For years we've listened to Lynne, Jeff and the creative geniuses at SEG/CBS talk about how casting is this rocket science that requires them finding the perfect castings to fill a concept for the season. Bull. Turns out Erik and Ashley were alternates for Samoa and the decision to go with 20 rather than 18 was made 24 hours before filming started. Forget that this clearly put these two castways at a huge psychological disadvanage; what it tells you is that this spin about casting as rocket science to fit a seasonal concept is bunk.
Question 1 - Were the tribe's completely reworked as a result, 24 hours before filming? If not then Galu was going to start a male short against Foa without Erik?
If the tribes were reshuffled 24 hours before filming the whole Lynne Spillman spin about crafting a dynamic intra-tribal tension through select castings is bullshit. As fans we have long discussed how important creating an intra-tribal tension is to the show. It is the single most effective anti-Pagonging mechanism and allows a show like Samoa to not have a random pre-merge tribal swap, which is thought by most fans to 1) create confusion in the storyline and 2) randomly punish players who have been winning the game.
I have read that either Burnett or Parsons are big fans of 20. While 20 does cause the early eps to be full of people we can't identify or have any character development, apparently the producers think 20 plays better at the merge as an anti-Pagonging (this explains too the merge at 12). 20 is also favored because it handles quitters and injuries better than 16 or 18.
Explaining Mike - Mike was removed from Tocantins a day before filming due to medical concerns. The guy was 30 pounds heavier than when he showed up at Samoa. He was removed and Spencer was activated (more on this). For some reason Mike was so awesome, he had to be brought back for Samoa - after working hard to get in shape and dropping 30 pounds - according to Jeff. But was the risk of Mike's health also part of the reason Samoa was changed to 20 at the last minute? And if so we're back to the bullshit about how much applicants suck. Mike was apparently an applicant (although I am getting very suspicious that he is actually a friend of a friend in casting told to apply). But lets say Mike was an applicant. Are you fricking kidding me? Mike is the magic guy that meets Jeff's assertion that only 1 in 10,000 applicants are qualified to be on Survivor?
Also, replacing a 62 year old overweight chef with the youngest player ever -a gay college kid who bashes effeminate gays (and then dates them, lol) ... says what about the "magic formula" being created by casting.
Bottom Line - The spin about how the producers craft a masterful , super complicated plan for the dynamics of each season and then have to recruit the perfect people to fill this plan is bullshit. Survivor is being run by a series of whims and favors and corruptions with the personal agendas and egos of key people randomly impacting the outcome.
