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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings: Merge Edition

April 2, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

Quick Note: We’re going to be bringing you all kinds of “Survivor” fun this season including episode recaps, exit interviews, and Power Rankings with Michael Skupin. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

The Rules: Each week Michael and Gordon 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 Dawn is voted out this week, Michael will receive 9 points and Gordon will receive 4 points. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings champion!

Last Week: Michael Skupin had Julia in spot twelve, while Gordon’s pinch hitter Benjamin “Coach” Wade had her in eleven. So, the current score is Team Skupin 83, Team Lightning Punch 103.

Before we kick off this week’s rankings, let’s check in with our competitors…

Gordon Holmes: It seems like the faves are ready to wrap this thing up, but this Corinne/Phillip thing could cause some trouble.
Michael Skupin: Sometimes very social players get lulled into forgetting that the game is afoot. Even a veteran like Corinne is losing her edge after three weeks of island living. She’s trying so hard to “save” Michael, she’s losing or may have lost her place in the favorites’ alliance. Phillip is sure to tell all who will listen about Corinne’s new found friend…regardless of sexual preference…that’s just questionable gameplay, especially from such a good player.

Holmes: Any parting words for Julia?
Skupin: Goodbye, racecar Julia. I think kids like you better than vanilla. The one guy that had your back you turned on. You keep saying the game made you adjust your strategy. I hope not making alliances wasn’t one of the adjustments, those are pretty critical out there. You outted Phillip to his own alliance, big move or not so smart, your only hope was in the Phillip, Corinne, Michael disruption. You needed to throw fire on that. Instead, you get an unlimited supply of ice-cream – any flavor.

Set Your DVR to Record ‘Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs Favorites”


Michael’s Current Score: 83 Any advice for Michael? Drop him a line on Twitter: @mikeskupin	Gordon’s Current Score: 103 Any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

1. Brenda: If Brenda was auditioning for “Dancing with the Stars,” she may have gotten their attention. We didn’t see much of her other than her shake and shimmy on the bench as the Gota tribe brought home the bacon. Although it’s subtle, I bet she’s is making very strong bonds out there.	1. Malcolm: Welcome to the merge, Mr. Freberg. As you well know, this is the point in the game where physical strength becomes a strategic weakness. However, I’m not worried about you, because you have several options alliance-wise and you have an immunity idol stashed in your buff.

2. Malcolm: Malcolm revives the “Rooster Alliance” that backfired on Matt, Mike, and Jay on season 24 “One World.” He invites the unsuspecting Reynold, Eddie, and Erik. Although I’m not ultra optimistic, let’s see if it works this time.	2. Cochran: You know who’s quietly having the best game so far? Cochran. (Well, the fact that I wrote that question in Cochran’s blurb was probably a giveaway.) Corinne and Phillip are dying to make the wrong moves by turning on each other, but Cochran keeps calmly steering them back in the right direction. He’s like Parvati in that his first season was decent, but his follow-up is awesome.

3. Andrea: Andrea, while enjoying the feast that resulted in a reward win, was fattening up the calves for slaughter. And while it appears many of the “winners” took a break from the game, she never stops playing.	3. Reynold: I like Reynold. I enjoyed our pre-game interview, he’s a super nice guy. I just don’t think “Survivor” is for him. The faves are going to chew him up. But, he still has an idol, so he’s safe for now.

4. Erik: As Erik laid there in a sugar coma all I could think of is I’d have been in cardiac arrest with all that sugar. A new inducted member of Malcolm’s new “Rooster Alliance” could be helpful to his game.	4. Dawn: Dawn’s in the same boat as Cochran. They’re the drama-free faves who are going to coast now that they’ve hit the merge. Let the others make the big moves while you two sit back and wait for the perfect times to assert yourself.

5. Reynold: I can’t believe I have you this high up. You’re smart and athletic but you’re letting everyone play their game. You’re likely a leader in life, but you better step up soon or I believe you’ll experience the same fate the other fans will at the hands of the more experienced players. Your ONE trump card (the hidden immunity idol), you exposed to one of the games most strategic players…because you like him or because he looks like you?	5. Andrea: Andrea could be like Dawn and Cochran. She’s someone who shouldn’t create drama, she should react to it. But, I think she feels some pressure to make moves because of the coattail rider tag she received during “Redemption Island.” Let the Corinnes and Phillips cause trouble for now.

6. Eddie: You’re still in the boys c ride but you’re certainly at the bottom of it. It doesn’t look like you’re making any new friends but I don’t see you making any enemies either.	6. Erik: I don’t know how Erik does it, but people still treat him like an adorable kid five years after Micronesia. That isn’t a bad place to be in. Keep up the cookie naps, my friend. Nobody wants to vote out their little brother.

7. Sherri: Winning gives her a break in the game. Unless she can make a big move, the Rooster Alliance will likely determine how long she uses a coconut for a pillow.	7. Brenda: Is it possible that people have forgotten that Brenda is ridiculously smart? The cheering Brenda we saw at the reward challenge isn’t anything like the cool customer we saw in Nicaragua. If so, kudos to her. She might make a good swing vote down the line.

8. Cochran: His name has still never come up. It appears like he’s everyone’s sounding board out there when they want to vent. So far, that’s a very safe spot. His tribe is slowly dying while Gota is becoming stronger every day out there. A merge couldn’t happen soon enough for his game.	8. Sherri: I don’t know if anyone needed this merge as much as Sherri did. If the guys were going to call the shots at Gota, she would’ve been the next to go.

9. Dawn: If she can prevent WW3 between Phillip and Corinne, she can bring what’s left of the favorites alliance back together and salvage the old team. Now that she has her emotions under control, her game has been flawless.	9. Michael: Cochran had a good point last week when he said that Corinne wanting to be your buddy could be bad for you. Not because Corinne isn’t hilarious, but because breaking up couples seems to be the order of the day this season. However, now that the faves are back together, they can all discuss what to do about this newsome twosome. (I’m aware that “newsome” isn’t a word.)

10. Phillip: You did throw a challenge, you’d never throw a challenge, you did throw a challenge… if confusing us is your strategy, you’re succeeding! Although the physical part of the game is beginning to take its toll, because of your secret agent training you’re still a challenge threat. You handed Julia a golden egg and she dropped it. Play nice with Corinne and you could enjoy many more sunsets out there.	10. Eddie: Everybody likes Eddie. And why wouldn’t they? He’s a good guy. But, he’s also the buffest dude on the beach and that’s bad news after a merge.

11. Michael: Your “long strand of hell” continues…as does your ”Denise-like” streak of surviving Tribal Councils. Your new “friendship without benefits” with Corinne may have been your undoing. Please stop forgetting you’re playing “Survivor” for a million bucks here, brother!	11. Phillip: It looks like finishing up the Phillip/Corinne feud might take precedence over getting rid of the remaining fans. I don’t know which way they’re going to go, but I know I’d much rather sit in front of a jury with Phillip than with Corinne.

12. Corinne: Telegraphing alliances without disclose were Phillip’s words and the advice of every former player. Let Phillip bury himself and stay solid with Cochran and Dawn if you want to keep waking up with crabs in your curls.	12. Corinne: Corinne said that people think Phillip is running things because the other faves put up with his silliness. Will they put up with his silliness if it involves getting rid of Corinne? Who knows? We already know Andrea is up for it.

Tags:jeff probst, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Episode Recap: War in Bikal

March 27, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

[xfinity-record-button id=”6680657917899399112″ program_type=”series”]

Last Week: The tribes were swapped, Bikal’s momentum was stopped, and “The Beard” was chopped.

39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

The Bikal Tribe (wearing purple)
Cochran – Harvard Law Student, 25
Corinne – Pharmaceutical Sales, 33
Dawn – English Professor/Power Rankings Champ, 42
Julia – Racecar Driver/Student, 21
Michael – Event Planner, 44
Phillip – Chief Executive Officer of Enter Software Sales, 54

The Gota Tribe (wearing orange)
Andrea – Entertainment Host and Writer, 23
Brenda – Paddleboard Company Owner, 30
Eddie – Firefighter/EMT, 23
Erik – Comic Book Artist, 27
Malcolm – Bartender, 25
Reynold – Sales, 30
Sherri – Fast Food Franchisee, 41

Quick News Note: Congrats to the “Survivor” crew on being renewed for the 2013-14 season.

We start off after Tribal Council with the Stealth R Us Tooers apologizing to the newbs for sending Matt on his merry way.

Corinne lets Michael know that she’s going to do everything in her power to keep him around. We’ve found Corinne’s kryptonite, and apparently it’s homosexuality.

Phillip doesn’t like that Corinne is talking to Michael and tells Cochran that he wants her gone before the merge. Cochran smartly talks him down, explaining that it’ll send a bad signal to the Gota branch of Stealth R Us Too if they boot one of their own so soon. Cochran’s quietly having a hell of a season.

Tree Mail arrives the next morning and it hints at strong and weak players. Phillip is confident that his strength will lead them to victory. Famous last words…

Reward Challenge Time: The tribes will be tethered together and walk around an oval track while carrying 20-pound weights. If a player gets tired and has to duck out, he or she has to pass off his or her weights to the rest of the team. First team to catch the opposing team wins a trip to an island for coffee, cookies, croissants, and other words that start with the letter “C.”

Brenda will sit out for Gota.

Fun Fact: I believe this challenge was done in Palau.

Not much to describe at first, except for Phillip telling everyone they should walk because the “Girls will tire.” Sexism aside, it’s also because he assumes at some point he’ll be carrying all the weight.

Dawn and Cochran are the first one out of the challenge, and then…oh wait…it’s over. That was quick. Gota catches Bikal and wins the reward.

Dawn’s cool with the loss because the coffee will give Gota diarrhea. Glass is always half full.

At the Caramoan coffee bar, Andrea is psyched to get a chance to share a reward with the fans. She hopes to get to know them so they’ll vote for her in the end.

Malcolm one ups Andrea by kissing everyone and expressing his love for them. Oh man, Twitter just exploded with jealousy.

Back at Bikal, Corinne is blaming Phillip for the loss. She approaches Cochran with the idea of getting rid of him. Man, Cochran in the middle. His goal now is to keep the faves together at all costs.

Meanwhile, Phillip wants to turn Julia into a double agent. He tells her to meet up with the other fans at the merge and relay info to Stealth R Us Too.

Later, Julia tells Dawn that Phillip wants her for a new alliance and that maybe they should try to get rid of him. So, your head is on the chopping block and you make moves against the person trying to work with you? These “fans,” I tell ya…

Anywho, Dawn immediately lets Phillip know what’s up.

Over at Gota, Malcolm spearheads an alpha-male alliance with himself, Eddie, Reynold, and Erik. Do four guys and two idols make a numbers advantage?

Reynold tells Malcolm about his idol, but Malcolm doesn’t return the favor. Dun dun dun…

Immunity Challenge Time: Three members of each tribe will paddle into the ocean, dive down, and retrieve a phoenix statue. They’ll return to shore and place the statue at the base of a tower. One tribe member will use a grappling hook to retrieve keys. First tribe to use the keys to unlock the tower and pull their statue to the top wins immunity.

Sherri will sit for Gota.

Brenda, Erik, and Eddie, and Dawn, Corinne, and Michael are the water teams. Gota gets off to a hot start, but Bikal manages to catch up. Gota regains the lead and gets their statue back to shore first, but Bikal isn’t far behind.

Phillip and Reynold pull carnival game duty once again with the grappling hook toss. Reynold absolutely kills it, getting all five keys in short order. Gota pulls up their statue and wins immunity.

After the challenge, Phillip confesses to Cochran that he threw the challenge because he wanted to get rid of a fan. Nice of him to go easy on those poor Gota losers. He probably feels bad that they’re being decimated by diarrhea.

Anywho, the faves are going to split the vote in case there’s an idol. Corinne goes to bat for Michael, but Phillip doesn’t think they need him. Phillip explains that he’s qualified to make such calls because he played with the smartest, best looking, best smelling, most charismatic player of all time, “Boston” Rob Mariano. OK, maybe he didn’t say all of that, but it was close.

Corinne interrupts Phillip as he’s talking to Dawn and Cochran and things get ugly. He tells her to take a hike in slightly nicer terms. She takes that hike, but lets us know that she’s dying to vote him out. Who would’ve thought those two kids wouldn’t get along?

That night at Tribal Council, Julia thinks the favorites are tense because they’re thinking past this vote.

Corinne wants to vote off the right fan because it’ll be important later.

Phillip thinks he and Corinne have the same goal, but different processes of getting there.

Dawn thinks conflict is OK as long as they want the same thing.

Michael thinks he should stick around because he works hard and is trustworthy.

Cochran thinks it’s dangerous for Michael if everyone thinks he’s BFFs with Corinne.

Corinne admits that it’s super cool that Michael is gay, but she’s only known him for a few days.

Voting Time: No votes are shown.

We’ve got one vote for Michael, one for Julia, one for Michael, one for Julia, one for Michael, and…one for Julia. A tie.

Voting Time Again: No votes are shown.

Alrighty, we’ve got two votes for Julia and the eighth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites” is…Julia.

Verdict: Bikal loses? Check. One of the fans goes home? Check. Thank goodness the merge is around the corner.

Who’s Going to Win? Erik is a favorite and potentially in the challenge-threat alliance. WINNER!

Power Rankings Results: Michael Skupin had Julia in spot twelve, while my pinch hitter Benjamin “Coach” Wade had her in eleven. So, the current score is Team Skupin 83, Team Lightning Punch 103.

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

Tags:jeff probst, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings: Dragon Slayer Edition!

March 26, 2013

Benjamin "Coach" Wade vs. Michael Skupin (CBS)

Special Guest Star Alert: Pinch hitting for Gordon Holmes this week is three-time “Survivor” star and Power Rankings favorite Benjamin “Coach” Wade!

The Rules: Each week Michael and Gordon (or his designated pinch hitter) 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 Dawn is voted out this week, Michael will receive 8 points and Gordon’s team will receive 6 points. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings champion!

Last Week: Michael had Matt in spot six while Gordon had him in spot eleven. So, the current score is Team Skupin 71, Team Lightning Punch 92.

Before we kick off this week’s rankings, let’s check in with our competitors…

Gordon Holmes: Mr. Wade. Thanks a ton for pinch hitting this week. What’ve you been up to?
Ben “Coach” Wade: I have a new book out that I wrote called “No Turning Back, the South American Expedition of a Dragon Slayer.” Pass the word because if it sells well then I have a deal to publish the Amazon adventure, and I know that’s what everyone wants to hear.
Holmes: Nice, everybody buy this book.

Holmes: Do you guys have any parting words for our buddy Matt the Beard?
Michael Skupin: So long, Matt… the “as long as it’s not me” strategy may work for a few days but will likely never get you to end game. As Cochran put it, your game of likeability got read as a game that reeked of desperation. As one of the most likable characters out there, I’m saddened to see you leave the game. I misjudged you at first and had you going deep into the game; sans the painted-egg twist, you just may have. I could almost hear a groan across the country when your torch was snuffed for the last time.
Wade: He kept it real. I loved his genuine attitude towards the game and life, but the tribe swap mucked him up like it does so many. He was playing a great game until then.
Skupin: Once again, a castaway falls greatly due to the fact that in his naivety of playing the game he found comfort after the swap in hanging out with Michael instead of having any real plan. Although most people get into one or more of them, an alliance is the most threatening position to be in. Maybe the t-shirts Michael and Matt should have been wearing is “I’m with him” with the arrow pointing at the other guy.

Holmes: Neither of you guys really had to deal with major tribe swaps. What strategy would you utilize if faced with that twist?
Wade: Scramble.
Holmes: Well played. Skup?
Skupin: On S25 Philippines, we were prepared for a swap or merge any day and we knew exactly what we were going to do in the event that happened.
Holmes: That’s very smart. It never hurts to have a plan to cover any possibility. Especially one that’s been done in the past.
Skupin: The “fans” were down in numbers and were so caught off guard by the swap. Tribal swaps are not new to “Survivor” and seem to be becoming more commonplace as we’ve now seen a trifecta of them on the last three seasons. If I was on the power-side of the swap (Bikal) as it appeared I was on S25 Philippines, it’s critical not to play your hand too early. It was there that I began my stalk of Malcolm but ever so slightly because we were winning; there was no reason to cement anything until the merge. If I was on the losing side (Gota), I’d become the hardest worker around camp, become necessary in challenges, and wouldn’t start any wars.

Holmes: Alright, you gentlemen have both played with some of the current castaways. What are your mid-season grades for them?
Wade: Dawn and Cochran both get a B+. Cochran’s weakness coming into the game was his physical strength and awkward sallies towards other contestants. He seems to have strengthened both. Dawn’s weakness was her emotional discharge every other day. She is stronger and more focused.
Skupin: My mid-season grade for fellow castaway, turned tribemate then alliance Malcolm is also a B+. He is smart and so likable and has done so many things right. I’m just afraid the physical and emotional toll of back-to-back seasons could certainly cloud his judgment.
Holmes: Excellent, a round of B pluses. Sounds like they’re all doing well with some room for improvement.

Skupin: Because the newly swapped Bikal team is at such a disadvantage both physically and mentally (puzzles, strategies, etc.), I’m predicting that Gota will not lose another challenge. So my Power Rankings will reflect all Bikal members at the bottom, not necessarily based on their gameplay or strategy thus far but based on the fact that they will be the only ones to meet Probst at the now infamous torch-snuffing ceremony.
Holmes: Risk taker, I like it. Alright gentlemen, you know the rules…

Set Your DVR to Record ‘Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs Favorites”


Michael’s Current Score: 71 Any advice for Michael? Drop him a line on Twitter: @mikeskupin	Team Lightning Punch’s Current Score: 92 Any advice for Coach? Drop him a line on Twitter: @the_real_coach

1. Brenda: If Brenda was at the Wonka Factory, she’d go down the “good” egg chute. Her mistake-free game continues.	1. Cochran: A smooth operator who is leading his tribe through meditation and DS rules.

2. Malcolm: Malcolm joins Reynold out there as the man with a bulge and it appears the bulging brothers are forming an alliance that may be the end of the game for both of them. Signs of Malcolm being out in the Philippines for way too long are appearing as he confessed on national TV his expertise at lying to women. As the runner up for fan favorite last season, I’m betting he lost a few female votes with that comment.	2. Reynold: Idol after idol he has found, days in the game for him abound.

3. Andrea: Andrea drew the right colored egg last week. Her “dream” that Malcolm had the idol may actually have been strategy as I believe she has seen Malcolm’s bulging wrist and she may have been offering him a chance to “fess up.”	3. Malcolm: Not taking the lead in the game might decrease his female popularity fame.

4. Erik: We are left to guess at what your game is out there while it doesn’t appear you’re doing much. At this point you don’t really have to and your relationship with Brenda and Andrea only gets stronger.	4. Andrea: Much more aware of the game this time, you are becoming a player in some people’s minds.

5. Sherri: I’m surprised there seemed to be no strategy whatsoever in Sherri “spilling the beans” to what could end up as the “Victoria’s Secret Alliance” of Sherri, Brenda, and Andrea. I still believe she has game left in her and fortunately for her, Reynold and Eddie will likely “used-car salesman” themselves out of what appears to be a second chance for them.	5. Phillip: Much to the audience chagrin, Phillip is here this time to win.

6. Eddie: Good thing you’re on the “good-looking tribe,” Eddie! That matters so much out there. I think Eddie needs to make a break from Reynold and form other bonds as well. Putting all your eggs in one basket only works once out there.	6. Dawn: Middle of the road most of the time, once the merge hits I think she will then shine.

7. Reynold: Teaming up with Malcolm was a smart move, but be very careful, you may be shocked that he lies to men too! You’ll be a force in individual immunity challenges, so fortunately you’ll have no problem making it to the merge. Drawing an orange egg is eggs-actly what your game needed to give you hope but it seems like you’re forgetting that the “favorites” have played this game before.	7. Brenda: Quiet and shy her heart must be elsewhere, hang in there though there’s much more to bear.

8. Dawn: She better pay her dues into Stealth-R-Us as her only hope of making the merge now is winning and Phillip not Hantz’ing.* *Hantz’ing is now an accepted reality-TV term describing extremely erratic behavior.	8. Eddie: I think he’ll be first to go once the tribes merge, better scramble fast when you have the urge.

9. Cochran: His under-the-radar game may have to shift a bit as it looks like he’s going to become a regular at Tribal Council much sooner than he anticipated. Since winning could be a long shot, he has to adjust his game. Fortunately, he’s smart enough. Funny, Tarzan from S24 One World said the game is afoot, Cochran chose the game is anew…since when did a knowledge of Shakespeare become a prerequisite for island living?	9. Sherri: Tried to exude too much control, now your power is slipping your ship is near the shoal.

10. Phillip: I’m in the minority but when you’re on the down tribe, making new alliances and securing flippers is critical. A+ Phillip! Your bullies-R-us strategy is great for early and mid-game but will fall on rocky soil come the merge and end game…if you make it that far. Phillip’s name problems continue. It began with “Franchesqua,” continued with “Aun-dreah” and now he refers to Julia as “the girl.”	10. Michael: Once strong and smart the swap has you on the run, but you are astute beyond the game and a ton of fun.

11. Michael: His biggest mistake was the same as Matt’s, he was just less believable in regards to the Hidden-Immunity-Idol lie which the answer should always be the same unless your name is Abi, Reynold, Peter, and Penner. You seemed to be the only fan with a strategy! Last week you described camp-life as a “long strand of hell”…you have no idea my brother, things just got worse.	11. Julia: Riding coattails will only get you so far, time to pick things up if you want to rise above par.

12. Julia: Julia barely escaped elimination…fortunately for her, she didn’t have an alliance and didn’t seem as much of a threat as Matt did. As odd as it appears, not having an alliance and not really playing hard is an advantage to her now as her torch will stay lit for another three days, and although we haven’t seen it yet, for whatever it’s worth, Phillip thinks you are “extra-ordinary.”	12. Erik: A challenge warrior you may be, your head needs to be more game savvy.

13. Corinne: I think you picked a fight with the wrong favorite (Phillip), and it may cost you a spot. Your support of Michael will likely be seen as flipping and a new trust issue has been born.	13. Corinne: Although the B word comes to mind, look for an idol for hope to find.

Tags:coach wade, jeff probst, michael skupin, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Episode Recap: Swapped R Us

March 20, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

[xfinity-record-button id=”6680657917899399112″ program_type=”series”]

Last Week: There was an idol, Reynold found it. Brandon had sanity, then he lost it.

39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

The Bikal Tribe (wearing purple)
Andrea – Entertainment Host and Writer, 23
Brenda – Paddleboard Company Owner, 30
Cochran – Harvard Law Student, 25
Corinne – Pharmaceutical Sales, 33
Dawn – English Professor/Power Rankings Champ, 42
Erik – Comic Book Artist, 27
Malcolm – Bartender, 25
Phillip – Chief Executive Officer of Enter Software Sales, 54

The Gota Tribe (wearing orange)
Eddie – Firefighter/EMT, 23
Julia – Racecar Driver/Student, 21
Matt – Brand Manager of Two BMX Brands, 38
Michael – Event Planner, 44
Reynold – Sales, 30
Sherri – Fast Food Franchisee, 41

We kick off the post-meltdown era back at Bikal beach where Dawn is trying to be a glass-is-half-full kinda gal by saying at least the vote was unanimous. She’s got a point. How Malcolm resisted voting for Cochran to lighten the mood, I’ll never know.

Phillip is annoyed that they gave Gota hope. Corinne doesn’t understand why Brandon had to destroy everyone’s food if he was just mad at a few people. I asked Brandon, he said it was because they didn’t stand up for him.

In a similar vein, Corinne is annoyed that nobody stood up to defend her or Phillip in front of the fans.

Now that Brandon is gone, Phillip wants to stick with the plan of getting rid of Corinne. Maybe that’s an in for Erik or Brenda?

Over at Gota, Reynold says that he and Eddie have no chance of getting in good with the rest of his tribe. His only hope now is to win challenges and hope for a merge or a swap. And is if on cue…

Drop your buffs…

Everyone is given an egg that is full of paint. They smash the eggs and are splattered with their new tribe colors.

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

The NEW Bikal Tribe (still wearing purple)
Cochran – Harvard Law Student, 25
Corinne – Pharmaceutical Sales, 33
Dawn – English Professor/Power Rankings Champ, 42
Julia – Racecar Driver/Student, 21
Matt – Brand Manager of Two BMX Brands, 38
Michael – Event Planner, 44
Phillip – Chief Executive Officer of Enter Software Sales, 54

The NEW Gota Tribe (still wearing orange)
Andrea – Entertainment Host and Writer, 23
Brenda – Paddleboard Company Owner, 30
Eddie – Firefighter/EMT, 23
Erik – Comic Book Artist, 27
Malcolm – Bartender, 25
Reynold – Sales, 30
Sherri – Fast Food Franchisee, 41

First instincts? Dawchran, Eddie and Reynold, and Matt and Michael are still together, Corinne and Malcolm are split up. The three strongest challenge players are all on Gota. There are four Stealth R Us Tooers on Bikal, but one of them is Corinne who’s being targeted by Phillip.

Also, they get new rice and flint. Ha! Hantz’s master plan has been foiled!

Over at Gota, they agree with my assessment that they’re going to own the next few challenges. Also, just like I predicted in the Power Rankings, Eddie and Reynold immediately tell Erik what was going on within the old Gota tribe. In particular they call out Sherri as the leader.

Erik doesn’t buy it because Reynold is so handsome. Oh man, the Micronesia women made it so Erik doesn’t trust pretty people!

Meanwhile, Sherri is spilling her guts to Brenda and Andrea. She likes Eddie, but wants Reynold gone.

Quick Note: Andrea refers to Sherri telling them about Gota as “spoiling.” That’s adorable, now Andrea won’t be surprised when she watches the episodes.

At Bikal, Corinne is thrilled to have Michael on her tribe because he’s gay. She even said if she was an idiot she’d turn on her alliance just to align with him. Somewhere former Power Rankings champ Charlie Herschel is smiling.

Later, Phillip tells someone named Julia that he’s thinking of becoming a double agent. She seems nice. They should let her into the game now that Brandon is gone.

Phillip tells Corinne that he’s working on bringing Julia in, but Corinne thinks numbers aren’t an issue. She tells Dawn that he needs a “warm glass of shut the hell up.” In the Filipino heat? No thanks, I take my “shut the hell up” on the rocks.

Back at Gota, Andrea tells Malcolm that she had a dream that he had an idol. What?! Andrea’s psychic?! Where are my PowerBall numbers, Andrea?!

Immunity Challenge Time: Two by two, players will run out onto a field to retrieve giant crates. Once all six crates are retrieved, they’ll use them to create a staircase. First tribe to complete their staircase wins immunity.

Quick Note: This challenge has been done a few times. Most recently in “Heroes vs. Villains.”

Gota jumps out to a huge lead thanks to their strength advantage. For some weird reason, Phillip has to go twice in a row. His exhaustion is definitely showing.

During the staircase building, Malcolm is calling the shots for Gota while Julia is trying to get Bikal in gear. However, it’s never close. Gota gets all six in place and wins immunity.

Jeff Probst: “That was pathetic.”
Phillip Sheppard: “It sure was.”

Back at Bikal, Phillip gives everyone a pep talk. Corinne thinks the reason people think he’s in charge is because he does crazy things and everyone else goes along with it. She says that on an annoying scale that goes from one to sitting next to a baby on a plane, he’s like sitting next to a baby on a plane that has diarrhea. What I like about Corinne is the way she paints a picture with her words.

Matt and Michael approach Phillip to talk strategy. He tells them about the mysterious ways of Stealth R Us Too. If they want to be inducted and given a sweet nickname, someone from his alliance will tell them to do something and they’ll have to do it. Buh…

Matt thinks it’s crazy, but he’s willing to play along if it’ll keep him in the game.

Voting wise, it looks like Julia’s going to be the Stealth R Us Too target. Matt and Michael are willing to go along with it, but they tell Julia they’re going to vote for Dawn.

Cochran is worried that Michael and Matt are clearly a pair and keeping them together might be trouble. OK, then which is Ozzy and which is Elyse?

A Stealth R Us Too pow-wow has Corinne and Phillip wanting to get rid of Julia because she’s a challenge liability and Dawchran wanting to get rid of Matt because he’s part of a pair and they don’t think he has an idol. Either way, Corinne is happy because Michael is safe.

That night at Tribal Council, Matt says he’s psyched because he’s a fan of all the favorites he’s now teamed with.

Julia thinks the fans are in trouble because they’re in the minority.

Corinne thinks Matt and Michael are great people and tonight’s vote might not be fair.

Phillip values loyalty and challenge strength.

Corinne admits that she’s paranoid about the hidden immunity idol.

Matt says he would’ve told Corinne who had the idol. Corinne says it’s “Survivor” 101 to lie about it.

Cochran doesn’t want to keep losing because it’ll help Gota bond. He sees them as the “Bold and the Beautiful” tribe and he doesn’t see himself penetrating that alliance. Sorry folks, this is a family site. Feel free to write your own joke on that one.

Jokes aside, that’s an interesting point from Cochran. I’d never have thought of that.

Voting Time: Julia votes for Dawn, Matt votes for Julia, Michael votes for Julia, and the rest of the votes are lost to the magic of editing.

JPro tallies and returns. We’ve got two votes for Julia, one vote for Dawn, three votes for Matt, and the seventh person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites” is…Matt.

Verdict: Look at that…actually strategy on “Survivor!” And it was entertaining! Go figure…

Who’s Going to Win? Erik’s on the new dominant tribe and he has a ton of options. Go, Erik.

Power Rankings Results: Tough one to call this week with the tribe swap. Michael had Matt in spot six while I had him in spot eleven. So, the current score is Team Skupin 71, Team Lightning Punch 92.

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

Tags:jeff probst, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings: Tribe Swap Edition

March 20, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

The Rules: Each week Michael and Gordon 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 Dawn is voted out this week, Michael will receive 2 points and Gordon will receive 4 points. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings champion!

Last Week: Clearly Michael and Gordon are both psychic. How else could they have predicted that it was Brandon’s time to go home? They both had him in the bottom spot. The current score is Team Skupin 65, Team Lightning Punch 81.

Before we kick off this week’s rankings, let’s check in with our competitors…

Gordon Holmes: Well, last week was certainly…interesting.
Micheal Skupin: I’ve watched, read, blogged, listened, watched again, listened again, slept on it, discussed it, podcasted it, mulled it over, and I still can’t decide if that was good TV or if “Survivor” went too “Jersey Shore” on us.

Holmes: Any parting words for Mr. Hantz?
Skupin: Goodbye, B. Hantz. You may have not shed a single tear out there but your uncle Russell did when he was finally eliminated on his 3rd season. There’s no shame in loving this game that much. Phillip found Brandon’s buttons and very strategically never stopped pushing them. I do see what CBS sees in Brandon as a player. He’s good in challenges, well spoken, entertaining, unpredictable, and isn’t afraid to stir the pot. Being on such a small island confined to a 10 X 10 shelter (the size of the tarp), you need some pretty thick skin at times. The ability to “let go” is a huge weapon out there which Brandon never learned how to fire.
Holmes: Well, Brandon did let the rice and beans go all over the beach.
Skupin: I realize as much as anyone how different “Survivor” is from real life and it seems like the Achilles heel of so many fallen comrades is the fact the they don’t realize this until it’s too late. But, what is it about Brandon and Phillip’s real life that offers them the ability to speak of themselves in the 3rd person so often? Brandon’s mockery of Phillip’s nicknames ended so ironically as he mistakenly called out the name “exterior” as one of them. A few hours later, that became his view of the game as he was removed.

Skupin: I wonder if Brandon joins the fraternity of those that “quit” the game or does the proclamation of being the “author of his own fate” put him in a category of its own?
Holmes: I was thinking about that. I think he’s somewhere in between. His fate authoring didn’t take place until he knew Phillip was going to throw the challenge to get rid of him. It was a preemptive strike.
Skupin: Both Probst and Malcolm brought up three-time player Russell Hantz as if he had anything to do with what’s happening out there. His game is very, very different and he’d never walk from this game.
Holmes: No, he certainly wouldn’t.

Holmes: Will this give the fans a new lease on life?
Skupin: The favorites experience and advantage (sitting three at the challenge) gets clearer by the day as they covered their fire so they can cook in the rain. These tribes better swap or merge soon or it’s going to seem like another all-star season very quickly. The fans are really struggling in challenges, and no matter how many challenge-challenged fans they get rid of, it’s not getting better. I question their strategies and who they put in what positions, ie. Michael and Matt were put in the strength position in the reward challenge. (Where is “Shut up,” I mean Shamar when you need him?) I waited for Matt to wrap his beard around the rope when Probst wasn’t looking.

Set Your DVR to Record ‘Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs Favorites”


Michael’s Current Score: 65 Any advice for Michael? Drop him a line on Twitter: @mikeskupin	Gordon’s Current Score: 81 Any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

1. Brenda: Aside from the not-so-dynamic duo (Brandon & Phillip for those too busy watching “Cupcake Wars”), we really didn’t see much of anyone on the favorites team. I believe the pros of Brandon leaving equal the cons and since the vote was unanimous, the favorites are still in the exact same position from a “power perspective.” Brenda stays at number one.	1. Malcolm: OK, Swaptown is just ahead. This is bad news. Bad news for the players and bad news for Power Rankers who have to try to make sense of so many different variables. Fortunately for my boy Malcolm, he has a few things working in his favor. First, his tribe is going into the swap up numbers so he’s likely to have some friendly faces wherever he ends up. Second, he’s got an idol that only Corinne knows about.

2. Dawn: The mom tears surface once again as she choked out Brandon’s name during the game’s first-ever verbal Tribal Council voting. She has endurance and came to play. I like her chances of keeping it all together.	2. Reynold: You’d better thank the “Survivor” gods that you found that idol, because tribe swaps are bad news for challenge studs on tribes that are down numbers.

3. Cochran: His ultra non-confrontational approach seems to be working well for him.	3. Cochran: Why is it smart to be nice to people who aren’t in your alliance? Because those people become swing votes when you get to a tribe swap. Fortunately for Team Dawchran, it seems like that haven’t been rubbing anyone the wrong way.

4. Malcolm: Although it appears he’s still a member of the good ol’ boys club, a flaw in his game has emerged and that’s his alliance with the blue-eyed vixen (not the reindeer). Corinne’s game is slowly unraveling as it appears Brandon may have thrown her game off. Malcolm diversifying is his only chance.	4. Dawn: What’d I say about “no more tears,” Dawn? It’s OK. I’ll give you a pass every time someone freaks out and sabotages your food supply. Hantzes gotta Hantz.

5. Michael: Although he describes camp-life as a “long strand of hell,” he seems to be keeping it all together and not ruffling any feathers. The fans thought highly enough of his strength that they put him in the driver’s seat of the strength challenge and he was the last fan standing.	5. Andrea: Oh boy, I bet you were wishing on every unicorn in Care-A-Lot that Brandon wasn’t going to out your plan to get rid of Corinne. Fortunately for you, it seems like he didn’t. As someone who’s good at challenges and manages to stay out of trouble, you should have plenty of time to figure out a way to get to the merge and back to your Stealth R Us Too buddies.

6. Matt “The Beard”: Beard actually sarcastically cried out for his “mommy” when his wet feet endured a few days of rain…try sixteen, brother! Most of us on S25 ended up losing more toenails than we had left by the time it was over. If you’re in this for the long haul (and I believe you are) get used to a lot more torture where that came from. I hear there’s a pretty pissed-off whale shark out there that I head-butted and rumor has it he may go “Hantz” on you.	6. Erik: Kudos to Erik and Brenda for making the best of a bad situation with their time on the Favorites tribe. You see Brandon, that’s why you don’t burn your camp down. You never know when Probst is going to wander out with fresh new buffs for everyone.

7. Sherri: Still strategically a threat as I believe she understands this game as well as anyone out there. She made a tactical error in allowing one of her closest allies (Laura) to go home last week. If she can keep from treating anyone like a 16-year-old Cinnabon snot (her words, not mine), she still can win this game.	7. Brenda: See Erik.

8. Phillip: Being a challenge beast will buy him a few extra days out there. Strategically, he’s making the same mistakes RC did on S25…always playing and always playing too hard. A mix of social vs. gameplay may be the best recipe to go deep in this game. He’s the first contestant to ever out-commentate Probst during a challenge. His unprecedented references to African-American embattled feature films provided Phillip with an inner strength to press on. His references included “Kunta Kinte” (Roots), “Django” (movie), “Miss Jane Pittman” (movie), “Mammy” (movie), “Amistad” (movie), and a “Ya Mon” for good measure at the end.	8. Sherri: It’s time to stop being bummed about the loss of Shamar and Laura. With the swap coming, you have a chance to reinvent yourself. The challenge threats are going to be in immediate danger, so you’ll have a chance to weigh your options and hopefully create a new alliance.

9. Erik: I give Erik credit as he actually tried to take on Brandon as he littered the beach with camp rice and beans. He became the first contestant to actually encounter the other tribe when he hand delivered the immunity idol during Brandon’s non-torch snuffing eviction.	9. Julia: Holy cow, Julia…if you’d be quiet for one second people could get to know you. If you keep running your mouth with your new tribe, they’re going to send you packing immediately.

10. Reynold: This episode could have been named “Reynold has another bulge.” This is the first time he breaks into my top 10 simply because he found the hidden immunity idol without a clue once again. When he found it I yelled at the TV, “You learned your lesson, don’t tell anyone!” Yet he did. Then when he told Eddie, I yelled again, “Don’t fist-bump, it can be seen across the island and it only means one thing!” After 13 days he says in a confessional “I’m still not going to trust anyone fully.” It only took him 12 years, 25 seasons, countless blindsides, and 13 days out there to realize this.	10. Michael: Yup, Brandon spilled the beans literally and figuratively last week. The fans know a lot of the favorites’ business. But, it won’t take long after the swap for Eddie and Reynold to let the faves know what was going on at Gota. Did they appreciate that you and Matt were the ones with the power? Could be trouble.

11. Andrea: Andrea was outted as telling Brandon about Phillip’s plan to throw the challenge. That caused an unprecedented upheaval at camp but a not-so-unprecedented betrayal of trust. It may appear Phillip is targeting Corinne to go home but I think Andrea is next on his radar.	11. Matt: See Michael.

12. Eddie: Eddie caught a break at Brandon’s expense. Thirteen days in and now he wants to try and see how that “flint-thing” works?! He’s forgetting the “Survivor” fire building tie-breaker. Make fire as often as you can, people. It all matters so much.	12. Phillip: It was a rough week for The Specialist. In his defense, it looked like he was being very diplomatic at Bikal beach. He didn’t seem to lose his cool until the challenge. However, his back and forth with the Conqueror is going to make it tough for him to get in good with any fans.

13. Corinne: I thought her interruption of Brandon when he was removing himself from the game was unnecessary. Her speech to throw the challenge was potentially costly. It marked her with the favorites and the fans. It looks like now you’re Phillip’s next target. It appears your game from the last time you played is emerging and they all know how to play against that.	13. Corinne: Oh man, what’s going on in this week’s preview? You were doing such a good job of acting like you didn’t want to stab Phillip in the face. What happened? Here’s hoping you two don’t end up on the same tribe.

14. Julia: I think she’s still there. Without a real alliance and seen as possibly a liability in challenges, I think she has seen her last sunset from the beach.	14. Eddie: Like I said, tribe swaps are bad news for challenge studs that are down numbers and don’t have immunity idols. (How’s that for a run-on sentence?!) Sadly, Eddie…that’s you.

Tags:jeff probst, michael skupin, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor’ Castaway Brandon Hantz: ‘I Am Perfectly Mentally Stable’

March 14, 2013

Jefff Probst and Brandon Hantz (CBS)

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Well, if Brandon Hantz wanted to go home, ruining his tribe’s food supply and threatening Phillip was certainly an effective way of doing it.

Remember when the worst thing you could do on “Survivor” was practicing your yoga in someone else’s rock garden?

I spoke to Lil’ Hantz the morning after his explosive elimination and asked him about his historic meltdown, his relationship with Phillip, and why it’s important to be the author of your own fate…

Brandon Hantz: Hey Gordon, how are you, sir?
Gordon Holmes: I’m alright, the question is; how are you?
Hantz: I’m doing good. Let’s start this sucker off by saying I’m perfectly fine. Don’t feel bad for me. I’m happy. I enjoyed my edit. And no, I don’t need to go to a hospital. I am perfectly mentally stable. I have three beautiful babies, a beautiful wife. I’ve put it in perspective that “Survivor” is “Survivor” and life is life. Now we can continue with the interview.
Holmes: Thank you. Last night was rough to watch, but it’s good to hear that you’ve come out of it with a positive attitude.
Hantz: Oh yeah. I appreciate it, man.

[iframe http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/Survivor%3A-Caramoan—Fans-vs.-Favorites/6680657917899399112/21699651702/Survivor%3A-Caramoan—Persona-Non-Grata/embed 580 476]

Holmes: How close was it to getting physical with Phillip? Did that cross your mind?
Hantz: Of course it crossed my mind, did you see my face and my body language?
Holmes: You were not a happy camper. But was there any point where you thought, “I’m going to punch this guy”?
Hantz: No, not really. When he started talking about my family and all that stuff, that’s when my body went that way and Jeff was like, “No no no no no.” (Laughs) “You can’t do that buddy, you promised.” But anyways, that was the closest point because it was unnecessary to bring up my family and my kids. It had nothing to do with “Survivor.” All is forgiven as far as Phillip is concerned. Thirty minutes afterward I could’ve talked to him. That’s just my character personality. I forgive and forget.

Holmes: Something that seems to get glossed over is how your tribemates feel about you. In “South Pacific” several players said you could’ve won if you got to the end. Here you clearly had a good relationship with several of your tribemates. What aren’t we seeing here?
Hantz: It’s awesome, dude. But you know what I see when people started talking bad about me? I see a bunch of followers. People jumping on the bandwagon cause it’s “Survivor.” I loved my tribe. I had an issue with Phillip, that’s it. The way he talked to people. I feel like I was standing up for people like Brenda and Erik who were getting treated like garbage. As you see in the previews for the next episode, Corinne wants to vote him out. It’s agitating to see how things changed so quickly when I’m involved in the equation.

Holmes: You were only mad at Phillip, but when you toss the rice and the beans, that affects people you care about like Dawn and Erik. Was it worth it?
Hantz: Yeah. Did you enjoy watching it? (Laughs)
Holmes: Honestly, I didn’t.
Hantz: Well, it happened and it was amazing. It was really liberating. You ever get to the point where you were like, I’m pissed off and you just want to say something to hurt somebody else and you finally have enough courage and you say, “You suck”? And a weight has been lifted off of your chest? I was tired of being taken advantage of. And I proved my point. I don’t regret one second throwing the rice and beans out. I love Dawn and I love Erik, but you’ve got to realize that nobody stepped up for me. It’s “Survivor.” Nobody said, “That sucks.” When you see someone getting pummeled and you don’t say anything, that’s where I have a problem.

Holmes: You wanted to be the author of your own fate. It was important to go out on your own terms.
Hantz: Yes.
Holmes: Why is that better than playing the game and winning or losing?
Hantz: Because I was always going to lose, believe me. You either die the way they want you to or you go out on your own. Either I go to Tribal Council and they vote me out and I take it in the rear, or I do something drastic. Something that nobody will ever forget. Why wouldn’t you?
Holmes: It looks like there’s going to be a tribe swap next week. There will be a tribe merge in a few weeks. Why not hold out and see how things go?
Hantz: Because, man…have you ever played “Survivor”?
Holmes: I haven’t.
Hantz: There was a guaranteed spot for me in Ponderosa already laid out. So, I was going home. They were going to throw the challenge. We’d get to Tribal Council and we’d get to Jeff, my name was voted for, then it’s over. They cost me a million dollars, you don’t think that’s worse than going without rice for a couple of days? I think it was pretty even. They got it and I got it.

Holmes: Alright, let’s do some word association. We’ll start with Andrea.
Hantz: Sneaky.
Holmes: Corinne?
Hantz: Terrible.
Holmes: Erik?
Hantz: Awesome.
Holmes: Malcolm?
Hantz: Wish-washy.
Holmes: Brenda?
Hantz: Awesome.
Holmes: Dawn?
Hantz: Awesomer!
Holmes: Phillip?
Hantz: Oh God…that’s pretty much it, “Oh God.”
Holmes: Cochran?
Hantz: Very, very disloyal.

Holmes: Sometimes grudges last past the season. Is there a chance that you and Phillip can mend fences?
Hantz: The game doesn’t need to come into real life. I Facebook messaged Phillip after the season. I tried to get in contact with him. I want to make it clear to Phillip that anything I say about him is game related. I will never take shots about Phillip and his personal life. As a human being, I respect Phillip. I don’t know him in his personal life, but I’m sure he’s a great guy. But as a Survivor, I would never want to play with him again, if I ever play again.
Holmes: If invited, would you play again?
Hantz: Of course. My thing about playing again is I wouldn’t play unless Russell was there. This season, I didn’t know who was going to be out there and I wanted Russell to be out there. Number one, I could beat him. I think as far as challenges, he’s an old man. He can’t hang with me. I can beat him as far as going farther, because even after what I did, he’s still going to be a bigger threat than I am. Which is good for me.

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

Tags:brandon hantz, jeff probst, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Episode Recap: A ‘Survivor’ First and a ‘Survivor’ Worst?

March 13, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

[xfinity-record-button id=”6680657917899399112″ program_type=”series”]

Last Week: The favorites were visited by a bushman named Tata, while a grain of sand and a lack of challenge prowess respectively forced Shamar and Laura to say, “Ta ta.”

39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

The Bikal Tribe (wearing purple)
Andrea – Entertainment Host and Writer, 23
Brandon – Chemical Disposal, 21
Brenda – Paddleboard Company Owner, 30
Cochran – Harvard Law Student, 25
Corinne – Pharmaceutical Sales, 33
Dawn – English Professor/Power Rankings Champ, 42
Erik – Comic Book Artist, 27
Malcolm – Bartender, 25
Phillip – Chief Executive Officer of Enter Software Sales, 54

The countdown to Hantzageddon kicks off with a seemingly calm Gota camp after Tribal Council. See, one speck of sand helped bring the Gotians together. And while they aren’t yelling at each other, they do make it clear that Idol Hunt Part Deux is going to kick off at dawn.

Over at Bikal, Brandon is feeling bad about leaving his family to play “Survivor.” He tells everyone to vote him off the next time they go to Tribal Council. Wait, is this a “South Pacific” rerun?

The next morning, Brandon tells everyone that he doesn’t want to leave, he wants to play. Buh…

Reward Challenge Time: Two members from each tribe will hold onto ropes that are holding up nets. Members of the other tribe will shoot coconuts into the net basketball-style. When both of a tribe’s nets drop, they’ll lose. Winning tribe gets everything needed for a delicious barbecue.

Andrea, Dawn, and Erik will sit for Bikal.

Brandon and Phillip will hold nets for Bikal, Michael and Matt will hold for Gota.

Quick Note: This is very similar to a challenge that was used in the original “Fans vs. Favorites.”

Not much to describe here except for Phillip shouting out some kind of weird strength chant. Kinda like Alan Rickman in “Galaxy Quest.”

Another Quick Note: “Galaxy Quest” is very underrated.

Brandon is the first to drop his net, he’s followed by Matt. It’s a tough struggle between Phillip and Michael, but Michael can’t last and his net drops. Favorites win reward.

Yet Another Quick Note: When the Favorites went to pick up their barbecue stuff, Corinne made a beeline for the wine. That’s my girl.

Back at Gota beach, Sherri is not pleased that getting rid of Laura didn’t results in a challenge win. Because Laura would’ve been great at holding up twice her weight in coconuts.

The Gota idol hunt commences, and Matt lets us know that he definitely wants to find the idol. Thanks, Matt.

However, that’s quickly a moot point, because Reynold finds it again. This dude has won one challenge and found two idols.

Meanwhile at Bikal, Brandon is in a bad mood again.

Brenda pitches the idea of repositioning the tarp, but Phillip would like to conserve energy for challenges. Brandon comes to her defense (and Phillip wasn’t being confrontational) and says that Phillip is acting like a dictator.

Phillip stays level-headed, but Brandon wants to argue. Wow, I never thought I’d type the words, “Phillip stays level-headed.”

The two try to make peace…somewhat. They shake hands, but Phillip lets us know that Brandon’s going home at the next opportunity. Later, Phillip says that he’ll throw the challenge to get rid of Brandon. He even sounds concerned that Brandon could be a physical danger to someone. That’s telling.

Brandon and Phillip chat again and it goes downhill fast. The breaking point might be when Brandon starts making fun of the Stealth R Us Too nicknames. Too far, Brandon.

Oh wait, Brandon snaps and dumps out all of the beans and rice. He then yells at Phillip as Phillip smartly walks away. OK, that’s too far.

Quick Take: I will say that this is easily the least shocking “shocking” moment of all time. During our pre-game interview, Brandon was ready to flip out in an air-conditioned office. What did they expect would happen under the stressful, luxury-deprived conditions of “Survivor”? Actually, that’s probably exactly what they were expecting…

Immunity Challenge Time: Two members from each tribe…

Just kidding. Brandon tells the Fans not to let Phillip get to the end of the game. Reynold wants to know where Brandon is going to be.

Corinne steps up as the Favorites designated spokesmodel and says that they would like to forfeit the immunity challenge. This announcement doesn’t break the Fans’ hearts.

Probst smartly calls Brandon over before he gets a chance to straight up murder one of the Favorites.

Once Brandon has his own platform, he outs the Stealth R Us Too alliance and claims that Boston Rob is the only reason Phillip got to the end of “Redemption Island.” Well, he’s got a point there.

From there, Brandon rants on about a dozen other topics. This is not fun to watch.

Andrea breaks down and cries because she’s grown close to Brandon during their time together.

Brandon then claims that he dumped the rice to make things even for the Fans. Uh huh…

Phillip thinks Brandon needs to grow up. Brandon thinks Phillip needs to shut up. I think that when they look at me they throw up. (“Stand by Me” and “Galaxy Quest” in the same recap!)

Phillip brings up Brandon’s kids and that’s too much. Brandon starts to step toward Phillip, but Probst quickly diffuses the situation.

Probst then has the Favorites give the idol to the Fans. Reynold wants Probst to declare them the winners, which is hilarious.

From there, JPro let’s us know that they’re going to do Tribal right there and then. Sweet, night off for the crew.

Voting Time: Brandon votes for Phillip, everyone else votes for Brandon.

The sixth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites” is…Brandon.

Verdict: Well, that certainly happened.

I’ve often compared “Survivor” to a circus in that there’s really something for everyone. If you don’t like the smart strategy or the big personalities you might like the buff bodies or the physical challenges. And if you don’t like any of that, here’s some dude freaking out.

Are some people into that? Sure.

Is it my cup of tea? No.

“Survivor” at its best is a triumph of the human spirit over adverse conditions. When people from different walks of life can work together and create a community.

This was the exact opposite of that.

So, now that the Jerry Springer-inspired portion of the season is over, I’m looking forward to what the people who have a chance of winning this game are going to do.

Was It Irresponsible to Have Brandon Back? This reminds me of one time when I was babysitting my niece and my nephew. He was smaller than her and had knocked over some block structure she had built. She was livid, literally shaking. Ever fiber of her being wanted to knock that poor kid into next week. You could just sense it. She even raised her hands as if she was about to clobber him.

But she didn’t.

Why? Because she knew she would have been in serious trouble if she did.

It’s probably the same with Brandon. If he was truly crazy he could’ve just punched Phillip in the mouth.

So, I’ll reserve judgment on this issue until I’ve had a chance to interview some of the other members of Bikal. If they felt like they were in physical danger, then bringing him back was a mistake. If not, then it’s all part of the game.

Who’s Going to Win? If Reynold can find thirteen more idols, the million dollars is his. If not, my money’s still on Erik.

Power Rankings Results: Clearly Michael Skupin and I are psychic. How else could we have predicted that it was Brandon’s time to go home? We both had him in the bottom spot. The current score is Team Skupin 65, Team Lightning Punch 81.

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

Tags:brandon hantz, jeff probst, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings: Meltdown Edition

March 12, 2013

Brandon Hantz (CBS)

The Rules: Each week Michael and Gordon 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 Cochran is voted out this week, Michael will receive 4 points and Gordon will receive 2 points. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings champion!

Last Week: Michael and I both had Shamar in spot seventeen. Michael had Laura in twelve, while I had her in spot thirteen. So, Michael gets 29 total points, and I get 30. That brings our current score to Team Skupin: 50, Team Lighting Punch: 66.

Before we kick off this week’s rankings, let’s check in with our competitors…

Michael Skupin: Two challenges are back!
Gordon Holmes: Oh, I knew that would make you happy. What’d you think of last week’s episode?
Skupin: The fans are still wearing shoes for every water challenge…what a disadvantage…think competing in soggy, heavy, squishy sneakers. And we got a celebrity appearance from a man named after women’s floatation devices, “TaTa” and he certainly lived up to his name. I was as interested in his shelter building as I was his island chef routine. The fans “sans tarp” sure could have used him. And for the recond, I loved the “local flavor” of this twist!

Holmes: Any parting words for Shamar?
Skupin: There’s so much irony in a man that did two tours in Iraq (90+% sand) and one grain of sand takes him out of this game. I’m sure the pain was intense, but enduring pain on “Survivor” is part of it. As a soldier, you have ALL my respect and admiration forever no questions asked, as a Survivor…you never quite got it. I’ll miss you out there.

Holmes: And for Laura?
Skupin: A gutsy, semi-strategical game we saw out there. You were potentially a couple of sessions through P90X short of making the merge.

Holmes: Do you think Gota can turn this thing around?
Skupin: Although it appears the fans have a decimated tribe (which is partially true), it may have actually been strengthened. Although a beast, what role would Shamar have played in the immunity challenge? They remind me a bit of Matsing (blue tribe from “Survivor: Philippines”) when they were down to three pretty powerful athletes, Malcolm, Denise, and Russell Swan, but ended up one rice pot short of a victory.

Set Your DVR to Record ‘Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs Favorites”


Michael’s Current Score: 50 Any advice for Michael? Drop him a line on Twitter: @mikeskupin	Gordon’s Current Score: 66 Any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

1. Brenda: Stays at number one. We didn’t see much of the favorites…Tata got all their airtime and was certainly more interesting. A challenge beast again, this chica came to play.	1. Malcolm: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that this Wednesday’s episode will be forever known as “The One Where Brandon Freaks Out.” I’m assuming it’ll also be a perfect example of why Malcolm is so dangerous in the game of “Survivor.” Namely, the dude knows when to duck into the background and let other people fight. When Russell Swan was losing it, Malcolm was quiet. When Tandang was imploding, Malcolm was quiet. I expect to hear next to nothing from Malcolm this week.

2. Malcolm: After living in Malaysia for 18 months and often catching his own dinner to make ends meet, he likely was the most entertained by Tata. Even with two challenges, nothing happened to make the favorites change any of their positions, although they didn’t put Malcolm in charge of the carnival games for the first time.	2. Cochran: It’s hard to write about any member of Bikal this week without tying it into the impending meltdown. So, instead of going into how I think everyone should fade into the scenery, I’ll give odds on how that person set Brandon off… Odds – 30 to 1: Cochran asks for his “South Pacific” sweater vest back and Brandon is overcome with grief because he left it in Samoa.

3. Dawn: She may have taken a vacation in this episode…maybe “mom” was out shopping or at the mall.	3. Dawn: Odds – 1000 to 1: Brandon has had it with Dawn’s constant cursing and spitting around camp and finally gives her a piece of his mind.

4. Cochran: Although the red hue in his arms appears painful, understand pain is a part of the game. If Cochran ever says he was going “deer” hunting for food, we now know he’s more than likely “dear” hunting. I’m voting him most likely to be blindsided by Victoria’s Secret (she’s in this season … right?)	4. Erik: Odds – 50 to 1: Erik proposes starting up a “Guys Who Foolishly Gave Away Their Immunity Idols Right Before Being Voted Out” support group. Brandon doesn’t react well to this idea.

5. Michael: They haven’t shown any real relationship or alliance with Sherri but I see one brewing here. He moved up in the rankings because it appears he’s beginning to follow the power in his tribe. If the Michael/Matt alliance explodes, I’m afraid “The Beard” will be seen as the bigger threat and rightfully so. His “we’re not winning with you guys” rant regarding Reynold and Eddie was spot on.	5. Michael: Michael and Matt are two peas in a pod. They’re running the show over at Gota. However, Michael is doing a slightly better job, because it doesn’t come off like he’s controlling the game as much as Matt is.

6. Sherri: The best expression at Tribal Council since Eliza Orlins! She lost a few spots based on her “yes, I said that,” uncharacteristic of her level-headed play thus far. She’s still in a strong position and her name is not coming up during the many Tribal Council conversations swirling around the Gota tribe since they’ve gone three straight times.	6. Matt: Basically what I said about Michael, but a little less subtle. And, the reason I’m pushing this point is it looks like Gota is going to hit the merge down numbers. When that happens, you don’t want to be the guy people are viewing as the leader. He’d be better off letting the remnants of Gota pitch ideas rather than coming up with them by himself.

7. Matt: We’re way underestimating this guy I put as 19th in the Power Rankings week one. He steadily moves up the charts. Matt’s methods are working great and I believe he literally has an alliance with everyone on his tribe. He’s underestimated physically and has this calm…“It’s all good” non-threatening way.	7. Sherri: Alright Sherri, you’ve got some reorganizing to do. You lost your Phillip and your Natalie in a two-day period. That’s no good. I’m not too worried about you though. You should make it to the merge easily, and then have some room to maneuver while the alpha-types battle it out.

8. Phillip: The first seven minutes of the episode were all Phillip and his antics. If corporations and coconuts have anything to do with success, we’re seeing the next Zuckerberg. There’s so much other drama from what should be a drama-free, winning, eating, Tata-loving tribe…he’s beginning to fall under the radar. Although it appears he’s scorning the most strategic player out there, Andrea.	8. Andrea: Odds – 25 to 1: Brandon is mad that Andrea took him down last week with a side headlock takedown. However, Andrea refuses to give him a rematch.

9. Andrea: She’s been scrambling it seems since day one out there but there are few more capable. She’s good in challenges and strategically I think she’s safe. She’s a farmer out there as she is constantly planting seeds and watching what blooms.	9. Corinne: Odds – 2 to 1: Brandon loses his cool when Corinne calls him “An unemployed, uneducated leech on society, and the only thing I’d vote to give you is a handful of anti-depressants so that no one else has to be subjected to your constant crying anymore.”

10. Eddie: He appears to be less of a threat, yet less of a challenge beast than Reynold. He’s been on the wrong side of every vote thus far. If he could start playing both sides, he could possibly save himself if he makes it to the merge and create an entirely new game for himself.	10. Brenda: Odds – 10 to 1: Brenda’s…um…attractive physique…accidentally sparks some kind of Mikayla flashback.

11. Julia: Although she was outted at Tribal Council as being the strongest female, and although strategically she doesn’t appear to be playing a strong game or in a good position, I think she’s safe for now. She’s not this low in the ranking based on her safety in the game but based on her “power” in the game to change it. Step on the gas, race-car driver!	11. Phillip: Odds – EVEN: Phillip’s crazy mixes with Brandon’s crazy and they have a bit of a crazy showdown.

12. Corinne: I had so much hope for you out there this time. The shift in your game play was awesome until you got over-charmed by Malcolm as so many have. Instead of joining a two-person alliance, and being a three-headed force, you joined the new guy out there who is scrambling to find his place out there.	12. Eddie: You and Reynold are kind of a matched pair at this point, but you might want to distance yourself from him. Reynold seems to be rubbing everyone the wrong way, but people seem to really like you. Maybe you, Julia, Sherri, Matt, and Michael can hold numbers until the merge.

13. Reynold: Goodbye, “Not-so Hidden Immunity Idol.” Goodbye, chance of making the merge. The only reason you’ll live to see another day is you finding a way to beat the favorites in the immunity challenge. Sadly, your time left out there may be as short as your shorts. I really wish you understood this game, you’re a heck of a competitor. And one lesson you need to learn…people lie on “Survivor.” Even my day-one alliance and good friend Lisa Whelchel learned that eventually.	13. Julia: If Gota loses again, they’re in deep trouble. As in, Pagonging-on-the-on-deck-circle kind of trouble. (How’s that for a mixed metaphor?!) Anywho, Sherri’s proven that she’s in well enough to avoid the “We need to get rid of challenge liabilities” hammer. And while Julia may be better in challenges, Matt and Michael are the ones calling the shots and they saved Eddie and Reynold last week.

14. Erik: He seems a little in over his head this season. He may be the most athletically gifted in challenges but mentally and emotionally I think he’s still playing the “what if” game from his last time out there.	14. Reynold: C’mon, Reynold. You need to win friends and influence people. Instead you’re telling everyone how you don’t trust them. Matt and Michael appreciate that they need you if they’re going to get to merge in decent shape. Play nice and act like you want to align with them even if you don’t.

15. Brandon: Although I loved his challenge beast-ness, Brandon may have too much pride for this game. Pride may be a softer word than ego in this case. All Hantzs have a lot of fight and a lot of passion in them. Russell strategically channeled his fight. Brandon sadly doesn’t have that skill set yet. He’s definitely entertaining. Team dynamics are as big as alliances this early in the game. Brandon’s doesn’t appear to be playing a “team game.”	15. Brandon: Are you shocked that Brandon is going to freak out? I’m not. Other members of the press who interviewed him before the game started aren’t shocked either. The guy just doesn’t respond well to the pressure of “Survivor.”

Tags:jeff probst, micheal skupin, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor’ Castaway Laura: ‘Shamar Tried to Quit the Day Before’ His Injury

March 8, 2013

Laura Alexander (CBS)

[xfinity-record-button id=”6680657917899399112″ program_type=”series”]

It’s been said before and I’ll say it again, “’Survivor’ is not a fair game.”

Case in point, if Laura Alexander had been on Bikal, or Tandang, or Kalabaw or any number of other tribes, her place in the dominant alliance would have kept her safe until the merge where her savvy strategy would have helped her get to the end.

But alas, she was placed on the “Survivor” equivalent of the Washington Generals and was sent to packing. Gota simply couldn’t afford to lose any more challenge strength.

I spoke to Laura the morning after her elimination and got her take on Shamar’s dramatic exit, Eddie and Reynold’s attitudes, and the person behind her backstabbing…

Gordon Holmes: Were you blindsided by last night’s vote?
Laura Alexander: Yes. I probably would have been more than they showed. My alliance didn’t let me in on the fact that they were trying to get me out. The whole time I thought it was just Reynold and Eddie throwing me under the bus. I had no idea that Matt was leading the whole thing. I think by the time he went to Michael it was set because they were desperate at that point. So, they had numbers no matter which way Sherri or Julia voted. I don’t know for sure, but I think Sherri and Julia didn’t have much of an option. But, I had no idea. We had this majority and we thought a swap was coming up, why screw it up at this point? And Eddie and Reynold weren’t exactly polite around camp.

[iframe http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/Survivor%3A-Caramoan—Fans-vs.-Favorites/6680657917899399112/20952131970/Survivor%3A-Caramoan—Kill-or-Be-Killed/embed 580 476]

Holmes: Did you think Shamar was looking for a way out when he went down with the eye injury?
Alexander: Absolutely. Shamar tried to quit the day before. Any time Shamar left the shelter he was injured in some shape or form. It was just something else to bitch about. When he got a couple of grains of sand in his eye I was like, “Are you kidding me?” And then when Jeff came to the island I think they thought, “Here we go, let’s give Shamar a big dramatic exit, just like he wants it to be.” I was pretty shocked at that time though because Shamar was a big part of my strategy, a big part of my alliance. He was a guaranteed vote for me no matter what.
Holmes: They made it seem like Sherri was protecting him. How safe was he? Because it seemed like he was, for lack of a better term, a “cancer” around camp.
Alexander: He was a cancer around camp to everybody else, even to Sherri and I. It was difficult to live with him and deal with him on a daily basis. But, Sherri and I saw him as an opportunity. The more Shamar caused havoc, the greater it was for Sherri and I because he soaked up attention. Nobody looked at me and said, “We need to get the weakest link out.”

Holmes: Alright, let’s do some word association. We’ll start with Sherri.
Alexander: Sherri…smart, cunning, ally.
Holmes: Matt?
Alexander: Wacky, eccentric.
Holmes: Michael?
Alexander: Witty.
Holmes: Julia?
Alexander: Julia is organized.
Holmes: Eddie?
Alexander: (Laughs) Eddie was amusing.
Holmes: Reynold?
Alexander: Egotist. Am I going to get in trouble for that?
Holmes: Nobody reads this stuff. Let’s finish with Shamar.
Alexander: Dramatic, disrespectful.

Holmes: Did you learn anything about yourself during your time in the game?
Alexander: I don’t think it dramatically changed my life in any way. I haven’t changed that much. But, I think you come back and you appreciate subtle things. You appreciate your family and your loved ones. Things that you might take for granted in your day-to-day life. You get to know people from a lot of different backgrounds. I think I won’t make assumptions about people based on first impressions.

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

Tags:jeff probst, laura alexander, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Episode Recap: Reeling Fans

March 6, 2013

"Survivor: Caramoan" (CBS)

[xfinity-record-button id=”6680657917899399112″ program_type=”series”]

Last Week: An idol was found, Hope was lost.

39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

The Gota Tribe (wearing orange)
Eddie – Firefighter/EMT, 23
Julia – Racecar Driver/Student, 21
Laura – Administrative Officer, 23
Matt – Brand Manager of Two BMX Brands, 38
Michael – Event Planner, 44
Reynold – Sales, 30
Shamar – Iraq War Veteran, 27
Sherri – Fast Food Franchisee, 41

The evening’s fun starts off after Tribal over at Casa de Gota where…

(OK, if you’re not sitting down, I’m going to need you to sit down.)

…Where people are arguing! Shocking, I know. This time however, it’s Sherri, Michael, Laura, Eddie, and Reynold. Remember when everyone thought the Faves were going to be mega dysfunctional?

The next morning, Phillip is giving the members of Stealth Rn’t Us nicknames so they don’t feel left out. Henceforth, Brandon will be known as the “The Conqueror” and Erik will be known as “The Silent One.” Andrea does not approve of all of this unauthorized nicknaming, but she’ll deal with it as long as Brenda doesn’t receive a nickname.

CUT TO: Phillip giving Brenda a nickname. She’ll be known as “Serenity.”

Quick Aside: During the nickname montage, a clip is shown of Andrea giving Brandon a headlock takedown. Why wasn’t more of this wrestling match shown?! Give people cool nicknames and all the sudden they start acting like Hulk Hogan.

Reward Challenge Time: Six members from each team will run out to a platform where a tribe member is stranded. When they get there, they’ll untie steps, then hold the steps so the stranded member can walk across them to a second platform. On that second platform is a second stranded member. The two stranded members will then use the steps to get to a third platform. From there, the first tribe to get everyone onto a tower wins an afternoon with a bushman.

Cochran will sit out for Bikal.

Not a ton to describe here, except for some nervous, dainty stepping. It’s very even in the beginning, but the Faves eventually grab the lead and win it.

In an odd moment, Shamar starts screaming as if Gota had won. Phillip doesn’t have a problem telling him he’s wrong.

When the bushman arrives at Bikal, Brandon refers to him as a “little guy.” Do we need a joke there? Can we move on?

Oh, Brandon wasn’t kidding. Tata the bushman is teeny tiny. He gets to work immediately and starts showing them how to prepare food and improve their shelter.

Later on, Tata got his dance on with the ladies of Bikal. They even gave him a five-way kiss. Man, that’s a foursome of lovely ladies. I’d try not to think about the fact that they haven’t brushed their teeth in weeks.

Over at Gotavia, King Shamar pronounces that he will stay in the game if someone brings him rice once a day. Sure enough, Sherri does it. Seriously, the Boston Rob/Phillip thing has got to be a new red flag. People are going to see it in future seasons and want to break it up like they do showmances.

Somehow during his busy afternoon of lounging and eating, Shamar managed to scratch his eye. Medical is brought in and they find two divots in his eye. The doctor wants to pull Shamar from the game and he doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with that.

And then there were seven…

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will swim out to a platform, climb to the top, jump off, and break a tile. The tile will release a key. The players will grab the keys and swim back. Once five keys are returned, two tribe members will unlock a chest to retrieve sandbags. First tribe to use the sandbags to knock all of their blocks off of a beam wins immunity.

Man, no puzzles this season?

Corinne and Dawn will sit for Bikal.

The Faves jump off to a huge lead when Sherri is unable to break her first tile. Embarrassing. The Faves are able to maintain the lead throughout the key-gathering portion of the challenge.

Phillip and Cochran are the lock team for Bikal. They release their bags and Phillip starts knocking down the blocks.

Reynold and Laura eventually get their keys. However, Laura seems to be winded by the task of unlocking a crate. That can’t be good. Reynold starts tossing for Gota and makes up some serious ground, but it’s too little too late as Phillip wins it for the Faves.

Oh, and for those of you scoring at home, the Fans are now 1-and-5 in challenges.

Politicking around Gota beach starts off with people gunning for Eddie and Reynold. However, Matt appreciates that they’re dead in the challenge water without those guys. He proposes getting rid of Laura.

Michael doesn’t love this idea because he trusts the alliance they already have.

Matt approaches Reynold with this plan, but Reynold is giving him grief because he doesn’t trust him. Reynold, what choice do you have? When someone offers a starving man a BLT, he shouldn’t complain because he doesn’t like mayo.

Sherri doesn’t like this plan for obvious reasons. She just lost her Phillip, don’t try to get rid of her Natalie.

That night at Tribal Council, Matt thinks the tribe has less tension now that Shamar is gone.

In other news, “Duh.”

Sherri misses Shamar because he was a part of her alliance. Remember when “alliance” was a dirty word? The worst thing Richard Hatch did was start an alliance. Now it’s a necessity.

Laura thinks tonight’s vote comes down to strength versus loyalty.

Reynold doesn’t think trust matters when your tribe keeps losing.

Sherri isn’t sure keeping Eddie and Reynold will help them win because they haven’t been winning with them.

Eddie thinks Sherri and Laura are the weaker players. He thinks Julia is one of the stronger females. Who the hell is Julia?

Laura thinks Reynold and Eddie might not be loyal if there’s a tribe swap.

Eddie says he’ll like the tribe better if he’s still around in twenty minutes. What, during “Criminal Minds”?

Voting Time: Eddie votes for Laura, Laura votes for Reynold, and the rest of the votes will wait for some quality JPro tallying.

Probst does that tallying and returns. He asks if anyone would like to play an idol…and Reynold does.

Alright, we’ve got two votes for Laura, one vote for Reynold, one vote for Laura, and the fifth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites” is…Laura.

Verdict: The Fans made the right move in getting rid of Laura. They’re already at a major disadvantage playing against an experienced tribe, they simply couldn’t afford to lose any more challenge strength.

And Shamar…well…I don’t get Shamar. He was one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet during the pre-show interviews. Sometimes the game just gets the best of you.

As for this season, it’s getting a little boring watching the Fans suck. But, if next week’s trailer is anything to go on, things are about to pick up…

Who’s Going to Win? Whatever is “The Silent One” going to do with all that money?

Power Rankings Results: Michael and I both had Shamar in spot seventeen. Michael had Laura in twelve, while I had her in spot thirteen. So, Michael gets 29 total points, and I get 30. That brings our current score to Team Skupin: 50, Team Lighting Punch: 66.

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

Tags:jeff probst, survivor, survivor caramoan, survivor fans vs favorites
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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Episode Recap: Reeling Fans

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