Showing posts with label Survivor 35. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Survivor 35. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - Season Finale Blog Party


As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings during the two-hour finale. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion! Come the reunion show in the final hour, I'll more likely be hanging out there than posting on this entry.

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Survivors 

Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY

Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed


Jury
Desiree W.
Cole M.
JP H. 
Joe M.
Lauren R.
Ashley N.

Five are left. Who will be the sole Survivor? 

Hmm. Los Angeles once again for the show. They used to flip back and forth each year between NY and CA. I should mention that two fellow New Jersey people are still in it to win it --Chrissy and Ryan.

Mike is grateful that they voted Ashley out instead of himself. Once back at camp from Tribal, Ben is already out looking for an idol. Ben is once again named Public Enemy Number One, this time by all four with him.

Ben is determined he will find an idol while the rest sleep. So far, nothing. 

And, then ... he finds it!  

Oh my. Chrissy decides that she will make up with Ben. Of course, she's using him. Will he fall for it? Nah. He thinks she's his biggest competitor and wants to blindside her at the next Tribal. 

Right to the Immunity Challenge! Swim to platform, climb stack of crates, leap, retrieve keys, balance board, more keys and then a roulette type puzzle thing. Reward is a chicken feast. 

CHRISSY WINS IMMUNITY AGAIN! 

She brings Mike, then Devon. Hmm. Ryan and Ben get nothing. 

Mike has them looking for a clue, but obviously the last idol isn't there for them. Chrissy wants a contingency plan in case Ben has an idol. Mike wants to use Chrissy's dead super immunity necklace. They figure they can trick Ben with it. No, they don't think he has one.

She shows Ben her necklace and the letter from Ryan. Ryan and Chrissy think Ben bought the story. Meanwhile, Ben is laughing about the fake idol. 

Ben tells us he will decide who goes home. His strongest competitors are Devon or Mike. He dismisses Ryan. And, of course, Chrissy is safe. Devon is considering a Mike vote just to make sure his own butt is safe.

Tribal Council time. Chrissy puts on the necklace. She talks about finding a clue to the idol and digging it up. Ben admits she told him about it. He plays being dumb at an Oscar level. Ben claims she gloated about the idol. He's really putting on an act. Heh. While I want Ryan or Chrissy to win, Ben does deserve it. Or Chrissy. 

Heehee. Ben pulls out his idol and shocks them all!

The tally:
Ben, Ben, Ben, Mike, Devon.

It's a tie. Ben, Ryan and Chrissy must re-vote for either Mike or Devon. 

Re-tally:
Devon, Mike, Mike

Mike is out. He takes it well.

Caution: Twist Ahead. 

At camp, they talk about a record for playing idols in a row. Ben knows no one will take him to the end. If he doesn't win Immunity, he'll lose it all.

Immunity Challenge time, for the last time. Stack letter blocks on a wobbly platform. Must spell Heroes Healers Hustlers. Twist is the winner receives a final secret advantage in the game. 

Ben is done, but a letter is upside down. Whoa, he loses almost all. Then Ryan and Chrissy and then Devon. It's anyone's game.

CHRISSY WINS IMMUNITY ONCE AGAIN! 

She reiterates the idea that Ben will go home. 

Ben tries to schmooze Chrissy. She promises him that she will hear him out at Tribal. She tells us Ben needs to go. She runs off to read her advantage. She has won information. Tonight she will cast the final vote. She will sit next to one to "save" him. The other two will do a fire challenge for the final spot in the final three. She thinks Devon will do better. She warns Devon. She tells Ryan. 

As Ryan says, his inability to make fire will get him into the final three.

Devon starts practicing to make fire. He broke the flint. He decides it's meant to be. He doesn't want to expend more frustration. Ben still has no clue. 

Tribal Council time!

Jeff asks if Chrissy shared the advantage. She admits sharing it with Devon and Ryan. Then she reads it to the jury. 

As discussed, she chooses Ryan to sit next to her. So, Devon and Ben must make fire. 

BEN WINS THE FIRE CHALLENGE!

The final three are Chrissy, Ryan and Ben. 

Ryan knows he's the underdog. He feels he needs to convince the jury that he's been in control of the game all along. He admits that's not true, but ...! 

Time to face the jury.
Jeff tells them it's all about Outwit, Outplay and Outlast. 

