The Amazing Race 35: Season Premiere Blog Party!

 

Don't forget to sign up for the blog pool!

The link to the blog pool sign up is right here. Please sign up ONLY on that post, not this one! The cut-off is Friday but do it now! There are supposed to be no non-Philimination legs this season, so one team should be out tonight. That team will not be in the blog pool. However, there will be no reassignments with the boot next week!

For a cheat sheet with photos and names of the teams, check out this post of mine! Oh ... and deaf people are making a mark on reality TV this year. Rob, the father on the father/son team of Rob/Corey, is deaf. TAR has not had a deaf contestant since Season 14.

I will be live blogging the action the best I can as the show airs here on the East Coast. I say the best I can because it's hard to keep track with new teams AND we even have two more teams than usual this season! They will no longer have the Covid-era private jet and will have to scramble at airports again. Woohoo! As usual, the real party is in the comments area -- I hope to see you there!

The teams start off at the Hollywood sign (its 100th birthday). Like with Survivor, we're getting sound bites from the different teams. Phil welcomes them to Hollywood. Each team introduces themselves. He tells them no non-elims. Express Pass will allow them to skip a challenge. U-Turns are a mandatory vote to slow down another team. Airports are back in play. Clues are inside the cars down the hill. They have to get to the Biltmore Hotel.

We're getting bits and pieces of each team.

Joe and Ian are the first to the Biltmore Hotel. Roadblock, on a tightrope high above the city, unscramble the clue to the next destination, Derek and Claire will give them the clue, two flights, six teams on the first one, 90 minutes apart.

Joe first at the clue. Other teams are arriving to the tightrope. Greg sees of and gets it. He thinks City of ... Angels and gets the clue. They have to go the LAX and fly to Bangkok, Thailand. Heh, in a hearing group all working together on the clue, Rob gets it alone.

The teams are arriving at LAX. It turns out Greg of brothers Greg and John has been learning sign language. He can communicate with Rob. So, a bond is forming with those teams. Six teams have lined up for tickets and more are arriving. Uh-oh, the second flight is getting tickets.

14-hour flight connecting through Taipei before getting to Bangkok, first clue is at the giant Buddha. Taxis. Victor, husband of Jocelyn, speaks Laotian which is similar to Thai and can communicate with the driver.

Morgan/Lena (sisters) first to clue, have to travel by boat and tuk-tuk. Express Pass chance. Clear a plate of exotic fried insects ... EACH. Ew. They are having issues with it. (But doing better than I would do!) Another team decided not to try when they saw the bugs. Rob and Corey head there. Lena has ONE bug more! And we go to commercial. They finish. Morgan/Lena have the Express Pass.

Some teams are still thinking of trying the Ezpress Pass. Others are boarding the marked river boat. Meanwhile, the second plane with seven teams is arriving. 

The first teams are getting into the tuk-tuks. Jocelyn/Victor Detour clue first. Sword Play, 30 seconds of a routine. Spa Day, painful (?) massage. Only five pairs of therapists. If you stop, you must go to end of line. Malaina and Andrea are the only ones going for Sword Play so far. Eep, Todd and Ashlie had to start over on the massage because he inadvertently stopped the masseuse.

Malaina and Andrea are having trouble with the Sword Play as they practiced with wooden sticks, not real swords. They give up and go to the massage.

Jocelyn/Victor through the massage first followed by Corey/Rob. It's a race to the Pit Stop for them at a Temple.

Pit Stop Order:

1. Jocelyn/Victor, trip to Patagonia won.

2. Corey/Rob

3. Greg/John

4. Morgan/Lena

5. Todd/Ashlie

6. Steve/Anna Leigh

7. Joel/Garrett

8. Liam/Yeremi

9. Joe/Ian

10. Malaina/Andrea?

11. Robbin/Chelsea? (10 and 11 may be reversed)

12. Elizabeth/Iliana

13. Alexandra/Sheridan - Philiminated

Survivor 45: Season Premiere Blog Party!

 

Don't forget to sign up for the blog pool!

The link to the blog pool sign up is right here. Please sign up ONLY on that post, not this one! The cut-off is Friday but do it now! If there is a boot tonight, that castaway won't be in the pool.

Tonight is the night! We get our first 90-minute show with the all-new castaways. Well, one is one from last season -- Bruce, the one with the head injury knocking him out of play the first day. All the others are new. And, as such, I am bound to have trouble with their names for a few weeks. So, please bear with me! For a cheat sheet with photos and names, check out my post on the cast.

I will be live blogging the events as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page for the latest updates. As always, the real party is in the comments. I hope to see you there.

Survivor fans ready?

