Twenty Questions: "Survivor - Winners at War"

One week after "Survivor" crowned a two-million dollar winner in its landmark 40th season, our expert, two-man panel is here to break everything down. Join the Brothers Christensen as they navigate through 20 hard-hitting questions about "Survivor: Winners at War."

THE SEASON

1. What was your overall opinion of the season and the outcome?

Austin: I thought that it was an overall good season with an ending that you could have predicted at the merge. That said, it helped rekindle my love for "Survivor."

Aaron: Overall, very strong season. Best cast ever, undoubtedly. Unlike many seasons of "Survivor," the right person won, and I don't think there is any question about that.

2. What did you like about "Winners at War"?

Austin: It had an AMAZING cast! The best ever, IMO. I'm not a huge Tony fan, but I also enjoyed sitting back and enjoying greatness.

Aaron: Great, great cast. It was fun to see a lot of really good players coming back, and the fact that they were all winners made it so there was good gameplay from the very first episode. In a lot of seasons, it takes a few episodes to warm up to the cast, and for the players to figure out how to play the game, but Season 40 came out of the gate swinging. The first half of the season was full of terrific episodes.

3. What did you NOT like about "Winners at War"?

Aaron: I still don't love Edge of Extinction, although it was implemented in a way this season where it felt like players on the Edge still influenced the game. I'm also not sure that I love bringing a person back from the Edge right before the finale. It just feels cheap in some ways, and it's an almost-guaranteed asterisk if somebody coming back into the game that late goes on to win. I feel like they should have introduced Fire Tokens in a regular season, not in an all-star season, so the audience and the players both had a better idea of how they needed to be implemented. I don't think that TV viewers truly understood everything that was going on with them, and it ended up being a largely unnecessary layer on top of what should have been a pretty straight-forward season. Too many players were willing to quit the game this season, which was really surprising to me. Sandra actually did quit, Denise mentally quit, and Ben literally told Sarah to vote him out. It's two million dollars, people! What gives??

Austin: The editing was lacking. There were so many twists and turns this season that at times it was difficult for the viewers to keep up with what was happening.

Aaron: After reading Austin's response, I agree about the editing. My wife was constantly asking why Ben and Jeremy hated each other, and I could never explain it because I am not sure that we actually saw it.

4. Where does "Winners at War" rank in the pantheon of "Survivor" seasons?

Aaron: Top Five, probably. There have been so many seasons that they all kind of blur together, and so many of them have either been really good or really bad. I can definitively say, though, that "Winners at War" was not THE BEST season of all time. The second half of the season was too predictable and the fact that nobody, other than Kim, whose plan was a miserable failure, was willing to take a shot at Tony kind of rubbed me the wrong way. But in terms of domination by a single player, this was an all-time performance by Tony. He worked the entire cast, and they were all seasoned enough to have known better and tried harder to prevent it. The high point of the season was the night where we saw Parvati and Sandra voted out in back-to-back Tribals. That was one of the best nights of "Survivor" that I can ever remember.

Austin: I’d say Top 10, for sure. Prior to the merge, it was looking like it would be the best season ever, but prior to the finale I actually predicted EXACTLY how the finale would go. The last half of the season was too predictable for it to be the best.

THE PLAYERS

5. Who, if anyone, exceeded your expectations?

Austin: Tony, obviously, and also Michele. I didn’t expect Tony to play the best game ever, but I certainly didn’t expect Michele to make it all the way to the finale and have a fairly compelling case to receive votes.

Aaron: Tony - an all-time great performance. Truly masterful. Michele - everybody said, going in, that she was an undeserving winner and a major underdog in the game. Look who's laughing now. Natalie - she has overcome her "Twinnie" persona that I hated so much from "The Amazing Race" and the first part of her winning season, and, even though she spent the entire time on Extinction, she was head and shoulders above everybody else that got voted out.

6. Who, if anyone, failed to meet your expectations?

Aaron: Adam - I really liked him in his original season, and even thought he did pretty well for the first episode or two, but after that... Man... I don't even know. Ben - I don't know what my expectations were for Ben, but he just bugged the heck out of me the entire time. The guy can't keep a secret to save his life, and then the way he exited the game was truly pathetic. Denise - I love Denise, I don't really understand her transformation late in the game, and her downward spiral from voting out Sandra to verbally giving up is a bit mind-boggling.

