Survivor: Micronesia - End Game

Survivor: Micronesia ended out a great season with more twists and turns. I actually like that they went back to the `Final 2 ` concept (it was harder splitting the final votes 3 ways), and I was pretty much happy with the outcome. I was hoping that Amanda would win, but it appears that she is suffering from Bridesmaid syndrome. She did get Ozzy as part of the game... so she can`t be complaining that much.... I sure as hell wouldn`t.

I knew as soon as they said it would be going down to the final 2 that Cirie would be the next to go. Natalie was the obvious first elimination as the girls were pretty strong about keeping their original alliance together.... but I did feel bad for Cirie and know who badly she wanted to win. She tried hard, and if she had gone to the finale she probably would have won. Amanda was smarter in choosing Parvati... but she didn`t think that some of the jury would appreciate how Parvati played (and she was ruthless) and ultimately made everyone know who the better player was.

I have to agree that this was one of the better seasons so far -- and I loved how the girls took control and bounced those big strong guys out one after another. Here`s hoping the next season will be even better (and it will be great having another round in Africa) and I can hardly wait to see one of my favorite shows in HD. Congrats Parvati!

Weekend Rant - Playing Catch Up

The Couch Potato had a real busy week, and have not had any time to post this week so this is probably going to be the busiest rant I have done in ages..

Start your engines:

Survivor:Micronesia proved once again that in this game you never know what is going to happen. Erik honey, you can run but you can't hide the fact that you made the biggest blunder in Survivor history (much to Jame's joy-- he finally loses that title) by believing that he could give away Immunity to win votes. Ummm is this an episode of Smartest Model? Erik was worked over by all the girls (except Parvati, who seems to think she is on vacation) and my money is on Cirie winning the whole thing but my choice is Amanda who has played a great game. That girl has been working it left, right and centre the entire game. If they don't get rid of Amanda next council, she might steal the crown.... so I think that Cirie will try to get Amanda out. If that fails, bye to Natalie (and the last Fan). This season has been great and I was howling with laughter as Erik got played at council.... even Jeff found it amusing. All will be revealed tonight, and there is no way I am missing the finale and reunion, I can hardly wait to see Erik get raked over the coals a bit for his "stoopid move". I mean seriously-- a chance to be in the final 4 and you give that up? Seriously? sigh...... but we do have the first all female finale.. sharpen your claws....

Dancing with the Stars had me having kittens after the performances on Monday and apparent bad scores for Marissa & Tony. I was breathing a sigh of relief and jumping for joy when she was put through to the semi-finals and was glad it was Mario who got ousted. Now I am not sure if it was just me, but Karina was so blase about the whole thing (and had the total don't frack with me look on her face) and I see that some of the other female professionals are starting to get a bit tired of the whole thing. I am hoping to see Cristian eliminated next and
I am not really sorry to say but Cheryl is really starting to get on my nerves and I can't wait to see her leave. Edyta is the only female dancer that seems to have a decent attitude (and who can't with her yummy partner Jason) and the male dances seem to be hanging in better. I still think that Kristi & Mark are going to win it all.

The 100th episode celebration was interesting-- I loved seeing Mel & Maks again (they have such great chemistry) and it was an interesting trip seeing the evolution of the series (and thankfully they glossed over some of the really bad ones quickly) but I found it interesting to see that our year one winner seems much less qualified compared to our current competitors. Kelly was okay.. but she wouldn't have made it past the first couple of weeks if she was competing now. They have got to find some way of getting Sabrina back on the show -- she was eliminated way before her time and I am still dying to see more.

Lost knocked another ball out of the park with more time discrepancies relating to the Island (the doctor on the freighter finding out his fate before it happens was freaky), but more of the back history of John, and besides finding out the he was a premature baby born to a single teenage mother, there was the surprising guest appearances and tests with Richard (does that guy ever age?) that were designed to see if he was the chosen one. I loved John's artwork of a smoke type monster that was attacking a guy.. very vivid imagination for a child. Later there was more of the mysterious Mr. Abaddon and some inspiration to John to go on his infamous walkabout that brought him to Oceanic Flight 815, and then this repeating scene and the revelation that Jacob's cabin was built by a mathematician (very interesting considering the unique properties of the Island) and said cabin currently houses Christian (Jack's Dad) and in a strange twist of events , Claire (his illegitimate daughter)... it's all very freaky and interesting stuff but what is going on with Claire?

