TAR32: The Amazing Race Blog Pool OPENS!

Well, that just kind of sneaked up on us. Or, at least, on me! The season premier of The Amazing Race 32 is next Wednesday, October 14, at 9pm ET/PT -- following the Big Brother episode. The season was filmed long before the pandemic hit and has been waiting in the wings.

I'll be posting more on the cast over the next few days. However, I want to get this pool in motion! Lifeguard SueGee has graciously volunteered to run the blog pool. She's cool like that, y'know. 

What's it all about? 

Our esteemed and accomplished Lifeguard SueGee (AKA SqueeGee) will randomly match up pool entrants with the race teams. Once matched up with a team, you need to cheer them on until they're Philiminated or win it all. Yeah, even if they're obnoxious. Deal with it! 

What will I win? 

IF you win, you'll be pleased to know there is NO CASH PRIZE! Nuh-uh. No way. That would cheapen the whole thing, don't ya think? Instead of paltry prizes, you get BRAGGING RIGHTS. Yep! From now through all eternity YOU will be a blog pool winner here. Feel free (and I encourage it) to put your win in your sign-off signature so that everyone can oooh and ahhh. Can't you hear the crowd now?

 

How do I get in on this wild action?!?! 

You just need to sign up in the comments of THIS POST and THIS POST ONLY. If you put your name in on another post or Facebook or Twitter, it might be missed. If you come here as anonymous, you must come up with some sort of name in you comment. Otherwise, we can't tell the anonymous folks apart. Well, except for the unruly ones, maybe. 

When is the deadline for joining the pool? 

The deadline for signing up is TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 at NOON Pacific Time (that's 3pm ET). Don't put it off! Sign up TODAY!

Big Brother 22: No News is Not Good News

I don't believe I've ever seen quite the hot mess as this. Y'see, there was supposed to be a press release cast reveal on Monday. Today, as per my X'ed out image above, we were to get cast interviews on the live feeds. On Monday CBS pulled off the interview notice and replaced it with a "Coming Soon, August 5" notice on the feeds.

And, they've ghosted us all along. Now, you can't just post a notice like that and then take it down without explanation as if no one ever saw it and it doesn't exist! I realize much of our politics seem that way today, but ...!

Rumors have it that one or more of the 14-day quarantine/sequester hamsters tested positive for COVID-19. Supposedly they had a few alternates, so I don't really know the issue and they ain't saying!

I've been researching all around and have gathered up some intel and some rumors that are likely to be true. Here's the skinny:

* Janelle and Kaysar seem to indeed be in the cast and haven't been mentioned in the rumors they're out.
* Danielle Reyes was rumored to be in the cast. However, she's been posting on Twitter claiming that she never was in the cast. They aren't allowed to post from sequester (although it appears that family might be making some posts for others). Her tweets do seem to be coming from her. I'm disappointed. Sigh.
* Paul was never in the cast and posted that he didn't want the additional stress in his life with the pandemic and ill parents who needed him at home. I think he either wasn't asked or figured he'd just lose again. No great loss.
* Supposedly, Josh and Kaycee were in the cast and now they're not. Would they be the virus carriers if there are a few? Both had been seen partying it up at bars prior to quarantine.
* Bayleigh and Tyler seem to be in the cast. Both may be booted due to slips from Swaggy and Tyler's mother. Swaggy was videoed in a promo for some online show he and Bayleigh do, but mentioned she couldn't be there because she's "on the show." Meanwhile, Tyler's mother said something about it on Facebook. I don't think the show can afford to lose either at this point, but both cases are violations of the nondisclosure agreements.
* Nicole Franzel and Nicole Anthony seem to be in the cast. More on Nicole F. soon. 
* David Alexander from last season is rumored to be in the cast. Maybe we'll see him actually play the game.
* Both Dan Gheesling and Derrick Levasseur were early initially rumored to be in the cast. Neither is in the cast now. While Derrick posted a tweet with an explanation that he turned it down due to family health concerns and the pandemic, Dan is tweeting like nothing happened. It seems to be part of a big brouhaha by Nicole Franzel to secure her own place on the show. Supposedly she went to production claiming Derrick and Dan were pre-strategizing before quarantine/sequester. You can read more about it here at this link. 
* Daniele Donato-Briones seems to be on the show.
* Kevin Campbell -- BB11, the one who evicted Jeff -- is rumored to be in the cast.
* Ian Terry, Cody Califiore and Hayden Moss are rumored hamsters and I've seen nothing that would say they're not in the cast.
* Christmas Abbot is rumored to be in there as well as Enzo Palumbo (the Meow Meow), Keesha, Da'vonne and Memphis Garrett.