We have three boats heading to the shore. We're getting brief soundbites from the castaways. No way can I keep up with the small talk! Once again and as always, they are in Fiji. Well, the boats aren't heading to shore. They are heading to a huge boat where Jeff Probst is standing.

They already have buffs on for their tribes. Yellow, Blue and Red. Jeff comments on their energy. Brandon is emotional. He's on the Yellow tribe. Bruce from S44 is introduced -- Blue tribe. Red is Reba. Yellow is Lulu. Blue is Belo.

Challenge - two from each tribe unload bags, key. Next pair, swim to boat, boat to key. Next pair, swim, use keys. Get supplies by unrolling bags through a huge spring thing, not much but a flint, pot and machete! Eep. Brandon is having trouble with the ladder getting up, losing Yellow's lead. Reba wins the supplies!

The other tribes have to choose two people for Sweat versus Savvy to get supplies.

Reba is celebrating their win. They do introductions. Julie the lawyer is lying about lawyering. 

The four Belo members are on their beach. Bruce brings up "mean girl Emily" lighting into him on the boat. Bruce claims to be the fun uncle, not the father of the tribe but then starts running everything. Brando and Jake went on the Sweat vs. Savvy. 

Meanwhile, on Yellow Lulu, Emily is bringing up how two volunteered to go on the trip and she's suspicious. Brandon, who had to be treated by medical arrives at the camp. Kaleb and Sabiyah went for their tribe.

Sweat has them moving 40 logs across the beach and then do Savvy - a puzzle in 40 minutes. Both tribes have sweat done are trying to figure out the puzzle. Both tribes are running out of time. They return.

Brando and Jake tell their tribe neither tribe got the supplies. Kaleb and Sabiyah got Emily ticked when they said they got nothing. She does not believe them at all. One of the guys tell them that Emily thinks they took an advantage. Meanwhile, Hannah and Brandon are bonding.

Belo Day 2 - The women are already talking final three. Kendra wants Jake out because he's a lawyer when one of the women is a lying lawyer. She's claiming office manager.

Lulu Day 2 - No machete. But they are working hard. Emily is being pessimistic about everything it seems. Her tribemates are wearying of her. She knows she isn't mixing well and risks being voted out.

Reba Day 2 - Sifu is looking for idols. His tribemates want to find him. He thinks he's playing a Tony game while Dee says he's trying to play a Tony game. They catch him. Austin finds an advantage which he must do if he reads it. Series of tasks, decipher message on their tribe's flag. If he doesn't do it, he loses his vote.

Day 3. We have the first Immunity Challenge. Up over ramp, into mud pit, heavy bag of coconuts, shoot into basket get set of keys, all go up tower, to puzzle. First two tribes get Immunity. Loser also loses flint. The two tribes without flint will have it back at camp unless they lose.

Uh-oh. Yellow Lulu is running behind again! Austin once again is having issues.

BELO wins Immunity! REBA wins Immunity! 

Lulu has to go to Tribal Council. Brandon feels bad that he will have to vote for someone who performed better than he did in the challenge.

Lulu Day 3 - Hannah is having ups and downs. She tells Brandon she wants to go. She knows they all want Emily out. Brandon tries to convince her to stay. Brandon feels he's a zero so far in the game. He physically feels awful with reflux. He tells others (not Emily) he is playing his shot in the dark because he feels like a liability. Sabiyah says they were all planning on voting out Emily. Meanwhile Emily tells Brandon and Hannah that they need to break up Kaleb and Sabiyah as they are so strong. Brandon tells Kaleb that Emily is targeting him. The vote seems to be between Brandon and Emily.

Time for Tribal Council. 

Jeff asks his Probsting questions. Will they keep the strongest? Emily throws Sabiyah and Kaleb under the bus. Sabiyah tells the others that Emily has isolated herself. Then it's to Brandon's struggles. Hannah still wants to go. She begs them to send her home but offers to quit. Jeff picks up on it. Is everyone on the same page? They all feel bad but they will all vote her out.

'Hannah, grab your torch." The tribe has spoken.

BB25: Zombie Feeds into Wednesday Morning - Sept. 27

 

No, the live feeders did NOT send these!

