Generally Double Tribal Councils tend to hurt the game as they are used to vote off the weak and tend to be rather boring. Tonight’s Double Tribal was the complete opposite though as not one but two rather shocking votes offs took place. Once again we started at our favorite Fang tribe after their millionth tribal council. After voting off Kelly the group wasn’t much different but the next morning the food issue returned. After measuring out 30 scoops of rice, and complaining about their lack of it, Crystal then went on to spill the rice on the ground. Nobody really spoke up about it but you could tell they were all a bit pissed. She then went on to not eat the next meal and quarreled with Ace about it. It kind of solidified Ace and Matty’s alliance as both were angry about the rice. It’s crazy how a simple mistake always screws someone over in Survivor.
Over at Kota Corrine’s self proclaimed bitchy side finally showed through! She’s no Jerri Manthey but definitely approaching crazy Natalie! Dan was the focus of the pre-reward segment as he told everyone that he needed to fit into the group. Nobody really talks to him yet he remains paranoid and basically begged to be accepted. It surely hurt him as it made the others see him as somewhat an idiot. I mean Corinne even called him a “once fatty” and “scared as a kid” while Marcus kind of said it…. but in a nicer way. It was then off to the next reward challenge where the winning tribe would go on a helicopter ride and lunch to a canyon in Gabon. It was a large game of monkey in the middle where the tribes would through a breakable ball around a ring while an opposing tribe member would try and break the ball.
CBS is doing something a little different this year and allowing anyone to preview the first three minutes of the Survivor Gabon right now for free! It’s a great clip showing the landscape of Gabon as well as the vast majority of the animals that roam the lands. One thing that most fans will be happy to see is the theme/opening intro segment is actually in the 3 minute preview. I must say the theme music this year is very very good and could be one of my favorites yet! It almost feels like a different show in HD and you can see for yourself by watching the preview clip below. If you want more clips from Survivor Gabon check out the CNET Website where there are is a Tribal Council tour as well as Jeff’s view of the cast.
After the last three weeks in frozen Alaska, America’s Toughest Jobs thaws out by returning to the continental United States. California to be exact for some monster trucking! This week the ten remaining members of the crew were put to the test through three monster truck jam courses. It all began with a little practice where some proved strong while others fell short. Before the practice began we saw a short segment from Rick who grew up loving the same truck he was about to drive. He went more in depth with his past, saying how he was homeless at the age of three.
With the boss overseeing everything the crew were always being watched and critiqued. Those who stepped up the game were the three girls and Ben, all doing well during the initial test and showing progress. The show tended to focus on those who did bad as it was the most entertaining. First up was Eric who is a bit schitzo it seems. After having his truck shut off by the boss he continued to cost down the track, almost running into a wall. Chris didn’t do any better as he throttled for too long, also having his car shut off. Even though he was told seconds before that he should brake if his car is shut off, Chris continued to glide scaring even the most professional guys there. Chris didn’t take kindly to the incident and, like his past driving job, gave excuses that made no sense. Last up for mistakes was Bryce who made a huge one. After learning the hand signals on when to start and stop, Bryce apparently forgot them. As the released gave him a thumbs up Bryce pushed the gas and sped onto the track. His car was immediately stopped as he almost his the official who was supposed to give him the ok to go. It seems a thumbs up means “are you ready” rather then “GO” and Bryce mixed the two up. It didn’t look good for him but others would thankfully save him in the end.
With the only showmance of the season gone Big Brother turns to its home stretch. Following the eye opening Power of Veto ceremony, the house was up in confusion about who offered Dan the money. April was upset that he would tell everyone while Jerry was upset that April would stoop that low for a vote. Michelle was really the only one wondering who, between April and Jerry, did the offering and when she confronted Dan he simply said it wasn’t meant that way. I don’t think they ever got to the bottom of the money question but the bribing sure didn’t end there.
When Ollie and April realized that they may be spending their last week together they went into game mode. Both targeted Michelle to start but she quickly shot them down, saying she would vote however the house voted. This led them, once again, to Dan. Ollie started off by saying how he would have two people not putting him on the block if they won HoH compared to Jerry who was only one person. April then got to Dan and let him know she would do anything for his vote, even throwing him a few gold bars. It’s a shame she would use the money to gain a vote from Dan after he basically revealed that she did earlier. Dan hinted that his mind was still not made up which seemed to set April at ease a bit atleast.
