Survivor Gabon - Thoughts After Episode 8

Oh, Susie... why must you be the token stupid lady on Survivor? Really. Why? I don't care that much about Marcus leaving - I liked him, but I didn't have a whole lot invested in him - but I am now so much more worried about Bob! Bob, the rock-star Mainer who nearly won the painful endurance immunity challenge against a man half his age. Susie, consider this a warning: if you last longer than Bob, lookout. I will hunt you down to yell at you to your face.

I'm also not sure where this leaves Kota in terms of physical strength... Despite Crystal's chisled body, she hasn't really managed to do much with it since the competition began. Kenny is pretty scrawny and Susie is all but useless. I'll be curious to see what happens with them.

Favorite moment of this episode: Jeff tells Fang (pronounced "Fong") to head back to camp after winning the challenge. Corinne says "It's Fang" (pronounced "Fang"). And Jeff replies, well, don't forget your banner, Fang. Awwwww, SNAP! Oh, Corinne... I don't like you much, but I'm afraid you might be hanging out for a while. Grrrr.

Projects

I have decided that this weekend will be a project weekend. Not just the usual projects such as grocery shopping and doing laundry, but the bigger ones like working on finishing a knitting project I started 8 months ago and other such crafty stuff.

Tonight I caught up on Survivor (post to follow) and knitted. What I've decided is that sweaters are hard to make. Photo evidence to come, but for now you'll just have to trust me. 

Survivor: Micronesia - Episode 7

Ah, you sneaky Episode 7, coming on a Wednesday night this week.

I had just enough time to watch before heading to work this morning (I like a leisurely breakfast) and here are my thoughts:

- I loved Cirie the last time she played, but this time, she just annoys me. I understand that she's not a strong swimmer, but she stayed on the boat, so why was she complaining and making a big deal about it. Shouldn't she know by now that no one likes a whiner?

- Speaking of complaining, all the girls sitting around complaining about Ozzy and Erik getting coconuts was just rediculous - the guys are getting them food while they sit on their butts. I don't think they're in a position to be complaining.

- Kathy's departure... Explain this to me. Isn't there some rule about not being able to go home or be in touch with family even if you leave early because then people would know you didn't make it for the whole time? Maybe that's only for the jury? I'm just confused because if I'm right, then how will Kathy be able to be in touch with her family, even if she leaves the game?

- I loved James' Yoda-like wisdom after Kathy left. Not sure when he became a wise old man, but it showed a different side of him and I liked it.

- Was Ami on crack when she said that she thought that Tracy was more into the game than Erik? Really, Ami? Really? When was the last time Tracy climbed a tree for coconuts? Or did anything useful, for that matter?

Quote of the week: "I don't want anyone to think that I'm quitting" (Kathy, when talking to Jeff and her tribe) Ummmm... but you are.

Runner-up quote of the week: "This game IS called Survivor." (James - when pointing out that all the girls on his tribe do is complain)

Survivor: Micronesia - Episodes 1-6

Ok, so I haven't been doing weekly blog entries about Survivor this season because I haven't had the time, but I'm on break this week and trying to catch up on some things and so here I am.

I don't have many specifics to talk about, but here are a few:

1. Chet. He SUCKED. Seriously - he was the most pathetic contestant ever to be on the show. He never once looked like he was trying, and definitely never once looked like he was in the game to win it. Mostly, he just looked consistantly surprised that he was in the game at all, and that he kept avoiding getting voted out. I loved that Probst didn't even try to talk him out of volunteering to go home. I can't think of another time that Jeff hasn't guilt-tripped the person who wants to go home when he has found out about it. That says a lot. Good riddance, Chet. I can't believe you got this far.

2. Speaking of Jeff, I also can't remember a past time when Jeff has had such a heartfelt goodbye with a contestant who has had to leave for medical reasons. Perhaps that's because other medical reasons have been more urgent, and haven't allowed for official goodbyes, but I was really touched by his goodbye to Jonathan. Side note - when did Jonathan become "Penner" and not "Jonathan"??? There's not another Jonathan on this season, so what's the deal?

