Survivor: One World - Episode Two: Managing Airheads

How To Make Fools and Alienate Women

I'm going to start this post with a good ol' fashioned rant:

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET INTO THESE CONTESTANTS' HEADS THAT OLD DOES NOT MEAN INCOMPETENT AND WORTHLESS?!??

Which takes me to my first point....:

1. There are some fierce older competitors in the ladies' tribe this season! 

Seriously, if you look at all the seasons where young and old align and neither one dismisses the other, you get much stronger tribes. Just take Savaii and Upolu from last season: one tribe rejected the older members and ended up being decimated despite having one hell of a competitor in Dawn, while the other meshed young and old to form an indestructible alliance that took them to the Final 5. Future Survivor contestants: learn from this. There are some fierce older competitors this season and they're getting very little love. Nina could have done very well had she been given a chance, and Monica is definitely an early favorite for me. I hope she has time to prove herself and get through to the stubborn ladies who seem to be calling the shots.

2. It is not OK for any challenge to go Jeff-less. 

I don't know what this DIY challenge experiment was, but I didn't like it. Jeff Probst tweeted asking fans what they thought and here are mine loud and clear: Jeff Probst needs to be at all the challenges. No exceptions. I don't know if it's the filming of his movie, the prepping for his new show or the 24 seasons of Survivor, but now's not the time to be getting tired! Not when such an amazing and intriguing season is starting to form before us... I seriously hope this doesn't happen too much this season. Because clearly our thoughts have no impact on future episodes.

3. I don't want to talk about Colton. 

I know he's drawing a lot of attention to himself, and the Jury's still out on whether he's playing a smart game or a short-sighted one... and I just don't find myself wanting to talk about him. But as an objective blogger who takes her role very seriously, I will say a few words nonetheless: It's obvious Colton is not stupid... but it's also apparent that he's making a great number of early mistakes. It's not enough to have an Idol early in the game and use it as a weapon. I think he should have kept the Idol secret for much much longer and at least acted like he had something lose with his tribe instead of behaving as if he didn't need to move a finger. My prediction: he has the potential to do well, but he's going to run out of his Joker cards too early and get eliminated before the merge.

4. There's hope for Salani yet with Chelsea and Monica, and potentially Kim. 

Back full circle to my first point... There is a handful of strong and smart women that might be able to turn things around for Salani. Chelsea was very close to voting Kat off, and it looks like she and Kim are in a solid sub-alliance. I understand the caution they exercised in not breaking their 5-way alliance so early, but I hope it's not too late for them to align with some more qualified contestants. I think the most solid alliance Salani could have right now is Monica, Sabrina, Chelsea and Kim. That's a majority alliance and it includes the tribe's cream of the crop. At least, that's the team I'd pick.


Not much talk about the guys in this blog post, but I'm sure that will come. As yet, I'm still very unimpressed with the men. I couldn't even tell you who my favorites were - at least not unless it's by process of elimination in which case they would be Leif and maybe Bill because he seems like a cool kid.

Who are your early favorites? Do you think Salani stands a chance? How long do you think we have before the tribes mash up like they have in the past?

Survivor: One World - Episode 2 in 15 seconds

Man, those girls need to wake up! (no pun intended.)

Anyway...

Here are my 15 seconds for this episode. I really enjoyed it overall despite the despair I felt towards Salani. What you can expect in this clip? Verdict on the elimination; early favorite; a word on Colton and a shout out to Jeff. Oh, and a really weird "What up?!" that I clearly didn't pull off.

Survivor: One World - Episode One: Falling Into Unwanted Roles

Arms on chest? Nope.
Land on back? What's that?!

Yes yes, I know... Way to start blogging this season - I'm already late. But, to be fair and true to my blogger nature and my Survivor love, I am writing this before actually watching Episode Two.

I feel like this post needs to happen to clarify my rather tough 15s Tout last Wednesday. While I may have expressed some outrage at the behavior displayed by the men and women of Survivor: One World, I am nevertheless very excited about this season, and I think the twist is going to bring a lot of new tactics and emotions to the fore that we might never have seen yet on Survivor.

So let's get started!

