Regarding JC on Big Brother 20

Okay. I have to admit, I jumped into my feels during JC’s segment during the family videos portion of the show because I’m a compassionate, empathy-driven person and I’m an LGBTQ ally. If I had been the producer in charge of that DR session, I would have burst through that production door to give him a hug because he needed one. We would’ve had a good cry together and I would have made sure he left the DR feeling much better about the situation.

HOWEVER!

I will ABSOLUTELY NOT excuse his behavior in the house because of his tragic relationship with his parents/family. JC is NOT the first gay person to be basically disowned by their parents/family because of their sexual orientation, and, very sadly and very unfortunately, he will NOT be the last. The fact that this situation is his reality makes his behavior in the house MUCH MORE appalling and MUCH MORE disappointing.

You would think with all of the adversity that JC has had in his life, and probably deals with every day of his life, would influence him to be the better person and TREAT PEOPLE HOW HE WANTS TO BE TREATED, but NO. JC has not learned compassion. He has not learned to respect others. He has not learned how to forgive. He has not learned how to acknowledge his mistakes and apologize. He has not learned any of the important lessons we are meant to learn in our lives to be the best we can be and be the change we want to see in the world.

And honestly, a lot of BB fans haven’t learned that lesson either. I find the Twitter # page for Big Brother seasons to be a LOT more interesting and a much better way to observe the social experiment that is Big Brother. You want to know the truth about society in America today? Watch Big Brother, watch the live feeds, and keep tabs on social media when people are talking about Big Brother. It’s alarming, frightening, terrifying, maddening, and very, very sad.

This is a wake- up call to America that Big Brother has been blaring since season one with the help of Survivor. I refer you to this article about how different Survivor and Big Brother are with how they edit their shows, how they present their cast members, and how they deal with controversial issues.

No one is perfect. We are not here to be perfect. We are here to learn how to transcend, embrace our differences, and create a more peaceful, loving society.

To wrap this up: I have empathy for JC, but I do not like him as a person. He’s played a very good social game, but I cannot condone his deplorable behavior in the house. I couldn’t be friends with him in real life, but if I ever met him I would give him a hug, express how sad it makes me that his family doesn’t support him, and I would let him know that he did some things that really bothered me when he was in the house and I would explain why things were inappropriate and offensive to me.

I would love to meet JC and have a real conversation with him, but he reminds me too much of my ex-best friend who is a gay male who voted for Trump, thinks a woman’s job is to raise kids, cook, clean, and be subservient to their husbands, doesn’t believe that two gay men should be allowed to raise children, never acknowledges when he’s been offensive, never apologizes for being disrespectful, feels like he’s entitled to act however he wants regardless of how his actions and words impact others… And HIS parents TOTALLY accept him as a gay, (he’s white), male, even though we are in a very conservative, small town community. Everyone loves him. Men and women both.

So… JC gets no excuses for his behavior regardless of his situation with his family. Even when a family is supportive, a gay man can still act like and be a total douchebag and get away with it because he gets a “CUTE EDIT”. My ex-friend presents himself to the public in the same way that production presents JC to TV viewers and in reality: it’s not cute, funny, endearing, charismatic, or adorable.

I've said what I've said... 

About my ex-friend: I’m sad we aren’t friends right now, I love him like a brother, but he owes me an apology and until he acknowledges his actions and apologizes – I’m better off without him causing drama in my life. And I feel the same way, basically, about JC. I need him to acknowledge his behavior as inappropriate and apologize. 

Thanks for reading. Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes.

My Big Brother 19 Rant - Post Season

ME: Sooo, Big Brother 19 has come to an end. As a super fan, I’m incredibly happy that Josh won. Paul didn’t watch BB before he was on season 18 and he didn’t watch BB after he was on BB18. Perhaps if Paul had done more homework before returning to the BB house he would have won, but he didn’t do his homework and Josh has been studying BB since he was 14 years old. As a super fan, even though Paul manipulated most of the house so well, Josh knew the BB game better than Paul and he deserves his win. Paul should have studied if he wanted to take home the prize and title, but he didn’t and he lost again in a 5-4 vote.

ALSO ME: Paul also implied that all of us live feeders are losers so as a long-time live feeder, I am very offended by that. I LIKED Paul in BB18; I was really upset he lost to Nicole and I was super excited, in the beginning, to see him back in the house for BB19. I literally jumped for joy to see Paul walk through the doors as Fan Favorite during episode one. I was really happy that he had the Pendent of Protection. I really liked Paul at the beginning of BB19.

STILL ME: I still like Paul. I know Paul does a lot for charity outside the house and he isn’t a racist, he’s not a bully, he’s not a piece of crap human being in real life. I watch live feeds and those that watch live feeds know that we see both the worst and the best of the houseguests, which is why we watch the live feeds. Real super fans are here for the show, we don’t judge harshly because we know how difficult it is to live in the house and play the game. Real super fans are forgiving and we may toss some shade sometimes, but as soon as they are out of the house, we give the BB houseguests some love, most of the time, because we know, without being on the show ourselves, how difficult it is. The BB house is a pressure cooker and it brings out the best and worst in people; super fans focus on the best and forgive bad behavior. We appreciate the cast for entertaining us.

ALSO ME: Except for Cody Nickson and Jessica Graf. Cody is a terribly ignorant human being and I’m disgusted that people in the LGBTQ, POC, and women’s rights communities voted to make him America’s Favorite Houseguest. I did not find Cody or Jessica to be at ALL entertaining, but I will watch BB if they are on another season, but I will not like it and I will be hoping to see them evicted as soon as possible. I wish Cody’s daughter ALL THE BEST, she’s totally adorable, and I hope every cent of Cody’s AFH prize goes to Paisley because she deserves it way more than he does.

