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Most ratings will be easy to digest for the average Edgic follower. My new coding schemes have been described elsewhere but briefly:

Complexity (game related development)
UNC - Little to none (now just coded as U)
MOR - Mid range complexity (now M)
CP - High complexity (C)

Characterization (personal development)
LOW - Little to none (L)
AVG - Mid range characterization (A)
HI - High characterization (H)

Positive Tone
P - Weak positive tone. May be just a single brief unsupported SPV or something sort of vaguely implied
PP - Clear positive tone. Involves manipulation like musical cues, reinforced or detailed SPV, and overt juxtaposition of footage.
PPP - High positive tone. The Edgic equivalent is PP. Relentless portrayal as a saint, superhero, model human being, incredibly sympathetic/lovable character, etc.

Negative Tone
N - Weak negative tone. May be just a single brief unsupported SPV or something sort of vaguely implied
NN - Clear negative tone. Involves manipulation like musical cues, reinforced or detailed SPV, and overt juxtaposition of footage.
NNN - High negative tone. The Edgic equivalent is NN. Relentless portrayal as evil, unbelievably selfish/mean, a supervillain, monumentally stupid, etc.

Visibility will not be addressed unless some brave soul steps up to do VF calculations with me. I place faith in the past assessments, otherwise. Ideally, it shouldn't matter if visibility is being measured relatively objectively. In any case, I keep records on both raw VF and 5-point Visibility scale conversions.

Other jargon will be explained as it comes up.

Season 1

Episode 1

Pagong

BB – OTTN (UHNN)
U – Little game talk. Suggests that he and Ramona keep the location of the water hole to themselves so they last longer.
H – He’s a hard worker, he’s bossy, he’s stubborn, he’s devious, he has a young wife. Tons of character development.
NN – Though there is a segment where he is shown working hard while various other Pagongs screw around, his scene with Gretchen reverses the impact and makes him look like a stubborn jerk. Beyond this, he also berates Joel and causes him to get angry.

Early game villain BB is set up well with a nice OTTN edit. While I do feel like he came across as in the right by working while the others didn’t, he is shown as doing it in completely the wrong way. This episode sets up his fall immediately and Edgic would likely eliminate him correctly after this episode.

Colleen – UTR (ULN)
U – No game talk.
L – Despite opening sequence telling us her job, little is learned about her.
N – BB points out that he gave specifically her one simple job to do and she ignored it. The only one singled out as a non-worker by BB. Not strong enough to chart, IMO.

Colleen is practically INV in the first episode. Her story is on hold until later when Pagong is more developed. Not sure if modern Edgic would correctly eliminate her based on this, given that she is female and did not go to tribal (plus she’s the token cute brunette and let’s be real here). A borderline UTRN0 first episode is pretty bad, though.

Gervase – UTR (UL)
U – No game talk.
L – Despite opening sequence telling us his job, little is learned about him.

Gervase is one of the most INV people in the first episode. He has his big WOOO when they land and we learn his job but other than that he is not heard from. Again, he is held in the background for the unimportant Pagongs while their premerge boots are emphasized. I believe modern Edgic would correctly eliminate a strong, outgoing male like Gervase with an E1 edit like this.

Greg  - UTR (UL)
U – No game talk.
L – Despite opening sequence telling us his job, little is learned about him.

As close to INV as you can get. I decided that a specific shot of a player with their job is not enough for an INV because they are specifically introduced as a character. If not for that, though, Greg would get an INV. Like Gervase, he would probably be correctly eliminated right here.

Gretchen – UTR (UAP)
U – Gretchen barely discusses the game when she mentions to BB he should stop working so they can be competitive in challenges. Not enough for MOR in my mind.
A – Gretchen gets a little more personality in that she is shown trying to be a team player and also as a good survival skills type. Not well developed enough for an OTT.
P – A little bit of light P in her edit. Voice of reason compared to BB and also the firestarter. However, these things are implied to be positive very very lightly. No musical cues and no one saying “That Gretchen sure is awesome.” Even BB states that she started the fire in a very matter-of-fact way. I wouldn’t chart this.

Another pre-jury Pagong that gets a bit more attention than the post-jury crowd. Not a bad winner’s edit for the first episode. We are introduced to her, she is shown in a fairly positive light, and her value as a survivalist and team player is established. For a non-TC episode (and a female) that’s not too shabby. I’d expect Gretchen near the top of a modern Edgic contenders list.

Jenna – UTR (UL)
U – No game talk.
L – Despite opening sequence telling us her job, little is learned about her.

