Survivor 40: Winners at War - March 4 Blog Party

Will we go another week keeping Rob, Sandra and Parvati in the game? True, having them around after the merge makes them bigger targets for the less manipulative players. However, that's the point. All three are manipulative. Of course, manipulation is a valued skill in these competitive reality shows -- cases in point besides these three: Richard Hatch, Will Kirby (BB), Dan Gheesling and more. In Survivor, it's a huge part of Outwitting the competition.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the major events. Refresh the page to get the latest updates! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- I hope to see you there!

But first ... here's the latest blog pool update from the Lovely Lifeguard Laurie:

DAKAL (Red tribe)
Kim Spradlin-Wolfe - Dr_Celine
Nick Wilson - Barbara BW, Judi Sweeney
Sandra Diaz-Twine - tbe
Sarah Lacina - SueGee, Cheryl in NC
Sophie Clarke - ChicMc
Tony Vlachos - Karen in CA, Donna in Alabama
Tyson Apostol -Janice
Wendell Holland - Nickelpeed, PDX Granny
Yul Kwon - Ed in Ohio

SELE (Blue tribe)
Adam Klein - Lifeguard Laurie, Petals
Ben Driebergen - Rbennie, Shannon
Denise Stapley - Becky, Jennifer
Jeremy Collins - Sharon N
Michele Fitzgerald -Terry is a Texan
Parvati Shallow - Donna in FL
Rob Mariano - Auntie Leigh

Extinction Island
Natalie Anderson - Nana in the NW
Amber Mariano - Delee, Glenn Allen
Danni Boatwright - Jennasmom
Ethan Zohn - Rochelle, Jackie

Survivor fans ready?

Back from Tribal, Rob tells them "well-played" while Adam is under the gun for playing all sides. He thinks he needs to apologize. I think he needs a pocket of idols myself. Ben is still determined to focus on Rob and Parvati although he no longer trusts Adam at all.

Dakal is having fun on the surface due to their wins, but things might be smoldering a bit beneath the happy faces.

On Extinction, they each have a chance to win a fire token, with tremendous effort. They have to take twenty trips up and down the mountain, retrieving a log each time. It must be done by sundown. Such fun!

Natalie is a powerhouse in the task. She tells us she has 35 fire tokens -- this is only for one token! Ethan is in pretty bad shape. Even so, he refuses to stop. But then the medic comes in. Uh-oh. She advises him not to continue the task. With only four more trips to go, he rests. But then he decides to go for it once again. Natalie finished first and they all finished before Ethan -- and celebrated with him when he finished. They each earned one fire token.

Adam is sucking up to all, waiting on them, offering to keep helping out. Ethan sent Parvati his fire token. Rob and Parvati know they're on the bottom and are trying to trip up Adam. Since Adam isn't playing along well with them, they lie about him, telling the others he's still coming to them, etc.

Dakal is having too much fun. Tyson, not trusted by some, is a hit with a few. He knows people are suspicious. He thinks Wendell, Nick, Yul and Sophie are playing under the radar. Meanwhile, Sandra thinks Tyson should go because he committed the ultimate crime of targeting her.

Immunity challenge time. Four tribe members tied to a boat, pull boat out to ramp, one climbs up and jump for suspended key falling in the water. They need three keys, puzzle. The reward is chickens. As usual, Sandra sits out -- this time joined with Tony.

SELE comes from way behind to win Immunity (finally)!

Tyson thinks their loss was the two puzzle people. (It was.) He wants to target Nick. Sandra will go with the majority vote as long as she's not targeted. Tyson thinks this is coming along too easy. He's right. A contingent want to target him. Tony likes hiding behind Tyson so he isn't the target.

Tribal Council and Jeff's Probsting questions. They talk about groups. Sandra claims she will vote with the main group. They talk of fandom coming into the game. Nick says he feels responsible for the loss. Uh-oh. The fact that there's a "plan" is mentioned.

The tally -- 
Nick, Kim, Tyson, Tyson, Tyson, Tyson, Tyson ...

Tyson is headed to Extinction. Although he thinks Nick orchestrated his demise or helped to do so, he gives his fire token to Nick because Nick said Tyson was his idol.

Next week they drop buffs and switch up the tribes!

Survivor 40: Winners at War - February 26 Blog Party

Can you believe they haven't seriously targeted ROB yet? He seems to have the same "mist" that Dan Gheesling (sp?) had in Big Brother. Dang. Rob, Sandra and Parvati would have made my short list for first targets. Those three seem to be the most persuasive in the bunch. I guess we'll see.

As tonight's show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the major events. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Please feel free to join in on the fun!

But first ... Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool. I'd ask if you're still in it, but we all remain thanks to Extinction --

DAKAL (Red tribe)
Kim Spradlin-Wolfe - Dr_Celine
Nick Wilson - Barbara BW, Judi Sweeney
Sandra Diaz-Twine - tbe
Sarah Lacina - SueGee, Cheryl in NC
Sophie Clarke - ChicMc
Tony Vlachos - Karen in CA, Donna in Alabama
Tyson Apostol -Janice
Wendell Holland - Nickelpeed, PDX Granny
Yul Kwon - Ed in Ohio

SELE (Blue tribe)
Adam Klein - Lifeguard Laurie, Petals
Ben Driebergen - Rbennie, Shannon
Denise Stapley - Becky, Jennifer
Ethan Zohn - Rochelle, Jackie
Jeremy Collins - Sharon N
Michele Fitzgerald -Terry is a Texan
Parvati Shallow - Donna in FL
Rob Mariano - Auntie Leigh

Extinction Island
Natalie Anderson - Nana in the NW
Amber Mariano - Delee, Glenn Allen
Danni Boatwright - Jennasmom

Survivor fans ready?

