Survivor DG: Episode 3

Oof, a lot to unpack after this episode, but with a tribal mix-up coming up soon I'm not even sure it's worth it. So in honor of Eric I will share my thoughts via a list:

1. Bi's knee injury got more air time than I would have expected. I suspect this will get worse over the coming days & she'll be med-evacked from the show.
2. John definitely came across as a savvy player this week. I'm still not sold on him though. I need him to crush this tribal swap before I can give #Vytas too much respect
3. Hermit crab racing is the single-handed greatest way to entertain yourself in Survivor history.
4. Wtf Jeremy?? That dude's paranoia got the best of him. He seems like a really smart guy & then - boom! - calling a tribe meeting, attacking Natalie at tribal, and over-strategizing after telling everyone else not to do it. He brought about his own demise.
5. Speaking of, here are the Top 5 things you should never do on Survivor:
1. Sabotage your own team during a challenge
2. Feel like you are safe
3. Call a tribe meeting
4. Sabotage your own camp, e.g. burning all your food, hiding a machete, etc. 
5. Get cocky because you have an idol
6. And here's my Top 5 list of things you should definitely do to prepare for going on Survivor:
1. Know how to make fire
2. Know how to swim
3. Gain 15 pounds
4. Practice puzzles
5. Some kind of endurance practice, especially related to your arms (e.g. holding them above your head or out in front of you for hours at a time)
7. Kudos to Mike for trying to defend Jeremy but also knowing when to let go. #MVP of the episode right here
8. Overall I feel like the teams are pretty even, though I'm still going to give power rankings... because, well, it's fun to judge things. Some of the players who I think are top competitors are getting dragged down by stables with some lame ponies in them. I don't see anyone running away with this game quite yet. 

The Teams:

Bag & Andrea "My team is actually good" - 35 points

• Christian (5 pts)
• Dan (5 pts)
• Davie (10 pts)
• Alec (5 pts)
• Kara (5 pts)
• Elizabeth (5 pts)

Moon & Melissa "#Vytas" - 30 points

• John (5 pts)
• Gabby (5 pts)
• John (5 pts)
• Mike (5 pts)
• Mike (5 pts)
• Nick (5 pts)

Doug & Bri "Maybe I can't drive, but at least I can draft" - 30 points

• Christian (5 pts)
• Dan (5 pts)
• Alison (5 pts)
• Bi (5 pts)
• Bi (5 pts)
• Elizabeth (5 pts)

Michal & Ben "Get Out" - 29 points

• Natalia (4 pts)
• Davie (10 pts)
• Angelina (4 pts)
• Carl (5 pts)
• [Jeremy (1 pt)]
• Carl (5 pts)

Eric "I have no idea what I'm doing" - 19 points

• Natalia (4 pts)
• Gabby (5 pts)
• [Jessica (-5 pts)]
• Kara (5 pts)
• Lyrsa (5 pts)
• Lyrsa (5 pts)

Phil "Missed the draft, but I bet he cooked something amazing" - 15 points

• Angelina (4 pts)
• Alec (5 pts)
• Alison (5 pts)
• [Jessica (-5 pts)]
• Nick (5 pts)
• [Jeremy (1 pt)]

Natalie "The Greatest Dreg This Game Has Ever Seen... Now Get Back to Work!" - 8 points

• Natalie (4 pts)
• Natalie (4 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. Bagdrea: Dan was surprisingly eloquent at tribal council. His love of "attractive & blonde" Kara may still be a massive problem, but I think there's more potential with him than his predecessor Cole ever had. Too bad that Jeremy's swan song included blowing his cover on the idol though. Otherwise this team is rock solid with the Alec + Davie + Christian combo. Alec is going to rake in points at challenges (until the merge when they'll likely boot him). There's some decent strategists on this tribe & no one's name is being mentioned as a target at this point, so things are looking pretty smooth over here.
2. Eric: Eric has Natalia, Gabby, and Kara who I think could all be major players in this game. Again, could they win enough challenges & find enough idols to net points along the way to outlasting everyone? I'm not sure. But call me a fan of this team despite the "Wrong Blonde" hiccup. 
3. Michal & Ben: Angelina was certainly a top performer this week, but hopefully she didn't stick her neck out too far too early in the game. The women's alliance + MANipulation seems to be going pretty well for NatAngKara. I hope they can keep things going during the swap. Carl's a pretty big problem though. Someone crying at the start of the episode because they miss home only nine days in does not bode well.
4. Moon & Melissa: Mike's MVP status helps MoonBee continue their crawl up the rankings. Bad luck that everyone's throwing hate towards Gabby, though I have a feeling she'll make it through. The Nerd Love Story that the producers are hyping this season is actually kind of amazing. I will never forget the "do you want to play with me?" "What? Oh, like in the sand?" interaction. That might be one of the best ever.
5.  Doug & Bri: I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't think Bi is lasting much longer and it's -5 or -10 x2 if she gets med-evacked or quits. If Dan continues to overperform then they could potentially overcome that, but he's also a bit of a loose cannon when it comes to boom or bust potential.
6. Phil: Alas, Phil's time at the top was short-lived. I hope you enjoyed your brief moment in the limelight! 2 players down this early is pretty much a death knell in this game. Despite having 4 strong players left, I think it's going to be all but impossible to make a comeback now.

