BBOTT: Season Premiere Blog Party

Okay, let's get this going! I'm not sure how well this is going to work. Normally, I have my nearby small television watching the show while I type on my computer. Now I've been experimenting with splitting my monitor screen. In tests, it's kind of okay. But I don't have the hugest monitor in the world. Let's see how this goes ...

Here's some information on the scheduling for the season:

Weekday Replay: A quick recap of all the crucial moments that happened throughout the day
When: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT

Weekly Full Episode: A rundown of the week's events, followed by the live eviction ceremony
When: Wednesdays at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT

Safety Ceremonies: The HOH will reveal the Houseguests who are safe for that week, culminating in the live reveal of the nominations
When: Saturdays and Sundays at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT

Live Diary Room Sessions: In a Big Brother first, fans will get a live look into the confessionals
When: Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 PM ET / 8 PM PT

Evicted Houseguest Q&A With Host Julie Chen: Julie will interview that week's evicted Houseguest
When: Thursday afternoon (times will vary)

Big Brother Winner Chosen By Fans: Fans will vote for the winner of Big Brother: Over the Top
When: Day and date to be announced soon

America's Vote: America will have the opportunity to impact the game like never before and affect nominations, evictions, and game-changing twists
When: More details will be revealed during the premiere of Big Brother: Over the Top

And, here we go ... welp, there's Julie in a red dress. She's going through most os the stuff I have posted above. Gee, let's meet the houseguests! (Of course, I've already covered that in previous posts.) Intros still going on. This is going to be half the show!

Interesting. Alex tells us that if her sister Morgan walks through the door, it will ruin her game. Um, well, the Morgan intro is next up! 

Finally, they're going to move in. one by one. The last one will be either Jason or (ick) Jozea.

Scott is in first, says hi to no one and us, then looks for a bedroom. Sp far, I'm seeing no thrills. Morgan is in next. Good. I'm tired of Scott looking around the house. They see the tips left behind by the BB18 Final Three, but have no clue which one won the season.

Now Shane has finally arrived. I'm not sure this is the best approach to the season. 

They see 16 key slots but only thirteen place settings at the table.

This is SO how not to introduce the show! Is this what we miss on the real seasons? If so, I'm glad we miss it!  

Now Neeley has arrived. If they keep up this rate, it will take them two hours to get them all in the house. Neeley lets them know she works at Nordstrom's. She can probably kiss that job goodbye.

Finally, another ... Shelby arrives. Another long wait and it's Cornbread.

If I were Scott, I'm not sure I'd be telling everybody I'm a debt collector. They've noticed there's no champagne. 

An hour in and we only have six hamsters. Isn't this only supposed to be an hour "show"? Have the rest been abducted by aliens? 

Finally another one enters. It's Kryssie. 

After an eternity passes, the doorbell rings again. Whitney now.

Oh, please end this torture and let the rest all in at once! About the only positive thing I can say at this point is that they haven't blocked the feeds at all. 

Another entry after a way too long wait. It's Justin. 

Production voice, "Somebody say HOLLA."

There. There's our excitement in this slow torturous season premiere. I hope you didn't miss it.  

The torture continues, then the doorbell rings again. It's Alex. She hugs Morgan like she doesn't know her. 

"Attention Houseguests, the storage room is now available."

Maybe they have booze. I need some to keep this up. He makes the announcement many times in a row. They're ignoring him.

"YO, IDIOTS! GO TO THE STORAGE ROOM!" -- that was my announcement.

Finally, they check it out.  

Monte arrives. JASON needs to be next. 

Doorbell and it's .... Danielle. I forgot she wasn't there yet.

Torture us some more, BBOTT. You're trying to break us!  

YAY! IT'S JASON BACK IN THE HOUSE!

But that doesn't redeem these two hours of torture at the moment. 

Survivor: Millennials vs Gen-X - September 28 Blog Party

Promos show someone with either heart or heat issues. Who could it be?

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be live-blogging with the major events. As they're all still new to me, I'm sure to be a bit lost about who is whom as the show unfolds. My apologies in advance with that! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Please feel free to join in on the fun!

