![[a case of the blog]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdW6m_GKpkUaPi56fHU6TFDQPOe1Rd_Lu0S_T5NgEIvzR2rJYBvUU6yRIyH7xtuBt0hVMDAcuqSlLEu9ooq2iwOOnskdsfS9BMjPZJsFJMVIlMJopdnOVjxqeNRR9etLlOY9wUNdSpW6D/s1600/newblogheader19.gif)
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.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
LIVE Survivor: Blood vs. Water finale thoughts
Monday, May 13, 2013
A follow up on the Brenda/Dawn matter
As a follow up to my post last night asking whether Brenda or Dawn (or Brenda AND Dawn) went too far with their actions towards each other, I came across this interview that Dalton Ross (of Entertainment Weekly) had with Dawn following the finale:
http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/05/13/survivor-caramoan-dawn-meehan-brenda/
This was a great interview that reinvigorated my like for Dawn. Yes, her crying was annoying and some of her actions were personally disappointing (like voting off my Survivor love Brenda), but outside of the game (and really, probably to an extent WITHIN the game) I think she's probably a very nice, caring woman. And she came across very positively here.
And I credit Dalton Ross, who never shies away from asking tough, compelling questions to the contestants and host. Here, he brought up the great point that Dawn was "forced" to apologize while no reference whatsoever was made to Brenda's behavior. Even worse, it turns out that Dawn was somewhat blindsided by the whole "now, apologize" thing. But Dawn seems to be in a peaceful place, having ALREADY apologized for what she had done. And, to her credit, she did reveal that Brenda apologized following Tribal Council as well.
In regards to my stance on the issue, the more I think about it, the more I'm against Brenda (and trust me, that's tough for me to say). I DO think she made a strong point in asking Dawn whether she REALLY would have dropped out of the competition had Brenda not retrieved her teeth. And I don't even have a problem with Brenda ASKING Dawn to take out her teeth, to prove a point. I think those were really strong points and would have resonated with the jury. Hey, Brenda saved Dawn. Dawn says that's not the case. But Dawn won't put her money where her mouth is. Brenda wins. However, Brenda kept pestering and pushing, to the point that Dawn had to do something that you could tell she was very uncomfortable and unhappy doing. And when she went THAT far, she turned into the bad guy. It went from Brenda trying to prove a point, to Brenda trying to hurt Dawn.
Anyway, here's the video if anybody is interested in viewing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVONkp0H0Eo
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Survivor Caramoan: Brenda vs. Dawn - Which one went too far?
As most of you likely know, I'm a big fan of Brenda from Survivor. I was massively disappointed by how invisible she was the first half of the season after being such a powerhouse in Nicaragua. And then she finally got some attention and started making some big, important plays. And she became the dominant female in several challenges. But just as I was enjoying her reign, she got blindsided by her closest ally -- the woman she had looked out for in many different ways -- in a highly emotional moment. While Brenda was the "Black Widow" of Nicaragua, she suddenly became the sympathetic victim of Caramoan.
And beyond that, Dawn became the biggest villain on all of television. I hated the fact that she voted off Brenda because I have a mini-crush on her, but it WAS a smart move. From Brenda's perspective, I understood why she was hurt and why she would hold it against Dawn. After all, Dawn did promise her devotion to Brenda (not just to her face, but also in a confessional) and Brenda did stop her from dropping out of the game. Nonetheless, fans viewed Dawn's move VERY negatively.
And then came the final tribal council, where Brenda would finally face Dawn. And what did she do? She made, in my view, a very strong point. Dawn told Brenda that she would not have actually dropped out of the game if Brenda was unable to retrieve her teeth. So Brenda asked her to put her money where her mouth is (so to speak). If you were really willing to stay in the game and suffer that humiliation, then take out your retainer now. Dawn resisted, but ultimately did it. And it was pretty uncomfortable. Overall, viewers seemed to think that Brenda went way too far and had needlessly humiliated Dawn. Don't get me wrong, the point was a good one. If Dawn really was willing to stay in the game, this shouldn't be a big deal. But it was still a highly personal maneuver, whereas Dawn's move was a strategic one. I understood what Brenda was going for, but at the very least I think she owed Dawn her vote after doing that.
But anyway, the thing that caught my attention was that at the reunion, all of the attention was on Dawn's actions and whether she would apologize to Brenda, and whether Brenda would accept. I'm most certainly Team Brenda -- no doubt about that -- but she wasn't blameless. I think Dawn deserved an apology as well. Or, at the very least, somebody should have mentioned what she had done in retaliation.