And this thing about it is now time to move the Island ...

What?? My head is going to explode with all the players, shakers and movers .. what about the soldiers who want to kill all of them? What about Jack and the others on the beach and not really aware of the danger? and dammit there are only a couple of episodes left until the end of this season... arghhh!

Weekend Rant - Spring Boost

Thursday is turning into a 3 night event as there is wayyyyyyyyyy too much playing this particular evening to be able to see all of it "live". Case in point, this week I watched Survivor, Supernatural and Lost the actual Thursday evening, and caught up with Smallville, Step it up & Dance on Friday evening while getting my Battlestar Galactica fix and then finally got around to watching CSI and l'il Bush on Saturday while getting the latest Doctor Who from the BBC (another astounding episode)..... and getting treated to a new Mad TV things are getting a little out of hand with this up and down/back and forth season... and I am looking forward to things getting back to a more normal pace.

I still don't understand why so much has to play on one night -- and thank the gods of wherever for file sharing and DVRs, otherwise I'd miss out on a few things. Yeah I know, it's pathetic.

This season of Survivor is turning into one of the better ones in recent years (and now it seems, future seasons will be in HD -- watch out!) and the last episode hit another home run with yet another "stoopid move". Last week Ozzy got blindsided and eliminated with out playing the Immunity Idol, so it was "re-hidden" on Exile Island. Jason gets sent to the Island, discovers it, and after another chain of events (and the most creative use of the word "Bitch" by Natalie), Jason gets blindsided (dolt) and gets sent home just like Ozzy... and that damned Idol is going back in to hiding, and we will have to see if someone finds it again....

The guys are in short supply ( only James and Erik are left) and the girls will start fighting amongst themselves once again.... girl power can go so far but it all depends on who wins Immunity over the next few weeks... and it seems that James has a nasty infected finger so you never know who will get an advantage this game... I still say watch out for Cirie.

Smallville didn't hit as well this week, Clark seemed pretty whiny and intense (none in a good way) and if Chloe wasn't around to keep it all together I am not sure what would be going on. Umm next week is about Time Travel and going back to Krypton? huh? Secret Agent Jimmy was mildly amusing but I would have preferred a better follow up to last week's better written episode. Still... another Lana free episode and that is a good thing in it's self.

Supernatural came back (again) this week with an okay but not great episode. I liked the premise of the episode ( Ghost Hunters Facers) but it was missing all of the Sam & Dean interactions that make the show so great. The other characters weren't interesting enough and once all was said and done (and erased) all they had was some bad memories and a lost friend, and that seemed kind of sucky as far as endings go. I think I am expecting more because there haven't been as many episodes due to the strike, and in a regular season it would have been better received.

Lost keeps sucking me in further and further and I hate to say it, but I might actually be pulling for Ben (yes, believe it or not) after this week's stunning death (be at peace Alex) and this Ben-centric episode. Seriously.... first there is the whole phone call warning system (way cool) and then Ben has weapons stashed everywhere and he gets everybody where he wants to make his stand. Unfortunately, he tries to bluff his way out of a dangerous situation where there are holding his daughter(not?) Alex as hostage and he pushes too far, believing that his conviction that because Alex supposedly doesn't mean anything to him, will not be used as a pawn in this struggle.

Ben miscalculates, or as he sees it, the rules get changed and Alex is sacrificed as a result. Ben goes wild, disappears through a mysterious door with hieroglyphics and before you know it the Smoke Monster is taking care of the invaders (I guess he turned off the protective field) and the next thing we know he is in the desert in a Dharma uniform. After assaulting a couple of probable bandits (in a very nifty way), he is off to Tunisia where we learn it is 2005 and he is meeting up with Said (as one of the Oceanic Six) and we learn why Said is working with Ben.

On the island.... something is up with Jack but I am not too worried as he has been seen in the flash forwards. Our gang learn that their new friends aren't there to save them (thanks Bernard) and there was some general mayhem everywhere. With Smokey on the loose I worry for the rest of the gang, and we already had several casualties courtesy of the invading force and I worry that there won't be any survivors other than the Six at this point. Locke, Hurley and Ben are off to see the wizard... Jacob on Island time but in the future things end up with Ben getting into a private building and his warning to Mr.Widmore about changing the rules and now it will cost him his daughter (Penny) had me on the edge of my seat.

