reality tv – Page 183

The Amazing Race 15 Episode 11

The Amazing Race 15 Episode 10 ended in the non-elimination of Brian & Ericka after Sam & Dan stole their cab.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Meghan & Cheyne – 9:46PM
Second: Sam & Dan – 10:13PM
Third: Herbert & Nathaniel – 10:17PM
Fourth: Brian & Ericka – 11:40PM

Teams will make their way across town (really?) to the Spanish Synagogue, and from there they head to the Ekotechnicke Museum. The road block will go forward despite the fact that it’s the middle of the night. The road block is to enter a room filled with telephones and search for the five phones that actually have someone else on the other end. A voice will give them a letter in the first name of Franz Kafka, and when they have all five letters, they must unscramble them to advance.

Before they can do their road block, Brian & Ericka are greeted by a speed bump. Since they’ve got an hour and a half to make up and it appears they’re staying put in town, their only hope seems to be an hours of operation. Their speed bump task is to pay a visit to M1 Lounge, a pub with chicks dancing on the bar, where they must prepare and drink absinthe, known for its high alcohol content.

Road block (in order of arrival): Meghan, Dan, Big Easy, Brian

Meghan seems to figure it out pretty quickly, but Dan and Big Easy end up working together, in a case of the blind leading the blonde. At least they’re supposedly working together. Once Dan gets it, they’re no longer working together. It starts with an “F”. That’s all he’s saying. If you’re gonna play aggressively, at least be smart about it. Don’t just randomly sabotage every team and have them all out to get you. By the time Brian gets there, Big Easy’s still around trying to figure out the puzzle. He’s killed an awful lot of time. As it turns out, Brian gets the word right before he does. Since he’s been there for a few hours and already in last place anyway, Big Easy decides to take the 4 hour penalty. 4 hours and already in last should spell elimination unless there is some sort of travel to create bunching, which would mean Sam & Dan get their wish to eliminate what they perceive to be the biggest competition.

The next stop is Kryocentrum, where they will skip down to skimpy outfits and enter a room kept at 180 degrees below 0 for two minutes.

From there, they will head to the Charles Bridge, which links the old and new sections of the city. The detour is a choice between legend or lager. In legend, teams will build a golem out of clay and transport it across town. In lager, teams must deliver beer to a group of rowdy soccer hooligans. They will carry the beer from the brewery through the busy town square to a bar.

Legend: Meghan & Cheyne, Sam & Dan
Lager: Brian & Ericka

Meghan & Cheyne fight their way to the rabbi since the golem is so heavy, but there’s never any doubt what position they will finish. Sam & Dan break their golem right after they start covering it. Rather than just grabbing a new one, they hope the broken arm will go unnoticed. It’s not long before we hear much screaming to shut up. Can someone slap these guys already? Ericka drops her whole tray and begs Brian to switch to the other task. He asks her to just carry two at a time. She doesn’t want to do that either. She should just be glad she didn’t have to lug that golem around. At least then, they wouldn’t have to deal with the random drunks trying to steal their drinks, though. As for Sam & Dan, for some reason, the rabbi doesn’t care that their golem is broken. When it’s over, Dan admits to being a complete baby during ~~the whole race~~ that task. Early the next morning, Brian & Ericka complete their task after the pub has closed, waking up the guy working there to give him the final glasses. However long it took them, it’s a foregone conclusion what the outcome of this leg will be.

The pit stop for this leg of the race is Strelecky Ostrov. The Trotters are told to go straight there so that Phil can eliminate them.

First: Meghan & Chenye (win 52″ TVs)
Second: Sam & Dan
Third: Brian & Ericka
Eliminated: Herbert & Nathaniel

Coming into this leg, I didn’t see how the heck Brian & Ericka could catch up, but one lengthy detour was enough to save them and eliminate the Globetrotters.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Amazing Race 15 Episode 12 How Sweet the Sound! (Las Vegas), where we will find out who The Amazing Race 15 winner is, which airs Sunday at 8/7cish CBS.

The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now?

Ever wonder what happened to people after they leave The Biggest Loser? Fact is that most of them gain some of the weight back. Some of them even gain all of the weight back and then some. At least there are more success stories than The Bachelor can claim, though. After eight seasons and 206 contestants, tonight, in a special Wednesday edition of The Biggest Loser, we visit more than 40 former contestants, some loved and some hated, to find out where they are now.

