Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 9/21 - Tribal Council

The votes:
Billy
Ozzy
Billy
Billy

Billy is the second person voted out of Cook Islands.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 9/21 - Exile Island

Yul found the hidden Immunity Idol.

Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 9/21 - Immunity/Reward/Exile

Puka and Raro tied. Hiki came in third. Puka and Raro won two tarps each in addition to Immunity. Hiki only won Immunity.

Aitu threw the challenge to rid themselves of Billy.

Aitu chose to send Yul to Exile Island.

Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' Blogging

Look! Now Gail made me a tag for the blog, too! Woohoo! Thanks, Gail. It's cool.

And, tonight, I'll continue to Outwit, Outwrite and Out-East Coast Show Night Spoil the show.

Yes, if you're interested in East Coast show night spoilers, I'll be quickly posting the important events as they air here. Later on in the evening (after I watch the C.S.I. season premiere), I'll post a more full recap/review of tonight's Survivor.

To get to the most recent entries tonight on the blog, it may help to either refresh the page or from the main blog page, hit the link for the current month's archives. Why that brings up the most recent posts when other methods don't work, I don't know. But it works for me when I want to make sure I haven't posted any horrible typos in my latest articles.

Not that that stops some typos from making it through, but...!

Survivors ready?

TV Newsy Bits - September 20, 2006

Tomorrow will be a bigger blogging day for me as I'll have more time and it's Survivor night!

But, I poked around and found a few items of interest out there on the Wild Web:

• Lost Season Three Premiere October 4th on ABC - 'Nuff said!
• RNO Interview With Arti and Vipul - A team I feel I would have really enjoyed watching this season. (Grr.)
• Transcript of the View Wednesday 9/13 - This was by request of a blog reader (hi, ORKMommy). It's a bit dated now, but still worth the read if you didn't see the BB7 Final Three on the show.
• Jokers had a chat with Janelle transcribed here - Janelle Chat on Jokers

Short and sweet today!

Reality TV Newsy Bits - 'Survivor' - 'Amazing Race' - 'BB7'

Get your bits here! Newsy bits! Fresh bits! Reality bits!

Some folks have asked for Survivor 13: Cook Islands spoilers and, to be honest, there isn't a heck of a lot of information out there. The odds-makers this season are more into betting about the tribes as a whole rather than specific castoffs. Some more in depth information regarding this week's upcoming episode can be found here. Web promo images are posted by the Survivor Fever site and you can find them here. Some of the "spoilers" talk about a romance. Well, duh... we saw last week's show. That's no spoiler!

One quasi-spoiler for next season (S14) is the proposed location. I found that information through a few different sources, so it could be it.

In Amazing Race 10 news, an early map image of the route traveled in May as they filmed can be found at this link. Celebrity Spider has an in depth article about the upcoming episode here.

For those who may have missed it, TVGuide.com had an interview with Big Brother 7: All Stars - Will and Janelle, about shomance.

And, but of course... if you're playing the AOL/Gold Rush game, meet up with fellow blog readers to share clues at this entry --> 'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Newsy Bits

A new show airs Thursday, but let's not forget it was Sekou, first man off the island, last Thursday. Tonight he'll be on the Late Show with David Letterman. Now, I'm not sure how that will go. I thought he stopped having the castoffs on and he obviously was never thrilled about having to have them on. But, I'm a Letterman fan and I'm a Survivor fan, so I'll be watching.

The Survivor Fever site has a transcript of Sekou's The Early Show segment, and the Survivor Sucks site has the transcripts of the Survivor Insider videos from the CBS site up and ready for the reading

Off the Survivor topic a bit, but still newsy:

Blog readers are sharing clues and answering questions in 'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up - the blog entry specifically for those playing the game. I hope one of our readers wins!

And, way way off topic... any American Idol fans out there? Do you recall the brouhaha with Paula and Corey Clark? Welp, he was arrested again... Former American Idol Finalist Arrested. What a gentleman and a scholar, eh?

'The Amazing Race 10' Season Premiere

It's back! The Emmy-winning Amazing Race had its 90 minute premiere and I wish it had been two hours.

They seem to have taken a line from Big Brother with an "expect the unexpected" sort of surprise this season. Unlike Survivor or Big Brother, they're calling it a surprise rather than a twist. Same thing, though, it's just semantics.

The teams were introduced and, honestly, I don't really think it was needed to show us Duke crying over his relationship (or lack thereof) with his daughter, Lauren. As I mentioned when I introduced the teams in a previous article, I think this looks like an interesting lot. Stop crying, Duke!

