"floater" = "playing both sides"
TV ClubHouse: Archive: "floater" = "playing both sides"
Serafina | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 02:06 am     I've found it to be very interesting the way the term 'floater' has evolved. It used to be that about the worst accusation that could be made about someone in BB or Survivor was that he or she was "playing both sides". Suddenly, Jun or Alison, or whoever, coins the term 'floater' (best said with a big 'innocent' smile on the face of the floater), and it sounds as if it's a much more benign and non-snake-like position to take. Even Julie began using the term. There is NO WAY to 'float' without playing one side against the other. In Alison's case, this means declaring that you "&*$%in' hate" whoever opposes whoever you're talking to. |
Freddy | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 02:50 am     Floater? I thought floaters went with sinkers. If you have too much fat in your diet, you get floaters. If you have a good, low fat diet, you get sinkers. |
Pbnj | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 05:03 am     when I hear 'floater' I think of sharing my coke with a non-flossing friend *blech* As for the game definition.....hey, they're winning so it can't be that bad. This thing is a game, not a demonstration of their moral character. I think Jun played it the smartest but Ali made it too. Whether I like them personally or not, I have to be slightly impressed with their strategy. It's interesting that the top two are 'floaters'...hope that doesn't mean BB5 will have floater wannabes...Jun and Ali are the masters of 'floatology' LOL Hope Ali is put in her place (not the best) and Jun wins for playing it the *cough gag*, nicest |
Seamonkey | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 05:23 am     Actually they discussed this and it was decided that Jee started the use of the term "floater" and Jun said that Jee would have picked up that word at his job where a "floater" is an employee who goes where needed to cover for other employees. |
Naja | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 05:36 am     Excuse any nonsense I am about to type, I just poured my first coffee To me it looks like the "floaters" get as far as they do by representing themselves as secret agents for each side at first to avoid the floater label. So, they aren't seen as threats right away, and sometimes are seen as valuable information getters, and manage to stay around awhile. By the time they are seen as true threats, it's too late for everyone else |
Crossfire | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 06:00 am     The floaters squeaked by because they carefully never let the house get out of balance. Had one side gained the upper hand for more than one week in a row, I imagine the floaters would have been toast. As it stood, both sides needed to pander to the floaters in order to meet their objectives. Had one side broke the cycle to take out a floater, they would have been doomed. I don't know if this was by design, or dumb luck, but people will be on guard for this next year I imagine. |
Chelle | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 06:46 am     The biggest mistake makers are the ones who throw their alliances in everyone's faces. I believe that Jun and Ali each realized early on that people were going to go after strength in numbers first. I have no problem with what they have done in the game. They are doing what they need to do to have a chance at half a million dollars. I think that I would like both of them outside the game. What we see isn't entirely real. They played the heck out of the game. I bet the others will try to figure out how the heck the let Ali and Jun slide by, but I don't think they slid. They won HOH when they needed to, and they got rid of people who were threats to them. Will was the original floater, and look what he walked away with. |
Crazydog | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 06:49 am     Seamonkey, I agree. At my workplace, the term used for secretaries who do not have permanent assignments is "floater". They fill in when assigned secretaries are out sick or on vacation. I tend to disagree with Serafina because I feel that Jun has floated but she has never made any pretensions of not being a floater. Everyone knows she is a floater and I don't think she has played the sides against each other. |
Cliotheleo | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 07:38 am     Crossfire, as I'm watching the original episodes that I have on tape again, it's becoming clear to me that EVERYTHING Ali and Jun have done from day one has been calculated. It's unfortunate that Jun and Ali are behaving like spoiled brats because it's clouding what has otherwise been brilliant game play. If any of you have the early shows on tape go back and watch them, what Ali and Jun were doing way back when to get to where they are now will BLOW your minds. |
Laura11103 | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 07:49 am     Sea, that's right, in fact, I just met 2 nice women who just started working here at my office and they're "floaters", lol, I better watch out for them... |
Gina8642 | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 07:50 am     I think floater is a great term to define them. If at work this is a person who covers where workers are needed. They - Jun and Ali - but especially Jun - have performed this exact function in the game. If a strong alliance is short a member to have the numbers to kick some one out? Pull a floater in and get you want. It is great for the strategy for the floater if played right, because all alliances know this person is valuable to them, because the floater is willing to loan their power (their vote) out easily. This makes alliances not want to get rid of them - because if the floater is gone - then they will only be faced with people obviously opposed to them. Vecepia also played the floater role. Going with whatever power she needed to... It got her to the end too. In real life these are the very same people all the politicians go after for votes in general elections. (speaking in USA terms - since I'm not terribly familiar with the process in Canada). The die hard democrat and republican votes are a given - everyone knows how they will vote. The politicians want all those people in the middle who go both ways. The politician just needs to offer them enough to entice the floaters to his/her side. They go out of their way not to offend these floaters, because they are their bread and butter of getting elected. Primary elections however are a different story |
