New Survivor Blog at Comcast.net

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gordonholmes	New Survivor Blog at Comcast.net	Lead	[-]
Posts: 1 (09/05/08 2:56 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Hey, my name is Gordon, I'm a producer with Comcast.net and a huge fan of 'Survivor'. After much begging, I finally got my boss to allow me to go out to visit the set. I did so, this past June. I'm going to be blogging about it and posting videos and whatnot. I'd love for this to go well (so I can go back someday...tickets to Gabon are not cheap). So, please swing by if you get a minute. Also, any advice as to what kind of stuff you'd like to see on the blog would be greatly appreciated. You can find the contestant interview videos, my early Survivor contestant rankings, and more at http://www.comcast.net/insidesurvivor/ Thanks, Gordon
Dictatorship		#1	[-]
Posts: 3648 (09/05/08 5:47 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Very cool blog, Gordon! I'm checking it all out right now, but I've already bookmarked it!
Dictatorship		#2	[-]
Posts: 3776 (09/13/08 2:05 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Love these Jeff Probst interviews.
survivorsims07		#3	[-]
Posts: 1305 (09/13/08 8:38 PM) Hey! I kinda like it here! Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Keep updating because I love it! I wonder if you can swing post survivor interviews, after they get voted off. It seems like we see less and less of those these days.
Dictatorship		#4	[-]
Posts: 4436 (10/05/08 4:41 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Inside Tribal Council By Gordon Holmes Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:46:56 GMT Throughout my stay in Gabon, I knew I would be allowed to attend the show's opening, witness both immunity challenges, and visit the individual camps. However, we were told that the press isn't allowed at Tribal Council. With this being the age of the Internet, and knowing that keeping anything a secret is next to impossible, we all understood. However, on our last night we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the producers had decided to let us tag along. I guess they got sick and tired of my begging. What follows is my account of the first Tribal Council (the one where Michelle got the boot). First of all, the set is huge and impressive. With massive hills on every side, the production team did an amazing job lighting the surrounding landscape to create an almost eerie atmosphere. We were seated behind the set with earpieces and a monitor to make sure we didn't miss any of the action. Host Jeff Probst welcomed the Fang (rhymes with "thong") tribe in and asked them to dip their torches in the fire, because fire equals life and all that jazz. With their torches lit, the tribe took their seats on individual stumps that are intentionally designed to be uncomfortable. That's just mean. I didn't appreciate how mean that was until I realized that the five or so minutes of Tribal Council we're used to seeing on TV has been whittled down from about two hours worth of discussion. To start off, Probst tried to get the Fang tribe to discuss how poorly they had been performing. Interestingly, the tribe held up a unified front, refusing to admit that they were the weaker tribe. Especially interesting was the level of distrust they showed toward Probst. It was as if they thought Jeff was just trying to get clips of them arguing to make for a better show. Honestly, I thought that's what he was doing, too. Jeff kept pressing on, going so far as to mention the press trial run of the immunity challenge. Now, I wasn't allowed to have a recording device there, but here's a rough estimation of what was said… "We had members of the press run the immunity challenge to give them a taste for how hard it is. And they would have kicked you're !