needschocolate

Maybe Tyler and Laura should have peed on the potatoes. It would be a quicker and easier way to get them wet than spitting on them.

The sharks must get some background info before filming. There is no way that Kevin just happens to know the names of the top one or two companies in each field. That may also explain why they don't seem to ask some of the more obvious questions (and, each segment is probably much longer than we are shown so maybe the obvious questions sometimes get cut). Paleo woman - I couldn't decide if she was really nervous or a little off her rocker and over zealous. If she was very nervous then I may actually feel bad that her results were 2 "your bars suck" and 3 "you suck" Fisherman guy - I thought he gave a very good, natural presentation. I can understand when a shark offers exactly what was asked for and the entrepreneur starts asking if their are other deals, but, otherwise, I think it is really rude for a shark to say any version of "take it right now or I am out" threat. Glasses guys - I only wear cheap cheaters, so I am no authority, but I can see how some people may like what they are selling. However, I don't think there was any way those guys really wanted a deal - they just wanted some free advertising. Air car - Hey, Pat Boone looks good for 80. I hadn't heard of air cars before, so I thought it was intriguing. I thought they said it takes 4 hours to fill the tank with enough compressed air to go 100 miles. If that is correct, then that is 4 hours to fill for 1.5 - 2 hours of driving - definitely not the car to take on vacation. I didn't understand why, if they are already being manufactured in India and Europe, why they had to make protypes in the US. I got the feeling that the real reason they want to produce these cars in Hawaii is because they want to live in Hawaii. The rationale they gave seemed week. It is a set of islands that have ocean breezes, it is not like pollution just hovers over Hawaii all the time. It would make more sense to me to focus on an area that has a bigger pollution problem, but I guess they couldn't get that deal from the main company.

I forgot this was on and tuned in half way through - so I only ended up seeing the rib guy. I am glad to see that there were 3 stories, I figured there were only two. I wasn't impressed with the rib story - it went on too long and I wasn't interested in what happens to Bubba. Also, it seemed too staged or reenacted - like they had him re-do meetings so they could have them on tape. I will give the show another try, but I have a feeling that, unless I remember the products well and am interested in how they turned out, I won't be a loyal viewer. And off the top of my head, I can't think of any product that I thought "Hmm, I wonder how well they are doing?" I thought they should just package the sauce separately - just put a plastic bag of sauce in the box with the ribs. That way, people could heat with or without sauce or could use the sauce for dipping.

I agree that Dan and Will are the ultimate goats. I think Caroline is sortof goat-ish too, in that I think Caroline's only chance of wining is if she goes to the final with Dan and Will. However, this is solely based on people (who are now on the jury) not liking her so much that they voted for her despite there being bigger immunity threats in the game. On the other hand, Jenn (and maybe others) said that they felt Caroline is the brains or the Tyler/Caroline pair, so maybe they would give her their vote over Tyler. I guess the only thing I am sure about is that the editors/producers are trying so hard to keep the audience guessing (or to create some excitement in a rather low-key strategy-wise season) that it is difficult to have any idea where anyone stands. If the winner is anyone but Mike, and perhaps Rodney, the audience will be left saying "Huh?" I think Tina and Colby's final 2 alliance was fairly secret - it may have been known that they were in an alliance, along with other people, but the fact that they promised to go to final 2 together was not common knowledge. I believe Colby was honoring that promise by taking Tina instead of the guy he could easily beat. I hope someone who remembers the details better than I do will confirm/deny/elaborate....

