BBB: Episode 7

This season is certainly keeping the show exciting & the game close! One good or bad episode could sink a team or keep it afloat. 

Current Standings:

Sinkers and Floaters: 54 points

1. Sarah (19 points)

2. Morgan (13 points)

3. Tasha (4 points)

4. Spencer (18 points)

__: 32 points

1. LJ (13 points)

2. Trish (13 points)

3. Cliff (10 points)

4. Lindsey (-4 points)

WooBrr: 32 points

1. Woo (19 points)

2. Brice (0 points)

3. Alexis (2 points)

4. Jefra (11 points)

J'Tude: 22 points

1. Tony (6 points)

2. Kass (4 points)

3. Jeremiah (9 points)

4. J'Tia (3 points)

Power Rankings:

1. J'Tude - Thank goodness Tony didn't go home! Looking back now, it was seriously unlikely that he'd get voted out since Kass switching would have just made things even at the vote and no one want to draw rocks. At the time, though, i was really worried. Now, however, the alliances are divided 6-3 and the majority alliance will likely start talking about splitting their votes. This is when a Kass flip can be most effective and take out a huge threat. Long-term, would it be a good move? Only if she can sell the "I'm a free agent" line really well. 

2. __ - Ben noted that LJ isn't getting as much air time as one would expect from such a dominant player. Perhaps he's trying to lay low, but his level of TV time might be an indication that he lays too low to be able to save himself or make big moves when the time comes. Still, lots of potential on this team with Trish & LJ both proving to be influential when it comes to strategy. 

3. Sinkers & Floaters -  Leo jumped on my computer last night so that he could leave his opinion about this team: ΩΩΩ. Well said, Leo. AndBag got some much-needed point boosting from Spencer this last episode. They lost Morgan who was no point earner, but potentially could have been taken to the finals because of her uselessness, stupidity and terrible personality. More worrying is that Tasha is starting to be mentioned as a potential threat. Still, if Spencer plays it right, he could use his newfound idol to win AndBag some points & hold this team together. Sinkers have lost players, but gained potential this week.

4. WooBrr - Woo started this episode by seeming to be smart when he figured out that someone probably got a hidden idol clue at the reward challenge. Sadly he handled the discovery of the hidden idol clue with as much grace as Richey playing volleyball. Spencer's oversight of FORGETTING HIS PANTS somehow turned into "Woo stole my clue and threw my pants in the water." Woo should have been able to manage his PR much more effectively. 

DOW:

I just can't get over the fact that Spencer forgot both his pants & his idol clue. Especially coming from someone who should be one of the smartest guys left in the game, I am giving him my DOW vote this week. 

BBB: Episode 6

Thanks to Bag & Moon for guest-blogging while I was away! Apart from the necessity of needing guest bloggers I think it was a lot of fun to read other perspectives, get more graphics, etc etc, so if anyone else would like to guest blog, please let me know! I am happy to share.

Really great episode last night!! Lots of intrigue & plotting, lots of last-second vote switches, and plenty of attitude problems. This was actually a great example of why no one should EVER feel safe on this show. As soon as a group that was primarily in the minority becomes the majority they often think they can take a break from all the scheming & maneuvering. "We've got the numbers, nothing can stop us now!" is the death cry of many an alliance that seems incapable of remembering how they were able to have just taken out a majority alliance.

What made Boston Rob & his ilk so brilliant & impressive was their never-failing paranoia that someone on their tribe could be corrupted. They never for a moment took it easy, they always checked in with everyone constantly to make sure they felt that they were respected & an important part of the alliance as well as checking for any signs of cracking & changing sides.



Most impressive contestants so far:

• Trish - everyone underestimates her but she is the one making all the right moves & improving her situation. She's moved from bottom-dweller to one of the chief schemers in the game, with several of the remaining players owing her big-time.
• LJ - LJ is playing a brilliant game, which we all expected. He's humble & is doing a great job of appearing selfless while also crushing most challenges.
• Kass - gets props for staying alive & in power in this game despite her abrasive personality. Also demonstrates a great knack for flexibility in strategy that most people are incapable of.

Biggest disappointments:

• Sarah - seriously, woman you really should have known better. You might as well have fashioned a twig tiara for your head & a coconut bullseye for your back.
• Woo - it was noted last night that Woo and Hodor have a lot in common: they both seem to enjoy saying their own name more than anything else. His only win came with an asterisk since he got to wear those badass clingy shoes when everyone else went barefoot.