But, then again ... who really knows? Big Brother CBS has to stop ghosting us and let us know what's going on!

Survivor 40: Richard Hatch Pleads His Case

Interesting video from Richard Hatch, claiming both he and Tina Wesson were asked, went through the whole process, then both were eliminated from the cast with no real reason given two days before they were supposed to start. In his original season I pegged him as the winner by the second episode. He's not a guy I'd really associate with, but he was innovative and a shrewd player. I would be curious how he'd do now. I don't think he'd do as well as he thinks he would. But, as he says, we'll never know. I wonder what happened with Tina.

Survivor: Winners at War - Tribes List and POOL OPENS!

Are you ready for these warring winners? Of course, that's much better than whiners, right?

The ever lovely Lifeguard Laurie has offered to run the blog pool once again this season. (A round of applause or brief standing ovation would be acceptable at this time.) As always, the winner of the blog pool does NOT win the million dollars. The winner gets to win something much more lasting -- bragging rights! If you wish to be in the pool, please sign up in the comment section below. If you're posting as an "anonymous" you need to have some sort of sign-off name. Lifeguard Laurie will make random matches to come up with your pool pick.

The show starts next Wednesday, February 12. The deadline for entering the blog pool is Tuesday 12pm ET (which is 9am PT!). Be there or be square.

Here's the breakdown of the tribes -- I only listed the castaway's winning season although many have been on multiple seasons and have also been on The Amazing Race.

DAKAL (Red tribe)
Tyson Apostol - Winner Survivor 27: Blood vs. Water
Sophie Clarke - Winner Survivor 23: South Pacific
Sandra Diaz-Twine - Winner Survivors 07, 20 : Pearl Islands, Heroes vs. Villains
Wendell Holland - Winner Survivor 36: Ghost Island
Yul Kwon - Winner Survivor 13: Cook Islands
Sarah Lacina - Winner Survivor 34: Game Changers
Amber Mariano - Winner Survivor 08: All-Stars
Kim Spradlin-Wolfe - Winner Survivor 24: One World
Tony Vlachos - Winner Survivor 28: Cagayan
Nick Wilson - Winner Survivor 37: David vs. Goliath

SELE (Blue tribe)
Natalie Anderson - Winner Survivor 29: San Juan del Sur
Danni Boatwright - Winner Survivor 11: Guatemala
Jeremy Collins - Winner Survivor 31: Cambodia - Second Chance
Ben Driebergen - Winner Survivor 35: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
Michele Fitzgerald - Winner Survivor 32: Kaôh Rōng
Adam Klein - Winner Survivor 33: Millennials vs. Gen X
Rob Mariano - Winner Survivor 22: Redemption Island
Parvati Shallow - Winner Survivor 16: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites
Denise Stapley - Winner Survivor 25: Philippines
Ethan Zohn - Winner Survivor 03: Africa

BB21: The Ika ET Canada Interviews - Part 4

The last of the series. (Yay!) You can find Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE and Part 3 HERE. 

If you haven't signed up for the blog pool yet, the cut-off is 3pm ET (noon PT) TODAY! Get yourself to THIS LINKED POST to join in on the fun! Please don't sign up on any other post other than the blog pool entry one!



I hereby predict that Sam will win the MOST LIKELY TO SHOUT IN THE DIARY ROOM award. Personally, really loud people make me cringe. In the BB house, it can be good or bad. At least he's not shrilly and loud. He's a fan, his wife more of fan. I like that he admires Derrick's game, but Derrick played things very low key. I don't think Sam can do that. He does have a lot on the ball about strategy and the way things work in the BB house. I believe he might even be entertaining on the live feeds. He looks like he might even do okay in comps. But, will he win it all? I think of he can just calm down a bit, he might get near the end. I didn't like that he mentioned wanting to last at least to jury. On the other hand, I like (for the game) that he thinks he's ruthless. 




