Survivor Frenzy

Episode 9

2005-04-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

After returning from yet another Tribal Council, Stephanie Lagrossa, the 25-year-old pharmaceutical sales representative from Philadelphia, PA, was the last remaining member of the Ulong tribe. In my opinion, the Ulong tribe was the worst in Survivor history. Once she returned to camp she had to fend for herself. She had to build a fire and find food. She tried to go fishing but had no luck with it. Eventually the solitude took its toll on her. As Stephenie put it, "This is scary. This is the scariest thing and the hardest thing that I will ever do. But I'll never give up. I'm not a quitter."

Over at Koror, things were not much better than it was for Stephanie. At Koror, I think a lot of them were wishing they were on an island by themselves, because there was a massive amount of tension among the people in this tribe. I think what this tribe should have done a couple of times was lose on purpose. I think there is certain people getting on everyone's nerves and they should have been voted out a long time ago. "Let us run out of firewood. Let us run out of food. I don't care," Coby finally capitulated.

This next morning, Stephanie received Tree Mail that told her, she was merging with the Koror tribe. The Tree Mail also told her to take everything that she could with her and paddle to her new home. Personally, I don't think I have ever seen Stephanie as happy or emotional as she was when she got that Tree Mail. Once she arrived at her new home, everyone welcomed her with open arms and everyone also was pretending that Koror was a perfect little tribe and everyone got along.

If you want more insight about the remaining Survivor castaways, go to cbs.com

Episode 5 Part 2

2005-04-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

As the two tribes convened, Jeff Probst told them what they had to do to win the next Reward Challenge. According to cbs.com, this challenge was called Sake Salvage. Jeff explained that each tribe would have to race to retreive sake bottles from a shipwreck. One person from each tribe at a time would be pulled on a raft to the shipwreck by the rest of their tribe. Then they have to dive down and get a sake bottle. The first team to retreive six bottles wins. You never know what to expect on Survivor because what Jeff told everyone next shocked them all. There is a double twist this time. He told them, both tribes, win or lose, would be going to Tribal Council that night. The winning tribe's reward would be to listen in on the other tribe's Tribal Council, while eating stew and drinking root beer.

The challenge started off with Stephanie for Ulong and Jennifer for Koror, who were both able to begin back a bottle for their tribe. As the competition continued each tribe had two bottles apiece. Next to retrieve a bottle for Ulong was Ibrehem. He had lots of trouble diving down and getting a bottle. Eventually he got too tired and returned back empty-handed. Since Ibrehem had so much trouble, that allowed Koror to gain the lead. They had a 4-2 lead. Since Ulong had the setback, they were not able to catch up and Ian Rosenberger was able to retrieve the sixth and final bottle for Koror. Ulong had lost another one.

At Koror's Tribal Council it was no surprise that a unanimous vote was cast to vote out Willard Smith. During Ulong's Tribal Council, some of the Koror members were rubbing it in how much they were enjoying their stew and root beer. Koror was able to get a little insight about what was going on at the Ulong tribe. Koror was also given the opportunity to grant a member of Ulong Immunity from Tribal Council that night. They gave it to Ibrehem. That decision left Ulong not really knowing which way to vote. In the end with three votes, the sixth person voted out of Survivor: Palau was Angie.

Episode 5

2005-04-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

According to cbs.com, Koror was still very strong and still had all nine original members of the tribe. They were enjoying their string of victories and their tribal unity. They all seemed to be pretty close for the most part. There is still two of the nine that have become extremely close, but they will not admit it. Of course, I am talking about Gregg and Jennifer. It's very obvious. They won't admit how close they're getting, but we can all see it," remarked Coby Archa, the 32-year-old hairstylist from Athens, Texas.

After Ulong returned from yet another Tribal Council, where they voted off Kimberly Mullen, they realized a storm was coming and decided to take cover in a nearby cave. In the mist of trying to find the cave they get lost. Everyone was getting restless and frustrated. Eventually the frustration turned to tears and the tribe was indecisive about whether to keep looking for the cave or to return back to camp. "After about an hour in the dark, we were all tired; our feet were killing us. And we came back to our shelter, and it poured all night," recalled Stephenie LaGrossa, the 25-year-old pharmaceutical sales rep from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Back at Koror tensions were increasing, especially for Tom Westman, the 41-year-old NYC firefighter from Sayville, New York. He had stayed up most of the night tending to the fire. He was getting frustrated with Willard Smith, the 57-year-old lawyer from Bellvue, Washington. Tom was irritated because felt like Willard was neglecting his camp duties. Tom vented about his frustration with Willard to his tribemate, Gregg. As Tom put it, "Because of his age, he can't contribute a lot, but he can come out here and put another log on the fire." I can see why Tom was frustrated with Willard but then again I also applaud Willard for even trying to compete in such a physical game at his age.