Denise is the recipient of Danni's fire token. Adam wants to target Rob. Parvati is also on the hit list. Watch, if they go to Tribal, both of them will mist their way out of being voted out, flipping the vote to Ben, Adam or Denise. Ohh ... Ethan is told his own number one -- Parvati -- is Adam's target. Not a good thing for Adam.

On the other tribe, Sandra's name is being tossed around. Tyson wants her targeted -- Yul could go for that! Sandra caught a shark. So, after having to listen to a chorus of Baby Shark, she might have gained favor from many. She also knows that Tyson has been putting her name out there. Oh no!

Over on Extinction Amber actually speared a fish. They get tree mail with a picture, leading them to a locked box. They were working together when Amber took off on her own to find some numbers she had seen (for the lock combination). Natalie thinks she has the numbers to open it. It opened for Natalie. It's an advantage to steal an vote from the other camp and is no good on Extinction. The recipient has to sneak into the other camp.

Natalie sold it to Sarah. Sarah enlisted Tony's help to camouflage herself for stealth. She accomplishes the mission! 

Immunity time -- they have to leap back and forth in an obstacle doohickey, dig for a ladder, climb ladder, throw rope to lasso an object so they can climb and then to a puzzle. 

DAKAL wins Immunity and chicken kebabs reward!

Sele had been way behind but ended up losing by seconds. Rob and Parvati were on the puzzle. Ben thinks they need to break up Parvati, Rob and Ethan. He thinks that Parvati is the biggest threat. Adam tells Rob that Parvati will be likely going home. He thinks he wants Rob in his camp by telling him. Rob thinks Adam is whack for telling him. He thinks Adam should be blindsid.d

Oh noes! Ethan's name is being tossed around. Jeremy and Michele's votes should determine whether it's Adam for playing both sides or one of the three old-schoolers. I'm personally a bit surprised that Ben's name isn't being tossed around. But maybe that's just me.

Tribal Council time. Jeff rubs it in that they're the losing tribe on a tribe of winners. Rob says that you have to trust someone in a game in which you shouldn't trust anyone. Parvati mentions she heard her name brought up. Adam goes on about the statue of Rob. And, it's now time to vote.

The tally -- 

Parvati, Adam, Adam, Adam, Ethan, Ethan, Ethan, Ethan

WAAAHH! ETHAN is voted out! 

Survivor 40: Winners at War - February 19 Show Blog Party

Well, I'm not too thrilled that Extinction Island is back. I've always been one of those people that feel once voted out, you're out. But they never consult me on these things! It will be interesting to see how the fire token bartering goes down and I doubt we'll see quitters like on the last Extinction Island. But, still ... fire tokens and the island can vanish after this season!

The esteemed and fashionable Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool --

DAKAL (Red tribe)
Kim Spradlin-Wolfe - Dr_Celine
Nick Wilson - Barbara BW, Judi Sweeney
Sandra Diaz-Twine - tbe
Sarah Lacina - SueGee, Cheryl in NC
Sophie Clarke - ChicMc
Tony Vlachos - Karen in CA, Donna in Alabama
Tyson Apostol -Janice
Wendell Holland - Nickelpeed, PDX Granny
Yul Kwon - Ed in Ohio

SELE (Blue tribe)
Adam Klein - Lifeguard Laurie, Petals
Ben Driebergen - Rbennie, Shannon
Danni Boatwright - Jennasmom
Denise Stapley - Becky, Jennifer
Ethan Zohn - Rochelle, Jackie
Jeremy Collins - Sharon N
Michele Fitzgerald -Terry is a Texan
Parvati Shallow - Donna in FL
Rob Mariano - Auntie Leigh

Extinction Island
Natalie Anderson - Nana in the NW
Amber Mariano - Delee, Glenn Allen

I will be updating this post with the major events as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Feel free to join in on the fun!

Survivor fans ready?

Amber is om Extinction, determined to do here best to come back into the game. Rob (of course) gets the fire token. He doesn't know who gave it to him, but deep down he knows it's Amber. He tells Parvati, his new ally.

Denise finds an idol while with Ben. It's one of those two half idols and she must share it. She's working with Ben but tells Adam about the idol to solidify him with Ben and herself. Adam convinces her (ahem) to share it with him.

Kim finds the same type of idol. Hmm ... she shares hers with Sophie.  That's odd. Sophie feels the same way I do about it.

Amber and Natalie are trying to decipher clues on Extinction. Ohh! Natalie found an advantage in the water -- it offers safety but no power -- the bearer leaves Tribal Council. She sells it for one fire token to Jeremy. He doesn't know who it's from but guesses Natalie.

Tony has others help him build and carry a ladder to retrieve coconuts. He goes with the old Cops R Us alliance with Sarah even though it was ill-fated before.

Immunity challenge time! Race out with cart, get three keys, heavy chests, disassemble cart, get it through barricade (and chests, too), reassemble cart, take over obstacles, open chests, puzzle. Reward is the spice kit.

DAKAL wins Immunity!

Rob is kicking himself as he was the main cause of the lost challenge. He thinks a "new school" person will be voted out rather than himself, though. He thinks either Jeremy or Ben should go home. Meanwhile Danni feels insecure and that people are leaving her out. So she goes to Ben. Hmm. Will Parvati be their target? Oh my. Now the target is on Danni! Or is it back to Parvati? I guess we won't know until we know.

Time for Tribal Council. I'm not sure if I truly appreciate the new intro music. Rob says the game is all about relationships and more complex than it's ever been. Ethan admits he's befuddled. They talk about how Ethan and Danni last played without idols, advantages and other twists. Now the old school/new school bit is brought up by Ben. Ben claims everybody is paranoid. Heh. Rob wants everyone to open their bags to see who has the idol. And some do! Oh, geez. 

Dang. This vote is still up in the air!

