King of the Nerds: S2E3: Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

This week in Nerdvana...

Everyone is sad that Josh is gone, but the Titans of Rigel know that their cold-blooded, psychological offensive is their best defense to keep their team together. Remember that episode of Eureka where everything Zoe’s bracelet touched turned to gold then deteriorated? Yeah, that’s what happening to Midas Touch Attack right now, but it’s not because of a centuries-old alchemist’s formula… It’s Zack. Zack… Zack… Zack… Dude… You are making this blog a lot more difficult to write. I’m trying to go easy on you because I have a soft spot in my heart for my nerdy brethren, but the intensity level of your outbursts, and the conflict surrounding them, are increasing exponentially with each episode. At this rate, if you win the crown, Nerdvana will plunge into tyranny the moment you take the throne! There will not be much rejoicing in the kingdom. Peasants will revolt! Not that you wouldn’t deserve the win because despite your fumbling on the social side of things, you’ve had that game face on since day one. I’m still super impressed with the Paper, Rock, Scissors Jedi Mind Trick you pulled in the first episode. 

When Curtis calls all nerds to the courtyard, our teams learn that the next Nerd War will be a Live Action Role Playing (LARPing) challenge. Since ToR still has five players they have will to sit out one member. Each team will be using four given characters to base their presentations upon; a bard, a monk, a spell singer and a warrior. And here is my first problem with this Nerd War challenge. On one hand, restricting what types of characters the nerds can use gives this year’s LARPing challenge a twist and raises the level of difficultly. This approach also provides the judges with a better comparison system on which to base their final decisions. On the other hand, why limit the imaginations and creativity of the contestants by assigning specific character roles? If they would have done this last year, would we have seen Ivan’s most excellent, fire sword-wielding half-man half-beast? Probably not! What would Xander have done if he could have had total control of his character creation? Have we been denied an even more wonderful example of Cosplay greatness because of this restriction?! Bah! Anyway…

The nerds retire to their War Rooms to create nerdy LARPing awesomeness. On the ToR side of Nerdvana, Kayla is happy to sit out this Nerd War because she is not an Improv chicky, and LARPing is all about Improv. Chris would love to sit out as well because he just doesn’t understand why people are into this aspect of nerd culture, but in the end, it is decided that it would be best for Kayla to be benched. In the land of MTA, role assignment is coming along nicely. Mary Kate says she can sorta sing and resident band geek, Nicole, will provide her with musical accompaniment. Jack is okay with being the monk, but only if he can have swords and Zack wants his warrior to be sword-wielding as well; they are going to stage a fight! Things seem pretty calm and collected…On the surface. I attribute this to the dulcet tones of Nicole’s recorder. 

Bouncing over to the ToR Room, Xander is calling the shots in this Nerd War for the purple team. And I have to put a couple of pennies in the jar at this point in the post because the purple team is proving to be a powerfully proportionate posse. They know how to work together and how to utilize their individual strengths to win these wars. The Titans of Rigel are converting all of the negative energy from chaos they created within the Gold team into a positive charge against them. Speaking of negative energy…

Let’s go back and visit MTA! Everyone wants Zack to be in charge of story since he’s a fantasy writer, but in the War Room Zack is focused on props and Mary Kate is not subtle about wanting him to skedaddle away to do his job. This causes an explosion of epic proportions from Zack, (too bad he couldn’t channel that energy to his team’s volcano last week), but Zack has a point. If his team continues to push him away, they will lose Nerd War after Nerd War until Zack is the only finger left on Midas’ hand. (It’s a middle finger, by the way).

After a product placement sequence for Little Caesar’s Pizza, and a very awkward lunch for MTA, Nicole decides it’s time to have a little chat with Zack, who apparently has stopped working on the writing and doesn’t want to be taken advantage of by the rest of his team if he starts back up again. Nicole fluffs his ego a bit, gives him something yellow that I assume is candy, offers Zack a hug and the surface is calm once again. Forced tranquility carries over into the next day, but Jack laments that his team is like the Wizard of Oz – Mary Kate has no tolerance, Zack has no humility and Nicole has no confidence, which I guess makes Jack the Scarecrow because Mary Kate just has to be my Dorothy, because I live in Kansas, and because and I love her and because we should be best friends. Many drinks would be clinked and we would cause so many nerd boners at BronyCon…

When it’s time for the Nerd War, the contestants meet the judges: Hercules himself, Kevin Sorbo, Cosplay Queen, Yaya Han (in her second King of the Nerds appearance) and THE super nerd, Napoleon Dynamite, Jon Heder. Midas Touch Attack will go first and Jack reveals that he is as dedicated to the craft of acting as Natalie Portman is; he has shaved his head for his role as the Monk. Nicole introduces their presentation and announces that in the true spirit of LARPing, their team will be improvising their performance and after Jack works through his issues with Zack via improvised swordplay, ToR takes the stage.

Clearly, having Xander on the team has proved to be more advantageous than I predicted because the whole team is wearing FANTASTIC make-up, (see photo below & "fantastic make-up" should be read in the voice of Eddie Izzard), the whole thing is choreographed, Katie made a marionette and a costume change?! ToR definitely deserved to win this war; MTA did a fine job, but that make-up! It was amazing, Xander! Great job! But here’s my second problem with this Nerd War Challenge: I want to see the unedited, extended versions of these performances! That’s it. I just want to see more of the glorious, nerdy LARPing action.*

So ToR is victorious again and their reward in addition to keeping their team intact is a trip to Pirate’s Dinner Adventure, which is like Medieval Times, but with pirates, where they will dine, enjoy the show and swashbuckle with the scoundrels. Back at Nerdvana, MTA is chillaxing until Zack opens the group up to conversation about the upcoming Nerd Off and whom the team will be voting into the challenge. Mary Kate is confused because Zack told them all he would continue to vote himself into the Nerd Offs so that he could pick them off one-by-one. His tune has changed now, though, and he’ll only vote himself in if it’s unavoidable.

