Cambodia: Finale!

Season finale! The episode started with 6 castaways left, 50% of which were Contrarian Ninjas. 

The first tribal council went almost exactly as Ben predicted. They went into it with Spencer having immunity, Kimmi planning on voting with Keith & Wentworth, while believing she had her former alliance convinced to split votes. In the end he cover got blown, Wentworth & Jeremy both played idols, and "for the first time in Survivor history" none of the votes that were cast counted! In the re-vote there was a 3-3 split for Tasha v. Kimmi. And at that point Keith should have realized that he needed to switch votes, but... well, it's Keith, so of course he didn't. In the end, Kimmi ended up going home, it just took a little longer than it should have. 

This was a super interesting scenario, though it kind of felt like Probst was making the rules up as he went. In the end, the repercussions of Jeremy & Spencer's behavior in this & the 2nd-to-last tribal council may have played some small role in how the jury votes fell, but I doubt that it changed who won. 

Congrats to Jeremy & the Ghost Coaster for picking the winner. But bigger congrats to the Contrarian Ninja Stack! This solid team not only dominated this season, we also set the new points record. (And I can't help but imagine the 300+ score we would have had if the women had gone with the all-female alliance.) 

Speaking of all-women's alliances, I want to re-examine this some more. At first I thought it was weird that all women's alliances are suggested (or attempted) in probably over half of Survivor's seasons. Monica was the first one to suggest it this season, and then Kimmi made a valiant effort of making it happen late in the game. But why is this so appealing? And why don't men go with an "all men's alliance" as much as women do? I think that the explanation was sitting right in front of us at final tribal. While most of the jury started their questioning with "I don't know who I'm voting for, by vote is up for grabs" it clearly wasn't. Because they then proceeded to ignore Tasha throughout, or when they addressed her asked questions like "why were you Jeremy's lackey?" 

Tasha got no credit for playing an absolutely stellar game. (She also did a crap job of proving it in final tribal, but that's a different subject.) She started out in a solid alliance, then found herself at the bottom of the totem pole during the first tribal switcheroo when she ended up with Jeff, Savage, Peih Gee, Abi & Woo on the world's worst tribe. She not only turned things around for herself there, but she was actually one of the few people who was able to keep Abi in line. When the tribes were remixed & then merged, she quietly slid back into her original alliance & took on a leadership role. It was clear that keeping in her good graces was extremely important, if you pay attention to how folks like Stephen & Spencer acted around her. 

And yet, Jeremy is given all the credit for being the leader of his alliance, and Tasha is seen largely as a coattail rider by the end of the season. In my opinion, the problem comes down to gender bias. Most women on Survivor play a subtler social game than the men do. And while that can be extremely useful in keeping a target off their back during the show, it also means they're given little strategic credit at the end compared to the alpha male they inevitably wind up with at final tribal. Had Tasha gone to final tribal with Kimmi and Abi, SHE would have been the one getting all the strategic credit, there'd have been no competition. Why she didn't go that route, I'm not sure. But at the very least she should have seriously considered it & what going up against the likes of Jeremy & Spencer would have meant for her. 

This doesn't apply to all women. There have been plenty of strong women who have won Survivor - Parvati, Amber, Natalie the twinsie, Sophie, Sandra x 2, etc. But women who played more subtle social games like Julie from Yul's season, and Tasha from this season, are the ones who get screwed in these scenarios. 

On the other hand, it would have been interesting for Probst to have taken a poll at the reunion to see how the votes would have fallen if he's taken Wentworth instead of Spencer to the finals. Would it have cost him a million dollars? He certainly would have lost Ciera & Abi's votes, but I'm not sure who else. I guess Spencer, but that might have just been an idle threat he made during that tribal council. 

Overall this was an extremely exciting & fun season. One of the best in my book. Almost every episode was full of surprises. And not just for the castaways, but for the audience as well. I have no doubt next season will feel like a disappointment, even if it's a solid season. Newbies just aren't as good at the game as the pros we had on this & other returning castaway seasons. 


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 228 points

1. Tasha (44 pts)
2. Kelley (79 pts)
3. Stephen (36 pts)
4. Kimmi (38 pts)
5. Kass (31 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 187 points

1. Jeremy (124 pts)
2. Jeff (0 pts)
3. Monica (12 pts)
4. Kelly (20 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (31 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 160 points

1. Spencer (50 pts)
2. Joe (69 pts)
3. Shirin (-4 pts)
4. Terry (9 pts)
5. Ciera (36 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 83 points

1. Vytas (-5 pts)
2. Woo (8 pts)
3. Keith (54 pts)
4. Savage (29 pts)
5. Peih Gee (-3 pts)

Prop Bets:

Now that everything is set & done, let's recap the prop bets that were made a draft dinner. Moon came out as the clear loser after betting it all on Vytas. Ben did very well for himself & Bag ended up with the best record of 1-0. Props to Doug for winning the bets most akin to "the most interesting man in the world." 

People involved	Castaways Involved	Method of measurement	Stakes	And the winner is...
Moon v. Ben	Vytas v. Kass	More points	1 drink	Ben
Moon v. Ben	Vytas v. Kimmi	More points	dinner	Ben
Moon v. Ben	Vytas v. Stephen	More points	$20	Ben
Moon v. Ben	Vytas v. Tasha	More points	3% of next poker tourney	Ben
Moon v. Ben	Vytas v. Kelley	More points	$50 or less bottle	Ben
Doug v. Ben	Shirin v. Tasha	More points	6 pack of beer	Ben
Doug v. Ben	Shirin v. Tasha	Longevity	6 pack of beer	Ben
Doug v. Bag	Abi-Maria	0 and more points = Bag	1 drink	Bag
		Negative points = Doug	2 drinks
Doug v. Ben	Terry v. Savage	$15 bottle of wine	Longevity	Ben
Doug v. Melissa	Ciera v. Peih Gee	"After-dinner beverage"	Longevity	Doug
Doug v. Ben	Ciera v. Peih Gee	"After-dinner beverage"	Longevity	Doug

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack - This team was built on the assumption that obviously physical & strategic threats like Jeremy, Spencer, and Joe would be seen as big targets & get eliminated early in the game. That proved not to be true, but the foundation on which this team was based was still rock solid. I'm not sure how often an entire team has made the jury before, but it can't be more than 1-2 times tops. This was a group of solidly social & strategic players who flew under the radar on challenges, but still managed to rake in major points along the way. They were led by Wentworth, who was only outscored by Jeremy's clean sweep of the votes.

2. Ghost Coaster - On the opposite extreme, Bagdrea's team picked the winner of the season, but had such a lackluster back-up crew that they honestly got a little lucky that they even managed to come in 2nd. While I can't blame them for drafting Jeff (and Abi wasn't actually a choice, they got stuck with her), I think that they were the only people at the draft who thought there was any value in Kelly or Monica. Stronger 3rd & 4th round picks really could have swung it for this team. 