3. Is anyone else as incredulous as I am that CBS seemed to pick the most pathetic Survivor fans for this season? They're all supposed to be super-fans, but they fell victim to the "our tribe can't pull together to make a shelter in the first 48 hours at our campsite" fate, and none of them seem to be all that knowledgable about much in terms of survival skills and/or strategy (see above rant about Chet). I'm just not really clear what each of them brings to the table that qualifies them as super-fans, because to be honest, I've seen plenty of "regular" players who knew Survivor skills better than this crew. I'm disappointed. I wanted there to be some real competition.

4. James is nice to look at.

5. I love Ozzy. Even though he was stupid enough to vote Joel out and keep Chet for an extra 3 days, I love him. He's incredible to watch in the challenges, and he really plays the game. He's like a male version of Stephanie (ok, not really, but I love him like I loved her). I was having trouble breathing when I thought there was a chance he'd be voted out.

6. Was I right in seeing that in next week's episode, the Airai tribe is scrounging for food? How is that possible after the challenge they just won where people came and showed them how to catch fish and coconut crabs?

In other news, I'm back from my tour of Maine where I stayed with friends, parents, and more friends, played with dogs, played with kids, purchased a whole lotta yarn at Marden's, sang a lot in my car, and got some much-needed (and deserved) relaxation.

Many thanks to my hosts along the way. I can't wait until I no longer have homework as an excuse to keep me here on weekends - I promise more fun weekend playdates post-graduation.

Many thanks, also, to my friend for hosting Survivor night tonight. There is little better than watching Survivor with someone else - especially when we get to catch up and tell each other rediculous stories about severed manniquin heads and air mattresses and such. Good times.

Happy Friday to all and to all a good weekend!

Survivor China: Episodes 2 & 3

(aka. "It's good to stay home sick so I can justify catching up on Survivor.")

In episode 2, we find Dave taking himself a little too seriously as leader of his tribe. For someone who didn't do much as a leader before the 1st tribal council, it seemed as though he's overcompensating a bit now...

JR - pretending to be lazy to be able to look good later?!?! I'll be interested to see how that plays out in the long-run.

Dave's smug look when Ashley got voted out made me want to jump into my television and strangle him.

Episode 3 showed JR's creepy side, both trying to snuggle with all the girls, and saying such things as, "The only thing better than a million dollars is a million dollars and some ass!" Classy fellow, that one.

On a related note, how could JR and James be so stupid as to have that conversation where they did!? Are they really so full of themselves they thought no one would hear them!? And even if they thought that none of their tribemates could hear them, what about the camera crews hanging out nearby??? JR had to know that was a great soundbyte - which just makes him ickier to me...

Though I found Courtney's performance at the immunity challenge to be pretty pathetic, I was actually on her side when she complained at tribal council about how the challenges are all designed for brawn, and how she kept getting sat out of challenges by her team. I had noticed the physical nature of the challenges to and I'm hoping they start doing some that are more balanced or that at least make some room for a tiny person to shine.

Best reason to vote someone out: "I'm voting for you because when you snore at night it sounds like someone's choking a walrus." (Courtney voting for JR)

Survivor China: Episode 1

Another season of Survivor, another few months of Saturday mornings spent in bed catching up on the week's events (thank you, school, for always scheduling my classes on Thursday nights). After a scary moment when I couldn't find the full episode online, and then having to sit through no less than three "commercial" breaks where I was subjected to this horrible commercial, I am now ready to share with you my first impressions after week 1:

- I realize it's easy to say "if I were on Survivor, I'd..." but seriously - it's season 15 - if you were on Survivor, wouldn't you want to be prepared for anything and show up to any and all events wearing clothes that you would want to have with you? I don't know off the top of my head the exact number of times survivors have been sent to their camps with no warning, but I know it's happened a few times, so just assume that it might happen on your season and wear practical shoes and a BRA, for godsake.

And maybe they all had literally just arrived and they were wearing what they had worn on the plane ride, but seriously - who flies to China to be on Survivor and wears a business suit!?!?

- Interesting theory about a poker player having an advantage by being able to better read his tribe mates. Looks from the preview for next week that perhaps he's not so good with his teamwork skills, but I'll be interested to see if he has any good/interesting insight into any of his fellow competitors.

