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!

Anti-Bullying week continues here at YakkityYaks where we have teamed up with past and present Reality TV Stars, our Forum members, and fans on Facebook and Twitter to bring an awareness to the anti-bully movement. Hopefully together, we can help put a stop to it, and help those currently stuck in the situation and in dire need of help or just someone to talk to.

Below is a video message from none other than Gillian Larson. You may remember Gillian from Survivor Gabon, the 17th season of the Survivor Reality series. Gillian is one of the most adventurous, tireless and tenacious women we have ever known, who has led her life always trying to help others. A retired nurse of 41 years, wife and grandmother, Gillian spends her time traveling and just hanging out with family and friends. Gillian’s motto? “Believe in yourself and you can achieve anything!” Heck, she applied for Survivor 15 times! How is that for being tenacious and believing in yourself! She certainly fits the bill as role-model!

She is currently participating in a 60 mile walk for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure this weekend! You can keep up with Gillian at her website HERE.

Listen to her video message below:
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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!

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.”

It’s Election Day in America and while people are exercising their rights to vote, CBS has also released the nominees for the first award show of 2012: The People’s Choice Awards. This is considered a favorite among fans as they are able to take to media devices and cast a vote (or two) towards their favorites in TV, Movies, Music and more! The 2012 People’s Choice Awards will be hosted by Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco, who has racked up a nomination as well. The award telecast will air LIVE on Jan 11 at 9/8c on CBS.

Glee and The Vampire Diaries lead as the two highest nomination grabbers.

To vote, head on over to the People’s Choice site. Voting runs from now through December 6th and can be done via Facebook, Twitter and mobile devices. Head on to the site for more info. The full listing of nominees can be seen below.

And the nominees are…

FAVORITE MOVIE
Bridesmaids
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Help
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

FAVORITE MOVIE ACTOR
Daniel Radcliffe
Hugh Jackman
Johnny Depp
Robert Pattinson
Ryan Reynolds

FAVORITE MOVIE ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway
Emma Stone
Jennifer Aniston
Julia Roberts
Reese Witherspoon

FAVORITE MOVIE ICON
George Clooney
Harrison Ford
Morgan Freeman
Robert DeNiro
Tom Hanks

FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE
Fast Five
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Thor
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
X-Men: First Class

FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE STAR
Hugh Jackman
Ryan Reynolds
Shia LaBeouf
Taylor Lautner
Vin Diesel

FAVORITE DRAMA MOVIE
The Adjustment Bureau
The Help
Limitless
Moneyball
Water for Elephants

FAVORITE COMEDY MOVIE
Bad Teacher
Bridesmaids
Crazy Stupid Love
Friends With Benefits
The Hangover Part II

FAVORITE COMEDIC MOVIE ACTOR
Adam Sandler
Ashton Kutcher
Bradley Cooper
Ryan Reynolds
Steve Carell

FAVORITE COMEDIC MOVIE ACTRESS
Cameron Diaz
Emma Stone
Jennifer Aniston
Mila Kunis
Natalie Portman

FAVORITE MOVIE STAR UNDER 25
Chloe Moretz
Daniel Radcliffe
Emma Watson
Rupert Grint
Tom Felton

FAVORITE ENSEMBLE MOVIE CAST
Bridesmaids
The Hangover Part II
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
X-Men: First Class

FAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIE VOICE
Anne Hathaway as Jewel, Rio
Jack Black as Po, Kung Fu Panda 2
Johnny Depp as Rango, Rango
Katy Perry as Smurfette, The Smurfs
Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, Cars 2

FAVORITE MOVIE SUPERHERO
Chris Evans as Captain America
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
James McAvoy as Professor X
Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique
Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern

FAVORITE BOOK ADAPTATION
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Help
I Am Number Four
Soul Surfer
Water For Elephants
________________________________
FAVORITE NETWORK TV DRAMA
The Good Wife
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Supernatural
The Vampire Diaries

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR
David Boreanz
Hugh Laurie
Ian Somerhalder
Nathan Fillion
Patrick Dempsey

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS
Blake Lively
Ellen Pompeo
Emily Deschanel
Eva Longoria
Nina Dobrev

FAVORITE CABLE TV DRAMA
Dexter
Game of Thrones
Pretty Little Liars
True Blood
White Collar

FAVORITE NETWORK TV COMEDY
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
How I Met Your Mother
Modern Family
Two and a Half Men

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin
Chris Colfer
Cory Monteith
Jim Parsons
Neil Patrick Harris

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS
Courteney Cox
Jane Lynch
Kaley Cuoco
Lea Michele
Tina Fey

FAVORITE CABLE TV COMEDY
Hot In Cleveland
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Nurse Jackie
Royal Pains
Weeds

FAVORITE TV COMPETITION SHOW
American Idol
America’s Got Talent
Dancing With The Stars
So You Think You Can Dance
The Voice

FAVORITE TV CRIME DRAMA
Bones
Castle
Criminal Minds
CSI
NCIS

FAVORITE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW
Fringe
Supernatural
True Blood
The Vampire Diaries
The Walking Dead

FAVORITE DAYTIME TV HOST
Al Roker, Ann Curry, Matt Lauer, Natalie Morales, Savannah Guthrie, The Today Show
Anderson Cooper, Anderson
Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Kelly Ripa, Regis Philbin, Live with Regis & Kelly
Rachael Ray, Rachael Ray Show

FAVORITE LATE NIGHT TV HOST
Conan O’Brien, Conan
David Letterman, Late Show with David Letterman
Jay Leno, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel Live

FAVORITE TV GUEST STAR
Gwyneth Paltrow, Glee
Jim Carrey, The Office
Katy Perry, How I Met Your Mother
Kristin Chenoweth, Glee
Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife

FAVORITE TV CELEBREALITY STAR
Gene Simmons
Giuliana Rancic
Kathy Griffin
Kim Kardashian
Tia & Tamera Mowry

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
A Gifted Man
Grimm
Hart of Dixie
Once Upon A Time
Pan Am
Person of Interest
Prime Suspect
Revenge
Ringer
The Secret Circle
Terra Nova
Unforgettable

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
2 Broke Girls
Allen Gregory
Last Man Standing
Man Up!
New Girl
Suburgatory
Up All Night
Whitney
_______________________
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST
Blake Shelton
Bruno Mars
Eminem
Enrique Iglesias
Justin Bieber

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST
Adele
Beyoncé
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE SONG OF THE YEAR
The Edge Of Glory, Lady Gaga
E.T, Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
Moves Like Jagger, Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennet & GoonRock
Rolling in the Deep, Adele

FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
21, Adele
4, Beyoncé
Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Femme Fatale, Britney Spears
Own The Night, Lady Antebellum

FAVORITE POP ARTIST
Beyoncé
Demi Lovato
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Rihanna

FAVORITE HIP HOP ARTIST
B.o.B.
Eminem
Jay-Z
Nicki Minaj
Pitbull

FAVORITE R&B ARTIST
Beyoncé
Bruno Mars
Chris Brown
Ne-Yo
Rihanna

FAVORITE BAND
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
Red Hot Chili Peppers

FAVORITE COUNTRY ARTIST
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO
Judas, Lady Gaga
Last Friday Night(T.G.I.F.), Katy Perry
Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO featuring Goonrock & Lauren Bennett
Rolling in the Deep, Adele
Run The World (Girls), Beyoncé

FAVORITE TOUR HEADLINER
Bon Jovi
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift
U2
Usher

Today the Yak had the opportunity to interview Christine Shields Markoski, the 39 year old teacher and Mom from Merrick, NY. Christine valued her 19 days on Survivor although she spent the majority of it alone on Redemption Island. Christine’s fans have dubbed her a “warrior” due to her ability to win 5 straight duels before being ousted by Ozzy prior to the tribal merge. Christine was the first person to be voted out of her Upolu tribe.

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The Yak: Christine, congratulations on winning so many duels. You spent so much time on Redemption Island can you tell us how you handled that?

Christine: I tried to keep busy. I had a hard time for a while. I started thinking about my family; my husband, my children, so that was difficult. I sewed my clothes with fishing line. I fished and hunted for food. I journaled and wrote “Redemption Island Sucks!” out of seashells on the beach. (laughs). i picked fresh flowers every day to spruce things up.

The Yak: When Ozzy came to Redemption Island did you buy his story about Cochran and the idol?

Christine: Well yes, it was totally plausible. This is Survivor and being blindsided is nothing new to Ozzy. Who would be asked to be voted off to come to Redemption Island? From what the previous castaways had told me it didn’t surprise me about Cochran?

The Yak: After seeing what Cochran did, if you had beaten Ozzy in the duel would you have stayed with Upolu and would you have taken the chance of picking rocks at Tribal Council?

Christine: I think I would have stayed with Upolu for a little bit and then maybe switched. I wouldn’t be comfortable picking a rock to decide my fate after all that time I spent on Redemption Island.

The Yak: Did you have the opportunity to look for the idol when you knew you were a target in your tribe?

Christine: I did look for the idol as you could see it was unsuccessful, but yes, I did look for it.

The Yak: Do you think you made yourself an early target with Coach by calling him a temporary player:

Christine: I think he took that comment and ran with it. I was calling him out on all his baloney. He said, “she’s calling me lazy and I’m doing a disappearing act, etc.” Stacey and I didn’t listen to his stories. We were not enthralled by his stories.

The Yak: Christine if you hadn’t been voted off your tribe how would you have reacted to Coach’s mandatory prayers and being told to get on your knees.

Christine: It would not have been good. If Coach had grabbed my arm and told me to get on my knees and pray it would not have been a pretty sight! I find it extremely offensive! You do not ever tell anyone that they should pray or not pray!! No, that wouldn’t have happened. That would have been a problem!

The Yak: All of the castaways that we’ve interviewed have stated that they wanted you to win after spending time with you on Redemption Island. Do you have any favorites?

Christine: Oh that’s so nice. I learned something valuable with every single person. I respected and cared for everyone that came through Redemption Island. Of course, I have to say I had so much fun with Stacey. I told her I’m going to write a book called “Staceyisms”. We just laughed so much and drank our coconut milk. It was like having a slumber party. I love the stuff she comes up with like calling Coach “ChuckytheCheese!”

The Yak: Since you were so highly regarded by the others do you think that you would have had a shot at winning if you returned to the game?

Christine: I absolutely would have had a shot at winning. Each person that came through gave me snippets of information that was happening in their tribes so I really felt like I knew what was going on in both tribes.

The Yak: Would you ever see yourself being friends with Coach?

Christine: No, he was my biggest rival. If I had returned to the game he would still be my biggest rival. Everyone else there I respected as a human being. I found Coach arrogant and omnipotent. He acts like he’s King Farouk, like everyone should bow down to him. I don’t see us being BFF’s anytime soon.

The Yak: In one episode during a Redemption Island Duel it looked like you flipped the bird to an Upolu tribe member, Rick specifically. Did you?

Christine: (laughing) I did give someone the finger but it wasn’t Rick.

The Yak: Who did you flip off?

Christine: Jeff! (laughs) This is what happened. I had been on Redemption Island for some time so I missed my manicure appointment lol. My fingernails were really dirty. Jeff Probst made a comment that my fingernails were filthy so I put my middle finger up and said, “Which finger Jeff, this one?” So i basically flipped him off! When my kids watched it they said “Mom, you can’t do that!”. I said, “No, YOU can’t do that!”

The Yak: Jeff Probst said that you were becoming a legitimate force to be reckoned with at some point. You responded that you’ve always been a force to be reckoned with. Tell us about that.

Christine: I’ve always been a very strong personality. I don’t back down from challenges. I say what I think. My mother said she never had to worry about me being bullied or standing up for myself. I’ve always had self-confidence.

The Yak: Would you consider doing Survivor again?

Christine: Absolutely, I’d like to play the Social game this time.

The Yak: Are you going to call Coach “Coach” at the finale, or are you going to call him Benjamin?

Christine: (laughing) I think I’m going to call him “Benjie!”

The Yak: Why Benjie?

Christine: Because he will absolutely despise that name even worse than Benjamin! (laughing)

The Yak: Who do you want to win? Not Coach I imagine.

Christine: Actually if Coach won it would validate me. It would mean that he should have been a temporary player and one of us could have been sitting there.

I think Dawn, she’s strong and she’s a mom, we have that in common.
Or Cochran, he’s been hanging in there and going through a lot.

The Yak: Thank you Christine! You are definitely a force to be reckoned with and we look forward to seeing you again on Survivor! Many Survivor fans are pushing CBS for a season of castaways that got voted off before the merge.

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So what did you think of what Christine had to say? What do you think about the way this season’s Survivor is going all together? Let us know below, then come on in and join us is the forum HERE for all the chat about your favorite shows!

When we left off last week Ozzy’s plan was in motion. He had by request, been voted off to Redemption Island. In anticipation of the tribal merge Ozzy felt he should go to Redemption Island and use his challenge prowess to finally beat Christine in the duel so that the Savaii and Upolu tribes would enter the merge with equal numbers. In Ozzy’s words “It’s either the stupidest thing I’ve ever done or the craziest, ballsiest thing i ever could have thought of doing.”

Redemption Island Duel:

All tribe members are present at the Redemption Island arena. Christine and Ozzy appear for the challenge. Coach looks surprised to see Ozzy. Ozzy explains his eviction by telling the fraudulent story of Cochran blindsiding him with the idol. His acting is less than stellar. Albert and other members of Upolu are not buying the story. The duel begins.
Each person must build a pole long enough and strong enough to reach key rings hanging from posts many feet from the bamboo gate they stand behind. There are 3 key rings. Whoever retrieves them first and uses the keys to unlock their gate goes back in the game not to Redemption Island! The loser goes home. How can I root for Ozzy and Christine at the same time? I was hoping for a Survivor twist that allowed the loser to stay on Redemption Island. Christine deserves a shot at coming back into the game, but then again, Ozzy is also great at challenges and made a big move. In an anticlimactic challenge Ozzy retrieves all three keys before Christine even has a chance to get one and wins the duel. After nineteen days, most of them spent on Redemption Island, Christine’s Survivor life is over. She said it was a great fortieth birthday present. Jeff surprises everyone by telling them to drop their buffs! They are now merged as one tribe. So Ozzy’s big move paid off exactly as he had planned. He went to Redemption, won the duel, the merge happened and now the new tribe of TeTuna includes six former members of Savaii and six former members of Upolu.

Savaii’s plan is to have Cochran infiltrate the Upolu tribe and act as a spy. Savaii doesn’t know that the Upolu tribe has not swallowed the Ozzy eviction story so they think they have a shot at Cochran seemingly gathering information and indicating that he’s willing to flip, while all the while gathering information for Savaii. Ozzy is elated about his win and the merge and hopes that Cochrane can infiltrate Upolu in order to bring his tribe to victory. Jim says “It’s six on six, everybody’s looking for an in!”
The tribes are given their merge feast and everyone gobbles up the food and drink making small talk and introductions. Cochrane decides to talk with Coach alone. Cochrane starts by telling Coach how badly his Savaii tribe has treated him. Coach says, “Let me tell you how it is. Our tribe isn’t budging and I feel like you are trying to play us. Okay you guys came up with a story. You guys sent Ozzy to Redemption. You’ve got an idol in your pocket and knowing Ozzy would win redemption.” Coach pretty much nails the entire scenario. Cochrane looks stunned. Coach works his magic on Cochrane who is an easy target. Coach tells Cochrane that he is an incredibly intelligent guy. He says he knows what it’s like to be picked on and made fun of. Sure, he’s the dragonslayer now but when you are superior in one way to people and they know it, they find ways that you’re inferior to cut you down. Cochrane immediately joins Coachtown and spills the beans to the entire Upolu tribe. Cochrane lets hope you never get a job in government espionage. Cochrane says that he considers himself a mastermind but not an evil mastermind. Wow, I must have a misconception of what a mastermind is. He says he finds the Upolu members solid and completely honest. This is Survivor! No one is completely honest. He finds it exciting that he gets to decide how Survivor South Pacific takes shape and possibly ends. I think it’s apparent at this point that Cochrane’s agenda is to be remembered on Survivor, not to win the game. Cochran talks to Dawn about the possibility of him slipping. He tells her that he feels trust and safety with the Upolu tribe. Dawn cries (again) and says that she feels she should have protected Cochran while Savaii was showing him no respect. They discuss the possibility of drawing rocks and leaving the game to chance. Neither of them are comfortable drawing rocks to decide their fate.