Some additional Survivor finale thoughts: I can't remember the last time we had a final three where one person wasn't a lame duck. Honestly, it feels like the last several seasons have had one person who didn't even receive a single vote. From what I understand, the reluctance of doing a final two is that the winner will be completely obvious. I get that, but the last few seasons HAS had a winner that most people predicted from the final three. So can we just go back to the far more interesting and prestigious final two?
Also, while the reunion episode drifted away from talking to everybody a while ago, it was somewhat disrespectful to put all of the pre-jury people in the audience. I understand why they did it -- to not bring attention to the fact that Brandon isn't there -- but still. Read more!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
My 2013-2014 TV viewing schedule remains unscathed!
Last night the major networks, for the most part, revealed which shows they're renewing and which ones they're canceling. Thankfully, virtually every one of the shows I watch will be back next season. The only show that won't is the one that we've known all season that this would be their last: The Office.
On the other hand, Survivor, Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon A Time, Nashville, Family Guy, and American Dad will all be back next year! We're also getting spinoffs of two of the aforementioned shows (The Originals and Once Upon A Time in Wonderland), both of which I'm willing to give a shot.
So, yeah, good news all around. Sorry for all you Happy Endings fans....but at least Elisha Cuthbert will now be available for that proposed 24 revival.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Top Ten Cases: Hottest Women on Television (2010-2011 TV Season)
Back in 2008 I created a video of the ten hottest girls on television (check it out, and you can also see how far I've come with my video making skills), and while I stand by that list, it was a bit of a cop out. Women like Rachel Bilson, Elisha Cuthbert, Kristin Kreuk, and Mila Kunis were included despite the fact that their shows had already been canceled, or they were no longer regulars on the shows the once appeared on. So I decided to revisit the list, but this time I tightened the criteria. Each woman needs to be a series regular on a television program that airs during the 2010-2011 television season. And in order to spare myself some sanity, I restricted myself to a certain age range. Many of the same names from my prior list appear, but you'll see some shuffling (including the greatest jump possible), mostly due to my tastes changing or my opinion of the show altering my opinion (and for that matter, 7-10 ranked the lowest because I don't watch the shows they're on). So, enjoy!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Why a double tribal council?
If you watch Survivor and you're like me, you enjoy it when the producers and other outside forces basically sit back and let the competitors play the game. That means no tribe swaps, no unfair, out-of-nowhere advantages, and no double tribal councils. No spoilers, but last night had both tribes going to tribal council. Well, over at EW.com, Jeff Probst laid out in a very open, honest, and logical way why this is a necessary evil. I quite liked his explanation and thought I would share it here:
Let me explain why we have to have double tribal councils. When the show first started we had 16 contestants. That is still the perfect number if you want to vote one person out each week and have a final two scenario at the last tribal council. To be clear — we LOVE starting with sixteen people.
Here’s the problem. Over the years, contestants have become okay with quitting. After Osten did it back in the Pearl Islands, it became acceptable to quit. Well, a quit really screws us up because then we don’t have enough people to finish the season. So, in an effort to make sure the game can play fairly and without interruption, we started bringing more people.
If you bring 18 people, which we have done, you have to consider the fact that you’ll have an uneven number of men and women on each tribe.
So, that often leads you to bringing 20 people. Twenty people is great because even if people quit, you are okay because you brought more people than you needed.
The two problems with 20 people are:
1. It’s a lot of people for the audience to get to know.
2. At some point you have to get rid of the extra players.
That’s where the double tribal councils come into play. To keep it a bit more fair, we now offer everybody a chance to win individual immunity, so you do have a shot to keep yourself in the game. But obviously if you’re the one in trouble, then you hate this facet of the game.
So anytime we have 20 people you can expect to see at least one double-elimination at some point.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Inside Pulse TV’s Top 15 Shows of the Decade
Can't take credit for the introduction -- that was written by Josh Clinton. But enjoy the list -- it's a pretty fair range of shows represtented. Oh, and guess who wrote #1!!!
2009 has come to a close, and by now you have probably read or heard a lot of “best of” lists. This happens at the end of every year, but 2009 was also the close of the “00″ decade. Not only do you have to deal with “Best of the Year” lists, you also have the “Best of the Decade” lists. But lets face it, almost everyone loves lists. So how about a few more to feast your eyes on?