- Courtney is absolutely the most rediculous survivor player in this game so far. Did she score negative points on whatever socialization test they must have given her before being on this show? "People who live in NY don't act like this"!??!?! Wow. Can't wait to see how long she lasts (or, more optimistically, how long it takes before she has some sort of epiphany and realizes that "different" does not mean "bad"). UPDATE (since I wrote this 30 seconds ago): I just read her Bio, and she grew up in Boston, and studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal, so it's not like she's never left the confines of NYC. What is her deal!??!!

- Did I make this up, or did the Christian radio host really say "I'm not religious, but..." in her defense of walking out of the ceremony at the beginning? Please tell me I mis-heard that.

- I hope Frosti stays in long enough that we get to see him do some fun Parkour moves.

- I have a crush on James the gravedigger.

- What on earth made Jeff decide it was a good idea to let the loser tribe at tribal council bring their fire back to camp with them!?!?!? I can't remember the last time that happened - at least not at the first tribal council. I wanted to see them suffer a little more.

- Finally, I'm bummed that Chicken got voted out early, as he would have been a fun character to have around (for us anyway, probably not for his tribe). I did see why they voted for him, though, because he was stupid and stubborn and wouldn't share his opinion with the tribe. Man, he was funny for one episode, though. Great character.

Person I hope to see a lot more of in the future: Denise. C'mon - she's a school lunch lady and she rides her scooter to work. Oh, and did I mention her Budweiser memorabilia collection and her skills at axe and knife throwing (please please please let there be a challenge where we get to see these skills in action!).

Final Thoughts on Survivor: Season 14

Ok, so finals made me skip the last few episodes of Survivor, and so I was forced to read about them on the official Survivor website. Very detailed, but not as good as seeing them live. Yes, I could have streamed them like LB, but I haven’t been home much lately, so reading was the best I could do.

That said, I was able to see enough episodes over the course of the season that I knew who all the players were who were left, and I definitely had opinions on them all. Sorry to not have commentary on all episodes, but I think I have enough commentary on this episode (and the reunion show) to make up for it.

Survivor Episode 200:

Yau Man – what a win for that first immunity challenge. He needed it and got it. He is amazing.

What’s with Boo’s “Floz” hat? Was this explained in one of the episodes I missed? Why did I not notice it earlier? “FLOZ”???

Best quote: “An older Chinese guy and a young black guy. Friends. That’s like Rush Hour.”

The “saying goodbye to people who were voted off before you” segment is lame. It’s always lame. How many different ways are there to say “Sorry you had to go so early” or “I wish you could have been here longer with us.”

That arm hanging challenge was great at showing off Cassandra’s sexy armpits. I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen female armpits so hairy in previous seasons. Also, did she have an orgasm before she fell off? That was awesome.

The Immunity Necklace: Stupid move on Dreamz’s part. Because how could anyone pick him to win after he went back on his plan with Yau Man? The curse of the car got them both.

Speaking of… Why did Yau Man give Dreamz the truck? Didn’t the pact dissolve when Dreamz didn’t keep his word? I guess Yau Man is better than that, but still…

Did anyone else get choked up seeing the clip of Stephanie finding out about the merge for the “Built Ford Tough Tournament” (I think that’s what it was called) ? I loved that season. I loved Stephanie.

Is it me or was Cassandra talking to herself on the way to the “final” tribal council? Her lips were moving, but it didn’t look like anyone was listening…

Lamest opening statement to the jury was definitely Cassandra: “I was someone everyone could talk to and I tried to stay positive and I hope that at the end of the day, we can all still be friends.” Whhhaaaaat!?!??! (and how did I miss until tonight the fact that that she couldn’t swim?)

Alex: Wow. Yelling at Cassandra to stop answering the question he had asked her to answer? And what was with the “air quotes”?

Probst’s facial reaction to Lisi’s question was brilliant. Cassandra’s SHOES!? What the hell do they have to do with anything?! “How many zeros are in a million dollars?” WHAT!? What are these questions? And why didn’t Jeff ask her about them at the reunion show? She’s officially insane.

Boo: Way to give props to Yau Man. Way to play the Christ card with Dreamz. I didn’t see the episode with the truck promise, but I loved that Boo told Dreamz he was an immature Christian (and how the videos showed that Dreamz did indeed swear to God).