Here are the blog pool matches the Lovely Lifeguard Laurie randomly chose:

Millennials - Vanua Tribe 
Adam Klein - Brian, Kelsey NY, Sharon N 
Jessica Figgy Figueroa - Donna in Alabama, Laurie 
Justin Jay Starrett - Becky, Jackie, Shayne 
Mari Takahashi - cwcamper, Marthalight 
Michaela Bradshaw - Donna in NY, Krysta G, Pinky 
Michelle Shubert - Ed in Ohio, Nickelpeed 
Taylor Lee Stocker - Donna in FL, Janice from GA, Stephanie in Baltimore 
Zake Smith - Beachmom, monty924, Glenn
Will Wahl - Cheryl, Indiana Jane 
Hannah Shapiro - David, meb, Terry is a Texan 

Gen-X - Takali Tribe 
Bret LaBelle - Brandi Peralta, Judi Sweeney, Skyriverblue 
Ciandre CeCe Taylor - Anonymouse, Merrilee 
Chris Hammons - Cheryl in NC, Jennasmom, Lanell from TN
David Wright - Buzzmaam, MikesGirl, Sharon C 
Jessica Lewis - Cupcake, Jean, Petals 
Ken McNickle - Dolores in Hollywood, Margo, Russ 
Lucy Huang - Delee, ML 
Paul Wachter - ChickMc, PDX Granny
Sunday Burquest - Brenda, Kristen from Ohio, SueGee

Out
Rachel Ako - As first boot, her blog pool people have been reassigned.

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

Gen-X doesn't have fire on Day Five. They also have a lot of doubts and a lot of cracks. David, the scared dude, wants to bring them fire to redeem himself a bit.
He's got it! He made fire! They still want him out next. Meanwhile, David is still peeking around for hidden idols. He finds one! 

The Kids: Fuggy, er ... Figgy and Taylor are already kissing and cuddling. Do they think this is BB? Even their fellow kids aren't down with that action. Jay tries to talk some sense into Taylor to no avail. 

The Older Kids: They have their fishing gear, chosen in the beginning. Ken gets an octopus. And, he gets along with Dave. No, not a bromance. Perhaps the start of an alliance? Dave feels compelled to tell Ken about the idol. For now, at least, Ken seems really taken with the alliance. We'll see how that holds up.

The Kids: Hannah is having a hard time trying to open a coconut. Michaela has the Figgy/Taylor situation down and she's not happy about it. She seems to be blaming it on Figgy being a flirt. Ohh ... cat fight? Now they want each other out.  

Older Kids: Paul likes being in control. The others like that idea ... not so much. He's putting a bigger target on his back than Scaredy Dave. Medical issue time and it's PAUL. He wasn't even doing anything all that strenuous. He thinks he's having a heart attack. Medics coming in and we go to commercial (of course). Sunday is worried about the alliance. Go figure. No sign of heart damage -- it was heat stroke and they leave him in the game. Since Paul is David and Ken's target, they welcome his new weakness to the game. 

Immunity Challenge time. They're on the water. Dive, race up cargo net, retrieve key, another dive for rings to throw at targets on floating platforms. Reward is a tarp. The Kids take over when David has troubles for the Older Kids. Then CeCe has a bad performance as well. Wait ... Older Kids catching up a bit! 

Whoa! Gen-X (Older Kids) wins! 

Mari tells us that Figgy will be blindsided. Hmm. Could be! Michelle doesn't want her Taylor, Figgy and Jay alliance broken apart. She wants to plant seeds to get rid of Mari. Now Michelle wants to work with Michaela? Hmm. They want to get Will in with them. 

Heh. The Kids are starstruck at Tribal Council.  Jay, Hannah and Michelle are whispering and not paying attention. Michelle is trying to get Hannah to vote out Mari. Meanwhile, I'm digging Michaela ... she might get in trouble with others, but she says what she thinks!

Hannah is all confused about her vote and finally does it.

The tally:
Figgy, Mari, Figgy, Mari, Figgy, Mari, Mari, Mari, Mari.

Those silly kids. They kept the showmance intact and voted out Mari instead. 

