Lose on, Luzon

I'm Brooks MacLachlan, someone who for some reason thinks his obsession with Survivor in recent years makes him qualified enough to judge those who are actually playing the game. I analyze everything I can: the episodes, secret scenes, interviews with eliminated players, social media activity of the players, and more to come up with the motivations behind what each player has done. I decide what should have happened, because I obviously know best, and I predict what should and what will happen in each player’s future in the game. And I’ll probably get it right every time because that’s just how I am.

Let's just take a moment to look at where we're at after this premiere of Survivor Cagayan:

J'Tia annoyed her tribe, forced them to waste time building a worthless shelter, lagged behind in both the physical and mental portions of the immunity challenge, poured all of her tribe's rice in the fire, and dumped water on the fire. And she's still in the game.

Garrett put 2000 hours into preparing for the show, was the strongest person on his tribe, found the hidden immunity idol within minutes of starting the game, and convinced the tribe to do his bidding in the first tribal council. And he's been voted out.

The Luzon tribe is absolutely crazy. As most of them have come to realize themselves, they really don't live up to their label as brains.

David made a blunder minutes into the game by making Garrett his enemy and declaring him the weakest on their tribe. Choosing Garrett may have been a good move, if he'd had the right reason for it. If he had chosen Garrett and said, "I'm choosing him because he clearly isn't the weakest on our tribe, so I know he won't be offended by this," then Garrett probably would have understood. But David's reason was pretty much that he actually wanted Garrett out of the game. That mistake made David the first boot.

Garrett similarly made a mistake that cost him the game: The open-forum discussion. It's always a bad idea to let the person you're voting out know that you're voting them out. Garrett did this, but in that sense it actually worked out well for him, because it caused J'Tia to go crazy and make herself an even bigger target. I think it was just the fact that Garrett wasn't letting the others play their own game that turned them against him. Even when he revealed his alliance with Kass and Spencer at tribal council, I could understand why he was doing it. That would solidify to Kass that his real loyalties' lied with her, not with Tasha. But then he retracted what he said and started talking about the four and just dug himself into a hole.

J'Tia's mistakes were plenty and obvious. To think that I had thought of her as one of the most likely to win... I couldn't have been further from the truth. Unless she changes drastically in the second half of the game, she doesn't have a chance.

I liked Kass, Tasha, and Spencer in the episode, but even this group was making mistakes.

Tasha's biggest fault was admitting to her tribe how much she wanted to strategize. The goal in Suvivor is to play the strategic game without the others knowing that you're playing the strategic game, and Tasha pretty much told her tribe that she would be working behind some of their backs, lying to some of them. Not very smart.

Kass made her first mistake when she told J'Tia she would be voting for her. While I don't think that had anything to do with the fact that she ended up surviving the tribal council (Garrett would have pushed his agenda regardless), it's still something that shouldn't be done. Her second mistake was voting out Garrett. If she had kept Garrett, the Luzon tribe would have a great chance of starting to win some challenges. Even if they did lose one, Tasha would be voted out, not her. By eliminating Garrett, it will be very hard for the remaining Brains to start winning challenges. Tasha and J'Tia appear to be a pair, and if they decide they want to keep Spencer for the little brawn he brings to the tribe, Kass could find herself out next.

Spencer was the only Brain who actually played well. Just like I predicted, his arrogance in the pre-game interviews and confessionals did not appear during camp life. He laid low while also being a part of the strategy and decision making. He's found himself on the bottom of his tribe, but that's only because of how crazy his tribemates are playing. And I'm not so sure he's really on the bottom...

Kass must have had some good reason to vote out Garrett. She didn't like J'Tia, and Spencer said that she fought with Tasha in the first tribal council. So why would she side with J'Tia and Tasha? One of the scenes where she and Tasha are strategizing at the water's edge opens with Tasha saying something like "She'll be out next, I promise! This is our last chance to have the numbers!" The "she" Tasha is referring to must be J'Tia. I'm assuming what she's saying is that if Kass joins them to vote out Garrett now, they'll vote out J'Tia next. This would be appealing to Kass because at that point, she'd essentially get to choose between Spencer and Tasha should they lose a fourth challenge. She'd be in a power position. I think that's why she voted out Garrett. The only question is if Tasha was telling the truth; would she really vote out her closest ally J'Tia? If the Brains tribe loses again next week, which they unfortunately likely will, we'll find out. Kass and Spencer will want to vote out J'Tia, but if Tasha doesn't we could even end up with a fire making challenge (which I would expect J'Tia to lose).

The other factor on the Brains tribe is the hidden immunity idol. Garrett left it buried "near treemail" at camp. So will there be clues leading to its new location now? I hope so. Although the chances of the Brains tribe actually winning a clue are pretty slim. I really hope they do though. They may be the oddest tribe in history, but that's exactly why I'm still rooting for them.

Now onto the other tribes... let's start with Brawn. Right now it appears to be Tony and Trish on one side and everyone else on the other side united by their love for Cliff. But if Trish is accurate in saying that Lindsey isn't doing any work, that could be getting on the nerves of the other Aparri members too. And especially with Tony admitting to Sarah that he's a cop in the next episode, I think that Lindsey is set to be the first person voted out of Aparri, assuming they ever lose a challenge. I don't think they will lose many challenges throughout the season, so the other 5 may stay together, with Sarah, Tony, and Trish being the core three.

On the Beauty Tribe, we have the three pairs: Alexis and Jefra, LJ and Jeremiah, and Morgan and Brice. Brice tried to get Jeremiah on his side but Jeremiah didn't say much, besides how Jefra and Alexis are getting on his nerves, so I don't know that he's really with them. We never actually saw them make an agreement. I think his loyalties lie with LJ, and LJ will want to target Morgan and Brice for a couple reasons. One, he already suspects that Morgan has an idol or idol clue. And second, he seems to be close with Alexis. They were seen playing coconut bowling together and Alexis was the first to hug him after he won the second immunity challenge. Granted, that's not a lot to go off of, but I've just gotten some feeling that the two have some sort of bond. I wouldn't be surprised if an Alexis, LJ, Jeremiah, Jefra alliance already exists, and we just don't know about it. Regardless, I see the Beauty tribe less as three pairs and more as one chain: Jefra gets along with Alexis, who is close with LJ, who is bros with Jeremiah, who is attracted to Morgan, who is friends with Brice. Logically, the people in most danger would be those with the fewest connections: The two people on the ends of the chain, Jefra and Brice. I'd say Morgan is in just as much danger though, because LJ is suspicious of her and she probably isn't as good in the challenges as Brice. Plus, her connection with Jeremiah is likely to be overpowered by LJ's connection with Jeremiah. Morgan had a good episode, convincing almost everyone with her idol cover-up, but I still don't think she'll be around much longer. She's still my pick to get voted out if Beauty loses.

