After two severe blindsides in a row I really didn’t think Survivor could top it’s self for a third time. But tonight proved just why the show is so amazing and why it’s returning for at least four more seasons. It all began where the last left off and that is with James’ finger. After the last Tribal Council he was sent, by Jeff, to the medical boat where they gave him a few shots. They also told him that if his finger wasn’t better the next morning he would most likely have to be taken out of the game.

The next morning it seems we have another injury on our hands with Alexis. She took a tumble during the night and got a scrape on her knee. That’s all we saw at least but I’m sure she has some major damage, unless it’s all in her head. Amanda and the others then worry about James possibly leaving the game. Amanda knows that James is her closest ally and going out would greatly hinder her game.

The reward challenge was an oldie but a goodie and actually one that Cirie won in Exile Island. I was rooting for her to repeat her win but also knew it would be tough. She isn’t the “most liked” this time around as everyone is kind of spread out with the love. That’s exactly what the reward was actually, a visit from a loved one. The challenge had each survivor fill out a questionnaire in private. They all then gathered back together to answer what they thought the majority said. If they guessed correctly then they got to chop a rope of another player. The last person remaining would win a visit to the famous non-electric jelly fish lake and would bring their family member along with. Parvati was out first followed by Erik, James and then Natalie. Cirie was the last out and had to choose between Amanda and Alexis winning. She chose Alexis to take the reward and she returned the favor by selecting Cirie and Natalie to go along with.

Directly following the challenge James’ finger was once again looked at. The nurse then told Jeff that the infection had set in pretty bad and she worried that his finger could be lost or worse. James didn’t seem to want to go but apparently they didn’t give him the choice that was given to Jonathan. He was then allowed to say goodbye to Parvati and Erik and was then boated out to the hospital where his infections where treated just in time for Tribal Council.

At the jelly fish lake the three girls and their family members spent some time hanging with the jelly fish. It was pretty cool to watch as it’s an amazing site and I’m glad they brought it back again. The small clip showed just how bad Alexis’ leg was and also showed how Cirie is still changing thanks to survivor. She seemed less “frightened” by everything this time around but still has some of that Exile Island scare in her as she finally realized everything isn’t going to hurt her.

Over at Exile Island, where Amanda was sent thanks to Alexis, the clues and idol have returned. They seemed more easy at first considering all the clues were at the initial island she started at. After finding a clue in the ocean she was told to dig in a line made by the hut and an island. After about 30 feet of digging she finally found the last clue which told her the idol was hidden back at camp. Under their tribe flag to be exact. It was kind of a bummer as she just dug how long just to find the clue but I’m sure she’s happy now she dug that much cause it really helped her in the end.

When the three girls returned they quickly learned that James was out of the game. This quickly sent the four girls, including Parvati, into a thought bubble as they knew if Erik won the immunity idol they would then have to vote out one of their own. During a small chat Parvati let it slip she wouldn’t vote out Amanda since they were so tight the entire game. She then went on to ask Alexis if she would want to go thanks to her knee which was a pretty dumb move. Obviously Alexis would think she’s going now if Erik wins and put some doubt in both Alexis and Natalie’s mind.

At the immunity challenge Amanda quickly learned that James was gone. She didn’t seem to happy but the game moved on. The challenge was to use a high powered gun to shoot down three colored bottles. The first to do so would win the immunity and would be safe. In the first round Natalie, Parvati and Erik hit their bottles giving them a point. The next round saw only Erik hit a bottle which put him in the lead. The last round saw Natalie catch back up and Amanda hit a bottle. Erik hit his third and last and gave him the immunity that he needed.

The girls weren’t too happy with the outcome as their easy vote was for Erik to go. Natalie and Alexis then made it known that Amanda would be their vote as they scooped up Erik as well. Amanda knew she was going and told Parvati where the hidden idol was. She also went on a very huge show to show the others that she didn’t have it. They believed her and at that point she was telling the truth. Before she started to search for the idol Amanda worked on both Erik and Cirie to help her stay in. Erik told her flat out that he would be voting for her to go while Cirie seemed on the fence. She told Amanda that a “purple rock” would come into play had there been a tie. I don’t think that would have happened but rather the fire challenge would take place but we really don’t know. While everyone was eating the chicken Amanda went to work on the idol. Parvati helped a bit by saying she went to wash since she “told her she smelled” and it gave Amanda enough to find the hidden idol.