Immunity challenge:

The challenge is to balance on a small perch while holding a coconut between 2 ropes. At intervals the rope will get longer. If you drop your coconut or step off of your perch you are out. Round one starts and immediately Edna and then Cochran are out. Round 2 starts and Whitney and Sophie are out leaving Dawn winning immunity for the women.
Round 3, Coach is first out followed by Rick, Jim, Keith, Brandon and Albert. Ozzy wins immunity for the men. So two former Savaii members win immunity Dawn and Ozzy.

Back at camp former Savaii decides to vote for Rick. Ozzy makes sure to ask if everyone is solid and if everyone is prepared to stay the course and pick rocks. Savaii feels like they have the odds. Only 4 of them will pick rocks and if they give Whitney the immunity idol, only 3 of them are in jeopardy of leaving. All 6 former Upolu are in jeopardy of leaving. Cochran immediately goes to Sophie and tells her what Savaii is doing and that they will give the immunity idol to Whitney and that they are going to vote for Rick. Sophie will not tell Cochran who Upolu is voting for. Sophie and Coach are confident that Cochran will flip and they will bring him into the fold which is full of unicorns and rainbows where he will be honored and respected. (Did that sound sarcastic?) Cochran tells Coach he’s going to get eaten alive after tribal council and asks where he will sleep tonight. Coach said you can sleep between me and Edna. Gee that sounds fun….Dawn talks to Cochran. After winning immunity she’s changed her mind about the loyalty to her tribe. She says she cares about them and has experienced wonderful things with them. She urges Cochran not to flip but swears she will not out him to her alliance of former Savaii. She is hoping he won’t flip. Cochran is in a dilemma. Does he stay with people he feels are rude or flip to Coachtown?

Tribal Council:

Jeff immediately asks if there is a strong possibility of a tie at tonights tribal. Yes, everyone agrees there will probably, initially be a tie. Jim is asked if anyone from his tribe would flip. Absolutely not he says. “There’s no point to it, we have the numbers.” Smirky smiles abound from former Upolu tribemates. Former Upolu members cast doubt on Ozzy’s story of his vote out and wonder if they’re going to see an idol tonight. Ozzy immediately admits that yes he has an idol and that it might get played tonight. At this point they are positive that Cochran has told Upolu the truth. It’s time to vote.

Ozzy decides to play the idol for Whitney so no votes for Whitney will count. Because of Cochran, Upolu already knew this, so they decide to vote for Keith. All former Savaii including Cochran vote for Rick. No one has given Rick an idol to play. This would have immediately sent home Keith but why should Coach waste an idol when he’s got Cochran right? The second vote is taken. If this results in a tie, rocks will be drawn. When the votes are counted it is 5 votes for Rick and 7 votes for Keith. Before Keith’s torch is even snuffed out Cochran turns to Jim and Ozzy and says “I swapped, I’ll explain it.” Keith is sent to Redemption Island. Jim calls Cochran a coward twice. Brandon, now Cochran’s crazy bodyguard tells Jim not to talk to Cochran that way. He says that’s what you get for talking to him like that. The tribes get up to leave and Brandon says to Cochran “Stay close to me.”

Well that’s it Survivor fans. Whether you’re a fan of Coach or not, he has his own little cult following. The kumbaya tribe can’t hold out forever. Does this make Cochran the 7th in an alliance of 7? Wouldn’t he have been better off being 6th in an alliance of 6? Did you love the drama and want Cochran to prevail or do you want Cochran to be beaten up when he gets back to camp? Just KIDDING people!!

Until next week. The tribe has spoken….!!

The Yak had the chance to sit down with Elyse Umemoto ,the 27-year-old Dance Team Manager from Las Vegas, who was previously the second runner up in the Miss America pageant and holder of the Miss Washington title. Elyse was the 4th castaway to exit Redemption Island after being beaten in a duel by Christine Shields Markoski a 39-year-old teacher from Merrick, NY. Unlike other survivor castoffs Elyse was unique in the fact that she admittedly has not watched one episode of her Survivor season. Calling herself, hypercritical she blames that on being in the pageant circuit. “I critique myself. I don’t think I could handle all the stress of being back there. I’ll probably watch before the reunion. I want to take it all in at once.”

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The Yak: Do you think that the relationship you had with Ozzy was detrimental to your status in the game?

Elyse: Ozzy and I both should have made a conscious effort to play down any relationship.

The Yak: What exactly was your relationship with Ozzy?

Elyse: Definitely not romantic; very friendly. I meshed with his personality the best.

The Yak: What was your strategy coming in?

Elyse: I didn’t get into Survivor until right before the show. I had a non-strategy. I was going to take it minute by minute day by day.

The Yak: Did you know who Coach and Ozzy were?

Elyse: I had heard of Coach because my parents are big Survivor fans. I knew who Ozzy was because his season in Micronesia is one of the few I watched.

The Yak: During last nights episode what did you think of Ozzy’s reaction to your being blindsided?

Elyse: To be honest I haven’t seen last night’s episode, I haven’t watched any of the episodes. It was nice to know that he was displeased that I was gone.

The Yak: What did you think of Keith and Whitney’s decision to cast their votes for Dawn?

Elyse: This is where I start second-guessing myself. It was a passive way to send me home. Jim orchestrated to send me home. Why didn’t I target Keith and Whitney?

The Yak: What is your impression of Jim now?

Elyse: My impression of Jim is the same as it was when I met him. He seems like a slimy used car salesman. He told us he was a high school teacher. Why didn’t we question that? We should have known he was lying when he couldn’t tell us at what degree water boils.

The Yak: What do you think of Cochran?

Elyse: Savaii is definitely underestimating Cochran. He reminds me of Jimmy Neutron. He’s silly and goofy and seems harmless. As a group we didn’t give him credit. He’s definitely not harmless.

The Yak: What was your experience on Redemption Island like:

Elyse: Redemption Island is the loneliest place on the planet. You’ve just been punched in the stomach and now you have a duel coming up. It was fantastic to be able to spend that time with Christine. She is smart, intelligent and a fighter and if I could pick one person to win Survivor South Pacific, it would be Christine.

The Yak: Any Regrets?

Elyse: One of my biggest regrets in the game is the fact that since I had no idea I was going home, I didn’t pack the night of tribal council and left my favorite swimsuit back at camp, never to be seen again! I am still not over that!

The Yak: Would you return to Survivor if asked?

Elyse: I don’t know if I would. It’s too much too soon.

The Yak: What do you look forward to now?

Elyse: I’ve pretty much resumed my normal activities but I cannot wait for December and the reunion! It’s going to be priceless! I hope its drama!

The Yak: Thank you Elyse, we hope its drama too!

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Well, what did you think about what Elyse had to say? Let us know below, then come on in and join us in the FORUM to discuss all your Reality favorites!

Survivor night 14 starts off with Savaii’s return from tribal council where Elyse was just voted off. Elyse and Ozzy were completely blindsided by the eviction orchestrated by Jim, the 35 year old medical marijuana dispenser from Denver, CO.

“I’m pretty pissed off. Keith, Whitney and myself, we had a good thing going and they just went behind my back and voted someone out without telling me and made me look like an idiot. How can you trust somebody when they go behind your back? It goes against everything that an alliance is supposed to be,” Ozzy said.

“I’m a free agent now.” Ozzy, it’s great to be a free agent in professional sports but this is Survivor! Nobody’s going to pick you up. Dawn accuses Ozzy of holding out information from the rest of his tribe and he blurts. “I’ve got the idol, how about that?”. Man Ozzy what are you thinking? Way to play emotionally. Ozzy said there is one thing you guys are forgetting about, “Redemption island.” Keith said, “Well if you want to go, just tell us”. This doesn’t bode well for Ozzy. Ozzy distanced himself from his tribemates, fishing and spending time alone, while his tribemates discussed his childish attitude and called him “a little bitch.” Cochran is thrilled about this turn of events and says that Ozzy’s “hissy fit” just makes him a bigger target and helps keep Cochran in the game longer. Jim, the orchestrater of Elyse’s eviction thinks Ozzy could not be playing a worse game right now. “I kind of thought Ozzy would wake up this morning and realize he needed to apologize to everybody. That wasn’t the case.” said Jim.

