Survivor Phillipines - September 26/12

First off, thanks to Lynn for a great update of last week's episode. I personally think she should do it all the time...look at the drive and determination the woman has, battling through torn stockings, dangling hems and forgotten keys to get the job done. Unlike me, who was faced with the following befuddling situation today. Last season Selina won the $20.00 prize for guessing the correct winner. She suggested I keep the money and use it to pay for her and Jeff for this season. Done. Then Selina is voted out first this season, meaning I now owe her $10.00. But Jack says he will give Selina 10.00, thereby paying his dues and saving me the trouble of mailing Selina money. Jack usually mails money for all of the New Hampshire folk so now there is is only Kathy who owes money. Except Kathy only owes 5.00 because she is sharing a Survivor. Jack wants to know how much money to send me. I had a flashback to those problems in high school. You know the ones. If a train leaves New York travelling at 80 mph, how long will it take Johnny to eat the 8 apples he stole from little Susie? In the words of a wise man "it made my hair hurt". A quick update on who voted for whom to win: Grace and Pam voted for Roberta Cheryl voted for Pete Lisa voted for Dana Pat voted for Artis Barb, Jack, Jeff, and Donna voted for Malcolm Selina voted for Dawson Lorelee voted for Michael Rick voted for Russel Roberta voted for Denise I was a little bit lost this episode since I was still trying to figure out who was who. However I will do my best to sort it out as I go (more hair hurting). The Matsing tribe has returned to camp following Tribal Council where Zane has been ousted. Russel is relieved that he wasn't sent home. It is the first time he went to Tribal Council feeling he might be sent home and the sensation didn't sit well with him. He decides that playing the whole Tribal Chief things isn't a good plan and resolves to step back and let the tribe sink or swim on their own. As Russel is doing his soul searching Roxy is noticing that Angie and Malcolm have gotten very close. We are talking bedtime snuzzling close. Roxy tells us that the booby trap happens all the time. Women show cleavage and some man will fallo face first into it. In Roxy's view, pairs are dangerous. Even Malcolm recognizes this is not a great situation, telling us that he needs to be careful not to get "booty blinded". However Malcolm is more is more useful to the tribe and Angie must go (in Roxie's opinion). First she needs to get Russel on-side. In turn Russel goes to Denise. Denise finds herself in a difficult situation since she already has an alliance with Malcolm. Besides, Denise isn't exactly happy with Roxy either. She doesn't do much around camp. She whines about the weather and she talks out loud in some strange language to her God. Denise says that when its challenge time she doesn't talk to God she talks to herself and tells herself to dig deep. At Tandang RC discovers a clue to a hidden idol in the bag of rice. She shares the clue with Abi Maria thinking this will shore up their alliance. Abi though, tells RC that she might be getting too close to Mike. RC responds by telling Abi that she might be getting too close to Peter. At best the alliance between these two can be described as shakey. Lisa, we learn, is actually an introvert when not on stage. She can't make small talk and prefers to head off by herself to cry in the jungle. The others in her tribe believe she is going off to look for a hidden idol and therefore don't trust her. At Kalabaw Kent admits he is struggling. Maybe being a professional baseball player wasn't as hard as he thought. Will he be able to make it to the ninth inning? Will he be able to make it through the arduous sixth month season? Will Pat survive one more baseball analogy? While Kent tries to pump himself up Jonathan is hoping for a break in the rain. With everyone staying in camp he hasn't been able to search for the idol he knows must be hidden somewhere nearby. He finally gets a break when the rest of the tribe decides to sit out the rest of the storm in a nearby cave. While they are gone Jonathan crawls over and under every surface looking for the idol. At one point someone returns and asks him what he is doing. Looking for a contact that washed out in the rain, says Jonathan. Left alone again Jonathan has a eureka moment. The box of rice has a very strange handle, featuring a bull. He pries the handle off and discovers that the flip side is the idol. For the immunity challenge, two members of each tribe must pull a heavy sled over a course,load up bundles of puzzle pieces and return to the start line. A second pair of tribe mates must then assemble three puzzles, under the direction of a fifth tribe member. First prize is immunity, along with a tarp, blankets and pillows. Tandang wins this collection of swag. Kalabaw takes second place winning immunity and a tarp. Poor Matsing loses again, causing Russel to go on a tirade about the committment of the tribe members. Now that Matsing must go to Tribal Council for a second time, nerves are taut. Russell needs the support of Roxy but Roxy is a major target. Roxy still wants Angie gone but Malcolm is nervous too. He knows his relationship with Angie isn't a good idea but he is "only flesh and blood". Denise is caught in the middle and knows she will likely represent the swing vote. When the votes are cast Roxy is heading home. With Roxy goes Jan from our pool. That's it for this week. If you haven't already sent me your money, please do so as soon as possible either by an e-transfer or by mailing a cheque to me at Box 1196 Fort Qu'Appelle, SK. S0G 1S0. Until next week Outwit, Outplay, Outlast Pat (aka Abi Maria don't @$%& with me Gomez)

