reward challenge-related stories
Posted Nov 13th 2009 1:02AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E09) If you haven't watched this episode of
Survivor, stop right now. Watch it. Oh, don't go by the expression on John's face. That's the face I had when the show started. Yet now I'm downright perky and alert. For me, this started off being a real iffy season. But, as folks really play the game, I'm all excited about it all over again. Some play it poorly, but there are a few movers and shakers this season.
Continue reading Review: Survivor Samoa - Tastes Like Chicken
Posted Oct 16th 2009 1:55AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E05) We're into the fifth episode of
Survivor and I'm still getting some of the cast mixed up. True, they're mostly on the larger Galu tribe -- the ones who keep winning, yet we only see a focus on a select few. We all know "Good" Russell and Shambo. Did you know that someone named Brett is on the Galu tribe? No. Really, I'm not kidding. He got some airtime tonight. At this point, they could stick in stunt doubles and we wouldn't know the difference!
Continue reading Survivor Samoa: Walking on Thin Ice
Posted Oct 8th 2009 10:53PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E04) So far we've had one of those lopsided seasons on
Survivor. We've seen this happen before -- one tribe keeps winning, the other keeps right on losing. The numbers on the latter are decimated going into the merge which allows the stronger tribe to keep picking them off one by one. I prefer things a bit more evenly matched. The tribal losses affect both the strong and weak players across the board. Once a tribe keeps losing every challenge, morale goes down. Then they lose some more.
Continue reading Survivor Samoa: Hungry For a Win
Posted May 1st 2009 2:52AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E11) Yes, it's the Tribal Council snake from
Survivor. You see, Sue Hawk (season one) called it. Remember
her epic speech to Richard Hatch and Kelly Wiglesworth? "There are two things on this island, snakes and rats." I'm looking at the group we have left this season. I'm thinking there are more fuzzy mice than snakes and rats. I think there's a vulture or two in there, too. But this is one season I'm not rooting for the snake to eat the rat.
Continue reading Survivor: They Both Went Bananas
Posted Apr 24th 2009 1:04AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E10) As tonight's episode of
Survivor started, I prayed to the gods that it wouldn't be Coach-centric. Alas, there was plenty of Coach spouting his wisdom, his Warrior Alliance theories, and his general Coach-isms. After all, he is the Dragon Slayer, y'know. I so wish this Little Lord Fauntleroy Willie Nelson oddly-attired man would vanish from my television set. Maybe tonight?
Continue reading Survivor: It's Funny When People Cry
Posted Apr 17th 2009 1:18AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E09) No, the biggest fraud isn't JT. I think we all know the biggest fraud on
Survivor this season. He's the castaway we'd probably vote "Most Annoying." If we examine recent current events, we can see that many fraudsters are getting their just desserts. Will we be lucky enough to get Coach gone from our TV screens?
Continue reading Survivor: The Biggest Fraud in the Game
Posted Apr 3rd 2009 12:50AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E07) Phew! March Madness is over and we had a fresh episode of
Survivor on its regularly scheduled night! Although the episode title mentions Coach, I didn't want to use him in the image above. I've decided he's not Little Lord Fauntleroy -- he's Willie Nelson's odd spawn. You know ... the one they don't mention in public.
Joe (above) played a rather pivotal role in tonight's episode. he showed he's thinking ahead and he could have just flipped the whole game. Or maybe he just tried to flip the game not realizing he was flipping at all. Have I confused you yet? Read on!
Continue reading Survivor: One of Those Coach Moments
Posted Dec 11th 2008 11:25PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S17E13) Now, this was one deliciously yummy episode of
Survivor. But I'm not talking about gastronomical goodies although a few of the castaways had some decent food. I'm talking yummy in regard to the actual events of the show and how things are winding down for Sunday's big two-hour finale and reunion show. Why, things couldn't have gone more to my plan if I were pulling the strings on the puppet castaways myself. Read on past the jump for my full review of tonight's episode.