Episode 8 Part 2

2005-04-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

When the Koror tribe came back to camp from the Reward Challenge, they found a 55 gallon drum of water resting above the shower. The whole tribe was very indecisive about how they should use the water. Some of the tribe wanted to use the water to take a shower and the rest thought it would be best to use it as drinking water. According to cbs.com, without even requesting a vote and to the dismay of some of his tribemates, Koror leader Tom insisted they all use the water for drinking. "Nobody wants to speak up, and I'm not going to be that person. I could see that coming back to haunt me," explained Jennifer Lyon, the 32-year-old nanny from Encino, California.

Back at Ulong, Bobby Jon finally let Stephanie and however many people who were watching on TV that night know just how much of a temper he really has. What was bothering him the most was that it seemed like every time he lost a challenge for his tribe, it always seemed to be at the hands of Koror's Tom. Stephanie admitted, "Half the time, he scares me."

After they convened for the Immunity Challenge, Jeff explained to them that this would not only be a physical challenge but mental one as well. One survivor at a time for each tribe would have to swim out to a series of floating platforms, swim under them in order to collect the puzzle pieces, swim back to shore, and drop off the puzzle pieces on the beach. After they get all of the puzzle pieces, they must put the puzzle together and solve a word jumble using the pieces. The first tribe to unscramble the jumble wins Immunity.

Once the competition started Koror was able to get a good lead. After Koror got all of their puzzle pieces put together, Ulong was closing in on them as they tried to find all of the words in the jumble. Koror was able to keep their lead and spell out the words "victory at sea" and Koror won another Immunity Challenge.

Tribal Council was different that night for Ulong since they only had two members left. So they had to participate in a individual Immunity Challenge. I think it had to have been very difficult for both Stephanie and Bobby Jon to compete against each other. After everything was said and done Stephanie was able to win the Immunity Challenge, which automatically sent Bobby Jon home.

Episode 8

2005-04-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Ulong had to go back to camp again one member short. They had just voted out Ibrehem, and that only happened because Bobby Jon was sticking with the alliance he made with Stephanie. Reasonably they were both uneasy and uncomfortable because they have yet to win an Immunity Challenge. Despite Ulong's losing streak, they were still very determined and their spirits were still lifted. They both know that the other one is pissed off and tired of losing all the time, but they know that if they get down about everything then things will feel even worse than it already does.

There was tension building more and more at the Koror tribe. Even though this tribe has been undefeated when it comes to Immunity Challenges, there have still been some setbacks. Tribemembers started to question people's work ethic around camp. The person who seemed to be taking this the hardest this week is Coby. He had been working his tail off around camp, but he still felt ignored by his tribe. According to cbs.com, "I'm the one who has to go get firewood." Coby complained, "I'm the one who has to keep the fire going. I'm the one has to boil the water. I'm the one who has to go hunt food. Those girls don't do anything!"

For the next Reward Challenge, Jeff Probst told everyone that it would be a food challenge involving a local delicacy called Balut, which is a partially formed duckling egg. The tribe to eat the most Balut and keep it down would win the reward, which included 55 gallons of fresh water, along with cleaning supplies, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and even mouthwash.

Since Ulong only has two members left, Koror had to decide who was going to participate in this challenge. Koror chose Tom and Ian. Even though they had to eat partially formed duckling, beak, feathers, and all, both teams tied and ate all the Balut. So they could determine a winner, Bobby Jon and Tom faced off to see who could eat five Balut eggs in the fastest time. Once they began Bobby Jon put all five of them in his mouth at once. On the other hand, Tom ate them one at a time. Bobby Jon just could not shallow his mouthful quick enough to beat Tom. So Koror was able to win again.

Episode 7 Part 2

2005-04-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

There is still something brewing at Koror. I can't figure out if Gregg and Jennifer are just playing the game and this is their strategy or if they have true feelings for one another. No one but Gregg and Jennifer will know the truth until the end of the game and the winner is revealed at the reunion show. My opinion about it all is that I think Jennifer might really have feelings for Gregg but I am not sure those feelings are mutual. There is a comment that Gregg made that makes me think this way. According to cbs.com, "You kinda get into the context of the game, and you realize that that's your priority," said Gregg after talking with Jennifer at the water well where she confronted him about how he has become distant towards her.

At the Ulong camp, everyone was feeling very run down and weak. After their series of numerous losses and days with out very much food, Booby Jon had saved the day. When he came back from trying to catch some fish or something, he came back with a giant clam. I think they felt like they were eating a very well deserved feast. "We got protein, we got carbs, we got everything," smiled Ibrehem.