Jerry Skeabeck from season 6 was Dr. H’s biggest surprise throughout all the seasons. He wasn’t sure he could make it through this alive. Today, Jerry is down from his starting weight of 380 pounds to 262 pounds now. His rude awakening came the day he found out his internal age is 76.

Mallory Bray from season 5 started at 217 pounds, a heavy weight but pretty tame by contrast to many of the contestants. For over a year, Mallory has been a personal trainer.

Pete Thomas from season 2 started at 401 pounds. Now, he weighs 238 pounds. He wants to pay it forward and has developed a local 10 week series of classes.

Drea from season 1 is down from her starting weight of 215 pounds to 160 pounds today. She is now the director of Healthworks Fitness Center for Women and Children, a non-profit organization that works with inner city women who may not otherwise be able to afford this kind of a program.

Mark Kruger from season 5 is down 100 pounds from his starting weight of 285 pounds. His brother Jay is down from 293 pounds to 207 pounds today.

At the start of this post, I mentioned The Bachelor. Yeah, we all know about how Trista and Ryan are still together and, well, that’s about all the news there is from that show every single season. By comparison, The Biggest Loser has had more marriages than any other reality show.

Those couples include Matt and Suzy from season 2. He is down from 339 pounds to 237 pounds now. She is down from 227 to 175 now, after having had two kids. They have gained some of their weight back, but they intend to change things so that their kids never end up having to work at losing weight.

Nicole and Damien from season 7 came to the show looking to lose their weight as they prepared for their wedding. Damien is down from 381 pounds to 253 pounds; Nicole is down from 269 pounds to 155 pounds. They are now fitness instructors at 24 Hour Fitness.

Nicole Michalik from season 4 started off at 279 pounds but has kept all the weight off since then (105 pounds). She suggests good music, a hard workout, and hot trainers.

Jerry Hayes from season 7 started off by collapsing on day 1. From there, he went on to beat all the younger people and take the at home prize. He currently weighs 193 pounds, down from 369 pounds. His message is that it’s never too late.

Mike and Ron Morelli wanted to inspire the younger brother Max to follow in their footsteps. In addition Ron’s weight loss (430 pounds to 251) and Mike’s weight loss (388 pounds to 230 pounds), Max has dropped from 405 pounds at the finale down to 300 pounds now after he went to Fitness Ridge, The Biggest Loser Resort.

Tara Costa from season 7 won more challenges than any player in Biggest Loser history. She’s down from her starting weight of 294 pounds to 165 pounds. Since the finale, she has decided to do something for the community, so she planned a health fair and run.

Jaron, the at home winner from season 3, is making his dream of being a triathlete a reality. He’s down from 323 pounds to 200 pounds and decided to do an ironman triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile biking, and 26.2 mile run). Likewise, Matt from season 2 also did an ironman.

Julie Hadden from season 4 was unable to have more children due to her weight. Now she’s down from 218 pounds to 128 (only 7 pounds above her finale weight). It all comes down to wanting it. “I don’t have the time” is an excuse, not a reality. She’s willing to put in the 1-1.5 hours to workout 5-6 days a week. Rather than having another baby, she and her husband have decided instead to adopt.

Vicky Vilcan from season 6 was quite possibly the most hated contestant ever. Most people hoped she would fall flat on her face. So far, that has not yet happened. She’s down from 246 pounds to 150 now. She does have a message to future contestants: keep your mouth shut. Had she been sitting at home, she would have hated herself, too.

Filipe Fa and his cousin Sione are still determined to change the Tongan community. Filipe is down from 364 pounds to 242 pounds; Sione is down from 372 pounds to 239. They have a weekly exercise class where they invite everyone from their community.

Dan Evans and his mom Jackie from season 5 are taking on the country music world. Jackie is down from 246 pounds to 160, up only slightly from her finale weight. Dan is down from 310 pounds to 194.

Michelle Aguilar, winner of season 6, is working to get a bill passed to redefine physical education in the state of Texas.

Ali Vincent, the first female winner ever, remains the poster child for The Biggest Loser success. She’s down from her starting weight of 234 pounds to 125 pounds now. Her mom Bette-Sue has actually improved over her finale numbers, having dropped to 160 pounds from her starting weight of 261.

Twins Bill and Jim Germanakos won both the grand prize and the at home prize. Bill is down from 334 pounds to 209 pounds; Jim is down from 361 pounds to 223 pounds. They have become certified spinning instructors.

