Survivor 10 Palau

Feed Change

2007-03-26T16:03:00.000-04:00

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Also visit my Survivor blog Survivor Hut - http://survivorhut.blogspot.com

Survivor 11 Guatemala Now Up and Running

2005-06-10T10:46:00.000-04:00

This blog, Survivor 10 Palau, will no longer be updated. I have moved on to Survivor 11 Guatemala which is now up and running. I invite you to join me for the latest Survivor news along with my thoughts and observations. Please update your bookmarks and news readers.

Of course you are welcome to stay here and read all about Survivor Palau - that's what it's here for. Perhaps you'd also like to read about Survivor 9 Vanuatu .

Episode 14, Tom Wins!

2005-05-16T23:37:00.000-04:00

Tom wins the final two Immunity challenges. He chooses to take Katie to the final two with him and has a relatively easy appearance before the Jury. Final votes shown: 4 for Tom and 1 for Katie (that's enough, but I suspect he got six of the seven votes).

The final two hour episode of Survivor Palau started with the final four (Tom, Ian, Katie and Jennifer) talking about the last Tribal Council where Caryn snapped.

There wasn't a Reward challenge. Instead the four of them had a memorial ceremony where they took the extinguished torches of the other Survivors and 'buried them at sea.' As each torch was dropped into the ocean they said a few kind words about their former competitor. It was a nice remembrance of all of the Survivors. Also there were some good looking underwater shots of the torches slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

The first Immunity involved intelligence and a little luck. There was a tower and grappling hooks were used to retrieve ropes. Pieces to a puzzle revealed a combination to a lock. Tom won this Immunity.

Back at camp, it is decided that Jennifer will be voted off. This is all done out in the open and Jennifer is reluctantly resigned to her fate. She even hugs everybody. Then Ian says to Tom something like "I don't know if I would have been able to make that decision," (deciding that Jennifer would leave).

This for some reason makes Tom suspicious of Ian. Tom thinks that he was plotting to vote him off. Jennifer smells blood and throws fuel on the fire. "He was plotting against you Tom!" The three of them gang up on poor Ian and accuse him of 'dishonesty.' Ian says that it was just the game and that he was just exploring all options but that he was always loyal to the three of them (him, Tom and Katie). Didn't they also do similar things? (yes) Despite vehement protests and being on the verge of tears, they don't seem to believe Ian.

First Tribal Council
The voting is a tie, two votes for Ian and two for Jennifer. The tie is broken with a fire building challenge. Ian wins, so Jennifer is removed from competition.

Back at camp, Tom lays into Ian again. He tells Ian to be a man and admit that he made a mistake. (I don't think Ian did anything wrong.)

Final Immunity Challenge
This is traditionally an endurance competition and Palau would not break with that custom. Each Survivor was to stand on a tiny platform on top of a buoy in the water. The last one down wins Immunity.

After about five hours or so Katie was the first one to give up. (Who said women usually do better in the endurance challenges?) At around the seventh hour Tom offered Ian a deal: Ian steps down and Tom will take him in the final two with him. Ian doesn't trust him (I wonder why?) and makes the same offer to Tom. Tom also declines the deal.

At just before the twelve hour mark, Ian tells Tom he will give up if the three of them can be friends again and Tom takes Katie to the final two. Yes, you read that correctly. Ian was just giving up and he didn't even want to be in the final two; he just wanted to be friends again!

They then had an impromptu Final Tribal Council. Tom asked Ian again if he wanted him to take Katie to the final two with him. Ian said 'Yes', he just wants to be friends. Tom then said that they would have been friends anyway but now he also respects Ian. (See, all of the senseless brow beating that Tom heaped on Ian earlier really paid off in the final Immunity Challenge.)

Ian is voted off, leaving the Jury to decide whether Tom or Katie wins the one million dollars.

The Jury Questions Tom and Katie.
This was pretty uneventful. Tom played the 'I'm Just an Average Guy Lucky to be Here' role, and he played it well. Katie was a bit stand off-ish. This was really on display when Janu wanted to ask her a question and she refused. Katie said that Janu had already made up her mind to vote for Tom, so why should she bother to answer her question. I think this hurt Katie in the eyes of the rest of the Jury. Some of them looked on in disbelief as Katie declined to respond to Janu. Anyway, Gregg seemed to blame Tom for his demise and Cory was very angry with both of them. Of course when it was Ian's turn it was a love fest. The rest of the jurists asked the standard questions.

Time for the final vote.

The Survivor Reunion
(Held at the Sullivan Theater in New York City.)
Here the votes were revealed in front of a live audience. Four votes for Tom were shown to just one for Katie. That's enough to give the one million dollars to him. I suspect Tom got six of the seven votes. Tom then ran over to hug his wife and family. Tom, a New York City fireman, really had the audience on his side throughout the evening.

The remainder of the reunion was the usual feel good session. Past bad blood was forgotten as everybody reminisced about their time together on the island. Janu admitted that she had already made up her mind to vote for Tom before Katie refused to answer her question. Jeff Probst asked everyone if they thought that he coerced Janu into quitting at Tribal Council. They all agreed that he hadn't done so. Coby revealed that he has adopted a baby girl. As if that wasn't sweet enough, he then said that he's named her Janu after Janu. Coby and Janu then hugged while everyone let out a collective "Ahhh!" I may have missed it, but I don't think that James' stripper wife tried to kick Stephenie's ass, as James stated she would on several occasions.

So ends Survivor Palau. I hope that you enjoyed my little blog. The next Survivor will air in September and it will be set in Guatemala. The Survivors will live amongst ancient Mayan ruins.

I plan on blogging again. My blog for Survivor Guatemala is already started but it is a little sparse right now and I will change the template and its look before the next edition starts.

The URL is: http://survivor11.blogspot.com .

Have a nice summer and I hope to see you in the fall!

Tom Westman Wins 'Survivor: Palau'

2005-05-16T23:35:00.000-04:00

By Derrik J. Lang, Associated Press Writer

At 41, New York City firefighter Tom Westman scorched his competition on "Survivor: Palau" to become the oldest winner of the competitive reality show.

"I played with intensity," the gray-haired Westman told The Associated Press in an interview following his win Sunday at the Ed Sullivan Theater. "I didn't hold back and fly under the radar. I thought I might be able to do that, but they got the real Tom Westman out there."

In a season of "Survivor" firsts, Westman stuck to his day-one alliance with dolphin trainer Ian Rosenberger and advertising executive Katie Gallagher and led the Koror tribe to win every immunity challenge, a feat that's never happened in the past nine seasons of "Survivor."

"Somebody told me recently they stopped coloring their hair after I did so well on the challenges," Westman joked.

Westman, a father of three who lives in Sayville, N.Y., made no secret of his prowess, winning seven individual immunity challenges and staying out of hot water when it came time for players to vote each other off the island. He never received a vote against him.

"When I saw how young the cast was, I thought, `This is gonna be perfect,'" Westman told the AP. "They're not going to know I'm a physical threat until it's too late for them. I didn't get to play that game. I played it hard. I played it as myself. While some people think that may not be too bright strategically, it did work out for me."

Westman is now $1 million richer and the owner of a new car. He said he plans to use the money toward college for his children and fixing up his house.

"I'm going to take care of my family," he said. "We've now got that cushion that most middle-class families don't have. Everything is going to be a little easier, a little sweeter."

The finale wasn't sweet for the three losers. Nanny Jenn Lyon lost during a tiebreaker challenge after Westman learned Rosenberger planned to double-cross him. Then, Rosenberger gave up during the final endurance immunity challenge, insisting Westman take Gallagher to the final two in a show of respect. During the final tribal council, runner-up Gallagher was called "mean" and "lazy."

Following Westman's win, host Jeff Probst announced the next location and title for the eleventh edition of the reality show: "Survivor: Guatemala — The Maya Empire." Probst said the latest batch of survivors will live among Mayan ruins.

Survivor Live: Caryn

2005-05-15T10:25:00.000-04:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: Caryn
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and
Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Caryn continues to be holier-than-thou by saying that she played with integrity and wouldn't give up so the others, presumedly liars and cheats, had to gang up to vote her off. The BS continued to fly as she says that no one pulled her through the game, that she got as far as she did by being honest and playing the "social" part of the game well. From atop of her dais, Caryn is disappointed with Ian. She said she thought he was a "golden boy" until she recently found out that he was "lying" (I'd say playing the game).

Hypocrisy thy name is Caryn.
She was dishonest on Palau. She admits to not telling the others that she is an lawyer, but in secret she told Willard the truth (on the island, during the game). Perhaps in her line of "work" such sins of omission are allowed and legal. Who knows what else she "lied" about that we aren't aware of.

Caryn get ye a clue.
You were Tom's pawn for a while. He used you for at least the last several weeks, "pulled through" in your vernacular. If Caryn played the "social" part of the game so well then why did she piss off so many people early on? She admits this too when she said that after Willard was voted off she had to get playing the game and be nicer.

Comments about the others.
Tom and Ian are real players because they were willing to resort to picking rocks if necessary. (And I'd say each of them played Caryn as well.) Besides Stephenie this wasn't a strong group of women. She regrets not talking with Coby and telling him to settle on just one or two people for an alliance. (Coby was more of a threat because he was a player, that's why he went so soon. Caryn was a pawn.)

She ends with that standard Survivor cliche: She now has a greater appreciation for everything. However she mixed in that she's now "much richer" than when she started the game. By richer she means spiritually. Nice touch, it's too bad I really don't believe her; her reality distortion field leaves me questioning everything she says. It's amazing, she thinks that people will believe everything she says.

What's next for Caryn? Back to work as a civil rights lawyer. I guess the 'civil rights' part is to soften the 'lawyer' part. She then made a shameless attempt to get on Law and Order or Court TV. I for one hope that she is quickly consigned to the dustbin of Survivor history and that we never ever hear from her again. Did I mention that I don't like her?

Note: there will be a Survivor Live Monday at 2:00 pm ET with the final four Survivors. Also Dalton and Jenna will do a redcarpet broadcast at CBS.com the night of the final show - hey that's tonight!

Early Show: Caryn

2005-05-15T09:34:00.000-04:00

Caryn is playing the "I played honestly, I have integrity, but they don't" routine. She was angry at all of the deception that was going on. Did she ever watch Survivor before going on the show! That's what Survivor is all about.

Anyway that's why she snapped at Tribal Council. She wanted Katie to know that Tom was plotting against her. (Katie is pretty smart, I'm sure she assumed that already.)

Caryn said that Katie and Jennifer aren't playing to win, they're playing to be runner-up. (Well, guess who also got farther than you Caryn?) She also says that the final four will be determined by the Immunity challenges. (Wow, thanks for that insight.)

Episode 13, Caryn Gone

2005-05-15T09:20:00.000-04:00

Since I missed this episode, Jeff D was kind enough to write up a synopsis for me. Thanks Jeff!

Right away, Jen knows she's on the block and tries to pull Ian into a 3-way alliance with Katie to take down Tom. This, incidentally, was my prediction as Jen's best move, and to my mind is indicates she can think clearly under pressure. As it turns out, Jen's pressure situation eased considerably after the rewards challenge.

The rewards challenge was a little boring this time, and a little easy to predict that it was only a shoot-out between Tom & Ian. The challenge was to paddle a raft back and forth from the dock to each of 5 buoys, and collect a marker from each one. Each marker had a number representing a distance from Palau to some world famous city. After collecing all 5 markers, the challengers had to match the correct distance to the city. I think they were (in order): Manila, Tokyo, Paris, London, & New York. Tom & Ian were neck & neck during most of the race while Jen held a solid 3rd. In returning the 4th marker to the dock, Tom made a fatal mistake and threw his marker towards the basket, but missed and had to go retrieve it. This gave Ian the easy victory... and with it, a brand new Corvette!

This is where Jen's game breathed a new life because Ian, who had promised to take Katie if he won reward, instead took Tom. Ian claimed that he and Tom had a prior agreement to take the other if a car was part of the reward. This was a dumb move for Ian, because even though he and Tom predicted an all-girl alliance and agreed to foil it by keeping the girls separated, he decided not to take Katie. This, then infuriated Katie who decided to take initiative at convincing Caryn to help vote off Tom or Ian, to which Jen happily concurred.

Very little of the camera time was devoted to the accomodations and food that Ian and Tom enjoyed, but more focus was given to Katie's displeasure with Ian's decision, and Caryn's considerations of her best move. Upon the guy's return, they find Caryn, who smartly asked Ian directly (with Tom there) about who would be going to the final 3. Ian sputters, and fails to commit to bringing Caryn into a final 3 with Tom. Tom, who has been convinced by Caryn that Katie is out to get him, goes into a mode of brow-beating Ian & Katie into remembering the original alliance, yadda yadda. It's an interesting turn of events where even Ian admits that maybe his best move is to vote off Tom.

Oh, and I couldn't forget the emotional exchange between Ian & Katie. Katie, who had been refusing to even speak with Ian upon his return from reward, finally agrees to go chat. Ian fully admits his mistake, Katie still can't trust him, they both start crying, blah blah blah. In the end, although Katie keeps her cards pretty close, it appears that she might have a hard time voting against Ian (but Tom I'm not so sure).

Before the immunity challenge, it strikes me that if Tom doesn't win immunity, he is probably done. Jen & Katie appear to be pretty solid and may be able to convince either Ian or Caryn (or both) to vote against Tom.

The immunity challenge is a combination of a balancing obstacle course and memory. The players had to cross a rope bridge with cross members, step from floating buoy to buoy, and then finally cross a tight rope (with a hand guide) to a floating dock. Then, they had to memorize a 4 X 5 set of tiles, cross back to the starting point, and match the puzzle. After a couple of hard falls and some serious pressure, Tom finishes first and wins immunity. It was surprising to me that nobody was able to put together the puzzle with less than 3 looks at the original (Tom got it after his 3rd look, I think), but it made for a gripping challenge.

Before heading up to tribal council, Ian & Katie have another one-on-one chat on the beach. Katie appears to be holding all the cards deciding whether or not she will vote off Ian.

Caryn shows concern that if Katie sides with the boys, then the old 3-way alliance will have been refortified and she will be out in the cold. To that end at Tribal, Caryn blatently attempts to smear Ian and sway Katie to vote against him. It gets pretty heated and the jury appears to be loving it. It isn't enough, though, and she ends up getting all the votes. The viewers weren't shown, of course, when the last minute negotiating went down. My guess is that Katie & Ian made up on the beach, and agreed right there that Caryn was the one going home.

I Missed Episode 13

2005-05-12T21:46:00.000-04:00

Real life has intruded into the happy world of my Survivor blog.

My aunt is in the hospital and I went to visit her this afternoon. What was expected to be a short visit turned into about six hours spent at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (a very good hospital, by the way). I'll spare you the details but it looks like she will be ok.

So I missed Survivor tonight. If someone would like to write up a review of tonight's show I'll consider posting it instead of my usual piece. You can email it here: Contact Me .

What I'd really like to know is:
(you can leave responses in the comments below)

1. What were Ian and Katie arguing about? Did it seem like one was just trying to use the other?
2. Did Jennifer really work to avoid being voted off? If so what did she do and who did she try and manipulate?
3. Are they still blind to Tom's power? I still can't believe he hasn't been a bigger target so far.
4. What were the challenges like? They have been interesting so far this season.

I should be able to post my notes on the Early Show and Survivor Live some time in the next few days and I'll tape the Sunday finale if I have to leave the house for any reason.

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-05-12T12:10:00.000-04:00

I'm sticking with the same line-up as last week.

Tom, first question at Tribal Council
He's obviously the leader maybe Jeff Probst will put him on the spot.

points last week: 58

Ian, first interview
He's often used for an objective view of what's happened, maybe he'll start off the show talking about last Tribal Council.

points last week: 25

Katie, first question at Tribal Council
She hasn't gotten much screen time maybe that's about to change.

points last week: 58

Caryn, first interview
I think she sides with Tom, Ian and Katie to be in the final four.

points last week: 10

I think this will be the final four with Tom and Katie in the final two. Tom most likely wins the 1 million dollars.

Tonight's Episode
It Could All Backfire, Episode #1013.
Gender lines are drawn as one group hatches a plan to vote off the Survivor who doesn't win Immunity.

One Survivor feels betrayed when the winner of a Challenge chooses a different tribemate to enjoy the Reward.

Going into Tribal Council, one Survivor holds the power and is torn between an alliance and a friendship. Which way will the vote swing?

Survivor Firsts

2005-05-11T11:52:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of Survivor Palau Jeff Probst (right) said in an interview that this edition of the series had a lot of firsts. Now that Palau is fast approaching its conclusion, I'd like to compile a list of these firsts.

To start us off:

No Merge
Stephenie as the last member of Ulong was "captured" into Koror (keeping with the war theme of this season). I read this was planned to happen only if a tribe got down to one member. Also I believe this is the first Survivor with just two tribe names, usually the merged tribe gets its own name.

Lone Survivor
Related to No Merge, Stephenie was the first Survivor to live by herself during the game after the rest of her tribe had been removed from competition.

Exile
First time a Survivor (Janu) was exiled. The producers wanted to give the players a reason to give their all in the competitions. Often when someone knows they're safe and don't really need Immunity they won't try their hardest. It's not so much living on your own for a night that's the punishment, it's being separated from the others so now they can plot against you. A nice twist even if it's not used every edition. It will be in the back of the minds of future contestants.

Quitting at Tribal Council
This was the first Survivor where someone quit at Tribal Council, Janu again. Players have quit before but never at Tribal Council. Also Ashlee and Jeff essentially just gave up.

Twenty Survivors
This was the first season to start with twenty Survivors, the most ever. More significantly two competitors were eliminated when they did the school yard pick'em to select the tribes.

Every Tribal Council
Stephenie is the first player to be part of every Tribal Council. Ulong lost every group Immunity challenge and Stephenie made it to the Jury so she will be at every Tribal Council on Survivor Palau.

This is what I've come up with off the top of my head. If you know of any other firsts please leave them in the Comments below and I'll compile an updated list.

Survivor Live: Gregg

2005-05-10T14:03:00.000-04:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: Gregg
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and
Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Gregg once again said the he should have seen it coming but he didn't; he had blinders on. He was blinded from the Reward. He innocently choose his friends Jennifer and Katie to go on the luxury yacht with him because they hadn't had a taste of Reward at that point. Gregg admits that he should have been thinking about the game at that point but it's a lot tougher when you're actually there. He just "shut down" game-wise at that point.

The Others
Gregg said that five of them were real close: Gregg, Jennifer, Tom, Ian and Katie.

Jennifer
Early on with Koror winning all of the Immunity challenges there wasn't too much to worry about and their relationship just developed. Gregg maintains that they weren't trying to be another Rob and Amber. (I believe him, Jennifer isn't as good a player as Amber.) Furthermore he says that they were a good team. She focused on the women and he on the men, "an extra set of eyes and ears" he said. He naively said that their alliance wasn't revealed until the Reward challenge last week. (Snuggle partners get noticed.) Jennifer talked with Gregg about the Girl Power alliance and voting off Tom, but it sounds like Gregg talked her out of it. A future with Jennifer? It doesn't sound likely; he said he's in Chicago and she's in Los Angeles. (As Rene Syler said on the Early Show, "that's what airplanes are for.") If he wanted to keep seeing her he could. I think this was just a Survivor relationship.

Katie
What isn't shown is how funny and entertaining she is (he used the word "hysterical"). Gregg's not sure how serious of a relationship she has with Ian. Ian did tell her brother that he would take care of her.

Stephenie
She was a real wild card that's why he wanted her gone. He was with Koror so long he knew them well, but Stephenie was new and he didn't know how to read her. If she were in the final two no one would beat her out for the million dollars; it just would have been too good of a story. Gregg wanted her to go first after she joined them but Coby "dug his own grave."

Caryn
Caryn was supposed to go after Willard and she's still there. (That's because she became a pawn of Tom's.)

