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Survivor: China Episode 8

Survivor: China Episode 7 proved to be as predictable as expected. Despite some very questionable loyalties, the tribe that was up 6-4 pre-merge stuck together and booted one of the others, Jaime.

James catches some fish without trying and discusses how his team came together despite being complete opposites of each other.

Tribes will get in boats with holes in them and try to sink each other twice in the reward challenge. Peih-Gee and Jean-Robert are captains. Jean-Robert picks James, James picks Todd, and Todd picks Amanda. Peih-Gee picks Frosti, Frosti picks Erik, and Erik picks Courtney. Denise will not participate in the challenge. The lightest team members, Todd and Courtney, get in the boats. In the first round, Courtney gets completely crushed. They picked her because she was light, but they didn’t take into account that she sucked. Frosti and Amanda get in the boats next. Frosti, likewise, gets crushed. Amanda, James, Todd, and Jean-Robert win reward.

Reward is a visit to a Chinese village. They get the final clue to the hidden immunity idols, both of which have been found already. Jean-Robert is completely surprised, though the other people on the reward already know about the idols, and he’s the only person in his tribe who has not been informed of the state of idols. Then they get to eat some Chinese food, only there they just call it food.

Denise, who was the only person not picked for the reward challenge, starts to get worried that they’ll also choose her last when it comes to later on in the game. Perhaps sensing this, Peih-Gee tries to get something going, and Denise says she’s open to the idea but will do whatever is best for her.

In the middle of the night, Jean-Robert just stays up and searches for the idol. A smart move if the idols weren’t already taken.

Todd, who’s a bit bitter that James took his idols and ran, comes up with a new plan. Blindside James and take him out to avoid the danger of a physical threat with two hidden immunity idols. Absolutely brilliant plan, though it will piss off the large amount of James fans. This is a good idea because if they don’t take out James and his idols now, they may as well just write the check out to him rather than going through with the formality of the rest of the season. Frosti’s down with this move. Amanda’s a bit skeptical.

Immunity challenge is a balancing act. They sit on barrels filled with water, which is slowly emptying out a hole in the bottom. Jean-Robert is first out. Denise follows. James falls next. Obviously, this challenge wasn’t designed with bigger people in mind. Erik falls fourth. He is followed by Peih-Gee. Amanda is disqualified for touching the structure in front of her. Todd goes next. It’s between Courtney and Frosti. Courtney hasn’t budged at all during the whole challenge, and she keeps it up and wins immunity.

Jean-Robert thinks things have changed, and he also thinks he has the hidden immunity idol. Erik tells him he doesn’t and that James does. Jean-Robert also raises the concept of pulling the fast one on James, as he finally realizes his tribe’s been leaving him out of the loop. He offers James an alliance, but James has no interest because… he’s Jean-Robert.

Now Todd wants to get rid of Jean-Robert, since he also came up with the idea of going after James. The rest of the tribe is happy with a Jean-Robert boot, except for Amanda, who still wants to get rid of Peih-Gee.

Jeff points out the obvious at tribal council: James is a physical threat. James says there are bigger threats, those who talk too much and are willing to shake things up. Erik and Peih-Gee are the only ones who bothered to pack.

Votes:
Jean-Robert
Jean-Robert
Peih-Gee
James
James
James
Jean-Robert
Jean-Robert
Jean-Robert

Jean-Robert finally bites the dust. I’m not so sure it was good to throw the votes James’ way, but it will probably cause him to be skeptical of his current alliance. If it’s a physical challenge, he’ll likely win. If he doesn’t, he’ll use his idols. Either way, I’d say the window of opportunity to safely remove James from the game has now passed. Interestingly, Denise was kept out of the loop, which won’t help her get any closer to her tribe.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: China episode 9 Just Don’t Eat the Apple, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on CBS.

Watch Survivor: China Online

Kid Nation Episode 8

In Kid Nation Episode 7, Divad campaigned to get a gold star, but the town council decided Nathan, who some suggested works too much, was more deserving.

Sophia gets really bored, so she lays down in the middle of the street. Pretty soon, a bunch of others follow suit. The rest of the town keeps complaining about being bored. I sense it’s time for a visit from the pioneers from the alleged 19th century (or is it the pioneers who are alleged?). DK rings the bell to call the town, and he thinks the town council needs to do something. As expected, the pioneers have some input. They suggest a talent show. The town is happy with this decision.

