Wednesday, December 13, 2023

The Amazing Race 35: A Sunset, Seattle Scramble - Ep. 12 Season Finale Blog Party

 
Yes, we're at the season finale. Although I have my random blog pool pick still in there as well as an outright personal favorite team apart from the pool, any of the three teams remaining winning this would be fine. All three teams are likable and have really done their best ... with no arguing or nastiness. Kudos to all three!

I will be live-blogging and updating this post constantly as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest updates. As always, the real blog party is in the comments. I hope to see you there!

Lifeguard SueGee has once again updated the blog pool and here's where we stand going into tonight's show:

Greg & John -- Brent McKee, Jackie, Judi Sweeney
Joel & Garrett -- ChicMc, Ethan, Willie J, Jasonuwp
Rob & Corey -- marthalight, PDX Granny, Sharon N

Are you ready? Let's GO! 

Skipping through the Previously On bits!

Rob/Corey get the clue that directs them to fly to Seattle, Washington. The next clue will be at the base of the Space Needle. The three teams are on the same flight.

The teams are RUNNING to their vehicles at the airport. At least with the Space Needle so tall, it's easy to find. They have to walk around the rim of the Space Needle for the next clue. Only one member of a team has to go alone. Rob/Corey are first. Corey is doing the walking! He finds a clue leading him to a man and the glass center. John up next.


Rob/Corey have the next clue - Seattle Scramble - Grunge, roadie. Grab, acrobatic. Glass, blow glass. 

John/Greg are at the glass blowing to earn a piece of the next clue. Rob/Corey arrive at Grab. Corey finishes it. Rob's turn. Oh, not so good! Joel/Garrett are at the glass blowing with John/Greg .... both teams are having problems.

Joel/Garrett finish the glass blowing first! They have taken over first place. Rob finally got his knees on the bar but didn't have enough momentum for the other person to catch him. Wait! Next try he did it!

Joel/Garrett heading to Grunge. John/Greg finish Glass and head to Grunge. Grunge has them working as a roadie for a band. Set up the stage for their band. Corey/Rob are also heading to Grunge.

Now all three teams are at Grunge. Joel/Garrett are so close to being done. They finish and the band Smokey Brights comes out and um ... plays. They have to do Grab, then be done with the Scramble.

Rob/Corey finish Grunge and the Black Tones play. Argh ... my blog pool team John/Greg are way behind on Grunge. Finally got it and they are on their way to Grab.

Rob/Corey are at Glass. Garrett is having problems with the trapeze. Joel finally does the Grab right. Then Garrett! They are in the lead. The clue parts end up being a plane with an address in Kenmore, Washington. Meanwhile, the brothers are doing well on Grab, Corey/Rob not so much in Glass. Ah, Rob/Corey finish Glass!

Joel/Garrett get the final clue first. Roadblocks and Detours on kayaks, teams must put in chronological order. Uh-oh ... Rob/Corey seem lost on the way. All three teams are at the kayaks now. Joel/Garrett are SO close to being done but can't figure out why they are not passing the check.

Greg/John finish first and get the clue to head to the Pit Stop. Joel/Garrett make it through now, too.

Pit Stop order
1. Greg/John - my blog pool pick team WIN THE AMAZING RACE 35!
2. Joel/Garrett
3. Rob/Corey

This has been such a good season. 

Survivor 45: The Ex-Girlfriend at the Wedding - Ep. 12 Blog Party

 


Good evening! This is the penultimate episode of the season! Yep, next week is the three-hour (oy!) season finale.

A separate post for tonight's The Amazing Race season finale will magically appear at about 9:25PM ET. So, please shift over to that post for that show. Merci.

I will be live blogging the show the best I can as it airs here on the East Coast. Refresh this page to get the latest updates. As always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

Lifeguard SueGee has updated the blog pool. Here's where we stand:

Austin --- Pearl, Nora M, Sharon N
Drew --- Dr Celine, monty924
Jake --- Donna in FL, TS14Fan
Katurah --- Donna NY, April W
Dee --- Judi Sweeney, Brent McKee
Julie --- Andi, PDX Granny

JURY
Kaleb
Kellie
Kendra
Bruce
Emily

Survivor fans ready?

Time to skip the Previously On segment.

It's Night 21 and they are returning from Tribal Council. Julie is thrilled to be safe. She tells us that Dee is the one who saved her but told the rest that she's mad at her. Austin's amulet is only good until the next Tribal and he must play it then.

Austin tells Dee that they need to get word out that she didn't tell Julie. Dee is acting like she's scared that Julie is going to come after her. Julie comes after Drew, Dee and Austin calling out Reba Four strong. But she tells us that Drew blew it up so it's now game on.

Day 22 dawns. Katurah goes searching for an idol as she knows once idols are used, they are usually back hidden the next day. Dee notices that she's gone. So, Austin and Dee go out looking for her. Austin sneaks up on her. She admits to him that she's looking for the idol before Julie comes out looking for it.