They started out in Seattle, in the rain... of course. This season, they hit the high gear right away with the destination being Beijing, China. No dilly-dallying about this season, no way, no how. Right off the bat, Duke/Lauren and Mary/David had trouble driving their vehicles. Note: If you apply to be on the show, test drive all kinds of cars so you don't look silly.

Teams vied for the first of two planes headed to Beijing. The first flight would arrive nearly an hour earlier and ended up containing Peter/Sarah, David/Mary, Dustin/Kandice, Tyler/James, Lauren/Duke, and Lyn/Karlyn.

By this point, Rob and Kimberly were already bickering while Mary pointed out that where she's from, it's customary for the man to be in charge. She wants David to listen to her. Okay, so... at this point I decided that these two teams are the teams I most want to hit the mat last early in the season.

At the airport, I believe it was the Cho brothers who started playing with squirt guns and all the teams were just fooling around when they got busted. Their weapons were confiscated as the Pretty (But Rough) Boys looked smug about it all. Hey, the Pretty Model Boys have been through rehab, so they're edgy. Or something.

Sarah and Peter plan to play the "disability card" as much as they can. Sarah pre-boarded much to the disgust of the other teams, Lyn/Karlyn, in particular. It turns out that the first flight was delayed a bit, but they still hit Beijing before the other six teams.

The teams had to take a taxi to the Gold House where they'd face the first Roadblock of the season. A Roadblock is a task only one team member must complete. This one was a traditional native food kind of challenge - a plate of fish heads and the challenge was to remove and eat all the fish eyes. While I'd never be good at most of the food challenges, this one really looked like they could swallow them whole. Maybe they couldn't have water? Hmm.

Most odd quote on the streets of Beijing: One of the Cho's said, "China is a lot like Korea, just more Chinese characters." I believe he was referring to the lettering on signs.

Once the fish eyes were successfully downed, the next clue led the racers to the Forbidden City where they had to find the Meridian Gate. I'm including informative links to those places as one of the things I love about this show is learning about the history of places I may never get the chance to visit. Amazing stuff, really.

There was a three-sided structure with lighted times - 7:00 AM, 7:15 AM, 7:30 AM and the last one, at the bottom, read "Last Team." Uh-oh! Phil had warned the teams that there would be some new surprises this season and even though they might think they know the game, they don't.

Sure enough! When Bilal and Sa'eed arrived to take the Last Team, they were instructed to see Phil on the mat. It was a surprise Philimination! They were shocked and didn't react overly well, but didn't do anything horrible. The other teams were both shocked and saddened at their departure. Me? I personally don't think they would have made it much further as they were quite out of shape.

In the morning, the teams headed out to their first Detour. A Detour is a choice between two tasks related to the country or area. This Detour was a choice between Labor or Leisure. In Labor, teams had to construct a section of sidewalk in a particular brick pattern. In Leisure, teams had to learn a native routine which was a graceful, balancing a ball on a paddle with choreography sort of thing. Ony Terry/Tom and Kellie/Jamie went for the latter.

Yikes! Things are not going well for my early favorites -- the Cho Brothers and Vipul/Arti! "Get it together!," I said to my television as they both fell behind. The darn television never listens to me. I should trade it in on a better model. Maybe then my early favorites would do better on reality shows. Yeah, that's it!

Oh, no... the Pretty Boys (not Terry/Tom) finished the Detour first! Trip 'em!

Ahem.

From the Detour, teams had to take a taxi to the Great Wall of China, then scale the wall on ropes with loops for hand and footholds. It looked a bit impossible and a few teams who are in decent shape even had trouble with it. Sarah almost crumbled, but made it. Lyn and Karlyn got their determination going and made it. Poor Vipul and Arti would have done fine - they both scaled the wall without serious issues - but they were so far behind after the Detour that it was a lost cause.

The order of arrival at the Pit Stop on the Great Wall of China was as follows:
1. Tyler/James - also won $20,000 for 1st place
2. Duke/Lauren
3. Peter/Sarah
4. Dustin/Kandice
5. Rob/Kimberly
6. Kellie/Jamie
7. Erwin/Godwin
8. Tom/Terry
9. Lyn/Karlyn
10. David/Mary
11. Vipul/Arti - Philiminated. (Sigh)

So far, I think my favorite team is indeed the Brothers Cho. I liked how they helped people and mentioned that helping is good karma. They didn't place well, but hopefully will get their act together next week. I really liked Arti and Vipul as they were so pleasant to each other and others, but they're gone.

