seacliffsal

This, too, is similar to Columbo. They incorporated new technology (for the times) into episodes and Columbo always learned about them and used the technology, along with his observational skills, etc., to solve the murders. I like the lightness and fun of the show-similar vein to Columbo, Psych, and the recently cancelled So Help Me Todd. Murder, mayhem, and humor? I'm in.

I'm a bit surprised that Jordan and Amy didn't figure out that Stephanie really isn't playing with them as she withheld information from them during the ATV activity. Of course everyone should be playing for themselves, but Stephanie is a bit obvious that she isn't really about the alliance. But she is about the manipulation and is almost gleeful about demeaning those outside of her 'alliance' to her alliance. Amy seems to be mean just for the sake of being mean. Hopefully they are the next two out. I was a but surprised when Rob said he was 47. I didn't realize that many years have passed since his first Survivor appearance. And, yes, I am old...

Amy is getting meaner and cockier the closer to the finale she gets. The 'night owls' are really piling on Rob. I don't get why they seemingly dislike him so much. I wish Rob actually had a better strategic partner than Aron. Will be interesting to see if Jordan has an impact next week. I do wish she had spoken up about the 'night owls' being so very mean and mocking, but we are watching the prioritization of trying to win money (with no guarantee of anyone walking away with anything) over all else.

So, it appears that Cam was the one behind some of the men's 'agreements' while Clare is behind some of the women's 'agreements.' Could it be that the 'experts' actually got it right and matched a couple who had similar characteristics and interests? Could it be that this could have been a successful match after all?

I think he would love to be on Dancing with the Stars. However, even in my friend group, people are turning against him (people who really liked him during the season [I never cared for him but still watched]). So, having him on the show could impact the numbers for the show as my age group seems to be a major demographic for DWTS. It will be interesting to see if ABC cuts ties with him or continues to feature him.

Angie feeds into some of Danny's negative character traits as she's the one who keeps talking about his wonderful navigational skills (which actually hover between average and a bit below average [they have gotten a bit lost a few times'), his ability to get them around last episode as he lived there for a while (didn't see any advantage from that during the episode), etc. So, she does build him up, which I get as she's his mother. But, she has also drawn the line a few times and been a bit passive-aggressive, such as when she thought she might take the time penalty during the race car task or during the coffee bean picking task. What we're seeing is most likely their lifelong dynamic. I think part of his seeming to take advantage of her is that she 'reads' older than 53-55. I was surprised when I read her age as I thought she was much older. I just hope that they are enjoying their time on the race and that it will be a lifetime of wonderful memories. But, I also think once there are fewer teams and Rod and Leticia feel held back by Angie and Danny that they will be out of there. Amber may want to stay and help, but I think Vinnie won't be that patient down the road.

I miss some of the innovations and ingenuity of the past. Yes, the sharks have always invested in variations of existing products (I.e. Bombas which they highlighted this episode), but to continually see yet another hat, shirt, shoe, etc., gets very repetitive. As for Roboburger, it's an idea that I think is going to become more common as labor costs increase, but it's really going to have to come down in cost and be more time efficient. As noted above, the process isn't 'fast.' Hopefully the producers are looking for more innovative and unique products for next season and fewer 'sob' story backgrounds thinking that that's what viewers want to watch.

This also supports Brennan's statement that Emily told him she would ruin his life. Trying to get his new girlfriend to leave him would fit that narrative. So, her own statements and actions are supporting some of the things Brennan said the she said and did.

It saddens me to hear that CBS is canceling this show as I enjoy it so much! But, I can kind of see it as there were so back subplots that were not particularly interesting to me, and perhaps to others. I don't care about the financial problems of the firm. If they are in such financial turmoil, then move to smaller and less elaborate offices (yes, I understand about leases...). Lower the profits of the partners until finances stabilize, etc. Last season they tried to build suspense about Todd and Susan in a 'will they/won't they' scenario. Didn't care. What I enjoyed was the warmth and humor. I will miss this show.

I actually think Danny has convinced his alliance mates that he is better at navigation than he actually is. In this episode alone they got lost so that the firefighters (who we know are horrible at navigation) and girlfriends were able to pass them at one point (and were ahead of them at the meat challenge) and were not far behind them at the mat. In previous episodes they also lost placement due to navigational errors. However, the two team working with Danny have proven that they are terrible with navigation, so maybe they really do need him, but he's not an exceptional navigator. But, I will also admit when I am wrong, and I really criticized Danny for making alliances at the beginning of the season, but he was right to do so as I think they would have come in last had it not been for Amber's help at the race track. I think the race has tried to eliminate some of the answer sharing-at the one challenge in an earlier episode, the judges pulled down the 'shades' over correct mapping answers of the statues, and the puzzle stands in this episode were separated from each other. But, unless the instructions specifically state that answers may not be shared, the racers are allowed to do so. It's almost like I'm watching two different shows. One in which the top two teams are racing and the other with all of the other teams. Oh, because I am shallow like this-I really wanted it to be a real horse at the pitstop instead of a plastic one (maybe made from all of the plastic recycling pieces...) because...animals!

Just from the title it sounds like the women are not letting go of their anger. I have been in much longer relationships than what the Denver couples had and I never had this level of anger/hatred (well, maybe for a week or two...). Why are they holding on to their anger so hard and so long? Why are they trying so hard to portray themselves as victims when their relationships ended between two days and eight weeks (and most of them were finished well before that)? And perhaps my bigger question is why are the men still participating? Are the contracts that punitive that everyone feels like they have to show up?

I think the editing led some of us (including me) to think Brennan was horrible to Emily. However, the reunion shows seem to reveal that Brennan had some valid concerns. He thought she was negative while she insisted she was the most positive person she knew. But, in this episode she was very negative while stating she was positive (and if she's the most positive person she knows I wonder about her circle of friends [but, then again, we did see her friends tell some negative things to Brennan at the wedding and we saw them on attack mode during their housewarming party, so maybe she is the most positive person she knows). I think Emily and Clare were really given unrealistically sympathetic edits that hid some of their more positive, er, negative traits. I also think they hid a lot about Cameron but were wary of his medical issues.

I actually kind of felt sorry for Austin and Becca during this episode. Austin just looked so defeated and really didn't say anything. Even his 'not feeling well,' followed by shaving his beard-I think he could be a bit depressed about this whole experience (I'm not trying to 'diagnose,' just observing his behaviors). And, I think by the end of the episode Becca seemed really sad. Maybe she started to understand that maybe the women were being more vindictive and performative than was really necessary or warranted. Kevin better have received a bonus for trying to moderate this mess. BUT, the production seemed to demand focusing on the cast trying to manipulate a story rather than the huge casting mistakes they made this season. I don't think there was as much of a behind the scenes manipulative strategy formed as Kevin, the 'experts', and production want us to believe. They are trying to blame the cast for their own mistakes. Were the cast being disingenious? Yes, but the bigger blame is in the casting process. I think Austin did tell them that his faith was important, I think Cam did tell them he liked tall and slim, I think Brennan probably told them some of his preferences. I have no idea what Orion told them as his word salad often confuses me. And, if it's true that they recruited several of the men, the producers probably made some promises about the matches that they didn't back up. But, the producers wanted drama-and they got it. Now they just need to 'own' up to it. Dr. Pepper sure was on the 'how can we help when you don't tell us the truth?' bandwagon; but what does she tell the casts of other seasons who ask for help and still end up with a disaster?

I think I was just as shocked as Brandon that Joy wanted to leave. I really thought she wanted to end up with him. Oh well. And, I will admit it, I was wrong about Reba-she did have Joy's number after all. Was surprised, and saddened, that McKenzie also left due to her fahter's ongoing medical issue. I wonder if Nathan will eliminate the others and try to get back with her after her father's condition stabilizes. I guess this episode was just full of surprises for me as I didn't think Mitchell was going to eliminate Kiana. I liked her, but I haven't really cared for Mitchell the entire season, so I think it's better for her that she left. And, I don't really think there's a sincere bone in Ty's bone (other than for his daughter and horses), so am not invested in his 'journey.'

I think he said that his meat was $160 and someone else on the team said that they were surprised it was so reasonable. Apologies if I got the two teams and the two beef courses confused, but I think it was him.

After watching the reunion, I am convinced that many participants received really good editing which they totally blew by revealing their own selves during the reunion. Oh, and no matter how many times someone says they are speaking 'their truth' doesn't mean it's true. All the women view themselves as superior to all of the men (except Chloe from what we've seen). If they had presented that they made mistakes just as the men did but were really hurt by some of the things the men said, they would have come off much better. That they presented themselves as totally helpless victims really undermined their other presentations that they were strong, hot (yes, they kept repeating how 'hot' they were), independent women. Pick one, and it would help if there was actual, you know, evidence of what they choose to present.

I thought that Lauren said that Clare was upset with her, not Chloe. However, I already deleted the episode so can't rewatch the previews. What I found very interesting about this episode is something Brennan said-that when pushed on their stories, the women start showing cracks. And, he was right. After continually stating that Brennan never told her that he wasn't attracted to her, Kevin directly asked and Emily agreed that Brennan told her he wasn't attracted to her, but then she immediately said that she didn't believe him. So, what was it? He told her, but because she didn't believe him it was a lie. Clare admitted that she never verified the rumor with her best friend or with Brennan/Cam but it didn't matter whether it was true or not. What? The women were contradicting themselves and accusing the men of not saying things to them when they admitted that they didn't say things to them. Becca stated that even though the experts told them to call them for help, that she and the other women didn't know how to get help from them. Huh? IMO the women were bullies. They made accusations and demeaned the men to make themselves feel better. They talked over the men whenever they were trying to defend themselves so that the men could not get answers out. They participated in double-speak throughout the episode to negate any negative consequences for their own words and actions. The previews make it look like there will be even more fireworks next week. And, I am in-this trainwreck almost defies description.

In a confessional Q stated that he was going to change the way Survivor is played. No, Q, we have always had hissy fits, over-inflated egos, and quitters (well, maybe quitting just started with Osten, but it's still been around for quite a while). I guess his willingness to sit out for rice was for the betterment of the tribe, NOT because he knew he would be out in less than 20 seconds. I would never use him as my realtor as he would know more about the house I would want than I would know... I think Q's dramatics at tribal were to throw the vote into a disarry and allow him to take control again. However, what happened was not the chaos that he intended but rather demonstrated that he really wasn't in charge and that the others were playing their own games and not his game. I also think he will try to spin this to show how 'great' he is at this game and that everyone should do as he wants. But it will be too little too late. As all of these egos battle for dominance I think we are going to start seeing who the real power/strategist in the game is. I did enjoy some of the lighter moments of the episode. I liked the hide and seek game as they all seemed to have fun (but, of course, Q had to self-congratulate about gaining insights from it). I think the rice bribe failed due to many reasons-lack of trust, wanting to participate, feeling in danger of being voted out etc. But, I also think that they get so many rewards that nobody is really starving (if they have challenges every 2 days and most of the challenges have a reward attached, then most of the survivors have a good chance of eating on a semi-consistent schedule).

Pretty rich that he resented Rob and Aron having an alliance and strategic talks when he was in two alliances, one of which he made the first day. Alrighty.

I personally think that the show isn't as interesting due to some of these changes. I much prefer the older version which, apparently, means I don't have the emotional layers to understand the newer version. But, numbers don't lie and with the increased viewership over the years, wait a minute...how can this be-it's actually decreased viewership over the years. Maybe, just maybe, they should consider what the viewers want to see, not necessarily just what the producers want to show. Oh, and they are really discounting former contestants. Outside of a handful of players, I think most 'old school' contestants could separate the game from real life and if someone was having an incident they would have helped. Don't give me, 'old school didn't care about others...'

Yes, it's no longer about 'surviving' it's about 'don't worry, in two days there will be some type of tribal shake-up.' I think it's most evident when we see that most tribes don't even really bother with a good shelter as they know they won't be there that long.

One thing I noticed during the bling segment was the mother mentioned she was on QVC (or going to be on it) and the camera immediately focused on Lori. But, Lori is no longer with QVC (I think she left in 2020 or 2022). Kevin is on QVC (I've watched some of his wine and food presentations), but she's not. So, maybe they need to start focusing on the 'king' of QVC and not the displace 'queen.' The wedding business was way overvalued. They used total sales, 76% of which go to other businesses! Their actual income was only a percentage of the sales after the vendors who are part of the packages receive their sales.

Yep, just as I suspected, Jeff is trying to turn Survivor into a new version of his failed talkshow. He's looking for 'personal growth' rather than an exciting game of outwit, outlast, outplay. I think the producers need to get together and actually look at the show's characteristics when it was bringing in a large viewing audience and readjust to go back to the show that people wanted instead of this abbreviated, emofest.

I think the producers want me to root for Aron, but I am now 'rooting' for him to leave. He is borderline obsessive about Ayssa and it's a bit concerning. He's going to avenge her? Play his game for her? Why? I get that they were friends, and yes, you want your friends to stay in the game with you, but this is way overboard. And then even when Rob shows him where a case is, he is in no hurry to retrieve it. I am also ready for Amy to ga home. Being in the 'majority' in an individual game sure went to her head. Oh, and choosing to go after Aron immediately after his emotional breakdown? Not a good look. I'm glad that we're finally getting to know Jordan (who?) a bit more. Dawson absolutely made the right choice to take the personal offer. I would have taken it in a heartbeat. All this hoopla about how large the final case will be? Doesn't really matter as statistically the chances are that the final player will not win that last, huge case.

I couldn't believe a room that had a crib and was set up as a nursery/craft room won when there was no bathtub in the bathroom for the child, the room was sterile white for a kid's room, and there wasn't any place for a child to 'live' in that room other than the crib and smaller (a full size?) bed. I think what happened is what I suspect happened on the Four Weddings show. When the competitors are allowed to vote, they often give the highest marks to what they believe is the losing room there by hoping the marks they receive will then allow them to win (i.e. 'we'll vote for the worst room and everyone else will vote for us because ours is the best...'). I see no other explanation for how this room 'won' unless the producers didn't even consider the votes when choosing the 'winner.'