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 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:

Survivor: One World - Episode Eight: Here Come The.. Clowns?

Now THAT was an AWESOME Reward Challenge!

Though this season has definitely had its share of ups and downs and twists and turns, this episode highlighted some stronger strategic thinking. (Sure, Colton was also strategic, but I can't say I could see his strategy working out well on the long run.) With some of these moves and reactions, I've finally started respecting some of the contestants more -- separately from whether or not I like them.

1. Kim and Jay are the strategic frontrunners, even if they're not super interesting. 

Yes, Sophie and Rob C. predicted their dominance in the game far sooner than I did... And though I never contested it, I can actually picture one of them taking the cake quite clearly now. Kim's strategy is impeccable. Sure, she's not the most exciting person to watch, and her game seems almost too perfect, but she's playing extremely well. She's got options, she's making moves, she's curbing fires when they arise... and she's controlling the game in a way that's not going to cause people to totally hate her either. Jay on the other hand is certainly not in control of the game, but he's very aware of what's happening and making moves to protect himself until he can strike back. Kind of like chess I suppose... I wouldn't rule him out at all just yet.

2. I can't believe Troyzan fell for that...


As much as I like him, I'm pretty disappointed at how quickly he fell for Kim's trap. She played him like a fiddle and he didn't even think twice about it. That just goes to show that this season is lacking strategists... and those who are strategic are either total pricks or just not that likeable. That makes me question the whole 'what are you looking for in a contestant?' issue. Are we looking for clowns that entertain, smarties that control the game, or fools to make us feel like we'd be smarter? Ideally, a combination of all or some of those qualities... and I feel like a lot of the contestants this season aren't displaying a lot of depth.

3. Are the guys screwed?

It's all going to play out in the next episode... but basically, it's in Kim's hands. She could decide to forego her girls alliance and pair up with her original Chelsea, Sabrina, Troyzan and Sab, but without her doing that, the only obvious way a guy will make it further is by winning Immunity over and over and over again. But like I said above... I wouldn't rule out Jay just yet.


What are your thoughts on strategy this season? Disappointed? Impressed? Do you find the contestants interesting in a deeper way than for pure entertainment value?

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?