More Whatnot

"Survivor: Worlds Apart" (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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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A Second Quick Note: Check out my twenty votes for “Survivor: Second Chance.”

Last Week: Someone had a case of the birthday blues, Mike played his idol despite Rodney’s ruse, and Carolyn made sure Tyler got some bad news…

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

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

The Merica Tribe (wearing purple)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

We kick things off after Tribal where Mike tells us that he needs to find an idol or win the rest of the challenges. How hard can that be? Fabio did one of those things.

Dan’s not impressed though, as the idol only saved Mike for one more cycle. He goes on to say “To hell with Mike.” Well, that’s the best possible Season 31 endorsement Mike could get.

Carolyn, meanwhile, wants Dan to go because of his advantage. She approaches Mike and spills the beans that the advantage is an extra vote.

Reward Challenge Time: The tribe will be divided into two teams of three. The teams will run down a net, then climb over some obstacles. From there they’ll use a hatchet to release blocks with letters on them. The first tribe to unscramble the six-word phrase will win a chopper tour of Nicaragua and enjoy a surf and turf dinner.

On one side we have Rodney, Dan, and Sierra. On the other is Mike, Will, and Carolyn.

Before the challenge starts, Rodney hopes someone will be nice enough to give him their reward. Mike thinks it’s tough to watch Rodney suffer, but if he just wins he’ll be guaranteed to go.

The challenge starts and Team Rodney has a slight lead up until the word puzzle. But..then…it…slows…down…

An hour goes by and they still can’t get it. Seriously, this is not one of those trademark Holmes exaggerations you’ve grown to love.

Probst gives them like a billion clues. Finally, Carolyn figures out that it’s “A Reward With All the Fixins.”

Probst asks Carolyn if she wants to give her reward to Rodney…and she keeps it. Is there merit in feeding Rodney so he can beat Mike in a physical challenge? I know Carolyn has done well in endurance challenges, but what if the next one involves power lifting or impersonations?

On the reward, Mike pitches Will and Carolyn as a final three. Carolyn’s into it because they represent all the collars. Well, that would make Lindsey’s day-one prediction of a blue collar winning come true.

Back at camp, Dan finds some mystery fruit. They cut it open and find six immunity idols. Just kidding, but they do have a nice little feast. This puts Rodney in a much better mood.

Before we head off to the challenge, Mike  tells Sierra that Dan can only beat Will and Rodney at final Tribal. Just thinking of that made me throw up in my mouth.

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will use grappling hooks to retrieve three bags of balls. Then they’ll use one of those balls to complete a table maze. First person to complete the maze wins immunity.

The first person to grapple all three bags is Mike. Dan is right behind him. Sierra and Will eventually join the party.

We watch Mike’s ball roll around the final hole for about a half an hour (there’s that Holmes-trademark exaggeration) before it drops in. Mike wins immunity.

MERICA!

Back at camp, Dan tells us that he wants to get rid of Carolyn next.  Rodney, Sierra, and Will agree. And, Sierra tells Dan that the others are targeting him.

However, Rodney, Will, and Carolyn ask Mike if they should get rid of Dan.

Mike takes this news and goes right to Dan. But, Dan doesn’t buy it.

Later on, Mike points out to Carolyn and Sierra that Dan and Rodney are sleeping together and thus working together. He thinks they’re going to target Carolyn.

Wait…don’t get the wrong idea. They were sleeping in the shelter together. Get your minds out of the gutter.

That night at Tribal, Rodney…can’t…put…a…thought…together. He says it’s because of limited food. Well, if SOMEBODY would give up a reward…

Eventually, Rodney admits that he’s sick of being around the same people for so long. But, he’s sticking with his alliance.

Carolyn knows her head is on the chopping block, so she’s nervous.

Dan believes that he’s in trouble too.

Will is also nervous…because? Why be nervous, dude? You’re the most secure finalist ever.

Dan thinks tonight would be a good time to use his advantage, but next Tribal could be better.

Voting Time: No votes are shown.

Probst goes to tally…and Dan stops him so he can play his advantage.

Dan’s Special Voting Time: The vote isn’t shown.

OK, now Probst tallies.

And before he can read them, Carolyn plays her idol. Stop interrupting the man!

We’ve got five votes for Carolyn, one vote for Dan, and the thirteenth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” and the sixth member of the jury is…Dan.

Hmmm…would Carolyn have played her idol if Dan didn’t spook her with his vote? They still would’ve won four to two.

Verdict: Dan was like “Blam!” And I was like “Wha?!” And Carolyn was all, “Not tonight, Mister.” And I was like, “Oh, snap!”  Then Probst was all, “Tribe has spoken, Dan.”

That was pretty cool. But, I’m worried that “Survivor” is starting to turn into Calvinball.

Who’s Going to Win? If Mike can get to the end, it’s all his. But, Carolyn’s got a solid shot.

