Culturally Preconditioned

I know I am in the minority here, but personally.. it’s official : Vanuatu > Thailand+AllStars. Why? Because the Pagonging stopped. And Chris didn’t even win immunity. Hell, he didn’t even get a single vote at this tribal council which baffles me to no end. To those who have been avoiding spoilers, I’m pretty sure tonight’s episode was a shocker! Must give props to the editing team because there were no straight forward indications that LeAnn was getting the boot tonight. In fact, not a single LeAnn vote was shown during the voting confessional. I think the power shift tonight is almost as good as the one from Marquesas (that one still takes the cake, though). And as much as a heartless bastard that I am, these family visits ALWAYS get to me, no matter how hard I try not to get choked up by it. I don’t know, I guess, these are the only times when you sorta knows the castaways let down their Survivor guards, and was once again normal everyday life people with real emotions.

Episode 11 : Castaways Impressions

Alinta Tribe

Ami - Ami was almost played down this episode compared to previous episodes. She commented that they would be in trouble if they didn’t take out Chris now and he ends up with an immunity run. That got me wondering if that’s foreshadowing of Ami herself going on an immunity run to the end, and not Chris. *shrug* Her chances doesn’t look good at all now that her right hand woman is gone, so immunity is her best bet to end up in the Final 2. And dammit, again, there were Ami vs Chris showdown tonight. Once was during the immunity challenge. The race was a close one between all 6 teams (all 6 teams, except Leann’s, were at trying to solve the puzzle at the same time), but it seemed as though it was a really tight race between Chris and Ami when the teams were blindfolded. It was edited like that for a reason. AND the most curious shot of the evening, after Tribal Council when the castaways headed back to camp (before the end credits roll), there was a subtle shot of AMI AND CHRIS in the background. That was a really clear shot. Either Mark Burnett has really got me fooled big time this time around with all these ‘clues’, or it’s the most gigantic red herring ever.

Chris - Chris is a very lucky man indeed. It still amazes me how Ami was swayed away from her “Eliminate Useless Penises” Operation and ‘kept’ Chris instead of Eliza. Some of my friends have argued that Chris is still there because the women allowed him to still be there. But Chris is not there just because of that. Twila and Scout didn’t have Eliza’s trust, and they needed Chris to do the sweet talking to get the numbers advantage. Strangely enough, we also were shown scenes of him working closely with Julie which is UBER ODD!!!! So far, we’ve been shown Chris talking strategy with Julie, Eliza, Scout and Twila. What we haven’t seen is the interaction between Chris and Ami. And yet, there are all these subtle hints of these two pairing up or having a showdown several times. It’s just too damn weird. At this point, I don’t see how or IF these two will actually pair up to get to the Final Two. But then again, I didn’t exactly see how most of the Final Two end up together anyway (ie. Vee/Neleh, Jenna/Matthew, Sandra/Lil - these pairs did not come from a long time alliance in their respective seasons)

Eliza - Eliza truly is the girl who dodged the most bullets since Rory. But will she eventually be shot down like him? Time will tell. Eliza has switched alliances so many times in the game, and has received votes in almost every tribal council - she would be the perfect Final Two opponent. In terms of gameplay, I’m not sure if Eliza is very good with strategies. Sure, she has dodged bullets, but only because she’s been told that she’s the target. And congrats on winning the Reward Challenge (though I am 100% convinced that Julie threw the challenge on purpose)

Julie - Yep. I’m willing to bet Julie threw that challenge. Come on, don’t tell me she’s that dumb not to remember a single item from that previous challenge. Did she throw the challenge because she sympathized with Eliza (who got so worked up about seeing her mother from the webcam) or did she do it to sabotage Eliza? Who knows. Julie’s editing remains uber weird. It was clearly shown tonight that Julie was Chris’ informant. Why would you be an informant to someone who have absolutely no use to you? Either she’s REALLY that stupid, or, we are definitely not shown everything. Julie’s editing is very mysterious. One side, it was clearly shown that she’s firm with Ami’s group. But on the other hand, we see her talking to Chris (it was even indicated from her words to Leann - about keeping Chris and booting Eliza - a few episodes back). If things ARE as it seems, then poor Julie needs to scramble soon if Ami wins immunity next week.

