179 replies to this topic

[TWoP Pembleton]

Castaways compete for a luxurious spa getaway and tempers flare when one castaway returns with a full belly and a bitter attitude.

[TWoP Pembleton]

Sorry about the delay in unlocking. Have at it.

[miliosr]

After Malcolm got back from the spa, all I could think of was running my fingers through his hair!

[PaulAllanJones]

Well, that was certainly an interesting tribal council. My guess is that this is the first time in Abi's life that people have actually expressed displeasure with the way she behaves rather than swallow it because they don't want her to start crying. Look how well THAT turned out.

[orangepenguin]

Interesting episode. With 8 people left, I thought it was stupid for Penner to turn down an alliance. I don't know why everyone wants to align with Denise and Malcolm. Guess everyone is okay with writing them checks? The smart move to have made was to blindside Malcolm. The target will continue to be on Abi and Pete, so it would've been an opportune time to either flush the Idol or get rid of such a huge threat, while also getting rid of Abi's Idol. Not sure why Denise is so anti-goat. I thought her psychoanalyzing of Abi was really inappropriate, but I am glad Jeff asked Abi and made aware the cultural barrier. As unlikable as she is, nobody deserves to be bullied like that, and I genuinely believe she was just sharing her time, not trying to gloat, although it came off that way. Reminded me of Neleh and her mint back in Season 4 actually.

[Haleth]

So did anyone feel sorry for Abi at TC as mean ol' Denise called her a clueless idiot?

~crickets~

Naw, me either.

[susannot]

Malcolm has a huge amount of nerve, to hold on to his idol. I would have been petrified that someone--most likely Skupin-- would flip. Now Penner, Abi and Carson (Or Carlton--I still don't know his name) are supposedly outside the core alliance. We'll see. IMO, Penner made a huge mistake by refusing to commit to a F3 alliance with Lisa and Skupin. IMO, you always say yes when someone asks you to commit to an alliance. See, as examples, Brian Heidik and Boston Rob.

[lleykian54]

Close call but brilliant play Malcolm. He's still relatively in the numbers and still has his Idol. I have to say, I was a bit confused when Mike was agreeing with all Pete's talk about Malcolm being this huge challenge threat. Pete was obviously scrambling and saying anything to save himself but while yes, Malcolm is smart and has an Idol, I don't really see anything that's shown him to be a challenge threat. In fact, that's proving to be, funny enough, Carter. Now I get that he comes as dumber than dirt so that's probably why no one's really paying much attention to him but Carter has now won two immunity challenges.

[braggtastic]

I genuinely believe she was just sharing her time, not trying to gloat

Whatever her intention, it didn't matter. She steamrolls over whomever is talking, and that's an incredibly annoying trait. She had been spouting off about her impressions for paragraphs. Then Denise or Lisa specifically asked Carter what his favorite part was, and he got about three words out before Abi interrupted and continued on her monologue. I don't think not paying attention to social cues is a cultural thing; it's a selfish/narcissistic thing.

[BtvsVamp]

Probably in the minority but I liked Pete, he was just tied to that clueless twit the entire game and it was too late to get away from her. Also, he was gracious in his exit like Artis was.

Abi got what she deserved and I hope RC enjoyed that TC as much as humanly possible.

[Proo]

So did anyone feel sorry for Abi at TC...

I did at first. However, once Denise started attempting to explain the "social cues" that Abi was claiming were her issue and Abi started talking over her and shutting her down, that ended really quickly. I don't think Denise was excessive at all -- I think she was trying to bring her professional skills to bear in a situation in which, unlike other times we've seen it, they were actually appropriate, but Abi was totally unreceptive. That's unfortunate for her, because it means she, not Penner, was the one who truly missed an opportunity tonight.

Edited by Proo, Nov 21, 2012 @ 9:26 PM.

[spanana]

Not sure why Denise is so anti-goat. I thought her psychoanalyzing of Abi was really inappropriate, but I am glad Jeff asked Abi and made aware the cultural barrier. As unlikable as she is, nobody deserves to be bullied like that, and I genuinely believe she was just sharing her time, not trying to gloat, although it came off that way. Reminded me of Neleh and her mint back in Season 4 actually.

I didn't really see any bullying of Abi. Nor did I feel bad for her at tribal. If I really thought there was some sort of language or cultural barrier, then yes. But I don't think that is Abi's problem at all. She's just genuinely that stupid and clueless.

[BigDestiny]

Carter is definitely proving to be a danger at immunity challenges. I might have to go with the theory bandied about that Carter isn't stupid; he was just hungry. Now that he's won a few reward challenges, he even seems capable of stringing a few sentences together (when Abi isn't interrupting him). And on a shallow note, I can't say that I hate looking at his torso.

I had to laugh when Probst talked about Abi playing the jury. Hasn't he figured out by now that she has no game?