Meanwhile, Julie is up after not sleeping well. Julie talks with Drew. She wants to believe in Reba but ...! She thinks the blindside was done by Drew and Dee's the only one she can trust. Dee and Julie talk and both think Drew is the problem child mastermind who must go.

Time for the Reward Challenge. First person to finish wins a picnic -- helicopter ride to a sandspit to picnic. They must make their way to shore from individual platforms, roll a barrel standing on it using ropes to steady themselves, grab three keys and sliding puzzle.


AUSTIN wins Reward! He picks Dee to go with him. One more spot. He chooses Katurah after telling Jeff he would need to have alliance members to stay at camp to dissuade conversation about booting him.

Drew is bummed that he never gets picked to go on Reward. He feels like he's back in middle school. Julie feels like she is being babysat.

Back at camp, they all seem to be a bit bummed. It turns out that both Drew and Julie have been on a helicopter, and both threw up. Julie knows that Drew is to babysit both her and Jake. They both think they will look for an idol.

The helicopter does a flyover of the camp. Like rubbing salt in a wound. Katurah knows she's a third wheel and sees that there might be romance with Dee and Austin. We get more takes on the showmance.

At camp Jake thinks he's stuck with his two targets. He goes off on his own looking for the idol. He finds a clue to it ... a note that says the idol is in a secret compartment in the raft. He's got it! The last time it can be used is when there are five players in the game.

Immunity Challenge time. One foot on one end of a hinged beam. On the other end is a ball. Ball drops, you're out.  


Julie out, then Jake out. Katurah out. Drew out. It's down to the showmance partners Dee and Austin.

DEE WINS IMMUNITY!

Drew wants Julie out still. I guess we will see about that!

Back to camp, Dee and Austin have a friendly rivalry going on. Austin thinks Juliee needs to go. Same with Drew. Jake, on the other hand, thinks differently. Jake wants to go after Drew. Little does he know, Julie was already wanting to work with Dee to go after Drew. Jake talks to Katurah about going after Drew. Jake thinks he's masterminding it all. But Dee already was thinking the move. They need to make Drew think they are targeting Julie.

Drew thinks it's a clear shot at Julie and that Austin is with him. Dee is considering telling Austin about blindsiding Drew but ...! Time for them to head to the Tribal Council.

Tribal Council Night 23. Jeff brings up the Reward Challenge and the fact that he was worried about who to leave behind. Julie talks about being babysat at camp. Friends, love and voting people out. Drew says the money brings you back to reality. Dee thinks that they're all lying to each other. Alliances not really locked in. Drew thinks if he gets through tonight, he has a clear shot to the end. Julie can't think of it that way.

Time to vote. Drew votes Julie.

Tally time ... Austin plays his amulet for himself. 

Julie, Julie, Drew, Drew, Drew, Drew ... 6th member of the jury. He says no goodbyes. They will be taken to a new place to start over as they get to the end.

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Big Brother Reindeer Games - Ep. 2 Blog Party

 

                                                                                    CBS


While I won't be live blogging the show as I usually do, I will pop in now and then with a screen shot or comment. But I do hear there's a party going on in the comments section. I hope to see you there!

I will fill you in with major things like who wins the comps, who gets the boot, etc. I'll even throw in a screencap now and again.

Last night, Cameron got sent home. Who will it be tonight?

We get the typical Previously On. We go through the three comps again -- Naughty or Nice, Jingle Bell Brawl and Santa's Showdown.

The doorbell rings and it's Jordan once again. Another crisis. Naughty or Nice -- Cranky Carolers, torn up sheet music of 19 songs and will only sing one. First player to guess song wins Naughty or Nice Power. The advantage today is supposed to be a game-changer. Of course, many are trying to avoid winning as they don't want the power of choosing a Naughty.

We have a winner -- CODY! The doorbell rings again and this time it's the carolers. 

The upcoming Jingle Bell Brawl will be a four-on-four challenge. Win and the team will be safe. Cody's advantage is to choose his team members, he will put one on the opposing team on the Naughty list.

Cody's chosen team is Nicole, Frankie and Xavier. Britney, Danielle, Josh and Taylor are the other team. On the Naughty List, he puts Taylor.

They are in Santa's Village. Each team has to decorate four trees. For her Naughty disadvantage, Taylor has to decorate a small tree before her team can do a tipping tree. The four trees can easily tip as the ornaments weigh different and branches are different lengths.


Despite the team waiting for Taylor, they are ahead with the first tree done.


Red team - Josh, Danielle, Taylor and Britney - are really ahead now!

RED TEAM WINS the Jingle Bell Brawl! They are all safe from elimination tonight. They must all agree to make one person on the other team safe. The other three will head to Santa's Showdown, loser gets eliminated.

