Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Survivor Winner Quick Hit
Before I write the final installment I just want to say I'm very glad that Bob won. Mainly because that means that Susie didn't win. I was in shock that she got 3 votes and had a legitimate shot at winning. She would have easily been the worst winner ever.
Congrats Bob.
Congrats Bob.
Labels: Bob, Champions, Survivor, Susie
Survivor: Gabon - 1713, Part 1
I'm breaking this up into two parts. Part 1 gets to the Final 3 and Part 2 covers the Final Tribal Council
Immunity Challenge 1
The mazes were kind of interesting. I was upset at our first challenge without Crystal. Would she have gotten stuck in the first gate and wallowed there for the whole challenge? The world will never know. Did they have to walk once they got into the maze, or was everyone just that tired out that they couldn't run? People seemed to be taking their time some.
I was also curious how Kenny proposed to guarantee that Bob would not win this immunity challenge like he did to Sugar. Unless he was going to tackle Bob or take his puzzle pieces that wasn't really his to promise.
Ultimately Bob won again. Shocker.
Strategy
Sugar keeps saying that she was very proud of her perfect use of an immunity necklace and then bragging about how she saved Matty. Maybe she didn't realize but there were 4 votes for Crystal and 2 votes for Matty so she really wasn't saving anyone. And it wasn't a perfect use of the immunity idol because the perfect use is when you actually save someone and someone with fewer votes goes home. I'm not sure that Sugar really knows how this game works.
Then again, Sugar somehow managed to reassure Kenny that he was going to the finals with her. When did Kenny get stupid? Why would Sugar who just voted out your ally switch it up and take him to the finals. I can't believe that he didn't see this coming.
Again, Sugar (who is somehow calling the shots now) is playing this game personally not strategically. She wants to go to the end with Bob and Matty? She'll lose to both of them. At least she'd have a shot against Kenny who the other people really don't like so much.
Tribal Council 1
I was very happy that Bob laid the smack down on Kenny for the deal that they made. Kenny tried to call him out for going back on their deal but Bob just came back with. "If I had gone through with it and given you the necklace you would have voted me out, so the deal was off." I don't think that Kenny can really complain about that and it's certainly not going to hurt Bob's standing with the jury.
My prediction:
Susie. Ultimately got rid of Kenny so I'm wrong but that's the right move. Susie can never win immunity...
Season total: 4-7 (..363)
Spell Check:
Right: 4
Wrong: 0
Other: 0
Season total: 57-11-5 (.780)
Immunity Challenge 2
I thought that this was a sort of interesting idea for a challenge. At the same time I really think that the endurance challenges for the final immunity are the way to go. Not something hard that comes down to brute strength like when they held that bow, but just sitting there or holding your hand in the air or something. I like that you can just will yourself to victory if you really need to. Still, this was a cool idea.
I was shocked that Bob wasn't better at this. I figured he would have been standing on top of his tower to try and put some more tiles on top of the platform that the Survivor crew built. Wrong, we found something else he couldn't do. That brought the total to 2 things.
I can't believe Susie won. Either can she.
Strategy
Coming out of that challenge it was obvious. They had to eliminate Bob. He had friends on the jury, had dominated them in challenges and seemed like a likable guy. That's pretty much what it came down to. Bob's gone.
Susie should really have just shut up about how excited she was to have won. It's one thing to be excited, but it's another to continually say how amazed you are that you beat all of the others. Because they're mad that they just lost, and probably mad that she made it to the finals at all.
At the same time I wonder if it wasn't just for the best that Susie wasn't strategizing much if this was her reaction to being in control. She was just blabbing on forever.
Sugar's discussion with Bob about causing a tie was a terrible idea (even then she still did it). Causing a tie to not get someone voted out puts you at risk. When Paschal refused to vote for Neleh on Marquesas he ended up going home even though no one voted for him (in fact no one ever voted for him and he still lost).
Tribal Council 2
Well they ended up in a tie. I can't believe that Sugar voted for Matty. What is she thinking. I think that against Matty she would have stood a chance, since he didn't make any strategic moves and didn't really seem to have close friends on the jury.
Why is it that they always go to the fire making challenge now? Bob assumed it would happen and practiced for it, which was actually a brilliant move. On the early seasons you never knew what would happen: there might be questions, you might pick rocks. Maybe Sugar should have had to make a fire too. I think that they need to start switching it up again so that people don't start getting too comfortable.