At tribal council we were left without knowing that Amanda did find the idol as they never did say for sure. She played it up SO much and SO well that she was going that I honestly didn’t think she had it. As the jury walked in James was oddly missing. He then walked in as the jury sat down and everyone was in for a shock. He came in with IV bags and everything. The jury had not known what had happened and Eliza said it all at how shocked they were. During the tribal chat everyone told Jeff that Amanda would be going. Nobody had any idea she had the idol and it played out beautifully. Right as Jeff was about to read the votes Amanda quickly pulled out the idol. Her mood changed so quickly from depression to over joyed as she laughed at everyone sitting there. Natalie and Alexis most stunning, knowing one of them would leave, and that they did as Alexis walked out of the game. Next time it seems like the drama continues as the girls turn to Erik to make sure they get one step closer. Crazy Natalie comes out once again apparently, will it be her downfall?

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For 17 seasons Survivor has stuck to almost a carbon copy application with carbon copy rules. But after glancing through the application for season 18 something very interesting caught my eye. Normally applicants have to be 21 years or older to apply for the show. Only one player, Frosti who was 20, was ever below this age limit. Now it seems the application age has been lowered to mostly 18 except for a certain few states. Here is what it says in the actual application:

d. You must be at least 18 years of age, except that if you reside in one of the five
states listed below, you must be at least the following age:
Alabama: 19 years or older
District of Columbia: 21 years or older
Mississippi: 21 years or older
Nebraska: 19 years or older
Wyoming: 19 years or older

The question is why the change now and how will it affect the 18th season of the show? If you are now eligible and want to apply then click here for the Survivor 18 application. 

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Earlier it was announced that Jeff Probst and Survivor would be returning for two more season being the 17th and 18th seasons. In an article for the USA Today Jeff announced that he has signed on for two more! This means Jeff and most likely Survivor will have at least four more seasons, taking it to it’s 20th season. The news is no doubt great and hopefully the future looks bright for the show. It was said that Micronesia was supposed to be the last season but thanks to increased ratings and CBS coming to the senses we have at least two more years of the show to look forward to.

USA Today Celeb Watch on Jeff Probst

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First off I have to say what the heck got into Natalie? She’s gone from a mute to a crazy woman and is really making herself out to be one of the craziest and most insane survivors I’ve seen in a LONG time. So before I can get into crazy Natalie we must go back to the beginning. It all began directly after Ozzy’s departure where Amanda and James weren’t too happy. They realized Parvati screwed them over and are no liking it. James and Amanda therefore created a strong pact, which was not seen in China, which I feel will continue throughout this game. Overall both said its finally time for them to start playing the game and that they did.

Back at camp Erik was sucking up to everyone, telling them that it was the “right move” to not tell him Ozzy was going as he would have told Ozzy. Erik agreed that it was good to get Ozzy out but I have a feeling deep down he misses his “zoo keeper”. Everyone then realized Amanda and James weren’t happy and it seems as if they were kind of avoiding everyone back at camp. Parvati took the most head from the two and spoke to each separately. As she talked to Amanda it seemed as if things were ok between the two. Amanda then told us in private that she has to make Parvati believe she isn’t angry since she is running the show right now. That’s a good move for Amanda to make considering it seems the game has shifted in favor of the ladies.

Parvati then spoke with James who reprised his famous “don’t bite the apply quote” but this time referring to Parvati voting Ozzy out. He told her to her face that things weren’t good between them anymore and let her know things will be akward. He also pulled the quote out as they spoke giving Parvati a shocked look on her face. I don’t understand why she feels that James wouldn’t be mad. Ozzy was his number one ally in the game and she, someone he used to be able to trust, just betrayed him and his friends.

At the reward challenge a familiar favorite was played, the Survivor auction. This time around there was a slight twist as players could not share money or food like in previous seasons. Food was won most of the time as Cirie won a hot dog and fries, Erik won some nachos, Amanda won a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and James won some bats. Technically Natalie won the bats but James ate them for free since she didn’t want them. Next up was a prize that would change the game dramatically. Natalie, who began her crazy streak right here, won a “note in a bottle” to send someone to Exile Island. Jeff also said that the hidden idol was re-hidden with new clues since it went out the door with Ozzy last round. Natalie quickly sent Jason to exile and also received all of his money. She then won a cake in the next auction where she quickly chose Cirie, Parvati and Alexis to share it with. She went somewhat crazy here saying she didn’t have any food so they couldn’t “hog the cake”. Another catch was they only had a minute to eat which led to a very interesting chow down of chocolate cake ending in Erik licking the rest off of Cirie’s fingers.

