Eolivet

Lolo is like ... Kaitlyn levels of batty. Maybe she's not "psychic third eye" batty but she's "fly off the handle at everything, real and imagined" batty. That alliance was doomed to failure, especially since Lolo and Natalie are athletes and Tom and Kato are ... washed up 90s personas. Tom wasn't wrong that Ricky's coming after him (and sooner rather than later), he just overestimated Lolo and Natalie's desire to stay in an alliance with two older dudes as a final four. Made me long for Kaycee and Level 6 and "all for one and one for all" rather than "you targeted this other guy we like, now you're dead to us." Lolo and Natalie are going to flip-flop their way into the final four. They've had and broken alliances with practically everyone left. Dina, watch out -- you're next.

Huh, I had sort of put the idea that Rebecca could end up with Josh on the back burner, but that was an interesting scene between the two of them. Unlike Nathaniel, she actually kissed Josh -- and Josh sort of looked into it before he realized Rebecca wasn't exactly in the "able to give consent" head space. I've long maintained that in order for any of these existing relationships to be the one where Rebecca finds true happiness, we need to see the love interest's feelings as a developed character. Nathaniel is sort of the only one that is fulfilling that criteria right now, but this is the first time since Josh got Rebecca the mural that I feel like we have some sort of insight into Josh's potential feelings (or lack thereof) for Rebecca. Is Josh just the reliable best friend/roommate or is he "save the best for last?" (your first is your last? something?) But I doubt that it's Greg, especially after this episode. I guess we'll find out.

I actually think Motto quit to prevent being eliminated. I sort of buy that he wanted to go back and help his community, but I almost think he knew he wasn't beating Ariel, he didn't do well at the pass, and he realizes how much Ramsay loves Mia, and wanted to go out on his own terms. And I respect that, but if Ramsay was cutting two at this elimination, I think Motto had about a 50% chance of going home anyway.

I count eight 20somethings and under -- which is less than David vs Goliath at nine (although that was a 20 person season, right?), including one under 30 returnee. Clocking in under Ghost Island's record of 11. This cast seems less diverse than David vs Goliath, but maybe it's because of the returnees. David Wright's pet peeves ... he's so clever. I missed him, a little. Joe is just ... why? When Malcolm exists?

Which is why I'm glad Jay didn't cut Corey. That was all Morgan's idea. The one thing I will say for her is I didn't see any lingering feelings for Monte when he arrived. I have no doubt he'll pursue her, but I truly think she's still hung up on Corey. She was annoyed when Monte arrived, but only because it made her life complicated. Not that she was "on the floor, calling for her therapist." See, I think she does connect with Corey -- she doesn't want to, but she feels something, and that's why she wants him gone. If the show contrived of a way to put them alone together, I'm sure she would start that sort-of flirting all over again. I have seen no evidence she feels anything for Jay other than friendship and convenient physical attraction. Jay is too loyal to ditch her completely, and because something is better than nothing, but what a mindf***k. I'm hardcore rooting for them to break up, which is probably not what the show wants. Lost in all this was Nelson's crush vote on Janelle that Darian low-key tried to take credit for. Another person (Darian) who clearly feels nothing for his ex. I sort of hate that this Morgan drama is eating the show, but I guess she's the only one with issues -- both Jozea/Rob and Cheyenne/Murray seem to be solid for now. Chad/Nicole are creepy-cute, but they keep foreshadowing an ex will get between them, somehow. At least both of them seem on the same level of attraction, so it'll be entertaining and not just pitiful.

I've not seen Jay crying since he was with Adam in the hammock on Survivor, and um ... I don't like it, make it stop. Wow, Morgan is awful. And to prove how much she cares about Jay, she ... runs after him? Apologizes? Begs forgiveness? No, she breaks down in crocodile tears and waits to be comforted by everyone, because it's not fair and life is so hard. #FreeJay Didi is bringing the snark and the funny, and she kept that "OGs talk trash about the singles" segment from being the equivalent of a root canal. "I'm a hooker? You're a porn star!" Farrah's speech was something else. Although "kicked in the vagina" really starts to lose its impact after you've heard it ... approximately 35 times.