Redemption Island Duel:

Ozzy and Kieth represent Savaii and Rick and Sophie represent Upolu. Christine and Elyse enter the Redemption Island arena. Christine gets emotional when Jeff asks about her long stay on Redemption Island. She says “Redemption Island can break you.”. The duel is “Survivor Shuffleboard.” Each person has 4 pucks with their name on it. The person with their name remaining on the Shuffleboard wins. Christine is first on the board deflecting one of Elyse’s pucks off the board. Elyse shoots one of Christine’s pucks off the board. Christine misses. Elyse accidentally hits one of her own pucks off the board. It is now 3-1 with Christine winning. Christine misses her next shot and Elyse manages to shoot one more of Christine’s pucks off. It is now 2-1. Christine takes a final shot and wins another Redemption duel! This is Christine’s fourth challenge that she has won while being isolated on Redemption Island. Jeff asks Elyse for her final thoughts on her Survivor experience. Elyse says that she is really proud of herself and is stronger than she thought she was. She kisses her buff and throws it into the fire. Bye Elyse!

Rick and Sophie return to Upolu camp and tell Coach that Christine is a formidable opponent and that it’s the last person they want to see come back into the game. Rick had shouted words of encouragement to Christine at the duel only to be on the receiving end of her middle finger. Upolu tribe is nervous that the first person they voted off is still on Redemption Island possibly coming back into the game. Brandon decides that it’s time to start looking for the immunity idol. Coach has only told Albert that he has the idol. He withheld that information from Brandon because Brandon is a loose cannon. Brandon quickly finds the third clue to the immunity idol and talks to Coach and Albert, splitting them up in search of the idol. Coach is in a dilemma. He’s promised Brandon to play as honest Christian men, however is the sin of omission a lie? Well I can tell you Coach that in parochial school it is definitely considered a lie, but this is your moral dilemma not mine! Coach allows Brandon to search for what seems like hours for the idol. Albert says that at some point Brandon is going to consider that someone has already found the idol. Brandon asks Coach, “Do you think someone already has it?” Coach replies, “I don’t think so.” Really Coach? You’re getting in deeper and deeper oh most honorable dragon. You at least could have said, “I don’t know.”

Immunity Challenge:

Both tribes must assemble a wheelbarrow. After assembly the wheelbarrow must be pushed through a maze. You must untie knots and release a load of cococnuts into your wheelbarrow. You must then continue through your maze and dump those coconuts into a trough. The remaining tribe members must then disassemble the wheelbarrow and turn it into a giant slingshot. You then use your slingshot to catapult the coconuts to knock down targets. Initially Dawn, Ozzie and Cochran do badly in the challenge. They hit a log in the maze which slows them down. The wheelbarrow is difficult to navigate. Upolu tribe flies through the maze and has their coconuts ready to be fired quickly. Coach, Albert and Mikayla fired the coconuts for Upolu. Savaii finally gets their slingshot in position and Keith and Jim fire coconuts for Savaii. Upolu has an early lead but Mikayla is missing all of her targets. Coach asks her to step back and allow Albert to fire the coconuts. She says “I’ve got it Coach.”. Well apparently she doesn’t have it because she’s continually missing and Keith and Jim are hitting all of their targets. Savaii wins challenge! They not only win immunity they win another clue to the hidden immunity idol and a day of fun at Slide Rock which is a waterfall with moss covered rocks that is a natural water slide. In addition they get to enjoy a bountiful picnic lunch. Savaii takes off to enjoy their reward cavorting at Slide Rock and enjoying the beautiful day, a sense of cameraderie which was much needed after the last tribal council.

Back at Upolu there is controversy. Coach take a stance against Mikayla. “It’s Mikayla’s fault we lost. I gave her directions in the challenge today and she wouldn’t take it. If I’m going to coach this team, I need the people in the heat of battle to listen to me. She’s a problem. Mikayla should go home,” Coach said following the Immunity Challenge. Albert and Sophie campaign to get rid of Edna who is not strong physically and sat out of today’s challenge. Coach is loyal to Edna and sees her loyalty as a bonus when the merge comes. Albert and Sophie approach Brandon and ask him to vote out Edna. Brandon not wanting to talk strategy says he needs to talk to Coach. Albert and Sophie tell Mikayla that Coach is after her and Brandon tells her that he has her back and that he can make Coach listen to reason. Brandon interviews and has this to say: “I would not vote Mikayla out of this tribe. I’m uneasy about Edna. She’s got this look on her face like she’s playing people and I don’t like it. I’m starting to trust Mikayla more because Edna’s just acting too, too sweet to not be playing us. I don’t know. Brandon seems to have a new target for his paranoia at this point, jumping from Mikayla the “evil one” to Edna.

Tribal Council:

At tribal council the big debate was on what was most important. Was it going into the merge with the bigger numbers or going into the merge with the most loyal tribe members. Albert and Sophie argued that going in with the highest numbers and keeping the strongest players was the best idea. Coah argued that keeping people who are not loyal doesn’t help you at the merge. Brandon is asked what he thinks. He decides to flip once again and says that because he is playing honestly he made a deal with Edna for the six that therefore he has to keep his word and vote Mikayla out. Upolu votes and Brandon’s vote sends Mikayla to Redemption Island. Coach once again persuades the majority of his alliance to follow his lead.

Will Mikayla finally give Christine a run for her money at Redemption Island? Will Ozzie have to use his immunity idol? Until next week…..The tribe has spoken.

Well Survivor fans I am still recuperating from the most disgusting (and I mean disgusting!) Survivor challenge ever. More on that later.

Brandon Hantz mouths off about Mikayla being “classless” due to her comments at the previous tribal council regarding Brandon being a “Hantz.” More tears, more unbalanced mumblings from Brandon. Shall we move on?

Redemption Island Duel:

Whitney and Dawn represent Savaii while Albert and Mikayla observe for Upolu. Christine and Stacey enter the arena. Stacey, the mortician, decides to tell all the spectators that Benjamin (Coach) is running the Upolu tribe and that Albert is his right hand puppet. This gives information, whether correct or not, to Whitney and Dawn to bring back to Savaii camp. Stacey goes on her tirade regarding her lying, back-stabbing tribemates for quite some time and frankly it was difficult to understand all of what she was saying. She has a great eye roll though!! She refuses to call Coach anything but Benjamin. Jeff points this out, because she does not respect him as a coach. On to the challenge. The survivors must each put balls into a machine. The balls spiral down and come out either side. The players must then catch the balls and put them back into the machine. At timed intervals they must add another ball to the rotation. If a ball touches the ground, you are out. Christine and Stacey each do well with 1 ball each, then another ball is added and they have little or no difficulty. When the third ball is added after several turns Stacey drops a ball and is out of the game. Christine has won again! Stacey burns her buff in the fire and exits the arena. Albert is not happy to go back to Upolu and tell Coach what Stacey said at the challenge. He knows Coach will be pissed because it will put a target on Coach and Albert’s back at the merge point.

Back at camp Albert and Mikayla tell Coach what happened at the Redemption Island duel. Coach is very upset and says “Can this day get any better?”. Albert decides it’s important to look for the individual immunity idol at their camp. He finds clue #2. He decides to trust only Coach and Sophie with this information. They all three look for the idol. Coach finds the idol up a tree on the beach. He shows Sophie and Albert the idol and is extremely happy that he’s found it. (Albert this is not a team sport! What were you thinking?) We shall see how this plays out.

Back at Savaii Jim is still hot on getting rid of Elyse. He wants to weaken Ozzy’s position. Ozzy, Keith and Cochran go out to fish. Ozzy catches 11 fish for his tribemates. Cochran sits in the boat (this is about as useful as he gets). Cochran feeling full of himself and fueled by Jim and Dawn’s agreement to keep him and get rid of Elyse gives an interview where he says that Ozzy was once a “Mogli-esque” figure on Survivor and is now a middle-aged man who catches fish occasionally. I just must interject here. Ozzy is 30 years old and Cochran is 24 years old. If 30 is “middle-aged” heaven help us!! The jealousy spewing from Cochrane for Ozzy is pathetic at best. Ozzy’s looks, physical ability, knowledge of survival, etc. are so beyond the realm of Cochran’s abilities it’s laughable. But that’s not really what this game is about. It’s outwit, ouplay, outsmart.

Immunity Challenge:

Ok, I’m going to try and describe this, however my stomach is still churning and I might have to leave unexpectedly…..Both tribes are given a pig on a spit. The object of the challenge is for all tribe members to bite into the pig and rip off meat with their mouths and spit the meat into their tribes basket. All this must be done with their hands tied behind their backs! One, two, three go! They’re off. For the next ten minutes we get to watch people gnawing on a roasted pig, tearing and pulling the meat off and then spitting it into their baskets. Many of the survivors got pig meat stuck in their teeth which then had to be pulled out by another tribemates teeth. Oh, be right back……..OK I’m back. Sorry but as a mother all I could think about was the disgusting spit swapping and all the spit that was going into the basket. The photographers made it a point to show us as much graphic footage as possible!. In the end, Savaii pulled 22 pounds 12 oz. of meat. Upolu pulled 22 pounds 14 oz. of meat. Upolu wins by one mouthful of meat! Upolu also wins another clue to their immunity idol. (Coach already has that idol unbeknownst to everyone on the tribe except for Albert and Sophie) and an array of spices, oils, vetables, french bread, etc. Oh, and one more thing. Jeff announces at the end of the challenge that in addition to their rewards they also win all the meat they pulled from their pig. Wash off the spit and eat it, oh yeah! My god I am sick just writing this, sorry.

Back at Upolu camp, Brandon who was taught Cajun cooking by his family, whips up a feast for his tribemates who eat vegetables, bread, pig and spit. It’s a good day at Upolu!

Savaii doesn’t fair as well and they go back to camp with all kinds of injuries. Dawn lost a half a molar. Ozzy’s jaw is dislocated. The other tribe members have chipped teeth and cuts on their gums. Cochrane of course feels his teeth shifting as he hasn’t been wearing his retainer and headgear. (surprise!).
Cochrane decides to mention to the group that now they probably got herpes from one another. Thanks Cochrane!! Who has herpes they ask? He says didn’t you ever get a cold sore, that’s herpes. When they say no, do you get cold sores? he backtracks and says, “well I’ll probably get them from you now.” Just when your day couldn’t get any better here’s Cochran to the rescue, herpes and all.

Jim decides to approach Keith about voting out Elyse and weakening Ozzy. Keith readily agrees. Let’s refresh here for a moment. Keith and Ozzy were the first alliance at Savaii. Keith however immediately outed Ozzy to Whitney when Ozzy found the idol. Keith cannot be trusted. Keith and Whitney discuss their options. They want to find a way that they can get Elyse out and maintain Ozzy’s trust. Good luck with that you two, don’t think that’s going to happen.

Tribal Council:

At tribal council Jeff P. concentrates on Cochran and Elyse. Cochran is becoming quite cocky and tells Jeff he certainly doesn’t want to see his name go down tonight. Jeff probes (ha get it?) the tribe members about Cochran’s social graces or lack of them. He wants to know if he’s endearing or annoying. Well I vote for annoying but I’m not on survivor so I digress….. Ultimately everyone is trying to be nice and assure Jeff that although Cochrane is basically useless and has many idiosyncrasies he’s kind of endearing. It’s time to vote.

Dawn, Cochrane and Jim vote for Elyse. Ozzy votes for Cochran. Keith and Whitney decide to vote for Dawn. Elyse is sent to Redemption Island. She and Ozzie are both blindsided.

Can Elyse beat Christine at a Redemption island duel? Do Keith and Whitney really think Ozzy can’t see through their vote? Is Cochran now the leader of the tribe?

Until next week, the tribe has spoken.

Survivor opens with a tranquil scene at Savaii camp. Ozzy and Elyse are relaxing in the hammock, nothing intimate, just talking about family, etc. Cut to Jim, who strikes up a conversation with Cochran about Elyse and Ozzy getting too close. Jim doesn’t think it’s a good idea to vote Ozzy out yet (Jim is in a supposed alliance of 5 with Ozzie and Elyse). Yes Jim it would be a very bad idea to take Ozzy out at this point because you need his speed, strength and strategy in the challenges!! Jim proposes to Cochran that they form an alliance and look to take out Elyse to weaken Ozzy’s position. Cochran readily agrees of course, he’s just happy anyone is talking to him because now that Papa Bear is gone, he has no one. He knows he’s the odd man out! Jim and Cochran both want to make big moves in Survivor.

At Upolu camp day 9, Brandon is saying that the game of Survivor is “jacked up!” He says every day is a struggle between good and evil and he wants to show only the good. He decides to apologize, sincerely this time, to Mikayla, who says she accepts his apology. He then goes on an honesty quest. He tells Edna that even though she thinks that she’s in an alliance of 6, the alliance is only 5 and that she is expendable. He says he cannot lie to her face anymore. This makes Edna extremely paranoid. Instead of asking Coach what is really going on, she decides that she must be the social butterfly of the group. She asks questions incessantly, chatting it up about everything with everyone. Stacey’s interview regarding Edna is quite funny, immitating Edna’s annoying laugh and saying just “Shut up!”

The survivors all finally receive their swim trunks and swim suits! Dawn from Savaii is the oldest woman on the tribe being 40 years young. She was not comfortable swimming in her bra and panties so she is so grateful for her swimsuit. She says she showed weakness on day two and really needs to prove that she is strong!

The two tribes receive invitations to the Redemption Island challenge between Christine and Papa Bear. Brandon and Edna spectate for Upolu and Jim and Cochran represent Savaii. Upon arrival at the arena Brandon asks Jeff if he can make a statement to Christine. Brandon confesses to Christine that he lied during their tribal council and during the game and said he could no longer lie and asked for her forgiveness and acceptance of his apology. Christine appeared skeptical and said that she does accept his apology but buying it is another story.

Redemption Island Challenge

For the Redemption arena challenge there are 10 crates spaced intermittently throughout the arena. Each survivor must throw one sandbag on the top of each crate. The first person with a sandbag on the top of 10 crates stays in the game. Christine started out strong and the score was 5-2. Papa Bear makes a comeback and the score is neck and neck. With a score of 9-9 Christine throws her sandbag and it sticks! Christine wins the challenge. Papa Bear says that he told all of his cohorts at NYPD that someday he would be on Survivor. He didn’t know how he would do it but it was a huge dream of his and he feels blessed for being able to have his dream come true. With a final good-bye Papa Bear throws his buff in the fire and leaves Redemption island.

Back at Upolu Cochran has a conversation with Dawn about Jim’s idea of getting rid of Elyse. Dawn is totally on board.

Immunity challenge:

Three members from each tribe, two men and one woman must hold a pole across their shoulders. At intervals 40 pounds of weight are added to the pole. The last person standing wins immunity for their tribe. The contestants are Jim, Keith and Dawn for Savaii and Brandon, Stacey and Albert for Upolu. Two 20 pound bags are added on each end at a time. The men withstand 180-200 pounds before anyone weakens. The ladies stand strong with 100 pounds each. Keith is the first to go down with 180 pounds. Albert falls with 200 pounds.This leaves Jim and Brandon each staying up with a Survivor record of 240 pounds each! Jim falls, Brandon soon follows and it’s down to the women. The women each accept another 40 pounds. Stacey is balancing the pole on her butt at this point and Dawn has the pole awkwardly against her back but neither can get the pole back on their shoulders. (seriously I would have fallen at 40 pounds! I don’t mess with my back this late in the game.)When another 20 pounds is added Stacey finally falls and Dawn wins the challenge for Savaii! Dawn is jubilant having proven that she is strong and is valuable to the tribe in challenges! Stacey put up a great fight but couldn’t hold out against Dawn. Savaii wins immunity, another clue to their individual immunity idol and importantly a rooster and two hens. Eggs or chicken dinner, they make the choice.

Back at Upolu Edna is scrambling like a scrambled egg according to Stacey. Edna asks Stacey if she’s going home and Stacey says I don’t know. Edna asks Stacey if she should pack and Stacey says do whatever you want! Coach comes over to talk to Stacey and tells her that he likes her and what a good job she did today in the challenge. Stacey says she thinks she’s more valuable than Edna and Coach basically tells her it’s between her and Edna who gets voted out. When Coach walks away Stacey makes a gesture and says that Coach is full of B.S. Stacey decides she is not giving up so she tells Brandon that Albert, Sophie and Mikayla are out to get him. In truth they do think he’s a loose cannon and they think their alliance needs reshuffling. Brandon immediately seeks out Coach and says, “We have a problem.” Coach replies, “Another one?” Brandon tells Coach what Stacey said and Coach says “STOP”!!! Coach has about had it with Brandon’s paranoia and drama. They have a discussion about strategy and Coach admits he lost previously because he had his head in the sand and didn’t stick true to his alliances.

