More Whatnot

Quick Note: Andrea and I have a deal where when she wins, I’ll lead the next week with an Albert photo and when I win I’ll lead with a Mikayla photo. In the case of a tie we’d use a picture of Elyse. Since Elyse is out of the game, it only seemed fitting to use a picture of Brandon Hantz wearing a bra. Yes, I’m aware that there are some things you can’t unsee.

The Rules: Each week our two combatants will create separate power rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the two players will earn. For example, if Sophie is voted out this week, Andrea will receive 2 points and Gordon will receive 4 points. Also, each player will pick who they think will win at Redemption Island. If they choose correctly they will receive a bonus point. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: South Pacific” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.

Last Week: A perfect game from both sides as Andrea and Gordon both had Mikayla in spot thirteen and Christine winning Redemption Island. The current score is Team Boehlke 75, Team Holmes 78.

Wanna Play? Tag Gordon (@gordonholmes) in your own Twitter Power Rankings. If you do better than Gordon does, (which is highly likely) he’ll give you credit in his weekly recap.

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Current Score: 75 Got any advice for Andrea? Drop her a line on Twitter.	.	Current Score: 78 Got any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter.

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#1 Coach: I didn’t think I’d see the day where I put a returning player on top of the rankings, but here we are! Sure, there was a little disturbance in the S.A.C. when Albert and Sophie voted to keep Mikayla against his wishes. However, we saw that Coach has the majority of his alliance-mates in order. At the very least he has C.R.E.B. intact, which IS a thing (it’s a cellular transcription factor, duh) and there is a good possibility that things will be patched up with Sophie and Albert. Oh, and he has an idol.	.	#1 Keith: Now that things have settled down a bit over at Savaii, it looks like Keith has moved back into his position as stud who’s super safe until mergeville. And if Elyse is to be believed, he and Whitney have a bit of a showmance going on. Could Keith and Whit (I agree, they need a nickname) go the distance and pull a Boston Rob/Amber? Doubtful. But he’s good for now.

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#2 Sophie: I honestly feel Sophie isn’t getting the credit she deserves in the Albert-Sophie alliance. I think she is doing more than just nodding her head and batting those baby-blues. Speaking of, have you seen her eyes? Incredibly fierce eyes. I believe Sophie is a silent assassin and although she voted against the numbers in her tribe this week, she is savvy enough to get back in with the crew.	.	#2 Jim: Yeah, yeah…Jim’s running things over at Savaii beach. Big deal. What impresses me is, both Elyse and Semhar have said how grossed out they are by the fact that Jim has dated his former students. HE’S NEVER HAD ANY STUDENTS! Best of all, he’s not making up lies that make him look awesome (ala Russell Hantz, Katrina fireman/dog rescuer), he’s making up lies that could make him look like a decent dude if he’s ever found out. Hilarious.

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#3 Jim: I have a love/hate relationship with Jim. First, he makes my life really easy by creating this 3+2 alliance and thus the Power Rankings are super simple. Then, he does this awesome blindside and messes up 3+2 and makes my rankings of Savaii close to impossible. He seems to be the only one dictating moves at this point, so I deem him safe this week. I hate/love you, Jim!	.	#3 Albert: Everyone’s making a big deal about the Upolu Five breaking up. I don’t buy it. Sophie and Albert could have easily turned Brandon against Coach if they wanted to by mentioning the immunity idol. I think it was just a disagreement where they decided to let Rick make the final call. I think they’ll stick together for a while longer.

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#4 Rick: Well, here’s a classic rags to riches story! Mustache man goes from invisible to making huge decisions. Mustache spoke at the duel and I swooned. Then he spoke later in the episode and I bit my fist. It’s probably because I’m biased and totally Team Alphie (sounds better than Sophbert, right?) but I actually think he made the right decision for himself to not piss of Coach.	.	#4 Sophie: Like I said with Albert, I think things are fine with her and Coach. However, they will have to be wary of how loyal Brandon and Edna (and apparently Rick) are to the Dragon Slayer. Quick Note: Sophie dropped me a line to let me know that she didn’t like how her Power Rankings photo had a white background. So, I added some disgusting, half-chewed pork.