The tally ... no one plays an idol.

Parvati, Danni, Danni, Danni, Danni, Danni ...

Danni did herself in! Off to Extinction she goes!

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 40: Winners at War Season Premiere Blog Party

Okay, we have 20 previous first place winners playing this season. They know how to outwit, outplay and outlast. They've done it before. While I'm eager to see them compete against each other, before seeing how things are going to go down, I want to whine about twists. Isn't it enough to have this bunch competing against each other?

Noooo ... they're dragging in Island of Extinction, some odd fire token twist and, if memory serves from something I read, although there are two tribes, it's one camp. I might be wrong about the last. I hope so! 

As the show airs, I'll do my best to update this entry during the two-hour premiere as it airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news. As always, the real party is in the comments area feel free to join in on the fun!

A blog pool message from the beloved Lifeguard Laurie -- Nobody goes home tonight. They go to a team with only one person.
Nobody has a bad pick this time!!

And, without further ado, here's the blog pool:

DAKAL (Red tribe)
Amber Mariano - Delee, Glenn Allen
Kim Spradlin-Wolfe - Dr_Celine
Nick Wilson - Barbara BW, Judi Sweeney
Sandra Diaz-Twine - tbe
Sarah Lacina - SueGee, Cheryl in NC
Sophie Clarke - ChicMc
Tony Vlachos - Karen in CA, Donna in Alabama
Tyson Apostol -Janice
Wendell Holland - Nickelpeed, PDX Granny
Yul Kwon - Ed in Ohio

SELE (Blue tribe)
Adam Klein - Lifeguard Laurie, Petals
Ben Driebergen - Rbennie, Shannon
Danni Boatwright - Jennasmom
Denise Stapley - Becky, Jennifer
Ethan Zohn - Rochelle, Jackie
Jeremy Collins - Sharon N
Michele Fitzgerald -Terry is a Texan
Natalie Anderson - Nana in the NW
Parvati Shallow - Donna in FL
Rob Mariano - Auntie Leigh

Survivor fans ready?

Of course, starting off we're getting snippets from all the castaways.. They're cruising in to meet Jeff. The men arrive first, then the women. Jeff is making it sound like it's going to be men against women. Now we're getting snippets of each talking to Jeff.

They get an actual champagne toast to celebrate -- "A drink before war is always a good idea." Into the tribe reveal. (You can see the tribes in the pool listing above.)

Jeff tells them they each start with a fire token. If they're voted out they need to will their tokens to someone and then they're sent to Extinction Island. He gets cheers when he announces the prize is two million dollars. (Like they didn't know.)

They are already in a challenge. It's Reward (flint) and Immunity. Racing out in teams of two through water retrieving a ring and having to put hand on pole. The teams race and wrassle for control of the ring.

DAKAL wins Immunity!

Jeff tells Seles that Tribal Council will be the next night, not this night.

The fire tokens can be used as a bit of currency for food and more.

Uh-oh -- Denise and Adam put targets on their backs by wandering off together.

Tony plans on a more mellow approach and gaining trust. Amber feels she needs to find an idol. Rob and Parvati want to work together? Oh my. Ben spills the beans to Rob that Danni was throwing his name out. Rob goes to Danni and she does confirm it. Now will there be an Old School Alliance? Rob, Parvati, Ethan, Danni?

Ben warned Adam that his walk with Denise looked bad and now his name is out there. Adam thinks that Natalie and Jeremy should be split up because they're so close. So now it might be Adam, Denise, Jeremy or Natalie voted out. Rob and Parvati are shocked that they're not looking like the latest targets.

Tribal Council time is here! Jeff asks Ethan about the culture shock. Ethan says his season was glacier speed. Denise tells Jeff that she and Adam got lost looking for water and it looked bad. There were whispers with subtitles but I didn't catch them. Wah. Time to vote.

The tally after commercial.

Denise, Adam, Denise, Natalie, Natalie, Natalie, Natalie. Natalie

Like her sister, Nadiya, now Natalie is voted out first. She heads to Extinction Island. I'm sure she'll leave her fire token to Jeremy. Once there she reads that she can earn fire tokens to help her get back into the game. She also reads that she can quit and go home.

Sandra is so ticked that Rob lied to her saying he would never come back. She's willing to take revenge on Amber because Rob is on the other tribe.

Back on Seles it looks like the New Schoolers are going to challenge the Old Schoolers. And, yes, Natalie did leave Jeremy her fire token. 

On Extinction Natalike reads a list of what can be bought with tokens from idols to advantages. She finds a bottle with gives her directions to start looking for a token. She finds an immunity idol, no value on beach, but can trade for a token from someone coming to Extinction. If the idol does make it back into the game, it's good for three tribals.

Second immunity challenge time. Paddle out, retrieve bag of number tiles, back over obstacles, combination lock to retrieve rings to throw on paddles. Three wins. 

SELE wins immunity!

Yul thinks people should be civilized. Amber, Nick, Sandra, Tyson are some of the names mentioned. Wait, throw Tony in there, too. Whoa ... Sandra finds the Extinction idol and buys it with her fire token! Tony is trying to orchestrate a Tyson ouster. Yul tells Tyson that Amber or Kim are possibilities. It dawns on Tyson that his poker playing with buddies Rob and Amber might put a target on his own back. Kim was also part of that poker bunch. Uh-oh!

To the second Tribal Council of the night. The Jeff questions are similar to the last one -- asking about how fast the game is moving compared to more recent seasons. The Poker Player Alliance is brought up. 

Time to vote ... we only have seven minutes of show left. Hmm.

The tally ... Sandra does not play the idol.

Nick, Kim, Kim, Kim, Amber, Amber, Amber, Amber, Amber.

Amber is gonzo. 

