Survivor: Tocantins

2-6-2009

[JillValentine]

Premiers Thursday, February 12 @ 8 PM EST/PST on SeeBS

16 new contestants will compete for the $1 million prize in the highlands of Brazil.

Who will be the Sole Survivor?

[Texas2step]

First, I thought the ousting of Brandon was a huge mistake by the "secret alliance" group. I really, really wanted to see a completely secret alliance take over the game, and they were poised to do so.

Brandon and Sierra screwed up by not immediately letting Taj and Stephen know that the secret alliance was still in play last week when the merge first happened. Had they done so, they could have easily been first in pulling in JT instead of letting Coach and Tyson suck him into their cabal. Big mistake.

But, it's not too late for the old Jalapao tribe to pull in Sierra and Erin (two "tribeless" souls) into a numbers alliance for the final five and then cut Erin and Sierra lose taking themselves to the final 3. If they do this, then it was very, very smart to get rid of Brandon now.

If they don't, then they have screwed up big time and will assure Coach, Debbie, and Tyson as the final 3. I'm hoping that they are smarter than that, but that remains to be seen.

[Tatze]

Coach's Susanville Symphony biography: Maestro Benjamin J. Wade

One of the greatest assets of the Susanville Symphony is in their Artistic Director/Conductor and his musically gifted leadership. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Benjamin J. Wade began as a child prodigy on Trumpet, making appearances with the Knoxville Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the New York Metropolitan Opera all by the time he was 17. Hailed as one of the best young trumpet players in the world, after winning the prestigious International Trumpet Guild Competition CG Conn Award in 1988, Wade went on a full music scholarship to the University of Tennessee. He later received his Masters of Music in Conducting from the University of Nevada under the tutelage of Dr. Mack MacGrannahan.

The musical insight, passion for beauty in music, demanding expectations for the orchestra, and his charisma in captivating the audience are just a few of the ways Maestro Wade has enveloped this community and pushed the Susanville Symphony to new heights. “I have always asked the musicians to think not just of the notes, but the music as well. We want to do so much more than just play the notes, we want to make people weep, smile, laugh, and ponder what we play. We seek that beauty not just in an entire composition, but in the individual bars and notes themselves.”

Wade also has other interests outside of music, and is considered by most to be a true “Renaissance Man”. In addition to his duties as the Conductor of the Susanville Symphony, he is also the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Southwest Baptist University, an NCAA institution in Bolivar, MO. He has one of the highest winning percentages of current collegiate coaches today, accumulating a record of 148-47-13 in twelve years. One of his proudest accomplishments came in 1996, when he set the world’s record for the longest solo kayak expedition (6,132 miles) when he paddled from San Felipe, BC to Punta Charambira, Colombia.

And pictures for comparison.

[JillValentine]

Here is a website from Coach's brother, Pete Wade. If you click on "Who Are We?" you'll see a biography page that makes a lot of outrageous and ridiculous claims about the Wade brothers' lives. Among other things Coach claims to:

- Be a direct descendant of Pocahontas.

- Have taught himself to read at the age of two. (His brother makes the same claim).

- Hold the world record for longest distance traveled solo in a kayak (6132 miles). I have not found this to be confirmed by any other source. Then again, CBS found this bit of information fit to put on their website, which is comforting given CBS's excellent track record of not promoting phony claims or documents.

- Have been rescued at the end of said kayak trip by relatives of Linda Ronstadt.

- Be the first to have traveled the full length of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers solo by kayak.

- Have been the inspiration for several scenes from the movie Cast Away.

His brother Pete, among other things, claims to have discovered a new mathematical theorem and solved a problem that had been puzzling mathematicians for thousands of years. (Again, not confirmed by any other source).

From the website:

"[Pete] and his brother Ben have lived amazing lives almost too astounding to believe..."

Um...

[Lee'sGhost]

“Wade also has other interests outside of music, and is considered by most to be a true “Renaissance Man”.”

By most what?

[Lee'sGhost]

I think everyone knows this from earlier, but just in case...

“Survivor” contestant Ben Wade might survive the Brazilian Highlands, but he couldn’t get through his day job.
Advertisement

Less than a week after Wade premiered on the CBS reality TV show, Southwest Baptist University fired Wade as its head women’s soccer coach.

Wade said Tuesday that he plans to pursue an acting career.

“I’m going to be the next big thing on the big screen,” Wade said in a phone interview.

SBU athletic director Brent Good said the school bought out the remaining three months of Wade’s contract because Wade did not tell Good that he left the team at mid-season to be on television.

