Escaping Reality

Thanks for coming back for Part 2 of our discussion of Season 39: Island of the Idols. As mentioned in part 1, there were many, many social, political, and personal issues raised by the cast of Survivor Season 39 and, because of that, we wanted to ensure we found the time to discuss each of them. 

*TW: sexual assault/sexual harassment/inappropriate touching* (see Dan/Kellee section in the time break down if you would like to skip this section entirely)

In Part 2, we're taking the time to discuss the situation with Dan and Kellee (*TW*) as well as all of the issues discussed by this cast (often at tribal councils, and including Jeff in the discussion). From race relations to historic milestones, from the #metoo movement to women's alliances, there was a lot to unpack. We also loved that a season of Survivor finally didn't shy away from not only airing these conversations about race and women but making them the center of the narrative for many of the castaways. The conversation about Dan and the inappropriate touching is more serious and focuses on the role of production when a situation like this arises.

This is not our normal "escape" type of episode, but we hope you enjoy our discussion of all of these monumental moments. We would love to discuss with y'all as well, so send us your thoughts on insta DM or email, we would love to hear what you think as well.

Here's a break down of what we're getting into in Part 2:

• Intro (0:00 - 1:10)

Be sure to give us a follow as well on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod and have them join you (and us) on our journey through reality television competition series.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

So, Island of the Idols. We know it's a controversial one in the Survivor community and because of that we actually broke up our break down into two parts. You get two episodes of your fave 4 Survivor fans chatting in one week. We pulled our conversation about the more poignant moments of the season into its own episode, so come back tomorrow for that.

*TW: sexual assault/sexual harassment/inappropriate touching* - though we do not discuss the Dan/Kellee situation in depth in part 1, it is mentioned. 

In Part 1, we're talking everything else. We the theme of "Island of the Idols" - we see you CBS making a pun 😉. We also gave our opinions on how we would have improved it. We loved Sandra and Rob, but we have some notes on how to get them more involved. We also discuss alliances, the insane number of final two deals, and a truly "live" (to quote Jeff Probst) Final Tribal.

We get into our love of Lauren, the rise and fall of 'DKChillin', and Nick's undying love for Noura. In this "Baby's First Survivor" there is lots of gameplay to unpack and Rob/Sandra side eye to enjoy. We agree that this season gets overshadowed by an extremely unfortunate incident, but we found some players and some true Survivor gameplay in what was left behind. 

As always, we found the funny in a season riddled with emotion and real problems by looking for an Honorable Mention (Jamal), #Jeffneedsavibecheck, and Rapid Fire questions. 

If you're looking for a specific segment, here's a break down:

• Intro (1:10 - 2:07)

Be sure to give us a follow as well on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod and have them join you (and us) on our journey through reality television competition series.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

As the wise angel Lady Gaga once said: 'I'm on the Edge!' - and then Survivor said 'same, bro.' 

We're out here on the Edge of Extinction and we have some very mixed feelings. We're working through our wide range of opinions on Survivor's 38th season and having a hoot along the way.  Not only are we talking extensively about the theme and the adjustments we would have made, but we're also touching on returning players, new advantages, and how the big twist effected our impressions of the winner. 

We're starting the whole episode off with a chat about merge buff colors, kicking off the episode to be a great time. Plus, we're vibe checking Jeff per usual, speaking our truth about Rick Devens, and swooning over Wardog (if you don't believe us, look him up on instagram -- the man is a 10). This was a fun one, so give it a listen & let us know whose opinions you most align with! 

If you're looking for a specific segment, here's a break down:

• Intro (0:00-3:25)

Be sure to give us a follow as well on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod and have them join you (and us) on our journey through reality television competition series.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

What's good Escaping Reality Fam? Better late than never, right?

Season 37: David vs. Goliath. Wow. I feel like we, as a podcast, are the David that have almost defeated the 40-season Goliath that is Survivor. But, here we are -- delving into Season 37, a Survivor darling, and one that we were a bit split on tbh. A hot take for sure. This season is a master class in casting and editing, which makes for a LOT of talking among this foursome. Buckle up, kiddies, we got lots to discuss.

We're breaking down Nick's winner's arc/storyline and why watching the Davids succeed was so satisfying. We also take a journey through the bible with our discussion of the theme and its objective STRENGTH. We see you CBS, you're figuring out. We also just talk about the incredible strength of this cast overall and how we were truly obsessed with them all: from the "Mayor of Slam Town" to 'Ned Schnebley' - they all have their own strengths, and we think you'll agree. We've also got  #JeffNeedsAVibeCheck, Honorable Mention (we each picked our own), and Rapid Fire like always!

No Fans Have Spoken this week - DM/email us with your thoughts for next episode!!

If you're looking for a specific segment, here's a break down:

• Intro (0:00-1:49)

Be sure to give us a follow as well on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod and have them join you (and us) on our journey through reality television competition series.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

It's time for Survivor: Spooky Island! wait... no ... that's Scooby Doo. Survivor: Ghost Island! We're talking all things Survivor Season 36 in this episode and we have soooo many feelings on the theme.