3. Survivor MacGyver - Doug & Bri's team was really quite impressive. Considering how long Spencer & Joe lasted in the game, looking back now it's hard to believe that they didn't win. But Terry's family crisis & Shirin's social ineptitude cost them in the end. 

4. Woofully Inadequate - And then we have this season's trophy makers. The overall #1 pick of Vytas was questioned from the start (mostly by Ben), and was quickly followed by a couple of picks of known strategically incompetent players. Picking either Woo or Keith (and especially Keith!) is fine. But you just can't have them both on your team. It's tough though, because they drafted first, and then didn't get to pick again until the end of the 2nd round, at which point most of the rock stars have been taken. This may have been the worst season to get the #1 overall pick actually. 

Douche of the Week:

Unsurprisingly, Abi-Maria took this one home. Overall this was a non-douchey season with the exception of Abi & sometimes Kass. If the next season is equally non-douchey I'm not sure this rule is worth keeping around. 

Cambodia: Episode 12

Gnight Abi! As is probably obvious from my last post, I didn't think they had the chops to get rid of her. I'm glad Tasha made that happen; this was a way better choice than voting out Keith. Really, neither of them have a chance of winning this season, but at least Keith is relatively harmless. Tasha was right that Abi could totally throw a wrench in the loop at any point.

Ben's guess at the "in 31 seasons this is the first time this has happened on Survivor" sound bite from next week's preview is that none of the votes will count. Which would mean Kelley & Jeremy were the targets & they both played their idols. I really hope this is true - that'd be a truly stellar episode!!


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 156 points

1. Tasha (24 pts)
2. Kelley (44 pts)
3. [Stephen (36 pts)]
4. Kimmi (21 pts)
5. [Kass (31 pts)]

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 134 points

1. Spencer (24 pts)
2. [Joe (69 pts)]
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. [Ciera (36 pts)]

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 96 points

1. Jeremy (38 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. [Kelly (20 pts)]
5. [Abi-Maria (20 pts)]

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 65 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (36 pts)
4. [Savage (29 pts)]
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack - CNS has 50% of the players still in the game. We are still looking good, though Spencer is definitely going to give us a sweat. It's too bad the all women's alliance didn't come to fruition, but we're still in good shape. Kelly is super scrappy being the underdog, Tasha is still showing her chops as a strategist in the game, and Kimmi is hanging around.

2. Survivor MacGyver - This season's editing has long been pointing towards a Spencer redemption plot line. It feels to me like this is his season to lose. I like Spencer & think he's been playing a solid game, I just hope he doesn't steal the victory away from the Ninjas! Overall he's proven to be scrappy, adaptable, social, and really well-spoken. He'd be tough to beat in final tribal. 

3. Ghost Coaster - Bagdrea is down to just Jeremy. Jeremy is still a huge threat to win this game, unfortunately the rest of their stable didn't produce enough to give them a chance to challenge for the pool championship.The poor drafting decision when they selected Monica will haunt them for a long time if Jeremy ends up winning this season.

4. Woofully Inadequate - Keith has absolutely no idea what's going on in this game. Not surprising, but maybe a bit disappointing. He is so likable, I just wish he had a little more cunning in him. MoonBee should start planning the next addition to the trophy.


Douche of the Week:

Whoever said "we" the most at the most obnoxious tribal council of the season. I think it was Spencer...

Cambodia: Episodes 10 & 11

With the holidays & travel time I didn't have time to write a blog about last week's mega-episode so there is a lot to cover! It's kind of fun this way, though, because we can see how the decisions made over the last week or so on the island have led to our current situation.

Quick episode 10 recap: Stephen, Jeremy & Spencer sided with the "witches coven" to take out Wiggles in the previous episode. Then everyone decided that Stephen was a huge threat because of his unknown advantage & tried to take him out. Jeremy saved him however, with a hidden idol donation. Then Joe doesn't win immunity for the first time ever - literally the first time that he's been at risk in the game! - and Stephen thinks his white whale is finally ready to be harpooned only to be blindsided/backstabbed by Spencer.

In episode 11, Spencer is talking about going his own way, but feels like he still needs to be cordial with Jeremy only to realize that Jeremy may be his only friend left in the game by the end of the episode. Kimmi proposes an all-women's alliance which seems like a great idea to all the ladies out there. All eyes are on Joe in the meantime as he loses another immunity challenge and Keith FINALLY gets the victory he has been working so hard for! Go Keith!! Perpetually underestimated and overlooked because of his age, Keith has long been the only contender against Joe, despite everyone talking about how Jeremy is a challenge beast. I'm so happy Keith finally beat him. Potentially the door is wide open now for a new player to dominate the challenges!

Even forewarned of an all-women's alliance, Spencer & Jeremy vote out Joe because, really, what else can they do? Joe must be eliminated & despite Spencer saying while he voted "this is a million dollar vote" the million dollar vote was already made when he decided to vote out Stephen. If Joe had gone last episode instead of Stephen, then I don't think Kimmi would have suggested the all-women's alliance & I seriously doubt that Tasha would waver in her alliance either.

There's no guarantee that the all-women's alliance will actually come to fruition, but if the women know what they are doing they should go with it. I don't think any of them would beat Spencer or Jeremy in a final tribal, although Tasha & Wentworth would probably beat Keith. They all improve their chances of winning by banding together.


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 155 points

1. Tasha (24 pts)
2. Kelley (43 pts)
3. [Stephen (36 pts)]
4. Kimmi (21 pts)
5. [Kass (31 pts)]

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 127 points

1. Spencer (17 pts)
2. [Joe (69 pts)]
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. [Ciera (36 pts)]

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 80 points

1. Jeremy (38 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. [Kelly (20 pts)]
5. Abi-Maria (10 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 61 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (32 pts)
4. [Savage (29 pts)]
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack -Tasha is playing a really shrewd game & Wentworth has been crushing it! Kimmi is finally showing her chops a little & breaking away from the Bayon alliance she's been loyal to for so long. Obviously the Ninjas are hoping for an all-women's alliance all the way to the end! Even if we don't get it though, I think Spencer would need to sweep the votes at final tribal for any other team to overtake us at this point.

2. Survivor MacGyver - Rough couple of episodes for Doug & Bri as they lose both Ciera & Joe. Ciera will not be missed & I think they did the right thing to eliminate her when they did. Still, with an all-women's alliance looming, it would have been really fun to watch her scheme away. Joe is obviously the huge loss. He was raking in points left & right and while I don't think he could have won the game, he could have put this team in close contention with the Ninjas had he stuck around another 1-2 episodes. I wish he'd been voted out one episode sooner though, because I found the scenes with him & his father awkward & uncomfortable. Given the choice, I'd rather not have seen that. 

