Fans v. Faves II: Episode 6

This is a fun mix-up, at least for someone who has all members of Faves alliance. It seemed like everything broke out too neatly though, and Chateau Greenberg is highly suspicious of rigged egg-handing-out-ness. All the young & strong people on one tribe, both tribes breaking 4-3 in the Faves favor (haha), it's just too good to be real. 

The producers are going to have to think of something brilliant to get an even challenge out of these tribes now. The Buff Team is heavily favored for all physical challenges, puzzle challenges, and most likely any kind of intelligence/memory challenge as well. Maybe an endurance challenge would be a little more even...

Gotta love having Phillip on the show again. As it so happens, we actually have matching underwear, thanks to my sister! He's so entertaining, messing things up left & right and being completely oblivious to his effect on everyone around him. They've all gotten really good at pretending to look interested in what he has to say, even the n00bs picked it up pretty quickly.


The Specialist makes this look gooooood

Side Bets:

- Toothpaste: Pickett v. Bag -- Winner: Pickett
- Med-evac: Bag (Cochran) v. Moon (Shamar) -- Winner (so far): Moon!
- Odds on Malcolm hooking up with a fellow castaway - Pickett is taking -500 on him not hooking up with anyone


The Score:

Pickett "Jessum's Harem": 74 points
1. Brenda - 22 pts
2. Dawn - 15 pts
[3. Laura - 1 pt]
4. Corinne - 17 pts
5. Phillip - 19 pts

Moon "the Blindsiders": 64 points
1. Malcolm - 27 pts
2. Andrea - 20 pts
3. Michael - 6 pts
4. Sherri - 9 pts
[5. Francesca - 2 pts]

JeffCo Cartel "The Great White Hope": 52 points
1. Erik - 20 pts
2. Eddie - 9 pts
[3. Hope - 3 pts]
4. Cochran - 17 pts
[5. Allie - 3 pts]

Bag & Leah "Shamarn't": 43 points
1. Reynold - 11 pts
2. Julia - 6 pts
[3. Matt - 6 pts]
[4. Shamar - -2 pts]
[5. B. Hantz - 19 pts]


Power Rankings:

1. The Blindsiders - As predicted, Sherri & Michael are on shakier ground. But it doesn't seem like a big deal because Sherri looks to be the least targeted on a team that will rarely lose... a team that 75% of his ponies are on. I feel bad for Michael, though. He just lost his best buddy on the show & now is stuck with the Discrimatory Dominatrix.

2. Jessum's Harem - Ugh, my team went from all being on the winning tribe to now being all on the losing tribe. On the plus side, they're all pretty safe. On the down side, Moon has a huge opportunity to take over the points lead now. Let's hope the Harem manages to produce during this dry time anyway!

3. The Great White Hope - Doug & Bri should be chanting "Not last! Not last!" as their victory cry. This was definitely a good mix-up for them, with Eddie & Erik bringing in points on the Buff Team while Cochran controls the crazy folks on the other side. Everyone on this team has an opportunity to leverage themselves into a more powerful position now; the question is, will they?

4. Shamarn't - Out of the frying pan & into the fire for Bag & Leah. First it's a medevac, then a crazy-vac, and then the tribes get switched up in just such as way that the only names being discussed are from Shamarn't. New Orange is completely on to Reynold, so even their Golden Boy is in trouble now.


Douche of the Week:

I stand firm on Phillip. I think he keeps trying to "flip" people just so he can give out more Stealth R Us names.

Fans v. Faves II: Episode 5

What an intense episode! I guess Crazy #1 v. Crazy #2 was bound to happen sometime, I just didn't expect there to be quite so much fireworks. It was really fascinating watching the two talk to each other; Phillip's perspective on Brandon & Brandon's views of Phillip both seemed to be astonishingly accurate & realistic, considering their mental states. Apart from that they're both delusional, and crazy in their very own special way. 

