Survivor 20: Finale!

Okay, so I've written up this huuuuuge post about the finale, but you won't find it here! I've switched blogs, for reasons that you can read up on in my new blog! Check me out at: www.punky-pickle.blogspot.com. If you don't, you won't get to find out who won the pool!

Survivor 20: Episode 13

What I consider to be the greatest season in Survivor history is ending this Sunday. I'm sure the finale and reunion show will be awesome - but it's sad to see such a great season end. Without question, this is the season I most wish I hadn't spoilered for myself.

With another season wrapping up, that means there must be another winner of the pool! Lets take a look at what our players have done in the past:

- Me - 2 wins (Danni from Guatemala, and JT from Tocantins)

- Doug - 2 wins (Bob from Gabon and Earl from Fiji)

- Bag - 2 wins (Parvati from Fans v. Faves and Evil Russ from Samoa - although E. Russ didn't actually win)

- Moon - 1 win* (Yul from Cook Islands)

- Alia - 1 win (Todd from China)

- Dachui - 0 wins

- Courtney - N/A (this is her first year)

Things I find interesting about this Final 5:

1. There are 2 past winners still in the game. Parvati and Sandra are two players who I really respect, but I didn't pick them because I though all previous winners would have targets on their backs and get voted out early. Not so. Also, there are 2 runners-up still in as well: Evil Russ and Colby. And this is the farthest Jerri has ever gone in the game!

2. Can anyone beat Parvati in challenges? She's good at puzzles, she's good at physical challenges, and she blows everyone away in challenges that take mental toughness/endurance. Moon suggested last night that she may be the best Survivor in history. This will be an interesting conversation to continue after we know the results on Sunday.

3. I really don't think Colby could get lamer if he tried. ("C'mon Reid!") Geez, what a mistake that was, picking him. I think he's the only player left I'm actively rooting against.

4. Mathematically speaking, it is still possible for any of the remaining players (me, Doug, Courtney, Gorbag) to win.

5. Thank God Rupert is finally gone. His overdramatic posturing has been driving me crazy for a month now. I can't tell if he speaks so slowly because he thinks it makes him sound more intense, or if his brain is actually just moving at that speed right now.

Current Standings:

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 116 points
[1. JT (40 pts)]
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (49 pts)

"Douchey" Dachui: 74 points
[1. Tyson (18 pts)]
[2. Boston Rob (26 pts)]
[3. Coach (30 pts)]

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 72 points
1. Colby (20 pts)
[2. Amanda (32 pts)]
[3. Courtney (20 pts)]

"Gorbag" Bag: 72 points
[1. Rupert (28 pts)]
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (38 pts)

"Moonwalkers" Moon: 56points
[1. James (7 pts)]
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
[3. Danielle (34 pts)]
[4. Candice (8 pts)]

"New Rookie" Courtney: 52 points
1. Evil Russell (39 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (11 pts)

Survivor 20: Episode 12

I think this is one of my favorite episodes, and not just because of who was voted out - thank the Lord we don't have to see those scary breasts anymore! Seriously, those things reminded me of the Hulk when he's angry. There's veins bulging out all over the place and it looks like her skin was stretched so thin that at any moment it would just pop - I'm surprised her bikini wasn't in tatters by the end of last episode.

But the real reason this episode was so great was because of the enormous power play that happened between Parvati and Russell. It seems like this last episode ended up being a draw, with the edge leaning slightly towards Russell. Parv took out one of Russell's pawns, but Russell took out Parvati's knight. The knight was more valuable for sure, but Parvati is a better player, so to me it felt like it broke even. It will be exciting to see who wins the next round!

Sadly, this ends Moon's run at this season's title of "Sole Survivor Poolist." He outlasted Dachui, but didn't come close to outscoring them, thus sealing his fate as the last place player in this season's pool. Nice to see that his dreg purchase ended up being worth it - although Candice still wasn't enough to save his team.

Current Standings:

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 109 points
[1. JT (40 pts)]
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (42 pts)

"Douchey" Dachui: 74 points
[1. Tyson (18 pts)]
[2. Boston Rob (26 pts)]
[3. Coach (30 pts)]

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 72 points
1. Colby (20 pts)
[2. Amanda (32 pts)]
[3. Courtney (20 pts)]

"Gorbag" Bag: 58 points
1. Rupert (18 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (34 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 56 points
1. Evil Russell (39 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (15 pts)

"Moonwalkers" Moon: 56points
[1. James (7 pts)]
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
[3. Danielle (34 pts)]
[4. Candice (8 pts)]

Survivor 20: Episode 11

I have tragic news. I was googling "are Amanda and Ozzy still dating?" a few days ago, and in one of the responses someone had listed who made the finals and in what order contestants made the jury. People I have shared this horrible news with have all immediately asked "why did you keep reading then?" I have an answer, but I am as yet unwilling to share it with you. For your own protection.

The consequences of this are huge. I don't really know the order of the jury members (although I did know Amanda was going out last night), but I do know who the final three are. As a result of this, I will no longer be doing my "power rankings" of our teams - it's not fair, and even if I try to ignore the information I have, I would be way too paranoid that I might accidentally give something away and spoiler it for the rest of you too. So I'll still report how everyone's doing and I'll do analysis of each episode, but there will be no more future predictions mentioned here. Feel free to make your own predictions in comments though!!

Anyways, enough sadness, let's get on to the show...

This episode was wacky, that's really the only word I can think of to describe it. Let's start with Danielle finding the clue, dropping it on the floor, and then getting physical with Amanda after she "stole" it. Survivor needs to give us a Rules explanation, because I have way too many questions about this. 1) what are Survivor's rules on one contestant being physically aggressive towards another player? 2) what are the rules Survivor has about "stealing"? IMO this was not stealing - Amanda didn't rip the clue out of Danielle's hand. It was sitting near her, but there was no clear possession of the clue at all. And let's not even get started on Colby wussing out about this and then Amanda caving and giving the clue back! What she SHOULD have done was open the clue and read it out loud. Then it's all square and the scramble can begin when they get back to camp. I thought this was the inevitable conclusion of the cat-fight and was insanely disappointed to see Amanda just hand the damn thing back over without even looking at it.

Also, how dumb was Amanda to not immediately check the popcorn bowl for the clue she was obsessed with finding? How can she not have realized that 100% of the time the clue was found either in food (e.g. in a jar of coffee) or near food (e.g. in a napkin)? She was absolutely right when she said she made too many mistakes in this game. Honestly, I don't think she actually did anything right - this season was just one giant mistake for her.

Next, let's discuss the Candice fiasco. I've never seen someone more easily manipulated. Candice is mentally and psychologically outmatched in this season. And for some reason she thinks that jumping ship as much as possible is a winning strategy. In her first season she mutinied against Yul and Ozzy (brilliant play, Candice, ditching two of the most dominant men in Survivor history) and now she's mutinied against her Heroes tribe simply because she's terrified of Russell. I felt so bad for Sandra, who worked her butt off to try and show Candice how idiotic she was being. But Candice is nothing if not gutless.

Which leads me back to my "Sandra should be a Hero" theory. Here are two women who both were placed on the wrong tribe. Being gutless is the anti-definition of being a hero. And Sandra never did anything villainous at all. I guess this is one of the big "what ifs" of this season (along with no one buying Candice for over a month). What if the producers had gotten it right and Sandra had been a Hero and Candice had been a Villain? Each tribe would have benefitted, since Heroes needed brains and Villains needed brawn in the beginning...


Current Standings:

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 103 points
[1. JT (40 pts)]
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (36 pts)

"Douchey" Dachui: 74 points
[1. Tyson (18 pts)]
[2. Boston Rob (26 pts)]
[3. Coach (30 pts)]

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 72 points
1. Colby (20 pts)
[2. Amanda (32 pts)]
[3. Courtney (20 pts)]

"Gorbag" Bag: 58 points
1. Rupert (18 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (34 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 40 points
1. Evil Russell (33 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (5 pts)

"Moonwalkers" Moon: 36 points
[1. James (7 pts)]
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
3. Danielle (24 pts)
4. Candice (-2 pts)

Survivor 20: Episode 10

In another outstanding episode, the tides were turned supposedly against the Heroes, but I think the long-term effects will show that this episode hurt Russell more than anyone... anyone besides JT, I guess.

There were a couple of lessons learned from this episode: 1) it's impossible to overestimate Parvati, 2) Amanda is a terrible liar, 3) Rupert may be thinking after all, and 4) JT can look really really stupid when he tries to.