I admire Sarah. She's now running the race on a prosthetic leg which is leaking hydraulic fluid. Peter can't fix that. I'm not overly thrilled that they're racing a race yet using the "disabled card." Lyn and Karlyn are right -- one or the other. I have knee woes myself. I can't run a race. I also am not considered "disabled enough" to be pre-boarded on an airplane. Yes, she has a serious difference, but if she's running marathons, she should board planes with everyone else, don't you think?

Speaking of Lyn and Karlyn, they crack me up. They surely say what they're thinking! I love it! I also get a kick out of Tom and Terry. Their happy dance at the Pit Stop was a hoot!

Over the next few weeks, I'll sort out my favorites and least favorites more. Right now, I could do without Rob and Kimberly, and David and Mary may push me to sneering.

Xie xie for reading through to the end folks. Yes, that's "thank you" in Mandarin.

'The Amazing Race 10' - East Coast Update - 9/17 - Pitstop Arrival Order/Philimination

As I posted earlier, in a new "surprise," Bilal and Sa'eed were eliminated.

The arrival at the PitStop after climbing the Great Wall of China:

1. Tyler and James - won $20,000 for first place
2. Duke and Lauren
3. Peter and Sarah
4. Dustin and Kandice
5. Rob and Kimberly
6. Kellie and Jamie
7. Erwin and Godwin
8. Tom and Terry
9. Lyn and Karlyn
10. David and Mary
11. Vipul and Arti - Philiminated.

Rats. I liked them. They were pleasant folks.

'The Amazing Race 10' - East Coast Update - Early Philimination

"Expect the unexpected," said Mary.

Bilal and Sa'eed were just eliminated when they were the last to arrive at a destination (not a pitstop) in Beijing, China. The teams were warned that "surprises" were ahead.

Countdown to 'The Amazing Race 10' - Blogging Schedule

In just a few minutes, TAR (The Amazing Race) will be starting here on the East Coast. As per my usual, I'll post important events as they air. A bit later on, I'll post a recap/review of the premiere.

Racers ready? Will this season be all we expect? There are more teams than usual... what's up with that?

We'll find out soon!

Graphic by Zoetawny.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Sunday Morning Coffee Break Update

Shade over on AOL was kind enough to give me a cup of coffee, so I decided it's the perfect time for a BB7 break!

There are tons of news articles out there and I thought that some of the readers would enjoy catching up with our summer shomances. Of course, we just led them on... let them THINK we loved 'em. We don't, really. They were just our summer shomances and we're onto new shomances for the fall season!

But, here ya go:

Media Fiends put up the transcript of the final Housecalls with Mike Boogie and Erika here at this link.

Entertainment Weekly ran an interview with Mike Boogie and Erika here.

SC Magazine interviewed Mike at this link. They interviewed Erika separately at this link.

There are wrap party photos at http://www.tvgasm.com/archives/big_brother/002785.php?page=all

Sit back and enjoy your cup of joe as you read about our summer fling.

Are You Ready? 'The Amazing Race 10' Teams, Photos and Information

Yes, Zoetawny created some The Amazing Race logos for me. Yay!

Tomorrow night (Sunday, September 17) marks the season premiere of The Amazing Race 10, a new night and a new season. TAR will air after 60 Minutes on CBS on Sunday evenings this year. Now, there is a problem with that. Unfortunately, CBS tends to have sports aired on Sundays often delaying the start of primetime programming, thus making the show time very unpredictable.

For example, the season premiere is slated at 8:30 PM ET around here. Will it be exactly at that time? Are they guessing? Sheesh. Another issue facing this season's show fans is that it's up against the new Sunday Night Football on NBC. That won't affect me as I'm not a football fan, but it's a concern for many. Why can't networks just leave shows in one night/timeslot for a few seasons running?

Ah, well... to the show information:
This season, we'll see more friends teams, less dating couples, more "real" people, but with the token beauty queens and model-boys thrown in. Of course, we'll have a gay male team. That should go without saying. After all, it is The Amazing Race! The race will run through thirteen countries on four different continents, and log a total of approximately 40,000 miles. Twelve teams, each composed of two racers with a pre-existing relationship, will compete for a million dollars in a whirlwind race around the world. Get your cup of coffee ready as I look a bit more into the teams. Are you ready?