I feel especially bad for the other contestants. They already have it bad enough out there with the starvation  & rain. Throw in the two psychopaths destroying morale & food supplies & it's a living nightmare. There isn't any escape from it either, they're pooping in your only home. 


Side Bets:

- Toothpaste: Pickett v. Bag -- Winner: Pickett
- Med-evac: Bag (Cochran) v. Moon (Shamar) -- Winner (so far): Moon!
- Odds on Malcolm hooking up with a fellow castaway - Pickett is taking -500 on him not hooking up with anyone


The Score:

Pickett "Jessum's Harem": 71 points
1. Brenda - 19 pts
2. Dawn - 15 pts
[3. Laura - 1 pt]
4. Corinne - 17 pts
5. Phillip - 19 pts

Moon "the Blindsiders": 55 points
1. Malcolm - 24 pts
2. Andrea - 17 pts
3. Michael - 6 pts
4. Sherri - 6 pts
[5. Francesca - 2 pts]

JeffCo Cartel "The Great White Hope": 46 points
1. Erik - 17 pts
2. Eddie - 6 pts
[3. Hope - 3 pts]
4. Cochran - 17 pts
[5. Allie - 3 pts]

Bag & Leah "Shamar Good, Shamarn't": 43 points
1. Reynold - 11 pts
2. Julia - 6 pts
3. Matt - 6 pts
[4. Shamar - -2 pts]
[5. B. Hantz - 19 pts]


Power Rankings:

1. The Blindsiders - If the tribes do get switched up, Sherri & Michael will be on shakier ground. Despite that, I'm still keeping Moon's team ranked #1 because he still has the smartest & most cunning group overall. It's a well-rounded team, too; losing any 1 player wouldn't knock him out of the competition.

2. Jessum's Harem - Looks like a little in-fighting is on the horizon amongst the Harem. I also hope Dawn recovers from this last episode; she & Andrea will probably take it the hardest. I'm sad that Brenda isn't a part of the majority alliance - I hope she can make a move before she gets targeted as a threat. 

3. Shamar Good, Shamarn't - Eeeeee! Well, despite having Brandon on their team, I think Bag & Leah came out of this episode better than they started. Reynold has an idol again, the fans won an immunity challenge, and having the tribe switch-up that the preview for next week hinted at next week has to be good for Shamarnt's MVP Reynold.

4. The Great White Hope - Still not a lot of good happening for this team. I do hope that Cochran sticks around for a while. His commentary is so amusing & insightful; I really like hearing his perspective. 



Douche of the Week:

I'm voting for Phillip on this one. Brandon was douchey, but mostly he was psychotic & mental. Phillip was douchey pretty much 100% of the time he was on screen.

Fans v. Faves II: Episode 4

Great episode! Not for some folks in the pool, but it was very entertaining for fans of the show in general. I really enjoy the competition between these two tribes in challenges. They're always close matches & I like the format of the challenges themselves (which is always the same, at least so far).

Did the fans make the right move in voting out Laura instead of Eddie this episode? There are arguments for both sides, but my personal opinion is that they should have stuck with Loyal Laura rather than Buff Eddie on this one. Reynold & Eddie are going to flip immediately if they're still around when there's a merge. Even if they don't flip, the rest of their tribe won't trust them not to anyways. The merge is still pretty far away though, so the short-term strategy also makes sense IF Reynold & Eddie are still at the bottom of the pecking order. If they target Sherri next, then they messed it up.

I'm excited to see if they actually start winning now! If they don't, then Sherri will prove her "we're not winning with them" point very nicely. Especially because, based on previews for next week that involve mini-Hantz, the fans have to be big favorites to win.


