Down to the last night. The season finale. What will I do with my Wednesday nights? Maybe I can play the Survivor theme on my IPod. Oh wait I don't have an IPod. But, enough about me.
Its night 35. Grant arrives at Exile Island to join Matt, Mike and Andrea. Rob, Natalie, Ashley and Phillip head back to camp. Rob is proud of getting rid of Grant but admits he will miss Grant. "As much as I like to think of myself as a cold hearted player, it hurts me a little bit". It may hurt, but Rob wastes no time in planning how he can get rid of Ashley.
On day 36 we find Matt standing on a beach on Redemption Island. As the waves crash onto the rugged shore, Matt tells us that after nearly a month he has come to love Redemption Island. Mike also tells us that he will be leaving a little piece of himself on Redemption Island. The final Redemption Duel involves the four Redemptionites placing one foot on the end of a balance beam. On the other end of the beam is a glass vase. The trick is to keep that vase from falling off the other end of the beam due to an errant twitch of the leg. Grant is the first out and becomes the 5th member of the jury. He is followed by Matt and Mike. With these three go Pam, Rick and I, and Cheryl. Andrea is the surprise victor and wins her way back into the game. She heads back to camp with Rob and company but finds her reception is not exactly warm and fuzzy. She tries to convince Ashley and Natalie to vote for Phillip. Ashley tells us that she hopes Andrea will join the girls and help to get rid of Phillip or Rob. Meanwhile the men see the women talking and worry about a girl alliance. Rob is adamant that Ashley must go.
The Immunity challenge involves running along a balance beam and collecting bags of puzzle pieces tied along the beam. In each bag are numbered tiles which must be arranged in numerical order 1-100. The first to do so wins immunity. Ashley wins immunity, thereby foiling Rob's plan to get rid of her. No problem. Andrea is Rob's number #2 girl. Andrea again tries to get Ashley and Natalie to vote for one of the men, but at Tribal Council Rob plays his immunity idol (though he doesn't need to) and Andrea (along with Robert and Lorelee from the pool) is sent to join the jury.
Day 38 brings the final challenge. The four remaining survivors must navigate a giant maze to locate four bags of puzzle pieces which they must assemble into a phrase. Is it just me or are others beginning to yearn for a mud wrestling challenge or a tug of war over a crevass or something a that doesn't involve puzzle pieces? In any case Rob wins immunity, important now that he has played his idol. Rob busies himself convincing Ashley that Phillip is going home and convincing Phillip that Ashley is going home. Ashley is the target but Rob has to convince a reluctant Natalie to vote for her friend. Not about to oppose Rob at this stage of the game, Natalie complies and Ashley becomes the final member of the jury, along with Jack from the pool. Rick voted for Ashley to win so no Survivor buff for the Rickster.
And so we arrive at the final day of Survivor Redemption Island. All three of the remaining Survivors contemplate what they will say to the jury.Ever the game player, Rob pretends to give Natalie tips about what to say but is really telling her how he wants her to behave with the jury. Phillip has a sure-fired way to get votes. He intends to tell the jury why they are in the jury and he isn't. Uh hmmm Phillip. We will be waiting anxiously to see how that works out for you! On this last day Phillip burns his pink underwear (to everyone's relief) and invokes the spirit of his great great grandfather one last time. We are (thankfully) spared the usual memory walk to recall fallen Survivors. Instead we head straight off to the final Tribal Council. As usual, everyone gets a chance to address the jury. Both Natalie and Phillip say that they are there because Rob got them there, leaving me wondering why they think anyone will vote for them. Rob touches on his success in challenges, his work ethic and his strategy, but says he was really there to give his wife and daughter a better life. When each Survivor addresses the three finalists it is plain that no one is very fond of Phillip and that he has no idea how to coax their votes out of them. Rob has chosen his final three to perfection. While the jury may not like Rob, Phillip has been abrasive, unlikable and downright crazy, while Natalie has done nothing except follow Rob's orders. When the votes are counted Rob Mariano is the winner after four Survivor attempts over a 10 year span. Lynn, our unsung pool co-organizer was paired with Rob and so wins the $150.00 (though I must tell you she wasn't very excited about drawing Rob!). Donna picked Rob to win, so she gets a genuine Zapatera Survivor buff. Sorry Donna. At the time I ordered I had no idea Zapatera would be so thoroughly zapped. Besides, its a really pretty purple one!
