I think the season got off to a good start last week. It seems that the castaways all seem to be there in it to win it … or, at least they're all dedicated show fans willing to work to win.
Then there's Reem. I guess we'll see how bad she really wants it this week!
I will be live blogging the show as it airs here on the East Coast. Please forgive me if I'm bad with some of the names -- it takes me a few weeks to get them down. Refresh this page to get the latest news! As always, the real fun is in the comments area -- feel free to join in on the conversation!
Since we still don't know how Extinction is going to work, Lifeguard Laurie and I talked over our long-standing blog pool first out gets reassigned policy. Y'see, although Reem was indeed voted out, she remains playing the game. She will last more than one episode which was our original thinking when we started out having the first one out reassigned. We have no clue whether Extinction will have more people, like almost a separate tribe, how long she'll be there or what will happen. Long story short … if you have Reem in the blog pool, you still have her.
That said, here are the standings:
Manu Tribe
Chris Underwood - Glenn Allen, Laurie
Dan DaSilva "Wardog" - Jackie, Nana in the NW
David Wright * - Dr_Celine, PDX Granny, Renee Buck
Keith Sowell - Donna in Alabama, meb, Skyriverblue
Kelley Wentworth * - Donna in NY, Jenna G
Lauren O'Connell - Brian, Krysta Gibson, Sharon N.
Rick Devens - Auntie Leigh, Merrilee
Wendy Diaz - Janice, Jennasmom, tbc
Kama Tribe
Aubry Bracco * - Cheryl in NC, Margo, Petals
Aurora McCreary - Ed in Ohio, marthalight
Eric Hafemann - Bizaro22, Pinky, Shannon
Gavin Whitson - Brenda, Kelsey NY
Joe Anglim * - Carol C., Kismet
Julia Carter - Donna in FL, Monty924, Jennifer
Julie Rosenberg - Delee, MikesGirl
Ron Clark - CherryPie, Judi Sweeney, Rochelle
Victoria Baamonde - Indiana Jane, Karen in VS, SueGee
LIMBO -- Extinction?!?!?!
Reem Daly - David, Terry is a Texan, Sharon C.
Okay! Let's see what happens tonight!
Reem doesn't know any more about Extinction than we do. She really wants back in the game, but is breaking down.
Wendy, missing her Reem ally, thinks Kelley was behind it all. She wants Kelley out. Meanwhile, Kelley sees her reaction. She doesn't want Wendy to find an idol.
Kama, still enjoying their victory last week, seem to be all having fun and bonding. Aubry doesn't tell them that she doesn't like "Kumbaya Survivor." She would have preferred having to go to Tribal first. She's very concerned that she and Joe are likely targets. And, of course, they are. Victoria thinks Aubry is in a bit of a panic. And, in the clips they're showing, Aubry is working a bit too hard to befriend people. Oops!
A couple of the guys are suspicious that Kelley might already have an idol since she's having people search together with her. David is thinking that Wendy's loyalty might be very worthy in keeping her around. David is bonding with Rick and he even talks final two with him for a bit.
On the other tribe, Gavin is gung-ho looking for an idol. Julie notices the men keep disappearing and figures they're looking for idols.
Whoa! Lauren, who idolizes Kelley, is the first one to actually find an idol!
Time for the Immunity Challenge! Swim to a cage, up and over, untie snake, get snake over cage, swim it back, ending up with throwing a ring toss thing to spell Immunity. Reward is a choice of spices and fork or a fishing kit. Kama sits out Julie.
KAMA wins Immunity! This is the second time out of two. They choose the fishing gear. (A wise choice, methinks.)
Wardog thinks Keith is a liability in challenges due to his poor swimming and the fact that he begged to throw the disks in this one, then hogged time failing to hit the target several times. I like Keith, but the guy is no challenge beast for sure. The target might shift from Wendy or Kelley (dependent on who's talking) to Keith.
Kelley still wants Wendy out. Meanwhile, Keith is playing his Nice Card with the others. He is a nice guy and everyone knows it. Rick and Chris talk about taking out Kelley. David is on board with the idea. Wardog is still reluctant. He wants to keep bigger targets around. Kelley is getting nervous. She tells us she would vote herself out, so she's wary. She only really trusts Lauren.
Time for Tribal Council …
Jeff asks Wendy if she's concerned because she got votes last week. She is. Kelley is a little concerned even though Wardog tells her that Reem was the vote against her. Kelley says that if she remains, she's a strong player and will always be a bigger target. Keith talks about the vote depends on relationships. Chris stresses both trust and challenge performance. People are saying it will be a blindside tonight. Keith said everyone is worried so it will be a blindside no matter what.