Current Standings:

__: 31 points
1. LJ (12 points)
2. Trish (13 points)
3. Cliff (10 points)
4. Lindsey (-4 points)

WooBrr: 31 points
1. Woo (19 points)
2. Brice (0 points)
3. Alexis (2 points)
4. Jefra (10 points)

Sinkers and Floaters: 31 points
1. Sarah (19 points)
2. Morgan (2 points)
3. Tasha (4 points)
4. Spencer (6 points)

J'Tude: 21 points
1. Tony (6 points)
2. Kass (4 points)
3. Jeremiah (8 points)
4. J'Tia (3 points)


Power Rankings:

1. J'Tude - My obvious bias towards this team makes me overrate myself a lot. Still, I think that this is the most dynamic team left -- 1 person getting voted out won't sink this ship. It helps that Tony will do whatever it takes to find immunity idols, Kass is such a dynamic player, and Jeremiah is so low on the power-rankings totem pole that no one's going to bother voting him out for a while.

2. __ - Moon & Melissa's team name was a bit too difficult to communicate, so I've changed it to an underscore, sorry Bag. __ has two very strong competitors left, but they are down to 2 players, both of whom have already been labeled as threats in this game. One wrong move & this team will be in dire straits.

3. Sinkers & Floaters - Wednesday's episode was devastating for Bag & Andrea. Their entire team got backstabbed in one fell swoop with the cherry on top being their best player getting voted out. It's still early, and anything can happen, but the Brain remnants need to get their act together quickly, shore up their defenses, and put together a plan of attack or they will all be in screwed.

4. WooBrr - But not as screwed as Doug & Bri! This team has nothing going for it unless they have a string of balance challenges in the queue for Woo to win using his parkour skills & cheater shoes. On the plus side they are now in the dominant alliance. On the downside that really means very little for your personal safety.


DoW:

Sarah.

Waaahwaahweeewah

BBB: Episode 5

Guest Blogger: Moon

Survivor: Cagayan is quietly turning into an intriguing season. Most of the weak/stupid/douchey castaways have been cast away, leaving delectable inner fruit for us to enjoy down the stretch. Tony is the straw that stirs this concoction, and his asinine "Final Five" exclamations drew a line in the sand between the two tribes - just in time for the merge.

The trailer for next week's merge episode unsurprisingly cast the "Final Five" against the "Zombies" or whatever you want to call the Brain-led, Beauty-bodied tribe, with former Brawn member Sarah as the fulcrum. You'd have to think those "Final Five" ejaculations would point Sarah towards the Zombies while dissuading the other Zombies from jumping ship. The writing may be on the wall for the "Final Five" already.

LJ is the only true player of the Five, the only one who might be able to save them, or at least save himself. He's played a brilliant game - steadily collecting prestige with the audience while somehow maintaining a low profile on the island. He's already worked his way out of a couple jams and has an idol in his back pocket. He inspires allegiance and is capable of winning an individual immunity or two if need be.

LJ is the favorite at this moment, but he's no guarantee to even make the jury. It's wide open. The odds of each castaway winning might look something like this:

LJ: 3-1

Spencer: 4-1
  - He was wise to hold it together during the darkest days of Brain's lobotomy, because now he's got as much power as anyone on the show.

Kass: 7-1
Tasha: 7-1
  - It's amusing how quickly Brains' cerebrum has gained control of this game - without any audacious moves. There's no reason these ladies can't make final three, but they'd be wise to jettison Spencer along the way in favor of a less savory character like Tony or Morgan.

Sarah: 9-1
  - Sarah finds herself without an alliance, but she's got the chops to win it if she can maneuver her way through the next couple votes.

Trish: 10-1
  - Trish is poised to make a deep run in this game but she's got a problem: people don't really seem to like her.

Jeremiah: 13-1
  - Tony orchestrated a randomly cold attack on Jeremiah, but give the Southerner credit for fighting through it. Jeremiah isn't stunningly athletic, charming or crafty, but he is a little of all of those things.

Woo: 17-1
  - Woo is who we thought he was - a point-generator without the social game to seriously threaten the winner's circle.

Morgan: 20-1
  - It's notable that Morgan survived longer than Alexis. Early on it looked like Morgan was standing on very thin ice, but she wasn't even considered in the last vote. She's now on firmer ground.

Tony: 25-1
  - Is there anyone Tony could beat at final tribal? Maybe

Jefra: 30-1
  - Jefra has yet to distinguish herself. She's not drawing dead, but will have to make explicit moves down the stretch to gain recognition from the jury.



