Survivor Mama

Episode one.....Wow...we're off to a great start!

It's taken a little while to process the first episode, but I'm LOVING this season of Survivor! Okay, whatever, I say that every season. But, really, I mean it about this season. I love the twists right off the bat.

And I totally adore Sandy. She's total crackers, but talk about brilliant casting! I hope she sticks around for a while, if not for the million, but for the pure entertainment value. She proved she's strong, but her personality might be the death of her in this game. Only time will tell. But paces, Sandy??? Really now. Did you not watch any movies or cartoons with buried treasure when you were a kid? Paces certainly can't be this difficult.

Right now, I'm picturing the producers sitting there beating their heads on their desks at the fact that neither Sandy or Sierra ended up with the hidden immunity idol. A totally great twist right at the beginning and both of them bombed out on it. I bet you Ozzy would have found that thing in 10 min. flat....but then again, Ozzy probably wouldn't have been outcast by his tribe mates on the first impression vote, either.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be in 120 degrees heat and have a 102 temperature, as well as strep throat. That has got to SUCK. And I certainly wouldn't have told anyone, but I think Sierra figured she was out of the game for good and what did she have to lose at that point? I just hope it doesn't come around to bite her in the butt too soon, because I'd really like to see her stay for a while.

Even with only the first episode, JT and Jerry are still my early favorites. They just seem like a couple of down-home good old boys.

It's so hard to tell, so early on, what this season is going to hold. Jeff Probst promises us it's going to be the best season yet and I've got big expectations now.

Tyson seems to be the early favorite for a lot of people, but the only way that I can understand that is to base it on his looks (which is so external and surface-shallow to me). Sorry, but I just don't see that factor as a reason to pick him as an early fave for the season. He was a bit eager to pull off his shorts in the first episode. Perhaps he was trying to go along with the theme of first impressions?? If that's the case, I certainly hope he was confident enough with "his goods" to think that it would make a great first impression with the girls. Honestly, I don't care what a man's junk looks like, it would NOT be something that would decide whether or not I keep him around for the game. And really....when you SERIOUSLY think about it, it's a pretty weird looking package no matter what state it's in. He seemed a little too eager to pull a "Richard Hatch" this early in the game....but, to each his own. I'm sure he has a strategy he's working on. Let's see if it works. (no pun intended)

Coach .....hmmm....I have a lot to say about him, and based on first impressions, it's not all that good. He seems to think that Survivor is about phsycial strength, but that's NOT what this game is about. It's about outwitting, outplaying and outlasting. Nowhere in there does that say that it's about physical strength. This is a social & mental game at its core. Sure, there are moments when your physical strength can get you a little further in the game, but that's NOT where it's all at. Just look at Fans vs. Faves. You get enough "weak" people in the game to band together and they can take out the physically strong at the snap of a finger. THAT is outwitting and outplaying. If you look back at Fans vs. Faves, all Ozzy's and Joel's physical strength did was get them taken out. If Coach wanted to play a game where it was survival of the fittest, then he should have signed up for "Last Man Standing" or gotten himself a show like Man vs. Wild. Unless this guy gets some social and mental skills quick, he's not gonna make it to the end. And from where I'm sitting with first impressions, I'm totally okay with that.

And finally, Carolina. I'm not crying. I don't think I could have taken must more of that. Her tribe made a wise choice. Taj to warn her, but first impressions definitely have a big impact. I think she dug her hole too quickly and didn't have enough time to get out.

Make sure you check out Jeff Probst's blog on EW.com   I love his snarkiness. He doesn't get to show this side on the show, so I really look forward to reading his thoughts after each episode.  

*above photo from CBS.com

Survivor Tocantins starts tonight!

Follow me on Twitter: stampinmama is my username.

It's a new season and I'm bound and derterminded to keep up with my blog this time around.

I kind of bombed out on the Fans vs. Faves season and last season, I found that I was doing most of my blogging at my LiveJournal account.

Not this season. This season, it will all be here. With links to things I think you might like, things you might think are ridiculous. Links to Jeff's blog (YAY!). And more. Plus, my own commentary. Not that I'm an authority or anything, but I always have a lot to say and I love dishing it out with other Survivor fans.

I've watched all the cast interviews, and while it's hard to pick a solid favorite this early in the game (heck, it hasn't even started yet!), I'm leaning towards JT and Jerry. They just seem like real, genuine down-home boys that don't cut any crap.