What happens next isn’t an all out explosion, but the malfunctioning synapses in Zack’s brain, the ones that are used to judge social situations and control what words come out of his mouth, cause his psyche to rev into defense mode to save his ego. Everyone else wants to have a mature, rational conversation, but the gravity of the situation is just too much for Zack to handle. There’s just too much pressure and it causes him to crumble. Instead of trying to talk it out with his team, he says anything and everything he can to build himself a pedestal on which to stand. He’s in the fourth dimension, all of space and time is unfolding in his mind, everyone else is the problem, and his team mates are idiots. Mary Kate doesn’t even know what gravity is! He will decimate them all! Mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! His is an evil laugh!

 

The next day, Mary Kate is "regaling" the tale of the previous encounter to some of the  ToR team members; everyone at the table agrees that gravity is not so easily definable, then Zack appears down the hall, walking towards the dining area. Mary Kate notices him and quickly changes the topic of the debate to what kind of potatoes they have been served. Later, ToR discusses who they should put in the Nerd Off against Zack to ensure that he stays in the game. Kayla would rather win “nerd-on-nerd” instead of using Zack as a weapon, which is admirable, but... I don’t know if you’re a Survivor or Big Brother fan, Kayla, but very rarely in these reality competition shows do admirable choices lead to great rewards and you have to play the hand your dealt. Keeping Zack around is a good strategy for the Titans, for now, but they will want to get rid of him soon or they are going to have to deal with his antics more directly.

Of course, Zack is voted in by his team to participate in the Nerd Off, and he did vote for himself. Mary Kate is chosen by the Titans to go to battle and this Nerd Off will be a game of Battle Hammer, a more complicated and intense version of Battleship. Each participant is able to choose an adviser to help them. Mary Kate chooses Jack because he’s good with probability. No one wants to play with Zack, though, not even ToR and after awhile, the synapses in Zack’s brain finally begin to function and he humbly approaches the inhabitants of Nerdvana to apologize and plead his case. This genuine flow of emotions from Zack invites the rest of the competitors to question how they’ve been treating Zack and the establishment of the Anti-Hero of King of the Nerds season two is complete, for me anyway. After he asks, Chris agrees to be Zack’s advisor.

In the Nerd Off; however, Zack does not utilize the help of Chris and Mary Kate and Jack are working together very well, but Mary Kate has a curse... <sigh>... She has the worst luck with rolling dice... I didn't believe her at first, but in that last few moves of the game, the curse kicked in and Zack prevailed in the Nerd Off once again. Oh, Mary Kate, were you not allowed to let Jack roll for you? Why couldn't you let Jack roll for you?! Nerdvana won't be the same without my second favorite female Time Lord. Doctor Donna is my first favorite. ;)

King of the Nerds airs on TBS at 10pm/9pm on Thursdays. You can check out the cast bios and loads of extras at the Official King of the Nerds Webpage. And don't forget to follow our nerds on Twitter! All of their Twitter handles are on their corresponding biography pages on the TBS website. Stay nerdy, my friends!

*UPDATE: Brian from ToR provided me with a great write-up about the Titan's Nerd War performance. Check it out! Brian's ToR LARP Details 
*UPDATE2: Zack from MTA has also provided a great write-up about the Midas Touch Attack Nerd War performance. Check it out! Zack's MTA LARP Details

King of the Nerds: S2E2: One Chemist, Two Chemists, Red Chemist, Blue Chemist

Well, well, well, King of the Nerds season two cast members. Aren’t you all an entertaining bunch! Conflict, drama, back-stabbing, tequila shots and this is only the second episode.

Let’s get right into the action, shall we? Curtis calls all nerds to the courtyard and announces that in the second Nerd War they will be recreating the classic grade school science fair project, the erupting volcano. Each team must construct a volcano and make a presentation in front of three guest judges that will choose the winner based on the accuracy of the science, the chemical reaction and creativity of the presentation. Everything they need is in the “Radio Shack Room”, which shall henceforth be referred to as the T.A.R.D.I.S. in this blog, because – Doctor Who.

So the teams grab their plastic crates of supplies from the T.A.R.D.I.S and retire to their separate War Rooms to plan their science fair strategies. Midas Touch Attack is in a tizzy because they are worried about the chemical aspect of the challenge; Jack is the only chemist they have! Oh no! Whatever will they do? Zack wastes no time in demonstrating the definition of irony in a spur of the moment attempt to squash the doubt forming in the minds of his teammates about the Nerd War. He quickly throws Nicole under the bus, exposing to the rest of MTA that she is also a chemist. This ignites a flame of new doubt, and suspicion, in Jack, the other chemist on the Gold team because, duh, Zack, you and Nicole were keeping a secret and you just told everyone about it! Strike number one, Zack. Strike number one.

