Survivor: Philippines - Episode 3 in 150 seconds

Someone needs to tell Dawson that is not a
Survivor-appropriate bathing suit. 

It's getting harder and harder to get my videos under 90 seconds, so I might have to rethink my strategy... but there were a lot of things that made my wheels turn and overall I really enjoyed this episode as well.

First thing: the way the Hidden Immunity Idol is in plain view. That brings up a whole set of new questions about how to go about "finding" it. Do you take it and hide it like other Idols? Or do you rather hide all the clues and leave it where it is to avoid other people noticing its absence and asking unwanted questions? I feel like I would have been so excited to find it that I might not have made the right call on this -- and I don't think Penner did.

Other things on my mind: RC vs. Abi-Maria and the debate of who I dislike the most; Malcolm and Denise continuing to kick butt despite being on a losing tribe, and Angie being eliminated over Russell.

PS. I made a mistake at the top of the video and called the red tribe Tandang instead of Kalabaw, so please disregard that!

Survivor: Philippines - Episode 2 in 100 seconds

Matsing does it again... Get all the air time, that is.

Hey there Survivor fans! I'm trying something new for the blog, so let me know what you think. Instead of 15 second reactions plus a longer written blog post, I'm going to go with 90 second video commentaries, followed by a written blog post if there's something that requires more diving in to (you'll agree not all episodes have particularly noteworthy events to write about!). I went a little long with this one so it's 100 seconds rather than 90 -- and maybe I'll stick with 100, or maybe I'll tighten it to 90... It's a work-in-progress so let me know your thoughts and I'll definitely take them into account!

Things and people on my mind this episode include: Matsing (namely Malcolm and Angie's cuddle situation, Denise and of course Roxy), Jonathan Penner and Abi-Maria's outburst with RC.

People definitely not on my mind this week: Carter? Artis? Who are these people? Hell, I don't even know what tribe they're on! Let's hope air time gets shared more evenly in eps to come...

See below for the video and please, comment away!

 

Survivor: Philippines - Episode One: The Good, The Bad and The Plain Stupid

Survivor Season 25 is under way!

Survivor: Philippines has begun and I for one am very excited at having a new location this season. The opening shots were so beautiful and like I said in my last post, I'm really looking forward to seeing what some of the rewards will bring. [And this is where I appreciate again that Redemption Island is no more, and that reward challenges are actually back.]

I'm pretty optimistic about this season! It seems that the returning players aren't totally stealing the spotlight and there are some standout contestants already. For this first blog post of the season, I'm going to break my thoughts down by tribe.

1. The Blue Tribe: Matsing

This tribe is both potentially my favorite and also my least favorite.

Least favorite because it has the most annoying returning player ever: Russell Swan. Seriously, the guy is either a total idiot or just irrevocably annoying. He starts by saying that being a leader is like shooting yourself in the foot and laughs at the "dummy" who could put himself in such a position -- presumably learning from his previous mistakes -- and then promptly proceeds to do just that, and more. He acts entitled, obnoxious, pretentious and just bossy. I'm very impressed at how well the rest of the tribe is managing the situation and turning it to their advantage.

That is what makes it my favorite tribe: Malcolm and Denise's alliance is very exciting. I like them both and they both seem to have good intuition and good wits. Though Malcolm is very obviously production's attempt at getting a new Ozzy, I actually don't mind. He seems to have a better social game than Ozzy and so what if he's also an attractive and skilled jungle boy? I'm not complaining. :) I'm also impressed with Angie. I don't know how I would have taken being told what to do in that challenge when I clearly had a strength that was being ignored, and she did what she could but then still spoke up afterwards and at Tribal Council, putting pressure on Russell.

Regarding the loss and the vote, I'm also happy this tribe was the first to lose someone. Zane was a wild card and though I can't fault him for trying to make a move, I think his move was very premature and risky, and obviously didn't pay off. You can't ask people to vote you off and claim to be weak so early in the game hoping they'll still stick up for you without you asking them to just because they may find someone else annoying. That's just dumb. In the end, and at this point in the game, the tribe should still vote to remain strong, and I would have voted him out as well over Russell regardless of how nuts the guy drives me. That said... Russell may have only bought himself a few days and a tentative second chance because strength is useless if stubborness takes over strategy -- you end up losing anyway, as was demonstrated by their poor performance at the challenge.

2. The Yellow Tribe: Tandang

Let me begin by saying how impressed I am with Michael Skupin! The guy hasn't played for over 12 years and the game has changed SO MUCH since he was on the show, yet he's making some good decisions. Yes, I am constantly nervous he's going to accidentally kill himself, but I'm also in awe at how well he fits in the game after all this time. His first good decision was going along with RC's strategy. He clearly wasn't a fan of it, but he also understood that his best chance of staying in the game right now is to play dice. That said, he's also not alienating Lisa and made some sweet and helpful suggestions to her at the same time. That's what I call smartly making alliances with everyone (Zane, you taking notes?).

Lisa is obviously adorable, but she also clearly is a fan who doesn't know how to play the game. She seems to be just floating while RC is mobilizing everyone against her. I don't understand why or how people are buying into RC's BS that Lisa is not trustworthy (clearly RC's the mischievous one not-to-be trusted), but Lisa needs to get up and play the game because otherwise she'll be out before she knows it and Skupin doesn't have enough power yet to help her stay. That said, I'd be thrilled to see Lisa and Skupin band together and somehow manage to rope in a couple more to get RC out. I really don't like her.

