TV Newsy Bits and Bloggy Bits, Too

I'm in the midst of updating my blog sidebar and I should have all the links I want in there by the end of the weekend. For those of you following the AOL/Gold Rush Game, there is now a nifty handy dandy link right in the main blog sidebar.

I've also added the main network site links for Lost, Survivor, and The Amazing Race. When I get all of it done, I will also include various websites about the shows so readers can easily access them.

I also will be making entries for a few shows I don't watch and those "meet up" entries will be listed there for folks to discuss the shows. So far on my list I have Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and I'm thinking ER. Any other discussion forum posts you want?

In other TV-related news (hence TV Newsy Bits):

• CANOE -- JAM! Television - TV Shows - Jericho: 'Jericho' is scoring with viewers
• CBS' "Amazing" Pickup - Sep 29, 2006 - E! Online News - There will be a TAR 11!
• The Victims Give Voice to Their Own Murders Next Week on CSI - This looks like it's going to be a great episode!
• Reality News Online Interview With Cecilia, Survivor Castoff

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Ep. 3 -or- "Drop Your Buffs"

18 are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Well, I was right. I had predicted the merge would come about three weeks in and, here we are at the third episode and it's a done deal.

So much for segregation, eh?

In my opinion, the diverse cast working together on tribes not separated by race or culture will be more interesting to watch. It's more how we have to work things in the world - thrown into a mix of folks. At least, around here, that is!

Onto the show...

Billy's ex-tribemates still can't get over his "love at first sight" with Candice of the Raro tribe. They're befuddled and confused. Obviously, so was he. On Puka, Brad is becoming increasingly annoyed by Cao-Boi's incessant talking, whether telling jokes or just droning on... and on. "This guy just doesn't shut up! I don't think he's all there!" I personally think that Cao-Boi's definitely a bit "out there." I enjoy watching him, but I might feel the same as Brad if I had to spend days and nights with him.

Tree mail made the tribes think there was going to be a morning challenge, but Jeff Probst had a different surprise in store for them. Merge time! "Drop your buffs." Cao-Boi wasn't sure what a buff is. I snickered. "It's time to integrate!" Well, yeah, the social experiment lasted two weeks. Too bad history made it stretch out so long, huh?

The men and women were lined up separately and tiles were passed to each castaway. When they revealed the tiles, four (two men, two women) had tiles with an X on them. They were deemed the captains. The captains (Cecilia, Jonathan, Brad, and Parvati) were instructed to choose the same gender, but not from their own tribe. Then the chosen chose the same gender, but of a tribe not represented. So, then there were four tribes still, this time segregated by gender. A big improvement.

But, wait! Then each of the captains were given an egg. At Jeff's direction, they squished the eggs to reveal either red or blue paint. And, the skies parted and new tribes emerged from the dust of racial separation. Or, something to that effect.

The new tribes were named Aitu and Raro; they'd be taking over those camps. Aitu's new color is red and the tribe has Jonathan, Yul, Ozzy, Cao-Boi, JessFlicka, Cecilia, Sundra, Becky, and Candice. Raro wears blue buffs and includes Parvati, Jenny, Cristina, Rebecca, Stephannie, Brad, JP, Nathan, and Adam.

Happy, happy, joy, joy was the sentiment of the tribes, for the most part. JessFlicka thinks she may finally fit in somewhere, Parvati has a new flirting target (Nathan), although she seems to want to flirt with almost all the men except for Cao-Boi and perhaps Jonathan. Cecilia asked Candice about Billy's "love at first sight" with her. Candice was, without a doubt, not in love. It took her a moment to recall that she even said "we love you" to try to make him feel better.

Over on Raro, Yul and Jonathan were instantly drawn together. They wanted to create an alliance to the final four consisting of themselves, Becky, and Candice. They want to bring in at least a fifth, possibly a sixth, as they figure numbers will be strength. Jonathan thinks he can bring JessFlicka about to their side. JessFlicka has other plans, though. Hey, girls just want to have fun! She came to have a good time, make new friends, and all this alliance talk is confusing her. [@@ - I must roll my eyes at roller-girl.] She's bonding with Cao-Boi and doesn't like Becky. After all, she can't be fake, y'know. Yul let Becky, his true ally, know that he had the hidden Immunity Idol from Exile Island. They won't tell anyone else.

Nathan is struttin' his stuff and caught a huge octopus with a spear. He's the hero of Raro and a very happy man indeed. Wait until Parvati gets her tentacles around him; he'll think the octopus was a playtoy.

The Immunity Challenge was similar to one they had last season. The tribes were tied together by tribe and each given a fifteen-pound sack of sand. They had to race an roughly rectangular course starting at opposite ends, trying to catch the other tribe. If a person dropped out, he or she had to pass their weight to another. The goal was to tackle a member of the opposing tribe. Oh. Did I mention this was about thigh-deep in water? Why, yes, it was.

The course set-up, and the tornado watch warning on CBS Channel 2, New York City in the screen cap on the right.

The women dropped out first and no man was a true Terry. Remember how much weight he lugged in the similar challenge last season? Rebecca was the last woman staggering. Once it was down to all men, Raro put the push on and, despite a heroic effort from Yul to block, they brought Cao-Boi down. Raro won Immunity.

This time, the winning tribe chose someone from the losing tribe to send to Exile Island. That person would be safe from Tribal Council. Raro unanimously chose Candice.

Once back at camp, Ozzy again wanted to run the show. Unbeknownst to him, he's going up against Yul and Jonathan when he decided Becky would be the target. Things looked iffy for a long time on this one, at least the way they edited the show. JessFlicka didn't want to commit to Jonathan as she didn't click with Becky. Becky gives her bad vibes. [@@] Cao-Boi said Becky was a "weak link" and a "princess" as Yul and Jonathan worked on him for the vote. They wanted Cecilia, Ozzy's buddy out.

And, so it went down.

At Tribal Council, despite the editing, the vote ended up being 5-3 (remember, Candice was still on Exile Island) to cast off Cecila. The votes to off Becky were Ozzy, Cecilia, and Sundra.

Ozzy isn't happy. Although he was an early favorite of mine, this week I chortled at his unhappiness. I know, I'm cruel. Too many Alpha Males on that tribe and Ozzy is probably the weakest Alpha Male link. He'd be a better Cao-Boi at this point.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - 9/28 - East Coast Update - Tribal Council

5 votes for Cecilia, 3 votes for Becky.

Cecilia is voted off.

Ozzy not happy. Heh.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight... weather permitting. They're still saying tornado watch until midnight (ET).

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - 9/28 - East Coast Update - Immunity

The new Raro won Immunity.

Winning team chooses to send someone from Aitu to go to Exile Island. That person will be safe from Tribal Council vote tonight. They chose Candice.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - 9/28 - East Coast Update - Merge

Two new tribes:

Blue - Raro: Brad, JP, Nathan, Adam, Parvati, Jenny, Cristina, Rebecca, Stephannie

Red - Aitu: Jonathan, Yul, Ozzy, Cao-Boi, Cecilia, JessFlicka, Sundra, Becky, Candice

TV Newsy Bits and Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' Blogging Schedule

Tonight, as usual, I'll be posting important Survivor 13: Cook Island events as they air here in the East Coast. It's going to be a really big show tonight - don't miss it! To get the newest post on the blog, try refreshing the main page or using the archive link for this month's posts which you'll find in the right sidebar of the main page.