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#5 Brandon: I think it’s detrimental to keep Brandon so high in the rankings because I too am a man of my word and I also thinking smoking marijuana is going against your word and I’d rather put him this high even though from the beginning I wanted someone else high but I stick to my word. Does this make sense? Of course not, it doesn’t have to!	.	#5 Coach: Congrats, Coach. You won one last week. You get to keep your pocket Edna around for at least one more round. However, there is no more doubting who the power player on Upolu is. If your alliance breaks up, or heads into the merge down numbers, there’s going to be a huge target on your back.

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#6 Dawn: In a world where nobody is really safe on Savaii, Dawn has done a great job proving herself valuable to the tribe. I don’t think Ozzy has it out for Dawn like he does any of the others, and Dawn seems to be tight now with Cochran and Jim, so if something crazy happens she could be safe.	.	#6 Whitney: Is it ‘Crazy’ to ‘Stand by Your Man’? Definitely not. No alliance is ‘Written in Stone’ in fact, many ‘Fall to Pieces.’ Worst case, she’ll still have a boyfriend ‘After the Fire Is Gone.’ (I’d like to thank Wikipedia for their help with that caption.)

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#7 Albert: Although I applaud Albert for playing for his own end game, it was Coach who got his way last week. While normally this could be a “dun dun dun” moment for Al, let’s not forget that he and Sophie know about the idol, which gives Coach incentive to patch things up.  Although he came close, close only showed that he’s thinking of moves but Coach is really the one in control over at Upolu.	.	#7 Rick: Rick! He speaks! He casts a vital swing vote! He…uh…he’s kinda boring. Although, it is funny that someone who was specifically anti-Coach during the pre-game interviews (and he had no idea that Coach was going to be returning) ended up siding with him.

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#8 Whitney: Whitney went back to being “purple” this episode which gives me some hope she will make it past this round. However, with the beautiful train-wreck that is Savaii, there is literally no telling who is next to go.	.	#8 Dawn: Who’s had the best transformation so far this season? Coach. The change from pawn to prince has been fascinating. Second best transformation? Dawn. Remember her rough beginning? Is this the same woman who totally called out Ozzy last week during his hissy fit? Awesome. And all the Savaiians who have left the game seem to love and respect her. Put her in front of the jury and I can think of six kids who are going to get shiny new bicycles when their mom cashes a million-dollar check.

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#9 Keith: Keith is starting to remind me more and more of a South Pacific Grant. He’s cool, collected, amazing at challenges and everyone loves him. Although I think he is safe for now, I think he will inevitably be blindsided down the road. I wonder if he will talk to Coach at the reunion.	.	#9 Brandon: OK, here’s some truth for you…never (as in EVER) tell your tribe to vote you out. I think you’re safe because you’re Coach’s boy. But you’re playing a dangerous game.

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#10. Edna: Mikayla has a point. How DID Edna get this far? Girl must be doing something right. I mean, according to Mikayla’s logic, Edna is like 2 foot something, 65 pounds or something ridiculous — just a little pixel of a thing!  However I do believe that if Upolu loses she will be next to go because she was never in the C.R.A.B.S. and people like Brandon and Coach are men of their words, you know.	.	#10 Cochran: Cochran and Dawn are both in a good position IF they can make it to the merge. They’re not quite out of the woods yet though, as we don’t know when the merge will take place.

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#11. Cochran: Cochran is just so cute and nerdy and I can’t wait to meet his mom, but I don’t know what to do with him! I can’t pretend he is running things. And since Ozzy has the idol and has apparently had something against Cochran from the beginning, I feasibly can’t put him any higher in the chance that Ozzy turns the tables on little ole Cochran.	.	#11 Ozzy: The previews are hinting that someone has asked to go to Redemption Island. Ozzy talked about this exact strategy in our pre-game interview. Does that mean he’s going to go? Maybe not, Savaii could win immunity, the tribe could decide that ousting Christine or Mikayla isn’t that important (as they’d be likely to switch to Savaii). Either way, this strategy is dumb. Can Ozzy beat Christine in a foot race? Yup. Can he beat her in Chutes and Ladders? Who knows.