Noticing a pattern yet? Another jury Pagong that gets nothing in E1. Like Greg, as close to INV as you can get. Edgic might eliminate her after this but given that she’s a female and they didn’t go to tribal, I would expect a bit of a wait before that happened.

Joel – UTR (UL)
U – No game talk.
L – He and BB aren’t best buddies but that’s about all we know.

The only pre-merge Pagong to be relatively ignored. However, they definitely set his character up as a bit cocky and not the easiest to get along with. Edgic might have eliminated him after that showing because, like Gervase, he is a strong alpha male type.

Ramona – UTR (UA)
U – No game talk (save her passive involvement in BB’s scheme).
A – From the first raft ride in, Ramona is shown as sick. Later, she is worn out on the water hike. Her role as the sick one is fairly well established, though not so emphasized that I would go OTT.

Ramona’s later boot is foreshadowed completely in this episode. She just can’t hack it out there. Would probably remain Edgically viable, however.

Tagi

Dirk – OTT (UH)
U – No game talk.
H – The original religious character! Gets a huge segment dedicated to it after the challenge loss that feels very weirdly out of place, especially considering he had nothing to do with the boot.

Despite an OTT start, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dirk got a bit of support. His religious segment is portrayed fairly respectfully and he does vote for the boot target without getting involved in the strategy. And again, the fact that his religiosity is part of the post-challenge scramble would likely be attracting some attention.

Kelly – UTR (UL)
U – Is mentioned by Stacey (and implied to be mentioned by Sue) as part of the strategy but says nothing herself.
L – Despite opening sequence telling us her job, little is learned about her.

One of the most hidden people on the Tagi tribe, which is kind of interesting, given her placement. We see that she’s part of some game planning, but the story is told by Stacey and Sue. Would probably stay alive in modern Edgic.

Rich – CPM (CHPNN)
C – Rich delivers classic CP footage even now. Talks about his strengths, weaknesses, the game, how he sees the tribe working, etc.
H – Rich is introduced to us in extreme detail. He wants to talk. He wants to have meetings. He’s the corporate world out in the bush. He’s strong. Very well developed.
P – Yes Rich is actually a little P in this episode, I think! Rudy has a whole confessional where he talks about how Rich managed to change his mind about him on the row in – that he’s strong. And though his whole corporate world shtick is mocked by Sue, it seems as though Tagi really gets their shit in order immediately after his pep talk. Not as strong as the N but I think it’s there.
NN – The N with Rich is pretty classic and easily cited. Arrogant. A bit clueless and condescending with the constant pushing of the corporate world thing even when people aren’t responding well. Sue directly chastises him for it, as well. Overall, I think it’s a bit of a Mixed portrayal with an N lean.

A bit of a CPOTT in episode 1 for Rich. The seeds of his win are well planted here, though. By far the most aware and strategic player on either tribe. Effective, even if not likable. His OTT personality might dissuade some here, as well as his likely high visibility. His big million dollar check quote would rally some around him and push others away. Some would argue that he is too cocky and unlikable – definitely being set up for a fall. If that M were official, it would scare off many stat people.

They Would Never #1
“They would never show the winner trying to give a motivational talk, part of his profession, and have another person zone out during it.”
They Would Never #2
“They would never show a winner act so cocky right before voting for the wrong person to go home. He was shown as being totally out of the loop.”

(One of the things I look forward to most about this project – the full list of “They Would Never” behaviors for winners. Feel free to make suggestions!)

Rudy – CPM (CHPPNN)
C – Rudy gives a now-iconic confessional about the need to reign in his military style a bit, as it is ultimately him that needs to fit in due to the age composition of his tribe. Very very complex statement.
H – Much of the early part of this episode is dedicated to introducing Rudy as a cantankerous, controversial, old man that rubs some the wrong way and others not so much. We already know more about Rudy than we do some Survivor finalists.
PP – Rich and Sonja both mention that they like Rudy for being so straightforward.
NN – Kelly mentions early that Rudy’s behavior is annoying and Stacey corroborates it in her voting confessional.

Oh Rudy. A very controversial portrayal, which was not what I expected coming in. Probably one of the next most game-savvy players in the episode (after Rich). Modern Edgic would probably be split on Rudy, some emphasizing his complexity and others emphasizing his tone. He’d probably stay alive for now, though.

Sean – UTR (UA)
U – No game talk.
A – His doctor role is emphasized a bit more with his tending to Sonja and the fact that he has nipple rings is pointed out. He’s also the dope who zones out during Rich’s speech to think about food. Probably eliminated for the low-key E1 as a strong male.