In comments, some folks wondered what shows are in ratings troubles and what can be done. You can usually find a feedback or contact us link at the main network websites. That would be the quickest way to contact them.

On "hiatus" -
Happy Hour - FOX

In ratings troubles:
Justice - FOX
Kidnapped - NBC
Men In Trees - ABC

New shows doing well:
Heroes - NBC

Most, but not all, CBS shows can be watched on Innertube which you can find linked at the CBS website. ABC does have some shows available online and you can check on their site, then through the link for the show which you want to watch. I'm not sure how many are online, but noticed that a few are available.

And, yes, I know my sidebar links are still overwhelmingly Big Brother. When I have a moment, I'll change them.

Additional note added at 7:45 ET -- They're scrolling that we're under a tornado watch until midnight here. Grr - I'm in NJ near NYC. Sheesh. Right now it's not even storming at all, but if I vanish it will be weather-related.

Blech... Pronounce it Phonetically

I've had a bit of a stomach bug since yesterday afternoon. I'm sure it's nothing serious, but it waylaid me for last night and for most of today. Sigh.

I just wanted to remind people that Lost has a new recap (if such a thing can exist) which brings us through last season. It should prep us all for next week's season debut. Yay! That's on at 9 PM ET/PT in most areas.

At 8 PM I have a dilemma. I want to watch both Bones and Jericho. Which to watch live and which to tape? And then I have my 10 PM dilemma. C.S.I.: NY or Kidnapped? Which to watch, which to tape. And when will I have the time to watch the stuff I've taped? Woe is me! Too much television and not enough time! I watched Kidnapped last week and found it intriguing, but I don't know how it'll work as a longterm show concept. What if it goes on for years? What if the kid is 42 when he's released by his captors?

I don't know.

At least I found the time to watch my David Letterman tape from last night to see the 10-year old girl "Lizard Whisperer" who hypnotizes lizards, then dresses them in doll clothes and poses them.

It's an interesting world.

TV Newsy Bits and Schtuff!

Yep, it's time for TV Newsy Bits! And, but of course, schtuff. Can't forget the schtuff!

For those of you interested in Survivor spoilers for the upcoming episode, check out this article which goes into the major shake-up as we're seeing in the TV ads.

I previously linked one Janelle chat, but came across this chat with both Will and Janelle, too.

Don't forget that folks are still talking about the clues in the 'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up entry. I want one (or more) of the blog readers to win!

Celebrity Spider has some interesting articles up:

• Cheech Marin and Jai Rodriguez are Eliminated on Celebrity Duets
• Preview for September 27th Episode of "Kidnapped"
• Preview for September 28th Episode of The Office
• Special Two Hour Episode of The Biggest Loser Wednesday September 27th

Tonight I watched How I Met Your Mother. I liked it better when Lilly and Marshall were a couple, but Neil Patrick Harris is always a good Barney. I also watched Heroes. Now, I found that one intriguing. I may have to write about it tomorrow. Now I have on the episode I missed of Men In Trees after giving up on Studio 60 (whatever). I can't watch C.S.I.: Miami because David Caruso bugs the heck out of me. Later on I'll watch Letterman - he's going to have Billy Garcia (Survivor) standing over in the Hello Deli for the interview.

What did you watch tonight? Are there any series about which you'd like me to start an entry for commenters? For example, I don't watch Desperate Housewives, but I know some of you do. I could create a Desperate Housewives Meet Up post for you if you wish. Let me know!

'The Amazing Race 10' - Ep. 2 -or- "Knot a problem? Go for the ox!"

Ten teams are left. Who will be eliminated next?

We last left the teams atop the Great Wall of China, and two teams were Philiminated in the season premiere. Both Bilal and Sa'eed and Vipul and Arti bit the dust, but the race goes on.

Since Tyler and James had been the first to arrive at the Pit Stop, they were the first to leave. The clue they received directed them to travel 963 miles by bus and train to Outer Mongolia. Now, that sounds cool, eh?

We encountered the first quasi-bunching-point of the season as the teams arrived to the bus station. They were split up in two buses, one departing two hours earlier than the other. Five teams on each bus, the first held the teams of Tyler/James, Duke/Lauren, Sarah/Peter, Dustin/Kandice, and Rob/Kimberly. The second group bonded while awaiting for their 2 AM departure. Then it was off for the Erlian Train Station in Inner Mongolia. The train will take them to their destination.

How are the teams getting on with each other? Well, while the "slower" group is bonding some and generally having fun on the race, Tyler and James spied on "the blondies" - Dustin and Kandice. They don't trust them. Hey, guys, it's a race. Everyone is trying to win. They're allowed to make a cell phone call and try to get information for themselves. Sheesh.

Now, this week, Peter did it again. Last week I was a bit miffed with his claim that they were "going to play the Disability Card" and now this week he said, "It's good to have a physical disability. We're going to use that to our advantage." Keep in mind, it's Peter... not Sarah, the one with the disability. I'm not liking what I see here. While Sarah is an incredible athlete, disability or not, I don't like this relationship. The more I see of Peter, the more I think he's using her for his own purposes. He's starting to creep me out. Yeah, she's whiney at times, but he's devious. Dump him, Sarah!

And, if I have to hear the rehab, life is so hard, it's a new life, we're sober, blah-blah-blah from James and Tyler again so much during a one-hour show, I'll...I'll... um... I'll say bad things about their hair! So there.

The taxi rides that the teams took once they hit Ulaanbaater were wild! It makes the slow cabs of past experiences horses of a different color. They collected their clues in a temple which grouped them a bit as they could only go in every ten minutes.

The clue directed them to some deathtrap Russian Jeeps which they had to drive to Terlej. Then they had to ride horses (while wearing spiffy Mongolian hats) two and a half miles to receive the next clue.

Surprisingly, David and Mary (of all folks) picked up a local to help guide them in their Jeep. He guided them well until he guided him through mud and they got stuck. Bad, bad guide. They ended up getting a replacement car, but TAR's rules state they get no credit for the wasted time. They weren't the only team with car woes. Tyler and James got lost and then had a flat tire. Not only that, but they had a broken jack. Maybe their Russian Jeep needs rehab? Rob and Kimberly tried to give them their jack, but they couldn't get it out of the car. When other teams approached, all left the Pretty Boys in their dust. Finally a local helped them.

Off to the horses! Sarah changed for a prosthesis with an actual foot in case she had to use stirrups. Peter barely waited for her to do it. (Picture a sneer as I typed that. Did I mention the guy is creeping me out?) Kimberly is afraid of horses and asked, "Do you think they can smell fear?" Apparently, they can. She promptly got dumped while another racer (either Dustin or Kandice?) got dragged. A horse is a horse, of course. And, horses in Mongolia must smell fear. Leave it to the ChoBros to actually call out, "Rawhide!" I can't help but like those two. I hope their racing seriously improves, though.