Over in the Titans of Rigel War Room, they have come up with the idea to use the super volcano in Yellowstone National Park as the inspiration for their project. To present their ideas, they will pose as future folk that have traveled back in time to warn and educate people in the past about the explosion and destruction. A little drama pops up; however, when Katie and Kayla disagree on what part of the challenge to focus on: science, chemical reaction or theatrics? Weren’t both equally important? You’ve got a well-rounded team, ladies, don’t sweat the small stuff because I think those boys are going to stick together if you have to go to another Nerd Off.

Back in the MTA war room, they decide to model their volcano after Mt. Doom (of Mordor) and will use a ring to create the chemical reaction to erupt it. Such nerdy brilliance, that is! Once the idea is proposed, Nicole literally drops to her knees in delight; her mood is out of the red now and she’s able to … blow off some steam … instead of freak out about keeping her background a secret. We also learn that Josh is more than just a Pokemon Master; he must be channeling Matt Kennedy Gould.*

When it’s time for the Nerd War, the contestants are introduced to their judges: One Mr. Bill Nye the Science Guy is the first judge to take a seat in front of the teams. Talk about a nerdgasm! These kids all shared a very intimate experience that day. Next to join the panel is some 19 year old kid who won some super important science award – just kidding, that’s an inside joke for those of you that have watched the episode, his name is Blake Marggraff and he won the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The final guest judge is Big Bang Theory, (and Blossom, remember Blossom?), actress Mayim Bialik, who really does have a PhD in Neuroscience.

TOR are first to present their project to the panel and their theatrical flair makes a real impression upon Curtis, though some of their facts are questioned by the judges. MTA chose a more scientific look for their presentation, but Frodo-Jack trips on his way to throw the ring into Mt. Doom and their chemical reaction goes up in smoke. As the votes are tallied, the score is, of course, tied and the fate of the nerds is in the hands of the Science Guy. I don’t remember a unanimous Nerd War win in season one and I doubt we’ll see one this season. Bill Nye has a special place in his heart for the super volcano, though, and the Titans take home the win; the hand of Midas will lose a finger this week.  

And now for my favorite moment of this episode! After the Nerd War, the Titans are off to celebrate their victory; not only have they secured their team’s safety, but they also won the opportunity to hang out with Bill Nye for bit. Meanwhile, in Nerdvana, the Gold team is left to their own devices – and the Nerdvana liquor cabinet! Taking advantage of the open bar, Mary Kate invites Zack to do a shot with her, the tequila goes straight to Zack’s head and they begin a little strategy talk. Zack thinks that because he’s wearing blue he will project an image of tranquility and he throws Nicole under the bus again! Apparently, Nicole has been talking about Mary Kate as a target. <eye roll> Nice try, Zack, but Mary Kate isn’t buying your snake oil, sir! In fact, MK is more impressed that it only took one shot to lubricate your lips… That sounds dirty, but I’m leaving it in…Damnit…Now I can’t stop with the innuendos so it’s time for a new paragraph.

Before the Nerd Off, the nominees are voted upon and announced; Zack receives four votes from his own team, which breaks down his blue shirt offensive. Before his opponent is even revealed, Zack spouts off about how his team has sealed their own fate or some such nonsense. TOR votes for Josh to join Zack in the Nerd Off, which prompts Zack to spout off again about how he has memorized more Pokemon than Josh, or some such nonsense. (Strike number two, Zack. Strike number two). After both are asked to bend a knee, Curtis and Bobby explain that to stay in the game, Zack and Josh will be performing an Alien Autopsy and are given the chance to study both human and “alien” anatomy before the challenge. Not before Zack engages the Gold team in what will go down as one of the most awkward hugs in reality TV history, though.

Josh correctly ascertains how the challenge will work and with the help of the remaining three members of his team begins a process of assigning mnemonic devices to the alien and human body parts in his study guide. MTA’s Xander is the only nerd willing to help Zack, though, and actually has some medical credits under his belt to qualify him for this task. Xander’s motives are not pure; however, because TOR would love Zack to stick around and create more chaos and unrest within the Gold team. And chaos and unrest is exactly what the Gold team will be dealing with next week. Zack’s photographic memory prevailed over Josh’s smart study methods to win the Nerd Off, squashing Josh’s dreams of sitting upon the Throne of Games.

King of the Nerds airs on TBS at 10pm/9pm on Thursdays. You can check out the cast bios and loads of extras at the Official King of the Nerds Webpage. And don't forget to follow our nerds on Twitter! All of their Twitter handles are on their corresponding biography pages on the TBS website. And don't forget about the next season of Survivor! The cast has been announced and you can read all about our Brains, Beauties and Brawns at CBS.com. There are videos too! Until next time, stay nerdy, my friends.

*Matt Kennedy Gould is schmo/star of the first season of The Joe Schmo Show. One of the challenges in his game was a talent show, judged by Jerri “the Bitch from Survivor” Manthey, in which he displayed his talent for beatboxing.

King of the Nerds: S2E1: CALLING ALL NERDS!

Season two of King of the Nerds has begun on TBS and if the first episode is an indication of what we can expect as viewers, fans will not be disappointed by the second installment of this reality competition show.

Hosted and executive produced by revenging nerds, Curtis “Booger” Armstrong and Robert “Louis” Carradine, King of the Nerds is a lot like Big Brother; eleven self-proclaimed nerds are chosen to live in house (Nerdvana) to compete for a $100,000 grand prize, the title of “King of the Nerds” and the right to sit upon the “Throne of Games”.