3. Ghost Coaster - Is Abi a lock for final tribal at this point? It would be really hard to have lived with her for 30 days for the sole purpose of knowing you can beat her at final tribal, only to have her knocked out right beforehand. So devastating!! Jeremy, on the other hand, is totally worth rooting for. He's got a better chance than Spencer to make finals at this point because of his hidden immunity idol. Plus he has more ties & relationships with the remaining players in the game that might be able to squeak him through another episode or two.

4. Woofully Inadequate -Keith!! Seriously, Keith could make it to final tribal at this point just by winning all the challenges from here on out. I don't think anyone else out there is as competitive as he is, or enjoys challenges more. He's completely hopeless when it comes to the strategy side of things, so it's nice to see he has other strengths at least. I'll be cheering for him -- I can't imagine what his opening speech would be like at final tribal, but I know it would be one to remember.


Douche of the Week:

Cast your vote for both episodes! I'm voting for Abi twice: in episode 10 for calling Stephen "poopy pants" -- you're not 5 years old Abi, and that kind of situation on Survivor isn't funny, it's completely miserable & dangerous! In episode 11 for numerous reasons, none of which I can actually remember right now.

Cambodia: Episodes 8 & 9

The unpredictability of this season never stops!

I'll try & cover the last 2 episodes in this blog since I ran out of time to do a post worthy of the awesomeness of episode 8. Episode 8 was probably my favorite episode in a fantastic season. Before the episode started, Ben told me he expected this to be a fairly dull episode as it seemed inevitable that Ciera would be voted out. Oh how wrong he was! As the commenters noted, Wentworth's idol play was nothing short of brilliant, the majority alliance's decision not to split votes nothing short of foolish. This was easily the biggest misstep of the season, apart from Shirin & Spencer's early arrogance... or maybe even including that.

Seeing Savage go home was positively delightful for me. That guy's been rubbing me the wrong way this whole season. I'd had my fill of him when in this episode he was sitting in his hammock throne while everyone else sat in the dirt around him. I definitely got the impression that he was feeling comfortable in this game with his alliance & I'm oh-so-pleased he got punished for that.

My only real question about this episode is around Joe. Did he tip Wentworth off that they would be voting for her? If not, her instinct is spot-on. If so, I feel a little bad for him that he wasn't included in the new "voting block" in the next episode.

Which brings us to episode 9. Super interesting alliance shifts that happened here. I wasn't surprised that Stephen made a move to switch things up. I was surprised that he beat Spencer to the floating buoy though! I hope he uses his advantage well & that he doesn't sit on it too long & suffer the fate of Dan last season.

Kimmi calling Wentworth, Abi & Ciera the "witches coven" was pretty rich in my book & definitely gives Abi more credit than she deserves. (Although, I have to give Abi credit for making it this far - no way did I think that was possible!) Stephen has been looking to mix things up for a while & finally decided to take the plunge. I'm impressed that he was able to convince Jeremy that he was on the bottom of their alliance. That really didn't seem true to me, but my perception of the game is dictated by the producers, so I could be wrong. In any case, I love that Spencer, Stephen & Jeremy are a voting block. It's just such a great group to cheer for! And I'm really happy that Spencer brought in 2 allies when he sided with the witches - they are now evenly matched against each other should they end up being enemies again next episode.

This leaves Tasha, Kimmi, Joe & Keith on the outs... at least temporarily. There doesn't seem to be much unity between these folks, but that doesn't mean much right now. Being a swing vote could be a powerful position this season.

I suspect the one thing that would unite everyone is if Joe doesn't win immunity finally. It seems like sure thing he'd be voted out in that case.... but of course that means that someone will undoubtedly pitch it at the perfect time to blindside another player. Hopefully they actually vote Joe out though, I'm sick of that guy winning. Plus, he's just not at the strategic level of the other players, except probably Abi & Keith. I'd much rather see those guys go home before Jeremy, Spencer, Tasha, or Stephen.


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 118 points

1. Tasha (21 pts)
2. Kelley (28 pts)
3. Stephen (18 pts)
4. Kimmi (20 pts)
5. [Kass (31 pts)]

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 80 points

1. Spencer (9 pts)
2. Joe (45 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. Ciera (21 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 66 points

1. Jeremy (27 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. [Kelly (20 pts)]
5. Abi-Maria (7 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 54 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (25 pts)
4. [Savage (29 pts)]
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack - Our lead is still sizable, though MacGyver is closing the gap. Now that they are individual immunity challenges, the 6 points gained from winning that makes a huge difference. I love that Wentworth is still the game for us, and that Stephen is making some waves. I'm also definitely not counting Tasha out - she's been quiet lately, but I think this last vote will be a big wake-up call for her. Overall still a very solid team we have here.

2. Survivor MacGyver - Joe is simply crushing it when it comes to immunity challenges. He's not doing much else, but that's all Doug & Bri need from him right now. And while he's making up a big point deficit, Spencer seems to be maneuvering himself into a strong position for a deep run. Ciera is still in this thing too, and could be a good person to bring along to the finals since everyone seems to dislike her. Overall this team has a lot of potential.

3. Ghost Coaster - Jeremy is a beast, there's no denying it. With 2 idols in his pocket he needs to be truly blindsided to go home at this point. I hope he follows Wentworth's lead & doesn't share the info with anyone unless strictly necessary (e.g. to save someone in his core alliance). I'm wondering, though, if he'd get a lot of votes should he make it to the finals. He's looking impressive from where I sit, but from the jury he might not be seen as making enough/a lot of moves. There's still time for that to change, of course, but I think he could lose against Tasha, Stephen, Wentworth & Spencer should he stay the course he's on.

4. Woofully Inadequate - this team is clearly out of the running & very appropriately named. Still, we can all keep cheering for Keith! He has to be the biggest competitor in his age group in the history of Survivor -- he hasn't beaten Joe yet, but he's always right there behind him! And his entertainment value is fantastic - I hope he continues to go on rewards & live it up!


Douche of the Week:

Gonna go with Kass. Moon's right in that her flicking off the castaways at each tribal council really is douchey. Plus, there just aren't many douches this season!

Cambodia: Episode 8

No time for a blog, just a score update!

The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 114 points

1. Tasha (19 pts)
2. Kelley (28 pts)
3. Stephen (16 pts)
4. Kimmi (20 pts)
5. [Kass (31 pts)]

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 68 points

1. Spencer (7 pts)
2. Joe (37 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. Ciera (19 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 54 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (25 pts)
4. [Savage (29 pts)]
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 50 points

1. Jeremy (22 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. Kelly (8 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (8 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack

2. Survivor MacGyver

3. Ghost Coaster

4. Woofully Inadequate


Douche of the Week:

Savage.

