This is the week. I'm not a Jenna fan, but I shall try to refrain from bashing her too much. Condolences, etc.
Previously on All Stupid Survivor, the Stupids were incapable of making fire, so MB thought he'd devise a way to give them fire without making it obvious. All I can say about that is at least he found a way to use Moregones' lost treasure of moldy blankets. After winning the only challenge SameBogus will ever win, they chose to forego said moldy blankets in favor of letting all three tribes receive flints, clues and a pot to piss ... I mean cook rice in. Later, SameBogus lost an IC that I can't remember, proving me right and going to TC to vote out Rudy. A moment to mourn...
Okay, so with 16 left, someone could be voted out tonight. I totally wrote that before I saw the episode. But I have no hot stock market tips. The opening music is the worst music ever. Shmooshing together seven seasons worth of variations on the theme is a recipe for cacophony.
Day 7 We begin with a bright sun obscured by some kind of cloud. MB trowels on the analogies to provide depth and meaning to tonight's episode. We move from the death knell sun to the Mug O Mugs, each and every one a camera ho, where a swarm of insects investigates a sloth-like animal scratching itself. Lex is scratching himself. Coincidence? I think not. Everyone is scratching and we are treated to close-ups of the bug bites. Hobie Lapatka at Sucks paid close attention and found some interesting examples of sloppy editing.
Jenna M unostentatiously says they look like freaks bigger than the freaks they already are. Quelle mouthful. Lex lectures on enduring the itch, even tho he was scratching not five seconds ago. Kathy DRs (i.e., makes a diary room confessional) that Jenna M is miserable and wants to go home. She isn't eating or drinking. She's a wandering zombie. Thanks Kathy, for that newsflash. Up to now we all thought she was a smart focused pig. This recap is practically writing itself. Look, ma, no hands! The whole tribe talks about Jenna being not happy. Nothing to do with the bug bites, tho. Oh no. It's obviously the lack of Cute Girls with whom to have an alliance thats really brought Jenna low.
This week, SameBogus transmogrifies into the SoBoggy tribe, for reasons that will become apparent shortly. This day, the gang begins as one happy family. Apparently, all it took was losing two tribemates to get the four of them full of energy. They're building themselves all kinds of Idomo-type furniture. Cant you hear that cute music? Or is that just an ad we get in Toronto? Anyhoo, Jerri, the little worker bee, is busy cutting. Is she mad? Has she given no thought to her future Playboy Feature Girl spread? A crazy woman handling tools might not make for the most alluring pictorial. They make a table and rejoice like mad. Good thing Dicque isn't here to belittle and poo-poo the non inter-personal stuff.
Rupert finds snails and catches fish. Ethan keeps trying to help with food. Look out ocean, here comes Ethan! Hey why don't the SoBoggy peeps look as bitten as the Muggingses? Oh right, they don't have Dicquey's ass drawing insects like moths to a flame at their beach. Ethan expends effort to no avail, while Rupert laughs from the beach DRing that it isn't a competition. Except it totally is and Rupes glad no one else is capable of being the Dad. All Ethan can successfully catch are excuses. He cant jab, cant catch fish, cant run and he sure cant hide. Rupert says his tribe is little but will be mighty. When that would be I dont know, maybe when the other tribes mysteriously succumb to some disease or something?
So far, this episode kind of sucks and Im seriously considering ostentatiously throwing in the towel on this recap. You know, Ill put up the thread and send in the link to SirLinksALot, then Ill just stop writing now. Im on page 3 of what would be a 12-13 page Word document. Thats about the equivalent of eight days out of 39, isnt it? But all I have to offer by means of justification is that my teddy bear is leaking his stuffing. I should get out the needle & thread and stitch him up.
At Muggingses, Dicque makes himself useful at last. After blowing his chance to be the Man Who Bestowed Fire Upon His Grateful Tribe, he woke up and realized that any day now, his tribe will have a big ole pile o rice. So he better get busy if he wants to earn some of that quick-to-die gratitude. He wants a stingray. He wants smiles. He wants people cheering and hooting over him.
Dicque and his blunt spear hit the water and were off on a fun-filled adventure in which Dicque takes on the Worlds Smallest Shark. The shark swims under some rocks, scared out of its pea-brained mind, but hes no match for Wily Hatcherie. Dicque is smarter than a shark! Hes determined to get the shark out of its hidey-hole as fake frantic music ratchets up the drahma. Dicque prods the shark and next thing we know, were getting the voiced-over story with full color illustration of how Baby Shark sunk its teeth into Dicques arm and would not let go. Dicque float-swims over to some rocks and proceeds to bash the sharks head on the rocks. Editing is our friend: clutching the stunned shark, Dicque shows off the love bite. Later still, Dicque points out where he bit the shark back. These two could probably get a marriage license in France.
