Survivor Worlds Apart - March 25/15 episode Recap

Odd Woman Out

Last week they doubled the pleasure and took out big mouth Lindsey and, after a surprise switch up, super fan professor Max...

Nagarote - Day 15
-Shirin is left totally blindsided after her biggest ally, Max, was voted out.  Her tune is totally changed from last week when she was so cocky - she goes to Carolyn with her tail between her legs asking if she's not going to play with her anymore.  Carolyn tells her she values true loyalty, not fake loyalty...
-Shirin then tries Hali and she just tells her that Max was annoying and they find Shirin annoying too.  Shirin then breaks down to the camera that this is tapping into her childhood insecurities growing up in a rich neighbourhood with beautiful, skinny people where she just didn't fit in and desperately tried to find acceptance.  She's determined that she's going to do now what she couldn't do then - adapt, fix it. (Oh boy, this could get ugly.)

Escameca - Day 15
-Dan is regalling the new tribemates with his loss of the underwear story and Rodney is ready to kill himself having to listen to the same boring stories all over - he was hoping for some new blood to mix things up.  He's looking for a little bromance, an east coast homey to chill with... like Joaquin for example.  Rodney start spilling stuff about Mike - he goes to church, he's celibate... something Rodney can't fathom and Joaquin is playing right along - Rodney, "we're apples and oranges.  We work hahd and play hahder." 
-Rodney tells the camera that he's Batman and Joaquin can be his Robin - all those that think he's an idiot, wait until they see what he's got planned for this game.

REWARD CHALLENGE
-Joaquin seems stoked to see Max was voted out.

-The challenge - on Jeff's go both teams will race up a tower through a series of obstacles - once they reach the top, one at a time, they will try to launch sandbags from a big slingshot, to hit targets out in the field.  First tribe to hit all six targets will win Reward of: A turtle migration under the stars... and they get to feast on beef stew, mac & cheese, hot chocolate...(yeah, natural wonder... not so exciting, but food, they get excited about.)
-Escameca sits Dan.
-And the guys take off like a shot - Escameca has a huge lead getting up the tower but Rodney can't hit a target.  Jenn is the first one to hit a target for Nagarote (that must sting.)
The girls are better shots, they are up 2 to 1 but they tie up - then the guys take a 4 - 3 lead... and Shirin ties them up again...Joe takes the lead but Will ties them at 5 and ... it's JENN and Nagarote that win reward! (I think the girls and Will will enjoy the turtles more anyway.)

-Shirin hopes this reward will give her the chance to bond with these people more, because she knows her butt is on the line.

REWARD
-Nagarote gets to their picnic dinner and Hali tells us how excited she was that they won that challenge like David and Goliath, "Just put a slingshot in our hands and we took down that giant!"
-Carolyn said they were having a good time eating the food, they were even tolerating Shirin.  While Shirin thinks this is a great bonding moment.
-Then they go watch a poor turtle lay 120 eggs and the guide tells them maybe only one of those baby turtles will make it back to the ocean.  Jenn takes that and applies it to her odds in Survivor - she has a way better chance at winning a million dollars than those turtles have at life, so that's pretty cool. (Deep and yet simple, that's our Jenn.)

Escameca - Day 16
-Mike, Dan and Rodney take off to check a crab trap and Joaquin takes that opportunity to talk to Sierra - asking if she has an issue with Dan.  She tells him that she hates them all, which is music to Joaq's ears.  He tells her Tyler is the most trustworthy guy out there (his White Collar bro) but he doesn't want to take Joe too far in the game (No Collar ringer)... he asks how she feels about Rodney and she says he's awful.  Joaquin, "Not even Rodney?"  Joaq is pretty sure he's got Rodney under control but Sierra doesn't know if she can play this game with him.
-Rodney comes over and I guess he's trying to be nice to her - he acknowledges that she may still be mad at him but she just needs to get over it and together they can make it to promised land and have a prime time story to tell for the rest of her life.
-Rodney tells the camera that he's got numbers everywhere, he's so confident he's going to win this thing he can see his arm being raised like Rocky Balboa at the end. (Oh please, let the Survivor karma get him!)

-Rodney then goes and talks to Mike and tells him that he's controlling Joaquin like his puppet.  All they have to do is throw the next immunity and take Joe out of the game before the merge - and the thing's won.  In his mind, once Joe's gone, who does he have to deal with?
-Mike is letting Rodney think he's the mastermind, but he knows very rarely does throwing challenges work in your favour.  Mike feels like they are in a special circumstance though since his real alliance is with Kelly who is stuck by herself on the other tribe - Mike thinks if they can throw a couple challenges and keep her safe, he'll have his alliance back when they merge. (Well, it's a more noble reason than Rodney's but still, it's always bad to throw challenges... unless you're voting out the devil [Russell Hanz] that was the one time I was totally behind a tribe throwing a challenge).

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
-It's a memory challenge.  Jeff will show them a series of items, once they have them memorized, they pull the lever that drops the curtain and then they have to go recreate the same series of items in the same order.  First to get it right wins a point, first tribe to get three points wins immunity.
-Escameca sits Joaquin.
-Off they go:
-Rodney vs Carolyn - she quickly memorizes the items and drops the drape - Rodney has no idea (or does he) and totally messes up the items - First point to Red.
-Sierra vs Hali - and with both of these two actually trying - Hali still is the first to get it right and Red is up 2 - zip.
-Will vs Joe - Joe pulls the drape and he's the first one finished... getting the first point for Blue.
-Shirin vs Dan - and Dan flies through this one tying it up 2-2... which of course makes for more drama when the next paring is...
-Mike vs Kelly - Will he throw it or won't he... I think he was trying to throw it but apparently Kelly has a horrible memory so they are both wrong and they have to go again.  Mike whispers to her when they get back to look again that he is giving it to her... she looks confused... then he talks her through memorizing the order and when he gets it wrong again... she gets it wrong too - what the?? Is she not letting him throw it or did the knock to the head scramble her brains - shouldn't cops be able to remember details?
-They take an item away and literally Mike tells her, I'm going to mix up the bottles so copy me just switch the bottles.  Then he puts on a show like he was really trying to get it right and Kelly finally does have it right, painfully winning Immunity for Red - Nagarote. 

-Kelly tells the camera when she knew Mike was throwing the challenge, that's the first time she ever truly trusted somebody (oh, that's sad) but she can't wait to get back with her Blue tribe, where she belongs.  (I'm thinking this may bite Mike in the butt which will make Rodney just as happy and that just makes me mad.)

Escameca - Day 16
-When they get back to camp, Mike is genuinely apologizing to his tribe - he tells the camera, by throwing the challenge a part of him died in this game - but only Rodney knows the truth.  And Mike's not really trusting Rodney anymore as he watches Joaquin totally pulling him in - those two are quickly looking like a power couple and in this game, a power couple has to be broken up before they start making power moves... (Oh, make it happen Mike, please!)
-Mike talks to Rodney, well as much as you can, Rodney is all bluster that everyone's on board for Joe, no need to talk anymore, it's a done deal.  Rodney tells the camera that they had one purpose in the challenge which was to throw it and he's just as happy that Mike had to look the idiot to get it done.
-Then "Rod-quin" has a powwow - Joaq is saying how they can't lose Sierra but Rodney tells him, "this game is about me and you, I don't care about anybody else, bro."  They start bro-ing out, both of them giddy that this should be a walk in the park from now on. (Oh Survivor Godopus, please bring your wrath down on these two idiots!)

-Next we see Mike and Dan talking to Joe - Joe says he's up for anything, he's tried to talk to Joaquin but whenever he does he's got a Rodney shadow and they just won't talk to him.  Mike tells Joe that Rodney is wanting to take him out tonight... so they set their sites on Sierra.  Mike says she's still really mad at Dan - who interjects that he's done nothing but grovel (seriously?) - Are they going to throw Joe at her?  But no, it looks like Dan has seen the light.
-Mike and Dan go to talk to Sierra and Dan point-blank tells her he screwed up and wants to earn her trust - they point out how close Rodney and Joaquin have become and say they need to split them up - Joaquin needs to go first (OH! You should offer up Rodney, she'd go for that!)
-Sierra likes the feeling of having both sides fighting for her vote, it's refreshing, but after they hurt her so bad (oh come on, you can't let hurt feelings get in the way of a million $) siding with her old tribe makes her sick to her stomach. (So I guess Mike and Dan are the old tribe and Rodney's okay now?  She needs to look at the big picture, or take some control and say, I'll vote with you if we take out Rodney - Can you tell I really dislike Rodney - a lot?)
-Dan is prattling on then he tells her to close her mouth, open her ears and just watch what happens. (I can't even... you just lost any ground you may have gained back - how does this guy survive in the real world?)
-Sierra knows right there that these people don't care about her, she says she hates Dan and she's very angry.  They just want to use her for the moment but they're not going to keep her around.
-But as they are leaving for tribal she is saying she's not sure which side will be better for her in the long run... she's still not sure how she's going to vote.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
-Jeff asks Joe if the Blue Collar four where a united front after the switch up.
-Joe says they seemed like one big happy but they have been looking for the cracks (huh, not outing Sierra, is that chivalrous or strategy?)
-Dan says they were definitely trying to find their way in, were there cracks in the armour?  No doubt about it, there is dysfunction here and he's definitely concerned.
-Tyler says they really didn't have to do anything, what they found was bad blood, animosity and a lot of it seemed to revolve around Sierra (ouch, throwing her directly under the bus, way to go dude.)
-Sierra totally agrees; after last tribal she was mistreated - she was told how she sucked in challenges, how she didn't help around camp - they totally picked on her (Mike interjected that not all of us picked on her) but Dan and Rodney are hanging their heads a little.  Sierra does acknowledge that Mike made them stop railing at her but she tells Jeff she's felt more appreciated in the 24 hours with the new guys than she did in 11 days with the three blue collar guys.
-Mike knows this is not good news, they may have been together for 16 days but he doesn't feel like they are a foursome - he is definitely afraid that the new people have woo'ed some of them away.
-Rodney then can't help himself and has to get his two cents in - that's the beauty about dropping your buffs, opportunities open.  I got three new people over hehre and three people here that have been driving me nuts - I mean, what's going to be the best opportunity for me?
-Joaquin agrees with Jeff that he didn't think it would go this way after the switch up but when people come up to you and explain their reasons for hating each other, it couldn't have been any easier for him.
-Joe doesn't really know who he can trust, at least Joaquin has Tyler, poor Joe has no one.
-Jeff is trying to figure out why Sierra would throw away the time/trust/knowledge she'd gained of the blue collar guys just because new guys showed up and she again says they attacked her personally and killed any trust there.  Mike is trying his best to be nice and woo her back but she's got to figure out who she can trust at this point.
-Mike says hopefully you can rely on the trust you made early on, or the trust you made with new people (he's looking at Joe) but you never really know who you can trust until you're leaving Tribal Council and that's a very scary predicament.

With that, it's TIME TO VOTE:
Joaquin votes Joe Cool
Joe votes Juaquin
Sierra votes JO... (Oh, tricky.)

No one played a hidden immunity idol.

