BBB 2: Episode 4

Wow, what an intense episode! Potentially it was the postpartum hormones or maybe the extremely dramatic background music, but I was tearing up a bit during the huge medical emergency. It was so endearing to watch Jason of the Kyle being supportive & caring with Cydney - definitely made me like him more. Also heartbreaking to watch the Beauty tribe (with the conspicuous absence of Nick the Robot) huddled up together crying while their beloved Caleb being attended to.

More than anything, it was watching Caleb go down that made this episode so emotional. He seemed like a really great person, great teammate, and a true contender in the game. He was so strong that seeing him lying helpless in the sand made it all the scarier. That and seeing EVERY support staff on the show out helping with the medical situation really made it hit home how serious & dangerous things were out there.

I'm glad they pretty much skimmed over Alecia's departure. After the medevac, any drama afterwards would have just been out of place. Also, we've already seen the Alecia v. Scot & Jason drama so much that it would have been painful to watch a full tribal council of them dragging her through the mud again.


The Teams:

Bagdrea "Beautiful Mind" - 42 points

1. Caleb (6 pts)
2. Tai (17 pts)
3. Nick (13 pts)
4. Joe (6 pts)

Michal & Ben "Cock of the Walk" - 34 points

1. Anna (11 pts)
2. Jason (8 pts)
3. Peter (8 pts)
4. Debbie (7 pts)

MoonBee "Dairy Kings" - 28 points

1. Neal (7 pts)
2. Julia (11 pts)
3. Scot (3 pts)
4. Aubry (7 pts)

Doug & Bri "She-Ra" - 7 points

1. Liz (-2 pts)
2. Jenny (-6 pts)
3. Michele (12 pts)
4. Cydney (3 pts)

Dreg: Alecia - 0 points


Power Rankings:

1. Cock of the Walk: While again I am declaring this pool wide open (with one obvious exception) I'm giving our team a slight edge. This is based on the amount of airtime our players - in particular Jason & Debbie - are getting. At first I wrote Debbie's generous airtime off to the producers wanting to get the crazy lady as much time as possible before her early departure, but now I'm thinking she may be in this for the long haul.

2. Dairy Kings: This seems like a really well rounded team, and they ate still at full strength which is hugely important pre-merge. These castaways just aren't getting as much attention as I would expect, which makes me think MoonBee could lose someone soon with the tribe mix-up.

3. Beautiful Mind: I did NOT think that Caleb would be the one to get medevacked! What a huge loss for the show & more importantly for Bagdrea. With the impending tribe mix-up following on the heels of losing their top pick, I'm suddenly concerned for this team. Joe & Nick do not seem like the kind of guys who will adapt well to new tribes/needing to make new alliances.

4. She-Ra: when it looked like Cydney might get medevacked too I almost wasn't surprised considering how unlucky this team has been. I guess they dodged that bullet but this is another team that won't benefit from the tribe mix-up. In any case they don't really have a chance anyway, so it's not worth dwelling on too much. Right now I'm wondering how Brawn would have fared if Cydney had fought to keep Darnell around in the first episode. I suspect they would have been in much better shape & Doug & Bri's team would be too!


Douche of the Week:
Maybe the sun or the Cambodian heat? No one is really standing out, but I'll go with Alecia for bickering with Scot as soon as they returned to camp when what they really should have been doing was making sure Cydney got the rest & support she needed.

BBB 2: Episode 3

Episode 3 continues the utter devastation of Doug & Bri's team that started in episode 2. Getting dismantled this early is shocking considering how strong this team looked to be right after the draft. At this point they probably don't have a chance unless 5+ people not on their team end up getting medevacked.

It was nice to get a glimpse into the dynamics of tribes besides Brawn. Beauty really seems united & that all-female alliance seems rock solid... though who knows how it will hold up with a tribe switcheroo. Caleb & Tai are the cutest couple ever! And my favorite part of the episode was when Ben said "this Nick guy is a robot" literally moments before Nick said "some people say I'm like a robot." I would not be sad to see him go!

Brains tribe is a scheming snake pit as it turns out.  Liz & Peter were extremely disappointing in their self-congratulatory "masterminding" of the game. Really, anyone who wants to vote people out of their own tribe after being in the game for less than a week deserves to go home. Debbie is proving to be more of a player than we all thought. I dislike Joe, though that might not be merited. I'm cheering for Neal, Debbie, and Aubry though!


The Teams:
Some team names are still needed!

Bagdrea "Beautiful Mind" - 37 points

1. Caleb (10 pts)
2. Tai (15 pts)
3. Nick (10 pts)
4. Joe (2 pts)

Michal & Ben "Cocky Bastards" - 22 points

1. Anna (9 pts)
2. Jason (8 pts)
3. Peter (3 pts)
4. Debbie (2 pts)

MoonBee - 17 points

1. Neal (3 pts)
2. Julia (9 pts)
3. Scot (3 pts)
4. Aubry (2 pts)

Doug & Bri "She-Ra" - 4 points

1. Liz (-2 pts)
2. Jenny (-6 pts)
3. Michele (9 pts)
4. Cydney (3 pts)

Dreg: Alecia - 3 points


Power Rankings:

1. Beautiful Mind: Last week I said this pool was wide open. Now I'm thinking this might be a runaway from Bagdrea unless one of their key players gets medevacked. Tai had an idol,  Caleb is in a good spot, Joe is too. Even if they lose their robot next week they are going to be tough to beat!