DoW:

Jeremy

Survivor DG: Episode 2

Game on! I'm a little short on time today so here's my notes on the players' performance last night:

Impressed by:

• Davie - well done sir, thanks for nabbing that immunity idol while embracing your "provider" role
• Gabby - for being assertive in your game play, which I was worried about
• Alec - more than just a bro, perhaps?
• Jeremy - he was getting into it this episode, trying to build relationships, etc. Keep it up!

Not impressed by:

• Bi - she met my expectations in game play, though I'd hoped she'd be a little stronger in challenges
• Dan - might be even dumber than I'd thought
• Christian - I know it seems like he's in the driver's seat but I'm just not sure he's got the proper motivation right now. I think he's delighted by the prospects of game play, but I'm not seeing the determination to win a million dollars that is often necessary to back-stab your besties to get there. 

The Teams:

Moon & Melissa "#Vytas" - 20 points

• John (5 pts)
• Gabby (0 pts)
• John (5 pts)
• Mike (5 pts)
• Mike (5 pts)
• Nick (0 pts)

Michal & Ben "Get Out" - 20 points

• Natalia (5 pts)
• Davie (5 pts)
• Angelina (5 pts)
• Carl (0 pts)
• Jeremy (5 pts)
• Carl (0 pts)

Bag & Andrea "My team is actually good" - 20 points

• Christian (0 pts)
• Dan (5 pts)
• Davie (5 pts)
• Alec (5 pts)
• Kara (5 pts)
• Elizabeth (0 pts)

Phil "Missed the draft, but I bet he cooked something amazing" - 15 points

• Angelina (5 pts)
• Alec (5 pts)
• Alison (5 pts)
• Jessica (-5 pts)
• Nick (0 pts)
• Jeremy (5 pts)

Doug & Bri "Maybe I can't drive, but at least I can draft" - 10 points

• Christian (0 pts)
• Dan (5 pts)
• Alison (5 pts)
• Bi (0 pts)
• Bi (0 pts)
• Elizabeth (0 pts)

Eric "I have no idea what I'm doing" - 5 points

• Natalia (5 pts)
• Gabby (0 pts)
• Jessica (-5 pts)
• Kara (5 pts)
• Lyrsa (0 pts)
• Lyrsa (0 pts)

Natalie "The Greatest Dreg This Game Has Ever Seen... Now Get Back to Work!" - 8 points

• Natalie (4 pts)
• Natalie (4 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. Phil: I'm going to rocket Phil's team up to first place after an impressive episode from Jeremy, what's looking like a decent alliance between Christian and Nick, and Alec seeming more substantial than I initially gave him credit for.
2. Bagdrea: Dan may end up being this team's downfall with the showmance double-down going on here. Collateral damage is very real in these circumstances, which is such a shame. But I still think this is a well-rounded team with a lot of potential.
3. Michal: Davie was great but he & Carl found themselves on the wrong end of the vote last episode & that could spell real trouble when you have 2 Carls.
    
4.  Doug & Bri: Really needed Bi to be more impressive than she was. This is a team that could really benefit from an early tribal mix-up.
   
5. Moon & Melissa: I still think John is a terrible pick, but Gabby & Mike over-performed so you're out of the doghouse!
   
   
6. Eric: Eric avoided near disaster with an early Lyrsa departure. But she could easily be the target next week too if the David Tribe continues to lose challenges & they don't switch up tribes anytime soon. Her argument that she won the first reward challenge is extremely flawed & her tribe is too smart to buy that for long.

DoW:

Natalie obv

Survivor DG: The Draft

Welcome to Survivor, season 37, David v. Goliath. I know we're only 1 episode in, but is anyone else already completely over the castaways on the David tribe being referred to as "Davids"? It's a little confusing, maybe a little sexist... I'm not 100% sure why it bothers be so much, but clearly it's enough of an issue that I'm leading off the blog with this opinion.

The pool this season will follow the same format as the last couple seasons w/ double drafts & 6 teams. We added a tribal fire-building rule to address the horrible truth that there will be a fire-building challenge when there are 4 players left each season. To which Eric responded "I'll be honest, this rule change isn't going to change my draft picks one iota  because I have no idea what I'm doing" and completely made my night.