Jeff Probst
Jeff is sneaky and knows what questions to ask. You have to choose your words carefully not to "give up the goods." Jeff plays games too. Dalton Ross states the obvious: Jeff sometimes asks questions to see the reaction by other people. I'm sure Jeff watches video daily while they're shooting the show. I also bet he talks with the camera crews every day so he knows what's going on all of the time. This makes it a lot easier for him to ask probing questions.

Next for Gregg: he's working to help a village devastated by the tsunami (in Sri Lanka, I think he said). He mentioned a web site ( http://www.tsunamichallenge.org ) but it wasn't up when I checked it.

Survivor Live: Stephenie

2005-05-08T11:17:00.000-04:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: Stephenie
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and
Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Stephenie said that being on Ulong made her look physically stronger than she really is because she competed mostly with the women of Koror who aren't really that strong. She was surprised to see how bad Gregg wanted her voted off. The Girl Power alliance was Stephenie's idea (she tried it because Ian wouldn't commit to an alliance with her and Tom) and it fell apart because someone always screws something like it up - in this case Caryn. (An alliance of more than two or three people rarely holds up for long in Survivor.) Stephenie said that she gave up in the Perch Immunity Challenge because she had a very good idea that Coby was going to be voted off. Being alone was scary especially because she didn't know how long it would be for.

Stephenie really likes Angie, but that it was not a mistake to vote off Jolanda because most of Ulong couldn't bear to be around her. There was no negotiating with Jolanda; it was either her way or the highway. Stephenie and Katie attended the same university and graduated a year apart. (Monmouth Univ. in New Jersey is listed on both of their bios at the Survivor Palau web site.)

What's next for Stephenie?
She's back to work as a pharmaceutical representative but a few universities have inquired about speaking engagements.

Early Show: Stephenie

2005-05-07T14:47:00.000-04:00

Stephenie was interviewed twice during the CBS Early Show, first by Harry Smith and then later by Rene Syler.

The segment with Harry wasn't too revealing. Stephenie said once again how much she hates to lose. Caryn ruined her attempt at a Girl Power alliance. Harry commented on how strong she is and Stephenie said that she's not as strong as the men left on Koror. She's not sure why she was so good at the shooting challenge. Finally she said that her tears at Tribal Council weren't planned or faked. As the others talked and it became apparent that she was going to be voted off in stead of Janu, who didn't even want to play any longer, Stephenie was just all overcome with emotion.

The talk with Rene was more revealing. Rene asked Stephenie if she could have merged with just one member of Ulong who would she choose? Stephenie answered Bobby Jon. She would have picked Jeff if he hadn't hurt his ankle. (He broke his ankle over a year ago and knew it was in bad shape again.) Her letters from home were very positive and helped her a lot. She was only expecting a letter from her mother but she got letters from her entire family and boyfriend ('sorry guys). Some food items at the auction weren't shown (I was right, I can do math after-all.) Stephenie said that she voted for Caryn because she ruined her attempt at a Girl Power alliance. Also, more telling, Tom told her to vote for Caryn. Finally Stephenie tried for the Girl Power alliance because Ian would not commit to an alliance with her and Tom.

Early Show: Gregg

2005-05-06T08:43:00.000-04:00

Hindsight is 20/20 as they say. Gregg said that he should have seen it coming (his being voted off), but he didn't. Furthermore he set himself up by leaving his two biggest threats (Tom and Ian) alone while he went away for the night on the yacht. Gregg said he didn't try and get Tom voted off earlier because he was using him as a "buffer"; Tom would take the heat of being in the spotlight rather than himself. Gregg didn't say much about Jennifer other than that they bonded early.

It was nice to see a Survivor be honest rather than trotting out the old cliche about being "a threat." Gregg had more reason than most to use that old saw but he didn't, he was honest - he screwed up. I'm sure we'll get more information about his relationship with Jennifer this afternoon on Survivor Live.

Episode 12, Good-bye Gregg

2005-05-06T00:57:00.000-04:00

Gregg wins Reward and choses Jennifer and Katie to go for a night on a luxury yacht with him. While they are away Tom, Ian and Caryn plot Gregg's removal from the game. Ian wins Immunity in a challenge that features elements of previous competitions. Katie is given an ultimatum: vote for Gregg or pick lots to see who is removed at Tribal Council. She does indeed vote with the three of them and Gregg is voted off at Tribal Council.

After the recap of last episode, Tom confides with us that he thought that he might have been voted of at last Tribal Council and Caryn tells us that she feels very vulnerable. Tree Mail brings news of a luxury Reward Challenge and Ian says that he and Katie have an agreement to take each other if either one wins.

Reward Challenge
Competition: torch drop
Reward: one night on a luxury yacht with shower, food and drink (and a surprise)

Each Survivor has a burning torch hanging over water by a rope as levers are released the torches are lowered into the water. Players get to throw the lever of one other player if he/she answers questions correctly.

First Question
Because of the shape the islands, Palau's islands are known as? Rock islands.
Caryn is out after only the first question!

Second Question
In Palau's past stones were once used as money. What did the heaviest stone weigh? 10,000 lbs. (their wallets must have been huge!)
Only Tom gets this one correct. Now Gregg, Katie, Tom and Ian each have their lever pulled once.

Third Question
Palau is surrounded by the North Pacific and what body of water? Philippine Sea
All of them get it correct and Tom and Ian are knocked out.

Fourth Question
In relation to the equator Palau lies where? North (by just 7 degrees)
Gregg and Katie get this one correct. Gregg asks Jennifer permission for who's lever to pull! He pulls Katie's lever which leaves Jennifer in the lead.

Fifth Question
True or False, Palau was the first country to issue a Elvis Presley postal stamp. True
Katie gets knocked out leaving just Gregg and Jennifer.

Sixth Question
The coconut crabs of Palau can do what after eating? Change color
Only Gregg gets it right so he wins Reward.

Jeff Probst tells Gregg that he can chose two of the others to go with him on the yacht. He selects Jennifer (no surprise there) and Katie (I thought that he would chose Tom or Ian).

Let the scheming begin!
While the three of them are enjoying the night of luxury, Ian tells us in private that the Reward Challenge showed him that Katie isn't that solid on his side (which is what it was designed to do). He, Tom and Caryn plot to vote Gregg off saying that he and Jennifer are in control of the game. In order to shake things up, Tom and Ian are willing to resort to picking lots (colored rocks) if there's a tie. Caryn is told to play like she is going to be voted off.

On the yacht, the luxury starts. They shower, get a massage and eat some nice looking fruit. Then surprise, family and friends show up! Survivors, family and friends get to go swimming with dolphins. Gregg, Jennifer and Katie all seem to think the plan is still on to vote Caryn off. Katie tells us that her strategy is to suck up to whoever has power until they don't have power any longer and then suck up to the new power holder. (It's a strategy, but not one that usually wins. I also think that it's lame.) Gregg tells us that Tom and Ian are a threat (then why didn't he try to get one of them voted off?).

The Reward winners return to the others and introduce their family and friends to the rest of Koror. Big tough guy Gregg cries talking about his mother.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: second chance

This competition takes parts of previous challenges and uses them in a series with the last place finisher of each stage eliminated.

1. The Rope Net climbing obstacle. Caryn eliminated.
2. Sea Star Puzzle (smaller and done on land this time). Katie eliminated. (Jennifer just beat her out)
3. Balut eating (3). Gregg eliminated.
4. Untie a Box. Jennifer eliminated.
5. Target Shooting. Tom eliminated.

Ian wins Immunity again!

Gregg and Jennifer seem to be falling for the ruse. With Ian and Katie alone, he gives her the ultimatum: vote for Gregg or take the chance of being removed from competition by the luck of the draw.

Koror at Tribal Council
The Jury watches: Coby, Janu, Stephenie
(paraphrased)
Probst: Winning Reward is nice but you miss out on the game while your away.
Gregg: Even though I won I think it was a good thing.
Probst: The Reward Challenge was designed to show who's weak and who's strong. Caryn you were the first out and in a hurry.
Caryn: It's hard but I think it was because I've had more food (reward-wise).
Probst: There are more implications than just missing out on some food. This is getting close to being over and one of you can win a lot of money. Jennifer the challenge really showed you and Gregg to be a team.
Jennifer: But we're playing individually.
Gregg: I didn't mean to be malicious at the Reward Challenge.
Probst: Caryn you came packed to Tribal Council?
Caryn: I've packed for every TC and I feel vulnerable here tonight.
Probst: Tom has anything happened recently to change your vote?
Tom: Not really we're all friends but all's fair in love and war. (and Survivor)

Time to vote.

Caryn gets two votes and Gregg four votes.

Gregg is voted off! Coby looks surprised (hand over mouth surprised) and Jennifer looks horrified (glazed eyes, slack jawed, mouth open horrified). I guess that she's smart enough to realize that she's next.

Alliances
Jennifer's the next one gone. I don't think she's won a challenge yet and she's not about to start. Then it will be Caryn and Ian's turn.

Heroes and Villains
Is Caryn a bad player or what? She didn't realize the power she had, she was the swing vote. She could have run to others and voted off Tom or Ian. Of the five left, I'd like to see Tom or Ian win it all. Caryn hasn't played well, she's just Tom's pawn. Katie's Suck Up strategy is plain stupid. Who's the fifth player? Oh yeah, Jennifer is totally forgettable. She's possibly the most boring player ever to make it to the jury.

Official Episode Title: We'll Make You Pay

Won Reward: Gregg
(a night on a luxury yacht and family/friend visits)

Immunity: Ian
(second week in a row)

Voted Off: Gregg
(4 votes Gregg, 2 votes Caryn)

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-05-05T13:31:00.000-04:00

Tom, first question at Tribal Council
He's obviously the leader; maybe Jeff Probst will put him on the spot. Things have to go real bad for him not to be in the final two.

points last week: 16

Ian, first interview
He's often used for an objective view of what's happened, maybe he'll start off the show talking about last Tribal Council.

points last week: 33

Katie, first question at Tribal Council
She hasn't gotten much screen time maybe that's about to change especially if she is going to be in the final two as I predict.

points last week: 18

Caryn, first interview
I think she sides with Tom, Ian and Katie to be in the final four. She's just a pawn of Tom.

points last week: 8

I think this will be the final four with Tom and Katie in the final two. Tom most likely wins the 1 million dollars.

Tonight's Episode
We'll Make You Pay, Episode #1012.
The aftermath of an emotional Tribal Council and stormy weather combine for a night the tribe will never forget.

To their surprise and delight, some Survivors are overwhelmed by a visit from their loved ones.

A strong alliance leaves one castaway on the outside looking in, with Immunity the only chance for survival.

Paranoia sets in as alliances crumble and some Survivors feel like they've lost control of the game.

Note: I apologize for not posting this week but I’ve been busy. I’m back to normal now, so I’m back to posting several times a week. This weekend I will post my notes about Stephenie on the Early show and Survivor Live.

Episode 11, So Long Stephenie

2005-04-29T00:29:00.000-04:00

In an episode full of plotting and scheming Stephenie is voted off at Tribal Council in a landslide. The Reward Challenge was a Survivor Auction (done blind) for food and letters from home. Ian won Immunity.

After the recap of last episode, Stephenie says it would have just been wrong to keep Janu when she didn't really want to stay. Stephenie also says that she doesn't know who to trust. They all try and make her feel welcomed. Tom jokingly gives her the Immunity necklace. In private Gregg tells us that they should have taken her out the first chance they had and Tom tells us that she has great instincts and is really working hard to stay longer. Jennifer says that she would be willing to go against Gregg for a Girl Power alliance.

Reward Challenge
Competition: blind auction
Reward: various food items and letters from home

Each Survivor was given 500 US Dollars (the official currency on Palau) of real money for the auction.

First covered item was won by Jennifer for $120. She won an ice cream sundae.

Second covered item was won by Stephenie and Caryn for $200 (split evenly between them). Jeff Probst offers them a trade - both items unseen. They accepted the trade and won a double cheese burger with fries and a soda pop. They had originally bid on cheese and crackers.

Third item: Ian and Gregg won a plate of spaghetti for $300 (Gregg threw in $20 for a single bite). They too were offered a trade but turned it down. It turned out to be a bunch of live crabs. As Ian collects his prize Jeff Probst comments that he reeks.

Fourth item: Jeff Probst said that the first $40 wins a beer and Ian quickly won it.

Fifth item: Letters from Home. After tree mail Tom suspected letters might be offered so he was holding out for them. He won his letter for $220. Jeff Probst then said that anyone else could buy their letters for the same amount. Caryn and Stephenie quickly took him up on the offer.

That ended the auction. Jennifer said "No cheese and crackers?" (She's pretty vacant and I don't care.)

I think some items weren't shown. Seven people with $500 each is $3500. The total value of items shown was $1,260.

Ian declares that it is bath day and goes in the ocean with some of their soap and shampoo. Gregg helps him wash his back. Tom talks with Caryn. He tells us in confidence that he's trying to bring her into his alliance.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: tile toss

Each Survivor has five tiles in a horizontal frame that sits about two feet off the ground and maybe about fifteen feet way from them In turn they get a chance to throw a coconut to break one of their tiles. The first player with all five of his/her tiles broken win Immunity. If they break the tile of another competitor it scores for the other player.

Ian wins Immunity when Tom accidently knocks out Ian's fifth tile. (I don't think Tom did it intentionally. He wasn't very good at this at all.) Stephenie who really needed this was horrible. She finished with just two tiles broken. Most of the others had three tiles broken.

Now the scheming really heats up.
Katie talks to Caryn about a Girl Power alliance to vote out Tom. Caryn goes to Tom and tells him about it. Tom says "you must be sure of our alliance" and she says "huh, I'm telling you because I told you I would tell you things." (Man, she's bad at this game. Tom has himself a pawn.) Tom tells Ian about the Girl Power thing. Ian tells Katie that Caryn is talking about a women's alliance. Katie tells us in private that there will be no Girl Power alliance because Caryn "sucks." Gregg just wants Stephenie gone.

Koror at Tribal Council
The Jury watches: Coby, Janu
(paraphrased)
Probst: Ian has paranoia set in yet?
Ian: A little but we're a solid group.
Probst: Stephenie what was the tribe's reaction to last week's Tribal Council (where Janu quit)?
Stephenie: It wasn't too uncomfortable. They made me feel welcomed.
Probst: But you are still a bit of an outsider in their happy family.
Stephenie: Yes, it is tough.
Probst: Caryn when did the game intensify?
Caryn: After last Tribal Council. (She's pretty clueless. I'd say it's been intense for longer than that.)
Probst: Would you be surprised it you were voted off tonight?
Caryn: No. (At least she's not totally stupid.)
Probst: Tom you've been the leader and haven't held back. Was that a conscious decision?
Tom: No, it just happened that way. We needed to win competitions (against Ulong) so I just did my best. I hope they don't hold that against me. (He was sincere but they usually do hold it against the strong player.)

Time to vote. As she is voting Katie says "it's nothing personal, I'm just voting with the rest of the tribe."

Caryn gets 1 vote and Stephenie 4 (that's enough).

Alliances
I still think that Tom wins this thing. Caryn just takes the place of Stephenie. Which makes it even easier for Tom. Now his only real threat is Ian. Tom, Ian, Katie and Caryn should just vote Gregg and Jennifer off now.

Heroes and Villains
Caryn does indeed suck. A Girl Power alliance would have given her a real shot at the million dollars (and kept my Stephenie in the game longer). Stephenie would be the first target of the final female four leaving Caryn with Katie and Jennifer. All three would be equally undeserving of winning.

Official Episode Title: I'll Show You How Threatening I Am

Won Reward: everyone won something at the auction
(food and letters from home)

Immunity: Ian

Voted Off: Stephenie
(4 votes Stephenie, 1 vote Caryn)

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-04-28T11:34:00.000-04:00

Tom, first question at Tribal Council
I'm still waiting for Jeff Probst to grill him. He's gotten a free pass so far.

points last week: 35

Ian, first question at Tribal Council
He's often used for an objective view of what's happened, maybe he'll start off the Tribal Council.

points last week: 0

Katie, takes a nap
Well, "takes a nap" is more likely than "gets naked." She doesn't seem to get interviewed that often.

points last week: 8

Stephenie, first interviewed
After last week's narrow escape she's a likely candidate for first interview.

points last week: 10

Tonight's Episode
I'll Show You How Threatening I Am, Episode #1011.
Certain tribe members work to form a secret alliance; one castaway follows advice and makes improvements to personal hygiene; three contestants devise strategies to survive the upcoming Tribal Council.

Some Survivors entertain the idea of forming a secret alliance and persuade a tribemate to join their pact.

A Survivor heeds some advice and makes personal hygiene improvements, delighting the tribe.

As the game nears its conclusion, three castaways formulate individual strategies for surviving the upcoming Tribal Council.

Survivor Palau Prediction: Tom Wins!

2005-04-26T14:46:00.000-04:00

Before we know it Survivor Palau will be airing its two hour finale. The final show usually features the last four Survivors and there are seven of them now so we have only three regular shows left. I figured that this would be a good time to take a look at the situation.

The Final Seven:

Stephenie
Young, attractive, smart and athletic, a Survivor quadruple threat.
Close to: Tom, Ian and Katie

The lone Survivor from the Ulong tribe. She's very likable and everyone knows it. She has a big target on her back.

Gregg
Young, strong and intelligent.
In tight with: Jennifer

Has played a good game so far. The others should want him gone as soon as possible.

Jennifer
Young and attractive. Not so sure how smart she is.
In tight with: Gregg

She hasn't gotten much air time. Either it's one of the greatest Under the Radar performances on Survivor or she's a lousy player. I think it's the latter.

Caryn
Older and annoying.
In tight with: no one really, although I'd say she sides with Gregg and Jennifer.

Someone may want to be in the final two with her because she has been annoying. This is sometimes referred to as the Johnny Fairplay strategy, although I don't think she is doing it on intentionally.

Ian
Tall, smart and athletic despite looking lanky.
In tight with: Tom and Katie

A real threat, he's been letting others take the spotlight. Someone must want him gone.

Katie
Young, pretty and smart. She has also annoyed a few people.
In tight with: Ian and Tom

She has had heated arguments with a few people, like Caryn and Janu.

Tom
Older but strong and athletic. The clear tribal chief.
In tight with: Ian and Katie

He's won a lot of challenges and he seems to be a good judge of people. Why he hasn't been a target yet is a bit of a mystery to me.

My Prediction
Tom, Katie, Ian and Stephenie will be in the final four, at least that will be the plan. The next three to go are Gregg, Caryn and Jennifer; in that order if they're smart. Then it really becomes a matter of who wins Immunity, but I'd say Stephenie gets voted off unless she wins Immunity. That would put Katie in the final two because Tom and Ian are smart players and would want to be in the final two with her instead of each other. Tom has won a lot more challenges than Ian so he has the edge there. Also Katie is closer with Tom than Ian. Either Ian or Tom beats out Katie to win it all. All this points to . . .

. . . Tom winning Survivor Palau and one million dollars.

Survivor Live: Janu

2005-04-25T11:59:00.000-04:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: Janu
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and
Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Janu said she quit because it was the best thing for her to do. Her body just couldn't take it anymore. She lost 12 pounds and she was "sick of being sick."

Going to Tribal Council she thought she was going to be voted off. She quit also because she didn't want to be a pawn; it wasn't about saving Stephenie. Janu doesn't believe Jeff Probst's questions affected her decision to quit. Although she did say he is very perceptive.

Being exiled really satisfied her. She wasn't scared and it was good to be alone.

Janu on the Survivors
Stephenie's emotion at Tribal Council was real. Coby was her rock and he didn't act like the "bitch queen" that much. He played well and is a colorful person. Tom is playing the best game so far. Janu doesn't hate Katie but she did say Katie has "no balls" for not confronting her with problems instead of talking behind her back. Katie is a "unique individual" and they don't see eye to eye on things. A Girl Power alliance won't happen. Jennifer is too close with Gregg and Katie is too close with Tom. Tom, Gregg and Jennifer were very understanding with regard to her being sick and consoled her. She wants someone from Koror to win the million dollars.

Janu on the Challenges
The Reward Challenge was difficult because the pieces of the scaffold were awkward and heavy (about thirty pounds). Janu said she only lasted six minutes in the Immunity Challenge. She criticised Stephenie for not trying hard enough during the last two Immunity Challenges (the perch and water torture competitions). Janu thinks Stephenie should have won one of them.

My Take on Janu
I liked Janu early on in the show. In the first or second episode when she climbed up a tree to get a coconut I thought that she would be a tough competitor. Unfortunately she got sick around Day 3 and wasn't the same afterwards. As for her comments about Stephenie and Immunity, I don't take her thoughts too seriously. Janu was really out of the loop at that point. During the perch Immunity, Stephenie probably had a good idea that Coby was going. In the water-cage Immunity last week, I think she did try her best to win. Stephenie was last woman in the competition and shortly after she gave up Gregg and Ian surrendered giving Immunity to Tom. I think Jeff Probst's questions did affect Janu's decision to quit. However I don't think it was his intention to get her to give up. In past seasons he's asked similar questions at Tribal Council and no one's ever quit. Finally if she really wants someone from Koror to win it all, then why did she quit? If Stephenie was voted off instead of her (as was the plan) that would have left only Koror Survivors thus ensuring a Koror winner.

Early Show: Janu

2005-04-22T15:20:00.000-04:00

Janu said that she quit because it was the best move for her spiritually and for the game. She went on to say that she went into Tribal Council thinking about quitting. She was thinking about it while exiled. She didn't do it to save Stephenie; she didn't want to be a pawn.

Katie is a unique person who for some reason just couldn't deal with Janu being sick all the time. Janu was shocked when Coby was voted off.

Episode 10, Janu Quits at TC

2005-04-22T00:12:00.000-04:00

Tom, Janu, Caryn and Gregg win Reward. Tom wins Immunity. Janu is exiled for being the first out of the Immunity challenge. At Tribal Council Janu quits and the plan was to vote off Stephenie.

After the recap of last episode, Janu feels betrayed because she wasn't told that her friend Coby was going to be voted off. (I think that I would feel more threatened than betrayed, but that's just me.) Janu catches Katie and Caryn gossiping about her and confronts them. She says something like "are we in junior high school?" The discussion gets pretty heated. (I wouldn't do this either, it just makes her more of a target.) In private Katie says Janu is a crazy person who talks in circles and Gregg says she's a "buzz kill."

Reward Challenge
Competition: build a tower in the water
Reward: a feast with the native Palauans

The Survivors are split into two teams. Each team has six scaffold pieces to build a tower out in the water. One piece at a time is carried out to the water to assemble the tower. The first few sections are underwater and the last few rise above the water. Once the tower is complete, someone is to climb the tower and retrieve a flag and everyone is to return to the beach.

It was close, but the team of Tom, Janu, Caryn and Gregg won. They met the chief and were entertained by some lovely young dancing women. Food-wise they had fish, chicken, ribs and corn on the cob. Beer was served but no one was shown drunk. Janu feels sick, excuses herself from the table and then vomits outside. (I'd say that's a buzz kill. Coby said on Survivor Live last week that she was sick with diarrhea and vomiting since Day 3.)

Immunity Challenge
Competition: Palauan water torture

All the Survivors were out in the water under some bars. There was about six inches between the bars. To start, the bars had several inches of clearance above the water however that changed as the tide came in. The last one to stay under the bars wins Immunity. To make things a little more interesting the first person to quit is to be exiled to an island to live by themselves for a night.

Here's the order that they gave up in: Janu (very quickly gave up, saying she was cold), Caryn (about an hour in), Katie, Jennifer, Stephenie, Gregg, Ian and Tom (the winner!). The men were smart and tried to make snorkels with their hands. Tom was the most successful at it so he won Immunity. When Janu quit most of the others were cracking jokes at her expense (the jerks). They laughed when Jeff Probst asked Janu if she ever made fire and she answered "no."

Immediately following the challenge Janu is whisked away on a boat to another island for the night. She's given a machete, flint, steel and a canteen of water. However she really struggles and it's not until after dark that she is able to start a fire.

Back on Koror, the plotting begins - who to vote off? Tom says to Gregg that the women want to vote off Janu. Gregg and Jennifer want to vote off Stephenie. Gregg says that she's a real physical threat. Tom tells us in private that it looks like Stephenie although he's personally against it.

Janu returns and is welcomed back by the others.

Koror at Tribal Council
The Jury watches: Coby, Janu smiles when she sees him.
(paraphrased)
Probst: Janu how was exile?
Janu: Hard but I did it. It took like ten hours to start a fire.
Probst: When the others wished you "Good Luck" did you believe them?
Janu: No, it was half sincere half the game.
Caryn: I'm shocked that Janu feels that way.
Probst: Tom how do asses your vote, the worth versus the threat of the others?
Tom: The game is on. Voting is strictly about the game.
Probst: And you Gregg?
Gregg: I see them all as threats. It's about what's best for me.
Probst: Katie why should they keep you?
Katie: I'm not a threat. (Good answer.)
Probst: Janu same question?
Janu: No reason. If I were them I'd vote for me.
Probst: It seems like you want to go?
Janu: I'm satisfied with how far I've gotten. Vote me off.
Probst: Ian why should you keep Janu if she wants to go?
Ian: No one is forcing any one to stay. If you want to go then go.
Probst: Stephenie if looks could kill then Janu would be laid out on the ground right now.
Stephenie: [all choked up] I cannot believe that she doesn't want to stay. I would do anything to stay and she could care less whether she stays or goes. (I think she even cries.)

Janu quits! She says that it's all on her own accord. Stephenie and Coby exchange glances and smiles.

No voting. Janu will still be part of the jury.

Alliances
It looks like it will be Tom, Ian and Katie versus Gregg, Jennifer and Caryn. Stephenie is a goner next week unless she wins Immunity. In a preview to next week's episode, Stephenie is shown trying to get a girls-versus-guys thing going. That won't work, Jennifer is too close to Gregg.

Heroes and Villains
How can anyone not like Stephenie? She gives her all for the game - physically, emotionally and mentally. She's also easy on the eyes. Alliance-wise, I like Tom, Ian and Katie. I don't care for Gregg and Jennifer. I really don't like Caryn, she's annoying.

Official Episode Title: Exile Island

Won Reward: Tom, Janu, Caryn and Gregg
(an island feast)

Immunity: Tom

Removed from Competition: Janu
(No voting, she quit on her own accord at Tribal Council.)

Stephenie Phila. Inquirer Article

2005-04-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

A tribe of one, and a singular personality

By Jonathan Storm
Inquirer Columnist

A star is born, but can she survive?

Fellow competitors call Stephenie LaGrossa, who grew up in Glenolden, Delaware County, "charismatic," "determined" and "forthright."

Jeff Probst, host of Survivor: Palau - where Stephenie, 25, became the first one-person "tribe" in the show's history - says she is second only to Survivor god Rupert Bonham in generating viewer interest.

"Stephenie has proven she is one of the toughest ever to play Survivor, and, when it comes to women, perhaps the toughest," Probst said in a telephone interview.

"Every guy wants Stephenie," said Coby Archa, the 32-year-old hairdresser from Tyler, Texas, who was voted off last week. "And every girl wants to be Stephenie."

People who dismiss TV reality shows as, at best, superficial brain candy are missing a fascinating character study and naturalist video extravaganza when they skip CBS's Survivor, the best, most popular and longest-lasting of the current reality game shows.

Tonight at 8, they will miss one of the most capable and compelling of the more than 160 candidates who have scrounged for roots and berries, and for the admiration of their compadres, in wildernesses around the world, as she tries to navigate new waters in her quest for glory and $1 million.

Check that. This lean, mean fighting machine already has the glory.

And Stephenie (Survivors always go by their first names) was almost the only contestant with a brain in the young (average age: 27) and buff Ulong Tribe that set a Survivor record for losing eight consecutive "immunity challenges," contests contrived by the producers to guarantee members of the winning tribe more time in the game. With only two Ulong left, she used her head to knock off Bobby Jon Drinkard in a ceremonial fire-building contest, and she was all alone.

After fending for herself overnight and for most of a day in a tropical island jungle in Palau, a tiny country southeast of the Philippines, Stephenie - a lacrosse standout at Archbishop Prendergast High and at Temple and New Jersey's Monmouth University - was allowed to paddle over the water last week to join the eight other remaining Survivors in the Koror tribe. (Survivor producers are enamored of exaggerated ceremonial hoodoo and exotic tribal names with indigenous roots.)

"We've never had anybody go back to camp alone," said Probst, who has supervised 10 iterations of Survivor since 2000. "It's basically the scariest scenario we've had. You're forced to live by your own wits. The cameramen don't factor in, because you know, after 20 days, they would never even speak to you, much less help."

Now, Stephenie, a pharmaceutical sales rep who has four brothers and is the youngest child in her family, will be forced to engage a different set of wits as she jockeys to remain in the game with a group of older competitors (average age: 36) who have lived together for three weeks.

Her arrival immediately blew a hole in the tribe.

"The whole time, we agreed we were going to keep strong all the way to the end," said Koror's Coby by phone from his home. "She changed that immediately. She's a likable player, and everybody wanted to play with her."

They didn't want to play with Coby anymore. He was exiled, but not before giving Stephenie the complete lowdown, at least as he saw it, on the rest of his team.

The show was taped during the winter, but candidates still struggling on TV are kept incommunicado.

Coby said he was not surprised when Stephenie showed up on his island, but now, as a viewer, he wishes the producers had let her soldier on alone. "I think that would have been fascinating."

Many fans agree, but Probst explained that the producers had discussed the possibility of an eventual one-person tribe before starting the Palau installment, whose biggest wrinkle was that the contestants would be allowed for the first time to choose their own tribes.

"You can't end the show at an immunity challenge, and Stephenie loses, and she goes off in a boat," he said. "That's not Survivor... .

"Since World War II is a theme of the show [Palau is littered with downed planes and shipwrecks], we decided if one tribe conquered the other, it would get its remaining member.

"We never dreamed it would happen."

Neither did James Miller, self-styled leader of the Ulong tribe, who also never dreamed Stephenie would connive to vote him off and out of any chance to win money. Apparently, he still doesn't get it.

"She seemed like she was just honest. She was forthright with me," he said with admiration.

He does know one woman, however, who is not sold on Stephenie.

"My wife," who looks forward to meeting Wonder Woman at the May 15 reunion show, he said. "She's debating on whether or not she's gonna whip Stephenie's tail."

A tip for Mrs. Miller: Don't even try.

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-04-21T11:46:00.000-04:00

Tom, first question at Tribal Council
He's the leader of the pack, so maybe Jeff Probst will want to put him on the hot spot.

points last week: 89

Ian, first question at Tribal Council
He seems to be shown a lot and he likes the water. He's also close with Tom, so maybe Jeff Probst askes him about Tom.

points last week: 56

Gregg, takes a nap
More naps have been shown in recent weeks and maybe Gregg will be shown napping with Jennifer.

points last week: 50

Stephenie, first interviewed
She was an obvious target last week and yet she survived so maybe she'll be the first interview this week.

points last week: 164

Tonight's Episode
Exile Island, Episode #1010.
An unexpected performance by a tribemate during a Challenge results in a victory for the team.

One castaway confronts her tribe, leaving everyone feeling uncomfortable and leaving her feeling alienated.

A twist at a Challenge brings very bad news for one Survivor.

In danger of going on the chopping block, a Survivor makes a heartfelt plea not to be voted off. Will this plea fall on deaf ears?

Sea Mist Beach Club

2005-04-20T20:50:00.000-04:00

The Sea Mist Beach Club, my tribe in the Survivor Fantasy League, has scored 11,416 points so far. We are 1,100 points behind the 100th place team in the private tribes standings. At one time we were less than 100 points from making the table. Oh, well . . .

This Week's Bonus Questions and Answers are:
1.Which Koror member seemed to have too much to drink after a long day of fishing? (Tom)
2. What was the first food the Survivors were enticed with at the Immunity Challenge? (donuts, or try doughnuts)
3. Name one of the two Survivors who jumped from their perches for pizza during the Immunity Challenge. (Stephenie or Caryn)

Survivor Live: Coby

2005-04-19T20:54:00.000-04:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: Coby
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and
Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Coby said that he over-reacted in the last episode. He thought that he would have lost his temper before that. He just got sick and tired of looking at everyone on Koror. It may have been different if they hadn't won so many Immunity challenges.

Everyone is boring on Koror. Gregg chickened out of their alliance. Janu was really sick with diarrhea and vomiting from about Day 3. (What happened on Koror on Day 3? That's also the day Willard hurt his feet and/or got heat stroke.) Tom makes all of the major decisions. He was real drunk and fell down like five times. Coby chose Caryn instead of Angie because he thought he and Angie together would have been too much of a target, both being freaks and all. Also he thought Caryn would choose Willard instead of Jonathan and Coby didn't want Jonathan around. He was strong and Coby didn't want to compete with him; also he wasn't very sociable. Katie and Jennifer were useless around camp. At least Caryn would get firewood and Janu held her own in challenges. Once Coby realized that he didn't have the numbers on his side he switched to a Johnny Fairplay strategy: he'd be unlikable in the hope that someone would want to be in the final two with him.

Coby is most proud of winning the sumo wrestling challenge against James. He said that he went on Survivor for fun and the experience. Also he wanted to prove to himself that he could be part of a team since he was never included as a kid (he could have just joined a slow-pitch softball league if that's all he wanted).

Next for Coby: return to normal life, for which he has a new appreciation.

Early Show: Coby

2005-04-18T09:23:00.000-04:00

Harry Smith asked Coby if he snapped after being "left out" of the fishing trip. Coby basically said yes and that he's surprised he held his temper for so long. He did a lot of the hard work but no one would play with him (*sniff, sniff*) so he turned bitter. Harry also said he's sorry to see Coby gone because he was one of the few interesting people on Koror (I agree). Coby replied that he turned into a bitter old queen and it wouldn't have been interesting for long.

Coby had his little talk with Stephenie to give her power in the game. He knew he had little power in the game so he thought that he'd shake things up a bit. He didn't count on such a big backlash though (maybe he should have done it in a more discrete way then.)

In giving up Immunity for a few donuts he was "calling their bluff," whatever that means.

Standard Survivor Cliche: Coby said being on Survivor was an amazing experience that changed his life.

Episode 9, Coby Starts the Jury

2005-04-15T13:06:00.000-04:00

Stephenie merges with Koror. Tom wins Individual Immunity. Coby is voted off at Tribal Council.

After the recap of last episode, Stephenie is shown struggling at Ulong. She says that it's real scary being alone and that it's ironic that Bobby Jon taught her how to make a fire and she beat him by making a fire. Over at Koror, Ian tells us that they're all getting thinner, Janu does nothing and Coby is annoying. Coby in private plays the work martyr again. He tells us that he stopped working on Day 22.

Stephenie gets tree mail telling her to pack up the outrigger canoe and go to Koror with a sealed message. When she arrives at Koror there are hugs and kisses all around. The message for Koror is that Stephenie is now part of their tribe. (Technically a merge, I guess, but no new tribe name and color.) Stephenie says Koror is like heaven compared with Ulong. She tells them that she knew that she would be welcomed and made to feel at home on Koror (very diplomatic of her). In private Jennifer tells us that she's afraid of competing with Stephenie and the sooner that she's gone the better. Coby tells us that as soon as he can he's going to tell Stephenie everything about Koror, who's aligned with who etc.

What's a merge without a party? And what's a party without food? Two native Palauians, Joe and Edwin, show up to teach the Survivors how to fish. This is a two step process. Joe explains: first catch little fish from the beach, then use them as bait to catch bigger fish out on the outrigger canoe. He wants volunteers for each job and Coby says that he'll catch bait fish. Tom then starts talking about who will go out on the canoe and he suggests Ian, since Ian is into that sort of thing (he's is a dolphin trainer). Coby then throws a hissy fit and says that he's being left out. Tom and the others are confused (along with me), didn't Coby just say he wanted to catch the bait fish? (Yes, he did. I guess it's a hairstylist's prerogative to change his mind.)

Anyway back to fishing. Joe and Edwin take a few of the Survivors out fishing (Tom, Ian and I think Gregg). They fish using just a fishing line and baited hook, no rod or reel. Joe pulls fish in with ease. Tom is showed catching a fish too. The underwater camera work here was well done and interesting. They showed a fish being pulled in from a good distance away from the canoe. When they get back, Stephenie says they caught about thirteen fish and a lobster. Joe and Edwin bid the Survivors good-bye. To make the party complete the Survivors are given rum. Tom overindulges, slurs his speech and falls down a few times. The next morning he says that he doesn't remember some things from the night before.

Coby finally gets Stephenie alone to tell her everything. He says Gregg, Jennifer, Tom, Ian, and Katie are an alliance versus Coby, Caryn and Janu (and formerly Willard). He tells her that he and Janu have a secret alliance with Gregg and Jennifer. He also tells her that the other women are jealous of her. Unfortunately he's not sly enough and Katie and Jennifer see what he's up to ("It's so obvious what he's doing," one of them says). After Coby is done with Stephenie the women talk with her. Stephenie plays it very smart and diplomatically. She tells them that Coby told her that they see her as a threat and that they're jealous of her.

Reward Challenge
Competition: no reward challenge - merge party instead.
Reward:

Immunity Challenge
Competition: endurance, stand on a little perch in the water. The last one standing wins Immunity.
(Individual Immunity from here on.)

After about an hour Jeff Probst brings out donuts (mmm . . . donuts) and Coby and Janu give up. At the two and a half hour mark, Jeff Probst brings out chocolate chip cookies - everyone but Stephenie, Tom and Caryn gives up. Some time later pizza shows up and Tom wins Immunity when the two women surrender.

Koror at Tribal Council
(paraphrased)
Probst: All of you except Tom traded food for Immunity and the chance of winning one million dollars. (stupid, aren't they?)
Stephenie: I felt welcomed so maybe I won't be voted off.
Coby: There are other targets too.
Janu: I haven't pulled my weight. I think it might be me tonight. (Then why did she give up Immunity so easily?)
Probst: Stephenie are you worried? On a scale of 1 to 10.
Stephenie: It's an 8 or 9.
Probst: Then why did you quit?
Stephenie: Tom's a tough competitor and I'm not good with temptation.
Probst: What if it's your time to go tonight?
Stephenie: Then I'll be real mad at myself.

Time to vote. Ian is shown voting for Coby; Janu for Stephenie. The votes are revealed: 1 for Stephenie, 1 for Janu, 5 for Coby. That's enough, Coby's torch is extinguished. Janu has a real big look of surprise on her face.

Alliances
It's safe to say the Soft Alliance between Gregg, Jennifer, Coby and Janu is history. Stephenie voted for Coby so she's more in the loop than Janu, who voted for Stephenie.

Heroes and Villains
I still like Stephenie. She's playing a good game but she has too much going against her. Koror won't want her around long. She can probably beat any of them in Individual Immunity, so they'll want her gone soon. And she's an easy target since she's from Ulong. Coby thinks he was voted off because he was a threat. The fact that he was annoying was also a factor.

Official Episode Title: I Will Not Give Up

Won Reward:
(no reward challenge - merge party instead)

Immunity: Tom

Voted Off: Coby
(he got five votes)

Survivor Live: Bobby Jon

2005-04-14T18:03:00.000-04:00

Bobby Jon said that he's a hard worker but hard work doesn't always get you what you want. He says he may have over done it and not have been rested enough for challenges; he should have conserved his energy a little more than he did. Work was also a release for him; it let him get out all of his frustrations.

Jeff: they just had to believe him about his ankle. Ashlee: she told them that Survivor was just not for her. Bobby Jon admits that Tom may have intimidated him a little bit. He regrets not being upfront with Ibrehem when he was voted off. Not that Bobby Jon would have voted differently but he wished he would have told him about it before hand. Bobby Jon said that he wouldn't have changed his vote if he had known the truth about James not voting for him (Stephenie played along when Bobby Jon thought that James voted for him even though it was her that voted for him.) Bobby Jon had wanted Jolanda to stay. He thought that she was physically strong and could have helped them. The best part of Survivor was getting to swim at jellyfish lake. He lost about twenty pounds on Survivor.

Tonight's Episode
I Will Not Give Up
When Stephanie becomes the last member of the Ulong tribe left, she is forced to survive on her own; some of the castaways enjoy a memorable evening, especially one who indulges a bit too much.

Jeff Varner (Outback)

2005-04-10T10:56:00.000-04:00

Ex-'Survivor' Contestant Working in News

Greensboro, N.C. (AP) - Jeff Varner, who was bumped from "Survivor" in 2001, has a new job in reality television: TV newsman. Varner will join WGHP, the Fox affiliate based in High Point, as a weekend anchor, the station announced Friday.

Prior to his stint on "Survivor," Varner worked as an Internet project manager in New York City and earned a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Still, he says his "Survivor" ties have created some career challenges.

"I have the label of reality-show contestant tattooed across my face," he told the News & Record in an earlier interview. "I have a journalism degree, the experience, and I can write better than most producers. But I know I have to work three times as hard because credibility is a big issue."

After his ejection from "Survivor," Varner's charm earned him a series of television appearances and jobs, including one as an interviewer and correspondent for the TV Guide channel.

"Jeff brings to the table charisma, energy and his strong desire to return home," said Karen Koutsky, WGHP's vice president of news.

Note: I don't remember him but he did make it to the merge on Survivor Outback. I don't know if he made the jury or not. Does anyone remember?

Jeff's Bio at CBS

Early Show: Bobby Jon

2005-04-09T14:15:00.000-04:00

During the Individual Immunity Challenge he said that he got distracted for an instant when he stopped to look at Stephenie's fire. That may have cost him winning Immunity. On losing all of the Immunity Challenges: just bad luck, no luck at all - black cat, maybe. The word puzzle immunity - Coby is just good at puzzles (Note: Coby directed and won the floating puzzle also.) With just two left on Ulong it got real difficult because there was so much work to do and not enough people to do it. Bobby Jon admits that he got on Stephenie's nerves a little bit; he could have improved his manners.

Currently: Bobby Jon is in L.A. (for about the last two years) modeling and waiting tables.

Episode 8, Bye Bye Bobby Jon

2005-04-08T13:28:00.000-04:00

Koror again win Reward and Immunity ('sound familiar?); at Tribal Council Bobby Jon loses an individual immunity challenge to Stephenie.

After the recap of last episode: Stephenie is glad that Bobby Jon kept his word and voted for Ibrehem. Stephenie says it's weird being down to two. Over at Koror they are dealing with rats. They've left food (coconuts and shark pieces) too close to camp and the rats are helping themselves. Coconuts especially are left all over the campsite. In private Coby is a work martyr. He tells us that he's the only one that really works. He complains about everyone leaving food and trash around attracting the rats. He complains about Tom's shark head (he hung it from a tree too close to camp). Coby says Janu is on her "eighth straight day of I wanna go home."

Reward Challenge
Competition: Balut eating contest
Reward: 55 gallons of fresh water with a shower head and soap, shampoo, etc.
competing for Koror: Tom and Ian

Balut is basically a duck fetus. A fertilized duck egg is allowed to develop but before it hatches it is eaten. It sounds delicious. There were four rounds. First round each Survivor (one from each tribe) had to eat 1 Balut, second round 2 Baluts, third round 3 Baluts and fourth round 4 Baluts. These rounds were not timed.

Here's how they competed:

Tom and Stephenie each ate 1 Balut
Ian and Bobby Jon each ate 2 Baluts
Tom and Stephenie each ate 3 Baluts
Ian and Bobby Jon each ate 4 Baluts

Tie Breaker
5 Baluts timed

Tom wins, but it was close. Koror wins Reward!

Maybe the fact that Tom had eaten only 4 Baluts before the tie breaker and Bobby Jon had eaten 6 Baluts made a difference?

Afterwards at Koror Tom (left) wants to save the fresh water for drinking instead of taking showers. Everyone grumbles a little but agrees. In private a lot of people complain about Tom regarding this. Alone Tom and Ian are worried about Gregg and Jennifer. They talk about an alliance with Stephenie that Gregg and Jennifer don't know about (but Katie does).

At Ulong Bobby Jon is pissed at losing again to Tom. Bobby Jon reverts to being a caveman in front of Stephenie. He coughs up something and blows his nose in front of her (the lean your head back and blow mucus straight out kinda way). He probably was farting right in front of her too. With only two players left they are shown struggling to put the outrigger canoe into the water. On the bright side, Bobby Jon catches a decent sized fish so they eat well. In private Stephenie breaks down and cries while telling us how hard it has been.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: swimmimg and puzzle
competing for Koror: Coby and Gregg

Four platforms are floating in the water, each farther out than the one before. They are connected by a plank. Under each platform (underwater) is hanging a bag of puzzle pieces. Also underwater there is a rope connecting each puzzle bag.

In turn a Survivor swims out to the first buoy, then dives and pulls himself/herself to the nearest bag of puzzles. They surface with the bag and walk back along the platforms and planks and then swim back to the beach (starting line) and the next competitor goes to get the next bag farther out.

After all of the pieces are collected, then the tribes must assemble the word puzzle and circle the listed words. Letters that intersect words are then used to spell a three word phrase. Whichever tribe gets the phrase first wins Immunity.

Ulong manage to get all of the puzzle pieces first with a healthy lead. However Gregg and Coby win by completing the puzzle very quickly. Koror wins Reward! (The three word phrase was "Victory at Sea.") Jeff Probst tells everyone that there will be an Individual Immunity Challenge at Tribal Council to determine who leaves and who stays.

Afterwards in private Coby (left) cries and tells us how hard life has been for him. Kids in school picked on and made fun of him (for being gay), he was always picked last in sports etc. It was so bad that he quit school. He's proud to be doing so well in Survivor.

Is this Coby's Rupert Moment? I think everyone started to root for Rupert after he revealed what an outsider he was as a kid. Will it have the same result for Coby?

"We suck at puzzles" says Stephenie. She also says it's been scary with two people it will be even scarier alone. Bobby Jon says nothing has worked but he's prepared to go it alone. It's Team Bobby Jon now.

Ulong at Tribal Council
(paraphrased)
Probst: What are your thoughts? (or some such chit-chat)
Stephenie: Whoever wins Immunity deserves to stay.
Bobby Jon: There's still a lot left to do.
Probst: Bobby Jon what has been the highlight so far?
Bobby Jon: Catching a fish today. I proved to myself that I can live off the land.
Probst: What's the one ability you need to survive?
Stephenie: Making fire, catching fish, gathering coconuts and fire wood. A lot of which I learned from Bobby Jon.
Bobby Jon: Stephenie can do what a man can do.
Probst: What is the key to living out here?
Bobby Jon: Fire, being able to make and keep a fire going.
Stephenie agrees.

Individual Immunity Challenge
Make a fire big enough to light their torch. The torch end is about a foot and a half above the fire area. (Fire is, once again, the symbol of life on Survivor.) Stephenie mumbles that she's not that good at building fires. She also wishes Bobby Jon good luck. They are each given 25 matches and kindling; the first to light their touch wins Immunity.

It was close but Stephenie wins Immunity!

Bobby Jon is removed from competition.

Alliances
Tom, Ian (left), Katie and Stephenie - is anyone else in this alliance? Will there even be a merge to bring Stephenie into it? I doubt there will be a merge. How is the Soft Alliance (Gregg, Jenn, Coby and Janu ) doing? Janu can't last much longer. She's breaking down emotionally and physically. If Koror goes to Tribal Council she's most likely a goner.

Heroes and Villains
Stephenie (left) is still my favorite and I hope that she makes it at least as far as the jury. No one really stands out on Koror, but Ian is my favorite (I guess). I kind of like Coby but he whines too much. Tom is likable but he's bossy sometimes. I don't really dislike anyone on Koror yet, but I'm sure that will change soon.

Official Episode Title: Neanderthal Man

Won Reward: Koror
(55 gallons of fresh water with shower head and soap, shampoo, etc.)

Immunity: Koror

Voted Off: Bobby Jon
(no votes, he lost an individual immunity challenge to Stephenie)

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-04-07T16:18:00.000-04:00

I don't know what to do so I'm sticking with the same picks again this week.

Tom, first interview
He seems to get a lot of screen time so hopefully this translates into points somehow.

points last week: 12

Ian, first interview
As a dolphin trainer he likes the water and going in the ocean above the knees (not during a challenge) gets fantasy points.

points last week: 12

Katie, takes a nap
She's already taken a nap twice and I think this is going to be a theme - "lazy Katie". So I figure it's worth a shot even though she took a nap last week.

points last week: 48 (took a nap, 40 points)

Stephenie, first interviewed at tribal council
I know she's on Ulong and they're down to two players so she has a very good chance to be knocked off this week. However she's smarter and a better athlete than Bobby Jon and if they do go to Tribal Council the word is that a competition will decide who goes, not the luck of the draw.

points last week: 10

Tonight's Episode
Neanderthal Man, Episode #1008.
Stephanie becomes increasingly irritated at Bobby Jon's behavior; the castaways sample a Palauan delicacy that is hard to swallow.

Sea Mist Beach Club

2005-04-05T20:46:00.000-04:00

Sea Mist Beach Club and Bonus Question Answers

The Sea Mist Beach Club has scored 7,188 points so far. We are 527 points behind the 100th ranked tribe in the private tribes standings.

This Week's Bonus Questions

1. What weapon did Tom use to kill the shark? (machete)

2. What question did Koror's SOS pose during the Reward Challenge? (got food)

3. During the Immunity Challenge, what Koror member stood on the platform and directed the movement of the puzzle pieces? (Coby)

More About: Willard, Angie and James

2005-04-04T20:09:00.000-04:00

Just when I thought that I would never hear about Willard, Angie and James again, I come across a radio station in Canada (96x Edmonton's #1 Hit Music Station) that interviews each Survivor after he/she is voted off. Each former competitor gets interviewed by the morning show's hosts, BJ and Shannon, for about five minutes. The interviews are on the radio station's web site in MP3 format.

I've listened to the interviews of Willard, Angie and James and here are my notes:

Willard
It turns out that Willard is a hockey fan and an even bigger fan of curling (yes, curling). They talked about curling on TV for a little while (and Willard talks about the "crap on American TV"?). For more information about the exciting sport of sliding large rocks on ice visit the World Curling Federation web site.

Then thankfully the talk turned to Survivor. Wanda and Coby had a real emotional investment in the game. They really cared about doing well and were students of he show. Willard said he went on Survivor more as a joke (note: he previously mentioned a bet with his wife and friends; and Survivor as a way of getting in shape). He was asked if he planned to fly under the radar. He answered "no", but that's what the situation called for since he had heat exhaustion on day three and foot problems. (This is about the third time he's mentioned his mysterious foot problems without being specific. He's only said that he couldn't put on his shoes. If anyone knows any more details please leave a comment or contact me.) Willard never really considered what he'd do if he won the million dollars. He doesn't need the money, he's not really into things. (Maybe he could go see more curling matches.)

Interesting factoid: Willard met and moved in with his wife on the same day (the 1970s were wild times, weren't they?). They've been happily married for 34 years now.

Angie
She hasn't been nearly as interesting as she was on Survivor. Angie's appearances on the Early Show and Survivor Live were pretty uninspiring, which continued with this interview (I scribbled "bunch of nothing" in my notes.) She said Survivor was a once in a lifetime experience and she has no regrets (*yawn*). It was funny to watch Ulong continue to lose so much. Katie really made her mad when she watched the sock puppet show. The black panties Angie wore on Survivor are safely tucked away (what, no eBay auction?).

Interesting factoid: Angie phoned in the interview from her current place of employment - a New Orleans bar that's open 24 hours a day. The patrons have been very supportive of her.

James
As always James was oddly entertaining. To start, they talked about a whole lot of nothing but it was interesting. They played an audio clip where James said it "feels bad to have my butt whooped by a homosexual" (that would be Coby in the sumo wrestling challenge). Then they moved on to him being voted off. James feels betrayed by Stephenie and Bobby Jon. He said Stephenie is "just butch enough to write like a man" which is why Bobby Jon thought James voted for him. At Tribal Council he knew something was up when he heard Bobby Jon breathing heavily behind him. He just didn't know what really happened until he saw the show on TV.

The Knots. James admits that he "miscalculated their (Koror's) intellect" when tying his knots. Koror got through them a little faster then he thought they would. Ulong lost the challenge because they had fewer knots on the box and Koror had more knots. It was a case of quality versus quantity. Survivor changed his life. James said before the show he took his wife and four kids for granted, but not any more.

Interesting factoid: The first thing James did after Survivor, he "fornicated with his wife and roasted hot dogs and marsh-mellows with his kids." (Now that's what I call a new appreciation for one's family.)

James in TV Guide
Confirmed: his wife is a stripper and her name is Brandi (that sounds like a fancy city stripper name and not a good redneck stripper name). She sat on his lap throughout the interview. James said Brandi wants to confront Stephenie in a non-violent way about betraying him (isn't that what the reunion show is for?). James said that he has no regrets about being politically incorrect. He lost 22 pounds during Survivor.

Interesting factoid: James needs a job, "I take care of the kids and [Brandi] takes her clothes off for money."

Survivor Live: Ibrehem

2005-04-02T19:19:00.000-05:00

Ibrehem thought Stephenie was going to be voted off instead of him. He and Bobby Jon had a sort of unspoken alliance since the first day (note: I don't remember it being shown). Ibrehem didn't go for Stephenie's offer to vote off Bobby Jon because he didn't feel that he could trust her. He called Bobby Jon a cool, good guy and Stephenie a little conniver. Ibrehem wanted Stephenie to be the caller rather than Bobby Jon in the floating puzzle Immunity challenge but the two of them thought Bobby Jon would do a better job. Everyone stayed positive despite losing so often.

James' God comments didn't offend Ibrehem, it was just "stupid redneck" talk. James is just a showman and Ibrehem really didn't want to talk about him. He denies that he was a lazy as made out to be by James, he did his fair share of work. Furthermore Ibrehem says James wasted a lot of time on useless things. He mentioned a chicken trap or cage that James spent hours on and was never used. And when they asked James what it was for he just said something like "maybe we'll need it." Ibrehem said Jolanda was physically stronger than Stephenie but her attitude was too strong so she wasn't liked. Angie for some reason took the sewing kit when she left. Ibrehem thinks Coby is playing the best strategically.

Ibrehem is currently in New York modeling and acting.

AP: Ulong Tribe Is Worst Ever for 'Survivor'

2005-04-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

By The Associated Press

New York - Maybe they should change their name to Ulose. As of Thursday's episode, the Ulong tribe is the losingest tribe in "Survivor" history, having failed every immunity challenge on the Palau-set edition of the CBS reality show.

"I'm still kind of boggled by it," Ibrehem Rahman told The Associated Press Friday. "It might have been some sort of Palau ghost or something working against us. Who knows?"

Rahman, one of three remaining Ulong members, was the latest victim of the losing streak — and a voting flip-flop. Despite Rahman's hush-hush alliance with Bobby Jon Drinkard from the start of the show, both Drinkard and Stephenie LaGrossa cast their votes against him.

"I thought we were pretty tight," Rahman said of Drinkard. "I was surprised when I was the one that got my torch snuffed. I didn't really get a chance to ask him why there was a breakdown in communication."

In an interview with the AP at the beginning of the season, host Jeff Probst promised a "season of firsts." With only two tribe members left, Ulong may be the first "Survivor" tribe to become extinct.

Maybe they should just change their name to Ugone.

Early Show: Ibrehem

2005-04-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

Ibrehem was interviewed by Julie Chen. He says that he was surprised to be voted off, he thought Stephenie was going. Even though they lost so often they always expected to win challenges. For some reason they just didn't "gel" at the competitions. Ibrehem says he couldn't have been the director in the Immunity puzzle challenge so he doesn't blame Bobby Jon for having difficulty with it.

Episode 7, Ibrehem's Torch is Extinguished

2005-03-31T23:55:00.000-05:00

Koror win Reward and Immunity ('sound familiar?); at Tribal Council Ulong votes off Ibrehem.

After the recap of last episode: Ulong have moved to the cave. Stephenie tries to boost their spirits by saying that maybe they're a second half team. Once again she says how shocked and embarrassed that she is to lose so many times, but she's done the best that she could. Ibrehem says that they're more like a group of friends than a tribe.

Over on Koror Ian hauls a giant clam out of the ocean. He estimates that it had 6 to 7 pounds of meat in it. They place the bloody clam shells in the water and it attracts a shark. Gregg and Ian grab their spears and go after it, but they miss it and Ian cuts his foot (on a nail on the outrigger canoe I think). However Tom (left) kills a shark with a machete (you read that correctly, a machete). It wasn't really shown, but it sounds like he slashed it with the machete and then grabbed it by the tail. Privately Ian says he was briefly the hero until Tom one-upped him in the food department. Tom tells us that "the cat's out of the bag" to the others regarding his strength. After Tom got the shark Coby confides in us that he and Gregg sort of looked at each as if to say "now it's gonna be hard to get rid of Tom."

Reward Challenge
Competition: S O S signal building contest
Reward: an air dropped food crate
competing for Koror: Gregg, Caryn, and Katie

Survivor fans have seen this competition before. Each tribe has to build an S O S signal to be viewed from a plane. An impartial judge (in this case, a certified jump master) then decides which tribe did the better job and wins reward. The judge said that Ulong had a nice signal (the burnt wood and leaves was a good contrast to the white beach) but it was too close to the jungle so you had to be right overhead to see it. Koror had a bigger signal that was closer to the water, so Koror wins Reward! Caryn (left) cries tears of joy and toasts "to a great tribe." They won three bottles of red wine, MREs (meals ready to eat - army food) and more fishing equipment (like they really need any of this).

At Koror several people are shown talking about the Gregg-Jenn relationship. Alone at the water hole, Gregg and Jenn talk amongst themselves. She thinks it's a "non-issue" (is she really that naive?). Gregg seems worried about how the others see them and him being distracted by her. She says Gregg thinks about the game "all of the time" (oh, he never has time for me, he's always trying to win a million dollars). Coby tells us he really doesn't care about them as long as they keep their word with him (like that's something not to worry about). Tom is concerned, he says their relationship could "throw a monkey wrench" into the game. At Ulong the three of them are out in the outrigger canoe and Bobby Jon comes up with a giant clam and a decent sized black fish.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: floating puzzle
competing for Koror: Coby, Janu, and Jennifer

The puzzle was 8 squares (each about two feet long) in a frame big enough for nine such squares (three by three) floating in the water. The missing space allows the other squares room to be moved around. Each square has part of the big picture (in this case a star) and must be manipulated to form the complete star. First tribe to do so wins Immunity.

Each tribe got to have one person standing on a platform to direct the other two. Coby (left) did the honors for Koror and Bobby Jon (right) for Ulong. After 30 minutes Jeff Probst noted that Ulong hadn't made much progress, Koror was about half way there, and Janu was having a hard time. Stephenie takes over for Bobby Jon and they start to make some headway. Unfortunately it was too late. At an hour fifteen minutes Jeff Probst notes that Koror are almost done. Shortly thereafter Koror wins Immunity!

At Ulong it seems like Stephenie (left) is in real danger of being voted off. Bobby Jon tells her he's not sure how he'll vote. She even goes to Ibrehem and says to him that she'll vote for Bobby Jon if he wants her too but Ibrehem is noncommittal. (Don't tell me my Stephenie is going to be voted off!)

Ulong at Tribal Council (Jeff Probst apologizes for his raspy voice)
(paraphrased)
Probst: You had trouble with the Immunity challenge. Who decided who the caller would be?
Bobby Jon: We all decided together that I'd do it.
Probst: You've been beaten by all of Koror not just the same 3 or 4 of them, but combinations of all of them.
Bobby Jon: It hasn't been fun. It's not like we are trying to lose.
Probst: Tonight has to be rough for you all since you're more than a tribe, you're friends.
Bobby Jon: Yes, we all depend on each other. We have a good camp life.
Probst: Bobby Jon why would you vote for Stephenie?
Bobby Jon: She's a threat, she's strong and smart.
Probst: Ibrehem what would you say to change their minds (if they're thinking of voting for you)?
Ibrehem: I'm loyal and honest.
Probst: Stephenie what are you basing your vote on?
Stephenie: Who can help me out but I'm real worried.
Probst: Bobby Jon are you worried?
Bobby Jon: Yes, I'm vulnerable.

Time to vote:
Ibrehem is voted off 2 votes to 1. Stephenie got the lone vote.

Alliances
Ulong are just about finished. They each have no hope to win this thing, even if they were to merge they are horribly outnumbered by Koror. The Gregg (left) and Coby Soft Alliance seems to be holding or at least Coby thinks it is since he mentioned it tonight.

Heroes & Villains
I still like Stephenie but she can't last much longer - two, three weeks tops. Koror has been real cocky lately so I'm not that happy with any of them. For example: before Immunity Bobby Jon said they caught a fish but that he was afraid of sharks. This got Koror laughing at Ulong. Afraid of sharks? Tom here killed one this afternoon, ha ha ha! I can't wait until Koror have to start voting off people.

Official Episode Title: The Great White Shark Hunter

Won Reward: Koror
(wine, food, fishing equipment)

Immunity: Koror

Voted Off: Ibrehem

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-03-31T15:24:00.000-05:00

Tom, first interview
It looks like he bags a shark this week so unless it's a land shark (or near the beach) he'll have to go into the ocean and score some fantasy points along the way.

points last week: -2

Ian, first interview
He's close to Tom so maybe he'll be in the water too and maybe he'll get interviewed first about the whole matter.

points last week: -2

Katie, takes a nap
She's the leading point scorer on Koror so she must be doing something right. She's already scored takes a nap points so maybe she'll snooze again.

points last week: -2

Stephenie, first interviewed at tribal council
She's the second leading scorer in Ulong. Ibrehem is leading them however I'm afraid if they go to Tribal Council that he'll be voted off. Plus there are only three left on Ulong so she's bound to read tree mail, go in the water or something.

points last week: 10

Tonight's Episode
The Great White Shark Hunter, Episode #1007.
Tom goes head-to-head with a shark; when one tribe member is forced to sit out a challenge, the other members begin to doubt the tribe's ability to win.

Sea Mist Beach Club

2005-03-31T15:19:00.000-05:00

The Sea Mist Beach Club, my tribe in the Survivor Fantasy League, has scored 5,815 points so far. We are only 294 points behind the 100th place team in the private tribes standings. Hopefully we can crack into the top 100 in the next few weeks. We can do it if everyone keeps their team up to date, remembers to set their bonus points, and answers the weekly bonus questions.

This Week's Bonus Questions and Answers are:
1. What snack was included on top of the first Tree Mail? (chips)
2. At the beginning of the Immunity Challenge, what was James most concerned about tying? (skirt)
3. What name did James write down on the parchment at Tribal Council? (Ibrehem)

You have until 8:00 p.m. ET tonight to submit your answers.

Survivor Live: James

2005-03-26T17:11:00.000-05:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: James
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and
Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Comments made by James
"I am the most perfect man in the world," James stated, tongue firmly in cheek, early on in his Survivor Live appearance. This plus his propensity to refer to people as "crack head" is all you need to know about his sense of humor. He tried to keep a fun positive attitude on Survivor which was difficult with Ulong losing so many challenges. James maintains that his knot worked as advertised.

James didn't hold anything back when talking about the other players. Ibrehem is a good guy but he is lazy and James attributes this to bad parenting. Kim is a "lazy old skank." Bobby Jon didn't talk with him after he talked with Stephenie. And he feels that she betrayed him which pisses him off. He also said his wife wants to kick her ass at the reunion show. James says that he's not homophobic ("too bad") despite some comments that he made in regard to Coby. He regrets not keeping Angie around longer because then maybe he would have lasted longer. Jeff had a bad attitude and a "sissy foot" so he had to go. James confirmed that Ibrehem did go swimming in the lake with the Jellyfish, so maybe he's not as afraid of the water as I thought.

James was asked if he felt that he was accurately portrayed and he answered "yes." This got me a thinkin'. He claims Survivor didn't show a lot of what happened (how funny he was), he called Jeff Probst a "fibber" (re: time spent adjusting his toga), among other things. In ten editions of Survivor and over 100 competitors not one player has come out and said that he/she wasn't portrayed accurately. What are the odds of that? No one out of sour grapes (or just plain anger) has ever come out and said "reality show my ass, this is fixed and I wasn't accurately shown." So what's going on here? Well, as that great economist Ms Cyndi Lauper has said "money changes everything." I bet there's a clause in the contact they all sign providing for a real big monetary fine if they say they weren't portrayed accurately. I believe there's a similar clause about revealing the winner and other such information about the show.

Other Nonsense
Two more of those stupid Replay Survivor videos were shown (please don't send anymore in). The show ended with Jenna and James in a snack food eating contest (he won).

Finally as they faded out, I think I heard James say "my wife is a stripper" (did anyone else catch it?). I don't think that she can kick Stephenie's ass even if she is one of those tough redneck stripper chicks.

So ends James' fifteen minutes of "fame". He belongs to Alabama now.

Early Show: James

2005-03-25T10:33:00.000-05:00

James says that Jeff Probst is a fibber. He did not spend 3 to 4 minutes fixing his toga during the Immunity challenge (he says it was a minute tops). Also they didn't show how much Koror struggled with his wonderful knot. He also feels Stephenie stabbed him in the back because he thought they had an alliance. He doesn't know what Bobby Jon was thinking; he couldn't believe what he was watching. Ibrehem is a good guy but he's clumsy and a klutz and that's why he wanted him gone. Not aired: James getting drunk on Mai Tai's and showing off his G String (thank you Mark Burnett). Finally James feels that he's now a better person to his family for being on Survivor (see, reality TV is good for society).

Episode 6, James Goes Home

2005-03-24T00:29:00.000-05:00

Ulong wins Reward but loses Immunity yet again. James is voted off at Tribal Council after another tie vote.

After the recap of last episode, Ibrehem says that was one crazy Tribal Council (last week's). James lays into Ibrehem in front of Stephenie and Bobby Jon. In private Bobby Jon criticizes James saying that "we win and lose as a team." Ibrehem is then shown praying. He says he tries to get away and pray when he can. (I wonder if someone from production showed him which direction Mecca is?)

Over at Koror everyone seems to have a new "rush of energy" according to Ian. Tom seems to agree and says it's building time and Gregg and most of the others are shown cutting logs etc. However Katie seems to think it is "craft day" according to Coby. She's shown sewing or making necklaces or some such thing. Caryn says something like Katie must think that she's just here to entertain us. (Katie does not seem to be very popular at Koror.)

Reward Challenge
Competition: knock out tiles using a replica WW2 gun; first tribe to 8 wins
Reward: snorkeling at Jellyfish Lake (plus food and drink)
Sits out: Janu, Jennifer, Katie and Ian

Ulong wins Reward, 8 tiles to 7. Stephenie knocks out all four tiles she shoots at and wins it for her tribe.

For the record (I think this is correct):
Bobbj Jon M, H , H, H
Gregg M, H , H, H
James 4 misses
Coby M, M, M, H
Ibrehem M, H, M, M
Tom H, M, M, M
Stephenie 4 hits
Caryn M, H, H, M

They each took a single shot in turn (and in the order listed above, which turned over after each had a shot). M=missed tile, H=hit tile. To sum things up, everyone knocked out at least one tile except for James who missed all of his.

Stephenie (left) says that they really needed the win to boost their spirits and morale. They got to spend the afternoon on a nice boat eating (some sort of potato chips, Herr's I think) and drinking Mai Tais (except for Ibrehem I guess). The snorkeling with the jellyfish looked amazing (this fresh water type doesn't have stingers). They were everywhere and the water looked pretty clear too. This is one reason I like Survivor, I've never seen anything like this. I don't remember Ibrehem swimming. Is he deathly afraid of the water or what?

What's in a Mai Tai? mmm rum . . .
        1 ounce light rum
        1 ounce gold rum
        1/2 ounce orange curaçao
        1/2 ounce Orgeat (Almond Syrup)
        1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
        1 ounce dark rum

Shake all but the dark rum with ice. Strain into old fashioned glass. Top with the dark rum. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. Drink responsibly - if at all, don't drink and drive.

Meanwhile at Koror there's a major storm, very windy indeed! The next morning Coby says it was "pure hell." Katie says Janu is really losing it (I think she means emotionally). Tom talks with and consuls Janu.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: build it up, tear it down
Sits out: Tom, Gregg, Coby and Caryn

Tree mail brings a footlocker-size wooden box, rope and the other tribe's flag. The instructions say to secure the flag as best as they can inside the box, so starts the Immunity Challenge. The tribes are given another opportunity to make it more difficult to get to the flags. Out in the water are bundles of lumber. They are given 20 minutes to get the bundles and use them in constructing a barrier around the boxes. Afterwards they will try and retrieve their flag from the other tribe's contraption. The first tribe to do so wins Immunity.

From the time they got the tree mail, James tells Ulong that they can't lose this competition since he knows all sorts of knots from being in the navy. One particular knot he says shows no ends and the more you pull it the tighter it gets. Sounds good, right? How can they lose this challenge? They lost by not hustling, that's how. First off only Stephenie and Bobby Jon go in the water to get the lumber. Ibrehem only goes in up to about his waist (Again, is he deathly afraid of the water or what?) James stays behind to work some more on the box. The only problem is that he spends a lot of time adjusting his toga. (Yes, you read that right.) He stands there fixing his clothes rather than tightening knots or whatever. Somehow Ulong managed to at least use all of the materials provided. Koror had some pieces left over, which should have made it easier for Ulong. It didn't appear to matter. Koror were the first to get their box out of the construction area and to the table in order to untie the original knots (the ones James really bragged about). Koror ran and hustled all the way between stations and Ulong looked like they were on a Sunday stroll. It didn't look like Koror won by that much time, maybe if Ulong had hustled they could have won.

Koror win Immunity.

Stephenie is not used to losing blah, blah, blah . . .
James tells her that he's sure Bobby Jon won't vote for him. However Bobby Jon tells her that he wants James to go because he thinks that James voted for him at last Tribal Council. Bobby Jon thinks this because the handwriting looked like a man's. Stephenie tells him that's right, that she voted for Angie. In private she tells us that she did vote for Bobby Jon. She lied to him! My Stephenie is a liar, all right! Giddy up, game on. How will she vote? If she votes for James with Bobby Jon there will be a tie.

Somewhere in here James says that Ibrehem's God (aka Allah) may have saved him last time but this time his God (presumedly a good redneck Christian God) is stronger so Ibrehem (left) will be gone. Yes, James is a big jerk. (Note: He's all the same God, you're all sons and daughters of Abraham. Learn to play nice. Tolerance and understanding is a good thing.)

Ulong at Tribal Council (sixth straight time)
(paraphrased)
Probst: James you guys haven't won one immunity?
James: We must hear the word "immunity" and subconsciously sabotage ourselves.
Probst: James do you hold yourself up to the same criteria as the others, like Ibrehem?
James: There are other factors involved not just how well you do in challenges. Like how you get along with others.
Probst: Bobby Jon do you trust the others?
Bobby Jon: Yes.
Probst: How about you Stephenie?
Stephenie: Yes, I trust them.
Probst: Even though all three of them are from Alabama?
Stephenie: Yes, I do my best and don't think about that.

Time to vote:
2 votes for James, 2 votes for Ibrehem. Another tie vote!
Stephenie and Bobby Jon vote again and James gets both of the votes so he's gone.

Alliances
Stephenie and Bobby Jon (right) have agreed that Ibrehem is the next to go if necessary. There wasn't anyway to tell how well the Soft Alliance between Gregg and Coby is holding up.

Heroes & Villains
James is a real jerk and I'm glad that he's gone. I still like Stephenie a lot. I like Janu (right) when she's not crying.

Official Episode Title: Jellyfish 'N Chips

Won Reward: Ulong
(snorkeling at Jellyfish Lake)

Immunity: Koror

Voted Off: James

Note: next week's show returns to Thursday night.

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-03-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

Janu, takes a nap, points last week: 6
She's been featured in ads this week so maybe she gets some air time. She'll have to sit out a competition so I'm hoping she makes up the points somehow: crying, going in the water or taking a nap.

Stephenie, first interviewed at tribal council, points last week: 0
I figure with Steph, BJ and Ibe I have a 3 in 4 chance of one of them being interviewed first at Tribal Council (James is suspected of being voted off tonight).

Ibrehem, first interviewed at tribal council, points last week: 25 (individual immunity)
He's also been featured in the TV ads this week so maybe he gets some points. At least he won't lose points by sitting out one of the competitions.

Bobby Jon, first interviewed at tribal council, points last week: 40 (first interviewed at tribal council)
There are only four left in Ulong so he's got to get some air time, right? Go in the water, do something, get me some freakin' points!

Tonight's Episode
Jellyfish 'N Chips, Episode #1006.
The seventh castaway is voted off; a night spent enduring a typhoon-force storm causes one castaway to breakdown emotionally and physically.

Survivor Live: Willard and Angie

2005-03-22T21:27:00.000-05:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: Willard and Angie
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and
Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Comments made by Willard
Willard had the most to say and the most interesting thoughts. Koror was anticipating a double eviction ("they could do the math") or a mixing of the tribes. In the event of the mixing-up of the tribes Koror was hoping they would have a majority in both tribes. If a mixed tribe had a minority of Koror members they planned to throw the Immunity challenge so the majority Koror tribe could vote off a former Ulong member.

Willard said that Koror was made up of dyads ("two individuals maintaining a sociologically significant relationship" - Meriam-Webster online): Gregg and Jennifer, Coby and Janu, Caryn and Willard, Tom and Ian. Katie just sucks up to power (he doesn't really like her). He's also not too fond of Tom. The words that he said after being voted off ("stay strong, stick to the plan, finish them off") were intended to get Tom thinking the wrong way in the game. Janu is really breaking down physically. (Note: this hasn't been aired much but you can watch some of it in the extra scenes at the Survivor web site.) Koror may be older than Ulong but they have the better athletes (except for Stephenie). Willard said they acted very stupid in gloating over the food at Tribal Council in front of Ulong even though Coby asked them not to beforehand.

Willard said he applied to be on Survivor as part of a bet with his wife and friends. He also did it to get in shape. He lost weight and cut his cholesterol in half. He mentioned the heat exhaustion and foot problem again but did not elaborate any further. He told everyone that he was a mailman and not the lawyer that he is. (He was a mailman previously so it really wasn't a lie.) The other two lawyers also didn't reveal their chosen profession. He also told the others that he "doesn't have any living children" implying that his children died but really he never had any kids. He said Survivor was a marvelous experience and he's surprised that he really didn't dislike anyone (even Katie?). Willard says he hasn't been watching Survivor Palau because he doesn't want to ruin the "purity of the experience." He also said that he doesn't watch "entertainment television" because it is boring.

Comments made by Angie
Being on Survivor was like being kicked constantly and she felt hopeless a lot of the time. (It probably had a lot to do with her being on Ulong, who have yet to win an Immunity challenge.) She's kind of surprised by the attention that her tattoos have gotten because she has friends with more tattoos than her (that sounds like an attractive group). Ulong really needed Jeff but he had a poor attitude so he had to go. Bobby Jon even offered to do extra work so Jeff could stay but Jeff refused. For some reason Ibrehem doesn't like her.

The ghost of Jolanda. Up until Angie was voted off everyone on Ulong kept talking about physical strength. Angie attributes this to Jolanda because she preached strength's virtue incessantly in the short time that she was on Ulong. (Kind of ironic, isn't it?)

Finally, no Replay Survivor videos were shown. I personally thank everyone who didn't send a video to CBS.

Early Show: Angie and Willard

2005-03-22T20:35:00.000-05:00

Despite interviews over two segments Angie and Willard didn't reveal too much of interest.

Willard said that he got heat exhaustion on day three that wasn't shown. Also he revealed that he hurt his feet somehow sometime.

Angie said that she was surprised that she was voted off because they had decided to vote off Ibrehem. She thinks that they kept Bobby Jon because he is real good at getting coconuts.

Episode 5, Angie and Willard Gone-ski

2005-03-17T17:14:00.000-05:00

Koror wins Reward and Ibrehem is awarded Immunity by vote of Koror. Angie and Willard are voted off at a joint Tribal Council where Koror is able to hear Jeff Probst talk with Ulong.

After the recap of last episode, Gregg and Jenn are shown as snuggle-bunnies. Coby seems really put off by them. He says something like "they aren't fooling anyone." Although Coby has probably changed his mind since then - see Alliances below. Also on Koror, Tom is very critical of Willard saying that he (Willard) may not be strong enough to help win challenges but he could certainly put wood on the fire which he hasn't been doing. Over at Ulong a storm blows in at night and the Survivors try to go to their cave but get lost on the way. They end up having a miserable sleepless night.

Reward Challenge
Competition: shipwreck sake bottles
Reward: beef stew at Tribal Council in front of the loser and listening in on Jeff Probst talking with the losing tribe.
Sits out: Janu, Caryn, Katie and Williard

Another water/underwater challenge. A number of big white empty sake bottles are tied to an old World War Two shipwreck so that they are floating but underwater (if that makes sense). Each tribe is on a platform with a raft some distance away from the shipwreck. The rafts are on a rope and pulley system connected to the wreck. One member from a tribe goes on the raft and the rest of the tribe pulls on the rope to take him/her to the wreck and the sake bottles. The Survivor on the raft then dives down to retrieve a sake bottle. The Survivor is then returned to the rest of the tribe by the raft-pulley system and another Survivor goes to get a bottle. First tribe to six bottles wins reward.

Here's the rough order of competitors:
Stephenie - Jennifer, they finished about even.
Angie - Gregg, Ulong slight lead.
Ibrehem - Coby, Koror big lead, 3 bottles to 2. Ibrehem dove three times without getting a bottle and returned empty handed.
Bobby Jon - Tom, Koror still up by one with a 4-3 lead.
James, Stephenie - Ian, Ulong evens it up at 5-5 as Ian has trouble.
Ian redeems himself by taking two turns in a row (which is allowed after everyone has gone once) and scoring the winning sixth bottle.

Koror wins Reward.

At Ulong everyone blames Ibrehem (left) for the loss, even Ibrehem himself. (I don't think it was all his fault. After he lost their slight lead they regained a tie and then lost the challenge.) Bobby Jon says that he likes Ibrehem but it would be fair to vote for him at Tribal Council. Stephenie is at a loss (again), she's not used to losing and just hopes for a merger. At Koror they're all happy, of course. Ian so much so that he sings a made-up song about not having to go clamming (he rhymes 'bay' and 'today'). Gregg secretly talks to Coby about a "soft alliance", see Alliances below.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: no immunity challenge this week.

Koror at Tribal Council (first time)
(paraphrased)
Probst: What's the relationship, leadership and friendship situation?
Katie: Tom's a leader in challenges and Ian is a leader in gathering food.
Probst: Tom did you intend to be a leader?
Tom: No I came here to be just a forty year old father. I give 110% and do my best.
Probst: Coby you seem to be very social.
Coby: Yes I'm friendly and get along with everyone. If that hurts me so be it.
Probst: Gregg what about friendships?
Gregg: Good friends: Tom and Ian, Coby and Janu, Willard and Caryn, and Katie loves everyone. I'm good friends with Jennifer.
Probst: Willard how are you perceived?
Willard: I'm perceived as physically weak, which isn't good.
Probst: Gregg what about trust?
Gregg: Trust starts to kick in now that we're at Tribal Council. Trust will be tested.

Time to vote:
In a landslide Willard is voted off, five votes for him shown to Katie's one vote.

As Willard walks away from Tribal Council he says "stay strong, stick to the plan, finish them off." Koror then get to eat their stew as Jeff Probst talks with Ulong.

Ulong at Tribal Council (fifth straight time)
(paraphrased)
Probst: You brought everything with you why?
Bobby Jon: We don't know what to expect. Maybe a merge?
Probst: Well, there will be no merge tonight. Angie why are you hiding your face?
Angie: It's so frustrating to keep losing. We needed this win for morale reasons as much as for the food. I can't look over at Koror. I don't even know who they voted off.
Stephenie: It makes me sick, one mistake cost us reward. I can't look over at Koror either.
James: I'm disappointed too.
Ibrehem: I lost us the reward challenge but you look at this collectively. We win and lose as a tribe.

Before they vote Jeff Probst surprises everyone by announcing that Koror will get to vote to give Immunity to one member of Ulong. Ibrehem is awarded Immunity. The Immunity votes: Angie 1, Stephenie 2, Bobby Jon 2, Ibrehem 3. Koror leaves so they don't get to see Ulong vote.

Time to vote:
It's a tie! Angie and Bobby Jon each have 2 votes (James also got one vote). Now James, Stephenie and Ibrehem will vote for Angie or Bobby Jon.

Angie is voted off with two votes shown.

Alliances
The Soft Alliance is between Gregg (left) / Jennifer and Coby (right) / Janu. Gregg approached Coby about this after the Reward challenge. The target of the Soft Alliance is Tom and Ian who Gregg says have a strong father-son relationship. Gregg then in a private confessional tells us (the viewers) that this gives him flexibility to go with whoever has the numbers. So be careful Coby!

Heroes & Villains
Stephenie (left) is my favorite on Ulong and maybe my favorite overall. James is a jerk. Bobby Jon and Ibrehem may have some muscle but they're not athletes. They suck in competitions and they're boring too. On Koror I'm rooting for Coby and Janu, although I don't see much hope for them at this point. I also like Ian but not Tom or Gregg.

Official Episode Title: The Best and Worst Reward Ever

Won Reward: Koror
(beef stew, biscuits and root beer, plus hearing Probst talk with Ulong)

Immunity: Ibrehem
(voted Immunity by Koror)

Voted Off: Angie and Willard

Note: next week's show is also on Wednesday night.

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-03-16T15:33:00.000-05:00

Twice the fun tonight! Each tribe will go to Tribal Council.
On Koror the most likely to go is Willard, although Caryn and Janu are also in danger of leaving.
Here are my Survivor Fantasy team picks for this week:

Ian, first questioned at tribal council
I traded Angie for Ian because she seems most likely to go on Ulong. He's strong despite being so lanky and well liked in general.

Tom, first questioned at tribal council
He still seems a safe bet not to be voted off. He's strong despite his age and well liked in general (although Caryn probably doesn't like him).

Gregg, first questioned at tribal council
He also still a safe pick. He's athletic and like Ian and Tom he could go in the water at any time. His relationship with Jennifer could get him interviewed first at Tribal Council.

Stephenie, first questioned at tribal council
The women are outnumbered by the men in Ulong so maybe she gets questioned first at Tribal Council.

Thursday on Survivor
The Best and Worst Reward Ever, Episode #1005.
One tribe gets lost looking for new shelter during a storm; one tribe has to watch the other enjoy a reward.

Survivor Live: Kim

2005-03-11T16:14:00.000-05:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: Kim
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and
Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Comments made by Kim
The biggest revelation was that the Immunity challenge matches (sumo wrestling) were the best of three. What do Jeff and Kim have in common? Bad movies: he likes the Pauly Shore opus Bio-Dome and she likes the David Spade masterpiece Joe Dirt.

When asked if Bobby Jon is crazy she replied that he's "on edge." Angie is overcompensating (trying too hard) for being picked last (and being the freak?). Kim thinks this will hurt her in the game. (I disagree, if Angie can make it to the merger then she can team up with Coby's alliance.) Kim doesn't care for Coby. She says he gossips too much, but he is funny. Ibrehem is a very laid back nice guy. She said the usual about Jeff: awesome person, they stay in touch, and they weren't trying to be Rob and Amber. Kim admits not doing as much work as the others and says maybe the guys worked too much. So much so that possibly they were too tired for the challenges.

Replay Survivor: This weeks 'winner' wasn't much better than the videos shown last week; it wasn't funny at all. Please stop sending videos in then I won't have to sit through them each week.

Latest Evidence that Jenna Morasca is a Lame Co-Host
Jenna contradicted herself. Early on she criticized James for being out for himself and then later she said Survivor is a game for individuals. (There may be no 'I' in 'team', but there is an 'I' in 'Survivor'.) Also whenever they talk about strength Jenna talks like it is the most important factor in Survivor. Interpersonal skills are the most important factor. Know yourself, be a good judge of other people, don't stand out, and with a little luck you can go far in the game. A lot of the challenges don't even require strength. That's what makes Survivor interesting to me. If it were just about strength then it would be like the Battle of the Network Stars without the stars. And even with stars the Battle of the Network Stars was boring.

Note: Survivor is on Wednesday night next week and Survivor Live will be on Thursday afternoon.

Early Show: Kim

2005-03-11T15:18:00.000-05:00

Kim:
She was 99% sure that she was going at Tribal Council. She's not sure why James didn't like her, but she thinks he was threatened by her relationship with Jeff. Speaking of Jeff: he's in California and she's in Ohio but they talk a lot. She looks forward to seeing him at the reunion. She says that she wasn't prepared enough strength-wise. She also had problems sleeping at night (could that problem be named 'Jeff'?).

My Take:
James was right about one thing: "All she has going for her is her sexuality" (personally I find her to be pretty vacant - kinda cute, bland personality). I think her strategy (if she had one) was to play the sex kitten and have some men carry her along. When that didn't work well enough (only Jeff fell for it) she didn't know what to do. It doesn't look like she even went to Ibrehem or Bobby Jon about voting off James.

Episode 4, Kim is Voted Off

2005-03-11T00:11:00.000-05:00

Koror wins Reward and Immunity and Kim is voted off at Tribal Council.

After the recap of last episode, Kim misses Jeff. (Jeff apparently is the only man that Kim cares for on Ulong. All the others she bad-mouths at just about every confessional.) Bobby Jon says that Ulong is not a close tribe anymore.

Tree mail says to pick a tribal representative. Both tribes have a problem with this but Ulong has the most. When Jeff Probst shows up Ulong still hasn't picked yet. They chose James on the spot. Koror picks Ian to represent them, after debating between Gregg and him.

Reward Challenge
Competition: build-a-bathroom
Reward: professionally built shelter
Sits out: Jenn, Coby and Janu

Jeff Probst shows up on a barge with a big closet-sized tool chest. Each team's representative gets to chose six tools to be used in building a bathroom. Whichever tribe builds the best bathroom wins a professionally built shelter. The judge is the man who's in charge of building all of the sets for Survivor (I think his name was Jesse Jenkins - he sounded Australian).

Koror wins Reward! It was hard to see all the details of each bathroom set-up, but I think Ulong should have won. Their shower had a little wooden platform to stand on and a drainage system to whisk the water away. At Koror it looked like you would be standing in mud as you showered.

After building the shelter the construction crew leaves the Survivors a house warming gift - a few ice cold bottles of champagne.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: sumo sea wrestling
sits out: Ian, Katie and Willard

On a round platform in the water each player is given a padded board with two handles and they have to knock the other into the water without taking their hands off of the board (and no kicking). The first tribe to 6 points wins Immunity.

Here's how they paired up (winner is underlined):
1. Tom vs Bobby Jon, 2. Jennifer vs Stephenie, 3. Gregg vs Ibrehem, 4. Caryn vs Angie, 5. Coby vs James. 6. Janu vs Kim, 7. Tom vs Bobby Jon, 8. Jennifer vs Stephenie, 9. Gregg vs Ibrehem, 10. Caryn vs Angie, 11. Coby vs James

Koror wins 6 to 5. Note: Old man Tom beat "tarzan" Bobby Jon twice. James the redneck steelworker lost twice to Coby the gay hairstylist. Angie is almost in tears after losing Immunity once again.

Back at camp in private James (left) says "A lot of gay folks are strong and go to the gym and all." (But Coby doesn't look like he goes to the gym very often.) Stephenie is really upset and says that was an embarrassment. The women discuss voting off a man because if a woman goes then the men can just pick off the women one at a time - 3 men to 2 women. (Are they resigned to losing every Immunity?) As far as James and Bobby Jon are concerned, Kim is the only choice.

Ulong at Tribal Council (fourth straight time)
(paraphrased)
Probst: Stephenie have you been frustrated?
Stephenie: Yes, very much so. This sucks.
Angie: I'm frustrated too, especially since we lost both reward and immunity.
Probst: What about work and accountability?
Kim: Bobby Jon and James are always taking the sling, but we all go out to fish together. (she goes on to basically make excuses for not doing anything at camp.)
Probst: Stephenie could the women survive without the men?
Stephenie: We rely on the men to fish but if we were alone we could be self sufficient. (what did you expect her to say "no we're helpless without them"?)
Angie: We can take care of ourselves. (She also explains that she knows how to use a hammer and doesn't seem to appreciate James assuming that she doesn't know such things.)
Bobby Jon: The women are strong. (really, even Kim?)
James apologizes for losing to Coby.
Probst notes that the women (Stephenie and Angie) won 4 of the 5 Ulong points at the Immunity challenge.

Time to vote:
Kim is voted off with 4 votes shown. James is shown voting for Kim; Kim votes for James.

Alliances
Based on Coby talking about picking a tribal representative it looks like Koror is split like this: Coby, Janu, Willard and Caryn versus Ian, Gregg, Tom, Jennifer and Katie. However no one else mentions such a split and they have never been to Tribal Council, so who really knows.

Heroes & Villains
I like Ian and Tom in Koror. In Ulong I like Stephenie (right) and Angie. I'm not fond of Caryn and James.

Official Episode Title: Sumo at Sea

Won Reward: Koror
(professionally made shelter)

Won Immunity: Koror

Voted Off: Kim
Aired: 4 votes for Kim, 1 vote for James
(Kim voted for James)

Note: next week's show is on Wednesday night.

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-03-10T09:28:00.000-05:00

(note: updated Thursday morning)
It seems Ian is rumored to sit out a competition so I'm making a last minute change. Angie in for Ian.
Here are my Survivor Fantasy team picks for this week:

Angie, first questioned at tribal council
She been a good point scorer and I don't think that she's in real danger of being voted off.Plus I don't have to worry about her sitting out a competition since she's in Ulong.
Last week: 50 points

Tom, first interview
Tom also seems a safe bet not to be voted off. If Koror goes to Tribal Council Caryn and Katie are in danger of being voted off.
Last week: 26 points

Gregg, first interview
Gregg's still a safe pick. He's athletic and like Ian and Tom he could go in the water at any time.
Last week: 18 points

Stephenie, first questioned at tribal council
Stephenie still seems to be the quiet leader of Ulong. I've switched her bonus points to "first questioned at tribal council." She's athletic so she may get me some "goes in ocean" points as well.
Last week: 50 points

Last Week's Top Scorers
Ibrehem 90 pts., Stephenie 50, Angie, 50, Kim 50

Last Week's Worst Scorers
Williard -2 pts., Caryn -2, Janu, -2

Remember: past performance is no guarentee of future results.

Thursday on Survivor
"Sumo at Sea", Episode #1004.
Tensions arise when both tribes are forced to chose a leader for reward challenge; one group considers banding together against another tribe member.

Ulong Voting Analysis

2005-03-07T22:23:00.000-05:00

So far in the first three episodes of Survivor Palau only Ulong has been to Tribal Council. I thought that I'd take a look at their voting record to see if any alliances or patterns were evident.

Stephenie, Kim and Angie have all voted in the majority in all three votes. James was in the majority for the first two votes but then last week he voted for Kim instead of Jeff. Bobby Jon and Ibrehem have only voted with the majority once each. Bobby Jon's only majority vote was in week two when he voted for Ashlee. Ibrehem's majority vote was last week when he voted for Jeff. Ibrehem really looked like he was out of the loop in week two when he was the only one to vote for Kim.

What does this mean? To me it means that Kim may not be on as thin ice as it appears. If Ulong goes to Tribal Council this week, then I would not be surprised to see James or Bobby Jon be voted off. The three women plus Ibrehem give them enough votes to vote off either Bobby Jon or James (there's only the six of them left in Ulong).

Sea Mist Beach Club

2005-03-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

The Sea Mist Beach Club, my tribe in the Survivor Fantasy League, has scored 1,978 points so far. We are only 190 points behind the 100th place team in the private tribes standings. Hopefully we can crack into the top 100 in the next few weeks. We can do it if everyone keeps their team up to date, remembers to set their bonus points, and answers the weekly bonus questions. (Note: our scores don't look like they include the bonuses for this week's questions.)

This Week's Bonus Questions and Answers are:
1. What object did Jeff roll his ankle on? (coconut)
2. Who's name did James write down on the parchment at Tribal Council? (Kim)
3. During the Immunity challenge, how many total pounds did Bobby Jon end up carrying? (80)

Survivor Live: Jeff

2005-03-04T16:33:00.000-05:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guest: Jeff
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Comments made by Jeff
He maintains his team player attitude. His ankle really was hurt. It took three weeks to heal. He pulled ligaments in it. After Survivor he had surgery to remove some bone fragments in it. It sounds like he knew of the fragments before Survivor because he said it was a regret that he didn't have the surgery before going on Survivor. He did make an ace bandage from the sewing kit that they won, but it wasn't shown.

He voted for James to knock him down a notch or two. Jeff said James has a real attitude. Jeff wasn't / isn't attracted to Ashlee at all. He denies hitting on / coming on to her, although they did have a nice long hike together. (I believe him. I bet they had a general talk about sex and Ashlee - the conservative Mormon - mistook it as him hitting on her. He seems like a nice guy, not at all like Ashlee made him out to be.) Stephenie is a great swimmer and a strong competitor. However standing out may make her a target once the merger happens. Ian is also a good swimmer and he's stronger than he looks. No new Kim information. They're friends and stay in touch. He did say she tried more than has been shown so far. She had some problems with her contact lenses.

Ulong needs to have a good strategy to win immunity; that's why they won the reward challenges. The Immunity Challenge last night lasted about 30 minutes. Jeff would like to clarify that at the end of the show last night he said "Kill Koror" not "Go Koror".

My Take on Survivor Live
This season I'm a little disappointed with Survivor Live. It's just a chit-chat show without any substantial in-depth analysis of the game. They should cut it to 30 minutes. I'm glad that they dropped the Thursday show. Last season it was really hit or miss depending on the guest. A 30 minute show on Thursday with interesting guests that have been watching the current edition might be a good idea.

Back to the current Survivor Live, Dalton Ross seems to know more about Survivor than Chris Booker (last season's co-host) however Jenna Morasca is awful. As James would say "all she has going for her is her sexuality." She just doesn't ask real probing questions or add any real insight into the game like Richard Hatch did last season. I never liked her as a Survivor, Rob or Matthew deserved to win Amazon more than she did.

To make matters worse, they're starting to show these Replay Survivor home videos that fans send in. The two that they showed today were pretty bad. I'm not looking forward to seeing more of them.

Despite all of this I will continue to watch and write up a summary for you.

Early Show: Jeff

2005-03-04T12:12:00.000-05:00

Jeff: Harry Smith started by saying that Jeff was done in by a coconut. Jeff maintains that he just couldn't go on with his ankle hurt and that he has no regrets about asking them to vote him off. His ankle didn't heal quickly and he would have remained a liability. His sprained ankle really broke his heart but he has no one to blame but himself.

Regarding Kim: they were portrayed as building an alliance, but they were really building a friendship (aah, how cute. it sounds rehearsed to me). They were not trying to be Rob and Amber. He still stays in touch with her; he didn't elaborate and that ended the brief interview.

Episode 3, Lame Jeff Gone

2005-03-03T23:41:00.000-05:00

Ulong wins Reward, Koror wins Immunity and Jeff (right) is voted off at Tribal Council.

After the recap of last episode, Ulong is bummed out about losing Immunity again. Jeff and Kim are really upset at Jeff Probst for his tough questions at Tribal Council (hey, he's just doing his job). Over at Koror they're bummed out because of the rain and they have a lousy shelter. Caryn explodes and yells at Katie while they are away from the others. Basically Caryn is upset that Katie is always criticizing her. (By the way, I think Caryn is crazy)

Reward Challenge
Competition: water ring wrestling
Reward: sewing kit
Sits out: Caryn and Williard

Each tribe has a small floating platform. Farther out in the water is a lifesaver-type ring. The first player to touch his tribe's platform while holding on to the ring scores one point. First tribe to three points wins reward. First two men, one from each tribe, will compete; then two women; and then a mixed pair, one man and one woman from each tribe.

First up: Tom vs Jeff (left)
Tom gets the ring first, but Jeff basically just drags Tom in the ring to his platform to score the point. Ulong 1, Koror 0.

Next: Jennifer vs Stephenie (left)
Stephenie gets to the ring first and scores the point without much struggle from Jennifer. Ulong 2, Koror 0.

Lastly: Gregg and Janu vs Angie (left) and Bobby Jon
This was a hard fought battle. Everyone seemed to be dunking everyone else. Angie and Bobby Jon managed to score the knockout point. Ulong 3, Koror 0.

Ulong wins Reward!

Back at camp, Ulong are happy they won. Bobby Jon (right) wants to use some needles from the sewing kit to make fish hooks. In private Ibrehem questions what he's going to do with a sewing kit since he doesn't know how to sew. Also in private, Bobby Jon is disappointed that his tribe is a bunch of lazy people (especially Kim). He then is shown fishing with the Hawaiian sling but he only gets a real small fish.

Over at Koror, they have found some poisonous snakes. (How did they know that the snakes are poisonous? Is someone an amateur herpetologist or did someone on the film crew clue them in?) Tom, Gregg (right) and Ian manage to kill a few of the snakes. They hang the bloody snakes in a tree over the water and some sharks come in near the beach to investigate, blood in the water tends to do that to sharks. The three wack-jobs then think that they can kill a shark as well. However they are armed with nothing but sharpened sticks and the sharks get away. Tom vows that they will kill a shark someday.

At night while everyone is asleep Jeff heeds the call of nature and while walking back to bed sprains his ankle by turning it on a coconut (stupid coconut, who left that lying around?). He says he heard a "pop" and felt a tear, neither are good signs.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: tribal run around
sits out: Janu and Jennifer

Each tribe is tied together and each member is carrying a backpack with twenty pounds of sand in it. The tribes start out equal distant from each other on a staked out oval course in shallow water. Both tribes move in the same direction and the first tribe to catch up to the other wins reward. Players may drop out but they must give their backpack to a tribe member.

Jeff of course drops out right away. Williard is close behind him. The women except for Stephenie (left) also drop out. Coby eventually drops out too. That leaves Tom, Williard and Ian for Koror and Bobby Jon, Stephenie, Ibrehem and James for Ulong. And then James drops out . . .

Koror slowly gains on Ulong and eventually wins Immunity.

Afterwards Jeff tells his tribe that he's sorry that he couldn't contribute in the Immunity challenge and that they should vote him off at Tribal Council because of his sprained ankle. He estimates that under these conditions it would take three weeks to heal. Privately James tells us that Ulong's plan was to vote off Kim next. Bobby Jon tells us that he thinks Jeff should stay despite his bad ankle.

Ulong at Tribal Council (yet again)
(paraphrased)
Probst: Ibrehem are you frustrated?
Ibrehem: Yes, we would have won if we had Jeff healthy.
Bobby Jon disagrees and says Tom beat them.
Probst: Stephenie has there been a lot of finger pointing?
Stephenie: Not really, Jeff told us to vote him off.
Probst: Jeff you're smiling?
Jeff: Yes, I'm a team player and they're better off without me.
Probst: Ibrehem how does work figure into your vote?
Ibrehem: Everybody works hard. (Probst should have asked Bobby Jon this question.)
Probst: Kim are you frustrated?
Kim: Yes, losings sucks. I'm not as strong as some of the others like Bobby Jon (she says he's strong like Tarzan) so I couldn't really help out.
James: We've been debating whether to keep Jeff or not.