Bilal and Sa'eed are best friends from Cleveland, Ohio. Bilal (age 37) is a medical supply technician, while Sa'eed (age 39) is a power lineman. They both love food, the Cleveland Browns football and their shared Islamic faith. Both men hope to stop stereotypes regarding their faith. Bilal is the outgoing and energetic one of the two while Sa'eed is more quiet and passive. Their chances of winning? Hmmm... they look a bit out of shape. I'm not overly optimistic about the win, but think they will do well with their goals.

David and Mary Conley, married parents from Stone, Kentucky, are next. (I'm just going alphabetically here from the first name of the team, no mystery or conspiracy to the order.) David is a 32-year-old coal miner, while Mary is a 31-year-old homemaker. They first met while working at a McDonalds ten years ago and have three children. While David traveled a bit while in the Army, they're not too well-traveled as a pair.

My thoughts? I bet they're nice people, but I also bet they won't come across the Finish Line at the end of the season. Prove me wrong, David and Mary! (Well, not about the nice people bit!)


Duke (age 52) and Lauren (age 26) are not only a father and daughter team, but one with fences to mend. They became estranged for several years when Lauren told her father she was a lesbian. Drama! They hope to rebuild the relationship they once had. Duke is the owner of a tour company while Lauren is a speech and language pathologist. They both hail from Warwick, Rhode Island.

I think their bond together will indeed grow, and they'll probably place well in the race. Will they win? My personal jury is out on that.


These women are both 24-years old and they're both beauty queens. Dustin is the reigning Miss California and a marketing director from Riverside, California. Kandice is the reigning Miss New York and a Rockette (you know, the chorus line ones from Radio City Music Hall) living in New York City, New York. They first met while rooming together as they participated in a Miss USA Pageant and have been best friends ever since. Dustin is religious and conservative while Kandice is wild and impulsive.

Well, I'm not all that keen on beauty queens on the show and they generally don't do overly well. But, I also know that becoming and being a Rockette is tough work and requires a lot of determination. Maybe these girls have a shot! Much may depend on whether Dustin has what it takes.


Erwin and Godwin Cho, ages 32 and 29 respectively, are brothers hailing from San Francisco, California. Erwin is an insurance company manager and Godwin is a financial analyst. Erwin is a Harvard grad and Godwin wants to show he has what it takes to win. They're both well-traveled and love to compete.

I like these guys and put them in my personal How They Might Win Or Make It Near The End category. They're smart, young, and could very well both have what it takes to bring home the prize.

Both Kellie and Jamie are 22-years old and both hail from Columbia, South Carolina. Kellie is studying broadcast journalism and Jamie is a recent college graduate. They were both active on the cheerleading squad, are highly competitive, physically fit, and feel that they can win the race.

Hmmm... I foresee some rivalry for Alpha Female positioning between these two and the Dustin/Kandice team. I just feel it, don't you? These women seem to have the spunk and energy, but I don't predict they'll win the race.


Lyn and Karlyn are both 32-years old. Lyn is a fourth-grade teacher from Birmingham, Alabama, while Karlyn is a program analyst from Helena, Alabama. They've known each other since they met in 9th grade and it's the first time they've traveled abroad together. Neither has much traveling experience, but they believe they're witty and resourceful.

Will that be enough to carry them through the Finish Line first? I don't know. I think I'll like this team as people, but as racers they could very well fall behind the pack. I hope I'm wrong.

Peter and Sarah are already huge Internet favorites for the win, and I have to admit to falling under their spell. Peter is a 35-year old clinical prosthetisist from Laguna Beach, California. Sarah, age 31, is a motivitional speaker from Trabuco Canyon, California. Sarah is the first woman to compete in the Hawaiian Iron Man Triathalon and Peter travels the country as a consultant speaking to amputees about prosthetic legs.

Sarah's left leg was deformed due to a condition called proximal femoral focus deficiency and was amputated when she was 7-years old. She's gone onto compete in many marathons (including NYC, L.A., London and more) and is a true athlete. Heck, she might be in better shape than Peter! I think that competitively, these two will do very well and could be the winners if they also know their traveling... which is another strength.


A dating couple, eh? I hope they get along better than some we've seen in the past! Rob, age 31, is a bartender and real estate student from Los Angeles, California. Kimberly, age 28, is in public relations and also hails from Los Angeles. They met while bartending and their relationship has had some "rocky moments." Uh-oh. Not good. What's with troubled couples looking to make or break their relationship on this show?

