For some reason this failed to post properly before I left for New York and nobody has bothered to mention it. Maybe that's a sign that nobody is reading these particular  posts. For what it's worth, here's the post that should have been here on March 25.
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I was a little late to the show for this one so I missed the first 15 minutes or so. This is what happens when you pack. Good thing this is a 90 minute episode. 

Everyone is playing everyone in this game. First they're talking about getting rid of Kelsey, then they're keeping Kelsey as a target, then she's out, then . . . It gets a little tiring after awhile. Jared is pretty much done with watching her flirt with all the guys as her way of campaigning to stay. He gets it but he doesn't have to like it and he realizes that the emotional backlash will affect his game so he may need to say farewell to his showman do before they fall for each other. 

Time for Arisa to have a little pre-eviction chat with the house guests, during which we get a recap of the baseball challenge. Mitch says he misses his boyfriend when Arisa drops the bomb that there will be a second eviction following this one. Raul gets a chance yo plead his case and says he'd be thankful to stay, while Kelsey says she's proud of the way she's played and the bonds she's made.
Ramsey gets to cast the first vote and votes to evict Kelsey, Dallas votes to evict Kelsey, Nikki votes to evict Kelsey, Cassandra votes to evict Raul, Jared votes to evict Raul, Tim votes to evict Kelsey, Loveita votes to evict Kelsey, Phil & Nick vote to evict Kelsey and that makes it official, Maddy votes to evict Kelsey, and finally Mitch votes to evict Kelsey. By a vote of eight to two Kelsey has been given an early checkout. 

There's the usual fake hugs and a few real ones and the. Kelsey ascends the stairs and gives the house the kids off. Arisa welcomes her to the stage and asks her about the duck she's carrying. Apparently it's a shot at Maddy for some reason. Obviously the topic of Jared comes up and she'll miss him but she's not willing to say who, between Jared and Raul, she hopes will win. Then there's the video farewells and a few tears and then Arisa drops another bomb on Kelsey with the news that Kelsey is the next Wild Card in the game and she's not going home, but that's all she can tell her. 

Now we're heading back into the house for the new HoH competition and the instant eviction. Joel can't compete and it's nicks turn in the game. In this competition two guests will go head to head to answer questions until there's only one left and we start with Tim vs Nikki, and Tim wins. Next it's Ramsey vs Loveita and Loveita wins, then it's Jared vs Raul and Raul wins. Now we have Dallas vs Loveita and Dallas wins, and we get Raul vs Tim where Tim wins. Maddy vs Nick has Maddy win, followed by Cassandra vs Tim and Cassandra wins. Dallas vs Maddy gives Maddy the win, and now we have Mitch vs Cassandra and Mitch wins. Last match is Mitch vs Maddy and . . . Maddy is the new HoH. 

Arisa sends the house guests back inside for the instant nomination and Maddy must now nominate two house guests. Maddy nominates Jared and follows with Raul. Damn there goes my alliance. But wait, it's a "double elimination fake out" which means this is all for naught just to keep the house guests on edge. I don't really see the purpose for that but I'm sure there is one. 

During the commercial break it looks like Maddy went to Jared to plan a backdoor deal and then she stops Raul to give him the same information. Maddy's target is Loveita and this is definitely going to shake up the house.

The PoV competition has six house guests (who were picked during the commercial break) in roller skates who need to move punch from a punch bowl across a track to fill up a straw. They move the punch with a large ladle and their skates are tied together just to make it harder. In the end Nick wins the Power of Veto and Arisa sends them all back into the house for the PoV ceremony. 

If Maddy got to Nick before going in this could be an interesting series of events, but if she didn't it's anyone's guess if Nick will use the PoV. It looks like she did but Dallas doesn't like this plan at all and now Joel is disagreeing with it. Maddy finally gets a chance to play her game and everyone wants to put a stop to it. 

Arisa asks Nick for his decision and he says he will be saving Jared. Maddy now needs to choose someone else and she puts up Loveita, with apologies. Loveita pleads her case and says she'll remain loyal to her people if she stays, while Raul says he's just there to look pretty. 

Dallas goes to vote and he votes to evict Raul, Cassandra votes to evict Loveita, Joel votes to evict Raul, Nikki votes to evict Loveita, Tim votes to evict Loveita, Mitch votes to evict Loveita, Phil & Nick vote to evict Loveita, Ramsey votes to evict Loveita, and finally Jared votes to evict Loveita. By a vote of seven to two, Loveita is out of the house. More hugs and apologies and off she goes.

Arisa welcomes Loveita to the stage and Loveita says she could feel the house turning on her. Even Maddy, someone in her alliance, turned against her but Loveita is proud of Maddy's move. Loveita admits that sometimes following your gut is the wrong choice, especially in the house. She's not surprised that Nick saved Jared, but she's sure there'll be more surprises. Arisa points out that there have been five women in a row now voted out of the house and when asked who she feels will win, Loveita picks Joel. That could happen. 

Time for Arisa to let Loveita know she's another Wild Card and she's not going home yet. Great news for Loveita but not so much for Kelsey as they'll now be in seclusion together. They'll likely end up competing to renter the house but until then they'll have time to plot their revenge. 

Arisa welcomes Kelsey back to the stage alongside Loveita. Arisa tells them this double eviction is a bit of a fakeout as both of them are going back in to observe their fellow house guests in secret from a secret suite in the BBCanGrand. At the end of the week one of them will be going back in to the house. 

With that we follow the girls to the Secret Suite where they can watch the others on a big screen TV. There's going to be a lot of talk going on to mend their animosity towards each other, but what the heck they have all week. I, on the other hand, do not as I'll be touring the Big Apple next week. No idea if I'll have any reviews done while I'm away but I'll get back into it as soon as I return. Later house guests.

We're now ten episodes in and I'm still here, mostly because the houseguests this season are less interested in just hooking up and more interested in actually playing the game. Granted there's still some hooking up and relationships will always form depending on how long certain people remain in the house but it's a lot more like it should be. That, or my tolerance level has gone way up.

With Joel in power as the new HoH we rejoin the house right after the nominations of Kelsey and Raul, nominations which have really upset his alliance and have now put Joel over to the dark side. Okay, not really. There's no actual dark side in the house but apparently I prefer the alliance of Jared, Kelsey and Raul over that of Dallas, Ramsey and Maddy. At least Joel has shaken things up more than anyone else in the house. What a surprise.

Kelsey is surprised that Joel would have put her up on the block after she's included him in just about every decision her alliance has made. Cassandra actually thought that Joel had decided to put Maddy and Dallas up but maybe there's more to his gameplay than anyone knows. Jared thinks it was a pretty dumb move and Raul blames Loveita for getting into Joel's head. Maybe, but what's done is done.

Dallas, Ramsey and Maddy are happier than pigs in slop over Joel's decision because they feel it's time to remove the three headed monster in the house . . . but doesn't that also apply to them? Joel has secluded himself in the HoH room and realizes he just stabbed his friends in the back and that one of them is likely going home but that's no reason to lock yourself away. It's just a game.

As games play out Dallas and Loveita have found Joel and tell him they're there for him. Dallas is going on about how proud he is of Joel but then Raul comes in and Dallas and Loveita leave. Raul wants to know what happened and Joel admits he was back and forth on his decision but Raul isn't buying it. He's sure that Loveita was behind this and reminds Joel that they were the only ones keeping him safe in the game. Joel says it was all his decision for his endgame but Raul is still upset about that and I'm not sure he buys it.

Raul leaves and we find him sobbing away in the bathroom, which is also where Jared finds him and gives him consoling hug. Jared reminds him it's just a game and he's right. Sometimes houseguests take the game a little too personally, . . . like Kelsey who's crying in the HaveNot chapel when Jared finds her. He's like a magnet for tears.

Eventually Mitch joins them and realizes that it's time for some damage control so he puts all the blame on Loveita despite what Joel says. Jared and Kelsey have no problem agreeing with that and after watching ten episodes I'd say there was certainly a little bit of Loveita in Joel's decision. How much, who can say, but enough to cause a lot of tears. In the end, Mitch needs Kelsey to go because he wants to replace her in the alliance and she's the linchpin in that alliance. Mitch may be even more of a mastermind than Joel is.

After Jared and Kelsey cuddle it out we find Jared having a quiet little chat with Loveita whom he's sure has been feeding little ideas into Joel's head. He's right, Loveita has been constantly nattering to Joel about how Jared and his alliance need to go, but that's not all that unusual. Before the last episode airs pretty much everyone needs to go for someone to win. Of course, Loveita takes that personally and storms off when Jared says he's disgusted that she would manipulate Joel that way.

So where does Loveita go? Straight to the HoH room to cry to Joel about how they're ganging up on her and blaming for his decisions her and . . . the problem with filling the house with people fresh outta high school is that they tend to act like they're still in high school (maybe college). Of course Joel now needs to go and talk to Jared and gives him the same speech he told Raul, ultimately this was his decision not Loveita's. They still disagree but now they realize that they're kinda screwed.