This season began in the same nature as the first, after a welcome to Nerdvana from the show’s hosts, team captains were chosen by a random draw from a sorcerer’s hat. Zack, a 21 year old fantasy writer, was chosen as the Gold team captain and Chris, a 27 year old mechanical engineer, was chosen as the Purple team captain. All of the contestants were then allowed to enter Nerdvana to marvel at their new home and to mingle for two hours as part of the first Nerd War.

During the meet-n-greet, Nicole, 28, reveals to the Gold team captain that she is actually an inorganic chemist and proposes an alliance. Zack seems to be on board with this idea, stating that he would like to go to the final four with her.

Now, if these nerds have watched as much Big Brother and Survivor as I have, they would know to keep an eye on everyone during those first few hours of being in the game to see who’s talking to who and what pairs and groups go off to talk more privately. And talking privately is exactly what Zack and Nicole do to solidify a day one alliance. I have to think that someone noticed them slipping away into the Nerdvana T.A.R.D.I.S, which is actually bigger on the inside.

When Curtis issues a Nerd Alert, calling all nerds back to the front courtyard outside, the next part of the first Nerd War commences: the school yard pick to decide the teams beginning with the team captains. After a smart round of Rock, Paper Scissors, Zack’s Jedi Mind Trick grants him the opportunity to choose first and, staying true to his alliance, lowers a gold robe over Nicole’s shoulders. Kelsey, 23, a Japanophile is confused by the choice since Nicole was reserved about her background during mingling time.

As the choices dwindle, and with only one more pick to go, Kelsey and rocket scientist, Kayla, 26, are left to face the twist of the first Nerd War. The proposed idea is that there is nothing nerdier than not being picked for a team; last year, the person not picked was given the power to choose the winning team, but had to join the losing team. This year, Kelsey is left without a team and instead of choosing the winner, she must choose a contestant to banish from the game and join that person’s team. Stating that Nicole’s exit from Nerdvana wouldn’t impact the game very much, Kelsey chooses the incognito inorganic chemist and dons a gold robe.

However, Curtis and Bobby then propose that being kicked out of the game by the person not picked for a team must be nerdier than not being picked and Nicole’s prayers are answered. Not only is she responsible for choosing the winner, but she is then allowed to join that team and remove one person from it. Obviously, Nicole chooses the Gold team and obviously, Kelsey is the person made to switch robes. The bad news for the losing Purple team is that two of their members, one chosen by each team, will participate in the Nerd Off to fight for their fate in the game.

Before they announce the nominees, Bobby and Curtis ask each group to share the name they’ve decided upon to represent their team.

Midas Touch Attack is the chosen name of the Gold team: (from left to right, back to front): Josh, Jack, Nicole, Zack and Mary Kate.

The Purple team names themselves the Titans of Rigel: (from left to right, back to front): Katie, Xander, Chris, Kelsey, Brian and Kayla.

The Gold team unanimously votes for Chris and Kelsey is chosen by her team to compete in the Nerd Off, which will be centered on the world of Fantasy with a Harry Potter theme; Nerddich.

From this point, the competitors are allowed time to study for the challenge; Chris is nervous because he’s more into science fiction and immerses himself in the land of Harry Potter. Kelsey feels her fantasy knowledge is well-rounded. When everyone arrives at the Nerd Off; however, answering questions is only half of the battle. A right answer will give each player a shot at flying on the Nerdbolt, armed with six potion bottles, down a course of cauldrons with varying point values assigned to them.

You’d think a bunch of smart nerds would have used all six potion bottles during each run down the course and not flown past half of the cauldrons before taking a shot, but you’d be wrong! Kelsey is a sweet girl, but honey, it was your last chance to score some points! Why didn’t you try to hit more targets? Was it nerves? It was probably nerves.

So, the real life Luna Lovegood is the first nerd eliminated from the competition and it’s a shame. Kelsey was sharp and probably would have figured out that Zack and Nicole are working together, which would have been fun to watch. She and Xander could have done a lot of strategizing in secret since they both speak Japanese; this would have been suspicious to everyone else, but risk is involved whenever you have an advantage.

King of the Nerds airs on TBS on Thursday nights at 10pm eastern, 9pm central. You can also visit The Official TBS King of the Nerds Website for lots of extras and the lowdown on the contestants. Until next time, stay nerdy, my friends.

Survivor BBB Will Be Like BBT Says Spencer from BB (CBS Must Like the Letter B...)

CBS has made it official! Survivor: Brains vs. Beauty vs. Brawn premieres on February 26^th at 8/7 central with a special two hour episode, but the cast has yet to be revealed! Since we have no one to associate with our BBB tribes, I was a little lost on what I could write about for this pre-premiere post. The official release from CBS is four/five paragraphs of the basically the same information and I like to provide my readers with something a little more fun and interesting than THAT.

Serendipitously, I was leaving on a road trip to Louisiana with my ex/boyfriend, (long, complicated story), just a couple of days after the official CBS release and since I’ve got moxie, I decided to tweak the route so that we could go through Conway, Arkansas, home of Big Brother 15 2^nd runner-up, Spencer Clawson. After we got settled into our hotel room on Friday night, I sent Spencer a Tweet to see if he was interested in talking with me for a bit about the new season of Survivor and to my delighted surprise, he was!

On Saturday, I woke up feeling very excited, but slightly nervous about meeting my first Big Brother houseguest. I’m not really a good interviewer; I am much more comfortable with the flow of a natural conversation and I wanted to talk to the real Spencer, not the “coached by CBS on how to talk to the media” Spencer that walked off the CBS lot after the show ended. I also wanted to film it, but once we walked into his house (yes, his house), I abandoned that idea – it just didn’t feel right. Most of our chat would have been off the record anyway and my camera batteries wouldn’t have lasted the five hours I spent nerding out about Big Brother and Survivor with Spencer and Marilyn. Yup! Marilyn was home! And, yup! Five hours…

So, as I said, most of the conversation with Spencer will remain off the record, but here’s what he has to say about the new season of Survivor.

