Tribal Council Preview & New Poll

Hey readers, getting excited yet? Only 13 days to go! In the mean time, check out TV Guide Network's special preview of South Pacific's tribal council below.

Also, thanks to the people who voted in the poll. I asked you whether or not you were happy to see Coach and Ozzy get a shot at redemption. Out of the 25 that voted, 10 of you said you were happy to see Coach back but not Ozzy. My thoughts exactly.

I've put up a new poll for a week asking you the question, would Survivor be the same without Jeff Probst? Now I know he's just the host and the game won't be drastically different without him but you have to admit he's been the one of the few constants for 10 years. I consider him the face of Survivor and while it wouldn't make the show any worse I think it'd definately be different without him around. It'll happen eventually but for now I'm content with him as the host. So get voting!

Until next time.

New Promo & Thank You

Hey readers. I just wanted to take the time to thank all of you who've checked out my blog. I've noticed some of you have voted on the poll but I also encourage you to leave some comments as well.

It'd be awesome if you could leave some comments on this post giving me feedback on the blog so far. What am I doing right? What can I improve on? Also, what kinds of blog posts would you like to see more of? I know it's early going so I'm always looking for ways I can improve my writing so I can produce a better blog.

Check out the new Survivor promo as well featuring Coach & Ozzy:

Did they really just use the word "winningest"? Also, how horrible is Ozzy's new hair? It's definately in the running for worst Survivor hair style ever giving Shambo a run for her money.

Also, what do you think of the new Survivor logo they use at the end there? Obviously it'll just be for the advertising (well, I hope so anyway). Looks pretty neat.

Anyway, thanks again and comment away!

Until next time.

Coach & Ozzy Return For South Pacific



Photo credit: Monty Brinton/CBS


The two returning players for this season have officially been revealed.

The first is Benjamin Wade or as he's more widely known, Coach, who made his first appearance on Tocantins where he made the jury. He returned a few seasons later as a villain in Heroes vs. Villains again making the jury.

The other is Ozzy Lusth who we first saw on Cook Islands where he was a couple of votes short of winning the million. He returned for Fans vs. Favorites where he was infamously blindsided with an immunity idol in his possession.

So what are their chances? After Boston Rob won in emphatic fashion last season, the newbies would be idiots not to get rid of Coach and Ozzy early on. Unlike Rob, however, neither player has show they have a strong strategic or social game which is apparently the reason for this odd pairing. “What they share together is their social games suck,” Probst says, “Coach? He blew it in Heroes vs. Villains. He blew it seven different ways. And Ozzy got voted out with an idol in his hand! If that doesn’t speak to how bad you are in the social part of this game. So we looked at it and said here are two guys that do have a redemption story. Yes, you’ve played. Yes, you’re popular, but you don’t know what you’re doing in this game.”

If anyone's more at risk than the other it's Ozzy. Everyone knows that he's the undisputed Survivor challenge champion (and surely part fish) so it'd be a no-brainer to cut him as close to the merge as possible. If enough of the tribe saw him during Micronesia they'd vote him out based on him generally being an arrogant douche bag. The Redemption Island twist can be Ozzy's saviour though. I can see him being becoming a permanent resident like Matt was last season.

Coach on the other hand is a little more safe. It all depends on whose in his tribe but as long as he doesn't go overboard with his stories and manages to keep the "Dragon Slayer" at bay, he could find himself lasting the distance.

Overall, I think they're odd choices despite Probst trying his best to explain the reasoning behind it which I personally don't buy. A lot of people have played Survivor and a lot have had terrible or even non-existent social and strategic games. To be honest, I don't really think that will change this season. From what they've both shown in the past they just don't have it in them to employ a successful strategy to put themselves in a position to win.

 I'm glad Coach is coming back because he is a polarizing figure and his Dragon Slayer persona is highly entertaining to watch. I'm sure you'll be able to tell that Ozzy isn't one of my favourites. So as far as their chances go, I don't think either of them will win, especially after Rob won last season... unless of course these newbies are as clueless and idiotic as the Ometepe tribe in which case, congratulations Coach or Ozzy!