Survivor Phillipines - September 19

It must be fall because that old familiar Survivor music is playing. Hope everyone had a wonderful summer. We begin the update with a story of survival (in Calgary). Your pinch hitting scribe had a bad day, a very bad day. I'll spare you the gory details but suffice it to say it included a ripped hem, blisters from inppropriate shoes, a ladder down my cute brown tights, a complete Outlook breakdown at work, and train delays on the commute home. Finally, I reached the train station. I sprinted to my car intent on my Survivor duties. And the piece de resistance of my day...my car keys were back at my office. So hem dragging, with shredded pantyhose, your intrepid Survivor reporter limped through the heat all the way home. Thank god someone invented PVRs. And so another season of Survivor begins: This season, the location is the Philippines. As the show begins, our Survivors are wending their way by boat to camp when lo and behold here comes our beloved Jeff Probst. The first twist of the season - there are three tribes - Matsing, Kalabaw, and Tandang. Why three, you ask? Well, funnily enough, that's because we have three returning Survivors that had to leave their games early because of illness - Jonathan Penner due to an infection, Russell Swan due to dehydration, and Michael Skupin due to a fall into the fire. Each returnee is assigned to a tribe. Jeff announces that the tribes will be leaving by raft. They have only a couple of minutes to gather up any supplies they want and get them on their raft. A mad scramble ensues and Matsing overturns their raft, dumping much of their booty into the water. Jeff, the retired baseball player, from Tandang lands awkwardly on the raft wrenching his knee. Before long the group is on land. At Matsing, Russell asserts that he's not the leader, while he is giving orders.... Strike one. At Kalabaw, Jonathan is very emotional about his comeback chance in the game he loves. It brings a little tear to my eye, but not his team mates'. Jonathan barely finishes his speech before the plotting begins. Michael seems to be faring a little better with Tandang. Right now, the young folk seem to think he'll be useful. They form a quick alliance and invite Michael in as the token old dude. Michael is happy somone wants to play the game with him, but he is more interested in another player. Unlike the twenty something crowd, Michael recognizes D list celebrity Lisa Whelchel aka Blair from the Facts of Life. He encourages Lisa to play the celebrity card thinking the other players will be starstruck. Lisa is wise enough to know that a) they won't have a friggin' clue who she is and b) it will paint a big target on her back. Over at Kalabaw, the other minor celebrity, retired baseball player Jeff Kent, is on Dawson's radar. Her ex-boyfriend was a baseball fanatic and she recognizes Jeff. See, ex-boyfriends are good for something! For now, Dawson is going to play it cool but the information is stored as a future bargaining chip. Meanwhile at Matsing, Zane is busy making alliances with everyone. And he seals his final alliance with Russell and Malcolm, by sharing that information with them. Because really, that's his true alliance. No, really. Would he lie? At the challenge, the Survivors arrive looking like citified warriors with their face paint. Each tribe will complete parts of the challenge in teams of two. The first pairs are tied together and must run into the jungle to retrieve a set of paddles. Pair #2 then paddles out to recover a submerged chest from the water, and the final pair will complete a puzzle. Russell, not the leader of Matsing, assigns everyone roles. Russell and Zane will complete the run, Malcolm and RC will paddle out and Angie & Roxy will complete the puzzle. Wait a darn tootin' minute says Angie. I ran track in high school and I'm terrible at puzzles. No, says Russell not the leader, you must obey. Well guess what. Russell has to drag Zane behind him on the run because Zane can't run. And yes you've probably figured this out, but Angie really is terrible at puzzles. Kalabaw wins first prize, a full fire starting kit, Tandang wins second place and a flint, while Russell's team is dead last and wins a trip to Tribal Council. Strike 2. A scowling Angie and Roxy head back to camp with thunder clouds brewing over their heads. You got to figure Strike 3 is coming for Russell. But wait, Zane is going to make a big move. He tells everyone he sucked at the challenge and is obviously not physically fit enough to compete. He's very sorry and understands that he should go home. In private, Zane tells the camera that he is using reverse psychology. He figures everyone will like him so much for offering to be the fall guy that they won't be able to bear to vote him out. Oh, he's a trickster. So tricky that before he could say Jeff Probst has great dimples his sojourn at Survivor was over. To borrow one of my favourite British words, the boy was gobsmacked. Sadly, Zane tricked himself and our own Selina out of the pool. Bonne nuit Survivor fans, Lynn aka Angie (dammit I can't do puzzles) Layton

