And what was with Brandon killing the only egg-laying chicken because he let the first one get away?!

Brandon = not smart.

Actually, I wondered if we saw some of that so that some groundwork is laid for Brandon being one of the first Upolu to go.

I'm trying to decide if I liked last night's episode or not. On one hand, it was pretty dull. On the other hand, there's potential now for some decent game-play. Random thoughts about last night...

Coach has the HII, right? Why are all the Survivors ignoring that? Have they forgotten about it? What gives?

Cochran to Jeff @ Tribal Council regarding Brandon: "Talking to Brandon about strategy is like talking to you about shirts that aren't blue." iChuckled.

Wouldn't it be something if Cochran beats Ozzy at Redemption Island?

I understand why Upolu voted the way they did, but honestly, Cochran seems like the best player to take with you to the end. Brandon should have been voted out. Heck, I'm almost surprised he hasn't been removed from the game because of his wacky state of mind. The boy's seriously got some issues. I hope the previews aren't misleading.

I didn't really like it, probably because I wanted Cochrane to go further.

But I did wonder, with the preview clip at the end, if Cochrane just might beat Ozzy. I seriously doubt it, but we'll see.

Actually, I think Brandon would be excellent jury fodder.

I DIED laughing at the blue shirt comment, in large part because it seemed to go over Jeff and Brandon's heads.

So, I was hoping that we were being misled by all the shots featuring a presumed-victorious Ozzy on Redemption Island (surveying his domain from the top of a tree, diving for fish, resting in his shanty, expressing his domination of the game, etc...). I was hoping that the producers weren't just teasing us when they hinted at the possibility that Cochran might pull off a win over Ozzy in the RI duel. I was hoping that not only would Cochran win RI, but that Brandon would be either voted out by his tribe or pulled out by his dad. I was hoping last night's episode would essentially be the opposite of what it actually was.

But, hat's off to the 5 Upolus who are still around. They did it. I never expected them to pull it off, what with Brandon's psychosis, Rick's invisibility, and Coach's Kool-Aid, and all. How in the world did such a dysfunctional group make it to this point? Crazy. And now, I don't know who I'm rooting for. I'm leaning toward Coach or Ozzy, but I really would like to see a newbie win the game. Maybe Edna will beat Ozzy and return to the game, just to win it all. I think I'd like to see that. (Although, I've never really been a fan of Edna's so I'm not sure why I'm leaning that way.) This season is strange. So very strange.

I was glad Cochran went out feeling like a hero (even If only in his own mind) he deserved it.

The previews seem to make it clear that Edna beats Ozzy, but I can't imagine them actually showing that. There must be something wrong with that fourth side that wasn't shown. It's not that I don't believe that Edna could beat Ozzy at a mental puzzle, I just don't think the producers would hand us that kind of info.

Meanwhile, I was kinda disappointed by Edna's behavior. She was acting betrayed that the six person alliance was voting her out now that it was just the six of them. I find it hard to believe that she didn't realize that she was toward the bottom of that alliance. If she really was that naïve, that's totally her fault for not politicing enough.

Brandon's dad looked REALLY young. I realize that Brandon is only 19, so he could have easily been around 40, but he didn't even look that.

Is the finale 12/18?

I can't quite believe I'm saying this, but I'm pulling for Ozzy at this point. There was a time I really liked Sophie, but like you I think she blew her chance. Albert hasn't really impressed me. Brandon is barely worth mentioning. And who is this Rick person anyway?

That leaves Coach. While I think he has been more sane this season than others, the man is still delusional. For someone who preaches honor and integrity, the distiniction last night between giving someone his word and giving someone his word "as a Christian man" was simply laughable and pathetic.

So I'm left with Ozzy. If he makes it to the final 3, he's got an edge jury-wise -- something Upolu failed to consider in their tribe loyalty mantra and their decision to jettison Cochrane instead of Rick.

Alternatively, if it's a final 2, and if Edna stays loyal to Coach (a big if, I think), that means four Savaii who'll probably vote for Ozzy, four Upolu who might vote for Coach, and Cochrane as the swing. That could be interesting.

I am pulling for Ozzy too. But only because there is no one else I think should win the game. He's having to battle day after day while most of them are coasting. I think an Ozzy-Coach final two would be really interesting. Although taking Brandon to the finals wouldn't be bad strategy because who's really going to vote for him to win?

I can't decide if I'd rather see Brandon make it to the Final 3 and have to answer questions, or be on the jury and be required to throw a few questions at the finalists. I feel as though he'd flip out more if he was the one asking the questions.

I don't know that there's anyone left who idm really rooting for. I can't stand Coach and Ozzy. Both of them are extremely pretentious, and I can't stand the way they've "led" their tribes.

I had high hopes for Albert and Sophie. They're younger, but they didn't fall into the stereotypical 'young people on Survivor' category. Sophie wasn't prancing around in a bikini and Albert didn't think he had it all figured out on day 1. They laid low, and I was completely convinced one (or both of them) were going to execute big moves. And actually, they still could if they pull Rick over to their side and start voting against the others.

But I don't think that'll happen.

Wow. Oh, Brandon. What a terrible move. I could just hear his dad and Uncle Russell yelling at the TV last night.

All the Team God stuff this season is crazy. Coach praying to find out who God wants voted out next - priceless. Over the top, but a brilliant way to handle Brandon's exit. 'Sorry Brandon. I didn't want to vote you out, but God told me to do it.' It really couldn't have gone better for Coach.

It'll be an interesting finale. My money's on Ozzy.