Check out the video below where Coach and Ozzy discuss their strategies heading into the game. If you don't want anything spoiled though, steer clear because it contains snippets of the first episode.

Until next time.

South Pacfic Cast Assessment

Alright so 16 of 18 of the castaways vying for the $1 million prize have been revealed. On first glance it actually looks like a pretty diverse cast in regards to age and race. While I don't claim to have any psychic abilities I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character and so based simply on their look, age and pre-game interviews I've given a quick assessment on how I think each of them will do this season. 

If you're not in the US and can't view the pre-game interviews that CBS posts up on their website, check out this YouTube channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSonoerin#p/c/0A0408375DBBC427/2/aDppjhWRAIs. On here you'll see all the extra content CBS puts up on their website like interviews and Ponderosa videos and not worry about it being blocked due to your region.

Okay here we go!

Keith. 26. Water Treatment Tech.

Seems like he's the nice guy of the bunch. Past castaways like Ethan, JT and more recently Fabio proved that nice guys don't necessarily finish last so that could work in his favour. On the flip side he can't be a pushover or a fence sitter either. If he's not afraid to put a little aggression into his game when it's needed he could go far.

Mikayla. 22. Lingerie Football Player.

Another pretty face who claims she's not just a pretty face. We've seen plenty of girls tell us not to let looks be deceiving who end up riding on some body's coattails and either winning or simply getting voted out having contributed nothing except eye candy to the show. The fact that she's already thinking about strategy is a good thing though. Maybe she can break out of the mould those have set before her. A good alliance is key for her as well.

Semhar. 24. Spoken Word Artist.

Another season, another beauty pageant girl. While it looks like Semhar is thinking about the social game and bragging about how good she'll be at it, she also claims that you don't have to lie to get far in the game. Very rarely does one walk away with the million without having to tell a lie so we'll see how that goes for her. Another thing going for her is that unlike some other African American women on the show, she doesn't seem very "ghetto". That point probably sounds as ridiculous as it seemed in my head but it's true.

Dawn. 41. English Professor.

Being an older woman on Survivor can be both a positive or a negative and it all depends on your tribe mates. Some of the younger castaways could embrace her as a mother figure and keep her around while others could exclude her completely and kick her out first. It all depends on how they perceive her and how she acts around them. She admits she'll probably fly under the radar but  either way, I don't see her going too far.

Elyse. 27. Dance Team Manager.

No doubt she's gorgeous but wow, 2 beauty pageant girls in one season. It must be our lucky day. She claims she's ready for the social game yet admits that she's outspoken and that people either love her or hate her. She'll get herself kicked out quickly if she lets her attitude get in the way. I can see her staying in the game for a long time though. She may be the next Parvati but if she does turn out to be one of those girls who contribute absolutely nothing to the game at all I'd gladly watch her sun bake for 39 days... as long as she doesn't win.

John. 24. Harvard Law Student.

Now here's an interesting contestant. He's obviously a BIG fan of the show which is something I love to see amongst all the recruits. He has a lot going for him in that he doesn't appear to be a physical threat, he's obviously intelligent and he knows how Survivor works and realises he had to adjust his game accordingly. He's also very realistic about his chances knowing a big part of the game relies on luck. If he slips under the radar long enough he has a very good chance because he also seems like a nice guy. His downfall could be his own insecurity about how he'll play the game. I think it'll be important to find the right people to align with as well.

Jim. 35. Medical Marijuana Dispenser.

Either this guy's been smoking the marijuana instead of dispensing it or he genuinely believes he's a Survivor total package. He's clearly a... ahem, confident guy who thinks quite highly of himself. If he lets any part of his real personality through, he'll be out in a heartbeat. However, if he manages to cover it up long enough he might prove to have enough strategy to figure out a way to put himself into a winning position... I doubt it but I'm more than happy to be proved wrong.

