Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Season 21: Episode 15: Finale: What About Me?


 Congratulations Brendan! The winner of the Survivor Nicaragua pool!!!!!!


 
At the first Tribal Council, Dan makes his case for staying in the game by once again letting the remaining Survivors know that he has money and is therefore not likely to be awarded the million-dollar prize.    Holly acknowledges that she is worried tonight, because Dan was trying to get the guys to vote her out so an all male final four could go to the end.  Dan denies suggesting an all male alliance and points out that Holly is a threat to win the million dollars because she comes from a small town and needs the money.   Holly then makes the point that Dan hasn’t really played the game, so why does he deserve to stay.   With this, the Libertad tribe casts their votes and Dan is voted out with four of the five votes cast against him.  So, Dan Lembo, the 63-year-old real estate executive from Watermill, NY, became the sixteenth person oted out and the eighth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA.  

At the second tribal council, Fabio tells host, Jeff Probst about the interesting afternoon he has had with all three people in a once strong alliance coming up to him and pleading their case.   He reveals that he did not believe Sash when he told him that he would have taken him to the final three.  Fabio also revealed that Chase confirmed that he would not have taken Fabio, if Fabio had not won immunity.  Sash then confesses that he has made a lot of different alliances in this game, but that recently he has been more committed to Fabio than Chase has.  Sash goes on to say that he “believes” he would have taken Fabio to the end, but since he didn’t win immunity he did have to make that decision.  In her final plea to Fabio, Holly reminds him that she was also honest with him today in letting him know that her alliance planned to vote Fabio out.  With this, the remaining Libertad tribe casts their votes and Holly is voted out with three of the four votes cast against her.  So, Holly Hoffman, the 44-year-old swim coach from Eureka, SD, became the seventeenth person voted out and the ninth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA. 

At the final Tribal Council, Chase, Fabio and Sash give their opening statements.  Chase welcomes questions from the jury in order to explain his behavior that they might have felt was crazy or wishy-washy.  Fabio tells the jury that it was his strategy to play under the radar in the beginning of the game, but when he needed to assert himself at the end he did and won the last three immunity challenges to stay in the game.  Therefore, he deserves to be here in the final three.  Sash points out that he played the game much differently than Chase and Fabio and since they all outlasted the others, they should be judged on the outwit and outplay components of the game.   He also stresses that he views the friendships that he made during the game to be valid and separate from the many alliances that he broke.

The jury addresses Chase, Fabio and Sash, asking them vital questions to help make their decisions of who is the most worthy of the million-dollar prize.  Brenda grills Chase on loyalty, since he claimed to be her ally and friend and then voted her out.  Chase defends himself by pointing out that he warned her of what was coming, but in the end had no other choice but to vote against her, since the numbers weren’t with her and he wanted to stay in the game.    Holly asks Fabio, “Do you think winning the last three immunity challenges was too little, too late?”  Fabio responds his plan was to be friends with everybody and only when he knew he was at risk of being voted out did he need to step up and win the challenges.   So he stepped up not too late, but at exactly the right time.  Sash confesses in his responses that he did backstab a lot of people and break alliances, but it was not to hurt people.  It just became necessary to further himself in the game.    Sash asks the jury to compare his strategic play to Chase being wishy-washy and Fabio being clueless in a lot of the voting.    Chase responds, “It wasn’t wishy-washy.  It was me making myself a way out.  Where I could play with people I could trust, but didn’t get myself in a situation where if the alliance was done, I‘m done.”  Chase then goes after Fabio by saying that Fabio winning the last three immunity challenges does not make him deserving of the million, since he was clueless most of the time and not an active player when it came to strategy and voting.  Alina is impressed by the passion in their responses and comments, “I like what’s happening here.  I like that this is two maybe three men really fighting for what they want.  Thank you guys.”  With this, the jury members cast their votes for the winner.  Host Jeff Probst reads the votes live from Los Angeles, and with five out of the nine votes cast for him, Jud "Fabio" Birza won the title of Sole Survivor and the million dollar prize for SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA.









Out with the old, in with the new! At the conclusion of the Survivor: Nicaragua live reunion show, the first promo was revealed for season 22 of the reality franchise: Survivor: Redemption Island, which will premiere on Wednesday, February 16, 2011.

“How it works is very simple,” explained Probst. “When you’re voted out at Tribal Council, you don’t go home. You’re not out of the game. You go to Redemption Island and you live alone. And at a certain point in the game another person will join you. You will compete in a duel. The winner stays. The loser goes home. So you’re continuing to live out there on your own with very basic supplies. But you’re still in the game. And at a certain point you’ll be allowed to reenter the game and have a shot at the money.” In other words, people that are voted out will compete against each other for a chance to later rejoin the game.

In another format switch, since each episode will include a Redemption Island duel, you can expect there to be just one combined reward/immunity challenge per episode for the players that have yet to be voted out.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Season 21: Episode 14: This is Going to Hurt

The tribe has spoken. Brandon is asked to leave the pool immediately.

 At Tribal Council, Dan tells Jeff that Jane put out their fire. Jane quickly defends herself and
takes aim as her alliance. She starts by calling Holly out for stealing Dan’s shoes early in the
game. Chase then tells Jeff that Jane was in a four-way alliance, but that they realized she
was too much of a threat to keep around. Jeff then asks Chase who will be next to go. Chase
exposes his alliances’ game plan and admits that it will be Dan or Fabio, whoever does not win
immunity next. Fabio realizes that he needs to keep winning immunity. Jeff then asks Dan,
Fabio and Jane whether they ever considered joining together to protect themselves against
the other three. Jane proposes that she, Fabio and Dan vote Holly out tonight, since Chase
and Sash both have idols that they are going to play tonight, since it is the last night they can
be used. With this, the Libertad tribe casts their votes and Jane is voted out with five of the
six votes cast against her. So, Jane Bright, the 56-year-old dog trainer from Jackson Springs,
NC, became the fifteenth person voted out and the seventh member of the jury of SURVIVOR:
NICARAGUA.

Jeff's view on the Final Five:

Okay – here’s where we sit. Our final 5:

Holly – Could win. She has made a dramatic comeback and seems well-liked. A jury might respond to the underdog story.

Chase – Could win. Especially if he dominates the last few challenges and takes the right people to the end with him.

Sash –A long shot, would need to take the right people with him and do an amazing job at the final Tribal.

Dan – I just don’t see any way Dan can win, which is why I will be amazed if they vote him out. Dan should be in the final.

Fabio – Could win but he will have to win every challenge because at this point if he loses, they’ll take him out.

Quotes from the week:
Jane on her alliance: “They’re obviously flippers. They’re liars. They’re cheats. They’re backstabbers.”

Fabio on his competitors: “It could be pretty funny to watch them underestimate me, and they’re kind of like, ‘What? I didn’t know Fabio was that smart.’”

THIS SUNDAY DEC. 19th – THE FINALE AND LIVE REUNION SHOW
Sunday is the two-hour finale followed by the Live Reunion show from CBS in Los Angeles.  It's going to be a good one. In addition to crowning a winner, Coach Jimmy Johnson will back to chat.  Rumor has it he’s bringing a special guest with him. Who will win the Sprint Award voted on by the viewers?
Jeff will be talking with Naonka!  He says you’re crazy if you think he’d pass up that gold, especially during a “live” show!  Who knows what she might say or do?  

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Finally, there will be a big announcement regarding the next season of Survivor that  you’re going to want to check out!  It’s.. EPIC.
 
 






La Flor


Espada


Brenda27~CaraAlina23~Tonya
Fabio21~BrendanBenry24~Karen D.
Jane56~BrandonChase24~Kim
Jill43~EricDan63~Colin
Kelly B.26~Karen R.Holly44~Christi
Kelly S.20~WarrenNaOnka27~Steve
Marty48~PatTyrone42~Cheryl
Sash30~SandyYve41~Dick

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Season 21: Episode 13: Not Sure Where I Stand

The tribe has spoken and Karen D. is asked to leave the pool immediately.  At Tribal Council, a key discussion topic is being a physical threat. Chase admits that he
might be perceived as a physical threat, but so far he has not won individual immunity. Fabio
agrees that he is a physical threat but feels confident in his alliance and the goodwill he has
built with his tribe mates to keep him around. Benry admits to feeling vulnerable, but is
trusting in his alliance to follow though on the plan they told him to vote Holly tonight. With
this, the Libertad tribe casts their votes and Benry is voted out with four of the seven votes cast
against him. So, Ben “Benry” Henry, the 24-year-old club promoter from Los Angeles, Calif.,
became the fourteenth person voted out and the sixth member of the jury of SURVIVOR:
NICARAGUA.

Jeff's insight on the immunity challenge: That was one of the toughest puzzles we’ve ever done. It was extremely difficult to figure out how the stacks of coins fit together.
I’ll give you an example of how difficult it was. My dad was visiting location when we were testing this challenge and so we had him do it to see how long it would take him. It took him 23 minutes and this from a guy who had a full belly of food, a good nights sleep and an 40-year engineering background. While I don’t remember the exact time it took the Survivors, it was a lot longer than 23 minutes. In fact, I was worried that they may never finish…and then out of nowhere Sash figured it out.

Quotes from the week: 

Jeff making a very obvious point about how he feels about quitters:“We’ll now bring in the members of our jury. Alina, Marty, Brenda and our two quitters NaOnka and Purple Kelly who quit at the last Tribal Council.”
Marty, confused over why Fabio received two votes, "What the hell?"

 



La Flor


Espada


Brenda27~CaraAlina23~Tonya
Fabio21~BrendanBenry24~Karen D.
Jane56~BrandonChase24~Kim
Jill43~EricDan63~Colin
Kelly B.26~Karen R.Holly44~Christi
Kelly S.20~WarrenNaOnka27~Steve
Marty48~PatTyrone42~Cheryl
Sash30~SandyYve41~Dick

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Season 21: Episode 12: You Started, You're Finishing

The tribe has spoken and Steve and Warren are leaving the poll immediately. 

As Jeff describes the reward that the blue team will enjoy, NaOnka raises her hand to speak and tells Jeff that this will be her last day. Kelly S. then gathers the courage to tell Jeff that she is quitting also. Jeff is amazed that they would want to quit with only eleven days left and says, “I’m going to give you guys this afternoon to think about it and we’re going to meet at Tribal Council tonight.” He tells them to consider the fact that they would be quitters walking away from a million dollars after surviving 28 days. Jeff then gives the winning team an option. If there is one person from the winning team of NaOnka, Benry, Holly or Chase thatis willing to give up the reward, then they will be able to take back a new tarp and enough rice for the whole tribe to get through the rest of the game. All eyes look toward NaOnka who does not budge, so Holly volunteers. Holly explains, “I need to take care of these guys. When I go home, I’ll eat as many hot dogs as I want.” The yellow team and Holly head back to camp with the tarp and rice and the remaining blue team heads to their reward. Holly and Benry are very disappointed in NaOnka for not volunteering to stay back from the reward.


As Tribal Council begins in the middle of a rainstorm, Alina, Marty and Brenda, the jury members, are shocked to hear that NaOnka and Kelly S. are thinking of quitting. Holly, Jane and Fabio then explain why they would not quit the game. NaOnka responds with complaints of joint pain and being cold and that she is okay with quitting and proud of how far she has come. Kelly S. tries to explain that she doesn’t think she can put up with anymore of “the worst days she’s ever had.” As they speak, Alina starts to cry. Benry and Fabio cannot relate to someone wanting to quit Survivor especially this late in the game. Jeff then questions NaOnka about going on the reward while Holly sacrificed and stayed behind to get the rice and tarp. NaOnka responds, “I didn’t want to. I was going to go out with a bang.” Jeff asks NaOnka with a one in nine shot at a million dollars, is she going to fight for it or quit. NaOnka opts to quit the game. Jeff then asks Kelly S. with a now one in eight chance at a million dollars whether she still wants to quit or will she stay and fight for it. Kelly S. decides to quit the game also. Jeff snuffs their torches and sets then aside, so they will see them every time they come back to sit in the jury to remind them that they quit. Marty can’t believe what
he is hearing and whispers, “I want to play.” Brenda agrees and says, “That’s disgusting.”Alina continues to cry. So, NaOnka Mixon, the 27-year-old PE teacher from Los Angeles, Calif., and Kelly Shinn, the 20-year-old nursing student from Mesa, Arizona, became the twelfth and thirteenth people out and the fourth and fifth members of the jury of SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA.

Jeff's comments on why NaOnka and Purple Kelly are allowed to be on the jury: In response to so many comments about last night’s episode I wanted to add a follow up on the topic of quitters being allowed to be on the jury. When Janu quit and was allowed to stay on as a member of the jury, the precedent set was one that says “if we are in the jury phase of the game and you quit, you will still be a member of the jury.” Here is why the Janu precedent is important….
If you take it one step further, you realize that the decision has major ramifications because whoever Janu was in an alliance with, may still benefit from her vote at the end of the game. It could be a million dollar vote… from a quitter.   Not the greatest situation but that’s the precedent that was set.
So, we did not believe it would be fair, based on precedent, to suddenly change the rules and say to Naonka and Purple Kelly, “you cannot be on the jury.” Because that could unfairly penalize someone in their alliance.  If that person made it to the final and Naonka and Purple Kelly were not on the jury that could make a case that it was “unfair”… based on the precedent set with Janu.
We always strive to be fair. When you remove the emotion of the situation it’s easy that this was the “fair” thing to do.  It wasn’t a popular decision on location and we understand that as fans you really don’t like it at all, but it was the fair decision.Will we look to make changes in the rules from this point forward…? Consider that a big YES. Thank you for your input, we listen to your feedback and in this case we agree with you.
I’m sure we’ll deal with this at the live reunion show on Dec. 19th as well.

 Quotes from the week:

Holly explaining why she gave up reward for the tarp and rice  - “I need to take care of these guys. When I go home I’ll eat as many hot dogs as I want.”

“I wasn’t about to step down because I didn’t give 110 percent in that challenge to say, ‘OK, well I’m about to go home anyway, so I guess I’ll go ahead and get you guys the rice and the tarp.’ Eh-eh, I wasn’t about to do that. I’m not no fool.”

Purple Kelly on quitting: "From the mom's point-of-view she says 'Suck it up, you only have a few more days.' But it's like, I've been sucking it up for 28 days. I have nothing left to suck."

Benry: "We're in the rainforest, if you can't handle the rain, you shouldn't be here!" 

 





La Flor


Espada


Brenda27~CaraAlina23~Tonya
Fabio21~BrendanBenry24~Karen D.
Jane56~BrandonChase24~Kim
Jill43~EricDan63~Colin
Kelly B.26~Karen R.Holly44~Christi
Kelly S.20~WarrenNaOnka27~Steve
Marty48~PatTyrone42~Cheryl
Sash30~SandyYve41~Dick

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Season 21: Episode 10: Stuck In the Middle

The tribe has spoken and Cara is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Sash reveals that a lot of shuffling has occurred within the tribe since the last Tribal Council and that he feels vulnerable. Brenda admits to Jeff that she did not want to vote for Marty in the last Tribal Council, but she did so to prove to her alliance that she
was trustworthy. She then accuses NaOnka of not being trustworthy because she now wants to “jump ship”. NaOnka insists that it is not her that is breaking up the alliance and blames Chase. As each person in her alliance deflects the blame, Brenda admits that she did not scramble to keep herself in the game before Tribal Council. She admits to Jeff that she was too proud to scramble and that it was more important to just talk to the people with whom she could trust, such as Sash and Chase. In the end, this may not have been a good strategy, since Brenda is then voted out with eight out of the ten votes cast against her. Brenda Lowe, the 27-year-old paddleboard company owner from Miami, Fla., became the eleventh person voted outand the third member of the jury of SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA.

Jeff's thoughts: MOVING FORWARD…THIS GAME IS ON
Like her or not, Naonka is playing the game. She’s a fair weather participant for sure, but when she wants to play she is a pot stirrer. Marty would be proud. Naonka could win if she ends up in the final with Purple Kelly. Even then she would need to pray.
Fabio is also starting to turn it on. Last week he was laying back, playing “cool.” This week he was part of a very big move taking out a major power player. I think Fabio is really starting to figure out this game.
Lurking in the shade is Jane. If things keep going the way they are, people may forget Jane is even in the game. If Jane gets to the end she would very likely be a millionaire.
The Redeemer is Holly. I’m usually a pretty good gauge of what the audience is feeling and I think a lot of you are starting to like Holly and have forgotten about those first five days.
The “no chance” is Dan. I just can’t see a scenario in which Dan could win this game.
The other “no chance” is Purple Kelly. Sweet young woman. I like her. But she hasn’t earned it and unless she really turns it on, her best finish is to make herself a great person to take to the end because she can’t win.
Sash is “in trouble.” He’s going to have to work hard to stay alive now that his partner is gone. If he can do it, he could make a strong case that he deserves to win. Otherwise he could be gone soon.
Benry is a “long shot.” He could make it to the end based on physical abilities but at this point he doesn’t have a strong enough case to win it.
The wildcard is Chase. Chase is likable enough to win this game and wishy-washy enough to screw it all up for himself and somebody else. Being in an alliance with Chase is risky.


Quotes from this week:

“I think Sash and I being in control does look like a king and queen situation, but Sash is more of a queen and I’m more of a king. That’s the way I look at it.”

Brenda:  “The last thing I want to do is start scrambling. It just shows that you are desperate.”




La Flor


Espada


Brenda27~CaraAlina23~Tonya
Fabio21~BrendanBenry24~Karen D.
Jane56~BrandonChase24~Kim
Jill43~EricDan63~Colin
Kelly B.26~Karen R.Holly44~Christi
Kelly S.20~WarrenNaOnka27~Steve
Marty48~PatTyrone42~Cheryl
Sash30~SandyYve41~Dick

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Season 21: Episode 09: Running the Camp

The tribe has spoken and Pat is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Marty once again makes his case for getting rid of Jane because she is such a big threat.  He also attacks NaOnka for stealing and states, “To lie and to take food, there is no bigger sin.”  NaOnka does not take this attack lightly and throws personal attacks right back at Marty.   Fabio finds their battle very uncomfortable, while most others find it entertaining.    NaOnka then turns her attack on Fabio.    In the midst of it all, Jeff Probst admits that he is amazed that NaOnka gets away with her attacks on others and is not voted out by the tribe.    NaOnka responds, “I’m not putting on a show, this is who I am.  This is what I’ve been for twenty-seven years.  So if you don’t like it, then you don’t like it.”  With this, the Libertad tribe cast their votes, and NaOnka decides not to play her hidden immunity idol.   Much to his surprise, Marty is voted out with seven out of the eleven votes cast against him. Marty Piombo, the 48-year-old technology executive from Mill Valley, Calif., became the tenth person voted out and the second member of the jury of SURVIVOR:  NICARAGUA.

From Jeff: ON BEING COOL Benry and Fabio hanging in the shade, talking Survivor strategy. It was almost like a trailer for a new comedy:
Benry: You and I should just lay low… play stupid.
Fabio: I know dude, I hate playing stupid so much… but it’s like the smartest thing to do right now.
Benry: It’s easy.
Fabio: It’s… real easy.
Come on! That’s brilliant. That’s yet another beautiful element of reality shows. People forget the cameras are there, they stop thinking about what they are saying and they get so depleted that can’t even monitor what they are saying. Put those elements together and you end up with moments that wouldn’t be half as funny if you wrote them in a script.

Quotes from the week:   

Fabio: “Dude, I hate playing stupid so much, but it’s like the smartest thing to do right now.”

NaOnka: “Jeff, I’m not perfect. I’m a humanitarian, I’m a human. I screw up.”





La Flor


Espada


Brenda27~CaraAlina23~Tonya
Fabio21~BrendanBenry24~Karen D.
Jane56~BrandonChase24~Kim
Jill43~EricDan63~Colin
Kelly B.26~Karen R.Holly44~Christi
Kelly S.20~WarrenNaOnka27~Steve
Marty48~PatTyrone42~Cheryl
Sash30~SandyYve41~Dick

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Season 21: Episode 08: Company Will Be Arriving Soon

The tribe has spoken and Tonya is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At Tribal Council, Marty quickly starts his attack on Jane pointing out her weak strategy in the game but dangerous popularity within the tribe. Marty argues, “If she makes it to the final three, if you have watched Survivor, this woman will take the million dollars.” Jane is shocked by Marty’s attack and tries to keep her cool. Marty ends his rant by saying that he will vote for Jane if she makes it to the finals, since she will deserve it more than the people who let her get there. Alina points out that Marty is a huge threat since he just revealed what a strategic player he is. Dan reminds the tribe that NaOnka and Alina stole from the tribe and they should remember that in tonight’s vote. In the end, votes Alina out, with ten votes cast for her, two for Marty. Alina Wilson, the 23 year-old art student from Downey, Calif. became the ninth person voted out of SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA.

Jeff's thoughts:  NAONKA NAONKA NAONKA…
Okay as I said earlier, I’ve figured out Naonka.  I’m no longer surprised by anything Naonka says or does… because… did I say this already…? I finally figured her out! Eureka!
Are you ready…?  Here it is…
From a maturity point of view, Naonka is a seven-year-old. That’s it.  That’s my big discovery.
When dealing with Naonka you simply have to treat her as you would a first-grader.  Think about it.  She’s selfish.  She’s a know-it-all.  She’s defiant.  She’s a rule tester.  She denies everything and only apologizes when she is actually caught doing something.  She behaves in every conceivable way as though she were seven years old.
That’s why, at the end of the day, people like Brenda can still find her a little charming.  They see her like I do, like a small child.  Who can be mad at a small child?  It’s not the most flattering thing to say about a twenty-something, but I do believe it’s true.  I’m not defending her actions – not at all – but it does make it easier for me to relate to her at tribal council.
Even I have to admit…stealing the food was one of the most brazen things I’ve ever seen on our show.  Outright crazy until you remember, she’s only seven.


Quotes from the week:
NaOnka:“I robbed the tribe. But I gave it back because I was pushed into a corner. I gave it back, nobody was hurt.”
Fabio: “You wouldn’t have gave it back if we didn’t find out.”





La Flor


Espada


Brenda27~CaraAlina23~Tonya
Fabio21~BrendanBenry24~Karen D.
Jane56~BrandonChase24~Kim
Jill43~EricDan63~Colin
Kelly B.26~Karen R.Holly44~Christi
Kelly S.20~WarrenNaOnka27~Steve
Marty48~PatTyrone42~Cheryl
Sash30~SandyYve41~Dick