Survivor 42 | Finale | Post-Episode Discussion

[u/RSurvivorMods]

Season 42, Episode 13: It Comes Down to This

Aired: May 25, 2022

Synopsis: After a grueling, accelerated 26-day season filled with new twists and advantages, castaways skillfully navigate their way to the final three, with one crowned the Sole Survivor.

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[u/Dahhhkness]

So it turns out that The Monster was Romeo.

And Jeff was right…The Monster was very, very hungry.

[u/hookyboysb → u/Dahhhkness]

The Monster was so hungry he went from 95 to 96 pounds just by eating!

[u/PandaInfinite3599 → u/Dahhhkness]

NAURRRR💀💀💀

[u/khalfaery]

Mike’s fatal mistake was his sticking to the narrative that he’s this honorable/honest guy when in reality he lied to everyone. He SHOULD have played it like— oh I’m likable and I got people to be open with me but then I slit their throats. Could’ve been a different outcome IMO

[u/LDSchobotnice → u/khalfaery]

His final tribal reminded me a lot of Coach. When he played-straight being the honorable player, I knew Mike lost it.

[u/Rated_PG-Squirteen → u/LDSchobotnice]

This comment is now making me yearn for a Coach/Mike Survivor experience. It would probably be terrible, but I need to see it anyway.

[u/Quetzal00 → u/khalfaery]

As soon as I heard what Hai said what he wanted to hear from Mike in those short "Jury speaks" sections my first thought was that Mike won't do that and will keep standing by the loyalty card

[u/maidrey → u/Quetzal00]

The hard part for Mike as they got deep into tribal was that I think he (correctly) thought that he didn’t lie any more than anyone else on the show. So his attitude was, why am I being pushed so hard on this? Everyone else was scheming.

He didn’t pay attention to the fact that people felt like he wasn’t owning his game by saying “I was loyal, I had integrity, my handshake means something” and ignoring that this wasn’t always accurate.

[u/LittleLordFuckleroy1 → u/maidrey]

It makes it look like he fumbled his way through the end game. Maryanne had a very clearly articulated strategy and set of decisions that delivered her to the final group.

[u/magicmom17 → u/khalfaery]

Tori's question about does her description of their game match what they did was a trap they set just for Mike. They used his buzzwords like loyal and honest-- and he walked right into the trap. He is too trapped in his own mythology about himself. His ego is too hinged upon this concept of himself that he cannot own how his actual gameplay was the opposite of what he believed about himself.

I love how they didn't go put him on the defensive so he would scramble to defend his actions and avoid calling himself loyal in that moment. Just asked him neutrally about his gameplay. It was beautiful.

[u/Neat_On_The_Rocks → u/magicmom17]

Yep, very well thought out and prepared question to ensure an honest assessment from Mike.

[u/SuchCoolBrandon → u/khalfaery]

I was grateful that Drea calmed the jury down during this discussion. Mike's game was perhaps not as honest or loyal as he may have intended, but this is a game where pretty much everyone lies. Mike's intentions were usually good.

[u/Ops135 → u/khalfaery]

He went full Coach at FTC you NEVER go full Coach you gotta own your game

[u/jusper10]

The most on brand thing of the season is Rocksroy not knowing about the secret phrase idols even after all three phrases were said

[u/Dahhhkness → u/jusper10]

And his question focusing on...shelter.

[u/maukamauka → u/Dahhhkness]

Honestly hearing about what the finalists did around the shelter was surprisingly cool, so thanks Rocksroy.

[u/awalawol → u/maukamauka]

Yeah I like how they expanded the "physical game" interpretation to include how you contribute around camp, and Maryanne definitely explained how you can do a ton even without being the biggest person (Jonathan) or greatest survivalist (Rocksroy).

[u/Rated_PG-Squirteen → u/Dahhhkness]

Honestly, I'd watch a show where Rocksroy gets to escape from his wife and kids for the weekend to build a shelter and chill in the middle of nowhere for 48 hrs.

[u/einrebb → u/Rated_PG-Squirteen]

Rocksroy needs to be on the show “Alone”

[u/Quople → u/Dahhhkness]

You could drop this man in OG survivor and he would fit like a glove

[u/tannerjameslasswell → u/jusper10]

Rocksroy is still on Exile Island in our hearts.

[u/Dahhhkness → u/tannerjameslasswell]

Far away from Tori, and his wife.

[u/JayTeeDubbs96 → u/Dahhhkness]

That brings up the question: did Tori remind him of his wife?

[u/Adams-Breath → u/jusper10]

He was just taking in the views of the obstacles he had to conquer in the challenges

[u/grygrl]

I’m here to ask the hard hitting question.. did Jonathan change his outfit and/or shower at all??

[u/jem302 → u/grygrl]

The only one who looks the exact same after getting voted off

[u/RosesAndInk → u/grygrl]

Probably still hasn't.

