The Amazing Race 25: October 24 Blog Party

Please, please, please ... go away dentists! Well, him more than her. I only wish last week hadn't been a non-Philimination leg and, at the very least, they would have used up that Save they hold!

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Everyone is welcome to join in on the fun!

The latest blog pool standings from Marvelous Margo are the same as last week (sigh) --

Adam & Bethany - chrob61, Kathy in Brooklyn, Kelsey NY, Zoetawny
Brooke & Robbie - Caela, Sharon, Sharon N, Willie J
Keith & Whitney - Jean, Jennasmom, Nana in NW, PDXGranny
Kym & Alli - Brenda, meb, Nicklepeed, Rochelle, Terry in TX
Maya & Amy - Ed in OH, Karen in CA, Lynn1, Margo
Misti & Jim - Cheryl in NC, Laurie, ML, OrkMommy
Shelly & Nici - Buzzmaam, Merrilee, Rbennie, SueGee
Tim & Te Jay - Babs, Brent McKee, Dusty, Monty924,

Sorry you have been PHILIMINATED
Lisa & Michelle - Becky, Delee, dla, Donna in AL
Dennis & Isabelle - Auntie Leigh, Brian, David, Donna NY, sanra
Michael & Scott - Donna in FL, Glenn, Jackie, Marlo

Ready to race?

Starting out in Copenhagen, the teams are off to Morocco. They'll have to search a marketplace in Marrakesh to find the next clue.

The other teams aren't happy to know that Misti and Jim still have their save. Nor am I.

It's a bunching as all make their way to Morocco. Nici negotiated with their cabbie for a flat fare to wait (and keep their luggage in the car).

They have to "Cart it Out" and help set up a restaurant food cart in the marketplace. Jim and Misti's speed bump has them hanging rug-like banners for markets. And, mind you, U-Turn ahead.

Keith and Whitney are the first done with the task. More teams are finishing and Misti/Jim just got to the marketplace task.

The next clue is in the tannery, Roadblock. Keith and Whitney are having trouble finding it. Uh-oh! Ew -- they have to finish preparing three hides by pulling the hair off and then delivering them. Jim and Misti are twelves minutes behind the last of the other teams. Good.

It sounds like feathers are getting ruffled between the Dentists and Shelly/Nici as both teams are in the tanning. The dentists finish first. Oy!

All the teans bunch up trying to deliver the skins. Pushing! Now Nici/Shelly are squabbling with Keith.

Detour - Twirl Time has them spinning a tassel on their heads and playing trance music. The Tea Time has them presenting tea in a very complicated task.

Cool! Bethany and Adam are done first! They did the tea Detour. Kym and Alli did the music task and are in second place. Misti keeps using two hands to hold the tea tray and fail. Of course, Bethany could only use one. Neither Kym/Alli (now leading) or Bethany/Adam U-Turn anyway.

Pit Stop --
1. Kym and Alli - also won $5,000 each
2. Bethany and Adam

Shelly/Nici U-Turned Keith and Whitney. Grr. Dentists, I say!

3. Tim and Te Jay
4. Shelly and Nici
5. Misti and Jim
6. Brooke and Robbie
7. Maya and Amy
8. Keith and Whitney -- Philiminated

They would have also been Philiminated even without the U-Turn. They did that badly.

Survivor: San Juan Del Sur Blood vs. Water - October 22 Blog Party

It seems like the merge will be on tonight, adding a new dynamic to the show. I personally think people are going to try to break apart couples before they go for individuals. But I guess we'll see.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news. As always, the real party is in the comments area. Come join us!

Before we get going, here's the latest on the blog pool standings from the Lovely Lifeguard Laurie:

Coyopa
Alec = Karen in Case, Merrilee
Baylor = Glenn, maquinn78, Sharon S
Dale = Brian, Margo
Jaclyn = CYW Coleman, rbennie
Josh = crob61, Rochelle, Jackie
Wes = Buzzmaam, ORKMommy, sanra

Hunahpu
Jeremy = Becky, Nana in the NW
Jon M = Donna in Alabama, Laurie
Julie = Donna NY, meb
Keith = Donna in FL, PDX Granny
Kelley = Babs Dud, ML, Russ
Missy = Ed in Ohio, Monty924, Sharon N
Natalie = Jennasmom, Kelsey NY
Reed = David, Kathy, Lynn1

Out: Nadiya
Val = Brenda, Nickelpeed
John R = Cheryl NC, MikesGirl, Terry in TX
Drew = Delee, Petals, SueGee

Survivor fans ready?

They head to the arena where Alec finds out that Drew was voted out. Shock abounds in the Coyopa tribe.

"Drop your buffs."

Sure enough, the pairs are already looked upon as targets.

It's not the merge -- just a reshuffling. (Probably because Coyopa sucked so badly.)

Coyopa has three pairs of loved ones plus Keith.
Josh and Reid are with singles on Hunahpu.

Jeremy is sure Josh and Reid will target him. John and Jaclyn like to smooch a lot. Keith is happy that he has the idol to protect him. Jeremy and Natalie work to sway Alec to stay with the singles against Josh and Reid.

Dale is getting backlashing for keeping an eye on the rice from Missy. She also has heard that Dale wanted her daughter out. Uh-oh ... a rice war about to go down! Meanwhile, Dale's daughter is worried her father will rub people the wrong way. Too bad; he already has.

Hunahpu is almost out of food. Maybe that's why they were winning challenges!

Immunity challenge time -- finding keys buried in sand, racing through mud, retrieving sandbags, throwing them on a wobbly platform. Um. Okay.

Hunahpu crushed Coyopa in the challenge. Nowhere even close!

Jeff said he'd come to the Hunahpu camp to discuss the food situation. That should be interesting.

Keith is the obvious target for tonight. But maybe that can be swung around against Missy? Or Baylor? As things go about, it looks like Keith might actually be safe.

The couples on the tribe are adding a new dynamic in Tribal. The Dale and Baylor brouhaha lives on!

Time to tally the votes. Keith does not use the idol --

Baylor, Kelley, Baylor, Kelley, Dale, Dale, Kelley.

Dale's daughter Kelley is out. Hmm.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 19, 2014

Good morning! It's Sunday. Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. My next post will be about television, I swear!

Yep, another week has gone by. And, yep, another week without much going on here. Work, eat, sleep, rinse, repeat. Well, a lot of attention paid to a certain cat, but that's about it.

We had unseasonably warm temperatures for most of the week here. Today marks a return to autumn. I don't mind that, not at all. Earlier this week, the landlord put a notice under doors saying that we had to remove our air conditioners from windows and that they would store them for us. Um. While I own a window air conditioner, it's been sitting in the closet since I moved in.

My unit still has the in-wall air conditioners which came with it. Over the years, the air conditioners became defunct or people stole them, so they don't come with the apartments now. I just clean the filters regularly and they're still working fine. However, since the window unit I own was practically brand new (used two weeks) when I moved to New Jersey, I've hung onto it for a back-up. I suppose if I'm ever that desperate for small change, I could sell it.