Tribal Council

At tribal council Jeff plays a little game to stir the pot. He starts asking Rick, “What is the most annoying thing about Albert?” Rick says, “He snores.” No drama there Jeff, sorry, move along. Jeff asks Edna “What is the most annoying thing about Stacey?” Edna says it’s Stacey’s inability to open up about herself. Stacey says I’ve opened up plenty just to others not you. Jeff asks Mikayla “What is the most annoying thing about Brandon?” Mikayla says, he’s a nice kid but he’s a Hantz basically. This starts a conversation with Brandon about Russell and his previous play. Brandon feels like he needs to be on Survivor to reclaim the family honor because of how Russell played the game. He starts crying when Jeff asks him what is upsetting him now. Brandon says he wants to be someone that God would be proud of. (Once again God has a strong hand in Survivor according to the contestants!). It’s time to vote. Stacey is voted out by her tribemates. Coach makes a showing of asking the other tribe members to stand as a sign of respect for Stacey and then he tries to hug her. Seriously Coach you just voted this woman out and now you think she’s going to hug you?????? Stacey says UH-UH when Coach tries to hug her and pushes past him. (OOOH SHUT DOWN!) Jeff says, Well your tribe wanted to hug you and Stacey retorts, “It’s a lie, everything they say is a lie! I’ll be back!” Jeff then sends Stacey off to Redemption Island where she will join up with her former BFF Christine. This ought to be one interesting challenge!!!

Can’t wait for next week! Until then, the tribe has spoken……

On the heels of three sitcom renewals from competitor networks, CBS has announced that they will be giving 2 Broke Girls a full season’s chance at pleasing the public. Recently, NBC granted Whitney and Up All Night a full season pickup, after Fox picked up New Girl. The fall season has also seen it’s first cancellation in The Playboy Club on NBC.

Fall TV’s First Cancellation

2 Broke Girls is a show starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs about two girls from totally different worlds just trying to make ends meet. After premiering to star ratings following Ashton Kutcher’s debut on Two and a Half Men, 2 Broke Girls has settled in nicely in its usual time slot following How I Met Your Mother at 8:30EST on CBS.

Thoughts on this renewal? Share ‘em below!

Apparently Brandon Hantz has mastered the clichés of reality shows when he spouts this gem. Haven’t we heard this saying in every reality show?  It’s right up there with “don’t throw me under the bus!” More on Brandon later.

Redemption Island Duel:

Tonight’s episode starts with the first duel on Redemption Island.  Coach and Stacey are spectators for Upolu and Ozzy and Elyse represent the Savaii tribe.  I think Elyse and Ozzy make a handsome couple by the way.

Semhar and Christine appear in the Redemption Island arena.  Jeff explains the duel.  Each player will balance a tiki totem on top of a pole.  At intervals another pole will be added to the bottom to extend the totem higher and higher.  The first person that drops their totem is out of Survivor.  Semhar decides that she needs to spout some nonsense, which she calls poetry, delaying the duel, while the spectators including Jeff P. roll their eyes and seem annoyed.  (Just wondering if anyone thinks “my boo” is poetic??) Consequently and to the relief of all who are tired of her “spoken word”,  Semhar loses to Christine and burns her buff in the fire pit.  Christine returns to Redemption Island.  Coach looks a tad concerned that she remained in the game.  She clearly doesn’t like Coach but stated that Coach clearly didn’t like her and came after her.  (Christine it just might have something to do with the way you initially greeted Coach?)

At Savaii camp, Ozzy decides that he needs to confide in Keith that he has the immunity idol.  Ozzy thinks this is important because he trusts Keith and he feels they have a strong alliance.  Surprise!  Keith immediately tells Whitney that Ozzy has the immunity idol and exclaims that he’s not happy about it because it gives Ozzy all the power.  He wants Whitney to know just in case Ozzy tries to pull something later.  He tells Whitney not to tell Ozzy that she knows about the idol.

Back at Upolu Brandon is STILL battling his demons.  He decides that because he is such a lover of truth, a follower of the Lord and a believer in Jesus Christ he can no longer continue to lie to his tribe.  Is this the truth or is it just so damn hot he wants to take off his shirt? You decide.  Brandon gathers his tribe and takes off his shirt.  When no one notices his “Hantz” tattoos he announces to the tribe that he doesn’t want to lie anymore and that he is the nephew of Russell Hantz.  Stacey was shocked, Sophie thought it was interesting but it was anticlimactic to say the least.  Mikayla has mixed emotions; she doesn’t understand why Brandon wanted her out.  She asks him for a private conversation.  She asks Brandon, “Did you want me out because you don’t like me?”  Brandon answers “Yes!”  He intimates that others in the tribe don’t like her as well which doesn’t appear to be true, but he’s riding that slippery slope of  psychosis.  His paranoia reaches new heights and he once again gathers his tribe, (They must be getting tired of all these Brandon gatherings) to tell them that Mikayla has just confronted him and that he is done.  He says he wants no more drama!  Uhm.. excuse me Brandon but isn’t your name Brandon “drama” Hantz?  Thus far Brandon has caused all the drama in the Upolu tribe.  Coach and Sophie discuss Brandon losing his grip on reality.  Another reality show cliché, “loose cannon” is bandied about.  Mikayla now thinks that Brandon’s problem is that he is an evil Hantz and this makes more sense to her now.

The Challenge:

The challenge is set up on the beach.  Each tribe has a wheel of rope. The rope is tied to a boogey board. One member of each tribe must race out into the water with a boogey board while the team feeds them enough rope.  They then retrieve a bag from a platform.  Once they obtain their bag their team must reel them in like fish and they deposit their bag in a container on the beach. There are 5 bags. Each bag contains a piece of their flag.  After all the pieces are collected, two tribe members from atop a tall wall must pick those bags up with a grappling hook.  Once all the bags are on top of the wall the two tribe members can then untie them and remove the flag pieces. They must drape the 5 flag pieces in order to complete their flag. The race is close at first.  Coach’s grappling hook skills win the challenge for Upolu.  They also win a reward of coffee, tea, cookies, milk, etc. and an additional clue to the immunity idol at their camp.

Back at Savaii Jimmy who was working side by side with Mark, (Papa Bear) during the challenges, says that Papa Bear is their weakest link.  He feels that Papa Bear actually holds them back in challenges.  Granted we haven’t seen Papa Bear do much but lay in the hammock but is that just editing?  They tell Cochran that they are voting for Papa Bear but that they are telling Papa Bear the vote tonight is for Cochran.  Papa Bear thinks that they are lying so he runs out into the woods in an attempt to find the immunity idol.  Elyse sees him running off and asks Jimmy to go with her to see what he is doing.  He’s searching for the idol and they see him searching.  In a last ditch effort to not get voted out Papa Bear devises a fake immunity idol so his tribe will think he has it.  Ozzy knows this isn’t true because he has the idol and Keith knows and unbeknownst to Ozzy Whitney knows as well.  As Cochran narrates “ He came out of the woods with a big smile on his face and a big extra bulge in his underwear.”  Papa Bear actually told Jimmy he found the idol.  Jimmy is skeptical.

Tribal council:

Jeff P. asks Cochran how it was going back to camp after the last tribal council and Cochran says he’s trying to live up to his word to be strong for the tribe.  Jeff asks Papa Bear and Cochran who the leaders are.  Papa Bear says he’s a leader in real life but not on this tribe.  He says he has nothing in common with anyone and nothing is clicking.  He tries to draw Dawn into his threesome of Cochran, Papa Bear and Dawn being on the outs, but Dawn is diplomatic and vague.  She clearly is trying to survive on a daily basis with the rest of her tribe and worked hard in the challenge. Jimmy states that Papa Bear is just trying to stir the pot because he knows he’s on the chopping block.

Prior to the votes being read Jeff asks anyone if they have the immunity idol and if they’d like to play it.  All eyes are on Papa Bear.  He’s got nothing, just an extra lump in his pants that he can’t play.  The votes come back, one vote for Cochran (voted by Jimmy just in case PB had the idol).  One vote for Jimmy (voted by PB) and the rest for Papa Bear.  Papa Bear’s torch is snuffed and he’s off to redemption to battle Christine.

What’s up for next week?  Can Brandon get any crazier?  Is Ozzy’s strong alliance with Keith in jeopardy?  Will Papa Bear make a comeback or will Christine pull a Matt and go on a duel winning streak?  Until next week……the tribe has spoken!

