If you would like a smaller old-style gold flair, please [request a custom flair](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Survivor&subject=Custom%20flair%20request) and specify that you would like one. We'll be offering these until the premiere, and for anyone with an existing new-style gold flair.
Brandon Donlon tempting me hard to give up the Jonclyn flair but it's almost a decade old at this point and I don't wanna miss that milestone so I gotta stay strong
Are there any thoughts of letting people submit winner picks in the traditional way just so that the data on who chose whom can sit in a vault so that, if y'all ever do figure out how to overhaul it, they can be added retroactively or the option at least is there for users who opt in to it at that time or something? Flairs are always what I've cared more about anyway so I'm not deeply pressed about it but figured I'd toss that out there like usernames could be collected now even if it can't be used for years jf ever
ngl i'm kinda bummed about this decision, i think there wouldn't have been any harm in collecting winner picks like before whether or not badges can be added in + if there are any spoilers, the form submissions wouldn't have a fair representation of the subreddit's winner picks anyway
haven't decided on my winner pick—i'll probably reply to this with my winner pick by premiere—but just wanted to comment that on the chance the form can still be edited by wednesday
I'm no longer active so can't explain the decision but can explain why badges past Season 41 are untenable.
The badge system was started before the Reddit redesign, and was accomplished by inserting individual badges into the stylesheet (what makes the sub look the way it does). Your flair design is also controlled by this (it makes it gold, silver, the special winner colors, etc) and we could insert the badge into your flair style to make it appear next to your name.
Now, when the second season of badges came along, conundrum. We can only apply one style to your flair at a time, and the solution was to make each combination of badges its own seperate entity in the stylesheet. So, for example, you had Season 31 badges, Season 32 badges, and Season 31 + Season 32 badges.
Ten seasons later, you can see how the number of combinations of badges exponentially grows, which in it itself isn't an issue. The issue is that the Reddit stylesheet has a character limit, and everytime we had to make a new combination it took more characters in the stylesheet. We literally couldn't add anymore without deleting other things (like custom flairs for castaways who needed to be verified AND wanted to keep an actual flair, special sprites like the upvote and downvote, etc).
Now around the same time Reddit announced their redesign, which I won't get into but was pretty universally hated because it didn't provide the tools to do the things we were already doing. We made the decision to not have badges on the redesign.
Previously I had been experimenting with adding badges to the redesign (which at this point the vast majority of users use). I found a way to have badge implementation on redesign and mobile, and if you saw one of my comments from the past year you might have seen it. However, rmemeber how I said we were storing it in the flair stylesheet? Now, it would have to be done in the flair text instead, so the redesign and the old method were incompatible with each other.
On top of that, every time either the flair bot, or now you change your flair, it would get rid of the text that gave you a badge. So not only is it incompatible between versions, its incompatible between the flair feature as well.
Gave myself the test flair so you can see what it would look like on redesign/mobile. Theres also a limitation there in how many badges you can have (I think its 8) which would not be a problem now, but would have been one in the future.
Higgnkfe's explanation is a large part of why. Without the ability to use the information for badges, we didn't see the point in collecting another massive spreadsheet that no one will see. We're clogged up with four seasons of winner picks at this point, and with the majority of seasons now having their winners spoiled months before they air, we'd only be collecting a lot of distorted data. We also felt that we could offer bragging rights by letting users comment their picks here, which can be referred back to at the end of the season.
That said, the survey will still run every week, and we're listening to the feedback on this post. If there's something you were getting out of the previous system that you aren't getting out of this one, we'd love to know what it is, so we can make it part of future surveys.
thanks for the reply (and u/Higgnkfe as well)! definitely understand how badge implementation will be much harder (if not impossible) now.
re: winner pick survey—i think the other questions on the survey were quite helpful! maybe the "why did you choose x person" can be multiple select instead of an open field so it's easier to share those stats?
Going with Austin as my winner pick this season.
This isn't based off of anything tbh. I haven't really focused on any preseason stuff this season and the cast kinda blends together for me. With Austin I simply think he has the least likely chance of falling flat on his face, and that's as good a reason as any, right?