Today, I certainly won't need air conditioning!

Oh, well ... onto this week's photos. If you click on an image, it will bring up a larger version on my Photobucket page; just x out that page to return to the blog. With the slideshow, the diagonal icon on the bottom right will make it full screen. Other than pretty fall foliage shots, nothing really caught my interest this week. Wah. (Oh ... and Vincent. He's always fun to photograph!)

Plainfield Fire Prevention Fair

The Plainfield Fire Prevention Fair was setting up as I left for work yesterday. If Dan Damon looks closely (or checks out a photo after the jump), he'll see that there is a new unpainted proper historically acceptable door in back of Sparkie's Playhouse. North Avenue, Plainfield.

Solo beauty

But don't pick it up. It's a poison ivy leaf. Bridgewater, NJ -- just a taste of this week's Flowers and Foliage slideshow. Oh ... but don't taste it, either.

This week's Flowers and Foliage slideshow is more foliage than flowers. The weather, early morning darkness and my pedestrian patterns didn't have me passing many flowers when it was a good time to shoot them. We still have an abundance of green around here, peak colors are still ahead of us. These shots were taken in both Plainfield and Bridgewater.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

The Amazing Race 25 Blog Party - October 17

Ah, I'm a free agent in the blog pool as my team, the firemen, were Philiminated last week. I'm leaning towards throwing my support to Bethany and Adam mainly because (1) they seem nice and don't bicker and (2) I just admire her so much for dealing with the loss of her arm and not letting that stop her from not only living a regular life, but excelling in physical challenges.

As the the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! You all know where the real party is -- I hope to see you in the comments area!

Here's the latest on the blog pool run by that Very Magnificent Margo:

Adam & Bethany - chrob61, Kathy in Brooklyn, Kelsey NY, Zoetawny
Brooke & Robbie - Caela, Sharon, Sharon N, Willie J
Keith & Whitney - Jean, Jennasmom, Nana in NW, PDXGranny
Kym & Alli - Brenda, meb, Nicklepeed, Rochelle, Terry in TX
Maya & Amy - Ed in OH, Karen in CA, Lynn1, Margo
Misti & Jim - Cheryl in NC, Laurie, ML, OrkMommy
Shelly & Nici - Buzzmaam, Merrilee, Rbennie, SueGee
Tim & Te Jay - Babs, Brent McKee, Dusty, Monty924,

Sorry you have been PHILIMINATED
Lisa & Michelle - Becky, Delee, dla, Donna in AL
Dennis & Isabelle - Auntie Leigh, Brian, David, Donna NY, sanra
Michael & Scott - Donna in FL, Glenn, Jackie, Marlo

Ready to race party?

Huh. They slept in tents on the Shetland Islands Pit Stop. They now have to take a ferry and head to Denmark on a plane. Although the ferry is a bunching point, they're taking three different flights. Kim and Alli are in the lead. Beat those dentists, girls! The car will punish them if they don't drive energy efficiently. The punishment? A quiz!

Detour -- Parking Space, living room or garden setting for a streetscape resting place. The other task is a wedding cake run -- finishing a wedding cake and delivering it on a cargo bike.

Good. The dentists didn't drive efficiently.

Roadblock: Who has a good memory for faces? They have to take orders from dining patrons and memorize the dishes ordered.

Kym and Alli are in the lead and now have the clue to the Pit Stop! Meanwhile, the dentists have to redo their parking space.

Pit Stop -
1. Kym and Alli -- each won a new hybrid Ford

Heh. The dentists switched detour tasks and now are having problems with the cake!

2. Brooke and Robbie
3. Keith and Whitney
4. Maya and Amy
5. Tim and Te Jay

Now the dentists are having trouble in the waiter task.

6. Shelly and Nici
7. Adam and Bethany
8. Misti and Jim

Rats. They gave Phil the save, but it's a non-Philimination leg so Phil gave it back.

Next week will have them facing a Double U-Turn and Marrakesh!

Survivor: San Juan Del Sur Blood vs. Water Blog Party - October 15

Well, last week we saw the last of John Rocker leaving the rapidly decimating Coyopa tribe. While he should have been strong in challenges, he really didn't lead them to any victories. Hunahpu seems ready to fall apart even though they keep winning. What will happen tonight?

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! However, you all know the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

Before we get started with the party and show, here are the latest blog pool standings from Luscious Lifeguard Laurie:

Coyopa
Alec = Karen in Case, Merrilee
Baylor = Glenn, maquinn78, Sharon S
Dale = Brian, Margo
Jaclyn = CYW Coleman, rbennie
Josh = crob61, Rochelle, Jackie
Wes = Buzzmaam, ORKMommy, sanra

Hunahpu
Drew = Delee, Petals, SueGee
Jeremy = Becky, Nana in the NW
Jon M = Donna in Alabama, Laurie
Julie = Donna NY, meb
Keith = Donna in FL, PDX Granny
Kelley = Babs Dud, ML, Russ
Missy = Ed in Ohio, Monty924, Sharon N
Natalie = Jennasmom, Kelsey NY
Reed = David, Kathy, Lynn1

Out: Nadiya
Val = Brenda, Nickelpeed
John R = Cheryl NC, MikesGirl, Terry in TX

Survivor fans ready?

On Coyopa, Dale is sure he's the next target if they lose Immunity again. On Hunahpu, they found the missing flint right by the fire. Now they're lamenting the lost fishing gear they gave up to be re-flinted.

At Reward, Hunahpu clapped when they saw John Rocker gone. Drew tries to return the flint and barter with Jeff for fishing gear. No way! They use a grappling hook to retrieve balls, then try to make baskets using a catapult. Comfort items or campfire food.

Jon wins for Hunahpu, sending his girlfriend Jaclyn to Exile. Drew volunteers and is welcomed by Jon to go with her. The tribe is going for the comfort items.

Drew got the idol clue and shared it with Jaclyn. Drew tells her that he wants to throw the next Immunity Challenge to them -- there are snakes on his tribe that need to go! (According to him, that is.)

Keith thinks that Jeremy has the idol from their camp and tells everybody such. Keith goes searching again and actually finds it. Meanwhile, Jeremy is steaming. Now Keith is on the radar.

Immunity Challenge time. Swimming, climbing, diving, retrieving rings, then it's a ring toss affair.

"Drew is single-handedly losing this for his tribe," Jeff calls out. Jon wants singles without loved ones out -- go for Julie.

Yep, he threw it. He thinks he's the kingpin of his tribe. We'll see about that. So, Coyopa won their first Immunity Challenge, handed to them by some delusional kingpin.

Drew wants Kelley out. Jeremy wants Keith out. Reed wants Julie out. The girls want Drew out.

Tribal Council time. They're all over the place. Keith does not play the idol.

The tally:
Julie, Kelly, Drew, Keith, Julie, Drew, Drew, Drew.

Ha! It backfired on the "kingpin." He's out!