Colby would be jealous, tho. He says, Is it possible to call a gay man a stud? Oh yes, Colby, it is. A lot of people have been calling you a stud, Colby, so the answer must be Yes. ShiiAnn lets us know what the Blurry Circles have been trying to keep secret: Rich isnt that impressive downstairs. She is however impressed with his Hemingway-esque ways. Everyone thanks Hatch effusively for the bounty of the sea, and risking his life taking on that badass shark. Dicque basques, although Colby does say that he thinks hes reaching his daily limit of thanking Richard Hatch. Hmm a foreboding?
Schleppera Day 7 hey, theyre still alive. They get to go for tree mail. A Home Depot box contains all manner of tools and supplies. The poem contains the immortal words, Dream it design it and do it. MB proves that no reality genre is safe from his roving eye. This Old Hut is a new challenge to be sure, but we needed a home renovation challenge on Survivor like we needed another player laying down a torch and going home. I guess we needed it then. Sue and Tom argue like an old married couple. Their contribution to the challenge is to haul the box back. Then Sue elects to sit out leaving the others to work while she bitches from the sidelines. Amber sits out so she can provide incentive to Rob M, who preens like a peacock, showing off his muscles for the camera and enjoying the admiring glances of young Amber.
Thanks to the idiots at SoBoggy, two tribes sit out 2 of their players. For Schleppera that would be Sue and Amber, meaning that Alicia & Tom, Robfadduh and um, somebody else do the work. Who was that wimpy whiner? Oh yeah. Mr. Lively. Heart & Soul of the party Rob Toilet Cesternino Rumple-fuckin-stilt-kins.
I suddenly realize what this episode is REALLY all about. The death of our favorite show. Sorry. Sorry Im not being caring and compassionate enough. Everyone else is. Im going in for a diabetes test with the overdose of saccharine lurve for Jennapoo. Somebody has to see beyond. Because soon it will all be over. Soon we will have to enter 12-step programs to unaddict ourselves. Unless maybe MB will franchise it out to folks wholl pay him as the creator of the concept a royalty every year for 265 years. It wont be the same, but mmmmm imagine 265 year contracts like that. Where you and your estate can charge for as long as both companies are in business. Passing the business down Whoa. This episode gets a person thinking about the life and death and truth of it all.
Who put Sue with these people?
Lets get back to the show. Where was I? Sue DRs she is with stupid people. Thanks for confirming it TsueZee. I cant wait to see how you spell the names of the people on your tribe. She hopes her tribe doesnt win. Hey, Sue, youre losing fans fast and I foresee you being the first Schleppera tribe-member sent to Loser Lodge. Tom calls her the hayug from hayell. Thanks BigTom. He doesnt know how he made it thru 48 years without her leading him by the hand. Hes only 48? That farm life is not simple at all. Its very hard on a person.
BawstinRob loves to build things, hes in construction. Hes determined to win this, its his challenge. Tom is into it too, so he works side by side his new pal. ToiletRob whines about how he would be a big help to the guys, but nobody let him. He got relegated to hang with Alicia. He finds ways to absent himself from the group and it doesnt go unnoticed. Rawb says Toilet Rob is on a never-ending coffee break. Alicia DRs that everyone noticed RobCs lack of effort. ToiletRob is the new Debb, going off to get more rocks, a-whining all the way.
Amber has time to make confessionals about her alliance with BawsinRob. It started out as strategy, but watching him build the shelter she DRs hes pretty hot, and its getting easier to flirt with him. Rawb comments that Amber probably thinks shes playing me. I probably think Im player her. Who knows how its gonna turn out? One things for sure though, there can be only one winner in this game.
SoBoggy are building a log cabin. Rupert is also in construction by trade, but apparently he has never worked with sand or dug a hole in the ground before. The big plan at SoBoggy is to earn a new nickname. Rupert says they will dig into the ground. Jenna is suddenly afflicted with laryngitis, because all we see of her is eyes wide, looking at her tribemates bickering. Jerri grumbles about Ruperts stupid idea but no one backs her up. She is concerned about someplace to sleep. She doesnt want it moist. Oh now I get it. Rupert wants to honor Rudy by creating a Vietnam atmosphere where nothing is every dry again. Jerri DRs that Rupert is a control freak. This group is doing a lot of talking and not much building. But there is a lot of digging, endless digging
Get out your Preview Precrap Checksheets. Here is Ethan saying, Perfect. It is perfect. His comment refers to Jerri and Rupert fighting. With them at each others throats he figures the tribe will forget all about him. Ethan is really annoying me this season. Hes extra-Stupid because hes using the same strategy he used in Africa, but this time he will not slide right through, even if both women are ready to kill Rupert for making a hole in the ground instead of a hut. And Rupert is being annoying too. Funny how people I didn't like much last time have generally been more likeable this time, and vice versa.
