Survivor

Yeah, I was lazy and never wrote up a recap of last week’s recap episode. Relying on my memory and sketchy notes, the high points were: Tyson and Stephen each identified Coach as being Steven Seagal-ian; Timbira found a fruit that tastes like foot; Sydney’s fire-making abilities led Stephen to remark that she’s both a woodland goddess and a big threat to him; Tyson said that when he gets home, he’ll probably be disowned by his fellow Mormons so he’ll have to move “somewhere less Mormony”; Coach was condescending to Sierra (wait — I think I have that in this […]

The episode begins with Stephen scratching Taj’s back, which we are probably shown for the “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” symbolism. And also so we could hear Stephen say, “I’ve never brought such pleasure to a woman before.” Stephen and Taj look for the hidden immunity idol at the tree mail statue. Taj says that the last clue said something about asking the statue, “Why the sad frown?” The presumed reply the statue would give is “Because there’s an idol stuck in my butt,” which is where Taj pulls it from. Stephen takes possession of the idol […]

At the last Tribal Council, Erinn said she thought Brendan would be a better leader than Coach, and Coach now tells the camera that Erinn is the cancer of the tribe. While he’d love to be the leader, Coach allows Brendan the honor, noting that if Brendan were to be voted off, Coach would take over the role. Kind of like the Miss America runner-up. Tyson’s assessment of the whole leader discussion: “I don’t know — I wasn’t paying attention. I don’t really care.” I’m with you, buddy. Over on Jalapao, Taj tells Stephen that he’s been selected to be […]

Erinn knows she’s on the outside of her Timbira tribe, and she tries to distance herself from the voted-out Candace by saying she only got close to her so she could make a good decision about her. Coach tells the camera that Erinn made a mistake by aligning herself with Candace and then insulting the others’ intelligence with this story. He sees this as a bed that Erinn must now lie in. Meanwhile, Jerry’s stomach isn’t doing so well. He’s determined not to show weakness, but others notice that he avoids the beans and doesn’t eat much rice. It takes […]

CBS announced today that it has ordered two more editions of Survivor to be aired during the 2009-10 season. These will mark the 19th and 20th editions of broadcast television’s longest-running reality competition series. Jeff Probst, pictured all drippy to the right, will continue as host. The series, which premiered in May 2000, has anchored CBS’ Thursday lineup since February 2001. If you’re interested in applying for the show so you get the chance to meet the awesome Jeff Probst and compete for a million dollars with people who will lie to you, betray you and possibly try to lick […]

Sandy thanks her Jalapao tribemates for keeping her around, and Spencer tells the camera that her reprieve is short-lived, as they still plan to vote her out. The next morning, the protein-deficient tribe goes bug-hunting, and I turn away from the TV when they engage in the bug-eating. Over on Timbira, Sierra knows she’s vulnerable, and she asks Brendan to help her look for the hidden immunity idol. She finds the first clue, and she and Brendan start digging in the sand where they think the second clue is (if they don’t know what “10 paces” means, they keep it […]

We start by seeing the sites of Brazil: Soccer. Beaches. Shaking hips. That big Jesus statue. And 16 Survivor contestants riding in a truck for a long time. The tribes have already been divided (Timbira, and something that sounds like “Jello-pow”), but no one has spoken to each other yet. Even so, they’ve reached some conclusions: * Erinn loves Tyson. Tyson thinks Erinn could be a bitch. * Stephen is happy to see Sandy — he knows he won’t be first to go, since his tribe has “the strung-out old lady.” She thinks he’s a geek she’ll be able to […]

We now know a little about the 16 castaways who will battle the heat, rain, wildlife and, most likely, each other’s personalities on Survivor: Tocantins: The Brazilian Highlands. CBS says that before the castaways speak their first words to each other, one person from each tribe will be chosen to remain behind and won’t continue the journey with their group. What exactly does this mean? We’ll have to tune in Thursday, Feb. 12 to find out. Here are the contestants’ names, ages, occupations, and a tidbit I found interesting about each one:

Sugar says that handing over the hidden immunity idol to Matty at the last Tribal Council felt glorious — she’s never felt so powerful. She continues the power rush by telling Bob that the plan is to pick off Kenny and Susie next. “Yes, dear,” says Bob. Kenny’s bummed that he was out of the loop with the vote against Crystal, and he’s pouting because he thinks Bob went back on his offer to give him the immunity necklace. Bob says he didn’t hand over the necklace because he knew Kenny wasn’t being voted out, and Kenny says that wasn’t […]

Matty’s upset with Kenny for voting against him, and he doesn’t believe Kenny’s claim that he thought Corinne had a hidden immunity idol. Bob feels horrible for the position his fake idol put Kenny in, and he offers to give Kenny immunity if he wins the next immunity challenge. Kenny tells the camera that he continues to think of himself as a mastermind. I do not join him in that opinion. The reward challenge involves racing through a swamp over obstacles, retrieving balls and shooting them into a net. Matty, Kenny and Bob do well in the challenge, while the […]