Edna. 35. Anesthesiologist.

Not only does Edna admit that she's a terrible liar. She also says she tends to take the lead which is often mistaken for bossiness. If she fails to amend these two things she won't be around for long. She seems like a nice person but if you want to get far in this game you need to learn how to bend the truth and if you give someone even the slightest hint that you're lying things can go wrong for you very quickly.

Christine. 39. Teacher.

Christine falls into the same category as Dawn. If the younger people on her tribe embrace her, she'll stick around. If not, she's out early. Apparently she knows she can win... alright then? She certainly seems determined which is never a bad thing. One thing she did point out is her intolerance for a) laziness and b) divas. Chances are she'll encounter both during her stay on Survivor and if she's the type to speak up and call people out then that will land her in hot water. I still don't think she'll make it very far.

Brandon. 19. Oil Tanker Crewman.

Fun fact: Brandon's last name is Hantz. Yep, he's Russell's nephew. This could be a casting stunt by the producers but I'll give him a chance. He claims to be different to Russell and says he's "a nice guy" so we'll have to wait and see for ourselves. It sounds like he knows his stuff. He realises he has to deceive down the line which is a realistic expectation when playing this game and the sooner you accept the fact the easier things will be for you. He does point out, however, that he has a temper. If he can't contain it he might land himself in trouble but other than that, I give Brandon a good chance at getting far in the game.

Whitney. 27. Country Singer.

Whitney admits that she's out of her comfort zone in this environment but also says she's a bit of a tomboy and that she's tougher than she looks (sound familiar?). I guess the only danger for her would be if somebody recognises her (even if she isn't a huge celebrity) and decides she doesn't deserve the million because she must be rich already. I get the feeling she would be the most likely contestant to quit if anyone was to give up this season. Other than that, I'm not quite sure how she'll fare.

Albert. 26. Baseball/Dating Coach.

Well, Albert will be the physical threat of the season. Not only does he have that but he's obviously a bit of a charmer. That combination alone could make him a big threat to win the million. He thinks he can present himself as the nice, likable guy while strategising on the sly. Sounds easier said than done. He may last until the merge but as soon as it gets down to individual immunity he's in trouble. If he can surround himself with people that he can trust wholeheartedly and remain protected, he could end up winning.

Mark-Anthony. 48. Retired NYPD Detective.

Here's someone who seems to be a genuine fan of the show. He seems like a nice enough guy but I think his age will be a factor when his tribe is forced with the decision to cut someone. Don't really know what else to say about the guy besides the fact that I think he'll be gone early.

Sophie. 22. Medical Student.

She claims to be a strong, smart woman that has the "je ne sais quoi that other people don't have". I get the feeling she's a bit of a feminist. I know that's putting it bluntly but that's how she comes across. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that but history shows us that you're a woman who wants to win Survivor you need to, at some point, be a little flirtatious, walk around in your skimpy bikini etc. Give off the impression that you're really just a girl who doesn't know what she's doing but as long as she looks good that's all that matters. If you're a headstrong young woman who doesn't fit in with the rest of the girls you'll be outcast and on the chopping block very early. I predict an early exit for Sophie.

Stacey. 44. Mortician.

This mother of 4 has ghetto written all over her and it could be to her detriment if she can't control it. In all seriousness, she looks like she's quite outspoken and can be confrontational so she needs to be careful of that. She also talks in third person... so that's a little odd. She seems to have a strategy figured out i.e. let someone else look like the bad guy and benefit from a bitter jury. She also believes that the returning players need to be the first ones to go. Smart game plan but that needs support from other people from the tribe who may become a little starstruck and want to keep them around. Despite all this, I don't think Stacey's chances of winning are very high.

Rick. 51. Rancher.

This guy has applied 14 times! Now that's persistence. Aside from his impressive facial hair he seems like a nice guy who's obviously determined to go far in this game. Like the others, his age works against him here but it all depends on the tribe. He knows he needs to steer clear from any sort of leadership role to avoid becoming a target which is the smart thing to do. He can't be flying under the radar either though. Someone like him can't pull that off so he needs to maintain some sort of presence at camp if he wants to stick around.

Well there you have it. All 16 contestants and my first impressions. It looks like a pretty good cast. An older one as well. The 2 returning players should be revealed soon and when they are I'll size them up too so look out for that. In the mean time, be sure to mark down September 14th in your diaries for the 90-minute Survivor: South Pacific premiere. Not long to go now!

Until next time.

South Pacific Cast Revealed & Game Changes

Well CBS officially revealed the cast for Survivor: South Pacific today, well 16 of them anyway. 2 players from past seasons will join them but expect them to be announced closer to the premiere.

Now for some changes in the game. The Redemption Island twist is back but it's been fine-tuned. Last season we had up to 4 people on RI at once battling it out to stay in the game and we ended up with 8 castaways left by the season's final episode. This year the duels will remain between 2 castaways. “We’re not having multi-person duels,” says Probst. “That was part of the experiment [last season]. We wanted to see how many people we could keep in the game until the end. And that’s why we let more people live out there. But we felt like it’s too many people and now we’ve got half the group still in it at the end. So it will only be a one-on-one situation. Loser’s out, winner stays. Otherwise, we’re playing it the same way.”

The second change relates to the hidden immunity idol. This season, survivors first need to find the clue to find the idol. I'm guessing they mean rather than simply hiding the clue in a basket of fruit won from a reward challenge, it'll be hidden somewhere around camp as will the idol. Apparently they get no clue as to where the clue will be either... yeah, we'll see how that plays out.

Keep an eye out for my personal assessment of each castaway soon!

Top 10 Survivor Seasons

I've decided to put up a list of my favourite seasons of Survivor to give you some insight as to what I personally enjoy watching, to show which aspects of the game I like and dislike as well as who I think makes a deserving winner. I've decided not to rank all 22 seasons mainly because I haven't seen all of them and because there are a few not even worth mentioning (I will state for the record that Fiji is probably my least favourite season). As they're in the past I will say - SPOILER ALERT! Just in case you intend on watching past seasons without knowing who the winners are. So without any further adieu here they are...

10. Palau

Very rarely is the first half of the season i.e. pre-merge better than the second half. This is one of those occasions. It had a good cast and a stunning location. We had Stephenie emerge as a real hero of the game and someone you could root for. The same can be said about the eventual winner, Tom who remains one of the most likable and deserving winners in the shows history. It was highlighted by that unforgettable record-breaking 13-hour final challenge between Tom and Ian.

9. China

Probably one of the best casts to date with the emergence of some fan favourites in James, Peih-Gee and Amanda as well as the the game's most useless Survivor, Courtney. While the locations of the camps were horrible we did see China's beautiful side in some of the best rewards from reward challenges ever. In the end we saw Todd come out on top and despite the fact that a bitter jury nearly awarded Courtney a million dollars, I don't think there was any doubt that he was the only person to truly deserve it. He was brutally honest to the jury about his strategy (a performance some say Russell should have imitated for Samoa) and in the end it won him enough votes.

8. Australian Outback

A memorable season for many reasons. We were introduced to the game's first hero in Colby as well as the "black widow" Jerri both of whom will remain true "all-stars" of the Survivor. Then there was Michael who fell into a fire and became the first castaway to leave the game through an injury. Here's a fun fact: this is the first and only season to last for 42 days compared to the traditional 39. People say Colby made the biggest mistake in the shows history by taking Tina to the final and I agree but that's the type of person Colby is, further cementing his claim to being Survivor's ultimate hero.

