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‘Survivor’ Castaway Simone – ‘I Thought that Ryan Was the Biggest Threat’

October 5, 2017

‘Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers’ (CBS)

QUICK NOTE: XFINITY.com is the place to be for all of your bug-eatin’, back-stabbin’, “Survivor” coverage. During the season we’ll have insightful weekly Power Rankings with Aubry Bracco, exit interviews, and full episode recaps. Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute updates.

You’re on a tribe with a guy that yells at crabs, does weird accents, and is constantly screaming…and you’re the weird one?

I spoke with Simone Nguyen the morning after she was eliminated to get to the bottom of this mystery. I also had a chance to ask her about the tribe dynamics, the Ryan/Devon bromance, and her superhero alter ego…

Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”

Gordon Holmes: Alright, I hate to start this off on an awful, awkward question…
Simone Nguyen: OK, lay it on me.
Holmes: So, you’re on this tribe with a dude that does weird accents and is yelling at crabs…
Nguyen: (Laughs)
Holmes: And you’re the weird one?! How does that happen?
Nguyen: Oh my God! The yellow tribe, love them, don’t want to ever say anything bad about them. But Patrick is one of the weirdest people I have ever met in my life! Everyone had lied about their background. Lauren lied about being a fisherman, she said she was a contractor. Ali said she never went to college. Devon said he never went to college. Ryan said he dropped out of college. Here I am, I’m hiding nothing. I’m not going to let people think I’m sneaky so I didn’t lie about my background. I went to Colombia, I live in New York, I don’t know how to drive. I’ve never been camping. And I’m thinking, “Oh no! Oh no! Too open! Reel it back!” So now, somehow Patrick is the one that fits in! So yeah, I’m the weirdo. Can’t help it.

Holmes: I thought it was impressive that all of this was new to you, but you watched videos, and when it came time to step up and gut the fish, you made it happen.
Nguyen: I appreciate that. It was tough preparing. It didn’t occur to me that I should go camping before going out there. I thought, “Beginners luck, I’ll figure it out.” But, I’d read the Boy Scout manual. I knew exactly what was going to terrify me. But I had a blast. I knew I had to work hard around camp, I had to volunteer for whatever I could do. Whenever there’s work on “Survivor,” just do it.

Holmes: Ali and Patrick seemed to have some familiarity with each other before the game.
Nguyen: They went to college together. They had the same friend group, I don’t think that they were best friends. I think they just knew each other. But they’re really different people, so it’s not a friendship that you would expect. Ali is this serious, diligent, thoughtful, beautiful goddess of a woman and Patrick is a goofball and he owns it. I suspected nothing.

Holmes: Ryan and Devon seem like opposites as well. Did you know that they were partnering up?
Nguyen: I thought that sending Patrick home was my only chance to stay, but I thought that Ryan was the biggest threat right out of the gate. He’ll tell a joke, like a generic pun, and everybody laughs. Everybody is so enthralled by this short, adorable man. That person terrifies me. I can’t do a thing like that. And I felt like Ryan had Devon and Patrick in his pocket. And then you didn’t get to see it, but I witnessed the most intimate conversation between Ryan and Lauren when they were bonding over the fact that they have different types of bodies. Lauren’s a bigger girl, Ryan’s a smaller guy. How do you compete with that? They’re bonding over something they’ve had to deal with their entire lives. I didn’t have an experience that could compare. You can see yourself not fitting in as much. Ryan had a lot of control in the beginning, and kudos to him for finding the super idol.
Holmes: Don’t knock generic puns. I make my living off of those.
Nguyen: Oh my God! I love a pun. That’s why I was so scared. I have a really weird sense of humor, which is another reason why I didn’t fit in. So, Ali’s hair…you saw like three hairstyles last night. She looks really great. She would say, “Oh, my hair is a little nappy.” And Ryan would lie down and say, “I’m about to take a little nappy.” And I would die. If I wasn’t on the floor, I’d be on the floor. The fact that I was laughing that hard scared me, I should have been more aware.

Holmes: Tell me more about Lauren. She seemed very concerned that she wasn’t going to fit in because of her age.
Nguyen: I actually really liked Lauren and wanted to work with her. But, we’re so different it’s almost impenetrable. She had once voiced that, “Y’all are a bunch of kids.” I can’t do an impression of her.
Holmes: You don’t have to.
Nguyen: She’d say she feels like an old lady. And my boyfriend is a little bit older than her. So, in trying to comfort her I said, “Don’t worry about it, I haven’t dated someone younger than you in years.” And of course everybody’s’ heads turned and I thought, “No! That’s not what I wanted to say!” So, I was the weird one. But, I didn’t care that she was older. She seemed like somebody who was really hard working. She didn’t stop for a minute. I wish she had liked me more.

