Survivor: South Pacific - Episode 12 in 15 seconds

I don't even know where to begin...

The past couple of weeks have been a gift. I went from having nobody in the city to watch Survivor with to seeing the latest ep with none other than my amazing friend and co-writer for this blog, Deeksha, and ended the night having drinks and great conversation with an awesome group of Survivors, both past and present.

Who was there, you ask? The first person I recognized walking into the bar was Stephen from Tocantins. Also present were Sash (Nicaragua), Brian (Guatemala), Eliza (Vanuatu; Fans vs. Favorites), Francesca (Redemption Island), who was nice enough to include me in this gathering, and Sophie, Cochran and Ozzy. I apparently just missed Courtney and Sandra, who were also in town.

Before I go any further, let me just say how unbelievably chill and fun-to-be-around all of them were. I was worried I wouldn't be welcome in the reunion, but to the contrary, they were all really friendly, and their favorite topic of conversation was the same as mine: Survivor.

For those of you who know me or follow my blog, it's no secret that Ozzy is one of my favorite players, and that despite his flaws in playing the game, I can't help rooting for him every time. What I noticed from meeting him - and to a great extent, many of the others - is that what you see is what you get. He's a really chill guy who's easy to get along with and who has an exceptional relationship with nature. He might come across as arrogant or cocky at times on the show, but I don't think there's any harm in just saying it as it is: he's good at what he does, and he's not bashful about it. And I don't think he should be.

Cochran was an exciting discovery. He's also quite the same as he is on the show, but without the editing, so you don't get exposed to just one side of him in buckets and all at the same time. He's witty and approachable, with quirks that make him interesting and a lack of confidence that I hope will fade with time, because there's no reason for it.

And though I didn't interact much with Eliza, if she ever came across as annoying on Fans vs. Favorites (I haven't seen Vanuatu yet), she's nothing close to that in person. She's super bubbly, seems really caring (that's one thing I love about this whole group: when they like each other, they genuinely seem to care for each other) and she's clearly really smart.

15 seconds just couldn't cut it to describe this... but here they are anyway:

Survivor: South Pacific - Episode 11 in 15 seconds

L to R: Sophie Clarke, Francesca Hogi, Maz and I

After a small Survivor hiatus for Thanksgiving (which did include some enlightening new scenes in the retrospective episode!), I have come back full force and I'm ready to take on the rest of the season!

How so, you ask? Well, for one, I finally met Sophie Clarke! My awesome friend Maz (to whom I am eternally grateful) hit me up back on Episode Two to let me know he and Sophie were in med school together and reading my blog. I had initially mentioned that I was going to meet them the following week, but of course things didn't quite happen so fast... Regardless! I never lost hope, and my patience brought me to this day, when Sophie was throwing a Survivor viewing party in the city.

Francesca Hogi from last season's initial Survivor: Redemption Island was also there, and I felt totally Survivor spoiled. As I discovered, Francesca is absolutely stunning in person, and just lovely all around. It's a real shame she didn't get much attention last season. Next stop for her: Mount Kilimanjaro, which she is climbing next year with Eliza Orlins (Survivor: Vanuatu and Fans vs. Favorites) and Ashley Underwood (Survivor: Redemption Island) to raise money for Flying Kites Global, an organization that helps the world's poorest children. Help her meet her financial goal here.

Sophie was awesome as well. Because she got some good camera-action and had her game-face on the whole time, it was fun watching this particular episode with her. She definitely grew to be one of my top picks this season, and though I know her lips are sealed (and furthermore, I want nothing to do with spoilers!), I'm hoping she's among the top contenders for the money.

Below you will find my 15s reaction post episode, Take One. I did watch it again properly when I got home, given the crowd and noise at the bar. Survivor ain't no football game, after all!