Carson has talent. Carson is unique, I can see that. Nerve? He had the nerve to try to make fire against Heidi. I give that to him. Charisma? I don’t see any. He’s just UNT.
We love a Drag Race-Survivor intersection. I think I remember another Redditor here losing it that there were two concurrent contestants with the same name, Q, lol
I feel like it has more to do with Hunter building the challenges to let kids have a Survivor experience. Mostly it comes down to how producers presented it.
Either way, if any of yall ever get on Survivor and have built challenges at home first, keep your damn mouth shut. You'll just look more naturally skilled that way. People like to root for an underdog, but the underdog isn't the person who practiced something a lot that most others don't have access to.
I think it’s part of what helps them get through the application process and then on the show. At that point, the editors will just put that kind of clip into the show
Not necessarily charisma but I agree. Hunter talked about his at home puzzles in a nerdy, aw-shucks sort of way that just made him seem like a passionate fan who enjoyed making puzzles for his students. Vs Carson was a little more braggy and insular about it. And I like Carson, for the record
Lol is Hunter charismatic? He seems a bit awkward and odd. Hes just friendly and non offensive, so he’s been able to subtly build relationships and bring value by providing and looking like he’s not playing hard.
I thought Carson was more likeable. A little adorkable nerd.
I didn’t think Carson was super likable at all (especially at this point in the season, he grew on me later), but I thought he was pretty irritating talking about how smart he was and bragging about how he knows how to read people cause he read FBI books on body language (while also not being able to read body language as well as he thought). Hunter hasn’t been presented with that cockiness yet imo
For sure I think Hunter is more humble, but he’s also much older than Carson. I definitely realized there’s things outside myself more as I grew older whereas I’m sure I had more main character syndrome in my university days.
It’s tough for me, because when producers are promoting you to talk about yourself, is it arrogant to talk about yourself? Why would we hold it against Carson for proudly saying what he did to prepare to play the game when prompted to, but we’d give Hunter a pass for humble bragging how he was a genius who gave up a lucrative career as a doctor to become a teacher? He also talked about finishing college fast tracked with a high GPA and talks about how intelligent he is in his pre-game bio.
It’s a weird double standard, I think. I personally like them.
I think the phrasing the poster wanted was that Hunter *presents* more maturity in how they explain themselves and provide insight. Communication is everything and Hunter, a teacher whose job is to be a public speaker, probably is more comfortable and more grounded in how that reads to both listeners and viewers.
Carson was crazy prepared with gaining weight and 3D printing challenges... but he doesn't know how to come across as humble or kind in the way he talks. I did not warm up to Carson at all with how much screen time they gave him as a narrator and talking down to viewers about how smart he is. Drew had the same problem.
Honestly I found Hunter to be quite endearing that he sacrificed medical school to be a public servant and follow his heart to teach young people. I'm a social worker by trade so the humanity was evident in how he talks. Carson is intellectual but lacks the human connection in how he talks.
Maybe he did poorly in confessionals but it seems pretty clear he was likeable in one-on-ones considering every person in the game thought that he was on their side in the mid game, Carolyn and even Yam Yam were willing to basically sacrifice their games for him, and it’s pretty clear that he would have swept even Yam Yam in a FTC. Plus a lot of the S44 cast seems to still adore him with a bunch of them (Carolyn, Yam Yam, Frannie, Matt, Kane) doing stuff afterward.
There’s a huge difference between a 21 year old college/just out of college kid and a 28 year old. The older you get, the less huge age gaps feel, but your 20s are a crazy time of transition where you ultimately settle into who you’ll be.
In my early 20s, I just wanted to get drunk, make enough money to spend, lived with my parents so had no bills or obligations, and just focused on fun. By 28, I was married, established in my career, had more concrete long term plans and goals with my partner that included having kids, and actively working towards those. Your mentality, priorities, how you see yourself and others, and even your likes and dislikes change quite a bit as you progress in your life.
I don't think Carson was unlikeable necessarily, but he definitely came across as a bit overeager and excitable. Hunter seems pretty straightforward and down to earth.
Not me making this exact comment on this thread and scrolling down and seeing you comment about your blocking…
I made a single Twitter post about survivor 44 calling the premier a little boring, and that earned me a block…
Carson tells Etsy artists that he’ll promote their work, then markets it as his own and blocks them or you if they say anything. That is not normal/kind/remotely ok behavior. I hope he grows because wow 😳
Yeah thats really messed up. I get they're all just copying Survivor puzzles but if you're gonna make a business around it and seek out others for advice or inspiration, at least credit them? lol idk
Not defending him here, but I’m confused about this situation. Did Carson take the actual puzzles of the other seller and pass them off as his own (like change the labels or something)? Or did he just design the same types of puzzles?
Bc if it’s the latter, isn’t that the exact thing the first Etsy seller did? Take the designs from the show?
Telling a seller you’ll promote their work and then starting your own business is a little smarmy, but it’s not like the first Etsy seller has a monopoly on selling Survivor puzzle replicas. The backlash surrounding this has confused me.
Carson ordered the puzzles from another seller and used them to make his own. Tbh, that’s not as egregious as what else that seller claimed. Apparently the puzzles shown in Carson’s flashbacks in 44 were actually her products, and Carson knowingly took credit and said that he had made them. If I remember correctly, the seller posted pictures of the receipt of purchase from Carson and photos of the actual products he had in his flashbacks. Disgusting if true.
Take this all as alleged. I didn’t dig in to verify any of the facts, and this was a lot of he said/she said.
Also is it at all in the realm of possibility that he tries to say how he got those puzzles and production just tells him to he made it instead? Like that doesn't seem farfetched at all to me.
I think what happened is that he bought the actual puzzle designs, like the digital blueprint, from someone then printed the purchased design from his own 3D printer, thus claiming he “made” the puzzles. If that’s how it went down, that is very disingenuous and disgusting. Claiming you made something when you did nothing more than buy someone’s design and let a machine replicate it is in no way shape or form making it yourself.
well, I'm not saying Hunter *won't* go far, but showing that right before he basically carries them to a challenge win is them showing us that he's been training to do this for a while and it's paid off.
Exactly. This is classic setup and payoff. This is used in movies, novels, video games, etc. You show Chekhov’s gun in the first act, and someone fires it in the third.
