Posted on 08/11/2005 12:17:58 PM PDT by cuz_it_aint_their_money
These stunning cities of the past stand as clues to a mystery thousands of years old. While Europe was in the dark ages, it was the Maya who harnessed the knowledge of the stars, and the celestial movements, to create a mystical union of man, nature and the gods. It was a world of great kings, elaborate ceremonies, fierce battles, and even human sacrifice.
18 Survivors will be marooned within this mysterious and rugged terrain.
For the first time, the castaways will actually live within the ruins of a vanished civilization, and they will be forced to embrace the ancient Maya lifestyle.
Join us as the adventure continues with:
FYI..OLN just signed a big deal with the NHL to broadcast hockey..they are trying to become another ESPN
You switched to DirecTV and DirecTiVo?? Well, You will not be disappointed! I've had TiVo now for 5 years or so. 2 standalone units, first on cable, than with regular Dish Network receivers on one TV and the Dish DVR on another TV. Dish DVR wasn't in the same league as TiVo. Then I switched to DirecTV with 2 DirecTiVo units, and I'm looking to sell the standalone. I don't know why I didnt go with DirecTV in the first place!
Good luck with it. You will love it! (Just be a little careful with the suggestions.)
First of all, a big ‘ol FReeper welcome to the Tatze. Our newest Survivor Ping List Pingee!
The Yaxha Tribe: (blue buffs)
Amy, Brian, Brianna, Gary, Jamie, Lydia, Morgan, Rafe, and Stephenie
The Nakum Tribe: (yellow buffs)
Blake, Brandon, Brooke, Cindy, Danni, Judd, Margaret, and Bobby Jon
The Losers:
Jim
Good morning all! Its Monday morning so that means its time for your:
After the long summer, it’s finally here! The new season of Survivor! The show opens with Jeff Probst standing atop a pyramid in the Guatemalan jungle. He launches into a history lesson about the Maya and their culture. A culture that once thrived and then mysteriously vanished. Today the jungles are home to dangerous wildlife, poisonous snakes and crocodiles in every body of water. Jeff then informs us that the game has already begun. The players have been divided into two tribes and are hiking to an unknown destination. “It is the ultimate challenge. 18 strangers forced to work together.” Yep, that’s right. He said 18, not 16 as shown on the official website. “In the end, only one will remain to claim the million dollar prize.” Then, as the camera zooms out leaving Jeff as a mere spot in the Jungle, he reiterates “Thirty nine days, 18 people, one Survivor!”
The show’s theme song starts up as we are introduced to the 16 players! That’s right I said 16. The producers are milking this “Steph and Bobby Jon” surprise for all it’s worth.
After the commercial break, we see the players arriving at the Mayan ruins and line up in their two tribes, Yaxha (pronounced “Ya-SHAH”) in the blue buffs and Nakum (pronounced “Na-KOOM”) in the yellow buffs. Yaxha is comprised of Amy, Brian, Brianna, Gary, Jamie, Lydia, Morgan and Rafe. While, Nakum is comprised of Blake, Brandon, Brooke, Cindy, Danni, Jim, Judd, and Margaret. Probst welcomes them and tells them they will live amongst the ruins, each at separate camps.
When they arrive, they will find a few items similar to what the Maya used. In addition to those things, each tribe will get one other tool to aid them. And those tools are…Bobby Jon and Stephenie from Survivor: Palau. They make their entrance from the top of a pyramid to the oohs and aahs of the huddled masses below. Probst says they are two “proven” players. (Yeah! Proven to be losers! After all, they were on the worst tribe in Survivor history! But that’s past history!) As they make their way down the pyramid, Probst makes sure everyone understands that Stephenie (Yaxha) and Bobby Jon (Nakum) are full fledged players in the game. “You can use their experience to help yourselves, or you can use them as an easy first boot.” You can read the faces of the players like a book. Each one of them thinking “How to use them to my best advantage before I boot them.”
