North of Eden

So, obviously sexy, Asian women need not apply or none could be found in a nation of millions and millions of people....either that or there is simply no room in order to bring back Probst's personal favorites...that's right...keep bringing Joe back until he wins, we've got your number Jeff...you're going to Boston Rob him until victory. Anyway...on with the show: Tropes were falling like anvils tonight. *Automatically target people who are different in this case old, black and Latina with a dose of Tourettes as icing on the cake. *A clueless player (anchorman) who doesn't realize he's only with the cool kids by virtue of standing in the right place at the right time. *Talk of targeting a returning player (in this case Aubrey) meaning they are going nowhere. *Probst assigning special "Last Name" status to a fave in this case Wentworth (is she the one that played with her father the first time on?) *The shadowy threat that this could devolve into "The Dave Show" with him as the go to narrator. And for the Record your clothes were dry should have been the episode title! Points for the eerie ending as Reem is swept away to Extinction Island. One last thing...refresh my memory. Was it Aubrey or Sharine that liked to walk about sans bikini bottom going full frontal?

The hell Ricky? Do you got that NFL head injury thing Will Smith made a movie about a few years back? It's the ONLY possible explanation why you would pull a Cody and throw away a GUARANTEED win by not brining Dina along. With that said it was worth it to watch Lolo IMPLODE with bitterness! That was a thing of beauty!

So in a time-honored tradition, the twist fizzles out with the "Power of the Publicist" amounting to a grand total of ZERO in the scheme of things. Okay Kato back to Rockingham with you-his whole casting as I've said before is troubling...in his intro, they even use the gates with an orange representing OJ. Hopefully, Kato has some self-awareness for him to be yucking it up in the BB house and hitting on Jule is a direct benefit from "The Crime of the Century". It's time for him to go back to obscurity. Y'know LoLo really isn't that pretty because she has this bizarre, oddly shaped face. Google the Wayne Boring Superman comics from the 1950's and you'll see the same bizarre shape to the faces there. Dina is a complete "fill in the blank" or placeholder character if I ever saw one...she brings NOTHING to this show. It'd be funny if she won! Someone needs to glue that wig on Tamar's head because she becomes beautiful when it on...the bald look not so much...no not at all actually. Speaking of her unless she was on quaaludes at the nomination ceremony she sounded just like a normal human being not the over the top stereotype she has been playing in the DR. I would have liked to see more of that Tamar B. At the end of the day, I would much rather have had them run the cycle of AMAZING RACE between the two SURVIVOR seasons instead of this. That would have been much more enjoyable.

DId this air on Friday last week though? Or am I misremembering that. I feel like it was on one Friday. That's how crazy the scheduling is.

The two big surprises tonight were: Allison Grodner's REMARKABLE restraint....when there was an opportunity to have others in the house it must have taken all her will power not to cast Jesse as Jason, Nicole or Brittany as the Rabbit Girl and Paul as one of the other ghouls. The fact she didn't trot them out was amazing. Second was Lolo not getting the POTP. I was expecting her its pretty much a fact of life that young, attractive blondes generally have an advantage over the rest of us in this world (excepting Aryn Gries who buried herself so deep no amount of looks could save her) Actually, let's make that three surprises... I would have thought Tamar wouldn't have been able to resist spilling the beans to SOMEONE...perhaps it happened off camera and we will find out next episode. Speaking of which why SATURDAY? There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the scheduling of CBB...that is a long gap with no fresh episode and people are likely to forget about it by then or get spoiled between now and then. Tom has become tiresome. Khandi dug her own grave when she was unnecessarily antagonizing the HOH by trying to interrogate him on alliances needlessly. I saw that nomination coming a mile away after that.

