The Guys Come Back With a Vengence on Idol

I was really hoping that Idol would open tonight with the judges congratulating Jennifer Hudson, and maybe even an apology from Simon…gosh, that would have been great. But not so much – Seacrest extended a congrats from everyone, and still it was all about them (something about how it shows the caliber of talent on the show). What a shame.

For some reason, everyone tonight had to dedicate their performances to someone that inspires them. Aside from it being annoying, I just don’t see why we needed to hear so many of them explain why they would dedicate their song to their parents. We get it. Really.

Phil started the show off really strong. I’m not sure what Simon’s deal was – I’m so sick of him telling people that they don’t sound unique. This early in the show, I think the better strategy is just to come out and sing well, rather than focusing on trying to be different. Jared sounded good too. I didn’t get the whole hand thing though – so corny!

In the name of all things holy, AJ, please don’t dance. EVER. Wow. The singing was good, but I was so distracted by the strange attempt at dancing. You kind of knew where he gets it from when the showed a shot of his parents clapping on the wrong beat. Sanjaya embraced the fact that a lot of people have called him an “Indian Michael Jackson.” I’m glad that the judges commented on how strange he looked. His performance wasn’t just bad, it was boring. It didn’t look like the crowd cared at all. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t go home this week.

I continue to love Chris Sligh. I loved his song choice, and he sounded amazing. I do wonder, though, about the exchange between him and Simon at the very end. Did you hear it? Chris said “I’ve been saved by a woman,” and just as the music came back on, Simon added “so have I.” Odd. I didn’t like the song choice that Nick made, but he sang it really well. I think he’ll stick around another week.

What is the deal with Seacrest tonight? First, he tells Chris Sligh that his performance will keep him out of the doghouse for a month. Then, after they show Nick’s super-cute girlfriend, he turned to Nick and said “nice work buddy!”. Very very strange.

Blake continues to amaze me. He was so good again tonight, and I loved the middle of his song. I also completely disagree with Simon – it was so good and so original. Simon just needs to get with the program tonight. Brandon sang a really different arrangement of “Time After Time.” It wasn’t a great performance; I think the song really hurt him. It’s great that he was feeling the song, but he needs to make sure that he sings it well.

Choosing “Geek in the Pink” was a risky choice, but it paid off for Chris Richardson. Wow. Such a good performance – I actually agree with Simon that Chris is the one to beat. Sundance closed out the show with a performance that was much better than last week (“less crappy” as he put it). I’m guessing that he caught wind of the fact that his picture was on the front page of votefortheworst.com all weekend. Much better job.

Overall, the guys were about a million percent better this week than last. The best performances of the night were definitely the Chrises (still don’t think that looks right, by the way) and Blake. It’s still too early for me to be motivated enough to pick up the phone, but they’re the three I would vote for if I were. And I think that Sanjaya and Brandon will be the two going home on Thursday. At least, I hope so.

TAR All-Stars

A great great episode last night of Amazing Race: All Stars. And even though one of my favorites was eliminated, this is shaping up to be one of the best seasons yet.

I think this is as good a time as any to be upfront about something. I love Rob & Amber. Actually, I love Rob. He was my favorite both seasons of Survivor he was on, and I love how he and Amber played (and are playing) TAR. One of the greatest things about Rob is that even though he comes off as a dumb guy from Boston he's actually quite smart. He's right - the other teams are so concerned about beating them that they're losing sight of winning the race. Love it.

I'm also falling more and more in love with Danny & Oswald. They were funny on their season, but they're hilarious on All Stars. They're also pretty fierce competitors - I'll take that combination any day. (I also like that between them and the guidos the producers are painting two very different pictures of what a gay couple looks like. It's about time - we see lots of versions of what a guy-girl couple should look like, but very little else.)

The tasks this leg were much harder than last week, which I liked. It's all stars - things should be harder. That roadblock was really tough (though how great was it that Mary came in and solved it so quickly?). And multiple flights in one leg is tough too, since the roadblock ended up having no impact on the standings, but did a lot for the dynamics of the teams. (I wish we could have heard the conversation on the flight between Uchenna & Joyce...)

Speaking of team dynamics, what was the deal with Mirna & Charla? It didn't seem like the Beauty Queens did anything to them other than be pretty, but their pettiness almost cost them the race. If they had just been content to work together they would have come in much sooner than when they did.

In the end, my favorites Drew & Kevin came in last. They did manage to provide some really fabulous television before they left. I loved that when they got their truck stuck, they hooked it to Kevin to pull it out. And the confrontation on the plan about David & Mary's luggage was good too. I wish they had realized they could drive faster, since then perhaps Mirna & Charla would have been eliminated (and we still need a better nickname for them then Mirna & Shmirna...after their talk about how they have inner beauty and don't need plastic surgery, maybe they could be the petty....). Maybe next week.

Two More Gone on Grease

Before you judge me for continuing to watch Grease: You're the One That I Want, trust me - I know that I am a giant reality tv nerd. I'm ok with that. Really.

I'm still convinced that even though Billy Bush lets us know every few minutes that they're live that the show isn't actually live (or at least not all live). First there was last week with the fact that the two eliminated contestants just happened to be partners (as were the two who were "saved"). This week you could tell that all five guys were dancing and doing background vocals for the girls, even though they showed the bottom four sitting patiently in their "D?" and "S?" attire. If you're not going to actually do the whole thing live, you could at least work on making it look more realistic.

The performances were just ok. They finally showed them doing some acting, but only showed about 30 seconds of each pair. I would have loved to see them do the scenes live instead of the over-produced songs. The only girl who actually sounded good in her song was Laura, who all three judges rightfully picked as the best Sandy of the night. The rest were just ok (and Kathleen sounded off key and out of breath).

I was kind of surprised about the eliminations. Kevin didn't surprise me at all (especially since I really like Chad), but I think that Kate is a lot better than Kathleen. The difference between Kathleen's song and Kate's song (singing goodbye) was stunning. She can't possibly be THAT bad of an actress to make it worth the chance of having Kathleen win the lead role.

3 Out in a Row for Ravu

After my tivo got a workout (seriously networks, why must you put my three favorite shows on at the same time? It's just not nice) last night, I finally saw a really entertaining episode of Survivor: Fiji. Things are starting to get interesting, even as we continue to see the self-destruction of a tribe.

I think why I like last night's episode was because of the challenges. Both challenges were REALLY good. I always like the gross food challenges (that is, I like watching them - I would never ever be able to stomach the mildest of the things they have to eat), but the reward challenge was especially fantastic. Watching them try to maneuver through the giant oiled-up slip and slide was some of the best tv ever. Then to have to go and shoot baskets on top of it...hee hee! Watching Silvia attempt to swim through the oil was hilarious; I also loved the match-up between Yau Man and "Dreamz" (and thank you Jeff Probst for calling him Dre - I feel like such a dweeb typing that nickname)...you just know that Dre's friends are giving him quite the ribbing for almost losing that race. And who knew that Gary ("Papa Smurf") was such an athlete?

Speaking of Gary, I don't really understand what happened to him. I also don't understand why he was allowed to take the medication that the medical team gave him (sounded like he was given tylenol). I thought that the rules didn't allow you to take medication without being disqualified. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that's what previous castaways had said (that was why Bruce two seasons ago didn't want the medics to come...if he had taken something, he risked being disqualified). I think that he's going to be out next week - they spent a lot of time on the storyline this week for nothing to come of it.

Ravu finally started to get some strength, all because of Michelle. I believe that she is the first castaway to ever start fire on her own (without anything provided by Survivor). On a couple of seasons they were able to start a fire with a magnifying glass from their first aid kit, but the first aid kit was provided to them. They just need to start drinking lots and lots and lots of water. Having fire could make all the difference in the world for them. I remember seeing an interview with Colby (Survivor: Outback and Survivor: All Stars) - he said that the secret to his success was how much water he drank. It kept him strong, and tricked his body into thinking it was getting more food than it was.

It seemed like being dehydrated played a huge part in Ravu losing their fourth straight challenge. Several of them claimed that they couldn't swallow the gross food because they didn't have enough saliva. What I really don't understand is why the rest of the tribe didn't start chugging water (they usually bring their canteens everywhere) once they saw the first person have problems because of lack of spit. I also didn't understand at first why the tribe was so upset with Anthony. But it turns out that the challenge lasted a lot longer than we saw on the show. The pig snout battle lasted somewhere in the 20-30 minute range; Anthony chewed that tiny bit of snout the entire time. So I guess I can see where the tribe would be upset that he's not giving it his all.

In the end, they voted out Silvia, who really should have gone home last week. You have to wonder what would have happened if they had had Erica in the challenges instead of Silvia. I also had to laugh about Silvia's last minute digging for the idol. She said today that there was ginger that she was digging up, so they may not have suspected anything. But there's the distinct possibility that someone who is not sent to exile will find the hidden immunity idol.

I think that we'll see a tribal mix-up soon. At least, I hope so - I can only take so much more of the disparity between the tribes.

First Four Voted Out on Idol

I know I’m not alone in loving results night on American Idol. There’s something captivating about how cruel it is. Like a train wreck, you just can’t tear your eyes away.

After what was actually not such a bad group number (I really hate them, but somehow they have to stretch this out for an hour. That’s right, an hour), we got right down to it. Say what you will about Seacrest, but he is the master of the results show. And it’s always a little different. He started tonight with the back row of guys. After reviewing each guy’s night and sending them back “to safety” (ha!), the only one left was Paul – no surprise that he’s the first one voted out. Of course, we have the added cruelty of making them sing the very song that got them voted out. Did I mention I how much I love this?

