Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 14

Sorry for the delay (wow, I feel like that's how most of my blog posts have started this season), but it's tough to post while enjoying a wonderful vacation. Actually, I'm not really sorry about that. As Bag mentioned in the comments from my last post, Dachui did manage a come back win, although that's not why I haven't posted. Congrats to Richey & Danielle! Getting their first Survivor Pool win must be the cherry on top of what has already been a great year, what with the wedding & Italian honeymoon.


Final Standings:

Team Blonde Bimbos: Dachui - 142 points
1. Chase (53 pts)
2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)
3. Fabio (89 pts)

Team Black Snake Widow: Me - 87 points
1. Brenda (32 pts)
2. Alina (28 pts)
3. Holly (27 pts)

Team Sanity Crushers: Courtney - 75 points
1. Jane (28 pts)
2. Benry (34 pts)
3. Kelly (13 pts)

Team Klepto: Moon - 72 points
1. Jill (11 pts)
2. Dan (19 pts)
3. NaOnka (42 pts)

Team Cactus: Doug/Bri - 44 points
1. Marty (17 pts)
2. Purple Kelly (25 pts)
3. Yve (2 pts)

Team SuccoSash: Baggins - 40 points
1. Sash (38 pts)
2. Tyrone (2 pts)
3. Jimmy T (0 pts)

The final score was actually a lot closer than it looks. If Fabio hadn't won the final immunity challenge, he certainly would have finished in 4th place. I believe that in a final 3 of Holly, Chase & Sash that Holly would have won. So let's say that Chase won the final challenge instead of Fabio - Dachui would still get that 6 points, but Fabio would have only gotten 10 points for making the jury. If Holly wins & gets the 45 points for 1st place, even if Chase still comes in 2nd, the final score would be Dachui 107 and Me 122. Pretty crazy!


Survivor: Redemption Island

Next season is season 22 - Redemption Island. They're going back to Nicaragua, and the premiere airs February 16, 2011. I'm still fuzzy on the details of how this will work, but essentially every time someone gets voted out they go into a one-on-one battle with someone else who got voted out. Whoever loses gets booted from the show permanently. I don't know if the person who wins gets to immediately re-join the other contestants, or has to stay in exile and keep battling others who show up. I'm guessing it's the former or else this wouldn't be too big of a twist.

So, if my guess is right, Survivor has basically just ripped off The Challenge (formerly known as the Real World/Road Rules Challenge). I'm pretty okay with this since I think The Challenge is a great show, but that it gets dragged down by the drunken shenanigans of the twentysomethings who all have serious emotional problems. There will probably be more of that than in a typical Survivor season, but without the booze I think it will make this season much better.

The other "surprise" is that they're bringing back Evil Russ & Boston Rob to be the captains of the different tribes. Since Evil Russ is the most entertaining player of all time and he and Rob despise each other, I think this will be awesome.


Future Rule Changes

As always, my mind turns to the future of the Survivor Pool, and what fun new twists (or minor adjustments) we can make to our own game. I've put a few of the suggestions below, but please feel free to comment with other suggestions too. If you don't write it down, I'm not going to remember it. So either write it here, remember it yourself, or hold your tongue when your brilliant idea didn't get added to the newfangled rules.

- Bonus points for having the player picked as fan favorite
- Not losing points for "mis-playing" the immunity idol at the last tribal council when you can. Possibly losing points if you don't?
- Definitely need a rule for their Battle Royale thing that's happening next season. Should the winner of the challenge earn points? Or should we just start making players lose points for getting completely voted off the show?
- Point deduction for owning a pony that quits. Possibly doing the same for Medevacs.

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 13

Quick update on the scores, so everyone can be on the edge of their seats during the finale:

Black Snake Swim Coach - 77 points
Sanity Crushed - 75 points
Just Dan's Arms - 62 points
Blonde Bimbos - 55 points
Sad Cactus - 44 points
SuccoSash - 20 points

I'll have more thoughts & updates after Sunday's finale!

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 12

Sorry for the delay on the blog post. I dedicate this post to my sister, who has been bugging me to write it. Without her, this post would just be an updated score. Instead, I actually put some effort into it!

The reason for my delay is that I'm unmotivated to post now that we've all agreed that this is one of the worst seasons in Survivor history. And hey, since we're on that topic, why don't we go ahead and rank them?

Power Rankings of Survivor Seasons:

20. Season 9 Vanuatu, winner: Chris Daugherty
19. Season 21 Nicaragua, winner: ??*
18. Season 5 Thailand, winner Brian Heidik
17. Season 12 Panama (Exile Island), winner Aras Baskauskas
16. Season 3 Africa, winner Ethan Zohn
15. Season 6 The Amazon, winner Jenna Morasca
14. Season 17 Gabon, winner Bob Crowley
13. Season 11Guatemala, winner Danni Boatwright
12. Season 8 All-Stars, winner Amber Brkich
11. Season 15 China, winner Todd Herzog
10. Season 10 Palau, winner Tom Westman
9. Season 18 Tocantins, winner JT Thomas
8. Season 2 Australian Outback, winner Tina Wesson
7. Season 19 Samoa, winner Natalie White
6. Season 7 Pearl Islands, winner Sandra Diaz-Twine
5. Season 13 Cook Islands, winner Yul Kwon
4. Season 16 Fans v. Favorites, winner Parvati Shallow
3. Season 14 Fiji, winner Earl Cole
2. Season 1 Borneo, winner Richard Hatch
1. Season 20 Heroes v. Villains, winner Sandra Diaz-Twine

*This season could move up depending on how the last few episodes go, but that seems pretty unlikely.

**Season 4: Marquesas doesn't make this list. It's the only season I didn't watch, so it'd be unfair to judge it against the others.