I know Tyler (and Caroline) are sure that they are part of the final 4 and that Dan and Sierra are being strung along. Dan, and perhaps Sierra (who knows what she is thinking), believe that they are part of the final 4 and Tyler and Caroline are 5th and 6th. After all, they are all members of the BC and were allied with Rodney from the start, . Do we know for sure what Rodney's plan is? Has he said in a confessional that he wants to go to the final 4 with Tyler and Caroline (along with Will)? If I were Rodney (and, thank goodness, I am not) I would rather have Dan and Sierra in my final 4 (along with Will) --- ---- There is a fairly good chance that Tyler and Caroline would respect the game play enough to vote for Rodney, even though they may feel he stabbed them in the back. They would certainly have more respect for Rodney's game than for Dan's or Sierra's, whom they seem to see as sheep (judging by Tyler's comments at the reward). Conversely, Dan is too emotional and would probably be bitter and not vote to give Rodney a million if he ends up on the jury (not sure about Sierra - once again, who knows what she is thinking). ---- There is a very good chance of Rodney winning the final immunity challenge if he is completing against Will, Dan and Sierra. Conversely, Tyler and Caroline may each be able to beat Rodney, and Rodney would likely be the one to be voted off at 4. --- If Rodney ends up sitting at the Final TC with Tyler he may loose. I am of the impression that the people already on the jury would more likely vote for Tyler to win, than for Rodney, although I am not entirely sure that is true. This all assumes that Mike doesn't make it to the end. If he does, I think has a very good chance to win.

It is true that as long as a player is looking at his/her options and deciding what to do, they have a strategy, It might be a boring one (even to them - "hey, looks like I should continue to stick with the group an do nothing exciting this time"). My post about why there hasn't been any strategic gameplay, should have been about why there hasn't been any interesting-to-watch gameplay.

Hey, wanna touch the hand I used to rub my spit on the potatoes you were hoping to sell?

I missed a lot of the early seasons. Never saw Kendra, never saw Flo. Based on what I have read, I feel rather fortunate, yet oddly intrigued.

Note to Hayley - Let's assume for a moment that you are correct, that you are always correct, and that Blair is always wrong, and that you have always told him exactly, specifically, without any hedging, what to do and that he has not done it. Let's assume that what you say is true - that he doesn't listen to you. The operative work here is "listen" - He doesn't listen to you. Not that he doesn't "hear" you and you need to talk louder. Not that they doesn't "understand" you and you need to repeat yourself. Yelling and repeating yourself ad nauseum is not going to make him "listen" to you or do what you say. It is making him tune you out. Perhaps if you had only yelled and repeated yourself when giving him instructions, he might be able to listen, but the yelling and repeating after the fact - constantly saying "I told you so" - has likely ruined any chance of him listening to you for the rest of the race. Putting him down and calling him an idiot has only guaranteed that he will not listen to you in the future - would you want to pay attention to someone who calls you and idiot? Your only hope now is to stop talking. Completely. Get a note pad, right down your opinion/instructions and hand it to him. Be sure not to start your note with "Blair, you idiot" and resist the urge to write any version of "I was right" and "You should have paid attention to my last note." I generally cut the racers a lot of slack for things many consider "ugly American" - things like gagging at local food or saying that something smells disgusting. Sometimes these reactions can't be helped - it is near impossible to hold back your gagging reflex. They are tired and stressed. They may be asked their opinions or have been asked to describe things for viewers (just like they must be asked to mention how wonderful it is to open your trunk with your foot or how incredible the fitbit is). But the spitting on the potatoes was over the line. I cannot think of any culture that doesn't think that spitting on something/someone is an insult. And they spit on food. I can overlook using water from the bottles they have ben drinking out of - they were acting quickly. But spitting on the potatoes was the worst show of ugly Americanism I have seen on this show. That said, other than the potato spitting, there has been a wonderful lack of ugly-Americanism. No yelling at locals no thinking that a cab driver should care that you win a race for a million dollars, no acting like they are above doing something the locals do every day.