Or maybe not because it's time to pick players for the Power of Veto competition. As the HoH Joel gets first pick and draws Dallas (that's not good), Kelsey draws Ramsey (almost as bad), and Raul picks Jared (whew!). This pretty much evenly splits the house on who can compete this week and Joel isn't happy that jared got picked because that could force him to replace a nomination. To host the competition Joel picks Cassandra and then dismisses everyone until Big Brother calls them out to the backyard. 

JOel informs Dallas that they need to win the PoV so that the nominations stand and Dallas has no problem with that because Jared is his enemy in the house. They probably wouldn't get along too well outside of it either as both of these alpha males have totally different ways of looking at life. While Dallas comes across as if he's all about partying, Jared aligns more with the cowboy way.

Speaking of cowboys, here come the competitors in their cowboy outfits heading to the wild, wild backyard which has been converted into a western scene complete with cacti and wooden barrel broncos. Cassandra comes out in her southern finery and Joel is impressed. Competitors need to mount their horse and pull themselves along a t rack to the desert where they need to find sacks of playing cards that they can take back to their stable to form the best poker hand. There are also a few Wild Cards but they all have punishment involved. That's the worst southern drawl I've ever heard but Cassandra puts her all into it.

Joel's goal is to get rid of Kelsey so he really doesn't want Jared to win but Jared seems tothink that riding horses most of his life will give him an advantage in the challenge. Nope! He's the first one out of the gate and the first one to go over and fall off his horse. This is not a cowboy challenge despite what it looks like. There's no real talent to grabbing the cards as you can't reveal them until you bring them back to your stable. Nobody knows what cards anyone else is grabbing but they all know that their best bet is to get a full house rather than a pair of twos. 

Raul's hand looks pretty good with a pair of aces and a pair of kings, while Dallas currently hasn't even got a pair. Nor does Kelsey. Jared finds a Wild Card which could give him the win but the punishment is that he can't play in the next HoH and that's not good for his game, especially when everyone seems to be gunning for his alliance. He races back out to see if he can find a better card as he decides against using the Wild Card.

Now Raul gets a Wild Card whose punishment says "Night of a Thousand Lassoes" whatever that is. He decides to Stay because that gives him a full house and a pretty good hand to win. Joel has two pairs, Jacks over Nines so he Stays, then Jared Stays. Kelsey finds a $1000 Reward Card but she races back out to see if she can find something else, while Dallas has found another Wild Card "Human Cactus" which would give him a full house with sixes over kings. He Stays, leaving Kelsey on her own to find a better card but time runs out.

Ramsey had an Ace high flush, Jared had a full house with sevens over tens, Joel had a full house of jacks over nines which beat Jared, Kelsey had a pair of nines and $1000, Raul had a full house with aces over kings which beat Joel but his punishment was to lasso the bull 1000 times before sundown, and finally . . . Dallas had four sixes beating a full house but also has the Human Cactus punishment. I think he's okay with that because he has also just won the Power of Veto. 

It just dawned on me that this episode has been fairly quiet and I just realized why. There's been nothing from our resident crazy Brit, Nikki, who was just standing alongside Tim to watch the competition. Quietly. Like a cat got her tongue or something. That's kinda weird,  but refreshing.

With the PoV win Dallas gets to be a prick for the next 24 hours as he dresses up like a human cactus and I don't think this is much of a stretch for him. Jared is kicking himself for not playing the Wild Card he had because that would have given him four sevens and the win. Well, at least he can play in the next HoH and if he wins he can put up Dallas and Joel. Of course, he has to win.

Maddy is doing the happy dance with Dallas and Ramsey in the pantry and then Dallas says he's going to go and poke the bear to get Jared angry. Really? Yep, we're back in high school and Dallas is the bully while Raul and Kelsey are the bullied and hiding away from everyone. 

Back in the HoH room Tim is lounging in the tub when he pitches the idea of having Dallas use the PoV and him going up as a pawn. Joel tells him that's the personification of a high roller but Tim just likes to shake things up for the fun of it. I'm not sure there's a malicious bone in his body, he's just in it for the fun of playing the game. Maybe it's an Oz thing.

Time for the roping of the bull as Raul faces his punishment. He needs to rope a wooden bull and drag it along a ten foot track then reset it and do it again, and again, and again, . . . 1,000 times. It's gonna be a long day for Raul. Back inside the house Jared pretends to flash Maddy and then out from the pantry comes the human prick, I mean cactus. It's Dallas in a big gray cactus suit with huge cactus hands and he needs everyone to help feed him and scratch him and basically just goof around. So it's same ol' same ol' for Dallas.

Raul wants to leave, he's tired of fighting with the other side of the house and he's tired of roping this damn bull. Mitch wants him to stay because Mitch wants to build that relationship so he convinces him it'll be okay. Mitch is definitely more of a mastermind than the houseguests realize. As he wanders back into the house Raul continues to rope his bull.

Mitch heads up to chat with Loveita and Joel about using the PoV and putting Tim up as a pawn. They're up for that and mention that Tim had brought up the same idea. The three of them are pretty sure that Tim would stay in that situation as everyone loves Tim. Now all they have to do is convince Dallas who is currently out in the backyard watching Raul complete his lassoing punishment. 

With so much going on it's no surprise that Kelsey eventually goes to Dallas to see if he's going to use the PoV but he says he's not sure he wants to use it. He advises her to start campaigning to stay because if he did use it he'd save Raul. That sucks for Kelsey but its not over until the final vote. Just in case though, she goes to commiserate with Jared who admits that she was finally starting to fall for him. 

While she's falling, Dallas needs to make his decision in regards to the PoV. With everyone else waiting join the living room Dallas goes out to make his decision and then joins them inside. He gives Raul the first chance to save himself and Raul says he came in to be loyal and truthful to himself but he won't stab his friend in the back. Kelsey gets up and says that she wanted to stay honest, kind and create unbreakable bonds which unfortunately got her two weeks out of four on the block. Dallas has, once again, choked and decided not to use the Power of Veto and would prefer to chop off one of the heads of the three headed monster. Glass houses and all that he closes out the PoV ceremony and Joel is pleased.

Kelsey now has no choice but to campaign against her best friend in the house and Joel feels he's gained respect in the house for finally making a big move. The same move everyone else has been afraid to make, I just think it's the wrong one. Thursday's episode is a special 90 minutes long with a fake double eviction being hinted at and I can only hope that it revolves around saving both Raul and Kelsey just to keep everyone on edge. 

I'll try to get another review up for Thursday's episode but I also have to get a pile of packing done for an early flight so it may take awhile to get it done. In the meantime I hope everyone is enjoying the reviews. Chat with y'all later houseguests.

I'm back with another Survivor update for everyone. We open tonight's episode with the usual review of what's come before and with Anna blindsided at the last Tribal Council, Tai and Scot are about to discover whether or not they made a huge mistake when they aligned with the Brain members.

Welcome to the Blue Light Special back at camp immediately after Tribal. Tai decided to not reveal his idol because he knows he could be next, but when he made that decision he found he could no longer look Anna in the face because he felt he was betraying her, which he was. Meanwhile, Peter is feeling just as vulnerable as Tai so he's thinking its time to form a new alliance. This could be Tai's saving grace.

Day 14 on the ChanLo beach and Debbie is starting to get her hooks into Nick. Nick gets Debbie so he has no problem letting her talk as they retrieve Tree-mail and return to the tribe. It's time for a reward challenge and from the sound of things this is aimed straight at Scot. Then again, maybe not.

Both tribes arrive and in comes Julia from her exile to replace Anna. In this challenge one member of each tribe must dive down to release a net of buoys, then more of the tribe can help get those buoys to shore, then they need to shoot ten of those buoys into a basket. Yep, right up Scott's alley. The reward is a tasty supply of food that, after two weeks on rice, will be thoroughly enjoyed by whichever tribe wins. Both teams are in the water fast but Michelle for ChanLo is stuck trying to untie the buoys, giving Gondol a huge lead. Eventually she gets it and now both teams are tossing their balls to shore so their teammates can start shooting.

Scot missed his first two but then got his third, fourth . . . then Nick sinks a few to put the pressure on Scot. More pressure as he passes Scot and ChanLo takes the lead. It's Scot versus Nick and they're now tied. And then Nick gets another in, then Scot follows him and . . . its down to the wire, but Scot pulled it off. Gondol wins the reward, grabs their food and heads back to camp. As they head past ChanLo, Scot congratulates Nick on his good shooting.

This was a great way for Julia to come back into the tribe with a huge food win. Peter is even happier than she is because he likes Julia and thinks he can definitely work with her and Tai. This isn't going unnoticed by Aubrey and Joe, of course.

Back at ChanLo there's a lot of unhappy faces and everyone is silently blaming Michelle, including Michelle. Now she's trying to repair any damage she may have caused to avoid being on the chopping block. Debbie is okay with taking out one of the guys because she wants a woman to win. When Michelle goes to Nick, he tells her she's likely the target but he's willing to take her under his wing. Michelle's okay playing the part of the wounded young girl for now but Nick might want to watch any sharp sticks under his wing.

It's Day 16 and Peter is now chatting with Scot to take out Aubrey and Joe. Peter isn't exactly subtle about it and Joe goes to ask him directly but Peter says "no". So now Joe is gunning for Peter if they lose the next challenge.

