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“Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X” (CBS)

QUICK NOTE: XFINITYTV.com is the place to be for all of your bug-eatin’, back-stabbin’, “Survivor” coverage. During the season we’ll have insightful weekly Power Rankings, exit interviews, and full episode recaps. Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute updates.

Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X” 

Gordon Holmes: You were a pleasure to watch!
Zeke Smith: Aw thanks, man. I wanted to be entertaining.
Holmes: You weren’t just entertaining. As I’m watching I’m thinking, “This is how I would want to do it.”
Smith: (Laughs) That means a lot. Thanks!

Holmes: How confident were you that you had Will’s vote?
Smith: I actually thought I had the odds about 60/40 that Will was going to stick with me because it made sense for Will to stick with me. I needed Will much more than he needed me. Both Jay and I were great shields for him. And, Will just went to rocks for me. You’d think that would create some kind of solidarity. You think you’d want to take a break from the shifting social dynamics and just vote for people for a while. But, I knew it was likely that he would flip.

Holmes: What is it about this season that everyone seems to be swinging for the fences. You don’t have any Rancher Ricks who are going to let the bigger players use them as a vote.
Smith: The greatest thing about this season is that the cast is filled with fans. I think maybe with the exception of Ken, everybody has watched maybe 20+ seasons of the show. So, everyone comes in understanding the game and knowing, as Probst loves to say, you’ve got to make big moves to win. Nobody wants to float by.

Holmes: Why was the decision to turn on David made so early? It seems like there were some easy votes like Jay that could’ve whittled the numbers down first.
Smith: Jay and I were close. I thought Jay would be a good meat shield to keep around. Dave and I thought about the game very similarly. We were always on the same page with the next strategic move. And then I think looking ahead, we saw that we’d have to come for one another. Then it became a race to the bottom. I’ve got to get him before he gets me. And I was concerned because he had an idol and I didn’t. I thought it would take a couple of votes to flush the idol before I could get him out. So for me, I had to have a large enough coalition to flush the idol.

Holmes: There have been some great personal moments this season. One of them was when Bret came out to you during the reward. When something like that happens in the game, is your first instinct to question if it’s being done to win your favor?
Smith: For me it felt really genuine. The Zeke and Bret drinking buddies…we’d established at the merge. I tried to establish relationships with people based on what we had in common. I didn’t have a lot in common with Bret except that we both like to drink.
Holmes: All three of us have that in common.
Smith: (Laughs) We should all go drinking in Hell’s Kitchen some night.
Holmes: Deal.
Smith: I thought we were buddies and it came so organically. And, I was just really touched. It’s a big deal to come out on national television. Especially for someone who’s a cop. He’s a big macho guy. I was so proud of Bret and so privileged to be in that moment with him. And to continue to be his friend as he’s gone through this process and anticipated this episode coming out…I’m just so proud of him. And as if he wasn’t enough of a hero, on Sunday’s he’s receiving a reward from the Boston Mayor’s office for saving a guy’s life.
Holmes: Oh, wow.
Smith: Yeah, so Bret’s the real deal.

Holmes: You’re watching at home and you hear Will say that nobody can beat you. That’s gotta be nice.
Smith: I made a promise to myself to go out every day and play to win. So, that if I got to the end, there’d be no doubt I was the winner. I’d rather go out swinging than go to the end and lose. I think there’s no better way to leave the game than to be voted out because nobody can beat you. I think, maybe I don’t beat Dave depending on who the third person is. But, I put myself in a position where I think I’d win against anyone I was up against.

Holmes: Was there any talk that Adam’s choice not to use his reward steal was a strategic move rather than an emotionally motivated one?
Smith: None of us knew that Adam’s mother was dying. And if we did know he wouldn’t have had to play the advantage because of course we would’ve taken him. Nobody would have competed in the challenge. We’d have said, “Adam wins.” But, he made the strategic choice not to tell anyone. I think part of the frustration you’re seeing with Adam is he tells everyone that he’s going to use it for the loved ones visit. And it’s kind of a threat. If you don’t take me, I’m going to steal your loved ones visit from you. And the loved ones visit is very important, it was upsetting. So, after five or six days of him telling everyone that, he told us he wasn’t going to. I do think that was a smart decision for him.
Holmes: It seems like that advantage is more trouble than it’s worth. It’ll upset someone without enough gain. What would you have done with it?
Smith: I think I would have taken a note from the Gabon merge and thrown it into the water.
Holmes: Anytime you can take notes from Randy Bailey, you’ve gotta do it.
Smith: Exactly. (Laughs)

Holmes: Is Hannah the worst liar in the world?
Smith: Oh gosh…Hannah…yeah. Not a lot of poker face there. We’re both members of the Upright Citizens’ Brigade and every night we’d spend two or three hours on the beach talking strategy. I’ll never understand why she flipped from 6-4 to 5-5. I guess she just liked Ken better than she liked me. She has really good thoughts on the game, she has good reads. I think where she errs is in her execution. If Hannah could lie to me like I lied to Chris, I’d have gone home.