I asked all the Inside Pulse TV staff members to give me their “Top 10 Shows of the Decade”. Any show that aired new episodes during the years 2000-2009 were eligible to be on their lists. All channels and genres were eligible as well. I got close to 20 lists with each writer not knowing what shows the other writers considered to be the best. After getting these lists, I assigned each show on each writer’s lists a point value from 1-10. The #1 show on each list was given 10 points. The #2 show was given 9 points. #3 got 8 and this continued to the #10 shows each getting 1 point. Once I added up the numbers, there was clearly a major line between the “best” and the “rest”. However, the line was between the Top 10 and the rest, it was more like the Top 15. So I made an executive decision and decided to create “Inside Pulse TV’s Top 15 Shows of the Decade” list instead of a top ten list.
First, I will give you each writers’ individual lists. After that, I will post our overall “Top 15 TV Shows of the Decade “ based on the overall points system. In addition, I gave each writer a show to talk about and explain why they considered that show to be among the “Best of the Decade”. So lets get to the lists….
http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/05/inside-pulse-tvs-top-15-shows-of-the-decade/
Monday, December 21, 2009
Survivor - Post-finale thoughts
Alright so the polarizing Survivor finale was last night. As to not spoil anybody who may not have watched the episode yet (what are you waiting for?), get my thoughts on the winner, overall finale, and the reunion by clicking the "Read More" link.
Well, Natalie won. Or, more accurately, Russell lost. Whether you believe Natalie won or not, simply based on the way the final Tribal Council went down, it's hard to deny that a vast number of people were more voting against Russell than for Natalie? Need proof? Simply consider the questions that were asked. More specifically, pay attention to who the questions were directed to. Nine times out of ten, it seemed like the jury had issues with how Russell played the game.
And as regular readers may have noticed from past finale reviews, I absolutely detest bitter juries. It drives me mad when people are all pissy about being blind sided and betrayed, when in almost every case they were planning on betraying one of their own allies. And in most cases, those on the jury were simply outplayed (Hi, Laura!) Actually, Laura and Erik were two of the most bitter -- meanwhile, Laura had voted off her ally Erik, and Erik was planning on voting out his tribemate Monica. Quite frankly, if anybody from Galu had half a brain, somebody from their tribe would have won. It's absolutely remarkable that they got picked off one by one, with an 8 to 4 advantage (yes, you read that correctly). They have nobody to blame but themselves, and their bitterness and contempt infuriates me.
I also find these accusations of cheating and stealing laughable and mind boggling. There are no written rules, so how did they cheat? And there are no belongings, so what did anybody steal?
I have to say this though, despite being on Team Russell, I have to admit that he was pretty obnoxious throughout the finale. I mean, it was in pretty bad taste openly talking about how he had the game won after he nabbed the immunity necklace. Hell, he even asked his allies -- who he's competing against -- what they thought his chances were of winning. It got worse when it dwindled to the final three, and he told Mick and Natalie that they were basically competing for second, and that the jury would simply accuse them of riding his coattails (a word that begins with "C"). In later interviews Russell confessed that he was playing mind games with them. But it really just hurt him -- and as a lot of people have pointed out, it was the social aspect of the game that killed Russell.
Now, having said that, I think viewers have been a bit rough on Natalie. Do I think she deserved to win over Russell? No. But that doesn't necessarily mean she's an undeserving winner. And I think her gameplay has been severely underestimated. Remember Russell's "Dumb Girl Alliance?" Well, Russell systematically eliminated each and every one of them for various reasons -- yet by the end of the game, he was campaigning to keep Natalie around. Oh, and that reason why Russell picked those dumb girls off one by one? Most of the time it was because they dared to doubt or defy him. Suddenly Natalie's meek behavior isn't so much a character flaw. Like Jeff said, it's a legitimate strategy.
I will also say, flat out, that I don't think Foa Foa's decimation of Galu would have worked without Natalie. Following the merge, Russell almost immediately rubbed everybody the wrong way. It was actually Natalie who bridged the gap between the two tribes, and eased the way for the eventual mutiny. If not for Natalie's ability to interact with the opposing side, Foa Foa would have been dead in the water. And I have absolutely no doubt about that.
In his emotional and unfortunately influential tirade, Erik did manage to make a good point: Essentially, the most aggressive strategy is not necessarily the best one.
But lets be honest -- Russell shoulda won.
