S01.E11: The Reunion - The Traitors (USA)

So, I finally got around to watching the reunion.

It's a shame all the newbies were so goddamn boring or bad at the game, because the reunion softened me on a couple of them. Anjelica made me laugh with her "I hated Arie on The Bachelor" comment. I wish we got to see more of Michael. And Christian was a great Traitor but I do think, if we see him on another reality show, he might be able to play better. I think Christian and Michael are the only two newbies I would not hate to see on another reality show. 

As for Arie, Quentin, Andie and even Cody being pissy at Cirie for the way she played, I think Cirie laid out her reasons very well.

I really liked Rachel standing up for Cirie with Arie.

I did laugh at Andy's question to Andie about forgiving Cirie for playing the game. What a subtle dig at them being pissed at Cirie for, you know, playing the game.

I think the issue with Andie and Quentin being so upset is that, regardless if Cirie said anything about their personal lives at the end or not, they still would have been betrayed. What was Cirie going to do in the last days with the two of them, not talk about getting to the end? And even the stuff they brought up about what they talked about, it didn't sound personal in the way that makes Cirie look bad. It seems like they all mutually found some stuff in common, bonded, and used that as a way to gain a relationship for the end game. And, as Cirie said, her and Quentin only connected right at the end so she owes absolutely nothing to him and his feelings. 

Maybe I can understand Andie's betrayal a little bit since they connected on day 1 but it's still a game. If Andie's going to be betrayed that the two talked about family stuff and that was PART of the way Cirie formed a bond to get to the end with them, then they're not going to be good at any reality show. It doesn't sound like Cirie emotionally blackmailed Andie to bringing her to the end through Andie's family and goals for winning the money. It sounds like the two had conversations and connected over that and it helped solidify a bond between the two, which is literally part of the game. 

So, in reality, there's not much Cirie could have done because the social game IS part of it, which does means getting to know someone on a deeper level. And I know Quentin was going on and on about how they agreed to go to the end because they're all black players (aka "made a pact" which makes me curious how deep the pact went and if it was more Andie/Quentin pushing it and Cirie agreeing), and Andie was bemoaning about how they told Cirie about their plans for top surgery and all that but it doesn't sound like Cirie milked that to get them to go with her to the end. They just naturally assumed she was a Faithful because how could someone who they formed a connection with based on similarities and bonding be a Traitor?

Which shows more the fact that Andie and Quentin are terrible reality stars and cannot separate personal from game. They would have been pissed no matter what. They're just mad that they never saw it coming. The only thing that would have pleased them is if Cirie was emotionally distant from them, and that was never going to win her the game. They would have whined about how Cirie never formed a bond with them or got to know them and that's how they knew she was a Traitor who needed to be voted out. 

Except, Andie and Quentin only worked together BECAUSE of Cirie. Had Cirie not bonded with Andie, they would have been murdered, easily, and Cirie would have brought some other newbie to the end with her. 

That being said, Quentin pissed me off WAYYYYY more than Andie in this reunion. His smug nodding and smirk on his face pissed me right off. Boy, you wouldn't have been there if you didn't have THE WORST reads I've ever seen from a competitive reality show like this. Andie at least seemed to start to understand that in the end, but Quentin was just super oblivious, which makes him a way worse reality player. 

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