Some final thoughts about the premiere:

I loved when Garrett got scared by the spider. It was hilarious, but I don't fault him for it. I can totally relate.

Did anyone else notice Alexis' facial expressions while LJ was doing the puzzle in the second immunity challenge? They were perfect.

I don't understand Tony's spy shack at all. It looks like he's just standing outside the shelter listening. How is that a shack!?

I know that the brains tribe won't be completely starved without their rice. What was with those giant red and yellow fruit they were eating? It looked delicious, but it was also super crunchy...

It's probably a good thing that the Survivor pool isn't actually happening. Garrett would have picked up some points for finding the idol, but it's still not good that he was voted out second. And J'Tia and Spencer could both be out in the next couple of weeks. And they were my easy picks! Sarah's doing great though. She really could be a triple threat in this game: physical, social, and strategic, plus she's entertaining. And Alexis could still make it far. Overall though, my pool hopes would have plummeted after this first episode.

And that's all! What did you think about the premiere? Feel free to speak your mind in the comments! I'll be eagerly awaiting next week's episode; It looks like this will be a great season!

Survivor Cagayan Cast Preview!

I'm Brooks MacLachlan, someone who for some reason thinks his obsession with Survivor in recent years makes him qualified enough to judge those who are actually playing the game. I analyze everything I can: the episodes, secret scenes, interviews with eliminated players, social media activity of the players, and more to come up with the motivations behind what each player has done. I decide what should have happened, because I obviously know best, and I predict what should and what will happen in each player’s future in the game. And I’ll probably get it right every time because that’s just how I am.

We're only a week away from the start of Survivor's next season and my excitement levels are high. The cast has been out for quite some time now, and it's looking like a good one. There are plenty of players who actually seem like they are big fans of the show, and while I really love the brains tribe, there are some interesting players on the other tribes too who could have just as much game-playing ability as the smartest of the brains.

For the past couple years, I've joined a Survivor pool in which you pick 5 players before the season starts, and they earn you points based on how long they last, how many tribal and individual challenges they win, and how many hidden idols they find. So I came up with this great idea to base my preview blog on my thought process for choosing these players, only to learn that the pool wasn't happening this season... 

So I'm just going to pretend that it is. Following are my thoughts on each player, and the five I would have picked had there been a pool this season. Those five aren't necessarily the people I think will make the final 5 (that would be much too hard to predict), but they are the five I think have the best chances of going very deep into the game. 

Now, when the cast videos were first released, I gave each contestant a rating from 1 to 5 based on their bio, and another ranking from 1 to 5 based on their video. Unfortunately, I don't have those ratings with me currently and won't have them until a couple days before the show starts, and by that time I'll be studying for midterms and won't want to write a giant preview blog, so we'll have to make do without the ratings. It's not much of a loss anyways, because those ratings would have changed a lot after seeing all that I have since originally rating the players.

Anyways, without further ado, let us begin!

Aparri (Brawn) Tribe

Cliff is a former NBA player, and this immediately raised red flags with me. The problem with any sort of "celebrity" player is that the million dollar prize isn't much of an incentive for them, which means they have one less reason to try to win the game. If the survival aspect of the game-- the weather, lack of food and comfort, etc.-- gets tough, most players would endure because they are driven by their desire for money, but this won't apply to Cliff. He's a giant, which means the lack of food will be especially hard on him, and the only reason he would have to stay in the game would be to win the title of Sole Survivor, which may not be so important for him once he's actually out there, trying to weather the elements. While I don't see him quitting the game, I also don't see him trying very hard to stay in the game once he's targeted. And he will be targeted, simply because he appears to be very intimidating as a physical competitor. At best, I see Cliff being one of the first members of the jury. At worst, he could be the first one out of his tribe, especially if his former career is made public.

You only need to take one look at Lindsey to see that she will start this game as the odd one out. Based on her bio, I was convinced that she would be the first out of the Aparri tribe. However, after watching her video I felt a little better about her. She has a good sense of humour, so if she has enough time to build some solid relationships before her tribe goes to their first Tribal Council, she has a chance to survive, and make it deep into the game. However, she doesn't seem to have much game-knowledge, so while I can see her possibly being taken to the end as a goat, I don't think she will have any real control over the game or any chance to actually win.

After watching Sarah's videos and reading her bio, Sarah was one of my favourites on the Brawn tribe. I can't remember if she had the highest rating on the tribe, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did. However, I still wasn't really considering her as a pick for the pool. The best thing she had going for her was that she had identified Tony as a fellow cop, and she said she planned on having one person she could really trust and then building her alliance outward. If she and Tony did team up, they could be a powerful duo and probably at least make the merge together, unless the entire rest of the Aparri tribe voted against them. Despite this, it wasn't until Rob Cesternino and his wife Nicole both wanted to pick Sarah to win on the RHAP preview podcast that I really started to consider Sarah as a potential pool pick. And, since then, two of the Rob has a Podcast bloggers have picked her too. Jeff Probst also had good things to say about her in the cast assessment. It seems almost everyone likes Sarah's chances, and they have me convinced. Sarah has what it takes to win: She knows the game, is likable, and doesn't seem like she'll be overeager to make moves and overplay, which would not be good. Plus, if she has an alliance with Tony, he will surely be the bigger target of the two, which gives her a little bit of insurance should things start going south for the pair.

Tony has OK chances, thanks to his possible alliance with Sarah. He seems to have reasonable knowledge of the game. But, unlike Sarah, he probably won't be as likable-- I can see him being much too bossy for the other players' tastes-- and he is definitely the type who will play too hard, too fast. If Sarah can't hold him back, he could screw both of them by making impulsive game moves early on. He says he wants to be like Russell Hantz, so you can bet he'll be putting a target on his back by looking for an idol right off the bat. Tony could probably make the merge pretty easily, but after that his gameplay will start to catch up to him and he'll be a very big target. I can't see him playing as well strategically as Russell Hantz, so I think he'll be voted out long before the finals. And even if he somehow made finals, he likely won't have many friends on the jury and it would be tough for him to win the game.