Also: Please take a moment to fill out this WWE Year-End Survey - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LXGLNW
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Survivor - Pre-finale thoughts
Well Survivor: Samoa has its finale tonight, and I don't think it's any secret that I'm pulling for Russell here. And truth be told, I think he's got a solid chance at winning it. To me, it seems obvious that Brett is getting voted off if he doesn't get immunity. And even after that, I could see Mick or Natalie getting voted off in the final four, because of their general likability factor. Additionally, I could see any of the remaining players taking Russ to the finals simply because they think they can beat him. Some of them may even feel a sense of loyalty to him.
But the question is, if he gets to the finals, could he win? It seems like a long shot, but I think the answer is yes (if he's not going against Brett). Truth be told, he actually didn't lie to or betray all that many people. He was quite open about voting for people like Laura, Monica, and Dave. Hell, Dave has even commended Russell on his maneuvering, even when it was at his team's expense. Erik also seems exceptionally bitter at his tribe, so I could easily see him voting for Russ. Along with that, Shambo seems to understand that Foa Foa had to stay together, so she doesn't even seem particularly upset with Russell (who she was closest with).
Of course, one can't overlook the fact that Laura and Monica really disliked Russell. Just because he didn't betray them doesn't mean that they'd be willing to vote for him. Yet, at the end, sometimes these people come to respect those that outlasted them.
Finally, how wonderfully cocky was it when Russell opted not to play his immunity idol last week? Man, that was ballsy.
Anyway, throughout all the twists and turns, I think the biggest shocker was ultimately how incredible this season ended up being. In a lot of ways Survivor went back to its roots: Not much intervention from outside forces (like mixing up tribes or banishing people) and they basically just let the characters make the drama for themselves. Not too shabby for a show completing its 19th season.
Enjoy the finale -- TEAM RUSSELL!
Also: Please take a moment to fill out this WWE Year-End Survey - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LXGLNW
Monday, November 30, 2009
Survivor: Suggesting a season
Long-time reader Javier left this comment on my previous post:Hey Matt, as you know, I've been a loyal reader of all your columns for years and have enjoyed them very much. To be completely honest, in 19 seasons, I had never seen one episode of Survivor. I know it's a good show but I was never able to watch it. While reading your comments on the latest season I decided to give Survivor a try and I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed the show. I've been catching up with this season and it's been a fun ride, so I want to thank you for introducing me to Survivor. I was gonna ask you, since I've missed years of this show, what past seasons would you recommend me to watch? What are your favorites? Thanks.
Survivor is a real interesting beast, making this question very tough to answer. I find myself getting extraordinarily into a particular season, yet a year or so later struggle to remember the names of anybody other than the final few competitors.
Incidentally, the ones that I've enjoyed in recent memory are ones you probably wouldn't appreciate without being a long-time fan -- All Stars and Fans vs. Favorites. Of course, there's the belief that the original is always the best, and a fair argument could be made for that. The show has become synonymous with the word "alliance" and the idea of a group of masterminds picking off the underdogs one by one, but in the first season this strategy was a novel and innovative concept.
I might also suggest Guatemala, as it was the first season to introduce Exile Island and the hidden immunity idol. I also thought China was pretty good. But does anybody else have any suggestions?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Survivor: A response to the conspiracy theorists
Those who follow my Twitter page are likely already aware of my enjoyment of this latest installment of Survivor. The show is clearly pushing Russell as this season's "star," and I'm drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid. From his slithering behavior to his nearly flawless strategy to the impeccable way he's read and manipulated people, I've been utterly entertained by his antics. And since the merge, I've sometimes literally been sitting at the edge of my seat wondering who would be voted off. It's been a long time since I've been this drawn to a season of Survivor -- surely no small feat considering this is the 19th edition of the popular reality series.
Naturally, IMDb.com -- a forum that has become increasingly unbearable to read -- has found a way to put a damper on this season. You have countless people (who I assume to be a vocal minority) who believe that the show is rigged. They argue that there's absolutely no way that Russell could possibly find three immunity idols, two of which he received no clues for. Likewise, they find it unbelievable that he hasn't already been voted off, and that the other contestants are being urged to keep him on the show. And anybody who believes that the show isn't fixed is simply being "naive."
First off, since Survivor is a contest that rewards the winner with money, it is ILLEGAL to tamper with the results in any way -- and that especially includes rigging variables that would ensure that a particular contestant remains in the game.
Further, what do the powers that be benefit from such a stunt? Mark Burnett, who produces the show, perhaps has more to lose than anybody. In addition to Survivor, he's involved with The Apprentice, The Contender, Shark Tank, and a variety of other reality show contests. If it's revealed that one of his competitions has been fixed, his entire career loses credibility. What does he gain from that?
