Some thoughts about what's on tonight, starting with the reality contests. Was CBS' Survivor just teasing us with that trailer that showed Edna the Meek possibly upsetting Ozzy the Cocky in the next Redemption Island challenge? We'll believe it when we see it, but it would be nice for something unexpected to happen. The final Upolu 5 have stayed boringly, rigidly loyal to their game plan the last few weeks, but now that it's down to the next-to-last episode (8/7c) — the finale airs as the usual multi-hour extravaganza on Sunday — all bets presumably are off. Could anything keep Coach from making the finals? And if Ozzy somehow is bounced as well, that would make the climactic tribal council more interesting — which isn't the same as memorable.
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Blindside me once, shame on you. Blindside me twice, shame on me. Blindside me three times? That's what it's coming to on Survivor.
The reality series comes back for Season 23 with two new returning favorites, Oscar "Ozzie" Musth and Benjamin "Coach" Wade, in tow. But after the success of Heroes vs. Villains in 2010 and "Boston Rob" Mariano's applauded Road to Redemption last spring, recruiting beloved former players for another tour of duty is becoming standard practice for the aging competition series. But is it really the right move? As much as we enjoy watching the Russell Hantz's and Jerri "Black Widow" Manthey's have to face (and sometimes apologize for) their past power moves and manipulations, are these familiar faces really adding to the game or detracting from it? We look at three reasons it's time to throw the vets' buffs in the fire once and all...
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After spending many challenges on the bench, Courtney Yates joined Benjamin "Coach" Wade on the jury bench after getting voted out of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains on Thursday. After narrowly avoiding elimination last week, when ally Sandra Diaz-Twine persuaded Russell Hantz to go another way, Courtney says her ouster came as no surprise, even though it stings right before the merger between the two tribes. The 29-year-old Yates spoke with TVGuide.com about Sandra's underestimated strength as a player, her feelings about Russell and why Jeff Probst was...
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Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' Benjamin Wade has been called a lot of things: "Coach," "The Dragon Slayer." But, as his fans and teammates know, you can't call him disloyal. Unfortunately, Coach's honor wasn't enough to save him from elimination. After Tyson Apostol and "Boston" Rob Mariano were both sent packing, Coach was the strongest male left and therefore a big target for Sandra Diaz-Twine and Courtney Yates, who injured herself in the immunity challenge. Following his ouster, the 38-year-old spoke with TVGuide.com about his alliance with Russell Hantz, his "showmance" with...
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