The tally:
Kelley, Keith, Wendy, Keith, Keith, Keith …
They went for physically strong. Keith isn't happy. DANG IT! He keeps repeating and then he hits the fire and decision to go to Extinction. He's praying for a sign from God when they close out the show. But I cannot see him not going for the chance!
They end with teasers for next week -- Lauren injures her ankle (at least I think it was Lauren) and Reem is upset in Extinction saying she's been there for three days and wondering if she should raise the white flag for rescue.
So we know nothing more than we knew before about Extinction. Y'know, eventually they're going to have to spill the beans!
Let's see how this extinction thing is going to work! It looks like a good cast this year and they're all huge fans of the show. Unfortunately, unlike seasons which have the Survivor premiere and the Big Brother finale on the same night, we don't get an hour and a half. I even recall some seasons with a two hour long premiere. Nope. It's an hour tonight.
Although I'm sure to have some trouble matching names and faces tonight, I'll be live blogging and constantly updating this post as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest happenings! As always, the party is in the comments area -- feel free to join in on the fun!
If you want cheat sheets with names and faces, I have the tribes in separate posts -- Manu and Kama. You can also see who your pool castaway is!
Lifeguard Laurie has graciously offered to do the blog pool again this season. How great is she, I ask! Here's the breakdown from Laurie:
As per tradition, nobody goes home tonight. They get put with someone who only has 2 people. I do thank everyone for signing up on the Pool Sign up Page!
Manu Tribe
Chris Underwood - Glenn Allen, Laurie
Dan DaSilva "Wardog" - Jackie, Nana in the NW
David Wright * - Dr_Celine, PDX Granny, Renee Buck
Keith Sowell - Donna in Alabama, meb, Skyriverblue
Kelley Wentworth * - Donna in NY, Jenna G.
Lauren O'Connell - Brian, Krysta Gibson, Sharon N.
Reem Daly - David, Terry is a Texan, Sharon C.
Rick Devens - Auntie Leigh, Merrilee
Wendy Diaz - Janice, Jennasmom, tbz
Kama Tribe
Aubry Bracco * - Cheryl in NC, Margo, Petals
Aurora McCreary - Ed in Ohio, marthalight
Eric Hafemann - Bizaro22, Pinky, Shannon
Gavin Whitson - Brenda, KelseyNY
Joe Anglim * - Carol C., Kismet
Julia Carter - Donna in FL, Monty924, Jennifer
Julie Rosenberg - Delee, MikesGirl
Ron Clark - CherryPie, Judi Sweeney, Rochelle
Victoria Baamonde - Indiana Jane, Karen in VS, SueGee
Survivor fans ready? Let's get this show going!
Jeff introduces some of the castaways and tells us players will be faced with a decision upon being voted out -- go home or go to the edge of extinction with a chance to return to the game. He talks to the newbies and tells them there are four returning players. All of them now are together on a boat. Jeff goes over the track record of the returnees.
The boat is loaded with supplies -- each tribe has two minutes to get stuff on their respective boats. Newbie Keith can't swim. Why don't people make sure they can swim before coming on the show?
As they work building the shelter, Kelley works to bond with others to decrease the target on her back and build a good alliance. David is still insecure but is willing to try to help others so they can trust him. Interesting, a newbie (Wendy? Lauren?) has Tourettes with the tics and such. That wasn't mentioned in her bio.
Over on Kama, Joe doesn't want to show off but he does end up being asked questions and making fire. Whoa! One of the newbies picked up a secret advantage clue on the boat. Ron Clark (I think) digs up an advantage menu. It's good through the third tribal. He has choices like immunity after the vote, etc.
Joe tells Aubry he's happy with the tribe -- everyone's working and seem like a good bunch. The firefighter and Gavin seem to be bonding. But there are already rumblings about getting Aubry out.
Reem seems to be alienating people by trying to help them. She did things like put one guy's shirt on the beach to dry without telling him. Reem and Wendy teach Keith to swim. He really should have learned before. The others back at the camp are now suspicious of the three.
Immunity challenge time. Maneuver through obstacles, one person climb, rinse and repeat sort of, then a puzzle. Reward is fire in the form of a flint.
KAMA wins Immunity! (And should give Joe a big thanks.)
Reem brings up that Kelley and Lauren need to be separated. Keith isn't too keen on that but just feels he doesn't want to be in their sights! Wendy's name is brought up. Wendy would like to have Reem stay -- Reem's targeted mainly due to the motherly aspect. With Wendy speaking up for Reem, all of a sudden Wendy is a target. Reem is ready to fight.