And, next week Jeff tells them to drop their buffs. Hmm. It seems merge is coming a bit early. But I could be wrong.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 12, 2014

Good morning! It's Sunday, time for my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. My next post will be all about television, I swear!

Not much has been going on here this past week. Work, work and more work. The temperatures are turning fall-like and we've had some rain, too. I guess we need the rain. But I do wish it would confine itself to the overnight so I don't have to walk in it. However, it's not so bad unless it's pouring and the wind is blowing. Thankfully that kind of weather happened in the overnight hours this past week.

I really don't have a lot to say this week. So, I guess it's onto the photos ...

Home at last

After a long day at work, being home is always welcome. Not that I live at the Plainfield Train Station, mind you.

It's a marvelous night for a moondance

The day after the Hunter Moon, the skies were lit up through the clouds as I walked to the train station. This scenario set up one of the most beautiful sunrises I've seen in years.

Just before sunrise

The same morning of the Hunter Moon, the skies looked like this when I arrived at my destination. This shot and other sunrise shots from the very same day and earlier in the week are in the slideshow below. It's amazing how fleeting the beauty is -- just a few minutes and it's gone. Clicking on the diagonal at the bottom of the slideshow will make it full screen.



My second slideshow this week is of the flowers and fall foliage. We're still a few weeks from peak foliage, but we have bright colors popping here and there.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

The Amazing Race 25 Blog Party - October 10, 2014

So ... how are you guys liking the new Friday night time slot for this season? I'm still having to remind myself it's on tonight. But, I'll get used to it! It's so much better than playing the waiting game due to sports delays on Sundays!

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As you all know, the real party is in the comments area. Come join in on the fun!

The latest standings on the blog pool from the Marvelous Margo:

Adam & Bethany - chrob61, Kathy in Brooklyn, Kelsey NY, Zoetawny
Brooke & Robbie - Caela, Sharon, Sharon N, Willie J
Keith & Whitney - Jean, Jennasmom, Nana in NW, PDXGranny
Kym & Alli - Brenda, meb, Nicklepeed, Rochelle, Terry in TX
Maya & Amy - Ed in OH, Karen in CA, Lynn1, Margo
Michael & Scott - Donna in FL, Glenn, Jackie, Marlo
Misti & Jim - Cheryl in NC, Laurie, ML, OrkMommy
Shelly & Nici - Buzzmaam, Merrilee, Rbennie, SueGee
Tim & Te Jay - Babs, Brent McKee, Dusty, Monty924,

Sorry you have been PHILIMINATED
Lisa & Michelle - Becky, Delee, dla, Donna in AL
Dennis & Isabelle - Auntie Leigh, Brian, David, Donna NY, sanra

Ready to race from our comfy chairs?

Nine teams will be heading from Oxford, England via train, driving and a ferry to the Shetland Islands. That's Shetland like ponies! Yikes! Michael fell and hurt his ankle. There's a six-hour wait for the train. Kim and Alli decided to find a pub.

Once on the island, they have to find a puppet to get their next clue. They're off to Scallaway (sp?) castle for a Detour.

Detour: Pony Up has them cutting peat, working with a Shetland pony, deliver it. Light My Fire has them building a Viking Torch. 

Sigh. Misti and Jim are first to move on after dealing with their possessed pony. Brooke and Robbie are having lots of trouble with the torch building. They're currently in last place. Tim and Te Jay get through the torch detour first.

Roadblock: Get Your Sheep Together. They're herding sheep. The sheep herding is hilarious. They hop! And run well, too.

Misti and Jim make it through the sheep first and get the clue to the Pit Stop.

Pit Stop --
1. Jim and Misti (I don't like him.) They won a trip to Dubai
2. Adam and Bethany (I like them!)
3. Keith and Whitney
4. Shelley and Nici
5. Kym and Alli
6. Brooke and Robbie
7. Maya and Amy
8. Tim and Te Jay
9. Michael and Scott

Philiminated. Sigh. I liked them and they were my blog pool pick. However, they're not in great shape and now the one really wrecked up his ankle. I don't think they would have had many legs left in them anyway.

Survivor: San Juan Del Sur Blood vs. Water Blog Party - October 8

From the promos, it looks like John Rocker might be in for some rocky times this week! As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, you know where the real party is! I hope to see you in the comments area!

But first ... an update on the blog pool from Lifeguard Laurie:

Coyopa
Alec = Karen in Case, Merrilee
Baylor = Glenn, maquinn78, Sharon S
Dale = Brian, Margo
Jaclyn = CYW Coleman, rbennie
John R = Cheryl NC, MikesGirl, Terry in TX
Josh = crob61, Rochelle, Jackie
Wes = Buzzmaam, ORKMommy, sanra

Hunahpu
Drew = Delee, Petals, SueGee
Jeremy = Becky, Nana in the NW
Jon M = Donna in Alabama, Laurie
Julie = Donna NY, meb
Keith = Donna in FL, PDX Granny
Kelley = Babs Dud, ML, Russ
Missy = Ed in Ohio, Monty924, Sharon N
Natalie = Jennasmom, Kelsey NY
Reed = David, Kathy, Lynn1

Out: Nadiya
Val = Brenda, Nickelpeed

Survivor fans ready?

Josh has some mistrust in John R., but will remain an ally for now. On the other tribe, Drew is the lazy one.

Uh-oh, Jeremy knows that Val got voted out as they meet up for the rewards challenge. Jeremy tells the women on Coyopa to band together. Rocker admits to all that he tried to get Val to stay. For the challenge they have to walk across a suspended beam balancing a paddle with objects on it, then stacking them. The reward is a choice of the fishing gear not given last week in lieu of flint or comfort items (bedding).

Wes won Reward for Coyopa over his dad, Keith.

Wes sends Josh to Exile with Keith. He selects fishing gear.

Julie is crying because everyone is mad at John. Oh, boohoo.

On Exile Island, Keith got the clue and shared. They ate snails and got along just fine.

Back at camp, Rocker is catching fish apparently to win friends and influence people. Yet the girls want to push for him to go.

Immunity Challenge time! Tethered in pairs, race through obstacle course to retrieve their ball, first tribe to three points in a basket wins.

Hunahpu wins Immunity again. Natalie starts going on about his racist comments in the past and how they need to vote them out. It's not pretty. John said if she were a man, he'd knock her teeth out.

In camp, Rocker knows the girls are after him. He tries to sway them to vote out Dale. Then he tells the guys that they need to vote out Baylor. Now Josh is even more suspicious of John when John tells him he has an idol. Josh starts a movement to get John out. Alex isn't too keen on the idea even when told John has an idol. John meanwhile makes the wise decision to bring his idol with him to Tribal Council.

Let's see if John wisely decides to use the idol to save his butt. Enough was said to Jeff at Tribal to make him cautious, I think.

The tally: He does NOT play the idol -- Baylor, John, Baylor, John, John, John.