Not really too much to add here as it seemed like a foregone conclusion Ryan would be leaving. He seemed to take it very well but is the news reports he destroyed a gas station on the way home then we'll know he was faking it. So Joey Lawrence doesn't believe in alliances and now he's a sitting duck/cannon fodder. You really do reap what you sow I guess. Tamar almost crying when Ryan got evicted instead of her was bizarre. I LOVE that little "nook" where the couch is in front of a fire table in almost a forested area. If I was in the house I'd be hanging out there ALL the time. It's just very cool and something we've never seen before....which reminds me...they built a special pool just for Ryan....does that now get the heave-ho? Man, that elaborate movie theater/veto comp must have taken HOURS to set up...can't believe that it the back yard....in fact, I don't recall really seeing the full back yard at all this season with people just lounging about in hammocks and such.

"I slipped on some shrimp today" just shot up to the number one position in the hall of fame for reasons given during a nomination speech. Hey, I got nothing against Kato personally-nothing that happened in June of 1995 was his fault in any way yet the inescapable fact remains two people had to brutally die for him to be in the house tonight instead of him being in the sea of anonymity the rest of us are swimming in. I can't seem to look at him without thinking that. Ricky working up a sweat to get Kato's GI track moving...thy name is filler...filler we absolutely did not need to see capped off by a completely scripted "comedy routine" of him fleeing the Diary Room. That's another thing....everything is so scripted in the DR at this point that Big Brother is nearly as fake as wrestling....stop...just stop with feeding them lines to make them sound funny...you're only showing Allison Grodner's maturity level. Oh and when Tamar is the voice of reason in the house you know the combined IQs couldn't break above room temperature. The square table threw me off....I'm probably overthinking this but were they shooting for a riff on "Hollywood Squares"....yeah, you're overthinking this...Grodner and crew aren't that clever.

Only 11 replies so far? FIgured viewership would be down on a Friday night. Oh well. Anyway, man, Julie looked extra-yummy tonight. Maybe the best I've ever seen her. Too bad she's hitched herself to a shooting star. Thanks for the confirmation CBS. For years I've been suspicious that BB and SURVIVOR had to have a CBS plant on them to explain behaviors that made no sense. Anthony is probably the first time they've simply admitted to it. Hear those sobs...that's Allison Grodner weeping for her latest pet/narrator got voted out first. Delicious and I love it! Joey Lawrence in terms of casting and entertainment value is a Hiroshima magnitude bomb. What a dud and waste of a space. One thing I do like about the celeb version is the minimum of antics as the voters pass each other in the hallway. I've always hated the over the top theatrics during the regular season. Tamar needs to keep that blond wig...shoots her up from a 4 to a 9 in my book anyway. I've got to have that black wardrobe with the art deco designs on it....I simply have to have it!

Sometimes HAIR really does make all the difference. I didn't find Tamar attractive at all and then suddenly in the middle of the Veto Comp there is this fetching looking woman with long blond hair and I was like where did she come from then I realized it's that Braxton woman! That was impressive and then she immediately went back to the Dora Milaje look that does her no favors. Anyway so much idiocy on display tonight but the highlights were outing your final two with someone laying there in plain view, trying to get someone to use the veto when by all appearances you've never even spoken to them the whole time in the house and two divas with history thinking they could talk things out without going into histrionics. Best moment was Johnathan looking like he was on death row after the veto didn't get used. I've been waiting to see who cracks first and it looks like to me LoLo could take that crown...I was getting major instability vibes from her tonight when she genuinely believed she was being threatened to be punched in the throat and from there it was all downhill.

Okay, I know its early still and he was on the block but I have a sinking feeling Johnathan is emerging at this season's Grodner's Pet/Narrator and I'm not liking it. Hell, you'd never know the NFL player was still in the house....he's not allowed to speak on camera or DR while this Cupcake guy eats up 90% of the airtime. I hope he gets voted out because it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth how he manipulated the Dina nomination....there is something slightly untoward about guests having a previous relationship outside the house influencing the game. Not liking that one bit. I want to like this Kandi person but her resemblance to Pennywise the Clown I find mildly disturbing. Speaking of look-alikes...but long hair on the Olympian and he could pass for a young Sean Penn as Spicoli. I may be in the minority but I hope Anthony stays...tonight he was very engaging and is there to play as opposed to furniture like Kato and Dina. By the way haven't Kato and Tom ever seen the show? Why would you be surprised at someone proposing an alliance? Which leaves us with Joey....whoever said it last night that he looks like hell....I can see that. There is nothing about him that suggests former heartthrob status. Nothing...plus he's dumb as a box of rocks and has never heard "no man is an island" especially in BIG BROTHER!