Continue reading Survivor: The Good Guys Should Win in the End
Posted Nov 20th 2008 11:06PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S17E10) "This is going to be the funkiest night of your life. Wait for it. Wait for it." - SugarAll in all, I found tonight's
Survivor episode one of the most satisfying ones to date. And, that's talking a lot of episodes since I'm talking starting from the first season. Since I watch and write about so many reality television shows, I usually try to step back a bit and not get really involved in whom I want for the win or the folks I emphatically want booted sooner rather than later. That way I'm neither disappointed, nor do I personally jinx things. But I couldn't have planned tonight's episode any better than it went down. Read on!
Continue reading Survivor: Nothing Tastes Better Than 500 Dollars
Posted Oct 23rd 2008 11:10PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S17E06) "Don't you mistake my tears for weakness!" - Crystal
This is a weird season of
Survivor, isn't it? Sure, we've had lopsided tribes and constantly losing tribes in previous seasons. Yes, we've had tribes who don't work well as a team before or ones which were divided. We've definitely had alliances before. But if I were on the show and had that hidden idol, I wouldn't be telling anyone. I'd hide it for my own use if needed. This is just crazy. Just when I think things can't get much more bizarre and disjointed, they do. Read on!
Continue reading Survivor: He's a Snake, But He's My Snake
Posted Apr 24th 2008 10:45PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S16E11) "Oh, it's going to be awkward." - James
Okay, we might be having a rather lackluster season of
Big Brother, but
Survivor Micronesia is kicking strategical butt. These castaways aren't messing around. They're not fickle and, once they've made up their minds on a plan, they follow through. They're diabolical and sneaky. I like that in my castaways. It's good to see some real strategy for a change even if I might not always want to see someone go so soon. Yes, I'm talking Ozzy. He's history and I think I have new favorites now. Yeah, I'm being fickle. What of it?
Read on past the jump for the full review of tonight's episode.
Continue reading Survivor Micronesia: I'm Ruthless ... and I Have a Smile on my Face
Posted Apr 17th 2008 11:00PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S16E10) "When you're annoying, you might not be able to appease everybody with a donut. They might just want the donut." - James
All week the promos for tonight's
Survivor Micronesia episode were saying that a blunder would overtake James having two idols and not playing them to save himself in
Survivor China. It's true. James is no longer the goat of stupid moves. Maybe they should rename the tag line for the season. Instead of
Fans vs. Favorites, it could be
When Smart Castaways Do Dumb Things. Or,
When Smarter Castaways Outwit Those Not as Smart.
Read on past the jump for the full review of tonight's episode.
Continue reading Survivor Micronesia: I Promise ...
Posted Apr 3rd 2008 10:44PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S16E08) After a brief hiatus and some odd scheduling due to March Madness,
Survivor has returned! Oh, you might not be as excited but after watching so much
Big Brother, it's nice to hear someone refer to another as a "lying sack of slop" instead of totally foul-mouthed. Not only did it return, but tonight's show explored a bit of new ground in the fans vs. favorites arena.
Read on past the jump for the full review.
Continue reading Survivor Micronesia: A Lost Puppy Dog
Posted Feb 28th 2008 10:48PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S16E04) Holy eels, Batman! Er, wait. It's the Hulk, Joel, not Batman. But some of the castaways on
Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites do seem a bit cartoon-like, don't they? Or perhaps more along the lines of caricatures. At four episodes in, I'm still a bit iffy on some of the names of the fans tribe. But some of them seem larger than life. Joel, Mikey B., Chet, Krazy Kathy -- they're memorable. After tonight, I definitely have a firmer grasp on Tracy.
Continue reading Survivor Micronesia: That's Baked, Barbecued and Fried!
Posted Feb 7th 2008 10:43PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
Survivors ready? It's not just any old fans ... it's SUPERfans going up against returning castaways in the latest incarnation of
Survivor. Just how super are they? After all, they're calling the returning players "all-time favorites" and we're talking Jonny Fairplay and some more obscure players. But the concept itself is different and it's sure to be fresh this year with a new dynamic.
That said, tonight was a smidgen predictable and a lot odd.
Continue reading Survivor Micronesia: You Guys are Dumber Than You Look (season premiere)
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