She's a HUGE fan who went and contradicted herself by focusing on BB20. She talks a lot. I get the feeling that she's often the center of attention. Now, she commented about Tyler's great BB20 game. Her own self seems to not jibe with how he played the game. Tyler was much more low-key. Oh, my gosh … does she even stop talking to breathe? She's the one who has been rumor-linked to being Facebook friends with Holly, another one I'm not too keen on. I think she might have quick trouble in the house. Just in this interview, I've toned her out to like an ongoing Charlie Brown adult wah-wah noise -- not whining, mind you. Just noise. I swear she would be the person yapping on the cell phone in the quiet car on NJ Transit commuter trains.


Hmm … the Southern manners bit is ingrained. I can always tell that and the similar military "Ma'am" or "Sir" as coming out naturally, not fake. It becomes automatic and is certainly better than potty-mouth automatic. He seems to be a show fan, admiring Paul, Derrick and more. But I don't think for sure that he's going to pattern his own game after any of them. I get the feeling that he will be purely himself. My jury is out on him. He will either do extremely well or crash and burn early on. He should do well in comps, but his social game will make him or break him.




I do like Jessica. And, I find it personally refreshing that, while she's a model, she's not one of the bikini ilk that we so often see. She's the only hamster I can remember who hasn't released her actual age -- she claims to be 30ish. I don't know what's up with that. I genuinely hope that the internet is kind about her size. I think it is a more natural state, but I also think it may hinder her in some of the more physical comps. She claims to run marathons, though. More power to her! She is a fan of the show. Even so, I don't think she's going to be overly strategic. For some reason I think she is going to skate through mainly on a social game. We'll see.

Any thoughts on this group?

BB21: The Ika ET Canada Interviews - Part 3

Yes, I'm finally getting on with these -- you can find Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE.



Hmm … Holly. She seems to be a fan, perhaps a recruited one. But she did mention Jeff and Derrick from (for them) quite a few seasons back. She's a hamster with internet rumors that she's Facebook friends with Kathryn. I don't know. I just report this stuff. She certainly didn't make any mention of HUGE fan or the live feeds. I'm very iffy on her. I can't really get any sort of grasp on her at all. I can see where she might have some strengths in comps and such. But if I can't get a grasp, it makes me wonder about her social game. We all know that's more important these days than comp beasting.




Oh my gosh, she's like a real slim version of someone I know. Mo, no one from BB at all. At least we have a big fan in her and not a recruit. I'll forgive her for naming Paul as a favorite player and saying he was robbed. True, he had some very good strategy but his social game absolutely sucked and got worse the second time he was on the show. Hopefully she can mix his strategy with a better social game. I don't think she will be a physical comp beast but could be strong in mental comps. Perhaps she'll just come across as a bit silly and no real threat. I do love that she's the only one, when given the choice between a snake or a rat, she pointed out that snakes eat rats.

I like Ovi. He's the only one who has mentioned the live feeds. He actually had to watch the show for a course he took. Why, he's so likable he was voted student council president in his class at college. I like his choice of players picked -- Vanessa and Hayden. While Vanessa didn't win and really was too emotional, she was a strategy queen. I don't see him being as emotional and hope his strategic game is worthy. I don't know if he's going to be ruthless enough for the win. I'm also not sure how entertaining he'll be on the live feeds. But I like him.

Cliff says he's 54 but the CBS bio information has him at 53. Either age, he's the sole "old" guy in the house. I can't say how much I personally hate them sticking one older person in there! At least he is a fan of the show although watching since BB8 isn't quite "forever" to me! With that fan timeframe, he must have seen the season with Kevin. His line about all of his stories he can tell reminded me of Kevin. Kevin made it far, but didn't make it to the end. I don't think Cliff will be strong in comps. Hopefully his social game will keep him in for a while. I do like that he mentioned not liking Rachel Reilly. Her first season drove me up the wall. And, while she was good at comps, she played way too Drama Queen for my likes. He likes Ian and Vanessa. Good choices.

BB21: The Ika ET Canada Interviews - Part 2

Greetings, fellow hamster watchers! This is part two of my commentary on the ET Canada interviews with Ika, a previous BB Canada hamster herself. You can find part one right here.

