286 replies to this topic

[BML1980]

I know there's already a thread for S25 Spoilers, but there appears to be enough information for S26 to warrant a different one.

Obviously, all spoilers should be taken with a grain of salt, but most of this info seems to have been corroborated by multiple sources (Sucks/Blows/Survivor Skills)

Anyway, here's what we appear to have so far:

S26 will be called Survivor Caramoan: Fans and Favorites. Note the use of "and" rather than "vs.", as the 10 returnees will be not be on a tribe of their own, but mixed with the newbies in two tribes; I'm assuming it will be 5 fans and 5 favorites to each one.

The returnees are apparently: Andrea, Brenda, Corinne, Dawn, Francesca, Brandon, Cochran, Erik R., Malcom (From S25, and is rumored to be a villainous, backstabbing Ivy Leaguer), and Phillip.

Beatlebum, a spoiler on Sucks who seems to have a legitimate source, has also revealed, within the last day or two, the Final Six. Again...grain of salt, but it's worth discussing. The Final Six supposedly consists of two fans (Eddie and Sheiry) and four favorites (Brenda, Cochran, Erik and Dawn). Dawn is the only questionable one, as Beatlebum says that she's the only one his source didn't list by name, just by "older woman". He claims he then asked the source if her name was Dawn, and the source said yes. It's certainly possible there's an older, woman "fan" with a name similar to Dawn.

For interests sake, filming is said to have started on May 21, which would make today around Day 35.

What does everyone think about the mix of players, as well as the alleged outcome? Francesca is obviously the choice that's most surprising, but she's one of the few first boots I wanted to see return; her confessionals were entertaining. I'm also one of the few Cochran fans, so I'm glad he's back and would be kind of fun, if these spoilers are true, to see him play a game crafted by what he's learned from his mistakes during his last go-round. Or he'll just stumble into the Final 6-7 like last time.

[Lantern7]

Oi vey . . . we're two months and change away from watching S25, and S26 is on the way to being produced?

Roster: who are the "favorites"? My memory sucks ass in terms of these people . . .

Andrea: who?

Brenda: . . . who?!?

Corrine: You know, between her and Crystal, I don't want to hear a damn word about how Randy was the worst evah in Gabon. Only way I'd be happy is if the bitch melts after Sugar dumps water on her.

Francesca: black woman. Was she the one that made it into the final four in S24, and the one who gave Colton the idol?

Brandon: Russell's nephew? But I thought he was done. The guy is a time bomb waiting to explode.

Cochran: Okay, him I get coming back. I don't buy any "genius" talk about him . . . a real brainiac would've turned on his faction and figure a way to go further once they were all gone.

Erik R.: the ice cream guy? Oh, wow. That's hilarity waiting to happen How much is Probst gonna shit on him for giving up his idol five years ago?

Phillip: Him and Brandon in the same neck of the woods? Remind me why I should tune in. What a fucking nutjob.

[enlightenedbum]

Brenda was the woman from Nicaragua who was above scrambling in the episode she got out. Former Dolphins cheerleader, Asian descent. Francesca was first out in RI, that would be a bizarre pick (though I liked her). Andrea is the super cute, super athletic blond from RI who has mysteriously disappeared from Twitter since May 24 (NOT 21, if that matters). So either she's first out (her tribe is retarded) or either the filming date or her casting is wrong. For what it's worth, I'd guess the filming date is off and she was cast. She's got a fairly sizable fan base, brings the eye candy, has said she'd come back, and was fairly active on Twitter until 5/24. Frankly, I desperately hope she was and that the results are off or the whole list is wrong, because she and Dawn are basically the only two returners in that list I like.

Edited by enlightenedbum, Jun 25, 2012 @ 1:01 AM.

[Jyn]

Assuming that Favorite lineup is true and that's the real F6, my money's on either Brenda or Dawn for the win, with Cochran and Brandon being their potential goats.

Francesca: black woman. Was she the one that made it into the final four in S24, and the one who gave Colton the idol?

No, that was Sabrina. I was actually thinking she was actually back and that the source had gotten them confused, since they share similar features (other than the obvious one), but then, I remembered that Sabrina had been making some public appearances at some NYC schools since early June, which would fall within this taping schedule. So it's probably indeed Francesca.

After her extreme screwing-over by Phillip, I'm glad about it if she is indeed back and hope she at least gets some sweet revenge by outlasting him this time.

