Entries Tagged as 'Survivor'

CBS announces “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” cast

Twenty former castaways will return to compete on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, when the 20th installment of the Emmy Award-winning series premieres with a special two-hour episode, Thursday, Feb. 11 at 8pm ET on the CBS Television Network.

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Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains will reunite some of the most memorable, heroic and controversial castaways from previous Survivor seasons. The series’ best strategists will face off in their attempt to overcome — or embrace — the label placed upon them when they return to seek revenge or redemption, all in an effort to win the title of Sole Survivor.

These unforgettable castaways will compete deep in the South Pacific on the breathtaking island of Samoa and will be divided into two tribes of 10 comprised of the best HEROES and biggest VILLAINS ever to play the game. The HEROES have been defined by their decisions of integrity, courage and honor, while the VILLAINS have mastered their skills of deception, manipulation and duplicity.

The series will follow the relationships and conflicts that develop among the two divergent groups.Ultimately some castaways will be forced to choose between pre-existing relationships or tribe loyalty in the spirit of competition. What happens on a tribe full of HEROES? Will the VILLAINS self-destruct or will they be able to co-exist?

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“Survivor: Samoa” recap: It’s Called a Russell Seed

by Zhillbear

First off, I’ll repeat the message CBS had at the end of this episode: If you’d like to donate to the Red Cross for their relief efforts following this week’s devastating Samoan earthquake and tsunami, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or visit redcross.org.

survivor_ben_1009Now on to the recap … members of the Foa tribe are trying to figure out who they’d vote out next, and Jaison and Mick think Ben should be the next to go. They don’t like what he said when arguing with Yasmin — in particular, calling her “ghetto trash” — and Jaison calls Ben “a mental plague on our tribe.”

Bad Russell asks Natalie who she’d want to vote out next, and she responds with a declarative “Gosh.” B’Russell doesn’t like how she doesn’t answer him — he thinks he’s the only one playing the game, and the rest are like zombies. I’d like to believe that Natalie was being strategically noncommittal, but B’Russell may have a point.

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“Survivor: Samoa” recap: Taking Candy From a Baby

by Zhillbear

The “previously on … Survivor” recap that starts the show is mostly about the evilness of Bad Russell. You can practically hear Jeff Probst salivate over what a great villain Bad Russell is.

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Bad Russell (who I’ll now refer to as B’Russell, almost like he’s a Belgian city or a sprout) tells the camera that he had fun at the last Tribal Council, and is excited that Marisa and her “strong mind” have been voted out. He then tells Betsy, in a manner more matter-of-fact than threatening, that she made a huge mistake by not trusting him and by voting for Ashley instead of Marisa.

Over on Galu, Yasmin isn’t loving the outdoors, saying, “Who could really love the outdoors, if you could be indoors?” She’s cold, nauseated and feels like there’s a stick up her butt. She’d been told that if she can survive living in Detroit, she can survive anything, but, she says, “the hood’s not the woods.”

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“Survivor: Samoa” recap: The Puppet Master

by Zhillbear

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The baddest Russell of them all

After seeing the cool nature shots of waterfalls, volcanic mountains and crashing waves, we hear some impressions the players have formed about each other while rowing in. One woman (Marisa, we find out later) says she wouldn’t want to mess with the man she describes as a pit bull (Russell, we find out later. Actually, there are two Russells, so I’ll call this one “Bad Russell”).

The tribes, Galu and Foa Foa, must each elect a tribe leader. People vote, describing others by their clothes, gender, race or, when describing Non-Bad Russell, a resemblance to Lennox Lewis.

Non-Bad Russell (hereafter just called “Russell”) wins the Galu election for leader, beating out Shambo, a former Marine who’s half Shannon, half Rambo.

The Foa Foa tribe … OK, I’m sure the second “Foa” is important, but I just can’t commit to typing it every time I refer to the tribe. Foa Squared? Double Foa? I’ll just stick with one Foa — one Foa all, and all Foa one.
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“Survivor: Samoa” castaways announced

CBS has announced today the 20 castaways who will compete in the 19th installment of Survivor, which takes place amid Samoa’s white sand beaches, lush green valleys and towering waterfalls. Despite the picturesque landscape, the competitors will face exposure to the elements and wildlife living in the mysterious rainforests that cover rugged volcanic mountain peaks.survivor

From the start of the game, Survivor embraces the culture of the native Samoans by incorporating an ancient tradition of electing an individual leader of the village. Without speaking, both tribes must immediately choose one member of their group to become their sole decision maker — their chief.

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“Survivor: Tocantins”: Finale And Reunion

by Zhillbear

Stephen is worried about how the previous Tribal Council may have looked to the jury — J.T. came off as the loyal ally for voting against Erinn, whereas Stephen came off as the one who backstabbed Coach. Stephen and Taj know that J.T. may be impossible to beat in the Final 2, and they start wondering, “If J.T. loses immunity, dot dot dot.”

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“Survivor: Tocantins”: Episode 13: The Martyr Approach

by Zhillbear

J.T. and Stephen tell Coach that Debbie, his No. 1 ally, was gunning for him, but they couldn’t tell him they were voting her out, because they thought he wouldn’t believe them. Coach responds with stunned gratitude — they had all launched a counterattack against Debbie to save him! — and he thinks the game is still being played with truth and honesty.

Coach does, however, realize he’s no longer in control of this game, and he tells J.T. and Stephen it’d be awesome to vote off Erinn next and then Taj. He asks who they’re thinking of sending to Exile, saying that while the noble thing would be to send himself or J.T., he’d prefer sending Taj or Erinn, since his lungs are bugging him from asthma. Stephen tells the camera that Coach has been skittish about Exile all along, and he wonders if Mr. Warrior could even build a fire, and J.T. says it’d be good to send Coach to Exile to make him weaker for the immunity challenge, so they can vote him out.

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“Survivor: Tocantins”: Episode 12: The Ultimate Sacrifice

by Zhillbear

[First off, as a Milwaukee-area resident, I'm obligated, if not compelled by mayoral proclamation, to wish you a Happy Danny Gokey Day. Today's his American Idol homecoming, and I'd thought about going to his appearance at the FOX 6 Studios that I pass on my way to work, but I didn't make it. I did, however, take several pictures of the coverage on my TV this morning, and snapped two blind drive-by pictures through my car window as I passed the station, so I feel like I participated. We now rejoin my Survivor recap, already in progress ...]

… and says they should be cut off at the kneecaps and run through with a sword for their “cowardly” votes against Stephen and Debbie. Coach tells Debbie that he wants the Warrior Alliance to attack Taj and Erinn — after all, there’s a reason the alliance has a name — and he poetically comments to the camera, “Cowards, cowards, cowards all around me.”

Debbie, who advises Coach to just let it go, sees that it’s not good for her to be aligned with him, and decides to step up her game. She tells J.T. that she’s been second-guessing about Coach a lot, which gets J.T. and Stephen wondering if Debbie’s a sweet, chatty, dangerous loose cannon.

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“Survivor: Tocantins”: Episode 11: They Both Went Bananas

by Zhillbear

After blindsiding Tyson last episode, J.T. tells Coach and Debbie that he didn’t tell them about the plan because he didn’t want to make them break their word to Tyson. I had thought Coach would go ballistic — if Brendan was the dragon and Sierra was the dragon’s droppings, then what must J.T. and Stephen be, after destroying Coach’s beloved and much-bandied Warrior Alliance?

“Bold and brilliant,” says Coach. “No hard feelings.” Well, that was a bit of a letdown. But rest assured, there will be some classic Coach before the episode is over.

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“Survivor: Tocantins”: Episode 10: It’s Funny When People Cry

by Zhillbear

"What you talkin' 'bout, Probst?"

"What you talkin' 'bout, Probst?"

Now that Brendan, Sierra’s only ally, has been voted off, Sierra knows she’s the next to go. She tells the tribe, “Let’s just try to make these next couple of days congenial,” which apparently involves her having many painful conversations with everyone as she explains why she made the “bad decision” to vote against Coach.

Sierra and Coach talk, and he tells her she could’ve written down anyone else who doesn’t have the character that he has, which is superior because he’s never lied to anyone. (I’ll have to watch the tape again to see if Coach told Brendan he was voting against J.T.) Instead, Coach says, Sierra pitted herself against him, and in love and war, it’s kill or be killed. Her eyes widen, and for a brief moment, I think she fears he’ll kill her. Or he loves her. In which case, he’d still kill her.

We again see Coach doing his meditations in the water, this time celebrating his victory over Brendan. He says that defeating such a worthy opponent — even though this opponent can’t bench-press as much as Coach — gives him a peace that permeates his every fiber. “The Dragon Slayer has vanquished the dragon once and for all. [Insert primal scream here.] Over. The battle has already been won. Victory is mine.” Oh, I want to see him voted out.

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