BBOTT: The Hamsters, Part Two

 MORGAN WILLETT

Hmm ... sister of Alex, but not much being said about it. Unfortunately, she's a fan of Frankie Grande. Ew. She also likes Nicole, not as much of a problem. In her bio, she said Victoria was a least favorite because she didn't do anything. She doesn't like the "Princess" image, yet would like a teasing comb so she won't have flat hair. She seems like she might have what it takes. But I think her sister might just outdo her.

 NEELEY JACKSON

In her bio, she says she will play up her "fun and sexy" side rather than her athleticism. Okaaay. Now, she says Janelle was a favorite of hers, which is laudable. But then she knocks Ian Terry for being "whiny" and "a big baby all season." Say what? Y'know, I gotta wonder if she's a mean girl. Maybe I'm wrong. She did well in school, winning a full scholarship and all. But her hula-hooping ways might not be a strength in BB.

 SCOTT DENNIS

From his bio, it sounds like he will be the "nerdy superfan" character of the season. He's been a huge fan since the age of ten and has tried five times to get on the show. He's a virgin and his mother has hopes he'll meet a nice girl in the house. Ha! A favorite he mentions is Danielle Reyes (who should have won BB3 had they not shown Diary Room stuff to the other hamsters). He has a strategy. But, he's a debt collector, not a typical nerdy superfan kind of occupation. We'll see.

 SHANE CHAPMAN

He keeps saying "trust" in his bio on the CBS website. Does he KNOW he can't trust anyone in the House of Hamsters?!? He also mentions an addiction to picking his nose. Yeah, I'll get some screencaps of that. As a roofer, he should be in decent physical shape despite his sports passion of X-Box. It's sounding to me like he might be a pretty face out of his league.

 SHELBY STOCKTON

Ah, an attorney, eh? Of course, she won't be announcing that fact. Attorney hasn't always worked out in Survivor. I guess we'll see if she wins her case! (Bwaha!) In her bio, she claims to like Hayden Moss because "he's hot and went to ASU." Welp, there goes the game strategy law student prospect! She didn't like Britney and Monet because "they sat around talking smack." Oh, geez. Britney is BB comedy gold. Perhaps this girl needs to stick to academics.

WHITNEY HOGG

I bet she got teased as a child. I know that a strange last name gives bullies an opening! In her bio, she thinks she's "bubbly and passionate.' Now, I don't know how much bubbly I can take. She's a Janelle fan, which is good (of course). She didn't like Amanda. Now, that's a very admirable dislike for me. She's planning on playing a sweet innocent strategy. (Hey, it got Victoria to the final three!) I'm on the fence about her. I'll have to see her in action.

So, there you go. Have you any early favorites this season pre-show? I don't think I'll be having a blog pool as I'm not sure how many folks would be interested, nor am I sure about what I'll be doing to cover it. Since they're doing something drastically different this season with airing it only on CBS All Access, I think I might be doing something drastically different in my show coverage as well.

Just don't ask me what. I'm not sure yet. 

BBOTT: The Hamsters, Part One

 ALEX WILLETT

From her bio on CBS.com explaining why James BB18 is a least favorite: "I can’t stand how he and everyone else this season wants to make a decision as a house vote" Yes! She named Dan Gheesling as a favorite. She's quite athletic, knows the game and has a "layered" strategy. She might be one of (the few?) women to keep an eye on this season.
 

 DANIELLE LICKEY

Well, at least she spells "Danielle" right! Heehee -- it's my middle name and I automatically spell it with a double L. From her bio, she admires Derrick's game from BB17 and Zakiyah's from BB18 was a least favorite. She thinks she'll be strong in competitions and have a good social game, too. Uh-oh. She's seen every episode of Friends, "like, twenty times." At the end of the day, I hope she doesn't say "like" every other word. 

 JUSTIN DUNCAN

Hmm. From his video and his bio, this dude might just be too laid back to compete! About the only thing other than easy-going that might be in his favor is that he really knows how to cook. We might have to take notes! In his video, he was singing. He mentions singing everything in his bio. Does he know that we get cut feeds every time they sing even if it's a song that doesn't exist?