Trish reminds me a lot of Survivor Caramoan's Sherri. I definitely think she can make it far in the game, but I'm not sure that she will be in the driver's seat at any point. She seems to be very likable, which is great for her chances of making it far, but also makes her a threat when it gets close to the final three. If she does manage to make strategic decisions throughout the game, she may make enough people angry that she won't be viewed as a likeability threat, which may be the best case scenario for her in the endgame. I can see Trish winning, but she would have to play the game mostly with her head rather than her heart, and I'm not sure that she can do that.

Lots of people have compared Woo to Fabio, and I can see where they're coming from. Woo seems to be very interested in having an adventure, and not so interested in playing the game of Survivor. Woo will not be making any strategic decisions this season, and I think he'll be a bit of a non-factor. Perhaps comparable to Philippines' Carter. His likeability and challenge strength can take him well into the merge, but unless he wins all of the immunity's at the end, I don't think Woo makes the final three.

Luzon (Brains) Tribe

I don't like David's chances for the same reason I don't like Cliffs chances. He's the president of the Miami Marlins, so the money isn't going to be a big deal for him. That being said, I don't see the elements being as hard on him as they are on Cliff. He's the oldest of the Brains tribe and is used to being a leader, so it seems that he is destined to take on the leadership role on this tribe, which is a precarious position in Survivor. If he is too bossy, the tribe could vote him out first. But, I think the tribe will be more worried about removing the weakest links challenge-wise, and that could give David the chance he needs to get himself into a strong alliance. As long as his occupation remains a secret, his chances actually aren't so bad. If Garrett is part of his alliance, Garrett will be the bigger target come merge time. I can actually see David making it to the end, and winning. But this is only if he can overcome his label as a leader that he will inevitably get at the beginning of the game. I'm cheering against David if only because I like the rest of the Brains tribe too much, so I'm just gonna go ahead and say he doesn't make the merge. He may survive one Tribal, but if the Brains go to Tribal Council again, it's not a stretch to say they could  vote out their leader. I also get the sense that they;ll be annoyed by him, but I'm not sure where that's coming from, because I actually found him quite funny in his video.

I actually remember the rating I gave Garrett during my initial cast assessment: 9.5. Garrett has a whole lot going for him. He's clearly the most physically fit on his tribe. He's a Survivor superfan. He's a pro-poker player, which should mean he's good at reading people and lying and all that pokery stuff that I know nothing about. He says he put 2000 hours of preparation into this, which is just insane. I think his challenge strength will get him through the early game, but after that he will have a giant bullseye on his back. He'll have to keep other big targets in the game to give himself a chance. I can see him starting the game in a Brains alliance, but I don't think him and Spencer can work together for the entire game. I see a power struggle between him and Spencer, with Spencer likely coming out on top simply because Garrett is clearly the more intimidating player. However, I'm not ruling Garrett out. He's easily one of the biggest Survivor fans on the season, and he won't be going down without a fight. Even if he doesn't make it to the end, he'll probably win some individual challenges, which translates into points in the non-existent Survivor pool. Garrett won't have an easy time with it, but he is definitely capable of winning the game.

I would be surprised if J'Tia didn't at least make the final 7. She's a big fan of Survivor, she's smart, she's competitive, she's likeable, and she doesn't appear very threatening. Plus she's an engineer, which gives her major bonus points. J'Tia should have no problem getting herself into an alliance in the beginning. I can't see her being much of a target until the endgame. Like Sarah, everyone seems to love her chances, and unlike with Sarah, I had come to the same conclusion on my own. I think she has a great chance of winning the whole thing. The one thing she has to watch out for are her fellow Brains-- she can't underestimate them. Many of them know the game just as well or more than she does. If she can anticipate and prepare for the moves that they will want to make, then she should have no problem getting to the end.

Kass was one of my favourites based on her bio and video. I like her slightly less now because she's really annoying on Twitter, but I'd still like to see her make it far in the game. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem very likely. Kass seems to have a personality that the others will either love or hate. She appears to be the physically weakest on the Brains tribe, so unless she can get herself into an alliance early on, she could very likely be the first boot from her tribe. She does have some things going for her, though: She's a big fan of the game and will appear very non-threatening. If she can make it past the first couple tribal councils, she will have a great chance of going all the way. But to survive the first days, she'll have to just lay back and go along with her tribe. She appears to be very argumentative, and if she's disagreeing with the rest of her tribe in the beginning, she will be the first Luzon member voted out. It's worth noting that she has this big Twitter feud going on with Tony. They hate each other, which makes me think that they've spent some time together. That would either mean they both made the merge, or they both were voted out early and went on the same pre-merge-boots-trip together. Since I'm expecting Tony to make the merge, that gives me hope that Kass will, too.

Some people think Spencer will be the first out, others think he'll make it far, but everyone seems to agree on one thing: He can't win. Well, everyone except me. I think that if Spencer makes the final 3, he wins the game. I'm not positive that he'll make the final 3-- I can see him having a game similar to Malcolm's in the Philippines: He gets to the final five or four and then messes up and gets voted out. But I definitely think he'll be around for a long time. While he does come off a little arrogant in his videos, I think he's smart enough and able enough to keep that in check during the game. As a fellow guy who thinks he's the smartest person ever, I can relate to Spencer. If he's anything like me, he won't be anything like that around his tribemates, unless he gets to a point with them that he considers them close enough friends and knows they won't hold it against him if acts a little arrogant. I think he will actually be in a similar position as J'Tia: He's a superfan, will probably be likeable, and doesn't appear threatening. The fact that he may not be as likeable as J'Tia can actually increase his chances, as people will be okay with going to the end with him. Like with J'Tia, I'll be shocked if he doesn't at least make final 7. Also, there's a good chance that he's the first RHAP listener to play Survivor, which is a good thing for him.

Tasha has everything going for her that Spencer and J'tia do with the exception of one thing-- Brains. I'm sure she's a pretty smart woman, but nothing about her screams Brains tribe, and she doesn't appear to be as much of a Survivor fan as them. She's likeable, and strong enough to avoid being voted out as a weak-link but no so strong to be seen as a big threat after the merge. So I can see her going very far-- even all the way to the final three. But I don't think she'll have any control over her fate and I don't think she'll win the game. She simply doesn't have the Survivor know-how to play on the same level as her Brains tribemates.