Austin: Ben and Kim. I think Ben was way out of his league in this season and, frankly, I don’t think he belonged. Kim, on the other hand, was so dominant in her first season that I was expecting more from her. The fact that she was voted out because she made one of the most basic mistakes a survivor can make only adds to the disappointment.

7. Who were you rooting for at the beginning of the season? Who were you rooting for at the end of the season?

Aaron: At the beginning, Tyson, Denise, Adam and Wendell. At the end, well... I mean, I understood that Tony deserved to win, but everybody I had a vested interest in had been booted by then. Michele by default, I guess?

Austin: At first I was rooting for Tyson and Denise, who are two of my favorite castaways ever. Heading into the finale, I was rooting for Michelle. I thought she played a great underdog game and I think she’s one of the most underrated Survivors of all time.

8. Have we finally seen the last of Boston Rob and Sandra?

Aaron and Austin: Yes.

9. What did you think about Natalie having so many advantages from her time on Edge of Extinction?

Aaron: For someone who was voted out at the first Tribal Council, Natalie had WAY too many advantages. I don't disagree that she earned them and she deserved some credit for working so hard, but for her to have three advantages and two idols, compared to Nick, who was the last person sent to Extinction and had NOTHING, that was totally unfair.

Austin: Two things come to mind. First, I think the system is broken. Nick lasted 34 days and had 0 chances to gain an advantage heading into the final challenge. Why should someone who was voted out on Day Two have the opportunity to monopolize advantages like she did? Second, props to her! She cleaned up on Extinction and went out of her way to earn everything that she could.

10. What did you think about Ben giving Sarah permission to vote him out?

Austin: Ben was a weak player this season. I think his logic in Sarah using that move as a resume builder was flawed. Mostly, on this season I really wanted to see all the heavyweights go at it and fight to the finish. I would definitely have rather had someone else in the final five who was willing to fight to the end and try to win.

Aaron: Weak. Pathetic. Completely ridiculous. And for him to insinuate, "What you need in order to win is a big move, so I give you permission to vote me out," totally cheapened the move Sarah made in the first place. How could she possibly claim that and say, "My one big move was that I voted Ben out after he told me to do it"?

11. What did you think about Sarah's "gender bias" speech in the finale? Did it change your opinion of her?

Aaron: First of all, she should have saved that speech for the final Tribal. Second of all, I understand that some viewers believe that the producers have it out for women (especially "women of color," as I read in one particular article), but I don't buy it. I don't think her speech changed my opinion of Sarah, specifically, but I didn't think she made enough significant moves to win the game either way.

Austin: The timing of it was interesting. It felt like she was pandering a bit early to the jury, and why not? You don’t have to save it all to the final Tribal Council. I’m not sure I agreed with everything she said, but I thought she eloquently stated her side of things. My opinion of Sarah remains the same.

12. Did Natalie make the right decisions after re-entering the game?

Austin: I didn’t want her to use her idol on herself; I wanted her to save Michele, but it didn’t matter. After the merge, especially, the individuality of your game increases. I think it was the smart thing to do (BUT SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE TOLD SARAH THAT SHE HAD IT!!). From the fire side of things, had Natalie challenged Tony to fire and won, I think she might have unanimously won the game.

Aaron: I mean, what the jury probably wanted was for her to play her idol for Michelle, then voluntarily give up her individual immunity to make fire against Tony (a move that has already been done, mind you, and led to the crowning of the most controversial winner of all time). Her moves guaranteed her a spot in the finale, and I can't blame her for that. She came in and wiped out Tony's alliance, and that was awesome. The only way she would have won would have been by eliminating Tony, though, and that didn't end up happening.

13. What did you think about the final Tribal Council?

Aaron: Overall, it was fine. I don't love the "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast" format that they adopted a couple seasons back, but it is what it is. The jury wasn't bitter, which is always nice, and it seemed like everyone respected everyone else, and that's good.

Austin: I thought it was good, but certainly different that what we have seen in the past. The jury was laughing with the final three, admiring some moves they made, and it didn’t feel nearly as bitter as other final Tribal Councils that we have seen.

Aaron: I actually thought that each of the final three made solid cases for why they deserved to win. I thought that they each represented the three main aspects of the game, too - Tony was easily the best strategic player, Natalie dominated Extinction from a physical standpoint, and Michele had to play a flawless social game to survive on the bottom for as long as she did.