Outwit:
Desi -- Ryan, all thought they could beat him. He tells of finding the advantage, building alliance with Chrissy and Devon. Had to depend on social game. Devon admits that Ryan's social game was sent via him. Joe tells Ben and Chrissy that their social games were horrible. Ben says he's been trying to work on his social skills. Chrissy said her social game was remaining loyal to her alliances. She points out that she remembers all that people told her. Ryan is really playing his social game even now. Oh my, Chrissy is being rude to Ryan. 

Outplay:
Cole respects the shelter building, Chrissy wins challenges, Ben finds idols. What has Ryan done? Ryan claims he's never done any of the things and didn't want to mess up. He says it wasn't his strength in the game. He then talks about the advantage and finding the idol. The jury brings up that women won eight of the nine challenges. Chrissy talks about her wins. Ben talks about knowing no one was on his side and how hard he looked for idols.

Outlast:
Ryan couldn't rely on winning challenges. His name never on chopping block, not due to pity but due to the social bonds, finding an idol, finding an advantage. He says he's now looking introspectively. Ben said all the others were hurdles, wanted to win for family. Joe tells him he needs more and Mike wants to know why he should win. Ben says he got himself there and fought all the way. As expected by me, he brings up the military and PTSD. Chrissy says she came in underestimating herself. She thinks she kicked ass in challenges, played a good clean solid game, all Moms are heroes. They're also healers and hustlers. She's been applying for 16 years.  

Lauren votes Ben. Devon votes Ryan. Ashley votes Chrissy. They show no more.

Back to California --
The tally:
Ben, Ryan, Chrissy, Chrissy, Ben, Ben, Ben.

BEN WINS! 

Next season - Ghost Island. 

Jeff tells us that bad decisions by former players will come back to haunt the Ghost Island season.

The "reunion" show is only going to be a half-hour. 

Congratulations to blog pool winners - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.
If I'm not mistaken, this might be the fourth blog pool win for Merrilee.  

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - December 13 Blog Party


As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Survivors
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc.
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY

Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed


Jury
Desiree W.
Cole M.
JP H. 
Joe M.
Lauren R.

I'm not sure how well I'll be able to keep up with updates tonight -- I've been having some rather severe sciatica issues. But I'll try.

Six are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Ben tells us it was all a ploy to keep Chrissy in the game by deflecting the votes to himself and using the idol. Of course, now they're all more determined to send him home and he (currently) doesn't have an idol. Devon tells him that he won't be winning immunity because he (Devon) won't let him.

Ben gets up before the rest and goes off idol searching in the guise of collecting firewood. A few get up and realize what he's up to.

Reward Challenge time. Divided into pairs, tied together, obstacles, target toss. Feast on a private island is the reward -- with an overnight stay. 

Devon and Chrissy win! They can choose one person to go with them. Chrissy suggests Ryan and Devon agrees. Ashley is upset. But, heck. Ryan needs the food!

Mike thinks Ryan was the least deserving one to go and he's upset. He's also suspicious that Devon is trying to flip Ryan back. Ben thinks that both Ashley and Mike are whiners. Ben tells us that Mike is his next target because Mike wants him gone. Ben tries to work on Ashley to little avail. So he goes idol hunting.

Par for the course, the ones on Reward decide to make a final three pact. So, Devon is back with his buddy Ryan. 

Chrissy tells us that she thinks it makes more sense to vote Ashley out first because of the Devon connection, then Ben next (as he's not really attached to anyone). 

Time for the Immunity Challenge. Race through articles, release two different ladders and climb, solve cog puzzle. 

CHRISSY wins Immunity! 

Ben offers to get water for people to go idol searching. He's surprised no one is following him. I am, too. Ashley thinks they should split the vote between Mike and Ben to flush any idol. Chrissy still wants Ashley and tells Mike, Ryan and Devon.

Devon isn't too pleased with that idea.  

Meanwhile, Ben finds the clue to the idol which is hidden right in their shelter at camp. They don't show him actually getting the idol, but I would guess he has it.

They go to Tribal Council. Jeff rubs the salt in the wound over Ashley not going to Reward. He continues to ask his Probsting questions. As the questions go on, Ben pulls out his idol even before the vote. Then he plays it before the vote.

The tally --
Mike, Ashley, Ashley, Ashley, Ashley.

Ashley is gonzo, just as Chrissy wanted. Not that it went down quite the way she planned, mind you.