They haven't had to strategize because their hasn't been a need for it for most of them or it has a small chance for success for the unlikely few being Pagonged --- Here's why --- 1) It has always been a large alliance vs a small alliance (or a small group of outcasts). There has been no reason for any of these people to flip or try to vote out a threat from their alliance. Because the large alliances have been so much larger than the small ones, there is little hope of the members of the smaller alliance to woo over enough people from the larger one - a few weeks ago, when it was Shirin, Joe, and Jenn as the small alliance, the big alliance had 7 people in it - they needed to get 3 people to flip to have a chance of staying in the game. Two TCs ago, it was 6 vs 3 (because Mike was suddenly on the outs) and they would have only needed to get 2 to flip but Jenn still wanted to go home and Mike probably thought he had a chance to get back in with the BCs. 2) There has been one challenge dominator at a time and they were always part of the small alliance - Joe was it until he was out - and once he was out, Mike became the challenge threat, but he was now on the small alliance side. You have to really dislike your alliance to flip and join an alliance that has the guy who will probably win his way to the Final TC. 3) There are so many unlikable people playing and the people on the jury are more likely to vote for someone on the small alliance. Members from the large alliance aren't going to flip to join an alliance wit people that are liked by the jury. 3) Dan is dumb. Rodney is the only one who seems to have really implemented any sort of strategy - he has been able to convince 2 different pairs that they are part of the final 4. Dan doesn't realized that he is the bottom of that alliance (although he may now). Then again, this may not be a good example of Dan being dumb. He has been with Rodney since the get-go and if you were going to the final TC, you would rather be sitting next to Dan instead of Tyler, so it may make sense that Dan thinks he is going to the end. Then again (again), Dan thinks his great game playing will get him a million so maybe he does think he is a bigger threat than Tyler. Now that I think about it, why would Rodney would want to sit on next to Tyler at the Finale? Why Tyler would want to sit next to Rodney? Maybe Rodney does plan to take Dan after all. Anyway, the gang of six has no reason to strategize until next tribal, when they have to get rid of one of their own. I am not sure that finally having strategic playing will make this season any better. We seem to be heading to us to a finale made up of people who would probably all be considered goats in most any other season (IMO the only hope for a non goat is Mike). Blech!

Seriously? Nothing I have to say is worth hearing 3 times. Hereby "erasing" the triple post

Apparently, the great rulers of the internet felt that this was a sentiment worth repeating. I did not, so I am "erasing" the double post.

In his CBS bio, Will says that one of the things he hates is when people don't admit they are wrong. I guess he truly doesn't think he did anything wrong, but his lack of a fake apology implies that he thinks most of the others do not think he did anything wrong either. Although, he may say has too much "integrity" to lie about it, but if he realized that there the others think it was wrong, then he probably would niot have continued it at TC last week. I think that his 15 minutes of fame has gone to his head and he thinks that everyone loves him. Same with Dan and his preaching. I am guessing that Rodney spun a story about Mike flipping (Rodney's "facts" are often manipulated), using Mike not going with the auction plan as evidence that Mike was no longer with them. Dan felt betrayed by Mike at the auction, so it didn't take much to convince Dan that Mike had flipped.

I can see this conversation --- The Powers That Be (TPTB): Make Kalinda's apartment look like she left in a hurry. You know, leave the drawers hanging out and mess up the bed. That kind of stuff. Set director (SD): Why would the bed be messed up? TPTB: I don't know, maybe she hid money under her mattress. It'll help make it look like she left in a hurry. SD: Want me to leave some clothes scattered around? TPTB: Her clothes have been sent to the costume department. We don't want to spend the time or money on the clothes. Leave the place empty. SD: But if Kalinda left in a hurry, there is no way she would take all her clothes. She's going on the lamb with a couple of suitcases and a trunk? TPTB: Yeah, I know what you mean. You want to explain it to Juliana? SD: Okay, so completely empty room and messed up bed. Got it. TPTB: Good. Oh, and leave a hairbrush lying around. SD: A hairbrush? Why? TPTB: We want the place to look like she lived there. SD: Sigh.....(muttering under her breath) First they have me set up offices that look like they are in a warehouse, then after we get all that done, they move back into the original office set. Now I am taking an empty set and making it look empty, but lived in? I wonder if Big Bang Theory needs a set director....

Meanwhile, according to Dan's bio, Dan hero is his father. Too bad he isn't close to his family - huh?. Dan's bio is quite laughable, based on what we have seen of him on the show. It is too much to quote here, but I especially liked this part -- I didn't know this before, but, apparently, the abbreviation for "delusional" is "Dan"

Can you imagine how mad Will would have been if he found out when they all got back to camp that he could have returned his "prize" and would have gotten to eat something tasty and/or gotten a letter from home? Of course, he would have found some way that it was Shirin's fault.