Jeff then instructs them that it’s time for the first reward challenge. An 11-mile race through the jungle. The race will end at the better of the two campsites and the wining tribe will get to call that campsite home and will get flint for making fire. The losers get the worse campsite and no flint. Each tribe will get a map and a compass. You will also get to take water, fruit, and bags of corn with you. How much of each is up to you. Tribes ready? Go! And in typical Survivor fashion, mass chaos ensues. Each tribe scrambles to grab as much as they can before starting off on their 11-mile trek through the snake infested jungle.
Nakum takes an early lead but quickly discovers that walking a simple straight line through the jungle is easier said than done. Jim, takes the leadership position and directs the flag holder to walk ahead of them and in which direction to go, while he sights them with the compass. Just before they are out of eyesight, he directs the flag holder to stay put while the rest of the tribe catches up. This method is agonizingly slow, but effective.
Meanwhile, back at Yaxha, first Gary and then Stephenie gets them lost as they fall farther and farther behind. Gary lets on (to us, the viewers) that he was an NFL quarterback, but that he isn’t going to tell anyone on the tribe. In fact, he says his name is Gary Hawkins and that he has a little landscaping business. (My first impression is, he’s gonna to have a hard time pulling this off the first time someone asks him if a plant is safe to eat. But what do I know?)
Back to Nakum. It’s still rough going. Suddenly, a branch full of nasty thorns breaks across Blake’s shoulder, imbedding several of the thorns deep in the skin. Nurse Margaret comes to the rescue and pulls out the thorns. (At least what she can see.)
The tribes try to continue on but soon realize that with the approaching darkness, they will be spending their first night in Guatemala, in the dark, wet, steamy, bug, snake and monkey infested jungle. (Yep Steph, this is nothing like your first night on the beach at Palau!)
Morning finds our intrepid players at their crankiest. Yaxha, (with a lot of goading from Brian) catches up with Nakum and a honest to goodness race to the finish ensues. (Although, at times it seems more of a crawl to the finish line, with Bobby Jon suffering from dehydration and cramping. While back at Yaxha, Lydia and Amy are slowing down an energetic Stephenie.)
Nakum seems to pull slightly into the lead after seeing water ahead. After arriving at the lake they load into their canoe and start to row to the finish line.
By the time Yaxha arrives at the lake, Nakum has already increased their lead and seems a sure winner of this first challenge. As Nakum arrives at the dock, Judd jumps out of the canoe. Unfortunately, he quickly sinks into the thick mud and struggles to get out. Bobby Jon’s legs cramp up again, and Yaxha keeps rowing. Eventually, Judd pulls himself out of the muck and Bobby Jon pushes through the pain as Nakum staggers into camp to greet a grinning Jeff, who congratulates them, hands them the flint and wishes them luck.
To the Yaxha tribe, he only offers sympathy and a map to their camp. Yep, their gonna be doing even more rowing as their camp is completely across the lake. As Yaxha arrives at their new camp, they find pots and a few other things. Stephenie, immediately get the tribe organized into finding water, and building a shelter. Yaxha seems to have put this first challenge lost behind them.
Over at Nakum, it’s a different story altogether. The jungle sounds are interrupted by the sounds of Blake, Judd, Jim and Bobby Jon heaving their guts out. Only the women and Brandon seem to be capable of setting up camp. In fact, Bobby Jon is so bad off that at one time his eyes seem to roll back in his head. Eventually he comes out of it and tells us that Palau was nothing compared to this.
The next morning, tree mail calls them to their first immunity challenge. Jeff greats them and shows them the Ugly Idol. (This time the title “Ugly Idol” fits.) He then describes the challenge. All players will row out and around a buoy, grab a torch at the buoy and row back to the beach, where they will attach a rope to their boat. Then 4 members of the tribe will race up the hill and pull the boat up the hill, over logs, by pulling on the attached rope. When the boat has cleared a log, 4 other members will transfer that log to the front of the boat and repeat the process up the hill. When the boat reaches the finish line the remaining player will light the torch and then light the victory cauldron. The first tribe to do so wins Immunity. (Should Yaxha win, they would also get a flint for fire.)