Bob must have just won $1Million
My prediction:
Bob. This is unbelievable. I'm not sure I could have guessed this if you told me it would happen
Season total: 4-8 (.333)
Spell Check:
Right: 2
Wrong: 0
Other: 2 (Run-around Bob, Run-around Bob with respect)
Season total: 59-11-7 (.766)
How can they pull out nicknames at Tribal that we've never heard?
Quick hit thoughts
Immunity Challenge 1
The mazes were kind of interesting. I was upset at our first challenge without Crystal. Would she have gotten stuck in the first gate and wallowed there for the whole challenge? The world will never know. Did they have to walk once they got into the maze, or was everyone just that tired out that they couldn't run? People seemed to be taking their time some.
I was also curious how Kenny proposed to guarantee that Bob would not win this immunity challenge like he did to Sugar. Unless he was going to tackle Bob or take his puzzle pieces that wasn't really his to promise.
Ultimately Bob won again. Shocker.
Strategy
Sugar keeps saying that she was very proud of her perfect use of an immunity necklace and then bragging about how she saved Matty. Maybe she didn't realize but there were 4 votes for Crystal and 2 votes for Matty so she really wasn't saving anyone. And it wasn't a perfect use of the immunity idol because the perfect use is when you actually save someone and someone with fewer votes goes home. I'm not sure that Sugar really knows how this game works.
Then again, Sugar somehow managed to reassure Kenny that he was going to the finals with her. When did Kenny get stupid? Why would Sugar who just voted out your ally switch it up and take him to the finals. I can't believe that he didn't see this coming.
Again, Sugar (who is somehow calling the shots now) is playing this game personally not strategically. She wants to go to the end with Bob and Matty? She'll lose to both of them. At least she'd have a shot against Kenny who the other people really don't like so much.
Tribal Council 1
I was very happy that Bob laid the smack down on Kenny for the deal that they made. Kenny tried to call him out for going back on their deal but Bob just came back with. "If I had gone through with it and given you the necklace you would have voted me out, so the deal was off." I don't think that Kenny can really complain about that and it's certainly not going to hurt Bob's standing with the jury.
My prediction:
Susie. Ultimately got rid of Kenny so I'm wrong but that's the right move. Susie can never win immunity...
Season total: 4-7 (..363)
Spell Check:
Right: 4
Wrong: 0
Other: 0
Season total: 57-11-5 (.780)
Immunity Challenge 2
I thought that this was a sort of interesting idea for a challenge. At the same time I really think that the endurance challenges for the final immunity are the way to go. Not something hard that comes down to brute strength like when they held that bow, but just sitting there or holding your hand in the air or something. I like that you can just will yourself to victory if you really need to. Still, this was a cool idea.
I was shocked that Bob wasn't better at this. I figured he would have been standing on top of his tower to try and put some more tiles on top of the platform that the Survivor crew built. Wrong, we found something else he couldn't do. That brought the total to 2 things.
I can't believe Susie won. Either can she.
Strategy
Coming out of that challenge it was obvious. They had to eliminate Bob. He had friends on the jury, had dominated them in challenges and seemed like a likable guy. That's pretty much what it came down to. Bob's gone.
Susie should really have just shut up about how excited she was to have won. It's one thing to be excited, but it's another to continually say how amazed you are that you beat all of the others. Because they're mad that they just lost, and probably mad that she made it to the finals at all.
At the same time I wonder if it wasn't just for the best that Susie wasn't strategizing much if this was her reaction to being in control. She was just blabbing on forever.
Sugar's discussion with Bob about causing a tie was a terrible idea (even then she still did it). Causing a tie to not get someone voted out puts you at risk. When Paschal refused to vote for Neleh on Marquesas he ended up going home even though no one voted for him (in fact no one ever voted for him and he still lost).
Tribal Council 2
Well they ended up in a tie. I can't believe that Sugar voted for Matty. What is she thinking. I think that against Matty she would have stood a chance, since he didn't make any strategic moves and didn't really seem to have close friends on the jury.