I honestly don't get why people dislike Caroline. I don't understand the basis for calling her "smug." I know she found the idol back on White Collar and I know she flipped on White Collar and/or the Women's Alliance, but that doesn't seem enough to garner so much dislike. I don't hate her, I don't like her, I have no real feelings about her at all - I don't know her. She seems like such a non-entity to me. I thought last night's episode was the first time she spoke on camera since the merge. But there seems to be an almost universal dislike of her by the viewers. What have I forgotten or blocked from my mind? I am not sure Dan will realize that Rodney's flip makes Dan look like an idiot - Dan has looked like an idiot many times without realizing it. However, if Rodney flips, Dan will not vote for him to win, because he has to prove that "Flippers never win."

I lulled myself to sleep last night by playing this TC scenario in my head --- Mike shows the HII and hands it to Shirin. Shirin thanks him and puts it around her neck. The six all have looks of "oh crap!" on their faces, after realizing they need to vote for one of their own and they has no chance to discuss it. They vote. Jeff says, if anyone has a "Hidden Immunity Idol, now it the time to play it." Shirin stands up, takes the idol off her neck, and hands it to Mike saying, "thanks again, but I don't think I will need this." Mike keeps his idol, Shirin and one of the six goes home. (ETA: Hey, Snaporaz, I like the way you think) From then on, as long as either Mike or Shirin win immunity plus the possibility of Mike/Shirin using the immunity idol (making both of them safe) means the six (or 5 will have to target one of their own to keep themselves safe. I think it was a great plan, even if it didn't work out as I hoped (see first paragraph above). With Shirin gone, and Dan and possibly Sierra realizing where true loyalties lie, Mike might get back into an alliance. If Dan uses his extra vote wisely (an unlikely scenario) there is a chance that Tyler goes home next and and then there is little to stop Mike from riding the immunity wave to the end (I think Caroline has a chance to win any challenge that typically favors women - like standing on a small perch).. I tend to be of the opinion that you should keep you HII secret and use it to blindside, but since Mike is now an alliance of one, even if he doesn't win immunity next week, the six will have to split the vote, targeting one of their own. Dan and Sierra didn't flip to Rodney's side, they were always allied with Rodney - The Blue Collar Alliance. Some have mentioned that Dan thinks flipping is bad and yet he has flipped, but I don't see where Dan has flipped. He is no longer loyal to Mike, because of the move Mike tried to make at the auction.- it was Dan that he said "no, you go first" to. However, Dan has stayed loyal to the other Blue Collars (Sierra and Rodney). Yes, Dan is in an alliance with Tyler, Will, and Caroline, and he hasn't voted against any of them, so he is still loyal. Of course, once they get down to the six, Dan will have to vote for one of his alliance, an it would probably be Caroline, Tyler or Will but that doesn't mean he flipped. We know that Dan is not part of the Core 4 and that Dan would have a better chance of making it to the end if he (and Sierra) would have believed Mike and they would have joining with Shirin, Jenn and Mike last week and voted out Tyler/Caroline/Will/Rodney, but Dan doesn't realize this. I find it rather fitting that Dan says that "Flippers never win" but he will lose because he never flipped (and by "lose" I mean he won't make it to the Final - Dan has no chance of actually winning the million) No one but Tyler and Caroline know about it as of now (as far as we were shown). My guess is that it comes into play next week when Tyler has to explain why he voted for Dan. Tyler will likely say that Dan was a threat because of the extra vote and Dan will get into a huff because Tyler went through his bag.

The next stage is that it becomes a show you like to make fun of - I am very close to that point, actually, I may already be there. The more people that get to that point, the more fun the forums are to read. TGW could become another "Under the Dome" (although the acting may be too good for that to happen).

Your post made me realize a way that Will's behavior at camp, TC and on twitter would be "okay" - if he and Shirin were in a secret alliance and his attacking her was part of their plan - gets her a little sympathy, creates a little fear of him, keeps their secret alliance off everyone's radar.