Power Rankings Results: Josh and Reed had Dan in spot five while I had him in spot four. So, the current score is Team Josh: 84, Team Reed: 92, Team Gordon 92.

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

"Survivor: Worlds Apart" (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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: Tyler went through Dan’s stuff, Mike had a clever bluff, and the Axis decided Shirin had had enough…

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

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

The Merica Tribe (wearing purple)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

The bell rings and the fighters come bounding out of their corners. Dan throws the first cross saying that he voted for Shirin and you know that’s the truth because he put a pretty star on his vote. A PRETTY STAR, DARNIT!

Tyler counters saying he had to vote for someone else because he knew his name was being tossed around. Dan disagrees. Which is odd because he often says, “I can’t disagree with you.”

Will admits that he voted for Dan too because he wanted to split the vote…but Shirin and Mike were safe if Mike played the idol. So, split between Dan and Tyler? Why bother?

Later, Tyler lets us know that he has no problem voting for Dan again. Yeah Tyler, I don’t have a  problem with you voting for Dan again either.

Actually, Dan said he’d be in the bottom of the “cuddle puddle” during our pregame interview. Makes sense that he’d be on the bottom of this alliance.

The next morning…it’s Rodney’s birthday! I bet he gets so many Facebook messages today, bro. But, Rodney doesn’t care about Facebook messages, he just wants to go on a reward.

Reward Challenge Time: The tribe will be split into two teams of three. First, they’ll use maypole ribbons to release a key. They’ll then build a ladder and use the key to retrieve a bag of balls. Finally, they’ll launch those balls into five targets. First team to hit all the targets wins a trip to deliver supplies to an orphanage and a barbecue.

Yay! I love the charity-themed rewards.

They do a school-yard pick to see who doesn’t get to compete and Dan chooses Tyler and Rodney while Carolyn gets Mike and Sierra. Will doesn’t get to play because…you know…Will.

We start off and Mike, Sierra, and Carolyn get their keys first, they hold this lead until they get to the ball-launching stage.

Rodney forgets his team’s bag of balls and has to go back to get them. Birthday bummer.

Apparently Dan is some kind of ball-launching genius, because he’s able to catch up and pass Mike. Sierra wants to tag in, but Mike won’t let her.

Mike eventually regains the lead and wins the reward for his team.

Probst asks Rodney if he wants someone to give up their reward, but Rodney says it’s up to them. Mike declines and Rodney’s cool with it. Sierra and Carolyn decide to pass as well…and Rodney is not happy.

After the break, we join Sierra, Mike, and Carolyn at the orphanage. It’s a good thing Rodney wasn’t there. He’d have all those kids in line at a mall to buy him Jordan sneakers.

During the meal, Carolyn considers teaming up with Mike. Mmm…not likely, baby.

Back at camp, Rodney is raging over Carolyn and Sierra’s birthday diss. He swears that he’ll be the only person to go to the end. Umm…Rodney might not know how the end of “Survivor” works.

He approaches Tyler, Dan, and Will with a plan where he tells everyone that he wants out of the game and this will trick Mike into not playing his idol. Well, that’s something.

Tyler doesn’t think it’ll work because it’s “Survivor” and you “have to anticipate crazy.” Wow, that might be the best description of “Survivor” I’ve ever heard.

When Mike, Carolyn, and Sierra return to camp, Rodney puts his plan into effect. He rants and raves about not getting a reward and he tells everyone he wants out.

Mike doesn’t buy it. Apparently he anticipates crazy.

Over at the Ladies Couch, Tyler wonders if Carolyn would play her idol for him. She doesn’t say either way, but he convinces her to start taking it to Tribal. WHY WOULDN’T YOU ALWAYS TAKE IT TO TRIBAL?!

Immunity Challenge Time: The players will hold onto a rope and lean over a pier. As time goes by, they’ll have to move further down the rope. Last person standing wins immunity.

We start off and Rodney is in bad shape early. But, he still outlasts Will. Oh Will.

Will’s followed by Dan, Sierra, and Rodney.

It’s down to Carolyn, Tyler, and Mike.

They move down a knot and Mike is immediately out. Boo…

Shortly after, Tyler is gone too. Carolyn wins immunity.

Before we hit the commercial, Dan says there’s a lot of talk about his advantage. Use it or lose it, buddy.

Back at Merica Beach, Carolyn pretends like she wants to divide the vote between Mike and Tyler. But, she’s really targeting Dan.

Tyler approaches Will and they both agree that Dan should go. His hope is they’ll knock out Mike’s vote and Dan’s advantage in one Tribal.

Carolyn again considers joining up with Mike, but how does that make sense? Nobody can beat Mike in front of the jury.

That night at Tribal Council, Mike lets Jeff know that he has his idol with him and that one of the Axis is going home. He also thinks Dan and Tyler should both be worried.

Dan isn’t happy about the votes he received at the last Tribal, and he’s pretty sure that he’s on the bottom of his alliance.

