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‘Amazing Race’s’ Keith & Whitney – Shelley & Nici ‘Were Being Kind of Nasty’

October 29, 2014

'The Amazing Race' (CBS)

Note: XFINITY is the perfect pit stop for “Amazing Race” fans. Every Monday after an elimination leg, we’ll have an interview with the team that was sent packing and the full episode. Follow @gordonholmes on Twitter for immediate updates.

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In “Survivor: South Pacific,” John Cochran felt like he was being bullied by the Savaii tribe. When given the chance he jumped ship and eventually sent Keith Tollefson and Whitney Duncan packing.

But, don’t feel bad for the duo, they found something much better than a million dollars…they found love.

Quick Note: I hate myself for writing that last line.

Anywho, fast forward a few years later to “The Amazing Race” where Shelley and Nici thought they were being bullied by “Team Nashville.” When given the chance, the mother/daughter team used their U-Turn and you know the rest.

I spoke to Keith and Whitney in the days following their elimination and asked about their run-in with Shelley and Nici, their unique style of communication, and when we’ll see them on “Big Brother”…

Gordon Holmes: I chatted with you two individually on a beach in Samoa before you two fell in love.
Whitney Duncan: Yes you did!
Holmes: So, it’s always kind of cool to have that picture of you two. These two are on this beach in the middle of nowhere and they can’t talk. But they’re going to fall for each other.
Duncan: Aww… That’s awesome.
Tollefson: You were there before it all happened.
Holmes: Not that I had anything to do with it.

Holmes: You delayed your wedding to run this crazy race. Has there been a wedding since then?
Duncan: Yes, we got married when we got back from filming in July. So, we’ve been married three months now.
Tollefson: Marital bliss.
Duncan: We just got a puppy too!
Holmes: What kind?
Duncan: We rescued him…he’s like a shar-pei…kind of a…
Tollefson: He’s a mutt.
Duncan: Yeah, he’s a mutt. But he’s a cute mutt.

Holmes: What exactly happened with Shelley and Nici after that challenge?
Tollefson: Everyone was trying to find the tannery where he had to bring our hides. Everyone is bringing their bikes back. The entire group came to the mat at the same time. When Nici got there, she basically ran right to her mother. I ran right to the guy that had the next clue. As soon as I get there, I’m about to hand her the receipt and she starts screaming and yelling at me. “We were here first!” And she grabs my shoulder and tries to pull me off the mat. And basically, I overreacted. I should have held my composure better. When she started pulling me off the mat, I yelled at her,“You’re not allowed to touch me. Don’t touch me.” And then she did it again. She was screaming in my face.
Duncan: She was screaming that his partner wasn’t there. I was carrying the bags. Basically, the guy wasn’t ready to hand over the clues yet. I wasn’t standing next to Keith. I’ll be honest; I wasn’t. I got there within a couple of seconds. I was standing behind them, they wouldn’t let me through. But the funny thing about the whole dang thing is there was no lead. Everyone was there. We literally got our clue within one second of each other.
Tollefson: We didn’t get an advantage by doing that. We made an enemy and whoever got to the U-Turn first was going to get the other team. Which is exactly what happened.  I would’ve thought; let’s U-Turn the dentists, they have a save and we have to get that out of play.
Holmes: Leave it to the “Survivor” guy to try to flush the idol.
Duncan: (Laughs) Exactly, right?

Holmes: If you’d beaten Shelley and Nici to the U-Turn, would you have U-Turned them?
Duncan: Emotionally I wanted to U-Turn Shelley and Nici. This is an ongoing thing. It isn’t the first time we’d dealt with them. Earlier that day they’d tried to get someone to not let us into the customs line. Shelley was going around saying, “Don’t let them through!” But, they were being kind of nasty. Strategically though, I think it was smarter to U-Turn Misti and Jim. And it wouldn’t have put them out of the game. It’d upset Jim and he’s so intense and scary, but it was very easy to say, “We’re not trying to make an enemy out of you, it was just to get the save out of the game.”
Holmes: As far as your reality TV nemeses go; where do Shelley and Nici rank vs. Cochran?
Duncan: The Cochran thing…it was so long ago. I have nothing against him. I think he made a dumber move than they did. It was a much bigger move in the game. I wouldn’t even call it a move. I don’t know, what do you think Keith?

Holmes: Did we lose Keith?
Duncan: Keith are you still there?
Holmes: I think we’ve lost Keith.
Tollefson: Wait, I’m back.
Holmes: We were talking about you when you were gone.
Tollefson: (Laughs)
Duncan: I knew something was wrong, I thought, “He’s letting me talk for way too long.” (Laughs)
Holmes: Well, that kind of leads into one of the things I wanted to ask you about. We didn’t get a great feel for your personalities on “Survivor.” But on “The Amazing Race” you were digging into each other and going at it. What was your family’s reaction to getting to see more of that side of your relationship?
Tollefson: They know us. It’s not us fighting. It’s just how we react to each other. We’re both extremely competitive. So, instead of being nice to each other, we’re just saying “What do you want to do? Tell me now, it has to be ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” It’s not as nice as Bethany and Adam where they’re like, “What do you want to do baby?”
Duncan: “I don’t know, honey! What do you want to do?”
Tollefson: (Laughs) It’s not a bad thing, we’re just a little more intense. I have a lot of respect for Whitney’s opinion, and I need it when I ask for it. I can’t be wishy-washy.
Duncan: He analyzes a lot more than I do. I’ll just make a decision.

Holmes: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with Kym and Alli.
Duncan: Competitors.
Tollefson: They’re staying away from the pack. They’re being smart.
Holmes: Adam and Bethany?
Duncan: Sweet. Gnarly…in a good way.
Tollefson: They’re really nice. Nothing bothers them.
Duncan: In real life we would hang with Adam and Bethany.
Holmes: Tim and Te Jay?
Duncan: They’re funny. They’re so funny.
Tollefson: Unique.
Holmes: Shelley and Nici?
Tollefson: Miserable.
Holmes: Brooke and Robbie?
Duncan: Hilarious.
Tollefson: Entertaining.
Holmes: Misti and Jim?
Duncan: Intense for Jim, sweet for Misti.
Tollefson: Jim controlled the situation…arrogant.
Duncan: He is kind of arrogant.
Holmes: Let’s finish with Amy and Maya.
Duncan: They’re really nice girls. Down to Earth.
Tollefson: They’re the girls next door.

Holmes: So, when are we going to see you two on “Big Brother”?
Duncan: (Laughs) Never.
Tollefson: I don’t understand the game well enough. It seems complicated. And I’ve had enough problems with two reality shows already.

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

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‘Survivor: San Juan del Sur’ Power Rankings – ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ Edition

October 28, 2014

'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)

NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.

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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 Keith is voted out this week, Spencer will receive 7 points and Gordon will receive 1 point. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.

Last Week: Spencer had Kelley in spot four, Gordon had her in spot five. So, the current score is Team Spencer 36, Team Gordon 44.

Spencer’s Score = 36

Any questions for Spencer? Drop him a line on Twitter: @SpencerBGM

   Gordon’s Score = 44

Any questions for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

 1. Josh – Josh has put himself in a solid strategic foothold throughout the game, he has his loved one around as a buffer, and his tribe is winning. As long as Jeff’s price for rice isn’t “the most competent member of the tribe goes home,” Josh should find a way to maneuver forward.
   1. Keith – OK, I ranted about how much I hate tribe swaps last week, but I forgot to mention that it’s a pain to redo all of these graphics with the proper tribe colors. Cut me a break, CBS! Alright…Keith. He ended up on the right end of the vote last week and he’s still got an idol in his pocket. He isn’t going anywhere.
 2. Baylor – While Baylor has a remarkable double-digit number of votes cast against her without going home, she isn’t in nearly as much danger as it might have seemed at times. I see Baylor and her mother as being locked in with Jon and Jaclyn, with bodes very well for all four until the merge.
   2. Jon – As one half of last week’s swing vote and the strongest challenge competitor in a dead-in-the-water tribe, he’s got to be feeling good about his position. My only concern is that he might fall for Dale’s adorable little faux idol. Or that he might try to use the weird faux idol to barter with Probst for a karaoke machine so he can regale his tribe with his dead-on Jafar and Iago duets.
 3. Jeremy – The Grinch of San Juan Del Sur may have expressed displeasure at the tribe shake-up, but it honestly left him in a perfectly fine position. He’s surrounded by friends from his initial tribe, and continues to play better than just about anyone else.
   3. Jaclyn – So, did Jon and Jaclyn make the right choice last week? Buh… I don’t know. With Kelley gone, I can’t see this tribe winning many immunity challenges. But, it’s possible a merge is right around the corner. Missy and Baylor aren’t going to set any individual challenge victory records, so maybe that was the play? Keep the less threatening people around? I dunno…their strategy is weird. But, they’re so pretty. Pretty and weird. Pretty weird.

