I’m not sure how I feel yet about the Survivor: China finale. I found myself cheering at the end. Strange since I wasn’t originally a fan of the winner though I did warm up later on. I ended up feeling unsettled about a player I had liked all along and I survived a mini-roller coaster ride with another player when I found myself with no clear favorite in the end. To sum up, I was a little all over the place during the final three hours of the show. Now I sit here somewhat dazed by it all so let me tell you how I got here and see if anyone else feels the same.The two-hour finale started with a final reward challenge that had Amanda, Denise, Todd and Courtney rebuilding Survivor’s version of China’s Great Wall. Amanda won and was rewarded with a meal. She could choose to keep it all for herself or share it with one or two people. She agonized for the appropriate length of time and then chose to share her meal only with Todd. This was, after all, a perfect oppor...
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It would be unkind of me to start tonight’s blog off with a rousing chorus of Ding-Dong The Witch Is Dead. It really would. Because you know, I’m sure Peih-Gee is wonderful person in person, but in the game of Survivor this was not readily apparent and I’ll not be surprised if in the coming weeks of post-show Survivor press we witness her invoking the Bad Edit defense. If there’s one thing we’ve learned through these many days in China, it’s that Peih-Gee doesn’t give up easily. That’s what got her to one of the most important points in the game – the night we determine who will make final four. The stakes were high, not just because we’re so close to the end, but also because this week’s prize at the reward challenge was an overnight stay on the Great Wall of China complete with a meal. Who wouldn’t want to win this, right? But as we’ve seen at almost every challenge where the prize was a local cultural experience Pe...
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Is it luck or skill that’s keeping Peih-Gee in this game? It’s hard to tell. She’s most definitely an outsider. Though I think she does more to keep herself that way than she realizes. The poor thing. She wants to be a part of the crowd so badly, yet when Todd called for a celebratory group hug among the final six where was Peih-Gee? She was sitting off by herself and had to be pulled in.This was almost enough to make me feel sad for her, but then came the family visits at the reward challenge. Each player was partnered with a loved one and made to navigate a maze while blindfolded, find each other and then make their way to the center platform. Denise and her husband Robert were victorious despite the ear splitting (and hilarious) birdcall strategy used by Amanda and sister, Katrina. Denise stayed true to her alliance and chose Amanda, Katrina, Todd and his sister Brandi to join her on her river cruise and feast. This left Courtney and her English father Graham, E...
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Episode recap: Ready to Bite the AppleOkay, was that not the coolest Survivor reward ever? Two weeks ago, when dear Frosti was bumped from the tribe and we poor sots thought that that chapter was over Jeff pulled a To Be Continued saying there was “more business”. Wheels started turning in people’s minds. What could this mean? Well, I’ll tell you what it meant: There was another reward challenge to be held immediately after tribal council. It whisked the winner, Peih-Gee, and two of chosen tribemates, Erik and Denise, to the 1500-year-old Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of kung fu, where Shaolin monks still practice this ancient martial art. I mean, come on, that is a fantastic reward. It was a special treat for Denise who, it turns out, is a near black belt at karate, having studied for eight years. I love that she continues to surprise me and her tribemates with stuff like this. I hope she sticks around a lot longer in the game because it wold be sweet to see...
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Episode Recap: It’s Been Real and It’s Been Fun.If you didn’t gobble down you Thanksgiving Day feast in time to catch Survivor: China then fear not because you did not miss much. Yes, folks it was the most beloved of episodes: The season recap. This year, however, included far more new footage making it much less of a rehash than it has been in years past and for that we are thankful.While there were some moments worth seeing again like James giggling in the woods over the possibility of Jamie playing her fake immunity idol it was the added scenes that put some events into a chronological context that I really enjoyed. Remember Dave, that abrasive guy from Zhan Hu? Believe it or not I had actually forgotten about him. Perhaps I should say I had blocked him out. Regardless, his appearance on the show reminded me of just how ridiculous he was. I loved seeing how his no eating before challenges strategy to conserve energy played into that immunity challenge where hi...