Speaking of challenges, in this Immunity Challenge both tribes need to get over a slanted net obstacle, then roll over a barrel, then over a reverse slanted net obstacle, then they need to untie two long poles in order to knock twenty blocks off of a net overhead. After that they need to stack those blocks all the way up.

Both tribes race over the first obstacle to land on their first mat, then they're over the barrel together, then it's up another obstacle. ChanLo is in the lead but now Gondol has caught up and Scot is pretty much tossing everyone up to make up time. Not enough though as ChanLo has untied their poles and are now trying to knock their blocks off the net. It must be harder than it looks because Gondol takes the lead with their blocks and now they need to stack them one on top of the other.

Finally ChanLo gets their blocks and starts stacking in an attempt to catch up. Gondol built two towers and are now moving their second tower onto the first. Almost, but not quite as it goes over. Then ChanLo thinks they have it but not quite as three blocks fall off. Debbie is on one set of shoulders while Tai is on another as they place their last blocks . . . but Debbie gets her stack steadied first and they race back to their mat. The tower stands and ChanLo wins Immunity, sending Gondol back to Tribal Council again. Hmm, maybe Scot is the bad luck charm.

Gondol was one second behind but that was just the time it took to lose and now Joe and Aubrey have realized that, if Peter has switched, they're both done for. Joe hates it but he sees the logic in keeping Peter so he tries to make amends. Joe still doesn't trust Peter but Peter is beginning to think he may still stay with the Brains. Then again, . . . my diagnosis for Peter is wishy-washyitis.

Scot comes over to chat with him and Peter says he's changed his mind again. Now it's Scot who's not happy as he returns to Julia and Tai. This may be the time for everyone to blindside Peter, which is just fine for Julia. So Julia and Tai go and talk to Aubrey but she's not very committed to their plan, . . . or is she. Aubrey goes to discuss the option with Joe who refuses to switch. It's all up to Aubrey now.

Off to Tribal they go and Julia finally gets her own torch. That may not last long as Jeff points out that Julia is the new kid on the tribe and she points out the Brain power alliance. Scot mentions that it may be time for new alliances but then we get Peter saying that he may have made some mistakes. You think? Julia points out that Peter came straight to her when she arrived to discuss his plans and . . . well, you get the idea. Too much information and not enough truth. Joe says there may be a plan but he doesn't know anymore.

As an aside Aubrey quietly asks Scot, "Julia or Peter" and Scot quietly says "Peter" then tells Julia quite openly "original plan". This could be fun as everyone goes to vote. We see Aubrey write down Julia but she's still staring at her vote as we cut away.

Jeff gathers the votes and calls for the Hidden Immunity Idol but nobody plays one so Jeff reads the votes, . . . Peter, Julia, Peter, Julia, Peter, and (crossed out Julia) Peter. Apparently Aubrey had had enough of Doctor Peter's yo-yo attitude and Peter has been voted out of the tribe. Julia's smile is beaming like a flashlight.

Next week the tribes finally merge and the struggle for power gets a little more intense. In his exit speech Peter was a bit disappointed in Aubrey and Joe but only Aubrey switched on him. I guess he should have spent more time with his own tribe and less trying to make alternate plans.

I'll be reviewing next week's episode late as I'll be in New York with my daughter for the week touring the museums and a couple of shows. If I get a chance to catch the episode I'll be on time but don't count on it. This is my daughters trip and family comes first at Gord & Wayne HQ. Be sure and check out my Big Brother Canada review coming up soon and next week we finally get the Amazing Race back and my review will follow. Later tribemates.

Sunday's episode nine of Big Brother Canada has come and gone so its about time I got my review done. I'll finally get all caught up only to fall behind again but at least I'll be caught up for awhile. Ya gotta start somewhere, right. We get the usual recap, including Dallas' choke at the Veto Ceremony and then we bid farewell to Christine before moving into the new Head of Household competition. Can't wait to see the fallout from Nikki now that Cassandra is still in the house.

Cassandra was a little stressed to find the numbers so close so she goes to Joel to see if it was him, but Joel informs her it had to be Tim. Now Cassandra's angry at Tim and when she confronts him he said he knew that she was safe but he wanted the numbers to be tight. A bit of a gamble on his part to almost vote out his closest ally, not counting the explosive firecracker that is Nikki.

We also discover the pressure that Joel was under just before the vote when Loveita tried to convince him that Cassandra had to go. Loveita had to know that wasn't likely to work because Cassandra is probably Joel's closest ally in the house as well, but I understand why she would try. Without the numbers Loveita risks having herself back up on the block next week. When Cassandra enters the room to chat with Joel Loveita basically sends her off and that's why Cassandra thought that Joel may have turned.

So we're now back to the HoH competition to see who wins, which is where we left everyone in my last review. It's interesting to see Jared and Dallas paired up when they're gunning for each other in the house. They both want to win, but their best case scenario is to probably throw it to ensure the other person doesn't become the new HoH. Phil is hoping to slip and end up locking lips with Nikki, while Raul is not interested in kissing a girl, he wishes he was paired with one of the brothers.

So far Mitch & Joel are pulling ahead, but Tim & Maddy are right behind . . . while Nikki & Phil have yet to successfully move one ball across the course. It's beginning to look like Kelsey & Ramsey could pull it off but the closer they get to completing the challenge the more Ramsey throws it to ensure neither of them is HoH. With all that going on, Nikki & Phil finally get a ball in their well. Mitch & Joel are on their final ball and . . . they win the competition.

In order to decide who actually becomes the new HoH they go to the old schoolyard standby, . . . rock, paper, scissors . . . and Joel wins with a rock. Unbeknownst to any of the other houseguests is that they had already decided who was going to be the new HoH if they won and had already planned their r-p-s stunt to make it look fair so nobody gets upset at either of them. Well done boys. Joel is the new Head of Household.

Immediately Maddy feels that Joel is going to send her home because nobody knows where his head is at nor what his gameplay is. Kelsey feels that her alliance is probably safe but Joel is now starting to stress about finally getting blood on his hands as he tries to figure out who he needs to nominate. He knows that everyone in the house is going to start coming to him with their own agenda but Joel is smart enough to also know that he has to play his own game and do what's best for him.

Time once again to see the new HoH room, with pictures of Joel's family, his favourite chocolate bar, a few beers and a hacky-sack. Then Joel reads his letter from his parents about how proud they are of him. They also mention how his brother is watching him from above and, of course, that triggers the tears, followed by the usual hugs and then Joel shows his hack-sack moves.

Now that Joel is the HoH he has to figure out where everybody stands and he starts with Tim, who is quietly manipulating the two main sides of the house against each other while he moderates through the middle of it all, which is pretty much what Joel and Mitch have been doing since day one. Having won the Australian version Tim is the one houseguest that Joel can get a few pointers from but he has to be careful because he doesn't want to just hand this win over to Tim. Tim explains how the numbers have now forced Dallas and Maddy into an underdog situation and that he really likes Cassandra but he doesn't want anyone to think there's a showmance going on between them because couples become targets. Tim isn't allied with anyone in the house and that works for Joel.

Jared goes up to have a chat with Joel and advises him not to listen to Loveita if she's trying to pressure him into making moves that aren't good for his game. Jared's best advice is basically that Joel needs to play what's best for Joel, hopefully that will include keeping Jared and Kelsey safe this week. Meanwhile downstairs Loveita and Cassandra are concerned that things are going to become awkward in the house and they both decide that they need to stop being awkward. Cassandra is saying that Loveita is acting like she's in high school while Loveita denies it but the truth is they're both acting like they're in the wrong drama clique.  

Time for the HaveNot competition as the houseguests race out to the backyard in their baseball outfits and Joel ascends into the stands. The houseguests have been randomly divided into two teams, the Blueberries and the Red Rockets, and each batter gets three swings to hit the ball over the wall and into the field of play to score a run, failure to do so is strike and three strikes and you're out. On the other side of that wall the opposing team can try to catch the ball in their oversized costume gloves and effectively that's also an out. The winning team gets to celebrate while the losing team will be this week's HaveNots. 

Interestingly enough for a random division the teams are basically split along the sides of the house. By the bottom of the second inning it's beginning to look like the Red Rockets are going to win, but there are still three more innings to go. The Blueberries have yet to get a run but at least they get to drink some beer before becoming HaveNots. Not sure how beer is going to go with slop, but I'm guessing not well.

It's the bottom of the last inning before the Blueberries finally get on the board and when Tim's hit gets caught he follows it by tossing the bat over the wall, which caught Maddy in the legs. Ouch! It's down to Cassandra . . . and she's out. The Red Rockets win with a score of 6 - 2 and Cassandra is about to enter her third week on slop. However, the Red Rockets get to save two members of the Blueberries from the HaveNot room and they choose to save Cassandra and Nick. Tim is a bit apologetic for having thrown the bat but Maddy seems to have healed fine so it's all good.

Back in the HoH room Joel asks for a little one on one time with Mitch and Raul and sends out the brothers, but as they go out in comes Kelsey. She's feeling confident that she's safe because she's been including him in all of her decisions but she still wants to touch base and make sure it's all good. Kelsey gives Joel a big hug and then heads out, followed by Raul and you can see Mitch roll his eyes as he admits that they're starting to get to him. Just now?