Vskatefan | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 07:57 am     I think Jun was the stronger floater. Jun did the typical floater role-aligned herself with the alliences/people "in power" at the time or with the people who served her purposes best. At that point, she didn't make it seem like she was on "the other side" for the period of time she went with the other group. Ali on the other hand always tried to make all sides think she was on their side, which is more dangerous. This is one of the reasons I think Jun played a better game . |
Crazydog | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 07:59 am     In politics, they are not called floaters, they are called independents. Or they are moderate Republicans or moderate Democrats. Over the years, they have been given other names - such as the Reagan Democrats (Democrats who voted for Reagan) or whatever the term used to categorized the Republican women who voted for Clinton and pushed him over the top. |
Justboredwbb4 | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 08:05 am     In our city, what y'all (except for you freddy)call floaters we call "girl friday". Not sure why...but that is the term we use. |
Spunky | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 08:50 am     Yes, both floaters, but Jun played it the best... she's even using Ali. Ali may realize she's being used by Jun (to kick Jee and Erika and now Robert) but she has to go along, she may think "if you can't beat her join her". Ali was the first to go to Jun with her proposal for their alliance. |
Serafina | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 06:14 pm     I'm seeing that people feel there is a distinction between "floating" and "playing both sides" (which of necessity requires playing one side against the other at various times). And of course, there's no argument that it's been a successful method for Ali and Jun. I agree that Jun was less obvious in vehemently taking one side or the other at a given time than was Ali. Ali of the "I'll NEVER go against you" to the Dream Team. It's all part of the evolution in how game tactics are regarded within Survivor or Big Brother. Playing both sides (not the same as being Independent--people without alliances go quickly) has become an expected part of the game by at least some of the players--- obviously, if you can pull it off, it's the most advantageous for yourself--- and seems to draw less condemnation than it did a few years ago. To me, successfully calling yourself a 'floater' just means you're better at hiding the extent to which you are playing one side against the other for your own advantage. This should bother your fellow players. If it doesn't, more power to you! |
Whit4you | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 06:27 pm     As it was pointed out the reason it was so successful this year is becausae there were two sides and because of luck etc neither side gained enough control so both sides needed the floaters each week. Had either side gained enough power - I think the floaters would have been seriously targeted. Since both sides needed the floaters bad enough they had to accept them. Truth is it was a really good strategy - but they did also get pretty lucky. I don't see Will as the original floater - I think Krista was. Will wasn't really a floater - he was clearly on one side - his side just got picked off and after that the other side started cannabalizing itself since they no longer saw him as a viable threat. Krista on the other hand was on both sides. She didn't blatantly switch back and forth as these two have, but this year was really unique in that nobody really held it against these two (because they needed them to bad to verbablly attack them etc... and perhaps because they were greatful to them for being on their side when needed) As much as I dislike Ali - I think she's played the closest game to Will of anyone. She just lacks the charm, carisma and humor that Will had. It's too bad I think, cause if she had charm, carisma etc I think she'd have gone down in the reality TV history books as an Icon as Will did. |
Wendo | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 06:37 pm     "Everyone knows she (Jun) is a floater and I don't think she has played the sides against each other." I disagree. Jun made a point to play the sides against each other, she just didn't do it obviously. Dropping negative about the other side to one side and vice versa. They were just primed to hear it and so, as I said, it wasn't as obvious. But part of Jun's game has been to keep things "stirred up". To keep each side off balance. |
Whit4you | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 06:41 pm     Wendo... Nate called her on that bigtime the night before he left. But she was really smart in not defending herself so it didn't blow up and make it really important. The others who heard it didn't pay much attention and let it slide. Had she tried to defend herself, or deny anything etc - it would have changed everything. Just pointing out that someone did confront her and let it be known what she was doing. I was cheering him on, was really bummed that she handled it the way she did (not denying it... letting it slide...) was bummed that the others seemed to caught up in their own business at that time to really listen to what Nate was saying. |
Cliotheleo | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 10:14 pm     For quite a while now, I haven't been sure who I'd be for if Ali and Jun went to the final. Tonight I figured it out. Unless Jun's saying things in the DR that aren't making it onto the show, and unless she wins HOH tomorrow and decides to take Robert, it appears that she's given up "playing" the game and is confident in her alliance with Ali. And if so, that may be her downfall. It seems, based on what we saw on the show tonight, that Ali is STILL playing both sides against the middle just as she's done from the beginning and just as Jun has done until this point. To put it simply, Ali has out-floated Jun and therefore deserves to win the game. I know I'll sleep well tonight having figured that out, thought I doubt it gives to many of you all much comfort. |
Wendo | Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 12:22 am     Whit, yes, that's right about Nate calling out Jun on the "pot stirring" she did in the house. And you're right, she did handle it very well by not defending herself and, rather, pay no attention to it. She gave what he was saying no importance and, therefore, it was not important to anyone else. Good points! |
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