Episode 27.7

There are three players in Survivor history who have played the game three times and never participated in a tribe swap. Those three are Russell Hantz, Coach, and Colby Donaldson. I think that those are the only three. Laura Morett did not participate in a tribe swap this season, so keep that in mind if she plays again. Candice and Rupert both did tribe swaps in previous seasons. Tina and Tyson could have gone on to never have been in a tribe swap, but that didn't end up happening. That's good for Tina considering how one happened on All-Stars that she never got to see because she was the first boot that season. She's doing quite well this season and I don't know if she does well or not. We still have no idea if the coconut bandits prove to be a true alliance and if it will have other players in it or not. Whether they are or not, they are definitely doing better than the five guys alliance. I don't think either gender has a good alliance this season. I don't know if every reader of my blog has seen the ninth season of Survivor in Vanuatu. I might reference that sometime this season. If you can rewatch it, please do. I would, but I have to wait until a contestant from that season dies before I buy that season in their memory. I said the Yasur, which happened to be a yellow tribe, was similar to the post swap Galang, which is also yellow, because it was a tribe of women who didn't get rid of the one man. Yasur should have had it made in the merged part of the game, but they failed to get rid of the last man standing who went on to win the game. So often in Survivor, people wait too long to get rid of a player and said player goes on to win the game. Yasur made that mistake and should have been an all female alliance making it to the end, which didn't happen until either Micronesia or, a better example, One World. It should be noted that Lopevi wouldn't have done badly if they had made smarter moves after the tribe swap. Both it and Tadhana are red tribes and have mostly men on it. I just hope that this season doesn't somehow become a repeat of the previous season I'm mentioning. It shouldn't, but it could since Aras looks like the target instead of Ciera.

According to a special preview on the Survivor Live after Show, there is a possibility that Hayden switches places with Kat on Redemption Island. That might actually happen since it wasn't on the main preview where they show that happening and it doesn't happen because Survivor loves twist edits (in promos at least). I don't know how that would affect the confessional counts that I do. I don't like the way I do it, and yet, I keep doing it that way anyways. Laura Boneham always seems to spilt the names so I have to rearrange the names and she always seems to start a list and end a different list. I want to switch it up, even though it is more or less in the same order all the time until someone is eliminated from the game and taken off the list. In fact, it's because the names are taken off of the list that I will run out of ways to switch it up. (You'll notice how the second list isn't even showing up on two lines anymore, of people in the game at least. This is a problem for me, but the reader of this blog doesn't care, probably.) It's unlikely you'll notice what edits I end up making anyways, since this is posted after all changes are made to it and final. I don't know how getting out of Redemption Island will affect the confessional count or not and I firmly hope that it affects the game and they don't just become the next one voted out. It's possible that two people will return from Redemption Island premerge, but I don't know how the merge will work this season. It's possible that we could see a merge at ten again. Besides, I don't know who I want to win Redemption Island and I have no idea who should lose Redemption Island. I'm guessing that the Christine edit could apply to Laura Morett, but that has yet to be proven. I just know that it's a bad sign for the players in Redemption Island if no one in Redemption Island to get a confessional in an episode, which happened last week. And a merge should be happening soon. I just don't know why it hasn't happened yet, except that it is always strange in a season with Redemption Island.

You know, there is all this talk about breast cancer this month and none of it mentions Jennifer Lyon, who died of breast cancer. I had a dream that she wasn't the only dead Survivor contestant. Ian, also from the same season, died of murder, but how and why he was murdered was unknown. While it's unfortunate that a great player like Jenn will never play again (final four with no votes against her, and then everything fell apart for her), it would be especially bad that Ian, a commonly cited player for a second chance, would never be able to play again. I don't know if I'd get a season if a contestant doesn't die, but still goes through a life changing event that would prevent them from playing again, such as getting permanently paralyzed. That would be bad, as would death. But since there are tons of contestants who will probably never play again, whether it is due to their choice of not wanting to play again or things they did during or after the game that would prevent them from playing again, I'm not going to get every season with a quitter, for instance. Now, there have been three contestants from Survivor that have died in dreams of mine. I would never take bets as to who the next one to die will be because that's horrible immoral and I do enough thinking about death anyways. I should be too young for that, but since you can die before you are even born, one argues as to whether they should always be thinking about stuff like that. I just don't know who it will be until it happens and a lot of them could die at once. I still don't know if they'll ever do a special about someone who played Survivor and then died (probably not, considering how they don't always want to do that for any contestant no matter how short they lasted in the game, how controversial they were, or how little they affected the game) that would have unused and largely unseen footage from each season they were in. I don't even know if they keep all the unused footage from each season anyways. There are some things that they'll never show us (like Michael Skupin falling into the fire) and some stuff we probably don't want to see (like Michael Skupin falling into the fire). I had a dream where I went through what he did in that episode of Survivor. I don't want any contestant to go through something that serious again.

