When was the last time you heard someone say their profession was mining for gold? It’s been awhile since the gold rush but America’s Toughest Jobs is bringing it back! The crew remained in Alaska this week, returning to Anchorage for their mining ordeal. With their bosses in tow the 11 remaining workers hiked to gold mining central: the creek. At the job site the crew was taught how to both pan for gold as well as drudge. Their first day was all about panning the good old fashioned way.

For the first three or so hours nobody was hitting any gold. The bosses said they weren’t necessarily looking at how much gold they found but how well they worked individually and as a team. After a few hours of no luck Sandy, once again, stepped up the game by finding a chunk! Rick and Michaela followed shortly there after and everyone was on the gold rush bandwagon. Although everyone found SOME gold, others were just not getting it. The boss couldn’t believe how some of the crew, especially Ben and Phil, were just sloshing the pans around. They felt after a full day of panning they should have got the hang of things but apparently its harder than it looks. Phil, who was lacking in the gold department, got knocked down another knock by actually getting knocked down. While crossing the creek (a big no no) Phil took a tumble and could have been washed away in the frigid water. Luckily only his bucket got washed away and he came out with only  a cold.

Read the rest and discuss with fellow fans!

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After watching shows like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers it’s a wonder why anyone would want to take on America’s Toughest Jobs. People get hurt or possibly die on these shows but 13 tough men and women are taking on those jobs in hopes of winning a cash prize. On the premiere of America’s Toughest Jobs, the 13 shipped out Deadliest Catch style in the Alaskan bay. Their first job were as crab fisherman and they joined two ships as greenhorns aka deck hands.

The show started off unlike others as it jumped right into the thick of things without formally introducing the cast. Actually I have no clue what half of the casts names are and most of them weren’t even shown. Since the ships could only fit a small amount of workers, the 13 were split up into two teams with five working on one ship and the other six filling up the crew of another. As the ships set sail the host Josh let us know how the shows format would work. Each captain would choose the two weakest members on their ship. The four that were chosen as the weakest would then set sail once again to prove themselves. The two captains would then decide the weakest out of the four and that would be the person sent packing from the show.

Since it was hard to follow the two teams and get to know most of the people I’ll run down some memorable moments from the initial voyage. It seemed the girls were starting the show strong as both Michaela and Sandy were selected on the best on their corresponding ships. Michaela was chosen since she seemed to be the strongest and hardest working crew mate on her ship while Sandy, who had a rough start with sea sickness, picked up speed the second day and really showed that she wanted to be there.

There were also some close calls throughout the initial voyage. Ben was almost pulled off the boat thanks to his rope throwing error while Eric fell several times and seemed too hyper to understand anything. Amy was also having problems, along with Senta, as they both puked their guts out and just seemed too weak to even crunch the fish guts in order to bait the crabs. Amy also had a moment where she couldn’t bite the head of a fish off thanks to her allergy to fish. It was a ceremonial opening to the crabbing season and I have a feeling they used Amy’s allergy against her. Steven also had a bit of a problem on the boat but that was more him being lazy then anything.

When it was time to select the four weakest members of the crew: Senta, Amy, Steven and Eric were chosen for the second voyage. The others were safe and didn’t have to ship out again while the four chosen would go out for another day or two of the grueling job. Steven really pulled his weight this time, taking over for Michaela in a way. He moved the cages and really showed improvement, something the two captains noticed. Eric on the other hand was even more frazzled then his first go around. He almost swept himself off the boat, sat on top of the cage and stood behind it so many times that I lost count. Amy picked up her pace a bit but still didn’t show any sign of being stronger or better at the job. I’m really not sure why she wasn’t sent home but instead the captains chose Senta as the weakest. They said she didn’t show any strength and slowed down too much to stay in the game. Sadly I disagree with the captains, as atleast from what they shown, Senta was pulling her weight and didn’t make any mistakes. Unlike Amy and Eric who were even worse their second time around, Senta improved but sadly she had to be sent packing.