For the nights interview from home we finally got to see how April and Ollie’s family feel about their “showmance”. During the segment we saw the two discussing moving in together, which April says was a huge joke, but who knows. Ollie’s parents were up first and talked highly of their son. I still wonder if they REALLY know what’s going on in the house. Although his father didn’t know what a showmance was he said it was ok as long as it was real. April’s sister was happy for the couple as well, comparing Ollie to herself. The only time she disagreed with the relationship was when Ollie “fake” proposed. Her eyes lit up so fast you could hardly tell the difference between her and her twin April!
During the time Julie took to talk to the houseguests little was given out. The questions weren’t that hard hitting this week which was kind of disappointing. Showing a video to the houseguests of Ollie’s fear of birds was the only good thing that came from the segment which led into a very long Renny rant. Up in the HoH Julie hardly got any words in as Renny blabbed about her different sides and her mother and father. She also went on how she is against Memphis and always was. It was about 10 minutes and I’m sure the producers were freaking out, hoping she would stop to give them a break to go to the votes!
When Renny finally shut up long enough for the votes it was that time. April was evicted as suspected and walked out the door happy with only Ollie’s vote not cast for her. Outside she let Julie know that her and Ollie’s relationship is more of a friend them “romance” but they sure didn’t act that way in the house. The audience laughed when Julie mentioned starting a family and I’m sure April realized then that everyone knew her and Ollie’s not so hidden secret. April’s interview outside was actually one of the better ones this season and led us into probably one of the most entertaining endurance HoHs ever devised.
Out in the backyard all six players for the HoH sat on a round disk. They were themed as vines and when it started to rain it seemed that would be it. BUT there is SO much more to this challenge that makes it one of the most fun to watch. Every so often the vines swing back and actually swing the houseguests into a wall! It actually seems kind of fun but after awhile I assume there will be some brusing. If only Renny was in the mix it would be so much more fun to watch but atleast we have Jerry to make fun of! He’s already starting the “do you know how old I am” complaints!
Last week Celebrity Circus brought some amazing and not so amazing performances. This time around everyone seemed to step up their game but still one person had to go home. The show started off quickly with Joey revealing the first three celebrities safe from elimination. Stacey, Antonio and Janet. I can say that I’m not surprised the three moved on as they were heavily praised by the judges last week. Although I don’t think all of them had amazing performances I was excited to see what they could do this week.
Stacey was up first and performed a similar act to Rachel’s last week, the spinning/hanging ring. It seems like she had a tough week as she had to change her routine last minute but it didn’t show that much in her performance. Her act was actually very good but not as amazing as the judges made it out to be. I feel they are favoring her for some reason when she doesn’t deserve it as her performances haven’t been all that spectacular.
Antonio was next and we saw a short segment of how well he and his partner are getting for the act. He performed a body balance act with a professional. Although it wasn’t that dangerous it was interesting to watch and did seem difficult. He made it look easy and although he improved from last week his scores were still somewhat low compared to Stacey’s average of a 9.
Next up was Janet who the judges said lacked “sexiness” last week. She worked on that during most of her practice and almost seemed to care more about being sexy then actually doing the stunts. Her act this week was very well performed. Although the lady judge (no clue what her name was) didn’t think she was “technical” enough the two guys loved it. I for one think Janet’s performance was much better then Stacey’s as she did several of the stunts on her own. I hate comparing everyone to Stacey but they set her bar so high when she really isn’t there yet.
It was then time to reveal the next two safe from elimination. Chris and Wee Man were told they were moving on, leaving Rachel and Blu on the bubble to leave. I knew that Blu would be there but Rachel? Her performance was very good last week and the judges stupid bashing probably put her there. I hate how delusional they are and it really does seem they are playing favorites.
Chris’ performance was very different from the others as he was doing a Fire Clown act. It’s something I’ve never heard of before but was very funny and very entertaining! He set himself on fire several times, swallowed and spit fire and also blew up his crotch! To me the fire was more dangerous then the swinging in the air, but the judges didn’t agree. Apparently only “flying” acts deserve praise and they gave him one of the lower scores of the night.
Wee Man was the next to go and he was performing the German Wheel. He seemed hesitant at first since it’s what Chris broke him arm on but quickly got past the fear. During practice it seemed he wanted to bond more then practice. They had a segment of him and his coach at a spa and swimming in the pool. The judges busted him on it later but I’m sure it was a segment scripted by the producers. Although he seemed to train hard his show didn’t go so well. Wee Man fumbled several times, getting out of synch and even tripping once or twice. After receiving pretty harsh words from the judges, Wee Man showed that he could do a “coin flop” but it was too late. He received two 4s and a 6, giving him the lowest score of the night.
