Crap..those people again ...sttuppsss

I might watch the few starting episodes, just to see what will happen. Dunno for sure

I am starting to wonder if some parts of the show are fixed.

Meee too ...but yeah if its repeating people I most likely wouldn't watch. We know their game...we wouldn't be surprise at their play where as new peeps are fun to watch!

Just bringing this up incase anyone will be watching. I might be watching from my hammock

Where is our third partner in Suvivor? TP..where fore are thou?

quote:

Originally posted by Cher:
Where is our third partner in Suvivor? TP..where fore are thou?

Not sure if I will watch ...


One week from tonight, Wednesday, February 16, Survivor: Redemption Island will debut on CBS. This is the 22nd season for the granddaddy of all reality competition shows, and in an effort to keep the show in the Top 20 (and, honestly, to rebound from a pretty terrible 21st season), Redemption Island will exhibit a couple twists introduced to bring more intrigue and more drama to the proceedings. The first twist is the creation of Redemption Island, which will feature voted-out contestants battling each other to earn re-entry into the game.

The second twist is the inclusion of two former Survivor contestants: Boston Rob and Russell. As an idea, I like bringing back two former players. The players chosen, however, would not have been my first picks. Listen, I understand why Rob and Russell are coming back: they seem to have actual animosity between them, and both are great TV. But this will be their fourth and third times on the show, respectively. There are plenty of other folks that deserve another shot (where's Yul? Or Dreamz?). Anyway, this is who we have, and I’m sure the two of them will win me over within minutes of the season premiere. Further, they aren’t being protected in any way – they can be voted off at the first Tribal Council, so this angst may all be for naught (though I think they’ll make it farther than most may suspect).

One big question remains: With whom will Ron and Russell be playing? While the tribes they are on will be revealed in a blind pick during the marooning in the premiere, the other sixteen players have been assigned to one of two tribes: Ometepe and Zapatera (both named after islands just off the coast of Nicaragua). Let’s take a look at the players by tribe. The accompanying photos are for a few players I deem favorites based on the videos and bios provided by CBS and Entertainment Weekly (hover over their pictures for their names).

Ometepe

Andrea: 21, student from Random Lake, WI. A natural flirt who doesn’t want to just sit on the sidelines during the game. She has a lot of outdoors experience as she grew up on a farm and her father has taken her hunting often.

Ashley: 26, nurse/model from Benton, ME. Ashley is a former pageant girl who wants to be friends with everyone. She considers herself to be strategic and charismatic. She ahs a boyfriend, so she won’t be throwing her values out, but has no problem “chumming up” the guys to gain an advantage.

Francesca: 36, attorney from Washington, D.C. Hands down, Francesca is the smartest person in the game…according to Francesca. She has one goal, and one goal only: to win the game. She didn’t leave plumbing and regular meals to just do her best. She is a self-professed “mean girl,” but is quite aware of how people perceive her.

Grant: 29, personal trainer from West Hollywood, CA. This former NFL player says he is willing to do whatever it takes to win. His strategy is to try to stay in the middle: put forth a strong effort, but not be a leader. Grant is also going to look to win as many Individual Immunities as possible.

Kristina: 46, law student from Malibu, CA. Kristina expects life during Survivor to be completely miserable. She is more determined to win than anyone else out there. Despite not looking into the camera while being interviewed, she insists being called a “pit bull” is a compliment.

Matt: 22, pre-med student from Nashville, TN. Much like last season’s Fabio (nee Judson), Matt believes he is smarter than he appears. He loves adventure, and everyone he is around tends to like him, though he is not fond of being around the same people all the time.

Natalie: 19, dancer for a volleyball team(?!?) from Acton, CA. The youngest player this season describes herself as sneaky, and is looking to align herself with another young woman because other young women tend to be jealous of her. She claims to have a temper, and says Lady GaGa is her life’s inspiration.

Phillip: 52, tech executive from Santa Monica, CA. One of twelve siblings, Phillip was found by Survivor casting rollerblading along the beach. His careers in the army and as a federal agent support his belief that he is intelligent and adept at reading people.

Zapatera

David: 31, criminal defense attorney from Los Angeles, CA. David readily admits that he is a know-it-all. Though he had never seen the show before being cast, he thinks his experience dealing with a variety of people in stressful situations will work to his benefit. David must just avoid the people he hates most: stupid people.

Julie: 50, firefighter from Oceanside, CA. Wanting to win the game is one thing. Julie needs to win. Having gone through a divorce that requires her to pay alimony while raising two daughters, she needs the million dollar prize. She is certainly not lazy, but may have to bite her tongue when others aren’t working as hard as she is.

Krista: 25, pharmaceutical rep from Fairhope, AL. This former head cheerleader at Auburn likes challenges. Though she was a pageant girl once, she is less of a waver, and more of a “high-fiver.” She smartly deduced the twist of Rob and Russell returning before the game even started.

