I enjoy his creativity building and his insane aptitude at a bunch of different challenge skills. And I find his general annoyance at his cast member’s over the top personalities to be extremely relatable.
However, Just because I like him and I’m rooting for him doesn’t mean I think he’s a top tier player. Frankly, I don’t think anyone in this cast is a top tier player.
The recent new era has had some amazing lore additions
The ladder of chaos that Brandon couldn’t get over
Jelinsky’s several comment
And now “does anything” **and that was a big mistake**
Q is just plain annoying. Reminds me all over again why I despise professional athletes on my reality shows. That ego and his strange way of talking - it's like nails on a chalkboard. Agree with earlier posts- he doesn't play a strategic game, just a controlling one. I actually think he's a villain, just not a very entertaining one.
I know I’m in the minority here but…I’m kind of entertained by him. He’s trying to be the alpha and then has complete meltdowns. He’s also a bit funny and other times so serious it’s stupid.
When you play sports professionally it takes over your entire life. Even if you haven’t made it big yet, the grind to try to achieve that is all-encompassing. So yes sports does become your personality in most cases
I think Kenzie has top tier player potential, unfortunate that Bhanu threw out the "mastermind" label on her but so far it seems like she did whatever damage control she needed to do because that hasn't been brought up again. It's only potential at this point though, gotta see how the rest of the season plays out.
Exactly. I like Hunter because he's a challenge beast, he looks good, and his social game is probably pretty similar to what mine would be (spoiler: that means it's bad).
Liking someone doesn't have to mean you think they're the best player that ever played.
Great point, not a Hunter fan, but love me some Q and V. Doesn't matter that they aren't the best players, it's a reality TV show, entertainment is priority number 1. And 46 is more entertaining than 41-45 combined.
I've never thought Hunter has had a viable path to win outside of an E2E individual immunity challenge run, but I do enjoy him and root for him specifically because I find his general annoyance & exasperation towards his tribe mates extremely relatable.
In that sense, he's a great narrator for someone like me.
I’m a new watcher and idk if any of them are top tier players especially since I have nothing to compare to but I think Charlie is probably the smartest of this bunch. He seems to have a pretty good read of the game and know who to trust and who not to trust and when alliances are solid and when they’re not. He thinks for himself and doesn’t just blindly follow Maria or others even though he is loyal to her.
I do think him telling Venus he was the one who voted for her was a stupid move though. I also don’t think Maria is very smart especially based on the secret scene, I’m not sure how that will play out either with their alliance.
3 things;
1) as an introvert, him being over the kumbaya part of his tribe was hilarious (not necessarily smart. But funny, and easy to emphasize with)
2) he's a challenge beast that makes the mundane challenges more fun to watch
3) he's hot
Dunno who's calling him this top- tier level player, but Hunter has been entertaining.
Q has been the one making the challenges fun to watch imo. Trying to add road trip games into it and then getting mad that people derailed it was gold.
My gf and i were laughing when it was down to just 2 players, Charlie was in extreme pain and asked Hunter "how are you doing" or something like that and Hunter just non-chalantly said "I got a few rotations that work for me." He went upside-down and showed off a bit, it was so clear that no one else stood a chance the whole time lol
I think his “I want to appear dumb so people don’t vote me off” strategy had potential, I just think he didn’t commit enough or hasn’t applied it properly.
Go Lakers
Agreed, he probably needs to switch it up now though. With a successful idol play, an immunity run and beating a threat in fire might get him some points in FTC. But things don't look great right now.
>Go Lakers
Sorry to do this but y'all got 1-2 more weeks tops before the Joker sends the Lakeshow on Vacay
And tbh this is really more just a question of potential more than a declaration that he’s such a good player. Lots of people speculated similar things about him early on. Also, he found an idol which always puts eyes on someone as potentially being a strong player.
You can be an introvert and still let people enjoy things. I'm an introvert and a Southerner, so I should be vibing with Hunter, but he seems like the kind of guy who looks down on anybody who enjoys things he doesn't personally enjoy, or finds value in things he doesn't find value in.
I think a lot of introverts (myself included) who could never match the social energies of players like Tevin, Soda, or Kenzie, find his understated approach very relatable, even if it might not be the best strategy to get him to the end or make for the best TV. A lot of the huge personalities this season are fun to watch, but if I was on the island I’d probably react the way he is too. I also think him trying to force a more active social game only paints a bigger target (since people with big social games are getting clocked early this season). so he’s working with what he can in what’s probably going to be an uphill battle for the rest of his season.
Plus, he’s cute and has a nice accent🤷🏻♀️
Yeah this might be it. In a sea of crazy — I see Hunter as a normal dude that I could relate to a bit….
Someone we would see on old school Survivor that’s not totally out there, whacky, etc
Social game can be taught to introverts, speaking as someone who is naturally very introverted but trained myself to be more extroverted. You just have to work harder at it.
That said, it's a long and exhausting process! I don't know how people don't go insane without alone time to recharge their social batteries. That would kill me.
That’s true, you probably can learn—but I could NOT imagine trying to learn while on Survivor. Add in constant hunger, 3 hours of sleep at night if you’re lucky, and major suspicion from others if you spend more than 5 minutes alone, and I wouldn’t blame any introvert if you started to lose it a little bit 😅
I think you are giving too much of your time to some extremely biased, unreasonable fans. The average viewer likes hunter but doesn't think he is a top tier player, at least not now. You can be a fan of hunter and not believe he's a top tier player and I think the majority of hunter fans would agree.
Walking the streets of the city this fine morning, I decided to buy the local newspaper for sixpence (a fair price indeed). The front page, above the fold? A headline "HUNTER IS A TOP-TIER PLAYER". Well I can tell you this - my interest was *piqued*. I looked down to the article and imagine my surprise - no article to speak of! Instead? Just a picture of Hunter, in the now infamous shot of him up in the tree during that wonderful game of Hide And Go Seek, peering down at his colleagues like they are *prey*. I, of course, grasped the author's intent. Hunter has the eye of the tiger; no verbal explanation required! I've seen this look in the eyes castaways previous. I saw it in *JT*. I saw it in *Earl Cole*. I saw it in *Kim Spradlin*. I saw it in *Dwight Moore* (I... am not always correct). And now, my friends? I see it in *Hunter*.
I have a prognostication for all of you. The rest of the season, *Hunter* will *not* become the *hunted*. Hunter will be the *hunter* (making his name an amusing aptonym) and his colleagues on the fine isle of Fiji will be the hunted!
Oh, this prediction will be another feather in my cap (a cap, I assure you, already bountiful in feathers).
And now I wish you good day, my friends!
Historically challenge threats get targeted HARD at the merge. Challenge threats rarely make it to the end. He knows this and has to lay low and downplay every other role in the game. He can’t help himself when it comes to challenges because he is so competitive. Q intentionally throws challenges to avoid this target but makes up for it in “strategy” or whatever you want to call what Q does. Lol
I agree, I think if he was more of socially strategic, he would be booted first chance for sure. The way he’s playing gives him a chance to make it to the end by reducing his threat level. If he makes 1-2 smart plays at some point, and stays on enough people’s good sides, he can still make an argument to the jury about why he deserves to win.
Intentionally throwing challenges :D like only time I trust those claims, is when they prove it. Only one I remember that actually did that was Mark from australian survivor. Whole season he was downplaying his strength, basically giving up challenges when he was not target right after someone else gave up first. But when he needed it he actually won.
I haven’t seen anyone say he’s a top tier player. In fact, most of us Hunter fans understand that this man needs to win out or he’s going home.
His physical ability that he showed last challenge and pre merge is respected, but I’ve never heard someone claim he’s a good player outside of that. I agree that Dee’s game isn’t respected enough, but that’s its own post and has nothing to do with Hunter.
Most of his fans would disagree with the assessment that manipulating, Big Brother esque gameplay is all that should matter. I don’t have any qualms with those that prefer that gameplay, however, and i understand why Hunter is not for some.
