staying on the fringe and letting everyone else go at it.

Anyone else tired of the whiners trying to team up with the "fringe players"? Good greif, suck it up and play like the men you claim to be. You think because you voted out every woman on your tribe save one, that you are big stuff don't ya? ArGh

So did Danielle accept Terry's offer and then stab Austin in the back? And if not, then wouldn't that signal to Terry that it was probably a good idea to give immunity to Austin? I thought that Austin was trying to fake everyone out at the end there and then pull out the immunity idol as a surprise, that would have been great. And why does Bruce continue to lie? Maybe he's not lying but this is the second time he gave his word and then still voted with Casaya.

I want to have Austins children. Well, I want to have the chance to try to have them ...

We had the re-cap show here this week. Sigh. Must have been the week for them.

Can't stand Shane - petulant plus! And I like Cirie (sp?) too - she's just sitting back watching everyone else destruct.