For the Immunity Challenge each tribe received a puzzle in their Tree Mail and were told to master it. Once they all gathered for the challenge they saw life size puzzles exactly like they got as Tree Mail. Jeff Probst, the host, explained that three people would participate because that was all the members Ulong had left. Two people would being moving the puzzle pieces around while the third person told them which ones to move and where. Koror chose Coby to be their caller and Ulong chose Bobby Jon. Once the game began Coby was able to tell his tribemates with ease which pieces to move. On the other hand, Bobby Jon was doing a poor job at being the caller. Eventually, Ulong decided to switch callers. So Stephanie took Bobby Jon's place. Once Stephanie became the caller, things seemed to be running smoothly, but she became the caller too late. Coby was able to win Koror another victory. I think that Stephanie should have been the caller from the start, because then I think Ulong could have had a shot at winning the challenge.

After they got back to camp, Stephanie tried to talk to Bobby Jon and make sure he was going to keep their alliance to be the final two. He would not guarantee whether or not he was voting for Ibrehem as planned. So Stephanie started to question Bobby Jon's loyalty towards her. After she realized she might be the one going home she decided to try and make a quick alliance with Ibrehem to vote out Bobby Jon. In the end Stephanie had nothing to worry about because Bobby Jon stuck to his word and voted for Ibrehem. He was the eighth person voted out of Survivor: Palau.

Episode 7

2005-04-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

After returning back to camp from yet another Tribal Council where they voted out James, Ulong started discussing their situation now that they are all down to 3 members. Bobby Jon and Stephanie were able to sneak away for a little bit and discuss the alliance they have with each other. According to cbs.com, "I feel that I could trust him, and I feel we have a strong alliance," said Stephanie after talking to Bobby Jon about the alliance.

While all the alliance talk was going on at Ulong, the Koror tribe had their minds on other things, like catching a huge clam and a small shark. After Ian Rosenberger brought back an extremely large clam, Tom Westman felt like he needed to do something to keep his position as the "superstar" in the tribe. So that is just what he did. Somehow Tom was able to slay a small shark that was swimming in the shallow water near the shore. So Koror was able to eat a feast that included shark steaks, clam meat, and of course coconut.

Each of the tribes received Tree Mail explaining to them that for their Reward Challenge they would have to build an SOS distress signal. Each distress signal would be judged from a plane flying overhead. The tribe with the best and most creative signal would get an airdrop of supplies. Also only three members could participate in this challenge, since Ulong only has three members of their tribe left. Since Koror has more members than Ulong they had to decide who they thought would do the best job for this particular challenge. They finally chose Caryn Groedel, Katie Gallagher, and Gregg Carey to win this challenge for Koror. Each tribe decided to spell out words with brush and even part of their shelter, then light it on fire. Ulong decide to spell out their tribe name, while Koror decided on a more comical approach and spelled out "Got Food?". Jeff Probst flew by each tribe with a distress signal specialist to decide who had the better SOS signal. In the end, the specialist decided Koror did better because it was the most creative and the furthest from the trees for visibility. Koror won a crate of supplies, which included food, wine, and sewing materials.

Episode 6 Part 2

2005-04-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

For the next Immunity Challenge each tribe was given Tree Mail that said they had to place the tribe flag in a foot locker and secure it the best they could and then bring the foot locker with them to the challenge. After both tribes got to the challenge the host, Jeff Probst, gave them rope and wood. He instructed them that each tribe would be given 20 minutes to secure their foot locker even more than it already was. Each tribe must try to make it impossible to get to and into the foot locker. When the 20 minutes starts each tribe would have to race into the ocean and retrieve 3 bundles of wood. After they return to shore they have to use the rope to make as many knots as possible and then use the wood to build a fortress around the foot locker. After the 20 minutes was up, each tribe had to race to get into the foot locker the fastest and get their flag hoisted up the pole. The first to do that would win Immunity.

As soon as the challenge began, two people from each tribe swam out to get the bundles of wood. The Koror tribe was very smart, in my opinion, because while two tribe members went to get the wood, the other two tribe members continued to secure the foot locker itself by making lots of knots with the rope they were given. On the other hand, Ulong was extremely disorganized, but at the time they thought they were just fine. After Ulong got their Tree Mail that morning, they trusted James to show them a special knot that he supposedly learned while in the Navy or something like that. Also, while Stephanie and Bobby Jon went to get the lumber, Ibrehem just stood halfway in the water and watched them get the wood. Ibrehem was not the only one standing around though. James stood right next to the foot locker and just messed with the toga he was wearing. According to cbs.com, Ulong took an early lead in building their fortress, while Koror was still retrieving their bundles of wood. After each tribe secured their fortress the best they could, then they switched positions and began working on what the other tribe worked to create. In the end, Koror was able to get through Ulong's fortress and James' "special" knot on the foot locker and capture their flag and get it up the flagpole first and win Immunity once again.

At Tribal Council, after a tie-breaker vote James was the seventh person voted out of Survivor: Palau.