Holmes: You mentioned the super idol, was anyone looking for other idols?
Nguyen: Patrick was looking all day, every day. Wakes up in the morning, doesn’t help with the fire. We all know he’s out looking for the idol. Patrick goes looking for the idol in front of us. I catch Patrick looking for the idol. He says, “I’m looking for the idol. What are you doing?” I’d say, “I guess I’m gathering firewood unless you want me to come look with you.” Then he’d say, “Yeah, come look with me.” This is not a thing that I was trying to do with my life. So, that was Patrick.

Holmes: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with Ryan.
Nguyen: Skinny Ryan. I know he’s not supposed to be the skinny Ryan on the show, but he’s way skinnier.
Holmes: The skinniest Ryan.
Nguyen: That’s a good one.
Holmes: Patrick?
Nguyen: Redhead, ginger…
Holmes: Ali?
Nguyen: Hair goals, a beautiful Grecian model…she’s not Grecian, but…she looks so good. It was insane.
Holmes: Lauren?
Nguyen: Fisherwoman with a question mark. We had all bought into the fact that she was a contractor because we weren’t eating a lot of fish those first couple of days.
Holmes: Let’s finish with Devon.
Nguyen: Did you see those abs?
Holmes: I did.
Nguyen: Do you know about the phenomenon called “Island Hotness?”
Holmes: I do.
Nguyen: It is 100% real. It is so nice to look at when you’re far from home. So, thank you Devon for that.
Holmes: Simone, you don’t think I cover this show for Jeff Probst, or the palm trees, or the challenges, do you?
Nguyen: It has to be the island hotness. In pre-game, there were gratuitous amounts of hotness. I’d look around and be giggling like a fiend. This is amazing, life is wonderful, “Survivor” is a gift.

Holmes: Last night you shared with us your super power.
Nguyen: Oh God!
Holmes: Do you have a superhero alter ego?
Nguyen: You know what? Nobody wants to go with the obvious, which is “The Aqua Dumper.” But you want to be known for something. I’m going to let the fans on Reddit come up with that one for me.
Holmes: That is a dangerous proposition. So, you’re weird, but you’re brave.
Nguyen: I certainly felt brave when I was doing my business in the ocean. But I also felt brave going out there. It was my first time out of the country, the first time camping, the first time doing so many things. I really felt like, “This is my time! If I’m going to go, I’m going to go hard!” I had a great time.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

Tags:simone nguyen, survivor, survivor heroes vs. healers vs. hustlers
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‘Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers’ Episode 2 Recap: The Dawn of the Ali-Ance?

October 4, 2017

‘Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers’ (CBS)

Last Week: Ryan made a firm base, Alan made a creepy face, and what’s the medal for 18th place?

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Alright, let’s take a closer look at these tribes…

The Levu Tribe (AKA: The Heroes – Wearing Blue)
Alan, 31 – NFL Player
Ashley, 26 – Lifeguard
Ben, 34 – Marine
Chrissy, 46 – Financial Analyst
JP, 28 – Firefighter

The Soko Tribe (AKA: The Healers – Wearing Yellow)
Cole, 24 – Wilderness Survival Guide
Desiree, 27 – Physical Therapist
Jessica, 29 – Nurse Practitioner
Joe, 34 – Probation Officer
Mike, 43 – Urologist
Roark, 27 – Social Worker

The Yawa Tribe (AKA: The Hustlers – Wearing Red)
Ali, 24 – Celebrity Assistant
Devon, 23 – Surf Instructor
Lauren, 35 – Fisherman
Patrick, 24 – Small Business Owner
Ryan, 23 – Bellhop
Simone, 25 – Diversity Advocate

Post-Tribal Shenanigans

We learn that Chrissy is allowed to hang onto her idol even though it is powerless. Like an infant at an “Entourage” trivia night.

Yikes, that is a terrible analogy.

Ben thinks the tribe is like old paint because it’s cracked and fractured. Also, Ben is better at analogies than I am.

Ben also lets us know that the core four is dead. Yeah, like a fish vacationing on the sun.

(Damnit.)

At Hustlers Beach…

Ryan and Devon are very comfortable in their adorable alliance. However, Devon does point out to Ryan that he doesn’t smile when he talks strategy with other people. Probably not a great idea to reveal your tell on “Survivor,” buddy.

