The Lesson Learned

The Apprentice

I love, love, LOVE, the Apprentice. Were I to be on a reality show,  this is the one I would choose. Don't get me wrong, I love Survivor as well, but I acknowledge the fact that I could never be stranded on an island. I couldn't handle being away from the amenities of modern life. Not by choice anyway.

As a reality TV addict, I've been following both shows. And this season, the Apprentice has been significantly more interesting than Survivor was. And, while I'm sad to see it end, tonight was the final episode.

Warning: Spoiler ahead. Spoiler, spoiler, spoiler...

My Prediction

The final episode of Survivor All Stars airs tonight on Mother’s Day. I keep reminding myself to remember to watch it. Survivor is supposed to be on Thursday’s and, as a rule, I have problems remembering to watch any show when they decide to deviate from the norm and air it on the wrong night. Somehow, I think I’ll remember to watch it.

My prediction for the final episode is in the expanded* entry.

Surviving Reality

So, I didn’t always suffer from a realadiction. It’s hard to believe, but there was once life before Survivor. In fact, I first scoffed at the idea of Survivor. It seemed pretty stupid that the premise of the show was leaving sixteen people stranded on an island and calling it a TV show other than Gilligan’s Island, of course. My first inclination was to declare the show a phony. And I almost giggled hysterically when I learned about the “mail tree.”

I swore that if ever stranded on an island, finding the mail tree would be my first priority. For those Survivor virgins out there, the mail tree is where Survivor’s producers leave instructions and clues about the upcoming challenges for the tribes to retrieve. We’re not talking about the US postal service here; it’s just a part of the show.

I saw the first few Survivor episodes while at my MIL’s and the husband became hooked on the show. I didn’t watch many episodes from the first season, but because I’ve always been interested in Australia, I avidly watched Survivor 2. And the rest is history.

And I’m not so sure that Survivor is irrelevant to the business world. Soon after falling prey to my realadiction I wondered what would happen if you worked at your job as if there was a million dollars on the line. If you think about it, there is money on the line in the form of your salary and the percentage of potential raises.

And I think other comparisons can be made.

The networking that takes place in the corporate world can be compared to the alliances formed on the island. Networking with strong, intelligent people can take one as far as the alliances the Survivors form. And like the Survivors, if you network or align with the wrong people you may find your torch suddenly snuffed out.

Projects can be compared to challenges and although immunity is not usually on the line, there can be rewards in the form of cash bonuses or promotions.

And I probably don’t need to mention the likelihood of the corporate occurrence of other things that occur on Survivor such as lying and backstabbing.

So laugh about the mail tree and the seemingly senseless attraction for the many of us who are addicted to this show if you must, but Survivor is real. I strive to survive every day.

Survivor Spoiler Makes Me Happy

Tiny bubbles and Boston Rob (not necessarily together) make me happy too. Suzy’s comment in the last entry is right on, of course. There’s nothing like a little fantasizing about the Robfather to pull me out of my doldrums. I can’t think about Boston Rob without a smile creeping onto my face.

And since we’re talking about BR, I may as well give you feedback for the last Survivor episode. A spoiler follows. Please do not read if you do not want anything spoiled. I don’t want to be a spoiler, but I must talk about Boston Rob.

For what it’s worth, here’s my opinion about the remaining survivors.

Jenna L. has been annoying the heck out of me. They say that she talks non-stop and that seems pretty apparent during tribal council or anytime the camera is turned on her. And through all of her talking I can’t think of one thing she’s said that’s made a lasting impression on me. Not one single thing. And what’s with the mother hen act towards Rupert? I actually wanted to yell at the TV during this week’s episode showing Jenna lecturing him about cooking the fish that he caught. I’ll be happy when her big mouth is off the island.

Rupert was one of my favorites during Survivor 7, but he’s failed to impress me during this series. I think it may have something to do with the fact that he chose to align himself with the annoying Jenna, or maybe it’s because he allows her to push him around. Maybe I’ll like him more when she gets the boot or, in this case, the boat.

Big Tom is one of the funniest people left on the island. He’s good for laughs, even if he’s not the brightest bulb. I don’t think he’s aware of Rob and Amber’s alliance with Jenna and Rupert. Plus it looks like he gets in an argument with Rupert next week, so I predict that he’ll only stick around for three more days. Not that I know anything. It’s just a guess.

Shii Ann is gone and I am glad. I couldn’t stand the way she kept referring to herself in the third person. And she never struck me as much of a “she devil.”

I think Ambuh, as RobFather calls her, is playing a good game. I’m not sure if she’s really the mastermind Shii Ann declared her to be. But I may have under estimated Amber’s abilities as she really didn’t make much of an impression during Survivor Australia. Her strategy seems to be to latch onto another Survivor and fly under the radar. That didn’t work so well with the Evil Jerri, but might take her all the way, no pun intended, with Boston Rob. I would rather see Rob win the million, but if he doesn’t she’s my second choice.

Boston Rob is the best so I saved him for last. He’s still intense and is still my favorite. Although I do think he runs him mouth a bit much, I still like him anyway. It’s a game and I don’t really think he means everything he says. I liken it with the trash talk that occurs during professional sports. And did anyone else notice that his brother left his green shirt on the island and Rob is now wearing it? Yep, I got it bad, I know.