Firstly, Spencer is predicting a “Big Bang Theory” situation on the island after the tribes are either switched up or merged. He thinks one of the beauties will align/showmance with one of the brains despite all of the brawn on the island. I agree! Nerds are cool now, maybe not the nerds still in Jr. High and High School, but teenagers don’t usually have a firm grasp on reality so their opinions are questionable at best because of the change in perceptions that happen in your twenties. (Any teenagers reading this blog that are offended by that comment are probably the teenagers I’m talking about…)

Secondly, Spencer thinks a military-themed season of Survivor would be far more interesting than what they are doing with Brains vs. Beauty vs. Brawn. I agree again! Aren’t brains, beauty and brawn how people group up anyway on Survivor (and Big Brother)? YES! It’s about as original as separating tribes according to how old they are, but after hearing Spencer’s prediction about brains attracting a beauty, I’m a little more excited about the new season. I still think that the military theme is something that the producers should think about and I would also love to see some more Big Brother players. Spencer is down for a trip to the island, by the way, and if he could choose former players to play and align with, he would choose Denise, Malcolm and Penner; Penner and Spencer would mesh very well too, in my opinion.

Spencer and Marilyn also said that they would love to do The Amazing Race together; after meeting them both, I think that CBS should consider it and I’ll tell you why in a bit, but first…

Mostly, Spencer and I talked about BB15. It wasn’t even my intention to talk about BB15 a lot, or about all of the nasty attention that Spencer has gotten, or any of the controversial comments made in the house, but that’s what happened. It is also the reason most of the five hours I spent at his house is off the record. The whole afternoon had a “chilling out with friends” vibe and even before I arrived, I had a lot of respect for Spencer. He’s a really great guy and Marilyn is an equally great gal. My ex/boyfriend and I, even though he’s not into reality TV like I am, had an awesome time hanging out with them.

And I got to see all the awesome BB memorabilia that Spencer was allowed to keep! There was so much stuff! A plastic tub full! I held Spencer’s key, the “Super Ian” crab, Spencer’s OTEV “letter”… I got to wear his chicken suit hat… I so was overwhelmed by all the stuff that I couldn’t focus on taking pictures! Speaking of pictures...

This is proof that the photo I have is actually signed by Spencer. Those are Marilyn hands trying to get that stuff out of the picture. Too late! He was happy to pose again, though.

Now it’s time to wrap this up! I’m back in Conway on my way home and I’ve heard that CBS will be making a big announcement tomorrow/today. Cast info maybe? I’ve also heard that the cast will be all new players, which is refreshing after several seasons of having mixed new and returning players.

Oh yeah, my “but first…” I think Spencer deserves another shot at charming America and with Marilyn by his side during an Amazing Race, he could win over some of the haters. Marilyn would be to Spencer what Caleb could have been for Colton – a loved one to offer a new perspective on someone with a negative stigma attached to them. Spencer is also talking with McCrae about doing a podcast for Big Brother Canada 2 and Big Brother 16. If you’d love to see Spencer and McCrae podcasting Big Brother, you should let them know on Twitter! You can follow Spencer @SpencerBClawson and McCrae @mccraechum.

For now, this blogger is a sleepy girl and she can’t wait to curl up in a hotel bed to watch television she can’t watch at home (because she doesn't have cable/dish) until she drifts off to dreamland.

Thanks again, Spencer and Marilyn, for inviting William and I into your home. We want to be invited to the wedding! ;) Seriously, Spencer, put a ring on it!

Survivor Blood vs. Water: The Final ... Showdown?

When the preview for Survivor Blood vs. Water aired during the Caramoan finale last spring it wasn’t difficult to figure out the gist of what this season would be all about. I thought it was brilliant, but then I thought about One World. I thought the concept for One World was brilliant too when it was announced and here’s my issue with it: One camp – really interesting, totally changes the dynamic of the game, but separating men and women – not dynamic enough, while being overly dynamic at the same time. I think One World would have been much better if they had mixed gender tribes from the start. Putting all those women together was such a bad idea for that cast. Blood vs Water; however, did it right. Throwing in Redemption Island was such a smart way to mix things up in a rendition of the game that could have been an absolute failure. Separating loved ones was an obvious decision; Redemption Island was the real surprise twist that made this formula work. Given the right circumstances, I would have been happy for anyone in this season to win the money and the title, so I’m calling Blood vs. Water a good season of Survivor. Now, let’s talk about the finale.

First off…omg… Laura with the crazy saves during the duel! Remember in Caramoan during that Immunity Challenge when they had to balance on the boxes in the water? Whats-His-Face bobbled around on that thing like a Weeble, but I think Laura’s wobbling was far more impressive. We all know who won the duel, but let me show you why Tina had this in the bag from the beginning. I direct your attention to the photo below.

See what Tina is doing there? She’s using her arms to hold up her leg, which is reducing the strain on her knee allowing her to keep the vase level and much steadier. Laura has the right idea, but instead of using her arms to her advantage, she’s displaying “jazz hands” throughout most of the challenge. Hayden… I don’t know what you were thinking, sweetie, but you put your vase on a slant! In theory, what Hayden was doing was a good idea; keeping the leg straight, locking the knee into place for more stability, but he had no anchor for his heel. Tina’s strategy in this last duel of Blood vs. Water shows that experience means everything in the game of Survivor, which is why veterans typically out-play the new players in such seasons.