Standings:


Team Black Snake Widow: Me - 76 points
[1. Brenda (32 pts)]
[2. Alina (28 pts)]
3. Holly (16 pts)

Team Sanity Crushers: Courtney - 65 points
1. Jane (18 pts)
[2. Benry (34 pts)]
[3. Kelly (13 pts)]
 Team Klepto: Moon - 62 points
[1. Jill (11 pts)]
2. Dan (9 pts)
[3. NaOnka (42 pts)]

Team Blonde Bimbos: Dachui - 50 points
1. Chase (24 pts)
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)]
3. Fabio (26 pts)

Team Cactus: Doug/Bri - 44 points
[1. Marty (17 pts)]
[2. Purple Kelly (25 pts)]
[3. Yve (2 pts)]

Team SuccoSash: Baggins - 24 points
1. Sash (22 pts)
[2. Tyrone (2 pts)]
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]


Power Rankings:

This pool could be one of the closest we've ever had, but it's hard to get excited about a close race when it's a race between dregs. If Survivor ever did an All Stars season again, they'd be hard-pressed to find someone from this season worthy enough to make it. Brenda maybe, or Jill? Although they'd contribute a lot to a Survivor: Quitters v. Clutzes season.***

1. Sanity Crushers - Everyone says that Jane will win if she makes it to the finals, so everyone wants to vote her out. But there's a definite Colby/Tina relationship developing between Jane & Chase, and I could definitely see him giving her the win in this situation. He's all heart, no greed. I don't think that the money is nearly as important to him as maintaining good relationships, and feeling good about vastly improving someone else's life.

2. Black Snake Widow - I'm so happy I ended up with Holly instead of Nay. The dreggiest of the dregs. In the end, Nay earned herself 42 points and 0 respect. Holly's guaranteed a minimum of 26 points, and the respect of at least this Survivor fan. She's actually a pretty good balance of under-the-radar, physical threat, caring about others, but still being crafty. She's the one who made the huge move to get rid of Brenda. I suspect she's the one who initiated the ousting of Benry. She'll be the one, if any, who gets Jane eliminated from the game. I think she's has a good chance to make the finals. Then we'll see if she has Amanda Kimmel syndrome, or if she can actually talk her way to $1,000,000.

3. Blond Bimbos - Dachui is still in this game. They're the only team left with 2 players, they have the best chance of winning immunities, and Chase has an immunity idol. There's the potential for a lot of ground to be made up by this team. If Fabio wins the next immunity challenge, he could definitely make the finals. But ultimately the question is, will Chase go for the win, or for the love?

4. Klepto - I think Dan's going to make it to the finals, alliances be damned. I mean really, who among the remaining players wouldn't take him? He's contributed nothing, his alliances never really stuck together, he's rich. He has no chance of winning. Sadly, a 2nd or 3rd place finish probably isn't enough for Moon to win the pool, though.

5. SuccoSash - Believe it or not, but Bag still has a chance of winning this pool. It would involve a) winning a couple reward/immunity challenges, b) successfully playing his immunity idol, c) winning the game, and d) either sweeping the votes, or having specific players going to the final 3 with him. If he can do that, this would be the biggest upset in Survivor Pool history!

6. No More Cactus - Is a purple cactus better than no cactus at all?

***Survivor "All-Stars": Quitters v. Clutzes

Team Quitter: Obviously this team's color would have to be yellow. This would definitely be the underdog team going into the season, even though they do have a former winner in their ranks!

- Sue Hawk (All Stars)
- Osten Taylor (Pearl Islands)
- Jenna Morasca (All Stars)
- Janu Tornell (Palau)
- Kathleen Sleckman (Fans v. Faves)
- Nay (Nicaragua)
- Purple Cactus (Nicaragua).

Team Clutz, aka, Team Medevac: The team that injured themselves out of a million dollars. Probably they'd have to be given red as their color, considering that the reasons they've been evacuated have included fire, fire ants, excessive bleeding, etc. Going into the season they'd be a person short, but given the track records, they probably don't even have to win a challenge to even things up. Michael FTW in this season.

- Michael Skupin (Australia)
- Bruce Kanegai (Panama)
- Gary Stritesky (Fiji)
- Joe Dowdle (Tocantins)
- Mike Borassi (Samoa)
- Russell Swan (Samoa)

p.s. I would definitely watch this season if it was ever made. The potential for hilarity, embarrassment, and yes, even redemption, would be huge!

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 11

I'm disappointed, but not overly surprised, by this episode. The whole season I felt like was a question about Nay's character. Was she a psycho bitch like she seemed, or was she actually a crazy mastermind who was making it work for her? I'd hoped she was the latter, but it turns out she was just a psycho bitch. Purple Cactus just did what she had to. Cacti don't like to have lots of rain - it's bad for them. The Cactus needed to get out or it would've drowned.

Honestly though, these two were obviously mentally weak. They both felt like they weren't in the majority &a had their backs up against the wall, and decided to quit. If they had felt like they were still in a safe position there's no way they would've quit like that. That sucks, and I have no respect for either of them, but considering who it was, it wasn't entirely unexpected.

I'm also disappointed by Jeff Probst. Usually in these sorts of situations he gives people a harder time. I hope he rips on them hardcore at the reunion show, because they don't deserve the sort of easy exit he gave them.

Top Ten Better Things Jeff Could’ve Done with Nay & Cactus’ Torches:

10. Snap them in half and throw them on the fire
9. Make them extinguish their own flames
8. Steal their torches, bury them in the woods, and then plead ignorance
7. Whack them over the heads with them
6. Extinguish them in a muddy puddle
5. Leave the Cactus’ torch with the tribe. Its presence will go unnoticed
4. Give them back to the tribe to use as firewood
3. Make them use their torches to joust – whoever wins gets to leave, the other has to spend another night out in the rain
2. Make it a race - whichever jury members grab them first get to rejoin the game
1. Use the torches as bars to lock Nay & Cactus out of Ponderosa. Quitters don’t deserve to stay. Let them find their own way home.

Standings:

Team Black Snake Widow: Me - 75 points
[1. Brenda (32 pts)]
[2. Alina (28 pts)]
3. Holly (15 pts)

Team Klepto: Moon - 62 points
[1. Jill (11 pts)]
2. Dan (9 pts)
[3. NaOnka (42 pts)]

Team Sanity Crushers: Courtney - 54 points
1. Jane (17 pts)
2. Benry (24 pts)
[3. Kelly (13 pts)]

Team Blonde Bimbos: Dachui - 46 points
1. Chase (20 pts)
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)]
3. Fabio (26 pts)

Team Cactus: Doug/Bri - 44 points
[1. Marty (17 pts)]
[2. Purple Kelly (25 pts)]
[3. Yve (2 pts)]

Team SuccoSash: Baggins - 18 points
1. Sash (16 pts)
[2. Tyrone (2 pts)]
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]


Power Rankings:

1. Sanity Crushers - Definitely the strongest team right now. Not only do the Sanity Crushers still have 2 players left in the game, but they're both doing well! They're laying pretty low, keeping an open mind to all their options, and I think one or maybe even both of them will make it to the finals.