Leann - Leann shot herself in the foot when she told Scout that they “never promised Scout Final Four”. Didn’t she remember that was exactly the reason whjy that fucker Alex Bell was voted out of the Amazon? And even though she was trailing behind the others in the Immunity Challenge, she should have at least tried going on anyway. Oh well. That’s fine if she wants to have a laugh about it.. but it was a tad too cocky saying that “she didn;t need immunity”. I know a lot of viewers mourn for her getting the boot. But I defuinitely am not one of them.

Scout - I was right about Leann not winning the game. Now I’m willing to say that Scout won’t either. Why? Because she has been shown saying “Vengeance shall be with the jury” or something like that. Why did the editor put that quote in if she gets to the Final Two? I don’t see Scout making it to the Final Two (but of course, I have been proven wrong most of the times. LOL). Some people dislike Scout for being the nasty old woman for turning on her original alliance (with Ami and Leann), but I don’t blame her, because I loved it how she takes matters into her own hand when she knows her ass is on the line. She is probably the exact opposite of Granny Jan from Thailand. She does what she needs to do to stay in the game. Even if that means forming an alliance with her arch enemy - Eliza. I really applaud her for that.

Twila - Twila shows that she’s got brains after all. I like the way she’s playing that’s all I can say. She seems to be getting the Kathy edit. Unlikeable and dumb at strategizing in the beginning - and now she’s like the ugly duckling that has grown into a beautiful swan. The power shift just proves that she knows what’s been going around and she actually has the brains and guts to stay in the game. Will her new alliance hold next week? I guess we’ll see.

Predictions : Brain/Heart/Gut

Brain : Ami (she’s supposed to go this week but won immunity)

Heart : Eliza (she’s just a pawn being used by the others)

Gut : Julie (80% of my gut is saying Ami goes on an immunity run)

Stickies for the Eleventh Episode :

AmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmi
ChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChris
AmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmi
ChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChris
AmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmi
ChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChris
AmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmi
ChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChrisAmiChris

LOL but seriously though, if you have recorded the show - fast forward to the part after Tribal Council. The shot with Ami and Chris was put there for a reason. At least, I would like to think so anyway.

Well, you know what it’s like. You go off on a long needed vacation, and you come back with piles.. no, make that TONNES of work waiting for you. So much so that I don’t even have the time to make any proper comments on my favourite tv shows. So, here’s a cliff notes version of my tv ramblings.

Survivor
So Chad got voted out. It’s a shame we never really got to know him except that he’s “the guy with one leg”. There’s always one of them every season.. people who got (reasonably) far into the game - and yet, we never really got to know them. Survivor Borneo - all the characters were well presented. Survivor Outback - there was the invisible Nick. Survivor Africa - MamaKim (and she even made it to the Final Two). Survivor Marquesas - that She-Man Zoe (who I originally pegged to win). Survivor Thailand - Erin (who was only talked about because of the transgender rumour thingy). Survivor Amazon - Butch. Survivor Pearl Islands - Darrah. And I guess Chad is this season’s token We-Hardly-Know-Ya contestant (together with Leann).

Anyway, it baffles me why Chad is out of there before Chris. I’ve been rooting for Chris since Day One. I have major hinkies that he’s going very far. If he’s voted off next week, I’ll eat my words, but some of the women can use him to get further in the game. 6 women, 1 man. Let’s see… they can either vote Chris off and cannibalize each other at the Final Six, OR the women who thinks they are at the bottom of the women’s pecking order, can use him to get at least to the Final Three. In my opinion, things are not looking good for Ami (and Leann and Eliza by association). Earlier this season, I’ve had hinkies that there might be a Chris vs Ami Final Two. Now I’m not too sure. I’m not sure Ami will even get to the Final Four if there’s going to be mutiny next week.

I still have Chris pegged as the Final Two, but his Final Two partner might not be Ami. I have a gut feeling that it could be Julie. Her edit has been strange after her swap to Lopevi. We are definitely not shown everything about that girl. However, if Chris does indeed get booted out next week, you might as well quote me right here, right now.. that Ami will be our first lesbian Survivor millionaire.