Episode 6

2005-04-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Reward Challenge that they had to participate in next was called Shooting Gallery. According to cbs.com, Jeff Probst explained that the competition would involve marksmanship. Each tribe would have to use an authentic gun to shoot at tribe-colored targets. The first tribe to shoot all eight targets would win the challenge. The reward was being able to spend the day on an old Japanese barge and end up at a lake where millions of stinger-free jellyfish live. While on the barge the winners would enjoy Pringles and mai-tais before they went snorkeling with the jellyfish. After the challenge was over the Ulong tribe was very thankful that they had Stephanie on their side, because thanks to her excellent shooting Ulong was able to win their first challenge since the game began.

At the Koror camp things were kind of rough and tense after a really bad storm the night before. Janu Tornell, the 39-year-old Las Vegas showgirl, was extremely run down and distraught. She needed the emotional support of Tom Westman, the 41-year-old fire fighter from New York, to bring her back. Janu’s fragile state was not received well by the rest of her tribemates. "She gets totally caught up in her head. Everything is always dramatic with Janu," complained Katie Gallagher, the 29-year-old advertising executive from Merced, California.

During the Tribal Council I thought it was totally unfair that Ibrehem was able to get Immunity because of the votes from the Koror tribe. I mean Koror only listened to maybe 10 minutes of Ulong talking about what is going on in the tribe and at camp. Personally I think they should have been able to learn more about what was going on before they made their decisions about who should get Immunity. I like the fact that James is now gone, because I did not like him. Although, I think Ibrehem should have been the one to go because he was the reason Ulong lost the challenge in the first place.

Episode 4

2005-03-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

After both tribes woke up the next morning, they noticed they had Tree Mail. It said that each tribe had to pick a delegate to represent the tribe. The delegate would be making important decisions that the tribe would have to live with. At Koror, Coby tried to step up and volunteer to be the delegate but everyone overlooked him and eventually they decided that it should be Ian. Everything was pretty chaotic at Ulong because they could not decide who should be the leader. Both tribes were surprised to see Jeff Probst arrive at each camp on a Home Depot barge. Jeff told them that the Reward Challenge would be to build a bathroom. Each delegate would select the tools their tribe would need for the construction from the Home Depot tool shed. After they finish building their bathrooms Jeff would come back with the Survivor Production Designer, Jesse, who would judge to see who had the best built bathroom. The tribe with the best new bathroom would win a new shelter built by Survivor's crack production department. Koror sent Ian to pick their tools and at the last minute Ulong settled on James. At Koror, they were very organized, made a sketch, and assigned jobs for everyone. In my opinion things seemed just the opposite at Ulong with James leading everyone. According to cbs.com the women immediately had a problem with what they perceived as belittling remarks from James. "I know what I am doing. I do all these things myself. When I have something broken in my house, I fix it. Landlord don't fix it. I fix it," explained Angie. In the end Koror had the better bathroom and won the Challenge and the new shelter. At the Immunity Challenge, Jeff told them they would face-off in a series of one-on-one sumo-style battles. The Survivors would use padded duffel bags to knock their opponents into the water. The first tribe to get six points would win Immunity. As the competition began Koror took a 5-2 lead. Then Ulong made a comeback when Angie, Ibrehem, and Stephanie all won their battles. It came down to the battle between James and Coby. After a hard fight, Coby gave it everything he had and pushed James over the side into the water and secured Immunity for Koror once again. As Ulong faced Tribal Council again it came to a unanimous vote for Kim to be voted out of the tribe. She was the fourth person voted out.

Episode 3 Part 2

2005-03-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

At the Ulong tribe everyone decided to just sit under the sun and relax with the exception of Bobby Jon. In my opinion, he was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to do as many chores as he could find. Back at Ulong Jeff was walking around camp in the dark night and stepped on a coconut, which caused a serious injury to occur to his ankle. Jeff learned that they were heading to a challenge and he was amazed at his bad luck. When it came time for the Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst told everyone they would be playing a game of tag. According to cbs.com, the tribes would participate in a beach run, clipped to each other by a rope and carrying backpacks with 20 pounds sandbag weight. The tribes would begin at opposite sides of an oval course. The tribes would race to catch up with each other. Any tribe member who fell behind could unclip from the rope and drop out of the race, but they would have to give their backpack to another tribe member who would have to continue the race carrying the extra weight. The first tribe to catch up to the other tribe and tag them would gain Immunity. As soon as the game started, Jeff took himself out of the race because of his ankle. He gave his weight to Bobby Jon. Koror soon lost Caryn and Willard. They transferred their weight to Ian and Tom. In the end, Koror won their third Immunity Challenge in a row. After returning back to camp, Ulong once again had to decide who to vote out at Tribal Council that night. Jeff told his tribemates to vote him out because he didn't think his ankle would heal fast enough for him to be of any help to his team. The decision to vote out Jeff didn't sit well with some of the tribe members because they value Jeff's work ethnic and don't appreciate Kim's. Kim knew she was on the chopping block. "I'm feeling vulnerable. I mean, there's no telling of what might happen. I definitely think there's a chance that Jeff's going to be here tomorrow." After everything was said and done they granted Jeff's wish and sent him home. He was the third person voted out of Survivor: Palau.