Maddy and Ramsey are getting a little worried but they still have no idea where Joels' head is at, even though they think that Jared's might be getting a little inflated. With the house divided so evenly Dallas finally admits that it's basically him against jared to see who strikes first and then he's off to chat with the HoH. I think that, if I were HoH I'd just lock my door. Dallas does make a valid argument against Jared's side of the house but that's still where Joel has been leaning the most since the beginning of the game so changing his stance now could be a risk he's nt willing to take. I guess we'll see soon enough.

Not to be left out of any decisions Loveita heads up for a chat with Joel and he basically tells her that he needs to decide whether he's going to target the threesome of Dallas, Maddy and Ramsey or the threesome of Jared, Kelsey and Raul. Obviously Loveita wants him to side with Dallas but Joel's playing all his cards close to his chest so she advises him to talk to Mitch because apparently Mitch knows who is leading each group. Like he hasn't been doing that since the start of the game. 

Joel and Mitch discuss the pros and cons from both a gameplay point of view and a personal one. Neither of them really trusts the alliance of Dallas, Maddy and Ramsey but they're a little concerned about the solidarity of the other three. However, that solidarity has managed to keep both Joel and Mitch safe to this point so now may not be the time to turn on them. Personally I think it's still too early to make that move but the decision is all up to Joel as he heads down to make his nominations.

Everyone waits patiently while Joel goes into seclusion and creates his shortlist, which starts with Raul who he feels is the anchor in that three person alliance, Kelsey because she's the other anchor, Maddy whom he really doesn't trust, and Dallas because he tells a lot of lies in the house and is a large part of why there's such a division inside the house. Joel locks in his choices, retrieves his cards and heads out for the Nomination Ceremony.

Joel's first nomination is . . . Raul and neither Jared nor Kelsey look very happy about that, to make matters worse his second nomination is Kelsey. Jared looks to be in shock. Joel nominated Raul because he's a strong social player with an unbreakable bond with his alliance and that doesn't help Joel's endgame, and he nominated Kelsey because she's . . . well, it's the same reason and I think it's a weak one but I'm not the one in the house. 

Raul can't figure out what the heck Joel was doing with those nominations but instead of being angry with Joel he's angry with whoever put those ideas into Joel's head. Kelsey, on the other hand, is a little ticked at Joel and she intends to fight hard for that PoV to take back control. She's definitely a fighter and Joel may have decided to back the wrong horse in the BBCan Grand but that's something he'll have to live with. It'll certainly make for an interesting week.

On that note, I'm actually caught up on my reviews so I can take a breather for a bit and await the fallout from these nominations. This could all be a great way for joel to backdoor Dallas or Maddy but at this point it doesn't look like it. I'll be back in a day or two with my Survivor review and then I'll follow that up with more Big Brother Canada recaps to keep us all up to date. Later houseguests.

I'm back with another review from last week in my attempt to catch up. Thursday is the Live Eviction episode so it's always a little faster paced than some. Maybe that means my review will just fly off my keyboard. I doubt it, but one can hope. 

Let's pause for a brief fashion moment here, I really like the dress that Arisa has on for the evening as she introduces the live eviction show, which, of course, rewinds to keep everyone up to date on the PoV episode and the results when Dallas choked. Not sure about the baby pink at the top (which may actually be white, depends on the lights) but she's rocking' the golden yellow and black stripes.

We return to Day 18 and the PoV Ceremony and now we're into the aftermath. Cassandra goes and gives Dallas a hug regardless of his decision, and there are a few more hugs before everyone separates into their usual groups. Maddy, Cassandra and Christine are all feeling like they're on a leash and Tim is right in there like a dirty shirt to keep urging them on. Tim knows exactly what's going on in Loveita's head because he knows how the game plays.

Dallas is figuring out who's with whom while chatting it out with Ramsey and it's nice to see Ramsey starting to play the game. While they're talking game, Tim and Nikki decide to prank the other houseguests . . . vaseline on the toilet seat, barbecue sauce who knows where, . . . I'm thinking our international guests are getting a little bored. As luck would have it Cassandra gets her butt covered in vaseline and has no idea what it is and then when she goes to have a quick shower . . . so that's where it went . . . she ends up washing her hair with BBQ sauce. Meat eaters are gonna love her.

Lounging on the couches in the backyard Kelsey is chatting with Raul, Mitch, Nick and Phil when she reveals that someone has been trying to backdoor Phil & Nick because they're going to go against Jared. Phil is like, "Wha?" because he would never go against Jared, which is almost true . . . eventually he'll have to if he wants to win . . . but then he wants to know who started that rumour. Kelsey has no problem telling him,. . .  the guy with the PoV this week . . . Dallas.

Now Mitch needs to keep the brothers under control so they don't start drawing attention to the middle of the house because Mitch is manipulating the middle. Sliding through the middle all of these guys look like floaters but they're playing their own game and doing it under the radar quite nicely. While the other two "alpha" sides of the house fight it out these guys are left to pick up the spoils. 

Nick & Maddy are cuddling away under the covers but they're both stressed that Phil is going to walk in on them, especially Nick. He seems really afraid that his brother is going to come down on him because Phil really doesn't like Maddy and every move Nick makes affects Phil's game . . . at least for now. That could change eventually but Phil's right, any wrong move by Nick could get them both tossed. Right on cure in walks . . . Dallas.

Meanwhile, Christine wants to know exactly who Loveita's target is this week, especially with her being on the block. Loveita wants to keep Christine over Cassandra and this is a great time for Christine to propose a secret alliance. While they're talking alliance, Cassandra decides to hang out with Tim, who really enjoys her company. He's hoping she stays but when she tries to climb under the covers with him he stalls her by mentioning he's naked under the covers. Well, that worked. 

Nikki doesn't seem to be too happy about Cassandra getting close to Tim, and thinks it's just because Cassandra needs all the help she can get to play the game. This coming from a player who's been in four times and has yet to win. Must be time for another Nikki breakdown but fortunately everyone was there to hug it out with her before she exploded. While she recuperates in the HoH room, Tim stops in to check on her and she says she's fine but as soon as Tim leaves she's back to ranting about getting Cassandra out. Maybe Nikki has developed her own little crush on Tim.

We get a little more Arisa time before we go back into the house to find out that Tim wants to have another party in the house but he wants to exclude Nikki because she always ruins the party. While they talk it out she starts getting angrier about the fact that he was avoiding her to spend time with Cassandra and it's like watching a divorced couple fight. She's going on about how he's not there for her and then she walks away and goes to the HoH to rant to Loveita and Kelsey, leaving Tim downstairs to go on about how he hates insecurity. He's pretty much nailed that one on the head because I don't think there's anyone more insecure in the house than Nikki. All of her ranting is because all the women are hanging  on his every word because of his accent, without realizing that the guys are all hanging around her for the same reason.
​
Kelsey and Jared are back talking the long game and despite the fact that they believe they have Loveita in their alliance they want to ensure their numbers so Kelsey tells Jared he needs to work on Phil. Jared needs to get to the bottom of the whole backdoor issue with Phil and find out who said what and these two could form a very powerful alliance if they pair up. In the end only one of them can win, but there's no reason not to pair up to get to that point as long as you can trust each other. Then it just becomes the other houseguests' problem as to who should win.

Day 20 and everyone seems to have started to pair off a little. Cassandra is confirming that Phil wants to keep her in the house, which he does. They go through the numbers and it looks good for her to stay but when Dallas figures this out he goes straight to Loveita with his discovery. She tells him to stick to the plan but I have to agree with Dallas, Christine is doing absolutely no campaigning to stay in the house, nor hanging out with anyone. Christine is pretty much just a lone wolf hanging in the shadows waiting for prey. Enter Nikki with the news of Phil's vote.

Then Nikki goes down to find Phil and sends him up to chat with his little brother. Like a good lapdog, Phil heads to the HoH room . . . although more to discuss with the group than with Nick. When the HoH calls everybody seems to listen, but when Phil reveals his intent Dallas points out that they're just repeating week one. As far as Dallas is concerned, if Cassandra stays then the other side of the house has all the numbers and the people in the HoH room at that moment are all going home one by one by one. Interestingly, that's when he gets up to leave the room. Then Loveita follows him. Ooh, the drama.

Before we get to the eviction Arisa returns to tell everyone how much they're loved . . . especially their creativity.  These houseguests can make a game out of anything and now we get to see some video of their creative games. This is the stuff you see if you watch the live feeds, . . . now I remember why I avoid the live feeds. I guess they need to do something to stay entertained, but for now it's time for the eviction.

Christine pleads her case about how being in the BBCanGrand is like the summer camp she never went to but now it's time to stop playing and get into the trenches. Cassandra pitches how much she wants to stay and how hard her week has been but that they can't live without her cooking. Always good to appeal to someone's stomach. There are eleven houseguests voting to evict so there's no chance of a tie on this one.

Dallas is up first and he votes to evict Cassandra, Kelsey votes to evict Christine, Ramsey votes to evict Cassandra, Raul votes to evict Christine, and Maddy votes to evict Cassandra, . . . that's 3-2 so far. Next up Jared votes to evict Christine, Nikki votes to evict Cassandra (no surprise), Mitch votes to evict Christine, Nick & Phil vote to evict Christine, Joel votes to evict Christine (also no surprise), and Tim votes to evict Cassandra . . . but he's too late.

