Survivor Nicaragua - FINAL results!

With his back against the wall and against all odds...

Fabio dug deep to win the final three immunity challenges.  So by surviving a tribe where the majority alliance was going to vote him out at the first opportunity, he also wins the hearts of the jury with a close vote of 5-4 over Chase and Sash, who got no votes.  I thought Fabio was a goner at the final immunity challenge - his coins looked like they were going to fall over any second, but Sash clumsily dropped his last coin on his stack instead of placing it.  Fabio was all smiles the whole rest of the show after that.

There were a couple of crazy finishes in the pool.  First of all, only 13 entries had Fabio, including Tara P's #2 entry at the bottom, so she earned too many points and lost last place to Rene Sr.  Don also jumped from 6th to steal 4th place prize!  And for the first time ever, there's a tie:  Jacquie and Muriel will split the combined total of 2nd and 3rd place prizes.  Here's the summary:

• 1st, $245:  Shawna, who controlled 1st place from the start, and has won $275 over the last 12 seasons.
• 2nd, $85:  Jacquie, who snuck up the rankings late in the game, and is a first time winner.
• 2nd, $85:  Muriel, who snuck up even later in the game as a result of having the first contestant voted off, and has won $195 since joining the pool 5 seasons ago.
• 4th, $50:  Don, who has sucked in each of the previous 3 seasons since joining the pool, is a first time winner.
• Last, $25:  Rene Sr, who stole last place in the last episode, and has won $80 in the last 12 seasons (not on the plus side yet!).

The next season of survivor starts in February and is full of second chances!  We'll see how that turns out.  Have a great holiday everyone!

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 13 results

Family Episode

Was Fabio ever upset when Chase won the reward challenge and didn't take him and his mom along.  I haven't heard the term "man" used so much, but I was very impressed at how well Fabio did at the blindfolded immunity challenge.  I'm always impressed by how well they can do those kind of touch-only memory challenges.  I think this was the first time ever that an alliance actually admitted they were going to backstab one of their own to their face.  I liked how Jane doused the fire that she made in retribution.

At tribal council, Jeff revealed the alliance of Chase, Sash and Holly and their future intentions.  I love when that happens because it hardly ever does.  What was frustrating this whole season is that everyone realized who was in power too late to have the numbers to do anything about it.  This season's cast of contestants are the dumbest so far.  Jane couldn't even rally Fabio and Dan to vote the same way to save any of their butts, so Jane's gone.

Only 6 entries in the pool had Jane.  There's a big battle for the top 4 prizes, and Tara P still has a good grip on last place, as long as Fabio doesn't make it to the end.

Sunday is the finale.  There will be 3 tribal councils so points will be awarded to remaining picks 3 times, with the winner getting double points.  Don't miss it!

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 12 results

"Here are the members of the jury... and the two quitters." - Jeff Probst

Loved when I heard that!  NaOnka and purple Kelly two shouldn't even get to be on the jury.  It would still work out.  Also loved the naming of the chicken Kelly-Nay.

This episode had a lot of strategizing going on, but not enough from the alliance of Benry, Fabio, and Dan to keep Sash on their side.  One of those three should have guaranteed going to the finals with Sash instead leaving him feeling like he'd be a fourth wheel.  Although Chase did stupidly fail to bring Sash with him to the reward, he did make up for it by promising to take Sash to the finals which won Sash over.  So after Sash won immunity, the new alliance in power of Sash, Chase, Holly, and Jane blindsided Benry at tribal council.

In the pool, 26 entries had Benry, including Tara P's #2 pick at the bottom and now it looks like she has a good chance of winning last place.  Muriel moved up from 7th to 4th and is the only entry left with 5 picks.

Next week is the last two episodes!  Happy snow-shoveling tomorrow,

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 11 results

Quitters!

I think this was the only episode to cover only one day, and to do that, there was a lot of video of contestants talking.  Talking about quitting.  Namely NaOnka and Purple Kelly.  Only 11 more days to go and they quit in their own pathetic ways.  It was a Survivor precedent - Jeff Probst called a special Tribal Council to give the two girls one last chance to change their minds and to my surprise both of them didn't.  The 3 members of the jury were furious that these two just gave up their spots in the game, and I'd be furious too.