Tribal Council time! I'm ready for Jeff's Probsting questions! Did you realize Jeff is now 57 years old? He starts off asking about tribal unity or off in little groups. Reem is already on the defensive because her name was out there. She's calling age discrimination. I don't think she's helping her cause. Jeff asks her if she's confrontational at home. She's still defensive. Wardog gets just as defensive back at her.
Time to vote.
The tally --
Reem, Kelley, Wendy, Lauren, Reem, Wendy, Reem, Wendy, Reem
Well, she is voted out … but, wait …!
She mumbles a lot walking away and comes into the Edge of Extinction fire/ sign. She takes the torch and gets on the boat. She won't give up!
She finds that absolutely nothing is there where the boat leaves her. And then we end ...
But first … if you want in on the blog pool for the show, you need to sign up on THIS POST LINK. The deadline is Tuesday 12pm ET. Be there or be square!
MANU --
The two returning castaways for this tribe are David Wright and Kelley Wentworth. She's 31 years old now, he's 44.
Here come the newbies …
Chris Underwood --
He's 25, originally from Myrtle Beach SC and currently living in Greenville SC. He's a district sales manager. He claims to be into anything outdoors, a good quality for the show. He seems to be a go-getter type in view of his work. Another point in his favor is he knows how to use a speargun and likes scuba diving. He believes he has some of the qualities of Ozzy, Malcolm, Rob and Spencer. Let's see if he can walk the walk.
Dan "The Wardog" DaSilva --
He's 38. He currently resides in Los Angeles, but is originally from Ossining NY -- the home of the infamous Sing Sing Prison! He's formerly military, apparently many years in it. Right now he's a law student. He claims he'll play like himself but mentioned admiring Yul, Parvati, Mike, Earl and even Tyson. Um, unless he was joking about have a sex appeal not seen in a good decade, he might just think he's too sexy for his shirt.
Keith Sowell --
At 19, he's the baby of the bunch. He's originally from Fayetteville NC and now lives in Durham NC. He's a pre-med student at Duke University. Oh my. This kid has it together. From a poor family growing up in a trailer, he became his class salutatorian. He seems to have very good values and strong religious beliefs. He admires Jeremy Collins as a previous player. Kid seems to have his head on right. Now let's see if he can endure the outdoors and backstabbing!
Lauren O'Connell --
Age 21. She's originally from Bakersfield CA and now lives in Waco TX. Attending Baylor University with dreams of paying for dental school with her winnings. Like Keith above, she wishes she could bring her bible. She's a soccer athlete and has played team sports most of her life. Keep in mind, they didn't know the returning players when writing the bios -- she would like her game to be a mix of Parvati and Kelley Wentworth. This should be interesting!
Reem Daly --
Age 46, she's originally from Fairfax VA and now lives in Ashburn VA. She's in sales. Her CBS bio is one of the least wordy I've ever seen. She's been watching the show since its debut. Being on the show is part of her bucket list. She thinks she will play most like Stephenie LaGrossa (why are they all spelling her name with an "a"?) because she didn't give up and Rudy because he really didn't care. My jury's out on her.
Rick Devens --
Age 33, he hails from Blacksburg VA and now lives in Macon GA. He's a morning news anchor. Well, that's different! His choices for life inspiration are quite different -- his father (like many) but then he names Stephen Colbert and Stephen King. Like me, he's a big THE STAND fan. He thinks he'll play most like Cochran, not a bad thing. He's been watching the show since high school and was an Eagle Scout.
Wendy Diaz --
She's 25, originally from Los Angeles, now living in Bell CA. I have no clue where that is. She's a small business owner, not shabby at 25! She thinks she'll play the game like Sandra and be the second Diaz to win. However, she also thinks she's like Tai, full of life and wonderment. She hates quitters. She thinks the show will be a good challenge for herself plus there's the money. She grew up poor and is content with her earnings now, but …!
If you didn't see the post on the Kama Tribe, you can find it at this link.
KAMA -- The returning castaways Joe Anglim and Aubry Bracco. He's 29 now; she's 32. Will the third time be a charm for either of them?
Aurora McCreary --
Age 32, from Pensacola FL, now residing in Orlando, FL. She's a divorce lawyer. From her CBS bio (linked in name), I see that she is indeed outdoorsy and athletic, plus it doesn't seem like she's had an easy life. She is a fan who would like to play with selected qualities from Tyson, Ciera and Michaela. Definitely could be a contender, methinks.
