Survivor

View Date: 12/20/09

Tonight was the season finale, and we were treated with a recap of the entire season as is usually the case. Talk around camp was to still gun for knocking Brett out.

The first immunity challenge of the night consisted of racing across a series of obstacles to retrieve a bag of puzzle pieces. After getting the bag, they then had to run back and make their way up a very steep wall. Once up, there would be a table on which to complete their puzzle. The first person to complete their puzzle would win immunity. Brett won yet again, which means that an original member of Foa Foa would be joining the jury.

Back at camp, Russell decides to keep Natalie and debates between voting off Jaison and Mick. Both have their advantages and disadvantages for staying and leaving. This is probably the toughest decision Russell has had to make yet. Jaison was the one booted during the first tribal council of this episode, leaving Russell, Natalie, Brett, and Mick heading into the final immunity challenge.

The next day, the remaining members went on the walk to remember the members previously voted out of the game, and we got to see people that we really didn't remember because they left so long ago. After paying their respects and burning masks representing their fallen tribe members, the final four made their way to their final immunity challenge.

As the final challenge is almost always an endurance challenge, this time was no different. The team members had to balance a figurine on top of a small platform, then periodically add a 1 foot section of pole on which the platform was resting. Mick and Natalie were both knocked out at six feet of pole, while Russell and Brett successfully made it to seven feet. Russell was able to hold on long enough to win his first individual immunity, and it is almost a given that Brett is going home.

Russell did pull Brett aside and discuss options as to what might be done to keep him in the game, but he was eventually the one to be sent to the jury. That left Mick, Natalie, and Russell vying for the million dollars.

At the final council, the standard opening remarks were made by the final three, then the jury members got their chance. Some very interesting questions were asked and remarks made. Russell was probably his most honest and admitted to his manipulative ways.

Feckless!!!!!?

Natalie wound up winning this season, purely by riding the coattails of Russell.

10 words or less: Russell was robbed.

Survivor

View Date: 12/17/09

With the finale on Sunday, we should be seeing two more survivors leaving in tonight's episode. We were treated with a bit of talk from Brett, which was nice because he was the only “true Galu” left. We really haven't seen or know much about him. If he makes it to the final, I really hope the audience gets a chance to learn a bit more about him before Sunday.

We quickly learn that Brett is quite religious, and according to Natalie, a real sweetheart. He feels that he is building a trusting relationship with Natalie. Russell seems back to his old snippy ways

The survivors are split into two teams of three. There is a tangle of ropes on which coconuts are suspended. The teams were then to take turns pulling ropes, trying to keep as many coconuts suspended as possible. Each time a coconut drops on one of their rope pulls, it counts against their team. The first team to 100 coconuts loses. The other team goes to a local village to spend the night, with accommodations including mattresses and pillows. Rocks are chosen to decide team captains, and it winds up being Russell and Natalie. Natalie chooses Brett and Mick, while Russell chooses Jaison and Shambo.

While playing the game, Natalie's team says a prayer, while Russell and Shambo discuss Natalie picking Brett first. Russell's team starts off rough, but the coconuts start falling with an amazing prediction by Shambo. Russell then lucks out and doesn't drop any on his next turn, while Brett drops a boatload and loses it for Natalie's team. Russell's team heads off tot he reward with concern in their hearts over Natalie's choices.

Heading out to the reward, Jaison made a point saying that a reward didn't mean anything to him because he had no idea what one was. He had struggled every day of the game, and was floored by the feast. Once sated, they joined the locals in a dance.

Back at camp, Brett suggested making a reward for themselves. He suggested going searching for snails as a group, then taking them to the beach and chilling while spending time together and watching the sunset. Even though Natalie seems to have a thing for Brett, she is also enough of a competitor to realize strategy is also part of the game. She still is in with Russell, and would probably have a good chance to win against him. Russell feels that Natalie is still totally tight with him, but does put a hint of doubt in the minds of his reward team members. Back at camp, Natalie confirmed that her loyalty was still with Russell.

At the elimination challenge, the competitors had to run out and count the items in each of six areas. They then raced back to their table and kept track of their numbers using tiles. Once they had six numbers, they had to use those to solve a combination lock. The code on the lock was different for each person. Once the lock was released, they would use the piece released to break their tile. The first person to break the tile wins immunity. Brett won immunity again after taking his time with his numbers, so it looks like Mick will be Russell's target. Jaison is of the opinion that Shambo should go home tonight, as she is of no help beating Brett in the challenges.

A little surprisingly, Shambo was voted out tonight in a unanimous vote. I understand voting off both her and Mick, but I thought it would be easier to win against Shambo. Tonight was also the last night that the hidden immunity idol could be played, but Russell decided to take it home a souvenir.

10 words or less: Should make for a great finale.

Survivor

View Date: 12/10/09

Starting off after tribal, Shambo talks to Russell, and seems to actually be OK with the vote, although she would have preferred being told. She says that Dave has to be the next to go and Russell half-heartedly agrees. The next day on the beach, Jaison lets slip that Russell already is a millionaire and doesn't actually need the money, which the former Galu members are looking at as an advantage.

No reward challenge today, but rather straight to the elimination challenge. The challenge today is a Survivor bowling tournament. The contestants are randomly paired up to go against each other, and each gets two shots. Whoever knocks down the most pins after two balls wins. The winner goes on to next round, while the loser is out.

The first round pairs are: Shambo/Natalie, Brett/Russell, Jaison/Monica, and Mick/Dave. Lots of gutter balls but Dave gets the first strike of the tournament. Round 2: Shambo/Russell, Dave/Jaison. Final: Shambo/Jaison. Jaison wins for second time in a row.

After the challenge, Shambo starts talking about the fact that Dave will be out at Tribal tonight. All of the former Foa Foa members are going for Dave, mainly to keep Shambo happy and keep the vote going their way. Monica starts working on Russell to try to keep Dave and get rid of Shambo. Russell actually starts considering Monica's discussions because he views Shambo a greater threat with the jury. Thankfully, Russell didn't follow Monica's advice and they eliminated Dave at tribal that night. With that vote, the original Foa Foa members have the number advantage for the first time in the game.

Honestly, I think Russell's best bet is to take Shambo to the finale. Other than that, I don't think he can win against anyone else. People may give him props for playing a good game, but everyone knows this is a popularity contest. Russell is not loved by the jury, and the only one they hate more is Shambo.

Second immunity challenge of the episode. The tribe members had to race into the water, retrieve 1 of three bags, and race back to shore. They then had to use a plank to toss the bag into a high basket by jumping on one end of the board to make the bag on the other end fly. The first person to get all three bags into the basket wins immunity. Brett won the immunity, which was very lucky for him because the talk around camp that morning was to send him home next.

With Brett winning immunity, the automatic vote seems to be for Monica. Of course, Monica starts talking and tries to sway Mick to vote for Russell. Monica then starts talking in Russell's ear, warning him that he's not making friends and that he's actually putting his game in jeopardy. Russell confronts Jaison for what he told Monica and Brett, and that makes Jaison nervous that Russell will go after him. Russell now wants Monica gone more than before for “running her mouth”.

At tribal, Russell breaks out the hidden immunity idol, and people perceive it as being cocky. But Monica is the one that is really coming across as cocky, and she is proud that she was able to push his buttons. Monica even went so far as to threaten to get the rest of the jury to not give Russell the million dollars if she were to get voted off. Then Russell, even though he was wearing it in plain sight, didn't play the idol. I thought he was a real dumb-ass for not playing it, but it actually worked out OK when the tribe voted off Monica. It was one of the closer votes, 4-3, but it did work out in his favor in the end.

10 words or less: Russell's scary chance actually worked out OK.

The Amazing Race

View Date: 12/6/09

This was the season finale, and the top three teams raced across the world to the finish line. The teams started off flying from the Czech Republic to Las Vegas and the final city on their trip. All of the teams wound up on the same flight from Prague, so any time advantage the teams had was eliminated. However, the other teams were surprised when Ericka and Brian showed up at the airport, because they did not know who the third team was.

As soon as the plane hit the ground, the couples bolted for the Graceland Wedding Chapel. They got to listen to an Elvis impersonator sing Amazing Grace, then he gave them their clues. The couples were then off to Mandalay Bay Hotel, where they encountered a roadblock. One person from each couple had to face-first rappel down the outside of the building to get their next clue. Ericka, Cheyne, and Sam were the people who completed this roadblock, and they each did a really good job.

Next up was the Mirage hotel, where the teams had to join Cirque do Soleil's Love show. They had to work as a team to snatch a bouquet hanging from the ceiling. Ericka really started freaking out about not getting it right away, and wasted more time by switching positions back and forth with Brian. The other two teams pulled ahead, but they had trouble interpreting that their clue was directing them to the Monte Carlo, Monaco's famous casino. Luckily, Brian knew right away and were able to get back in the game.

Once at the Monte Carlo, the teams learned that they would have to count out $1 million in poker chips to get their next clue. Even though all three teams submitted their results at the same time to their respective dealers, Meghan and Cheyne were the only ones to get it right on the first try. After arriving there last, they were out the door first on their way to the high roller suite, where they got to meet Wayne Newton. He let them know that the finish line was at his estate, and off they were again.

It was a close race to Mr. Las Vegas' house, with Sam and Dan passing Meghan and Cheyne on their way up to the high roller suite as they were on their way down. But in the end, Meghan and Cheyne carried on their winning ways and reached the finish line first, winning $1 million and this season's competition. Sam and Dan were second, with Brian and Ericka finishing third.

10 words or less: Glad it was them with the Globetrotters out.

The Amazing Race

View Date: 11/29/09

The last four teams were competing their spots in the finale, and they were ready to do anything they had to to get in.

The teams first headed to the Spanish Synagogue to get their next clue. This was where the speed bump was for Brian and Ericka. Next up was heading across town to the Kafka museum where they encountered a roadblock. One team member had to enter the museum and answer phones until they were told five letters. They then had to use those letters to unscramble the word Franz. Once the name was decoded and the proper form completed, the contestants would get the next clue. The racers were not allowed to write the letters down while in the rooms with the phones.

Meghan was able to complete the challenge relatively easily, but Dan and Big Easy really struggled. Dan found the letters first and went into the next room to work, and was closely followed by Big Easy. They agreed to work together, and wound up writing down random letter combinations for a long time. Eventually, Dan was able to work out the correct word, but refused to give the Globetrotter the answer, saying only “All I can tell you is it starts with F”. This rightfully infuriated Big Easy.

Meghan and Cheyne learned that their next clue sent them to the Kryocentrum, where they had to complete a task that Czech athletes had been doing for years. They had to strip down to skimpy bathing suits and stay in a room kept at -180°C for two minutes. After completing this task, they were on their way to a a bridge.

Brian and Ericka went to their speed bump, where they had to go to a pub and follow a complicated process to properly prepare a shot of absinthe. They had to drink the shot, then it was on to the Kafka museum. Brian then completed the Kafka challenge before Big Easy and the pair headed on their way.

Big Easy made a crucial decision with the OK of his partner to take a four hour time penalty because he didn't think he could complete the challenge. They wound up sitting throughout the night on the steps to the Kafka museum.

After their excursions into the cold, the couples encountered a detour: Legend or Lager. In Legend, the couples would prepare a Golem made of straw and clay, which traditionally was thought to protect the Jewish quarters. They then had to pull the large construction across town to another synagogue to receive their next clue. In Lager, teams had to carry 30 beers from a brewery through a crowded town square to a bar.

Meghan/Cheyne and Dan/Sam chose the Golem challenge. Meghan and Cheyne were able to slap the clay onto their straw Golem base, and then realized how heavy the completed piece was. Luckily, the base came with wheels, so they started wheeling it through town. Dan and Sam wound up breaking their Golem's arm at the shoulder, but tried to just patch it up with some extra clay. Both teams struggled with the weight, but Dan and Sam were much more vocal, particularly Dan. After delivering their Golem, the teams got their clue to head to the pit stop and their place in the finale.

Brian and Ericka chose the Lager portion of the detour and proceeded to spend the rest of the night carting beer on small trays back and forth. They broke quite a few along the way, and had to deal with noisy, crazy locals along the route. At the end of the night (actually after daybreak), the team was able to complete the task and make their way to the pit stop.

Big Easy and Flight Time waited out their time penalty and made their way to the Kryocentrum, where they received the clue to proceed directly to the pit stop. The team was out, but they made the best of it and left with their heads held high.

10 words or less: I'm really going to miss the Globetrotters.

Survivor

View Date: 12/3/09

After a great recap mainly of events since the merge, we jumped right in to life around camp after tribal council. Because of John's switch after the first that sent Laura packing, he was now seen as a threat by his former team members.

The reward challenge started off with the survivors getting money in their tree mail, and headed their way to the reward auction. This year, there was no sharing of either money or food. Shambo got kind of shafted with a mystery item of sea noodles and snails, and Jaison took a chance for his team to snatch a clue for the next elimination challenge. Natalie, in addition to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, bought herself the Survivor shower. Mick immediately spent all of his money on a cheeseburger dinner. There was also a whole roasted chicken and a clue to finding the hidden immunity idol. Finally, John purchased a huge piece of apple pie. Before he was allowed to start eating, he was given the option to forego his piece to let 4 of his tribe members share an entire pie. He chose to keep the piece for himself, which may have set him up for even more trouble, particularly after he stated that he didn't think anyone would vote him out over a piece of pie.

After the challenge, John went out in search of the idol using the clue he purchased at the auction. He was sent to the exact spot Russell found his most recent idol and had no luck. Shambo was found talking to the chickens, telling them that she would think and pray for them when they were slaughtered for lunch that day. While she was cooking them, Shambo and Dave got into it about how to cook. We were then provided with a detailed explanation of her dream where Dave was voted off. This was fine with Russell, who agreed to vote with Shambo to keep her encouraged.

Next up was the immunity challenge. Each contestant was provided with a knotted rope and a very heavy log. The rope was to be held with one hand at a knot. Every three minutes, the contestants would need to switch hands and move down one knot. Jaison's advantage was then revealed that, at any point in the challenge, he could move his hand up two knots. The challenge started, and Jaison used his advantage very early. Once below the last knot, the challengers just had to hold on as long as possible. Jaison, at this point, had a significant upper hand with still having a knot to hold on to. Shambo was the first out, and Natalie was the last female and a real surprise in this challenge. Russell was also a surprise being the first guy and second overall out. It came down to Jaison and Dave. Both were seriously struggling, but Jaison was able to take advantage of his purchase while Dave's rope kept slipping and slipping until his log dropped. Jaison won his first significant challenge, and had immunity for the evening.

Back to camp, and back to strategizing. Dave and Monica think that it will be one of them, and if Shambo gets her way Dave will be going. John and Russell get to talking, and Russell says they are thinking of voting out Mick based on his former agreement with John. But then Russell admits to John that he does have the idol, and Russell decides that John now needs to go. Russell then goes to Dave and says he can save Dave by voting for John. Jaison brings up the point that Shambo may flip on them if they don't vote for Dave because it would remind her of the treatment her former tribe gave her.

At tribal council, Shambo seemed kind of in the dark that people were scrambling to stay in the game. Mick made an interesting comment that no one should be blindsided considering everyone brought their bags to tribal. However, the thoughts were split as to whether the blindsides would continue. Russell play, of course, worked out in the end, and John was sent home to both his and Shambo's surprise. It was really funny watching people's faces as each vote was read. With each vote for John, he and Shambo looked more and more confused, while Russell, Mick, and Dave looked like the cat who ate the canary. They were so pleased with themselves, that it may really get them into trouble soon.

10 words or less: Russell just got rid of a real logicician. What strategery!

The Amazing Race

View Date: 11/22/09

Starting off in Estonia, the teams flew to Prague and found a man in a vintage convertible. Because this was the last leg before the finals, everyone was racing really hard and were kind of looking to screw the other teams over. They then needed to make their way to an outdoor adventure center to search for their next clue.

The teams found themselves facing a detour, Fast and Furious or Slow and Steady. In Fast and Furious, teams would need to travel down a white water rapids course and grab a ribbon containing their next clue. If the kayak capsizes before grabbing a ribbon, they had to start over again at the beginning. In Slow and Steady, teams had to maneuver along a ropes course to get their next clue. The brothers chose fast, while Meghan/Cheyne and the Globetrotters chose Slow. Both tasks were very difficult for the teams, with the brothers flipping over several times. The first part of the ropes course was fairly easy, but the competitors really struggled pulling themselves up the second part. Big Easy particularly had trouble due to his size and weight. The brothers wound up switching to Slow, and the married couple chose that as well. Then, once the brothers finished the course before the married couple, they tried to steal the taxi the spouses had requested to wait. The taxi driver wound up taking the brothers after they offered him more money, which did nothing but push the beauty queen to work harder.

After the detour, the teams had to interpret that the flags they grabbed during their last task were directing them to a theater. Cheyne started making enemies and was really rude with everyone, even his partner. They began working with the Globetrotters, then Cheyne left them behind at a tram to take a taxi to the theater. Once there, teams encountered a roadblock where one team member had to search the theater for a miniature mandolin. Once they found the mandolin, they had to bring it on-stage to an opera performer to get their next clue.

Meghan and Cheyne were the first team to find their mandolin and get their clue to head to the pit stop at the Prague Castle. Next were the brothers, followed by the Globetrotters. Brian and Ericka were the last team to arrive at the pit stop, and they found out it was a non-elimination leg. So, it also turns out that this was not the last leg before the finals, but that there would be at least one more episode.

10 words or less: Cheyne, Sam, and Dan should pay.

Survivor

Air Date: 11/12/09
View Date: 11/19/09

We started off seeing the tribes after the first merged tribal council, which showed us another blindside, this time of a former Galu member and a holder of an immunity idol. Russell used his idol as well, and his other tribe members are loving the fact that he no longer has that protection. The majority of the tribe plan to take him out next.

We then got a look at Natalie killing a rat and bringing it back to camp to use as food. She made a big show of how disgusting it was, but also how hungry she was. Russell is bound and determined to find the next immunity idol, and he had already started formulating his plan to retrieve it before leaving for the reward challenge.

At the reward challenge, the tribe members were split into two teams. Then, in groups of two, they had to race out onto the course and retrieve poles with black and white coconuts on them. They then had to arrange the poles as a team so that the white coconuts revealed a four digit number. The crew learned from past challenges and made each team's number different so they couldn't cheat. Then, a blindfolded tribe member had to use their sense of touch to find the same number on a combination lock which would raise a flag. The winning team would be taken to a natural rock slide accompanied by a picnic lunch. One person would have to sit out, which was Natalie. She got to choose one team to support, and would receive whichever outcome they got.

The purple team consisted of Kelly, John, Shambo, and Dave. The yellow team was Brett, Mick, Russell, and Jaison. Purple's number was 4673, which was then passed on to a blindfolded Monica. 7346 was the number Laura needed to find for the yellow team, which was much slower in determining their number. Purple came through in the end and earned their reward. Natalie had backed yellow, so she accompanied them back to camp.

The team that won the reward challenge also received a clue toward finding the immunity idol, which they agreed to share with all of the members of the former Galu. They continued to stragegize while enjoying their day of relaxation, and all but Shambo wanted Russell out next. Back at camp, Russell set right to work looking for the idol and found it yet again without a clue. Russell is so the man! He originally planned to keep this information to himself, but instead chose to tell Shambo about it who responded with shock as expected. She shared the information that Russell's name was on the chopping block, which is exactly what he wanted so that there would be another complete blindside. Their plan was to take out Laura, but if that plan fell through then there could be some support for knocking off Monica.

At the immunity challenge, there was only one immunity necklace up for grabs. The tribe members would have to use grappling hooks to try to retrieve two bags containing puzzle pieces. The first three to retrieve their bags would move on to the next round. In the next round, they would have to try to place one of their puzzle pieces onto a board of shapes, thus toppling down another piece that they would have to place. The person who placed all of their pegs first would win immunity. Mick was the first to retrieve both bags and moved on to the next round. Shambo then got both bags and also moved on. Russell and Laura both snagged their second bag at the same time, but Russell's dropped and Laura proceeded on in the challenge. Once Laura got her first piece, she just blew through her entire board and kicked everyone's butts. With back-to-back immunity wins and just being generally disliked for her dominance around camp, particularly with the girls, she had better watch out. Personally, I think she is really cocky, but almost in a mean way, whereas Russell is cocky with a smile.

Shambo revealed during private interview that Kelly would be going out because Monica wasn't a threat. Jaison was let in on the secret, and he shared it with the other members of Foa Foa. They all agreed to keep the information from the former Galu and play up that Russell was next to go. Dave convinces that the former Galu that they did not need to worry about the idol now, even after some members expressed concern knowing that he found the previous one without a clue. Laura agrees with him, and the deal is done. However, Russell thought he overheard that Natalie would be going home, which leads him into a state of confusion. He shared this member with Jaison, who indicated that they still had a few hours to try to sway them to vote for Russell.

Eric was so pissed off sitting in the jury tonight that he looked absolutely thrilled when Russell pulled out that idol. He was practically jumping out of his seat with each vote for Russell. The first seven votes pulled out were for Russell, none of which counted. Yet all former Galu members' faces dropped as the votes continued to come. Kelly was blindsided, and Laura was pissed. She said something along the lines of “He just stirred up a whole lot of trouble with what he just pulled”. Honestly, he did exactly what he was supposed to with the idol, and it was one of the best uses of the idol in Survivor history.

10 words or less: Russell rocks! He is sooooo the man!

Survivor

View Date: 11/19/09

We started off this episode with the discussions around the tribe after the major blindside at tribal council. There are now just 6 members of the previous Galu tribe remaining, while all 4 of the Foa Foa tribe to make it to the merge were still in the game. We were also reminded that Shambo, while a part of the original Galu tribe, is conspiring with Russell, which evens out the vote.

The next morning while the rest of his tribe sleeps, Russell starts searching for his next idol. It also turns out that John knows that Shambo has flipped sides, and is trying to decide what to do with that information. When she approaches him, he will not commit to which way he would vote to take out Laura.

At the reward challenge, the tribe members were split into two teams of 5. One member of the team would lie face down on a cradle. The other four members would be manning ropes to pull the cradle around a ring bearing 15 flags. They then had to get the person in the cradle back to a log to place the flag. The first team to get all 15 flags into their correct slots on the log would win reward. They would be whisked away to an island with a waterfall and a picnic lunch. They were also provided with a Palm Pre (talk about advertising) so they could have a handheld device to record a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The purple team consisted of Brett, Russell, Laura, and Dave pulling Natalie in the cradle. Shambo, Jaison, Mick, and Monica pulled John in the cradle on the yellow team.

purple leads from the start, while yellow keeps losing their flags and falls behind. Yellow keeps it pretty close, natalie hangs out of cradle keeping as little as possible in to allow for the most reach. Purple wins with natalie almost falling out during the last two flags.

Back at camp, Jaison approached Monica looking for her vote, and Monica figures out that Shambo is voting with the former Foa Foa. Jaison should have probably left well enough alone, because now they're at a disadvantage in my opinion. After coming back from the reward, everyone goes off to look for the idol. Laura and Dave vow not to let it fall into Russell's hands, so she follows Jaison on his search while Dave follows Russell. Russell figures out what is going on and starts sprinting through the woods. Dave winds up losing him, and Russell heads back to where they were just searching. Flipping over his first rock, he finds the idol yet again!

During the immunity challenge, the tribe members get one chance with one rock to break a series of tiles hanging close together. Each member is assigned a color, and if a tile of their color breaks, they get a spear. The spears are then shot at a target in the next round. The person who lands closest to the center of the target wins immunity. Laura fails to break a tile, so she has no shot at winning this immunity and ends her streak at two. After the first round, Brett earned two spears, while Jaison, Mick, and Monica each had one spear. Monica was only able to get to the last round because Dave broke one of her tiles instead of his. All other members failed to connect with the tiles. Brett hit target, then the only person that came closer was Mick. On Brett's second shot, he lands low, and Mick won immunity.

On to the strategizing, and Shambo states hands down that she is voting Laura at tribal council, and she will not be swayed. Galu talk about voting for Russell yet, and John can't believe that his tribe members have absolutely no analytical skills. Monica tells Foa Foa that she will be voting for John, but will really be voting for Natalie with the other Galu members. Mick, being a pretty smart guy, doesn't trust Monica. However, Galu didn't let John in on the plan. On the other side, Russell decides the only way he can get this to work is to tell John that his team is after him. The talk turns to ties, and John was still trying to decide what his best move was.

At tribal, Russell chooses not to play the idol, and the votes come down to Laura and Natalie, and the first round ends in a tie. The next round, the eight members whose names were not displayed got to vote again, and they could only choose between Laura and Natalie. Meanwhile, Eric is sitting in the jury saying “This is good shit!” After the second vote, one person switched sides, and Laura was voted off. More stunned looks by former Galu members, and incredibly smug looks from both Foa Foa and the jury, at least Eric.

10 words or less: John's right: no strategic skills whatsoever.

The Amazing Race

View Date: 11/15/09

The teams departed Sweden and headed to Estonia, where they had to use a set of provided keys to unlock their next clue. To get to their destination, they had to take a 16 hour ferry ride, and all teams were on the same boat. The next clue was a roadblock, where one member had to join the Brotherhood of the Black Hats to solve a mystery. First the teams had to make their way to the basement, then locate a candelabra with a designated room number. In there, they were to locate an apparently blank scroll which had a hidden message only revealed by heating the parchment.

Prior to the roadblock, the father/son team had their speed bump to complete due to coming in last place in the previous leg. The guys had to make their way to a sauna, strip down, and take a 5 minute sauna with locals prior to proceeding to the road block.

Back at the road block, the teams had some difficulty discovering the invisible message. Flight Time and Big Easy had one of the hardest times and colored their paper prior to holding it up to the light. The son was selected to complete this challenge, and could not figure out what a candelabra was. The son did not read the word “garden” in the clue, and ran around the tower several times prior to finding the clue box.

After finding their next clue based on the invisible message, the teams encountered a detour. Their choices were Serve or Sling. In Serve, the teams had to play volleyball in a bog against a local team, generally sunk in the mud to their knees. They would earn their next clue once they earned 5 points. In Sling, the teams had to wade out into the mud and fire assorted rocks at a moose sign. Hitting the sign would drop a pile of cabbages and their next clue.

Meghan and Cheyne made it through the roadblock and to the pit stop first by completing Serve. Three other teams all arrived at Serve at the same time and had a lot of trouble finding the marked path to the challenge. Since only two teams could play volleyball at the same time, Miss America and her husband chose to default to Sling located very close by. The Globetrotters and the brothers both had a very hard time at volleyball, not just because of the mud but also just trying to hit the ball up in the air. They did eventually get the hang of it. However, the Globetrotters headed the wrong way after the roadblock, and tried to compete in a foot race against the brothers. In the foot race, there was some jostling and falling off the path, putting the brothers in front.

Miss America and her husband did succeed at Sling, but wound up coming in fourth. The father/son team wound up coming in last after completing Sling and were eliminated from the race. It was a tough day for them even by their own accord. They left proud of their performance and proud to have raced with each other.

10 words or less: Definitely sad to see them go.

The Amazing Race

Air Date: 11/8/09
View Date: 11/12/09

The teams start off from Holland and start heading to Stockholm to go to an amusement park for their next clue. And Happy Birthday to Flight Time! Once at the airport, three teams are able to get onto an early flight, and the other two have to wait for a flight almost 3 hours later. After arriving in Sweeden, the teams raced to get a train to Stockholm, then had to take a ferry to get to their destination. The Globetrotters missed the train the first teams got on and thus got behind.

After arriving at the amusement park and finding the tallest ride, the teams discovered a road block, where one team member needed to ride the ride and look for an arrow that would direct them to their next clue. The first two teams worked together and spotted the clue on their first attempt, then took the giant plunge on the thrill ride. The teams then made their way to a roaming gnome ring toss. They had to toss rings onto giant gnome hats that hid Travelocity roaming gnomes containing their next clue.

Sweden is best known for two things, the Vikings and Nobel, which set up the detour on this leg of the race. In Nobel Dynamite, the teams had to fill sand bags to create a protective barrier. After the formation was complete, they would then set off dynamite that would blow up a portion of the rock quarry and reveal a box containing their next clue. In Viking Alphabet, teams must decipher a message using an ancient Viking alphabet. Once that is done, they will receive their next clue. All teams wound up choosing the dynamite task. After donning protective gear, the teams made their way to the blasting site. The teams didn't realize how hard it would be to construct a sand bag wall.

The teams then had to drive to a farm used during a former season, the first time Phil ever had to go out and stop a team during the competition. That task involved unrolling hay bales looking for clues, but there was not a clue in every bale. The task was recreated in a switchback, where only 7 flags were available in well over 100 bales. This time, the farm was also the pit stop for the race.

The Globetrotters were successful, which was a great birthday present, and came in first place on this leg, winning a trip from Travelocity. The last two teams showed up while everyone but the basketball players were still in the field. The father/son team finished in last place, but this was a non-elimination leg. So next time, they will have to complete a task no other team will need to do, and time is not on their side.

10 words or less: Happy Birthday Flight Time!

The Amazing Race

View Date: 11/1/09

First off, the teams departed from the Dubai pit stop and flew to Amsterdam. At the airport, all of the teams caught up with the leaders and were on the same flight out of the country. While sitting around the airport waiting for their flight, the Globetrotters shared stories while the brothers came out to the group.

After arriving in Amsterdam, Brian and Erica had trouble getting their car into gear, and started off the driving portion in last place. After getting their next clue, the teams had to make their way to the tallest building in the city and complete a road block. One team member had to count the bells located on two floors in a tower. Once they found the right number, they would receive their next clue. The father/son team came out ahead after this challenge, and made their way to a large windmill, but they got passed on the road.

At the windmill, the teams found a detour, where they had to either complete a Farmer's Game or a Farmer's Dance. Teams had to wear traditional Dutch costumes for either task, one male and one female, and ride bikes to the next part of the detour. For the game, the team members had to strip down to their costume underwear and swim across a creek, then play a crazy game of golf and complete each hole in 8 strokes or less. In the dance, the competitors had to first hit a strongman bell, then had to participate in a traditional Dutch folk dance and eat salted herring with onions.

The golf presented teams with an additional challenge of very unique clubs and incredibly high winds. Most teams chose golf and eventually figured out some tricks to mastering the technique. The brothers made it to the pit stop first after the detour, and won sand buggies as an added reward. The poker players had a huge problem hitting the strong man bell, so they decided to switch to the golf. However, that didn't work much better, so they switched back. During this time, the Globtrotters had lots of fun dancing, and the married couple even caught up and completed the dancing, after taking a wrong turn by not taking bikes to their detour choice.

In the end, the married couple overcame their time penalty for not using the bikes and beat the poker players. The ladies just weren't having any luck with either detour choice, and chose to give up amid tears.

10 words or less: Sad to see the poker players go.

Survivor

Air Date: 11/5/09
View Date: 11/10/09

With Foa Foa down to four tribe members, they are desperately hoping for a merge to try to save any of their numbers. Lucky for them, the two tribes walk toward each other down the beach and discover the two tribes are merged. Accompanying the news is the typical feast. Foa Foa went right to work trying to save their butts by getting to be buddy-buddy with the members of Galu. The tribe renames themselves Aiga, which means “extended family” in Samoan. Russell starts bargaining with former Galu tribe members by letting them in on the fact that he has the immunity idol. After all of his worming around, he seemed to have the majority of votes going to Laura for the next tribal council.

The elimination challenge consisted of “Survivor T-Ball”. Each person would hit the ball off a tee and score the number of points indicated by the section landed in. The sexes were split, with the guys playing against the guys and same for the girls. Two immunity idols were up for grabs, one for the guys and one for the girls. John took the prize for the guys on the last hit, while Laura snagged the women's. There were several looks of disappointment around the tribe now that their plans were foiled.

Monica and Erik conspire to flush out the idol, and several members of the former Galu tribe want to vote off the Foa Foa members one by one. There are all kinds of discussions and suspicions flying around camp before tribal council. Jaison comes up with the idea of getting rid of Erik in a complete blindside, mostly because of a lack of trust. Then the girls start discussing voting off Erik, brought up originally by Natalie. No one yet knew that Erik has the idol in his pocket on the way to tribal council.

Lots of means and petty words were slung at the former Foa Foa members, shown mainly coming from Erik. Yet even while that was going on, there were lots of rolling eyes from members of both former tribes. Russell plays the idol, for apparently no very good reason. After two votes were shown for Jaison, Jeff kept reading Erik's name, and he started looking really confused. Erik was voted off, and became the first member of the jury. As it was a total blindside, he didn't think he needed to play his idol, so both should be back in play after being rehidden.

10 words or less: Things fell into place for former Foa Foa.

The Amazing Race

View Date: 10/25/09

The teams started out in Dubai, and were first instructed to take a locked briefcase to a yacht and golf club to find their next clue. Once there, the couples found a roadblock, where one member of the team had to row an inflatable dinghy to a yacht anchored off-shore. There, a sheik handed them a watch, which they had to interpret as their next clue. The time on the watch was the code to open their briefcases and obtain their next clue. This was a really tricky task for the Globetrotters, while everyone else zipped right through it.

The next clue was a detour, where the teams had to choose between gold or glass. In gold, the teams had to go to a jewelry store and weigh out exactly $500,000 of gold based on the exchange rate. However, the rate changed approximately every minute, so the teams had to work very quickly. In glass, the teams had to assemble twelve hookahs based on those displayed. Most teams chose glass, but the poker players, the gay brothers, and the Globetrotters successfully completed gold.

Once the detour was completed, the teams made their way to a water park and go down a very steep water slide to receive their next clue. That clue directed the couples to the pit stop, also located at the resort containing the water park. The water slide was real trouble for several teams, but none more so than Mika and Canaan. Mika, terrified of both heights and water, absolutely refused to go down the slide, and were eventually passed by the last place Globetrotters. Thus, Mika and Canaan were eliminated from the race.

10 words or less: It can be very hard to overcome your fears.

Survivor

Air Date: 10/29/09
View Date: 10/31/09

This week's episode again started off with a peek into the strategizing at each camp, as well as the misery being experienced due to the weather. Galu still had to elect a new leader, and the guys decided to elect Shambo to get her on their side. Luckily the guys had the numbers to make it happen. Monica started questioning her status in the tribe with the election because she thought Shambo was going home next. The guys don't have any faith in Shambo, but wanted her on their side.

The reward challenge was a matching game. The tribe members searched for thirteen matching pairs of survival items, and would be awarded a point for each match. However, the tribe leader could keep the item uncovered by forfeiting the point for the match. The reward was travelling by sailboat for the day with a feast. Galu found the first two matches and decided to keep the firestarting kit, then later kept a tarp. The matches continued, with everyone keeping the points to try to win the reward. In the end, Galu won the reward, but also sent a member to the Foa Foa camp who would not participate in the reward. Team members, particularly the girls, did question Shambo's decision to send Laura and her leadership in general.

Laura started palling around Foa Foa and pulling others from doing work around camp. Russell planted the seed of starting an alliance with her and Natalie, while Natalie really buddied up with her.

At the immunity challenge, the tribe members had to paddle out to retrieve 6 sets of fish shaped puzzle pieces. Once all sets had been retrieved, three members would complete a puzzle, with immunity going to the winner. Foa Foa wondered if the leader necklace was bad luck and left it at home. Jeff indicated that, as long as they had a leader, the necklace was just symbolic. Foa Foa got off to a great lead, and tend to be pretty competitive with purely physical challenges. Rather than paddling, teams swam and pushed their boats out tot he pieces, but rowed back to the shore. Three members of each tribe worked on the puzzles while the other members untied puzzle pieces. Galu won the challenge, even after Foa Foa came up with the pattern first. Jaison seemed to give up during this challenge, both after the collection and during his working on the puzzle.

After the challenge, Russell started questioning his plans to knock out Liz and began thinking about Jaison. Jaison did realize that he might be at risk due to his performance at the challenge. At tribal, Russell indicated that he was really hoping for the merge to even have a chance at winning. Liz was voted out, and Jeff indicated that they weren't very good at challenges, but were getting really good at blindsides.

10 words or less: Waiting for the merge next week.

Survivor

Air Date: 10/22/09
View Date: 10/25/09

The episode started off with a look into the tribes. Both tribes have been hit with miserable downpours for the past 5 days. Everyone is soaked, waterlogged, cold, and miserable. Well, everyone is miserable except for Foa Foa's Russell, who seems to be enjoying himself immensely. Is this just another one of his mind games? Only time will tell. The Galu tribe was not happy that Russell, the tribe leader, did not grab the tarp when he could, but they did respect that he continued working very hard around camp while everyone else holed up trying to stay warm. Others did worry that he was working too hard, especially when he stumbled trying to enter the shelter. They were more worried that he would fail in the challenges or seriously put the tribe at risk.

The reward challenge was for a prize of hot pizza. There was a twist, with both teams needing to go to tribal council. The teams had to push one team member in a large ball while blindfolded. The person in the ball was the only member that could see and was in charge of navigating. The balls were to be pushed to a table-top ball maze, also blindfolded, that would need to be conquered to win the reward.

Galu's Russell was getting more exhausted as the challenge progressed, and needed to be helped to his position at the table maze. Russell completely collapsed, passed out right on top of the maze, and the medics were called right in. He kept insisting that he was OK, but the challenge was stopped and Jeff let everyone take off their blindfolds. Jeff completely stopped the challenge, and announced that both tribes were to vote someone out that night. Russell was to be monitored and would return if he was deemed medically stable.

All the talk that afternoon on both tribes was Russell's status and if he would be OK. Galu seemed to be completely lost without without their leader. During Russell's monitoring, his heart rate plummeted upon sitting, and was having huge blood pressure fluctuations. Russell was incredibly upset about the medics' decision to pull him from the game, but even Jeff wouldn't let him return after seeing him pass out twice in a short amount of time. Most likely, Russell's problems were due to dehydration.

Of course, lots of talk was about the votes at tribal that night. Jaison commented that every time Foa Foa gets close to succeeding at something, it seems to be ripped out from under them. They were very close to winning the challenge, and because of the medical situation they couldn't get their revenge as they saw it for losing so many times. On Foa Foa, talk was about sending one of the girls home. On Galu, the girls wanted to send Shambo home without question. The guys, on the other hand, were discussing sending one of the other girls home, with the main focus on Monica. The guys didn't see Shambo as a threat, and also recognized her efforts and success in the challenges. The guys did give Shambo hints that she should vote for Monica, and the guys brought her into their confidence.

At tribal, Jeff informed everyone that Russell was pulled from the game, and also told them some of the details of his condition. Foa Foa, while on one hand glad that the strongest Galu member was out of the game, Russell said it very eloquently that he would rather beat someone on the field of battle than have someone taken out this way. Then, when they were all sitting at tribal, it started pouring again, and everyone looked absolutely miserable. Due to the fact that they did not complete a challenge for the first time in Survivor history, there would be no vote. Yet there was still trash talk between the two teams. The last order of business was that, now that Galu's leader was out of the game, they had to take the leader necklace back to camp and assigned a new one.

10 words or less: Seeing Russell taken out by medical was heartbreaking.

The Amazing Race

View Date: 10/18/09

The teams started off having to fly to the Persian Gulf and find the world's tallest building, meaning they have to figure out they are flying to Dubai. Once there, they have to make their way to the top of the building to get their next clue. First, they had to get to a fountain to sign up for a shuttle for the next day.

All teams wound up on the same flight from Bangkok to Dubai, and it came down to a footrace. Once there, they found their Route Info, which also contained the only Fast Forward for the race. The Fast Forward consisted of having to drive a racecar around a track in under 45 seconds. The first team to complete that task would be able to proceed directly to the finish for the leg. All other teams had to find marked cars in the parking garage and drive themselves to a wildlife reserve, the only one in the area. There, they encountered a Roadblock, which only one team member could complete.

The Roadblock consisted of having to search the desert to find urns filled with water partially buried in the sand and fill a water sack. Once the sack was filled, they were to deliver it to a herdsman and his camels. The main trick was that not all urns contained water. Luckily, the urns that contained water had more than enough for one sack, and several teams were able to use the same one.

In the meantime, Meghan and Cheyne completed the Fast Forward first and were able to take a ride in a Maserati directly to the pit stop for this leg of the race.

All of the other teams then had to make their way to an indoor ski area called Ski Dubai for their next clue. As the female poker players were leaving, they ran over something in the parking area and broke their radiator. A replacement car would be provided, but the team would have to wait for the delivery.

Back at Ski Dubai, the couples got a nice break from the scorching heat and got a Detour clue. They could either Build a Snowman, where they had to carry snow from inside to outside and try to build a snowman before the heat melts it into a slushy mess. In Find a Snowman, teams had to sled down a large hill and then dig through large piles of snow trying to find small snowman toys. Most teams chose Find a Snowman, most likely influenced by the heat outside. However, because of the difficulty finding the snowmen dolls, several teams then chose to Build a Snowman trying to save some time.

The teams then had to drive themselves through the city and make their way to the pit stop. The first team that made it without using the Fast Forward was Brian and Erica. The Globtrotters are still well in the race, as are the Father and Son farmers from Montana. Lance and Keri were the last team to arrive due to some horrendous navigation skills and they were FINALLY eliminated from the race.

10 words or less: Good riddance! It's about time for them to go.