This season looks to have a different director or editor as they are comfortable showing events in a non-chronological order. I love this! It's a much better change than when Top Chef decided to mix things but by showing people cooking in slo-mo. What was the point of that??

And while I think the "David v. Goliath" theme is one of the dumbest they've had, this seems to be a season of cannier castaways than we've had in the last few seasons. So call me cautiously optimistic about this season & hopefully some exciting game play!

The Teams:

Doug & Bri "Maybe I can't drive, but at least I can draft"

• Christian
• Dan
• Alison
• Bi
• Bi
• Elizabeth

Phil "Missed the draft, but I bet he cooked something amazing"

• Angelina
• Alec
• Alison
• Jessica
• Nick
• Jeremy

Eric "I have no idea what I'm doing"

• Natalia
• Gabby
• Jessica
• Kara
• Lyrsa
• Lyrsa

Moon & Melissa "#Vytas"

• John
• Gabby
• John
• Mike
• Mike
• Nick

Michal & Ben "Get Out"

• Natalia
• Davie
• Angelina
• Carl
• Jeremy
• Carl

Bag & Andrea "My team is actually good"

• Christian
• Dan
• Davie
• Alec
• Kara
• Elizabeth

Natalie "The Greatest Dreg This Game Has Ever Seen... Now Get Back to Work!"

• Natalie
• Natalie

Player Rankings:

I'm not confident enough to give a power ranking, but I will share early thoughts on this season's castaways:

• Alec: Eric said "Davie is like what's her name from two seasons ago.  He's not really even on the show." Which is both brilliantly said & also reflects my thoughts on Alec but not Davie this season. #Justanotherwhitebro #Bagdefinitelydraftedhim
• Alison: Reminds me of Chrissy from season 35 (which Ben won, but she came in 2nd or 3rd). Could be a challenge beast, also has potential to be crafty with the strategic play though we didn't see a lot of alliance-building from the Goliaths in this episode.
• Angelina: Reminds me so much of this actress from The Newsroom that I'm still unsure if I think she's a good pic or I was just thrown off by the familiarity of her face. Still, I loved that she knew the gender breakdown stats of who finds immunity idols. That's the sign of a harder-core fan than I am, and I gotta respect that.
• Bi: I like Bi a lot, but her experience with the show of Survivor is super lacking (based on reading her bio on CBS, which I pretty much never do, and may live to regret it this season). I think she'll be good at the social & challenge game, but I don't think she'll be a good strategist and will be outmaneuvered this season.
• Carl: Made his first alliance with a 19-year-old who reminded him of his daughter. I know he didn't do great at the challenge, but he was reaching out to the "underdogs" of his tribe, and I think he could go far through relationship-building.
• Christian: Cap'n Nerd Squad is a castaway stereotype we've seen before, but as discussed in the Greenberg household, we think he's more of a First Season Cochran rather than 2nd Season Cochran. He got a lot of air time early but he's on the underdog tribe looking to take a leadership role and that can be a dangerous position to be in when the inevitable tribal mix-up happens.
• Dan: is in for a world of hurt when he realizes that this isn't a show about finding love and talking about how hot he and/or his fellow castaways are. Also I really could have done without watching him pull an idol out of his undies. Still, props to Dan for finding the idol. Maybe he has more potential than I'm giving him credit for...
• Davie: I learned what "blerd" means from Davie, which is cool, as is catching an octopus. A potential provider for a tribe who can bond with the reigning Nerd Party on this island could have strong potential.
• Elizabeth: This friendly cowgirl hasn't given me any indication that she can get very far in this game & was understandably one of the last picks of the season.
• Gabby: First impression of Gabby is that she reminds me of Melissa, so I'm definitely cheering for her. I'm worried she might end up prioritizing loyalty over winning the game, though. Hopefully she can step up as a leader and build a resume while also building friendships. Also #Nerdlove?
• Jeremy: Someone else we know nearly nothing about, though I did love his "I'm only out looking for an idol because everyone else is, and damned if I'm going to build a shelter when no one else is" line. But that's not really enough info to be able to judge someone's potential on, so we'll have to wait & see with him.
• Jessica: The sweet 19-year-old who may be in over her head.
• John: Ab-raham Lincoln "they hate that in Mexico, isn't that funny?" John is SO unsuited for this game. That dude's gotta be 250 pounds, right? These big guys with big names & assumed big bank accounts do not thrive on this show. And he certainly has no business being the #3 overall pick in the draft. Also, even if you really like John, metagame this draft Moon! Who on earth else would draft this guy before the 3rd round? You could've gotten John two times & much higher caliber player in the #3 overall pick. C'mon man.
• Kara: Well, we know she's blonde and she's hot, but what else do we know? Kara may get handicapped by association with Dan. Early on this is shaping up to the be the next Cole/Jessica relationship.
• Lyrsa: "Spunky" is the word that comes to mind when I think of Lyrsa. Not sure about how much of a competitor she'll be & previews of next week make it look like she'll be targeted. Though we've all been fooled by that before!
• Mike: Mike totally looks like Woogie from There's Something About Mary. Ding ding ding, Doug! He could be the next bald guy David, but I doubt it. His story is already known so he won't have a good character arc to get him by. Also apparently the only person talking to him is Natalie, which is a bad bad sign. I foresee an early exit here.
• Natalia: Maybe a little too aggressive for the first couple days on the island, but she seems smart, crafty, and ready to make moves. I hope she goes far because she's my early pick to win it all.
• Natalie: So bad that it was known before this draft even began that she'd be a double dreg this season
• Nick: Did Nick come on Survivor to win, or just to make up random names for the fake alliances he's building? Might last longer than originally expected due to the editing of the show, but I hope not. This guy seems smug, lazy, and in-genuine in almost every way. 

