Survivor: Millennials vs Gen-X Blog Party - October 5

They're promising a huge twist in the game tonight. We'll be the judge of whether it's good or bad! Later on tonight, I'll be live-blogging the BBOTT CBS All Access show. My apologies for no BBOTT yesterday.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be live-blogging with the major events.  As always, the real party is in the comments area. Please feel free to join in on the fun!

Here are the blog pool matches the Lovely Lifeguard Laurie randomly chose:

Millennials - Vanua Tribe 
Adam Klein - Brian, Kelsey NY, Sharon N 
Jessica Figgy Figueroa - Donna in Alabama, Laurie 
Justin Jay Starrett - Becky, Jackie, Shayne
Michaela Bradshaw - Donna in NY, Krysta G, Pinky 
Michelle Shubert - Ed in Ohio, Nickelpeed 
Taylor Lee Stocker - Donna in FL, Janice from GA, Stephanie in Baltimore 
Zake Smith - Beachmom, monty924, Glenn
Will Wahl - Cheryl, Indiana Jane 
Hannah Shapiro - David, meb, Terry is a Texan 

Gen-X - Takali Tribe 
Bret LaBelle - Brandi Peralta, Judi Sweeney, Skyriverblue 
Ciandre CeCe Taylor - Anonymouse, Merrilee 
Chris Hammons - Cheryl in NC, Jennasmom, Lanell from TN
David Wright - Buzzmaam, MikesGirl, Sharon C 
Jessica Lewis - Cupcake, Jean, Petals 
Ken McNickle - Dolores in Hollywood, Margo, Russ 
Lucy Huang - Delee, ML 
Paul Wachter - ChickMc, PDX Granny
Sunday Burquest - Brenda, Kristen from Ohio, SueGee

Out
Rachel Ako - As first boot, her blog pool people have been reassigned.
Mari Takahashi - cwcamper, Marthalight

Survivor fans ready? Eighteen are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

The Kids: Zeke and Adam try to make nicey-nice about them being left out of the blindside vote of Mari last night. Hannah tells them that Michelle told her to vote with the majority and she didn't know before Tribal. Hannah won't leave Zeke alone. Adam is worried about having to play up from the bottom. Zeke just wants Hannah to leave him alone for a while. I don't blame him.

Older Kids: David knows it's him, Ken and CeCe at the bottom. Of course, he does have an idol. Paul is feeling 100% once again. But he goes fishing as an expert and catches nothing but a wave. 

Tree Mail -- They have to do a random draw of rocks. The Orange rock recipients Will, Figgy, Jay and Taylor get to go do "recon" on the other tribe at a Summit. CeCe, Paul, Chris and David go as the Older Kids. Paul started thinking the kids would love him as a father figure. David hopes he can use kids after the merge to get rid of Paul. David had a good talk with Taylor, but he promised to betray his own tribemates. Will that go over well? CeCe and David both talked to Figgy and Taylor about the perils of Paul. 

Older Kids: Ken, who doesn't like to be called Ken Doll, goes fishing and (unlike Paul) catches fish. He talks to Jessica about Paul. But she thinks her commitment to the others is best for her own game. 

Kids: Taylor feels all comfortable with his Figs. Adam is worried about his own status with the tribe. He tries to talk Michaela and Hannah into voting out either Figgy or Taylor next Tribal. Michaela, sort of like Jessica, prefers the idea of sitting in with the majority players at this point.

Immunity Challenge time! Carry heavy bags over and under obstacles, over a balance beam, knock down a puzzle with the coconuts from the bags, then put together the puzzle. Reward is comfort items. 

The Kids -- Millennials -- win Immunity and Reward! 

The Kids want to switch comfort for fishing gear. Gen-X don't want to switch. So the Millennials are stuck with comfort items.

CeCe's poor performance in the challenge might have put more of a target on her back. Paul is certain it will be unanimous (so it probably won't be). Bret agrees. So does Sunday. Hmm. While she did poorly, Paul wasn't any rock star in the comp! At least she carried her own bag. Ken, David and CeCe are thinking Paul should go. 

Aha! Paul's own mouth got him in hot water. Lucy and Jessica are considering voting him out!

Tribal Council time with Probsting questions of the castaways. Paul feels little anxiety because of his six.  

The tally:
Paul, CeCe, Paul, CeCe, Paul, CeCe, Paul, Paul ... five, it's enough. They flipped the vote! 

Paul is voted out!     

BBOTT: Nominations, Power of Veto - Monday, October 3

Perpetually laid-back

Due to the late hour and the fact that most of this is old news, I'll be short and sweet tonight.