Here's the thing that astounded me the most - JT actually thought through the actual scenario, and then disregarded it! It's not like he was completely clueless. And the actual theory was much more simple, straightforward, and believable than his own contrived notions. He wanted so badly to be right that he ignored all the blazing neon signs that pointed to the truth. It reminded me of the movie Contact, where they talk about Occam's razor - the theory that, all things being equal, "the simplest solution is usually the correct one." In this case the two options are A: Russell was the victim of an all-woman alliance and managed to survive only because JT slipped him an immunity idol which then was played simultaneously with Parvati's because she somehow smelled a trap which meant that Courtney was simply collateral damage, or B: Russell is a villain and a liar. JT chose option A.

I loved how at the end Parvati gave up both of her immunity idols to save either Jerri or Sandra. It was a canny move, and one I'm sure she hoped would buy both of their allegiance for the rest of the game. Unfortunately I don't think she understands how much Sandra hates Russell. I think she also hates that she was put with the Villains tribe. She will be much happier switching over to the Heroes alliance, where she already has a relationship with Rupert, and they are easily manipulated. This is also partially wishful thinking, since both of my remaining players are Heroes, and they could really use her guidance.

** New Rule Proposal ** After all the fun and games of finding hidden immunity idols and then passing them out like they are candy, I'd like to propose adding a rule. I think they should be a point bonus for anyone gifted an idol, and possibly also a point deduction for giving one away. This rule should not apply to immunity idols won in challenges. What do the rest of you think?

Current Standings:

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 103 points
[1. JT (40 pts)]
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (36 pts)

"Douchey" Dachui: 74 points
[1. Tyson (18 pts)]
[2. Boston Rob (26 pts)]
[3. Coach (30 pts)]

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 58 points
1. Colby (18 pts)
2. Amanda (20 pts)
[3. Courtney (20 pts)]

"Gorbag" Bag: 52 points
1. Rupert (18 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (28 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 35 points
1. Evil Russell (28 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (5 pts)

"Moonwalkers" Moon: 34 points
[1. James (7 pts)]
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
3. Danielle (22 pts)
4. Candice (-2 pts)


Rankings:

1. B2B - Doug & Bri were hurt badly by the loss of JT, but they still have a monster lead and the most dangerous player in the game on their team. I think they are still the favorites to win this season, but now there's actually a chance one of us could possibly beat them. What would be best is if Parvati got voted out next week... but I doubt that will actually happen. Keep in mind that last year's winner, Evil 'Box, won with 126 points, and B2B will probably make at least 113 points if Parv makes the minimum of the jury.

2. Bridesmaids - I'm ranking myself this high because I'm counting on a Sandra mutiny that will miraculously save my team. At first I was bummed that the Villains voted out Courtney over Sandra, since Sandra is so clearly a bigger threat. However, looking back on it now, I am really happy that Courtney got voted out when she did. No way could Courtney help Colby and Amanda as much as Sandra can. If Sandra doesn't switch sides though, I'm screwed.

3. Gorbag - I saw life in Team Gorbag last week! Not only did Rupert actually DO something, and think through a plan, but Jerri won his team some points as well! Either Jerri or Rupert could very well make final 3 if someone thought they wouldn't get enough votes to beat them, so they have the opportunity to win some points. They'll need to win some immunities on the way to the finals, but I don't think that's too out of their reach if it's a physical challenge.

4 - TIE. New Rook - Sandra is one of my new favorites to win the game, but she's likely going to take out Russell on the way, which would kill all hopes of the New Rookie to win her inaugural season of the pool. However, Courtney's team is slowly sliding down a muddy slope that is total points. Over the past 4 weeks, Courtney has netted a grand total of -11 points, thanks to sitting out challenges and "misplays" of immunity idols. It's not like Sandra really misplayed her idol - or that she even had a choice to not play it (although how badass would THAT have been had she been told her name wasn't being put down? "Thanks Parv, I'm just gonna hold on to it for now though...") but she must take the deduction all the same. Rules are rules after all, sorry Court!

4 - TIE. Moonwalkers - Candice is my other new favorite to win the game - but like Courtney, Moon is so far behind in the rankings that I just don't think he can catch up to B2B. Unfortunately I had just finished telling Ben how I loved Candice because she's such a competitor, and then she stepped right off that pole and gave immunity to one of the Villains. Had she stuck it out, I think she absolutely would have turned the tides of the vote. Parv only had 2 immunity idols - if her friend Danielle were vulnerable, she surely would have given her one, right? Meaning it was a 50/50 chance whether she'd give her other immunity idol to the correct person. Meaning that Parvati probably wouldn't have done it, since it would help her more to hold on to her 2 hidden immunity idols, and still have a good relationship with Russell. I guess we'll never know though....

6. Dachui - Danielle told me that their demise wasn't entirely unexpected. She predicted a Villain domination until personalities broke them to pieces. She just hoped they could make it to the merge, where they could take their angst and bitterness out against Heroes instead of each other. Not a bad plan, Dachui, and in the long run I think it was worth the risk. I'm excited to see what schemes you have for the next season too!

The next season of Top Chef

I just checked Wikipedia for an update on the next season of Top Chef and was disappointed to find the following:

"On October 5, 2009 it was announced by Bravo TV that a 7th season of Top Chef has been picked up.^[6] Shooting began in early April, 2010, in Washington, DC^[7][8]

The show will bring 17 contestants, similar to prior seasons, but this time one of the contestants will be a Top Chef "veteran", who participated in one of the prior editions (and didn't win). It has been also reported that classic episodes such as Restaurant Wars and Wedding Wars will return. The Finale is planned to happen in Montreal, Canada. It will bring five chefs and will be comprised of three episodes (instead of two).

Judges for Season 7 will be: Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Ted Allen and Fabio Viviani.

Bravo TV is planning to air the first Episode right after Labor Day, in early September 2010. Since the audience of Season 6 was below that of Season 5, Bravo TV has decided to extend the period between seasons."

Fabio is a judge now? Blah! The finale is in Canada!?! Blahh!! And what's the deal w/ bringing back a veteran? With some shows I support this, but not with Top Chef. They had their chance! If it's anyone besides Kevin's beard then send them away!

In other "sequel" news I stumbled across the fact that they are making a Transformers 3, which will include Frances McDormand and John Malkovich among the cast. This seems like an extremely strange marriage of styles and attitudes.

Survivor: Episode 9

Throughout the whole episode I was convinced that the Heroes would somehow fail at slipping E. Russ the hidden immunity idol. Either they'd lose the challenge, or they'd somehow be kept apart - something must happen, I told myself, to stop this train wreck from happening. Sadly, I was wrong. The incompetence of the Heroes is astonishing. I loved the part where Candice and Amanda both realize that slipping him the immunity idol is a terrible decision, but decide to let it happen anyways. The next episode will be very interesting; we'll get to see what the repercussions of the hidden immunity idol swap will be. From previews it seems apparent that the Heroes will smell foul play when they see Parvati still around. But will they actually do anything about it? And even if they do act, and take Sandra and vote for one of the remaining Villains, they have TWO immunity idols to protect themselves with. I'm guessing that Jerri will end up being the collateral damage of the next week.

Another FAIL of this episode was that the Villains voted out Courtney instead of Sandra. I'm not sure why they did that. First of all, Courtney is my player, so they should have left her in for that reason. Secondly, Sandra is much much smarter than Courtney, and she's capable of making moves that Courtney is not. I'm hopeful that the Villains will be punished for this mistake. It looks like in the next episode that Sandra will at least try to switch over to the Heroes side. This is a good play not only because she can dominate those guys in the vote and mentally, but because she really should have been on the Heroes tribe from the start. This woman is not a villain!

The merge is going to be really interesting because it's going to pit many players' ponies against each other. Parv v. JT, Sandra v. Evil Russ, Rupert v. Jerri, and Candice v. Danielle. I'm the only player who's ponies are actually in an alliance together! So many of these cage matches are at the same level too. Parv and JT are the "captains" of each alliance, Sandra and Evil Russ are the "brains", Rupert and Jerri are the "cargo", and Candice and Danielle are each "dark horse" threats. I definitely get the feeling that there'll be a couple episodes where the only names that will be bandied about will be from one player's stable.