3. The Red Tribe: Kalabaw

Jonathan Penner is definitely my favorite returning player and I really hope he won't get voted out too soon just because Baseball Jeff said so. That said, it was a really stupid move to begin looking for the Immunity Idol so soon -- and so obviously. [Note: I think the Idol IS the lid of rice. Kind of like the one in China.] He's making it too easy for his tribe to pit against him.

Also, I think it's naive of Jeff to think no one on the whole season is going to recognize him (same goes for Lisa). Sure, you have to either be of a certain generation or into a certain sport, but there's bound to be one person who's likely to recognize you -- if only because producers probably make sure of that to keep things interesting! So I'm excited that Dawson knows and is keeping it under wraps for now until she can use it. It's a card to her advantage and I hope she uses it well!

We really haven't seen much of Kalabaw yet, but it looks like that will change next episode, so I look forward to seeing what happens there.

Conclusion

I think that overall this season is looking good and has some standout contestants, both good and bad. My early favorites are: Malcolm (yes, I'm definitely falling for the Ozzy-vibe), Denise, Penner (definitely pre-game favoritism right now because I do think he needs to turn things around) and Skupin.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the returning players stand a chance this season? Where do you think the Idol is? Who are your early favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Survivor: Philippines - Episode 1 in 15 seconds

SURVIVOR'S BACK! And it's back with a bang. First of all, I love the opening shots they took of the Filipino landscape. It's stunning! I can't wait to see what gorgeous places the reward challenges will bring our new contestants.

Now, before I get into a deeper post about the new contestants and what I think of them, here's my 15 second reaction to the premiere. (Sorry about the flickering. I had a brand new camera to use and everything but wasn't home and didn't have all the cables to charge it... bummer! But yay iPhone!)

What did you think? Happy about the first elimination? Do you like the returning players? Stay tuned for more blogging to come soon... and some experimenting with format! :) 

Welcome back Survivor!

Survivor: One World - FINALE in 15 seconds

Final 5 Girls

That's it! The season's over and Kim was crowned victor and Sole Survivor. I can't say I was surprised or particularly excited, but I do think it was deserved. She owned the game, both physically and strategically, and I go to sleep feeling a bit better about the whole thing because she didn't totally blindside and backstab everyone and actually stuck to some values and alliances by choosing to go to the end with Chelsea and Sabrina. Do I think she would have still won beside Alicia and Christina? Definitely. But I wouldn't have felt as good about it.

I also think the Final Tribal Council was very self-absorbed. Any respect Alicia might have earned in last week's episode in my mind was totally stalled in her completely self-promoting and somewhat delusional speech at Tribal. There were very few poignant and enlightening questions, and as much as I love Troyzan as one of the contestants this season, his question to Kim was just weird. I don't think there's any right or wrong answer to "when Kim's strategy to take him out began," and he certainly can't be the judge of it. Anyway, the right person won this season, and that's that.

As for the Reunion Show, Colton's chance at apologizing and eventually redeeming himself was wasted, and he just comes across as an even more ignorant and socially inept person. I completely agree with Jeff's comment that he's actually a contestant people hate, versus a villain people love to hate like Russell or Fairplay. All I can say, and I hope the Survivor gods hear me, is that I never want to see or hear of Colton again. The End.

Before moving on to thoughts about the season up ahead, here are my 15s on the Finale!!



So... Do you think the right person won? What are your thoughts about the three returning players twist for next season? Who do you hope to see? Who don't you hope to see? [Hope: Jonathan Penner / Dread: Colton] Let me know your thoughts!

Love and cuddles until next season... and maybe a few posts between now and then... :)

Survivor: One World - Episode 13 in 15 seconds

That was some suspenseful editing folks! I wasn't sure which way it was going to go - and I was leaning towards believing it was Chelsea. Kim disappointed me when she decided she wouldn't support her alliance with Chelsea and eliminate her if she saw that Alicia was leaning that way. That led me to think that a) Alicia does indeed have more power than I had anticipated, and b) Kim is just about as cut-throat as they get, and though her game has been relatively flawless until now, I think that will be her downfall.

She may not have Russell's lack of bedside manner, but Kim's not going to win by screwing over her closest friend/alliance in the game. Even if it's harder to beat Chelsea than Alicia or Christina, sticking to your core alliance definitely means something in this game, and I think Kim would actually be more likely to win if she showed at least some loyalty and value to connections and promises. Particularly if Alicia keeps going on the path she's just set for herself. I wouldn't go as far as saying that she's the most powerful player in the game - or that she's proved to have immense strategy up until this point, but she certainly showed me a new light this episode and as a result, I think her chances of winning have considerably increased.

Check out my 15s reaction below, and post your thoughts in the comments! Season's almost over!!

Survivor: One World - Episode 12 in 15 seconds

Be careful what you wish for...! Yes, blindsides are exciting and cool -- if you're a spectator. Kat learned that -- and a lot of other things for that matter -- the hard way. At least it was nice to see Kim do something she didn't want to do for once! I think seeing her win the game wouldn't surprise me, but it would disappoint me in its predictability/lack of excitement.

When I say here that it's anybody's game, I would say everyone except for Christina -- which makes her an ideal Final Three contestant. I also don't think Alicia stands much of a chance. Kim put it just right when she said that the best thing about taking Alicia to the Final Three is that she thinks she's in control, but in truth she stands a very small chance of winning. So that would be my ideal Final Three if I were competing. For everyone else, it's yours for the taking if you can handle it. At this point, my personal (and invaluable) endorsement would have to go to Sabrina.

And without further ado... here are my 15s: