As you may have already heard, there has been a huge shake up at the already shaky X-Factor. First we heard about host Steve Jones not coming back. Apparently, he was let go after a dismal season as he tweeted that he was disappointed by the news calling his departure a “shame” but adding that he couldn’t complain, that he “had a great time.” Mr. Jones, although probably a lovely person, didn’t really set the bar real high on the high drama impact the show was looking for and he paid the price for it. I guess Ryan Seacrest has trail blazed the role of host at this point that everyone must meet. I for one thought Mr. Jones was a bit boring myself.

Then came the news that Nicole Scherzinger wasn’t coming back as well. According to Nicole, not coming back was her choice. Nicole was originally cast as a duel host with Jones, but took the judges seat when Simon Cowell decided to axe Cheryl Cole as judge. (Many saw this as mistake number one.) Nicole quit the show (with Cowell’s blessing) to focus more on her music career. She says that the X Factor took much more time than she thought it would, filming 6 days a week, which didn’t leave room for her own career. It does make me wonder if she was asked to leave and was given the opportunity to do it gracefully. It’s all very coincidentally, everyone at once. There are sources that say she wasn’t renewed either, so I guess this is her excuse. For those of us who watched the show, it’s not hard to remember her being “boo’d” off the stage for her decision on Rachel Crowe, paving the way for Crowe’s departure. Scherzinger “couldn’t make up her mind” and because of that, Crowe departed that night amongst jeers and tears. As a judge, you should be able to, number one, make up your mind, and number two, make the right choice, even if you really like the other contestant. Crowe killed the competition that night and everyone knew it… even Nicole I think.

Also leaving, Paula Abdul. Sources are saying that Simon wanted to “clean house” and well, it looks like he is doing it. The X Factor received pretty good ratings but not nearly what Cowell was expecting. Sources claim that Abdul was not renewed as well and that this isn’t just some negotiating or ratings ploy. Simon wanted a makeover (or shall we say do-over) and a makeover he is getting.

So, in the coming weeks, I guess we will start hearing who will be stepping into to these positions left empty by the above three. I guess L.A. Reid is here to stay awhile as well, although I didn’t see him as all that great either. The X-Factor is set to debut it’s second season later in the year. Personally, I would like to see some tougher judges join the panel. My problem now with American Idol is the lack of tough judges. Yes, Randy has tried to fill that role but it hasn’t worked that well.

What do you think? Who would you like to see come aboard as judges and host? Let us know below, then come on in and join us in the forum!

Aside from what we have speculated when The Amazing Race began filming late last year, CBS has now confirmed that Big Brother’s power couple Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas have been cast as part of the Amazing Race 20. The rest of the cast, listed below, includes dating divorcees, male twins, and more! Check out the cast vid below and let us know what you think of the new cast! Be sure to check our forums later today for full cast bios and pics!

The Amazing Race 20 airs February 19 at 8/7c on CBS!

Dave Brown Jr., 33, U.S. Army officer and Rachel Brown, 30, project manager; married

William “Bopper” Minton, 41, motorcycle mechanic and Mark Jackson, 45, former state inspector; best friends

Nary Ebeid, 32, federal agent and Jamie Graetz, 33, federal agent; friends

Brendon Villegas, 31, PhD Student and Rachel Reilly, 27, Event Hostess; engaged

Joey “Fitness” Lasalla, 29, trainer/supplement company owner and Danny Horal, 27, nightclub promoter; friends

Misa Tanaka, 27, car buyer and Maiya Tanaka, 25, professional golfer; sisters

Dave Gregg, 44, clown and Cherie Gregg, 44, clown; married

Elliot Weber, 28, musician and Andrew Weber, 28, professional soccer player; twins

Kerri Paul, 30, program coordinator and Stacy Bowers, 30, self employed / “basketball” wife; cousins

Vanessa Macias, 31, freelance writer and Ralph Kelley, 36, bar owner; dating divorcees

Art Velez, 43, border patrol agent and J.J. Carrell, 42, border patrol agent; friends

Well, YakkityYaks is kicking off 2012 by taking a stand. We recently published an Open Letter to the network executives of Fox regarding the cancellation of the Results Shows for upcoming Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance. In our efforts to spread the word and garner support from SYTYCD fans around America, we have come up with a few simple ways to have our voices heard. If you support our movement, please pass on the word to your friends and family.

1. Talk about the show with others – at school, at work, online, or wherever. As auditions kick off January 5 in Atlanta, we can work to create a buzz. We understand the upcoming season does not premiere until the end of May 2012, but demonstrating strong investment in the show cannot hurt.

2. Sign the petition below and encourage others to do so as well.

3. Write to the network. Please be respectful and logical in your arguments. Threats will not strengthen your argument, but rather weaken it. Explain to the network how much you enjoy the Results Shows portion of SYTYCD and how it enhances your experience when watching the show on Fox. You can mention that you’ve signed the petition, and that you want to see the Results Shows make a return to the show’s format. Visit Fox.com and contact the network through their online rom or you can write via “snail-mail” to: Mr. Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, FOX, P.O. Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900, RE: So You Think You Can Dance

4. Take note of the products that have been advertised in season’s past. You can write the advertisers and tell them that you notice their products during telecasts of SYTYCD and that you appreciate their sponsorship of the performance and results shows.

If anyone has any other ideas, please feel free to post them below. Together our voices can be heard. Thanks in advance to our supporters!

An Open Letter to Executives of the Fox Television Network

Not long after the world celebrated the onset of 2012, So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Executive Producer and Judge, Nigel Lythgoe, posted a message on his @dizzyfeet Twitter account regarding upcoming Season 9 of SYTYCD. “#FOX have cancelled the results show so I will have to change the format of #SYTYCD. At least we have another season at the end of MAY.”

In a world where social media is prevalent, the news was not taken lightly by fans of the Emmy nominated reality series. Rumors have already started spreading as to possible changes the show will have to undergo without a results show. Worries that the title “America’s Favorite Dancer” would have to be tweaked have begun to spread like wildfire.

In a world where reality or alternative programming to scripted television is prevalent and enjoyed by fans across the country, cancelling the Results Show portion of a program is, putting it bluntly, a terrible and miscalculated mistake. SYTYCD has become a summer staple program in many houses across America. In a world where wholesome family programming is hard to find, SYTYCD offered such an option for families to get together and enjoy true talent showcased on television for 3 hours a week (with a 2 hour performance show and a one hour results telecast). During the latter telecast where America’s votes are revealed, some of the best SYTYCD dances – including some of the Emmy award nominated pieces – were performed as the contestants joined forces in powerful and moving group numbers.

Many Results telecasts of similar programs have been touted by fans and critics to be filled with “filler.” While shows like The Voice and The Sing-Off have televised seasons without Results Shows, SYTYCD Results Shows offer something extra for fans. From group numbers choreographed and performed with such passion and fluid movement to some breathtaking “Dance For Your Life” moments, SYTYCD Results Shows are not filled with overblown recaps and guest performance after guest performance like some other shows. While that format may suffice other reality programs, the format that Lythgoe and SYTYCD producers have adopted for SYTYCD has been all about showcasing the talent. After all, isn’t the talent what it’s all about? Isn’t showcasing the art of choreography and dance without gimmicks what the show is about?

In 2007, SYTYCD was critically recognized when it took home it’s first 2 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography. In 2008, SYTYCD was nominated three times – for three different choreographers – and took home another Emmy for Outstanding Choreography. The streak continued with 23 more nominations by the industry for Outstanding Choreography from 2009 to the present day. Of those 23 nominations, the show took home 10 more Emmys. We can’t forget the nominations of 2011 when host Cat Deeley was nominated for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program – a long overdue recognition. SYTYCD also touted a nomination in this little award category of Outstanding Reality-Competition Program. Not to mention, countless of entertainment sites around the web have named SYTYCD in their “Best Of 2011″ features, including YakkityYaks.

While we understand this move by the Network does not guarantee that Season 9 is indeed the show’s final season, we fans know and understand that such a move unfortunately does not bode well for this under-rated and under-appreciated network gem.

To all SYTYCD fans, if you agree with the thoughts noted above, please do your part in sharing this open letter and let the network executives of Fox know that we do not appreciate this move and we hope that they reconsider – even if it means a 30 minute Results telecast versus the usual hour. We here at the Yak do not support this decision by the powers that be with Fox.

This writer can say that the Fox network will be boycotted during the hour originally intended for the SYTYCD Results telecast for any non-SYTYCD related programming.

Thank you for reading.

Kasey Olmstead and JD Montgomery
YakkityYaks.com

2011 was a year full of royal weddings, celebrity breakups, celebrity meltdowns, political distaste, television specials, reality TV takeovers … and the list goes on and on. Some moments of 2011 you will want to relive and some you’ll just want to forget. Some moments you’ll wish never happened and some you’ll wish happened differently. In the second annual “Best Of…” poll at YakkityYaks, we want to take you on a short trip down memory lane looking at the moments that defined 2011 – for better or for worse. Dabbling a little into television, movies, music and just about everything else, we want you to speak up and vote for the moments you think best defined the start of a new decade! Which reality TV star was most deserving of their victory this year? Which television sitcom ranks as the best comedy of 2011? Which celebrity could you have gone the whole year without hearing about? What do you think 2012 will bring in the world of news? All that and more in our polls that we’ll be unveiling all week long! Read on below for the nominations in TELEVISION and get your voting on! Nominees for Movies and Music (click to vote) will be announced tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Vote for everything else Pop Culture Here!

Continue Voting

Last week the girls had an editorial shoot with Tyra depicting scenes from here New York Times Bestseller, Modelland. The judges had a difficult time deciding whom to eliminate. Ultimately, they gave sweet, lovable Kentucky-girl Laura the boot. Yes, my heart fell to pieces. Three girls remained…Allison, Lisa and Angelea.

Photo Shoot

This week is finale week, so it’s the CoverGirl shoot. They have to do a print ad and commercial. Jay is right about Lisa’s eyes. They really pop with the CoverGirl make-up; she’s stunning. Her commercial shoot isn’t amazing. She’s trying too hard to be CoverGirl, when really she just needs to be herself. Allison had trouble with the CoverGirl shoot her cycle, which is ironic because her eyes are her best asset! I’m a little worried for her. The photo shoot seems fine, but the commercial flirts a little with disaster. Her sensitive eyes don’t take too well to the bright lights. But Jay uses her closed eyes for some shots…I mean, you can sell mascara and eye shadow with closed eyes, too. Jay is really impressed by Angelea’s photo shoot. He even likes her “hood” personality showing through in the commercial. It sounds like Angelea had the best shoot of the three.

There’s also an Italian Vogue shoot where the girls model swimsuits. This little shoot seems sandwiched in episode and doesn’t really fit with the finale episode. I wonder if they had intended to eliminate a girl after this shoot and have a final two on the runway but decided against it. Who knows? Everyone is told they look beautiful. And Jay isn’t even there. The segment is only a few minutes long. It’s just kind of strange.

Runway

“Never in the history of Top Model have we ever had three girls at final runway.” Like I said, was this Italian Vogue shoot supposed to make a final two, but suddenly the producers decided for a twist?

Anyway, the girls are going to walk out, descend into a pool, swim across and emerge. They will then transition into a goddess and finish the runway. In reality, the wet model is actually replaced by a dry model during transition, but the girls have to portray both at some point in the runway.

The girls get their specially designed dresses. I kind of forgot that they helped design their dresses a few episodes back, but it’s cool. I love the train on Lisa’s dress and Allison’s is so unique and so her. Angelea’s is pretty, but it’s my least favorite. It’s a little old to me.

Lisa is first up. She does a twist in the water to look cool, but ends up swimming in the wrong direction. Oops…that’s awkward! She emerges, gets dried off and stuns on the dry runway. When her song from the music video challenge plays, she finds her groove and the whole audience joins in. She really did great. Angelea bobs up and down in the water, almost losing her mask. She does well on the dry runway, but I think Lisa outshined her. Allison holds her breath for a long long time and makes it across the pool just fine. Her dry runway isn’t so graceful. Unfortunately, the song she wrote was a slow song. So they added a beat and tempo to it, which just didn’t work for me. Her dress flies up and she isn’t very smooth at grabbing. I’m worried for her. She photographs so well, but sadly the runway might be her Achilles heel.

Panel

Surprise! Angelea did something that disqualified her from the competition. But that’s all we get! She’s not even there at judging. The judging is taking place in LA, so it seems that they probably shot the final judging already, disqualified Angelea and then reshot the final judging with just Lisa and Allison. Now we have to wonder if she won in the first place? And if she didn’t, then of course Lisa and Allison already know the outcome. It’s very strange. I just really want to know what disqualified Angelea. Online speculation is that she was posting spoilers about the season. Thoughts?

Anyway, the judges liked Lisa’s runway better than Allison’s. That’s a given. Allison’s CoverGirl shot is said to be “vacant.” I can understand that, but she’s still stunning. And they aren’t over the moon about her commercial, but I actually really enjoyed it. I thought she came out of her shell and sounded like a CoverGirl. The judges love Lisa’s CoverGirl shot. Even though only one eye is visible, they say it’s enough to captivate the audience. I’m sorry, but I didn’t love it. I mean, it was one eye! They are selling eye make-up. I blame whoever chose the shot. Also, she had no neck! They always talk about neck. I think they’re building up to her win.

Looking back on past shoots, they seem to favor Allison and her quirkiness. However, they do express how they’ve noticed growth in Lisa from the beginning until now. From my standpoint, Allison is the best model. She’s stunning. And I think she could do great with the Italian Vogue and CoverGirl prizes. Lisa has more of a “brand” that they’re talking about. I see her doing well with the Extra contributions, the Express spread and the blogs. I really want Allison to win, but I think the cards are all falling in Lisa’s favor.

And the winner is…Lisa! Congrats to her. I do think she deserves it. She has really grown so much from her original cycle and I can definitely see her using this experience and platform to go and do things. But I still love Allison. She’s just too amazing. She’ll do great things!

Any thoughts? Are you happy to see Lisa win or were you pulling for Allison? Also, what about Angelea’s disqualification? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Yak had the opportunity to interview our last two Survivor castoffs this week. Both declare that they are huge fans of Survivor prior to being cast.

Dawn Meehan is a 41-year-old mother of six adopted children from South Jordan, Utah.
She is an English professor at Brigham Young University. Her hobbies include swimming with her children, writing/blogging and baking bread. Another passion of Dawns for the last 11 years was to become a contestant on Survivor! Dawn was actually cast for the Nicaragua season but was cut just prior to filming. She is ecstatic that she was able to meet Jeff Probst and relishes her “Survivor experience”. Dawn admits that she was out of her element on day one. “I was overwhelmed! The sky is falling!” She laughs when thinking about how that first day went. She’s rightfully proud in her ability to shake that off and become an extremely strong competitor and Survivor!

Whitney Duncan is a 27-year-old Country Western singer from Nashville, Tennessee. Her inspirations are Jesus and Elvis. “Jesus saved me and Elvis is the reason I started singing and performing.” Whitney was also set to star in the Nicaragua season ironically, however at the time she was under contract to Warner Brothers and it didn’t work out.

Another passion of Whitney’s is a tragic event that has happened to her family. In April of 2011 her beautiful, blonde 20-year-old cousin Hollie Bobo was abducted from her home in Tennessee and hasn’t been seen since. Whitney wants to bring this to light and wears a pink “Bring Hollie home” bracelet in honor of her missing cousin. Under scrutiny right now, Whitney says that she wants to keep her private life private however she was forthcoming with the information that prior to Survivor she was in an unhappy and unhealthy relationship. She definitely fell in love with Keith on Survivor and they are now a couple. “Who would have thought I would fall in love on Survivor?” she exclaimed. “We have a lot in common, we come from similar families and we have similar values. He’s just a great guy!”

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The Yak: What did you think about Cochran flipping on your Savaii tribe and being voted off?

Whitney: Cochran said it best. If the debt is not repaid it goes down as one of the most idiotic moves in Survivor history. Well, that’s how I saw it. I saw that it was not a smart move and he even admitted that he was humiliated. I really hate that Cochran was that gullible to believe Coach’s line of B.S honestly. We knew he was going 7th. I wasn’t shocked when his torch was snuffed.

The Yak: What was your strategy if the merge had resulted in Savaii taking out Upolu instead?

Whitney: Well the great thing, I think the whole tribe would agree that Ozzy would have gone sixth. For sure we would have had to get him out because of individual immunity and all that. You need to take out the biggest threats. In my mind it would have been Ozzy, Jim. Cochran was actually the perfect person. In my mind I had him going to final 3 with me. Of course because of individual immunity I didn’t think he would beat me. I had a great alliance with Dawn and with Keith and I felt very secure in that.

Dawn: Jim and Cochran would have been my final 3. I know since the show has aired Jim has laughingly said “I’m not going to take the Mormon mother of 6 adopted children to the end with me, but Jim and Cochran were definitely my final 3. The 3 of us trusted each other a great deal since day 11.

The Yak: Dawn, after Papa Bear was voted out who were you closest to?

Dawn: Oh, P Bear, you know for me I’m really close to Whitney throughout the whole game. I guess that’s not something we see a lot of (on the episodes). It doesn’t show that we have tension either. Again, I was really close to Whitney in the game, Jim, Cochran, and Keith. We all had a good relationship. I think “Sliding Rocks” typifies for me what the game was like for us. We all had a lot of mutual respect for each other. We all wanted to play the game hard. We were all in it for ourselves but we wanted to work with each other as much as we could for as long as we could.

The Yak: What is your honest opinion of Coach?

Dawn: You know I’ve had a hard time knowing how to explain what I think. You know I am impressed based on his day one reception from Upolu to see how he has been able to turn around his position in his tribe from day one, it’s remarkable. I mean his strategy, his ability to outwit when I’m around him, it seems so transparent. When we were in the game at the merge, I’m surprised that everyone is listening and following it. He’s so convincing and persuasive. I don’t think that anyone on Savaii would have been influenced by him outside of Cochran; he’s just so transparent. I think that’s why Christine and Mikayla left is because they weren’t buying it. I do think he’s doing a great job of playing the game though.

The Yak: Did you try to find any chink in the armor at Upolu prior to being voted out?

Dawn: Had we had Sophie we would have at the very least gotten rid of Edna. We had Cochran, we had Albert. The goal was Coach. To me that was the goal. Whitney and I tried to make the argument to Albert and Cochran that Coach is going to win this. A jury is going to vote for him.

Whitney: These people are smart people; I don’t understand how they don’t see this coming. It’s shocking! They were not bold enough to make that move.

The Yak: Dawn any regrets on not outing Cochran to your tribe?

Dawn: I did approach Ozzy and told him I thought Cochran might waffle. Ozzy talked to him for about 15 minutes and said he thought we were ok, that I was worrying too much. It didn’t make any sense for him to flip. I did have a good handle on how Cochran was thinking though.

The Yak: Dawn we did see you considering switching sides with Cochran, what changed your mind?

Dawn: One, I won immunity. By having immunity I didn’t have to draw a rock that night. There were better odds staying loyal to our tribe. The second reason though, I was approached with a final 3 or 4 scenario by Coach. I never felt like it was a genuine or legitimate offer. I felt like it was just what it was; a way to advance their game. It was frustrating for me to see Cochran believe Coach and I spent a lot of time trying to tell him, “There is no way! They are just using you.” But Cochran really believed Coach, so that was hard and frustrating for me.

The Yak: You’re both so tiny, were you surprised at your strength?

Dawn: Yeah!

Whitney: Dawn’s amazing. She pulled off that weight challenge. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I’m really proud of what we accomplished. I think we both played an impressive physical game.

Dawn: No question. This game makes you push beyond your limits. After a while you start thinking. Hey, why not me?

The Yak: Are you both looking forward to the reunion?

Whitney: Of course!
Dawn: Absolutely, it’s like family and we’re also excited to see the outcome!

The Yak: Do you consider yourselves bitter jury members? What will you base your vote on?

Whitney: Definitely not bitter. It’s who outwitted, outplayed in 39 days.
I took that job of giving someone a million dollars very seriously. I would never vote off emotion. It’s not about one aspect; it’s the overall best player.

Dawn: Personally for me it’s not bitter. For me it’s who outwitted, outplayed and outlasted in 39 days. I took that literally. Who best met the definition of sole Survivor.

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Join us in the Forum HERE for all things Survivor!

Last time on Top Model, Angelea went a little cray-cray when Dominique pointed out her lack of confidence and the other girls agreed. After an Olympic-inspired photo shoot, Angelea and Dominique were in the bottom two with Angelea pulling it out for being more memorable.

Challenge

Photo Shoot

Tyra surprises the girls this week as the director of their shoot, which isn’t actually photos but a video editorial of her new book, Modelland. Yes, that is actually the name. And yes, it is already published and in stores. And apparently it’s a New York Times bestseller. Anyway, it’s about an awkward girl named Tookie who is invited to the exclusive Modelland atop a mountain where she must compete to become an Intoxibella (aka Top Model).

Tyson Beckford shows up to help in the shoot. Of course he has no shirt on. Of course. The girls must portray Tookie from various chapters in the book. It’s an extensive photo shoot and the final product will be unveiled in two parts, on this episode and the next. Allison is good at the awkward, but her sensitive eyes pose a problem for the bright sunny day. Angelea has an awkward run, and not a good awkward but a laugh-out-loud, that’s ridiculous awkward. But she uses her experiences and let’s her emotion consume her during the shoot, and Tyra is very impressed. Laura must spray whip cream in her mouth. They’ve said in the past to be less sexy because she takes it too far. But you’re giving the girl whip cream, what do you expect? Lisa is very good. She gives some awesome facial expressions and seems to get the big picture for the final product.

Panel

The video is pretty cool. I’m still not sold on the whole concept of Modelland, but I’m also sure I’m not the targeted demo for the book either. So, I like video shoot for it’s quirky, artsy point of view.

The judges like Angelea for her connection with the subject matter. Some judges are still worried about her “ticking time bomb,” but Tyson thought she was fantastic onset. (As pointed out by Tyra, of course she was because she was in love!) The judges recognize Lisa as a performer, one that knows her skills and knows how to put them to work. The judges again talk about Laura’s in-person sweetness and on-camera sexiness. Tyra loves her eagerness to do anything and Tyson loves working with her because of her friendliness and extroversion. The judges like Allison’s eccentricity in the shoot, with Nigel saying it was visually stunning. Tyson didn’t really care for her because she’s quiet and odd. I think they should quit listening to Tyson; he hasn’t been there enough. Just sayin’.

I honestly had no clue who the judges would send home, and apparently they couldn’t make up their minds either with judging taking more than an hour and a half. Lisa ends up with top performance, followed by Angelea, leaving Laura and Allison in the bottom two. At this point, I’m thinking it was too difficult for the judges to decide, so everyone will be a finalist. Also, I’m hoping so because these are my two faves! In the end, Tyra contrasts the two, Allison with her shy quirkiness and Laura with her bubbly openness, and Laura is sent home.

Yes, I’m bummed. I thought Laura was phenomenal and she really surprised me every time she was behind the camera. Something that bothered me was Tyra telling her that “something got a little lost this time.” I mean, really? She won two shoots this season. I think she was just as good, if not better, this time around. You go Laura, keep chasing your dreams!

Your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with the judges’ decision? And with the season winding down, who do you think will claim the title? (My vote is for Allison!) Let’s hear what you have to say!

Hey Survivor Fans! Two weeks ago we left off on night twenty-seven! This Survivor season is winding down quickly. Will it be forever known as the Season of the Cult?

Te Tuna arrives back at camp after having just voted out Dawn and Whitney at Tribal Council. Coach says, “We’ve got seven left and really they’re all our family. So, now we got to start sending home some of our own.” Cochran admits, “Tribal Council was kind of alarming for me, because it was made clear that I was the person that was going at seven.” Unfortunately Cochran actually believed the honorable Coach when Coach masterfully manipulated Cochran into flipping at the merge. Oh how naïve a Survivor fan can be.

The next morning, Cochran calls a meeting with his tribe, conveniently leaving out Edna. Laying it out there he asks that they show him some gratitude for the move he made which kept them all in the game. Sophie says she does not feel indebted to Cochran and that she feels more loyalty to Edna. “I think he’s proud of the move he made and I think he still thinks somebody will take him to the end.” Cochrane likens the Upolu tribe to a cult. “Just hearing the word family over and over, you can’t help but think of Charles Manson and the Manson family. The family that committed so many heinous murders. I don’t want to be Sharon Tate in this scenario, or drink the kool-aid.” I don’t know what they teach at Harvard but apparently it wasn’t a class on cults. The Manson Family murders and the Jonestown massacre weren’t even in the same decade! But I digress, Te Tuna tribe then gathers together as Brandon leads them in prayer asking God to help them stay a family. Cochran notes that Brandon seems to be the most obsessively devote member of the family. Cochran mentions that it is his birthday in three days and he would love to celebrate it with them while still in the game. This tidbit of information turns out to be a lie. Cochran then offers to leave so they can discuss. Albert and Coach both say they agree with Cochran and support keeping him around for one more Tribal Council.

REDEMPTION ISLAND DUEL:
Ozzy, Dawn and Whitney enter the Redemption arena and it’s on! This is a nail biter. One will stay on Redemption and two will join the jury. Each contestant will balance ceramic dishes on the end of a long stick arm. The more dishes stacked, the more difficult it will be to keep them stable. When your dishes fall, you are out of the duel. Ozzy, Dawn and Whitney all successfully balance their first five dishes. After adding the sixth dish, Dawn almost drops her pile when she yawns. All three of them continue in the game until the eleventh dish is added. This proves to be too much for Dawn and she drops her pile of dishes and is therefore out of the game. Ozzy and Whitney are left to fight it out for the win. Just after adding the thirteenth dish, Whitney’s stack of dishes starts to wobble and she is unable to recover. Ozzy wins the duel and stays alive on Redemption Island. Ozzie hugs both contestants and says, “It’s been a pleasure ladies.” Before Dawn tearfully throws her buff into the fire and exits the game, she admits that she will encourage her family to pursue their dreams. “I love you Jeff Probst” Dawn says as she throws her buff in the fire. Don’t we all Dawn? Don’t we all? .” Whitney is proud that she proved to herself that she could survive 28 days in the game. As Ozzy walks out of the arena and back to Redemption he reveals, “From this point on, I’m even more excited to go into the duels and beat people that are my enemies in this game.” We then get some great eye candy shots of Ozzy at home on Redemption. What woman doesn’t want to see Ozzy coming out of the ocean dripping wet? The next day, Ozzy goes fishing on Redemption Island. Ozzy admits, “This is my home, Redemption Island. This is how I’m playing the second half of my game and there’s no one better suited to be out here than me.” Keep it going jungle boy!

Back at TeTuna everyone has a different idea of camp life. “To me this game is about doing well in challenges, creating a great strategy and playing a strong social game. So those are what I’m focused on. I leave the housework to Martha Stewart.” says Albert as he lounges in the hammock. Out in the ocean, Brandon is spearing fish and giving fish to Cochran to hold. Cochran feels proud to be part of the fishing team, even if it is just to hold the fish. “ Albert does pretty much nothing except lie around and eat fish and wait for other people to wait on him.” Edna tells Rick about Albert putting out the fire and getting the wood wet after having done nothing else that day. Rick vents, “That’s why I call him Prince Albert. It’s like, well I’m the Prince and you guys work for me.”
Later that day, Edna asks Coach if she is the next person to go after Cochran. Coach confirms her suspicions and reminds her that it is an individual game now. Edna admits, “I definitely have to shake it up right now, because sixth or seventh is not acceptable for me.” Coach feels that keeping Cochran and Edna would be a smart move for him, since neither one would vote him out. Coach is not sure which way to go and says, “Do I want to honor my word, be a man of integrity and stick with the five or do I want to go another route?”
Cut to Coach and Cochran doing Tai Chi on the beach. In Coach’s eyes Cochran has graduated from young grasshopper to a young warrior. Oh Please!!

IMMUNITY/REWARD CHALLENGE: Jeff Probst explains the rules of this challenge, which we’ve already seen in Redemption arena this season. In the first round, each person will throw sand bags, attempting to land them on top of crates. The first three to get a sand bag on each of their crates moves onto the final round. In the final round, the three remaining contestants will use a large slingshot to fire coconuts at targets. First person to knock down all their targets wins immunity. In addition, the winner of this challenge will be treated to a nice Survivor spa afternoon. Back at camp, the winner will enjoy a bush shower and a massage. Albert, Rick and Sophie land sand bags on their three crates before the rest of the Te Tuna tribe and move onto the final round. Albert is the first to hit all of his targets with coconuts, winning both immunity and reward. Jeff tells Albert to choose one more person to join him in the reward. Albert wisely chooses Coach. Albert then asks Jeff if he can pick one more person. Jeff says no. Then Albert proceeds to ask if he can give up the reward for another person, Jeff says sure. Albert says he’d like to give his reward to Cochran as a birthday present. This is survivor dude, are you crazy??? Cochran wonders why Albert gave him the reward. He figures it is either to get his support for strategic moves, to suck up for a jury vote and come off as a nice guy or as a farewell gesture.
Cochran meets with Albert to thank him and to find out where he stands in the tribe. Albert tells Cochran that things aren’t looking good for him and that he doesn’t think that he can get Coach to change his vote. Cochran disagrees with Albert and tells him that Coach will vote for Rick. Cochran makes sure to tell Albert that Rick calls him “Princess Albert” behind his back. Albert is not happy to hear that Rick is calling him names and says, “I have a mind right now to get rid of Rick this vote.” Albert then gives Cochran his word that if Coach will vote for Rick, then he will too. Next, Cochran talks to Edna. He tells her about his conversation with Albert and the plan to vote out Rick next. Edna jumps on board immediately because if Rick goes, she gets to stay longer. Finally, Cochran talks to Coach. He invites Coach to join with Albert, Edna and himself to vote out Rick. As Coach weighs all his options, he admits, “My decision tonight and which way I go is going to determine the rest of this game.” Coach has to decide whether to stay with the original alliance of five or join his new alliance, which includes Edna and Cochran.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
. Cochran says, “I feel like I’m entitled to at least one more night in this game.” Albert and Coach then agree that Cochran did Upolu a big favor when he voted with them against Savaii. Edna admits that she is feeling emotional because she is next on the chopping block after Cochran; even though she was led to believe that she was an equal member in the alliance. Edna! Brandon told you weeks and weeks ago that you were not equal in the tribe! Edna says, “That doesn’t feel very good.” It’s like she’s just woken up from a long nap. Brandon doesn’t want to hear talk that goes against the master plan. and says tonight I vote for Cochran. Coach admits that Brandon is loyal but not malleable. Brandon starts to cry and reveals that he is human and wants to do wrong things but there is something stronger that won’t let him. Okay, I am officially creeped out. Cochran points out that Brandon is not good to talk strategy with, since he will not change his plans and therefore could be a liability to his alliance. Cochran finally sees the light and admits to feeling foolish in making the big move to support Upolu, because it will result in him being voted out seventh, which is a worse position then if he had stayed loyal to his original Savaii tribe. Wow Cochran, it took you a while to figure it out! Not too sharp in math apparently. He says, “I hope this doesn’t go down as one of the most idiotic moves in the history of the game.” Well Cochran, we’ll see what happens on Redemption but in my book it was a really dumb move. The votes are in. Cochran and Edna vote for Rick, while everyone else votes for Cochran, including his beloved Coach. Cochran can’t find the stairs, which was humorous, and he trots off to Redemption Island to battle Ozzy in a duel.

Finally Cochran is at Redemption. What will the duel be? Let’s hope it’s not a math quiz!!

This week on NBC’s The Sing-Off, judges Sara Bareilles, Shawn Stockman, and Ben Folds made a tough decision and eliminated one of the last remaining collegiate groups, AfroBlue. After a dueling sing-off between the crew from Howard University and the Dartmouth Aires, the show lived up to it’s name with a decision coming down to one final battle. After delivering memorable performances week after week, such as “American Girl” and “Need You Now,” AfroBlue knew they had to follow through with critiques and focus on their arrangements. Unfortunately, found themselves eliminated and exited the Top 4. Earlier today, YakkityYaks had the pleasure to participate in an exclusive call with Danielle Withers from AfroBlue to get some insight on the group’s inspiration, challenges and what they think about the top 3 groups in the competition. Read on to find out these and much more!

For details on how to vote for the Top 3, click HERE. The Sing-Off bows with its finale next Monday, November 28 at 8/7c on NBC!

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The Yak: Hey there, how are you today?

Danielle, AfroBlue: I’m good, thanks!

The Yak: So, what made you guys do The Sing-Off?

Danielle: A few of us kept up with the show from season 1 and we were definitely into the show. We thought it would be cool to be on, but never really thought to audition or send in a tape. In the past, we were afforded the privilege to perform with legendary jazz singers, such as Take 6. Our director reconnected with Cedric from Take 6 and he remembered who we were and put in our name with casting at The Sing-Off. They saw our videos and asked us to audition. The rest is history.

The Yak: You guys had the privilege of knowing each other for some time before doing the show. How do you think that helped you week after week?

Danielle: Well, actually the group on the show was formed from members of the current class and some former members of AfroBlue. So, this was the first time we performed as a group together. Myself, Charity and Elijah have sang together in the past, but our director put us all together and we realized how well we sang as a group and brought it to the stage week after week.

The Yak: You’ve mentioned your director a couple of times. Were you able to work with her during the competition or were you not able to?

Danielle: No, we didn’t really work with her during the show. It was just us out there. As you saw on the show, there was no jazz night, so we had to arrange things freshly week after week. We were bravin’ it on our own. Our repertoire didn’t have any songs that coincided with the themes.

The Yak: Speaking of the themed nights, was one week particularly challenging for you as a group?

Danielle: Hmm, definitely rock/country week. We were familiar with “Need You Now” as a group. Even though we’re a jazz group, we listen to all kinds of music, but we don’t sing all kinds together as AfroBlue. The challenge was to be authentic and find yourselves in each piece we performed, no matter what. I was also not familiar with “American Girl,” so that was a challenge in and of itself. We took the advice of the judges from previous weeks and thought delicately about the arrangements.

The Yak: Well, I loved both of those arrangements, so well done. Have you guys heard from any of the artists you’ve covered this season?

Danielle: Oh, ya actually. We saw a tweet from Estelle the following morning praising our performance of “American Boy,” so that was really cool. We hope others saw our covers and think that we did them justice. I’d love to hear from more of them.

The Yak: You guys were one of the few groups who changed soloists almost weekly. Other than finding the right voice for the song, was there anything else that led you guys to choose a particular vocalist to perform that week?

Danielle: Basically you hit the nail on the head. It all depends on whose voice does the song most justice. We want the personality of the song shine through the voice and sometimes one person’s tone does that better than another.

The Yak: Did you have a favorite performance from the season? If so, why?

Danielle: My favorite was “Killing Me Softly.” I felt as though it were pleasing to the ear. I loved our arrangement. It really was an indicator of who we are as a group. It showed that we can be crazy and have a good time. We really love to be cerebral about music and that song did it for me. I love intricate arrangements like that.

The Yak: Sorry to have seen you guys eliminated last night, but was there any particular feedback from the judges after the show that gave you a little bit more insight into their decision?

Danielle: Nothing extra. What you saw was what they essentially said. They based their decision off the consistency of the season. We were in the bottom 2 more than Dartmouth Aires, so that made sense to us. They are an amazing and dynamic group. Michael’s vocals are amazing.

The Yak: Ya, that note during their sing-off performance blew me away.

Danielle: Haha, exactly my point! We root for each other, that’s the tricky part of this competition.

The Yak: Going into the finale next week, anyone in particular you guys are rooting for?

Danielle: Oh man, all the groups are good for different reasons. Like I said, the Aires are amazing and dynamic. I’m a huge theatre fan and I have told them that everytime I see them perform I feel like I’m watching a Broadway show. As for Urban Method, they have really cool arrangements. I can see things they do on a record. The intricacies you can hear in the background are so unique. And then Pentatonix. You know how some of the best musicians/singers are ahead of their time? That’s who they represent for me. They have the longevity in an artist that will keep them around for a while. Their attitudes are great – tongue in cheek in a really cool way. All the groups have been great.

The Yak: So you can’t commit, huh?

Danielle: Haha, nope, sorry!

The Yak: That’s OK – Before I let you go, are you allowed to give us a sneak peek into next week’s finale?

Danielle: Nope, sorry, you’ll have to tune in and see!

The Yak: Well thanks for your time. It was great talking to you. Have a great Thanksgiving.

Danielle: Thanks, same to you!

Today the Yak was double lucky to interview both Jim Rice and Keith Tolleson. In Wednesday’s episode they became Jurors #1 and #2 after being bested by Ozzy in the Redemption Island Challenge. Both Jim and Keiths evictions were basically at the hands of their former tribemate Cochran who flipped to Upolu tribe after the merge, leaving only devastation for Savaii tribe. There bios are listed below:

Name (Age): Jim Rice (35)
Tribe Designation: Savaii
Current Residence: Denver
Occupation: Medical Marijuana Dispenser
Personal Claim to Fame: I’ve worked on Wall Street, won over 40 poker tournaments, started several successful businesses and earned my MBA at a top five school from the University of Michigan.
Inspiration in Life: My dad. The guy rocks and is responsible for who I am.
Hobbies: Playing guitar, playing poker and anything outdoors.
Pet Peeves: Close-mindedness and disingenuous people.
3 Words to Describe You: Ambitious, magnanimous and competitive.

Name (Age): Keith Tollefson (26)
Tribe designation: Savaii
Current residence: Edina, Minn.
Occupation: Water Treatment Tech
Personal claim to fame: I graduated college and moved to Hawaii for two years because that was my dream.
Inspiration in Life: My mom. She raised me and my sister with little help and eventually bought a house for us after saving for years. She taught me how to be a gentleman even while I was causing trouble when I was young. She instilled great morals, values and love for all those around me.
Hobbies: Surfing, swimming and long-boarding.

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The Yak: Hi guys, thanks for speaking with us today. This question is for both of you. Looking back Jim do you think that you created a monster by saving Cochran and soliciting Keith and Whitney’s vote to blindside Elyse? Do you regret your decision?

Jim: The move to get rid of Elyse was a sound decision. Ozzy and Elyse were tight. Ozzy could have recruited Cochran and had the numbers, that’s why I chose to get rid of her. On Survivor all you know is what you know at the time, we thought of self preservation moving forward.

Keith: I tried to talk to Elyse about game and strategy. There was nothing there. Whitney also tried to talk to Elyse about the game and she got nothing back. That led us to believe that Elyse was talking game with only one person and that was Ozzy. You could even see it in one of her interviews. She stated that she and Ozzy’s strategy was the same. She basically had no concept of the game so we felt that it was our best bet.

The Yak: This is anti-bullying week and we at Yakkity Yaks want to know if you have any stories, quotes, or thoughts about bullying?

Jim: I find it interesting that it’s anti-bullying week. Yes I do have something to say about that. The theme of bullying comes up a lot in the context of Survivor. Upolu looked at Cochran and assumed that he’d been bullied by our Savaii tribe without even knowing. It bothers me that any one of us could be considered a bully. You saw how upset Whitney was at tribal council when she said we had been “villainized.” This upsets me.

Keith: Coach’s propoganda made us out to be bullies. This was a smart play by Coach. I considered Cochran a friend, well not anymore, lol. They showed no bullying on the show because there was never any bullying!. Cochrane himself said he flipped for self-preservation not because of any supposed bullying.

The Yak: Jim since you’re a fan of the show how do you feel about slamming Cochran by calling him a coward?

Jim: I actually despise name calling, it’s so immature you stupid idiot.. lol.
I meant it when I called him a coward. I think he made his decision based out of fear and to me that’s a coward. I think he deserved it.

The Yak: What’s Ozzy really like?

Keith: Ozzy is just a really nice guy. Very down to earth, a beast in challenges. We became very close friends. He’s a very regular guy. We had a pretty good time on Redemption Island together, we fished every day, had coconuts and fresh fruit.

Jim: He was a real nice regular guy. I was only at Redemption Island for one night.

The Yak: How did you view Coach?

Keith: From my basic knowledge he was running the show. He was making his presence known as the leader. He was saying if you don’t listen to me or do what I say there will be consequences. I was completely creeped out by Coach. The honor, integrity and the shoulder rubbing just creeped me out.

The Yak: Why do you think Cochran flipped at the merge?

Jim: As a team we should have made a bigger effort to solidify our team. We should have stressed that we were all sticking together. We had the advantage. We had two immunities AND an immunity idol. It makes no sense whatsoever that Cochran would want to flip. Cochran basically had the best spot in our tribe. He had a final 3 deal with every person on our tribe. As a fan Cochran should know that you can piss off one person and still get jury votes in the end. By flipping and screwing over 5 people it’s 100% lose. I just don’t see how you can flip if you’re playing for the end game. it’s amazing to see someone so smart, going to Harvard, do something so stupid.

*(ed note: Don’t think Cochran will get Keith or Jim’s vote. lol)

The Yak: Keith what did you think when you found out Jim’s true profession? (Medical marijuana dispenser)

Keith: (laughing) I was shocked that he lied about it! It actually made me like him more! It doesn’t really matter, Jim was a real hard worker. I thought “why didn’t you tell us???”

The Yak: Keith can you tell us about your relationship with Whitney?

Keith: We became very close. I can’t answer anymore questions because she’s still playing the game. Hopefully at the finale we can talk about more things and give everyone answers they want to know.

The Yak: Any thoughts about the final challenge against Ozzy?

Keith: Well we thought it was one person going home so to find out it was two, that caught me off guard. During an endurance challenge like that one mental lapse and you’re done!

Jim: As a fan of the show I knew many of the challenges that I hoped to compete in and many that I was hoping not to compete in. As soon as I saw it I realized it was one of the ones I was hoping against.

The Yak: If Jeff Probst called you and asked you to play Survivor again, would you?

Keith: I don’t know (laughing)

Jim: Anyone would love to play again. Who would say no? You get to take off and forget everything, go to a beautiful place and compete for a million dollars!!

To see more Keith and Jim go to CBS.com and view their time on the “Ponderosa”!
The Yak: Thanks so much guys. It was great talking to you, see you on finale night!!

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Can you tell you they will be voting for by their interviews? Let us know what you think below, then come on into the forum HERE where we are discussing all our favorite reality shows!

Previously on Top Model, the remaining six girls jetted off to Greece! When they arrived in Greece, they were greeted by the press and asked to give a statement. Laura stumbled on her native-language phrases, Angelea asked where the bathroom was and Allison won the challenge. The photo shoot had the girls in swimsuit-like on a beautiful Grecian beach. Oh, and they also posed in a tossed salad…because everyone thinks “underwear, beach and tossed salad!” In the end, Shannon remained firm and refused to model underwear. Tyra called her “noble,” but sent her home.

This week starts with the girls sizing up each other. Angelea doesn’t understand why Dominique is still there and how she’s never been in the bottom two. I actually agree, I never saw Dominique lasting long in this all-star competition. But she has really turned it up and, in comparison, may actually be the most improved from her respective cycle. Many of the girls wonder how Allison just blinks and captivates the judges. Ahem, because she’s stunning! Lisa talks about the “entire package” again. I understand the “entire package” deal, but this “package” may consist of different things depending on which girl we are talking about.

Challenge

“TYRAmail: Tomorrow you’ll meet with the judges…Fierce and Love, Tyra.” There’s some anxiety since they just met with the judges, but it turns out that THEY will be the judges. They must critique one another. After judging one another’s walks and portfolios, Miss J asks Laura who does not deserve to win Top Model All-Stars. Of course, sweet Laura refuses to single out one girl and says everyone deserves it. Allison and Lisa follow suit. But Dominique turns the tables and says Angelea. She then goes into Tyra mode and tells Angelea that she sees so much of herself in her, she has so much potential and that she LOVES her. Wow, she really sounded just like Tyra! Dominique’s speech opens the door for the other girls to tell Angelea that she has so much to offer but simply lacks confidence. Laura gets upset and nearly starts crying telling Angelea that they are not attacking but trying to help her. Angelea’s guard immediately goes up, and then it’s her time to speak. Laura continues to try to break through to Angelea, but she’s just not having it. Ultimately, Angelea turns around, upset and crying, and storms out. Laura is also crying. I honestly think Laura has a big heart and just wanted to help Angelea find her confidence. In all fairness, the girls do not seem to be trying to attack Angelea. She just views everything as an attack rather than a critique. Miss J brings her back in and asks her who she thinks does not deserve to be there, to which she classily replies none of them. And then the girls vote on who has the best walk, best portfolio and overall star quality. Allison is voted the girl with least potential (here’s where I would say…threatened, anyone?) and Laura is voted the girl with the most potential. I’m so happy for Laura. She real is versatile and almost always surprises me.

Photo Shoot

TYRAmail: There are no words, just a picture of Greek art. The girls are told they will be using fashion accessories to recreate Olympic events with Nigel as photographer. Dominique is given javelin. Nigel likes her performance, but thought she was bland in person. Allison has the discus. Nigel thought she was awkward, not good awkward but crazy awkward. Jay gave her some advice to slow it down and she turned it out. Lisa gets the hurdles. She wants to play it safe because she has been featured jumping too many times. Nigel tells her she is crazy, so she goes out and jumps like crazy. They say she “jumped into the moment.” Laura is bow and arrow. She says her sister is good with a bow and arrow because “we got to eat!” She turns it out looking elegant and goddess-like. Angelea is given the shot put. She has no idea what shot put is, and it shows. She was lost and did not have a flow. All of the modeling basics were thrown out of the window. She was nervous because she could not find her angles.

Panel

Allison is up first. The judges appear to like it. They are not obsessed with it, but they do not have many negatives for it either. Nigel said it was a process to get the shot. The judges like Lisa’s jumping picture. They say this shot is more fashion than the previous jumping shots. Some like her dreamy face, but others do not like it. Dominique’s photo is seen as a little awkward, and her film lacked any real standouts. They see her as good, but not great. The judges like Angelea’s straight limbs and can see the shot as high fashion. But Tyra says the entire shoot was dead. The judges really like Laura’s shot. They say it is strong and stunning. My favorite was Laura’s. She looked fierce and flawless. My least favorite was Angelea’s. Her shot was just awkward and very dull.

Laura receives best photo, followed by Allison and then Lisa. Dominique and Angelea are the bottom two. Tyra says Dominique takes beautiful photos but she just is not memorable. She lacks a special factor. Angelea takes really nice photos, but not as great as Dominique’s. But unlike Dominique, she is memorable. However, she breaks under pressure. Ultimately, Angelea stays and Dominique goes.

From the modeling standpoint, I think Dominique was doing better than Angelea. She could turn out some better pictures, she was more consistent and she is definitely more professional. However, the judges are right that Angelea stands out more. She takes nice photos and she can really surprise me sometimes. I think it was the right decision. I was surprised Dominique had made it this far in all-stars to begin with. Plus, Angelea adds so much drama and excitement to the show. It’s hard not to love her!

So, what did you think? Did you agree with the judges? And what did you think about Angelea’s breakdown? Was she justified or was she too sensitive? Let us know what you have to say!

The last two episodes of Survivor although promising twists and excitement, have become all too predictable. Last week we left off with Keith, Ozzy and Jim on Redemption Island after a double elimination. Tonight in the Redemption Island arena Ozzy’s superior challenge skills including agility, balance and strength, proved too much for his opponents yet again and Jim and Keith became the first two members of the jury. This seems fitting to me actually since Jim, who spoke of honor and loyalty last week, was the first person to turn against his alliance and join with Cochran, Keith and Whitney to blindside Elyse. Little did Jim know that he would create the monster that would take him out of the game. Karma’s a bitch Jim.

Ozzy is loving his time at Redemption Island. Once again he’s Mogli, climbing barefoot to the top of a coconut tree to survey his kingdom. He fishes daily in the reef and has ample food and all he needs to survive. In the meantime TeTuna is starving.

Back at TeTuna camp, also known as the former Upolu tribe, Dawn and Whitney anticipate the immunity challenge because they know it’s their only shot at staying in the game. Coach mentors Cochran in Yoga and meditation. Ever the benevolent Lord, Coach keeps a sharp eye on his minions. “I’m drinking the Coach Kool-Aid—slowly, with delicate, ginger sips.” states Cochran. Could have fooled me Cochran and don’t get your hopes up on winning any challenges requiring balance after that poor excuse of a yoga session.

Immunity Challenge:

Survivors must balance a bowl of rice on their heads while traversing a course including a seesaw. When they get to the other side they must dump their rice in another bowl. The first person to fill that bowl wins immunity. If you drop your bowl or touch your bowl, you are out of the challenge. Sophie, Brandon and Dawn are far ahead of the others. With an overflowing bowl of rice balanced on her head, Sophie wins immunity. There is no reward. Jeff says that tonight’s tribal council will include a twist which he will not reveal until tribal council. Many speculate that it’s another double eviction.

Dawn and Whitney are frustrated that they didn’t win immunity. Dawn actually tells Cochran that she has regrets about not outing Cochran to Savaii when she had the chance. It’s a little late for that Dawn. She too has signed her own eviction notice by siding with Cochran and throwing Savaii under the bus. Dawn’s attempts at brown-nosing Upolu do not go unnoticed, however not to her advantage. Many Upolu tribe members including Coach, believe that because Dawn is well liked it makes her a bigger threat than Whitney. Dawn and Whitney don’t want to stand by and wait for the slaughter. Dawn wants Cochran to reciprocate in some way for not outting him. They decide that the only person who is not totally under Coach’s spell is Albert. Albert has talked about making big moves but he is stymied by Coach and Sophie thus far. Albert wants to harvest some Savaii jury votes and the only way to do that is to let them get farther in the game. He proposes voting out Edna. For all intents and purposes Edna is Coach’s maid and servant who, according to the Survivors, has brought nothing to the game. “This game’s not out-organize, out-clean and out-gather. It’s Survivor!”says Albert.
Edna is the epitome of someone playing “under the radar.”

Survivor Renewed for 2012-2013 Seasons

Coach is extremely nervous and believes that Albert is going behind his back with Whitney, Dawn and Cochran. Coach exclaims right before tribal council, “If anyone goes against the family, it’s instant death.” Pretty harsh words Coach, I believe Jim Jones said that, or was that Don Corleone? Coach insists that he handles his tribemates with coddling, reaffirmation and fear if appropriate.

At tribal council

there is a spirited debate about the importance of a big move. You can tell that Jeff P. wants to shout at these people, “Wake up and do something big!” Jeff must also know that it’s boring for the fans to know excactly in what order everyone is going to be evicted. Jeff asks Cochran if he feels he’s number 7 in the group, Cochran says yes, he’s come late. Jeff asks what his strategy is and Cochran basically says well he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it. “You’re going to be very, very late to a party where they’re not even interested in letting you in the door!” says Jeff.
Jeff asks Coach if he is the leader. Coach denies he is the leader of the tribe. He asks Whitney and Albert. They all but confirm that yes Coach is the leader. (If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.) After all the talk and banter it’s time to vote. Dawn and Whitney vote for Edna, Dawn is voted out and will join Ozzy at Redemption Island where he will cook her a lovely fish, treat her nicely and hopefully send her to the jury.

Surprise!

Jeff P. announces that they will immediately hold a new immunity challenge and another eviction vote. Well this is promising! Perhaps Whitney can win immunity? Then we would see Cochran slink off to Redemption Island. Could this really happen??? Jeff asks a series of questions regarding survival in the South Pacific. Edna and Albert get the first question wrong and are immediately eliminated. Brandon, Rick, Cochrane and Coach are eliminated and it’s down to Sophie and Whitney! The final question Whitney gets wrong and Sophie wins immunity. It’s time to vote. Who could it be? Will it be a blindside? No, it’s only Whitney who then joins Ozzy and Dawn on Redemption Island. It’s another Savaii reunion.