Holmes: Do you think the attitude toward Ken switched a bit after what happened between him and Will last night? It was the first time he lost his cool.
Smith: No, that was consistent with the Ken we knew. Ken’s a bit of an anomaly because everyone left in the game is a big “Survivor” fan. They’re playing a strategically advanced game. But, Ken’s not. He isn’t operating from the same logical paradigm as everyone else. There are a lot of questions about Ken and how he’s been playing.

Holmes: Word association time. Let’s start with Mari.
Smith: Rad.
Holmes: Chris?
Smith: Ginger bear.
Holmes: Michaela?
Smith: Bad ass.
Holmes: David?
Smith: Master.
Holmes: CeCe?
Smith: Spartan.
Holmes: Michelle?
Smith: Spiritual?
Holmes: Adam?
Smith: So strong.
Holmes: Figgy?
Smith: Firey.
Holmes: Sunday?
Smith: Darling.
Holmes: Jay?
Smith: Warrior.
Holmes: Jessica?
Smith: Those eyes.
Holmes: Hannah?
Smith: My friend.
Holmes: Taylor?
Smith: Viking.
Holmes: Will?
Smith: Smelly.
Holmes: And Bret?
Smith: My drinking buddy.

Holmes: There aren’t really any jerks on this season. There are a lot of people to root for and the other people aren’t offensive. This really stood out during the Tribal where you and Bret got a little personal with David and it was shut down pretty quickly. Was that intentional that people wanted to keep it civil or is that just how the cast is?
Smith: I think it’s a little bit of both. The players do make the game. And that comment from Bret and I was really stupid. It was an intense Tribal and everyone was thrown when David asked the members of my alliance to raise their hands. It was like, “Whoa.” We’d never come for each other. It was intense, it was stupid. We joked a lot about crying and being sad. It’s like during Bret’s loved ones visit where we said, “You losah.” We just had a playful ribbing of each other. But without that context and in the heat of Tribal it became much more malicious than anyone had intended. When we realized that we were getting riled up everyone dialed it back. We played with a tremendous amount of respect for each other. I think it’s because we all love the game and respect that it’s just a game.

Holmes: Say the Will vote goes in your favor, how do you see the rest of the game going?
Smith: Well, that’s assuming we dodge Adam’s penis idol and Hannah goes home. Then we would have had the numbers to get Dave. I think my job would be to continue to create chaos and encourage the fluidity of alliances. Because if people start to get an accurate picture of the game, then I’m in trouble. I think my advantage was I had more information and had a bigger picture of how people were interconnected. If I can keep people confused, people will cling to me. I’m a lighthouse on a foggy night. I think I’d have to win a couple of immunities. So, I don’t know if I had a clear path to the end.

Holmes: Would the loved ones visit have turned differently if your father had known you had voted out an Oklahoma Sooner?
Smith: (Laughs) Yeah, I don’t know if he would have called me his hero. He’d be a little upset at me for voting out a national champion.

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

‘Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X’ (CBS)

QUICK NOTE: XFINITYTV.com is the place to be for all of your bug-eatin’, back-stabbin’, “Survivor” coverage. During the season we’ll have insightful weekly Power Rankings, exit interviews, and full episode recaps. Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute updates.

Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X” 

The Rules: Each week our two combatants will create separate power rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the players will earn.  The person with the most points at the end of the season will be declared the “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X” champion.

Last Week: Michele Fitzgerald had Chris in spot 3 and Jessica in spot 11, while Shirin Oskooi had Chris in spot 7 and Jessica in spot 11. So, the current score is Team Fitzgerald 93, Team Oskooi 86.

Quick Note: XFINITY “Survivor” loudmouth Gordon Holmes will be unable to participate in this season’s Power Rankings due to being more than a bit spoiled. Therefore, he has invited defending Power Rankings champion Shirin Oskooi to take his place.