14. Tony won, 9-4-0. Did Michele deserve any votes?

Austin: I think she deserved at least one. With Michele’s resume from this season, I think you could transplant her to many other "Survivor" seasons and she would have easily won. The problem is that she ran into Tony, who played the greatest individual season of "Survivor" ever.

Aaron: Yes, at least one. Many people online were giving Wendell a hard time for not voting for her, but I don't think you can force a guy to vote for somebody just because they dated. That shouldn't have anything to do with it. But yes, I do think that it was a shame Michele didn't get more votes.

15. Is Tony the greatest "Survivor" player of all time?

Aaron and Austin: Yes.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

16. Should "Survivor" continue to use Fire Tokens?

Aaron: I don't mind if they come back, but they need to iron out a couple things first. As viewers, I don't think we really understood everything that could be done with the tokens. It seemed like, as far as we knew, they were really only used for advantages/disadvantages to be sold to players still in the game or for jars of peanut butter.

Austin: They should. I think there is a lot of intrigue with Fire Tokens, but they weren’t implemented correctly this season. We saw lots of different situations where the tokens caused changes in gameplay, most of which were entertaining, but I think they need to look at how people on the Edge of Extinction can earn/use them. This season’s system was so slanted in favor of the first person to be voted off that it didn’t feel right.

17. Should "Survivor" continue to utilize Edge of Extinction?

Austin: I think that having a second chance eliminates some of the beauty of the game. I think that with hidden immunity idols, among other things, that there are enough ways to prevent being voted off that having a second chance at coming back in the game feels too merciful.

Aaron: No. Get rid of it. Once you're out, you're out.

18. If you could play with anyone from this season, who would it be?

Aaron: Denise seems like she would be a pretty loyal ally, and I think, if you can get on his good side, Tyson would be a blast to play with. He and Gervase remain one of the top duos in the history of the show.

Austin: Tony is entertaining, for sure, but I think I’d go crazy if I played with him. I think I’d want to play with Tyson because I think he’s hilarious, an awesome player and an overall good dude.

19. Is there anyone from this season that you would not want to play with?

Aaron: Tony. The guy drives me nuts. Sandra and Rob, too. I'd want them gone immediately.

Austin: Boston Rob. He’s so bossy that I’d probably lose my temper within the first 24 hours on the island with him.

20. What makes "Survivor" such a great show?

Austin: This might be the hardest question because I think there is a combination of about 1,000 things. I think that the show finds normal people, brings them entirely out of their element, and it shows what people are capable of doing in a game where there are real life consequences and a significant financial reward.

Aaron: The fact that it has been able to successfully reinvent itself so many times over the years is a testament to its greatness. I love the drama of it all. There have been some epic blindsides over the years, and it never gets old watching somebody think they're on top, only to come crashing down half an hour later. And finally, we've got to give some props to the best to ever do it - Jeff Probst, the greatest game show host ever!

What did you think about "Survivor: Winners at War"? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below, on Twitter or on Facebook.

Until next time,

The tribe has spoken!

Survivor's Scot Pollard: the Reality TV Mormon debate

Former NBA player and champion Scot Pollard is an interesting dude. There's no doubt about that. Run a quick Google image search for him and you'll quickly come to understand. At a glance, the guy is pretty far "out there," as far as his personality and lifestyle are concerned. But here's a little known fact - Pollard was born into a Mormon family in Murray, Utah. Yes, it's true. Scot Pollard was raised Mormon.

Now, that term, "raised Mormon," is practically synonymous with inactivity in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Basically, the person was born into a religious family, then grew up and made their own decisions, leaving the church in the rear-view mirror. ("Dancing with the Stars" hot shots Derek and Julianne Hough are prime examples of this pattern.) For a few years now, I've known that Pollard was pretty openly ex-Mormon and anybody familiar with his NBA career should have realized that the guy doesn't really have any type of connection with the church anymore.