So Tina is granted another shot at playing the game and play the game she did! Grandma got back to camp, pulled out her knitting needles and went to town on a strategy sweater. Looking for the idol proved to be a bust, but we all knew she wasn’t going to find anything. Her real move here was talking trying to knit something comfortable for Monica to wear, but that sweater ended up being too short in the arms and scratchy. Ciera was right on it with damage control, though, because at this point, Ciera is playing a winning end-game.

This brings us to another really difficult Immunity Challenge in Blood vs. Water and Tyson pulls off the first of two crucial Immunity wins he needs to win the game. Watch that challenge again. He was focused. All I could hear in my head during that challenge the second time I watched it was the theme to Jaws. When Jeff put the necklace on him for the first time that evening, I was pretty confident he was going to win the next one too. Tyson was zeroed in on the prize before Rachel was eliminated, but definitely, her exit from the game helped him bring his game to a fine point during these last two Immunity Challenges.

So, okay… When I write these blogs, I usually watch the episode at the same time, pausing, rewinding, captioning a picture, etc. I just have to note what Monica says before the first Tribal Council of the night to Tina and Ciera. --- “I’m 100% with them. He’s [Tyson] not going to think that I’m wavering. He’s not going to play the idol for Gervase because he wouldn’t know who to play it for; me or him…Tonight’s Tribal Council; I’m gonna own it. It’s my night. It’s my strategic move…Tonight it’s my call. I’m gonna say who goes home and I’m gonna make my choice on what’s best for me.” ---

Now… <sigh>… At Tribal Council, of course, it is announced that Monica is the swing vote again and she acknowledges it. Ciera throws it down at Tribal Council, again, and keeps it real. Unfortunately, Monica kept it too real, putting far too many emotions into her speech, which wasn’t even necessary since she voted out Ceira anyway! If she had played it cool and confident like Tyson during the Immunity Challenge, made him believe 100% that she was solid w/ their alliance and voted out Gervase, she could have won the game and she would have deserved it.

For the next sequence of events its lather, rinse, repeat. Tyson wins Immunity again, Monica has a second chance to win herself some respect with the jury, but fails again to do so. Tina’s torch was snuffed and before I dive into the Final Tribal Council… NO MEMORY WALK?! Really? I’m still not sure how I feel about this one. As soon as it was gone, I missed it, but the memory walk has been kind of a drag to sit through since Survivor Final Threes came into play, not really sure why that is for me. Really, though, it’s just a mirror of the little recap of the season we get at the beginning of the finale episode, but if I had to choose one of those two, I’d choose the Memory Walk.

So. Final Tribal Council.

The Opening Statements: Gervase made some very good arguments in his favor; he was calm, well-spoken and projected a confident image to the jury. Monica was far too emotional and should have had more confidence in herself, regardless of what anyone else did or said. And Tyson? Talk about a Goldilocks zone! I told you Tyson would charm the jury. Did you see their smiling faces?

The tone of each of our Blood vs. Water Final Three’s opening statements stay in sync as they speak with the jury and answer their questions. Gervase remains composed and Tyson continues to show just enough emotion making his responses sincere and Monica barely manages to put her emotions in check. I think it was Caleb’s request for her to tell him something from her heart that pushed her down the slide, and then Laura said she didn’t know who she was. Hayden tried, he really did, to pull out of Monica what the jury wanted to hear, but she was so focused on Monica at home because of Brad’s involvement in the game that she couldn’t focus on Monica playing Survivor. I don’t know why! She lasted way longer than him and won more challenges than him so I don’t know why she wasn’t totally proud of herself having made it all the way to the Final Tribal Council.

Honestly, I wanted to give Tyson a 99.9% chance of winning in my previous post, but I like making Back to the Future references and I take advantage of every opportunity to do so. There was also the off chance that Monica would make what I thought would be the right move for her end-game. As with all of these reality shows, there is a lot we don’t see because they have to edit hours of footage into 42 minute packages to engage an audience with a storyline. This is why I always give the benefit of the doubt to the players in these reality TV competition games when it comes to their strategies. Maybe Monica was more strategic than I thought, maybe people who think she played a great game caught things I missed, but I don’t think her head was in it. She was playing with her heart not her head. As for Gervase, dude, I’m sorry, bro, but Tyson has this game in the bag from day zero.

So this Reunion Show… I’m really glad that all of our players were on the stage this season. I’m so happy that Jeff pointed out how great Hayden and Ciera were towards the end of the game. She may have bounced around like Happy Fun Ball, but Ciera was an awesome Survivor and so was Hayden. I just wish Kat has made it a little further in the game. She was my favorite female from One World and I’m really happy that she had a chance to play Survivor again – it was really funny watching her and Colton banter back and forth in the beginning. Her time with Jeff during the Reunion Show, though, was totally awkward! That’s why I like, Kat, though, she kind of reminds me of myself.

All in all, I loved watching all of our Survivor Blood vs. Water players, there really wasn’t anyone I disliked – well, there’s Colton, but I’m neutral with him. He’s a great character for Survivor and I’m sure they will try to bring him back to play again just to see what happens. I, for one, will happily watch him self implode again because if you think about it, it’s actually kind of beautiful. He’s growing, hopefully, as a person before our very eyes and now we have a stable person around to help us better understand Colton, through the eyes of someone who loves him. This is what makes reality TV so awesome.

Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty: So I've seen some confirmed picks of about half a dozen of the cast members for Survivor BBB. We've got some more models and such, but the word is that they will all be new players. I know that will make Judd from Big Brother 15 happy! Judd would also, like me, rather see Survivor go back to the classic Final Two situation. He said I could quote him on that in this blog so...

And now, before I wrap this up, I have to share a pic I forgot to include in the previous post. I can't believe I forgot about it! It's from the Immunity Challenge in the episode before the finale.

See you for the next season of Survivor, everyone! Be on the look out for special blog posts until then and... Support Judd in the Reality Rally! :) Be excellent to each other.

Survivor Blood vs. Water: Tyson's Misted Minions Not Swayed By End Game Strategy

This Sunday’s Survivor Blood vs. Water finale is all I can think about! And before I get into talking about the latest episode and what I think is going to go down finale night, I have something important to say to the producers of Survivor: If the entire cast is not sitting on that stage this year I’m going to be so angry with you! What kind of BS was that with last season’s finale and half of the cast sitting in the audience? I was insulted as a viewer! I can’t imagine how diminished and rejected those players felt. They deserved their moment in the limelight, on the stage, all clean and pretty for the cameras and fans. Not having all of the Survivors sitting together kind of ruined the Reunion show for me, Survivor producers, so let’s not do that again, okay? I know I’m not alone on this. And while I’m at it… I get that a “Loved Ones Visit” episode would have been redundant this time around, but NO SURVIVOR FOOD AUCTION?! Come on! That’s one of my favorite episodes every season!

Anyway… It appears that Tyson has indeed Survivor-Misted Monica. Her emotional response to Tyson and Gervase voting to keep her in the game, and her jokey attempt at pulling Ciera over the line in the sand and back into their alliance proves that Monica is not playing Survivor. Sure, all the talking makes it seem like she’s doing something, but it couldn’t be further from actual strategy. If Monica’s head was in the game, she would have known she was the swing vote in the upcoming Tribal Council as soon as Katie was rocked out and she would have made some deals to secure an end-game alliance. Ciera tried to tell her the truth, but she couldn’t swat away the mist in Monica’s eyes. Monica not flipping over to Hayden and Ciera’s side of the beach is the Million Dollar Decision that will lose her the money.

So no one is shocked that Laura won another duel, right? How are we feeling about Tina giving her daughter the boot to the Jury? If you think about it, this move makes sense for Tina. If she makes it back into the game, and to the Final Tribal Council, Tina has experience in front of a Survivor Jury and with Katie hanging out with Vytas in Ponderosa, she has a much better shot at the grand babies she wants from those two crazy kids.

Can the Super Mom Squad defeat Hayden in the final duel, though? Laura is a challenge beast, but I think Hayden is going to take her down. Not that it matters who comes back into the game; they will be Tyson’s target the moment they win the duel and he has misted minions around to do his bidding.

Without her Puzzle Mom around, Ciera shined in the Immunity Challenge and won a nice meal for herself and Hayden – to enjoy at camp!? What’s up with all these food rewards taking place at camp in front of everyone? Usually the players are whisked away to enjoy their rewards at some other location, (a chance to “getaway” from the game for awhile), and this far into the game, one reward also usually involves an overnight stay with showers and clean clothes. Was there not enough money in the budget this season to buy all of the ingredients in the Survivor recipe? Do I need to remind you about the lack of a Survivor Food Auction this season?

This week, Ciera gets the “Throwin’ It Down At Tribal Council And Keepin’ It Real Badge”. It took her awhile, but Ciera is finally starting to back up all my claims that she’s a great Survivor player and I love it! If only she had realized her best game would be played with Hayden a little sooner, like when Caleb was around, she would have had a real shot at winning the game. Unfortunately, it’s probably too late for our Teen Mom because Tyson’s grip on Gervase and Monica is too tight.

So, here are my predictions for how things are going to play out for us on Sunday night. Hayden will go back into the game, but Cupcake King and his minions will make short work of both Hayden and Ciera – unless one of them happens to win Immunity. Immunity is the only thing that can save Hayden and Ciera. My guess is that Ciera will go first because Hayden wins a spot in the final four with the necklace, but one of those other three is going to win the Final Immunity – the only question that remains is: Is this a final two season or a final three? I still don’t know the answer, and I’m not looking it up because I do like to be surprised. Spoilers! I will say, though, that Tyson has an 88% shot at winning the game,(because 88mph is how fast you have to go to travel in time without a T.A.R.D.I.S), no matter if it's a final two or a final three. I guess we'll all find out on Sunday, December 15th during the three hour Survivor finale, beginning at 8pm Eastern (7pm Central - you west coasters are on your own for show time) only on CBS!

Survivor Blood vs. Water: CONFLICT! (But is it Really the Best Episode Ever?)

In a legen- wait for it, because Tyson is still trying to dig a hidden Immunity Idol from his bag during Tribal Council –dary episode of Survivor that many are calling the “best episode ever”, I had to take some time to discuss all of the insanity with my Survivor-Obsessed best friend before writing this blog. He brought up a good point and I’ll get to that later. There’s no time for idle chit chat (pun intended), let’s talk about freakin’ Survivor!