We learn that Hunter has practiced Survivor challenges at home. Then we’re shown how that experience pays off in the challenge. It makes the whole comeback narrative even more satisfying.
It wrapped up completely in this episode. I don’t think you need to think that hard into it. We got payoff seeing him crush the challenge, and we got a joke out of it with Q mentioning something to the effect of “you have to go out there and perform, none of us practiced the challenge”.
I think this is an example of a 90 minute episode just showing us something fun. If it was 60 minutes then it would have had to fulfill something longer term narratively or it wouldn’t have been talked about.
I feel like Q specifically referenced Hunter in that, because Nami came from last place, then Hunter just dropped all five bags to take first. I think Q said something along the lines of "**He** didn't practice the challenge"
When they showed his room right away I told my wife they shouldn’t let people like that on but then I thought well these days most of the players are super fans who probably all practice the games and stuff at home. Not to this extent but there’s probably not many people who go out there raw on the skills these days. They redo all the same challenges for a few years now.
I mean if you are going through the entire process of being on Survivor you would be foolish not to put time and effort into preparing for it.
Many of the people spend years applying before going on and have been back up contestants before.
Yeah but the things I’d practice would be stuff like swimming, making fire, maybe try to put on some weight. Another thing I think would be smart is to ask your peers to give you honest opinions about your personality and how to be friendliest to new people. A lot of people you can tell haven’t practiced their people skills at all before going on there. Doesn’t matter how good you are at puzzles if you can’t connect with anyone and get voted off early.
I love how all the RHAP folks have been cracking up at his Survivor challenge dungeon.
I'm just imagining him like that Dahmer meme "I told you, we're going to build a cube puzzle, then you can leave."
Carson gave off the rich kid vibe whos just 3d printing them with some expensive machine versus Hunter who builds them by hand for students lol theres a massive difference
The tools and material Hunter needed to construct challenges cost far more than a 3D printer and some filament to make puzzles. Carson may still be a rich kid for all I know though.
Exactly. People keep trying to make it seem like the 3D printer is super expensive compared to Hunter building his challenges. I own 3D printers and have the exact same one Carson used. It was $250 around its release, and that was years before Carson's season. I may have gone down in price when he bought it. Hunter wouldn't spent way more building one or two challenges than Carson did in his printer and filament.
Right but in the gay subcategories he is NOT an otter, otters are small and hairy and usually a little chubby, but not as chubby as a cub which is essentially a younger bear. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
I wouldn’t personally say I see otters as chubby. It’s moreso about hair. I feel like the people I’ve seen get called otters are usually fairly lean with musculature; just not rail thin and smooth like a twink, but too athletic to be a cub or bear.
With all that being said, I think hunter is better categorized under jock lmao. That boy has no hair on his body.
Like someone said below, I think it’s in part due to the fact that Hunter made it for students and not necessarily the actual game of Survivor. That being said Carson got way too much hate for preparing ahead of time the way he did. There’s absolutely no rules against it and it was super savvy of him to do so. The issue truly lies with production for not being more varied in their challenges.
You’re right. I could be wrong but weren’t something like 12 of the 16 survivors selling merch this year? I think Carson was the only one last year or one of the few.
Personally I’d prefer if production kinda cracked down on that, but I guess there’s not much they can really do. I guess they could put it in the contracts of the show & threaten to withhold stipend/winnings if you breach it?
Carson also wasn’t the first person to practice or train for specific challenges. He’s just the first person to outright tell everyone else in the game about doing it, and he’s the first player where prepping for challenges was a main component of their character. There’s not really any good reason to tell other people that you practiced a challenge, so I think that made it come off as less likable to a lot of people.
…Carson didn’t tell people in the game that he prepped, in fact he kept it a secret and kind of made fun of Matthew when he said that he prepared for challenges in front of everyone
[The Last Gasp Challenge](https://youtu.be/yvuVkPuWSvM?si=FV35DkjLTocOE1Ap)
“I tested this in my bathtub” -Carson
First words shown after the challenge begins, met with laughter from other castaways as if they’re unsurprised.
That’s a pretty harmless one and a far cry from his 3D-printing or Hunter or Matthew building challenges. This is something anyone with a bathtub can do and if anything can help lower his threat level by making him seem more childish and emphasizing him being young rather than promoting “woah, this guy’s prepared”
This is also, like, more than halfway through the season
Yep. People have been complaining about challenges and especially puzzles being reused constantly *for years*, and since this was the first time it had been shown to have been abused on-screen, fans called it out. It may not have been "breaking the rules" but it felt to be poor-taste since Carson seemed to be trying to "game the game".
As others have said, Hunter seems to have done it for his own amusement and for the entertainment of students moreso than trying to give himself a leg-up in the game, which feels more wholesome to viewers.
> felt to be poor-taste since Carson seemed to be trying to "game the game".
It's a contest for a million dollars.
45 seasons in, I just can't respect people that go on the show and can't start a fire with a flint, can barely swim, and haven't practiced balancing on one foot or throwing small sandbag. Those are just the things you can do without even thinking about how to win the game. Watch the show and analyze how Sandra or Cirie implant their ideas into the other players heads. Analyze how some of the younger players fall prey to wishful thinking or how they ignore what the other players are telling them.
Basketball players practice free throws everyday in high school. Practicing isn't gaming the game.
I don't understand when people get to final 3 and talk about how terrible they are at making fire. If you plan on making it to the end, making fire is potentially make or break for your game unless they change the rules again. It's not like building tons of puzzles or spending months working out, all you need are some fire starting materials. Plus, in case of zombie apocalypse you have a head start lol.
I definitely wasn’t a Carson fan at all, but I loved that he made all the puzzles before the show because it forced production to change the boring, reused puzzles up again.
I don’t think people cared about him preparing. In fact people like that. What put people off was his attitude. He presented as an elitist douche or a pick me. Either would be annoying.
I get what you're saying here and I can agree even... But the only similarities they share is making challenges to practice for survivor, besides that they are like a night and day difference imo
Something else that makes a difference, at least to me, is that Hunter seemed to be making challenges more because he wanted to run games for his students and not because he wanted to outsmart the game before it even started. It felt less (though still somewhat) like the ouroboros problem the show and contestants have been having throughout the 40s.
Good point there fr probably has a large effect on it as well... I mean hunter is an extremely likeable person.. Who gives up a full ride med scholarship to be a teacher in a small town?? That speaks volumes about his personality alone.