Rocker is OUT with an idol in his pocket!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 5, 2014

Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. I promise you the next post I make will be about television!

This week as has been a bit blah for me -- I've had a stomach bug accompanied by a headache on and off since Tuesday. No, it's not Ebola! I actually think the headache is more sinuses than anything else. But I've generally felt icky. A lot of people around here are sick. They must have breathed on me. Ew!

I still haven't met the latest new upstairs neighbor living overhead my apartment. I think it's a he rather than a she. I also think it's a he with weekend custody of a child. While it's nowhere near as annoying as when a toddler lived up there full time, I hear child running on the weekends. Not horrible, mind you. Unlike the toddler who was all over the place all the time on hardwood floors in shoes walking/running on his heels, this is just now and then and a quieter running. Shoes seem to be off and it's not rattling my walls or windows, plus it ends by 8 or 9pm. I can deal with that. But I do notice it starts on every Friday night, ends on Sunday night. Thus, my deduction of weekend father.

I'm going to reprint something I posted on Facebook earlier this week called Monday's Tales of New Jersey. If you saw it there, head onto the photos. If you're not on Facebook, go for reading it:

1. This morning while walking to the train station, I saw either a 113S or 114 NJ Transit bus go by. Instead of the lighted bus number, this message was flashing: "Emergency! Call Police!" The interior was lighted and there were only a few passengers. I didn't see an emergency, but I went ahead and called. At least if the cops stop the bus, they'll turn that message off!

2. Then, coming home, I decided to wait for the NJ Transit 59 bus nearby the train station (my train pass gets me on the bus for free and it saves me a long walk). As I waited with a bunch of folks, a young man with a Jamaican accent came along. He started pacing back and forth shouting, "Jesus is coming! I will pray for you! Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! Jesus is coming!" He kept it up for the ten minutes or so until the bus came. The odd thing is that as he paced he kicked one foot out kind of like the Elaine dance on Seinfeld. At one point, I mentioned to the other folks waiting that perhaps we should ask him when the 59 bus was coming since he obviously knows when Jesus is coming! They all laughed. He thought we were laughing at him, glowered a minute, then started his Elaine Kick Jesus Shouting once again.

The darkest hour is before the dawn

My early morning walk to the train station is in the darkest of night these days. It won't be until November that the time will change. One morning a huge dude passed me and told me to be careful. He didn't see me roll my eyes. Although dark, it's a very safe time of day. There are working folks out and about at that hour although this photo doesn't show that. It's always the same people. The denizens of the night are long gone, too. It's much more safe than a few hours earlier or probably even the evening hours. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Autumn is here!

Most of the trees are still green right now, but we have some pretty colors working their way in. Our peak foliage in this area isn't usually until late October. Where I grew up, the trees were barren of leaves before Halloween. Not so much here ... we still (usually) have some nice color going on around then. I took this shot near the Bridgewater Train Station.

Instead of just flowers, this week's slideshow is Flowers and Foliage. There are also some berries -- nightshade and Kousa Dogwood berries from the Plainfield Train Station (see, Bernice ... I remembered!). The sunflowers were growing on East Second Street in Plainfield; the mums are from both Plainfield and Bridgewater as is the foliage. The "veiny" foliage shots are poison ivy leaves in Bridgewater. Although my apartment building has little or no yard (paved parking lot) -- the pink morning glories, late season honeysuckle and the nightshade have taken over the back chain link fence.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

The Amazing Race 25 Blog Party - October 3

I have to get used to this Friday night slot for the show. While I think it's SO much better than the Sunday slot that was delayed more often than not due to one sport or another ... I almost forgot tonight was the night! Eep!

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- everyone is welcome to join in on the fun!

Before we get started, an update on the blog pool is needed. Although we barely got to know them, the real estate sisters were Philiminated last week. They rubbed me wrong when they grabbed the pen out of the firefighter's hand as he was signing up for the seaplane. Although I don't condone guys pushing their way through smaller women (or anyone, for that matter), the firefighters probably wouldn't have done it had the girls not started off the ruckus by stealing the pen and the seaplane spot.

Here's the blog pool from the Magnificent Margo (and Mom) as it currently stands:
Adam & Bethany - chrob61, Kathy in Brooklyn, Kelsey NY, Zoetawny
Brooke & Robbie - Caela, Sharon, Sharon N, Willie J
Dennis & Isabelle - Auntie Leigh, Brian, David, Donna NY, sanra
Keith & Whitney - Jean, Jennasmom, Nana in NW, PDXGranny
Kym & Alli - Brenda, meb, Nicklepeed, Rochelle, Terry in TX
Maya & Amy - Ed in OH, Karen in CA, Lynn1, Margo
Michael & Scott - Donna in FL, Glenn, Jackie, Marlo
Misti & Jim - Cheryl in NC, Laurie, ML, OrkMommy
Shelly & Nici - Buzzmaam, Merrilee, Rbennie, SueGee
Tim & Te Jay - Babs, Brent McKee, Dusty, Monty924,

Sorry you have been PHILIMINATED
Lisa & Michelle - Becky, Delee, dla, Donna in AL

Who's ready to take off from this Pit Stop?

Onto London they go, six teams on the first flight.

Aw, Bethany lost a shoe on the last leg and Amy gave her a pair.

Detour - About Face or Pancake Race. The first is taking part in the changing of the guard (Buckingham Palace type). The latter has them making pancakes and run a lap while flipping said pancake without dropping it.

Bethany and Adam made it through the pancake challenge like it was child's play. They now have to take a train to Oxford.

Drop and punt ... once in Oxford, teams must row (not sure if that's the right terminology) a punting boat one lap. Bethany and Adam remain in first place. Brooke and Robbie are having trouble with About Face while the firefighters keep dropping their pancakes.

Woot! The dentists did the punting from the wrong end of their punting boat -- one stands while the other uses a stick to propel them. They have to do it over.

Adam and Bethany are first to the next clue at Christ Church College. They have a clue for the Express Pass. They go for that rather than the first place finish. Yes! They have it and they're on the way to the Pit Stop!

1. Adam and Bethany! They won a trip to Sweden and have the Express Pass, too!
2. Misti and Jim
3. Kym and Alli
4. Tim and Te Jay
 Brooke and Robbie
 Keith and Whitney
 Maya and Amy
 Michael and Scott
9. Shelley and Nici
10. Dennis and Isabelle

Dennis and Isabelle were Philiminated. The four without numbers above all pretty much came in about the same time and I'm not sure of the order.

Survivor: San Juan Del Sur Blog Party - October 1

Well, I wasn't too upset about last week's cast out castaway even though she was my blog pool random pick! I'm sorry, but I just don't see why the producers and casting are pushing the TAR "twinnies" so much. There are some folks on these shows that people love to hate ... but the twinnies just tend to bring about a heck of a lot of dislike. They're annoying.

Anyway ... as tonight's episode airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Come join in on the fun!

