Survivor: Tocantins - Week 9

I knew it! I knew J.T. and Stephen wouldn't be as loyal to Tyson and Coach! Now, I didn't know that it would be this early on, but I feel like I sorta called it, right? :) The episode began with Sierra's reaction, which in honesty drove me up the wall! I'm sorry, but I felt no pity for her. I hate it when people try to save themselves by trying to make others feel sorry for them. Why don't you instead try to approach people with, "Hey, I screwed up, my strategy didn't work. Let's see what we can do to get YOU further in the game." You being the key word there, because as soon as you start saying, "Save me!" people are going to shut you off. Just like Tyson did... my goodness, what did you think about that little confrontation? I thought Tyson was telling her what she needed to hear, but that was rough. He was basically talking down to somebody else who was about the same age. It was a little funny, but almost a little too brutal.

We had the classic "visit the natives" reward challenge which is never too interesting. It always seems that somebody ends up throwing up, whether it is drinking too much, or in this case, eating too much. And poor Stephen had to spend another three days by himself on exile island. I think you forget how rough it is out there, especially by yourself. At least last year on Gabon they had a hut and hammock they could enjoy.

The immunity challenge was interesting and a good one. Of course the rain and cold added so much more to it all, especially with the option to chow down on some pizza under a covered tarp. I totally didn't blame Stephen for going, being on Exile, but I was a little surprised that J.T. went. Not surprised at all by Coach's decision and if I were Tyson, I would have been mad too. I've always said that if it were me, I didn't care what position I was in, I would play the challenge. I know that's easier said because I've never been starving like that before, but it just throws too much limelight on you.

Sierra ALMOST won it, but Debra had a perfect shot that shattered her hopes, for the time being. I had the chance to play shuffle board this past weekend, and I admire Debra's more than clutch shot. Which led to a great post strategy session amongst everybody. Erinn created an ingenious idea to get Tyson off. If you are her, you are getting a power player out of the way who happens to not like you and you are strengthening position to go with J.T. and Stephen. Now, you have to give J.T. and Stephen the huge credit for implementing the change. I think that no doubt Tyson and Coach would've stuck with them, but they were smart enough to realize they had a better chance of winning not having to strategize or compete with them at the end.

Once again the overconfidence bug hit, and Tyson, Coach and Debra were stunned. I thought it was brilliant to not include Sierra in the plan, because who knows how she would have acted around Tyson and Coach before tribal council. I honestly didn't think Tyson was gone, but I'm glad that the overall editing of the show surprised us as much as Tyson was surprised.

Now I'm sure the next episode, if it the past ones haven't already, will be the Coach show. I bet we are going to hear the tirade of honesty and integrity being broken, and how the spirits of the land will not be so kind to Stephen and J.T. who have for certain now lost their warrior status. It'll be interesting to see what happens. Sierra will have a huge decision to make to be on the bottom rung of one alliance (Coach, Debra, Erinn) or the other (J.T., Stephen, or Taj). I don't know where Erinn plays in all of that, but she's put herself in a very interesting position to float to either side that probably won't provide too much backlash against her.

So... Were you shocked that Tyson was eliminated? Were you as annoyed as I was by Sierra's attitude? How mad will Coach be, REALLY? And who do you think has the best chance of winning right now (I think J.T.)?

Practicing my shuffle board skills,

Nathan

Survivor: Tocantins - Week 6-8

Yeah, I realize I haven't written one of these in a while. I really don't have a good excuse... but by the flood of emails I got wondering where they were, I thought I better get back into it.

Rather than trying to recap all three I'll just try to jump in. But too the departed Sydney and Joe... Sydney had the potential to go far because she was a loyal vote, but the tribe did right by keeping Taj, because she will be even more devoted and maybe possibly make a not-so-smart move that will help Stephen and J.T. (they are really playing her at the moment). Joe happened to have bad luck with the infected knee, but I didn't see him going very far. I don't see how a guy like him didn't get in better with J.T. and Stephen except for the fact that he really liked the pretty women, who in this game, happened not to be strong players.

