Pre-Episode 14: Jury jeopardy - HvHvH

Published: December 18, 2017

The True Dork Times writers (Ben Martell, Dan Otsuki, Pat Ferrucci, and Jeff Pitman) combine their predictive powers to forecast the voting preferences of the Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers jurors, with an eye to predicting the winner. And, of course, beating Inside Survivor, A Tribe of One, Purple Rock Podcast, and the RHAP bloggers at the same game.

Episode 13: Where does it all stand?

Published: December 15, 2017

With just five players remaining, Pat evaluates how close they may come to the million-dollar prize, as we count down to the season finale of Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers.

Episode 12: Let's have a chat about hypocrisy

Published: December 8, 2017

Pat describes self-justification theory, specifically external self-justification, evident in Survivor players who excuse their own behavior while criticizing the same actions by others. He then looks ahead and hopes to avoid similar behavior from jurors.

Episodes 10-11: Chrissy and Ryan get lost in their own story

Published: December 4, 2017

Pat uses narrative transportation theory to explain Chrissy and Ryan's mistaken comfort in the alliance of seven, leading to its epic blindside and Lauren's new alliance's game-changing power shift in Episodes 10-11 of Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers.

Episode 9: Ben needs a lesson in mass communication theory... badly

Published: November 24, 2017

Pat explains agenda-setting theory, the art of framing what to think about, but not how to think, and contrasts Chrissy and Ben's patterns of persuasion in Episode 9 of Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers.

Episode 7: Who holds the golden fleece after the merge?

Published: November 10, 2017

Pat explores the black sheep effect, and argues that by ignoring it, the majority alliance made the wrong move at the merge of Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers.

Episode 6: Who holds the power at the merge?

Published: November 5, 2017

Pat takes a one-week sabbatical from the theory in order to assess the events of Episode 6, and how they affect the remaining contestants' chances of winning Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers.

Episode 5: The ego and its utility, a tale of conflicting ethics

Published: October 27, 2017

Pat examines Ryan's swing vote decision, and most Survivor gameplay, through the conflicting ethical theories of ethical egoism and utilitarianism, and how the best plays appear to be the latter while actually adhering to the former.

Episode 4: It's all about cohesion, the cohesion of the group

Published: October 20, 2017

Pat evaluates the tribal swap through the lens of group cohesion theory, and finds the new Levu tribe lacking, as seen in Episode 4 of Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers.

Episode 3: His name was Patrick. Now it's Matthew

Published: October 14, 2017

Pat refutes Malcolm Gladwell's outlier hypothesis, instead arguing that Robert Merton's theory of cumulative advantage applies better to Survivor, as seen in Patrick's exit from Episode 3 of Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers.

Episode 2: You're a hustler. A hustler. You are. Yes you.

Published: October 6, 2017

Pat looks at identity priming theory, and how this affects Survivor players' early tribal boot decisions, as seen in Episode 2 of Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers.

Episode 1: Let's talk some in-group and some out-group

Published: October 2, 2017

Pat focuses on a relevant facet of social identity theory, in-group/ out-group bias, to help explain why Katrina was the first person voted out in Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers. Then he looks at the tribes in greater depth.

Pre-season: Who am I going to curse this season?

Published: September 23, 2017

Pat Ferrucci examines the cast of Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers, and makes his semi-annual game-cursing winner's pick, then ranks the remaining contestants' chances.

Pre-season: TDT Survivor: HHH contestant draft

Published: September 22, 2017

Ben Martell, Dan Otsuki, Pat Ferrucci, and Jeff Pitman come together to rank and draft fantasy teams of the contestants from Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers. Who will reign supreme?