[legaleagle44]

Oi vey . . . we're two months and change away from watching S25, and S26 is on the way to being produced?

Sure. Season 26 has to be shot now so that Jeff can be back in time to start his new daytime talk show this fall.

And BRANDON is back? Show, haven't we suffered enough at the hands of the Hantzes? I thought we'd made it clear that we never wanted ANY of them darkening our TV screens again. And as for this guy:

Malcom (From S25, and is rumored to be a villainous, backstabbing Ivy Leaguer)

Great, just what we needed -- a Colton clone! *GAG*

[Lantern7]

Now I remember Francesca! If she doesn't win, may she bitch-punch Phillip if he fucks up her name so badly. Seriously, though, a first-boot getting a second chance? That sets a dangerous precendent. What if Burnett inflicts Wanda from Palau upon us?

[SnideAsides]

S26 will be called Survivor Caramoan: Fans and Favorites. Note the use of "and" rather than "vs.", as the 10 returnees will be not be on a tribe of their own, but mixed with the newbies in two tribes; I'm assuming it will be 5 fans and 5 favorites to each one.

The returnees are apparently: Andrea, Brenda, Corinne, Dawn, Francesca, Brandon, Cochran, Erik R., Malcom (From S25, and is rumored to be a villainous, backstabbing Ivy Leaguer), and Phillip.

I'm confused. Where are the favourites? At least in the other three [half-]ASS seasons, there were a few people worth watching. Here? NOBODY.

And BRANDON is back? Show, haven't we suffered enough at the hands of the Hantzes? I thought we'd made it clear that we never wanted ANY of them darkening our TV screens again.

Agreed. Unless they're talking about one of the other two Brandons we've had, from Africa and Guatemala? (Pipe dream, I know.)

[BK1978]

I'm confused. Where are the favourites? At least in the other three [half-]ASS seasons, there were a few people worth watching. Here? NOBODY.

I agree with this for the most part, though I must admit to being a fan of Andrea and Phillip so I am glad to see them back.

Brenda and Corinne are two vile people in my opinion, I am actually more ticked off that the two of them are coming back than I am about Brandon coming back. If that final six is right, I hope Brenda does not get anywhere near the money.

Edited because for some odd reason I put seem instead of see.

Edited by BK1978, Jun 26, 2012 @ 11:48 PM.

[auntlada]

I don't even know who most of those people are. I think I saw some of their seasons, but maybe not.

[Unconditional]

I feel a rant coming on because this news effectively kills my mood. I don't think I've ever been so disgusted with the show for any one thing as I am at the news of the casting for this season. I am happy to have Andrea, Corrinne, Dawn, and Erik back. I think all of them can potentially play strong games because each showed a certain level of strategy and very importantly can make the necessary improvements both before and during the show. I've got no problem with any of those people. Though my acceptance ends there because the rest of this news is just one big shit mess that should be inconceivable but I find myself totally understanding, sadly.

I don't like or dislike Brenda. I certainly don't see her as being the strategical player that a lot of other people remember her as and in fact I see her as pretty much the complete opposite. But I imagine this is the show trying to reinvent the magic that they got from Parvati, and if the end-result this time mirrors the original then I guess I'm fine with it.

It's an embarrassment that they're bringing Francesca and Philip back. I have to say I'm more interested in seeing Philip than Francesca but it's an outrage that if they're going to bring in returning people from the Redemption Island seasons that they have ignored (or couldn't get) Matt and Christine, or Ashley, Mike, or Albert. Francesca went out first and even had the opportunity to stick around a little longer by winning a very simple duel and she failed. There is no reason whatsoever that she should be sought after especially when there are other options that played much, much, much, much better. She had her shot and she alienated herself from the rest of her tribe in a matter of hours by hooking up with someone else that totally alienated herself from her tribe, and then had a meltdown at the first TC. Should the show bring back Wendy Jo or Shannon from Nicaragua? I can understand the premise that they never had a player like Philip before and his sheer craziness was a catalyst in sending her home probably prematurely, but there's just nothing there that warrants her returning.