2. Bimbos - I still don't think that Chase or Fabio can win, but there's definitely a chance that these two could win some immunity challenges. Plus, there's a big point bonus if Chase plays his gifted Immunity Idol at the right time. Although, knowing him, he'll probably panic & misplay it. But if all goes well, there's a chance they could both make the finals and pull it together at the end to eke out a win.

3. Black Snake Widow - Holly really stepped it up these past few episodes. It's nice to see her really come into her own, but at the same time that makes her an easy target. It seems like she's being too obvious in her attempts to make nice with everyone. I don't think she'll last much longer. Hopefully she'll win an immunity challenge to save her butt!

4. Klepto - Dan. That's all Moon has left. A 'roided up sextagenarian with two bum knees and no game plan whatsoever. He's not a threat, so he could go far, but he's not going to win many points in the meantime & I don't think Moon can get enough points together to compete for the title of Survivor Pool Champion.

5. SuccoSash - How did Sash somehow work his way back into a position of power? It looks like he'll get to choose the alliance of his choice, and he still has an immunity idol, so there's still a chance he could make the finals. Even if he won though, I don't think Bag will get enough points to win the pool.

6. Cactus - Our first elimination! Doug & Bri's team seemed good on paper, but as the season progressed they just couldn't get any momentum going. This was a tough season for them. Now they'll have to shift their focus & trash talking over to Top Chef: All Stars.

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 10

Great episode! I was really happy with how everything played out, and suddenly have a new appreciation for the players who are left on the show. Individually, yes, they are dumb. But as a group they are actually quite clever. It's like a successful version of groupthink, which I don't think I've ever really seen before.

I'm sad that my powerhouse is gone, but I'm happy because I think the game will get a lot more interesting. And while I'm worried that Holly stuck her nose out and may now get a target on her back, somehow Benry is taking most of the blame.

I don't have a lot of time to write this, but I wanted to say one last thing: go Jane!!!


Standings:


Team Black Snake Widow: Me - 73 points
[1. Brenda (32 pts)]
[2. Alina (28 pts)]
3. Holly (13 pts)

Team Sanity Crushers: Courtney - 52 points
1. Jane (17 pts)
2. Benry (22 pts)
[3. Kelly (13 pts)]

Team Klepto: Moon - 48 points
[1. Jill (11 pts)]
2. Dan (7 pts)
3. NaOnka (30 pts)

Team Blonde Bimbos: Dachui - 44 points
1. Chase (18 pts)
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)]
3. Fabio (26 pts)

Team Cactus: Doug/Bri - 34 points
[1. Marty (17 pts)]
2. Purple Kelly (15 pts)
[3. Yve (2 pts)]

Team SuccoSash: Baggins - 18 points
1. Sash (16 pts)
[2. Tyrone (2 pts)]
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 9

Wednesday is a big TV night at Chateau Wolf - we have 4 or 5 shows that all come on that night, and we marathon our way through all of them. Last night's agenda looked like this: WSOP Main Event Final Table, Survivor, America's Next Top Model, and Top Chef: Just Desserts. (We also watched TUF, but I fell asleep in the middle of it, so it doesn't count. We also usually watch Modern Family, but it wasn't on for some reason.) Last night's marathon was full of excitement, suspense, and big moves- in all of the shows except Survivor. There were a lot of opportunities for all of these things, but the contestants passed them by.

Instead, what we saw was a continuation of the Brenda Dominance. Two alliances lined up, and then Brenda picked the one she liked better. To me it was cool guys v. misfits. It was fun to see the misfits win, but it was also predictable and dull.


Standings:*

Team Black Snake Widow: Me - 63 points
1. Brenda (22 pts)
[2. Alina (28 pts)]
3. Holly (13 pts)

Team Klepto: Moon - 46 points
[1. Jill (11 pts)]
2. Dan (7 pts)
3. NaOnka (28 pts)

Team Sanity Crushers: Courtney - 42 points
1. Jane (9 pts)
2. Benry (20 pts)
[3. Kelly (13 pts)]

Team Blonde Bimbos: Dachui - 42 points
1. Chase (18 pts)
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)]
3. Fabio (24 pts)

Team Pinky & the Brain: Doug/Bri - 32 points
[1. Marty (17 pts)]
2. Purple Kelly (13 pts)
[3. Yve (2 pts)]

Team SuccoSash: Baggins - 18 points
1. Sash (14 pts)
[2. Tyrone (2 pts)]
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]

*Determining what points should count for what was difficult this week. After consultation with the good Doctor, we determined that Chase would not be penalized for sitting out the challenge, since a) it wasn't his choice, and b) he did sort of participate anyways. We also determined that the men (minus Chase) would receive "team reward" points instead of "individual reward" points (2 points v. 4) because they really were a team. The scoring of these sorts of challenges always becomes a gray area post-merge. I'm happy to talk about this with anyone who disagrees with the scoring & would love to hear suggestions for how to improve this in the future!


Power Rankings:

1. Black Snake Widow - This episode only helped my team. I got 6 points from Brenda, who is a strong competitor in every challenge. She chose to side with the alliance that Holly is in, so they're probably going to go deep. In a normal season I'd be worried that Brenda & Sash's attitude this past episode would make them targets, but they just eliminated the only other person in the game with more than 10 brain cells so I think they're safe.

2. Klepto - If I were on the jury this season and NaOnka made the final 3 this would be my question/comment at final tribal: "Nay, I'm willing to give you my vote, but only if you promise to go to a psychiatrist if you win. Can you promise me that?" And I would. This is the most unorthodox style I've ever seen and it's impressing me. And I get the feeling it might impress others too.

3. Sanity Crushers - I think the Sanity Crushers and Blonde Bimbos are neck and neck. Both teams have a player in each alliance. I'm putting the Crushers above the Bimbos because I think Chase would sacrifice himself to get Jane further in the game. Jane's on shaky ground already, but hopefully with Marty gone she'll start flying under the radar again.

4. Blonde Bimbos - One bonus of having players in different alliances is that if a coup happens, there's a good chance that Fabio (or Benry) could actually win the entire thing... I'm taking a moment right now to enjoy this possibility. Chase got air time for the first time in a while, but all it revealed was that he's Brenda's whipping boy. Overall it seems like the Bimbos are living up to their name - they seem to make bad decision after bad decision, and it's going to bite them in the end.