I wonder if this Alicia loses everything scenario was the plan all along. When did they come up with it? Was it when they realized that her being SA would a bad idea? Was it earlier, when the realized that the election stuff was unwelcome by viewers? Was it even earlier when the firms merged and they needed the firms to merge so it would be Alicia vs Everyone? Or was it way, way back when the firms first split up. Perhaps they have always had a years-long outline of where the show would go and this was part of the plan. To me, it feels like they are coming up with this stuff on the fly. I actually said, out loud, "Bad time to have appendicitis." I am hoping is either said "You deserved it, Bitch" or it is along list of Alicia's friends who also slept with Peter. I fear that all their investigator work will now be done by the guy with the kids. I think Kalinda set up Dexter, she used his flash drive and she knew he had named the flash drive as soon as she plugged it in and that is could be traced back to him. She also is too computer savvy ("hey, I found the hacker in Russia") to not know that the "failed to eject properly" window would come up. However. I thought it was out of character for Kalinda to set up Dexter and I lost a little respect for her. A few episode ago, during Cary's seemingly never-ended trial, Kalinda seemed remorseful that she inadvertently got one of the innocent "employees" killed, but she had no problem setting Dexter up? This got me wondering if Dexter was the guy who really taped Cary, leading to Cary's arrest. I remember there were 3 "employees" suspected of wearing the wire, and that Bishop killed the wrong one (or two?), but I don't recall if Dexter was the "bad guy" - if he was, that would explain why Kalinda had no problem setting Dexter up. Well, he wasn't careful enough to use a password on his laptop...

Based on his behavior at TC, I would probably view any apology now as a hollow one - more that he was forced into it than he sincerely regrets it. If it were just the behavior at camp, I can see that the is a chance that editing came into play and there was a lot more leading up to the altercation than we saw, but the bullying at TC is a different story. He had time to calm down and step back by then. We know that there was a period of time where Mike, Jenn, and Shirin weren't with the rest of them after the screamfest and TC, yet he continued his ranting and bullying. Sure, TC is said to take ours and is can be heavily edited, but I can't imagine what could have been edited out at TC that would make his behavior understandable and not worthy of regret. The treatment of Shirin has got me wondering what is it about her that makes her a target - what is this "scent" that bullies seem to pick up on? I know plenty of people who were nerdy/talkative/shy/chubby/homely/short/dressed differently/geeky/etc that weren't bullied. I have long suspected that it was how the victim reacted to the bullies - if you show it bothers you, it is like blood in the water to the sharkbullies. But I don't know if that is it, or if there is more to it. No one ever deserves to be bullied and I am in no way suggesting that it is the victim's fault, but if we understood what makes some better targets than others we might be able to help people like Shirin not be bullied.

I feel like they have the same set of 8 "characters" as they did last time, but played by different people - the home cook, the snarky guy, etc...It is like FN has these 8 character types in mind and they choose people and edit them in a way that makes them that character. Unfortunately , I can't remember last season's cast well enough to know if my theory is true.

I have heard that if you can't talk while you jog or walk or exercise, then you are working too hard and should slow down. Haley had no trouble talking/yelling at Blair when they were riding, so they probably weren't going too fast for her. She may have wanted him to ride next to her so she could be sure he heard her yelling, but I am thinking that she was just looking for something to complain about. Since she had no proof of being lost or wasting time, she had to yell about him riding too fast or in front. I wondered why Blair rode in front since it would give her something to blame on him if they took a wrong turn, but then I realized that it is harder to hear your partner if you are in front of them. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if she told him to lead (how else can she blame him when something goes wrong?). I used to try to give her the benefit of the doubt (it's fatigue, he is ignoring her, etc), but now I am just done with her harping.

Or they should have had the letter I in different fonts, so it wouldn't look so much like roman numerals. Or they should have had two eyes. Then J/J could have asked the judge "Is it the Retina Skating Rink? The Pupil Skating Rink? The Cornea Skating Rink? The Cataract Skating Rink, one eye looked cloudy?"