And they’re off! Both tribes hit the water dead even and stay neck and neck out to the buoy. Yaxha makes the turn easily, but Nakum has trouble, almost ramming Yaxha in the process. The race back to the beach is also close as can be with both boats seeming to scrape the mud at the same time. Nakum gets the rope attached first as Bobby Jon, Brandon, Blake, and Judd head up the hill to pull, with Jamie, Gary, Brian, and Rafe close behind for Yaxha.
Both teams seem to be tied when Stephenie gets her foot caught under a log. Nakum takes the lead but quickly loses it when Danni gets her foot caught under a log. Yaxha takes the lead, hits the finish line first, and lights up the cauldron.
Stephenie shines as she wins her first ever tribal immunity challenge while Bobby Jon is still a looser! Yaxha accepts the ugly idol and their flint, as Nakum slinks back to their camp.
Back at camp, we find out that during the challenge, Jim has injured himself during the challenge. He says that his left bicep has “literally snapped” and from that point on, it seems a sure bet that he will be leaving the game tonight. Even though the producers try to point us in another direction by showing Judd, Brooke, Brandon and a couple others discussing how sick Bobby Jon is/was and Brandon wondering if any of the other men in the tribe will even make it. Your typical Survivor red-herring.
Bobby Jon arrives at his ninth consecutive Tribal Council while the rest of Nakum arrives at their first. Jeff tells them each to light a torch because “fire represents life” blah, blah, blah. He then quickly gets into discussion about how tough it’s been so far. Blake talks about how many of them were cramping and getting sick. Bobby Jon makes a big blunder by saying he doesn’t like getting beat down so quickly and that he hopes he’s not saying good-bye already since not many people get two chances to win a million bucks. That’s it dufus, give them one more reason to boot your sorry, lame, cramping butt!
Jim’s arm is in a makeshift sling which catches Jeff’s attention. Jim explains that when he went to grab the boat, he thought everybody else was lifting at the same time, but they weren’t. He felt the bicep muscle tear. (Um, does anybody think that Jim’s gonna survive this Tribal Council? Nobody? I didn’t think so!)
Jeff announces it’s time to vote. One by one, each players climbs a flight a steps, up the pyramid and casts a vote. Jeff “goes tallies the votes” and starts to read the votes. One vote for Jim. Two votes for Jim, Three votes for Jim. (I think we’re starting to see a pattern here.) Four votes for Jim. And the first person voted out of Survivor; Guatemala is (TAH-DAH!) Jim. Jeff snuffs Jim’s torch, sends him off on his “walk of shame” and comments that the dilemma for Nakum seems to be how to give it their all without destroying themselves in the process.
Once again, for those of you who either cannot or will not view the video’s at the official SeeBS webstie, here are the transcriptions of the player’s comments while they are voting at Tribal Council, and the bootee’s final words.
BLAKE (Votes JIM): Jim, you're an amazing man, if I have half the energy and zeal for life you have at 63, what more can I ask for. We all got a little sick. Hopefully the irritations in the (mumble, mumble). I think that our team is strong enough that we have a real chance in every single event, I think that today (mumble, mumble). As great a man as you are, as hurt as you were, you wouldn't say anything about it. We're all gonna miss you.
DANNI (Votes JIM): Man, why did ya have to go get yourself hurt? You're the wisest one of the bunch and you're one tough dude. If it wasn't for you, there's know way we'd be in the place we're at now, at our camp.
BOBBY JON (Votes JIM): Jim, you've got a lot of heart, a lot of character, and a ton of perseverance. You're more of what the world needs to be. Hope you're arm gets better.
BROOKE (Votes JIM): Jim, thanks for helping us through the jungle, and I know you're a fighter and I know you don't want to quit, but I have to make this vote thinking of the team for the long term.
BRANDON (Votes JIM): I'm sorry, Jim, I can see in your eyes how much you wanted this, and, uh, you're one of the toughest guys I've ever met. So, I'll uh...I'll talk to you later.
MARGARET (Votes JIM): Jim, you're a great fellow, and a great player, and you gave so much to our team. I know you understand exactly why we're doing this, so thank you for everything, God bless and good health, okay?
JUDD (Votes JIM): Jim, you're one of the toughest dudes I met.