Casting Philip pisses me off because this is someone that in his first attempt utterly failed in all 3 key facets of the game and there aren't any visible signs that any of those aspects could be improved during a second season. Casting him is a pathetic attempt to draw ratings by inciting conflict and that's just an eye-rolling distraction from the fact that there's a game just begging to be played on this show. Staying with the theme of annoying distractions, I'm annoyed at the decision to bring Brandon back as well. His whole "I am so much better than this game, come on guys we don't need to lie but so help me god this woman is evil and she doesn't deserve to be here so I'm going to do everything I can to get rid of her including lie, and I'm going to lie 24/7 before admitting half of them in order to distract everyone from the other half, and when people call me out on my lies I'm going to blame everything on my terrible upbringing and my psychotic worldview" shtick is probably the most baggage that anyone has ever brought onto a reality show in the history of the genre. And even though I've got criticisms of him as a person just from what we've come to know about him, the chief complaint is always how these decisions impact the game. People like Brandon are entirely counterproductive to competetion-based reality shows where most people try to put aside their personal lives and the distinguishable features both positive and negative for a couple of months to go compete at a game. And while a degree of the fun for most of the viewers is seeing how these players crack and show their vulnerabilities as PEOPLE on account of the game that they're playing as PLAYERS, no one is interested in seeing someone that's pathological or mentally disturbed using or even holding the game hostage just to play out their real-life demons. When someone like Coby that's been bullied his entire life makes it onto Surivor: Palau and he kicks ass and it teaches him how to appreciate himself fully then that's fine and that's the kind of thing that most people like to see whether they liked him on the show or not. Someone like Brandon that clearly has serious issues hijacking the entire 40 day experience and 3 month viewing schedule is not fine.

I hate the decision to bring Cochran back as well because that's just validation for his bullshit comments that he cared more about making the big move so that he could be considered to return for future seasons than anything else in the game. Both his smug stupidity and the hamfisted way that TPTB edited the season to try to sell him as being bullied just so they could characterize South Pacific in the way that they did are equally obnoxious, and the premise of him personally derailing one season just for the opportunity at another paycheck to come back and ruin another one just proves this show has completely lost all credibility. I would have preferred David from Redemption Island, honestly. Cochran offers nothing to this show. There are the "superfans" like Randy that understand the show and understand how to play it by using comprehensive strategy regardless of their individual shortfalls, and then there are superfans like Chet that watch Survivor and think "hey I can do that" only to make it onto the show and fail entirely in every possible way. Cochran is like Chet. In 20 years, he'll be Chet. If this show is still on the air next year maybe we can get a "Redemption Island" season featuring Chet vs. Cochran, after Chet attends the finale of this season and criticizes Cochran's gameplay.

As I've said in the past, I think it's profoundly stupid to cast someone to play a second time when people have not seen their first season. It is beyond unfair and it can (and has) potentially ruined a season to a certain extent. We get a dramatically different HvV if the other players see the Samoa season. And while some people may say "well we'd get a different season every all-star season if someone at some point does something different," that still occurs with the guarantee that the players have at least had the opportunity to see the other players actually play.

I sure hope the spoilers that I've read about Season 25 are accurate in that a likable guy that was playing a great game before being robbed of his opportunity to finish by a freak accident actually comes back and shows everyone exactly how it's done. I think that might be the final note in my Survivor viewership, before TPTB hands it over to this gong-show of imbeciles to plunge the franchise even deeper into Reality TV hell.

Edited by Unconditional, Jun 27, 2012 @ 6:20 AM.

[Jyn]

She had her shot and she alienated herself from the rest of her tribe in a matter of hours by hooking up with someone else that totally alienated herself from her tribe, and then had a meltdown at the first TC.

Huh? Francesca stayed as calm as she could at that Tribal Council. Phillip's the one who melted down and, for basically no reason at all, exposed everything she and Kristina were doing.

[Unconditional]

Huh? Francesca stayed as calm as she could at that Tribal Council. Phillip's the one who melted down and, for basically no reason at all, exposed everything she and Kristina were doing.

She was calm in comparison to Philip but she absolutely had a meltdown in how she responded to what he said and did. She went out of her way to lie about her hypothetical "Boston Rob gets voted out" response when Jeff asked her about Redemption Island, and Philip blew up her and Kristina's alleged plan immediately. She constantly interrupted him, called him crazy, and then continued to interrupt him and cited how she didn't respect him and how she would continue to interrupt him despite him not interrupting her other than when he disagreed with her hypothetical.