Then there's CBS, currently the #1 network on television. As the so-called King of the Mountain, they're really not all that desperate to bring in audience. Tarnishing one of their most identifiable programs -- which typically brings in over 13 million viewers -- is hardly a necessary evil. Likewise, another popular series known as The Amazing Race calls CBS home as well. Tampering with the credibility of one of these programs can easily hinder the other. Again -- the ends don't justify the means here.
And finally, what do the other contestants gain from keeping a legitimate threat in the game? They're competing against each other for money, after all.
And you would think that this point should go without saying, but obviously it needs to be said: We are merely seeing an edited version of what has happened. It may seem like Russell stumbled upon these hidden idols without much work or complication, but what we don't see is that he may have been spending ten hours a day, three days straight looking for these idols. And, as host Jeff Probst has said, producers WANT the contestants to find the idols, because it adds a new element to the game. It's a bit pointless to hide it if nobody's going to find it. And as we saw from a recent episode, other contestants are more interested in following Russell as he looks for the idol, instead of looking for the idol themselves. He seems to be the only one who cares to find it.
So, no, I do not believe that this latest season of Survivor is rigged. I just think they hit the jackpot with a great character and they're doing everything they can, through editing, to make him the star of the show. And you know what? More people are talking about the show than I remember in quite some time.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Survivor thoughts
I don't want to give away who got voted off, so click the "Read More" link for my Survivor thoughts. Oh, and because I don't want people to forget about my Lost column as it slides down the blog, here's a link for that as well:
http://acaseoftheblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/case-of-lost-episode-5-14.html
Now, read my thoughts...
For whatever reason, tonight's episode of Survivor had me steaming. The characters -- two in particular -- had me annoyed beyond belief.
I've always felt that Coach was an absolute psychopath. I mean, honestly. I think he's a lot of fun to watch, but I really don't think he should be allowed outside the house, no less in the jungle playing with sharp objects. But this episode, I have to say, without a shadow of a doubt, Debbie was the absolute most unlikeable person. My blood was boiling whenever she spoke.
And I have to say, I was loving Sierra. The girl has balls. She straight up called out every single person for their lies, deception, and attempted manipulations. Coach and Debbie ABSOLUTELY asked Sierra to form an alliance with them. And when she rightfully resisted, they tried to act like she was the one violating their trust. These two treated her like an outcast and attempted to vote her out. And they rejected her attempt at an alliance at the previous tribal council (when she was in the weak position).
And she rightfully called them out about not having the numbers. And when she did, Debbie completely lost it. She simply couldn't convince Sierra that THEY were doing HER the favor, and it drove her over the deep end.
Then Coach showed that he's completely full of crap when he straight up lied about what had happened with no provocation whatsoever. And he has the gall to go on to say that Sierra is deluded and has tricked herself into believing this lie. Projecting much? This guy is the definition of a hypocrite.
I was going to say that Coach was a total tool for saying "Dragon Slayer!" after winning his challenge, but the fact that he later asked J.T., so proudly, "Did you hear me say 'Dragon Slayer'?" with this big goofy grin on his face....yeah...
I was so pissed that Sierra ended up getting voted off. I don't like her enough to root for her to win it, but just like last week, a very unpleasant person deserved to get what they had coming.
What's happening with your favorite TV Show?
So as we approach the end of the television season, and the period in which networks announce their Fall schedule, we're starting to get a sense of which shows will be returning and which ones won't. Courtesy of TV Guide, I've got a pretty extensive list here. Nothing particularly earth shattering (except 'Til Death -- that show's still on?), but it's worth a look.
30 Rock: Already renewed.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Survivor: Gabon finale thoughts
First and foremost, I was absolutely, positively thrilled to see Bob win. I have been rooting for him since the beginning. My cousin, who goes to school in Massachusetts, has friends who actually know him. And from everything I've heard, he's as genuine and nice as he comes across on television. A very, very, very deserving winner, indeed.
Another reason why I really wanted Bob to win was because virtually every other competitor post-merge was extremely unlikeable. Kenny drove me particularly crazy. The guy was cocky to the supreme (which, thankfully, ended up being his downfall). He was also despicably conniving -- which isn't even that bad, except for the fact that he would mope, cry, and be bitter whenever anybody had the nerve to do something underhanded to him. i mean, how on earth is it Bob's problem that Kenny's game got messed up? And I STILL can't believe that he honestly expected other people to side with him after he had openly admitted that he would have voted Bob out had he given up his immunity idol. This guy drove me crazy.