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#12. Ozzy: So the previews for next week say that a person asks to go to Redemption Island and it is the most strategic gamble in “Survivor” history. Ummmmmmm. Can anybody see anyone else besides Ozzy asking to be sent to Redemption Island at this point?	.	#12 Edna: Coach saved you last week. He can’t do it again this week without getting rid of one of his original five alliance. The Dragon Slayer can’t do that without going against his statement that the best alliances start early and ride it until the end.

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Redemption Island Pick – Christine: Matt—errr, I mean Christine wins. Although I think Christine will eventually be de-Elroded, I don’t think Mikayla will be the one to do it. First of all, with challenges like shuffleboard it’s not like you have to be super skilled or strong. Second, when Sophie says “Christine is the worst person to come back” I sense foreshadowing. Goodbye, Mikayla, I too hope “Survivor” helps you with your modeling career. What—I’m being genuine!	.	Redemption Island Pick – Mikayla: Is it bad to bet against Christine’s hot streak? Totally. Do I need Mikayla to stay in the game so I have someone’s picture to use when I win the Power Rankings? Absolutely.

Last Week: Stacey and Christine spilled the beans about the Upolu alliance, Albert buttered up Coach by helping him find the immunity idol, and Jim upset the applecart by turning on Elyse and voting her out.

Note: I shouldn’t write these recaps when I’m hungry.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Here are the tribes as they currently stand…

The Savaii Tribe (wearing red)
Cochran – 24, Harvard Law Student
Dawn – 41, English Professor
Jim – 35, Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner
Keith – 26, Water Treatment Tech
Ozzy – 30, Slayer of Challenges
Whitney – 27, Country Music Singer

The Upolu Tribe (wearing blue)
Albert – 26, Baseball/Dating Coach
Brandon – 19, Oil Tanker Crewman
Coach – 39, Slayer of Dragons
Edna – 35, Anesthesiologist
Mikayla – 22, Lingerie Football Player
Rick – 51, Rancher
Sophie – 22, Medical Student

Currently Residing on Redemption Island (wearing buffs they hope they won’t have to burn)
Christine – 39, Teacher
Elyse – 27, Dance Team Manager

This episode kicks off with a very dejected Ozzy returning to Savaii camp. He tells the rest of the tribe that he’s done with alliances and is now a free agent. Jim, Whitney, and Keith try to talk him out of it, but Ozzy thinks they need to be honest with each other.

Dawn calls Ozzy out, saying he’s been hiding stuff from them. He agrees, admitting that he has the immunity idol.

Ozzy then tells the tribe they’re forgetting about Redemption Island. Keith lets him know that if he wants them to send him there, they will.

Wha what? Two things. First, Dawn…loving her. Second, Ozzy’s blowing up his game. I haven’t seen a meltdown like this since Brandon Hantz admitted to gunning for Mikayla.

OK, so that wasn’t that long ago.

The following morning, Cochran claims that Ozzy is acting like a “stupid bitch.” Whoa! I thought Cochran’s mom was watching this show. Machetes, blindsides, and curses…they grow up so fast on the island.

Meanwhile over at Upolutucky, Coach lets us know that he’s made the decision to not tell Brandon about the immunity idol. The Dragon Slayer is wise.

So, Brandon spends some time looking for it. His Hantz idol sixth sense helps him uncover one of the clues. He shares the clue with Coach, then continues looking for the idol.

Coach is a little wigged out as the determination Brandon is showing reminds him of Russell. The accent helps too.

Redemption Island Duel: It’s “Survivor” shuffle board. The first player to knock all four of the opposing player’s pucks off of the board will stay in the game.

Keith and Ozzy are attending the day’s festivities for Savaii, while Sophie and some dude with a mustache and a cowboy hat attend for Upolu. Before the challenge gets underway, Christine breaks down a little as Redemption Island is lonely…and not an island.

Christine scores first, knocking off one of Elyse’s pucks. Elyse responds by knocking off one of Christine’s.