In the pool, 3 entries had both NaOnka and Purple Kelly, including Shawna at the top, who is in great danger of finally losing her clutch on 1st prize.  Tara's #2 pick at the bottom is also in danger.  Sharlene jumped the most spots (7) to 21st and Rachel dropped the most spots (8) to 30th.

I was hoping NaOnka would go out under someone else's terms, and as a hard-hitting blindside.  This is truly unsatisfying.

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 10 results

 "Chase is sucking up to Brenda like he wants to get into her pants or something" - Jane

Best line in the show.  It was a great episode last night.  I give it a... 9 out of 10 - pretty high, I know, but I can't remember a recent great episode to compare it to.  FINALLY people are waking up and realizing who the powerhouses are and now the peons are starting to play the game (except for purple Kelly who is still a bystander).  The immunity challenge had some originality to it, and Jane proved once again that pound-for-pound she is still the strongest contestant left in the game.  Getting back to strategy - it was quite satisfying to see Brenda, who was becoming more and more unbearably egotistical in her interviews, and who thought scrambling was more or less "beneath" her, get voted out by almost everyone, including Chase and Sash who are trying to save their butts for next tribal council.  Good move by NaOnka for once.

In the pool, 21 entries had Brenda, including Shawna in the top spot; no one has a stranglehold on first place nor last place anymore.  Bob's entry jumped the highest (5 spots) and Janessa fell the hardest (5 spots).

After watching the preview for next week, I'm very curious as to what NaOnka does (again) to piss everyone off.  She is definitely unbelievable.

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 9 results

This episode gets a 5 out of 10 from me.  Nothing really exciting happens.  I thought breaking through bamboo barriers and brick walls in the reward challenge was pretty cool, though it was a pretty lopsided win for the boys.  NaOnka continues to disgust everyone.  Jane thinks Marty is vile and evil, but he's nothing compared to Russel from the last two seasons!  Anyhow, Marty came close to winning immunity but failed, and was voted out after Sash and Brenda decided not to keep Jane instead of him.  Any contestant left thinking they can break the alliance of Brenda, Chase, Sash, Kelly purple and NaOnka is stupid.  They no longer have the numbers to do so and should have done it after their alliance was made clear in episode 2.

In the pool, 26 people had Marty, the 48-year-old technology executive.  Shawna remains at the top with the only entry with 7 picks left.  Last place is up for grabs.  The highest jump was 8 spots (Elaine) and the biggest drop was 9 (Cheryl).

I doubt there will be any surprise left in the remaining episodes as to who's voted off next.  I hope the show proves me wrong.

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 8 results

Liberto

Well the tribes merged, giving some more life to Marty.  NaOnka tries to get away with stealing food and lying about it but gets caught and has to admit her guilt and pretty much her insanity too.  After Jane and Fabio win immunity (what an impressive performance by Jane!) Marty and Alina go on the chopping block.  Although Marty spouts out too much strategy at Tribal Council and makes himself a huge target, Sash's promise to him last week to save him this week keeps Marty alive and Alina gets voted out and becomes the first member of the Jury.  I give the episode a 6 out of 10.

In the pool, 16 entries had Alina, the 23-year-old art student.  Both ends of the pool are still up for grabs.  DW jumped up 12 spots while Janessa and Emily dropped 9.

The preview for next week shows NaOnka doing even more crazy stuff, that even puts Jeff Probst in disbelief.  I can't wait till she's gone, personally.

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 7 results

This episode was relatively pretty boring.  I'll give it a 6 out of 10; the only thing saving it was the suspense at the end.  With the La Flor tribe losing immunity, Marty could have been thinking too far ahead when he gave up his immunity idol to Sash on Sash's word that he would vote out Jill instead.  Either way, the idol was going to leave Marty's hands and Jill probably voted out.  Luckily, Sash kept his word and Jill was voted out instead of Marty.  I felt Jill was a strong competitor in every way and deserved to stay longer, but this game is too unpredictable.

In the pool, 32 entries had Jill (the highest for a female), the 43-year-old ER doctor.  Shawna remains at the number one spot having lost only one pick so far.  Tara P's #2 entry remains in last but now 5 other entries have 3 picks left.  Muriel jumped up 15 spots while Sharlene and I dropped 12 spots.