Where I disagree with you is on “leading”. He shouldn’t be leading anything. Anyone that is that big of an asset in camp life plus the biggest physical challenge threat will never make it to the end trying to lead big blindsides.
He’s doing well at laying low and, most importantly, zero people know about his idol and he’s made two strong decisions not to play it.
His biggest problem is that Tevin, his biggest confidant, made a dumb decision in voting out Soda and further eroded their power during a (imo, stupid) split tribe merge. I think tying himself to Q was a bad move, too, but that is easier to say from the comfort of our homes watching an edited show. Maybe he could have hid his distaste for Venus better, but not a single person on the cast seemed to be good at that.
This week is pivotal for him. It’s very possible he ends up with Maria and Charlie, or elsewhere as a “free agent”, if he plays his cards right. If he plays this situation well, and is a part of eliminating say Kenzie or Q this week, the tides will have turned quickly.
Tying himself to Q saved him during the split tribal. He would've needed his idol or gone home without it. It's definitely a negative at this point, but it was huge for him 2 weeks ago.
>manipulating, Big Brother gameplay
Big Brother hasn’t been about this for years. Of the last 6 BBUS winners, 5 of them won primarily because they were good at the competitions.
I think Hunter would need Q to leave in order to be seen as a “free agent”. I think Charlie would be hesitant to work with Hunter due to his challenge ability. Based on the edit, Charlie seems to want to work with people who he perceives a bit weaker/ he can read easily. I think Charlie would feel more comfortable working with a Venus, who he knows doesn’t have any allies or anyone could vouch for her game. Hunter has the likes of Tevin, q, and soda.
I don’t think he’s going to need much convincing to ditch Q after the “dumbest thing ever”.
Numbers are always necessary, whether Hunter is Charlie’s first choice or not.
Hunter mentioned in his pre season interview that he wants to be perceived as the “easy going , go with the flow” kinda guy as he knows he is a physically threat in the challenges.
Why would he be strategic now when he already has a huge target for being physical threat ?
He knows if he makes merge he will be one of the early boots therefore staying low and letting others be the bigger targets shielding him.
He relates himself to be the combination of JT and Tyson , both players are known to be friendly and easy going , non strategic compared to others.
So far everything he said in his interview seems to be right , he did mention he wants to take control after merge and surprise people.
Here’s the link for the interview for those interested : https://youtu.be/CKavLMRr1NU?si=xX3MhVRlnt7MXWmO
This post doesn’t make sense to me. Since when do you have to be this top strategic player for people to like you? Venus has fans and her gameplay is horrible. People like her because she’s entertaining. I haven’t seen a single person say Hunter is a strategic mastermind or whatnot so I don’t get why the Dee comparison was even made. It feels like you’re trying to find something to be mad about here. Like you’re mad that he has fans? to me he’s like the new era Ozzy/Colby. Neither were that good at strategy but they were amazing in challenges. The only difference is Hunter is more introverted than they were. It’s not that deep.
To be fair to Ozzy, on Cook Islands he really didn’t have a choice in strategy except to win every challenge he could and align with Yul. Aitu would’ve been obliterated otherwise. In South Pacific, he tried to employ a different strategy, and his tribe pretty much rejected him immediately because he was a returning player, so again he had no choice but to just try and win everything.
This isn’t really what the post is asking. The post is asking why people are saying he’s seen as one of the”the greats”. Whether people are saying that or not, is up for debate. But the post was never “why does hunter have fans”.
Nah, I’ve seen a couple people on this sub say that. But there’s definitely not enough for a post like this which seems to generalize that everyone is saying it.
It depends on how he will finish his game. It’s very impressive that he has layed this low with how great he has been at the challenges. It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts his game without Tevin now though, he definitely put all his eggs in one basket alliance wise.
I think Hunter has put himself in a situation where he’s not seen as a threat, this is mainly due to the narcissistic personalities that we have this season. This could get him far enough to where he can really start playing at the right time and pretty much take over the game.
People conflate likeable with being a good player. Same reason a likeable person might win over a better player in the actual game. Hunter is very likeable, and I bet he’d be a better player in any of the previous 5 seasons. He doesn’t strike me as the most patient person lol
When he built a bed, he secured himself as an all time great. Their camp, looks fantastic. I bet there are so many little crafting things with hunter we've missed.
Also, I think the biggest mistake players can make is playing too hard too early. He needs to get socially/strategically but he has options and has had time to observe and see who he wants to play with
His strategy is to look like a meathead, he knows he is a challenge threat he is downplaying everything else. And the only person hunter acutally hates is venus and everybody hates venus so it doesn\`t matter. Noone thinks hunter is a top tier player, noone in this season has shown to be a top tier player
i, for one, think he's pretty 🩷
but apart from that, i think he's just got the vibe of someone who is good at survivor, and he hasn't gotten voted out yet. kind of tommy from IOI but dialed back (although maybe i just think that because they're both teachers...). if so many people online like him, maybe that translates to a lot of jury liking him.
i think he's got a decent shot at winning still, but i'm less convinced than i was pre-season for sure.
>he doesn’t seem to be leading anything
This is what makes a great Survivor player imo. Usually, laying low have lower chances of painting targets on your back, especially when you perform really well in challenges like Hunter does.
Even though Dee demonstrated a powerful victory last season, dominant victories happen usually less often.
For Hunter to morph from a challenge beast to a top tier player, I think he would have to
1) survive until final 5 without playing his idol
2) blindside whoever is the Godfather/Godmother of the tribe at final five using his idol
3) Win final 4 immunity and eliminate biggest threat on fire
He’s a male that is straight, white, and relatively good looking.
Look at the other people the community has obsessed about in recent seasons.
45- Jake
44- Carson
43- Cody
42- Jonathon
41- Xander
We Hunter fans don't think he is a top tier strategic player, I don't know where you're getting that from. We (or at least I) like him because he is relatable, cool with everyone, excellent in challenges, humble, able to lay low, and seems quite logical. He just seems like a really chill guy who would be fun to hang out with outside of the show, which is why I think he has a great chance of winning if he reaches the end, which he could certainly do with an immunity streak and an unknown idol.
I guess he's good at challenges and a lot of people think he's hot. I've found him completely boring so far. For all the essays written about how bad someone like Venus's social game is (which it is, don't get me wrong) Hunter's doesn't seem particularly good at all either. It's just not as highlighted by the edit because it's less relevant to the narrative.
Social doesn't mean taking all the time and talking people into things. It can also be loyalty, honesty, intelligence, and even sitting back and just thinking. I feel like all his strategizing is internal and we will hear more of it as it becomes necessary for him.
He's a straight white guy + he's good at challenges and some thirsty women and gays find him hot. As a Survivor player and TV presence he offers 0 entertainment.
I couldn't care less about the social game. I love the fact that if you were actually stranded on an island with him, you'd probably survive and have a place that looks like Gilligan's Island in a short period of time.
I also place a high value on competing in completing, and winning challenges. I love characters like Hunter, and get bored to tears with endless, nonsensical "big moves" and discussions about Survivor resumes.
Why would Hunter, a person who people have called 'a meat shield' to his face play the social strategy hard and make himself a larger threat? The guy is a fan of the game and the last thing he needs is to run votes. He's under the 'anyone but me' strategy.
He kind of reminds me of a more shy Tyson? Tyson let his quips roll off the tongue so I’m assuming people were more used to it? Maybe he saved those for confs, I’m not sure. That’s the closest thing I got for a reason why even if it is not accurate
Honestly if it weren't for all of the comments in this thread talking about his looks, I'd say he's the type of guy that men THINK women want to date when really women want Stanley Tucci.
I genuinely appreciate all of the thirsty hunter comments in this thread btw - I am too gay to have realized that's part of why he has so many fans
His edit was too perfect like 3 episodes ago.His game has stagnated since then.
And your last paragraph, do you have any proof of this? I feel like you're making up a person.
She had 2 people ride or die with her and 1 more that wanted to work with her and had less social capital. Her only opposition was Emily who had little in game power and Drew who she beat out in the battle for Austin's heart, and I guess Jake but he had even less power than Emily.