The guy in the cowboy hat openly roots for Christine. She responds by not-so-subtly rubbing her nose with her middle finger. Oof…Cochran’s mom is witnessing all kinds of bad behavior tonight.

Christine scores again. Elyse follows that up by accidentally knocking off one of her own pucks. Doh. Christine has three pucks left on the board, Elyse only has one.

Christine misses with her next shot. Elyse doesn’t. Christine two, Elyse one.

Christine misses again, Elyse doesn’t. Each player has one puck left on the board.

Christine hits her shot, and since this isn’t little league, Elyse doesn’t get fair ups. So, Elyse has been eliminated from “Survivor: South Pacific.”

Over at Upolu, Edna confesses that she’s worried about her place in the game because of Brandon’s admission that she isn’t in the alliance. She figures her best plan of attack is to cozy up to Coach. Coach tells her he has her back because he feels like she’ll lay down her “Survivor” life for him. That’s certainly a new one.

Back at Savaii, Ozzy realizes that crying about his woobie probably wasn’t the best way to win friends and influence people. He takes Keith aside and they bro it out. Buddies again.

Immunity Challenge Time: Three players from each team will build a wheelbarrow. They’ll push the wheelbarrow through a zig-zag course. At two places they’ll untie knots on coconut-dropping contraptions. Once all the knots are untied, coconuts will drop into their wheelbarrow. Then they’ll have to deconstruct the wheelbarrow and create an ‘Angry Birds’-esque slingshot. They’ll then use then launch the coconuts at a series of targets. First team to take out all of their targets wins immunity, a trip to the sliding rocks, and an immunity clue.

Fun Fact: Challenge creator John Kirhoffer said this challenge is in his top-five favorite challenges of all time.

Another Fun Fact: These are the same sliding rocks they used for a reward during “Survivor: Samoa.” I went there during my visit and it was equal parts super fun and freezing cold.

Edna will sit out the challenge for Upolu.

Mr. Mustache, Brandon, and Sophie will do the first leg for Upolu, while Cochran, Dawn, and Ozzy will go for Savaii.

Team Upolu jumped out to a big lead as Team Savaii had a tough time maneuvering the cumbersome wheelbarrow.

Albert, Coach, and Mikayla had slingshot duties for Upolu and a decent lead. They’d already hit a few targets before Jim, Whitney, and Keith got to take their first shots.

Mikayla had a tough time working the slingshot. She was only using one hand and wasn’t getting enough distance on her shots. Apparently that made the difference as Savaii was able to catch up and win the challenge.

Back at Upolu, politicking seems to center around Mikayla vs. Edna. Coach is definitely gunning for Mikayla as she wasn’t accepting his coaching during the challenge. You’d think a professional athlete would be more open to that. (What? Lingerie football is a professional sport.)

Albert, on the other hand, tells Mikayla he’s going to keep her safe.

Quick Aside: Stacey did say that she thought Albert and her were close during her exit interview.

Albert makes the argument that Mikayla is better at challenges and that Edna is a strategy threat. Sophie and Rick (I looked his name up) seem to agree.

Brandon, however, gave his word that Edna would be the group’s sixth member, and he will stick to it because God hates “Survivor” blindsides or something.

I’ve said this about a dozen times; God has bigger business to attend to than “Survivor.”

Albert takes his case to Coach, but Coach takes the blame for losing the challenge because Mikayla wouldn’t follow his direction. Coach knows that Edna would have listened. Albert is worried that Edna is faking her loyalty to Coach.

So, we have Sophie and Albert wanting Edna and Coach and Brandon gunning for Mikayla. Rick and his mustache are the swing vote.

That night at Tribal Council, Coach makes the case that they could have won the challenge if they’d let Albert take all the shots.

Edna doesn’t like being the scrawniest player on the team, but apparently it is what it is. Way to make your case there, Edna.

Brandon says they have to be up in numbers at the merge and the next challenge is “detrimental” to the way the game turns out. He might’ve meant “crucial.”

Albert and Sophie think loyalty isn’t as important as numbers at the merge. Coach disagrees. Albert counters with a solid argument saying loyalty can be faked, but strength can’t be.