Random thought: Do you think that people got teeth whitening before this show? They all have very glowing teeth in the darkness.

Overall, it was an okay season of survivor, but not a favorite. I’m glad Earl won. I was pulling for him from early on. Wish I had someone to watch it with (I didn’t realize they were putting three people in front of a jury, so when I did the math, I got all excited to think that I’d be in SF to watch the finale with my SF-Survivor-Watching peeps), but it was good background while I packed for my upcoming trip to SF.

Probably no updates for a bit, as my schedule is jam-packed until I take off for SF.

Happy Mother’s Day to all.

Survivor Marathon

You might think that being behind 4 episodes might make me give up. The truth is, I almost did. But then I was home this Friday night with nothing to do but clean my room, and I realized that Survivor would make for really nice background entertainment. Apologies for the looooong break between Survivor posts, but here are my thoughts on Episodes 6-9:

Episode 6 was relatively boring, except for Rocky's blow-up. I was left wondering how it was Anthony got voted off and not Rocky.

Episode 7 was significantly more interesting. Yau Man and Earl solidified their interesting alliance, and I thought it was interesting that Yau Man promised to share the idol with Earl. I wonder how that will play out. And burrying a 2nd Idol!?!? It doesn't appear like it will matter now, but how cool would it have been if someone found the dummy idol and tried to use it!?

I kind of took issue with the arcade award challenge. I mean, I guess I just feel like these people are on this beautiful island, and wouldn't it be much cooler for everyone (viewers included) if we all saw more and learned more about the island culture rather than watching them play at an arcade? Rocky's reaction to everyone having stomach aches was pretty funny though. God, he's an idiot.

Earl is funny. I'm not sure I had realized this before, but his whole thing about "just call it Earl Island" somehow made him much more endearing to me. I'm rooting for him now all the way.

And can we just all stop and ask ourselves what the hell Boo is still doing in this game?! No only does he not seem to contribute much, but he also DOESN'T KNOW HIS LEFT FROM HIS RIGHT. I mean, that's kind of an important thing to know before heading into a game full of challenges that often require some sort of directional knowledge.

Two favorite quotes:
"Old guy's good for some good!"
"She's gonna love the attention - 5 men with ears!"

Also, does anyone know what the hell Rocky said when he left? He said something right after Jeff announced it was him, and then appeared to say the same thing again after Probst said, "The tribe has spoken." Anyone? Anyone?

Episode 8 - where Lisi proves to the world what an incredible idiot she is. I mean REALLY - did she seriously tell those guys all the idol clues!? Also, she actually said she doesn't "take the challenges seriously." Um, Lisi - I don't meann to question your obviously brilliant game strategy here, but if you don't take the challenges seriously, and you keep losing those challenges, than it's going to be YOU who goes home, honey.

Edgardo, sweet Edgardo. Whatever you do, don't tell people you're good at something. Too many Survivors in the past have gotten themselves voted off after promising their teammates that they could be counted on for a certain challenge task ("I'm good at puzzles!") only to fail miserably in the end. Just don't say anything. If you end up being good, then great. If you don't, then your tribemates never expected anything to begin with. I'm pretty sure you learned that lesson this week, and won't make that mistake again.

Lisi's flip-flopping was annoying as hell, and I was glad to see her go. It did bring up an interesting question for me though: If Lisi were to have gotten to the point where she chose to quit rather than get voted out (presumably because she thought she would not get voted out for some reason), would she sit on the jury? I'm guessing no, because she quit, but she did technically earn a spot on the jury... Then again, if they didn't let her be on the jury, it would mess up the jury numbers (and how do you break tie at the Survivor finale?).

Finally, Rocky - who knew he could clean up so nice!?

Favorite quotes:
"Call me a genie in a bottle 'cause I grant wishes." (Dreamz to Lisi)
"You're a grown man, consider a name change." (Lisi to Dreamz)

Finally, Episode 9: I started getting really angry that the original Moto tribe members who had remained on Moto from the beginning would never experience what it was like to rough-it, but then I realized that it was Survivor, and there's no way they'd allow everyone to live in paradise. I was glad to see I was right.

