Survivor: David vs. Goliath - November 28 Blog Party

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be live-blogging the events -- refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Feel free to join in!

If you didn't realize it, tonight is a double episode. Make sure your snacks are handy!

I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. 

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!) 

Merge!!
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Jury:
Elizabeth
John
Dan

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

We got to see Carl's triumphant "BING" once again. He's still patting himself on the back. The numbers are finally even with the two original tribes. Angelina is ticked that two of her own voted for her. Now she's on the rampage against them and no longer loyal. 

A search is on for the hidden idol again -- early run by the Davids. Nick found an idol clue -- must sneak out of camp at night to the farthest point to retrieve it. 

Reward - two teams of five, rope bridge, ladder target in which they have to throw three rungs on the base. Survivor picnic is at stake. It's a random draw.  

ORANGE wins! Christian, Alison, Gabby, Mike, Alec 

Alec is shmoozing the Davids. The shmoozing is interrupted by letters from home. 

At camp Alec is pointing out that Alec is a challenge beast and needs to go. Kara, close to Alec, tells him. So, now Alec is after Carl. The Reward people all overate and are sick and sluggish. All the better for Nick's nighttime idol search. Davie is covering him at camp. 

Nick has the idol! 

Time for the Immunity Challenge! Balance on narrow perch holding a handle behind your head. Jeff tells them they can give up the chance for immunity for nachos and beer. Angelina, Carl and Nick go for the food and beer.  

Mike's out. Davie's out. Kara, who was looking the most solid, steps off. Alison out. Gabby's out after Alec plays mind games on her. It's Christian and Alec remaining. Alec keeps saying he will win. Christian tells him he won't. 

Christian starts telling a story. He keeps telling the story -- saying that it helps him. Alec is writhing in pain. They're at the five hour mark. Alec DROPS!

CHRISTIAN wins immunity after five and a half hours!

Alec tells us that he just couldn't handle the challenge mentally. He knows everyone is talking about voting him out. Carl thinks it's a no-brainer to vote out Alec. However, there is still Carl/Gabby friction. She thinks he's too bossy. Gabby thinks (rightfully) that Carl shouldn't be telling Kara their plans. Christian tries to calm crying Gabby and he is also thinking that Carl is becoming a liability. 

Alec is onto Carl getting cocky and thinks Carl should be blindsided. He even goes to Christian. Christian thinks keeping a bigger threat (Alec) around is better for his own game. Hmm. And they're hiking off to Tribal. 

So, it's Tribal Council. I have a feeling Carl might have sung his last tune.

Jeff starts off with the Immunity Challenge. Alec said he got dizzy. There doesn't seem to be any real animosity about the ones who ate. Carl hopes that, since he hadn't eaten on any reward, he hopes it doesn't count against him. Then Christian talks about everything being a calculated risk. Angelina thinks there are new alliances and that's more important than who ate nachos. Alec says if he's kept, others will have a bigger target than themselves. Carl stands by his nachos pick. 

In voting, Christian tells us his vote is to benefit his own game and no one else.

Tally:
Alec, Carl, Alec, Alec, Alec, Alec, Alec, Alec.

Welp, the "target" got targeted. 

Now it's five Davids, four Goliaths. Nick is getting a bit cocky. Gabby cries. Of course. They all flipped -- Alec was the sole Carl vote. Alison is hoping Christian and Gabby might still work with her.

Into a Reward Challenge. Climb ladder, leap into water, retrieve buoys. Reward is a feast on a boat. Schoolyard pick, that person can't win reward. Captains pick.

Kara - Carl, Davie and Mike
Angelina - Alison, Alec, Nick

Christian sits out. Kara's team wins!

She hopes it will get her closer to Davie and Mike. Mike tells us that he and Kara did a lot of sucking up to them. Carl tells Kara he wants to get Alison out. Will he ever shut up and think about who he's talking targets to? Sheesh. Heehee, Davie who is so not a jock is beside himself with his performance in the challenge. But Carl is talking himself further into a hole while Davie is being personable.

Back at camp, Gabby is trying for a blindside on Carl. She goes to Alison with the plan. It's looking so solid that it probably won't happen. 

When the reward winners return to camp, Carl talks up the Alison Out plan. Angelina is siding with Carl. But it doesn't look like anyone else is all that keen on it. Carl wants Gabby left out of the loop. That makes Christian more certain that Carl needs to go. Mike is the swing vote between the two groups.

Christian tells Gabby that Carl wants Alison out although he (Carl) told her Angelina. 

They are almost out of rice. Angelina wants to bargain with Jeff for more rice, giving some of their gear.

Time for the Immunity Challenge. Over an obstacle, spin around post, across balance beam collecting three bags of puzzle pieces, solve a word puzzle. 

Angelina interrupts Jeff with the rice negotiation. All of the fishing gear, most of the cooking gear, two chairs, swinging chair. Jeff says he will give rationed rice if someone will sacrifice their shot at immunity. Angelina goes for it so all can have rice. 

DAVIE wins Immunity! 

Angelina thinks the Alison Out plan will work. I'm not so sure about that. 

Carl is still dictating that Alison needs to go. He thinks they should use Angelina and Mike as long as they have to. Alison is rightfully worried that she might go -- she knows she's the target. Mike tells us that Carl is annoying but Alison is more of a threat to his own game. Christian again talks to Mike about taking out Carl. He's not really all that sure. 