 KRYSSIE RIDOLFI

Ah, just what we need ... another singing hamster. In her bio, she claims to be the right combination of hilarious and manipulative. She'll use that to win friends and influence people. I tend to find most people who think they're hilarious not so much. So my personal jury is on that aspect. In her favor (with me) is that she doesn't think much of Jessie Goddarz. Since she's a horror movie and Simpson's trivia buff, I can predict downtime conversations.

 MICHAEL "CORNBREAD" LIGON

At 41, he's the "old" guy in the cast. @@ In his bio, he says he likes Donny Thompson, didn't like Devin. Now, it doesn't surprise me that "Cornbread" likes Donny, another good ol' boy. He thinks Devin was deceitful. Well, yeah, he was. I'll have to check out his YouTube “Cornbread’s Redneck Mobile News” channel. I don't know. I'm reluctant to see people as characters and that's how he's being presented here.

MONTE MASSONGILL

Grr. In his bio, he said he likes Hayden Moss. That's not the grr. The grr is: He doesn't like Enzo because: "I suppose my Southern influence made me not like a Jersey guy." What? WHAT?

What is your problem, buddy? I can't help but wonder if he decides he doesn't like other people because of where they're from. I wouldn't be upset with first eviction on this one.

BB:OTT: Cast Reveal Video and Info

Well, it's a rather odd bunch. Hmm. I jotted notes as I watched their videos on the CBS website. I'll post more with individual photos tomorrow evening.




Kryssie Ridolfi -- 31 years old, waitress, in a band Evil Engine, power lifter. Loves Jordan. Like the Brigade alliance. Be a floater/shark. Not looking for a showmance -- platonic cuddle partner. Thinks she has a good sense of humor.

Michael "Cornbread" Ligon -- Age 41, heavy equipment operator, from Augusta, GA. Loves to see people smile, fun guy (just ask him), likes to be with younger people. Hard-worker, will be the strongest, has a fiancee. He thinks he's very funny.

Danielle Lickey -- Age 23, pre-school teacher, from Visalia, CA. Loves the game play. Seems to know the game. Into sports. Not afraid to make big moves. Not ready to jump in bed with anyone on the show.

Neeley Jackson -- 33 years old, sales associate from Fort Worth, TX. She is very into being a diva. We'll see about that. Open to a showmance. She knows girls alliances don't work, but would love to make one work. 

Whitney Hogg -- 21 years old, from Eastern Kentucky. She's a medical assistant. Has watched BB since she was ten years old. Thinks she's a superfan, will use her Southern charm. Will not have a showmance. Very into Eastern Kentucky and won't lose her Southern roots.

Shelby Stockton -- Age 24, a lawyer. Fountain Hills, AZ. Voted Biggest Loudmouth in high school. Won't be telling people she's a lawyer. Boy crazy flirt who doesn't really want a showmance, but ...! Very finicky eater and has a weird laugh.

Morgan Willett -- Age 22. publicist from Austin, TX. Her mother is a huge fan of the show and will watch the live feeds. Cheerleader, over the top energetic, bubbly. Hmm. No showmance for her! She feels it would endanger her game, thinks girls alliances don't work.

Scott Dennis -- Age 24, debt collector from Bangor, ME. Thinks he's a superfan. Has applied five years and finally got in. Looks nerdy but can be aggressive. Will win comps and make deals. If someone is into showmancing him, he'll take it. Very into chess and thinks that will help him.

Alex Willett -- Sister of Morgan (above), age 25, computer animation and videography field, Houston, TX. Another "huge superfan." She wants to align with quirky people. She's thinks her own weirdness will help her social game. Has done Tough Mudder. (I'm impressed with that. It's way rigorous.) She wants to be remembered as a great game player.

Monte Massongill -- Age 25, process engineer, Olive Branch, MS. Claims to be a class act, strong leader, carry people with him to the end. Everybody will like him. Open to showmance -- only pretty girls need apply? Thinks he'll be the strong competition beast.