[susannot]

I thought Denise was sincerely trying to help Abi and explain to her why she was antagonizing people. Denise was using her considerable skills as a therapist and if Abi had listened, she would have benefited. But she is unable to listen anyone because she is apparently too narcissistic.

[KimberStormer]

I lack the schadenfreude gene, and I was never much of an Abi hater to begin with, so I found the tribal mostly depressing and sad. And I semi-appreciated Pete, as I have done most of the season, for his attempt to comfort her and his empathy in his final words. His scrambling was probably the best he could do--his proposal to Skupin was pretty logical but pretty much the definition of too little, too late. Should have been building those relationships from the get-go, Pete, instead of ostracizing people.

I can't tell if Jeff Probst was trying to be helpful or just an enormous jerk to Abi as he has been an enormous jerk to every other young woman in the game this season. It felt like the latter to me, but I wasn't sure.

I agree, lleykian54, that Carter seems to be quite an immunity threat, but I wonder if Malcolm is deliberately throttling back to not appear too threatening. It's been done before. I liked Carter (and Abi) saying that the challenge was fun--looked like fun to me!

[Lantern7]

That was brutal. I know that Abi Maria is a pill, but I felt for her. Meanwhile, Probst is all, "Hang on a sec, Denise. Abi, do you know what the word 'cunt' means? Because I think that's what Denise is calling you right now." I'm 40 percent convinced Probst kept pushing her because a. He hates girls, and b. If she plays her idol, things get a lot nastier at camp, and that would be worth sacrificing Pete.

For the record, I don't think Probst rigged the teams in the Reward Challenge where the three young guys and Crabbi-Maria made up one team. I am convinced that if clips surface from the spa trip on CBS.com, you might hear Probst jackin' it in the bushes. Carter and Malcolm and Pete in old-timey baths? Peachy's cup done runneth over!

Like I said before, Crabbi-Maria is a pill. I'm not putting her in the class as Naonka and Corrine on the Bitch Scale. That said, girl does not know how to read a crowd at all. Worst part was her cutting Carter off, and Carter made an "I'm this season's Rick, aren't I?" face. Yes, you are, Carter. Nobody cares about you. Once ol' Crabbi is out, you're next.

I can't blame the others for the Abi-hate. In particular, Denise is the best at conveying her annoyance without sounding like a bitch. And I'm happy at the prospect of a Denise/Lisa/Malcolm/Michael F4. If Malcolm gets tossed on Day 38, I think that might make the oldest final 3 in the show's history . . . and if Probst wasn't cool with Skupin, that would kill him.

Edited by Lantern7, Nov 21, 2012 @ 9:32 PM.

[neptune42]

I don't think not paying attention to social cues is a cultural thing; it's a selfish/narcissistic thing.

I taught English as a Second Language for nine years. I empathize with not being able to properly verbalize one's thoughts, which must have been incredibly frustrating to Crabby-Maria.

BUT I fully believe Crabby-Maria doesn't give a crap about cultural niceties, she cares about herself. If she honestly doesn't know the social cues, it's because she's never bothered to learn them. She does the minimum she needs to get by. Hell, she got to go on a super nice reward when she didn't understand the rules of the game and helped the other team win a point. When good things like that happen to her, why should she feel she needs to make a personal change?

I thought Denise wasn't trying to analyze or manipulate her. I felt she was trying to explain to Crabby what Crabby has said and done to create hostility. It was Crabby who then manipulated Denise's words to try and make Denise look like a bully.

Edited by neptune42, Nov 21, 2012 @ 9:38 PM.

[BlackieBear]

I don't buy that Abi's attitude is due to cultural differences or a language barrier. It's due to her being self absorbed and clueless- not for her being Brazilian. Just take when Lisa was breaking up with her (haha), she had to do it twice! Abi just did not get it. Now, what I will say is that I don't think she was gloating when she came back from the reward challenge. I think she was just excited and was over sharing and being generally clueless as to when to be quiet. Tribal was also not that harsh on her. They answered questions about her in a relatively gentle way.

After Malcolm got back from the spa, all I could think of was running my fingers through his hair!

I know, me too! He gets better looking the longer he's out there.

[susannot]

Agree Kimberstormer that Malcolm may be hiding his light under a bushel and may go on a monster immunity run. At this point, I think he looks unstoppable.

[lovesduncan]

I did feel a tiny bit bad for Abi at TC. Yes, she is stupid, rude and clueless but did Jeff really need to say something about "everyone is laughing at you"? (paraphrasing). I know that being around her for a length of time is probably intolerable but I didn't find this TC to be entertaining.

Skupin always looks completely perplexed. Does he have any idea of what he is doing?

Malcolm is a very skillful player. Pete's perception was correct. Carter may be dominating challenges right now but he has no strategic game at all.

[Archery]

Calmly explaining why you find someone unpleasant or difficult isn't bullying. Abi pulled out the tears, while at the same time not letting anyone finish a sentence. Jeff offered her several lifelines, but no . . . Even Lisa gave her an opening: when Lisa said forgiveness was there, but she couldn't stay with someone who didn't trust her, Abi couldn't even bring herself to say "I trust you, Lisa."