@#es. A bunch of out-of-shape, overweight journalists who spend their days behind a typewriter." My first instinct was, "Yeah, we'd win!" The second being, "Wait, out-of-shape?" And the final instinct being, "Jeff Probst thinks I use a typewriter?" Unfortunately for Jeff, even that humbling admission wasn't enough to get Fang to crack. The tribe continued with its assertion that everything was OK, with Dan especially taking the lead. Dan talked his way in circles around every question, never giving a concrete answer. Jeff kept saying he was the tribe's only advocate on the show. Nobody else was going to help them but him, and if they didn't start to turn things around, they'd be wiped out. This seemed to get the group talking, admitting mistakes, and working through some of their problems. It was almost like a family counseling session. Eventually, Jeff moved onto the topic of the tribe needing a leader. This pretty much went the way you saw it on TV with nobody wanting to step forward. Except, once it had been decided that G-C would be the leader, Jeff asked Dan if he was cool with G-C leading the tribe. Dan responded that he's happy to have G-C as the leader of the tribe, as long as G-C listens to everything he says. This was met by a round of "Oooooo"s from the rest of the tribe as it was clear that Dan was disappointed in not being nominated for the leader role. Fun Fact: Jeff knows absolutely everything that's going on in the camps and isn't afraid to use it at Tribal Council. There are cameras at the camps 24 hours a day. Basically, being at "Survivor" base camp is like being in high school and the 18 contestants are, like, the most popular kids. At breakfast every morning it's like, "Did you hear what Corinne did?" One thing that was left on the cutting-room floor that I found shocking was Michelle talking about how cold she was. She said she was freezing, but everyone else was fine because they had body fat. Maybe it's for the best for her that that stayed out of the show. Another interesting note was how Randy was on his best behavior. The cutting wit you hear in his testimonials is nowhere to be found when his tribemates are within earshot. When it was time to vote, Jeff walked up to the voting hut and gave the players a few pointers. He demonstrated how quietly you had to speak during your testimonial so as not to be heard by the other tribe members. He also let it be known not to make big gestures while writing as some players had learned how to distinguish who was being voted for by the arm movements. Then it was time to vote. One part that didn't make the broadcast was Dan saying how Michelle had betrayed his trust. I hadn't heard anything about that, and it obviously wasn't used in the broadcast. From there, Probst took the votes and went to talk to the producers. I was told that usually they take a while to figure out the most dramatic order for reading the votes, but I guess there isn't much drama to be found during a unanimous decision, so he wasn't gone that long. The votes were read, Michelle was booted, and that was the first Tribal Council.
Dictatorship		#5	[-]
Posts: 4437 (10/05/08 4:44 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Episode 3 Recap - Ace in the Hole? By Gordon Holmes Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:54:56 GMT 39 Days, 18 People, 1 "Survivor" Blog Here are the tribes as they currently stand… KOTA: • Runaround Bob - 57 - Physics Teacher • Jacquie - 25 - Medical Device Sales • Marcus - 28 - Doctor (although he says he's in the "medical field') • Charlie - 29 - Lawyer (although he says he's a "management consultant") • Paloma - 24 - Student • Ace - 27 - Photographer • Kelly - 22 - Assistant Manager and Buyer • Corinne - 29 - Pharmaceutical Sales • Sugar - 29 - Retro Pin-Up Model (although she has a vast acting resume) FANG: (pronounced Fong) • Danny, aka Downtown Danny Brown, aka G-Cizzle, aka G-C - 26 - Maintenance Supervisor • Ken - 22 - "Super Smash Brothers" World Champion • Matty - 29 - Personal Trainer • Susie - 47 - Hairdresser • Randy - 49 - Wedding Videographer • Crystal - 29 - Pre-school Teacher • Dan - 32 - Former Lawyer, Now Trying to Find Himself I noticed the credits said "16 Castaways" and didn't feature Gillian and Michelle. Have they always removed players after they're voted off? There was dissension in the Fang tribe right off the bat. No love between Randy and G-C as they have a heated debate over rice portions. Randy showed his distaste by sharing a charming analogy about G-C being a "cancer." Dan made a stab at "Understatement of the Night" by saying he doesn't think Fang has pulled together as a team. Back at Kota, the battle lines were drawn with Charlie, Marcus (fully clothed, thankfully), Jacquie, and Corinne in the Shrek alliance. Meanwhile, Kelly and Paloma were close and Ace and