Also -- don't forget to sign up for the blog pool on THIS HERE LINKED POST! You need to sign up on that post only. If you put your name in on any other post, Facebook or Twitter, it might be missed.



Okay, Kemi, I do see the hair being a problem. Can you imagine that in a wall comp with goop flying all about? Kemi seems like either a recruit or someone who decided last year she was going to make the show. Watched ten seasons in a year? Yeah, it's doable on CBS All Access. But you don't see the live feeds, you don't see the whole online aspect by just watching. She thinks she's a big fan although it's recent. She also thinks of herself as a New Yorker even through she moved to Brooklyn six months ago. She thinks she will win the money. I don't think so.




Christie seems to be about as big of a fan as we get this season. At least she has watched the show since Season 8. Again, no mention of live feeds or internet community for the show. She comes across better in this interview than in her bio or the Jeff interview. One interesting thing to note (from the internet, mind you) -- supposedly one of her relationships was with fellow hamster Tommy's aunt. Do they know each other? I mean, it's a small world, but …! I think she might do okay in the long run. But my own empath vibes aren't screaming out WINNER!



Another HUGE fan -- he's been watching since Season 17! I'm SO impressed/ I guess I shouldn't be snarky about the Jersey Boy, huh? But he's feeling the need to lie about his job. We all know how well that works out for most. And, the lie isn't even a great one. It's still similar to what he does. He's in his late 20s and has never been apart from his mother for more than a week. What's up with that? Plus, he says "you know what I'm saying" much too much. All that aside, he named Vanessa as a good player and does have insight into the game. On the whole, I think he might be a bit boring in the house. An interesting thing in the Jeff interview is that he said he'd call out anyone bullying, etc. Hmm. I just don't know. But I know at the age of 27 I wasn't calling myself a "kid."



Yep, a definite recruit and, at least he admits it. He's binge watched the show for the last 100 days. He apparently thinks the strategy of laying low at the start and making friendships is some sort of new one for the books. Me? I'm tired of people saying they're going to lay low. The only real success at that in several years was Kaycee. As a feeds watcher, I agree with Ika about BORING. However, I think his game might go off his strategy a bit. I don't know why I'm thinking that, but I am. I could be wrong. I do think his instant crying is very cool. Instant laugh, not so much. David comes across as a likable guy in the interviews. But is it all to fall apart in the house? We'll see!

BB21: The Ika ET Canada Interviews - Part 1

For those who might not know -- Canada not only has its own Big Brother show, they can also watch the USA version. Ika was on their version and, although she didn't win her season, she might have parlayed it into a more overall lucrative career with ET Canada. She interviews the new USA cast each season and, although her interviews are a bit formulaic, they're legally available on YouTube unlike the Jeff interviews for All Access which end up getting pulled. 

I will be posting these in four parts, four hamsters at random, along with a bit of commentary from me. Please feel free to voice your thoughts in comments!

But first … don't forget to sign up for the BB blog pool by going to this linked post. Only entries on that post will get into the pool. It's going to be a hot summer -- get in the pool now!

Hmm … I like that Analyse mentioned Daniele, Angela and Kaycee as admired and not Rachel. Heh. There aren't a lot of long-time show fans on this season. And, since she's only 22 and the show's been airing almost her whole life, ten or so seasons practically make her a superfan this season. That said, it doesn't seem like she has ever watched the live feeds or participated in anything online with the show. In my book, that makes her a bit of a pseudo-fan and she doesn't really know what she's getting into here. My jury is out on her.



Yes, Jack … you may face a situation where they might want to shave your head! Be very scared. Obviously a recruit, possibly for the Aquaman resemblance, mentioned in the Jeff interview, but not this Ika one. I would guess he's only been watching the show since he got the word he might be on it. At least CBS Access has all the seasons of the aired TV shows. But they don't have the live feeds from previous seasons stored. He deems like a nice enough guy. His eyebrows can look Vulcan-ish at times. He ain't gonna win.




A gay Broadway performer? Well, that's new and different. Heh. To be honest, I think I like Tommy as opposed to my first impression of the previous hamster with a similar background. Tommy is upbeat and pleasant. Of course, he does have the infamous Staten Island accent, often mistaken for New Jersey. For this season, he's a long-time fan of the show. Yeah, season 14 and on counts as long-time for this cast. No mention of the live feeds. I think he just might last a long time. I bet his social game will be very good!