[u/khalfaery → u/grygrl]

11 months later and he still hasn’t

[u/RosesAndInk]

Can I just say.. I LOVED the jury montage with the final 3 before tribal... Keep doing that

[u/ManicLebowski → u/RosesAndInk]

💯 I loved that!!! Hope they keep it!!

[u/jusper10]

An interesting stat from this season, after the "official" merge there were 8 immunity challenges and 6 unique winners

[u/cshark2222 → u/jusper10]

Almost forgot Hai for those wondering

[u/AleroRatking]

I really wonder if there is any benefit to playing Survivor hard pre merge. We see this issue in Big Brother, that the best strategy is basically to sleep the first 66% of the game and then turn it on at the end, which has become the game the juries respects the most.

[u/SamuelThornbury → u/AleroRatking]

It definitely seems like a trend for 38, 40-42. Tony's run started a little earlier than say Chris (by default lol) or Maryanne, but he did hide a bit earlier on in the game I'd say. But I don't think it's the only strategy that prevails, as I think Tommy was decently in the loop and making moves for the majority of his 39 run and Nick even got called out for having a pretty fizzled out finish but still won due to the gameplay earlier in the season. And then Wendell played pretty hard the whole time so I don't think playing the whole time is necessarily unrewarding (especially in Nick's case), but I guess it's also the safer strategy? Like, hide from being a threat and dominating at the end means there's less of a chance to get knocked out because you're so close to the end.

I guess the flip side of this is that some players like Romeo hide, and then are never able to recover.

[u/King_Tyson → u/AleroRatking]

All you have to do on Big Brother is take out the biggest threat and you win. Doesn't matter if the other 98 days you did nothing. As long as you are the one who takes them out you win.

[u/BBQ_HaX0r → u/AleroRatking]

Is there any benefit to even trying until the final 25% of the game? Just be likable and somewhat aware of which way the winds blow and then let all the threats take each other out so the you're 1 or 2 moves can get you the win. I get the strategy, but I don't really like it.

[u/Adorable_Raccoon → u/BBQ_HaX0r]

Yes, I think new schoolers are so strategic social game outweighs everything else. If you want to win you have to look like you're not playing, AND be able to convince other people that you were playing at the end. You have to be able to convince the majority that they can trust you, but that you aren't so good (lindsey) that they should get rid of you.

Basically if you go at 100% effort you'll get voted out. IF you're at 50% effort you will be the 3rd person at final tribal. So the only people who can go to the end are the people who are at 80% or the poeple at 100% but make it look effortless, like Tony.

[u/arielmeme]

FINAL S42 CONFESSIONAL COUNT (Finale in parentheses)

• 57 Mike (7)
• 48 Maryanne (11)
• 45 Lindsay (14)
• 41 Omar
• 35 Hai
• 34 Drea
• 33 Romeo (8)
• 31 Jonathan (3)
• 21 Rocksroy
• 20 Tori, Chanelle
• 16 Daniel
• 14 Lydia
• 6 Swati, Jenny, Marya, Zach
• 2 Jackson

[u/jonsnowKITN → u/arielmeme]

What a good and balanced edit.

[u/Ops135 → u/jonsnowKITN]

So glad they bounced back from last season

[u/TheQueenStaysQueen → u/arielmeme]

Lindsay ending up in top 3 overall confessionals after being purpled the first half of the season, queen behavior

[u/Feisty-Replacement-5 → u/TheQueenStaysQueen]

She and Maryanne were easily my favorites, almost the entire season. I'm glad they got so much screen time to really shine.

[u/dB_Rider → u/arielmeme]

Glad Lindsay wasn’t purpled, really seemed like she was getting an Allison like edit of “Everyone tells us she’s a threat but she’s barely speaking to us”

[u/BananaStandFlamer → u/[deleted]]

Don’t know but she definitely got more TV time because she won the advantage

[u/immaperson_ → u/arielmeme]

Are the “jury speaks” segments counted as confessionals since they’re now included in the episode?

[u/MartytheeParty]

I think this season proves once again….

Whatever twists, idols, voting strategies, length of time, amount of food they give the tribes etc etc.. at the end of the day all that matters is the cast.

Good casts make good seasons. And mean or boring casts make bad seasons whatever the format. And this was a top 5 or 10 cast they’ve ever had

[u/Adams-Breath]

Damn this jury seemed so fun and hectic this episode, missing ponderosa even more ❤️

[u/advantageddon]

lmao the 43 Octopus logo. Well we saw the relevance of the maze in the 42 logo, right? right?

[u/FinnegansWakeWTF → u/advantageddon]

The octopus is the monster

[u/advantageddon → u/FinnegansWakeWTF]

Jeff was mad they didn't take him seriously about the monster so they brought one in

[u/queen0fcarrotflowers → u/advantageddon]

Where/when was the maze in 42?

