Survivor Nicaragua: Reunion Show Recap

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After Fabio was named the winner of Survivor Nicaragua, the entire cast was reunited for the final hour. This is the time we often learn more about what was left on the editing room floor during the season, and why some votes went the way they did. Then there are the awkward times when we learn a little too much about the Survivor contestants. It’s always a fun show.

Jeff Probst started with Fabio, asking him if the nickname has stuck. “You started out here as Judson. Has the new name stuck?” Jud told us that he is now Fabio, likely forever. Then we got to see a picture of Jud in his modeling days pre- Survivor Nicaragua. Yum! This was also the time when Fabio confessed to being from a family of artists. His father invented “something” and his grandfather designed the folding card table for Samsonite (I believe he said that company). No need for Jud to take care of his family, it appears.

Survivor Nicaragua: Fabio Wins & Jane is America's Favorite Player

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After 39 days in the rain forest we finally see the Survivor Nicaragua players all cleaned up tonight. After a couple of intense Tribal Councils and a little more back stabbing, Fabio was pronounced the youngest winner of the $1 million Survivor prize. Jane won the $100,000 prize for America's Favorite Player votes.

Here's how the Survivor Nicaragua finale and reunion show went down:

After a short recap, the final five entered the Immunity Challenge. It was a  puzzle challenge and Fabio continued his reign of terror (albeit giggling terror). Winning easily over the other three, Fabio secured his spot in the final four.

Survivor Nicaragua: The Wrath of Jane

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After a recap of last week’s episode and the mild shake up of Benry’s back door exit, Survivor Nicaruagua got started with an uncomfortable return to camp. Fabio was surprised at the vote, but happy to still be in the game. After more drama than you can shake a stick at, Jane’s alliance turned on her this week when the got the opportunity. Jane was sent out the front door and off Survivor Nicaragua.

The six remaining players were in for a treat this week. The Reward Challenge brought messages from home and a chance to spend time with them. After much product placement of the new Sprint EVO phone, Survivor players were sent to the challenge in hopes of seeing loved ones in the flesh. They weren’t disappointed. Chase stuck his big size 12’s in his mouth again, as he promised Fabio he would choose him to join the reward if he won it again.

Survivor Nicaragua: Benry Gets Backdoored

The night in Survivor Nicaragua started with the aftermath of last week’s quitter-fest 2010. When NaOnka and Kelly chose to leave the game, they left then alliance member Sash hanging in the Nicaraguan wind. Two new alliances emerged. Sash was not part of either of them. He played both sides until finally landing with Chase, Jane and Holly. The four of them backdoored Benry... that sounds a lot dirtier than it is, really.

Jeff Probst kicked off Survivor Nicaragua by narrating what we’ve apparently missed on the edit room floor (thanks to NaOnka’s antics, likely). There were three solid alliances, now there are two. Chase, Jane and Holly are strong mentally and physically. Benry, Dan and Fabio are the other unlikely trio. Sash had to choose a new side. All know that Sash holds a hidden immunity idol (given to him by Marty), so he’s safe for tribal council anyway.

Sash talked to Chase and was upfront about having the idol. Chase said they were good, and they should stay with the women (Holly & Jane). Chase also said at the next Reward Challenge Holly and Sash were givens to be asked along if they didn’t win.

What’s on Network TV Tonight? (12/08/10)

Wednesday nights just got a little more full, as The Sing-Off airs tonight with the rest of the great TV offerings. This remains the best night on network TV, I think. Nearly every show is a new episode, heading into the end of the fall season. Grab a comfy couch cushion and get comfortable!


Here’s what’s on network TV tonight:


ABC
8/7c: The Middle - new episode
Jerry Van Dyke and Marsha Mason guest star as Frankie’s parents who come to visit for Christmas. Things get tense when the Heck’s idea of celebrating is not the same as Frankie’s.


8:30/7:30c: Better With You - new episode
Maddie comes up with a plan to skip Christmas at her parents’ lake house after seeing that Mia gets away with using her pregnancy as an excuse.

Survivor Nicaragua: NaOnka and Purple Kelly Both Quit the Game

Survivors watched "Gulliver's Travels" starring Jack BlackCover of Jack Black

Tonight’s episode started with a weird vibe, and ended in a way that no other episode in 21 seasons of Survivor has. Two people quit the game. Yep. NaOnka and Purple Kelly (drop that purple now!) decided they’d had enough and told Jeff Probst to “smuff” their torches. Okay, actually Kelly said to “snuff” hers out proving she’s only slightly brighter than NaOnka.

Jeff Probst narrated a long recap (even after last week’s recap show), to start the episode. Talking about how the weather had worn on the castaways. We watched as storm after storm hit the Survivor camps this season. It felt like another storm was brewing.