Current Standings:

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 93 points
1. JT (30 pts)
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (36 pts)

"Douchey" Dachui: 74 points
[1. Tyson (18 pts)]
[2. Boston Rob (26 pts)]
[3. Coach (30 pts)]

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 58 points
1. Colby (18 pts)
2. Amanda (20 pts)
[3. Courtney (20 pts)]

"Gorbag" Bag: 42 points
1. Rupert (18 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (18 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 40 points
1. Evil Russell (28 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (10 pts)

"Moonwalkers" Moon: 28 points
[1. James (7 pts)]
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
3. Danielle (16 pts)
4. Candice (-2 pts)


Rankings:

1. B2B - if this team keeps finding hidden immunity idols the rest of us are completely screwed. On the plus side, JT and Parvati are not in an alliance together, so I feel confident that they both won't make the final 3. On the negative side, if even one of them makes the final 3 it's probably enough for Doug to lock up a victory. Still, a lot can happen when going from 10 players down to 3, and both players are known as threats, so it is possible that they will both only make the jury. Hopefully that happens soon, so the rest of us have a chance to catch up!

2. Bridesmaids - So close! I came so close to sneaking Courtney into the merge, but alas, the Villains voted her out in the 11th hour. Colby and Amanda could get me the victory, but it all hinges on them either growing brains or starting to listen to someone smarter than them. Their greatest strength starting with the merge will be their likeability, so I'm hoping they won't start stepping on other players' toes in the next few weeks! I'd be very happy to see a Candice, Colby, Amanda, Sandra alliance get together later in the game...

3. New Rook - Courtney's in a good position because I feel like the Heroes + Sandra are going to start eliminating Villains, but they'll constantly fail when trying to get rid of Evil Russ. It was huge that Sandra made it to the merge - she's got the time and the ability to put herself in a much more secure position. Russell, on the other hand, thrives on the brink, and that's where he'll be come merge time. Out of all the teams that are left, I think Courtney's is the most capable of getting both her players to the final 3. Unfortunately, that's what she'll need to have a chance at winning, since neither of her players are known for winning individual challenges.

4. Moonwalkers - Moon's dark horse team is doing really well, considering the circumstances. Candice and Danielle both seem to be laying low while still having a full understanding of what's really going on. There is a huge point deficit for Moon to make up, though, so he'll need more than just a victory from a pony to get him the victory in the pool.

5. Gorbag - Jerri is lost and confused, and Rupert is most confident about things the things he's most wrong about. He thinks that the Villains are in an all-female alliance, and he thought he was their best candidate for a challenge where he's spend most of his time putting all his weight on a broken toe. Delusional? Yes. A future winner of this game? No.

6. Dachui - It's disappointing that only one of their players made it to the jury, but it's cool that the one who did is Coach. This guy steals the show even when he's not playing!

This one's for Ben

I was reading Bill Simmons' latest article on the Masters. When he got to the part where they interview people after the match, he wrote the following to describe the creepy fake cabin they all sit in:

"It has its own music -- just a few strands of acoustic guitar that sounds like something you'd hear while getting a massage. It has no relation to any other sporting event, or really, anything about sports other than the part in which athletes are competing for something. Like Richard in "Lost," Jon Gruden or Coach K, it never seems to age or change in any way."

While I think he should have been more specific and said "Coach K's hair".... well said Bill. I'm giving you a polite, quiet golf clap here in my cubicle.

Survivor 20: Episode 8

Last night marked one of the biggest turnarounds in Survivor Pool history - and not a good one. From having a commanding, dominating lead to being the first ones completely out of the competition, I say to you Dachui: bad beat. Three weeks in a row, Dachui lost their #1, #2, and #3 picks respectively. Really, if the Heroes weren't so stupid, Coach should still be in this game. His lack of breasts is what got him knocked out of the competition when the Heroes let it be known that they thought the Villains tribe had an all-female alliance going. It's dumb enough to assume something based on little evidence, it's even DUMBER to say it out loud so that the other tribe knows exactly how to get the best of you in the future.

What I like about this new Villains tribe is that they all know exactly where they stand. They're a canny group. I especially like the subtlety of their social game - they're thinking through every scenario. First of all, Sandra knows that Russell will go for anyone going for him, so instead of trying to go for him directly, she starts spreading rumors that manipulate him into taking out members of his own alliance. Secondly, I think that if the Heroes had heard the Villains incorrectly assume something about their tribe, I don't think they would've considered doing anything to perpetuate that false assumption. They probably would've laughed about it, but they never would have seen it as an opportunity to use to their advantage.

What I don't understand is how the votes fell. Coach, Jerri, and RUSSELL voted for Courtney. Sandra, Courtney, Danielle, and Parvati voted for Coach. Why did Russell switch his vote? Pre-voting he wanted Coach gone and Danielle wanted Courtney gone... and yet they each voted opposite of their wishes. We were trying to figure out if Russell was trying to protect himself from some kind of blind side, but splitting his vote only made Russell more vulnerable, not less. Did Parv and Danielle vote against his wishes? If so it means that Danielle has a closer alliance to Parv than Evil Russ... and he'll probably start getting paranoid about that. If anyone else can explain, I'd love to hear your theories!

The other "shocker" of the evening was how large the jury will end up being. With Coach making the jury, it looks like there will be a final 3 facing a jury of 9. I think we all hate the final 3 format, but it's nice that there will be so many jury members.

Also of note was Jeff's constant mentionings of "if" there is a merge. I'm 80% sure there will be a merge, but man I'd love it if there wasn't. It would be such a great ploy by those sly producers to have each tribe plan on - nay, count on - an impending merge that never happens. If the Villains knew that there wouldn't be a merge, I think Coach and Tyson would still be in the game, maybe even Boston Rob. But now they could be utterly screwed because of another assumption.


Current Standings:

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 78 points
1. JT (27 pts)
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (24 pts)

"Douchey" Dachui: 74 points
[1. Tyson (18 pts)]
[2. Boston Rob (26 pts)]
[3. Coach (30 pts)]

"New Rookie" Courtney: 40 points
1. Evil Russell (28 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (10 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 40 points
1. Colby (15 pts)
2. Amanda (17 pts)
3. Courtney (8 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 37 points
1. Rupert (15 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (16 pts)

"Moonwalkers" Moon: 23 points
[1. James (7 pts)]
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
3. Danielle (14 pts)
4. Candice (-5 pts)


Rankings:

1. B2B - Doug & Bri have almost a 40 point lead over the next closest contenders, which means they will be very hard to catch. Although JT is making himself way too conspicuous right now, which could put him in very serious jeopardy. The rest of us need for him to go if we are going to have a chance to catch this juggernaut. I'm putting Parvati as the favorite to win it all right now, but she probably won't be winning a lot of challenges on her own or with her current tribe, so I'm much more comfortable with her going deep than JT.

2. New Rook - Obviously Russell is a threat and very capable of making it to the final 3, but I'm kind of hoping he gets voted out soon. I think it would be VERY entertaining to watch him steaming over on the jury week after week. Plus, his rant at final tribal would be epic, probably topping Sue's Rat & Snake speech. Sandra is down but never out - she's super canny, and if a merge comes soon she could be a very dangerous swing vote. If they merge next week I hope the first thing that happens is Sandra and Courtney switch to the Hero alliance, wake those dumbasses up, and give them a much-needed intelligence boost.

3. Bridesmaids - Geez, I don't even know what to say. Courtney survived by the seat of her tiny little pants. I've been saying from the start that she's a threat so long as she makes it to a merge, and it looks like that may not happen. Please merge soon! Let me keep all 3 of my players! They're finally starting to earn points! If the Villains lose again I just don't see Sandra being able to save her one more time.

4. Moonwalkers - Considering how close we turned out to be to the jury, it would've been foolish NOT to have bought Candice. Even without her other point-accumulations, Candice is now guaranteed to pay up her debts and then some! She's also doing a good job of forming tighter alliances and creating a healthy amount of paranoia among the Heroes. Danielle needs to stop pissing Russell off - if she can keep her opinions to herself she may actually make it to the final 3, although I don't think she'll win. Moonwalkers I see making a strong run in the second half of this season, but I just don't think Moon can overcome his enormous point deficit to come back and win this one.

5. Gorbag - I think Gorbag has the two nuttiest players on his tribe. Jerri is confident one minute, confused the next, and straight up pissed off and hungry most of the time. She's not doing a good job controlling her emotions, and that will be the end of her. Rupert hasn't really shown himself to be a great thinker - he's made his alliance with JT and it seems like that's about when he stopped playing the social game. I love his effort in the challenges, but he's practically non-existent in camp!

6. Dachui - RIP. Team Dachui is incapable of winning, but they still have a chance to not lose!

Words of wisdom from the guy who directed Ace Ventura

I’ve been brooding lately – a dangerous past time, I know. Sometimes I see my future as a bright, exciting time full of potential. But when I’m feeling more pessimistic I see my future as a dull grind, where it takes years and years to accomplish just one of my goals. That’s what I’ve been thinking about lately, brooding on the supposed difficulties of my life.