Standings:

Boston Cougars: 36 points
  1. LJ (17 points)
  2. Trish (13 points)
  3. Cliff (10 points)
  4. Lindsey (-4 points)

J'Tude: 26 points
  1. Tony (11 points)
  2. Kass (4 points)
  3. Jeremiah (8 points)
  4. J'Tia (3 points)

WooBrr: 25 points
  1. Woo (13 points)
  2. Brice (0 points)
  3. Alexis (2 points)
  4. Jefra (10 points)

Sinkers and Floaters: 21 points
  1. Sarah (9 points)
  2. Morgan (2 points)
  3. Tasha (4 points)
  4. Spencer (6 points)


Power Rankings:

1. Sinkers and Floaters
Great episode for Sinkers and Floaters. Tasha and Spencer continued to gain power and stability, Morgan moved up in the pecking order, Sarah is going to be a player in the next episode, and Lindsey's exit anchors the Cougars within striking distance. 

2. Boston Cougars
Lindsey's unexpected departure was a crusher for the Cougs. Not only did we drop ten points, but we lost the implied value of her future challenge/coattail points. Before this episode it appeared as if we might have a shot at winning the pool without the Sole Survivor, but those dreams are dead. It's LJ or Bust for the Cougs.

3. J'Tude
Tony is a maniac. The man is too into the game. He needs to lay low for a few days and arrange his endgame alliances - if he even survives the merge. A vengeful Sarah may spell doom for him at the next Tribal.

4. WooBrr
Doubri is in trouble. If they haven't already, they need to temper their hopes for this season and get ready for the Bachelorette pool. The goal now is to avoid last place.

BBB: Episode 4

Guest Blogger: Bag

While Michal is in South Africa, I'll be blogging this episode and Moon will be blogging next week's.

First, some administrative business to take care of. Because Moon & Melissa failed to get their team name submitted in time, Michal gave me the excellent gift of choosing their name for them. While the possibilities would be endless if their team was poor, I found it hard to come up with a fitting name given that they drafted a good team and have a good shot to win. So, in order to hinder the legacy as much as I can, their team name is  . That is not a typo - their team name is the space character.

They will now join the ranks of other famous nameless entities, such as:

The Merge:
 
This week proved to be a big episode as the three tribes merged into two new tribes. The breakdown in relation to our pool was very interesting. Let's see who fared best in the minutes after the merge:

Orange: Aparri
Sarah (Brawn) (Sinkers and Floaters)
Spencer (Brains) (Sinkers and Floaters)
Morgan (Beauty) (Sinkers and Floaters)
Kass (Brains) (J'Tude)
Tasha (Brains) (Sinkers and Floaters)
Jeremiah (Beauty) (J'Tude)
Alexis (Beauty) (WooBrr)

Purple: Salana
Cliff (Brawn) ( )
LJ (Beauty) ( )
Tony (Brawn) (J'Tude)
Jefra (Beauty) (WooBrr)
Lindsey (Brawn) ( )
Woo (Brawn) (WooBrr)
Trish (Brawn) ( )

It was immediately clear that Sinkers and Floaters and   had all their eggs put in one basket. For Sinkers and Floaters, this could not have gone better. Beauty instantly started jumping ship on Aparri and if Sarah and/or Morgan can get picked up as allies for the Brains, Sinkers and Floaters has a great shot. If Brains pick up Jeremiah, J'Tude has hope. It will all depend on how their first tribal council goes down, but things are looking up for Sinkers and Floaters and/or J'Tude.

Things did not break as well for  . LJ got the shaft by drawing all of Brawn, less Sarah, and his only ally is Jefra. Despite having the idol, LJ will need to pull a move to stay in the game.

WooBrr was divided into the two new tribes as equally as you can divide three humans. Unfortunately, Woo is the only one in a majority group on the new tribes. The cold front is here to stay for WooBrr. 

Reward Challenge:
The challenge involved two people dragging an opposing team member holding on to a post for dear life across a line. Aparri jumped in front early after a tenacious performance from Tasha, but the brawn of Salana won out and the reward of breakfast pastries and beverages was theirs.

Immunity Challenge:
I was playing some CandyCrush during the challenge but I do recall a post they had to ram through a wall and then work through a maze. The first team to bang a gong won. You would think this would be a good challenge for Salana but Aparri came through with a team effort and won immunity, sending all of   to tribal and none of Sinkers and Floaters.

Tribal Council:
After a big back and forth, complete with CBS editing, the two possibilities to go home emerged as Cliff and LJ, both members of  . There was a clear choice of who everyone but   wished it was, but LJ did a brilliant job wooing the Boston cougar and was saved, did not have to play his idol, did not lose   any points, and has an equal alliance to the now fractured original Brawn. Cliff was ousted and became the first post-merge casualty.