Survivor Phillipines - Your Alter Ego revealed

Whoo Hoo. Another season of Survivor is about to begin. Three survivors who were medically evacuated in previous seasons are coming back to try again. The best thing about this is that none of them is Colby, the icky little fellow from last season that we all loved to hate. We needed to create two pairs in order to make the numbers work as there are only 18 Survivors this time around. Lynn and I drew numbers randomly to figure out the pairs. I will be paired with Barb, and Kathy will be paired with Debbie. Below is who was drawn to be your alter ego for the next few weeks. The first person eliminated doesn't have to pay the $10.00 so watch the first show then get your 10.00 to me as soon as you can. You can mail it to Box 1196 Fort Qu'Appelle, SK S0G 1S0 or you can do an automatic transfer if you prefer. Finally, don't forget to have a look at the CBS website http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/ to decide who you think will be the ultimate winner. As usual you have until the beginning of episode #2 to let me know who you think will win the $1,000,000 grand prize. The person guessing the ultimate winner will win $20.00. And now the moment you have all been waiting for: Grace will be burning up the screen with Michael Skupin, a 50 year old from White Lake, Mich. Michael was evacuated from Survivor Australian Outback in 2001 with severe burns after passing out into a fire from smoke inhalation. Jack will be limping toward the finale with Jonathan Penner, a 50 year old from Los Angeles. Jonathan was evacuated from Survivor Micronesia - Fans vs Favourites in 2008 after a knee infection. Lisa will be dying for a drink after she spends time with Russell Swan, a 45 year old from Glenside, Penn. Russell was evacuated from Survivor Samoa in 2009 due to dehydration. Pat and Barb will be looking great in their string bikinis, along with Abi-Maria Gomes, a 32 year old student from Los Angeles. Lynn will be studying human behaviour alongside Angie Layton, a 20 year old student from Provo, Utah. Rick will be computing new ways to win with his partner Artis Silvester, a 53 year old computer engineer from Terry Town, Louisiana. Georgia will be sprinting to the finale along with Carter Williams, a 24 year old track coach from Shawnee, Kansas. Pam will be investing some time with Roberta (RC) Saint-Amour, a 27 year old investment broker from New York, NY. Jan will be taking a theological approach to the game as she travels with Roxanne "Roxy" Morris, a 28 year old seminary student from Brooklyn, New York. Donna will be looking for a big payout with Sarah Dawson, a 28 year old Insurance sales person from Silver Spring, Maryland. Selina will be aligning with Zane Knight, a 28 year old tire repairman from Danville, Virginia. Roberta will be looking good with Dana Lambert, a 32 year old cosmetologist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Kathy and Debbie will be sharing "insights" with Denise Stapley, a 41 year old sex therapist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Marie will be looking to strike a home run with Jeff Kent, a 44 year old retired ML baseball player from Austin, Texas. Lorelee will be adjusting her tiara as she plays the game with Katie Hanson, a 22 year old former Miss Delaware from Newark, Delaware. Jeff will looking for the Facts of Life with Lisa Whelchel, a 49 year old former TV teen star from Dallas, Texas. Mitzie will be mixing it up with Malcolm Freberg, a 25 year old bartender from Hermose Beach, California. Cheryl will be calculating a fool proof plan with Pete Yurkowski, a 24 year old engineering graduate from Holm Del, New Jersey. There you have it. I am away the for the first episode so Lynn has agreed to do the update. I look forward to catching up on everything when I get back.