Sean’s role as the lovable (or not so lovable) doofus is established a bit during this episode. Pretty low key overall. They will have time to tell his story later.

Sue – MOR (MH)
M – Sue talks a bit of game right before tribal. She discusses how Stacey/Kelly are working together, but that she has no interest in voting their way. Solid MOR-level complexity, I think.
H – Sue is the redneck truck driver who speaks her mind freely and thinks corporate America doesn’t work in Survivor. She’s also a bit devious, lying to Kelly/Stacey about her vote.

Sue would be a strong contender, I think. Personality well established. A foil to cocky douche Rich. A gamer, but not too in-your-face about it. She’d be a top-level contender with this rating.

Stacey – MOR (MLN)
M – The real original alliance-builder. Very brief presentation of it, though. She and Kelly like each other and are working together. She also mentions wanting to bring Sue in.
L – We learn little about Stacey as a person, aside from a brief mention that she’s lazy.
N – Sue mentions in passing that Stacey doesn’t like to “move her ass.” Too light to chart.
Gets some development to supplement her impending boot. Set up as a schemer with a light amount of “lazy” in there to make sure we aren’t sad when she leaves. Edgic would probably love her, being a snarky mid-complexity character.

Out

Sonja – OTTP (UHPP)
U – Sonja barely mentions a bit of game-related talk in that she recognized it was her that fucked up the challenge. However, that’s basically it. There’s no relation to the game itself and what she should do – just that she may be voted out for it.
H – The sweet old woman with a heart of gold. She can sing, she can play music, she can get hurt, and she can fall during the challenge! You know this woman already.
PP – Very positive portrayal. First ever musical manipulation with her injury. Her musical skills are also shown in a positive light, as Rich enjoys her performance.

Even after all these years, it’s still sad to watch her get booted first.

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Overall Thoughts

It’s interesting how inconsequential Pagong is in this episode overall. Many premieres we hear people complain about half of the cast being ignored. Actually, that appears to be “classic” Survivor editing! Otherwise, the emphasis on camp life and survival is overwhelming. Many sentences spoken by characters are inconsequential to the modern ratings systems and many of the higher-vis characters would be MOR-Just Theres or perhaps MOR-Narrators. The shift from the modern seasons all the way back is extremely jarring and demonstrates clearly the shift in overall editing focus.

By the numbers? I think the contenders would probably be Gretchen, Sue, Rich, Stacey, Rudy, and Dirk. Not a bad set AT ALL. The Dirk support would be a bit misguided and based almost entirely on the placement of his scene but I could see reasons to support the rest of them. In terms of eliminations, the record wouldn’t be bad. Of the remaining 9 people, I imagine BB, Gervase, Greg, Joel, and Sean would be correctly eliminated. Colleen, Jenna, Ramona, and Kelly would still be around, though people would probably be very skeptical of all of them, especially Kelly.

Story wise? I guess big themes here are survivalism and teamwork. Also the talking vs. doing business with Rich. This is another reason I believe Gretchen would be strongly supported by Edgic now – she fits both of these themes perfectly. Sue would also be in here for people who believed that action was the correct choice and not talking.

Winner quotes? The man who started it all – Rich!

Complex tribe theorists would be ALL OVER this first episode and would likely all but declare a Tagi winner.

All in all, I think modern post-S22 Edgic would be well prepared to tackle this season and would be off to a great start after Episode 1.

Great start!

- Having 3 vis charts with 3 different results is alarming, but probably not surprising given the way they do speaking roles back in these days. VF may be sketchy until the editing stabilizes later in the show. However, I think Visibility scores will probably be pretty stable.

- Love the different perspectives on the edits already discussed. Rich's tone is an interesting subject.

- Youtube is one place that you can find old episodes from time to time if you don't own them. I think most are available for purchase on Amazon/itunes. I suspect various torrent sites could help you out, too, if that's your thing, though that probably can't be endorsed here without irking someone.

I don't want to close discussion on any particular episode but I do have my thoughts on the next one ready. I don't plan a schedule of discussion or anything so I don't think discussing episodes or seasons out of order would be disruptive.

Season 1

Episode 2

Pagong

Colleen – UTR (UA)
U – No game talk.
A – We get a little bit of her jungle adventures with best buddy Greg to start to flesh her character out.

Still very flat and unimportant. We learn she is Greg’s buddy but little else. However, Edgic would probably stick with her a while longer.