After the requisite commercial break, Seacrest gets the back line of girls up. And just like with the guys, one by one he sends them all back to their seats until we’re just left with Antonella. So, she’s pretty sure she’s toast. Except that she’s not – Ryan sends her back, calls up Amy, and tells her she’s out. Really fantastic television.

Side note – what happened to Fantasia? She still sounds good, but she doesn’t look so good. Maybe it’s the outfit…something just seems wrong. It’s also a good time to point out how glad I am that no one this season has decided that they are such a big star that they can use just their first name.

The second girl to get cut is Nicole – not really a surprise. There was such a division between the good and the not-so good girls. I almost felt like the bottom girls were interchangeable – we could have lost any of them and it would have been just fine. I was shocked though with the second guy cut. Not because Rudy is going home – he wasn’t that good. But because when it was down to Sanjaya and Rudy, Seacrest said that one was in the top four and one is going home. How on Earth is Sanjaya in the top four? Are there really that many young girls that vote? I also don’t understand why Simon felt the need to say that Rudy isn’t a good singer at all – then why did he get a spot over some of the other fabulous singers we saw in the audition rounds?

Anyways, I’m glad that they’ve changed the sappy song to play over the “we’re going to miss you” clip show of the ousted contestants. I don’t know who sings it, but it’s a beautiful song (and you just know that it will be on every radio in America tomorrow). I can't wait for more next week.

Top 12 Girls Perform

After last night's show (and mock fight between Ryan & Simon) I wasn't so sure about the top 12 girls performing tonight. But it turns out that the girls are actually pretty good.

Stephanie started out the show tonight for the girls with a totally different feel than last night. She sang well – better than her audition actually (and she sang well in her auditions). Of course, just as I was thinking that we could have an all-female final four, Amy continued last night’s trend of so-so performances. She wasn’t very good; I think that Simon is right that she won’t go far because people won’t remember her long enough to vote for her.

Leslie was up next; something about her just doesn’t seem quite right. I can’t put my finger on it…I don’t think she’ll be around long enough for me to figure it out. She just wasn’t very good. Thank goodness Sabrina was next – she was actually really good. She also has the tragically unhip parents going for her as well. (love that!) I also loved the juxtaposition of Sabrina saying she wasn’t going to choose a ballad (because they don’t work well in this round) and Antonella coming out and singing a ballad. It was not good – song selection song selection song selection. I also think that Antonella is this season’s Ayla Brown – a girl who is going to taste not getting what she wants for the first time.

I really liked Jordin. I was worried when Randy started talking that the judges weren’t going to be too kind, but I was glad to see that they recognized how good she really is. I agreed with the judges about Nicole as well. It just wasn’t that good – she’s way better than that song. I really do wonder about the song selection. Why would you choose a song that doesn’t make you sound incredible? That’s what Hayley did as well.

Thank goodness for girls like Melinda. She sounded incredible. She has to be a favorite to win it all at this point. Wow. It’s a shame that Alaina had to follow Melinda. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t horrible either. If they had been reversed in the order, I think the reviews would have been a little bit kinder. I also think that Simon might be right…Ryan may just be a bit smitten with her.

I was surprised as well at Gina’s song choice. But like Randy, I thought that she rocked it out in the end. Tonight’s show ended on a high note with an incredible performance by Lakisha. I still contend that it was a poor song choice (she was amazing, but not as good as Jennifer Hudson, who so many have seen sing it recently), but she ROCKS. You just have to wonder how someone with such an amazing voice has gone undiscovered for so long. Regardless of whether or not she wins, she’ll get a recording contract for sure. And I loved seeing the faces of some of the girls afterwards – they clearly know that they’re not nearly as good as her.

No question about the best performances of the night – Lakisha, Sabrina, & Melinda. Wow. And who is probably going home? For me, it’s a toss-up between Amy, Leslie, Antonella. They’ll likely be the bottom three tomorrow night.

Top 12 Guys Perform on Idol

We're finally at the point of Idol where we get to vote. Hooray. But tonight's theme seemed to be "guys who didn't sing nearly as well as their original audition." Very strange.

Rudy started it off for the guys relatively well. He sounded good, but I agree with Randy – the performance was really corny. Next up was Brandon, the former backup singer. I really like him, even though tonight’s song wasn’t his best. I really wonder what he was thinking with his song choice. A different song would have made all the difference. He’ll be fine though – I would be shocked to see him voted off this week.

Sundance had been one of my favorites during the audition round, but he’s rapidly falling lower and lower on my list. Nothing he’s sung has sounded as good as that original audition. He has a big fan base, so he’ll probably be around another week, but not really based on tonight’s performance. Paul wasn’t much better after him – he’s another one who is just not living up to his original audition, and he probably won't be around next week.

I really like both Chrises (is that the plural of Chris?). Chris Richardson was up first, continuing the trend of guys not sounding nearly as good as their auditions. I just pray that he stays on the show so we can see more shots of his dad dancing. Oh my. Nick was next; he was someone who I was really glad made it to the top 24. I didn’t think his song tonight was as bad as Randy & Paula said. He played it safe, but he sang it well.

I have been very curious about Blake – bottom line is that the beat boxing doesn’t translate into an Idol win. But he can really sing. The judges got it right putting him through. Sanjaya was hurt by his song choice. You’ve got to wonder if his sister (who he said gave him the song, and was cut in Hollywood) did that on purpose.

Chris Sligh, my favorite of the two Chrises (seriously, that does not look right) finally lived up to the expectations. He was good, regardless of what the forever bickering judges thought. And the fact that he gave it back to Simon just made me love him even more. I generally don’t call in and vote this early, but I may just break my rule to send a vote Chris’s way. Jared was ok, though it seems like we’re back to singers who aren’t singing nearly as well as their original audition. He’s lucky that he’s so good looking – he won’t be going home any time soon.

A.J. was pretty good. I agree with Paula that the tone of his voice is really enjoyable. And I really liked the final performance of the night from Phil. I agree wholeheartedly with Randy - it started a little shaky, but when he got to the chorus it was amazing. Definitely the best of the night.

In the end, it wasn't the best night for the guys; I actually agree with Simon (and after watching the judges on Grease) I really appreciated the honesty. If I were going to vote tonight, it would be for Chris Sligh & Phil. I also really liked Nick & Blake. And which guys will be going home? Paul & Sanjaya would be my guess. Hopefully the girls will do better tomorrow.

Amazing Race All Stars!

I have been so excited for the premiere of TAR. I love the idea of an all-star version of the show, and even though I'm not a huge fan of some of the selections (see yesterday's post...), TAR shows season after season why it always wins the Emmy.

No real surprises at first - they all should have known from the flight times that the flight that landed first was probably not the flight that departed first (have these people not watched the show before?). And no shock that the game play from some of the teams is the same as before. Especially Mary & David - they seem so nice, and are probably the most deserving of the money, but they have to be the weakest team on the race. Terri & Ian also continued to showcase their "ugly American" stereotype. They just so rub me the wrong way. Rob & Amber also continued their dominance - there is a reason they were so good the first time around. I was pleasantly surprised by Danny & Oswald. It seems like they've grown up a bit since their season - I'm hoping they do well.

The leg itself was good, though I wish there were more things to do, rather than just drive from route marker to route marker. Although the driving was clearly difficult for some teams. And you knew as soon as Phil said that the teams were advised to go to the north entrance of the park that at least a few of the teams would go a different way. I also loved the moment with Kevin & Drew (who I still can't believe drove that far on a flat tire)...one of them commented on how beautiful Peru was; the other replied that Peru probably was beautiful, but that they were in Ecuador. I hope they can pull it together and have a better leg next week.

After a strange detour (and no roadblock...what's that all about?), Rob & Amber came in first (yay!) and John Vito & Jill were eliminated. I was surprised that such a strong team went out first, but it just goes to show how one mistake can make or break the race.

An Apprentice Love Story

We learned something very important on last night's episode of The Apprentice: LA - you should be able to look around the food court, and see that there are lots of people who don't speak English. Oh boy...

I don't usually like tasks like this - tasks whose only real point is for the advertising for a sponsor. But I liked a very important twist in this task. The folks from Priceline were Trump's "eyes and ears", rather than one of his kids. I don't know - this just seems like a better idea. We were also back to the editing showing us exactly who would lose, and who would likely get fired. We saw Derek & Jenn being told that 50% of the mall's customers were Hispanic, saw them never do anything about it (and the backup it caused at their booth), and Aimee "take charge" of Jenn's inflatable octopus. If you didn't see it coming, maybe you should try another show.

I was really surprised that Derek & Jenn didn't make signs in Spanish, or hire someone to translate. It really did seem like they were trying to throw Aimee under the bus (which Derek tried to do last week too...I'm liking him less and less each week). I also didn't understand how Surya was running the team - they really did win in spite of Surya, rather than because of him. And somehow, Surya thought he did a great job. Watching the episode back last night must have been an adventure. At least Nicole & Tim finally kissed...how long have they been teasing that for?

In the boardroom, I wish that Jenn had been fired. Aimee was right - the team didn't do it's best work for her. I wish she had spoken up a bit about the whole "noticing that there are a lot of Hispanics" thing as well. Seeing that there is a lot of diversity in the mall, and knowing that a lot of the patrons don't speak English are two very different things. It was Jenn's responsibility, and Aimee should have fought more for that. I wish, too, that Surya wasn't in the boardroom. He has friends on Kinetic, and he was clearly making sure that they didn't get fired.

