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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings: Round Eight

November 14, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” Every Monday Jeff Probst and I will tackle a wide variety of topics with the “Survivor” Question of the Week. Every Tuesday I’ll be squaring off against “Survivor: One World” favorite Kat Edorsson in this season’s Power Rankings challenge. Every Wednesday briefly after the show we’ll have a full episode recap and every Thursday we’ll have an interview with the latest eliminated player.  Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for all the updates!

The Rules: Each week Kat 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 Malcolm is voted out this week, Kat will receive 7 points and Gordon will receive 6 points. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings champion!

Last Week: Kat’s streak continues! She had Jeff Kent in spot ten while I had him in spot nine. So, the current score is Team Kat: 101, Team Awesome Thunder: 104.

Set Your DVR to Record ‘Survivor: Philippines

Kat’s Current Score: 101

Any advice for Kat? Drop her a line on Twitter: @KatEdorsson

Gordon’s Current Score: 104

Any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
 1. Lisa: By no means is Lisa the Ultimate Survivor or will ever be known for it, but after the train wreck of a Tribal Council last week I think Lisa for the win can be fair game. Lisa, I understand you want your tribe to come together and play nice with one another…but let’s face it that ship sailed LONGG AGOO. Mama Goose, right now you need to be on damage control and clean up that mess you made with Malcolm and Denise.  1. Abi Maria: It’s been a week since that crazy Tribal Council and I’m still not sure what the heck happened. I don’t know why Skup flipped back to Tandang, I don’t know why Penner voted for Abi, and I sure don’t know why Abi let everyone know she has an immunity idol. But, now that the immunity cat is out of the bag, Abi should feel free to use it if she feels threatened.
 2. Abi-Maria: Did you see Pete’s face when Abi ripped out their idol? Priceless Tribal Council glory! Abi`s on a high this week and we all know why. Even though people dislike her, she still has the idol and is in a good place.
  2. Michael: Maybe Skup’s flip was a Sandra Diaz-Twine-eque “anyone be me” maneuver? Maybe he caught Jeff Kent talking about getting rid of returnees? In hindsight, sticking with Tandang is probably a smart move. He’s probably Tandang’s biggest immunity threat and the only Tandanger that could beat him at a final Tribal is Lisa.
 3. Malcolm: Just because I show my idol at Tribal doesn’t mean I have to use it!! #FREASH I’ve never been so excited to watch a Tribal Counsil, so thank you for showing your idol and getting everyone fired up! Strategically Malcolm could be in a lot of trouble if Tandang comes back together, however, I highly doubt that will happen so I’ll hope for the best.  3. Lisa: You’ve got to give Lisa credit, she could have easily coasted along and gotten to at least the final four as the “nice mom.” But, she’s proven that she’s going to do her best to win this thing. Now, while her moves last week do put a target on her back, I’m thinking after last Tribal’s craziness that Tandang sticks together for a little while longer.

  4. Denise: She seems to be flying by the competition and letting everyone destroy themselves. Hopefully Denise will calm down Lisa and bring her back to the tripod or whatever is left of it before they ruin my premonition of total domination.  4. Malcolm: Gah…last week’s big loser was probably the Matsing alliance. They were both under the radar next to the more abrasive Abi/Pete/Artis alliance. Now, they’re in some trouble. The good news for Malcolm is that he still has Matsing’s immunity idol. The bad news is you can only say you’re going to play it and then not play it once.

  5. Michael: Skupin, don’t get played! I’m happy you’re always keeping one eye open when it comes to the votes. Stay in the majority, but be careful…the only thing that is going for you right now is winning immunity.
  5. Denise:  Denise is on the wrong side of the numbers right now, but she still has a lot of time to maneuver. Fortunately, she hasn’t rubbed anyone the wrong way, so she shouldn’t be first on anyone’s hitlist. Unfortunately, she hasn’t rubbed anyone the wrong way, so nobody (Malcolm included) will want to go to the final Tribal with her.
 6. Pete: I think it might be time to cut the head of the snake, and I can’t wait to see Abi and Pete in an argument! This will be interesting. (Expletive deleted), if that was me I would have killed her after Tribal for ripping out the idol. But, we’ll see how things unfold.
  6. Artis: Out of all the people left in the game, I feel like I know the least about Artis. It doesn’t seem like he’s getting along with anyone outside of Pete and Abi. And even those three seem to hate each other at times.
 7. Artis: Again, weird place in the game…  If Penner wins immunity I think Artis could be toast! How could they think people on the jury would vote for them if they’re not that friendly? Come on, guys!
   7. Carter: Things never turn out well for the right hand after a power player is eliminated. If Carter is going to stick around it’s going to take either an immunity run (which Carter is capable of), or some Penner brilliance (which Penner is capable of).
 8. Carter: Carter, you should be at the bottom because you just sent home your closest ally! But, I have a feeling if you get with the right people you will have the numbers and you can really turn this game around. Out of Kent’s shadow let’s see this kid create his own path. Besides he’s doing great in these challenges!
  8. Pete: I love me some Malcolm. That guy cracks me up. But he gave an Ozzy Lusth at Redemption Island-level terrible acting performance when Pete asked if he had an idol. And Pete believed it. That can’t be good. Also, if Penner is able to pull off another miracle, it’s going to be directed at poor Pete.
 9. Penner: Penner, if you do not win immunity I believe the Snake “Pete” will come after you. He is a mastermind and is really good flopping the votes. The odds of winning again are against him, because if Pete, Abi, Artis, or Carter win, I think Penner will be out.  9. Penner: I still don’t quite get why Penner voted for Abi last week. I guess he thought if he had his six, it wouldn’t hurt to try to set off Abi’s crazy meter. Either way, what’s done is done, it’s time to look forward. Can Penner convince a Tandanger to flip? Who’s their weakest link? Now that Kent is gone, would Skupin be open to changing sides?


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‘Survivor’ Hall of Fame 2012 Ballot – Russell Hantz

November 13, 2012

2010 "Survivor" Hall of Fame Inductee Russell Hantz (CBS)

The “Survivor” Hall of Fame is proud to have 2010 inductee Russell Hantz as a member of the Executive Voting Committee. As a member of this exclusive committee, Russell (along with Host Jeff Probst, Challenge Producer John Kirhoffer, and other “Survivor” luminaries) has accepted an awesome responsibility. The committee’s votes will make up 50% of the final tally for entry into the prestigious Class of 2012. The other 50% will come from “Survivor” fans like you.

Note: Polls closed November 30, 2012 at 5 pm ET.

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

Russell Hantz’s 2012 Hall of Fame Ballot

James Clement – (“Survivor: China,” “Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites,” and “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains”): Simply because he’s the strongest player to ever play the game. He can roll over anyone! He wasn’t two-time fan favorite for nothing!

Kim Spradlin – (“Survivor: One World): She dominated her season and she’s also a great individual competitor winning four individual immunity challenges!

Amanda Kimmel – (“Survivor: China,” “Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites,” and “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains”): I will vote for Amanda every single year until she makes it! She is a wonderful strategic and physical player and her social game isn’t so bad either. Amanda is one of the strongest strategic players I’ve ever played with! A back-to-back player who once had me shaking in my boots during “Heroes vs. Villains”! Believe it.

Be sure to come back Monday, December 10, 2012 to meet the first member of the Class of 2012!

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter @gordonholmes

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Which Former ‘Survivor’ Players Would Jeff Probst Like to See Again?

November 12, 2012

Shannon 'Shambo' Waters (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” Every Monday Jeff Probst and I will tackle a wide variety of topics with the “Survivor” Question of the Week. Every Tuesday I’ll be squaring off against “Survivor: One World” favorite Kat Edorsson in this season’s Power Rankings challenge. Every Wednesday briefly after the show we’ll have a full episode recap and every Thursday we’ll have an interview with the latest eliminated player.  Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for all the updates!

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

This Week’s Question: Who is the former player you’d most like to see return who hasn’t returned yet?

Gordon Holmes: The last time we played this game, Michael Skupin was my pick for the player I’d most like to see return. So for that, I thank you. This time I’m going to go with Natalie Bolton from “Survivor – Fans vs. Favorites.” The show has had a ton of guy players who’ve relished the villain role, but Natalie is one of the few females who seemed to enjoy it. How about you?
Jeff Probst: Oh, there are a lot.  In no particular order, let me give you some names from the past, maybe not the most obvious but people I’d be open to playing again; Andrew Savage (“Survivor: Pearl Islands”) because I still think we screwed him with our poorly thought out “Outcast” twist.  I liked Shambo (Shannon Waters – “Survivor: Samoa”) but she doesn’t seem keen to play again.  Greg Buis from our first season would be fun to have back.   I liked Hunter (Ellis) from Marquesas, Terry Deitz from “Exile Island.”  I liked Danni (Boatwright) from Guatemala, but I don’t think she wants to play again.  I liked Jessica deBen from Fiji.  
Holmes: See…now there’s an answer!
Probst: There are tons but once again your question requires me to either sit here and think or go to Wikipedia and look them up!  The problem with bringing back players like the ones I suggested is that most of them aren’t huge names and the audience seems to love the very popular players.  If we ever do a season where we bring back 100 players then maybe some of these guys will get back in!

Who Would You Like to See Again?? Send your answers to me on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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Vote for the ‘Survivor’ Hall of Fame Class of 2012

November 12, 2012

UPDATE: Voting for the “Survivor Hall of Fame has ended. Be sure to come back Monday, December 10, 2012 to meet the first member of the Class of 2012!

It’s time for the second most important vote you’ll cast this month. It’s time for the “Survivor” community to come together to honor their best and brightest. It’s time once again for the “Survivor” Hall of Fame…

THE VOTING PROCESS: Fifty percent of the vote will be based on the ballots of the “Survivor” Hall of Fame Executive Voting Committee. This panel consists of “Survivor” luminaries such as Host and Producer Jeff Probst, Challenge Producer John Kirhoffer, members of the “Survivor” press corps, and XFINITY TV’s “Survivor” Guy Gordon Holmes. We’ve also invited all current members of the “Survivor” Hall of Fame to join the Executive Voting Committee. The other fifty percent will come from fans like you.

Check Out Some of Our Executive Ballots…

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter @gordonholmes

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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Castaway Jeff Kent: ‘I’m So Bitter and ****ed Off’

November 8, 2012

Jeff Kent (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” Every Monday Jeff Probst and I will tackle a wide variety of topics with the “Survivor” Question of the Week. Every Tuesday I’ll be squaring off against “Survivor: One World” favorite Kat Edorsson in this season’s Power Rankings challenge. Every Wednesday briefly after the show we’ll have a full episode recap and every Thursday we’ll have an interview with the latest eliminated player.  Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for all the updates!

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

Jeff Probst said that last night’s Tribal Council was the most entertaining Tribal ever. I’m not sure if I’m willing to go quite that far, but it certainly was a doozy.

Alliances were exposed, idols were outed, plans were formed, then reformed. And in the end, a former National League MVP was sent home. It was something to see.

(And as a quick aside, it’s nice to see that after 25 seasons, this show can still be great.)

I spoke with Jeff Kent the morning after his elimination and had a chance to get a breakdown of exactly what happened during that mind-blowing Tribal Council…

Jeff Kent: Hey, Gordon.
Gordon Holmes: Good morning, Mr. Kent. How are you?
Kent: I’m OK, buddy. What can I do for you?
Holmes: For starters, you can tell me what the hell happened last night.
Kent: (Laughs) I don’t know, man. I’m still bitter about it myself.
Holmes: As you should be. That was a mess.
Kent: Well, before we went to Tribal Council, we were all passive. The tribe had an understanding that we were going to vote for a veteran player. And since Penner had won the idol, we were all scrambling, we were all pissed off because that was the direction we were going to go. So, the most likely was Skupin. And most everyone out there didn’t care if it was Penner or Skupin for days. And then when it got down to the 11th hour, I think the mindset of Pete and Abi and Artis changed. They figured that Skupin was worth keeping around for some reason.
Holmes: Was that Lisa’s doing?
Kent: Lisa started playing the game a little bit better. Penner and I went to talk strategy and when I got back I was approached by Malcolm and he said they’re throwing every name under the bus. Malcolm’s name had been thrown out there. My name was thrown out. Carter’s name too. I was scrambling and I was pissed off that they’d target me because I had a feeling that Malcolm had the idol. We were trying to make sure that it wasn’t me. We concocted that we’d go after the guy who was making all of the rules, Pete. And it happened right before Tribal so we couldn’t talk through or solidify what would happen in the future. We were all going to vote for Pete.

Holmes: What changed when you got to Tribal?
Kent: When we get to Tribal everyone starts dumping all their laundry. Everybody’s telling secrets and lies and nobody knows what’s going on. Then, in what I thought was a good move by Penner, he said OK all us six let’s vote for Pete. Which was good because Penner knew he had to start playing for the future. And typical of Skupin, he just didn’t want to play the game as good as he should have. He ended up voting the wrong way, and then Penner threw his vote the wrong way, which I’m having a hard time understanding. Penner threw his vote the other way and I’m the one who got the boot.
Holmes: What’s your best guess as to why Penner made that seemingly random vote for Abi?
Kent: When we were at Tribal Council, Penner and I were doing some hand signs and whispering to each other about if we should split the vote in case Pete plays the idol. I told Penner that we didn’t have the votes to split the vote. And, we couldn’t communicate across the board and I didn’t trust anyone who was on the right side of me. So, Penner and I did talk about it. I kind of think that Penner thought that we had the votes to keep me safe even if he voted another way, because Skupin agreed to vote with us. He agreed to vote with us when he was sitting there, but when we went to vote he didn’t.

Holmes: Whenever a celebrity is cast on “Survivor,” some people roll their eyes. But, “Survivor” is the real deal. You’re out there cold and starving. Jimmy Johnson learned that the hard way. But you gave it your all and seemed to be having a great time.
Kent: It’s a long time to be away from the family, and I’ve got four young kids in the house. It was a long time to be away.  But I had a great time. I’m glad I took the challenge, I’m glad I had a chance to play. And I played that game from day one. Hurting my knee coming off the boat, I didn’t want to quit. I wasn’t going to give up. I did everything I thought I could to survive and win that game and that’s why I’m so bitter and pissed off that I got kicked off. But, I’m grateful to have that opportunity. But Lisa and I, I hope we had a chance to quiet those critics, and I hope they had a good time watching.

Holmes: When we spoke in the Philippines, you were concerned about how you were going to be portrayed. Do you think it was accurate?
Kent: Yeah, I do. I didn’t really have a good understanding of what Dawson knew about me. I didn’t know she was so keen on who I was. Now I understand why all the conversations we had in our hut were about baseball and sports. It’s kind of funny.
Holmes: When I spoke to her, she made it sound like you knew that she knew about your baseball career.
Kent: I did not know that she knew that I was a baseball player, because I guarantee that I would have kicked her off. I would have had it out for her. Or, I would have tried to cut a deal with her to keep her quiet. She talked about sports and baseball players, but my name never came up. It was all about how she wanted to date Chipper Jones. That’s as far as it ever went.
Holmes: You played the Braves more than a few times. Is Dawson a good match for Chipper Jones?
Kent: (Laughs) I feel sorry for the guy she matches up with.

Holmes: One of the things we kept seeing you say is that you didn’t want Penner to go further than you. That seems like a shortsighted strategy to me. Was that how you genuinely felt or was that a ruse to help you get farther?
Kent: It was twofold; one it was a deflection off of me. I was a guy who came in and had a leadership personality and a guy that could do the challenges and survive out there in the environment. I was deflecting that attention off of me. Who’s bigger and better than me? Penner.  And number two, I respected Penner a lot. I understood his game and his personality. I liked Penner and I knew he was a great player. And if I could stay one step ahead of Penner I knew I was going to go far and possibly go to the end and possibly win. Because I didn’t think anyone was going to give Penner any money. They didn’t show this, but at the end I wanted to keep Penner and  Skupin with us and go forward with those two because I didn’t think they’d get the votes to win because they’re returning players.

Holmes: Word association time. Let’s start with Penner.
Kent: Aggressive.
Holmes: Skupin?
Kent: Dingy.
Holmes: Dawson?
Kent: Air. Just air.
Holmes: Katie?
Kent: Worthless.
Holmes: Malcolm?
Kent: Gamer.
Holmes: Carter?
Kent: Loyal.
Holmes: Pete?
Kent: Idiot. (Laughs)
Holmes: Lisa?
Kent: Lisa was naive.
Holmes: Abi-Maria?
Kent: Wow…
Holmes: Artis?
Kent: Resilient.
Holmes: Denise?
Kent: Denise was tough.

Holmes: Whenever someone leaves the show, it’s either; this was the greatest experience of my life or there isn’t enough money to make me ever go back. Where do you fall on the spectrum?
Kent: I dramatized my comments at the end when I got kicked off, but they were real. I’ve been able to have a life where I don’t need to be on the island. But, that’s what I wanted to do.  I wanted to win. I wanted to be the sole survivor. It wasn’t about the money, it was about winning. So, where I fall in that, is if the challenge presents itself again, I’ll think about it and I may have to take it.

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

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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Recap: Lisa Whelchel, Master Manipulator?!

November 7, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” Every Monday Jeff Probst and I will tackle a wide variety of topics with the “Survivor” Question of the Week. Every Tuesday I’ll be squaring off against “Survivor: One World” favorite Kat Edorsson in this season’s Power Rankings challenge. Every Wednesday briefly after the show we’ll have a full episode recap and every Thursday we’ll have an interview with the latest eliminated player.  Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for all the updates!

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

Last Week: Denise and Malcolm remained BFFs, Penner trusted Kent, but was SOL, and the merged tribe got rid of RC ASAP…

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Let’s take a look at the tribe as it currently stands…

The Dangrayne Tribe (wearing black)

Abi-Maria – Business Student, 32
Artis – Computer Engineer, 53

Carter – Track Coach, 24
Denise – Sex Therapist, 41
Jeff Kent – Former MLB Player, 44
Lisa – Former ‘Facts of Life’ Star, 49
Malcolm – Bartender, 25
Michael – Professional Speaker, Author, and Coach, 50
Penner – Writer, 50
Pete – Engineering Graduate, 24

The festivities kick off with Penner trying to make sense out of what happened at Tribal Council. Denise owns up to voting for Penner, saying that she has her own strategy.

Kent tries to play it off that he thought the numbers were going to be against them.

Skup tries to make Penner feel better by telling him how many cracks there are in the majority alliance. Penner thinks he could lay back and wait for an opening or he could set the world on fire.

(This is where Gordon crosses his fingers hoping for Penner to set the world on fire.)

The next morning, Lisa fills us in on the pecking order. Penner’s set to go first, with Skupin’s ready to go second. Apparently the anti-returnee sentiment isn’t exclusive to Jeff Kent. And honestly, with the frequency they’ve been bringing back players and the track record of those players, it was just a matter of time. The last complete season this cast saw had Ozzy Lusth finishing fourth and Coach Wade finishing second. The season before that saw “Boston” Rob Mariano steamrolling everyone on his way to the big check.

Lisa’s plan has them bumping off the returnees, then her, Denise, Malcolm, Carter, and Kent booting the other Tandangers. Look at Blair Warner the power player!

Reward Challenge Time: Players will be split into two teams. One person from each team will race into the water holding a rope. They’ll attach the rope to a fish trap and their teammates will pull it back. Once a team has four traps they’ll dig for a key. They’ll use that key to unlock a puzzle. First tribe to complete their puzzle wins a river cruise through the jungle. There they’ll enjoy ribs, potato salad, and other goodies.

The blue team is Skup, Pete, Artis, Carter, and Abi. The yellow team is Kent, Malcolm, Penner, Lisa, and Denise.

Not much to describe early on except for runnin’, swimmin’, hookin’ and rope pullin’.

Skup doesn’t wear the fishing mask because surely it would have burst into flames on his face. While this keeps him in one piece, it makes it hard for him to find the fish trap.

The yellow team completes the first part with a slight lead. Malcolm starts digging. Artis is right behind him and manages to find the key super quickly. Malcolm finds his shortly after.

Penner and Kent are working on the puzzle for the yellow team. Pete and Skup go for the blue team.

The yellow team flies through the puzzle and wins reward.

Back at camp, Abi is spilling the strategic beans while sharing some actual beans with Carter. This annoys Pete. Later, Pete tries pitching alternate strategies to Abi and she cuts him off. He admits that he’d like to vote her off, but he knows she can’t win at a final Tribal. This is true. In fact, the only way Pete’s winning this season is if he gets to the end with Abi and Artis. Even then it’s not a slam dunk.

At the reward, everyone’s bashing Artis, Pete, and Abi. Penner pitches the idea of them keeping him around longer to help get rid of one of them. Lisa likes the idea of five likable people battling it out at the end, but she likes the idea of getting to the end with a couple of hated people better.

Later, Lisa approaches Skup with the idea of aligning with Artis, Pete, and Abi and eliminating the remnants of Matsing and Kalabaw. She even tells him that Malcolm has Matsing’s immunity idol. She’s like Russell Hantz with a SAG card.

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will race over and under a series of obstacles while collecting puzzle pieces. First three players to cross the finish line will advance. First person to complete the puzzle wins immunity.

Again, not much to describe except for puzzle-piece gatherin’ and obstacle navigatin’.

Pete, Kent, and Penner advance with Penner diving over the finish line in dramatic fashion.

The puzzle is a very cool snake-shaped piece of business. Kent and Pete jump out to a lead, but Penner makes a comeback and wins it! Gah…that can’t be good for Skup.

Apparently Penner had never won individual immunity before, and boy did he need it.

Sure enough, politicking in the Penner-safe world seems to put a target on Skupin’s head. Sorry, if there’s anything this show has taught me, it’s that you can’t bring Skupin down without a silver bullet dipped in holy water.

Lisa, however, has other plans. She takes Pete aside and tells him about Malcolm’s idol. Her plan is to blindside Malcolm. Booo…

Pete asks Malcolm if he has the idol. Malcolm denies it. Pete then admits that Lisa told him about it. Oh snap… Later we learn that Pete totally buys into Malcolm’s lie. Now he’s left wondering what Lisa’s motive was.

Pete and Malcolm decide to target Jeff Kent instead and keep Skup as a swing vote.

Then at the last minute, they all start talking about voting for Pete! This is getting hard to keep track of. This is all Penner’s fault…

That night at Tribal Council, RC becomes the first member of the jury. Thanks for the heads up last week, Probst.

Penner shows appreciation for RC’s new cleaned-up look.

Skup thought he was the main target, but was psyched when other names came up.

Malcolm calls Lisa out for throwing him under the bus.

Lisa owns up to it, saying she wanted to keep Michael around and wanted to get rid of Malcolm and his idol. I’m loving the honesty from Lisa and Denise this episode.

Abi then slips up and admits that Malcolm is an expendable part of their alliance.

Malcolm’s had enough of this nonsense. He whips out the Matsing idol and announces that he’ll be playing it. Nice. I love that kid.

Probst asks if anyone else has an idol they’d like to reveal. Abi makes my night by fessing up to owning one.

This Tribal Council rules, by the way.

Penner then makes the play that he, Kent, Carter, Denise, Skup, and Malcolm can take the game into their hands. And all five of them seem on board with it. Whoa!

Lisa says that the people in her alliance can keep the numbers if they go with “Plan B.” She’s calling Tribal audibles like she’s Brett Favre!

Pete thinks he’s in serious trouble.

Kent thinks his name has been “thrown under the hat.” I don’t know what that means.

Probst thinks this is the most entertaining Tribal Council he’s ever been to. As someone who’s in the middle of a “Heroes vs. Villains” rewatch, I’m going to disagree. It’s probably the most frank Tribal ever.

Voting Time: Lisa votes for Jeff, Denise votes for Pete, and the rest of the votes are secret.

The polls close, and Probst starts a-tallyin’.

Nobody plays their idols. Ooo…

We’ve got one vote for Abi, one vote for Kent, one vote for Pete, one vote for Kent…

And with 40% of the votes in, we’re prepared to project a winner. We’re calling this Tribal Council for Jeff Kent.

One more for Pete, one for Kent, one for Pete, one for Kent, one for Pete, and the ninth person to leave “Survivor: Philippines” and the second member of the jury is…Jeff Kent.

So, it looks like Tandang stuck together. And wait, why did Penner vote for Abi instead of Pete? It would’ve been a tie.

Verdict: Seriously, what just happened?!

And, Probst referred to it as being the “biggest missed opportunity” ever. But I’m not sure what he was talking about. An opportunity to get rid of Pete? For Penner to tie the vote? To flush Abi or Malcolm’s idols?

Either way, fun episode. This season is getting tougher and tougher to call.

Who’s Going to Win: Lisa and Skup are the most likable people in the now dominant alliance. If we end up with an Artis/Pete/Abi final three, the jurors might have to pull a Monty Brewster and vote “None of the Above.”

Power Rankings Results: Kat’s streak continues! She had Jeff Kent in spot ten while I had him in spot nine. So, the current score is Team Kat: 101, Team Awesome Thunder: 104.

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

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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings: Round Seven

November 6, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” Every Monday Jeff Probst and I will tackle a wide variety of topics with the “Survivor” Question of the Week. Every Tuesday I’ll be squaring off against “Survivor: One World” favorite Kat Edorsson in this season’s Power Rankings challenge. Every Wednesday briefly after the show we’ll have a full episode recap and every Thursday we’ll have an interview with the latest eliminated player.  Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for all the updates!

The Rules: Each week Kat 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 Malcolm is voted out this week, Kat will receive 2 points and Gordon will receive 1 point. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings champion!

Last Week: Kat is on a roll. She has picked the last six eliminated players perfectly. Kudos. She had RC in spot eleven, while I had her in spot ten. The current score is Team Kat: 91, Team Awesome Thunder: 95.

Set Your DVR to Record ‘Survivor: Philippines

Kat’s Current Score: 91 

Any advice for Kat? Drop her a line on Twitter: @KatEdorsson

Gordon’s Current Score: 95

Any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
 1. Denise: I know, I know, I know… Stop judging….from last week’s rating, 8th place to 1st is intense, but I have reasoning! Denise is someone I would like to call “The Dark Knight.” At this point in the game, her odds are becoming greater for a final three and after my experience of Kim Spradlin`s total domination from “One World,” you should never underestimate these women that play the game. Denise will compete when necessary and fall back when necessary and not to mention LISTENING will make her gameplay solid and under the radar. I’m so proud to see my girl win immunity!! Besides, if this group is as bitter as we all think they are she will dominate! 

  1. Malcolm: Tandang splits up, Kalabaw splits up, and Malcolm was barely there. That’s an amazing spot for someone who’s such a big challenge threat. With all of the splinter groups that are floating around right now, Malcolm and Denise should be able piece together the perfect combination to help them get to the end.
 2. Malcolm: So proud this man did NOT win immunity! Way to play with your head! Thata boy!  Malcolm needs to watch his back now. Play smart, dude…not kidding. This is the time where you watch the game PLAY IN FRONT OF YOU. We all know you’re as bad as a honey badger, but please don’t remind your tribe mates. Take it from personal experience; wait till the very last days of the game to beast in the challenges. If you don’t win them all your alliance could turn on you, and we can’t have that!  2. Denise: “Andy crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of (expletive deleted) smelling foulness I can’t even imagine.” Red, “Shawshank Redemption”

Yup, that was Denise. She survived the Matsing implosion, she survived the Kalabaw mini-implosion and now she’s sitting pretty at the merge. And with all of the bizarre mistrust and in-fighting, her and Malcolm can write their own ticket.
 3. Lisa: “Facts of Life” is still in great shape. She did well in the challenge. She is not a normal “Lamb” final three. She wasn’t the first one out, and never is. She understands the nature of the game, and she has heart. I’m happy she is now a part of my dynamic duo and with that being said I hope Malcolm gave her his word.

  3. Lisa: You know what makes me think Lisa is playing this game the right way? When Malcolm discovered that she’d found his idol, his first instinct wasn’t, “That sneak! She’s snooping around trying to get an advantage.” It was, “Oh Lisa, she’s so motherly she slipped up while doing my laundry.” That makes me think people don’t view her as much of a threat. Well played, Whelchel.

  4. Pete: Give credit when credits due….. #TeamPinkSweater lives to see another day. Pete has aligned himself with Abi, Artis, and the remaining Kalabaw tribe. He was able to blindside RC and now seems to be manhandling once again teaming up with Kent. I don’t know how safe this alliance will be after Penner goes ape (expletive deleted) on them. Besides Penner is a returning player and I bet he has a lot of miles left on his tires.

  4. Abi-Maria: The game feels very weird at this point. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if anyone from this spot down goes home on Wednesday. Of those folks, I’m putting Abi at the top because she still has an idol and she isn’t as much of a challenge threat as Pete or Artis.

  5. Abi-Maria: Nothing too exciting about Abi this week, she got RC out, what else is new? That was the goal, now I’m excited to see her actual play the game.
  5. Michael:  My first instinct was to have Skup near the bottom of this ranking because he seems like a man without a country. But, with all these weird little factions it might not be such a bad thing to be a lone vote. Hopefully his Penner vote last week is a sign that someone trusts him enough to bring him in.
 6. Carter: Carter does not feel like a threat to me, more like a pawn in the game. Not a winner and as you can see he is speaking now, which is great, and clearly he’s not a loser because he is still very much in this game. I enjoy watching players like Carter strive to the top because everyone is too busy blaming each other for some other bull (expletive deleted). I hope he understands how to play the game before “Survivor” plays him.
  6. Pete: It can’t be awesome to see your name come up for the first time at Tribal Council, but Pete had better get used to it. If he and Abi are considered to be the leaders of the former Tandang alliance, and he’s the bigger immunity threat of the two, the groups on the outside are going to be gunning for him. Fortunately for him, he now knows this and he and Abi can use their idol if they feel threatened.
 7. Artis: I feel like Aritis is an old movie that keeps replaying and I can’t find the remote to change the channel. Sorry, bud, but whose game are you playing? Kent’s? The old Kalabaw tribe is not going to save you when your butt is on the line, but it’s nice to see your social game is getting better. Now when you fly off the handle, Kent will take the blame, not you! So great job, you’re safe for another week!
  7. Artis: RC’s exit interview made me a little sad. You’re a nice guy, but you’re clearly not enjoying yourself on the island. With the kind of numbers the majority alliance is boasting right now, it wouldn’t blow up their game to get rid of someone who’s being a real Grumpy Gus around camp.
 8. Michael: I can’t decide who will be going home this week. I feel like Skupin is in deep waters after his whole plan went flying out toward the Pacific Ocean with him left there on his raft with holes in it!!! All fingers point to Skupin being eliminated, but after you watch the previews you see Penner shifting all the attention to him, which is fantastic for Skupin. Ultimately, I’m hoping they team up and take over quickly!
  8. Carter: Welp…whatever move Kent made last week to rid the game of one of those horrific returning players has put you in a bad spot. Your best shot right now might be to try to create some kind of youth alliance. But, the odds of that working out for you are slim. 
 9. Penner: I want Penner to WIN IMMUNITY! I have a soft spot for this situation because my little brother “Troyzan” had the exact thing happen to him. Penner against the world right now, and I know I don’t do this often but I’m rooting for the underdog! Let’s go Penner! If he doesn’t win, he’s in serious trouble.

  9. Jeff Kent: What the what, Jeff?! To steal a baseball metaphor, it’s like you blew out your pitching staff to win game one of the World Series. You’re now in a terrible position to pull out those other three wins. It Team Tansing sticks together, you and Carter are as good as gone as soon as Penner is sent packing.
 10. Jeff Kent: If Penner wins he’s coming after you and do you blame him? Great gameplay, but I’m hoping to see this happen!
  10. Penner: As the highest profile member of the tribe that was down numbers, you knew you would be in serious trouble. So, kudos for recognizing that and playing the idol at the right time. But now what? The preview makes it look like you’re going to employ some kind of Randy Bailey-esque burn-down-the-camp policy. It probably won’t work, but I’m sure it will be entertaining to watch.

Watch ‘Survivor: Philippines’ every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Castaway RC: Abi-Maria Is ‘Bat-!@#$ Crazy’

November 6, 2012

RC Saint-Amour (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” Every Monday Jeff Probst and I will tackle a wide variety of topics with the “Survivor” Question of the Week. Every Tuesday I’ll be squaring off against “Survivor: One World” favorite Kat Edorsson in this season’s Power Rankings challenge. Every Wednesday briefly after the show we’ll have a full episode recap and every Thursday we’ll have an interview with the latest eliminated player.  Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for all the updates!

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

Quick Note: This week’s exit interview was delayed due to some serious hurricane-related difficulties that RC is experiencing. We wish her and her family (and everyone who has been affected by Hurricane Sandy) the best during these rough times.

The game moves so fast these days. Alliances are made the second players hit the island, usually before the players even get a chance to learn each other’s names. In Salani’s case, you had a solid group that lasted through to the end.

In RC Saint-Amour’s case…not so much.

I spoke with the hoop-rolling, leopard-print-rocking, dolphin-esque former Tandanger and had a chance to get her thoughts on Lisa’s secret identity, the disintegration of her alliance with Abi-Maria, and what really happened between her and Michael Skupin…

Gordon Holmes: I’m going to blow your mind. Are you ready?
RC Saint-Amour: Please.
Holmes: Have you ever seen the show “The Facts of Life”?
Saint-Amour: (Laughs) Um…no! I don’t think I was born yet when that was airing.
Holmes: You make me feel so old.
Saint-Amour: No, I had no clue. I thought she was this beautiful older woman. And, I knew she was hiding something. She just seemed very uneasy in the game. That’s why I didn’t want to team up with her because I thought she was hiding something from me. Now that I know what it was, I think it’s the silliest thing in the world. If I knew that all it was is that she was on a television show, there’s no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t have targeted her as someone who was being untruthful.
Holmes: But if she’d been on “Saved by the Bell” you would’ve known.
Saint-Amour: Oh yeah, without a doubt. But I just spent 20 days starving with her and I know her as a wonderful person. I don’t know her like you do from the show. But, there’s something very beautiful about our relationship that I will cherish. I know the real Lisa.
Holmes: We never really got to see you two interact. It seemed like you were always on opposite ends of the pecking order.
Saint-Amour: I had a really tough time with my tribe, but Lisa was like a silver lining. We talked about how she couldn’t be aligned with me. She told me she couldn’t do it because she wanted to be in the major alliance. And I understood it and respected her for it because she was always honest with me. She never gave me false hope. I can respect her for that.

Holmes: The other blonde on your team, the one with the accent…what happened there?
Saint-Amour: She’s very angry.
Holmes: Cause watching from home; one minute you’re BFFs and the next she wants you dead. It didn’t click for me. What didn’t we see?
Saint-Amour: I think it just goes back to the fact that we were polar opposite people and I think people can see that. I’m happy and I’m good in challenges. I think she has every reason to hate me, Gordon. I represent everything in life and in the game that she’s not. She’s this 34-year-old woman who has yet to graduate community college. It’s really hard to connect to someone like that and keep a relationship with an irrational person.
Holmes: You used the term “irrational” and like I said, I didn’t get why she turned on you. Is there nothing to grasp, it just happened?
Saint-Amour: No, I think the grasp is that she was always asked to sit out challenges and I was always winning challenges. Unfortunately, Lisa put a little bit of a target on my back when she called me the beautiful girl on our tribe and Abi was sitting right there.
Holmes: Snap.
Saint-Amour: There was a lot of little stuff that happened. It’s hard to explain. I understand why she’d hate me if I was getting the spotlight.
Holmes: So, it’s because you’re almost as good at swimming as I am.
Saint-Amour: (Laughs) You’re better than me, no?
Holmes: Not even close. It’s a miracle I didn’t drown out there.
Saint-Amour: Really, I can’t hate her or blame her for how she feels. I think she’s completely justified in going off the deep end a little bit.

Holmes: The immunity clue…Pete pulled a bit of a Russell Hantz move by setting you up with that. Did you have any idea that he was behind it?
Saint-Amour: The problem was, when that happened the entire tribe stopped talking to me and Michael. All communications ceased. And that’s like “Survivor” 101 to not ostracize people or show people where they are in the tribe. So, we knew right away. The problem is I didn’t have any rational thinkers on my tribe that wanted to do anything or think through the situation, so I didn’t have an out. I didn’t have anyone I could say, “Hey Abi, do you think you showed it to someone else and they’re fooling us and trying to cause bickering?” And I don’t know what she was thinking either because she had the idol. And, she was in the major alliance so there wasn’t a need to target me that strongly at the point because she had the upper hand. So, the move that Pete made makes no sense.

Holmes: When I met Artis in the Philippines, I thought here’s a nice guy who’s been through a lot and came out the other side of it with a good attitude. I’m not seeing this guy at all on the show. Everything he says is negative. Is he being portrayed accurately?
Saint-Amour: It’s kind of what you see. And, it’s funny because I was nervous about editing, but who you see on TV is who everyone really was. He really was like that constantly and you couldn’t talk to him. You couldn’t do anything with him without him being angry. And you’re right, that isn’t who he is. The person I know is the most gentle, loving, sweet guy. And that didn’t come across on the island. That’s unfortunate for him. How he acted on the island is what’s being portrayed.

Holmes: Alright, let’s get into some word association. We’ll start with Mr. Skupin.
Saint-Amour: He’s my heart. I love him. Even after everything that happened at the last Tribal Council, he’s still an amazing person. We’ve obviously moved past him backstabbing me.
Holmes: If he makes it out of this show in one piece, I’ll be thrilled.
Saint-Amour: (Laughs)
Holmes: Malcolm?
Saint-Amour: There.
Holmes: Artis?
Saint-Amour: I don’t like this word association! (Laughs)
Holmes: There are no wrong answers.
Saint-Amour: I know, but Artis now I love. Artis on the island I disliked.
Holmes: Pete?
Saint-Amour: A 24-year-old that still lives at home with his parents.
Holmes: Lisa?
Saint-Amour: Sweet. She is like the sweetest, nicest person in the entire world.
Holmes: Let’s finish this with Abi-Maria…
Saint-Amour: (Laughs) I can’t stop laughing. I mean…the girl’s like bat (expletive deleted) crazy. I hope she wins so that she can seek medical help.

Holmes: Skup voted for Penner, which I’m assuming you did not know about.
Saint-Amour: No.
Holmes: What did you think his line of thinking was there?
Saint-Amour: I have no idea. I really don’t. I hope you get to ask him one day. But, I know that it’s a game and there can only be one winner, but me and Michael went through a lot together. We suffered through blood, sweat, and tears together and I thought we had each other’s back. If I was in that situation I can pretty much say with 100% certainty that I would have never done what he did. I would have never lied to his face and said I was going to vote for Pete and then didn’t. I think he should have been a man and said, “Hey RC, you’re getting some votes tonight. Maybe you should fight.” Or maybe, “I love you, but I can’t keep you around longer.” I think I’d respect him more for that decision. But, I’m happy that the viewers have picked up on his betrayal as much as it hurt me.

Holmes: Losing you and Katie in back-to-back weeks has sucked.
Saint-Amour: (Laughs) Did you like the bikini?
Holmes: Ah…I don’t just watch this show for the strategy.
Saint-Amour: (Laughs) I think they should ban any future player from being able to wear leopard print.

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

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Which Moment Describes What ‘Survivor’ Is All About? Jeff Probst Answers (Not Really)

November 5, 2012

Jeff Probst (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” Every Monday Jeff Probst and I will tackle a wide variety of topics with the “Survivor” Question of the Week. Every Tuesday I’ll be squaring off against “Survivor: One World” favorite Kat Edorsson in this season’s Power Rankings challenge. Every Wednesday briefly after the show we’ll have a full episode recap and every Thursday we’ll have an interview with the latest eliminated player.  Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for all the updates!

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

This Week’s Question: If you had to pick one moment that describes what “Survivor” is all about, what would that moment be?

Gordon Holmes: OK, I love this question. If I knew someone who’d never seen the show before and I had to show them one clip, it’d have to be Jonny “Fairplay” Dalton’s dead grandma ruse from “Survivor: Pearl Islands.” This moment has it all. It combines brilliant gameplay (Fairplay having the forethought to arrange the strategy with his buddy Thunder D), trademark “Survivor” deception (the lie itself), as well as the best of human nature (when Lillian Morris did her best to help Fairplay win). So good. In fact, I’d like my headstone to someday read, “He died, dude.”
Jeff Probst: Another interesting question.  It’s funny to hear your answer because as much as I loved that moment, that does not represent what “Survivor” is about to me.  I see “Survivor” as a social experiment in this sense; how do you create a healthy existence living with other humans in a competitive environment but an environment in which you also need each other to survive?  It has always seemed to be a microcosm of our normal lives back home.  We all want to get ahead and that often means defeating or outsmarting the other person but ultimately we all need each other in order to keep the planet functioning.  How do you do that?  It’s more than being a leader as we can all think of great leaders who would get slaughtered in “Survivor.”  It takes a beautiful balance of self-awareness, empathy, the ability to assess and adapt, and when necessary make the big move.  So… after that long winded speech, this is my question for you; why are all of these questions “the MOST” and “the BIGGEST”?  
Holmes: That’s how this bit works! And a non-answer again? You’re killing me!
Probst: That’s just too much work, Holmes.  A guy only has so many hours in a day.  Holy cow, man.  I also have a family.  Great wife and kids.  Plus I am still learning to play tennis and guitar and drums.  I can’t spend time trying to figure out the “best” of anything.  Final answer.
Holmes: Your social game is going to cost you my jury vote.

Which Moment Defines “Survivor” for You? Send your answers to me on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Recap: Is Lisa Whelchel’s Secret Out?

October 31, 2012

Lisa Whelchel (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” Every Monday Jeff Probst and I will tackle a wide variety of topics with the “Survivor” Question of the Week. Every Tuesday I’ll be squaring off against “Survivor: One World” favorite Kat Edorsson in this season’s Power Rankings challenge. Every Wednesday briefly after the show we’ll have a full episode recap and every Thursday we’ll have an interview with the latest eliminated player.  Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for all the updates!

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

Last Week: A reward challenge ended in a way that was lame, Carter slipped up and said the wrong name, and poor Miss Delaware was kicked out of the game.

Oh, and Jeff Probst put on a fake beard and wig and pretended to be a psychic. (OK, that wasn’t last week, that was earlier today on “The Jeff Probst Show.” I just wanted everyone to know.)

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

The Kalabaw Tribe (wearing red)
Carter – Track Coach, 24
Denise – Sex Therapist, 41
Jeff Kent – Former MLB Player, 44
Penner – Writer, 50

The Tandang Tribe (wearing yellow)
Abi-Maria – Business Student, 32
Artis – Computer Engineer, 53
Michael – Professional Speaker, Author, and Coach, 50
Lisa – Former ‘Facts of Life’ Star, 49
Malcolm – Bartender, 25
Pete – Engineering Graduate, 24
RC – Investment Banker, 27

We meet up with the Kalabatians after Tribal Council. Penner points out that Denise has been to every Tribal so far in the game. That has to be a record, right? Some kind of consecutive Tribal streak?

Penner is also wondering why Katie voted for him. He thinks it was a wake-up call that people could be lying to him. C’mon Penner, you’ve been around too long to need that kind of warning.

Kent knows that he’ll cut Penner’s throat or vice-versa, it’s a just a matter of who does it first. That might be the best way to approach an alliance in this game; assume you’ll have to turn, but hope you never have to.

The next morning at Tandang, Skup points out that it’s the day he fell in the fire. Happy Anniversary, Skup! The festivities are interrupted by a boat and a letter.

Psychic Jeff holds the letter to his forehead and says…

Sorry, couldn’t help it. I like to think that’s how Jeff would look after 39 days on the island.

Tandang is given a couple of minutes to gather all of their stuff. Fortunately, Malcolm didn’t forget where he buried his idol. That’d be embarrassing.

Same deal over at Kalabaw island. Penner hopes they can sway some Tandang folks over to his side. With Skup and RC on the outs, he might have a shot.

They all arrive at what I think is the old Matsing beach and are greeted by a feast. Ooo…and they get black buffs. Very slimming.

Later, Abi approaches RC with the idea of becoming a spy, but RC isn’t comfortable with that due to the unrest at the old Tandang camp. Gah…might’ve been smart to go along and be a double agent.

Uh oh…while Lisa was doing Malcolm’s laundry she accidentally stumbled upon his hidden immunity idol. Denise sees it happen and lets Malcolm know.

Malcolm takes Lisa aside and she instantly fesses up. She apologizes up and down, but he takes this as an opportunity to bring her into his alliance with Denise. Lisa agrees to join them, but lets us know that she thinks she might be being played. Dun dun dun…

Quick Aside: People groan when they see celebrities on “Survivor,” but Kent and Lisa both came to play. Go them.

Later that afternoon, Penner asks Lisa if anybody has recognized her from her popular ’80s sitcom. Wow…busy day for Lisa.  The two bond over the connection, but don’t discuss strategy. Penner promises not to out her, but that’ll last only as long as Penner feels safe in the game.

Then Penner plants the seed in Skup’s brain that they could both be targets because they’re returning players. Smart. RC’s interested in joining up with Kalabaw because Pete and Abi forgot the Survivor 101 rule of taking care of the people on the bottom of your alliance.

Back at camp, Kent’s making moves to get rid of Penner. What’s interesting is Kent doesn’t tell anyone that Penner has the idol. Apparently even Carter doesn’t know this piece of information.

Negotiating around camp has Tandang (minus RC and Skup) and Kalabaw (minus Penner) splitting the vote between Penner and RC in case Penner plays his idol. We haven’t even had an immunity challenge yet!

Oh wait…

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will hold onto a handle that is attached to a bucket. The bucket holds 25% of the person’s body weight inside of it. Last woman and man with a bucket in the air win a chic immunity necklace.

Skup’s the first to go, he’s followed by Pete. Next up we lose Penner. Probst makes a point of saying that Penner will be in trouble at Tribal. Whoa, maybe he is psychic…

Lisa and Malcolm go next. There are three men and three women left.

RC and Abi both drop out. Denise finally wins something!

We’re down to Artis, Jeff Kent, and Carter. Artis drops out quickly.

Carter and Kent hang on for another ten minutes. Kent tries to make a deal with Carter, but he isn’t having it. Kent drops…Carter wins.

On the way back to camp, we learn that the tribe’s new name is Dangrayne. Seriously, I plant the idea of a cool merge name every time I visit the set and it never happens. Dawson was my best hope.

RC lets us know that her and Skup are going to side with Kalabaw against Tandang. Skup’s a little weirded out because he’s never felt threatened before. I’d say that fire was pretty threatening.

Skup says he won’t team up with Artis, Abi, and Pete without some kind of divine intervention. Well, Coach isn’t playing this season…

Skup discusses the plan with Kent, and for the third time this episode, Kent says that he doesn’t want Penner to get farther in the game than him. That’s kinda strange. Getting to the end with a jury that likes and respects you should be the goal.

Kent’s concern is that on one side he’s teaming with returning players who he doesn’t want to win and on the other he and Carter are on the bottom. Quite a conundrum.

That night at Tribal Council, Tandang finally gets to see their torches. That’s just odd.

RC thinks Tandang fought each other a lot, but it’s cool because families fight some times. Good spin. Now let’s vote out Grandma.

Abi thinks that RC betrayed her by hiding the clue, so she moved on to another alliance.

RC denies hiding the clue. (Reminder: Pete totally moved the clue.)

Lisa argues that an alliance of flippers can’t be trusted.

Pete thinks there’s always a “mutiny feeling” around returning players. Yeah, that’s why those players always get to the end.

Pete also thinks there are two idols in the game because Matsing’s idol is gone. Dun dun dun…

Jeff Kent says it’s very likely there will be a blindside. Probst resists the urge to ask if it will be a “Major League” blindside.

Voting Time: Abi votes for Penner, RC votes for Pete, Artis votes for RC, Penner votes for Pete, Pete votes for RC, and the rest are secret.

Psychic Jeff tallies the votes, even though he already used his powers to see how everyone voted.

He asks if anyone would like to play their idol. Penner steps up. Blam!

Three votes for Penner, one vote for RC, one vote for Pete, two votes Penner, one vote for RC, one vote for Pete, one vote for RC, and the eighth person to leave “Survivor: Philippines” is…RC.

Skup voted for Penner?! Was there divine intervention and we missed it?!

Verdict: Well, so much for tribes always sticking together after the merge. That’s a welcome change.

This was a good, solid episode. It was nice to finally see Tandang get down and dirty in the voting cubicle. Can’t wait to see how all these weird alliances and sub-alliances and side-alliances work out.

Who’s Going to Win: My boy Malcolm’s in a good spot. Denise and Lisa too. When the Dangrayne hits the fan after tonight’s Tribal, they should be the least splattered.

Power Rankings Results: Kat is on a roll. She has picked the last six eliminated players perfectly. Kudos. She had RC in spot eleven, while I had her in spot ten. The current score is Team Kat: 91, Team Awesome Thunder: 95.

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

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