• America nominated Cornbread while Monte nominated Jason and Danielle.
• Jason is the target for Monte and many others.
• After all, he's the returning hamster!
• They had the Power of Veto comp today.
• It was slightly more "comp-ish" than was the HoH Comp.
• BB locked them outside the house and added items within the house.
• They were then allowed in and had to find and count the added items.
• They had to punch a four-digit code (made of the counts) into the Veto Vault.
• JASON WON!
• And, he needed it. He knew he needed it.
• Not sure who will go up in his place.
• Had Cornbread won veto, as America's nomination, there would be no replacement.
• But Jason is sure to save himself and Monte will have to replace him. 

Is it a pick?

But, we're good people!

Posing?

Hangin' out

Mr. Power of Veto! (And he needed it!)

BBOTT: Let's Talk Sunday - October 2

Conspiring

Hmm. So far, I'm just not getting into this as much as the real seasons. I wasn't too thrilled that the HoH "comp" we actually saw play out live wasn't really a competition, per se. Perhaps because it's all still new to me, new ways of doing things, new rules. I dunno.

• Tonight is the night to vote for America's nominee. They still don't know that's coming.
• Shane and Monte are growing closer and closer.
• Not like a real bromance close.
• But, like a solid alliance close. If they work together and stay strong, they could be a final two.
• However, the others are noticing. The target will be on their backs before long.
• Monte's plan for nominations are Jason and Danielle, with the target being Jason.
• Supposedly, Danielle will be the pawn.
• But ... a lot of the girls don't care for Danielle.
• Hmm.
• We'll see how this goes down. 
• They had their first Safety Ceremony last night. They all got these block pass necklaces that light up indicating they're safe.
• The ones who have safety as of last night are: Neeley, Whitney, Cornbread, Morgan and Shane (in that order).
• When Monte made someone safe, he'd touch the photo button of the person on the wall in his HoH room. Their image would light up green and their necklace would flash.
• Rather convoluted, methinks. 

A coonskin cap. Really?

He's jus' chillin' through life

Allergic to the sun or ... vampire?

BB didn't spring for new bowls

Hamster grooming rituals

Our boy is in trouble!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 2, 2016

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're looking for TV related stuff, this ain't that! If you're looking for my Big Brother: Over the Top stuff, it can be found at this link. I'll be posting daily reports on that CBS All Access show, as well as Survivor on Wednesday evenings. This here post is off topic and a weekly thing I do here. 

I would like to thank everyone for their concern about me regarding the NJ Transit train crash in Hoboken. Thankfully, that's not a destination, nor a train line I ride on every day. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and the young woman who lost her life.

In the weather here, we had a few gorgeous typical autumn days, then into drizzly, rainy and raw temperatures for last five days. Grr. While I hate high temps and humidity, I wanted the NICE autumn! They haven't turned the heat on for my apartment building yet and it's downright chilly in here! I wanted low 70s temperatures in the daytime, not low 50s! Mother Nature, are you listening?

I've just had a week of going back and forth to work. So, without further ado, let's get to the photos! Clicking on an image will open it up in a larger version.

  

Ohh ... just a little baby pigeon!

I recently saw half an egg shell under the bridge at the Bridgewater Train Station. It wasn't as small as the blue robin eggs, nor as large as a chicken egg. Apparently, it was a pigeon egg! I'm surprised that they're hatching this late in the season. Then I saw this little guy among the sleeping pigeons under the bridge. How cute is he?

My train home on Thursday

This was the day of the Hoboken NJ Transit crash. Since I'm a mid-line rider, not going to either end of the line, the only thing my train could crash into would be a vehicle illegally crossing the tracks. In all the years I've commuted on the train, we've only hit a car once. On the train, I didn't even feel the impact. The Toyota hit definitely felt it, spinning around a few times and wrecking its frame. The driver was treated and released from the hospital without serious injury, then ticketed for going around the warning gates. She's lucky the train was slowing down to stop in Bridgewater.

Drone sighting

And, the photographer (me) was also sighted! I was taking photos of the drone (left under the top window) at the parking lot of the old Lincoln School at the corner of East Second and Berckman in Plainfield. I heard the drone before I saw it. But then, you know I had to shoot it! Obviously, the drone operator wasn't upset at the photos -- he had a huge smile when he noticed the camera! The uniformed guy isn't Plainfield Police; the uniform isn't right. I'm guessing a security guard for the building. They were the only ones in the lot and both were having fun with the drone.

Let there be mums!

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

BBOTT: Saturday Stuff - October 1

Liar, liar, pants on fire

I have very little for you today. Life interfered. You know how that goes.

• Monte lied to Jason, telling him he was nominating two of his friends.
• I don't think Monte considers Jason a friend.
• Jason is his target.
• They still don't know America has a nomination.
• Nor a vote.
• The house is already divided.
• But no fisticuffs, kerfuffles or brouhahas.
• Rats. 