Muggings have a big plan. Dicque pats himself on the back for sitting out. Takes guts Dicque and you got em in spades. Lex & Colby design a palatial estate with two floors, while Shii Ann comes up with ideas for extra touches like a hammock, a coconut phone, a rope ladder, rock gardens and a dumbwaiter. At first I thought Shii Anns ideas were stupid and a waste of time. But on second thought, given that the two guys were doing the heavy construction and were not really in need of her help at all, had they been implemented, those touches could have meant the difference between 1st prize and 2nd. And it did make sense to mention the ideas to the guys first, in case the materials for them were already earmarked for something else.
But Colby & Lex roll their eyes so loudly its obvious that they cannot hear the value. Shii Ann hauls some more palm fronds and takes time out for some DR-whining. Cuz it's ShiiAnn's job in this game to find a reason to whine.
Jenna M decides that merely being bug-bitten wont be enough to get her out of this hellhole. She will have to find another way out. She mopes around waiting for someone to notice her again. Oh sorry, I said I would try, but it's hard, it's really taking a lot of effort. Kindly appreciate that. But why isnt Kathy working on the challenge instead of JennaM?
SoBoggy, Night. Its hard to see. SoBoggy works thru the night, building their water collection hole in the ground when all of a sudden Rupert comes across a big underground tree trunk. Construction comes to a halt, discussion eats up time, then Rupert decides to continue the excavation process even tho the shelter is really going to suck now.
Judgment Day Jif brings Rotha, licensed hut inspector, to assess the efforts of the three tribes. Muggings get judged first. They have a kitchen area and a balcony with an ocean view. Rotha uses the latest methods: he leans on stuff, shakes stuff back and forth and pretty much does everything he can to make the hut fall apart but he cannot break it. Colby is upset but in the end, Rotha has put Mug O Mugs shelter to the test and they have passed. Nothing falls down.
Jif takes him away, muttering, No bribes. Hes past bribes. Ho ho, haha. Hmm.
The Schlepperas have also built a treehouse but its awesome. Rotha takes a look at the swing, at the various bedroom areas and their new recreation room, complete with a chequerboard with shells. He likes it!
SoBoggy has turned the roof into a water collection system, which is a good idea, but Rotha doesnt like the fact of the main part of the shelter being underground. Jif and Rotha stand on the beach, and Rupert can tell theyve failed to impress.
Jif had told each tribe that if they receive a gift from the sky as well as the 2nd clue for the rice lock box in their Treemail, that means they've won. The tribe that only receives a clue will have been judged second best. Getting nothing means your hut sucked donkeys and youre a bunch of losers.
Rotha makes his call and Jif instructs the plane where to make the drop. Ruperts group watches the plane fly overhead. Plane flies past Mug O Mugs and they think they might have won. Plane flies over to Schleppera and we watch in suspense. The most dramatic reward ceremony yet! Theres a cheer. But whose? Schelppera are not so schleppy after all. Alicia DRs about it being a pinnacle moment.
They get mattresses and a tarp. And blankets. And lanterns. And wine. Awesome prize. This was definitely the one to win. Yay for them! I like this tribe best, and I hope they boot out ToiletHead first, cuz hes the worst. Sue better wake up to herself or she wont even make it to the jury. They pass the wine bottle around. Sue declines to drink; apparently there arent enough brain parasites in it for her.
The Muggy Mugs get the 2nd place prize, the clue to the 2nd key to open the box of rice. SoBoggy is the most useless tribe ever and doesnt even get a lump of coal.
Boston Rob is totally The Man. Amber and Alicia cuddle up with him. Amber gets tipsy and turns the flirting dial to 7.5. If youre gonna kiss me, kiss me now. I dont want to kiss you later with bad wine breath. Does he kiss or not? Who knows? More important is showing us a confessional about it. Gyp.
But wow. I do believe that is the first time someone has proclaimed a challenge to be his area of expertise and then gone on to not only not get beaten by some first-timer (Hello Kelly Wigglesworth), but to do really really well. As in, lead his tribe to victory. Awesome. I like Boston Rob more this season than I thought possible. Not that its such a surprise, but he was kind of a dick last time, and this time hes really put together a package that a viewer can get behind. Heh. And in front of. But I leap ahead to next episode...
Night 8. Chez Mug O Mugs, the rainstorm comes with all sorts of special thunder & lightning effects. Its spectacuularrr. Hey, how come were not all pirate-y this season? And now that weve had a Toolbox Challenge, are there any shows left for MB to exploit?
So its storming, and Lex huddles up with ShiiAnn on one side and JennaM on the other, all protective and loving. Its about this point I glance at the clock. 8:45 p.m.??? Hey, what the? Is it? Is this the week some of us heard about? Is that why SO much time was spent on the reward challenge? Ahh, now I get it. Nudge nudge wink wink.
