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: One World - Episode 6 in 15 seconds

Pheweee!! This season is like watching tennis - I barely have time to look at one side that something changes and I have to look the other. I would have really liked to see some more tribe-bonding/alliance-making and overall strategizing in groups... but so far, this season has kept me on my toes, so I'll trust the game.

Here are my 15 seconds! I feel bad in advance for saying mean things about the contestants... But seriously, this season has got me loving some and really hating others, and if I were to meet Colton or Alicia, I would tell them the same things about my opinion of their actions in the game.



...and the words missing at the end of that clip is "polarized this season!"

Survivor: One World - Episode Four: No-Tact Lesson 101

Priceless.

So usually I record my 15s Tout and write a longer blog post once I've had the time to mull over things a little bit, but I'm so outraged and fiercely entertained at the same time that I just had to type these thoughts out immediately. 

1. Colton is the most offensive, disgusting human being I can remember seeing on the show. 

I don't know what has happened to Colton, or if this is just how he is as a person, but his transformation from insecure, uncomfortable misfit to insulting, narrow-minded tyrant is very disheartening. He makes Matt look like a mildly annoying puppy. His comments about Leif being a munchkin and an oompa-lumpa were completely inappropriate, and his attitude and treatment of Bill was shocking to me - on both a human level as well as a game level. It is absolutely short-sighted and downright stupid of Colton to believe that his current position of "power" should allow him to behave that way. And I'm really "bum-puzzled" (LOVE it) that someone who is also different and must have faced adversity because of those differences could treat another human being the way Colton treated Bill. The fact that Colton is clearly educated and not, in fact, an idiot, is what makes all of this even more upsetting. All I can say now is: good casting CBS. Upsetting, but makes for some solid drama. 

2. On the other hand, I was extremely impressed by Bill's reaction to all of this. 

Bill - the stand-up comedian who's working his tail off to live his dream while sleeping on people's couches and struggling to make ends meet - turned out the be the bigger man in every way this episode. We've seen Bill, the fun guy; Bill, the guy you might not know how to take seriously; Bill, the potentially wishy-washy guy; and now Bill, the man who stands up for what he believes in without compromising his values. I hope all his dreams come true and I hope I get to tell him that in person one day. What he said after being voted out says it all: "He [Colton] judged me because of my differences and I accepted him because of his."

3. Now how about that Tribal Council, yo?! 

I could not stop laughing when I saw the guys walk into Tribal Council and Jeff's reaction to seeing them stroll in. It's true, it's a crazy crazy move, and hell, it could be a very smart one overall... but if it is, it will only benefit perhaps Troyzan, Tarzan, Jonas and Colton (unfortunately). Leif is a complete idiot (sorry Leif! but it's true...). The fact that he stayed in the game was utterly out of his control - and he was clearly surprised by it. This guy has zero chance of winning in my opinion. He'd be the perfect person to take to the Final Three. Time will tell how this will play out, but I think the Manono tribe members with the highest chance of success in my book are the ones who are going to lay close to the drama-seekers without creating any... i.e. Jay and Jonas. I hope Troyzan makes it far too. 

4. The Salani tribe is still struggling with communication, but overall - small problems!

...at least small when compared to what the men were creating for themselves. I think it was unfair to give Alicia such a hard time with the puzzle. Chelsea was just as responsible as Alicia was, and honestly, as hard or easy as a puzzle might be, if you're psyched out, it's just not going to work. [Flashback to Ozzy's final challenge last season.] I think Alicia was upset about Kat's comment before the challenge, and I think they just weren't getting it and it spiraled out of control. It looks to me like the Salani tribe has gotten it together for the most part, and is dealing with the day-to-day issues of living with each other. I'm still 100% behind Monica. 

That's all for now this week folks! No video this week because a) I look terrible today (lack of sleep + post workout look + annoying blemish = not camera ready) and b) it's not really a post-episode reaction anymore... but this post is instead! Let me know what you all think about how this episode went down! 

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.