Back at camp it seemed as if the rush of sugar caused Natalie to go all bi-polar and become a psycho woman. How can we never see this girl on the show and then BOOM she becomes the star. All the girls were in a pow-wow and knew that Jason would find the idol on exile island, which he did end up doing. They then came up with a plan for Natalie to speak to Jason at the next immunity challenge to tell him to let anyone else but himself win. Natalie would then tell Jason that she and the other ladies are voting James out of the game, making Jason think that he is safe in in a result not play the hidden idol. I must admit it is a genius plan but Natalie’s reactions to her new found craziness was priceless. She had to call Jason “that bitch” about 20 times in two seconds and discussed how she will get all the guys “at the jugular” then floss her teeth with their jugular vein. She then simulated this and the thought seriously makes me wonder how this girl passed the psych test.

At the immunity challenge all went to plan as Natalie got a chance to tell Jason not to win. They didn’t want James to win since that was their second choice to go and they all wanted Erik to stay since it was his birthday. The challenge was a rehash of past challenges they had. The first four to break a clay dish and drop puzzle pieces would move to the next round. James, Jason, Erik and Amanda moved on where they had to dig up a key, unlock more pieces. They then had to put together a puzzle wheel and lower two planks. The first two to do this were James and Erik and both moved to the last round. The first of the two to get across a rope bridge using the two planks would win immunity. It was tight up until the last second where Erik beat James by mere seconds. The girls on the sidelines had some nice reactions as they knew if James won their plan wouldn’t go down as planned.

Back at camp the girls were jumping for joy as their plan could go into action. When Jason went to catch some fish Natalie sprung into action and searched through Jason’s back for the idol. She did indeed found it and then went to Jason to tell him James would be leaving. Of course she knew James wouldn’t be leaving but had to make Jason think that he was so he wouldn’t use the idol. James, thanks to the girls, did think he was in fact the one going that night but Amanda told him otherwise. She didn’t really tell him the plan but told him enough that he probably understood what was going to happen. In the end the blindside took place once again with a deja vu moment. Just like last week Jason and the idol were sent packing thanks to the girls. Next week it seems we may have another medical emergency as foreshadowed by earlier in this episode. James’ finger is pretty bad and even Cirie, who is a nurse, acknowledged it wasn’t getting any better. Will another favorite been sent home thanks to an injury? We’ll have to wait and see.

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CBS is continuing their Ponderosa series with three new clips from the ‘jury house’. The first clip gives us a glimpse at Ozzy’s reaction right after being voted off. It seems as if he didn’t even bring the idol with him to Tribal Council and he wasn’t too happy about that. The 2nd gives a short “day in the life of” a jury member and shows what happens when Survivors are voted out. In the last video both Eliza and Ozzy give us their predictions about the upcoming Tribal Council and how it all works for them. For more clips you can check out Ponderosa on CBS.com

-Jury Member #2 Arrives-

-Life At Ponderosa-

-Ready for Tribal-

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Wow I can’t believe how crazy tonight’s episode was! Not only did the idol get washed out of the game but one of the biggest players as well! It all started off as the newly merged tribe returned from their first, and also crazy, Tribal Council. Jason let everyone know that he in fact gave Eliza the idol and everyone said how stupid of a move it was. They don’t realize it was actually pretty smart, since it revealed that Ozzy did in fact have the idol. He let us know that it was a play from Yau-Man that actually worked this time around.

It was then time for an early reward. They were first divided into two teams of 4, meaning one person had to sit out. Cirie ended up being chosen last and was sent to Exile while the others were told they would be playing for a trip to a remote island for dinner and a sleep over. It was hard to know how close the teams were since they had to first swim to an answer board and then return to fill in the puzzle. The first tribe to correctly resemble the puzzle would win. The Orange Team consisted of Jason, Ozzy, Amanda and Erik while the Purple Team consisted of Natalie, James, Parvati and Alexis. Both teams were fairly close when it came to swimming out and back in but only one correctly assembled the puzzle on four trips. The Orange Team ended up winning thanks to a last minute switch by Amanda and were quickly off to feast in the country of Yap.