With this in mind, when Pollard was announced as a contestant for Season 32 of "Survivor," I immediately decided that I wouldn't include him on my world-famous list of Reality TV Mormons. However, I was quite surprised this past week when Mormonism came up in a conversation during the eighth episode of the season. Unexpectedly, Pollard did not deny being a member of the church. Here is a transcription of the conversation, which also included contestants Nick Maiorano, Julia Sokolowski and Debbie Wanner:

Nick: "There's something I want to ask you, Scot. Where does your mom live?"
Scot: "My mom lives in Utah. She's in an assisted living. She's got health issues, so... She's only 75. She's got a rare disease. It's basically the inverse of ALS."
Julia: "Is your father alive?"
Scot: "No, my dad died when I was 16."
Nick: "So, are you religious? Are you Mormon?"
Scot: "I haven't been to church since I was a kid - well, 17, 18 years old - but my whole world has to do with my family, and that has everything to do with the Mormon religion."
Debbie: "I think that's wonderful."
Scot: "That was one of the advantages. That's why I take care of my whole family. We were all poor. ... My brothers chose religion and family, and I chose the NBA. They struggle financially, so I..."
Debbie: "So you would like to help them even more."
Scot: "That's why I'm here."
Debbie: "Good for you, Scot. That's very noble."

Interesting, right? So what do you think? Does that conversation qualify Pollard as one of my Reality TV Mormons? Let me know in the comments section below!

"Survivor: Kaôh Rōng" airs on CBS, Wednesday nights at 7 p.m., Mountain Time. Pollard is currently one of the final nine contestants vying for the million-dollar grand prize.

The top TV moments of 2015 (that you probably didn't see!)

The older I get, the more I realize that nobody really likes most of the TV shows I watch. The unfortunate thing about that is that you guys missed out on some awesome stuff last year. With that in mind, I thought I'd rank the top TV moments of 2015 that you probably didn't see!:

5. Sleepy Hollow - Abby goes to the underworld

Following what critics deemed to be a disappointing second season, "Sleepy Hollow" has kicked things up a notch for season three. There's a new "big bad" and Ichabod is no longer tied down by Katrina, which has led to some good storylines with Betsy Ross. The big cliffhanger heading into the mid-season finale involved Abby sacrificing herself and entering Pandora's evil tree, heading down to the underworld, presumably. What's down there? Do we even really know? Does Abby have a plan? She's alive, I take it, but what awaits her in Pandora's demonic lair? I suppose we'll find out in a couple weeks, when "Sleepy Hollow" returns (on Fridays #gulp) in February.

Also, Ichabod Crane is still the greatest character on TV.

4. Gotham - The death of Fish Mooney

I think a lot of people probably bailed on "Gotham" mid-way through its rookie season, and I totally understand that because, as much as I wanted it to, season one just wasn't very good. Nevertheless, I have stuck with it for one reason or another and, thankfully, season two has really taken a couple steps in the right direction. One of my main issues with season one was Jada Pinkett Smith's portrayal of Gotham kingpin Fish Mooney. I hate-hate-hated that chick. I'm not sure what it was - the over-dramatic acting, her desire for gratuitous violence or that weird torture scene where her old-lady armpits were on full display, perhaps? - but I don't remember ever wanting a fictional character to die as much as I wanted her to bite the big one. Thankfully, Oswald Cobblepot came to our collective rescue, pushing the former Queen of Gotham off of a very high wall to her (implied) death. You know what? I never publicly thanked the Penguin for what he did, so let me just say, on record, "Thank you, Oswald, for killing Fish Mooney!" (Note: We didn't see her lifeless body, however, so I suppose the door is open for a potential return at some point in the future, but let's just cross our fingers and hope that doesn't happen.)

Honorable mention: My brother Cody brings up a great point: the scene in season two where Penguin and Riddler are singing a duet was hilarious - almost as good as Fish dying, but not quite.

Also worth mentioning: Gordon's elevator fight scene was classic (especially the 1:18 - 1:24 mark).

3. Survivor - Crazy Tribal Councils

While I'm not a huge fan of the "new school" strategy that these returning players are attempting to infuse into the game, I am still a die-hard fan of this series. To this day, THIRTY-ONE SEASONS LATER, I truly believe it to be one of the best shows on television. The most recent incarnation of the program, "Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance," was pretty good. I liked the way the cast was selected - entirely by fans' votes. I thought they had a nice balance of fan favorites, villains and characters. Things began to get crazy about 75 percent of the way through the season, with a handful of immunity idol-driven blindside oustings and a couple crazy Tribal Councils that will live in "Survivor" lore for years to come. Two Tribals, in particular, stood out to me: the time when Stephen Fishbach tried to get cute and vote out Joe with "his own vote," only to get sent packing, himself, and the Tribal in the finale where Jeremy and Kelley Wentworth both used their hidden immunity idols, resulting in zero valid votes -- and Keith almost agreed to walk away from the game!! That was crazy. I'm glad Jeff Probst explained what had happened afterward because my parents and I were all left scratching our heads. Long live "Survivor."

