Woo! It's Tony!

Tony!

As mentioned last time, Spencer had to win immunity or he was going home. He was too big of a threat and would have won for sure had he gone to the end, right? That's ok, he's totally going to be on the next all-star series. Don't feel bad.

He didn't win immunity because Kass - of all people - won it in a completely crazy come-from-behind victory. She was WAY behind the other three going into the puzzle portion of the challenge and then completely blew them all away - even Spencer.

Oh, yeah, rewinding a bit (I get so excited!)... the Survivors' family members arrived for a visit and got to hang out for a while and watch them compete in the challenge. We all love the family visit, right? Do you cry a little bit? Come on, now. You do. Kass all of a sudden seems like a real person when her husband is there. Woo's cousin (who, like Woo, says very little) is there, along with Spencer's sister and Tony's best friend. The teariest part came when Tony was talking about expecting his wife, but then seeing the friend instead and being so disappointed not to have his wife there and then talking about having to leave his 4-month-old daughter and etc, etc.  Sniff... sniff. It's great TV because we see them for months on end as characters and then having the family there makes them real all of a sudden. Bloggers everywhere are suddenly nicer. True story.

As another aside, Kass made some pretty interesting points during last night's episode. She's monumentally disliked by the jury members and she talked about how - if she were to make it to the end - she'd have to appeal to them based on being the only woman left and that she got there by playing super hard (true). Playing super hard gets you labelled a bitch if you're a woman, yet if a man does it - say, Tony, for example - he's an amazing player. Granted, people were pissed at Tony too, but they still gave it to him in the end for playing the better game. Do you think they'd have seen it that way if it were Kass vs. Woo at the end?  I'm not so sure.

It's a moot point, because once Kass did not make it to the final two.

Backing up.

Spencer was clever in noticing that it was likely going to be a final two instead of a final three this season. I liked it better. You? I have always hated the final three. It takes too long with the jury, plus it's always between two of them anyway with the third person just there as filler. Two is better. So, Spencer appealed to Tony by saying look, if I go home and you're left with a final three and you don't win immunity - either Woo or Kass is going to take the other one over you.  That was a good prediction, but Tony took the risk, as he always did. The risk paid off, though not for Spence.

So once it was down to Tony, Kass & Woo, there was one more immunity challenge. It was super close between Woo & Kass, but Woo pulled it out.  Then he had to choose who to take to the final. It was a tough choice. You'd think he'd automatically pick Kass, right? But Tony's play was to appeal to Woo's sense of honour - that he'd played the game one way the whole way, and he shouldn't change it up now. I don't know what I would have done in the same place. It's easy to say you'd pick Kass too and the jury later said that Woo would have won over Kass (again, is this sexist, or was she really that annoying?) But, I think it was the right play to make. He made a great argument for playing his own game - yeah, he didn't play as hard in the sense that he made giant moves like Tony, but it's still a strategy to play under the radar and be social and not make enemies. As much as I'm not a fan of the "honour and integrity" thing as the be-all and end-all of this game, it is a strategy that has worked for people. And it looked like it was going to work for Woo. People were HARSH on Tony - especially for the swearing on his badge/wife/daughter/mother/father's grave stuff.  He was a little flapped and looked panicked, but was pretty good actually about saying, you know - I'd never do that in real life, but this is a game and yeah, I'd do anything in the game to win. Two totally opposite strategies that could equally work. (As an aside, in the reunion show, Sarah said that she pretty much can't stand Tony because he apologized to her at first about the whole 'swear-on-my-badge' thing, but then apparently went on Twitter to be mean to her.)

Where was I? Right... I thought Woo was going to take it. He came off pretty articulate, and not so, "Whoa, Dude!" like you'd expect. Everyone was super harsh to Tony. Then Spencer gets to go last (how do they come up with the order, anyway?) and he basically tells the jury that they should not be bitter and vote for Tony because no matter how you look at it, Tony played the better game. So, did Spencer win it for Tony? Maybe. What I do know is that Tony is still a bit of a weird guy. BUT, he played a hell of a game that - as we mentioned before - was reminiscent of Boston Rob, but on the first try vs. the fourth. Even Jeff said he was impressed how many people came out to play this time. (Jeff, btw, had to apologize to Spencer for apparently telling him there's no way in hell he'd win. He still didn't win, but he earned Jeff's respect. Now, how is it that Jeff can think that about Spencer when a guy like John Cochran won? There have been a LOT of very unlikely winners. Jeff?) (Oh, can we mention as well that when Tony & Woo got the last breakfast, they wondered if they were perhaps eating "beef bacon?" Lovely.)

I also know that Woo - for all his kinda "dumb surfer-dude" personality was a true class act. Never once did he seem down about his loss, but just kept congratulating Tony and shaking his hand. He said he played it like he wants to live his life, and good on him. Woo's a good man. I think I'd even like Kass in real life. And I hope I never get on Trish's bad side.

I also enjoyed that Morgan referenced the fact that she's pretty and her breasts during her jury comments. Awww, she's pretty.