CINDY (Votes JIM): Tonight my vote's for Jim, we kinda talked about this before. We left to come here tonight, and we all understand why. I just hope that you get better so you can enjoy all the adventures that life has in store for you. Get better, and thanks for leading us in the jungle.
JIM (Votes MARGARET): Margaret, I love you like a sister. You're a tough competitor, you're intelligent, you're a wonderful leader. If I could have stayed in this game, I know you would have been my greatest competition. I love ya.
Jim’s final words: (All the “ums” have been edited out.) Well, I'm not particularly surprised by the outcome of all this, given the difficulty of this game and you know an older guy, if you got an older guy operating at 50% in the challenges are absolutely enormous. I don't blame the guys for voting me out, all I really want to say is I wish them good luck and I hope nobody gets hurt.
Well, it was something that I guess I didn't fully believe when they talked about the difficulty of this whole thing and it really came to fruition. It's just that I was able to, and I think I had some help in doing this, but you know to take that many people through a difficult jungle situation for 24 hours and over 11 miles I think it's a credit to me and certainly a credit to the kids but I think I did well for what I had to work with.
Well, I learned that I'm probably not as strong as I thought I was, compared to these challenges, you know everyone has, maybe overestimates their abilities and as we get older, you know, mother nature turning down those thumb screws on us every day, sometimes we don't like to admit that, but this kind of brings it all out. It's realistic.
Well, I knew that I had strengths in, you know, people management, group dynamics, being able to work with people in a democratic kind of way. Weaknesses? Eh, it's the half (???) thing, the body's starting to fall apart, you know running 12 miles a day doesn't compare to this, on a flat mountain road, is nothing like this. So, weaknesses? They came out.
I'm proud of what I did at my age. I like to motivate people my age to do things, not necessarily this, but, you know, get off your couch, quit bitching into a coffee cup about some political issue and do something for yourself.
Challenges... I didn't fully, I don't think anybody, any of the survivors fully realized, you know, how tough this, and it's not just the toughness of the evolution that you're expected to do, but to compete under the circumstances of the humidity and the heat and the beating sun and, really, the lack of resources that you have is, it's really grueling.
I have no regrets. I'd do it again in a minute if everything was healed up, but that's probably not gonna happen, I did it once, and it was fun and something I'm never ever gonna forget.
Well there it is. One bootee down, and 15 more to go before we get to our final two.
Have a great day, & I’ll be back Thursday with my Weekly Pics.
Take care,
“At the very moment that Ray Nagin, the Mayor of New Orleans was screaming where's the food, where's the water, it was over the overpass, and state officials were saying you can't come in.” - Major Garrett, Fox News correspondent.
FReepmail me if you want added to, or removed from the one, the only, Official Survivor Ping List.
With a bicep muscle tear why wasn't Jim automatically taken out of the game? It would seem to me that surgery is probably in order.
My guess is that the producers got so much flak from that other time they "removed" a player from the game.
Jim seemed to be doing OK, so I guess they decided to take a "wait and see" approach. I'm sure if he hadn't been voted out, then they would have stepped in and took a closer look at him and his injury.
ONE question for the group..given the huge popularity of Survivor, why hasn't CBS ever expanded the show to 90 minutes..especially in the early shows?..I dont' think we even got to see 2/3's of the 16 up close this episode..there was almost too much material to cover..?
I would agree, except if you look at the seasons that did have 90 minute openers, they didn't do all that well in the ratings. For example, Thailand, Amazon, Marquesas to name a few.
Richard Hatch Pleads Innocent to Tax Evasion.
Story here -> http://kevxml2adsl.verizon.net/_1_2LY2TO102DVM97O__vzn.dsl/apnws/story.htm?kcfg=apart&feed=ap&sin=D8CNJUI82&qcat=entertain&passqi=&top=1&ran=4449
I thought it was SOP on game shows to have the IRS get its take immediately from the winnings. For this very reason. They have agents in casinos to "help" big winners withhold properly.
SD
For me, part of the show's appeal is learning the names, faces, and personalities as the weeks unfold. That I don't know who basically anyone is except Judd and Rafe at this point doesn't bother me.