Oooh…

I check my watch and apparently it’s time for Brandon’s Tribal Council confession. Apparently they made a pact to stay an alliance of six through the merge and Mikayla isn’t part of that six.

Albert keeps with his strong showing going by saying they’re still loyal, they’re just having a difference of opinions.

Brandon says he’d rather be voted out than to play with dishonest people. He follows that up by admitting that he’d rather keep Mikayla, but that he gave his word to his alliance.

Coach tries to explain that you have to be careful with what you say in this game, but Brandon isn’t having it. Half-truths and withholding information are just as bad as lying.

Voting Time: Brandon votes for Mikayla, Mikayla votes for Edna, Albert votes for Edna, and Edna votes for Mikayla (and wishes her well in her modeling career). The rest of the votes aren’t shown.

What?! Hidden votes? That’s withholding information! The producers are liars!

Anywho, the lying liar Jeff Probst tallies and returns. One vote for Mikayla, one vote for Edna, one vote for Mikayla, one vote for Edna, one vote for Mikayla, one vote for Edna, and the sixth person to pay a visit to Redemption Island is…Mikayla.

Verdict: Brandon turned up the crazy toward the end, but he wasn’t able to top Ozzy’s self-destructive showing. Strong effort though.

Another solid episode with good drama and gameplay from both tribes. But, I think I’m ready for this season to hit mergeville.

Who’s Going to Win: I don’t think the divide between Coach and Albert is going to be a big deal. It wasn’t like Albert outted his idol or anything. So, I’m sticking with Sophie.

Power Rankings Update: A perfect game from both sides as Andrea Boehlke and I both had Mikayla in spot thirteen and Christine winning Redemption Island. The current score is Team Boehlke 75, Team Holmes 78.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

Last Week: Dawn won a challenge by carrying lots of weight, Jim and Cochran decided to target Ozzy’s date, and Stacey got to Brandon, but it was a little too late.

39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Here are the tribes as they currently stand…

The Savaii Tribe (wearing red)
Cochran – 24, Harvard Law Student
Dawn – 41, English Professor
Elyse – 27, Dance Team Manager
Jim – 35, Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner
Keith – 26, Water Treatment Tech
Ozzy – 30, Slayer of Challenges
Whitney – 27, Country Music Singer

The Upolu Tribe (wearing blue)
Albert – 26, Baseball/Dating Coach
Brandon – 19, Oil Tanker Crewman
Coach – 39, Slayer of Dragons
Edna – 35, Anesthesiologist
Mikayla – 22, Lingerie Football Player
Rick – 51, Rancher
Sophie – 22, Medical Student

Currently Residing on Redemption Island (wearing hatred for Coach)
Christine – 39, Teacher
Stacey – 44, Mortician

The episode starts off with the touching reunion of Stacey and Christine at Redemption (not an) Island. Stacey lets Christine know that Upolu is going to hell with gasoline drawers on.

Are you kidding me?! That’s gold! Why are we just hearing from Stacey right now?!

The following morning, Brandon lets us know that his feelings are hurt because Mikayla doesn’t like him because he’s a Hantz. Yes, that’s the only reason she doesn’t like you.

Then Brandon breaks down and sheds a few tears. It’s like the dude’s trying to top Sugar’s “Most Times Crying in a Season” record.

And we’re off to Redemption Island for the duel. Albert and Mikayla are attending for Upolu, while Whitney and Dawn accepted the invitation for Savaii.

Before the challenge kicks off, Stacey spills the beans to Savaii about who’s in charge at Upolu. They go out of their way to specifically refer to Coach as “Benjamin,” because that’s what adults should call him.

STACEY FTW!

Redemption Island Duel: The players will drop balls into a winding chute, as time goes on they’ll add more balls. First person to drop a ball is eliminated.

Note: If memory serves me, a similar challenge was used in the final three in “Survivor: Tocantins.”

The challenge starts up and there’s not a lot to describe except for me giggling at some of Probst’s ball-centric commentary. Christine does a better job timing the placement of her balls and wins.