By a vote of six to five, Christine has been evicted from the house and it's time for some quick hugs then she grabs her things and heads up the stairs to meet Arisa on stage. Christine doesn't look surprised to be there, but she doesn't look happy about it either. Maybe she should have campaigned a little because she procrastinated herself right out of the house. The farewell videos were all very heartfelt, and Cassandra swears she'll seek revenge for the two of them, and then the crowd cheers and it's time to get back into the house for the next HoH competition.

​The backyard has been set up as a date night diner and it's like a scene outta Grease. Loveita as the outgoing HoH won't be competing and this week it's Phil in the batter's box as houseguests have been randomly paired up and are sitting at a table with their new house crush. Aren't Jared and Dallas just adorable? They need to transport 50 balls from their diner and into their well at make-out point without using their hands, if they drop a ball they need to pick it up and return to their table to start again. The winning team will then need to decide between themselves which one of them will become the new Head of Household.

Joel & Mitch are as quick as Jared & Dallas but not to be left out are Phil & Nikki who used their hands and had to start again. Ramsey & Kelsey seem to have built up a nice rhythm as they all seem to be using their mouths to hold the ball between them. Tim & Maddy appear to be the slowest team out there as we cut away in the middle of the competition and back to Arisa who informs us to return on Sunday to see who won the next HoH. She  also teases us about a 90 minute episode next Thursday when there will be a new WildCard dealt. Oh sure, right before I leave for New York.

I'll be back soon with a review of Sunday's episode and try to be up to date for the week but after the Wild Card I'll be gone for just over a week as I take a tour of the Big Apple. If I find the time I may catch up upon my return or I may just give a quick weekly review. I guess that depends on what everyone wants to read. See you real soon houseguests. 

Apparently, no matter what I attempt to do, I keep falling behind on this season. It's not that it's a bad season. The houseguests aren't quite as self-centred as the last set and there are a few that actually have some straight up honest gameplay. Then there are the floaters, which every reality program gets no matter how hard they try not to. People tend to look good on paper, maybe even better in an interview, but once you add them to the dynamic mix . . . all bets are off. 

Last Wednesday's PoV episode had everyone in play for a change after Loveita's second reign as the HoH allowed her to put up Cassandra and Christine, much to everyone's surprise. Obviously both girls are going to play hard for that PoV so they can turn the tables on Loveita, but first they'll need to win it. It's Day 15 and we pick up right after the Nominations and Jared is so surprised that Loveita stuck to the deal she made with Jared to keep his alliance safe.

Christine is pissed and Maddy can't believe that Loveita would make that kind of deal. Apparently it's "game on bitch" with Maddy, Christine and Cassandra against Loveita. Maddy may want to be careful where she's seen placing her alliance. Speaking of which , Jared goes to chat with Loveita and let her know how proud of her he is for sticking to her word. At the moment it's Jared and Loveita ruling the roost.

Dallas on the other hand seems to think he was blindsided when he goes in to chat with Loveita. He may feel that she wasted her nominations but they're her nominations and she's playing a long game not something that goes back and forth. He's welcome to win the next HoH and see what the pressure feels like. Back in the dining room Cassandra is all defensive and in her face when she goes to Loveita and it's the quietest argument I've ever seen.

Day 16 dawns and with it comes the selection of players for the PoV. Loveita picks first and selects Dallas, Christine picks Jared, and Cassandra picks Ramsey. Loveita picks Tim to host the competition and then it's hurry up and wait until the competition begins. Dallas wants to win the PoV so he can force Loveita to put upa big player, While Jared just wants to win to ensure he's not being backfired and then follow Loveita's lead. Who the heck knows what Ramsey would do if he won the PoV, but what are the odds of that anyway.

While the houseguests are waiting the big screen TV comes alive with the Allegiant logo and then a bunch of family video greetings, obviously related to the PoV competition. There are a lot of tears amidst those smiles and then it's everyone out to the backyard which has been set up to look like a scene from the movie. Houseguests need to strap in and rappel down a wall, find puzzle pieces, race back one piece at a time, solve their puzzle and then climb back up the wall to hit the buzzer and win the Power of Veto. They'll also get a personal screening of the movie Allegiant.

Everyone has their own reason for winning the PoV and Ramsey is the first down the wall and i=onto the course while Christine is terrified to fall off the wall. The funniest part is Dallas still stuck in his harness when this is something he does all the time. Christine eventually panics and releases herself to fall from the wall and landing on her back. That's gonna hurt. Everyone is now racing through the debris course and gathering all of their 18 coloured puzzle pieces. Jared and Ramsey are just all over the place while Dallas is slow and steady. Despite her pain Christine pushed on but it's Loveita to start building her puzzle first.

Flashing red lights, spotlights, smoke, explosions, and a lot of sweat as everyone gathers their last pieces and it falls to who can build their puzzle first. Ramsey has all his pieces, as does Dallas and they both get started. Meanwhile Christine has slowed to a crawl on the course. Jared calls for a check on his puzzle but has only 4 out of 18 correct. Dallas cals for a check and he has 16 out of 18. Dallas calls again and . . . Dallas has won the PoV and makes a slow march to the buzzer. He also gets to choose three houseguests to watch the movie with him so he picks . . . Maddy, Loveita and Joel.

Now that Dallas has the power he goes to Ramsey with his intent to get the brothers Nick & Phil out of the house because they refuse to pick a side. Ramsey has no problem getting on board with that so Dallas goes to Maddy and despite feeling mean about it, and her attraction to Nick, she's excited to see some big gameplay about to begin. Now Dallas needs to sell this plan to Loveita but his thought that this is a unanimous vote surprises her. She knows nothing goes as planned in the house and can't figure out why he wants to get blood on his hands when he doesn't need to. It helps that she really wants to get rid of Cassandra this week.

Time for Dallas and his friends to enjoy the screening of Allegiant and I think Joel is happier to see all the munchies that come with the movie than he is to see the movie. It's all fine and dandy if you've seen the other two previous movies but otherwise you could be kinda lost in the storyline. Regardless, everyone had a great time and  it's a little free advertising for Allegiant, which is currently getting trounced by a cartoon rabbit in the theatres.

Over dinner the houseguests reveal thing that aren't known about them, such as Ramsey entering a nationwide RockBand competition and winning, or that Jared was a divisional speed walking champion, or that Raul stabbed a girl with a pencil in grade seven. Then Dallas reveals his fake tooth, and Tim reveals that he gave himself a penis piercing. While everyone is in awe of Tim's accomplishment (what else can we call that) Loveita tells everyone that she's really a . . . stripper, and they all fall for it until she admits it's a lie and that she's spurred who was on the debate team in high school. Ramsey feels that these revelations cement these people as a family . . . a dysfunctional family, but it's still family. 

After all that, Joel gets a little too emotional when he remembers his brother, a brother that passed away five years ago. Everyone is there for him and gives him time to cry it out and this is a much better group of houseguests than I've seen in the past. They actually seem to care about each other underneath all their bravado. 

Loveita eventually goes to Dallas to see where his head is at in regards to the PoV. He's willing to go with her plan but he really wants to backdoor a bigger player. Maddy thinks she should use it to backdoor Jared but Loveita doesn't want to go against her new deal because is she does that she puts the target back on her back. Now it's up to Dallas to make his decision so he goes to Christine about siding with him to backdoor Jared. Christine is easy to sway as it gets her off the block, but will Dallas do it?

Well, it's finally time for Dallas to fish or cut bait. While the others wait for his decision he goes out and balances all his cards before heading back in. He gives the usual speech and allows Christine to beg first and she just says you don't want to see her mean, like anyone cares. Then Cassandra pleads her case and she does the usual flirt routine to keep her but then says that if he doesn't save her he's a dumbass. Dallas decides . . . after much deliberation . . . not to use the PoV as he doesn't think this is his battle to fight and then he closes off the ceremony. 

So, Cassandra and Christine are both still on the block and Dallas is just waiting to become the next HoH to get the blood directly on his hands. Or not. SO far Dallas has been a lot of talk but not a lot of action. He's still playing it safe and for now that works but eventually he, like all the rest, will need to do some dirty work. I'll be back shortly with my review of Thursday's eviction episode and then I'll catch up on the new HoH with Sunday's review. See you real soon.

I know, I'm behind again but it's been a really busy week around here and I can only juggle so many things. In an effort to catch up I'm going to review the last three episodes back to back to get all of you who enjoy the reviews more than the show up to speed, myself included. It also fills the void of there being no Amazing Race this week.

Sunday's episode opens with a recap of the winning shot by Loveita who's gone from the top to the bottom and now back to the top as the new HoH. I can't say that I'll be surprised if she continues the ongoing vendetta and puts Kelsey and Jared both on the block but it's not her best move. Apparently the whole idea of voting out Sharry instead of Loveita last week was Kelsey's plan to get Loveita on as an ally but Jared is less than impressed with that plan.