Same as it ever was

When the debt collector calls, it's SCOTT

Corny

Whole lotta hair

BBOTT: HoH and Stuff - September 30

Julie announces new nomination rules

I watched the little six and a half minute "replay" on the BB:OTT website for yesterday. I was wondering how they'd do with it. Not bad, not bad. If you haven't seen it, go check it out!

• Sad news ... Jason got infected.
• The last standing hamster uninfected was Monte, so he's the new HoH.
• Sigh. We know he, along with Cornbread, Shane and Scott were talking about targeting Jason, Krissie and they're also not too thrilled about Danielle and Justin hitting it off.
• Monte, in particular, wants Jason gone.
• Unfortunately for Jason, so do some of the girls. 

Then Julie arrived via a taped message on their living room screen. Boiling things down a bit, this is what she said:

• There will be no nomination ceremony.
• Twice during the HoH reign he/she will be instructed by BB to make a certain number of hamsters safe.
• At the end of that, the two who remain will be nominated.
• (She did NOT mention that America will vote and nominate a third person.)
• There will still be a PoV, so the nominated hamsters can save themselves by winning that comp.
• Those originally deemed safe by the HoH can be put up as replacement nominees if the veto is used.

In other news:

• Monte couldn't unlock the door to the HoH room. He wondered if he had the right door.
• He told the others (the DR must have told him) that they couldn't touch the wall of buttons with the houseguests' faces on them -- BB says they will be used later.
• I would imagine he will have to use those to make people safe.
• Don't have much more for you other than Jason better watch his butt or he'll be right out the door again! 

Oh noes!

Bunch of infected hamsters!

Who wants to see my HoH room?

BBOTT: The Infection Goes On Into Friday, September 30

Possessed by the BB Bug

The BB Bug HoH infection is supposed to wrap up this afternoon. In addition to the ones I told you about in the last post, Kryssie and Morgan are now infected, too. 

• Justin talked about being stoned. For some reason, I'm not surprised.
• No, I doubt he's stoned in the BB House. It must be just a residual thing.
• Jason thinks that Monte and Cornbread might be working against him.
• Y'think?
• Morgan doesn't want to infect Jason because she thinks it would make America hate her.
• Y'think?
• Lots of little stuff like the fact that Alex follows Jason on Twitter.
• But it seems those most jumping into the scheming are Monte and Cornbread.
• Jason needs to really play himself this time 'round!
• And, ew ... Monte is always chewing tobacco. He claims to swallow it rather than use a spit cup. But, that's ew, too. Monte is kind of ew for me so far. 

Sporting a man-bun with the BB Bug

Jason is safe ... so far

BBOTT: HOH Comp Underway and Stuff - September 29

Only one may drink ...

Now we know why the backyard was open with an HoH comp expected ...

• It's weird.
• I don't think I'd go as far as to say it's "over the top."
• Y'see, they came in from an outdoor lockdown to find the bottle of blue stuff and the note "Only one may drink" in the living room.
• Shane drank.
• Silly boy.
• Now he's infected with the BB Bug and cannot win HoH.
• He passes it on to someone else who passes it on to someone else, etc.
• Once infected, they must wear special t-shirts and they're each out of the running for HoH.
• How exciting is this?!?
• It's supposed to continue until tomorrow.
• Last uninfected hamster is HoH.
• A thrill a minute, I say!
• As I get this posted the infected are Shane, Danielle, Justin, Shelby, Scott, Neeley.
• In other news ... Monte is trying to make people think that Jason is a plant, a saboteur, needs to go. Monte wants to win HoH and nominate Jason.
• Have I mentioned before that I don't care for Monte? My first impression of him was bad and he's done nothing but dig himself in deeper with me.
• Justin seems stoned when he can't possibly be stoned.
• Shane wears a man-bun.
• Kryssie seriously tried to work her way in with Jason.
• Scott was talking about how frugal he is. Well, since he probably doesn't want pesky debt collectors calling him, I'm not surprised!

That's about it for now. I want to thank all of those who voiced concern due to the horrific NJ Transit train accident today. It wasn't my train line and, the stations I travel aren't endpoints. The worst that has ever/could ever happen is that the trains I ride sometimes overshoot the platforms. Then they either have to back up or we have to get out in very low gravel. The stations I frequent aren't end of the line ... there's just more track. Thank you all again for your concern!

He took the drink that started it

Infected

Not infected, just has a zombie look

BBOTT: Live Feeds Into Thursday - September 29

Thank goodness, it's JASON

Keep in mind that we never ever never want to see the hamsters enter the house one by one again. Never. It's akin to Chinese Water Torture.