Yes, Virginia there really is a "Z List"! My god, who are these people? I have no idea who half of them are! Lindsey Lohan's mother qualifies as a celebrity? This might as well be a BB9 the winter edition reboot with some many unfamiliar people. Right now there isn't anyone who stands out immediately that I want to root for with the possible exception of the ex-NFL player. He seems like a genuinely decent guy and like what he's dong with his life becoming a Chinese healer. That is cool. Not sure what was up with the Braxton woman's bizarre expressions/grape eating when Kato was talking. That was....odd. Anthony's body language when he was in the chair before the comp was announced made him seem so uncomfortable and out of place, it was making ME feel that way. I was going to puzzle over the blond olympian's clinging to virginity with no sex before marriage in the 21st century but whatever...do what you want babe...don't have the energy to try and figure out what's up with that. The male Olympian seems like kind of a dick....just sayin' Having watched last year's Celeb edition I at least know all the fun is going to be in seeing who cracks first and can't cut it not being in the real world as the center of attention and the hero of their own story. Ending on a positive note I LOVE the look of the house. Currently, I am undertaking a redecorating of my home to add as much art deco furniture and flourishes as possible and I am SO jealous of everything I saw in the motif in the house this year!

What made the show for me was that Agent Christopher finally got to time travel AND save the day! After Mason went back in time I was wondering if Denise would ever get the opportunity and then it happened at last. A lot of good stuff like a wink and a nod to the TITANIC adventure being shown as promo advertising and never materializing....YET. To me the biggest thing never resolved was Jia having a vision of San Francisco in smoking ruins in the season ONE finale and yet there was never any payoff to what that was all about. Emma made for a delicous villian and it was nice to see Annie W. play a bad guy. Things I would have liked to have seen in a full season three would be the actual Flynn/Lucy fling and more of the "Tomb Raider" versions of Wyatt and Lucy from the future. It is astonishing that no other outlet picked this up but other things like Brooklyn 99 find a lifeline and the corpses of shows like Murphy Brown and now 90210 are being dusted off and resurrected but nobody....not even Syfy....aware of the rabid fanbase don't want this? It just doesn't make sense. To sum it up when it was over I was....I want more!

(Somehow I was in the wrong thread before but now I've found the right one!) Oh, SURVIVOR don't ever do that to me again...I was on the edge thinking a near-perfect season was about to be ruined when Mike started racking up the votes. The whole night dread was sinking over me as that goon kept getting further and further near the final. Thank God for Nick's immunity run that put him in position to win. I couldn't have taken Mike winning. He said it himself he was playing a character and his mask slipped ever so briefly when he was rude to Allison...I was like, yeah...now there is the REAL Mike...a card-carrying dick. Wow.,..at the Reunion...Nick is the spitting image of a young Richard Thomas! Good Night John-Boy. Angelina....the ultimate goat with the zero vote tally! Could it have ended any other way based on the Jury's reaction to her? Yeah,I guess they are mad at Alec as they edited out any question he may have had for the finalists.. Hah! Being on another network Probst couldn't bring himself to plug Mateo show by name SUPERSTORE....the best and ONLY sitcom I will even watch anymore. Most of them are complete garbage sex-coms now. Joe for next season? Seriously? That is such tired casting. I thought we were done with bringing back Jeff's favorites until they win. It must be true love for Emily that Christian has for her because god damn that Gabby is smoking HOT. She's so gorgeous and evervesent...seeing them next to each other at the reunion show I was like how can he NOT be with her? They'd make one hell of an attractive couple. Still hoping for a TAR run by them but if not then tonight Gabby sadly will bid goodbye to our screens forever. She made the season for me so thanks Gabby!