Loveita thinks she's blessed, Maddy thinks she's safe, and the brothers feel invincible this week. I don't think any of that is going to last but at least it'll last until Loveita reveals her new HoH room, complete with a new carpet and a letter from mom. Everybody gives the usual gameplay hugs and smiles but then it's back to the game and Kelsey is starting to panic about her plan now that Loveita is HoH again. That wasn't part of her plan I guess. Of course now Kelsey has forgotten all about that plan and is blaming her alliance for not voting out Loveita.

Jarred's had enough and decides it's time to chat with Loveita to see where her head is at and to try and avoid the back and forth nominations of each other until they're all out of the house. Loveita seems to agree but, c'mon this is the Big Brother House and you can't believe half of what anyone says.

Case in point, Nikki, who's now chumming up with Loveita and enjoying a bubble bath in the HoH room while they chat. After her bath Nikki decides it's time for a party and out comes the alcohol. This could go either way in the house but we only get a bit of it.

Day 15 and now Loveita decides it's time to confront the Cassandra. Neither of them trusts each other and Cassandra just figures that Loveita has no sense of humour. She could be right, I certainly haven't seen one. Regardless Loveita makes a deal with Cassandra and Cassandra assures her that she would never put her on the block . . . that's almost as bad as saying I'm going to use you as the pawn.

Tim decides to play devil's advocate and gives Loveita some advice that should really shake thinks up. Then again, that'll only happen if she follows it . . . Kinda like Joel following directions from Big Brother to go to the HaveNot room where Joel finds Marsha the glitter-antlered moose.

Apparently Marsha is going to be playing Cupid when she finds out that Joel has never been on a date. Why are we not surprised? When he reveals that he has his eye on Cassandra, Marsha says she's way out of his league . . . But Marsha enjoys a challenge and she has a secret mission for Joel. He needs to ask Cassandra out on a date, and then he needs to ask Loveita if he can use the HoH room for the date, . . . and off he goes.

Joel gets Cassandra alone in their usual spot downstairs and starts by telling her how much he admires her maturity and then asks her if she'd go on a date with him, and Cassandra is 100% down with that. Now he's off to ask a favour of Loveita, who's lounging with Mitch, and he starts with how the whole house knows he's never had a date but now he has a date and he's wondering if he can use her HoH room for the date. Loveita and Mitch look happily surprised and Loveita says yes.

Loveita and Mitch both ask who Joel's date is with and they seem pretty happy to hear it's Cassandra. Then Loveita asks if that means she won't be sleeping in her room and Joel just says its for a meal . . . but in his Diary Chat he's wondering what kind of date Loveita thinks it is. Joel is so naive but he pulls out his best clothes and gets ready for his date with a smile plastered on his face, and then it's time to check in with Marsha. It's not enough that the damn moose wants him to go on a date but now he's supposed to dump Cassandra mid-date in order to win a reward party for the house. So much for Joel's love life.

I hope Cassandra is understanding. Joel picks her up from her room and escorts her to the HoH where they sit down for a nice meal and some champagne. Joel is not a champagne drinker and that may be his out. Cassandra starts giving him dating tips, and asking him questions and Joel starts going into his actor training to try to get into character for dumping Cassandra. He gets all moody and gives her the "it's not you" line and then he gets up and leaves Cassandra alone.

She's not used to being rejected but at least she gets a quiet dinner out of it while Joel wanders the house selling the break-up. When he returns to Cassandra she's a little concerned and he says he needs his space so then she leaves him alone in the HoH room. When the guys downstairs ask Cassandra what's going on she figures she just got dumped, . . . and its mission accomplished for Joel who now returns to Marsha with the news.

Time for the big reveal as Joel calls the house guests to the living room to tell them about the secret mission to ask a houseguest out on a date and then dump them and everyone is all surprised . . . sort of. Cassandra looked a little relieved that it wasn't her. Joel has now won a fun party for the evening and everybody's happy. Bring on the party food. Once that's done its time for Cassandra to mend her broken heart by giving Tim a little foot massage.

Cassandra, Tim and Mitch decide it's time to ask Phil about his obvious crush on Nikki. She's a weird choice for Phil but sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. Tim advises that he woo her like the English rose she is. I'm a little worried about Tims advice sometimes.

Loveita has finally realized that no matter who she talks to everyone is playing their own game. They all have someone they're gunning for to take the target off of themselves and right now they expect Loveita to pull the trigger. This is the downside to being HoH.

Big Brother calls everyone to the living room and it's funny listening to Kelsey mimic Nikki's accent, but without the whining. Once everyone has arrived Big Brother reveals that last week two house guests broke the rules of being a HaveNot and when the house guests call for footage Big Brother is happy to oblige. There's Tim feeding Cassandra a tiny bit of yogurt, and then we watch Nick feeding Joel something. Because of their actions last week, Joel and Cassandra will be the only two HaveNots this week. Well, maybe that will let them get on with their broken date.

The two previous heads of household decide its time to make a deal. Loveita really wants to work with Jared but she's not as trusting of his alliance members Kelsey and Raul. Jared is on board with the deal as long as it keeps them safe for the next while as there are bigger targets to remove. Jared understands that the constant grudge match attitude isn't going to help him or Loveita and I like her little mantra . . . Revenge isn't the answer, forgiveness always wins. Jared goes out to send in Kelsey and Raul.

When Kelsey and Raul arrive Loveita needs some assurances. Raul assures her that he wouldn't put her on the block and hates the whole circular conversation. Kelsey wants to make a jury deal that keeps them all in it and avoids the back and forth gameplay they're currently caught in. She's still not sure she trusts Kelsey, or that Kelsey trusts her but she needs to trust someone.

Her distrust might be well founded as Kelsey goes to chat with Cassandra and has a little rant about how Loveita wants to work with them now because she has nobody left in the house to work with. Cassandra's a little concerned that, if Loveita decides to put up a pair of floaters, she could be one of them. Kelsey and Loveita have totally different game plays, one of them is far too analytical while the other is too emotional.

I guess you can only analyze so much before its time to make a decision, and it's that time for Loveita. She shortlists Cassandra because of some comment she made, Christine because she's comfortable with everyone, Kelsey because she still doesn't trust her, and Raul because she doesn't trust his word. Decisions, decisions, and then she locks in her nominations and heads out to inform the house guests.

Loveita's first nomination is . . . Christine, who saw that coming, and . . . Cassandra. Loveita chose Christine because she seems to get along with everyone but nobody knows what decisions she'll make, and she chose Cassandra because she broke her trust. It's not a surprise that she went this way because putting up Kelsey and Raul would have just continued the revenge drive and that gets boring.

Both Cassandra and Christine are intent on winning the PoV and then the HoH to take out Loveita, but for now Loveita has aligned herself with Jared and his posse. At least one of those she might be able to trust.

For those who've been watching the show you already know how this plays out, for the rest of you I'll be back shortly with a review of Wednesday's PoV episode. See you real soon.

With a minimal amount of fuss we open tonight's episode on Day 12 and we're back to the Brain beach with Joe suffering from something in his finger. Neal calls Dr. Peter to the ER and it may be the only way to keep his narcissistic butt in the game so after Peter checks on Joe he goes over to Neal, who also seems to have something stuck in his finger and Peter knows the only way he's going to stay alive is if he proves himself to be useful to his tribe.  He was useful enough that once Neal's hand no longer bothered him he was able to disappear into the jungle to search for that Hidden Immunity Idol, . . . and he found it. It took him longer to find the key to the box than it did to find the clue and the buried treasure. Neal hasn't exactly been on anyone's radar yet,, but it never hurts to have that extra little something.

Especially when you're about to join the other two teams on the beach with Jeff to get a look at what remains of the ever dwindling Brawn Tribe. I don't think anyone was surprised that Alecia was voted out the night before, but I'm gonna miss her spunky attitude. Unfortunately, Scot hates spunk. When Jeff says it's also their last look at the Brawn Tribe the three remaining members look a little concerned. Yep, that's right, it's time for the merge.

With Caleb's unfortunate removal from the game they've had to shift the things for the merge. They were intending on two tribes of seven but with an uneven split production has thrown in a twist. There will be six Blue buffs, six Yellow buffs, and a single Red buff. Whoever draws the Red buff will be heading back to the Brawn beach alone to wait out the next Tribal Council before returning to the game to replace whoever gets voted out. This is not a reward for anyone because they'll miss out on making new connections, and some of these people might not do so well on their own. The upside is that there's no way they'll be voted out at Tribal.

Time to draw for buffs . . . and Julia draws the sole Red buff and finds herself alone on the Red mat. The new teams are Scot, Tai, Anna, Peter, Joe and Aubrey for the Yellow Gondol Tribe, one Brawn, two Beauty, and three Brains. On the other mat we have Cydney, Jason, Debbie, Neal, Michele and Nick for the Blue ChanLo Tribe, two of each of the previous tribes. Jeff sends Julia back to the Brawn beach and then sends the other two tribes off. I guess a few people are going to have to scramble.