So this is the shape of things to come.... things are moving along quickly and I have so many questions, the biggest being How the frack can Ben travel in time? This show is too cool...


Battlestar Galactica continues it's final season with great episode after great episode. I loved all the freedom of religion undertones this time around, but also all about the intense feelings of redemption and guilt that are being experienced by Tigh. His projections of his dead wife on Six were most disturbing, and even more disturbing to hear Six explaining how pain makes her feel and how she shares it with Tigh. yikes.


The President, and her way of dealing with Baltar, impressed the hell out of me ( I loved her comment to him that she was no longer in the mood to indulge him) and the weird scene of Six helping Baltar make his stand and taking back his right was strange.... it makes me wonder how real Six is and how she is not seen by the others yet can physically manipulate Baltar. There wasn't enough action with the big group of cylons this week nor with Starbuck and her crew but there is always next week.


Doctor Who is still a fun a ride as ever with not one, but two companions this week. Donna and the Doctor run into Martha, and we have some fun and games with the Sontarans, some interesting green technology and a rotten child genius. I love the character development and interaction, and find it quite interesting that Donna keeps running into some of the other companions of the Doctor, first Rose (although she didn't know it) and now Martha. I like how things are tying together, and the episode is great fun with Donna's family realizing that they know the Doctor from different situations. Of course it's a big cliffhanger, and I can hardly wait until the next episode to find out how this one turns out.

Weekend Rant - Things are going to get a bit messy

Smallville pulled out one of their best episodes (of all time) this week with "Descent" and the episode really highlighted Lex as he continued down his path to complete evil. Killing your dad and then burning your manifestation of your "good" side makes for a very deep and disturbing character and it was an extremely well performed episode by Michael (Lex). I am still in complete awe with his portrayal and interpretation of the character. Lex is on a one way ticket to hell and he doesn't care who is in his way or what he has to do to get to his goal. Kudos to dear old Dad, who, unless there is some other miraculous resurrection, will be gone and the last "adult" cast member will be finished on the series.

I could have done with a bit less of the hokey Veritas crap and the Traveller stuff, but the episode was pure story without all the usual angst that is in a regular episode of Smallville.... could it possible have been the fact that Lana wasn't in this episode (Kara neither) made it seem less whiny? Things are tying up nicely this season, and now if they could finally start getting Clark "oomphed" up a bit and get him flying, (they are still avoiding that, but the time has come my friends-- you better go with it) but they have started upping the anty when it comes to Clark and his powers ( I thought his creative use of Heat vision was great this week) and I would really like to see him becoming more of his potential and less of the angst ridden whiny character that they often portray him as.

Cirie has reinforced (once again) my theory that you CAN NOT trust her in the latest happenings on Survivor:Micronesia ... and I have been saying for weeks to get rid of her-- and now Ozzy has been eliminated from the competition in a bone headed move that is way up there with "bad moves" in Survivor. (James is still the champ with having 2 Immunity Idols and getting the boot). It broke my heart to see Ozzy go, but let's be honest here... he was starting to get way too egotistical about the whole thing and he was outplayed in some major shenanigans. Erik is really growing on me after his visit to the Micronesian village (and after all that beer and Betel nuts) and he is quickly becoming my favorite player to watch with his whole "wide eyed innocent thing". The girls are getting their groove on in many ways and I think the claws will be coming out soon which should make for some good episodes. I still wish Ami was around to work that whole "girl power" vibe, but just seeing the look on Eliza's face when Ozzy got eliminated was worth the shock. Ozzy was less than graceful with his exit and he should have followed his earlier feelings and pulled out the Idol. Yet another one wasted... what is the use of having one if you don't use it? It's still a shame to see him gone and it looks like the guys are the endangered species this round.

Battlestar Galactica is so fracking good that I am now dreading the day it ends.

This week's episode "The ties that bind", continued rocketing our storyline into much unfamiliar and very disturbing territory.

The ties that bind - Cally & the Chief - besides the obvious;their child -- is their violent past and when Cally discovers, much by accident and suspicion, all about her dear hubby and some of his friends their shocking Cylon secret ("skinjobs") and she ultimately pays the price for this knowledge. Her discovery, the surreal scene that followed of Chief chatting with her and trying to explain the false truth and her violent attack on him before going off to try to commit suicide was astounding.

I was worried for the baby (probably some hybrid?) and you could feel the fear and tension that Cally had as she wrestled with the dilemma of Cylon hubby (and crew) and when one of our dear skinjob friends shows up (Tory) and tries to play nice before ultimately slapping her down and grants her death wish by blasting Cally out the airlock ... I was completely blown away. Just when you thought there was hope and redemption for some characters you realize that they are a lost cause. Tory has been mostly a background character, but since the reveal that she is one of the Cylons her storyline has been taking on a whole new direction and she has been given the chance to show some acting chops. Her sudden shifts have been very effective. Now of course... if Cally shows up next week on a Resurrection Ship we might have the identity of our unknown Cylon... and maybe that could explain why their baby has never shown up on the radar as important before... just a theory.

The ties that bind -- Starbuck & Anders -- the on again off again couple are off with a crew on the Demetrius looking for the way to Earth. Adama still has a spark of hope in Starbuck, and although our heroine is feeling disconnected and not quite herself (me thinks red herring, making us think that she might be Cylon when I think she will be the one that will save them all) and has some rough hot sex with stud man. Starbuck is painting some pretty pictures and going all Sistine Chapel in her quarters. The girl is not as crazy as anyone should think. The whole " Oh frack it let's just frack " scene should clear up any misconceptions about the word frack.

The ties that bind -- Six & the other Cylons -- and their ongoing civil war. Suddenly there is a vote and they want to unite the 12 models? I never imagined Cylons to have neither a spiritual nor such an emotional side and am fracking fascinated over the current internal struggles with in the machines. Seeing the trap that our friends just jumped into (and not a Resurrection ship around) might mean some change in the status quo.

There was still tons more (incredible to believe, all that in one hour) but I was less intrigued by the political stuff (although I love the President) and think that they are still wasting the Apollo character. I am sure this will all tie together in ways I could never imagine.

Weekend Rant: It`s a mad mad mad world

Survivor Micronesia (aka Fans vs Favorites) continued it's great season with an all out chaotic episode this week. Not only do we get the merge (which seemed a tad bit early to me), but we could some funny play with the phony baloney Immunity Idol, some fierce competition in the Immunity Challenge and some hilarious game moves by some of the players. We actually saw more of the other players this week than we have at any other time.

The sudden merge, the interesting feast ( bats? yuck..) and the choosing of the name was all insane. I loved how Erik made up a word (Dabu) and it became the name for the merged tribe. This season is going in so many different directions compared to previous ones. The jealous looks and tension that is starting to pop up because of Alexis and her interest in Ozzy (I think everyone is infatuated with him) and of course, Amanda and her big interest in Ozzy and her sudden bad feelings towards Alexis seems to speak volumes.... Pavarti and her ability to make a deal with everyone is going to end up screwing her and probably a few people around her...

Jason is trying to prove his mettle against Ozzy (it seems all the Fan boys have a man-crush on our uber-player) and they go for broke in their endurance Challenge. Although Jason wins, his attitude makes him a poor winner, and he has already promised his buddy Eliza the " Hidden Immunity Idol " that he found on Exile Island (aka the fake placed there by Ozzy), and once he shows her the Idol, Eliza is pretty convinced that it's a fake (very perceptive) but decided to go for broke and plays it anyways.

An interesting move.... and Ozzy almost lost it big time at Tribal Council when Eliza pulled that out of her bag and tried to avoid being ousted..... the gang seems to be getting a little uppity with Ozzy and I am beginning to worry for him... we'll see what happens with all of that over the next few weeks. My biggest concern at the moment is still Cirie.... I just don't trust her...

Battlestar Galactica continues it's mind blowing final season with a huge episode on Ethics (amongst the Cylons and how some of the factions want to keep the Raiders lobotomized as they are beginning to evolve... and that won't do for some of them), and a ton of development with Starbuck's story and about Trust. Her sudden appearance makes many of them think that she is a Cylon and they don't trust her judgement (or story for that matter) and after a great confrontation with the President (and comparing Trust/Faith issues) we learn that Starbuck is going insane as they move farther and farther away from Earth... and that she might lose her contact with Earth if they keep moving away. Holy frack.... the stories, characterizations and acting that this series brings blows my mind. Katee Sackoff kicks major butt in her freak out scenes and I can not believe what they pack into one hour.

Step it up & Dance had a not bad second episode.... I liked the visit to see L'effleur des Sens and then learning more about the Apache style of dance. The competition was interesting.... I do like seeing the dancers divided into the "Winning" and "Elimination" groups after their initial audition. I'll still give it a couple of weeks to see how it grows on me but it hasn't become essential viewing nor is it trashy enough (yet) to warrant being given "Guilty Pleasure" status.

I still haven't completely recovered from the jaw dropping season finale of Torchwood to really say anything except " holey crap..."

Doctor Who has played 2 great episodes this far on the BBC, and this week's Pompeii Episode was just terrific. I love Catherine Tate and her Donna Noble character has been adding an interesting dimension with the Doctor. She has me in hysterics last week when they finally met up again in "Partners in Crime" and she pleasantly surprised in this week's Time Travel episode. I still get the occasional hint of some of her more noted characters when she gets going, but she is doing some nice dramatic work here. The Doctor keeps things as cheeky as usual.

The show is as well produced as ever and all the makeup, costumes, decor and sets were phenomenal this time around ( I hear they used the sets of Rome for this episode) and each episode has been leaving me giddy. I can hardly wait until next week... the Ood are back and that is never a good thing!

Weekend Rant - Endings & Beginnings

What a week.... not only did we start getting towards the end of Girlicious (and what a bitchfest that " Road so far" episode was..) but we got the awesome finale of " Make Me a SuperModel" and the first episode of the final season of Battlestar Galactica........ all that and the season finale of Torchwood and the brand new season of Doctor Who.

Honestly my head is spinning with all the starting and stopping, but here is a quick rant on my TV viewing.

Girlicious is the delicious train wreck that I expect it to be. The "girls" (all different versions it appears) are so catty and difficult with each other that you can hardly see 3 of them working together, let alone forming the "Next great girl group". Yeah right... This show is such a joke... and fills that void missing by shows like JDMA or any other bitchy dribble. I will be along for the ride, always hoping that bitchy Natalie doesn't go all the way..

Make me a SuperModel finished things in fine fashion with Holly taking home the big prize (and well deserved) while my favorite Ronnie came in second, followed by his bro-mance (Ben) and the ever bland Perry. Holly is the finest Hillbilly model since Elly May Clampett and made the season half the success it was. I loved all the "surprises" in the finale (Holly's fiance is hot..) but could have done with out the manufactured drama they call Perry. Puhleese...

Checked out " Step it up & Dance" and will give it another shot before dropping it.. am not sure if the show fills me "Dance" needs (Dancing with the Stars & Do You think You can Dance usually do that) but it did have some interesting moments in it's first look.

Concerning Survivor: Micronesia: DO NOT F**K with Ozzy. I was upset the Amy got the boot after butting heads with superstar man. The game is getting meaner but I still want Ozzy to win.

Battlestar Galactica started off the season strong with continuing the storyline from over a year ago (time flies..) and the discovery that " “There are twelve Cylon models. Seven are Known. Four are Hidden. One Remains” and that things are as fracking complicated and interesting as before.

The return of Starbuck and the strife that the situation creates, the struggle with some of the crew learning that they are Cylon, the new status of Baltar amongst some of the crew.... the situations and characterizations are dead on as usual. I loved the scene with our Four chatting together (and some of the weird flashes, it kind of reminded me of Lost at times) and the big fight scene with Anders getting scanned and then the Cylons retreating. This is not simple Sci Fi, it's complex pathos and humanity and inhumanity all woven into one complicated Gordian knot.

And like that famous knot, this one has is coming to it's inevitable conclusion at the end of the series and this part of the story. ( which probably means that it will finish with them discovering Earth.)

I am still along for the ride.. and yet still dreading "The End" as in some ways I don't want the stories to end and I want to see more of the characters, but then again there might be some kind of continuation in the adaptation to life in our universe after this series. I do know that I will be enjoying the series as long as it continues.

Survivor: Micronesia - Rough Breaks

It was a rough week for poor Jonathan, who after being banged around pretty hard last week (and getting stitches), ends up getting a nasty infection in his wound and has no choice but to leave for medical care. It's one of those events that you can't do anything about, and heartbreaking when you see how much someone wants to play.

Get well Jonathan, and who knows? Maybe you'll have another chance to play again in the future.

Jonathan did manage to help his team to victory in the Reward Challenge before being sent home, and the Challenge was interesting (build a blockade in a time limit and then have to break through the blockade created by your opponent), and their team made quick time of the blockade built by the other team and won a cool reward; the visit of a couple of local fisherman who will show them how to live off the land.

Meanwhile back with the rest of the players.... things have gotten more complicated for our "new" tribes as losing Jonathan has limited his tribe and now James is complaining that it is " just him and and a bunch of girls" (it looks like James and his harem). Once the visitors arrive and show them a few tricks (the crab traps are very cool) and they get a ton of food for dinner.

In the mean time, his fellow player Jason is off on Exile Island with Chet the drama queen. Jason looks for the hidden Immunity Idol while Chet "rests" and actually finds the decoy idol left by Ozzy. Jason is beside himself with this accomplishment and it's hard to tell if he really believes he has the idol or if he is playing along, knowing that he has found a decoy.

Once we finally get down to the Elimination Challenge, it's a question of strength and tactics, and Jame and his team power through with an unconventional method of doing the challenge (it's about using a couple of different stepping poles to help teammates cross to a platform in the water, and Jame's team move their teammate and the pole together instead of making steps), and it means that someone is leaving from Ozzy's team. There is some discussion about trying to get rid of Ozzy, but Chet has asked to leave as his foot is swollen and he can't deal with it.

Personally I found that Chet just wimped out from Day 1. I am still trying to figure out how the hell he got chosen out of all the Fans to play, as he never seemed really into the game from the beginning, and wasn't even willing to go all the way and try to play harder. I am just glad the Ozzy didn't blindsided and eliminated (it seems to be a going thing this season) and still have hopes for him going all the way. Ami has been playing very well (and more subtly than some of the other players) and I hope that she can go far. There seems to be a growing consensus that Cirie is dangerous and that she needs to go.... and I am eager to see how all of that will play out. Things keep shifting around quickly and it's hard to keep track of all the players but it still seems that the Favorites are the dominant force in the game.

Survivor: Micronesia - Ozzy is a god

If any player is making some power moves right now, it has to be Ozzy with his determination, great physical skill, tactics and sneakiness. The guy ruled in the last episode and gave me even more reasons to have such a crush on him.

Things were still pretty tense after eliminating Yau-Man and the next day Eliza is feeling sick (and got some grief from Ozzy and James who regret voting off Yau and keeping her) and there is lots of bitching with Cirie and the way she is trying to manipulate things.
We get around to the Reward Challenge and Ozzy wins it for his team in record time. He uses this great strategy of moving multiple coconuts through the underwater cage and makes it quick and easy for the rest of his team. The Fans try to keep up (to no avail) and get soundly beaten and the Favorites walk away with chickens and eggs. Ozzy decides to go to Exile Island with Kathy and continues his winning streak with making quick work of finding the Immunity Idol. Kathy may think Ozzy is a god, but doesn't see him find the Idol, and Ozzy pays homage to Yau-Man and leaves a false idol in it's place. It looks like our sea-god is keeping things to himself and knows it's a good idea to protect himself.

We get to the Immunity Challenge and once again the Favorites rule and easily defeat their foes. At the Fan's camp there are lots of them looking at Chet as the prime target to get rid of, until Tracy steps in and manipulates the hell out of Joel and gets him to target Mikey. The way she shamed him into taking action and playing alpha male was great, and I hope she sticks around for awhile. It does appear that there is a bit of a power shift at the Fan's camp, and there are some of them that are shocked when Mikey is sent home (he didn't see that one coming) and Chet lives to see another day. Whether or not he uses this to his advantage is another question, as he doesn't seem able to deal with being there and his time is probably limited.

Survivor: Micronesia - In the Middle

Another great episode this week, I loved the rough and tumble challenge of our gang fighting in the mud... and things got pretty physical between the 2 groups. I would have loved to have seen more of the struggle, but the big thing was that our Favorites won the Reward challenge which was a choice of 3 items out of the Survivor catalog.

Things got really tense later on when the Fans won the Immunity Challenge and all of a sudden the Favorites were scrambling and looking at who to eliminate on their team.

The whole idea that Cirie was the swing vote... and being insistent that Yau-Man was to be voted off played back and forth and you could practically see the smoke coming out of Jonathon's ears. Cirie managed to get her way, Yau-Man was voted off (crap) and the tension level has been upped a few levels back at camp. I think Cirie is pushing it (and she even made a comment that being the swing vote should incite the others to treat her like a queen and carry her around) and the pack will probably turn on her quickly. Our 2 couples seem to be doing well, and from what it sounds like the girls are playing the guys big time. I am still hoping that Ami will go far.... but it's still pretty early to see who is gaining advantage.

Oh yeah... and on the Fan's side... tensions are building more and more between Mikey B and Joel and the team is still pretty divided.... I am not seeing any of these guys going to the end if they can't get their act together soon.

Survivor: Micronesia - the Temptation Island Episode

My my my... how things are getting hotter in this edition of Survivor.

James is really into Pavarti, Ozzy and Amanda are making out like teenagers at Make Out Point, and on the other team we have Mikey who is seriously attracted to Mary (or atleast the way she fills out the bikini).

There's usually not this much lovin' happening in Survivor and I wonder if it's the moon or the convenient timing with Valentine's Day... it does make for some interesting team dynamics and you can see all the wheels turning amongst various players who want to see if they can play this to their advantage or how it can be a disavantage for them. Cirie made some very funny comments about 'Jungle Love' and had general disdain for all the nookie happening on her team and "teams" up with Jonathon. There are some hilarious team dynamics happening.

It's all great stuff and I am so hooked on this season. I love seeing my faves, and after this episode I started getting a better feeling and more interest in seeing the fans. They are still quite overshadowed by the faves, and the competition is pretty fierce.

Great challenge and nice to see Dolphin boy ( Ozzy) living up to his potential, and I was pretty impressed with Erik and Jason on the other side. Chet was damn close to being eliminated after his piss poor performance, and the new Exile Island with one member of each team competing against each other to find the hidden Immunity Idol is great. Kathy gets picked from the Fans and Cirie volunteers to go for the Faves.The treasure hunt for the Idol is all about finding a clue and then going back and forth between the little islands to get different clues to where the Idol is. It's different, looks tiring as hell and was another nice twist in this edition. It doesn't appear that Kathy or Cirie found anything but they walked and swam for hours.

I felt the drama at the Fans camp with having 2 shelters (one for the so called young hip crowd and another for the oldies) was childish and to my recollection, a first for Survivor. A tribe divided is not a good thing this early in the game and the Fans not be the great players that they imagine themselves to be.

Mikey is one of the best examples of this, his over analyzing over the different ways Kathy could play her Immunity Idol (or Idols) was too over done, and between his game playing and interest in Mary he threatened Joel, who was all primed to play Alpha Male for the tribe. Joel bullied his way around the rest of the tribe and got them to vote for Mary and "crippling" Mikey. Joel wants to show everyone who is boss and his plan works, surprising Mikey and getting his way.

What I didn't understand was why Joel didn't vote for Mary..... his plan, yet he voted for Tracy and I wonder what sneaky things he has up his sleeve next... or until he gets the snot kicked out of him by James.

Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites

Talk about being a kid in a candy store.... this edition of Survivor has so many of my Favorites it's hard to know where to start...

I have to say that I am most excited about *blush* Ozzy being back for another round. Dolphin boy was a great player last time around and is one of my picks for taking it this time around.... for some reason I can't make an absolute choice yet as there was so much going on in the first episode with all the Favorites returning (including my other Favorites Yau-Man and Ami who have just as much a chance of taking it all)... but I still think that he is a great player and that might get him voted off quickly...

The problem with having so many Favorites is that I didn't really care about the Fans... sure I found Kathleen to be hilarious and "that crazy one" that her team will be dying to vote off, and the beefy firefighter guy Joel seems to be a big hunk of man ready to compared himself to James... but I didn't want to see them (and didn't really care if they won or lost the first Challenge) as I wanted to see the characters that I feel already invested in.

The whole fiasco with Jonny Fairplay-- sigh.... all I can say is that it's a very good thing the knob was booted right away because NO ONE wanted him there. I found the prospect of him reproducing just as scary, I have no idea what girl is stupid enough to hook up with him.

But all in all who cares? He's gone, there are great characters on the Island and things look like they are going to be heating up quite a bit this time around..... I can hardly wait!