A while back I wrote a whole column about how stupid Susie was for turning on her tribe -- where she had the numbers -- for another alliance in which she was clearly the low person on the totem pole. Well, I'm not too proud to admit that I was wrong. I don't think she deserved to make it to the final three, and I certainly don't think she deserved to get so close to actually winning, but her decisions certainly paid off. So, congratulations to her for that.
Sugar....hmmm, I really don't know how I feel about her. I totally disagreed with her behavior regarding Randy (who's an ass, but even so, the whole cookie thing was pretty messed up). And while I have nothing but complete compassion for her loss, the constant crying got to be a bit much after a while. That being said, she did play a huge role in helping Bob win it. And I absolutely loved her performance during tribal council. She just had this "I'm not going to win, so eff it" attitude. And it was great. She was unapologetic and told people how she felt (whereas the roles are usually reversed).
I also found Corrine pretty annoying, and her comment about Sugar's father was completely distasteful and inexcusable. I don't care if you have a very sarcastic sense of humor or if you've been around somebody for a long time, something like that should never, ever be said. It also annoyed me how she would talk about how stupid and easily manipulated her opposition is, as they systematically eliminate her alliance one by one.
One thing struck me about Randy during the reunion special: He is most certainly playing a "character." He had this angry, bitter face throughout the whole show, even at inappropriate moments, and he couldn't stop himself from laughing at certain points. He's definitely putting on a show.
Oh, one thing I hate about the reunion is that they don't reveal, afterwards, who every jury member voted for to win. I mean, the entire last portion of the finale is devoted to getting the jury to vote for you, and it definitely leaves a void when you don't find out.
And holy hell, how cute is Paloma?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Survivor annoyances
As per the etiquette discussed in my previous post, click the "Read More" link for my thoughts on tonight's episode of Survivor. There are some spoilers (if they're still considered that), 'natch.
While I completely understand that there's a lot of stuff going on that we the viewers don't see, and that there's a lot of information we're privy to that the competitors aren't, it absolutely drives me crazy when some of the players make completely asinine decisions.
Such was the case tonight, when Susie decides that she's going to jump ship. Let me get this straight: Instead of being part of the majority that always wins, you decide you want to be part of the minority that always loses? What sort of sense does that make?
And yes, I recognize that, in her eyes, she's the low person on the totem pole. But she still had a better chance of making it to the final six (which, of course, WE know never would have happened -- but she didn't) and hoping that she can survive based solely on immunity challenges and becoming the swing vote. I really don't know what her plan is, because even if they make it to the merge, they still won't have the numbers. Next time Fang loses, Matty's getting voted off. And if Koda loses again, they'd probably vote a tie anyway.
And you know what? She spent the entire season bitching and complaining about her status within the alliance, and they made it perfectly clear that this was the case because they were worried she would flip. And what does she do the first chance she gets? Flips.
But man, are things ever going to be awkward between Marcus and Crystal's cousin...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Who Survived?
Don't wanna spoil the Survivor finale for anybody who didn't watch yet, so click the "Read More" link for my thoughts. For what it's worth, I was rooting for Amanda going into this episode.
One thing that irked me, though, was Cirie's rant. It just came across as very, well, ridiculous. It's absolutely idiotic how Cirie could go on and on about how nobody has ever said "I can't put Cirie's name down" well SHE HAS NEVER RECEIVED A SINGLE VOTE AGAINST HER! Along with that, she's talking about how she feels like she's at the bottom of her alliance, bringing up how Amanda had something going on with Ozzy while Parvati had something going on with James. Cirie, how on earth can you consider yourself BELOW Ozzy and James when OZZY AND JAMES HAVE BOTH BEEN VOTED OFF! And you're still here. Personally, I sided with Amanda on that argument.
Speaking of Amanda, when she whipped out the dough eyes -- the very look that single handedly lost her last season's competition -- when Natalie got voted off, I shook my head in disappointment. When she made the face AGAIN after she won the final immunity challenge, I wanted to throw something at the TV. "Woe is me" is NOT an endearing attitude when you're trying to win a million dollars.
While I haven't much liked Cirie this season, I think her one comment regarding the final two twist was very poignant. These women spent the entire competition blindsiding others, and now they're on the receiving end.
I don't mind the "honor your fallen brethren" routine that they do every year. Actually, I got a kick out of Parvati's "and you liiiiike him" line to Amanda, regarding Ozzy. Which was supplemented by the "I'll let you hold his torch" comment.