Wow Survivor Fans! This season of Survivor South Pacific certainly isn’t short on drama.

Epi 2 starts with a quick recap of epi 1 where Coach discusses solidifying his alliance with Sophie, Brandon, Rick and Albert on the Upolu tribe. He has a subsequent private discussion with Edna. She pledges her loyalty to Coach and he vows to protect her. That’s another alliance of 2 for Coach so far.

Semhar arrives at Redemption Island feeling betrayed and abandoned. She’s the first evictee of the season awaiting her duel at Redemption Island. To soothe herself she begins reciting poetry or… what she considers poetry.

Back at Savaii after tribal council Cochrane (the Harvard law student) thanks his tribe mates for keeping him in the game and vows to make good on all of his promises. Even though his mother told him that she did not want him using a machete, unsupervised, Cochrane decides to throw caution to the wind and crack open some coconuts for his tribe mates. (Cochrane does your mommy allow you to cut your own meat?)

On day 4 Ozzy tells his tribe mates he’s going to go fishing and takes a little tour through the jungle. In true Ozzy “Tarzan” style he starts climbing trees as adept as a monkey, looking for signs of the idol or idol clues. As he’s walking towards the beach he sees what his trained “survivor eye” appears to be the perfect tree to hide an idol. Then he sees it, the rock! What is a rock doing in a tree? Ozzy knows that means the idol is under the rock. Day 4 and Ozzy has already found the actual immunity idol. He climbs high up into another tree and re-hides it. Keith and Ozzy had already decided to stick together and form an alliance. While fishing with Keith and Ozzy, Jimmy decides to approach the two men about having a strong alliance of 3+2. This would consist of the 3 men and the two women, Whitney and Elise. This would take them to the merge hopefully. Keith and Ozzy agree. Jimmy thinks he is the architect of this alliance not realizing Keith and Ozzy already have an alliance.

Back at Upolu on Day 4 Brandon and Coach take a walk and Brandon starts feeling deceitful about not being honest with Coach. He decides to tell Coach his identity and pulls up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal the word “Hantz”. Coach says, “but that’s not your name?” and Brandon says yes he’s Russell’s nephew! Coach is pretty blown away by this and realizes he’s in an alliance with the nephew of his nemesis! Brandon asks Coach to keep this info on the down low and Coach agrees. Brandon tells Coach he is a Christian and that he can trust him. Coach says that he was already duped by a Hantz. He’s either going to get duped again or this could be redemption for the Hantz family. They pray together at the watering hole. (Wow Brandon, you kept that secret for 4 whole days!!)

CHALLENGE:

The immunity challenge consists of 4 tribe members unbraiding a maypole to release the key at the top of the pole. Once the key is released one member of the tribe must unlock the other four tribe members and they must push crates out of the way in order to release the biggest crate that can only be pushed out one way. Ed note: If you have the game app “Unblock Me”, it’s just like that!

Upolu immediately takes the lead as the women unbraid the maypole with ease, as Savaii has considerably more trouble getting tangled up in the ribbons. When the maypole is unbraided and Upolu unlocks their other tribe members the men have a difficult time moving the crates in the appropriate order. In the meantime Savaii catches up and with the men on the tribe quickly and easily solving the puzzle, Savaii wins immunity, reward and a clue to the hidden immunity idol. Reward consists of the best survivor reward: Pillows, blankets, a mat and a hammock!! It’s rough sleeping on bamboo poles. I don’t know about you but that and toilet paper would just about do it for me.

Upolu returns to camp to ponder tribal council possibilities and this is where it gets interesting. Last week viewers saw a glimpse of Brandon and the demons that he battles. Mikayla is a very strong, attractive, sort of tomboyish member of Savaii. She works hard, does great in challenges and was one of the primary members to earn the challenge win for Upolu last week. Brandon continually says that he feels threatened by her. He says he’s a married man and he doesn’t want to battle temptation. He thinks she is using her feminine whiles to manipulate the men on the tribe. (Have any of you seen her doing this??? I sure haven’t.) Clearly Brandon doesn’t trust himself around women in swimsuits, bikinis or underwear, and he vows that he wants her gone! (Kind of creepy, yeah). Coach is discussing with his alliance that he thinks they should vote off Christine. Christine had already made a great impression on Coach by saying he was a “temporary player.” Christine and Stacey are tied at the hip and they are kind of on the outs with the rest of the tribe. Christine has been looking for the idol since day 1 and actually on day 4 she found the first clue to the idol but not the idol itself. She kept the clue a secret from her tribe. Coach having learned about flushing the idol decided that they should split their votes 3 for Christine and 3 for Stacey then if Christine has the idol one would go. They agree on this strategy and then all of a sudden Brandon chimes in that he wants Mikayla gone. He tells everyone that she’s a threat because she’s strong but confides in Coach that he’s married and he isn’t comfortable around her. Coach believes now that Brandon is battling demons. (Yeah I’d say so!). Brandon goes behind Coach’s back and decides to rally the troops to vote off Mikayla. Brandon tells Stacey and Christine that they are voting off Mikayla. Christine is totally confused and says it doesn’t make sense since Mikayla’s does so well at challenges and is strong. She knows something fishy is going on. Then Brandon tells Coach that Christine and Stacey told him they were voting for Mikayla! Brandon is adamant to press his agenda.

Tribal Council:

I forgot how great it is to have Coach at tribal council where he just spills the beans. Jeff tells him “It’s great to have you back Coach.”

Coach immediately says that someone told him Christine and Stacey were voting to evict Mikayla. Mikayla is shocked; this is the first she’s heard of it. Stacey and Christine are shocked as well because they never said that. Brandon told them to vote for Mikayla. Coach keeps his source (Brandon) secret and Christine and Coach argue for a bit. Christine reiterates that Coach is a temporary player and that he feels threatened by her.

During the vote Coach/ Brandon/ Sophie/ Albert (eye candy alert!), Mikayla, Rick and Edna split the vote and Christine is the second person to be voted off this season. She’s actually a bit shocked (apparently she wasn’t paying attention at tribal) and is sent to Redemption Island, with the first idol clue in her pocket.

Will Coach trust Brandon again? Will Brandon give into temptation or continue to battle his demons? Until next week… The tribe has spoken!

The Yak had the pleasure of chatting with Adam Poch, 3rd place finisher of Big Brother 13! He gives us the low down on what it’s like to be a fan playing the Big Brother game!

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The Yak: Hello Adam! How are you doing this morning?

Adam: I am doing amazing! It would have been better waking up with a half a million dollars, but instead I woke up with something even better, I woke up with my girlfriend and I am out of that house.

The Yak: That is so awesome… I mean final 3, I know it isn’t exactly what you had your eyes on, but you know, final three, Tori Spelling, the Summer of Big Brother and now freedom! How does it feel to be Adam about right now?

Adam: You know, it feels pretty damn good to be Adam right now I gotta admit. It was a Summer that I never expected to happen, even though I was trying for a few years to get on the show, I never expected to get on. Then to actually get on the show and compete, and win competitions and get to the final three, who would ever think that? And Tori Spelling showing up? Phenomenal. I mean David Hasselhoff, that was cool, but if I never met David Hasselhoff, I could have continued living my life, but being able to meet Tori Spelling? And more importantly Tori Spelling knows who Adam is! If I had just gone to one of her book signings and asked her to sign my book and I would have said I love you and I host trivia night on Beverly Hills 90210, you’re the greatest, she would have thought I was just some weirdo. Now she thinks I am still a weirdo, but Adam the weirdo from Big Brother. She invited me to come over to her house for Christmas, I love my girlfriend dearly, we have a future together… Tori has a reality show where she plans weddings, who knows.

The Yak: Maybe she can plan your wedding!

Adam: Maybe with my little bit of quirkiness and loving Tori Spelling and loving 90210 I could get her to plan our wedding. Rachel won’t be the only one getting a dream wedding this season.

The Yak: Well, Rachel had her wedding this season.

Adam: Yes with the cutest ring bearer ever, as well as probably the creepiest stripper ever at a Bachelorette party.

The Yak: Yeah, we can get on board with that statement.

Adam: Well you gotta work with what ya got honey!