Time to vote:
Jeff is voted off with 4 votes shown. James is shown voting for Kim; Kim votes for Jeff; Bobby Jon for Kim.

Alliances
If Ulong has to go to Tribal Council again Kim is clearly in danger of being voted off. Caryn is most likely the first to go on Koror.

Heroes & Villains
I still don't like Caryn, I wish that she would just go already. My favorites on Ulong are Stephenie and Angie. My favorites on Koror are Tom and Ian.

Official Episode Title: Dangerous Creatures and Horrible Setbacks

Won Reward: Ulong
(sewing kit)

Won Immunity: Koror

Voted Off: Jeff
Aired: 4 votes for Jeff, 2 votes for Kim, 1 vote for James
(Jeff voted for James)

Jeff Probst on The Late Late Show

2005-03-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

Jeff Probst was a guest on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson last night. There were two topics of discussion.

First Craig had a National Enquirer stating that Jeff Probst wanted Regis' job on Live With Regis and Smelly. Jeff said that wasn't true. He's perfectly happy just filling in for Regis when he goes on vacation.

The other topic was Julie (pictured left), Jeff's love interest. He said once again it's more than just dating. He used the 'L' word again. Jeff even hinted that he expects to marry her because he can't see himself with anyone else (she's really got a hold of him). Jeff said that he's seen Julie's psychological profile for Survivor. He didn't say what it revealed but he did say the show's psychologist said she's a good match for him. So he's got that going for him.

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-03-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

For what it's worth, here's my Survivor Fantasy team:

Ian, first interview
He still seems to be a quiet leader of Koror. In the promos he's shown in the water (points!) trying to kill the shark.

Tom, first interview
Tom also seems a safe bet no to be voted off. If Koror goes to Tribal Council Caryn is in danger of being voted off. Tom also goes shark hunting with Ian.

Gregg, first interview
Gregg's also a safe pick. He's athletic and could go in the water at any time. I've given up on the "finds unexploded ammunition" bonus. I think it's a red herring.

Stephenie, first questioned at tribal council
Stephenie still seems to be the quiet leader of Ulong. If they find themselves at Tribal Council again (for the third week in a row!) she's a good bet for first interview. She's also athletic so she may get me some "goes in ocean" points as well.

Tonight on Survivor
"Dangerous Creatures and Horrible Setbacks", Episode #1003.
Jeff suffers an injury that may cost his tribe a challenge; a lack of work ethic within a team disturbs one of its members.

Quitters Never Win
The online speculation is that Jeff leaves tonight. Either he quits because of his injury or he's voted off because of his injury and relationship with Kim.

Episode 2, TV Ratings

2005-02-28T20:29:00.000-05:00

Ratings: Second 'Survivor: Palau' episode draws 21.6 million viewers

by Steve Rogers, 02/27/2005 at RealityTVworld.com

The second episode of CBS's Survivor: Palau once again crushed its ratings competition, dominating its time period in both viewers and all key demographics.

According to the final national Nielsen ratings for Thursday, February 24, Survivor: Palau's second episode averaged 21.64 million overall viewers and delivered a 12.3/19 rating/share in households, a 5.8/16 in Adults 18-34, a 7.9/20 in Adults 18-49, and a 9.3/21 in Adults 25-54.

While Survivor's second episode numbers were down slightly from the previous week's monster premiere episode ratings performance, the CBS reality series still easily won its time period, more than doubling NBC's delivery in the hour.

Survivor Live: Ashlee

2005-02-26T12:27:00.000-05:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guests: Ashlee
Hosts: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) and Jenna Morasca, sole survivor Survivor Amazon

Comments made by Ashlee
What happened? Why was she such a party-pooper?
She was really tired and she'd acted similarly earlier and it was no big deal. She wasn't hungry so she went to sleep. The rest of the tribe could see that she was ready to go home and she really was.

Ashlee voted for Jeff because she promised him that she wouldn't vote for Kim. She was sorry to see Jonathan and Wanda leave but she said Wanda's singing did get on some people's nerves. Ashlee didn't know about the rats at Koror's camp until Thursday night's show. Stephenie is assertive, strong and athletic. Kim offered no excuse or reason for not even trying to help win immunity. Jeff is the most deceptive followed closely by Kim. Jeff and Kim had a lot of close physical contact and Ashlee even heard "sounds", but she wouldn't elaborate about them. Kim really needs to change her attitude if she wants to go far. Coby is a big fan and student of Survivor. Ibrehem is cute and gorgeous. He voted for Kim because he didn't want Ashlee to go. Bobby Jon had a few outbursts that weren't shown. Angie's performance in the reward challenge really boosted her confidence.

Early Show: Ashlee

2005-02-25T08:37:00.000-05:00

Ashlee: She said that she was just done playing the game. It put a real damper on her spirit. Mentally she just wasn't strong enough to keep playing. On last night's show, she was just too tired to be social; she just wanted sleep. Ashlee said it was very hard to play and maintain her strict Mormon beliefs. Regarding the Jeff / Kim relationship: she's not sure if they really like each other or if it's just strategy.

My Take:
At least she didn't give the standard excuse, "they voted me off because I was a threat." I didn't see anything that would really test her Mormon beliefs, but maybe her temptations just weren't shown.

Episode 2, Withdrawn Ashlee Gone

2005-02-24T23:12:00.000-05:00

Ulong wins Reward, Koror wins Immunity and Ashlee (pictured right) is voted off at Tribal Council.

After the recap of last episode, Koror is shown dealing with rats. Caryn (left) blames everything bad on Tom. She says he insisted on the new camp when they had the choice. She thinks they should have voted blah, blah, blah . . . this beach and camp sucks .. yada, yada, yada . . and it's all Tom's fault. Over at Ulong everyone is just glad that Jolanda is gone.

Reward Challenge
Competition: balance-theme obstacle course to retrieve flags
Reward: fishing gear (& flint if Ulong wins)
Sits out: Williard
Swings sand bags: Jeff & Ibrehem (Ulong), Tom & Gregg (Koror)

The players have to retrieve flags. The course is over a balance beam, barrels, a rope bridge etc. Two players from the opposite tribe can swing sand bags on ropes to knock them off, in which case they have to start over again. Everyone has to get two flags. First tribe to 10 flags wins.

Ulong jumped ahead 3-0 and never looked back, they easily won 10-4.
Katie really struggled with this one. Janu got her two flags fairly quickly for Koror.

Angie (left) receives the praise of her tribe mates for her performance in the Reward challenge. Ulong quickly makes fire, catches fish and feasts on seafood. They eat a really big clam, it must have been two feet in diameter. For some reason Ashlee is acting withdrawn and doesn't join in all of the reindeer games.

At Koror they start their flint recovery project. Ian, Tom, Gregg, Janu and Katie (right) take the canoe out to dive for the flint crate (which they lost last episode when their canoe capsized). Tom says it's a bad time because of the strong current. Ian manages to get a rope around the crate and they haul it up. Flint/fire is theirs once again! Ian estimates that it was in about 25 feet of water.

Tree mail includes instructions to learn Morse Code.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: part underwater / part puzzle challenge
sits out: Katie

Each tribe has to swim out to their pontoon. Once everyone in a tribe is at the pontoon, then the tribe can dive down to pull on a rope to drag a footlocker to them. Then they open the footlocker on the bottom of the ocean and untangle/untie eight mess kits inside of it. Next, return the kits to the beach and assemble the puzzle (each kit has a Morse code letter on it).

Willard slows Koror down a little in the beginning by being slow to the pontoon. However Tom (left) and Gregg manage the underwater rope pulling with relative ease. Ulong have trouble and fall behind. Kim never even tries to dive.

Koror wins before Ulong can even open their footlocker.

Here we go again. Ulong for the second week in a row has to go to Tribal Council. Who are the targets? Alone in the cave (I bet Caryn will be even madder at Tom if she find out they "gave up" a cave), Stephenie (right), Angie and James target Kim. They think she's the obvious one because she did nothing during the Immunity challenge. Stephenie talks to Bobby Jon and he seems to agree. James talks to Jeff, who's been cuddling with Kim. Of course Jeff doesn't want to lose Kim so he puts forward Ashlee to be voted off.

Ulong at Tribal Council (again)
(paraphrased)
Probst: Well, well, a bunch of long faces again. First some good news. You won reward. Angie were your contributions recognized?
Angie: Yes, I feel everyone knows how well I contributed.
Probst: Now the bad news. Kim how is everyone taking Tribal Council again?
Kim: The tribe is devastated. We've really grown close in a short time.
Probst: Jeff any friendships you want to talk about?
Jeff: Kim and I are good friends, we cuddle at night.
Probst: Kim when were you first attracted to Jeff?
Kim: Day one.
James: We've all noticed how close they are.
Jeff: It's just nice to have someone to cuddle with.
Probst: In terms of the game doesn't that make you two a threat / alliance?
Kim: No, I hope they understand. That never crossed my mind.
Probst: James who will you vote for?
James: I'll vote for the person who can't hang with the rest of us.

Ashlee is voted off with 4 votes shown. Ibrehem is shown voting for Kim; Jeff votes for Ashlee.

I cannot believe Jeff (left) and Kim didn't realize that their relationship would have an effect on the game. Either they are real stupid or they're just trying to cover their asses. I'm not sure which it is. Whoever voted for Jeff is really out of the loop. It was probably Ashlee.

Alliances
It's still hard to get a fix on alliances. Here's how I think the votes fell: Jeff, Kim, Bobby Jon, and James voted for Ashlee.; Ibrhem, Stephenie, and Angie voted for Kim. I think Ashlee voted for Jeff. At Tribal Council James said he would vote "for he person who can't hang with the rest of us", that could be Kim or Ashlee. I bet Jeff got James to vote for Ashlee.

Over at Koror it's even harder to say who's aligning with whom. Although Caryn doesn't seem to be making many friends.

Heroes & Villains
I don't like Kim (right). When she and Stephenie talked about Tribal Council and Steph told her she was being considered, Kim acted all offended. Like how could anyone even consider voting for her?! Well, how about you doing nothing to help win Immunity. I'm not liking Caryn either, she complains too much.

Official Episode Title: Love Is in the Air, Rats Are Everywhere

Won Reward: Ulong
(fishing gear and fire)

Won Immunity: Koror

Voted Off: Ashlee
Aired: 4 votes for Ashlee, 1 votes for Kim, 1 vote for Jeff

Survivor Fantasy: My Picks

2005-02-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

For what it's worth, here's my Survivor Fantasy team:

Ian, first interview
He seems to be a quiet leader of Koror. Ian was the one giving the others rowing instruction and using an oar for a rudder during last week's Immunity/Reward challenge. He leads yet he doesn't stand out to make himself a target. Ian could go far in the game. "First interview" seems reasonable given that they will be trying to recover the flint.

Janu, gets naked
A guy can hope, can't he? To score the "gets naked" points she has to intentionally get undressed, like Julie sunbathing last season. Janu is a Las Vegas showgirl and maybe she likes to maintain that all-around tan. Also to vie for the attention of the guys she may have to take this drastic measure to stand out amongst the younger women.

Gregg, finds unexploded ammunition
"Unexploded ammunition" maybe a red herring like last season's "gets burned by lava." He seems like a real go-getter so if there is unexploded ammunition lying around he's a good bet to find it. Plus he's likely to get some "goes in ocean" points as they try and recover the flint.

Stephenie, first questioned at tribal council
Stephenie seems to be the quiet leader of Ulong. If they find themselves at Tribal Council again she's a good bet for first interview. She's also athletic so she may get me some "goes in ocean" points as well.

Love on the Rocks
One final thought. Angie is probably just a decoy and won't be voted off tonight. The promos and ads show her worried about being the outcast and "on the chopping block", but I think a member of the lovey-dovey couples will be voted off instead. So who are the couples? Jeff and Kim and Gregg and Jenn (I think).

Tonight on Survivor
"Love Is in the Air, Rats Are Everywhere", Episode #1002.
One tribe's beach is overrun with unwelcome little visitors. One Survivor is suspicious about a special alliance developing between two tribemates. While enjoying a feast, a tribe notices one member's reclusive behavior. A tribe attempts to recover a lost provision. Will they be successful in the task, or will they succumb to exhaustion?

Palau Starts Off Strong in TV Ratings

2005-02-22T15:23:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles (excerpted from Hollywood Reporter)
"Survivor: Palau" delivered the best performance for a "Survivor" premiere in more than three years and helped give CBS its most-watched Thursday since at least 1987.

"Survivor: Palau," the 10th incarnation of CBS' golden reality franchise, got things off to a strong start at 8 p.m. with an average of 23.7 million viewers and a 9.1 rating/23 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. That marked the best opening salvo for a "Survivor" since the October 2001 debut of "Survivor: Africa."

Fantasy Survivor

2005-02-20T10:17:00.000-05:00

It's Not Too Late to Play Fantasy Survivor!
The Survivor Fantasy League doesn't start until episode 2 (this Thursday, Feb. 24), so there's still time if you'd like to play. To sign up go here: Survivor Fantasy at CBS.com .

My Group
You are welcome to play in my group (aka tribe); there are five spots still available at this writing. To sign-up with my tribe you will need the tribe name and password, which are:

Tribe Name: Sea Mist Beach Club
Tribe Password: sand

Cooperative Rather than Competitive.
I'd like a tribe were we try to do best as a team to see how high ranked our tribe can get. The team that I played in last season (Team MORTY) almost cracked the top 100.

Survivor Live with Jo, Wanda & Jon

2005-02-18T19:05:00.000-05:00

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
Guests: Jolanda, Wanda and Jonathan
Host: Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly)

Comments made by Wanda
She called Willard a curmudgeon several times (not that there's anything wrong with that). She thinks Survivor wanted a younger cast (I disagree. I don't think this one is any younger than previous casts.) Wanda admired Jonathan and Stephenie for trying to swim. Coby and Caryn developed a brother-sister relationship. (That explains why he didn't pick Angie.) Naturally she sung several times.

Comments made by Jolanda
Jolanda also claimed the age difference was a problem. She mentioned several times about the twenty-somethings. Like about the young women who just wanted to talk about make-up. (Do either of these two women realize that Tom (41), Willard (57), Caryn (46) and Janu (39) didn't seem to have a problem?) Jolanda and Wanda seemed to have a mutual appreciation for each other. Jo said America has really missed out not getting to know Wanda better (Jo was almost in tears). If she didn't get voted off, Jolanda's plan was to be honest and truthful in winning the million dollar prize. Coby is a real student of Survivor. He's seen and studied all the prior shows.

Re: last nights episode
Jolanda claims the group together made the decision to try and take all of the crates in the Immunity/Reward challenge. Furthermore she says they were only 15 seconds behind Koror when they got to the beach. They lost Immunity by not rowing the outrigger canoe as a team, not because of all the crates. (Although as James pointed out at tribal council, they were dumb-asses for forgetting the fire crate.) Jeff proclaimed experience with outrigger canoes so they were all following his lead. Jolanda ate four grasshoppers not just the one that was aired. Also she was having trouble eating the day before and even threw up. She understands Koror choosing the new camp site, their original shelter wasn't that developed.

Not shown:
Kim targeting Wanda because of her age and Jolanda defending her. Jolanda and Janu dancing together show-girl style.

Comments made by Jonathan
Jonathan said that he was hungry and when he's hungry he's unhappy. (And presumably not in a talkative mood. Now that explains a lot.) He didn't tell the others about being a cancer survivor.

Odds and Ends
Jenna Morasca, Amazon Sole Survivor, will start co-hosting next week. CBS will air the first episode again Saturday night.

From Another Online Chat
(not affiliated with CBS or Survivor; they will remain nameless because of the poor audio quality and the lack of interesting information. I want that thirty minutes of my life back.)

Jeff Probst did have few interesting comments. The ocean around Survivor Palau was so clear that underwater photography wasn't a problem at all. So look for more underwater challenges. There are more "Survivor firsts" in Survivor Palau than in any other edition of Survivor.

Early Show: 3 Cast-Offs

2005-02-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Wanda: Sings some more, "Grandma got run over by some models . . ." She doesn't think her singing annoyed anyone but it was portrayed that way. She feels she wasn't picked because of her age. (Hey, old guy Willard got picked over young buck Jonathan.)

Jonathan: Wanda's singing didn't annoy him. It was a big mistake jumping in to swim before everyone else.

Jolanda: She has no regrets. People were jealous of her, especially some of the women. She seems real proud of her buttocks. (Well, I for one didn't notice her butt.) Jolanda claims that they decided as a group to try to carry all of the crates, that it wasn't just her decision alone.

Episode 1, Three Sent Packing

2005-02-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

Game on! All twenty are in a big row boat when Jeff tells them that Survivor has started. They are about one mile from their beach and two immunity necklaces. One necklace is for the first woman to reach it and the other is for the first man. The Survivors smartly decide to row instead of trying to swim a mile.

While they're rowing, Wanda decides to regale them with one of the songs that she made up for the show. That's right I said one of the songs. She composed and practiced several songs to sing during the show. The ones she sang tonight sounded a little like show-tunes, "Survivors, we're going to be Survivors!" Jonathan and Stephenie jump in to swim and soon learn they made a mistake - they fall behind the boat!

Everyone else jumped in to swim when the boat got closer to shore. The winners of the necklaces were: Jolanda and Ian.

Jeff Probst tells them they are going to live on the beach as a group for a time. No tribes, no buffs, no nothing. Let the plotting begin! Just about everyone begins talking about who they would vote off. The two self-described misfits, Angie (tatoos) and Coby (gay), strike up a friendship or so it seems.

They start to build a shelter and Janu climbs up a tree to aid in this endeavor (giving them all a shot of her butt-crack along the way). James quickly establishes himself as the down-home Southern boy character in the private interviews. He's not as likable as Big Tom but not as annoying as Bubba. They try making fire and of course fail miserably at it.

Jeff Probst reappears and tells them that it's time to form tribes. Here's the method used: Boy Girl. Ian and Jolanda are two separate teams. They will pick someone of the opposite gender to be on their tribe who will in turn pick someone of the opposite gender. Here's the picking order.

Koror: Ian, Katie, Tom, Janu, Gregg, Jenn, Coby, Caryn, Willard

Ulong: Jolanda, Bobby Jon, Stephenie, Jeff, Kim, James, Ashlee, Ibrehem, Angie.

Jonathan and Wanda were left unpicked and they were immediately put on a boat and removed from contention.

Jeff Probst now tells them that they will continue to live together on the same beach.

Immunity & Reward Challenge
Competition: The dreaded jungle obstacle course with row boat ending.
Reward: Whatever supplies the castaways can carry through with them and Immunity.
(supplies in heavy crates: fire, water, food, various equipment)

The trick here is to balance supplies with speed. Carrying a lot of crates will slow you down in the obstacle course. Koror makes the decision to just carry the fire crate. Ulong is greedy and tries to carry them all and in the excitement forgets the fire crate!

Koror wins Immunity fairly easily. Ulong can't coordinate their rowing. Also as winners, Koror gets to choose whether they want to return to the beach they already know or move to an entirely new beach. The adventurous tribe picks the new camp site. It's a decision they soon may regret. The canoe they are paddling to the new beach overturns and the crate with the flint in it sinks to the bottom. In that instant, fire is lost!

Meanwhile at Ulong Jolanda is trying to get support to vote off Angie, the tattooed freak (I mean that in a nice way). Stephenie is rallying support to vote off Jolanda. She claims it was Jolanda's bad idea to try and carry all of the crates in the challenge. Angie knows she's a target so she's willing to vote for Jolanda.