Tribal time. Jeff's Probsting questions have a lot to do with the mood at camp. 

The tally:
Alison, Alison, Carl, Carl, Alison, Alison, Carl, Carl, Carl.

He blew his own game. Bye, Carl. 

Next week is the family/loved ones visit.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - November 21 Blog Party

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be live-blogging the events -- refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Feel free to join in!

I'm not sure how well-attended tonight will be due to the holiday. I hope everyone has a mighty fine Thanksgiving!

I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. 

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!) 

 Merge!!
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Jury:
Elizabeth
John

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

Davie is gleeful that his move eliminated the Mayor of Slamtown. He also got John's jacket somehow.

Alliances seem to be falling apart. Dan is worried that Kara is upset that he saved Angelina. Kara tells us he's too emotional and that he's the anchor that's bringing her game down. 

Reward has them playing for a burger bar with beer and soft drinks. Two teams. One person, odd man/woman out, will not play. Nor will they get reward. Carl is the one out. 

It's obstacles, lift a person to untie a bag of tiles, more obstacles, combination lock, then a snake puzzle. 

Alec, Dan, Davie, Mike and Kara win Reward. (Teams were a random pick.)

Back at camp, Gabby and Alison bond a bit more. At Reward, they're talking Goliath strong and getting Christian out. But Kara thinks it would help her game to get Dan out. She tells Alec and Alison that Dan has another idol. 

Thinking there is another hidden idol back at camp, Davie and the Davids get up early and go searching. They end up giving up ... except for Christian. He goes about it methodically. And ... he's got one! He says at some point, he'll have to tell the Davids because he needs their help -- he knows he's a target.

Immunity Challenge time! Obstacles, retrieve balls -- one at a time and there are three, balance ball on a plate while walking on a teeter-totter, get balls in hole at end table puzzle doohickey.

ALEC wins Immunity!

Kara wants Dan out. Dan wants Christian out. Kara thinks, because Dan has an idol, they need to split the votes. Alison thinks she should probably stick with her Goliath alliance. Alec, Dan and Alison think that Christian is the best one to get out. Now Kara is worried about putting her own game in jeopardy by going for a Dan vote.

Meanwhile, Christian and the other Davids notice that the Goliaths are all hanging out together. Nick tells them he has a secret advantage to steal a vote. Christian tells them about his idol. Carl tells them he has a nullify an idol advantage. They just have to use the right tools and think this out thoroughly.

And, they're off walking to Tribal ...

So, it starts. Jeff starts out by asking Alison what impact last week's Tribal had on them. Dan affirms Jeff's question about the war being on again -- David and Goliath. Mike talks of the importance of not being the first to flip and betray the tribe. Lots of talk about trust or the lack thereof. To me, it sounds like the Davids are up to something.

Nick pulls out his steal a vote from another person advantage. He's going to steal Alison's vote. Now he has two votes for himself. She surprised and not happy.

Whispering between Kara and Dan. Will he use his idol?

Dan uses his second idol in the game to save himself.

The tally:
WHOA! The idol nullifier is in play and Carl played it against Dan!

Christian, Christian, Christian, Angelina, Angelina, Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan.

It worked! Carl is thrilled. Goliath members are shocked.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - November 14 Blog Party

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be live-blogging the events -- refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Feel free to join in!

I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. 

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!) 

 Merge!!
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
John - Bizaro22, Indiana Jane, Nickelpeed
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Jury:
Elizabeth

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

Angelina is scrambling to repair the damage from Elizabeth at Tribal. They're not buying what she's selling. Dan doesn't trust her because she won't own up to doing anything wrong.

In a Strike Force talk between Christian and Mike has Mike questioning Gabby after the Tribal Council. Hmm.

Davie and Nick find a clue to an idol. Oh my. Then Carl came. Then a bunch was there. Davie distracted people while Nick found what turned out to be an advantage. Carl was with him, so he knows. The advantage is to steal a vote at Tribal. 

Reward Challenge -- two teams of six, hold onto sandbags connected to a trough over their heads. A dozen pizzas for the winning six. Schoolyard pick for teams. Every 15 minutes one has to drop out and his team takes his 10 pound sandbags.

Gabby, Christian, John, Alec , Alison and Nick win! Dan screwed up for his team by showing off. 

Mike is thinking his possibilities in the game. He's worried the Davids will overthrow the Goliaths. He thinks that Christian is a big threat in the game.  Alec, one of the Six, isn't as big on getting out Christian. The Goliaths meet up and all decide to focus on Christian.

(So I'd say now, Christian probably will not go this week!)  

Angelina is set to be the decoy. Rightfully, she's a bit worried about her own position in the game.

Time for the Immunity Challenge!

Balance on a narrow perch while holding a buoy, drop buoy or fall and you're out. They hold the buoy with two sticks.

Quickly it's down to three -- Angelina, Nick, Dan. Nick's out.

DAN wins immunity!

Dan tells the Davids all are voting out Angelina. However, the real plan is that all of the Goliaths are voting out Christian. Angelina does not like her name out there like that. 

Ohh ... Alec tells Nick that Mike wants Christian out. Nick tells Christian. Nick asks Davie if they could use the advantage to help Christian. Davie considers (to us) that he could give Christian the idol.  

Time for Tribal Council ... will Christian make it through the vote? Lots of talk about the numbers game. Interesting talk, but not in any manner an epic one.