After the horse ride, the teams were faced with a Detour. Their choices were Take It Down or Fill It Up. In Take It Down, the teams had to dismantle a traditional Mongolian nomadic camp, tie it according to specifications, and load it on a waiting camel. In Fill It Up, the teams had to guide an ox cart to the river, fill up buckets of water, bring them back and fill up a larger container to the specification of a Mongolian guide.


The knots involved in the Take It Down task presented problems for the teams choosing that one, while some of the oxen had minds of their own for the other task. Peter and Sarah first chose the Take It Down task, then flipped to the Fill It Up, got an ox with "fire in its eyes" (according to Peter) and flipped back. Sarah fussed that she didn't want to quit the first attempt and Peter did pretty much what he wanted to do. (Dump him, Sarah!) Kimberly and Rob bickered and he too barked out instructions. Dump him, Kimberly.


Although Team Barbie (Dustin and Kandice) finished their ox task first, they lost one of the Mongolian hats and had to go back to search for it. The teams had to ride the horses back to their Jeeps and had to have the spiffy hats. Mary and David gave Karlyn and Lyn their excess water they hauled in a nice gesture. They may be backwoods, but they seem genuinely nice folks.

As the teams took off for the next clue once they hit the Jeeps, a few wouldn't start. Both Lyn/Karlyn and Jamie/Kellie were stranded with dead batteries. (Others had issues, too. The ChoBros got stuck on the road and pushed to start theirs). The situation with the girls led to one of the most suggestive, yet totally innocent lines of the night - "He's got a long rod." Hey! It was a crank! The Russian Jeeps can be crank-started like a wind-up toy. Yes, I confess to a gutter-mind. But it was funny.

Once they hit the road, the next stop was a Roadblock. It was a tough one, too. One member oif each team had to shoot a flaming arrow 160 feet to light a target which was flat on the ground. Some teams did very well, but the last team to arrive worked into the darkness of night making the attempt, then finally gave up. They couldn't even see the target.

Here's the arrival order at the Hotel Mongolia, the Pit Stop for this leg of the race:
1. Peter/Sarah - Also won a trip for two to Mexico for first place.
2. Tyler/James
3. Duke/Lauren
4. Tom/Terry
5. Dustin/Kandice
6. Rob/Kimberly
7. David/Mary
8. Erwin/Godwin
9. Lyn/Karlyn
10. Kellie/Jamie - Philiminated.

At a confessional not on the mat, Sarah said she's noted some problems with Peter. Dump him, girl! He's using you!

And, that was the show. I sort of liked Kellie and Jamie and, though I hate to admit it, I'm liking Kandice and Dustin more. I'm usually the anti-beauty queen/model show watcher. Don't fear I've totally changed my ways. I still don't like James and Tyler. I wish they weren't such strong competitors.

I'd like to see Rob and Kimberly and Peter gone. Sarah can stay, maybe hook up with the ChoBros... or something.

'The Amazing Race 10' - Pit Stop Order and Philimination

Arrival to the Pit Stop:

1. Peter/Sarah - Also won a trip to Mexico
2. Tyler/James
3. Duke/Lauren
4. Tom/Terry
5. Dustin/Kandice
6. Rob/Kimberly
7. David/Mary
8. Erwin/Godwin
9. Lyn/Karlyn
10. Kellie/Jamie... Philiminated, but didn't even finish the Roadblock leading to the Pit Stop.

A full recap/review will be posted later this evening. Stop back!

Tonight's 'The Amazing Race 10' Blogging Schedule

While I thought that the commercial with David and Mary was funny, graphic artist Zoetawny must have thought otherwise! Heehee. I don't know, 'round these parts, gay folks are everywhere.

As usual, I'll post important events of the show - any unusual happenings and the Philimination (or non-Philimination) news as it airs here on the East Coast because I know some West Coast folks love to peek ahead. Sometime late tonight (ET), I'll post a full show review/recap and I'd love to hear what everyone thought of the show.

'Lost' - What We Know

Lost begins its eagerly anticipated third season Wednesday, October 4, at 9 PM ET/PT in most viewing areas. Will we find out more answers to questions posed? Are The Others really a force for good? And, where did that dang huge polar bear go?

It's hard for a mere fan of the show to digest all the clues put forth and I know I miss some every show I watch. If you haven't watched the show, it may be hard to jump aboard the Lost island, but it's not impossible. As a prelude to the new season, I'll go into some of what we know and some of the riddles posed. For every mystery, a new mystery seems to arrive. Are they making it all up as they go along? Well, yeah... it's fiction, you know! But, hopefully, the writers do have resolutions for mysteries posed. Either way, I'm hooked.

Here are the basics:

• Oceanic Flight 815, which could seat over 360 passengers, on a flight from Sydney, Australia, to Los Angeles, California, crashed somewhere over the Pacific Ocean possibly near the Fiji Islands. The crash was due to instrument failure. Although it's not known how many passengers were aboard, we know that at least 70 survived the crash.
• The plane broke into three parts as it went down - the central fuselage contained 48 survivors (believed to be 49 at first, but one was not from the flight), the front section contained only the pilot, and the tail section had 23 more surviving passengers. The three sections landed in various parts of the island.
• In the Season 2 finale, it was revealed that the failure to push a mysterious button on schedule caused an electromagnetic field disturbance which affected the plane's instruments, resulting in its crash.
• Each character, or plane crash survivor, has his own story and some interweave with the lives of others on the plane. The show uses flashbacks to show life events of each leading up to the crash.
• In Season 1, there was a huge polar bear. He has not been seen since and his importance (or lack thereof) is not known.
• The first season focused on the passengers from the fuselage and they were unaware that others from the tail section survived.
• The fuselage survivors determined "Others" were on the island and that the "Others" were an evil lot, kidnapping children and just plain ol' evil nefarious stuff going on. There are also monsters or some unseen force which sounds as large as dinosaurs crashing trees in a dark wisp of smoke.
• There's a mysterious French woman on the island (not a crash survivor) who tells tales of the Others and evil stuff.
• A hatch (one of more than a few on the island) was found on Season 2. In it, Desmond (on the island previous to the plane crash), had been entering numbers and pushing a button every time a timer hit the number 108, supposedly to save the world. The failure to push the button one time is what has been indicated to cause the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. Desmond ran away, leaving new crash survivors the task of saving the world on a scheduled basis.
• In exploring the hatch, the survivors found out about the DHARMA Initiative, a research project, from an orientation video. DHARMA stands for Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications Initiative. Okay. The definition of "heuristic" (hey, I didn't know) is: A replicable method or approach for directing one's attention in learning, discovery, or problem-solving. Hmmm.
• The DHARMA Iniative was sponsored by the Hanso Foundation.

Are you confused enough yet? Wait! There's more!

