So it’s Wednesday, and I’m stuck writing a column wanting to talk about something, anything that’s happened in the past couple of weeks. The only problem is that with the Olympics being on there are very few shows that are airing new episodes.
Now don’t get me wrong – the Olympics have some entertaining events, but I need more than just short track speed skating and curling to keep me watching television every week. I NEED my procedural fix. I NEED to have less than a six week gap between new episodes of ‘Lost’. I NEED a fix of some decent sitcoms.
Luckily for us this ends next week, when the unofficial “second third” of the TV season starts. ‘Joey’ and (finally!) ‘Prison Break’ return from their extended hiatuses. Earl Hickey and Michael Scott come back into our lives. People get fired and race around the world. Detectives investigate new crimes that proceed in the same fashion as the old ones. And soon, we’ll forget that this “Olympic” thing ever happened.
IP Linkage
– Romo, Josh, Patrick, Craig and I talk about ‘Reba’ in a Very Special Roundtable about the CW
– Give Bob Reiss’ Survivor live recaps a try.
– Dora feels like a loser because she picked Misty to win it all. Hey, she was a lot of people’s picks to win it all, so don’t feel bad!
What I Watched:
Wednesday:
‘Lost’ (ABC, CTV)
Thursday:
‘Survivor: Panama’ (CBS, Global) – See Below
Sunday:
‘Iron Chef America’ (Food Network Canada)
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ (CTV, ABC) – George and Meredith… um, what?
Monday:
‘Poker Superstars II’ (Rogers Sportsnet) – Apparently they just finished taping Poker Superstars III. Daniel Negraneau’s in it, so my interest just went up a few notches there.
’24’ (Fox, Global)
Tuesday:
‘American Idol’ (Fox) – see my recap
‘King of Vegas’ (Spike)
Wednesday:
‘American Idol’ (Fox)
Survivor: Panama – Episode 3 In Hindsight
Reward Challenge – This pretty much came down to the fact that La Mina had Terry and Casaya didn’t. As for sending Bruce to Exile Island, it was a good call, but as the footage showed, Casaya can deal with things without Bruce. It just takes longer.
Immunity Challenge – Really tough challenge. Did they hire some ‘American Gladiators’ game designers to come up with these things? Or “the Natural” Randy Couture? All the matches were pretty even, but the turning point came when Danielle tied up Terry, leaving Bobby to catch Ruth Marie, which was no problem for the former college athlete.
Now, let’s get to the castaways:
Casaya
Aras – Nothing really to say about you this week.
Bobby – The hero of the day. It seemed like you were dogging it when chasing after Ruth Marie, but obviously you didn’t, as you not only caught up to her, but dragged her over (in the gentlest way possible) to the Casaya mat to win Immunity. Good job.
Bruce – You’ve shown that you’re a valuable asset to the tribe, but similar to Aras and Shane you don’t seem to be able to keep quiet when you need to be. That’s the only reason why you went back to Exile Island. On the plus side, there’s a comfortable Bruce-sized depression there now for you to sleep in. If the constant rain doesn’t bother you, that is.
Cirie – You did well in a challenge where size, strength and stamina are important. I didn’t think you’d be able to hang with the more physically fit castaways, but you held your own and showed that you’re more than just a woman with phyllophobia.
Courtney – Obviously, you could learn a thing or two from Bruce.
Danielle – If males didn’t love your bikini before, they do now.
Shane – Eliza and Murtz have compared you to Jim from Apprentice: Martha, but there’s a difference here. Jim brought the drama and it worked because people come into the show acting like it’s an interview, and Jim played it like he was on ‘Survivor’. You, on the other hand, ARE on ‘Survivor’, and on a tribe that lacks a true weak link – now that fear (of leaves) is no longer a factor for Cirie – crazy/strange/different people are generally next on the list to get booted.
La Mina
Austin – You and Nick made a tough decision, and it won’t get any easier if you lose the next immunity.
Dan – Despite the dire predictions of The Crystal Ball, the Mile High Club is still alive and well.
Nick – I asked last week if you could sit on the fence with some level of success. Obviously, you didn’t think so as you and Austin threw your lot in with the Mile High Club, with the thought that you’re less of a target with Terry as leader.
Misty – Similar to Melinda, alliances didn’t go your way, and you were chosen as the sacrifical lamb as Naustin officially allied with the Mile High Club. And even though you were voted out, always remember that Engineers Rule The World.
Ruth Marie – UTR this week.
Sally – I think you may have a problem. But with Ruth Marie still around there’s a good chance you could divert the votes her way should La Mina lose immunity this week.
Terry MVP Weeks 2-3 – Tom Westman v2.0 has continued to dominate challenges. And while La Mina lost the Immunity Challenge, Terry won the Reward Challenge on his own and was impressive during his two rounds in the sand.
Bits and Pieces
– I’ve been rooting against the Canadian men’s hockey team ever since they included Todd Bertuzzi on the squad, and I’m glad they were eliminated without even a sniff at a medal.
– And congrats to Team Sweden for breaking the Canada/US stranglehold in women’s hockey. OK, they didn’t win gold, but just making it to the finals is accomplishment enough.
That’s it for this week.