Now to this past episode... I can't remember a tribe going into a merge with the numbers be so divided so early on. The old tribe of Jalapao didn't have to do anything at all. I think it's just plain crazy that Timbira turned on their own so quick. Stephen and J.T., especially lucked into it. They said that they are the power players right now, and it's true. I really wouldn't count on them being totally faithful to Coach and Tyson. They are in such a great position right now and you can't forget how pivitol Taj and Erinn may be for them down the road. I think Tyson and Coach will stay true to them, but think of this scenario... If Sierra goes next (which according the teaser seems like she will), you now have a situation where you recruit Taj and Erinn (who probably won't be huge factors in individual immunity), blindside Tyson, then pick off Coach and Debra. As strong as Tyson has been in the challenges, I don't think you will want to go against him at the end.

Going back to J.T., what is it about this guy that everybody loves? Obviously people aren't seeing how devious he can be, but he is just one of those guys that girls love and that other guys want to be. Coach obviously had a man crush on him and Brendan had one little boating adventure with him and he was ready to take him to the finals! I really liked Brendan. I really don't know why the others turned on him so quick. He came off as so likable in his interviews, was he just rude to everybody else? He was really smart, really athletic, and a natural born leader, but he got caught by the biggest snake in this game, overconfidence. Plain and simple. He should've taken advantage of J.T. and Stephen...like I hate to say... Coach.

Ok, no bones about it, this is the season of Coach. The producers know everybody hates him, therefore they are going to show him more and more. (I call it the Richard Hatch syndrom) I am really surprised he has made it this far, I would've never guessed that would've happen, but he has something where he does get strong players (Tyson, J.T.) to allign with him. I loved that one quote Tyson had, "Coach says one thing and everybody hates him, I say the same thing and everybody laughs). Coach will get burned in this game, I guarantee it, which means I am already dreading his jury speech.

I know I keep saying it, but this is a great season. I'm really enjoying it and they did a wonderful job with the casting. A lot can still happen, and at this point of the game, it's always exciting when that's the case.

So did you believe Coach's story (I can't tell you how much I rolled my eyes. I loved Brendan challenging him on it)? Are you finding Tyson as entertaining as me? Are Stephen and J.T. truly the power players right now? What do you think Brendan could've done better? And why is it you get depressed as soon as Sierra talks?

Trying to stay on track,

The Dragon Slayer

Sicko

I implore you to place your political issues aside and watch this powerful documentary. Love him or hate him, Michael Moore flipped the conventions of documentary filmmaking, and with this film he shows the most restraint as he presents how the health care industry has affected America’s health, pocketbooks, and most importantly, our fears. Moore occasionally takes some unnecessary jabs that take you out of the film and at times you can’t help but wonder about the flipside to other nations’ health care systems that he presents and raves about. Regardless, this film will not so much have you shaking your head at how corrupt and thoughtless the HMO industry is, but particularly how our government has created a system that has us as Americans in fear of cost instead of our health when an incident or diagnosis occurs. With greed as the core center of this issue, Sicko is never more as relevant as we face this current economic crisis in 2009. I give Sicko 4 out of 5 severed fingers.

I Love You, Man

I am a sucker for the recent comedies that have come out, especially when it involves Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. Yes they can be crude, but I think the appeal these Appatow-esque films is their ability to capture snapshot moments of real life and that they really have a heart at the center of them. I Love You, Man has both in a huge way. Rudd really shows his comedic acting chops as a recently engaged man who discovers that his great friendships with women don't translate as well to male friendships as he searches for a best man for his wedding. The beginning of the movie tends to be univentive setting up the plot, but once Rudd's character stumbles into a budding (no pun attended) relationship with Sydney (Segel), the film takes off into sincere and truthful moments of relationships between couples, girl friends, guy friends and even gay friends. Most of the scenarios are not just hilarious, but almost relatible to a pont that it was scary. Both girls and guys will love this movie, whether you are on a date or just with your friends. As entertainment goes, it was just plain fun the whole time. I give I Love You, Man 4 out of 5 Rush tunes.

Survivor: Tocantins - Week 5

This season might officially be deemed as the season of great challenges! They have been so entertaining so far and I know I keep going on and on about this, but over the past couple of seasons I have zoned out as soon as Probst says, "Do you want to know what you are playing for?"

The spin reward challenge was hilarious but competitive, and actually had some strategy behind it. Then the net challenge, which as far as I could remember was new but similar in past styles on the season. But it cemented its legacy in Survivor history by JT's chipped tooth. Of course he had to toss it aside like it was a booger, to just add to the manly man credibility that he already established way back during his first interview when his thick Alabama accent first crawled out of his then pearly white teethed-mouth. I love Jeff Probst's improve nature of making sure they recovered the tooth, just so he could leave the challenge by saying, "All I have for you is J.T.'s tooth." Classic Probst... I honestly thought he got it to auction off on the Survivor website.

I'm interested to see what Tyson does in this game. He seems to be holding back a little back and staying in the middle, but I bet he makes a big move in a big way. The reason I say this is his keeness to notice Brendan's choice of taking Stephen to Exile Island. I wonder if Brendan is truly the next to go if Timbira looses.

The letter reward, of course, is always heartbreaking. It really makes you think about how weird it would be away from any kind of contact from your friends and family. But this one was a little different in two comments... Joe's about how his Dad hardly gives compliments and J.T. saying that his mom said "I love you" for only something like the fourth time. They tried to play it off as much as they could, but wow, it really shows what distance from your loved ones can do, on both sides.

Now I am definitely one to know that Survivor has a formula, but it seems to be getting really apparent this season about who is going to go. There was Spencer's profile piece this episode, Sandy's rant about Sydney last episode, etc. It takes the drama out a bit about who is going to win the immunity challenge and also who will be going home. I wish they were a little bit more clever on how to approach this.

Thankfully the challenge was yet again entertaining and we went back to Jalapao camp where there was a bit of a self destruction moment. They did let one slip by and I wonder how much of Taj's outburst was her personality or that she had the immunity idol. Well... scratch that, Stephen has it in his possesion for some odd reason. Like him, I wouldn't mind at all, but it's funny that Taj trusts him that much to GIVE it to him. She could have easily been voted out this episode and not have known it. Stephen will be in odd predicaments like this the rest of the game, but I bet he may not be entirely true to this secret alliance. Especially if Brendan is the next one to go if Timbira loses.

I was a little surprised by Spencer's exit. Not because he messed up the challenge (where was Sydney, Taj towards the end, etc.) but as a fan who has watched the show since day 1, I was surprised he didn't fight more. I think all it would have took was some sucking up to J.T. and Joe with an apology, but he really showed his age during that really awkard scene in the pond. He just didn't seem to be really close to anybody and although most of his tribe was young, there was still a disconnect there.

Sorry for the loss Kacey. I know how it feels to go out early, but sometimes it helps (at least for me). When I went out early last season, I wasn't quite as nervous when I watched it. I thought Spencer was a good pick because he seemed a lot smarter than Eric from Fans vs. Favorites, but I think he just got a little to self-conscious and too hard on himself after that last challenge.

So were you impressed with the tooth throw away? Did you think Spencer could have saved himself? Will the secret alliance stay intact?

Survivor: Tocantins - Week 4

Now I was definitely not a big fan of Sandy, at ALL, but I actually felt pretty bad for her last night. Although you pretty much knew the outcome, I think the vote last night will be one of the most crucial turning points of the game. Sandy really had the unfortunate luck of not just being on a tribe that was young, but really a season where everybody seems young. That had to be a tough vote for the group. Sandy really helped a lot in the challenges and Sydney will be one of those contestants that might ride some coattails. During tribal council, she didn't necessarily come off that she was really playing hard or cared. But when somebody annoys you, especially the way Sandy's personality was, it's hard to keep her. And you know, she could've been a REALLY wild card in the future.

It's always nice to see things even out. Even though it is so much easier to like the orange tribe, when things go back and forth, it just makes the whole season more interesting all around. It's so hard to even think of the last season where the challenges have been so close. Having the weight challenge come down to just the girls and then the puzzle challenge basically ending as close as it could had to be a producer's dream. Like I mentioned in the last email, the right people are getting voted out early which will provide for more and more drama as the season goes along.

As soon as I say how great the secret alliance is, the show teases that Tyson catches on to it and that Taj rubs her tribemates the wrong way. So I don't know how valid these next comments will be... but how lucky was it that Sierra picked Taj? And was it that hard for Brendan to find time to talk to Sierra? He almost blew that whole thing. Speaking of Sierra... when Taj basically gave her an invitation to win the game, her reaction was basically as if Taj said, "Sierra, guess what? You breathe air!" Even if this thing falls apart, I think Stephen is in the best place because you can always rely on your fishing buddy to pull you through (I'm referring to JT of course).

I think JT is going to be a dangerous player. I think he's definitely playing that "good ol' boy" card but I bet he can be just as ruthless as Tyson. Well, maybe not as much as Tyson. I love Tyson's sarcasm, although I bet some don't at all. He is a professional cyclist and as Whitney pointed out, you can tell that he wants to win, but I bet he doesn't need the cash. Which makes him a threat because I bet he will play hard just for the heck of it and being a competitor, he won't want to lose just based on principle.

So, now for your thoughts... will the secret alliance hold up? Are you relieved that Sandy is gone or do you like Sydney's coy ways? Have you been more entertained by the challenges this season? And who do you think has the best chance to win: Brendan? Taj? JT? Tyson? I think there are still a lot of possibilities out there, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Survivor: Tocantins - Week 2 & 3

Well, I'm back! In addition, we have a couple of more people added to the list! My ultimate goal is to get my updates syndicated somewhere, so spread the word... I'm kidding of course :) Unless you really know somebody that is.... Kidding aside, always let me know if you want me to pass this along to anybody else, I would love to add them to the list.

Now to the actual events at hand. We watched these two episodes the night after we got back from my honeymoon, so if I can't quite recall everything that happened from being so tired, my apologies. Overall, I already like this season better than last years. The cast is very likable, save a few, and so far everybody that has been voted out has not been too big of a surprise or somebody you might really miss. Maybe except for Jerry who had a great personality, but you could tell that his heart wasn't into the whole thing. Not saying that he wasn't sick, it's just that he didn't do any strategizing to save himself and if he had done just a little, they would have sure kept him. All that to say, it seems as if the show is setting everything up to have strong players at the end, unlike last season where you had not very good players at the end or so-so players who thought they were the best ever (cough cough... Kenny... cough cough).

The really physical challenges are always pretty entertaining to watch. I'm surprised more people don't come out of those really hurt. The water basketball was great T.V. all around. It starts to rain, people are beating up each other, there were unlikely heros and a comeback, what more can you ask for? From the other challenges that followed, I hope this doesn't become a trend like last year where one tribe continues to win, thus forcing a tribal shakeup. There was a lot of backlash from doing that last year, so maybe they will stay clear of it this time around.

I felt bad for Candace. She was really a huge asset for her tribe in that challenge and that totally got overlooked because of Coach? I could really rail on this guy, but I bet his exit is fast approaching, so I'll save it to then. One thing I do think is that he comes off worse in his interviews because his tribe really do seem to like him, but I bet he'll get old to them quick. Which by the way, the last tribal council was hilarious because you could tell how much he was bothered by the fact that they wanted Brendan as a leader and not him. I was a little confused though because Coach and Tyson seemed surprised when Jerry was voted out, but maybe it was for show so Jerry didn't leave mad at them. It was a good move by their tribe though. At this point, they really have to win challenges and if they voted Erinn out, they would probably be sealing their fate. Besides Sandy, Jalapeño (I know that isn't the actual name, but c'mon, when it is so close you can't help but think of the Mexican treat) is a very strong tribe, so it's hard picturing them losing many more challenges.

I think it's kind of funny that there are two idols on those beaches that haven't been found yet. That hole that Brendan and Sierra dug was huge! Were they planning on killing Coach and burying him there? I think I would have stopped at the 4 foot mark. Thank goodness Sierra came up with a story when Debra discovered the hole because poor Brendan just looked like a deer in headlights. Speaking of Brendan, I think he constantly has a sad puppy dog look on his face. So far everything is falling into place for him and the friendship between him and Taj seems to be working out well. I honestly don't know how you couldn't think of doing a secret alliance like that, so it'll be cool to see how it plays out without the other survivors becoming suspicious.

Taj is quite a character. She seems ultra cool, smart and athletic. I wonder if it'll make her too big of a target. For me personally, I can't root against her because of two things. One, she's bringing my two picks, Stephen and Sierra into her alliance. Two, her husband is Eddie George. He didn't play long or that great for the Cowboys, but he was a Cowboy, so that makes her okay in my book. I would've reacted to that revelation just like J.T. and Joe, and I think it's hilarious that Stephen had no clue.

I still think this could be anyone's game and at this moment it's hard to pinpoint a strong winner, without having to decipher it through the editing of the show. I'll be a little bit more descriptive about the next episode and the events that will happen, so I hope this two-episode recap has been all right. I haven't seen the new one yet, but I'll be caught up soon enough. And I can't ask too many questions to you because you are probably caught up as well, so I'll save those.

Thanks for reading and practice on your dramatic Erinn sneers as taught by Coach!