Power Rankings:

1. Michal: Obviously this is the best team. Well-rounded, with hopefully a good mix of point-scorers in challenges as well as the wily ones who will go deep in the game. Honestly I do like my team a lot but many choices were made based on perceived potential rather than anything most of these castaways have done as of yet.
    
2. Bagdrea: This team is really solid. Lots of diversity, maybe not a lot of intelligence though. Replace Dan with an Angelina or Alison or Natalia though & I'd have a hard time saying anything bad about this team.
    
3. Doug & Bri: This team does look eerily like Bag's, but agreed that you only need to be half worried about it, Doug. I think too much depends on Bi with this team, though, since there's a lot of overlap with Bag, and I think that may prove to be your downfall. I'll still be cheering for her, though, and I hope she proves me wrong!
    
4. Phil: Why did people like Alec so much? I think taking him round 2 was a mistake, but overall I find this team unobjectionable. Getting Jeremy in the last round could be a huge dreg pick-up too...
    
5.  Eric: I like a lot of Eric's choices in his draft especially Natalia & Gabby, but he lost points by admitting that drafting Jessica was an error and that he drafted the wrong blonde. And not that I don't love women power, but I think it's risky to draft an all-female team in Survivor pool. Especially when we now know that 85% of idols are found by men, and there are definitely challenges where men will be favored to win. Both of which are huge point scorers in the pool. But this might be the first time we've ever seen an all-female team so what do I know. It is the Year of the Woman after all, right?
   
6. Moon & Melissa: MoonBee brought a club to a chess match when they double-drafted the Mayor of Slamtown. Also, while our sample size is tiny, there's no evidence that the double-draft is a winning strategy in Survivor Pool. The last 2 winners had no double-drafted players. But MoonBee doubled-down on the double-draft and did so with some hugely questionable players. And then they threw a dash of Gabby on top & called it a day. Please provide some comments explaining these choices because I'm honestly bewildered by what happened here. Though having a weekly opportunity to mock this team through the blog is definitely a perk. :)

Survivor Ghost Island: Finale

It’s the finale & no one is more excited the Probst. It’s either because he’s completely in his element on live TV, or because he’s relieved this rather dull season is nearly over. The Ghost Island concept I think could’ve been a great one if it had been a cannier cast.

Wendell is probably the smartest person left on the island, and is coming into the finale as the favorite to win. But that also makes him the biggest target. Then Dom & Wendell start talking about how Sea Bass is the biggest threat left and I’m once again reminded of the inferiority of this season. Terrible judgment!!

The next immunity + reward challenge is a maze with what looks to be a tricky puzzle. Whoever wins this is getting themselves a hefty 10 points (or 20 points for a double stack), and it definitely feels like the Survivor Pool this season is closer than it's been in recent memory.

Wendell wins – woot! – and he takes the dregs with him to reward. Smart move, though I think it was craftier than how far Wendell thought it through. After all, keeping Donathan isolated from talking to the dregs is a pretty important decision.

Then we get to watch Angela be included in a strategic plan for the first time ever, and then we instantly get to see why folks never did so before now – because she can’t keep her mouth shut. Great editing, and a hilarious scene.

Tribal council is painful on a lot of levels… bro. The blitzkrieg of idols both real & fake was an obvious front to scare people away from voting out Dom. And sadly it totally worked. Such a n00b mistake, Sea Bass.

Next day & it’s a new challenge but with the same result – Wendell wins again. Then Dom makes one of the worst poker analogies in Survivor history by claiming that “a snap call is usually a bluff.” Yeah sure. Hopefully he’s at one of y’alls tables at the WSOP this year and he will snap call all his chips your way.

There was some grandstanding at tribal but nothing super interesting. Idols were played to no avail and Donathan was sent to the jury.

Dom ended up winning immunity & it was fun to see the respect between Dom & Wendell play out as they both knew long ago that they didn’t want to take the other one to final but had so much fun playing together that they just couldn’t help themselves.