Whoa! Davie plays his idol, apologizing to his fellow tribe members for keeping it secret and plays it to save Christian. All are shocked.

More! Dan plays an idol for Angelina! 

The tally,
Christian, Christian, Christian, Christian, Christian, Christian, Christian, Angelina, Angelina, John, John.

Rats! I liked him ... John suffered the fate of the dueling idols and was voted out.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - November 7 Blog Party

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be live-blogging the events -- refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Feel free to join in!

Get ready to drop those buffs!

I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. 

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!)

Vuku Tribe
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Elizabeth - Dennis Comfort, marthalight, Skyriverblue
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee

Jabeni Tribe
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Tiva Tribe
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
John - Bizaro22, Indiana Jane, Nickelpeed
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee

Out
Pat -  Team members moved to other teams
Jessica - Dr_Celine, ML, Terry is a Texan
Jeremy - Andi l, Jackie, monty924, PDX Granny
Natalia - Glenn Allen, Merrilee, TS14Fan
Bi - Auntie Leigh, Janice, nana in the nw
Natalie - Brenda, ITCHY, Nora
Lyrsa - Buzzmaam, jennifer, Petals 

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

Oh my! The other two tribes arrive by boat at Tiva. And, there is a feast to be had. It's time for the merge.

John, although he grew close to Christian, thinks that the old David/Goliath tribal lines. Gabby is thinking there should be an idol, but doesn't see one. Angelina is leery of Alec since she found out he flipped in the Natalia vote. Carl is fueling the "take out a David" Goliath theory by bad-mouthing Elizabeth. Dan tells Kara that he found a second idol. He's smitten, y'know. 

Angelina thinks they should aim for the stronger Davids -- Christian is one she considers a threat. Meanwhile, Christian remains a shaky bond with his two Goliath bros --John and Dan. John seems more cut-throat. Dan seems more willing to forget some of the original tribal bonds. Christian rekindled his alliance with Nick, too. This is getting complex!

Dan and Kara are getting a bit too careless with their relationship. It's putting a target on their backs. Mike, Alec and Alison decide they can work together. Mike would like to bring Nick into their group. Alec works on getting both Gabby and Christian in with them. Christian calls it a Counter-Goliath Surgency -- a Strike Force. He thinks they just might be able to rule the game.

Elizabeth wants to pull in Alec into her little group. She doesn't know that the group he's already in thinks of her as a sacrificial lamb. He doesn't tell her and decides he can play double agent for a while.

Dan is irked that his name is being brought up. Heck, he has two idols and no worries!

Time for the first individual Immunity Challenge! Swing a pendulum around a frame. If they knock the statue in the middle down, they're out. If they fall, they're out. If the pendulum stops moving, out.

Mike is out first. Christian is out. Both lost momentum. Carl out. Gabby out. Kara out. Nick out. 

Next phase has them switching hands live while in the challenge. Davie, Angelina, Alec out. John out. 

Dan out. It's Alison and Elizabeth still in the running. 

ALISON wins the first individual immunity! 

Angelina is pushing the Out Christian agenda. Hey, I find him very entertaining. I want him to stay! Dan feels torn -- he would like Elizabeth out. Now Gabby is rethinking her thoughts of Elizabeth being a sacrificial lamb. She would prefer a Goliath go. Alec doesn't want his Strike Force or his friends on David to think he's betraying them. He does NOT want Christian out. 

Dan tells Angelina they don't want Christian out. Now she's mad. She thinks he was condescending. He told her they need chaos out. Hmm. Chaos, is your name Angelina? Heh. Angelina runs to Elizabeth telling her that they've got her name out there -- Elizabeth's name, that is. Gabby is reinforced with the idea of getting Angelina out.

Tribal Council time. Elizabeth tells them all that Angelina told her she was the target. Uh-oh. That has Angelina stuttering. Ohh ... raised voices. Ohh ... whispering. Oops. Gabby is in tears. More whispering. Angelina is saying she was just trying to be a loving person. Elizabeth is pushing the Goliath has fractures agenda. We know Elizabeth will vote Angelina and vice versa.

The tally:
Angelina, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth ...

Elizabeth is gone. It was unanimous with the exception of Elizabeth's vote.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - Halloween Show Blog Party

Since it's Halloween, I'm not sure how many will make it tonight. Nevertheless, I'll be live-blogging the events -- refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Feel free to join in!

I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. 

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!)

Vuku Tribe
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Elizabeth - Dennis Comfort, marthalight, Skyriverblue
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee

Jabeni Tribe
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Lyrsa - Buzzmaam, jennifer, Petals
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Tiva Tribe
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
John - Bizaro22, Indiana Jane, Nickelpeed
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee

Out
Pat -  Team members moved to other teams
Jessica - Dr_Celine, ML, Terry is a Texan
Jeremy - Andi l, Jackie, monty924, PDX Granny
Natalia - Glenn Allen, Merrilee, TS14Fan
Bi - Auntie Leigh, Janice, nana in the nw
Natalie - Brenda, ITCHY, Nora

Survivor fans ready? Recap, recap. "Natalie, can I have your jacket?" Natalie? Natalie? Fourteen are left, who will be voted out tonight?

Jabeni is all happy about Natalie being gone. But now Lyrsa is questioning Angelina because she said she wrote her name hoping Natalie would give her the jacket. The other three are giggling about the jacket fiasco and Angelina. Now we know who will be their next target. That said, things are much calmer in their camp without Natalie.