Next week on, Survivor:
A line in the sand appears to be drawn between Lindsey and Trish. I am assuming that the Salana Six will be divided like so:
Salana A:
Lindsey
Tony
Woo

Salana B:
Trish
LJ
Jefra

Perhaps the idol will be played by LJ and a member of Salana A will go down, leaving   in a good spot with Trish and LJ working together.

If Aparri ends up going to tribal, it looks like the victim will be a dummy, as all the power seems to lie with Brains.

The Teams:

Moon & Melissa " ": 36 Points

1. LJ (12 Points)
2. Cliff (10 Points)
3. Trish (8 Points)
4. Lindsey (6 Points)

Bag & Andrea "Sinkers and Floaters": 25 Points

1. Sarah (9 Points)
2. Tasha (6 Points)
3. Spencer (6 Points)
4. Morgan (4 Points)

Michal & Ben "J'Tude": 23 Points

1. Jeremiah (8 Points)
2. Tony (6 Points)
3. Kass (6 Points)
4. J'Tia (3 Points)

Doug & Bri "WooBrr": 17 Points

1. Woo (8 Points)
2. Jefra (5 Points)
3. Alexis (4 Points)
4. Brice (0 Points) 

(I think the scoring is correct, but Michal will review it in case I messed it up.)

Power Rankings:

1.   - They lost Cliff and LJ was put in a dicey spot, but his chances greatly improved with his new ally Trish. LJ is smart and capable and he has the idol, but if LJ gets blind sided, this team will fall from grace. It was not a good episode for  .

2. Sinkers and Floaters - I think it is close between J'Tude and Sinkers but we have four people still and a couple more points. I also think the Spencer/Tasha/Kass alliance is very strong and we have two of the three members. If Sarah can join forces with Brains, I think we'd surpass   in the power rankings.

3. J'Tude - Things broke well for J'Tude but the dissension on Brawn is bad for Tony. If Brains take on Jeremiah,  and Tony stays in, J'Tude would be a contender. My problem with J'Tude is that I don't really see any winners of the game on this team.

4. WooBrr - Poor WooBrr. Nothing to write home about here. It's going to have to be a one Woo show and he just lost his big buddy Cliff. Maybe Jefra can ride LJ's coattails to some points but the temperature is dropping for WooBrr.

Douche of the Week:

My DoW is Woo for not participating at all in the reward challenge. I don't really think he's douchey, but WooBrr needs all the help they can get. 

BBB: Episode 3

I'm in South Africa & quite frankly just don't feel like taking the time to write up a whole blog post. Sorry guys. But thank you Moon & Bag for guest blogging the rest of the time that I'm away!

Quick thoughts: 

- I'm sad that the 3 tribes are going to get switched up now that Brains FINALLY dropped their worse-than-dead-weight, J'Tia. 

- It is way too early imo to be throwing challenges. Hopefully Cliff & Lindsey never find out about it because otherwise I think that Sarah is screwed. 

- Also, Tony is an idiot. Still. 

- I'm not sure I've seen anyone get hit in the nuts so often in such a short period of time as LJ in that reward challenge.

- Moon & Melissa have not sent me a team name in the time period allotted. As a result, I'm giving Bag the honor of naming their team in his guest blog next week! If you have any suggestions you'd like to send him, please include them with your DoW vote.
The Teams:

Moon & Melissa "INSERT BAG NAME HERE": 30 points

1. LJ (10 pts) 
2. Trish (8 pts) 
3. Cliff (8 pts) 
4. Lindsey (4 pts) 

Andrea & Bag "Sinkers & Floaters": 15 points

1. Sarah (6 pts) 
2. Morgan (3 pts) 
3. Tasha (3 pts) 
4. Spencer (3 pts) 

Michal & Ben "J'Tude": 15 points

1. Tony (4 pts) 
2. Kass (3 pts) 
3. Jeremiah (5 pts) 
4. J'Tia (3 pts) 

Doug & Bri "WooBrr": 10 point

1. Woo (6 pts) 
2. Brice (0 pts) 
3. Alexis (1 pts) 
4. Jefra (3 pts) 

Power Rankings:

1. Moon & Melissa - Everyone else's best chance of beating this team was for the Brawn tribe to stay as is and continue to try & throw challenges to get rid of Cliff & Lindsey. Not sure that's going to happen anymore, meaning this team is still dominant. 