Cambodia: Episode 7

Sorry for the late post but life happens. Not going to spend too much time on this one since the next episode is tomorrow. Point updates & power rankings below.

The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 101 points

1. Tasha (19 pts)
2. Kelley (17 pts)
3. Stephen (16 pts)
4. Kimmi (18 pts)
5. [Kass (31 pts)]

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 60 points

1. Spencer (7 pts)
2. Joe (29 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. Ciera (19 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 48 points

1. Jeremy (22 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. Kelly (6 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (8 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 41 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (23 pts)
4. Savage (18 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack: As our dreg, Kass far exceeded expectations. In the end she was her own worst enemy, which she acknowledged in her exit interview. Kelley is consistently finding herself on the wrong side of alliances, but is keeping cool about it & hasn't actually been seriously considered for a vote in a while which is good. Tasha got a little nasty this last episode, but hopefully she'll reign that back in & go back to being her savvy strategic self.

2. Survivor MacGyver: Spencer & Joe are now allies? It's hard to believe they both made it to the merge & appear to be safe! I would like to see more footage of the two of them interacting - it felt like watching a kindergarten teacher speaking to one of his/her students. Spencer is clearly the superior player of the game, though Joe will definitely be a huge physical threat. Ciera seems to think she knows what she's doing but in reality doesn't have a clue. Every move she's made lately has been the wrong one, starting with voting out Woo. I think she overreacted to Savage using her as the back-up person when they were targeting Spencer & that will ultimately be the cause of her demise.

3. Ghost Coaster: Jeremy is looking great right now, though in a season like this one that doesn't really mean much! Still, his alliance had a major victory in this last episode with getting rid of Kass, bringing Keith into the fold, etc. Kelly the Ghost is going to get farther than I ever expected too, which is nice for a team that has a big point gap to make up.

4. Woofully Inadequate: Savage is coming into this merge looking like a major player & decision-maker. Keith actually made a decision for the first time all season, so this was overall a great episode for Woofully Inadequate. Still, there's a huge point & player deficit here. We'll see if these elderly physical threats can earn a few challenge points coming up, otherwise this team is done.


Douche of the Week:

Moon for asking if he can blog about Bachelor for a living when he never posted about the finale!!! For shame, Moon!

On the show, I pick Ciera who really has made some poor decisions over the last couple of days. I'm hoping they'll vote her out next -- this is one of the few times I'm in agreement with Savage.

Cambodia: Episode 6

Logistics first! Terry voluntarily left the game, but it's not like he actually quit of his own volition (at least in my opinion). He also didn't technically medevac, though he did leave the show for medical reasons. I'm not sure how to score this one. Should get get -10 for quitting, -5 for medical evacuation, or 0 because we're all just such nice people & that was a really shitty way to go? My vote is for the -5 medevac -- everyone please vote on this & also DOW this week, most votes wins!

And now the show itself!

They dove straight into the middle-of-the-night Probst visit, so no built-up suspense or drama there. It really is a terrible way to leave the show, but there obviously was no other choice about it. I'm glad that they ended the episode with a "Terry's son is doing okay!" clip at least.

Next they switched up the tribes again - hurray! It'd be nice to see them stuck with this new dynamic for a couple of weeks, but I guess it will be short-lived with a merge on the horizon. Important lesson to all future Survivor contestants: if Probst ever asks how your team dynamic is, don't say that it's awesome! He will totally screw you over by switching up the tribes, just to be mean about it.

The reward challenge was uninteresting & seemed like an obvious attempt by the producers to get everyone all oiled up at an ideal time in their current weight loss program -- they're not yet emaciated, but they've lost most of their baby fat.

The scheming after the challenge was much more interesting. I loved that Ciera put her foot down about being the decoy -- there are not enough contestants who take something like that seriously! I mean really, the conversation of "we're going to tell him it's you just in case he has an idol" should be met with far more alarm than it usually is. I'm not sure that Kass made the right decision in teaming up with Ciera, Abi-Maria & Spencer... what a volitile group! However, as a fan I'm much happier having Spencer in the game over Woo.

Then we got to watch Stephen try to get his tribe to make the right decision in voting out Joe before the merge... and then have an embarrassingly emotional moment afterwards when his plan is rejected. I get why Jeremy doesn't want to vote Joe out yet, but at the same time he needs to trust in his consigliere & the alliance that he currently has. He's got a good thing going for him, he shouldn't risk it by assuming that all the brawny folks are all at the top of the chopping block if one of them goes.

At the same time, Woo - another physical threat in this game - got the boot. I don't think he was a threat at all, but Ciera wanted to target someone else & Abi-Maria was chomping at the bit to take her Brazilian vengeance out on him, so out he goes. Which got me reflecting on the fact that the Survivor contestants often do a lot of collateral damage to each other. Ciera's mad at Savage, so she takes it out on... Woo. This is pretty standard fare for the show. Makes you realize how dangerous politics are in the real world too!


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 92 points

1. Tasha (19 pts)
2. Kelley (17 pts)
3. Stephen (17 pts)
4. Kimmi (18 pts)
5. Kass (21 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 54 points

1. Spencer (7 pts)
2. Joe (23 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. Ciera (19 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 48 points

1. Jeremy (22 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. Kelly (6 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (8 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 41 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (23 pts)
4. Savage (18 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack: Our entire stable has made it to the merge, which is fairly remarkable. Considering how many players are left, I suspect that making the merge does not equal making the jury (which is when the positive points come into play) but we'll have to wait & see. With the upcoming merge, Chaos Kass rearing her head again, and Stephen getting overly emotional about strategy I'm not willing to say that anyone on this team is safe at the moment. However, we have a very comfortable lead, a 2 player advantage over everyone else, an immunity idol, and alliances all over the place so the outlook is quite positive for the contrarians.

2. Survivor MacGyver: Spencer & Joe both made the merge! By the skin of their teeth, to be sure, but it's game on now! Spencer could find his lack of strong alliances to be an advantage now & become a crucial swing vote. Joe I'm still fairly unimpressed by. He lacks the subtlety needed to be a good social gamer & strategist. We'll see how much his physical advantage will help him coming up, though, and his 5 person alliance is still probably the strongest one in the game. Ciera finally got a bit of air time, which was a nice change of pace for MacGyver as well. Losing Terry was devastating though. They were in line to enter the merge with 4 contestants, which is a really good spot. And Terry would have been out of the doghouse with the tribal switch & impending merge.

