Survival of the Fittest
Where Mobb Deep meets reality TV meets logic puzzles...
Let’s start with the basics: Survivor is a reality show on CBS that is not (as many people think) really about survival skills. It used to be, kinda, but it’s not 2001 anymore. The show starts with anywhere from 16-20 contestants, and it ends when there’s a winner, who is determined by a jury of those voted out previously. It’s social chess, more or less. During most of the show’s seasons, there is what’s called a “family visit” or “Loved Ones Challenge,” during which a contestant’s real-life, non-contestant loved one comes on the show for a challenge. There is so much more I could say about this show, but I must stop here; this is all the information you might possibly need to know for this week’s puzzle.
Speaking of which, this week’s puzzle features Don (he/him), Eva (she/her), Laura (she/her), Roberto (he/him), and William (he/him) as contestants on my imaginary season of Survivor. To solve, either print out this PDF or use this online solving service. PLEASE NOTE: This is a newer puzzle I’ve made, and only one friend has tested it. I have it down as a 7/10 difficulty, but you may find it much more or less difficult. If you have any thoughts about the difficulty or encounter any issues, please let me know here. This puzzle’s answers will be included next week, and please find last week’s answers and some art I’ve loved recently at the bottom of this newsletter.
Survivors ready? Go!
Things I’ve loved lately:
Sleep No More. Allow me to make a pitch. If you live in or near or will be in or near New York City soon, go see Sleep No More before it closes at the end of April. I have been five times; I would go five more if I had the means. If you have ever wanted to enter the ballroom of the Overlook Hotel, Eyes Wide Shut, a Hitchcock film, Macbeth, that one scene in The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern where the two young magicians share a magical kiss, this is the experience for you and I’ll tell you no more.
Across the Room by Edmund Charles Tarbell. My favorite art is that which takes you by surprise, and I fear I cannot replicate the feeling in words. Walking through The Met is an exercise in excess; the mind can barely comprehend the sheer amount of history being thrown at you. And then, suddenly, from across the room, a painting that is more absence than presence. You could argue that this is simply an experiment with light (the reflections on the floor are impressive, sure), but I just found myself so swallowed by this endless floor sitting amongst a sea of portraits of women in center frame. The room is titled “Images of Women” - what does it mean for the painting that the floor fills more space than the woman herself?
“O Sweet Spontaneous” by e.e. cummings. thou answerest / them only with / spring