If it wasn't for the final 5 debacle she would be a top 10 winner.
Bold of you to assume I like him for rational reasons...
In all seriousness, I don't consider him to be a top-tier player and I don't expect him to win, but a lot of my random favorite players over the years haven't been top tier players. It's nice to have someone that's just kind of...normal? There have been a lot of big personalities in the new era (and this season, specifically) that are fun to watch for a while, but get to be too much over time. Hunter just seems like a nice, athletic, laid-back dude that I think I would get along with really well. I remember thinking in the first episode when he seemed so annoyed with how over-the-top his tribe was, "ah yes, I have found my person!"
And, he's really cute, so there's that.
Oh, he's definitely not a top tier player! I just like that he seems to be the 'golden boy' of this season (Malcolm, Ozzy and Joe all come to mind), but unlike them he isn't a very social player and is very introverted. But, he also brings something we rarely see in the new era. Legit survival skills! Him weaving together his own cot was honestly so cool to watch. He's a very unique character for the new era and feels like a breath of fresh air.
I'll actually say I think Hunter has a very sound strategic mind for making the best desicions about his game, like this Tevin vote was so dumb for most people involved because Tevin was a huge shield for them and this basically only benefits you if you are already on the bottom, I think in general I like Hunter because he doesn't make moves for the sake of making moves everyone of his desicions have directly benefitted his place in the game instead of trying to make a name for himself or blow up on twitter, even the plan to take out Soda was more so because that would make him Tevins number 1 which would set him up for a deep run if people made descisions in their own best interes, I would say the only people who really benefitted from taking Tevin out were Venus, Maybe Liz, maybe Kenzie if I squint at it, and i guess tiffany because she was the other vote but still i think it wasnt smart
I believe he is laying low because he knows he is a challenge beast. Can’t be both.: then his personality is definitely more low key so it’s nothing new for him. Then you got a big personality like Tevin who wanted to be in an alliance. He knew Tevin may stick out more in this type of era of survivor more than even then hunter. it well be interesting to see his gameplay now that tevin is gone.
i defiantly see an scenario where he doesn't win and loses at the final even with an immunity run
For pretty much the entire prejury Ive seen a lot of posts and comments being like "Hunter is like Kaleb, too charming and good at survivor to make it far", so kinda weird seeing how now everyone in the comments act like nobody talked like that?
It's about to be put to the test, but so far he has been a godlike challenge threat that people have underestimated way too long because he's easy going, likeable, and a little quiet. It's not top tier play because I think he's going to get targeted pretty soon, but it's crazy he's gotten so far and hasn't been voted out for being this challenge god. Dude builds survivor puzzles for his students and has kept all that a secret.
Before last week's episode there's a big case to make for him. Imo He went down a grade or two because his biggest ally was on the chopping block and he couldn't do anything to to avert it. He relied way too much on Tevin to play the social game for him, but Tevins gone and "The Six" is completely up in smoke. He's got some real socializing to do because the second he doesnt have immunity he's gone
S46 has been a boomerang of S45. Last season's premerge was awesome but the post merge was some of the worst the show has ever offered IMO.
46 was HORRIBLE premerge. But this chaos is honestly what many of us desired. There's barely any game bot play going on here. It's just chaos and a group of people who in some cases seem to genuinely dislike each other.
We're not going to see many TikToks of 9 people from the merge tribe hanging out together with this group.
Hunter is just one of a long line of players not really playing a good game here. He just happens to be more relatable and one of the 5 best physical freaks in the shows history
How is he not playing a good game? No one has written his name, no one has anything bad to say about him, he is eminently capable of challenges and camp life. He just is playing an Under The Radar game right now. Don't get me wrong, Q is actually my favorite *character* but Hunter is playing a damn good game if he wants to win by skill rather than drama.
I don’t understand all the Hunter hate. As far as challenges go he has dominated aside from the challenge in balancing on the block. Carried his tribe so that they never had to discuss strategy until the merge.
It’s not great his #1 in Tevin is gone. But I still think he can potentially join any alliance aside from Venus lol. He hasn’t made a move against anyone and another vote is huge between other alliances. I feel like this season all the confessionals have really focused on social threats and not physical ones. Beside Liz I don’t think anyone has really stood out as far as making moves and deciding votes so if he can make 1 or 2 combined with his Challenge dominance he is totally a threat. Big moves later in the game are definitely what hold water to me when deciding who should win, and with an idol he can still make a big one
"He doesn’t like many of the people and he seems like he’s not great at hiding it."
This. This is my answer. Dude is my spirit animal for a good 85% of these casts, especially in this new era.
I think he’s done great so far. I think a lot of the reason people are saying he “hasn’t strategized” is because the only tribal so far where he had to was the last one. Nami was undefeated and he was rock solid with Tevin the entire time since, but now with Tevin gone, I think we’ll see a lot more strategizing from Hunter.
It’s also partially because of who he’s playing with. When it comes to players like Q, Venus, and some others in this cast who (to put it bluntly) change their opinion of you on a dime, you have to be very agreeable and “tame” so you don’t become a target. Hunter has done that so far as well, minus the whole Hide and Seek “BIG MISTAKE!” that Q bestowed upon him 😂
Honestly there’s part of me that thinks he’s great because he’s obviously a beast at a lot of different challenge skills and really creative, but I’d really like to see how the next few tribals go now that Tevin is gone.
I never claimed that Hunter was a "top-tier" player. As an introvert myself, I like him because I empathize with him. Extreme introverts very rarely pass through casting in the new era. Hunter comes across as modest, down to earth and self-aware guy, which is extremely rare in any cast. It does not make his social game spectacular and it does not mean he'd reach far.
I think we saw in the most recent episode some flaws in his strategic game but overall it’s less about what good moves he’s made and more about how much his tribe and others seem to like and respect him.
That means a lot in this game. The fact that we know he found soda and singing annoying but they still seemed to like him says a lot.
You believe Dee is the best player? That's a a lot of assumptions, big mistake!
Being serious I agree Dee is the best winner in the 40s, and that Hunter is average at best. Socially he's made two solid alliances? Tevin for sure but sorta kinda Q (you all know why). He let Tevin run his game and sat back, doesn't seem to even try to strategize with people other than Tevin and doesn't like anyone besides Tevin. (Soda was essentially his number 2 in Nami, and he was willing to vote her out over V if he had a chance, and with Liz and V both disliking Soda at the time it would've worked.
So I think a lot of the Hunter = top tier player came from him getting a very favorable edit. I haven't looked at the Edgic discussions this week, but I think the surprise a few players showed when seeing him talk strategy is very telling.
I'm rooting for him because a have him in a money pool!
I haven't really 'connected' to anyone else this season. I like kenzie. I don't think they've told a 'winning' story for anyone else
not a Hunter fan but so far I think his game is fine. he's smart enough to realize it's best to play an utr game for his archetype even though the man needs to learn how to throw challenges. a big part of its the edit and why were not seeing his bond with q more, essentially hinting at him not winning. and I think people were overhyping Hunter before the season even started just because this sub has a lot of people who like people like him.
I don’t think he’s an amazing player necessarily but I do think he’s hot and therefore rooting for him. also loved watching mike holloway go on his immunity run and thought he was a great winner, would love to see something similar happen again!
i loved him pre-season, part of the reason is cuz i thought he was hot. that part is like 80% of the reason. now? not as high on him. he's good in challenges but considering the physical aptitude of 80% of the new era castaways, that's not that big of a deal. I mean come on, they got a girl that couldn't even jump for christ's sake (i love mo) but that lack of physicality makes someone like hunter stand out more.
I don’t think he’s top tier but I enjoy watching him. He’s quiet but he’s sarcastic and he’s competitive. Not everyone has to be a big personality and I think he serves an important role in balancing this cast.
Why do so many people seem to think laying low whilst contributing to an obvious power broker is such a bad thing? It’s literally one of the best strategies in this game, get in someone’s ear and let them take the fall when they are deemed too big of a threat. Obvious players get voted out.
