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Survivor Season 40 Premiere Episode Recap: ‘Winners At War,’ Legacies On The Line

by Tom Santilli on February 12th, 2020

What an absolute dream come true. After 20 years on the air, and now into its 40th (!!!) Season, Survivor is back and is as good as ever. The nightmarish ugliness of Season 39 is but a distant memory, and all signs point to this season, “Survivor: Winners at War,” as being one of the best, most epic seasons of Survivor yet. It sure started off with a bang, and if you can’t keep up with the speed of the game, like Queen Sandra Diaz-Twine says, you need to just get out of the way.

Twenty previous winners have returned to compete in “Winners at War,” with a new Reality-TV record-prize of 2 million dollars waiting at the finish line. That’s a lot of money y’all. Perhaps of equal (or OK, lesser) overall importance, these winners are all placing their legacies on the line. Some that are thought of as the “greatest” may reveal – up against other winners – to be less than. While some “lesser” winners may end up truly being thought of as the greatest of all-time.

Some legacies have already began to shift, rise and slide following the first two-hour episode of Season 40, “Survivor: Winners at War.” And it’s a dream come true to be given the chance to continue to analyze and dissect this game that I love after all this time. So let’s do this, shall we?

As I do at the beginning of every recap, please heed the following: Remember that this recap assumes that you have already seen this week’s episode of Survivor: Winners at War. If you have not and don’t want to be spoiled, please come back later! It’s important to add that while we WILL hit on all of the important developments of the episode, this is not a linear “blow-by-blow” recap. It is more of a discussion and reaction of what we just witnessed together.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE, AND THIS IS YOUR LAST *SPOILER* WARNING!

Recaps,Survivor

Survivor: Island of the Idols Premiere Recap: Season 39 Starts Off On Fire!

by Tom Santilli on September 26th, 2019

Welcome back y’all! Don’t let the Big Brother 21 Finale bring you down…CBS‘s night wasn’t all controversial! The first 90-minutes in fact, featured the premiere of Survivor‘s 39th (!!!) Season, entitled Survivor: Island of the Idols, and if there was any question as to the new era of Survivor casting (more on that in a bit), it was all put to bed with what seems to be an absolutely stellar cast of 20 newbies all vying for the 1-million dollar prize.

There is a major twist to this season that had many (like myself) feeling quite skeptical going in, and some question-marks surrounding the show and this season, and if it could possibly live up to the highly-anticipated Season 40 (airing in Spring 2020) that supposedly features a cast of all Winners. It was only one night, but me thinks we’re off to a great start!

Whether you’re a long-time fan of the show and have seen every episode since Season 1 (like me!), or whether you are returning to the show after taking some seasons (or some years) off…or even if you have decided to watch Survivor for the very first time: I welcome you! Now let’s dive in to the Premiere Episode of Survivor: Island of the Idols and find out what all the hype is about!

As I do at the beginning of every recap, please heed the following: Remember that this recap assumes that you have already seen this week’s Premiere Episode of Survivor: Island of the Idols. If you have not and don’t want to be spoiled, please come back later! It’s important to add that while we WILL hit on all of the important developments of the episode, this is not a linear “blow-by-blow” recap. It is more of a discussion and reaction of what we just witnessed together.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE, AND THIS IS YOUR LAST *SPOILER* WARNING!

Recaps,Survivor

Big Brother 21 Premiere Recap: Camp Is In Session!

by Tom Santilli on June 26th, 2019

You know that Summer has officially started when it’s time for some Big Brother! Everybody’s favorite cheese-fest returned for its 21st season on Tuesday night, introducing us to 16 all-new contestants who will be competing over the next three months in front of the 80+ cameras in the Big Brother house. There is bound to be lots of backstabbing, bro and show-mances galore, and more slop than you can shake a stick at, as these brave souls vie for the half-million dollar prize.

I too will be here all Summer covering the show for Reality Tea, and giving this awesome Reality TV-loving community a place to chat and comment on all of the happenings inside the Big Brother House. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below!

I’ll try to avoid spoilers above the warning label, but as I do at the beginning of every one of my Survivor recaps, please heed the following: Remember that this recap assumes that you have already seen this week’s Premiere Episode of Big Brother 21. If you have not and don’t want to be spoiled, please come back later! It’s important to add that while we WILL hit on all of the important developments of the episode, this is not a linear “blow-by-blow” recap. It is more of a discussion and reaction of what we just witnessed together.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE, AND THIS IS YOUR LAST *SPOILER* WARNING!

Big Brother,Recaps

Survivor: Edge of Extinction Premiere Recap: First Impressions

by Tom Santilli on February 20th, 2019

What’s that you say? Survivor is still on the air? And – GASP! – it just started its 38th season??? If this sounds familiar, than you are either a Survivor fan who has had this conversation countless times in your life while explaining your obsession to your non-Survivor friends, or you are a non-Survivor friend who is legitimately wondering how – after 19 YEARS – this show is still on TV. Well, let me explain it to you briefly: It’s because Survivor is THE best Reality-TV Competition Show, the grand-daddy of them all, and is still bringing it…Every. Single. Time.