2. MoonBee: Turns out that Neal/Aubry is definitely superior to Peter/Debbie! I still have my doubts about Scot, but otherwise I like this team.

3. Michal & Ben: Yikes, who could have predicted that Debbie would be the mastermind of the Brains tribe? That may say more about the rest of the tribe rather than Debbie though.... We got really lucky that Peter wasn't voted out last episode. I hope he's learned a lesson & reins in the arrogance, but that's probably just wishful thinking.

4. Doug & Bri: Liz really was the bigger threat over Peter, but considering how obnoxious he was during tribal I'm a little surprised they didn't change their minds. Doug & Bri's best bet at making a mark this season is to oust me from the "lowest score recorded" category.


Douche of the Week:
Peter!

BBB 2: Draft & Episode 2

Season 32, supposedly the most dangerous season yet is now underway! What hasn't been advertised by CBS is that this very well could be one of the dumbest seasons ever as well. From the "smart" tribe drinking non-sterilized water to the "strong" tribe not knowing the difference between embryos & embers, dummies abound. They may have pushed the Brains, Brawn, Beauty theme a bit too hard considering the cast they have. Seems like they tried to fit a square peg into a round hole this time around.

After watching the last episode, I'm starting to think that the players we all thought were strong may have been overrated. Some of them just hadn't been given the airtime to speak yet & thus prove their worthlessness. So I think the pool is still very much up in the air. Only time will tell us which of these teams proves themselves to be the least incompetent.

Draft Order:

1. Anna (M&B)
2. Liz (D&B)
3. Neal (M&M)
4. Caleb (Z&A)
5. Tai (Z&A)
6. Julia (M&M)
7. Jenny (D&B)
8. Kyle Jason (M&B)
9. Peter (M&B)
10. Scot (M&M)
11. Nick (Z&A)
12. Michele (D&B)
13. Cydney (D&B)
14. Joe (Z&A)
15. Aubry (M&M)
16. Debbie (M&B)
17. Alecia - not drafted

The Teams:
Team names are needed! Send me your official name via comments within the next two blog postings... or you will be docked points.

Bagdrea - 18 points

1. Caleb (5 pts)
2. Tai (5 pts)
3. Nick (5 pts)
4. Joe (3 pts)

Michal & Ben - 10 points

1. Anna (5 pts)
2. Kyle Jason (0 pts)
3. Peter (3 pts)
4. Debbie (2 pts)

MoonBee - 10 points

1. Neal (3 pts)
2. Julia (4 pts)
3. Scot (0 pts)
4. Aubry (3 pts)

Doug & Bri - 2 points

1. Liz (3 pts)
2. Jenny (-6 pts)
3. Michele (5 pts)
4. Cydney (0 pts)

Dreg: Alecia - 0 points


Power Rankings:

1. Bagdrea: They're off to an early lead & have a bunch of the Beauty tribe which currently looks way stronger than either of the other tribes. It probably won't be long before they mix up the tribes, but Bagdrea should be able to  build up a nice lead in the meantime. And Caleb & Tai look to be strong enough payers to adapt & thrive when the mix up does happen.

2. Michal & Ben: I'm edging us out ahead of MoonBee because I really like the Peter/Debbie combo we have going. Peter sees the value in keeping a loon like Debbie around & I see that benefiting both of these players in the long run. Anna is still an unknown, and I'm still not sure if Kyle Jason goes by Kyle or Jason... either way he's pretty obnoxious but at least he seems smart and adaptable.

3.MoonBee: Neal & Julia both look solid, though it's too early to say that with a lot of confidence. I don't think Scot has a very log shelf life... his tribe is a mess & guys his size usually don't last long on the rations & in the conditions that Survivor offers. Aubry was pretty much a ghost this episode but I think she'll turn out to be a massive bargain as the 2nd-to-last person picked. Her season premiere meltdown was reminiscent of Mike's dreg draft. I din't think she has anywhere close to the point potetial of Mike, but I do think she'll be a nice asset for this team in the dreg position.

4. Doug & Bri: Well, it turns out that Jenny is really quite erratic... or else that bug did far more damage than we thought! I've never seen someone so effectively kick themselves out of the game before. J'Tia threw her tribe's whole food supply in the fire & they kept her around. We've had a couple players in the past ask for their tribe to vote them out, which is a plea that is usually ignored. Jenny found the perfect thing to say to completely change a tribal council vote - something future would-be quitters should keep in mind. It's really too bad for Doug & Bri because this was my favorite team before Jenny's self-destruction. Liz now looks like she's on thinner ice than she deserves to be thanks to Crusty Joe & Loony Debbie. And Cydney & Michele are a strong supporting cast, but won't be enough to get this team a win this season.


Douche of the Week:
Gotta go with Vytas... okay, maybe Kyle Jason instead.

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!