The Yak: We know you like fan sites, specifically Hamsterwatch…

Adam: How did you know that? [laugh]

The Yak: I think I may just be psychic…

Adam: Well, now that I have been on the show, I will be for sure checking out every site now. I am a bit of an egomaniac, and if there is something written about me, whether it’s good or bad, I will read it. Even if it’s bad about me, I know who I am, and if your talking bad about me and you never lived in that house, you have no idea what you have to go through on a day to day basis.

The Yak: That was exactly what we wanted to ask you. Being a fan just like we are, watching the show and feeds, hanging out at the websites criticizing the game play and players, what can you tell us now that you have experienced it first hand?

Adam: You know, before I walked into that house, I had so many ideas of how I wanted to play the game. I watched how other people played it, and I knew I would have to play my own game, obviously not realizing the type of people I would be playing with, especially strong competitors that knew the game inside and out because they played the game before. That was definitely the toughest thing to get used to. The first couple of weeks, still trying to learn about people… learning who you can trust and who you can’t and in the meantime, there are 5 to 6 people who knew exactly what they were doing, so that was the toughest part of the competition. You know as a fan when you are watching on TV, it’s so easy to criticize… you have to sleep with both eyes open in that house. You can’t even sleep sometimes! I’m sitting there running scenarios through my head, and that person that’s laying next to you pretending to be sleeping and you wonder what scenarios are running through their heads. You know the first couple weeks trying to figure out who to trust is the hardest part… and once I started working with Jeff and Jordan, and I knew I could trust them, I think that’s when my game got some focus. People wanted to call me a floater and I call it covering my ass. I call it making sure I was not a target. I was making sure I was loveable and people wouldn’t look at me like I was a big threat, but meanwhile I was totally dedicated to Jeff and Jordan, and to some degree Rachel. I was definitely working with them when the newbies I was trying to align with either jumped ship or got in over their head, so I just had to make sure I did whatever I had to do to get by in the game. And say what you want about my game, I got to final three and gave myself a chance to win this game. Floater, drifter, fence sitter… you know there is no handbook that says how to play this game, and ya know what, in previous seasons, if I tried to play the game the exact way I played it, it may not have worked. So when you look at how anybody played this game, you cannot criticize how they did it, especially to get far in this game. You look back at every big move that was made this season and it blew up in their face, and not making a big move, was a big move, and not falling prey to help someone else out while not helping my game, that was a big move. So say what you want about me, but the moves that I made may not have looked big, but they got me to where I was.

The Yak: Did you experience paranoia in the game?

Adam: Paranoia sets in two seconds after you walk in that door. When you look at someone and you realize they aren’t here to just hand you a half million dollars, they’re here to take a half million dollars away from you. Then finding out people were throwing competitions early in the game because they didn’t like their partner, I mean come on… that’s why when the vets first asked me to come aboard and asked me to throw competitions, I did not want to roll like that. That’s not why I worked hard to get onto that show. That’s not why I tried 3 out of the last 4 years to get on that show. I did not go in there just to be someone else’s puppet, I went in there to win a half a million dollars. When I realized what I had to do, and maybe I was better off not winning competitions, that never stopped me from trying to win them. I said it to people in the house, and I will say it to anyone outside the house, I never threw a competition. If I lost a competition, it was because I sucked at it. When I got the Before and After wrong, the Fast Forward did startle me a little bit, the HoH Daniele won, it was the same one as the veto and we played it at night… I just got confused for a second and when you lose your head in this game, it screws you up. Hey, it worked out to my advantage… I wanted to get Jeff out, but I didn’t want to get Jeff out then. I wanted to get Jeff out in the final four and go head to head, but it worked out to help me a little bit. I was really upset I was not able to win the HoH and the Veto on the Fast Forward and keep Jeff safe because he had kept me safe and I wanted to return the favor. It really bummed me out. Then when Jeff looked at me after the vote came in 2-2 and thought I voted against him it really hurt me. But hey ya know what, any ripple in the whole scheme of things, I may not have been in the final three so…

The Yak: Do you think if Rachel had taken you to the final two you could have won and why did you ultimately end up voting for Porsche to win?

Adam: I’d like to think I could have convinced the jury to vote for me. Chances are with the people who were on that jury, they were pretty set on who they would vote for. Rachel did earn her spot there, Rachel was the fiercest competitor of the season. Honestly I threw my vote to Porsche, and people are giving me slack for that, but I did throw my vote to Porsche because I really did not want to see a veteran win the game. When it came down to it, I tried to help Rachel get further in the game so she could help me get further in the game, and I really wish she had taken me and showed me the same courtesy that I showed her by working with her and sticking with her, and keeping her safe when I did, and it did hurt me, so that’s why I did vote for Porsch to win. I know as a new player what I had to go through this time around and the fact that a veteren had a second chance to play the game, I felt like the new people definitely deserved it.

The Yak: Did the vets coming into the game change the way you had originally planned to play the game?

Adam: The only thing it changed was the fact the I knew there were some big targets in the house, and I can hide behind them a little bit. I knew coming into the game I’m a 40 yr. old quirky guy and I wanted to make sure people fell in love with me early because sometimes people don’t get me right away. Knowing that there were big targets in the house did let me take a back seat and blend in a little bit, which I know is hard to imagine from a guy who is throwing metal horns in the air and screamin’, but you had some other people that were playing the game too fast, too strong, too quickly. I let people like Keith dig his own ditch. I let Dominic dig his own ditch. That sucked because I really wanted to work with Dominic but with the veterans there, they knew what they were doing… but with the newbies there that didn’t know what they were doing that were getting in over their heads so I just took a back seat and let them dig their ditches and fall in it. When it was time for me to start steppin’ up, I thought I could put it into overdrive and step it up. I did for a little bit, but in this game there are so many up and downs week to week.

The Yak: Why didn’t you tell Jeff and Jordan about Shelly’s betrayel sooner?

Adam: Ya know, I didn’t want to believe it! I did not want to believe that Shelly was not on board. I thought Shelly was being true and honest with me because we would talk things through. We were both up early in the morning and we would talk about decisions that were going on, it always seemed like her and I were on the same page. When we did not agree on stuff we would talk about it. The fact that she was just actually just taking the information I was giving her and twisting it, going back to Jeff and Jordan telling them that they shouldn’t be trusting me… we didn’t figure that out until it was too late. I think Shelly did do an amazing job with that, trying to be a “Dr. Will”, trying to manipulate other people. But again, too much, too fast, too strong, and when people finally started comparing notes, we realized Shelly was the one that was betraying us.

The Yak: That’s what we saw as well. It seemed that Shelly was very manipulative, but at some point, it seemed she got a little too big for her britches so-to-speak, that she was doing it so well, she got a little cocky about it.

Adam: Exactly and in this game as you have seen before, once you think you got it wrapped up, that’s when you go down. When she was going upstairs when Kalia was HoH and telling Jeff, Jordan and myself that she was telling Kalia that she was voting to keep Rachel, but going up there to get information for us, we thought it was a little suspicious, but she had not done anything to that point to show her suspicion, so we didn’t want to believe it. Looking back if we had we realized it, when Shelly and Brendon were up, we could have sent Shelly home. But like I said so many times, any one change in the ripple, I might have not made final three, so it worked out the way it was supposed to work out. Except for the fact that I could not win one of the first two parts of the final HoH, because I got four questions right in part 3 sitting in the kitchen by myself, and could not believe how they weren’t getting these questions right, and that’s where I would have excelled because I did get to know all the jury members, as well as everybody in the house on a personal level, so I knew what they would have been thinking in those final questions. It was my own fault.

The Yak: Since we are running out of time, I would like a more personal question if I could. We know you lost a lot of weight before going into the Big Brother house, and just wondered if you did it using the Atkins or similar low carb program, and if that’s how you got hooked on bacon?

Adam: [laugh] No, I have always been hooked on bacon! I have been hooked on bacon since I was a little boy, and my father would cook bacon in the morning on the weekends, and I would wake up to the sweet smell of bacon… as a Jew it’s like the forbidden fruit. But I have been able to keep bacon in my diet and lose the weight by finding healthier alternatives still using bacon. Bacon is good for you, moderation is the key. Like anything in life, it’s all about moderation. You do not have to cut bacon out of your diet, you can still stay healthy, and look as good as I do… the sexiest man to play Big Brother!

The Yak: Well thank you so much Adam. You have a great day and some wonderful wrap parties!

Adam: Thank you so much I appreciate it.

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