ME: Let’s talk about Raven! I’ve been watching Twitter and she is absent. She posted on Instagram, but disabled comments. SMART GIRL! Raven is the oxymoronic person that everyone of us has in our lives. She didn’t have any grudges against Paul, which is what we want to see in a Jury member, but she was also completely delusional about her own gameplay & her relationship with Paul.

ALSO ME: Raven is a liar. She lied about having illnesses, she lied about her mother and her mother’s illnesses, and she lied about other family members. She lied about her relationship with Paul pre-BB19. She LIES!

STILL ME: Raven is a victim of child abuse. Her mother convinced her she was terminally ill, which she is NOT. I’ve talked to Gastroparesis patients and Raven is NOT one of them. I know Raven has a gastric stimulator, NOT A PACEMAKER, but I question the validity of it being necessary. Raven is a victim of Munchausen by Proxy just like Gypsy Rose Blanchard and I really hope she gets the psychological help she needs because she is a perfectly healthy, very pretty young woman who needs a real education and a more realistic view of herself.

Okay! Let’s talk about the BB19 Houseguests individually in order of their eviction/placement in the game.

Cameron – Production’s Sacrifice – Cameron was more robbed by being evicted night one than Paul was robbed by losing to Josh. Like Jodi and Glenn before him, Cameron deserves another shot at playing the game. POST BB FEELINGS: Still LOOOVE Cameron!

Megan – The House Pariah – I really hope all the BB19 HGs become aware of Megan’s past & understand why she left the game. She is doing so much better now and I’m very happy that her BB experience led to a positive outcome. Read this article to see the full story. POST BB FEELINGS: Still LOOOVE Megan.

Jillian – The Truly Blindsided – She didn’t even try to campaign to stay in the game; Jillian trusted that Cody and Jessica had her back and that the house was with them. She did not have her finger on the pulse of the game. POST BB FEELINGS: I’m sure she’s a sweet girl, and I’d be happy to meet her, but she didn’t play BB.

Cody(1) – I’ve said all that I have to say about Cody, but for those of you that want to be all “but, but but, he fought for our freedom,” I want you to read this article: 22 Serial Killers Who Served in the Military, AND, this one: Murderers Who Have Served in the Military.

Dominque – Executed Her Own Demise – She never should have questioned Cody about his game decisions during her little live feed show. If Dominque hadn’t asked Cody about his game-related decision, she might have lasted longer. POST BB FEELINGS: I don't like religion.

Ramses – The House Scapegoat – Poor Ramses. I always root for the nerdy houseguest because I’m a nerd too, but Ramses tried to play Ian’s game and it didn’t work for him. The BB14 HGs thought that Ian was a little weird too, but Ian had a plan the whole time. Ramses didn’t. POST BB FEELINGS: Looove Ramses!

Jessica – The Mean Girl (1) – Hey, Jess, I’m a plus-size girl, and when I say plus-size I mean that I’m above a size 10. Plenty of men stare at my NATURALLY big breasts and don’t care about the size of my jeans; a really good man doesn’t care what a woman looks like – they are more attracted to a good personality and you don’t have one. POST BB FEELINGS: Still a mean girl and I would never ask for a picture or an autograph.

Cody(2) – See above. POST BB FEELINGS: He’s still Major Asshole to me and I would never brag about meeting him by glorifying his BB involvement by asking for a picture or an autograph.

Elena –  The Almost Janelle – If only Elena was an actual fan of the show and actually came to play; Elena could have been the next Janelle, the new buxom, platinum blonde, but she only cared about Jury and Janelle wanted to WIN. POST BB FEELINGS: One of the few BB19 houseguests I’d be happy to meet because I like her snark and how she laughed at raven.

Mark – The Beefcake, I Guess – I’m sorry, but as much as I like men that are in touch with their emotions, especially those that have experienced the loss of a parent(s)… Mark had a good relationship with Dominique and he abandoned it. POST BB FEELINGS: One of the few BB19 houseguests I’d be happy to meet because I like how he called out Raven on her delusions.

Matt – No More Than a Mattress – All he did was Raven and eat cereal. POST BB FEELINGS: All he did was Raven and eat cereal.

Jason – The Good Ol’ Boy – I know how people are in the Midwest and Jason is no different. He doesn’t have LGBTQ, POC friends because there aren’t a lot of them in Iowa, which isn’t much different from where I live in KS. My gay BFF voted for Trump. POST BB FEELINGS: Jason wants to learn. He wants to be better. Good for him. I hope he comes to my local rodeo next year over Labor Day.

Raven – The Tragically Delusional – I mean… #RavenExposedParty. For those of you that read this that haven’t seen all the evidence:Read THIS and THIS. POST BB FEELINGS: I would be sympathetic to her if I met her, but ONLY IF, she is dealing with the repercussions of her mother’s lies that her mother projected onto her. I will always give support to those struggling with internal issues that exist because of situations beyond their control.

Alex – The Mean Girl (2) – A Paullower if this ever was on this season. Even after her “ride-or-die” was blindsided, she still followed Paul and she got what she deserved. He hatred of Kevin was ridiculous. POST BB FEELINGS: I’d acknowledge her if I met her randomly, but I’d question her game play.

Kevin – Class Act – Despite his one comment about Dominique, which was ridiculous, but I don’t believe for a second that Kevin would physically harm a female since he has six daughters. He played dumb, and I think he knew the game better than he let on, but I would have liked to see him play smarter. POST BB FEELINGS: I wanna go to Kevin’s Thanksgiving dinner!!!