Bernie Salazar, the at home winner from season 5, is down from 283 pounds to 160 pounds. He hopes to help with the problem of childhood obesity and has put out a book for kids to try to get them active.

Carla Triplett, previously the heaviest woman ever, is down from 379 pounds to 251. Renee Wilson (Michelle Aguilar’s mom) is down from 267 pounds to 175. They participate in a half marathon with other contestants, including Helen from season 7, Amy and Shellay, Pete from season 2, Damien and Nicole, and Coleen from season 6.

Phil Parham from season 6 is down to 195 pounds from 331. His wife Amy is down to 137 pounds from 229.

Bob outed Erik from season 3 last year. Erik, who dropped from 407 pounds to 193 to win the third season, has since gained back over 175 pounds, almost all the weight he lost. Now Bob has the task of confronting him. He suggests finding some balance between the excess of the show and the excess of the eating whatever you want. He invites him to weigh in at the season 9 finale and see how far he’s able to get in that time.

David Griffin is down from 368 pounds to 224, a slight improvement over his finale weight. He’s helped train 5 people to cross the 100 pound lost mark.

Neil from season 4 started at 421 pounds and is now at 228 pounds. He has taken the next step with his girlfriend and finally gotten married, which he didn’t want to do when he had so many health problems.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Episode 18

The top six couples performed in So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Episode 17, and tonight two more will go home.

Karen & Victor and Ashleigh & Jakob step forward first. Karen & Victor are the first couple in danger, as Ashleigh & Jakob are safe. Mary is unsurprised by this placement.

Mollee & Nathan and Kathryn & Legacy are up next. Mollee & Nathan are the second couple in danger tonight, as Kathryn & Legacy join the top 10. As the judges said last night, Adam’s looking forward to them both getting more mature partners.

The final pair of couples is Ellenore & Ryan and Noelle & Russell. The third couple in danger is Ellenore & Ryan. Noelle & Russell are in the top 10. Nigel has nothing but good things to say about Ellenore and Ryan, who are having trouble obtaining a fan base.

That leaves Karen, Victor, Mollee, Nathan, Ellenore, and Ryan dancing for their lives. Four of these people were in the bottom last week, and two of them lost partners then. Ellenore & Ryan were safe last week, although they were in the bottom the week before (along with Karen).

Starting with the girls, the judges are unanimous with their decision. Mollee for the first time showed the judges someone actually fighting for their place on the show (that solo was awesome). Ellenore is not given any advice because the judges can’t think of any need for improvement. Karen’s told that her solo felt like she was waiving the white flag. She has been eliminated from the show.

The judges are not unanimous with their decision for the boys. Victor is told he’s grown as a person, and his solo was terrific as well. Ryan’s challenge is to compete with contemporary guys in solos, although his partnership work is tremendous. Nathan is a brilliant dancer, but hasn’t grown enough for Nigel’s taste. If Nigel had his way, he would be going home tonight. However, Nigel does not get his way. Instead, Victor has been eliminated.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Episode 19, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Episode 17

Channing and Kevin were sent home in So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Episode 16. Tonight the 12 remaining dancers compete to make the top 10. Each couple will get two chances to perform tonight.

Ellenore Scott & Ryan di Lello
Style: Lindy hop
Choreographer: Carla Heiney
Song: I’ve Got to Be a Rug Cutter by Boilermaker Jazz Band
Adam: Amazing Ryan got through all those lifts after having hurt his back. Ellenore gets better every week.
Mary: Captured the right feel.
Nigel: Ryan’s tall but managed to get down into the floor.
Number: 1-888-TEMPO-01

Kathryn McCormack & Jonathan “Legacy” Perez
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: So Deep by Hot Chip
Adam: If you keep dancing like this, you’re going all the way.
Mary: Really outstanding dancing. Walking right into the top 10.
Nigel: Kathryn was incredibly sexy. Legacy has some surprisingly good musical instincts.
Number: 1-888-TEMPO-02

Karen Hauer & Victor Smalley
Style: Tango
Choreographers: Tony Meredith & Melanie Lapatin
Song: Montserrat by Orquesta del Plata
Adam: This partnership really ended up working out.
Mary: Looked tremendous with the high difficulty level. Karen’s still on the train, but Victor’s picking up steam.
Nigel: Intense chemistry and beautiful to watch. Victor needs to be careful about walking like Donald Duck, but everything else is fabulous. Karen has the quality that you just have to watch her.
Number: 1-888-TEMPO-03

Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras
Style: Hip hop – the day Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone
Choreographer: Jamal Sims
Song: Ring-A-Ling by Black Eyed Peas
Adam: Can tell how much Nathan loves doing hip hop. Could see a little of the stress on Mollee.
Mary: Picked up steam as it went along. Fun, mostly synchronized.
Nigel: Looking forward to you both moving on to a more mature partner.
Number: 1-888-TEMPO-04

Noelle Marsh & Russell Ferguson
Style: Samba
Choreographers: Tony Meredith & Melanie Lapatin
Song: Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira
Adam: Too nice. Didn’t enter into the character of the samba.
Mary: Felt a little bit shallow and like skating across the floor, but the performance was phenomenal.
Nigel: Needed more sensuality from Noelle. Felt a little homogenized (isn’t that what they do to milk?).
Number: 1-888-TEMPO-05

Ashleigh di Lello and Jakob Karr
Style: Lyrical jazz – a moment of everything being content
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: Time Flies by Lykke Li
Adam: So beautiful. Incredibly sad to see this partnership break up. Ashleigh’s grown, part of it due to her partner. No trace of ballroom on her any more. Jakob is surreal.
Mary: Jakob’s a confident, passionate technical genius. Ashleigh is no longer a surprise because she’s grown so much.
Nigel: Ashleigh has also given Jakob something very special in their partnership.
Number: 1-888-TEMPO-06

Ellenore Scott & Ryan di Lello
Style: Broadway – temptation of fame
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
Song: Razzle Dazzle from Chicago (original Broadway cast)
Adam: Nailed it. Full of character and flavor. Ryan was great, but Ellenore was a rock star.
Mary: Ryan just dug in. A true professional dancer. Ellenore is unique and is the it girl.
Nigel: Loved the choreography and loved the characters, too.

Kathryn McCormack & Jonathan “Legacy” Perez
Style: Viennese Waltz
Choreographers: Jean Marc Genereaux and France
Song: Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Adam: Extraordinary attempt by Legacy. Mostly fantastic. Kathryn is so gorgeous tonight.
Mary: Both gonna be okay. Legacy’s feet were just smacking around the stage. Kathryn’s just gorgeous. Never caught in a bad moment.
Nigel: A lot of things going on there really weren’t as good as they could have been, but everybody’s hearts have already been stolen. Kathryn stole the evening. Not certain both are safe yet in this tough night.

Karen Hauer & Victor Smalley
Style: Hip hop
Choreographer: Laurieann Gibson
Song: Moving Mountains by Usher
Adam: Enormous amount of commitment and danced great.
Mary: Okay but not memorable.
Nigel: Didn’t feel the chemistry or the synchronization. Nothing positive.

Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras
Style: Cancan
Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
Song: Cancan Suite by Offenbach/Ponchielli
Adam: Perfect couple to get this style. Nathan was utilized a little better, but a really good routine for both.
Mary: Would have never known Mollee’s got an injured ankle.
Nigel: Done with all of the energy and enthusiasm that routine demanded.

Noelle Marsh & Russell Ferguson
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
Song: A Case of You by Diana Krall
Adam: Just gorgeous. Aren’t going anywhere.
Mary: Very special and clever routine. Out of this world.
Nigel: Noelle just committed to everything. Russell’s technique gets better every week.

Ashleigh di Lello & Jakob Karr
Style: Cha cha
Choreographers: Jean Marc Generaux and France
Song: Cha Cha Heels (Ralphi Rosario Radio Edit) by Rosabel feat. Jeanie Tracy
Adam: Ashleigh’s world, and we’re all just visiting. Jakob made himself seem like a ballroom dancer. Couple of the night.
Mary: Blown out of the ballpark with both numbers.
Nigel: Jakob’s foot work was good. Waltzing through to the top 10.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Episode 18, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

The Biggest Loser Season 8 Episode 11

Rebecca was the next member of the young person alliance to be sent packing in The Biggest Loser Season 8 Episode 10.

That leaves Amanda all alone. She backed a weak alliance, and now she’s left without them.

Jillian wants Rudy to admit that he voted Rebecca out because she’s his biggest threat. He doesn’t want to admit that because it’s not true. She probably was a bigger threat than Liz, but ultimately she was on the wrong side of the house and played the game as hard as she accused everybody else of playing.

Suze Orman, someone from the financial world, is the special guest. Uh. Huh? Her message is that obesity is a very expensive disease. Valid point, although I’m still not seeing why Suze Orman’s on a weight loss show. Ultimately, it turns out that the competition is to answer questions while on a treadmill. For every question they get right, $1,000 will be deposited into an account at TD Ameritrade. For every question wrong, the treadmill will get one level faster and one level higher.

Research shows that obese employees earn less money than their fellow workers. On average, how much less do they make?
$7,000. Everybody is right.

If a family of four swapped one meal at a restaurant for one meal at home every day for a year, how much money would they save?
$8,760. Rudy, Danny, Allen, and Liz are correct. Amanda is incorrect.

How much do Americans spend on gastric bypass surgery every year?
$4.4 billion. Allen is the only one correct. 220,000 people get the surgery each year at a cost of approximately $20,000 each.

How much do Americans spend on obesity-related health issues every year?
$147 billion. Everybody is right. If only the government could find a way to wipe that out instead of rushing to dump trillions of dollars into a health care overhaul. By comparison, cancer spending is $90 billion.

How much money will you save over 40 years by going from obese to an ideal weight?
$1 million. Everybody but Allen is right.

Everybody ends up with an extra few thousand dollars, and that’s about all there is to that. Yeah, this all still seems pretty pointless to me. Apparently, the point of this was to promote Suze Orman’s show on CNBC. They do know that The Apprentice is coming in midseason?

Once we get through the portion of the episode where everybody’s saying goodbye to everyone, they head to the football field for a challenge. They will carry their lost weight one last time. They will be harnessed to barrels filled with 10 footballs. Each of those footballs represents the amount of weight they’ve lost each week. With each trip down the field, they will drop off the ball that represents the weight they lost for the corresponding week. The winner will get a vacation package for two to the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl. The special guest is Rod Woodson, who was a pro football player at some point. He is there on behalf of NFL Play 60, which will donate $5,000 of athletic equipment to the school of the winner’s choice.

Allen starts off in the lead. Amanda and Rudy are behind him. As the challenge progresses, it’s looking like this is how things will remain. Allen eventually extends his lead to a field length over Rudy. Allen wins the challenge.

Going into the weigh-in, Amanda feels as if she’s got to stay above the yellow line in order to remain in the game. I’m not so sure about that. She is a lot less threatening than any of the guys, which would be a good reason to drop this young/old thing now that there’s only one younger person left.

The winner of the weigh-in will get Curtis Stone to come to their house and show them how to cook healthy meals.

Liz: 198 pounds (-5, 2.46%)

Rudy: 296 pounds (-12, 3.90%)

Allen: 230 pounds (-8, 3.36%)

Danny: 288 pounds (-16, 5.26%)

With that, Danny has set a new record, losing in the double digits seven weeks in a row.

Amanda: 186 pounds (-7, 3.63%)

As the biggest loser of the night, Danny will be getting a visit from Curtis Stone.

Allen and Liz have fallen below the yellow line. The choice here is obvious. Allen’s the clear threat. However, Allen suggests to Amanda, the person likely to decide the outcome here, that he’s not going to be able to get down to the percentage needed to win this whole thing, despite the fact that he’s lost a higher percentage than Liz thus far 29% to 25%. I’d say he’ll have an easier run down to 170 than Liz would have to 140. Granted, either of them would have trouble keeping up with Danny or Rudy, who keep tossing up double digit numbers.

Votes
Danny: Allen
Rudy: Liz
Amanda: Allen

Amanda says she kept Liz, who’s fallen below the yellow line four times now, around for the challenge. With two votes, Allen is not The Biggest Loser. Having won the football challenge, he gives the check to his daughter’s school. He has also gotten 275 people at his gym to start a Biggest Loser competition, and they have lost 2368 pounds in six weeks.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Biggest Loser 8 Episode 12, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

The Amazing Race 15 Episode 10

Gary & Matt were unable to recover from their previous non-elimination and ended up being eliminated in The Amazing Race 15 Episode 9.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Meghan & Cheyne – 12:00AM
Second: Sam & Dan – 12:19AM
Third: Herbert & Nathaniel – 12:20AM
Fourth: Brian & Ericka – 12:22AM

Teams will now fly over 700 miles to Prague, Czech Republic, where they will need to go to the old square and locate a man in a Praga, which they must figure out is a vintage Czech convertible. They have $0 for this leg of the race. The first flight is at 5:20AM via Riga, Latvia. Everybody ends up on the same flight.