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Episode recap: Just Don’t Eat the AppleHi Survivor fans! Rhoda here with a special Thank you to Nina for filling in while I was on the road to North Carolina last week. And while I’m feeling grateful let me give a shout out to this On Demand world that we now live in. Yes, there was the VCR and then the DVR but this whole watching television whenever and – with my laptop – wherever thing is truly the best advance to come along since sliced bread. At my leisure I caught the triumph of Courtney and the demise of Jean-Robert without missing a beat. Well, there was that hiccup with the buffering but we won’t talk about that. With a little refreshing I was able to catch up without having to tinker with a videotape or worry that I would return home to the dreaded blinking clock on the VCR courtesy of a random power outage.Last week the tribe voted out Jean-Robert and then went on to sleep easy with him gone. But with that huge target no longer around each of thes...
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You've got to know when to fold 'em. Jean-Robert Bellande by Monty Brinton/CBS
Episode Recap: "High School Friend Contest"Good evening, Survivorites. Nina Hämmerling Smith here; I'll be your blogger tonight while Rhoda's away.It was quite an episode, wasn't it? I lost track of the number of times the strategy shifted and lies were told and uncovered. It all began with James, a good provider and obviously a tremendous physical threat, and his insight that the Fei Long'ers may all be opposites, but they have the strength of numbers, whereas the Zhan Hu'ers were trying to win a "high school friend contest." His comment proved prophetic when the reward challenge involved a school-yard pick of teams, and poor Denise was left out and became ineligible to enjoy the reward, a feast at an ancient village. The challenge involved sinking the opponent's boat, and Peih-Gee's red team picked Courtney as a captain because she weighs next to nothing — but, hello, she's also got the strength of a weak kitten (mew!). Jean-Robert, Todd, James and Amanda won easily, wit...
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Frosti seems safe, as he's cast his lot with the former Fei Long'ers. But how long will it last? Frosti Zernow by Monty Brinton/CBS
Last week, Jaime was sent packing, the first victim of the post-merge advantage held by the former Fei Long tribe. This week, it seems that mastermind Todd is going to turn on James, one of his own — or is he? Sounds like a risky strategy, and thus far Todd hasn't made many mistakes in that area. We'll see if his desire to blind-side James (who, as of now, has both immunity idols) is outweighed by his need to keep the numbers working to his advantage.
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by Nina Hämmerling SmithIn a topsy-turvy episode that included the merging of the two tribes, former Zhan Hu member Jaime Dugan, 22, was voted off Survivor: China (8 pm/ET, CBS) after trying to use what she thought might be an immunity idol. The college student was the silent leader of the Zhan Hu tribe and one of the masterminds behind the controversial thrown-challenge strategy. Here, she tries to unravel some of the complex scheming and strategizing that ultimately led to her ouster. TVGuide.com: You clearly knew that the former Fei Long members were going to vote you out. Why did they target you instead of Peih-Gee or Erik?Jaime Dugan: Earlier in the day, Jean-Robert told me. I think they figured out that I had a lot to do with what was going on at Zhan Hu. And I did very well at physical challenges. I felt like Erik was sick right then, he was really weak, and in the challenges, I performed a little better than Peih-Gee. So I think overall they thought I was a bigger threa...
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Jaime thought she had it all figured out. Jaime Dugan by Monty Brinton/CBS
Episode Recap: I'm Not as dumb as I look..." Peih-Gee was right. They merged at ten and now it is every person for themselves at the new Hae Da Fung (Black Fighting Wind) tribe. And what an entertiaining episode. I spent most of the hour laughing while anxiously awaiting tribal council, both fearful for James and excited to see if Jaime would make a fool of herself. TC did not disappoint.It all started back before the merge when James, having hurridely retrieved Zhan Hu's idol left an obvious clue to its existence that later had Jaime rifling through his bag. She and Erik, both secure that they had found the secret idol, entered the merge feeling confident -- well Jaime was confident since she made sure to hang onto what she believed to be her trump card. The teams celebrated their joining at a feast prefaced with Jeff's caution that the game never stops. You'd think one of these yahoos would pay attention to what was happening around them given this rather blatant clue that the...
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