Benjamin, on the other hand, seems like a real pr!ck. I admire his self-assurance and confidence, but I think it's going to get really old really quick. We'll see.

Sierra seems like a cross between Courtney (from China) and Sugar (from last season - Gabon). Not sure how long she'll last, as she says she's not in it for the money, but for the experience. Usually those are the people that don't have the drive to push for the winner's place, but who knows...she may find her place in the game and change her mind and ride it out to the end. I like her spunk and tenacity that I saw on her cast interview. 

I'm really looking forward to tonight's FIRST episode of the season. I have to admit that I'm already a little anxious about it, knowing that two people will be voted off right off the bat. That has my blood pressure up just a bit. It almost seems unfair that two people are getting the axe just based on first impressions. But, then again, this is Survivor. When did it become about fair? The rules change, unexpected things happen. It's the way it is.

So long Mikey B....

I know that I'm seriously lacking in posting my Survivor thoughts....I'm making up for lost time here.

First off.....WAY back to Mikey B.

It's amazing how many strong people are being taken out in the beginning of this game. It's definitely a "different" tactic, especially so early on....before the merge....when you NEED the big guys to win challenges. But like it was pointed out just last week, you can still have strong guys on the tribe and you still don't win.

Tracy may not seem like much to some when it comes to physical stuff, but that girl is mentally playing the game. To turn a guy like Joel over to her side to keep Chet and take out Mikey B, she was working her mental magic.

I don't have a lot to say about Mikey B....other than he's a really sore loser. If you watched his parting words, he's a very bitter person. Dude, this is a game. There are no rules (well, othe rthan not harming someone physically). Sure, it sucks if someone stabs you in the back or lies to you, but you knew that going into this game. If you're that much of a fan to end up on this show, you must have seen previous seasons and know it's going to go down like that occasionally.

Now.....as far as the last two episodes......WOW!!! I'll share my thoughts on those later.

Why send Kathy to Exile Island?

I haven't gotten a chance to watch last night's episode yet (that's my next "act of business" this morning before I start in to work), but I did want to write about something else before I start writing about yesterday's episode.

One of my readers (*waves to Tammy*) emailed me and asked my take on why the Faves keep sending Crazy Kathy to Exile Island. She didn't understand the logic behind it.

Here's my thought on it.......

Kathy has shown that she just doesn't care about finding the idol. She looked for it the first time she was sent, but after that, she gave up. It's too much work to find it. Obviously, Ozzy has already found it, so it's not a big deal anymore, but no one else knows that (at least that I know since I haven't watched last night's episode yet).

Any other person on the Fans tribe would go looking for that idol, which means competition for whatever Fave gets sent over. By sending Kathy over, a Fave has the best chance of finding the idol because Kathy's not even looking.

While it kind of makes sense to send someone over that's strong....to wear them down a bit....it makes more sense to send someone you know isn't going to look for the idol.

Look at Ozzy.....that man is a powerhouse. It didn't wear him down one bit. In fact, it only made him have an adrenaline rush to find that idol and find it, he did. For those that still want that fighting chance, being sent off to the island brings out a strength in you that you didn't know you had.

Mikey B's last words

Want a good laugh??? You really have to watch ---> Mikey B's last words after tribal council.

Oh my word!!! Can you say bitter???

About the fans......who's your favorite?

Okay.......other side of the show. The fans.

Let me just say that I LOVE the fans! It's such a motley crew! Crazy Kathy is becoming more and more endearing through each episode. Her immunity idol is long gone after their first tribal council, so we'll see how she fares in the next tribal council. I hope she sticks around for a while. She's gotten a lot of air time, so I hope that isn't an omen of what's to come. Mary went early and hardly got any air time, so maybe CBS will surprise us. I wonder if Kathy's getting air time simply because she's just so freakin' funny!

Kathy is such a hoot. She puts her foot in her mouth all the time and is ready to cry at the drop of a hat but she does it with such entertainment value that it makes me love her. I can totally see her going the way of Crazy Shane (from Panama), complete with a mental breakdown of some sort and a blackberry made out of a piece of wood.

Joel. Joel, Joel, Joel. Chances are, dude, you aren't making it to the merge (and if your tribemates DO keep you around for your physical prowess to get to the merge with numbers, you're going down as soon as you don't have individual immunity). Your power play was too obvious far too soon. Your tribemates have your number. Physical strength is always a big target, especially when you are fighting for individual immunity, rather than tribal immunity.

I'm really looking forward to seeing more of the fans.....so far, it seems like we've seen the bulk of Crazy Kathy, Chet, Tracy and Joel. I'm hoping tonight's episode (which I'm going to have to catch online tomorrow morning) will show some more character development on the fans side.

So.....who's your favorite fan?

Another great player bites the dust...

I can't believe that Yau-Man is gone! Two of the three favorites that I started out with this season are gone already. Jonny Fairplay and Yau-Man. Say what you will about Fairplay, but I loved that man in his season in the Pearl Islands. I was so disappointed when he quit. Yah, yah....he said it wasn't a quit, but it was. I don't care what he called it, the rest of us are calling it what IT IS.

But Yau-Man??? That guy is in his prime.....no matter that he was the oldest person on this season....he's a powerhouse! His tribemates knew it, too. Get that man on Exile Island and he was sure to come back with an immunity idol. Dang, I would have LOVED to see that play out. Yau-Man is a power player. He might look older and weaker, but he can pull a challenge out of his hat like you wouldn't believe. He's wise, he's smart (those are two different things, let me assure you) and he's physically fit and a wiry old bugger. I love that about him. I remember seeing him on the first episode of Fiji and pegging him to be one of the first people off. I know he surprised us all. I would have loved to see more of him in this game, but it just wasn't meant to be. As cliche as this sounds, the man is a winner all the way around. One of the kindest, gentlest, honest and most lovable people to ever play this game. Love that man.

On to the rest of the game.....I really didn't know what to think of both Jonathan and Cirie. By the way, I LOVE that Jeff is calling Jonathan, "Penner." I never heard that come out of his mouth during Jonathan's season in the Cook Islands. I wonder if it's a nickname in real life and Jeff only found out about it after the season was over.

During the Cook Islands season, I both loved and hated Jonathan. If that's how he is in real life, I think it would irritate the piss out of me.....but if this is just his game face, then he has a way of wearing people down and wearing them out....and I like that, too. It's a good strategy....until it bites you in the butt. I was surprised that he started in on his usual game face so early in the game....and on Cirie, of all people. Yes, I know that he had to go for Cirie, since Fairplay bailed out and that only left Cirie as the swing vote. He had no other choice. Jonathan came on a bit too strong, though. Cirie may be sweet and vulnerable on the outside, but she's a very self-assured woman and you just don't mess with a woman with a feisty "inside." Cirie seems to be even MORE self-assured this season than on Panama. That girl has a tiger inside and Jonathan stuck his fingers too far into the cage and taunted that tiger. He's bound to lose more than a finger, if he's not careful....though I think it might be past that point. I can't WAIT to see the confrontation between the two of them on tonight's episode!

I also don't know what to think of Cirie's choice for alliances. Yes, Yau-Man would be a tough competitor for her, considering that he's well loved, physically able to handle the challenges and he's very capable of playing this game both socially and mentally. Those are huge threats. I can see why she'd want to take him out early. Now that I've had time to mull over everything that we were allowed to see in the last episode, I can totally see where she's going with her game plan. At least, I THINK this is where she's going with her game plan. It would be smart to align with physically stronger people right now. As physically strong as Parvati, James, Ozzy and Amanda might be, it's obvious that they're not mentally in the game right now. It's easier to have a physically strong person that you can knock out later, after the merge, than to play against mentally strategic players after the merge. Except for maybe Ozzy, Tom (from Palau) and Terry (from Panama) -and only Tom took first out of those three - we've seen from experience that brawn does not always win first prize. It might get you far in the game, but it doesn't promise you first (except, of course, in Tom's place). Survivor has been showing, in past seasons, that the game is getting more mental towards the end. Braun can't always save you.

It's smart for Cirie to take out the mental players now and be able to nail the physical players later. The mental players will be harder to beat after the merge than they are now. If Cirie can make it to the merge with the two "love alliances," she's got herself a ticket to the end of the game, it would seem. I can't see the favorites keeping the love-birds around, but I CAN see them keeping Cirie around. I didn't see this strategy while watching last week's episode, but after having a week to think it all out, I can totally see it now.