It’s a danger, I think, of our time - where everything comes so quickly and easily - that it feels like our life goals should be accomplished with as much ease and simplicity. But life doesn’t work that way. Most of the time I appreciate the slow pace, the ability to appreciate life while I have it... but when I don’t, I brood.

I guess patience isn’t a virtue I have; I’m going to have to work at that a little more.

Today, I went to a Conference on World Affairs session called “How to Make a Bad Movie.” I almost didn’t go because it sounds kind of depressing, but it was better than working, so I decided to go for it anyways. I could not have been more surprised by the quality of the panel. It had an Oscar-winning special effects master, a former SNL star, a screenplay writer, and the guy who directed Ace Ventura and Liar Liar, among other films. I guess technically these people have all been involved in projects that resulted in bad movies, but what they talked about wasn’t how to make a bad movie, the message they really focused on was what it meant to be an artist. The Ace Ventura guy especially said that no matter what other people think of your work, so long as what you are producing comes from your heart it’s a quality piece of art. He spoke of vision, being true to yourself, and he insisted that the only “bad” art is art that was never made because the artist was too afraid to try.

I never expected such optimism and idealism from a man who became (in)famous for making Jim Carrey talk out of his butt. Maybe because the message came from so unexpected a source that it affected me so much. But instantly I was lifted out of my funk. I feel like I’ve balked at some many things in my life because I was afraid that I would fail at them, but it’s better to try and fail than to have never tried at all.

Survivor 20: Episode 7

The mighty battle was waged and after the dust settled, Evil Russell emerged as victor. This was an awesome example of how much potential this game truly has. Both Russell and Boston Rob proved their mental toughness and ability to completely manipulate other people. Danielle and Parvati both earned themselves "best supporting actress" nominations as well for the way they leaned on Jerri. This truly is an all-stars cast: it's like watching LeBron go up against Kobe, but in a game that's much more subtle.

It's going to be fun to watch the collapse of the Villains - I have no expectation that they will win many more challenges. Russell is not a leader that can win this tribe points - he thrives on dissention and paranoia. The more his tribe splinters apart, the better he does. Boston Rob was the real leader of his tribe and it's really unfortunate for them that he lost this war. However, as someone who is supporting the Heroes and Evil Russ, I was really pleased with the outcome.

And speaking of the Heroes, what a turn-around they're having! I thought it was premature for Probst to be talking about how the Villains were getting whooped, but now that Boston Rob is gone, I think his statement will be accurate. Colby's attitude change was huge, and I think that all 5 of the remaining Heroes can make it to the merge easily. Once again, it really comes down to when they will merge. Will it happen next week? If so, Sandra and Courtney have ties to Rupert and Amanda respectively, and they could easily jump ship and give the Heroes the majority of votes. If it's a couple episodes from now, they may have a 5 v. 5 showdown of epic proportions. I can't believe I'm actually thinking that the Heroes could even the count - just two weeks ago this seemed like a pipe dream!


What If?

Candice continues her point-winning streak, earning 5 more points last night. Since Moon has now purchased her, I'm going to stop keeping track of this, but wanted to do one last point comparison. Since the beginning of the game, Candice has earned 18 points through our system. While no one would have been able to win all of those points, had Courtney bought her after Episode 2, she would now be officially out of debt with +1 points! Had Bag bought her the week afterwards he'd be at -4 points (as would Moon had he bought her after episode 4 and not after episode 6). Doug and Dachui would still be at -10 points, which is where Moon is currently. I think it was a smart buy by Moon, but we'll see HOW good as the weeks progress.


Current Standings:

"Douchey" Dachui: 64 points
[1. Tyson (18 pts)]
[2. Boston Rob (26 pts)]
3. Coach (20 pts)

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 63 points
1. JT (12 pts)
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (24 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 42 points
1. Evil Russell (28 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (12 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 34 points
1. Rupert (10 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (18 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 32 points
1. Colby (10 pts)
2. Amanda (12 pts)
3. Courtney (10 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 20 points
[1. James (7 pts)]
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
3. Danielle (16 pts)
4. Candice (-10 pts)


Rankings:

1. B2B - JT and Parvati are two of the three players currently in control of this game. They are a force to be reckoned with and I think that it will be very difficult to get them out of this game. Combine this security with the massive amount of points B2B already has, and this team will be tough to beat. Obviously anything could happen - see example #6: Dachui - but both are conniving, attractive attractive players who have no qualms about backstabbing anyone. Given the chance, will Parvati betray her "savior" Evil Russell?

2. New Rook - Evil Russell's coup d'etat was huge for New Rook Courtney. Unfortunately it means that her other player Sandra is now in serious danger. It also means that her team probably won't be winning a lot of points until the merge... unless Russell starts finding more immunity idols. I think this team will go through a point-earning drought for a while, but it has the capability to go very deep in this game. Russell has worked his way out of every possible "death" scenario, does he have it in him to make it to the finals yet again?

3. Bridesmaids - I still have all 3 of my players, which is a minor miracle. All of their names have been brought up to be voted out and yet they are dodging bullets left and right to hang around. I feel like Courtney will be Russell's next target at the beginning of the next episode, but Sandra will probably piss him off more in the long run, so I hope he gets rid of her first. But really my success hangs on Colby and Amanda keeping the Heroes tribe on top once the merge happens. Is it possible that one of my players will finish in 2nd place AGAIN?

4. Gorbag - I gotta say, I didn't think both Jerri and Rupert would still be in the game at this point, but Jerri is turning herself into an important, pivotal player. Rupert's alliance seems secure, and with an upcoming merge I think they can both safely fly under the radar. This team is really starting to grow on me, and I've only ranked them this low because I have more players and I think that Gorbag will have a tougher time winning individual challenges, not because I think they won't last long. Does anyone else think that Jerri's hair looked fantastic in the last episode? Long, unwashed hair really suits her!

5. All Blacks - Moon is in the hole with his purchase of Candice, but that doesn't mean he's out, just down. Buying Candice was crucial for him to have a chance to win this game. It's just that he now has a lot of ground to make up to get himself back into this competition. What will Moon name his re-vamped team? Will he go with the brilliant suggestion of"Michael Jackson"?

6. Dachui - While Dachui leads in points currently, they only have sad old Coach to keep their team afloat. They have no chance of buying Candice now, so they're going to have to depend on an emotionally unstable flip-flopper. I think he could win some individual challenges and maybe even make top 3, but it's going to be hard for Dachui to maintain their lead while everyone else has 2 or 3 players earning them points. How many more times will Coach cry this season?

No Survivor Post

Hello all. I haven't watched Survivor yet, so I won't be able to post on it. I'm going to Indianapolis this weekend to see the NCAA men's semi-finals, so in all likelihood I won't be able to have it posted until maybe Tuesday or even Wednesday. Sorry about that and thanks in advance for not giving anything away!

Go Duke!

Survivor 20: Episode 6

Okay, so this last episode was amazing. I don't think it rates quite as high as the Edgardo ousting or when Erik gave up his immunity necklace only to be voted out immediately afterwards, but this was definitely a top 5 episode. Russell is quite probably the best strategist in Survivor history. He's not the best at making alliances or getting people to like him, but his strategy is genius.

We were a little confused by what happened initially, so I'm gonna break it down here, just to explain the awesomeness that transpired and how it counted for our teams:

The challenge was an individual challenge for separate tribes, and then a heads-up between the winners for hot dogs and an inside look into the other tribe's dynamics. So, I scored it so the two winners each got individual immunity, and the Villains won a team reward challenge.

At the Villains camp there was a LOT of conspiring. What ended up happening is that the majority alliance decided to split their votes 3 for Parvati (Courtney, Jerri, and Coach) and 3 for Russell (Boston Rob, Tyson, and Sandra). Russell, Parv and Danielle all decided to go for Tyson, Boston Rob's assistant coach. That way it'd be a 3-way tie, so even if the immunity idol was played, the majority could still vote out either Russell or Parvati in the re-vote. Russell knew that his immunity idol could only protect him or Parvati, and I honestly don't know if his talking to Tyson was a last ditch effort to make what happened happen, or if he really thought he was going to sacrifice Parv so that he could survive. But he managed to convince Tyson that he was going to save his own skin and vote for Parvati. And Tyson figured that he could then vote for Parvati as well, so that he wouldn't have to stress about a tie vote where his name would be written down.