Solana (Beauty) Tribe

Many people have been calling Alexis the black horse going into this season, and that's the exact same feeling I got about her too. After reading her bio, I felt that she would be a really good player. But then her video was a bit of a disappointment. I can see her being one of the first boots, or I could see her being great. She said that she considers herself more of a brain than a brawn or beauty, so I have to assume she has some intelligence. She doesn't seem like a Survivor superfan, but she says her dad loves the show so I assume she's watched a lot of it with him growing up, so she should have a decent game understanding. And she's a psychology student, which is a definite plus. The game is all about psychology, so she should have an advantage in that sense. If the beauty tribe loses a lot of challenges, though, she could easily be gone early. Her best chance would be to team up with the other girls and take a couple of the guys out. Even if she doesn't, though, I see her at least surviving the first Tribal Council, because I don't see Morgan being very like by her tribe. I think Alexis has a chance to win. But I also think she has a good chance of placing in pretty much any other position. So I don't really have a good prediction for her.



Brice sticks out like a sore thumb, which could make him an easy first target for the Beauty tribe. His best bet seems to be to team up with the girls, but that would leave Jeremiah and LJ on the outs and I don't know that the girls will be comfortable voting out their two strongest men, so my hopes aren't high that that alliance will actually happen. That doesn't mean there's no hope for Brice, though. There are lots of ways this Beauty tribe can unfold. Maybe Morgan gets on the tribes nerves and becomes the first target. A couple could emerge and put a target on their own backs. Brice has a loud personality, so it'll be hard for him to stay under the radar. He'll have a target on his back the whole game, but that's exactly why I can see him winning over a jury if he makes the final 3. I just don't think he'll have the social game to make it that far.



I think I wrote off Jefra right away when I read her bio, because I considered her to be the token recruited pageant girl who would have no chance of actually winning the game. That was my bad. I must've just skimmed over her bio or something because I somehow missed the fact that even though she's just 23, she's already gone through a lot. She's a cancer survivor, and she overcame addiction. She's also an outdoors girl, so the elements shouldn't be as hard on her as they might be on her female tribesmates. She seems extremely likeable, and will probably be better in physical challenges than the other girls on her tribe, so she shouldn't be an early target. If the Beauty tribe goes on a losing streak, which they easily could, that's when she could have a tough time staying in the game. Also, if she develops a romance with fellow southerner Jeremiah (which seems likely considering the two can already be seen together in some footage (I think)) than she could find herself being one of the first to go. Her tribe could try to break up the couple and they'd definitely vote her out over Jeremiah. If Jefra can get to the merge, though, she has a good chance of making it very far, and I can see her winning.



Jeremiah compares himself to J.T., and I would agree with that. I thought the same thing as soon as I saw his video. However, I'm not sure that Jeremiah can do as well as J.T. did in the game. He doesn't seem to have a very good understanding of the strategic game. He will probably be very well-liked, but that alone can only take him so far, especially when he'll be seen as an individual challenge threat. I think he'll make the merge, as long as that Brice and the girls alliance doesn't happen, but I don't think he'll make it much farther than that. I definitely don't see Jeremiah winning this game.



Like David on the Brains tribe, LJ seems destined to take the leadership role on Solana. This may not be such a bad thing for LJ though. He seems like he'll be very calm and level-headed, patient with his tribe and liked by them. He is well-suited for the leadership role, and is capable of building trust with his tribe by being the leader. I think the Beauty tribe will respect his decisions and appreciate him as a leader, and he should stick around at least until the merge. My one worry for him in the early game is that we already know he will be doing the puzzle portion of the first immunity challenge rather than the physical portion, and if his tribe loses that challenge they may be upset with him for not doing the physical work. I really don't think that will be enough for them to vote him out though. He doesn't talk a lot about the strategic game, so I'm worried about how he'll fare after the merge when he'll be a big target, but if he can make it to the end he can surely win the game.



I can easily see Morgan being the first boot of Survivor Cagayan. She won't be an asset in challenges, and she doesn't seem likeable enough to build the relationships necessary to be a strategic force in the game. She may be dragged all the way to the end, but she won't win. She doesn't appear to be a Survivor fan. She thinks the others will do what she wants just because she's beautiful. I really can't see her game being good in any aspect-- not strategically, not physically, not even socially. More than anyone else on the cast, I am convinced that Morgan cannot win the game.

My Picks!

So, who from the cast would I pick in this theoretical Survivor pool? My first three choices were easy:

Garrett Adelstein- Garrett could be on any of the three tribes. I think he'll be a force to be reckoned with physically, strategically, and socially. He could very easily end up with the biggest target on his back of anyone in the game, but I think it would be foolish to bet against this superfan.

J'Tia Taylor- J'Tia seems very game-smart and likeable, but doesn't appear very threatening. In many ways this seems like her game to lose.

Spencer Bledsoe- Same as J'Tia, except a bigger fan of the show and potentially less likeable. I think Spencer will succeed in controlling his arrogance and go very far in the game. In the original Meet the Cast Video, Spencer is portrayed as the season's villain, which also makes me think that he'll be around for a long while.

I liked the Brains tribe so much, at first I wanted to choose all 5 from that tribe. But that wouldn't have been very smart as me...

Sarah Lacina- After everyone began to rave about how great Sarah was, I began to seriously consider her as a pick. It didn't take long to become convinced that she had a very good chance of going all the way. (It's worth noting that last season, I picked Rachel because Rob and Nicole Cesternino both picked her to win, and that didn't go well for me at all. Now I'm picking Sarah for pretty much the same reason...)

My last pick was the hardest. Did I want to pick another Brain? Tasha or Kass could both do very well. Or do I want a representative from the Beauty tribe? LJ and Alexis both struck me as potentially great players. Eventually I decided on....

Alexis Maxwell- It's always good to have one "secret weapon" on your pool team: Someone who not a lot of people will probably pick but who might do great in the game. In One World, Kat was my secret weapon. Dawson in Philippines and Tina in Blood vs. Water were also secret weapons. Sometimes it pays off to take a risk and pick them, sometimes it doesn't. But my initial gut reaction about Alexis was that she'd do very well, and so she's earned a spot in my Survivor pool team that doesn't actually exist.

And that's that. This blog entry is much too long already and I don't even think I'm that good at this pre-season prediction stuff. So sorry if this was really boring :s

Do you agree with my assessment? Express your thoughts in the comments!