3. Ghost Coaster: I did not expect Kelly or Abi-Maria to make the merge, so kudos to the Coaster on that. It'll be interesting to see where they end up falling in the post-merge alliance world. Will Tasha try to bring Abi back into the fold, even though she just voted out Woo? Who on earth will Kelly ally herself with?

4. Woofully Inadequate: MoonBee is down to 2 players. Savage is getting good air time & Keith is actually tied with Joe as the biggest point-earner in the game so far. Still, having just 2 players left in this game will be a deficit that's extremely difficult to overcome.


Potential Alliances Post-Merge:

Here's a list of the 9 original Bayon who are still in the game: Jeremy, Joe, Ciera, Fishbach, Tasha, Kimmi, Kass, Keith, and Savage. That leaves Spencer, Abi-Maria, Kelley, and Kelly as the odd ducks out. HOWEVER, there is also the 5-strong Ta Keo (part deux) alliance of Joe, Kelley, Keith, Kass & Ciera.

That would seemingly put Spencer, Abi-Maria, and Kelly on the chopping block. Kelly I can see going pretty quickly... she doesn't have any real alliance and no one really wants to protect her. But Abi-Maria & Spencer both have some ties & short-term alliances that could result in them getting some protection from a potential original Bayon blitzkrieg.

At the same time, the idea of targeting the "golden boy" that is Joe is something that should go viral. If we've learned anything from this season it's that alliances can change as quickly as the weather, and I don't see an original Bayon alliance actually lasting for that long.

My hunch is that the 5-strong alliance will show their hand too early & it will result in a split between them, the Jeremy/Kimmi/Stephen alliance (who will likely bring in Savage & Tasha), leaving folks like Spencer & Abi-Maria playing the role of swing vote. If this is the case, would Spencer stick with his frienemy Kass, or go back to Jeremy, who potentially would be allied with Savage, a guy he's not currently a big fan of? I can see Abi sticking by Tasha, but she also could easily be lured away by anyone else who strokes her ego & gives her what she wants...

Douche of the Week:

 Jeremy for eating the pig brain on the way out of the immunity challenge. As Ben notes, if he really wanted the protein, he would have taken the whole thing with him. As it is, he just wanted to show off what a tough guy he was.

Cambodia: Episode 5

Ben's wish of getting to see a non-Angkor tribe group dynamic was rewarded! It's nice to see the other tribes in action, either working beautifully (i.e. Ta Keo) or fairly dysfunctionally (i.e. Bayon). It's a nice break from having to listen to Abi blather on. I think that the producers realized that her comparison of a knee tendon replacement being equal to Woo's mother's last-minute heart transplant was probably the most that any Survivor fan could take of her in one episode.


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 78 points

1. Tasha (16 pts)
2. Kelley (14 pts)
3. Stephen (14 pts)
4. Kimmi (15 pts)
5. Kass (19 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 47 points

1. Spencer (5 pts)
2. Joe (20 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. Terry (9 pts)
5. Ciera (17 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 41 points

1. Jeremy (19 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. Kelly (4 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (6 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 34 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. Woo (6 pts)
3. Keith (20 pts)
4. Savage (16 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack: Finally Stephen came out of an episode looking good! Sure he hit another team's target in the challenge, and yeah, he seemed to think it was funny rather than embarrassing. But apart from challenges, he showed solid loyalty & sound strategy in the pre-tribal council scenes. It looks like he's falling into the role we picked him for - being the consigliere to the strong leader that is Jeremy. Kimmi also came off looking pretty good, albeit a bit of a hothead. Overall, Contrarian Ninja Stack is an extremely well-balanced team --  they are all pulling their weight, and our dreg pick Kass is turning out to be our top-scorer!

2. Survivor MacGyver: Spencer's lot seems to have improved with the Monica vote-out & Joe's talking head where he said "I can't believe people want me in their alliance!" with boyish glee were both encouraging. Overall a good episode for the largely-Ta Keo team. However, next week's episode is potentially devastating. While it's not clear what's going to happen, my hunch is that a Ta Keo is about to be medevacked... and there's a 50% chance that this person & the -5 that comes with a medevac will be from Doug & Bri's team. Without any real strong indication of who it is (and believe me, Ben & I scoured the preview to try & get a clue!), I'm leaning towards an elder statesman being the one to go -- Keith or Terry. (The only person I feel like it's definitely NOT is Kass, based on her air time in the preview.)

3. Ghost Coaster: With back-to-back exits, this team is looking much the worse for wear. Jeremy is killing it, but his dreggy supporting cast is drying up & won't be able to bring in those much-needed bonus points that they can earn during team challenges. Still, Jeremy might be a front-runner to win the whole thing, so I'm not going to count Ghost Coaster out quite yet.

4. Woofully Inadequate: MoonBee is keeping the bottom spot in my rankings for now. I think that overall they have a stronger & more well-balanced team than the Coaster, but I don't think any of these three have a chance of winning. Or to put it in the terms of daily fantasy sports: higher floor, lower ceiling. If Keith is the one to go next episode, that'd be the nail in the coffin for this team.


Individual Power Rankings:

1. Jeremy - Seems to be in the most control, with the most people jockeying for position to be his BFF. Oh yeah, and a hidden idol of course! Potential future issues if he, Stephen & Kimmi assume that former Bayon will stay loyal into a merge & they don't adapt quickly enough.
   
2. Spencer - I think he's officially been brought into the Jeremy fold, is getting really good air time, and is proving to be a heartfelt & nimble player. Spencer is a beast whose only problem seems to be that his own self-image is more akin to Stephen than what's the reality.
   
3. Tasha - Continues to dominate her tribe & I'm really excited to see what she'll do when they merge. I think she may be the most adaptable/maneuverable player in the game right now.
   
4. Kass - Currently winning the Most Improved award in her shot at redemption, and as Moon noted: "She's also sharp enough to recognize potential finals threats (Jeremy, Spencer, Kelley) and oust them at the correct juncture."
   
5. Kelley - I have small concerns that she's resting on her laurels a little bit in this awesome paradise-like tribe, but this is probably just paranoia on my part. Overall playing a canny under-the-radar game with an idol no one knows about.
   
6. Stephen - Stephen leapt up the power rankings for me after this last episode. THIS is the Stephen I remember from JT's season. Obviously smart, & loves strategizing. I think he's an incomplete player in that he needs a buddy to bounce ideas off, play the leader, and execute the bold ideas that he thinks up. But if he can get over that & backstab essential people at the right moment, there's hope!
   
7. Keith - While still a challenge beast, Keith is clearly not up to snuff with the social game. I think his best bet in making it to the finals is if someone decides to bring him along because they don't think he'll win any votes due to his lack of strategic & social skills.
   
8. Woo - Woo's all-heart all-muscle style is one-of-a-kind this season. That could be enough to keep him out of the spotlight in a merge situation where the big strategic players get targeted instead. As Tasha says, he's a good foot soldier. That could get him far this season.
   