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Is it kind of sad that the two judges have fought more on The Greatest American Dog then the actual contestants on the show? Before we get to that though let’s talk about the rest of the show. Following the arguement between Beth Joy and Laura, Travis was the man of the hour. He stood up for Beth Joy when his gal pal Laura put her down and Beth Joy loved him for it. Her dog Bella Starlet did not share the love though as the next morning she nipped at Travis, upsetting Beth Joy. She cried and cried about how her dog isn’t mean and how she never does this. Travis once again was there to comfort Beth Joy and let her know its only because she’s stressed. I don’t think he understands this is a game, Beth Joy freaking out like that is GOOD for him.

Before the Dog Bone challenge the gang was having a discussion about techniques used to train their dogs. Laurie and JD seemed to disagree a bit as Laurie felt more kinder and rewarding techniques were better then “medieval” and harsher techniques that JD uses. JD stood up for how he trains his dogs though and it does show as Galaxy is one of the best in the competition but Laurie also stood her ground, stating that she’d always take her dog Andrew over Galaxy any day.

At the Dog Bone competition it was all about teamwork. The six were split into three teams of two being Bill/Travis, Beth Joy/Teresa and feuding rivals Laurie/JD. What the pairs had to do was have one person controlling the dogs and the other laying in a box under a giant digging zone. The first dog would have to ring a bell, followed by the other dog digging for a rope and pulling it. Laurie and JD were up first with JD in the box since Laurie didn’t want JD using his aggressive techniques on poor little Andrew. They worked well together as Laurie controlled her own dog plus Galaxy in a very quick time of 1.45 minutes.

The next team to go was Bill and Travis. With Travis in the box, Bill had Star easily hit the bell and had Presley rushing up the path to dig for Travis. After a small error of Presley running away, the digging was well on its way and Travis was quickly released in a winning time of 1.35 seconds. Although we know Travis and Bill won we still have to look at Beth Joy and Teresa who did horribly. The reason they lost was because Bella Starlet barked rather then digging since Beth Joy was in the box. Teresa had no control over Bella and since she snapped earlier she was too scared to try.

When it came time to reveal the winner Bill and Travis were surprised that they would also win a call from home. Travis talked to his mother and was almost in tears the entire time while Bill held it together until the very end. He has been missing his family for awhile now and it was nice to see the two outside the element of the game. They also got a great leg up for the Best in Show challenge as they got to acclimate their dogs to golden retriever puppies. Presley took to them easily, being a puppy himself but Star had some trouble since she was scared to death of the dogs! Although the two knew the twist to the challenge they didn’t tell any of the others, making them a bit upset and wary of how truthful they really are.

At the Best in Show it was all about moving the dogs, and the puppies in tow, through a maze. Teresa with Leroy did the best out of everyone, getting the puppies through the maze on the first try. Leroy did so well, waiting for the puppies and all, that the judges granted him and Teresa Best in Show. The other two who were safe were Laurie with Andrew and JD and Galaxy. Although Andrew only led one puppy through the maze, the judges loved Laurie’s coaxing and realized she did a great job overall. JD did most of the work for Galaxy, forcing her to stop every so often, which led all three puppies through but caused a rift in the two female judges. The younger female judge was happy for JD since he did so well but the older female judge hated his techniques. This left the two basically in the middle of a cat fight right in front of the cameras! It was crazy to see the two go at it but they quickly resolved their differences after the commercial break. If only every fight could end that way!

Back in the Best in Show arena it was time to name the bottom three. The judges put Travis and Presley there for not moving any of the three puppies through and Presley being too hyper and fast to even try. Bill and Star were in the bottom for their first time and there is a good reason. During the third run through, Star sat down as if to say “I’m done” but Bill kept pushing her and pushing her. The judges felt it was too much for Star and Bill just wouldn’t give in. Last but not least is Beth Joy and Bella Starlet who didn’t make it to the end of the maze once and moved no puppies through. The judges felt Bella didn’t care about the puppies but rather just about getting out. The pair has had a hard journey throughout the show and it was only a matter of time before they left. I’m glad Beth Joy left on a high note, for once, and she will be missed as she added a bit of crazy to the show!

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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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