2. The Flash - Who is Harrison Wells?

I binge-watched The CW's "The Flash" on Netflix a month or two ago and really enjoyed it. It wasn't as immature as "The Arrow" (which I only made it through about four or five episodes of before throwing in the towel) and wasn't as dark as "Gotham," which makes it a show you don't need to be ashamed of for watching. The best storyline of season one involves Barry Allen's relationship with his mentor, Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). Because, out of all of the shows I'm discussing in this blog, I believe "The Flash" is a show that some of you might actually care to watch in the future, I will not spoil the surprise, but I will say this - it is crazy. (Unfortunately, since I watched the show on Netflix and not on The CW, I knew the secret beforehand.) Cavanagh plays that role like a pro and makes every episode great. I'm not a big DC Comics guy, other than Batman and a little Superman now and then, but "The Flash" is a fun, family-friendly show that I'd recommend if you've got the time and are looking for something to watch.

1. Wayward Pines - Going down?: Ethan Burke versus the Abbies

I absolutely loved "Wayward Pines" this summer. It was originally just a 10-episode "event," but, to my great pleasure, FOX has decided to renew it for a second season. How on earth are they going to follow up that ending? Good heavens. In spite of all the haters that made it their personal mission to tell me that they will never watch the show, I thought "Wayward Pines" was freaking awesome. And the scene, in my opinion, that was the most freaking awesome of all was when Ethan Burke took on the Abbies for the sake of that confusing community. The elevator scene in the season finale solidifies Sheriff Burke's status as a stone-cold baller for time and all eternity. The man is a legend. No doubt about it, it was a weird little show with a weird little ending, but I loved it. It was mysterious, exhilarating, scary and intriguing and I couldn't get enough of it. (By the way, I just picked "Wayward Pines" up at Best Buy for $16.99 - not a bad deal!)


What were your favorite TV moments from 2015? Comment below and let me know!

Fall 2014 TV preview

Remember that one time about a month ago when we all sat back and cried, "Man, there is nothing on TV!" Yeah, I remember it, too... Well, long gone are the days of "America's Got Talent" (which FINALLY had the happy ending we all wanted...) and here are the days of way-too-much-good-stuff-on-TV-to-possibly-handle-without-a-DVR. Good heavens! So many good shows starting up.

Here's what I'm excited for this fall:

Sleepy Hollow, Monday nights on FOX

Upon hearing that "Sleepy Hollow" had been renewed for a second season, I was so happy I could scarcely speak. I couldn't believe it - a new show that I was watching actually didn't get cancelled?! That NEVER happens! Incredible! For those of you who missed out on the inaugural season, let me just say... YOU MISSED OUT. Talk to me and I'll hook you up if you want to watch it. Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), the man out of time, is, in my humble opinion, the best new character on TV and his constant struggle with modern-day technology and fashion brings a much-needed sense of humor and levity to the otherwise intense and dark premise. His relationship with Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) works well on screen and, let's face it, they're going to hook up eventually. That, my friends, will be a great day. And I've got to mention that the final 15 minutes of the Season One finale were about the craziest, most shocking 15 minutes of TV I watched all of last year. Seriously.

In order to bring you Season One-watchers up to speed for tonight's season premiere, check out this one-minute recap by Entertainment Weekly. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS...

As if that weren't enough, here's a trailer for Season Two. Should be awesome. Oh, and uh... more Season One SPOILERS, of course.

Gotham, Monday nights on FOX

With "Gotham" and "Sleepy Hollow" airing back-to-back on FOX Monday nights, I'll have my DVR remote at the ready. Tonight marks the series premiere of the Batman precursor. However, rather than focusing on the Caped Crusader - or even Bruce Wayne, for that matter - this is the story of detective James Gordon (later known as Commissioner Gordon) and his rise to law enforcement super-stardom. A handful of classic villains will be at FOX's disposal, with officially hyped criminals such as the Riddler, the Penguin, Poison Ivy and Catwoman being displayed prominently in the show's marketing campaign. Jada Pinkett-Smith will star as crime-lord Fish Mooney, a new character created specifically for the show. A young Bruce Wayne is also featured, as the story starts with Gordon (played by "The O.C." alum Ben Mackenzie) begins to investigate the infamous murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. I think this show has a lot of potential - and there's even word on the street that the Clown Prince of Crime, himself, will appear somewhere down the line. Please, please, please don't suck and don't get cancelled.