Justin Duncan -- Age 27, New Orleans, just a cool cat. Owns a seafood restaurant and into Creole cooking. Will bring flavor to the competition. Would like some booty. Says "you know what I'm saying" way too much. Sings a lot. I already see trouble there. 

Shane Chapman -- 24 years old, roofer from Brevard, NC. Wants the experience. Admires Vanessa's gameplay. Wants to be in a showmance. Knows he'll have to lie and backstab but he's a nice guy.

More tomorrow! Your thoughts?

BBOTT: Will Post Cast Reveal Late Tonight!

While the voting to get Jason back in the house instead of Jozea (yeah, I'm just a tad biased here) continues into tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27, the cast reveal for the rest of the hamsters will be today.

Unfortunately for me, instead of the 10am ET reveal listed by several websites, it appears it will be 10am PT. 

Grr.

I won't be able to post the new cast until very late this evening. My apologies in advance, but I do have to work for a living!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - September 25, 2016

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're looking for TV related stuff, this ain't that! However, that said, supposedly the cast reveal for Big Brother Over the Top (BBOTT) will be announced tomorrow and I'll be posting about that when I get the news! I will also continue posting the aftermath stuff from BB18, the current stuff about Survivor ... so, stay tuned!

What a week it's been around here! The beginning of the week started out with summer temperatures and we ended up with autumn a few days after actual autumn began. Also, the beginning of my work week saw all kinds of action as the Chelsea (NYC)/Seaside (NJ) bomber left unexploded bombs at a nearby city's NJ Transit train station. He was captured in a shoot-out in an even closer town. To be honest, I wasn't frightened ... but I did hope they'd cancel the trains and I would have a good excuse not to return to work for my first day after staycation! But, alas, that didn't happen. So, I went to work.

Let's see ... what happened (other than BB18 finale and Survivor premiere) this week? Well, they posted notices at my apartment building that they were going to do repairs to the parking lot on Wednesday and all cars must be moved. I don't have a car, so I never cared (as Paul from BB would say). I had noticed that they had gone through the lot the week before painting red boxes around every pothole, rough area. Wednesday came and went; nothing was done. Now, I don't know what day they did it -- it had to be Friday or Saturday -- but, I went out this morning to throw my recyclables in the dumpster (for them) and saw that they've cut into the pavement in all of the marked spots. I hope no one decides to go fast through the lot as some of the drop-offs are well more than two inches deep! It had to happen while I was gone because I surely would have heard the noise. Vincent was probably annoyed by them.

My sprained ankle is coming along. The swelling has gone down enough that I can actually feel that bony part of the outside ankle instead of just having it feel like a painful pillow around it. I've given up the cane and roughed it. By the end of my workday, it's a bit swollen again and it's always a bit of a nagging pain. But it's doable. Thankfully, I've been tied up at work with scheduling, hiring, training and testing people, so I've managed to stay off of it for the most part.

When I walked out to the dumpster and to get my newspaper from the front of the building today, the hallway smells SO GOOD. I felt like tracking down which apartment is cooking up the magnificent breakfast and inviting myself!

I have a quiet day planned for today. I want to watch some shows online that I missed this week. Right now I have Charles Osgood's last Sunday Morning on CBS show on. I'm going to miss him and his bow-tie. But I did watch the show back when it was hosted by Charles Kuralt. I'll watch it with a new host. It's one of my personal Sunday morning traditions. 

Onto this week's photos! Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.
   

Yes! It's AUTUMN! Yay!

On Friday, the temperature hit 90 degrees once again. On Saturday morning as I headed to the train station to go to work, this is what I saw. YES! This is my season! These are the overnight/morning temperatures I want to see! Highs in the low 70s! Perfect!

Ladybug, ladybug ...

This cute little ladybug was kind enough to pose for me one day.

The 59 with a bike

This is the style of bus that NJ Transit runs from town to town within the state. It can only transport two bicycles at a time. If you're the third bike, you're outta luck! I often take the 59 back and forth from near my apartment to the train station when my commute schedule and the bus/train schedules work out well. My monthly train pass is good for that jaunt, so it's free for me. Well, I paid for it, I guess. I just don't pay any more for it! I also will take the 59 into neighboring towns of Westfield and Scotch Plains. I've never taken it all the way into Newark. I keep telling myself that some day I will so I can photo stomp the downtown areas of Newark.