It's Not Whether You Win or Lose

I'm Brooks MacLachlan, someone who for some reason thinks his obsession with Survivor in recent years makes him qualified enough to judge those who are actually playing the game. I analyze everything I can: the episodes, secret scenes, interviews with eliminated players, social media activity of the players, and more to come up with the motivations behind what each player has done. I decide what should have happened, because I obviously know best, and I predict what should and what will happen in each player’s future in the game. And I’ll probably get it right every time because that’s just how I am.

And with that, the first Blood versus Water season is in the books. I say "first" because it was such a great season that the twist will surely be used again. 

Before I get into the finale, I'm gonna give you an idea of what my past few days have been like, because I think it's kinda interesting. Since 8 O'clock on Sunday night, I've watched the 3 hour season finale twice, listened to an hour long podcast about it, watched about 2 hours of secret scenes, watched the hour long after show, and listened to about an hour and a half of exit interviews... maybe a couple-month-long break from Survivor won't be such a bad thing. (Except it'll probably be more like a week-long break because I'll surely start watching old seasons and following Rob Cesternino's off-season Survivor coverage).

So the finale was pretty predictable. The only big surprise happened early on, when Tina beat Laura and re-entered the game. Besides that, everything I guessed in my last blog came true: Ciera went home first, followed by the redemption island returner, Gervase had no chance of winning, Monica had only a small chance (as shown by the vote Vytas gave her), and Tyson rose up as our winner. Just to be clear, just because it was predictable doesn't mean it wasn't good. I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the entire episode and reunion. However, it means there's not a whole lot to analyze. Since Tyson won both immunities, Monica and Gervase didn't even get the chance to make a move and possibly overthrow him. So there isn't a whole lot to talk about in terms of analysis (or maybe I just don't feel like putting in the work to analyse), so I'm just going to give some of my thoughts on some of the things that happened during the finale and reunion.

Tyson is definitely a worthy winner. I think he can be placed in the top tier of winners, with others who controlled the entire game with very few mistakes, like Boston Rob and Kim Spradlin. I'm still not a fan of his decision to go to rocks but obviously it worked out for him so I can't really call it a flaw in his game. 

I like Hayden almost as much as I like Tyson. Having a new player who isn't afraid to fight to stay in the game is so refreshing. I love how he doesn't give up, and how he hates to lose. He kinda reminds me of myself, actually. You know, just with muscles and social skills that I only dream I will magically obtain when I go on Survivor... actually maybe our only similarity is our drive to win.

What was with those jury questions to Monica!? Was it just me, or did Caleb, Laura, and Hayden all ask her the exact same question? I felt bad for her because I also didn't really understand what they wanted her to do. I think it reflected bad on her when she kind of broke and gave her "Haven't y'all ever met a nice person before?" speech, but I really couldn't blame her. The jury wasn't making a lot of sense and I would be frustrated too.

I'd like to discuss Vytas' vote for Monica. He has said on twitter that he did it because he knew Tyson was winning and wanted to make sure Monica got her deserved second place all to herself, which I can respect. It's unfortunate that it ended up being the one vote that kept Tyson from a perfect game (getting every vote at the end and no votes during the game (Tyson didn't get any votes during the game, did he?)), but I don't hate Vytas for doing it. Anyways, I think he may have another reason for doing it. Is it possible that Vytas voted for Monica so that, if he were to play Survivor again, he can use the threat that he used on Tyson and people would know he was telling the truth? That he really would not give them his vote in the end if they voted him out? Because he has probably just become the only Survivor player who can now use that threat and actually have a chance of having it successfully save him.

I liked the reunion show better than last year. It was great having everyone on stage again, and Jeff gave nearly everyone a chance to talk. We didn't need to hear from this random "Missy" girl in the audience, and we didn't have to talk to Cochran, although that clip of him was pretty great (and reminded me of the clip with Parvati and Jeff Probst from TV Guide channel's preview show). That time could've been used talking to Tyson a little longer and giving Marissa the chance to say something. Besides that, it was a good reunion show. I was glad Jeff finally admitted Colton didn't quit the first time. I was surprised Jeff was being as nice to him as he was. I don't even know what to think about Kat's comments, but I can say this. Usually if someone isn't very smart, I can't help but not like them. But Kat, while clearly not the brightest, is impossible not to like. Her moment didn't make a lot of sense, but it was possibly the most memorable moment of the reunion show. I was happy to see Jeff ask Vytas and Hayden if they would come back, because I'd love to see both of them again.

I'd also love to see Ciera play again. Jeff said something I really liked when he was discussing her gameplay: "Playing is what matters. It's not where you finish, it's giving the effort" which is a phrase pretty much synonymous with the phrase the title of my blog is based on "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." These are the sorts of things that should be on every Survivor players mind while they play the game. Jeff said it best when he told the audience, about Ciera, "This is how you play the game!"

At first I wasn't a big fan of next season's brawns vs brains vs beauty twist, because I figured we'd have two whole tribes of worthless players (the brawns and beauty). The beauty tribe will probably be full of recruits who may or may not have ever seen the show before, and that;s disappointing. But then when I started to think about it I realized it's not so bad, for a couple of reasons.

First, I'm assuming the brain's tribe will be full of big fans of the show, and if that's true that means we'll have at least 6 potentially great players. The problem is they're all on one tribe, so if they ever lose immunity a potentially good player will be going home for sure (although there will have to be one or two of those really annoying nerdy people who will look down on everyone else and will have a worse social game than even I would, and they could easily be the first to go from that tribe).

Second, the physical strength of the brawns tribe and mental strength of the brains tribe will give both of those tribes advantages in the challenges. But being beautiful has no benefits in the challenge aspect of the game (unless the other tribes are too distracted by the beauty to focus on the challenge!), so I'm predicting that the beauty tribe will be decimated. This, coupled with the fact that we have had good-looking, smart players before (ex. Parvati, Malcolm), means that the beginning of the season could set up the rest of the season to be great. If there are one or two smart players on the beauty tribe, they can take control and vote out all of the dumb ones as they lose challenge after challenge. Then we'd be left with the brains tribe, which should be mostly full of smart players, the survivors of the beauty tribe, who should also be good players, and a brawns tribe, which will probably also have one or two players with some good game understanding, at a point relatively early in the game. With so many potentially great players, the remainder of the season could be amazing. So my hopes are high.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to express your thoughts about the finale and next season with a comment!