Thanks for your patience everyone.  For those who haven't seen our Facebook post, we had a baby boy on Thursday at 2:03 pm and named him Tavian Alexandre.  I put a couple of phone camera pics on my microblog here.

He laid on my lap and watched me type this blog before throwing up.  Here we go again for a second time.

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 6

Double elimination


Both tribes went to tribal council tonight.  Jill won individual immunity for La Flor and Holly for Espada.  Here are my thoughts:

La Flor
I don't understand how Fabio and Kelly B can align themselves with the alliance of Brenda, Purple Kelly and Sash.  Can't they see that when the tribes merge, NaOnka and Chase will rejoin their friends and those two will be outcast again?  Also, I know Marty is a bit arrogant (we all kind of knew that from the start), but Brenda's own arrogance in that show was starting to bug me.  Marty should have executed his unrevealed tide-turning plan with Fabio, because he was almost voted out and almost paid for trusting Sash.  I can't believe Marty didn't play his immunity idol - either he's extremely smart or extremely lucky.  Anyway, Kelly B paid for her stupidity and she was voted out.  The dynamics of this tribe saved the episode and earned an 8 out of 10 for entertainment from me - I can't wait for next week, because now Marty knows Brenda's running the show over there.

Espada
Just like the other tribe, I can't believe Benry and Alina are aligning themselves with NaOnka and Chase, who I'm sure will turn on them as soon as the tribes merge and they're back with their friends.  Anyway, Dan and Yves were on the chopping block and Yves got voted out because the young'uns do not perceive Dan as a threat later on, and Yves put the nail in her coffin by revealing her "intimate" knowledge of the older ones on La Flor, thinking it was a reason to keep her around, but everyone else interpreted it as "good relations" and a potential threat.  She should have chosen her words better.

In the pool, Shawna retained her #1 spot and Tara #2 kept her last place spot.  11 entries had both Kelly B and Yves - including Brad's entry, which fell 17 spots.  Denise, who is one of the 14 entries that have neither, jumped up 17 spots.

Next week, we'll see Fabio be more of a goofball and Sash try to convince Marty to give him his immunity idol... HIGHLY doubt that will work.

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 5 results

"Mind your neighbour"

Not a bad episode tonight - I'll give it a 7 out of 10 for entertainment, based on all previous seasons.  The tribes were mixed up and we got to see how the old and the young interact with each other.  The relaxed, worry-free nature of the young'uns was like oil to the older people's strict, scheduled water.  The immunity challenge finally had an original element to it - 3 people strapped to a rotating wheel getting their heads dunked in water and having to spit out water into a funnel on the topside.  The new Espada tribe lost and NaOnka almost threw herself into the fire by almost wanting to quit.  But the tribe's annoyance with Tyrone's authoritative role and eating too much chicken swung almost all their votes to him.

34 pool entries had Tyrone (second-highest), the 42-year-old fire captain.  Five of the entries that didn't have him jumped up 9 spots; Shawna now claims the sole #1 spot; and Tara P's #2 entry retains her perfect losing streak of 5 picks lost in 5 episodes.

In next week's preview, there's supposedly a new twist to the game.  I'm still waiting for a challenge that involves swimming - I want to see how well Holly, the swimming coach, can swim, as well as the others.

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 4 results

Tonight's episode featured the "crazies" even more so than the previous episodes.  NaOnka went off on Kelly B. for no reason; it's unfortunate that she found the immunity idol.  Jimmy T kept spouting rants about wanting to be the one calling the shots, although he wouldn't have changed anything about the immunity challenge - which the older tribe lost.  Marty helped rile him up at Tribal Council which worked and may have swung Tyrone to vote for Jimmy too.

So Jimmy T, the 48-year-old fisherman (who was awful using the fishing net), was voted off.  28 entries had him, including Tara P's #2 entry at the bottom which has a perfect losing record so far.  Two are left at the top with perfect winning records so far also.

In next week's preview, NaOnka starts losing it, which makes me happy.  Also, a tribe switch-up will shake things up and give Kelly B and Alina on the younger tribe some hope, but will ruin Marty's laid groundwork.  It'll be a good episode!

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 3 results

Wasn't much of an exciting episode tonight.  We got to see more of NaOnka's ugly side (and will see even more next week).  The older tribe came close but ended up losing the immunity/reward challenge.  Dan and Jimmy J. were on the chopping block, and when Jimmy admitted he was one of the weaker players, that might have swayed more people to vote him off.