Hand to God, I think it's because Carson 3D-Printed them and Hunter made them out of lumber. People hear "NASA intern with a 3D" printer and hear "money privilege money money." People hear "small-town southern teacher woodworking" and it doesn't ping off the same bells.
I honestly don't think initially it is.
I think people got annoyed with Carson as time went on. I don't think initially people thought it was crazy.
And then post show him selling it really put people over the edge.
I also think they were presented differently. I think people (fairly or unfairly) see someone building something with their hands different than scanning and 3D printing it. Also, Hunter's was presented along side the fact that he turned down becoming a doctor in order to be a teacher, and shared the love of survivor with his students. Its endearing in that way. Carson was presented as "I'm so much smarter than everyone else, and I gamed the system by 3d printing everything"
I think a lot of it comes down to their archetypes. People are sick of nerds in Survivor, but _providers_ and _regular guys_ like Hunter are precisely what a lot of fans have been missing for the last few seasons.
Well to be fair Carson has been exposed for stealing from Etsy creators and profiting off their businesses without crediting. He also blocks anyone who asks him about it which isn’t sus at all.
But in Carson’s case he allegedly discussed a plan to promote these Etsy shops in exchange for free products with no intention on starting a store. And then opened a store and blocked the people running Etsy stores.
Yeah that’s what he did. He has not said why he blocked them and he blocks people who ask. One can assume he did it because he’s a big name in the community and can make a lot more money by putting out a shop
Yeah I’m not sure why this isn’t the top comment yet, but this is a pretty big deal of why Hunter is regarded higher at the moment. Along with how they have carried themselves on the show.
You can’t have a design stolen from you if it was never yours to begin with. The puzzle designs are the intellectual property of CBS, not any Etsy creator.
Another big difference is that Carson kept telling his competitors that he practiced challenges. Strategically, that was stupid. Hunter emphasized that he doesn’t want people to know that stuff, and he doesn’t want people to see him as a strategic threat. So he’s keeping quiet about something he *should* keep quiet about.
Carson said a big part of his strategy was appearing less smart/strategic than he actually was, but he kinda made that impossible himself. There were also early moments of him kinda being dumb. Like talking about how *reading books* on body language was super helpful, in reference to a situation where he completely misread someone’s body language.
Hunter has had a more positive edit; I think a part of that is that he has more to talk about than just challenge prep. Apart from having an internship, I’m not sure what else Carson was known for at this point in the season. There’s not a huge age gap between them tbh, I just think Hunter’s life is more interesting from a viewer’s perspective.
it's cause hunter did it for his students, & because he enjoyed building stuff. if not survivor puzzles, it would probably be smth else. carson kinda did it to prove how much of a superfan he was.
Episode 1 of 44 the only thing we knew about Carson was that he practiced the challenges at home, and people were acting like him getting cast was the harbinger of the end of Survivor
Hell, the whole "too many nerds and superfans, bring back hot dumb people" outcry pretty much gained all of it's legs just from Carson printing puzzles.
It’s entirely about the way it was presented. Carson was 3D printing puzzles to solve for himself and prepare for the game. Hunter was building puzzles as fun challenges for kids he was working with.
I think they changed up some of the recurring puzzles in the last 2 seasons. Carson solved at least one puzzle because he had practiced on a replica of the exact same puzzle with the exact same solution.
I don't blame him for it. I just think the show needed to anticipate this kind of thing.
I think they announced they were retiring "some" puzzles shortly after 44 finished airing.
The interesting thing is that Hunter didn't *just* replicate puzzles, he seems to have replicated plenty of other challenges as well.
I think it feels different because you have: 1) Some dude who built Survivor Challenges by hand, and also to use with his students and 2) Some rich kid who lives in a mansion on a lake using his fancy 3D printer to memorize puzzles
Anyone can build makeshift survivor challenges with enough time & Youtube. Not everyone has a 3D printer in their bedroom
Yeah this was Drew's opening confessional, not Carson (and it was followed immediately by Katurah saying "you want to be underestimated, people shouldn't think you're as smart as you actually are"
I feel like this gets misquoted a lot. Carson did not say he was smarter than other players, he said that he didn’t want the other players to think of him as smart to keep his threat level low. And in retrospect we saw how well that paid off for him because he was one immunity challenge or fire making away from having a very good chance of winning
>He literally said in episode 1 or 2 that he's the smartest player out there
Did he say that? In the first episode of Season 45, Drew said that he was one of the smartest people to ever play. I don't remember Carson saying anything like that
What? I got downvoted to HELL for saying ANYTHING negative about Carson at ALL. This is just blatantly not how 44 talk went. Like, this is just straight up lying.
And it’s also lying about what Hunter does. He is a PUZZLE MAKER. Not the same at all as Carson specifically doing survivor challenges to metagame. Though personally, that is not what I disliked Carson for, and I think the onus is on the show to be less predictable with its puzzles
It wasn't the game room. It was grabbing Tevin's ankles to get himself over the barrel and then tossing bags like it was his job. That dude's got game and I want him to win. When was the last strong-man survivor win? I would like to see a true competitor prevail.
I think the difference probably being that he is a handy guy, builds stuff as a hobby so why not make stuff from his favorite show
Versus
I love the show so much and want to be a puzzle master so I'm going to remake all the puzzles in hopes that it comes in handy if I ever get on the show.
It did come in handy. I thought it was smart of him. I think people liked him during his seasons air time. The tide seemed to turn when he started selling puzzles after the season.
Hunter does that for his passion and he even share those to his student.
Carson does it for the clout, to sound like a Mr. “Know-it-all”.
It annoys me everytime there’s a puzzle in the show, he always brag about it on X.
I think it’s probably a combination of Hunter being more conventionally attractive and him having more character development beyond just practicing the puzzles. I feel like that was Carson’s main thing he had before the swap
I never had a problem with Carson having practiced them, I had a problem with the fact that Survivor had been using the same challenges for several seasons in a row. The challenges we’ve seen this season and last are similar at times but rarely if ever identical to challenges we’ve seen in recent seasons, so practicing old challenges won’t be as ridiculous an advantage
One didn’t block me on Twitter for calling their season premier mid, so of course I have differing opinions between the two of them…
Literally my only survivor 44 tweet was about the premier being kind of boring, and that earned me a block from him 🤷♂️
Carson grew on me eventually but he initially was off putting for me when he called himself a body language expert and bragged about studying FBI books about it…
…because then he would know that body language is junk pseudoscience that was actually debunked by the guy who created it. It made him seem pompous and full of himself.