SD
Good Morning FReepers and FReeperettes! It’s Thursday so that means it’s time once again for your:
The Yaxha Tribe: (blue buffs)
Amy, Brian, Brianna, Gary, Jamie, Lydia, Morgan, Rafe, and Stephenie
The Nakum Tribe: (yellow buffs)
Blake, Brandon, Brooke, Cindy, Danni, Judd, Margaret, and Bobby Jon
The Losers:
Jim
Let’s get right into it shall we.
Tonight’s episode is titled “Man Down!” Which, if taken literally means that one of the men (probably Blake) is incapacitated. Or, it is also a term used by police to indicate a fellow officer is injured and again incapacitated. Now who is the police officer this season? Anybody? That’s correct! Amy O’Hara (the lovely Irish lass!) Now some of the spoiler sites say this is a dead give away that she is tonight’s bootee! I say NO WAY! Not my Amy! I won’t even consider it!
So let’s see what other clues are provided. The SeeBS website clues are:
One Survivor is appalled when a nest of ants are served up for dinner in a tribe desperate for protein. We know from the previews that Stephanie grimaces when told about the ants for food idea. And we know that Stephanie is safe for tonight at least so, this clue is useless.
Lacking any sympathy for ailing tribemates, one Survivor starts complaining about the weak ones being lazy and getting pampered. The odds are that we are talking about the Nakum tribe here. And which male on this tribe is the only one not to get sick and up-chuck all over the place last week? Yep! That’s right! The good ‘ol country boy Brandon. Is there a rift forming over at Nakum? We shall see.
Leading into the second Tribal Council, one Survivor fights back when their work ethic is questioned by tribemates. The general consensus is that Nakum wins the Immunity Challenge (see below) which sends Yaxha to their first Tribal Council. Now Stephenie has said (in a confessional to the camera) that she thinks that Jamie is lazy and not pulling his weight. This is believed to be the blow up referred to here.
And from the promos for episode 2,
The reward challenge appears to be some type of a mini-obstacle course relay race requiring the collection of colored bags hanging from a rope dome type structure suspended over water. The reward is probably a collection of fishing gear like line and hooks, etc.etc. The vidcaps of this challenge appear to have Amy sitting out for Yaxha, and in fact it is believed that Yaxha wins the reward challenge and gets to put Lydia’s fishmonger talents to use.
The Immunity challenge appears to be a type of tug-of-war in the mud. We know it starts out with both tribes hooked together. But in the end it all boils down to Gary against Judd in a good ‘ol fashion mud wrestling match. It also looks as if Judd wins for Nakum.
As I have said, I flat out refuse to even consider the possibility of my lovely Irish Lass getting the boot tonight, so I’m gonna break with the spoiler sites and say that Stephenie will realize the error of her ways (remember, she was instrumental in getting Jolanda booted first last season, which lead to Ulong’s downfall). She realizes that Make-up Models and Magician’s Assistants serve no purpose in furthering the tribe so it’s a 50/50 chance that either Brianna or Morgan gets the boot tonight.
Well, there you have it:
Reward Challenge Winner: Yaxha
Immunity Challenge Winner: Nakum
Tribal Council Bootee: Morgan or Brianna? I flipped a coin and it came up heads, so Morgan is tonight’s bootee. Please, oh Please let it not be Amy!
Anyway, I’ll be back Monday morning with my always enjoyable “Survivor Recap”. Till then,
Take care,
“At the very moment that Ray Nagin, the Mayor of New Orleans was screaming where's the food, where's the water, it was over the overpass, and state officials were saying you can't come in.” - Major Garrett, Fox News correspondent.
FReepmail me if you want added to, or removed from the one, the only, Official Survivor Ping List.
Tribal Council Bootee: Morgan or Brianna?
Hopefully Morgan. I wanna look at Brianna for little while longer :)
I agree. You said it more succinctly than I could have :)
ping
Hello jonny. Brianna is soon to be on. :) Have fun staring.
Im here pal
Hi, there :) Haven't seen you since last week.
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