On Tiva, Christian is describing his fishing preparation and technique. He claims not to be a food-seeking missile. The tribe will starve if they depend on him.

Reward Challenge time -- person attached to heavy bag of coconuts, carry the person, retrieve four rings, land rings on target. Cooking equipment and kebabs. Second prize two kebabs. 

Tiva wins first place! Jabeni won second place. 

On Tivam=, there's a lot of male bonding going on with the brochachos. Christian is mixing in with Dan and John. He's in a new world. Gabby is feeling (and being) neglected. She's trying to bond with Alison. She feels she's losing Christian. She's being a bit needy and the tears come. Alison's empathy comes into play and she has developed a soft spot. She tells Gabby she's becoming more interested in who can be trusted rather than the original David/Goliath tribe lines.

On Vuku, due to back issues, Elizabeth wants to redo the shelter floor. She works with Kara to make it a better place. Carl and Davie think they're starting too late. That puts a bug in Elizabeth's bonnet -- well, cowboy hat. Now Carl thinks Elizabeth needs to go while Kara feels relieved that the original Davids are turning on each other. The tribe is the only David heavy one.

Immunity time -- carry large saucer, fill well with water, puzzle pieces drop, puzzle.Tiva wins Immunity! Vuku wins second place. Once again, Jabeni goes to Tribal tonight.

Back at the camp, Lyrsa turned off Angelina by saying she would stick with Nick and it might be a tie. They want each other out. They're both working on the two guys. Neither Nick nor Mike seem to be in the cross hairs. Mike seems to actually like Lyrsa better, but he thinks the vote is pivotal as right now the tribe and the whole show is even numbers from the original tribes. Nick tries to work on Mike. He's in a quandary.

He needs to make up his mind because it's time for Tribal Council. Of course, Jeff and his Probsting questions hit the core of the issue -- he asks if original tribe loyalty is more important than trust. Angelina is making it clear without coming out and saying it that Lyrsa is the least worthy of saving of the four. Naturally, Lyrsa and Angelina vote for each other.

The tally --
Lyrsa, Angelina, Lyrsa, Lyrsa.

Lyrsa got the boot -- a combination of the David/Goliath issues plus Lyrsa's often poor performance in challenges. I think both Mike and Nick actually LIKED and trusted Lyrsa more than they did Angelina. 

Next week is the merge.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - October 24 Blog Party

My technical woes are over! As the show airs tonight, I'll be live-blogging the events -- refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Feel free to join in!

This week we have the three new tribes formed last week. With only five on a tribe, I can't picture this going on much longer. They'll have to re-align to two tribes or merge. Five isn't really a good number for tribes!

I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. 

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!) -- she was kind enough to search out the new tribe names and get it all set up:

Vuku Tribe
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Elizabeth - Dennis Comfort, marthalight, Skyriverblue
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee

Jabeni Tribe
Natalie - Brenda, ITCHY, Nora
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Lyrsa - Buzzmaam, jennifer, Petals
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Tiva Tribe
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
John - Bizaro22, Indiana Jane, Nickelpeed
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee

Out
Pat -  Team members moved to other teams
Jessica - Dr_Celine, ML, Terry is a Texan
Jeremy - Andi l, Jackie, monty924, PDX Granny
Natalia - Glenn Allen, Merrilee, TS14Fan
Bi - Auntie Leigh, Janice, nana in the nw

Survivor fans ready?

Of course, we start off with the recap of last week. Fifteen are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Kara is so ticked off at Alec for blindsiding Natalia last week and betraying their alliance. Now they're the only tribe which is David dominant.

It's storming once again there. Perhaps they should have built arks instead of shelters. One of the camps has a river running through it.

Tree Mail -- they're being evacuated due to the impending cyclone. 

When they return, all three of the camps are destroyed. They need to rebuild.

But Reward Challenge waits for no one. It's actually sunny out. Poles to knock sandbags out of nest, giant slingshots to targets. Reward is four egg-laying hens and a rooster. Second place winner gets a dozen eggs.

Vuku wins first place! Jabeni gets second place!

Kara turns on Alec, throwing him under the bus to Alec and Elizabeth. Elizabeth thinks she personally might be better allying with Alec rather than Kara. 

Hmm ... Angelina is a vegetarian and her mainstay food at home is eggs? Isn't that considered an animal? Hmm. Natalie continues to irk others. She wants to cook all the eggs at once even though Lyrsa who has a culinary degree thinks they'll last longer if not cooked.

Dan and John accept Christian. However, they think Gabby should go. Dan is looking around for an idol. He finds a clue to it -- it will be hidden at the next Immunity Challenge and tells him right where it is. But it might be hard to get without being noticed. 

Time for the Immunity Challenge! They have them climbing, lifting ladders, raising and going over a bridge and more -- very physical. Dan got his idol and it didn't look like anyone saw him.

Vuku wins first, then Tiva. It will be Jabeni going to Tribal tonight. Will Natalie be the target? She once again kept lagging in both Reward and Immunity challenges and irking others. But the tribe has three Goliaths (including Natalie) and only two Davids. Will the original tribe lines keep her in? Hmm. 

Natalie tells us they're debating between the two Davids -- Lyrsa or Nick. Angelina thinks Lyrsa. Natalie is trying to bully Nick to giving or leaving his jacket. Since Angelina has no jacket, they want to force the others to give up theirs. Mike wants Natalie out himself. He wants to get Angelina on board with it. Angelina is getting pressured from all sides. 