Christmas – The Mean Girl (3) – I would NEVER EVER want to work for Christmas. If she manages her employees the same way she managed house guests… Her management style is not compatible with my personality. I’d quit the second she yelled at/talked down to me because I don’t put up with that behavior from my employers/fellow employees. POST BB FEELINGS: Same, but I’d tell her what food I hate and ask for advice on how to change my diet because I think she could give me good alternatives.

Paul – Last Name Bag, First Name Douche – Paul lost BB18 for the same reasons the Dan lost BB14; he didn’t think enough about how the Jury would feel about all his treachery and didn’t, and still hasn’t, owned up to his game play. POST BB FEELINGS: YOUR boy STILL hasn’t owned up to his game play, thinking he was such a huge target when most of the house followed him completely blindly.

Josh – First Latino Winner of BB – I hope hope hope I get to meet Josh someday! POST BB FEELINGS: I really hope hope hope I get to meet Josh someday! #CongratsJosh!!!

IN CLOSING: If you’ve read all of this, and especially if you have feeling of anger towards me, I want you to read this article: SurvivorShows Us Who We Want to Be, but Big Brother Shows Us Who We Are.

Big Brother and Survivor began as a social experiment in reality television and they are both still very much a social experiment. The difference between Survivor and Big Brother is that Survivor is uplifting while Big Brother shows us the worst in people. Big Brother provides us with a microscopic look at American society and it’s not pretty, especially if you include social media as a part of the social experiment that is BB. I am exclusive to Twitter for my reality TV social involvement and the Twitter community of BB fans is FAR MORE HEINOUS than any of the houseguests that have been cast. Voting CODY as America’s Favorite HOUSEGUEST… I’m disgusted, but not surprised so many ignorant, petty people voted in favor of Cody winning the $25K prize and it’s not looking like he’s going to spend it/give it to his daughter and that’s just gross.

So, if you wanna be all up in arms about how disgusting BB is, you should also be disgusted about the state of American society where it is now socially acceptable to be homophobic, racist, transphobic, sexist, etc.

It is up to all of us who treat people how WE want to be treated to stand up, voice our opinions without fear, and stick to our guns about what WE want life to be like for all of our children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, etc. The time has come to stop burying out heads in the sand and speak up about what WE want and take ACTION against those that promote ignorance and hate.

::DROPS MIC:: 

To support finding a cure for Gastroparesis & to support Gastroparesis patients visit: G-Pact.Org & iffgd.org. 

For Those Of Ya'll That Watch BBOTT...

My fellow Big Brother Over the Top Viewers and Voters…

The time has come for us all to set aside our personal opinions about the house guests that remain in the house and it’s time to start thinking about the game they actually played. It’s time to set aside our bias for one player over another and consider the social and game moves made by everyone as well as how they performed in competitions. As the online viewing audience casting one sole vote for the winner of BBOTT, we have a duty to award the prize and title of BB Winner to a person that deserves to win because of the game they played.

Let me STRESS to everyone that Big Brother is a reality show, not a game show. This isn’t Wheel of Fortune or the Price is Right. If you’re one of those people that have been so angry and upset about things that happened and things that were said on BBOTT – I highly suggest you watch the show Unreal - it's an over the top, dramatic representation of what happens behind the scenes of a reality show, but research who produces the show and you'll know why I'm suggesting that you watch it, (it's on Hulu). Also, release your emotional attachment to the people that compete on the reality shows you love, (it really helps), and embrace the realization that BB and shows like it are just a television programs that are produced as entertainment, but the people that are cast on the shows are normal people like you and I.

We are all just people trying to live our lives on this spaceship we call Earth. Some of us struggle more than others, but everyone has problems and issues. No one is perfect. We are all beautifully creative projects that are still “works in progress”.

Now more than ever, we as a national and global society have to love and support each other without prejudice or bias. Sure, BBOTT is just online reality programming, but all of us that have been involved in it have formed this digital cloud of consciousness on the Internet. Let's send good vibes out into the Universe from now on... Let's BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER! 

If you wanna be petty, be petty! If you want to vote for your favorite, do it! I'm not posting this to tell any of you how to vote. My only intention with these words is to inspire others to not play this "game" of BBOTT personally - We, the voting public, ARE players in this "game", by the way.... And there's not much that those of us on the outside can do about production's manipulation of the game. Production is always going to do what they can to steer the game in the direction they want it to flow for the sake of entertainment and the story lines they want to push - we all have to accept that. My hope is that unlike in the Presidential election, our votes for the BBOTT winner WILL matter and that instead of further dividing us, BBOTT will help us all create a better online Big Brother society.

And I hope we will all vote for a winner that deserves to win based on how they performed on a reality show aimed to entertain ALL viewers, in which they are subjected to highly stressful situations, on which they are filmed, uncensored and for the most part without interruptions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week... I hope we all vote for the person that played the best strategic game based on ALL of the perimeters of this online season... And I hope production is true to those votes... #lowkeyproductionshade! ;) 

Again, we are all human beings. We all make mistakes. We all say things we don't mean and we all do things we wouldn't normally do when stress, pressure, and anxiety take the wheel and we leave reason, compassion, and logic in the backseat. Myself included...