No Fan Site

Don't worry. This will not become the Official Boston Rob Fan Site. I promise. But I couldn't resist posting just one more picture.

Isn't he a hottie?

Just a little Survivor eye candy. Because that's what I would want if stranded on an island. Heh.

I'm done now. I promise.

For real.

I mean it.

I Heart Boston

Boston Rob, that is. I love Boston too, of course. But this post is about the Rob variety of Boston. Does that make sense? Probably not.

Anyway, this is another Survivor spoiler. Don’t want anything spoiled? Don’t read. It’s really quite simple.

So I enjoyed last night’s episode of Survivor. There was a minor snag when company showed up during the middle of my show. We don’t have tivo (bummer), but we have a trusty VCR so we didn’t miss anything.

Here’s my take:

The Reward/Immunity Challenge

The obstacle course looked pretty tough. Especially when taking into account the fact that four people had to complete each phase before moving on to the next. Alicia picked the small, quick people and it paid off. And she may have been the captain, but Rob lead the team to victory. Again. He is a dynamo at those challenges. I fear that if he fails to win a challenge they will eliminate him at their earliest opportunity. If they are playing to win, that would be the best plan.

I’m crossing my fingers that he will keep winning challenges.

Sharing the Reward

Some of the survivor players seemed to think Rob gave up the opportunity to watch his family’s video out of strategy. He admitted that it was a good move, but that strategy was not his main objective. And I believe him. Am I being gullible? I don’t know, but I believe him because he admitted to feeling a bit guilty for not watching the video that his brother went to the trouble to record for him. I think that if his motive was one of strategy he would not have looked back or felt any guilt.

But what do you expect from me? I heart Boston Rob.

UPDATE: I guess that I should probably say somthing about Kathy getting voted off. I liked Kathy. I think she was a smart, tough player. But she took part in a game-ending blunder along with Lex and her game is over. Also, I think her vendetta against Amber was unnecessary. Survivor is a game. And Survivor All Stars is the ultimate fast-paced version of the game. The goal is to outwit, outplay, and outlast the other players.

Surprise Showing

We’re finally settled in for the night after working all day and then heading to our favorite Italian-style pizzeria. The pizza, onion rings, and toasted ravioli were delicious. We returned home, our tummies full, and settled in front of the TV for the evening. Or rather, all the boys are in front of the TV. I’m in front of my laptop, in front of the TV.

They’re channel-surfing, while I’m blog-surfing. Everyone is content, when the husband suddenly proclaims that we are inexplicably getting every digital cable channel available in our area—even the channels that we do not subscribe or pay for.

We’ll probably never go together anywhere again, as I won’t be able to pry the boys out of the sofa and away from the TV and the remote control.

Seriously, I’ll have to check on this on Monday. Otherwise we won’t be able to afford to pay the bill. Knowing our cable company, they are trying to pull a fast one on their customers.

Spoiled Sport

I think I know what's going to happen on Survivor tonight. I accidentally read a spoiler on someone's blog.

Now, it was clearly labeled as a spoiler, but this person comments on each episode after the fact and I read her comments after I've already seen the show. Usually, that is. But this time the entry was about tonight's episode and stated who will get voted off.

So I know the ending. Or I think I know. I'll know if I know in about an hour. And I haven't ruined it for anyone else, but it's been difficult not to blab or let it slip. And it kind of sucks to think that I may know what will happen.

I'll watch the show anyway and hope that what I read was not correct. And I definitely stand behind my no-spoiler policy.

UPDATE: I knew.

End of an Era

It truly is the end of an era. Sex and the City has been one of my favorite shows since its inception. And I am truly sad to see it come to an end.

So, I’m settling in to enjoy the final episode with a bottle of champagne (left over from Valentine’s Day) and to bid goodbye to my four “city friends.”

And in a few weeks I’ll have to say goodbye to six more Friends.

It’s the end of an era, indeed.

The Average Spoiler

I’m thinking this is not a spoiler since they’ve pretty much showed all the key parts of tonight’s episode of Average Joe and it’s all over their web site. But if you’re ultra-sensitive to possible show spoilers and you watch Average Joe, you may want to click off of this entry.

I would do the collapsed entry thing if I knew how, had the energy, or the will to take the time to see if Typepad offers that feature. But I can’t, don’t, and won’t, at least for tonight, so here goes with my out in the open, non-collapsed, hope all the blabbing takes this below the fold, entry.

I want to talk about the Average Joe episode where Melana wore a fat suit a la Monica on Friends or Gweneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal. She interviewed the guys while disguised as her “cousin” and the guys didn’t have a clue. She was able to see their reaction to her and listen to what they said about her. The guys were quite rude. In the end, Melana was not too pleased with what she heard and they were not pleased with her hearing it either.

I think it was great. Why not turn the table on the average Joes? Here they are hoping she doesn’t judge them by their looks, but they’re judging her "looks" and they don’t even realize it. I loved every minute of it, especially when they were squirming at the end.

Justice. Sweet justice.