First, an update on the pool. As Lifeguard Laurie promised, she reassigned the first boot's pool picks (as we barely got to know them in the premiere, although I feel I knew Nadiya too well already) --

COYOPA
Josh = crob61, Rochelle, Jackie
Alec = Karen in Case, Merrilee
Val = Brenda, Nickelpeed
Wes = Buzzmaam, ORKMommy, sanra
John R = Cheryl NC, MikesGirl, Terry in TX
Jaclyn = CYW Coleman, rbennie
Dale = Brian, Margo
Baylor = Glenn, maquinn78, Sharon S

HUNAHPU
Kelley = Babs Dud, ML, Russ
Missy = Ed in Ohio, Monty924, Sharon N
Keith = Donna in FL, PDX Granny
Jon M = Donna in Alabama, Laurie
Julie = Donna NY, meb
Reed = David, Kathy, Lynn1
Jeremy = Becky, Nana in the NW
Drew = Delee, Petals, SueGee
Natalie = Jennasmom, Kelsey NY

Survivor fans ready?

Josh confessed to Baylor that he voted for her to game to cover up their alliance. Um. Okay. Not the brightest of moves.

Hunahpu has lost their flint. Jon is the one who seems to have lost it.

Reward Challenge has them balancing a ball on a pole through obstacles and then rolling them at a target. The prize is fishing gear. It's John Rocker vs. his gal Julie.

JULIE wins! John goes to Exile Island! She chooses Jeremy to go with him.

Hunahpu wants to trade their beans for a new flint, but keep the fishing gear. All Jeff would offer them is a new flint in exchange for the fishing gear. They took the deal -- they need fire.

Natalie keeps crying because Nadiya is gone.

John drew the blank clue on Exile. Jeremy, although he knows who Rocker is and his racist remarks of the past, shows Rocker his clue to the idol. He wants Rocker to help protect his wife.

Immunity Challenge -- Jeremy and John return to their tribes. It's knocking their opponent off a small platform with a padded doohickey into the water.

Heh. John Rocker got beaten by a girl earlier and now by another Jon.

Hunahpu wins Immunity! (Again.)

Whoa! Rocker found the idol from the clue that Jeremy told him. He thinks that Val also has an idol. He tells her there will be a split vote for her and Baylor. Val says (to us) that she and Jaclyn will also vote Baylor, so no problem. Josh is suspicious.

Tribal Council time, not happy campers at all. The tally: Val, Baylor, Val, Baylor, Val, Baylor, Baylor, Val. It's a tie. Revote time.

Baylor, Val, Val, Val, Val.

Rocker is upset that she didn't play her idol. Well, that's because HE has the idol she should have found!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - September 28, 2014

Good morning! It's Sunday, time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This post has no television content, but I guarantee you the next post I make will be about television! Stay tuned.

Now that I said there will be no television content, I'll have to add that I'm glad the season of Big Brother has ended! Ahh ... no more skimping on my sleep to watch silly hamsters. The show has been renewed for two more seasons, though. So, I'll be back at it next summer.

Not much has gone on this week for me. I went back to work after my staycation. While I'm glad that I've had a job (or jobs) all these years through good economies and bad and I've never been unemployed, I'll be happy when the time comes for me to retire. I could find plenty of things I enjoy doing to keep me occupied. It's just that pesky money thing that keeps me going to work.

Perhaps today I'll pretend I'm retired. I'll peruse my Sunday newspaper over coffee and a leisurely breakfast. I'll watch the CBS Sunday Morning news show. I'll later take a leisurely bubble bath while playing jazz, maybe classical, music in the background. I'll bake some blueberry muffins. I'll read. I'll fix a nice little dinner for myself, perhaps accompanied by a Weyerbacher Merry Monks Belgian-style tripel beer (yes, I bought some of that this week). I'll watch some television, play with Vincent.

And then tomorrow, it's back to work.

Sigh.

Onto this week's photos! Clicking on an image will bring up a Photobucket window. There, you can make the image larger twice by clicking on the magnifying icon at the top of the image. To return to the blog, just close that page. With the flowers slideshow, the diagonal arrow on the bottom right of the page will bring you fullscreen.

Pardon me, I have a lot of relaxing to get in today ...

NJ Transit, the way to go

Or, so say their ad slogans. The trains on my line (Raritan Valley Line) are usually on time. It has to be recorded with the government if they're more than six minutes late. The buses, on the other hand, aren't all that timely. The schedule isn't bad at all. But, the traffic is! I took this shot on a beautiful (obviously) afternoon at the Plainfield Train Station.

Whatchoo lookin' at?

Nature truly makes better aliens than does Hollywood. This was a huge grasshopper I met the same day I took the photo above. As a matter of fact, he was on the train station platform. After taking some photos of him, I helped him get to the grass. He wasn't too spry. However, I thought the grass was a better place for him.

Reflection in a puddle

The just post sunrise sun lights up the red brick building reflected in this puddle. I never get tired of taking puddle shots! Bridgewater, NJ

*CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS AND THIS WEEK'S FLOWER SLIDESHOW!**

The Amazing Race 25: Season Premiere Blog Party and Pool

Are you ready? On your mark, get set ... blog party! It's the 25th season of Philiminations and people who don't take the time to learn how to drive a manual transmission car! As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the party is in the comments area (we've soundproofed the comments room so our party doesn't disturb the neighbors). Come join us there!

Before we get started, the Magnificent Margo and Mom have made the random picks for the blog pool. Yes, she rocks and that's how we roll! I'm making a bit of a "cheat sheet" with small photos of the teams, names, brief bits and the blog members whose pick they are. Without further ado:

Keith and Whitney: engaged couple, both 29, both Nashville -- #TeamNashville, she's a singer/songwriter, he's an energy advisor, they met on Survivor. They are no longer engaged. They recently married.

Pool Pick for: Jean, Jennasmom, Nana in NW, PDXGranny

Kim and Alli: friends, 30/26, Master Instructor for Soulcycle and YouTube MOGUL er, (sorry, Frankie outburst) channel and Alli is a personal trainer, Brooklyn and New York, New York. Of course, Brooklyn is part of NY, NY. Hmm. Maybe Manhattan? #TheCyclists

Pool Pick for: Brenda, meb, Nicklepeed, Rochelle, Terry in TX

Lisa and Michelle: Sisters, 28/22, both in real estate, both from Miami, FL. They already work together as a team in real estate, so that should benefit them in the race. Together, they're one of the top sales teams in Southern Florida. #MiamiRealtors

Pool Pick for: Becky, Delee, dla, Donna in AL

Maya and Amy: Lab mates/friends, 29/24, both are Ph.D. students (Food Science) at The University of Wisconsin, Madison. They're out to prove scientists can be fun! #SweetScientists

Pool Pick for: Ed in OH, Karen in CA, Lynn1, Margo

Michael and Scott: Friends/firefighters in the same ladder company, 40/39, Boston, MA/Chelsea, MA. I can only think that their jobs will help them in some of the Detours and Roadblocks -- you know they're not scared of heights! #TheFirefighters