Simone seems to be on the outs with her entire tribe. Ryan even calls her “weird.”

CUT TO: Simone bragging because she was able to pee in the ocean. She says it made her feel like a superhero.

10-Second Brainstorm for Simone’s Superhero Name: The Urine-ator…The Tinkler…Sim(Number)One…

She also says she hates the outside. C’mon, that’s like Probst hating blue button-down shirts.

(That’s better.)

Finally, Simone shows her worth to the tribe by being able to gut a fish. Go Simone!

Ali decides she wants to bring Simone onto her side because of Simone’s outcast status.

In other news, Patrick is really rubbing people the wrong way. We’re treated to an edit of Patrick screaming at crabs, doing weird accents, and breaking wind. Basically he’s driving Lauren crazy.

At Healers Beach…

Jessica and Cole continue to flirt, but Cole thinks Jessica isn’t interested because she sees him as a little kid. This makes me wonder if Cole has ever seen a little kid.

Joe and Mike are getting along, but Mike is still Joe’s biggest target. Joe finds himself in a bind because he wants to hunt for the idol, but he’s already told the tribe that Mike has it.

This doesn’t completely deter Joe. In fact, he finds the first idol clue stamped on a tree. He can’t quite figure out where it is, so he gets Cole to help him. Cole figures out that it’s by the water well. They dig around the well and Joe finds the idol.

Of course, Joe is now nervous that Cole knows his secret.

I found this whole exchange to be really interesting. My first instinct would have been to destroy the clue after I found it. Maybe you could scratch it off of the tree? But, the way Joe ended up going about it, he now shares a secret with someone who seems like he’ll be loyal.

Actually, I wonder if there was an opportunity for Cole to keep his well revelation quiet and find the idol for himself later. But, it was in the heat of the moment, so I don’t blame him for not thinking of it.

At Heroes Beach…

Chrissy breaks down the entire tribe “Terminator” style. It was truly inspiring. She thinks JP isn’t very bright, Ashley is a player, Alan is a risky person to partner with, and Ben is the best alliance for her.

Ben and Chrissy agree to work together and keep their options open for Ashley or Alan. They decide against working with JP because he doesn’t talk to anyone. Huh…

Immunity Challenge Time: Three players from each tribe will dive into the water and retrieve bags of puzzle pieces. Once they’ve all been collected, the remaining teammates will use the pieces to complete a signpost puzzle. The first tribe to finish will win immunity and a giant fishing kit, the second tribe gets immunity and a more modest fishing kit.

Sitting Out: Joe and Lauren

Challenge Result: Despite falling behind early, the Healers were able to claim first place. The Heroes took second. Ali and Simone were the losing puzzle team.

Post Challenge Politicking

It looks like it’s going to come down to Simone vs. Patrick.

Simone tries to “shape the narrative” by pointing out that Patrick and Lauren are always butting heads.

Patrick does his own narrative shaping by claiming that Simone doesn’t do much for the tribe.

Ali, Ryan, and Devon seem to be the ones making the call. They feel like Pat is unpredictable, but good at challenges and Simone is a challenge liability, but she’ll be loyal.

And as for Ali, Ryan, and Devon working together…

IT’S HAPPENING!

Tribal Time

Not much to report on here, other than everybody acting shocked when Patrick said he didn’t trust everyone in the tribe. That was odd to me because who trusts everyone on their tribe?

Also, Lauren said she hopes they don’t see Probst again anytime soon. That’s hurtful. And, he’s gonna be at the challenges, this isn’t Samoa.

Voting: We’ve got one vote for Patrick, three votes for Simone, and the second person voted out of “Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers” is…Simone.

Verdict: This seems like a solid decision from the Healers. When you break down the pros and cons of Patrick vs. Simone, you have someone who’s wild, but good in challenges against someone who has the potential to be strategically dangerous and is bad at challenges.