“He said he was going to be gone for a week,” Good said. “And the week went beyond that, which went beyond that, which went beyond that.”

Good said Wade left the team on Oct. 22 — with two weeks left in the season — to go to the Brazilian Highlands to shoot the 18th season of the hit reality show. He returned to campus eight weeks later, on Dec. 17.

More at: http://www.news-leader.com/article/2009902180483

[Lee'sGhost]

“I’m going to be the next big thing on the big screen,”

Apparently he’s gained a lot of weight and is an extra in a porno film.

[Lee'sGhost]

Apparently he had a web site that cracked people up because he came across as a self serving ass. http://www.coachbenwade.com/ But I can’t even find a google cache of it.

[JillValentine]

SURVIVOR RECAP!

Forza (Merged) Tribe: Coach, Debbie, Erinn, JT, Sierra, Stephen, Taj, Tyson

The Jury: Brendan

Losers: Carolina, Candace, Jerry, Sandy, Spencer, Sydney, Joe

BRENDAN BLINDSIDED & VOTED OUT

The Forza Tribe sit under the midnight sky around the campfire as Coach begins to share a tale. “I want you to know that there are three people in the world that know this story,” Coach prefaces. He then proceeds to illustrate an unbelievable story of his kayaking trip down the Amazon River. The entire Forza tribe is stunned in disbelief at the incredible story they have just heard. After a moment of awkward silence, Brendan interjects. “How much does it cost to get a military ‘copter to drop you in?” Coach confidently replies, “That would be free.” When Brendan asks Coach how that was possible, Coach arrogantly responds, “I pulled some strings.” Brendan reflects on the moment. “I don’t believe this guy anymore. And if I don’t believe his stories, how can I believe what he’s saying to my face?”

THE DRAGON SLAYER AWAKENS

As the first light as day twenty-two dawns, Coach performs his morning Tai Chi-like workout, which he clarifies with his tribe mates is actually called “Chong Ran.” “If you do a Google search on it, you won’t find it. It’s only passed down verbally. You have to go there to the monastery to study it,” Coach proudly reveals. Feeling on top of his game, Coach lays out his plan. “You know if you look at it, to defeat an army, you have to cut the head off the dragon, which is why I nicknamed Brendan “The Dragon”…hence my name, “The Dragon Slayer,” says Coach. “Sierra is the bowel movements that come out of the dragon. After Brendan, Sierra’s gotta go,” he concludes.

REWARD CHALLENGE: ROCK BLOCK

The Forza Tribe arrives on their mat. Host Jeff Probst explains the rules of the challenge. The tribe will be divided into teams of three with each team assigned to a color – red, black, or white. Each team will have one row of eight ceramic tiles in the color that corresponds to their team color. One member from each team will toss a metal ball attempting to knock out one of the tiles belonging to the other two teams. When a team is out of tiles, they are out of the challenge. The last team with tiles in tact wins a white water rafting trip down the Rio Novo. After the rafting trip, the winning team will enjoy a picnic. In addition, the winning threesome will choose any member from either of the losing teams to go to Exile Island alone.

The red team consists of Tyson, Taj and Coach. Stephen, Sierra and Erinn make up the white team while Brendan, JT and Debbie make up the black team. The tossing begins with the black team down two tiles. Tile after tile is knocked out with all three teams fairly even throughout the challenge. As the challenge comes to an end, the red team is down to one tile left, while the black and white teams have two tiles left. Coach knocks out a black tile. Erinn knocks the red team out of the challenge after taking out their final tile. Brendan takes out a white tile. Finally there are two tiles remaining and both have been chipped by previous tosses. It is now up to Brendan and Sierra to win it for their respective teams. Sierra misses, while Brendan knocks out the final white tile. The black team of Brendan, JT and Debbie win the reward and send Stephen to Exile Island.

MAKING FIRE

Stranded alone on Exile Island, Stephen struggles to survive on his own in the vast emptiness of this arid climate. Having failed at camp to ever start a fire on his own, Stephen attempts to turn his greatest weakness into his greatest achievement: he attempts to make fire. He strikes the flint repeatedly throughout the day, and as darkness begins to close in, his goal is accomplished – he has made fire. “It was like giving birth to my first child,” Stephen cheers. “Being out here and making it was like winning my own reward,” he proudly proclaims.