Now here's the astounding thing - Russell gave his immunity necklace to Parvati. He KNEW that there was a huge likelihood that he was going to get voted out by doing this, but he wanted to stay loyal to his alliance, and a woman he respects more than possibly anyone else. Could Evil Russell really be Chivalrous Russell? So the votes ended up being 2 for Russell, 3 for Tyson, and 4 for Parv, which didn't count because she played the necklace. Note that SHE played it, not Russell, so she gets the points for a successful play. This rule was created for just such circumstances. Courtney, you may be sad, but the alternatives were either Russell getting voted out, or Russell losing 5 points for incorrectly playing the idol to save his own skin. So it's not as bad as it could've been!

Does this count as a self-blind-side? Tyson's vote is what triggered him to be voted out, and he certainly didn't see it coming. I can hear Jeff saying it now: "For the first time in Survivor history..." I also think this ranks in the top 5 of stupidest plays of all time. Obvious winners are James not playing 1 of 2 immunity idols that he had, and Erik giving up his immunity idol. Also in the top 5: that guy who messed up the last challenge because Schemer Rob told him he'd win sympathy votes that way, and subsequently gave Jenna Morasco the win.

Unfortunately this insane awesomeness was followed by the extreme stupidity of the Hero's tribal council. It's not just JT who is wishy-washy, it's the entire team. They are so inconsistent and are managing to completely ruin any chance they have for survival. Last week they decide to stick to their alliance and so they voted out Tom, who is obviously stronger than an injured James. Then this week, after demonstrating that James with only 1 leg is still more physical than Colby in challenges, they decide James is a liability and vote him off. PICK A SIDE HEROES. You either have to go alliance or strength, you can't alternate between the two! There's an obvious poker analogy here, but I'm not going to go there. The only upside I can find to this team's idiocy is that I somehow managed to keep my player Colby around, and his frank honesty actually made me like him for the first time all season.

What does the future have in store? I think that the Heroes, Parvati, Russell, and Danielle need a merge desperately. Boston Rob's super-alliance should probably throw a challenge if they don't merge though, because they're not going to be able to vote out Russell any other way. I think this may be the only time that I think throwing a challenge would be a good strategy - but I don't know if Boston Rob would be able to lose a battle to win a war - I think he's too proud. And even if they tried to throw a challenge, Evil Russ probably could smell it coming from a mile away and then somehow manage to win the challenge all on his own. Or find another hidden immunity idol - he can scent them out like a bloodhound.


What If?

Candice had a big night! 6 points that no one earned for her individual immunity, so Courtney would be at -4 for the purchase - almost out of the hole - and Bag, Moon, and Doug would be at -9.

Now it's a weird buying round this week. Since two teams lost a player, what we're going to do is this - Dachui and Moon have been notified that if they are interested in buying Candice they need to let me know. If neither of them want her, then fine, no one gets her. If only one of them want her, then they can buy her at the standard price of 15 points. But if BOTH teams want to buy her, then we will do an auction, Survivor style. I will find the grossest stuff I can at the grocery and whoever can hold it down will win her. Okay, just kidding, the auction will be based on points not food - but isn't my idea so much more entertaining?


Current Standings:

"Douchey" Dachui: 64 points
[1. Tyson (18 pts)]
2. Boston Rob (26 pts)
3. Coach (20 pts)

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 60 points
1. JT (7 pts)
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (26 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 46 points
1. Evil Russell (30 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (14 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 32 points
[1. James (7 pts)]
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
3. Danielle (18 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 31 points
1. Rupert (5 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (20 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 24 points
1. Colby (5 pts)
2. Amanda (7 pts)
3. Courtney (12 pts)


Rankings:

It feels like the entire game has changed after this episode. I think everything now depends on how quickly they merge. If they merge next week then a Team Russell defection would put the two alliances in a blockbuster 8 v. 8 showdown. If a few weeks go by though, the Heroes and Team Russell might be annihilated. So these rankings really don't mean to much, but I'm going to speculate anyways.

6. All Blacks - it's easier to start from the bottom, which is where Moon is firmly planted. His "all black" team now consists of one busty white woman. (He's already working on coming up with a new team name.) Medical evacuations are a nasty part of Survivor and our pool, and it hurts when one of your ponies gets taken out this way. We've all been there. Maybe we should add a rule next season where the player gets some pity points thrown their way? Although really James wasn't going to make it THAT much farther anyways. I think that his biggest problem is that he doesn't listen... and that is a fatal flaw in a social game.

5. Gorbag - Gorbag did well with poker this weekend, but his lot was not improved much in the Survivor pool (congrats again Bag!). I just don't see Jerri or Rupert going all the way with this one, and that's what it's going to take for us bottom-three to have a chance against these other power-houses. Interesting side note - Moon and I had a very interesting conversation about who the bigger bitch was, Jerri or Parvati. I would love for comments to include who they would vote for and why.

4. Bridesmaids - the Bridesmaids are really adept at not getting voted out, but they really suck at earning points. My small consolation this episode is that everyone competed in the challenge, so I didn't lose any points. I think my team got a lot more intersting this episode too. Will Colby have an amazing comeback after the last tribal? Will he give 125% now that he feels like he's a part of their alliance and help turn the Heroes around? How has Courtney managed to fly under the radar this whole time, and how far can she really go? (I'm hoping all the way!)

3. New Rook - The top 3 teams I think are all neck and neck... but I put Courtney in 3rd place just because Russell's position is so precarious. He's seriously outnumbered, and while he has been in this situation before, his opponents are much smarter this time around. If anyone can get out of this mess though, it's Russell. Sandra is a serious threat too. She's put herself in a perfect position - close to Rob but not in charge.

2. B2B - Doug & Bri have two very strong competitors, but they both happen to be in the minority right now, and Parvati in particular has been voted for every time they've gone to tribal council. But these are two of the most charming people to ever play the game, and their alliances, while small in numbers, are very strong. I can easily see one or both of them making it to final tribal.

1. Dachui - Losing Tyson has hurt them for sure, but ultimately they still have 2 Villains on their team who are currently in very secure positions. I think Boston Rob needs to win a LOT of immunity challenges on the way to final tribal, or else they will vote him out, but that is a possibility. Coach I could see getting there as well by riding coattails, but I don't think he would win.

Survivor 20: Episode 5

Sorry for the extreme lateness of this blog post. But since there wasn't a new episode of Survivor last night anyways, nothing was really missed! I'm not going to ramble on too much now - in all honesty I just don't remember the episode that much anymore. What I do remember is the awesome preview for next week - it looks like Boston Rob and Evil Russ will get to duke it out!

What If?
Candice earned no more points this past episode. So Courtney would still be -10 for the purchase, and Bag and Tom would both be at -15.

Current Standings:

"Douchey" Dachui: 52 points
1. Tyson (16 pts)
2. Boston Rob (18 pts)
3. Coach (18 pts)

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 48 points
1. JT (7 pts)
[2. Tom (27 pts)]
3. Parvati (14 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 42 points
1. Evil Russell (28 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (12 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 30 points
1. James (7 pts)
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
3. Danielle (16 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 29 points
1. Rupert (5 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (18 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 22 points
1. Colby (5 pts)
2. Amanda (7 pts)
3. Courtney (10 pts)

Rankings:
1. Dachui: Dachui still has all their players and they are all Villains so they are all obviously going to outlast every single stupid Hero. What's also fairly huge is that they've only had one player sit out a challenge once - so they're essentially making 15 points a week! (Except the one time the villains lost.)

2. New Rook: Courtney had a BIG week with Russell finding the immunity idol. Not only did that boost her overall score, but will most likely save her player since Boston Rob is gunning for him. I think Courtney is officially back in the game - although next week looks like it'll determine how successfully!

3. B2B: I'm bumping B2B down in the rankings, not because they lost a player, but because they have a hero on their team. And that spells certain doom. Doug has already told me that they won't be buying Candice, which I think is a good thing. Her value will stay extremely low so long as she is on the Heroes tribe.

4. All Blacks: Team All Blacks are fading into the background for me. Danielle is completely forgettable, and with James' injury it's unknown how long he'll stayt in the game. I like to think that maybe his injured leg will help James stay in the game longer, since after a merge he'll be less of a physical threat, but he'll probably get booted before the merge. I mean really, anyone who's on the Hero's tribe isn't making it to merge, I don't think.

5. Bridesmaids: I have stolen Dachui's strategy from last year where I keep all my players alive but none of them win any points. For all I know Amanda will actually win this season, but it won't be enough to give me the victory. And I hate Colby. That man has changed from cunning player to self-righteous whiner over the past few years. I'm cheering against him. Really I'm not cheering for my team anymore, I'm just cheering for the people that I like the best. (This includes, but is not limited to: Parvati, Evil Russ, Sandra, JT, and Amanda.)