Be excellent to each other, ya'll! :) <3 xoxox 

King of the Nerds UK Season One Episode One Blog Recap

Calling all nerds! Slap on those Union Jack t-shirts and break out your best British accents because it’s time for season one of King of the Nerds UK! Our favorite nerdy reality show in the States has traveled across the pond and it’s time to welcome some new additions to the Nerdvana family and our Nerd Army. Oh, and by the way, UK Nerdvana... Is in an effing castle because they've actually got them there... ;)

First up to be introduced is nineteen year old math nerd Curtis Reubens a very energetic chap who knows that everything is mathematics, because it's all about the numbers, baby! Curtis says he's a nerd because that’s just how he rolls. Robyn Potter is, appropriately, a Potterhead who plays Quiddich, is a very proud Hufflepuff, (like me!), and wrote a letter to J.K. Rowling when she was little to request that Harry Potter have a long lost sister, Robyn, written into the books. Mark Hughes, twenty-eight, is a massive Trekkie who has seen all of the episodes, including the animated series, has a Kingon dictionary, has been to KAHNS… You get the idea -  he loves the Trek. Trivia nerd, cruciverbalist, (which may or may not be a made up word since my spellchecker is telling me it’s not a word), and chaos inducer Matt Barr is ready to knuckle up and bring the mayhem. (A cruciverbalist is, according to Mr. Mayhem, a person who loves and/or is skilled at crossword puzzles, by the way).

After the first four players are introduced, host and lovely lady nerd Konnie Huq, (I can’t wait to make a “go Huq yourself” type joke), welcomes everyone to the competition aaand… I gotta say… I could do without the voice over narrative. If it was the dude that used to “narrate” Big Brother UK I would be all for it, but it’s a lady – said in my best “Moss” voice and if you have to ask who Moss is… *sigh* Turn yourself off and on again and watch the IT Crowd. It’s a British comedy and you don’t get to all yourself a true UK-lovin’ nerd like me until you do. Anyway… In the fashion of the first season of the American version, the first Nerd War is the picking of teams and one of the eleven nerds will be left out of this pick. Konnie “rummages in a purple drawstring bag”, which is a direct narrative quote, to pull out the name of the first team captain – Mr. Mayhem or Professor Chaos. I haven’t decided on a nickname for Matt yet and he’s not happy about being named team captain. He did NOT want Konnie pulling his name out of the bag.

Our second team captain is twenty-one year old Hannah Harle, a role playing enthusiast who hates describing herself, but loves dragons, phoenixes, eagles, dwarves, elves, you know, all that kind of stuff and has a name Stan Lee must have given her because it’s a great secret identity name for a super hero. I can just see her as a mild-mannered administrative assistant by day, whip-toting, mask-wearing femme fatale by night. After Hannah receives the news, Konnie releases them all into Nerdvana, which they all totally nerdgasm about, of course, because Nerdvana is nerd heaven, and then it’s time to meet the next nerd. Kenny Lam is a cosplayer, which he says is just fancy dress for nerds, who can turn almost anything into anything to complete a costume and loves super heroes. He is also awesome, which can be confirmed by his “I’m awesome” t-shirt, which the narrator does not fail to include in her assessment of what is happening visually.

Space nerd, Ryan MacDonald is an Oxford student who is on the list of candidates training to be included in the Mars mission set to leave in 2024. Kayla might have some company on the red planet then – Maybe Ryan can cure her of the space madness that drove her to insane while she up there! ;) How awesome would it be if TWO King of the Nerds contestants went to Mars?! SOOO AWESOME – that’s how awesome. After more nerdy narration, Karen Dawson, self-employed costume maker, introduces herself as a snake doctor – her P.H.D. is in the genetics of venomous snakes, but if you’ve got a sick snake, she’s not the one to call. I have a question about snakes for Karen, though… What would you do if your pet boa constrictor got a hold of your significant other’s pet Chihuahua and was in the process of swallowing it? I actually received an emergency call for a vet at the answering service I used to work for with that very issue – true story! I have no idea how the vet dealt with it, but I can imagine one pet did not make it out of that situation alive. Moving on!

Next up is twenty year old raging gamer Kerry Allingham who has 2500 games in her collection – yes, Kerry, gaming is definitely an obsession with you! How many consoles do you have though? Betcha my brother and I have more! We still have our original Nintendo and it still works. Special effects student and Star Wars nerd, Emily Jones is next on the list and she definitely knows her stuff – I wouldn’t want to go up against her in a trivia contest because she’s seen all the movies hundreds of times. Actually, though, I wouldn't want to get into a trivia battle with anyone about anything nerdy because... Most of ya'll would kick my ass in a battle like that. I have all kinds of stuff stored away in this brain of mine, but I'm now quiz champ. And our final contestant is Yasmeen Ojeleye, a manga nerd obsessed with manga and anime who can speak Japanese and is basically pretty awesome. So… now that we know everyone, everyone is still getting to know each other in Nerdvana, then Mr. Mayhem takes control of the group to have an official sit down circle so he can get to know everyone he hasn’t talked to yet – sizing up the competition! Everyone impressed him in different ways, but everyone is pretty much impressed with everyone so he’s going to focus on gathering all the extroverted nerds to be on his team. He wants meat shields.

Soon enough, Konnie is calling everyone out to the courtyard for the schoolyard pick. No one wants to be the not picked nerd, but they don’t know what we all know! We all know that the nerd not picked is going to be safe from elimination, will get to choose the winning team and in the UK version – jumping forward a bit – this person will also get to bump a member off the winning team so that they can join that team. So, everyone is really nervous going into this Nerd War, but for all the wrong reasons! lol After the team captains take their positions on the “purple material spread out on the ground”... Konnie dumps a goblet of paint over Matt and Hannah’s head indicating that Hannah is on the blue team and Matt is on the red team. A round of Rock Paper Scissors gives Matt the first pick and a relieved Hannah is glad he chooses Robyn instead of Mark – that’s who she wanted to choose and she does. We all know how this works! Robyn chooses Kerry, Mark chooses Curtis, Kerry chooses Kenny, Curtis chooses Emily, Kenny chooses Karen and then we’re down to two people left: Ryan and Yasmeen. For REAL? The man training to go to Mars could get picked last?! REALLY??? lol UK nerds are quirky, that's for sure! ;)