Sugar are close. Runaround Bob has yet to give his endorsement to any potential ticket. Reward Challenge Time: Each team selected a member to hold onto a pole. Two members of the other tribe had to pull the opposing team's member off the pole and drag them across a finish line. The first tribe across wins a point. The first to two points wins a selection of blankets, pillows, and various other bedding accessories. Round One: Charlie and Marcus went after Dan, while G-C and Matty took on Ace. Ace did a fantastic job shifting his weight while Kota managed to wrestle Dan to the finish line. Round Two: Susie took the pole for Fang against Bob and Sugar. It was Paloma against Crystal and Randy on the other side. Crystal and Randy quickly tore Paloma off the pole and dragged her across the finish line. The next point would win reward. Round Three: Marcus and Bob squared off against Dan while Matty and Crystal went after Ace. Impressively, Dan fended off his attackers while Crystal and Matty managed to defeat Ace. Jeff Probst (with a super-cool blue "Survivor" hat) was ecstatic to announce Fang's first victory. Fang decided to send Sugar to Exile Is-Lagoon. Back at Kota, Paloma was on the outs due to the tribe's belief that she didn't give it her all in the challenge. Paloma believed Ace sent her into the challenge instead of Sugar to make her look weak. Ace thought her attitude had signed her "Contract of death." Tell me this guy isn't a perfect Bond villain! Meanwhile at Exile Is-Lagoon, Sugar did a much better job than lawyer Dan. While there she managed to find the immunity idol, survive an ant attack, and endure her first crying attack. Editor's Note: We're seeing a lot of Kota scheming. Is this a precursor to an immunity challenge loss? Are the producers tipping their hand? Immunity Challenge Time: One of the most majestic traits of Gabon is its rolling hills…and, oh my God, it's a slip n' slide! Color me jealous. Jeff (with a sweet orange "Survivor" baseball hat) explained that players would slip n' slide (yes, I'm using "slip n' slide" as a verb) into a lake and grab puzzle tiles. Once all the tiles were retrieved they'd use the tiles to complete a math equation. The answer was a combination to a safe. First team to open the safe and raise their flag would win immunity. Not-So-Fun Fact: The way Runaround Bob had his shirt tied up was a little disturbing. It was like a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. Both teams slipped n' slid down the slip n' slide with Kota eventually taking the lead. Once all the tiles were retrieved, it was Runaround Bob vs. Ken to figure out the puzzles. This might have been the most exciting math problem in the history of television. Ken managed to decimal his co-efficient first, and just like I had predicted, won immunity for Fang. There was more scheming back at Kota; Ace wanted Paloma gone, Paloma wanted Ace or Sugar gone. Corinne (whose eyes are amazingly blue) seemed to be down with an early boot for Ace. That night at Tribal Council, Jeff (without a hat, 'cause Tribal Council is serious) foolishly asked Sugar about her stay at Exile Is-Lagoon. Sugar took this as her cue to cry -- again. Moving on, Jeff got them to open up about the Ace vs. Paloma feud. Surprisingly, Kelly brought attention to herself by calling out Ace. Voting Time: Paloma voted for Ace, Ace voted for Paloma, Joanie loves Chachi, and the rest of the ballots are secret. Jeff counted the votes, two for Ace, seven for Paloma. Bye-bye, Paloma. Would it have killed her to participate in the yoga? Verdict: I didn't think Fang was going to compete until they got to an eat-something-gross challenge. Good for them for finally pulling one out. I didn't like how Kota-heavy this episode was. All of the strategy talk before the immunity challenge was a dead giveaway as to which tribe would be paying a visit to Tribal Council. Who's Going to Win? With the Shrek alliance still going strong, I don't see anything to make me change my pick. Jacquie for the win.
cindidindi76		#6	[-]
Posts: 12708 (10/05/08 5:10 PM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Jacquie? Seriously?
SPunKeeMonKee		#7	[-]
Posts: 10906 (10/05/08 10:26 PM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Love your site but the videos aren't working for me.. are they blocked for non-American users?