Her attitude was the problem. It was the same issue when the first thing she said to everyone playing was that the returnees were "troublemakers." It's just not thinking before you speak. Though her real blunder was associating with Kristina as much as she did. Everyone else on the tribe noted how Kristina immediately began searching for the idol as soon as they hit the beach and essentially put the first target on herself. Francesca should have stayed away from both Kristina AND Philip instead of trying to put that 3-person alliance together. And while she talked Kristina out of the bad plan to blindside Rob, there were already too many people that knew about the rumblings in the first place and they should have never told Philip what they were doing either way. They asked him if he was onboard with Rob going first and he agreed, but he told them both directly if he felt he had to tell someone something he would. She should have never had the attitude with her response about Rob/RI.

I think she might make decent TV but she's not even in the top 25% of first boots that I would like to see again, or that I think deserve to play again.

[Yogurt Baron]

Wow - I can tolerate Brenda and Dawn, and even like Corrine, but the others would all be in a list of my least favourite 20 players ever. The one thing that keeps me from saying I won't watch is hoping that this might be the reverse of HVV - I loved the Favorites, hated the Fans. Maybe this season's fans will be great?

[FrogsRule]

I honestly don't think I could take Brandon's Godbothering or Cochran's overinflated ego or Philip's, uh, Philip's, uh, Philip for another season. The only thing that could have made it worse: Ben Wade or Russell. But only slightly.

I think Survivor may have actually found a way to convince me not to watch. Well, if they had brought back Colton, that woulda done it too.

Philip OR Cochran would have been bearable. But not Brandon.

[BK1978]

I liked Phillip's wacky style, I have a feeling that if is stays around for any length this time around he will probably play a different game. There was an interview where he said he acted the way he acted in order to stay around longer. That being said I highly doubt he will last deep into the game the next time around.

[enlightenedbum]

Wow - I can tolerate Brenda and Dawn, and even like Corrine, but the others would all be in a list of my least favourite 20 players ever. The one thing that keeps me from saying I won't watch is hoping that this might be the reverse of HVV - I loved the Favorites, hated the Fans. Maybe this season's fans will be great?

What do you have against Boehlke? Don't be hating on my girl.

[Yogurt Baron]

What do you have against Boehlke? Don't be hating on my girl.

She was one of Rob's Zombies - what choice do I have? :) I do think - not that there's any competition - that she's the best returning player of those listed and probably deserves a chance to play again in a season with a less skewed dynamic.

On the other hand, she helped Rob get a million dollars, so...enemies for life.

[enlightenedbum]

If your choices are stick with Rob or be voted out in like 13th place...I choose finishing fifth.

[Yogurt Baron]

I see your point, sort of - though I still think the play there was for all of them to band together on Day 1 and say, "We've all got to take him out before he can take us out", because how did Andrea know she'd come fifth and that she wouldn't get Matt'd? - and I even relatively respect Andrea's gameplay, but anyone who can spend five seconds in the presence of Rob Mariano and not punch him in the face is not someone I can ever actually like. Never mind people who vote to give him a million dollars, which is pretty much the opposite of punching him in the face.

I am semi-open to giving her a second chance...but I really see this tribe being like Rob's RI tribe, except with Brenda as the Rob.

[enlightenedbum]

Well, she had three decision points:

1) Day one. But voting out Rob on day one is stupid, because: team challenges.
2) Merge day. But this involves being a spineless loser who lets a man make her decision for her without even telling her.
3) When she came back. Success! Except, you know, had no allies.

[Unconditional]

Plotting to get rid of Rob when the time is right and not being able to get rid of him are not "helping him win" or "playing for him" or any of the other ridiculous things that some people say about both Andrea AND Ashley. Both of them had the right idea and just couldn't make it work, because understandably he is a far better player than both.

Edited by Unconditional, Jul 2, 2012 @ 5:18 PM.

[TWoP Pembleton]

Topic, please.

[omophagia]

As far as returning players for the short-term-memory viewers go, that cast list is more, "Well, obviously," than, "Wait, who?"

Bringing back Francesca, if nothing else, establishes a precedent for having contestants who went out very early in the game return, which is something that has been talked about as an idea worth exploring since at least the first All Stars. Do I think that a season that brings back a full or half cast of players like Hunter Ellis, Tracy Wolf, and Brian Corridan will actually ever happen before the series finally ends? No, but I still think it's one of the few twists the show hasn't beaten into the ground and would be a gesture of "See, we know you're still here" goodwill to the show's long-time, die-hard viewers.

