Survivor: Game Changers - April 12 Episode Blog Party

Everybody ready? Got your snacks? Got your tasty adult beverages? As the show airs here on the east coast, I'll be live-blogging with all the major happenings. Refresh the page to see the latest news! But, as always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

This season seems to be one of twists, turns and Debbie freak-out delusions. I wonder what's in store for us tonight?

Here's the updated pool! Lifeguard Laurie, I wish you aloha and hoping all is going great at your daughter's wedding!

NUKU
Andrea Boehlke - Indiana Jane, ML
Debbie Wanner - Glenn, tbc
Jeff Varner - Donna in FL, Rochelle, DonnaNY
Ozzy Lusth - KelseyNY, Margo, PDX Granny
Sarah Lacina - Delee, Rbennie
Tai Trang - Cheryl in NC, Sharon C
Zeke Smith - Janice from GA, Paula Bell

MANA
Aubry Bracco - Ed in Ohio, meb
Brad Culpepper - Brian, Sharon N
Cirie Fields - Leonia Hart, Terry is a Texan
Hali Ford - Buzzmaam, Nana in the NW
Michaela Bradshaw - David, Jackie
Sierra Thomas - Becky, monty924
Troyzan Robertson - Donna in Alabama, Lifeguard Laurie

No more fire!
Ciera Eastin
Tony Vlachos
Caleb Reynolds
Malcolm Freberg
JT Thomas 
Sandra Diaz-Twine

Survivor fans ready?

Debbie is thrilled to be back with her "buddies" and tells us she won't tell them about what really happened on Exile. Tai is nervous because he threw out Ozzy's name. He has two idols, though. Varner is ticked and knows he could very well be blindsided. Zeke tries to bond with him a bit and promises he won't lie to him again.

Reward Challenge time -- unspool ropes, release key, build ladder, climb, go through net, five targets with a ball. Playing for Surivor pizza - ten different kinds. Soft drinks, too. Nuku wins Reward!

Mana is all crying over lost pizza, lost dreams and how hard it actually is to be on the show. We're talking even Brad. Aubry thinks Brad is the most genuine person on the tribe. Now all love Brad it seems. If he gets cocky, he might fall, I say.

Over on Nuku, Jeff wants to target Ozzy. He feels Ozzy is too dangerous to keep in the game because he could win it all. He talks to Sarah about it and she seems to seriously considering making a big move. Hmm. 

Time for the Immunity Challenge -- 4 swim out to rafts, collect buoys, solve puzzle. Mana wins Immunity!

Uo-oh -- they seem to be liking Varner. The biggest question is how long Ozzy might stick with them and will it be better for the tribe? Hmm. Jeff tells Sarah and Andrea he thinks Zeke is working with Ozzy more than them and starts throwing shade Zeke's way.

Tribal Council time. Jeff says he's sure he's going home tonight. He tells them that Ozzy and Zeke have a secret alliance and pushes them all to vote out Ozzy. He also asks Zeke why he hasn't told anyone he's transgender. He might have blown his Ozzy target right there as all fall in to defend Zeke. Now that he outed Zeke to the world, Jeff Varner is crying. It's a tear-jerker for many.

Zeke said he didn't reveal it because he didn't really want to be known as the trans Survivor -- he wanted to be known for himself.

Jeff went home without even a vote being taken. They all agreed he had to go. Even Jeff agreed at that point.  

Next week is the merge. 

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 9, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're here for Survivor -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.  You can find any posts I make about TAR at this link -- The Amazing Race.

We had another week of cold and flooding rains. (Yet the drought advisory hasn't been taken down.) Yesterday we actually saw the sun! However, the temperatures were chilly and the wind chill almost required a winter coat. Today is supposed to be leading off a warmer temperature trend. Supposedly, Tuesday's highs might be in the 80s. Now, I don't really want that. I just want low 70s -- I want SPRING, not summer or winter! Sheesh.

My week has been a bit of the doldrums. It seems like I've worked and came home, rinse, repeat. That said, I think I'll just move on to the photos I took this past week -- clicking on an image will open a larger version in a gallery format.

A rainbow over Plainfield

After a horribly cold and stormy day, the sun came out on Thursday creating a beautiful rainbow over the city of Plainfield. I took this shot from inside a car driving on West Front Street headed into town with sun at our backs. No, I wasn't driving.

Whazzat?