Gervase – MOR (MH)
M – Though Pagong is largely an SPV factory this episode, Gervase’s comments (particularly those about BB) cross into the MORish territory. His diagnosis for BB’s “quit” seems very accurate and supported by the edit.
H – His big display at the grub eating IC makes him the cartoon character we all remember.

Very Sophie-esque episode for Gervase. SPV all over the place but generally pretty sharp observations, even if most of them aren’t directly game related. Likely already eliminated after episode 1.

Greg – OTTP (UHPP)
U – No game talk. He has detailed opinions about others and how they make him feel, but nothing game related.
H – We learn about his friendship with Colleen, that he’s a hard worker, and that he’s the life of the party.
PP – Not only called out as one of the few workers on Pagong by BB, but Ramona also talks about how great it is to have him out there because he’s so fun.

And here’s the Greg we all remember, being introduced slowly. Smart, funny, charming, and entertaining. Likely already eliminated after episode 1.

Gretchen – UTRP (UAPP)
U – Again, not much with game related comments. She wants to win challenges and that’s the extent of it.
A – Shown to be better than BB at shelter planning and still portrayed as a team player that knows a thing or two.
PP – The P is stronger this time. She was right about where to put the shelter and BB calls her out as a hard worker. The overall feel definitely leans towards positive.

Gretchen would probably continue to raise Edgic eyebrows here. As I watch the episodes I get UTR winner vibes, even knowing she loses. However, modern Edgic would be wondering when we’d hear some serious game talk from her.

Jenna – UTR (UAP)
U – Comments very briefly that she doesn’t want BB gone because he does all of their work. Closer to complexity, but not enough, IMO.
A – Not a lot about her. BB thinks she’s a hard worker, though, and I think it’s worth noting that we learn this.
P – BB’s short hardworking PSPV. Not chartworthy. He doesn’t even mention her by name because he can’t remember it.

Jenna is still on the backburner but at least she wasn’t INV. Modern Edgic probably keeps her uneliminated for now.

Joel – UTR (UAN)
U – No game talk really.
A – He and BB continue to butt heads and Joel’s cocky personality comes through a bit more.
N – Gets a pretty harsh but short NSPV from BB about thinking he’s better than he is.

Joel is still being mostly ignored. This is interesting because he is the only premerge boot to get such low-end development. Likely already eliminated in episode 1.

Ramona – CPM (CHPPNN)
C – Several confessionals discussing the idea of tribal council, her feelings regarding not having control of the game, and who she wants to see gone.
H – The “sick, lazy girl” character is fully solidified here. We see Ramona in this way and so do many of her tribemates, as multiple SPVs deal with this issue.
PP – Gets the sympathy music when throwing up and some people express sympathy for her illness. BB’s NSPV for her is countered a bit by Gervase explaining why she doesn’t work.
NN – Still, there is a lot said about how useless Ramona is. BB’s account is shown to be correct (despite being mean and aloof) in that she is always shown lying around or sick. Jenna also criticizes her for it later.

Did not expect this at all. I am intentionally not looking at the official Edgic chart so that it doesn’t impact my ratings but I know Ramona doesn’t have any complexity on there. Her portrayal is a lot more sympathetic than I remember and she is also a lot more game-aware than I remember. Probably remains Edgically viable, though not a strong contender.

Tagi

Dirk – INV (UL)
U – No game talk.
L – No personal development.

The first edit I truly consider to be INV for Survivor. Little to no speaking I can remember. Would probably hurt his Edgic chances significantly and may see him eliminated by some.

Kelly – UTR (UL)
U – No game talk. She’s a narrator.
L – Nothing learned about Kelly as a person.

Still not much Kelly. A few snippets of narration but ultimately inconsequential. Again, though, as a female Edgic would probably hang on a bit longer.

Rich – MORP (MAPP)
M – Very brief comment detailing a statement of Stacey’s. Even though he voted for her, she doesn’t know it and thinks it was Rudy, who she thinks is going next. Pretty basic and not as much focus on himself, though.
A – We learn that Rich is gay for the first time and he talks about how being gay has been received by others in his personal life.
PP – Rudy is pretty detailed in his positive assessment of Rich. First, Rich is super nice and talented such that the tribe should listen to him more. Not only that, Rich is so awesome he has made the homophobe pull a 180 on his opinion. Pretty damn positive portrayal.