Season 23 of Survivor will be set in the South Pacific. There will be 16 new players and 2 returning players (I'm sensing Russell?). The Redemption Island twist will be included again. We'll see you all in the fall. Enjoy your summer until, once again, we...
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt damn I wish I could have one just one more duel Elrod)
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Survivor Redemption Island - May 11/11
Its night 33. Considering this was the last episode before the season finale we seem to have a lot of bodies still hanging around. During the finale they're going to be dropping like bugs in a Raid commercial.
Generally Ometepe is upbeat. Ashley, in particular is very pleased with the blindside on Andrea. "I love blindsides", says she. Ashley and Natalie are now the last girls standing. Ashley thinks they are tight but Natalie is more inclined to side with Rob. She tells Rob that Ashley assumes she and Natalie will be sticking together. This makes Ashley Rob's next target.
Meanwhile Andrea makes her way into camp at Redemption Island where she joins Matt, Mike and Ralph. If she expected a warm welcome she is wrong. Matt is cool because she voted for him and Mike and Ralph remember their cool treatment by Ometepe after the merge. When Andrea asks if there is room for four on the bed, Ralph tells her to sleep on the ground. Its payback, Ralph tells us.
Andrea doesn't have long to wait for her first Redemption Island duel. They are to slide a handle to the end of a maze, then use the handle to smash a tile and retrieve a bag of puzzle pieces. The first three to finish their puzzle get to fight another day. The fourth will join the jury. Ralph takes an early lead on the maze but falls apart on the puzzle. When the dust settles Ralph and our own Grace are primping for the jury.
Everyone at the main camp is hungry and tired. There is a discussion about how the remaining rice should be rationed. Phillip goes off on another of his tirades, telling the girls that they need fewer calories than Grant and so should eat less. Needless to say this isn't what they want to hear, at least not from Phillip, and the fight is on. Rob says that Phillip is pathetic and crazy but he is more concerned with the increasing tightness between Natalie and Ashley. Rob promises to take Natalie to the end if she votes for Ashley. Ashley suggests that Grant should go. Rob feeds Grant this little bit of information which ensures that Grant will also vote for Ashley. The plan is in place and Rob is firmly in control until the immunity challenge. This involves retrieving bags of puzzle pieces by hooking up fishhooks, then using them to retrieve bags of puzzle pieces. The puzzle is a suspended fish skeleton and the puzzle pieces are the bones of the fish. The entire challenge must be done with one hand tied behind the back. Sadly for Rob and his plan, Ashley wins this challenge winning both immunity and reward. The reward is to have a waiter deliver a meal to camp. Of course the meal if for two people and Ashley picks Natalie to join her. Now I presume there is some kind of rule that they can't share the food. If not this was possibly the single biggest act of cruelty in Survivor history. The two girls gorge themselves until they are sick while the others sit nearby. There is a ton of food left but there is no mention of sharing it with the others. It just sits there while the flies crawl over it.
Now that Ashley is out of the mix, Rob decides to turn on Grant. He tells us that Grant is a genuine friend and voting him out will break Rob's heart... but he is not there for friendship. So Rob busies himself telling Phillip, Natalie and Ashley to vote for Grant and telling Grant to vote for Natalie. "It's exhausing" he tells us. "I have to do all the dirty work because everyone else is too stupid". Just before Tribal Council it looks as though Rob may have a change of heart. Natalie and Ashley are just too darn close. Tribal Council is only eventful in that Phillip keeps his mouth closed. When the votes are counted it is Grant who is heading to Redemption Island with Pam from the pool. Grant's parting comment to the group? "See you shortly, guys".