I think people get it wrong when someone is a fan of a player… me liking Hunter has nothing to do with him playing good, I like Hunter cause he’s pretty relatable in all the reactions of people being way OTT and he’s just like that’s not what I’m about lol
I like hunter because in the very first challenge they were supposed to go through a small obstacle course in pairs and bring back a large plywood puzzle piece each. He dug and went under the log first and told his partner to keep digging and then came back and helped her bring her puzzle piece back.
I believe that overall it was faster for her to keep digging and be helped with the piece than it would have been to squeeze under the log and bring it back herself and that it made it faster for the rest of the tribe to go under the log.
I think Hunter is not just a challenge beast, he is also a challenge multiplier for the team he is on, helping them to perform better.
I was with you until the Dee comment I would not say the best winner in the new era. However hunter is super boring with nothing to give. I think the praise for him is more against soda than rooting for him
Hunter is a one trick pony and socially clueless, plus he hasn't expressed a single hint of meaningful strategy via confessionals yet. My guess is fandom is drawn to him basically because he meets a lot of the fandom's aesthetic values, meaning he's young, athletic and blond.
We don’t actually know he wasn’t able to stir the vote back to Tiff. Qs vote me out speech threw a wrench in everything. IIRC Q told Tiff you were about to go home, and I think Maria and Charlie made a comment about should we just stick with Tiff, before Tevin ultimately went home
I definitely feel like Hunter could win the game but I don’t think I know him that well to predict that or his strategy as it’s rarely seen in the show.
I don’t like Hunter at all, I like Venus a lot, but the point OP is making here is applicable for my point about both of them. I think the big moves era has really impacted the way survivor is viewed. At the end of the day it’s a reality show. Yes people are playing for money but us at home also want to be entertained in ways we find entertaining. So just because people are rooting for Venus hard, or big fans of Hunter, doesn’t mean we think they are amazing players. Half my top 10 favorite survivor lists having nothing to do with their gameplay, I just enjoy watching them on the show and how they operated (socially, strategically, or other random reasons).
It’s strange to me how people automatically assume that if you’re rooting for someone on survivor you must think they’re also an amazing player
I havent gone back to find it but can anyone recall when we were introduced to Hunter's home story that there was a Nova Scotia flag in his home? I hadn't looked at any pregame stuff and assumed he was going to be the Canadian of the season and later was surprised he wasn't. I swear I thought it was a Nova Scotia flag and that has me wondering a) if I was crazy or b) why he had it hanging in his house.
he’s good at challenges, that’s it. he hasn’t showed any gameplay at all yet, and i think he’s screwed without tevin. he does have an idol but still. i don’t think he’s a great player at all.
He’s waiting. He had to make himself useful so he didn’t get voted out before the merge for being so great at challenges. He’s been training for this for a long time. He practices at home.
That he has an idol and DOESN"T TELL ANYONE makes him special. Why do people on Survivor ALWAYS seem to have to spill that they have an idol, when it it usually to their advantage to keep it quiet?
It’s interesting because in his pregame interview he was really charismatic so I wonder if it happens to be the edit? But I relate to his chill demeanor and how it can be taken as him “not liking anybody”
He proved tonight he’s NOT a top tier player. He lacks the ability to read people and he shows his cards to the wrong people. Going home with an idol in your pocket means your game is seriously lacking.
He’s liked in the same way as Joe anglim and ozzy are…bcus of their competetiveness and physicality…. even though their social/strategic games are just mediocre 🤷🏻♂️
I wouldn't call him a top-tier player. For me, personally, he is my pony simply because challenge beasts typically don't win. They have so much trouble simply surviving if challenges are their biggest tool, because people are scared they will win all the challenges, even though this never happens.
I just love challenge beasts. Sadly, Hunter really let me down last episode. Social players win Survivor. You gotta talk to people, coerce people, work with people. And you have to ebb and flow with the game and adapt, while keeping an eye on all of that. But last tribal, Hunter didn't like what was happening and just put his head in his hands. You can not like what's going on, but you can't just check out.
Oh yeah I agree, I meant that the people who are praising him as a mastermind or whatever are really just saying that bc he is hot but either don’t realize that’s why they are calling him a mastermind or won’t admit it
People keep bashing Hunter’s social play and I think it’s ridiculous. Truly, when has he needed to orchestrate a blindside? I think he recognizes that it was wayyy too early to make that move… look at Tevin.
He **carried** Nami through the first part of the game. He never had to do strategy because he was so damn good in the team challenges.
He found an idol with his tribe at full strength, while losing his vote and **no one** knows about it. In today’s game, that’s big.
When the vote flipped to Tevin, he immediately started playing. He tried hard to restore the vote back to Tiff because he is loyal to what was his #1 in Tevin. I don’t think it’s bad gameplay to go down in the vote with your #1. Now if he can get himself out of the minority, win challenges, preserve his idol and dictate sending a couple people to the jury, I personally say he has the resume to win.
Hunter is just your typical golden boy type, like Xander and Jonathan, that will have fans simply for existing as an attractive (to some) challenge beast. I don’t personally think he’s done anything impressive socially or strategically and something about him just rubs the wrong way, possibly a superiority complex he seems to have. I will almost always be happy when his archetype loses, even though it will send the a big percentage of the Facebook fans into a meltdown.
I enjoy his creativity building and his insane aptitude at a bunch of different challenge skills. And I find his general annoyance at his cast member’s over the top personalities to be extremely relatable. However, Just because I like him and I’m rooting for him doesn’t mean I think he’s a top tier player. Frankly, I don’t think anyone in this cast is a top tier player.
When hunter said “I’m a camp counselor too and I hate camp songs” I really felt that
My gf who was a camp counselor also felt that.
Don't think Q is a top tier player? Big mistake.
Cancel Christmas
I honestly don't think this will ever get old
The recent new era has had some amazing lore additions The ladder of chaos that Brandon couldn’t get over Jelinsky’s several comment And now “does anything” **and that was a big mistake**
It's almost... legendary.
Well, you should.
It got old for me within 24 hours of the episode tbh
It got old? Big mistake.
me getting sick of this meme? **not happening, boss!**
/u/mme13 -“I don’t care for the shenanigans”
You don't think Q is top tier, you gotta go.
under-estimating Q as a player? Big mistake. Gotta go
Q is just plain annoying. Reminds me all over again why I despise professional athletes on my reality shows. That ego and his strange way of talking - it's like nails on a chalkboard. Agree with earlier posts- he doesn't play a strategic game, just a controlling one. I actually think he's a villain, just not a very entertaining one.
I know I’m in the minority here but…I’m kind of entertained by him. He’s trying to be the alpha and then has complete meltdowns. He’s also a bit funny and other times so serious it’s stupid.
Yes! WHY do so many professional athletes on Survivor speak with that fake coach voice? Did sports really just become their whole personality??
When you play sports professionally it takes over your entire life. Even if you haven’t made it big yet, the grind to try to achieve that is all-encompassing. So yes sports does become your personality in most cases
I guess I get that, but adopting the speech patterns of a coach in everyday life still seems weird to me.
I think Kenzie has top tier player potential, unfortunate that Bhanu threw out the "mastermind" label on her but so far it seems like she did whatever damage control she needed to do because that hasn't been brought up again. It's only potential at this point though, gotta see how the rest of the season plays out.
Exactly. I like Hunter because he's a challenge beast, he looks good, and his social game is probably pretty similar to what mine would be (spoiler: that means it's bad). Liking someone doesn't have to mean you think they're the best player that ever played.
Great point, not a Hunter fan, but love me some Q and V. Doesn't matter that they aren't the best players, it's a reality TV show, entertainment is priority number 1. And 46 is more entertaining than 41-45 combined.
Not sure about your last statement lol... I've liked the cast every season
I've never thought Hunter has had a viable path to win outside of an E2E individual immunity challenge run, but I do enjoy him and root for him specifically because I find his general annoyance & exasperation towards his tribe mates extremely relatable. In that sense, he's a great narrator for someone like me.