5. SuccoSash - Doug asked me if I thought Brenda & Sash would stick together until the end. I think Brenda is definitely capable of betraying Sash, but I don't think Sash works that way. If he does betray her I would be thrilled. It would make for a really interesting twist in what is currently a predictable game. And if Sash went on to win, and Bag did too, it would be the greatest come-back ever. None of this is going to happen of course, but a girl can dream.

6. Pinky & the Brain - Losing Marty was the death knell for Doug & Bri. Now all they have left is Worse-Than-A-Cactus. Sure she's in a good alliance, but she obviously won't win. Although, Purple Kelly does have value as being so useless that she'd be great to take to the final three. If I were Brenda, I'd try to plan it so that the final 4 contestants were me, Dan, Holly, and Purple Kelly. Then I'd be up against the three weakest competitors in the final immunity challenge and have a cake-walk at final tribal council.

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 8

Merge! I love it when Survivor merges - I think this is when the game really starts. It's like Catan - the first stage is getting your pieces in place, the 2nd is playing it out. In Survivor, when the players are in tribes it's when everyone has a chance to get their game plan set. Once they've merged the game really starts.

I thought this merge was particularly interesting because nobody seems to be voting along tribal lines. No one (except Alina, RIP) is sticking to Young v. Old or La Flor v. Espada or even Sane v. Crazy. The alliances in this season are more fluid than ever before.

Standings:

Team Black Snake Widow: Me - 57 points
1. Brenda (16 pts)
[2. Alina (28 pts)]
3. Holly (13 pts)

Team Klepto: Moon - 44 points
[1. Jill (11 pts)]
2. Dan (5 pts)
3. NaOnka (28 pts)

Team Sanity Crushers: Courtney - 40 points
1. Jane (9 pts)
2. Benry (18 pts)
[3. Kelly (13 pts)]

Team Blonde Bimbos: Dachui - 40 points
1. Chase (18 pts)
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)]
3. Fabio (22 pts)

Team Pinky & the Brain: Doug/Bri - 20 points
1. Marty (5 pts)
2. Purple Kelly (13 pts)
[3. Yve (2 pts)]

Team SuccoSash: Baggins - 16 points
1. Sash (14 pts)
[2. Tyrone (2 pts)]
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]

 
Power Rankings:
 
1. Black Snake Widow - Somehow losing Alina only increased my confidence in my team. She won me a whopping 28 points by making the jury. At best I thought I'd get maybe 15. She wasn't a superstar player, but she really maximized with what she had to work with. Brenda might be getting cocky, which is concerning, BUT - for the first time ever - I had the thought that Holly might have a chance to win this game. Not a big chance, but suddenly it seemed more plausible.
 
2. Sanity Crushers - I'm worried about Jane's obsession with getting rid of Marty. What happens when she's gone? Is that goal overriding her goal of winning Survivor? I think her chances were also hurt by Marty calling her out at tribal council - but I'm hopeful that everyone will forget about that. In the meantime, Benry is flying under the radar but getting ready to make some moves. Both of them are threats at every challenge too, so there are opportunities for big points with this team!  
 
3. Klepto - Moon's team is still terrible, but at least Nay is actually trying to win the game. Her methods are unorthodox, nonsensical, and strangely effective. She's in the tightest alliance, isn't seen as a threat, and still has an immunity idol. When she gets back to the US she should definitely go see a psychiatrist, but in Nicaragua she's actually doing well! Dan is only more memorable than Purple Kelly, but came up huge by making the jury... at least.
 
4. Blonde Bimbos - Dachui's team seems to be content playing 2nd fiddle to pretty much everyone. Chase & Fabio seem more happy to be supporting cast than actually stepping up and making moves. This will probably help them last longer, but I don't know if it will be enough for them to win it all. I love the Chase/Jane relationship though - I think they'll both be better off for it.
 
5. Pinky & the Brain - I still think Marty is a huge threat - but he's not winning any challenges, and the team is at least 20 points behind everyone else who has a chance. Purple Kelly is so boring she could be replaced with a cactus and no one would notice. And she's terrible in challenges. I think this Brain just doesn't have enough firepower behind him to really take over the world.
 
6. SuccoSash - Bag can still get the record for lowest score in Survivor Pool history, but only so long as Sash doesn't win any more challenges, or finish in the top 3. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 7

Update on score. Analysis, etc. tomorrow:

Me - 47 pts
Tom - 44 pts
Courtney - 34 pts
Dachui - 34 pts
Doug/Bri - 20 pts
Bag - 16 pts

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 6

This last episode was filled with good ideas, poor execution, and an almost killing blow to team Dr. Bug. I don't think we've ever had 1 episode where one team lost 2 players, but we almost saw it last night! Marty escaped by the skin of his teeth... and by the stupidity of Brenda. Lesson #1: if you have the chance to vote someone out who is holding on to a hidden immunity idol that they can't use at that moment, vote them out! If anything, Marty is a greater threat now than ever. Young people + Jane no longer have a super majority to split their votes between Jill and Marty, the more time he stays there the more he can infiltrate their team.... the reasons to not pick on a one-legged woman and instead go after a real threat are more than I have the time to write about here.

I think Brenda is going to pay for this mistake. I think that, had she gotten rid of Marty in this episode, her chances of winning the whole thing would be significantly higher than they are now. And the other young uns who followed her lead are going to pay for it too.

Standings:

Team Estrogen: Me - 37 points
1. Brenda (16 pts)
2. Alina (13 pts)
3. Holly (8 pts)

Team Laughing Uproariously: Moon - 34 points
1. Jill (11 pts)
2. Dan (0 pts)
3. NaOnka (23 pts)

Team Crush a.k.a. Team Sanity: Courtney - 31 points
1. Jane (5 pts)
2. Benry (13 pts)
[3. Kelly (13 pts)]

Team Hunk: Dachui - 29 points
1. Chase (13 pts)
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)]
3. Fabio (16 pts)

Team Dr. Bug: Doug/Bri - 20 points
1. Marty (5 pts)
2. Purple Kelly (13 pts)
[3. Yve (2 pts)]

Team Just Gimme a Chance: Baggins - 18 points
1. Sash (16 pts)
[2. Tyrone (2 pts)]
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Estrogen - While I have a bad feeling in my gut about Brenda, she does still appear to be in control of her tribe... for now. Holly & Alina are kicking some serious butt on Espada in the meantime, and I think that they could do well for a while, even post-merge.