Pool Pick for: Donna in FL, Glenn, Jackie, Marlo

Misti and Jim: Married dentists (married to each other -- she's a cosmetic dentist, he's an orthodontist), 36/37, Columbia, SC. Hmm ... we may have the Bickersons here. She says there's no filter between his brain and mouth. He says they may have problems working as a team. #The Dentists

Pool Pick for: Cheryl in NC, Laurie, ML, OrkMommy

Shelley and Nici: Mother/Daughter, 42/24, both are flight attendants, Detroit, MI. Ah, flight attendants! That may be a plus in airports! Heh. Shelley says she's proud to have raised children who don't seek out therapy. I think I'll like these two! #MomDaughter

Pool Pick for: Buzzmaam, Merrilee, Rbennie, SueGee

Adam and Bethany: Married, 24/26, she's a pro surfer and motivational speaker; he's a "professional husband." (Now, there's a gig for ya!). Both Princeville, Hawaii. She's the woman who lost her arm to a shark while surfing back when she was a teenager. #SoulSurfers

Pool Pick for: chrob61, Kathy in Brooklyn, Kelsey NY, Zoetawny 

Brooke and Robbie: Dating, 29/30, both professional wrestlers, she's from Houston, TX/he's from Woodbridge, NJ (hey, NEIGHBOR!). We might have the Bickersons Redux here. I'm not too keen on them although they just might do well. #TheWrestlers

Pool Pick for: Caela, Sharon, Sharon N, Willie J
 

Dennis and Isabelle: Dating, 30/28, she's a model; he's in financial accounting. Both come to us from Tustin, CA. More bickering possibilities? Eek. #TheDatingCouple

Pool Pick for: Auntie Leigh, Brian, David, Donna NY, sanra

Tim and Te Jay: College sweethearts, 23/24, flight attendant/server and female impersonator. South Pasadena and Pasadena, CA. They think they're fabulous. Maybe by the end of the race (or their end of the race), they'll think they're fierce. I dunno. #CollegeSweethearts

Pool Pick for: Babs, Brent McKee, Dusty, Monty924  


Ready to race around the world and PARTY! GO! 

They're starting the race from Manhattan like they did 25 years ago. They're starting out in Times Square. How did I miss going over there to see that?

The winner of the first leg also wins The Save -- if they're in trouble, they can use it at any time to save themselves.  Going to St. Thomas, only five teams on the first flight. The second flight is 40 minutes behind the first. 

Once there, they have to sign up for seaplane flights. Yikes! The sisters stole the pen from the firefighters as they were signing up for their flight. Okay, that was down and dirty. 

Take a leap of faith, must leap two stories into the sea from an outcrop of rocks to retrieve their next clue. They're off to a pirate ship where they get the next clue. And that leads them to their next clue.

Roadblock - Navigate beach with compass, shovel and use coordinates to find a treasure chest in the sand to find their next clue. 

The Dentists dude is the only one who seems to know how to read the compass. They're heading to the Pit Stop. He even helped several other teams understand the compass. 

The Pit Stop! 
1. Misti and Jim -- they win the Save 

All of the other teams are having problems with the Roadblock. Finally a few are getting it. 

2. Tim and Te Jay
3. Kim and Alli
4. Brooke and Robbie
5. Adam and Bethany
6. Amy and Maya 
7. Dennis and Isabelle
8. Shelley and Nici 

The sisters and Keith/Whitney want to take a four hour penalty and not finish. The firefighters agree to do it, too. 

Good. The firefighters stole the cab from the girls.

9/10 - Mike/Scott and Keith/Whitney (not sure of their order)

Lisa and Michelle are Philiminated. Good. Karma. The firefighters wouldn't have pushed their way into the cab had the girls not stolen their pen from them to sign up for the seaplane. 

Big Brother 16: Hamsters do Interviews Galore

First thing ... we all must bow to blog pool winners Ed in Ohio, Jessica UNderwood, Marlo, Stormy, Erinkate. They had Derrick in the blog pool and we know how that turned out! I myself had PaoPao. Lucky me.

Okay, I was up way too late last night watching the one website which was streaming the backyard interviews live (linked at the top of last night's finale post). I know the guy was in the media day at the house, but he drove me crazy last night -- although I'm thankful that SOMEONE live streamed some of the interviews.

How did he drive me crazy? You don't realize how many times you say the word "when," especially WHEN doing interviews. Instead of the word "when," each time he would say "whenever." Ack! Maybe it's a regional thing out of Topeka, I don't know. The only hamster to call him on it was Jocasta. Praise the lord! Hallelujah! It wasn't just me!

The things I picked up in last night's interviews more so than these select CBS ones I'm posting are:

• I was right. I know I saw on the live feeds whenever Donny promised Cody he'd vote for him if he made the final two.
• SEE HOW AWFUL "WHENEVER" SOUNDS WHEN YOU MEAN "WHEN'?!?
• Donny promised him once. When he promised him, not whenever ... that implies multiple promises! But that is why Donny voted for Cody.
• That said, every time it was mentioned that Derrick is a cop, Donny really reacted a bit off to me. He seems to have a dislike of police officers going on there.
• Donny also admitted to be the one to cross Victoria's name off the bathroom stall wall. Everyone (including me) figured that was Zach's work.
• Nicole and Hayden are officially dating. They're even talking about both relocating to perhaps the Chicago area. I like them as a couple and think something might just happen with them down the road.
• Not like the split-up of McCranda. I saw that one a mile away.
• What I missed on the live feeds is that Jocasta also promised Cody she would vote for him if he made the final two.
• So, there ya go. The two votes for Cody to win weren't bitter jury member doing at all. BOTH were promises made and kept.
• Although, though I really like the guy, Donny seems to be a bit bitter about Derrick in almost all the interviews I've watched. Whether it's the cop thing or just the fact that he tried to get people to realize Derrick was the mastermind and no one listened ... I don't know. The man does have an edge to him that I saw very little of in the house. Maybe the time in jury had him stewing.
• He's absolutely thrilled with America's Favorite.
• On the other hand, Cody has been absolutely fantastic even knowing that he pretty much gave away nearly a half-million.

I'm posting mainly the interviews I'm interested in watching from the CBS website. You can find other interviews at --

• Rob Has a Podcast (Rob Cesterino) has interviews with the final three.
• Don't ask me who Kelli Green of KFROG is, but she has her own backyard interviews with the hamsters.
• I know I kept seeing Rachel and the dude she's with on YouTube (not Brendon, a working thing) in the backyard. But I'm not finding her interviews online.
• Onto my select CBS ones ...

 

Remember ... if you wish in on the blog pool for The Amazing Race, you need to sign up by Friday noon ET on this post << that would be the post! Not THIS post!

Big Brother 16: Season Finale Blog Party

UPDATE -- Backyard live interviews at this link.

About a week after it should have ended, it's finally ending! While us live feed watchers know who won the first two parts of the final HoH competition, they haven't even aired the end of the first part on the show itself yet. Oy. It seems like so long ago! They're going to have to cram a lot into tonight's show.