• Mysterious numbers keep recurring on the island and in the backstory of one of the focal characters, Hurley. Hurley believes that his winning lottery numbers brought him bad luck (along with several million dollars). His lottery numbers - 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 - have played a prominent role throughout the show as the numbers needed to input before pushing the button to "save the world" and more.
• Last season marked the discovery of Others who survived the plane crash in the tail section.
• But they're not the only Others, and they're not the true Others about whom the French woman feared.
• The real Others, in pirate-like appearance, kidnapped Walt (a young boy from the fuselage). His father, Michael, will do whatever he has to do to get Walt back.
• It's possible that a real Other has been captured with the find of one Henry Gale who supposedly crashed his air balloon on the island. (Reference back to The Wizard of Oz.)
• In regard to the numbers game of Lost, when they showed Henry's address, he lived at 815 Walnut Ridge - the same number as the flight. Once again, numbers play a huge role in the plot and its clues. And, the 108 timer flip (to save the world) is the sum of the lottery numbers.
• There isn't space, nor the time in the day, to go into each character on the Island, but you can read up on them on the episode recaps on the ABC Official Lost website. There are murderers, thieves, a man who couldn't walk but now can, and a dog named Vincent (as opposed to a dog named Boo).

Are you still with me? Today, Sunday, September 24, there will be an Internet radio show at 11 PM ET (8 PM PT) in which DJ Dan is supposed to "blow the roof off of the Hanso Foundation" exposing new clues as we go into the third season.

LOST. It's more than just a television show. It's a never-ending mind game of clues, adventure, and odd bed-fellows. But, I'm going to be watching.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Billy Garcia Interviews

Well, well... for someone who conserved energy instead of using it on the island, Billy Garcia (the second castoff from Cook Islands) sure has been busy on the media front.

Reality News Online had an interview <--- to read the whole interview, click on that link. A few points brought up in the interview:

Billy thought that the idea of separating the tribes by race didn't work for him although it seems to work for the show on the whole. He believes it gave a lot of folks from various minorities a shot on the show. He felt that because his music is heavy metal, a type more popular with Caucasians, that his tribemates feared he would eventually flip to side with the Raro tribe. He also claimed his strategy was indeed to conserve energy and then come to save the day when the rest of the tribe tired (I'm paraphrasing).

Billy mentioned that there was indeed a lot of food in the six days he was there -- more than all previous seasons combined. Okay, he exaggerates a bit, but it's not just the viewers thinking they have a lot of food so far. He said that Cristina thinks Ozzy is a "pompous-know-it-all-jerk." Heh. I think he got that one spot on. I think Ozzy really does know a lot, but he certainly has a chip on his shoulder.

He claims that he was "starving for attention" when Candice gave her the "We love you" bit and when he was watching the show, he saw there was really nothing to it. He said he had to laugh at himself when he saw the show.

If he had his choice, Billy would have wanted to be on a tribe composed of all of the "outsider" types - Cao-Boi, Flicka, Sekou. He called them "alternatives."

He knew before the Tribal Council that the vote would go against him. Cristina had indicated it would go down that way. That's why he went ahead and called out Ozzy and JP.

Media Fiends has a rather poorly written transcript of Billy's The Early Show appearance. But, it's better than my own as I was already on my work commute when he appeared on the show.

Billy Garcia's band (Forsakken) has its own website if you want to check that out or you're into heavy metal music.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Ep. 2 -or- "A Challenge Thrown, But Chickens Caught"

Yes, the tribe has once again spoken and Zoetawny has given me yet another graphic. They didn't seem to smile so much at Tribal Council tonight, though.

I'm getting ahead of myself.

Here's the skinny on tonight's second episode of Survivor 13: Cook Islands and some of my thoughts regarding the events --

Oh, let's skip the inevitable recap. In this day and age, do producers really think it's all that necessary to waste up to five minutes a week going on about what we saw last week? What's up with that? Heck, anyone following the show has either seen it or read about it. Stop it, television shows. No need to do that each week. Viewers want fresh chickens.

It looks like the Hiki Tribe sans Sekou is getting its act together to an extent. They received flint in the last Tribal Council, yet still had problems making fire. Yikes. On a personal level, they're meshing better without a perceived leader. But I wonder how one cannot start a fire for a long time when they have flint, rocks, a machete, dry wood, and nice tinder materials.

Over at Aitu, they're just rocking in the food department. They're spearing fish, digging clams, snagging crabs and all is cool in their little Cook Islands world. Or, is it? When they see chickens running around, Cristina wants to build a trap. Yet, Ozzy has even better ideas for a chicken trap. For someone who said last week that he didn't want to appear as a leader, Ozzy's not being shy. He and Cristina clash, but Ozzy's trap idea worked out. Cristina told her tribemates about being shot in her work as a policewoman. Cecilia and JP seemed suitably impressed; Ozzy seemed to be not too keen on cops.

The Puka Tribe also devised a chicken trap, an old-style crate with bait propped with a stick. Wham! Two chickens at once! Is there anything this tribe can't do? Becky and Yul developed a trust or, on this island, it's an alliance. They're both Korean and they both have the same values, work ethic, and will do well working together.

Jonathan returned to the Raro camp to find that his tribe had done nothing since he left. They still have no real shelter. He tried to get them in gear. Now, last week I didn't care for Jonathan, but in my eyes he's redeemed himself a bit this week. At least, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Adam wants to sit around and conserve energy; both Adam and Candice are busy flirting and doing nothing together. Jonathan could have really freaked, but he didn't. Candice advised Adam not to make an enemy out of Jonathan. Whether Adam will heed the advice, we'll see down the road. Meanwhile, JessFlicka set out "pimpin' out our palace."

The show cut back to the Aitu Tribe where Billy's conserving energy. Perhaps he and Adam should join up together? We find out later on that they might share another interest, too. Heh. Billy has a friend in Cristina who could be protecting him just to spite Ozzy for her own plans. Billy told her that "metal (heavy metal music) is his culture, not Hispanic." Okay, if he says so.

Each tribe seems to have one member who is getting on the nerves of the others. On Puka, it's fan-favorite-to-watch, Cao-Boi. He snores, he tells ethnic jokes about Asians, and he's alienating the others with no care for their opinions. While he cured yet another Bad Wind Headache, he's not making real friends here, not at all. His fellow tribemates are very concerned that his jokes perpetuate stereotypes and most of them want to disprove stereotypes. Oh, Cao-Boi, shhh!

The night before the Immunity/Rewards Challenge, Billy was snoring as Ozzy planned to oust him by throwing the challenge. He insisted that Billy was nothing but deadwood and was bringing an otherwise strong tribe down. He got JP on the bandwagon, although Cristina wasn't happy with the thought at all. She referred to Ozzy by his given name of "Oscar" as she spoke of her distrust of him in confessionals.

I'm not sure if the entire season will combine the Immunity and Reward Challenges, but this one followed last week's example. It was an obstacle course, tied together, retrieve puzzle pieces and solve the puzzle genre challenge. Jeff told a story about Captain Cook and the puzzle was based on the story. Hoo-hah. Since the other three tribes had one more member than Hiki, one from each tribe had to sit out. Jenny and Adam sat out. Billy tried to sit out on Aitu, but instead JP was determined he would and practically left them mid-sentence. The plan was in motion. Or, more precisely, the lack of motion. Ozzy was dragging his heels so much that it was clear what was going on. Billy and Cristina both picked up on it, but when you're tied together, there's not too much you can do at that point.

In the photo on the right, Billy looks on from below as Ozzy oh-so-slowly unties a clue.

Jeff first announced that Puka had won, but then decided it was a tie between Puka and Raro - both won Immunity and two tarps per tribe. Hiki didn't fare all that well, but because Ozzy threw the challenge, Hiki won Immunity.

