True Dork Times - Archives
December, 2022
Episode 13: Everything's ending here
Survivor 43 Episode 13 Recap/ analysis
By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 20, 2022
A surprising ending to Survivor 43 confounded the audience, although it probably shouldn't have (which we'll recap). Either way, there are structural changes the show should consider making soon, which we'll also go through. Feel free to forward these (and your own) to the SurvivorShoutOut email bin.
Episode 13: Looking back on 43
Survivor 43 Episode 13 recap/ analysis
By Brent Sullivan | Published: December 19, 2022
With the Survivor 43 finale and aftershow in the rearview, Brent takes stock of five key scenes during the season that correctly forecast long-term important points, along with one that seemed predictive, but was misleading.
Episode 13: An enigma
Survivor 43 Episode 13 Recap/ analysis
By Ryan Kaiser | Published: December 16, 2022
Ryan tries to make sense of a confusing Survivor 43 finale, one that cut its main characters before the final three. Then he throws those attempts in a swiftly-made fire, crowns a Player of the Season, and looks ahead to a rock-loving 44 pre-fave.
Episode 13: Stats (some meaningless) for a finale
Survivor 43 Episode 13 recap/ analysis
By Damnbueno | Published: December 15, 2022
Well, Survivor 43 is certainly over. Damnbueno rolls out his reactions to the action as it unfolds, and his immediate attempts to understand the ending. (It's mostly jaw-dropped Jeanine face.)
Episode 12: Dawn of a new champion
Survivor 43 Episode 12 Recap/ analysis
By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 13, 2022
After 11 episodes of working from the shadows, Jesse finally decloaked and made a potentially game-winning move in front of everyone in Episode 12 of Survivor 43. It's still not a sure thing, despite having the protection of an idol, thanks to forced final four firemaking (which was supposed to save good players), but it was a thriller of a move and an episode as a whole.
Episode 12: Top five, baby!
Survivor 43 Episode 12 recap/ analysis
By Brent Sullivan | Published: December 12, 2022
It's that time of year, when the column title is the same as the column name, and Brent looks at the top five (baby) of Survivor 43 in his final pre-finale column, and projects which of the quintet has the best chances of getting that money (baby, also).
Episode 12: Sugar cracked out
Survivor 43 Episode 12 Recap/ analysis
By Ryan Kaiser | Published: December 11, 2022
While Ryan lost another favorite character in Episode 12's epic blindside, he's excited to see how the Survivor 43 finale turns out, and indulges in his semi-annual predictions of how the season's end might unfold.
Episode 12: This is why I LOVE Survivor!
Survivor 43 Episode 12 recap/ analysis
By Damnbueno | Published: December 8, 2022
Survivor 43's second-to-last episode features plans on top of plans on top of plans, and Damnbueno is excited about every last second of it, particularly including Jesse's glorious double idol-flushing (neither his own) pièce de résistance.
Episode 11: The comic relief before the storm
Survivor 43 Episode 11 Recap/ analysis
By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 6, 2022
Finally, thankfully, Episode 11 of Survivor 43 departed from the already well-worn patterns of its two preceding seasons, and ditched the "Do or Die" twist, albeit replacing it with a new advantage. But at least that advantage was minimally destructive, and featured a humorous free-for-all camp search, which was mostly played for laughs.
Episode 11: Plots + schemes + underdogs = fireworks?
Survivor 43 Episode 11 recap/ analysis
By Brent Sullivan | Published: December 5, 2022
Brent looks at all the still-unresolved scheming and plotting in Episode 11 of Survivor 43, notes the well-stocked armory of unplayed idols, and puts a massive firework display at the top of his pre-finale wishlist.
Episode 11: In deep water
Survivor 43 Episode 11 Recap/ analysis
By Ryan Kaiser | Published: December 2, 2022
Ryan laments the Episode 11 surround-and-drown-ing of one the more dynamic players of Survivor 43, leaving a looming power struggle and a bunch of politeness and forced analogies at Tribal plus maybe five or six more advantages.
Episode 11: The agony of the follow-up
Survivor 43 Episode 11 recap/ analysis
By Damnbueno | Published: December 1, 2022
Damnbueno runs through Episode 11, which follows his favorite episode of the season, and celebrates Survivor 43 ditching Do or Die in favor of a clean Final Seven vote, but then notes the show backslides into a possible Advantagegeddon redux in the process.
Other months/ seasons
- Survivor 47
- Survivor 46
- Survivor 44
- Survivor 43
- SurvivorSA 9: Return of the Outcasts
- Survivor 42
- Survivor 41
- SurvivorAU 6: Brains v Brawn
- SurvivorSA 8: Immunity Island
- Survivor 40: Winners at War
- SurvivorAU 5: All-Stars
- Survivor 39: Island of the Idols
- Survivor 38: Edge of Extinction
- Survivor 37: David vs. Goliath
- Survivor SA 6: Philippines
- Survivor NZ 2: Thailand
- Survivor 36: Ghost Island
- Survivor 35: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers
- Survivor NZ 1: Nicaragua
- Survivor 34: Game Changers
- Survivor 33: Millennials vs. Gen X
- Survivor 32: Kaoh Rong
- Survivor 19: Samoa (2021 rewatch)
- Survivor 17: Gabon (2020 rewatch)
- Survivor 15: China (rewatch)
- Survivor 14: Fiji (2020 rewatch)
- Survivor 12: Panama (2021-2022 rewatch)
- Survivor 10: Palau (2021 rewatch)
- Survivor 4: Marquesas (2020 rewatch)
Of general interest
Survivor seasons index
Our coverage of every Survivor season.
Contestants A-Z
Survivor cast stats and pictures, sorted by name.
Contestants by season
That one person? From that season? Ah, there they are.
Survivor record holders
Single-season and all-time Survivor individual scoring leaders.
Survivor scoring data
Full-season individual contestant performance stats.