Before this gets too long, I'd like to thank all of my friends and folks in the blog community here. Thank you for your participation! Without you, this blog would be just me rambling on to myself with a cat draped over my shoulder! I also want to thank those who donated to the blog via the Paypal link on the sidebar. Every donation is appreciated -- thank you all so much!

The only remaining people in the blog pool as we head into tonight with the final three hamsters are:
Cody - Delee, Nickelpeed, WolfpackRed, Nell the Southern Belle, Sally in Indiana
Derrick - Ed in Ohio, Jessica UNderwood, Marlo, Stormy, Erinkate
Victoria - Dr_Celine, ORKMommy, Sharon N, Faye
I was out of the pool long ago with PaoPao.

In my opinion, from watching the live feeds and the shows, posting live feeds reports and all but living with these hamsters ... I'd like to see Derrick Levasseur win it all. I personally picked him as my favorite for the win back when I first introduced the cast pre-season. I wrote, "Derrick Levasseur might be the brains of this operation." And, he certainly lived up to it. Far from the most exciting hamster ever, he played hands-down the best mind game ever on the show -- convincing everybody he cares (and actually seems to) about them, manipulating others, getting folks who caught onto his puppetmaster ways out, yet still remaining off the block for the entire season. If he doesn't win, I'll be very surprised.

Cody Calafiore played a decent game and is definitely a decent guy despite letting Christine touch and pet him all the time. But, other than winning competitions and teaming up with Derrick, sometimes there was no "there" there with Cody. Derrick made most of his decisions for him, often (like he tended to do with others) making Cody think they were his own decisions. Instead, that old reality blood went on his hands more than Derrick's. I honestly think he realized that with the Caleb eviction and that's why he brought up the Hitmen reveal. He wouldn't be a totally undeserving winner, but Derrick is definitely better at the game.

Then there's Victoria Rafaeli, probably one of the most surprising final three hamsters ever. Although she was definitely brought all the way by Derrick and was often totally clueless, sucked in competitions, chomped her food ... she's in the final three. But, listen folks ... she worked her apparent life strategy as game strategy. It's been said that she is used to people doing for her. Well, Derrick did for her and got her to the final three. Will it be enough to get her to the final two? And, if she makes it to the final two, will the Bomb Squadders on the jury keep their promise to vote for her to win in spite?

It all happens now ... on Big Brother.

Okay, that was my Julie Chen impersonation. As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. But, as you all must know by now, the party is in the comments area. Come join in with us! Let's CRUSH this finale!

Recap, recap ... onto the first part of the final HoH comp. Surprise, surprise ... Victoria is out first. Derrick and Cody talk about what they're going to do. The original plan of theirs was to have Cody win this physical one, Derrick to take on the mental comp with Victoria. Derrick goes down. Cody wins part one.

Part two is Egyptian theme. They have to scale a wall, step on stones and place faces in order of eviction and who was with them on the block. Derrick went first and seemed to do well. Now Victoria is up. She's having trouble going up and down the wall.

Derrick's time: 15:29
Victoria's time: 30:03

Derrick CRUSHED that one. Now Victoria is talking about her final two deal with Derrick.

Dr. Will leads the jury roundtable. They think that Caleb will be next. Nicole thinks Cody because he did nothing through the game. Huh. They're talking Derrick. They are impressed with him. He's a master manipulator. They Cody is smart. Hayden thinks Victoria is dumbing down for the house. Zach thinks she IS dumb. Jocasta says she will vote for her. So will Caleb.

Final part of the final HoH comp -- Derrick and Cody. How well they know the jury -- Scales of Just Us -- typical how the juror completed a statement. 8 questions.

Derrick 1, Cody 0
Derrick 2, Cody 1
Derrick 3, Cody 2
Derrick 3, Cody 3
Derrick 4, Cody 3
Derrick 4, Cody 4
Derrick 4, Cody 4
Derrick 4, Cody 4

Tiebreaker question. In seconds, how long was part one of the final HoH comp from starting horn to when Cody won.

Their answers were close, but CODY wins the final HoH!

Caleb is going to be ticked. Julie just announced that Frankie will be on The Talk tomorrow.

Eviction time! Cody evicts Victoria, sticks with his fellow Hitman.

Bitter jury interrogation coming!

Christine -- Derrick, denied responsibility for sending us home. Yes, I did. Part of my strategy to stay behind the scenes.

Frankie -- Derrick is puppermaster, Cody is puppet. Cody says played a huge social game. Played as good as Derrick.

Caleb -- My boy Derrick, used your family to manipulate us. Cross the line? Never used them, think the world of them.

Hayden -- Cody ... biggest strategic move you made personally. Claims responsibilty for Zach going out.

Nicole -- Why do you deserve to win over Cody? Derrick -- never on the block.

Donny -- Cody, why win over Derrick? Cody -- social game, related info to Derrick.

Victoria -- Loyal to Hitmen over me? Friends always, but couldn't betray Cody's loyalty.

The speeches:
Cody -- Hurt by puppet monicker, sent them out, brings us to final two.
Derrick -- Best social game I could play, never nominated, won four HoHs.

Time to vote --
Jocasta -- Fake praying works.
Hayden -- Person who will give me best pedicab tip
Zach -- RI is where my heart's at.
Donny -- Hate I left my Skittles at home.
Nicole -- Person who I think played best
Christine -- Not bitter, hard decision, going with gut
Frankie -- You look hot, but I've had better to Cody, best win
Caleb -- Both welcome where you are by BS, best game winner
Victoria -- The one who remained loyal to me since day one.

It sounds like a landslide for Derrick to me, but it's not being announced yet. Next up are the earlier evicted hamsters and the reveal of secrets of the summer.

Joey now has pink hair.

Tea America reveal. Lots of fun!

Then Derrick reveals his real job and they show the casting tape in which he said he'd use his undercover police strategy as strategy in the game.

The jury's votes:
Jocasta -- Cody
Hayden -- Derrick
Zach -- Derrick
Donny -- Cody
Nicole -- Derrick
Christine -- Derrick
Frankie -- Derrick

DERRICK WINS! As I thought he should since the season started!

Caleb and Victoria also voted for Derrick, 7-2 was the final landslide.

Over 10 million votes for favorite -- Zach, Nicole and Donny were the top three. More than 5 million votes for DONNY! Woot!

Derrick is coming on The Talk tomorrow, too.

Not the most exciting season, but I'm very pleased with how it ended.

Survivor: San Juan Del Sur - Season Premiere Blog Party

Survivor fans ready? We're heading into another season of Blood vs. Water! Albeit with a few familiar faces, (baseball's John Rocker, the "twinnies" from The Amazing Race), at least it's not former players. I like to see different faces on competition reality shows, perhaps with an "all-star" type season now and then. But I'm not too keen on previous players playing new players. I would rather not see the twinnies from TAR, but working apart they just might be bearable.

