Survivor: David vs. Goliath - Blog Party! - October 3

I still might have some problems with tonight's live blogging as I get used to who's whom in the cast. I put up a cheat sheet with names and images at this link. But I won't really be able to access it while blogging and watching the show. For those who originally had Pat in the pool, that post has not been updated. You have someone new as listed below.

Here's the blog pool news from Lifeguard Laurie herself (she rocks!) --

Here's the pool. Same rules as before, nobody goes home the first night. They each get added to other teams (randomly).

Team David
Bi - Auntie Leigh, Janice, nana in the nw
Carl - DonnaNY, MikesGirl, tbc, Delee
Christian - ChicMc, Judi Sweeney, Sharon C
Davie - CherryPie, KelseyNY, Robin Allard
Elizabeth - Dennis Comfort, marthalight, Skyriverblue
Gabby - Cheryl in NC, Krysta Gibson, Rochelle
Jessica - Dr_Celine, ML, Terry is a Texan
Lyrsa - Buzzmaam, jennifer, Petals
Nick - Brian, Jennasmom, Paula Bell, Silk

Team Goliath
Alec - Carol C, Jean, Rbennie
Alison - Cher C, Jenna G, Renee
Angelina - Donna in FL, Margo, Vicki Volk
Dan - Donna in Alabama, Laurie Miles, SueGee, Marlo Lee
Jeremy - Andi L, Jackie, monty924, PDX Granny
John - Bizaro22, Indiana Jane, Nickelpeed
Kara - David, Karen in CA, Sharon N
Mike - Ed in Ohio, meb, Tammy
Natalia - Glenn Allen, Merrilee, TS14Fan
Natalie - Brenda, ITCHY, Nora

Out
Pat -  Team members moved to other teams 


Survivor fans ready?


Previously on ... Dan and Kara showmance and idol and the medical evacuation of poor Pat. Nineteen are left. Who will be voted out tonight?


The David tribe is wet and miserable ... and missing Pat's leadership skills. Goliath isn't doing too well with the horrible rain and wind either. On David, Christian is sort of liking Nick and Nick knew he was the target had Pat not had to leave the game. They're forming quite a bond. An alliance? Hmm. They're the Mason-Dixon Line alliance.


Whoa! Due to the unrelenting rain, David gets tree mail with a fire-making kit and tarp. 


Over on Goliath, Dan thinks he's living the dream. His idol is right in his jacket. He thinks he can trust Kara and Natalia, the two who know about it. All of the others are noticing that Dan and Kara are a couple, despite it's so early in the game. Natalie (not to be confused with Natalia) gave Kara a heads-up. Natalia thinks she, Kara and one other girl have the guys wrapped around their finger. Meanwhile, Jeremy finds Dan's idol and tells Mike. So, now they're bonding.


On David, Davie thinks he's going to fill the role of provider. Instead of food, he finds an immunity idol!  


Also on David, they're talking about possibly getting rid of Lyrsa first. It was Carl pushing the agenda. Elizabeth, her closest buddy, warns her. Supposedly, Carl thinks she's the weakest person. Lyrsa thinks she is NOT the weakest and now really wants Carl gone.


They're having fun on Goliath, frolicking in the ocean. But Natalie thinks they're all acting like they're in high school. John thinks it might behoove him to work with her as no one would suspect them. He warns her that she, as the oldest in the camp, is the first target. She's determined to drop some Natalie Napalm if needed. I don't think she's helping her case. Jeremy doesn't think so, either. He tries to talk to her. She's like a brick wall. Now he too wants to target her.


Time for the Immunity Challenge. Jeff tells Goliath that Pat was medically removed from the game and the storm was a cyclone.


One person from each tribe climb ladder, boat, puzzle pieces, wobbly table while solving block puzzle. The Reward is fishing gear with a first time ever actual fishing pole.


Goliath has a huge lead as Bi is having trouble building the ladder to climb. They catch up at the puzzle, but then start to screw that up. It's very hot and they've been out there for over an hour. Goliath wins Immunity and Reward!


David is down. Bi tries to tell them that they're going into these things with a negative mindset -- they're so small, the others are so big. It looks like many still want Lyrsa out. Elizabeth thinks they should get Carl out. Wait ... now she's thinking they should get Jessica out because she's close with both Carl and Bi. Gabby wants her buddy Christian to vote out Jessica. Christian and Nick (Mason-Dixon) ponder making a big move.


It was a dark and stormy Tribal Council ...
Not raining in the rather neat temple. I guess they just like to film storms.

Jeff goes for his Probsting questions, first about the storms. Lyrsa says she knows she's a target tonight. Jeff asks if they're reevaluating the formula for the vote. They indicate to Jeff that the vote is organized. Do they go with the needs of the tribe? Hmm. 

Carl obviously votes Lyrsa. So does Davie. 

The tally:
Lyrsa, Jessica, Lyrsa, Jessica, Lyrsa, Lyrsa, Jessica, Jessica, Jessica

Jessica is voted out! Davie and Carl are stunned.

BB20: Looking Back on the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight

I never understand how fans of a television show can get so vested in the cast that hate is spewed all over the Internet. I look at much of the Big Brother related posts on Twitter like viewing a car wreck -- you're nosy enough to see what's happening, but it's scary what you might see.

I've been involved with BB-related media since BB1 when I created AOL message boards for the new show, monitored both the boards and the chats. I've been blogging about the show since that platform arrived. (Just a note, my earlier season blogs were sunsetted by AOL years back.) I had paying freelance gigs with AOL Television and Weblogs Inc. for many years of the show.

There have always been some people in the cast I liked, some not so much. But ... hate? Nah. I don't know any of them personally to have such a strong opinion. I don't have to live with any of them. I don't have to hang out socially with any of them. They aren't my friends. The winner isn't going to send me any money. Someone will win every season. I am here to be entertained. That's it. This season entertained me. What more could I want?

On the cray-cray Twitterverse, I see all kinds of hate going on between FOUTTE/Hive fans and Level 6 fans. Sheesh. It's bad enough that we have politics separating people these days. It's ridiculous. I post links there to my blog posts, but don't need all that strife in my life. 

Today I'm going to give you my take on the FOUTTE/Hive hamsters -- the good and the bad, where things might have gone wrong --

Bayleigh

Oh, Bayleigh ... where do I start? She's attractive and smart. But, she made critical mistakes which cost her (and would have even if not evicted with the Hacker brouhaha). Call me old-fashioned, but you can hook-up with Swaggy without physically hooking up with Swaggy in the early weeks! Unlike so many, I don't watch the show for soft porn or even showmances. It still rings in my mind what my own parents would think about it if it were me on national television and the Internet!

But, after Swaggy was gone and she snapped back without moping around, I was happy. She showed that she could be strong. I thought that she could be a contender! Yay! Then she won HoH. And it all went down the drain. Her severe HoHitis and power trip turned me off. I think that the way she treated others when she was HoH ruffled feathers and, had she not gone under the Haleigh Hacker Debacle, I believe she would have been targeted as soon as possible. Now, I'm most certainly not saying I would personally handle it better than her -- but I would never be on the show!

As for the "since the finale" news -- She had a miscarriage while in the jury house. Swaggy and Baleigh are still engaged. They say it's true love. Who am I to argue? I wish them the best.

Fessy (Faysal)

Fessy, Fessy ... talk about someone who's totally clueless about the show being recruited ...! I think he might have had visions of showmances galore for the taking and winning all of those physical comps he was sure the show had. Um. Well. He did bring me some entertainment on the live feeds, though. His whisper strategy meetings with both JC and Haleigh (at separate times) really showed how little he knew of how BB works. Even the physical comps weren't quite what he expected of physical comps and he didn't succeed at all he wanted.

He seemed to be a nice enough guy. But that haircut annoyed me so much that I wanted to go in there and cut off that strange long hunk o' hair! He played with it so much that it irked me every time I saw it -- similar to Haleigh's biting her nails or Tyler picking at himself. I still see him in my mind sitting on that HoH sink and it ripping from the wall, though. That and his reaction still give me a giggle! I feel he was a bit of a big dumb lunk when it came to the game. I'm not saying that he's dumb outside of the house. Apparently, he's pretty smart and unfortunately Internet trolls brought down his app he created with bad reviews. Shame on them. 

As for "since the finale news" -- He and Haleigh may or may not be together. Well, since they're apparently heading to separate homes in separate states, it's more likely "may not." I don't think he's a bad guy, not at all. But I also don't think there will be marriage down the road for them. If nothing else, she doesn't seem to be ready to settle down right now. She's only 21. We'll see ...

Haleigh

Haleigh ... what can I say? I think that she made many mistakes early in the game and never could overcome them. Sam created a stir when she "shamed" Haleigh and Kaitlyn for hanging all over guys. In a way, she was right. Haleigh would physically hang all over Fessy (who encouraged it), Tyler, Scottie, Brett and even JC. While she didn't seem to think it was anything serious, I kept thinking Christine and Cody. No, it didn't go to that level, but I don't think it did her any good in the game, either.

She seriously needs to seek help with that fingernail chewing. It drove me up the wall and I posted numerous screen caps of it just to skeeve  out everyone else as much as it did me! Now that I've fussed about her, let me mention some good things. I believe had she not hooked up with Fessy SO much, it would have helped her game. As it was, she was the last remaining member of her alliance in the house for a reason. No, it wasn't because she couldn't win comps because she did win some comps. It's because they liked her. She tried so hard after her alliance went that it was kind of sad -- we viewers and she herself could see the writing on the wall. She was just in the wrong alliance from the start and that did her in.

As for "since the finale news" -- See the Fessy one above, plus she's returning home to finish her degree.

Kaitlyn

I feel at a bit of a loss for words. She bugged me to no end on the live feeds with her neediness, her gurgly voice, her baby voice, her crying. I'm still stunned that she couldn't complete that six-part puzzle to get back into the house. She thought she was in love with Tyler. He thought not so much. She was out there in her own little world. It was obvious that she was never going to win this thing. That was about the only predictable thing about her.

All that said, she seems to have snapped back very well. Had she been in the house as she is on Internet, she would have been easier to watch. Yeah, the boyfriend at home left her. Yeah, she's still out there. But her Twitter is actually kind of entertaining and fun to read. There were so many people thinking she would need to be committed after leaving the house. They were wrong. She seems to have taken it all in stride. She probably still talks all gurgly, though.

Rockstar

Hmm ... I feel she came into the show to be a "character." From the weird eyeglasses to the wardrobe, it screamed attempting to be a character. I'm sorry. But props and wardrobe do not make you a character. It makes you annoying. I actually liked her best once she dumped the glasses and had one on one talks with Sam and others. She didn't do poorly on comps, coming close to winning many of the ones in which she participated. She took her Jesse Goddard punishment of the cooking and exercise in stride. That looked so grueling and you could tell she was sore and exhausted. I give her credit for that.

It did bother me that she seemed to have some sort of chip on her shoulder about financial classes of people. While she went on about Angela and Brett being born with money, she definitely didn't see her buddy Bayleigh's family home! To me there's no more sense in "hating people who have riches" than there is for any other reason. Heck, hate someone because they're mean, hate 'em because they're bigoted ... but it's just not a good thing to hate someone because you perceive they have a better lot in life or an easier one than you do. That will only keep stressing you out.

Scottie

I was a bit disappointed in Scottie. I honestly thought he would be more savvy in the house as a big fan of the show. I liked his fanatical cleaning! He made Sam look mellow when it comes to deep cleaning. Where he went wrong, other than being a bit hyperactive, was not being loyal to either alliance. Unlike JC who never was considered a part of either alliance, Scottie was with FOUTTE, then went to Level 6 crying when they were in power, then back to FOUTTE. He made some classic moves like voting out Swaggy while wearing a Swaggy shirt (and betraying his alliance).

But all of his sketchy moves made neither side really trust him. It seemed to me like he was more interested in making BB history than actually winning the show. That said, BB shouldn't do jury battle backs -- the person is just about always the immediate target for the next ouster. I was touched by his tender apology moments with Haleigh, but never really got into whatever that relationship he had with Steve. I wish him well, but he had his chance on the show and blew it. Next!

Steve

Speaking of Steve ... um. Steve? Who was he? 

Okay, I know who he is. He's from Jersey and I live in Jersey. But I do NOT have that accent. I feel kind of bad for him because, at 40, he was the "old guy" in the house. I wish BB would stop putting in one person older than the rest in there. While Kevin made it far in BB19, not many do. It's not fair to the one older person. Even without the blindside, he wouldn't have made it far. 

Swaggy (Chris)

Oh my. You can't win one comp and think you're all that and a bag of chips! I think BB kind of wanted him to be the "star" this season and that all blew up in their faces. He had the potential. But I feel his youth and all of a sudden on television affected his game. Had he not "swaggered" around the house after winning a comp and thinking he was a big shot, the whole FOUTTE alliance might have done so much better in the game. He alienated others and they wanted him out. Meanwhile, he was smart enough about the game and good enough in comps that he could have carried his alliance further in the game. He could have led them. Instead, his behavior brought about the blindside of him and marked the beginning of the end for FOUTTE.

Off Topic: About the photos (or lack thereof)

People have been mentioning that they miss my off television topic weekly photo posts. To be honest, I miss doing them. Even the year or more leading into my back surgery, I was taking fewer and fewer photos because I just wasn't able to get around well. My photos got so they were solely my commute to work and, at least at the Plainfield end, I wasn't even walking to the train station any longer. I didn't enter the local library photo contest last year or this year mainly because they ask that the photos be no older than two years. I just haven't been taking many photos in town at all during the past few years.

Since mid-January when I last worked, I've only been going to doctor visits, a surgery, more doctor visits, physical therapy ... you get the idea. I haven't felt like lugging more weight than I have to back and forth. So, what few photos I've taken during the months have been with my cell phone. I only had my real camera with me a few times during this time.

So, how am I? Hmm. Well, I'm better than I was -- the horrible nerve pain is gone. However, with my latest neurosurgeon visit, when I asked about work, I was told (rather emphatically), "No way!" While the back surgery I had worked for what was corrected, I apparently waited far too long before seeking medical help. I have what might be permanent nerve damage in one leg, along with muscle damage. I'm a fall hazard! Oh noes! Right now I'm waiting for the arrival of a custom made leg brace to aid me in that issue. But, I'm still having problems walking a block or standing upright for more than ten minutes or so. I get a shaky leg and severe back pain higher up than where I had the surgery done. The MRI I had taken pre-surgery noted moderate to severe spinal stenosis throughout my lumbar spine, along with some other pretty major issues.

I'm awaiting approval for long-term disability through my workplace. My short-term disability ended in mid-July. The problems I have with my back are on the listing for Social Security Disability. But I would like to have my long-term approved so I have some money coming in. It's a good thing I don't feel up to going anywhere because I have to watch my money. I'll be going back to the neurosurgeon for another follow-up in the beginning of November. I will know more by then as far as insurance, disability, how the leg brace works, etc.

All that said, I don't miss the stress and drama of working all the time. The past few years, I basically came home exhausted and not feeling well every day. If I have to not feel well, I'd rather do it at home reading or binge-watching television shows! Although I sometimes have bad nights pain-wise and don't sleep well, I've rediscovered what it's actually like to have an eight hours of sleep kind of night! I feel fatigued easily but that would be so much worse trying to work,

Enough about all that ... onto the photos I'm presenting to you this week! No, these aren't recent ones. This week I'm focusing on shots I took around Plainfield. And, but of course, a Vincent photo at the end.

Early morning gray skies

Pre-dawn Hugo's bar

Lamp on the YWCA building

Springtime on Church Street

Autumn on Park Avenue

Plainfield Train Station

Then there's Vincent

BB20: My Predictions and Afterthoughts - Final Four

Before the season started, I posted my first impressions of the new houseguests based on their pre-season online interviews and their CBS bios. Today I'm looking back on how I did --

Kaycee Clark - BB20 Winner

Back on June 18th, I gave my early take on Kaycee in this post. She claimed to be a "people person" and "fun." She also named Cody (especially if he upped his social game) as her favorite previous hamster. To quote me at the time -- "Maybe she's trying for second place? My jury is out on her. I think she could possibly be a competition beast. But I think she might be a bit more assertive than she thinks her fun people person persona displays."

Well. She was definitely trying for AT LEAST second place, having made a strong Final Two pact with Tyler before we even got the live feeds. And, she actually did play like Cody with an extremely better social game -- her loyalty to Tyler was much like Cody's to Jessica and she became a competition beast in her own right. And, yes ... she was more assertive than her friendly demeanor made her appear. 

She actually is a people person. She is fun. But she was playing the game from the start. I had hoped for a Tyler win. However, Kaycee is definitely worthy of her win. I like her heart, both in the way she treated others and how she played the game.  

Tyler Crispen - 2nd Place and AFP

I checked Tyler out in this post dated June 22nd. Hmm. I recall in the video interviews with him, he came across as much goofier than his actual self in the house. Plus, I found it a bit disconcerting that, in interviews, his eyes would bug out. I guess it was nerves or the lack of sleep. I should mention that I'm not a fan of man-buns, but I like his hair better like that. I think his hair often blocked his natural good looks!

I said this at the time "...  he mentioned three of them. Victor, Zach and Dan, all for different reasons. Hopefully he can combine their talents into his own game. His bio page doesn't really give me a lot to go on. The interview is a bit more telling. If he's smarter than the average hamster he could do extremely well. But, if he's as goofy as he comes across, he just might do well, too. I think I'd rather see him go further in the game than some of the others."

Yup, yup. As the summer went on, I definitely wanted him to win it. He was playing his game all summer. And, while he didn't seem "goofy" on the live feeds, he had everyone thinking he was clueless about BB for most of the summer. Unfortunately, I could see his game sinking a bit because everyone trusted him and he encouraged them to do so. Now, everyone trusted Kaycee, too. But she made a point of not really committing while Tyler seemed to do the opposite. 

All of those final two deals? The only one he personally made was with Kaycee -- everyone else made them with him. While I realize he couldn't say, "Oh, no. I can't do that -- I already have a final two deal with _____" -- it probably would have behooved him not to be so into the blindsides of those with whom he had such deals. But that's Monday morning quarterbacking. Had he won first place, he would have deserved it. He won second place, America's Favorite Player and what seems like a true love. He's a winner in my book!  

JC Monduix - Third Place

I looked at JC (now I know he's Joseph Charles, but doesn't like it) on this post dated June 18th. In it he claimed to be honest and eccentric. He's still claiming in the after show interviews about his honest game. Yes, he was honest with Tyler, in particular. But just the double-agent bit he did for so long makes me knock down the honesty factor.

Oh my. I got many things wrong with him! I said -- "If he's indeed a professional dancer, he should be athletic. Will he win it all? I did like his win and have them love me answer. But I don't know if he's mean enough to lie and backstab. At least he's different from the usual bimbo and mimbo." Well, we know how he did in all the physical comps! While JC might lift weights, he's no physical comp beast for sure! And, yes -- he's mean enough to lie and backstab. Dang, put him on slop and he's a grumpy surly mean horror. My last sentence in the quote is good. He was different from the usual!

I want to note that he was problematic in the house. My personal main issue with him is that he thought it was Big Brother the Musical. Every time he sang, they cut the live feeds. He wouldn't stop when told, either. Grr. However, as I said before, the stuff that TMZ latched onto because of zealous BB fans was way overblown. In the after interviews, the others are saying that those things really weren't big issues at all. If the people living with him don't have a problem, the fans should back off! 

Angela Rummons - 4th Place

Oh my. I think my take on Angela when I posted pre-show on June 20th was way off! But ... but ... she said things in her interviews and bio which really didn't come across as such in the house! Well, she said she'd lay low at the start. That she kind of did. She had an early HoH and then was referred to as "furniture" for weeks on end.

From the bio and interview, I got this: "at 26, she's lived "years and years" by herself." -- My thoughts at the time - "Hmm. I think she could be a strong player, but she's coming across as a bit too cocky for me to like her a lot." There was also this gem -- "She claims to be "very lovable and not afraid to use my sexuality to get ahead." 

I wrote then - "First, people who think they're all that lovable usually aren't. Second, I do not want a summer of sleaze. I'll see how she comes across on the feeds and show, but I'm sticking with full of herself right now." Watching her all summer on the live feeds, the "lovable" part not only didn't really surface (except late in there with Tyler). Instead, she admitted that she often built a wall around herself and didn't really get close to people. I can actually understand that, but I have no clue why she said "lovable."  A huge part of what did her in with others was her coldness to them. Or, what they perceived as coldness.

Then there's the fact that she got herself into what I think will be the most remaining showmance/romance of the summer with Tyler. It was not sleazy. It often came across as Jeff/Jordan-ish without the naivety of a Jordan. I like how she did kick in and win comps and I hope she and Tyler live happily ever after!

Your thoughts?    

Survivor: David vs. Goliath - Will Pat Cusack be "back"?

I'll admit it. I had early pre-season hopes that Pat Cusack would win it all this season. I liked his story. After all, the stories of the folks cast on reality shows (at least ones I watch) are becoming more to the forefront each year. And, Pat's story was noted by Jeff Probst as the impetus to the whole theme for this season.

Heck, I even like where the guy grew up and currently lives as it's my own childhood stomping grounds where relatives still live. (And, I might add that Watervliet NY has Ted's Fish Fry, amazing stuff!)

His accident on last night's premiere was definitely a freak occurrence. All he was doing was riding in a boat back to the camp and off camera. I guess it's lucky that it happened to him rather than someone who isn't quite as solidly built.

I read this article online as I, having undergone severe back issues and surgery as of late, was curious about his prognosis. Thankfully, it seems like he's made a good physical recovery since the show filmed. However, with the word "compression" in the diagnosis, I'm thinking he might have suffered a compression fracture. While that is definitely an injury that will heal, the pain is incredible. It's no wonder most of what happened until he woke up in the hospital is a blank to him. 

Just looking at who Pat is, I think the psychological pain might be more enduring than his back injury. He says in the article that he would have been safe that night at Tribal Council as the consensus was that they would vote out Nick. Pat had redeemed his bossiness bit by the inevitable result of a sturdy shelter built. Nick, though he had his own sad story, irked his tribe mates by being lazy around camp. 

Now, I doubt that Jeff Probst will ever read this. But I think, if anyone deserves another shot to be on Survivor, it's Pat. I'd like to see him have a shot to really play the game, not be offed by a rogue wave. If he does come back, perhaps bubble wrap during boat transports in typhoons might be a viable idea.

Let's see Pat Cusack play the game! What do you think?