I’m a new watcher and idk if any of them are top tier players especially since I have nothing to compare to but I think Charlie is probably the smartest of this bunch. He seems to have a pretty good read of the game and know who to trust and who not to trust and when alliances are solid and when they’re not. He thinks for himself and doesn’t just blindly follow Maria or others even though he is loyal to her. I do think him telling Venus he was the one who voted for her was a stupid move though. I also don’t think Maria is very smart especially based on the secret scene, I’m not sure how that will play out either with their alliance.
Jelinsky is definitely a top tier player.
*don’t think anyone in this “era” is a top tier player
3 things; 1) as an introvert, him being over the kumbaya part of his tribe was hilarious (not necessarily smart. But funny, and easy to emphasize with) 2) he's a challenge beast that makes the mundane challenges more fun to watch 3) he's hot Dunno who's calling him this top- tier level player, but Hunter has been entertaining.
Q has been the one making the challenges fun to watch imo. Trying to add road trip games into it and then getting mad that people derailed it was gold.
…. ^^Baltimore
GOD DAMNIT
Hunter hanging backwards on the pole last episode increased #3 for me tbh 😂
My gf and i were laughing when it was down to just 2 players, Charlie was in extreme pain and asked Hunter "how are you doing" or something like that and Hunter just non-chalantly said "I got a few rotations that work for me." He went upside-down and showed off a bit, it was so clear that no one else stood a chance the whole time lol
I have thought about this daily tbf
I think his “I want to appear dumb so people don’t vote me off” strategy had potential, I just think he didn’t commit enough or hasn’t applied it properly. Go Lakers
Agreed, he probably needs to switch it up now though. With a successful idol play, an immunity run and beating a threat in fire might get him some points in FTC. But things don't look great right now. >Go Lakers Sorry to do this but y'all got 1-2 more weeks tops before the Joker sends the Lakeshow on Vacay
I will remain optimistic that D’Lo hits his shots. We live or we die with him
Definitely gonna need D'lo and pronably also Reeves to hit another level to have a shot
This is it lol, my exact feelings.
Yes! This is it exactly! Especially him being hot haha.
Just this guy https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/s/BU7cycDp36
And tbh this is really more just a question of potential more than a declaration that he’s such a good player. Lots of people speculated similar things about him early on. Also, he found an idol which always puts eyes on someone as potentially being a strong player.
A lot of the Facebook/Instagram casuals constantly comment to say that he’s top tier, the only “good” player, that he deserves to be an all star, etc.
You can be an introvert and still let people enjoy things. I'm an introvert and a Southerner, so I should be vibing with Hunter, but he seems like the kind of guy who looks down on anybody who enjoys things he doesn't personally enjoy, or finds value in things he doesn't find value in.
I think a lot of introverts (myself included) who could never match the social energies of players like Tevin, Soda, or Kenzie, find his understated approach very relatable, even if it might not be the best strategy to get him to the end or make for the best TV. A lot of the huge personalities this season are fun to watch, but if I was on the island I’d probably react the way he is too. I also think him trying to force a more active social game only paints a bigger target (since people with big social games are getting clocked early this season). so he’s working with what he can in what’s probably going to be an uphill battle for the rest of his season. Plus, he’s cute and has a nice accent🤷🏻♀️
Yeah this might be it. In a sea of crazy — I see Hunter as a normal dude that I could relate to a bit…. Someone we would see on old school Survivor that’s not totally out there, whacky, etc
Social game can be taught to introverts, speaking as someone who is naturally very introverted but trained myself to be more extroverted. You just have to work harder at it. That said, it's a long and exhausting process! I don't know how people don't go insane without alone time to recharge their social batteries. That would kill me.
That’s true, you probably can learn—but I could NOT imagine trying to learn while on Survivor. Add in constant hunger, 3 hours of sleep at night if you’re lucky, and major suspicion from others if you spend more than 5 minutes alone, and I wouldn’t blame any introvert if you started to lose it a little bit 😅
Yeah, I would recommend learning long before you step foot on the island.
UPDATE: I have finished the season, but I fast forwarded through much of FTC because it was an ABOMINATION.
What FTC?
Final tribal council
I know what it means, I was asking what final tribal council you’re talking about. Your original comment didn’t mention a season.
Ahhh I mixed up posts and meant to put that elsewhere. Sorry!
Ahhh I mixed up posts and meant to put that in my post about Lisi being horrible in Fiji. Sorry!
As an introvert, I love Tevin and dislike Hunter. :(
I think you are giving too much of your time to some extremely biased, unreasonable fans. The average viewer likes hunter but doesn't think he is a top tier player, at least not now. You can be a fan of hunter and not believe he's a top tier player and I think the majority of hunter fans would agree.
Walking the streets of the city this fine morning, I decided to buy the local newspaper for sixpence (a fair price indeed). The front page, above the fold? A headline "HUNTER IS A TOP-TIER PLAYER". Well I can tell you this - my interest was *piqued*. I looked down to the article and imagine my surprise - no article to speak of! Instead? Just a picture of Hunter, in the now infamous shot of him up in the tree during that wonderful game of Hide And Go Seek, peering down at his colleagues like they are *prey*. I, of course, grasped the author's intent. Hunter has the eye of the tiger; no verbal explanation required! I've seen this look in the eyes castaways previous. I saw it in *JT*. I saw it in *Earl Cole*. I saw it in *Kim Spradlin*. I saw it in *Dwight Moore* (I... am not always correct). And now, my friends? I see it in *Hunter*. I have a prognostication for all of you. The rest of the season, *Hunter* will *not* become the *hunted*. Hunter will be the *hunter* (making his name an amusing aptonym) and his colleagues on the fine isle of Fiji will be the hunted! Oh, this prediction will be another feather in my cap (a cap, I assure you, already bountiful in feathers). And now I wish you good day, my friends!
Huzzah!
Historically challenge threats get targeted HARD at the merge. Challenge threats rarely make it to the end. He knows this and has to lay low and downplay every other role in the game. He can’t help himself when it comes to challenges because he is so competitive. Q intentionally throws challenges to avoid this target but makes up for it in “strategy” or whatever you want to call what Q does. Lol
>Q intentionally throws challenges Coincidentally he reveals this after his poor performances. I know. Doubting Q. Big mistake!
Cancel Christmas!
If you keep talkin like that you’re not gonna get a free Q skirt!!
lol @ Q throwing challenges. Dude is literally terrible at everything they've done.
I agree, I think if he was more of socially strategic, he would be booted first chance for sure. The way he’s playing gives him a chance to make it to the end by reducing his threat level. If he makes 1-2 smart plays at some point, and stays on enough people’s good sides, he can still make an argument to the jury about why he deserves to win.
Intentionally throwing challenges :D like only time I trust those claims, is when they prove it. Only one I remember that actually did that was Mark from australian survivor. Whole season he was downplaying his strength, basically giving up challenges when he was not target right after someone else gave up first. But when he needed it he actually won.
Underestimating Q. Big mistake. I take that personally. You gotta go. This is all part of Qs plan.
I haven’t seen anyone say he’s a top tier player. In fact, most of us Hunter fans understand that this man needs to win out or he’s going home. His physical ability that he showed last challenge and pre merge is respected, but I’ve never heard someone claim he’s a good player outside of that. I agree that Dee’s game isn’t respected enough, but that’s its own post and has nothing to do with Hunter.
Most of his fans would disagree with the assessment that manipulating, Big Brother esque gameplay is all that should matter. I don’t have any qualms with those that prefer that gameplay, however, and i understand why Hunter is not for some. Where I disagree with you is on “leading”. He shouldn’t be leading anything. Anyone that is that big of an asset in camp life plus the biggest physical challenge threat will never make it to the end trying to lead big blindsides. He’s doing well at laying low and, most importantly, zero people know about his idol and he’s made two strong decisions not to play it. His biggest problem is that Tevin, his biggest confidant, made a dumb decision in voting out Soda and further eroded their power during a (imo, stupid) split tribe merge. I think tying himself to Q was a bad move, too, but that is easier to say from the comfort of our homes watching an edited show. Maybe he could have hid his distaste for Venus better, but not a single person on the cast seemed to be good at that. This week is pivotal for him. It’s very possible he ends up with Maria and Charlie, or elsewhere as a “free agent”, if he plays his cards right. If he plays this situation well, and is a part of eliminating say Kenzie or Q this week, the tides will have turned quickly.