2. Dr. Bug - Yve was a dreg who brought in a whopping 2 points this season (which is still better than Dan), and losing her will affect Dr. Bug very little I think. Overall, actually, I think Dr. Bug emerged from this episode as a stronger team than they were before it. Marty is a force, Purple Kelly is a regular contributor to the point-count, and they lost their dead weight.

3. Crush Sanity - Losing a player is going to hurt Team Crush more than it will hurt Dr. Bug. Courtney's team was probably the most uniformly strong across her players, so the impact of the loss is much greater. Jane and Benry could go far, but they'll need to work extra-hard to make up for the points Kelly would have contributed!

4. Team Hunk - Chase and Fabio are brawny but not so much with the brainy. They need to ride coattails to do well in this game. While I think they are both secure for the time-being, I just don't see either of them as closers.

5. Laughing Uproariously - Moon and I are the only teams that still have 3 players... but 2 of his players are Dan (who must be wearing an anti-vote amulet under his buff) and Crazy Nay. Both have said at some point during this season that they don't want to be there, so his superior numbers mean very little. If they make it to a merge, both of them could get deep, but I seriously doubt either one will win many points.

6. Just Gimme a Chance - Team Bag needs a miracle - like Sash finding and playing 3+ hidden immunity idols and then winning the game. It's not completely out of reach, but I'd say his chances of winning the pool this season are about as great as Holly's chances of winning Survivor.


Top Chef Analogy of the Week:

Holly is like Eric on Top Chef: Just Desserts. They both came into the game with gaping holes in pretty important areas of their games (basic social skills and dessert plating skills). But both have managed to adapt to their situation and fill the hole. Suddenly they're both a threat, but since they started out so badly in the beginning it'll take awhile before anyone catches on.

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 5

I again have limited time to write da blog, but I wanted to share what I think are our updated scores. I had trouble remembering the new tribes though, so please correct me if I'm wrong:

La Flor - Fabio, Sash, Marty, both Kellys, Brenda, Jill, and Jane

Espada - Chase, Tyrone, Yve, Alina, Holly, Dan, Nay, and Benry

If these are correct, then here are our scores:

Me - 29 points
1. Brenda (14 pts)
2. Alina (13 pts)
3. Holly (2 pts)

Dachui - 27 points
1. Chase (13 pts)
[2. Jimmy J (0pts)]
3. Fabio (14 pts)

Courtney - 27 points
1. Jane (3 pts)
2. Benry (13 pts)
3. Kelly (11 pts)

Moon - 26 points
1. Jill (3 pts)
2. Dan (0 pts)
3. NaOnka (23 pts)

Doug/Bri - 16 points
1. Marty (3 pts)
2. Purple Kelly (11 pts)
3. Yve (2 pts)

Bag - 16 points
1. Sash (14 pts)
[2. Tyrone (2 pts)]
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]

I think those who most improved from the tribe swap were:

Me - My 2 ppl on the chopping block both joined a dominating alliance. Brenda continues to crush.
.
Courtney - Jane is in a much better position and got to show her badassery in the challenge.

Dachui - team Dachui I think improved the least, but I think it's a bonus that they're players are on different tribes now... that's just my opinion though and I'm sure there are many out who can validly argue the opposite.

Those whose positions became shakier:

Doug/Bri - Brenda has her sights set on Marty's hide, and I'd pick Brenda over Marty in a Devious Fight any day. She's much more subtle and effective.

Tom - Nay is going as soon as they have a strong majority, her new alliance won't protect her nearly as much as her old one. She's too unbalanced. Dan continues to anti-crush.

... and the Least Improved award goes to:

Bag.

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 4

 Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time for a blog today, but I wanted to post our most recent scores and give a few thoughts.

Thoughts:

If the tribes get mixed up next week, like the previews implied, that could only help this season. With so many loonies in Nicaragua, and most of them on the Older Tribe's team, there needs to be a dash of sanity tossed in. NaOnka is nuts, there's no doubt, but she's 1 person with a whole lot of crazy v. 3 players on the older tribe who are still pretty nuts. NaOnka > Holly, but NaOnka < Holly + Jimmy T. + Psycho Marty.

Marty is going crazy pretty quickly. I guess the leader of the loonies quickly becomes a loon himself. He gets his mind set on eliminating someone - whether it's deserving or not - and then puts everything on the line to make it happen. One day he's going to go after someone popular and then he'll get the boot.

Standings: (these include temporary team names, which could change in the future)

Team Hunk: Dachui - 22 points
1. Chase (11 pts)
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)]
3. Fabio (11 pts)

Team Estrogen: Me - 22 points
1. Brenda (11 pts)
2. Alina (11 pts)
3. Holly (0 pts)

Team Crush: Courtney - 19 points
1. Jane (0 pts)
2. Benry (11 pts)
3. Kelly (8 pts)

Team Laughing Uproariously: Moon - 19 points
1. Jill (0 pts)
2. Dan (-2 pts)
3. NaOnka (21 pts)

Team Just Gimme a Chance: Baggins - 11 points
1. Sash (11 pts)
2. Tyrone (0 pts)
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]

Team Dr. Bug: Doug/Bri - 8 points
1. Marty (0 pts)
2. Purple Kelly (8 pts)
3. Yve (0 pts)


Power Rankings:
1. Estrogen - I'm giving myself the #1 spot because Brenda is more and more impressive with every week. Also, with a potential tribal mix, Alina's position will become much safer, I think. Holly's still a lose cannon, but at least she's still in the game, right?

2. Crush - Team Crush is doing really well considering that her #1 pick hasn't won any points. Jane is my favorite person on the show so far, and I hope she does well. In the meantime, Courtney's getting a lot of help from her supporting cast.

3. Laughing Uproariously - Moon's stock went up when NaOnka got herself an immunity idol. One of the worst players on the show is our current point leader. If he can get his dregs to produce this much before getting the boot he has a great chance to go far with Jill. He'd be ranked higher if Lame Dan wasn't on his team.

4. Team Hunk - Dachui has Chase, and as long as he's in they still have a chance. Not huge with Fabio being their only other player, but still... they could make some moves.

5. Dr. Bug - Doug/Bri's #1 pick was my #1 overall pick too. But I'm suddenly happy I didn't get Marty because he's playing the game way too hard this early. See above for more details.

6. Just Gimme a Chance - Bag's team crumbled faster than Malika's wedding cake in Top Chef: Just Desserts. Sash is barely even on the show, Tyrone is a part of a tribe that is in shambles and winning no points in the meantime.