Wednesday, December 06, 2017

Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - December 6 Blog Party


As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Survivors
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc.
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY

Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces
Lauren R. - Brian, Jennasmom, Rochelle, Judi Sweeney
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed


Jury
Desiree W.
Cole M.
JP H. 
Joe M. 

We get the "loved ones" visit tonight. Gee, golly, whiz! You'd think they're being reunited after a lifetime apart instead of around a month. I know this episode always seems popular with many, but it always comes across as super schmaltzy to me. 

Seven are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Once again, Mike is blindsided by the vote. Ryan is a bit worried as his only ally is Chrissy and now he doesn't have his idol. Ben and Chrissy are having words ... heated ones at that. She feels that Ben betrayed her and was being a jerk. She's determined to make it to the end and get back at Ben.

Time for the Reward Challenge. Another new challenge -- running in pairs with loved ones. Here comes the schmaltz. And, it's delivered. Bags with marbles, one black, one white. Must match. Last pair survives and gets a feast, goes to camp. Lauren/sister out. Mike/wife out. Ryan/Father out. Ben/wife IN. Chrissy/husband IN. Ashley/father out. Devon/mother out.

Second round -- Ben/wife out. Chrissy/husband IN. Chrissy and Keith win! In charge of love. Can take one -- she chooses Ryan and father. One more -- Mike and wife. One last choice -- Ashley and father. 

Chrissy is looking at this as vengeance on Ben. Hmm. I'm not sure if it's the best path for her to take. But I am happy with her Ryan choice. 

Ben decides to make and hide a fake idol to cover his search for a real one. Devon and Lauren know. Lauren knows that Ben wants to embarrass Chrissy with it. She has a problem with him taking things to a personal level.

Ohhh ... Lauren finds one half of an immunity idol with a note that the other half will be at the Immunity Challenge. Of course, Ben and Devon were nearby and know all about it.

Immunity Challenge time! Arms stretched out, fingertips holding against two wooden disks, disks drop, you're out. Jeff goes on about the heat to make it feel even hotter for them. Ben out first. Chrissy out. Ryan out. Lauren out. Mike out. Devon says to Jeff that he and Ashley are strong allies. Then he negotiates for a massage with Ashley and he drops the disks. Ashley wins Immunity!

Meanwhile, Lauren did get the other part of the idol. 

Oh my. While she has a solid alliance, Ashley is thinking that she needs to get out the stronger players. She wants Ben gone. Devon wants Chrissy out. Ohh, Ben is eavesdropping on them, but didn't hear what they said. He just thinks they acted suspicious. They tell him the target is Chrissy. Ben thinks they might be targeting him. 

He runs and talks to Mike. He tells Mike about Lauren's idol and how she has both the idol and the extra vote. Then he tells Ryan that he wants Lauren out. Ryan knows they need Chrissy aboard and she despises Ben.  

Ben decides he needs to get Chrissy to save himself in the game ... so he tells HER about Lauren. Oh. And he apologized to Chrissy. She's not too quick to trust him, though. 

Devon runs to Lauren and tells her about Ben's work to blindside her and how he told everyone about her idol and advantage. Lauren gave Mike one half of her idol. Hmm. 

Tribal Council comes rather early -- something will happen! Jeff talks about the Devon/Ashley deal. Devon says he would have done the same with Lauren. Ben pipes up that his name wasn't mentioned. Now they're all talking about Ben telling all about Lauren's idol. Lauren claims she left the advantage at camp and can't use it. Then she tells that Mike has half the idol. She tells of Ben's fake idol. He's wearing it. Mike throws his own real idol into the campfire.

Oh my.

Mike and Ryan are whispering that Lauren needs to go. Lauren tells Chrissy that she'll give her the advantage. Lots of whispering Ben and Lauren going home.

The tally.
Ben speaks up. WHOA! He has a real idol he found! He plays it for himself.

Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Lauren.

Lauren is out!  

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - November 29 Blog Party


As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Survivors
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc.
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY

Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces
Joe M. - Cheryl ICNY, Krysa Gibson, Sharon C.
JP H. - Cheryl in NC, Krisen from Ohio, Shannon
Lauren R. - Brian, Jennasmom, Rochelle, Judi Sweeney
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed


Jury
Desiree W.
Cole M. 

We're in for two hours tonight and two Tribal Councils. Grab yourself some beverages, snacks and a comfy spot. Nine are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Chrissy is ecstatic because not only is Cole gone, but Mike played his idol. Mike thinks he did right playing the idol. Joe thinks it was wasted. Joe is right. Mike thinks the target on his back is much bigger than it actually is, methinks. He keeps it up and the target will grow. He thinks rather big. Hmm.