Actually, compared to last week, I think we’re going to have a lot more high grades…


	Ali and Ryan – They’ve got a solid majority, they’ve got some potential fodder in Patrick, and they’ve got that hustle. Chrissy – From potentially on the bottom to a comfortable alliance with Ben in one day? Well done. Ben – Sometimes you can just sit back and everyone comes to you.
	Devon – Sooper minor nitpick…but did your smiling comment tip Ryan off to when you’re lying? Joe – I like that you’re forward-thinking with your concern for Cole, but targeting him now is going to be a mess.
	Ashley – People are always afraid of power couples. You did the best job of becoming the power couple partner they’re most likely to keep around. Cole – Someone like Joe is going to want to do all of the thinking. Let him. Otherwise he’ll turn on you quickly.
	Patrick – “Survivor” 101…don’t be annoying early in the game. People are looking for any reason to target someone. Don’t give them a reason. JP – If people think you’re in a power couple, open lines of communication with everyone, not just with your power couple partner. All the lobsters in the world can’t protect you if you’re keeping to yourself. Well, giant lobsters could protect you.
	Lauren, Desiree, Roark, Jessica, Mike, and Alan – I can’t give you full credit if you don’t show your work.

Power Rankings Results: Aubry Bracco had Simone in spot 14, I had her in spot 11. The current score is Team Bracco 14, Team Holmes 11.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholm es

Tags:jeff probst, survivor, survivor heroes vs. healers vs. hustlers
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‘Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers’ Power Rankings – Round 1: Super Idle Edition

October 2, 2017

“Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers” (CBS)

Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”

The Rules: Each week our two combatants will create separate power rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the players will earn. For example, if Ryan is voted out this episode, Aubry will receive two points and Gordon will receive three points. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.

Quick Note: Rankings are not based on who the player thinks is most likely to win. The smart strategy is to rank the contestants based on who is the most likely to be voted out in the next episode.

Before we head into this week’s fun, Aubry has a special message for this season’s cast…

Aubry Bracco: Congrats, “Survivor” 35 cast! Your journey has begun. My best advice? Don’t listen to the armchair quarterbacks (I guess that includes me). Remember what the experience meant to you and enjoy the ride for all its ups and downs.


Aubry’s Score = 0 Any questions for Aubry? Drop her a line on Twitter: @aubrybracco	Gordon’s Score = 0 Any questions for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

1. Ben: I love everything about the way this guy is playing. He’s in the dominant four, but he’s not ruling out working with Chrissy. If there’s a surprise swap, this guy, who’s a proclaimed “Teddy and Grizzly Bear,” seems like he’ll be able to use both his fire and awareness of emotion to find the space in the cracks.	1. Ben: Wow…what a mess. Probst tosses your tribe six buffs, so you know you’ve got to get a majority quickly. You make it happen and then Alan…Alans. Pulls a total Alan. But, you played it the best you could and are now the person in the tribe will all of the options.

2. Ryan: This guy has already found (1.) A super idol (2.) A BFF to downplay his nerd archetype (Devon) (3.) a way to get a jump on making allies on the other tribe (Chrissy by way of gifting her the idol). Ryan’s creating a solid foundation quickly AND quietly.	2. Devon: You’re the most athletically gifted member of your tribe and you’re partnered with the dude who doesn’t have mystery crabs in his pants. Well played.

3. Devon: He’s mild-mannered in a very Woo-like way. I’d love to have him around camp — it seems like his presence would have an anti-anxiety effect on any tribe of deranged lunatics.	3. Ryan: I can’t think of a better way to play the super idol. You got the benefit of using it to make a partnership with a meat shield, it has the potential to help you after the merge, and it didn’t put any heat on you.

4. Ali: I love Ali’s mentality — she’s got the Julia Sokolowski blend of smarts and super social skills. I see her being a chess master or a sorority president depending on the day. Time will tell, but from the little I’ve seen, this girl seems to have a deep toolkit of life experience to pull from even though she’s a youngster.	4. Cole: Ugh…why did I crop these photos so high? A waste of perfectly good abs.

5. Desiree: She’s working hard to be even keeled. It’s always good to see someone who has that control early in the game. Desi seemingly has a spot with the younger members of her tribe but doesn’t seem like she’ll easily get tied up in promises she can’t keep off the bat.	5. Ali: Alright, Ali…you’re my winner pick. That means there’s no possible way you’re going to walk away with the million-dollar check. But, maybe…just maybe your considerable tools can overcome the classic Holmes curse.

6. Roark: Like Desi, Roark is in a good spot — between a budding showmance and the craziness brewing between Joe and Mike. Stay like a rock, Roark, and I think you might cruise for a bit. Easy does it.	6. Desiree: You’ve got a showmance on one side and Joe and Mike having awkward jungle throwdowns on the other. You’re going to have plenty of room to maneuver.