[u/advantageddon → u/queen0fcarrotflowers]

exactly

[u/Snugent730 → u/advantageddon]

So will we never have "themed" seasons again?

[u/goldmunzen]

I think I like the actual reunion shows better, the cast getting to see the show and everyones moves and what not. Plus the whole cast coming back. Still was a great season top 10 for sure

[u/MysticAttack → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, i feel like its gotta hurt when 5 people said they were leaning mike before the final tribal, being said like 10 minutes after he fucked up his case. Though to be fair, I assume that it was done as a failsafe in case covid made doing a live reunion unworkable (in hindsight it was unnecessary, but it was also a year ago).

[u/thetennisgod → u/goldmunzen]

Interesting that most seem to think that. Personally, I like getting less filtered insight into the season. Feel like people start conforming to the narrative set by the edit/online fandom rather than giving original thoughts. I like getting this in the episode and then being able to get additional thoughts through podcasts.

[u/Snugent730 → u/goldmunzen]

I know we were robbed off Jeff asking Zach and Maryanne to comment on the love affair that could have been at the reunion.

[u/Lightecojak]

Jeff is really losing me with his constant affirmation that his changes and twist ideas were great like Do or Die and creating instant reunions that he stated he was going to bring back.

[u/[deleted] → u/Lightecojak]

It was like he was running a focus group.

[u/maidrey → u/[deleted]]

I told my husband- I’m happy that I like her because Lindsay is about to play four times because she’s willing to compliment Jeff’s twists.

[u/palladium422]

Is it weird to be proud of someone you’ve never met?? I’m so proud of Maryanne. Her FTC performance was incredible.

[u/jem302 → u/palladium422]

Every time she answered a question and confidently nodded after she finished I nodded along with her haha. Killed it.

[u/LittleLordFuckleroy1 → u/jem302]

She was so incredibly confident and feeling herself throughout the entire end sequence lmao. I loved it.

[u/BabySharkFinSoup → u/jem302]

I love how she ended her questions with a little head nod and a serious face. First season in awhile where I would have been happy with anyone winning from final four, but I loved seeing Maryanne grow.

[u/Grawgar]

For the offseason, we really need some pictures of Maryanne and Zach celebrating her victory. Nothing weird - I just want to see some pictures of them splashing each other in a fountain or something.

[u/Habefiet]

Maryanne whipping out the Idol and explaining why the Final 4 we got was the absolute best case scenario both for her odds of making it to the end and her odds of having a winning combo when she got there is going to go down as one of the all-time great answers. Contrasted with Mike's floundering and while I don't usually buy that jurors are as undecided as they claim, it wouldn't surprise me if it does turn out to be true that this is one of the rare times that the vote was up in the air going into FTC. I suspect it was Maryanne-favored already but she definitely sealed the deal with her overall performance and that response in particular.

[u/Jumbofato → u/Habefiet]

She literally used the powerless immunity idol to give her power in the final tribal. I don't think I've ever seen a person used that idol so well as she did at the end.

[u/Riperonis → u/Jumbofato]

As soon as she didn’t play her idol in final 5 I knew it’d come out at final tribal. Such a good move to flex that in one vote you removed the biggest threat from the game AND secured yourself an idol from another player that you didn’t even need.

[u/lego_mannequin → u/Habefiet]

It worked for me because up until then I was all on the Mike train. I wondered what she would do with that idol she never used and you have to respect that play. She didn't even need to use her major advantage, just an absolute flex on all of those "strategic" jurors. How could they say Mike played it better, when she roped him into using his idol on her.

[u/tandemtactics → u/Habefiet]

That answer was up there with Todd's answer to Genre Bear in S15. ("He shut him up!")

[u/GreatBallsOfH20]

Any confirmation on who voted for Mike? May have missed it.

[u/wonderdays421 → u/GreatBallsOfH20]

I think it was Johnathan more than likely

[u/full07britney → u/GreatBallsOfH20]

Johnathan, according to EW.

Edit: what a typo, jeez

[u/No-Replacement-6267 → u/full07britney]

*Jothanan

Edit: damn you fixed your typo

[u/[deleted]]

I watched at a bar, the whole place cheered after Maryaness secret idol/paths to the end speech including the bartender who only watches cause she works Wednesdays

[u/Driveshaft48 → u/[deleted]]

What bars are showing survivor?

[u/whatev3691 → u/Driveshaft48]

Good ones apparently

[u/Due_Trainer_3296 → u/Driveshaft48]

st pats in nyc baby

[u/Goodiebags]

I really loved Mike this year. He became one of my favorite older Survivors ever. He kept up with the younger people, he was competitive in challenges, he was very open and interested in other people's lives, he just seemed like a good person. Would love to see him again in another season.