Time for the Reward Challenge. Use feet only, release rope, drop blocks in bin, stack in circle, flag in center. Seaplane tour of the Sacred Island, cheeseburgers, fries, cold beer is the reward.  

LAUREN wins Reward! Who will she bring with her? Devon! Ben. Ashley. Ryan tells Jeff he supports Lauren in her decision when Jeff asks him. I think Ryan needs some cheeseburgers. Lauren tells us she didn't pick them as Ryan says -- Devon is a big guy and needs the food, Ben has never been on a Reward -- she says it's strategical because there are cracks in the seven.

Mike's not a happy camper back at camp. He thinks because he and Joe are targets, they should spice things up some. In other words, annoy the others. Ryan tells us he's starving, but thinks that it's good to have Joe and Mike around as targets before he's one. Chrissy and Ryan think they actually need to target Ben out first.

Lauren tells her Reward crew that the seven won't last -- they need to break out early. Whoa. Both Ben and Devon tell of Ryan's idol. Lauren tells them of her two vote advantage. She thinks that Joe and Mike need to stick around for a while and Ben agrees. They make a final four pact. Under their burgers, they find letters from their loved ones. How touching indeed.

Ben found a clue with a map which claimed a clay pot is the location of a hidden idol. He's on the search. He sees it up in a tree! Yes, it's an idol. He knows that others are revolting against him and vows to us that he will tell no one about it.

Time for the first Immunity Challenge of the night. Perched on a narrow raft structure, moving up make it more narrow. Jeff offers forgoing the challenge and indulging in peanut butter and chocolate. Devon, Ben and Lauren sit out for the goodies -- even though all three just ate during Reward.

JP out first. The rest go up to the top level which is precarious. Chrissy out. Joe out. Ryan out. Mike out. ASHLEY wins Immunity!

Ryan thinks it's good that Ashley won. In a seven meeting, it's discussed that either Joe or Mike should go. Ryan was surprised about the three who sat out. Devon thinks it's mindblowing that that neither Chrissy or Ryan see they're in danger. Lauren thinks JP, Chrissy and Ryan need to be broken up and they need to flush out Ryan's idol.

Devon thinks that Ben should act like he's not with them and vote out Mike. Then they trick Mike and Joe into voting with them against Ryan, Chrissy or JP. Hmm. It's a scheme, all right. 

Mike and Joe are thrilled to play along. Gulp. Doesn't look too good for my NJ peeps -- Chrissy and Ryan!

Time for Tribal Council. Jeff will ask his Probsting questions to get them riled up. Uh-oh. Ryan's being a bit too confident. Lauren predicts a perfect storm. Jeff keeps going on about the seven. Lots of talk about trust. Time to vote. I think it will be a blindside. I hope Ryan stays.

The tally -- no idols played.

Mike, Joe, Mike, Mike, JP, JP, JP, JP, JP.

JP was voted out. Ryan is shocked. I'm glad it wasn't Ryan!

Now Joe's all cocky back at camp. Chrissy thinks the five treated the three horribly back at the camp, all snarky and such. Ryan went more for a diplomatic approach.  

Ben and Lauren think they're all that and a bag of chips. Ryan talked to Devon. Devon told Ryan that he doesn't trust Ryan over the idol thing. He tells us that Ryan's no longer a part of his plan to get to the million. 

Devon thinks he has it in the bag with Ben being a double-agent, knowing where idols are (he doesn't know Ben has one).

Time for the Reward Challenge -- two teams of four, swim to boat, collect bags of logs, push puzzle pieces through tunnel, solve puzzle. Survivor Spa with chicken, vegie wraps, pie and fruit. 

Lauren, Mike, Ryan and Chrissy vs. Devon, Ben, Ashley and Joe. 

Joe, Ben, Devon and Ashley win! Joe thinks the tables have turned and he finally has a true alliance. I think they're just using him. But that's me.

Joe is falling for Ben's act hook, line and sinker. But that's making Ashley a bit wary of Ben gamewise. Ashley and Devon bond a bit more and Ashley thinks she's finally playing the game.