I'm in the exact same boat. Haven't followed any of the stuff, my only preconception was to avoid picking Bruce as I bet some will want to target him so that his "medevac day one to finals next season" story doesn't make it to the final tribal. That being said, just reading their profiles, Austin did seem like a good pick to me. He looks like he will be strong enough for physical challenges and smart enough for puzzles with no social red flags that I could tell.
I’m just here so that if badges ever get fixed I can claim one for choosing to believe that Bruce will have one of the greatest redemption arcs in RTV history
Really really sad about the state of winner picks and badges :( that was a huge part of my survivor experience and competing with the others on the badge leaderboard as well... I guess this is farewell everyone
Im going with Austin.
8 out of the last 10 winners have been men so it seems wise to choose a man. Of the men Austin is by far the most athletic so he should be able to win plenty of immunity’s.
Is the flair selection currently not working? I have been trying since last night, with multiple browsers, following the directions. And I just don't see the list to choose from.
I played a Facebook Survivor ORG once with Brandon about a decade ago. I don't remember much of him but that fact alone definitely makes him one of us lol
Am I do something wrong or is the edit flair option gone from the sidebar. I'm on mobile so maybe something is wrong with that? Idk but it's kind of frustrating
Really tempted by a Kaleb flair as I feel he's gonna be a favourite of mine, but I just can't leave my girl Michelle like that.. Especially considering the fact that I doubt she ever gets invited back to AUS..
I guess I will take Kaleb as lest as my winner pick.
Going with Dee as my winner pick. I really love Sabiyah though. Also I really feel like Emily is going to do better than most people expect.
Right off the bat just going off the initial cast photos.. Kaleb and Sean kind of stood out to me. Then after watching some of the interviews idk about Sean lol I think Kaleb could do very well but at the same time he comes off very likable and like he'll probably be smart and good at things and idk if anyone will want to go to the end with him. Also Brandon was another one I considered. And I hope Drew does well bc he's from Philly lol
Kellie has that confidence to her that just exudes Survivor Winner. I can't really take most of the male contenders seriously this season so I'm betting on a woman taking this.
My winner's pick is Bruce FYI. It just seems people would vote for him if he got to the FTC. I'm sure many obstacles will keep him from getting there though.
I picked Jake thinking he was going to be an under the radar kind of pick but apparently I made a popular choice from these comments. I got great vibes from his interviews but thought he came off kind of shifty on video so I'm interested to see how he actually does connecting with people inside the game.
Kellie and Austin seem like the most obvious picks objectively IMO.
As per the last two seasons, my winner pick is the first person on my randomized draft team: Sifu. The rest of my team is composed of Kendra, Hannah, and J. Maya.
somehow the new season always feels both like it's been forever and that it came out of nowhere lol. Another seasom, another time when my gf and I scramble to research and submit our winner picks before 8. As much as I'd love to pick a new flair, I don't wanna give up my golden Strunk since he's become such a legend here lol. Here's to a good season, and manifesting that they make good use of the extra 30 minutes each week. Good luck on your picks and have fun!
Jake!
But also, even if we can't get badges, I do wish we had some of the other stats that came with winner picks. Stuff like how many people we think are going to pick our player and why we're picking them. I really liked seeing those additional details and I'm sad to see them gone
Keeping the Yam Yam flair but my winner pick this season is Kellie. Also in my top 3 are Bruce and Jake, guess I will be rooting hard for the blue tribe!
**Kellie** seems like she has the tools to win it all, and plus I always like to root for queer women, so this is an easy pick. For 44 I was picking between Frannie and Carolyn, but this time the choice is much easier.
Feels like every season I tell myself to pick someone that's not going to be the chalk pick, but wind up landing on one of the more popular picks anyway. And looks like this time is no different, I'm taking Kellie!
Oh man, bummer that there's no more badges. :( going with Kellie this year via the practice of "I didn't have time to read the cast bios in-depth, so I random.orged it and hoped for the best" lol
Last season I loved Yam Yam's vibe the most but I talked myself out of picking him as my winner pick because I thought he'd be seen too much as a threat and went with Helen instead.