7. Redemption Island

I personally like Redemption Island. It's not the cruel twist that Outcasts was and while it does make Probst's snuffing of the torch a little anti-climatic, it's a twist that has the potential to really shake the game up. While it didn't have an effect the first time around due to Matt becoming a permanent resident of RI, I'm optimistic. We all knew Russell wouldn't last long this season and it became apparent very early on that it was all about Boston Rob. He played a perfect game. There's no other way to describe it. He may have had it easy being the veteran up against a bunch of rookies but regardless, he had complete and utter control from Day 1. Along with Rob getting his redemption I was kept entertained on a weekly basis from start to finish thanks to "Special Agent" Phillip who emerged as the kookiest Survivor of all time

6. Pearl Islands

I think we all agree that the Outcasts twist sucked. It's probably the worst thing ever introduced to the game which really ended up impacting the way things unfolded in the end. That aside, this remains a standout season for the cast. Rupert has become a Survivor icon, Johnny Fairplay became a true villain of the game and we also had the game's first quitter in Osten. Sandra was the emphatic winner and I like to think she deserved it. I imagine I'd play a similar game to her if I was ever given the opportunity to be on Survivor.

5. Samoa

Go ahead and groan all you like, this is my number 5. Like him or loathe him, you can't argue that Russell dominated this season. Did he deserve to win? I think so but I may be bias and I also think Natalie didn't do nearly enough to deserve the cash. I loved watching him go out and find immunity idols instead of waiting around for a clue. I loved seeing him sabotage things around camp just to make things unpleasant. In the end, it was the combination of a bitter jury and a poor jury performance that cost him a million dollars. The rest of the cast may not have been that interesting but Russell single-handedly made this season one of the most entertaining in the shows history and will go down as one of the game's most villainous.

4. Cook Islands

As controversial as it may have been, this season gave us the most diverse cast to date by dividing the tribes by their ethnicity. It was an interesting idea that was abandoned much too early to produce any interesting results. Aside from that we were introduced to the likes of Parvati, Jonathan, Candice and Ozzy all who have since built up their own fan bases amongst the Survivor community. It was an entertaining season without the shocking blindsides but it did give us the mutiny which set up perhaps one of the most exciting comebacks in the game's history when Yul, Becky, Sundra defied the odds to make it to the final 4. Yul remains my favourite winner so far and I think he's often underrated. He played a strategically smart game without making enemies and like Todd, did a good job of convincing the jury to give him the million.

3. Micronesia

Yet another all-stars season with a bit of a twist. Fans vs. Favourites gave us some of the most exciting and unforgettable moments in the shows history and the season's winner Parvati can take most of the credit for that. Unlike so many of the attractive young women that play Survivor, Parvati actually played the game and played it extremely well. She lead an all-female alliance to the end and thanks to yet another horrible final jury performance from Amanda, clenched the victory. There was the odd and often hilarious coupling of Chet and Joel but who could forget Erik making the stupidest mistake in Survivor history by giving individual immunity to Natalie and getting blindsided. That was only one memorable tribal council out of many this season had to offer.

2. Heroes vs. Villains

The shows 20th season would be another all-star affair, this time splitting the tribes between good and evil. Despite a couple of questionable additions to the cast (Danielle?! Courtney?!) it was a battle between Survivor's greatest heroes and villains. This is probably the most wholly satisfying seasons of all time from beginning to end. While Russell again features prominently he met his match in Parvati who showed she wouldn't be his Natalie like in Samoa. We had some incredible blindsides which were genuinely shocking allowing the Villains to run all over the Heroes. I also think this was one of the most physical seasons of Survivor as far as challenges went. In the end, Russell played the exact same game he did in Samoa which in his mind was probably a winning formula (keep in mind he played this immediately after Samoa) and underestimated the way the jury would vote by taking Sandra to the end where she became the only person to win the game twice. I thought Parvati was terribly unlucky though and it may have been a case of another bitter jury taking their frustration out on both her and Russell. The whole season was just entertaining on a weekly basis and trumps the original all-stars seasons in every possible way.

1. Borneo

I often wonder whether or not to leave it out of my top 10 and put it into another list by itself but here it is, the first season of Survivor remains at number 1. I've only ever watched it once as a 12-year-old kid and still remember it clear as day. I remember being mesmerised by it. There was nothing else on TV like this at the time so I thought it was just the greatest thing ever. The cast did a good job considering they had no prior season to base their game plan on. Richard was always going to be the winner. He just seemed to know exactly what he was doing and what it would achieve. Sue paved the way for future bitter jury members with her unforgiving attack on Kelly which I remember thinking was so harsh and immediately decided she was the biggest bitch on the planet. Now I see it as pure entertainment. I have watched bits and pieces of it since then and it does look a little bit dated but I then remember that back then, it was an experiment. Not even CBS predicted how it would turn out. I bet they also didn't predict that it would still be on air more than 10 years later. If this season flopped we wouldn't have got another one so this is why Borneo will permanently be number 1 on this list regardless of how many more seasons there will be.

So there you have it. My top 10 seasons of Survivor. I'd love to know what you think. Do you agree? Do you disagree? What are your top seasons?

Until next time.

Welcome!

It seems as though this blog has been in production for quite some time now. I may be a little late to the Survivor blog party but don't let that deter you. I'm an avid Survivor fan despite living in Australia where it was not telecast for several years. If I recall correctly, it was cut after Africa and only recently made it's return by airing Tocantins. Despite several years of absence here, being the Survivor fanatic I am, I've still managed to watch majority of the 22 seasons by means I shall not elaborate on.

Survivor, along with The Amazing Race, remains one of my favourite reality TV shows of all time. It's the twists and turns, the blindsides, the outrageous characters and intense challenges that consistently make this program entertaining but there's one other main reason for my unhealthy Survivor addiction. It remains one of the few reality/contestant based TV shows where the results are not decided on by a panel of judges and it is not a popularity contest amongst fans and viewers of the show. There is no objectivity. Whatever happens on the show is purely dependent on the contestants which seems logical seeing as though they are the ones who would know first hand what really goes down and are essentially seeing things from an uncut/unedited point of view. I know there will be some people who will highlight the bitter jury factor and I completely accept that criticism of the show. It's far from perfect and it does mean we get a few dud winners but it's a system that best suits this type of show.

It's amazing that after 22 seasons it's still so popular. Apart from a few added twists to keep things fresh as well as slight changes to the format in regards to the number of castaways and the evolution from a final 2 to a final 3, the show has largely remained the same. Rightly so, why would you change a winning formula? While the show surely looks like it's come a long way since Borneo (a season which does look a little bit dated today) the foundations of the show remain the same.

Coming off a new twist in Redemption Island we look forward to Survivor: South Pacific. The 23rd season of the show set to retain Redemption Island and bring back two former players. I personally like Redemption Island and am interested in seeing how things will turn out after having a castaway spend majority of the time there last season and making the concept a little boring. I'm very excited for the new season set to kick off on the 14th September.

Now to the blog itself. What will it contain, you ask? The main focus will be episode recaps so steer clear if you don't watch the episode on it's first run although I will most likely put the recap up the day after it airs. I'd like to have some feature articles about Survivor as well to mix things up a little bit. I hope to build a little bit of a readership although I know how hard it can be. One thing I'll strive to do is to keep this blog 100% spoiler free - there will be no early results or boot lists posted because I know it can be extremely frustrating for fans of the show.

Keep an eye out for the reveal of the cast which should be out soon. I'll do a cast assessment post where I do a quick write up of the contestants based purely on their look and pre-game interviews.

I'll also post up my Top 10 seasons of Survivor to give you an insight as to what I enjoy watching in a season of Survivor so look out for that too.

So, welcome to Previously on... Survivor. I very much look forward to writing about the show that I love and hope I get some people to enjoy it with me.

Until next time.