Grease...(I think I have a problem...)

Sigh...I'm still watching Grease: You're the One That I Want. And for some reason, I find myself caring about it. I don't know why; I may have sunk to a new reality show low (that, coupled with the fact that I logged about 6 hours watching re-runs of Paradise Hotel last week. This is what happens when you get iced in...).

The show started off with the worst group number of the show so far. The producers have got to be getting worried - the contestants just don't sing as well when they're dancing. That was the problem with Chad & Allie as well - they sounded about a million times better when they were singing standing still as they did when they tried to sing and dance. They all need some serious time on the treadmill this week.

The eliminations were early in the episode, and no real surprise that the judges eliminated Jason. He wasn't very good the past two weeks. I was a little surprised at Julianna, but I am curious about the judge's comments about the fact that Kathleen was the better actress. I wonder if that's why they are so big on some of the weaker singers - they are good actors, but we're not seeing that part. (Come on, I have to have some explanation for why they are so in love with Max.) I also question the whole idea of them singing one last song before the judges eliminate a couple. Because they sang in pairs this week, the judges clearly made their choice to eliminate after the votes were tallied, and paired those two contestants together. Otherwise, how would the two who lost their partners perform?

So most of the performances were just ok, even though the judges continued the love-fest. It really makes you miss Simon. Laura was really good...maybe the only one of the bunch to sing well. Chad, Allie, Derek, & Kate were pretty good too. I can't believe I care this much.

Amazing Race All Stars Starts Tonight!

That's right, tonight is the premiere of The Amazing Race: All Stars. And aside from the fact that my tivo might explode this week (seriously, why are so many good shows on at the same time on Sunday and Thursday nights, when you can't find a single thing to watch on other nights?), I couldn't be more excited.

It's hard to handicap the field on TAR, since there's no voting off, and social skills don't play nearly as big of a role as on other shows. I certainly have my favorites that I will be rooting for. I LOVE Kevin & Drew - they were my favorites on their season, and I am so hoping to see them win this time around. I also really like Rob & Amber (yes, I know I am in the tiny minority on this one) and Dustin & Kandice (the beauty queens from last season). And I think that the new team of Eric & Danielle is one to root for as well.

Who don't I like? Well, they certainly brought back a few of my least favorite teams as well. I know that most people loved Teri & Ian on season 3, but I didn't. There was something about Ian that really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm also hoping for an early demise (though I doubt it will happen) for Uchenna & Joyce. I actually really liked them before, and they seem like good people, but they're the only previous winners on this race, and it just doesn't seem fair (especially since there were previous winners excluded who were far more likable). And I was never much a fan of Charla & Mirna, though they did provide us with some great tv.

I'm still bummed out by the selection of the All-Stars. I don't understand why only one team of winners were brought back, especially when so many previous winners wanted to do it again. (in some of the other all-star versions of shows, previous winners declined to do the show again...after all, why starve yourself on an island again when you already have the million). And while I understand that you need to have a few of the teams that everyone loves to hate, it seems like you could have done that with teams that were in the top three or four of their seasons. It would be a much better show with all extremely strong teams. It also is interesting that there are no "all-male-power-teams" this season. Hmmm...

I know, I just really danced around the question of who I think will win. Ok...I think that the Eric & Danielle would be my pre-race favorite to win, along with Rob & Amber and Dustin & Kandice. My "favorites" to go out early? Mary & David (who I love, but relied very heavily on their alliance last season), Oswald & Danny, and Charla & Mirna. Now watch, Rob & Amber will be eliminated tonight while Mary & David win it all.

Erica Stunned at Tribal Council

A tip for everyone thinking of trying out for Survivor - if you're the type who panics at challenges, this may not be the game for you.

I'm still not sure how I feel about Survivor: Fiji yet. I know that I hate the "have vs. have-nots" concept with the camps. It's not really Survivor if you have a couch and so much food that you're full. Sure, it provided "Dreamz" a mushy television moment to comment that they had more food at their camp than a lot of Americans have in their fridges (which, sadly, is true...it's also sad how few of his tribemates believed him). But it's not Survivor. And there seems to be no end to the camp divisions. Many had speculated that the nice camp would be a reward (and there would be lots of camp switching. But at least for now, that isn't the case. Probst did NOT say that the winners of the challenge would get the nice camp. And this is why I hate it. It's one thing for a tribe to flounder, and lose challenge after challenge. As we saw on Palau, that actually makes for good television. But for a tribe to get weaker and weaker, while the other gets stronger and stronger, simply because of how the producers set up the game; it isn't fair (and it really isn't good tv either). I've read that a good twist on the camp would be that the losers of the immunity challenge would get the camp, but also have to go to tribal council. That would at least make things interesting. I'm hoping that Mark Burnett realizes this and changes it - soon.

A twist that I do like, at least how I understand it, is how the hidden immunity idol works this season. They can only use it through the final five, and it must be played after the votes are cast, but before the votes are read. It takes a lot of power away from the idol, and it means that the person who finds it can't just coast through the game as they could before (not that Terry or Yul coasted through the game, but had a weaker player found it, they certainly could have). It's interesting, too, that Probst said final five. Not sure if this means there will be a final three up against the jury again this season or not. Apparently Probst has said that if it were up to him, it would always be a final three. That eliminates the strategy of taking the weaker player with you to the final two - hypothetically, at least two of the final three would be strong players. I see his point. If the vote had been with the final three, instead of the final two, I think that a different player would have won in Marquesas (Kathy would have won over Vecepia), Amazon (though it would have been close between Rob C. & Jenna), and Exile Island (Terry would have won over Aras and Danielle for sure). It also would have changed the votes in Africa (some votes would have gone to Lex instead of Ethan), All Stars (Jenna would have gotten a few votes, which may have shifted the vote from Amber to Boston Rob), Palau (Ian would have gotten some votes), and Guatemala (Rafe would definitely have gotten some votes), though the end result would probably have been the same. That's more than half the seasons where the weaker player was brought to the final two as a strategy move. Maybe Probst is on to something.

Back to Thursday night's episode. We're seeing very little of Moto - probably because nothing exciting is happening, other than Boo getting hurt (and please, someone, give the cameraman who caught him falling out of the hammock a bonus). I don't really know the players over there, though Dreamz and Lisi continue to rub me the wrong way. At Ravu, dehydration is setting in, and it showed at the challenge. They had the strength to lead after the physical part of the challenge, but they weren't there enough mentally to solve the puzzle. Not a real surprise.

What was surprising was that they voted out Erica. She is such a strong player, even though she admittedly lost it during the challenge. Some of the guys are playing an individual game far too early; it's likely that that will come back to bite them in the end. And I'm not sure why Earl was sent to Exile Island. It seems like a really poor choice, unless they were trying to keep him safe from the vote. Moto knew that Ravu still doesn't have fire (and thus, no water) - sending someone to exile at this point only makes them stronger, since they will be able to drink. Anyways, in the end, Erica was voted off, which should make for a very interesting return for Earl. Can't wait.

It's Time for Naked Cruelty!

That's right, it's the final cut night. And they made it even worse this year, as Simon told many of the finalists that they had made it in the most twisted ways possible. (seriously, how mean is it to tell someone "we're sorry to tell you that you won't be excluded"? Huh?)

Not too many surprises about who made it. Almost half of the final 24 were contestants that I had picked out before. But there's a few who I really liked in the audition round who we never heard from again. I don't understand that - why they wouldn't follow up with them is beyond me. (especially Akron & Jenry) I'm also still a little miffed that they condensed Hollywood week down to one hour.

It's hard to choose a favorite at this point. Idol is notoriously hard to predict. Even the best singers have bad weeks, and there is ALWAYS a week where a favorite goes home in a big shocker. I really like Chris Sligh (he's the white guy with the 'fro) - he's hilarious, and has a fantastic voice. I also like Sanjaya, Phil, and Nicholas for the guys. The girls don't seem as strong this year, but it's still early. Gina rocks, as does Melinda. And Lakeisha is a powerful force as well. Next week are the live shows...if they use the same format as last year (guys one night, girls another) we'll get three nights of Idol for a few weeks...thank you.

Hollywood Week is a Let Down

For some reason that I've yet to figure out, I love Hollywood week on Idol. There's something about the naked cruelty that makes for really great television. But they let me down tonight. Big time.

See, someone at Idol decided that they could condense Hollywood week down to a one hour show. So we saw very few singers, very few groups, and NONE of the final songs. Why did they do that? I just don't see the wisdom in it. They showed only a few of the guys singing; we got lots of news that the contestants that they had focused on during the audition rounds had been cut. And the contestants that they highlighted tonight - a lot of them got cut too (like Baylie & Jory, both who sounded amazing). I don't have any idea who is on to the "naked cruelty" round tomorrow...it was nearly impossible to tell. And the fact that the Hollywood round took place so long ago (thus, they had tons of time to edit the episode) makes it even worse. I hope this doesn't continue the rest of the season.

A Sweet Task on the Apprentice

Kudos to the producers and editing team on The Apprentice: LA. Really. This was maybe the first time ever where it seemed so clear through the entire episode which team would win, and that team actually lost. I was shocked; it was fantastic.