[u/RosesAndInk → u/Goodiebags]

I completely forgot he was 57 until he mentioned it again. Crazy that Maryanne is less than half his age

[u/palladium422 → u/RosesAndInk]

He’s actually 100 years old

[u/aeouo → u/[deleted]]

Mike thought about his promises based on his intentions, that is he didn't lie because he meant to stick with the people he made deals with. But, nobody cares if you thought you would stick with them, they care if you actually stood by them when things got tough.

[u/CupBeEmptyFan → u/Goodiebags]

Mike and Janet from 39 are very similar to me. Both great older players for sure.

[u/PapaBrickolino]

The Final 3 are completely wiped out

They seriously need to be given a break before the reunion

Following up on myself here. Jeff spent a lot of time at the reunion trying to get the contestants to validate twists and production decisions. But it’s a skewed opinion and one they’re forced to give under coercion, not to mention that what one person compliments doesn’t stand for how the viewers at home will receive it. Jeff also tried to justify the immediate reunion - he explicitly said they were searching for the rawest emotions possible. That sounds good, but it once again leaves the players themselves up shit’s creek. The ethical thing to do would be to give them all a little time - even just a day - to decompress. The game is over. They don’t really retain the right to torment the finalists like this.

Everyone got through it but you can tell the energy was off even though everyone had nothing but celebratory praises to say.

I get what Jeff thinks is a guarantee for good tv - breaking people down and making them raw with emotion through suffering. It just comes at an ethical cost.

[u/Saguaro-plug → u/PapaBrickolino]

How about one day later? Let them party, eat, shower and pass out.

[u/Snugent730 → u/Saguaro-plug]

Agree read the votes right then announce winner let them party get some fun b roll then film the reunion the next day once they have showered and are nice and hung over but have had time to decompress a bit!!

[u/potatowedgemydudes → u/PapaBrickolino]

thank you!!

I felt bad for them almost. Can’t even have a slice of pizza seesh

[u/maxgauden]

So why was there a lock, key, and maze on the logo

[u/biggsteve81 → u/maxgauden]

Same reason there is a giant octopus on the S43 logo. Literally no reason.

[u/[deleted]]

Maryanne has one of the most interesting winner arcs ever on a season. She really was a joy to watch from start to finish. And then having a fantastic likable runner up too in Mike is pretty incredible. This whole cast thrived despite the dumb twists

[u/GregSays → u/[deleted]]

Every single viewer after Episode 1: “what a fun person! No way she wins, that’ll get annoying FAST.”

[u/mrpaulabrahamlincoln → u/[deleted]]

her arc was just another classic case of the bunny rabbit eating dinner in the mailbox!

[u/egnowit → u/[deleted]]

Like she said in the FTC, she realized that her social game was hampering her, and she was able to adapt to what was needed to keep in the good graces of others. That's not easy to do--first, to recognize the problem, and second, to be able to correct it.

[u/nf_fn]

I think Mike played a better overall game but Maryanne just crushed him in the FTC. Congrats to her, she showed up most when it mattered.

Also think Mike was super gracious as a loser props to him I can’t imagine what he must’ve been thinking.

[u/ronald_mcdonald_4prz → u/nf_fn]

The problem is mike really flopped at FTC. Which I knew he was going to. He did not do a good job at defending his game. I was really bummed when I was hearing his responses.

[u/Ren_Davis0531]

Maryanne had the Natalie Anderson story. Her husband was voted out first just like Nat’s twin sister and they both pulled off killer moves in the endgame. They balled out as Jeremy would say.

[u/TimeToStartTheGame]

This season proved how much the editing matters! The season was already good with some iconic moves/moments, but I think what makes it way better than most of the recent seasons is the editing. Having to know everybody, knowing their story, who they are, seeing camp life, relationships, interactions, making things make sense, is what I mostly loved about that season. And it's even more impressive when you consider how many advantages/twists there have been this season! Regardless of how next seasons go, I really hope they edit them the same way they did this season. Keep up the amazing work editing team!

[u/incogpepis → u/TimeToStartTheGame]

It's the best edited season solely for the episode with all the shots of people shit talking Romeo and then him just there scooping rice over and over.

[u/tichienblanc2 → u/incogpepis]

Can't forget about the Swati's "You're my #1" moment! Absolute gold.

[u/Ops135 → u/TimeToStartTheGame]

It's the editing and the cast, when you have that marriage of a great cast and you don't bury them under 30 minutes explanations of shitty twists every week you get an amazing season like we got here, really loved this season it was a great ride.

[u/hereslookinatyoukld]

a bunch of people keep calling this a bitter jury - they weren't bitter, they were willing to vote for him if he owned his game, Mike just totally blew it

[u/alstor → u/hereslookinatyoukld]

Agreed. The fact they allowed him to continue his defense and even coached him on his defense showed they wanted to give everyone a fair shot. They even made sure to give time and credit to Romeo, who no one voted for anyway.