1. When did men vs. women mean you had to fall into all the stereotypes? 

Let me make this clear: I am not saying that CBS typecast their ladies and gents this season. What I am saying is I've never seen any tribe try less hard to make a fire in all the seasons I've watched of Survivor and I've never seen a group of men act that macho and self-important either. Yes, perhaps it is in part due to the editing, but let's face it - editing can't happen without the material to make it happen. Not letting the girls finish the challenge?! Seriously? How f*cked up is that!??? Stealing supplies from them in the first few minutes of the game? So low. So, so low. And girls, why d'you have to start running after the guys like that for fire? You lost all the respect and intimidation you might have earned by catching the chickens and standing your ground. Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with the character and lack of determination some of these contestants have shown. I'm trying to find excuses for them, but I just can't right now. But I do have confidence they'll all grow a backbone and start being decent human beings as opposed to shells of what they seem to think they should be.

2. Colton could either be really smart, or really short-sighted. 

It's hard for me to really be sure either way, because I don't know what I would do in his situation when you're living on the same beach as your tribe and your potential allies who don't happen to be on that tribe. I definitely think he was a little reckless in showing his affinity with the girls so overtly, but clearly his networking paid off because he got himself a sweet Immunity Idol. I'm curious to see how he's going to repay Sabrina for her generosity. (Also, I do think Sabrina made the right call strategically. If Colton gets votes and flips them to eliminate some other macho d*bag from his tribe, it'll be a major win for the Salani ladies.) Also, I'm hearing a lot of people compare Colton to Cochran, and I have to say, I entirely disagree. I'm not saying they might not resemble each other's behavior in episodes to come, but right now, there's really not much to compare them aside from the fact that they were both perceived as the weaker links from the get-go. But there's always one of those. Cochran proved he had game; we have yet to see if Colton does.

3. Pay attention! Or get out. 

Listening is key to your survival in the game. Listening to others, listening to yourself... Listening to Jeff Probst. He clearly said "keep your arms on your chest and land on your backs," and he said it multiple times. I know it's a lot to take in, and I know it's the first Immunity Challenge, but seriously, so few contestants actually paid attention to that... and it penalized Salani when Kourtney got hurt. I really liked her too. Sure, it sucks they lost Immunity the way they did, but everyone needs to start paying attention if they're going to have any hope of getting deep into the game.


Clearly, this episode and this season have got me going! I hope they won't bail on the concept too early like they have in the past (Amazon; Cook Islands) and I can't wait to see more! Episode Two, here I come.

Survivor: One World - Episode 1 in 15 seconds

Survivor: One World just premiered!!! I literally ran home to make in time and only missed the first 2 minutes... Of course I'll be watching them on CBS when the episode comes online.

Initial thoughts: Most of the guys suck. Most of the girls suck too, for different reasons. I suspect their sucking is exacerbated by the fact that they are separated by gender yet living together. Way to go deep into the roots of human behavior CBS!

Here is my first 15s Tout of the season. Enjoy!

Diana's Top 10 Hottest Guys and Girls of Survivor

My most updated list is first, but feel free to scroll down to see the evolution of my rankings!

And remember: this is totally based on personal preferences and the way they look on Survivor, without makeup or facial grooming or anything, so if I'm missing someone you just can't understand I missed or put in someone you really can't relate to, feel free to let me know, but don't be mad if I just don't agree. To each his own! ;)

May 13, 2013

After watching the rest of Survivor: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites, I just had to update my list again.... See below with changes in blue! Also, as requested by someone in my comments, I've linked each time to a respective picture of the person in question, so feel free to click and enjoy the eye candy.