The task was back to a marketing/sales task with an advertiser tie-in. I liked the twist of them harvesting their own honey, but really that was just an extra step in the process (it's not like the task hinged on it). And this is where the fantastic editing came in. At Arrow, they kept showing them working well together (with the exception of Surya showing that book smarts don't really mean anything in business). And at Kinetic they showed the chaos of Aimee's "leadership". It seemed like Arrow was selling much more (and their price point was higher); it didn't seem like Kinetic was selling anything until they pulled out the "meet an Olympic gold medalist" card at the end. They even showed members of Kinetic talking about how there was no way they would win.

Of course, in the end, Kinetic ended up winning. And in a move that he can't possibly be proud of, Surya climbed up to the fence to ask Derek to ask Aimee to make sure he won't get fired. (it reminded me a lot of Arrow ganging up on Melissa last week) This is why I hate the twist of the winning PM being in the boardroom. Without Aimee there, Surya probably would have been fired. But instead it was Aaron. It's too bad - he seemed like a nice guy, and his laid-back leadership style was a nice change of pace. At least Kinetic is stuck with Aimee as PM for another week.

Grease...Really...

Yes, I'm still watching Grease: You're the One That I Want. And no, I don't know why. I think I want to figure out how they are going to end up with the "stars" they want regardless of how America votes. It's like a puzzle...sort of...

At the beginning of the show they announce that the bottom vote getters will have to "sing for their lives" (which would make my husband's dreams come true if it were true...his wish for all these shows is that everyone gets "launched into the sun"). That's right - right away we learn that the contestants with the lowest vote totals won't necessarily be cut. Does anyone else think that they added this twist when they realized that "America" doesn't have a clue? Especially when they revealed later on in the episode who did get the lowest vote totals, and they weren't actually eliminated. Hmmm...

I also don't understand the judging. There were some contestants that were pretty good, but the judges were really tough on them. There were others that weren't good at all that the judges just said "good job" to. And there were a few that were horrible that the judges loved. Can they really sound that different in-studio as they do on tv? (they talk about that a lot on Idol - that it sounds different to the judges in the studio) I just think that they are trying to manipulate the votes somehow. Trust me, I'll figure this out.

On to the actual performances. Somehow, Andrew Lloyd Webber is there, and they are all singing broadway songs (which is what they should be singing, really). There were a few that were really good - I liked Derek, Ashley S., Chad, and Laura. I thought that Juliana sounded a LOT better than the judges gave her credit for. And I thought that Kate and Max weren't nearly as good as the judges thought. In fact, I thought that Kate & Max were two of the worst performances; I guess that for whatever reason the judges just really love them.

And no surprise that even though they got more votes than Allie & Jason, Matt & Ashley A. were eliminated. Does anyone else think that they brought the two of them back just so they could extend the series an extra week? It's too bad - there is so much potential in the show, and it's just not even close to living up to it.

Survivor Fiji Gets Off To An Exciting Start

There's so much to talk about about last night's premiere of Survivor: Fiji I barely know where to start. So I apologize in advance if my thoughts seem a bit scattered. I'm just too excited to sort them all out. That, and I am still on a significant amount of cold medicine. Go figure.

There was lots of talk before the season started about the strange-ness of starting with 19 castaways. Turns out that they were supposed to start with 20 - one dropped out right before filming started. Melissa McNulty was supposed to be the 20th castaway; after having 3 panic attacks in one day, she met with the producers, and decided to pull out. I'm not sure how I feel about this. The week or two leading up to production is really tough - the castaways are sequestered, put through lots of activities (some media, some educational, some actual challenges), and aren't allowed to speak or have eye contact with each other. They are told to bring an ipod, so that they have the ear buds in all the time. There's no question that it's hard. So I'm glad that if Melissa couldn't handle that, that she was able to back out before the show started (and probably saved us the "fun" of watching her quit later on). Melissa said today that she didn't know that she had one day left of sequester, and that the producers were well aware beforehand that she suffers from panic attacks. I'm curious why they cast her in the first place. I'm also a little annoyed - because it was so close to the start of the game (probably about 18 hours), chances are (and this part I'm guessing on) that her departure drastically changed the first few days of the show. Jessica said today in interviews that most of them were looking around, realizing that there were 5 of each ethnic group, and assumed they would be split by race. When Melissa backed out (she is a white woman), that would have forced the producers to change how they divided the tribes. I think that the shelter twist was probably planned in advance, but how they divided the tribes I'm sure was changed. I hope we see an interview soon with Probst or Mark Burnett to know for sure.

Ok, so on to first impressions. Mine? That nearly everyone in the cast looks like a previous castaway. Seriously. "Dreamz" (and we'll get to that bit of ridiculousness in a second) looks so much like Osten from Pearl Islands that I thought it was him for a few minutes. There's too many of them like that for it to be a coincidence. I just hope that it's part of some sort of huge twist later in the game. That would ROCK.

Most of the castaways seem really likable so far. I LOVE Yau Man - I hope he does really well in the game. I also like Rocky, though I admittedly have an affection for anyone with a Boston accent. And I like Earl. Ok, I like most of them. What I didn't like? The fact that so many of them have nicknames. It's not ok to make up a nickname for yourself for the show. It's never ok. But to come up with "Dreamz" as your nickname? I can't think of anything worse. I was wrong about him (see my previous blog...his real name is Dre) - he'll be the first one voted out of his tribe. I'm also not too sure about Mookie. Did you see him sit down in the challenge? NOT cool.

I hate the twist of the two camps. Yes, I know that they'll probably be doing a lot of camp switching (the nice camp may be the reward for the reward challenges), and I hate it. Rewards that give a tribe an advantage at the next immunity challenge are fine. Rewards that give a tribe an advantage that is so large and so hard to overcome...well...blech. This is Survivor - they should have to work for it. Otherwise I'm just watching Big Brother on a beach.

Exile Island this year SUCKS. "Crawling with sea snakes"?? How is that safe? Do they have somewhere to go away from the snakes? Did CBS really let them do this? Yikes. And the fact that it looks like the immunity idol is actually hidden back at camp sucks even more (which is probably why they keep saying that there are two idols this season...one at each beach). I am also moving over to the side of the argument that hates that hidden idol. At least how it's done now. Maybe if there is a shorter time limit on it (like only being able to use it at the next 2 tribal councils) it would be better. But now finding the idol pretty much guarantees you final four. I hate that.

What I didn't hate was the challenge. LOVE when there are lots of parts to a challenge, and this one was tough. 14 seasons, and the challenge production team still rocks.

So after that great challenge, Ravu loses, and has to go to tribal council. I wish they had shown a little more of tribal last night - there are actually 200 steps to get up to tribal council this season...hopefully they'll show that climb in future episodes. And sadly, Jessica joins the "elite" club of those first voted out of Survivor. Someday maybe they'll take my idea and have a season of just those people. (of course, how much would it suck to be the first one voted out of THAT season!) Jessica seemed really nice, but someone had to go. It's too bad for her, but the people who seemed to rub others the wrong way were really all on the other tribe. It's the first season in awhile where it seemed like they pretty much just flipped a coin to choose who to vote off.

14 seasons in, and still by far my favorite show.

Survivor: Fiji Starts Tomorrow!

I am so excited for tomorrow night's premiere of Survivor: Fiji. With so many good reality shows out there, Survivor is still my all-time favorite. Last season, my prediction made it to the final three (Becky), and I also managed to predict two of the three first voted off (Sekou & Billy) weeks before the first episode premiered. Really. You can check it out here: http://marasusan.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-on-survivor.html

So who do I like this season? I'll admit that I had an advantage last season since I knew that the survivors would be divided by race. And while I suspect that they may be divided by race again, I'm not sure. (for those who don't know, this season's castaways did NOT see Cook Islands before they filmed this season...this means that a lot of times they can do the same "twists" without the survivors seeing it coming) Without seeing any of the show yet, I like Anthony, Edgardo, Michelle. Something about their profiles jumps out at me. Dre is also one to watch. It's strange to list "cheerleading coach" as your occupation (though not nearly as strange as fire dancer or roller girl), but I think that a coach will do well on the show. Rita, a single mom, also has a good chance - moms traditionally do very well on the show. As for ones who might be quick out, this was tougher. Lisi, Erica, & Gary might be quickly out.

Can't wait for tomorrow night...

Idol in Texas...

A few thoughts from my cold medicine addled brain about last night's Idol auditions...

Did anyone else notice Simon playing with himself during one of the auditions? Seriously. I know I'm pretty loopy, but my husband and I both saw him rubbing his chest.

The "other door" gag is clearly on purpose (I've heard lots of theories about it, mostly about how they would need to have one door locked so that the family has a place to stand on the other side). The montage of the door mishaps was worth a second watch on tivo.

I loved the two cousins, William and Akron. At first I joked about how they were real "winners" - didn't they both say that they were unemployed and living with one of their moms? But it turned out that they were great. William clearly knew he wasn't a good singer, and that he was only there to support his cousin. His act leaving the audition room was hilarious. If you didn't see it, he was totally fine with being rejected, but told the judges he would need to keep up his reputation. They nodded, and William burst out of the doors, swearing and yelling about the judges. Even Simon cracked up afterwards. And William's cousin Akron? Actually a really really good singer...look for him to go pretty far in the competition.

I also really liked Baylie (the small town country girl who sang Faith Hill) and Jimmy (who sang "Cupid" towards the end of the show). One more night of auditions, and we're off to Hollywood!

Life Lessons on Idol

I learned some very important lessons tonight from American Idol. First, a good voice can be obscured by an inflatable cowboy & horse costume. Second, just because your mother is famous doesn’t mean you can sing. There’s only one Taylor Hicks – thank goodness. And don’t forget that just because “peanut butter jelly time” is an internet favorite doesn’t mean that it will translate well to an Idol audition. “X-Centric” is NOT actually the most exciting entertainer on planet Earth (did he bring his own mic?). And finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Paula Abdul/Randy Jackson learn to sing DVD is in no way a substitute for a real singing coach. Fantastic episode.