To me, Amanda is an amazingly complex player. She manages to play an absolutely phenomenal game up until the final couple tribal councils, when she just completely falls apart. I mean, the fact that she's made it to the finals two years in a row is pretty incredible when you think about. But like I said earlier, when people are trying to decide whether or not to give you ONE MILLION DOLLARS, they don't feel sorry for you. So don't put on a pouty face and act like you're in the worst position in the world. On top of that, considering how many people you've backstabbed this season, they absolutely don't want to hear how terribly you feel about voting somebody off and hurting their feelings. Just like last year, this was Amanda's game to lose. And just like last time, she did. And she really, really shouldn't have.
Regarding the final tribal council, what in the blue hell was the deal with Natalie's comments? Wow, strange. And how stupid and one sided was Cirie's question. I mean, she asked Amanda to tell her why Parvati deserved to be there more than herself. She then asked Parvati to explain why she (Cirie) deserves to be there more than her (Parvati).
Along those same lines, Ozzy's rant was complete bullcrap. Sorry Oz-man, but people compete in this game to win money, not to make friends. So for him to go off on Parvati for "putting a price on our friendship" is such a ridiculous, unfair load.
That said, how could your heart NOT melt when he professed his love for Amanda? I mean, hell, I still don't have my hetero card back from my 90210 entry, so I might as well admit that I totally loved that moment.
And as a final note, does anybody else miss those absolutely, ridiculously overly elaborate "Jeff arrives at the live taping" scenes?
Friday, May 9, 2008
Survivor: Why last night's occurrences never should have happened...
Based on what happened last night, I'm not going to include anything but this preface in the main section. Instead, click on the "Read More" link below for my thoughts.
If we learned anything from last night's episode, it's that women are pure evil and men are friggin' morons.
The women have absolutely dominated this game (how that ended up happening, I am still not quite sure), which was incredibly evident following the votes of Ozzy and Jason in particular. The women completely manufactured both of those blindsides, making the person who would inevitably be voted out feel so safe that he wouldn't feel the need to play his hidden immunity idol. This was particularly impressive in Jason's case, as there was already a MASSIVE target on his back and he had just seen the exact same blindside occur at the previous tribal council.
Nevertheless, Erik had seemingly defied the odds by surviving through these women, and even miraculously won both the reward and immunity challenges. Erik now had the immunity necklace and would live to fight another day. Or so we thought.
Instead, the women completely manipulated Erik and convinced him to give up his immunity necklace (?!?!?!?!?!) for Natalie. How they convinced him that giving up his immunity necklace would result in one of the women getting voted off absolutely baffles me. I mean, they had somehow led him to believe that Natalie and Cirie would only vote with him if gave up the necklace, as if they had all these possible options. If Erik had kept the necklace, one of the girls were going home. Whether it's his top choice doesn't really matter in the long run, does it? The fact remains that one of his competitors will be voted off (and really, in order to avoid a tie, some of the girls would have HAD to vote with him, whether they liked it or not), and tension would develop between the women.
Arguably the most frustrating part of the entire episode was the fact that they convinced Erik that he had pissed off every single person on the jury. How exactly did he do that? Everybody on the jury recognizes that Erik didn't orchestrate any of their eliminations. On top of that, if memory serves, he was never even the swing vote! Additionally, at the very least Jason and Ozzy know that the women arranged for them to get voted off, so he would undoubtedly get both of their votes (especially when you consider that Erik is a male fan -- like Jason -- and that Ozzy sided with Erik over Ami). I believe that James would have voted for him too, considering his bitterness near the end towards the females. Eliza is a question mark, but I think she bears some ill will towards the women who didn't include her in their little club. And it's also entirely possible that the still competing women that inevitably get voted off may split their votes between whichever women remain (assuming there's a final three). If Erik wasn't an idiot for giving up the necklace, he was an absolute fool for not realizing that he easily had as many votes as the most popular girl still playing.
It also baffles me that he didn't consider the source. I mean, these girls are telling Erik that he upset EVERYBODY because of his double talk. The reason everybody else has been voted off already is because of the fact that they told people one thing and did another. He knows this. They know this. The jury knows this. How did he fall for this trap?
There's no question about it, this move WILL go down as the dumbest in Survivor....nay, television history! That being said, the actual voting portion of the tribal council was absolutely brilliant.