Survivor

Air Date: 10/15/09
View Date: 10/17/09

We started off this episode by seeing the aftermath of Galu's first tribal council back at their camp. Because of her vote, Monica is now aiming for Shambo and wants her gone. We were then shown a brief look into the Foa Foa tribe, who were hyped up after the win and presented mixed opinions about tree mail. Liz starts trying to manipulate Russell's next vote, but he instead perceives her as a threat and aims to take her out.

During the reward challenge, Jeff spun a wheel and a member from each tribe tossed a ball Like a game of roulette. This would choose the ingredients, which Jeff would then blend together into a survivor smoothie. If the tribe member was able to get the smoothie down, whether or not they beat the other team, they got a point for their team. The winner of the challenge was rewarded with a Survivor barbecue. I was personally totally disgusted just by watching the smoothies being made. During the the last glass, Ashley from Foa Foa fails to finish her glass after some major heckling from Galu. Russell decides to send Shambo on the spy mission as payment for losing the chicken, even after she tries to argue with him to send someone else.

Ashley was shown feeling horrible for losing the challenge for Foa Foa, then we get to see Galu try to prepare the barbecue. Russell of Galu is having real problems starting the fire, and Dave refuses to help at first. Shambo, on the other hand, was absolute pissed because she didn't get to participate in the barbecue. Shambo shared the immunity idol clues with Foa Foa, and no one can find it. It was guessed that either Ben or Russell had the immunity idol, and Russell straight out lies to the tribe about having it. Liz confronts him about it, and he gets very defensive and threaten-y about it.

That night, the tribes get hit with incredible amounts of rain, which makes the girls on the Galu tribe almost regret choosing blankets over the tarp in a previous challenge. During the immunity challenge, Shambo returns to her original tribe. One man and one woman from each tribe has to hold on to a rope connected to a net. The other members of the tribes then attmpt to shoot coconuts into the opposing team's nets until they cannot hold on anymore. Galu is incredibly successful in getting those coconuts into the net, which knocks Russell of Foa Foa out. Before anyone from Galu gets eliminated, Liz succumbs to the almost perfect aim of Galu and sends Foa Foa to tribal council once again. However, everyone, including members of the other tribe, are amazed by Liz's performance.

Everyone is miserable, and their hands and feet are looking really bad. The rain has really taken a tole on everyone, and they take a different strategy towards scrambling. They first try to discuss as a group who everyone wants to vote for. After that, Ashley makes the suggestion that everyone packs their bags and everyone votes for whoever they want rather than trying to strategize, which is agreed upon by the group. At tribal, Jaison reveals that he was on the US national team in water polo to his tribe, which he had not yet made known to the group. With everyone voting on their own tonight, Ashley was eliminated unanimously, primarily based on challenge performance.

10 words or less: Foa Foa really needs to catch a break.

The Amazing Race

View Date: 10/11/09

The teams started off after their pit stop in Ho Chi Minh City by travelling to Phenm Pehn, Cambodia. Once there, they had to head to a cafe and find the assignment leader, from whom they retrieved a photo. From the photo of Jackie Kennedy they had to locate the hotel which contained a duplicate of the picture to obtain their next clue.

There, they picked up a detour, cover or wrap. In Cover, they had to convince a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids, to purchase 4 helmets for 10 dollars. Once paid, they had to bring back the money to get their next clue. For Wrap, the teams had to go to a Russian marketplace and obtain a an intricately designed scarf. They then had to wander through the very expansive marketplace and find a woman wearing an identical scarf, then return her to the original stall to obtain their next clue. Most teams chose Wrap, but the lawyers in last place chose Cover on the advice of a local in the hotel.

The teams then had to make their way on foot to their next location, approximately 2 km away. A road block, one person had to learn how to be a monkey as taught by the “monkey master”, and successfully complete three monkey maneuvers to earn their next clue. Once completing their monkey tasks, the teams raced their way to the pit stop.

Zev and Justin won this leg. Unfortunately, they couldn't find their passports after checking in with Phil. If they can't find their passports prior to the last team checking in, they will be eliminated from the race. Being that they couldn't find it, even after recalling their taxi and going back over their footsteps, they were eliminated from the race.

10 words or less: Lesson learned: Don't lose your passport.

Survivor

Air Date: 10/8/09
View Date: 10/10/09

The episode started with seeing the Foa Foa tribe after tribal council, and seeing how Jaison reacted to a very tense confrontation at tribal. The next day, the tree mail indicated that the leader of each tribe must take 2 members of their tribe on a special quest with the possibility of obtaining additional food. The two tribes show up to a large circle with a chicken on one side and a treasure chest on the other. Not knowing what to do because Jeff is not there, immediately the contestants head toward the chickens. One person opens the treasure chest and finds instructions for the challenge, which is essentially a bocce ball game. The winner, which is the tribe closest to a randomly-placed stick, wins reward. Although Foa Foa was leading the entire game, one great last ball won the game for Galu, who went home with the chickens.

Back at Galu, while the reward challenge was going on, yet another immunity idol was found without actually knowing that it was there, although Shambo did share the clues based on the other camp. Once the others return, we get to see Russell and Natalie deepening their alliance, while Shambo winds up losing one of the chickens while retrieving eggs.

At the immunity challenge, the teams have to race across a net run carrying blocks, which they then have to stack blocks. After that is complete, they have to make their way across a robe bridge and get more blocks with which they then have to build a higher stack. The first team to finish the completion of their second stack wins immunity. Galu was in the lead throughout the first segment of the race, but Foa Foa did make up a lot of time crossing the rope bridge. Jaison provided a big height advantage to Foa Foa, which they tried their best to use to their advantage. After coming back and using their teams advantages, Foa Foa won immunity and did not have to vote another team member off. Galu looked totally dejected after losing their first challenge, which I found kind of funny after they had won so many. Based on the troubles around camp, almost anyone could have had votes against them.

At tribal as well as around camp after the challenge, talk revolved around what was more important: challenge performance or work around camp. Monica was being discussed as she was seen as the reason the challenge was lost, while Yasmin was discussed as not doing anything around camp. In the end, Yas was voted out, which upset Russell, the team leader, because he thought performance at challenges was the most important factor.

10 words or less: Russell (Galu) doesn't have the respect / power in his tribe.