Back at camp, Ryan wants to try to convince Mike to work with him. Mike tells us he wants to stick to his plan to work with the other five. He isn't buying what Ryan is selling -- Ryan told him no so many times before. Chrissy tries to talk with Lauren. Lauren tells us she's not likely to change her mind. She reacts much like Mike to Ryan. Not looking good for my Jersey peeps!

Chrissy is worried. She wants to save her game and hopefully have the last laugh.

Immunity Challenge time rolls around again. Use a driving wheel to transport key over obstacles, puzzle pieces, word puzzle.   

CHRISSY WINS! She needs it. Hopefully, Ryan will make it through Tribal even if he has to use his idol. 

Ben tells the alliance of four that Joe needs to go. They agree. Devon schemes the play to vote out Joe. It sounds so solid that I doubt it will go down that way. Devon tells Joe that Lauren will use her advantage, they'll get Ryan to use his idol and vote out Ben. Chrissy tells Ben that she wants either Ashley or Devon out. Hmm. Lauren and Ashley are talking about voting out Ben. Oh my.

Ashley tells Devon about possibly voting out Ben. He seems conflicted. 

Time for Tribal again. This time the focus is testing alliances. Ben says he thinks he's going home tonight. He just may and he thinks it's an act! Joe says he feels comfortable and he doesn't even have an alliance. Ben claims every comfortable alliance gets blindsided. Ryan didn't go to prom. 

Tally time. Ryan plays his idol, so they did flush it out.

Ryan, Ryan, Ashley, Ashley, Joe, Joe, Joe, Joe.

Joe is voted out by his "incredibly tight alliance" as Chrissy puts it. 

Loved ones visit next week.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - November 22 Blog Party


As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

Oh my! It looks like Ryan spills the idol beans this week! I thought he'd know better than to blab.

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Merge!!
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc.
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY
Cole M. - Dolores in Hollywood FL, Marthalight, Stormy  

Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces
Joe M. - Cheryl ICNY, Krysa Gibson, Sharon C.
JP H. - Cheryl in NC, Krisen from Ohio, Shannon
Lauren R. - Brian, Jennasmom, Rochelle, Judi Sweeney
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed

Flame Extinguished
Katrina R. - Pool People moved to a different teams.
Simone N. - 4nancie, Nana in the NW, weenabe
Patrick B. - Beachbound Gmom, Jackie, Petals, Sara Welty
Alan B. - Ed in Ohio, monty 924, Terry is a Texan
Roark L. - Auntie Leigh, Indiana Jane, Pam
Ali E. - Dr_Celine, Monnie8, Tennistoe
Jessica J. - ChicMc, Silk, Sharon N.


Jury
Desiree W. - Delee, Mario Lee, Skyriverblue, Buzzmaam

Survivor fans ready? Ten are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Mike feels as left out as ever -- he voted the way he should, didn't know Desi would be going home. He's decided that he needs to throw shade on the Healers to stay in the game longer. 

Lauren will have two votes at the next Tribal Council. The others don't seem to realize a vote was missing. Ben is the only one who knows about her advantage.

Oops. Ryan tells Devon he has an idol. He thinks he really had to tell him because "Devon will never tell anybody." 

Time for the Rewards Challenge -- two teams, swim out, retrieve keys, score baskets. Luxury yacht touring the Fijian Islands with alcohol and food. They drew for teams. 

Mike, Joe, JP, Chrissy and Cole win. Joe, as much as I dislike him, did fantastic making the baskets. 

Oh geez. Now Ryan tells Ben about his idol. He thinks truth is power in the game. Ben is thrilled because now he knows Cole doesn't have the idol. He wants to stick with the seven, which includes Ryan at this time, but will be wary that Ryan is determined to win.

No one seemed to find a clue during the reward cruise. And Joe is still searching for another idol. He knows he's a target. He continues to offend Ashley and Chrissy. The way to win friends and influence people, huh? He told them they're the perfect goats and he's not there to make friends. Well, the latter is pretty obvious, I'd say. 

Ben wants to work with Devon. He wants his trust. He tells Devon that Ryan has an idol. Devon thought he was the only one Ryan told (because Ryan told him that). Now he wants to work with Ben and not so much with Ryan. 

Immunity Challenge time! Bars resting on their shoulders forcing them into a squatting position. Go too low or too high and the urn will pop off, put out a fire and they're out. Jeff refers to it as a new Survivor torture device.

Ashley out first. Mike out. JP out. Deon, then Joe out. Ben out. Chrissy out. Ryan out. It's down to Cole and Lauren. Cole out!