TALLYING THE VOTES:
Joe 1
Joaquin - 1
Joe - 2
Joaquin - 2
Joe - 3
Joaquin - 3
Final vote is for... Joaquin!!! And Rodney is flummoxed!  Well, Survivor karma hit quickly but somehow bounced off Rodney and took out Joaquin.

Next week: Rodney feels betrayed by his tribe, ganging up behind his back - they're done-zo.  But then they also MERGE! Wow, things are moving rather quickly.

Joaquin's final thoughts - he didn't see this coming (that's why it's called a blindside) he's sure Mike thought he was getting too close with Sierra and Rodney and took him out - but this was his fate so he'll take it with a smile on his face. (Yeah, don't really have a choice, bro.)

And with Joaquin leaving, that takes Ritch G., Cara & Alex L. and Shane B. out of the pool.

Have a good weekend everybody,

Coleen.
 

Survivor Worlds Apart - March 18/15 Episode Recap

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner; We're Finally Playing Some Survivor

Last week, we saw how none of these tribes are very harmonious - Shirin is too weird for White Collar, Mike is cracking the whip at Blue Collar and No Collar lost another immunity challenge and didn't shock any of us by voting off Nina.

No Collar - Night 8
-They returned from Tribal Council and explained to Will that one of them voted for him as a safety in case Nina had a hidden immunity idol. He says he totally understands... but tells the camera, he understands he's the next to go.

Blue Collar - Day 9
-Rodney's complaining that he's "stahvin" (starving) as they're all sitting around, when Dan comes across a snake in camp - so Texas boy Mike gets the machete and cuts it's head off.  Kelly helped him skin it, he cooked it (it was a little garter snake really) and the boys ate it... even Rodney who they say they'll make a country boy out of yet.  Rodney shrugs off the past harsh words between he & Mike as guys just being guys - so we have some male bonding happening in Blue Collar.

REWARD CHALLENGE
No one was surprised to see Nina gone from No Collar - and, I hate myself for noticing this, but the crotch of Jenn's bathing suit was wet or dirty... and I couldn't unsee it - Arrghgh!

So the challenge is blindfolded pairs being lead through a course by a caller to retrieve four items - each time they get back with an item they have to hoist it up to the caller. Once they retrieve all 4 items, the caller will send them back out for the flag.  First two teams to raise their flags win immunity and reward of: 1) Chickens (3 egg-laying hens and one rooster)  2) 10 eggs
White collar sits Tyler and Blue collar sits the big boys Mike & Rodney.

White Collar: Carolyn is the caller
Blue Collar: Sierra is the caller
No Collar: Joe is the caller

And it's a sh*t-show as usual once they get going.  Joe does the best job directing Jenn & Hali for No Collar but the other two tribes are really falling down in directing their people around obstacles - lots of lady groin hits into boxes, barrels, bars...

And the most dangerous part of this challenge is proving to be when they hoist the items up to the caller, they have a tendency to just let go of the rope leaving the platform to drop, Will got hit with it almost every time but the worst was Kelly - Dan let go of his side and it swung over and nailed Kelly right on the top of her forehead - she started bleeding BAD.  Immediately Jeff called a halt to the challenge and got medical in there.  And the cute medic with the accent takes a look at the cut on her head, he's okay with her continuing, he's just going to bandage her up so it stops bleeding (like crazy) and afterward he'll have a proper look at it.  Kelly's a cop so she's a trooper, but still she's got a head injury, maybe she could sit?  Nope, right back in.  Oh, and they kept her blindfolded the whole time, it may have been a different story if she could see the blood.

-Off they go again - No collar was ahead and were the first tribe with their flag raised - they get the chickens.
-It's down to White and Blue collar now for second... and it's White collar coming in second and getting the eggs.
-Blue collar gets nothing except the goose egg on Kelly's forehead.

No Collar - Day 9
-They come back to their new tribe mates, the chickens - and they decide to slaughter one for Will... 'cause it's his birthday! 
-Jenn is petting the chickens and doesn't want to kill them, back home she doesn't eat meat (I rolled my eyes a little, it is Survivor.)  She leaves camp while the killing, gutting, cooking and eating is happening - a perfect chance for her to go looking for a hidden immunity idol... and she finds it!  "I guess killing the chicken kinda worked out for me. Winner winner, chicken dinner." (LOL)

Blue Collar - Day 9
-Kelly comes back to camp with six stitches and a couple other scratches.  Mike is so impressed with her toughness, he's thinking they can go far together in this game (oh ho, look who's making allies.)
-Rodney is doing the complete opposite with the girls.  He's spouting his sexist crap about girls being held to a higher standard than guys and Lindsey's having none of it... she asks the camera, "What woman would raise her son to think that?" (Oh, don't say nothing 'bout his mama.) She won't let it go and gets in his face but Rodney is trying to stick to his three C's: Calm, Cool and Collective (yes, he said collective) - he can't afford to be a hot head out there.  Rodney does get a lick in about Lindsey's Mike Tyson face tattoo to the camera "Anyone that gets a tattoo on their face like that has serious problems."

White Collar - Day 9
-They get back to camp and looks like they are hard boiling all the eggs.
-Shirin tells the camera she's kinda glad they didn't win the chickens because she knows none of the guys know how to kill a chicken.  She starts regaling them about how she learned how to kill a chicken for Survivor by watching a video on the internet then talking to a farmer, then slaughtering a rabbit. 
-Carolyn just refuses to engage her, "I'm not even..."
-Joaquin tells the camera, first thing he thought of was sociopaths, they start with is killing small animals... alright psycho, you stay over there.
-Later, Shirin's off on her own and the rest of the tribe is talking about who to sit out of the next challenge and Max thinks it might upset Shirin to sit her... which makes Carolyn mad thinking they are trying to justify sitting Carolyn instead.  They reassure her that it could be any one of them sitting, depends on the challenge... But Carolyn says on the scale of one to crazy both Max and Shirin are about a 10 to her.
-Once Max and Shirin are both bottomless by the water, Carolyn makes her move on Joaquin and Tyler trying to get them to agree to vote off Max if it gets to that - "he's like a cult leader and you guys are bromanced."  She wants to cut the head off the snake.  But I don't think the guys are on board with her dislike of the bearded one.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Each tribe member will be attached to a rope, one at a time per tribe they will head out maneuvering through obstacles to retrieve a bag of balls - once they have all the bags, they race to the finish where they must balance on a beam and attempt to raise a ball up a wall full of holes to the top. (Rope & pulley system so they can move the ball left and right flat against the wall... I don't really know how to explain it so hopefully you saw the show.)
First two teams win immunity and third place goes to tribal council ... (someone please wash Jenn's drawers - I can't unsee it... it's like a train wreck.)

Blue collar sits Dan and ... reluctantly, Lindsey (her mouth is a liability.)
White collar sits Shirin and she doesn't look impressed either (and she's admitted she's a bunny boiler too!)

-They jockey back and forth but are all three tribes are pretty close together - they all get to trying to set the balls. 
-Blue collar started first but were the last to get their first ball.  White and No Collar get two balls in first but they tie up and NO COLLAR is the first tribe to win Immunity.
-Kelly almost had the last ball but she fell off the balance beam and Rodney tapped in, but he couldn't bring it home, WHITE COLLAR comes in second, sending Blue Collar to Tribal Council for the very first time.
-Sierra tells the camera that Rodney held them up today, both in the challenges and at camp, it's Rodney that's got to go.

Blue Collar - Day 11
-They're back at camp after their first loss and they put up subtitles when Lindsey is speaking (huh?) She says she's really proud all of them were on her mat that first day (blah blah... they all agree...)
-But...Mike tells the camera going to Tribal Council could be just what this tribe needed.
-Lindsey and Dan go for water and he asks her if she's thinking him tonight but she says she's voting for Rodney... And we get Mike's sexist view on listening like a guy - and trying to fix things because that's what guys do - or listening like a girl - where you empathize, just nod your head and agree (hmm, have you met Lindsey?)
-Dan nods his head and agrees, "if getting rid of Rodney will bring this tribe together, that's the way to go." (Then he gives a creepy, patronizing smile and he's patting himself on the back for being smarter than he looks.)
-Next we see Dan, Mike, Kelly & Rodney in the water talking about the younger girls having isolated themselves into a group of two - Rodney takes the lead because he says, "I'm a leader no matter what. I'm a Tom Brady."  He continues that those broads (nice) have no idea what they're doing, they came into this game with no strategy at all.  Rodney is gunning for Lindsey, she is so disrespectful (that mouthy broad doesn't know her place huh, Rodney?  This guy needs a swift kick.) He goes on about how if they were back home he'd grab her by the hair and spank her like a bad baby (OMG, you're talking to another woman you know.)
-Kelly is listening like a woman though and just smiles and nods - later Mike tells her he doesn't trust Rodney, and she agrees, but Lindsey is also p*ssing him off... Kelly's with him 110%... (What does that mean?  Who are you guys voting for?)
-Kelly talks to Sierra who also says it's got to be Rodney.  Kelly tells the camera that Lindsey & Rodney clash, they both want to be the boss but Lindsey is being bitchy about it... (Uh, so is Rodney.)  Mike & Kelly are a unit and they can decide to vote with the guys and take Lindsey out or the girls and take Rodney out - either way, Kelly's just glad it's not her.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
-Blue Collar got their torches lit.
-Jeff asked Dan who bonded - and Dan throws out Lindsey & Sierra bonded really quickly.
-Rodney admits that he and Lindsey are like chicken parm and tuna fish, they just don't go together.
-Lindsey agrees - they are from different backgrounds and have very different morals... meaning Rodney has none.
-Sierra backs her up saying his language is vulgar and the way he talks about and treats women is very demeaning.
-Kelly agrees but she also knows you have to bite your tongue out there - she does wish he would shut up, "I don't want to hear your mouth."
-Now Rodney tries to defend himself by saying his number one girl is his mother and she would be the first to tell you he's the biggest sweetheart out there (somehow I don't think he talks the same way to his mother that's he's been talking out there.)  He goes on about women having to hold themselves to a higher standard...he's been burned... blah blah blah - and Jeff tells him he's got to understand that he just offended millions of women with that comment - and Rodney is genuinely confused, he has no idea what Jeff is talking about. (Sierra is right, he horses are smarter than this guy.)
-Rodney justifies it by saying that the girls are coming for his head so he's going to look the enemy in the eye and fight back.
-Kelly  paints herself in a corner saying if they vote one of the girls they l
ose both their votes, if they vote Rodney they gain some goodwill...
-Lindsey comes to her rescue with her pro-blue collar rant that she loves these people and no matter who goes home someone from Blue collar is going to win a million dollars (which had Rodney rolling his eyes.)
-Mike gives credit to Lindsey for bringing them together with that same speech on day one - he'd hate to be on any other tribe - they've created bonds and that's massive.

Time To Vote:
They don't show us who anyone voted for.