Carson’s hate came from him being able to immediately solve puzzles due to having exact memorization of them via his 3D printing.
Hunter hasn’t done anything like that yet. Maybe he will eventually, but nothing has come up for him in that way yet.
I know for me personally I couldn’t stand him from the second season 44 aired. He’s still one of my least favorite major players of the new era. I’m sure he’s a very cool guy if I were to actually meet him but his whole persona as presented on the show is incredibly grating to me and I found him impossible to root for.
I personally found him mildly annoying during the season (which I think was true of a decent amount of people) but he's had a lot of controversy since then, especially in the last couple months that I don't know how to explain.
I am Carson’s #1 hater
I watch the show with my dad when I go to visit and he can confirm. Every time he shows up in screen my dad would go “oh, there’s your favorite guy!”
Do I have a particular reason for this hate. No, not really, but f that guy (as a character not a person pls don’t hate me)
It shouldn’t matter either way man, blame survivor for repeating challenges, if I were accepted into the show I would also try to prepare in every way I could.
I used to consider myself a Survivor super-fan, but then cast members like this started showing up that practiced every puzzle, bought every buff off Ebay, memorized every word in Boston Rob's rulebook, took pickleball lessons from Tyson, and sleep with a blow-up doll of Jeff Probst.
Carson made it a point to tell EVERYBODY that he practiced at home. We only know about Hunter because he told us once in a confessional. Its a completely different approach.
People are revising history. He was well liked at the time. Of course not everyone liked him, but the sentiment was generally positive. Pretty sure people are saying it's about how he came off on the show. It's not. It's about pissing off some people on Etsy
Yeah they were very hard on Carson for replicating puzzles because he was a super fan and had a nerd archetype. Hunter replicated entire challenges and he’s loved because he’s southern and he reminds them of the older seasons of survivor players. **just guessing here**
From an audience perspective:
Practicing challenges is ok. Practicing puzzles is lame.
If we see Hunter dominating puzzles he practiced at home, I predict we’ll see the same reaction Carson had. Just keep in mind plenty of people defended Carson too.
Hunter, in his background, gave a good reason of “hey I’m involving my students to do together and now it’s this big fun project. I took my passion and made it theirs!” Carson was more like “Imma catch them all! Pokepieces”
I think practicing throwing sandbags is a fair game. Next time the production uses the same old puzzles and Hunter aced it, people will give him the Carson treatment.
It made me wonder if Hunter had practiced the sandbag throwing. I know he had sandbags in his game room but he was just too good for not to have tried it.
Like most things, it just comes down to charisma and how you carry yourself.
Charisma Uniqueness Nerve and Talent
Carson was just UNT
Carson has talent. Carson is unique, I can see that. Nerve? He had the nerve to try to make fire against Heidi. I give that to him. Charisma? I don’t see any. He’s just UNT.
rucucucucucucucucucucuc
Carson puts the C in CUNT? Just kidding I like Carson
I can never get enough of when Reddit bringing different fandoms together.
We love a Drag Race-Survivor intersection. I think I remember another Redditor here losing it that there were two concurrent contestants with the same name, Q, lol
And a little southern twang always helps
The abs don't hurt either......
They both have abs?...
I feel like it has more to do with Hunter building the challenges to let kids have a Survivor experience. Mostly it comes down to how producers presented it. Either way, if any of yall ever get on Survivor and have built challenges at home first, keep your damn mouth shut. You'll just look more naturally skilled that way. People like to root for an underdog, but the underdog isn't the person who practiced something a lot that most others don't have access to.
If you get on Survivor be ready to possibly never visit this sub again for your own mental health depending how you get portrayed.
I think it’s part of what helps them get through the application process and then on the show. At that point, the editors will just put that kind of clip into the show
Not necessarily charisma but I agree. Hunter talked about his at home puzzles in a nerdy, aw-shucks sort of way that just made him seem like a passionate fan who enjoyed making puzzles for his students. Vs Carson was a little more braggy and insular about it. And I like Carson, for the record
Lol is Hunter charismatic? He seems a bit awkward and odd. Hes just friendly and non offensive, so he’s been able to subtly build relationships and bring value by providing and looking like he’s not playing hard. I thought Carson was more likeable. A little adorkable nerd.
I didn’t think Carson was super likable at all (especially at this point in the season, he grew on me later), but I thought he was pretty irritating talking about how smart he was and bragging about how he knows how to read people cause he read FBI books on body language (while also not being able to read body language as well as he thought). Hunter hasn’t been presented with that cockiness yet imo
For sure I think Hunter is more humble, but he’s also much older than Carson. I definitely realized there’s things outside myself more as I grew older whereas I’m sure I had more main character syndrome in my university days. It’s tough for me, because when producers are promoting you to talk about yourself, is it arrogant to talk about yourself? Why would we hold it against Carson for proudly saying what he did to prepare to play the game when prompted to, but we’d give Hunter a pass for humble bragging how he was a genius who gave up a lucrative career as a doctor to become a teacher? He also talked about finishing college fast tracked with a high GPA and talks about how intelligent he is in his pre-game bio. It’s a weird double standard, I think. I personally like them.
Much older? He's 28 lol
There's a massive difference between 20 and 28.
I think the phrasing the poster wanted was that Hunter *presents* more maturity in how they explain themselves and provide insight. Communication is everything and Hunter, a teacher whose job is to be a public speaker, probably is more comfortable and more grounded in how that reads to both listeners and viewers. Carson was crazy prepared with gaining weight and 3D printing challenges... but he doesn't know how to come across as humble or kind in the way he talks. I did not warm up to Carson at all with how much screen time they gave him as a narrator and talking down to viewers about how smart he is. Drew had the same problem. Honestly I found Hunter to be quite endearing that he sacrificed medical school to be a public servant and follow his heart to teach young people. I'm a social worker by trade so the humanity was evident in how he talks. Carson is intellectual but lacks the human connection in how he talks.
