Idol Worship

Is controlling an immunity idol on Survivor the same as controlling an entire religion? What kinds of power structures in Judaism parallel Rizo's use of his idol as a threat to other players?

Hear gripping analysis of these questions and about Judy's run-in with a new era Survivor icon!

Judy and Yoni briefly discuss the Nov. 11 episode of Survivor 49, keying in on the overlap between Jewish approaches to historical trauma and how new era Survivor contestants share their traumatic experiences. More importantly, they talk about the awesome new hat one contestant debuted at tribal council and make several well-placed I Think You Should Leave references.

Finally, in PT, Yoni and Judy use the text of the weekly Torah portion to debate how much Survivor still really has a battle of two tribes going.

Links:

I Think You Should Leave: Driving Crooner

I Think You Should Leave: Brian's Hat

Halloween Bat Mitzvah parties. Proselytization. 4 Survivor vote outs. The binding of Isaac. Government shutdown discounts. A Survivor-Judaism slant on the NYC Mayoral Election. This episode has it all.

Lock in. We're back.

Link to the video referenced about getting high on Hashem (remixed)

Link to Shannon's parents' watch party

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] and follow us on X/Twitter @idolworshippod.

Welcome back to Idol Worship! After a weeklong hiatus to atone for their many, many sins over the past year, Judy and Yoni return for a special double episode review. Join them as they unpack a shocking and "serpentine" episode replete with references to classic Jewish villains, and analyze the theological implications of shoe banditry. Come for the Torah, and stay for the conspiracy theories…. 

Links:

Verses of Kohelet/Ecclesiastes discussed

Tiktok creator as Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean as Sabrina Carpenter!

Questions? Comments? More proof that Kohelet anticipated this episode? Email us at [email protected] and follow us on X/Twitter at @idolworshippod. Thanks for listening!

Idol Worship is back!

Now gainfully employed, Judy and Yoni return to the mic to break down the first episode of Survivor 49. They cover every Judaism x Survivor intersection from the premiere, including the "Survivor shofar," spirituality practices on Survivor, Rizo's questionable ethical practices, and how the impulse to keep doing things even when you're not totally bought may be common to both Judaism and Survivor 49.

Questions? Comments? Looking for Survivor x Judaism community or watch parties? Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and/or follow us on X/Twitter ⁠@idolworshippod⁠. Thanks for listening!

In the roller-coaster season finale of Idol Worship's inaugural season, Yoni and Judy break down the ending of Survivor 48, which included the weird return of David Hamelech, the crowning of a winner, and yes, that slick, slick mud.

Then, they are joined for short segments by six (!) loyal listeners, who share their Survivor and/or Judaism journeys, drop their takes on Survivor 48, analyze "winner's edits" in the Torah, and opine (sometimes in Yiddish) on Survivor's "pintele Yid." The guest segments close with a rousing rant from Judy's dad about how his parenting style overlaps with his approach to Survivor fandom.

Finally, Yoni and Judy close out their first season as cohosts (and their undergrad experience) by sharing their sage wisdom on the Parsha, Shavuot, and podcasting, picking their favorite guests (a real Blood vs. Water choice when family members are involved!), and looking ahead to the Jewish angle on Survivor 49. We hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Questions? Comments? Want to stay in touch about the Survivor x Judaism ideas that you have over the summer? Email us at [email protected] and/or follow us on X/Twitter @idolworshippod. Thanks for listening!!!

As the mega-cathatartic closure of their college career and Survivor 48 approaches, Judy and Yoni recap the penultimate episode of Survivor 48. They riff on vegetarian suffering on Survivor, analyze the possible Jewish etymology of "kerplunk," and talk about the Christ imagery in recent Survivor individual immunity challenges.

Then, our hosts dive into the ecological impacts of going number two on Survivor, the halachic concept of Batul B’shishim, and Judy’s consumption of possibly the trayfest thing of all time, before they put their LSAT logical analysis skills to the test by attempting to lay out all of the possible endings to Survivor 48.

After a brief hiatus that they spent basking in the glory of their magical guest episode, Judy and Yoni are back to discuss the events of the two most recent episodes of Survivor 48 (eps. 10 and 11). Their podcast skills improving by the episode, our hosts get into the mud viscosity scandal, arrogance in the Torah and on Survivor, and yet more tales of the immigrant struggle. They also shoutout their ancestors' journeys to Ellis Island, muse about Survivor: Endgame, and STAND on business.

Questions? Comments? Rants? Interested in being featured on a finale leadup episode of Idol Worship!!?? Email us at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter/X @idolworshippod.

Idol Worship is joined by Amir Unger, former host of Hofrim Amok, the world's only Hebrew-language Survivor podcast.

That's right, THE LONG-PROMISED GUEST EPISODE IS HERE!!!!

Drawing on his wealth of podcasting and Survivor knowlege, Amir joins Judy and Yoni to offer a master recap and analysis of the most recent episode of Survivor 48. First, this elite pocasting trio chats about Eva's choice to secure safety with power, how David might have used Jewish vows to escape his tragic (biblical?) fate, and the ideal Star victory scenario. Then, they delve into the linguistic and cultural nuances of Amir's podcasting past, the differences between Israeli, Australian, and American Survivor, and, as always, debate whether Survivor is Jewish.

Links:

- Israeli Survivor's true first air date (Obama was NOT president): here

- The basics of Jewish oaths and vows: here

Questions? Comments? Rants? Looking for Survivor x Jewish community? Email us at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter/X at @idolworshippod.

This week, Judy and Yoni tackle the male loneliness epidemic and the impact of meninism on Survivor 48. Yes, that's right—David HaMelech is at it again! The dynamic duo also discuss Pesach, which Biblical creature we could beat in a fight, unconscious (or conscious?) biases at the split vote twist, and the erosion of democracy on the Survivor 50 voting website.

Keep an eye out for a very special guest next week!

You can email us at [email protected] and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @IdolWorshipPod.

Links:

The Reddit thread Judy was talking about

The tweet Yoni was talking about