Just a few notes before we get on with the blog pool and the show:

• Remember! The 90-minute season finale of Big Brother 16 directly follows this 90-minute season premiere of Survivor! Claim your comfy spot early and settle in with snacks and tasty beverages! You're in for the long haul tonight!
• I'm setting things up so that the blog party post for the BB16 finale will show a few minutes before Survivor ends. So, when the party here wraps up, refresh your page so the new BB16 blog party post shows and join in there!
• Although entries for the blog pool for Survivor are closed (see list below), you still have time to enter the blog pool for The Amazing Race! If you want to enter that pool, please go to this TAR blog pool entry post and leave a comment there by Friday, noon ET. Only enter on that post as you might be (probably will be) overlooked if you put your entry request in on any other post. Merci!

As the show airs here, I'll update this post with the major happenings. You'll need to refresh the page for the latest news. As always, the real party is in the comments area. Come join in on the fun!

Lifeguard Laurie has revealed the random picks for the blog pool -- who's your hamster er, castaway? Laurie adds: "First people out of the pool will be randomly added to teams with only 2 people. Just think nobody should go home the first night. They barely get their feet wet!" You know, she rocks! 

Pool People
Alec = Karen in Case, Merrilee,
Baylor = Glenn, maquinn78, Sharon S
Dale = Brian, Margo,
Drew = Delee, Petals, SueGee
Jaclyn = CYW Coleman, rbennie,
Jeremy = Becky, Nana in the NW,
John R = Cheryl NC, MikesGirl, Terry in TX
Jon M = Donna in Alabama, Laurie,
Josh = crob61, Rochelle,
Julie = Donna NY, meb,
Keith = Donna in FL, PDX Granny,
Kelley = Babs Dud, ML, Russ
Missy = Ed in Ohio, Monty924, Sharon N
Nadiya = Jackie, Lynn1
Natalie = Jennasmom, Kelsey NY,
Reed = David, Kathy,
Val = Brenda, Nickelpeed,
Wes = Buzzmaam, ORKMommy, sanra

Oh, wow! I get one of the twinnies! I'm so darn lucky in these random picks!

On with the show we will go ...  

Silly castaways, they think they'll be working with their loved ones. So silly! They're being given flints as the duos to learn how to make fire. 

Monkeys! I see monkeys! Luck be a monkey tonight. Okay. Now I'm being silly. 

It will take me some time to tell who's whom on the show. Right now we're getting an intro into each "team." Who, of course, aren't teams and will be split up to compete against each other.

Now, they're split into two tribes. John Rocker feels he should take care of his woman. Keith tells us he recognizes John and that he's an "ass" -- was one in baseball and seems to be one now. 

First Reward Challenge -- one person races to retrieve rings from ropes and get two platforms. Jeremy goes for his tribe; competes against his wife Val (first twist of the game according to Jeff). They're playing for flint and a bag of beans -- loser will be sent to Exile Island. Oh my.  The one exiled will be back for the Immunity Challenge.

Jeremy wins reward for his tribe and sends his wife Val to Exile Island.  Jeremy has to pick one person to go with Val to Exile Island. He chooses Keith, part of the father/son team (father) because he thinks he's a woodsy type who will protect his wife. Keith is on Jeremy's tribe -- he had to pick someone from his own tribe to go.

Jeremy feels very bad about sending his wife to Exile, but wastes no time running around trying to get together an alliance.

On the other tribe, Dale is already being typecast as the "old guy." He finds a decal doohickey on the water source cover, pockets it thinking it's not the hidden idol but might save him at one point. He breaks his glasses in half to double their power and create fire.

On Exile, Val got a clue for the hidden idol at her camp while Keith got a blank note. 

John Rocker is trying to deny who he is, but it's not working with Wes. Now he wants to target Wes at the first tribal they go to. 

Immunity Challenge time. Val and Keith return from Exile Island. Race to top of tower, under obstacle, get three bags, climb three walls -- one with ropes, one with pegs, one just each other helping. Then three build a puzzle. (The making of this challenge is on the CBS website -- it's supposed to be the toughest ever. The puzzle pieces to make the Mayan puzzle weigh 50 pounds each.)

The tribe with Jeremy on it wins. Natalie, the twinnie, is also on that tribe.  

Coyopa (sp.?) is the tribe that lost. I have to get these tribe spellings down right. Ah, Hunahpu seems to be the winning tribe's name. Eep. Why can't they just be Smith and Jones?

Ohh ... Val's clue led her to the water source. That indeed could have been the idol Dale found!

Dale tells the others that Nadiya should go because she was a backstabber on TAR.  Val tries to put together an all girl alliance which includes Nadiya. They want to include Josh, the gay guy. @@ Oh noes! They want to target DALE. I like Dale! I'd rather they target Nadiya, please.

Tribal Council time. Time for Jeff's "Probsting" questions.

Time to tally the votes: Nadiya, Dale, Baylor, Dale, Nadiya, Dale, Nadiya, Nadiya, Nadiya!

Yay! I'm free from my random blog pool pick gal! (I really don't care for the "twinnies.")

Coyopa also got flint after the tribal council. 

The Big Brother 16 season finale blog party post is up and running if you wish to head there. 

Big Brother 16: Last Live Feeds Update of the Season - September 24

The Memory Wall

Welp, this is it! My last live feeds report on the BB16 happenings inside the house. Granted, there has been little to report on the last few days. But, here goes Hamsters in the Hole:

• BB has been kind enough to bring in food for their lunches the last several days.
• Victoria has given up begging Derrick for the final two.
• They lamented the loss of the pool table and yard when lockdown came yesterday.
• Every time they're somewhere, it's like, "I/we am/are the last one(s) here to be in this room, play pool, be in the yard, etc."
• Lots of reminiscing.
• It's Derrick and Cody vying for the final HoH comp win tonight. 
• It doesn't matter which one wins.
• Derrick will take Cody to the final two. Cody will take Derrick to the final two. Victoria will just go out the door.
• There was an interesting talk between Derrick and Victoria in the wee hours of the morning today.
• He all but came out and told her that he will go with Cody to the final two.
• He said that he brought her along this far to show that she deserves to be there and to give her the chance to win comps and go on on her own.
• He just thinks, due to things said by others, that he'd have no chance to win against her in the final two.
• He has to think of why he's there -- to better his family's finances for the future.
• And, he can't do that if he makes the wrong decision now.
• He told her he thinks he has a much better chance to win against Cody in the final two.
• She, in his mist, agrees and says she'll totally support him. She said she just didn't want to hear that he liked and worked with Cody more than he liked and worked with her.
• He's no dummy. He ain't gonna say that! He said the perfect thing to her, as he has said to so many so many times this season.
• Hopefully, he can mist the jury, too.
• They had a final bit for BBAD last night and for the live feeders this morning.
• Bring on the finale!

Now he snuggles with Victoria

Yesterday's lunch

Saying goodbye to the live feeders

Derrick telling Victoria his reasoning