When the group arrived in Yap they were greeted by an older tribesman and a few children. After being guided through a trek through the jungle a small town was opened up to them and they were amazed how the tribe lived. Amanda and Ozzy quickly got to work on the food while Erik was just stunned by the town and the people themselves. The tribal woman don’t wear tops and since he probably never saw the History or Discovery channel, Erik was shocked by this. After eating, drinking and chewing on tobacco the four spent in Yap nice and dry. The same couldn’t be said for Cirie on Exile.

Although this wasn’t her first time on Exile Cirie wasn’t prepared for this stay. With no Idol there she knew nothing could be gained by her stay. It rained both days that she was there and it seemed very miserable. In the time she spent there she realized that it was the best time to get Ozzy out of the game. He has the idol so Ozzy going takes the hidden idol out as well. Cirie is really upping her game this season and I’m really liking her all over again.

Back at the Dabu camp James wasn’t too excited to be stuck there with the three other girls. As he split some wood and sharpened his knife the three girls Natalie, Parvati and Alexis slept. Parvati woke up long enough to basically tell James to shut up and that didn’t sit to well with him. It seems that Parvati and James aren’t going along as great as we thought and that could be thanks to her new “girl power” alliance. When the four from Yap returned it was time to let everyone know exactly what they ate. Ozzy decided it would be best to brag about exactly how much food he stuffed into his mouth and the girls + James did NOT look happy. Parvati said he was a little brat and the other two minions seemed to agree.

At the immunity challenge a rehash from the first All Stars was played. Each survivor had t hold up their arm, which was attached to a big bucket of water, as long as they could. When there arm dropped low enough the bucket, which looked more like a bucket of slime, would dump on them. They would then be out of the challenge. Some welcomed “goodies” were also used to tempt people out of the challenge. First up was a bowl of gummy worms and other candies. Cirie and Erik went out and decided to split the treat. Next up was a single cookie and a glass of milk. Alexis dropped out before Jeff announced the reward and therefore couldn’t received it. She wasn’t too happy about that but was soon joined by both Natalie and James who also missed out on the cookie. With only Amanda, Jason, Ozzy and Parvati left three chocolate glazed donuts were brought out by Jeff. Ozzy was the only one to take it leaving the two girls to beat out Jason. Amanda ended up going out soon after for a “pee break” and that left Parvati vs Jason. The last reward was a group reward and would only be won if one of the two dropped out. Natalie spoke up first (she’s still there?) and said Jason would be safe if he dropped down and got them the food. Everyone slowly agreed, with their fingers crossed, and Jason bought into it. Jason ended up agreeing, even though they were all lieing, and gave Parvati her first individual immunity win.

Back at camp everyone was laughing over the fact that Jason actually thought they were going to not vote him out. Ozzy and James, who are becoming more cocky then Jason, laughed about saying Jason was just “outwitted” by the oldest game in the book. What they didn’t realize was Cirie was about to make the biggest play in Survivor history by swaying the vote for Ozzy. It was the best time to take him out since he thought everyone was voting for Jason still. Cirie knew Parvati was the only one who may not go along with it but told her anyway. Being that she was in two alliances Parvati had to decide which one she wanted to go with the end game with and the whole thing rode on her.

At Tribal Council it came out that Jason would be getting some votes by those who agreed to not vote him out. James was the one to break the news while everyone agreed. Ozzy seemed confident as ever though even though he said the Idol did put a target on his back. I really had no idea who would be getting the votes and just assumed it would be Jason going. Things changed though when the votes started to be read. Jeff read all of Jason’s votes first plus one of Ozzy’s. Then he slowly brought out the other three votes for Ozzy and finally the last blow. It was amazing how quickly the mood changed as Ozzy’s, Amanda’s, James’, Erik’s and even Eliza’s mouths dropped. It was a great moment when Ozzy’s name was pulled out as the last vote and he, and the idol, were sent packing. Everything now changes with the biggest player out of the game. Will the girls continue to dominate or will everything just fall apart now? All I know is this season will probably just keep getting crazier and crazier!

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