Why is it that they always go to the fire making challenge now? Bob assumed it would happen and practiced for it, which was actually a brilliant move. On the early seasons you never knew what would happen: there might be questions, you might pick rocks. Maybe Sugar should have had to make a fire too. I think that they need to start switching it up again so that people don't start getting too comfortable.
Bob must have just won $1Million
My prediction:
Bob. This is unbelievable. I'm not sure I could have guessed this if you told me it would happen
Season total: 4-8 (.333)
Spell Check:
Right: 2
Wrong: 0
Other: 2 (Run-around Bob, Run-around Bob with respect)
Season total: 59-11-7 (.766)
How can they pull out nicknames at Tribal that we've never heard?
Quick hit thoughts
- Bob practicing fire making shows why he succeeded at this game. All about being prepared.
- Man I feel like I can still hear Susie talking
- Susie does not deserve to be in the finals as much as I hate talk of "deserve". In this case making the finals was much more outlast than outwit or outplay
Labels: stupid gameplay, Survivor
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Dunk Contest
This really warrants a separate post. To show once and for all how bad she is at challenges Crystal tops her own 1 second holding of sticks. After the basketball challenge she goes in for a dunk on a 5 foot rim and totally misses.
You can't even make this stuff up.
She had minds of a dunk of her own.
You can't even make this stuff up.
She had minds of a dunk of her own.
Labels: Crystal sucking, dunks, Survivor
Survivor: Gabon - 1712
The strategy in this episode was a little muddled but ultimately what came out of it was a breaking of the Crystal/Kenny alliance with Crystal getting voted out. Kenny's really in a tough place now, and he does not have much of a chance at winning this game. His real ally is out, the jury doesn't like him and he hasn't been performing too well at the challenges. So far for the self-proclaimed master to have fallen.
Kenny really shot himself in the foot with the vote for Matty last week when he outsmarted himself and decided to flush out the idol and get rid of Matty at the same time, except for the fact that there was no idol.
Reward Challenge
The reward came up as another combo athleticism/skill challenge. It was not so much physical as skill based. This is where Bob is really shining. The other players talk about him as a physical threat but Bob is really more skilled than they are. In this challenge for example, Matty dusted Bob through the course portion but lost that lead on the free throw shooting.
I know that I'm not the only person who watched this challenge and though to themselves "You've gotta make your free throws or you're not going to get any sugar." Jeff has certainly drilled that into our minds by now. This challenge would have taken Mollner and Jacob out of the game single-handedly.
Oh yeah, and once again Crystal stunk it up.
Immunity Challenge
With Jeff describing it I thought to myself, wow what a tough challenge but again not really a physical thing so much as skill based. Bob won again, which is what he should do but I still don't see him as the physical powerhouse that the contestants do. He just good at doing things and isn't a physical liability.
And do I even need to say that once again Crystal stunk it up. She's up there with one of the worst challenge records of all time.
Strategy Analysis
A few elements of the strategy I want to pull out here. First, Kenny really has no business going off on Bob for screwing up his game. There was nothing that we didn't see on the preview that would have made more sense why he was so upset. It seems that Bob is a really nice guy and just feels bad when he does some of the things that you have to do to try and stay in the game. In a way it's almost easier to play the nice guy when you are definitely in control. When you're going home at the first opportunity you need to pull out all the stops. I was very glad that he didn't give Kenny the immunity necklace at tribal but he really couched his position instead of standing up and just saying "I won this puppy and you can pry it off my neck when I'm dead"
During the reward, Sugar was talking to Matty and was just laying out the whole plan, saying that she was aligned with Kenny and Crystal and tough luck but Matty's going home. It did surprise me that she just would say all of that for no reason and not just play along with him. As the episode goes on though Sugar gets the bright idea that she should turn on Kenny and Crystal because they're not nice people. This is killing me because she's playing the game personally and not strategically. It's just that sometimes the two happen coincide. When Sugar starts saying "Let me do the thinking" it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the partnership. Another example of playing the game personally - why does Sugar get rid of Crystal before Kenny? You may not like Crystal but Kenny's got the potential to swing something. Would you really mind going to the jury with either of them though? I think Sugar could beat either one but there's no problem beating Crystal. It would not be a hard argument that she was worthless.