Somehow looking at urns where past contestants messed up in the 11^th hour inspired Dom to consider the unthinkable – give up his immunity idol to play for fire against Wendell. He claims it would make him a legend in a good way. I think it would have made him a legend more a la Eric.

Fortunately Dom’s not that stupid (though he was dumb enough to sacrifice Angela to a fire challenge). Even though the decisions were not well made, it feels like the 3 most deserving players (since Michael went home) have made it to the finals, so I can make my peace with that.

MVP of final tribal is far & away Michael. He would have CRUSHED IT arguing his own case if he hadn’t been voted out! Bring him back soon, Probst, I want to see that guy playing against the likes of Sarah, Parvati, Boston Rob, and Cochran. He could hold his own. I think Laurel did a good job of arguing her case and that Dom & Wendell both did a bad job of arguing their cases. And yet she got no votes!!

For the first time in Survivor history…. There’s a tie! Ultimately Wendell’s loyalty to Laurel pays off huge, and I feel a massive sense of vindication at picking the ultimate winner #1 overall. So many doubters out there, but it turns out I’m more than just a blogger. I actually know my stuff too. J

The Teams:

Michal & Ben: 203 points

• Wendell (94 pts)
• Jenna (19 pts)
• Laurel (46pts)
• Sebastian (32 pts)
• Desiree (12 pts)

Bagginses: 193 points

• Stephanie (-5 pts)
• Wendell (94 pts)
• Libby (26 pts)
• Laurel (46 pts)
• Donathan (32 pts)

Phil: 156 points

• Brendan (-6 pts)
• Dom (80 pts)
• Dom (80 pts)
• Bradley (1 pts)
• Bradley (1 pts)

Eric: 150 points

• Michael (32 pts)
• Michael (32 pts)
• Angela (37 pts)
• Angela (37 pts)
• Desiree (12 pts)

SuperDreg: 118 points

• Chelsea (33 pts)
• Chris (26 pts)
• Chelsea (33 pts)
• Chris (26 pts)

Doug & Bri: 87 points

• Stephanie (-5 pts)
• Sebastian (32 pts)
• Donathan (32 pts)
• Kellyn (22 pts)
• James (6 pts)

MoonBee: 67 points

• Brendan (-6 pts)
• Libby (26 pts)
• Kellyn (22 pts)
• Jenna (19 pts)
• James (6 pts)

Next Season:

Next season’s theme of David v. Goliath looks almost as dumb as the new Kevin Hart show. The mixed metaphors of “all Goliaths have Achilles heels” is cringe-worthy as well. Fire that writer, Probst, s/he made you look like a fool!

Sruvivor: New Episode

Whoa, I'm actually almost keeping up with Survivor? Hard to believe!!

But it's Friday night & I can't think of anything better than to sit down with a solid beer (Left Hand Milk Stout) and "live" blog the latest episode of Survivor.

There's 7 left, and Donathan's feelings are very similar to my own from my last blog. He's seriously contemplating ditching play-it-safe Laurel and trying to do something to boost his resume.

In the meantime we have a reward challenge where the reward is being a Survivor Goodwill Ambassador & Kellyn clutches her heart throat in some kind of mimicry of being Mother Theresa rather than admitting that was she actually wants is the fried chicken. I'd probably be all for that if I was on Survivor. I recently learned that I make some seriously badass fried chicken myself (let me know if you want to try it sometime).

They draw for "captains" and the choices are 100% unsurprising. Poor Angela. No one gives her a real chance, including me.

This is the kind of challenge I'd be super pumped to participate in. Kind of mundane, but all about perfecting a process. That's my jam, yo. 33 days in, though, this is pretty grueling.

All 3 teams make it to 4 spools, which was better than I expected. I love that they did this as a team challenge this time around. All about communication, strategy, and heart. Is this my fave challenge ever? Honestly, it might be. Which is well-timed, because I think Moon is right. This is generally a weak season.

Dumbass Seabass & Kellyn are unsurprisingly the first team out, though kudos to them all for making it to 5 spools each. Laurel & Donathan bust immediately afterwards, and Wendell & Dom immediately choose Laurel to share their reward & Dumbass Seabass to go to Ghost Island. The lack of thought behind these choices (and the verbal announcement of the lack of thought) prove that these "masterminds" wouldn't stand a chance against the true geniuses of this show (Parvati, Boston Rob, Cochran, Yau Man, etc. just to name a few.... aaahhhh when are they going to have an All Star season again? I miss the Supreme Metagame!!) .

Back from commercial and Seabass is suddenly some kind of Ghost Island Philosopher. He refers to himself as a... barnacle??... that attaches to a whale. I clearly didn't catch the whole thing, but the gist was spot on and shockingly insightful for someone who appeared to be perma-stoned up until this point. Cap'n Bass wins himself an advantage in the game and even more importantly a little respect from this here blogger.