The Endgame

I'm Brooks MacLachlan, someone who for some reason thinks his obsession with Survivor in recent years makes him qualified enough to judge those who are actually playing the game. I analyze the episodes, secret scenes, interviews with eliminated players, social media activity of the players, and more to come up with the motivations behind what each player has done. I decide what should have happened, because I obviously know best, and I predict what should and what will happen in each player’s future in the game. And I’ll probably get it right every time because that’s just how I am.

Another week, another great Survivor episode. While the end result was predictable, there was certainly enough gameplay going on to keep it interesting, and the edit had me guessing towards the end. I really started to think that Monica would change her vote. In the end though, Hayden and Ciera's arguments were not enough and Hayden was sent to Redemption Island. 

I have to say, Monica and Laura have been two of my least favourite players in this game, but both of them gained some respect from me in this episode. 

I think it's safe to say at this point that Laura Morett is one of the most physically dominant female players in Survivor history (The same argument could be made for Monica too, actually, but she impressed me for altogether different reasons this episode). Laura doesn't just win these Redemption challenges, she blows her competitors out of the water. I mean, she had won the duel before Tina, the second place finisher, had even retrieved her first key!  Last week, at the point when she won the duel, her opponents towers were barely half the height of her own, and she was the only one who actually managed to finish her tower in the time limit. The week before that, she finished her cube puzzle before Vytas or Tina had really made any progress on it. It's unbelievable how quickly she wins these, and though I still don't consider her an overall good Survivor player, and still find her very annoying, I have to give her credit where credit's due.

For Monica, it was her voting decision that impressed me. Ciera and Hayden were making great arguments as to why she should flip, and when they said that Brad and her kids would be watching her let Tyson control her moves, and how she needed to start playing Monica's game, I thought they'd gotten to her. But Monica didn't let her heart take over. She knew that her chances in a final three against Hayden and Ciera would be even worse than against Tyson and Gervase. She knew that the more Hayden and Ciera accused Tyson and Gervase of being such evil people, the worse Tyson and Gervase appeared to the jury, and the more her chances of beating them in the end increased.

What I don't like about Monica's game is how she plans to finish it. I think that her only chance of winning is if she is in the finals with Gervase and whoever comes back from Redemption Island. Tyson and Ciera have both played great games that will win over the jury should one of them make it to the final three. But Gervase has been showcasing his horrible social game at Tribal Council, and whoever comes back from Redemption Island will have a big strike against them because they were already voted out of the game (twice, if it's Laura who comes back). These are the two Monica should want to get to the end with, but according to her secret scenes, she plans on sticking with Tyson all the way. I can see her getting a couple votes in that scenario, but Tyson would surely win the game.

Tina is someone else who made a good decision this week. I was glad she didn't give up her game for Katie, although I doubt she would have taken the win if Katie had been opposed to it. And it'll be tough for Tina to return now that her final duel will be against Laura and Hayden, both of whom have expressed in secret scenes their confidence in their abilities to return to the game.

As I predicted last week, the final results of the episode were predictable: Hayden didn't win immunity, so Hayden was voted out. Before I get into the tribal council, something needs to be addressed. Since when is "You are going to have to dig deep" a classic Survivor phrase!? Sure, Jeff's said it a couple times, but classic? I don't think so. That being said, this word puzzle was much better than most of the ones I remember from the past, where the word or phrase is so obvious that you can probably guess what it is before the challenge even starts. Like "Immunity," or "Final <insert number here>", or "Outwit, outplay, outlast."

Was it just me, or was this tribal council extremely similar to last week's? There was a tug of war for the swing vote, resulting in Gervase exploding in anger and once again showing his faults to the jury. The only difference was that this time the tug of war didn't actually succeed. Oddly enough, I found myself actually cheering for Hayden and Ciera even though Tyson is my favourite. It's probably because these two actually play the game. Unlike 90% of the Survivor contestants we've seen, they aren't going to go down without a fight. If Survivor would just cast only people who are smart enough to know how to play the game, and competitive enough to not give up, then every season would probably be spectacular. Even if the boot order was predictable (which would be unlikely), the cast would keep it interesting by fighting to the bitter end to stay in the game, coming up with all kinds of schemes to turn things around.

Anyways, not much else to analyze this week, so I'm just going to make as many finale predictions as I can!!

First, who comes back from Redemption Island? And how could I go with anyone other than Laura? The previews show us that the challenge is the same one that was played at this point in season 22: balancing a pot at one end of a plank with your foot at the other end. This isn't a challenge that will favour Hayden's strength. Last time, it was Andrea who won this challenge, beating three men who had all proven their challenge strength before. And I can't imagine Tina doing well after seeing how shaky she was in this week's challenge. So Laura will probably be coming back, again.

Who will be voted out first? Clearly, Ciera or Laura. There are good reasons for voting out either of them. Laura would be more likely to win the final immunity challenge if given the chance, but Ciera is the bigger jury threat. I think, in the end, Ciera will be the one to go, because even if Laura could win the final challenge, she's not someone who you'd have to worry about taking all of the jury votes, unlike Ciera. Also, there's a pretty good chance that Laura wins the final 5 immunity challenge, which would seal the deal and send Ciera to Ponderosa.

After that, Laura's only chance of making final 3 will be to win immunity. If she does, who goes home? More and more secret scenes are suggesting that the closest alliance is Tyson and Monica, so they could turn on Gervase. But with Gervase being a complete non-threat, it's possible that Tyson would want to join him and vote out Monica, who has at least a small chance of winning should she make final three. The other option would be for Gervase and Monica to turn on Tyson, which would be their smartest move. Then Gervase could take sole credit for all of the moves he and Tyson made together, and Monica's game wouldn't be overshadowed by Tyson's, and she'd probably win it all. I'm really not sure which way it could go... but I'm gonna say that Tyson and Monica would vote out Gervase, because I can't see Gervase turning on Tyson, who has been his closest ally since the beginning, and I think Tyson would rather have Gervase on the jury than Monica, who would almost definitely be bitter. I'm not confident in this prediction, because I can truly see any of the three scenarios playing out. And we may never find out if I'm right if one of them is the one to win final immunity.

