Britt's On

EFFF I'm terrible at updating this blog. Truth be told, if I haven't spouted off about this already, this is one of FOUR blogs I write & manage. One is actually a huge commitment that generates me money / publicity / freebies so most of my time & effort goes there. But I also have a personal, private one, and a personal, public one - both of which are about different aspects of my everyday life. This blog is basically for shits & giggles, and to keep up on the Blogger platform, should any of the client-type folks I work with use it.

Anyway. I suppose the most logical thing to do right about now is start giving my grades out to all the TV I've been consuming that's recently wrapped up...I also owe you a post on the Alias series finale versus the One Tree Hill ones. I've got thoughts. Plenty of thoughts.

Onwards!

MONDAYS
Gossip Girl - Finale is tonight...so I'll re-loop back on this one. In general, I liked Blair & Dan as a non-couple than an actual couple. Serena's shown her true bitchy stripes. Lola is great, Ivy is wretched. Bart Bass being back from the dead is atrocious and makes me wish this show would die a quick death next season. Please & thanks.

Being Erica - Should probably talk about in my 'Series Finale' post. This last season was a little up & down, and I wish she hadn't ended up with Adam, but I also get the rationale from the creator's POV: when we met Erica she was single, jobless, without direction...now she's got all 3, even if the guy isn't quite my ideal match for her. The Dr. Tom stuff SLAYED me. FINAL GRADE: A


Pretty Little Liars - Sure I'm disappointed that Mona was a part of the A-Team. But at this point, there is no one satisfying answer. It's still deliciously convoluted. I REALLY want Alison to be alive. FINAL GRADE: B+


TUESDAYS
Parenthood - A solid season altogether. It felt like Adam was more in the spotlight than usual. I'm ambivalent about Crosby & Jasmine - it felt very S6 of Sex and the City as per Miranda & Steve. I love Amber and the cute yet vaguely creepy city council candidate, although his entire campaign felt much bigger than necessary. Sarah & Mark = best ever. I wish Sarah would take a chill pill. I sincerely want the show to come back next season, if only to introduce me to more great music. FINAL GRADE: B+


New Girl - I love this show, I really do. I think all the actors & their chemistry is great although I still somewhat lament the loss of high-energy Coach next to straight man Winston. I'm surprised they didn't carry out the Nick moving out plot, at least for a cliffhanger to next season / to introduce a new roomie to the mix. They've got an even tinier cast than Friends, so they run the risk of character burnout if no new new girls / guys are added...maybe in the apartment across the hall? *Wink* FINAL GRADE: A


The Little Couple - What a heartbreaking road for Bill & Jen over the last little bit. But I'm also getting a little...not fed up but...aware of the fact they almost always seem to be basking in some sort of freebie, promotional experience. I appreciate they have a lot of challenges in their life so good for them for making the best of it, but lately their episodes are feeling more & more like infomercials with repetitive convos about their lack of babies. I imagine the producers must be getting anxious about them still not having a baby, three or four seasons in. FINAL GRADE: B (although it still seems to be 'in season')

Ringer - Kind of a f*cked up show. The last five minutes of every ep were great, but it's altogether very schmaltzy. I won't be too heartbroken if it bites it this fall, which is never a good sign. FINAL GRADE: B-


The LA Complex - Shockingly addictive and kinda good. I love playing 'spot the set' between Degrassi & this show now, and I hope it picks up a bit in the states for the sake of its cast. The last few minutes of every episode are mind-blowing - in a much better way than ringer. FINAL GRADE: B+


WEDNESDAYS
Survivor - South Pacific had a disappointing finish...it was the same way I felt about Russell / Natalie's final showdown a few seasons back. A small part of me was rooting for the underdog (Natalie / Sophie respectively) but never expecting them to snatch the crown away...especially after relatively futile arguments by them both at the end of the show. Coach deserved the win, the bitter kittens on the jury were just fail. I did like the 'characters' of last season though. It made for an interesting arc. As for One World, it was altogether a boring season, but yay for Kim winning! I liked her early on and thought she played a great game. Kudos to a respectable jury when all was said & done. FINAL GRADE: South Pacific - B+ / One World - B-


Revenge - Also not quite finished. But loved the show in general. I'm hoping it doesn't peter out / fall into campy Desperate Housewives territory in the near future. Will have to re-loop after this week's finale.

Modern Family - Not quite as glorious as the first season, but still funny and enjoyable. Not quite done yet either but it's hovering in the B+ / A- range.

American Horror Story - I'm pretty sure this is on Wednesday nights. Wonderfully spooky, with plenty of fuck yeah twists & turns...because they can. I'm curious to see it sustain itself season-by-season. I suspect we'll always look back fondly on this one as the golden age though. FINAL GRADE: A+

America's Next Top Model - All Stars was fucking weird, and the result was ridiculous (as is the show, mind you). Angelea would've been an atrocious pick for the win, Lisa was probably best suited to the prize but on the old side for this to be considered a legit modelling competition (31?), and Allison was a poor pawn dragged along to the end to keep viewers watching. Terrible photoshoots as well...some of the worst in memory. British Invasion has been an improvement, only b/c the Brits injected some great personality into the show. I loved the final four British girls, and I hope Sophie (pal of Emma Watson) takes the cake! I liked Laura...but the last few episodes have made me dislike her as a person. She's a good model though. FINAL GRADE: All Stars - C / British Invasion - TBC?


THURSDAYS
The Office - Just. End It. Not done with the season yet but it's hovering in the C range still.

WEEKENDS
Degrassi - Too many story lines on characters I don't care about. We want more Eli! But psyched for the summer session at least, and good intro of the niners. FINAL GRADE: B


Boardwalk Empire - WTF TO KILLING JIMMY / RUINING THE CHARACTER OF MARGARET? FINAL GRADE: B


The Walking Dead - Finally someone listens to my idea of camping out in a jail. Before that? Slow. Too slow. Too many stupid decisions. The last two episodes boosted this one up though. FINAL GRADE: B+


Homeland - Fantastic show. Would recommend to anyone and still see so much potential without it getting too insane (although less of the flashback / mystery stuff). FINAL GRADE: A+


The Amazing Race - Big disappointment with last season and the snowboarders being turfed. I don't even remember the winner, sigh. This season Major Dave & Rachel deserved the win, hands down. The other two teams were horribly unlikable in the final three. FINAL GRADES: C / B-


Mad Men - Still in session. One of the best seasons ever (and I say that every season) although I'd like a little more creative with my drama please.

Girls - Ditto. Pretty much the funniest thing I've ever seen on TV, ever. Wished everyone watched...really. Sure the girls are spoiled (in real life & the show) but I can't help but connect to so much of it. Love.

The Pitch - Horrible advertising egos? Oh yes I can relate. I'm digging a glimpse into other agency's board rooms, I can say that much.

- Britt's On

All-Star Seasons can generally go one of two ways. One, it's thrilling to see people who aren't super naive come back and play the 'game' right - see: every time a past Survivor player jumps in for another round. Or two, it's awkward and against the entire concept of a show for rewarding a past loser, often with a bigger prize.

The main deciding factor between which type of show you're going to get is based on the nature of the show. If it's something where the game is entirely self-contained, like Survivor, The Amazing Race, or even The Bachelor, it makes sense and actually works to bring people back. But on a show like American Idol or America's Next Top Model…it's weird. Because those shows are meant to be proving grounds / launch points for success *beyond* the show. If you haven't hacked it in the meantime, it's not really 'right' for the show to be the thing that gives you a second shot.

So Project Runway All Stars should technically fall into that second category. And in a lot of ways, it does. But both ANTM & ProjRun haven't produced a calvacade of 'stars', with a few notable exceptions (Christian Siriano anyone?). Arguably the talent level on ProjRun is also much higher, and in many cases the 'right' person doesn't always win on that show (see: the last two seasons).

But still…when I compare the results of last fall's ANTM All Stars to this season's Project Runway, it's like night & day. The photoshoots on ANTM were some of the worst ever, and the outcome was completely jacked up: the fact they actually chose Angelea (as best as the public can tell) is bad enough, that they had to reshoot a false ending weeks before it aired is even worse.

That's not to say Project Runway All Stars doesn't have its issues. It does. Namely, we already understand each designer's point-of-view, so it's hard for them to surprise us (and the judges), but it's also not the contestants' advantage to break out of their box too much. In fact that's been the big trend this season: should I stay or should I go? For the most part it's been the former. And it's kind of refreshing to see each designer's dress walk down the runway and immediately recognize whose it is. But I've also seen so many familiar silhouettes and techniques, it can get a little tiresome.

Compound that with the fact they appear to be setting up Mondo (or possibly, maybe Austin) for the win, as if this whole season was designed to appease the long-outraged fans that Gretchen was handed Mondo's win two seasons ago. I was ambiguous about Mondo until the finale on his original season, truthfully. I didn't like a lot of his designs or his sniping, or his well-timed dramatic reveals re: his HIV+ and such. The whole thing felt a little calculated, and this season he's just coming off super arrogant, and I *still* don't really like this aesthetic all that much. Too busy / cartoony for me, but I suspect the prize package here will be a launching point that could put him into the Christian-like stratosphere.

Who does that leave us with? Well Michael Costello, who conveniently has tagged along this whole time as a confidant for Mondo, and otherwise still hasn't shown much by way of fashion chops (although he's made some pretty clothes). Kenley, who I have a soft spot for and am actually pretty irritated by the judges decision to never give her a first place finish - there were a handful of times I easily thought she should have won or at least been in the Top 3. And Austin, the second-most-likely to steal the throne from Mondo, given the 'foreclosure' set-up in this week's episode and his relatively consistent performance / fan favourite status. He's such a good demonstration of how you can be good TV and not be an arrogant prick (Mondo). Plus the fact they kept him around after one or two hideous offerings shows that someone up there (as in, the Executive Producer table) likes him.