2. J'Tude - We lost our albatross (and team namesake). This was 100% expected. Tony's position seems to be stabilizing through no help of his own, and Jeremiah may have worked his way out of a sticky situation by killing a chicken & being on a team that doesn't seem to think on a deeper level than the ground floor.

3. Sinkers & Floaters - I'm concerned about Sarah playing the game too hard this early. Maybe it'll work out, but right now she's showing the world she's a strong competitor, smart, and a schemer. You're playing your cards too early girl, slow down! 

4. WooBrr - I need to see Jefra survive another rainstorm before moving this tribe out of the doghouse. Quitters are a point killer, and she'd definitely on the watch list. 

Douche of the Week:


J'Tia for thinking she's normally cool-headed & only messed up once in challenges. While you were entertaining, you were terrible at this game, J'Tia. My only regret is that now you will return to your nuclear engineering job sooner which means that once again the world is a less safe place.

BBB: Draft & Episode 2

With another wonderfully entertaining season of Survivor starting, the pool recommences! The draft happened right before yesterday's episode, although the Moon & Melissa victory celebration & awarding of the trophy won't happen until this weekend.

Rules changes primarily only happened to adjust to the slightly different format of this season. This season there will be a post-merge hidden immunity idol that can be played AFTER the votes are read. Apparently this terrible idea was suggested by Tyler Perry through Twitter, so we're calling it the Tyler Perry Idol, or TPI. Finding the idol gives the player a +10 bonus, but if they get voted out with it still in their possession (a virtual impossibility, but we've seen dumber things happen on this show before) they'll be docked a whopping 15 points.

In addition we've added in a "comeback" rule that if, while there are 3 tribes, the last-place tribe going into the final stage of a challenge comes back to win, everyone who competed in the challenge gets a 1 point bonus.

The Teams:

Moon & Melissa "????": 18 points

1. LJ (5 pts) - Pick #2
2. Trish (5 pts) - Pick #7
3. Cliff (5 pts) - Pick #11
4. Lindsey (3 pts) - Pick #14

Andrea & Bag "????": 11 points

1. Sarah (5 pts) - Pick #1
2. Morgan (0 pts) - Pick #8
3. Tasha (3 pts) - Pick #12
4. Spencer (3 pts) - Pick #13

Michal & Ben "J'Tude": 9 points

1. Tony (3 pts) - Pick #4
2. Kass (3 pts) - Pick #5
3. Jeremiah (0 pts) - Pick #9
4. J'Tia (3 pts) - Pick #UltimateDreg

Doug & Bri "WooBrrr...": 1 point

1. Woo (5 pts) - Pick #3
2. Brice (0 pts) - Pick #6
3. Alexis (-2 pts) - Pick #10
4. Jefra (-2 pts) - Pick #15

Power Rankings:

1. Moon & Melissa - Moon & Melissa easily have the best starting team this season. LJ was the #1 or #2 pick for everyone, and immediately proved his worth by finding an idol without any clues. The rest of their team comes from the super-tribe of Brawn so they are in great shape to rake in a lot of points early while the rest of our teams tear each othe apart.

2. J'Tude - Despite having J'Tia forced upon our team, this team has a couple players who could make it all the way to Final Tribal. It's an iffy group though -- attitudes, low emotional intelligence, and general craziness all have the potential to drown this team early. Does Tony have any strategy beyond "I'm just going to lie to & backstab everyone"? Outlook does not look good so far...

3. Bag & Andrea - Bag and Andrea started with the fantastic pick of Sarah for their team & immediately followed that with three dreadful picks. Morgan being picked in the Top 10 was a bit absurd & then Andrea made the always-dangerous decision to let Bag take the lead on choosing their final 2 picks. While Tasha & Spencer might both be worthy picks in a different season, in season 28 they are on the most disfunctional team ever this early in the game. They should have diversified their portfolio.

4. Doug & Bri - Doug & Bri tend to start cold & end hot, but this has to be one of the worst starts they've ever head. They went Beauty-heavy & then instantly suffered the consequences. If the season is as rainy as this last episode was they're in very real danger of having a quitter on their team. One of their ladies is virtually guaranteed to sit out every upcoming challenge as well, dragging down the point-earning potential of Woo. Still, never count this team out - comeback is their middle name!

Douche of the Week:

Didn't you miss DoW in the off-season? I might have to integrate DoW nominations into other aspects of my life...

Anyway, my vote this episode goes to Tony who appears to have not just Evil Russell looks but Evil Russell strategies as well... just ones that aren't thought out at all.