Honestly, I had mixed feelings about Michelle from the beginning. Her sugary-sweet voice was a turn-off, but at the same time, she was amazingly good at all that she did, and she did it all with a smile and great enthusiasm (hello - she fell off the platform and jumped right back up). She started fire without any fire-starting supplies, and was generally a really tough competitor. I definitely liked her better than Stacy, so I was sad to see her go.

I can't wait for next week to see the tribe members go completely nuts on each other. GREAT twist to merge the tribe, but still have a separated tribal council. Survivor 14 is still keeping it interesting.

Quote of the week (and a great example of slithering out of answering a question):
"One good reason for me to vote for Stacy is it ain't me."

Episode 5: Love Many, Trust Few, Do Wrong to No One

I hate the way this season is shaping up. I hate that the Moto tribe, that has about a gajillion members I'd like to see voted out, keeps winning, and keeps getting more and more cocky, and the Ravu tribe, that has heart, but no luck, keeps having to vote people out. I didn't love Rita, but she was more deserving to be there than Stacy or Lisi. And the editors rub in the class difference with the cabana music they play every time they show Moto. I want to strangle the idiot Motos when they stay stuff like, "We have so much luxury it doesn't matter!" and when they sit around grinning like idiots and enjoying FAR too much luxury to be able to be called Survivor contestants. Stacy is SO deserving of a vote-off, I can't stand it, and yet there she sits, rolling her eyes, and blatantly not helping Dreamz make coffee. Alex's tiny bit of compassion ("I don't know how to make coffee either, can you tell me?") was much appreciated, and definitely won him a few points in my book.

I'm glad they're mixing it up next week, but at the same time, it's disappointing, because I would have SO loved to see Ravu living it up in the pimped out Moto camp. To be honest, I'm not sure that ever would have happened (since Moto showed it would rather give up a tribe member than give up it's king-sized bed and teacups), but that the potential for it to happen was there, and made it more exciting. The potential for Ravu to win an immunity challenge and not be losers was also there, and now we're never going to see that. I'm psyched for the Ravu members who will get to go live in luxury, but sad for those who won't. Mostly, I'm just eager to see the reaction of the Moto members who have to go live at Ravu camp. I hope Stacy is one of them.

Finally, Rocky and Dreamz? Really? That's either going to be the worst combination ever, or they'll turn into a powerhouse. I'm predicting worst combination ever, but Survivor is full of surprises, and anything could happen.

Quote of the week: "I Wanna Smack 'Em With a Fried Pineapple"

Episodes 3 & 4: Better Late Than Never

Ok, so I actually watched Episode 3 with a friend. It was great (both the episode, and the friend hang-out time). This was a friend I hadn't seen in years, and who totally didn't judge me one bit when we sat down to watch, and I said, "Wait - I need to get something" and he said, "Pen and paper to take notes for the blog?" Seriously, a good, non-judgemental friend indeed.

And yes, I took notes while watching, and then somewhere between 2 Thursdays ago and early this week, that piece of paper went missing, thus, the lack of blog post for episode 3. My favorite moment wasn't anything directly in the episode, though. It was when Sylvia went down in the oil/water challenge, and my friend commented, "She's going home tonight. She's going home tonight because she's still swimming." Maybe you had to be there, but I laughed really hard. It made me remember how much more fun it is to watch and do commentary in real-time instead of on a blog.

As for Episode 4:

- Rocky's "I don't usually deal with people like that - unless it's a broad. No offense to the ladies..." was a gem of a comment, as was Lisi's "Did I just have a baby and not realize it?" It's not that I disagree with her, but Papa Smurf was sick and was more than likely heading off the island at that point, so would it have killed her to keep her heartless comments inside her heartless body?

- I wonder what Ravu's note would have said if they had won immunity, or was Probst so certain that they'd lose that he just had one bottle?

- Dreamz was coming from a well-meaning place with his "let's all be honest with each other and not back-stab and figure out together who we'll vote out" speech, but coming out with "There are 2 people we can afford to lose. I'm not pointing fingers, but it's Lisi & Cassandra" was perhaps not the most tactful and diplomatic way to go about it.

- I wonder how long it takes before Stacy's "We're not going to be hurting - I swear to you!" promise when convincing the team to vote Liliana out comes back to bite her in the ass.