Survivor Nicaragua: THE Draft

It’s like when football players introduce themselves and say they went to “THE Ohio St. University.” Or when Mandalay Bay names their nice spin-off THE Hotel. Our draft is that important, that swanky, and that overrated. It’s THE Draft.

Picks this season were surprisingly low-key. Partially because 2 members were out of state/country and one of those people was Moon, the slowest decision-maker in Colorado. I think our efficiency also had a lot to do with the quality of players this season. There are clear-cut favorites, and some really obvious stinkers as well. Consequently, I think that there will be a lot of parity in the overall scores this year. (Last year’s scores ranged from 56 to 152… so a big disparity there.) The general feeling after the draft was that everyone thought each other’s teams looked decent, but no one was happy with their own picks.

But before announcing the picks, I want to announce the ever-so-important rules!

RULES

Not a whole lot of changes this time around – we opted not to do an auction-style draft b/c that would be too hard with us so far-flung. (Side note: I already have ideas for next season’s auction. Maybe we could do an email countdown. We’ll go through 2 players a day after the first episode, all start w/ 100 pts, and let the email bidding war begin!) Without any dregs to buy – because we all got stuck with them already – and no exile island, the only changes are really to the Medallion of Power, hereafter called The Mop. Or THE Mop.

1st place: 45 points (+15 for sweep)
2nd place: 30 points
3rd place: 20 points (+10 if makes jury)
Jury: 10 points

Wins a team reward challenge: 2 points
Wins a team immunity challenge: 3 points
Wins an individual reward challenge: 4 points
Invited to share a reward challenge: 1 points
Wins individual immunity challenge: 6 points
Finds the hidden immunity idol: 10 points
Plays hidden immunity idol at tribal council (success v. fail): 10/-5 points
Plays a fake immunity idol: -10 points
Sits out a challenge: -2 points
buy bad item at auction/don't buy an item at auction: -2 points
buy good item at auction: 2 points
Winning a challenge when using The Mop: +1*
Losing a challenge when using The Mop: -5*

*If you have a player on a tribe that sits out during a challenge where The Mop is in play, your player will not be affected by Mop bonuses/penalties. So, for example, if Chase sits out the next challenge and Young Tribe plays The Mop and wins, Chase will lose 2 points for sitting out, and not get the +1 for Mop play. If Young Tribe lost in this scenario, Chase would be -2 for sitting out, but not suffer an additional -5 for his tribe losing. Which they probably lost because they sat out Chase anyways, so it’s good that they are punished more than him.


PICKS/CURRENT STANDINGS

Team names are pending – possibly names will be chosen individually, possibly by consensus, or I might just go with Dachui’s suggestion and call Bri/Doug Team Bug (or is it Boug?). Any name suggestions should be commented on here!

Dachui: 10 pts
1. Chase (5 pts) - #2 overall pick
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)] - #11 overall pick
3. Fabio (5 pts) - #15 overall pick


Courtney: 10 pts
1. Jane (0 pts) - #3 overall pick
2. Benry (5 pts) - #10 overall pick
3. Kelly B. (5 pts) - #16 overall pick

Me: 10 pts
1. Brenda (5 pts) - #5 overall pick
2. Alina (5 pts) - #8 overall pick
3. Holly (0 pts) - #19 overall pick

Moon: 5 pts
1. Jill (0 pts) - #1 overall pick
2. Dan (0 pts) - #12 overall pick
3. NaOnka (5 pts) - #17 overall pick

Bri/Doug: 5 pts
1. Marty (0 pts) - #4 overall pick
2. Kelly S. (aka Purple Kelly, aka Kelly-two-legs) (5 pts) - #9 overall pick
3. Yve (0 pts) - #13 overall pick

Bag: 5 pts
1. Sash (5 pts) - #6 overall pick
2. Tyrone (0 pts) - #7 overall pick
3. Jimmy T. (0 pts) - #14 overall pick


ANALYSIS (in order of strength of teams):

I think it’s too soon to make any real decisions at this point, but I’m going to anyways. I think in this season the winner is going to end up being the person with the best dregs, dregs who will actually win them points instead of being a sinkhole where all their points disappear. That being said, here’s my “who has the least horrible dregs” list:

Bri/Doug – I think Marty’s is the favorite to win right now, since he’s smart & has an immunity idol. His obsession with eliminating Jimmy J. makes me question his sanity a little, but for now I’m still on board. Kelly S. and Yve are both solid dregs. I think they’re low-key enough to potentially both make the jury, bringing in crucial points along the way.


Courtney – Jane is a definite dark horse to win the game. This lady is tough. It worries me that she doesn’t seem to have any interest in alliances, but she’s way off-radar for now. Having two youngling dregs will help a lot to bring Courtney points in the short-term, in my mind giving her enough of a boost for Jane to lay low for now, and then ultimately bringing in big points with a Top 3 finish.


Me – My top pick of Brenda was a solid choice. My dregs are questionable, seeing as how both of them are candidates for an early departure. However, after last night’s episode, there’s reason to hope. Maybe Alina will find the hidden immunity idol before the younglings lose again. Maybe the old folks will forget that Holly is jumping off the deep end.


Moon – Moon had first pick and took Jill, an awesome choice. Problem is, his dregs are terrible. Dan’s looking like an early exit, and NaOnka is insane. NaOnka is in a good alliance, but I see them turning against her pretty quickly. Which means that Moon needs her to produce a lot of points soon, or he’ll be relying only on Jill for them.


Bag – Bag’s first pick was Sash, who I haven’t been super impressed with. Tyrone and Jimmy T. are the least dreggish of our dregs, but they also hate each other and seem determined to ultimately take each other out.


Dachui – Dachui has one person who could go far, Chase, but he also is going to have a huge target on his back, since he’s the strongest person left. Fabio could bring in points, but I don’t see that guy finishing Top 3. They took a big hit by losing a player immediately, which is pretty hard to recover from.


THE Pet Peeve of the Week: That they even bothered to give the tribes names. No one calls them La Flor or… the other name. Jeff calls them Old Tribe and Young Tribe. If they were going to name the tribes anything, they should have called them Retirement Home and High School. Just roll with the theme CBS!

Survivor Nicaragua

Okay, after hearing from our teams, here's what we know for sure about the upcoming Survivor Pool:

- All past participants will play again: Dachui, Doug/Bri (who need some kind of merged name I think - Brug? Doubri? Duganna?), Courtney (no longer The Rookie), Bag, Moon, and Me.