Michele Fitzgerald and Shirin Oskooi’s Rankings

Team Michele’s Score = 93 Any questions for Michele? Drop her a line on Twitter: @meeshfitz	Team Shirin’s Score = 86 Any questions for Shirin? Drop her a line on Twitter: @theshirin
1. – Zeke: I want the power. (See David) Well, you can’t have the power. (See David) I have all these people that are willing to go to rocks for me. (See David) Lets just put everyone in danger to see who has more power. (See David) *End Scene*	1. – Adam: “Just that little piece,” that shell, that idol, “it’s enough…to get me through these last two weeks of the game.”
2. – David: No, I want the power. (See Zeke) Well, neither can you. (See Zeke) So do I, and I have this idol. (See Zeke) OK, let’s put everyone in danger to see who has more power. *End Scene*	2. – Ken: You can only stare into the sun for so long before it blinds you, but “for the first few seconds of the day, you can look into” Ken’s winner’s edit, “and it doesn’t hurt your eyes.”
3. – Jay: Winning immunity how you would win this game. Without any close competition.	3. – Sunday:  Sunday “ranks up there as one of my favorite days literally ever in my life.” It’s chill and reliable. P.S. Three pips for Sunday: 1) Her bathing suit 2) The “Ken” bamboozle 3) Muzzling her ally when he was a jerk
4. – Sunday:  Throwing the dogs off the scent of the vote. Delicate moves like whispering Ken’s name at Tribal have the potential to change the course of the game without getting blood on your hands.	4. – Hannah: “My OCD is going crazy right now. My body can’t handle” – Hannah’s obvious decoy winner’s edit.
5. – Ken: You have built loyalty as strong as your abs and your sweet demeanor should have all the ants crawling on you for your vote this week.	5. – Zeke:  “David is never going to let me stay in this game, and neither is Adam,”  – The two intellectuals who show respect in the heat of battle as if they’re used to debating at a national level.
6. – Hannah: Trust cluster? More like a clusterf***. Now that you have an alliance, stick with it.	6. – David: “I’m really schizophrenic about what I’m going to do” with David’s ranking because it’s an uphill battle when you’re facing such an obvious winner.
7. – Adam: This position is solely based on the possible use of your advantage at a family visit reward. Just. Don’t.	7. – Jay:  “I saved (the idol) so long for myself, I’m going to keep it for myself” …as a souvenir?
8. – Bret: Keep acting rowdy and you may get kicked out of the bar.	8. – Bret:  “Shut up, Bret, ya losah.” #macho
9. – Will: It was smart to jump off the sinking ship, but now you are in shark infested waters.	9. – Will: “None of us are willing to give up our games for (them)” — and the feeling will now be mutual.

“Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X” (CBS)

QUICK NOTE: XFINITYTV.com is the place to be for all of your bug-eatin’, back-stabbin’, “Survivor” coverage. During the season we’ll have insightful weekly Power Rankings, exit interviews, and full episode recaps. Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute updates.

Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X” 

Gordon Holmes: How are you?
Jessica Lewis: I can’t complain.
Holmes: I beg to differ.
Jessica: (Laughs)
Holmes: If I were in your shoes I’d be complaining a lot.

Holmes: Alright, you almost went out of the game early with your eye infection. You did go out of the game when you pulled the wrong rock. Which is worse?
Lewis: Oh, the rock. That was my own doing. If I’d just moved my hand to the left.
Holmes: In “Blood vs. Water” you had these tight alliances and the rock pull was going to determine the rest of the game. It seems like alliances are switching every day this season. Why stick with your vote?
Lewis: I didn’t have a lot of options on the other side. And, I didn’t come out here to get to the end. I came to win. I could already hear the questions I was going to be asked by the jury. David had played an idol to save me, so that was a hole I was going to have to dig out from. It was hard, I knew I wasn’t going to win if I flipped. And I stand by it. I pulled the wrong rock and that’s frustrating and sad.
Holmes: It feels like everyone is playing to win this season. Strong challenge threats like Ken and Jay have slipped off of the radar.
Lewis: Everybody was thinking, “How am I going to get to the end and how many moves is it going to take?” It was very strategic right from the get-go and that’s why I think the game turned out the way it did. People were just being so strategic. It wasn’t, “I need to take out physical threats.” It was, “I need to take out mental threats.”