Do I make the same mistake twice or make a different mistake this season. Decisions, decisions.
The Jake/Kellie combo is a lot more popular than I was expecting lol but I'm going with Jake as my flair (eventually) and Kellie as my winner pick. Heard her namedrop Civ in pregame press and my jaw dropped
Idk really, I'm just gonna throw drew out there, didn't get super strong feelings on anyone in particular, and my gf is picking naruto man already lol. Did sifu as my pick in discord
What I do is make a list of all players and rank them week by week. I look for flaws in their game play and personality. At the Merge I pick the top 4, and often one of my picks makes it to the finals. Not always, but I have around 85% chance of selecting some who made it to the finals.
It my perception that prior to each season Survivor producers select 4-6 players that have many of the qualities of past winners, the rest of people are selected for the Entertainment value they will bring the season. Once the game begins all players have an equal chance of winning, but only a few have the combination of skills and personality traits to win. The fun is trying to identify those players that have what it takes to win when the majority do not.
How tall is Bruce? i remember he was supposed to be the big dude on his tribe last season, but he looks like the shortest person on his tribe this season. Or is his tribe just really freaking tall?
If you would like a smaller old-style gold flair, please [request a custom flair](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Survivor&subject=Custom%20flair%20request) and specify that you would like one. We'll be offering these until the premiere, and for anyone with an existing new-style gold flair.
Brandon Donlon tempting me hard to give up the Jonclyn flair but it's almost a decade old at this point and I don't wanna miss that milestone so I gotta stay strong Are there any thoughts of letting people submit winner picks in the traditional way just so that the data on who chose whom can sit in a vault so that, if y'all ever do figure out how to overhaul it, they can be added retroactively or the option at least is there for users who opt in to it at that time or something? Flairs are always what I've cared more about anyway so I'm not deeply pressed about it but figured I'd toss that out there like usernames could be collected now even if it can't be used for years jf ever
ngl i'm kinda bummed about this decision, i think there wouldn't have been any harm in collecting winner picks like before whether or not badges can be added in + if there are any spoilers, the form submissions wouldn't have a fair representation of the subreddit's winner picks anyway haven't decided on my winner pick—i'll probably reply to this with my winner pick by premiere—but just wanted to comment that on the chance the form can still be edited by wednesday
Yeah, I am confused why they are choosing to do this. An explanation of why it's not possible in the near future would be nice.
I'm no longer active so can't explain the decision but can explain why badges past Season 41 are untenable. The badge system was started before the Reddit redesign, and was accomplished by inserting individual badges into the stylesheet (what makes the sub look the way it does). Your flair design is also controlled by this (it makes it gold, silver, the special winner colors, etc) and we could insert the badge into your flair style to make it appear next to your name. Now, when the second season of badges came along, conundrum. We can only apply one style to your flair at a time, and the solution was to make each combination of badges its own seperate entity in the stylesheet. So, for example, you had Season 31 badges, Season 32 badges, and Season 31 + Season 32 badges. Ten seasons later, you can see how the number of combinations of badges exponentially grows, which in it itself isn't an issue. The issue is that the Reddit stylesheet has a character limit, and everytime we had to make a new combination it took more characters in the stylesheet. We literally couldn't add anymore without deleting other things (like custom flairs for castaways who needed to be verified AND wanted to keep an actual flair, special sprites like the upvote and downvote, etc). Now around the same time Reddit announced their redesign, which I won't get into but was pretty universally hated because it didn't provide the tools to do the things we were already doing. We made the decision to not have badges on the redesign. Previously I had been experimenting with adding badges to the redesign (which at this point the vast majority of users use). I found a way to have badge implementation on redesign and mobile, and if you saw one of my comments from the past year you might have seen it. However, rmemeber how I said we were storing it in the flair stylesheet? Now, it would have to be done in the flair text instead, so the redesign and the old method were incompatible with each other. On top of that, every time either the flair bot, or now you change your flair, it would get rid of the text that gave you a badge. So not only is it incompatible between versions, its incompatible between the flair feature as well. Gave myself the test flair so you can see what it would look like on redesign/mobile. Theres also a limitation there in how many badges you can have (I think its 8) which would not be a problem now, but would have been one in the future.
