North of Eden

Per damn angry right now.Wanted my John & Marika happy ending!

The cherry on top all right...a moldy rotten cherry for a craptacular season. From the same boring winners every week to the ability to reduce an entire continent to feel like cabin fever this was just a big thumbs down. Of course Ricky lived in Philly....of course! I was actively rooting against Ricky and Cesar to lose and would have preferred the pro-bowler and his wife but would have been okay with the airmen. Words on a keyboard cannot describe the joy I was feeling when Ricky kept falling into the surf....I was hoping it would but them hopelessly behind and we would be spared them on the final leg. It was crushing to see those ridiculous looking baby blue shorts trotting into Ford house grounds as the end. Classic Vinnie-still being controlling in the MIDST of his proposal. Okay folks we have a year off. Hoping for a spectacular comeback after The Amazing South America Road Show starring Ricky and Cesar...and oh those other people.

As far as I am concerned it originates all the way back to the PEANUTS comic strip where Charlie Brown was labelled as goat who has no chance of leading his baseball team to victory in particular and in general not being able to win anything in life over all. That's where I first heard the term goat anyway.

Not sure if this is the right place for this but I'm going to ask anyway. Did the show put up any sort of placard in the last few episodes that I might have missed addressing the passing of Sonja the first ever person to get their torch snuffed on SURVIVOR? If they didn't they should for the finale. It was the moment that she left tribal and funeral dirge kicked in for the first time as she made her lonely way into the jungle that SOLD this show for me as a fan and I've never missed an episode since.

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable! Yet another person that could have saved themselves but pockets their idol when they KNOW people have been gunning for you for days. Why would you believe anything they say?! Now for the rest. Liz announcing dropping a deuce on the jungle floor could only serve as a metaphor to what the casting director has done to the fans with such questionable casting as boring Ben and a host of dullards going home with idols for souvenirs. I'm assuming PF Chángs wasn't interested in sponsoring the episode or we would have gotten a neat soliloquy from Liz about how her and her daughter eat there every Thursday before they go home to watch the live eviction episode of BIG BROTHER. My cold dead heart will never understand antics like Maria freaking out over the letters from home. It's not even 39 days in the much touted 'New Era' and besides these are same kids you're going to be angrily grounding a week after she got home from the jungle for spilling grape juice on the beige living room rug. It'll be tears of frustration then! Speaking of Maria....she's in a box that only one more immunity win can get her out of. Just for the sheer entertainment value I am desperate for a Kensie, Ben and Liz final 3 just for the sheer spectacle of the worst assembly of finalists ever and the mental gymnastics the jury would have to go through to pick a winner from those three losers. But of course, that fun will never happen, and it will be either Charlie or Maria and it will be like shooting fish in a barrel at that point.

The sheer monotony of Ricky and Cesar once again gaining an insurmountable lead and winning again was counter balanced by the joy of not having to hear Danny's grating voice shouting MOM,MOM,MOM every sixty seconds or so. Helping and working together this close to the finale? Seriously!? Vinnie and Amber's driver seemed to have some sort of chip on his shoulder. I'm always amazed at people in the service industry that have no enthusiasm or personality for it being engaged in that line of work. Go find something else to do. Military men fearful of the waterfall recreation area and getting beat by Letecia was not a good look. Girlfriends go home without me ever once learning their names for the entire season. Casting fail. There is something about Rod's good nature enjoying life as he lives it that I find appealing. Would like to see him and Letcia land in first place. Season can only be salvaged if Ricky and Cesar blow it in the end and either fail to make final 3 or finish 3rd at the finale.

