the tribe has spoken-related stories
Posted Nov 27th 2009 2:02AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E11) Oh my. Evil Russell from
Survivor looks like some sort of deranged Buddha gone bad in this screen capture from tonight's episode. Tonight, like every Thanksgiving episode, was the clips show boasting previously unseen footage. It's not surprising that they do this each year. With the format of the show, they can't run a real repeat. And, if they were to air a new episode on the holiday, many folks would end up missing it. I'm usually disappointed with the footage shown, but tonight we did have a few surprises and interesting bits -- nothing earth-shattering, mind you.
Continue reading Review: Survivor Samoa - The First 27 Days
Posted Nov 20th 2009 12:30AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E10) Now, isn't this a good time to be a
Survivor fan? Part of the problem with long-running reality shows is that they've run out of ideas and it's hard to keep things fresh and new. They end up depending on whatever outlandish and over-the-top characters they can line up for the season. Some are a dismal failure. Case in point, "Coach" Ben Wade last year. Sure, he was a nutty kind of guy. But he couldn't play the game well despite all of his bravado. This season is casting done right. And tonight's episode was just as good as last week's show.
Continue reading Review: Survivor Samoa - The Day of Reckoning
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 Nov 6th 2009 1:00AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E08) I know this photo might be considered sort of spoilerish for the front page. But since last week's
Survivor promo showed the merge going down, I know you all know Evil Russell will attempt to work everyone. Heck, that's what the guy does. To me, he comes off akin to a snake oil salesman. Yet he seems to get people to believe his wily ways. I bet he could have sold a lot of snake oil a century back.
Continue reading Review: Survivor Samoa - All Hell Breaks Loose
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 2nd 2009 2:28AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E03) If I had my druthers and could choose which weirdo to watch take over
Survivor between Evil Russell and Ben "Coach" Wade from last season, I'd surely go for Russell. Don't get me wrong. I don't like Russell. I wouldn't invite him over for dinner or send him a birthday card. But he's playing the game and, despite saying he's not there to work, he works around camp and at the challenges. However, his expertise in work at camp is playing mind games. Wade did diddly. Now if only I knew what a druthers was.
Continue reading Survivor Samoa: It's Called A Russell Seed
Posted Sep 18th 2009 1:46AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E01) CBS just came off the highest-rated season ever of
Big Brother. Will they be able to repeat the deed with
Survivor: Samoa? You know, it's very possible that they just might do it. That is, if the season premiere is any indication.
Right off the bat, they gave me a reason to watch (other than I write about the show). I want to see Evil Russell knocked down by a woman. He's not to be confused with Good Russell, nor Russell on
Big Brother. Nor even my brother, Russ. He's nasty, I tell you!
Continue reading Survivor Samoa: The Puppet Master (season premiere)
Posted Aug 27th 2009 10:40AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Survivor, Casting
The unveiling of the
Survivor cast probably isn't "exciting" (cough) as the unveiling of the
Dancing with the Stars cast because those cast members are celebrities. We don't know these people, but we do know that there will be hot chicks that look good in bikinis, older people that will probably be voted off fairly early, and a villain. CBS says
this season's cast will feature the "biggest villain ever."
Oooooooooo!
Posted May 8th 2009 12:40AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E12) Would you prefer what's in the covered dish or what's behind Door Number Two? Okay, I lied. There is no door, just the dish. But, just think a minute ... if there was a door, perhaps Coach would be behind it pledging his never-ending Dragon Slayer hot love and devotion to you! That would make it all worthwhile, wouldn't it? This was the
Survivor auction week, always a world of gastronomical goodies. What I'd like to see is Coach on a platter at Tribal Council. Is that asking too much?
Continue reading Survivor: The Ultimate Sacrifice
Posted Feb 19th 2009 2:30PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Survivor
Possible spoiler follows, though I don't think so. But I'll still use the word "they" instead of "he" or "she."
It must be hard to go on a reality show. Besides the insults you're bound to get from viewers, critics, family, and friends (unless you win a bunch of money, of course), you have to leave your job for quite some time. Then again, if you're going on a reality show to live on an island or in a house or whatever, you're probably looking for another life for yourself anyway.
One of the contestants from
Survivor has been let go from their job. But they don't seem to care.
Continue reading Survivor contestant fired from job for going on TV
Posted Feb 14th 2008 11:00PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S16E02) "Get a hotel room," Jonathan says.
Let's keep in mind that the castaways on
Survivor Micronesia have been together for four days as this episode was filmed. Now, that's plenty of time for true love, isn't it? And, the fact that it's airing on Valentine's Day makes it all so much more romantic, right? How touching, how sweet!
Well, unless it's only hot jungle sex noises under the fronds surrounded by rats, that is.
Continue reading Survivor Micronesia: The Sounds of Jungle Love
Posted Dec 6th 2007 11:41PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S15E11) Is it possible for Courtney from
Survivor China to lose any more weight? I think my bones are fatter than she is. Okay, I understand that she's always been a thin person, but this is getting downright skeletal. Todd isn't doing all that much better. In Todd's case, his head is too big for his body now. Well, his head is pretty big because he thinks his game play is all that, too.
You see, if you go in with a healthy weight like Denise, you remain much more substantial should you make it near the end. If I were ever to go on the show, I think I'd prefer to go in sturdy and use the show as a weight loss program. But to go in skinny is just silly.
Continue reading Survivor China: Going for the Oscar
Posted Nov 2nd 2007 12:01AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S15E07) Oh, I so love it when karma comes around and bites someone in the butt, don't you? Tonight's
Survivor China had such a moment that it's destined to go in the show's archives as a classic, yet hilarious, blunder.
It was Yau-Man Chan's original plan during his season gone into motion through sneaky actions and dumb mistakes. And, after watching tonight's show, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving person.
We all saw the promos. Instead of being as smart as she thinks, it turns out that Jaime might be more dumb than anyone ever thought possible. After all, I didn't think she was dumb. Well, not until ...
Continue reading Survivor China: I'm Not as Dumb as I Look
Posted Oct 25th 2007 11:41PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S15E06) Now that I've been reviewing
Survivor: China using the actual episode titles, I have to worry that the world might run out of exclamation points. Everything is always so ... so ... emphatic in these titles. Perhaps the castaways, Courtney in particular, should save energy and not exclaim so much. I mean, after all, there has to be wasted calories, right? Todd doesn't have much meat on his bones, either.
At least it won't be a reenactment of the
Donner Party, I guess. Although that might be better than the seasonal gross foods challenge which took place in tonight's episode.
Continue reading Survivor China: That's Love, Baby! It Makes You Strong!
Posted Mar 28th 2007 4:42PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, CBS, Survivor
Finally, one of my wishes might come true: Survivor is seriously considering moving the show to a colder climate.
Canada, to be precise. Host Jeff Probst reveals that show creator Mark Burnett is thinking about doing the next season in Canada, because they're running out of jungle/island places to go to. They probably aren't really running out of places to go, but after a while all of these places start to look and feel the same.
Probst is worried that a colder place would a.) be worse for the bodies of the contestants and b.) you wouldn't have chicks in bikinis. Well, for the first concern, I think that's the reason to do it. Give these contestants a challenge the other contestants of other seasons never had. And for the second concern, I have the solution.
Hot tub!
Seriously, the show needs a kick in the pants, and a colder world would really reinvent the show a bit.
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