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‘Survivor’ Castaway Corinne Kaplan: Phillip ‘Has an Extremely Low I.Q.’

April 4, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

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

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I am freakishly good at “Survivor.”

From the comfort of my couch I know exactly what I’ll do, who I’ll align with, which challenges I’ll win, and everything else on the path to a sweet million-dollar check. I think smiling and nodding while Phillip goes about his antics would be an easy price to pay for a place in the dominant alliance.

But like many things in life, it’s easier said than done.

Corinne Kaplan learned the hard way that putting up with Mr. Sheppard’s whims on a twenty-four hour basis is much harder than sitting on my couch. I spoke to her the morning after her elimination and asked about trusting Dawn, liking Brandon, and tolerating Phillip…

Gordon Holmes: My girl got voted out last night.
Corinne Kaplan: (Laughs) I know.
Holmes: Anger.
Kaplan: Tell me about it.
Holmes: So, it seemed like a total blindside. Is that accurate?
Kaplan: Yeah, I definitely knew something was up at Tribal because you get a feeling that something’s not right. That’s why I gave that Mike Tyson quote because I wanted to make it known that I understand that it’s possible that I was going home.
Holmes: When Phillip was talking about splitting the vote, was that a better opportunity to make something happen? He thinks he has four for Reynold and four for Eddie when in reality you could have had five for Phillip.
Kaplan: Here’s the problem; my little alliance of Malcolm, Eddie, Reynold, and Michael, none of them are actually playing the game at that point. Nobody’s talking to anyone. I’m having to deal with everyone else. Dawn’s coming to me with her problems, Cochran’s coming to me with his problems. At first they wanted Michael out and you know how I feel about Micheal. That wasn’t happening.
Holmes: Wait, how do you feel about Michael?
Kaplan: (Laughs) Worship him.
Holmes: Got it.
Kaplan: So then they decide to take out one of the big guys, Reynold or Eddie. So, one of them will have to play the idol. And, it’s not so easy when they want to split the votes and you have to talk to people who aren’t that accessible to you to reorganize everybody. And I really thought we needed the idol. But I thought I could make a decent case for Sherri and that way we’d have two idols. Reynold had told me he had the idol. I guess it’s getting greedy, but I pitched the Sherri story. And I was aware that it was possible that we’d have to split the votes, which is hard. You’ve got to get people alone. You’ve got to explain what’s going on. It’s complicated.

Holmes: I’ve interviewed Phillip a few times and I get that he’s an interesting fellow. As I’m watching the show I’m thinking if you play along with his nicknames and his eccentricities that you’d have the perfect person to take to the end of the game. What happened to you two where you couldn’t put up with the Dominatrix business anymore?
Kaplan: Here’s the problem; I was putting up with his (expletive deleted) for a long time. I did go along with the stupid names and the organization. But, he got a little too much bravado and he’d make decisions. He has an extremely low IQ as you can tell by him mispronouncing every word over five letters long. And he started commanding us to do what he wanted us to do. It’s fine when he’s a crazy person in the corner, and he’s in his pink panties and he’s giving people’s names. But when he starts calling shots it’s hard. He’s very difficult to reel in. He starts affecting your gameplay, so he’s not an easy person to take along. He’s making decisions and they’re horrible ones.

Holmes: The last two weeks we’ve learned that the best three ways to spread secrets are telephone, telegraph, tell-a-Dawn.
Kaplan: (Laughs)
Holmes: Buh-dum-dum. Did you not know until last night that she was the one who outted you?
Kaplan: I had an idea. I have to tell you, Malcolm was my alliance because I loved him from the beginning, but Dawn was my very best friend. When I say that I spent every minute with Dawn, I did. We were extremely close. My family and friends were all like “Why?! Why?!”
Holmes: (Laughs)
Kaplan: But I was in an alliance with Dawn. And you saw it where she cries a lot. I love her, but she’s not terribly stable as a person. She’s constantly insecure with her position. She started to freak out. She talks to me all the time. She talks to Cochran, but not as much, which is why I didn’t know they were as close as they were. When she was upset I was the one that talked her down. I was trying to talk her off a ledge, and I said, “Look, worst case scenario we can always flip.” And it was always “We.” I’m not doing anything without her. I said, “Here are some options.” And she doesn’t like Phillip either. And when I’m telling her this story, I was saying hypothetically. Cochran burned her her first season, so I’m thinking she’s not going to trust Cochran over me. And if I have no other redeeming qualities, the one thing I am is loyal. I felt like it was safe to talk to her, I thought it’d make her feel better. And I didn’t feel like Malcolm had Erik on lock, because clearly he didn’t. And without Erik, I thought we needed Dawn. I wasn’t playing for Tribal, I was playing for the long game. I had no idea Dawn would sell me out. It was hard mentally for me to take, and I’m a very strong person mentally. I don’t get attached to a lot of people, but I was really attached to Dawn. She really was my best friend.

Holmes: I wanted to get your take on Brandon’s meltdown. We’ve heard from him, we’ve heard from fans, but you’re the first favorite I’ve had a chance to talk to.
Kaplan: Apparently Brandon doesn’t like me, but I liked Brandon. If I was younger, maybe not as mentally there, I would have had the same meltdown. Phillip was driving me just as crazy. I’m smarter about the way I handled it, but I sympathize with Brandon. But, he’s got the Hantz in him, so he doesn’t want to just be voted out. And mind you, if our whole team was intact, we would have beaten them in that challenge. Nobody would’ve gone home, then they would’ve shuffled the tribes. So, when the meltdown happened, I was the closest person to him when he started spilling the rice. I’m seeing him do this and in my head, I thought once you destroyed the camp you get out of the game, you’ve screwed your whole game up. I never felt physically threatened and I think it’s embarrassing for Phillip, he said he slept with one eye open, it wasn’t like that at all. Brandon’s a sweet kid. He actually cries a lot. It wasn’t nearly as dangerous as they’re making it seem.

Holmes: After Gabon you set the bar for the word association. Let’s see how you do this time. We’ll start with some dude named Malcolm.
Kaplan: Aww…adoration. I love him. He’s like a little brother to me.
Holmes: Would you love him more if he was gay?
Kaplan: Of course. That’s the sprinkles on the sundae.
Holmes: So there’s a likability ceiling for heterosexuals, but homosexuals know no bounds.
Kaplan: Yes!
Holmes: Dawn?
Kaplan: Fraudulent.
Holmes: Cochran?
Kaplan: I thought he was gay for a while there. Apparently he’s not. He’s a weasel.
Holmes: Eddie?
Kaplan: Always the pretty ones who are dumb. I love Eddie, too.
Holmes: Reynold?
Kaplan: He’s like a Disney prince.
Holmes: Sherri?
Kaplan: Oh…I have nothing in common with her. Annoying?
Holmes: Brenda?
Kaplan: Who?
Holmes: Touche. Erik?
Kaplan: Vacant…useless.
Holmes: Some guy named Michael?
Kaplan: (Laughs) My savior.
Holmes: Phillip?
Kaplan: I say this to my friends all the time, and I hope this isn’t too harsh, but I call him the living miscarriage. He shouldn’t have been born.
Holmes: We’ll finish with Andrea.
Kaplan: Insecure.

Holmes: When I said, “Sherri,” you dropped. I have no read on her. Can you help me out there?
Kaplan: All I know about Sherri is she is very annoying. She never stops talking. Kind of like Susie (Smith) from my season.  And I knew she was an uber fan because she named her kid Colby after Colby (Donaldson). But, when watching the show back it looks like she’s strategizing and making moves. She’s talking so much all the time, we used to fight over who gets to sleep next to her, because you want to sleep but she doesn’t shut up. Eddie and Reynold hate her. As soon as we got out there they were like, “She’s the worst! Thirty minutes into this merge you will hate her as much as we do.”

Holmes: Last night Probst said, “the ninth person voted out…” and I’m saying “and…and?!”
Kaplan: I looked up at him and said, “Am I not on the jury?” And he said, “No.” And that’s when I started to really spin out. The whole time I just wanted to make the jury, and that is embarrassing. It just sucked.
Holmes: Agreed.

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

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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Episode Recap: My Favorite Mistake

April 3, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

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

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Last Week: Gota kept stomping challenges like a caffeine-fueled Godzilla, Phillip and Corinne’s disagreement was becoming an alliance killa, and Baskin Robbins is down to 30 flavors because Bikal finished off vanilla.

39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

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

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

The post-Tribal festivities kick off with everyone congratulating Michael for getting to stick around. Well, that’s unique. Congrats on being the dude we decided to vote off last.

Corinne, however, is ecstatic that she gets to keep her new BFF. I find it endearing that she can’t talk about him without mentioning how much she loves his homosexuality.

Phillip pulls Dawn and Corinne aside to let them know that he threw last episode’s challenge. However, Dawn and Corinne don’t believe him because they have functioning brains in their heads.

He then claims that he made the call to throw the challenge during the actual challenge. I love that. It reminds me of when people used to ask “Macho Man” Randy Savage if wrestling was fake. He’d say something along the lines of, “When I win it’s real and when I lose I’m taking a dive.”

Quick Aside: If you hate this recap, it’s because I wanted you to.

The next morning, Dawn is a little worried because her game fell apart the last time there was a merge. This is totally different, Dawn. In “South Pacific” you were in an alliance with Cochran…oh wait…

Over at Gota beach a big ol’ boat shows up with a note and a key. The note says to gather all their business because they’re going on a trip to Mergeville: Population 12.

The boat takes the Gotians to Bikalia. The new tribe ponders their tribe name during the merge feast and comes up with “Enil Edam” which supposedly means “new beginning.” Malcolm lets us know that that’s a fib, it’s actually his mom’s name backwards.

Oh man, dude loves his mom. No wonder Twitter is all goofy for him.

Quick Aside: As terrible as the tribe’s name is, the flag looks amazing. Kudos to Erik and his painting skills. My question? What’s with Michael signing it in the middle of the mural? I’d vote him out right there.

Later, Phillip pulls Andrea aside to let her know what time it is. He wants Corinne gone soon because he thinks she’ll side with the fans. All the fans aren’t gay, Phillip.

Corinne and Malcolm discuss strategy and they’re pretty sure they have Eddie, Reynold, Erik, and Michael on their side. They decide to go for Sherri first, to give them a 5-to-6 advantage, then blindside Phillip.

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will EAT GROSS STUFF!

Quick Note: Every time I see Challenge Producer John Kirhoffer, I bug him about the lack of “eat gross stuff” challenges in recent seasons. I’d like to think this challenge is something of a belated Valentine to me.

Another Quick Note: Now if I could just get them to toss the immunity necklaces in exchange for an immunity championship belt. Yes, I know I complain about this every season.

Round One: Andrea, Sherri, Corinne, Erik, Eddie, and Malcolm have to eat two live beetle larva. Somewhere Gervase is smiling. The first three to finish are Andrea, Malcolm, and Eddie.

Round Two: Phillip, Reynold, Dawn, Cochran, Brenda, and Michael have to eat the same thing. And…Cochran kills it! He’s done in like two seconds. We’ve found his gift. Phillip and Michael also advance.

Round Three: Andrea, Malcolm, Eddie, Cochran, Phillip, and Michael have to eat shipworms, which are apparently something weird from the clam family. It’s pretty gross. I’m pretty psyched. Malcolm, Eddie, and Cochran advance.

Fun Fact: Andrea with a shipworm residue mustache isn’t nearly as endearing as when she had cake smeared all over her face during “Redemption Island.”

Round Four: Eddie, Malcolm, and Cochran have to eat a balut, you know, that weird embryo thing. The best part is Eddie saying, “Why?” Cochran tears through it again! Malcolm also advances.

Final Round: Cochran and Malcolm will have to eat pig brains. And…Cochran does it again! Cochran wins immunity! He’s going to Wrestlemania!

Back at camp, Phillip wants to split the vote between Eddie and Reynold in case there’s an idol. Corinne would rather target Sherri (like she discussed with Malcolm). Phillip doesn’t like this idea because he wants to make a statement.

Cochran doesn’t care who goes home, but he doesn’t like that Corinne and Phillip are at each others’ throats.

Later, Corinne tells Dawn that she’s sick of Phillip being Phillip and she wants him gone. Uh-oh…that didn’t work out so well for whatshername last week.

CUT TO: Dawn telling Cochran what Corinne is up to.

The remnants of Stealth R Us Too discuss what to do about Corinne’s gross misuse of company time. Their plan is to outsource votes from Erik and Sherri. Sherri likes the idea of not going home, but can’t stand Phillip. While Erik is excited to be a part of two teams’ plans.

That night at Tribal Council, Michael thinks a fan will probably be going home.

Corinne doesn’t think the fans should feel helpless. If someone comes to her with a good idea, she’ll listen. Her alliance must love hearing that.

Reynold thinks there are eight favorites and they can’t all be on top. Good point.

Andrea is more paranoid this time because everyone is good at lying.

Sherri thinks the fans don’t have a shot. Wow…Negative Nancy…

Reynold doesn’t think the vote will be a big shocker, but he thinks some shockers are on their way.

Voting Time: Phillip votes for Corinne, Corinne votes for Sherri, Andrea votes for Corinne, Michael votes for Sherri, and the rest of the votes have gotsta wait for tallying.

JPro tallies and returns, we’ve got five votes for Sherri, six votes for Corinne, and the ninth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites” is…Corinne.

“Boooo!”

Verdict: “Boooooooooooooo!” I love me some Corinne. And Probst didn’t say she was a member of the jury. “Boo” a third time.

The thing is; the vote wasn’t a shocker. Either Phillip or Corinne had to go. Maybe the big takeaway from all of this is that Malcolm isn’t as smooth as he thinks he is. He was pretty sure Erik was on his side.

Who’s Going to Win? I’ve been picking Erik, and he’s in good shape, but is he savvy enough to know when to make a move? Cochran’s the one who’s killing it right now.

Power Rankings Results: Mr. Skupin and I called it. We both had Corinne in spot twelve. So, the current score is Team Skupin 95, Team Lightning Punch 115.

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

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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings: Merge Edition

April 2, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

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

The Rules: Each week Michael and Gordon will create separate Power Rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the two players will earn. For example, if Dawn is voted out this week, Michael will receive 9 points and Gordon will receive 4 points. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings champion!

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

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

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

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

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

Michael’s Current Score: 83

Any advice for Michael? Drop him a line on Twitter: @mikeskupin

Gordon’s Current Score: 103

Any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
 1. Brenda: If Brenda was auditioning for “Dancing with the Stars,” she may have gotten their attention.  We didn’t see much of her other than her shake and shimmy on the bench as the Gota tribe brought home the bacon. Although it’s subtle, I bet she’s is making very strong bonds out there.
  1. Malcolm: Welcome to the merge, Mr. Freberg. As you well know, this is the point in the game where physical strength becomes a strategic weakness. However, I’m not worried about you, because you have several options alliance-wise and you have an immunity idol stashed in your buff.
 2. Malcolm: Malcolm revives the “Rooster Alliance” that backfired on Matt, Mike, and Jay on season 24 “One World.” He invites the unsuspecting Reynold, Eddie, and Erik.  Although I’m not ultra optimistic, let’s see if it works this time.
  2. Cochran: You know who’s quietly having the best game so far? Cochran. (Well, the fact that I wrote that question in Cochran’s blurb was probably a giveaway.) Corinne and Phillip are dying to make the wrong moves by turning on each other, but Cochran keeps calmly steering them back in the right direction. He’s like Parvati in that his first season was decent, but his follow-up is awesome.
 3. Andrea: Andrea, while enjoying the feast that resulted in a reward win, was fattening up the calves for slaughter. And while it appears many of the “winners” took a break from the game, she never stops playing.  3. Reynold: I like Reynold. I enjoyed our pre-game interview, he’s a super nice guy. I just don’t think “Survivor” is for him. The faves are going to chew him up. But, he still has an idol, so he’s safe for now.

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

  5. Reynold: I can’t believe I have you this high up. You’re smart and athletic but you’re letting everyone play their game.  You’re likely a leader in life, but you better step up soon or I believe you’ll experience the same fate the other fans will at the hands of the more experienced players. Your ONE trump card (the hidden immunity idol), you exposed to one of the games most strategic players…because you like him or because he looks like you?
  5. Andrea:  Andrea could be like Dawn and Cochran. She’s someone who shouldn’t create drama, she should react to it. But, I think she feels some pressure to make moves because of the coattail rider tag she received during “Redemption Island.” Let the Corinnes and Phillips cause trouble for now.
 6. Eddie: You’re still in the boys c ride but you’re certainly at the bottom of it.  It doesn’t look like you’re making any new friends but I don’t see you making any enemies either.
  6. Erik: I don’t know how Erik does it, but people still treat him like an adorable kid five years after Micronesia.  That isn’t a bad place to be in. Keep up the cookie naps, my friend. Nobody wants to vote out their little brother.
 7. Sherri: Winning gives her a break in the game. Unless she can make a big move, the Rooster Alliance will likely determine how long she uses a coconut for a pillow.
   7. Brenda: Is it possible that people have forgotten that Brenda is ridiculously smart? The cheering Brenda we saw at the reward challenge isn’t anything like the cool customer we saw in Nicaragua. If so, kudos to her. She might make a good swing vote down the line.
 8. Cochran: His name has still never come up. It appears like he’s everyone’s sounding board out there when they want to vent.  So far, that’s a very safe spot. His tribe is slowly dying while Gota is becoming stronger every day out there.  A merge couldn’t happen soon enough for his game.
  8. Sherri: I don’t know if anyone needed this merge as much as Sherri did. If the guys were going to call the shots at Gota, she would’ve been the next to go.
 9. Dawn: If she can prevent WW3 between Phillip and Corinne, she can bring what’s left of the favorites alliance back together and salvage the old team. Now that she has her emotions under control, her game has been flawless.
  9. Michael: Cochran had a good point last week when he said that Corinne wanting to be your buddy could be bad for you. Not because Corinne isn’t hilarious, but because breaking up couples seems to be the order of the day this season. However, now that the faves are back together, they can all discuss what to do about this newsome twosome. (I’m aware that “newsome” isn’t a word.)
 10. Phillip: You did throw a challenge, you’d never throw a challenge, you did throw a challenge… if confusing us is your strategy, you’re succeeding! Although the physical part of the game is beginning to take its toll, because of your secret agent training you’re still a challenge threat.  You handed Julia a golden egg and she dropped it. Play nice with Corinne and you could enjoy many more sunsets out there.   
   10. Eddie: Everybody likes Eddie. And why wouldn’t they? He’s a good guy. But, he’s also the buffest dude on the beach and that’s bad news after a merge.
 11. Michael: Your “long strand of hell” continues…as does your ”Denise-like” streak of surviving Tribal Councils. Your new “friendship without benefits” with Corinne may have been your undoing. Please stop forgetting you’re playing “Survivor” for a million bucks here, brother!
   11. Phillip: It looks like finishing up the Phillip/Corinne feud might take precedence over getting rid of the remaining fans. I don’t know which way they’re going to go, but I know I’d much rather sit in front of a jury with Phillip than with Corinne.
 12. Corinne: Telegraphing alliances without disclose were Phillip’s words and the advice of every former player. Let Phillip bury himself and stay solid with Cochran and Dawn if you want to keep waking up with crabs in your curls.
   12. Corinne: Corinne said that people think Phillip is running things because the other faves put up with his silliness. Will they put up with his silliness if it involves getting rid of Corinne? Who knows? We already know Andrea is up for it.

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‘Survivor’ Castaway Julia: ‘My Nickname Should Be…’Thrilla Vanilla”

April 2, 2013

Julia Landauer (CBS)

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

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Another Quick Note: This week’s exit interview was delayed due to some scheduling conflicts. Special thanks to Julia and CBS for making this work out.

Gordon Holmes: OK, since we’re doing this late, I’ll let you pick the question you’re sick of answering and I promise not to ask it.
Julia Landauer: (Laughs) OK…you know what? I’m OK with whatever you’ve got.
Holmes: That’s the spirit.

Holmes: Obviously you knew it was you or Michael going home. Did you think it was a chance it wouldn’t be you?
Landauer: I thought there was a very slim chance it would be Michael. I was getting vibes throughout the day that Phillip may or may not keep his word about taking me under his wing. I wasn’t feeling great about that, so I tried to suck up. But if not, I tried to make a move and I knew that if it didn’t work there’d be a 99.9% chance that I was going home. But, I thought that was better than risking going out completely under the radar.
Holmes: So, what we saw with you and Dawn, that was after you thought Phillip wasn’t going to keep his word?
Landauer: Yes. If I had felt confident that Phillip was going to take me with him, I probably wouldn’t have gone to Dawn, but I was not feeling good about that.
Holmes: What was Phillip doing that had you doubting him?
Landauer: I saw him very purposefully take Michael aside in front of me. He wasn’t talking with me very much. That was pretty unsettling.
Holmes: Are you bummed that you can’t use “Stealth R Us Intern” on any future resumes?
Landauer: It’s unfortunate, but I asked Twitter what my nickname should be, and my favorite was “Thrilla Vanilla.”

Holmes: Speaking of, what goes through your mind when you see Cochran, who I assume you were on good terms with out there, call you “Vanilla”?
Landauer: Not only did he call me “Vanilla,” but he went on for days. I was impressed he could keep going for that long. It sucked, there’s nothing fun about that. I thought we’d gotten along OK on the island. He’s a great “Survivor” player, but he’s not the most engaging person in person either. I was surprised that it came from him, I could understand it from Corinne or maybe Phillip.
Holmes: You’re a race car driver, which takes some serious muscle. When you see Cochran at the reunion, are you going to take his lunch money?
Landauer: That’s a mystery that we’ll all have to wait for, won’t we?
Holmes: Playing close to the vest.
Landauer: I can’t have him come prepared, can I?
Holmes: Smart. Actually, I’m a little disappointed that you two didn’t bond over your horrific sunburns.
Landauer: Seriously! But we did bond, we bonded over sunburns. We bonded over the Beatles, we sang the Beatles. It was really dorky.
Holmes: Sounds like it.
Landauer: That’s why it was surprising that he was so aggressive with his “Vanilla.” I wonder if he was really proud that he came up with that. It seemed very rehearsed.

Holmes: The week before, you approached Michael and Matt in the woods and proposed voting for Dawn. Matt claims you never tried to get a fourth vote to send Dawn home. Is that accurate, or did he miss it?
Landauer: I was looking around, but it became pretty clear that there were no cracks in the favorites.

Holmes: I’m not a huge fan of swaps because it can punish people who have been playing good games. I think you fall into the category because it seemed like you were close with the majority at Gota.
Landauer: You’re right, if we hadn’t had the swap, Eddie and Reynold were next on the chopping block. We could have come into the merge with a very cool, solid alliance from day one. The game would’ve been completely different, but there are so many things that could’ve made the game completely different, that it’s not fair to speculate on that.
Holmes: Michael Skupin was telling me that his tribe had a set plan in case of a tribe swap. Had Gota discussed what to do if that happened?
Landauer: I was not under the impression that we’d prepared for a swap. We thought it was a possibility that something could happen. But we were going to try to get as much information as possible from the other tribe and try to come back to Gota. But, being newbies it was probably hard for us to get out stuff together and take that really strategic approach that the favorites have because they’ve played before.

Holmes: We didn’t get to see very much of you in the early going. Was there anything we missed that you wished they would’ve shown?
Landauer: Yeah, but not really big moves because I don’t think of pre-merge as a big-move time. I did a lot of talking with Michael and Matt about who to vote off and I don’t think I got a fair representation of being in control or at least partially in control of the Gota tribe, which I was. I wish that would have been shown. And hard work around camp. In general we’re not seeing a lot of camp life this season. People question why I stayed around so long, but your contributions around camp are a determining factor.

Holmes: Alright, word association. Let’s start with Corinne.
Landauer: Mean.
Holmes: Dawn?
Landauer: Weird.
Holmes: Phillip?
Landauer: Outrageous.
Holmes: Micheal?
Landauer: Savvy.
Holmes: Reynold?
Landauer: A tool.
Holmes: Sherri?
Landauer: Quiet.
Holmes: Shamar?
Landauer: Too much.
Holmes: And let’s finish with Cochran.
Landauer: Sunburned vanilla.

Holmes: “Weird” for Dawn?
Landauer: I’d seen her in her first season and she wasn’t quite matching up with that. Also, she would get really emotional at times and then really cutthroat at other times. I just found that combination kind of weird.

Holmes: When you were being vetted for Stealth R Us, Phillip said he was drawn to people who lead extraordinary lives. Did you take a lot from this “Survivor” experience or was it just another chapter in an extraordinary life?
Landauer: I think this experience forced me to grow up in a way I haven’t had to yet. I have very limited real world experience, I’ve been a student my whole life and a race car driver. I don’t have a lot of experience with people who aren’t trustworthy. I think “Survivor” forced me to get tougher and have a stiff upper lip. You know, just get tougher skin. I think “Survivor” will make me a little stronger in being able to approach the real world.

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

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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Episode Recap: War in Bikal

March 27, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

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

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

39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brenda will sit out for Gota.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sherri will sit for Gota.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Voting Time: No votes are shown.

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

Voting Time Again: No votes are shown.

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

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

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

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

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

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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings: Dragon Slayer Edition!

March 26, 2013

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

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

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

The Rules: Each week Michael and Gordon (or his designated pinch hitter) will create separate Power Rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the two players will earn. For example, if Dawn is voted out this week, Michael will receive 8 points and Gordon’s team will receive 6 points. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings champion!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Michael’s Current Score: 71

Any advice for Michael? Drop him a line on Twitter: @mikeskupin

 Team Lightning Punch’s Current Score: 92

Any advice for Coach? Drop him a line on Twitter: @the_real_coach
 1. Brenda: If Brenda was at the Wonka Factory, she’d go down the “good” egg chute. Her mistake-free game continues.
  1. Cochran: A smooth operator who is leading his tribe through meditation and DS rules.
 2. Malcolm: Malcolm joins Reynold out there as the man with a bulge and it appears the bulging brothers are forming an alliance that may be the end of the game for both of them. Signs of Malcolm being out in the Philippines for way too long are appearing as he confessed on national TV his expertise at lying to women. As the runner up for fan favorite last season, I’m betting he lost a few female votes with that comment.
  2. Reynold: Idol after idol he has found, days in the game for him abound.
 3. Andrea: Andrea drew the right colored egg last week. Her “dream” that Malcolm had the idol may actually have been strategy as I believe she has seen Malcolm’s bulging wrist and she may have been offering him a chance to “fess up.”  3. Malcolm: Not taking the lead in the game might decrease his female popularity fame.

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

  5. Sherri: I’m surprised there seemed to be no strategy whatsoever in Sherri “spilling the beans” to what could end up as the “Victoria’s Secret Alliance” of Sherri, Brenda, and Andrea.  I still believe she has game left in her and fortunately for her, Reynold and Eddie will likely “used-car salesman” themselves out of what appears to be a second chance for them.
  5. Phillip: Much to the audience chagrin, Phillip is here this time to win.
 6. Eddie: Good thing you’re on the “good-looking tribe,” Eddie! That matters so much out there. I think Eddie needs to make a break from Reynold and form other bonds as well. Putting all your eggs in one basket only works once out there.
  6. Dawn: Middle of the road most of the time, once the merge hits I think she will then shine.
 7. Reynold: Teaming up with Malcolm was a smart move, but be very careful, you may be shocked that he lies to men too! You’ll be a force in individual immunity challenges, so fortunately you’ll have no problem making it to the merge. Drawing an orange egg is eggs-actly what your game needed to give you hope but it seems like you’re forgetting that the “favorites” have played this game before.
   7. Brenda: Quiet and shy her heart must be elsewhere, hang in there though there’s much more to bear.
 8. Dawn: She better pay her dues into Stealth-R-Us as her only hope of making the merge now is winning and Phillip not Hantz’ing.*

*Hantz’ing is now an accepted reality-TV term describing extremely erratic behavior.

  8. Eddie: I think he’ll be first to go once the tribes merge, better scramble fast when you have the urge.
 9. Cochran: His under-the-radar game may have to shift a bit as it looks like he’s going to become a regular at Tribal Council much sooner than he anticipated. Since winning could be a long shot, he has to adjust his game. Fortunately, he’s smart enough. Funny, Tarzan from S24 One World said the game is afoot, Cochran chose the game is anew…since when did a knowledge of Shakespeare become a prerequisite for island living?
  9. Sherri: Tried to exude too much control, now your power is slipping your ship is near the shoal.
 10. Phillip: I’m in the minority but when you’re on the down tribe, making new alliances and securing flippers is critical. A+ Phillip!  Your bullies-R-us strategy is great for early and mid-game but will fall on rocky soil come the merge and end game…if you make it that far. Phillip’s name problems continue. It began with “Franchesqua,” continued with “Aun-dreah” and now he refers to Julia as “the girl.”
   10. Michael: Once strong and smart the swap has you on the run, but you are astute beyond the game and a ton of fun.
 11. Michael: His biggest mistake was the same as Matt’s, he was just less believable in regards to the Hidden-Immunity-Idol lie which the answer should always be the same unless your name is Abi, Reynold, Peter, and Penner.  You seemed to be the only fan with a strategy! Last week you described camp-life as a “long strand of hell”…you have no idea my brother, things just got worse.
   11. Julia: Riding coattails will only get you so far, time to pick things up if you want to rise above par.
 12. Julia: Julia barely escaped elimination…fortunately for her, she didn’t have an alliance and didn’t seem as much of a threat as Matt did. As odd as it appears, not having an alliance and not really playing hard is an advantage to her now as her torch will stay lit for another three days, and although we haven’t seen it yet, for whatever it’s worth, Phillip thinks you are “extra-ordinary.”
   12. Erik: A challenge warrior you may be, your head needs to be more game savvy.
 13. Corinne: I think you picked a fight with the wrong favorite (Phillip), and it may cost you a spot. Your support of Michael will likely be seen as flipping and a new trust issue has been born.
   13. Corinne: Although the B word comes to mind, look for an idol for hope to find.

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‘Survivor’ Castaway Matt: ‘I Wish I Had a Sweet Name Like ‘The Beardinator”

March 21, 2013

Matt Bischoff and Jeff Probst (CBS)

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

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I’m not a fan of tribe swaps. On paper they look like a good way to break up alliances and shuffle dominant tribes, but in practice it often makes challenge threats less valuable before a merge (which is the only time being a challenge threat is valuable) and messes up people who have been playing strong strategic games.

Maybe Matt Bischoff wasn’t the strongest challenge threat, but he was playing a good game up until this point. With his buddy Michael by his side, the duo had quietly positioned themselves as the swing votes in the Gota tribe.

One crack of a paint-filled egg later and Matt is out of the game. Not fair.  But “Survivor” isn’t fair. Neither is life. These are the days of our lives.

I spoke with the bearded wonder the morning after his elimination and asked about his near Stealth R Us Too induction, his alliance with Michael, and his first-hand account of Brandon’s blowup…

Gordon Holmes: I’m a little annoyed that we never got a really good shot of your back tattoo while you were out there.
Matt Bischoff: (Laughs) I know, man! I know. What can you do? Got a lot of stuff of my beard though.

Holmes: Seemed like there was a lot of confusion before Tribal last night. Can you walk me through what happened?
Bischoff: Leading up to Tribal Council everyone was freaking out about this immunity idol. They weren’t sure if one of us had it or not. Corinne was especially freaking out. My strategy was to be completely honest; I convinced them that I didn’t have it. They believed me. They thought that Julia had the idol because Julia did not try to strategize or save herself at all with any of the favorites. I told them she’s just not a very talkative person, I can guarantee you that she doesn’t have the idol. I knew it was one of the three of us going home.
Holmes: Did you think it could be you or were you blindsided?
Bischoff: Was I blindsided? Sort of, but not really. I thought it was going to be Julia. But I think I was their safest bet. They knew that I did not have an idol. I wasn’t pissed off at anybody. I think it was just bad luck. I don’t feel like I could’ve done anything to save myself at that point.

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Holmes: The thing I’m having trouble with is Julia comes to you and Michael and says, “Let’s target Dawn.” But then she never goes to the favorites to get the fourth vote that’s necessary to send Dawn home.
Bischoff: She just came to Michael and I and said, “Let’s vote Dawn.” And Michael and I were just trying to appease Julia by saying, “Yeah yeah, that’s cool.” Michael and I thought that it was going to be Julia.  Julia messed up the challenge for us. She was supposed to be this puzzle wizard but she messed up the whole challenge. She was the weakest physically out of all of us and we knew we were playing a super physical new Gota. She just didn’t talk strategy with anyone.
Holmes: Even if you guys did try to target a favorite, do you think there were any cracks that you could have exploited?
Bischoff: Those four were so strong. They were sticking together until the merge no matter what.

Holmes: You and Michael were on the receiving end of quite an impressive sales pitch from Phillip regarding Stealth R Us. Was there ever any follow up about initiating you two?
Bischoff: It was pretty comical. Phillip is hilarious, dude.  I was trying to keep a straight face, but in my mind I’m thinking this guy is out of his mind. We were kind of initiated into his group. We were playing along with his silly plan. Michael and I felt confident that we were on his good side. But, I guess I wasn’t really a member.  Which is a problem, I wish I had a sweet name like the Beardinator.
Holmes: That’s the big disappointment of last night. Not that you were voted out, but you missed your opportunity to be given a Phillip-official nickname.
Bischoff: I know! Oh well…maybe next time. (Laughs)

Holmes: Last week you had your game face on, ready to face the faves in an immunity challenge. Next thing you know you’re witnessing one of the weirder moments in “Survivor” history when Brandon and Phillip start going at it.  What was Gota’s take on that?
Bischoff: I was in complete disbelief of what was going on. My thing is, I’ve never seen anything since the first “Survivor” ever…that was pretty much the most bizarre, crazy thing. But, I was super stoked. First, my feet were jacked. I didn’t want to compete in a challenge. And the fact that we got immunity and Brandon’s telling us everything that’s going on over at their tribe. I knew it wasn’t all fun and games at their tribe, we thought it probably was. It gave us a confidence boost. Maybe this is going to switch things up and be good for us. I’m very psyched that I got to witness that part of “Survivor” history.

Holmes: Reynold seems to have all of the tools to be a solid “Survivor” player, but he keeps making all of these weird missteps.
Bischoff: Now, I love Reynold, I think he’s a strong competitor, he’s great at carnival games, but I don’t think he really got the game of “Survivor.” I was playing them so hard. Basically blindsiding both of their girlfriends, Allie and Hope, two times in a row. Then it hit him, “Wow, you guys are really playing the game.” I was like, “No crap, dude. This is ‘Survivor.’” We’re from the same town, he invited me, he said, “My parents live in Cincinnati, I’d love to have you over for dinner when the game’s over with.” And then when we voted off Allie he got all pissed off and said, “I take back that invitation for dinner.”
Holmes: (Laughs)
Bischoff: It was hilarious, he was like a little kid pouting. I love all of those guys, and despite that I lied to them, we had to break up that cool kids alliance. And I think Eddie and Reynold still trusted me and would have played the game with me later on down the line.
Holmes: Michael Skupin made a good point about him fist-bumping Eddie after finding the second idol. Did you guys know he had found it?
Bischoff: No, I didn’t have any idea. It boggles my mind that he found it a second time so quickly. All of us were looking for the idol once we knew it was back in play.

Holmes: Alright, let’s do some word association. We’ll start with Cochran.
Bischoff: Sun burned.
Holmes: Phillip?
Bischoff: Crazy.
Holmes: Dawn?
Bischoff: Amazing.
Holmes: Corinne?
Bischoff: Awesome.
Holmes: Sherri?
Bischoff: Sneaky.
Holmes: Michael?
Bischoff: I love him.
Holmes: Reynold?
Bischoff: Carnival master.
Holmes: Eddie?
Bischoff: Player.
Holmes: Julia?
Bischoff: Quiet.

Holmes: I really enjoyed your alliance with Michael. It’s like you were leading the tribe, yet playing under the radar.
Bischoff: Michael and I had a great alliance. Michael and I had a hand on everything that was going on. Sherri, who was part of our alliance, she was the one freaking out. She was talking to every single person. So, people didn’t want to tell her much information. Michael and I would just calmly walk in the jungle and discuss everything that was going on. We had a strong bond and alliance. I feel Michael was the strongest strategic player out there. We were playing very hard and it was an honor to get to play with Michael.
Holmes: That’s my issue with tribe swaps, sometimes they punish strong players and rescue bad ones.
Bischoff: It screwed up my whole game. In the end Corinne wanted to keep Michael, or “her gay” as she called him. And they knew I didn’t have an idol. I can’t be pissed. I would’ve done the same thing. I would’ve been a force to be reckoned with, I get along with everyone and I’m a likable guy. It sucks though.
Holmes: No idol and not gay.
Bischoff: (Laughs) That’s correct. Maybe if I pretended to have an idol hidden in my beard and pretended to be gay I would’ve last longer. Maybe next time I’ll use that strategy.

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

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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Episode Recap: Swapped R Us

March 20, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

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

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

39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drop your buffs…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phillip values loyalty and challenge strength.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings: Tribe Swap Edition

March 20, 2013

'Survivor: Caramoan' (CBS)

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

The Rules: Each week Michael and Gordon will create separate Power Rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the two players will earn. For example, if Dawn is voted out this week, Michael will receive 2 points and Gordon will receive 4 points. The person with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the ‘Survivor: Caramoan’ Power Rankings champion!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Michael’s Current Score: 65

Any advice for Michael? Drop him a line on Twitter: @mikeskupin

Gordon’s Current Score: 81

Any advice for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
 1. Brenda: Aside from the not-so-dynamic duo (Brandon & Phillip for those too busy watching “Cupcake Wars”), we really didn’t see much of anyone on the favorites team.  I believe the pros of Brandon leaving equal the cons and since the vote was unanimous, the favorites are still in the exact same position from a “power perspective.” Brenda stays at number one.
  1. Malcolm: OK, Swaptown is just ahead. This is bad news. Bad news for the players and bad news for Power Rankers who have to try to make sense of so many different variables. Fortunately for my boy Malcolm, he has a few things working in his favor. First, his tribe is going into the swap up numbers so he’s likely to have some friendly faces wherever he ends up. Second, he’s got an idol that only Corinne knows about.
 2. Dawn: The mom tears surface once again as she choked out Brandon’s name during the game’s first-ever verbal Tribal Council voting.  She has endurance and came to play. I like her chances of keeping it all together.
  2. Reynold: You’d better thank the “Survivor” gods that you found that idol, because tribe swaps are bad news for challenge studs on tribes that are down numbers.
 3. Cochran: His ultra non-confrontational approach seems to be working well for him.  3. Cochran: Why is it smart to be nice to people who aren’t in your alliance? Because those people become swing votes when you get to a tribe swap. Fortunately for Team Dawchran, it seems like that haven’t been rubbing anyone the wrong way.