Truthfully I think Mondo and Austin are a lock for the finale…whatever that is…they've never established that the designers will be showing collections or in what context, I assume a private runway show somewhere. It's a toss-up between Michael and Kenley. On the one hand, Michael has won two challenges, and we've never officially seen him do a collection (although his decoy Fashion Week collection was pretty tragic). On the other, the show would hurt a bit to not have any females in the finale, and Kenley has performed on more of a steady-footed plateau versus Michael's zig zag performance.

Anyway altogether I've enjoyed this season. The lack of drama / personal story shiftiness has been eliminated in the shortened episode length, and the weekly challenges have been mostly interesting - although a few were questionably campy. Having a fresh judging panel in place has worked well, although Erin (the host) has been kind of awkwardly cheery. I don't know if it's because of who was on the panel, or if it's because these are All Stars, but I've found the judging to be really refreshing because there are pros and cons to almost every outfit, and they discuss them openly, making it harder to discern who's going home. On the regular show, they've fallen into this pattern of just drilling home the flaws of an outfit, and I appreciate the more balanced critiques. I also love Joanna Coles as the new Tim. She's got this amazingly dry sense of humour and super blunt critiques, so much so that even her encouragement sounds like proclamations. She's got that perfect mix of droll humour and house mother guidance that Tim has taken ownership of…I like her so much more in this capacity than as a judge, although I've enjoyed the one or two times Tim has earned a spot on the judging panel. I actually think that should happen every season (ditto with Jay on ANTM).

Even though the remaining episodes feel like a forgone conclusion, and there isn't the excitement of a fashion week presence, I'm still digging that ProjRun went down this route. I'm not saying doing it often. And I do think the cast was a little lopsided (i.e. I can think of a half-dozen girls I'd have rather seen come back in the place of the ones that were cast / available). But altogether this >>>>ANTM.

Sometimes I wonder - pointlessly - how much my opinions are shaped by reading other users' content regarding some of the pop culture stuff I consume. Granted, I realize I may be doing the same in writing this blog, but whatever. Specifically I'm thinking about the blogs I read regarding some of my favourite reality TV shows - Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Project Runway.

On the latter, I am addicted to Tom And Lorenzo (formerly Project Rungay), which is probably the pre-eminent voice for all things PR. And while I love and appreciate their thoughtful commentary on everything - far beyond Project Runway - I also wonder how different my viewing experience of PR, or The Walking Dead, or Boardwalk Empire, or Mad Men would be if I weren't reading their blog.

This comes on the heels of last week's disappointing (in my mind) finale of Project Runway, where beauty queen / sex scandal Caribbean girl Anya took the grand prize. TLo (as they're known) aren't her biggest fans, and I've been wondering how much of that rubbed off on me. Going into the season I latched onto Anthony Ryan, Laura, and Anya as my three favourites - and indeed, all three made it pretty far into the competition (obviously in Anya's case).



As the season carried on, I fell for Viktor, recognizing that it was unlikely AR or Laura would make it to the end. I saw everyone's finale collections via TLo before the finale, and I liked Viktor's, even moreso once I learned where the prints he was using came from. What blew my mind was that he wasn't even in contention for the top two. It was between Anya and Josh.

I'll concede this. When the judges broke out Viktor's collections into two side-by-side images (which was super cool btw!), I did see the break in his collection. None of his black pieces (save for the mirrored top) really stood out to me before the show, or during it, and based on editing it looks like he actually eliminated some prints in favour of more black shadowy pieces...it could have been that decision that cost him the win quite honestly, because his printed looks were amazing. That dress up above...I'm in love. That would've won me over.

When I saw Josh's collection I was kind of horrified. The outfit with the day-glo lace-up shorts felt like a gay man that bought into every gay man stereotype ever was dressing women in gay pride clothing. I'm not even being a bigot there, I'm just saying...his clothes felt very bizarre, and not in touch with what women would want to wear. I hated the colours, and while I understand the judges' desire to encourage an interesting use of materials, I wasn't attracted to any of them. That being said...he did have very well-made pieces. Which is more than I can say for Anya or Kimberly.

I don't have a ton to say about Kimberly's final collection. There were many pieces I liked that I would probably buy if they were hanging on the rack at H&M, and seeing the collection on television did wonders compared to the photos since she did so many interesting back details. Some of it felt a little poorly made. Some of it was pretty boring. The overall effect was not a show that gave me any sense of progression. Kimberly is very fashionable, but I don't know that she's fashion-forward enough to really hack it. At least not for what this competition is hoping for.

I feel like someone in the editing room was staging a minor protest at Anya's (somewhat) shocking win. They had her confess this wasn't her best work. They had her say a weird little goodbye to Tim that didn't go unnoticed by the other competitors. While some may look at Anya's triumph as an example of self-doubt, any sage fan would look at Anya's clothes, shake their head, and go WTF???? I will say I loved that dress up above though, but that was more a print love than a dress love. In fact when I saw Anya's collection I was reminded a lot of Uli's beautiful Season 3, similarly beachy collection that ultimately lost out to Jeffrey's Japanese ghost story line.

Here's the worst of it all. By casting Josh as the villain all season and having him be the most vocal about Anya's lack of skills in the final episode, AND by having Josh and Anya in the final two, it should have felt like a triumphant moment for good reigning over evil. But it didn't. Who had the better collection? I'm hard-pressed to answer that question. I tend to agree with TLo that were Laura in the finals, she should / would have won. Between the final four I'd still have gone with Viktor, between Anya and Josh, I'd hesitantly tip my hat to Josh. I just don't think Anya's clothes showed any real ideas or growth outside of what she did in the competition and I'm genuinely baffled by the judges decision.

This inspired me to do one last PR exercise. Look at the finals of each season, remember who I wanted to win, who I thought deserved to win, and who actually won. I present to you my findings:

SEASON 1
Who I Wanted To Win: Kara Saun - I was her fan the whole season through. She totally deserved to make it to the end.
Who Deserved To Win: Jay McCarroll - despite liking Kara's collection, I was blown away by Jay, who up until that point hadn't really impressed me.
Who Won: Jay - I was pretty happy with this outcome. I remember feeling a tad letdown that my fave hadn't won, but ultimately happy because Jay's collection was kick ass.

SEASON 2
Who I Wanted To Win: I generally liked Chloe and Daniel V. in equal parts. I had high hopes for Daniel V.
Who Deserved To Win: *Pulls face* Hard question to answer. I didn't like Chloe's final collection, and Daniel's was very low-key (although that jacket above is adorbs). Santino's collection surprised me for being so pretty.
Who Won: Chloe - one of the few seasons where I really didn't care. I wasn't blown away by anyone's finale collection here. I like Chloe though, so that's fine. Her fabrics were just meh.


SEASON 3
Who I Wanted To Win: I genuinely liked all four designers that made it to the finals, but I was rooting for Mycheal Knight and Jeffrey Sebelia.
Who Deserved To Win: Mycheal choked. While I loved many of Laura's pieces, I thought it was a tad one-note and mature overall. Uli's collection was beautiful but she was probably my least fave of the remaining designers (on a season-long basis). Jeffrey FTW!
Who Won: Jeffrey! One of the few times this happened.

SEASON 4
Who I Wanted To Win: Poor Jillian. In any other season she would have sweeped it, but alas, this season was branded the Christian show from day one. I was cheering for her though.
Who Deserved To Win: I guess Christian. His looks were not to my taste or realistic whatsoever, but the dramaaaaaa! There was so much work that went into his looks. He was in it to win it, and he gave a RUNWAY show.
Who Won: Christian. Not surprising, ditto on the fact that he's been as successful as he has been. I loved Jillian's finale collection, but I knew going into this finale it was all but locked up so it was hard to be too disappointed that the wunderkid won.

SEASON 5
Who I Wanted To Win: I was part of the small faction of people rooting for Kenley Collins.
Who Deserved To Win: Really hard for me to say. I think I'd lean towards Korto because I just liked her clothing better, but much like with Jillian / Christian, I saw why they chose Leanne. Although it was a tad one-note in colours and application of her 'petals', it was a stunning show.
Who Won: Leanne - Kenley's collection was definitely the weakest of the three finalists. While I was sad to see her (somewhat) choke, I was pleased to see three solid entries up for the win at the end.

SEASON 6
Who I Wanted To Win: I call this the 'lost season' because I always forget about their unfortunate foray into shooting PR in LA. Anyway. I liked Carol Hannah but knew she had no chance - she was like a poor man's Laura (S3). I was mostly cheering for Althea as the bridesmaid to Irina's bride.
Who Deserved To Win: Meh. Another season where I didn't care much for any of the finalists collections. I felt like Irina's was the poor man's Christian Siriano show. I liked Althea's street chic clothing and what she did with knits (like the green dress above), but it didn't feel like a SHOW, much like Kimberly suffered with this season. Carol Hannah's collection was no good.
Who Won: Irina. Did the judges have a choice? Althea's didn't blow your mind and Carol Hannah's was poorly made and just so...satiny. Irina was smart and did the SHOW.

SEASON 7
Who I Wanted To Win: Seth Aaron Henderson. Did I think he had a shot at winning? Not for a second. He'd been quite under the radar all season, producing consistently good pieces but never being a judges' pet like Mila or Emilio, his fellow finale competitors.
Who Deserved To Win: Seth Aaron. Emilio's collection had a blah colour scheme and his ego just made me dislike him. I was never a fan of Mila's aesthetic, although I did enjoy her sequin gown for the finale.
Who Won: Seth Aaron! The second time my fave person actually won - and deserved it. I suppose the two should go hand in hand. I'm willing to admit not all of my fave designers have wowed me at the end.

SEASON 8
Who I Wanted To Win: Admittedly I got a little tired of Mondo by season's end. His constant praise was a little annoying. But Andy underwhelmed me, and while I loved Gretchen the character, I never liked her designs much. So I was on Team Mondo, fully ready to embrace his inevitable win a la Christian Siriano.
Who Deserved To Win: Mondo Mondo Mondo. His inspiration has been used by MANY a designer since then, and I literally loved almost every single piece he created.
Who Won: Gretchen Jones. I mean. WHAT? Probably the most shocking and hateful win ever. I hated her finale collection. Genuinely hated it. The fabrics, the clothes, the styling - everything was not to my taste. I don't know that I've ever disliked someone's finale collection as much (except for, sadly, Mychael Knight's). A total runway robbery.