Episode 3

2005-03-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Love, strategy, or both? It is all for you to decide. At the Ulong tribe there is still something progressing between Jeff and Kimberly. After returning from tribal council, where they voted out Ashlee, there was some controversy about this new found relationship. According to cbs.com, gossip and speculation seemed to serve as a further distraction for a tribe that had already lost two Immunity Challenge in a row. Also I think that James is the most suspicious about this new alliance.

At Koror tensions were running high as they wake up to a rainy Day 7. They started to finish building the rest of their shelter, when Caryn just blew up at Katie. Caryn confronted Katie about how Katie is always putting her down. As Caryn continued to rant, her anger exploded into a tirade. Katie simply said, "She's crazy. She completely lost it."

After arriving for the Reward Challenge, Jeff told them that this challenge would be a series of battles in the water. One member from each tribe would have to race into the water and get a safety ring. The first tribe member to retrieve the ring from their opponent, then would have to swim with the ring to their designated buoy. The battles would be one-on-one as well as two-on-two. The first tribe to get three points would win the Reward of a complete sewing kit. With this kit, the winning tribe would be able to fix many items around camp, from clothing to shelter. The challenge started off with a mano-a-mano battle between Jeff from Ulong and Tom from Koror. Jeff's strategy was to hang back and let Tom do all the work and it proved to be successful because he was able to wrestle the ring away from Tom and score the first point for Ulong. The second battle was between Stephanie for Ulong and Jennifer for Koror, which proved to be a mismatch as Stephanie gave Ulong a two-nothing lead. The third battle was between two members from each team. Bobby Jon and Angie worked well together to physically take down the two members of Koror and secured their defeat over Koror.

Immunity Challenge and Tribal Council

2005-03-04T15:04:00.000-08:00

Before going into the immunity challenge, each tribe received tree mail that included the alphabet in Morse Code. So when they went to the challenge they had the Morse Code alphabet memorized. Jeff told everyone that they would be tested on brains as well as brawns. Each tribe must swim out to a buoy, dive down, and find a rope attached to a foot locker, that is sitting on the ocean floor filled with mess kits, then pull it 50 feet across the ocean floor. Once the locker reaches the start point they must unlatch the locker, which will release the mess kits. Each tribe member would get one mess kit and swim to the beach. Each mess kit had a Morse Code letter on it. The first tribe to decipher the Morse Code and spell out the mystery word would win immunity.

Koror got off to a bad start because of Willard's extremely slow swimming. Then when it came time to pull the foot locker across the ocean floor, Tom Westman, proved to be a warrior as he pulled with all his might. Ulong had trouble getting their foot locker to move at a steady pace and they might have done a little better if Kimberly had put forth some kind of effort, but she didn't. While Ulong continued to struggle with their foot locker, Koror opened theirs and raced to shore so they could solve the Morse Code puzzle. Koror solved the puzzle with ease and was able to win immunity and send Ulong to tribal council yet again.

After heading back to camp after yet another defeat, Ulong had to decide who should be voted out at tribal council. Everyone had decided that the weakest link must go, but who the weakest link was became an issue. Some tribe members thought Kimberly was the weakest because she didn't even try during the challenge, but the others thought that Ashlee had clearly lost her will and would be of no further help to the tribe. Then in the end Ulong voted Ashlee out in a six-vote decision.

Episode 2 Part 2

2005-02-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

After the reward challenge back at the Ulong beach Angie was gladly accepting congratulations from her tribemates. In my opinion she seemed to do 100% better during this challenge than the one before this one. "She went into her Challenge and dominated--I mean, completely dominated--and it totally changed the whole morale of our whole tribe," Bobby Jon Drinkard said after a much needed reward challenge.

When Koror returned to their island, they decided to try to find their reward that was lost to the sea and hopefully lift their spirits after their defeat in the reward challenge. They started to paddle out and realized it was not going to be easy with the very rough currents. 23-year old Ian Rosenberger, dolphin trainer from Florida, decided to start diving and after several attempts to retrieve the crate with the fire-building materials, he came up one last time but this time he had the crate with him.

When Ulong was finished with their fishing expedition they returned with a giant clam. They made a clam soup for dinner that night and it was much needed because they had not eaten in four days. While everyone was enjoying their soup, Ashlee Ashby secluded herself from the tribe. It was apparent to her tribe members that she was losing her will.

It seems to me that some true romance is brewing at both camps, or there are four people with very similar strategies. As the night goes dark and cold at Ulong Kimberly and Jeff snuggle up to each other for comfort and warmth and that exact same thing is happening at Koror with Gregg and Jennifer.

If you want to know more about what is happening on Survivor Palau, whether you want to know about a challenge or some of the juicy gossip, go to cbs.com.