Although I haven’t mentioned Brandon or Rick (whose Rick you ask?), they’re still in the game. Brandon is still being as annoying as humanly possible and Rick is just a ghost that you rarely see and never hear.

What new twist is in store for next week? Will someone from Upolu finally turn on Coach? As Whitney said, “Seven people cannot win this game!” Will the duel on Redemption Island continue to be a threesome? Will Coach become Zeuss and eat his children??? Until next week, the tribe has spoken.

While Survivor’s 23rd season is fully underway (our recap coming soon!) and the 24th season is set to premiere in February 2012, CBS is not wasting any time in securing Jeff Probst and crew for season’s 25 and 26. Earlier today, CBS has confirmed that Survivor will be back for the 2012-2013 season with Probst at the helm. His syndicated talk show will NOT interfere with the plans to cast people away in the middle of nowhere and subject them to the social experiment many have come to know and love (or hate?).

Probst released a statement today in response to the news. “I am thrilled to continue working on the longest-running reality competition show with the world’s greatest adventure crew for two more seasons. We are so thankful for the supportive fans who remain with us every season, and we promise to deliver another year of quality television.”

This week on NBC’s The Sing-Off, judges Sara Bareilles, Shawn Stockman, and Ben Folds made a tough decision and eliminated one of the last remaining collegiate groups, Vocal Point, from the competition. After delivering memorable performances week after week, such as “I’ll Be Missing You,” Vocal Point knew they had to keep their charisma and jovial attitude on stage while working to build upon the judge’s critiques and come back strong every week! Unfortunately, in a crop of five highly talented groups, Vocal Point found themselves eliminated after being in the bottom two wit Afro Blue. Earlier today, YakkityYaks had the pleasure to participate in an exclusive call with McKay Crocket, Jake Hunsaker, and Tyler Sterling from Vocal Point. Read on to find out the story behind the group’s inspiration, thoughts on the competition, and more!

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The Yak: Hi guys, how’s it going? It’s kind of a party on the line today with you three.
McKay, Jake & Tyler, Vocal Point: Haha, ya. We’re pretty much a party all the time.

The Yak: So, I gotta ask, how was it with you guys being a collegiate group on the show compared to groups who formed before The Sing Off for the purposes of the show?
McKay, Vocal Point: I think it was…one of the fun things was how different and diverse everyone was. Each group brought unique and different elements of musicality and entertainment to the show. It was fun to see groups like Pentatonix and Delilah who formed just before the show. That’s what makes this show so great, unique and different from all other singing shows. You never know what you’ll get. We really enjoyed the diversity.

The Yak:What made you want to go on The Sing Off? Did you watch the first 2 seasons or what led you there?
Tyler, Vocal Point: We watched the last couple seasons. We’ve always been big fans of The Sing Off. Every season there has been a connection with BYU in some way. On the first season there were a couple students on Noteworthy and on the second season there were a couple of alum on Backbeats. This year we had the opportunity to represent BYU as a group. To have the opportunity was something that was really cool, and we never really expected it to become a reality.

The Yak:I know the type of camaraderie that develops in collegiate a cappella groups. Do you think that played a part in your role on the show this year or do you think that it didn’t have much to do with anything because of the layout of the show?
Jake, Vocal Point: I think our camaraderie and our friendships is what helped us to get into the top 5. Obviously when Ben was gone, we had to rely on our friendship to lift each other up in a hard time. During the rest of the season as we were taken out of our confort zone with new genres and challenges, we relied heavily on our friendship, talents and ability to help us get through school, arrange and choreograph all at once.
Tyler, Vocal Point: On top of what Jake was saying, on top of that, our unified faith was something that kept us close knit, especially during the hard times with Ben’s father passing. It was our faith that strengthened us during the hard times of the show.

The Yak:Were you able to communicate with Ben during his absence or did you have to come together as a “new” group to make decisions on how your progress on the show would go?
McKay, Vocal Point: I think that this experience on the show and Ben’s dad passing at the same time put things into perspective in terms of priorities and what’s of importance for him. The real priority was his family and we allowed him to spend the last precious moments with his dad before he passed away. We wanted to make sure we were still there so he could come bak to a fun and enjoyable time on the show. We’re glad that he could still experience that after going through something so difficult.

The Yak:Very cool. Now, were you guys able to use songs that you were more familiar with from previous shows on campus or did the theme nights make you come up with new arrangements each time?
Tyler, Vocal Point: With the exception of “Footloose” and “Jump, Jive n’ Wail,” everything else was completely new and we arranged while we were there. Luckily for us, a couple weeks we were able to pull from our repertoire. It was a cool opportunity for us to expand our horizon and explore new genres that Vocal Point had never done before. We actually hope to explore them more in the future. Even Bobby Brown and the Elvis medley are just a couple examples of things we had never done before.

The Yak:Was there a particular critique from the judges that stuck with you as a group?
McKay, Vocal Point: I remember…it’s kind of ironic, it was after we got eliminated. We were walking to our car and Shawn Stockman pulled up in his car and parked in the parking lot to chat with us for a minute. He complimented us on our performance that night. As he was talking, he said something to the effect of “Don’t you dare stop doing what you’re doing. You have a lot of people who love what you do and connect with you guys. Let this be a beginning for who you are and what you guys do.” In a way, it is the beginning for Vocal Point and it’s opening many eyes to who we are and the music that we sing. Not only is it a universal message, but for that we were really grateful for the judges and the fans who have supported and shared the journey with us.

The Yak:How has that support translated onto the BYU campus?
Tyler, Vocal Point: It’s gone really really well. We’ve gotten some support from teachers, felow students and local community members. People just walk up to us and thank us for things we were able to accomplish on the show and the music and stories we could share. It’s been a great opportunity to share what we believe and bring some sunshine and happiness to people’s lives. We’ve been able to see the fruits of our labors and it’s been cool to see the purpose of Vocal Point accomplished in an efficient way.

The Yak:Any memorable performances for you that struck a chord with you? “I’ll Be Missing You” really hit me emotionally, by the way.
Tyler, Vocal Point: From an emotional standpoint, definitely “I’ll Be Missing You.” From someone like me who hasn’t actually lost a family member, to have Ben’s father pass away while we were there, we all felt a piece of us missing because of the love we all feel from our family members. That song is really a message of hope and it talks about how we’ll get to see people again. Ben will see his dad again some day and it was a great opportunity to share those emotions through music.
McKay, Vocal Point: For me, there are moments in each performance that were really unique.”Jump, Jive n’ Wail” really showed America who we are and “Every Little Step” showed how much we love to perform and attempt to dance. {laughs} The Elvis medley was really fun and showed the calm, sweet side and the energetic side as well. I dont’ know. This is a really hard question. I’ll have to sum it up and say the overall experience was the highlight. To be able to do what we love on such a scale with the people we did it with is a dream come true.

The Yak:You guys def show it’s something you love. It wasn’t hidden to the viewers. Before I let you go, I wanna ask you guys a side question. This week is Anti-Bullying Week and our site is working on increasing awareness. Is there anything you want to say that we could put out there from Vocal Point?
McKay, Vocal Point: I know it’s been in the media a lot lately and I appreciate the campaigns that stick up for causes like this. With Vocal Point sharing happiness and joy, that kinda stuff [bullying] doesn’t bring that into lives. So anyone who is willing to stand up for something they believe is very noteworthy. We appreciate that and wish those involved the best with helping that continue to grow. It is a problem and we hope that it can be solved quickly.

The Yak:It was a pleasure talking to you guys. Thanks for sharing your story with us.
McKay, Jake & Tyler, Vocal Point:Thank you very much, we appreciate it! Have a good one.

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