Ricky ... in the paraphrased words of Peter Venkman from the OG Ghostbusters: when someone asks you if you want to be in an alliance, you say YES. I'm not sure he would be on Tom's radar had he just agreed to be part of #TeamFun 2.0. I did sort of love Tom and Kato's exchange, where Tom asks -- very seriously -- "Isn't the point of this to get out the strong people, not the weak people?" You'd think that would be obvious, but it was kind of interesting to see it articulated like that.

There's a "Kato Kaelin finally hears something at the back door" sort of joke that I'm still not awake enough to make yet. Joey -- and Dina -- both have yet to learn the lesson of "when it's early in the game, and alliances aren't set, throwing a pity vote to someone doesn't make you nice, it just makes you a target." However, it looked like Joey went right up to Kato afterwards (from the ending scene mumblings) and started throwing Ricky under the bus. Ricky needs to make a move, and soon, or he's gonna be one of those players who reads the house perfectly, but never has the numbers to put that knowledge into use. I also kind of love that Ryan is gone, because he was the last dude who looked like he could've been on actual Big Brother. The dynamic duo of Kato and Tom Green isn't a demographic we ever get on OG Big Brother anymore.

For my money, I absolutely lost it at "super weird" for "f***ing weird" in Tango Maureen. Freaking (or effing) was too much to ask? Agree with everyone who said they should've just bleeped the curses/mature references. To me, the most bizarre change was in the Life Support song: "Because reason says I should've died six months ago" (instead of three years ago). I have no earthly clue why that was changed. There also seemed to be a couple changes because the references were dated or obscure (Benny was no longer a lapdog to "a wealthy Daughter of the Revolution," for example). And a heck of a lot of changes just so Mark (or others) could play exposition fairy (if one of the slides says it was the early 90s, do we really have to specify "December 24, 1991?") But they can shoot those ridiculous "fake Bohemian government titles" in La Vie Boheme straight into the sun.

Except between Angel opening her eyes like she was possessed at the beginning, and then being dragged away while singing, it seemed like she was being carried off by the AIDS demons. I always thought her death was the, ahem, climactic moment of the song, but this played more like a kidnapping. I mean ... it was fine, but to me, it missed the anger and passion of the original -- which I realize is impossible to capture, especially without the cursing. I wanted to see them spit the words to "La Vie Boheme" like they were dirty words (I mean, did the director tell them, "you're ostensibly singing to the yuppie scum who think you're trash, and trying to get a rise out of them?") And don't even get me started on the lyric changes. Why can we not say that "Mark Cohen will preview his new documentary about his inability to hold an erection on the high holy days" at almost 10PM Eastern time? Also, who turned "What You Own" -- a song about disillusionment -- into a triumphant ... crowd-surfing number? Did the choreographer listen to the lyrics? Characters cannot sing "We're dying in America to come into our own!" with a smile and their arms raised above their head. While I thought Vanessa Hudgens outshone everyone with her energy (with "Over the Moon" and "Take Me or Leave Me" both standouts for me), I realized that the most anachronistic character in this is Mark. The ironic, detached narrator is sort of a 90s relic, and his energy may have been the most difficult to duplicate. I liked what Jordan Fisher did with the role, but it was a totally different Mark in terms of tone. And I think that's nobody's fault, only that it's impossible to replicate that feeling today. But for a show that is so dependent on the energy of its cast to elevate its material, like I believe Rent is, that low-energy dress rehearsal really did them no favors.

I loved that so much, including Gratuitous Karaoke Moment ("in ten years you'll realize, this scene doesn't hold up"). The ending was interesting, because while Nathaniel "woke up" from his "starring" in a rom-com, there were scenes very reminiscent of rom-coms: the revelation in front of a stranger, the awkward, but sincere conversation about wanting the person to be happy, which usually triggers some kind of emotional revelation from the person later on. I feel like I've been incepted a bit, but I feel like this rom-com isn't done yet. (I'm sure they cut for time the scene where Nathaniel is grudgingly introduced to Maya's odd art, and is startled by how much it humanizes and softens her persona, and he starts to feel as though maybe he's misjudged her) Is it my imagination or did madeover!Maya even wear Rebecca-type clothes? The magenta dress and business suit at the end seemed Rebecca-esque. Not sure if that was intentional.