Now we move on to the "goodwill ambassador" part of the show, and it's mildly uncomfortable as it's borderline racist/classist/American-privilegist but thankfully they don't spend too much time dwelling on the black castaways being good at sports & the "adoring" looks the "brown children" are giving them while they show off their skills.

Donathan's "Truth Bombs" are maybe not something I've been paying too much attention to until the last couple episodes?? He says they've been working for him, but I can't say I've noticed that much of them until recently. In any case, he manages to ostracize most of his primary alliance in about 10 minutes and I failed to see how that helped him in his game. But I'd be happy if Cap'n Bass wasn't the only one to pleasantly surprise me tonight, so fingers crossed there was more to Donathan's strategy than what we just witnessed. Because if he didn't think that through, he just put 2 guys on high alert who were the last 2 people on the island that they wanted to feel insecure.

On to the immunity challenge, and Wendell & Cap'n Bass are going strong while everyone else seems to struggle. But Laurel catches up & in the end it's a weird finish where Wendell actually finishes first but Laurel calls it first & gets the credit. Well done Wendell for bowing out as gracefully as possible. I wonder if he would have done the same if it wasn't Laurel (or Dom) who was the winner.

Back at camp there's an uncomfortable scramble where everyone wants Kellyn gone, but Donathan gets so paranoid that somehow his plans just make himself a giant target rather than help him in any way. Laurel is conspicuously absent throughout all these exchanges, though, and I'm wondering what that means. Is she usually the one that protects him, or reins him in? Then Kellyn refers to Donathan as someone who "pulls the plug on the grenade" and my indignation at Moon referring to me as Kellyn-like intensifies. Seriously man? I'd like to think you have more respect for me than that.

There's some kind of scramble after that, but I'm not really paying attention other than to note that Angela isn't involved in pretty much any of this.

Dom's cryptic speech at tribal was so sketchy that he vilifies himself immediately rather than salvaging the situation. But then Donathan returns fire by doing basically the exact same thing.

Now the question really is, can Seabass use his extra vote when it's down to 5 or even 4 players left? If so, definitely hold on to that advantage -it's HUGE!!

In the end it's a tie between Kellyn & Donathan and strangely it appears that Wendell & Dom didn't give Angela any info as to who she should vote for. Did they talk to the Cap'n either?

Kellyn goes home & next week is the FINALE!!! What a good early birthday present. Kellyn is gone, and the finale is next week!

The Teams:

SuperDreg: 118 points

• [Chelsea (33 pts)]
• [Chris (26 pts)]
• [Chelsea (33 pts)]
• [Chris (26 pts)]

Eric: 110 points

• [Michael (32 pts)]
• [Michael (32 pts)]
• Angela (17 pts)
• Angela (17 pts)
• [Desiree (12 pts)]

Michal & Ben: 99 points

• Wendell (28 pts)
• [Jenna (19 pts)]
• Laurel (26 pts)
• Sebastian (14 pts)
• [Desiree (12 pts)]

Bagginses: 90 points

• [Stephanie (-5 pts)]
• Wendell (28 pts)
• [Libby (26 pts)]
• Laurel (26 pts)
• Donathan (15 pts)

MoonBee: 67 points

• [Brendan (-6 pts)]
• [Libby (26 pts)]
• [Kellyn (22 pts)]
• [Jenna (19 pts)]
• [James (6 pts)]

Phil: 54 points

• [Brendan (-6 pts)]
• Dom (29 pts)
• Dom (29 pts)
• [Bradley (1 pts)]
• [Bradley (1 pts)]

Doug & Bri: 52 points

• [Stephanie (-5 pts)]
• Sebastian (14 pts)
• Donathan (15 pts)
• [Kellyn (22 pts)]
• [James (6 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Michal and Ben - Cap'n Bass proved he has a couple moves and Laurel & Wendell met point-earning expectations this episode. That was about as good an episode as we could have hoped for, though it would have been optimal if Donathan had actually gone home. Still, he's in the dog house now and that's better than I expected.
2. Bagginses - Voting out Kellyn rather than Donathan was probably the wrong choice. That being said, that's assuming that the version of Survivor that I'm watching more closely mirrors reality than the version of Survivor that Moon is watching. In that version Kellyn is smart, socially savvy, and maybe has real reasons for divorcing her husband other than a desire to go to grad school... don't get me started. Leaving Donathan in this game leaves a real threat. That dude is smart & has a good story to back it up. Plus his Truth Bombs give him more street cred than Laurel's more subtle (though in my opinion, superior) game play. 
3. Phil - Dom's still here which means Phil's still in this game. I do feel very strange giving a higher ranking to Phil than Eric, given the 50+ difference in their scores up until now. With that being said, Angela lost Eric points this episode, whereas Phil is moving in the right direction... This is clearly flawed logic, but I'm going to stick to my guns & say that Phil has a higher ceiling than Eric this season. 
4. Eric - Angela... what is there really to say? Your performance in the reward challenge was literally absent. Your performance in the immunity challenge was actually worse. 
5. SuperDregs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5J1mn_u0rM
6. Doug and Bri - There's nothing new really to say. the Cap'n over-performed, and Donathan under-performed. Kellyn met expectations. You won't have to add to the trophy, so that's a plus? Except that Doug is far superior to Moon at adding to the trophy, so really it feels like everyone is losing right now.
7. MoonBee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy9_lfjQopU

Douche of the Week:

Donathan!