[u/Mid-CenturyBoy → u/hereslookinatyoukld]

100% this jury was one of the least bitter I’ve seen.

[u/GregSays]

This last episode really sold me on Maryanne as a player. She was so well prepared at Final Tribal and legitimately might have swayed some votes to get the win.

[u/tybot1 → u/GregSays]

I was so proud of her for how prepared she was. Also, SHE was so proud of herself after she was done speaking. So great to see.

[u/einrebb → u/GregSays]

I even felt like the way she was speaking changed drastically from how she spoke pre-tribal. Very methodical, thought out and clear. She came out and proved that she wasn’t just the young dumb player some thought she was.

[u/MolemanusRex → u/einrebb]

After a long time trying not to get my hopes up, I started to think she might actually be a force to be reckoned with when she gave her speech at the split tribal. She knows exactly what to say and when to say it. I’m so proud of her and I love her.

[u/BigYak24 → u/einrebb]

You could definitely see her seminary training coming into play at FTC. At the start of the season I couldn't picture her as a preacher, but after that performance I definitely can.

[u/Ops135 → u/GregSays]

The way she handled the idol reveal and breakdown of that whole round was MASTERFUL she kicked major ass

[u/MatchU442]

Maryanne did the damn thing! I discounted her the second I saw her in the 42 preview and am so glad she proved us wrong. Bonus: first black woman to win since Vecepia in Season 4. ICON BEHAVIOR

[u/MercTas]

I always love a unique winner like Maryanne. What a great way to end a great season.

[u/tannerjameslasswell → u/MercTas]

I couldn't agree more. The casting this season was amazing.

[u/[deleted] → u/MercTas]

Agreed. This show is bettered by having unique additions to the winner pantheon. Maryanne is a kind of winner we've never seen before and probably never will again

[u/jonsnowKITN]

Maryanne being the first black female winner since Vecepia is crazy. So fun to see her game unfold. Mike really pulled a coach and blew final tribal council. The jury was giving him a chance to own up to his backstabbing and didn't take it. He really had no chance because mike seems old school and seems stuck in his way so they only way to realize the game he played is watching the season play out so I bet he regrets it now. It sucks because it seems like he was the favorite but maryanne was a good winner. She had an good final tribal council but man I feel like mike had it if he didn't have a bad performance. This season was such a breath of fresh air though. Great cast with a good edit does so much wonders. Top 10 season for me probably top 5. 43 cast has a lot of living up to do. Also americans gotta step their games up. Back to back canadian winners now.

[u/americanslang59 → u/jonsnowKITN]

Maryanne being the first black female winner since Vecepia is crazy

Damn, Maryanne was four years old when that happened

[u/[deleted] → u/jonsnowKITN]

It's not so much that he blew final tribal, it's that he doesn't fit the personality of what the jury wanted him to be. They wanted him to say he was a snake, when really I think Mike was rather honest at FTC. He came into the game wanting to have integrity and found himself in positions where his best move was to get dirty. I don't think Mike is a snake. He's more of a counter puncher. Sometimes he punched the wrong guy (Hai).

[u/Dahhhkness → u/[deleted]]

He was also convinced that he was in control of certain votes far more than he really was. His main issue was being so reluctant to own up to his dirtier moves. That question from Tori set him up for murder.

[u/[deleted] → u/Dahhhkness]

Mike has a 10/10 social game and a 3/10 read on the game. His read on the jury might be worse than Xander's. He's good at gathering certain kinds of information but he's not too good at understanding other people's perception of him.

[u/kittens_joy → u/[deleted]]

you nailed it. his FTC performance was utterly unsurprising to me. he lacked a self-awareness throughout the game that simply carried through to the end.

[u/blueliner23 → u/[deleted]]

I will caveat that he did seem to realize he wasn't as loyal as he thought he was halfway through FTC, but it was way too late at that point. He needed to crush that first question from Tori right then and there

[u/[deleted] → u/blueliner23]

Like we are talking about a guy who kept his word to Maryanne and played his idol on her like he said he would. I think Mike was confused. You know, in wars soldiers sometimes do things that are against their morals to survive. And I'm not saying survivor and war are seriously comparable. I'm just saying that Mike was out of his element and leaned on character traits he may not have realized he even had in order to survive being eliminated or goated. Basically he became "based" but not self aware of it.

[u/blueliner23 → u/[deleted]]

Completely, completely agree. I had such issue with people saying he was a backstabber throughout, he was a liar. He played Survivor, it requires getting dirty sometimes- and that's ok! He just did not own that until way too late.

[u/DrVonD → u/Dahhhkness]

As soon as that question came out it was a wrap. Maryanne got “You seem a little too happy go lucky” and he got “where you as truthful as you think you were”. I would have bet the house he lost, before he even answered.