So the famous coach Jimmy Johnson, who led two teams to win the Superbowl, was voted off.  Only 7 entries in the pool had him, so not too much movement.  Tara P's #2 entry has claimed last place... for now.

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua results - week 2

We saw a lot of people letting down their guard and maybe showing their true colours tonight.  Holly has lost it.  Like, she is not thinking straight at all.  NaOnka is very touchy and dramatic.   And Shannon at tribal council totally blew it for himself.  His comments, especially asking Sash if he was gay, rubbed people the wrong way - so much so that his ally Benry changed his vote from Brendan to Shannon.

31 pool entries had Shannon.  He was the second most popular pick in the pool.  Just like that, only 5 entries remain untouched at the top of the pool.  Don't start hoping for last place yet... anything can happen.

Oh yeah, you might notice one more entry than last week.  I didn't catch an entry that was sent on time by Facebook message.  Does anyone really use that website?  :P

Jay

Survivor Nicaragua - week 1 results

Welcome back to the pool everyone, and a fresh welcome to the several new participants.  Did anyone else have trouble watching the show?  Our setting to record it at the normal time didn't work (my fault), then both  later time-shift shows (standard def and hi-def) had audio problems.  We use Shaw, and it's not the first time our cable had problems during either the first our final episode of a Survivor season.  Had to eventually download it.

Anyway, the tribes were indeed split into older and younger, and the younger tribe wisely chose flint and fishing gear instead of a medallion that gives advantages at challenges.  I say this because the last time tribes were split by age, the younger tribe had no idea how to survive at camp with no help at all.  The older tribe decided not to use the medallion at the immunity challenge - they "wanted to make a statement" - but ended up losing the challenge mostly at the puzzle stage.  I agree with Brenda's statement: "they should be thinking about now, not tomorrow.  You shouldn't be taking chances."

Personally, I don't like the idea of the medallion.  But I suppose it's a way to try to keep one tribe from winning too many challenges in a row.  So maybe it's alright.  We'll see.

At Tribal Council, Coach Jimmy J. and Wendy were on the chopping block and Wendy made it even more easy for the tribe to vote her off by making a long-winded last second plea before the voting.  I was rolling my eyes along with all her tribe-mates.

23 entries in the pool had Wendy.  And I'll say this like I do after every first episode of a season:  even if you lose a pick right away, you can still make it to the top at the end.  That's how my pool works, so don't get upset yet.

There are 48 entries in this season's pool.  A little bit less than last season, but the prizes are still pretty good:

1st - $240

2nd - $95

3rd - $70

4th - $50

Last - $25

If you have any comments you'd like to add, please post them below!  If you don't have an account and have to post anonymously, make sure to add your name so we know who said it!  Talk to you next week everyone,

Jay

Survivor 21 Nicaragua begins in two weeks!

Welcome back everyone and hello to the newcomers!

Survivor 21 Nicaragua starts on Sept 15, on Wedensdays now!  That's a good thing, because my PVR can't handle Thursday nights anymore.  Anyway, it's time to send your entries in again.  The contestant list above includes information I found on the CBS website, including three words they used to describe themselves.  I also displayed the tribes that they are on:  La Flora (flower) and Espada (sword).

It looks like they're dividing the tribes by age again, to start off with anyway.  The last time they did this (Season 4 or 5?) the older tribe dominated the younger tribe in both mental AND physical challenges!  I think the older tribe had at least the last 4 contestants in that season.

So it goes the same as always: $10 per entry and submit as many as you'd like.  Pick 9 contestants per entry.  Get your entries to me or Monique before 5:00 pm on Sept. 15, as well as your entry fee.  Enter early just in case you submitted a duplicate entry to one before yours so we can get back to you ASAP and then you can make a change (has only happened a couple of times in over 11 seasons).

The pool also works the same as always: each entry gets points for every contestant that "survives" a tribal council.  The points start at 5 and increase by 5 every tribal council, making for big comebacks at the end for entries who start poorly.