I feel like I should say something about Susie. It's so hard to do since she's never on camera and never says anything. If she wins this game I'm going to be very upset, that's one of the signs of a cast with limited strategy when a Survivor can coast into the finals by not upsetting anyone. She made the move by flopping on Marcus and I'll give her credit for that but riding coattails and making one move then sliding by should not get you to a million.
My prediction:
Crystal. I'm making a run at respectability at the end here.
Season total: 4-6 (.400)
Spell Check:
Right: 6
Wrong: 0
Other: 0
Season total: 52-11-5 (.765)
Quick hit thoughts
Kenny really shot himself in the foot with the vote for Matty last week when he outsmarted himself and decided to flush out the idol and get rid of Matty at the same time, except for the fact that there was no idol.
Reward Challenge
The reward came up as another combo athleticism/skill challenge. It was not so much physical as skill based. This is where Bob is really shining. The other players talk about him as a physical threat but Bob is really more skilled than they are. In this challenge for example, Matty dusted Bob through the course portion but lost that lead on the free throw shooting.
I know that I'm not the only person who watched this challenge and though to themselves "You've gotta make your free throws or you're not going to get any sugar." Jeff has certainly drilled that into our minds by now. This challenge would have taken Mollner and Jacob out of the game single-handedly.
Oh yeah, and once again Crystal stunk it up.
Immunity Challenge
With Jeff describing it I thought to myself, wow what a tough challenge but again not really a physical thing so much as skill based. Bob won again, which is what he should do but I still don't see him as the physical powerhouse that the contestants do. He just good at doing things and isn't a physical liability.
And do I even need to say that once again Crystal stunk it up. She's up there with one of the worst challenge records of all time.
Strategy Analysis
A few elements of the strategy I want to pull out here. First, Kenny really has no business going off on Bob for screwing up his game. There was nothing that we didn't see on the preview that would have made more sense why he was so upset. It seems that Bob is a really nice guy and just feels bad when he does some of the things that you have to do to try and stay in the game. In a way it's almost easier to play the nice guy when you are definitely in control. When you're going home at the first opportunity you need to pull out all the stops. I was very glad that he didn't give Kenny the immunity necklace at tribal but he really couched his position instead of standing up and just saying "I won this puppy and you can pry it off my neck when I'm dead"
During the reward, Sugar was talking to Matty and was just laying out the whole plan, saying that she was aligned with Kenny and Crystal and tough luck but Matty's going home. It did surprise me that she just would say all of that for no reason and not just play along with him. As the episode goes on though Sugar gets the bright idea that she should turn on Kenny and Crystal because they're not nice people. This is killing me because she's playing the game personally and not strategically. It's just that sometimes the two happen coincide. When Sugar starts saying "Let me do the thinking" it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the partnership. Another example of playing the game personally - why does Sugar get rid of Crystal before Kenny? You may not like Crystal but Kenny's got the potential to swing something. Would you really mind going to the jury with either of them though? I think Sugar could beat either one but there's no problem beating Crystal. It would not be a hard argument that she was worthless.
I feel like I should say something about Susie. It's so hard to do since she's never on camera and never says anything. If she wins this game I'm going to be very upset, that's one of the signs of a cast with limited strategy when a Survivor can coast into the finals by not upsetting anyone. She made the move by flopping on Marcus and I'll give her credit for that but riding coattails and making one move then sliding by should not get you to a million.
My prediction:
Crystal. I'm making a run at respectability at the end here.
Season total: 4-6 (.400)
Spell Check:
Right: 6
Wrong: 0
Other: 0
Season total: 52-11-5 (.765)
Quick hit thoughts
- I should try to do more things blindfolded.
- Sugar giving Matty the idol turned out to be unnecessary but was a good move. I wonder if that should be against the rules though.
Labels: Survivor
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Nothing redeeming about Africa
The comedy provided by Corinne's commentary never ceases.
And why do they need black cloaks? Who are they hiding their identities from?
And why do they need black cloaks? Who are they hiding their identities from?
Labels: Being a Bitch, loved ones, Survivor
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Survivor Skills 102
Survivor: Gabon - 1711
Was this episode showing Bob coming out as the power-player that the contestants have been describing him as? Repeatedly they talk about Bob as a powerhouse and one of the strongest contestants but he gets picked almost last when the reorganized the tribes. I think that Bob is interesting to watch and like the way that he's fascinated by all of the things out there but I agree with Kenny when he said that Bob is not really playing the game well at all. He's enjoying his time out there but in terms of the personal game play he's doing a poor job of it.