I also liked tonight’s guest judge Olivia Newton-John. It seems that she is doing the “guest judge” circuit (she was a judge on Grease on Sunday), and she was far more snarky on Idol.

There were a couple of standout singers tonight. I loved Brandon, the hottie who sang “Always on My Mind.” I agree with Simon that he could be a finalist. I also like Alaina, who was about to give up singing (and sang a Michael Bublé song).

Idol Goes to Birmingham

Birmingham is such a strange place. After watching tonight’s episode of American Idol, I’m really ok with the fact that I’ve never been.

Tonight’s episode brings up the point about the bad singers. How many of them are really there because they think they have a shot? Or do they just want to get on television. Some it’s easy to tell – Margaret (the 50 year old who sort of looked like Big Bird) was clearly looking for her moment on tv. But others it’s hard to tell. Like Diana, the “large” girl who came in wearing one glove (ala Michael Jackson) and sang Whitney Houston. Or crazy Brandy, who seemed to be convinced that she sounded better on the carpet. You have to wonder if these people really hear themselves sing and think they are good. I feel bad for them – it’s sort of like being color blind.

There were a few really good singers. I LOVED Chris, the funny guy with the fro who wants to make David Hasselhoff cry. He’s funny, and he sounded amazing. I also liked Tatiana, the cute little girl who sang towards the beginning of the show (who knows what she sang…I was focused on her giant red and white belt). I also think that Jamie Lynn, who helps to take care of her paralyzed father, will go far. She’s this season’s Kellie Pickler, and she now has a hit single. Go figure.

If Only We Had Chicken Suits...

Chicken suits. Did Trump just fire someone over chicken suits?

After the requisite movement of a team member to Arrow, the teams started on a marketing task. As soon as I heard the two different bowls, I knew Arrow would win. Why? Because I would never eat Kinetic's creation...I'm like Trump - I don't like fruit with my food. (I was the only one at my own wedding who didn't eat the chicken with fruit salsa) It was even clearer when they showed the two restaurants. Arrow's restaurant had balloons, signs, and a general air of excitement. Over at Kinetic's restaurant I wasn't even sure they were having a promotion. Did they do any marketing at all?

In the end, Arrow did finally win one, and got an amazing reward. They're in the house now, and got a private concert from Andrea Bocelli. Amazing. I liked seeing a softer side of Frank at the reward too - he really got choked up at the concert. My friend Stephen thinks that Frank is a "typical obnoxious Yankees fan"; he is, but he's also starting to grow on me. I also really like Aaron. He's a local kid - he actually went to the same college as my sister - and he seems to have really good business sense.

Over on Kinetic, it was great to see them in the boardroom. I was also happy to see the return of pretty-boy-Sean from last season. What bothered me was what ended up happening. It shouldn't have been Marissa fired. It wasn't her fault that they lost. Heidi was in control, and decided that she wasn't going to take any of Marissa's suggestions. I totally see where Marissa just gave up - none of her ideas were being considered. (I also don't understand what the rest of the team was doing while Marissa & Derek were working on marketing) Marissa was also right when she pointed out that the rest of the team had ganged up on her - they HAD decided ahead of time to take out Marissa - when Trump asked them all who they would fire, they already knew who they would say. I think that if Marissa had managed to keep her mouth shut, maybe Heidi would have been fired. I know that there is a lot of board room that we don't see (come on NBC, post the entire board room on the web!), but it didn't seem like Heidi had to do much explaining about the task. But Marissa kept saying "chicken suits" over and over and over. Of course, she was the one Trump fired.

Not Really Sure That Grease is What I Want

Yes, I watched Grease: You’re The One That I Want again tonight. Actually, I watched last week’s episode this afternoon, then the new episode tonight. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I keep watching. Of course, by me watching, my reality-tv hating hubby actually uttered the phrase “this actually makes me miss American Idol.” Totally worth the three hours.

I hated the format of the show - introducing two performers, then having them both perform and be judged together. I’m not really sure of the point. I also didn’t understand Billy Bush feeling the need to give each contestant a nickname (“It’s sweet Sandy! And emotional Sandy!).

I’m also really unclear on the show itself. Will it be singing every week? And wouldn’t that just make this a really cheap rip-off of American Idol? I’m hoping that we’ll have weeks where the competition will be dancing or acting. And why did they bring back two contestants? Matt was good, but Ashley A. was horrible. If you’re going to bring two back, why Ashley A? Very strange. They also never explained if the contestants choose their songs and outfits, or if they are selected for them to set the mood (like they were in the final round at “Grease Academy”). And if someone selects the outfits for them, whoever selected Laura’s outfit (the short yellow shirts and white high heel ankle boots) needs to be fired. Now.

I’m also a little shaky on the voting thing. First, there doesn’t seem to be a results show planned. When do the people get voted off? The results show is the one thing that all of these Idol knock-offs have in common.

Sigh…I can’t believe I care this much.

Anyways, some of the contestants were pretty good. I liked Derek and Chad for the guys, as well as Austin, though I think his “I’m good and I know it” attitude is going to get him kicked off earlier than expected. For the girls, I liked Kate and Ashley S. I’m not sure who will be eliminated, mostly because I’m not sure how it will work…is it voting that eliminates someone, or is there another round before someone goes home? And did anyone else notice how nice the judges were being to some of them who really didn’t deserve it? I have a theory. There are always those “vote for the worst” websites…could the judges actually be aware of them? There’s a lot more at stake for the judges to have a strong winner at the end of this show than at the end of all the others. I really think that they may be nervous to really slam a bad performance for fear that voters may rally behind them. Just a theory. I guess we’ll find out in two weeks (because NBC is smart enough to not put this stuff up against the Super Bowl…).

Idol in NYC

Thank goodness - two full hours of Idol tonight. And once again, the producers rewarded us with some of the best and worst singers ever. No one really in between - just really good or really bad. (which brings up a great game - can you guess whether they'll be good or bad before they open their mouths? It's harder than you think...)

I was right about the first contestant of the night - Ian was, in fact, the same guy who auditioned over the summer for So You Think You Can Dance?. And, sadly, he is a worse singer than he is a dancer. But good for us, it was such a "great" audition that he needed to be escorted out of the room. Fantastic start to the night.

There were lots of really horrible auditions tonight. And the producers did a great job editing them. Not only did they show Ian walking around introducing himself as the next American Idol, they played the soap opera music over Ashanti's pleas to go to Hollywood. They also gave Sarah, who knows she can't sing, way more airtime then you would guess (and trust me, I'm thankful for it). Seacrest was also in rare form tonight - he's really perfected the art of saying nothing. The best was Isadora...after she read his palm (and did you see the look on his face?) and really ruined a perfectly good song, he asked her how she thought day 2 went. When she tried to explain that it was day 3, he just looked at the cameras and commented on how that summed it all up. Great job Ryan.

There were also a lot of really good singers tonight. I really liked Jenry (the hunky guy in the polo shirt), Chris (the green shirt guy who looks like Justin Timberlake), Jory (the world traveler), and Antonella (who auditioned with her best friend...sure to be good for some drama later in the show). I was also really glad to see Nicholas (who made it to the Hollywood round last year, but bowed out) back this season - I loved him last year, so I hope he can get it together in Hollywood this year.

Another Great Night on Idol

It was another fantastic night on American Idol. The only problem? It was only an hour long.

First, though, a follow-up from last week's show. You may remember Jonathan, the large boy from Seattle who was friends with the strange-looking kid that Simon called a bush baby. Turns out that Jonathan is actually a Special Olympian, which started a string of hatred toward the show, most notably from Rosie O'Donnell, who couldn't believe that Simon would treat a Special Olympics kid that way. Well, you know what? Jonathan didn't mind. He thought it was funny. And Special Olympics released a statement supporting the Idol judges as well. They were pleased that Jonathan was treated like any other kid, and given the same chance that everyone else got. I couldn't agree more.

So on to tonight's show, which made me and my husband laugh so hard it actually hurt. It started out strong, with Frank the cheerleader who brought a band and cheer squad with him. And when he didn't make it through to Hollywood, the band played that "so sad too bad" noise (I won't even begin to try to spell out that noise...you know what I mean). And then when Simon asked them to shut up, Seacrest fought back...we had to watch it a couple of times we were laughing so hard. Then there was the dullest contestant ever, Tameka, who I don't even think realized what she was doing. What about Travis, who wanted to bring emotion to the show? The only emotion I got was more laughter. Or Topher, whose wife left him, but he got to call her a b---h on national tv. What about Robert, whose Elvis song makes me think that he may also be a Special Olympian. And my absolute favorite, Janita, who told cameras that she wears sunglasses because they "boost my confidentiality." They do wonders for your confidence as well.

There were a few good singers. The ones that I think will do well were Sundance (I mean, come on - his name is Sundance), Danielle (who sang the Aretha song), Sean (the Castro lookalike), and Melinda (the girl with a great voice but no self-confidence). Can't wait for tomorrow's show.

Oh - one last note. Did anyone else recognize the guy in the preview for Wednesday night's show? I think he auditioned last summer for So You Think You Can Dance?...he was the one who came in and asked where he should put his mink. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly certain it's the same guy. Hopefully I'm not the only one who noticed...