Lex talks about how unprepared the shelter was for such a storm. So much for 2nd place. Hmm. I wonder how Ruperts lousy hole in the ground is faring, and whether it collected a weeks supply of water from the roof gizmo or simply in the hole. But wouldnt it be hilarious if that lousy unprizeworthy shelter turned out to be the most comfy and cozy? Hilarious and unlikely. So anyway the Mugs are all cold. Kathy tells Jenna to get in the shelter. But Jenna is busy oozing misery. She tells the tribe about how she needs to be with her family. She is worried about her mom. She wants to walk, and she doesnt mean along the beach. It slowly dawns on her teammates that she means she wants to leave.
Kathy talks to us about Jennas mom being in a cancer rehab home. Kathy opens a new out-patient clinic on some rocks. You may remember that Kathy spent time on some rocks talking with Gina in Marquesas about her plans for a restaurant in Alaska. That ep, Gina got the boot. Here, Kathy chats with Jenna about the situation at home. You guys, watch out for private chats with Kathy on the rocks. Then the whole tribe throws in their two cents. Somebody turns out its Colby and hasnt he flattened that accent - talks about it being bad for the tribe and blahblahblah. He's kind of not all that compassionate. Kathy says to wait and see what happens. That is the stupidest thing Ive heard yet. But then Kathy says that Jennas misery is like a cancer on the tribe. Okay, so now thats the stupidest thing.
The All Stupids head out for the Lets Pretend Its A Normal Day in StupidLand.
Fake Immunity Challenge Time. Two tribes of Stupids and Boston Robs tribe with just a couple of stupids all gather to act as if they are going to have a normal immunity challenge.
Essentially, Jenna breaks down in sobs, and announces that she needs to pull herself out of the game and go be with her family and her mom who isnt getting any better. She loves the game so much but her priority is her family. Jif questions whether she's gotten news or updates of some kind. Right, Jif. Somebody flew over the island with a banner.
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Jenna denies it, saying that being an only child shes really close with her mom and just got a vibe. She had an epiphany and
realized she shouldnt have come to the game in the first place. Alicia comes across pretty snotty, but everyone has a different reaction. Some people are
understanding right away, some make asshole remarks, others dont say anything worth televising. I didn't watch the tape, but over at Sticky Wickets, all
the bits and pieces of dialogue are being noted and discussed.
Amber cries and asks to give Jenna a hug. Rob M says its not for them to question her motives, and they should just support her decision. Hell, shes not on his tribe, so he can afford to be magnanimous. Rupert feels bad for her, but to quit, its a hard decision. Tom talks about if his family got killed in a car accident he wouldnt want to be informed since there would be nothing he could do. It's not quite the same thing, but whatever.
Its a big action with big consequences, says Jif. They dont have to run the immunity challenge. Jif asks Jenna if she can make it to the tribal council, and she says she cannot. So she gives everyone a hug, as wailing music wails away, milking it for all its worth. Then she tells them to have fun and she skips and jumps down the beach to hop into a waiting boat that takes her away, waving to her tribemates. Glad to get away? To have made the right decision? Happy to go home with a few thousand dollars for the appearance fee (I suppose she does still get paid; Jif isnt treating her bowing out as an Osten, although some comments around the boards would have you think so.) Maybe she's just relieved that she's made the right decision.
At the very end, it says Jenna rushed to her mothers bedside. Eight days later her mother lost her long battle with cancer. She was 48. Alright, that was kind of sad, and moving and stuff. I had a bit of a lump in my throat. Later, I was mad at Jenna for even bothering to come to the game. Later still, I recognize that its hard to keep putting ones life on hold when someone close has a terminal illness. I do buy that she got a vibe and Im glad she got back to be with her mom before she died.
There has been talk that Jenna was pressured into being on the show. Although Richard Hatch has been entertaining, I nevertheless think that the previous winners shouldnt have even been invited in the first place. It should have been a non-issue as to whether Jenna came to be on the show. It should have been All Stars Who Never Won, a chance for characters to shine and show what they could do. Why have people with automatic targets on their backs, when there were plenty of good players to invite who didnt make it to the jury? Were people like Gretchen, Mike Skupin, Hunter and Gina unwilling to return? Were they even asked?
I think what most annoys me about Jenna is her constant claim to have matured and learned so much, yet each time a new issue is put before her, she takes the same thoughtless self-absorbed route. Its not like she is the only winner who wouldnt have shown up. And I dont believe that Brian and Vee werent invited: they simply decided they had better things to do. Jenna should have declined to come this second time. Im not saying she should have taken up permanent residence at her mothers bedside, and put her whole life on hold. But she should not have taken a place in this game, and put her own health at risk, only to leave her tribe when the going got too rough.
All said & done, it IS good that she got home before her mom died. And its over, and we can move forward with the season now.