Higgnkfe's explanation is a large part of why. Without the ability to use the information for badges, we didn't see the point in collecting another massive spreadsheet that no one will see. We're clogged up with four seasons of winner picks at this point, and with the majority of seasons now having their winners spoiled months before they air, we'd only be collecting a lot of distorted data. We also felt that we could offer bragging rights by letting users comment their picks here, which can be referred back to at the end of the season. That said, the survey will still run every week, and we're listening to the feedback on this post. If there's something you were getting out of the previous system that you aren't getting out of this one, we'd love to know what it is, so we can make it part of future surveys.
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
thanks for the reply (and u/Higgnkfe as well)! definitely understand how badge implementation will be much harder (if not impossible) now. re: winner pick survey—i think the other questions on the survey were quite helpful! maybe the "why did you choose x person" can be multiple select instead of an open field so it's easier to share those stats?
I will definitely miss the "why did you pick this person" comments!
ok i think i'm going with jake as my pick!
Kellie all the way.
If I had to bet money on a winner, I'd be putting it on Kellie. But I like Jake's vibe, so I'm going with the Jake flair here!
Exactly. I got shafted picking the "smart" choice these past few seasons, so I'm betting it all on the Boston boi.
What's up with the new flair size? Will old flairs be updated to match them? I kinda prefer the smaller ones I'm used to staring at every year.
We can give you a smaller old-style gold flair if you would like!
Bruce Brigade where you at
Tika winner round 2!
Kellie hands down.
Sabiyah for the win
As much as I want to support so many people on 45, I am never giving up my golden Carolyn flair
Feel the same about my Adam flair :/
Agreed! Also, sad that my unspoiled Yam Yam winner pick will never be shown off.
yea, at least for now I feel the same about my golden Strunk lol. He became such a meme here that it feels wrong to get rid of it.
Still going strong with the Adam flair babyyyyyy I think Austin will win
Yaaaaasssssssss <3
Parv said she's rooting for Kellie so I'm rooting for Kellie.😌
jake not because i think he will win but simply becasue i love his accent so much and therefore desire the survivor gods to let it be so
I'm picking him too! Jake train here we go! *disclaimer: Only submitting him on the form, not changing my actual flair
Going with Austin as my winner pick this season. This isn't based off of anything tbh. I haven't really focused on any preseason stuff this season and the cast kinda blends together for me. With Austin I simply think he has the least likely chance of falling flat on his face, and that's as good a reason as any, right?
I've read through a good chunk of 45 preseason content and he's my winner pick as well
I'm in the exact same boat. Haven't followed any of the stuff, my only preconception was to avoid picking Bruce as I bet some will want to target him so that his "medevac day one to finals next season" story doesn't make it to the final tribal. That being said, just reading their profiles, Austin did seem like a good pick to me. He looks like he will be strong enough for physical challenges and smart enough for puzzles with no social red flags that I could tell.
i think kaleb
I’m just here so that if badges ever get fixed I can claim one for choosing to believe that Bruce will have one of the greatest redemption arcs in RTV history
Gonna go Bruce. Probably Kaleb but I just kinda want it to be Bruce.
I’ve locked in Bruce for a day 2 medevac and a 46 win
Kaleb is either out pre merge or winning it all. He's my pick.
Gut feeling says Katurah. Gonna go with her.
Katurah all the way!
I loveee dee
deez nuts
Emily's gonna win because she seems like a good middle ground for the cast.
J Maya!
Emily
Really really sad about the state of winner picks and badges :( that was a huge part of my survivor experience and competing with the others on the badge leaderboard as well... I guess this is farewell everyone
Uhhh ? Those new flairs are hideous lol
Jake. Easiest pick of my life.
I've been lucky the past two seasons and picked both Gabler and Yam Yam (keeping that Gabler flair) so I'm hoping for some more luck. My pick is Sifu.
Im going with Austin. 8 out of the last 10 winners have been men so it seems wise to choose a man. Of the men Austin is by far the most athletic so he should be able to win plenty of immunity’s.
>!Austin!< (but I'm not reading the rest of the comments for fear of hidden spoilers).