What’s on Network TV Tonight? (12/01/10)

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This Wednesday night is a mix of new episodes and reruns. Look at the listings closely to know for sure if it’s safe to miss you favorite shows. Survivor and Hell’s Kitchen both bring new episodes as they near their respective finales.

Here’s what’s on network TV tonight:

ABC
8/7c: The Middle - rerun
Frankie has an embarrassing moment when she goes shopping for diapers for a babysitting Sue and the clerk thinks she is looking for adult diapers. Later Frankie’s back goes out and she has to try and hide it from Mike.

Survivor Nicaragua: Brenda Doesn’t Scramble (but she did go home!)

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The puppets turned on the puppet master tonight. It happens every season of Survivor. Last week Brenda and Sash were running the game with a strong alliance. Tonight, out of the blue NaOnka smelled her best friend’s blood in the water and attacked like a hungry shark. When the feeding frenzy was over, Brenda was voted off Survivor Nicaragua to join the jury.

The jig was up after last week’s vote that evicted Marty. The alliances were pretty clear on the walk back to camp. Holly felt in the most danger and started clinging to Jane and tossing around Brenda’s name for this week. Jane talked to the other women, including NaOnka.

Once NaOnka had her “best friend” in her sights, she could not let go. Spreading Brenda’s name as a threat, everybody seemed ready to jump on the bandwagon. That is until she got to Chase. Poor, stupid Chase. Apparently Chase has never seen an episode of Survivor. He ran straight to Brenda and spilled the beans.

Survivor Nicaragua: Marty Takes the Walk of Shame

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The rift that started between Marty and Jane in the original older tribe grew even greater after last week’s tribal council on Survivor Nicaragua. After Alina took the fall, the tribe headed back to camp with a smoldering Jane. She became even more focused on getting Marty out of the tribe, and by the end of the night Jane got her wish. Marty got voted off Survivor Nicaragua tonight and became the second jury member.

There were separate reward and immunity challenges tonight. Neither was very intense, so the focus of the show was the tribal drama. At one point Jane said she wanted to “take [Marty] to the woodshed and whoop his ass!”

What’s on Network TV Tonight? (11/10/10)

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Tonight’s prime time lineup gets even better with the addition of the CMA’s on ABC. Now the hardest night to keep up with just got a little tougher. At least it’s only for one week. Now there should be something for everyone on tonight!

Here’s what’s on network TV tonight:

ABC
8/7c: 44th Annual Country Music Awards - live
Hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. Guests include Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Gwenyth Paltrow, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts and more.

Survivor Nicaragua: NaOnka Steals Food and Alina Goes Home

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Tonight’s episode of Survivor Nicaragua was short on action and long on drama. Right off the bat teams were merged into a single tribe. Marty named the new tribe Libertad (he said it means ‘liberty’...but since it’s Marty, it could mean ‘pea soup’). The game is down to eleven players tonight after Alina wound up being voted off and becomes the first member of the Survivor Nicaragua jury.

The new tribe was given a chest full of food and happily began gorging. After a while of cooking and feeling taken advantage of, NaOnka decided to steal the tribe’s flour. Then she took a frying pan, a bowl and quite a bit of fruit, and stashed it in the forest. Eating by herself, NaOnka said, “It tastes better when you’re stealing! Like sweet victory!” M’kay.

Survivor Nicaragua: Marty Survives a Stupid Move & Jane Gets a Fish

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This is probably the least cohesive Survivor cast ever. Though there are a few small alliances, it’s all about numbers not loyalty. I would have never guessed that Mary and Jane would have the strongest bond, but they did. Even when it became obvious that Jane was the target tonight, Marty stayed true and did not right down her name. Jane still got eliminated tonight on Survivor Nicaragua.

Here’s how it all happened.

Tensions ran a little high on LaFlor after the blowup at Tribal Council. Marty immediately asked what happened. He didn’t get much of an answer, other than they admitted to wanting to flush out his idol.

What’s on Network TV Tonight? (10/27/10)

If last night was not enough for you on network TV, tonight should make up for things. The only thing missing from tonight’s normally packed lineup is Hell’s Kitchen...again. Come on FOX, let’s just pick a team to win the World Series and call it a night already. Soon we’ll have the Super Bowl and World Series during the same week it seems.

Here’s what’s on network TV tonight:

ABC
8/7c: The Middle - new episode
It’s the Halloween special. Frankie and Mike get invited to an adult Halloween party. Axl and his friends go to haunted houses.

Survivor Nicaragua: Kelly B. and Yve Leave the Game

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The Survivor Nicaragua players were treated to another twist tonight. Each tribe would play for individual immunity and both tribes would go to tribal council to vote one player off.

The challenge was a combination individual immunity and reward. I'm naming the challenge the backward-ass ring toss. Each player had to compete within their tribe to find three rope rings and toss them over their heads into a basket attached to their bums.