I predict squabbling and I have no clue how well-traveled or athletic either of these two are. Next!

A gay male team on The Amazing Race, what a shocker! Yes, read that with sarcasm. Has there ever been a season of the show without a gay male team? I know one year they just had a gay male with his brother and the Cha-Chas weren't really a couple, but...!

Tom, age 39, is a college admissions director while Terry, age 45, is a special events director. Both are from New York City, New York. They say they playfully nitpick at each other, but their relationship is solid. They think the race will prove to them that they indeed have what it takes to stay together. They've been dating for two years. They say they're both feisty and fun-loving. Could they be contenders for the win? Maybe, but I think they might be fun to watch whether they win or not... and they're my "local" team this season.

Up next is the requisite pretty-boy-heterosexual-models team. Tyler (not to be confused with last season's Tyler, for sure) is 29 and James is 27. Both are from Los Angeles, California. Both are models. I have to roll my eyes as I type that, y'know. It could be worse. They could be bartender/models. They feel that since they've each had substance-abuse problems and have gone through rehab, they're tough models. Or, something to that effect. They think their new lease on life will carry them through to the finish line.

Well, gag me now. I'll give them a chance, but I'm so tired of models and wannabe actors on reality shows. Sorry, but the real life is not composed strictly of pretty. That said, I like to watch male eye-candy.


A first for the show -- an Indian-American team! Vipul, age 29, is in sales and his wife Arti, age 26, is a nutritional educator. They're from Windermere, Florida. They both speak several languages and are well-traveled. Vipul admits to being a bit over-zealous, but Arti thinks she reins him in nicely. Will this be a Hindi Jonathan and Victoria Baker? Oh my gosh, I hope not!

I think this couple has the potential for a really strong showing in the race and might be contenders for the win. A lot will depend on tempermant. I'm always leery when a contestant says he or she is over-zealous. I guess we'll see.

So, there are the teams we'll see this season. Have you picked a favorite? Or a least favorite?

'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up

This blog entry is for you! I'm not following the game, but it seems many of the blog readers are very into it. Last night a reader asked me to watch for a clue that was supposed to be on the Survivor 13: Cook Islands premiere, so I did. However, I don't know the clues and I'm not playing, so I'm sort of clueless about the clues.

I thought a meeting place to share clues, find out more and talk with others would help everyone out. If clues are posted in various show entries, others might not read them. So, here you go... a place to gather in the comments section just for AOL/Gold Rush clues, news and more! Have fun and I hope one of the blog readers here win! Or many of them win!

The website for the game is here --> Gold Rush

You can favorite place or bookmark this link for easy access as the game goes on by saving -> The (TV) Show Must Go On...: 'AOL/Gold Rush' Clues Meet Up

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Episode 1 or "How To Cure A Bad Wind Headache"

Okay, this looks like a good cast! I don't care how they're split up. It's great to see real diversity on the show!

Tonight's show began a bit differently as the tribes were already separated by ethnicity/race... whatever. They had two minutes to gather supplies from bananas to firewood to two live chickens to Hawaii-sling fishing spears and more. Each tribe had a raft in their tribe colors and the game was on.

Although there are longer names for the tribes, Jeff Probst referred to them by abbreviated names, so will I. After all, I really don't think this tribe split will last all that long. Hiki Tribe is the African-Americans, Aitu Tribe is the Latino-Americans, Puka Tribe is the Asian-Americans, and Raro Tribe is the Caucasians.

The supplies were in boxes, not all that easily accessed on the boat, and not really enough for all. So, it was a scramble for survival right at the start of the game. Yul (Puka) had a chicken which Jonathan (Raro) grabbed away. Not how to win friends and influence people, eh?

Each tribe was then shown in turn as they arrived to settle their camps. To be honest, I don't know if that was their actual arrival order at their camps. So don't ask. The first tribe was the Aitu Tribe. Billy thinks the tribe will have an advantage because they're all from more tropical areas. He joked about his parents rowing to the US from an island and he was rowing to an island. The rest of the tribe just isn't too impressed with Billy, though. They think he's out of shape and talks more than knows how to really do anything. Ozzy, on the other hand, is not just another pretty face. He can shimmy up a coconut tree like he's been doing it all his life. Overall, they're off to a good start.

