30 Helens

That was a challenge designed for tall people, so of course the Purples lost. They had the shortest people. There was literally no place for Jess in that contest— she wasn’t strong enough to bear the weight of the end pieces, and as her grasping upstretched arms proved, she wasn’t tall enough to place the middle blocks. I guess Bhanu thought if he screamed loud enough, he could scare her into growing a few more inches? I was hoping Bhanu’s crazy talk would provoke a last minute vote change. I will miss Jess and her cheerful quirky personality, but at least she had a very classy exit. I get Venus’s frustration, and I’m sure she was in pain, but she did not handle that conversation with Soda well. She could have earned a little sympathy with her injury, but instead she went on the attack. Forcefully telling someone “you have to listen to me more” is a good way to make them listen to you less. If I’m ever in a situation where Liz starts to cheer for me, please stuff a gag in her mouth. That was not support, it was a verbal assault.

So it’s agreed, we all nominate Troy as the People’s Champion in our Trial by Combat against Gregor Clegane Yogesh?

I don’t know who’s writing what and when, but today’s episode just felt different. It feels like Sonny may have to start answering for some of his actions. Which could mean that others may also lose their Teflon coating. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but for the first time in a long time I’m excited to see what’s next. And considering I have to deal with the return of Jasbot, that says a lot.

I wonder if Lisa Ann Walter is feeling the pressure now… Good for Ben, but he needs to up the confidence level if he’s going to take on Yogesh. I know it was just his buzzer stance, but he even looked like he was clutching his heart for much of the show. Same here. I’m still swimming in donuts, but at least I can dunk alongside the champs.

Some heavy hitters are going out early in this tournament! First Cris, now Ray. I did not expect Ike to take this one, but I’m happy he did. I’ve heard several interviews with him over the years, and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. And clearly smart, even though he tends to play dumb guys on TV. Fun fact: his dad, a lawyer with no previous acting experience, played the judge on Jury Duty (mockumentary with James Marsden). He was in the audience today and looked shocked, although obviously pleased, at his son’s victory. I wondered that, too. I assume it’s his to keep if he wants to, but I think it’s likely most would go to charity. I can’t speak for the contestants, but their faces looked kind of like mine, as in “whaaat… is that word?” Never heard it.

I’d also forgotten about how much he endured last time so, yeah, I’m with you. The only thing that bugged me this time were his efforts to be funny, which seemed forced to me rather than natural reactions. But maybe he’s just that much of a dork, in which case good for him. Did I just go from being mildly annoyed by Brian to becoming a Brian fan? Maybe!

I said the same thing during the show, but they didn’t listen to me. Phaedra fell into Dan’s trap of letting emotions rule your decisions. Last season, murder targets were consciously random, in order to cause confusion. It was a much better strategy. If Phaedra had taken out a Housewife, that might have made them reconsider her. The producers love the All Star format, so I think that’s here to stay. But I read (here?) that Peacock will be showing seasons from other countries once this season ends, so we’ll be getting stranger danger versions. Just not with Americans.

0/5.

LOL to your reference but a little side-eye to Ken for the actual statement. I don’t think he was trying to throw shade at Alex, but it kind of came off that way…? I remembered Brian for the moustache but forgot about the fist pumping. He was also trying a little too hard to be class clown. I didn’t remember the other two guys, but I would have happy to see either of them win. No FJ for me again. Shocker.

I don’t think Sandra will be murdered because Kate is trying to use her as a shield. She is working hard to focus those last banishment votes on Sandra. She also doesn’t know that Sandra is on to her. Is there even time for another recruitment? I don’t think so, because unless the final banishment is a double, it would guarantee a win for the traitor(s). I don’t know who I want to win. Of the remaining players, I like Kate the best, but a win for her would be problematic for reasons already mentioned. I don’t want Sandra to win because her ego doesn’t need more stroking. I would root for Trishelle because she has had the smartest reads in the room, but I don’t think I like her. Sheree has been such a nonentity I didn’t even know she was there for most of the game. MJ is boring and I don’t think she’s done much. So, CJ? He seems like kind of a dick but he’s played a decent game. I don’t know. I think I’d just give it to Alan and let him use the money to buy some more fabulous outfits.

Welp, that happened. I think Phaedra was just worn out. I know it’s only two weeks, but the stress of constantly deceiving while maintaining a public facade has to be exhausting. And when she had to look a longtime friend in the eye and flat out lie, I think that broke her. I have to commend her, though. She played a hell of a game, up until she just couldn’t do it anymore. Kate’s comment was impulsive and unwise, and it may well be her undoing. I think she was just frustrated by Phaedra’s possum behavior and wanted Phaedra to know it. Unfortunately for her, there were other ears there, too. Most of those ears haven’t been too quick at transmitting info to their brains this season, but Sandra is pretty sharp. And she’s like a dog with a bone. I don’t think she’ll be letting this go. I agree that Kate is not an ideal winner with her late entry to the game + late entry to traitor status, but I think I’d rather see her take it than have Sandra be hailed a a hero for unmasking her. The last thing Sandra needs is another virtual tiara to wear while crowing about how she’s the queen of all TV.