The Apprentice
When Omarosa got the boot last week, all I had to say was… “Huh? Is that it?”. My friends who have watched the first season have been rambling about how much of a bitch Omarosa was. And to tell you the truth, I really wasn’t feeling the Omarosa-hate. Sure, she’s a MAJOR drama queen, but a super-bitch? I don’t think so. Not by my standards anyway. So I bitched to my friends asking them so what gives? I don’t get the Omarosa-hate. And all they had to say was wait and see, the best is yet to come. I can’t wait. As for the show itself, I am so loving it. I am really glad Ereka was fired. She was getting all too over emotional over stuff and in the business world, you can’t afford to do that. I personally believe if you want to succeed, you cannot let your emotions get in the way. If that makes you a bitch, all I can say is that we should all embrace our inner bitches.

Amazing Race
The Season Six premier was a real treat. Two whole hours! There was more drama this time around. More so than I expected. I don’t really have any strong impressions on the contestants so far but I honestly didn’t think the old couple was gonna make it this round, but they did. And hey! We have Colin version 2.0 ie. Jonathan. But that’s not really fair on Colin. Colin was intense, sure, but he didn’t shout out (”I BROKE THE OX!!!” - classic) every single damn minute he was on camera.. and he was actually a good racer despite his flaws. But Jonathan.. wow. He’s a different story altogether. This guy made it known to everyone that he was a prick within 5 minutes of the show. What an ass. I hope he lasts more than just a couple of episodes, cause it will be fun to watch him crash and burn. Die Jonathan Die! On a separate note there have been rumours that Reichen and Chip might be competing in the next season of Amazing Race, but the absolute latest rumour is that Romber (Rob and Amber of Survivor) are definitely competing in this next one. *gag* someone pass me a puke bucket.

Alias
Okay so this isn’t a reality tv show but it’s one of the few tv shows that I watch religiously. I almost busted a nut when Sloane told Sidney that the Passenger was her sister. HER SISTER? I guess everything can (and probably will) happen in this show. Speaking of Will, bring Will Tippin back! I have had it with Sid’s pseudo-relationship with the perpetually-angst Vaughn.

Carnivale
So am I the only one who’s been watching this show? I love love LOVE this show. Granted that I don’t exactly ‘get’ all of the storyline, but I don’t think you’re supposed to. I love the dark feeling of the show (the Babylon episode really gave me goosebumps), and the opening music is just so haunting. And who’s really The Management, and is It trying to replace Sampson? So many questions. Not enough answer.

some movie comments :
I didn’t really want to write this but I was surprised to see some of the strong reactions that people get from watching a recently released local horror film (not the funny spoofs one). Strong.. and not in a good way. I didn’t watch the film but from what I gathered the film is a total shite - no exagerrations. Can’t say that I’m surprised though. I mean, come on, people. You know who the director is. If you see his name associated with any kind of films, you should know by now what you should expect. I have no doubt that the director could not care less for the quality of the film. His only ammunition is by using ‘famous’ stars in his movie line-up. Quality? Fuck quality, as long the cash gets into his wallet, who cares about quality. People say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. It’s probably true. When people hear how terribly BAD the movie is, no doubt, it will generate some interest and curiosity among the movie goers. People will still flock in to see the movie and the cash will still keep flowing in and then more bad movies will be produced. The sad cycle is an unending one. Malaysians need to come to their senses and stop this nonsense. You know who the director is. You know the kinds of movie that he has been producing. People need to stop encouraging him to make more of this crappy nonsense. And how do you do that? Easy. Just stop watching. You know the World Wildlife Fund advertisement about poachers and their hunt for valuable carcass bits? Well, the same thing applies here.
“When the buying stops, the killings will too”. You know the kind of ‘killing’ I’m referring to in this case. He’s killing us (and the local Malaysian film industry) slowly with his movies. Of course, then there would be so-called ‘patriotic’ pembela rakyat accusing us of “Melayu sendiri tak nak sokong industri perfileman Melayu”. Give me a break and a little credit here. Why would one keep on supporting incredibly crappy movies like this, which will more likely bring down the standard of our local filming industry? Sorry to be so blunt, but seriously, this has not been his first crappy movie. Learn from experience lah, please. Deep down inside, my little heart cries out a little every time a movie goer buys a movie ticket for this guy’s movie. Yeah, right. If you want a good horror flick, go watch the Thai flick “Shutter” (I actually have one of those personal pics in my collection). As for the said local movie, avoid it like a plague.