- Finally, let me just say to Liliana: C'MON! Has hitting on male team members to gain favor ever worked out for ANY past competitors? Really. That's gotta be in the top 10 list of
things that don't work to keep people from being voted out. I called it as soon as I saw her in all her massage-giving glory that she'd be out next.

Watching Survivor in real time tonight, so, ya know, maybe you'll get a post that is relatively timely.

Maybe.

Stick Me, Baby, One More Time

I've been entirely delinquent in my posting due to a paper that has been due. I feel like if I'm going to be writing, I need to be focusing my efforts on that paper (you know, for school - and a grade), and not updating you on my life. This has been a great source of frustration for me, however, because I actually watched Survivor last week IN REAL TIME and WITH A FRIEND and I haven't yet blogged about it. It's coming. I swear.

Also, just wanna give a shout-out to my girl Britney, for finally taking the plunge (again... and again... and again) and entering rehab. They say 3rd time's a charm, so with any luck, we'll all have a lot less Spears drama in our lives in the coming months and years ahead (and her kids will have a mom who isn't insane... we can hope, anyway).

Anyway, my post title isn't really about Britney. It's about the ordeal I just went through. You see, I had an appointment today with a woman who was coming to my house to get urine and blood samples (go figure, that's actually a real job). Anyway, I was told not to eat or drink for 4 hours before the appointment, and being the good rule-follower that I am, I didn't.

She shows up and sets up and asks if I've ever had trouble giving blood before.

"No, not yet!" I say cheerfully.

Why did I have to say that?

Because she proceeds to attempt to take blood not one, not two, but THREE times - one of them in my hand - all of them unsuccessful.

I can't wait to see the bruises as they develop, as I am already in pain when I try to bend my arm or wiggle my fingers (and yes, hand and arm are two separate sides of the body - she was an equal opportunity pain-inflicter).

I am SO grumpy, and still have this damn paper to write, so I will sign off for now, and just say that I can't wait to update you all on more fun, happy, and exciting things like Survivor and how cool dueling piano bars are and the like.

Episode 2: "This Game is so Vicious, it's Delicious!"

Wow - another episode where I have not so much to say...

Sorry to Anthony that his marriage to Erica (or at least the blooming of love between them) will have to be put on hold while she stews about being voted off and he continues to fight the good fight. (And can I just say that I am awesome, because I predicted in my last Survivor posting that Erica would have some crazy in her future - indeed, she lost it and got herself booted)

I was glad that Erica found the "lifesaving pineapples" to give the tribe a fighting chance, but I would bet that if she hadn't found them, someone else would have, given that they were RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. I look forward to next week when it appears they manage to make fire. Maybe being hydrated will improve their puzzle skills...

Speaking of skills, did anyone else notice Sylvia's idiot buff-wearing skills? She was walking on the beach with someone, and her buff was basically just balanced on her head. I'm not saying she has to look like a 20-something and wear it as a tube top, but could she at least manage to WEAR it, rather than pose under it???

Like I said, it was a slow episode in week 2... not much else to say.

Favorite quote: "Snakes are misunderstood... we have an understanding now."

Episode 1: James (aka "Rocky") Learns Big Words

Last season of Survivor was my first season of watching without my Bay Area friends. Not only did I have noone to watch Survivor with, but I also had class on Thursday nights, and was forced to watch streaming video online to catch up, thanks to an unprogramable VCR (and no Tivo). Every week, to feel closer to my Survivor friends, I would email them all the comments and thoughts I would have shared had we been watching together. Sometimes this began an email discussion of the episode. Mostly it didn't. But it did make me feel closer to them somehow.

This season, since I have a few blog-reading friends who watch Survivor (but who aren't in on the emails), I've decided to post my comments on this here blog. If you're not into Survivor, then just don't bother reading the entries with the Survivor logo at the top. Otherwise, enjoy...

Thoughts on Episode 1:

- I don't know if it was because of Jeff Probst's notable lack of presence in this episode or what, but for one reason or another, I didn't feel like there were quite as many funny quotables in this episode. For this reason, this particular list of thoughts is kinda lame. Don't judge. I promise to be more entertaining as we get to know our cast of characters.