The press calls her Isabella, but she calls herself Bella. So, she's Bella to me! Another recruit who tried to learn about the show after the "opportunity arose." It seems like she's probably only seen some of BB20. She's definitely going in oblivious. That said, I kind of like her. I think she's going to be fun to watch on the live feeds/ She seems to have an interesting and fun personality. Will she win it all? I doubt it. But, I'm here for the entertainment value anyway.

Big Brother 21: Cast Revealed Today!

Once again, the internet rumors were just that -- rumors, not factual at all. I thought it would be a cast of newbies as the television promos kept saying "total strangers." I should have posted my own rumors!

So, I did the exercise in aggravation known as the CBS All Access Live Feeds Big Brother cast interviews. Sigh. We sat through a blurred guy vacuuming and waited forever with a blurred Jeff Schroeder between interviews. They started late and went on forever -- mainly in wait time. Once the Ika interviews are online, I'll post them.

While I do like the newbies, BB is still casting one older person along with a bunch of kids. While this one does seem to have a good sense of humor, they're almost always out soon. We also have a gay Broadway dancer. Oh noes! Not a Frankie! Thankfully he doesn't come across like Frankie. We have a first in a plus-size model this season. We also have a good-looking man-bun dude. Hmm.

I'll be posting more on these new hamsters soon ...

Holly Allen, age 31

Cliff Hogg, age 53

Nicole Anthony, age 24

David Alexander, age 29

Analyse Talvera, age 22

Jack Matthews, age 28

Bella Wang, age 22

Jackson Michie, age 23

Christie Murphy, age 28

Nick Maccarone, age 27

Jessica Milagros, 30 (or so)

Ovi Kahir, age 22

Kathryn Dunn, age 29

Sam Smith, age 31

Kemi Faknule, age 25 

Tommy Bracco, age 28

Big Brother 21: Cast Reveal Next Monday!

The Big Brother 21 cast reveal will be on the live feeds next Monday, June 17, starting at 11am ET -- 8am PT The live feeds are/will be on CBS All Access. As always, there are rumors all over the web about whether it will be an All-Star, all new hamsters, some new and some old. Until we hear from CBS, we do not know -- no one knows. 

In other news, Jeff Schroeder is returning to his role of interviewing the cast. I know some people don't care for him, but I certainly liked him better on the finale interviews. Nothing against Ross, but …! We already know Julie Chen Moonves will be back at least for this coming season.

Here's the announcement made today on Twitter --

He's back! Meet the new Houseguests in ONE week with @jeffschroeder23. ☀️ #BB21 pic.twitter.com/A09cjCluxn

— Big Brother (@CBSBigBrother) June 10, 2019

The Amazing Race 31 -- Returning Teams

The Amazing Race will make its 31st season debut following Survivor tomorrow night -- 9pm ET/PT. I've already posted about the Big Brother and Survivor teams on the show. Now it's time for the returning TAR teams. Tomorrow night I'll be live blogging the show as it airs here on the East Coast. Yes, there will be a party in the comments.



Sigh. Of the returning teams, this is the one I least want to endure once again. Colin and Christie, although they did well on their season (TAR5), taking second place. I find him insufferable, aggressive and ruthless. I really can't believe they're still "life partners" this many years later. He's 38, a tech entrepreneur while she's 40 and … get this … a Sex, Love and Relationship Coach. Oh my.



Now, I liked this best friends team of Art and JJ. Art is a federal agent while JJ is a border agent. Well, maybe vice versa. They were on TAR20, didn't bicker with each other and ended up coming in second place. They're older now at the age of 49. I'm not sure how they'll hold up against some of the younger teams. But, they should be entertaining to watch!






Then there's Tyler and Korey, another team of best friends. The video above was their audition video for their season -- TAR28. Since they were on more recently, they're still on the young side. Tyler is 30 while Korey is 34. Neither works a tradition job. Tyler is a video blogger and Korey is a podcaster. (Wish I had those choices when I was young!) They came in third on their season. 