Finally, who will win? My bet is on Tyson. I can only see three scenarios where Tyson doesn't win. First, the aforementioned possibility of Gervase and Monica voting him out at final four. Second, if Ciera somehow wins one or both of the immunities and gets into the final 3 (and even if she did, I'm still not sure she would beat Tyson, but she'd surely give him a run for his money). And third, if Hayden is the one to come back from Redemption Island and wins both immunities, securing his spot in the final 3. This would be very unlikely given the tough physical competition he'd have, and once again I'm still not sure that he would beat Tyson, but he would have a very good chance.

This finale could be quite predictable, but there's definitely some potential for surprises. It's been an amazing season and I can't wait to see how it ends!

To Rock or not to Rock?

I'm Brooks MacLachlan, someone who for some reason thinks his obsession with Survivor in recent years makes him qualified enough to judge those who are actually playing the game. I analyze the episodes, secret scenes, interviews with eliminated players, social media activity of the players, and more to come up with the motivations behind what each player has done. I decide what should have happened, because I obviously know best, and I predict what should and what will happen in each player’s future in the game. And I’ll probably get it right every time because that’s just how I am.

I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of myself. In my first ever Survivor blog nearly all my predictions were right! Gervase won immunity, and I was right about who the votes would be split between. The only thing I missed was that Ciera was the one to flip, not Gervase. But that's no big deal, right? It's not like half my blog was about that one prediction... and it's not like my Gervase winning immunity prediction was entirely based on that prediction... Umm yeah, I'm just gonna change the topic.

So, Hayden manages to sway Ciera to his side. Or was it Gervase who pushed Ciera towards Hayden? Regardless of how horribly Gervase was playing during Tribal, you have to give Hayden credit. I didn't watch his season of Big Brother, but I can definitely see why he won. It's very rare for someone to change their mind during Tribal Council on who to vote for. Especially if changing their vote would put them in jeopardy at that very Tribal, but Hayden somehow convinces Ciera to vote with him. In the first scene where Hayden is working on flipping Ciera, she says that she can't join him because it would be a 3-3 tie and she was not willing to draw rocks... yet apparently that wasn't the case. Hayden (and Jeff Probst) repeatedly called out Gervase and Monica on what they said and how they were being quite clear that Ciera was number 4. Hayden's arguments were compelling, and he was finally able to break Ciera out of her delusions.

Because she was delusional. In her secret scenes this week, she declares that she's sure she can beat Tyson in the end. She also says that she considers her decision not to burn the idol clue as a "big move", and if she thinks those are the moves that she needs to make to win against Tyson, then she hasn't really got a clue at all. I can imagine it now, the jury question at final tribal council: "Ciera, besides voting out your mom, what was your biggest move in this game?" And Ciera replies, "I didn't burn the idol clue that one time. Remember?"

Don't get me wrong, I do like Ciera. I tend to like anyone who plays the game hard, and won't go down without a fight, and Ciera has certainly been exceeding expectations since the merge. Especially with her move tonight. I still don't think she can beat Tyson if it comes down to the two of them in the final three, but she's definitely building a solid case, and that's more than I can say for Gervase or Monica, who, unlike Ciera, are both STILL delusional.

Gervase especially. His reaction when Hayden told the others he hoped they liked second place at the beginning of the episode proved it. Gervase really thinks he has a chance to win against Tyson. And while I might have agreed that he had at least a small chance before, if the jury liked his strategy of making the same moves as Tyson while not being the leader, he doesn't have a chance anymore. His social game is absolutely terrible. We saw it in the first episode, when his obnoxious victory cheer sent Marissa to Redemption Island, and while he seemed better for a while, his social shortcomings have revealed themselves once again. He exploded at Hayden, called Caleb a sore loser, had the jury laughing at him during his argument at Tribal Council, and looked like a jerk as he shouted his voting confessional for all to hear. And that's not even including the fact that it's very possible that he was the primary reason for Ciera's flip. His secret scenes this week are all about how he can see it all coming together, him and Tyson making it to the final three. He really thinks he can win.

In Monica's secret scenes, when she's not talking about finally eating real food instead of "imaginatory" food, she also says she can beat Tyson. Caleb's behaviour at the duel only reinforced this in her mind. The way he called out Tyson and Gervase for breaking their word seems to have got her hopes up that the jury will be bitter towards the two... but Caleb also implied that the only people he wasn't bitter at were Hayden and Katie. If Monica makes it to the final three with Tyson and Gervase, a bitter jury won't help her if they're bitter at all three of them.

Like I said previously, I think Ciera made the right move by going to rocks. Gervase and Monica made it clear she wasn't in their final 3, and while Tyson didn't, it wouldn't make sense for him to take Ciera, who has been playing a good, hard game, over Gervase and Monica, who should be easy beats. Ciera realized this was her last chance to make a move, and although she had to put herself at risk of elimination, it was her only choice if she wanted to get to the end.

It was a good move for Katie too. She was on the outs, and anything she can do to shake up the game is worth a shot. Unfortunately, luck simply was not on her side that night.

For Tyson, though, I think the risk he took with the rocks was too great. He should have switched his vote to Monica. Since Ciera's main reason for flipping was that she thought she was number four, he could've proved to her that that wasn't the case by voting out Monica. And then Ciera, now knowing she's in Tyson's planned final three, would probably stick with him. And if things weren't looking good, he'd still have the idol to fall back on. Luckily for Tyson, the odds were in his favour and he should be in a good position going forward.

I mean, isn't it pretty clear now that Tyson, Gervase, and Monica should have no problem getting to the final three, as long as one of them wins final immunity? Hayden and Ciera will try to flip Monica and/or Gervase, but as I previously mentioned, they both think they can win against Tyson. The previews specifically show Ciera trying to flip Monica, but that brings me to something interesting Tyson said in a secret scene this week. He claims that had he won the challenge, he would've shared the ice cream with Ciera and Gervase, because he considers Monica his closest alliance and wouldn't have to worry about her turning against him, It should be pretty straightforward next week. If Hayden wins immunity, Ciera will be voted out. If Hayden doesn't win immunity, he'll be voted out. 

Fortunately for us viewers, neither of these two will go down without a fight. Hayden worked a miracle once, and he'll surely try to do it again, this time with Ciera to help. Whether or not they succeed, you can bet it'll be fun to watch! It should also be interesting to see whether or not Tina throws the challenge so Katie can survive. I should hope she wouldn't throw away her game when she's getting so close to returning to the real game, but she clearly would do a lot for her daughter. Personally, I hope both Tina and Katie give it their all and knock Laura out of the game. I am so tired of her voice and her nasty habit of stealing all of the points in the Survivor pool I'm in!