Okay let’s get down to business. This season may be a snoozefest too many because of the lack of eye candy (dude, have you seen Ami’s Playboy pics? Well you should) and the impending Pagonging of the men, but personally I like it. In fact it’s tenfolds better than All Stars. The editing this season is so peculiar and strange, and most unlike any that we’ve seen before. I don’t think there’s a clear cut winner out of everyone left in the game. That’s what makes it so much more interesting.

Episode 9 : Castaways Impressions

Alinta Tribe

Ami - Ami kicked ass in the Immunity Challenge. I was hoping to see fireworks from her after she got voted in the last Tribal Council, but surprisingly she remained calm about it. So kudos to her. Even though she seemed pretty low key in tonight’s episode, the fact stays the same. Who she says should go, WILL go. People are aware of how influential she is in this game, and that makes her a threat. Probability of leaving next week : 70%

Chad - Again, Chad did not register much on my radar tonight. He’s trying to stick to his original alliance and hoped for the women (Twila and Eliza) to side with them. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. Since he’s one of the two men left in the game, possibility of leaving next week : 50%

Chris - Is he the underdog we’re supposed to root for? Maybe. I know I am. Why do I think Chris is a great player? Unlike Chad and Sarge, he is at least trying to adapt to the situation. We all know Survivor is all about ADAPTING. He knows he hasn’t got the numbers, And his comments showed that he adapted : “If you wanna survive, you gotta please em”. Other than that, he’s got many many many strategy talks tonight. Heck, Julie’s comments about letting Eliza go before Chris made me sit straight up. I just don’t see him going anywhere next episode. Probablity of leaving next episode : NIL

Eliza - I think Eliza is screwed. She acted foolishly after the Reward Challenge, and that gave the guys leverage to manipulate the situation. It didn’t fell through, but Jeff called her out at Tribal Council, so people are still reminded that Eliza knows that she’s vulnerable in terms of who to side with (read: dangerous). The women might not trust her now, and the guys will only take advantage of the situation. Probability of leaving next week : 95%

Julie - The chicken wings incident was uncalled for, and was rather despicable. Julie and Leann brought two chicken wings for each of the women. What’s up with the non sharing thing? That’s disgusting. Reminds me of the Amazon episode where Jenna, Alex, Rob and Heidi left biscuit crumbs for the others. That said, I was wrong about Julie. The guys (Sarge and Chad) were pretty pissed at her for her betrayal. (I’m still wondering why Julie ruled out Chris in her conversation with Leann. Is there a secret alliance going on?) Twila and Sarge called her out at Tribal Council for being a snake. But I’m glad she’s emerging as a player, not just a non entity in the game. Probability of leaving next week : 50%

Leann - We finally get to see more of Leann in this episode due to her winning the Reward. Initially I was surprised that she picked Julie, but her reasonings showed that she’s thinking about the game too. But she was as unethical as Julie about the chiken wings though. Probability of leaving next week : NIL

Sarge - He was a victim of the gender wars. There’s not much to be said here. I would’ve like to see him advance further in the game. I’m glad she called out on Julie’s betrayal and planting seeds of doubt in Twila’s mind. That can only make the game more interesting.