Peter is pretty glad to be on the new Gondol tribe because he was sitting at the bottom of the ladder and now he's set up to be in the majority, as long as his previous tribe aligns with him. Tai points out that there are some Mango trees nearby and he just needs a boost to get up and grab fresh mangoes, which is when Scot says he can probably grab a few of those right now. Sounds like something I'd say. Scot's used to being the odd one out having played on five different NBA teams and having to make new alliances so this shouldn't be too hard for him, as long as he trusts the right people.

Immediately Peter starts chatting with Aubry about who to vote out if they lose the challenge and he's ready to throw a Beauty member under the bus. No surprise there and equally no surprise that Aubry 's not too sure she trusts Peter. Obviously it makes sense to stick with your numbers but eventually someone is going to have to go. Whoever goes gets replaced by Julia which only adds to the Beauty numbers so Peter's plan makes sense, but Scot knows that people tend to say one thing and then do another in the game.

At the new ChonLo beach Debbie welcomes everyone to the camp and Debbie feels the need to show Cydney the pull up branch. With three duos this will be an interesting tribe to watch form alignments but I really don't understand why Debbie thinks the Brawn tribe is the powerhouse. Did she miss the part about them losing pretty much every challenge which is the reason there are so few of them left? Someone is not using their supposedly big brain. She was however smart enough to realize that Cydney had to be smart to be built the way she is and she was right, the muscles are Cydney's cover not her strength. 

Now Debbie moves over to Jason to continue her machinations and he's on board with the idea of tossing out a Beauty if they lose. Eventually someone is going to notice that Debbie is just as manipulative as Peter but where Peter is more obvious she uses her "mom" vibe to sway people. Hopefully they figure that out before they're all voted out of the tribe. I still think she's crazy, but apparently crazy is working for her.

Back on the Gondol beach Scot is developing a little man-crush on Tai because he's just so adaptable and has such a good spirit. Scot tosses him up a tree and there goes Tai gathering up mangoes. Anna's trying to make a connection with Aubry, then Peter, then Joe, by throwing Tai to the sharks, one tribe member at a time. She even goes so far as to discuss his having an Immunity Idol and everything and she doesn't even know he has it. This could backfire real quick.

Nick thinks he's building his own alliance over at ChonLo but he's unaware of the Brain and Brawn alliance. Then again, Jason is more than happy to align with both sides and make his decisions when he needs to. Somehow the remainder of the Brawn tribe, has managed to find themselves in a position of power. 

Day 13 dawns and Julia is all alone at the ToTang encampment. She's dehydrated, alone, paranoid and really has nothing to keep her going. This is a make it or break it point for the youngest person of the season and if this doesn't kill her, which it won't, it'll definitely make her stronger. All she has to do is get out of bed and stop focusing on what's going on without her.

 One thing that's going on without her is the Immunity Challenge. In today's challenge two members of each team will have to race out into the water then dive down to untie a net filled with wooden puzzle fish pieces then drag that net back to shore, . . . once it's on shore two other members will have to untie all those fish and hook them onto a pole then carry that pole up the beach to the puzzle platform, . . . which is were the last two members will complete the puzzle. The winners get Immunity and the losers get a night with Jeff tonight at Tribal. As much fun as an evening with Jeff might be, Tribal is not the place to enjoy it.

Scot & Aubry for Gondol and Jason & Nick for ChanLo race into the water and Scot is so far ahead of Aubry that he has to wait for her, which allows Jason & Nick to start first. Eventually Aubry shows up and Scot goes down and unties the first set of knots then moves over to get the second set while Jason is still trying to untie his first set. Not sure what Aubry was up to but it certainly wasn't much. At least Nick was working on a knot. Scot gets the net untied and then singlehandedly starts dragging it back to shore, again way ahead of Aubry who has to swim while Scot is walking in. Those nets weigh about 100 pounds and really drag in the water but Scot just keeps marching along like a machine.

Scot drops the net and Tai & Joe get going on the knots to remove the fish, followed closely by Jason & Nick dropping their net so Michelle & Cydney can get those fish free. Both teams are pretty evenly matched here, with Michelle & Cydney actually making up some time and heading out before Tai & Joe who are right behind them. Even with dropping the pole off Michelle's shoulder, the girls still get to the platform first and Debbie & Neal begin unloading fish. Right on their tail are Peter & Anna as both teams now try to load all their fish on the table so they can complete the puzzle.

Both teams have their best people on the puzzle for a change but Neal & Debbie are just flying through this. They've got both layers of their puzzle done before Peter & Anna can finish the bottom layer and ChanLo has won Immunity. That means that GOndol is heading to Tribal Council and Anna knows that this is going to be between her and Tai as to who is going home tonight. Sucks to be a Beuaty member at the moment, but once someone is voted out Julia gets to rejoin the game so Anna's probably right about who's going home.

Back at camp Anna is trying to come up with an excuse for why they were so slow on that puzzle but in the end Debbie is just a better puzzle person than Peter is. Now Tai is concerned that he may need to play his idol to avoid going home with it in his pocket. Maybe he will because Aubry wants to take out the main provider of the tribe, Tai, but Peter would prefer to take out Anna. Even Joe agrees with Peter and talks it out with Aubry because he wants to play the game smart and she agrees to follow his lead. 

Meanwhile, Peter tells Anna and Tai that the plan is to probably take out a Beauty and this gets Tai a little nervous and now he wants to take out Peter. Why Peter? He came to them with the plan as a warning and now Tai is reading this all the wrong way when he should have taken that moment to try and turn Peter on his own group and take out a Brain. Whatever. Tai goes to Scot and Anna and says he has a way to take out Peter and discloses that he has an idol and if he plays it they can remove Peter instead of Anna or Tai. Scot thinks that's a great idea, and Anna loves blindsides so they're both in. 

Somebody has revealed a little too much gameplay and to continue that Aubry goes to Scot and says that they're voting out Anna at Tribal. Scot is the only person on either tribe who now knows where both Hidden Immunity Idols are and with the new SuperIdol twist he's in a great position so he goes to Tai and asks him not to use it. Uh oh. Everybody likes Tai and watching Tai and Scot walk through the jungle together is like watching Mutt & Jeff to the extreme, but Tai is still worried that Scot is playing him. Now he has to decide if he plays it for himself, shares it with Anna or just sits on it.

Off to Tribal they go and Anna & Tai finally get their own torches because they've never been to Tribal before. Jeff asks Aubry if the fact that there are three Brains puts them in a power spot and she agrees that it's better to stick with the devils you know. When Jeff talks to Scot, Scot says he's literally alone on an island. Not exactly but we get his point. When Jeff gets to Anna and points out she's not on the bottom but she's also not in power she admits it's likely to be Tai or her going home. Tai agrees and he figures Scot is safe because he's a much bigger asset. With that Anna defends her place on the tribe, which is followed by Tai having to do the same. Anna looks a little downfallen after Tai's speech. When Jeff asks about Idols, Joe says he's pretty sure there aren't any and when Jeff asks Tai, Tai elaborates and says there aren't any. Funny guy.

When Jeff points out that it wouldn't take much for the two Beauty and one Brawn to align and make another group of three to take on the Brain, Aubry agrees but she doesn't see that happening. Anna smiles and hopes that's exactly how it plays out as she gets up to cast her vote. 

Jeff gathers the votes and then returns to ask for the Hidden Immunity Idol and both Anna and Scot look to Tai. There's a moment of hesitation and then Tai just looks down and that look of confusion followed by fear on Anna's face is palpable. Even before Jeff reads the votes she's pretty sure how this is going to play out. Jeff reads the votes . . . Peter, Anna, Anna, Anna . . . and finally Anna, who has been voted out of the tribe.

Personally I think it was a terrible move for both Tai and Scot but Anna did say how much she loved blindsides. Maybe a little less now but at least she took it with a smile. In the game of Survivor you need to take being voted out as a compliment that you're viewed as such a threat. It's not great but at least it's something. 

In her exit speech Anna took it well even if it hurt to be voted out and now she's a little less keen on those blindsides. There's no Amazing race review for a few weeks but I will be playing catch up on Big Brother Canada in the next day or so, so if anyone is following that feel free to come back soon. Next week Debbie is trying to manipulate a new alliance while Joe is beginning to think that Peter is gunning for him. Joe's probably right and we'll be right there to watch what happens. Later tribemates.

The live eviction may have come and gone in realtime but I've still got a chance to get my review in before Sunday's episode. There are so many people that actually have other things to do with their evenings that I may even catch a few of them before they see the episode, although why you'd read the review first is anyone's guess. Unless you're just saving your eyes the torture of some of these costumes the houseguests are forced into, in which case . . . you're welcome.

It's about time Arisa got back on screen as she introduces the live edition just before we get a quick replay of what's been going on. I've never liked the replays as I've always found there are way too many of them during an episode and they run far too long, but the initial one always wraps up with a few fun questions to set the tone so . . . back to Arisa who takes us back into the house right after the PoV Ceremony.

With both Sharry and Loveita on the block they have no choice but to turn on each other if either one wants to stay in the house. Tim figures he'll throw his vote to keep whoever gives the best offer to stay in the house and who can benefit his game the most. Tim points out to both Loveita and Sharry that there are always floaters in a house but those are also the ones you can sway. So far he has yet to choose which side as he's giving his advice to both of them at the same time but at least he paints no target on himself while doing so.