This episode starts with a little flavor of strategic Rich to keep us acquainted but is ultimately more about Rich the person. He’s gay and people don’t mind it. Also probably important to his overall story. I imagine he would remain a strong contender and may even climb a bit with his early negativity softened.

Sadly, there are no notable “They Would Never” moments this week.

Rudy – UTRN (UANN)
U – No game talk.
A – Personality continues to get a bit of development. He’s still cantankerous and bigoted, but not entirely. Nothing I found too overwhelming, though. Argument could be made for H (and thus OTTN).
NN – Stacey tells us he’s a food thief and has a tendency to not take care of his knives (accompanied by him eating fruit while others aren’t nearby). Sean warns Rich that Rudy is the one he needs to worry about coming out to.

I thought Rudy was supposed to be America’s hero? Plenty of substantiated NSPV. Accepting Richard despite his prejudices is nice, but hardly emphasized as Rudy being positive for it. He’s looking more like Randy than Rupert so far. This episode would likely keep Rudy a divisive Modern Edgic character that some would eliminate and some would not.

Sean – UTR (UAN)
U – No game talk.
A – Sean is a great inventor that, according to Sue anyway, doesn’t have his priorities quite right.
N – Sue bashes Sean for his time-wasting Superpole. Pretty mild.

Sean the dopey doctor is emerging further. Likely already eliminated in episode 1.

Sue – UTR (UL)
U – No game talk.
L – No personal development.

Exists only to briefly bash Sean for his fishing pole. Probably a bit of a hit to her chances but still Edgically viable.

Stacey – UTR (UAN)
U – Rich talks about her game a bit but not much from her. She bitches about Rudy but not much more.
A – Medium character development. Sean thinks her challenge win will help her fit in with the girls (which is more a testament to how slow Sean is). We also learn she is a bit prissy and not jungle-friendly.
N – Rudy’s NSPV about her being a princess that will learn a lesson is pretty minor. Not something I’d chart.

Still a schemer but it’s not shown much. More is made of her complaints toward Rudy, her challenge win, and her bitchy attitude. Not the best Edgic rating here but I think Edgic would still have a hard time eliminating her.

Out

BB – MORM (MHPPNN)
M – Suggests the plan to get himself voted out and also tells us who he’d vote off other than himself. Basic game talk.
H – The episode practically revolves around him and his behaviors in a continuation of his episode 1 character.
PP – Probably easily forgotten and lost is the fact that BB gets a ton of PSPV in this episode from many people. Several people talk about how he is just an awesome worker around camp. Colleen even takes a crack at figuring out why he’s acting out in a way that puts a positive spin on his behavior. She asks “Who doesn’t want a BB action figure?”
NN – I think he is borderline NNN for this episode. He is portrayed as absolutely hell to live with such that it makes the PSPV confessionals hard to believe. Every other scene at Pagong is BB being a gigantic dick to someone, complete with eye rolls, angry NSPV reaction confessionals, etc.

Survivor’s first unofficial quitter. Very interesting exit and probably one of the most content-rich episodes for a single character ever (even including Russell).

Modern Edgic Score – Very likely eliminates him prior to his boot (1 for 1).

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Overall Thoughts

This was, bar none, the toughest episode of Edgic ratings I’ve ever done. Tagi is mainly a bunch of survival stuff with a small “Rich is gay how will Rudy react?” storyline thrown in. Pagong, on the other hand, is a goddamn SPV hurricane. And not all of it is particularly helpful for doing ratings, either. Many confessionals are simply narrating what other people did with the person’s opinion of that behavior added. The net result is that I had a hard time getting a feel for any of the characters – most of Pagong felt like narrators to me.

Who’s Winning?

By the numbers? Gretchen, Sue, Rich, Stacey, and Rudy would likely top the lists, still. I bet Gervase, Greg, Joel, and Sean would remain eliminated. Colleen, Jenna, and Kelly would be flirting with elimination (especially Kelly). Dirk and Ramona would probably be somewhere in the middle but not eliminated.

Story wise? Gretchen would remain strong here. I didn’t notice any new story directions or themes. Sue might drop off a bit after Rudy’s declaration that people should listen to Rich (which Sue did not).

Winner quotes? BB claims that Joel is the type of guy who if you buy him for what he’s worth and sell him for what he thinks he’s worth, you’d get a million bucks. If BB lasted past the episode, he’d probably get attention from someone for having a million dollar quote. Some might argue this is further proof that Joel loses (as he’s not worth the money) or a clue that Joel wins (by believing in himself more than others or something). Anyway, this is the first ever “million dollar” quote that has nothing to do with the winner.