THE GUYS

8. Tyson Apostol [Tocantins; Heroes vs. Villains]
7. Brendon Synnott [Tocantins]
6. Ethan Zohn [Africa; All-Stars]
5. Boston Rob Mariano [Marquesas; All-Stars; Heroes vs. Villains; Redemption Island]
4. Grant Mattos [Redemption Island]
3. Jay Byars [One World]
2. Ozzy Lusth [Cook Islands; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; South Pacific]
1. Malcolm Freberg [Philippines; Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites]

Honorable mentions: Ben "Benry" Henry [Nicaragua]; Aras Baskauskas [Panama: Exile Island]; Greg Buis [Borneo]; Colby Donaldson [Australia; All-Stars; Heroes vs. Villains]; John Fincher [Samoa]

Only change here really is Malcolm taking the #1 spot from Ozzy, and that's mostly because of his brains. A man that's athletic, outdoorsy AND smart is just beyond sexy. [sigh]


THE GIRLS

10. Chelsea Meissner [One World]
9. Jenna Morasca [Amazon]
8. Eliza Orlins [Vanuatu; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites] - even more gorgeous in person!
7. Kim Spradlin [One World]
6. Elyse Umemoto [South Pacific]
5. Parvati Shallow [Cook Islands; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; Heroes vs. Villains]
4. Amber Brkich [Australia; All-Stars]
3. Amanda Kimmel [China; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; Heroes vs. Villains]
2. Sydney Wheeler [Tocantins]
1. Brenda Lowe [Nicaragua; Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites]

Honorable mentions: Kim Powers [Africa]; Elisabeth Hasselbeck/Filarski [Australia]; Tijuana Bradley [Pearl Islands]; Colleen Haskell [Borneo]

And again, only one major change here in Brenda taking the #1 spot. I find her strength and tenacity to be super attractive and well-deserving of this new ranking!

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February 23, 2013

It's about a year after I originally posted this, and I think it's time to revise my list! We've had quite the hotties join the Survivor tribe these past three seasons, and below is my amended list -- with new additions/changes in red -- one year later.


THE GUYS

8. Tyson Apostol [Tocantins; Heroes vs. Villains]
7. Brendon Synnott [Tocantins]
6. Ethan Zohn [Africa; All-Stars]
5. Malcolm Freberg [Philippines; Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites]
4. Boston Rob Mariano [Marquesas; All-Stars; Heroes vs. Villains; Redemption Island]
3. Grant Mattos [Redemption Island]
2. Jay Byars [One World]
1. Ozzy Lusth [Cook Islands; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; South Pacific]

Honorable mentions: Ben "Benry" Henry [Nicaragua]; Aras Baskauskas [Panama: Exile Island]; Greg Buis [Borneo]; Colby Donaldson [Australia; All-Stars; Heroes vs. Villains]; John Fincher [Samoa]

I know that when I first posted this, many people were scandalized that Colby was absent, so I feel I must give him an honorable mention for the guys. He's not my type, but if got that many comments, he deserves a spot in this post! I'd also like to add everyone's favorite rocket scientist, John Fincher, for my good friend and fellow Survivor lover Alex. As for Malcolm, he may not be the prettiest on this list, but he's one of the most charming and attractive men to have graced the screen of Survivor, so I'm thrilled to be adding him to my list!


THE GIRLS

12. Kim Powers [Africa]
11. Elisabeth Filarski/Hasselbeck [Australia] 
10. Chelsea Meissner [One World]
9. Jenna Morasca [Amazon]
8. Eliza Orlins [Vanuatu; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites] - even more gorgeous in person!
7. Kim Spradlin [One World]
6. Elyse Umemoto [South Pacific]
5. Brenda Lowe [Nicaragua; Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites]
4. Parvati Shallow [Cook Islands; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; Heroes vs. Villains]
3. Amber Brkich [Australia; All-Stars]
2. Amanda Kimmel [China; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; Heroes vs. Villains]
1. Sydney Wheeler [Tocantins]

Honorable mentions: Tijuana Bradley [Pearl Islands]; Colleen Haskell [Borneo]; Angie Layton [Philippines]

Miss Kim Spradlin and Miss Chelsea Meissner -- both from Survivor: One World -- jump in here at #7 and #10 respectively, throwing Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Kim Powers out of the Top 10. This is due to their fierceness and charm, and hot looks while doing it. I can't say One World was my favorite season (not by far), but these two ladies sure represented for strong and beautiful women everywhere. As for Angie, I couldn't not include her -- she's clearly beautiful. She doesn't make the actual list as her looks didn't make up for her lack of charisma, and that's a very necessary quality for my Top Lists. 