So… the fate of Ryan and Yasmeen rests in the hands of Emily aaand… She chooses the astronaut – because obviously, on King of the Nerds, you want someone who knows a thing or two about rocket fuel and physics and spacey, sciencey stuff like that on your team! This leaves Yasmeen with all the power and suddenly, Ryan kind of wishes he HAD been the not picked nerd. Both teams are given a chance to sway Yasmeen to pick them as the winners and despite the red team bending their knees to, as Kerry puts it, grovel, she choose the blue team. After Konnie explains the process of Nerd Offing, my new favorite compound verb, Yasmeen must make the difficult decision of which blue team member she’s sending over to the reds. Luckily, the chosen person, Curtis, doesn’t mind a bit! He kind of wanted to go over to that team anyway so no bad blood there! Let’s not forget that there is a team reward for winning this Nerd War. The blues will be enjoying cocktails of the molecular gastronomy variety that evening.

While sipping their gin and juice, and other alcoholic delights laced with dry ice, from beakers and test tubes, the blues begin to discuss who they should vote into the Nerd Off. Matt comes to mind first because he is the captain of the team, the heart of it, but then Ryan asks the question – Isn’t Robyn really the heart of the team? He feels absolutely evil mentioning it. Everyone agrees, super friendly and energetic, well-rounded Robyn is definitely the heart of the team, but Matt is a good target too. While the blues are hatching plans, the reds are discussing the Nerd Off as well. Matt is pretty sure that he will be voted in by the other team since he’s the captain so all that’s left to discuss is who among them will face him. Curtis and Robyn both want to stay and help the team as best they can; Karen wants everyone to pick a number so she can roll the dice and just choose that way – it’s the fairest way to do it. Matt finds this terrifying. He doesn’t want to go into the Nerd Off against some random schmo – He can manipulate people, but he can’t manipulate dice. And they flash the evil eyes on him then we’re whisked away to the Throne Room.

Konnie goes over the Nerd Off rules one more time then reveals the Throne of Games aaand… What? No wind blowing into the face of our nerds? Do you not have fans over there in the UK or something? I really enjoy that part of the Nerd Off sequence and, Konnie does a great job, but I miss Curtis saying “the loser goes home immediately” because the look on his face is just the icing on the cake. I know, I know. I’m being super critical of production, but seriously – You gotta have wind for that throne scene. Anyway… Everyone is nervocited – nervous and excited – well, mostly everyone. Matt is straight up nervous because he’s convinced he’s going to be voted into the Nerd Off. Konnie will reveal the blue teams vote first and she takes her sweet ass time too because Kenny, to the camera, is super anxious for her to flip that tablet she looking at around to face them. When she does, Matt is surprised to see that the blues have taken aim at Robyn, who takes the nomination as a compliment – they must think she’s strong. Matt is glad he’s not competing, but he’s not happy that his inflatable wavy arms distraction move is getting played this early. He doesn’t want Robyn to go home… Yet.

After some more fun narration and a commercial break, the red team’s vote is revealed – Karen! She’s not quite sure what to think about this and Matt steps in to provide her with his reasoning – he really didn’t like that whole “let’s risk it and roll the dice” idea since it takes all the responsibility for the vote off of her. Interesting! There is a little bit of an awkward moment between Karen and Matt then Konnie asks the girls to come forward and kneel before throne. This first Nerd Off will be an all around nerd quiz. The first round will be a “wild card” round in which the subject matter could be anything involving nerd culture and the second will be a “quick fire” round in which each lady nerd will answer questions about a subject chosen by their competitor. The possible subjects are board games, periodic table, music theory and capital cities. Robyn choose music theory for Karen; Karen chooses capital cities for Robyn. Each nerd will have two hours to study and can choose one person from either team to help them prepare. Matt steps up to volunteer for help Robyn and she gladly accepts. Yasmeen and Curtis speak up about their music knowledge, but Kenny doesn’t! His dad’s a music teacher and he’s all kind of musical, but he’s keeping it to himself. DIABOLICAL! And Matt thinks he’s so devious!

Moving on and speeding things up… Karen chooses Curtis and Konnie dismisses the nerds. While the foursome studies, the rest of the nerds are discussing the subjects the girls had to choose from and Kenny reveals his musical background. Mark cannot believe he didn’t step up to the plate to help his team member, but Kenny explains that he views Karen as competition since she does costumes. Dark horse, indeed! When it’s time for the Nerd Off, the nerds are led into the challenge area and suddenly it gets very real. Konnie’s looking all official, there are screens and podiums – this is no joke! Everyone is nervous, Robyn still feels honored to be a threat then it’s time for the Wild Card round and it will be based on acronyms – Neither lady is excited for this. All of the ‘nyms will be movie titles though, so that should help them out. First round is back and forth, back and forth and at the end of it, the scores are tied at five points each.

Karen is up first for the Quick Fire round and damn girl! At the end of her 90 seconds, she has 14 points! Mark is super impressed and if Yasmeen were in Robyn’s boots, she would be shaking in them. Robyn’s round starts and it’s a little rocky at first, but then she picks it up a bit – but then she passes on three and gets another wrong and soon enough, the buzzer buzzes and Robyn is still three points behind Karen. Hashtag sad face! I was looking forward to fun antics from Robyn. Matt is also disappointed – one of his meat shields is gone and his plan is exactly going according to… plan. Back in Nerdvana, everyone is pretty bummed, but they better get used to it! Someone is leaving every week until the end. And based on the quick previews of the season – We’re in for a lot of fun this summer!