Oh, SURVIVOR don't ever do that to me again...I was on the edge thinking a near perfect season was about to be ruined when Mike started racking up the votes. The whole night dread was sinking over me as that goon kept getting further and further near the final. Thank God for Nick's immunity run that put him in position to win. I couldn't have taken Mike winning. He said it himself he was playing a character and this mask slipped ever so briefly when he was rude to Allison...I was like, yeah...now there is the REAL Mike...a card carrying dick. Wow.,..at the Reunion...Nick is the spitting image of a young Richard Thomas! Good Night John-Boy. Angelina....the ultimate goat with the zero vote tally! Could it have ended any other way based on the Jury's reaction to her? Yeah,I guess they are mad at Alec as they edited out any question he may have had for the finalists.. Hah! Probst couldn't bring himself to plug Mateo show by name SUPERSTORE....the best and ONLY sitcom I will even watch anymore. Most of them are complete garbage sex-coms now. It must be true love for Emily that Christian has for her because god damn that Gabby is smoking HOT. She's so gorgeous and evervesent...seeing them next to each other at the reunion show I was like how can he NOT be with her? They'd make one hell of an attractive couple. Still hoping for a TAR run by them but if not then tonight Gabby sadly will bid goodbye to our screens forever. She made the season for me so thanks Gabby!

Green! Seems you and I can never agree. I seem to remember us going head to head on the last TAR. Probably over Cody and Jess LOL. Seriously though watching Christian AND Gabby problem solving their way out of challenges on TAR would be well "Amazing". Two smart people like that pair could go a long way.

Okay but I thought I heard him say he was going to play it for Christian.

100% less fun without Gabby in the mix with all that craziness. To no surprise, she cleaned up really good. So sad that she will probably be a one and done Survivor never to be seen again HOWEVER....if CBS has a clue they know Christian is the standout of the season and they need to pair him up with Gabby on THE AMAZING RACE (sorry Emily but you're not who fans would want to see him race with). Mike: I want to surprise myself! Me: Shut up. Way too much Mike tonight. And I thought I disliked his smarmy face before but when he was out to sabotage Davie's game it made me want to go nuclear. Someone must have tipped Davie off to play that idol. With Christian gone (demerits to the editors for not featuring a longing shot from Gabby when he was voted out) it really does feel wide open. Would prefer a Davie win...could easily live with a Nick or Kara win. An Alison win at this point would feel....somehow un-earned. Angelia winning would actually be hysterical in a way...anybody but Mike...no I just couldn't take the sight of him getting the fake "giant check" Just no. Mad respect to everyone whose facial expressions and body language said they were not feeling Angelina rant after playing the "rice card". You could almost hear them thinking b#@ch please just stop. It's just as well the season is almost over....Angelina's grimy yoga pants were starting to be a glaring distraction. There's an ocean right there....wash them!

Underwhelming.The best part was seeing 1990 flash and his theme music.

Raises hand. Worthless game play tonight aside...she's drop dead gorgeous and wears her heart on her sleeve. Believe it or not in this day and age some men like being the knight in shining armor for women like Gabby who are maybe a tad bit "needy" for lack of a better word.

All season I've made it clear I think the sun rises and sets on Gabby but even I cannot defend her tonight other than to say someone should have frisked her mom for contraband because it looks like she slipped her some stupid pills. You know what...actually sign me up for anyone who is in the camp that believes she inciting incident here was the girlfriend. The shots of her back at camp after the challenge and he was talking about her totally spelled out ....Green....Eyed...Monster. I think she was totally jealous and that may have unhinged her. It's the only thing that makes sense that she would turn against her closest allie and place her trust in the EXACT people that wrote her name down as a backup plan. She was ALWAYS going to be at the bottom tier of this new alliance....oh Gabby how could you not see that unless...unless you are a woman scorned. And to be candid...Christian would totally be trading up from Emily to Gabby. I would have loved to see the awkward picnic on the raft if they had won that challenge. And of course, I have to get in my annual diss of the "Family Visit Episode" I really wish they would stop with it. It's so over the top...and hasn't even been a month people! Why are you acting like they just got liberated from Auschwitz! Time to get some perspective. So ends another episode and not only does annoying Mike still survive...but Angela too!

I didn't realize this was a double episode so that was a surprise. But in the end, though it was basically a 2-hour deconstruction of how despite superior numbers Carl managed to torpedo his own game through arrogance and drunkenness. Interesting how quickly he got a villain edit. The good news was this was a Gabby-Fest and I loved it! So many great shots of her tonight...she was made for the camera. I'm so happy that she's ascended to a power position after she was continually having her name thrown out as a target in the pre-merge but for no good reason. The only thing I don't like is that she is aligning with Mike who I cannot stand (Tracy Flick reference aside which was awesome). It too bad he got to eat on both rewards but I wanted Gabby to get the food on the first one so it was a necessary evil that he got to eat too. Dan is a bitter jury member. Love it! I want to like Kara just based on her hotness but she was kind of stupid being all indignant about Carl discussing Alec as the next boot when she should have been happy it wasn't her name being floated. Plus I know she didn't mean anything by it but the calling a spade a spade was just a clumsy, awkward choice of words. I believe Christian was wrong when he said this was likely his only chance to play...if he doesn't win he's a lock to return at some point and he completely won me over tonight with his filibustering on the torture stand..and props to my Gabby for being the longest lasting female up on that pole!

The last two episodes can easily be held up as to why SURVIVOR is still on the air and popular after nearly 20 years. Magnificent gameplay on display with the comeuppance of a tool as the icing on the cake. I really do dread the day when the promo at the end of the penultimate episode comes on and we hear...join us next week on the SERIES finale of SURVIVOR. Oh, Gabby you are gorgeous and such a sweet smile....especially when Alec was getting the Immunity Necklace. Lots of airtime for Gabby versus minimal for Mike is good in my book any day. I actually had to fast forward through the burger bar because I couldn't bring myself to watch anything that gives Mike any pleasure. One quibble...I would co-sign a ban on using the term "building a resume"....it's a tiresome phrase and played out. Please stop. Oh to have a view into Dan's living room tonight as he has to watch his lady love be the ringleader in the ORIGINAL plan to oust him. That my friends must have been what you call a body blow.

Ah, gotcha...thanks for the refresher....that was nearly 20 years ago so I plead hazy memory but the underlying gist is the same...today's Survivor vs that of yesteryear is wildly out of balance. These castaways today might as well be living like royals compared to back in the day.

Tip of the hat to the editors. Usually, I take shots at them for their transparency but this had to be the first time in years that they managed to blindside....the audience! That was so refreshing to finally have a boot that was totally out of nowhere and not telegraphed at all! And since I am in a great mood because of this let me say also the last few episodes they've come up with some great new challenges! That sandbag thing tonight looked like something Jigsaw would have devised in a SAW movie only it would have been battery acid or something instead of water....Do you want to play a game! Okay now that the positive is out of the way let me take a moment to tear down Mike. I never cared for him on TAR and after tonight when he was talking smack about Gabby I absolutely loathe him. He looks like such a prick sitting there pontificating how smart he is with his stupid looking clown hair. What I would really have liked to have seen tonight was Alec clearing spelling it out to everyone in the six that Mike is NOT to be trusted....that he was the instigator of the Christian blindside. I cannot wait for the episode when he gets sent packing. The sooner the better. I was anxious tonight that when the others realized Christian was going to be in trouble they would include Mike in their planning to save him and he'd spoil it. About the dozen pizzas...just to give an idea ho much SURVIVOR has changed since season one...that sample piece Jeff passed around was once the reward for the ENTIRE tribe....once slice....not a dozen whole pies! Anyway, we learned tonight that Angela's luxury item was not a razor. Gabby with her hair down is absolutely stunning....100% drop dead gorgeous! ! Love her! Circling back how delicious was it that Dan really, really did not want to toast one of his idols on Angelina and it cost him his bro. Love it! Viva SURVIVOR!

Her standing with the David was tenuous at best....remember everyone was saying she had no one. So she'd now in theory be the low man on the totem pole with the Goliaths....BUT since she was already the lowman with the Davids she would go further in the game as the David's were pagonged one by one and who knows maybe she could have made it to the end when Goliath fractures and they need a goat.