Episode 2 Part 1

2005-02-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

According to cbs.com during Koror's way to their new island they had an outrigger capsize that lost them their reward to make fire. So when they finally got to this new island they were not a happy tribe. Then if that was not devastating enough, while sitting around talking and trying to stay warm they noticed that their lovely new home was infested with rats. Since they were not in good spirits they didn't get their shelter finished. Then just when they all thought things could not get any worse; they were wrong. At that moment the sky opened up and it began to pour down rain. The morning after their first tribal council, Ulong sat down and discussed what to do about a leader and making decisions. They had decided the decisions would be made by a committee with no specific leader. During this discussion Angie Jakusz just stood in the background and just listened to what everyone had to say. She said according to cbs.com, "I don't want to be too pushy or forthcoming. I wanna just make myself a valuable asset to this tribe. If I don't, I'll probably be on the chopping block again."

Once again it was time for everyone to get together and compete in another challenge. This challenge was only for reward and it is called "Gauntlet". Jeff explained that this challenge would involve balance. One survivor from each tribe would have to run through a "gauntlet" bridge requiring them to cross several floating obstacles over the water in order to collect flags on the other side. I know you think that sounds kind of easy and it would be if you didn't have two opposing tribe members hurling swinging bags of sand at you while trying to get across. If a player gets knocked off into the water they have to start all over at the beginning. The first tribe to get all ten flags wins that reward that includes fins, mask, and a Hawaiian fishing sling. The competition got off to a great start until Katie Gallagher had a tremendous amount of trouble finishing the rope swing. This setback allowed Ulong to jump to a big lead and ultimately got them the victory.

Challenge and Tribal Council

2005-02-25T15:50:00.000-08:00

Just before the castaways start competing in the first challenge the host, Jeff Probst, tells everyone this challenge is called Supply Dump and they are playing for reward and immunity. According to cbs.com, Jeff explained that this challenge would be an obstacle course that included jungle race, cargo net crawl, and a tire run. Then the survivors would get to the supply dump and while there would have to decide which items they wanted to carry with them. Then they have to climb over a ten foot wall and could not continue until all of the castaways and their supplies were over the wall. After that they would make their way through a waist high swamp before dropping their supplies on a beach mat. The final stretch of the race involved paddling their way to their tribal flags. Whoever crossed the finish line with their flag would win immunity and whatever supplies they had gathered.

Koror was able to get a quick lead just shortly after the race started because Ulong was having difficulty with the tire run. So Koror was able to reach the supply dump first and they decided to take just the fire-building materials with them. Once Ulong reached the supply dump there was a lot of confusion trying to figure out which items to take with them. In the mist of all the confusion, Jolanda takes it upon herself to make the decisions for the full tribe. She told the tribe to take everything. Koror was able to get a very big lead while Ulong struggled with all of the supplies. I think that if Ulong had not allowed Jolanda to tell them what to do then they might have had a chance to win the race and not have to go to tribal council. Immediately after Koror won immunity and the fire-building materials, Jeff gave them the option to either stay at the old beach or claim a new location as their own. They made the decision to live at the new location, which left Ulong at the old beach.

Before Ulong was forced to go to tribal council, they spent a little while deciding who to vote out of the tribe. Some of the tribe members thought that Angie was a weak link and an outsider. Angie knew going in to tribal council that her head was on the chopping block because she was picked last in the tribe and she had heard some people talking. Jolanda was also on the chopping block. Some people thought she was too bossy and controlling, and that she was the ultimate reason why they lost the challenge. In the end Jolanda was the first person voted out of Survivor Palau with a vote of 6-3.

Survivor Palau Episode 1 Part 2

2005-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

According to cbs.com it was not long after Ian and Jolanda got the immunity necklaces that the host, Jeff Probst, showed up with yet another twist to the game. He told Ian and Jolanda that they would only have immunity for the next ten minutes. As jaws began to drop Jeff proceed to explain what was about to happen next. He pulled Ian and Jolanda away from the group and said they would begin the picking for each tribe and alternating boy girl. Personally I think the way they went about choosing the tribes was very childish. Jeff told the castaways one more thing about the game. Each tribe would still consist of nine castaways, which means two people will be automatically eliminated from the game.

The two tribes this season are Ulong and Koror. The Ulong tribe will be wearing the blue buffs and consist of Jolanda Jones, Bobby Jon Drinkard, Stephanie Lagrossa, Angie Jakusz, Jeff Wilson, Ibreham Rahman, Kimberly Mullen, James Miller, and Ashley Ashby. The Koror tribe will be wearing the brown buffs and consist of Ian Rosenberger, Katie Gallagher, Tom Westman, Janu Tornell, Gregg Carey, Jennifer Lyon, Coby Archa, Caryn Groedel, and Willard Smith. Then that left Wanda Shirk and Jonathan Libby by themselves and officially got them kicked out of the game. Once on the boat to leave the island Wanda began to "sing" another song she wrote for the show. Once again I don't know how anyone could call that singing. I think that out of everyone who got chosen, Angie Jakusz was the most devastated. Why you ask? While everyone was either helping to build a shelter or find their water source some alliances were already starting to form. Coby Archa, the hairdresser from Athens, Texas and Angie Jakusz, the bartender from New Orleans, make an alliance to stay together and watch each other's back. During the choosing of the tribes when it was Coby's turn to choose a girl I think everyone thought he would choose Angie but we were wrong because he chose Caryn Groedel.

Survivor Palau Episode 1 Part 1

2005-02-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone took time out of their busy schedules to watch the first episode of Survivor Palau last night. The show immediately started with twists that no one had ever seen on Survivor. One big difference you first notice when it started was that there were 20 castaways instead of 18 like it has been in the past. Everyone was surprised and shocked to hear when the host, Jeff Probst, gave everyone their first challenge before they even got off the boat and set foot on the island that would be their home for the next 39 days. The challenge was to race to shore when they were about a mile away from it and see which man and which woman could get the immunity necklaces first. The first decision everyone had to make was to row or swim to shore. At first everyone started to row but then a new Survivor first happened. What happened you ask? Wanda Shirk a 55-year old English teacher happened. She stood up in the boat and began to sing or at least that is what she called it. Personally I think she sounded like a cat that had just been run over by a car and is suffering. It didn't take long for Stephanie Lagrossa and Jonathan Libby to decide to abandon the boat after Wanda started "singing". They decided together that they were good enough swimmers that they might get to shore faster but they were wrong. Shortly after they jumped overboard their plan was ruined because the boat quickly passed them and they were left behind. The boat finally gets close to the beach and everyone starts jumping out and running to those very valuable immunity necklaces. The man to reach a necklace first was 23-year old dolphin trainer Ian Rosenberger and the first woman to reach a necklace was 39-year old lawyer Jolanda Jones.

For more on what happened next read tomorrow and for more information on the first episode go to cbsnewyork.com.

Palau and It's History

2005-02-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

Guess what everybody, the show we have been waiting to watch ever since the end of Survivor Vanuatu is now here. Yes, that's right I am talking about the 10th season of Survivor in Palau. Each season of Survivor continues to get harder and this season is not any different from the rest. During this season instead of starting out with 18 castaways there will be 20. Also the castaways will get no help of any kind unless the tribe earns it in a challenge. According to sunstar.com, there have been rumors circulating around about the first episode. Some of those rumors include survivors having to battle with sharks, castaways being put on the island with only a map, and an unconfirmed story of some of the competitors quitting after the first episode. I guess we will just have to watch the show to see if any of the rumors are true or not.

Palau has a combined total of 83 islands and is located just north of the equator in the Pacific Ocean. These islands are near the area where air and sea battles occurred during World War II. The waters still to this day have some plane and shipwreck ruble. The 1st Marine Division and the 81st Infantry Division went ashore the island of Peleliu, the southernmost island in the Palau group, on September 14, 1944, to take an airstrip away from the Japanese. General Douglas McArthur wanted to set an invasion to try and take over the Philippines and he was going to use the Palau islands to do it. It was an ongoing battle in Peleliu that continued for two months straight. In my own opinion this battle was a major blood bath. Nearly 11,000 Japanese and 1,336 Marines killed, and another 5,450 were wounded. It is because of this battle that Survivor chose this location and this battle is also the reason why this season has a World War II theme.

Meet the Castaways 2

2005-02-12T15:39:00.000-08:00

According to cbs.com Caryn Groedel is 46 years old and was born in New York on August 13, 1958. She attended George Washington University in Washington D.C., where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. After that, she went on to George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia, where she attended night school while working full-time as a legal secretary. After getting her law degree, Caryn briefly worked in insurance defense and real estate law before she realized she had a knack for civil rights and employment discrimination law. Groedel was Executive Director for The Women's Law Fund, a non-profit organization, for two years before she started her own practice. She describes herself as ambitious, energetic, and adventurous. Caryn lives in Solon, Ohio with her husband, Howard, and their three daughters, Hannah(15), Isabel(12), and Mia(6). Her favorite activity of all is spending time with her daughters.

According to cbs.com Coby Archa is 32 years old and was born in Abilene, Texas on September 8, 1972. He has also lived in Durham, North Carolina, New York City, and Lansing, Michigan. Archa admits that his teenage years were somewhat misguided, which in return got him in trouble with the law and him dropping out of high school. At the age of 17, Coby got arrested and charged with larceny. He was sentenced to seven months in jail and five years probation. This experience forced him to realize he needed to change his life around and he did. He is thankful towards his mother, Bonnie, who he says helped him to become the man he is today. Archa studied at the Aladdin Beauty College and received his license from the Texas Cosmetology Commission. He has also acted in local and professional theatre and loves being involved in anything artistic. He likes to travel, take photos, and visit museums or paintings. Coby currently co-owns a hair salon with his best friend, Amanda, in Athens, Texas.

