We Made It to the Merge!

So there's a survivor who makes some of the women uncomfortable with unwanted touching. Is this gameplay or are people genuinely threatened? In a game where deceit is the rule rather than exception, it's impossible to say. At the end of the day some players use it as gameplay, while some others don't (and get burned for it). Deceit being central Survivor gameplay, it is really tough to sort out the truth.

2 things bug me about this episode. Whatever was going on was openly discussed between the Survivors on the beach and in tribal. Apparently producers spoke with survivors one on one about it as well. If this was a real situation and not gameplay, why on earth is that guy still in the game? It would seem everyone had an opportunity to voice their concerns in a non-threatening venue.

Second - and the big one - Survivor producers blew this up sky high for 2 episodes. At the end of the day they did nothing about it, just a boatload of scenes throwing shade at the Survivor with a questionable behavior. His behavior has been highlighted for several episodes, building up to this mess of a merge. The producers could have nipped this in the bud but instead let it drag the show into the gutter. It makes for some really uncomfortable viewing. I feel bad for the women who felt threatened, for the people who were voted off (the least creepy of the group), and for Dan who is going to have a tough time resuming normal life after an avoidable character assassination, and I'm disgusted with the players who used this issue as gameplay.

I watched this episode with my wife and two daughters and afterwards we all sat down for almost two hours to talk about what is and what isn't appropriate behavior, how to handle uncomfortable situations, women's rights and what happened in the episode itself.

We watched an episode where a woman who was feeling uncomfortable with a man's frequent touching was voted off and then the man played the victim card and saying he's sorry without knowing what he's sorry for and being bothered that this issue kept coming up.

We watched another man stand up for women's rights with an on-the-nose and eloquent explanation. Faith in humanity restored. At least for one minute until he was voted out of the game.

Meanwhile two other contestants decided to use this situation to their advantage, pretending to be victims of harassment and get further in the game. And it worked.

This is all despicable and left a bad taste in our mouth. Even though Survivor is just a game show, the transgressions of this episode mirror in many ways what happens to many women in real life. Here, however, CBS had the power to do the right thing and right the wrongs, but they didn't, and it's too late now - the game has already played out and we're watching weeks old recordings.

CBS should have stood up for women's rights, because nobody left in the game seems to be doing so, except for Janet, and I fear dearly for her future in the game.

I have seen every episode of Survivor up to this point and I'm devastated by the way the majority of the players handled a very important and real issue.

Either those girls got harassed by Dan and didnt want to confront it. Or Dan was creepy but not to the point of harassment and they lied because they could. And they all thought it was a good idea to vote out the girl, who brought it to light. Or ruin Dan's name. The Blur of their actions reinforced the stereotype that you can't just believe women on claims of harassment. I can't seem to let it go and won't countinue the season. I have no favorite, and I don't believe any of them deserver the money.

Survivor just got woker tahn the earlier episode, and I dont like it. They will ruin Survivor by continuing this wokemess sh*it. One more woke episode, and I will stop wathcing.