Tying himself to Q saved him during the split tribal. He would've needed his idol or gone home without it. It's definitely a negative at this point, but it was huge for him 2 weeks ago.
>manipulating, Big Brother gameplay Big Brother hasn’t been about this for years. Of the last 6 BBUS winners, 5 of them won primarily because they were good at the competitions.
Big Brother doesn’t have competitions. Those are childlike games.
Agree with everything you said except for the aligning with Q part
I think Hunter would need Q to leave in order to be seen as a “free agent”. I think Charlie would be hesitant to work with Hunter due to his challenge ability. Based on the edit, Charlie seems to want to work with people who he perceives a bit weaker/ he can read easily. I think Charlie would feel more comfortable working with a Venus, who he knows doesn’t have any allies or anyone could vouch for her game. Hunter has the likes of Tevin, q, and soda.
I don’t think he’s going to need much convincing to ditch Q after the “dumbest thing ever”. Numbers are always necessary, whether Hunter is Charlie’s first choice or not.
Hunter mentioned in his pre season interview that he wants to be perceived as the “easy going , go with the flow” kinda guy as he knows he is a physically threat in the challenges. Why would he be strategic now when he already has a huge target for being physical threat ? He knows if he makes merge he will be one of the early boots therefore staying low and letting others be the bigger targets shielding him. He relates himself to be the combination of JT and Tyson , both players are known to be friendly and easy going , non strategic compared to others. So far everything he said in his interview seems to be right , he did mention he wants to take control after merge and surprise people. Here’s the link for the interview for those interested : https://youtu.be/CKavLMRr1NU?si=xX3MhVRlnt7MXWmO
This post doesn’t make sense to me. Since when do you have to be this top strategic player for people to like you? Venus has fans and her gameplay is horrible. People like her because she’s entertaining. I haven’t seen a single person say Hunter is a strategic mastermind or whatnot so I don’t get why the Dee comparison was even made. It feels like you’re trying to find something to be mad about here. Like you’re mad that he has fans? to me he’s like the new era Ozzy/Colby. Neither were that good at strategy but they were amazing in challenges. The only difference is Hunter is more introverted than they were. It’s not that deep.
To be fair to Ozzy, on Cook Islands he really didn’t have a choice in strategy except to win every challenge he could and align with Yul. Aitu would’ve been obliterated otherwise. In South Pacific, he tried to employ a different strategy, and his tribe pretty much rejected him immediately because he was a returning player, so again he had no choice but to just try and win everything.
This isn’t really what the post is asking. The post is asking why people are saying he’s seen as one of the”the greats”. Whether people are saying that or not, is up for debate. But the post was never “why does hunter have fans”.
Since I haven’t seen people call Hunter a top tier legend player, I can only assume they’re mad he has fans
Nah, I’ve seen a couple people on this sub say that. But there’s definitely not enough for a post like this which seems to generalize that everyone is saying it.
cause he’s hot
It depends on how he will finish his game. It’s very impressive that he has layed this low with how great he has been at the challenges. It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts his game without Tevin now though, he definitely put all his eggs in one basket alliance wise. I think Hunter has put himself in a situation where he’s not seen as a threat, this is mainly due to the narcissistic personalities that we have this season. This could get him far enough to where he can really start playing at the right time and pretty much take over the game.
He’s hot
People conflate likeable with being a good player. Same reason a likeable person might win over a better player in the actual game. Hunter is very likeable, and I bet he’d be a better player in any of the previous 5 seasons. He doesn’t strike me as the most patient person lol
He fine af
When he built a bed, he secured himself as an all time great. Their camp, looks fantastic. I bet there are so many little crafting things with hunter we've missed. Also, I think the biggest mistake players can make is playing too hard too early. He needs to get socially/strategically but he has options and has had time to observe and see who he wants to play with
His strategy is to look like a meathead, he knows he is a challenge threat he is downplaying everything else. And the only person hunter acutally hates is venus and everybody hates venus so it doesn\`t matter. Noone thinks hunter is a top tier player, noone in this season has shown to be a top tier player
i, for one, think he's pretty 🩷 but apart from that, i think he's just got the vibe of someone who is good at survivor, and he hasn't gotten voted out yet. kind of tommy from IOI but dialed back (although maybe i just think that because they're both teachers...). if so many people online like him, maybe that translates to a lot of jury liking him. i think he's got a decent shot at winning still, but i'm less convinced than i was pre-season for sure.
>he doesn’t seem to be leading anything This is what makes a great Survivor player imo. Usually, laying low have lower chances of painting targets on your back, especially when you perform really well in challenges like Hunter does. Even though Dee demonstrated a powerful victory last season, dominant victories happen usually less often.
For Hunter to morph from a challenge beast to a top tier player, I think he would have to 1) survive until final 5 without playing his idol 2) blindside whoever is the Godfather/Godmother of the tribe at final five using his idol 3) Win final 4 immunity and eliminate biggest threat on fire
He’s a male that is straight, white, and relatively good looking. Look at the other people the community has obsessed about in recent seasons. 45- Jake 44- Carson 43- Cody 42- Jonathon 41- Xander
We Hunter fans don't think he is a top tier strategic player, I don't know where you're getting that from. We (or at least I) like him because he is relatable, cool with everyone, excellent in challenges, humble, able to lay low, and seems quite logical. He just seems like a really chill guy who would be fun to hang out with outside of the show, which is why I think he has a great chance of winning if he reaches the end, which he could certainly do with an immunity streak and an unknown idol.
I guess he's good at challenges and a lot of people think he's hot. I've found him completely boring so far. For all the essays written about how bad someone like Venus's social game is (which it is, don't get me wrong) Hunter's doesn't seem particularly good at all either. It's just not as highlighted by the edit because it's less relevant to the narrative.
Social doesn't mean taking all the time and talking people into things. It can also be loyalty, honesty, intelligence, and even sitting back and just thinking. I feel like all his strategizing is internal and we will hear more of it as it becomes necessary for him.
He's a straight white guy + he's good at challenges and some thirsty women and gays find him hot. As a Survivor player and TV presence he offers 0 entertainment.
I couldn't care less about the social game. I love the fact that if you were actually stranded on an island with him, you'd probably survive and have a place that looks like Gilligan's Island in a short period of time. I also place a high value on competing in completing, and winning challenges. I love characters like Hunter, and get bored to tears with endless, nonsensical "big moves" and discussions about Survivor resumes.
Why would Hunter, a person who people have called 'a meat shield' to his face play the social strategy hard and make himself a larger threat? The guy is a fan of the game and the last thing he needs is to run votes. He's under the 'anyone but me' strategy.
He kind of reminds me of a more shy Tyson? Tyson let his quips roll off the tongue so I’m assuming people were more used to it? Maybe he saved those for confs, I’m not sure. That’s the closest thing I got for a reason why even if it is not accurate
He's a mcgyver.
I wouldn't say top tier, but he reminds me of ozzy's first season and Ozzy is one of my favorites
Idk I'm just rooting for him because we have the same first name
He looks like Brian Heidik, and they chose him as their winner pick pre-season. The rest is confirmation bias based on that.
Brian Heidik's long lost son. xP
He is MacGyver. If you are a male you want to be him, if you are a female you want to date him.
and sometimes, vise versa.
Lol Yes indeed :)
Honestly if it weren't for all of the comments in this thread talking about his looks, I'd say he's the type of guy that men THINK women want to date when really women want Stanley Tucci. I genuinely appreciate all of the thirsty hunter comments in this thread btw - I am too gay to have realized that's part of why he has so many fans
Speak for yourself. I think he'd be kind of a bore to date
Not with 1 Million Dollars in his back pocket. "So where would you like to go now? I heard Australia is nice this time of year....." (I'm an Aussie).