Scout - Scout hates Eliza. Eliza hates Scout. That has been the theme since forever. So when is it ever going to come into fruition? The thing is, I am not sure who Scout is really tight with. Is she still tight with Ami-Leann-Twila? Or did I just heard Leann said that they never promised to take her to the Final 3? Might Scout be secretly alligned with Twila and the men? Scout is a mystery. Possibility of leaving next week : NIL

Twila - Twila got stuck in a really shitty position. I also wondered why Twila got the raggings from the guys for her betrayal, and Julie was let go quite easily (although Julie was the one who got some votes tonight). Again, I think Twila made a blunder at Tribal Council by professing (once again) about how at home she was with the guys. That raised some eyebrows from Ami and Leann. She’s in a very interesting position now. If she makes the right move with the right people, she’s a shoe in for the Final Four. If not, she may be a victim of Ami’s paranoia like Lisa did. Possibility of leaving next week : 30%

Predictions : Brain/Heart/Gut

Brain : Chris. And the Pagoninging continues.

Heart : Leann (overrated)

Gut : Eliza (Chad, Chris, Leann, Julie and Scout has expressed interest about booting her, but we know Ami is ‘protecting’ Eliza)

Stickies for the Ninth Episode :

(will add stickies later)

ooooooh and Selamat Hari Raya everyone! Don’t miss the premiere of The Amazing Race 6 next wednesday!

WOOHOO!! MERGE TIME! Two reasons why I love the merge episodes. One : The game has now just officially started. Two : I can finally order my three buffs (although I’m not too crazy over the new mere buff. Orange buffs are just hideous! *cough*Morgan*cough*).
Anyway, very very interesting episode tonight. First of all, I don’t think enough credit is given to the challenge department. You can see all the team members and body doubles hard at work preparing the challenges from the “Behind The Dream Team” featurette in the All Star DVD. The reward challenge tonight was very creative and interesting, so kudos to them. I loved it when they used the “lalalalalalalaalaalaa” happy chants from the Survivor:Africa soundtrack. My favourite happy track ever, never fails to put a smile on my face.

Second of all, I am so psyched with the outcome because once again, the spoiling community has been bamboozled by Mark Burnett. Many have said that Julie won’t make it to the jury. Well she survived tonight and I am so glad the spoilers have been debunked. (But I still think the Christy boot is Number One on the “Spoilers Have Been Fucked” list. That was a surreal day. The whole spoiling community was shattered, and I mean, really shattered when Christy got the boot in Amazon. Every source said she would end up in the Final Four but she didn’t).

Thirdly, we are finally seeing more and more people strategizing and that’s what this game is all about. Do I think the girls will continue to Pagong the men? It seems like the most logical thing to happen, but mark my words, it’s NOT going to happen. And I’m not saying this because of any spoilers. There have been NO spoilers on who the Final Two might be. But seriously, an all-female Final Six? Ain’t gonna happen. It will be so fun to see things unravel.

Episode 8 : Castaways Impressions

Alinta Tribe

Ami - She has not said much in this episode, but she keeps getting a negative edit throughout. How did she ever get a 180 on her editing? She was edited so differently at the beginning of the game. I hate to say this, but personally, I think she’s a hypocritical bitch. The coconut thingy? She didn’t want Lisa to show it to the men, but she herself can do it? Bitch please. Nonetheless, she is an interesting character. She is either going all the way, or she’s set up for a big big fall.

Chad - Lots of strategizing talk from Chad tonight. He seemed a tad jealous when Julie snuggled up to Sarge which was funny. I still don’t think he’s calling the shots and will probably stay a loyal partner to Chris. For a limbless guy, he did pretty well on the individual challenge.

Chris - Like Ami, I think Chris will either go all the way, or he’s being set up for a big big fall. We see Chris once again strategizing. The final two mentions (between himself and Chad, himself and Julie, himself and Sarge) was nothing short of interesting. If he were to go the next episode or two, why bother putting those confessionals in? It also struck to me that her comments about Julie being one of the Final Five from two episodes ago as odd. Why all these Final 2 and Final 5 talk if he is going soon? His performance at the Immunity Challenge was abyssimal. He lost out to Eliza. LOL. Either he really sucked, or he didn’t want to come off as an individual threat (which is smart). Nevertheless, I still have him pegged to win this game. It’s not about winning challenges. It’s about winning the game.