Mike: 31, former Marine and current realtor from Del Mar, CA. An Amazing Race refugee (his girlfriend backed out), Mike believes he is a good judge of people. He is going to try to be as likeable as possible and do as much as he can for others.

Ralph: 44, farmer from Lebanon, VA. It is not surprising Ralph’s favorite Survivor contestant of all-time is Big Tom, as they share strikingly similar personalities. He declares that he can make fire anytime, anywhere. Ralph enjoys life to the fullest, likes everyone he meets, and has some plans for Jeff Probst (whatever that means).

Sarita: 36, visual effects producer from Santa Monica, CA. Sarita is the daughter of hippies who grew up in a mud hut fashioned by her parents’ own hands. She will backstab and lie because it is part of the game, but she’s hoping she has the opportunity to “vibe out” and play the game “from her heart.” This is all in the hope that she can get past her constant need to control the situation.

Stephanie: 25, waitress/actress from Long Beach, CA. Stephanie describes herself as scrappy and feisty, with a natural temper. She doesn’t want to stay under the radar, and has no desire to have former players come back, as they already had their turn (oh well!).

Steve: 51, former NFL player from Huntington Beach, CA. A Dallas Cowboys teammate of Survivor: Guatemala contestant Gary Hogeboom. Steve values honesty and integrity. He likes to keep this clean and straight, and gets angry when they are not. Steve describes himself as “agile, mobile and hostile.”

After looking at the contestants, a few catch my eye. On Ometepe, Andrea and Matt jump out at me. Andrea seems like a less conniving Parvati; someone that can maybe bend the will of some doting male members of the tribe, but be sweet about doing it (remember, each set of contestants has the history of previous casts in their head. People will be on the lookout for players like Russell and Parvati, and will be wary). Further, she doesn't seem to be afraid of manual labor or what will be conditions unlike most of the players have ever seen. I think Matt, like Fabio last season, can get a lot of mileage out of the "dumb surfer" shtick, and since this season was shot before the last season aired, none of these players are hip to Fabio's gameplay and eventual win.

On the negative side of Ometepe, I'm really down on Natalie and Kristina. Natalie just seems like a complete moron who is going to become very overwhelmed by the conditions and the game play. She is not mature enough to play this game successfully. Kristina is the type of bossy, brash person that men can't stand and women don't trust. She may be an early asset because she looks to be physically fit, but when something goes wrong, I have a feeling her attitude will get the best of her.

Over at Zapatera, I'm very high on Mike and Krista. For me, Mike is Colby. Handsome guy, nice smile, seems very genuine. As a former Marine, he's likely a natural leader, but I don't sense that any desire to lead he may have will be as annoying as Jimmy T's last season. I like Krista for the same reasons I like Andrea. She's young, fit, cute and seems to have a good head on her shoulders by figuring out the twist before the game even started (then again, so did Wendy last season, and she was the first one out of the game).

I predict bad things for Zapatera's David and Sarita. David is the archetype of guys who think they are super-smart, but over strategize and have no ability to manage the social aspect of the game. He is going to get on the nerves of his tribemates very quickly. He may stick around for a little while as he will appear to be in charge of strategy, which some players will flock toward. Then they will figure out that the guy is a prick who believes he is better than everyone else, and they will blindside his ass. In Sarita's case, I just think she is too moonbeams and rainbows to ever win the game. She's weird, and Survivor players just don't like hanging around with weird people unless they bring a lot to the table in challenges like Coach did. I don't foresee Sarita being a physical powerhouse, meaning an early exit is most likely.

As a whole, this seems like a pretty intriguing cast; certainly more than last season. There are a whole lot of people from Southern California (they make up ten of the sixteen new players!), which does give me a bit of pause that they have been "cast" as opposed to showing a great desire to pay the game by applying over and over again (Survivor casting is based in Southern California), but this concern could be unwarranted. There does also seem to be a large number of the same type of young woman. Andrea, Ashley, Krista, Natalie and Stephanie all seem to be basically interchangeable, so I will be interested to see if the small differences I saw in their videos lead to major differences in gameplay and outcome.

What do you think of the cast? Does anyone jump put at you, for good or for bad? Anyone you want to root for just based on their bio? Do you think this is a better cast than Survivor: Nicaragua? Please leave your questions, comments and theories below. Survivor: Redemption Island debuts Wednesday, February 16th at 8:00pm ET/PT on CBS. I'll be back next Tuesday with my initial Odds to Win column, and recaps all season long. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week.

Zapatera

David: 31, criminal defense attorney from Los Angeles, CA. David readily admits that he is a know-it-all. Though he had never seen the show before being cast, he thinks his experience dealing with a variety of people in stressful situations will work to his benefit. David must just avoid the people he hates most: stupid people.