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

Survivor: Island of the Idols - Season Finale Blog Party

Tonight will be the first taped reunion show ever in the history of Survivor. I guess they don't want any unexpected discussion. Hmm. While Jeff Probst has been saying Dan is the first one ever removed from the show, Russell Hantz and others disagree -- they claim Brandon Hantz was removed and that impromptu vote booting him was staged. It's been a season of controversy and, to be honest, I'll be happy to see it end.

I might have a few issues with live blogging tonight as I had an eye exam with the dilated pupils and all. I'm still having some problems with double vision as I prep this post. I will do my best to update this entry with the major happenings, though. Refresh the page to get the latest update! As always. the real party is in the comments area -- please feel free to join in on the fun!

The Lovely Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool -- are you still in it to win it?
Merged Team
Dean Kowalski -- CherryPie, Merrilee
Janet Carbin -- Donna NY, Sharon C
Lauren Beck -- Jackie, Sharon N
Noura Salman -- Jennasmom
Tommy Sheehan -- Karen in CA, Terry is a Texan

Jury
Jack Nichting
Kellee Kim & her idols
Jamal Shipman
Missy Byrd
Aaron Meredith
Elizabeth Beisel

Karishma Patel

Elaine Stott

Survivor fans ready? GAH! The Impeachment hearings are still on?!?!?! Ah, they're starting on time. We start out in Los Angeles with a Rob/Sandra reminisce session.

The five see a boat arrive. They're all instructed to grab their personal items and get aboard. They're all heading to the Island of the Idols. Tommy is the only one who hasn't been there before. 

For the rest of the game, the five will live in the house Rob built. They get new buffs, too. Rob and Sandra are OUT. Whoa … there's one last test if someone has been paying attention. 

Janet has an idol and believes she's guaranteed to be final four. Some are mentioning her name. though. Dean seems to be targeted. Tommy seems to be the only one thinking something is on the island to save him. He's finding machetes. one in a coconut. He thinks it was pink inside because he's colorblind. He tells Dean hoping he can trust him.

Tommy thinks Dean isn't being any help. Meanwhile, Dean is actually following the clues for his own nefarious self. And, it's Dean who finds the hidden idol.

Immunity Challenge time -- they retrieve rope rungs, build ladder, climb tower, maneuver bag of balls up ladder, toss on table maze. Also Reward -- steak dinner, vegetarian alternative.

DEAN wins Immunity for the second time in a row! He can take one person with him for the dinner and chooses Noura, a surprise to all. He claims it's to make amends. Of course, the others think jury management.

Dean is buttering up Noura to sit with her at the end. She realizes what he's doing but understands. They both think they need Janet out. She tells Tommy that all the votes except hers go on her while she plays her idol and votes Lauren, the one she thinks is the biggest threat.

Uh-oh. Tommy doesn't want Janet in the end although he adores her. He is tight with Lauren. Hmm. They want Dean to use his idol nullifier. Dean has to decide with whom he wants to sit at the end.

Time for Tribal Council. Fire making is brought up. That's not good for Janet because she's good at making fire. Jury management is discussed as well. 

The tally -- Dean does use the nullifier and Janet uses her idol to no avail. 

Lauren, Janet, Janet, Janet ...

She played the idol right and Dean nullified the right target. Sigh. Janet is gone. I liked her. 

Impeachment breaks in, Donald Trump is indeed impeached -- the third president impeached and I've lived through two. Supposedly, Survivor will be aired in its entirety.

Now we're sitting through all the saved-up commercials they didn't air during the impeachment news break.

Okay … we're back on the Island of Idols. Dean is thrilled with himself and his superiority at the game. @@ He thinks he has final two deals with both Moura and Tommy. He can't make fire. Meanwhile, Tommy tells Noura he cannot make fire. He can't really figure Noura out. Nor can we, so he's not alone.

Final Immunity Challenge -- Stack letter blocks on wobbly platform spelling out Island of the Idols. Winner picks one to accompany him or her to the final three. The other two face a fire challenge to garner the third place.

NOURA wins the final immunity! It's her third immunity win.

Back to camp and the others are really worried about Noura because she's so unpredictable. She tells them she wants to take a swim, has already made up her mind, will discuss it with them along with the psychological aspects. She tells Lauren she's her number one. Dean suave made good moves. Tommy didn't connect. 

She tells Lauren that she's the Queen so she needs to go to fire. Dean, your game is on fire right now, really fire. So, she's taking Tommy. Lauren is in tears -- she's never made fire. Dean has never made fire but is trying to act like he's not worried. They both practice fire. Tommy wants to help both of them because one will be on the jury. He's helping Dean more because he thinks he has a better chance against Dean and Noura. 

Tribal Council time … Noura tells her wacko thinking in making her decision. She tells her ideology that Lauren is her number one and that's why Lauren must go. She says she chose Dean to eliminate Lauren. So, Tommy is her choice to go with her and she really wants her number one Lauren out.

Lauren and Dean must make fire. Dean wins the fire challenge.

The final three are Noura, Tommy and Dean.

The guys think it's definitely one of them winning. Noura wants to work with Tommy to run down Dean. Noura and Tommy think Dean can't win. Noura does see through the guys.

Final Tribal for jury questioning.
Outwit -- Jack tells them they're all undecided and be clear and honest. Dean -- he tells his strategy not to be the smartest, social game. Noura -- haven't watched every season, not to be super, but don't be dead weight in challenges, she goes off on tangents. Elaine reminds her that it's not strategy she's talking. Tommy -- making real connections with others, play in the middle, get info from all, big moves. Lauren asks Tommy who he was most loyal to and he tells her it was her. Noura rats Tommy out about the extra help to Dean with the fire. Janet asks when he decided to betray her. He told her around eight because he couldn't beat her. Lines not willing to cross? Noura didn't want to make a move she didn't want to own. Tommy, no bullying. Dean never promise a final three if he didn't mean it. 