6. Gorbag: I get the feeling that Gorbag doesn't really care about survivor anymore. I think Rupert agrees with him. They both seem halfhearted in their effors. Jerri is working hard, but in a kind of crazy way. And her jealousy over Parvati's flirting skills could make her a target of one of the craftiest players in the game.

Survivor 20: Episode 4

WOW. What an episode! I was so sad to see Cirie go this early; I really admire her game. This is a woman who is old, overweight, always comes into the match seemingly without friends or alliances, and always manages to make it to the final 4... until now, that is. Unfortunately JT was smart enough to realize that she was smarter than him, so he took her out. As Ben noted, this was a good play for JT - he'll do better allying himself with the likes of Tom, another gentleman and winner of the game. But I will miss Cirie! She was a blind-siding queen, and I think we'll lose a few stunners without her around.

Weirdly enough, all the players who've been voted out so far have been 2nd round picks. It probably just a random coincidence, but I'm trying to figure out if maybe there's a pattern or reason for this. If it holds true it means Boston Rob, Tom, or Amanda are next to go. They all seem secure right now, but in this all-stars season it's impossible to predict who is safe and who isn't. I'll do it anyway though - if the Heroes lose I predict Candice will be the next to go. If the Villains lose then I think I'm going with Evil Russell. I wonder, do you think Boston Rob would throw a challenge just to get rid of him? How pissed off is Boston Rob by Evil Russell trying to find the hidden immunity idol?

What If?

Both Courtney and Bag passed up the chance to buy Candice. I can't say that I disagree with either of their decisions. For curiosity's sake, I checked and I think she would've netted 7 points total, so 1/2 her asking price. If they had bought her, though, neither of them would've inherited all of those points. Courtney would be sitting at -10, and Bag would be at -15 currently, since she made no points last night. It'll be interesting to see if either of them would've made it to the black in the long run had they picked her. If Moon passes her up too, then I'll start tracking that as well.

Current Standings:

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 45 points
1. JT (7 pts)
2. Tom (27 pts)
3. Parvati (11 pts)

"Douchey" Dachui: 39 points
1. Tyson (13 pts)
2. Boston Rob (13 pts)
3. Coach (13 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 27 points
1. James (7 pts)
[2. Cirie (7 pts)]
3. Danielle (13 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 24 points
1. Rupert (5 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (13 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 24 points
1. Evil Russell (13 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (9 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 21 points
1. Colby (7 pts)
2. Amanda (7 pts)
3. Courtney (7 pts)


Rankings:

1. B2B: Everything is going right for this team, it's like they've been blessed by Jeff Probst himself. First Parvati was on the chopping block and managed to weasel her way out of it. Now Tom is in trouble and the Survivor Gods lob a miracle his way too! Not only did he not get voted out, he earned 20 points for finding and successfully playing the hidden immunity idol, and managed to work himself into a stable position on the tribe! I imagine that JT could be the next at risk, since switching sides usually makes people want to vote you out, but I'm fully prepared for a medevac to save his good old country boy neck.

2. The Douches: The Douches are in 2nd place solely because the cry-baby dragon slayer is on their team. For the record, Moon, I do not think I'm underestimating this guy's ridiculousness. What was the line he said last night? "I am the Last of the Mohicans. King Arthur. Legend." This coming the day after someone said he didn't pull his weight around camp and that was enough to make him want to quit!! Ben called him a Tom Cruise Wannabe, and I think he's really hit the nail on the head with that one. Although maybe it's Daniel Day Lewis.

3. Bridesmaids: There's a huge gap between the top 2 teams and the rest of us. Right now this is a 2 horse race. I'm ranking myself 3rd because I still have all 3 of my players, which I think gives me a better chance than the others to catch up. I'm getting crushed by Courtney though, who has sat out a challenge in every single episode so far, reducing my score by 8 points!

4. New Rook: Courtney looks like she may be in hot water if Boston Rob gets too mad at Evil Russell. It looks like right now E. Russ would be the next voted out if the Villains ever lost a challenge. But at the same time, I love Sandra's chances at a deep run right now. We don't know a lot about the Villains' dynamics right now since they keep winning, but it seems to me that Sandra is a part of every decision while never seeming like she's actually making any decisions. That's a great place to be at this point in the game.


5. All Blacks: Cirie getting voted out last night dealt a fatal blow to this team. It's only being kept afloat by Danielle's enormous inflatable breasts at this point. James is probably going to be on the outs now that Cirie is gone (I'm expecting a James rant that's as big as his arms) so even if the Heroes make a miraculous come-back and go into the merge with a majority, I see him being one of the first to become a part of the jury. Without a majority, the Villains will probably vote him out even sooner since he's such a threat in individual immunity challenges. Moon now has the opportunity to buy Candice now... I wonder if he will?

6. Gorbag: Gorbag never said anything about buying Candice, so he forfeited the option to claim her. So he's down to his terrible two: Rupert and Jerri. Both seem to be laying low for the most part, but Rupert's honesty at tribal council was illuminating for me. He's just not playing the game. I think he really loves Survivor - he loves the challenges, and seems as happy as a clam around camp - but I don't think he likes the strategizing. One of the reasons we all love him is because of his honesty, but now he's coming across as flaky and absent-minded.

Game of Thrones officially an HBO series!

Yay! I just saw on George RR Martin's blog that HBO greenlit the first season of Game of Thrones - hurray! You can check out the full cast from the pilot here. I don't think it's going to air until next spring sometime, which gives you just enough time to (re)read the first book before the premiere. And then you will be just as joyous as I am right now!

Survivor 20: Episode 3

I've been obsessed with the Olympics these past couple of weeks, so switching over to watching Survivor was a nice change of pace for an hour. I was also pleased to see the Heroes totally dominate the Villains for once... and not surprisingly it was in an all-brawn challenge. Doug called the Hero sweep about halfway through. I thought a couple of the women's pairings would go the Villains' way, but NostraDoug was correct and the Heroes crushed their first victorious immunity challenge. I hope it continues!

I was surprised at the Villains' reactions when they saw that Stephenie had been voted out last week. They were honestly shocked that they'd voted her out. I wonder who they thought would be the next one to go... Cirie maybe? But Cirie is actually pretty beastly in challenges, and she's one of the smartest members of their tribe - a highly valuable commodity in their camp. She and JT are in full control of that tribe. It's almost scary how easily the others seem to have fallen under their control.

On the Villains side, it's a similar situation. Boston Rob continues to run the tribe, but Parvati really has a lot more control than anyone is willing to admit. I think it was smart of them to vote Randy out - he was absolutely their weakest link - but all of their concerns about her are legitimate. (Although I disagree with her having a good smile, I find her smile kind of scary.) Randy on the other hand, totally missed out on the charming genes. He's smart, but not socially smart, which is too bad for Bag. I told him Randy was a bust, since I've made the mistake of picking him before, but alas, Bag had to learn the hard way.

I was concerned that Evil Russell was going to bow down to Coach and Rob's pressure to not trust Parvati. I thought that his reaction to them might be different because they are all-stars and men, but I was so excited to see him react the same way he did last season. When he buried their machete I fell in love with him all over again. He and Parvati make up the most dangerous alliance that could possibly exist. I would never have expected two people who are so overly-confident in their own skills to actually be able to respect and trust each other, but somehow they do. It's going to be really fun watching them plow through their competitors like the Canadian curling team does to the rest of the world.

Current Standings:

"Douchey" Dachui: 24 points

1. Tyson (8 pts)

2. Boston Rob (8 pts)

3. Coach (8 pts)

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 22 points

1. JT (7 pts)

2. Tom (7 pts)

3. Parvati (8 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 22 points

1. James (7 pts)

2. Cirie (7 pts)

3. Danielle (8 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 19 points
1. Rupert (5 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (8 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 18 points

1. Colby (7 pts)

2. Amanda (7 pts)

3. Courtney (4 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 16 points
1. Evil Russell (8 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (6 pts)

Rankings:

1. B2B: Doug and Bri get first place because their players are the most in control without looking like they are actually in control. JT is happy to let Rupert think he's running the show, and Parvati is taking it easy while Boston Rob is making himself ill trying to be a leader. But when it comes down to it, what Parvati and JT think in the end will matter more when it comes to deciding who will be voted out. Tom also did a great job this episode extending the olive branch, so I don't think they'll even consider him when they next need to vote someone out.