Thanks for reading. Post here or send me a PM.
Previously on All Stupid Survivor, the Stupids were incapable of making fire, so MB thought he'd devise a way to give them fire without making it obvious. All I can say about that is at least he found a way to use Moregones' lost treasure of moldy blankets. After winning the only challenge SameBogus will ever win, they chose to forego said moldy blankets in favor of letting all three tribes receive flints, clues and a pot to piss ... I mean cook rice in. Later, SameBogus lost an IC that I can't remember, proving me right and going to TC to vote out Rudy. A moment to mourn...
Okay, so with 16 left, someone could be voted out tonight. I totally wrote that before I saw the episode. But I have no hot stock market tips. The opening music is the worst music ever. Shmooshing together seven seasons worth of variations on the theme is a recipe for cacophony.
Day 7 We begin with a bright sun obscured by some kind of cloud. MB trowels on the analogies to provide depth and meaning to tonight's episode. We move from the death knell sun to the Mug O Mugs, each and every one a camera ho, where a swarm of insects investigates a sloth-like animal scratching itself. Lex is scratching himself. Coincidence? I think not. Everyone is scratching and we are treated to close-ups of the bug bites. Hobie Lapatka at Sucks paid close attention and found some interesting examples of sloppy editing.
Jenna M unostentatiously says they look like freaks bigger than the freaks they already are. Quelle mouthful. Lex lectures on enduring the itch, even tho he was scratching not five seconds ago. Kathy DRs (i.e., makes a diary room confessional) that Jenna M is miserable and wants to go home. She isn't eating or drinking. She's a wandering zombie. Thanks Kathy, for that newsflash. Up to now we all thought she was a smart focused pig. This recap is practically writing itself. Look, ma, no hands! The whole tribe talks about Jenna being not happy. Nothing to do with the bug bites, tho. Oh no. It's obviously the lack of Cute Girls with whom to have an alliance thats really brought Jenna low.
This week, SameBogus transmogrifies into the SoBoggy tribe, for reasons that will become apparent shortly. This day, the gang begins as one happy family. Apparently, all it took was losing two tribemates to get the four of them full of energy. They're building themselves all kinds of Idomo-type furniture. Cant you hear that cute music? Or is that just an ad we get in Toronto? Anyhoo, Jerri, the little worker bee, is busy cutting. Is she mad? Has she given no thought to her future Playboy Feature Girl spread? A crazy woman handling tools might not make for the most alluring pictorial. They make a table and rejoice like mad. Good thing Dicque isn't here to belittle and poo-poo the non inter-personal stuff.
Rupert finds snails and catches fish. Ethan keeps trying to help with food. Look out ocean, here comes Ethan! Hey why don't the SoBoggy peeps look as bitten as the Muggingses? Oh right, they don't have Dicquey's ass drawing insects like moths to a flame at their beach. Ethan expends effort to no avail, while Rupert laughs from the beach DRing that it isn't a competition. Except it totally is and Rupes glad no one else is capable of being the Dad. All Ethan can successfully catch are excuses. He cant jab, cant catch fish, cant run and he sure cant hide. Rupert says his tribe is little but will be mighty. When that would be I dont know, maybe when the other tribes mysteriously succumb to some disease or something?
So far, this episode kind of sucks and Im seriously considering ostentatiously throwing in the towel on this recap. You know, Ill put up the thread and send in the link to SirLinksALot, then Ill just stop writing now. Im on page 3 of what would be a 12-13 page Word document. Thats about the equivalent of eight days out of 39, isnt it? But all I have to offer by means of justification is that my teddy bear is leaking his stuffing. I should get out the needle & thread and stitch him up.
At Muggingses, Dicque makes himself useful at last. After blowing his chance to be the Man Who Bestowed Fire Upon His Grateful Tribe, he woke up and realized that any day now, his tribe will have a big ole pile o rice. So he better get busy if he wants to earn some of that quick-to-die gratitude. He wants a stingray. He wants smiles. He wants people cheering and hooting over him.
Dicque and his blunt spear hit the water and were off on a fun-filled adventure in which Dicque takes on the Worlds Smallest Shark. The shark swims under some rocks, scared out of its pea-brained mind, but hes no match for Wily Hatcherie. Dicque is smarter than a shark! Hes determined to get the shark out of its hidey-hole as fake frantic music ratchets up the drahma. Dicque prods the shark and next thing we know, were getting the voiced-over story with full color illustration of how Baby Shark sunk its teeth into Dicques arm and would not let go. Dicque float-swims over to some rocks and proceeds to bash the sharks head on the rocks. Editing is our friend: clutching the stunned shark, Dicque shows off the love bite. Later still, Dicque points out where he bit the shark back. These two could probably get a marriage license in France.