Lauren wins Immunity! 

Ben thinks they need to vote four Cole, three Mike. But Ashley wants Joe out. They want to do the split in case of an idol. Ashley wants to convince others that they need to vote Joe out. It seems that most of the seven think Joe rather than Cole or Mike.

Tribal Council has Probsting questions -- Joe admits the Healers are the targets. Joe, Mike and Cole are all in danger. Mike whispered to Joe to trust him in the beginning. Um. Well. Then he goes on about Joe being their pariah and they're showing poor moral character. Mike claims it's not just numbers, but relationships building a "new society."

Ben tells Mike he's safe. But Mike doesn't trust him. He's planning on playing his idol ... and maybe not for himself. Even Chrissy wants Joe out. Ben doesn't see himself as a dictator or steamrolling the others. But he sort of kind of is if you ask them! 

The tally ...
Mike plays his idol for himself.

Ben, Mike, Mike, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole.

Cole is out. 

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - November 15 Blog Party


As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

It looks like there might be a brouhaha afoot for tonight's episode! That sort of thing can change the dynamics some!


Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Merge!!
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc.
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY
Cole M. - Dolores in Hollywood FL, Marthalight, Stormy
Desiree W. - Delee, Mario Lee, Skyriverblue, Buzzmaam
Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces
Joe M. - Cheryl ICNY, Krysa Gibson, Sharon C.
JP H. - Cheryl in NC, Krisen from Ohio, Shannon
Lauren R. - Brian, Jennasmom, Rochelle, Judi Sweeney
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed

Flame Extinguished
Katrina R. - Pool People moved to a different teams.
Simone N. - 4nancie, Nana in the NW, weenabe
Patrick B. - Beachbound Gmom, Jackie, Petals, Sara Welty
Alan B. - Ed in Ohio, monty 924, Terry is a Texan
Roark L. - Auntie Leigh, Indiana Jane, Pam
Ali E. - Dr_Celine, Monnie8, Tennistoe
Jessica J. - ChicMc, Silk, Sharon N.


Survivor fans ready? Eleven are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Joe appreciates the smart play in getting Jessica out. He didn't see it coming at all. Ohh ... Lauren finds the clue in with the nails that no one else saw at all. It's an advantage. She can secretly not vote at the next tribal council. Then she can vote twice in another one. It involves a rather complicated blank parchment ordeal and fake voting. She's a bit concerned about getting caught. 

Oh my. It's right to a Reward Challenge! Race through obstacles, up a tower, slingshots. Trip to a private island, spaghetti, salad and red wine. They draw for teams, odd person out will get to go without having to compete. Joe got the white rock, sits out.

JP, Devon, Chrissy, Cole and Ryan win. Uh-oh. There's a twist. It's one big dish and they each have to eat separately - Joe decides the order. That means some may hog out and others have very little. Hmm. Weird reward. 

Joe puts himself last, Devon first because it's his birthday (and it will keep Devon on his good side). JP was second, wants all to have their fair share. Cole is going to eat as much as he wants. He finds a clue to the idol written on the plate. He tries to hide it under a napkin.  Ohh ... Chrissy finds the clue! Ryan finds it, too. He hides the entire plate (leaving food there). Cole figures out that Chrissy and Ryan know about the clue -- idol under the flag. He's determined to beat them to it.

Ryan runs off to dig it up when Cole leaves for a minute. Yikes! Ryan has it, Chrissy goes in as bait. And, as Ryan put it, pandemonium ensued. Cole ran in and jumped on Chrissy. Ben joined in. They all think Cole has the idol while Cole says Ben has it. Heh. You go, Ryan!  

Immunity Challenge time! They must stand on a narrow beam balancing a statue on a beam with a pole. Next, they move to a narrower part. Mike out first. Joe out. Devon out. Lauren out. Ryan out. Ashley out. Chrissy out. Ben out. Desi out.

It's between Cole and JP. COLE wins Immunity -- and he's the Number One target for so many!

While Cole is happy with his safety, he's worried about the Healers. Ben thinks the vote should be split -- Joe and Desi. 

Joe tells Devon and Ryan that Ben needs to go. Ben is eavesdropping in the background. Heh.  

Joe thinks he needs to blow up Ben's game to save himself. Joe claims (lies) that Ben swore on the Marine Corps three times when he didn't do such a thing. Desi is getting a bit worried. Lauren tells Ben about her secret advantage because they can't do a split vote -- it would be a tie. 