 4. Natalie – Natalie’s in a similar spot to Jeremy: Without a loved one and among allies. As long as she’s at peace with Julie, a savvy game player herself, no one should have a reason to target her – at least no one with the ability to do it successfully.
   4. Missy – Twenty nine seasons later and it still always comes down to food. Fortunately for Missy, Coyopa is going to have less and less mouths to feed as they get destroyed in the challenges.
 5. Missy – Keith and Dale can have all the idols (and fake idols) they want. The two couples on this tribe won’t likely split up, and can afford to split a vote for the time being.
  5. Alec – There’s a new swing vote in town, and he has sweet hair. So, what’s a little bro to do? Stick with the status quo and be the odd man out in the potential Keith/Wes/Josh/Reed post-merge alliance? Or, form a team of onesies with Natalie, Jeremy, and Julie?
  6. Julie – Since Rocker went down in flames, Julie has rebuilt her games and stood on her own two feet like she promised. The one person who’s brought her name up – Jon – is separated by the swap, leaving Julie relatively safe until the merge.
  6. Julie – If the former Coyopa bros take over new Hunahpu, Julie will probably be the least of their worries. If Jeremy and Natalie can win Alec over, they’re going to need Julie to keep the numbers. Either way, she’s making the merge.
  7. Keith – He’s got an idol. He’s yet to do “the dumbest thing in ‘Survivor’ history.” He’s seemed removed from his new tribe socially. I expect he might get votes. Frankly, I have no idea on Keith, so in the middle of my rankings he goes.
  7. Natalie – Things aren’t looking great for the last twin standing. She’s down in numbers and she’s surrounded by the former Coyopians she’s been cursing out at challenges. But, she’s got three things working for her; she may be able to flip Alec, Jeremy would probably be Team Josh’s primary target, and the merge is going to be crazytown with all of the competing pairs and alliances.
  8. Jon – For the same reasons as Missy and Baylor, he’s in a great spot. Even the howler monkeys have his back.
  8. Reed – Reed really needed the swap. He wasn’t voting with the majority, and if word got out that Josh was running the show at Coyopa, it would have put a target on his back. Now he and Josh might want to consider dialing back their challenge performances. They don’t want to come off as too much of a post-merge threat.
  9. Jaclyn – I’ve consumed my rock, made more palatable by some excellent seasoning tips from Francesca Hogi, and I’ve learned my lesson. I owe Jaclyn an enormous apology for slotting her at the bottom of my power rankings week after week. She’d been quiet. She’s still quiet; it’s working for her, though.
   9. Josh – It looks like everything is coming up Josh. He went through the swap and was not only reunited with his boyfriend, but he kept his most prominent soldiers by his side. If he can get through one vote, he should be good. It’ll prove that Alec is loyal to his Coyopa roots. But, if Alec swaps, Josh might be the first to go.
  10. Reed – Did Reed not learn his lesson from his fallen badass? You barter with Jeff, you’re going down, and you’re going out. We know remarkably little about him via confessionals, but taking him out to weaken Josh seems like a reasonable thing for a bunch of people without loved ones to do.
   10. Wes – If Jeremy can swing the vote his way, Wes could be in for a rough run. Jeremy already has a beef with Wes’s dad. And, I’d bet that Missy isn’t the only person that knows about Keith’s idol. That’d be another reason to axe Wes before the merge.
  11. Alec – Alec’s predicament grows slightly worse with each successful, calculated stroke of his ego from Jeremy. A team of Davids – the old Coyopa – may have been able to beat a team of Goliaths that were throwing a challenge two weeks ago. But I’m not sure that this David can beat the sharp Goliaths on the new Hunahpu that outnumber him.
   11. Baylor – Dale seems like a slam dunk if Coyopa loses immunity. But, voting for Baylor seems like so much fun. Everyone’s doing it! When I order coffee at Starbucks, I tell them my name is Baylor just so they can know the joy of writing her name down.
  12. Wes – Wes has the worst of more than a few worlds. His loved one is still in the game, making him a sensible target, but Keith and his idol aren’t actually on the same tribe as him and therefore can’t bail him out. He’s tight with one and exactly on person on his current tribe – Alec, who’s now found a puppeteer in Jeremy.
   12. Jeremy – Oof…my big fear this week is the deal Probst makes for the rice has something to do with the immunity challenge. I’m worried Hunahpu is going to have to give Coyopa some kind of Medallion of Power-esque advantage and they’re going to pull off the win. I’m worried that Jeremy simply won’t have enough time to get Alec on his side. I worry.
  13. Dale – It’s all falling apart for Dale. He’s once again in a minority of one on his tribe, and the only other potential outsider (Keith) has an idol. His last-ditch effort to bluff with a fake idol could prove clever, but more likely than not it will just entice everyone on Coyopa but himself and Keith to split votes and flush it. Missy and Baylor won the battle when they voted off Kelley, and are now about to win the war.
   13. Dale – Seems like a pretty obvious bottom-of-the-pile pick. He’s not well liked on his tribe, he isn’t a big help in challenges, and he’s freaking out over food. His only hope is that Jon buys his faux idol trick. I don’t like his odds, but stranger things have happened.

Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” on Your Computer

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‘Survivor’ Castaway Kelley – ‘I Don’t Know if (Baylor) Has Daddy Issues’

October 23, 2014

'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)

NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.

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I remember hating the “Blood vs. Water” concept when I first heard about it. But then, I sat in a tent in a buggy field in the Philippines and watched as Marissa was voted off because of her uncle’s braggadocios behavior.

Mind blown.

Last night it happened again. Kelley was in bad shape due to the tribe swap, but it was her own father who forced new Coyopa’s hand.

I spoke with Kelley the morning after her elimination and found out why they targeted her, why Drew said such nasty things about her, and what her relationship with her father is like now…

Gordon Holmes: This might be a bit before your time, but the Fresh Prince captured it best when he said, “Take it from me, parents just don’t understand.”
Kelley Wentworth: (Laughs) Oh my god. That’s good.
Holmes: It’s rough. I had a situation this weekend with my parents. And sometimes they just don’t listen.
Wentworth: They don’t listen!
Holmes: Tell me about it. Literally. Start from where you got a new buff and end when you had to take your dad for a walk to keep him from tackling Missy.
Wentworth: We drew the buffs and I saw who I was with and I was bummed out. One part of me wanted to play with my dad, I thought that’d be fun. But, the other two couples and the single I was with, I had no ties to them. And, I was trying to get Jon out before Drew, and he knew that. I knew I was in big trouble. And when we got back to camp everyone was all hunky dory and being nice to each other. Then the rice situation comes up. At Hunahpu our rice was pretty much gone. And Missy, who coined herself the “Rice Queen.” I mean, not really, that’s what I’m calling her. But she made the rice at every meal and Hunahpu was eating twice a day and Coyopa was only eating once. She started making the rice and my dad was saying, “Hey, we’re not going to be able to last the rest of this game if you make that much rice.” And you’ve got Baylor over there going along with her mom because she hates my dad for some reason. I don’t know if she has daddy issues or what the problem is. And that’s where it all started. I saw it escalating, so I took my dad away. We knew there was going to be a merge in a few votes and we don’t want to give someone a reason to vote for us.

Holmes: Why do you think they targeted you?
Wentworth: They know that I had alliances on the other side and if I had made the merge I would have gone back to them. I would have never gone with Missy or Jon if I had made the merge. And Jon had known that I’d thrown his name out there. And my dad has no alliances left, really. Maybe Josh?
Holmes: I didn’t see it coming. Did you?
Wentworth: I did. I knew it was between me and Baylor. And when I held up my vote I said, “May the best woman win.” And we all know that didn’t happen.
Holmes: Well played.

Holmes: In the first episode it seemed like the main alliance at Hunahpu was you, Jeremy, Natalie, and Missy with Keith kind of on the side. Was that how it stayed?
Wentworth: I was really close with Jeremy and Natalie. He was the person I’d gone to and we’d discussed getting rid of Jon. Missy was close with Natalie, but I wasn’t close to her. And Keith? I don’t know. He was living in his own world. I don’t know what that guy was thinking. He obviously didn’t vote with us.
Holmes: At this point, does anyone know that Keith has an idol?
Wentworth: There was speculation that he had an idol, but nobody knew for sure. I have a sneaking suspicion that Missy actually knew. I went to Keith and said, “What are you thinking?” And he straight up said, “Oh, me and Jeremy and Jon and Drew and one of the other ladies…we’re in an alliance.” So, I think he was really close with Missy.

Holmes: Things got ugly last week between you and Drew. And even in the exit interview, we do a word association here…
Wentworth: Oh, I can’t wait!
Holmes: Good. I appreciate the enthusiasm. But, when I said “Kelley” he responded with the B word. Why were things so heated between you two? When I asked him, he said it was because you were eating the same amount of food.
Wentworth: (Laughs)
Holmes: My girlfriend and I went to dinner Tuesday night and split an appetizer evenly, and I didn’t call her the B word.
Wentworth: (Laughs) I wouldn’t either! I think Drew and I are very different people. I grew up on a farm and I work really hard and I have for everything I have. And, I’m sorry Drew, but he works for his parents and he’s a mama’s boy. We’re just very different.  I’m sorry to hear he thinks I’m the B word. Drew and I will probably never be best friends.
Holmes: We’ve been talking for a bit, and you’ve yet to display any B-word behavior.
Wentworth: (Laughs) Aww…thanks!

Holmes: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with Jeremy.
Wentworth: Amazing. Good game player.
Holmes: Natalie?
Wentworth: I love that girl. She’s awesome.
Holmes: Jon?
Wentworth: Eh…a little bit clueless.
Holmes: John Rocker?
Wentworth: I didn’t mind John Rocker. I think he’s a cool guy.
Holmes: Jaclyn?
Wentworth: She’ll go wherever the wind takes her…that wind being Jon.
Holmes: Drew?
Wentworth: (Laughs) Um…thinks a lot of himself.
Holmes: You knew that was coming.
Wentworth: (Laughs) I know! I’m trying to be a little bit nice.
Holmes: Nice? That’s not what this exercise if for. Missy?
Wentworth: She’s been divorced three times, I don’t need to say anything more.
Holmes: Baylor?
Wentworth: Spoiled brat.
Holmes: Keith?
Wentworth: Also clueless.
Holmes: Julie?
Wentworth:  More than meets the eye.
Holmes: Reed?
Wentworth: A game player. I like Reed a lot.
Holmes: We’ll finish with Dale.
Wentworth: Love you, Dad. No hard feelings.

Holmes: That’s good to hear. So where are things between you and your father now?
Wentworth: Despite what I said last night, my dad and I are very close. This experience has definitely brought us closer. But, I think we both would have been better off playing on our own. It’s the truth.

Holmes: I heard a rumor that Jon does Disney impersonations.
Wentworth: Oh my, he does. I think Jon wants to secretly be an actor. He knows the words to like every Disney song. Some people found if funny. It was funny for one song and then it was really annoying. So, please no more Disney songs.
Holmes: I was going to ask which character he does best, but I’m thinking your answer would be “None of the above.”
Wentworth: Ugh…he was pretty funny doing “The Lion King.” He did all the characters; Timon and Pumba and whatever. But that was enough for me.
Holmes: So, he doesn’t have a killer Princess Jasmine?
Wentworth: Oh…I went to bed at that point. I could only listen to so many Disney songs.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter at @gordonholmes.

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‘Survivor: San Juan del Sur’ Episode 5 Recap – Rice (Saving) Guys Finish Last

October 22, 2014

'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)

NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.

[xfinity-record-button id=”6034085997813089112″ program_type=”series”]

Last Week: Keith found an idol that jumped up and hit his shin, thanks to Hunahpu’s bad strategy Coyopa picked up a win, and the gutter was finally graced by Drew the bowled over kingpin.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Let’s take a look at the tribes as they currently stand…

The Hunahpu (wearing blue

Jeremy – 36, Firefighter
Jon – 26, Financial Assistant
Julie – 34, Owner of Spray Tan Business
Keith – 53, Fire Captain
Kelley – 28, Marketing Manager
Missy – 47, Owner of Cheerleading Gym
Natalie – 28, Crossfit Coach
Reed – 31, Broadway Performer

The Coyopa (wearing yellow)

Alec – 22, Student
Baylor – 20, Student
Dale – 55, Farmer
Jaclyn – 25, Media Buyer
Josh – 32, Actor
Wes – 23, Firefighter

The fun kicks off back at Casa de Hunahpu after Tribal, and contrary to what the preview editors would have us believe, Jon is doing some damage control. The blow up we saw last week was apparently Jon’s impersonation of Drew. Booooo…

The next morning, Alec is psyched to square off against his brother at Hero Arena.

CUT TO: Alec shocked when his brother doesn’t show up at Hero Arena.

Reward Challenge Time: No challenge, just buff droppin’.

For our new tribes we’ve got Kelley, Dale, Missy, Baylor, Jaclyn, Jon, and Keith on Coyopa. On Hunahpu we’ve got Reed, Josh, Alec, Wes, Jeremy, Julie, and Natalie.

Keith isn’t pleased to be the only person who isn’t in a pair on his tribe. But, being single was an asset last time.

Back at Hunahpu beach, Josh and Wes quickly learn that old Hunahpu hasn’t been rationing their rice. Yeah, but it’s cool because they have plenty of flint.

Jeremy doesn’t love the idea that Josh can bring Reed into his Coyopa alliance and take him out. That’s why I don’t like tribe swaps.

Later, Josh tells us that he and Reed are staying abstinent until marriage. So, Spider-Man isn’t getting any?

Over at new Coyopa, Jaclyn thinks it’s unheard of to have a loved one on your tribe. Yeah, it hasn’t happened in like less than a year.

Baylor doesn’t like watching Jon and Jaclyn get it on because she’s single. Dude, Keith’s right there.

She keeps a positive attitude though, saying she’ll get married some day and her mom will get married a fourth time. If Missy gets that fourth punch on her marriage card, the fifth husband is free.

Over at Hunahpu, Alec is encouraged because he thinks his tribe is more fit than Coyopa. Yeah, but which tribe has more divorces?

Jeremy and Natalie decide that Alec is their best bet for an alliance because he doesn’t have a loved one around.

It’s rice time over at Coyopa, and Dale is maaaaaaad about how much rice Missy is cooking. Kelley smartly takes her dad on a walk so he doesn’t follow through with his plan to march over there and smack the rice bowls out of their hands. Dale goes along, but he calls Missy a “self-centered, bossy b—h.”

It always comes down to food. Always.

Back at Hunahpu, everyone is starving. I’ve been to Nicaragua, I’ve been to where they camp. There are a billion little crabs running around out there. Instead, they plot to throw rocks at birds.

Seeing the error in that plan, they decide to negotiate with Probst again. He’s got to be loving this.

Immunity Challenge Time: The teams will dig in a pit looking for some keys. Once they have them they’ll crawl under a muddy obstacle. Then, they’ll unlock a gate and shake a basket on a pole until twenty bean bags fall out. First tribe to throw ten of those bags onto a swinging target wins immunity.

The challenge starts off and Coyopa is sloooooow. Hunahpu is at the pole shaking (grow up…) part before Coyopa even finds their keys.

Jeff Probst: “You’ve got to shake it, Coyopa!”

Hunahpu retrieves their bags and lands all ten shots before Coyopa even starts tossing.

After the win, Reed tries to make a trade with Probst for rice. He says they can discuss it tomorrow.

Seriously, they should have Julie negotiate. How could Probst say no?

Politicking at Coyopa has Keith really nervous that the couples could think he’s an easy vote. But he’s hoping the heat between Team Missy and Team Dale could keep him safe.

Dale starts working against Baylor, telling Jon and Jaclyn about how Baylor convinced the girls to vote for him early on and then stabbed them in the back.

Baylor tries to get back on Jaclyn’s good side. But Jaclyn isn’t thrilled with the way Baylor flipped to the guys during the first vote.

It seems like Keith is solid with Missy and Baylor.

That night at Tribal Council, Keith is happy to have some former teammates with him.

Jaclyn thinks it’s tough because if you vote someone out, their angry loved one will still be around.

Jon is psyched to have someone he can trust. He must also be happy to have an alliance with someone who isn’t trying to blow up the game kingpin-style.

Dale points out that Baylor turned the women against him in old Coyopa and then turned on them. He then calls Jon and Jaclyn the hottest couple in camp. Well, nobody’s debating that.

Missy wants to protect Baylor because she’s a mama bear. A mama bear who clubbed her cub in an immunity challenge.

Voting Time: No votes are shown for a second straight episode.

J-Pro tallies and returns. We’ve got one vote for Baylor, one vote for Kelley, one vote for Baylor, one vote for Kelley, two votes for Dale, and the fifth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: San Juan del Sur – Blood vs. Water” is…Kelley.

Wow, I did not see that coming.

Verdict: I hate tribe swaps. Hate, hate, hate tribe swaps. In a game that’s about creating a society and alliances, it bugs me that someone who’s playing a good game can have it tossed on its ear when they’re handed a new buff.

Not only that, but it makes challenge strength a detriment when it should be an asset until the merge.

That being said, the Blood vs. Water does add a very different dynamic to the tribe swap situation. Kelley wasn’t voted out because of the swap. She was basically the new Marissa and her dad is the new Gervase.

Who’s Going to Win? Jeremy is my pick, but he’s in a bad spot over at Hunahpu. If he can’t wiggle his way out of that, I’m moving over to Josh.

Power Rankings Results: Spencer had Kelley in spot four, I had her in spot five. So, the current score is Team Spencer 36, Team Gordon 44.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter at @gordonholmes.

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‘Survivor: San Juan del Sur’ Power Rankings – Tribe Swap Edition

October 22, 2014

'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)

NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.

[xfinity-record-button id=”6034085997813089112″ program_type=”series”]

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 Keith is voted out this week, Spencer will receive 5 points and Gordon will receive 1 point. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.

Last Week: Spencer Bledsoe had Drew in 7th place. Gordon had him in 14th. So, the current score is Team Spencer 32, Team Gordon 39.

Spencer’s Score = 32

Any questions for Spencer? Drop him a line on Twitter: @SpencerBGM

   Gordon’s Score = 39

Any questions for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

 1. Josh – You can’t have a show without its narrator, right? Josh can do no wrong, and if the dark cloud of his old tribe didn’t do him in, I’m not worried about the inevitable risk in a swap.
   1. Keith – I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m pretty sure “Survivor” only does tribe swaps to make Power Rankings so hard. Now, my usual rule of thumb is that the challenge threats on the tribes that are down numbers are in trouble. But, this season that person might have a loved one on their new tribe. So, I’m not going to lean on that rule as heavily as I usually do. Anywho, Keith has an idol, so he’s probably fine.
 2. Jeremy – When Jeremy isn’t shouting in confessionals, he’s voting in the majority and remaining the social nucleus of his tribe. Hopefully that trend continues after this week’s shake-up.
   2. Missy – I’m thinking Missy is safe this week too. She’s probably the only person on good terms with everyone from the old Hunahpu. And, I don’t think anyone is going to be worried about her going on an immunity run.
 3. Natalie – Everyone’s favorite (remaining) twinnie achieved her goal of ousting the kingpin (Drew) last week, proving she has some pull. I trust Natalie’s social skills at this stage, particularly without a John Rocker to trash-talk.
   3. Baylor – It’s been a rocky start for young Baylor, but she seems like she’s going to be in pretty good shape at the tribe swap. If she ends up with her people, they can vote out someone from Hunahpu. If she’s in the minority, she isn’t as much of an obvious threat as someone like Josh or Alec.

 4. Kelley – The kingpin’s departure is an objectively sad affair. He entertained us with his masterful flint negotiation, timely challenge-throwing, and impeccable work ethic. One of San Juan Del Sur’s best characters will be missed. But not by Kelley. With her arch-nemesis ousted, things are looking up for Ms. Wentworth.
   4. Natalie – Oh, Natalie. Remember all those people you were calling…uh…bad words during challenges? Well, some of them are probably on your tribe now. You see, unlike “The Amazing Race” sometimes “Survivor” makes you switch partners. You’d better make nice with the Coyopans quickly.
 5. Keith – He’s got an idol now! We’re still waiting for Keith to do “the worst thing in ‘Survivor’ history” per the super tease at the end of the premiere, and it’s always possible he slips up and follows in the footsteps of Ole’ Johnny Rock. Still, Keith should theoretically be the author of his fate this week.
  5. Kelley – I’ll never quite understand why Drew hated you so much. All I could gather from the exit interview is that he didn’t like that you and he ate the same amount of food. How dare you? Your challenge this week is; if you can save your dad, should you? Last time, loved ones were a liability.
  6. Julie – Julie is like a twisted anti-Pinocchio; her lips grow every time she speaks the truth in confessionals. She’s a good narrator who just voted in the majority and could definitely be in a solid spot after the swap.
  6. Julie – It was so sad to hear Jon say that Julie doesn’t have a loved one. Everyone should have a loved one.  There’s gonna be so much turmoil this episode with the meltdown at Hunahpu and the tribe swap. She’s in a prime position to let the explosions happen, then sneak in to pick up the pieces. Also, let’s not forget that she voted for Drew, so that might mean she’s in with Team Jeremy.
  7. Baylor – With Alec keeping her in check and teaching her life lessons, Baylor’s days of “half-assing” it are surely over. She’s been solid week after week, and should have the finesse to get her bearings on a new tribe fast.
  7. Jeremy – Jeremy knew that Drew was going to throw the challenge last week. That’s why he sat out. What was the purpose of that? So he could get rid of Keith? To give everyone a reason to hate Drew? Anywho, I’m a little worried for him this week because he has an enemy (Keith) who has a family member in an alliance that has finally experienced some success.
  8. Jon – I may have Jon in the middle of the pack, but his stock is tanking fast. He was the only person to vote for Keith last week, which means he can’t have too many airtight allies, and his best bro Drew was just sent packing. Dude needs to make new friends fast.
  8. Josh – Tribe swaps tend to be bad news for the leader of the losing tribe. That’s you, buddy. Add that to the fact that it’s possible you might be paired with your fit significant other, and you might have an Aras/Vytas situation where we have a duo that’s just too physically imposing to keep around.
  9. Missy – I’m short Jon, but I’m long Missy. Missy made it through her first Tribal Council solidly, and her stock is only going up. Approaching the merge, it doesn’t matter much that she isn’t a challenge beast. It matters a lot that she is a social beast.
   9. Reed – Reed did not vote with Team Jeremy. He voted with Keith. Does that mean we might have a firemen/Broadway alliance? Hook and Ladder and Jazz Hands?
  10. Alec – This surfer bro couldn’t have found a better time to try a new beach; he looked to be slowly approaching the outside of Coyopa, so the swap could do him a lot of good.
   10. Jaclyn – You’ve got the numbers now, but were you instrumental in getting them? We really haven’t see enough of you to build a full picture of how well you’re playing. Are you riding Baylor’s coattails? Have you been making friends with Josh, Wes, and Alec? I simply don’t know.
  11. Reed – Reed’s another guy whose vote last week completely confuses me. To be fair, Josh once inexplicably voted for Baylor and he nonetheless emerged from the ashes. Hopefully Reed can climb himself out of a similar hole with Julie.
   11. Alec – Alec is a challenge threat and he won’t have anybody except his current alliance looking out for him. Jon and Jaclyn might be on his side due to Jon’s previous bro-liance with Drew, but Jaclyn and Alec were on opposite sides for a while.
  12. Wes – He’s been quiet as a mouse, and I fear that could be the calm before the storm. He had a decent thing going on Coyopa, but not a great one, and if he doesn’t land on a tribe with his idol-equipped pop, Wes could be in trouble.
   12. Dale – Everybody voted with the majority during the Rocker blindside except for Rocker and Dale. So, Dale’s clearly on the outs with old Coyopa. Right now he’s got to be hoping that he can separate himself from those youngsters and the age-old swap mentality of “Get rid of the challenge stallions” takes over. Quick Aside: I’ve been trying to get the nickname “Challenge Stallion” started for myself for years. It just won’t stick.
  13. Dale – Dale is probably the guy most grateful for a swap, and yet I still anticipate him walking on thin ice. He voted alone last Tribal, and to top it all off Brice Johnston dubbed him the season’s biggest “freak” recently on “Rob Has a Podcast.” If he isn’t careful his newest accolade will be “5th person voted out.”
   13. Wes – Right now, Wes’s worst case scenario is that he ends up on a tribe where Jeremy’s in control.
  14. Jaclyn – If I rank Jaclyn last and she stays one more time, I will eat this rock. And lose all hope that I, David, can beat Goliath – Power Ranking master Holmes. At the very least I’ll (probably) stop ranking her last.
   14. Jon – Whoa…Jon was last on my depth chart of “People I Expect to Have a Post Tribal Meltdown.” But there he is, chewing out his fellow Hanahpu peeps. He’d better hope he ends up on a tribe with Jaclyn and as many of her Coyopa pals as possible.

Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” on Your Computer

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‘Survivor’ Castaway Drew – ‘I Definitely Said Some Things I Regret’

October 16, 2014

'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)

NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.

[xfinity-record-button id=”6034085997813089112″ program_type=”series”]

“Good morning, class. Welcome to “Survivor” 101, I’m your teacher Mr. Holmes. If you’ll crack open your books to page 12 we can get started.

“Rule #1: Don’t be lazy around camp. Your tribemates will hate that and it’s an easy thing for them to bond over. While you’re napping, they’re working and hating you.

“Rule #2: If you’re going to talk smack on someone, don’t do it close enough so they can hear you. Nicaragua is a big place. Find somewhere private.

“And Rule #3: Don’t throw challenges. Your tribe is going to lose eventually. Why risk it?”

In a season marked by some bad…bad gameplay, (I’m looking at you Rocker and Val) Drew took the cake last night with the spectacular way in which he drove Hunahpu to vote him out.

I spoke to the self-professed “Kingpin” the morning after his elimination and had a chance to ask him about why he targeted Kelley, why his view of his gameplay was so different from that of his tribemates, and why he made those…um…questionable…comments…

Gordon Holmes: Was last night’s vote a blindside?
Drew Christy: I definitely saw it coming. I knew that the girls were going to go against me. I kind of blew a couple things and was definitely a little delusional with the lack of food and sleep and water. There were a lot of variables out there, but I wasn’t ready to go home that night.
Holmes: We didn’t get to see much of what was going on at Hunahpu, so who did you think was on your side?
Christy: I thought Reed was on my side. Jon…I thought Keith was on my side. I thought Jeremy and Missy were borderline. I didn’t really know about the rest of them.

Holmes: Before the game starts, everyone thinks they’re going to dominate challenges and slit throats. Then you get out there and the elements knock you for a loop.
Christy: Absolutely. It had a big effect on me physically and emotionally. Up until day five I had exactly that attitude. I was going to kick some butt and take some names. I went too hard in the beginning. You’ll see me on the 3rd episode and they’ll show me sleeping a little bit because I was so dead.
Holmes: It seems like every season someone is called out for being lazy. From my couch I’m like, “Hey, don’t be lazy.” But, that’s easy to say from my couch.
Christy: (Laughs) I think that they show you what they want you to see. They didn’t show me opening coconuts for the girls, or going to the water well, or collecting fire wood and keeping the fire going all night. Building the whole shelter with just Jon and myself. They didn’t show a lot of that stuff. But, they did like to call me out for being lazy. I think in the heat of the day in Nicaragua when it’s like 110 degrees you just want to conserve your energy and try to live.
Holmes: But Alec called you out for your work ethic back home.
Christy: I think Alec and I are always going to call each other out. It didn’t take my by surprise. At one point I guess I could’ve been looked at as the lazy guy. I was just out there making friends and having the experience of a lifetime.

Holmes: Why do you think the women were against you?
Christy: I think I was threatening to them. I think I was strong in the challenges. Socially, I had things going on for me. They saw that if I had made the merge I would’ve been teaming with Jon and Jaclyn and my brother. I think that threatened people. I definitely made some detrimental mistakes. One, throwing the challenge. And being kind of delusional and a little bit overconfident…maybe very overconfident with some of the things I said and did. You live and you learn. You’ve got to move on.

Holmes: You were referring to yourself as a “Kingpin.”
Christy: (Laughs)
Holmes: Where did that confidence in your game come from?
Christy: (Laughs) I don’t know where that word came from either.
Holmes: (Laughs) Cause it’s pretty awesome.
Christy: I have no idea. I seem to be a different person. I didn’t have anything to eat for eleven days. I was dying of thirst. I hadn’t slept for more than 30 minutes that entire time. I was losing my mind out there. And when things didn’t go the way I wanted to, I kind of lost it. They put big personalities in the game for a reason. Hopefully I was entertaining.
Holmes: Was anyone leading you to believe you were in charge?
Christy: I don’t think so. I think I’m a king in my own mind.

Holmes: At one point you referred to the women as “B—hes.” Watching that back…
Christy: I wish they would have put some other dialogue out there. Everyone had something nasty to say about everybody else. That’s just the name of the game. You say some things you might regret later. I definitely said some things I regret.
Holmes: Did you know that Kelley was nearby when you made that comment?
Christy: I really don’t remember that at all. It was almost like a blackout. I was watching it like it was a drunken night type of deal and my friend was wearing a GoPro and he said, “This is what you did. Check it out.” (Laughs)
Holmes: So, what was your reaction watching it last night?
Christy: Oh…just shaking my head. The editors are going to show you what they want you to see. I get framed as the bad guy or the dumb guy. But, I think I was pretty cool, calm, and collected until day ten or eleven until I started to lose it. It was humbling to watch myself. I think my negative qualities got a little bit amplified out there. My biggest challenge out there was myself. Jeff said it right when he said, “Drew’s biggest problem is going to be Drew.” He was pretty right on point with that.
Holmes: I’m not comfortable with you complimenting Jeff Probst during this interview.
Christy:  OK, that was the only nice thing I have to say about him. (Laughs)

Holmes: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with Natalie.
Christy: Underrated.
Holmes: Jeremy?
Christy: A character and emotional. Calculating.
Holmes: Keith?
Christy: A good old southern boy.
Holmes: Missy?
Christy: She’s the mom. She wants to take care of everybody and cry.
Holmes: Julie?
Christy:  “Survivor” Barbie.
Holmes: Jon?
Christy: I called him The Hulk out there. His face looks like The Hulk. And he can do any Disney character, he can sing their whole performance. He was amazing with some of the things he can do. He’s really talented.
Holmes: Reed?
Christy: A fairy. (Laughs)
Holmes: Kelley?
Christy: B—h.
Holmes: Let’s finish with Alec.
Christy: He’s the man. No, his nickname is “Squirrel.” So I would call him squirrely.

Holmes: You targeted Kelley last night. You called her a “B—h” two seconds ago. What was going on there?
Christy: We just butted heads. I was eating the same size portions of food as she was and I was mad about that. I knew that she was underplaying herself. I knew that she’d seen every episode of “Survivor” ever. I knew that she knew a lot about the game and just really wanted Jon and I out. I didn’t like her for that reason.

Holmes: For Reed you said, “Fairy.” Just so we get the intent behind that; is that an inside joke between you two?
Christy: It’s for one of his dives that he made into the water. It’s an inside joke.

Holmes: Your brother is making quite a run at it over at Coyopa. I know you two are competitive, but you’ve got to be proud of him.
Christy: Oh yeah, I’m really proud of my brother. He kind of didn’t know what he was getting himself into going on the show. He definitely has made me proud. It’s something I won’t forget doing with him. Stay tuned in and watch that little squirrel go.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter at @gordonholmes.

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‘Survivor: San Juan del Sur’ Episode 4 Recap – Hammock Havoc!

October 15, 2014

'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)

NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.

[xfinity-record-button id=”6034085997813089112″ program_type=”series”]

Last Week: Wes bested the old, a Twinnie trolled, and Rocker was rolled…

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Let’s take a look at the tribes as they currently stand…

The Hunahpu (wearing blue)

Drew – 25, Sales Rep
Jeremy – 36, Firefighter
Jon – 26, Financial Assistant
Julie – 34, Owner of Spray Tan Business
Keith – 53, Fire Captain
Kelley – 28, Marketing Manager
Missy – 47, Owner of Cheerleading Gym
Natalie – 28, Crossfit Coach
Reed – 31, Broadway Performer

The Coyopa (wearing yellow)

Alec – 22, Student
Baylor – 20, Student
Dale – 55, Farmer
Jaclyn – 25, Media Buyer
Josh – 32, Actor
Wes – 23, Firefighter

Alec kicks things off after Tribal, saying it was cool to get rid of Rocker because they weren’t winning anyway. That’s what most head coaches do. Boot their biggest, strongest players. Well, Don Mattingly, at least.

The next morning at Hunahpu, Natalie finds the original flint! Drew wonders if they can trade their second flint back to Probst for the fishing gear. Yeah, Probst is known for his benevolence in these situations.

Also, some girl named Kelley said something. Is she a camera person?

Then we’re off to Hero Council…Arena…whatever. Coyopa claps when they see that Rocker is out. Julie says she’s cool with it because she didn’t love the way he played his game. Julie is smart. Rare are the “Survivor” champs who have threatened to knock someone’s teeth out.

Before the challenge starts, Drew asks if they can trade the flint for fishing gear. Probst won’t go for it because he didn’t keep the receipt.

Reward Challenge Time: Players will use grappling hooks to retrieve three bags of balls. They’ll then use a catapult to launch the balls into a series of baskets. First tribe to sink all their shots gets a choice between comfort items (pillows and blankets and whatnot) and campfire food.

Always a catapult, never a trebuchet.

It’s going to be Jon vs. Jaclyn. Dale taunts Jon telling him he throws like a girl. Ah…casual sexism.

The challenge is relatively close, with it coming down to the final basket. The drama is awesome with Jon eventually snagging the win.

Jon says that Jaclyn can take care of herself at Exile. Probst, for some reason, asks if that hurts her feelings. Uh…why would it?

Jon chooses Drew to go with her because he’s a big help when he isn’t sleeping.. So, those two have got to be in an alliance, right?

Also, Hunahpu picks the comfort items so they’ll have something to share with Drew. CAUSE HE LOVES TO SLEEP!

Back at Hunahpu, Julie says she’s glad she doesn’t have to deal with Rocker’s baggage anymore. She’s sad that everyone is anti-John Rocker. Uh…how is that new to her?

Drew thinks it sucks being on Exile because it’s so hot. Dude, you’re like 20 minutes from your beach.

He also lets us know that being a ladies’ man tends to work to his advantage. But, he’s not going to put the moves on his buddy’s girl. Meanwhile, CBS is hard at work blurring the back of Drew’s swim trunks.

He then tells Jaclyn that he’s going to throw the next challenge so they can get rid of the untrustworthy girls on his tribe. Man, rough episode for women.

We head back over to Hunahpu, where Keith is going on a little idol hunt. He digs around, but he eventually comes to the conclusion that Jeremy already has it. He tells Reed, Missy, and Natalie his theory.

CUT TO: Reed immediately ratting out Keith to Jeremy.

As you’d imagine, Jeremy is not psyched about this information.

Later on, Keith does some more digging…and finds the idol! Hilarious.

Over at Coyopa, Alec accuses Baylor of snatching the immunity challenge invitation. She says he’s acting like a woman. What’s with the sexism?! Et tu, Baylor?

Immunity Challenge Time: One person from each tribe will swim out, race up a platform, then dive into the water to retrieve rings. Once all four rings are back to the starting point, it’s a game of ring toss. Winner gets immunity, loser goes to Tribal.

Also, Jeff is wearing a black shirt.  Never plaid. Never paisley.

Kelley, Jon, and Jeremy will sit for Hunahpu.

The challenge starts off and it’s all swimmin’ and hoop ranglin’. Baylor give Coyopa a bit of a lead over her mother, but Reed is faster than Jaclyn.

Alec makes up a lot of time against Natalie and retakes the lead. Then Wes easily manages to maintain the lead over his father.

Our ring tossers will be Dale and Drew.

Drew is taking his sweet time. It isn’t subtle. Meanwhile, Dale manages to sink all four shots to win immunity for Coyopa.

When it’s all over, Drew tells us he did it because he’s the kingpin of Hunahpu. Oh man, can’t wait to talk to him tomorrow when he’s eliminated.

He also doesn’t care if they know he threw it because he’s a bada–. Yes, throwing challenges without telling people always goes over well.

Back at camp, Jon, Reed, Keith, and Missy are discussing getting rid of Julie. No! As in, no!

Drew doesn’t think there’s a reason to get rid of Julie. He thinks the most dangerous person is Kelley. Who?!

Jeremy says that he wants to go for Keith and everyone should have his back. Drew disagrees because Kelley is a mastermind. Kelley is a mastermind! Drew is a kingpin! Is it opposite day? Did the luxury item include meth?

Natalie thinks it’s stupid that Drew is afraid of the girls because they don’t have the numbers. Yup. OK, there’s some common sense. It’s not opposite day.

Missy and Natalie both want to target Drew.

Later, Drew says he wants to get rid of Kelley so “All of these b—-es don’t know what to do other than come to us.” Oy. So dumb. Also dumb is the fact that Kelley was close enough to hear it.

Drew then tells Missy that he doesn’t trust her enough to vote the way he wants her too.

In other news; Drew’s audition tape for “Heroes vs. Villains 2” is epic.

That night at Tribal Council, fire does this thing where it represents life. It’s kind of a ritual.

Julie thinks that Jon and Drew are BFFs. Jon might want to distance himself from that comment in the near future.

Drew believes they could have had better retrievers during the challenge. Oh, he can’t hit the ring toss post, but he can throw things right under the bus.

Jeremy calls out Keith for saying he has the idol. He thinks that’s crazy because they’re aligned. Well, now everyone knows they’re aligned.

Keith thinks Jeremy would target him if he had an idol. Jeremy says he wouldn’t target an alliance member with an idol. Um…Josh totally did.

Drew says he’s heard Keith’s name and Julie’s name at camp.

Kelley thinks they need to get rid of bad energy. She also noticed that Drew isn’t talking strategy with her.

Jon doesn’t know what’s going on. Yeah, file that under “Not Shocking.”

Voting Time: No votes are shown!

J-Pro tallies, returns, and smirks. We’ve got one vote for Julie, one vote for Kelley, one vote for Drew, one vote for Keith, one vote for Julie, two votes for Drew, and the fourth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: San Juan del Sur – Blood vs. Water” is…Drew.

No! Who will be king of the pins! (Or is “King Pinned” better?)

Verdict: Wow…Drew threw a challenge, four people got votes, and the main alliance is in turmoil. Hunahpu should go to Tribal more often!

Who’s Going to Win? If Jeremy can bring in Julie as his new fifth, he should be fine. However, tribe swaps always seem to ruin good games.

Power Rankings Results: Spencer Bledsoe had Drew in 7th place. I had him in 14th. So, the current score is Team Spencer 32, Team Gordon 39.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter at @gordonholmes.

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‘Amazing Race’s’ Scott & Michael: ‘We Kept Fighting, You Never Give Up’

October 15, 2014

'The Amazing Race' (CBS)

Note: XFINITY is the perfect pit stop for “Amazing Race” fans. Every Monday after an elimination leg, we’ll have an interview with the team that was sent packing and the full episode. Follow @gordonholmes on Twitter for immediate updates.

[xfinity-record-button id=”4975744712465744112″ program_type=”series”]

Teams on “The Amazing Race” have come to expect almost anything. Ponies that lose their minds, compasses that are nearly impossible to work, and marker-stealing realtors are pretty much par for the course.

But something as innocent as a low curb on a poorly lit street? Nobody goes into the game expecting to get hurt. “The Amazing Race’s” Boston Strong firefighters were able to overcome a freak injury but fell victim to some bad advice.

I had a chance to speak to Michael and Scott  in the days following their elimination and asked about their wrong step, their wrong turn, and markergate…

Gordon Holmes: First and foremost; Scott, how’s the ankle?
Scott Strazzullo: My ankle’s hanging in there, Gordon. It’s been a little bit sore. It’s like a high-ankle sprain. I’ve been doing some exercises and physical therapy with it. It’s been better.
Gordon: I guess they didn’t get footage of the actual accident. What happened?
Scott: Mike and I were running down the street at a good pace. We were really on a comeback. And the area we were at had a lot of cobblestones and high curbs. We were taking a peek at the map. I played a lot of football and I never got injured, then I get injured on a curb. I stepped on it and rolled forward and my own body weight went over the ankle. It blew up very quickly.
Gordon: Michael, did you give any thought to hoisting him up on your back?
Michael Ward: (Laughs) Gordon! I’m a strong guy. But a man’s got to know his limitations. I got a good view of it all and ironically the other times we had no problem. We were running from the start line to the train station. We wanted to get their quickly because if you miss it by a few minutes it could put you hours behind. We didn’t see anybody else out there. If you miss a train, you’ve got nobody else to blame. There was not much light, and he was running sideways and reading the map trying to read the light. There was a little curb and he caught his ankle the wrong way.
Gordon: So, no fireman’s carry? I watch wrestling, I know all about that.
Scott:  (Laughs) I think he was more likely to drag me.
Michael: We were actually going to use a wheelchair at one point, but we couldn’t get it off the boat.

Gordon: It seems like you guys still ran a really solid leg. No pun intended. You were even in the lead over Tim and Te Jay before you ended up getting some bum advice with identifying the pendant.
Scott: We got out of there and we were moving at a good clip. What tied us up is we couldn’t run and go look for things like we normally would. We went to a hotel and they didn’t know what we had there. People said we shouldn’t have gone to a bar. But it was the afternoon and people weren’t drinking. We thought the locals would know what they were talking about. People ask why we didn’t go to the museum, well we didn’t find it initially.

Gordon: To rewind a little bit, I spoke to Lisa and Michelle after they were eliminated, and they claim they were at the board first and that’s why it was OK for them to heartlessly tear the marker from your hands. What’s your take on that?
Michael: We love Lisa and Michelle. They’re sweethearts. If America had gotten to see them, they would’ve had a different impression of them. Nobody wants to get knocked out early. There’s a battle to survive. It’s understandable.
Scott: We had no malice towards them at all. I think we were first at the pole. We were there first and Mike definitely had the pen in his hand. I admire their moxie. You go all out. We went all out.
Michael: We had a pen first in our hand that we brought with us, to make notes. We had the pen ready. It was a grease board so that pen wouldn’t write. I had already written an “M” and an “I.” When I was writing, I then grabbed the grease pen because I saw they were going to dive for it. They pulled it out of my hand. It was all instantaneous.
Scott: It seemed like a cheaply done thing, but we weren’t going to cry over it.

Gordon: What’s the reaction been like back home?
Scott: They know us very well. I think a lot of people thought we were going to do better. But I also think it was one of those things where they saw what happened and they saw that we kept fighting. You never give up. You never know what’s going to happen. We were in the back of the pack, and I think if some of that stuff didn’t happen, we were going to take the lead. We were a fast team, even if you didn’t get to really see that.
Michael: We actually pulled into the parking lot at the museum. We were not stupid players.
Gordon: I never got that impression.
Michael: There was one team behind us. We didn’t know if they were 10 seconds behind or what. You have to assume they’re on our tail. For Scott to get in and out of that car was a lot of work. We pulled into the lot that said, “Museum Parking” but then we saw the hotel. You have to go with locals. You have to rely on people in each area for information or you don’t succeed. The woman didn’t know. We appreciated her honestly. It’s not like we could run up these hills. We didn’t have that option. So, the next building we saw was the bar. They were locals. They gave us the history of that brooch. He knew all about it. He said they make them up at this store. The store we went to sold them. They made them there.

Gordon: You guys always seemed to be at the back of the pack. But I think you’re going to leave behind a legacy of staying positive in the face of some bad luck.
Michael: We tried to find the good in things. We work under a lot of pressure. We see a lot of bad things.
Scott: Keep moving forward no matter what.
Michael: There were several teams that don’t get along so well with each other. Scott and I, we always try to encourage each other. Negativity breeds negativity.

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

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‘Survivor: San Juan del Sur’ Power Rankings – Broadway Blindsider Edition

October 14, 2014

'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)

NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.

[xfinity-record-button id=”6034085997813089112″ program_type=”series”]

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 Keith is voted out this week, Spencer will receive 11 points and Gordon will receive 13 points. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.

Last Week: Spencer and Gordon both had Rocker in nine. So, the current score is Team Spencer 25, Team Gordon 24.

Spencer’s Score = 25

Any questions for Spencer? Drop him a line on Twitter: @SpencerBGM

  Gordon’s Score = 24

Any questions for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

 1. Josh – Once again, the official narrator of “Survivor: San Juan Del Sur” has orchestrated the vote and emerged from the fire unscathed. By the fire, I mean the Coyopa tribe currently going down in flames. Amidst the calamity, Josh is sitting back and making calculated decisions to better his game; at least that’s what I heard in one of his 6,389 confessionals.
   1. Josh – Did Josh make the right move last week by blocking Rocker to exit stage left? Maybe-ish. (How’s that for a non-committal answer!) It was good because Rocker simply couldn’t be trusted not to say or do the wrong thing at the wrong time. He just wasn’t a savvy “Survivor” player. However, the tribe that hasn’t won an immunity challenge just lost their biggest challenge threat, and Josh’s idol-wielding ally is now gone. So, Josh is safe for this week, but I’m not sure if he made the best move in the long run.
 2. Jeremy – Jeremy has now gone a couple of weeks without seeing what Tribal looks like. He’s at the head of the only Hunahpu alliance we’ve heard of. He’s physically strong. His wife (and thus part of why he is threatening) is gone. We haven’t seen things go so well for a guy just starting the game since Garrett Adels… oh. Ah well. I already wrote all this.
   2. Missy – Julie’s tribemate berates the love of her life after a challenge. The spray-tan mogul takes a moment to wander off into the Nicaraguan jungle and have herself a bit of a cry. Who was there to be a shoulder for her to cry on? Missy. That’s smart. You never know who’ll end up on the jury. You never know who you might need as an ally down the line. Well done.
 3. Jon – If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. These guys have been atop my rankings for a while now, and still seem remarkably safe. Add this pragmatic (reminding Drew who’s on his team might become a big priority as things heat up) monkey-howler to the trio and you have a group I feel very confident will be around another week.
   3. Kelley – You are a person who is on the 29th season of CBS’s “Survivor.” You are in an alliance that seems to be on wobbly legs. You have blonde hair. You’re probably safe.

 4. Natalie – Natalie took some flack for mouthing off to Rocker last week, and may have lost momentum in some peoples’ books – not mine. The twinnies are still going 50% strong, Natalie appearing to be securely entrenched in Hunahpu. Further, I think her outbursts could actually help her; she has beef with anyone in orange and has no loved one left… Why wouldn’t her tribe mates want to take her toward a swap or merge?
   4. Alec – There’s a solid little core over at Coyponda that’s going to be around for a little bit. It’s made up of Baylor, Josh, Wes, and Alec. Everyone there seems to get along, and they have two people on the outs that they can get rid of before they have to turn on each other. So, they’re mega safe for the time being.
 5. Kelley – Despite speaking as many words this season as Josh speaks before the first commercial break, or as Jeff speaks when berating a tribe for improper negotiation etiquette (oh please let there be more to come), Kelley is SOLID. I’m not compromising on this. Worst case scenario, Coyopa could be a challenge disaster after losing their only member over six feet tall in John Rocker.
  5. Wes – See Alec.
  6. Alec – If the Coyopans have a prayer in challenges, they’ll need their few athletes to perform. Alec could prove indispensable on some kind of sick Ulong-Matsing-Luzon hybrid tribe. Then again, if the tribe anticipates a swap Alec could be walking on thin ice already.
  6. Reed – How’s Reed doing? Alright, I guess. We just don’t know enough about what’s going on over at Hunahpu beach. But, if this week’s preview is to be believed, that’s all about to change.
  7. Drew – Tall. Athletic. Spacey. Lackadaisical. Longhaired. Model. White. Male. Interesting. Entertaining. Sleepy. Strong. These are all words that describe Drew more accurately than “Kingpin.” What I can count on is Drew entertaining us for another week.
  7. Jon – Probably a “no news is good news” situation for Jon last week. At least he didn’t try skipping the flint into the ocean like a stone. It’s unfortunate that due to Hunahpu’s winning streak that we know so little about what’s going on over there.
  8. Julie – I predict Gordon will rank her quite a bit lower than this, and if this is my fatal Power Ranking misstep then so be it, but I’m hitching my wagon to Julie. The now Rockerless and exceptionally competent puzzle guru has room to work.
  8. Natalie – Dude, if Rocker’s depiction of how you act in challenges is accurate, you’re going to be someone’s dream to take to the end. (That is, if someone doesn’t decide to take her out for berating their loved one.) If you don’t feel like clicking over, she was cursing out everyone. Not just Rocker. Add to that the way she called out Drew about his napping schedule, and you have the makings of a Phillip Sheppard-level social game.
  9. Baylor – Slow and steady. Baylor is edging up the food chain week by week, and now has as good a silver lining as she’s found in the game so far – Dale was on the outside of the last vote, and she wasn’t. She isn’t out of the woods just yet, but she’s well on her way to Chase Rice 2.0 status.
   9. Jeremy – I’m thinking Jeremy already has Hunahpu’s immunity idol. If Rocker could find it with the same clue, Jeremy should have no problem. The question is; can Keith be trusted? It really sounded like Keith and Jeremy weren’t seeing eye to eye when Keith was at Exile. Jeremy already has a solid core with Natalie, Missy, and Kelley. I’m sure Jon (or more likely Reed) would jump at the chance to swap into that alliance.
  10. Missy – Missy has been quiet; she hasn’t necessarily left a huge mark. Perhaps being quiet is helping her cause, however, on a tribe with Drew, Natalie and…
   10. Baylor – Baylor should be in the same boat as Alec and Wes, but I can’t really get a good grasp on how Josh feels about her. It’d make sense that she’d be his dream girl to take along to the end of the game, but he keeps treating her like a second-class alliance member. She’s probably safe for now, but she needs to stay on her toes.
  11. Keith – Don’t let our favorite mouthy southerner fool you: He has the emotional spectrum of Lisa Welchel and Dawn Meehan combined. Now that he’s bunking at Hunahpu once again, and not beside Josh on a bed of rocks, he can do what he does best – make people laugh their asses off and have no reason to can him.
   11. Jaclyn – Oh, Jaclyn. If you were on the right side of the vote, why did you almost tip Rocker off at Tribal Council? Rocker plays his idol and Baylor goes home and you’re back where you started. You’ve got to play smarter than that.
  12. Wes – He’s younger than his old man, and he might be able to whoop him in a challenge, but Wes is also on a god awful tribe, and for that he gets slotted down. He’s voted in the majority every time, but on Coyopa, anything’s possible.
   12. Julie – You had a rough week and none of it was really your fault. Fortunately, the Rocker blindside should take a lot of heat off of you. If the wheels are going to start coming off at Hunahpu, your best bet is to stand back and let whatever happens, happen.
  13. Reed – If Reed had a nickel for how many more times than him Josh spoke, he’d demand the most airtight prenup Kassandra McQuillen could write up for when the two tie the knot. Much like the quality of that hypothetical legal document, Reed’s position in the game is disastrous. He sits outside the apparent Hunahpu majority, and across from an imposing partner in Josh. Teammates have every reason to cut Reed at this stage; it would weaken Josh, and hey, they can afford to lose a few challenges without Spider-Man’s physical prowess. They’ve got the lead to do it.
   13. Keith – Why are you so determined to get the idol before Jeremy does? That made no sense to me because I was under the impression that you two were in an alliance. Well, it’s bad news for Keith if he and Jeremy are on the outs. Losing those first two key days of alliance-making could come back to haunt him.
  14. Dale – This… hurts me. Man, I really should have saved the Erik Cardona throwback for this week. I love Dale, but as the only guy who stood by Rocker on an abysmal tribe that only knows defeat, Dale’s fire making goodwill may finally run out this week.
   14. Dale – You’re done. You’re a goner. The tribe is now dominated by youngsters. With Rocker gone, challenge prowess is at a premium. And, you were the only person who voted with Johnny Rock last week. Nobody needs a tribe swap right now more than you do.
  15. Jaclyn – Consistency. It pays off, like when Tony consistently builds spy shacks, schemes and breaks the ankles of cameramen by randomly sprinting on his idol hunts. Sometimes it doesn’t pay off, like when Jaclyn’s allies consistently insist they have two idols. I’m hoping this is one of those situations where my consistency is eventually rewarded.
   15. Drew – If there’s one bad things about being on a tribe that’s dominating challenges; it’s that they’re more likely to get rid of young athletic men who annoy them.

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‘Survivor’ Castaway John Rocker: ‘I Chose to Look Like an (Expletive)’

October 9, 2014

'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)

NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.

[xfinity-record-button id=”6034085997813089112″ program_type=”series”]

No new player has ever entered the game of “Survivor” with more baggage than former MLB reliever John Rocker. His controversial “Sports Illustrated” article came into play last night during the immunity challenge and resulted in insults being lobbed back and forth between the two tribes.

Is that why John was sent home? Doubtful, Rocker’s alliance didn’t trust him due to his side deal with Jeremy and the fact that he didn’t immediately reveal that he had found an idol.

I spoke with “Johnny Rock” the morning after his elimination and had a chance to ask him about the challenge explosion, his relationship with the other players, and the article that changed his life…

Gordon Holmes: I hate to start this interview on an awkward note, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have to let you know that I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan.
John Rocker: Ooo…I was not told that. I told CBS to screen these guys.
Holmes: (Laughs)
Rocker: Nothing against the Cards. I don’t know how you did it, but you beat the Dodgers.
Holmes: I don’t know how they did it either.
Rocker: I was very impressed. I don’t know how you beat Kershaw twice.
Holmes: And they’re giving Kershaw all this grief over losing, but he was awesome through six innings each time.
Rocker: That’s October baseball. They just waited him out. I was very impressed with the way you guys played that series.
Holmes: I like how you say “you guys” like I had something to do with it.
Rocker: (Laughs) In spirit maybe.

Holmes: Alright, what the heck happened during that challenge last night? I know you were doing the “Caddyshack” thing to try to distract them. Is that what set Natalie off?
Rocker: I guess just being me, my presence. What’s so funny is I’ve actually become pretty good friends with Natalie and Nadiya and Jeremy and Val. We were all on a Skype phone call last night. I was watching them watch the program. And Natalie’s yelling at me on the TV and I said, “Really, Nat?! Really?! Look at yourself! Are you proud of yourself?”
Holmes: But, it had to start on Exile with the deal that didn’t work out with Jeremy.
Rocker: Jeremy and I made a pact. And when I couldn’t protect Val because she was so adamant that she had two idols. And I told her, “If you’ve got an idol, play it.” And I was waiting for her to tell me if she had them and she insisted that she did. When Jeremy saw Val gone it got his ire up and he spread a lot of vitriol through his tribe about me.  He probably told Natalie that I was the reason his sister was voted out. So, prior to that challenge, my name was mud in that tribe. And I know from the previous challenge, the water challenge, every time they would win, Natalie would leave the challenge field, flicking us birds, (expletive deleted) us, (expletive deleted) us.
Holmes: Wow.
Rocker: Just wearing us out, dude. They had all the wooden whatever stuff you had to crawl under. She was crawling on top of that stuff, looking at us, flicking us off saying “(expletive deleted), you guys. (expletive deleted), you (expletive deleted).” And when she got to her mat she started singling me out. And this (expletive deleted) talking went on for about a minute, minute and a half. So, I wanted to tell her, “If you were a man I’d want to knock your teeth out.” I wanted to get that little (expletive deleted) dig in there. And it may be an inappropriate comment.
Holmes: Maybe.
Rocker: Obviously I was never going to punch a woman. But to make that comment? That literally came after one-to-two minutes of verbal assault from her. And once she got to her mat, Jeremy started chirping, then Jon. At some point enough is enough. You can either sit there and look like an (expletive deleted) because people are talking (expletive deleted) and you’re not defending yourself. Or, fire back and look like an (expletive deleted). So, I chose to look like an (expletive deleted).

Holmes: (Laughs) Were you worried at all that by firing back you were going to put Julie in a bad position?
Rocker: When I was made aware of the fact that I wasn’t going to fly under the radar like I was hoping, I knew that was going to put a target on Julie’s back right then and there. And then getting voted out, I think that took the target off of her back. So, I wasn’t too disappointed to get voted out.
Holmes: What do you think of Julie so far? I think she’s playing a really solid game.
Rocker: She is. I was very proud of her. When we were talking to Lynne Spillman, she’s thinking she’s got the hair extensions and the perfect manicure and the fake boobs and yada yada, and she thinks she’s going to get eaten alive out there. Julie says, “Trust me, I’m not.” She’s a good old country girl, she grew up in Augusta, Georgia. She spent a lot of time out on the farm, riding four wheelers and getting beat up by his brothers. I  think she held her own quite nicely and tolerated it about as well as you’d expect a female to tolerate it. I was very proud of her.
Holmes: Does she still give you grief for losing to her in that challenge?
Rocker: A little bit, yeah.

Holmes: Your alliance turned on you. It seems like a lot of it had to do with the moves you were making that Josh didn’t know about. You shared info with Val. You’d found an idol.
Rocker: I thought the other players, Baylor, Jaclyn, played kind of a funky game. If someone has an idol you try to align with them or find a way to convince them that you’re not going to vote for them and get them to sit on their idol. It’s risky. But, my tribe, if they found out you had an idol, they were gunning for you. Josh was a real student of the game. When everyone was saying, we need to get rid of Val. Josh was more of a voice of reason. He came to me separately and was like, “Maybe we should take Val and her idols and align with her.” Dale, Baylor, and Jaclyn had negativity toward anyone with an idol. When I told Josh I’d found an idol, I told him I could let him use my idol. But, Josh wouldn’t extend the hand and keep me a part of the alliance…I didn’t see that one coming.
Holmes: Where’s the idol now?
Rocker: Production took it.
Holmes: They’d have to wrestle it out of my hands.
Rocker: They said they’d give it back to me after the finale.

Holmes: Alright, word association time.
Rocker: Oh no.
Holmes: Oh yeah. Let’s start with Josh.
Rocker: Ripped.
Holmes: Wes?
Rocker: Redneck.
Holmes: Dale?
Rocker: Mouthy.
Holmes: Jaclyn?
Rocker: Blonde.
Holmes: Baylor?
Rocker: Ugh…that’s my word…ugh.
Holmes: Alec?
Rocker: Spicoli.
Holmes: Jeremy?
Rocker: Good dude.
Holmes: Natalie?
Rocker: Loud.
Holmes: Let’s finish with Julie.
Rocker: My sweetie.

Holmes: People have an immediate opinion of you due to the Sports Illustrated article and other things. How have you approached that over the years?
Rocker: There’s no good answer for that. It’s like “When did you stop beating your wife?” They think you’re a wife beater. People ask me if I’ve changed.  That implies that that article is correct. I haven’t changed from 15 years ago, I was never like that to begin with. If you look at Jeff Pearlman and his writing style, that’s just what he does to everyone he writes about. He disparaged Walter Payton in an entire book. How do you disparage Walter Payton? Go out and find anyone who knows me. It could be guys I went to high school with, guys I played in the minors with, the majors with, associates. Find anyone out there who can say anything bad about me who knows me? That’s exactly what happened when this article came out. They interviewed people I went to high school with, my teachers, my parents’ friends, my friends…they left no stone unturned trying to get some kind of parallel story to go along with Jeff Pearlman’s story and nobody got anything. They got the opposite. So, when people ask if I’ve changed, I’ve never had to change. I got a hatchet job by Jeff Pearlman.
Holmes: What do you want people to know about you?
Rocker: That I’m not any of those things in that article. You see the way I was talked about by the other tribe and some of my own tribe mates prior to knowing me. Now they all know me.
Holmes: During last week’s interview with Val, she did say you were a nice guy.
Rocker: I was in New York about a month ago with Jeremy and Val and Natalie and Nadiya. We went out for dinner, had some drinks. Last night I had a Skype call with them. I was on the phone with Jeremy. Now these people know me and Jeremy and Natalie have both apologized, “Sorry, you’re actually a good guy. Sorry for the way we talked (expletive deleted) about you.” Both of them apologized for calling me, “Homophobe! Bigot! (Expletive deleted)!” We’re already planning a trip for the finale. We’ll come out to LA a few days early and hang out together. One article, can’t encompass the entirety of a person’s being. The media has allowed that to happen. That’s not me. It never has been and it never will be.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter at @gordonholmes.

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