North of Eden

In the spirit of the season: "Teacher says every time Jeff says only four women have ever won four individual immunities an angel gets its wings" Thank you ZuZu and yes Jeff we heard you the first time! As for the episode some quick observations: Someone check Teeny's string to make sure it really wasn't disguised wire. How it could not burn in the middle of an inferno does not add up. I thought last episode it was foolish not to boot Andy because Sam was more likely to get votes. I'm glad he didn't or the season would have been cringe. Its been clear for weeks now Rachel had it in the bag if she got to the end. Its funny I hated her first episode as I thought she was a mean girl but in the end was cheering her on. Andy name droppig past SURVIVORS is why I gave up ROB HAS A PODCAST. I got tired of Rob and Steven name dropping people that we are supposed to remember who they are out of 700 contestants. Did Geneve speak in the jury cross exam? I must have missed it. Guess I'm in the minority but I don't think Sam gave a good tribal at all. It was embarassing his attempts to downplay and undercut Rachel's clear victories and prowess. I was a Sue fan from episode one so good on her for making it to the end. She was never going to win but she wasn't dragged along either....she gave some good performances in challenges despite what Kyle wants to say. Jeff was just shining Teeny...she had a near psychotic break over Sam not taking her to the challenge a couple episodes ago making her appear unhinged. Who knew moving desks around was a high school goal these days. Well that's it for these guys....I got to say based on the previews Season 48 may boast one of the most unattractives casts in the shows history.

Having started the thread, I should close my own circle and give a comment. It started off strong but became a slog with the repetitiveness. Would have great benefited from a 60-minute run time. All complaining aside it redeemed itself in the final episode when out of nowhere there came a Tribal Council (I'd swear I heard strains of the Survivor theme in the soundtrack) but anyway....yeah I was so excited that people were going to get called out. It was a nice way to end it and good to see everyone back including the would be villain of the season Swetka who got booted so early. I was happy with either Punkin or Nick winning...just not Therron. His over the top drama all season was grating. A season two? I don't know. Could be one and done. But if they come back more varied tasks are a must. Now please bring on....THE AMAZING RACE!

I grew up less than 30 minutes from Fort Ticonderoga one of our areas biggest tourist attractions so I was very excited when they said they were going there. I was was interested in seeing their version of the fort. I didn't of course resemble the real fort but was an adequate stand in but I was at least expecting some aerial stock footage of the real fort before cutting to the ground. They did nail the re-enactors roaming the fort though (except for modern foot wear LOL). One would think Jay and Sam would replace the stone as to not alert officials at the fort there was a robbery possibly taking place at worst and vandalism at best. I kid you not but in Lake Champlain (just off the fort and not shown in the episode) if a diver takes a centuries old cannonball that has been lying on the bottom unseen for centuries they will be charged with a crime. That's how serious they take it. I love the show but the one thing I wish theyh would do that old shows like NEWHART did was have the seasons appear in the episode as it should be winter outside the B & B but then I guess you couldn't have done the whole Fort Ti thing. As for the rest of the episode I was wondering if the authenticator with all his gear would have detected the modern ink but we never even got that far. That was brilliant making him look like a basement ghost. Not really feeling the whole snail subplot as we've had episodes before that show Trevor really was a sweet guy underneath his whole Wolf of Wall street persona. Is Pete's ex-wife still on the grounds? I don't understand introducing her and then she's nowhere to be seen for months.

Talk about a bitter pill to swallow...that the most strategic episode in years was masterminded by Andy! As soon as they included that bit with Geneive saying all the reasons it wouldn't work, I knew that it was going to or they wouldn't have bothered to put that in. It really feels like it shouldn't have worked but somehow, they threaded the needle. Caroline's genuine look of shock when she got a second vote was the money shot of the episide. She was so stunned she apparently forgot to hug Sue goodbye. You know until the narrative veered into the whole Operation Italy thing it looked like the episode was a character study on Teeny's slow descent into madness. She was coming off as quite unhinged. Genevieve I am enjoying as a good low-key villain. Her shades of gray make her a better watch than a mustache twirling, black hat like Russel Hanz. Got to squeeze in my usual dig at the letters...c'mon people you just saw them 3 weeks ago and you'll be seeing them next week. Man up. Anyway, with all that said I have no doubt in my mind Rachel already has the million dollars. There is nobody there left who can beat her.

Every year for this episode I feel compelled to pay tribute to the greatest SURVIVOR promo of all time. As we know the show for many years aired on Thursdays and early on they would do a “so far on Survivor clip show” for the holiday but then they started airing on Thanksgivings and that gave them the legendary promo, “As you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this year see what the castaways are eating!” And then it was cut to a gross food challenge! Gross food challenge IMO was a tentpole to the runaway success early on. We got a ghost of it a couple weeks ago but I still long to see the ENTIRE tribe have doing the dance of disgust as they try to force down live larvae or some other hideous culinary nightmare. Overblow PC killed it off of course but the memories remain. Anway to the actual episode. Early on I said…trusting Andy feels wrong, just wrong to me and sure enough there he was trying to sway the vote AWAY from the most logical, rational boot you could ever make. I feel going into the season they thought he was going to be there next Cochrane, their next Phillip, their next breakout character but he’s fizzled with the viewers, and it was too late to recut the episodes to downplay him. Side note I would like to see what goes into the shots before council, “Please stand still so we can dramatically pan around you in slow motion”? Final note it is completely unfair trying to suggest Sue is being dragged along. She did excellent in several comps and very nearly won at least on IC. At this point I feel like everyone left like them or hate them has been actively playing the game. And for once there is no clear No Vote Getting Goat…even Andy would probably garner at least one vote from someone. But that’s a good thing. Maybe we’ll have a competitive final three this season.