I groaned when Venus found the idol because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would have learned nothing and go home with the idol in her pocket. I was desperately rooting for her to win the IC because she was guaranteed to blow her idol. It was bad enough to admit you were not going to play it and then proceed to draw a target on your back getting Charlie suspicious with insinuations. Possibly some of the worst game play seen in some time. Canada has fallen. Liz and her vestigial intestines getting denied food however was a thing of beauty. Anytime something doesn't go that wingnut's way is good by me. The castaways should start measuring her for her goat costume any day now. Freshman crop of editors? It seems like only rookies would not understand that we know after all these years if you spend 45 minutes discussing how Maria is about to be booted then Maria will be sitting at tribal with the necklace on. I couldn't focus on what Charlie was saying just before the walk to tribal with all the artsy camera shots. They felt so staged I was expecting the camera to pull back and see the director sitting there in his canvas folding chair wearing a beret and yelling "cut" into a megaphone. SURVIVOR left the reality part behind long ago. Quick pat on my back. They showed a clip of Ben at last years reunion show to preview this season and I made some post here about instant dislike just looking at him. I feel that has been rewarded...he adds nothing to the show and is just there. You could substitute a crash test dummy for him one week and no one would ever know.

And yet they were able to do this for many years until they suddenly just stopped. They've always treated the show as the red headed stepchild. Constantly moving time slots, withholding it until shows like VIVA LAUGHLIN tanked and used it to "plug a hole in the schedule" never a reunion show and of course the whole only one cycle thing we are now back to.

Not seeing TAR On the just released fall schedule. Instead another reality show called the summit listed after Survivor. Looks like we're going back to the 1 cycle a year BS. When will CBS stop with the disrespect of this show? Survivor never gets this treatment and hell they even gave extra BB with that garbage Reindeer Games.

I am not a Danny fan in any way shape or form so hopefully this won't be misconstrued as cheerleading for him but....it seems to me like it was the CREW who LOST them, not the other way around so the penalty seems unwarranted. Either way one of my fondest sayings in life is that there is a special place in hell for whoever invented roundabouts. Every damn time I go through one I think this is the time I'll be in an accident. Roundabouts aside I wonder just what it is that makes Barbados appear to be a navigation nightmare. I can't recall teams struggling this badly. It was just wonderful to break free of South America though....viva la revolution! I wonder what the security is like on Rhianna's childhood home. I can imagine people wanting a piece of it. The seaweed looked like a no brainer. I was stunned nobody wanted to do it. I was like...."how long can it take two people to fill up a medium sized barrel?" A second place finish seems to answer with "Not very long." Notably Amber and Vinnie had wings on their feat leaving the beach and didn't even stop to examine Walla Walla's cage to make sure they were doing it right. No helping this time! I'm sure the producers bought Rod and Letecia a bottle of wine for getting stuck in that mud patch which allowed them to generate a microscopic bit of suspense that they might come in last. And Danny the opera might not be over until the fat lady sings but when she is standing center stage and clearing her throat you can probably bet the ranch she's going to sing and its over. Lastly to end on a completely shallow note...the tennis comp was a fine display of Letecia's figure. I'm sure the unchosen opponents enjoyed watching her game play.

... because it's not very good? That and the whole episode centered around it being some paragon of cuisine that helped drive a castaway to madness?

Rockstar!! "It's my daughter's birthday!!! Boo hoo.

It was shocking tonight to discover at some point we crossed over into an alternate universe where the paint by numbers food at Applebee's is the be all, end all of existence. A ninety-minute Applebee's commercial presided over by a moron. Liz do you want to tell me where you thought you were going CLUB MED maybe? Like him or hate him Q has no reason to give a damn about you or your kid he's never met (who for all we know was home eating the Burgers with a BFF the whole time Liz was gaslighting everyone hiding the fact she was a psycho in goat's clothing. I will say watching the last bit of Liz's sanity flicker out after the joy of watching her sobbing over a greasy burger was worth the entire season of Bhanu and all the other shenanigans. Easily the best moment of the season. Is there one person on the entire planet who doesn't believe Probst will play the Melt Down clip for laughs at the reunion show when he gives Liz the token sixty seconds, he allots all the castaways that don't interest him. You could actually put money down on this and win. Oh Tiff...and all the others who went through all the trouble to get an idol and then only to go home with it in your pocket. What a waste made only worse by the fact the reburied idol could be found by someone I don't like next episode and be used to propel them to the end. Anyway, you could almost see the target growing on her back the whole time she stood there completely immobile during the challenge. Is it...is it possible this is the first episode all season with nary a puzzle in sight?!