I think I enjoyed that they kept going over to "Jeff in LA" during the finale too. Though, really, a bit of a time waster. There was no "walk of remembrance" this time, speaking of time wasters. Way to go, Survivor, you're finally catching on. It only took 28 seasons.

Send me your comments! I'd love to hear 'em.  And thanks for reading and putting up with the late posts. Finally, if you know anyone at CBS, tell them I'd happily write this stuff for them. On time. I promise. See what you can do.

The Greatest Final Four Ever.

OK, so I missed another week and now I'm combining two weeks again. Forgive?

I was sad to see Tasha go. Tasha should have made it to the end. But we still have Spencer. Spence is a machine! How much did you love seeing him catch up to Tony last night in the immunity challenge? As long as he's up against Tony in a puzzle challenge, Spencer will always prevail. Tony himself admits he sucks at puzzles. Spencer does not suck.

But let's get down to it, shall we? 

Tony voted out Trish.

In case you missed it, the four surviving alliance members had to vote one of their own out because Spencer did not suck at puzzles.  Here's the thought process:

Tony: Go to the final with Kass & Trish. They're not well liked - especially Kass. They both suck at challenges - especially Trish. Cut Woo.  Tell Woo that he'll be in the final three with you.

Kass: Tell Woo Tony's plan. Make sure he doubts Tony.  Poke the bear. Make Tony crazy.

Trish: Yell at Kass. Tell her she is awful and hateful and annoying and that you cant' stand her.

Kass: Smirk at Trish 'cause you know she hates it.

Trish: Hate Kass more.

Tony: Kass, you're out. Forget it. I'm with Woo.

Woo: Wait a sec.... Tony promised me final three AND Kass AND Trish. Whoa! That's FOUR.

Spencer: Watch the madness unfold.  Separate Tony & Trish. 

We all know no one can touch Tony.  Tony smartly has kept his idols and is untouchable. So, you vote for Trish or Woo. Everyone wants to sit next to Kass in the final. No one on the jury likes Kass.

The advantage of voting out Woo - he's liked on the jury.
The advantage of voting out Trish - you separate Trish & Tony as a voting block.

Kass & Spencer pull in Woo, who's now convinced by smart, smart Kass that Tony isn't to be trusted. They decide to vote for Trish. Tony - always the cop - overhears them.  Ummm... how does no one ever look around them when they're chatting? 

Thing is... Tony could have saved Trish.  He could have given her his immunity idol.  Instead, he gave it away to Jeff, not playing it at all. He hangs onto the 'special' idol in the  hopes he can convince the others that he can still play it (he can't). Smart. Instead of saving Trish, he votes for her. Did you catch it?  Why would you vote off your #1 ally who you know you can beat in the final?

My guess? Well, Trish is a vote for Tony on the jury, so there's that. Woo - potentially - is not. If I'm Tony, I think I can maybe beat Woo at the end anyway, so it doesn't matter. Everyone knows Woo's been basically following Tony, so it would probably be easy to convince the jury that all the strategy belongs to Tony.  Trish won't actually know Tony flipped on her because all four people voted for her. And... maybe it's just so that he won't have to listen to her any more about Kass. And maybe so she'll go eat something and not die. Thoughts? 

We're down to the final four: Tony, Woo, Kass and Spencer. Two original Brawn vs. two original Brain.  I have to say, I like all of them. As much as both Kass and Tony infuriate me - they (along with Spencer) have played the BEST game of Survivor since Boston Rob... and they've done it without four tries. Kass and Tony would be horrible to play with. They are so unpredictable, but it has worked for them. Who in the history of Survivor has flipped teams and been so completely annoying and bad at challenges and has managed to go as far as Kass?  She's such an amazing observer of behaviour and relationships and so completely opposite of Tony, and yet the same as Tony in so many ways.  Kass knows how to make Tony completely unhinged. No one else can do this.

As for Tony, he's had some good luck, sure. But he's also been extremely smart and has played without emotion - in a good way. He's focused on winning and has paved his way to the end smartly, by making good alliances, by using people outside his alliance when he needs to, and by being a great talker.  Who goes outside of their alliance to vote and then comes back to the people he left out of the decision - not just once - and ends up still pals? Tony. It's crazy. And of course, having 2 idols and not having to even use them. Just letting everyone know you have it and you're not afraid to use it. Idol deterrence.

Spencer has of course been awesome in all ways and is still the player to beat.  He's likable. He's a "challenge beast" (which is crazy given how poorly his team did at the beginning, remember?). He's played amazing strategically. I mean, he's been on the bottom from day one and has managed to always come out on top again. Again, some luck, but also some great game play. Knowing when to engage people like Tony and when to shut up and listen and watch things just unfold around you.

