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True Dork Times - Archives

February, 2020

Jeff Pitman's recaps - S40

Episode 3: Restricted access and the invisible hand of the fire token market

By Jeff Pitman | Published: February 29, 2020

Winners at War marks the second season in a row where idols and advantages are flying off the shelves, yet not every player has access to them. Does Survivor's attempt to even out distribution in this manner actually make them less fair?

Bloomerang! - AU: All-Stars

Week 4: Revenge is a dish best served on a cake tray

By Mike Bloom | Published: February 28, 2020

With three big characters falling just before the All Stars halfway point, Mike is here to assess the fallout, and not just the fragments of cake strewn across the reward site and Nick's pants. Also, a look at who is best positioned heading into the second half of the season.

Kaiser Island - S40

Episode 3: Devour that guy and spit out his bones

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: February 28, 2020

Ryan goes through the stages of grief over the blindsiding of Ethan: denial, anger, more anger, actually lots of anger. Well, anyway, somehow he ends up at acceptance. (Sort of?) Thankfully, Tony and Tyson are still here to provide comfort in this difficult time.

The Baker's Dozen - S40

Episode 2: Mixed messages

By Andy Baker | Published: February 23, 2020

After Episode 2 of Winners at War, Andy turns his attention to the big moves various contestants are making: both in the game itself, and in their relative prominence in the show's storyline. What are edit-readers to make of players who appear important in one episode, then disappear in the next?

Top Five, Baby! - S40

Episode 2: Idols, advantages, ladders, and a lad

By Brent Sullivan | Published: February 23, 2020

Episode 2 sweeps in awash in idols and advantages (and fire tokens), but don't worry guys, it's designed to be like this. Brent highlights these new-school developments, plus a rising ladder engineer and an ascendant Adam.

Bloomerang! - AU: All-Stars

Week 3: Stop trying to make Exile happen

By Mike Bloom | Published: February 21, 2020

Mike votes himself out of Week Three of SurvivorAU: All-Stars, but don't worry! It was only a trip to Exile. Now a swap and... whoops, now he's voted out again... but wait, he made fire and he's back in! Whew! All these twists upon twists are really opening a Pandora's Box of convoluted game logic. With too few narrators.

Kaiser Island - S40

Episode 2: Is she just clueless?

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: February 21, 2020

Ryan mourns the loss of his Danni Girl, gone too soon. But he's excited about the exploits of noted aerialist Tony Vlachos and a freshly devilish Sophie G. Clarke, and is anxiously anticipating escalating tensions in the looming Boston Rob - Sandra war.

Jeff Pitman's recaps - S40

Episode 2: Fewer Edge letters, more ladders, please?

By Jeff Pitman | Published: February 20, 2020

Winners at War's second episode was a mixed bag, even after being dumped out at Tribal Council. Despite asserting that Survivor is a game of relationships, almost none of those were shown in the first half of the episode, focusing instead on various idols, tokens, and advantages.

Jeff Pitman's recaps - S40

Episode 1: Winners at war with the record books

By Jeff Pitman | Published: February 17, 2020

Strong, beloved characters and fierce competition made the Winners at War premiere a huge success, albeit one that could be watered down substantially by the season's twists. But until then, Jeff looks at the many Survivor records that can and/or will fall this season.

Top Five, Baby! - S40

Episode 1: Nerds, rookies, and blowing up the pre-game

By Brent Sullivan | Published: February 16, 2020

Brent manages to whittle the two-hour, action-packed Winners at War premiere into five key events and themes that appear to hold importance for the season as a whole - among them a fun new alliance, and the weaponizing of the mere suspicion of a pre-game one.

The Baker's Dozen - S40

Episode 1: Truth, lies, and rumors

By Andy Baker | Published: February 15, 2020

Taking note of the tactics Sandra deployed to successfully shield herself in the Winners at War premiere, Andy dissects the opener and evaluates which scenes and themes were true, false, or unclear portents of the future.

Bloomerang! - AU: All-Stars

Week 2: Where have all the puzzles gone?

By Mike Bloom | Published: February 14, 2020

In his revisiting the three episodes of week 2 of Australian Survivor: All-Stars, Mike tackles the big stories: the prevalence of strength-based challenges and its effects on tribal numbers decisions, the fall of Zen Hen, the big double-boot twist that ended the week, and, oh yeah, Vakama was occasionally shown, too.

Kaiser Island - S40

Episode 1: Everybody has a target

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: February 13, 2020

Twenty Survivor winners, all at war with each other? Ryan is elated to report that for the premiere, at least, the formula worked, and was exactly the bloody, blindsidey mess he was hoping it could be, if not moreso. Fire tokens and Edge of Extinction notwithstanding.

The Baker's Dozen - S40

Pre-season: The Natural

By Andy Baker | Published: February 11, 2020

Andy takes you on an odyssey through the strengths and liabilities of each returning winner, weighing and debating their relative chances of ultimate victory, and finally settles on a winner pick: someone who is just ... well, a natural at this game. Who will it be?

Kaiser Island - S40

Pre-season: Cheers for Chaos Kass

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: February 9, 2020

With Survivor unleashing a 'Survivor at 40' clipshow this week in preparation for the Winners at War premiere, Ryan takes us back to his favorite moment in Survivor's first two decades: The Cagayan merge Tribal Council.

Bloomerang! - AU: All-Stars

Week 1: Chimps, cookies, and conspiracies

By Mike Bloom | Published: February 7, 2020

Mike revisits the first three episodes of SurvivorAU: All-Stars, from the magnificent spectacle of premiere week's third Tribal Council to the more mundane winner disposals preceding it, to the glorious return and intermingling of multiple fan favorites. Grab a cookie and let's dig in.

Well, in theory... - S40

Pre-season: Maybe some informed predictions this time?

By Pat Ferrucci | Published: February 5, 2020

Pat takes an in-depth look at the picks and snubs from the complete pool of Survivor champs who were available to play Winners at War, then proceeds to rank the chances of those 20 actually picked to win against the other winners here.

Kaiser Island - S40

Pre-season: Wagering on the Winners at War

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: February 3, 2020

Ryan luxuriates in an all-winners cast two decades in the making, and ranks each winner's chances of winning this particular season (Edge of Extinction notwithstanding). Who has the best chances to win? Who has none?

Top Five, Baby! - S40

**Pre-season: Winners at War alliance assumptions**

By Brent Sullivan | Published: February 2, 2020

For his pre-season preview of Winners at War, Brent speculates on the five most likely alliances to form in the upcoming all-winners season. Will they make an impact on the game? And who does he pick to win?

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