If there's anyone in this cast I'm actually bothered by, it's Corinne. Until Colton came along last season, her, "If your dad even really did die," statement to Sugar at FTC was the single-most vile, reprehensible moment the show had ever aired. I would've been pleased for the show to run its course without ever inviting her back. I'm all for having a villain, but her brand of literal-garbage-sprung-magically-to-life isn't anything I find entertaining to watch, so I hope to God she goes out early.

[enlightenedbum]

For what it's worth: Andrea came back to her Twitter account at the start of July, after tweeting nothing from May 24 to July 1. Which is just shy of enough days for the show to be filmed.

[BK1978]

I wonder why they decided to cast three returning players from the same season, who were also on the same team. Phillip and Andrea I can understand because Phillip was a character and Andrea was a pretty good athlete. However, I just do not get Francesca at all. I mean I liked her but I there had to be better people to bring back than her. Heck why not Kim or Sabrina?

[Oholibamah]

Brenda and Corinne are two vile people in my opinion

Brenda and Corinne even being in the same sentence re: vileness is confuddling for me. Brenda was buried pretty deep up her own ass, but I don't recall her ever being hateful or even particularly rude. Corinne is another story.

Brenda and Andrea were on my return wishlist, while Dawn and Francesca are pleasant surprises given the alternatives. I had also already resigned myself long ago to having to see Cochrane and Brandon return, so meh.

Phillip and Erik are irritating beyond belief, I despise Corinne with the fire of a thousand suns, and I will probably dislike Malcolm, but the list isn't offensive enough for me to get too bent out of shape about it.

[SeaBreeze341]

Yeah, pretty surprised about the lack of Kim and Sabrina. Well, not so much Kim (as they might save the reigning champ for a better season), but not really recognizing the most recent season sort of sucks.

[Unconditional]

Yeah, pretty surprised about the lack of Kim and Sabrina. Well, not so much Kim (as they might save the reigning champ for a better season), but not really recognizing the most recent season sort of sucks.

I think what makes this worse is the inclusion of someone in an even newer season that, once again, the rest of the cast will not have the opportunity to see play. HvV would have been dramatically different had the cast been able to see Russell play, and it seems like a blatant case of the will of the TPTB to manufacture a season how they want to by including this new guy that WE haven't even seen yet. I would be fine with the show including practically ANYONE from One World instead because at least that's fair to everyone playing.

The larger problem is that most of the cast list massively sucks. They should keep Andrea, Corrinne, Dawn, and Erik and replace the other 6 people. Practically ANY substitution of those people out and putting jury members over the past 8 seasons in would be an improvement. I would much rather have a combination of either Marcus/Kenny (Gabon), John/Eric (Samoa), Ashley/Mike/David (RI), Jim (SP), and Tarzan (OW). I don't even like some of them but at least nothing changes thematically, and most importantly you get better players that WANT to play the game. And don't even get me started (again) on Francesca's involvement, because if that means that we can include even pre-jury players then there are literally 30 people over the past 6 seasons that I'd rather bring back than her, Philip, Cochran, Brandon, and "Malcolm."

Edited by Unconditional, Aug 3, 2012 @ 7:32 PM.

[Jyn]

Well, the cast was officially released for Philippines, and I'm definitely ready to believe the tidbits of this season, because there is, in fact, a Malcolm in the Philippines cast. And he does indeed look like a dick.

[lovesduncan]

If there's anyone in this cast I'm actually bothered by, it's Corinne. Until Colton came along last season, her, "If your dad even really did die," statement to Sugar at FTC was the single-most vile, reprehensible moment the show had ever aired. I would've been pleased for the show to run its course without ever inviting her back. I'm all for having a villain, but her brand of literal-garbage-sprung-magically-to-life isn't anything I find entertaining to watch, so I hope to God she goes out early.

Could not have said this better myself.

And this is why I come into these threads - to get this type of "advance" information. Knowing that Corinne will be appearing in S26, I now have a reason to skip it. Her type of game play is not something that I want to watch for a 2nd time. I really wish that TPTB at Survivor would ignore contestants like Corinne and Colton.

Edited by lovesduncan, Aug 20, 2012 @ 3:57 PM.