Last Sunday was The Amazing Race finale and tomorrow is the end of the current season of Survivor. Let’s first start by celebrating that CBS has picked up Seasons 29 & 30 for Fall 2014 and Winter 2015. Also announced is that Jeff Probst will be return as both Host and Executive Producer which is awesome that the show can continue especially following the last three seasons which have been awesome.

Back to The Amazing Race I was actually disappointed by the tasks in the finale. It was painfully obvious that Jason and Amy had it in the bag early on which took a lot of the drama out of the second hour. I was also fed up with Amy helping Nicole in the challenges. I understand the need to be nice and I fully supported helping each other when they started the task but the addition help when she finished hers just pissed me off. But they won in the end so maybe karma stayed on their side for being good human beings. 

They way Travis was treating Nicole totally turned me off of them. They were like a Fair Weather couple who fall apart when things get tough. At times I actually felt like shaking him and telling him to shut up or actually support his wife. I think it would have been worse if they had lost to Jamal and Leo but luckily for them neither of the guys know how to follow instructions or pay attention to detail.

Overall I would give the season a B-. Marie played a great villian (which only increased when admitting that she forced Tim to accept a deal that she would get 60% of the prize if they won) and their were enough fun teams to follow but no really great teams. The season loses points because other then climbing the ice wall the final tasks lacked any real drama or excitement. Even still I will be on the couch ready for the start of the next season.

 

I just wanted to make a quick comment about how X Factor’s Alex and Sierra took over iTunes the last two weeks with Say Something and Gravity (not to mention the other acts who also charted) but no one seems to actually watch the show. It’s ratings are almost at the CW levels and if it comes back next fall I can predict that it would probably  lose to either Arrow or The Vampire Diaries (or both). It’s actually kind of amazing that Alex and Sierra can sell so well the last two weeks with such low ratings. They are clearly connecting with people even if the show continues to be largely ignored.

Now onto another show where my pre-season pick is still alive even if it is only a matter of time that she is out. Ciera has played well the last two episodes even if she ended up on the losing side both weeks. I think it will take multiple immunity idol wins to get her to the final tribal and I don’t think she has another win in her personally. She did awesome at the puzzle portion of last week’s challenge but Gervase came close to getting it as well and if any future puzzles require a huge physical task before it (which they usually do) she can’t avoid to have such a disadvantage going into the puzzle especially if her mother gets back into the game.

Without immunity wins by Ciera and who ever re-enters the game they will be picked off by Tyson, Gervase, and Monica. I think Tyson and Gervase did a good job of controlling Monica’s emotions last week and I don’t see her flipping going forward. She really lost her chance to make a move and take out Gervase so I think she is tied into her alliance going forward because it makes no real sense for her to jump because if she jumps it would just look like Ciera’s big move by convincing her and if she stays she will continue to be seen as Tyson’s lap dog. It’s really a tough spot to be in.

We have 7 players going into the finale with 6 of them having a legit chance to win it all. Let’s be honest here and admit that there is no way Tina will beat Laura and Hayden at the final dual to get back into the game which means she is out next.

Hayden and Laura both have the same path. They must win the dual and then win both immunity challenges to make it to the final tribal. It’s the Ozzy path to the final and even he failed at it and was sent home in fourth. But if they do pull it off they would have the season in the bag because I think the Jury will respect the large task that was needed to make it to the end. It’s not impossible but it will be very hard to pull off. I think Laura would have the better chance of making it happen because one of the final challenges almost always includes a puzzle and she has shown she is amazing at puzzles and can handle the physical portion that proceeds a puzzle.

Ciera is one step ahead of the above two. I don’t see her convincing Monica to swap going forward since I think she has already showed all her cards at this point and I think Monica will feel she would have a better chance to win by staying loyal to Tyson and Gervase. Like I said above I don’t see her winning back to back to back immunity challenges so it leaves her odds at winning very low. Back if she did pull off the miracle hail Mary pass I think she would lock up the win against anyone other then Laura and Hayden. It’s just a real long shot.

With those long shots out of the way I actually think the final three will be Tyson, Gervase, and Monica. I have thought this since the merge because it is just the way it looked like it would go since Aras and Vytas were sent packing. Here’s are some Pros and Cons I see for each to win or lose the season.

Tyson

Pro: I think he has been seen as the ring leader of his side of the alliances. He has managed his relationships wisely by making others think they had a say while always ensuring the vote went how he wanted it to go. He also managed problems at tribal by keeping a cool head and not attacking people or overly defending attacks against him. I think he will keep calm in the final tribal which could help him convince the jury to vote for him.

Cons: If he is stuck with a bitter jury then he is done. He has back stabbed or turned on almost every member of the jury and we all know that sometimes juries hold grudges (just ask Russel Hantz).

Gervase

Pros: He has been right beside Tyson since the merge and in reality has made just as many decisions. He has also won some immunity challenges which always help.

Cons: I think his outbursts and ego will actually hurt him in the end. He is not always able to keep it cool and collected when being attacked. I think he will also look like a follower doing Tyson’s bidding. He also had alliances with most on the jury early on so the back stabbing and bitter jury apply to him just as much as Tyson.

Monica

Pros: She won more immunity challenges then anyone else this season and she can argue that she has stayed loyal to her alliance the entire season. She also will be seen as the one who did the least back stabbing.

Cons: She could be seen as the won riding the coattails. Even with the challenge wins the vote was always perceived as Tyson’s decision rather then hers. I also think she will have a hard time handling tough questions that attack her at the final tribal.

I actually that so many contestants actually have a legit shot at winning the season.

With all that out of the way I actually think we have a jury that will respect the game play and not allow bitter emotions control their choices. For that reason I think Tyson will be walking away as the winner of Survivor Blood vs. Water.

As is tradition in these posts here are a view videos of Katie the Day After and her at Ponderosa.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water – Katie The Day After

Survivor: Blood vs. Water – Katie Arrives At Ponderosa

Overall I would give Survivor: Blood vs. Water an A-. It had a lull in the middle episodes after the merge with a few predictable boots but we did see the return of the rock draw and there were many twist and turns. I also never expected the added elements the Blood vs. Water twist would open up such as having to worry about an alliance mate playing more for their loved one then their alliance. It added a new exciting layer to a show I already loved.

This will be my last post for these seasons of the shows. I would be happy to continue offering my thoughts when the next seasons start up if MJ is open to it. I have really enjoyed recapping the shows for the last few seasons and I want to again thank Steven and Montavilla for stepping in and taking over when my life got in the way.

Thanks to MJ for allowing me to write these weekly posts and for the opportunity to recap the past few seasons of The Amazing Race and Survivor. I was glad to be a part of helping the blog expend into other reality shows and I hope it continues to  grow as a place to go for news and recaps on Reality shows.

Lastly thanks to the people who actually read these posts. I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts and seeing what others have felt about the twist and turns of two of the best reality shows on TV. I hope everyone enjoys the Survivor Finale and Happy Holidays to everyone.