If you're not sold yet, here's a trailer:

The Voice, Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC

I may never go to FHE again. Like, seriously. When am I going to have time to watch all these shows?? If you don't know what "The Voice" is, you've either been living under a rock or you've been on a mission or something, so I won't waste time explaining how it works, but the important changes that you need to be aware of are these: that Cee-Lo and Christina have (thankfully) been replaced (again). This time, No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani and oversized hat-wearer Pharrell Williams will take a spin (get it?) at coaching up-and-coming talent. Personally, I like Shakira and Usher, but we'll see how Gwen and Pharrell do. I'll also have my Reality TV Mormon radar going at full speed. Maybe we'll find ourselves a couple new additions to my world-famous list.

In case you missed it, here is a 12-minute clip of Gwen and fellow coach Blake Shelton lip-synching with Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show":

Survivor: Blood vs Water 2, Wednesdays on CBS

Ah, "Survivor," my favorite show of all time. How I love "Survivor"! "Blood vs Water" is back and, I admit, I actually really liked this twist last time around. I didn't think I would, but I liked it. This time around, as opposed to the tried-and-true method of bringing back former contestants, we've got family/friend duos of completely new cast members. What could possibly go wrong with that? Wait... they WHAT?!? They cast THE TWINNIES?!?!?!?!?! AHHHHHH!!! I HATE HATE HATE THE TWINNIES! (And I very, very rarely type in all caps for prolonged periods of time, so you can probably tell how I feel about them...) Ugh, the stupid Twinnies from "The Amazing Race" will be on the show this season. I cannot begin to describe how disgusted I am at this decision. I've already put up with them for two seasons of "TAR" and now they're polluting my favorite show, "Survivor." Oh gosh. I hate them. Hopefully they'll be voted off One and Two so we can forget that this mistake ever happened. MLB wild man John Rocker is also on the show this season and that will be... interesting... I mean, I guess I kind of like him because I know him? But... the show hasn't even started yet, so who knows what kinds of shenanigans he'll try to pull. In one commercial, he tells a member of the opposing tribe that he wants to fight him, so... Also, Exile Island is back, which should be crazy, especially since castaways will be the ones to send their own loved there. Yikes.

Here's a video of iO Trendz breaking down the new cast:

The Amazing Race, Season 25, Friday nights on CBS

Another season of "The Amazing Race" begins on a new night this week - and that's not good news, as far as ratings are concerned. I have no idea what could possibly have bumped the Race from its good old time slot on Sunday nights, but now they'll air the program on Fridays. Sorry, but unless I'm sick or something, I'm not going to call off my weekend plans to stay home and watch. I'll probably DVR it and watch it on Sunday nights, anyway. I haven't done much research on the new cast, other than I know that a pair of former Survivors and a chick with one arm will be on the show, so, with that vague information, here's a video some schmoe uploaded to YouTube that's, perhaps, even more vague. I have no idea what's going on here, other than that it's the start of the race and there are lots of people watching from the sidelines. Enjoy:

Wow! How about that? Those are my shows! I should be incredibly busy trying to keep up and stay up-to-date with everything. Heck, I'm still like five episodes behind on "Falling Skies" - and that show ended a month ago. I wish I had more time for important stuff in my life... like... watching lots and lots of TV.

Did I miss anything? What are you guys looking forward to watching this fall? Leave a comment below... if you dare...

Why Survivor is still worth watching

Here we are one night removed from the 27th season of "Survivor." Yes, it's true - "Survivor" is still on TV. And yes, it's true - I am still watching faithfully. Now, why would I do a thing like that? Didn't "Survivor" stop being cool like eight years ago? The answer to that is, quite simply, no. Thirteen years later, "Survivor" continues to prove why it's still one of the top shows on television.