So there you have it. The final tally is -

Two Seasons I Was Totally Happy With: 3 & 7 (Jeffrey and Seth Aaron - similar esthetics, so not surprising I gravitated towards them)

Three Seasons I Understood The Outcomes Of: 1 (Jay), 4 (Christian), 5 (Leanne)

Two Seasons I Didn't Care About: 2 (Chloe - I liked her, I just didn't like her collection), 6 (Irina)

Two Seasons The Outcome Royally Pissed Me Off: 8 (Gretchen), 9 (Anya). Yikes...not a good pattern!

Obviously I'm still watching the show. It inspires me, despite the fact many people are ringing the alarm that it isn't the same show it once was when originally conceived. I don't disagree - although T LO has a lot to do with my perception of things - but I still enjoy the show above most other reality competitions.

- Britt's On

So, I've mentioned it before but...I watch 'Say Yes To The Dress'. I used to think it was the stupidest show ever, but blast that TLC, they hook me with their programs in a way few other networks can.

Anyway. There are two (technically three) incarnations of SYTTD now. The original, at New York City's Kleinfeld boutique. The spin-off, set at Brides by Lori in Atlanta. And the new spin-off, which is 'Bridesmaids' and also set at Lori's salon down in Hot-lanta as my friends and I have nicknamed it.



Let's get Bridesmaids out of the way first. It had a short order of episodes to debut this summer - maybe 4 or 5? Generally speaking, I enjoyed it, having been part of the excruciating process of picking out a bridesmaids gown. I think it's something that a larger part of the viewing audience can relate to because there are more bridesmaids than brides. Seriously.

On the flip side, there was less dramatic tension compared to the wedding dress. The budgets of the 'maids was something the brides couldn't be as flexible on as they are with their own dress. And typically only one or two of the bridesmaids, the bride, and maybe one other member of the viewing gallery said anything. But it was fun to see some truly hideous gowns walk out (and in some cases, WIN) - although I wonder if it's bad PR for Lori's salon. Anywho. I wouldn't mind seeing this return to the small screen again.



The debate for me comes from which version of SYTTD is better. I'm going to tip my hand say I probably favour the original more, but there are some things I actually like about the Atlanta incarnation. As for the original?

Well, I think they have a better selection of dresses, plain and simple. And if you (plausibly) watch the show for the pretty gowns, then Kleinfeld is your pick. Plus the budgets tend to be higher here, therefore you get to see even more insane gowns tried on. Pnina dresses are always a treat to see, although I'd never wear one myself.

Secondly, I think they have better consultants in terms of being reality show personalities. I feel like I know these ladies and they're all interesting in their own way. And I heart Randy and Nicole, although the latter has been off on Mat leave so last season was a bit weaker.

Also just generally speaking, the original series has a prettier store. Not saying that Lori's salon looks cheap or anything, but it's hard to beat Kleinfeld's majestic tall ceilings, plush white carpeting, and massive seating / viewing areas. Although Lori's catwalk is cooler than Kleinfeld's little on-the-floor podiums.



As I said. There are things I like about Atlanta. For one, I feel like Lori and Monty are WAY more candid than anyone on the NY incarnation. Sometimes they can be a little nasty and shrill, but I appreciate their honesty.

For another, the brides tend to be younger (oftentimes moreso than me) so I find I can relate to their fashion sense a lot more than the myriad of brides that parade through Kleinfeld. They also have way more reasonable budgets. This is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I like seeing them purchase dresses that are within the realm of possibility for more people. On the other, I like the insane over-the-top extravagance of watching women try on $10,000 or $15,000 dresses. It's like window shopping for me. More often than not, the budget is below $2,000 on Brides by Lori, and the same dresses are often trotted out more than once.

I do appreciate that the alterations department takes up way less time than on the original series - although who knows, the new season could edit down the alterations portion a bit. You literally see one, maybe two sixty-second segments, while on Kleinfeld it can easily eat up five minutes of the show overall. I like seeing the finished product and all, but for me the show is really about buying the dress.

In terms of dislikes, well the consultants aren't nearly as interesting as the NY ones. Robin and Flo are probably the most notable, and while they're all very pretty and sweet and charming, there's no zing like what you get on the original series.

Altogether I'm fully aware the show is totally frivolous. But as a prospective bride-to-be, I've found it very helpful in determining what I do and don't like in a dress in terms of silhouette, details, and PRICE. I'd honestly recommend it for any soon-to-be-engaged gals, and for soon-to-be-shopping-for-a-dress gals. For me it's the equivalent of visiting open houses before you get a real estate agent and shop for a house. It may be silly and overwrought and in some cases, deranged, but in general it's a treat to see dresses on real women to understand what would work best for yourself, instead of flipping through a magazine.

- Britt's On

So...we're down to the Final 8 in this season of Survivor: Redemption Island, and it's been kind of a snoozy season. At first Boston Rob's domination of the game was exhilarating. Now it's just kind of predictable, and I wonder if anyone will be powerful enough to make a play to knock him out once we get down to the final 6 Ometepe kids. And if they do, it'll almost be disappointing that someone has rocked this season so hard, only to get bamboozled in the final moments. Then again, maybe it'd be nice for Rob to win. I'm torn.

My main reason for posting this though, is how WEIRD this season has been. I've noticed a lot of comments from the peanut gallery about how the reason why this season has been so snoozy is the only characters that get any airtime are Rob, Philip, and the occasional commentary from a member of the Zapatera tribe (David was pretty cool, I miss him). Is it bad casting? Are the chickies and football player on Ometepe really that boring? Or are the editors trying to hide something from us?


I just feel like a lot is being LEFT out, so instead we're being treated to some mild drama around camp, usually surrounding Philip. For example...how is it that no one on Ometepe, pre-merge, questioned the existence of immunity idols? One could argue that after Kristina's was used, they all assumed no more would be given out - but Grant (and Philip, to a degree) knew there were clues leading to a second one. Why didn't they show Grant searching aimlessly for it? Or did Rob reveal he had it? Or did Grant guess Rob found it already? I'm just confused as to why none of the inevitable interview segments surrounding the idol have been completely left out. I also wish I saw more from Rob's harem surrounding their devotion to him. Who thinks they're going to the Final 3, and why hasn't in-fighting and Rob's multi-person promises come to light? Or are they holding onto all of that till the final 6?


Part of me thinks this group is just sailing towards the finish like Tocantins, with the mutual understanding that it might not be such a bad thing for Rob to win the whole thing...I mean we haven't seen a shred of ambition from one of these kids (at least not one that's been left on the editing room floor) aside from Andrea's brief night of plotting with Matt by the campfire. They teased that next week Andrea might be walking the plank - a reminder that Rob never forgot Matt sold her out - but I'd be surprised if that's the case. That being said, Andrea has the weakest ties to Rob of the bunch, so I can see that he sees her as a threat. She's done well in challenges, doesn't have the same level of animosity around here that the other girls do, and she has Matt and Philip's votes if she makes it to the end. Is that enough to motivate her to make a power play? Doubtful.

I don't know. I don't know how I feel about this season. It feels like Rob's tribe has been as restrained by the editors as the Zapatera folks are spouting they are around camp. I love Rob as a character, and I commented earlier on this season that every season would be better with a little Rob in it, but his sheer domination over these unseasoned players has been kind of painful to watch...especially since they really do just seem like drones, based on the editing. I just want SOMETHING to happen. Don't keep me waiting much longer Survivor!

- Britt's On

Two final Survivor-esque comments I forgot to make while making my fantasy non-‘Favourites’ draft.

#1) A finale’s worth of curious editing finally made sense in the Heroes vs. Villains finale. Obviously at some point, likely once Russell secured himself a spot in the H vs. V finals, the production crew alerted him that he indeed did NOT win Samoa. Which explains his teary-eyed appearance at the Samoan finale before the votes were even close to being revealed. It makes sense that they did this from an editing standpoint – it was no skin off their back to let Russell know at that point in the game that all his bravado throughout the season was for naught. It also probably rattled Mr. Samoa 2009 enough that it led to his final tribal demise that we witnessed last night. It did make for some GREAT editing though, as no one thought Russell would have made it to the end of H vs. V based on his lemon-sucking mug at the Samoa finale.

That being said, I feel like I’m unravelling a mystery of Lost-esque proportions. Here are my remaining questions:
- If Russell knew he hadn’t won Samoa prior to entering the final tribal, why didn’t he adjust his strategy a bit more going into it? I suppose the argument could be made he really doesn’t get it with his ‘no apologies’ stance, but for someone who *seemed* aware going into final tribal that he hadn’t won, you’d think he’d ask himself “why not?’
- How much did the players really know or talk about Russell’s past exploits on Samoa? Going into it, Colby was the only one who seemed perplexed at the inclusion of Russell. ‘Stranger Danger’ he called it, and rightfully so. You’ve got a guy no one has heard of be cast on an all stars season before his season even airs? Yeah that’s cause for concern people.
- Beyond that, why didn’t we get to see more of Russell acclimating himself with the castaways? Other than rounding up Parvati and Danielle and throwing the gauntlet down with Rob, we never got a sense of the castaways getting to know one another this season (another problem with having so many uber familiar faces), especially Russell. Where was the big reveal about him being a millionaire back home? I know that for some people, a friend of mine included, they hadn’t tuned in for some time, so not knowing anything about Russell (among other castaways) was a bit unnerving and probably would have coloured their opinions of them even more!
- Although we didn’t see a clip of Russell acknowledging that he didn’t win Samoa until the final episode, I wonder when he was actually told. My theory is once he got to the final 3, as I said, for editing, but for editing purposes…how is it possible that he never talked about his ranking prior to this? He continually said lots about being the King of Samoa, but he never ever said he guessed he won it because of those bozos poor performance. His arrogance implies he thought he beat them, but he never said it. Weird.

#2) Beyond all of what I’ve just said, I have to say the final tribal lacked some of the arguments it could have included. Perhaps the topic of personal wealth was left off the table because we had two past winners and Russell ‘Moneybags’ Hantz in the house…but then why bring two former winners to the end with you (thus negating Jerri’s chance to make a ‘poor me’ case) and not bring that up even once?

Other moves that should have been touched on to convince the jury:
- Parvati’s double idol play and concealing an idol from Russell should have been more focused on
- Sandra convincing Russell to drop Coach
- Russell playing up the poor me card to JT and company and taking it through to the first 5 on 5 tribal
- Parvati being able to make the same sneaktastic moves at Russell but still have the respect of the jury (i.e. of the villains that played with these three for the whole game, Parvati scored 75% of their votes, and Courtney’s was just a throwaway…sour grapes Heroes?)
- Russell taking down his formidable villainous (heroic!) opponent Rob by convincing Tyson to vote out himself essentially

Oh the list goes on. I just felt like there wasn’t a lot of supportive arguments going on, other than Sandra’s “I did what I had to and look where I am bros” and a few lacklustre responses from Parvati. Although it bears repeating her statement of being the best all around player this season was dead on.

Sigh. That’s all I’m going to say about this season, consider the book closed. On to fresh blood, and hopefully less bitter juries.

- Britt’s On

Sandra?!?! Colour me surprised. Oh right, I'm talking about Survivor here.

I predicted this final three to be one of the most compelling, and I was right – just as I was also right that Russell would not win no matter what. I have to say, major kudos to two past winners for making it to the end and being the only ones really in contention to win this thing all over again.

I was wrong however, on who the jury would pick between Sandra and Parvati. Although I gave the edge to Parv, Sandra ended up taking the win by a decent-sized margin. I pointed out that Sandra’s strength, that she used quite well in the final tribal, was that she did try to make big moves but it was the Heroes that ultimately hindered them. Although Russell was all sour grapes about rewarding Sandra’s failures (a slightly fair point), the Heroes at least got that her failures were their failures and rewarded her as a result.

That being said, I think the majority of people out there are in agreement with me that Parvati probably really should have won. She did play the best overall social, strategy, and physical game. Her and Sandra were incredibly different actually, Sandra playing the complete opposite and being all scrappy on her way to the top. But both of their arguments did hinge on a similar point – they had to work extra hard to get to the end. Sandra, because her alliance was decimated (although once it was she sort of floated to the end), and Parvati, because no one wanted to work with her from day one onwards. I have to admit that Russell made one of the splashier plays that saved Parvati (i.e. hidden immunity idol and the ouster of Boston Rob), but overall the fact Parvati could get to the end and get votes over Russell speaks volumes about her gameplay.

I was a bit disappointed Sandra won although I still give credit where credit is due, and it did make for an exciting final episode. I laid out my argument to the boyfriend, after he agreed with Probst’s claim that this was indeed possibly the best season ever, about why it was NOT the best season ever. Namely that despite the increased focus on ‘What’s going on at camp?” with the endless combined reward and immunity challenges, we really didn’t get to see any new character development.

What was brilliant about Fans vs. Favourites was the cast represented people we’d seen a fair bit of (i.e. they were all former jury players) but not tons of, because there were no former winners or anything in the mix, other than runner-ups Amanda and Ozzy. Putting this ragtag group of castaways on the same season was a stroke of brilliance because it allowed some players that probably should have gone farther in their original seasons the chance to shine apart from the winners of their past seasons (Parvati and Cirie in particular took top honours here).

The same can not be said about Heroes vs. Villains. As I said in my last Survivor post, the fact there were so many threepeats, many of who had played recently, did kind of screw up the casting this time around.

So here I present to you my fantasy casting for the show. The only rule I set up for myself was that no threepeats are allowed UNLESS the last season they played on was All Stars. Therefore our Guatemalan contender Stephenie and all of the Fans vs. Favourites cast members wouldn’t be allowed. Also I took out all concerns about who they asked, and how each of these characters played out on the show. I was going for people I wanted to see more of, not how they actually turned out this season (because no one, save for Jerri, was really reinvented).

Heroes Tribe
Colleen – America’s original sweetheart, it would be so interesting to see someone that isn’t so high profile outside of their season back on the show. That being said, Stephenie’s comment regarding pre-game friendships was very revealing about how an original castmate like Richard or Colleen would have done on the show.

Jenna – Who doesn’t love Jenna Morasca, S6 Amazon winner? However, dear gal that she is, Jenna stayed home to be with her boyfriend, S3 Africa winner Ethan. She played a heroic, scrappy game towards the end and managed to get six of seven jury votes. Although a threepeater like Colby and Jerri, I was ready to see more of Jenna.

Shambo – Although I was kind of ambivalent about her on the show, Shambo is one of those characters that is way more awesome after the fact (much like Coach, or ANTM’s Jade). Apparently they asked her back as well but the back to back seasons put a crimp in those plans.

Sugar – I never liked Sugar and I probably never will, but I’d still have casted her to represent Gabon well enough. Plus she made for a no-tears-lost first ouster.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck nee Filarski – this would have been as close as the show ever got to having a celebrity edition. I think it would have been interesting to have such a high profile person on the show, although she probably would have been ousted early, not really being one to keep her head in this kind of game at this point.

Colby – Despite his pitiful performance, I would have been happy to see Colby come back, even in my fantasy casting. His fallen hero story arc was relatively compelling although I wish they’d gotten into it more than they did during the actual show, and not just Colby’s final spot on emotional explanation at the reunion about the lack of adventure for him this time around. He definitely embodied hero, and should have been there.

JT – Another person who had a disappointing return (but how could he not?) that I’m still glad participated. He made for good television at the very least with the whole idol debacle. Plus I heart him. He reminds me of a down south version of the boyfriend.

Rupert – So the male heroes casting was pretty acceptable obviously. Rupert, being the all around lovable teddy bear big guy, was deserving of returning to the show on premise. On the show however, I got irritated with him throughout and kind of wished he wasn’t around, but were I casting and not knowing what was to happen, I would have brought him back.

Tom – I’m not sure if I’d have rather seen Ian or Tom from Palau come back. I wasn’t a fan of Tom, I thought he was a bit of an arrogant prick, but I think he’s just one of those aggravatingly good guys that gets under people’s skin because they probably couldn’t be that ‘good’ no matter how hard they tried. He played a disappointing (unsurprisingly) game this year, but again, on paper he was a perfect casting choice.

Yul – Definitely one of the greatest heroes, he actually did what Russell would do just a few seasons later, but with charm and grace that made him the winner over physical dominator Ozzy. That is, he propelled his underdog tribe of four to the finals in one of the most blissed out races to the top ever. Funny how that works.

Almost made the cut?
Ethan Zohn – dude has cancer so I knew he wouldn’t be returning, but Ethan played the prototype of the game JT would take on a decade later. He’s not the most fascinating player of all time but he’s certainly one of the most likable.

Bob – the lovable, crafty teacher from Gabon may have been an interesting addition, but I’ve already got enough cast members from a relatively unremarkable season, so Bob got the axe.


Villains Tribe
Russell – guy definitely deserved to be there and will go down as the greatest villain of all time. Even Boston Rob and Parvati know how to play the game and get votes at the end.

Tyson – should have gone farther. Tyson was someone who had potential to develop into a new character, much like some of the Fans vs. Faves, or at least be a more involved player, but he screwed himself.

Shane Powers – apparently they asked Shane and he turned them down. In case you forgot, Shane was the chain-smoking, totally bananas psychopath from Exile Island (with Cirie and Danielle) that used a piece of wood as a Blackberry. It would have been nice to see him break down again, although the game would have claimed him early on methinks.

Todd Herzog – the China winner was a formidable villain with style. Russell could have learned a thing or two about how to be a ruthless player and still win. Plus I imagine Todd would have been the only one wily enough to take down Russell.

Kenny Hoang – I see Kenny as a female Cirie. An unassuming player that is actually diabolically clever. I would have liked to see more of Kenny amongst the big boys this season – I imagine he would have gone far if he were able to do okay in the challenges. Hm, I’ve just created a really weak tribe of gangly boy types though.

Jerri – I was actually pretty stoked to see Jerri back and was definitely a cheerleader of hers throughout the season. She had a great redemptive arc that removed the black mark of All Stars from her record. Beyond that, she was one of the great female villainesses and totally deserved to be there.

Courtney – Although she never stood a chance, I would have liked to have Courtney on the show for the same reasons I liked Tyson. They made great commentary and facial expressions throughout.

Corinne – Another person that was apparently asked back and turned it down. Corinne was the bitchiest witch that ever set foot on the show (pretty much), completely reaming out her competitors in confessionals and to their faces in Gabon.

Laura – I’m trying to fill out the Samoa crew a bit. Laura wasn’t a huge villain, but she was certainly vilified while on Survivor. She probably would have supplied more compelling drama than Danielle or Sandra, plus a Laura vs. Russell showdown take two would have been epic. As stated, Russell had a massive advantage going into this game in that no one had seen him play – I imagine Laura would have put a major crimp in his gameplay. Plus I could see her and Corinne getting along.

Erinn – Another person who wasn’t really villainous so much as vilified. I didn’t want to have too many people from Tocantins, but I think Erinn could have replaced Danielle. Alternatively, I think Candice should have been put on the villains tribe. She probably would have been Russell’s Natalie-mark.

Almost made the cut?
Coach – wasn’t really a villain ever, but you just wanted (and still want) to see more of the guy. Would probably have been served better by appearing on a season that wasn’t as themed as this one.

Boston Rob – I was quite happy to see BR again, and although his rivalry with Russell was fantastic, it sort of messed with the great redemptive arc Rob has had off the island re: Amazing Race and Amber.

Richard Hatch – another person they apparently wanted back but couldn’t be released owing to his jail sentence. Hah. I was ready to see more of Richard amongst these new age players – Boston Rob was a good proxy though. Because of that, I imagine he would have flamed out disappointingly early.