Eliza - Not so annoying anymore. Her confessionals have been kept to a minimum. She kicked Chris’ ass in the individual challenge, so good for her. She is not calling any shots in the game, and her lifeline depends on Ami. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Ami takes Eliza to the Final Two. Eliza needs Ami because she knows she’s dispensable.

Julie - Woohoo! Way to work it, girl! Way to - WORK.IT! I like Julie. I like her a lot. Showing some skin never hurts anyone. The scenes where she was working her wiles on Sarge was amusing. That said, I think she is more than just a pretty face, Julie is so playing the game. I am most impressed by how she and Twila are working together, and I will explain it further in my Twila assessments.

Leann - Is a non-factor. Out of everyone left in the game, I think she has the least chance of winning. Everyone else has a decent chance of winning. Leann? No.. she is NOT going to win. Mark my words. Mark Burnett wouldn’t dare pull another Vecepia on us viewers. If Leann wins this game, I’d giveaway my Survivor All Stars DVD for free to one lucky person. Nope. Sorry. Bye bye.

Rory - There’s no more magic on Vanuatu for this guy. Well at least Rory went out on a positive note. His character was interesting to watch. He has been receiving votes in all the tribal councils that he has attended, but tonight his number was up. Is it just me or is he the first African American male Survivor to edited in a positive light? Rory was the ‘hardworking’ one on Yasur? Let’s see. Gervase was the clown. Nick was invisible. Clarence was the thief. Sean was the outspoken one. Ted was the grinder. Osten was the quitter. Honestly, I would’ve loved to see Rory go a little bit further in the game, but I guess that was not to be.

Sarge - LOL for once, I’m glad ntv7 is censoring bits of the show. I don’t think watching Sarge’s bare ass would make for good tv. Sarge kicked ass in the Immunity Challenge. But was it a wise move? He’ll be regarded as a threat more than ever now.

Scout - If Leann is the front runner on the “Who’s Not Gonna Win” list, then Scout is most definitely the runner up. Once again, she did very poorly in the challenges. I thought it was kind of harsh of Jeff to point that out loud, but you gotta love Jeff’s Harshness. (Still LOLing over the “Wasn’t Jeff P Harsh?” thread over at Sucks”). Scout’s not the most strategic person with her comments when the two tribes first meet after the last Tribal Council. But yeah, no, I don’t think she’s gonna win. She might, but I hope not.

Twila - Why did I hate her so much at the beginning of the game? Cause I have grown so very fond of Twila. If someone had told me in Week One that I would feel this way, I never would’ve believed them. Now, Twila and Julie was put in a very difficult situation tonight. They were the swing votes. Their decision to side with the girls (this time) and boot off Rory was the best thing that they could’ve done. If they had sided with the guys, they would at best finish at fifth and sixth place. By siding with the women, they now have two options :
1) vote with Chad, Chris and Sarge next week to eliminate Ami (a 5-4 vote) which will put them at best fourth or fifth place OR
2) vote with the women next week to eliminate one of the men (a 6-3 vote) THEN the following week, vote with the two remaining men (ie. Chris Chad Julie and Twila) and eliminate one of the Ami (ie. Eliza Ami Leann Scout). This will force a tie vote, and in this case, Ami will be eliminated based on the previous votes rule. In this case, Julie and Twila will be guaranteed a Final Four position.
The only thing that will royally fuck this up is if the 3 men and the Yasur women, smells something fishy and vote Julie and Twila out because they are the swing votes (read : dangerous)
Some might argue, why would the men trust Twila and Julie again? First of all, Julie and Twila informed the men of their intention to vote Rory off. Second of all, Julie and Twila had an alliance with Chris, Chad and Sarge. Not Rory. But most importantly, the men need the numbers to proceed. They are in the minority, and should snap every opportunity that comes their way.

So you see, do I think a straight Pagoning will happen? The men being voted off one by one? It’s the most logical thing to happen. But I highly doubt that will happen. If it happens, then I’ll eat my words, but for now, I’m guessing another man will be voted off next week, then the female alliance will be shattered.

Predictions : Brain/Heart/Gut

Brain : Sarge. Immunity Threat

Heart : Leann (overrated)

Gut : Sarge

Stickies for the Eight Episode :

(will add stickies later)