And that brings us to the season finale on Sunday May 15. Those who remain are:
On Redemption Island
Matt - Rick and Pat
Mike - Cheryl
Andrea - Roberta and Lorelee
Grant - Pam
In the main camp
Natalie - Lisa
Rob - Lynn
Ashley - Jack
Phillip - Donna
Barb, Grace, Georgia and Lisa (who all picked Mike) Pat (who picked Grant), Donna (who picked Boston Rob) and Rick (who picked Ashley)are all still in the running for the Survivor Buff.
See you on Sunday for the finale. Until then...
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt again I live to fight another day Elrod)
Generally Ometepe is upbeat. Ashley, in particular is very pleased with the blindside on Andrea. "I love blindsides", says she. Ashley and Natalie are now the last girls standing. Ashley thinks they are tight but Natalie is more inclined to side with Rob. She tells Rob that Ashley assumes she and Natalie will be sticking together. This makes Ashley Rob's next target.
Meanwhile Andrea makes her way into camp at Redemption Island where she joins Matt, Mike and Ralph. If she expected a warm welcome she is wrong. Matt is cool because she voted for him and Mike and Ralph remember their cool treatment by Ometepe after the merge. When Andrea asks if there is room for four on the bed, Ralph tells her to sleep on the ground. Its payback, Ralph tells us.
Andrea doesn't have long to wait for her first Redemption Island duel. They are to slide a handle to the end of a maze, then use the handle to smash a tile and retrieve a bag of puzzle pieces. The first three to finish their puzzle get to fight another day. The fourth will join the jury. Ralph takes an early lead on the maze but falls apart on the puzzle. When the dust settles Ralph and our own Grace are primping for the jury.
Everyone at the main camp is hungry and tired. There is a discussion about how the remaining rice should be rationed. Phillip goes off on another of his tirades, telling the girls that they need fewer calories than Grant and so should eat less. Needless to say this isn't what they want to hear, at least not from Phillip, and the fight is on. Rob says that Phillip is pathetic and crazy but he is more concerned with the increasing tightness between Natalie and Ashley. Rob promises to take Natalie to the end if she votes for Ashley. Ashley suggests that Grant should go. Rob feeds Grant this little bit of information which ensures that Grant will also vote for Ashley. The plan is in place and Rob is firmly in control until the immunity challenge. This involves retrieving bags of puzzle pieces by hooking up fishhooks, then using them to retrieve bags of puzzle pieces. The puzzle is a suspended fish skeleton and the puzzle pieces are the bones of the fish. The entire challenge must be done with one hand tied behind the back. Sadly for Rob and his plan, Ashley wins this challenge winning both immunity and reward. The reward is to have a waiter deliver a meal to camp. Of course the meal if for two people and Ashley picks Natalie to join her. Now I presume there is some kind of rule that they can't share the food. If not this was possibly the single biggest act of cruelty in Survivor history. The two girls gorge themselves until they are sick while the others sit nearby. There is a ton of food left but there is no mention of sharing it with the others. It just sits there while the flies crawl over it.
Now that Ashley is out of the mix, Rob decides to turn on Grant. He tells us that Grant is a genuine friend and voting him out will break Rob's heart... but he is not there for friendship. So Rob busies himself telling Phillip, Natalie and Ashley to vote for Grant and telling Grant to vote for Natalie. "It's exhausing" he tells us. "I have to do all the dirty work because everyone else is too stupid". Just before Tribal Council it looks as though Rob may have a change of heart. Natalie and Ashley are just too darn close. Tribal Council is only eventful in that Phillip keeps his mouth closed. When the votes are counted it is Grant who is heading to Redemption Island with Pam from the pool. Grant's parting comment to the group? "See you shortly, guys".