Aitu chose to send Yul to Exile Island. A big mistake on their part as he made rather quick work of the clues and found the hidden Immunity Idol. I think we have a Korean Terry on our hands. This guy is good and he doesn't seem to alienate others. He could very well make it to the end, I think.

Billy figured Ozzy was trying to vote him off and turned to Cristina who, in turn, turned to Cecilia. It looked like Ozzy's plan just might backfire and the OzMan may find the tables turned. Cecilia thinks a lot of Cristina, they're amigas. Can she be trusted when she gives her word?

In Tribal Council, tempers flared as Billy exposed Ozzy's plan. JP backed up Ozzy saying that Billy was just trying to act like a victim when it's all his own actions which put him in the boat. (Not the Survivor boat, although they all put themselves in that one.) Cristina defended Billy until Billy made an odd announcement which silenced everybody. Um... he declared his love at first sight for Candice. Yes, Candice of Raro. Yes, Candice, the apple of Adam's eye. No, they haven't talked, but Billy knew it was love.

Well, just what could anyone say? Jeff, practically speechless for the first time in years, declared that it was time for them to vote. Of course, Billy voted for Ozzy and Ozzy voted for Billy. We knew that JP would also vote for Billy. While Jeff read four votes - one Billy, one Ozzy, one Billy, one Billy... the real shocker at the end when they showed all of the tribemates casting the vote was that Cristina also voted out Billy. It was 4-1.

So, did the trust thing work between Cecilia and Cristina? I don't know. I'm assuming that they must have talked about changing the vote. But I had it almost figured for a 3-2 Ozzy ouster. When it turned out it was really Billy, I was confused. The plot thickens.

But they have chickens!

Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 9/21 - Tribal Council

The votes:
Billy
Ozzy
Billy
Billy

Billy is the second person voted out of Cook Islands.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 9/21 - Exile Island

Yul found the hidden Immunity Idol.

Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 9/21 - Immunity/Reward/Exile

Puka and Raro tied. Hiki came in third. Puka and Raro won two tarps each in addition to Immunity. Hiki only won Immunity.

Aitu threw the challenge to rid themselves of Billy.

Aitu chose to send Yul to Exile Island.

Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' Blogging

Look! Now Gail made me a tag for the blog, too! Woohoo! Thanks, Gail. It's cool.

And, tonight, I'll continue to Outwit, Outwrite and Out-East Coast Show Night Spoil the show.

Yes, if you're interested in East Coast show night spoilers, I'll be quickly posting the important events as they air here. Later on in the evening (after I watch the C.S.I. season premiere), I'll post a more full recap/review of tonight's Survivor.

To get to the most recent entries tonight on the blog, it may help to either refresh the page or from the main blog page, hit the link for the current month's archives. Why that brings up the most recent posts when other methods don't work, I don't know. But it works for me when I want to make sure I haven't posted any horrible typos in my latest articles.

Not that that stops some typos from making it through, but...!

Survivors ready?

TV Newsy Bits - September 20, 2006

Tomorrow will be a bigger blogging day for me as I'll have more time and it's Survivor night!

But, I poked around and found a few items of interest out there on the Wild Web:

• Lost Season Three Premiere October 4th on ABC - 'Nuff said!
• RNO Interview With Arti and Vipul - A team I feel I would have really enjoyed watching this season. (Grr.)
• Transcript of the View Wednesday 9/13 - This was by request of a blog reader (hi, ORKMommy). It's a bit dated now, but still worth the read if you didn't see the BB7 Final Three on the show.
• Jokers had a chat with Janelle transcribed here - Janelle Chat on Jokers

Short and sweet today!

Reality TV Newsy Bits - 'Survivor' - 'Amazing Race' - 'BB7'

Get your bits here! Newsy bits! Fresh bits! Reality bits!

Some folks have asked for Survivor 13: Cook Islands spoilers and, to be honest, there isn't a heck of a lot of information out there. The odds-makers this season are more into betting about the tribes as a whole rather than specific castoffs. Some more in depth information regarding this week's upcoming episode can be found here. Web promo images are posted by the Survivor Fever site and you can find them here. Some of the "spoilers" talk about a romance. Well, duh... we saw last week's show. That's no spoiler!

One quasi-spoiler for next season (S14) is the proposed location. I found that information through a few different sources, so it could be it.

In Amazing Race 10 news, an early map image of the route traveled in May as they filmed can be found at this link. Celebrity Spider has an in depth article about the upcoming episode here.

For those who may have missed it, TVGuide.com had an interview with Big Brother 7: All Stars - Will and Janelle, about shomance.

And, but of course... if you're playing the AOL/Gold Rush game, meet up with fellow blog readers to share clues at this entry --> 'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Newsy Bits

A new show airs Thursday, but let's not forget it was Sekou, first man off the island, last Thursday. Tonight he'll be on the Late Show with David Letterman. Now, I'm not sure how that will go. I thought he stopped having the castoffs on and he obviously was never thrilled about having to have them on. But, I'm a Letterman fan and I'm a Survivor fan, so I'll be watching.

The Survivor Fever site has a transcript of Sekou's The Early Show segment, and the Survivor Sucks site has the transcripts of the Survivor Insider videos from the CBS site up and ready for the reading

Off the Survivor topic a bit, but still newsy:

Blog readers are sharing clues and answering questions in 'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up - the blog entry specifically for those playing the game. I hope one of our readers wins!

And, way way off topic... any American Idol fans out there? Do you recall the brouhaha with Paula and Corey Clark? Welp, he was arrested again... Former American Idol Finalist Arrested. What a gentleman and a scholar, eh?

'The Amazing Race 10' Season Premiere

It's back! The Emmy-winning Amazing Race had its 90 minute premiere and I wish it had been two hours.

They seem to have taken a line from Big Brother with an "expect the unexpected" sort of surprise this season. Unlike Survivor or Big Brother, they're calling it a surprise rather than a twist. Same thing, though, it's just semantics.

The teams were introduced and, honestly, I don't really think it was needed to show us Duke crying over his relationship (or lack thereof) with his daughter, Lauren. As I mentioned when I introduced the teams in a previous article, I think this looks like an interesting lot. Stop crying, Duke!

They started out in Seattle, in the rain... of course. This season, they hit the high gear right away with the destination being Beijing, China. No dilly-dallying about this season, no way, no how. Right off the bat, Duke/Lauren and Mary/David had trouble driving their vehicles. Note: If you apply to be on the show, test drive all kinds of cars so you don't look silly.

Teams vied for the first of two planes headed to Beijing. The first flight would arrive nearly an hour earlier and ended up containing Peter/Sarah, David/Mary, Dustin/Kandice, Tyler/James, Lauren/Duke, and Lyn/Karlyn.

By this point, Rob and Kimberly were already bickering while Mary pointed out that where she's from, it's customary for the man to be in charge. She wants David to listen to her. Okay, so... at this point I decided that these two teams are the teams I most want to hit the mat last early in the season.

At the airport, I believe it was the Cho brothers who started playing with squirt guns and all the teams were just fooling around when they got busted. Their weapons were confiscated as the Pretty (But Rough) Boys looked smug about it all. Hey, the Pretty Model Boys have been through rehab, so they're edgy. Or something.