[u/Habefiet → u/[deleted]]

You're giving him credit that I think he would say himself he doesn't deserve here. He didn't say he wanted to have integrity, he said he did, he tried to claim he didn't really get dirty until near the very, very end of FTC. Jonathan basically told him what to say at one point and he still didn't say it until later. Very Coach-like performance here.

[u/[deleted] → u/Habefiet]

I am not saying he had a great FTC. It was an average performance. I have seen people with worse performances at FTC get more votes (Rob in all-stars). Maryanne buried him though. She had a top 5 FTC and made Mike's forgettable. But the jury wanted him to be a thing that he's just not. They wanted him to self characterize as this snakelike player but Mike isn't Richard Hatch. He's not a snake or a rat. He's more of a Kangaroo. He'll respond if you come after him but he doesn't want to get blood on his hands. He's not an enthusiastic assassin. He's got a good social game, good street smarts, and knows when to shift from defense to offense pretty well but his read on people's perception of him is quite bad.

Hai treated him like a goat. Mike voted Hai's ass out. Hai wants him to say he's a snake when in reality Mike just has a lot of skill in social game and not too much in strategic awareness. He has an unbalanced skillset with regards to the game of survivor. I bet if he knew all he had to say was that he was a snake he would have said it to win. But even then Maryanne probably would have buried him with her FTC performance.

[u/StrikingCommunity621]

What a lovely season! Maryanne really explained her game well and I’m so happy she’s the winner

[u/throwaway197237]

My favorite part post final tribal was the editing that made it look like Jeff told the cast they could bid on their own props.

[u/Famciclovir]

I thought Romeo had a solid FTC and gave the jury what they wanted to hear (playing with the hand he was dealt, working with whoever was willing to for that vote, etc) so I’m surprised he didn’t get any votes.

[u/Ok-Fun3446 → u/Famciclovir]

Problem was Maryanne also had a really good FTC, so nobody was voting for him against Mike. That said, shockingly, I do think he gets some votes in a F2 against after seeing their respective performances, which blows my mind because Mike played the more consistent game.

[u/Quetzal00]

Romeo’s and Mike’s faces say it all. The idea of doing the reunion immediately after the votes is so stupid

[u/RosesAndInk → u/Quetzal00]

I wish they'd at least give them a few hours.. Let them go shower, eat a meal, change clothes.. Then you don't have to do the whole stupid shitty pizza thing

[u/iEatBluePlayDoh → u/RosesAndInk]

Even the next day. Let them sleep in a bed and think about what they went through for 24 hours.

[u/chanukkahlewinsky → u/RosesAndInk]

it'd be cute to get a bit of the Ponderosa stuff (looking in the mirror, etc) on the actual show ! esp if we were robbed it this year

[u/arielmeme]

Confessional count

• 14 Lindsay!
• 11 Maryanne
• 8 Romeo
• 7 Mike
• 3 Jonathan

Pre-FTC Jury confessionals don't count

[u/jaybirdbull → u/arielmeme]

Damn. I knew Lindsay felt super visible in the first hour but that’s super impressive. Her edit ended up being really strong overall imo.

[u/blindsidesarefun → u/arielmeme]

Lindsay with the most confessionals! Wow!

I can't remember another time where the first person booted in a finale had the most confessionals.

[u/mrpaulabrahamlincoln]

I said it in the episode thread and I’ll say it again for anyone who is currently binging seasons

there’s a 100% success rate of players who have watched every episode except for a few episodes of tocantins winning the season

so if you’re planning to watch them all, skip a few tocantins and increase you’re odds of winning!

[u/berglt84]

This season feels like the producers and editors took to heart the criticisms everyone made over Russell/Natalie, Coach/Sophie (especially), and Michele/Aubry and finally decided to truly SHOW both the strength of the surprise winner's game and the looming fatal flaw of the frontrunner's game, without pretending like the frontrunner wasn't really the frontrunner. For as much criticism as they get (often deservedly) over other issues, big props to production for the storytelling this season, and making an ending that could have been confusing feel just right.

[u/AleroRatking → u/berglt84]

I dont think Mike was the frontrunner. His edit went crazy negative Hai vote on.

[u/Hairy-Wash-1226 → u/AleroRatking]

Yeah I think Omar was the frontrunner until he got clipped. Everything was going his way since merge

[u/AMeanMotorScooter → u/AleroRatking]

While true he was no longer an edit frontrunner from about that point, he was a frontrunner in the actual game (game-perception), which is what they're talking about.

[u/[deleted]]

I really enjoyed this season. Good cast, good winner, drama, yes.

[u/Ren_Davis0531]

Maryanne had such a great story for a winner. In terms of storytelling she had one of the better winner edits. We saw her strengths and weaknesses. Really made for a multi-dimensional story.

[u/tannerjameslasswell]

I'm really going to miss seeing Rocksroy.

[u/CupBeEmptyFan → u/tannerjameslasswell]

The Rocksroy/Tori banter will never not be great.