WHITE WATER RAFTING REWARD

The next day, JT, Brendan and Debbie paddle across the breathtaking waters of the Rio Novo. They roar down several small waterfalls, savoring every moment. After the rafting, they pull off onto a bank where a picnic blanket lies with a huge spread of food – watermelon, chips, brownies, and sandwiches await the starving trio. “This is the best food in the world!” elates Debbie. After quickly devouring their first servings, Brendan probes JT to see if any of the old Timbira members have approached him. JT shakes his head “no” and Brendan rejoices in a golden opportunity to align himself with JT, doing whatever it takes to get him to the finals. “If he wins it, that’s like me winning it,” explains Brendan.

A CHANGE IN PLANS

The next morning, Brendan continues to enact his plan on furthering himself in the game by bringing along JT. He takes a walk away from camp with Sierra and lets her in on the plan. “Oh now you’re making friends with him,” says Sierra. Brendan lays out the plan. “Take out Tyson, Coach and Erinn,” says Brendan. Sierra, clearly fond of JT, sees this as a chance to keep him around longer and get herself further in the game. “It would absolutely break my heart to send JT home,” Sierra admits.

Brendan then presents his new plan to Taj, who doesn’t buy his sudden change of heart. “You can’t describe Timbira. I really want to know what that word stands for because it could mean ‘confused,” says Taj. Seeing as Brendan and the rest of Timbira are preoccupied with ousting their own tribe members, Taj laughs at the fact that she is fine with it since it ultimately keeps her in the game longer.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: ROPE-A-DOPE

The Forza Tribe arrives on their mat as Stephen returns from Exile Island. To Forza’s surprise, Stephen boasts that he was able to make fire on his own. Host Jeff Probst explains the rules of the challenge. Each tribe member will be attached to a long rope that is threaded through a series of obstacles. Tribe members will climb over, crawl under and maneuver around these obstacles, then race to the finish. The first three people to reach the finish move on to the final round where they will once again be attached to one long rope, only the obstacle is three levels high. The first person to finish wins immunity.

The Survivors are off, racing through the first set of obstacles. At first, many castaways such as Taj, Erinn and Coach become tangled in the ropes, but soon make progress. JT, Tyson, Brendan and Sierra take the lead as Stephen and Taj fall behind. Tyson and JT are in the lead, with Sierra and Brendan right behind. Tyson and JT throw themselves over the obstacles as they race to the finish. Sierra and Brendan are still right behind, with the others severely lagging behind. JT and Tyson are the first to make it to the finish as Brendan and Sierra battle it out for one last spot in the finals. Both are neck-and-neck until the last moment, when Brendan crosses the finish line, tripping over his rope in the process.

In the final round, Brendan takes the lead, with JT and Tyson right behind. All three finalists climb, crawl under and flip around this giant obstacle. JT falls behind, and in the end it is a battle between Tyson and Brendan. Ultimately, Tyson steals the lead from Brendan, winning individual immunity for the second time in a row.

THE DRAGON WHIPS HIS TAIL

As the Forza Tribe cheers Tyson for his amazing athleticism during the immunity challenge, they begin to confirm their plans of voting out Brendan. “I’ve already got it set up so four votes go to Brendan, three votes go to Sierra,” reveals Tyson, referring to his original plan three days prior before Jeff Probst announced there would not be a Tribal Council due to Joe’s knee injury, which took him out of the game, thus postponing Tribal Council.

With Tribal Council looming, Brendan announces his plans to get rid of Coach, citing that he has already convinced Taj, JT, Stephen and Sierra to vote with him. “I think that this will be one of the biggest blindsides in the game, which I guess I’m happy to be a part of on the good side,” says Brendan. JT tells a stunned Stephen about Brendan’s plan to vote out Coach and take JT to the finals, which Stephen agrees might be a smart move. As the two begin discussing Coach’s unbelievable Amazon story, JT asserts that, had he been in a similar situation, he would have done some things differently. “I’d go back with a damn thirty-thirty Winchester and see what them bows do then,” JT claims. As Tribal Council nears, Brendan confirms with the tribe that voting out Coach is a go. Coach, on the other hand, is confident that Brendan will be the next to go.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

Host Jeff Probst asks the Forza Tribe who tells the best campfire stories and, without hesitation, Taj responds “Coach.” She then proceeds to give Jeff the rundown on Coach’s Amazon story, detailing how he was kidnapped by a tribe of natives and nearly killed. When Jeff questions the validity of Coach’s story, Coach holds his ground and even alludes that there were details he didn’t reveal. “Usually when I tell these stories, I try to give the PG-13 version of it,” says Coach. Coach then continues, explaining that he has several scars and tattoos all over his body which remind him of the five, six or seven life or death situations that he has been through. Everyone seems to find this a little hard to believe. “They cannot question my integrity and my honesty. That’s how I’m playing this game, that’s how I play my life,” Coach preaches. Jeff switches gears, asking each tribe member if they have the hidden immunity idol. Each person denies possessing it except for Brendan, to the shock of his tribe. With this, the tribe members cast their votes. In the end, Coach got his way, and “The Dragon” was slain. With four votes cast against him, while the remaining six were split between Coach and Sierra, Brendan Synnott, the 30 year-old entrepreneur from New York, New York, became the eighth person voted out and the first person on the jury of SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS: THE BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS.