Since Halloween episodes are coming on Wednesday when Survivor airs, this could cause problems with what I normally do. I normally watch Survivor and then watch Las and Order: Special Victims Unit while I record Revolution and then The Tomorrow People. But since The Middle and Modern Family are on and showing special Halloween episodes, I might not be able to blow them off. I'm recording this Survivor season on VHS for my sister who will watch the season later. I'm typing this Survivor blog on my laptop, which is the only other way of recording something. I know that for the last episodes on Wednesday before the Sunday finale, I'll have to switch the way of recording it, making sure that it is still on tape, since my laptop won't have enough room to keep the records for as long as it would take before my sister could watch it. And I want to be a good brother to this dear, sweet sister of mine, who is probably not reading this blog but I still feel the need to mention. The better VCR does not have the ability to set timers on it, so I'm hoping that the other VCR is good enough to record something as valuable as Survivor. And for a fan, you do not want to miss anything when a show is on. That's why commercials of Survivor are valuable and hectic times for me, and most Survivor fans. I might change the recording for today. I don't have to see Revolution, since it's a long time when I watch it after it is recorded. And I think that The Tomorrow People typically does stand alone episodes. I might be able to record something on my laptop, if possible. Even though the two comedies I mentioned are in syndication now (it's fun watching episodes I never saw before), NOTHING stays in syndication forever, and most shows, like Survivor, will never enter syndication. It would be nice if they showed episodes mixed with never before seen footage (although that term technically doesn't really exist since SOMEONE has to have seen it at least once), but that would probably never happen. It would be nice. But it probably wouldn't be profitable. But I can still watch The Middle during the hiatus between the fall and spring season of Survivor. I'd watch it online, but I don't have time. I'd watch it during the summer, but ABC and summer reruns, don't ever belong in the same sentence. If you're familiar with that network, then you know what I mean. Besides, I'm watching the Big Brother season online that has Hayden Moss in it. He's my favorite to win that Big Brother season, so I hope that he does well in it. (That's a semi-serious statement, by the way. I'm mostly joking.) As for the ABC comedies I mentioned, I'll have to make sure that the channel comes in before I change something I usually do. Just know that I do hectic things between the ending of this show and the beginning of the next show. I might let you know what happens. I think that I will record it. But enough of my ramblings.

So the episode starts with Kat arriving at Redemption Island. She overdramatic about possibly not making the merge and upset about getting voted out again. She forces Hayden to give her a hug, which hopefully helps the situation out. Hayden says that his relationship with Kat is more important than the game. Jeff challenges him to switch places with Kat on Redemption Island. And just on cue, we get the intro and a commercial break. Will he do it? I figured that this is where there'd be a commercial break the moment I first saw some of that scene on the Survivor Live after Show.

In the next segment of the show, Hayden thinks that he's in a good spot. Hayden will probably do better in the game than Kat would. Kat ultimately decided to stay at Redemption Island and hopefully this move doesn't turn into what Rupert did when he did switch. The challenge is the final immunity challenge from Caramoan, I think. That means that a recurring challenge was actually won by the winner of a season. Only, it wasn't a recurring challenge before this season and the others, I'm pretty sure, were only ever for immunity. I will mention challenges from Palau that would make good Redemption Island duels, but I will do that in a future blog post. Jeff confirms that this challenge is from Caramoan. The puzzle making is neck and neck. It is hard to tell who is winning and who is losing the challenge. John wins the challenge. It is then a race between two women. Kat isn't doing well. Kat loses the challenge and Laura Morett stays in the game. Kat is eliminated from the game. John decides to give the clue to the hidden immunity idol to Monica again and for the third straight time, she burns the clue before reading it. If either Monica or Vytas get voted out, you'll know the dumb move they made that got them that way. I do miss exit confessionals. Why don't they exist in seasons with Redemption Island?