Survivor Ghost Island: Episodes Many

There's a lot to cover over the last few episodes, but the only thing I can really think about is how annoying Kellyn is. Her emotions are both overblown and feel really inauthentic. Her backstory is the most inexplicable of all the remaining castaways, and her determination to trust her gut has nearly led to disaster multiple times.

Before I spend far too much time dwelling on her, though, let's move on. Since the last blog we've seen the departure of Desiree, a woman who can lie so well it's just plain terrifying. (Also I didn't notice until she made the jury but her breasts are absolutely enormous. Those ladies are all I can see when she's in the frame these days.)

Next to go are Jenna and Michael. Jenna was so forgettable she's lucky I'm even giving her this sentence of space in the blog. But Michael was a blow. He played a really strong game, just ran into some bad luck along the way. Though to be honest someone that burly is always going to have a target on their back. Hopefully we'll see him again soon on an all-stars season!

Finally, Chelsea was the latest casualty in the season. Considering how often the castaways have talked about the men this season being the "strong" players, I'm happy to see that someone finally rightfully targeted the actual strongest player of the season. It was a given that Chelsea wasn't going to make it much longer considering her lack of air time. But her challenge prowess was impressive & I'm annoyed that she didn't get more respect for it.

And now here we sit. SuperDregs are in FIRST place. It's clearly temporary, and yet...

Next comes Eric, who has made an impressive run this season. But with zany Angela being his only leg to stand on, I think it's unlikely he'll make it into the end zone. Which gets us to my team & Baggins. With a slim 9 point lead and an eerily similar team, it really comes down to whether Seabass or Donathan will go the distance.

If I were any other player on the island, I'd definitely be taking Seabass with me to the finals. That dude has done nothing, and would be completely incapable of arguing his case at Final Tribal. Donathan has played a MUCH better game, and I'd love to see him make the finals (though not if it costs us the season).

The Teams:

SuperDreg: 118 points

• [Chelsea (33 pts)]
• [Chris (26 pts)]
• [Chelsea (33 pts)]
• [Chris (26 pts)]

Eric: 114 points

• [Michael (32 pts)]
• [Michael (32 pts)]
• Angela (19 pts)
• Angela (19 pts)
• [Desiree (12 pts)]

Michal & Ben: 90 points

• Wendell (26 pts)
• [Jenna (19 pts)]
• Laurel (19 pts)
• Sebastian (14 pts)
• [Desiree (12 pts)]

Bagginses: 81 points

• [Stephanie (-5 pts)]
• Wendell (26 pts)
• [Libby (26 pts)]
• Laurel (19 pts)
• Donathan (15 pts)

MoonBee: 52 points

• [Brendan (-6 pts)]
• [Libby (26 pts)]
• Kellyn (7 pts)
• [Jenna (19 pts)]
• [James (6 pts)]

Phil: 50 points

• [Brendan (-6 pts)]
• Dom (27 pts)
• Dom (27 pts)
• [Bradley (1 pts)]
• [Bradley (1 pts)]

Doug & Bri: 36 points

• [Stephanie (-5 pts)]
• Sebastian (14 pts)
• Donathan (14 pts)
• Kellyn (7 pts)
• [James (6 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Michal and Ben - I'm giving us the edge over Baggins due to the slight point advantage & because I think Seabass has a better shot of making the finals than Donathan. But it's basically a toss up.
2. Bagginses - I absolutely adore the Laurel/Donathan alliance. They have almost never actually agreed with each other in any strategic conversation and they probably have nothing in common at all. But they are both extremely loyal to each other & respect each others' opinions. I love the dynamic! With that being said, I think Donathan is doing well but is being held back by following Laurel's lead. Laurel is playing the best game for herself, but that means Donathan is missing out.
3. Phil - Dom's the dark horse in this pool. Phil's well behind in points but with a huge run giving him double the points, I cannot count this team out. A couple challenge wins, a properly played idol, and Phil is right in this thing.
4. Eric - Angela did better than expected this season, but I'm not expecting much more from her. Again, she'd be a great choice to take to finals, but I'm not sure that anyone with power can trust her enough to bring her along. 
5. SuperDregs - Easily the best Dreg team of Survivor Pool. Well played, dregs, well played. 
6. Doug and Bri - Doug & Bri have a decent number of players left, but they all are underperforming point-wise. Maybe with SuperChelsea gone, though, a window will open for some late point scoring?
7. MoonBee - This team is just sad. 