Maybe the part when he learned his reading of “What is a hoe?” had made it into one of Kevin’s drag performances? I really liked Kevin from before and I was sad he didn’t make it through. I was even sadder that Juveria didn’t make it. She was a highlight of the Neverending Tournament with her unique combination of demure and deadly. Tonight’s flashback research on Luigi yielded very little. He seemed to be well liked in the regular games, but there wasn’t much discussion about him aside from a few remarks about his questionable wagering. He won points with me tonight, though, with his warm comments about his fellow contestants. He is basically the anti-Yogesh. Have you noticed I’ve posted nothing about my performance this week? There’s a reason for that. 😉 Not to worry, I had the foresight to invest in donut futures last week. We’re all set.

He was aware that people were making comparisons, and poked a little fun at himself on Twitter. So if he had decided to keep the look after all that, it would have been… an interesting choice.

Aw, did you have to bring up Stand By Me? My brain just did three choruses of “Lollipop”, complete with mouth pop.

SIGH. I didn’t do a look-back tonight. I’m sure we all remember Yogesh. Probably more than we would care to.

I think the 90-minute format is here to stay. They even expanded the Amazing Race season that’s about to start. Originally intended to be 60 minutes, it was recut to be 90. I welcome the longer episodes— so much more time for context and getting to know players. It’s the main reason Australian Survivor has been so much better than the US version, IMO.

I like Jess. She’s a mess, but at least she’s a self-aware mess. Unlike Jalinsky, who actually called himself a “legend” after bailing on a challenge. I thought Jess was going to talk herself off the tribe, though. Reinforcing others’ misgivings about you is not typically a path to victory. SEVeral = SEVen. I mean, it’s so obvious. Bet you didn’t know a Few means Five, either. I don’t know Soda’s last name, but I’m hoping it’s Costanza. And that she has a sister named Seven.

I don’t think they’re averse to the drama. If it brings in viewers, they’ll take it. There’s only one side I want to see: the one that’s walking away.

Apparently, all it takes to put out a magazine issue is to smirk your way into the head office, put your name on the door, and maybe make a phone call or two. At least, that’s all Carly did. I’m sure someone else can take up the slack.

I did a Time Machine look through the archives for David, because that’s apparently what I do now. And because I enjoy the ToC more when I can actually remember the contestants. David played way back in September 2022, near the start of the season. He had a respectable 4-day run before being defeated by Cris Pannullo. (That’s a rematch he won’t have to worry about now.) While he seemed to have a pleasant personality, most comments focused on his tendency to sway back and forth. I even posted a gif of an inflatable car lot tube guy in his honor. Tonight, I was mainly listening, not watching— was he swaying, or did he correct that habit?

I had no real recollection of Jared, just a vague sense that I maybe liked him when he played before? So I opened the Season 39 thread and typed “Jared” into the search box. (Did you know we could do that? I didn’t, before just now.) I was transported back to June 2023, a time when the great macaroon v. macaron debate was raging, @Browncoat was in Canada eating reindeer and walrus (it was never proved otherwise!), and Jared had his all-too-brief run. A self-described “dork-o-potamus”, he won hearts here with a story about how he took allergy shots so he could coexist happily with his wife and her cats. (The inference being he didn’t have a choice, the cats outranked him.) There were many comments about him being a “nice guy”, and much sadness when he lost (to Suresh). My memory refreshed, I am pleased that Jared advanced to the next round. What a boost of confidence it must have been to take out Cris— didn’t see that coming!

Exactly. If they don’t want to keep inviting the same people, they will have to expand the definition of what makes an all-star. Just like they’ve expanded suitability for ToC. Maybe Oprah should start hosting these tournaments. “You get a championship! You get a championship! Everyone gets a championship!” Same here. I’d like to see Mayim do the celebrity stuff, because she was very good at that. I’d prefer it if Ken kept any primetime ToC/ Masters games because of continuity from daytime. But it sounds like there will be other primetime spin-offs and I would welcome more diversity there.

Agreed. Instead of getting UK people, maybe we need the UK Casting people.

Interview with Ken where he talks about fan reaction to Mayim. Also, bad news for anyone expecting a return to regular play after ToC. Instead, we’re getting— wait for it!— another tournament. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2024/02/23/ken-jennings-talks-tournament-of-champions-return-mayim-bialik/72571591007/ Another story about tournaments and why’s taking so long to get back to regular play: https://slate.com/culture/2024/02/jeopardy-final-game-tournament-champions.html

It doesn’t look like we’re ever getting “real” people in the cast again. https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/how-the-traitors-became-the-most-popular-reality-shows-on-tv-1234974247/