Sarah and Peter plan to play the "disability card" as much as they can. Sarah pre-boarded much to the disgust of the other teams, Lyn/Karlyn, in particular. It turns out that the first flight was delayed a bit, but they still hit Beijing before the other six teams.

The teams had to take a taxi to the Gold House where they'd face the first Roadblock of the season. A Roadblock is a task only one team member must complete. This one was a traditional native food kind of challenge - a plate of fish heads and the challenge was to remove and eat all the fish eyes. While I'd never be good at most of the food challenges, this one really looked like they could swallow them whole. Maybe they couldn't have water? Hmm.

Most odd quote on the streets of Beijing: One of the Cho's said, "China is a lot like Korea, just more Chinese characters." I believe he was referring to the lettering on signs.

Once the fish eyes were successfully downed, the next clue led the racers to the Forbidden City where they had to find the Meridian Gate. I'm including informative links to those places as one of the things I love about this show is learning about the history of places I may never get the chance to visit. Amazing stuff, really.

There was a three-sided structure with lighted times - 7:00 AM, 7:15 AM, 7:30 AM and the last one, at the bottom, read "Last Team." Uh-oh! Phil had warned the teams that there would be some new surprises this season and even though they might think they know the game, they don't.

Sure enough! When Bilal and Sa'eed arrived to take the Last Team, they were instructed to see Phil on the mat. It was a surprise Philimination! They were shocked and didn't react overly well, but didn't do anything horrible. The other teams were both shocked and saddened at their departure. Me? I personally don't think they would have made it much further as they were quite out of shape.

In the morning, the teams headed out to their first Detour. A Detour is a choice between two tasks related to the country or area. This Detour was a choice between Labor or Leisure. In Labor, teams had to construct a section of sidewalk in a particular brick pattern. In Leisure, teams had to learn a native routine which was a graceful, balancing a ball on a paddle with choreography sort of thing. Ony Terry/Tom and Kellie/Jamie went for the latter.

Yikes! Things are not going well for my early favorites -- the Cho Brothers and Vipul/Arti! "Get it together!," I said to my television as they both fell behind. The darn television never listens to me. I should trade it in on a better model. Maybe then my early favorites would do better on reality shows. Yeah, that's it!

Oh, no... the Pretty Boys (not Terry/Tom) finished the Detour first! Trip 'em!

Ahem.

From the Detour, teams had to take a taxi to the Great Wall of China, then scale the wall on ropes with loops for hand and footholds. It looked a bit impossible and a few teams who are in decent shape even had trouble with it. Sarah almost crumbled, but made it. Lyn and Karlyn got their determination going and made it. Poor Vipul and Arti would have done fine - they both scaled the wall without serious issues - but they were so far behind after the Detour that it was a lost cause.

The order of arrival at the Pit Stop on the Great Wall of China was as follows:
1. Tyler/James - also won $20,000 for 1st place
2. Duke/Lauren
3. Peter/Sarah
4. Dustin/Kandice
5. Rob/Kimberly
6. Kellie/Jamie
7. Erwin/Godwin
8. Tom/Terry
9. Lyn/Karlyn
10. David/Mary
11. Vipul/Arti - Philiminated. (Sigh)

So far, I think my favorite team is indeed the Brothers Cho. I liked how they helped people and mentioned that helping is good karma. They didn't place well, but hopefully will get their act together next week. I really liked Arti and Vipul as they were so pleasant to each other and others, but they're gone.

I admire Sarah. She's now running the race on a prosthetic leg which is leaking hydraulic fluid. Peter can't fix that. I'm not overly thrilled that they're racing a race yet using the "disabled card." Lyn and Karlyn are right -- one or the other. I have knee woes myself. I can't run a race. I also am not considered "disabled enough" to be pre-boarded on an airplane. Yes, she has a serious difference, but if she's running marathons, she should board planes with everyone else, don't you think?

Speaking of Lyn and Karlyn, they crack me up. They surely say what they're thinking! I love it! I also get a kick out of Tom and Terry. Their happy dance at the Pit Stop was a hoot!

Over the next few weeks, I'll sort out my favorites and least favorites more. Right now, I could do without Rob and Kimberly, and David and Mary may push me to sneering.

Xie xie for reading through to the end folks. Yes, that's "thank you" in Mandarin.

'The Amazing Race 10' - East Coast Update - 9/17 - Pitstop Arrival Order/Philimination

As I posted earlier, in a new "surprise," Bilal and Sa'eed were eliminated.

The arrival at the PitStop after climbing the Great Wall of China:

1. Tyler and James - won $20,000 for first place
2. Duke and Lauren
3. Peter and Sarah
4. Dustin and Kandice
5. Rob and Kimberly
6. Kellie and Jamie
7. Erwin and Godwin
8. Tom and Terry
9. Lyn and Karlyn
10. David and Mary
11. Vipul and Arti - Philiminated.

Rats. I liked them. They were pleasant folks.

'The Amazing Race 10' - East Coast Update - Early Philimination

"Expect the unexpected," said Mary.

Bilal and Sa'eed were just eliminated when they were the last to arrive at a destination (not a pitstop) in Beijing, China. The teams were warned that "surprises" were ahead.

Countdown to 'The Amazing Race 10' - Blogging Schedule

In just a few minutes, TAR (The Amazing Race) will be starting here on the East Coast. As per my usual, I'll post important events as they air. A bit later on, I'll post a recap/review of the premiere.

Racers ready? Will this season be all we expect? There are more teams than usual... what's up with that?

We'll find out soon!

Graphic by Zoetawny.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Sunday Morning Coffee Break Update

Shade over on AOL was kind enough to give me a cup of coffee, so I decided it's the perfect time for a BB7 break!

There are tons of news articles out there and I thought that some of the readers would enjoy catching up with our summer shomances. Of course, we just led them on... let them THINK we loved 'em. We don't, really. They were just our summer shomances and we're onto new shomances for the fall season!

But, here ya go:

Media Fiends put up the transcript of the final Housecalls with Mike Boogie and Erika here at this link.

Entertainment Weekly ran an interview with Mike Boogie and Erika here.

SC Magazine interviewed Mike at this link. They interviewed Erika separately at this link.

There are wrap party photos at http://www.tvgasm.com/archives/big_brother/002785.php?page=all

Sit back and enjoy your cup of joe as you read about our summer fling.

Are You Ready? 'The Amazing Race 10' Teams, Photos and Information

Yes, Zoetawny created some The Amazing Race logos for me. Yay!

Tomorrow night (Sunday, September 17) marks the season premiere of The Amazing Race 10, a new night and a new season. TAR will air after 60 Minutes on CBS on Sunday evenings this year. Now, there is a problem with that. Unfortunately, CBS tends to have sports aired on Sundays often delaying the start of primetime programming, thus making the show time very unpredictable.

For example, the season premiere is slated at 8:30 PM ET around here. Will it be exactly at that time? Are they guessing? Sheesh. Another issue facing this season's show fans is that it's up against the new Sunday Night Football on NBC. That won't affect me as I'm not a football fan, but it's a concern for many. Why can't networks just leave shows in one night/timeslot for a few seasons running?

