LIVE Survivor: Blood vs. Water finale thoughts

11:01 - Incredibly sad news coming from Tina and Katie.  How very sad, and it does put things in perspective.  And for what it's worth, I put my seatbelt on even if I'm just backing out of my to park on the street and I yell at people who don't wear their seatbelts.  It's such a simple thing to do and it's so worth it.  And, of course, my best wishes go to their family.  So sad.

10:51 - So was that whole talk about Kat getting a boob job?

10:46 - Brawn, brains, and beauty seems to be the guess.

10:40 - "BBB" with some sort of battle element?  Any ideas?

10:28 - I'll be honest....I was never a huge fan of Rupert.  Don't see it.

10:23 - A lot of people have this plan of letting somebody else be the villain and pulling the strings behind the scenes.  But it seems like more and more often, people respect the decisions the villain made.  I'm wondering how often it breaks down -- how often is it smart to let somebody else appear to make the big moves?

10:17 - I like the layout of the reunion, with the loved ones sitting next to each other.

10:10 - The right person won.  Congrats, Tyson!

10:07 - Still guessing Tyson wins.  But what do you think....will the non-jury competitors be on stage this year?

9:59 - Aras apparently has a job interview after the final tribal council.  I like his question, though.  Great answer from Gervase, too.

9:56 - There does seem to be a bit of sexism here.  When Gervase has to prove he played the game, he's asked to explain his big moves.  When Monica has to explain who she is, she has to show vulnerability.  She's getting beat up more than she should.

9:53 - Wow, Monica made her life seem very depressing.

9:50 - Pretty convenient time to want to make that apology, Tyson.  Good for Katie for bringing that up.  Then again, I'm not convinced that's a big enough reason not to give someone a million dollars, unless the other two people were very deserving.

9:44 - All three did a nice job with their opening remarks.  I stand by my assessment that this is Tyson's game to lose.

9:41 - Good news is, I don't think anybody here has any reason to be bitter.  Hate the bitter jury syndrome.

9:38 - The most boring 10 minutes of every Survivor season is always the portion between the penultimate tribal council and the final tribal council.

9:32 - Monica has been an interesting case this season.  It seems like every single tribal council has seen her being pulled away from her alliance.  Yet each and every time, she's stuck with it.  I think that would be a strong argument for her to make in the finals.  In my opinion, Tyson has the best shot of winning followed by Monica.  Gervase just seems to get too heated and hotheaded when he speaks and I see the jury getting turned off by that.

9:25 - I'm really enjoying this show, but I keep hearing about all the awesome things I'm missing -- like Once Upon A Time and Family Guy, both apparently big episodes (no spoilers, please).  I have a lot of TV to catch up on.  When do things get posted to On Demand?

9:17 - Fun challenge, having the contestants go back out there to get the info.  Congrats to Tyson -- this is his game to lose.  I hope he wins -- he really deserves it.  However, I'm not convinced that Tina is doomed.  Does she have a better shot than, say, Monica?

9:06 - I'm sad about how that tribal council played out, but it was the smartest thing for all involved.  Ciera was the greatest risk (and I love how gracefully she handles everything) and it would've been stupid for Tyson/Gervase to not play the idol.  Interesting that it ended up being a moot point, though.  And good call on Monica, recognizing that them playing the idol meant that her alliance weren't sure she was really with them.

8:56 - I'd hate to say it, but Ciera and Tina are in a bad spot.  Tyson is smart enough to know that Monica is the flip vote -- he'd be a fool not to give Gervase the hidden immunity idol.

8:50 - The hostility Monica feels towards Tina is telling.  I was wondering if that would be enough to keep her from switching sides.

8:49 - Both Gervase and Monica are making some great points about who should be voted off next.

8:43 - Strong performance by a very deserving Tyson.  So what happens with his idol?  Interesting development.

8:37 - Ciera has grown on me significantly this season.  I wasn't entirely sure of her when the season began, but she's grown into being one of my favorite contestants.  She's very level headed and intelligent.  She's played a great game.

8:27 - Has anybody who has gone on a long Redemption Island streak ever successfully re-entered the game?  Seems like they always come up short when the big moment comes.

8:25 - The close camera angles they get on these close calls are remarkable.  And Hayden got a little cocky with that "I'm against two grandmothers" comment.

Can't believe Laura asked Tina to throw the challenge.  This isn't immunity.  It's a million dollars!

8:23 - This is an interesting situation.  Whoever wins is an immediate ally for Ciera, which means if they can get Monica to flip the game is suddenly very interesting.  What are your thoughts on Tyson giving Monica the hidden immunity idol?

8:07 - One pleasant surprise, for me, was how well many of these relatives played.  Laura, Ciera, Caleb, Hayden, Vytis, and Katie all lasted in the game longer than their experienced loved ones (excluding Redemption Island).

7:29 - I've done it for Raw and The Walking Dead, now it's Survivor's turn!  While I wasn't quite sure what to make of this "Blood vs. Water" premise, I've been really pleasantly surprised.  Considering that this season has employed two mechanisms that I either detest or dislike (swapping tribes mid-game and Redemption Island, respectively), I have really enjoyed what has happened.

If I had to pick anybody to win, I'd have to go with either Tyson or Ciera.  One controlled the game, and the other made the most "big" moves that have altered the course of the game.  But I have to say, this is Tyson's game to lose.

Check back in a half hour or so for my LIVE thoughts throughout the three hours.