It's a hawk

I'm not sure what kind of hawk as it has its feather spread out on its tail. It had been rainy -- he (she?) was probably drying them that way. Red-Tailed Hawks are the most common around here. But, if it has its red tail, it's hiding it under those spread feathers. 

When I got off the train in Bridgewater one day, I spotted a large bird atop the stadium lights at the TD Bank Ball Park in Bridgewater. I was hoping it was a small eagle. They are around but tend to stay closer to the Raritan River.

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

The Amazing Race: Blog Party - April 6, 2017

Man, I'm going to have trouble with this later hour for the show! Please bear with me as I'm way tired and I'm still a bit iffy on some of the team names. I will do my best to live blog the show's events as they air here on the East Coast. The real party is in the comments area -- come join in on the fun!

The Lovely Lifeguard Sharon C has made the random match-ups for the blog pool. If you missed the post announcing them, here they are again:

Shamir/Sara - Indiana Jane, Jenna's Mom
London/Logan - Delee, Sharon N
Seth/Olive - ML, Cheryl in NC
Brooke/Scott - Chrob61, Becky
Tara/Joey - SueGee, Willie J, Monty924
Becca/Floyd - Janice, Brian
Liz/Michael - Judi Sweeney, Dolores in Hollywood, Ed in Ohio
Matt/Redmond - MerriLee, Jackie
Jessica/Francesca - Brenda, David, Sharon C
Vanck/Ashton - Nickelpeed, Donna in FL

Are we ready? Yes, we are! 

But CBS isn't. I was watching Chicago Med which had one news brief during it. I turned to CBS and they have news coverage. I don't know how long this will go on.

Okay, five minutes in we're joining the show. It seems we missed some recapping from each team. 

Teams are heading to Brazil. We find out that Shamir is not a patient dude. The teams end up on six different flights. Once there, they take a helicopter ride over the city.

Redmond and Matt dishonored a coin flip with Vanck and Ashton. Oops. Not the way to win friends.  

Detour: Keep the Beat or Work Your Feet - Learn the music and keep up with the band or build work-out station. 

Redmond and Matt seem to work together very well.  Next they're heading to find marked bicycles. They're in the lead, followed by Vanck and Ashton.

Brooke has hurt her arm, but refuses to let it stop her. 

Vanck and Ashton take over the lead when the boys get lost. They will have to wash a marked window. On a high-rise, of course. It's the first Roadblock of the season.

Scott has to do the Roadblock because of Brooke's injury. He has a horrible fear of heights. Will he be able to do it? 

Oh my gosh! Liz and Michael took over the lead in the Roadblock. They're the first team heading to the Pit Stop. Vanck and Ashton are on their tails.

Pit Stop Order:
1. Liz and Michael - won a trip for two to Barbados. 
2, Vanck and Ashton 
3. Matt and Redmond 
4. Seth and Olive

Shamir is fussing and whining, claiming his testicles hurt from the harness. He wants an ambulance ... and gets one. 

Oh geez ... Jessica and Francesca don't see the marked bike going by them a million times. Sara leads them wrong. The girls arrive while Shamir pouts.

5, Becca and Floyd
6. Brooke and Scott
7. Joey and Tara  
8. London and Logan 
9. Shamir and Sara

Shamir is being a jerk.

10. Jessie and Francesca, Philiminated 

Survivor: Game Changers - April 5 Episode Blog Party

Everybody ready? Got your snacks? Got your tasty adult beverages? As the show airs here on the east coast, I'll be live-blogging with all the major happenings. Refresh the page to see the latest news! But, as always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

It sounds like tonight will be another evening of twists and turns -- Exile Island, the dropping of buffs once again and the return of a castaway. With the last, we don't know if it's someone from this season or another or whether they're there to stay or not. Oh my.

Here's the updated pool from the best pool lifeguard ever, Lifeguard Laurie:

NUKU
Aubry Bracco - Ed in Ohio, meb
Jeff Varner - Donna in FL, Rochelle, DonnaNY
Michaela Bradshaw - David, Jackie
Sandra Diaz-Twine - Jennasmom, SueGee

MANA
Brad Culpepper - Brian, Sharon N
Debbie Wanner - Glenn, tbc
Hali Ford - Buzzmaam, Nana in the NW
Sierra Thomas - Becky, monty924
Tai Trang - Cheryl in NC, Sharon C

TAVUA
Andrea Boehlke - Indiana Jane, ML
Cirie Fields - Leonia Hart, Terry is a Texan
Ozzy Lusth - KelseyNY, Margo, PDX Granny
Sarah Lacina - Delee, Rbennie
Troyzan Robertson - Donna in Alabama, Lifeguard Laurie
Zeke Smith - Janice from GA, Paula Bell

No more fire!
Ciera Eastin
Tony Vlachos
Caleb Reynolds
Malcolm Freberg
JT Thomas 
 
Survivor fans ready?