Leo and Jamal, cousins, are the only returning team that's been on the show two other seasons. They did back to back seasons 23 and 24 (All-Stars). They came in 4th place in both seasons. They were quite young then and now are only 31 (Leo) and 30 (Jamal). Leo owns a bar while Jamal is a customer financial services manager. They were entertaining and definitely have a strong team bond. I guess if we have to have a three-peater, they're okay. 





From TAR29, we have Team Fun -- Becca and Floyd. They were fun on their season despite a rather heartbreaking end for them. They came in 5th. They're also still on the young side. She's 28 and he's 23. (No wonder he made some drastic mistakes -- he was a child!) They're good friends and, overall, worked very well together. She's very athletic and is actually a rock climbing instructor. He's a client services manager and will try his hardest. I look forward to their return.

The Amazing Race 31 starts April 17 - BB and Survivor Teams!

It's been announced that the new season of TAR will start following the airing of Survivor: Edge of Extinction on Wednesday, April 17. Now, I had absolutely no interest in that Million Dollar Mile (whatever) anyway. So, I'm glad it was booted to Saturday night in its death throes.

This upcoming TAR season was surely made for this blog and its readers! Why else would they have contestants from three CBS reality shows -- Big Brother, Survivor and The Amazing Race -- the three shows always covered here? 



From Big Brother, we have …

A sister team of Rachel Reilly and Elissa Slater, now ages 34 and 32 respectively. Rachel has an edge over many of the BB hamsters as she's been on TAR twice already with her husband Brandon. Her stats are: Big Brother 12, winner of Big Brother 13, The Amazing Race 20 and The Amazing Race All-Stars. It will be interesting to see how she does with her sister who was on BB15.

Engaged couple Nicole Franzel and Victor Arroyo, ages 26 and 28. Although not even a showmance in their one BB season together, they're engaged now. Her stats: Big Brother 16, winner of Big Brother 18. He was the hamster who kept winning comps to come back in Big Brother 18. I'm not sure how she'll do on TAR -- she's one of those lovable but kind of naïve sorts. I can see him excelling at any challenge thrown his way. It's a shame he can't do all the challenges himself on the show!

Here's quite the duo! Friends Janelle Pierzina and Britney Haynes! Now ages 38 and 30. Janelle was a BB fan favorite with three summers on the show -- Big Brother 6,Big Brother All-Stars and Big Brother 14. She was a tremendous competitor in BB6. Britney has two BB seasons under her belt -- Big Brother 12 and Big Brother 14. Not as big a player on the physical comps as Janelle, I think she has a very entertaining (and sarcastic) wit about her. I'll enjoy watching them race as a team together!



From Survivor, we have ...

Married couple Rupert and Laura Boneham. He's 54 now, she's 49. Rupert had a large fan base from his four appearances on Survivor --Survivor: Pearl Island, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Blood vs. Water. Laura was on Blood vs. Water with him. While I think Rupert is a very admirable man in his business and personal life, I was never really a fan of his on the show(s). To me, his schtick was to roar and act like a pirate. Age-wise and competition-wise, I think they're going to be out of their league on TAR.

Friends Corinne Kaplan and Eliza Orlins, ages 39 and 35 respectively. Corinne was on Survivor: Gabon and Survivor: Caramoan. Eliza was on Survivor: Vanuatu and Survivor: Micronesia. I didn't realize that Eliza is now a public defender in Manhattan. No, I won't go there and get into trouble just to meet her. Don't even ask! This should be a pretty solid team. As an added bonus, if they go to China, Eliza can speak Mandarin! I enjoy the both of them and they just might be contenders!

Then we have friends Chris Hammons and Bret LaBelle, both from Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X. Chris is 40, Bret is now 44. Chris is a defense attorney while Bret is a police sergeant. I enjoyed both of them personality-wise on the show. But, if memory serves, neither was all that great at the challenges. It looks like Chris, in particular, has gained some weight. I can't knock a person for that -- glass houses and all that, y'know! But … excess weight against lean and mean teams often brings an early exit from the show … or a late arrival on the welcome mat.

I'll be covering the returning TAR teams in a separate post. But, I'll leave you with a little teaser. Who could forget Colin from TAR5 and "My ox is BROKEN!"?

Survivor 38: Meet the Manu Tribe

But first … if you want in on the blog pool for the show, you need to sign up on THIS POST LINK. The deadline is Tuesday 12pm ET. Be there or be square!