Laurel comes up with a plan to award the winner of the talent show a gold star.

Natasha and Migle are on a mission to outdo Taylor. As upper class, they decide to do nothing. The blue district guys get upset, and Blaine and Greg, who are working hard, consider throwing the showdown. They give the girls a heads up about their plan to get laborers on purpose.

Savannah starts to get homesick. Alex is there to cheer her up.

At the showdown, they will make art out of gumballs. Council leaders will take already been chewed gum from their districts and put it on a paint by letter painting. Yeah, it’s as disgusting as it sounds. In a confessional, Greg says he won’t throw a showdown but was just trying to scare the girls into not being lazy. Blue and green are neck and neck throughout, but in the end, green district gets their first win. Blue is the merchant class. Red district are the cooks. Yellow district is unable to finish in time, so they are the laborers. Reward, if they had qualified for it, was a choice between paint to paint the whole town or an all night block party.

Savannah seems to be getting worse, and she breaks down crying.

A lot of the kids feel pressured because they only gave them one day’s notice to prepare for the talent show. Kelsey plays the piano. Jared does a monologue from King Henry V, and he says “I wasn’t the worst.” Greg and Blaine, in dresses, do Romeo and Juliet together. Olivia does some standup, and the kids are surprised that she’s funny. Kennedy does some rapping/dancing, or so we’re told, which she hopes will cheer up Savannah. At the end of the talent show, Savannah says she has an announcement to make: she’s not going home.

Divad nominates herself for the gold star. Again. Michael nominates Olivia because of her standup routine, as does her sister Mallory. Olivia nominates Kennedy, as do Sophia and Savannah. Kennedy votes for Sophia.

At the town council meeting, DK says he wants Laurel to sing when asked about any other hidden talents. She reluctantly agrees and does a great job.

The gold star winner is Kennedy. She’s happy that it’s not necessary to be one of the cool kids to be recognized. Divad gets more bitter still.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Kid Nation episode 9 Not Even Close to Fair, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.

I Hope You Like Reality TV

With the strike going on, the networks have a not so secret weapon: reality TV. Not only does it not require union writers, but it’s also dirt cheap to produce and will still score decent ratings. Now more than ever reality TV will be put to the test. The LA Times took a look at the upcoming reality lineup. (Note: both Fox and The CW plan to introduce additional shows, and some have suggested that The CW could use a prolonged strike in its favor to turn itself into an unscripted network.)

Fox

Returning:
American Idol
Don’t Forget the Lyrics
Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

New:
Moment of Truth – Polygraph test with increasingly personal questions.
When Women Rule the World – Contestants will be brought to a remote location where women will rule and build their new society.

NBC

Returning:
The Singing Bee
1 Vs. 100
The Biggest Loser
Deal or No Deal
Celebrity Apprentice

New:
American Gladiators – Four men and four women gladiators take on contestants, with host Hulk Hogan.
Amne$ia – Contestants are asked questions from their own lives, with host Dennis Miller.
My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad – Dads will lead competing families in challenges.
Clash of the Choirs – Celebrity artists go back to their hometowns to assemble an amateur singing group of everyday people.
Baby Borrowers – Couples age 16-19 must be parents of a baby, toddler, then pre-teen.
Most Outrageous Moments – Clips show of funny TV moments.

CW

Returning:
America’s Next Top Model
Beauty & The Geek
Pussycat Dolls 2: Girlicious

New:
Farmer Wants a Wife – A farmboy looks for the city girl of his dreams.
Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants – Mother-daughter teams work together to win a beauty pageant.

CBS

Returning:
Survivor
Big Brother
Power of 10

New:
Million Dollar Password – Modern Password show, with host Regis Philbin.
Do You Trust Me? – Asks strangers to wager how much they trust each other, with host Tucker Carlson.

ABC

Returning:
The Bachelor
Dancing with the Stars
Supernanny
Wife Swap
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

New:
Dance War: Bruno Vs. Carrie Ann – Dancing with the Stars spinoff.
Duel – Game show.
The Big Give – Giveaway from Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions.
Just for Laughs – Hidden camera show.
Here Come the Newlyweds – Newly married couples compete for cash.