Outplay
Win final immunity, what would you do? Noura -- Dean because his game was weaker. What about Tommy? She doesn't think Tommy could beat Lauren. Approach to individual immunity -- Noura always tried her best, Dean gave all later in the game. Tommy says he controlled the game because he knew who had the advantages. Heh. Dean learns from Jamal that his advantage was fake. Sean shows them the idol he found in the final five. He had all the idols and advantages and never had to play them. Tommy claims that wasn't a game move. 

It's pouring along with lightning and thunder. 

Outlast
Tommy played hard, risky big moves, didn't win an immunity necklace but still got there. Noura you loved and hated me, wild card, weird, crazy, did whatever she could to win challenges. Dean jaw-dropping moments such as nullifier. on the losing tribe, etc.

Time for them to vote …

Back in LA

Tommy, Dean, Tommy, Dean, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy ...

TOMMY WINS! Congratulations to blog pool winners Karen in CA and Terry is a Texan!

I won't be posting much on the reunion show unless something strikes my fancy. 

Sia gives 15K to Jamal, 100K to Elaine! Wow! 100K to Janet! Okay, that almost redeems the season!

Time for the Kellee talk with Jeff. He tells her she was right and he apologizes. I won't be covering this in full.

Next season is 20 returning winners. Winners at War, return of Extinction, the prize is two million dollars. I don't usually like returning players but an all winners playing might be very interesting!

Survivor: Island of the Idols - December 11 Blog Party

Oh my … tonight is the penultimate episode and next week is the big finale and reunion show! It seems like there are too many castaways left. Hmm ...

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments -- please feel free to join in on the fun!

The Lovely Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool -- are you still in it ti won it?
Merged Team
Dan Spilo -- Bizaro22, marthalight
Dean Kowalski -- CherryPie, Merrilee
Elaine Stott -- Cheryl in NC
Janet Carbin -- Donna NY, Sharon C
Lauren Beck -- Jackie, Sharon N
Noura Salman -- Jennasmom
Tommy Sheehan -- Karen in CA, Terry is a Texan

Jury
Jack Nichting
Kellee Kim & her idols
Jamal Shipman
Missy Byrd
Aaron Meredith

Elizabeth Beisel

Karishma Patel

Survivor fans ready?

We jump right into the action. All eyes seem to be on Noura. But Dean isn't really sitting pretty either. Noura is blaming him. Elaine now knows she wasted her idol and feels she must search out a new one. A bunch of the others have the same plain. Heh. Janet, who's not in with the in crowd found it! It's only good until the final five. Dean thinks Dan and Tommy found it.

Noura is crazy, but Elaine is worried that she would be targeted instead. She's trying to stir up things between Dean and Lauren. Dean and Dan try to convince Lauren she has nothing to worry about. 

A boat arrives. They must draw a name for someone to go to the Island of Idols. Dean goes. Dean shows Rob and Sandra his fake legacy advantage. The one he played before was a fake of the fake. He thinks it's real. Silly boy.

His lesson is about jury management. His test -- game of chance, a coin flip. He has a choice of three different advantages if he wins and lose a vote if he loses. He thinks Janet found an idol and wants to go for the idol mollifier. He actually wins the idol nullifier!

Dean lies to the others, telling them it was a coin flip and he said he lost his vote. He tells Dan the truth. Dan now thinks Dean has a legacy advantage and the idol nullifier … so he's dangerous. 

Immunity Challenge time -- Spin, unravel rope. collect puzzle pieces. go ove beam. solve puzzle. Seven word phrase read from top to bottom. DEAN wins Immunity! "This game will mess with your mind."

Elaine is sure she's going to be the target. In reality they're planning on splitting the vote -- Elaine target, Noura secondary if an idol is played. Meanwhile, many of the women are thinking of flipping to Noura as the target.

Tribal Council time! They're talking numbers. Elaine is talking about being the target. She says that they should keep her in to protect themselves a bit longer. She suggests Noura. Ohhh … Elaine is tugging at heartstrings! She just may have saved her butt? Time to vote.

The tally … No idols played.

Elaine, Noura, Elaine, Noura, Elaine, Elaine.

Nope. She didn't save her butt. 

WHOA! Here's the numbers issue -- DAN has been removed from the game. He won't even be in the jury. This is due to the earlier inappropriate behavior issues. Since the behavior was witnessed by show staff and filmed and we didn't see it all, it must have been downplayed some before this.

Survivor: Island of the Idols - December 4 Blog Party

Tonight is the family or loved ones visit show, either liked or annoying to show fans. I'm basically along with the latter crowd. While I'm sure it's great to see them, the schmaltz about it all is a tad too much. But they never listen to me. P think I'm looking more forward to see if Karishma keeps surviving.

I'll be updating this post with the major events as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest happenings! As always, the real party is in the comments ares -- I hope to see you there!

The Lovely Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool -- are you still in it ti won it?
Merged Team
Dan Spilo -- Bizaro22, marthalight
Dean Kowalski -- CherryPie, Merrilee
Elaine Stott -- Cheryl in NC
Janet Carbin -- Donna NY, Sharon C
Karishma Patel -- Ed in Ohio, SueGee
Lauren Beck -- Jackie, Sharon N
Noura Salman -- Jennasmom
Tommy Sheehan -- Karen in CA, Terry is a Texan

Jury
Jack Nichting
Kellee Kim & her idols
Jamal Shipman
Missy Byrd
Aaron Meredith
Elizabeth Beisel

Survivor fans ready?

The show opens with Jeff Probst calling the castaways in. He announces the loved ones visit. Tears and drama to go down with each. @@

Okay, to the challenge, they're drawing for pairs. Reward in the form of love. Obstacles, digging to get underneath log,

Tommy and Janet win Reward. They can invite one along -- Dan and his son Ryan who's only 13. They pick another -- Lauren.

Noura is rallying the troops back at camp. They are four against four. They think they should look for idols. They're not sure of the possibility of bringing one of the other four aboard. Elaine found an idol!

Time for the Immunity Challenge. Stand on a small block of wood stabilizing a ball on a block of wood. Drop the ball and you're out. It's the one where they have two handles.

Dean out, Tommy out, Noura out, Janet drops, Karishma out. Dan drops. It's down to Lauren and Elaine. ELAINE drops unexpectedly!

LAUREN WINS IMMUNITY!

The plan is to put four votes on Karishma, three on Janet (in case Karisma has another idol). Meanwhile the four that had stayed at camp decide they can control the vote if all four stick together. They're thinking Tommy. Sure enough, Noura is overthinking everything.

Tribal Council time. Starting off with the loved ones visit and how it affects those left back at camp. Lots of whispering going on. Noura calls out Dean, Elaine and Karishma … yikes! She tells all including Elaine's idol! She ends up caught in a lie and will we see the end of Noura tonight? Hmm.

The tally … Elaine plays her idol to save herself.

Karishma, Noura, Noura, Noura, Karishma, Karishma, Karishma, Karishma ...

Welp, they got Karishma out and Noura showed her true colors putting a huge target on her back.  

Survivor: Island of the Idols - November 27 Blog Party

Yes, I'm back! My apologies for last week. My internet woes are done and over with and I'm back, faster (and even cheaper) than ever. That said, we lost Aaron and Missy last week, two of the stronger players. I can only wonder what we're in for this week!

I'll update this entry with the major happenings as they air here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- please feel free to join in on the fun! 

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here's the latest --
Merged Team
Dan Spilo -- Bizaro22, marthalight
Dean Kowalski -- CherryPie, Merrilee
Elaine Stott -- Cheryl in NC
Elizabeth Beisel -- CherylNY, monty 924
Janet Carbin -- Donna NY, Sharon C
Karishma Patel -- Ed in Ohio, SueGee
Lauren Beck -- Jackie, Sharon N
Noura Salman --  Jennasmom
Tommy Sheehan -- Karen in CA, Terry is a Texan

Jury
Jack Nichting
Kellee Kim & her idols
Jamal Shipman
Missy Byrd

Aaron Meredith

Survivor fans ready?

The divided tribe has reunited. The first tribe from Tribal was surprised Missy was voted out. Karishma is thrilled -- her two biggest threats were voted out and she has kept her idol. Of course, she remains a target for others. 

They get a note -- one person goes to Island of the Island. It must be unanimous or they pick a name from the bag. Lauren piped up before anyone could say anything, saying she wanted to go. No one wanted to be the one to speak up, so they all went along with Lauren going.

They give her a lesson on situational awareness. How well does she know her tribemates? If she can guess who will win the next Immunity, she wins an idol good for two tribals. She loses her vote if she's wrong. They explain the challenge to her and tells her Jeff will offer food to sit out. She tells them that Noura would have a good shot and Elizabeth could be a contender. Rob tells her she can choose two people. She goes for those two.

Dean thinks the fake idol is real. He makes his own fake, thinking he can bamboozle someone else. Now, of course, he doesn't really have any idols at all.

Lauren returns -- her scheme is to tell the others about the upcoming challenge but take the credit for getting the food. She tells Tommy only the truth. She and Tom plan to push the food. but they want to keep Noura and Elizabeth playing.

It's Immunity Challenge time! Pull up on a handle suspending a ball, drop ball and out, last standing wins. Jeff brings up the breakfast and all is as Lauren told them. Six people chose to eat. Karishma, Noura and Elizabeth are the only ones playing.

Karishma drops first and, as Lauren hoped, it's going to be either Noura or Elizabeth winning. 

NOURA wins Immunity!

Lauren retrieves the idol. It's only good for two tribals, so Tommy thinks she shouldn't use it tonight. The vote should be between Karishma and Elizabeth. He thinks Elizabeth is the bigger threat. 

Oooh … good think Karishma keeps her idol in her bra however uncomfortable it is. Two women (Noura and Elizabeth?) go through her bag and find nothing. It solidifies their target against her. They seem to be focusing too much on Karishma for her to go tonight. 

They head off to Tribal and we head into commercials. 

At Tribal Jeff brings up that the challenge was only the three. Elizabeth says she felt she had to play and Karishma pretty much gave the same reasoning. Dean mentions his "legacy advantage" as why he chose to eat. Heh. 

Time to tally the votes. But first … Dean plays the "legacy advantage" and Jeff says it's fake. Karishma plays her real idol. Lauren plays her idol.'

Karishma, Karishma, Karishma. Karishma, Karishma, Karishma. Janet, Elizabeth.

Tie and a revote between Janet and Elizabeth. Those two cannot vote.

Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth ...

The tribe has spoken, Elizabeth.

Next week is the family/loved ones visit. Gag me now.

Happy Thanksgiving all!'

Survivor: Island of the Idols - November 13 Blog Party

We're in for two hours tonight as well as the merge. Can we handle all the excitement? I'll be updating this entry with the major happenings as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments -- please feel free to join in on the fun!

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool. Are you still in it?

Lairo
Dean Kowalski -- CherryPie, Merrilee
Karishma Patel -- Ed in Ohio, SueGee
Jamal Shipman -- Donna in Alabama, Petals
Janet Carbin -- Donna NY, Sharon C
Kellee Kim -- Glenn Allen, Indiana Jane
Noura Salman -- Jennasmom

Vokai
Aaron Meredith -- Auntie Leigh
Elaine Stott -- Cheryl in NC
Elizabeth Beisel -- CherylNY, monty 924
Missy Byrd -- Janice, TS14Fan
Dan Spilo -- Bizaro22, marthalight
Lauren Beck -- Jackie, Sharon N
Tommy Sheehan -- Karen in CA, Terry is a Texan

Jury
Jack Nichting

Survivor fans ready?

It's after Tribal and Dean is grateful to Kellee for saving him. Noura is stirring the pot. Kellee feels that Noura is setting her up for disaster with Jamal. After all, Jamal's sidekick Jack was the cost of her play AND Jamal wasted his idol by using it on Noura. The idol search in on.

Kellee found an idol! Woot!

Now the merge is about to start. Of course, it starts out with the feast. Will original alliances re-ally?

Oh my. Some of the women are getting really ticked at Dan touching them inappropriately. It's several of the women upset with him. I would be upset, too. I so hate unwanted touching!

Tommy is pushing for a Kellee first vote out in the merge. Oh noes!

Immunity Challenge time! Table with three balls on top. when you move it it lowers, when all balls fall off, you're out.

Noura is out first, then Kellee. Dean out. Janet out. Elaine out. Lauren out. Dan out. Karishma out. Tommy out. Missy out. Elizabeth out. It's between Aaron and Jamal. 

AARON WINS THE FIRST INDIVIDUAL IMMUNITY!

It looks like Kellee is the main target this week. Tommy and Lauren are pushing it. Dean is not keen on it -- after all, Kellee saved him. Jamal would like to make a move on Dan going. Hmm … but several are thinking Missy is the target and Dan vote is just smoke and mirrors.

Well, at least we won't go into Tribal sure of who will be going home. 

Kellee thinks there's another idol on this beach. She has the one from her old beach. She's searching. YES! She now has TWO idols! She thinks she might have to play one tonight.

Tribal Council time and they are talking of trust. Is it a bigger factor than deception? Tribal lines? Will Lairo fall? 

The tally -- Kellee does not play an idol

Dan, Kellee, Dan, Kellee, Dan, Kellee, Dan, Kellee, Dan, Kellee, Kellee, Kellee

GAH! She had two idols and I thought she was a smart player. Bye, Kellee!

Janet feels betrayed by the girls voting out Kellee instead of Dan. Lauren thinks she herself thought the reason to vote Dan out because of the touching issue. She talks to Dan about the touching issue. He talks to the women and explains that he had no bad intentions. They pretty much lie to him saying that Janet was lying about them complaining. They're painting Janet as a snake which isn't totally true. They were complaining about Dan!

Missy and Aaron go off looking for idols. Janet follows them. She's thinking that they will be targeting her next. She finds the idol! Hopefully she won't go home with it in her bag!

Jamal and Karishma find a note -- he could reach it, so he got it. A trip to the Island of the Idols but he can't open the note until he gets there. 

He opens the note after the meeting with Rob and Sandra. Oops -- he lost his vote at the next tribal. The lesson is sabotage. Sandra gives him a blank note and a pencil. What can he do with it? Then he's headed back. He wrote a fake legacy advantage. He tells them he played a game that caused him to lose his vote but won an advantage. He gives it to Dean as an olive branch. Dean thinks all it does is paint a target on his back. 

People are realizing that Jamal deliberately targeted Dean and it might just backfire on Jamal.

Time for the Immunity Challenge. Hold onto a handle over the water. Jeff lowers them, fall in the water and you're out. Two will get Immunity -- a man and a woman will win. 

Lauren out, then Dan. Jamal out. Elaine out. Karishma, then Janet, then Dean out. Noura out. Tommy out. AARON wins the mens immunity!

Elizabeth out.

AARON AND MISSY WIN INDIVIDUAL IMMUNITY!

Janet, Jamal and Karishma are worried they will be targeted. Tommy tells Janet she needs to vote for Jamal. She's still thinking she might need to play her idol. It will be in her pocket.

Tribal Immunity time.

Jeff asks how things were after the last tribal. Janet says that she thought everyone was voting for Dan. Missy brings up that Janet brought her name up first. Whoa. People are still throwing Janet under the bus. Aaron calls her out and claims she could have ruined Dan's life. Jamal speaks up for Janet. Dang, Jamal is a gem. Dan apologizes if he ever did anything. Now Janet is crying thinking she's hated and should go home. 

Finally it's time to vote.

Janet plays her idol! 
The tally --
Janet, Janet, Karishma, Karishma, Karishma, Jamal, Jamal, Jamal, Jamal, Jamal

Ack! Another player I was really liking this season. Bye, Jamal.

Two go home next week? Oh my!

Survivor: Island of the Idols - November 6 Blog Party

Last week we saw Elaine's gameplay narrowly keep her in the game. What lies ahead for us tonight? I'll be updating this post with the major happenings throughout the show as it airs here on the East Coast. As always, the real party is in the comments area -- please feel free to join in!

But first … Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool, probably grateful they didn't drop buffs and switch around two weeks in a row. Is your castaway still in it to win it?

Lairo
Dean Kowalski -- CherryPie, Merrilee
Karishma Patel -- Ed in Ohio, SueGee
Jack Nichting -- David, jennifer
Jamal Shipman -- Donna in Alabama, Petals
Janet Carbin -- Donna NY, Sharon C
Kellee Kim -- Glenn Allen, Indiana Jane
Noura Salman -- Jennasmom

Vokai
Aaron Meredith -- Auntie Leigh
Elaine Stott -- Cheryl in NC
Elizabeth Beisel -- CherylNY, monty 924
Missy Byrd -- Janice, TS14Fan
Dan Spilo -- Bizaro22, marthalight
Lauren Beck -- Jackie, Sharon N
Tommy Sheehan -- Karen in CA, Terry is a Texan

Survivor fans ready?

Once again we're starting without the opening sequence. Elaine kept her original four together but hurt feelings abound. But her four now outnumber the other original tribe members.

Over on Lairo Jamal has trouble making fire and manages to annoy one of the women who actually can and does make fire. Uh-oh. Now he's ticked off yet another woman, this time over food portions. He's made himself a target.

Ohhh … Elaine had picked Janet to go to the Island of the Idols. She's not happy because it seems to put a target on those who go there. A boat comes for her and we go through the fan gawking over Rob and Sandra. Rob advises her to think two or three steps ahead. Today's lesson is calculated risk. 

She can win a safety without power advantage good to the final seven. If she wins it, she would leave TC and come back after the vote. She declines, thinking ahead that she would be the target the next week and it's best not to go for it. Both Sandra and Rob are pleased she turned it down -- say it speaks for her gameplay and thinking ahead. Sandra is sure a woman will win this season. 

She returns to camp, lies about the island, creates a story similar to one told before and said she declined to play as there would be a consequence to winning. Those who haven't gone to the Island seem to realize something is up.

On Vokai, they're eying the chickens without considering eggs. @@

They also have a lot of distrust -- Lauren and Tommy want Dan out. But others see how tight Lauren and Tommy are and want to target Tommy.

Immunity Challenge time! Race to shoot coconuts in basket, heavy enough puzzle pieces drop, very large puzzle. No one sits out because the tribes are even again.

VOKAI wins Immunity by seconds.


Kellee seems like she's considering using her idol for someone else. It expires soon and she doesn't seem to think she's a target. Uh-oh. I'm not too keen on that line of thinking. 

Dean (my local Westfield NJ dude) seems to be the target … at least for now. The guys are lying to him, saying the target is Noura, Kellee happens to like Dean and wants to get him to vote out Jamal or Jack. 

She goes to Dean, tells him the people are lying to him and he's the target. She offers the idol. Hmm.

To Tribal very early -- 8:44pm, should be good.

Original tribal lines talk. Indifferent is the opposite of hate. Is Dean trying to get people to target others? Noura speaks … too much as usual. Jamal is now worried about an all girls alliance thanks to Noura. Four women, three men on the tribe. Kellee balks at the thought. Noura starts speaking of the women's movement and how Survivor is a microcosm of society. Janet thinks that it's not respectful to assume there's a women's alliance. Now Jamal has stopped freaking out that he is going to be targeted and we're getting yet another world lesson here. Add it to last week's race relations talk and we have an educational show. Finally they vote.

Dean plays the idol. Jamal plays his idol for Noura. 

The tally:

Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean, Jack. Jack

Seventh out and first jury member -- Jack

The merge is on next week.

Survivor: Island of the Idols - October 30 Blog Party

Okay, the tribes have been shuffled, yet they kept the weakest challenge link on the more losing tribe. Maybe that's so they can lose some more. I'll be updating this entry as the show airs here on the East Coast -- refresh the page to get the latest happenings!

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool to reflect the tribe shuffle and the latest departed. She indeed rocks!

Lairo
Dean Kowalski -- CherryPie, Merrilee
Karishma Patel -- Ed in Ohio, SueGee
Jack Nichting -- David, jennifer
Jamal Shipman -- Donna in Alabama, Petals
Janet Carbin -- Donna NY, Sharon C
Kellee Kim -- Glenn Allen, Indiana Jane
Noura Salman -- Jennasmom

Vokai
Aaron Meredith -- Auntie Leigh
Elaine Stott -- Cheryl in NC
Elizabeth Beisel -- CherylNY, monty 924
Missy Byrd -- Janice, TS14Fan
Dan Spilo -- Bizaro22, marthalight
Jason Linden -- Dr_Celine, Nickelpeed
Lauren Beck -- Jackie, Sharon N

Tommy Sheehan -- Karen in CA, Terry is a Texan

Survivor fans ready?
Again, right to the show, no opening sequence/theme.

Noura is trying to get a bunch against Jack and Jamal. Now the target will turn on her. Karishma and Dean are the two sole members of the minority tribe.

On Vokai there are four from each tribe and they're still worrying about going to rocks in case of a tie at tribal.

Reward Challenge time. Transport a sled with sandbags and one tribe member through obstacles, collect keys, unload all the sandbags, that person must shoot three targets. It's the chickens reward. They sat out Elaine who instead of watching will go to the Island of the Idols.

Vokai wins Reward!

With all the down time, Rob is building the Mansion of the Shelters. He says Sandra snores so she might get her own wing.

Elaine arrives. Her lesson is having the courage to be daring. Rob tells us that being as impulsive as she is might be a double edged sword as she just jumped on her challenge without knowing what it is. Rob tells her a lot of information about the Immunity Challenge and where she needs to grab an advantage. If she doesn't get it, she loses a vote. She must choose who goes to the Island next.

Jack doesn't seem to know much about your average Black men. Jamal schools him. Hopefully Jack really listens.

At least they're talking about eating the rooster this time around. Elaine tells Elizabeth what she needs to do because Elizabeth knows about the island.

Immunity Challenge -- dig under big cage, get inside it, collect five balls while in cage, target. Noura sits out.

LAIRO WON IMMUNITY!

And Elaine succeeded. She can block one vote. However, she might still go home because her own people are willing to betray her. Her name is in there as well as Lauren and Dan. 

Time for Tribal Council. Jeff starts off with the tie possibility. Whoa! Elaine reads her advantage and blocks Jason's vote. (He was one saying her name.) Lots of whispering going on. Lauren is crying. She thinks she will be going home. 

The tally --
Elaine, Elaine, Elaine, Jason, Jason, Jason, Jason.

Byebye, Jason. Ohhh bitterness, tells them not to trust Aaron.