When Julie said, "Stay tuned for more breaking news twists throughout the season," anybody else think that was code for "If anyone else quits, we will also pretend they were never really a part of the show." I swear that's their new tactic to save face.

All Jonathan had to do was let Dina go on the block. That's literally all. he. had. to. do. And he still doesn't get that one move ruined his whole game. Another super-fan with an early exit. I'm glad others are as skeptical as I was of the "Mooch twist." I'm guessing (no spoilers, I know nothing) he agreed to 10 days, because Julie said "It's day 10 in the Big Brother house" at the beginning of the show. Kato Kaelin knows a thing or two about sensational headlines, doesn't he? Still, I was shocked he won the Veto.

I disagree that it's like spoilers -- most of these guesses were made on social media while the show is airing (in addition to people posting here), and literally become trending topics week after week. I've never been spoiled for Survivor or Big Brother if I'm watching in real-time, and unlike those shows, the show asks you to be a part of social media and tweet your guesses. If they're going to constantly give clues, people are going to get bored once they've guessed the celebrities. If I want to stay unspoiled for Survivor, I don't go into spoiler threads and I stay off social media if I'm not watching live. If I don't want to be spoiled for this, I have to avoid social media even if I'm watching live? For me, that doesn't compute.

Now that's more like it. Best episode so far. Diandra with Janelle's ex, Darian, was such a perfect set-up -- including having the whole house watch it. And production sends Janelle's biggest enemy in the house on a date with her ex (and makes her read the note about it). That was some good TV (including Maya and Nurys injecting themselves into it). Farrah is something else. I sort of see how it might get someone's hackles up to see one of their sworn enemies talking to their ex, but that was Janelle's battle to fight, not Farrah's. "She kicked me in the vagina" was sort of classic, though. These people are going stir crazy -- they remind me of people who've been cooped up in a house for too long (and that's literally what they've been doing). Jozea and his ex was a good story (and I enjoyed their tenuously resolved conflict), although I don't know on what planet "I slept with your ex to prove he's bad news" makes any sort of sense. Planet Jozea, apparently.

I hate that they continue to give clues every week. Unless some of them are going to be red herrings/completely fabricated, it sucks the joy out of the show, because the audience has the Internet and can look these things up. I feel like this has become like in Survivor when someone finds a hidden immunity idol and then keeps getting more and more obvious clues for it, progressing from "X marks the spot on the horizon" to "where two palm trees meet" to "dig here, idiot." Next season, I hope they give false clues, don't give the heights of the performers, potentially eliminate more than one at a time and in general, speed the show up a bit. I think they were worried that if the performers couldn't be guessed, the audience wouldn't be into it, but I feel like the guessing game (which gave the show its excitement) is just an exercise now and the show has become "tune in to see famous people singing in weird costumes."

I'm slightly impressed that Ryan seemed to at least know the concept of a backdoor, even if he didn't say it. Not happy he's now targeting Lolo, though she kind of brought it on herself. Did Ryan and Lolo hook up at the Olympics or something? Whenever they're onscreen or talking about each other, I feel like I've flipped back to Ex on the Beach. Love or hate Tamar, she's reading this beautifully. She figured out faster than most regular BB seasons that the boys are always going to try to have their own alliance. Hope the girls team up and vote out Jonathan. That move to save Dina was too cute by a half. thank u, next.

I thought Jonathan was in a good spot, but he may be this year's Shannon -- overplaying too early. That Ryan gave two names to the alliance, and suddenly it was someone different doesn't bode well. And Ryan's ... um ... lack of intelligence may help protect him, because everyone knows Jonathan is the brains behind the operation. (and now I just thought, "he's his big dumb puppet!" and I have to go slap myself in the face repeatedly)

I wish they'd saved the "winning pair faces off and loser becomes a nominee" for OG Big Brother, because that's a twist they could use -- with throwing the first HoH comp being a super-fan staple. Before the twist, I hated that two of three super-fans (Tamar and Jonathan) were trying to win the first HoH. They should know better! And does Ryan Lochte suddenly look like Peyton Manning or is it just me?