Big Brother 9 in January?

When the strike began, rumor had it that Big Brother may return as early as March. Now, Entertainment Weekly is suggesting that it may return as early as late January. This is a perfect show in the event of a strike because not only do you not need to rely on union writers, but it’s also aired multiple times per week and could be used to fill in whatever gaps the schedule may have.

Beauty and the Geek 4 Episode 8

In Beauty and the Geek 4 Episode 6, Sam and Nicole won the challenge because Sam’s superhero, an underwear model who breakdances the bad guys, was on some planet allegedly considered a viable superhero worthy of winning a challenge. They sent best friends Natalie & John and Jesse & Erin to the elimination room, where Jesse & Erin were sent home.

John and Natalie return, and they’re not happy that their friends are gone.

Mike comes upstairs and pretends the game is evolving. But they’re just going to Mexico. Sam’s looking forward to learning the history of… spring break in Mexico.

Jen asked William if she’s fat, and he said yes. He eventually reveals that she reminds him of the kids in high school.

The beauties have to study the Mayans. As usual, Jasmine’s afraid because she knows, well, not much. But that turns out to be completely irrelevant since this challenge basically has nothing to do with the Mayans. It’s a memory game. They must remember symbols with their matching numbers and use them to crack the code. There is no running because it’s sacred ground, but they can walk as fast as they possibly can. I never did figure out where the line is between power walking and running myself. Jen says she can’t come up with a strategy. Sam guesses at the first treasure and gets it correct, with Natalie close behind, and then Jen. Sam gets his second box, with Natalie still close behind. Sam guesses again to get his third, and Natalie’s still on his tail. Sam wins the challenge by a few seconds, which means no revenge this week.

The geeks must learn salsa. Josh is happy because this is something he can actually use when he goes back to normal life. William’s afraid because salsa’s about passion, while he and his partner can’t get to anywhere not resembling hatred. Shay tries to get Joshua to feel sexy. Good luck with that. David shows he can do a roundoff double backhandspring. Then Jasmine kisses him. A drunk Natalie hits on Sam, which she says is strategy, but he’s not falling for it. I think.

Jen tries to convince William to let go of what happened in high school. She tells him she doesn’t have the personality of them, and he asks her if she’s kidding him.

They get new partners, and Jen, who’s allegedly so nice to William, is thrilled because it means she won’t have to dance with him. They’ll dance with experienced dancers. Jasmine tells David to not think. Easy for her to say, but he seems to really be listening to her. Nicole does a good job. David took Jasmine’s advice and did well. John, who we’re supposed to believe is a geek, has no problem getting down the passion aspect of it. Joshua comes in second. David is the winner.

The elimination will take place in Mexico. I thought this was another pointless twist until they revealed the next part. The two teams will be given 30 minutes to unanimously decide who to send home. They agree pretty quickly to keep Shay and Joshua. Sam wants to get rid of the threat. Nicole wants to get rid of the people who hate each other. Jasmine and David don’t seem to say much. In the end, Sam gets his way, and John and Natalie are sent home. Lame. I’m over William and Jen, and it sucks Natalie and John didn’t even get a chance to defend themselves.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Beauty and the Geek 4 episode 9, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on The CW.

Survivor South Africa: Malaysia Episode 11

You want to talk about your bad episodes? Survivor South Africa: Malaysia Episode 10 saw the elimination of Hein, which was later followed by Dyke’s exit, which left me wondering who the heck to root for now.

Lorette wasn’t kidding when she said she would be willing to go after Mandla.

Grant’s continuing to get closer to Angie, which makes for his second (at least) useless/dangerous very close ally thus far.

Lorette gets upset when Angie takes food and cooks it for herself.

The reward challenge is a matter of balance, which seems more suitable to an immunity. Reward is a ski trip, in addition to a map with directions to an immunity idol. Okay, I was ready for a lame twist as much as the next guy, but hidden immunity idol sucks worse than any twist not created by Big Brother producers. The first stage of the competition is standing on a post on one foot. Angie’s out first, followed by her buddy Grant. The next stage is crossing a chain using a rope for support. Mandla crosses first, then Angela. Lastly, they get on a log, where Mandla outruns Angela to win reward. As if he needs a bigger target on his back, though the idol will definitely be nice to have.