MANU --

The two returning castaways for this tribe are David Wright and Kelley Wentworth. She's 31 years old now, he's 44.

Here come the newbies …

Chris Underwood -- 
He's 25, originally from Myrtle Beach SC and currently living in Greenville SC. He's a district sales manager. He claims to be into anything outdoors, a good quality for the show. He seems to be a go-getter type in view of his work. Another point in his favor is he knows how to use a speargun and likes scuba diving. He believes he has some of the qualities of Ozzy, Malcolm, Rob and Spencer. Let's see if he can walk the walk.

Dan "The Wardog" DaSilva -- 
He's 38. He currently resides in Los Angeles, but is originally from Ossining NY -- the home of the infamous Sing Sing Prison! He's formerly military, apparently many years in it. Right now he's a law student. He claims he'll play like himself but mentioned admiring Yul, Parvati, Mike, Earl and even Tyson. Um, unless he was joking about have a sex appeal not seen in a good decade, he might just think he's too sexy for his shirt.

Keith Sowell --
At 19, he's the baby of the bunch. He's originally from Fayetteville NC and now lives in Durham NC. He's a pre-med student at Duke University. Oh my. This kid has it together. From a poor family growing up in a trailer, he became his class salutatorian. He seems to have very good values and strong religious beliefs. He admires Jeremy Collins as a previous player. Kid seems to have his head on right. Now let's see if he can endure the outdoors and backstabbing!

 Lauren O'Connell --
Age 21. She's originally from Bakersfield CA and now lives in Waco TX. Attending Baylor University with dreams of paying for dental school with her winnings. Like Keith above, she wishes she could bring her bible. She's a soccer athlete and has played team sports most of her life. Keep in mind, they didn't know the returning players when writing the bios -- she would like her game to be a mix of Parvati and Kelley Wentworth. This should be interesting!

Reem Daly --
Age 46, she's originally from Fairfax VA and now lives in Ashburn VA. She's in sales. Her CBS bio is one of the least wordy I've ever seen. She's been watching the show since its debut. Being on the show is part of her bucket list. She thinks she will play most like Stephenie LaGrossa (why are they all spelling her name with an "a"?) because she didn't give up and Rudy because he really didn't care. My jury's out on her.

Rick Devens -- 
Age 33, he hails from Blacksburg VA and now lives in Macon GA. He's a morning news anchor. Well, that's different! His choices for life inspiration are quite different -- his father (like many) but then he names Stephen Colbert and Stephen King. Like me, he's a big THE STAND fan. He thinks he'll play most like Cochran, not a bad thing. He's been watching the show since high school and was an Eagle Scout. 

Wendy Diaz --
She's 25, originally from Los Angeles, now living in Bell CA. I have no clue where that is. She's a small business owner, not shabby at 25! She thinks she'll play the game like Sandra and be the second Diaz to win. However, she also thinks she's like Tai, full of life and wonderment. She hates quitters. She thinks the show will be a good challenge for herself plus there's the money. She grew up poor and is content with her earnings now, but …! 

If you didn't see the post on the Kama Tribe, you can find it at this link.

Survivor 38: Meet the Kama Tribe

KAMA -- The returning castaways Joe Anglim and Aubry Bracco. He's 29 now; she's 32. Will the third time be a charm for either of them?

Aurora McCreary --
Age 32, from Pensacola FL, now residing in Orlando, FL. She's a divorce lawyer. From her CBS bio (linked in name), I see that she is indeed outdoorsy and athletic, plus it doesn't seem like she's had an easy life. She is a fan who would like to play with selected qualities from Tyson, Ciera and Michaela. Definitely could be a contender, methinks.

Eric Hafemann --
Age 34, from Chicago but now living in Livermore, CA. Ooohhh … a firefighter. I wonder if he can make and tend fires without feeling the need to put them out? Heh. In reading his bio, I can't help but thing "what a nice guy." Then he says his game will be most like Tony Viachos. Perhaps not as sneaky, but on top of things. He has an autistic son. He's playing for the adventure and to set an example. Hmm.