According to cbs.com Ibrehem Rahman was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He is 27 years old and was born on March 4, 1977. Ibrehem attended Tuskegee University, where he earned his degree mechanical engineering. After that he attended the University of Alabama, where he pursued a degree in business. He is working as a waiter right now and has done some modeling and acting in New York and Miami for the past two years. Rahman's hobbies include eating, cooking, and learning history. He describes himself as passionate, eclectic, and aggressive. Ibrehem is currently single and living in Birmingham.

Meet the Castaways 1

2005-02-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

I would like to tell you a little more about the 20 new Survivor castaways. Here is what I found out according to cbs.com.

Angie Jakusz is 24 years old and lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her date of birth is March 27, 1980. She is originally from Waukesha, Wisconsin and she attended Mukwonago High School. Angie has also spent so time in New York and San Francisco. She is currently working as a bartender while creating her art (she paints watercolors and uses found objects in her creations). Jakusz use to work as an ink lab technician and has also worked in a tattoo shop. She currently has 11 brightly colored tattoos. According to survivorfever.net Angie is being considered a female version of Lex (Lex was a castaway from the third season filmed in Africa and also the All-Star eighth season filmed in the Pearl Islands). Some of her favorite hobbies include painting, reading, and heckling. She lives with her boyfriend, Keith, and their three cats, Sweetpea, Roscoe, and Igor.

Ashlee Ashby was born in Rigby, Idaho but she was raised in Easley, South Carolina. She is 22 years old and her birthday is May 2, 1982. She moved to Provo, Utah to attend Brigham Young University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. Ashlee has worked as a fitness counselor, a sales representative for a major fitness organization, lifeguard, and swim instructor. Ashby hopes to open her own fitness club some day. She describes herself as passionate, active, energetic, and friendly. She enjoys working out, water skiing, running, and Pilates. One of the biggest achievements that Ashlee is most proud is graduating from seminary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints while still in high school. She is currently living back in Easley, South Carolina.

Bobby Jon Drinkard was born and raised in Troy, Alabama. He is 27 years of age and was born on May 10, 1977. He graduated from Charles Henderson High School, where he lettered in football. For 4 years, he was a member of the Future Farmers of America. After he graduated from high school he got accepted to Troy State University where he got a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations/Print Journalism in 2003. Drinkard has previously worked as a personal trainer, lifeguard, and farmer. In the Spring of 2003, Bobby Jon was voted Alabama's most eligible bachelor by Cosmopolitan Magazine. He describes himself as bold, righteous, and determined. He enjoys hunting, fishing, lifting weights, running, going to concerts, and reading the bible. Drinkard is also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. Bobby Jon moved to Los Angeles in August of 2003 to pursue a modeling career.

The Palau Castaways

2005-02-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

This year's Survivor reality show will be located on the island of Palau in the South Pacific and premiering on February 17 on CBS. This is the tenth season Survivor has been on the air. According to survivorfever.net, the island of Palau is considered the most outrageous location so far. This island has been called the Eighth Natural Wonder of the World. In the first ten minutes what ever thoughts or expectations any of the castaways have will be forgotten. The castaways will be stranded on the island with absolutely nothing and no help of any kind. The premiere will be so overwhelming that three castaways will be going home on the first night. Now let's meet the castaways:

Wanda Shirk, a 55-year-old English teacher from Ulysses, Pa.
Coby Archa, 32, a hairdresser from Athens, Texas
Ashlee Ashby, a 22-year-old fitness counselor from South Carolina
Jonathan Libby, 23, who is in sales and marketing and hails from Dallas, Texas
Gregg Carey, 27, a business consultant from Chicago
Katie Gallagher, 29, an ad executive from Merced, Calif.
James Miller, a 33-year-old steel worker from Mobile, Ala.
Caryn Groedel, 46, is a lawyer from Ohio.
Jolanda Jones, a 39-year-old lawyer from Houston, Texas
Willard Smith from Bellevue, Wash., a 57-year-old lawyer
Stephenie LaGrossa, 25, a pharmaceutical sales rep from Philadelphia
Angie Jakusz, a 24-year-old bartender from New Orleans
Ian Rosenberger, 23, a dolphin trainer from Key Largo, Fla.
Kimberly Mullen, 25, is a graduate student and former Miss Ohio USA from Huber Heights, Ohio
Bobby Jon Drinkard, 27 and a waiter from Troy, Ala.
Ibrehem Rahman, another 27-year-old waiter from Alabama
Jennifer Lyon, 32, a nanny from Encino, Calif.
Janu Tornell, 39, a Las Vegas show girl
Jeff Wilson, 22, a personal trainer from Ventura, Calif.
Tom Westman, a 41-year-old New York City firefighter