And that brings us to the season finale on Sunday May 15. Those who remain are:
On Redemption Island
Matt - Rick and Pat
Mike - Cheryl
Andrea - Roberta and Lorelee
Grant - Pam
In the main camp
Natalie - Lisa
Rob - Lynn
Ashley - Jack
Phillip - Donna
Barb, Grace, Georgia and Lisa (who all picked Mike) Pat (who picked Grant), Donna (who picked Boston Rob) and Rick (who picked Ashley)are all still in the running for the Survivor Buff.
See you on Sunday for the finale. Until then...
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt again I live to fight another day Elrod)
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Survivor Redemption Island - May 4/11
We begin this episode watching the aftermath of the very first total annihilation of a tribe in Survivor history. Well almost. There are three Zapatrilobites over at Redemption Island hoping to make a come-back. The fourth RI dweller, Matt, the non-Zap player, feels the odds are good for any of them that can survive and make it to the final three. They will then face a jury made up entirely of Zapetrucians.
Meanwhile Ometepe has arrived back at camp following Tribal Council Natalie has a major melt down, but is quick to assure her alliance that it doesn't mean she wants to go home. It's just that now they have to start voting out their own and she is homesick. Rob comforts her in a very kind and fatherly way, but privately tells us that he only has to make it a few more days - as long as his tribe-mates don't start talking to each other and realize that it is he who should be gone.
Tree Mail arrives consisting of a Sprint phone with a text message inviting them to the next duel at Redemption Island. "But first check the videos", says the text. There are, of course, a video for each of the Survivors made by one of their loved ones back home. There is much weeping. The same scenario is being re-enacted over at Redemption Island, where they have also received a Sprint with videos.
When everyone arrives at the Redemption Island Arena for the duel, Dimples explains how it will work. There will be a four way duel between Matt, Mike, Ralph and Steve. The loser will go home and the winner will get to spend time with their loved one. The duel involves throwing some sort of weird little object at some ceramic tiles. The first to break four tiles wins. Steve has a poor performance in this challenge and is sent over to the jury. With Steve goes our own Marie from the pool. Selina picked Steve to win so Marie and Selina will be cashless and buffless this round.
Mike wins the duel and so wins some time with his Mom. But of course there is a twist. Mike can give up his time with his mom and instead allow Matt and Ralph to spend time with their loved ones. Or, he can give the opportunity to the larger group of six who voted him out. There is a collective groan from the former Ometepe group After all, what kind of nutbar would give such a reward to the very people who sent his butt over to Redemption Island in the first place. But surprise surprise! Mike has conferred with God and God feels he should use his reward to benefit the greatest number of people. Mike gives up time with his Mom and allows Rob and company time with their loved ones. One might suspect this was strategic but I actually don't think Mike is dumb enough to believe Rob's tribe would be swayed by an act of kindness. In any case, Rob and company return to camp to spend the day and night with their loved ones. Mike, Ralph and Matt return alone to Redemption Island. Ralph thinks Mike's move was a stupid one, but Matt gets the whole God thing and admires Mike's decision.
So we watch the Ometepe people interacting with their loved ones. Rob's sister has come to visit. She ignores Rob and keeps looking over her shoulder like something might bite her. Phillip tells his sister that crazy is his strategy and that he will continue to dominate (huh?). Andrea's dad throws her over his shoulder and asks her how come her hair looks so nice. Natalie's mother gives her a much needed pep talk. But as always, the kinfolk must go home and when they do it's time for an immunity challenge.
Rob has already decided that Andrea is the next to go and that she must not win immunity. The challenge is simple enough. Untie bundles of puzzle pieces that look a lot like stairs. Fit them onto a giant staircase one at a time in the right order. Once your staircase is built you win. It sounds simple. But it is 110 degrees in US numbers and some equally wickedly hot temperature in Canadian numbers (help me out here Jack). The Survivors must constantly run up and down the staircase and the closer they get to completing it, the longer each trip is. It is a close race between Rob, Grant and Andrea. Rob wins but he is hurting when the challenge is done. He is cramping and needs assistance to stand. But it is "mission accomplished". Rob has immunity and Andrea can now be sent home according to the plan. Andrea believes it is Phillip who is going home, and for a brief while Rob does consider getting rid of Mr. Annoying Pants. But alas, when the votes are tabulated, it is indeed Andrea who is heading to Redemption Island to meet up, again, with Matt (my guy).