2. All Blacks: Danielle is flying so under the radar that I don't even know what her face looks like - although I saw waaay too much of her unnatural breasts this last episode. There are far too many others whose heads will roll before hers does. So she will bring in some solid points, although I don't think she'll win. Cirie has the ability to go all the way, and I'm starting to think James does too. He might be just the person to bring with someone to the finals. If I were there I'd ally with him and then play the "I'm the brains, I've been running the whole show, he's just the brake man in our bobsled team" card. Brawns usually doesn't win over brains in the finals. Maybe no one else is thinking that, but I think they should.

3. Douches: Dachui dropped in my rankings today because of how badly the Villains collapsed. It seems like a rift has developed, and that rift will undoubtedly claim the lives of some of their villains. I'm also concerned about how little attention Tyson is getting. No TV time to me equates to not making the finals. Boston Rob is being the best leader he can be, but he's also becoming a huge target, particularly if the Villains go into the merge down players. I think the Heroes would take him out first.

4. Bridesmaids: It seems like Amanda and Colby are safe for now, and Courtney is laying surprisingly low. So my team's plan seems to be "survive for now, strategize later." I think the Villains women are going to band together, which is good, and that tribe won't realize how bad Courtney is at challenges since she can keep sitting them out, so she may coast through what I consider to be the most dangerous time for her.

5. The Rook: I actually like the make-up of Courtney's team, but she's down to 2 players, which will affect her scores in the long run. It makes it even more important for the players she still has to really excel. Evil Russell seems like he's in a precarious position as the new guy, but I feel like he's adapting quickly to the new situation, and his alliance with Parvati could become incredibly powerful. Sandra is playing a great game too, I adore her attitude of "I'll vote for whoever, just so long as we do it as a team."

6. Gorbag: Gorbag, are you suffering the trend of the previous-season's winner finishing dead last? Randy getting voted out was no surprise to me, but now you only have Jerri and Rupert! Jerri will definitely lose in a Parvati-Jerri catfight. Parv might even keep her hair afterwards as her grisly war trophy. Jerri's alliance with Coach is stupid, I mean c'mon, the man is psycho. And the two of them together is such an easy target. Rupert could go really deep, but Rupert on his own will not be enough for the win. Will Bag pick up Candice to hopefully boost his numbers? Or will he rely on a deep run by Rupert and Jerri somehow making top 5? (Odds on Jerri making top 5 I'd say are probably around 9:1.)

Survivor 20: Episode 2

What is wrong with the Heroes? They start off every challenge whooping the villains, and then they have a breakdown as soon as they're asked to use their brains. This season should have been called Brawn v. Brains, not Heroes v. Villains. I'm cheering for the Heroes because I like more of the contestants, and I have more players on their tribe. But I may have to switch over to cheering for the villains if they're going to continue outsmarting the heroes. It's painful to watch.

Obviously I'm happy that Stephenie was voted out over Amanda. Amanda is my pick, and more importantly, I really like her! Stephenie I don't like very much. She did a good job in the first episode laying low, but then she revealed her personality, which was so off-putting that she may have driven James crazy. And her strategy made no sense - she kept saying that Amanda needed to go because she was the weakest, which is so ludicrous it left me speechless (at first). She obviously saw her as a threat to her position and tried to take her out, but her reasoning was SO flawed that even people in her alliance weren't buying it. Did Stephenie actually believe that Amanda is a weaker player than Candice or Cirie? Could she really be that delusional?

Special thanks to my mom and sister for finding some interesting info, and answering some lingering questions! According to Candice, the producers choose what the contestants wear, which is why what they wear is so impractical. (We actually spent some time last night wondering why no one had thought to bring a rain jacket.) And, at least based on my interpretation, the JT/Sugar pre-season romance sounded more like a random hook-up than an actual relationship, which explains why JT so easily voted her out.


Current Standings:

"Douchey" Dachui: 24 points
1. Tyson (8 pts)
2. Boston Rob (8 pts)
3. Coach (8 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 18 points
1. Evil Russell (8 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (8 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 14 points
1. Rupert (2 pts)
2. Randy (3 pts)
3. Jerri (8 pts)

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 12 points
1. JT (2 pts)
2. Tom (2 pts)
3. Parvati (8 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 12 points
1. James (2 pts)
2. Cirie (2 pts)
3. Danielle (8 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 10 points
1. Colby (2 pts)
2. Amanda (2 pts)
3. Courtney (6 pts)





Rankings:

1. The Douches: Boston Rob's medical evacuation never happened, which is a huge relief for team Dachui. They completely switched their game plan from last season, which was to take likable losers, and the difference in results have been brilliant. They are wracking up points with players in comfortable enough positions to not have any fear of being voted out soon. I think that Randy, Jerri, Courtney, and Sandra are all more likely to be voted out than any of their team. Do any of them have the ability to close though? I don't know if Boston Rob or Coach do, but I certainly think that Tyson would be a huge threat if he made the finals.

2. B2B: Tom looks like he's on the outs, but the tribe still needs his strength in challenges if they want to compete. I think he's gone if they lose next week, but Doug and Moon think it's more likely to be Candice. I hope we don't find out, I'm hoping for a Heroes victory next week! JT is playing a very strong game, apart from being on the losing tribe. We haven't seen much of Parvati, apart from her getting clocked in the temple last night, but from what I can tell, she seems like she's very secure as well. It looks like Parvati may be trying to put together another all-women alliance... the ladies seem like they all get along really well, and there could be some awesome retribution taken on Evil Russ by the "dumb blondes" of this season.


3. All Blacks: James' overreaction to Stephenie may cost him in the long run - he drew a lot of unnecessary attention to himself last night. (Although his enormous muscles are probably what will get him voted out in the end.) Cirie is playing a dangerous but masterful game. She does the best when she positions herself as a swing vote, and stays outside the main alliance. But it's a risky play at the same time, I think, since not being in an alliance makes her an easy target.

4. Bridesmaids: I'm sooo grateful that Amanda didn't get voted out last night. That would have been the end of me. Colby was a waste of a pick - this man is not using his brain at all, and now finds himself on the outs of a losing tribe. He needs the Heroes to start performing well so that he can't get voted out. If he makes it to the merge though, he could go deep, either by jumping ship or by coming through big time for the heroes. I still love my pick of Courtney, but it all depends on her making it to the merge. This is the danger zone time for the scrawny one.

5. New Rookie: Losing a player early is very difficult to overcome. Fortunately for Courtney, she has lost what I consider to be her weakest player. With two villains left on her team, I think she may be able to rally. The real question is, will Courtney choose to buy the dreg Candice for 15 points? It would put her 7 points behind the last place player, and if the Heroes continue to perform poorly it could be a waste of points. But if they are able to turn it around, Courtney would end up kicking herself if she didn't take her. She has until Thursday to make her decision. Can't wait to see what you decide!

6. Gorbag: The more I look at Bag's team the more I hate it. Rupert is annoying me to no end - I don't think he's mentally all there... he seems to wander aimlessly a lot. And he's no good in challenges with that broken toe. He's in a good alliance though, which will probably keep him around longer than he probably should be, but it's possible that his own alliance will vote him out, since they have such a majority over the pitiful "on the outs" group of Tom and Colby. Randy I think will be one of the first to go from the villains tribe, and while I think Jerri is doing a pretty good job so far, I think her reputation will hurt her in the long run.

Survivor 20: The Draft

(First of all, yes, I geek out way too much about Survivor. Secondly, yes, I drank WAY too much last Thursday. So I want to apologize to everyone who tried to watch the season premiere with me last night and instead had to listen to me shout enthusiastically through the entire episode. But I don't think less booze is going to change the amount that I talk through the show... just the volume at which I do so. So if you actually want to hear the conversations of the competitors, it's probably best to not watch with me in the future.)

Going into this season I had outrageously high expectations for how awesome it was going to be. I tried to talk myself down, so that I wouldn't be disappointed when the show actually started. Inevitably, I decided, there was no way the show could meet my impossible standard. This turned out to be true. The first episode was even more amazing than I could have possibly imagined. I mean, does it get any better than that in their very first challenge there were 2 relatively serious injuries to people so tough that they refused to leave the game? How this will affect them long-term, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see (although I'm concerned that Rupert will be encumbered by his broken toe). It's a good indication of how much these players want to win this year that they both stuck around. I was disappointed in the first all-stars season because so many players voluntarily bowed out of the game. They didn't have the fire anymore. Not so this season.

Sugar was the first casualty of the game, and one of only two players that weren't picked in our pool. So no one has actually lost a player yet. More than anything, this makes me proud of our pool - it shows how well we know the game. Sugar was not a contributor at either challenge or around camp (that I could tell), so her leaving really doesn't take anything away from the season. According to New Rookie Courtney, Sugar and JT were/are in a relationship, but I think this could not have been true at the time of filming since she spent much of the first episode chasing Colby around camp. Maybe they broke up before the show? Or maybe they got together afterwards? I'm not interested enough in her to look into this more. So long, Sugar, we won't miss you.

I think Sugar was some of the only dead weight on the show though, so from now on there's going to be high drama and suspense. I am fired up about this season - these vets are playing on a much higher level than the average season allows. For example, Russell started this season the same way he did last season: he singled out some of the ladies on his team and tried to get them into secret alliances with him. One person bought it, but one didn't, the defending champ Parvati. She found it highly suspicious, but she didn't say anything or act on it. She said she trusted him, and now knows to keep an eye on him, as he is a big threat. This is so much better than what the women did last season. They either bought what he was selling them, or called him out on his BS, thus singling themselves out for elimination. I think they're all advanced thinkers and schemers, and I look forward to many Edgardo-type episodes this season!

Random thought - I went back to the Survivor 19 draft post I wrote to see what I'd included. I noticed that I had 77 comments, 74 of which were Japanese spam (which Google Translate courteously offered to translate into English for me). I wonder what attracted the spammers so much to that particular post? Is Japan as obsessed with Survivor as I am? Can this draft blog set a new record for spam comments?

RULES:

1st place: 45 points (+15 for sweep)
2nd place: 30 points
3rd place: 20 points (+10 if makes jury)
Jury: 10 points

Wins a team reward challenge: 2 points
Wins a team immunity challenge: 3 points
Wins an individual reward challenge: 4 points
Invited to share a reward challenge: 1 points
Wins individual immunity challenge: 6 points
Finds the hidden immunity idol: 10 points
Plays hidden immunity idol at tribal council (success v. fail): 10/-5 points
Plays a fake immunity idol: -10 points
Sits out a challenge: -2 points
buy bad item at auction/don't buy an item at auction: -2 points
buy good item at auction: 2 points
buy a dreg: -15 points

Everything is pretty much the same this season; we only added a couple new rules. First, there are now small point rewards for buying a good item at Auction (if they have an auction this season), and small point penalties for buying a bad item, or not buying anything at all.

More interestingly though, there is now a rule that if one of your players gets voted out, you have the option to buy a player who wasn't picked in the draft (in this case, Candice) for 15 points. Players don't have to already have the points to buy her, they can go into point debt. After the episode in which their pony gets voted out, players have up until the next episode to buy the player. The dreg would not bring in any points with them. So for instance, even though Candice won 2 points last episode, if someone had lost a player this last episode and chose to buy her, she'd start out at zero. If the player who lost their pony doesn't buy the dreg before the next episode, they forfeit the opportunity to buy her later. Which means that the next week if someone lost their player, they would be the only ones with the opportunity to buy her.

PICKS/CURRENT STANDINGS:

"Douchey" Dachui: 9 points

1. Tyson (3 pts)

2. Boston Rob (3 pts)

3. Coach (3 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 8 points

1. Rupert (2 pts)

2. Randy (3 pts)

3. Jerri (3 pts)

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 7 points

1. JT (2 pts)

2. Tom (2 pts)

3. Parvati (3 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 7 points

1. James (2 pts)

2. Cirie (2 pts)

3. Danielle (3 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 7 points

1. Colby (2 pts)
2. Amanda (2 pts)
3. Courtney (3 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 8 points
1. Evil Russell (3 pts)
2. Stephenie (2 pts)
3. Sandra (3 pts)

ANALYSIS (in order of strength of teams):

There is really very little difference between the strength of any of our teams, at least at this point in the game. The difference between the person I rank first v. last is negligible. All of our teams are really strong. But I'm going to rank us all the same.

1. Beauty & 2 Beasts: I made a conscious decision not to pick any past winners because I thought they'd be easy targets for the rest to eliminate. Doug and Bri had no such qualms. They picked all past winners, and since my hunch appears to be way off, I think that their team is the biggest favorite to win this season. JT, Tom, and Parvati are all the complete package. They play physically, mentally, and the all look good while doing it. I still think there's a danger of them not winning because of their past success, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as big a deal as it has been in past seasons.

2. All Blacks: Moon's team basically has all the players I wish I'd picked. I thought I could get Cirie later in the draft... looking back on it now I have no idea why. James is returning for the third time much wiser and equally as ripped. I expect James to go far this season. Danielle, I have no idea about, but it looks like she put herself in a position to pull a Natalie on Evil Russell, which would be HILARIOUS if it happened two seasons in a row.

3. New Rookie: Courtney went after players that a lot of us overlooked. Evil Russell was not at the top of many peoples' lists, and when Stephenie was picked in the 2nd round most of us scoffed. But they both did better than many other players in the first episode. And I'm particularly excited with Courtney's Sandra pick. It's my opinion that the women this season are going to crush*, and Sandra is definitely a threat when it comes to strategy.

4. The Bridesmaids: I'll be honest. I'm not loving my team that much. I was going to place myself last, but because of perceived injuries I put a couple of other teams lower. All of my players have finished 2nd in previous seasons, so I know that they have what it takes to succeed (if not close the deal). But I found Colby's physical and strategic games both lacking in the first episode, and I'm really concerned that Amanda's name came up in the very first episode as well. I'm most pleased with my Courtney pick - she's not a nice person, but she is super crafty!

5. Douches: I'm pre-emptively ranking the Douches 5th because of the preview for next week. It looks like Boston Rob may get medically evacuated, a devastating blow to the Douches. If Boston Rob sticks around though, I think Dachui is more of a top 3 team, since Rob is such a great player. I think Tyson is a fly-under-the-radar threat: he doesn't have a big reputation and he's one of the smarter players in the season. He could easily go far. And somehow Coach managed to stick around forever in his last season, so I see no reason why this couldn't happen again.

6. Gorbag: I'm placing Bag last because of Rupert's toe injury. While Rupert is a strong player, I have a feeling this will seriously affect him in challenges, and that his team will end up voting him off because of it. And if Rupert is gone that leave Jerri and Randy - two people who need to work hard to hide some unappetizing personality traits. They may not be as glaring amongst a group of villains, but I have a feeling that people aren't going to like Randy (again).

* The past two seasons have resulted in female victories, both largely the result of the men in the seasons being played like fiddles. These women are not like Natalie from last season. They are the praying mantises and black widows of the Survivor animal kingdom. They are extremely skilled at luring men into their traps and then blindsiding them when no one is watching. I think this is the smartest group of men they've ever had before too, though, so we'll see how this theory plays out.

Survivor - Heroes v. Villains

So I've done some research on the upcoming season. A couple of things to know:

1. It will debut Feb 11 (not after Superbowl). It's in Samoa again, which is awesome because I won 2 cases of Twisted Tea betting on that.

2. Richard Hatch was asked to be on the show, but wasn't able to because he's under house arrest. I thought house arrest was something that only happened to high schoolers and geriatrics, but I guess not.

3. There won't be an exile island apparently. I can't decide if I'm happy about that or not.

4. They changed the tagline from "Outwit, Outlast, Outplay" to "Return, Revenge, Redemption." It might be a little cheesy, but it gets me even more excied all the same.

5. If you want to know who will be on this season, scroll down to the previously-posted blog (which hopefully hid it from your screen if you didn't want to know. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who'd rather have it be a surprise.) --> UPDATE: CBS verified the cast, hurrah! Check it out here: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/


My early thoughts on Heroes v. Villains: I am ridiculously excited. I was really excited for the first all-stars, and ended up disappointed. I was unenthused for the second all-stars (fans v. faves) but found myself pleasantly surprised. I am worried that my excitement for this one will also end in disappointment, but I hope not!

More than that though, I love the concept of heroes v. villains. (If only life were so cut and dry that we could categorize people that way in everyday situations.) I think that giving each tribe an "identity" will create a really interesting dynamic. I think I will cheer for the people on this show the same way I cheer for characters in Con Air. I do want to good guys to win in the end, but the bad guys are so hilariously awesome that I can't help but cheer for them the whole way. (Kind of like Evil Russell I guess.)

I hope the Heroes do a better job in challenges than the similarly-themed heroes did on the Real World Road Rules challenge. Nothing's more embarrassing than having your heroes get thwomped over and over and over again.

I wonder if the Heroes will try and vote democratically or something else stupid so that they can appear to live up to their name. Will the Villains blindside everyone, just to prove how devious they are?

I guess we'll find all this out starting February 11th. I know I can't wait! And for those of you who also can't wait, check my previous blog post for the speculated cast, as well as my comments on them.