Ami.......as much as I can't stand her, I do have to give her a pat on the back for voting her conscience. When Jeff read the votes, I was surprised to see Cirie's name come up. I didn't see that coming AT ALL. I was even more surprised at the end of the show when I saw who gave her the vote. Apparently she had a reason to vote for her and apparently she used her conscience. I can't see any other reason to throw in a vote for Cirie unless she had a personal and strategic reason that her conscience dictated. Good for her. I don't know how far that will get someone in the game, but I do respect it. I suppose that this early in the game, it's a little easier to vote your conscience than to vote strategically for the win.....I can't imagine voting without pure strategic purposes further on in the game. We'll see how she votes in the future.

Mary, Mary.....gone so soon.

Wow......Mary didn't see that one coming! To be honest, when this episode started, neither did I. And Mikey B certainly didn't see it coming either. That expression on his face was totally priceless! I wouldn't doubt if he went back to camp with that same look on his face. Even as Mary was walking away, he STILL couldn't pick his jaw back up off the floor.

Talk about a masterfully engineered "blind side." Joel was a genius for pulling that one off.

Speaking of Joel, though, he better watch out. Just as he couldn't stand having someone else run the show as obvious as Mikey B was, he's soon going to find out that no one else is going to want him running the show either. Unless he can completely pull the wool over the tribe's eyes, he is going to have to watch his back.

The blind-siding of Mary is a good example of what happens when you make a "love alliance" too obvious. I think the whole Rob/Amber alliance from the "All-Stars" edition of Survivor soured everyone and makes them wary of love alliances.

Speaking of love alliances......what in the world is going through the heads of Ozzy & Amanda and James & Parvati???

Geez, this is only the beginning of the game! There's plenty of time later for love AFTER the game. We haven't seen James & Parvati playing tonsil hockey yet, but the way they've paired off they might as well have been. These four have just put huge targets on their backs. It's one thing to take on an alliance as players, but once you put love in the mix, you get a big ol' bullseye painted on your back.

And speaking of tonsil hockey.....ew! They're not allowed to bring toothbrushes or toothpaste with them. And they certainly haven't won any in a reward yet, so we know their breath is nasty and so are their teeth. Maybe that's what makes it okay. Maybe neither one of them care. If that's the case, more power to 'em. But ew.

We'll never know if Mary could have been a powerhouse in this game and honestly, I don't think she was the undoing of her place in the game. I think she can firmly blame that one on Mikey B. Then again, we only see 3 days squeezed into about 47 minutes, so who knows what was edited out. According to the confessionals of Joel, it SEEMS that Mikey B would be to blame.

And speaking of Joel (yes, I noticed that I've said "speaking of" many times now), that was a strategic and bold move to take very early on in the game. He's definitely a thinker and a player, though I don't know if I would have taken such a bold and obvious play so early on....but you gotta give it to him for pulling it off and seemingly bringing Mikey B under submission.

What was he THINKING???

What in the world was Jonny Fairplay thinking?

I could seriously drop kick the guy. Did that drop on his face/head by Danny Bonaduce rattle his noggin' a bit too much?

UGH! Big fat, giant, honkin' UGH!

Honestly......if the guy was going to just give us one episode of his glorious antics, he should have never come on the show to begin with. He said it wasn't a quit, but it may as well have been. He was basically ASKING people to vote him off.

At first, I thought he was just using it as an angle but then realized he was going to get the boot before people even voted. I literally sat on my couch and, with each vote, kept saying, "What have you DONE, Fairplay???"

I understand that he had a 7 month pregnant girlfriend at home and a little baby girl on the way, but he should have thought about that before he came on the show.

As much as I love Jonny Fairplay in this game, there are plenty others I would like to see in his place if he was gonna crap out on us in the first episode.

Like Terry from Cook Islands. Or Brian or Rafe from Guatemala. Or Ian from Palau. Heck, I would have even been entertained by crazy Shane from Cook Islands.

I am so freakin' ticked off right now. Part of me wonders if Fairplay came on the show just for his next few minutes of fame. Lucky #40. Knowing he was gonna back out "on his terms." ugh. Maybe he knew he wasn't long for the game and figured he was on his way out and made it look like it was his call.

I was SO banking on a good long run with Fairpaly. I was rootin' for you, dude! I wanted you to make it all the way to the end! I was looking for some really great entertainment this season.

On the other hand, I loved his comment about finding a message in a bottle from his dead grandma.

Guess I'm gonna have to count on Jonathan to make waves this season. If I can't have Fairplay playing, at least I still have Jonathan.

Survivor 16: Fans VS. Faves starts tonight! Woohoo!