One last thought: The scariest thing about this tribal council was that if Tyson had picked the white rock, then Hayden would have an extremely high chance of winning the whole game. And while I'm loving the way he's playing, it just wouldn't do to have one Big Brother player single-handedly show up an entire group of past Survivor's and take the entire game. I'd be quite happy for him to stay on the outs, maybe survive one or two more Tribals, and then get voted out. He's much more interesting when he's fighting to stay alive in the game anyways.

What are your thoughts? Are you cheering for Hayden to pull off the win? Should Tyson have turned on Monica? Are you impressed with my skills of prediciton? Because I am. State your opinion in the comments below!

On the Rocks

First of all, I realize I'm a little late on the Survivor blogging-scene this season. Nothing I could do about that because I really never expected myself to actually start writing a blog. Still can't really believe it, actually. But fear not, I have been watching and very much enjoying the season.

I have only one complaint, and it has nothing to do with the game. The season has had many unpredictable moments, which would be great if they weren't SO PREDICTABLE! CBS has practically been giving away every big move that happens with their previews. Aras' blindside and Ciera voting out her mom were both moments that should have been mind-blowingly amazing. But they weren't, because by the time they happened, they'd been teased so often that anyone watching would probably have been more surprised if they didn't happen. And it only gets worse this week.

At least the previews before have never told us exactly what happens at Tribal Council. They've only hinted at how the vote would turn out. But this week's commercial is full of spoilers. Not only does it apparently show who the 3rd jury member is (Thankfully, I didn't notice this when I watched), it also tells us what happens at Tribal, short of who actually gets the votes and goes home.

Unfortunately, I can't unsee what I have seen. So I might as well make predictions based on it. If you haven't seen the commercial and don't want to be spoiled at all, I suggest you stop reading now.

The worst thing about this spoilery commercial is that the moment it teases is so insane, so unexpected, that I probably would have been jumping out of my seat and running around my room in disbelief as it happened if I didn't know it was coming. That experience of pure excitement has been robbed from me now, but in return I have been provided with some interesting content to make predictions off of. There is going to be a 3-3 tie, which most likely means Hayden will find somebody to flip and vote with himself and Katie. The previews would have us believe that that person is Gervase, but even though the previews this season have often been right, my first instinct is still not to believe them.

But then, who else could it be? Ciera made it clear last week that she wouldn't be turning on Tyson, and I find it hard to believe that Hayden would try to form a new alliance with Tyson, who is the person he should have the easiest time turning the others against. That leaves only Monica. And while Hayden may be able to convince her that Tyson would take Gervase and Ciera to the final three instead of her, Monica has stayed loyal to Tyson so far despite that fact that she's always been perceived as on the bottom of his alliance. She also has a promise from Tyson to take her to the final 3, and Tyson has given her no reason to doubt him, besides hiding the fact that he had the hidden idol from her, the reasons for which I think she'll understand. Not to mention the fact that he his it from everyone, not just Monica, and so she can't take it personally. Monica is a patient player, and I don't think Monica would risk going to rocks to vote for Tyson now.

Which brings us back to Gervase. And the fact that, once again, the previews will probably be right. Gervase is someone who will be wanting to show people that he can make his own moves in the game. He's smart enough to know that he currently appears to be completely in Tyson's control. He'll see that the jury so far haven't given any indications of being bitter towards Tyson. He'll think that he will have no chance of winning against Tyson, and so he will take this opportunity to try to get him out. 

If this is the case, then Hayden, Katie, and Gervase would go to Tribal knowing that it would be a tie vote. Since those who receive votes in a tie become safe from the rocks, they'll want to vote for someone other than Tyson. The tie vote, then, will probably be between Hayden and either Ciera or Monica. Somebody will have won immunity, meaning only 3 will draw rocks. I'm going to go ahead and say Gervase wins immunity, as this would explain why he would risk the rock tie-breaker. He'd be safe no matter what. 

This means Katie, Tyson, and either Monica or Ciera will be drawing rocks. It's impossible to predict who will be going home, so I won't even try.

And this is precisely why the rock tie-breaker shouldn't exist. It adds an element of absolute randomness to the game. Someone will be eliminated because they drew a white rock from a bag instead of a black one. Doesn't matter how great they've played before that moment. The white rock is the deadliest force in the game. 

No matter how exciting the moment will be, it's not worth it if it's only happening on average once every 13 seasons. It discourages people from making moves when there are an even number of players left, because, usually, no one wants to risk leaving the game at the hands of a rock.

Back in season 2, the tiebreaker was based on past votes. Between those who were part of the tie vote, whoever had received the most votes at previous tribal councils would be eliminated from the game. In my opinion, this is a much better system. It adds a new layer of strategy to the game. Players would have to try to find out who has had votes against them before, and also try to hide votes against themselves. They'd have to work extra hard to make sure they didn't receive ANY votes at tribal, and players who know they are getting voted out would be able to leave their mark on the game by putting their vote on someone they don't want to make it to the end. Best of all, players would not be afraid of flipping at an even number if they know that they'll be safe in the resulting tie vote because their target has had numerous votes against him/her before.

What do you think? Will Gervase be the one to flip? Should ties continue to be decided by rocks? Do I have any idea what I'm talking about? Leave a comment and let me know!

Who? What? WHY!?

I know what you’re thinking: Who is this guy, and why should I read whatever it is he’s writing about? And why did he make the title of his blog something that will have me losing the game every time I look at it?

There are some simple answers: I’m Brooks MacLachlan. You should read this because I’m great. And I couldn't think of anything else!

Or there are some better answers: I'm someone who for some reason thinks his obsession with reality competition shows like Survivor and Big Brother in recent years makes him qualified enough to judge those who are actually playing these games. You should read this because you also love Survivor and Big Brother. And I couldn't think of anything else!

I plan on analyzing everything I can: the episodes, secret scenes, interviews with eliminated players, the social media activity of the players, and more to come up with the motivations behind what each player has done. I’ll decide what should have happened, because I obviously know best, and I’ll predict what should and what will happen in each player’s future in the game. And I’ll probably get it right every time because that’s just how I am.

So, whether you are legitimately interested in what I have to say, or just want to wait for me to get something completely wrong so you can have a good laugh, enjoy!