Back at Upolu beach, Albert tells Coach about the great information exchange at Redemption Island. In perhaps my favorite moment this season, Brandon chimes in by asking, “Who’s Benjamin?”

Coach has a bit of an odd moment where he says he’ll snap if anyone calls him Benjamin to his face. Apparently his parents have been calling him Coach since he was eighteen.

Over at Savaii, Elyse tells us that she’s perfectly comfortable riding Ozzy’s coattails. Ozzy then shows Elyse what a terrible idea that is by asking Cochran how he spells his name. Cochran understandably takes that the wrong way. Seriously, that’s like asking your wife for her friends’ phone numbers.

Then, after Whitney and Dawn tell everybody about the pecking order at Upolu, Ozzy says if Coach was smart he’d get rid of Albert soon. Keith understandably takes that the wrong way.

Ozzy, buddy, you’re Bizzaro Coach and Keith is Bizzaro Albert. Why don’t you just go around individually insulting everyone’s mothers next?

At Upolu, Albert is really annoyed that Stacey let Savaii know that he and Coach were a team. He’s worried that this will make him a target after the merge. Dude, you’re built like a Mack Truck, you’re going to be targeted either way.

Albert decides to improve his cause by going on an idol hunt. Sure enough, he uncovers a clue. He shares the information with Coach and Sophie.

Coach goes on a hunt of his own but has no luck. So, he prays…and promptly finds it! I wonder if Matt Elrod is jealous that God has a new favorite.

Immunity Challenge Time: Each team has a roasted pig. All of the players will have their hands tied behind their backs. They’ll run to the pig, bite off pieces, and spit them into a bin. The tribe with the most meat in their bin at the end of ten minutes wins immunity, vegetables, spices, bread, an immunity idol clue, and probably trichinosis.

I know I said that the dunking wheel challenge in “Nicaragua” and “Redemption Island” was the grossest challenge ever…but it’s definitely been topped. This was just saliva and hunks of pork being spit into a bin. I seriously may never eat again. And to top it off, pork would get stuck in someone’s teeth and a tribe mate would have to bite it out of their mouths.

Oh…and there was a bin-cam so it looked like the Survivors were spitting directly into my living room. Awesome.

In the end, Savaii had 22 pounds, 12 ounces of gross, while Upolu had 22 pounds, 14 ounces of disgusting. Upolu wins immunity, reward, and apparently over 45 pounds of drool-covered pork.

Politicking around Savaii centers around the Alpha Betas gunning for Cochran and Dawn, Cochran, and Jim targeting Elyse.

Jim realizes he needs a fourth vote, so he approaches Keith about Ozzy’s “Coach needs to get rid of Albert” comment. Keith is torn because Ozzy was his first alliance in the game.

That night at Tribal Council, Ozzy tells J-Pro that he wants to keep the tribe as strong as possible. Elyse thinks that being strong means being strong physically and socially.

Cochran says that the novelty of Tribal Council has worn off and he’s sick of seeing his name on votes.

Elyse sympathizes with Cochran because she assumes he was always picked last for teams. Throw it to Lucas!

We also learn that the challenge left everyone with bloody lips and even a few missing teeth. So gross.

Voting Time: Jim votes for Elyse, Ozzy votes for Cochran, and the rest of the votes are gonna wait for the next paragraph…

Probsty tallies and returns; one vote for Cochran, one vote for Elyse, one vote for Cochran, one vote for Elyse, two votes for Dawn, and the fifth person to be sent to Redemption Island is…Elyse.

Whoa! Where’d those Dawn votes come from?! Are Whitney and Keith going to pretend that there was some miscommunication with Ozlyse?

Verdict: Bit of a shocker there at the end, but it’s nice to see the Savaii tribe doing some strategizing. A bit of a boring Upolu week, but I’m sure Brandon has plenty of crazy waiting for us next week.

Who’s Going to Win? Sophie. Bet on it.

Power Rankings Update: The Cardinals beat the Brewers, and I beat Andrea. I had Elyse in spot fourteen, while she had her in spot twelve. We both predicted Christine would keep her Redemption Island run going. The current score is Team Boehlke 61, Team Holmes 64.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes