More Whatnot

'Survivor: One World' (CBS)

Last Week: An alliance among Manono’s misfits began to take root, Kat blew a challenge and released a controversial toot, and in the end poor Nina was given the Tribal Council boot.

What?! “Toot” is putting it delicately. And my little nephew will appreciate the term.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Let’s see where the two tribes currently stand…

The Salani Tribe (wearing teal)
Alicia –  25, Special Ed Teacher
Chelsea – 26, Medical Sales
Christina – 29, Career Consultant
Kat – 22, Timeshare Rep
Kim – 29, Bridal Shop Owner
Monica – 41, Ex-NFL Player’s Wife
Sabrina – 33, High School Teacher

The Manono Tribe (wearing orange)
Bill – 28, Stand-Up Comedian
Colton – 21, College Student
Jay – 25, Model
Jonas – 37, Sushi Chef
Leif – 27, Phlebotomist
Matt – 33, Attorney
Michael – 30, Banker
Tarzan – 64, Plastic Surgeon
Troyzan – 50, Swimsuit Photographer

Set your DVR to record “Survivor: One World”

Quick Aside: Before we get into this mess, it’s important for me to say that the Super Dude alliance knows that Colton has the immunity idol. This was revealed in a bonus scene last week.

“Country Club” Colton and “No Nickname Yet” Jonas start the evening off on a classy note by inviting the SaLadies over to their camp. Why the invite? Because a major storm is on its way. The women decide to stick it out.

CUT TO: The women freezing and starving in their tiny tarp-less shelter.

The next morning, Troyzan and Colton take pity on Salanians and allow them to warm up by their fire. At first, Kim wanted to be tough and Girl Power-y, but her coldness won her over.

Matt returns from crab hunting and is not pleased to see the ladies all up in his camp. They owe him a chicken, durnit!

Reward Challenge: The teams will square off in head-to-head memory contests. A curtain will be raised over a series of items. When the player feels they know the order of the items, they’ll drop the curtain and head to another station to recreate the item lineup. First person to get the items in the right order wins. The first tribe to win five rounds wins fishing gear and momentum. They will not, however, receive a momentum idol.

Tarzan and Leif will sit out for Manono.

Round One: Sabrina defeats Matt.

Round Two: Monica gets the best of Colton.

Round Three: Alicia beats Jay.

Round Four: Troyzan bizarrely drops the curtain immediately. Of course, both he and Kat get it wrong. This happens seven times before Kat manages to topple Troyzan.

Round Five: Christina gets the win over Bill. Salani wins reward and momentum.

Quick Note: Former “Survivor” Power Rankings champion Tamara “Taj” George is this week’s “Survivor” original. Love her.

Back at camp, Salani uses their newfound confidence to try to fix up their shelter and start a fire. Unfortunately the dampness around camp necessitates another fire-bargaining session with the boys. Matt must hold his spare embers in high regard as he isn’t happy about giving one up so easily.

Oddly enough, Colton agrees with him. Colton lets us know that he’s a Republican and does not believe in handouts. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, smoke starts to pour out of my computer as I try to type too many jokes at once.

Quick Aside: The tribes are so at war over every little thing. It seems like very short-sighted strategy to me. I’ve got to wonder how differently this season would’ve turned out if Michael hadn’t gone on his early looting spree.

Eventually, the guys decide that they will trade some time with the Salani boat in exchange for fire. Chelsea takes this offer back to her tribemates and has a bit of a breakdown during the discussion.

Kat tries to make Chelsea feel better by saying, “We’re just girls, we’re not meant to be beaten down this way.” By the way, that sound you heard in the background was every female “Survivor” fan in the world simultaneously punching a wall.

Things seem to pick up the next morning as three of the women do their best Ozzy Lusth impersonations and participate in some successful spear fishing.

Immunity Challenge Time: One person from each tribe will act as a caller, while the other members will be split into pairs and blindfolded. The caller will have to lead the pairs through an obstacle course. Once they’re through the course, they’ll release bags of puzzle pieces. Once they have all five bags, the caller will then complete the puzzle. First tribe to finish their puzzle wins immunity. And momentum…probably.

Colton and Jay will sit out for Manono.

Bill will call for Manono while Sabrina will call for Salani.

Fun Fact: Tarzan and Troyzan are paired together. How could they NOT be?

Not a ton to describe here except for some stumbling and puzzle-piece recovering. The men jump out to a super-huge lead as they have all five bags while the women are still struggling with their third.

Eventually, the women recover all of their bags and Sabrina manages to gain some serious ground on Bill. This is a very tough, very cool, tree-shaped puzzle. They’re both tied with one piece left and Sabrina manages to win it for Salani!

Now who are “just girls?”

Back at camp, the guys are trying to make Bill feel better about blowing the huge lead he was given. Colton, however, isn’t a Bill-leaver. He even calls him “ghetto trash.” Uh oh…

Colton calls his misfit clique together and tells them that Bill should go home first. Others would rather see Matt go home first.

Jay swings by their little pow-wow. They let him know that he backed the wrong horse and is welcome to join their clique. Matt also pays them a visit, but he isn’t offered the same invitation.

Matt pulls Troyzan aside later and tries to get him to join the Super Dudes. If I were Matt, my pitch would’ve included, “I want you to be the last Tarzan-themed nickname guy standing.”

Troyzan doesn’t seem to be buying it though. He immediately spills his guts to Colton. Colton seems to be OK with this because Matt is the head of the snake and you’ve got to keep the snake from…you know…wiggling.

OK, if anything, I hope that exchange helped the women feel better about their gender. The men on this show aren’t looking so great either.

That night at Tribal Council, fire equals life…etc…

Colton lets us know that he’s comfortable because he has an idol. I’m pretty sure the word “subtle” isn’t in this kid’s dictionary.

Colton goes on to say he’s not going to be a James (Clement), he’s going to play the idol immediately. Ooo…gravedigger burn.

Next up, J-Pro gives Colton grief for spending so much time with the girls.

Bill thinks Colton assumed the guys wouldn’t accept him because he’s gay.

Tarzan believes it’s good to have Colton on their side due to the connections he’s made with the female tribe.

Matt thinks tonight’s vote will set the course for the rest of the game.

Voting Time: Colton claims that someone “pissed off the wrong queen,” and that’s the only thing that was shown.

Jeff tallies and returns. Colton does not play the idol. I actually kinda like that move. Although, I’d wager that you can only play that card once.

One vote for Colton, one vote for Bill, four votes for Matt, and the third person to leave “Survivor: One World” is…Matt.

Verdict: Much better this week. I don’t know if it was the lack of seeing the guys’ strategy, or the weird no-Probst reward challenge, or the way the women were being decimated, but this season has been missing a spark. Here’s hoping this is a step in the right direction.

Who’s Going to Win: Jonas FTW.

Power Rankings Update: Oh crap… “Survivor: South Pacific” champion Sophie Clarke had Matt in the fifteenth spot while Jim Rice had him seventh. That extends the women’s lead to 31 to 19. Hopefully John Cochran can score some points for the guys next week when he faces Christine Shields Markoski.

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

Alicia Rosa and Kat Edorsson (CBS)

Last Week: Matt and Chelsea feuded over fowl, Alicia and Christina fought over fire, and an immunity challenge left Kourtney with an unfortunate fracture.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Let’s see where the two tribes currently stand…

The Salani Tribe (wearing teal)
Alicia –  25, Special Ed Teacher
Chelsea – 26, Medical Sales
Christina – 29, Career Consultant
Kat – 22, Timeshare Rep
Kim – 29, Bridal Shop Owner
Monica – 41, Ex-NFL Player’s Wife
Nina – 51, Retired LAPD Officer
Sabrina – 33, High School Teacher

The Manono Tribe (wearing orange)
Bill – 28, Stand-Up Comedian
Colton – 21, College Student
Jay – 25, Model
Jonas – 37, Sushi Chef
Leif – 27, Phlebotomist
Matt – 33, Attorney
Michael – 30, Banker
Tarzan – 64, Plastic Surgeon
Troyzan – 50, Swimsuit Photographer

Set your DVR to record “Survivor: One World”

We start off with the SaLadies returning from Tribal Council. Michael is quick to point out that he helped keep their fire going while they were away. He also brought in their mail and watered their plants.

Later, Christina pulls Alicia aside to discuss their Tribal explosion. They seemed to make peace, but Alicia later explains that she wanted Christina to blow up so she’d be an easy first target.

The following morning we meet up with the ladies as they’re trying to get their business in order. As a group they decide that Sabrina should be the leader. Sabrina oddly seems to embrace this new responsibility. Um…has she ever seen this show? Sabrina as the Saleader will result in her Saleaving the show quickly.

Tree mail shows up in the form of a super huge box. The Manobros carry the box to camp for free, which seems foolish as they probably could have gotten the women to trade woven fronds for it.

Inside the box is this season’s first non-Probst reward challenge. I’m not comfortable with this…

Reward Challenge: The teams will race to untie a series of knots. The first tribe to free a ring from the knots wins a tarp.

Michael will sit out for Manono.

There’s not a lot to describe except for some frantic untying. This whole no-Probst thing is weird. How are they supposed to know who to blame when they lose?

Anywho, the Manobros pull out the victory and are now the proud owners of a tarp.

Sabrina’s upset because they needed that tarp like a “fat kid needs cake.” Well, I wouldn’t say a fat kid needs cake…

Next up we…WHOA! WHAT’S UP WITH TARZAN’S SPEEDOS! Seriously, they’re so tiny. “Tarpanties” might be a better description.

As the men are trying to avert their eyes from Tarzan’s thighs, they notice that Colton isn’t doing anything around camp.

Actually that’s not true, he is helping around camp…the Salani camp. I take that back, he’s only 10% helping and 90% annoying. Aww…nobody loves Colton.

That night, the Manonoans prove how starved for entertainment they are by encouraging Tarzan to dance in his underwear. Although in their defense, I’d much rather watch that than “Glee.”

Later, Colton lets Troyzan, Jonas, and Leif know that he has an immunity idol. Troyzan immediately pegs Matt as the most likely target. Has Tarzan joined the Super Dudes? Because if he hasn’t they don’t need an idol to boot Matt.

Immunity Challenge Time: The two tribes will…WHOA! JEFF’S WEARING A GREEN SHIRT AGAIN. That, or the color is off on my TV.

The two tribes will line up on a balance beam. The person on the far end of the beam will have to maneuver past the other tribe members to get to a platform on the other end. If they fall in, they have to start over. If they touch more that one player at a time they’ll have to start over. Once the first player makes it over, the second player will do the same and so on. First tribe to get all of their members onto the platform will win immunity.

Tarzan will sit out for Manono.

Fun Fact: There’s quite a bit of groping going on in this challenge.

Leif goes first for the guys and makes it through easily. The women, on the other hand, are doing a terrible job understanding the don’t-touch-two-people-at-once rule. Colton and Jonas make it over with no problem.

Kat’s having a rough time. At two points she misunderstands the rules and jumps in the water for no reason. Meanwhile, Bill and Jay make it to the other side.

Finally, Monica makes it to the platform for Salani, but by then it’s too late as all of the other Manonoans have crossed over. Manono wins immunity.

Kat blames the loss on it being too difficult to get around her tribemates’ boobs. Whoa…do not speak ill of boobs ever.

Politicking around camp centers around Kat’s terrible challenge performance vs. Nina’s not being a part of the dominant alliance.

Monica knows she’s on the wrong side of the numbers, so she isn’t too keen on going to the majority and suggesting they vote out their buddy Kat. That strategy worked super well for the people on the bottom last season.

Now, I’m not sure if I understood this next part completely, but it seemed like Kat intentionally approached members of her tribe and farted on them. I’ll give her this; that’s a unique strategy.

Nina uses Kat’s gaseous stratagem as motivation to get Chelsea on her side. Nina makes a fantastic argument that the women should be embarrassed by their challenge performance and Kat’s juvenile behavior.

That night at Tribal Council, J-Pro lays down the law, telling the Salanis that they’re off to one of the worst starts ever.

Nina breaks down the alliances, claiming Christina and Monica are on her side and Alicia, Kat, Chelsea, Kim, and Sabrina are on the other.

Nina goes into detail about her law enforcement life experience, then asks Kat what she brings to the table. Kat doesn’t have a great answer. She is smart enough, however, not to claim to be the person who both dealt it and smelt it.

Nina stays on the offensive, saying that Kat isn’t much of an athlete because she can’t perform under pressure.

Chelsea thinks she would form a different alliance if they could start over.

Probst gets the line of the night saying that there aren’t any women at home that are particularly proud of the women’s tribe.

Kat admits that it’s her fault that they lost the challenge. She then does her best Brandon Hantz impersonation and breaks down a little.

Kat then throws Christina under the bus, claiming she doesn’t want to play the game. Wait, what? That’s news.

Voting Time: Kat votes for Nina, Nina votes for Kat, and the rest of the votes will wait for Probsty’s tallying eyes.

Speaking of, Jeff tallies those same votes and returns. We’ve got one vote for Nina, one vote for Kat, one for Christina, two for Nina, and the second person to leave “Survivor: One World” is…Nina.

Verdict: It’s still early, but a lot of interesting characters are coming out. I can’t wait till we get to see more from the guys.

Also, don’t tell Probst I said this, but the reward challenges lose drama when he’s not around. I admire their willingness to try something new, but the challenge in “Survivor: Samoa” was a dud, and tonight’s reward challenge was a dud.

Who’s Going to Win: Jonas is my boy. If things stay the way they are now, the guys are going to have numbers headed into the merge and he’s going to be a part of the dominant alliance.

Power Rankings Update: I let the guys down! Dawn Meehan had Nina in spot sixteen, while I had her in spot twelve. Next week it’s going to be Jim Rice stepping up to the plate for the guys and “South Pacific” champ Sophie Clarke batting for the gals.

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

'Survivor: One World' (CBS)

Before last week’s “Survivor” premiere there was a great deal of uncertainty regarding the new hidden immunity idol twist. It turns out that if a Salani tribe member finds the Manono immunity idol, she must give it to a Manono member before the next Tribal Council (and vice versa).

Watch Last Week’s Episode of “Survivor: One World”

At first, I assumed a savvy tribe member would simply use the idol to curry favor with a member of the opposing squad. Now, while Salani’s Sabrina did just that when she handed the Manono idol off to Colton, she also did something much bigger.

By giving the idol to the person who is perceived to be Manono’s weakest member, she potentially blew Manono’s game apart.

What adds to this style of gameplay is the probability that the idol will find its way into the hands of the player most like to shake up his or her tribe.

Think about it, if the tribes were on separate beaches, Colton (the person who supposedly needs immunity the most) would have had a one-in-nine shot (11.1%) at finding the idol. However, as we saw last week, there’s value in someone giving the idol to the most disruptive member of the opposing tribe. That new wrinkle gave Colton a possible ten-in-eighteen shot (55.5%) at getting it. If this style of gameplay stays constant, the weakest challenge competitor or the player who is on the outs socially has a better chance than not of receiving an idol.

Well played, “Survivor” twist thinker-uppers. Well played.

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: One World”

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

Greg Smith and Leif Manson (CBS)

Redemption Island has not been redeemed.

Former players have not been issued invitations.

“Survivor” the way classic fans like it has returned for the 24th season. But, that doesn’t mean the producers don’t have a few twists up their sleeves. So, before tonight’s festivities get under way, let’s take a quick look at what Probst & Co. have in store for us…

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: One World”

The Twist: Two Teams on One Beach

How It Will Work: Both the Manono and Salani tribes will camp on the same beach.

It’s Kinda Like: “Survivor: Thailand” when the Chuay Gahn and Sook Jai tribes lived on the same beach for a few days before the merge.

How That Twist Worked Out: That was actually a bit of a dud. The two tribes were already pretty solid in their alliances, so there wasn’t much in the way of cross-tribe strategy after Shii Ann was voted out.

How “One World” Is Different: The two tribes will be living on the same beach from day one.

How I Think It’ll Turn Out: The two tribes will have access to each other before any deep-rooted alliances can take shape. Also, there’s the possibility that the two sides could fight over resources.

Pre-Game Twist Ranking? A ten out of ten. I love this idea. Here’s hoping it will help break up the rock-solid merge alliances of the past two seasons.

The Twist: Men vs. Women

How It Will Work: The tribes will be split up by gender. The MANono tribe will be all dudes, while the Salani (or SaLadies) will be all female.

It’s Kinda Like: “Survivor: The Amazon” and “Survivor: Vanuatu.”Actually, it’s exactly like “Survivor: The Amazon” and “Survivor: Vanuatu.”

How That Twist Worked Out: Meh. In both cases the male vs. female twist didn’t make it to the merge.

How “One World” Is Different: It isn’t.

How I Think It’ll Turn Out: I’m assuming the reason this twist exists this seasons is so we can easily tell the tribes apart when they’re running around the same beach. If that’s the case, hopefully they’ll let the tribes stay intact until the merge.

Pre-Game Twist Ranking? If they shuffle the tribes after four episodes? A three out of ten. If they let the tribes stay intact until the merge? A seven out of ten.

The Twist: Cross-Tribe Immunity Idols

How It Will Work: If you find an immunity idol around the campsite, you can’t use it for yourself. You have to give it to a member of the other tribe. EDIT: The idol situation hasn’t been made completely clear. There may be tribe-specific idols. And, if you find your tribe’s idol, you’re free to use it.

It’s Kinda Like: “Survivor: China” when Fei Long member Todd Herzog gave his immunity idol to Zhan Hu’s James Clement.

How That Twist Worked Out: Ultimately, Clement left the game holding two idols, so it didn’t have that much of an impact. But, the move did help Herzog gain favor with the He-Man-esque gravedigger.

How “One World” Is Different: Todd didn’t have to give up the idol. The One Worldians do.

How I Think It’ll Turn Out: There’s sure to be some drama in picking the right person to grant the idol. I could also see someone in trouble desperately trying to find out which member of the rival tribe has the idol.

Pre-Game Twist Ranking? Hard to call this one. It could have huge pre-merge implications or it could be a dud. Let’s call it a five out of ten.

“Survivor: One World” premieres, Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Any Questions? Follow me on Twitter for news, updates, and more: @gordonholmes

The contestants for the 24th season of the hit reality show “Survivor” were unveiled by CBS this morning. This collection of eighteen new players will have to deal with a new twist…

For the first time in the show’s history, both of the tribes (which are divided by gender) will build their camps on the same beach. This is sure to result in squabbles over resources, cross-tribe alliances, and other mischief.

“Survivor: One World” will premiere Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

	.
Name: Nina Acosta Age: 51 Current Residence: Clovis, CA Occupation: Retired LAPD Officer Former Player She Is Most Like: Stephenie LaGrossa Tribe: Salani		Name: Jay Byars Age: 25 Current Residence:  Gaffney, SC Occupation: Model Former Player He Is Most Like: Colby Donaldson or Rupert Boneham Tribe: Manono

	.
Name: Christina Cha Age: 29 Current Residence: Hollywood, CA Occupation: Career Consultant Former Player She Is Most Like: Kristina Kell Tribe: Salani		Name: Colton Cumbie Age: 21 Current Residence: Monroeville, AL Occupation: College Student Former Player He Is Most Like: Parvati Shallow, Corinne Kaplan, and JT Thomas Tribe: Manono

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Name: Monica Culpepper Age: 41 Current Residence:  Tampa, FL Occupation: Ex-NFL Player’s Wife Former Player She Is Most Like: Tina Wesson Tribe: Salani		Name: Michael Jefferson Age: 30 Current Residence: Seattle, WA Occupation: Banker Former Player He Is Most Like:  Ethan Zohn and Rupert Boneham Tribe: Manono

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Name: Kat Edorsson Age: 22 Current Residence: Orlando, FL Occupation: Timeshare Rep Former Player She Is Most Like: Andrea Boehlke Tribe: Salani		Name: Leif Manson Age: 27 Current Residence: San Diego, CA Occupation: Phlebotomist Former Player He Is Most Like:  Fabio Birza Tribe: Manono

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Name: Chelsea Meissner Age: 26 Current Residence: Charleston, SC Occupation:  Medical Sales Former Player She Is Most Like: None Tribe: Salani		Name: Jonas Otsuji Age: 37 Current Residence: Lehi, UT Occupation:  Sushi Chef Former Player He Is Most Like:  Fabio Birza Tribe: Manono

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Name: Kourtney Moon Age: 29 Current Residence: Austin, TX Occupation: Motorcycle Repair Former Player She Is Most Like: Courtney Yates Tribe: Salani		Name: Bill Posley Age: 28 Current Residence: Venice, CA Occupation: Stand-Up Comedian Former Player He Is Most Like:  None Tribe: Manono

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Name: Alicia Rosa Age: 25 Current Residence:  Chicago, IL Occupation: Special Ed Teacher Former Player She Is Most Like: Jenna Morasca Tribe: Salani		Name: Matt Quinlan Age: 33 Current Residence: San Francisco, CA Occupation: Attorney Former Player He Is Most Like:  None Tribe: Manono

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Name: Kim Spradlin Age: 29 Current Residence: San Antonio, TX Occupation: Bridal Shop Owner Former Player She Is Most Like: Stephenie LaGrossa, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Amanda Kimmel Tribe: Salani		Name: Troy Robertson Age: 50 Current Residence: Miami, FL Occupation: Swimsuit Photographer Former Player He Is Most Like:  None Tribe: Manono

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Name: Sabrina Thompson Age: 33 Current Residence: Brooklyn, NY Occupation: High School Teacher Former Player She Is Most Like:  Sandra Diaz-Twine Tribe: Salani		Name: Greg Smith Age: 64 Current Residence: Houston, TX Occupation: Plastic Surgeon Former Player He Is Most Like:  ‘Coach’ Ben Wade Tribe: Manono

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