While they’re waiting at the airport, Meghan & Cheyne look up what a Praga is. Meghan wants to tell people that it’s a hat.

Upon arrival in Prague, most of the teams take cabs, while Brian & Ericka take the bus at the advice of someone on the plane. If this doesn’t work out, they could well be out of the race. Hell of a risk to take. It’s definitely not the fastest way. So the question is how much slower it is. Eventually, after getting stuck in traffic, they just say screw it and grab a cab. By this point, they’re clearly in last.

Sam & Dan are just lucky Meghan & Cheyne knew what a Praga was because they still had no clue. Ironic considering they were just complaining about the Globetrotters being unable to think for themselves.

The next stop is outdoor adventure center Kayaky Troja. The detour is a choice between fast & furious or slow & steady. In fast & furious, teams take a rough ride down the whitewater rafting course used to train professional kayakers. They’ll have to grab a ribbon with their next clue on the way there, without tipping over. In slow & steady, teams have to pull themselves along an aerial ropes course. One task is more physically demanding, while the other task may require multiple attempts. Typically, the physical task proves best for those who can handle it.

Slow: Meghan & Cheyne, Herbert & Nathaniel, Sam & Dan (switched from fast), Brian & Ericka

Sam & Dan, arguing as usual, flip over on their first try. Then their second try. Big Easy’s surprisingly struggling with their detour, but Flight Time completes it first. Because Meghan & Cheyne are complaining that Flight’s slowing them down on purpose, he does just that, realizing that he can just wait for his partner and take his time, preventing them from getting as big a lead as they otherwise would have had. As both the first teams finish the detour, Sam & Dan flip over again. They finally decide to switch. “We’re safe as long as Brian & Ericka aren’t here… damnit, Brian & Ericka are here.” The gap has been decreased to a couple of minutes, but as Ericka struggles with the task, that gap will grow.

With only one cab around, it’s time to get sneaky. Sam & Dan want to steal Brian & Ericka’s taxi. They’ll pay extra if he takes off on Brian & Ericka. Works for him.

Teams must figure out that the words on their clue Stavovske Divadlo refer to the Estates Theater, where they will search for their next clue. Meghan & Cheyne offer to work with the Globetrotters. That lasts until a taxi shows up and Cheyne wants to bail, which leads to an argument between Meghan and Cheyne. The Globetrotters will be taking the train anyway, but they aren’t going to trust Cheyne any time soon. Meghan warns him they’ll hold a grudge and use that fire to motivate them.

The road block is to remain composed under pressure. That should rule out both brothers and the women. The task is to search among the theater’s 600 seats and numerous rooms to find a miniature mandolin. By miniature, they mean the tiny ones taped underneath the seats, not the normal sized ones that everybody keeps grabbing. Once Cheyne’s got it, the two trailing teams should now know what they’re looking for. As Ericka searches, the singer takes a rest and grabs a sandwich.

Road block (in order of arrival): Cheyne, Big Easy, Dan, Ericka

The pit stop for this leg of the race is Prague Castle, the largest ancient castle in the world, built more than 1200 years ago.

First: Meghan & Cheyne (win a trip to Hawaii)
Second: Sam & Dan
Third: Herbert & Nathaniel
Non-eliminated: Brian & Ericka

Brian & Ericka are the last team to arrive, but they have been non-eliminated. As a penalty, they will have to complete a speed bump on the next leg.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Amazing Race 15 Episode 11 “F,” That’s All I’m Saying (Czech Republic), which airs Sunday at 8/7cish CBS.

Survivor: Amazon Episode 8

Following the merge, the new Jaburu tribe stuck together and voted out Roger in Survivor: Amazon Episode 7.

Dave had put his faith into an alliance with Roger, keeping him around at a time when multiple members in the tribe vocally wanted him gone. With that said, now Dave has to figure out something new. He’s next on the chopping block, though. Both Deena and Rob strongly want him out, as both consider him the biggest threat.

Then comes the creepy machete montage. Matthew is concentrating a little too much on sharpening his machete. Once again. He sits and sharpens it for an hour at a time. Why does he need it so sharp? Who’s he planning to kill?

The reward challenge will be played in two rounds. First, collect flags while strapped to a bungee and running through the mud. First team of three to get all five flags moves on to the final round, where they must compete against each other to retrieve three flags. Reward is a bath, banana split, brownie sundae, and strawberries and cream. The green team is Christy, Rob, and Butch. The purple team is Dave, Deena, and Alex. The orange team is Jenna, Matt, and Heidi. Orange team starts off with the lead, with purple on their heels. Green team is out of it, as the other two teams go neck and neck. Purple takes the lead as it gets more physical, which is unsurprising since two strong guys are on that team. Dave, Deena, and Alex move on to the final round. Dave gets the lead and keeps it the whole way to win reward. Of course, he’s not going to go alone. Deena and Alex get to pick from a number behind his back, and Deena is correct, so she will be going with him.

The Deena pick will no doubt be viewed as intentional by those looking for an excuse to read into it, but he gave each of his teammates a fair chance. Deena’s probably the smartest choice Dave could bring with him. She’s not in complete control of the game, but she’s playing a very large role. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that Dave’s screwed. Deena denies having any power to change his fate, but she suggests maybe getting rid of the increasingly funky Matthew.

Rob says he’s aware that Heidi and Jenna (aka twigs and sticks) wouldn’t pay any attention to him in real life, and he’s aware they’re using their sexuality to try to get him to make stupid mistakes.

When Dave and Deena get back to camp, they say they’re still hungry, and they plan to eat dinner, which seems quite fair to me. Not so fair sounding to the rest of the tribe, which complains that these people just ate ice cream and now want to eat an actual meal.

Rob’s concerned that Dave and Heidi are getting too close. Her response is that she’s just playing him. Rob would like a shot with her, which apparently would happen once Dave’s gone.

In order to keep Matthew onboard, Rob tells him that the final three plan is them and Alex, something he has no plans of honoring. Instead, he wants to get rid of him as soon as possible.

The contestants all get masks to decorate in their own image for the immunity challenge. Of course, they will be destroying those masks. The masks will be hanging in front of a suspended log. Each time they get an answer right, they can chop someone else’sog. After three hits, they’re out.

What is guarana?
A Brazilian energy drink. Dave strikes Matthew. Deena hits Matthew again. Matthew returns the favor to Dave. Alex gives Dave his second hit.

In the unlikely event you are attacked by an alligator, crocodile, or kamen, you should…
Punch it in the snout, cover its eyes, and try to get on its back. Heidi eliminates Matthew. Matthew eliminates Dave. Dave strikes back Alex. Deena gives Alex his second hit. Alex hits Deena. Christy eliminates Alex. With that, Alex should be worried with where he stands in this tribe.

If you find yourself face to face with a bushmaster, you’re looking at…
The world’s largest viper. Deena strikes Rob. Heidi gives him his second. Jenna goes after Butch, who has surprisingly been unscathed thus far. Christy eliminates Rob. Butch strikes Jenna.

Amazonian tribesmen still use primitive weapons like bows and arrows and blowpipes to hunt birds and monkeys.
True. Heidi hits Butch. Butch returns the favor. Jenna eliminates Butch. Christy goes for Deena. Deena strikes Christy back.

The Amazon is the longest river in the world.
False. The Nile is the longest. Christy goes for Heidi. Deena strikes Christy. Heidi eliminates Christy. Jenna eliminates Deena.

A piraruku is…
An Amazonian fish. Heidi chops Jenna, but it’s moot. Jenna eliminates Heidi to win immunity.

So now it’s a question of Matt, the wildcard, or Dave, the threat who was aligned with Roger.

Matthew says he fits in now. If only he knew.

Heidi found the immunity challenge quite amusing. The guys basically just eliminated each other, leaving the girls as the last four standing.

Votes
Dave
Matthew
Dave
Dave
Dave
Dave

As much talk as there was about possibly getting rid of Matthew, it looks like all for show. By a unanimous vote, Dave has been voted off the island.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of Survivor: Amazon Episode 9 The Chain.

Survivor: Samoa Episode 10

Russell found a second hidden immunity idol without any clues in Survivor: Samoa Episode 9. As a result, the 7 votes against him did not count, so Kelly was voted off the island.

Dave says he’s impressed. That was a good move.

Shambo finds this all quite hilarious, especially the look on Laura’s face when she found out she’d been had.