Reward Challenge
The messages from home/loved ones visit really isn't my favorite part of the show. As a viewer I find it hard to understand how emotional all of these people get every time their loved ones show up. With that said I thought that this time was one of the better loved ones episodes that we've seen, there was definitely some action.
The challenge was pretty interesting. That swamp was tough but the course must have been about 400 yards long because Crystal was fast the first time but for the second leg was really dogging it. The sprockets were pretty cool and Bob totally made up for his last puzzle disaster when he got taken to town by Kenny. Then in the finals he totally outclassed the field and the cameras barely had time to pan out before he finished that slide puzzle.
So I was surprised that Bob didn't get to take anyone with him on the reward, that seemed a little out of place. Looked like he was just going to get some pizza and beer and the message. I did enjoy how his wife came out from behind as Bob was wondering what she needed to show him. The thing really broke down though when all of the other loved ones got to come by the camp and spend time together. What was the point of winning the challenge? Bob really didn't get anything more than anyone else. No one even got sent to Exile. This was some sort of crazy hippie love-in instead of cutthroat Survivor, they're getting soft.
It was good to see Matty propose to his girlfriend, who he really seems taken with. Even Sugar's teary goodbye to her father's ashes was nice. Reminded me of the scene in Big Lebowski when they try to spread Donnie's ashes around. Kenny certainly didn't take any time off of the game as he immediately tells his sister how in control of the game he is. And then Corinne, Susie, and Crystal must have just been boring TV.
Immunity Challenge
OK, back to the game. I knew that all that time we spent playing horseshoes on the camping trip was going to pay off eventually. The questions seemed pretty easy. Poisonous snakes that aren't dangerous to people? How could you get that one wrong? I'm really not buying the question about gorillas being discovered in 1847. What does that even mean? No one had seen a gorilla before 1847? I'm sure that people had. This seemed like a very euro-centric question, there were people living in Gabon for quite a long time before that. I found this link that gives some interesting background on the history of gorilla discovery. It seems like 1847 was when the lowland gorilla was first cataloged by a Western scientist. I'd cry foul on that question.
Bob ended up winning the challenge throwing his ball closest to the middle of the circle. Once again he won this one but it doesn't really show him off as the physical powerhouse that he was touted as. He got taken down log-rolling by Sugar for crying out loud! They do want to take him out but he's clearly not as big a physical threat as Matty is.
Strategy Analysis
Well we got the answer to the cliffhanger of Bob finding Marcus's immunity idol - it didn't happen. That reassures me because there is no good reason for Marcus to give that idol to Bob or show him where it was hidden. Of course Bob somehow ends up making a fake immunity idol that's far better than the actual idol. Where did he get all of those beads and parts - Michael's?
His plan with Corinne to fake them out with one of them winning individual immunity really wasn't that bad. They needed to try anything they could to stick around anyway, otherwise they were going home one after another. I couldn't believe that Kenny would actually buy it though. Think about this. If Bob has an individual immunity idol and he wins individual immunity, why does he give the idol to Corinne when everyone thinks he's a huge threat? He takes that idol and tries his best to win individual immunity, banking that other immunity idol for when he loses. Maybe when the other people have to turn on each other he can work back in somehow.
Kenny really should have seen through this plan right away. And he says he's the best Survivor ever. Luckily he was smart enough to still have enough people vote for Corinne that she would have to use the idol to stay in the game. Why he continued to vote for Matty was perplexing. Based on the preview I can't wait to hear his reasoning for guilt-tripping Bob. It seems to me that Bob was doing the right thing, trying to get the game switched up and Kenny's got no leg to stand on.
My prediction:
Corinne. It was a valiant effort but too little too late to save her.
Season total: 3-6 (.333)
Spell Check:
Right: 6
Wrong: 1 (Corrine)
Other: 0
Season total: 46-11-5 (.741)
Quick hit thoughts
Reward Challenge
The messages from home/loved ones visit really isn't my favorite part of the show. As a viewer I find it hard to understand how emotional all of these people get every time their loved ones show up. With that said I thought that this time was one of the better loved ones episodes that we've seen, there was definitely some action.