Gavin Whitson --
Age 23. From and still in Erwin, TN. He's a YMCA program director. Compared to the previous two, he seems very young. He's into Xbox and Disneyworld. Recently engaged, he also considers himself sarcastic, hungry and a dreamer. He's hungry now? Wait a week on the island! He wants to prove to his mother that he won't be the first voted out. My prediction (just based on the bio) is third out.

Julia Carter --
Age 24, from Hazleton, PA now living in Bethesda. MD. She's a medical assistant. She likes to travel, shop and eat. Um, girl, you're going on Survivor. Yeah, you'll travel to there and back, but …! She's been a fan since childhood and has dreamed of making it on the show. She THINKS she'll play most like Jeremy. Oh my. We'll see about that!

Julie Rosenberg --
Age 46, originally from Baltimore now living in New York City. She's a toymaker -- which brings me to thoughts of the movie Big. Can she dance on a giant keyboard? Since she and Julia are both on the same tribe, I'm glad there's an age difference. Reading her bio, I like her. She's been a fan since the first episode. And, her "play like" is a bit more realistic -- a mix of Cirie, Dawn and Stephenie.

Ron Clark --
Age 46, from Chocowinity, NC now residing in Atlanta. He's a teacher at the Ron Clark Academy. Founder, as well. He has been a show fan since Borneo so he knows what he's getting himself into. Hmm … he sees himself as a sore loser and a "mean girl." Oy! He thinks his gameplay will be akin to Spencer Bledsoe. Reading his bio, it seems like he wants to come across as sincere, but I'm getting a bit of chip on the shoulder. We'll see.

Victoria Baamonde -- 
Age 23, from and still residing in The Bronx. She's a waitress who was the valedictorian on her college class. Um, okay. She's smart but obviously didn't major in waitressing. That's a lot of student loans for a job she could have had without it! She says she brings up the valedictorian bit as often as she can. How to win friends and influence people? One cute thing is that she named her guinea pig Peeve -- pet peeve! She thinks she can relate to Malcolm. Yeah, I see that … no.

All of the castaways are in the superfan or really big fan category. This should be interesting. What do you think of them? 

Just a reminder -- the blog pool sign up ENDS on Tuesday. To be in the pool, you need to submit your name in the comments of the sign up post. 

My post for the Manu Tribe is at this link.

Let's Talk Survivor 38 ... Edge of Extinction

Celebrity Big Brother will have its season finale this Wednesday, February 13. The next Wednesday, the 20th, will be the latest incarnation of Survivor premiering! There will be four returning players and fourteen newbies. While the premise sounds a bit like Exile Island, apparently it's not. After CBB ends, I'll be delving into the new castaways. Lifeguard Laurie has volunteered to run the blog pool once again -- expect a sign-up post for that on Wednesday -- do NOT ask on this here post!

To give us a taste, I'm posting some of the Jeff Probst and premiere tease videos. Survivor fans ready?

Celebrity Big Brother 2 Cast Reveal

Okay, just like last year, I don't know many of these people. This People.com article has photos of them.

Hmm … wasn't Kato Kaelin the guy at OJ Simpsons house? The one in the guest cottage if memory serves. I may be wrong. I will have to check.

I know who Joey Lawrence is -- he was Blossom's brother on that show years back. He was a cutie back then! Now, um, jury's out.

Anthony Scaramucci? Oh my. I do know who he is and I believe he's on the show in hopes of more Omarosa type insights (right or wrong, whatever). He was interesting and witty on Colbert recently.We'll see.

Jonathan Bennett? Who dat?

Tamar Braxton I've heard of, but that's about it.

Kandi Burress? Another who dat.

I've heard of Tom Green, the comedian. He's no George Carlin. 

Lolo Jones I've also heard of -- I don't think they'll have any bobsled runs in the yard, though.

Another Olympic athelete, Ryan Lochte -- I think he will be disappointed with the pool.

Dina Lohan is Lindsay Lohan's mother and manager. Hmm. I know of her. I'm not thrilled to death.

Natalie Eva Marie, another who dat. But, I can qualify my who dat because she's a wrestler. I don't know WWE people unless they make on Survivor or The Amazing Race.

I've heard of the NFL player Ricky Williams. But, like with the WWE, I'm quite ignorant of NFL players unless they go on reality shows I watch.

So, there ya go. The premiere is January 21 and yes, Julie Chen-Moonves will be hosting.

Your thoughts?

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.