Since there’s another idol in the game (not sure why, other than to keep the story going), Russell will be on the look out for it.

Shambo doesn’t want just a 5-5 tie. She wants 6-4, so she goes to John. He’s unable to give her an answer, but he does say that he won’t sell her out and will keep in confidence the fact that she went to him and has flipped.

For the challenge, they will divide into two teams of five. One person will lie face down in a cradle, while the other four people use ropes to maneuver them to grab 15 flags in order. Reward is to board a plane and fly to the neighboring island of Savai’i. The yellow team is Shambo, Jaison, Monica, and Mick with John in the cradle. The purple team is Dave, Brett, Laura, and Russell with Natalie in the cradle. Purple’s getting the hang of this pretty quickly, and they’re not looking back. Purple team wins reward.

That will leave Foa Foa, Shambo, and Monica back at camp, minus Russell, who should now be able to go get a clue for the idol.

Jaison goes to Monica, looking for one more person to be on their side. They don’t need one more beyond that. She’s number six. Monica assumes they mean Shambo, although they aren’t giving any names. She wants John out. That’s going to be tough to convince Shambo to do, but for the majority advantage, it makes sense.

As expected, the people on the reward get clues to the hidden idol (both a video clue and multiple word clues). When Russell gets back to camp, he immediately starts the hunt for the idol. This time, he’s not alone. Others are actually making an effort, too. Jaison’s also looking with him, while Dave and Laura follow (or try to follow anyway… they lose him). Russell circles back around to where everybody was looking, and he’s now got himself a third hidden immunity idol.

Monica goes right to Laura to tell her she doesn’t trust Shambo or John. This is why Jaison should leave the strategy up to Shambo and Russell. What’s he doing going up to Laura’s closest ally?

The immunity challenge happens in two parts. The first part is to try to break as many tiles as possible using rocks. For each tile they break, they earn a spear. The person who lands their spear closest to the target wins. They are only given one shot. Shambo and Russell both miss. Jaison gets 1 spear. John and Monica miss. Dave knocks out one of Monica’s tiles, giving her a spear. Natalie misses. Mick gets 1 spear. Brett gets 2 spears. Laura misses, which causes Shambo to burst out laughing and high five Russell. Real subtle.

Going into the second part of the challenge, Brett has 2 spears, and Jaison, Mick, and Monica have 1. It doesn’t really matter here. None of these people are likely to be targets. Jaison hits the target to set the mark to beat. Jaison misses the target and is out. Monica hits the target but not close enough. Mick manages to get ahead of Brett, who’s got one shot left to do better. Mick wins immunity.

With Laura not having immunity, they can finally get rid of her. Shambo goes to Brett to tell him she’s voting for Laura, and also that there is no more Galu.

Laura and Dave want to vote for Russell again. John wants to vote for Natalie. She’s the least likely to have the idol since she didn’t look for it. John is increasingly surprised by how stupid his tribe is.

Monica makes a pitch to Foa Foa: vote for John because that’s what she’s doing. Russell knows that Shambo will vote Laura, regardless of what else is going on. He decides to let John know that his own tribe is after him. Before that can happen, Brett tells John that’s the plan, to which John responds he’d like to have known that before they started it. Assuming this plan works, it gives them the numbers back, but it also gives John 4 votes against him.

So then John goes to Russell. What has he heard? He believes they’re being swindled. Fair assessment. Russell’s mind is unchanged. They will force a tie. Does John want to draw rocks, or does he want to get rid of Laura? John agrees to give up one of his own members, as long as Russell gives up a Foa Foa next time. What this conversation does is ensure John he’s not getting any votes tonight.

At tribal council, Shambo says that Galu is not one tight unit any more. The day Erik was voted off, Galu was broken.

Votes
Laura
Natalie
Laura
Natalie
Laura
Natalie
Laura
Natalie
Laura
Natalie

We have a tie. Laura and Natalie will not vote. Everybody else will vote for either Laura or Natalie. Foa Foa and Shambo will remain strong. It’s just a question of whether anybody from Galu wants to flip.

Votes
Laura
Natalie
Laura
Natalie
Laura
Natalie
Laura
Laura

With 5 votes (including John’s), Laura has been voted off the island. This is getting good. The tribe that was once up 8-4 but threw it away starting with the Erik vote is now left to scramble.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: Samoa Episode 12, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on CBS.