The 113S to Manhattan

It's always tempting to jump aboard this bus as I wait at the Plainfield Train Station to head to work. Yeah, I'd rather roam the streets of NYC than go to work in New Jersey! That's a given. I've never really taken this bus into the city -- the 113N bus goes right by my apartment and I take that one back and forth to the city or sometimes into neighboring Westfield. I have, on occasion, taken the 113S bus home as its last run is an hour later than the 113N and I missed the 113N. When I've done that, I've had to walk a good five blocks or so home, though -- I almost might as well take the train which has its last run at about 2:30am! The last 113S bus from the city goes through here at about 1am. The last 113N is about midnight, but stops right across the street from my apartment. I usually try to catch that one! The NJ Transit commuter buses going in and out of Manhattan are more comfy than are the buses they use town to town within the state. They're kind of like Greyhound sans the bathroom.

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

Big Brother: Jeff and Jordan TV

I've been decompressing a bit from my three months with little sleep due to Big Brother. I have, in between my work schedule and needed rest, been peeking at various BB18 backyard (and other) interviews online. In my travels, I came across this one. It gives a bit of a different perspective to it all. Now, these two I enjoyed watching on the live feeds -- the showmances this season, not so much. And, of course, the Amanda/McCrae one was absolutely horrible to endure.

 

BB18: Those Season Finale Backyard Interviews

Julie Chen didn't only show up for Jeff in the backyard, she also talked to Rob Cesternino -- did you realize there's going to be an online at CBS All Access Big Brother season coming up soon? I thought I'd let you know if you hadn't heard!

Heh.

Onto some of the action in the backyard after the season finale ...





More to come!

The Scoop on Big Brother Over the Top (BBOTT)

Please vote Jason, not Jozea. Thank you.

The first thing I'd like to address is the voting of a "veteran" player into the cast. I have no clue what CBS has been smoking to even think that we want to see Jozea again! Please, if you have CBS All Access, throw your votes to Jason on the CBS website. Most of us will be eternally grateful.

That said ... 
Last night I watched most of the backyard interviews on the live feeds. But I was a bit too burnt out from the long (Survivor premiere, BB18 finale) live-blogging night to write more on them on the time. An unusual interview, a person I've never seen in the backyard interviews, was Julie Chen. Of course, she showed to plug BBOTT.

Here's what I garnered from her interview and some scouting about:

• There will be 12 brand spanking new hamsters and one (JASON) returning hamster for a total of 13.
• Everything will ONLY be through CBS All Access online -- NO television aired shows, etc.
• It's to be a shortened season -- 10 weeks.
• The cast reveal will be Monday morning and I should be able to cover it as long as the reveal happens when it should (around 10am ET). 
• There will be Julie Chen hosted weekly eviction shows at 7pm PT or 10pm ET on Wednesday evenings. 11pm ET would be the live eviction with the HoH comps starting a midnight ET. Eek! I'll try my best to do what I can with those!
• Julie Chen will be doing the evicted hamster interviews on Thursday.
• The Veto comps should be Mondays at 4pm ET (which I won't be able to cover live here).
• The Veto ceremony should be Tuesdays at 4pm ET (which I also won't be able to cover live here).
• They have live Diary Rooms on Tuesday and Friday nights at 10:30pm ET.
• On Saturdays, at 4pm ET, the Have Not Reveal
• On Saturdays, at 10pm ET, there's a new "Safety Ceremony." From what Julie said, if you don't get safety there, you get nominated. Not YOU literally. That's a figurative YOU.
• Then, just to confuse things more, there's a Safety Ceremony and Nominations Sunday night at 10pm ET.

I'm SO confused! There's some conflicting information out there right now. I will definitely be doing some kind of coverage of the season. But until the show goes live, I'm not sure exactly how I'll be covering it. However, I will promise to post something daily so that the blog readers with CBS have a place to discuss things daily.