Send your entries to bestsurvivorpoolever@shaw.ca along with email addresses to send weekly results if you've submitted entries for other people too.  That reminds me, invite your family and friends to join!  Last season, there were 56 entries and Rachel L. won 1st place at $280.  1st place = 50%, 2nd place = 20%, 3rd place = 15%, 4th place = 10%, and last place = 5%.  If you need to mail me a cheque, my address is below.

Good luck everyone,
"Pool Master" Jay


Jason Dela Cruz
75 Peter Sosiak Bay
Winnipeg, MB
R2C 5M3

Survivor 20 final results

Can you lie in the bed you made?

Just a few things I want to point out about the finale: 1. that was fricking hilarious when Sandra gave Russell a taste of his own medicine by throwing his hat in the fire; 2. Rupert pretty much sealed the deal for Sandra in his speech; and 3. Boston Rob said it all when commenting about Russel's game - "he plays to get to the end, not to win."  Russell pissed off the whole jury in way or another and so did not get any votes at all!

So Sandra won, which is who I was rooting for in this episode.  You could feel it coming together for her after Colby was voted out.  In the pool results you'll see the final results, after adding points after the 1st tribal council where Colby was voted out, then adding more points after Jerri was voted out, and then finally awarding 170 points to whoever had Sandra in their pool.  Here are the prize winners:

1st for $280:  Rachel.  This is only her second time in the pool!

2nd for $110:  Clint.  This is Clint's first time in the pool!  Clint, need your mailing address.

3rd for $85:  Rachelle D.  This is also her first time in the pool.  Need your mailing address!

4th for $55:  Tone.  He's been playing for 11 seasons and has now won a total of $407 since the start.  He knows his Survivor.

Last for $30:  Tara K #2.  This is also her second season playing in the pool.  Need your mailing address too, Tara.

Congrats to the prize winners and thanks to everyone for your participation in another great pool.  Have a great summer, and I'll get in touch with everyone again for Survivor Nicaragua in the fall!

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 13

Saving her own skin...

Just when she needed to most, Parvati won immunity and guaranteed herself another day, after Russell had decided she was the one to go.  So Russell had to backstab Rupert and helped to vote him off.  So only five remain for the season finale on Sunday.

In the pool, Rachel got her wish with Rupert being voted out, so she has clinched the 1st place prize!  Clint has clinched the 2nd place prize!  The 3rd and 4th place prizes are still up for grabs and will be determined by how far contestants Colby and Jerri go - Rene Sr.'s entry still has a chance.  At the bottom, if contestant Colby doesn't get voted off next, Amanda H's entry will claim last place.  Remember, there will be 3 tribal councils in the final episode, and the points per survivor remaining will be 75, 80, and 180 points respectively.

Even if you aren't in the running for a prize, I hope you watch the finale and then check the pool to see how well your entry placed at the end.  Have a great weekend everyone,
Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 12b

Double Jeopardy

Sorry I have to make this quick, but I'm going to see the Iron Man 2 midnight show (and I'm going to pay for it at work tomorrow).  Two tribal councils happened this episode and so they are treated as if they were two separate weeks, because contestants "surviving" the first one deserve points for it.  I'm glad Candice was voted out in the first tribal council - I hope that she learns that flipping sides (she's done it twice now) does not guarantee you get any further in the game, especially if you're trusting a guy like Russell.

The second tribal council showed Russell flexing his muscle again and had Danielle voted out with the help of the grateful heroes remaining.  Danielle showed her loyalty to Parvati a little too much and that helped change the mind of Jerri to help vote her off.

In the pool results, you will see your resulting total points after adding points for tribal council (a) and then tribal council (b).  Looks like Clint is the first entry to have all contestants remaining and is guaranteed third, but whether he can claim 1st or 2nd prize depends on who gets voted off first.  Also, at the bottom, Amanda H is the first entry to have lost all her picks but whether she can take last place from Tara K#2 depends on far 

Colby goes.

Have a great weekend and here's a shout-out to all the mother's out there,

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 11

Mutiny all over again...

Sorry about the late results!  I totally forgot to do them last night... probably because I'm not in the running for any prize, ha!

Anyway, I thought the little scrum that Danielle and Amanda had at the reward museum was pretty childish.  Danielle was stupid in two ways: first in being obvious she hid something under the bed, and then second for not picking up the clue right away when Amanda came over to check things out.  Amanda should have read it first before giving back to her!  Ha!

