Looking at the Survivor Villains

The new season of Survivor begins this coming Thursday at 8 PM ET/PT. I previously covered the "heroes" and now it's time for the "villains." In going through the list, I think the criteria in choosing the villains had to be a bit more grey than the heroes. I believe it was Parvati who said in her video that "the women were chosen because they're strong players while the men are characters." The men all seem like easy choices. But, with the women, the only outright villainess I'm seeing might be Jerri Manthey.

Make sure you're signed up for the blog pool (in comments at the Heroes post) if you want to play!


Ben "Coach" Wade, age 38, from Susanville, California. I don't want to talk about him. He does nothing but annoy me. He was the 11th out and 5th jury member on Tocantins. He's full of himself and needlessly "out there." While he's a legend in his own mind, he was a failure at just about every challenge in his season. I hope the first person voted out is him because he's so pitifully annoying.


Courtney Yates, age 28, originally from Boston, currently living in New York City. Courtney was the runner-up in China. She's one who isn't really such a villainy villain. I hope she's gained some weight. Whenever I think of her in her season, I see a walking skeleton in my mind.


Danielle DiLorenzo, age 26, from Boston, Massachusetts, currently living in Los Angeles. She was the runner-up in Panama. Once again, she isn't someone who screams "VILLAIN" to me. I think Parvati hit it on the nose with her comment about the women villains mainly being chosen because they're strong players. Danielle will probably do well. These women should team up and get rid of the guys ... and make it work this time. They're strong enough!


Jerri Manthey, age 38, from Los Angeles and still residing there. Now, here's the only woman who I feel was a real villain in her original season. She was the 8th person out and 2nd jury member in Australia, and 7th out in All-Stars. She had quite a bunch of brouhahas with Colby Donaldson. We can only hope for more. I doubt she'll win.


Parvati Shallow, age 27, from Atlanta, Georgia, now living in Los Angeles, California. On Cook Islands, she was the 15th out and 7th jury member. She was the winner of Micronesia. While she's definitely a bit devious with her flirtations, she's more of a smart player than a villain. She's not my favorite, but she thinks out and plays a good game. I think she could very well put in a good showing once again. I should keep count how many times it sounds like Jeff Probst is calling her "Poverty."


Randy Bailey, age 50, from Austin, Texas. He was the 11th out and 3rd jury member in Gabon. He's a bully. While I don't find him as annoying as "Coach" because he's not as whacky and doesn't get as much camera time, I don't care for him or his game. He can go. Thank you.


Boston Rob Mariano, age 33, from Boston, Massachusetts, now living in Pensacola, Florida. Husband of Survivor winner Amber, as we all know. He was the 7th out in Marquesas, and the runner-up in All-Stars. He was also on The Amazing Race. He has also used up too many fifteen minutes of fame. That said, I'd rather watch him than Coach or Randy. I don't think he's going to get really far this season. I don't think people will trust him.


Russell Hantz, age 37, from Dayton, Texas. He was the runner-up on Samoa. He's fresh in our memories and probably the most evil player since Richard Hatch. While he's the master of finding hidden idols and manipulating people in the moment, he doesn't seem to have learned a better social game plan. Loose lips and gloating cost him the million once. Will it happen again?


Sandra Diaz-Twine, age 34, from Stamford, Connecticut, now living in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She was the winner of Pearl Islands. Is she really a villain? I'm just not getting that. She was tight with Rupert in her season. Her chances? I don't know -- she's against a tough crowd and she's really not too villainy. If she makes it to the merge, maybe final six.


Tyson Apostol, age 30, from Lindon, Utah, now living in Heber City, Utah. He was the 8th out and 2nd jury member in Tocantins. He looks much better in this picture than I recall him looking on the show. He's another one I don't like -- that chip on his shoulder should make him list to one side. But he is strong in challenges and the tribemates always seem to think he's entertaining. I'd rather he didn't win, though.

The Bachelor Spoilers

No ... don't panic! I'm not writing them here. However, I received a press release from the Entertainment Weekly EW.com folks and thought some of you might be interested. Discussion in THIS post about the spoilers is fine (YOU'VE BEEN WARNED NON-SPOILER FOLKS!), but please don't bring the discussion to the main blog discussion post for the show. Merci!

Here's an excerpt from the article:

Bachelor producers are busy preparing for the Jason Mesnick-Molly Malaney nuptials on March 8. But in some ways, the wedding opens old wounds for producers — specifically how the spoilerific blog realitysteve.com, run by Steve Carbone, accurately revealed last year that Mesnick would first propose to Melissa Rycroft and then dump her for Malaney on a shocking After the Final Rose special. So far this year, Carbone’s blog has already leaked several details about the latest season of The Bachelor starring Jake Pavelka, including locations of dates, which contestants received “date roses,” and who would be sent home.

The EW.com article itself can be found right here.

Lost Geeks Discuss the Premiere

I found this video of AOL Television Lost Geeks discussing the major points of the premiere. I thought for those blog readers a bit lost about Lost might want to see it. Just click on the arrow to play the video. Be warned that it's about twelve minutes or so.

One thing I'd also mention would be a correlation to The Wizard of Oz. We know that in the first season, there were several references to Oz (like Ben claiming he was Henry Gale crashing his hot air balloon). I thought, while watching the season premiere, that the whole approach to the temple reminded me of Dorothy and her cohorts approaching the Emerald City. Plus, the music was definitely reminiscent of Oz ... as Maggie briefly mentions in the video.



Don't forget ... tonight at 8 PM ET/PT, there's a Surviving Survivor hour-long special!

Looking at the Survivor Heroes

Here we are in countdown for the start of the next season of Survivor. It's just a week (and a day) away! Margo has the blog pool rolling along, but there still are openings for those who want to join in. The deadline for joining in on the blog pool is noon (ET) on February 9. The prizes? Um, well ... you get to brag about your winner! It's still a lot of fun even if the winner won't win a million dollars.

Most of us are dedicated show fans, so we've seen our "Heroes and Villains" in action before. However, I figured I'd refresh your memories with some images, a few facts, and my own opinions. Please feel free to jump in with your thoughts in comments ... and may the fun begin.


Amanda Kimmel, 24, from Kalispell, Montana, currently living in Los Angeles. She was the second runner-up in China and the runner-up in Micronesia. Former Miss Montana and Miss Earth, she wants to prove she can win. My thoughts? Well, she's certainly better than the winner of the past season -- at least she plays the game. That said, she's not my personal favorite for the win and I think the competition might prove too tough for her.


Candice Woodcock, age 27, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, currently residing in Washington, D.C. She was the 13th out and 5th jury member on Cook Islands. Um, okay. I'm not quite sure why she was chosen. While I have nothing against her, I barely remember her. I get the feeling she won't make it to the jury this time around. It's up to her to prove me wrong.


Cirie Fields, age 39, from Jersey City, New Jersey, currently living in Norwalk, Connecticut. Okay, her showing on the show wasn't any better than Candice's finish -- 12th out and 6th jury member in Panama; 15th out and 7th jury member in Micronesia. But Cirie, unlike Candice, made a real impression on me. Her sense of humor, her "least likely to succeed on Survivor" background ... I enjoyed watching her on the show. Well, except for the icky underwear on Panama. I really don't think she can win against this group, but I'll be cheering her on just because I truly enjoy her.


Colby Donaldson, age 35, from Christival, Texas, now residing in Los Angeles. Colby should have been the winner of Australia, but he practically handed it over on a silver platter to Tina Wesson. On All-Stars, he had a rather rapid exit as the 5th out. His hair seems to have thinned some, but that winning smile is still there. Colby was definitely my eye-candy for the Australia season. Plus, he just came across as such a nice guy. I remember them shutting him down quickly on All-Stars. If he can get a good alliance going with his heroes buddies, he could very well last a long time.


James Clement, age 32, from Lafayette, Louisiana, he currently has homes in both Lafayette and Malibu, California. James was 10th out in China and, due to an injury, he made it to 4th jury member in Micronesia. James is another person I'm looking forward to watching -- he has these cool James-ism expressions which definitely reflect on his background and not necessarily his age. I should have known, but it's odd that he's only 32. In so many ways, he's an older soul than that. Definitely nice eye-candy for me with that physique and I love his voice. I hope he goes far and doesn't get hurt!


James "JT" Thomas, Jr;, age 25, from Samson, Alabama, currently living in Mobile, Alabama. JT was the winner of Tocantins. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with this season on the show. While he's one of the good guys, he's one of the fiercest competitors ever on the show. Unless he's targeted early, he's likely to make it to at least the final four. I like him, but he's not my favorite personality-wise to watch. Okay, okay, I know that's not what the show is all about. But he's like a friendly pitbull to me. Sure, he wags his tail and smiles, but when action is called for, he will risk his own self to win.


Rupert Boneham, age 45, from Indianapolis, Indiana (and still there). Rupert was the 8th out, 2nd jury member in Pearl Islands and 15th out, 6th jury member in All-Stars. He also won the first (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) fan favorite prize. Rupert's perhaps one of the most animated and colorful characters ever on the show. He's positively a good guy in real life, dedicating time and money to his charity helping kids. I know he's a favorite of many show fans, but not necessarily my own personal favorite. I'm not sure he can hold up to the heavy hitters this season. We'll see.


Stephenie LaGrossa, age 29, from Briarcliff, Glenolden, Pennsylvania, currently living in Philadelphia. (Huh ... why was I thinking she was from New Jersey?) She was the 10th out and 3rd jury member in Palau, runner-up in Guatemala. She's one tough cookie. She was the surviving Ulong member and went through some really hard times that season. I think she's the best bet for a female win on either heroes or villains. That is, unless they also figure that and target her to get her off before she wins it all.


Jessica "Sugar" Kiper, age 29, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, now residing in Los Angeles. Sugar was the 2nd runner-up on Gabon. Now, she's not going to win. Just the thought is preposterous. She gets rattled too quickly and is too emotional. Sure, she made some good moves in her season. And, yes, I really enjoyed watching her. She, for the most part, is a good judge of people. Hopefully she'll make strong allies. I want her to do well. I just don't think she will.


Tom Westman, age 45, from Long Island, New York, currently living in New York, New York. Tom was the winner of Palau and he deserved it. Until JT came along, I think Tom held the record for consecutive individual immunities. He's someone who has represented the FDNY so well on the show -- a nice guy, played the game with integrity as well as amazing physical feats. I like Tom. I wouldn't mind seeing him win again. But I don't think the villains will let him get that far.

Your thoughts?

Photo Credit: CBS

Tonight Will Be a Lost Evening for Me

Yep, it's back! Lost returns this evening with a big three-hour ordeal a'goin' on. From what it looks like, the first hour (although listed as new material) answers some questions and points out remaining mysteries. Then it's onto the two-hour actual season premiere. Most likely I'll NEED to watch that first hour as I've totally forgotten what happened last on the show!

Now, I don't think I'll be blogging the show in-depth as I'm so lost to begin with and it will take me some time to catch up. But if folks want to comment on the premiere, I'm sure to join in. It's the last season of the show and they did promise us answers. We better get them and it better not be a "Who shot JR?" scenario!

I'll be recording tonight's American Idol audition show due to Lost. What are YOU watching tonight?