Side Bets:

- Toothpaste: Pickett v. Bag -- Winner: Pickett
- Med-evac: Bag (Cochran) v. Moon (Shamar) -- Winner (so far): Moon!
- Odds on Malcolm hooking up with a fellow castaway - Pickett is taking -500 on him not hooking up with anyone


The Score:

Pickett "Jessum's Harem": 65 points
1. Brenda - 17 pts
2. Dawn - 15 pts
[3. Laura - 1 pt]
4. Corinne - 15 pts
5. Phillip - 17 pts

Moon "the Blindsiders": 47 points
1. Malcolm - 22 pts
2. Andrea - 17 pts
3. Michael - 3 pts
4. Sherri - 3 pts
[5. Francesca - 2 pts]

JeffCo Cartel "The Great White Hope": 41 points
1. Erik - 17 pts
2. Eddie - 3 pts
[3. Hope - 3 pts]
4. Cochran - 15 pts
[5. Allie - 3 pts]

Bag & Leah "Shamar Good, Shamarn't": 24 points
1. Reynold - 3 pts
2. Julia - 3 pts
3. Matt - 3 pts
[4. Shamar - -2 pts]
5. B. Hantz - 12 pts


Power Rankings:

1. The Blindsiders - Sherri ran into a huge setback this episode & is probably the only person who ended up worse-off than Bag. I think that Laura & Shamar were the two she was planning on taking the final 3 with her. Which might have been her main problem; these are a dream 2 to take the finals, but it takes a LOT of work to get dregs like that to the finals. This is something faves should be planning, not fans. Still, I think this is more of an inconvenience than a game-ender for her.

2. Jessum's Harem - I lost my weakest player which I normally don't mind, but the dominance of the faves might end as a result of it, so this really could be the turning point in the game for me. Still, my remaining ladies are all physically & mentally tough, and Phillip is... well, Phillip.

3. Shamar Good, Shamarn't - Ouch! Worst possible episode for Bag, moreso than Leah because he likely also lost a bet this episode too. After all, there's a chance Cochran will still be medevacked. Previews for next week don't look like things are going to get any better for this team, either. On the plus side, they are still in better shape than Doug & Bri.

4. The Great White Hope - With Erik & Eddie both in the minority alliance & Cochran likely sitting out more challenges than any other player on the faves tribe, this team is still in dire straits.

Douche of the Week:

I almost gave my vote to B. Hantz based solely on the preview for next week. But instead, I'm giving it to Eddie. He probably scores really low on Emotional Intelligence tests, maybe plain old intelligence tests too. If he thinks the only reason Hope got voted out is because she's hot, he really has no idea what's going on. His bullying of Shamar also pisses me off.

Fans v. Faves II: Episode 3

Too bad I didn't take that bet Doug offered! Moon, where were the "reasonable terms"? The Fans held on to their alliance, but only barely. After that episode I wouldn't take Doug's bet - Shamar is not only difficult to live with, he's also an untrustworthy alliance member. While he doesn't really have anywhere else to turn anymore, what with his talking embargo against Eddie & Reynold, the rest of his alliance doesn't seem super logical & may take him out next anyway. I think this would be a mistake, because E&R are sure to switch over the faves side when there's a merge.

Other ways that the Fans are being stupid: they think they can "flush out the idol" by voting for people who don't have an idol. Not writing Reynold's name down was a HUGE mistake, no matter how helpful he is to them in challenges. If that alliance really knows what's good for them they will split their votes between E&R the next time they lose & then vote out R if they can. But I don't think this alliance actually knows what's good for them, so I don't actually see this happening.

Speaking of mistakes, how dumb was it for Andrea to talk to Brandon about eliminating Corinne so early!? You tell him your strategy & how to vote 30 minutes before tribal, not 5 days ahead of time. I expect that to come back & bite her later.