The challenge was pretty interesting. That swamp was tough but the course must have been about 400 yards long because Crystal was fast the first time but for the second leg was really dogging it. The sprockets were pretty cool and Bob totally made up for his last puzzle disaster when he got taken to town by Kenny. Then in the finals he totally outclassed the field and the cameras barely had time to pan out before he finished that slide puzzle.
So I was surprised that Bob didn't get to take anyone with him on the reward, that seemed a little out of place. Looked like he was just going to get some pizza and beer and the message. I did enjoy how his wife came out from behind as Bob was wondering what she needed to show him. The thing really broke down though when all of the other loved ones got to come by the camp and spend time together. What was the point of winning the challenge? Bob really didn't get anything more than anyone else. No one even got sent to Exile. This was some sort of crazy hippie love-in instead of cutthroat Survivor, they're getting soft.
It was good to see Matty propose to his girlfriend, who he really seems taken with. Even Sugar's teary goodbye to her father's ashes was nice. Reminded me of the scene in Big Lebowski when they try to spread Donnie's ashes around. Kenny certainly didn't take any time off of the game as he immediately tells his sister how in control of the game he is. And then Corinne, Susie, and Crystal must have just been boring TV.
Immunity Challenge
OK, back to the game. I knew that all that time we spent playing horseshoes on the camping trip was going to pay off eventually. The questions seemed pretty easy. Poisonous snakes that aren't dangerous to people? How could you get that one wrong? I'm really not buying the question about gorillas being discovered in 1847. What does that even mean? No one had seen a gorilla before 1847? I'm sure that people had. This seemed like a very euro-centric question, there were people living in Gabon for quite a long time before that. I found this link that gives some interesting background on the history of gorilla discovery. It seems like 1847 was when the lowland gorilla was first cataloged by a Western scientist. I'd cry foul on that question.
Bob ended up winning the challenge throwing his ball closest to the middle of the circle. Once again he won this one but it doesn't really show him off as the physical powerhouse that he was touted as. He got taken down log-rolling by Sugar for crying out loud! They do want to take him out but he's clearly not as big a physical threat as Matty is.
Strategy Analysis
Well we got the answer to the cliffhanger of Bob finding Marcus's immunity idol - it didn't happen. That reassures me because there is no good reason for Marcus to give that idol to Bob or show him where it was hidden. Of course Bob somehow ends up making a fake immunity idol that's far better than the actual idol. Where did he get all of those beads and parts - Michael's?
His plan with Corinne to fake them out with one of them winning individual immunity really wasn't that bad. They needed to try anything they could to stick around anyway, otherwise they were going home one after another. I couldn't believe that Kenny would actually buy it though. Think about this. If Bob has an individual immunity idol and he wins individual immunity, why does he give the idol to Corinne when everyone thinks he's a huge threat? He takes that idol and tries his best to win individual immunity, banking that other immunity idol for when he loses. Maybe when the other people have to turn on each other he can work back in somehow.
Kenny really should have seen through this plan right away. And he says he's the best Survivor ever. Luckily he was smart enough to still have enough people vote for Corinne that she would have to use the idol to stay in the game. Why he continued to vote for Matty was perplexing. Based on the preview I can't wait to hear his reasoning for guilt-tripping Bob. It seems to me that Bob was doing the right thing, trying to get the game switched up and Kenny's got no leg to stand on.
My prediction:
Corinne. It was a valiant effort but too little too late to save her.
Season total: 3-6 (.333)
Spell Check:
Right: 6
Wrong: 1 (Corrine)
Other: 0
Season total: 46-11-5 (.741)
Quick hit thoughts
- No opening titles this week? How am I supposed to remember who everyone is?
- Understatement of the week - Kenny: "I'm not an outdoorsy person". A professional gamer, not outdoorsy, come on.
- What kind of beer did Bob win at the immunity challenge? The new Bud American ale? It certainly wasn't a Coors light.
- I liked at tribal how Sugar says that no one in her alliance should be gullible and get duped - pretty much like Kenny did to her when she voted off her closest ally Ace.
- Corinne - Why do you have to wish that the rest of the people lead miserable lives, live and let live. Just because you lost and don't like them doesn't mean you should wish sorrow on them. That's just plain uncalled for.
Labels: loved ones, Survivor