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

  5. Michael: Although he describes camp-life as a “long strand of hell,” he seems to be keeping it all together and not ruffling any feathers.  The fans thought highly enough of his strength that they put him in the driver’s seat of the strength challenge and he was the last fan standing.
  5. Andrea:  Oh boy, I bet you were wishing on every unicorn in Care-A-Lot that Brandon wasn’t going to out your plan to get rid of Corinne. Fortunately for you, it seems like he didn’t. As someone who’s good at challenges and manages to stay out of trouble, you should have plenty of time to figure out a way to get to the merge and back to your Stealth R Us Too buddies.
 6. Matt “The Beard”: Beard actually sarcastically cried out for his “mommy” when his wet feet endured a few days of rain…try sixteen, brother!  Most of us on S25 ended up losing more toenails than we had left by the time it was over.  If you’re in this for the long haul (and I believe you are) get used to a lot more torture where that came from. I hear there’s a pretty pissed-off whale shark out there that I head-butted and rumor has it he may go “Hantz” on you.
  6. Erik: Kudos to Erik and Brenda for making the best of a bad situation with their time on the Favorites tribe. You see Brandon, that’s why you don’t burn your camp down. You never know when Probst is going to wander out with fresh new buffs for everyone.
 7. Sherri: Still strategically a threat as I believe she understands this game as well as anyone out there. She made a tactical error in allowing one of her closest allies (Laura) to go home last week. If she can keep from treating anyone like a 16-year-old Cinnabon snot (her words, not mine), she still can win this game.
   7. Brenda: See Erik.
 8. Phillip: Being a challenge beast will buy him a few extra days out there. Strategically, he’s making the same mistakes RC did on S25…always playing and always playing too hard.  A mix of social vs. gameplay may be the best recipe to go deep in this game.  He’s the first contestant to ever out-commentate Probst during a challenge. His unprecedented references to African-American embattled feature films provided Phillip with an inner strength to press on. His references included “Kunta Kinte” (Roots), “Django” (movie), “Miss Jane Pittman” (movie), “Mammy” (movie), “Amistad” (movie), and a “Ya Mon” for good measure at the end.
  8. Sherri: It’s time to stop being bummed about the loss of Shamar and Laura. With the swap coming, you have a chance to reinvent yourself. The challenge threats are going to be in immediate danger, so you’ll have a chance to weigh your options and hopefully create a new alliance.
 9. Erik: I give Erik credit as he actually tried to take on Brandon as he littered the beach with camp rice and beans. He became the first contestant to actually encounter the other tribe when he hand delivered the immunity idol during Brandon’s non-torch snuffing eviction.
  9. Julia: Holy cow, Julia…if you’d be quiet for one second people could get to know you. If you keep running your mouth with your new tribe, they’re going to send you packing immediately.
 10. Reynold: This episode could have been named “Reynold has another bulge.” This is the first time he breaks into my top 10 simply because he found the hidden immunity idol without a clue once again. When he found it I yelled at the TV, “You learned your lesson, don’t tell anyone!” Yet he did.  Then when he told Eddie, I yelled again, “Don’t fist-bump, it can be seen across the island and it only means one thing!” After 13 days he says in a confessional “I’m still not going to trust anyone fully.” It only took him 12 years, 25 seasons, countless blindsides, and 13 days out there to realize this.
   10. Michael: Yup, Brandon spilled the beans literally and figuratively last week. The fans know a lot of the favorites’ business. But, it won’t take long after the swap for Eddie and Reynold to let the faves know what was going on at Gota. Did they appreciate that you and Matt were the ones with the power? Could be trouble.
 11. Andrea: Andrea was outted as telling Brandon about Phillip’s plan to throw the challenge. That caused an unprecedented upheaval at camp but a not-so-unprecedented betrayal of trust. It may appear Phillip is targeting Corinne to go home but I think Andrea is next on his radar.
   11. Matt: See Michael.
 12. Eddie: Eddie caught a break at Brandon’s expense. Thirteen days in and now he wants to try and see how that “flint-thing” works?! He’s forgetting the “Survivor” fire building tie-breaker. Make fire as often as you can, people. It all matters so much.
   12. Phillip: It was a rough week for The Specialist. In his defense, it looked like he was being very diplomatic at Bikal beach. He didn’t seem to lose his cool until the challenge. However, his back and forth with the Conqueror is going to make it tough for him to get in good with any fans.
 13. Corinne: I thought her interruption of Brandon when he was removing himself from the game was unnecessary.  Her speech to throw the challenge was potentially costly.  It marked her with the favorites and the fans. It looks like now you’re Phillip’s next target.  It appears your game from the last time you played is emerging and they all know how to play against that.
   13. Corinne: Oh man, what’s going on in this week’s preview? You were doing such a good job of acting like you didn’t want to stab Phillip in the face. What happened? Here’s hoping you two don’t end up on the same tribe.
 14. Julia: I think she’s still there. Without a real alliance and seen as possibly a liability in challenges, I think she has seen her last sunset from the beach.
 		  14. Eddie: Like I said, tribe swaps are bad news for challenge studs that are down numbers and don’t have immunity idols. (How’s that for a run-on sentence?!) Sadly, Eddie…that’s you.

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‘Survivor’ Castaway Brandon Hantz: ‘I Am Perfectly Mentally Stable’

March 14, 2013

Jefff Probst and Brandon Hantz (CBS)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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