Tribal Council and Jeff's Probsting questions start out with Goliath/David numbers. Angelina mentions the overall Goliath and David numbers. Natalie thinks she's never the center of drama except on Tribal. She starts going on about the eggs. Ooo ... Mike and Angelina both speak up about issues with Natalie at camp. Now they're onto the jacket bit. Time to vote.

The tally --
Natalie, Lyrsa, Natalie, Lyrsa, Natalie

They did it! Mike flipped and Natalie's gone. Angelina asks Natalie for her jacket and Natalie totally ignores the request.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - October 17 Blog Party

I won't be able to live blog tonight's episode due to a rather dead keyboard. I'm using the on-screen keyboard to post this and have a new one on order. I will post challenge winners and the boot.

If you're still having problems connecting the names to the faces, I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. 

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!) --

Team David
Bi - Auntie Leigh, Janice, nana in the nw
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Elizabeth - Dennis Comfort, marthalight, Skyriverblue
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Lyrsa - Buzzmaam, jennifer, Petals
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Team Goliath
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee
John - Bizaro22, Indiana Jane, Nickelpeed
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Natalia - Glenn Allen, Merrilee, TS14Fan
Natalie - Brenda, ITCHY, Nora

Out
Pat -  Team members moved to other teams
Jessica - Dr_Celine, ML, Terry is a Texan
Jeremy - Andi L, Jackie, monty924, PDX Granny 


Survivor fans ready?

Bi is leaving the game due to her knee injury. Drop your buffs. Three tribes. Carl on no tribe. He goes to Exile Island and will join losing tribe.

Carl finds an idol nullifier advantage. Must be used as he votes -- has to guess who might be using an idol.

Green wins immunity first...Gabby, Christian, John, Angelina and ?

Purple second winner. Orange loses. 

Orange has Natalia, Elizabeth, kara, Alec and Davie

Tribal --  Elizabeth Davie Natalia Natalia Natalia

Carl will take Natalia's place on the tribe.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - Blog Party - October 10

I still might have some problems with tonight's live blogging as I get used to who's whom in the cast. I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. But I won't really be able to access it while blogging and watching the show.

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!) --

Team David
Bi - Auntie Leigh, Janice, nana in the nw
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Elizabeth - Dennis Comfort, marthalight, Skyriverblue
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Lyrsa - Buzzmaam, jennifer, Petals
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Team Goliath
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee
Jeremy - Andi L, Jackie, monty924, PDX Granny
John - Bizaro22, Indiana Jane, Nickelpeed
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Natalia - Glenn Allen, Merrilee, TS14Fan
Natalie - Brenda, ITCHY, Nora

Out
Pat -  Team members moved to other teams
Jessica - Dr_Celine, ML, Terry is a Texan


Survivor fans ready?

Previously on focuses on the Natalie/Jeremy rift and David's alliance voting out Jessica. Eighteen are left. Who will be voted out tonight? 

On David, the blindside has some wondering. Davie respects the gameplay, but is glad he has the idol. He hasn't told anyone about said idol. Nick is confident that if the tribe loses again, it will be again Mason/Dixon making the choice of who leaves. Carl is a bit bereft about Jessica going -- he felt protective of her. Bi says the blindside woke her up and game's on. She and Carl talk about Gabby betraying them. She trusted Gabby, not the others involved in the blindside.

On Goliath they're enjoying the fishing gear. John thinks he's growing as a person and connecting with people. He actually trusts Natalie and thinks he can work with her. Jeremy and Mike are bonding. Jeremy talks about his father, his background and his father's early Alzheimer's disease. Mike is worried that Jeremy has the reputation of a sneak (looking for idols in jackets) and doesn't want to ruin his game by bonding too much with him even though he really likes him.

Back on David, Gabby thinks Christian is her Number One Ally. She doesn't know his named alliance with Nick, obviously. Meanwhile, Nick wants to blame all the shifty moves on Gabby. Nick wants her gone so he for sure can be Christian's Number One.

On Goliath, Jeremy is leery of all the little conversations he's seeing. He thinks he's the biggest target. Uh-oh, he's voicing his concerns to the rest. Silly Jeremy called a tribal meeting. That will work as well as House Meetings on Big Brother! Mike thinks Jeremy is thinking too far ahead and it might come back to bite him. Attention is turning from Natalie to Jeremy as he might pose a bigger danger down the line. Jeremy is pushing to focus on Dan and his showmance gal Kara. He knows Dan has the idol and that he found it in Dan's jacket. Just the fact that he's sneaking around puts the spotlight on him.

Time for the Immunity Challenge. It's raining again! Not just raining, but pouring! One tied player will maneuver through obstacles, others untie ropes, hook a sled, puzzle. Reward is blankets, pillows, chairs. 

Whoa! The David Tribe actually won Immunity! First time this season. 

Angelina is blaming the loss on Natalie -- who's already on shaky ground with so many. 

David is outright gleeful. Bi hurt her knee. She recently recovered from an ACL injury and medics wrapped it up. 

Natalie asks Jeremy for his support although she's uncomfortable about asking. Jeremy tells us that she has poor attitude and poor communication skills. Alison said that Natalie has been digging her own grave all along. But ... now Jeremy's name is coming up. Now the girls are pushing him as a target. Mike still thinks Natalie should be the target and Jeremy is more useful to them right now. Now Natalie isn't trusting Jeremy. She thinks he's pushing the agenda against her. His paranoia is coming in very strong. 

Tribal Council time and Jeff's Probsting questions! They start talking about the weather. Into the tribe dynamics ... Jeremy already calls out Natalie. Whoops. he really lights into her behavior. Not necessarily a good move. Jeff says it's not throwing someone under the bus, but a freeway of eighteen-wheelers. Neither looks good in this, but Jeremy might be doing himself in. Well, now they're talking about her bad first impressions. Hmm. Natalie, at 57. calls herself a senior citizen and not a threat in the game, but Jeremy is a threat.

Time to vote after the Jeremy/Natalie Show. She gives Jeremy Natalie Napalm in her vote. 

The tally --
Natalie, Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy.

Six votes, enough. And, my pool guy Jeremy is history. He did himself in.  

Next week, drop your buffs. I'm assuming a shake-up. It's too early for the merge.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - Blog Party! - October 3

I still might have some problems with tonight's live blogging as I get used to who's whom in the cast. I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. But I won't really be able to access it while blogging and watching the show. For those who originally had Pat in the pool, that post has not been updated. You have someone new as listed below.

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!) --

Here's the pool. Same rules as before, nobody goes home the first night. They each get added to other teams (randomly).

Team David
Bi - Auntie Leigh, Janice, nana in the nw
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Elizabeth - Dennis Comfort, marthalight, Skyriverblue
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Jessica - Dr_Celine, ML, Terry is a Texan
Lyrsa - Buzzmaam, jennifer, Petals
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Team Goliath
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee
Jeremy - Andi L, Jackie, monty924, PDX Granny
John - Bizaro22, Indiana Jane, Nickelpeed
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Natalia - Glenn Allen, Merrilee, TS14Fan
Natalie - Brenda, ITCHY, Nora

Out
Pat -  Team members moved to other teams 


Survivor fans ready?


Previously on ... Dan and Kara showmance and idol and the medical evacuation of poor Pat. Nineteen are left. Who will be voted out tonight?


The David tribe is wet and miserable ... and missing Pat's leadership skills. Goliath isn't doing too well with the horrible rain and wind either. On David, Christian is sort of liking Nick and Nick knew he was the target had Pat not had to leave the game. They're forming quite a bond. An alliance? Hmm. They're the Mason-Dixon Line alliance.


Whoa! Due to the unrelenting rain, David gets tree mail with a fire-making kit and tarp. 


Over on Goliath, Dan thinks he's living the dream. His idol is right in his jacket. He thinks he can trust Kara and Natalia, the two who know about it. All of the others are noticing that Dan and Kara are a couple, despite it's so early in the game. Natalie (not to be confused with Natalia) gave Kara a heads-up. Natalia thinks she, Kara and one other girl have the guys wrapped around their finger. Meanwhile, Jeremy finds Dan's idol and tells Mike. So, now they're bonding.


On David, Davie thinks he's going to fill the role of provider. Instead of food, he finds an immunity idol!  


Also on David, they're talking about possibly getting rid of Lyrsa first. It was Carl pushing the agenda. Elizabeth, her closest buddy, warns her. Supposedly, Carl thinks she's the weakest person. Lyrsa thinks she is NOT the weakest and now really wants Carl gone.


They're having fun on Goliath, frolicking in the ocean. But Natalie thinks they're all acting like they're in high school. John thinks it might behoove him to work with her as no one would suspect them. He warns her that she, as the oldest in the camp, is the first target. She's determined to drop some Natalie Napalm if needed. I don't think she's helping her case. Jeremy doesn't think so, either. He tries to talk to her. She's like a brick wall. Now he too wants to target her.


Time for the Immunity Challenge. Jeff tells Goliath that Pat was medically removed from the game and the storm was a cyclone.


One person from each tribe climb ladder, boat, puzzle pieces, wobbly table while solving block puzzle. The Reward is fishing gear with a first time ever actual fishing pole.


Goliath has a huge lead as Bi is having trouble building the ladder to climb. They catch up at the puzzle, but then start to screw that up. It's very hot and they've been out there for over an hour. Goliath wins Immunity and Reward!


David is down. Bi tries to tell them that they're going into these things with a negative mindset -- they're so small, the others are so big. It looks like many still want Lyrsa out. Elizabeth thinks they should get Carl out. Wait ... now she's thinking they should get Jessica out because she's close with both Carl and Bi. Gabby wants her buddy Christian to vote out Jessica. Christian and Nick (Mason-Dixon) ponder making a big move.


It was a dark and stormy Tribal Council ...
Not raining in the rather neat temple. I guess they just like to film storms.

Jeff goes for his Probsting questions, first about the storms. Lyrsa says she knows she's a target tonight. Jeff asks if they're reevaluating the formula for the vote. They indicate to Jeff that the vote is organized. Do they go with the needs of the tribe? Hmm. 

Carl obviously votes Lyrsa. So does Davie. 

The tally:
Lyrsa, Jessica, Lyrsa, Jessica, Lyrsa, Lyrsa, Jessica, Jessica, Jessica

Jessica is voted out! Davie and Carl are stunned.

BB20: Looking Back on the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight

I never understand how fans of a television show can get so vested in the cast that hate is spewed all over the Internet. I look at much of the Big Brother related posts on Twitter like viewing a car wreck -- you're nosy enough to see what's happening, but it's scary what you might see.

I've been involved with BB-related media since BB1 when I created AOL message boards for the new show, monitored both the boards and the chats. I've been blogging about the show since that platform arrived. (Just a note, my earlier season blogs were sunsetted by AOL years back.) I had paying freelance gigs with AOL Television and Weblogs Inc. for many years of the show.

There have always been some people in the cast I liked, some not so much. But ... hate? Nah. I don't know any of them personally to have such a strong opinion. I don't have to live with any of them. I don't have to hang out socially with any of them. They aren't my friends. The winner isn't going to send me any money. Someone will win every season. I am here to be entertained. That's it. This season entertained me. What more could I want?

On the cray-cray Twitterverse, I see all kinds of hate going on between FOUTTE/Hive fans and Level 6 fans. Sheesh. It's bad enough that we have politics separating people these days. It's ridiculous. I post links there to my blog posts, but don't need all that strife in my life. 

Today I'm going to give you my take on the FOUTTE/Hive hamsters -- the good and the bad, where things might have gone wrong --

Bayleigh

Oh, Bayleigh ... where do I start? She's attractive and smart. But, she made critical mistakes which cost her (and would have even if not evicted with the Hacker brouhaha). Call me old-fashioned, but you can hook-up with Swaggy without physically hooking up with Swaggy in the early weeks! Unlike so many, I don't watch the show for soft porn or even showmances. It still rings in my mind what my own parents would think about it if it were me on national television and the Internet!

But, after Swaggy was gone and she snapped back without moping around, I was happy. She showed that she could be strong. I thought that she could be a contender! Yay! Then she won HoH. And it all went down the drain. Her severe HoHitis and power trip turned me off. I think that the way she treated others when she was HoH ruffled feathers and, had she not gone under the Haleigh Hacker Debacle, I believe she would have been targeted as soon as possible. Now, I'm most certainly not saying I would personally handle it better than her -- but I would never be on the show!

As for the "since the finale" news -- She had a miscarriage while in the jury house. Swaggy and Baleigh are still engaged. They say it's true love. Who am I to argue? I wish them the best.

Fessy (Faysal)

Fessy, Fessy ... talk about someone who's totally clueless about the show being recruited ...! I think he might have had visions of showmances galore for the taking and winning all of those physical comps he was sure the show had. Um. Well. He did bring me some entertainment on the live feeds, though. His whisper strategy meetings with both JC and Haleigh (at separate times) really showed how little he knew of how BB works. Even the physical comps weren't quite what he expected of physical comps and he didn't succeed at all he wanted.

He seemed to be a nice enough guy. But that haircut annoyed me so much that I wanted to go in there and cut off that strange long hunk o' hair! He played with it so much that it irked me every time I saw it -- similar to Haleigh's biting her nails or Tyler picking at himself. I still see him in my mind sitting on that HoH sink and it ripping from the wall, though. That and his reaction still give me a giggle! I feel he was a bit of a big dumb lunk when it came to the game. I'm not saying that he's dumb outside of the house. Apparently, he's pretty smart and unfortunately Internet trolls brought down his app he created with bad reviews. Shame on them. 

As for "since the finale news" -- He and Haleigh may or may not be together. Well, since they're apparently heading to separate homes in separate states, it's more likely "may not." I don't think he's a bad guy, not at all. But I also don't think there will be marriage down the road for them. If nothing else, she doesn't seem to be ready to settle down right now. She's only 21. We'll see ...

Haleigh

Haleigh ... what can I say? I think that she made many mistakes early in the game and never could overcome them. Sam created a stir when she "shamed" Haleigh and Kaitlyn for hanging all over guys. In a way, she was right. Haleigh would physically hang all over Fessy (who encouraged it), Tyler, Scottie, Brett and even JC. While she didn't seem to think it was anything serious, I kept thinking Christine and Cody. No, it didn't go to that level, but I don't think it did her any good in the game, either.

She seriously needs to seek help with that fingernail chewing. It drove me up the wall and I posted numerous screen caps of it just to skeeve  out everyone else as much as it did me! Now that I've fussed about her, let me mention some good things. I believe had she not hooked up with Fessy SO much, it would have helped her game. As it was, she was the last remaining member of her alliance in the house for a reason. No, it wasn't because she couldn't win comps because she did win some comps. It's because they liked her. She tried so hard after her alliance went that it was kind of sad -- we viewers and she herself could see the writing on the wall. She was just in the wrong alliance from the start and that did her in.

As for "since the finale news" -- See the Fessy one above, plus she's returning home to finish her degree.

Kaitlyn

I feel at a bit of a loss for words. She bugged me to no end on the live feeds with her neediness, her gurgly voice, her baby voice, her crying. I'm still stunned that she couldn't complete that six-part puzzle to get back into the house. She thought she was in love with Tyler. He thought not so much. She was out there in her own little world. It was obvious that she was never going to win this thing. That was about the only predictable thing about her.

All that said, she seems to have snapped back very well. Had she been in the house as she is on Internet, she would have been easier to watch. Yeah, the boyfriend at home left her. Yeah, she's still out there. But her Twitter is actually kind of entertaining and fun to read. There were so many people thinking she would need to be committed after leaving the house. They were wrong. She seems to have taken it all in stride. She probably still talks all gurgly, though.

Rockstar

Hmm ... I feel she came into the show to be a "character." From the weird eyeglasses to the wardrobe, it screamed attempting to be a character. I'm sorry. But props and wardrobe do not make you a character. It makes you annoying. I actually liked her best once she dumped the glasses and had one on one talks with Sam and others. She didn't do poorly on comps, coming close to winning many of the ones in which she participated. She took her Jesse Goddard punishment of the cooking and exercise in stride. That looked so grueling and you could tell she was sore and exhausted. I give her credit for that.

It did bother me that she seemed to have some sort of chip on her shoulder about financial classes of people. While she went on about Angela and Brett being born with money, she definitely didn't see her buddy Bayleigh's family home! To me there's no more sense in "hating people who have riches" than there is for any other reason. Heck, hate someone because they're mean, hate 'em because they're bigoted ... but it's just not a good thing to hate someone because you perceive they have a better lot in life or an easier one than you do. That will only keep stressing you out.

Scottie

I was a bit disappointed in Scottie. I honestly thought he would be more savvy in the house as a big fan of the show. I liked his fanatical cleaning! He made Sam look mellow when it comes to deep cleaning. Where he went wrong, other than being a bit hyperactive, was not being loyal to either alliance. Unlike JC who never was considered a part of either alliance, Scottie was with FOUTTE, then went to Level 6 crying when they were in power, then back to FOUTTE. He made some classic moves like voting out Swaggy while wearing a Swaggy shirt (and betraying his alliance).

But all of his sketchy moves made neither side really trust him. It seemed to me like he was more interested in making BB history than actually winning the show. That said, BB shouldn't do jury battle backs -- the person is just about always the immediate target for the next ouster. I was touched by his tender apology moments with Haleigh, but never really got into whatever that relationship he had with Steve. I wish him well, but he had his chance on the show and blew it. Next!

Steve

Speaking of Steve ... um. Steve? Who was he? 

Okay, I know who he is. He's from Jersey and I live in Jersey. But I do NOT have that accent. I feel kind of bad for him because, at 40, he was the "old guy" in the house. I wish BB would stop putting in one person older than the rest in there. While Kevin made it far in BB19, not many do. It's not fair to the one older person. Even without the blindside, he wouldn't have made it far. 

Swaggy (Chris)

Oh my. You can't win one comp and think you're all that and a bag of chips! I think BB kind of wanted him to be the "star" this season and that all blew up in their faces. He had the potential. But I feel his youth and all of a sudden on television affected his game. Had he not "swaggered" around the house after winning a comp and thinking he was a big shot, the whole FOUTTE alliance might have done so much better in the game. He alienated others and they wanted him out. Meanwhile, he was smart enough about the game and good enough in comps that he could have carried his alliance further in the game. He could have led them. Instead, his behavior brought about the blindside of him and marked the beginning of the end for FOUTTE.

Off Topic: About the photos (or lack thereof)

People have been mentioning that they miss my off television topic weekly photo posts. To be honest, I miss doing them. Even the year or more leading into my back surgery, I was taking fewer and fewer photos because I just wasn't able to get around well. My photos got so they were solely my commute to work and, at least at the Plainfield end, I wasn't even walking to the train station any longer. I didn't enter the local library photo contest last year or this year mainly because they ask that the photos be no older than two years. I just haven't been taking many photos in town at all during the past few years.

Since mid-January when I last worked, I've only been going to doctor visits, a surgery, more doctor visits, physical therapy ... you get the idea. I haven't felt like lugging more weight than I have to back and forth. So, what few photos I've taken during the months have been with my cell phone. I only had my real camera with me a few times during this time.

So, how am I? Hmm. Well, I'm better than I was -- the horrible nerve pain is gone. However, with my latest neurosurgeon visit, when I asked about work, I was told (rather emphatically), "No way!" While the back surgery I had worked for what was corrected, I apparently waited far too long before seeking medical help. I have what might be permanent nerve damage in one leg, along with muscle damage. I'm a fall hazard! Oh noes! Right now I'm waiting for the arrival of a custom made leg brace to aid me in that issue. But, I'm still having problems walking a block or standing upright for more than ten minutes or so. I get a shaky leg and severe back pain higher up than where I had the surgery done. The MRI I had taken pre-surgery noted moderate to severe spinal stenosis throughout my lumbar spine, along with some other pretty major issues.

I'm awaiting approval for long-term disability through my workplace. My short-term disability ended in mid-July. The problems I have with my back are on the listing for Social Security Disability. But I would like to have my long-term approved so I have some money coming in. It's a good thing I don't feel up to going anywhere because I have to watch my money. I'll be going back to the neurosurgeon for another follow-up in the beginning of November. I will know more by then as far as insurance, disability, how the leg brace works, etc.

All that said, I don't miss the stress and drama of working all the time. The past few years, I basically came home exhausted and not feeling well every day. If I have to not feel well, I'd rather do it at home reading or binge-watching television shows! Although I sometimes have bad nights pain-wise and don't sleep well, I've rediscovered what it's actually like to have an eight hours of sleep kind of night! I feel fatigued easily but that would be so much worse trying to work,

Enough about all that ... onto the photos I'm presenting to you this week! No, these aren't recent ones. This week I'm focusing on shots I took around Plainfield. And, but of course, a Vincent photo at the end.

Early morning gray skies

Pre-dawn Hugo's bar

Lamp on the YWCA building

Springtime on Church Street

Autumn on Park Avenue

Plainfield Train Station

Then there's Vincent