It was kind of funny how Danielle didn't even suspect that Russell found the idol before her, the way he took off so quickly when they were looking for it together.  I was very frustrated with Candice, pulling another "mutiny" like she did in her first season and changing sides.  I guess I'm just anxious for the episode when Russell goes because it will be a good one.  At least the show will sat suspenseful for another little while.

So Amanda was voted out, and 32 pool entries had her - including the top 4 entries.  Nothing much happened at the top, and not too much at the bottom.  Jacquie jumped up 6 spots to #10, and a couple entries fell 5 spots.

Next episode, it looks like Russell starts threatening even his own alliance, and should be good to watch.

Have a great weekend!

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 10

Fool me once...

As we expected, another good episode.  Russell fooled JT to the point where it was hilarious to see how much faith JT had in him with his comments.  Parvati is even smarter than we thought, reading Amanda like a book (although Amanda's a lousy liar) and figuring the Heroes would vote for someone else.  I thought Parvati was only going to play one immunity idol and save Sandra, but she was ingenious to give one to Jerri too.  I don't recall anyone ever giving another contestant their (real) immunity idol, and even if it has happened once before, it has already happened 3 times in this series!  The look of disbelief and doom on the Heroes faces was well-deserved when Jerri was given an idol.

So JT, after all his long hours of thought and letter-writing to give Russell an immunity idol, was voted out by the villainous group of the merged tribe.  He was the third most popular contestant in the pool - 36 entries had him, not including Rachel, who now controls top spot.  Her and Rachelle (not twin sisters) still have 8 picks left out of the 9 remaining.  Tara K's #2 entry also had JT and tightens her hold on last place.  The highest jump up the rankings was Janessa from 15 to 11, and Mary dropped 5 spots to 39th.

Can't wait till next episode where Sandra takes over and tears things up like she did in the season that she won.  Enjoy the weather this weekend,

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 9

Straight to the best line in Survivor history: "I don't have to find immunity idols anymore... people are just giving them to me."  - Russel Hantz

You have to admit, when he said that... you had to laugh and respect the guy for what he has accomplished.  He has the advantage that no one else has seen him play before, and I'm glad, because he's keeping the show very entertaining and keeping the series fresh even on its 20th season.  I'm a little surprised he was quick to show his new idol to his tribe, but I think he had to share his disbelief and craziness of the situation.

I thought the producers became smarter by placing the clue to the Villains immunity idol somewhere where one person had a chance to find it without revealing it to everyone.  I was also very grateful that Danielle was able to help Parvati hide the clue from everyone else, haha.  Now the Villains have two immunity idols, and the Heroes have none.

So Courtney was voted off, and I think that was a huge mistake by the Villains, because from the preview of next week the tribes will merge and Sandra will be quick to flip sides and tell all the heroes all about Russell.  We'll see what Russell does about that.

In the pool, 14 entries had Courtney (tied for second-least picked).  Clint and Rachel remain at the top, and Tara K.#2 is getting some competition from Amanda H. for last spot.  The biggest climb is me (7 spots - which doesn't help my quest for last place at all), and the biggest fall is Gisele (8 spots - lost a pick every week for the last 4 weeks).

Till next week,

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 8

Path to Self-destruction

Everyone knew it... the Villains are hurting since voting out Boston Rob, losing both the reward and immunity challenge.  But it was crazy going into the tribal council.  I actually thought Danielle had pulled off a blindside to vote off Russell, but instead it turns out she and Parvati went against Russell's last second decision to vote off Courtney by instead voting for Coach.  And this was after she tried to convince Russell to vote off Courtney earlier?  It was very confusing after seeing who voted for who, and I hope it all gets cleared up next week.  The preview for next week had everyone saying "ohh noooo" I bet.

So 13 entries had Coach, the "dragon-slayer".  Clint and Rachel still have a small hold on the top spot, but Tara K's #2 entry has dropped to take a hold on last place for a while.  Many entries jumped up 4 spots, but Shanny fell the hardest, hurtling down 8 spots.