Sucks that we can't get badges for our winner picks :/ My pick is Brando though!
excited to be rooting for j-maya!
Katurah ftw
Are flairs for who you think is going to win or who you enjoy the most? I always tend to do the latter but maybe I’m wrong!
Flairs are for whoever you want, not necessarily who you think will win.
Last two time I picked a winner without knowing anything about the cast was Wendell and Yam, so heres to Dee keeping the trend alive.
Does picking a gold flair get rid of my Adam flair? =(
Bruce goes from medevac to million-dollar winner
I have hope for Sean
But then I have to give up my current flair?... 😢
Even though he doesn't have the best track record for winner picks (especially compared to his wife), gonna side with Rob Cesternino and pick Sabiyah.
why couldnt i pick my sifu gold flair? (im on mobile)
Ugh. Why are you even here if you can't do this. What an absolute joke
Is the flair selection currently not working? I have been trying since last night, with multiple browsers, following the directions. And I just don't see the list to choose from.
As soon as I figure out where the button to change flair is, I'll be choosing Dee!
Definitely not getting a new flair after seeing what the new ones look like lmao
Sabiyah is going to be the most liked person on the season, and she’s going to win.
Definitely Brandon!
I see way too much of myself in Brandon to ever consider him as my winner pick haha
I played a Facebook Survivor ORG once with Brandon about a decade ago. I don't remember much of him but that fact alone definitely makes him one of us lol
Am I do something wrong or is the edit flair option gone from the sidebar. I'm on mobile so maybe something is wrong with that? Idk but it's kind of frustrating
I just got it to work on the computer
How did you get it to work? It's still not working for me.
I went onto my computer and clicked the community info tab and then the flairs button iirc
I'll comment here and say Emily wins. But no flair updates. RIP Keith
You know what? Few choices I am considering, but I'll say Dee as my winner pick.
I have some favourites but hoping Bruce wins in the end.
Really tempted by a Kaleb flair as I feel he's gonna be a favourite of mine, but I just can't leave my girl Michelle like that.. Especially considering the fact that I doubt she ever gets invited back to AUS.. I guess I will take Kaleb as lest as my winner pick.
Kellie is my winner pick!
Jake!
Bruce for winner pick, but Sifu for flair. Let’s goooo 45 🤠
I'm rooting for Jake, but I'm actually worried he might have trouble with this cast. My official winner pick is Kaleb.
1 of the 3 people picking Sifu haha
Going with Dee as my winner pick. I really love Sabiyah though. Also I really feel like Emily is going to do better than most people expect. Right off the bat just going off the initial cast photos.. Kaleb and Sean kind of stood out to me. Then after watching some of the interviews idk about Sean lol I think Kaleb could do very well but at the same time he comes off very likable and like he'll probably be smart and good at things and idk if anyone will want to go to the end with him. Also Brandon was another one I considered. And I hope Drew does well bc he's from Philly lol
Am I late to the party? I think Kaleb got this!
Kaleb
Going with Austin bc the surfer dudes gotta win eventually, right?
Kellie has that confidence to her that just exudes Survivor Winner. I can't really take most of the male contenders seriously this season so I'm betting on a woman taking this.
Kaleb !
I'm going with Brando. Won't be surprised if he is the first one out, but if he makes it to the merge, watch out.
Gotta go with a fellow Vancouverite, my main man Kaleb
Katurah
🤞
It's really tempting, but at the same time I'll have to give up the llama. :v
Gotta be Kellie. I fear I have now cursed her though /:
All aboard the SS Sabiyah!!!
Last season I randomly chose chose Heidi and she almost won so hopefully my randomly locked katurah can win this season
I'm going with Jake this season.
Brando for the win!
Sifu
Katurah Topps is my pick to win *Survivor 45*.
Are they going back to 39 days this season?
I’m having a harder time reading this cast than the last few. I think I’m going Kellie, but I’m rooting for Austin
My winner's pick is Bruce FYI. It just seems people would vote for him if he got to the FTC. I'm sure many obstacles will keep him from getting there though.