9. Joe - Nice guy & good at challenges. Obviously smarter than Woo, but I'm not sure he's the social or strategic genius that he thinks he is. Also not getting much air time at the moment, which is never a good thing.
   
10. Kimmi - She'll probably make the merge, but that temper could get the best of her in the end. I liked how quickly she turned on Monica & mixed up the vote. Some n00b players would let a comment like Monica's slide & then pay for it later. Kimmi made short work of the situation & then gloated her way through tribal council.
    
11. Savage - Savage is the kind of guy you want in your alliance because you know you'll be able to blindside him before he blindsides you. He's slightly off-putting but probably still a good person. However, his eye is not on the prize. He wants redemption, he doesn't want to win $1,000,000.
    
12. Ciera - Has anyone gotten less air time than Ciera? I think even Wiggles has gotten more! Hard to remember that she's on the show. Still, she'll almost certainly make the merge.
    
13. Terry - In the hot seat on Ta Keo, but he's craftier than the other bottom-dwellers, so he could find a way out of it.
    
14. Abi Maria - Has to be on the chopping block if Angkor loses another immunity challenge.
    
15. Kelly - Has to be on the chopping block if Bayon loses another immunity challenge.

Douche of the Week:

Abi is the obvious choice again, but I'm going to go with Savage instead for saying "he's in a better place now" when referring to Varner. Seriously dude?

Cambodia: Episode 4

The tribal switch appears to have served the primary purpose of dismantling the yellow tribe, and Ben & I were discussing whether or not they'll do another tribal switch-up soon (maybe back to 2 tribes?) to deal with the tribal disparity. Which would be super interesting as they are just seeming to come into their own on these new tribes.

The "hero challenge" for reward was a really interesting concept, as was each tribe's decision to play their old guy as the hero. Seems like the heroes really should have been Woo, Spencer & Joe. But I guess the old guys felt like they had something to prove & the young guys would rather conserve energy & not stick their necks out. In any case, I'd like to see both more reward challenges and more hero challenges.

This episode seemed to improve the lots of Kass, Stephen, Savage, and Woo the most. (Woo mostly by the simple fact that he didn't go home.) On the yellow tribe we got a bit more insight into why Peih Gee went home over Varner or Abi. At the same time, it's unclear why Tash & Savage are letting Abi call the shots at this point. At least they got her to vote out Varner. If they lose again, I'm keeping my fingers crossed they keep Woo & drop Abi. It'd be wonderful to not have to see or hear her on the show anymore!



The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 69 points

1. Tasha (12 pts)
2. Kelley (11 pts)
3. Stephen (15 pts)
4. Kimmi (15 pts)
5. Kass (16 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 41 points

1. Jeremy (20 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. Monica (14 pts)
4. Kelly (5 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (2 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 37 points

1. Spencer (5 pts)
2. Joe (16 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. Terry (6 pts)
5. Ciera (14 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 15 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. Woo (2 pts)
3. Keith (16 pts)
4. Savage (12 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack: Every week is just about the best episode possible for this team. Our point lead is slowly increasing. Now we have Jeremy wanting to take Stephen to the finals with him, thank goodness, so it even feels like our biggest wild card is suddenly safe. Tasha is leading the worst tribe in what seems like the right direction, and is miraculously controlling Abi... at least for now. Looks like Kelley & Kass might end up in a strong alliance after next week & Kimmi is going to get some air time. Will be interesting to see what happens there.

2. Survivor MacGyver: Obviously Spencer & Joe will always have big targets on their backs, especially as we get closer to the merge, but overall they seem to be in as safe as possible for now. I know I'm reading a lot into the "next time on... Survivor!" clip, but it seems like the green tribe is going to make a "final 5" alliance, which in my experience is the most solid alliance you can make. I'm assuming Terry is not a part of this alliance, but Joe & Ciera would be and that would be huge for both of them. So far Ciera has only distinguished herself by being the person who sits out the most, and getting a safety net around both of these players would be huge. Spencer's position is still a bit unclear, especially after that scene where Monica identified him as her next choice to go. However, Jeremy seems to like him & he's the one who seems to be in charge of that tribe for now, so I'm not going to worry too much yet.

3. Ghost Coaster: I'm suggesting a potential re-name of this team to "Jerry & the Dregs." Losing Varner was a massive blow to this tribe. He was an extremely savvy & dangerous player with the potential to go far... before he blew it. Jeremy is still looking strong & in control, but it's hard to find anything good to say about the rest of this team.

4. Woofully Inadequate: Moon's defense of Savage was completely unnecessary in last week's comments as the general consensus of "I just don't really like him" is nowhere close to a castaway bashing. This week's episode made him seem a bit more likable, but overall I'm getting the sense that there just isn't that much emotional depth to the man. Overall this team is looking a bit like Dorothy's companions in the Wizard of Oz: there's Woo "I wish I had a brain," Keith "I wish I had a sense of hearing," and Savage "I wish I had some depth." With that being said, one more episode might be enough to break Wooful out of the basement. It's now a close race between them & Ghost Coaster for the bottom spot despite the big point difference.


Douche of the Week:

 Abi again. It's getting to the point where it's hard not to vote for her. 

Cambodia: Episode 3

Tribal switch-up on the 3rd episode! My oh my, no one was expecting that. At first I thought this changed everything about the pool, but in reality it just highlighted who all the strong & adaptable players are, and who just isn't cutting it. Mostly our picks are spot-on with that, which again shows the strength of this pool. (If anyone else ever tries to join this pool, I think they'd find themselves woefully outmatched by this group of veterans.)

The exception to this is team MoonBee whose team was essentially sent to the slaughterhouse when 75% of it suddenly found themselves on the "build from scratch" tribe. It was terrible luck that both Abi & Peih Gee wound up there. Before they all opened their cute little wicker boxes, both were probably thinking "at least I won't have to live with that nut job anymore...."

I think the blue tribe ended up being slightly physically superior to the other tribes, but their confidence, overall happiness with their tribe, and apparent team unity are what is really going to make them tough to beat coming up. If the other tribes can come together and work as a team then challenges could become competitive. Somehow I don't see that happening... at least not for the yellow tribe!