Eric Hafemann --
Age 34, from Chicago but now living in Livermore, CA. Ooohhh … a firefighter. I wonder if he can make and tend fires without feeling the need to put them out? Heh. In reading his bio, I can't help but thing "what a nice guy." Then he says his game will be most like Tony Viachos. Perhaps not as sneaky, but on top of things. He has an autistic son. He's playing for the adventure and to set an example. Hmm.
Gavin Whitson --
Age 23. From and still in Erwin, TN. He's a YMCA program director. Compared to the previous two, he seems very young. He's into Xbox and Disneyworld. Recently engaged, he also considers himself sarcastic, hungry and a dreamer. He's hungry now? Wait a week on the island! He wants to prove to his mother that he won't be the first voted out. My prediction (just based on the bio) is third out.
Julia Carter --
Age 24, from Hazleton, PA now living in Bethesda. MD. She's a medical assistant. She likes to travel, shop and eat. Um, girl, you're going on Survivor. Yeah, you'll travel to there and back, but …! She's been a fan since childhood and has dreamed of making it on the show. She THINKS she'll play most like Jeremy. Oh my. We'll see about that!
Julie Rosenberg --
Age 46, originally from Baltimore now living in New York City. She's a toymaker -- which brings me to thoughts of the movie Big. Can she dance on a giant keyboard? Since she and Julia are both on the same tribe, I'm glad there's an age difference. Reading her bio, I like her. She's been a fan since the first episode. And, her "play like" is a bit more realistic -- a mix of Cirie, Dawn and Stephenie.
Ron Clark --
Age 46, from Chocowinity, NC now residing in Atlanta. He's a teacher at the Ron Clark Academy. Founder, as well. He has been a show fan since Borneo so he knows what he's getting himself into. Hmm … he sees himself as a sore loser and a "mean girl." Oy! He thinks his gameplay will be akin to Spencer Bledsoe. Reading his bio, it seems like he wants to come across as sincere, but I'm getting a bit of chip on the shoulder. We'll see.
Victoria Baamonde --
Age 23, from and still residing in The Bronx. She's a waitress who was the valedictorian on her college class. Um, okay. She's smart but obviously didn't major in waitressing. That's a lot of student loans for a job she could have had without it! She says she brings up the valedictorian bit as often as she can. How to win friends and influence people? One cute thing is that she named her guinea pig Peeve -- pet peeve! She thinks she can relate to Malcolm. Yeah, I see that … no.
All of the castaways are in the superfan or really big fan category. This should be interesting. What do you think of them?
Just a reminder -- the blog pool sign up ENDS on Tuesday. To be in the pool, you need to submit your name in the comments of the sign up post.
My post for the Manu Tribe is at this link.
Well, here it is … the season finale! Due to them airing a clips filler show the last episode, much of tonight's live show will be taped. The HoH comp they'll be airing is almost a week old now! Grr. I'll be live blogging the major events as they air here on the East Coast -- refresh the page to get the latest update! As always, the party is in the comments … join in on the fun!
My personal favorites for the win aren't in the final five. I was a Kato/Tom fan. I also wish Jonathan had had a bit longer in the house. His Diary Room segments were entertaining. Most of all, I think I would have liked Anthony in the house. It's too bad he was out before the live feeds even got going!
Anyway, we're down to Dina, Tamar, Kandi, Lolo and Ricky for the start of the finale show. Here's the updated Lifeguard Glenn's blog pool standings:
Donna NY - Dina
Bizaro22 - Kandi
Cheryl in NC - Lolo
Jennifer - Ricky
Monty924 - Tamar
Joyce Johnson - Dina
Ayana - Kandi
CaelaXO - Lolo
Fred AKA Two Aces - Ricky
Janice - Tamar
Skyriver Blue - Lolo
Donna in FL - Kandi
Sharon N - Lolo
Alicia in Tx - Tamar
David - Dina
Renee Buck/Renee from NJ - Ricky
Okay, let's get this show wrapped up and set aside -- Survivor is coming! By the way, if you want in on the blog pool for Survivor Edge of Extinction -- sign up at THIS LINK. Please don't sign up on this CBB post.
Previously on ends and we continue with the zipline flying puzzle HoH comp taped last week. Not surprisingly, Dina didn't understand that they have a 20 second time limit to push the buttons or the puzzle boards demagnetize. She got disqualified first. Kandi is struggling.
RICKY wins HoH! Tamar and Lolo are excited. Kandi and Dina not so much.
Right into the Nominations Ceremony -- Ricky nominates Dina, then Kandi. He says "everyone knew the deal." Um. Okay. He tells us it's because they don't speak with him. Ricky tells Tamar he wants to be with her in the final two. He tells her if Kandi or Dina win veto, Lolo would have to go up. Tamar is fine with that!