Douche of the Week:

I guess I'll just throw all my DoW votes from the last few weeks at Kellyn. 

Survivor Ghost Island: Episode 9

We're post merge and post Chris so this show blew wide open for potential storylines beyond the super dull civil war that was happening between Dom & Chris. Dom must have read my mind... or I guess last week's blog, because he basically stated what I did, which was that he blew a lot of resources to get rid of his nemesis. His laying low strategy seemed to kind of work, even, in that all eyes were on Wendell rather than Dom this episode.

Wendell is playing the game well, including not playing his idol at the past 2 tribal councils where I was convinced both times that he would go home if he didn't play it. Thanks for giving me a few extra gray hairs on those ones, Wendell! But Laurel is a gamer too & her reasons for not trusting him seem pretty valid to me.

Laurel & Wendell look like they will be the titans of both the physical challenges & potentially also the strategy. They won the guac reward challenge basically single-handedly. They're both reading the other players well & at least Laurel seems to be weighing all her decisions carefully. Wendell could be in trouble if he just assumes his final 4 is locked in & solid... but he does seem to be working hard to maintain those relationships.

Then, in the second half of the episode, Angela comes out of nowhere and decides to hurtle Eric's team into 2nd place in the standings. Her "disrupter" role was played to perfection. Not one person suspected her of throwing Michael under the bus, and my respect for her grew & grew until we reached the immunity challenge. Then she started acting like a crazy person, and despite winning immunity, I think her prancing around may have a negative effect on her other tribemates ability to take her too seriously.

Michael saves himself with a clutch idol play, and in the end it's Libby who goes home. I'm not sure she still knows why. And quite frankly, I'm not sure I know why either. Was she really that strong of a player? Or did that female alliance just see an easy target?

The Teams:

Bagginses: 81 points

• [Stephanie (-5 pts)]
• Wendell (25 pts)
• [Libby (26 pts)]
• Laurel (19 pts)
• Donathan (16 pts)

Eric: 75 points

• Michael (17 pts)
• Michael (17 pts)
• Angela (20 pts)
• Angela (20 pts)
• Desiree (1 pts)

SuperDreg: 60 points

• Chelsea (4 pts)
• [Chris (26 pts)]
• Chelsea (4 pts)
• [Chris (26 pts)]

Michal & Ben: 58 points

• Wendell (25 pts)
• Jenna (5 pts)
• Laurel (19 pts)
• Sebastian (8 pts)
• Desiree (1 pts)

MoonBee: 38 points

• [Brendan (-6 pts)]
• [Libby (26 pts)]
• Kellyn (7 pts)
• Jenna (5 pts)
• [James (6 pts)]

Doug & Bri: 30 points

• [Stephanie (-5 pts)]
• Sebastian (8 pts)
• Donathan (14 pts)
• Kellyn (7 pts)
• [James (6 pts)]

Phil: 24 points

• [Brendan (-6 pts)]
• Dom (14 pts)
• Dom (14 pts)
• [Bradley (1 pts)]
• [Bradley (1 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Michal and Ben - I'm sticking with my girl Laurel to win this whole thing, so I'm keeping us in 1st place for now. Jenna & Seabass are looking like dead weight, but hopefully that means they rack up points going deep as coattail riders...
2. Bagginses - Baggins is down 1 player but could have 3 of the "final 4" if Wendell's plan actually happens. Is that a long shot to happen? Probably. But it's the only "final 4" that we know of now which I think lends it a little extra importance this season. 
3. Eric - Wow, Eric, nice run this episode! Really strong play from your team this episode. Now the question is if they can follow it up with another solid episode. Michael needs to get the target off his back ASAP for this team to have a legit chance. On the plus side, I think he's capable of pulling that off.
4. Doug and Bri - Doug & Bri are leading in the 2nd tier of teams, but things really aren't looking great for any of this group. I see the most potential with this team though.
5. Phil - Dom's solid reflection on his situation gives this team some hope. If he can pull out some idol plays, immunity challenge wins, etc. the double point value could put this team back in contention. But there is a LOT of ground to make up, so he needs to get on that fast.
6. MoonBee - With only Kellyn & Jenna on this team, MoonBee is pretty much toast this season. 
7. SuperDregs - Chelsea is sticking around which means each player voted out ahead of her will continue to be docked 1 point until she goes home. Which will inevitably happen in some kind of collateral damage scenario. 

Douche of the Week:

There were a few good options, but I'm going to give it to Wendell for not even trying at the immunity challenge.