- I think it's wonderfully cruel that they all built the best shelter/kitchen/bathroom ever, but only half of them get to live there. Seriously - hammocks, cups, a COUCH!??!!? - the only thing missing is the "Casa de Charmin'" sign (apparently not a sponsor this year???).

- I'm also thinking this Exile Island thing is entirely too mean. I mean, it sucks enough that you get stuck out on an island alone. But then to know that you're not alone, and in fact are surrounded (even when you're up in the lookout tower, the camera people were kind enough to point out) by sea snakes... Mean.

- I think Erica had better watch her attitude. Her whole "I don't know what they're so happy about" thing was just rediculous. Does she have a peanut for a brain!? Of COURSE no one was happy about not being able to enjoy the luxury beach, but they were making the best of it, because otherwise, they would all just go crazy. For that reason, I see some crazy in Erica's future.

- I always hate the first vote, because it is rare that anyone actually deserves to go home. I like that so many people got votes, though, this time around - made it interesting, and hopefully will make for some interesting conversation in Episode 2.

- Overall, I'm happy to see that Survivor has continued the trend of diversifying it's contestants (well, not so much with age, but I'll take any progress on this front). Can't wait to see what insanity each and every one has in store for us this season...

Yul Rules!

Because I have no friends on this coast who enjoy my guilty pleasure, I post this blog for anyone out there who does. Below, my comments on the Survivor finale and post-game show:

Can I first just say that it STILL makes me giggle (even though I know very well that it will happen) that everyone looks so damn fat in the reunion episode. I mean, I do understand that they are all rediculously undernourished on the island, and it's not healthy that they all get so skinny, but still, they do end up looking really chubby when they get together at the end, and it makes me giggle.

Let me say, in terms of who won, that my heart really wanted Ozzy to win. That said, I had been pulling for Yul since the beginning, so my brain was psyched for him. But my heart still hurts for Ozzy. I can't believe that the two finalists (I'm going to pretend - like all the jury members did - that Becky was not a finalist) were both so worthy. After seasons upon seasons of deciding between the best of the worst, it was nice to have a season in which the two people in the running for the million dollars actually played the game well and were deserving.

Final Episode Thoughts:

- The Tiebreaker - How absolutely painful was it to watch that fire challenge!? I mean, seriously. We knew that neither woman really deserved to be there, but then they basicially ended up competing to show everyone how little they deserved to be there. I was disgusted, and at the same time, I loved that they both dug their own graves and ensured their elimination from the competition (though I will say I was impressed that Becky didn't take the idol from Yul, even if I was entirely unimpressed with her fire-making skills).

Regarding the Reunion Show:

- Jonathan looks like a dweeb with his hair now. Didn't he have gray hair before? He definitely had a gray beard. Or maybe his hair was always covered by his hat, so I never noticed how toupee-like it was.

- Sundra is a hottie.

- So is Yul (according to People Magazine).

- Ummmmm... Sekou? His song was kinda Lionel Richie-esque, only, well, awful. "SurVIvor!" "Survivor!" Also, anyone else find it ironic that the first person voted out was the one who wrote a song about his experience? Maybe that's why it sucks so much - maybe if he had stayed on the island longer, he could have written a better song. (Update: turns out this little gem is available online, so for those of you who don't watch Survivor and/or for those of you who do watch it and were laughing to hard to hear it on the finale show tonight, you can check it out.)

- Adam is a dufus. Seriously. It pains me to look at him and know how far he went in this game.

- Parvati - MODEL boxing!??!?!

Unrelated to Survivor:

Did anyone in other parts of the nation see the car commercial where the people sing the "Sound of Music" song? It was awful, but let me tell ya that if I were looking to buy a new car, and the car salespeople promised to sing to me like that, I would strongly purchasing from them.

Final Thoughts:

This really was a damn good season of Survivor, which says a lot coming from me, considering I've watched it without my west coast peeps. Though it sucked to watch this finale alone, rather than in Berkeley with my friends and lots of yummy food and beer, I will say it still made me feel somehow close to everyone over there to know that just as the fun was finishing out here, it was just beginning over there.

If any of you west coast Survivor-watchers are reading, I can't wait to de-brief in person in a few weeks over burritos and beers.