Talk:I Have the Receipts/@comment-9949103-20200201193019

Geez, that was a rough one. Don't get me wrong, I was never the biggest fan of either of the two eliminated people this episode, but the treatment that they received all throughout this episode really got me hard-pressed not to feel bad for them. As usual, lemme start off by formally signing them out:

Eulogy to Brandi: Poor Brandi, another victim of the Right to Stay vote to add to the list. While I am still overall pretty neutral toward her, I never felt as though she was a shining personality or player or anything, I definitely felt bad for her this episode and feel like she could be a real second chance candidate. Seriously, the way that Osamah and Nancie, especially the latter, acted towards her was really disgusting. Obviously, Nancie has not exactly done a good job at making herself likable this season, but this episode she was especially egregious in how she talked to Brandi. She really deserves a hard slap to the face while Brandi most assuredly deserves a second chance, even if I wasn't her biggest fan.

Eulogy to Savana: Whoo boy. Somehow I still didn't see this coming even though all the signs of a brutal Savana blindside were made evident from the very start. Even though I do think Savana isn't blameless in the whole showmance thing, I really didn't blame her for trying to get Osamah out, even if it is what ultimately cost her the game. Given that Osamah "breaking up" with her was such an outright dumb move by him, I wouldn't feel comfortable moving forward in an alliance with someone like that either if I was in her shoes. That being said, her blindside was deliciously brutal, packed with lots of drama, anger, and bad gameplay and I was TOTALLY here for it. Savana kind of had it coming for limiting herself to Osamah and Chestnut as her main alliance for the whole game so far. She just didn't have the connections to pull off a big move.

Speaking of Osamah and Chestnut though, any subtle "undertones" of villainousness that either of them had before have been tossed right out the window, along with that sixth condom that I'm sure is polluting up their river now after that....escapade. Both of them went into full villain mode this episode, Chestnut, in particular, seemed to have no problem tarnishing Savana even further before knowing that she was gonna go home, so that was definitely a thing. Even though she's clearly not any sort of example for her son/daughter/whatever gender her kid is, I can at least appreciate her from a strategic standpoint because it would make NO sense whatsoever for her to turn on Osamah and stay tight with Savana. Osamah clearly wants to work with her, and he's way bigger of shield to hide behind at merge, so I think that, while being a petty semi-hypocritical bitch during the episode wasn't a great look, I am still rooting for Chestnut as the smarter, more strategic one, of the villainous home-wrecking duo that she an Osamah have seemed to form. Lord knows that I am hoping for juicy downfall soon though ;)

One good thing that we did get from Netsilik this episode is more Nando. REALLY appreciated that, since he's definitely getting an underdog edit now that Brandi has been ousted and that has already made him WAY more likable in my opinion. I still don't know how much longevity him or Aminah have (Especially since Aminah just turned her back on him and is fully in bed with Osamah now), but that fact that he has the information about the "Big Freeze" power for the merge definitely gives me hope that he may be able to overcome his "outsider" status.

Nunavik continues to be a lightning rod for drama, but what can we expect when there are such icons on this tribe with the likes of Ty, Sister Helen, and Eiffel? The confrontation that happened right at the beginning of the episode was so great, and seeing Eiffel nervously try to keep her accent in line is SO great! She just continues to deliver and I'm thinking, and hoping, that an incoming merge will allow her to get more wiggle-room in the game than she has right now.

Other than Eiffel's usual antics, I am continuing to enjoy the escalation of the tension between the Sallirmiut group of Carrie, Ryan, and Ty. While I am loving that Ryan and Ty are continuing to grow closer and fulfill their roles as the gay showmance that we've ALL wanted on Survivor for so long, I also love the increasing tension between Carrie and Ty. Again, with the merge coming up, I can see that beginning to rear its ugly head if Ty continues to be a buzzkill for Carrie's game.

Really solid episode, Wafflez, as always. Savana's drama-filled blindside was the definitely the culmination of 4 straight episodes of Netsilik challenge domination, so it was nice to finally see all of those relationships and stories come to a big ugly head xD The rankings duel was also a fun twist as well, especially since I always love it when the castaways are forced to rank one another as it always adds a good twist to the dynamics (As evidenced by Osamah, Nancie, and Eiffel all freaking out over not being ranked higher for whatever reason).

Also, I need to thank Jesus for blessing Sister Helen with an immunity idol because that has definitely made up for the lack of Helen content since the merge! Especially since she didn't even realize it was an idol at first<3 Queen of obliviousness<3

Hopefully, and I'm going by the next episode title here, the merge is coming up next episode because I feel like a lot of the Tribal dynamics have been solved and everything else is being nicely set up for when the tribes come together. Can't wait either!

Given that this is the halfway point of the season, I also wanted to rank the castaways left in the game instead of just stating my faves:

12. Aminah (Still love her, and I think she made a smart choice in not forcing a rock draw, but she is the most underedited and I just don't know if she'll get out from under Osamah's thumb before it's too late. She may become this season's Elliot).

11. Tara Michelle (Hot take maybe, but Tara Michelle is getting more and more annoying as every episode is aired. Her solution to everything just seems to be flipping on her allies and I am HOPING that the merge brings about her downfall. Been waiting on that for a couple of episodes now).

10. Nancie (Gets points for trying to expose the Netsilik sexual scandal for her own petty judgmental reasons this episode, but otherwise she's been kind of a bore since Clark left).

9. Osamah (Playing a pretty strong game, but his personality is so sleazy and gross. Like Tara Michelle, I think and hope he's being set up for a major downfall).

8. Nando (Loses points for being so invisible so far, but he really showed promise during this episode. I really hope that his "BIGMOVEZ" strategy works out and he is able to prove everyone wrong).

7. Dane (Not the biggest personality, but I do like how he is the "voice of reason" between him and Tara Michelle. He's a target at merge, but I'd love to see him outlast his more annoying alliance mate and make a deep run in the game. He's a lot smarter than I pegged him to be at first).

6. Chestnut (She's got petty villainous callous bitch written all over her big ass forehead, but that honestly is what makes me love her! I don't think she can win, but I do think she has the strategic chops and positioning to outlast the rest of the dunces on her tribe right now).

5. Ty (Gay icon part one of two, though he's definitely the bigger target now that he's been exposed as a big player and insists on trying to out our queen Eiffel. He's also showing himself to be a bit emotionally driven, which may hinder his chances at winning if he makes it to the final two).

4. Helen (Undereditted AS HELL! Despite that, she's a religious legend. AND she's not gonna have a target on her back if the tribes merge because she's pretty good socially AND she's the #oLdNuN who no one will expect to win challenges or have an idol...even though she has one. I don't know if she can win, but this season would be my automatic favorite ever if she did).

3. Ryan (Gay icon part two of two, the bigger physical threat of the two but also the less emotional/strategic of the two, so he could potentially slip by if Ty stays as everyone's number one target. I honestly think it's between him and Carrie for most likely to win right now, neither of which I would be mad about).

2. Carrie (So underestimated by her other tribemates. I have just thoroughly enjoyed her energy and love for the game. There's some growing tension between her and Ty, but given her less imposing presence and better social game, I have a feeling she'll come out on top if the two of them turn on one another. She's also got one hell of a good winner's edit so far, so she's in great shape to make leaps through the merge).

1. Eiffel (Need I say more? Iconic French fake student gets outed after failing to take out her biggest adversary but is still about to make the merge and maybe/hopefully fuck shit up for everyone else<3 She has, like, no chance in hell at winning the game but, like Helen, if she did that would make this season the best one EVER!)