- We're going to wait until 2 episodes in and have draft night when there are 18 players left.

- General group consensus is that the Medallion of Power is both confusing, ambiguously described, and named lamely

- We're going to do the first two rounds of draft picks as always (draw numbers out of a hat, pick in that order for the first round and then reverse order for the 2nd round).


- For the 3rd round we're still considering the auction as an option. However, with some contestants being out of state, and for various other reasons, if this is done it will be in a weird silent-auction format. Details coming soon...

- I've decided to get rid of the monitoring of comments. I didn't like that very much. So now people can comment as often and as much as they'd like. However, if anyone posts anything spoilerish, I will delete it as soon as I find it. And spoiler their blog right back. Whatever it is they're posting about, I'll find a way to ruin it.

- That's all I've got for now. Contestants can expect an email in the next week or so, blog fans may have to wait a little longer for another update :).

Survivor Season 21: Nicaragua

Just saw this article that reveals this season's cast: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Survivor-Nicaragua-Cast-1021618.aspx. It also mentions the format of the season, Young v. Old.

What I'm least excited about on this season is the "Medallion of Power." What it does sounds neat, but seriously, couldn't they have come up with something better than "Medallion of Power"?? It sounds like it came from a cartoon! The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers must have leant it to Probst or something.

Anyways, the good news is that the season premiers on Sept 15- just a month away!

The first Medallion of Power: http://marvel.com/universe/Medallion_of_Power

Probst's blog!

My wonderful sister just pointed out that Jeff Probst has a blog.... I mean, I guess pretty much everyone does. (I also just found out that my sister has a blog, hahaha!) Anyways, here his latest post: http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/05/18/jeff-probst-survivor-heroes-villains-finale/.

I'd love to hear feedback on what he says at the bottom about coming back for 2 more seasons. Do you think that means those are his final 2 seasons? Or do you think that's just how long his current contract is and he'll probably be back for more? I don't know about you, but I don't think I could watch Survivor if Probst wasn't the host. That man has really perfected hosting - I think he's great at everything he does... except wearing hats. But he does a good job of setting up the challenges, commentating throughout challenges, and crushing everyone at tribal council.

My overall pick for greatest survivor ever is still Parvati, but thinking about it now, Jeff Probst comes in second. :)

Survivor 20: Finale!

Mwahahahahaha, my evil plan worked! I've sucked you so deep into the world of Survivor that you had to follow me into my new blog so that you could see how the story ends. :)

Honestly, my old blog was a pain because I'd changed my email address and had to constantly switch between accounts to access the blog. But this was also a good time to switch blogs, because I learned some things this last season... things that meant that my blog needed to change. First and foremost, my #1 New Blog Rule is that this is a Spoiler-Free Blog. That means that I, as primary blogger, won't be doing any stupid Survivor Google searches in the middle of a season. It also means that I will approve any comments that are posted. That means no more Japanese spammers, and no more born-again Christians set on spoilering the end of the season. For you loyal fans out there, I will approve everything you comment as quickly as I can! (On a side note, how would our born-again Christian friend have liked it if someone had spoilered Jesus' resurrection? He's up there on the cross, everyone's sobbing, and then some slob eating Cheetos walks up and is like "Hey, it's no big deal. He'll be back in three days anyways. Pretty neat trick, huh?")

But on the more exciting news, and the reason you're all reading this in the first place: Survivor Season 20 Pool Results!!

FINAL Standings:

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 152 points
1. JT (40 pts)

2. Tom (27 pts)

3. Parvati (85 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 123 points
1. Evil Russell (65 pts)
2. Stephenie (2 pts)
3. Sandra (56 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 82 points
1. Rupert (28 pts)
2. Randy (6 pts)
3. Jerri (48 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 82 points
1. Colby (30 pts)
2. Amanda (32 pts)
3. Courtney (20 pts)

"Douchey" Dachui: 74 points
1. Tyson (18 pts)

2. Boston Rob (26 pts)
3. Coach (30 pts)

"Moonwalkers" Moon: 56points
1. James (7 pts)
2. Cirie (7 pts)
3. Danielle (34 pts)
4. Candice (8 pts)

This marks the second season in a row where the poolist who won the season didn't have the winning player. This comes after a pretty big change in our point-ranking system 2 seasons ago - a system, I have a feeling, we'll revamp again in the fall. I think that the way we choose our players has proven to be pretty fair as well. Doug/Bri were the last to pick in the first round this season. In past seasons our winners have picked first (Bag w/ Russell), 2nd (Doug w/ Earl, me with JT), and sometimes the players who win us the most points even come from the 2nd and 3rd rounds (Parvati was a 2nd rounder, I think Todd from China was a 2nd or 3rd rounder, Natalie & Sandra were both 3rd rounders that won, although their poolists didn't). So it's good to know that one spot isn't better than any other.

Despite a valiant effort by our newest poolist, Courtney's team was held back by receiving the most negative points anyone has ever received before (this statement is based on 2 season's worth of data and an educated guess). She lost 31 points from her players sitting out challenges or "misplaying" immunity idols. And while at least 2 of those idol plays really weren't misplays, the penalties were still taken. On the other hand, Doug's team only lost 6 points for sitting out challenges. Dachui, a team that was jaded by lost points last season, only lost 2 this season. Bag's team lost 8 points, I lost 14 (thanks a lot Courtney), and Moon lost 21 points (but 15 of that was from buying Candice). Last season the average number of points lost throughout the season was 9.


Thoughts on the Season:

This was definitely my favorite season, and I think it's the best season in Survivor history - but that will always be something that can be debated. One of the reasons it's my favorite seasons is because it had the best and craftiest players in the game, all thrown into one big pot of chaos. Which brings us to the question I'm most interested in - who is the best player in Survivor history?

I think it's safe to say that Parvati and Sandra are the front-runners of this argument. Although there are many other fantastic players (Yul and Earl to name a few) it's hard to argue this when they haven't been on multiple seasons. So this really limits us to a select few players. People like Amanda and Russell obviously can't be included since they've never won even though they've made deep runs. And while people like JT and Tom have won before, they didn't do so well their second time around, so they aren't really being included either. If you think someone else's name should be thrown into the mix, though, please comment!

