Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode Ten

Impressed at how long Tyson lasted
despite an injured shoulder!

I admit, I got a little teary-eyed at the very end, and was a lot upset at the very beginning, which coated this episode with a tinge of sadness for me. That said, I was happy to see some action happen between the pairs, and even though there were no high-production-value fireworks, I was really impressed with how Ciera and Laura M. handled the idea of not being able to work together.

In my video this week, I go over what went down at Redemption Island, how Ciera made a big mistake despite great intentions and some craft moves, and how Monica has earned her keeps in the tribe, and major Survivor respect points. Then of course, what was teased at the end of the episode, though I still have my doubts about Tyson being dethroned. Oftentimes, the trailers are very misleading, and though I'd like to think moves will be made, I'll wait until next week to go into more detail.

What do you think? Are you still as excited about the season now that the past few episodes have been more predictable? Who are you supporting to re-enter the game? Let me know!

Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode Nine

I want me one of those...
but I wouldn't eat grubs for it.

We got a double challenge + elimination episode tonight! Made things seem to go so much faster, but it also got me in the mood for a Survivor marathon. Man, I remember when I watched old seasons in the space of a few days just back-to-back-to-back... But I digress.

Nothing too unexpected happened this week, except for the turn Vytas took that showed a less than charming side to him. I'm still a fan, but I wish he'd stayed as strategic and with his head screwed on straight rather than lose it completely. His best move instead of verbally attacking everyone would have been to try and get an all loved ones alliance going... but he didn't see it, and if he didn't see it, I doubt anyone else would have, and so that means that game is pretty much over for any of the loved ones as far as I'm concerned.

I'm definitely rooting for Aras on Redemption Island and would be more than happy for Aras to win if it's not Tyson. Gervase is also playing an excellent game, and I'm so happy to keep witnessing how much better of a game he's playing this season vs. 13 years ago. I also talk about Monica and Tina in this video, particularly how awesome Tina is. Such grace that woman has!

Video is below, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

PS. Small shoutout to Hellogoodbye, Metric and Paramore, who I saw tonight at Madison Square Garden and who KILLED it! Definitely recommend checking these guys live if they're in your area. 

Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode Six

Isn't it weird that all of a sudden Gervase was swimming...
swimmingly?

I have so much to say in the latest episode of Survivor that I hope I was able to articulate it all clearly in my video... I thought this was a good episode, and a good setup for even more exciting things to come later. Overall, I have to say, this season is really delivering so far.

To try and make things easier to follow in the video below, here are the big chunks/ideas to take away from this episode:

- better managing Laura M. before and at Redemption Island
- tribe swaps: who's in a good place and who isn't... and how they handle it from there
- how the dice falls on Galang and optimal strategies/alliances vs. what actually went down
- a series of stupid moves from Kat, Monica, Kat again, and maybe Tyson
- Hayden vs. Tyson vs. Aras next week... and personal moves of choice

Check out the video for yourself and let me know what you would've done!

Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode Two

Redemption Island challenges always
have me holding my breath... 

Let me start this post by venting a little bit.

Some guy wrote a comment on my video from episode one that supposedly revealed, according to a "reliable source," who was in the final three. Now, if you know anything about me, you know I hate spoilers -- especially Survivor spoilers. In fact, one of my close friends who watches the show loves spoilers, but still hates them when it comes to Survivor. I mean, why even bother watching a show like Survivor if you're just going to look up who gets voted out / gets to the end. So, I obviously deleted to the comment and told the guy to never do that again so I wouldn't ruin it for anyone else, but I also can't unsee it and I'm worried my commentary and predictions are now going to get skewed by what I've not read. I'm going to do my best to ignore it, but as I work on that, I ask that please, no one post any spoilers anywhere on my blog or YouTube channel or anywhere around me, really. Please.

Ok, rant over, and episode commentary a-go: I thought this was a solid episode, and I love how all the twists are coming into play. What I love even more is that the players are working the system and using those twists. Tonight's vote was all about that.

So in my video this week, I talk about the outcome at Redemption Island, Colton on Galang, Tadhana's strategy in voting and the new alliances / contestants that excite me.

Since last week, I've kind of lost some hope for John, but I'm still pumped about Vytas and Hayden. And Ciera really impressed me, so I hope she can turn the tides and play the Tadhana guys. For Galang, I'm still excited about Tyson and confident he'll make the right decision at Redemption Island, and my respect for Aras has substantially increased. I'm still excited about Tina too, and I hope Monica can live up to the potential I saw in her when she played in One World.

Check out my video below and comment away!

Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode One

Blood vs. Water: Will this cast sink or swim?

We're baaack! I had my doubts about this season when they announced the premise, but my deep-rooted fandom took over quickly and my excitement at the return of Survivor was unsinkable.

I have SO MANY thoughts about the season, the twists, the premiere, it was hard to contain them all in one video, but I did. In about ten minutes, I go over how I feel about the first twists: Day Zero, voting someone off right off the bat and Redemption Island; as well as my views on the tribes and their strengths and weaknesses.

Before the season even started, I had high hopes for Tyson. I adore him and can't wait to enjoy his sense of humor and wit on the show, which I hope will be given some more attention in later episodes. Other than that, my early favorites are more on the loved ones tribe... which seems to go in line with Jeff Probst's thoughts too.

So ultimately, my picks for the loved ones tribe are Vytas, Hayden and John, with some hopes for Ciera and Rachel, who we haven't seen much of yet.

For the returning players tribe, I'm putting 80% of my chips on Tyson, with big hopes for Tina and Laura M.

What about you? How do you feel about the new season's twists? Who are your early favorites?