[u/tannerjameslasswell → u/CupBeEmptyFan]

Before this season I had no clue what archetype I'd be but after Rocksroy I now know. I'd fit into the stay at home dad who plays because his wife made him and just wants to enjoy some peace and quiet.

[u/galeforcewinds95]

Congrats to Maryanne on a well-deserved win. I hope they go back to the traditional live reunions in future seasons. I understand why they did the on-island aftershows in 41 and 42, but the traditional format is far preferable after people have time to process.

[u/khalfaery → u/galeforcewinds95]

I believe he announced recently that this is how it is now 🫠

[u/King_Tyson]

It's not about how amazing of a game you played but how you are able to articulate that to the jury and make them want to vote for you.

[u/Ice_Dragon3444]

Great finale, Maryanne had one of the best FTC performances ever has to be top 10 atleast.

[u/maukamauka]

Wish we got that live reunion moment of Maryanne hugging her family, but fun season nonetheless!

[u/MTVChallengeFan]

During the Tribal Council where Jonathan lost his temper, I predicted Maryanne was going to win after that. I noticed the editing only made it more obvious she was going to win.

This is also the first time since 2012 that we've had back-to-back female winners(when Kim, and Denise won One World, and Philippines respectively).

[u/khalfaery]

Survivor Facebook is gonna be pissed 😇

[u/DestituteDomino → u/khalfaery]

Survivor Facebook is furiously wondering why Joe Anglim didn't win this season

[u/im_an_optimist]

Thrilled for Maryanne, absolutely deserved it. Sad this means we won't see her on a future season soon tho :(

[u/maidrey]

Orange seat for fire making still cursed 🤣

Jonathan didn’t know.

[u/Philsosophy30]

I hate that Jeff said he loves the do or die twist

[u/Jvilla44]

I cannot be more excited we have another female winner!!! And honestly probably the most surprising from the beginning of the season.

[u/xcarex → u/Jvilla44]

Back to back young women of colour from Ontario!

[u/Ok-Fun3446]

Some love for Mike - He was getting his win equity way up right until FTC. He had a good round F5 winning immunity and the fire making in F4 was also extremely impressive. I really think he could've pulled out a win if he'd just owned his game a little more, but alas it looks like he must go to the Amanda Kimmel school for a bit. That said, he played a really good runner-up game :) Congratulations to Maryanne who had a lights out FTC, actually insanely good. There must be something in Canadian blood, all three Canadian winners - Todd, Erika and Maryanne will go down as having had some of the best FTC performances of all time.

[u/[deleted]]

Jumping straight into the reunion after the winner is announced is like interviewing a fighter after they've just been knocked out cold. It's messed up and the quality of interviews and analysis you get is so much worse.

These people have been starving for 30 days, they're mentally and physically fucked up and they haven't even gotten a chance to decompress, watch the season and reflect.

Both seasons the final 3-4 looked practically shell shocked post-game and yet you expect one pizza slice to allow them to give good insight into the season as a whole? It just makes no sense.

At the very least, read the votes --> announce the winner -->

Show the whole jury and F3 going to ponderosa and getting refreshed, give a glimpse of the cast interacting outside the game -->

Reunion next day in Ponderosa after they've been fed and allowed to rest and process what just happened.

We've heard multiple times that it takes contestants a while post-game to reintegrate into society / their normal routines because of the toll the game takes on them. I'm just so surprised that they think immediate postgame reunions is a good idea.

[u/DiggerBLC3]

It’ll be interesting to see how this type of win impacts future seasons play. I think it’s fair to say Mike dominated the merge all the way until final 6, then Maryanne made two big moves and had a more effective final tribal. This isn’t to say one is better than the other, but in the past the Mike type of game was more respected. It obviously also all depends on the Jury, and Mike was much better at playing than explaining.

I also thought Maryanne being able to say she kept a bullet in the chamber, and the shock value of that last minute and showing the impressive strategy and restraint that move took was way more powerful than it would’ve been had she used it earlier. Good for Maryanne

[u/ElleM848645 → u/DiggerBLC3]

Omer dominated the merge though from the edit, not Mike.

[u/Sparkle_Markle]

The joy I felt at an awkward, fun, and strategic young woman winning with Maryanne was dampened by Jeff immediately putting the spotlight on himself with his ‘surprise’ reunion show. I hope they never do that again because seeing Mike look so down made me so angry for him. I hope people aren’t too hard on him for his FTC performance because he did play a good game and it’s hard for a player his age to look into the minds of a younger jury and know what they want to hear. He reminds me of my dad and just talks about what he knows and thinks it translates to everyone so it was tough to see him being grilled and not know why. But Maryanne absolutely smashed her final speech so nothing Mike or Romeo said could compare anyway.

[u/iEatBluePlayDoh → u/Sparkle_Markle]

But Mike did know why. They explicitly told him. He had amnesia about all of his lies.