It takes him a while to find the idol, but it doesn’t appear to be that difficult. He pretends he doesn’t have it, though.

Angela and Amanda approach Angie to again propose an alliance with her. The thing about Angie is that, while you can’t trust her at all, she is quite likely to jump ship. She says she wants to target Lorette. But then Angela comes up with a final three plan, with Mandla as the actual third.

Angie puts her plan into motion, working on Mandla and then Grant. Mandla’s annoyed with her, but Grant’s looking at taking someone everyone hates to the end.

After Lorette tells Amanda about Angie taking the tapioca for herself, Amanda tells Lorette about what Angie’s plans are, leaving out the part about how they were thrilled with the plan. Except with the food bit, which upsets everybody, now they’re not interested in that plan any more and want to get rid of Angie.

The immunity challenge is named simply: hold your breath. Angela’s out at 25 seconds. Amanda and Lorette are out at 50 seconds. Mandla’s out at 1:10. The final two are Angie and Grant. They must untie and release two buoys and return to shore. Angie releases her first buoy first, and Grant eventually ties it at 1. Angie gets her second buoy up and gets to shore to win immunity. Plans. Foiled. So now what?

Grant confronts Angie about the food, and her defense is that it was actually coconut, not tapioca. The only thing I know about tapioca is that it’s in pudding, so I don’t know what actually happened. So anyway, now Angie tells Grant she’s back on their side, since he told her they approached Lorette about targetting her. She ponders keeping that information to herself, but instead opts to ask Angela about it, who denies it, as does Amanda. Angie gets confused who to believe. Here’s a hint: don’t believe any of them. Later, Lorette and Angie discuss everything… with Amanda and Angela sitting right there in plain sight. Amanda views this as an opportunity to keep pot stirring. During this, Grant’s name comes up because he was an idiot and tried to make everybody else look like the bad guy without getting any actual facts.

Votes:
Angela
Angela
Grant
Grant
Angela
Angela

By a vote of 4-2, Angela has been voted off the island, as the alliance of 4 sticks together. Next time we’ll see if someone’s smart enough to realize 5 is a great chance to pull in a swing vote.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of Survivor South Africa: Malaysia episode 12, and don’t forget our Survivor: China coverage.

The Bachelor 11 Episode 7

On The Bachelor 11 Episode 6, Brad took the women home and met their families. Sheena’s mother was very welcoming, albeit a bit creepy and already planning a wedding. Jenni’s and DeAnna’s families were also very welcoming. Bettina’s family, however, disapproved of both him and her, and they refused to treat him with any indication of common decency. So, of course, at the end of the show, she survived, and he sent Sheena home instead.

They go to Cabo San Lucas. The first overnight date is with Jenni, and they start off by swimming with the dolphins. Jenni’s afraid to tell him how she feels because she doesn’t want to set herself up. He wants her to just be herself and say how she really feels, which is easy enough for him to say because at the end of the day he gets the girl, whichever one that may be. That night, they meet for dinner. He waits for the right moment to present the fantasy suite card, but she doesn’t want to wait and just comes right out with it and attacks him to grab the card. She thanks him for being the man she dreams about.

The next date is with Bettina. They start off sailing and swimming on a private beach. He says this is make or break for both of them… shouldn’t it be made already? She tells us she’s holding back because she’s scared. She pretends her family’s only concern was whether it was a two way street. We know better than that. They think he’s too low class for them. He asks about her moving to Austin, and she says she’ll do it without giving it a thought. When they head off to the fantasy suite, he thinks it feels a lot more comfortable and right, and he continues to be thrilled with how good she looks.

DeAnna’s up next, and they go racing on their date, where she beats him without trying. Unlike the other girls who are being more reserved, she tells him she’s falling in love. Brad tells us he can see a lifetime with DeAnna.

Roses:
Jenni
DeAnna

It’s the end of the road for Bettina. I wouldn’t have been completely surprised if he kept her around as a trophy, but it was obvious these two were doomed with that aside. She asks why, and he tells her he wonders if he knows who she really is. It’s a pretty good final two. Jenni’s been someone he’s liked all along, and if we discount the way she’s treated the other women this season, DeAnna’s not so bad.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Bachelor 11 episode 8, which airs Monday at 10/9c on ABC.

Watch The Bachelor 11 Online