We’re not even two minutes into the episode when – CONFLICT! Hayden pulls out his cards, throws them at Tyson and Gervase loses it! LOL “I got my hand on his back…in his back!” LOL Oh, Gervase… No you don’t. The Cupcake King reigns supreme over his subjects and none shall remove the cherry from oft his ragged cap and all who try to dethrone him will be EXTERMINATED. You’re only around because Tyson thinks he can beat you in the end, and he’s right. Tyson will win this season of Survivor if he’s facing the jury in the Final Tribal Council. No one will be able to talk to the jury like Tyson. I know a lot of people don’t like Tyson, and I get it, but I’ve always enjoyed watching him play Survivor. He may seem gruff with his dry sense of humor, but he’s really quite charming when he needs to be. He’ll be able to sweet talk the jury, which I highly doubt will be bitter, and he has played a nearly flawless game. So, Hayden wins the “Survivor Awareness Badge” for knowing when (and how) to hold them and knowing when to PLAY (not fold) them. Calling Tyson out in front of the tribe after that Tribal Council was a brilliant move and it was the exact thing to do at that exact time for a player in his position. Kudos, to you, Hayden Moss and THANK YOU! That’s what we like to see on Survivor!

At the duel, well, does it really matter? Nope! Laura is a challenge BEAST and if the next duel is the last duel it won’t matter if Tina lets Katie win because Laura isn’t going to give up that easily and she will go back into the game. Does it really matter? Nope! Laura and Monica (yup, bringing Monica into this) are beasts at challenges, but I’ve seen no real, decent strategy from either one of them. Their best chance of sitting across from the Jury in the Final Tribal Council is by sticking together with Ciera to get rid of the boys, but we’ll see if Monica is smart enough to do that in the next episode or if she, like Gervase, has been Survivor-Misted by Tyson. (Same goes for Tina or Katie if one of them win the next duel).

Okay, let’s fast forward through the next bit. Laura gives Ciera the clue to the newly hidden Immunity Idol and she keeps it, but then READS IT OUTLOUD in front of practically the whole tribe?! I keep thinking that Ciera is this great Survivor player, but she bounces back and forth between brilliant and bonehead – if she ends up in the final and wins, it will be deservedly so, but still! Hayden and Katie try to look for the idol, but Tyson eventually “finds” it after an “emotion-filled” confessional with a camera person then he goes off to take a nap.

Gervase wins the most difficult Immunity Challenge I’ve ever seen (or remember seeing) on Survivor and Hayden pulls out his cards again when they get back to camp. Hayden has the Royal Flush needed to take down the Cupcake King, but Ciera and Gervase still think they have a shot against Tyson in the end and don’t want to play Hayden’s game.

I’ve seen every Tribal Council, most of them multiple times, and I have to agree with my best friend. While exciting and full of CONFLICT, to truly call it the best Tribal Council ever, Tyson would have drawn that white rock. Without a vote cast against him, and a hidden Immunity Idol in his possession, it would have been so sweet to see him “Rocked Out” to Redemption Island. I love Tyson and I will not be upset if he wins, but it would have been so awesome to see his torch snuffed in this episode. It would have been the cherry on top of the cupcake. Did you see the emotion on his face talking to Ciera? Do you see it? Everything you ever need to know about someone is right there in the eyes and what this look tells me is that Tyson is freaked out, he's trying to stay calm and composed, but he is out of his Tribal Council comfort zone. He's really anxious when Ciera switches her vote and he can't hide it. Not from me anyway! :) It's really obvious.

And Hayden gets another Survivor Badge from me, the “Throwin’ It Down At Tribal and Keepin’ It Real Badge” for … well… Throwin’ it down at Tribal and keepin’ it real. This is also what we like to see on Survivor, Hayden! You are definitely Survivor All-Stars material.Then there was all the cracking up from the Peanut Gallery sitting in the Jury seats!

I love when the Jury’s spirits are high from all the fun they are having together in Ponderosa, remembering that’s it’s just a game. It’s always around this time in the season that I finally head over to CBS.com to watch the Ponderosa videos, which I highly recommend if you haven’t done so. There are lots of other fun videos and watching these extras really get you hyped up for the finale, maybe even as much Gervase was by Hayden at the beginning of the episode. Maybe.

So in the “Next Time on Survivor” segment, Tina tells everyone that she will let Katie win the duel (refer to the comments above for my response to that), then we see a snippet of a conversation between Ciera and Monica. Good job on being the one to approach Monica, Ciera, because it didn’t look like she was going to make the best move for her game. Good lookin’ out, but please try not to be ironic in the episode before the finale. I would really love to see you make it to the Final Tribal Council because no matter what, you deserve to sit in one of those chairs.

Before I wrap this up, I just have to share a picture that I put together and I couldn't find a proper place for in the blog. I spent too much time on it not to post it. So... I imagine that this is what was on Gervase's mind while he was throwing sand bags at those targets. And now that I see it... Not happy with how the text looks, but...Not going to spend more time on it. I have some other really freeze frames; maybe I'll Tweet them between now and the next episode.

I also want to let everyone know that just because Survivor is about to wrap up the season, doesn't mean you won't have good reasons to read this blog. :) I plan to keep you entertained in the agonizing months between seasons of Survivor. Don't forget about the second season of Big Brother Canada! It starts in February as well and I plan watching it in whatever manner I must. If you haven't seen the first season of BBCAN, you can watch all of the episodes on YouTube. I promise, you'll love it. All my love to Marsha the Moose! Hope you aren't too cramped in that box! :)

And don't forget to check out the blogs of my fellow Your Reality Recaps bloggers! :)