Ben goes to Mike to get on their side to vote out Joe. Mike is thinking it over.

Tribal Council. Jeff asks Joe if he feels the heat. Ben says others have his back and he has theirs. Heh. Chrissy shuts Joe right down. It's still not clear what may or may not happen. 

Lauren does use the advantage and fakes a vote.

The tally:
Ben, Lauren, Desi, Joe, Desi, Joe, Desi, Joe, Desi, Joe 

Re-vote except for Desi and Joe. Lauren fakes again.

Re-tally:
Desi, Joe, Desi, Desi, Desi, Desi.

They really should have voted Joe out. But Desi was indeed a strong player and a threat.

They didn't notice there were only ten votes the first time? Hmm.

Wednesday, November 08, 2017

Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - November 8 Blog Party


As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

Tonight is going to be the merge -- not a moment too soon for Soko! Since I'm out of the blog pool, I'm cheering on the two NJ castaways -- Chrissy and Ryan!

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Levu Tribe
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc. 
Desiree W. - Delee, Mario Lee, Skyriverblue, Buzzmaam 
Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces 
Joe M. - Cheryl ICNY, Krysa Gibson, Sharon C.

Soko Tribe
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY 
JP H. - Cheryl in NC, Krisen from Ohio, Shannon
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed

Yawa Tribe
Jessica J. - ChicMc, Silk, Sharon N. 
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny 
Cole M. - Dolores in Hollywood FL, Marthalight, Stormy 
Lauren R. - Brian, Jennasmom, Rochelle, Judi Sweeney 
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.

Flame Extinguished 
Katrina R. - Pool People moved to a different teams.
Simone N. - 4nancie, Nana in the NW, weenabe
Patrick B. - Beachbound Gmom, Jackie, Petals, Sara Welty
Alan B. - Ed in Ohio, monty 924, Terry is a Texan
Roark L. - Auntie Leigh, Indiana Jane, Pam
Ali E. - Dr_Celine, Monnie8, Tennistoe

Survivor fans ready?

Chrissy thinks she's in a secure place. Yawa thinks they're in a secure place. Ben is still leery of the Cole/Jessica relationship, though. Levu is a split tribe, broken spirits as well. They're out of food and suffering. 

And then we're right into today's ... drop your buffs! They're thrilled. They're all hungry and know this is the pivotal point for the game.

They get purple buffs and know food will come. Joe thinks he's in a great place with his hidden idol.

Uh-oh. No feast? Nope. Jeff says they have something better -- it's Outback Steakhouse (hmm ... they also do Big Brother) feast. Chrissy catches onto Joe right away. Jessica is already scheming about building up alliance numbers. Ben wants his alliance with Chrissy being on the down low. He thinks they can look forward to blindsides and tears.

They have all kinds of new tools to build a new shelter. Cole can't see any clues for another idol. But they are right nearby. Ryan gets back with his buddy Devon. He thinks an alliance with them, Lauren and Chrissy would be perfect.

Lauren isn't keen on the idea. She rats out Devon's proposal to Dr. Mike. Mike expects a war as the lines are being drawn in the sand. Devon would like to take out either Cole or Joe. I actually think they're fairly good targets. Ben still isn't sure he can trust Cole. Cole is still alienating his buddies with the exception of Jessica. Mike is a bit perturbed that Ben is thinking Cole of their Alliance of Yawa Five should go. Mike warns Cole. Oh my.

It's time for the first individual immunity challenge of the season. Stand on a narrow beam while spinning a ball in trap -- like a centrifugal force round one. They have to move down the beam which narrows as time goes on. Ryan was out almost immediately. Mike is out. 

Jessica is out. Ben is out. Whoa -- they're starting to drop like flies! Four remain. Desi, Cole, Chrissy and Ashley remain. Cole out. Chrissy out. Ashley out.

Desi wins Immunity!

Cole wants to mend fences with Ben. Ben acts receptive, but tells us differently in confessional. He tells us that if he tactically needs to work with Cole, he will. Cole talks to Joe and spills the beans. Joe will use the idol if he feels he needs it. Yipes! The Healers are going to target Chrissy because she's smart. They don't know if Ben's with them or not. Lauren wants Ben on board, but he wants Cole out.

Others are thinking of either Joe or Cole, or forcing Joe to play an idol (which they think he has). Ulp. Now Jessica's name is on the list. 