Colby would be jealous, tho. He says, Is it possible to call a gay man a stud? Oh yes, Colby, it is. A lot of people have been calling you a stud, Colby, so the answer must be Yes. ShiiAnn lets us know what the Blurry Circles have been trying to keep secret: Rich isnt that impressive downstairs. She is however impressed with his Hemingway-esque ways. Everyone thanks Hatch effusively for the bounty of the sea, and risking his life taking on that badass shark. Dicque basques, although Colby does say that he thinks hes reaching his daily limit of thanking Richard Hatch. Hmm a foreboding?
Schleppera Day 7 hey, theyre still alive. They get to go for tree mail. A Home Depot box contains all manner of tools and supplies. The poem contains the immortal words, Dream it design it and do it. MB proves that no reality genre is safe from his roving eye. This Old Hut is a new challenge to be sure, but we needed a home renovation challenge on Survivor like we needed another player laying down a torch and going home. I guess we needed it then. Sue and Tom argue like an old married couple. Their contribution to the challenge is to haul the box back. Then Sue elects to sit out leaving the others to work while she bitches from the sidelines. Amber sits out so she can provide incentive to Rob M, who preens like a peacock, showing off his muscles for the camera and enjoying the admiring glances of young Amber.
Thanks to the idiots at SoBoggy, two tribes sit out 2 of their players. For Schleppera that would be Sue and Amber, meaning that Alicia & Tom, Robfadduh and um, somebody else do the work. Who was that wimpy whiner? Oh yeah. Mr. Lively. Heart & Soul of the party Rob Toilet Cesternino Rumple-fuckin-stilt-kins.
I suddenly realize what this episode is REALLY all about. The death of our favorite show. Sorry. Sorry Im not being caring and compassionate enough. Everyone else is. Im going in for a diabetes test with the overdose of saccharine lurve for Jennapoo. Somebody has to see beyond. Because soon it will all be over. Soon we will have to enter 12-step programs to unaddict ourselves. Unless maybe MB will franchise it out to folks wholl pay him as the creator of the concept a royalty every year for 265 years. It wont be the same, but mmmmm imagine 265 year contracts like that. Where you and your estate can charge for as long as both companies are in business. Passing the business down Whoa. This episode gets a person thinking about the life and death and truth of it all.
Who put Sue with these people?
Lets get back to the show. Where was I? Sue DRs she is with stupid people. Thanks for confirming it TsueZee. I cant wait to see how you spell the names of the people on your tribe. She hopes her tribe doesnt win. Hey, Sue, youre losing fans fast and I foresee you being the first Schleppera tribe-member sent to Loser Lodge. Tom calls her the hayug from hayell. Thanks BigTom. He doesnt know how he made it thru 48 years without her leading him by the hand. Hes only 48? That farm life is not simple at all. Its very hard on a person.
BawstinRob loves to build things, hes in construction. Hes determined to win this, its his challenge. Tom is into it too, so he works side by side his new pal. ToiletRob whines about how he would be a big help to the guys, but nobody let him. He got relegated to hang with Alicia. He finds ways to absent himself from the group and it doesnt go unnoticed. Rawb says Toilet Rob is on a never-ending coffee break. Alicia DRs that everyone noticed RobCs lack of effort. ToiletRob is the new Debb, going off to get more rocks, a-whining all the way.
Amber has time to make confessionals about her alliance with BawsinRob. It started out as strategy, but watching him build the shelter she DRs hes pretty hot, and its getting easier to flirt with him. Rawb comments that Amber probably thinks shes playing me. I probably think Im player her. Who knows how its gonna turn out? One things for sure though, there can be only one winner in this game.
SoBoggy are building a log cabin. Rupert is also in construction by trade, but apparently he has never worked with sand or dug a hole in the ground before. The big plan at SoBoggy is to earn a new nickname. Rupert says they will dig into the ground. Jenna is suddenly afflicted with laryngitis, because all we see of her is eyes wide, looking at her tribemates bickering. Jerri grumbles about Ruperts stupid idea but no one backs her up. She is concerned about someplace to sleep. She doesnt want it moist. Oh now I get it. Rupert wants to honor Rudy by creating a Vietnam atmosphere where nothing is every dry again. Jerri DRs that Rupert is a control freak. This group is doing a lot of talking and not much building. But there is a lot of digging, endless digging
Get out your Preview Precrap Checksheets. Here is Ethan saying, Perfect. It is perfect. His comment refers to Jerri and Rupert fighting. With them at each others throats he figures the tribe will forget all about him. Ethan is really annoying me this season. Hes extra-Stupid because hes using the same strategy he used in Africa, but this time he will not slide right through, even if both women are ready to kill Rupert for making a hole in the ground instead of a hut. And Rupert is being annoying too. Funny how people I didn't like much last time have generally been more likeable this time, and vice versa.