The biggest mystery this season, for me, is the fact that Cirie has had so much power. While the last few votes were seemingly due to Amanda and Parvati, Cirie maneuvered some of the earliest surprise eliminations. And she's continued to bestow her influence throughout the rest of the season. What has she contributed to this game? She hasn't won a single individual challenge, and she hasn't played a crucial role in any team challenge. She doesn't bring any special skills to the camp. Why does she have so much power?
At this point, I think I'd like to see Amanda win it all. Honestly, it was her game to lose last season. Hopefully she learned from her atrocious final tribal council performance.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Quick Survivor Note....
"I never lied once when I was here." - Alexis
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Survivor thoughts
I'm still a big fan of Survivor, and I'm impressed with how the show has managed to remain pretty fresh while staying true to its original concept. But after 18,000 seasons, can we PLEASE quit it with the whole "half of the tribe gets a feast, and the other half gets all bitter about it" routine? I mean, PLEASE! Get the F over it already. This happens every single season. You lost the challenge, they won fair and square, and they deserve the feast. It's a competition, and it wasn't anything malicious. On top of that, 9.9 times out of 10, the losing team ASKS how it was, feigning interesting. Then, moments after the winning tribe spills the details, the losing tribe scurries off and talks crap about them. It's really tired and old. Get over it.
Click the "Read More" link for my thoughts on who got voted off.
The amazing thing about this episode was the way it made me really, really dislike pretty much everybody except Jason, and maybe Erik. Honestly, everybody else came off as exceptionally unlikable.
I'm a little torn about how I feel regarding the crew blatantly lying to Jason about not voting him off. My personal philosophy regarding the show has always been that you're competing to win one million dollars, you're not there to meet your new best friend. So if turning on a close ally is personally beneficial, more power to you. I've always felt that the person most deserving is the person that can get to the end and convince you to vote for them. As far as this game is concerned, I really don't necessarily believe you have to play honestly or honorably.
Yet, for some reason, the way this went down really left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe it was that they not only lied to him about not voting him off, but they also arranged for him to basically get them a huge feast as well. It was just....particularly despicable. There was nothing really strategic about it....it was just mean.
And what the hell was with that finger crossing thing? Are we in freakin' 4th grade?
I also find it interesting how Alexis, an apparent motivational speaker, makes the biggest sour puss face when something didn't work out for her, and then calls somebody stupid for taking somebody else's word.
Oh, and I also found it funny how James -- the guy who got voted off while holding TWO immunity idols -- criticized Jason for playing stupidly.
As far as Ozzy goes, well, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I've always liked him, but he was one of the people I referred to in the beginning who came off as very unlikable this episode. I also found his whole reaction to getting voted off pretty hypocritical. I mean, you basically spent the entire time between the immunity challenge and tribal council saying how it's about outwitting somebody, and it was foolish of Jason to take anybody's word. Oh, and he actually said "he'll just continue dominating challenges." Not at all like you would, right Ozzy? Well guess what, you just got outwitted.
Then to sarcastically say "Thanks, guys" after you get voted off. Please. I mean, you came up with this elaborative plot to vote off a guy you had promised you wouldn't vote off. But GOD FORBID they do that to you.
Highlight of the episode has to be Eliza's reaction, though.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
"We need you.....we need you....I need you...."
So "Favorite" Jonathan was forced to leave the game in last week's episode of Survivor, because his injured leg was starting to become infected. Should the infection spread, he'd risk not only losing the limb, but his life as well. It was a genuinely touching scene, and I found myself genuinely upset and disappointed to see him have to go. In my earlier "stream of conscious" reviews of this season, I've noted that he's become one of my favorite characters.
That said, there was one thing about this scene that I found absolutely hiliarous: Kathy's reaction. For those who aren't fans of the show, Kathy is the character who, upon meeting one of the gay contestants, asked "that doesn't mean you want to be a girl, right?" Anyway, when Jonathan announced to his tribe that he had to leave, everybody was understandably upset. Kathy -- who had been his tribemate for a grand total of three days -- is in tears. And in the midst of Jonathan attempting to have a personal "good bye" with Eliza (his closest ally in the game), Kathy bursts in, with tears streaming down her face, saying "We need you.....we need you.....I need you!" It reminded me SO MUCH of Trudy Wiegel's desperate and pathetic obsession with the super gay and totally uninterested Lt. Dangle (while Jonathan is not gay, the emotional attachment between him and his fan cohort did not appear to be requited). I couldn't help but think of that as it all unfolded.
If you envision Wiegel and Dangle in this situation, the scene becomes significantly more hilarious. Enjoy:
