Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode Twelve

Best challenge I've seen in a long time!

Just finished watching the episode and OMG-WOWZA-WOOHOO! Some Tribal Councils just make me want to jump up and down and hug the screen and share to whoever will listen how amazing Survivor is. Tonight was one of them. Not only was it hilarious (rustle/ruffle feathers, anyone?), it was also high in adrenaline, surprises and sitting-on-the-edge-of-my-seatness.

Right? 

But because my videos go over more than just Tribal Council, what you can expect to see in this one includes my thoughts on Caleb, Hayden's last ditch attempts to shake up the game, Ciera's risky and ballsy decision, and drawing rocks at Tribal Council for the second time in 13.5 years. 

At this point... the two possible Final Threes seem pretty clear: it'll either be Tyson, Gervase and Monica or Hayden, Ciera and whoever comes back from Redemption Island. I'm still rooting for Tyson whole-heartedly, but I think everyone left has played a commendable game and contributed to making this season very, very good! 

Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode Five

Way to go, Candice! 

How exciting that things finally turned around a bit in this episode! As much as I always root for the returning players to win, I was dying to see some more Galang action, and this was just what the doctor ordered.

I'm continually impressed with Aras, though I think people in his tribe and his alliance are equally impressed and will ensure he doesn't make it the final three... Poor Laura M. though didn't see through him, and that's what got her on Redemption. At least she'll take comfort in knowing she was only sent there to beat Brad so that Monica would become a stronger asset in the alliance of 5. 3 out 5 without loved ones? That's definitely a solid alliance, and those three aren't innocent spring chickens -- they know what they're doing.

I was definitely bummed about who left Redemption Island, but so it goes... Nothing that changed the game tremendously in any way. Nothing like a tribe mixup that looks like it will go down next week!

All this and more in my latest video...

Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode Four

Yeah, think hard, Brad!

This was a decent episode, but definitely a "middle of the pack one." I don't agree with Jeff that it was one of the biggest shifts of power during a Tribal Council ever, but that's because I'm very wary about these "ever" kind of statements. It was certainly exciting, and I'm surprised it didn't come to a tie -- particularly that Vytas was the one who ended up switching votes -- but on the other hand, when things are out of your hands, you're almost worst off and now Vytas can align with Caleb, Ciera and Katie if he needs too.

That said, I'm still a bit frustrated at the Tadhana tribe... They're either playing with their head too far in the game, or they're being rash and emotional and their tribe ends up being weaker as a result -- and that's what I think happened here.

For more on that, as well as my thoughts on what went down at Redemption Island and the challenge of the week, check out the video below!

Tyson still for the win!

Survivor: Caramoan - Episode Nine

Classic Fans vs. Favorites challenge! 

OMG WHAT AN INCREDIBLE EPISODE! This seriously makes every boring and stale episode of the first half of the season OK. There's so much to say, it's hard to talk about this step-by-step, but that's what I've tried to do in my video. Maybe I'll be more successful here...

I think this episode showed three big things: skill in strategy, the power of paranoia, and luck.

Malcolm took advantage of the Reward Challenge loss to talk to who he thought was on the bottom. Originally, I thought this was great... until I saw he was approaching Dawn and Sherri. HUGE mistake. It really surprises me that Malcolm was so oblivious to Dawn's role in voting out Corinne. It's a big shame... but great for Dawn and it's nice to see her really play (even if it seems it's not going to last...). I still think Brenda and Erik would have been a better choice

Then, we have Andrea, who is also playing hard and very strategically. I'm not her biggest fan, but I do like how she gives it her all. That said, the minute she heard her name was being thrown around, her game fell apart. Her paranoia led her to make the less smart move in voting for Michael, but ultimately, that was the lucky choice which keeps the Stealth R Us alliance in the majority.

Let's go back to great strategy when Tribal Council continues to go in the same direction we've seen with people yapping away, and Malcolm realizing his move may have been compromised. He was very impressive in his quick thinking and though I still think he's in a terrible position right now, he's also not  yet shown how good he is in challenges, and the Stealth R Us'ers won't see it coming when he starts winning Immunity Challenge after Immunity Challenge. (Well, that's my ideal turn of events, ha.) Now is the time for Malcolm to step. it. up. If he makes it to the end, he will truly be a worthy winner and in for the title of Best Survivor Ever in my book. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, here...

I talk about a lot more in the video below, including Brenda's potential strategy, Eddie and Andrea's "rapport" and if voting for Reynold has a chance in helping Malcolm argue his case in the tribe moving forward... Ultimately though, the only takeaway you should note from this post is: WATCH. (...that stands for both my video below and the episode!) It's possibly the best Tribal Council I've ever seen. Now we're talking, Survivor: Caramoan.

Survivor: Caramoan - Episode Six

I'm rooting for Brenda, Malcolm and
Cochran to pick things up.

We made it to the mix... and things are still underwhelming. Now, we've still got two uneven tribes but in a different way -- rather than experience vs. newness, we have extremely strong vs. just not strong enough. I'm not saying strength is everything, but challenges have been very brawn heavy this season, and it's not doing the new Bikal any favors.

The Fans are overall very disappointing and not trying to make big moves at all -- just saving their skin for 3 more days. I love the Favorites obviously, but I didn't want it to be quite this much of a landslide in their favor. There are definitely cracks in the Favorites armor that the Fans could have taken advantage of, but instead everyone just decided to blurt out everything they could think of, which is a clear sign of playing to stay a few extra days rather than playing to win. I'm not saying it's never possible for "3 more days" (as Sandra would put it!) to turn into a million dollars, but in the Fans case and given the game of the remaining ones until now, I think it's very unlikely.

I didn't talk about Phillip in this video, but it's clear to me he also stands no chance of winning. Clearly everyone finds him ridiculous and annoying, but they all know it's in their best interest to humor him, at least for now.

What I do touch on -- and we talk about this too in the podcast I did with a fellow fan (see below) -- is how Tribal Council has turned into a therapy free-for-all where everyone just blurts out everything. Corinne did just that this episode, and I think that really could hurt her. Not to mention, I found her unnecessarily bitchy and just annoying too. Once Favorites start turning on themselves, it's obvious she's on the bottom of the totem pole. I'm surprised she was up for Player of the Week this week!

Anyway, here's my video below! Take a look and let me know what you think about the season so far, how the mix might be a good and/or bad thing, and who you think has it in him or her to win it. Parvati endorsed Cochran in her latest Survivor After-Show, and I'm rooting for either Brenda, Malcolm or... Cochran too.

In other news, as I mention in the video, I did an awesome podcast with a fellow fan on Talkshoe.com. It's a full season recap until last episode, and it's really long. A bit self-indulgent, but it'd be awesome if you joined in on the convo and took a listen! We're looking into doing more of these each week.

Survivor: Philippines - Episode 8 in 225 seconds

Were they lined up that way intentionally...??

Holy moly, what a great episode!!! This season is just full of great moments, and this ep was among the best I've seen, no doubt. Tribal Council was ridiculous, and so many outcomes were on the table. Turns out the least exciting (but maybe that'll make for the most exciting moves next week?) happened, but the process was amazing to watch nevertheless.

It looks like this season could go any which way and there are still a great number of variables that could swing things left, right or diagonally. My biggest question mark right now is WHAT THE HELL WERE PENNER AND SKUPIN THINKING!??? Their votes are what changed everything at Tribal and I wonder where they came from. Any theories?? I'd be curious to hear them. I'm going to say they concerted with one another beforehand and orchestrated this strategically, and if that's the case, I cannot wait to hear what their end game was.

While missing out on voting Malcolm out may be several people's demise, it's not over yet -- and well I certainly can't say I'm disappointed it didn't work out. I'm definitely definitely rooting for Malcolm the most, and Denise very closely after. And though I think it's a long shot for him, if Penner can make it to the Final Three, he certainly deserves to win too.

On my mind in images this week: Lisa's move, blow opportunities and their consequences, Malcolm's move with the Idol and future alliances...

Survivor: South Pacific - Episode Two: Immunity Idols and Idiotic Insights

Cocky or just excited? Good move or cursed find? 

Yesterday was an incredible day. Not only was I in Washington D.C. visiting two of my favorite people, but I also a) bumped into Adechike from So You Think You Can Dance in a Chinatown Starbucks [figures I’d have to leave NY to bump into someone (semi-) famous!] and b) an old friend from college texted me saying that he was hanging out with Survivor: South Pacific’s very own Sophie, and they were READING THIS BLOG!!!!! To make things even more awesome, I’m going to watch Survivor with them a week from this Wednesday. Needless to say, I’m super pumped.

So pumped even that I rewatched the second episode of the season last night with my boyfriend, his Dad, whose interest I had piqued with my unfaltering ebullience, and a good friend of ours.

So without further ado, here are my thoughts from the episode:

1. Ozzy finding the immunity idol is both really exciting and dangerous.

Impressive monkey-skills and initial excitement due to favorite contestants finding Immunity Idols aside, Ozzy getting his hands on this Immunity leaves me with mixed feelings. Not only do I find it kind of strange that the idol was placed in almost the exact same way as it was in Fans vs. Favorites when he found it on Exile Island, but I also think it wasn’t his best move overall. Ozzy’s main issue is his social game and he needs to work extra hard to make sure his fellow tribe mates want to keep him around, without him having to use the idol to stay in the game. In Cook Islands, Yul demonstrated very effectively how the Immunity Idol was most useful: to get power in the game. Keeping it for the purpose of saving yourself on one occasion, provided you play it correctly, is not very helpful on the long run. And my main concern with Ozzy is that his natural confidence – which sometimes borders on cockiness and over-confidence – will return and he’ll pay less attention to his social game, thus shooting himself in the foot once again, and failing at the whole redemption thing.

2. The whole Keith/Jim/Ozzy alliance leaves me largely underwhelmed.

Ok, so if Ozzy might border on cocky in some instances, Jim is full on obnoxious. “I’m the mastermind and the architect of this plan”? Yeah, think again. That said, Keith handled the situation very smoothly and is turning out to be a physically strong but also socially apt player – always exciting qualities to see develop – easing my initial skepticism around this season’s mighty male players along the way. I will say Jim is entertaining to watch and is coming up with some memorable quotes along the way. But his “cool kid” attitude is going to get him into trouble – and I won’t mind one bit. (I mean really Jim: “I don’t see any of us 5 flipping.” Do you even know how this game works? And do you really expect to be certain of that 4-5 days in?)

3. I miss separate reward and immunity challenges.

This week’s challenge was exciting to watch, not least because I love a good comeback (especially when Ozzy’s at the helm!) but I can’t help but be disappointed it was a join reward/immunity challenge once again. If they can’t even give us two separate challenges before the Redemption Island duels begin, then it’s not looking good for later in the season. And that makes me sad… Come on! Survivor is also about the physical aspect of the challenges, ­­and beyond that, the way people react to reward challenges and the decisions they make around them can have a large impact on the game. It’s a shame to reduce that component. I’d much rather see more of those strategic moves than searching for hidden Immunity Idols.

4. Christine dug her grave, and deserves to lie in it.

Speaking of hidden Immunity Idols, Christine made a big mistake searching for it as openly as she did. It was obvious she was going to follow in Kristina’s – her namesake from last season – footsteps. She made a handful of other important mistakes too, like shunning Coach right off the bat and making no effort to mend that relationship, and being so aggressive both at camp (though her confrontation with Edna was really entertaining and I will look forward to seeing how Edna attempts to compensate for and/or improve her social awkwardness) and at Tribal Council.

5. Brandon is train wreck waiting to happen, and I’m eating it all up.

It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of his downward spiral into good vs. evil in the next episode, but we got a good look at how shortsighted, naïve and impulsive Brandon is this week, unflattering editing aside. While I think that divulging his identity to Coach turned out well for him because of Coach’s honorable game playing philosophy, I also suspect it had absolutely nothing to do with strategy. He just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. His performance at Tribal Council confirms this suspicion… You can’t just declare that you were behind sabotaging someone at camp – and a completely faultless and honorable someone at that – and not explain why or at least extend an apology. I’m sure if Brandon told Mikayla he’d feel more comfortable if she wore shorts around camp, she’s be happy to oblige (which would be a good strategic move for her too). Trying to get her kicked off for entirely selfish reasons is not the right way to go about it. Everyone likes a good train wreck, but this is taking it a bit far.

6. A Tribal Council like I like them! But why must the women always be first to suffer the initial elimination?

Tribal Council was a treat this episode! At first, I thought Coach was being reckless and stupid, but somehow he managed to come out on top of his “gloves off” policy. Albert impressed me in his eloquence and strong argumentation skills. (I love smart players on Survivor!) Mikayla needs to work on more than just her physical skills if she wants a chance to get deeper into the game. And why the hell did Stacey and Christine not vote together? Throwing away a vote is no way to either protect yourself or get yourself in any solid alliance. Neither one of them is going to last long. And though I know that weakness is the main criteria of elimination in the first Tribal Councils, I find it offensive and honestly narrow-minded to so obviously target the old and the female in the tribe. Look at Palau’s season: the ‘older’ and arguably less fit tribe of Koror killed the younger and stronger Ulong tribe with their strategy and brains. It’s time to open your minds a little more kiddos!

I’m looking forward to the Redemption Island duel! Who’s your money on for the win? (I’m going to bet on Christine, though I wouldn’t be opposed to Semhar getting herself some appropriate redemption by kicking butt.) What do you think of the Immunity Idol situation? Who’s shaping up to be your favorite player this season? Leave comments below!