Until next week,
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt I ain't nothin if not tenacious Elrod)
PS The season finale is on Sunday May 15. Find out if Matt (my guy) comes back from against incredible odds to win all the marbles. Or not.
Meanwhile Ometepe has arrived back at camp following Tribal Council Natalie has a major melt down, but is quick to assure her alliance that it doesn't mean she wants to go home. It's just that now they have to start voting out their own and she is homesick. Rob comforts her in a very kind and fatherly way, but privately tells us that he only has to make it a few more days - as long as his tribe-mates don't start talking to each other and realize that it is he who should be gone.
Tree Mail arrives consisting of a Sprint phone with a text message inviting them to the next duel at Redemption Island. "But first check the videos", says the text. There are, of course, a video for each of the Survivors made by one of their loved ones back home. There is much weeping. The same scenario is being re-enacted over at Redemption Island, where they have also received a Sprint with videos.
When everyone arrives at the Redemption Island Arena for the duel, Dimples explains how it will work. There will be a four way duel between Matt, Mike, Ralph and Steve. The loser will go home and the winner will get to spend time with their loved one. The duel involves throwing some sort of weird little object at some ceramic tiles. The first to break four tiles wins. Steve has a poor performance in this challenge and is sent over to the jury. With Steve goes our own Marie from the pool. Selina picked Steve to win so Marie and Selina will be cashless and buffless this round.
Mike wins the duel and so wins some time with his Mom. But of course there is a twist. Mike can give up his time with his mom and instead allow Matt and Ralph to spend time with their loved ones. Or, he can give the opportunity to the larger group of six who voted him out. There is a collective groan from the former Ometepe group After all, what kind of nutbar would give such a reward to the very people who sent his butt over to Redemption Island in the first place. But surprise surprise! Mike has conferred with God and God feels he should use his reward to benefit the greatest number of people. Mike gives up time with his Mom and allows Rob and company time with their loved ones. One might suspect this was strategic but I actually don't think Mike is dumb enough to believe Rob's tribe would be swayed by an act of kindness. In any case, Rob and company return to camp to spend the day and night with their loved ones. Mike, Ralph and Matt return alone to Redemption Island. Ralph thinks Mike's move was a stupid one, but Matt gets the whole God thing and admires Mike's decision.
So we watch the Ometepe people interacting with their loved ones. Rob's sister has come to visit. She ignores Rob and keeps looking over her shoulder like something might bite her. Phillip tells his sister that crazy is his strategy and that he will continue to dominate (huh?). Andrea's dad throws her over his shoulder and asks her how come her hair looks so nice. Natalie's mother gives her a much needed pep talk. But as always, the kinfolk must go home and when they do it's time for an immunity challenge.
Rob has already decided that Andrea is the next to go and that she must not win immunity. The challenge is simple enough. Untie bundles of puzzle pieces that look a lot like stairs. Fit them onto a giant staircase one at a time in the right order. Once your staircase is built you win. It sounds simple. But it is 110 degrees in US numbers and some equally wickedly hot temperature in Canadian numbers (help me out here Jack). The Survivors must constantly run up and down the staircase and the closer they get to completing it, the longer each trip is. It is a close race between Rob, Grant and Andrea. Rob wins but he is hurting when the challenge is done. He is cramping and needs assistance to stand. But it is "mission accomplished". Rob has immunity and Andrea can now be sent home according to the plan. Andrea believes it is Phillip who is going home, and for a brief while Rob does consider getting rid of Mr. Annoying Pants. But alas, when the votes are tabulated, it is indeed Andrea who is heading to Redemption Island to meet up, again, with Matt (my guy).
Until next week,
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt I ain't nothin if not tenacious Elrod)
PS The season finale is on Sunday May 15. Find out if Matt (my guy) comes back from against incredible odds to win all the marbles. Or not.
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