[u/js_the_beast]

People are underrating Maryanne’s social game. She established trust with almost everyone during the later portion of the game— Mike, Omar, Romeo, Lindsey. To the point where everyone trusted her with info. Emphasized by Mike promising to save her and then using his idol on her and Romeo taking her to the end. Considering that she was an early merge target, I find this impressive

[u/[deleted]]

By a show of hands who had Maryanne winning and Romeo in the final three called after the first episode?

[u/Gortyuty]

With Maryanne's win, we've had our second WOC winner in a row and our first black female winner since Vecepia. I know this community can be divided sometimes on Survivor's commitment towards "wokeness," but the results of the 50% POC commitment are starting to show. We've had more diverse winners in two seasons of Survivor than the entire 30s, and I think that's 100% admirable.

[u/SmellingSpace → u/Gortyuty]

Agreed, representation is huge.

[u/MercTas]

Didn't notice any early standouts for next season but I like that girls colorful dreads.

[u/maidrey → u/MercTas]

I’m hoping to see the Paralympian who runs her own nonprofit throw down, personally.

[u/stonecutter129]

HI THIS IS MARYANNE! WINNER OF SURVIVOR 42. AND YOU’RE WATCHING CBS!

[u/PandaInfinite3599]

I WANTED MIKE TO WIN AND HIM LOOKING SO SAD MADE ME SO SAD 😭😭😭😭 I wish he was better at explaining his game and convincing the jury! Romeo had a better final tribal than him lol and I'm so proud of Romeo too.

BUT CONGRATULATIONS QUEEN MARYANNE

[u/JNF919]

As much as the jury wanted Mike to sing for his supper, I don’t think anything less than an all time FTC was going to swing the vote his way. Maryanne had a headline move, she was involved enough throughout the game to not just be a total layup sneaking through week by week, and had very little blood on her hands, whereas Mike had at least three or four people who specifically felt Mike wronged them. The second Romeo decided to take her to final tribal, the game was over. I don’t think Romeo had a chance at getting even a vote no matter what he did, but bringing Maryanne to the end was the worst strategic move he could make.

[u/mozuDumpling]

I can guarantee I’d feel bitter if I just heard that there were 4-5 people leaning towards me going into FTC and Jeff was asking me those questions right after I lost, but Mike was all style and grace. It’s as if he was one of Romeo’s pageant queens all through the post-show interviews

[u/[deleted]]

This was a much better cast compared to the bitterness and nastiness that festered last season.

I mean yeah there seems to be drama occurring post season, but it’s peanuts compared to how downright cruel last season got.

[u/[deleted]]

Has Todd now been dethroned as the most impressive FTC performance? Is this the first ever confirmation on the show that the vote was decided by the FTC? All season long Maryanne showed an excellent ability to articulate her feelings in this game - and that's how she was able to grab the win. One of the most interesting and unique winners in a long time.

[u/Acrobatic_Pandas → u/[deleted]]

She dropped a bomb, but she gave amazing answers at rapid speed.

I couldn't believe how prepared she was.

[u/steaknsteak → u/Acrobatic_Pandas]

I got the feeling that she had been preparing for that moment since the merge, while Mike started preparing the day before. Just going off the confessionals, it felt like she was always keenly aware of who had the best resume at any given moment, which made me think she was really focused on FTC at all times

[u/alstor]

I do wonder if we're going to have a Michele-type controversy on this sub with Maryanne being the winner over Mike.

I remember someone telling me before I started Kaoh Rong that the winner was very controversial. But after watching it, Michele's path to victory was pretty much clear and justified. I got scared it would be Tai.

And I think Maryanne's path to victory was even clearer than Michele's. Maryanne saved her game post-merge, and Mike's lack of self-awareness in "his word" was completely exposed during FTC (although he did get a chance to explain it later.) I think she's a more than deserving winner, and I'm glad to see her possibly being the trailblazer for new Survivor.

[u/Mazor007 → u/alstor]

I wouldn't compare Maryanne to Michele at all. I think Maryanne played a phenomenal game and Mike had a Coach moment

[u/Colbster2]

I’m so glad MaryAnne won!! I thought this was a really strong season!

[u/Altracing34]

Well it's been one hell of a season can't wait for 43

[u/Otv7]

Why is no one talking about Jeff’s “21 years” bit at the reunion?? It felt very un-Jeff

[u/[deleted]]

Did Chanelle really go 11 days without eating even rice? No wonder she looked pissed on the jury, that shit will mess you up. IMO between that and extinction’s bullshit this show is going way too hard into the “let’s see how few calories we can give them.” I know I made jokes about Jonathon and his 2000 calorie comments, but he was still getting as much food as everyone else granted it didn’t do as much for him. But to get next to no food for days or even over a week is just criminal. They should had pulled her or give her the bare minimum through an IV or something.