Side Bets:

- Toothpaste: Pickett v. Bag -- Winner: Pickett
- Med-evac: Bag (Cochran) v. Moon (Shamar) -- No results yet
- Odds on Malcolm hooking up with a fellow castaway - Pickett is taking -500 on him not hooking up with anyone


The Score:

Pickett "Jessum's Harem": 49 points
1. Brenda - 12 pts
2. Dawn - 12 pts
3. Laura - 1 pts
4. Corinne - 12 pts
5. Phillip - 12 pts

Moon "the Blindsiders": 37 points
1. Malcolm - 17 pts
2. Andrea - 12 pts
3. Michael - 3 pts
4. Sherri - 3 pts
[5. Francesca - 2 pts]

JeffCo Cartel "The Great White Hope": 33 points
1. Erik - 12 pts
2. Eddie - 3 pts
[3. Hope - 3 pts]
4. Cochran - 12 pts
[5. Allie - 3 pts]

Bag & Leah "Shamar Good, Shamarn't": 29 points
1. Reynold - 8 pts
2. Julia - 3 pts
3. Matt - 3 pts
4. Shamar - 3 pts
5. B. Hantz - 12 pts


Power Rankings:

1. The Blindsiders - Moon's team is still going strong. Despite Andrea's mis-step sharing strategy with Brandon, Malcolm's discovery of the immunity idol makes this team stronger. Although his buddying-up with Corinne is also problematic, but I don't see anyone turning against him soon. And if they do vote out Corinne then that negative attention should dissipate.

2. Jessum's Harem - Laura is depressingly weak in challenges, but she's on the right side of the alliance. I hope that she makes it to the merge because then she could go far! I don't really think she's going to make it that far, though, so what I'm really cheering for is for her to keep sucking so the rest of my team can rack up big points. :)

3. Shamar Good, Shamarn't - Reynold's got a huge target on his back, but there's a lot of things that can happen that would suddenly put in him great shape. Tribe switcheroo, merge, Laura panicking again.... He seems to be staying calm & is a smartie, so I'm not counting him out! Shamar & Brandon are Bag & Leah's biggest problem, that's just a little too much crazy for 1 team.

4. The Great White Hope - Taking casualties right & left, JeffCo is definitely in the worst shape among the teams. It's super early, but I already think they have no chance to win. 3 players v. 4 or 5 players is a huge defecit and I don't see how they can earn enough points in the long run to overcome this handicap.


Douche of the Week:

I've got to go with Shamar again! Can he really be douchier than Philip?

Fans v. Faves II: Episode 2

I'm excited that Allie was voted out because now I'll have a better chance of telling the blonde chicas apart on the Fans' tribe. I still hadn't figured it out who was who, but now I don't have to!

When we did the draft, JeffCo & I both watched the TV Guide "meet the cast" show to prep for our picks. Moon & Bag watched the videos on cbs.com. When we made our picks it seemed pretty clear that the two groups had different rankings of our own. I'm interested to see how this plays out, especially when it comes to Reynold. Moon & Bag liked him & thought he'd be really strategic, but JeffCo & I thought he was a huge skeez. So far I think we're both right. Only time will tell which preview ends up being more accurate!

Side Bets:

- Toothpaste: Pickett v. Bag -- Winner: Pickett
- Med-evac: Bag (Cochran) v. Moon (Shaar) -- No results yet
- Odds on Malcolm hooking up with a fellow castaway - Pickett is taking -500 on him not hooking up with anyone


The Score:

Pickett "Jessum's Harem": 29 points
1. Brenda - 7 pts
2. Dawn - 7 pts
3. Laura - 1 pts
4. Corinne - 7 pts
5. Phillip - 7 pts

Bag & Leah "Shamar Good, Shamarn't": 24 points
1. Reynold - 8 pts
2. Julia - 3 pts
3. Matt - 3 pts
4. Shamar - 3 pts
5. B. Hantz - 7 pts

JeffCo Cartel "Hopeless"*: 23 points
1. Erik - 7 pts
2. Eddie - 3 pts
3. Hope - 3 pts
4. Cochran - 7 pts
[5. Allie - 3 pts]

Moon "the Blindsiders"*: 22 points
1. Malcolm - 7 pts
2. Andrea - 7 pts
3. Michael - 3 pts
4. Sherri - 3 pts
[5. Francesca - 2 pts]

*Note: Moon & JeffCo's team names were assigned by Bag. If you want to change them, let me know this week, otherwise this will be permanent!