PoV Comp -- they have to steal four artifacts from the BB Museum ducking around laser beams. Veto Heist. Quickest (and right artifacts stolen) chamster wins. Dina is setting off the alarms left and right. Each time they trip an alarm (laser beam), they have to stop and run to the security desk to reset. Tamar just screams.
Dina 17.34
Tamar 13.22
Kandi 9.53
Ricky 9.21
Lolo 9.08
LOLO wins the Power of Veto!
Lolo tells Ricky she doesn't want to leave Kandi in the game -- if she saves Dina, Tamar would go up and Kandi would go home. She also proposes it to Tamar. Of course, Tamar says no, not a good idea. Then Tamar tries to work it so that Dina is more of a threat than Kandi. Hmm. Ricky is just sitting there.
Veto Meeting -- Lolo does NOT use the veto. Dina and Kandi remain on the block.
With only Tamar and Lolo voting, Ricky knows he might have to be the tiebreaker.
Anthony "Mooch" is live on the show with a Julie interview. He gives her his take on each remaining chamster. He has something nice to say about all. Then she asked him Trump things. I don't do politics here, so … next! He will not be voting for the winner of the season but will stick around to greet everybody.
First live eviction time. To the living room --
Kandi - Been a pleasure, says nice things to and about all, says Dina would beat anyone because she's amazing, survived the block the most times.
Dina - Winggirl with Kandi. Like Kandi, says nice things to and about all. Admits she and Kandi were floaters.
The votes to evict:
Lolo - Kandi
Tamar - Dina
It's a tie. Ricky will have to decide! He evicts KANDI. He obviously knows she's a bigger threat for the win than Dina.
Time for the final HoH comp --
All compete. Judges for Celebrity Look-a-Like Junior. Show seven videos, junior will make three statements, Julie will ask which is false statement. A, B or C answers. Seven questions.
1. All right
2. Ricky and Tamar right.
3. Dina only one wrong
4. Dina only one wrong again.
5. Dina wrong again
6. Ricky only one right
7. Tie between Ricky and Tamar
To the tiebreaker … the kids are cute, BTW …
Tamar tried to vote real low for the win, but RICKY wins the final HoH!
He needs to decide who goes to the jury and who's in the final two with him.
Dina - Love you, learned so much from you.
Tamar - One of my favorite people in the house, wish you the best of luck
Lolo - Thank, grateful to know you, would like to stay
Ricky chooses to evict Dina, then Lolo. (He did that right in my opinion.)
In the Julie interview, Lolo seems bitter, won't be friends with Ricky after. Dina, as always, is upbeat.
Jury questioning time …
Tom - Ricky - Biggest game move? Not freaking out when on the block. Tamar - gunning for the two Kato and Tom to go as biggest threats.
Natalie - Biggest regret, Ricky -- not winning Slaughterhouse, could have kept us together. Tamar - getting too emotional. (Y'think?)
Ryan - Tamar, why you over Ricky? He is amazing, but I'm a huge fan of the show, limited amount of lying, played the best I could. Ricky - Played hard, tried to give good advice -- he's not answering the regret question at all, he's saying good stuff about himself.
Speeches --
Tamar -- Thanks, thanks to so many, it's turned into a spiritual journey, was meant to be, had lots of troubles but promised to never give up on herself and always be kind. Asking you all to be kind.
Ricky -- I apologize for getting all upset. Wanted to go on the show to show who he really is not what people think he is. Keep it real, keep it moving, keep it alive. Being a role model, someone who can bounce back.
Time to vote:
Jonathan first, voting for someone who had my back best they could
Ryan -- Good luck
Joey -- See what God has in store
Kato -- Congratulations
Natalie -- Difficult, love you both
Tom -- Tough choice for a lot of reasons, congratulations, the one who made me laugh the most
Kandi -- Glad one of us made it
Dina -- Love you both
Lolo -- Voting based on her heart
Julie talks to the jurors who watched the show. Tom loves the BB community online. Kato is glad not to be a sound bite. Ryan is glad to show himself, not the headline. Jonathan and Joey are grateful for new best buddies.
The votes --
Jonathan -- Tamar
Ryan -- Tamar
Joey -- Tamar
Kato -- Tamar
Natalie -- Tamar
TAMAR WINS CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2!
Into commercial, will then reveal last four votes and winner of AFP.
Tom, Kandi, Dina and Lolo all voted for Tamar -- it was unanimous.
America's Favorite is … TOM GREEN!
I feel this all went down as it should. Congratulations blog pool winners Monty924, Janice and Alicia in Tx -- bragging rights handed out!
