That's exactly right, they've been using "hired" cast members for quite a while. Definitely takes away from the whole show IMO.

I guess they had a call out for a "Gay, racist, southern Republican. Highly effeminate preferable."

It can't be. It's a game show, and is subject to the same rules for rigging as any other. I read a while ago, and I believe it, that they'll grab a couple of people from the mail-in submissions, but most of the people on the show these days are cast. Most seasons, there are a few of them that already have IMDb pages.

All that said, Colton is a terrible person. The rest of the men deserve every bit of the ass-kicking they're going to suffer, because not one of them understand that you need strong players at the beginning, you don't piss away your numbers advantage for no reason, and if you want any chance of making it anywhere near the end, you can't let a self-centered delusional idiotic whiner pilot your team right into the dirt without someone SOMEONE flexing a little alpha-male and standing up to him.

There is no way that Sophie from last season was an actor.

Was the cast for "Frumpy Female College Grad with a peach fuzz mustache?"

"Cast" doesn't mean "scripted." It's well known that a lot of the people on Survivor are simply chosen by being noticed on the streets of LA. The difference is just that they typically know nothing about Survivor, unlike applicants like Cochran.

Wow. Just watched last night's episode. Awful. Dumbest move ever. I can't believe how stupid those men are to be manipulated and controlled.

Oh it can be and I believe it is atleast partially. There may not be flat out directions, but if you've watched since the beginning things definitely aren't the same. IMO a lot of the stuff that happens at tribal while perhaps not "scripted", is flat out steered in the direction they want it to go by Jeff Probst. We don't get to watch the whole tribal flesh out because it takes a long time, but the question manipulation is obvious to me.

Well, of course they can do leading questions. I'm just saying it can't be out-and-out rigged.

I wondered last year with the whole Ozzie thing, but I suspect your correct. It's not the same though as it used to be. They don't lose as much weight, they have changes of clothes, food isn't an issue, and hell it doesn't even look like thay have to work very hard anymore. I suppose you have to accomodate struggling actors more though to get them to do the show. I will give them credit though for getting rid of the horrid redemption island.

this show died about 6-7 yrs ago.

This season about 2 days into the game the women had rain and cool weather and were completely falling apart. Years ago they had weeks of it and the contestants dealt with it much better.

The women can shave their armpits now, too. No matter how miserable or soaked to the bone they are, they always are nicely touched up for TV time. They didn't use to allow that.

Rich people and gay people must have really been pissed to watch this guy represent them. I like Tarzan more after the episode. You could tell Lief regreted saying what he said the second he said it. He didn't speak for a few seconds and then said "uh yeah, Colton wanted to vote for you." Inside he head he must have been saying **** what did I just do."

Colton will screw himself eventually. Hell he already did. You think a jury will ever give him the money?

Ugh, really? One slip up and you must be voted out even if it means erasing the lead you have over the other tribe? Colton is an idiot, but at least he has somewhat of an excuse, he's young and has been sheltered his entire life. Old people are supposed to have learned something over the course of their lives.

The proper thing to do was to not go to tribal, bring your lead to 2 people, and berate Leif to the point that he becomes your personal servant.

I don't like the move either. I know that Tarzan was one of the guys that pushed that idea, but I still liked him for whatever reason. Maybe because of the lack of other options. I do like the black school teacher as well.