7. Cole: Jessica tells us Cole is working hard not to seem like the “tough guy.” It’s clear people see this guy’s heart — they see his abs too. Right now, if he’s able to keep playing down his threatening persona, which it seems he’s taking actions to diminish, he’s in a decent spot so long as a showmance doesn’t knock him down.	7. Roark: See Desiree

8. Jessica: Jessica is a “Survivor” powerhouse — she’s got the brains, brawn and the beauty. Her future could be bright. I’m worried, though, that she might be spotted as the second coming of Andrea Boehlke. Finding a Romeo to her Juliet on Day 1 won’t help either.	8. JP: A right-hand lady that you click with? Awesome! A four-person alliance full of challenge threats? Awesome! Alan freaking out over non-existent idols? Less awesome. The good news is, they’ll come for Ashley before they come for you. The bad news is, you can trust one person on your five-person tribe.

9. Ashley: Ashley has seen a lot of drama 3 days in. The good news is the dysfunction is prepping her for the harder stages of the game. In Ashley, I see Cydney — she used her crazy days of Scot and Jason vs. Alecia to silently plot out her long game.	9. Alan: Oh Alan, based on the game you played you should be so, soooooo much lower on this list. But, you’re still a former professional athlete and it seems like Ben is going to stay loyal to you.

10. JP: JP is on the wrong show. This isn’t “Naked And Afraid.” With so much chaos, I’m afraid he and Ashley could become victims of a Ben, Chrissy and Alan team-up.	10. Jessica: Yes, the pull of Cole’s dashing looks and endearing life choices are hard to resist. But, as JP and Ashley taught us, you don’t want anyone to think a showmance is going on.

11. Patrick: I’m not sure about Patrick. It’s great he has an ally lined up in Ali, but there’s something kind of big about his personality that makes him bouncy and very noticeable. It may be wise to turn it down, though that feels somewhat unfair to say considering Ryan told the lion share of the Hustlers story.	11. Simone: Hey there, buddy. Hope you had a good premiere. Were you up to anything? Starting alliances? Finding idols? Crafting a Swiss Family Robinson treehouse?

12. Chrissy: Chrissy and I are kindred spirits. Our karmic path: let’s see how many highs and lows we can experience in a premiere episode. I’m concerned Chrissy is on the outs of her tribe, but it gives me big hope someone on another tribe (Ryan) has already identified her as a potential ally.	12. Joe: Oh…Joe. I love me my Russell-esque…Vlachos-esque game manipulators. Are you one of them? Because that little get together in the woods with Mike did not go well. If you were trying to bring him under your wing, you failed. Hoping for more from you in episode two.

13. Mike: I love you Mike, but you need to chill a little bit on the wooded excursions. Between the yellow attire and the scurrying about, I’m getting major Tai vibes! Will you start kissing Cole next too? We can only hope!	13. Chrissy: I think some editing trickery made us think you were closer to Katrina than you were. That’s fine. There’s no way editing can hide the cracks in the dominant alliance. Find them and exploit them!

14. Simone: I want to hear from Simone! What concerns me is, like Lauren, the rest of her tribe is already locking in. That said, she could be playing silent but deadly, waiting for the perfect time to sneak out of the grass and attack.	14. Patrick: Hey, eating bugs worked out for Mike in “Worlds Apart.” But, be careful that you don’t come off as too-weird-to-predict. It’ll make people like Ali second guess working with you.

15. Lauren: We didn’t hear a thing from her, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing for Lauren. With the other members of her tribe hustling for numbers, Lauren better start fishing for a connection or she’ll be cast out to sea.	15. Ashley: Yeah, you and JP probably aren’t a showmance, but at this point it doesn’t matter. More often than not, breaking up a power couple involves sending the woman packing. You’re in real danger.

16. Joe: That beach must reserve some kind of ancient curse for men in law enforcement from the New York/Jersey metro area. I love you Joe, but don’t start the interrogations on Day 2!	16. Lauren: You’re the oldest person on your tribe by over ten years. That’s going to be tough to overcome, especially with everybody else making friends and influencing people.

17. Alan: In “Game Changers,” I had a paranoia so badly on Day 2, I thought I woke up in the middle of the night and people saw me idol-hunting. In reality, I hadn’t even moved from my sleeping spot on the ground. Alan has the paranoia I had times 100. If he can get himself in check, he could have a Mike Holloway level recovery, and I’m here for it.	17. Mike: Oh boy…getting caught on an idol hunt by the guy who has Hantzian or Vlachosian ambitions? Bad news. And turning him down when it looked like he was trying to bring you on board? Extra bad news. Hopefully the others aren’t fond of Joe’s aggressive gameplay.