Power Rankings:

1. Moon - Moon has a virtual monopoly on the schemers this season. I'm especially impressed by Sherri's strategic play so far. I think Moon has a couple of players who are in it for the long haul. Now it's a question of if they can earn enough points along the way.

2. Jessum's Harem - I'm not sure that any of my players are set up for a deep run yet, but for now they all seem pretty secure. If I can keep all/most of my players while other teams start to drop off, the amount of points I could get would be huge! I do hope that Brenda will step up as a player in the game soon, though, she's been too quiet for my tastes.

3. Shamar Good, Shamarn't - Reynold finding the immunity idol was clutch for Bag & Leah, and despite the crazy folk & divisions among this team, I think they still have a solid shot at being contenders.

4. JeffCo Cartel - JeffCo might be in trouble early on this one. With Reynold holding an immunity idol, Eddie is an obvious target for the Fans' next tribal council, and being down 2 players this early in the season would be devastating. Doug & Bri needed the attractive alliance to pull something special off this week, but for a group of "uber fans" they clearly missed out on the whole strategizing part of the game. Just because someone is obnoxious doesn't mean everyone will vote them out - did they learn nothing from Philip??

Douche of the Week:

Philip starts off strong in the DoW category with an early win in Week 1. Depending on how long he lasts in the game, he'll probably always be a contender for this honor, too. I guess he's a "Specialist" in more ways than one!

My vote this week will go to Shamar. I get why he sleeps most of hte time, but he doesn't need to rub his laziness in everyone's faces. And he certainly doesn't need to be a douche about it.

Fans v. Faves II: Draft & Episode 1

The Survivor Pool is back with what appears to be one of our most entertaining seasons yet! Survivor brought back some zany returned castaways and some horny new contestants. The Survivor Pool has amped up a little too: we're adding a few side bets to the game and we now play not just for glory & a free dinner, but also a trophy!

Season 25: the Shredder Trophy

Side Bets:

Current side bets are as follows. Hopefully more will be added throughout the season!

- Pickett v. Bag: Do Survivor contestants get to use toothpaste? Answer: NO. Winner: Pickett!

- Bag v. Moon: Who is more likely to be med-evacked, Shamar (Moon) or Cochran (Bag)? No results yet.

- Odds on Malcolm hooking up with a fellow castaway - no takers yet - odds to be posted soon


The Rules:

There are no changes to the rules this season. For a full list of points, see the Survivor Spreadsheet to the right.


The Teams:

Bag & Leah: 14 points
1. Reynold (#4 pick) - 3 pts
2. Julia (#5 pick) - 3 pts
3. Matt (#12 pick) - 3 pts
4. Shamar (#13 pick) - 3 pts
5. B. Hantz (ultra dreg) - 2 pts

JeffCo Cartel: 13 points
1. Erik (#3 pick) - 2 pts
2. Eddie (#6 pick) - 3 pts
3. Hope (#11 pick) - 3 pts
4. Cochran (#14 pick) - 2 pts
5. Allie (#19 pick)

Moon: 12 points
1. Malcolm (#1 pick) - 2 pts
2. Andrea (#8 pick) - 2 pts
3. Michael (#9 pick) - 3 pts
4. Sherri (#16 pick) - 3 pts
5. Francesca (#17 pick) - 2 pts

Pickett "Jessum's Harem": 11 points
1. Brenda (#2 pick) - 2 pts
2. Dawn (#7 pick) - 2 pts
3. Laura (#10 pick) - 3 pts
4. Corinne (#15 pick) - 2 pts
5. Phillip (#18 pick) - 2 pts


Power Rankings:

It's too early to assign power rankings because there are so many unknowns out there. I think that all the teams are overall reall strong & I'm going to do an analysis rather than a ranking this week. Judgements to come starting next week!