Julie: 50, firefighter from Oceanside, CA. Wanting to win the game is one thing. Julie needs to win. Having gone through a divorce that requires her to pay alimony while raising two daughters, she needs the million dollar prize. She is certainly not lazy, but may have to bite her tongue when others aren’t working as hard as she is.

Krista: 25, pharmaceutical rep from Fairhope, AL. This former head cheerleader at Auburn likes challenges. Though she was a pageant girl once, she is less of a waver, and more of a “high-fiver.” She smartly deduced the twist of Rob and Russell returning before the game even started.

Mike: 31, former Marine and current realtor from Del Mar, CA. An Amazing Race refugee (his girlfriend backed out), Mike believes he is a good judge of people. He is going to try to be as likeable as possible and do as much as he can for others.

Ralph: 44, farmer from Lebanon, VA. It is not surprising Ralph’s favorite Survivor contestant of all-time is Big Tom, as they share strikingly similar personalities. He declares that he can make fire anytime, anywhere. Ralph enjoys life to the fullest, likes everyone he meets, and has some plans for Jeff Probst (whatever that means).

Sarita: 36, visual effects producer from Santa Monica, CA. Sarita is the daughter of hippies who grew up in a mud hut fashioned by her parents’ own hands. She will backstab and lie because it is part of the game, but she’s hoping she has the opportunity to “vibe out” and play the game “from her heart.” This is all in the hope that she can get past her constant need to control the situation.

Stephanie: 25, waitress/actress from Long Beach, CA. Stephanie describes herself as scrappy and feisty, with a natural temper. She doesn’t want to stay under the radar, and has no desire to have former players come back, as they already had their turn (oh well!).

Steve: 51, former NFL player from Huntington Beach, CA. A Dallas Cowboys teammate of Survivor: Guatemala contestant Gary Hogeboom. Steve values honesty and integrity. He likes to keep this clean and straight, and gets angry when they are not. Steve describes himself as “agile, mobile and hostile.”

After looking at the contestants, a few catch my eye. On Ometepe, Andrea and Matt jump out at me. Andrea seems like a less conniving Parvati; someone that can maybe bend the will of some doting male members of the tribe, but be sweet about doing it (remember, each set of contestants has the history of previous casts in their head. People will be on the lookout for players like Russell and Parvati, and will be wary). Further, she doesn't seem to be afraid of manual labor or what will be conditions unlike most of the players have ever seen. I think Matt, like Fabio last season, can get a lot of mileage out of the "dumb surfer" shtick, and since this season was shot before the last season aired, none of these players are hip to Fabio's gameplay and eventual win.

On the negative side of Ometepe, I'm really down on Natalie and Kristina. Natalie just seems like a complete moron who is going to become very overwhelmed by the conditions and the game play. She is not mature enough to play this game successfully. Kristina is the type of bossy, brash person that men can't stand and women don't trust. She may be an early asset because she looks to be physically fit, but when something goes wrong, I have a feeling her attitude will get the best of her.

Over at Zapatera, I'm very high on Mike and Krista. For me, Mike is Colby. Handsome guy, nice smile, seems very genuine. As a former Marine, he's likely a natural leader, but I don't sense that any desire to lead he may have will be as annoying as Jimmy T's last season. I like Krista for the same reasons I like Andrea. She's young, fit, cute and seems to have a good head on her shoulders by figuring out the twist before the game even started (then again, so did Wendy last season, and she was the first one out of the game).

I predict bad things for Zapatera's David and Sarita. David is the archetype of guys who think they are super-smart, but over strategize and have no ability to manage the social aspect of the game. He is going to get on the nerves of his tribemates very quickly. He may stick around for a little while as he will appear to be in charge of strategy, which some players will flock toward. Then they will figure out that the guy is a prick who believes he is better than everyone else, and they will blindside his ass. In Sarita's case, I just think she is too moonbeams and rainbows to ever win the game. She's weird, and Survivor players just don't like hanging around with weird people unless they bring a lot to the table in challenges like Coach did. I don't foresee Sarita being a physical powerhouse, meaning an early exit is most likely.

As a whole, this seems like a pretty intriguing cast; certainly more than last season. There are a whole lot of people from Southern California (they make up ten of the sixteen new players!), which does give me a bit of pause that they have been "cast" as opposed to showing a great desire to pay the game by applying over and over again (Survivor casting is based in Southern California), but this concern could be unwarranted. There does also seem to be a large number of the same type of young woman. Andrea, Ashley, Krista, Natalie and Stephanie all seem to be basically interchangeable, so I will be interested to see if the small differences I saw in their videos lead to major differences in gameplay and outcome.