We're having many possibilities thrown at us. At least Tribal Council won't be predictable! And, now it starts ... 

No fisticuffs, but lots of talk of trust and alliances via the original and secondary tribes. Joe is irking me. Maybe he'll irk them enough, too. Joe gets up and tells them he has another idol. Now Cole is worried because he thought Joe might be a target. Ben says that battle lines have been drawn and they'll find out who is with whom.

It's time to vote. 

Joe plays his idol for himself.

The tally:
Chrissy, Jessica, Chrissy, Jessica, Chrissy, Jessica, Chrissy, Jessica, Chrissy, Jessica, Jessica, Jessica.

Phew! I want Chrissy to stay. But, as a game observer, I don't know if Jessica would be the best to send packing right now. But they sent her packing anyway.

Wednesday, November 01, 2017

Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - November 1st Blog Party


As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Levu Tribe
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc. 
Desiree W. - Delee, Mario Lee, Skyriverblue, Buzzmaam 
Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces 
Joe M. - Cheryl ICNY, Krysa Gibson, Sharon C.

Soko Tribe
Ali E. - Dr_Celine, Monnie8, Tennistoe 
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY 
JP H. - Cheryl in NC, Krisen from Ohio, Shannon
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed

Yawa Tribe
Jessica J. - ChicMc, Silk, Sharon N. 
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny 
Cole M. - Dolores in Hollywood FL, Marthalight, Stormy 
Lauren R. - Brian, Jennasmom, Rochelle, Judi Sweeney 
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.

Flame Extinguished 
Katrina R. - Pool People moved to a different teams.
Simone N. - 4nancie, Nana in the NW, weenabe
Patrick B. - Beachbound Gmom, Jackie, Petals, Sara Welty
Alan B. - Ed in Ohio, monty 924, Terry is a Texan
Roark L. - Auntie Leigh, Indiana Jane, Pam

Survivor fans ready?

As we could have expected, Ali is mad at Ryan for voting out Roark, with violins playing sad music in the background as she lights into him. Chrissy is thrilled, though. Ryan is thinking that he now has an enemy in the game, something he cannot afford to have.

Over on Yawa, Mike caught a fish. He's beside himself. Well, until he dropped it in the fire. Ben is getting a kick out of him. Meanwhile, Ben notices that Mike shares his small fish and Cole hogs out. Cole thinks they need him as he's the only one who can bring them victories. Uh-oh, not good gameplay, it's throwing Ben, Lauren and Mike into a solid threesome.

Reward Challenge time -- Gathering poles, balance beam, buoys, slingshot two targets. Reward ten pizzas and soft drinks. Second place gets a pizza.  

Soko wins first place, Yawa wins second.

JP knows he's in a good place because his tribe is on the weak side in challenges. Ryan thinks JP's social game might be worth making him a target as he would be dangerous after the merge.

On Levu, Ashley and Devon would like to flip Ashley to their side to go against Joe. Desi isn't blindly loyal to Joe, though. She knows that he's basically using her. Even though Devon is following him, Joe finds an idol clue without Devon catching on. It's now nighttime and he's digging for it. And, now he has it. He says he'll keep it a secret and, after the merge, he'll go find a third idol.

Whoa! It's morning and Cole just passed out. Jessica and Mike are both healers, remember. They got some rice and hydrated him. They realize they do indeed need him. But Mike is a bit leery that they need to get rid of him as he'll just keep going downhill. Ben agrees with Mike that Cole is a liability.

Immunity Challenge time -- Lauren sits out. They have to work together with ropes and balance blocks to spell Immunity.

Yawa wins first place, Levu is second place. Uh-oh for Soko!

JP tells us Ali is next ... so she probably won't be. Ryan agrees with him to his face, but tells us that JP is a big danger after the merge. He wants Ali to work with him to get rid of JP. Ali agrees with Ryan and goes to Chrissy with the plan. Chrissy is agreeable about the plan. Hmm. But she feels the need to talk it over with Ryan. 

Time for Tribal Council and Jeff's Probsting questions. JP is kind of on the hot seat, but isn't defending himself. The rain and the wind starts just after JP says that this might be a wake-up call for him. Lots of talk of trust. 

JP votes for Ali. Ali votes JP. Now it's up to Ryan and Chrissy.

The tally --
Ali, JP, Ali, Ali.

Ohh ... they turned on Ali and kept JP!

The merge is next week!