‘Survivor 40: Winners at War’: Why Jamal Shipman Believes the Old vs. New School Division Is a ‘Ruse’
From the touching conversation with Jack Nichting to taking a stand against Dan Spilo’s inappropriate behavior, Jamal Shipman became a fan-favorite from Island of the Idols.
He joined Rob Has a Podcast to share his opinion on the “old school versus new school” divide and the “leftover sexism” he believes is still present in the game.
Jamal Shipman on ‘Survivor: Island of the Idols’
Last season, Jamal Shipman made his Survivor debut on Island of the Idols as part of the Vokai tribe. Even though he, alongside Jack Nichting and Molly Byman, were in the majority, the unexpected blindside of the latter placed him on the bottom.
However, he found a Hidden Immunity Idol and flew under the radar, and worked his way back into the majority. After the merge, Jamal displayed tremendous physical strength in an individual immunity challenge eventually won by Aaron Meredith.
Additionally, the college administrator lost his vote during a visit to the Island of the Idols. Without a vote and the biggest physical threat left in the game, the majority of his tribemates voted to eliminate him.
Jamal Shipman thinks the ‘new school vs. old school’ is a ‘ruse’
Still an avid Survivor fan, Jamal joined Amazon star Rob Cesternino’s podcast, Rob Has A Podcast, to discuss the second episode of Survivor 40: Winners at War.
Rob asked the Island of the Idols star if he thought the “new school players” had an advantage over the “old school” players who had a “long layoff” before competing again.
Jamal answered that he believes “it’s all a ruse” and a “very simple storyline” because while Amber Mariano never played with idols, no one has played with Edge of Extinction or fire tokens.
Additionally, none of the returning champs previously knew “the format that this was going to take.” According to Jamal, he thinks the new school and old school division is a “unifying idea” that people are using in their camps “to force the ‘us versus them’ mentality.”
He pointed out that Parvati Shallow, Rob Mariano, and Ethan Zohn are doing it as well as Sophie Clarke, except she took a “nerds versus cool kids” approach.
If anything, Jamal believes the newer players are at a disadvantage because they have a “reverence” for the old school players, but overall he “doesn’t buy the simple old school, new school thing.”
Jamal Shipman points out ‘leftover sexism’ in ‘Survivor’
Rob shared his opinion that he believes Natalie Anderson, Amber Mariano, and Danni Boatwright were voted to the Edge of Extinction because they didn’t have any pre-existing relationships.
For example, the Sele tribe wanted to split up Natalie and Jeremy Collins’ long-standing relationship, so they eliminated the former. Likewise, Dakal wanted to break up the “poker alliance” and the strongest bond on the island, married couple Amber and Rob Mariano.
However, Jamal respectfully disagreed because he thinks “it’s always the girl that goes home” when “the strategy is to split up the pair.” Additionally, the college administrator thinks, “it’s a weird thing that’s been happening forever.”
Rob admitted that males are possibly kept due to strength in challenges. However, Jamal pointed out they eliminated Natalie, a CrossFit coach, who would have helped immensely.
He also called it “leftover sexism” where men look out for each other, and women want to “eat” each other. For example, Jamal recalled a comment that two-time champ Sandra Diaz-Twine made about wanting to send the women home first so she can “stay queen.”
Watch Survivor 40: Winners at War Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS to see if Sandra keeps her crown.