What do you think of the cast? Does anyone jump put at you, for good or for bad? Anyone you want to root for just based on their bio? Do you think this is a better cast than Survivor: Nicaragua? Please leave your questions, comments and theories below. Survivor: Redemption Island debuts Wednesday, February 16th at 8:00pm ET/PT on CBS. I'll be back next Tuesday with my initial Odds to Win column, and recaps all season long. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week.

SOURCE

Hey....wah about me??

i am a survivor fan too!!

but.....i think i have had enough of Boston Rob and Russell!!

i am hoping that they don't focus too much on the two of them.

definitely plan to watch the first episode though.....and maybe one or two more and then decide if i will watch the whole thing or not.

Damn..wat is did..modelvivor? Sttupppss...for sure this will be around Russel and Rob...hopefully some of the new guys will have the nerve and vote them off asap!

I'll watch the first ept. because I am home

Russell is my fav, I like his style, although he gets across as a sleaze ball

the Tribal was the best part, explosive.
I am still curious how Kristina found that idol just like that out of the blue amongst all those trees.

I watched it.....missed bits and pieces because we were trying to remove wallpaper at the same time!!

it wasn't too bad.

i am glad that they did not focus too much on Rob and Russell.

I am leaning towards Rob and his tribe!!

and for sure....that was probably one of the hottest 1st tribal council!!

If all the FBI agent is like the one we saw (ex or not) America is in trouble ...
What a numskull.. was sooo hoping he would be the first I like Fran ....this guy voice is so annoying I wanna reach out and slap him silly!
All in all its not a bad ept however, once again...some people need to watch and learn...Rob is so right ..rockies are so much fun to play with..hell I am a watcher and I knew better!!!

I will not be giving away any tweets that I get.

Aww feel free to tweet away ..I don't have any money on this one

Dont forger to watch tonight

Rass..I have a hair appointment...will see if I get home in time..btw..wasnt it on Thursdays?

2 seasons ago yes,

quote:

wasnt it on Thursdays?

Are you kidding me? damn I am getting old

Matt reminds me of Fabio from the last show. Too early for me to make any calls, but I will wager that I dont think Russell will make it to the final 5. He should be able to go to the merger.

Wow..thats all I have to say...Rob is sure playing a game!!! I always like him BUT....I don't know if anyone in his group has the balls to go against him.
As for Russell...something about that guy that is so dark...I swear I would sleep with one eye open if I was in that group with him. I HOPE he doesn't even make it that far!

they played the game stupid, should not have thrown the challenge, Russell will come back and haunt them rass

Well I wanted him out and I have a feeling his mouth is going to get the better at him and he will be gone what I dont' get is how brainwash that Stephanie girl has gotten in such a short time ...is she fa real? LMAO....she should go next rass ....I think if those 6 stick together....they will play a really good game better that all Suvivors!! They are on to something

I didn't think that I was going to like this season.....but I thought wrong!!!

I am really enjoying it......especially the new twist of redemption island!!!

yes.....Stephanie should be next on the chopping block!!

Loved what they did to Russell.....I hope Matt kick his butt on redemption island.

can't wait for next week!!!

BTW.....my picks at work are:
Grant Mattos
David Murphy
Julie Wolf
Kristina Kell

quote:

BTW.....my picks at work are:

I will start mine after this week's show

Ohh yeahhh...I think I'll do mine after the merge

I am sad Russell is out of the game, those bitches did not play the game right. Ratings will drop now that Russell is off. poor baby, he even cried.

Rating wouldn't drop you kidding me? ..actually I was actually touch with the tear thing ...dont' worry he has his followers will continue where he left off

quote:

Originally posted by Villagebelle:
I didn't think that I was going to like this season.....but I thought wrong!!!

I am really enjoying it......especially the new twist of redemption island!!!

yes.....Stephanie should be next on the chopping block!!

Loved what they did to Russell.....I hope Matt kick his butt on redemption island.

can't wait for next week!!!

BTW.....my picks at work are:
Grant Mattos
David Murphy
Julie Wolf
Kristina Kell

Whooa ... did Russel meet his match?

Have not been looking at this season.

yep.....Matt kicked his butt!!

poor baby indeed.....i can't believe that he actually cried!!

I am really starting to root for this Matt kid....even though he is not on my list.

Rob is starting to get lil devious now......i think he will start to play the game hard.

but....if he goes to the end....i don't think they will give him the 1M.

quote:

I am really starting to root for this Matt kid....even though he is not on my list

Like I said he reminds me of Fabio, thus, Matt is my 1st for the top 5.

Will look at it in between reading.

so anybody still looking?

quote:

Originally posted by amral:
so anybody still looking?

Yes, I do.

Me too...today is the merge !!!

quote:

Originally posted by Cher:
Me too...today is the merge !!!

yuh kidding, since i was on cloud 9 i missed the show

quote:

Originally posted by Cher:
Me too...today is the merge !!!

What you guys think about the kid who is on Redemption Island? He looks like Fabio from the previous show.