Thus ends my first recap of King of the Nerds UK season one! For now I’m posting these here on my own blog, but the rest of my KotN blogs are at Your Reality Recaps. I am currently looking for artists to draw my graphic novel for me and there is more about that HERE if anyone is interested in reading it. I will be posting some sections of the book soon and hopefully I will be launching a Kickstarter within a month or so. Gotta find those artists first! All my love to the UK cast – You guys are awesome and I am so excited for the rest of the season.

ANOTHER?! Open Letter to TBS & To Nerds Everywhere

Grab your backpacks, lunchboxes and G.I. Joe thermoses, TBS Executives, because it is time to go back to school! Today’s lesson is about the Law of Attraction and the power of one mind on a mission. Last year I was on a mission and I helped raised a Nerd Army. What I did last year I am doing again, but this year I am working Han Style – SOLO. This year I am not asking anyone for permission or direction. I am my own commander. This year I am following my own marching orders because obviously the efforts that were made a year ago did not make a big enough impression or I would not be writing to you now.

Have you lost your mind, TBS?

Because I’ll help you find it!

A year ago I was a different person and without the Nerd Army and the people in my online Reality TV circle, I would feel lost, confused and alone right now. It is because of My King of the Nerds Blogs, My Survivor Blogs and Big Brother, (and The Quest), that I have any confidence in myself and my talents, skills and abilities. Not many people in my “real” life recognize or acknowledge me. Everyone I know in my online Reality TV circle is just as much of a nerd as I am; they are not all badge-wearing Nerd Army members, but they are nerds. We are all nerds.

I don’t even like that word anymore because we’re all just people that have passions and like the things we like. Anyone that celebrates who they are on the inside and what makes them happy without caring what other people think about it – That what a nerd is to me. It’s not about comic books, mathematics and rocket science. Being a nerd means you love what you love without a doubt and you’re not afraid to shout, shout, shout it on out because those are the things that you care about. COME ON! lol

I wish I had my own TV network… OH WAIT. I can do that now because we have the Internet! And we can watch internet videos on TV! Or on our computers, or our tablets or on our phones and now we have watches! I’m not worried about you renewing King of the Nerds, TBS. If you don’t see the potential it has and what it can do for society – SO BE IT. If TBS doesn’t needs nerds, nerds don’t need TBS. The only thing I watch from your network is King of the Nerds and Conan, but at 10:30pm central, I’m usually watching Jimmy Fallon or SNL on NBC. I am absolutely confident that if you don’t see how valuable it is, someone else will and that person is me.

What most people don’t realize about me, no matter how well acquainted we are, is that I am in no way a normal human being. I am something different. I know exactly who I am now and I know what I am meant to be doing in the world. My fate was decided by me a very long time ago and the road less traveled that I walk is leading me to a very bright future, but this path has been very dark and deep, and yes, I have miles to go before I can sleep. Everything that needed to happen to help me see this path more clearly has happened and everything that is unraveling now is all that matters. Everything that is happening is happening now. This is NOW now. Now is my time to shine like the bright and shiny star that I am in reality because until now I have been keeping my identity a secret from everyone that I know.

LOL Wait till you all get a load of me and what I can do. I have super powers of persuasion. My charisma skills are leveled up and have reached their max capacity. I have a very definite way with words and I know how to use them because I am very much like a Jedi now. The Force runs strong within me and I know how to use it now. I have been in training. ;)

These are not the “droids” you’re looking for, TBS. Just ignore the King of the Nerds and pretend that it never happened because when I have completed my Quest with it, you will regret that you let them go and didn’t embrace them. This is what is best for everyone involved because I know you only care about your ratings. If the nerds can’t bring you money, you’re not interested. I get it. You have advertisers you have to keep in mind and I understand that. Your target market is not comprised of people in my nerdy circle of friends so do what is best for everyone and don’t sign those papers. Do NOT renew King of the Nerds. We’ll find another network and they will love us because all nerds have super powers, we are all super heroes and super heroes are here to save and protect the citizens of this planet.

You like that one, Nerds? lol A little reverse psychology ought to do the trick! Or not, but it doesn’t matter. We don’t need TBS. We will crown our kings and queens without them. What we all need to do is focus our efforts on bringing together King of the Nerds and The Quest. This is our mission. We all love both shows; they are perfect for each other. They should get married and have lots of babies. We need to find them both a place to call home where they won’t be constantly threatened by those in charge of the house. We need to find a place for them to exist and evolve so they can both be as popular as Survivor and Big Brother because they both have the potential to reach that level.

I haven’t really developed a good plan yet, but I know this is what we need to do to ensure the safety of our reality shows. We need to find the hidden Immunity Idol and we need to win the Veto for both.

There is a bible verse that states that “the meek shall inherit the Earth”. Now, let me be clear, I am not a religious person, but I think there is a lot of truth to that scripture. Replace “the meek” with “the nerds” and I think that is the truth. Without nerds, none of us would even know each other because the Internet wouldn’t exist. If not for nerds who love what they love, we would all be living in caves, but because we have a spark within us that is driven to learn and advance our thinking… Nerds, in my humble opinion, are what we are all meant to be. We are a planet of nerdy people just trying to survive, but some of them don’t think that being a nerd is awesome and cool. They don’t want to learn and expand their minds, they don’t want to advance their thinking; they are afraid of being smart for some reason. Why people want to be ignorant is beyond me, but they are out there and they ridicule, bully us and try to keep us from expressing ourselves. Nerds have a thirst for knowledge and some people think that the truth is scary so they don’t want to learn anymore about it and they will do whatever they can to keep us all “in our places” and on their level.