We've been eagerly awaiting another good theme, and we finally got it. But, does it make for a good season overall? You'll have to listen to find out. We're talking tie breakers, alliance play, and nameless white women.

We're diving into much more + your favorite segments: Fans Have Spoken, #JeffNeedsAVibeCheck, & an extra chaotic rapid fire section. 

If you're looking for a specific segment, here's a break down:

• The Fans Have Spoken (1:53 - 7:21) 

You can always follow for more from us on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  Be sure to leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify & share our podcast with all your friends. 

Thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

We're coming at you with another episode of Escaping Reality featuring our pal & fellow podcaster -- Lara from Idol Chatter: A Survivor Podcast! Lara is here to share about her pod, how she's been Escaping Reality, and gab with us about all things Survivor S35: HHH (and there is lots she brought to the table).

We're mulling over our thoughts on the 'theme,' if that's what we're calling it; our idol and advantage conspiracies; plus, diving deep into alliance pairs and fire making challenge! 

We're chatting loads about specific players, but, as always, hitting you with our pick for Honorable Mention, vibe checking Jeffrey, and discussion what our own alliances might look like on Survivor in The Fans Have Spoken. 

If you're looking for a specific segment, here's a break down:

• Intro & Luxury Items (start - 12:00)

Be sure to check out Lara's podcast Idol Chatter: A Survivor Podcast wherever you listen & leave a review letting them know you heard this episode! You can follow them on Instagram @IdolChatterPodcast and on Twitter @IdolChatterPod

You can follow us for more content on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! 

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

Happy Wednesday Escaping Reality Fam! Can you believe we've made it to Survivor Season 34: Game Changers? And, for their 34th season, Jeff Probst and the Survivor producers concocted a special brand of joy for us all to watch by bringing back players who changed the game or knew when an opportunity to change the game was upon them. 

We're discussing how you get the title of "game changer," the strength of the theme and the players chosen to return, and all the twists, turns, and firsts that the production team decides to throw at some of our favorite returners (*cough* Cirie Fields *cough*). We also take a deep dive into a controversial and heartbreaking tribal council that centered on the outing of Zeke as transgender and the concept of 'bitter juries' and how you can manage your jury in order to avoid that. We've also got The Fans Have Spoken, #JeffNeedsAVibeCheck, Honorable Mention, and Rapid Fire like always!

If you're looking for a specific segment, here's a break down:

• Intro (0:34-1:33)

Be sure to give us a follow as well on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod and have them join you (and us) on our journey through reality television competition series.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

It's time for another new episode of Escaping Reality & today we're welcoming a special guest and fellow Survivor podcaster -- Ashley from Idol Chatter: A Survivor Podcast! Ashley joins us to catch up and chat all things Season 33: Millennials vs GenX. We're breaking down the twists & firsts, our thoughts on the theme, and some of our favorite castaways. PLUS were follow-up our discussion of S31 Second Chance with a listener submission for our Fans Have Spoken segment & giving Jeff a HARD vibe check. 

If you're looking for a specific segment, here's a break down:

• Guest Intro (1:13 - 11:50)

Be sure to check out Ashley's podcast Idol Chatter: A Survivor Podcast wherever you listen & leave a review letting them know you heard this episode! You can follow them on Instagram @IdolChatterPodcast and on Twitter @IdolChatterPod

You can follow us for more content on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! 

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

What would Wednesday be without a new episode of Escaping Reality? And, it's a juicy one! This time, we're discussing Season 32: Kaôh Röng, or Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty 2. Wowee wowza, we have a lot to unpack in this season from a debate about how to pronounce the location to our first iteration of our *NEW* segment: "The Fans Have Spoken." Shoutout to listener Ian for sharing his thoughts with us! We break down the many twists and turns (including "Remove a Juror") along with the record number of medical evacuations. And then we just have a big ole love fest for Cydney and Michelle. Settle in, it's a fun one. 

If you're looking for a specific segment, here's a break down:

• One minute thoughts (3:40-9:52)

Be sure to give us a follow as well on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! 

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us! 

Oh boy, do we have an episode for you! In what was collectively one of our favorite seasons of Survivor so far, almost too much went down. We're unpacking Second Chance + doing our best to cover it all, but, guys, this season had EVERYTHING. 

We're diving into discussions of casting, theming, and the implications of calling it a 'second chance.' Talking about every new height this season took us too with twists, turns, & tribe swaps.

We're getting into our favorite players (and our picks for hottie of the season), stellar gameplay, & a heated and healthy debate about the winner, their final tribal performance, and the pervasive emphasis on EMOtion. 

In the spirit of debate: we're talking 'alliances' vs 'voting blocks' and, as with any great mash-up of returning players, the eternal battle of 'old school' vs 'new school.'

PLUS - we're hitting you with our honorable mention, rapid fire questions, and the best Jeff moments in #JeffNeedsAVibeCheck.

Be sure your subscribed & that you leave us a rating/review if you listen. You can always follow for more @EscapingRealityPod on Instagram & @EscRealityPod on Twitter.

Thanks for Escaping Reality with us!