Because Russell has been getting so much attention, and it’s well-deserved, we haven’t really spent much time with too many of the other contestants.

This week, we got a chance to spend a little more time with Yasmin. In fact, Foa Foa got to spend a little more time with Yasmin. And she proved herself to be quite a … personality. When the episode opened and she was talking about how out of sorts she was in the jungle, it reminded me of Cirie. I loved Cirie. Okay.

But then she got to Foa Foa and decided she was going to “help” them. What what?! Read the rest of this entry »

Jeff Probst promised that we’d see the worst villain ever in the history of Survivor, and it looks like he’s going to be able to deliver on that promise. How could someone play the game with a shit-disturbing strategy and expect to win? Indeed.

I’m pleased to see that there are already several distinct and exciting personalities on the show, across both tribes. Even better, so far the tribes appear to be evenly balanced. And Jeff couldn’t resist throwing some more “twists” our way. Read the rest of this entry »

It is a valid question. How did three outnumbered tribesmen manage to eliminate a rival tribe of six players to be the last team standing … and Erinn? The trick was keeping an eye on the big picture. While Timbira got distracted by their own internal power struggles and feuds, the Jalapao three were able to carefully orchestrate their elimination one by one.

Going into tonight, I was feeling pretty confident that JT had wrapped this thing up. I even said so in Thursday’s review of Survivor. I’ve watched all but one season of Survivor, and I’ll probably go back and watch “The Amazon” just so I can stop having to asterisk my devotion to the show.

Generally, I’ve developed a pretty good feel for how things are going to play out, which is why I should probably be on the show. There comes a point where everyone is just going to act and react a certain way based on what’s been going down, leaving the only real wild card as the Immunity Challenges. With the social game direction established, it’s just in controlling those Challenges. So did JT do that?

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He’s likable, he’s smarter than everyone seems to think and he’s a tough competitor in these challenges. And yet, everyone is basically letting him run the show. Yes, I’m giving away right here that J.T. didn’t get voted off Survivor tonight, so if you don’t like it you can suck it! I once wrestled a polar bear to the ground to get the coordinates to the Swan Station from it so I could save Charlie from Kate’s horse, so I’m not afraid of you. Oh wait, that was Coach. My bad, sometimes I mix up fiction and fact.

I’ll admit, I’ve been a little unclear as to where the real alliances have been this season, though many of you have had no problem following all the blatant lies these yahoos have been telling one another. And it continued tonight, though at the same time it wasn’t a surprising elimination at all.

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This is getting to be about the most annoying group of players I’ve seen in a long time. I have a new player that I think may just run away with the whole thing, and it’s more because of the crazy strategies the others are employing than any skill or merit this person has.

As expected, Coach and Debbie were on the ropes this week when Tyson was blind-sided last week and eliminated. Which would mean that it might be beneficial to try and approach Sierra, mend some fences and maybe try and take down the power players. But really, who are they right now? It’s not as clear which alliances are solid as it usually is by this point.

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Yep, it was another week of Adam Lambert being oh-so-cool on American Idol, Coach thinking he’s all that and a bag of chips over on Survivor, and Gordon Ramsay having screaming hissy fits on Hell’s Kitchen. What reaffirmed our own lives as decent hard-working folks before the reality television genre came into our lives?

I watched a few of the new scripted shows the past few weeks, too. While I enjoyed The Unusuals and Southland, there’s nothing quite like reality TV celeb-wannabes. For me, Harper’s Island seems like a reality TV based show. Sometimes I think the folks in the Big Brother house might want to off each other one by one. I’m sure those Real Housewives would like the concept!

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Who doesn’t love a good villain? Anyone? I thought as much. Classic big screen baddies like Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter get all the pub, but there are just as many evildoers committing dastardly deeds on the small screen. J.R. Ewing, Simon Cowell, and the Cylons have all excelled at donning the black hat, but everyone knows about them.

I prefer to focus on a few antagonists who deserve more credit for being  lying, cheating, murdering scoundrels. These are a collection of my favorites and is not meant to be a comprehensive “Best Of” list. Enough of my blathering. Let’s get the show on the road. Read the rest of this entry »