Brian Heidek – I hate this guy. That’s why he’s not on my fantasy cast. But he was a serious villain – just not a likable one like Todd Herzog.

Dreamz – Who doesn’t hate on Dreamz after he stole Yau-Man’s free car and STILL nailed him to the wall in the finals? I mean, he was in the right strategic mind to make that move, but it totally earned him legions of haters. Although he’s someone I dislike, unlike Brian, he played a flaky game and shouldn’t have been in the finals and therefore not on this all star edition of the show.

Randy – So many male villains! Randy was a one note disappointment. It worked on Gabon because it was mind-boggling fun to ask yourself week after week how it was possible for him to still be there, but this time around it fell flat. There were other more strategic players I would have rather seen quite frankly.


I've heard rumblings that they're planning to follow the format of back to back seasons in the same destination, with another All Star (or semi-all-star) edition on the horizon. I've heard and seen many suggestions for what they'll do, but I think it'd be in their best interest to create a cast like Fans vs. Faves that leaves out some of the BIG names for the ones we're ready to see more of. The characters that left a little too early.

Some suggestions I've seen and liked:
- Bringing back all the winners (although kind of effed now that Sandra won twice)
- Bringing back everyone that got second place
- Bringing back everyone that got voted out first
- Bringing back the first jury member from each season

And well...who knows. Who knows what those crazy kids will do next. It's bittersweet to see some of our faves play for the likely last time - Rob and Parvati, ye shall be missed - but overall a good season.

I'm ready for a few more all-star free seasons to be honest. It's time for some new characters!

Till then.

- B

Whee! We are in the final stretch of one of the greatest seasons of Survivor of all time. Yet something doesn’t feel quite right. As eagerly as I’ve anticipated watching each episode, I sort of feel like the entire show was on hyperspeed or something weird.

After mulling it over, I think it comes down to the fact that I really felt like I knew the cast too well already, and the few characters that weren’t recent players / three-timers I didn’t really care to get to know again (Sandra, Candice, and Danielle). Comparing this to other all star editions, All Stars was cool because it was the first time they’d done something like that, and they did a couple of interesting change-ups – such as the four tribes to start things off. Fans vs. Favourites was the coolest though because it brought back a lot of new favourites (Ozzy, James, Yau Man, etc.) but not necessarily the most expected cast. Because there were just 8 or 10 or whatever favourites, I felt like they became new characters on their own right which was cool.

Many people have griped about the three-timers and I have to agree, it put a damper on this entire season and building new dynamics and relationships and characters, although some of our heroes and villains were deservedly so from the three-timer camp (Parvati!). I just think they could have either waited a bit longer to do another all star season, or brought in more characters that hadn’t done an all star edition yet. I know they wanted to bring back Shane Powers from godknowswhat season and uber bitch Corinne from Villains, but they both declined sadly. The cast just could have used some fresh blood I think, or perhaps some more blood from the earlier seasons so Colby et al weren’t quite so outmatched by the craftiness of the newer players.

Overall though, I still really liked this season. I need to see the final episode before ranking where it goes in the overall line-up, but I’d probably put it in the top ten, maybe the top five.

As for our FINAL FIVE! Let me break it down:

Colby – has a snowball’s chance in hell of making it to the final three. I don’t imagine anyone (other than maybe Russell, but even he probably isn’t hedging his bets to win against Colby) would use him to further themselves in the game at this point. Plus even if he made it to the final, he wouldn’t, or shouldn’t win. He’s been useless, to the point where his own tribe acknowledged it.

Jerri –Dalton Ross’ and Jeff Probst’s blogs have two differing opinions on the curly haired one. Probst reflected where my head was at – that Jerri stands a great chance at the end for having not pissed off a lot of people but still making it to the end. However Dalton makes the solid point that she hasn’t done anything significant on her own (other than swim in yay, win an immunity and a reward, and flip when required), and typically speaking the all star juries are a little more respectful of good gameplay. Or they’re a little more pissy, I don’t know.

Parvati – this girl won me over this season. I really didn’t like her in her first season, I was ambivalent about her on Fan vs. Faves (although fully agreed with her big win), and at first was dreading her return this season, but ultimately the fact she has kicked so much damn ass for the second time in a row makes me want to give her a big huge high five. People knew she was a massive threat (although maybe not, as a past winner), yet she’s still here. She’s played a really good social game once again, if not better than the previous time as she has actual fans and friends on the jury (Amanda, Danielle, Courtney, etc.), and she let Russell be the front man for their line-up of hits. She’s been an awesome physical player, often contributing to her team’s wins, and taking a few immunities home when it counted. She’s also been a smart strategic player, letting Russell be the villain while she spun the web. Plus the use of the double idols was brilliant and basically got her to where she is. Team Parvati, she deserves a second million at this point!

Russell – many people, myself included, have soured on the self-proclaimed King of Survivor. Although he played an incredible game last year and totally deserved to win, his bragging this season fell a little flat, as did his pandering to Parvati. I think playing with the All Stars was more of a wake-up call to him than he’d like to admit, plus he also had the massive advantage of no one knowing his season. That being said, he HAS made it to the final episode once again, a feat not easily accomplished, and he has made his trademark Russell mind-reading moves to get what he wants (to a point). That being said, he’s still an ugly little player and he has even less of a chance winning this season than he did last season, if he manages to make it to the finals.

Sandra – of the two past winners, Parvati has played the better game. However, Sandra deserves credit for still being here! Her alliance broke down pre-merge and yet she outlasted people that were part of the original Villains alliance, partially through some crafty spinning of her own (re: Coach’s ouster, and keeping this last idol out of anyone else’s hands). She is fearless, and she has tried to make some big moves that were derailed by other people (Candice!), yet she’s made the moves she needs to in order to get to the end. So kudos. Parvati and Sandra’s late-game allegiance was a smart one for both players as past winners, but it’s a bit of a toss-up as to who would win when they go head to head. While Parvati has more game-playing credits to her name, Sandra might win the heroes votes for the time(s) she tried to throw a lifeline out to them.

So here are my predictions, for each final 3 match-up.

Colby – Russell – Jerri: The most unlikely match-up. Jerri would probably win. She’s less evil than Russell but a better player than Colby.

Colby – Russell – Parvati: In this case, Colby might win because people are embittered with Parvati and Russell as a duo. I think Russell & Parvati in the end would be an ugly match-up that would only serve to highlight their villain sides, and Colby might just end up looking like the good guy.

Colby – Russell – Sandra – Sandra would take this, for similar reasons to Jerri.

Russell – Jerri – Parvati: I think Jerri might win this as well, with the rationale that the world hates Russell, Parvati and Russell as a duo would KO one another, and between Jerri and Parvati, the gal’s already got a million.

Russell – Jerri – Sandra: Tough call, and one of the two most compelling finals we could potentially see (if Parvati were surprisingly ousted via Russell). I think a lot of it would come down to: how did Jerri and Sandra handle the ousting of Parvati, and who comes off looking better? My money would be on Jerri, hiding behind Russell.

Russell – Sandra – Parvati: Another one of the top three most compelling final match-ups, I think it would be a tough call between Sandra and Parvati as past winners that are considered less evil than Russell. I’d put my money on Parvati though, as I think Russell might do his part to beat down Sandra in front of the council, but not be able to with Parvati quite so much.

Sandra – Parvati – Jerri: In my opinion, the most likely final three (aside from R-S-P), and the most interesting. You’ve got two past winners who have each made bold moves yet showed loyalty when it counted, and one chick that has come a LONG, favourable way from the day she started, and her past seasons. Jerri might win simply because she hasn’t, and Parvati would be cast as the top villain in this schema which could hurt or help her case. It’d be a nail biter if this is the end, and Parvati’s all gal alliance will once again have served her well.

Well kids, till Sunday’s finale…

- Britt’s On

Awhile ago a friend of mine (actually several) were horrified when I suggested one of the defining trends of the first decade of the 2000’s – much as mod represents the 60s and bad hair the 80s – would be reality television. But really, in a decade that was all about technological advancement and the wide-reaching fingers of the internet, the emergence of reality TV – despite a return to more basic television production – was a natural evolution of entertainment. We are the generation of ‘instant’, with word of mouth and online news rapidly, virally spreading messages in a matter of mere minutes. We don’t expect, we demand to know the ins and outs of our celebrities’ lives.

But yet…as we begin a new decade, it seems the honeymoon is over with reality TV. The market has become increasingly saturated, and a huge number of reality shows are starting to become stale, and in some cases, are leaving the air (sianora ‘The Hills’).


Consider the increasing absurdness of America’s Next Top Model, a show that once promised lucrative rewards in high end magazines and advertising campaigns, which now continually ‘breaks the rules’ of the modelling industry, and ultimately produces models that are hardly at the top of their game (save for Cycle 6’s Danielle and Cycle 1’s Elyse).


Or the lack of pulse-pounding intensity that once dominated The Amazing Race. Although the show still gets props for pushing the envelope in where they send their contestants, what challenges they have to do, and is still an incredible feat to pull off season after season, it’s ultimately become a little lacklustre over the last few years. Part of it is casting – some generally unlikable and improbable teams have continually made it to the end over the last few years, while fan favourites (if there are any) have continually been eliminated a few legs shy of the finish.

In fact TAR suffers from same-ism that ANTM tries extremely hard to fight – if you look at the history of the series, five of the fourteen winning teams are young, fit males (six if you count the mostly male Linz family on the family edition), two of the teams were brother/sister couplings that generally breezed through the race, and the rest were couples that generally won quite handily. In fact, the last time I remember being really excited during a TAR finale was the adorable hippies TK & Rachel in Season 12. There have been no successful parent/child, or of course, all female teams, and it’s frustrating!


Project Runway has also suffered from two relatively ho hum seasons. Last year’s ill-advised trip to Los Angeles resulted in the worst season to date, with three blasé designers in the finale. Don’t get me wrong, I actually liked all three designers, but I felt like they were better suited to be picked up to design new lines for Club Monaco than Barney’s. This past season wasn’t quite as boring, but it felt like you could pick the final line-up from the earliest weeks, and none of the final three collections were quite as awe-inspiring as past years. It almost felt predestined - as per, how could Emilio ever get past the hardware challenge with the atrocious pink string (literally) bikini he sent down the runway is beyond me...other than the judges wanted to see him in the finals (to be fair, he did do really well before and after this challenge but still).


I liked Seth Aaron Henderson’s stuff, and I quite liked him, but I still wasn’t mesmerized by it. A credit to the Canadian edition of the show – despite the fact it was pretty obvious Sunny would win the last season, I literally had no clue who would go home, or even who would be in jeopardy each episode. That’s good editing.


There are exceptions to the rule. After a couple of lacklustre seasons following the incredible Fans vs. Favourites, Survivor bounced back in Samoa thanks to the devilish casting of Russell Hantz, and followed it up with another great all stars instalment, Heroes vs. Villains. I feel like H vs V has let me down only slightly in that it’s almost sped by too fast, and maybe came on the heels of another all star edition a little too soon (as per the endless complaints about how many third-timers were on the show this time), but in general it’s been a great, surprising season, although many of my favourites are gone.


Also Dancing with the Stars continues to dominate, thanks in large part to the boomers that keep it going. I tuned in as a regular viewer for the first time this season thanks to the actually quite recognizable cast compared to other seasons, and I’ve enjoyed it. I fast forward through about 25% of each episode’s fluff, and about 80% of the results shows, but I’ve liked watching the stories unfold, the relationships, and the progression of the dancing. Great, great casting this year that gives this show a new breath of life. I don’t imagine it will last forever – as this post proves, these shows are running their course, but as a late follower, I’m thinking it’s a big pile of cheesy fun. Plus Nicole Scherzinger has finally made herself a relatable, interesting character rather than a vapid pop tart!

Anyway one can only guess what the next decade will bring us beyond these granddaddies of the industry. I’m a big fan of reality television – not so much on the afterboom of minor celebrity – and I hope it doesn’t disappear altogether. It will be a sad day when Jeff Probst isn’t gracing my screen on a weekly basis.

Till next time,

- Britt’s On

What to say about this season’s TAR? It’s not been the greatest. In fact the last couple of seasons have been pretty, dare I say, lackluster? Aside from the winning teams being pretty boo-worthy, there hasn’t really been a whole lot of solid teams that HAVE made it to the end that I actually want to cheer for. The last memory I have of a team I like winning was TK & Rachel, back in season 12. Since then it’s been a couple of snoozeworthy brother & sister clear winners, plus the should-be-brother-and-sister coupling of Meaghan & Cheyne.

The final four for our final two (three?) episodes is pretty shocking to be quite honest. If you had sat me down after the first episode or two and asked me to predict the final four, this would NOT be the group I’d have picked. Maybe the cowboys, because they’re magical and the race almost always plays to their strengths (minus the drums) but the other three teams? Not so much.

I’m happy to see Dan & Jordan in the race, because the BF’s (unsolicited) team in his office’s pool is team DJ. They are total forehead-slapping morons that seem to have tripped into their current position, but they do provide amusing commentary (and excellent material for the Bitchy Amazing Race Blog).

I’ve soured on the cop team (Team Undercover) based on the real-life shenanigans of the fishy-looking Louie. He’s one electrical-outlet-incident away from looking like Wario. I applaud Mike’s enthusiasm and support for his partner though, it just breaks my heart to think how he’s been led astray! Plus I also can’t really support them winning based on the fact they’re so sorely out of shape. Every time Louie runs it hurts my lungs.

Finally we have Caite & Brent, one of the more idiotic, vile pairings we’ve seen on the show. To their credit though! They are easily the most enthusiastic team left here, skipping for joy to each challenge no matter how headache-inducing. Their only real breakdown came during the coconuts and they certainly weren’t alone in that. They also have rarely sniped on one another, surprisingly. A small part of me is cheering for Caite to get some vindication about her pageant flub, but also because it’d be hilarious for this team to outwit, outplay, and outlast…oh wait, that’s another game…but you get the picture. It’d be hilarious if they represented the strongest team in America this go-round.

A lot of people have debated the U-turn of Carol & Brandy. Here are my general thoughts:
1) I was not a fan of C&B. Although not the most vile players of all time, they certainly would be in the Villains camp if this were Survivor. Beyond their griping about one another and some of the other teams, they also put up the biggest fuss at every. Single. Challenge. I want to see people on TAR that WANT to be there, that cry blood when they’re knocked out. These gals were not that team. In fact, I would disappointed if they won the first all-female team winner title. In that sense, I was happy the OTHER CB team knocked them out.

2) I think there was a mild bit of strategy in u-turning the girls. Caite & Brent are aligned with Team Undercover, and realistically (although they wouldn’t entirely have been aware of this), had they not gotten rid of the ladies, Team U would be gone. This alliance works both ways – Undercover presumes the tiara twosome are too stupid to win, CB are (rightfully so) assuming that they would easily be able to beat Undercover in the often foot race-heavy final leg. Now, realistically, maybe 86-ing the cowboys was the right move, but the guys are the least malicious team in the bunch, so in the final dirty legs, I imagine it’d be better to have a neutral team like the cowboys next to you over the team that has a serious vendetta against you.

3) Although C&B have never won a leg, they haven’t come close to elimination either – that spells danger (see: Danielle & Eric in the all-star edition). The reason why the final four is so shocking is all four teams have plummeted to both ends of the spectrum repeatedly – this is the most ragamuffin group of finalists we’ve ever seen, which should make for an interesting final leg. I predict that if the ladies were still in it, they’d easily make it to the finals and be in contention for the win if the day went their way, and they could stop bitching for two moments.

So we have four teams, three legs left (there will be a final non-elimination in one of the next two episodes). The preview for next week looked like a crushing road block for Jordan, and if I had to bet, I’d bet against them making it to the end with the neutral alliance (you do your thing, I’ll do mine) between the other three teams that doesn’t really seem to involve the boys.

Still, here are my picks based on the potential final 3’s:

Tiara / Undercover / Cowboys: This is the most likely final 3 and the most interesting I think. Tiara/Undercover might team up to take down the Cowboys, which might allow them to overcome their shortcomings (intelligence and fitness respectively). To Tiara’s credit, they haven’t ever faceplanted a directional situation yet, just lots of missed details. The final legs are like a speed round though and their zest for competition might propel them forward…but my money would still be on the Cowboys.

Tiara / Undercover / DJ: It seems unfathomable to not have the cowboys there, but if that were the case, I think Tiara or Undercover would take it. DJ are a panicky pairing next to these two surprisingly level-headed teams.

Tiara / Cowboys / DJ: I think Cowboys have advantage here again. Although there isn’t a huge strategic advantage for Tiara/Undercover’s alliance, I think having them in the game makes them feel safe or stronger or something. DJ might slip by again if they choose to do whatever the other two teams aren’t doing.

Cowboys / DJ / Undercover: An all male final! I don’t know if that’s ever happened. If this were the case, I’d put my money on cowboys or undercover.

It looks like I’m leaning towards Cowboys or Undercover. Cowboys have lost a little of their shine in the last few weeks, but CBS is promoting them heavily. This could be because they’re the only fully likable, legitimate team left, or because they’ve won. Again, several weeks ago Undercover wouldn’t have made my list, but the guys are pretty resilient and have a good shot at winning. Tiara and DJ would be an upset, but a hilarious one in both instances.

Till the finale!

Britt's On

Let me just say this: The Olympics are one of the greatest reality shows of all time. I’ve loved watching days 1 through 4, and I’m generally proud of Canada’s effort (and colour scheme) for this event…aside from the weather and luge incident. Every event is breathtaking, every medal is up for grabs, favourites will fall, twists will happen, conspirators will oust others. It’s great. It’s equally great that CTV has gone bananas for the Olympics and is airing every event in one way or another...although it makes catching up on my regular programming tough.
Moving on, I have had time to watch a few things in the last week, including the always addictively horrible Toddlers & Tiaras, the always addictive frustrating Lost, and the perennial favourites The Amazing Race and Survivor, both of which kicked off new seasons this week.

Survivor’s 20th instalment, Heroes vs. Villains promises to be one of the best seasons, perhaps the best all star season ever – at least by premise. There are a few notable faces missing and two questionable female choices in terms of bringing back ‘characters’, but the first episode so far has lived up to its hype. There were tons of great sound bytes and interactions, and the 1 to 1 victories for the heroes and the villains made for a great swing of power. I’m not in the minority when I say the villains tribe is more interesting (and sort of who I’m rooting for), but there are a few heroes I’ve got my fingers crossed for (I have a major love for James and JT…the two of them in one season is almost too much). I’m also not in the minority when I say Russell’s boasting fell a little flat next to the other competitors past history and prowess, and Parvati’s immediate assessment of his character (although she did seem a tad too informed).

Moving on to TAR. I’m very disappointed that the ads pitched this season as a high-def one, based on the high-def ads – why can’t we do hi-def TAR? How can this billion-time-emmy-award-winning show not broadcast in hi-def? Seriously! I’m a big fan of the bitchy network of blogs (although I long ago gave up on Big Brother after Janelle failed to win two seasons), and that link will take you to her assessment of the first ep of TAR. I didn’t watch BB but the two BB contestants seem like morons, and her assessment that they cast the biggest idiots on the planet to join them was awesome. The boyfriend has the single/gay brother duo as his team so by default we’re sort of cheering for the lost paintbrush boys, and I am secretly cheering for team miss teen ‘such as the Iraq’ to show the calibre of education it takes to win this show is very low indeed. I don’t have high hopes for them, and I’m pretty certain team BB won’t take it based on rumblings.

Anyway, I am excited to watch the moron parade play out, am uber excited to watch Survivor evolve among the first episode character refresher, and am hoping Lost will finally answer some of my damn questions. Oh yeah, and let the Olympic torch shine for another week and a half!

Till next time,

Britt’s On

Man this is what I live for - Survivor All Star season cast analyses. The new season starts in just a couple of weeks, and while I spotted the unofficial (which turned out to be the official list) a month or so ago, NOW is the time to put my odds on. Why? Mostly because my mom just called me and explained in the Survivor pool she's a part of they get to pick their top 5, and from there will be assigned one of them. I just spent 15 minutes doing a brief analysis of each competitor and realized it's a tougher call than usual for who might win. In general the All Star winners tend to be people who do decently physically (but aren't overpowering threats), have a solid social and strategic game, and tend to fly under the early days radar...Amber and Parvati? I mean who woulda thunk it?

So here we go...a look at our top 20, by the alphabetical order listed on the CBS website.


Amanda (China, Fans vs. Favorites)
(Presumed)Tribe: Heroes
Summary: Amanda currently holds the record for days spent on the island, having made it to the finals twice, but never winning. She tends to align herself with people who make bolder, flashier strategic moves, and her 'but I'm a nice girl' argument at the end earns her resentment, not votes.

Working For Her:
- The gamers might respect if she can make it to the end three times. That's a LOT of time to spend in the jungle for a measly $500K after taxes.
- People might glom onto her as an 'easy win' in the end, putting her in an ideal alliance yet again

Working Against Her:
- People might think she's more than had her chance - twice - and will simply cast her off - again - if she makes it to the end
- Her drippy empathy pleas irritate even the most fervent Amanda fans by season's end
- People might target her as someone to slow burn their way to the end, and eliminate this semi-threat early on


Candice (Cook Islands, aka the 'race' season)
Tribe: Heroes?
Summary: If anything, I expected Candice to fall under the villains category. A totally unremarkable player other than the fact she mutinied tribes with Jonathan, leaving a weak foursome to take her old-new tribe down (and eventually win). I don't think I'm alone in thinking everyone was cheering for Yul/Ozzy & co. and NOT Candice & co.

Working For Her:
- Candice did stick it out longer than some other members of the once powerful tribe she mutinied to (although notably, Parvati outlasted her)...she might be able to pull a Parvati this time and fly under the radar / play a solid strategic game, although I don't know the heroes she's stuck with will buy her game
- As a relatively forgettable player who didn't really shine in her season, she'll likely escape the early heat the big names put out for past winners / major threats

Working Against Her:
- She has NO previous relationship with anyone on her tribe. This is actually a pro/con. On one hand, she has no hurt emotions, but on the other hand, she has no assets to say "Remember when we...?" to make people align with her. Which might make her a match for Russell...ack but he's also on the villains tribe.
- She wasn't particularly strong physically on her season...but you only need to be marginally fit to win the all stars usually
- She's on the wrong tribe. Her game (or the one she needs to play) is much more suited to the Villains than the Heroes.


Cirie (Panama, Fans vs. Faves)
Summary: Cirie plays one of the best social / secret strategy games around, which has propelled her to the near-top on both seasons she's been on. Unfortunately she fails to make that tight bond with her alliance, which has inevitably led to her being axed at the 11th hour.

Working For Her:
- Great social player, as I mentioned, and she's got the momentum of a big fan push back home to keep her mind set that she can do it...or get closer than she has in the past.
- People don't really (rightfully so) see her as a physical threat, so as long as she's careful strategically, she'll probably be okay during the first week heat
- She looks lovely and mom-like in her photo above :)

Working Against Her:
- Cirie's 'game' was really showcased on the last All Stars season...people will be paying WAY more attention to this little engine that can and will take you out with a smile on her face
- Her lack of physicality could hurt her, especially with the dominant physical forces this season vs. the last All Stars
- Danielle. I'm not saying she's a threat or anything, but these two were on the same season and had a tough relationship with each other in the final days.
- Parvati and Amanda. This will easily be the most interesting dynamic this season as the three ladies split on relatively negative terms (at least in TV land) and now two of them are back on the same tribe. Will the real hero stand up?
- Wonder if the girl's learnt how to build a fire yet?



Coach (Tocantins)
Tribe: Villains ?
Summary: Coach really is one of the most colourful, bizarre characters the show has ever seen...and one that makes you wonder how stringently they do their psychology / background checks. Not the greatest strategist and surprisingly unfit, he does play a loyal game.

Working For Him:
- He's got two Tocantins members with him - one on each tribe - that he had decently tight relationships with last time around that may keep him as a mute ally. Coach doesn't question those that are loyal to him.
- People might underestimate him strategically (maybe), so he might be able to concoct a non-ridiculous plan for once.

Working Against Him:
- He's supremely annoying and doesn't exactly fit the profile of a villain (aka strategic) - everyone knows what he's planning 10 steps before he does
- No one will want to align with him, or Tyson might get rid of him just to avoid the perception that they've got an alliance
- He's a weak physical threat (unless he's beefed up in the last year)
- The people he'd be most likely to root (/ align) for are all on the other tribe! What will the noble Coach do amongst villains?


Colby (Australia, All Stars)
Tribe: Heroes
Summary: Survivor's poster child of prettiness, athleticism, and a penchant for mom figures, Colby is the winner that never won. The game has come a long way since BOTH seasons he played, but that also means it's been a long time since anyone has seen him in action - which may let him lay low in light of his more recently competing tribemates.

Working For Him:
- All around likable (if slightly boisterous) guy that seems like a bit of a wacky relic in the world of cutthroat Survivor playing
- If he's kept it up in the last decade, some great physical dominance
- Again, people haven't seen him play in awhile, so they might not see him as a big gun

Working Against Him:
- Colby's a relic, when days were much simpler on the island...even since All Stars things have changed dramatically. Hidden idols might confuddle him.
- The boy has milked his Survivor fame better than most others, landing some commercials and recurring TV roles. He's probably not hurting for cash (although that receding hairline isn't helping much).
- Doesn't really seem like someone that will really be there to play - he knows next to no one playing this season (Jerri & Rupert?) so it'll be harder for him to work his way into a comfortable alliance.
- Isn't as likable as JT.


Courtney (China)
Tribe: Villains?
Summary: Courtney played an acidic, but tagalong game, which I guess earned her a villain spot. I'd call her more of an anti-hero. She didn't strike out on her own beyond the nest Amanda and Todd feathered for her, but she did play a vocal one, which earned her some props when all was said and done.

Working For Her:
- Could be under the radar, although not as much as Candice and Danielle
- Banks her strategy on her alliances - if she finds a good one she can go far
- Weakness (strength-wise) could be seen as a benefit for people who want to beat her at the end
- Being on the villains tribe works for Courtney. These are strategists that will see her flaws and capitalize on them, for a sidekick game.

Working Against Her:
- Supremely weak, up there as the weakest gamer this season with Sugar
- If her whiny attitude persists, the gamers that are SERIOUS about being there will have no tolerance for it this time and boot her out
- Has the highest profile of the low-profile players, there's a good chance Candice and Danielle will be there to 'prove something' and manipulate people into voting out their compatriots like Courtney


Danielle (Panama)
Tribe: Villains ?
Summary: Danielle had a pretty unremarkable season, although she worked her way into the final two with a few impressive showings come final 5 - she ultimately lost to much more likable but forgettable homeless yoga instructor Aras. No one had anything particularly scathing or complimentary to say to her, and she in fact only earned one actual vote (her other one was a random guessing game).

Working For Her:
- Another very under the radar player (although I think Candice takes top honours there) that will easily escape notice in the first week if she plays hard in the challenges and sucks up to those that she needs to
- Similar to Courtney, Villains work better with under-the-radar types. If she finds a good alliance here she can ride it to the end, and hopefully take credit for a few things along the way.
- Candice and Danielle are probably the most likely to be out there to 'prove something' to the world, so they'll probably play harder than they did before.

Working Against Her:
- She had a pretty negative personality from what I remember, and is just the type of person you want to pick on. Her fellow GAMERS might take offense and get rid of her in a "no contest" vote
- If her and Cirie meet up, sparks might fly...or they might not acknowledge one another, so entrenched in their various tribes they'll likely be by that point.
- Much like Candice, she has no connection to anyone on her existing tribe, which could make it hard for her to find a place. If you're that unmemorable, people might go with a 'sure thing' like Courtney over Danielle. Although she might make a good idiot alliance with Russell.


James (China, Fans vs. Faves)
Tribe: Heroes
Summary: James has got this game made in the shade. He never makes it to the end (once out of stupidity, once out of injury) but he always wins the fan favourite award, giving him second place by default...twice. Beyond that, he's actually a great player - you can't help but like him and want him on your side, plus he's got a body like a battle axe.

Working For Him:
- Fan power (not to win, but to get the mega fan award again...last all stars it was a million bucks...)
- Physical prowess
- Likable in a slightly less threatening way than Colby and Tom

Working Against Him:
- Weak strategist, more content to get by on good looks and personality
- Not a great social game - known as a bit of a renegade loner
- Is one of the big guns other players will go for early on
- The whole two fan faves prizes might work against him. If these players were intelligent they'd get rid of him early on so he doesn't have a chance to shine in the fans eyes (typically only merged players get shorlisted for the fan fave prize)


Jerri (Australia, All Stars)
Tribe: Villains
Summary: Jerri's similar to Colby in that she'll be challenged by how dramatically how the game has changed...and she's a lot older / can't play the looks card to anyone but Coach at this point. Beyond that, she's also more effed than Colby because while his prowess has been questioned (He ain't all that!), Jerri's bitchtastic reputation has lasted.

Working For Her:
- Older & wiser, Jerri might come back with a solid strategy to go with her big mouth
- She looks pretty fit and was always a solid but not overpowering physical competitor from what I recall
- Probably not the most villainous of the villains to go after in the beginning

Working Against Her:
- The game's evolution will confound her
- She's got NO friends in this game...Colby and Rupert dislike her, and everyone else is newer than that
- She might be an easy 'no contest' throwaway bitch vote
- Her reputation proceeds her - she's someone no one will really want to keep in the game, and if she tries to soften her image, they'll eat her alive


JT (Tocantins)
Tribe: Heroes
Summary: Ah JT...your season relatively sucked because we knew you were going to win all along, but in some ways, I think everyone was okay with that because you're adorable, smart, and strong. Love!

Working For Him:
- The dude doesn't scheme to win people over...he just does.
- One of the greatest physical competitors ever, and a lot more recently / at a younger age than his fellow physically dominant players of Colby, James, and Tom
- Who doesn't want to align with him? Seriously?

Working Against Him:
- Winners generally have no shot at winning again. BUT if any past winner did, JT would be it.
- Without brainiac and best buddy Stephen by his side, he might be too trusting. The sharks will be swimming around him early on and JT might be a tad too innocent to realize it.


Parvati (Cook Islands, Fans vs. Faves)
Summary: Parvati was the surprise winner of Fans vs. Faves, but not really an undeserving one. Most people will probably be immune to her giggle & backstab strategy this time though - it's a shame her and Candice aren't on the same tribe as I can see them working well together again.

Working For Her:
- Expert strategist who plays a very strong rallying game
- Decent physical threat
- The girl 'villains' aren't very tough and might rally around Parvati (Courtney & Danielle in particular)

Working Against Her:
- As strong as Parv is, she's a past winner, and a very high-profile schemer. People will be gunning for her in early days and it's unlikely any of the Villains will want to be aligned with her after seeing her beat Cirie and Amanda quite handily towards the end. Plus the guys on the villains will be impervious to her charms - Randy is anti-love, Rob is married with a baby, Russell and Tyson will think she's a dumb girl. Sadly, everything is working against her this time around.


Randy (Gabon)
Tribe: Villains
Summary: Randy is one of the nastiest, personal players the game has seen. Say what you want about Johnny Fairplay and the like, Randy was rude to people's faces - and yet he still made it decently far in one of the most vindictive vote-out sessions the show had ever seen. A well-deserving spot on the villains tribe.

Working For Him:
- He's not a threat on the surface...he isn't super strong strategically, his personality is a turn-off for the final tribal, and he isn't particularly physically strong compared to some of the big guns playing this season. Thus, good material for a tagalong finish.
- In some ways, not having any Gabon tribemates - other than the tolerant Sugar - in this season is an advantage for Randy (unlike other solo stars). People will be able to deal with his attitude for longer.
- Randy seems the type to come back with a vengeance, I can see him angling to win this if only for the bragging rights (a la Russell).

Working Against Him:
- Serious gamers have no room for complaining. While Randy isn't a big whiner, his negative tude might drag down his tribe enough to vote him out early on.
- Typically speaking the final cluster is strong enough in challenges that one of them can almost always win the necklace, at least when it counts. Randy doesn't exactly factor into that.
- His vile past game might turn off even the most villainous of villains.


Rob (Marquesas, All Stars)
Tribe: Villains
Summary: Rob has dominated reality TV more than any other player from the show - after wifey Amber won the $1M in the first All Star season, they cruised through two seasons of Amazing Race (sadly not winning, but snagging plenty of trips and cash along the way), got CBS to pay for a lavish wedding and dream life, AND Rob starred in a short-lived poker series. It's a bit weird to see him return to his Survivor roots while Amber stays home with their baby girl.

Working For Him:
- Rob might be one of the game's most notorious strategists (in what I can imagine will be some fun cat and mouse antics between him and Russell), but he hasn't played the game 10 seasons. It's changed a lot, but unlike Jerri and Colby, Rob's apt to be able to keep up with it. It also means that compared to some more recent all stars, he might be able to slip under the radar a bit more than if he had, say, come back for fans vs. faves

Working Against Him:
- Rob's high-profile extra-Survivor affairs will easily make him a target...he doesn't need the money, he'd just like the bragging rights
- Colby, Jerri, and Rob are all crippled in the lack-of-connections department
- There's no lady love for Rob to use as a shield (she's at home!)
- While he might not be a winner, he's a near-winner, and that's good enough motivation for the gutsier players to get him out (and earn bragging rights of their own)


Rupert (Pearl Islands, All Stars)
Tribe: Heroes
Summary: In retrospect, Rupert is somewhat in the same boat as Colby, Rob, and Jerri - it's been awhile since any of them have played the game. Yet Rupert (along with Rob) just seems more likely to be able to tune in earlier on. He's a weird hybrid of supremely lovable (JT & James), supremely strong (like the other heroes men), but also threatened by these same things (him and James will duke it out for fan fave if they make it far this season).

Working For Him:
- You love Rupert in the same way as you love James and JT, he's also loyal to a fault as show in past seasons, whereas James and JT were never really put in a position to show to the world that they were also quite loyal
- Strong as a horse, and looks more fit than usual in this picture

Working Against Him:
- Although not a technical winner, Rupert did pwn in the fan favourite contests, walking away with $1.1 million between the two past seasons he was on.
- Loyal to a fault as mentioned, and people in the all star editions will be savvier than ever
- His lovableness has lost some of its shine...it's been awhile since we've seen him on TV and other lovable stars might take the cake


Russell (Samoa)
Tribe: Villains
Summary: Russell dominated last season, and was visibly upset that he didn't take the title of Sole Survivor (rightfully so) - which may be a tip that he doesn't take the cake this season. Although he completely owned Samoa, it'll be a treat to see him play with real players...but real players that don't know what he's capable of.

Working For Him:
- These people don't know who Russell is or what he's done or why he's on the villains tribe. He might be able to use that shady southern charm to lure a few weaklings in like he did with Natalie (although that didn't exactly work out)
- If the production crew doesn't change things up too much, Russell has a knack for finding idols which will likely serve him as well this time as it did last season
- He looked VERY beat up in the finale of Samoa which implies he was out there for a good long time

Working Against Him:
- Just as they don't know what he's capable of, people might be wary to trust a player that's cast as a villain before it's even aired
- These are real, serious players - Russell was playing with infants compared to these grown-ups!
- It's unlikely idols will be as easy to come by as they were last season
- The fact he was so moved at the finale implies he was banking on *something* to come out of it that didn't happen in the all star season


Sandra (Pearl Islands)
Tribe: Villains
Summary: Yikes, being a relatively forgettable villain / winner is NOT a good place to be, especially if you're not as young and good-looking as Danielle. Sandra basically somewhat orchestrated Rupert's ousting and uh, walked to the win mysteriously.

Working For Her:
- She gives off the weak mom vibe, which'll work for her in the early weeks (or could backfire)
- She's forgettable next to the much bigger threat of Rupert, despite being a former winner

Working Against Her:
- She had a temper and an annoying attitude from what I remember, which are easy ways to get voted out of the happy fun All Star world
- She's a past winner
- She won't fall into line with Parvati's army of chicklets


Stephenie (Pulau, Guatemala)
Tribe: Heroes
Summary: Stephenie was a total hero after valiantly fighting her way to the jury in Pulau - but when she and former tribemate Bobby Jon returned in Guatemala she was somewhat villainized and failed to walk away with the title, despite making it to the finale. She remains one of my more-liked players and one of the better bets to win this season based on her physical prowess, likability, and strategic powers over her fellow hero females.

Working For Her:
- Super strong (look at her abs!)
- Good strategic / social game, people tend to respect her
- Possibly the strongest overall of the female heroes, the guys will want to keep her around

Working Against Her:
- She's a scarily strong female threat, if the guys stick together she'll be gone come merge time
- She doesn't relate to girls so well, and she'll need them to get anywhere
- Similar to a few others this season (despite several players coming back for the 3rd time) she seems to be one of those people that you feel like saying...you had your chance lady!


Sugar (Gabon)
Tribe: Heroes
Summary: Okay. I'm glad Bob won this season and all, but Sugar does not pass for a hero - she was irritating throughout the whole season, but wildly popular for whatever reason, so I get why she's back, I'm just not happy about it. I thought she played a weak all around game, with her blatant handing-over-the-win to Bob. Plus I've heard rumblings she's the first to go (not a spoiler because I didn't read it anywhere 'official' - just speculation).

Working For Her:
- Weak player, might be fodder for an idiot alliance a la Russell

Working Against Her:
- Weak player, thus easy to cut if your tribe should win the first immunity challenge as dead weight
- Wasn't very liked by her tribemates - more by the fans
- Dippiness will have no place among the fierce strategists playing this season


Tom (Pulau)
Tribe: Heroes
Summary: Tom was asked to come back for fans vs. faves, but apparently turned them down. My personal thought is that he was a bit of an arrogant winner compared to fellow likable men Rupert, James, and JT, and that might hurt him this time around. Plus I don't feel his was a fair trial against ad exec Katie, him and Dolphin Trainer boy should have been the final 2.

Working For Him:
- Super strong
- Hasn't been in the spotlight for a good long time, and wasn't on as high-profile a season as his fellow hero men
- Older guy can command the children a bit

Working Against Him:
- Winners never have a shot at winning again
- Arrogance will make him less approachable than the other hero men
- Might not bond with younger tribemates


Tyson (Tocantins)
Tribe: Villains
Summary: Despite being a blah season, Tocantins gave us three characters for this season. Curious. I put Tyson up there as another very solid potential competitor, as he is in a very similar position to Boston Rob in All Stars - a great schemer that was ousted too soon that will work double hard to make things work this time (and not be as blatantly vicious as he was in the past).

Working For Him:
- People haven't seen the full range of what he's capable of
- He's kind of a 'lite' version of the other 'known' villains. He's not as vicious as Randy, and he's not as well-known for strategy as Rob - the lesser of three evils if you will since no one knows what Russell's about.
- Solid physical competitor, decent strategizer

Working Against Him:
- He is the most recently SEEN villain, which might hurt him
- He might play an immature social game again which will kill him
- The chicks might be out for him as he was particularly nasty to Sierra back in the day


So there you have it...the full cast list. My top two picks are Stephenie and Tyson based on the aforementioned mix of physical, social, and strategizing strength - but they also might be able to earn some respect from their peers as well. That being said, I'm also pointing to some of the "I WILL PROVE MYSELF" candidates like Danielle, Candice, and possibly even James as surprising you, just as Amber and Parvati's wins surprised us all.

Till Feb 11th!

Britt's On