The Red Team decides to save Nicole. Xavier, Cody and Frankie must compete in the Santa's Showdown.

Santa's Showdown time. The workshop is full of toys, lists from five picky kids -- stuff they like and hate. Find the gifts that fit their criteria. Can only carry one toy at a time to each gift box. First two players done are safe.


Xavier finishes first and is safe! Frankie finishes second.

CODY will be sent home. His winning package is a fruitcake.

Monday, December 11, 2023

Big Brother Reindeer Games - Ep. 1 Blog Party

 


Welp, we have two hours of games tonight, an hour and a half tomorrow night, then the last four episodes will be an hour each.

Tiffany, Derek and Jordan are the hosting elves.

While I won't be live blogging the show as I usually do, I will pop in now and then with a screen shot or comment.

But I do hear there's a party going on in the comments section! I hope to see you there!

I'm liking the introductions to each competitor. I like Britney so much! And Danielle! 

Santa tells them Christmas is in danger of being cancelled. One player who falls short each day will be sent home. At the end the winner wins 100 grand.


They did better on decorating the house for the holidays than they did for the last several seasons.

Britney and Nicole mend fences. It's a Christmas miracle!

Who could be at the door? Jordan! She's an Elf Ambassador for Santa. Time for their first challenge. First challenge each day will be the Naughty or Nice challenge. They have to solve a riddle -- packages will open with clues to a DJ's favorite song, can only guess once. More on the Naughty or Nice power later.

The winner is Britney. (Up On the Housetop) She has earned the Nice Power, will have an advantage at the next challenge - the Jingle Bell Brawl. She can put someone on the Naughty List.

After talking to everyone, Britney puts the Naughty disadvantage on Cody.

Safety for the day, winner will have a crucial role in who goes home. That's the Jingle Bell Brawl. Letters to Santa have stopped being delivered. They must place their letters in the boxes of others. Then they deliver ones in their box. Britney starts with one less for Nice, Cody starts with an extra trip due to Naughty.


FRANKIE wins the Jingle Bell Brawl. It will be up to him and him alone to decide which two players go to the Santa Showdown. The loser of that goes home.

Frankie chooses to send Cameron and Xavier into Santa's Showdown.

In it, they each have to make a Yeti sweater, 57 sweater parts. It's a giant puzzle.

What the sweater needs to look like.

XAVIER wins Santa's Showdown! Cameron is eliminated and going ho-ho-home. He gets to choose one gift from under the tree. He gets a year's subscription to the Jelly Club.

Saturday, December 09, 2023

Regarding BB Reindeer Games

 

CBS

Monday night is the debut of the Big Brother Reindeer Games holiday series. While I won't be live-blogging the six shows per se, I will set up posts on show nights and may occasionally chime in with updates and screen shots. 

There are a few reasons I'm not committing to actual in-depth live blogging the shows. First, we went from a ridiculously long and intense BB25 season into The Amazing Race and Survivor as I blogged all three for a month and am still tied up with the latter two! Plus, I had a bad case of Covid back in September and am still affected by it. And, third ... this is all competitions. Competitions are hard to blog. Believe it or not, it's not easy to be constantly typing while watching a show!

But, since there have been requests, I will put up posts so y'all can go wild updating and partying in the comments area.

CBS

There are only six shows. Here is the schedule:

Monday, December 11 - 9pm-11pm ET/PT
Tuesday, December 12 - 9pm-10:30pm ET/PT
Thursday, December 14 - 8pm-9pm ET/PT
Monday, December 18 - 9pm-10pm ET/PT
Tuesday, December 19 - 9pm-10pm ET/PT
Thursday, December 21 - 8pm-9pm ET/PT
Derek Xiao and Tiffany Mitchell of BB23 and BB11 winner Jordan Lloyd will be hosting the shows. Competing for the $100,000 prize, we have:  

Cody Calafiore (BB16 and BB22)
Nicole Franzel (BB16BB18 and BB22
Frankie Grande (BB16)
Taylor Hale (BB24)
Cameron Hardin (BB25)
Brittany Haynes (BB12 and BB14)
Josh Martinez (BB19)
Xavier Prather (BB23)
Danielle Reyes (BB3 and BB7)

All of them were winners or AFP on their seasons except Danielle and Frankie. Of course, I welcome Danielle into anything BB -- she should have won BB3 had the voting players been sequestered! Um, Frankie? No comment.
There will be NO live feeds; the shows are taped. They apparently did not live together at the BB house which has been done over as Santa's Lodge. The kitchen is now the bakery, HOH room is the office, all is festive and holly-jolly. Some comps will have them going to places like the Candy Cane Forest, Santa's Workshop and Santa's Village.  Each episode consists of three competitions, the last of which determines which player will be eliminated.
So, the first post will be up and running Monday evening. Be there or Santa don't care!