The Teams:
Thank you Doug & Bri for submitting a team name. Bagdrea & MoonBee did not submit team names, so permanent names have been selected on their behalf :) 

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 55 points

1. Tasha (10 pts)
2. Kelley (8 pts)
3. Stephen (12 pts)
4. Kimmi (12 pts)
5. Kass (13 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 31 points

1. Jeremy (17 pts)
2. Jeff (0 pts)
3. Monica (12 pts)
4. Kelly (2 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (0 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 26 points

1. Spencer (2 pts)
2. Joe (13 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. Terry (3 pts)
5. Ciera (12 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 15 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. Woo (0 pts)
3. Keith (13 pts)
4. Savage (10 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Survivor MacGyver: Doug & Bri are suddenly looking golden. The tribal switch helped Spencer in a huge way, and with three players on the challenge-dominant team, they are looking to earn some massive points over the next few episodes. Terry is in the hot seat right now on his tribe, but I don't think he was wrong in feeling safe - their tribe is almost certainly going to finish 1st or 2nd for a while. Although maybe the producers will switch up the tribes again after a couple episodes - wouldn't that be fun!

2. Contrarian Ninja Stack: Contrary to popular belief, ninjas never wore black. They dressed as peasants and farmers... and always wore their buffs. :) The tribal switch-up gave us the most well-balanced team, which bodes well for us being able to maintain a lead in the points standing. However, it seems clear that Spencer is going to usurp Stephen's spot in his alliance, and I suspect we'll lose him in the next 1-3 episodes. Kimmi's not getting enough air time, but Kass, Kelley & Tasha are all still looking really strong. Love how Tash took control both after the challenge & at camp. She's looking like the strong player we remember!

3. Ghost Coaster: If Tasha & Savage really knew who they were working with, I think there's no way they would have voted out Peih Gee. Jeff & Abi are absolutely the riskier alliance, but they must not fully realize that yet. This worked out great for Bagdrea, though, who managed to dodge 2 bullets this episode. Jeff's meltdown at the challenge was exactly the sort of thing I was expecting from him, though I wasn't expecting him not to be punished for it! Bagdrea still has a full stable, but 2 of them are ghosts (Kelly & Monica), and the other 3 are mentally swingy so there's no chance this team can ever feel safe. Or, in Doug's words: "You must be this crazy to get airtime on this ride."

4.Woofully Inadequate: Terrible, terrible episode for Woofully Inadequate. They're down to 3 players, 2 of whom are on the worst tribe. Those team dynamics are so unstable that I can't even say that Savage is safe. If he sneezes wrong tomorrow he might suddenly be on the chopping block! Keith is still doing well, but 1 strong player is not going to be enough to win this season.

Douche of the Week:

 Abi!

Cambodia: Episode 2

As expected, the strategy, scheming, and ebb & flow of this season is nearly out of control. At the same time, though, people still get punished for scheming TOO much... there seems to be a fine line between scheming too much, and not scheming enough. Then there's a HUGE line & on the other side is Woo daydreaming in the jungle about his next ninja move.

Lesson #1 from this episode: even the tiniest mistake can send you home. Shirin's mistake was not tiny, but it seems like even a slight snub would have shaken things up anyway. Lesson #2: being on the bottom today doesn't mean you're going home tomorrow. That's what makes these all-star seasons great. The truly great players should be able to come back from even the direst situations. They just need to wait for the opportune moment.

The Teams:
Last chance to come up with your own name!!

 Michal & Ben - "The glass ceiling": 45 points

1. Tasha (10 pts)
2. Kelley (5 pts)
3. Stephen (10 pts)
4. Kimmi (10 pts)
5. Kass (10 pts)

Bagdrea - "Bagdrea is not going to win": 20 points

1. Jeremy (10 pts)
2. Jeff (0 pts)
3. Monica (10 pts)
4. Kelly (0 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (0 pts)

Doug & Bri - "After-dinner beverage": 15 points

1. Spencer (0 pts)
2. Joe (10 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. Terry (0 pts)
5. Ciera (9 pts)

MoonBee - "Sans smarmy lech": 15 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. Woo (0 pts)
3. Keith (5 pts)
4. Savage (5 pts)
5. Peih Gee (0 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. "The glass ceiling": Our ladies continue to play a solid game. Turns out Kimmi's pretty good at puzzles, Kass is good at showing restraint, and Kelley is well prepared to adjust to the changing flow of the game. Stephen continues to anti-impress, but I think this upcoming tribal mix-up could be a life saver for him. Hopefully he gets as far away from Savage as possible, that guy really seems to be gunning for him. Fingers crossed he also finds an idol clue soon too, I don't think anyone needs it as much as him!

2."Sans smarmy lech": Does anyone else dislike Savage? I don't know what it is about that guy, but I just cannot get on board. Sweet story about your wife, I guess, but it wasn't tugging at my heart strings. It felt more like a Nicholas Sparks book, and that is no compliment. I loved Woo in this episode though. He may be the dumbest guy out there, but he wasn't afraid to speak his mind & I really appreciated that. Keith didn't get much air time, but he was part of a crate-hauling group that kicked some ass. That old man is a physical threat & no one should forget it!! Peih Gee has found herself mired down in some drama, but hopefully this tribal mix-up will improve her situation. If she has the chance to lay low for a little while I think that'd be in her favor.

3. "After-dinner beverage": Doug & Bri were dealt a big blow this episode, but I also think they dodged a bullet. Spencer seems more capable of bouncing back from this kind of set-back than Shirin, so this was a lesser of two evils situation for them. So far, though, the Glass Ceiling seems to be spot-on in their pre-draft assessment that the strong, strategic guys would be early targets. With Spencer & Joe on this roster, they aren't out of the woods yet!

4. "Bagdrea is not going to win": I feel like no one else thinks this is the worst team anymore, but I still do & am going into detail to explain why. First, Jeff is definitely playing his ass off right now. I thought he was going to burn out after last episode, but instead I think he's actually just going to go insane & then scheme himself right off the show. And I am extremely annoyed at his "I just voted with New School to teach Old School a lesson." If there's any lesson to be learned from that, it's that both Old & New Schools should vote Jeff out! Betraying your would-be alliance by voting out said alliance should not be considered good game play. Second, Jeremy is riding an emotional roller coaster. Abi-Maria is its conductor, and neither of them are prepared to play a strong mental game. Missing your pregnant wife? That's sweet but too bad! You need to focus your energy on the game, not on what you're missing at home. Which leaves us with Monica & Kelly. Monica gets no air time, and Kelly's air time is still pretty much her trying hard & failing to get anywhere. Some of these folks may end up sticking around for a while, but I don't see any of them bringing in major points & definitely don't think any of them can win.

Douche of the Week:
Jeff for the douchey audacity to try and teach anyone a lesson.

Cambodia: Draft & Episode 1

Former Survivor castaways have returned... and so has the mighty Survivor Pool!

The seasons with returning castaways are always SO much more entertaining - their scheming & strategy is at just such a higher level than n00bs. So I have some pretty high expectations going into this season, and so far I have not been disappointed.

The season really kicked off with a classic Survivor Draft at Murphy's. Sadly, Bri, Bag, and Andrea had to miss it, but their presence was still felt through texting & class Bagdrea drafting gaffs.

