'Survivor: Exile Island' - East Coast Update 4/27 - Rewards, Exile

The tribe split into two teams of three. The team of Terry, Danielle and Courtney won Reward - a barbeque feast on a private island. They sent Aras to Exile Island. In an individual Reward Challenge between the three winners, Terry won a 2007 GMC Yukon.

Updates on Immunity and the boot will be posted as they air here on the East Coast. A full recap/review will be posted tomorrow morning.

'The Amazing Race 9' - Ep. 9 -or- "BJ and Tyler Rise Up Down Under"

We last left the teams in Oman where my personal favorites Tyler and BJ managed to squeak through to the next leg only because it was a non-elimination. They lost their money and all of their possessions except for the clothes they were wearing at the arrival (TTOW shirts!) and their passports. Will they recover? Can they get back in the running? Tonight would make or break them. And, if it doesn't break them, it will be the end of another team.

Five teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

Fran and Barry, the team who arrived first at the Pit Stop, were the first to leave at 5:35 pm. The clue directed them to fly to Perth, Australia. Before getting on their way, they stopped at BJ and Tyler's car to drop off $20. What sweeties! Not as sweet at all, actually rather evil, were Monica and Joe. They pretended to leave money in the car, said that BJ/Tyler shouldn't have asked and shouldn't have threatened to yield them. Huh? Something happened betwixt those teams which wasn't shown. There was one Yield so far in the race - BJ and Tyler didn't use it. That one was Lake/Michelle yielding Danielle/Dani. Some kind of bad blood is going on, though. And I'm not quite sure why. Oh, well...it gives me yet another reason not to like MoJo. They're my least favorite team since Lake and Michelle were eliminated. The Frat Junior Boys (Jeremy and Eric) left an I.O.U. for $100 to be paid after the race. A big help they are, huh? BJ and Tyler, the last team to leave, left for the airport at 8:21 pm.

All of the leading teams before BJ/Tyler ended up stuck in traffic because the King was in town. I know what that's like. Have you ever tried to get across Manhattan when the President is in town? About the only cool thing about the delay is that the teams got to see fireworks and it gave my boys a chance to try to catch up a bit. Would they?

BJ and Tyler even had an adventure on the way to the airport as they decided they'd pick up a hitchhiker. They picked up a man who said he was from the desert and he was fantastic! They told him about the race and their plight (no money) and he bought them gas when they were on empty, candy bars and snacks, too! I think this sort of thing is why I'm enjoying the team so much - their spirit of adventure and they way they embrace life in general is contagious. Even strangers are picking up on it!

Much to the dismay of MoJo, in particular, BJ and Tyler just made it boarding the plane by the hair on their chinny-chin-chins. Take that, you evil MoJo team! The Frats weren't too thrilled about their arrival either, but at least they didn't have hate in their eyes. I swear Joe was trying to send death rays at them. Fran/Barry and Ray/Yolanda seemed happy to see them. To make MoJo even more upset, BJ/Tyler collected $300 from passengers on the plane and, with the exception of wardrobe issues, they're in the money once again.

The teams all started out on even footing once they landed in Perth to head to the next clue. They had to take taxis to the State War Memorial in King's Park. The race was on! And we have...a bunching point. The first ferry wouldn't leave until 7:30 am. The teams headed to hostels and hotels for the night. Fran and Barry's room at the hostel was named the Pleasure Dome, but the pleasure is only there if you like onlookers. It was a shared hostel room, not very romantic at all.

After their ferry ride to Rottnest Island, the teams had to ride tandem bikes 3 miles to a lighthouse where they'd find their next clue. MoJo had trouble with the bike, so did Ray and Yolanda. Meanwhile, the Oldsters (Fran and Barry) are avid bicyclists. They passed both teams with ease.

The clue in the lighthouse was a Detour - a task to be performed by both members of the team. They had a choice of Sea or Sand. In Sea, teams had to don Speedos (yes, the Frat Juniors looked good) and snorkel gear, then dive to find two crayfish (one each) in a lot of 50 mostly empty traps, then swim to shore and hike to turn them in for the next clue. In Sand, teams had to drag forty branches across the beach to a sand dune, something that's called "brushing the beach." Monica and Joe really messed up the task as only Joe brought back a crayfish. They had to go all the way back, then Monica was scared and had a hissy fit screaming, "I can't do this! It's the worst thing I've ever done!" I thought carrying the swordfish was the worst thing she had ever done. I believe she should live inland. She seems to have issues with the sea and its creatures.

Argh! No! No! Jeremy/Eric were the only team catching the first ferry back to Freemantle to head for the next clue! Another big lead for them! Grr. BJ and Tyler decided to take a ferry elsewhere and then catch a cab while the other teams gathered on the next Freemantle ferry and made arrangements from the ferry for cabs. The increasingly annoying Monica and Joe stole the cab reserved for Fran and Barry.

Where were they headed? Straight to prison! Okay, it was the Freemantle Prison, built by prisoners and shut down in 1991. And, it was a Roadblock - a task only one member of the team can complete. In a blatant product placement, the team member had to find a flashlight and Duracell batteries in a certain block of the prison, then go down through the tunnels beneath the prison in a canoe searching for the clue which would lead them to the Pit Stop. Jeremy and Eric blew their huge lead when Jeremy took forever on the task, but the other teams never were able to catch up.

The Pit Stop was at the Freemantle Sailing Club and the teams arrived in this order:

1. Jeremy/Eric - won a trip to Hong Kong
2. Monica and Joe (Grr.)
3. BJ and Tyler (Yay!)
4. Ray and Yolanda
5. Eliminated -- Fran and Barry

I'd rather Fran/Barry stay in and Monica/Joe go! Although I was tired of Fran saying she couldn't do this or couldn't do that, Monica is much worse. And I think Jeremy and Eric are getting way too smug about themselves. I'd love to see them barely make it to the mat for the next Pit Stop. Out of the teams left I would like to see Ray/Yolanda (despite their bickering with each other - they're nice to others) and BJ/Tyler as the final two teams. With a BJ/Tyler win, of course!

'American Idol' East Coast Update - 4/26

Chris and Katharine got the highest number of votes.

Bottom two are Paris and Kellie.

Gone is KELLIE PICKLER.
Woot.

'The Amazing Race 9' - 4/26 East Coast Update - Order and Elimination

A full recap/review will be posted late this evening and, if you're a West Coast American Idol fan - an AI boot update will be posted here as it happens on the East Coast.

Here's the arrival order at the Pit Stop:
1. Eric and Jeremy - won a trip to Hong Kong
2. Monica and Joe
3. BJ and Tyler
4. Ray and Yolanda
5. Fran and Barry - Philiminated

'The Apprentice 5' - Episode 9 -or- "Ding Dong, Give a Deep Sigh, She's Gone!"

All right, after a week with no show, it's now the 9th week of the most famous (and most likely only) 15 week long interview! Even though two episodes aired in one night two weeks ago, I felt a bit bereft last week with no Apprentice.

After the recap of the last episode's firing (Leslie), Lee made a huge faux pas upon his return to the candidates' suite. Instead of saying that Leslie fought the hardest of any of the folks with whom he's been in the Boardroom, he said: "She fought the hardest of any of those I've fired." Delusions of grandeur there, Lee? While I think he has lots of great ideas, especially when it comes to marketing and focus, he's the youngest candidate there and has been brought into the Boardroom more than any of those remaining on the show. Methinks he's gotten a bit cocky.

The candidates met up with Donald Trump, his son (Donald, Jr.) and daughter Ivanka in the lobby of the Trump International Hotel and Tower. Representatives from Ameriquest, the sponsor of the task ahead, were also there. This week's task had the candidates designing a souvenir tourist program for Ellis Island which would include historical bits, photos and such. Ellis Island, of course, is where 12 million immigrants arriving in the United States would enter the country from 1892 through until 1954. The main building was reopened as a museum in 1990 and is a part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Proceeds from the sales of the brochures made by the teams will go to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.

Teams had to take a Circle Line boat to the island. Those run on a fairly regular schedule around Manhattan daily. Lee decided he had to be the Project Manager for Gold Rush and, if they lose, he knows he's history. Allie stepped up to the plate as the Project Manager for Synergy. Again, Lee's ability isn't necessarily that of a true leader. He delegated Tarek and Michael to go to the island and take the photos needed for the task while he and Charmaine stayed in Manhattan trying to cold call hotels in attempt to sell bulk copies. That wasn't all that fruitful and I personally think he left Tarek too much in charge. Perhaps it was the right path with the final outcome, but if they lost would he blame Tarek? He made a few excellent decisions otherwise, though.

The whole Synergy team went to Ellis Island and, not surprisingly, Andrea balked at Allie's leadership. Allie wanted them to explore around and take notes. Andrea thought they should just get the pictures and snag all the brochures already offered to use for content ideas. Uh-oh! Tammy was the note-taker and left her notes behind as they were leaving the island. So, half the team took off, the rest remained until they could catch the next boat. Andrea decided, since she's a graphics expert, she'd create the brochure cover layout. (May I roll my eyes here, please?) It was bad. It was so bad. Thankfully, Allie stuck to her guns about how bad it was despite Andrea's nastiness about things. "I heard you deep sigh me! Don't deep sigh me," ranted Andrea. Heehee!

The weekly after commercial break quote and lecture didn't seem to have much to do with the candidates at all this week/ Trump lectured about priorities and balancing family and business. The only connection I could see with this one was the fact that Donald, Jr. and Ivanka were there instead of George and Carolyn.

Okay, here's where Lee stepped up to play with the big boys. While he once again delegated a bit too much to Tarek by letting him create the brochure (he's a graphic expert just like Andrea!), he did some things very right. First, he got the team up before dawn to head out to sell the brochures. Second, he snagged the best location for selling them -- Battery Park where the tourists often wait in line for at least and hour or two to take the ferry to Ellis Island. It wasn't only a captive audience; it was a captive audience with an interest in Ellis Island. It was win-win. Plus, Tarek actually seemed to create an attractive cover shot for the brochure. In addition to getting up early and snagging the best location for selling, a $100 bulk sale came through from one of the calls made by Charmaine.

By the time Synergy arrived at the same location, Gold Rush already had the crowd of tourists in their hands. Foolishly, Synergy decided to go to the museum itself to sell their brochures. Now, that just doesn't make sense to me. If you can't sell to the folks waiting on line to go to the island, what would make you think you can sell them the brochures once they get to the island? Huh? I think, if I were leading the team, I might split them up and send each one to various tourist hot spots in town rather than try to sell to a crowd which already has bought a more attractive brochure. Folks visiting the Tenement Museum may also be interested in Ellis Island ... places like that. The Empire State Building crowd. Anywhere but trying to sell to people who already bought Gold Rush's brochure!

The initial Boardroom with both teams didn't really hold any surprises for me. Gold Rush sold $1548 in brochures while Synergy sold only $843. Ameriquest donated an additional $10,000 to the foundation. Allie wasn't confident even before the results were announced. When Trump asked her, she was already blaming Andrea. It turns out that Andrea also claimed to be a bulk sales expert, but didn't use her expertise to help the team. I couldn't believe that Trump actually acted like it's the first time he's heard of any problems with Andrea. How could he miss her attitude, the problems she has with others, her lack of ability to lead or follow? Maybe his hair has affected his mind or something. I say, as far as Andrea goes - lead, follow or get out of the way, preferably the last. I couldn't work with or for her.

Trump accompanied the winning team on the prize, a golfing trip to his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. Giving pointers was pro VJ Singh. I couldn't get excited about that. I think I'd rather swim with sharks.

While Gold Rush was out there on the green swinging and putting, Synergy was at the suite conspiring against Andrea. "I will go after her!," vows Andrea. "This will be the worst boardroom ever. There will be blood on the walls," claims Allie. Tammy, Allie and Roxanne try to convince Sean that Andrea's brainwashed him. Although he's not convinced, it puts him in some sort of stupor where pretty much all he can say is "I'm in an awkward position" over and over again. Andrea eavesdropped on the others, got caught and the circus went on.

Back in the Boardroom with Trump, he once again played his "I'm so surprised that Andrea isn't a star" act, praised Roxanne a lot for how well she puts forth her thoughts in a rational manner and didn't even ask Allie to select anyone to go into the firing Boardroom segment. In her defense, Andrea claimed to be an expert at hiring experts. I thought Ivanka actually seemed a bit on Andrea's side. What was up with that?

"Andrea, you're fired."

In the cab heading home, Andrea told the truth. "There's a reason I work for myself." There sure is!

Dollar bills, y'all...