Why so serious, Melissa?! Lighten up! ;)

Obviously, this is not really an open letter to anyone at TBS. This is for all the nerds out there that love King of the Nerds and The Quest. These are the shows that we need to be on television because they allow people like us to have the spotlight for awhile. These shows are going to help us share who WE are in reality; this is our way to show how bright and shiny we are and that there is nothing to be afraid of and that we are just normal people. I know I am sounding so over-dramatic, but the world needs to see that people like us exist and they need to know what we’ve been through because they gave us labels like “nerd”, “dork”, “weirdo”, “misfit”, etc. We keep trying to defend that we are nerds and be proud and boastful, but this is the wrong direction. We are just normal people.

What really makes us different is that we aren’t afraid to be smart and keep learning. We aren’t afraid to expand our minds and fill them up with knowledge. We aren’t afraid to express ourselves and share our true thoughts and feelings. That’s the only thing that separates us from others and we shouldn’t allow them to push us into a corner so they can ignore us and stay ignorant. We are here on this planet to show others that it’s okay to be smart and learn about ourselves and the world around us. We are the dream makers. We are the wish granters. We are the storm the takes Dorothy somewhere over the rainbow to show her a world full of color so she can meet the wizard and realize that it’s just a man behind a curtain and the real magic was within her the whole time!

SO! We need to save King of the Nerds and The Quest. I love these shows and I don’t want to see them disappear. We need these shows to complete our missions and so we can be super heroes! We all need to be The Doctor because this Earth we live on needs a Doctor with a T.A.R.D.I.S, does it not? LOL Seriously! Where the hell is that tricky Doctor Who? Do aliens need to attack us for him to show up with that blue box? Helloooooooo? Paging the Doctor! Doctor Whoooooooo! You are needed on Earth. Code Blue! Code Blue! ;)

To be honest, I have a lot going on in my life. I have no job. I have no car. I have no money. I’m focusing a lot of my time on writing my first novel, which is going really well, but slowly; I wish I could write faster… I live with my mother; we are moving at the end of May and have a lot of work to do to between now and then. We don’t even know where we are going yet – I don’t know where to go or what to do with myself other than write because it’s what I do best and I know I can make money for myself and my family if I really focus on it. I’ve got a comedy/music show to help organize and prepare for; my cousin is also getting married next month. I do not have as much time as I did last year to dedicate to this cause. I am also still sorting out some deeply rooted and personal emotional issues that have been building up for years. Yeah, I could probably do with a good dose of therapy, but I’m perfectly capable of managing myself under normal circumstances, but my circumstances are not normal. I am not a normal human being. I’m a nerd.

So, I will do what I can to help King of the Nerds and The Quest, but I can’t focus all of my time and efforts on them. I wish I could, but I can’t. I want to, but I can’t. My family won’t let me relax and focus on what I do best because I cannot support myself financially while I do it and there is too much that is “up in the air” right now so I have to be ready to catch everything when it falls into place. This is my role in my family; they won’t admit it and they don’t realize it, but I am the glue that holds us all together. So until I get my life in order, everything is going to be chaotic. I don’t know why they put all their hopes on me, but I guess I am their only hope. Like I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi or something! lol

My suggestion to everyone that wants to save these shows like I do is to express your selves. SHOW how much you love these shows. You don’t have to do a lot, just a little; even the smallest of pebbles creates a ripple in the pond and if enough people are throwing pebbles, we’ll create a tidal wave. I’ll do what I can do with the time that I can spend making the effort to throw my own pebbles, but I can’t do this by myself, people. Everyone needs to stand up and shout! SHOUT! LET IT ON OUT!

I hope this reaches a lot of fans of King of the Nerds and The Quest. If this post of mine has made an impact on you at all as a fan of both – SHARE IT. I wrote this with the intention of being a beacon of inspiration for everyone who loves both shows. We have to speak up more loudly and clearly now if we want “the universe” to give us what we want. We have to take advantage of the Law of Attraction and embrace the power of our one mind to attract the experiences we want to happen in our lives. And we are all connected whether you know it or not; our minds are connected by unseen energy and in reality we are one mind working as many individuals. ;)

I want King of the Nerds and The Quest to stay on TV. I know that both will be wildly successful for years if we do the work now to make that happen, but it will take a group effort. We have to stop arguing amongst ourselves about who is the better nerd and we need to stop defining what is “nerdy” because everyone is nerdy about something in some way. It’s not about comic books, mathematics and rocket science. Being a nerd is about being who you are no matter what and not being afraid to learn about the world, society and your self. But it IS fun to pretend that we are kings, queens and paladins on TV and get involved in a fun, innocent and harmless competition that helps us meet others like ourselves. When it’s all said and done, we’re all still friends and we still love and respect each other as real people because we are nerds and nerds don’t judge each other because we know what it feels like to be told that we are weird and different just for being who we are on the inside. ;)

Peace! One love. I’ve got a best-selling novel to write. I’m out. ::drops the mic::

Speed Survivor: What Could Have Been...

In March of 2012 I got it into my head that I was going to organize a fundraiser: Speed Survivor. I wanted to hold it this summer (2014), but that’s not going to happen now. I don’t want all my hard work to be in vain so here is everything I have.

What It Is: A full season of Survivor played out over five days and four nights complete with filming and online episodes, taking place at Lake Wabaunsee, the “Gem of the Flint Hills”, located five miles from Eskridge, Eskridge the “Gateway to the Flint Hills” along the Native Stone Scenic Byway between Dover and Alma, Kansas.

How It Works: Potential players will raise donations from people will that will sponsor them as a player in a game of “Speed Survivor”. The sixteen people who raise the most money from their sponsors will be invited to Lake Wabaunsee during the chosen dates, two additional players will be selected by an online sponsorship drive from the players in the 17-24 spots on the most donations raised list. All players will also participate in a live reunion show at The Buffalo Inn’s Eskridge Labor Day Weekend Rodeo Street Dance where the winner will be announced with live music to follow.