jholmes	survivor 18	#8	[-]
Posts: 1 (01/11/09 6:32 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	DEBBIE BEEBE IS A CONTESTANT AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GO AROUND HER AND SHE WILL TELL YOU. SHE LOVES TO "TOOT HER OWN HORN" AND TO TALK ABOUT HERSELF. WISH TO KNOW ABOUT SURVIVOR 18, CALL HER AT HOME B/C SCHOOL SHOULD NOT BE INTERRUPTED WITH SUCH AS THIS... ONE OF MY FRIENDS IS A GOOD FRIEND OF HERS SO HERE IS SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: SHE DID NOT SAY SHE WAS GOING TO REHAB, BUT JUST TOOK A LEAVE... ALL OF AUBURN KNEW WHERE SHE WAS B/C SOMEONE LET IT SLIP EARLY. DEBBIE CAN NOT SAY QUITE ABOUT ANYTHING. MANY PARENTS HAVE SAID THAT IT IS RIDICULOUS FOR THE PRINCIPAL TO TOOK OFF FOR 8 WEEKS FOR SUCH A TRIP- I AM SURPRISED THE BOARD OF ED ALLOWED THIS! SHE IS THE MOTHER OF TWO AND HAS THREE STEP CHILDREN. HER CHILDREN ARE ALI AND TANNER. HER EX IS THE BASEBALL COACH AT AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL AND HER CURRENT HUSBAND OWNS MATRIX WIRE. DEBBIE CERTAINLY DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS FOR THE MONEY- SHE SEEMS RICH BECAUSE SHE SHOPS ALL THE TIME. I AM SURE SHE DID IT FOR THE ADVENTURE. I BET YOU WILL WISH TO VOTE DEBBIE AS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE CONTESTANTS- SHE WILL BE ABLE TO GAIN YOUR LOVE AS THE SHOW PROGRESSIVES. I BET SHE IS ONE OF THE LAST TO GET KICKED OFF OF THE SHOW! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE-
Casey333		#9	[-]
Posts: 830 (01/11/09 6:33 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Oh God.
Antithesys		#10	[-]
Posts: 23710 (01/11/09 10:12 PM) Gadabout Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	In eight years we've had about ten million posts here and that is unquestionably the dumbest. I hope that actually is "Debbie", it would be amusing to have a legally retarded person on the show.
Mypoody2		#11	[-]
Posts: 8627 (01/12/09 12:48 AM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Antithesys wrote: In eight years we've had about ten million posts here and that is unquestionably the dumbest. I hope that actually is "Debbie", it would be amusing to have a legally retarded person on the show. X to this. But someone forgot about Rupert... <3 Anti.
quartzeye		#12	[-]
Posts: 3792 (01/12/09 9:21 AM) MESS member Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	jholmes wrote: DEBBIE BEEBE IS A CONTESTANT AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GO AROUND HER AND SHE WILL TELL YOU. SHE LOVES TO "TOOT HER OWN HORN" AND TO TALK ABOUT HERSELF. WISH TO KNOW ABOUT SURVIVOR 18, CALL HER AT HOME B/C SCHOOL SHOULD NOT BE INTERRUPTED WITH SUCH AS THIS... ONE OF MY FRIENDS IS A GOOD FRIEND OF HERS SO HERE IS SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: SHE DID NOT SAY SHE WAS GOING TO REHAB, BUT JUST TOOK A LEAVE... ALL OF AUBURN KNEW WHERE SHE WAS B/C SOMEONE LET IT SLIP EARLY. DEBBIE CAN NOT SAY QUITE ABOUT ANYTHING. MANY PARENTS HAVE SAID THAT IT IS RIDICULOUS FOR THE PRINCIPAL TO TOOK OFF FOR 8 WEEKS FOR SUCH A TRIP- I AM SURPRISED THE BOARD OF ED ALLOWED THIS! SHE IS THE MOTHER OF TWO AND HAS THREE STEP CHILDREN. HER CHILDREN ARE ALI AND TANNER. HER EX IS THE BASEBALL COACH AT AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL AND HER CURRENT HUSBAND OWNS MATRIX WIRE. DEBBIE CERTAINLY DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS FOR THE MONEY- SHE SEEMS RICH BECAUSE SHE SHOPS ALL THE TIME. I AM SURE SHE DID IT FOR THE ADVENTURE. I BET YOU WILL WISH TO VOTE DEBBIE AS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE CONTESTANTS- SHE WILL BE ABLE TO GAIN YOUR LOVE AS THE SHOW PROGRESSIVES. I BET SHE IS ONE OF THE LAST TO GET KICKED OFF OF THE SHOW! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE- You seem quite close to Debbie. A picture posted of her after returning from Survivor would be helpful.
alexineruby		#13	[-]
Posts: 3675 (01/12/09 1:53 PM) Registered user Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	I couldn't get the videos to play either. and just who is this new poster ??
Dictatorship		#14	[-]
Posts: 6535 (01/12/09 8:18 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	LMFAO Debbie is actually on the show. ^_^