So, what do you think? Am I missing anyone?? If so, let me know!!!



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Original List: February 4, 2012

When making this list (at a completely inappropriate time when I really should just have been going to bed...), I realized I could find the hot girls a lot easier than I could the hot guys.

The reason for that, I think, is that it's easier for me to objectively evaluate how beautiful/hot/sexy a woman is, rather than a man, who I also judge on bang-ability and old-fashioned charm.

For this reason, my Top 10 Hottest Guys list is actually a Top 6 Hottest Guys list. While there were other respectable candidates for the remaining slots, I kind of felt like I was selling out by filling them in. I just wasn't feeling it beyond these 6. But oh.... these 6!!

THE GUYS

6. Tyson Apostol [Tocantins; Heroes vs. Villains]
5. Brendon Synnott [Tocantins]
4. Ethan Zohn [Africa; All-Stars]
3. Boston Rob Mariano [Marquesas; All-Stars; Heroes vs. Villains; Redemption Island]
2. Grant Mattos [Redemption Island]
1. Ozzy Lusth [Cook Islands; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; South Pacific]

Honorable mentions: Ben "Benry" Henry [Nicaragua]; Aras Baskauskas [Panama: Exile Island]; Greg Buis [Borneo]

One pretty boy (Brendon), four super sexy studs, and one inexplicably magnetic heartthrob... I could comment on each one, but I think I'd rather just let the list speak for itself. If you have any comments, feel free to express them below and I'll be more than happy to respond!

THE GIRLS

10. Kim Powers [Africa]
9. Elisabeth Filarski/Hasselbeck [Australia] 
8. Jenna Morasca [Amazon]
7. Eliza Orlins [Vanuatu; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites] - even more gorgeous in person!
6. Elyse Umemoto [South Pacific]
5. Brenda Lowe [Nicaragua]
4. Parvati Shallow [Cook Islands; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; Heroes vs. Villains]
3. Amber Brkich [Australia; All-Stars]
2. Amanda Kimmel [China; Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites; Heroes vs. Villains]
1. Sydney Wheeler [Tocantins]

Honorable mention: Tijuana Bradley [Pearl Islands]; Colleen Haskell [Borneo]

This post is quite timely what with Rob Cesternino's Miss Survivor contest happening right now! Nominees, which were submitted by fans, include Parvati Shallow, Courtney Yates, Andrea Boehlke, Amanda Kimmel and Jenna Morasca. Each will be interviewed by Rob and Nicole, and then submitted to the public for another vote. Jenna and Parvati have already had their interviews, so check 'em out by clicking on their names. Others will be up shortly, and voting starts again on February 8th! Follow the whole thing on RobHasAWebsite.

So, who do you think are the most attractive Survivors? Which ones particular awaken your lady or man bits? ...Don't be shy!

Survivor: South Pacific - [Delayed] Final Post: Four [So-]Fierce Fighters For The Win

Albert, Coach and Sophie... still in the dark.

Ok, I know that as a blogger for a TV show, there’s a certain time frame within which you need to have your post up in order to be considered legit’, and well, in order to keep readers engaged too.

Needless to say, I am far far far beyond that time frame. 

By now, I assume most Survivor fans have already read whatever it is they were going to read after the season finale, and are counting the days until the next season of Survivor begins.

To be honest, I think I delayed writing this post because I didn’t want to admit the season was over. I started writing notes for this post right after the finale; picked up again during my winter holidays; and here I am, just two weeks before the next season starts, still writing it. 

Of course I knew there was another season around the corner... but this last season will always remain near and dear to my heart, and here's why: While it wasn’t the best, it was definitely good; it had one of my all-time favorite returning players: Ozzy; it was the first season I decided to blog (and the first blog I’ve ever kept, period); and I happened to have met a whole bunch of Survivors, past and present, who made this immersive Survivor experience very special to me.

But hey, let’s get down to what actually happened in the last couple of episodes, shall we?