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Fire the Person Who Came Up With This "Twist" --

• No, hamsters.
• The live feeders did NOT send you those baskets of goodies.
• Production, stop telling them we did.
• What most of us would send them is a kick in the butt to actually get up and DO something other than retell the retelling of retold stories and "what if" scenarios
• Now, technically, it isn't the hamsters' fault.
• They voted to evict three players that production thought it was best to keep the numbers in the game.
• Before ANYONE goes on about it being rigged to keep certain players ... all of this was planned before the season started.
• The No Veto Show this week was listed from the start of the season!
• Yeah, someone PRE-PLANNED this disaster week!
• The snacks baskets and minor booze deliveries were the big excitement in the house this week.
• Now, they COULD have had fun with it -- not letting the two "zombies" sleep or eat with the living, having actual scary things happening, make the zombies get up in the middle of the night to terrorize the house ... anything!
• I'm including screen caps to show you everyone is still there.
• I don't have much more for you.
• Tonight is the big Survivor and Amazing Race debut night. Be there or be square.

Cirie and Felicia, still alive ... check!

Cameron, still undead ... check!

Pooh and Blue, still undead and alive ... check!

Jag, still alive ... check!

Bowie Jane, alive and smiling ... check!

Mecole, still alive ... check!

Matt, still alive ... check!

BB25: Zombie Feeds into Monday Morning - Sept. 25

 

Selective shaving

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Boredom:

• Boredom.
• Same old conversations over and over again.
• And again.
• Blue/Jared and Cory/America still showmancing and creeping me out.
• Cirie has heard much of the bad Jared has done but still has that motherly love going on.
• Cameron is still set on doing the final puzzle to be resurrected on Thursday's show.
• That's it.
• Have some screen caps ...

Scarier than the "zombies."

Party hats are out again.

Bowie Jane still smiles.

Cameron is sure he will be resurrected.

Doesn't know how bad Jared really is.

Blue puts on Cam's piggie suit.

BB25: Undead Zombie Whatever Show Blog Party - Sept. 24

 

Okay, I am not happy with this twist. I can only guess it's to spread out the show to its 100 days. Please, do NOT post comments that it's favoring one contestant or another. They will be removed. I've had it to here with them.

I'm guessing that tonight's show will be the zombie challenges that they blocked on the live feeds. If I have it right, the winner of each challenge decides whether to compete in the next challenge or hope to let the other one fail. The winner of the two challenges can decide to complete a puzzle on Thursday's live show or take the chance the other undead will fail.

I will be live-blogging the show as it airs at this horrible 10PM ET slot. Refresh the page to get the latest updates. As always, the real party is in the comments area -- I hope to see you there!

Previously on segment is first. I will hum until it's done. Yay! Jared and Cameron are evicted. Boo. They are back ... as BB Zombies.

We pick up the action after Jared is evicted. Cirie wasn't expecting Jared to go so soon. Cory tells Blue he has to have Jared go and he needs to put her up so she can't save him. Cory nominates Jared and Blue. Jared chose Matt as Houseguest Choice for veto. Matt wins the veto, but does not want to use it. Cory tells Matt to not use it. Blue wants Cirie on the block with Jared. Jared keeps calling Blue BRO. Grr. Jared feels Blue has betrayed him about knowing he was a target.

Matt keeps the noms the same. Jared thinks he has four votes. Yeah, right. He begs. Mecole and Bowie Jane tell Cirie they are all voting Jared to go. Cirie is feeling alone.

They are in the living room when the ScaryVerse globe lights. Cirie gets it and laughs. Reset previous transmission. BB Zombies are coming. One will have their game resurrected.

The doorbell rings. Cameron and Jared walk in without Zombie makeup but in tattery clothes. New transmission -- no HOH, no nominations, no veto. Instead both zombies will battle.

Jared tells Felicia and Blue they did him wrong and is surly about it. Felicia speaks up about him wanting her out last week instead of Izzy. They Felicia and Cirie have angry words. The others are outside the room listening. Now Jared is exaggerating. Mecole is just looking lost. She tells us she's annoyed with everybody.

Matt tells us he loves Cirie. He tells her that had he used the veto she would have gone home. Cirie really likes him. Cory tells Matt, Jag and America he would prefer Cameron come back over Jared. Meanwhile, Jared is still fussing at Blue. Meanwhile, Cameron wants to be peaceful and calm, choosing who he would like to work with if he returns to the house.

They have to gather in the living room. The ScaryVerse says Cam and Jared can put fate in their own hands. Live on Thursday the winner of the Resurrection Rumble will decide to win or see if loser loses in the final comp.

They go to the backyard. 3 rounds over 24 hours. They have to dig graves for skulls and eyeballs, teeter-totter, 30 objects in shovel at the end of teeter-totter. First round ten minutes, most wins. They tie 7-7 in the first round.

Jag gives Cam game advice to not watch the balls to save a few seconds.

Round Two time. Ten minutes. Jared lost a ball and had to start over. Now Cam resets, too. End of the round Jared 9, Cameron 13.

Round Three is announced. They start and leave us in suspense until Thursday.