**Some spoilers to follow. And yes, I'll be mentioning the name of the Sole Survivor.**

In its most recent incarnation, "Blood vs Water," "Survivor" pitted ten returning castaways from previous seasons against a tribe of their loved ones. On more than one occasion, I, a fan of the show since the very beginning, have thought to myself, "That sounds like a stupid idea." I initially thought that the "Blood vs Water" concept seemed pretty dumb. I didn't want to watch parents and their children play together. I couldn't care less about sibling rivalries or family reunions. But as the season progressed, I think that having relatives play with and against each other didn't just work - it excelled.

Right off the bat, Rupert Boneham, one of the most popular players to ever grace the sandy beaches of  "Survivor," practically ousted himself from the game in an attempt to prolong his wife's life in the game. Then, one of the elements that really got me hooked early on in the season was, to my surprise, the often hit-and-miss Redemption Island. The rivalry between Candice/John and Brad Culpepper was intense, frequently censoring language and blurring out middle fingers as the three interacted at Redemption Arena. Later on in the season, there was the storyline with Laura Morett and her daughter, Ciera. We may never see another moment like the one where Ciera was faced with the decision of whether or not to vote out her mom. After her ouster, Laura kept winning duel after duel after duel at Redemption Island to eventually be reunited with Ciera. The looming threat of a power couple (Laura/Ciera, Aras/Vytas, and Tina/Katie) being reunited that late in the game made each Tribal Council a potential game-changer.

"Survivor" gets my heart pumping. It is unscripted drama at its finest. Obviously, Mark Burnett and company can edit the show however they want, but the way the show is set up, with its challenges, hidden immunity idols, naturally-developing alliances and rivalries, and occasional Tribal Council blindsides have made up countless conversations at my dinner table for over a decade. Its unpredictability can be terribly frustrating at times, but, when your favorite contestants win that crucial challenge or pull off a last-minute stunner at Tribal, there are few greater feelings for the prime time TV watcher.

One of the very few knocks I have on the show is that there have been a handful of undeserving winners. Tina, Vecepia, Natalie, Sandra (TWICE), and Sophie come to mind immediately. That's pretty frustrating. Sadly, in the season's final episode, the jury that votes for the winner often suffers from something my mom and I have dubbed "Bitter Jury Syndrome." Symptoms may include belittling a finalist for personal, non-Survivor-related flaws; unnecessary rudeness and/or profanity; extreme jealousy; and occasional, intentional humiliation (think Dawn/Brenda in Season 26). Bitter jury members often vote for a less-ruthless, less-deserving player simply in order to prevent a certain contestant from winning. This is typically because one finalist led the charge to vote out said bitter jurist. ("You voted me out, so I'm not voting for you.") Just ridiculous. That's something I hate about "Survivor."

The real payoff comes when a deserving player wins. Thankfully, such was the case in "Blood vs Water." The best player won. Tyson dominated from start to finish, but especially after his girlfriend, Rachel, was (arguably) pre-maturely voted out of the game. Rachel wasn't that good and there was no chance that she'd win the game, but seeing her leave early on flipped a switch in Tyson. He really never looked back after that, despite tearing a rotator cuff during one of the more physical challenges. He was the only one who found hidden immunity idols and somehow got other players to think that the idols were still out there, anyway. He sat there and watched as they searched in vain, which was both clever and kind of hilarious. He was strategically a step above everybody, except for maybe Gervase, who was right there with him most of the time. Tyson called the shots, Tyson got the blood on his hands, and then Tyson stepped up and won two huge immunity challenges during the finale. Tyson was the best and, deservedly so, walked away with a million bucks to prove it.

Finally, I've got to give props to my man, Jeff Probst, who yet again proved that he is the best host in all of reality television. He's the king of the loaded question and always knows what to say in difficult situations. He put Colton in his place by calling him out as he quit, he always leads Tribal Council in a controversial direction (once leading up to the dreaded drawing of rocks), and he marvelously handled a tough situation with Tina and Katie in the reunion show. Jeff Probst is money in the bank every single time.

"Survivor" never ceases to entertain me, even 27 seasons down the road. If you have never seen the show or if you've watched it in the past and given up on it, I recommend that you give it another shot. Mr. Probst and a crew of all-new castaways will be back in 2014 with a new twist, pitting brawn against brains against beauty. Allegedly, this will entail a three-tribe premiere: a muscular tribe, an intelligent tribe, and an attractive tribe. There will be no returning players and no Redemption Island. Just good, old-fashioned "Survivor" - and you know I'll be watching.

Coming, 2014.