Final stables are listed below, but overall I think it's safe to say that three of these teams are really solid. With so many stellar castaways in the competition, it was difficult to pick a bad team... especially with Bag doing such a good job to nabbing all those dreggy players early!

The draft concluded with an epic amount of prop betting, so much so that they have warranted their own page in the Survivor spreadsheet (linked to the right of this post). I'll comment about these bets in here occasionally, but feel free to check it out for the most comprehensive list of side bets! And don't let the bets stop now just because the draft is over -- it's a long season full of opportunities to wager some after dinner beverages. :)

Rule changes for the pool this season were minimal, and not worth mentioning. The big change in the show itself is that idols are now hidden WITHIN challenges rather than around camp. Which is awesome in so many ways, but best summarized by Doug: "having the audience know where it is really builds the anticipation." It definitely makes the challenges more exciting, suspenseful, and meaningful! My only concern is that they'll overdo it & the producers will end up putting too many idols into play. Hopefully not though.

The Teams:
Team names are temporary for now. Remember that you need to send me your official name via comments within the next two blog postings or you will be docked points AND be forced to keep your temp name!

 Michal & Ben - "The glass ceiling": 25 points

1. Tasha (5 pts)
2. Kelley (5 pts)
3. Stephen (5 pts)
4. Kimmi (5 pts)
5. Kass (5 pts)

Bagdrea - "Bagdrea is not going to win": 10 points

1. Jeremy (5 pts)
2. Jeff (0 pts)
3. Monica (5 pts)
4. Kelly (0 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (0 pts)

Doug & Bri - "After-dinner beverage": 10 points

1. Spencer (0 pts)
2. Joe (5 pts)
3. Shirin (0 pts)
4. Terry (0 pts)
5. Ciera (5 pts)

MoonBee - "Sans smarmy lech": 5 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. Woo (0 pts)
3. Keith (5 pts)
4. Savage (5 pts)
5. Peih Gee (0 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. "The glass ceiling": Despite Stephen's extremely unimpressive start to the season, this episode really could not have gone better for our team. We had 4 people on the winning tribe, and our other tribe member, Kelley found a hidden immunity idol in the first episode! Kelley is looking to be a beast this season, and I'm thinking she's an early favorite to go the distance this season. Kimmi, Tasha & Kass all laid low, but it's only one episode, you can't expect everyone to find an idol in the first episode. All of them seem to be in pretty stable positions right now though, which is great.

2. "After-dinner beverage": There is still a lot of concern about Joe being an early target for elimination, but apart from that this team is looking solid. Spencer is playing a great game so far, keeping all channels open socially, but also being a strong physical competitor. Shirin is super insightful, but potentially will still come off too strong for some people - that woman is a FAST talker! Terry & Ciera aren't really worth writing home about yet, but again, it's still very early.

3."Sans smarmy lech": Vytas was the #1 overall draft pick, the player with the most prop bets made about, and the first player voted out. It was both a stunning & absolutely delightful thing to watch him get voted out... so long as you weren't MoonBee. Still, despite losing Vytas, this team is really strong. I love Woo, Keith & Peih Gee. I am quite ambivalent about Savage, but he did exceed expectation in this episode, so I'll try to reserve my judgment. Will starting off with a slimmer team be too much of a deficit to overcome this season? With 5 players on each team, I don't think so.

4. "Bagdrea is not going to win": Jeremy is solid. Jeff is the biggest threat for either a quit or medevac situation this season & is definitely freaking himself out quite a bit - after just 1 episode! This guy is in desperate need of some Joe-ga. Drafting Monica in the third round is only eclipsed in terrible draft pick choices by when Bag drafted the infamous Drewche #1 overall a few seasons ago. Kelly had a pretty terrible 1st episode & definitely has a lot of learning to do if she thinks that building a shelter is going to help her stay in this game. And then there is Abi-Maria. I don't think much needs to be said about her, except that the bet Bag & Doug have about whether she will leave the show with negative or positive points is going to be an exciting one to follow!


Douche of the Week:
Gotta go with Vytas, the smarmy lech. Under no circumstances is asking a woman how her body is feeling not super creepy when you've only known the person for one day.

Episode 13 - Another one bites the dust

The last alliance has now officially imploded. Everyone is playing their own individual game now. Even with Mike still being a target. Carolyn and Dan both played the last "advantages" that were left. I'm guessing there are no more hidden immunity idols. Safety can only be found in immunity challenge wins.

With Dan out, Jennicide has to sit idly by and watch a potential pool winner pass them. There should be enough points for this to happen. Jury points alone are up to 16, 17, 18 (if a final 2), so LOAP and Maximillion, each with 2 players left, should pass Jennicide (as long as no negative points are applied). 

The 2-horse pool race most likely won't be close either. I can't see a situation that either Mike or Carolyn don't make the final. And either should win over any of the other 3. The only way Will and Sierra might earn challenge points is if someone else "shares" with them. Rodney's only points will most likely be DoW points. And Jacked for a Reason is too far behind for a lucky Rodney win to matter. 

A final race between Mike and Carolyn should be great to watch. I don't know who will pull it off and I hope they both make the final. I'd like to see their arguments to the jury. The pool winner seems much more clear. Quite the comeback for Maximillion with the 7th and 14th picks of the draft! 

      

The Teams and Points:
(Parentheses indicate order players were picked) 

AndBag: "Maximillion" - 83 points

1. [Max (2) - 3 pts] - out 3rd 
2. Carolyn (7) - 41 pts 
3. [Lindsey (10) - -1 pts] - out 2nd 
4. Mike (15) - 40 pts 

Michal & Ben: "Jennicide" - 109 points

1. [Shirin (4) - 30 pts] - out 9th 
2. [Jenn (5) - 41 pts] out 8th
3. [Joaquin (11) - 8 pts] out 4th 
4. [Dan (14) - 30 pts] out 11th

Moon & Melissa: "Livin' On A Prayer" - 83 points

1. [Joe (1) - 42 pts] out 7th
2. [Kelly (8) - 9 pts] out 5th 
3. Will (12) - 15 pts 
4. Sierra (13) - 17 pts

Doug & Bri: "Jacked for a Reason, Bro" - 65 points

1. [Tyler (3) - 37 pts] out 10th
2. [Hali (6) - 20 pts] out 6th 
3. Rodney (9) - 13 pts 
4. [Nina (16) - -5 pts] out 1st

Doug's Power Rankings:

This is the most clear the ranking has been the whole season.  

1. Maximillion 
2. Livin' On A Prayer 
3. Jennicide 
4. Jacked For A Reason

Douche of the Week:

Rodney again. He's still bitching about not getting

rewards instead of just trying to win a reward.