To Be Eligible: Players must be 21 and older, raise at least $500 in donations and meet the requirements as outlined in the Player Agreement Form.

(I had a lawyer willing to help me with legal stuff for free, I had permission to use the public property at the lake and probably would have gotten permission to use the golf course for challenges as well – The bed and breakfast owner was not responsive to my emails about housing the jury and using their property to film exit interviews and act as my “Ponderosa”).

Now let me show you around the lake. Let’s just start with the most impressive site: Tribal Council.

I mean, just look at that – Can’t you just see it all lit up with torches at night? The picture below is of what where my production area would have been set up – conveniently located just 50 or so feet from Tribal Council and the restaurant and bar at the lake.

The next pictures are of the swimming beach, which needed some work, then it received some attention – that I didn’t even have to request the City Council do, they just did it, but… They didn’t fix the real problem. Before:

After: The lack of rain in the summer of 2012 brought the lake water level way down so the concrete barrier was ripped out and the beach was “extended”… Until the rain came again and now the beach is the exact same as it always was, but now the sand washes back into the lake and will have to be replaced every summer.

Camp Areas: I had three picked out, (one campsite would have been used - more economical), two close to the swimming beach, which is close to the Tribal Council area. The first was an actual campsite, the second was an old boy scout camp site. The third campsite was a mostly isolated patch of land between housing areas and a short walk from the golf course, but would have required boats for tribes to travel to Tribal Council.

Old Boy Scout Camp Entrance

Campsite Three Entrance

Oh! You know what I have! A map!

Now let’s get to these challenges! While I have most of the challenges planned out in my head, only about half of them are outlined in my production schedule. I really needed help with challenge production; I was having trouble deciding when to do which challenge, how many double Tribal Councils was too many, if I should do Survivor Classic or roll with an Outcast Tribe so everyone would get to play for more than two days… I needed a co-producer. Here is one version, the Survivor Classic version.

Challenge 1: Buffalo Testicle Eating
Reward: Immunity & Sleeping Gear

This should be pretty self-explanatory. Tribes go head-to-head, each player has to eat a portion of buffalo testicle (my friend’s dad raises them at a farm just outside of town) to score a point. If there is a tie, a timed round is played.

Challenge 2: Shelter Building
Reward: Immunity & Shelter

Callers guide blindfolded and bound tribe mates to bundles of tent-building components; once collected Builders must correctly assemble with help from the Caller who has the instructions. Once built, the tent must be disassembled and repacked then the entire tribe must run back to the starting mat to win. Reward: The tent and a tarp.

Challenge 3: Endurance Tag
Reward: Pizza/Beer Dinner & Bonus Options

Tribe mates are bound clipped to a rope and must carry two 10 pound sandbags around a course; players can drop out at any time, but another tribe mate must carry their sandbags. First tribe to tag the other wins. Bonus Reward Options: Tent/Tarp, Sleeping Gear, Flint, Bonus Rations *** Double Tribal Council ***

Challenge 4: Untie Your Knots
Reward: Immunity/Tribe Breakfast

Phase One: The night before the actual challenge, each tribe is given a locked box containing the other tribe’s flag, a bag of assorted lengths of rope and instructions to use the provided materials to make the box as impenetrable as possible.

Phase Two: After freeing the box from the ropes, it must be carried down the course to stations where a picture puzzle on the box will reveal the number codes to unlock two padlocks on the box; once the flag has been freed, the entire tribe must run to the finish mat with the flag to win.

Challenge 5: Chain Gang
Reward: Immunity/Challenge Advantage

Tribe members are bound together with padlocked chains and must work together to unlock themselves at different stations around a course; once a tribe member is freed, they must run back ahead to the tribe flag; when all tribe members are unlocked and at the flag, they must run back to the starting mat with the flag to win the challenge.

Challenge 6: Wabaunsee Pines Putt-Putt
Reward: Immunity/Tribe Lunch

Players must putt all nine holes of the Wabaunsee Pines golf course; each player must putt once then it’s a “free-for-all” putt. Advantage Won from Last Challenge: Automatic Hole-In-One; cannot be used on the last hole. Lowest score wins.

Challenge 7: Stack It
Reward: Individual Immunity/Dinner for Two

At the host’s discretion, players will have to stack coins on a small pedestal that they must hold with one hand while balancing on a block. In intervals, the players will add more coins until the host is satisfied then the endurance test begins; last person from each tribe standing wins Immunity and Reward.

And… That’s the Merge. It’s the Individual Immunity challenges that I really needed help to organize, but I pretty much know what they are. There was a trivia challenge that would take place AT Tribal Council immediately following a vote out, a Story-telling challenge where the players would have to answer questions to collect tokens, the second chance challenge – the compilation of previous challenges, and of course, the final three endurance challenge. Speed Survivor, of course, is a Final Two – Not a lame Final Three. Speed Survivor would have NEVER had a Final Three. NEVER!

So... That's what I have to share with you about Speed Survivor. I have half of a production schedule written up with specific directions and times for setting up and tearing down challenges. I've put so much thought into this. I mean, I have website graphics made! I created that logo! It took hours and hours and hours. If anyone out there wants to help me make this happen sometime in the future, I have a lot more plans laid out than just the game. I have a strategy to gain sponsors to help pay for materials, food, etc. I know people that have facilities and connections. I COULD HAVE MADE THIS HAPPEN THIS SUMMER. I just knew it would be very difficult to gain the support of local businesses and community members, but THAT is a whole other story...