Would you Rather Quit or be Fired?

That's really the question, isn't it. Ok, maybe the bigger question from Sunday night is how Tom Brady and my beloved Patriots could blow a 21-3 halftime lead to the Colts. Seriously. I don't care that it was one of the best games ever, that Peyton Manning may just be a better QB than Brady, and that he might also be one of the nicest and most decent guys in the game. At least now we can get back to focusing on the fact that pitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than a month. Sigh...

So after I got over the Pats loss (ok, sort of), I watched Sunday night's episode of The Apprentice. I'm just not sure about this season. It sure does seem like it's jumped the shark. But I can't figure out why. The contestants are nice enough. The twists this season are actually interesting. And all of the tasks have been fantastic (best tasks in several years...thank you Mark Burnett...). But something seems to be lacking, and I don't know what.

The task this week was fantastic. And you could tell from about two seconds in that Michelle was going to lose. She didn't want to be project manager, and she clearly had no leadership skills. Meanwhile, Aaron was leading his team to a clear victory. I kind of felt bad for Michelle's team. It was pitiful. But what was even more pitiful than the crushing defeat was Michelle quitting. She had to know she was going to be fired. She could have even gone into the board room, said that she was responsible for the loss and that she should be fired instead of the others. It would have been the same result, and she would have looked a million times better. Instead, she made a decision that is going to make it hard for her to get a job outside of the show. Yes, the show is hard. But you had to know that going in - to look at Donald Trump and tell him that this wasn't what you signed up for is not only dumb; it's insulting, both to Trump and to the thousands of people who were turned down so you could have a chance on the show. I hope that she can live with that choice.

More Losers on American Idol

Rumor had it that this season's auditions in Seattle were the worst in Idol history. And while it's hard to trust anything that Paula Abdul says, I think she's right on this one. They could really just package tonight's episode as "The Best of the Worst" and be done with it.

You knew it was going to be bad when last season's "I Shot the Sheriff" guy started the show off dressed as Uncle Sam. And then it's followed up by a not-so-attractive girl calling herself "the hotness." No, this just can't be good. Actually, not good would have been fine. Instead, we got Darwin and her mother, who seemed to step right out of the twilight zone. Or new-found friends Kenneth (who looks like a monkey) and Jonathan (who would be much better suited for The Biggest Loser). Or Nicholas, the software engineer who just murdered "Unchained Melody." (and since he said that his co-workers encouraged him to try out, you just have to think that he's the butt of one of the greatest practical jokes ever) What about Amy, whose sob story was that her husband told her not to audition, even though he was clearly trying to protect her. Or Big Red, who apparently isn't a fan of American Idol, or even of music itself. Do these people not have friends? Why don't they tell them how bad they sound?

There were a few good singers tonight (but really, just a few). I liked Thomas with the afro, who sang "Arms of a Woman" towards the beginning of the show. I also liked brother & sister duo of Shyamali and Sanjaya. They both had great voices, and I think that the show could use some more diversity.

Yay for the audition round & for people who have no clue. Can't wait for next week.

Idol is Back!

Hooray! After what seems like forever, American Idol is finally back. And even though I love the singing rounds (you know, when we actually get to vote), there is nothing like the audition rounds. Even my cranky husband likes it.

Some thoughts from last night's premiere...Ryan Seacrest seems a bit snarky this season, and I LOVE it. His comments to some of the crazier contestants were so funny that we had to pause and rewind the tivo. Also hilarious? The fact that they had one of the two doors locked. It was like a running joke on The Muppet Show as nearly every reject also had to hear Simon say "other door." (and you just knew that after awhile Simon was adding an expletive after that) I also liked the return of the guest judge. I'm not a fan of the guest judge later on in the show (since it always seems that they are there to sell something), but I liked it last night. Maybe it was just because it was Jewel, but I hope they do it in more cities.

Now for the contestants. Oh dear. There were so many bad contestants last night, I can't possibly name them all. Some standouts? Troy, the "urban Amish" guy who admitted that he's not the next American Idol, and I think who made up the song as he went along. And there were the string of mediocre singers who made it on tv because they had a serious meltdown after being rejected. The best was Jason (the juggler) who seemed pretty calm as he left, then launched into a string of expletives and tears when he was back with Seacrest. Oh my. And he was also the beneficiary of the best edit of the night - as he's swearing and sobbing, they cut to Simon commenting that he took it well.

Speaking of editing, they continued the practice of highlighting people who were either tremendously good or tremendously bad. They spent a lot of time with Idol super-fan Brenna...super bad. And they spent a lot of time with Denise (the "crack baby")...really good. My husband also noticed that they only showed the good singers who had an interesting back story. The "normal" singers who made it through to Hollywood got no airtime.

There were a couple of singers who stood out in a good way last night. I'm scared to make predictions this early, but I liked Jarrod the Navy guy, Denise the "crack baby", and Sarah who sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Now watch - they'll all be cut in the first round in Hollywood. So sorry to jinx you all.

Nice Shorts...

There’s a lot of talk about this season of The Apprentice. Some say "best ever"; some say the show has jumped the shark. All I can think about is how white Donald Trump's ankles are. Seriously, did you see them? They were about a million shades lighter than his face. It's all I can think about. Well, that and Carey in his pink bathing suit. Oh my.

Even though I don't see how designing a bathing suit prepares you for a career in the Trump organization, I really liked the task. I liked it because it wasn't all about selling a sponsor's product (which was nearly every task last season). Yes, there was a sponsor, but it was much better integrated into the show.

So, I liked the task (and I liked the reward - how fun would it be to hang out at the Playboy Mansion? And yes, my husband thinks it's really cool that I think that...). But I hated the editing. Did anyone else notice that in Carey's interview at the beginning of the show he said that living in the tents for two weeks was miserable? Did anyone else realize that that means that they lost, since they had only been in the tents for about a week at the start of the task? Even if they had actually been living in the tents already for two weeks, the story of the show has them having been there a week, which would break up the story they are trying to build.

I also hated that Carey got fired. There was no question that it was his fault that they lost. (I mean, come on...who would wear that?) But he took a risk, while the other team played it very safe. And I really hated that Michelle refused to make a decision or take a stand on anything, so nothing could be pinned on her if they lost. I hate that kind of game play, especially in a show like this, which is all about taking a risk and shining.

Grease: You're the One That I Want

Yes, I watched again. No, I don't know why.

Armed and Famous

Have I watched the show? NO. I hadn't even planned on it - you know the premise of a show is bad when I don't tivo it. I didn't even feel bad about it. That is, until today. I love love love the Don and Mike show. It's a syndicated radio show that I've listened to since middle school. Seriously. They rock. So on today's show, Mike was talking about how great Armed and Famous was. To the point that I'm thinking about giving it a try. The episodes are online...I'll let you know...

Grease...I'm Just not Sure You're the One That I Want...

I finally just got around to watching the first episode of Grease: You're the One That I Want. I don't think it speaks too well for the show that it took me nearly a week to watch it (especially when you consider how many re-runs of Scrubs I've watched this week on Comedy Central...wait, isn't it time for another episode right now?...). I will say, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. That being said, it's not that good either.

I love the set-up itself. I'm one of those people who loves the movie version of Grease; one of those people who always stops on it when it's on tv. Hypothetically, it's a combination of two of my favorite reality shows - American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. But it falls so short. The format is such a copy of American Idol that their producers should prepare for the law suits. But in all the areas that they try to be Idol they fall hopelessly short. The judges aren't nearly as good, and (I can't believe I'm about to say this) Billy Bush is certainly no Ryan Seacrest (yikes, I did just type that). They also have the most ridiculous catch phrase...apparently every time someone is chosen, the judges have to use the phrase "you're the one that we want...". Do you think that the producers look at interns and say "you're the one that I want to get me a double espresso"? One can only hope.

The other ridiculousness is that the next round of competition has them going to "Grease Academy." Wow. Let me just tell you where I do NOT want to go.

So, will I watch the show again? Probably, especially since I can tivo it and watch it some other time when there's nothing else on. I'm hoping that once we get through auditions and there are actual good contestants I'll get more into it. Hopefully...

The Donald is Back

It's been a long few weeks without any new reality tv. I really don't know how I survived.

Last night's premiere of The Apprentice: LA was surprisingly good. I knew that there would be some twists, but not how many twists there would be. And for the most part, they're good.

To recap, they're in LA this season. Trump is in one mansion, the candidates are in the mansion next door. Well, sort of...the winning team is in the mansion; the losing team is in tent-city in the sprawling backyard (and since it's a mansion's backyard, there are sprinklers. Brilliant.). It's a huge twist not just because of the rift it creates between the teams, and the reward of living in the house, but game-wise, it means the teams don't really interact with each other. At first I didn't like it, but it's more Survivor-ish, and we all know how I feel about Survivor. George and Carolyn are gone...I know that Carolyn is no longer with the Trump organization, but who knows what happened to George. Ivanka is the one "eyes & ears" this season, and she's actually pretty good. The other seat? The winning PM. Wow. That's a HUGE twist...not sure if I like it or not yet. It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the season, especially when a PM who has sat in the board room actually loses. The final twist I know how I feel about - the winning PM stays PM until they lose. This I hate. So many reasons why - for now, just know that I hate it.

Now for the candidates. It's hard to have feelings about most of them yet, but I definitely have my favorites (and my not-so-favorites). I really like Heidi & James. I also like Angela. One of them will be in the finals for sure (see, I'm not so much for predicting the entire final three anymore!). At the other end? Well, let's just say I wasn't sad to see Martin go. If he pulled out one more African proverb, I would have lost it. So worthless; so his time to go. Frank didn't do a great job, but I think he'll be fine - being the first PM when you don't know your team yet...it's hard, and he didn't lose by a huge margin.