Tallying the Votes:
No one played a hidden idol (Does anyone have it on Blue?  I don't remember.)
Rodney - 1
Lindsey - 1
Rodney - 2
Lindsey - 2
Ciara - 1 (Sierra)
Sierra - 2
What??? It's a three way tie.  So Lindsey, Rodney and Sierra sit out the revote and the other three vote for...
Lindsey - 1, 2... ahhhh, I'm disappointed I'll have to put up with Meathead for a while longer but I can't say I'm surprised that her mouth got her booted.
-She acknowledges that with her personality sometimes you are the fire and sometimes you get burned.  She's walking off the island because she hurt a man's ego but she won't ever apologize and she would do it again.
-So with Lindsey leaving that takes Roxanne S., Robert L. and Philip K. out of the pool.

Blue Collar - Night 11
-It was not a happy homecoming for Sierra - she wants to know who voted for her and Mike tells her they voted that way in case one of them had an idol, simple as that.
-Then Dan makes it worse listing things she's done that made them vote for her and he gets her crying.
 -Then Rodney piles on that they wrote his name down so he's got no sympathy for her tears - this is Survivor, if you can't hack it pack your bags and go home.
-Mike doesn't want Sierra to feel alienated, he makes a speech that they need to stop piling on Sierra and make these first 11 days mean something so they can come together later on if they are split up... but he's pretty sure they've lost Sierra's trust for good.

REWARD CHALLENGE
-Jeff tells them to take their last look Blue collar cause they are switching things up... Sierra is excited, her tribe is absolutely dead to her, Dead!
Jeff pulls out a tray of new buffs all wrapped up... and they each choose one:  upon the unwrapping we have:

Blue Tribe (Escameca)
Dan, Sierra, Rodney, Mike, are joined by Joaquin, Tyler and Joe (Holy crap, Sierra's with all the boys... and she's trying to pretend she's happy to be stuck with three of her previous tribe mates.)
Red Tribe (Nagarote)
Will, Jenn, Hali are joined by Max, Kelly, Carolyn and Shirin (this was a horrible mix up for this tribe - especially Kelly who is the only Blue collar on that new tribe and she's scared to death.)

This is the ball launch challenge - they launch balls and the guys in the field have to catch the balls in their lacrosse like sticks - doesn't matter the colour of the ball, you get a point - first tribe to five points wins Reward of kitchen supplies: pots, pans, utensils, oils, spices, sausages, peppers - plus, any rewards won previously by White collar will go to the winner of this challenge today (so last challenge's reward- are there any eggs left?)

-Off they go - Tied 1-1 after first round.  3-1 for blue after 2nd round, 4-1 for blue (Escameca),  5-2 after last round - Escameca wins reward. 

-Carolyn was so excited to be switching tribes but then she opens it up and she's with Max & Shirin... "Are the Survivor gods trying to kill me?" (Haha, I kinda like Carolyn.)

Nagarote - Day 12
-New tribe returns to camp and Hali sizes things up, they have 3 No collar, 3 White collar and 1 Blue collar so they have to try and bring Kelly over, but they're so laid back, she's not sure if it will happen organically.
-Shirin is trying to prove how well she knows this game by basically saying exactly the same thing, they need to pull over blue collar (yeah, you're not smarter, just more annoying.)
-Shirin starts talking Kelly up and Kelly tells us as an undercover cop this is like going into a house to buy drugs from people you don't know, you have to get talking cause your life might depend on it... She's telling the camera she might not be in as bad a spot as she originally thought.  And she tells Shirin that she is definitely in to play with them.
-Shirin is patting herself on the back for her awesome game play.

Escameca - Day 12
-They return the conquering heros but Mike is worried, eventhough there are four blue collar on this new tribe, with Dan & Rodney laying into Sierra last night, he's got to make sure these three new guys aren't able to sway her over to their side and take their numbers away.
-Joaquin is quick to start feeling everyone out and he tells the camera he's going to start working them like he did with his last tribe.  He's already got Rodney talking about his dead sister.
-Mike makes a call for water volunteers and Dan & Rodney go with him, leaving Sierra alone with the three new guys (oh come on, you can't tell me that wasn't set up) - immediately she is telling them how grateful she is that the new people are there because all the people on her old tribe suck and they treat her like sh*t everyday. 
-Tyler loves it, she's like the broken puppy and he's more than happy to have her with him.
-Mike is nervous seeing Sierra talking to the guys because he needs her as a number... (probably shouldn't have treated her so poorly then.)

Nagarote - Day 12
-Shirin brought the crazy with her... she's singing... is that America the Beautiful?
-Jenn tells us she doesn't even know the girl with the long black hair's name [Shirin] but she doesn't like her, she's been there less than 12 hours but Jenn knows everything about her life - she just does not stop talking. "It's driving me insane!" (I'm with you Jenn - but Shirin's my only shot at winning the pool... I don't know if it's worth it.)
-Next thing you know Max is hobbling up the beach with stingray stings in both feet.  Jenn, a former lifeguard, grabs the drinking water pot off the fire and tells him to stick his feet in the hot water.  He does and says it feels better... then Hali gets a look at the huge plantar wart he has on the bottom of his foot and she's disgusted that he'd put his contagious warty feet in their drinking water pot (Max is also not making friends among the No Collars.)
-Will is telling Carolyn that Max is already getting on his nerves and she welcomes him to her world.  Carolyn is so not with Max & Shirin - she knows she has to be patient, but to blindside them would be so sweet.

Escameca - Day 14
-Dan admits to Mike that he's worried about Sierra and Mike basically tells him it's his fault for ripping into her - "be a man, apologize and they'll go from there." 
-Dan agrees that he'll see if Sierra will talk with him and he's going to explain...
-Mike tells him no, in his experience with women she just wants to hear 'I'm sorry' so she can be right (if you try to explain, you'll just prove how much of an idiot you are...)
-Dan is offended that Mike would dare tell him how to talk to women (well someone has to... I'm kinda looking forward to this)... and Dan doesn't disappoint - he goes for water with Sierra and starts his apology by owing that his timing was bad [throwing all her mistakes in her face after last Tribal] but then he says she made him feel bad too, so... (Really? That's how you chose to play this?? If anything, he made it worse.) 
-Sierra said it was the crappiest apology ever and she's going with whoever will appreciate her, which is not the Blue Collars.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
-Two members from each tribe will put pots on a sled and drag it through a series of obstacles, once they reach the finish, they'll place the round pots on stands and head back for the next pair to go.  Once all 8 pots are on the stands, one person will use a wrecking ball to smash the pots.  First tribe to smash all their pots wins immunity.
-Off they go and Escameca is out to an early lead, Jeff points out that this challenge may be better geared to all the men on Escameca... pulling that sled through mud is not easy.  But hopefully the smashing will even things out? Nope - Escameca laps Nagarote to get all their pots set... and Dan has smashed all 8 of their pots before Nagarote even got to the smashing stage.  Wow, that sucks.  What a blow out.

-Max said the hardest part of the loss for him was not smiling too big when they lost - he wants to go to tribal council and change the dynamic around camp. (Never be happy about Tribal - Survivor karma will get ya.)

Nagarote - Day 14
- They return to camp and Max is regaling Jenn with the astrological signs of the past winners of Survivor - Capricorns have won the most followed by a couple Leos (yeah! Leo!).
-Jenn is a little weirded out - she's a fan of Survivor, seen every episode, but why does Max know so much, down to the littlest detail, it's like a crazy sports fan knows all the stats of a basketball game from 10 years ago, why do you know that stuff?

-Hali & Jenn are talking about who they want to vote for - they're assuming Will is with them, and they don't like Max or Shirin but they don't know if they can get Kelly - (Carolyn, go talk to Carolyn!)  They decide they should vote Shirin tonight and keep Max for challenges.

-Back at camp, Shirin is talking to Max & Kelly saying they should take Will out tonight because Jenn is much more of a beast in challenges. And Max pipes up that they need to blindside him (Max is just looking forward to the sneaky, backstabbing glorious part of Survivor.)
-Max is confident that they were able to secure Kelly's much sought after swing vote with Shirin's work up front.  Shirin is pretty sure they've got all the brains and she has successfully orchestrated everything that's going down tonight.
-Shirin goes and talks to Carolyn telling her they have Kelly with them to vote Will tonight.

-Carolyn tells the camera that they think Kelly is the swing vote but she can take that power away from her by voting with the No Collars... "I think an epic blindside may be in the making."
-Then Carolyn goes and talks to Jenn, telling her in no uncertain terms that she is not part of the White Collar three, if they want to take one of them out, she is 100% in with them.  Jenn is so relieved, that makes their lives so much easier (and that is what No Collar is all about.)

-Max asks Shirin what the nature of her talk with Carolyn was like and she says she told Carolyn it was Will, no questions, she said great.  He wants to protect against any unexpected events tonight... (they don't know Carolyn has a hidden idol right?  Or does she still have it if it was left at the other camp?)

-Back at camp, the No Collars, Carolyn and Kelly are talking and Carolyn lets Kelly know she's not tight with Shirin and Max, those two will never vote each other out - so now Kelly knows it's probably not in her best interest to align with Shirin & Max - so then the debate moves on to who they want out - they may need Max for challenges... and Shirin never shuts up (sounds like the choice is made) but apparently they find Max & Shirin equally annoying.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
-Shirin says they all gelled really quickly better than White Collar ever did - then she stops because she says that Jeff is making a face at her like she's delusional... (and then everyone is making a face at her like she's delusional.) Maybe he was just looking at her intensely and Jeff says that's just me.
-Kelly doesn't agree with Shirin's take on the new tribe, she says there has been a few things that have happened but when she doesn't want to elaborate Max jumps in citing what happened in One World where one tribe got all the athletic, good looking people and the other tribe got the misfits - "we may be spouting false Kumbaya to try and trick ourselves into thinking we still have a chance."
-This makes Jenn laugh and Jeff asks her why and she says she's laughing at his knowledge of past players and seasons - Max & Shirin know everything and she wonders how they know that and WHY they know that much.  She has trouble remembering everyone who's here's name.
-Max says guilty as charged - he just loves Survivor.  He may not know his mother's cell phone number but he knows what happened at the swap in One World. "That's what speed dial's for, right?"
-Shirin wears her love of Survivor as a badge of honour, she says this has been her life's dream and she hopes they understand her respect for the game and that she's an obsessive type.
-Will says they see both Max & Shirin's behaviour around camp, those two will go off and just talk back and forth - he doesn't know if they're strategizing or what, but the two of them do that, all day.
-Jeff asks Hali what they are basing their votes on tonight because there is no question they are out matched physically by the other tribe - she says there are strategic votes that can happen, loyalty votes or even just quality of life votes that could happen - and after tonight's vote she thinks it will be a much more pleasant camp life for all of us.
-Will says he thinks there will be a blindside tonight.
-Shirin says it could be, if its her it would be a blindside - she thinks if there is some unpleasantness around camp, a blindside is a way to put an end to that and move on. (Do you realize you're the unpleasantness?  I don't think she does.)

Time to Vote:
Shirin votes Will - to win challenges and for space in the bed.
Jenn votes... they didn't show it but she said, "Please stop talking."