Muggings have a big plan. Dicque pats himself on the back for sitting out. Takes guts Dicque and you got em in spades. Lex & Colby design a palatial estate with two floors, while Shii Ann comes up with ideas for extra touches like a hammock, a coconut phone, a rope ladder, rock gardens and a dumbwaiter. At first I thought Shii Anns ideas were stupid and a waste of time. But on second thought, given that the two guys were doing the heavy construction and were not really in need of her help at all, had they been implemented, those touches could have meant the difference between 1st prize and 2nd. And it did make sense to mention the ideas to the guys first, in case the materials for them were already earmarked for something else.
But Colby & Lex roll their eyes so loudly its obvious that they cannot hear the value. Shii Ann hauls some more palm fronds and takes time out for some DR-whining. Cuz it's ShiiAnn's job in this game to find a reason to whine.
Jenna M decides that merely being bug-bitten wont be enough to get her out of this hellhole. She will have to find another way out. She mopes around waiting for someone to notice her again. Oh sorry, I said I would try, but it's hard, it's really taking a lot of effort. Kindly appreciate that. But why isnt Kathy working on the challenge instead of JennaM?
SoBoggy, Night. Its hard to see. SoBoggy works thru the night, building their water collection hole in the ground when all of a sudden Rupert comes across a big underground tree trunk. Construction comes to a halt, discussion eats up time, then Rupert decides to continue the excavation process even tho the shelter is really going to suck now.
Judgment Day Jif brings Rotha, licensed hut inspector, to assess the efforts of the three tribes. Muggings get judged first. They have a kitchen area and a balcony with an ocean view. Rotha uses the latest methods: he leans on stuff, shakes stuff back and forth and pretty much does everything he can to make the hut fall apart but he cannot break it. Colby is upset but in the end, Rotha has put Mug O Mugs shelter to the test and they have passed. Nothing falls down.
Jif takes him away, muttering, No bribes. Hes past bribes. Ho ho, haha. Hmm.
The Schlepperas have also built a treehouse but its awesome. Rotha takes a look at the swing, at the various bedroom areas and their new recreation room, complete with a chequerboard with shells. He likes it!
SoBoggy has turned the roof into a water collection system, which is a good idea, but Rotha doesnt like the fact of the main part of the shelter being underground. Jif and Rotha stand on the beach, and Rupert can tell theyve failed to impress.
Jif had told each tribe that if they receive a gift from the sky as well as the 2nd clue for the rice lock box in their Treemail, that means they've won. The tribe that only receives a clue will have been judged second best. Getting nothing means your hut sucked donkeys and youre a bunch of losers.
Rotha makes his call and Jif instructs the plane where to make the drop. Ruperts group watches the plane fly overhead. Plane flies past Mug O Mugs and they think they might have won. Plane flies over to Schleppera and we watch in suspense. The most dramatic reward ceremony yet! Theres a cheer. But whose? Schelppera are not so schleppy after all. Alicia DRs about it being a pinnacle moment.
They get mattresses and a tarp. And blankets. And lanterns. And wine. Awesome prize. This was definitely the one to win. Yay for them! I like this tribe best, and I hope they boot out ToiletHead first, cuz hes the worst. Sue better wake up to herself or she wont even make it to the jury. They pass the wine bottle around. Sue declines to drink; apparently there arent enough brain parasites in it for her.
The Muggy Mugs get the 2nd place prize, the clue to the 2nd key to open the box of rice. SoBoggy is the most useless tribe ever and doesnt even get a lump of coal.
Boston Rob is totally The Man. Amber and Alicia cuddle up with him. Amber gets tipsy and turns the flirting dial to 7.5. If youre gonna kiss me, kiss me now. I dont want to kiss you later with bad wine breath. Does he kiss or not? Who knows? More important is showing us a confessional about it. Gyp.
But wow. I do believe that is the first time someone has proclaimed a challenge to be his area of expertise and then gone on to not only not get beaten by some first-timer (Hello Kelly Wigglesworth), but to do really really well. As in, lead his tribe to victory. Awesome. I like Boston Rob more this season than I thought possible. Not that its such a surprise, but he was kind of a dick last time, and this time hes really put together a package that a viewer can get behind. Heh. And in front of. But I leap ahead to next episode...
Night 8. Chez Mug O Mugs, the rainstorm comes with all sorts of special thunder & lightning effects. Its spectacuularrr. Hey, how come were not all pirate-y this season? And now that weve had a Toolbox Challenge, are there any shows left for MB to exploit?
So its storming, and Lex huddles up with ShiiAnn on one side and JennaM on the other, all protective and loving. Its about this point I glance at the clock. 8:45 p.m.??? Hey, what the? Is it? Is this the week some of us heard about? Is that why SO much time was spent on the reward challenge? Ahh, now I get it. Nudge nudge wink wink.