I will confess Andy French kissing a soccer ball was not high on mu bucket list. Amazing they were able to look even stupider for voting Sol out last week by Kyle winning yet AGAIN...they had their shot and let it walk through their fingers because they listened to....Geneiveve? The bland girl who is so unremarkable I can't remember her name betraying Sue was not a boss move...it was just dumb. Voting out one of your closest allies and alienating the other. All fake enthusiasm aside Jeff can't be happy about losing the shot in the dark since I'm sure he's always hoping it will do a dramatic save like last season or was it the season before? I don't know. It was a bad move him accepting it and for them offering it. Still we got this gem: Sierra: It's not worth it....as she sits there with a tummy full of a burger, coke and fries or whatever else they are serving up for the jury. Sol...looking bad ass!

nothing to see here

Late to the party with this But props to whoever cast The actor playing Cutter. He was looking perfect In the Role of a greedy real estate Developer. Kind of remind me of A younger version of actor Danny Houston. Late to the party with this But props to whoever cast The actor playing Cutter. He was looking perfect In the Role of a greedy real estate Developer. Kind of remind me of A younger version of actor Danny Houston. Late to the party with this But props to whoever cast The actor playing Cutter. He was looking perfect In the Role of a greedy real estate Developer. Kind of remind me of A younger version of actor Danny Houston. Late to the party with this But props to whoever cast The actor playing Cutter. He was looking perfect In the Role of a greedy real estate Developer. Kind of remind me of A younger version of actor Danny Houston.

It was a no win scenario for me when it was down to my two favorite players Sue and Sol. What a bunch of dummies not taking the shot at comp beast Kyle when they had the chance...and Sam is still in the game....why? No just no to the giant bats. Getting vote back comp gets a 10 score for creativity and the location. Well done. Why go through the charade of sending Caroline to the voting booth? Sierra shows up with classic b#$%h face on.

Therron's histrionics are a bit much. Producers must be manipulating to keep Dennis in so there can be a villain. Jenneye is one of those people who are hot when you see her hair and not when you don't. As for the above about it being boring. It started out with a bang but you can only watch people one by one climb up, down or across something. and that bird flying through the valley was on so much it should have its own SAG card.

The cameo by the gross food challenge was the first thing that brought a genuine ear to ear smile from me this season. Who doesn't love seeing castaways eating live larva....for nothing! Second smile was from "oldster" Sue besting so many "youngsters"....rooting for her and Sol to go the distance. Sierra was good eye candy but that was pretty much it. Nice to see Sam on his heels. But sorry trying to make Andy look like Clark Kent becoming Superman by taking off his glasses didn't work.

LOL...Mak...I meant Mak!

How is it possible the producers haven't realized that almost no one likes the episodes where most of the people on the newly merged tribe are safe? Compounded by the random draw turning out like it did. The only thing that saved Jeff and the gang was that advantage being found and it looked like it came close not to be which makes me wonder what they would have done. Anyway, sorry T but I laughed at you when you were voted out. Her obsession with Gabe was getting trying and veering towards the territory of that woman a couple seasons of ago who would not let go of her fixation on a male member of the tribe she didn't like. (sorry their names are long gone from my head) For a hot moment before tribal I thought maybe Caroline was going because she e hasn't said two words the whole season and suddenly, she was prominent. This is the first time in two weeks that I watched my DVR the same night the show aired. I finally figured out what the problem is. Besides the too long length there is no compelling character to follow their transformation like Emily-she was a villain in the season premier but the deeper she went in the game and the more she evolved she had people including me rooting for her to make it to the end. There is no one like that this season. They are making lame attempts I guess with Andy but it's not working. To end on a positive note...I do like Sol but I fear he's placing himself in danger by trying to throw shade on Sam. Get on Sam's bad side and you could wind up like Anika.

You'd have to have s%#t for brains to target and oust someone that could lead you to the Summit. You want to cut them them the night before the final ascent okay but NOW? In other news, that should have been Swetka trudging up the hill-one of the two anchors should have been voted out last episode, not her. Now look at how they dragged everyone down. Ferren was an embarrassment at the top of the ladder, while Rob surprised me with a family. My gaydar must be officially shot. New Zealand must have lax safety rules the way they keep menacing hikers with the rotor blades. The best ending would be when the Mountain Keeper lands the helicopter to reveal that she was really Swetka all along (like John Kramer in SAW was the body the whole time) and gives them a final choice: sacrifice Manu Bennet or keep the money. Bye Manu

I was unusually bored with this episode. Never thought I would say it but some of these 90 minute episodes are too long. It didn't help front loading it with the Social whatever they were calling it. That was not engaging at all and I was getting restless. Then as soon as yellow lost I knew it would be an inevitable slog to Anika's ouster since Sam has been gunning for her since about episode 2 because she had the audacity to question the shelter building if I recall correctly. That was a shame. She really was a nice, likable inoffensive person but manly man Sam was threatened by her and keeps the black hole of suck a/k/a Andy. The episode was only redeemed by the last 5 minutes when we finally got an HONEST reaction to a blindside. That's the way it's supposed to be...no fake, fake, nice, nice to the people that took away your shot at the money. I applaud Anika. Lasty I was worried Sol tripping running to the mat would cost the victory. Glad it worked out and he got to stay.