Holmes: If David plays his idol on the right person, we’re not having this conversation.
Lewis: I knooooow! (Laughs) But, I have to give him credit. It really appeared as if the Ken whisper is what solidified it. That wasn’t the case. We had actually been hearing Ken’s name, David’s name, and my name throughout the day. We weren’t sure where the vote was going to end up. I had no idea about the conversation that David and Hannah had where she thought it might be her. Otherwise, I might have pushed a little differently. I didn’t think for a second that  it was going to be Hannah.
Holmes: Do you know what David’s idol intentions were when he went into Tribal? Did he have a name in mind?
Lewis: David was going to play the idol for himself. And, he actually did. You didn’t see that. He initially played it for himself and then changed. He was being really aggressive in hopes that they would vote for him.

Holmes: Based on the edit, it seemed like the feud with Sunday was very one sided. She was constantly targeting you, and we didn’t see you speaking ill of her. Was this something you were aware of?
Lewis: That was the most surprising aspect of the whole game. Sunday and I were close from day one. We had assured each other that we had each other’s back. Mom strong. We were going to do this. Then, when we decided that we were going to vote out Paul, that was a group decision, Lucy, Sunday, and myself had that conversation. I ultimately ended up being blamed for all of it. She had assured me that she could get Bret and Chris back on our side. So, I left that up to her. But she left me out to dry and never tried to rebuild the bridge. From that moment forward she was done with me. And after the Paul vote, when they were gunning for me, Sunday kept assuring me that I was good. And I ultimately picked Sunday over Ken because I believed her. I learned a hard lesson. I never expected Sunday to turn on me the way she did. I knew Chris, Sunday, and Bret would eventually have to be dealt with, but Sunday was not on the top of that list.

Holmes: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with Ken.
Lewis: Genuine.
Holmes: Hannah?
Lewis: Unfiltered.
Holmes: Zeke?
Lewis: Calculating and very intuitive.
Holmes: Jay?
Lewis: Entertaining.
Holmes: Will?
Lewis: Impressionable.
Holmes: David?
Lewis: (Laughs) He’s a maniacal genius. But, he’s so self deprecating.
Holmes: Adam?
Lewis: Impressive.
Holmes: Chris?
Lewis: Smart.
Holmes: Sunday?
Lewis: Surprising.
Holmes: Figgy?
Lewis: Charismatic.
Holmes: Taylor?
Lewis: Shocking.
Holmes: Michelle?
Lewis: Very centered.
Holmes: Lucy?
Lewis: Firm.
Holmes: Rachel?
Lewis: Lively.
Holmes: CeCe?
Lewis: Determined and unexpected.
Holmes: Bret?
Lewis: Very funny.
Holmes: Let’s finish with Paul.
Lewis: Talkative.

Holmes: You now know what the Legacy Advantage is, what did you think it was earlier in the game?
Lewis: My guesses were based on past seasons. I thought for sure it was going to be that you’d get to practice an immunity challenge ahead of time. Also, an extra vote has been used before.
Holmes: You willed it to Ken. If Ken is voted out, does he get to will it to someone else?
Lewis: Yes. That’s the way it works. You have to will it forward.
Holmes: Was there any concern that by telling Ken that he’d get a present if you get voted out that he’d be more likely to send you packing?
Lewis: No, and the reason why I did that with Ken was that I knew I needed to get him back in my good graces. And by sharing that with Ken and by knowing how he was, he would be true to me if I proved that I was true to him. And it worked, he came right back around and decided that he could work with me.

Holmes: You reach into the bag, you pull out a white rock.
Lewis: (Laughs)
Holmes: From there, what would have been your dream final three?
Lewis: It was a mix. It either would have been Ken and Hannah or Ken and Adam. Maybe even Adam and Hannah.

Holmes: So, you’re a photographer…
Lewis: (Laughs)
Holmes: And Bret is a mortician and Chris runs a football program, and I am an astronaut.
Lewis: (Laughs)
Holmes: If the photographer and the football guy met in a court of law, who do you think would be victorious?
Lewis: Me, absolutely.
Holmes: I just asked him the same question.
Lewis: And I’m sure he said himself.
Holmes: He did. He said he would destroy you.
Lewis: (Laughs) The difference between he and I is I have to represent the people. I don’t destroy the enemy, I prove my case that the other side is wrong.
Holmes: How many standing ovations do you think that football coach has gotten from a jury?
Lewis: Exactly!

Holmes: Every now and then I’ll pitch Jeff Probst some ideas. How do you feel about a season with all people who were eliminated by a rock pull?
Lewis: I think that’s great because there are only three of us! (Laughs)
Holmes: A one-in-three shot at a million bucks isn’t a bad deal.

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