Lex talks about how unprepared the shelter was for such a storm. So much for 2nd place. Hmm. I wonder how Ruperts lousy hole in the ground is faring, and whether it collected a weeks supply of water from the roof gizmo or simply in the hole. But wouldnt it be hilarious if that lousy unprizeworthy shelter turned out to be the most comfy and cozy? Hilarious and unlikely. So anyway the Mugs are all cold. Kathy tells Jenna to get in the shelter. But Jenna is busy oozing misery. She tells the tribe about how she needs to be with her family. She is worried about her mom. She wants to walk, and she doesnt mean along the beach. It slowly dawns on her teammates that she means she wants to leave.
Kathy talks to us about Jennas mom being in a cancer rehab home. Kathy opens a new out-patient clinic on some rocks. You may remember that Kathy spent time on some rocks talking with Gina in Marquesas about her plans for a restaurant in Alaska. That ep, Gina got the boot. Here, Kathy chats with Jenna about the situation at home. You guys, watch out for private chats with Kathy on the rocks. Then the whole tribe throws in their two cents. Somebody turns out its Colby and hasnt he flattened that accent - talks about it being bad for the tribe and blahblahblah. He's kind of not all that compassionate. Kathy says to wait and see what happens. That is the stupidest thing Ive heard yet. But then Kathy says that Jennas misery is like a cancer on the tribe. Okay, so now thats the stupidest thing.
The All Stupids head out for the Lets Pretend Its A Normal Day in StupidLand.
Fake Immunity Challenge Time. Two tribes of Stupids and Boston Robs tribe with just a couple of stupids all gather to act as if they are going to have a normal immunity challenge.
Essentially, Jenna breaks down in sobs, and announces that she needs to pull herself out of the game and go be with her family and her mom who isnt getting any better. She loves the game so much but her priority is her family. Jif questions whether she's gotten news or updates of some kind. Right, Jif. Somebody flew over the island with a banner.
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Jenna denies it, saying that being an only child shes really close with her mom and just got a vibe. She had an epiphany and
realized she shouldnt have come to the game in the first place. Alicia comes across pretty snotty, but everyone has a different reaction. Some people are
understanding right away, some make asshole remarks, others dont say anything worth televising. I didn't watch the tape, but over at Sticky Wickets, all
the bits and pieces of dialogue are being noted and discussed.
Amber cries and asks to give Jenna a hug. Rob M says its not for them to question her motives, and they should just support her decision. Hell, shes not on his tribe, so he can afford to be magnanimous. Rupert feels bad for her, but to quit, its a hard decision. Tom talks about if his family got killed in a car accident he wouldnt want to be informed since there would be nothing he could do. It's not quite the same thing, but whatever.
Its a big action with big consequences, says Jif. They dont have to run the immunity challenge. Jif asks Jenna if she can make it to the tribal council, and she says she cannot. So she gives everyone a hug, as wailing music wails away, milking it for all its worth. Then she tells them to have fun and she skips and jumps down the beach to hop into a waiting boat that takes her away, waving to her tribemates. Glad to get away? To have made the right decision? Happy to go home with a few thousand dollars for the appearance fee (I suppose she does still get paid; Jif isnt treating her bowing out as an Osten, although some comments around the boards would have you think so.) Maybe she's just relieved that she's made the right decision.
At the very end, it says Jenna rushed to her mothers bedside. Eight days later her mother lost her long battle with cancer. She was 48. Alright, that was kind of sad, and moving and stuff. I had a bit of a lump in my throat. Later, I was mad at Jenna for even bothering to come to the game. Later still, I recognize that its hard to keep putting ones life on hold when someone close has a terminal illness. I do buy that she got a vibe and Im glad she got back to be with her mom before she died.
There has been talk that Jenna was pressured into being on the show. Although Richard Hatch has been entertaining, I nevertheless think that the previous winners shouldnt have even been invited in the first place. It should have been a non-issue as to whether Jenna came to be on the show. It should have been All Stars Who Never Won, a chance for characters to shine and show what they could do. Why have people with automatic targets on their backs, when there were plenty of good players to invite who didnt make it to the jury? Were people like Gretchen, Mike Skupin, Hunter and Gina unwilling to return? Were they even asked?
I think what most annoys me about Jenna is her constant claim to have matured and learned so much, yet each time a new issue is put before her, she takes the same thoughtless self-absorbed route. Its not like she is the only winner who wouldnt have shown up. And I dont believe that Brian and Vee werent invited: they simply decided they had better things to do. Jenna should have declined to come this second time. Im not saying she should have taken up permanent residence at her mothers bedside, and put her whole life on hold. But she should not have taken a place in this game, and put her own health at risk, only to leave her tribe when the going got too rough.
All said & done, it IS good that she got home before her mom died. And its over, and we can move forward with the season now.
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