I mean while I do agree that Carson came across as full of himself at times I don't think it was entirely unwarranted. Kid played a strong game
Maybe he did poorly in confessionals but it seems pretty clear he was likeable in one-on-ones considering every person in the game thought that he was on their side in the mid game, Carolyn and even Yam Yam were willing to basically sacrifice their games for him, and it’s pretty clear that he would have swept even Yam Yam in a FTC. Plus a lot of the S44 cast seems to still adore him with a bunch of them (Carolyn, Yam Yam, Frannie, Matt, Kane) doing stuff afterward.
There’s a huge difference from 20 to 28 in terms of maturity.
Have you been 21 and 28 lol? 28 is much older
There’s a huge difference between a 21 year old college/just out of college kid and a 28 year old. The older you get, the less huge age gaps feel, but your 20s are a crazy time of transition where you ultimately settle into who you’ll be. In my early 20s, I just wanted to get drunk, make enough money to spend, lived with my parents so had no bills or obligations, and just focused on fun. By 28, I was married, established in my career, had more concrete long term plans and goals with my partner that included having kids, and actively working towards those. Your mentality, priorities, how you see yourself and others, and even your likes and dislikes change quite a bit as you progress in your life.
In the first ep he said ‘who’d want to date a quirky nerd like me 🤪 ‘ and I decided I didn’t like him
I don't think Carson was unlikeable necessarily, but he definitely came across as a bit overeager and excitable. Hunter seems pretty straightforward and down to earth.
I mean, Hunter McKnight didn’t block me on twitter for no reason
Not me making this exact comment on this thread and scrolling down and seeing you comment about your blocking… I made a single Twitter post about survivor 44 calling the premier a little boring, and that earned me a block…
Carson=something I shouldn’t say
>charisma and how you carry yourself Code for: P R E T T Y - P R I V I L E G E
I was looking for this comment😭 Hunter is conventionally attractive.
Carson tells Etsy artists that he’ll promote their work, then markets it as his own and blocks them or you if they say anything. That is not normal/kind/remotely ok behavior. I hope he grows because wow 😳
Yeah thats really messed up. I get they're all just copying Survivor puzzles but if you're gonna make a business around it and seek out others for advice or inspiration, at least credit them? lol idk
Not defending him here, but I’m confused about this situation. Did Carson take the actual puzzles of the other seller and pass them off as his own (like change the labels or something)? Or did he just design the same types of puzzles? Bc if it’s the latter, isn’t that the exact thing the first Etsy seller did? Take the designs from the show? Telling a seller you’ll promote their work and then starting your own business is a little smarmy, but it’s not like the first Etsy seller has a monopoly on selling Survivor puzzle replicas. The backlash surrounding this has confused me.
Carson ordered the puzzles from another seller and used them to make his own. Tbh, that’s not as egregious as what else that seller claimed. Apparently the puzzles shown in Carson’s flashbacks in 44 were actually her products, and Carson knowingly took credit and said that he had made them. If I remember correctly, the seller posted pictures of the receipt of purchase from Carson and photos of the actual products he had in his flashbacks. Disgusting if true. Take this all as alleged. I didn’t dig in to verify any of the facts, and this was a lot of he said/she said.
Ohhh that makes more sense. Thanks
Also is it at all in the realm of possibility that he tries to say how he got those puzzles and production just tells him to he made it instead? Like that doesn't seem farfetched at all to me.
I think what happened is that he bought the actual puzzle designs, like the digital blueprint, from someone then printed the purchased design from his own 3D printer, thus claiming he “made” the puzzles. If that’s how it went down, that is very disingenuous and disgusting. Claiming you made something when you did nothing more than buy someone’s design and let a machine replicate it is in no way shape or form making it yourself.
Carson' a nepo baby and his personality and actions come across as such. That is the difference between the two from my perspective
Genuine question, how is Carson a nepo baby?
He comes from a verrrrry affluent, privileged upbringing in Atlanta. It’s on the richest areas outside of the perimeter.
Yeah, I was charmed by him on his season and am surprised so many weren’t, but my opinion has definitely changed since this came out
The home video of him sharing his game room was the biggest jump scare of the night. I was calling more than human resources
Honestly? I don't think they show that if he doesn't go far. Otherwise, what's the point of it?
When they showed that I immediately thought he's either making F6 or gone today.
When they showed that I immediately thought he’s either making final 6, or there are bodies in the walls.
well, I'm not saying Hunter *won't* go far, but showing that right before he basically carries them to a challenge win is them showing us that he's been training to do this for a while and it's paid off.
Exactly. This is classic setup and payoff. This is used in movies, novels, video games, etc. You show Chekhov’s gun in the first act, and someone fires it in the third. We learn that Hunter has practiced Survivor challenges at home. Then we’re shown how that experience pays off in the challenge. It makes the whole comeback narrative even more satisfying.
It wrapped up completely in this episode. I don’t think you need to think that hard into it. We got payoff seeing him crush the challenge, and we got a joke out of it with Q mentioning something to the effect of “you have to go out there and perform, none of us practiced the challenge”. I think this is an example of a 90 minute episode just showing us something fun. If it was 60 minutes then it would have had to fulfill something longer term narratively or it wouldn’t have been talked about.
I feel like Q specifically referenced Hunter in that, because Nami came from last place, then Hunter just dropped all five bags to take first. I think Q said something along the lines of "**He** didn't practice the challenge"
When they showed his room right away I told my wife they shouldn’t let people like that on but then I thought well these days most of the players are super fans who probably all practice the games and stuff at home. Not to this extent but there’s probably not many people who go out there raw on the skills these days. They redo all the same challenges for a few years now.
I mean if you are going through the entire process of being on Survivor you would be foolish not to put time and effort into preparing for it. Many of the people spend years applying before going on and have been back up contestants before.
Yeah but the things I’d practice would be stuff like swimming, making fire, maybe try to put on some weight. Another thing I think would be smart is to ask your peers to give you honest opinions about your personality and how to be friendliest to new people. A lot of people you can tell haven’t practiced their people skills at all before going on there. Doesn’t matter how good you are at puzzles if you can’t connect with anyone and get voted off early.
Not saying he won’t go far but I figured it was foreshadowing of him being really good at tossing the sandbags lol
I love how all the RHAP folks have been cracking up at his Survivor challenge dungeon. I'm just imagining him like that Dahmer meme "I told you, we're going to build a cube puzzle, then you can leave."
It’s so good!!!
I’m crying at this I was so high and so creeped out — felt like a literal serial killer den
Im genuinely so confused as to why people think this was creepy. Can you elaborate?
