Still Surviving

Yesterday I wrote about the new life that this season has brought to The Amazing Race. Well today, I thought I’d throw my two cents in on the old dinosaur that keeps on trucking, Survivor. While there have been some clunkers in seasons past like the China fiasco, this show has steadily plowed along. I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again, no one makes smart changes to their format like Survivor. The multiple merges, Exile Island, the multiple votes, all of these changes to the show have kept it fresh and this season they’ve done it again by sending contestants from opposing teams to Exile Island. The new opportunity this creates has not been lost on this well-rounded cast. Watching Taj and Brandon hatch their cross tribal alliance has been damn near exhilarating. Speaking of Taj, she is one many contestants who are both intriguing and bedeviling. Here you have a woman who had a moderately successful pop music career with SWV back in the 90’s. I believe I even had one of their albums. On top of that she’s married to former NFL star and current announcer Eddie George. You can’t argue that she needs the money, but you can appreciate the level of competitor she must be to put herself through the physical and emotional hell Survivor can bring. Then you’ve got Coach a player the show must have cast expecting a “villain”. Sadly Coach just can’t seem to get his act together and you half expect him to be gone next week. On the entertainment side you’ve got crazy old coot Sandy. Her lack of knowledge of the game, her teammates, and her environment just makes me giggle. I doubted that she’d last long but now she seems to be safe at least for a couple more episodes of guaranteed hilarity. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also acknowledge the producer’s ability to find great locations. The latest locale of Brazil is just breathtaking in HD both for its greenery and for its desert. Yep Survivor still has it going on and it’s hard to see it slowing down anytime soon.