Ulong at Tribal Council
(paraphrased)
Probst: Stephenie are you surprised by any of this?
Steph: yes, I'm very hungry and thirsty already.
Probst: James are you happy with how things have gone?
James: Yes, we lost this one but we're young, tough and strong. We'll win!
Probst: You had a choice in the challenge, did you make a mistake?
James: Heck yeah! Dumbasses we forgot the fire!
Probst: Has a leader emerged yet?
Ashlee: No not yet.
Jolanda: I'd like to lead this tribe.
Probst: Angie how has it been for you?
Angie: Hard, I was picked last and now we finish last.

Jolanda is voted off with 5 votes shown.

Alliances
It's really too early to identify alliances. Coby had the opportunity to pick Angie to be in the same tribe with him, but for some reason he chose Caryn instead. What's up with that? Now the two misfits are in separate tribes. Koror is generally older than Ulong. Look for Tom and Willard, the two oldest men, to form an alliance. Bobby Jon, Ibrehem and James are from Alabama so look for an alliance here.

Heroes & Villains
I didn't think that I would like Janu (pictured). I thought as a Las Vegas showgirl that she would be prissy, but she's not. Jolanda would have made a nice villain, but she's gone already. I also like Angie so I'm not liking Coby right now.

Official Episode Title: This Has Never Happened Before!

Won Reward: Koror
(fire, but promptly lose it)

Won Immunity: Koror
(reward & immunity were done in single challenge)

Voted Off: Jolanda
Aired: 5 votes for Jolanda, 3 votes for Angie

Early Show: Jeff Probst

2005-02-17T09:23:00.000-05:00

Jeff Probst was on the CBS Early Show this morning. His appearance was very brief, maybe 5 minutes. However he did reveal the beginning to the show.

Survivor Palau Premiers tonight at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.

Two Immunity Necklaces
To start the show the castaways will be on a boat and shown their beach. Then Jeff tells them that there are 2 immunity necklaces on shore. The first woman to get there wins one necklace and the first man wins the other.

Huge Personalities
Jeff also said this edition is full of "huge personalities." Apparently last season some viewers thought Survivor Vanuatu was a little flat and being right after All-Star Survivor that's understandable. He said that shouldn't be a complaint with Survivor Palau.

Jeff's Favorite Winner
Asked for his favorite Survivor winner, Jeff responded "Hatch." That would be Richard Hatch, winner of the first Survivor. His least favorite player ever is Johnny Fairplay. Jeff said Johnny is just like he was on Survivor Panama. Fairplay was good as a castaway TV-wise, but personally Jeff just doesn't care for him.

The L Word
Jeff also talked a little about Julie Berry, castaway on Survivor Vanuatu. He said that he wasn't just dating her but that he was in love with her. Ever the professional, he said they started their romance after Vanuatu ended. If I remember correctly, Jeff has said that they stayed in touch after Vanuatu (by email, phone etc.) and their friendship blossomed into love. Now isn't that sweet? Julie's bio at CBS.

Rupert Alert
The ever popular Rupert Boneham (Survivor Panama and All-Star) will do a live internet chat tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET at WeLoveBigBrother.com.

Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show
The time has been moved up slightly. It will now premier tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. ET at CBS.com. Still no word on who the host(s) will be. I guess the guest(s) will be the castaway(s) voted off on tonight's show.

Survivor Palau Starts Thursday!

2005-02-14T19:48:00.000-05:00

This Has Never Happened Before!, Episode #1001.
Twenty people are stranded on a group of islands in a remote part of the Pacific, competing for a $1 million prize.
CBS, Thursday Feb. 17, 8:00 p.m., 60 minutes.

This will be my final pre-season blog entry. Here's what you can expect from this blog once the series starts.

1. Recap and Review of each episode of Survivor Palau. I'll summarize what happened in the challenges, who's plotting with who and paraphrase what was said at the Tribal Council. If you miss the show for whatever reason my blog should keep you informed about what happened. This is what one kind reader said last season about my Survivor Vanuatu blog:

Hi!
I just wanted to thank you for your web site. Great detail on what happened on tonights show. I don't even mind that I forgot to tape it!!
Thanx again :)

I'll do the same again this season. Check out my Survivor Vanuatu blog to get an idea about what this season's blog will be like.

2. Survivor Live is Back! And I'll watch it and blog what was said.
Premieres 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18.
Webcast at CBS.com. No information regarding the host or hosts. Last season Richard Hatch was one of the hosts and he did a good job. The other host was Chris Booker.

3. Survivor Fantasy League
I intend to play in the Survivor Fantasy League again this season. I'll tell you my picks each week and offer advice in general. The fantasy league is open for registration at the official Survivor web site.

4. The Early Show, CBS
I'll watch and blog the Survivor guests on The Early Show.
Thursday, Jeff Probst previews the new season of Survivor.
Friday, First Survivor castoff.

Also any news and rumors that I come across I'll post on my blog. Finally I welcome your comments. I'd like to hear what you think about Survivor and my blog entries.

Have a wonderful time watching Survivor this season. I hope that you enjoy my blog.

Pre-Season Update 4

2005-02-04T12:52:00.000-05:00

There's not much to report this week. I bet that changes real soon since we are less than two weeks away from the start of Survivor Palau.

It seems some of my predictions may already be wrong. Survivor Fever has pictures of Kim in a colored buff. They speculate that means she's not one of the first two eliminated. I picked her to be one of the first three to go. Although I guess she could be voted off third in the traditional way.

Survivor Fever also thinks that two castaways will pick the tribes with the last two castaways not picked being eliminated. The captains would be the first two to a green flag after leaving the boat. SF thinks that Janu (showgirl) and Wanda (teacher) will be the two left unpicked because they are older (Wanda is the oldest woman). What a bummer; I picked Wanda to go to the final four.

Richard Hatch, winner of the first Survivor, was arraigned on tax charges and he pleaded no contest. He'll probably get a really big fine.

No word yet whether or not CBS will have Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show again or not. It was fun and interesting last season and I hope they do it again this season.

Predictions

2005-01-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

The good people over at Survivor Fever have speculated that some of the earliest castaways voted off the island and some who go far are featured before the season starts. I have no idea if this theory worked in previous seasons or not. Anyway past performance is no guarantee of future results. However it makes sense to me so I’ll play along.

Here are the twelve castaways that have gotten attention on the CBS Early Show, Entertainment Tonight, Extra and E!: Wanda, Jonathan, James, Willard, Angie, Kim, Bobby Jon, Tom, Janu, Ashlee, Coby and Ibrehem. Survivor Fever thinks the first three people to leave the island are in there somewhere, as well as a few who last a long time.

Remember two of the first three out of the game are alleged to get lost on the way to the first challenge and be eliminated thusly. So they’re probably not that bright or outdoorsy.

My guesstimates:

The First Three Voted Off

Bobby Jon
The “aww shucks” routine won’t go over well with the men so I can see them voting him off. Also he doesn’t seem like the brightest bulb in the box. I could see him getting lost. Promoted early because of his beef cake appeal.

Kim
The brainiac will put-off the women. She may be book smart, but I bet she’s lacking in interpersonal and outdoor skills. Being able to read Arabic is one thing, reading a topographical map is another. Promoted early because of her cheese cake appeal.

Janu
She’ll be seen as a liability (both mentally and physically) in challenges because she is a Las Vegas showgirl. I can see her getting lost too.

Richard Hatch, winner of the first Survivor, has said repeatedly that the most important attribute for Survivor is self awareness. With that in mind here are my Final Four picks.

The Final Four

Williard
Jeff Probst has said Willard tells every one that he’s a postal worker while he’s really an attorney. That’s a brilliant strategy and shows that he’s thinking ahead.

Tom
Fireman, forty-one year old college student and family man. What’s not to like? He deals with a wide variety of people daily. I bet he has it in him to go a long way.

Wanda
Wacky Wanda according to Jeff Probst. She’s a teacher and heavily involved in politics in her home town. This will prepare her well to play Survivor.

Coby
Troubled teen makes good. Jeff say’s Coby has a lot of amusing anecdotes and is very like-able (even to those who don’t know what an amusing anecdote is).

The Rest of the Bunch

That leaves Jonathan, James, Angie, Ibrehem and Ashlee. Who knows how far they will go? Or any of them for that matter. I’d also like to mention Gregg (that’s correct, the guy needs three Gs to spell his name). There are reports online that he returned to the States really thin. This leads everyone to believe that he made it at least as far as the merger. Or maybe he just got a bad case of schistosomiasis.

I’m not sure about any of this but it’s fun to ponder about before the show actually starts.

Pre-Season Update 3

2005-01-21T09:37:00.000-05:00

Warning: possible spoilers.

Before the start of a new season of Survivor, the usual rumors and gossip are circulating online. What's true and what's false? Only time will tell. Here are the most interesting tidbits so far.

1. CBS has announced that three people will be removed from the show during the first hour. How? The consensus seems to be that two people won't make it to the first challenge on time. The third will be voted off in the usual manner.

2. Based on the previews, a lot of people theorize that the castaways will be stranded with just their regular clothes (like on Pearle Islands, Panama). Possibly the first challenge is a race immediately after being stranded with the final two people sent home. There is also a rumor that several people get really lost in the first show.

3. Since Palau was the scene of World War Two battles, this theme will be featured in challenges and such. Possibly one tribe will "capture" POWs from the other tribe. Camouflage on the Palau logo and military chevrons on the buffs lend credence to these rumors.

Next week I'll address the speculation about who gets voted off early and who makes it a long way.

Not rumor:
CBS has announced that Survivor Palau will have a 2 hour final on Sunday, May 15 at 8:00 pm followed by the usual 1 hour reunion show.

Jeff Probst, once again our host, has said that this isn't the most even-keeled bunch. So I expect more than the usual amount of entertaining confrontations.

From the CBS website, "From the beginning the game will be changed in a dramatic way. Everything the Survivors have come to expect will be wiped in the first 10 minutes." What could this be about?

In Other Survivor News
It seems Richard Hatch (right), winner of the first Survivor, is in some hot water with the IRS. He apparently didn't report all of his winnings.

I hope this doesn't prevent him from co-hosting Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show. That is if they're doing it again. He did a good job with it during Survivor Vanuatu.

Meet the Cast

2005-01-13T21:46:00.000-05:00

The cast for Survivor Palau was announced today on CBS's The Early Show. There wasn't that much time for the introduction. Each Survivor was shown briefly with a few words about his/her background.

The series will premier Thursday, February 17 at 8:00 pm. This time twenty castaways will start on the quest to win one million dollars. The video on the Palau web site says: "A premiere so intense 3 castaways will be going home before this night is over." I hope the big twist promised is a little more than this.

This is a very good looking group of people. I don't remember seeing an out of shape bod' in the bunch. Eleven of them are under thirty years of age and their average age is 32.4 years. There are three lawyers, two waiters and the prerequisite bartender. Just about all of them seem to be very athletic. This might be the best collection of abs ever on Survivor.

Angie, 24
Bartender, New Orleans
Heavily tattooed, artistic rebel. Lives with boyfriend.

Will she be the likable outsider like Lex or just upset everyone with her eccentricities? Not the prettiest but not even close to Elephant man ugly.

Ashlee, 22
Student, Easley, SC
Brigham Young Univ. graduate. Practicing Mormon. Very much into fitness.

Does the all-American girl have it in her to truly compete in Survivor? A lying, deceitful Mormon? We shall see.

Bobby Jon, 27
Waiter, Troy, AL
Jock, outdoorsy, pursuing a modeling career in Los Angeles.

Waiters and bartenders rarely seem to do well. Will that change this time? Appears to be a mimbo. Most likely will use the "under the radar" strategy - if he has one at all. A pawn for the taking.

Caryn, 46
Civil Rights Attorney, Solon, OH
Athletic and married with children.

Caryn's bio is the shortest. Really an unknown. If I really had to say so now, I'd say she doesn't last long.

Coby, 32
Hairstylist, Athens, TX
At 17 arrested for larceny and received 7 months jail and 5 years probation. Single.

Having turned his life around after a troubled youth, Coby may be a popular favorite like Rupert. Can he recall the larceny of his childhood and steal a million dollars from this good looking group?

Gregg, 28
Business Consultant, Chicago
Born & raised in Massachusetts, engineering graduate of Univ. of Pennsylvania. Describes himself as a good son and unflappable. Single.

Does he really need three 'G's to spell his name? I don't like him already.

Ian, 23
Dolphin Trainer, Key Largo, FL
Pennsylvania State Univ. graduate (student president, home coming king). Single.

Another goodie-goodie (he's worked with underprivileged and handicapped kids). Can he be underhanded enough to do well in this game? Maybe someone else will carry him along as a pawn.

Ibrehem, 27
Waiter, Birmingham, Al
Aspires to be a model or actor. Single.

Did I see that he wants to open a health food store? He may be a go-getter and America likes young entrepreneurs.

James, 33
Steelworker, Mobile, Al
US Navy '90-'92. Married with four children.

Nothing really stands out. Possibly an "under the radar" type of guy.

Janu, 39
Showgirl, Las Vegas
Also a model and speaks several languages. SAG member.

I'm not sure how a Vegas showgirl will fare physically on Survivor. Speaking several languages may give her an advantage in reading people.

Jeff, 21
Personal Trainer, Ventura, CA
Blue-collar guy, has worked as a welder and petroleum distributor.

Not much about him too. He's the youngest. I could see him trying to over compensate for his youth and inexperience by being too much of a hard ass early on.

Jennifer, 32
Nanny, Encino, CA
Working on Master's degree at Cal State, Northridge. Single.

Has worked with people a lot and was an exchange student so maybe she is a good judge of people.

Jolanda, 39
Lawyer, Houston
Star track & field athlete in college. Has had a tough life: father committed suicide when she was very young. Two uncles also committed suicide and an aunt was murdered. There's more but I'll spare you.

To overcome and accomplish what she has she had to be driven. Maybe too much so for Survivor.

Jonathan, 23
Sales & Marketing, Dallas
Testicular cancer survivor, martial arts instructor, plays guitar. Single.

Despite his youth, Jonathan may have the self-awareness to do well. Cancer had to have an effect on him. He seems sympathetic to others (he teaches self defense to women), but is he devious enough to use all this to his advantage in the game?

Katie, 29
Advertising Executive, Merced, CA
Graduated magna cum laude from Monmouth Univ. (NJ) with a BA in Communications. Single.

Another short bio. Business executives without much else on their resume rarely do well. I think Survivor is just too unpredictable for them.

Kim, 25
Graduate Student, Huber Heights, OH
Working on a PhD in political science at Wright State Univ.
Ohio State Univ. undergrad, International Studies, Middle Eastern concentration.

Nerd alert! Yes she's pretty and smart. But does she have a personality as a part of the package? Or will she bore everybody with lectures on international political economy and hegemonic stability theory? Has she even seen the show? (Ami from Vanuatu said she never saw the show before and had to be told about things like the merger.)

Stephenie, 25
Pharmaceutical Sales Rep., Philadelphia
College athlete. Attended Temple Univ. and Monmouth Univ.
BA in Business Administration. Has boyfriend of six years.

Hasn't done much beyond work, college sports and college activities. However she is one of five siblings which may help with interpersonal relationships.

Tom, 41
NYC Fireman, Sayville, NY
Lieutenant of Ladder Co. 108 in Brooklyn. Also studying history at Queens College. Married with three children.

A New York City fireman, married and going to college at age 41 - what's not to like? But can he play this game? Firemen are usually people persons. He may be able to relate to the young since he's in college now. He could go a long way.

Wanda, 55
English Teacher, Ulysses, PA
Active in her community, avid hiker. Divorced with two children.

Wanda could be a real sleeper. Not only is she involved in several community groups, but she's also a community leader (trustees, president, chairman, chairman). She deals with people day in and day out. She could go far.

Willard, 57
Lawyer, Bellevue, WA
Born & raised in Connecticut. Marine Corps five years.

The oldest. Despite his military experience, I don't see him as a hard ass. However I don't have a good feeling about him. He seems the type to be just glad to have made it this far.

There they are the twenty castaways of Survivor Palau. So who has made a good first impression on you?

Pre-Season Update 2

2005-01-07T22:21:00.000-05:00

Cast to be Announced Thursday, January 13 (?)
Mark your calendar (maybe). Survivor Fever is reporting that the Official Cast announcement for Survivor Palau will be on The Early Show, CBS's morning show. However there's no sign of it on the The Early Show web site or the official Survivor Palau web site. I'll keep an eye on it and let you know what happens.

Pre-Season Update 1

2004-12-31T20:57:00.000-05:00

Survivor Palau Premieres February
There will be 20 contestants vying for the title of Sole Survivor in Survivor Palau. This is the most players yet for a season of the popular reality show, now in its tenth incarnation. Normally there are 16 people playing. However All-Star Survivor and last season's Survivor Vanuatu had 18 participants. It is tentatively scheduled to begin airing Thursday Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.

Also of significance is that Mark Burnett, the producer of Survivor, has promised a big twist for Survivor Palau. What will it be? More than two tribes? More than the usual one castaway voted off at Tribal Council? Whatever the twist (or twists), I'm sure Survivor Palau will be entertaining.

CBS Survivor Palau Web Site
The official Survivor Palau web site is up and running at CBS.com. It's kind of sparse right now; just some pictures of Palau and a sneak peak video. Jeff Probst will be the host once again.

The Contestants
CBS and Mark Burnett haven't officially revealed the contestants yet, however several Survivor fan web sites are posting the names, pictures and bios of likely Palau players. If the past is any indication, then the people presented on these fan sites will be on Survivor Palau. Contestants at Survivor Fever. After they are officially announced I will comment on them. To give you an idea of what I have planned, here's what I blogged about the Vanuatu contestants before that series started: Survivor Vanuatu contestants.

Where in the world is Palau?

Right about here:

'Survivor' Wraps Up Shoot

2004-12-22T18:49:00.000-05:00

Dec. 23, 2004
by Oyaol Ngirairikl
from the Guam Pacific Daily News

It started in Borneo, and now the Rock Islands of Palau will star, along with 20 people, in the 10th season of the reality hit TV show "Survivor."

"Survivor: Palau" concluded filming earlier this month and will air on CBS early next year, according to Reality World, a Web site that -- as the name suggests -- tracks reality shows.

According to Reality World and other sites that follow "Survivor" news, the newest season will have dramatic changes in the game.

And while the office of the president of Palau has remained mum on whether the show has been taped on the island, the office did confirm that scouts from the show visited the island last summer.

President Tommy Remengesau has said the island nation would like to court filmmakers and television shows. Palau's main economic engine is eco-tourism.

Palau has hosted a Japanese survivor television series and was the site of a recent Yahoo! commercial featuring a talking dolphin.

In an official announcement to Palauan residents posted in October, the national government and the government of the island state of Koror warned boaters of restrictions.

The sign advises boaters that they cannot get closer than 1.2 miles from several rock islands south of the nation's capital city of Koror.

"These restrictions will likely last into early December, but are subject to change as some locations are added and others are no longer needed," the announcement states.

According to a Survivor Fever article, sets for the show were built in several locations, including Ulong, Malakal Island, Ngeruktabel, Macharchar and Ngkesill.

CBS Picks Up Two More Installments of 'Survivor'

2004-12-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles (Reuters) - "Survivor" is not only surviving but thriving.

CBS on Wednesday said that it will bring back television's top-rated reality series, "Survivor," for at least two more installments.

The Viacom Inc.-owned broadcaster said it has ordered production of the show's 11th and 12th editions, which will be aired during the 2005-06 TV season.

"Survivor" has been one of the most successful franchises on television during the past few years. Through last Sunday, "Survivor: Vanuatu" ranked No. 5 among all prime-time programs in household ratings, averaging nearly 20 million viewers a week, according to Nielsen Media Research.

And two different "Survivor" editions finished in the top 10 for each of the last three seasons.

CBS did not say where the new installments of the program would be shot or when they would premiere.

Survivor 10 is Underway!

2004-11-18T22:58:00.000-05:00

According to SurvivorNews.net the tenth edition of Survivor is currently shooting in Palau.