As always, have a great weekend everyone,

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 7

Clash of the Titans

What a momentous episode.  The Villains tribe - made up of 3 mini tribes - had us in suspense as the two leaders butted heads for the final time after losing miserably in the immunity challenge.  Coach broke his word with both Rob and Russell by instead voting for Courtney who has been holding them back at challenges, so it turned out to be Jerri's vote for Rob (after Russell and his alliance worked her over) that was the deciding vote to send him packing.  I hoped this didn't have to happen so early so we could watch them keep battling it out for more episodes, and the tribe definitely made themselves weaker by this vote (I think they will lose every challenge from here on), but it was a great episode all the same.  Russell has turned out to be the greatest villain in the history of Survivor afterall.

In the pool, 36 entries had Rob (3rd highest behind Russell and Colby), including the top two entries, opening up the competition up there.  The family foursome entry still holds onto last place, but some entries have come down to play.  The highest jump up the ladder this week is Nikki from 37 to 26, and the biggest fall is Shanny from 29 to 39.

Have a great long weekend everyone - eat lots of chocolate.  Haha!

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 6

No bananas for you!  Last night there was a forced tribal council for both tribes.  For the Heroes, James was voted off which was very surprising because it looked like Colby was going - the producers played that nicely.  But before that the Villains had to do their tribal council, and Rob and his 5 other allies thought they had it made going in, having a plan to split their votes between Parvati and Russell, forcing one of them to leave.  But Russell - I don't know how this guy does it - manages to convince Tyson to change his vote to Parvati also, and then gave her his hidden immunity idol.  Russell, Parvati, and Danielle's votes for Tyson were enough to send him packing.  Even though I respect Boston Rob greatly, it was hilarious to see the perplexity on his face after the vote.

The double tribal council had huge effects on the pool.  Clint and Rachel are the only ones left tied for number one, while the 14 entries that had both James and Tyson fell deep.  The family foursome entry still remains solely in last place.

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 5

Anyone else getting really sick of always-teary-eyed Amanda? ...grow up already, this is the third time you've been on the show.  Anyways, big James sprains his knee in the reward challenge, hobbles around, and he's still a big jerk.  Coach inflates Russell's ego even bigger by kneeling before him to be "knighted" by his "king".  Heroes lose a puzzle challenge for immunity again!  Where's Yau-Man when you need him?  Or Yul?  Yul was a smart guy too.

So Heroes go to tribal council for the fourth time out of five, and they idiotically vote out Tom over the hobbled James.  I hope they all regret it and lose every challenge from here on.  I don't know who to root for anymore... maybe Danielle over on the Villains.  She's annoying me the least right now.

26 pool entries had Tom, leaving 6 at the top unscathed, and the family foursome entry at the bottom claiming last place by themselves... for now.

Have a great weekend everyone,
Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 4

Tonight episode introduced the hidden immunity idols to the tribes.  Tom found the one at the Heroes camp but was seen with it; Russell was stupid enough to go looking for the one at the Villains camp even though they had condemned anyone looking for it.  Can't wait to see how next episode plays out.  Oh yeah, Coach totally broke down after Sandra's little comment on how he doesn't help out at camp as much as he thinks he does, and then Rob tells him to man-up.  I found it funny when Rob questioned Coach as a coach.

Anyways, Tom gets JT to vote his way (which I think was wise on JT's part in the long-run) and the always dangerous Cirie got voted off the Heroes tribe.  In the pool, 27 entries had her, leaving 8 entries unscathed at the top and still a 2-way tie for last at the bottom.  Lots of episodes left, and anything can happen.

Have a great weekend everyone,

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 3

Nothing really too interesting happened this episode.  The reward/immunity challenge was so lopsided, with the Heroes winning every single matchup of the "king of the hill" contest.  Personally, I think the producers purposely picked that challenge to even the tribes up a little, because it was obvious which tribe was going to win in a shoving match.

The villains are right... James is so classless that he should have been with them (he threw his cushion down on Randy after pushing him off the platform, and then mouthed off to the other team).  Even though he was popular in his previous appearances on the show, it wasn't because he was virtuous - not sure why they picked him as a hero - he's a jerk like the rest of the Villains.

In the end, I think the Villains made a stupid move by voting off Randy, and I hope Parvati takes most of them out one way or another.  Oh yeah, it's hilarious that Russell hid the machete to stir up some trouble in his tribe, and I hope he gets to hide Rob's hat too.

So I had Randy in the pool (I felt he really deserved to go farther because he's a smart guy), as well as 11 others - he was the least picked in the pool.  That puts me in a tie in last place with the family foursome entry, and there are still 17 entries still unscathed at the top.