The other thing I really like this season is that Trump seems to have a lot more attitude. Even from the first few minutes when he said to his son "take care of yourself." :) He was funny on the reward, and snarky in the boardroom. I love it.

Can't wait for next week...

The Puppet Master Wins it All

So another season of Survivor comes to an end, and even with a lackluster final tribal council, this was one of the best seasons in awhile.

The second to last immunity challenge is always a tough one, and the ropes course puzzle challenge was no different. It was TOUGH, and it was a close finish at the end. I do wonder, though, if there was a challenge or two that was cut out by the producers (before the survivors actually competed in it). There has always been a "second chance" obstacle course...elements from lots of previous challenges. There also wasn't a final reward challenge - no car reward. I do know that Chevy pulled out of their sponsorship of Survivor this season (though the way it was announced it seemed like it was in response to the racial divisions of tribes, which was after the season was filmed). I also wonder when the decision was made to have a final three - if it was mid-season, or a decision made before filming started. No surprise that Adam was the next voted off, though I loved his game play in the end to try to force Yul to use the immunity idol. Very very smart - probably his best strategy move in the game...too bad he didn't start really playing the game earlier.

So after the final rite of passage (which was nice that they got to all do together...and also why part of me thinks that the final three twist was added later in the game) we had one of the best final immunity challenges in awhile. I still can't believe how long Sundra lasted. I also think that by having a final three, they eliminated one of the greatest powers in the game - deciding who sits next to you in the final tribal council. It may have well been by design...so much of the game play in the past has been choosing someone for the final tribal that you know you can beat (and therefore the most deserving players often go out third). I don't think the game would have played out any differently, but still an interesting twist. I also loved that Ozzy & Yul decided that it was most fair to have the vote end in a tie. Kudos to Becky for realizing that if she wanted any hope at all of winning, she couldn't accept the immunity idol from Yul. In the end, it was the lamest tie breaker ever. How can you be out there for 38 days and not be able to make fire? And not being able to make fire with matches? Oh my goodness. Did you see the looks on the faces of the jury (nice yawns by the way) and on the face of Jeff Probst? It's going to be a tough call for best Probst look of the season...the look of disgust as they can't make fire, or the look of shock when Billy professed his love for Candice. In the end, Becky managed to actually get a flame (after over 90 minutes), and Sundra was the only member of the Aitu Four to not face the final jury.

Which brings us to the final tribal council. I do feel bad for Becky. She had to know going in that the chances of her even getting one vote were slim to none. So why she didn't just lay it all out there is beyond me. She had NOTHING to lose. Instead, she said very little, which was how she played the game. I don't think she could have won, but she could at least have gotten a few votes. With the exception of Jonathan & Adam, this final tribal council was one of the most boring ever. It seemed like everyone had just accepted the fact that Yul or Ozzy would win, and that most (if not all) had made up their minds before tribal ever started. Part of the problem, too, was that Brad, Rebecca, & Jenny had never been on a tribe with all three of them. And while CBS hasn't posted the final votes on their website (which, by the way, is strange, since they usually show us in the end who everyone voted for, yet they still haven't...hmmmm...), I would bet that Jenny & Brad voted for Yul, since they actually knew him from their original tribe at the beginning of the game. Regardless of final two or final three in the future, the members of the jury need to be voted on post-merge, simply so they will have had actual interaction with the final survivors.

In the end, Adam's decision to honor his promise to Yul (to vote for him if Yul voted out Jonathan before Adam & Parvati) was the deciding vote. And with the car being rewarded during the finale, Ozzy manages to keep the Survivor car curse alive. It was a tough call...it's the one of the only seasons where the final two (yes, I know that Becky was there too, but no one really thought she could win, did they?) really both deserved to win. Yul was one of the best strategic players ever, and Ozzy was certainly the best physical players ever. I only wish we could have found out what would have happened if there had been a tie. Maybe a million for both?

Speaking of unanswered questions, what happened to Nate? Did you see him hobbling in with a hurt ankle for two of the last tribal councils? And seriously, why didn't they explain what would have happened in the case of a tie?

With four nice people in the end, and lots of love all around, it was a really boring reunion show. Cao Boi continued to be weird (and I loved that when he tried to add something Probst looked at him and shook his head no), and no one mentioned that Sekou's music wasn't very good. And why didn't Probst ask if something happened between Adam & Candice while they were on the jury?

So a great season of Survivor comes to an end. And the previews of Survivor: Fiji look AMAZING. I just wish I didn't have to wait till the spring for it. I hope you all have a wonderful Chanukah/Christmas/New Years/Winter Holiday...see you in 2007.

The Great Cook Islands humpback whale...

That's right, I'm still laughing about it. Oh Ozzy. Who knew you had it in you? :)

With the finale tonight (can I just say again how much I hate that there will be a final 3?), I'm going to keep it brief, but a few thoughts on Thursday's episode...

Why did Ozzy win the reward challenge? It was a reward challenge...he would have been much better off losing (or pacing himself so he would come in 2nd or 3rd, and still gone on the reward) and getting the target off his back a little. If he loses an immunity, we may just see Adam in the final three tonight.

Two great challenges. I liked the variation on the mud volcano challenge from Borneo, and a tough tough immunity challenge (as it should be at this stage of the game).

We still haven't had the car reward challenge...Ozzy might be the person to break the Survivor "car curse." Of course, if I was that close to the million, and I might not try as hard on the car challenge knowing that no one who's won the car has ever won the game.

Finally, what was up with the hat at tribal council? I'm not sure why Probst pointed it out in the first place, since it easily could impact the game. But worse than that was Yul's reaction. Why wouldn't you just say that Jonathan asked for the hat back, and it just happened that Yul carried it in - tell the jury that the hat was from EVERYONE. Yul's honesty could very well be his downfall in the game.

So, finale tonight, and I think it will be Ozzy or Yul to win it. All I know is that my tivo is ready to capture the first moment between Candice & Billy. :)

The Biggest Loser Finale

Holy Cow. That's all I have to say. Holy Cow.

Ok, maybe I do have FEW more things to say about the season finale of The Biggest Loser. First, I may be wrong on this point, but I think that the contestants this season lost considerably more weight than in either of the previous two seasons. (Matt, who won last season, lost 157 lbs - about 46% of his weight) That being said, I also believe that this season had more time at home before the finale. I thought that they had 3-4 months at home before; this season they had at least 5 months (since Heather was 5 months pregnant!). And while the weight loss is unbelievably impressive, I worry about the message it's sending as well. There's no doubt that Americans are overweight, and most of us need to lose a few pounds. But losing 50% of your body weight is an unrealistic goal for most (even for those who really do need to lose that much weight), and certainly unhealthy to lose it in that amount of time. I would like to see a special a year from now to see how much weight they have actually kept off. I'm also sure that I'm not the only person who looked into their "Biggest Loser Club" since it clearly works...seems like the show may just be a giant advertisement for their website (you do have to pay to be a club member).

Anyways, I was impressed with their weight loss, especially Poppi, who lost all that weight by herself. I was also wholly unimpressed with the attitudes of several of the contestants. Yes, you lost a lot of weight. And yes, you look great. But you're still the same person - you're NOT better than us. And Marty - is that really the attitude you want to teach your students? As a teacher, I was embarrassed for you.

Side note: if you were surprised that Heather was pregnant, please raise your hand. Oh, I hope your hand isn't up right now. As soon as they showed her being tired and gaining weight, it was pretty clear (that, and they stopped showing her progress at home!). She did look really good though, even though I wasn't a fan throughout the show.

So a blue team member finally won (actually, both big prizes were won by blue teamers...Bob must be elated), with Erik losing a ridiculous 214 pounds - that's 52.08% of his body weight. Holy Cow. He looks like a completely different person. I hope he can keep the weight off...he does seem like he's a nice guy.

And with that, we're done for another season. It doesn't look like they'll be doing a "special edition" season this spring (remember how they did those 2-episode things last spring? They weren't that bad, really). So no more fat people on scales until the fall. Sigh...how will we ever last that long? :)

Season Finale of The Amazing Race

Even though I'm sad that we won't have The Amazing Race for a few months, I loved last night's season finale.

The last leg is always very quick - usually at least two flights, and lots of places to go to very quickly. This season's last leg was no different. Three countries, two flights, and two long train rides. Lots and lots of room for error.

The best face of the whole season was during last night's roadblock. No, it had nothing to do with Rob complaining that he didn't get to skydive (they explained today that the reason she did it was that they weren't sure if there would be one more roadblock on the race...she had 2 left, he had 1, and they wanted to have the option for either of them to do the final roadblock...really good strategy, actually). It was Lyn's face as the plane did a nosedive. Ha! I'm sure her kids will replay that for her over and over and over and...

I also LOVED that the final leg was in Paris. I've never been anywhere, but we were in Paris in October - my first trip out of the U.S.! So it was SO exciting to see the places where we were a few months ago! My husband wasn't as excited at first, but then we started recognizing things...the boys were in the metro stop by our hotel, we saw a restaurant where we ate at, and the detour was right by where we stayed (and we walked by there almost every day!). It rocked.