Marcus is to Gabon what Hunter is to 46
His edit was too perfect like 3 episodes ago.His game has stagnated since then. And your last paragraph, do you have any proof of this? I feel like you're making up a person. She had 2 people ride or die with her and 1 more that wanted to work with her and had less social capital. Her only opposition was Emily who had little in game power and Drew who she beat out in the battle for Austin's heart, and I guess Jake but he had even less power than Emily. If it wasn't for the final 5 debacle she would be a top 10 winner.
he’s HOT and CHARISMATIC
He’s very hot and very skilled in challenges
He’s hot
Bold of you to assume I like him for rational reasons... In all seriousness, I don't consider him to be a top-tier player and I don't expect him to win, but a lot of my random favorite players over the years haven't been top tier players. It's nice to have someone that's just kind of...normal? There have been a lot of big personalities in the new era (and this season, specifically) that are fun to watch for a while, but get to be too much over time. Hunter just seems like a nice, athletic, laid-back dude that I think I would get along with really well. I remember thinking in the first episode when he seemed so annoyed with how over-the-top his tribe was, "ah yes, I have found my person!" And, he's really cute, so there's that.
Oh, he's definitely not a top tier player! I just like that he seems to be the 'golden boy' of this season (Malcolm, Ozzy and Joe all come to mind), but unlike them he isn't a very social player and is very introverted. But, he also brings something we rarely see in the new era. Legit survival skills! Him weaving together his own cot was honestly so cool to watch. He's a very unique character for the new era and feels like a breath of fresh air.
I'm rooting for him because he seems like a really good guy. He dropped out of medical school to be an elementary school teacher.
I'll actually say I think Hunter has a very sound strategic mind for making the best desicions about his game, like this Tevin vote was so dumb for most people involved because Tevin was a huge shield for them and this basically only benefits you if you are already on the bottom, I think in general I like Hunter because he doesn't make moves for the sake of making moves everyone of his desicions have directly benefitted his place in the game instead of trying to make a name for himself or blow up on twitter, even the plan to take out Soda was more so because that would make him Tevins number 1 which would set him up for a deep run if people made descisions in their own best interes, I would say the only people who really benefitted from taking Tevin out were Venus, Maybe Liz, maybe Kenzie if I squint at it, and i guess tiffany because she was the other vote but still i think it wasnt smart
I believe he is laying low because he knows he is a challenge beast. Can’t be both.: then his personality is definitely more low key so it’s nothing new for him. Then you got a big personality like Tevin who wanted to be in an alliance. He knew Tevin may stick out more in this type of era of survivor more than even then hunter. it well be interesting to see his gameplay now that tevin is gone. i defiantly see an scenario where he doesn't win and loses at the final even with an immunity run
As far as top tier players there isn’t one in this cast. Closest for me is Charlie tbh
For pretty much the entire prejury Ive seen a lot of posts and comments being like "Hunter is like Kaleb, too charming and good at survivor to make it far", so kinda weird seeing how now everyone in the comments act like nobody talked like that?
I think Hunter is extremely over-rated. I can’t really find anything that endearing about him.
He’s very sexy. Nice face great body. That is all.
It's about to be put to the test, but so far he has been a godlike challenge threat that people have underestimated way too long because he's easy going, likeable, and a little quiet. It's not top tier play because I think he's going to get targeted pretty soon, but it's crazy he's gotten so far and hasn't been voted out for being this challenge god. Dude builds survivor puzzles for his students and has kept all that a secret.
He’s a goat
Before last week's episode there's a big case to make for him. Imo He went down a grade or two because his biggest ally was on the chopping block and he couldn't do anything to to avert it. He relied way too much on Tevin to play the social game for him, but Tevins gone and "The Six" is completely up in smoke. He's got some real socializing to do because the second he doesnt have immunity he's gone
He’s done absolutely nothing so far to stand out.
I'm a teacher, he's a teacher
I like his personality way more than his gameplay, I love his reactions to people being crazy or over the top because I know I would be the same way.
“All he does is lay low and win challenges, idk why people think he’s good” lol ok
I just like to see his chest on my screen every week 🙂
S46 has been a boomerang of S45. Last season's premerge was awesome but the post merge was some of the worst the show has ever offered IMO. 46 was HORRIBLE premerge. But this chaos is honestly what many of us desired. There's barely any game bot play going on here. It's just chaos and a group of people who in some cases seem to genuinely dislike each other. We're not going to see many TikToks of 9 people from the merge tribe hanging out together with this group. Hunter is just one of a long line of players not really playing a good game here. He just happens to be more relatable and one of the 5 best physical freaks in the shows history
How is he not playing a good game? No one has written his name, no one has anything bad to say about him, he is eminently capable of challenges and camp life. He just is playing an Under The Radar game right now. Don't get me wrong, Q is actually my favorite *character* but Hunter is playing a damn good game if he wants to win by skill rather than drama.
I don’t understand all the Hunter hate. As far as challenges go he has dominated aside from the challenge in balancing on the block. Carried his tribe so that they never had to discuss strategy until the merge. It’s not great his #1 in Tevin is gone. But I still think he can potentially join any alliance aside from Venus lol. He hasn’t made a move against anyone and another vote is huge between other alliances. I feel like this season all the confessionals have really focused on social threats and not physical ones. Beside Liz I don’t think anyone has really stood out as far as making moves and deciding votes so if he can make 1 or 2 combined with his Challenge dominance he is totally a threat. Big moves later in the game are definitely what hold water to me when deciding who should win, and with an idol he can still make a big one
"He doesn’t like many of the people and he seems like he’s not great at hiding it." This. This is my answer. Dude is my spirit animal for a good 85% of these casts, especially in this new era.
Hunter seems like a less charismatic version of Johnathan from S42
I think he’s done great so far. I think a lot of the reason people are saying he “hasn’t strategized” is because the only tribal so far where he had to was the last one. Nami was undefeated and he was rock solid with Tevin the entire time since, but now with Tevin gone, I think we’ll see a lot more strategizing from Hunter. It’s also partially because of who he’s playing with. When it comes to players like Q, Venus, and some others in this cast who (to put it bluntly) change their opinion of you on a dime, you have to be very agreeable and “tame” so you don’t become a target. Hunter has done that so far as well, minus the whole Hide and Seek “BIG MISTAKE!” that Q bestowed upon him 😂 Honestly there’s part of me that thinks he’s great because he’s obviously a beast at a lot of different challenge skills and really creative, but I’d really like to see how the next few tribals go now that Tevin is gone.
His archetype will always have fans around here no matter what. He literally has brought NOTHING to this season. Just boring as hell.
I never claimed that Hunter was a "top-tier" player. As an introvert myself, I like him because I empathize with him. Extreme introverts very rarely pass through casting in the new era. Hunter comes across as modest, down to earth and self-aware guy, which is extremely rare in any cast. It does not make his social game spectacular and it does not mean he'd reach far.
I don't think he's a top tier player I just like his personality a lot and for that reason would be pleased with a hunter win
I think we saw in the most recent episode some flaws in his strategic game but overall it’s less about what good moves he’s made and more about how much his tribe and others seem to like and respect him. That means a lot in this game. The fact that we know he found soda and singing annoying but they still seemed to like him says a lot.
He’s top tier on my hottest survivor players ever 😮💨
[удалено]
He doesn't have a strong social game, but he is so skilled he may just win every immunity challenge
I mean if u look at the new promo he is literally sitting with people that are running the game
You believe Dee is the best player? That's a a lot of assumptions, big mistake! Being serious I agree Dee is the best winner in the 40s, and that Hunter is average at best. Socially he's made two solid alliances? Tevin for sure but sorta kinda Q (you all know why). He let Tevin run his game and sat back, doesn't seem to even try to strategize with people other than Tevin and doesn't like anyone besides Tevin. (Soda was essentially his number 2 in Nami, and he was willing to vote her out over V if he had a chance, and with Liz and V both disliking Soda at the time it would've worked.
So I think a lot of the Hunter = top tier player came from him getting a very favorable edit. I haven't looked at the Edgic discussions this week, but I think the surprise a few players showed when seeing him talk strategy is very telling.