Bag & Leah - Shamar & Reynold seem to be getting themselves into some trouble early, and any team with Brandon Hantz on it is living with a ticking time bomb. However, I think that Julia & Matt are very level headed players that could go far. There's a lot of muscle on this team too, so they could earn a lot of easy points in physical challenges if they stay in the game.

JeffCo Cartel - Though I laughed when they picked Erik first (and then laughed every time he was on screen during the show too), Erik does appear to be smarter than the last time he was on Survivor and could do well. Doug & Bri could be in trouble if the "attractive hook-up alliance" goes south, but if it doesn't then they could rack up some massive points quickly.

Moon - Moon's starting behind because he lost a player in the first episode, and Andrea might be in trouble in the future too. That being said, his other picks seem really solid. Michael is much craftier than I expected him to be, and I hope his alliance with Matt takes them far!

Jessum's Harem - With a fave-heavy team I need their tribe to win their fair share of challenges to have a chance in this pool. Hopefully experience pays off big this season. I couldn't resist picking Phillip again; he's my favorite player to hate, and he isn't disappointing us with his antics so far! Overall I'm pleased with my team. I think they are a solid group who should go far, but the real question is - will they win any points along the way?


Douche of the Week:

The douches are back and so is your chance to vote!

I'm voting for Reynold this week. His "we're in a secret alliance so I'm going to be mean to you around camp" spiel combined with hooking up with the chick he said he was going to be mean to really rubbed me the wrong way.

Philippines: and the winner is....

Moon!

No big surprise there, and sorry it took me so long to post the results. I actually have concerns about the long-term viability of this blog considering how delinquent I've been this season. But after hearing about NEXT season -- starting in mid-February, only 5 weeks away! -- I am going to blame the move & move forward with gusto into the next season.

No analysis for this season for now. Here are the results:

The Results:

Giant Bloody Brazilian Cola - Moon: 153 points
1. RC (21.5 pts)
2. Skupin (57.5 pts)
3. Jeff (21.5 pts)
4. Abi-Maria (52.5 pts)
 
Love Line: Old Balls & Tiaras - Doug/Bri: 134.5 points
1. Penner (41.5 pts)
2. Denise (64 pts)
3. Artis (23.5 pts)
4. Katie (5.5 pts)

The Clap - Bag/Leah: 114.5 points
1. Pete (27.5 pts)
2. Carter (39.5 pts)
3. Angie (0 pts)
4. Lisa (47.5 pts)


I'm on Dregs! - Michal: 51 points
1. Malcolm (52 pts)
2. Dana (-4.5 pts)
3. Dawson (3.5 pts)
4. Russell (0 pts)

Because my time is limited (my lunch break is already 1/2way gone from doing research) I'm going to dive right in to how freaking excited I am for next season! It's a Fans v. Favorites season that has 10 returnees who have all only participated in the show once before. There will also be 10 newbies pitted against each other in the greatest reality show ever. What's so exciting about this is who is rumored to return. For the full rumored list, you can check out this video:

If you don't want to bother watching the whole thing, though, here it is: PHILIP!!! That's right, Jessum Herring's grandson is back on the show. It's a dream come true! Others you may remember: Cochran, Brandon "I'm completely nuts" Hantz, and Malcolm from last season. Erik, the moron who gave away his idol on the last season of Fans v. Faves will be returning too. Summary: there are a lot of dumb returnees coming back & that should make this seriously entertaining!!

So, let me know your wild ideas for the rules & scoring for next season. Because season 26 is going to be bat-shit crazy I'm hoping for some unique twists to our own Survivor pool this season. Maybe a mandatory trade of players mid-way through the season? Each week we buy a new player instead of starting with a full set? Points awarded for players who leave early rather than last the longest?

CAN'T WAIT!!!