Tallying the Votes:
Jeff asks if anyone has a hidden immunity idol and wants to play it, now is the time...  Max looks behind him and says, "Hey Jeff, hold up... I just always wanted to say that." (Really? This is not your fantasy camp experience, this is actually you playing Survivor and screwing it up.)
Carolyn just shook her head and Jeff was like, "oookay."
Votes:
Will - 1, 2
Max - 1, 2, 3, 4... It's MAX going home.  (Wow, I totally thought it would Shirin, I guess the plantar wart pushed him over the top.)  Shirin looks shocked, she can't believe her orchestrations failed... (that's what happens when you get cocky in this game - you should know that, super fan.)

And with Max leaving Kim B/Gail W, Bernice R. and the Dream Team are out of the pool.

Next time - Joaquin and Rodney are bromancing big time and Mike wants to break up the power couple.

Max's final thoughts - "Pre-merge boot, that's a little uncomfy."  The 14 days he spent out there only deepened his love for the game but most of all it deepened his appreciation for how difficult it is to play it. He's humbled, awed and thrilled he got to live out his dream of playing Survivor.

Phew, two hour episode recaps are a killer.  Have a great weekend everybody,

Coleen

The Amazing Race - March 13/15 Episode Recap

The Great Amazing Nasty Race

Last week Truck Stop Love shocked us all by coming in first, Hairstylists Matt & Ashley got engaged and NKOTB Jonathan & Harley were saved by a non-elimination leg.

This week the teams headed to the capital of Thailand, Bangkok - and once there they had to make their way to the Buddhist temple Wat Yannawa.  Mike & Rochelle head out at 3:26am, they've been working well together and think the blind date couples are not dealing with the stresses of this race as well.
-Hayley & Blair, 3:51am - and she is already picking at him in the cab - complaining that he just runs around too much instead of listening to her and thinking things through - Blair tells us that he's sick of being blamed for everything so he's going to sit back and let her make the decisions this leg.
-Jenny & Jelani, 3:52am - she's in full on Type-A panic mode now that they are not in first place and he feels like he has to step it up to meet her intensity (no dude, you need to stay mellow to balance the crazy)
-Laura & Tyler, 3:54am - they're enjoying the race together, she thinks he's smart and good looking but romantically, these things take time.
-Steve & Aly, 3:58am - newly engaged Matt & Ashley, 4:01am - Bergen & Kurt, 4:02am - Jeff & Jackie, 4:03am (this team may be a match, he says they have very similar personalities and she says he fits everything she was looking for.)
-All the teams head out together on the 6am flight - except Jonathan & Harley, who we still haven't seen yet.

Bangkok - All the teams run for taxis and Jelani opens the back door to get into a cab but Jackie & Jeff are already putting their bags in the trunk - Jenny realizes and grabs another cab but Jelani wanted to stake claim to the first one - The Legal Team has words - she didn't want to waste time arguing over a cab when there were ten more around and he thinks the other team is way ahead because they got that taxi (see, stepping up isn't going to work for you Jelani.)

Finally, we see Harley & Jonathan heading out from Phuket at 7:01am - so they're way behind and they will have a Speed Bump this leg... I'm just going to tell you - they don't catch up.

Bangkok - they are all commenting on how busy the city is, tons of traffic and Jenny wishes her cab driver didn't stay in the slowest lane (oh, she's going to be a treat this leg.)
-Tyler & Laura make it to the temple first and find the clue upstairs - DETOUR - Water or Wheel
Wheel - they must choose a tuk-tuk to help them weave through traffic or,
Water - choose a long tail - a water taxi that utilizes the city's elaborate river system.
Depending on which mode of transport they choose, they will have to make two stops along the way before they get their next clue.
Tyler & Laura decide to do Water and take off on foot for the pier.

-Hayley & Blair get to the temple and he says she can lead the way but she passive-aggressively says she doesn't think he'll listen to her so whatever he wants to do... so he starts heading one way and she says, "No, let's go this way though." (OMG! I cannot handle this chick.  Yes, Blair is not the greatest partner, but she is unbearable.)  They wander off looking for the clue in all the wrong places.

-The rest of the teams start arriving - Olympians Steve & Aly and Engaged Matt & Ashley head up the stairs and find the clue right away, they confer and both teams decide to do Water.
-Jackie & Jeff, Mike & Rochelle, Bergen & Kurt - they all decide to head for Water.

-Blair & Hayley are still wandering the grounds and she's finally realizing they haven't seen any other teams... (these two better get it together or they're doomed... who am I kidding, I think they're doomed anyway.)

Water - Laura & Tyler get to the boats and they're really cool - long and skinny with a fabric cover - it seems a waste that only one team goes per boat, there is room for more... but when Hayley & Blair finally find the clue and head for Water - we find out there are only five boats and Blair & Hayley are team #6... right away she's nagging at him that they have to go and he's trying to ask the boat guy for directions to the Wheel place but she's nattering that he's wasting time (By getting directions? Didn't you just wander around forever and end up behind everyone?  Sheesh.) 

-As Hayley & Blair head back up to the street, Jackie & Jeff run into them and then Jenny & Jelani jump out of their cab to ask where the clue is at the temple ... they still have to go to the temple, so they take off running Jenny blaming Jelani and he's back to, "Whatever you say, dear." 
-Jackie & Jeff take off running and Blair is right behind them but again, bringing up the rear is Hayley yelling at Blair that they don't even know where they're going and she wants to get their own directions (I'm ready for this blind date to be over and I'm just suffering through it from my couch.)
-Jeff & Jackie get to the tuk-tuks (hey, look at that) and Hayley & Blair are right behind them - once the little vehicles get into traffic, Hayley is freaking out a little (just be quiet, for one minute.)

-Jenny & Jelani get to clue at the temple and she knows at this point they have to do Wheel.

Water - Tyler & Laura say the boat ride was so nice, there was no traffic and they knew the driver knew where he was going...
Wheel - they are standing still in traffic.

We get a little more background on team Kurt & Bergen - Kurt apparently is from a well-off background and doesn't really need the money (thus him being there for love) but Bergen does need the money and he hopes that Kurt will take that into consideration.

First stop for Water is the market, where they will have to eat a thousand year old egg (oh hell no!)  The shells are pink but the egg inside is black... so gross, but a delicacy there.  We  see a lot of gagging to get those things down.

First stop for Wheel is the Snooker club where they have to sink a red ball... any red ball, in any pocket... but that's easier said than done.

Water -Tyler keeps describing the egg; it's kind of like a jello shot, but an egg, slightly rotten ... and Laura is waving at him to stop or it's coming back up... They finally get the eggs down and get their next destination - a temple where they must have an apprentice help them through making traditional offerings.
-Matt & Ashley stop at a vendor that has regular eggs, and they try to bolt them down - Ashley struggled but when they didn't get a clue they realized those weren't the right eggs (oh, just you wait.)
-Bergen & Kurt, they are doing a little dance trying to get those eggs down.  But they make it and get the next clue.
-Matt & Ashley, 2nd round of gross eggs are even worse - I can't watch her gag (gah!)

Jenny & Jelani are second to last because Jonathan & Harley are running their own race at this point - Jenny hates being in the bottom.

-And we see Jonathan & Harley, a good 2 hours behind everyone, but they're still hoping they can catch up. (Nope.)

-Back at the market, TruckStopLove and SochiLove are next to try the eggs after Matt & Ashley get their clue.  All the teams so far concur that those eggs were disgusting but they all got them down and got their clues.

Snooker - Jeff sinks a red ball and Hayley sinks the ball for them - Blair gives her props for making a great shot but she's got to ruin it by saying, "When I get angry, I perform better." (Just stop talking.)  Their next clues are a small bottle of milk that says the Caturday Cafe (aahhhh, it's the kitty cafe).

Water Detour - 2nd stop - Traditional Thai Prayer - Laura & Tyler are the first to the temple, and making sure not to step on any of the dogs lying around, they lit candles, held some incense, put some gold leaf on a statue and then shook out their fortune (container of sticks they had to shake until one came out, the number of that stick corresponded with a fortune) L & T got good luck fortunes which they showed to the monk who then gave them their next clue - to make their way by taxi to the next destination and look for their next clue.

-Harley & Jonathan get to the temple and find their Speed Bump - (Uh, that just seems cruel at this point) - they have to make a traditional Thai grasshopper made completely with river reeds (are you kidding, that thing was elaborate!)

Water Detour - the rest of the teams start showing up at the temple to do the traditional prayer.

-Jonathan & Harley are assembling the grasshopper - it's mostly done for them, they just have to stick in some finishing touches - I wonder if they dumbed it down because they're hooped.

-Water Detour teams are all leaving the temple for the next destination.

-Jenny & Jelani are looking for the Snooker club, he's running and she's nagging at him to stop running, they're over-exerting themselves, they should take it slow - He finally stops to wait for her and she gives him an earful about rushing ahead of her when they should be discussing where they're going. (Oy.) He's hoping their communication problems aren't their fatal flaw.
-Once at the Snooker place - Jenny looks like she's never tried to hit a pool ball before - Jelani, this is all on you, dude.

-Wheel Detour 2nd Stop- Caturday Cafe - Hayley & Blair are first at the cat cafe, they have to put the milk they got into a dish and have the cats drink it to get their next clue. (Well, that was easy.)
-Jeff & Jackie get there as Blair & Hayley are leaving - Jackie loves animals, she wants to just sit and love all the kitties - Jeff drags her out of there.

-Jonathan & Harley finally get their grasshoppers together and they have to do the Wheel Detour.

-Snooker - Jelani finally sinks a red ball and we find out that Jenny is deathly afraid of cats (seriously? She's rapidly becoming my least favourite behind Hayley.)

-ROADBLOCK - Tyler & Laura are the first team to the Roadblock clue: Who's feeling clutch?  They are in the recycling of old engines district - one person will have to remove the transmission block from an engine and retrieve a screwdriver left inside - inside the handle of the screwdriver is their next clue. (Metal Castle)
-Tyler is doing this one - he says his whole family works on cars, though he's never done it before... but he figures it out pretty quickly.

- Jonathan & Harley are heading for the Snooker place.

-Cat Cafe - Jenny is freaking out, trying to remain still and not touch any of the cats (those cats were so CUTE!) Jelani pours the milk while she cowers against the wall (luckily they don't really have to interact with the cats, though I wish one had jumped on her lap... because I'm evil that way.)

Roadblock - Tyler gets the clue to the head to the Metal Castle - they have to figure out that the Metal Castle is a Buddhist temple called Loha Prasat - it has 37 metal spires symbolizing the 37 virtues of enlightenment in Buddhism... and it's the Pit Stop for this leg of the Race.
-Tyler & Laura jump in a cab and he knows what the Metal Castle is... and we find out that Laura & Tyler also got the Date Night in their clue... a dinner cruise (ooh, fancy.)

Roadblock - the rest of the teams start to arrive - Bergen and Steve are working the engines and we find out that Steve is Kurt's type when he tells Aly that he is definitely a "fine piece of *ss" (ew) but she agrees (ha!)  Matt and Blair join the boys... none of whom really know what they're doing.
-Steve is the first one to get the screwdriver, but the cab driver they asked didn't know the Metal Castle (Uh oh.)
-Matt is next to get the clue and they take off running like chickens with their heads cut off.
-Jeff joins the brigade of men trying to be mechanics, at least he knows what a transmission is, he says.

-Steve & Aly ask at a local shop where Metal Castle is and the lady gives them directions and tells them they can walk there... they take off running (good thing these two are in awesome shape, cause everyone else is taking a taxi.)
-Tyler & Laura's cab driver took them to the Metro... oh no!  They ask a lady there and she directs them to the temple - back in a taxi they go.

-Bergen and then Blair get the screwdriver and the clue Metal Castle - and we see Matt & Ashley run by again yelling, "Metal Castle?" hoping some random local will tell them where to go.

-Both Blair & Hayley and Bergen & Kurt are able to find locals that tell them they need to go to Loha Pasat.  They take off in taxis.

-Matt & Ashley still have no idea and wonder where the Olympians went... speaking of - they don't see no stinking castle and ask another person who hails them a cab and sends them on their way to Loha Pasat - Aly's really worried they screwed this up.

Snooker - Jonathan isn't much of a pool player but the NKOTB always have a pool table in their dressing room and he watches them play - so he knows you just have to give it a slow tap... and he sinks a red ball.

Roadblock - Jeff is still struggling with the engine when Jelani and Rochelle show up to work on engines (how the heck did Jenny & Jelani get ahead of Mike & Rochelle?  I guess the cat cafe took less time than the Thai prayer?)
But I digress, the real story here is that Rochelle KILLED this Roadblock - she says she knows nothing about cars, can't even change a tire... she even asked Jeff what part was the transmission - then she gets the pneumatic drill, takes off the transmission and leaves before Jeff & Jelani know what hit them (HA! Team Rochelle! She rocked it.) Jelani, "I got beat by a girl." Jeff, "She didn't even know what a transmission was." (LOL)  Jenny, "Our boys need to step it up."
-Jeff finally gets his clue and Jenny & Jelani are 2nd to last again.

-Caturday Cafe - Jonathan is very allergic to cats - and even he enjoyed the cat cafe more then Jenny - though he was chanting, "Don't pet the cats."

-Roadblock - Jelani finally gets the clue.  Matt & Ashley are still milling about, Jeff & Jackie know the Pit Stop is not going to be in that neighbourhood so they go looking for someone to ask about the Metal Castle.  Mike & Rochelle and Jeff & Jackie both get Loha Pasat and jump in cabs.

-Matt & Ashley glom on to Jenny & Jelani as they are now the last two teams there - Jenny goes and asks at the same business where the Olympians were steered wrong - she at least tells them it's a temple.

-Jonathan is working on the engine... they haven't seen any teams.

 -Jenny pulls Jelani aside and whispers that they have to jump in a cab the first chance they get... Jelani asks Matt & Ashley, "Should we get in a taxi?" and Jenny snaps, "Why are you telling them? What's wrong with you?"  Then they totally ditch Matt & Ashley.  (Jenny is definitely not there to make friends.)
-Jelani gives her crap, being 5 minutes ahead of them at the Pit Stop is not a big deal and they may have needed them later in the Race.  She argues back that them getting into a tuk-tuk is no different than them in a foot race to the Pit Stop... "Everyday, it's a fight on the Amazing Race." (You're lawyers, does that surprise you?)

-Jonathan gets the transmission off and they need to find the Metal Castle.

 Here's How They Finished:
1) Bergen & Kurt - Are we team # 1? Just kidding... Phil, "You ARE team #1!"  They won a trip for two to Puerto Vallarta (I wonder how they'll split that since they both keep telling us they are not a love match.)
2) Hayley & Blair - Blair says they've been at each others throats too much so they're going to look around and enjoy the race more.
3) Steve & Aly - she said they decided to run a couple miles first.
4) Laura & Tyler - that stung - Laura whines that they had such a lead, "If you're not first, you're last." (well, not quite.)
5) Jeff & Jackie
6) Mike & Rochelle - Phil gives Rochelle props for crushing the Roadblock.
7) Jenny & Jelani - Phil feels the wall of tension as Jenny flings off her backpack, but Jelani is very composed and says they're bound to fight because they are trying to do their best and win. (Blah blah)
8) Matt & Ashley - they were so excited to find out they were still in the Race.
9) Harley & Jonathan - **ELIMINATED** These two are really great together, Jonathan says the race has been a dream of his and he got to do it with the person he loves most (aww.)
So with Jonathan & Harley's exit, that takes Roxanne S, Lindsay J, Don T, Monica S. and Nenad M. out of the pool.

Next Episode will be on April 3rd (March Madness is pre-empting our show) - and we see Jeff fighting with Jackie and Hayley berating Blair... then they showed us a whole bunch of stuff that can't just be in the next episode - they are going to be sledding down sand dunes at some point!  COOL!

Sorry for the late recap guys, I've been a little under the weather - but have a great rest of your week.

Coleen

Survivor Worlds Apart - March 11/15 Episode Recap

Crazy Is as Crazy Does

Last week on Survivor, Carolyn found a hidden immunity idol on White collar and Max & Shirin went naked.  Blue collar found a taskmaster in Mike and No collar alienated the deaf lady then blindsided the hippy wildcard Vince.

No Collar - Night 6
They returned to camp, everyone a little shell-shocked because Will was the only one who knew how that vote was going.  Joe doesn't trust him as much after that.  Will says he's playing chess not checkers, he knew he couldn't trust Vince in the long run so he took him out.
-Then Nina starts being Nina, she says she knows she's going to be the next one they vote out so can they just not treat her like an outsider... and she brings up her hearing again... she's crying and upset.
-Jenn tells her not to give up before it's done, "Did you think Vince was going tonight? See, you never know in this game."  Jenn is just over Nina's whoa-is-me attitude, you're deaf we know, stop using it as an excuse.

White Collar - Day 7
-Shirin is watching monkey sex and she's so excited she goes running back to camp to tell them all about it... in explicit detail, for a long time.
-Carolyn thinks that Shirin is crazy and has no idea how she survives in corporate America with that level of strange.
-Tyler sees how desperately she's trying to fit in but she's as loud and obtrusive as those howler monkeys - he wishes she'd just shut up and go away (hey, at least she has pants on.)

Blue Collar - Day 7
-So they're all just sitting around talking about food or comfort and they're giving Rodney (the meathead) a hard time because he apparently sleeps a lot, so there is some light hearted ribbing which Dan is part of... until he goes too far and calls Rodney's mother a  wh*re... (I think, bleeped expletive.)  Instantly the camaraderie is gone and you see Rodney is mad.  Dan is smart enough to stop talking.  But he crossed the line with Rodney.  Police office Kelly says Rodney is a drama queen (HA!)

No Collar - Day 7
-Jenn & Hali decide to do some body surfing, they found flat pieces of driftwood and hit the surf.  This is what No Collar is all about, having some fun - Jenn doesn't understand why everyone takes this game so seriously (Uh, it's for a million dollars...)
-Elsewhere, Joe is saying some of the paranoia seems to have left the tribe with Vince's departure - and he's out killing a little lizard to provide sustenance for his tribe (this guy reminds me of Malcolm so much... right down to the hair.)  Joe also reaches out to Nina and encourages her to keep playing and to try and have some fun with it - he tells us that his mother was an interpreter for the deaf and taught him sign language as an infant so he's been around the deaf community a lot - he wanted to make sure Nina didn't feel alone.
-Nina seemed to have taken his gesture to heart.  She said before she lost her hearing she was in sales so she used to be white collar but after, a traditional job held no appeal to her.  She may be No collar now but she's not as free-spirited as her tribe mates - she realizes she's going to have to make more of an effort to get along or she could be going home. (DING!)
- Yet she won't eat any of that lizard, I guess her new realization doesn't extend to gross food.

White Collar - Day 8
-The whole tribe is out looking for the hidden immunity idol so Carolyn is minding the fire... these people are supposed to be smart, shouldn't that have twigged something for them... guess not.
-Shirin gets tired of looking so tries to get the guys to call of the search and agree not to look for it anymore until they get another clue.  Tyler seems to be in but Joaquin is having none of it - he says he hasn't trusted Shirin since day one because she's been a paranoid, panicking woman since day one (is it me or is Joaquin one of the worst chauvinists they've had on this show in a long time?) 
-Shirin, who apparently never shuts up, starts proving how loud and annoying she can be by wanting to know what she said, what he said, why aren't you talking to me?
-Joaquin likens her to the blood sucking mosquitos that just won't leave them alone.  He tells her she can stop looking whenever she wants - but he tells the camera he's on the outs and is going to keep looking because he needs that idol.  Joaquin decides he's going to share the clue to the idol with Tyler cause that's his boy... Tyler already knows that Carolyn has the idol but he's happy that 'Joaq' extended his trust.
-Tyler breaks it down for us.  Yes, Joaquin may be on he outs but Shirin is proving 'crazy is as crazy does'...from the nudity to the talking to the monkeys to the incessant talking around camp - if they went to Tribal today he's pretty sure that Shirin would be voted out (and I will lose another Survivor pool.)

Blue Collar - Day 8
-Mike says "the man I call dad is the pastor of my church" (Hmm, that's a little weird, is your dad the pastor or did the pastor just treat him like a son?) anyway, Pastor Dad taught Mike that if you work hard, good things will come to you - so you don't have to tell Mike to do things, he sees what needs to be done and he does it.  This Blue Collar tribe, which is supposed to have the best work ethic, is failing in his opinion and he sees sleeping Rodney as the worst offender.  He prods Rodney to help them get firewood - which doesn't go over very well with sleeping beauty.
-Lindsey, the tattooed hairdresser, says Mike is annoying - the girls have been busting their butts all morning with no acknowledgement but she knows that blue collar people tend to be more judgmental of others because no one's work ethic is as good as their own - and she knows she's okay because she  has the best work ethic ;)
-Mike and Rodney continue to grouse at each other - Rodney has to eat before he does anything because he's lightheaded.  He'll do stuff when he does it, not when Mike tells him to do it, "I don't need a dad out here, bro." (Are you sure?) 
-Rodney tells the camera that this is a social game, it doesn't matter how much work you do around camp as long as you keep everyone happy (is that what you're doing?)  Dan tries to talk to Rodney and he's still going off about how no one tells him what to do, that's why he works for himself. "This ain't an oil rig, bro"...(On and on and on... chill out already - if you would stop talking and get some damn wood, it would be done already and you could lie down again... let me tell you, Rodney would not be making me happy right now.)
-Mike isn't engaging Rodney but he's trying to justify his attitude to the girls but they turn on him too - asking when was the last time he thanked them for any of the work they've done - he seems to think he's thanking them all the time but to the girls he's just expecting that they'll do the
cooking and washing and he's focused on what the guys aren't doing.  Lindsey's a feisty one and she calls him on the sexist attitude but then she goes too far in my opinion when she demands he acknowledge everything little thing she points out she's done and when he tires of her tirade she asks if the fire got there by magic, or by his "God" coming down and starting it with his beard (Mike has Psalm 121 tattooed on his back... but she lost me - was he spouting about the bible, no, then why attack the man's faith? That was low.  I've decided all these people are a-holes, except the cop because we never hear from her - but I've seen enough of Blue Collar already.)
-Mike tells the camera that he's not pretending to be the best Christian but that really hurt his feelings on a personal level.  Then they show him telling the tribe if they're going to send him home because he said something, then send him home.
-Lindsey, "Wish come true MF'er."(I think - also blurred expletive.)

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
The other tribes are genuinely shocked to see feather-hair Vince was voted out of the No Collar tribe.

-Each tribe will carry a large bucket full of holes through an obstacle course to a water tower where they will fill it - then working together to plug as many of the holes as they can they have to race back and empty the bucket into a barrel on the high end of a teeter totter - first two teams to fill their barrel to the point where it raises their flag will win immunity and reward of 1) comfort reward of chairs, blankets, candles, rope and a tarp and 2) just a tarp.
Blue Collar sits Lindsey (she is little though her mouth is big.)

Off they go - Blue Collar and White Collar are pretty neck and neck though Blue Collar keeps getting more water back, it looks like.  No Collar keeps sending Nina off on her own instead of having her help carry the bucket - which makes no sense, if she knows what to do, she doesn't need to hear... Jeff makes note of it - and yells at them that what they're doing is not working (with essentially 4 people No Collar is way behind.)
It's Blue Collar in First place.
White Collar in Second place.
No Collar heading to tribal Council.

Jeff asked them why they didn't have Nina participate and Joe said it was his strategy to have her waiting at the end of the obstacles to plug the holes but it probably wasn't the best decision.
-Will was holding them back again this challenge - he said he felt like he was going through boot camp, this challenge really kicked his *ss... then in his next breath, "I think it's time for Nina to go." (Wha?, but... you were so slow... I bet they wished they had Vince back for that challenge.)

No Collar - Day 8
-They return to camp and Joe immediately apologizes for his game plan, he assumed Nina would slow them down and tried to take her out of the equation and it cost them - He feels like he screwed her over by making that call.
-She realizes she should have listened to her gut and stayed to help plug holes but she went along with what they said.

-Joe is still beating himself up about it but Will tells him they made the decision as a team and and they all backed him up - "Are we playing Friends? No, this is Survivor." Will says Nina's been dead weight for a while and they all agree that they're in for voting Nina out.

-Nina comes to Will later and asks how he thinks the vote will go tonight and he says he has no idea - she knows the young-ins are running the tribe so she goes and asks Joe, Jenn & Hali who they are thinking of voting for and they ask if she'd vote Will - (she'd vote whatever you told her to vote, you know that.)  Jenn starts going off about how Will sucked in the challenge again... they may not be totally set on voting Nina tonight.

-Jenn & Hali agree that Nina is a wet blanket but they don't trust Will after he switched his vote and voted off Vince at the last Tribal Council.  So the girl's are thinking maybe they should vote for Will tonight.  Either way, they're going to be at a disadvantage going into a merge so it doesn't matter who they vote for tonight.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Jeff asked if there was some explaining to do when they got back to camp after the last Tribal Council.
-Will just said he had to go with someone he trusted so he voted Vince out.
Jeff makes the point that they are still in the tribe portion of the game and that the trust issue seemed to be more of an individual thing.
-Joe says you only get a couple opportunities when you make mistakes to fix those mistakes - so it's a huge factor when you trust people and try to keep your alliance as strong as possible going into the future.

Jeff moves on to today's challenge and how it was hard to understand the decision to pull Nina out of the challenge.
-Joe says it was tricky going over the ladder and he thought Nina could stumble and fall and take them all down... but he acknowledges that he messed up big time.
Jeff says to Nina that showed they had no faith in her.
-Nina says yes and because of her disadvantage... (both the girls totally rolled their eyes as soon as she brought up the hearing)... they have no faith that I can do anything.
And Jeff called her on it too - but the challenge had nothing to do with hearing.
-Nina says she just feels like they look at her as a person with a disability.  .. because she's deaf.
-Will disagrees, he says no matter how many times they've pulled her aside or tried to give her a pep talk, she always falls back on her being deaf.
-Joe says he thinks Nina's perception of them is just as wrong as she thinks their perception of her is - he says he knows a lot of deaf people and he'd be the last one to judge her... (seriously, I don't think she heard him.)

Jeff brings up Will's lack of performance in challenges and wonders if he should be concerned.
-Will said he owned up to his issue with the buoy challenge but this last one he chalks up to everyone just not coming together.
-Nina pipes up that they would be crazy to keep Will, they can trust her, she's strong, she was help them win challenges, they just haven't given her a chance to show them what she's got (I think Mike's philosophy could help her out, don't wait for them to let you show them... just show them already, jeesh.)
-Jenn says Nina has been emotionally weak out there a lot and that concerns her - she knows it's hard out there for her but it's hard for all of them, we all have personal struggles, you know.
-And then the heavens opened up and it starts pouring on them.
-Hali says she's not sure that Nina is on the right tribe - no collar is about riding the highs and riding out the lows and Nina doesn't seem to be able to just go with the flow.
-Nina admits before she lost her hearing she was white collar for 44 years...
-Hali tells her that if she wants to stay in this game, on this tribe, she's got to loosen up and try to go with the flow - at the very least to stay in the game.
-Nina gives a totally White Collar answer, "I hear what you're saying and I truly believe I can take these suggestions to heart and make the adjustments to be a part of the No Collar tribe."Haha, can you copy me on that memo?)

Time To Vote:
Nina votes for Will
Will votes Nina

Tallying the Votes:
No hidden immunity idol.
Nina - 1
Will - 1, 2
Nina - 2
Final vote was for... NINA!  Ohhh, I totally thought they were going to keep her after the 'Will sucks' talk, but she was not No Collar material after all.

And with Nina leaving; Lindsay J., Gillian H. and Jeremy N. are out of the pool.

Next time they tell us it's a special 2 hour Survivor - Blue Collar is still fighting, it's Lindsey and Rodney this time - and they do the caller leading the blindfolded pairs challenge and medical needs to be called for somebody.

Nina showed more fire than at any time in the game during her exit interview - So they think I'm not as free-spirited as they are, and maybe I'm not, but I'm going to do some soul searching and maybe make some changes in that way - it was a real life altering 8 days. (Good for you Nina.)

Have a great rest of your week everybody,

Coleen

The Amazing Race - March 6/15 Episode Recap

Murphy's Law

Last week, blind dating Legal team Jelani & Jenny came in first for the second leg in a row and 10 years dating Libby & CJ were eliminated 'cause they never seemed to get their heads in the game.

Nagano, Japan - they made a show of the blind dating teams having separate rooms so they didn't have to stay together... but Showgirl Jackie & Jeff decided to stay in one room, they are that comfortable with each other (uh huh.)

4:35pm - First team to head out, Jelani & Jackie read the clue to fly to Phuket, Thailand.  Once there they have to make their way to Patong beach to find their next clue.
-This team's take on the blind-daters doing so well is people are on their best behaviour when they first meet - they are sending their representatives until they get to know each other better and the real person comes out (so I guess they're hoping the real them doesn't come out until the Race is over?)
4:44pm - Laura & Tyler head out and admit the blind dating couples don't fight as much because they aren't as comfortable with each other and they are also doing really well so far so there's not that much to fight about.
5:31pm - Olympians Aly & Steve - everyone seems excited about Thailand, hoping it will be warmer there.
6:19pm - Harley & Jonathan - they had their date night last night at the hot springs in the mountains - they feel they definitely have an advantage because they are refreshed, recharged, renewed.
6:32pm - Bergen & Kurt - before this, neither of them had ever been outside the US... and they break it down - these two are not a love match, they both like big muscular men... in other words, they are totally alike and they are not attracted to each other (or themselves).  But they can be friends and just run this Race the best they can... "Where is Thailand?  Is it warm there?" (oh boy.)

Airport - All the teams get to the Tokyo airport and find out all the ticket counters are closed.  No one is getting tickets out tonight.

So next morning, they are all at different counters looking for the earliest flights.
-Mike & Rochelle, Matt & Ashley, Hayley & Blair, Jeff & Jackie, Aly & Steve... all get tickets for a flight scheduled to arrive in Phuket at 4:50pm.  But when Bergen & Kurt get to the counter, there is only one seat left... leaving Bergen & Kurt and Harley & Jonathan out of luck.
-Laura & Tyler and Jelani & Jenny were at a different counter waiting to get tickets... for a flight arriving at 9:10pm - Laura was a little nervous that they didn't see any other teams but they still went ahead and bought those tickets.
-Bergen & Kurt end up with some connecting flights to get them to Thailand at 11:59pm.  And Harley & Jonathan end up with flights getting them to Thailand the next day at 9:35am. (That's not good.) But they are staying positive, you never know on the Amazing Race, anything can happen.

Phuket, Thailand
First flight arrives and they hit the ground running - well, driving in taxis. 
Patong Beach - right under the big sign above the street is a guy wearing a red, yellow and green striped hat holding selfie sticks... this is who they need to get the clue from but Matt & Ashley, who get there first keep running by the guy looking for the clue box... until Ashley finally figures it out - the clue at the end of the stick tells them there are 5 rooms at the bed and breakfast and they'll get the next clue at the time on the back of the selfie stick- Aly & Steve get there too and both teams get 8:30am. Aly, "So what do we do, party tonight?"... why not?  They go to restaurant to have some dinner and drinks.
-Mike & Rochelle - 8:30am - Jackie & Jeff and Blair & Hayley - 8:45am - and these three teams have a couple shots then head to the B&B to stake their claim on some beds... since there are 5 rooms for all 9 teams (Awkward!)
-Jenny & Jelani 8:45, Laura & Tyler and Kurt & Bergen 9:00am.

Next morning the teams are getting ready for the day and realizing that no one has seen Jonathan & Harley - they're not sure if they got a flight last night or what's happening... then we see that NKOTB are still in Singapore waiting for their connection to get them to Phuket for 9:35am... so technically, they shouldn't be that far behind the 9:00am couples. 

Patong Beach - 8:30am - first teams get their clue to head to Baan Teelanka (the upside down house) and they get in little open cab/vans - all the teams head out, staggered and still no sign of NKOTB.
-But their flight has finally touched down and Jonathan & Harley jump in a cab... which then stops for gas (they cannot catch a break!) #MurphysLaw

-Steve & Aly are first to the upside down house... and it literally is upside down with everything bolted to the ceiling... crazy.  Aly finds the next clue hanging out of the toilet (ugh... not that anyone could ever have used that toilet, but still, really?)
And it's the clue to the DETOUR - Ski or Tree
SKI requires the team to survive one lap wakeboarding around a Phuket wave park pulled by a cable that can get up to 20mph - there will be some epic wipe outs.
TREE requires the teams to deliver a tray of food via zipline to a table of diners.  If they can deliver the food without dropping anything, their tip will be the next clue (OMG! so they have to zipline holding a tray of food - who can do that?)
-Steve & Aly decide to do Ski (you're athletes, do the physical one.)
-Mike & Rochelle are doing Tree.
-Ashley & Matt - Tree.
-Blair & Hayley, Jelani & Jenny - head for Tree. Jackie & Jeff - going to Ski.

Patong Beach - Harley & Jonathan get the selfie stick that shows them 9am, so they know that the teams didn't start racing again until this morning and they're pumped to still be in it.

Ski - Steve says they've both water-skied and though wake boarding is a little different he's confident they'll do well... but then they try and both are down within the first 10ft.  I think there is definitely a learning curve figuring out the tension on the line and speed - it's hard.

Tree - They have to dress up like waiters, white button down shirt, black vests, harness & helmet - Matt is having trouble with the shirt being too tight but Ashley says he's used to his clothes being tight (burn!).
-Jelani & Jenny and Blair & Hayley are the first to get their trays and Jelani says they need one food and one drink item and Jenny asks aren't we supposed to take everything (there is quite a list of things) but the guys say no - Hayley sees the list and says why is there a list then? (Yup, this is going wrong quick.)
-The next set of teams get to the food area and they read the list...

-NKOTB are on their way to the Detour clue.

-Jackie & Jeff get to the wave park and see the Olympians wiping out on their 4th attempts ... this really is not easy.

-Jelani & Jenny zipline across with their meager trays and the diners on the other side just shake their heads.  He thinks they spilled too much.
-Blair is still suffering through Hayley's nattering, "are you sure we have the right stuff "(she's been sniping at him the whole climb up to the zipline and even though she's right, I don't blame him for tuning her out, her voice is so annoying.) She sees the teams behind them have all the food and just will not shut up, "We did this wrong and we're going to be on the bottom again having to come back up to get all the food, that's why we shouldn't just follow people..." (on and on and on...I wanted to smack her.)  But they went across anyway and she's right of course so he has to listen to her berate him for not listening to her the whole time they head back and start over (poor guy.)
-Matt & Ashley go across and he had a bowl of pho and a sandwich as well as a drink... and he lost the plate (but saved the sandwich.)  They'll have to go again as well.

Ski - Jackie looks like a pretty good wakeboarder until the corner when there was a bunch of slack in the line and she wipes out - hard!  Even the guys working there were pointing "WHOA!" - Jeff wipes out instantly and they have to yell at him to let go of the rope. "What was that?" (This is going to be a long day.)

Tree - Mike & Rochelle look like they may be the first team to make the delivery but in the line of other teams waiting to go, all we hear is Hayley nag nag nagging... Jelani looks like he wants to stuff a sock in her mouth, she will not shut up!  Blair is the most patient guy ever.
Mike & Rochelle do get the clue and are in first place! - They have to head to My Way Cabaret.

-Jenny & Jelani's second attempt... Jenny drops the drink and they'll have to go again.

-Rochelle & Mike ask the cab driver if he knows My Way Cabaret and he's saying "Ladyboy show..." Mike's not to thrilled to hear that.

-Blair & Hayley are next, she's telling him not to spill (and he better not if he knows what's good for him) but they get across and deliver everything, 2nd place... and she's still berating him for not listening to her.  He tells her she's got to squash it and she's not willing to let it go (deep breaths Blair, don't kill her.)
-Ashley drops stuff on their second attempt, so they will be trying again.
-Laura's legs are wobbly doing the zipline - but she and Tyler get everything delivered on the first try - 3rd place! (The trick is to put the sandwich plate on top of the bowl of pho... smart.)

Ski- Steve & Aly on their 8th attempts and still not getting any closer to finishing one lap... She thinks they've spent way too much time there and it's time to switch - so they do. (how refreshing, no argument - of course that could also be telling about how hard this one is.)
-Jeff & Jackie see Steve & Aly leaving and decide to bail as well. (Better to keep at least one team in your sights.)

-Upside down house - Jonathan & Hayley decide to do Tree - even though Jonathan is afraid of heights, he's willing to do what needs to be done to keep them in the Race at this point.

-Mike & Rochelle get to My Way Cabaret and Phil's there to tell us this may be the best Go Go show in town.  They will have to dress up in sequined costumes with lots of feathers then learn and perform the choreography to a song - when the ladyboys feel they have their act together, they'll get their next clue. (Yes, those are men in showgirl outfits...)
-Mike, "this could be the most ridiculous thing ever."  Then he asks how to put pantyhose on.  (Oh yeah, it's the whole deal, full face make up on the beard was epic.)

-Tree - Matt spills a bunch of the soup on this landing - they'll have to try again - again.
-Kurt & Bergen are the next team to deliver all the food and Lawyer Jenny is starting to show the competitive stress, complaining that they're behind everybody (well, stop dropping things lady.) But they make it this time and they're in 5th place.

-Hayley & Blair get to My Way and there is a round of applause for Mike in his costume - He makes a really ugly bearded lady.
-Tyler doesn't want to do this, "You're about to see a lady-man!"
-Rochelle & Mike are trying to learn the choreography and she's not happy it's another dancing challenge when they struggled so much with the first leg Sync step challenge. (This looks a bit simpler, it's all about the outfits!)

-Tree - Matt & Ashley see Olympians Aly & Steve coming up behind them and can't believe it - Matt tries to "help" Ashley arrange the food on her tray for the zipline but then knocks his glass of champagne into the soup ... they'll have to go again before they even start (oof.)  He tries to just scoop some of the broth into the glass... but yeah, there is no green onion in champagne - they go back down.
-Steve & Aly get a pass on their first attempt at the zipline delivery making them in 6th place.

-Bergen & Kurt get to My Way Cabaret and their clue has the Date Night in it.  When they get to putting on the make up they're laughing about how uncomfortable the other guys are - Fabulous!
-Tyler seems to be most vocal about not enjoying the costume and make up.
-Hayley is helping put Blair's make up on and he's just happy she's not trying to stab him in the eye... she says she's not as mad anymore but he just has to learn to start listening to her... (Blair, why did you even bring it up? Do not get her started again.)
-Jelani just wants them to make him look beautiful!

-Tree - Matt & Ashley finally make the delivery on their 7th attempt putting them in 7th place.
-Jeff & Jackie get their delivery made and they are 8th.

Cabaret - Mike & Rochelle make their first attempt and these two are dance challenged - got to give Mike props for enthusiasm, they had the crowd enjoying the performance - but it was really bad, Fail!
-They get to keep making attempts out on stage though as the other teams are all trying to learn the choreography together.  But they keep failing.

Tree-Jonathan & Harley have finally arrived at the zipline.

Cabaret - Aly isn't much better at putting lipstick on Steve, it's all over in his stubble.
-Jeff doesn't like how his lips look with lipstick on...
-Matt looks like he's enjoying the make up (yes, you're pretty.)

-8 times through and Mike & Rochelle finally get a pass - and the clue to the Pit Stop - Baba Nest Rooftop Bar - with an infinity pool that blends with the sea view (ah, what a view, I want to go!)

-Hayley & Blair and Tyler & Laura are the next teams to go and they do the show together... despite Tyler's overt homophobia (he asked if they were going to chop his b*lls off too) - they give it a go... and both fail.
-Hayley & Blair have to cycle out so Jenny & Jelani can give it a try and it's fail day all over.

Tree -Jonathan & Harley make their food delivery and are heading for the cabaret.  Jon says Harley is the ying to his yang, he's the more steady one but they balance each other out.

Cabaret - Next time through and Hayley & Blair get a pass, Jenny & Jelani still fail (his head dress fell off.)  Matt & Ashley are going to make their attempt and they have the brightest, pinkest costumes (good thing Matt's comfortable in his sexuality cause that is PINK!)

-On the way to the Pit Stop Hayley finally says she's not going to talk about "the incident" anymore and Blair high fives her, "You're not going to talk about it anymore? Yeaah!" and she's instantly defensive, "at least you should be glad I have a backbone." (Oh boy, she's still going to be single after this, for sure.)

Cabaret - Jenny & Jelani get a pass, Kurt messed up... and they are all stacking up waiting their turn.
-Matt was having a phenomenal time and they got a pass, Kurt & Bergen still failed.
-Tyler was able to pass when they were paired with the Olympians, because he could turn to Steve who I guess he considers a manly man like him... whatever, these teams passed.

-Kurt & Bergen finally pass and Jackie is making Jeff get out there - being a dancer this was easy for her but she's only as strong as her partner...

-In cabs on the way to the Pit Stop, Ashley asked Matt where was his fanny pack and he panics - I LEFT IT THERE! GO BACK! GO BACK! (Oh sweet jebus, I hope it's there.) Ashley tells him to just chill out.  They run back in while Jeff & Jackie are getting their pass on stage, get the fanny pack and are back in the cab again on their way to the Pit Stop.
-Jeff & Jackie on their way to the Pit Stop - he looks in the mirror and can't believe how ugly he is in the make up (it was funny because it was true.)

-Jonathan & Harley arrive at the Cabaret and they can't believe they're doing a drag show... Jonathan always swore he would never do drag, but they have to do the gays proud.

 Here's How They Finished:
1) Mike & Rochelle - TruckStopLove! They won a trip to Prague.
2) Hayley & Blair -
3) Jenny & Jelani
4) Laura & Tyler
5) Aly & Steve (2-5 got there basically at the same time)
6) Matt & Ashley out ran Kurt & Bergen to the mat
7) Kurt & Bergen
8) Jackie & Jeff

With Teams 2-8 all at the mat, Matt says he's got something to say, and he gets down on one knee and asks Ashley to marry him (Awww, now I see why he was freaking out about the fanny pack.) And Bergen & Kurt ask if they can give them the Date Night (that was so nice... well, we know those guys are not dating anyway, but still.)  I was trying to figure out all week who got engaged from the teaser promos... I did not guess Matt & Ashley, but it was still a pretty great proposal.)

9) Jonathan & Harley - NON-ELIMINATION - they've wanted to do this for so long, they don't want to go home after 3 legs... and now they won't have to - they will have a Speed Bump next leg but they get to keep racing.

Next week they head to Bangkok; Matt & Ashley are head over heels in love and the blind daters are fighting like cats & dogs, specifically Hayley is berating Blair again and Jenny is on Jelani's case as well (I figured her tune would change when they were no longer in first place.)

Have a great week everybody!

Coleen

Survivor Worlds Apart - March 4/15 Episode Recap

It Will Be My Revenge

Last week we were introduced to the new season of White Collar, Blue Collar, No Collar; there were quite a few personalities to get to know but they didn't give So a chance, her inability to lie convincingly proved her downfall...and I found out since last week that So was actually supposed to be on LAST season with her sister but they were the team that had to drop out at the last minute due to her sister's health... so I think So should listen to the universe, she wasn't supposed to be on Survivor.

Blue Collar - Day 4
-Blustery old-guy Dan comes into camp and regales them with a tale of how he lost his underwear to a rogue wave - He lost his manties (YAY! We won't have to see him in the banana hammock anymore) but that also means he had to fashion his shirt into a diaper of sorts and we will be seeing a lot more of burnt to a crisp Dan chest.
-Tattoo'd hairstylist Lindsey isn't buying his story, she thinks this was just his way of trying to come up with a hook to keep him interesting because his annoying, fat guy persona was wearing thin.  She doesn't care as long as he leaves her alone long enough for them to go to Tribal Council and vote his *ss out.
(That was the best they had, this tribe didn't even go to Tribal Council last week but they still opened the episode with Dan's diaper.)

White Collar - Day 4
-They finally made fire with the flint they got at Tribal, and even that was a struggle... but beard guy Max would rather just swim in the beautiful ocean in his all together... Max is tipping his hat to the past (Richard Hatch 2.0) by dropping trow so he can be free and he admits its also a great way to get some time alone.
-Agent guy Tyler thinks it is an attempt by Max to distract them from how smart he is and how well he knows this game (Max did teach a college course on Survivor after all.)
-Shirin decides two can play at that game and she goes naked on the bottom only, still wearing her bikini top which... is worse somehow.  Being a woman I understand sometimes it's more comfortable to have the girls supported but I don't get how going bottomless is more comfortable in this situation... she's going to have sand EVERYWHERE.  And poor Tyler has nowhere to look... ha, if she's hoping to unsettle someone, it's totally working.

No Collar - Day 4
-They show Law Student Hali trying to talk to deaf lady Nina, but she's either behind her or not looking at her and when Nina can't understand what she's said she gets frustrated.  Jenn just can't be bothered even trying to talk to her.  Then the girls decide to go skinny dipping (oh, more nudity from the tribe we'd expect it from) which sends Nina over the edge, crying to the camera that the girls never asked her to go with them... (they might have and she just didn't hear it... oh no, I'm not a nice person either.)
-Hippy feather hair (Vince) thinks the no collar tribe should be a family, open and accepting of everyone... yet I never see him talking to Nina either.
-When the girls get back Nina passive aggressively thanks them for asking her to go with them and the girls were honestly surprised that she would have wanted to go. Once Nina storms off in tears they realize she wants to be one of the girls when they see her more like a mom. 
-Jenn can't believe that a grown woman is in tears on day 4 because they didn't include her in something, this is Survivor, you need to have a thicker skin (exactly) but Jenn also realizes Nina is probably used to being coddled a little and they will have to gently coax her along until they don't have to anymore.
-Will is trying to be a friend to Nina who is still blubbering about the girls not having any human compassion and he's trying to make her realize they're young.  He offers to do whatever he can to help her but she says he's already doing everything right ... and he's pretty sure she's already put a target on her back (no kidding - it's survivor, they're going to save the strongest and sacrifice the weak, so if you start with a disadvantage you better be stronger in other ways, not sniveling because the girls won't play with you, sheesh.)

Blue Collar - Day 5
-Everybody's lying around until Mike starts cracking the whip, telling them to get up and get on water... Rodney says he's used to working hard but Mike is one of those guys that just can't relax, he's always got to be doing something and making them do something too.  The rest of the tribe decides they should play as hard as they work and they start shooting some hoops (trying to shoot a coconut into an open crate.) 
-Mike's not impressed, he tries to enlist Dan to help him cook while the rest are playing but Dan wants to play too... Mike is just frustrated.  He says he'd like to play basketball too but there is stuff that needs to be done for them to survive and they're just not doing it.  He's gathering firewood and telling everyone they have to keep going to get wood, "Just keep going." He's angry they're not all helping and constantly working (well, they don't have to because Mike's doing it all - if he would just sit down for a minute maybe the others would step up.)
-Rodney doesn't understand what Mike's going on about, since they have a huge pile of firewood already... also, why start a fight with people; that just puts a target on your back. (Wow, there seems to be targets popping up on every tribe.)

No Collar - Day 5
-Joe has gathered a bag of little crabs and everyone is happy to see them... except Vince, who is so threatened by Joe, he has to go out looking for little crabs himself - and he takes Nina so he can complain that he works hardest around camp but it goes unnoticed because everyone loves Joe.  (Wow, this guy is a jealous monster - what a piece of work.)
-Vince confronts Joe and demands that he acknowledge that he steamrolls projects and won't take direction from Vince (who died and made you king?) and Joe seems like a really nice guy, he's trying to keep the peace and give Vince what he wants without backing down.  Joe realizes that Vince has a lot of issues and wants to be top dog but he also knows that Vince is a loose cannon and Joe doesn't like it.
-So we now see the age divide happening on the no collar tribe - Vince and Nina are gossiping together that they don't trust the younger three: Joe, Hali & Jenn, while Jenn & Joe are on the same page with Vince, he's probably smarter than they've given him credit for but he's also a little too 'no collar' for his own good.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
-They are out in the water on platforms for this one - One at a time they will dive into the water and swim out to a platform where they will find buoys attached to a rope - they will have to maneuver one buoy at a time through a series of obstacles in the water while it's still attached to the rope until they get to the next platform - then the next person
goes - once they have all 5 buoys, they will attempt to toss them into a basket on yet another platform (see, Blue Collar was in training, not just playing around earlier - Mike.) First two tribes to get all 5 buoys in their basket will win immunity and reward of: 1st place - huge fishing gear kit, 2nd place - line, lures and a spear.

Blue collar sits... Fit state trooper Kelly because Dan refuses to sit out - saying he's going to surprise them for a fat guy.
No collar sits... no surprise, Nina.

Off they go - Vince starts in the lead but Dan finishes in the lead (huh, he did very well) it's blue and no collar sharing the lead throughout until Will gets stuck in the water and the slowest white collar, Shirin, is able to pass him... White Collar is the first tribe to start shooting and Joaquin proves a good shot, Blue Collar is also shooting but not making baskets when Joe finally gets No Collar to the platform.
White collar w/ Joaquin shooting is the first to get all 5.
Blue collar is doing well with Sierra shooting but No Collar has Vince shooting and he can't even get the balls to the basket (actually Joe didn't do any better either.)

It's White Collar and Blue Collar winning immunity and fishing gear... and No Collar with no baskets, will be going to Tribal Council.

Vince says where he and Joe stand right now, it's cold war with missiles aimed squarely at each other - it's going to get crazy. (Crazy would be voting off one of the strongest members of the tribe at this point... but Vince has to be in charge and Joe is the biggest threat to his domination.  He's blind to the big picture.)

No Collar - Day 6
-Joe apologizes for not being able to finish it for them and Hali says it was a group effort/failure today.  She also realizes they have to make a decision on who is going home tonight and being no collar, making decisions is not one of their strengths.

-Then they start to focus on Will's exhaustion - he's overweight, he hasn't been sleeping well and apparently he has asthma as well. Nina & Vince are discussing Will's breaking down yet Vince still makes his play to vote out a power player - he tells Nina this is their one chance to take Joe out.  Vince does say he doesn't know if they will be able to win challenges with Will and not Joe though and Nina points out if they change their game plan and vote Will out, they may be the next to go. What Nina is really thinking is she could be the first out - because of her blow up, she knows they want to vote her out so she's very nervous and she's pushing to vote Joe to save her own skin.

-Joe, Jenn and Will are talking and when Will waffles Jenn jumps right in, "Should we just vote out Vince, cut off the snake's head and get him the heck out of this game?"  Joe thinks at this point they should try to keep the team strong and Nina is the weakest link... (Do they not know that Will & Nina are tight?)
-Joe suggests they split their votes, the two girls vote Vince, Joe & Will vote for Nina then when it's a three way tie they'll revote Nina.  Joe does say to the camera that he doesn't totally trust Will, he has been spending a lot of time with Nina but he hopes he'll stick with their plan...(uh, I hope they're not actually splitting the votes then.)  Joe's also worried that Nina may have the hidden immunity idol because if he was in her position he'd be looking for it... I don't think it's even crossed her mind.

-Will doesn't want to vote out Nina, they have a lot in common being the odd men out - her with her hearing and him being the only brother in the game... but since he knows they are splitting the votes, he can vote with Vince and Nina to take one of the young three out and control the tribe.
-Will tells Vince everything and they're excited the others are going to split the votes - as much as Vince wants Joe gone, he recognizes that he needs him in challenges still so he wants to take out Jenn, she's mean to Nina (and didn't fall at his feet when he showed interest...) Will assures him that they'll have the votes.

-Will goes and tells Nina that Vince wants Jenn out so the three of them are going to vote Jenn which she sees as her revenge for the swimming snub (oh get over it already) but then she shows her lack of social play by seriously asking Will how he's feeling health-wise because Vince was worried about his health impeding them in challenges (OMG, has she never watched this show before?) Now Will's all riled up that Vince was talking about his challenge performance and he's worried Vince is trying to blindside him.  Nina says no, he's not trying to blindside you... but I don't think she realizes how much damage she just did.

-Will knows he's the swing vote, Joe came to him because they need his vote but he's not sure if he can trust Vince... so he's not sure who he's voting with now.

Tribal Council
Jeff asks Nina about the group dynamics to start.
-She says she saw Hali & Jenn together a lot and Joe kind of joined that group then she and Will hang out a lot because they have a lot in common but it's hard being the older person in the tribe, they don't include her in a lot of stuff.
Jeff - But that's part of the game, the social interaction with all different kinds of people.(Exactly)
Nina - well, I did have an emotional breakdown because of the fact that I did feel so alone. (Cry me a river, not a fan of Nina.)
Jenn - says she's never been around people with hearing problems before so she does have compassion but this is a game, you have to just deal with it.
-Jeff asks Vince where he fits if it's not with the young three or the odd-ball two and Vince says he's trying to be the cohesion, that is his truest self. (Which has Hali and Joe rolling their eyes) Vince says he's trying to be the glue to bond them all together.
-Joe says they've been feeling each other out and Vince will land probably where he needs to - tonight the person who needs to go home will go home. (Wow, that was kinda cryptic.)
-Jenn says it's obvious the young three are a unit but she also knows they need to keep their tribe strong if they don't want to keep losing, those that don't do well in challenges should be their goal to vote out.
-Will is worried hearing that and says, "water has always been the black man's kryptonite" (HA!) and it got him today.  He admits he talked to Nina & Vince today, so it could be three against three but you don't know who to trust in this game.
-Vince says he's been trying to go more with his gut then with his head and over the past few days he's had some conversations with people that have made him quite solid now.
-Jenn says she would like to see the original plan they set forth go into action but she could be on the block tonight - she said the worst thing you can be in this game is comfortable.
-Jenn then has a fan-girl moment, she can't believe she's actually there and not just watching Jeff on TV.
-Will hopes he's going back to camp, having some luke warm water, letting the bugs eat some more of this chocolate and seeing a lot less of Jeff... he doesn't want to see him until the end.

And with that, it's time to vote.
Nina votes Jenn
Hali votes Vincelot
Joe votes Nina (Man, they did split.)

Tallying the Votes:
No one has a hidden idol.
Jenn - 1
Vince - 1
Nina - 1
Jenn - 2
Vince - 2
First person voted out is... VINCE!  (GASP! No way!)  Nina right away asks Will if he voted for Vince (yup, and it's all her fault.)  That was awesome, I was actually surprised - but I can't say I'm sorry to see less of what was shaping up to be some epic crazy in Vince.

And with Vince leaving us tonight, that takes Monica S, Kim A and  Bob L out of the pool.

Next week the girls on No Collar do some surfing and Mike makes Blue Collar a living hell by trying to force everyone to work every minute.

Vince's final thoughts: These are some players, they made a good move because I was going to take them all out but this was seriously one of the greatest experiences I've ever had and I enjoy exploring every aspect of myself - (blah blah blah... give it a rest hippy rainbow, we know it's a front for an insecure narcissist.)

Have a great rest of your week everyone,

Coleen.