In the next segment of the show, we saw what happened on Tadhana. Hayden was upset about Kat getting eliminated from the game and him not switching places with her. But he's still in the game and feeling better that he doesn't have a loved one anymore. Aras wants to win this season and a merge to happen so he can be with his brother Vytas. Tyson is still trying to get Aras out of the game. Tina likes Vytas on her tribe and there could be a potential romance between her daughter and Vytas. Are they both single? I don't know. Laura Boneham also talks about the game. Now I hope that The Middle is over soon before the show comes back from commercial so I can stop it and wait until the next show I like is one.

In the next segment of the show, I missed part of the show by trying to mess with a tape and getting food to eat. Galang talks about voting on Vytas, which seems like their best move. The challenge then happens for immunity. The challenge is confusing so I won't give commentary, since I'm just now eating. Tadhana ending up winning the strange and interesting challenge. Hopefully nobody pulls a Kat again and gets themselves voted out instead of Vytas. Laura Boneham made stupid decisions and may no longer do better than any first boot has done this series. Doesn't she realize that Kat just did the same stupid thing that she might have just done? I missed out on a lot because I was eating a hamburger, but since I don't have any drink right now, I won't be able to eat something comfortably until after a commercial. Drama unfolded at tribal council because Laura Boneham revealed the plan to vote out Vytas to Vytas. That reminds me of poor Matt in Redemption Island, but that probably isn't the same, although it is a dumb move. Will both Lauras wind up on Redemption Island or will Vytas be the easy vote out? I don't think that a viewer blindside will happen. Meanwhile, VCR problems upstairs make me really hope that I can still record this show for myself and my sister during Advent and other holidays or events that will come up soon. Who will be voted out? Well, it looks like Laura Boneham dug her own grave on this one.

Next time on Survivor: someone is finally coming back from Redemption Island and the merge does, in fact, finally happen. With both losers be out? Will one stay on Redemption Island while the other person who doesn't win is finally out? I have the feeling that only the winner will reenter and the other two will be permanently eliminated. It will then lead to one regular tribal council in the episode followed by a double post merge tribal council in the next episode. I hope that get a grip continues to be a good challenge.

Confessional counts of players on Redemption Island: Kat- 10, John- 11, Laura Morett- 6. Confessional counts of players in the game: Gervase- 6, Tina- 8, Tyson- 13, Caleb- 9, Aras- 12, Vytas- 15, Laura Boneham- 11, Katie- 5, Monica- 11, Ciera- 9, Hayden- 9. New confessionals this episode: Laura Boneham- 4, Katie- 1, Monica- 1, Ciera- 1, Hayden- 2, Gervase- 0, Tina- 2, Tyson- 2, Caleb- 0, Aras- 1, Vytas- 2; Kat- 2, John- 0, Laura Morett- 0.

So Revolution wasn't coming in so it's a good thing that I didn't record it. I hope that The Middle that I wasted a tape on wasn't a repeat because Modern Family and SVU are reruns as well. Maybe they were originally planned to be new ones until they realized that game six of the World Series is going to happen and was happening while us die hard Survivor fans didn't even care while we hoped that a game seven would also happen. I don't know if this means that potential new episodes tomorrow aren't going to happen if there is a game seven or if various new programs will have to air next week. I finished watching Halloween episodes of various TV shows on DVD so I won't watch them on the wrong holiday or the next year entirely. Meanwhile, I get to watch the Tomorrow People instead of having to record it. I have also heard various Survivor winners disappointed with the edit that they got because they weren't seen much until the end of the season. I imagine that the winner of this season could suffer the same fate. Based on Redemption Island edits, John will probably be the player who gets back in the game, although I want Laura Boneham back in the game. It would be interesting if both Lauras are eliminated from the game permanently at the same duel. Hopefully, Vytas doesn't pull a Chris and end up winning the game after Galang failed to vote him out. I wouldn't mind him winning, but it's possible either way. Besides, he's more of a Rory now anyways. Well, he doesn't have a lot of votes against him like Rory did and we don't know who will be the first one voted out after the merge. It just better not be whoever wins Redemption Island. That would be horribly stupid. I also hope that I don't have problems recording whatever might be on next week. But it's possible that nothing new was planned anyways and nothing was delayed. We'll see when the shows for next week air. Well, I've rambled way too much in this blog post. I'll have to stop for now. Sorry I forgot to post this sooner. This is Adam Decker, signing off.