Next was the Puka tribe. Cao-Boi isn't quite meshing with the rest of the group. They don't like his jokes and I think he's just so different from them that they're not sure how to take him. He's a refugee actually born in Vietnam and older than the others, and he thinks he probably belongs on a Hippie-American tribe. Cao-Boi thinks the Asians will be underestimated if the others go by stereotypes while Yul is concerned that they will be stereotyped and caricatured. I think this tribe is going to be very tough. They're also working together well even though one of the women commented that while they're all grouped as Asians, they're from very different cultures for the most part.

Then it was onto the Hiki Tribe's arrival. Lots of spirit and they want to represent and all that good stuff. But Sekou alienated most of the others when he took charge. A point to remember - if you're going to take charge, you should have an idea of what you're doing. He seemed to have no real idea. Sundra thinks it's not so much that they're black, but most are city slickers and don't really have experience in the woods. Nathan, the only other male on the tribe, bristled at being told what to do. He said, "Black people don't like to be told what to do." Uh-oh, Sekou!

Over at the Raro tribe, they seem to be the ones worried more about being a bit politically correct, it seems. Adam thinks the show is more about individuals and personalities within tribes. Jessica (the one with the tattoo on her shoulder) calls herself Flicka or something like that. She thinks they have a good mix, but she's the only non-mainstream type. Jonathan admitted to the others that he stole Yul's chicken. They didn't seem too thrilled even though it was food for their own survival. Or not! JessFlicka, for some odd reason, lifted the wooden crate containing the two chickens and they escaped into the woods. Adam's mad. Jonathan is madder. Good. I don't like him and he shouldn't have stolen the chicken from Yul. So there. Alas, it puts JessFlicka in a bad light.

The focus for the next few days shifted from tribe to tribe. Tensions increased over Sekou in Hiki and the split in that tribe became Rebecca and Sundra, Sekou and Nathan, with Stephannie as "odd man out." Sekou's laziness took a toll on the rest, even his best bud Nathan. All talk. And, I wanted so to like him because his musical background is incredible. Oh, well!

Over at Raro, Candice and Adam are snuggling. For warmth, they say. Huh. Then more snuggle with them and they make a "cuddle puddle" to stay warm for the night. Parvati picks up the Candice/Adam vibes. Only two days into the show and we have a couple going on.

Than came the best part of the whole show. Well, the part that made me smile, at least. At the Puka Tribe, Brad had a headache he thought was caused by being seasick. Cao-Boi decided he had a bad wind headache and proceeded to perform some sort of native folk medicine ritual which was a mix of a strong massage, pinching and pulling the skin betwixt Brad's eyes to let it (the bad wind) out. The result? As Brad said, "My headache is gone, but now I have a big red dot on my forehead." The others thought it was a hoot, but it apparently did solve the headache.

The Immunity and Reward Challenge were one and the same this week. Jeff announced that the losing tribe would face Tribal Council and one would go home. The first-place tribe would win Immunity and a fire-making kit which even included a kerosene lamp. Second and third place tribes win Immunity and a flint to make their own fire. Jeff also mentioned that he had an envelope he'd open for the losing tribe after the challenge. He also called out Jonathan on stealing the chicken and Jonathan laughed it off. The challenge itself was very Survivor, but not exactly as we've seen before. The tribes had to put together puzzle boats, row out, get fire, come back, put together puzzles, climb and raise flag. Only on Survivor, only on Survivor. Puka (Asian) won the challenge. Aitu (Latino) won 2nd place. Raro (Caucasian) won 3rd. Hiki (African-American) lost.

The envelope, please.

Ah, the losing tribe gets to pick one person from any of the three winning tribes to send to Exile Island for two days. Sekou and Nathan immediately stepped away from the women. Hey! The men decided that Jonathan should go because of the stolen chicken. Jeff asked why the women weren't involved and one said the guys just seemed to have their minds made up.

Jonathan fussed and moaned, then he fussed some more. He looked at the clue for the Hidden Immunity Idol, dug around a bit, then lay down... fussing. (Have I mentioned that this guy is on my Get Rid Of Him Soon List? He is. Make him go away. Pompous, chicken-thieving so-and-so!)

As Hiki prepared for the vote, Sekou and Nathan were confident that even though the women were tight, no way would they or could they vote one of the two strong men in the tribe out. How could they? For insurance, Sekou approached Stephannie (odd wo-man out) and tried to secure her vote for Sundra to leave. After all, they'd be cutting their own throats if they voted out Nathan or him. Yes, really.