It was then time to reveal who was going home. Joey then announced eliminated and the best part of the night began. Knowing that the judges couldn’t say a work Blu erupted into a rant against Aurelia (had to look that up) and basically said she disagreed with what she said last week. She told Aurelia that she wants a challenge between the two of them to see who could do each others job better. Blu argued that Aurelia could never sing her songs but she herself could do Aurelia’s job. Blu then walked off stage with a smile as you could hear Aurelia in the background asking if she could talk. Of course she couldn’t as it was time for a commercial break and time for Rachel to perform.
During the week Rachel seemed to have the most rough time. She was doing a hammock routine but since she is so tall the average hammock was too small for her. One of the coaches in the circus decided a new version of hammock had to be created so Rachel performed a stunt designed just for her. I must say that it was very good and much better then last week. The judges agreed and told Rachel they loved her progress. Her scores were around a 7.5 and she was happy with that as she only had a few days to prepare.
After two episodes of Celebrity Circus I can honesty say I’m hooked. It’s similar to Dancing With the Stars but different in a way as it is defenitly more risky and challenging. I hope it continues to keep my interest as they bring more stunts and harder stunts into the show. Hopefully the judges will wise up and stop favoring certain people and hopefully more drama happens next week!
With four players left it was time for Big Brother 9 to finally get down to its final three. Last time Ryan won a very controversial HoH and placed both Sheila and Sharon on the block. Sheila didn’t take this nomination so well simply because she was on the block. Does she forget Sharon has been nominated five weeks in a row? I’m not sure why Sheila was scared since her and Adam have been close the entire game but it seems like she doesn’t remember that.
Although it was somewhat agreed that Sharon would go from the get-go Ryan, thanks to Sharon, was worried that Adam may take Sheila to the end. This made Ryan think that Sharon would stay, since they had a secret alliance, and he would basically be taken to the end by both Sharon or Adam. With this thought in his mind Ryan went to Adam and asked him to evict Sheila, his ex-partner, keeping Sharon in the game. Adam seemed to go along with this idea but also said he’d say anything to simply make it to the final two.
Before the Power of Veto could occur it was time to chain Adam and Sheila together. It was a very humorous segment to see the two bicker with each other. It seems as though they act the part very well as we all know they are very close to each other. Its almost like the “All in the Family” couple where they always fought and bickered yet loved each other in the end. Although I don’t think Sheila or Adam really “love” each other, they are closer then ever and could just go to the final two.
It was then time for the PoV where the houseguests had to match pictures of the jury members and two statements about that person. In the beginning Sheila took a very surprising lead but Ryan caught up to her. It was then a battle between those two on who would win the very last veto. Ryan ended up claiming victory and called himself the “power whore”. He really is as he’s won a ton of challenge lately and although he came in not knowing much about the game, he sure has proven himself worthy of a win simply due to his challenge skills.
Knowing that nobody was really safe now something very odd happened. Adam asked Sharon for a deal that if she promised to take him to the final two that he would keep her. She kind of freaked out and wouldn’t let him know either way. This small gesture then set off a chain of events. Sharon quickly went to Ryan and let him know what Adam had just done. He was very angry and believed at that point that Adam was closer to Sheila then he thought. When Sharon left Adam then went up to the HoH room and lied his ass off to Ryan. He told Ryan that Sharon was the one to ask for the deal and even said it seemed like Sharon had a deal with Ryan simply from that “gesture”. This then sent Adam and Ryan into a yelling match which made it seem like the veto could possibly be used.
It was then time for the veto ceremony and eviction to occur. Ryan was asked to do the veto “live” right in front of Julie although it wasn’t live for us. He chose to not use it and it was assumed he thought Sheila would go. Adam then had to vote for either Sharon or Sheila to be evicted. He chose to evict Sharon, after five nominations, to leave the game once again. Although Ryan acted shocked he was in fact in the loop that Sharon would be evicted. It wasn’t shown on the show but they agreed that Sharon should go shorty before the show was taped.
After Sharon’s short talk with Julie it was then time for the HoH to begin. The players all sat on a boogie-board and had to hold onto a rope. They were then raised to a slop where water began pouring down on them from the slop and as rain. The last person hanging on would win the first part of the three part HoH and automatically move to the last round of the HoH. Although the show was shown tonight we already know who won the first and second part of the HoH. To find out highlight the following: Ryan won the 1st part of the HOH and Adam won the 2nd part of the HoH.
With four players left it was time for Big Brother 9 to finally get down to its final three. Last time Ryan won a very controversial HoH and placed both Sheila and Sharon on the block. Sheila didn’t take this nomination so well simply because she was on the block. Does she forget Sharon has been nominated five weeks in a row? I’m not sure why Sheila was scared since her and Adam have been close the entire game but it seems like she doesn’t remember that.