I also LOVED the drama at the airport. While there is part of me that wonders what would have happened if the boys didn't get on the flight, I was so glad they did (and that 'Bama didn't). My guess is that they would have changed a task to make it so it was an actual race at the end (it wouldn't have been too hard to add a task where they had to wait until something opened to allow a team or two to catch up). It was great tv at the end though, and who would have guessed that it would have all come down to a cabbie with EZPass? :)

So in the end, Tyler & James won, and I'm glad they did. They ran a great race throughout, and didn't rely on anyone else to get to the end. I'm also glad that Rob & Kimberly are much much nicer in real life than they were on the race! Kimberly said today that at some point she realized they were going to argue, and finally just embraced it. They also presented Tyler & James with neat collage frames during an interview today with pictures of the 4 of them and an EZPass!

Next up is The Amazing Race: All Stars...the previews say that it's coming in February, and the teams are still a secret. The real bummer is that there are teams featured in the preview that are definitely NOT a part. Strange. Regardless, though, I can't wait!

I LOVE This Season!

Ok, I admit it - this season of Survivor started slow. Too many people, too many tribes, gimmicks galore. But now? Well...I think this may be one of the best seasons ever.

In the previews for this week's episode, it sure did look like Parvati had to leave the game (thus explaining how we still have so many survivors). But in the first few minutes she sliced her thumb open, had it stitched up, and won the reward challenge. (and didn't you just love the juxtaposition of Parvati being the toughest player ever with Adam's wincing at the sight of blood?) She hasn't been my favorite player, but man is she tough.

I always love the family member reward challenge. And this one was great - a nice combination of a few previous challenges, and a nice balance between the survivors and their loved ones playing (I hate when the loved ones do the entire challenge). I don't understand, though, why it took so long for them to realize to squeeze their hair and clothes into the bucket (did they not watch previous seasons?). I also LOVED that Parvati's dad got to choose the other two to go on the reward. Side note - did anyone else notice the number of parents that were there vs. spouses/kids? This group of survivors may be the youngest yet. (but very smart - bringing back corn and chicken and meatloaf bought Adam & Parvati another few days, and may put them into the finals)

Oh Ozzy. First, you encourage your alliance to stop sharing food with the Raro folks. Then you engineer a plan to hide food from Adam & Parvati. And then you lap everybody at the challenge. Does anyone else remember how before the mutiny, Aitu discussed voting out Ozzy, since he would be such a threat at the challenges? Hmmm...

So one of the best players ever, Jonathan, was the next survivor voted off, and we're down to six. Of course, we're down to six, with only two episodes left. Word is that the final will be different this season - not a final two. Not sure what that means (rumor is final three), especially because there is the possibility for a tie in the final vote. And since Mark Burnett has publicly said that he will never do a final vote reveal on the island again, that adds a whole extra layer of intrigue (in season 1, where the votes were read at final tribal council...since then, the final votes are revealed during the live finale). I don't even know where to start predicting a winner, since an expanded final changes everything. But if Yul is up for votes from the jury, I don't know how he can lose.

Biggest Loser Final Four

I know, I said last week that I was done with The Biggest Loser. But I've logged so many hours with this ridiculous season, I just have to see it to the end. Even if it meant sitting through last night's "supersized" episode (seriously, someone at NBC is having a good laugh about calling an episode of a weight loss show "supersized"...hee hee!).

The first hour of the show featured the trainers going to two high schools to mentor kids for a whopping three weeks. Ooooh. I know it made a difference in the kids' lives to train with Bob for a few hours, then have him come in and look at what they eat for lunch. But seriously, how little effort did he put into this? At least Kim came back for the follow-up visit; Matt from last season did the follow-up with Bob's kids. And the indignation about the cafeteria food? Seriously Bob, it's like that at every cafeteria in America. And while it is nice to pack your lunch, a huge percentage of kids can't afford to do that. At some schools, more than 50% of the students are on free or reduced lunch programs. Which means that school lunch is the only option. It would have been even better if Bob & Kim had given the kids some strategies to eat what the cafeteria was serving.

The actual episode wasn't much better. The final challenge wasn't actually a challenge - somehow running a triathlon was a "reward." And yes, I did think it was touching that they all waited for Wylie to swim together. But don't you think they would have left him in the dust if there was a prize at the finish line? Seriously.

And then there was the triumphant return of Matt & Suzy to the ranch to give the contestants a pep talk. Suzy looks great - she's put back on a few pounds, but still is super skinny (I also hear that she's pregnant, so any extra weight may just be from that!). But no shocker, Matt's put back a LOT of the weight. Then he tells the contestants that he put a lot of the weight back on, but it's coming back off now that he's realized he needs to keep this up for the rest of his life. Let me get this straight - you're working out twice a day and eating a low-cal diet for the rest of your life? Seriously, I'd rather be a few pounds overweight than live like that for the rest of my life.

It also was no surprise that when Jaron fell below the yellow line, he was sent home. The other contestants were trying to get him off since he set foot on the ranch. I did like how he left though - he's a classy guy. And while I hated that he was voted out, I think it probably was the right choice - Jaron would have won the whole thing in the end.

So next week is the live finale. It's really anyone's game - did you notice how close the final four are in total percentages lost? Of course, they're previewing that a finalist has something shocking happen, so maybe one of them goes home and stops losing (my money's on Heather). There's no one left really to root for...I guess I'm hoping for Wylie, since we can't have them all lose.

Final 3 Set on TAR

The good news? There's finally an all girl team in the final three of The Amazing Race. The bad news? It's not Dustin & Kandice.

This was another great leg of the race. This was the second "gross food" roadblock this season (3rd challenge overall when you figure in the cow lips fast forward). Eating the camel meat, though, was really more a mental task then physical. It seemed like if they didn't know it was camel, it wouldn't have been bad at all...James & Kandice both did it quickly, commenting that it tasted like hamburger. It's just the whole idea of eating camel that slowed the other two teams up.

Speaking of the other teams...what is up with Rob & Kimberly? Every week they melt down, and every week they are all teary-eyed and in love at the pit-stop. Of course, this week's finish was even more of the tears & love. Did Rob actually start to cry and talk about how he wants to marry Kimberly? I guess that's touching...they certainly do deserve each other. They don't bother me nearly as much as Lyn & Karlyn. I do have to hand it to Lyn - she did a good job of keeping reasonably calm in the face of Karlyn's nastiness. I think that she set a good example for her kids, which is far more than I can say about Karlyn. She is acting far more like one of Lyn's kids than Lyn's friend. I would put her on the list of most obnoxious racers ever. I will say, though, that we were so excited when they chose the tomatoes detour...my husband got so excited as they were driving there, thinking of what Karlyn's reaction would be to being pelted by the locals.

I'm bummed that the beauty queens were eliminated. They were a far better team to be the first all-female winners than the 'Bama girls. That, and they could have actually won. Tyler & James were right - having 'Bama in the final three gives them a much better chance to win (it's like having a one in two shot, instead of one in three). I also liked how they broke more than a few stereotypes about beauty queens. I know, it's strange to even type that, but I have a few friends that did the Miss Virginia pageant (one who actually was Miss Virginia), and they are bright, wonderful people - nothing like you would expect.

So next week is the final...I'm pretty sure that Rob & Kimberly win. Or Tyler & James. In the preview at the end of this week's episode, it shows all three teams running for the finish line...two of them look happy.

Oh Snap!

Holy cow, last night's episode of Survivor: Cook Islands was one of the best ever. Let me just say that again...one of the best episodes ever. Even with the slow start, this season is shaping up to be one of the ages. Thank you Jonathan.

Why Jonathan? He's one of the best characters Survivor has ever had. And he was in rare form last night. First, he cleaned up on the Survivor auction. And he wasn't shy about it. Pepperoni burps when no one has eaten are classic. He played that auction exactly how you should - spend every last cent because you never know. They've already had the reward challenge with letters from home, so you know that you're probably only looking at food & comfort items being up for grabs - spend away! I don't feel at all bad for the knuckleheads who came away with nothing. What were you waiting for? And why Adam & Candice didn't pool ALL their money to get the chance to send someone to exile was ridiculous. You don't know what the note is, only that it is a power? You're at a 3-5 minority - take any chance you can to change the game.

There is a tradition of Survivor meltdowns, but nothing like the "fish incident" last night. Five eat while three make-out in the shelter (which, by the way, was so gross...don't be kissing Candice while you've got Parvati snuggled in on your other arm! Ewwww!). Every season there is someone who realizes that they are about to go home, and they stop putting in all the work at camp. But never has the rest of the tribe decided to just stop feeding them. And Jonathan & Candice's fight was classic.

Speaking of classic, Candice's exit certainly falls in that category. No rant, no gesture, just a long sloppy kiss with Adam. Once again, ewwww! I think that Nate's jury reactions would also go in the "classics" category. I think he may have gotten more screen time on the jury then Sundra did this episode. And Jeff Probst's parting line was also fantastic - "A kiss is nice… Maybe if it were love he would have given you the Immunity necklace."

A few other notes. Yul is maybe the smartest person to ever play the game. Showing everyone the immunity idol was brilliant. They all knew he had it; by showing it he pretty much bailed out Jonathan. He is clearly running every possible scenario in his head, and is smart enough to make moves to keep his alliance going. If he's in the final two, I don't think he can lose, even if the Raro folks hold to their promise to not vote for him as retaliation for keeping Jonathan in the game. We also have a LOT of people left for day 31...something has got to happen, especially with the jury. Rumor is that the finale will start with 5...there are three episodes left (including the finale on 12/17, so I guess that makes sense...sort of). I'm still convinced there will be at least one more big twist to come. Hmmm...