• After last night's painful one-by-one hamster entry to the house, Julie's voice told them to all gather in the living room.
• She came on the screen to let them know there will be no jury this season -- when they're voted out, they're gone. She told them that America will be voting the winner.
• Scott, whose strategy is working on gaining jury votes, seemed crushed.
• She also told them the first HoH comp will be tomorrow.
• That, of course, is today.
• It can't be anything too intense as BB opened the backyard for them.
• Just before Jason arrived, BB had given them booze.
• Justin, who seems stoned to begin with, definitely put his boozing shoes on.
• He likes Danielle. Woo ...
• Jason picked up on the fact that Alex and Morgan look almost the same on the Memory Wall pictures.
• Not 'fessing up to being sisters at the start might come back to bite them in the butt.
• And, a shame ... those two should be strong game players in the house.
• Ohhh ... Alrx called Morgan "Mo" as if she knows her! And, it didn't go unnoticed.
• Shelby picked up on it.
• They were being called into the Diary Room, but we saw none of the sessions.
• Grr.
• BB sent their suitcases in and they got them from the storage room, going through them to see what was confiscated.

So far, I'm not super excited. I had signed off the feeds and now I'm getting an error that the content isn't available yet. I am happy that Jason is back in instead of Jozea. We'll see how this goes. 

Julie tells them no jury and more

BBOTT: Season Premiere Blog Party

Okay, let's get this going! I'm not sure how well this is going to work. Normally, I have my nearby small television watching the show while I type on my computer. Now I've been experimenting with splitting my monitor screen. In tests, it's kind of okay. But I don't have the hugest monitor in the world. Let's see how this goes ...

Here's some information on the scheduling for the season:

Weekday Replay: A quick recap of all the crucial moments that happened throughout the day
When: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT

Weekly Full Episode: A rundown of the week's events, followed by the live eviction ceremony
When: Wednesdays at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT

Safety Ceremonies: The HOH will reveal the Houseguests who are safe for that week, culminating in the live reveal of the nominations
When: Saturdays and Sundays at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT

Live Diary Room Sessions: In a Big Brother first, fans will get a live look into the confessionals
When: Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 PM ET / 8 PM PT

Evicted Houseguest Q&A With Host Julie Chen: Julie will interview that week's evicted Houseguest
When: Thursday afternoon (times will vary)

Big Brother Winner Chosen By Fans: Fans will vote for the winner of Big Brother: Over the Top
When: Day and date to be announced soon

America's Vote: America will have the opportunity to impact the game like never before and affect nominations, evictions, and game-changing twists
When: More details will be revealed during the premiere of Big Brother: Over the Top

And, here we go ... welp, there's Julie in a red dress. She's going through most os the stuff I have posted above. Gee, let's meet the houseguests! (Of course, I've already covered that in previous posts.) Intros still going on. This is going to be half the show!

Interesting. Alex tells us that if her sister Morgan walks through the door, it will ruin her game. Um, well, the Morgan intro is next up! 

Finally, they're going to move in. one by one. The last one will be either Jason or (ick) Jozea.

Scott is in first, says hi to no one and us, then looks for a bedroom. Sp far, I'm seeing no thrills. Morgan is in next. Good. I'm tired of Scott looking around the house. They see the tips left behind by the BB18 Final Three, but have no clue which one won the season.

Now Shane has finally arrived. I'm not sure this is the best approach to the season. 

They see 16 key slots but only thirteen place settings at the table.

This is SO how not to introduce the show! Is this what we miss on the real seasons? If so, I'm glad we miss it!  

Now Neeley has arrived. If they keep up this rate, it will take them two hours to get them all in the house. Neeley lets them know she works at Nordstrom's. She can probably kiss that job goodbye.

Finally, another ... Shelby arrives. Another long wait and it's Cornbread.

If I were Scott, I'm not sure I'd be telling everybody I'm a debt collector. They've noticed there's no champagne. 

An hour in and we only have six hamsters. Isn't this only supposed to be an hour "show"? Have the rest been abducted by aliens? 

Finally another one enters. It's Kryssie. 

After an eternity passes, the doorbell rings again. Whitney now.

Oh, please end this torture and let the rest all in at once! About the only positive thing I can say at this point is that they haven't blocked the feeds at all. 

Another entry after a way too long wait. It's Justin. 

Production voice, "Somebody say HOLLA."

There. There's our excitement in this slow torturous season premiere. I hope you didn't miss it.  

The torture continues, then the doorbell rings again. It's Alex. She hugs Morgan like she doesn't know her. 

"Attention Houseguests, the storage room is now available."

Maybe they have booze. I need some to keep this up. He makes the announcement many times in a row. They're ignoring him.

"YO, IDIOTS! GO TO THE STORAGE ROOM!" -- that was my announcement.

Finally, they check it out.  

Monte arrives. JASON needs to be next. 

Doorbell and it's .... Danielle. I forgot she wasn't there yet.

Torture us some more, BBOTT. You're trying to break us!  

YAY! IT'S JASON BACK IN THE HOUSE!

But that doesn't redeem these two hours of torture at the moment.