I used to think there's no way that Rebecca would end up with any of the three guys, but the scenes with Nathaniel gave me pause. He's had bonding scenes with Heather, Greg (though that ended badly) and now Josh (maybe others? I know Valencia doesn't like him) -- bonding with them independent of and unbeknownst to Rebecca. Maybe that's way too subtle, but it's interesting how the majority of Nathaniel's scenes have shifted to Rebecca's friend group vs Whitefeather/Mountaintop. I feel like that wasn't the case when he and Rebecca weren't a thing. I could also see Rebecca and Josh, as I noticed tonight how all the couples consist of one ideas person and one dreamer/spaz wrangler (Paula/Scott, Valencia/Beth, Heather/Hector). Rebecca/Josh -- as a healthy couple -- could fit in to that mold. If that's the case, they're going to have to up the "roommate tension." It's been completely platonic thus far. Could also see Rebecca ending up with new guy or no guy, but I agree after tonight, not Greg. So, they had sex. Isn't that all they used to do? What exactly is different?

This is really old, but I went back in the Media thread and didn't see it posted. While Jeff may be more involved in casting (and this guy has a de facto title), here's an article about the guy who formally replaced the former casting director: https://survivingtribal.com/2018/09/14/survivor-casting-director-report/ He cast Big Brother: Over the Top and the last two seasons of the Amazing Race (which ... was on so long ago, I don't remember. There were Big Brother players on that season, so I wonder if we can expect more of that on Survivor going forward). (Wow, remember when we all speculated that the casting and winner of 37 and 38 must've been awful for the casting director to lose her job, and then David vs Goliath was the best season in years, with an excellent winner? I don't see how that didn't buy her more time, no matter how terrible 38 ends up being. Though for my money, I don't love her choice of returning players. But 37 wasn't enough to save her job?! Oh well.)

A tie sends both people home! Survivor should adopt this quite frankly. I'm sort of amazed Nurys voted for Kareem to go, but I guess she's interested in Nelson now, not Malcolm? That Jay and Corey fight was embarrassing for all involved, but I think my "favorite" part was when Morgan said, "If I could just turn off my emotions, then I wouldn't have kissed Corey." Corey had it 1,000% right before -- she's stringing Jay along. I really liked the Cory Z/Murray/Cheyenne triangle. Cory Z came in thinking he was going to destroy Murray's happiness, and old feelings resurfaced instead (history! emotion! conflict!) Such a contrast to the over-the-top "I know you are, but what am I" Jay and Corey fight. I can't believe the Free Farrah shirts. This show is nuts.

Which leads me to wonder about the longevity of this show, even week-to-week. Once all the stars are guessed, it becomes just a novelty singing competition. I was actually shocked we got more clues this week. I will say that I enjoy watching (presumed) older stars take on newer songs, like this is a reverse version of American Idol (where young hopefuls often sang older songs). But assuming this show comes back next year (if the ratings hold), I think they really need to cut down on the clues.

If you watch, do let me know. The stories get punchier and more sophomoric as the night rolls on. (and okay, the story is now like, 35 stories long, and goes from roadtrip inanity to roommate inanity). I think I just miss Survivor (gonna be a letdown after David vs Goliath), and the Amazing Race (where I could totally see an abbreviated version of this gas saga), and it was so nice to see Jay acting like a normal human being with a sense of humor, instead of Morgan Willett's emotional punching bag on Ex on the Beach.

Anybody who has Instagram and is in the mood for "high quality entertainment" in the downtime between Survivor seasons needs to go on Jay's account from Millennials vs Gen X (he's jqskim, and he's private, so you have to request to follow him) because he just did a 17 Instagram story saga about him and Adam stopping to get gas somewhere outside Vegas (where they were with a group including Angelina for Adam's birthday weekend), and Adam not knowing how to work the gas pump. Also hilarious if you don't like Adam, because he looks ridiculous, and it's almost four minutes of Jay just laughing at him. Instagram stories expire in 24 hours, so catch this high quality entertainment while you can. Anyway, I had no idea where to put this post, because both "Media" and "Past Seasons Talk" seemed like a stretch.