Tyler says he didn’t scramble, but he touched base with his alliance. So White Collar.

Carolyn is worried about Dan’s advantage because she doesn’t know what it is. Yeah, you do…baby.

Dan says everyone has approached him about using it.

Sierra thinks there’s going to be a big, shocking move and she’s keeping her options open. Dude, stop saying that. Your alliance must hate that.

Tyler says he’ll be surprised if he goes home. Oh boy…

Voting Time: Dan votes for Mike, Mike votes for Tyler, and the rest of the votes aren’t shown.

Probst does his tally thing, then returns. He asks if anyone wants to play an idol and Mike…totally does. To nobody’s surprise, he plays it for himself.

We’ve got four votes for Mike, one vote for Tyler, and the thirteenth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” and the fifth member of the jury is…Tyler.

Oh…and then Probst drops the bomb that you get to help pick the cast of “Survivor: Second Chance.”

Verdict: So, Sierra and Carolyn voted for Tyler. Hmm…

That vote really feels like a mistake. Nobody will beat Mike if he gets to the final Tribal. And, Tyler was their best bet to beat Mike in physical immunity challenges.

Who’s Going to Win? Who can it be but Mike? Maybe Carolyn?

Power Rankings Results: Josh had Tyler in spot four, Reed had him in six, and I had him in seven. So, the current score is Team Josh 79, Team Reed 87, and Team Gordon 88.

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

"Survivor: Worlds Apart" (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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: Sierra felt Mike letter down, Will went on a snack attack, and Jenn got to the jury in a hurry…

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

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

The Merica Tribe (wearing purple)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

We kick things off the morning after Tribal where Shirin is still upset over Will’s harsh comments. In particular, she brings up Will’s assertion that he wasn’t verbally assaulting her while he was LITERALLY verbally assaulting her.

Dan lets her know that he feels bad about what happened. However, he does this in the slow…insincere…Dan voice he used to “apologize” to Sierra. He follows this up by letting us know that he thinks Shirin is a two-faced liar and that it’s karma and she deserved it. Well, you said one thing to her and something else to us…so…who’s a two-faced liar?

Also, someone should just take the word “deserves” out of Dan’s vocabulary.

Reward Challenge Time: The tribes will be split into two teams of four. They’ll use four barrels, a piece of rope, and two planks to cross a stretch of land. If a player or a plank touches the ground they’ll have to start over. The first team to get to the end gets a catamaran ride complete with burgers and pie.

Mike, Shirin, Sierra, and Rodney will be the blue team. Carolyn, Tyler, Dan, and Will are red.

No fair! Sierra is a barrel racer!

Anywho, the challenge starts and it…is…awkward. The red team employs a stand-up barrel approach while Mike is using himself as a human plank.

The blues have a decent lead, when a mental lapse has them putting a plank on the ground. Probst sends them back.

Then, the blues hilariously try to individually barrel roll to the end. This does not work. Red’s slow-and-steady approach wins the race.

Dan says he feels bad that Rodney hasn’t had a reward yet. Probst offers him the opportunity to trade with him, but Rodney lets Dan off of the hook.

Back at camp, Sierra tells Rodney that Tyler is going to win if he gets to the end.  Go Sierra! Not only can she talk, but she can say sooper smart things!

Rodney isn’t very concerned though because he’s running the show and he has his three Cs. How many Cs does Tyler even have?

On the reward boat ride, Tyler, Will, Carolyn, and Dan are psyched that they don’t have to talk about the game because Mike and Shirin aren’t there. Dan says Mike is like teflon because no matter how much he screws up, he manages to fix it. That is not what teflon does.

Immunity Challenge Time: The players will hold onto a handle that is supporting 25% of their body weight. The last man and woman holding onto their weight will win immunity.

Sierra is the first person out at 15 minutes. She’s followed by Tyler, Will, and Dan.

We’re down to Rodney vs. Mike and Carolyn vs. Shirin.

Shirin struggles and she can’t hold on, giving immunity to Carolyn.

Dan tries to inspire Rodney with words of wisdom, but it doesn’t help. He drops out and Mike wins it.

Sooo…time for Mike to play that idol Malcolm-style and let the final six turn on each other?

Back at camp, it’s pretty obvious that Shirin is going to be the target.

Shirin talks to Dan and tells him that they’d be dumb to get rid of her because she’s not a threat. Dan agrees with her, but he isn’t going to do anything about it.

Later, Shirin lets Sierra know that there isn’t a final six at the last Tribal. Sierra says she’d get rid of Tyler if she had the numbers.

Then, Tyler goes digging through Dan’s bag to learn about his advantage. He shares the info with Carolyn and declares the Dan/Sierra alliance to be too dangerous. How did we end up with a Dan/Sierra alliance?!

That night at Tribal, Shirin explains that her relationship with her mother is strained due to what they’ve been through. Dan says he understands because he’s adopted.