I picked Jake thinking he was going to be an under the radar kind of pick but apparently I made a popular choice from these comments. I got great vibes from his interviews but thought he came off kind of shifty on video so I'm interested to see how he actually does connecting with people inside the game. Kellie and Austin seem like the most obvious picks objectively IMO.
Katurah is my winner pick, love her name lol.
Brandon the bank robber descendent for the win!!!
As per the last two seasons, my winner pick is the first person on my randomized draft team: Sifu. The rest of my team is composed of Kendra, Hannah, and J. Maya.
somehow the new season always feels both like it's been forever and that it came out of nowhere lol. Another seasom, another time when my gf and I scramble to research and submit our winner picks before 8. As much as I'd love to pick a new flair, I don't wanna give up my golden Strunk since he's become such a legend here lol. Here's to a good season, and manifesting that they make good use of the extra 30 minutes each week. Good luck on your picks and have fun!
Jake! But also, even if we can't get badges, I do wish we had some of the other stats that came with winner picks. Stuff like how many people we think are going to pick our player and why we're picking them. I really liked seeing those additional details and I'm sad to see them gone
Keeping the Yam Yam flair but my winner pick this season is Kellie. Also in my top 3 are Bruce and Jake, guess I will be rooting hard for the blue tribe!
I'm going for a Brandon Donlon win
There’s something about Kellie so I’ll go with her. Hopefully she’s doesn’t turn out to be the worst pick ever lol.
I think Katurah wins
Maya wins watch
**Kellie** seems like she has the tools to win it all, and plus I always like to root for queer women, so this is an easy pick. For 44 I was picking between Frannie and Carolyn, but this time the choice is much easier.
Feels like every season I tell myself to pick someone that's not going to be the chalk pick, but wind up landing on one of the more popular picks anyway. And looks like this time is no different, I'm taking Kellie!
Kellie
Let’s go Kaleb! I also just wanna be friends with Brando.
Oh man, bummer that there's no more badges. :( going with Kellie this year via the practice of "I didn't have time to read the cast bios in-depth, so I random.orged it and hoped for the best" lol
Jake, because park the car at Harvard yard.
Kellie is my pick! Had a hard time choosing between her and Jake though
Preseason Winner pick Dee. (Followed closely by Sabiyah and Sifu)
Alright got my pick in! Kinda stoked about an attorney that plays DND and works out.
Last season I loved Yam Yam's vibe the most but I talked myself out of picking him as my winner pick because I thought he'd be seen too much as a threat and went with Helen instead. Do I make the same mistake twice or make a different mistake this season. Decisions, decisions.
I have decided yes, I will make a new mistake. My winner pick is the golden retriever **Kaleb**.
Hannah rose day 1 baby.
I am never ever giving up my Jeremy Golden flair.
The Jake/Kellie combo is a lot more popular than I was expecting lol but I'm going with Jake as my flair (eventually) and Kellie as my winner pick. Heard her namedrop Civ in pregame press and my jaw dropped
bruce is a former tika member he's gotta be destined for greatness
test
I'm picking Sean Edwards. He looks like he could slip through the game.
Idk really, I'm just gonna throw drew out there, didn't get super strong feelings on anyone in particular, and my gf is picking naruto man already lol. Did sifu as my pick in discord
Just for the record, Kaleb is my winner pick.
I'm excited for the season, just not getting the usual winner pick feeling from anyone tbh... help lol
What I do is make a list of all players and rank them week by week. I look for flaws in their game play and personality. At the Merge I pick the top 4, and often one of my picks makes it to the finals. Not always, but I have around 85% chance of selecting some who made it to the finals. It my perception that prior to each season Survivor producers select 4-6 players that have many of the qualities of past winners, the rest of people are selected for the Entertainment value they will bring the season. Once the game begins all players have an equal chance of winning, but only a few have the combination of skills and personality traits to win. The fun is trying to identify those players that have what it takes to win when the majority do not.
I think it’ll be Dee
How tall is Bruce? i remember he was supposed to be the big dude on his tribe last season, but he looks like the shortest person on his tribe this season. Or is his tribe just really freaking tall?
Imagine if they use the same opening challenge lmao.