just now While I was starting to fall asleep during all the singing and dancing, I realized...this is not a good season. I don't hate it but I'm bored by it. It's the same damn city with just a different name painted on the WELCOME TO sign every week and it's the same damn winners. Ricky and Cesar can go pound sand. I'm tired of their glibness as they steamroll their way through the race with an unfair advantage and the stupid dressing alike schtick is annoying. I don't like them at all. The only two segments worth a salt were the Plazalapalooza search and Amber and Vinnie running around looking for their car like that old episode of SEINFELD where the gang can't find the car in the mall parking garage. During Amber's talking heads I could swear I could see a seething hatred for Vinnie in her eyes. My bad for automatically assuming that Leticia spoke Spanish. I was very surprised to hear she didn't. Anyway, not much more to say except I hope this isn't the first season for any new viewers as it fails to represent TAR at its finest. This season is so far away from those Emmy wins that it feels like it taking place in an alternate universe and this is a TAR knockoff that can't afford to leave a single local.

delete. Wrong episode!

Hey Teams!......again :( Jeff eats crow (and popcorn) and somehow Q survives to wreak more chaos. Hunter's got no one to blame but himself...if there was even a chance after his name was floated all afternoon he should have played it. Its not like the ones where people went home with an idol but had no clue they were in danger. He KNEW. Anyway, I'm kind of glad he's out. Watching a Superman with his own Batcave of SURVIVOR challenges dominating everything wasn't great TV. LIz bugs as she veers headlong into GOAT territory. Liz you've been a nothing and a nobody from day one, nothing will change that. You're an empty meat sack taking up the spot of someone who might have actually played the game. Tevin can look all high and mighty all he wants but he's still doing it from the jury booth. I just can't understand why castaways like Kenzie (and even the beloved Gabby) think it's a good idea to turn on your ride or die. Targeting Tiff made no sense. You're going to vote out someone who is guaranteed not to throw a vote your way? Ben had a cocky attitude during tribal for someone who has done so little. He's just kind of there.

Well said. I totally agree and believe if we could have peered into Vinnie's mind he probably wanted to dash out of there and not stay and help with the puzzle but wasn't going to risk Amber's wrath overnight in the pitstop. HIs aggressive personality does nothing to suggest he would want to hang around while his girlfriend does someone else work.

This was really one of the best episodes of the series. It had true heart to it with Hetty's tragic backstory and the gang and Thor getting Flower (who I have missed greatly) back! Plus is addresses more ghost lore like the wall/floor thing and that Sam has to be physically in the prescense of the ghosts to see them. Also it was good to have Jay back in character after the last two episodes where he was an annoying mash up of Tony Nelson and Darren Stevens. The only points it loses is the season one style of missing ghosts with Carol being nowhere to be found and a deduction for the retconning of Nancy saying all basement ghosts were accounted for. I'll accept it though to get Flower back. Look for the eventual puritanical ghost to turn up. Maybe even make her a true love interest for Pete as I do not want to see a Pete/Alberta thing the next time he pulls that arrow out of his neck.

It think your assessment of Danny?Angie is 100% accurate and I like him less and less with each episode.

Amber doing the puzzles for Angie and Leticia was some world class BS! They might as well just drop RACE from the title when 99% of the teams are working together...it violates the spirit of the race and is not good television. The other two women would STILL be there to this day trying to figure it out without being given the answers. Can Phil really be cool with this? Amber weeping and not wanting to leave Angie was ridiculous (a part of me wants to believe Vinny would have beat feet out of there as soon as they won but knew he would be doing the eat, sleep and mingle alone without Amber after she kicked him out of their hotel room bed. The setting sun DOES NOT lie. No amount of editing was going to be able to cover up how far behind the grandparents were. So disappointed to have the two teams I was rooting for the most leave in back-to-back episodes. Ricky and Cesar can go fly a kite. I'm tired of them and am glad they didn't get first place. I never trust competitions like the soccer one where it can be manipulated by the racer simply being allowed to kick the ball for a win. It takes little for it to be thrown to the racer if the other players decide "okay that's enough, let's let them make the goal". Seeing the two all women/clones team together at the meat challenge reminded me of the Bizzaro Jerry episode of Seinfeld when the gang meets their doppelgangers. Lastly by being forced not to leave South America it FEELS like they are still in the same city from the season premier...everything is so similar. Its definitely to the show's detriment.

A moment here to savor the best vote out of the season. I was so happy when mid episode the vote was swinging towards Tevin. His constant hamming it up for the camera and obsession with Venus was already geriatric by the end of the season premier. Please cast no more actual actors. They can't help but truly believe all the world is a stage. In other news: Hunter's win and the upside-down showboating means nothing when its likely has a pole rigged up in his back yard and has spent hours on it. When he's not winning everything does he do anything else but sit around the camp and scowl at the antics of his fellow castaway? It doesn't seem like he's having any true fun out there. When the footage says Tiffany is going tonight at the half-hour mark the only thing you can be sure of is that Tiffany was not going. Q...I don't see how he survives that stunt long term attempting to blow up his own came and taking so many others game with his. The most telling moment tonight was the close up of him before tribal where he was stunned he was not controlling the vote. Its the first time he's had being the shot caller taken away from him and I think that more than anything sparked the bizarre business at tribal. Using a game of hide and seek to divine someone's gameplay sounds like something an old time snake oil salesman would come up with. Seriously?! Total red herring by production in the previews from last week trying to make us think Hunter outdid the spy shack. Delusion...thy name is Liz. Suddenly she thinks she is the mastermind? She has everything but GOAT stamped on her forehead. Lastly, I want to call out the editors...there is something of a cruelty the way they are going out of their way to try and make Venus look foolish and/or outright stupid. I don't think she's either....I just think she is a very naive young woman.

Say what now? The tallest building on the continent and it doesn't come into play as a challenge location?! Aww I knew their lack of competency would doom the Double K Cousins but they were my favorite team. Next season please bring back non-eliminations...who knows it might have saved them. Guess its either the Grandparents or the Pro Bowler to route for but his wife had a bad attitude this episode. I think she's ready to go home to the USA. I hope Walla Walla's inevitable elimination has to do with him helping the wrong team. He's getting really annoying with that and even his mother knows he's charting the wrong course doing that. Plus he was getting cocky about being the leader of the pack when it comes to self-navigation. I like him less and less each week. Firefighters/Girlfriends are so bland that I don't know their names except Bizzy and I'm not even sure which firefighter she is. I would have loved to see either of these teams go tonight. Boyfriends...all season I've been wondering if you fall in love with some that more or less looks exactly like you...what does that say about you? So, you know the task is in an urban area and you keep driving deep into the mountains? Oy. I still can't believe they recovered from that. As a proud owner of the 11th and final generation T-Bird-see mine attached (if it's against some rule then by all means delete the pic mods) I don't know what annoyed me the most.... teams not knowing what one was, very few appreciating the beauty of the original gen or no one seeming awed that freaking Marilyn Monroe used to slip behind the wheel of that thing. Glad the one cousin appreciated it but the T-Bird has never been a muscle car the first gen and the last gen like mine were roadsters and boulevard cruisers. Bo and Luke Duke drove a muscle car which a T-Bird most surely is not.1

Did you hear Ben had a panic attack? Teacher says everytime its mentioned an angel gets their wings! Despise Tevan. I was really nervous when they came back from commercial break and I saw him on the same team as Venus and that made me worry for her. I was so rooting for him to fall off his platform just because I don't want to see him win anything and loved he appeared wounded that he did not get the credit for the blindside...Venus did! It was painful when I thought I was watching Venus talk her way onto the block. I'm glad it didn't happen, but she truly is her own worst enemy but still I root for that fine young Canadian lass. Tim on the other hand did the stupidest thing you could possibly do....openly betray The Six alliance to the damn Ringleader! What did he think was going to happen. Hopefully he was crying at his own stupidity on the way out. Maybe its just me but Q's tribute to Kenzi sound an awful lot like a guy who was jockeying for position to make a post-game run at the tattooed beauty. Charlie thinking he's going to take control of the game is laughable. Right now as near as I can tell its the Yanu-3 running the game which is ironic given its earlier decimation. Of course Jeff was eating up Ben's emotional speech at council. It was giving him flashbacks to his ill-fated talk show host career. Didn't he learn anything from Michael Jordan? You might be master at one sport but in another....well not so much. One more week down and one more episode closer to Liz floating her way to an undeserved spot in the final 3. Even she is aware that is what is going to happen by bragging about not packing her bag.

Not sure why Vinnie and Amber want an alliance with a team that has one foot in the grave the first time there is a physical roadblock the Mother has to do. Speaking of the nurses Couple Counseling in a Cab as hard to watch as there was something uncomfortable about the way he was trying to manage Amber. I usually don't like teams helping each other but I felt the women at the end should have tried to team up like the athlete/top gun did when the firefighters showed up. Very happy. I was not ready for Team Double K Cousins to go. I know they can't win but I'm rooting for them anyway. They are bumblers but I like them. On the other hand, I was completely ready for Firefighters to go. They provide zero entertainment value as do their clones The Girlfriends team. I almost blew my beverage out my nose when Phil said "Medine has a checkered past." You think?! I wonder if the cartels are really gone or just lying low like cockroaches. Breakin' you can't get more 80's than that! So it surprised me when it was said to be 50 years old. I have zero recollection of it being a thing in the mid 70's. There is something very reassuring about Phil's casting calls. There were so many years CBS did wrong by the show...moving it around all over the board including putting a family show on at the deathslot of 10pm Tuesday and yet it STILL beat the odds and got viewers or just doing one cycle a year. And of course I have to mention as I always do their stubborn refusal to do a Re-Union show!

Can't the other one at least be locked at 9:30? Onto the show....Why can't they just merge instead of creating these faux tribes rendering 7 players safe? Jeff calls it rare but I seem to recall many on this board not happy about it last season and for good reason. Everyone should be fair game. Canadian representation survives! I honestly thought Venus had talked her way out of safety. Glad she didn't. Really starting to tire of Tevan's obsession with her. It's starting to mirror that woman last game who was fixated on a male player almost to the point of it getting pathological. Looks like Moriah was a poser the entire game. All of sudden she was this savvy, competent, STRONG player that we never saw until that moment. I wish she and Venus could have both stayed and Charlie went home. Really, really liking Q. I want to see him at final 3 and preferable with the win. What I don't want to see more than anything is this: It's only a matter of time before the other players completely overlook Liz and she floats to a critical point in the game...and that point is when the player finally notice her but notice her as the no vote getting GOAT they can drag to the end of the game. I want three WORTHY players at final tribal not the usual loser who makes it to the end through the combination above. Please, please, please castaways....cut this cannon fodder now as an easy vote! 90 minutes. 90 Minutes and there was no time to edit in a conversation between Moriah and Maria where she asks, "Hey! What happened to the girl's plus Charlie alliance? Why you cut Jem?" I find it hard to believe no such conversation actually took place either by Moriah asking or Maria feeling compelled to explain. I guess that wound up on the cutting room floor so we could spend a few more minutes with Tim proving he's a worthless in the +1 alliance.