I'll be back on Thursday with next week's preview and picks.

Imprison Geithner or free Hatch!

[kingu]

I love how yet another immunity idol goes out of the game in someone's pocket, though probably will be more amused when they show Sierra realizing that her free ticket to the final five walked away from an extinguished torch.

Judging from the past, they'll put new clues on Exile Island, and probably two idiots will go and fail to find the idol.

For me, if I was an idiot and didn't practice firemaking for weeks before going on Survivor, I would certainly have spent every moment I could trying to make fire as fast as possible on Exile Island - how many times has failure to make fire cost someone a shot at a million dollars on this game? A load - and that'd be how I'd pass my time there.

As for those who say Coach should have been voted out - I'm sure there's a load of people looking towards Coach and going, gosh, if he's sitting next to me, the jury's sure to vote me to win, not that jerk... Which kinda puts the target a lot stronger on Tyson and JT, who'd likely both garner more votes from the jury.

Myself, I'd much rather see Coach on the jury early, rather than put up with watching him much longer, and run the risk that they pull a fast one and have a three way final, and the other two split the good guy votes and Coach picks up the win. (about the only way I could see him actually winning.)

[JillValentine]

LOL @ this.

[JillValentine]

SURVIVOR PING!

Forza (Merged) Tribe: Coach, Debbie, Erinn, JT, Sierra, Stephen, Taj, Tyson

The Jury: Brendan

Losers: Carolina, Candace, Jerry, Sandy, Spencer, Sydney, Joe

Episode 9 title: "It's Funny When People Cry"

One castaway begs for a second chance but becomes an outcast after an emotional outburst. A group of castaways get a taste of Brazilian culture and cuisine on an exotic reward. A nail-biting immunity challenge comes down to the wire with shocking results. One softspoken mastermind presents a devious strategic move to his alliance at the last minute. Will he be able to pull off an upset?

Reward Challenge: Contestants will be divided into two teams of four each. The red team is Debbie, Erinn, JT, and Tyson. The black team is Coach, Sierra, Stephen, and Taj. The challenge involves running through the woods carrying heavy objects.

Immunity Challenge: Contestants will slide disks across a board to try to get as close to a mark as possible.

Spoilers (highlight to see):

Reward Challenge Winner: Red Team

Immunity Challenge Winner: Debbie

Voted Off: Sierra

I'll be back after the show with the recap.

Imprison Geithner or free Hatch!

[PeteB570]

Voted off and emotional outburst would appear to be be the same - from last weeks previews.

I don’t see an upset tonight as it appears to still be going coach’s way.

[Lee'sGhost]

Hope you are wrong, but suspect you are right.

[piperpilot]

From what I’m reading on the other Survivor sites today, it’s Tyson’s turn to go, and I hope they’re right. I just can’t stand Tyson. Coach is obnoxious but harmless. Tyson, however, is just nasty business.

[girlscout]

I'm with you! I'm holding out hope that the other sites are correct in their prediction. From what I can tell though it's just wishful thinking and not from any inside source.

[Lee'sGhost]

I think Tyson and Renee are about the two most sucky players ever. Boston Rob sucked because he was stupid. These two gusy are arrogant and evil. Renee is an asshat/assclown/delusional retard.

[Lee'sGhost]

AAAAaaaaaaa...... “Not like I had to line them up in the Amazon.” What a frakin mental case.

[Lee'sGhost]

Erin: This is not an easy decision.

Yes it is, idiot.

[Lee'sGhost]

YYyyyyeeeeeeeesssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!1

Greatest blindside in Survivor history!!!

Whooooohooooo!!!!!!!!!

[PeteB570]

I’m sitting there talking with the wife as it cut to commercials.

I said Coach has to know who the “Players” were (Steve, Taj and JT). With only Deb he’d have to hit on Irin and Seirra. Wife goes “No way” as it cuts to previews and there is Coach hitting up on the two.