Sandra tells the others that JT had to go because he "betrayed" them and, due to him, they lost Malcolm. (So, vote the next strongest out? Hmm. As long as it's not Sandra!)

At his camp, Tai found another idol. Hopefully he will keep this one to himself!

Immunity Challenge time? Nope. Jeff tells them to drop their buffs. Their switching things up again. Orange and blue buffs. Debbie is without a tribe -- has no buff! 

I'll have to catch up with who's on what tribe during this. It's back to Mana and Nuku again.

Debbie goes to Exile Island, returning to the game at the next Tribal, joining the tribe which loses a member. No, she won't have a pony to keep her company.

Brad and Troyzan are the only two guys on their tribe with five women. Troyzan doesn't want to "get bamboozled by women" again.

Varner and Sandra are kind of on their own in their tribe. She vows the"queen stays queen." Well, not if Zeke and Ozzy get their way! Andrea thinks that, although they're targeting Sandra, she thinks Tai needs to go. Tai wants to get Sandra out but is concerned that he might be a target. He looks for a similar placed idol at the new camp and ... he's got it!  

Debbie's Exile Island is actually a yacht! It's fully stocked with food and beverages, even alcoholic ones. A boat pulls up and it's ... Cochran!

He's there to be an Exile sounding board and advisor on strategy. Well, that's different. How can one offer her advice? She knows everything and has done everything? Yes, Cochran, she's over-confident. He tells her she should pander to people like Brad. He also gives her an Advantage Option.  

She can pick from three options -- fake idol materials, extra vote or advantage for tribe in next challenge. She goes for the extra vote. 

Varner tries to bond with Zeke. Zeke wants to convince him that Tai is the target, not Sandra. Varner isn't 100% that he's not being fooled, but it's his best bet. He reports back to Sandra. But Sandra is a lot more dubious about the others wanting Tai out more than they want her or Varner out.

Now it's time for the real Immunity Challenge -- dive, race through monkey bars, retrieve puzzle pieces, puzzle. 

Sierra, Cirie, Aubry work on the puzzle for Mana. Mana wins Immunity!

Nuku - Tai, Sandra, Varner, Zeke, Andrea, Sarah, Ozzy ... go to Tribal. And, they get Debbie after Tribal.    

Although Varner believe Tai will go, Sandra goes to work on Ozzy. Uh-oh -- Ozzy talks to Andrea and is quasi-buying Sandra's ideas that the three -- Debbie, Tai and Sierra -- are more dangerous. Dang -- Tai tells Varner they're all voting for Sandra.

Tribal Council time -- Sandra tells Jeff Probst that she thinks she's going tonight. Oh my. Tai whispers a name to Sandra and it's Ozzy. Will that vote go down? The others are all whispering about voting out Tai.

The Tally -- Tai doesn't play one of his idols!

Tai, Tai, Sandra, Sandra, Sandra, Sandra

The Queen ain't remaining Queen!   

The Amazing Race: Blog Pool Match-Ups!

Lifeguard Sharon C. has made the random blog pool picks for this season's The Amazing Race. She's new at the game of guarding, but seems to have made some great matches! May the best team win! Remember, the show will air tomorrow night (Thursday) at 10pm ET!

Shamir/Sara - Indiana Jane, Jenna's Mom
London/Logan - Delee, Sharon N
Seth/Olive - ML, Cheryl in NC
Brooke/Scott - Chrob61, Becky
Tara/Joey - SueGee, Willie J, Monty924
Becca/Floyd - Janice, Brian
Liz/Michael - Judi Sweeney, Dolores in Hollywood, Ed in Ohio
Matt/Redmond - MerriLee, Jackie
Jessica/Francesca - Brenda, David, Sharon C
Vanck/Ashton - Nickelpeed, Donna in FL

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 2, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're here for Survivor -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.  The Amazing Race season premiere was this past Thursday. While it looks like it's going to be a good season with its strangers teaming up twist, I saw that the ratings are way down. I would blame that on the late night (10pm) time slot. You can find any posts I make about the show at this link -- The Amazing Race.