1. Ozzy.

He played an incredible game, took risks, competed boldly and embraced his environment to the fullest. He dominated in challenges, took advantage of Redemption Island, and though still clearly wounded by his last experience in the game (as we saw in the Finale), he played a strong social game and made lasting connections that would have won him the million and the title had he just won that last Immunity Challenge. That loss is entirely on him, and it makes sense that it would be… The game he played was very much a solitary one after his tribe got decimated, and in all likelihood it would have unfolded quite similarly had his own tribe been the one to eventually vote him out, as they undoubtedly would have tried to do. I can't imagine how devastating it must be for Ozzy to have come so close and choke at the very end, and though I think he would have deserved the win, I also think had he pulled it off, he would have "broken" all the "rules" of the game. (N.B. words in quotation marks to be taken lightly.) 

2. Albert.

Albert dug his own grave. For someone who I thought was so smart, he acted really short-sightedly and made some very bad moves. His intentions with the Jury were completely transparent, and he succeeded in fooling absolutely nobody. His move with Brandon was pure stupidity - even more stupid than Brandon actually giving Albert the Immunity Necklace. By claiming to be completely ignorant of the tribe's (and his!) hopes to vote out Brandon, he ensured that he would not win - and not get any votes - if he made it to the Final Three. The brighter thing to do would have been to use the second chance that Redemption Island offered him, let himself get voted off, take a stand against Ozzy, and, if he made it back, earn votes to win that way. Then, maybe, he would have at least had a shot. The worst part is that the guy still thinks he should have won. 

3. Coach.

Coach was brilliant this season. He beat so many odds, and worked his tribe so deftly that I would have given him my vote had I had one. Yes, he played up the religion side, and yes, it was exceedingly annoying at times. But it was also brilliant. He had Brandon, a religious "nut" (at least on the show); Albert, a Mommy's boy who believes; and Rick, a traditional conservative. Sophie wasn't going to say anything and had the brains to just go with the flow. Edna wasn't going to say anything either, and had the coattail rider's instinct to just go with the flow. It was a perfect plan. But the true brilliance in Coach's strategy is his ability to charm in a way that despite being obvious, is impossible to resist [see: Cochran.] Coach's only mistake, and what lost him the game, is that he didn't stand up for himself and his actions at Tribal. The Jury should still have seen his brilliance and let it go, but unfortunately, they did not, and unfortunately, Coach had some stiff competition with Sophie. 

4. Sophie.

Sophie, Sophie, Sophie! So-phierce. Or So-fierce. Yes, I would have voted for Coach if I could, but I would have had a hard time choosing, no doubt. I was a fan from the start, and was time and time again impressed by Sophie's willpower, her poise, her powers of observation and reaction, and her overall mad "Survivor" [not necessarily "survivor"] skills. That said, I wasn't the biggest fan of her plea at the Final Tribal Council. I think she went a bit too far in the logical breakdown of her strategy and could have afforded to show some more of her emotional and social game too - though I know her vulnerability in the previous episode was still fresh and she wanted to counter it. But even with the lack of "warmth" in the Final, Sophie can't help but exude her clever snarkiness - that might be and has been confused for coldness and superficiality - and proved that she deserved to be there, and that she deserved to win. If Coach and Ozzy had to lose, Sophie was by far my favorite pick for winner. And well, I also had a parallel desire for a non-returning player to win. So, YAY SOPHIE! 

5. Next season.

Am I the only who’s getting a bit tired of Survivor always being filmed in Samoa?!? I love the show, I don’t think that’s in question here; but one of the things I love the most is all the exotic places the seasons take us to… Australia, Africa, the Amazon, Tocantins, China, Central America… each landscape brings new challenges and new reliefs, and the diversity really adds something to the show each season. Or it used to… The South Pacific is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong! and if I were to compete on the show, I think I’d prefer to be on a sandy beach, where it doesn’t rain all too much and there are plenty of coconuts in the trees and fish in the sea. Seasons like Africa and China seemed particularly difficult what with muddy water sources, nowhere/very few places to bathe and few sources of food other than the rice or grits that were provided for them. So yeah, maybe Samoa is a good Survivor location for the actual players, but I wish the producers would keep exploring the world.

Eh,  regardless, next season looks awesome! Looking forward to it!