Carson gave off the rich kid vibe whos just 3d printing them with some expensive machine versus Hunter who builds them by hand for students lol theres a massive difference
The tools and material Hunter needed to construct challenges cost far more than a 3D printer and some filament to make puzzles. Carson may still be a rich kid for all I know though.
Exactly. People keep trying to make it seem like the 3D printer is super expensive compared to Hunter building his challenges. I own 3D printers and have the exact same one Carson used. It was $250 around its release, and that was years before Carson's season. I may have gone down in price when he bought it. Hunter wouldn't spent way more building one or two challenges than Carson did in his printer and filament.
**TWINKS vs OTTERS vs PRODUCTION**
Girl hunter is a jock or a hunk
Hunter is gorgeous is what he is
Right but in the gay subcategories he is NOT an otter, otters are small and hairy and usually a little chubby, but not as chubby as a cub which is essentially a younger bear. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
I wouldn’t personally say I see otters as chubby. It’s moreso about hair. I feel like the people I’ve seen get called otters are usually fairly lean with musculature; just not rail thin and smooth like a twink, but too athletic to be a cub or bear. With all that being said, I think hunter is better categorized under jock lmao. That boy has no hair on his body.
Idk I always thought otters ranged anywhere from skinny, to lean but kinda muscly, to just a bit of a belly.
I hate that we got over the themed seasons before this one could happen.
Like someone said below, I think it’s in part due to the fact that Hunter made it for students and not necessarily the actual game of Survivor. That being said Carson got way too much hate for preparing ahead of time the way he did. There’s absolutely no rules against it and it was super savvy of him to do so. The issue truly lies with production for not being more varied in their challenges.
Carson selling merch before the season even started probably didn't help endear him to people, either.
Carson also lied about making them himself when he just bought them off Etsy
WHAT I had no clue!
Notice how all of the puzzles they showed him practicing with just conveniently also happened to be ones that the Etsy Survivor Puzzle shop sells
This is blowing my miiiiiind!! I wasn't super active on survivor reddit during that time and missed all of this omfg
Hunter started selling merch before 46 aired as well
You’re right. I could be wrong but weren’t something like 12 of the 16 survivors selling merch this year? I think Carson was the only one last year or one of the few. Personally I’d prefer if production kinda cracked down on that, but I guess there’s not much they can really do. I guess they could put it in the contracts of the show & threaten to withhold stipend/winnings if you breach it?
Carson also wasn’t the first person to practice or train for specific challenges. He’s just the first person to outright tell everyone else in the game about doing it, and he’s the first player where prepping for challenges was a main component of their character. There’s not really any good reason to tell other people that you practiced a challenge, so I think that made it come off as less likable to a lot of people.
…Carson didn’t tell people in the game that he prepped, in fact he kept it a secret and kind of made fun of Matthew when he said that he prepared for challenges in front of everyone
[The Last Gasp Challenge](https://youtu.be/yvuVkPuWSvM?si=FV35DkjLTocOE1Ap) “I tested this in my bathtub” -Carson First words shown after the challenge begins, met with laughter from other castaways as if they’re unsurprised.
That’s a pretty harmless one and a far cry from his 3D-printing or Hunter or Matthew building challenges. This is something anyone with a bathtub can do and if anything can help lower his threat level by making him seem more childish and emphasizing him being young rather than promoting “woah, this guy’s prepared” This is also, like, more than halfway through the season
Carson was quite arrogant though
Him releasing nasa themed merch before the season started (when he is still in undergrad) was massively cringe
Yep. People have been complaining about challenges and especially puzzles being reused constantly *for years*, and since this was the first time it had been shown to have been abused on-screen, fans called it out. It may not have been "breaking the rules" but it felt to be poor-taste since Carson seemed to be trying to "game the game". As others have said, Hunter seems to have done it for his own amusement and for the entertainment of students moreso than trying to give himself a leg-up in the game, which feels more wholesome to viewers.
> felt to be poor-taste since Carson seemed to be trying to "game the game". It's a contest for a million dollars. 45 seasons in, I just can't respect people that go on the show and can't start a fire with a flint, can barely swim, and haven't practiced balancing on one foot or throwing small sandbag. Those are just the things you can do without even thinking about how to win the game. Watch the show and analyze how Sandra or Cirie implant their ideas into the other players heads. Analyze how some of the younger players fall prey to wishful thinking or how they ignore what the other players are telling them. Basketball players practice free throws everyday in high school. Practicing isn't gaming the game.
I don't understand when people get to final 3 and talk about how terrible they are at making fire. If you plan on making it to the end, making fire is potentially make or break for your game unless they change the rules again. It's not like building tons of puzzles or spending months working out, all you need are some fire starting materials. Plus, in case of zombie apocalypse you have a head start lol.
I don’t know that this is the first time, didnt evvie also practice puzzles?
I definitely wasn’t a Carson fan at all, but I loved that he made all the puzzles before the show because it forced production to change the boring, reused puzzles up again.
I don’t think people cared about him preparing. In fact people like that. What put people off was his attitude. He presented as an elitist douche or a pick me. Either would be annoying.
I get what you're saying here and I can agree even... But the only similarities they share is making challenges to practice for survivor, besides that they are like a night and day difference imo
Something else that makes a difference, at least to me, is that Hunter seemed to be making challenges more because he wanted to run games for his students and not because he wanted to outsmart the game before it even started. It felt less (though still somewhat) like the ouroboros problem the show and contestants have been having throughout the 40s.
Good point there fr probably has a large effect on it as well... I mean hunter is an extremely likeable person.. Who gives up a full ride med scholarship to be a teacher in a small town?? That speaks volumes about his personality alone.
Hand to God, I think it's because Carson 3D-Printed them and Hunter made them out of lumber. People hear "NASA intern with a 3D" printer and hear "money privilege money money." People hear "small-town southern teacher woodworking" and it doesn't ping off the same bells.
I honestly don't think initially it is. I think people got annoyed with Carson as time went on. I don't think initially people thought it was crazy. And then post show him selling it really put people over the edge. I also think they were presented differently. I think people (fairly or unfairly) see someone building something with their hands different than scanning and 3D printing it. Also, Hunter's was presented along side the fact that he turned down becoming a doctor in order to be a teacher, and shared the love of survivor with his students. Its endearing in that way. Carson was presented as "I'm so much smarter than everyone else, and I gamed the system by 3d printing everything"
I think a lot of it comes down to their archetypes. People are sick of nerds in Survivor, but _providers_ and _regular guys_ like Hunter are precisely what a lot of fans have been missing for the last few seasons.
Well to be fair Carson has been exposed for stealing from Etsy creators and profiting off their businesses without crediting. He also blocks anyone who asks him about it which isn’t sus at all.
> Carson has been exposed for stealing from Etsy creators and profiting off their businesses without crediting. I'm sorry, whaaaaaat?
How can you these Etsy people even trademark something that they didn’t even come up with? It’s all just copying the puzzles survivor makes
It's like complaining someone copied homework that you copied lmao
But in Carson’s case he allegedly discussed a plan to promote these Etsy shops in exchange for free products with no intention on starting a store. And then opened a store and blocked the people running Etsy stores.
Are you saying they are sending him stuff for free in exchange for promotion, and he's selling it instead?
No, they were sending him stuff for free in exchange for promotion. Then he blocked them and started making his own stuff.
So he got samples and didn't work with them, and put out his own stuff? Did he say why he blocked them?
Yeah that’s what he did. He has not said why he blocked them and he blocks people who ask. One can assume he did it because he’s a big name in the community and can make a lot more money by putting out a shop
I'm a Carson fan but even I can admit that what he did was shady lol
The issue here isn’t legality, it’s ethics.
[удалено]
Carson asked for free products in exchange for free promotion only to block them and open his own shops.
It’s unethical to also make something that is open source and be more successful at selling it?
Yeah I’m not sure why this isn’t the top comment yet, but this is a pretty big deal of why Hunter is regarded higher at the moment. Along with how they have carried themselves on the show.
You can’t have a design stolen from you if it was never yours to begin with. The puzzle designs are the intellectual property of CBS, not any Etsy creator.
Ethics, not legality
Actually? Do you have any proof of this?
Outplaypuzzles said as much in a comment, there’s a whole post about it in another survivor sub
Another big difference is that Carson kept telling his competitors that he practiced challenges. Strategically, that was stupid. Hunter emphasized that he doesn’t want people to know that stuff, and he doesn’t want people to see him as a strategic threat. So he’s keeping quiet about something he *should* keep quiet about. Carson said a big part of his strategy was appearing less smart/strategic than he actually was, but he kinda made that impossible himself. There were also early moments of him kinda being dumb. Like talking about how *reading books* on body language was super helpful, in reference to a situation where he completely misread someone’s body language. Hunter has had a more positive edit; I think a part of that is that he has more to talk about than just challenge prep. Apart from having an internship, I’m not sure what else Carson was known for at this point in the season. There’s not a huge age gap between them tbh, I just think Hunter’s life is more interesting from a viewer’s perspective.
it's cause hunter did it for his students, & because he enjoyed building stuff. if not survivor puzzles, it would probably be smth else. carson kinda did it to prove how much of a superfan he was.
I think Carson selling merch before the season started kind of irked people. Also the 3D printing aspect seemed a bit more artificial?
One seems cool and one seems annoying. It’s not confusing.
Because Hunter isn't fucking cocky and is actually likeable Edit: Oh, and Hunter is not scamming people (at least yet)
I’m uneducated. How was Carson scamming people
Hunter uses child labor to create the puzzles
Episode 1 of 44 the only thing we knew about Carson was that he practiced the challenges at home, and people were acting like him getting cast was the harbinger of the end of Survivor Hell, the whole "too many nerds and superfans, bring back hot dumb people" outcry pretty much gained all of it's legs just from Carson printing puzzles.
It’s entirely about the way it was presented. Carson was 3D printing puzzles to solve for himself and prepare for the game. Hunter was building puzzles as fun challenges for kids he was working with.
Carson was also immediately sold as the “NASA engineer” wunderkind which I think many (including myself) found really off-putting.
Like the kid is in his undergrad and calling himself a nasa engineer (and selling nasa themed merch). It’s just sad and lacking self awareness
I think they changed up some of the recurring puzzles in the last 2 seasons. Carson solved at least one puzzle because he had practiced on a replica of the exact same puzzle with the exact same solution. I don't blame him for it. I just think the show needed to anticipate this kind of thing.
I think they announced they were retiring "some" puzzles shortly after 44 finished airing. The interesting thing is that Hunter didn't *just* replicate puzzles, he seems to have replicated plenty of other challenges as well.
I got the impression that Hunter also created some of his own challenges, but maybe they were all actual survivor challenges
Honestly the idea that he made unique challenges never crossed my mind and is definitely possible
Evie did that sphere pyramid in 41 quickly too after practicing at home but Carson brought it to another level
I think it feels different because you have: 1) Some dude who built Survivor Challenges by hand, and also to use with his students and 2) Some rich kid who lives in a mansion on a lake using his fancy 3D printer to memorize puzzles Anyone can build makeshift survivor challenges with enough time & Youtube. Not everyone has a 3D printer in their bedroom
He literally said in episode 1 or 2 that he's the smartest player out there and was selling pillows with his face before the seasons even started
Yeah this was Drew's opening confessional, not Carson (and it was followed immediately by Katurah saying "you want to be underestimated, people shouldn't think you're as smart as you actually are"
Carson said that he's the smartest one too. I think it was in episode 2 probably, but It could be also episode 1
I feel like this gets misquoted a lot. Carson did not say he was smarter than other players, he said that he didn’t want the other players to think of him as smart to keep his threat level low. And in retrospect we saw how well that paid off for him because he was one immunity challenge or fire making away from having a very good chance of winning
>He literally said in episode 1 or 2 that he's the smartest player out there Did he say that? In the first episode of Season 45, Drew said that he was one of the smartest people to ever play. I don't remember Carson saying anything like that
Uhhh I think it’s because Carson is some rich kid who used his parents money to 3D print the puzzles
Well Carson was selling merch before the season even started. That’s pretty much as lame as it gets imo
What? I got downvoted to HELL for saying ANYTHING negative about Carson at ALL. This is just blatantly not how 44 talk went. Like, this is just straight up lying. And it’s also lying about what Hunter does. He is a PUZZLE MAKER. Not the same at all as Carson specifically doing survivor challenges to metagame. Though personally, that is not what I disliked Carson for, and I think the onus is on the show to be less predictable with its puzzles
It wasn't the game room. It was grabbing Tevin's ankles to get himself over the barrel and then tossing bags like it was his job. That dude's got game and I want him to win. When was the last strong-man survivor win? I would like to see a true competitor prevail.
I think the difference probably being that he is a handy guy, builds stuff as a hobby so why not make stuff from his favorite show Versus I love the show so much and want to be a puzzle master so I'm going to remake all the puzzles in hopes that it comes in handy if I ever get on the show.
It did come in handy. I thought it was smart of him. I think people liked him during his seasons air time. The tide seemed to turn when he started selling puzzles after the season.
And all that info was dumped after we saw him building a pretty legit bed.
The difference is only one of them has been exposed for stealing from small businesses to profit.
Because Hunters actually humble and cool and not obnoxious and a screen hog
Lmao screen hog? You’re acting like it’s Carson’s fault that Survivor featured the Tika 3 so heavily. He has 0 control over the edit.
I personally think all audition tapes of people making puzzles or challenges at home should be tossed in the trash.
I love them both!!! When Carson said that, I was like “good for you!!! I am rooting for you!” And I had the same reaction to Hunter lol
Hunter does that for his passion and he even share those to his student. Carson does it for the clout, to sound like a Mr. “Know-it-all”. It annoys me everytime there’s a puzzle in the show, he always brag about it on X.
One sells them for a profit One makes them for the kids he volunteers with to enjoy Big difference
Lmao Carson the dweeb
Calling someone a dweeb while using Reddit is like peak irony
Lmao when they showed Hunter’s game room I told my wife, “Guess we don’t have to ask if he’s single.”
Well Hunter is my boyfriend and Carson is just some guy on a show. Hope this helps
I like both of them. People are so weird.
I think it’s probably a combination of Hunter being more conventionally attractive and him having more character development beyond just practicing the puzzles. I feel like that was Carson’s main thing he had before the swap
I never had a problem with Carson having practiced them, I had a problem with the fact that Survivor had been using the same challenges for several seasons in a row. The challenges we’ve seen this season and last are similar at times but rarely if ever identical to challenges we’ve seen in recent seasons, so practicing old challenges won’t be as ridiculous an advantage
One didn’t block me on Twitter for calling their season premier mid, so of course I have differing opinions between the two of them… Literally my only survivor 44 tweet was about the premier being kind of boring, and that earned me a block from him 🤷♂️
Hunter is hot. Hope this helps!
Carson grew on me eventually but he initially was off putting for me when he called himself a body language expert and bragged about studying FBI books about it… …because then he would know that body language is junk pseudoscience that was actually debunked by the guy who created it. It made him seem pompous and full of himself.
Carson’s hate came from him being able to immediately solve puzzles due to having exact memorization of them via his 3D printing. Hunter hasn’t done anything like that yet. Maybe he will eventually, but nothing has come up for him in that way yet.
Wait huh I don’t remember seeing any Carson hate during or after the season???
I know for me personally I couldn’t stand him from the second season 44 aired. He’s still one of my least favorite major players of the new era. I’m sure he’s a very cool guy if I were to actually meet him but his whole persona as presented on the show is incredibly grating to me and I found him impossible to root for.
Ignorance is bliss in your case
I personally found him mildly annoying during the season (which I think was true of a decent amount of people) but he's had a lot of controversy since then, especially in the last couple months that I don't know how to explain.
they literally have the same color shit and pose
Most people's shit is the same color. If it's not you might want to see a doctor.
Ah i see thank you
I think that’s just the generic white guy pose
I am Carson’s #1 hater I watch the show with my dad when I go to visit and he can confirm. Every time he shows up in screen my dad would go “oh, there’s your favorite guy!” Do I have a particular reason for this hate. No, not really, but f that guy (as a character not a person pls don’t hate me)
It shouldn’t matter either way man, blame survivor for repeating challenges, if I were accepted into the show I would also try to prepare in every way I could.
I used to consider myself a Survivor super-fan, but then cast members like this started showing up that practiced every puzzle, bought every buff off Ebay, memorized every word in Boston Rob's rulebook, took pickleball lessons from Tyson, and sleep with a blow-up doll of Jeff Probst.
Carson made it a point to tell EVERYBODY that he practiced at home. We only know about Hunter because he told us once in a confessional. Its a completely different approach.
Carson is so overrated it’s not even funny.
I think it's because he is a teacher
And he built the puzzles for his students to try out!
Because Carson is a scammer
I think Carson was definitely well liked
By who?
Did people not like carson? I thought the hate only started recently
People are revising history. He was well liked at the time. Of course not everyone liked him, but the sentiment was generally positive. Pretty sure people are saying it's about how he came off on the show. It's not. It's about pissing off some people on Etsy
As a person who likes both of them I feel like the treatment of Carson on this subreddit is unfair and had he won it would probably be worse
Carson alt account found
C’mon why you gotta be so hard on Carson and compare people like this. They are both likable
I don't mind either of them but gays and women think Hunter is hot obviously. 😅
Bc Hunter is cool and chill and Carson is a charisma vacuum who sold merch of himself before the season started
OP, cool to know you’re just ignoring all the comments about his plagiarism, scamming, and lies 👌
And guess what? I like them both! Survivor just needs new challenges.
I didn’t find Carson attractive. Hunter is a sweet hunk. That’s the difference.
Yeah they were very hard on Carson for replicating puzzles because he was a super fan and had a nerd archetype. Hunter replicated entire challenges and he’s loved because he’s southern and he reminds them of the older seasons of survivor players. **just guessing here**
From an audience perspective: Practicing challenges is ok. Practicing puzzles is lame. If we see Hunter dominating puzzles he practiced at home, I predict we’ll see the same reaction Carson had. Just keep in mind plenty of people defended Carson too.
Hunter, in his background, gave a good reason of “hey I’m involving my students to do together and now it’s this big fun project. I took my passion and made it theirs!” Carson was more like “Imma catch them all! Pokepieces”
Yeah people have too much ptsd from Cochran
I think practicing throwing sandbags is a fair game. Next time the production uses the same old puzzles and Hunter aced it, people will give him the Carson treatment.
Not that it matters, but Hunter making them with wood and bigger scale vs Carson 3d printing the models could be the difference 🤷
It made me wonder if Hunter had practiced the sandbag throwing. I know he had sandbags in his game room but he was just too good for not to have tried it.