Parvati and Sandra both stated their cases pretty well during the reunion show. Sandra is 2 for 2 - she's won 100% of the time she's participated, and is the only player to win more than once. Parvati's argument about being more of a mastermind and puppeteer is more persuasive to me. I think she was right in that her association with Russell negatively impacted her chances with the jury. Despite what Crazy Candice says, Parvati was not the abused wife in the Russell/Parv marriage - but Russell was so pushy and annoying that no one could see all the subtle maneuvers Parvati was making. In the end, despite Sandra's better record, my opinion is that Parvati is the best player. She's made it to the finals twice in very different ways - once with a woman's alliance where she ran the show, and once in a volatile underdog alliance that she had to work hard to keep reined in.

Evil Russell may have been obnoxious at the reunion show - actually both reunion shows - but he was also very revealing about why he keeps making it to the finals and then failing. Both times to women he considered weak coattail-riders, I might add. (My early prediction was that this would happen, but that it would be Danielle who "stole" victory from him.) Both times he played the game more vindictively than anyone else who's ever been on the show. And both times he expected all the people he backstabbed to not take it personally and let him win based on their impartial judgement of his strategy. Which makes it perfectly clear that Evil Russell doesn't understand the game at all. What Boston Rob said about him was great - that he doesn't play to win. Because really, I think he plays just to crush souls and manipulate people for the hell of it. Or, as Jeff put it, he's playing to win, but he's playing a game with different rules. I hope they do make a spin-off show "Russell Hantz Chooses Who Wins Survivor." It would be like Phil Hellmuth hosting the WSOP events. "Man, I can't believe that even dumber blonde girl (idiot from northern Europe) is trying to make that move... these players are so terrible." Every episode would end the same. Russell (Phil) would sigh and say, "None of these guys would have a chance to win if I was playing right now." It could be like their slogan, like Trump's "You're Fired."


Early Season Predictions:

I just looked back on my draft blog post to check out some of my predictions and power rankings for the season. Some things I predicted well, like that B2B had the best team. Some things I predicted not-so-well, like that the All Blacks a.k.a. Moonwalkers were the 2nd best team. One of the things I'm most proud of though was this comment: "It's my opinion that the women this season are going to crush, and Sandra is definitely a threat when it comes to strategy." Which leads right into my next point...

It's awesome that the "who is the best survivor" question comes down to two women. In the reunion, Probst mentioned that 11 men and 9 women have won over these 20 seasons, but what he didn't mention is that in the three all-stars seasons, the winners were all women. And it's not like the men even really had a chance - out of those 3 all-star finales, only 2 men even made it to the final tribal council. Amber, Boston Rob, Amanda, Parvati, Parvati, Russell, and Sandra made those finals. But out of 24 votes, only 3 went to men. Go ladies!

Final "Power Rankings":

1. B2B - Doug & Bri went after players who'd proven that they knew how to win, and it paid off big time. Their "worst" player Tom still earned 27 points, while the overall average for a player earning points was 30 points. (569 points were earned this season, divided by 19 players.) They had a few scary moments, since Parvati's name kept being brought up since everyone knew how dangerous she was. However, even before the finale episode B2B had it all but locked up to win. If Bag or I had a chance, Parv would've had to finish out of the top 3 and Colby/Jerri would've had to win both immunity challenges and be sole survivor. Courtney would've had to have either Russell or Sandra win both immunity challenges and finish 1 & 2 to win.

2. New Rook - Courtney also picked people who knew how to win. I think ultimately, the reason she didn't win, was because she had 2 great players, but 1 bust. Sometimes we can get away with that in this pool, but when B2B has a loaded team, everyone else needs to come in with as much firepower as possible. Stephanie getting voted out early really hurt. Had she picked a more solid 2nd rounder she may have won in her rookie season. Had she chosen to buy Candice as soon as Stephenie was gone her score would have been 142, still shy of B2B, but pretty close!

3. Gorbag - Bag and I had the same problem this season - we picked solid players, but none of them had enough determination to go all the way. Bag also picked Randy in the 2nd round, which is unforgivable. Jerri and Rupert both seemed to have good instincts, but they never really acted on them until it was too late.

4. Bridesmaids - Choosing 3 people who'd made it to the finals but hadn't won seemed like a good idea at first. But there was a reason that these players didn't win - none of them are closers. Amanda freely admitted it during the reunion, but her actions told us this long before her mouth did. If Parvati was in her spot when she and Danielle were wrestling for the hidden immunity idol clue, no way would Parv have let go until she'd read the clue. And Colby, another non-closer, just lay on that bed and basically told Amanda to give it up. That moment in the season really summarized my team this season. They knew what they had to do to win, but for some reason, they just didn't.

5. Dachui - I really liked Dachui's strategy this season. They put all their eggs in one basket, and started off on a tear, leading the scoreboard until Tyson's unfortunate mistake. If Tyson had just stuck to Boston Rob's plan and voted the way he'd been told, I think Dachui would have won this season and not B2B. That, and Candice proving her cowardice again by caving to Evil Russell's pressure, were the two major swings in this game.

6. Moonwalkers - Moon's team wins the Most Disappointing award. Not because his picks were bad, but because they ended up all being huge underachievers. Okay, I didn't expect much out of Danielle, so that was a pleasant surprise, but James and Cirie I really thought were going to go far. I think the problem was that they came in planning on doing the same things they'd done in past seasons, and that just wasn't good enough this time around. And Candice... while she ended up being a good buy points-wise, is definitely my most-hated Survivor contestant ever. She's a physical threat, but she's a paranoid coward who would rather switch alliances than work on the one she's in. (Other most-hateds include Sue Hawk, Ghandia, Brian the used-car salesman, Jonny Fairplay, Sugar, Jonathan Penner, Twila the truck driver, and Denise the cafeteria lady.)


Next Season & Miscellaneous:

As announced at the reunion show, next season will be airing in the fall. They'll be filming in Nicaragua, which I really don't know much about. They mentioned something about a new rule, or change in the game, but didn't get into details. I also didn't hear them mention how many contestants will be on the show - something that is vital to this pool! If you did (I easily could have missed it) let me know. In any case, I think this season will be very hard-pressed to live up to this past season.

Just read on Wikipedia that Yau-Man was asked to return for the Heroes v. Villains season, but he turned it down. So sad! Corinne Kaplan from Gabon was also invited back but declined - but I don't remember who she was, so I don't really care.

Honestly, I have more to say, but I've gone on so long already that I think I'll have to leave it for now!