Woo. Well, not a lot of chance of winning, but you never know. Woo hasn't played a hard strategic game, no. But let's all remember Natalie, shall we?  Remember the mute blonde that Russell Hantz took to the final? She won because yeah, Russell played the better strategy... but everyone hated Russell along the way.  If it's Tony, Kass & Woo at the end, Woo has a chance to win based on the fact that he's just more likable than the other two. He's like a happy-go-lucky family dog. And I mean that in the nicest way, honest. He's cool, and sweet and unpretentious and would be a great guy to give a million bucks to if Tony screws up his answers to the Jury. 

I'm still voting for Spence. But it's all going to depend on the next immunity challenge. If Spencer doesn't win it, there's no way any of the other three would keep him around. They all know they won't beat him in the final. Fun, right?

The grand finale is next Wednesday, don't forget. Yay!

On Juicy Ribs, Juicy Gossip and Amazing Brains

Sorry guys for the late blog again. I have two episodes to catch up on. I won't spend much time on the one from two weeks ago except to say Jeremiah got voted out and Spencer played his immunity idol, thinking that it would be him. Jeremiah was shocked that they could vote out someone so beautiful, but is happy that as a male model, he'll go back to making lots of money anyway. Thankfully, now people will appreciate him. He's a Mer-MAN, dammit. (Anyone?) Really, I didn't mind Jeremiah. He seemed like a nice sort, but maybe wasn't the best at strategizing and got himself on the unlucky end of an alliance - as did Spencer and Tasha.

Now... Spencer and Tasha... are the underdogs who just keep on keeping on! How much do we love them? This is why Survivor is always good - because folks like Spencer & Tasha by all rights should have been voted off about seven episodes ago, yet somehow they find a way to keep going. There's a tiny bit of luck involved, for sure, but the biggest part of it is that they are playing the game HARD - doing things like finding idols, winning immunity and getting into people's heads. More on that later.

They had the Survivor auction, which is always good to watch.  This was the first time ever that so many people held out for a game advantage rather than spending their money on food. That meant that the food that was available went for a song to people like Kass, Trish and Woo. Seriously, the best part of the whole show was when Woo got himself some BBQ ribs and a beer and talked dirty to Jeff ("Those look so juicy! "I can just imagine what the meat will feel like in my mouth.") (Seriously, I am not making this up.) (I cannot believe I just typed it, but it's true.) (AND, it came with background saxophone music and an almost slow-mo shot of Woo taking his first bite, followed by his first sip of beer, complete with BBQ stains on mouth.) (Seriously.)

Spencer, Tony and Tasha all saved their money and were told that they'd have to draw rocks for the advantage. Tasha declined to play - I suppose because she figured there still could be another advantage?  That could have paid off - but in the end she ended up with nada.  Tony drew the rock that gained him the advantage and ended up with a clue to another immunity idol, which he found. So now Tony's got a regular idol and the powerful one that lets him use it AFTER the votes have been read. He wisely decides to show his new idol to his alliance - partly to show off I think, and partly to let them know that he trusts them and they should trust him. Why the trust issue?

Spencer knows he's in trouble. He plants a seed with Tony that the women could use Tasha in a women's alliance that would get rid of the stronger men (more on that later). Cue to Tasha hanging out in the water with Trish, Kass & Jefra. Tony gets paranoid and thinks, yes, this could be true. Spencer tells him that Jefra was planning to oust him (true) and was ready to leave the alliance (also true) when LJ was voted out. Tony comes up with a plan where he could get rid of Jefra just to keep the balance between the ladies and the men. Also, it turns out he can't vote out Tasha. Why?

Because Tasha's AMAZING!  She has won the individual immunity for what? The third time in a row? Beating guys like Spencer, Woo & Tony is pretty great. (Kass, Jefra & Trish are all no great shakes at the challenges.) So with her having immunity, it looks like it'll be Spencer going home, right?  Nope.  Tony and Woo decide to vote with Spencer & Tasha against Jefra, sending the last of the beautiful people home. Crazy right?

The fun part now is that Tony and Woo did not tell Kass & Trish about their change, so now what? Kass & Trish are gonna be pissed! They're obviously going to try to get rid of Tony. Again, this bodes really well for Spencer and Tasha, who now can work with whoever they want, right? Thing is, Tony's pretty much impossible to get rid of. Tony can let everyone vote for him and use either his regular idol OR his other idol to vote off whoever he wants, essentially.  Mind you, if I'm Spencer and/or Tasha, I don't care who I sit with at the end. Spencer and Tasha both win over Tony, who's played a great game but has screwed over everyone on the jury, right?  And no one (except maybe Tash and Kass) speak as well as Spencer. Woo's likable, but everyone sees him as Tony's puppet. Kass has made one big move, Trish hasn't really.  (Can we discuss for a sec how often Trish points out how skinny everyone else is? Trish is just about invisible, she's so thin!) Sarah and Morgan being on the jury would never allow anyone to vote for Kass. The fight is between Tony, Spencer and Tasha for the win. Tony's got more ammo, but you know how it works in the movies when the good guy runs out of bullets, right? And isn't the good guy usually smarter than the brawny bad guy? Just sayin'?