Have a great weekend everyone,

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 2

The show fooled us into thinking that Boston Rob might have to be medically evacuated... then he recovers enough from his flu to almost single-handedly win the immunity challenge for the Villains.  This show is starting to prove that it "doesn't pay to be nice".  So James goes off on Stephanie back at the Heroes camp and at tribal council, where Colby and Tom step in to defend her.  Unfortunately, that doesn't stop her from being voted out.  Heroes-0, Villains-2.

21 entries in the pool had Stephanie, including me, and now I'm in a 4-way battle for last place.  22 entries are still standing unscathed.

Next week, the previews show James going even more crazy about losing - which makes me think that the show is trying to mislead us again and that someone else will be going home.  We'll see.  Have a good Friday and weekend everyone.

Jay

Survivor 20 results - week 1

What a good episode.  It felt like an all-time reunion show, but they're playing the game at the same time.  People who actually have watched the show will appreciate this season especially.  Right off the start there's a reward challenge and Stephenie dislocates her shoulder and gets it popped back in, and Rupert breaks one of his toes in 2 places.  Coach goes back to being his self-proposed "dragon-slayer".  Boston Rob impresses everyone by making a fire without flint.  Russell goes about his old ways of aligning with everyone he can.  Sugar goes about crying again, which pretty much gets her voted off after the Heroes screw up their big lead in the immunity challenge when it came to the puzzle part.  Heroes - 0, Villains - 1.

Only 56 entries in the pool this season.  My connection in the Taxation Centre no longer works there.  However, I felt there was still enough money for 4 top-place prizes and one last place prize.  So Sugar is the first contestant out, and I have to reiterate this for the new people to the pool - entries that have lost a pick early have come back and won prizes (even 1st), so don't worry nor get too confident.  This pool is about making big comebacks at the end, if you've picked the remaining few contestants.  I say this because I'm one of the 17 that picked Sugar and need to reassure myself.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jay

Season 20 starts February 11

The new season will soon be upon us.  Called Heroes vs. Villains, past contestants have been called back to participate and have already been divided into those two tribes depending on how they played previously.  The contestants range from 1st place winners to those who barely made the jury near the end of their seasons.

Pool-wise, history has shown that whenever one of these types of seasons happens (contestants returning), people who watch the show do not have any advantage in the pool over those who don't.  Anything can happen, no matter how much we think we know, or how much the contestants think they know.  This is true of any season.

So let the entry submissions begin!  Same rules as last time:  9 contestant picks per entry; each entry costs $10.  Feel free to submit multiple entries to increase your chance of winning.  As entries are received we will check them to see if they are the same as previous submissions.  If an entry is a duplicate (has happened maybe twice in 10 seasons), that person will be contacted to resubmit - so submit as soon as possible.  The deadline for submission is Thursday, Feb 11, at 5:00 pm.  Do NOT wait until then, because if your entry is a duplicate and we cannot get a hold of you, we will change your entry for you before the show beings at 7:00, and you don't want that.

Each contestant collects points weekly (with the exception of the last episode) if they "survive" tribal council or if their tribe avoids going to tribal council OR, of course, they avoid having to be medically evacuated.  The points per contestant goes up by 5 every week, making for some dramatic finishes in the pool at the end of the season.  Invite your friends and family to join.  Results are emailed AND put on this blog usually every Thursday night after the show, but almost always by Friday morning.

1st place = 50%, 2nd place = 20%, 3rd place = 15%, 4th place = 10%, last place = 5%.  Here are last season's results again:

• First place:  Michelle, $330
• Second place:  Tone, $130
• Third place:  DW, $100
• Fourth place:  Bob, $70
• Last place:  Sheena, $30

If you cannot give your entry fee to me, Monique, or Tone in person, you can mail your entry fee to me, using the details at the bottom of the email.  Click on the image below to see all the contestants and the tribes they are grouped into.  I have included how well they did in their previous season(s) as well as why they decided to come back and play again.

Oh yeah, I suppose you can also submit your picks in the comments below, but make sure to add your name.  However, everyone will be able to see your picks this way, if you care.

Have fun making your picks!

Jay Dela Cruz
75 Peter Sosiak Bay
Winnipeg, MB
R2C 5M3