Mike missed an opportunity to vote out Malcolm, esp if he told Lisa about it beforehand. Who'd feel betrayed? Denise, but who cares, because her only option would be to go to Penner - who's already said he'll stick with whoever will take him furthest. Also? Penner is dumb for not jumping on F3 with Mike and Lisa, since he knows Mike is sticking with Lisa, and Lisa puts a premium on keeping her word and being loyal so she won't turn on him before then.

[Haleth]

For the record, I don't think Probst rigged the teams in the Reward Challenge where the three young guys and Crabbi-Maria made up one team.

Honestly, how did all the young uns end up on one team and the oldies but goodies on the other? Talk about stacking the deck! Funny thing is the oldies might have won had Skupin not gotten ahead of himself and flipped the wrong disk.

I think it's interesting that Lisa on the one hand is saying she doesn't want to take goats to F3, yet she really wants to be with Skupin and Penner, the two returning players who are least likely to get jury votes.

Edited by Haleth, Nov 21, 2012 @ 9:42 PM.

[Tory]

Whatever her intention, it didn't matter. She steamrolls over whomever is talking, and that's an incredibly annoying trait. She had been spouting off about her impressions for paragraphs. Then Denise or Lisa specifically asked Carter what his favorite part was, and he got about three words out before Abi interrupted and continued on her monologue. I don't think not paying attention to social cues is a cultural thing; it's a selfish/narcissistic thing.

You read my mind, braggtastic. The only other thing I would add is that it's also an immature thing. Like a little kid trying to make their point ("mommy mommy mommy"), Abi NEVER lets another person complete a thought or sentence before interrupting. It's been going on all season, starting with RC. The look on Carter's face when he was cut off by her was WTF?

She says all her friends/family back home don't have a problem with her? Duh, it's because they're either just like her or tolerate her because, well, they're friends and family.

I was scared to death that Malcolm might get the boot.

[Tweeky]

With Crabbi I don't think it is just a case of being stupid (she clearly has below average intelligence) but also a case, as I and several other posters over in the Abi-Maria threat have been speculating, of her having some sort of mild cognitive impairment. As for the language barrier she has IMO shown herself to be quite fluent in speaking English and I don't buy the cultural-barrier BS I just think it's a combination of having a highly unpleasant personality, stupidity, mild cognitive impairment and just being a bully.

[Proo]

Abi couldn't even bring herself to say "I trust you, Lisa."

I found this especially telling, because it really did seem like, for just an instant, she wanted to say it, but just couldn't bring herself to say the words. Given all the times Lisa had proven herself loyal to her own great detriment, she still distrusts her...that is kind of sad, when you think about it.

[susannot]

Haleth, wasn't it Denise that said she doesn't want to go to the end with goats?

Interesting that a pro-Malcolm consensus seems to be developing here. What is not to love?

He is gorgeous.

He is nice, and loves children.

His favorite person in the game is an older, not-babe woman.

He is smart and a total gamer.

He is athletic and may go on an immunity rampage.

He has an idol and everyone knows it. I don't think he'll have to play it, unless he gives it to Denise.

[vb68]

Whatever her intention, it didn't matter. She steamrolls over whomever is talking, and that's an incredibly annoying trait.

Well the line of the episode for me was "Abi has the social grace of a mack truck."

It just got awkward that it seemed to me like Probst got sorry for her and was trying to defend her by saying he thought it was cultural. Even if there is some truth to that, I'm not sure it should be him that throws it out there at TC.

Edited by vb68, Nov 21, 2012 @ 9:49 PM.

[Archery]

I think it's interesting that Lisa on the one hand is saying she doesn't want to take goats to F3, yet she really wants to be with Skupin and Penner, the two returning players who are least likely to get jury votes.

But neither Penner nor Skupin are unlikeable; in fact, Lisa likes them both. A goat is someone who won't get votes because they have few or no redeeming qualities or clearly played a crappy game.

[Paratroper]

The real winners this week were the jurors, because I'm sure the thought of having to spend any more time than necessary with Abi is pretty frightening. I felt badly for her for a millisecond, but then I realized that is exactly the type of emotional manipulation she has honed probably since childhood, and it transcends language/culture. Denise has been one of my favorite players all season, and her handling of the situation did nothing to challenge that position. Pete was my second favorite bit of eye candy, but he was utterly clueless about his ability to play the game. Tonight might actually have been the smartest he's been in pointing out the threat that is Malcolm, but Pete had made none of the effort necessary to build alliances, and despite outward appearance seems to lack any physical ability. I hope he cleans up well.

[loki567]

Yeah, just because an unpleasant person gets called out on their behavior by a group of people, does it really make them bullied or an underdog? And really was it even a group of people? Did anyone else call her out, besides Denise who spoke in her most nonconfrontational voice possible?