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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Recap: Abi or Not Abi?

November 28, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

XFinityTV is blowing up their coverage of “Survivor: Philippines.” 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: Skupin and Lisa wanted to align with Kalabaw, but Penner got cold feet, Abi went into great detail about everything she had to eat, Malcolm and Denise joined a final four that will be tough to beat, and poor engineer/model Pete met a bitter defeat.

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
Carter – Track Coach, 24
Denise – Sex Therapist, 41
Lisa – Former ‘Facts of Life’ Star, 49
Malcolm – Bartender, 25
Michael – Professional Speaker, Author, and Coach, 50
Penner – Writer, 50

The fun starts off the morning after Tribal and Abi is not thrilled with how she was treated. She browbeats Michael, which fortunately doesn’t leave him bruised or bleeding.

Denise lays out an early favorite for Understatement of the Night by saying that Abi will be the next to go home. However, if Abi can win immunit, it’ll be Penner. Gah…Penner’s gonna regret not joining up with Skup and Lisa.

During a trip to get tree mail, Malcolm lets Abi know that he feels bad about how rough Tribal was for her. I’m sure he feels that way, but it’s good strategy too.

Reward Challenge Time: Food auction, baby! Everyone has $500 and they’re not allowed to share food or money.

OK, before we get into this, if they’re serious about getting rid of Abi, they won’t let her buy the advantage. Most of the remaining players are just too smart for that.

Pancakes and bacon go to Denise for all of her money. What did I just say about Abi and the challenge clue?

Skupin immediately bids $500 on a plate of wine and cheese. What did I say?!

Malcolm wins iced coffee and donuts for $200.

Fun Fact: “Survivor” catering’s iced coffee is amazing. Amazing.

A mystery item goes to Penner for $100. It ends up being fried chicken and French fries.

A second mystery item goes to Carter for $200. It’s a loaded baked potato. Probst gives him the opportunity to trade it for rice and beans for the tribe. He makes the trade.

A third mystery item goes Lisa for $320. It’s a sandwich. It’s also impossible for anyone to outbit Abi now.

And…the next item is the clue. Abi immediately bids all of her money and wins. That sound you hear in the distance is a “Survivor” recapper banging his head against a coffee table in Philadelphia.

Carter wins the final mystery item for $200. It is revealed to be veal shanks for the entire tribe. The catch is they have a minute to eat them and they can’t use any silverware. The eating that follows is pretty gross.

Back at camp, Abi is looking for an apology from Penner for destroying her at Tribal. Penner tries to diffuse the situation, but Abi is being less than friendly. However, they do end things with a hug, so good on her for remembering that she’s going to need friends at some point.

Abi sneaks out to read her auction advantage. It turns out she’ll get a free pass to the final round of the immunity challenge.

Not content to just have a one-in-three chance of winning the next challenge, she comes up with a secondary plan. Abi starts sneaking around as if she was really given a clue to an idol. I like this. Although, at the challenge it’ll be obvious that the advantage wasn’t an immunity idol clue when she zips ahead to the final round.

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will be attached to a rope and have to maneuver around a hitching rail. The first five to the end will advance. Then, they’ll have to maneuver around a series of bamboo poles. The first two to the end will advance. Then, the final two along with Abi will have to work their way around a multi-level structure. First one through wins immunity.

Also, they’ll have to answer trivia questions. If they get them wrong, they’ll have to carry around 5% of their body weight. That’s kind of random and weird.

Probst tells Abi to read her advantage and she LIES and says that there are two messages and that she only has to read the one about the immunity challenge. She then TEARS THE NOTE TO PIECES! Hate her all day and all night, but she’s trying.

Round One: Lisa and Denise both get the trivia wrong, so they’ll have to carry extra weight. It doesn’t matter to Denise though as she’s the first one through. She’s followed by Carter, Skup, Malcolm, and Penner.

Round Two: Carter, Skup, and Denise both missed the second trivia question. Carter and Penner advance to the final round.

Skup doesn’t think Abi can win because she can’t climb.

Round Three: They aren’t attached to a rope this time; instead they’ll have to untie several rope barricades. Apparently Abi’s tiny fingers are perfect for this task because she zips through it and wins immunity.

Well, now things are interesting.

Afterwards, Malcolm’s psyched because he doesn’t view Abi as a threat and this is an opportunity to send Penner packing.

On the other hand, Lisa’s having doubts because she still feels connected to Carter and Penner. She talks to Penner and tells him that she wanted to align with him, but he turned it down. She then confirms that he’s next on the chopping block.

When Penner asks what he should do about it, her only response is that he should go work his magic. Well, Penner has proven he has some magic this season.

That night at Tribal Council, Abi admits that it was her plan to save her money for the clue. Really? That happens at like EVERY auction. (Sorry for the overuse of caps tonight.)

Penner then outs the final four alliance. He’s annoyed because he thought they were all working toward a common goal.

Malcolm calls him on this, saying they turned on him because he wouldn’t align with them.

Penner makes a direct appeal to Lisa and Skupin saying that they’ll lose in the end if they align with Malcolm and Denise.

Abi must be loving this.

Probst asks Lisa if she can compare this situation to something in her real life. She says she can, but it’s too personal to talk about. She then goes all Sugar on them with some waterworks.

Also, Carter was there.

Voting Time: Abi votes for Denise, Penner votes for Denise (and makes a point to say it loud enough so everyone can hear it), and the rest of the votes are not shown.

J-Pro tallies and returns. He asks if anyone would like to play an idol…and nobody does.

We’ve got two votes for Denise, two votes for Penner, one vote for Denise, one vote for Penner and the twelfth person to leave “Survivor: Philippines” and the fifth member of the jury is…Penner.

Verdict: This season is on fire. Easily the best since “Heroes vs. Villains.”

Shame about Penner though. It’s rare that you get such a perfect portrayal of where someone’s game went wrong.

Who’s Going to Win: Now that Abi’s advantage clue has given her seven immunity idols, I don’t see how she can lose.

Power Rankings Results: Kat’s still cutting down on my monster lead. She had Penner in spot six while I had him in spot five. So, the current score is Team Kat: 122, Team Awesome Thunder: 123.

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

Tags:jeff probst, jonathan penner, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in survivor, TV News | Comments Off on ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Recap: Abi or Not Abi?

‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings: Round Ten

November 27, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

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 and I both thought Pete was a dead engineer/model walking, so we both had him in the eighth slot. So, the current score is Team Kat: 116, Team Awesome Thunder: 118.

Set Your DVR to Record ‘Survivor: Philippines


Kat’s Current Score: 116 Any advice for Kat? Drop her a line on Twitter: @KatEdorsson	Gordon’s Current Score: 118 Any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

1. Denise: I still believe Denise has a great chance of being our sole Survivor. During Tribal Council last week Denise’s true colors were shown, and her strength is being able to keep her composure. I remember our first Tribal Council in “One World” when Alicia and Christina went at it. LOL. Talk about bad communication between women. It’s extremely important to keep your composure at Tribal, and let others dig their own grave.	1. Malcolm: My boy’s back on top. He’s got an idol. He’s got a final-four alliance. He’s got a solid shot at winning any individual immunity challenges that come his way. Could this be the year I break my all-of-Gordon’s-pre-game-predictions-suck curse? All of my fingers are crossed. I also went out and bought a rabbit’s foot that’s wearing a horseshoe.

2. Malcolm: Malcolm still has the idol and it looks like our dynamic duo is calling the shots as to who stays and who goes. This is going to get really intense because every player in this game is a strong competitor in one way or another. Whether it is social game or strength everyone is playing, which makes things so fascinating to watch!	2. Denise: Denise is going to win this, isn’t she? She’s such a good under-the-radar player that Pete didn’t even see her talking to anyone. The only juror or potential juror that really has a problem with her is Abi, and Abi has a problem with everyone. Right now, the only thing that can really count against her is that they could say she didn’t make any big moves. She needs to take a page from the Sophie Clarke playbook and start being more confrontational at Tribal. Not too much though, you don’t want to lose votes.

3. Lisa: Lisa is a perfect player to take to the final three, she has a great chance of winning and I enjoy watching her play every week. This woman has a beautiful soul and she reminds me of Dawn from South Pacific and Holly from Nicaragua; laid back personalities with a tendency to watch the game play out in front of them.	3. Lisa: Kudos to the former “Facts of Life” star. She made her way to the end and was the one who got to make the key decision as to who the dominant alliance was going to be. Penner turned down her original decision, but that’s going to hurt him more than it hurts her. Best of all for Lisa, she was able to get out of the Tandang alliance without really stabbing anyone in the back. Abi let her off the hook with her mistrust and bad behavior at Tribal.

4. Michael: Skupin is definitely an all-star player right now. Someone give this man a pat on the back!!! Can someone remind me how old he is? Doing work on these kids! Skupin is still low on my totem pole because he is obviously a great competitor and to keep his safety he needs to continue to win.	4. Michael: I’m psyched to see Skupin locked in a final-four alliance, but I’m worried that he has rubbed a lot of jurors the wrong way. He turned on RC, Pete, and Jeff Kent. And, Artis seems to reeeeeeally hate him. Of the new alliance, Skup’s definitely the one I’d want sitting next to me.

5. Carter: I’m so proud of this kid. I believe he deserves to stay longer in this game then some of his other tribemates. Take this as a compliment, TRUST ME, I understand your pain. If you don’t win immunity I think you will be the first to go. This is where you need to turn up the HEAT. I battled against Kim Spradlin (winner of “One World”) for 1 hour and 45 minutes to win immunity until my arms broke off… to only receive second place, a high five, and a boot to the jury.	5. Penner: Oh man…Penner… I have a feeling you’re going to be reliving that moment where you turned down Lisa and Skupin for a long time. Worst of all, I can’t figure out your angle. Rob Cesternino thinks it was because you don’t want to be seen as a schemer. The best I could come up with is you’re trying to somehow maneuver getting to the end with Abi. Either way, I think that was your shot at the million and you didn’t take it.

6. Penner: Here`s my thought; if Denise and Malcolm believe only the strongest should survive in this game then Skupin and Penner will be taken to the end with no question. Denise clearly stated she only wanted to play this game with integrity and she wanted to play this game with a person who deserves to be there. Penner has been target enemy #1 and if our returnee players keep winning individual immunity they could possibly sail to victory.	6. Carter: You’re not in the dominant alliance and you are a challenge machine. I’m thinking if Abi somehow manages to squeak out an immunity win this week you’re a goner. Or worse, the others could realize that they can take out Abi at any time and getting you out is a bigger priority. Either way, it’s trouble for Mr. Carter.

7. Abi-Maria: I’m hoping she turns on the heat. It’s too bad she can’t still play the idol and buy one more Tribal Council to turn this game around. But, she’s also an easy final-three take…	7. Abi-Maria: Yes, I’m a sucker. I felt bad for Abi at the last Tribal Council. I always get a kick out of people that embrace the villain role, but feel a little sad when someone is bummed out when they realize they’re not very well liked. I mean, why else would she brag about the reward? She wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt her game. Anywho, looks like the ‘Brazilian Time Bomb’s’ time is ticking to a close unless someone makes a bold move to take her to the end. And even then she’d be playing for third (or second?) place.

Tags:jeff probst, jonathan penner, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, survivor, survivor philippines
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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Castaway Pete: Abi Is a ‘Brazilian Time Bomb’

November 26, 2012

Pete Yurkowski (CBS)

“Oh Johnny, did you back the wrong horse.” – Dr. Peter Venkman: “Ghostbusters 2”

Sometimes teaming up with a troublemaker is good for business. If you’re Rob Mariano and you buddy up with Philip Sheppard or if you’re Natalie White and you side with Russell Hantz, it can make you a millionaire. If you’re Pete Yurkowski teaming up with Abi-Maria Gomes it can mean an early trip to the jury.

I spoke with Pete after his elimination and had a chance to find out about his real alliance, if he trusted Malcolm or not, and exactly what happened to Michael Skupin’s shoulder...

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

Gordon Holmes: Morning, Pete.
Pete Yurkowski: How’s it going?
Holmes: Been living off of Thanksgiving leftovers for the last three days. I’ll be a happy man if I never see another green bean in my life.
Yurkowski: C’mon, you’ve gotta switch up with the mashed potatoes.
Holmes: I did!
Yurkowski: Everything at Thanksgiving is just another way to shove gravy in your mouth.
Holmes: It’s not doing wonders for my model/engineer physique.
Yurkowski: (Laughs) You’ve got to take it easy.

Holmes: Before the show you said you were going to find someone to follow you around. You ended up with Abi. Did you know she was going to be so disliked when you first made that deal?
Yurkowski: I didn’t think that was going to be a part of the deal. I definitely got the vibe after a few days that she was going to be extremely volatile. But, I didn’t know it was going to be that bad.
Holmes: (Laughs)
Yurkowski: Seriously. It got pretty bad.
Holmes: Is there a point where you’re thinking, “I’m going to stick with this girl because she’ll be easy to beat in the finals,” or are you worried that it’s going to ruin whatever numbers you’ve built?
Yurkowski: It looks like me and Abi were really tight, but it was actually me and Artis. He was the right-hand man and the voice of reason in our trifecta. Abi, you can see, taking Abi to the end…who’s going to vote for Abi?

Holmes: Was that your end game? You, Abi, and Artis?
Yurkowski: I didn’t really have that third slot yet. It was between Carter and Artis.
Holmes: Carter?
Yurkowski: If you look at Carter’s game; Carter doesn’t do anything. He just kind of latches on. I love Carter, but he always latches onto someone else and follows their game. He has no game of his own, he’s there for the challenges.
Holmes: But Carter wouldn’t have taken all of the bullets that you, Abi, and Artis would’ve taken as the majority alliance.
Yurkowski: The reason I didn’t want to take Artis was because I knew I would have his vote. Artis told me I’d have his vote no matter what. And, Lisa was extremely loyal. She didn’t even know that Skupin was going to vote for Artis. I felt like I knew I wasn’t getting RC’s vote. The other ones were up in the air.
Holmes: If you go to a final three with Abi and Artis, two people that RC wasn’t fond of, you don’t think she would’ve voted for you?
Yurkowski: I think in that sole situation she would’ve had to.

Holmes: Artis and I spoke last week, he seems to have a very deep issue with Skupin. Any idea what that was all about?
Yurkowski: I don’t know if he wants me to talk about it, it’s kind of between them. It all started in the beginning with Artis wanting him to be a returning player and teaching us stuff. It really didn’t end up like that.

Holmes: You confronted Malcolm about his idol, and he didn’t do a fantastic job of convincing anyone that he didn’t have it. Did you believe him?
Yurkowski: I don’t know. I really don’t know if I believed him or not. And, I’m not saying that because he made me look stupid. We were a lot closer than it looks on TV. Every time he went on reward he’d come back and tell me exactly what Penner was talking about. We had a fina- three plan. Not a for-real final three plan, but whoever stabs the other in the back first wins.

Holmes: Alright, let’s get some word association up in here. We’ll start with Malcolm.
Yurkowski: He’s a smart guy. Definitely a smart guy.
Holmes: Denise?
Yurkowski: Sneaky.
Holmes: Lisa?
Yurkowski: Church lady.
Holmes: Skupin?
Yurkowski: Kind of clueless.
Holmes: Penner?
Yurkowski: Snakelike.
Holmes: Carter?
Yurkowski: Spicoli.
Holmes: Abi?
Yurkowski: Brazilian time bomb.

Holmes: What was Denise doing that was sneaky?
Yurkowski: I had no idea. I never saw her talking to anybody. I had no idea she was even playing the game, which…you know…hats off to her.

Holmes: When I think about Pete on “Survivor.” I’m going to remember the ploy where you hid the immunity clue and RC got in trouble for it. Was there more of that that we didn’t see?
Yurkowski: I didn’t really have time. We wanted to throw a challenge to get rid of RC, but then we merged and we never got to do it. The game would have been changed because I feel like Skupin wouldn’t have any reason to flip.
Holmes: They keep showing Abi being horrible to Lisa. Is that where you slipped up by not taking care of someone on the bottom?
Yurkowski: I tried to keep everyone happy. Lisa was a close ally, I don’t think Lisa thought she was on the bottom. I think she thought that me and Abi were going to be the final three with her.

Holmes: We’re trying to keep track of Skupin’s many injuries and it seems like his right shoulder is starting to eat itself. Any idea what happened there?
Yurkowski: During the ball challenge…I don’t know how…but he got the ball to rip half of his arm off.
Holmes: How does a stationary object rip off half of your arm?
Yurkowski: How does Skupin get so many injuries? I have no idea.
Holmes: Is it possible his skin is made of tissue paper?
Yurkowski: (Laughs) It is possible.

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

Tags:jeff probst, jonathan penner, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, pete yurkowski, survivor, survivor philippines
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‘Survivor: Philippines’ Recap: Here’s a Fact of Life; Don’t Cross Lisa Whelchel

November 21, 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: Penner felt like a turkey for screwing up the previous week’s vote, Malcolm realized he has a lot to be thankful for, Abi didn’t know when to shut her Ply-mouth, Artis’s million-dollar dreams were squashed, and Pete’s future in the game started to look pil-grimm.

Quick Note: Ply-mouth? Pil-grimm? I’m so sorry.

Another Quick Note: We are flying without a DVR tonight. So, this is advanced warning in case I miss anything/screw anything up.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

The Dangrayne Tribe (wearing black)

This evening’s festivities kick off with some post-Tribal fun. Abi is not happy about losing Artis. If only there had been some kind of magical, rooster-shaped piece of wood that could have kept him safe…

Skup lets us know that he made his move because he doesn’t think he would’ve gotten to the final three without breaking up the Tandang Trio. His plan now is to boot Abi and Pete, then at final six everyone say, “Game on.” What does that mean? There will still be alliances and idols and whatnot.

The next morning Abi and Lisa have a bit of a heart-to-heart. Lisa claims that she has never broken their alliance, but is open to breaking it in the future. Gotta give her points for honesty.

Abi doesn’t like that Lisa said that the others were nicer to her. Lisa brushes it off, saying she’d rather be sixth with people who don’t call her out at Tribal. Oh, snap…

Anyone else think Lisa and Denise are pioneering a new way to play this game with their pseudo hyper honesty? If it really is just a game, how can someone stay mad at you if you explain the moves you’ve made?

Reward Challenge Time: The tribes will be divided into two teams. They’ll race to flip drum symbols over so that they’re showing their team’s logo. Meanwhile, the player from the other tribe can flip their symbols back over. First tribe to get all three of their logos up wins a point. First tribe to three wins a spa vacation and a delicious meal.

One team is Skup, Penner, Denise, and Lisa while the other team is Carter, Abi, Malcolm, and Pete.

Round 1: Carter beats Penner.

Round 2: Skupin beats Malcolm when Malcolm forgot to flip one of their drums.

Round 3: Lisa beats Abi when Abi accidentally flipped the wrong drum. Although in her defense, this is like her first challenge ever.

Round 4: Pete beats Denise.

Round 5: Malcolm beats Skupin when Skup flips the wrong drum. Although in his defense, he’s lost a lot of blood.

In an awesome moment, Probst told Carter that he could use a pedicure. Carter looked at his hands and agreed. Jeff then reminded Carter that pedicures usually take place on a person’s feet. Give that man seventeen more Emmys!

At reward, everyone agrees to not discuss strategy. Malcolm initiated this plan because he doesn’t want to go to the final three with anyone he’s hanging out with. That’s smart too, because with two immunity idols between the four of them, they could try to talk him into making some trouble.

They return from the reward and Abi promptly tells everyone about what a wonderful time they had and how much they had eaten. This rubs the rest of Dangrayne the wrong way. She goes into great detail about how she feels like a peasant at camp and a princess at the reward.

The others comment about how she doesn’t have the best social graces. She doesn’t appreciate that and tells them that she won’t be cooking anymore. She informs them that she wants to eat, she just doesn’t want to cook. I gave my girlfriend that speech once. It did not turn out well.

The next day, Skup approaches Malcolm with his “Game on” plan. Malcolm would rather have a four-person voting block and take it to the end. You know, like everyone has done since Richard Hatch invented it 100 years ago.

Malcolm wants his four to include Skup, Lisa, and Denise. Skup goes to Lisa with this. What it boils down to for her is if she trusts Malcolm or Penner more. Lisa says she trusts Penner more. The irony in this is that she was the one to out Malcolm’s idol and break their alliance.

Skup and Lisa approach Penner about aligning with them, but he’s not ready to commit to it just yet. That might be a mistake.

Sure enough, Lisa thinks he missed an opportunity.

Next thing we see, Malcolm, Skup, Lisa, and Denise are shaking hands in the jungle. Game on, indeed.

Immunity Challenge Time: The players will maneuver a buoy on a rope through an obstacle. First five to get to the end will move on. They’ll then maneuver the buoy on a balance beam. First three to get to the end will move on. In the last bit, they’ll maneuver the buoy around a boat, around a platform, and back to the beach. First one to get back to the beach wins immunity.

Round One: Malcolm, Penner, Denise, Skup, and Carter advance. Gah…Pete needed this.

Round Two: Denise, Carter, and Skupin advance.

Round Three: It’s close between Carter and Skup, but Carter and his perfect toenails manage to win.

Welllllp…if it is six against two, they can split the vote between Abi and Pete and it won’t matter if she plays the idol.

Back at camp, Penner lays out the plan to split the vote. If Abi doesn’t play the idol and it’s a tie, they’ll vote for Abi. This always works out, right Tyson?

Abi and Pete decide to target Malcolm because he’s such a threat. They think Skup might flip because he’s easily swayed. Is swaying a way of hurting yourself? Cause if so, then Skup is super easily swayed.

Abi approaches Lisa with this new plan, but Lisa reminds her that they’re not in an alliance anymore. Carter and Penner aren’t buying into it either.

That night at Tribal Council, Malcolm admits that he’s more worried about staying in the game than jury management at this point.

Skup thinks the idol is a factor that you’re always thinking about.

Pete knows he’s slated for execution, but he’s hoping he swayed someone.

Abi regrets how she handled the last Tribal Council. She also thinks that the fact that English isn’t her first language could be working against her.

Denise disagrees because she knows plenty of people who don’t have English as a first language, and they’re fine. She just thinks Abi is a pain.

Abi is upset because Lisa won’t forgive her for not trusting her. That’s perfect for Lisa as she won’t be branded a liar or a backstabber for busting out of the Tandang alliance.

Denise thinks taking Abi to the end is an easy win if that’s how you want to play.

Jeff thinks that maybe Abi’s problems are cultural because she can’t read the social cues her tribemates are giving her.

Abi breaks down in tears. Denise tries to talk to her, but she isn’t letting her finish a sentence.

Voting Time: Abi votes for Malcolm…and that’s the only vote we get to see.

J-Pro tallies and returns. He asks if anyone wants to play an idol…and Abi does.

We’ve got three votes for Abi, one for Pete, one for Malcolm, one for Pete, one for Malcolm, and the eleventh person to leave “Survivor: Philippines” and the fourth member of the jury is…Pete.

Abi forgets her torch on the way out. The question is; did she forget it, or does she want to have a torch, she just doesn’t want to carry it around?

Verdict: Pete going home was not a shocker. I’m assuming Abi’s done next week. So, maybe next week will be snoozer, but I can’t wait till we hit the final six. This season is easily the best thing since “Heroes vs. Villains.”

Who’s Going to Win: Malcolm, Skup, Lisa, and Denise are a respectable final four. Of them, Denise is your winner if she gets to the final Tribal.

Power Rankings Results: Kat and I both thought Pete was a dead engineer/model walking, so we both had him in the eighth slot. So, the current score is Team Kat: 116, Team Awesome Thunder: 118.

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

Tags:jeff probst, jonathan penner, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in RealityTV, survivor, TV News | Comments Off on ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Recap: Here’s a Fact of Life; Don’t Cross Lisa Whelchel

‘Survivor: Philippines’ Castaway Artis Silvester: ‘I Did Not Like Abi’

November 15, 2012

Artis Silvester and Jeff Probst (CBS)

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

I figured I’d be speaking to Jonathan “Normal” Penner this morning. It seemed like a done deal that Tandang would stick together and start picking of the remnants of Matsing and Kalabaw.

I didn’t see it coming. But, Artis did.

I spoke with the Artis Silvester the morning after his elimination to get his thoughts on his alliance with Abi and Pete, how he knew his number was up, and the player that he has a personal problem with…

Gordon Holmes: You tweeted a couple of minutes ago that your whole story wasn’t out there. Well, here’s your chance; what’s the whole story?
Artis Silvester: (Laughs) What I meant by that is my alignment with Pete was a genuine one. The fact that Abi was there probably aided the public perception of me being this horrible, angry person. When I actually had the time of my life.
Holmes: That leads nicely into my next question. You seemed like a delightful fellow in the pre-game interview. What I saw on TV was much different. When I talked to RC she said she wasn’t a fan of Artis in the game, but Artis in real life is a good guy.
Silvester: (Laughs)
Holmes: So, was your portrayal accurate?
Silvester: Well…yes. But in the game things happen. People start doing things. From a physical and a mental standpoint, I knew what I was getting in to. I was prepared to go days without eating and days without sleeping. I was ready for the backstabbing. The problem I had is that we didn’t have to do any of that this season. We really didn’t. A lot of the going off and talking, a lot of the early gameplay was absolutely unnecessary for our tribe. We should have had a vacation all the way through to the merge. But, in order for that to happen we had to stop playing so early. And that was drawing lines in the sand. We were dividing ourselves early and there was no need for that.

Holmes: One of the “Survivor” 101 rules is to keep the people in the bottom of your alliance happy so they won’t flip. But, when Tandang was dominating the early challenges, you guys were still ostracizing RC and Skupin.
Silvester: Let me clear something up. I did not like Abi. Abi was this baggage that I had to take in my alliance with Pete. The problem is when you get in a situation like that and people see people going off and talking, playing the game that early, you pretty much draw a line in the sand. I didn’t go out and make an alliance with anyone. I got approached by the alliance that I was in. At no point in time did I think that our tribe should have been dissolved, even with my distaste for one of the numbers.

Holmes: I thought Penner was a goner last night. Were you as shocked as I was?
Silvester: No. That’s the biggest thing, I was never blindsided. I had ran the scenario that night and prior to Tribal Council. I said to myself, “The logical thing is, they’d gone after Pete twice, and now they’re going to come after me.” There was only one person that I had to convince to stay with me, that would ensure me advancement. There was only way I was going home.
Holmes: So, when you were making the long walk, you knew it was Skupin.
Silvester: When the names started coming up I was looking for that one vote in that one handwriting. And if you watch it, at that point in time that’s where I put my head down and I knew I didn’t do a good enough job in convincing that person to stay with me. But no, I was not blindsided.

Holmes: Let’s get into some word association. We’ll start with Pete.
Silvester: Frat brat. (Laughs)
Holmes: Abi?
Silvester: Abi is unbelievably crazy.
Holmes: Penner?
Silvester: Brilliant.
Holmes: Carter?
Silvester: Gullible.
Holmes: Denise?
Silvester: Fantastic. I love Denise.
Holmes: Malcolm?
Silvester: (Laughs) Smart, got a good game…likable.
Holmes: Lisa?
Silvester: I like Lisa. Lisa wants to be…how can I put this…she’s very persuadable because she’s a fan of the game and she wants to play the game. But, she listens to too many people.
Holmes: Let’s finish with Skupin.
Silvester: Oh my goodness. I’m not going to comment on that one.
Holmes: That’s not how this works.
Silvester: (Laughs) Ohhhh…I want to comment on that one. I have a problem with Mike and it’s a personal vendetta and Mike knows what he did. I do not like to talk about people behind their back. I have a very personal problem with Mike. I’m amazed with how he’s proceeded.
Holmes: Normally when two people have issues in this game, it’s specifically about the game. How is this different? Is it deeper?
Silvester: Yes, yes it is. I can understand anybody’s gameplay. Gameplay is fine. But, when you start dealing with things on a personal level. Like I don’t like you on a personal level, I’m not going to candy coat it and hide it. I’ll confront you about it in case I was wrong, and in this instance, I was not wrong.
Holmes: I find that surprising. I’ve spoken with Skupin on several occasions and he’s always had a reputation for being a likable guy.
Silvester: That’s all it is is a reputation.
Holmes: So, what did he do that rubbed you the wrong way?
Silvester: Actually, I can’t comment on that.
Holmes: Fair enough. The mind races…

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

Tags:artis silvester, jeff probst, jonathan penner, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in RealityTV, survivor, TV News | Comments Off on ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Castaway Artis Silvester: ‘I Did Not Like Abi’

‘Survivor: Philippines’ Recap – Don’t Trust Abi in Apartment 23

November 14, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

Set Your DVR to Record “Survivor: Philippines”

Last Week: Pete made an error when he believed Malcolm didn’t have an idol, Lisa called a Tribal Council change-up, Penner threw a brushback at Abi, and Skupin’s checked swing resulted in former NL MVP Jeff Kent being thrown out.

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
Lisa – Former ‘Facts of Life’ Star, 49
Malcolm – Bartender, 25
Michael – Professional Speaker, Author, and Coach, 50
Penner – Writer, 50
Pete – Engineering Graduate, 24

We meet up with some shell-shocked Dangrayners after Tribal. Michael is amazed because he thinks Lisa’s move was done solely to save him. I think the move was made so Lisa can go to the end with the hated AMAP alliance (Abi-Maria, Artis, Pete).

True to form, Abi-Maria chews out Michael for voting for her even though he didn’t. Penner steps up and admits that he was the sole Abi vote. Love me some Penner.

Carter breaks down the vote math and Penner realizes that he blew it for the non-Tandangers. Doh… And here we were all thinking Penner was an evil genius.

Later, Malcolm and Lisa kiss and make-up. Lisa feels bad about breaking her word and is super appreciative toward Malcolm for being so gracious. She then busts out a solid Sugar impersonation and starts crying.

The next morning, Penner tries to get in good with Lisa. He pulls some serious psychological mojo and starts digging into her past. He’s reading her like an immunity clue. It makes sense, though. The dude’s probably been dealing with actresses for a long time.

Lisa lets us know that she spent her whole life being “Little Miss Perfect” and it’ll be tough for her to be judged by others if she hasn’t done the right thing. Wait, isn’t there a thing at the end of this show where people are judged…

Reward Challenge Time: The tribe will be split into two teams. One player from each team will run through a muddy obstacle course. They’ll then dig through the mud looking for a bag of balls. From there they have to crawl through a bin of rice. Once the tribe has four bags of balls, they’ll have to shoot them into a basket. First tribe to get all twelve of the balls into the basket wins a trip to a local village where they’ll deliver school supplies and toys to the kids.

Quick Aside: Aww…yay. I always like when “Survivor” does this. It’s been too long.

The villagers will then hold a feast for the winners.

Looks like we’ve got Skupin, Artis, Lisa, and Pete (the yellow team) vs. Penner, Carter, Denise, and Malcolm (the red team). Nobody picked Abi? What’s the opposite of surprising?

Actually, I kind of hate that someone doesn’t get a chance for reward because they weren’t picked. They should do the thing where they let her bet on the winner.

We get started and Penner decides to dig up all four of his tribe’s bags. That’s different. We’ll see if it works.

Sure enough, the person after Penner, (Carter) finds the bag super quickly. Their team now has a huge lead.

All four of the red members get through in record time and have sunk ten balls before the yellow team has shot their first one. Yellow stages a bit of a comeback, but it’s way too late. The red team wins reward.

Later, we meet up with the Kalasing alliance as they’re greeted by the villagers. There’s an adorable moment where Jonathan introduces himself to some kids. They say “Jonathan.” Then he says that his name is normal in the United States. They respond, “Normal.”

Strategy is discussed during the feast. They want to try to get Skupin back on board. I think that’s a dumb move for Skupin. His goal has got to be getting to the end with Abi-Maria and Pete.

Back at camp, Pete is frustrated that he’s forced to work with Skupin. That’s why you’ve got to be nice to the people on the bottom of your alliance. At some point you’ll need them.

Abi tries to butter up Lisa by saying that Lisa is just “gullible” and “naïve.” Wait, what’s the opposite of buttering someone up?

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will balance an oversized paddle. They’ll then try to roll a ball down the paddle and into a hole. They have to do this six times. First person to have six balls in place at the same time wins immunity.

Umm…this looks impossible. Challenge Producer and “Survivor” Hall of Fame Executive Voting Committee member John Kirhoffer is a sick man.

I take it back, Skupin managed to pull this off. He got all six while most people didn’t even have one. And he didn’t break his neck in the process.

Politicking around camp seems to center around Tandang targeting Penner and Penner scrambling to find any way out of this mess.

Skup lets Malcolm know how awesome it is to be safe. This is followed immediately by Abi accidentally clubbing Skup in the head with a coconut.

OK, not that I’m glad to see Skup get hurt, but it’s nice to get to break this out again…

The Kalasing alliance is going to target Artis because they think Abi would never give him the idol. How do they even know she has the idol? Oh wait, she showed them for no apparent reason.

Penner goes back to work on Lisa, and gets all meta on us as he asks her what story this season of “Survivor” will tell about her. He thinks the audience won’t be pleased that she’s helping the AMAP alliance. So smart.

That night at Tribal Council, Lisa is thrilled that she was respected for her gameplay by the people she turned against.

Lisa also says the people she turned on were much more graceful than Abi has been. Uh-oh. If looks could kill, Abi’s eyes would have just smacked Lisa with 100 coconuts.

Some guy named Artis isn’t surprised Tandang is still together because of how strong they are.

Denise thinks it’s a risk to think Tandang will stick together.

Artis doesn’t think he’s safe, he knows he can be blindsided like anyone else. Famous last (and first) words?

Skup and his glittering, mystery shoulder wound were both very grateful for Lisa’s move last week.

Lisa doesn’t think she can play the game without getting emotionally involved.

Abi is worried that Tandang doesn’t have the numbers, specifically calling out Lisa. Oh man, Pete’s hating her right now. RC on the other hand is finding all of this hilarious.

Voting Time: Pete votes for Penner (and gives him mad props), Denise votes for Artis, and the rest of the votes aren’t shown.

“Survivor” Hall of Fame Executive Voting Committee member Jeff Probst tallies and returns. We’ve got one vote for Artis, one vote for Penner, one vote for Artis, three votes for Penner, two votes for Artis, and the tenth person to leave “Survivor: Philippines” and the third member of the jury is…Artis.

Whoa! Looks like Skup was the flipper.

Verdict: This season has been on fire since the merge. Between Lisa, Malcolm, Denise, and Penner you have four serious strategists. Skup’s one of my all-time faves. Abi is an awesome villain. Pete’s the straw that stirs the drink, and Carter has an appealing physique and is allowed to talk occasionally.

Who’s Going to Win: Lisa? Right? No wait…Malcolm still has the idol. But Penner just won’t die. Sorry…no…Denise is a champ…

Power Rankings Results: Kat had Artis in spot seven while I had him in spot six. So, the current score is Team Kat: 108, Team Awesome Thunder: 110.

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

‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings: Round Eight

November 14, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

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?

Tags:jeff probst, jonathan penner, kat edorsson, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in RealityTV, survivor, TV News | Comments Off on ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings: Round Eight

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

November 8, 2012

Jeff Kent (CBS)

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

Tags:jeff kent, jeff probst, jonathan penner, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in General, RealityTV, survivor, TV News | Comments Off on ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Castaway Jeff Kent: ‘I’m So Bitter and ****ed Off’

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

November 7, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

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

Tags:jeff kent, jeff probst, jonathan penner, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in RealityTV, survivor, TV News | Comments Off on ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Recap: Lisa Whelchel, Master Manipulator?!

‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings: Round Seven

November 6, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

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.

Tags:jeff kent, jeff probst, jonathan penner, kat edorsson, Lisa Whelchel, michael skupin, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in General, RealityTV, survivor, TV News | Comments Off on ‘Survivor: Philippines’ Power Rankings: Round Seven

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