I'd also like to remind folks that the cut-off for joining the blog pool for The Amazing Race is TUESDAY. You would need to sign up on this linked post to get in on the fun! Please don't sign up on this post you're reading now -- your request might be missed.

Since I've been so far posting about television in my weekly off television topic photo post, I might as well continue. Tonight is the season finale, two hours worth I believe, of The Walking Dead. I'm looking forward to that one! And, the series finale of Bates Motel should be coming up soon. But, when that kicks in, Fargo returns for a new season! Unfathomable pinheadery!

Okay, to life stuff. Um, it was a week. It rained a very cold wind-driven rain with temperatures just above freezing for much of the week. I really didn't take many photos at all. The weather didn't cooperate with me much when I was out and about. And, I lucked out with getting rides to work quite a bit. 

I found out my across the hall neighbor Joe is not moving out. He's in the hospital. His niece is in the process of moving in to take care of him upon his return home. Her furniture is nicer than his, so they discarded a lot of his. I noticed they kept his favorite recliner! They've been scrubbing and cleaning over there. I hope Joe is okay with the changes they've made when he gets home.

Healthwise for myself, I don't have any new news. I'm still awaiting insurance approval and the set-up dates for the vascular surgery on both of my legs. I still have extreme swelling and pain when I stand for any period of time. Elevating them helps. But Vincent the Cat thinks the couch pillow on the chair near my computer is for HIM to rest upon! No, Vincent, it's so I can elevate my legs! Sheesh! What a spoiled cat!

Oh, well. Onto the few photos I took this week ...    

Gull Patrol

Gulls keep watch over a parking lot in Bridgewater, NJ.

Down, but not out

The snow tried to kill them. Heavy cold rains tried to keep them down. But the daffodils, although not really perky, continue to fight for survival. Berckman Street, Plainfield.

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

The Amazing Race - Blog Pool OPENS!

Come one, come all! The Amazing Race Blog Pool is now OPEN!

 Okay, here's how the blog pool works:

• Names are matched up randomly with the teams.
• You get to cheer on your chosen team until they're Philiminated or win it all.
• If your chosen team is creepy, fights, fusses or cries a lot, we won't hold that against you personally.
• Not much, anyway.
• Heehee
• There is no wagering of monies.
• The winner(s) of the blog pool retain bragging rights until the premiere of the next season while we all bow to them and lament on what could have been.

How do you get involved? Sign up right here on this post! If you're posting anonymously, you need a sign off name on your comments. We don't care if you're a boy named Sue, we have to know something other than anonymous. The cut-off for entering is this Tuesday, April 4, 8pm ET/5pm PT. 

REMEMBER - YOU NEED TO SIGN UP ON THIS VERY POST YOU'RE READING! If you sign up on another post or the Facebook page, your request might be missed.
We have a new lifeguard this season -- I'd like you to all welcome Sharon C! Please don't test her patience by running with scissors around the pool!

And, here are the teams that we'll be cheering on:

Shamir Arzeno, age 28, Bronx, NY -- Banking Firm Associate
Sara Fowler, Age 27, Baltimore, MD -- Luxury Real Estate Agent

London Kaye, age 27, Brooklyn, NY -- Street Artist
Logan Bauer, age 27, Navarre, FL -- Orthopedic Device Rep

Seth Tyler, age 37, Seattle, WA -- Police Officer
Olive Beauregard, age 24, Providence, RI -- Firefighter

Brooke Camhi, age 36, Lynbrook, NY -- Lawyer
Scott Flanary, age 34, Charlotte, NC -- University Recruiting Manager

Tara Carr, age 38, New Milford, CT -- U.S. Army Officer
Joey Covino, age 46, Boston, MA -- Police Sergeant

Becca Droz, age 26, Pittsburgh, PA -- Rock Climbing Instructor/Barista
Floyd Pierce, age 21, Highlands Ranch, CO -- College Student

Liz Espey, age 24, Maryville, MO -- Auctioneer
Michael Rado, age 37, Pittsburgh, PA -- Butcher

Matt Ladley, age 25, Steamboat Springs, CO -- Professional Snowboarder
Redmond Ramos, age 28, Fremont, CA -- Motivational Speaker

Jessica "Jessie" Lynn Shields, age 28, Howland, OH -- Police K9 Officer
Francesca Piccoli, age 33, Banning, CA -- U.S. Army

Vanck Zhu, age 28, Saint Paul, MN -- Investment Research
Ashton Theiss, age 25, Fort Worth, TX -- Real Estate Agent