Well, and because the majority (or at least half) of the jury will be Savai'is who'll stay loyal to Ozzy. That's the flaw in the plan of Upolu pagonging Savai'i. In a traditional pagonging, there's no one left in the Final 2 or 3 for the pagonged tribe to be loyal to and to vote for instead of the people who ousted them. But with Redemption Island, there just might be.

Last night really was like watching a train wreck. Perhaps the most entertaining parts were the looks on the juror's faces. Well, that and Albert's reaction to Brandon's ouster.

I was avoiding this thread until I could watch the episode tonight, but since my boss blabbed whay happened.....stupid Brandon.


By the way, it looks like there's a good chance I'll be staying for the whole Nutcracker performance on Sunday night, instead of leaving at intermission after singing...does anyone know if CBS posts the entire finale, including reunion? I really need to get a DVR.:rolleyes:

I love Cochran.

Is it just me, or did Brandon look like Sinead O'Connor at the reunion?

I do feel bad for him, as his family (including Russell) is disappointed in him and how he played the game.

Next season seems interesting.. I can't wait to see how that one plays out..

Thanks to the delay, I ended up getting home just in time to see the whole thing.

While I hadn't been impressed with Sophie most of the game, she did well in front of the jury. It seemed like she was given the most opportunity to answer legit questions. I actually thought Coach did a decent job of at least giving the jury the answers they were looking for. Unfortunately for them, I think Ozzy had it nailed that most of the jury members didn't want to vote for any of them.

I am interested to see what happens next season. I would also love to see them bring Cochran back in a future season, now that he seems to have gained some self-awareness. Although it might go to his head that he would be the "celebrity" of his tribe.

I agree. I just sat there thinking "what a brutal tribal council." I was interested how many of the jurors talked about the use/misuse of religion.

I haven't watched the reunion yet, but I did watch up until Sophie won. (And I groaned when Probst told us Russell was there. Can we just ban any Hantzes from ever appearing on the show -- even for a second -- again? Please?!)

I thought Sophie was really the only choice among the three. I had liked her early on, then became disappointed in her. But I thought she did very well in front of the jury. While I agree with Edna and Cochrane that they're on Survivor, and manipulation is all part of the game, I think Coach was just too big of a hypocrite to win.

And good grief, Ozzy really is arrogant and immature -- though I would have voted for him hands down if he'd been in the Final 3.

I haven't read any post-show anything yet - I wonder if Albert was shocked that he didn't get ANY votes? He seemed pretty confident going into final tribal, but I wonder if he saw the light by the end?

I think if Coach hadn't made any promises, as a Christian man or otherwise, he would have been handed a check for a million dollars last night. What Edna said is true.. It's all part of the game, being duped at some point by the 3 people left at the end.. But Coach preached about playing an honest game and used his faith to make people believe he was being genuine, which either offended those who were religious, or simply just pissed people off.

The religion thing had been wearing on my nerves all season. There have been some genuine people who did it okay - though still made me cringe at times. Matt from the first RI and Leslie from China come to mind. I did not feel that religion was used genuinely at all this season - not once. I felt it was used for manipulation and show.

However, it would make for an interesting twist to do a multi-tribe season divided by religion. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist maybe? Yes, I understand that it oversimplifies and leaves out religious classifications, but you would have to draw a line somewhere. I don't think it would ever happen - too easy to piss off more people than the intrigue gains. It would still be an interesting social experimentation.

Exactly. That's the hypocrisy I was talking about. Coach made it all about honor and integrity, and he seemed to delude himself into thinking that he was living up to that until the very end. That's what cost him the $1M, I think. Not the manipulation and stabbing people in the back, not even telling Cochrane he was Hercules. It was the way in which everyone could see that he had not only lied, but had done so while berating others for lack of honor and integrity.

I thought one of the smartest things Sophie did at TC was to reveal how the HII was found and how Coach participated in praying that it would be found when he had it in his pocket. The look on Brandon's face was priceless.

Since I haven't watched the reunion yet, I don't know if it was covered or not -- do we know how the jurors (other than Cochrane and Dawn) voted?

I was shocked when Sophie did that, but I was laughing at the same time. What I remembered most during that episode was Coach saying something along the lines of, "I'm not lying.. I'm simply omitting the truth" .. But again, he did it by using Brandon's faith to pull it off.

Coach really did screw himself.

I was also wondering how everyone voted. I thought I must have missed it, but I guess not..

It was 3/6 with Cochran, Jim and Brandon (moron) voting Coach.

It was also revealed that Keith and Whitney are now dating, despite Whitney being in a relationship when the game started. I actually didn't see that one coming, they didn't seem THAT buddy-buddy out there...Ponderosa romance, I guess?

Hantz's WHAT? :eek: :p

Actually, that came out a few months ago. And that relationship when the game started was, from what I've read, a marriage that she and her husband didn't tell anyone about.

LOL!!

:o

(It's fixed now.)

I thought it was a bad k.d. lang impression.

Forgot to mention this before, but did it look to anyone else that Brandon had gotten additional tattooage to cover up the "loco"?

Maybe it is just the mom in me but my heart broke for crazy Brandon. Yes he is a nutcase but with family like that who can help it. Evidently Russell is not the only one who is an ass in that family. I just can't ever imagine being mad at my son over something as stupid as a TV show.

I sure hope that Brandon and his true family (wife and kids) cut ties with the rest of his family. Russell has ice water for blood. He was mean when he told the world that Brandon played a bad game yet Russell never won the game either. I could not believe that the rest of the family had "things to do" rather than join Brandon at the finale. And to think I have always thought my family was cold and dysfunctional. Brandon's makes mine look like a really nice family.


DaffyKD