If you don’t believe it’s still on, or you trying to do quick math trying to figure out how it could have had 38 seasons, you may also be surprised to find out that it is not just on the air, but it’s also STILL winning its time-slot in all of the major demographics. Add to this, that it has some of the most loyal, dedicated fans of any television show. Yes, Survivor has been on the…ahem…”edge of extinction” many times in the past, with rumors that the show would end countless times over the years, but still it prevails. The key format of the game is still intact, but it has evolved drastically since the days of Richard Hatch, Sue Hawk or Rudy Boesch…in today’s game, 46 is now “old,” and a simple alliance won’t cut it…you need to be thinking four, and five steps ahead. And now entering Season 38, we’ve been spoiled with some of the very best Survivor seasons of all-time over the past couple years, showing that Survivor will endure for many more years to come.

So you might as well give in and join the party! Whether you’re a long-time fan of the show and have seen every episode since Season 1 (like me!), or whether you are returning to the show after taking some seasons (or some years) off…or even if you have decided to watch Survivor for the very first time: I welcome you! Now let’s dive in to the Premiere Episode of Survivor: Edge of Extinction and find out what all the hype is about!

As I do at the beginning of every recap, please heed the following: Remember that this recap assumes that you have already seen this week’s Premiere Episode of Survivor: Edge of Extinction. If you have not and don’t want to be spoiled, please come back later! It’s important to add that while we WILL hit on all of the important developments of the episode, this is not a linear “blow-by-blow” recap. It is more of a discussion and reaction of what we just witnessed together.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE, AND THIS IS YOUR LAST *SPOILER* WARNING!

Recaps,Survivor

Exclusive Interview: Survivor: David vs. Goliath’s Pat Cusack: “I Was Definitely In A Dark Place”

by Tom Santilli on September 27th, 2018

When it rains, it pours…literally, when speaking of the Premiere Episode of Survivor: David vs. Goliath. While going through casting, auditioning and all of the logistical considerations that one must go through in order to finally arrive on the show, it is often a dream come true for many, to FINALLY make it on Survivor. But too often, the show reminds players and viewers that while this is all for entertainment, it is definitely real. One contestant found this out the hard way in one of the most shocking exits the game has ever witnessed.

If you missed any of the action, you can catch up with our Premiere Episode Recap, as well as checking out the Podcast below.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE!

Survivor

Jacob Derwin and Stephanie Gonzalez Discuss What Went Wrong on Survivor: Ghost Island

by Tom Santilli on March 1st, 2018

It was a “two-fer” on the first night of Survivor: Ghost Island, as in we got two eliminated contestants for the price of one. Season 36 started off with a lot of confusion and complication, but by the end of the two hours one thing was clear: This season looks to be a good one.

But when the dust settled, two Orange Tribe members – Stephanie Gonzalez and Jacob Derwin – became the first victims of the Ghost Island spirits. If you missed any of the action, you can catch up with our Episode 1 and 2 Recap, as well as checking out the Podcast below.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE!

Survivor

Survivor: Ghost Island Episode 1 and 2 Recap: Reverse The Curse

by Tom Santilli on March 1st, 2018

It’s a season that already feels like it will be full of big moves and important split-second decisions, but only one of the 20 contestants on Survivor: Ghost Island will truly be able to “reverse the curse.” Yes, Season 36 (I will forever put “!!!” after the current season, as I continue to marvel at this show’s longevity and strong fan base) is here and we are suddenly two episodes in! Well, it was billed a “two-hour” Premiere but it was technically the first two episodes back-to-back, so don’t be confused when next week’s Recap is of “Episode 3.” The details on what exactly is up with “Ghost Island” was finally revealed, and we got to know most of the 20 new players vying for the title of Sole Survivor this season. There is so much to cover, so let’s get to it!

As I do at the beginning of every Recap, please heed the following: Remember that this recap assumes that you have already seen this week’s Episode 1 and 2 of Survivor: Ghost Island, so if you have not and don’t want to be spoiled, please come back later! It’s important to add too that while we WILL hit on all of the important developments of the episode, this is not a linear “blow-by-blow” recap, and is more of a discussion and reaction of what we just witnessed together.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE, AND THIS IS YOUR LAST *SPOILER* WARNING!

Recaps,Survivor

Exclusive Interview With The Survivor: HHH Contestant Voted Out of Episode 1 – Spoilers!

by Tom Santilli on September 28th, 2017

It’s never a good thing to get voted out of Survivor, but it’s an absolute nightmare to be known as the dreaded “first boot.” As Survivor: HHH (Season 35) got underway Wednesday night, one of the eighteen newbies had to go, but adding insult to injury, we barely even got to see the person during the jam-packed, over-stuffed 60-minute Premiere.

Caution, as spoilers from this week’s episode are to follow! Turn back now! If you want to get caught up, be sure to check out the Episode 1 Recap here.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE, AND THIS IS YOUR LAST *SPOILER* WARNING!

Exclusives,Survivor

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