Ah, well... to the show information:
This season, we'll see more friends teams, less dating couples, more "real" people, but with the token beauty queens and model-boys thrown in. Of course, we'll have a gay male team. That should go without saying. After all, it is The Amazing Race! The race will run through thirteen countries on four different continents, and log a total of approximately 40,000 miles. Twelve teams, each composed of two racers with a pre-existing relationship, will compete for a million dollars in a whirlwind race around the world. Get your cup of coffee ready as I look a bit more into the teams. Are you ready?


Bilal and Sa'eed are best friends from Cleveland, Ohio. Bilal (age 37) is a medical supply technician, while Sa'eed (age 39) is a power lineman. They both love food, the Cleveland Browns football and their shared Islamic faith. Both men hope to stop stereotypes regarding their faith. Bilal is the outgoing and energetic one of the two while Sa'eed is more quiet and passive. Their chances of winning? Hmmm... they look a bit out of shape. I'm not overly optimistic about the win, but think they will do well with their goals.

David and Mary Conley, married parents from Stone, Kentucky, are next. (I'm just going alphabetically here from the first name of the team, no mystery or conspiracy to the order.) David is a 32-year-old coal miner, while Mary is a 31-year-old homemaker. They first met while working at a McDonalds ten years ago and have three children. While David traveled a bit while in the Army, they're not too well-traveled as a pair.

My thoughts? I bet they're nice people, but I also bet they won't come across the Finish Line at the end of the season. Prove me wrong, David and Mary! (Well, not about the nice people bit!)


Duke (age 52) and Lauren (age 26) are not only a father and daughter team, but one with fences to mend. They became estranged for several years when Lauren told her father she was a lesbian. Drama! They hope to rebuild the relationship they once had. Duke is the owner of a tour company while Lauren is a speech and language pathologist. They both hail from Warwick, Rhode Island.

I think their bond together will indeed grow, and they'll probably place well in the race. Will they win? My personal jury is out on that.


These women are both 24-years old and they're both beauty queens. Dustin is the reigning Miss California and a marketing director from Riverside, California. Kandice is the reigning Miss New York and a Rockette (you know, the chorus line ones from Radio City Music Hall) living in New York City, New York. They first met while rooming together as they participated in a Miss USA Pageant and have been best friends ever since. Dustin is religious and conservative while Kandice is wild and impulsive.

Well, I'm not all that keen on beauty queens on the show and they generally don't do overly well. But, I also know that becoming and being a Rockette is tough work and requires a lot of determination. Maybe these girls have a shot! Much may depend on whether Dustin has what it takes.


Erwin and Godwin Cho, ages 32 and 29 respectively, are brothers hailing from San Francisco, California. Erwin is an insurance company manager and Godwin is a financial analyst. Erwin is a Harvard grad and Godwin wants to show he has what it takes to win. They're both well-traveled and love to compete.

I like these guys and put them in my personal How They Might Win Or Make It Near The End category. They're smart, young, and could very well both have what it takes to bring home the prize.

Both Kellie and Jamie are 22-years old and both hail from Columbia, South Carolina. Kellie is studying broadcast journalism and Jamie is a recent college graduate. They were both active on the cheerleading squad, are highly competitive, physically fit, and feel that they can win the race.

Hmmm... I foresee some rivalry for Alpha Female positioning between these two and the Dustin/Kandice team. I just feel it, don't you? These women seem to have the spunk and energy, but I don't predict they'll win the race.


Lyn and Karlyn are both 32-years old. Lyn is a fourth-grade teacher from Birmingham, Alabama, while Karlyn is a program analyst from Helena, Alabama. They've known each other since they met in 9th grade and it's the first time they've traveled abroad together. Neither has much traveling experience, but they believe they're witty and resourceful.

Will that be enough to carry them through the Finish Line first? I don't know. I think I'll like this team as people, but as racers they could very well fall behind the pack. I hope I'm wrong.

Peter and Sarah are already huge Internet favorites for the win, and I have to admit to falling under their spell. Peter is a 35-year old clinical prosthetisist from Laguna Beach, California. Sarah, age 31, is a motivitional speaker from Trabuco Canyon, California. Sarah is the first woman to compete in the Hawaiian Iron Man Triathalon and Peter travels the country as a consultant speaking to amputees about prosthetic legs.

Sarah's left leg was deformed due to a condition called proximal femoral focus deficiency and was amputated when she was 7-years old. She's gone onto compete in many marathons (including NYC, L.A., London and more) and is a true athlete. Heck, she might be in better shape than Peter! I think that competitively, these two will do very well and could be the winners if they also know their traveling... which is another strength.


A dating couple, eh? I hope they get along better than some we've seen in the past! Rob, age 31, is a bartender and real estate student from Los Angeles, California. Kimberly, age 28, is in public relations and also hails from Los Angeles. They met while bartending and their relationship has had some "rocky moments." Uh-oh. Not good. What's with troubled couples looking to make or break their relationship on this show?

I predict squabbling and I have no clue how well-traveled or athletic either of these two are. Next!

A gay male team on The Amazing Race, what a shocker! Yes, read that with sarcasm. Has there ever been a season of the show without a gay male team? I know one year they just had a gay male with his brother and the Cha-Chas weren't really a couple, but...!

Tom, age 39, is a college admissions director while Terry, age 45, is a special events director. Both are from New York City, New York. They say they playfully nitpick at each other, but their relationship is solid. They think the race will prove to them that they indeed have what it takes to stay together. They've been dating for two years. They say they're both feisty and fun-loving. Could they be contenders for the win? Maybe, but I think they might be fun to watch whether they win or not... and they're my "local" team this season.

Up next is the requisite pretty-boy-heterosexual-models team. Tyler (not to be confused with last season's Tyler, for sure) is 29 and James is 27. Both are from Los Angeles, California. Both are models. I have to roll my eyes as I type that, y'know. It could be worse. They could be bartender/models. They feel that since they've each had substance-abuse problems and have gone through rehab, they're tough models. Or, something to that effect. They think their new lease on life will carry them through to the finish line.

Well, gag me now. I'll give them a chance, but I'm so tired of models and wannabe actors on reality shows. Sorry, but the real life is not composed strictly of pretty. That said, I like to watch male eye-candy.


A first for the show -- an Indian-American team! Vipul, age 29, is in sales and his wife Arti, age 26, is a nutritional educator. They're from Windermere, Florida. They both speak several languages and are well-traveled. Vipul admits to being a bit over-zealous, but Arti thinks she reins him in nicely. Will this be a Hindi Jonathan and Victoria Baker? Oh my gosh, I hope not!

I think this couple has the potential for a really strong showing in the race and might be contenders for the win. A lot will depend on tempermant. I'm always leery when a contestant says he or she is over-zealous. I guess we'll see.

So, there are the teams we'll see this season. Have you picked a favorite? Or a least favorite?

'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up

This blog entry is for you! I'm not following the game, but it seems many of the blog readers are very into it. Last night a reader asked me to watch for a clue that was supposed to be on the Survivor 13: Cook Islands premiere, so I did. However, I don't know the clues and I'm not playing, so I'm sort of clueless about the clues.

I thought a meeting place to share clues, find out more and talk with others would help everyone out. If clues are posted in various show entries, others might not read them. So, here you go... a place to gather in the comments section just for AOL/Gold Rush clues, news and more! Have fun and I hope one of the blog readers here win! Or many of them win!