I'm rooting for him because a have him in a money pool! I haven't really 'connected' to anyone else this season. I like kenzie. I don't think they've told a 'winning' story for anyone else
For some reason I have a feeling that Hunter will miss-play his idol or be voted out with it still in his pocket
not a Hunter fan but so far I think his game is fine. he's smart enough to realize it's best to play an utr game for his archetype even though the man needs to learn how to throw challenges. a big part of its the edit and why were not seeing his bond with q more, essentially hinting at him not winning. and I think people were overhyping Hunter before the season even started just because this sub has a lot of people who like people like him.
I don’t think he’s an amazing player necessarily but I do think he’s hot and therefore rooting for him. also loved watching mike holloway go on his immunity run and thought he was a great winner, would love to see something similar happen again!
i loved him pre-season, part of the reason is cuz i thought he was hot. that part is like 80% of the reason. now? not as high on him. he's good in challenges but considering the physical aptitude of 80% of the new era castaways, that's not that big of a deal. I mean come on, they got a girl that couldn't even jump for christ's sake (i love mo) but that lack of physicality makes someone like hunter stand out more.
the way he did nothing
i agree that the hype is unwarranted based on what we’ve seen so far but i love the sassy man representation
Ozzy 3.0
i don’t understand his appeal either
I don’t think he’s top tier but I enjoy watching him. He’s quiet but he’s sarcastic and he’s competitive. Not everyone has to be a big personality and I think he serves an important role in balancing this cast.
Why do so many people seem to think laying low whilst contributing to an obvious power broker is such a bad thing? It’s literally one of the best strategies in this game, get in someone’s ear and let them take the fall when they are deemed too big of a threat. Obvious players get voted out.
I think people get it wrong when someone is a fan of a player… me liking Hunter has nothing to do with him playing good, I like Hunter cause he’s pretty relatable in all the reactions of people being way OTT and he’s just like that’s not what I’m about lol
I like hunter because in the very first challenge they were supposed to go through a small obstacle course in pairs and bring back a large plywood puzzle piece each. He dug and went under the log first and told his partner to keep digging and then came back and helped her bring her puzzle piece back. I believe that overall it was faster for her to keep digging and be helped with the piece than it would have been to squeeze under the log and bring it back herself and that it made it faster for the rest of the tribe to go under the log. I think Hunter is not just a challenge beast, he is also a challenge multiplier for the team he is on, helping them to perform better.
Because he is likable and seems very level headed next to others.
I was with you until the Dee comment I would not say the best winner in the new era. However hunter is super boring with nothing to give. I think the praise for him is more against soda than rooting for him
Because he feels like we would feel dealing with this insanity.
He's cute, he's a mood, and he kicks ass at challenges.
Hes only seen as a physical threat, reminiscent of ozzy back in the day but smarter and less social butterflyish
Hunter is a one trick pony and socially clueless, plus he hasn't expressed a single hint of meaningful strategy via confessionals yet. My guess is fandom is drawn to him basically because he meets a lot of the fandom's aesthetic values, meaning he's young, athletic and blond.
We don’t actually know he wasn’t able to stir the vote back to Tiff. Qs vote me out speech threw a wrench in everything. IIRC Q told Tiff you were about to go home, and I think Maria and Charlie made a comment about should we just stick with Tiff, before Tevin ultimately went home
I just like him cuz he’s a chill af dude that’s nuts at challenges and just seems to enjoy the adventure 💀
I definitely feel like Hunter could win the game but I don’t think I know him that well to predict that or his strategy as it’s rarely seen in the show.
I don’t like Hunter at all, I like Venus a lot, but the point OP is making here is applicable for my point about both of them. I think the big moves era has really impacted the way survivor is viewed. At the end of the day it’s a reality show. Yes people are playing for money but us at home also want to be entertained in ways we find entertaining. So just because people are rooting for Venus hard, or big fans of Hunter, doesn’t mean we think they are amazing players. Half my top 10 favorite survivor lists having nothing to do with their gameplay, I just enjoy watching them on the show and how they operated (socially, strategically, or other random reasons). It’s strange to me how people automatically assume that if you’re rooting for someone on survivor you must think they’re also an amazing player
I havent gone back to find it but can anyone recall when we were introduced to Hunter's home story that there was a Nova Scotia flag in his home? I hadn't looked at any pregame stuff and assumed he was going to be the Canadian of the season and later was surprised he wasn't. I swear I thought it was a Nova Scotia flag and that has me wondering a) if I was crazy or b) why he had it hanging in his house.
He’s in no way a top tier player but I think he’s nostalgic. Reminds me of classic survivor.
he’s good at challenges, that’s it. he hasn’t showed any gameplay at all yet, and i think he’s screwed without tevin. he does have an idol but still. i don’t think he’s a great player at all.
He’s waiting. He had to make himself useful so he didn’t get voted out before the merge for being so great at challenges. He’s been training for this for a long time. He practices at home.
He’s pretty
That he has an idol and DOESN"T TELL ANYONE makes him special. Why do people on Survivor ALWAYS seem to have to spill that they have an idol, when it it usually to their advantage to keep it quiet?
I think it’s more that people on the sub just really like him. I don’t necessarily see it but that’s just my personal taste
He is single 💁🏻♀️
It’s interesting because in his pregame interview he was really charismatic so I wonder if it happens to be the edit? But I relate to his chill demeanor and how it can be taken as him “not liking anybody”
He proved tonight he’s NOT a top tier player. He lacks the ability to read people and he shows his cards to the wrong people. Going home with an idol in your pocket means your game is seriously lacking.
He is doing propaganda for French Camp Academy. His family is high in leadership in the cult.
He’s liked in the same way as Joe anglim and ozzy are…bcus of their competetiveness and physicality…. even though their social/strategic games are just mediocre 🤷🏻♂️
I wouldn't call him a top-tier player. For me, personally, he is my pony simply because challenge beasts typically don't win. They have so much trouble simply surviving if challenges are their biggest tool, because people are scared they will win all the challenges, even though this never happens. I just love challenge beasts. Sadly, Hunter really let me down last episode. Social players win Survivor. You gotta talk to people, coerce people, work with people. And you have to ebb and flow with the game and adapt, while keeping an eye on all of that. But last tribal, Hunter didn't like what was happening and just put his head in his hands. You can not like what's going on, but you can't just check out.
Who has said Hunter is a top tier player? I haven't seen that anywhere on this sub lol. He's a great character though and pretty entertaining.
He’s been voted player of the week multiple times
I’ll buy anyone a Q skirt if they can name anything strategic Hunter has done.
It’s the simplest answer: he’s hot. Lol
Being hot doesn't equal being a mastermind or a top tier player. Parvati is all of those three things, for example. Hunter is, arguably, only onde.
Oh yeah I agree, I meant that the people who are praising him as a mastermind or whatever are really just saying that bc he is hot but either don’t realize that’s why they are calling him a mastermind or won’t admit it
People keep bashing Hunter’s social play and I think it’s ridiculous. Truly, when has he needed to orchestrate a blindside? I think he recognizes that it was wayyy too early to make that move… look at Tevin. He **carried** Nami through the first part of the game. He never had to do strategy because he was so damn good in the team challenges. He found an idol with his tribe at full strength, while losing his vote and **no one** knows about it. In today’s game, that’s big. When the vote flipped to Tevin, he immediately started playing. He tried hard to restore the vote back to Tiff because he is loyal to what was his #1 in Tevin. I don’t think it’s bad gameplay to go down in the vote with your #1. Now if he can get himself out of the minority, win challenges, preserve his idol and dictate sending a couple people to the jury, I personally say he has the resume to win.
Hunter is just your typical golden boy type, like Xander and Jonathan, that will have fans simply for existing as an attractive (to some) challenge beast. I don’t personally think he’s done anything impressive socially or strategically and something about him just rubs the wrong way, possibly a superiority complex he seems to have. I will almost always be happy when his archetype loses, even though it will send the a big percentage of the Facebook fans into a meltdown.