Heh.

At Tribal Council, Nathan and Sekou voted to oust Sundra while the women voted as a block against Sekou. What can I say? He deserved it. Perhaps it will come back to haunt them if they have a brute strength rope pulling something heavy kind of comp, but he's not the all that he believed himself to be. The women had said the weakest should go, but I don't believe they meant physically weakest.

"Sekou, the tribe has spoken."

He took it well, still thinks he's all that and left like a class act (BB7 reference). "My torch may be out, but my flame is still burning."

So, that's the recap. I have to get to know these folks better, but a few made strong first impressions. JessFlicka, the performance artist, reminds me a lot of last season's performance artist, Courtney. That's not necessarily a good thing, you understand. Jonathan, though not with a spouse on the show, reminds me of Jonathan Baker from The Amazing Race. That's a worse thing. I like Stephannie. I really enjoy Cao-Boi, but I doubt he'll win it all. I think Ozzy is definitely someone to watch for the possible win.

What are your thoughts?

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update - Parting Shot

Not sure if this is the AOL/Gold Rush clue or not. The parting shot could be "My torch may be out, but my flame is still burning."

Nothing odd or nasty happened at the TC and Sekou exited well.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 9/14 - Tribal Council

Sekou is the first person voted out.

The tribe has spoken.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update - Tribal Reward/Immunity

The challenge is for both Immunity and Reward (fire). The first tribe to complete gets Immunity and a fire-making kit. The next two get Immunity and a flint.

Puka (Asian) wins the challenge.
Aitu (Latino) wins 2nd place.
Raro (Caucasian) wins 3rd.

Hiki (African-American) lost.

Tribal Council going home.

Losing tribe can pick one person from any of the other tribes to spend to Exile Island for two nights. One bag of water, machete, pot. There is a hidden Immunity Idol there.

Jeff noticed the two men on the team decided who would go, not the women.
"Karma is a Bizzle," mumbled Nathan. At least that's what it sounded like he said - clue to AOL/Gold Rush.

They chose to send Jonathan to Exile Island for stealing Yul's chicken.

Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' Blogging

The show will be beginning in a few minutes here. As I have done in the past, I'll be posting East Coast Updates for major events as they happen here. In addition, I'll be watching for the two clues on tonight's show for the AOL/Gold Rush game and get them posted.

Then, sometime later this evening, I'll post a recap/review.

I invite you all to comment, party in the comments section and... Survivors ready?

We sure are!

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Reflections On A Season And A Finale

I've said it before with other reality shows - I'm not too keen on "All Star" seasons and I often really don't want to see people I've previously watched competing once again. Okay. That said, the hook for this season for me (other than the fact that I'm a Big Brother addict) was Will Kirby. A Big Brother All Stars version had to have him or I couldn't consider it "All Stars." In his season, I rooted for him. In this season, I sat back and marvelled at his ability to charm and manipulate his way through the crowd.

Sure, it was so cool to see Chicken George once again and I didn't see enough of Nakomis. I personally could have done without seeing Diane, Erika or Mike Boogie at all. Several of the players fell in the middle for me. I understand why they were chosen, but they weren't my season favorites -- Jase, James, and Alison. While I think Kaysar is probably a great guy, he's not a schemer and it showed with his lackluster performance on the show this season.

Then there's Danielle, a woman I thought was only second to Dr. Will in gameplay. I was disappointed with her choice of allies and a few personal errors she made this season. She could have done so much better. Howie imploded this season. He was never a real strong player, more of a follower. Alas, his adolescent ways overcame him. I have seen him tender and thoughtful to others, but he let rage rule too much this season and it cast a bad light on him. Marcellas, once funny, seemed bitter and unhappy all season. Janelle, the buxom blonde America's Choice, played competitions so well, but fell flat whenever she had to make a decision albeit making it to the Final Four through her talent at winning competitions. Kudos to her.

But the cast is what it is, or for that matter, was what it was. I personally think that if not for the Will/Janelle Show and the Chill Town phone segments, this season wouldn't have any entertainment substance at all. The competitions were run-of-the-mill, the house had no excitement, no America's Choices per se, no luxury comps or cool doings. Compared to past seasons, these houseguests got diddley-squat. I don't know why, but they did. Again, it was up to the PuppetMaster to keep the season lively. And, he did. Thank you, Dr. Will.

The season itself had a few really dull weeks in its start as the houseguests sat around and talked of past seasons. Yawn. Once it went constantly topsy-turvy with the sides switching power, the POVs being used, alliances mixing, Chill Town using them all... it became intriguing. And, to whom can we credit that? I'd say Will Kirby. With the exception of the final two, I'd have to say the season was a success through fate alone... and Will. I just never liked Mike Boogie and Erika always seemed like more of a non-entity than a player to me.

But, I think the producers seriously have to examine some of the areas in which they fell short this season. If next season with new unknowns has the same boring days and nights, it will fall on its face. This season, it was dependent on the houseguests' personalities and past showing to make it. That won't cut it next season... and barely cut it this season. This season they concentrated too much on sensationalism and humiliation of the houseguests when all else failed.

While the show itself is one built for trickery and deceit, I personally don't care for the "mean" factor we saw when folks were evicted and in the finale itself when Mike Boogie's ways were exposed to Erika. Yes, they have to find out sometime. And, no, I don't care much for Erika, but that was almost to the point of cruelty on national television.

I realize that Big Brother isn't a huge cerebral kind of show, but they took it a step closer to the World Weekly News tabloid of TV shows when they do that sort of thing. It's all about sensationalism and I don't think that's why I enjoy the show at all. I actually enjoy watching folks interact with strangers. I enjoy seeing a Dr. Will use charisma to charm while telling folks he's lying all the time. I liked the days when the houseguests had no clocks, had no automatic washing machines, yet got luxuries in competitions that they really appreciated unlike the Will Farrell movie which, if memory serves, was the only luxury comp this season.

It's time for the producers to analyze what this season would have been if not for the personalities of the houseguests. It's time for them to step back from sensationalizing the show and go back to the more simple, non-cruel ways of strangers in a house.

My favorite part of the finale was watching Danielle smile through the Will/Mike Boogie phone call segments, including the one in which they talked about evicting her. You could see admiration for a game well-played in the eyes of all the jurors as they watched the phone call bits. That was "good television." And, of course, I credit Will... not his sidekick.

I also enjoyed Jase admitting there was a Mr. and Mrs. Smith alliance via a phone call blurb to Diane. Of course, that was a bit overshadowed by Chill Town.

The vote of 6 to 1 for the Mike Boogie win didn't surprise me at all. Will (of course) proved he's the Ultimate PuppetMaster and even said so. Yes, Mike turned on the gameplay and he proved he can win comps, but in the end... he's Will's sidekick. I personally don't care if he thinks he's not. Will could have done well in the show on his own, but Mike wouldn't have been there if not for Will and certainly wouldn't have won.

So, what's next? I'm sure to be watching next season, but hope the producers don't follow their same ways they did with this season. Will Janelle and Will get together? I haven't a clue, but I loved watching their flirtmance as it played out. They were like kids flirting and it was even kind of innocent and sweet. Will Erika go out with Mike? I doubt it. She's been used, abused and tossed to the side by Mike Nasty. I don't like her and I wouldn't have allowed myself in those shoes, but I can't imagine how horrified she is after going through that humiliation live on national television. Feh to Mike Boogie. He won, but in the long run... you reap what you sow. I'd personally rather be known for being a decent human being, not a user of others.

As for the blog this season, I've had a great time. This blog tied with last season's blog readership at around a half-million hits. I especially want to thank Sandy at AOL Television for linking the blog on promotional pages even though I moved on from the AOL Journals product. AOL Television rocks! And, of course, I want to thank Zoetawny for another season of cool graphics! A few folks wondered about us... we've never met in person. Zoetawny is West Coast, I'm East Coast. We "met" while I was hosting AOL Message Boards as a volunteer Community Leader there and she was a board poster. We're both still on AOL and involved on various show boards although I'm not hosting them any longer. Now that all the feeds are over, I'll have more time for the boards again!

And, most of all, I want to thank the readers and commenters here for making this blog the success it is. While the donations many made are certainly appreciated (and put to good use), if not for the community which developed in the comments area, this blog wouldn't be the success it is. I hope many of you stick around for other show blogging right here. I enjoy having you around!

Thank you all! And, yes... I still owe people email, I know! I ended up falling asleep last evening after the show and ended up sleeping until just when Mike Boogie, Erika and Julie Chen were on The Early Show. Thankfully, I'm off from work today as I tend to have Wednesdays off. If not, I would have had to explain to my boss that I like my bed better than my job! But, it was so nice to sleep and not worry about missing what was going on with the live feeds.