Probst asks if Dan has a history of abuse, and he responds that he was adopted. Ummm…

Shirin points out that Will hasn’t apologized yet. Will said he won’t apologize because it wouldn’t be sincere. That’s some solid jury management there, Will.

Then, Shirin says that she’s going  home and that’s a mistake because Tyler is the real threat.

Tyler claims that his alliance knows that he’s loyal to them. Yeah, but that’s not her argument, dude.

Sierra points out that she’s one vote and doesn’t have the power to do anything.

Mike knows that if he wins immunity one more time, that they’ll have to attack each other. He wants them all to vote for Tyler.

Rodney says they were a strong seven until Mike’s letter stratagem.

Before they vote, Mike takes out his idol and says he’s going to play it for Shirin. He then says Shirin is going to vote for Tyler and he’s going to vote for someone else. Malcolm-style!

Voting Time: Shirin votes for Tyler and the rest of the votes are secret.

Probst tallies and returns. He asks if someone wants to play an idol and Mike…puts his idol in his pocket.

We’ve got one vote for Tyler, one vote for Shirin, one vote for Dan, one vote for Tyler, one vote for Shirin, one vote for Dan, one vote for Shirin, and the twelfth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” and the fourth member of the jury is…Shirin.

As Shirin goes to have her torch snuffed, Mike points out that Dan got two votes.

Note: Will and Tyler voted for Dan and Mike and Shirin voted for Tyler.

Verdict: Smart move by Mike. He gets the benefit of getting the six to turn on each other without playing his idol. And now that they know he has an idol, they’ll have three days to turn on each other.

But yeah…another crazy Tribal leading to the obvious vote.

Who’s Going to Win? If I were ranking people based on their chances of winning, meaning the higher person on the listing would beat anyone below them in the listing at a final vote, I’d go…Mike, Tyler, Carolyn, Rodney, Sierra, Will, Dan.

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

"Survivor: Worlds Apart" (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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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The Rules: Each week our three combatants will create separate power rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the three players will earn. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: Worlds Apart” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.

Last Week: Josh had Jenn in spot seven, Reed had her in spot nine, and Gordon had her in spot eight. So, the current score is Team Josh 75, Team Reed 81, Team Gordon 81.

This Week: Josh and Reed’s rankings weren’t received in time, and Gordon will be away on personal business on Wednesday. So, Gordon is going solo this week. No points will be awarded.

Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: Worlds Apart”

Gordon’s Score = 81 Any questions for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes	1. Sierra: Sierra is stealing things and hiding them under the Ladies Couch?! Why aren’t we seeing this, CBS editors?! Also, why aren’t we seeing more of this Ladies Couch?! I feel our needs aren’t being served.	2. Carolyn: Think you’re gonna catch Mama C with an idol in her pocket? No, baby.
3. Will: I was playing “Mortal Kombat X” online the other day, and the 13-year-old I was whooping up on unleashed a racist/homophobic rant unlike anything I’d ever heard before. Who knew Johnny Cage was capable of such hatred? The good thing is I never have to hear from that punk again. I don’t have to live with him on a scorching island for at least three more days. Anywho, Will is a dream final-three partner. There’s no way he can win this thing.	4. Mike: Depending on how the rest of the season plays out, Mike’s little letter stratagem might just rank up there with Erik giving up his necklace or James being sent home with two idols. However, he still has an idol in his possession and a six-person alliance can’t last forever.	5. Tyler: Let’s not forget the role Tyler played in Will’s meltdown last week. We saw that he was the one who told Will that Mike and Co. were doubting his story about the snacks. Now he’s digging in Dan’s bag to learn the truth about his advantage. This (expletive deleted)-stirring strategy is certainly keeping the heat off of him.
6. Rodney: So, I went back and looked at my preseason rankings, which were terrible as usual. But, one thing caught my eye, “I think the biggest misconception people have gotten from the pregame interviews is that Rodney is a jerk. I didn’t get that impression at all. He strikes me as more of a lovable Eddie Fox-type.” And for once, I wasn’t wrong. If he can get to the end, he could have enough votes to win it.	7. Dan: Rob Cesternino made a great point that big moves should happen during odd-numbered votes. That way, the vote takes the smallest majority possible. What Dan’s little advantage does is turn every vote into a potential odd-numbered vote. Good for Dan. Bad for Dan? Tyler and Carolyn know how dangerous he is.	8. Shirin: Was costing Will his letter from home good gameplay? Probably not. Was it hilarious? Totally. Now, she’s got to make Sierra and Dan see that they’re on the bottom of a six-person alliance.

"Survivor: Worlds Apart" (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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: Rodney did a solid Mike impression, Jenn suffered a bout of depression, and “Joey Amazing” proved to be just an expression…

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

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

The Merica Tribe (wearing purple)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

Alright…this is supposed to be an explosive one…

Things start off the morning after Tribal where Rodney is pitching getting rid of Mike to Tyler, Carolyn, and Will. Tyler thinks they should put a pin in it. So White Collar…

Unfortunately for Rodney, Mike totally overhears all of this. What, did he have his own spy shack? A driller’s den?

Reward Challenge Time: Psych, it’s the auction.

The first item is covered, Will wins it for $100. He’s worried it’ll be “grilled ass,” but it’s really a note that says he has to leave the auction and go back to camp.

Man…harsh. That’s way worse than sea slugs…or grilled ass for that matter.

The next item is fried chicken and waffles. Shirin buys it for $300. She says she wasn’t going to wait for an advantage.

Dan, Carolyn, and Mike all admit that they are waiting for the advantage.

Next up we get a montage of Rodney, Sierra, and Jenn all winning random food.

Before we get to the advantage, Probst brings out letters from home. Shirin points out that the winner usually gets to set the price for all of them. Sierra buys hers for $20. This puts the price at $20 for everyone.

Carolyn tries to talk Dan and Mike into buying their letters so the money would be even. They all agree and approach Probst to fork over their money. Poor Dan, he really misses his wife.

However, everyone realizes that Mike didn’t pick up his letter. Holy cow.

Wow, it’s been a long time since something on this show literally put my jaw on the floor…and that did it.

Dan calls Mike out on breaking their trust. Mike eventually folds and goes to pay for his letter. Did Mike just torpedo his whole game? Was it poor form to turn down a letter in front of a postal worker?

Probst brings out the advantage next. Dan, Mike, and Carolyn all bid their $480. They draw rocks to see who gets it…and Dan wins.

Back at the beach, there is a map waiting for Will. He follows the map to a stake in the ground. He digs and finds a large box of rations. He’s given the option of keeping it for himself or sharing it.

When everyone returns to camp, Will shares the food with everyone.

Later on, Mike says that the reason he didn’t go for his letter was because he knew Rodney’s alliance was targeting him. Rodney denies turning on him and is upset that Mike is ruining letter day.

Things eventually calm down and everyone is able to enjoy their letters.

Afterwards, Rodney approaches a very emotional Dan and gives him a big hug in an attempt to win him over.

A while later, Dan cracks open his advantage and learns that he’s won an extra vote at an upcoming Tribal Council. He compares it to the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. Oh man, whoever ate the chocolate last episode is in trouble.

Thoughts on the Twist: I’m going to wait to see how this plays out. It could be a game-changer or a total dud. Say Dan plays it when they’re at final six and it tilts the scales toward his threesome? Then it’s huge. But, for someone on the bottom this early, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference.

In other news, Mike doesn’t believe Will’s story about the food. He thinks there must’ve been something else in the box. Jenn agrees with him. Tyler tells Will what’s being said about him and he does not like it.

A furious Will singles out Shirin for a pretty intense berating. He tells her that nobody likes her at the camp and that nobody at home likes her either. Yikes.

Shirin points out that it’s odd that Will claims to be a man of God, but he can speak to her in that manner.  This does not improve Will’s mood as he just keeps on going.

Shirin is really upset. She goes off with Mike and Jenn and they hug it out.

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will use tongs to pick up a pool ball. They’ll carry the pool ball over a series of balance beams, then place it in a holder. The first person to get all six of their balls into their holder wins immunity.

Before the challenge starts, Will asks if he can step out of the immunity challenge in exchange for his letter. Probst says he’s cool with it if everyone agrees to it. Probst asks if anyone objects, and…SHIRIN DOES!

Two jaw drops in one episode!

Probst says the vote had to be unanimous, so no letter for Will. Oh man…just…wow.

The challenge starts off and there isn’t much to describe except for tongin’ and ball placin’. Mike leads it pretty much the whole way and wins immunity. Jenn and Shirin are psyched for him. Everyone else is quiet.

Before we go to commercial, Will tells Probst to bring popcorn to Tribal because it’s going to be interesting. Yeah, we’ll bring the popcorn when you finally bring those sandwiches you promised on day one.

Back at camp, Mike treats us to a reprise of the happy dance.

Rodney wants to know if they should get rid of Shirin, but Will is cool torturing her for a while. He wants to target Jenn because she’s stronger in challenges.

Oh…and now it looks like Sierra and Dan are totally in Rodney’s camp.

Shirin and Jenn are pretty sure they’re going to split the vote between them. Mike’s hope is that they can get Dan on board and vote for Carolyn. Jenn is not happy that her game is in Dan’s hands.

Mike takes Dan aside and tries to win him back, but it’s not looking good.

Carolyn is starting to get nervous and is prepared to use her idol.

Later on, Tyler tells Dan that everyone is doubting his loyalty and if he flips he can’t win. Dan passionately says it’s his choice and he’ll do what he wants.

That night at Tribal…Probst brought no popcorn.

Will says that Shirin accused him of hiding food. She disagrees with his assessment.

She points out that Will said she has no friends, no soul, and is a loser. Somehow Will doesn’t think these are personal attacks.

Shirin tells Will that she doesn’t have a family due to her abusive father. Will doesn’t let up, saying  he didn’t verbally assault her and that she always plays the victim.

Remember “Livin’ on a Prayer” at the gas station? Jay Leno would be so disappointed.

Sierra says they’re “Worlds Apart” because they’re all individuals. Well done.

Dan says you can’t put emotions aside in the game because everyone is too close.

Mike calls out the Rodney, Tyler, Will, and Carolyn alliance.

Rodney erupts, saying that Mike almost made it so Carolyn and Dan couldn’t get their letters.

Dan says he’d be stupid not to listen to all of the pitches.

Voting Time: Carolyn votes for Jenn, Rodney votes for Shirin, and no other votes are shown.

JPro tallies and returns. He asks if anyone wants to play an idol…and nobody does. Ooo…

We’ve got one vote for Jenn, one vote for Shirin, one vote for Jenn, one vote for Shirin, one vote for Jenn, one vote Carolyn, one vote for Shirin, one vote for Jenn, and the tenth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” and the third member of the jury is…Jenn.

Verdict: That…that was an all-time crazy episode. And not just crazy, but uncomfortable too. Probably the most uncomfortable episode since Philip Sheppard accused Steve Wright of being a racist in “Redemption Island.”

AND…talk about a ridiculous, bizarre path to an obvious boot. Whew…I need a nap.

Who’s Going to Win? Mike was a good pick to win, but that little letter move could have cost him a ton of jury votes. Other than that; Tyler could win, Carolyn could win…Shirin maybe…Rodney maybe…

Power Rankings Results: Josh had Jenn in spot seven, Reed had her in spot nine, and I had her in spot eight. So, the current score is Team Josh 75, Team Reed 81, Team Gordon 81.

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

"Survivor: Worlds Apart" (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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

[xfinity-record-button id=”7116600190773202112″ program_type=”series”]

Last Week: The oil driller struck gold, the postal worker needed to work on his delivery, and the law student was asked to approach the bench.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

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

The Merica Tribe (wearing purple)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Joe – Jewelry Designer, 25
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

Let’s do this.

We start off after Tribal and Dan and Shirin get into it immediately. He tries to explain to her the difference between a flip and a blindside. Did either of those things really happen at Tribal?

Shirin knows she has to make big moves. She starts off by telling everyone that she’s going to vote for Mike to win. Interesting…

Rodney did not like the sound of that. He doesn’t need friends. He has plenty of friends back home. And Joaquin is his friend and Joaquin is super handsome and understands him. What he needs is more zeroes in his bank account. You’ve gotta sell a lot of Jordans to make a million dollars.

Later on, Jenn hints that she’s thinking of quitting. No you’re not. Stop with the crazy talk.

The next day, Shirin approaches Mike and Sierra about working with them. Mike’s concern is that he doesn’t know if he can trust her. He asks who she wants out, and she says Carolyn because she has so many people on her side. Interesting part deux…

Mike decides to give her a trust test by telling Shirin who he wants her to vote for and seeing if she does it.

Reward Challenge Time: The tribe will be split into two teams of five. One by one they’ll have to maneuver around a  water-based obstacle course. Once all five players have reached the end, they’ll have to use a grappling hook to retrieve life preservers. The first team to collect all five of their preservers will win a visit to the “Chocolate Cafe” where they’ll enjoy M&Ms, Snickers, and more.

Yeah, sugar is not what I want after three weeks of starving.

We have a schoolyard pick for teams and end up with Mike, Tyler, Shirin, Dan, and Sierra on the blue team, and Rodney, Joe, Will, Carolyn, and Jenn on the red team.

There’s no way Will wasn’t the last pick, right?

The challenge starts and the wipeouts…are…epic. So good. Oh man…whoever puts together an edit of this challenge to “Wacky Sax” gets a free “Survivor” Hall of Fame shot glass.

Seriously, a floating balance beam? Who pissed off challenge producer John Kirhoffer?

When I finally stopped laughing, I realized that the red team had a big lead. They start the second portion of the challenge first.

However, the blues manage to catch up and Mike grapple hooks his way to victory for his team.

After the challenge, Jenn says that people who aren’t on “Survivor” have no idea what it’s like to lose a challenge. She’s got a point. I haven’t lost one in years.

At the “Chocolate Cafe,” the winners go to town on some candy. Throw in some peanut butter and Jenna Morasca’s head would explode.

Meanwhile back at camp, Rodney wants to eat one of the No Collars’ chickens. Jenn isn’t thrilled about this because they aren’t Rodney’s chickens. Rodney brushes it off, assuming that Jenn just misses Hali and doesn’t want to lose any more friends.

After the meal, Rodney busts out a really solid Mike impersonation. Joe sees this as an opportunity to stoke the Mike vs. Rodney fires.

Before the immunity challenge, Jenn tells Joe that she’ll give him the immunity necklace if she wins because she wants to go home. Jenn, no! No, Jenn!

Immunity Challenge Time: The players will stand on a beam and use their head to press a block of wood against another beam. The last person with their block in place wins immunity.

We start off and Joe is wobbling pretty badly.

Carolyn is out first. She’s followed by Will, Shirin, and Rodney.

Joe is a wreck, but he keeps going. (Although, that man bun seems like it’s cheating.)

Dan goes next, then Sierra…then Joe!

Aww…Joe.

We’re down to Jenn, Tyler, and Mike. However, Mike doesn’t last much longer.

At the thirty-minute mark, Jen’s block falls. Tyler wins immunity.

No fair, he’s a kicker! His toes are finely tuned.

As we head off to commercial, Jenn threatens to shake up the game so she can go home tonight. Ooo…like a Brandon-Hantz-level meltdown? Maybe she just wants a massage from Probst?

Back at camp, Shirin claims to have a loophole. She thinks the Blue Collar alliance will split the vote. But, if Joe and Shirin vote for Jenn, Joe will get to stick around.

Mike kind of anticipates this, and tells Shirin to vote for Joe. So, if she sticks with Mike, Joe goes. aAnd if she sticks with the No Collars, Jenn goes. It seems like it’d be more valuable to be on Mike’s good side than to have Joe around for another round.

In other news, Joe flexes his Runaround Bob skills and makes a fake idol. Of course! He’s a jeweler! It looks good too.

Later, Joe tells Mike that he’ll give him his fake idol if they vote out Jenn. Mike says he’ll do it if he gets the idol before Tribal. Mmm…why not just play the idol? It’d serve the same purpose.

That night at Tribal, Jenn says that she doesn’t want to be there, but she does want to be there. Wah-huh?

She then tells Rodney that he cracks her up. Don’t sleep on Rodney. Jenn and Hali both like him.

Probst asks why she doesn’t just walk out. She says that’s quitting and she’s not a quitter.

Joe is worried that someone might pull her along because she won’t win in the end.

Shirin understands Jenn, but she hasn’t fully connected with Joe. Also, she’s worried that they might want to keep Jenn over her because Jenn isn’t a threat.

Before we vote, Mike tries to get Probst to verify Joe’s idol. However, Probst can’t do that until he plays it. So, idol validation is like parking validation? You can’t do it until after the transaction?

Voting Time: Tyler votes for Jenn, Rodney votes for Joe, Joe votes for Jenn, and the rest of the votes aren’t shown.

Probst asks if anyone wants to play an idol and Mike plays the phony one for Will. Probst points out that it’s a fake. Oh man, Will’s in trouble…

We’ve got one vote for Jenn, one vote for Joe, one vote for Jenn, one vote for Joe, one vote for Dan, one vote for Jenn, one vote for Joe, one vote for Jenn, one vote for Joe, and the ninth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” and the second member of the jury is…Joe.

Verdict: OK…so Shirin sided with Mike. Got it.

Well that was the craziest, most roundabout way to get to the most obvious vote I’ve ever seen. Kudos to Joe and Shirin for constantly swinging and to Mike for not becoming complacent.

Who’s Going to Win? Well, with the way Jenn was talking this episode, I can’t see her winning. Mike’s a champ, but he’s got a huge target (and a huge tattoo) on his back. It seems like Carolyn is in the best spot, but we never hear from her.

Power Rankings Results: We all knew Joe was a goner so we all had him in spot ten. The current score is Team Josh 68, Team Reed 72, and Team Gordon 73.

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

"Survivor: Worlds Apart" (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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: The tribe was named Merica, Joe’s challenge prowess proved to be mazing, and Kelly isn’t in the game nymore.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

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

The Merica Tribe (wearing purple)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Hali – Law Student, 25
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Joe – Jewelry Designer, 25
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

The evening’s festivities kick off at Merica beach after Jenn’s big idol move. Rodney takes Will aside and assures him that they have Carolyn and Tyler in their alliance. The plan is to stick with Mike and Co. until the No Collars and Shirin are gone.

Meanwhile, Mike gives Jenn props for her savvy maneuver. Jenn doesn’t feel bad for sending Kelly home, in fact, she wants to annoy the Blue Collars some more. This might not be a person who’s thinking about future jurors.

The next morning, Shirin and Rodney are debating over how much of the leftover merge food they should be eating.  Rodney tells us that when he gets frustrated he goes out and punches trees. Stupid, trees!

They then get into a weird fight over peeling the skin off of salami.  So…salami with skin is like chicken parm and salami without skin is like tuna fish?

Reward Challenge Time: The players will walk across a balance beam while untying bags of puzzle pieces. The first three people to retrieve all of their bags will have a chance to complete a puzzle. First person to complete the puzzle wins a zipline trip and a pizza picnic. Probst says that sounds like fun. It certainly does.

The challenge starts and Shirin has a pretty epic wipeout. Maybe if she had more salami skin in her system it’d help her stay balanced.

To nobody’s surprise, Joe dominates the first part of the challenge. He’s the first one to advance to the final round. He’s joined by Mike and Hali.

Not much to describe in the puzzle portion except for puzzle piece arrangin’. Joe manages to win it in the end. I know, I’m shocked too.

Joe gets to take some folks with him, so he chooses Will, Carolyn, and Tyler. Smart. Take the people you need on your side. You don’t have to win over Hali and Jenn.

Probst lets Joe take a fifth person and Rodney wants it to be him. However, Joe thinks he eats enough already. Rodney is not amused by this accusation.

Dan and Shirin both think they should go because they’re super fans. In the end, Joe chooses an ecstatic Shirin.

At the picnic, Joe notices that there’s an idol clue in Carolyn’s soda. That doesn’t seem sanitary. He says he’s thirsty, and she hands him her soda without knowing. Hilarious.

Joe chugs the whole bottle and puts the clue in his mouth. This kid is a genius. However, Tyler saw what he was up to.

Back at camp, Joe shares the information with Tyler. Mike knows something is awry and follows them. Before they have a chance to start searching, Mike approaches them to break them up.

Later, Tyler tells Mike about the clue because he doesn’t want Mike to think that he’s now aligned with Joe.

Then, it’s a mad dash to find Joe before he finds the idol. Mike watches Joe for a while, but he doesn’t see him find anything. Mike wants to put a bigger target on Joe’s back. Sooooo, he congratulates Joe on finding it in front of everyone.

Next up, Dan calls Shirin out for being one of Joe’s minions and being on the short end of the numbers. She claims that Dan doesn’t appreciate what she’s trying to do.

He then tells us that he wishes someone would slap her because she’s so annoying. So, annoying people should be struck?

Dan then says that calling Shirin out was his way of being nice. Wow…his being nice is very similar to his apologies.

Quick Aside: I make a lot of jokes in these recaps, but know that this whole exchange was very disturbing.

Away from that unpleasantness, Mike is on a hardcore idol hunt. After what seems like months, he finally finds it. He celebrates with a hilarious happy dance. Hmm…that looks like the Escameca idol. I wonder if there’s a second one out there?

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will have to maneuver a puzzle piece through three different mazes. Then they’ll place the piece in a slide puzzle. The first person to complete the slide puzzle wins immunity.

Before the challenge gets underway, Shirin is very excited to have an all-puzzle challenge. She also points out that she’s a super fan.

Quick Aside: I know some of you are drinking every time Shirin mentions she’s a fan. DO NOT DO THIS.

The challenge starts and there isn’t much to describe except for Rodney being bad at the mazes.

Joe and Shirin are the first two to the slide puzzle, but Mike, Tyler, Sierra, and pretty much everyone except Rodney and Hali are right behind them.

Twice Dan thinks he has the right answer, and twice he is way off. Joe…to amazement of millions around the world…wins it to claim immunity.

Before we head off to commercial, Rodney thinks they’d be in better shape if his Bash Bro Joaquin was still here. Awww…somewhere out there…beneath the pale moonlight…someone’s thinking of me…

Back at camp, Shirin says she isn’t concerned because everyone thinks she’s weak. Oh…famous last words.

Sure enough, Shirin is the target. However Mike thinks that Shirin can’t win and they should target Hali.

Meanwhile, Sierra is interested in a ladies alliance…and she wants to target Dan Dan the Apology Man.

That night at Tribal Council, Sierra says that she can go with whichever alliance she wants. Oh, her alliance must love to hear that.

Mike knows what he’s doing tonight, and some pizza wouldn’t sway him.

Dan expects bombs to drop, he just hopes they don’t drop on him. He then says that flippers never win.

Shirin the “Survivor” Encyclopedia then cites times where flippers have won.

Hali says the colonists were flippers and they won independence. Wow, that was…wow. That might be my favoritest* thing ever said on this show.

*Totally not a word.

Voting Time: Mike votes for Hali, Shirin votes for Dan…and no other votes are shown.

JPro tallies and returns. We’ve got one vote for Dan, one vote for Hali, one vote for Dan, one vote for Hali, one vote for Dan, one vote for Hali, one vote for Dan, two votes for Hali, and the eighth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” and the first member of the jury is…Hali.

Verdict: Aww…Hali… You’ll always be my Miss Merica.

Well, it’s seven to three and the dominant alliance has all the idols. Here’s hoping we don’t have three episodes of obvious boots. Surely, Carolyn and Tyler will realize they need to make a move before that, right?

Who’s Going to Win? It’s looking bad for my girl Jenn. But, with an idol and a less-likable wingman, it’s looking really good for Carolyn.

Power Rankings Results: Josh and Reed had Hali in seventh place while I had her in eighth. The current score is Team Josh 58, Team Reed 62, and Team Gordon 63.

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