The website for the game is here --> Gold Rush

You can favorite place or bookmark this link for easy access as the game goes on by saving -> The (TV) Show Must Go On...: 'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Episode 1 or "How To Cure A Bad Wind Headache"

Okay, this looks like a good cast! I don't care how they're split up. It's great to see real diversity on the show!

Tonight's show began a bit differently as the tribes were already separated by ethnicity/race... whatever. They had two minutes to gather supplies from bananas to firewood to two live chickens to Hawaii-sling fishing spears and more. Each tribe had a raft in their tribe colors and the game was on.

Although there are longer names for the tribes, Jeff Probst referred to them by abbreviated names, so will I. After all, I really don't think this tribe split will last all that long. Hiki Tribe is the African-Americans, Aitu Tribe is the Latino-Americans, Puka Tribe is the Asian-Americans, and Raro Tribe is the Caucasians.

The supplies were in boxes, not all that easily accessed on the boat, and not really enough for all. So, it was a scramble for survival right at the start of the game. Yul (Puka) had a chicken which Jonathan (Raro) grabbed away. Not how to win friends and influence people, eh?

Each tribe was then shown in turn as they arrived to settle their camps. To be honest, I don't know if that was their actual arrival order at their camps. So don't ask. The first tribe was the Aitu Tribe. Billy thinks the tribe will have an advantage because they're all from more tropical areas. He joked about his parents rowing to the US from an island and he was rowing to an island. The rest of the tribe just isn't too impressed with Billy, though. They think he's out of shape and talks more than knows how to really do anything. Ozzy, on the other hand, is not just another pretty face. He can shimmy up a coconut tree like he's been doing it all his life. Overall, they're off to a good start.

Next was the Puka tribe. Cao-Boi isn't quite meshing with the rest of the group. They don't like his jokes and I think he's just so different from them that they're not sure how to take him. He's a refugee actually born in Vietnam and older than the others, and he thinks he probably belongs on a Hippie-American tribe. Cao-Boi thinks the Asians will be underestimated if the others go by stereotypes while Yul is concerned that they will be stereotyped and caricatured. I think this tribe is going to be very tough. They're also working together well even though one of the women commented that while they're all grouped as Asians, they're from very different cultures for the most part.

Then it was onto the Hiki Tribe's arrival. Lots of spirit and they want to represent and all that good stuff. But Sekou alienated most of the others when he took charge. A point to remember - if you're going to take charge, you should have an idea of what you're doing. He seemed to have no real idea. Sundra thinks it's not so much that they're black, but most are city slickers and don't really have experience in the woods. Nathan, the only other male on the tribe, bristled at being told what to do. He said, "Black people don't like to be told what to do." Uh-oh, Sekou!

Over at the Raro tribe, they seem to be the ones worried more about being a bit politically correct, it seems. Adam thinks the show is more about individuals and personalities within tribes. Jessica (the one with the tattoo on her shoulder) calls herself Flicka or something like that. She thinks they have a good mix, but she's the only non-mainstream type. Jonathan admitted to the others that he stole Yul's chicken. They didn't seem too thrilled even though it was food for their own survival. Or not! JessFlicka, for some odd reason, lifted the wooden crate containing the two chickens and they escaped into the woods. Adam's mad. Jonathan is madder. Good. I don't like him and he shouldn't have stolen the chicken from Yul. So there. Alas, it puts JessFlicka in a bad light.

The focus for the next few days shifted from tribe to tribe. Tensions increased over Sekou in Hiki and the split in that tribe became Rebecca and Sundra, Sekou and Nathan, with Stephannie as "odd man out." Sekou's laziness took a toll on the rest, even his best bud Nathan. All talk. And, I wanted so to like him because his musical background is incredible. Oh, well!

Over at Raro, Candice and Adam are snuggling. For warmth, they say. Huh. Then more snuggle with them and they make a "cuddle puddle" to stay warm for the night. Parvati picks up the Candice/Adam vibes. Only two days into the show and we have a couple going on.

Than came the best part of the whole show. Well, the part that made me smile, at least. At the Puka Tribe, Brad had a headache he thought was caused by being seasick. Cao-Boi decided he had a bad wind headache and proceeded to perform some sort of native folk medicine ritual which was a mix of a strong massage, pinching and pulling the skin betwixt Brad's eyes to let it (the bad wind) out. The result? As Brad said, "My headache is gone, but now I have a big red dot on my forehead." The others thought it was a hoot, but it apparently did solve the headache.

The Immunity and Reward Challenge were one and the same this week. Jeff announced that the losing tribe would face Tribal Council and one would go home. The first-place tribe would win Immunity and a fire-making kit which even included a kerosene lamp. Second and third place tribes win Immunity and a flint to make their own fire. Jeff also mentioned that he had an envelope he'd open for the losing tribe after the challenge. He also called out Jonathan on stealing the chicken and Jonathan laughed it off. The challenge itself was very Survivor, but not exactly as we've seen before. The tribes had to put together puzzle boats, row out, get fire, come back, put together puzzles, climb and raise flag. Only on Survivor, only on Survivor. Puka (Asian) won the challenge. Aitu (Latino) won 2nd place. Raro (Caucasian) won 3rd. Hiki (African-American) lost.

The envelope, please.

Ah, the losing tribe gets to pick one person from any of the three winning tribes to send to Exile Island for two days. Sekou and Nathan immediately stepped away from the women. Hey! The men decided that Jonathan should go because of the stolen chicken. Jeff asked why the women weren't involved and one said the guys just seemed to have their minds made up.

Jonathan fussed and moaned, then he fussed some more. He looked at the clue for the Hidden Immunity Idol, dug around a bit, then lay down... fussing. (Have I mentioned that this guy is on my Get Rid Of Him Soon List? He is. Make him go away. Pompous, chicken-thieving so-and-so!)

As Hiki prepared for the vote, Sekou and Nathan were confident that even though the women were tight, no way would they or could they vote one of the two strong men in the tribe out. How could they? For insurance, Sekou approached Stephannie (odd wo-man out) and tried to secure her vote for Sundra to leave. After all, they'd be cutting their own throats if they voted out Nathan or him. Yes, really.

Heh.

At Tribal Council, Nathan and Sekou voted to oust Sundra while the women voted as a block against Sekou. What can I say? He deserved it. Perhaps it will come back to haunt them if they have a brute strength rope pulling something heavy kind of comp, but he's not the all that he believed himself to be. The women had said the weakest should go, but I don't believe they meant physically weakest.

"Sekou, the tribe has spoken."

He took it well, still thinks he's all that and left like a class act (BB7 reference). "My torch may be out, but my flame is still burning."

So, that's the recap. I have to get to know these folks better, but a few made strong first impressions. JessFlicka, the performance artist, reminds me a lot of last season's performance artist, Courtney. That's not necessarily a good thing, you understand. Jonathan, though not with a spouse on the show, reminds me of Jonathan Baker from The Amazing Race. That's a worse thing. I like Stephannie. I really enjoy Cao-Boi, but I doubt he'll win it all. I think Ozzy is definitely someone to watch for the possible win.

What are your thoughts?