Holly took over for her team and won quickly. Jill took out the rest of her team to win individual immunity for herself. The two Survivor ladies then played each other to win a feast for their entire team. Jill won the food for the LaFlor tribe. They also won the opportunity to watch the Espada tribal council... and eat in front of them.

Laflor went to tribal council first and attempted to flush out Marty's hidden immunity idol. Brenda was the queen bee calling the shots for LaFlor. Problem was, she played her hand with no poker face. Marty stood firm and did not play his idol. The votes came down in a tie for Marty and Kelly B., so the tribemates had to vote again. For no apparent reason, they chose to swing and vote out Kelly B.

While LaFlor feasted on chicken and beef kabobs, Espada gave a far less tribal council. It was between Dan (no threat to anyone) and Yve (ready to turn on anyone to keep playing). Yve was voted off in quick fashion.

Who are you rooting for this season of Survivor?


Copyright @ 2008 TV Review

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• 'Survivor: Nicaragua' -- Feast or Famine (VIDEO) (tvsquad.com)

What’s on Network TV Tonight? (10/20/10)

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Are you ready for the most stacked night on network TV? Wednesday’s are tough, since so many shows air opposite each other. Set the DVR to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Here’s what’s on network TV tonight:

ABC
8/7c: The Middle - new episode
A foreign exchange student comes to live with the Heck family, but shows no interest in them at all.

Survivor Nicaragua: Tyrone Gets the Axe at Tribal Council

Survivor Nicaragua gives out a chicken & rooster rewardImage via Wikipedia

The previews led us to believe there would be an early merge on Survivor Nicaragua tonight. There was a change up in tribes, but no merge. New captains were picked and the teams were redivided. Three members of the older tribe went to LaFlor and four of the younger tribe members went to Espada. At the end of the night, it was Tyrone that ended his journey on Survivor Nicaragua.

Tribe switching was not the only shake up tonight. The Medallion of Power was retired and the Reward/Immunity Challenges were split up again. All is right with Survivor again. Well, almost anyway.

The other change was in NaOnka’s attitude. After weeks of being the tribe bully on LaFlor, NaOnka found herself cold and alone on the new Espada tribe. Finding herself cold and wet from the storms took its toll on her, and by the end of the night she was nearly begging to leave the island.

What’s on Network TV Tonight? (10/13/10)

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Wednesday’s are my favorite TV night of the week. Once prime time starts, it seems to nearly steamroll me. I kind of like Survivor on its new night now, frees up a little time on Thursday’s and fills that empty spot to start the night on Wednesday’s. That’s not even counting two full hours of Hell’s Kitchen!

Here’s what’s on network TV tonight:

ABC
8/7c: The Middle - new episode
Axl has to work in the quarry after being suspended from school. He decides he likes the job so much he wants to quit school and go to work full-time.

Survivor Nicaragua: Jimmy T. Is a Legend in His Own Mind

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After voting Jimmy Johnson off Survivor Nicaragua last week, the Espada (older) tribe had to try and regroup. Jimmy T. offered to step up as a leader... again, and again. The team was not biting though, he came off more as the annoying little fly you can’t get out of your face. After a dismal showing in the Immunity/Reward Challenge, the tribe spoke. Jimmy T. was sent home to become his own fan club.

Here is how the night went on Survivor Nicaragua.

The show started with a recap of NaOnka wrestling Kelly B. for the clue to the hidden Immunity Idol. She then needed the help of Brenda to actually find the Idol. When they found it together, NaOnka took full possession. Brenda later told Chase that NaOnka had the Idol.

What’s On Network TV Tonight? (10/06/10)

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Wednesday nights are my favorite for network TV schedules. Survivor, Criminal Minds, Hell’s Kitchen, and now two hours of Law & Order (SVU and Los Angeles). Almost too much fun for one night... almost. Set the DVR, many of these shows are on against each other!

Here’s what’s on network TV tonight:

ABC
8/7c: The Middle - new episode
Imagine going to the grocery store for a friend who is babysitting and having the clerk think you were there for adult diapers. That’s what happens to Frankie.

Survivor Nicaragua: Good-bye Coach Jimmy Johnson

In a bit of a reality TV shocker, former Dallas Cowboy coach Jimmy Johnson was voted off Survivor Nicaragua in tonight’s tribal council ceremony. Drama ran deep all night long on the younger tribe, but struck the deepest at the final meeting of the night.

Naonka came out swinging right from the start. Shown walking back from tribal council last week, she was voiced over saying they were all scared now. She has the majority in her alliance, so Naonka and her drama are likely safe for a few more weeks. Survivor Nicaragua producers are probably hoping she causes drama now, with Jimmy J. gone.