Over in the Hundo Suite Kelsey and Cassandra are discussing her showmance and she's not sure if she wants to be in a showmance or not. She likes Jared and all but she's afraid he's going to fall for her. The last thing she seems to want is to find herself in an actual relationship. While she's wondering about her Jared problem, Loveita asks Maddy who she's voting for. Maddy is pretty evenly split at the moment but she wants to keep Loveita not because she can remain a target but because she's smarter about how she goes about things. Maddy thinks that Sharry is a little too obvious and that helps Loveita to keep her head in the game rather than give up.

A bunch of the boys are hanging around the dining room table when Loveita joins them and Phil says she's welcome to be a part of the boys. She's okay with that, especially if it keeps her in the game.  That, and a little bit of cleavage goes a long way apparently. 

It's the morning of Day 12 and Kelsey is busy massaging Phil's hands when he says something to make it a little weird so she heads back to see if Jared wants to make out. Damn, and so far we'd avoided the usual SexHouse routine. I had such high hopes. Jared points out that she's a bad girl but she says she's the type of girl he could take home to his mother but that she has a problem committing, after which she gets up and wanders off. That seems to be a big issue with most of this generation, too much hooking up and not enough actual courtship. 

Speaking of courtship, Nick and Maddy seem to be getting along nicely with a little pre-cuddle time . . . until Phil walks in and asks if they're making out or something as Maddy sits up and gets off of Nick. Nick says they haven't even kissed but Phil just turns away looking upset and Maddy asks him if it'd be weird but he just keeps going. Maddy thinks Phil doesn't like her but Nick knows that his brother is and at him, probably because a showmance with Maddy could mess up the game. It could, but what if it were more than a showance? 

Nick races after his brother to talk to him but all Phil can say is to stay away from Maddy. Not quite that nicely though. Phil doesn't want his brother's attraction to get them evicted the way Sharry's guilt by association is likely to get her evicted. A valid point because anything that either brother does in the house will ultimately affect the other brother one way or the other. Tough not being able to play your own game.

Arisa returns to remind us that this is a live eviction episode and that either Loveita or Sharry will be heading home before the end of it but before we get to that she reveals that Big Brother gave Joel and Cassandra a special task this week, a specific household chore. We return to the house where Christine is reading the Big Brother riot act. Big Brother is not happy with how the houseguests are leaving all their dirty/clean clothes lying about all over the place so they now have to go and gather every piece of clothing and bedding and return to the living room with it immediately. Nobody is happy with that, except maybe me because I just can't stand to see that much disarray in a bedroom. And I thought my daughter's room was bad.

Big brother has decided that every piece of clothing needs to be washed using OxyCleanHD and that there will be two people doing all that laundry, Joel and Cassandra. That's right, Cassandra, who has probably never done a stitch of laundry in her life. I blame her parents, but Christine points out that she'll definitely know how by the time she's done all the laundry in the house. Joel looks so funny touching the girls' panties.

Time to change the task a little as Big Brother has decided that there are just too many items of clothing in the house and now Joel and Cassandra must select two items of clothing from each houseguest and donate them to charity. That's not going to go over well with some of the houseguests. There goes Dallas' wifebeater tee. While Joel and Cassandra are busy selecting items Big Brother has a secret mission for the rest of the houseguests. They need to pretend to be really angry that Joel and Cassandra have done this and if they can make Joel and Cassandra feel so bad that they would give up all of their own stuff in order to get everyone else's stuff back they'll win a reward for the house. I could see Joel making that sacrifice but Cassandra?

After a full day of laundry, welcome to my world, Joel and Cassandra need to go out and tell their fellow houseguests what they've done. They're a little concerned about this because they're not sure how it's going to go over with the rest of them. Obviously not well based on the secret mission the other's have, . . . and the others are just eating this up. They're all angry and threatening and Dallas says that he's going to win HoH and put them up on the block and even Tim is upset because their clothes are the only thing they come in with. Joel and Cassandra are starting to sweat.

Eventually Christine reads off another missive from Bifg Brother that states that Joel and Cassandra can get back everybody's missing clothing if they are willing to give up all of theirs. Cassandra is devastated and she can't believe that everyone is acting the way they are just for a few items of clothes that went to charity. She thinks they're all terrible people but I've decided to rethink my initial impression of Cassandra because she and Joel have decided that they're willing to give up all of their clothes so that everyone else is happy. I didn't think she'd do it.

When they inform the other houseguests of their decision Maddy says that Cassandra can borrow anything she needs. No need because then Joel gets another message from Big Brother informing himself and Cassandra that the others were in on the gag and they have now won a house party courtesy of OxyCleanHD Laundry Detergent, including the HaveNots. They'll also all be getting all their clothes back and OxyClean will be donating $5,000 to Dress For Success Canada. 

Afterwards Joel is having a little heart to heart with a few of the houseguests when Cassandra joins them to make sure he's okay. Yep, definitely changed my opinion. Joel admits to having been diagnosed with tourettes at 13 and not feeling like he fit in with other kids but that he's a lot better now and more in control of it. It's a heartwarming moment in the house filled with tears and hugs.  

Pool party in the house and Tim reveals it's his first ever taste of poutine, which he actually found pretty tasty. Not a surprise since he's from Australia. Heck, if you can eat vegemite, anything should taste better. Kelsey points out that they're out of vodka. Nikki says she was pouring doubles and then points out that Raul was upstairs drinking a few first and not to blame her and Maddy's like . . . wha?

Then Nikki goes off, with Tim trailing behind to tend to damage control, and she starts ranting how she hates everybody and he just goads her on. Tim's having a blast just drinking soda water and staying sober, taking a page out of Ramsey's playbook. Eventually everyone is in the hotel except Nikki so Tim goes to fetch her. While Tim is searching the house, Nikki is in the Diary Room having a melt down about not wanting to be there anymore. She's definitely a trainwreck and Tim's starting to get a little concerned as he keeps looking.

It's the morning of Day 13 and everyone is aware of Nikki's disappearance and meltdown. Ramsey was feeling pretty good when Raul came to him to help lead him through a morning prayer. Ramsey doesn't usually pray but, as a proud muslim he was touched that Raul came to him and asked to pray together. Even Phil looked curious. So Ramsey and Raul find a quiet spot in the house and set out a couple prayer mats and Ramsey leads Raul through a prayer as Sharry looks on. Another one of those touching moments and maybe this season will be different . . . maybe.

Time for everyone to start talking game and Joel reveals to Jared that he's thinking he'd like to keep Loveita. Jared's not to sure and thinks that Loveita is just playing Joel. Kelsey points out that keeping Sharry will always keep a target on her back because of the way she plays and then she decides she wants to go inside so Jared takes her inside. I guess we know how Kelsey is voting. Meanwhile Loveita is campaigning to Maddy that keeping her in keeps the target off of Maddy. Maddy decides to go stir up the pot a little by telling Sharry that Loveita is throwing her under the bus. 

After her little chat with Maddy, Sharry runs into Loveita and during a little hug she tells her that she's going to play clean. Loveita assures her that she's playing the same way but we all know that somehow things are just going to get dirty. 

Arisa takes us back into the house and asks how everyone is doing but when they say they're fine she mentions that she's heard there've been a few complaints so now Big Brother has a new system in place to deal with those complaints. Arisa leads us through the house (via a video) to Housekeeping where there's a Complaint Cupboard and all the houseguests have to do is open the complaint cupboard and voice their complaint because the Complaint Cupboard is now "open". Everyone is glad to hear about it but now it's time for the eviction.

Loveita gets the first shot at pleading her case and says that she's been blessed to meet such great people in the house but that they should vote with their gut for what suits their game. Then Sharry gets her 30 seconds and says that she wants to stay in the house and that those who haven't taken the time to get to know her should give her a chance and then . . . it's time.

Joel makes his way to the Diary Room and votes to evict Sharry, Cassandra votes to evict Sharry, Raul  votes to evict Sharry, Phil & Nick vote to evict Sharry, even Kelsey votes to evict Sharry, which is a bit of a surprise considering her original target was Loveita. Nikki votes to evict Loveita, Mitch votes to evict Sharry, Dallas votes to evict Sharry and that makes it official. Maddy votes to evict Sharry, Tim votes to evict Sharry, Christine votes to evict Sharry, and finally Ramsey votes to evict Sharry.

Wow, with a vote of 11 - 1, Loveita is safe and Sharry has been evicted. Loveita looks crushed because she fully expected to be the one to go home. Despite all these people saying they love her as she ascends the stairs I don't think Sharry is feeling too much love at the moment. Arisa welcomes Sharry to the stage and Arisa points out that so many people had voted Sharry to win and wonders if she was shocked. She was but she was happy that the rest of the house was that afraid of her game. With that Arisa bids her farewell and it's time to get ready for the next HoH Competition.

As the outgoing HoH Jared won't be playing, and neither will Phil as Nick takes over the competition position, but everyone else is in on a little game called Big Brother Breakaway. In the backyard is a giant hockey table with numbered slots at the end. One at a time each houseguest will attempt to score on the net with the highest point value, at the end the houseguest with the most points will be the new HoH. They only get one shot so this should be quick.

Cassandra gets the first shot and scores 13, Raul shoots and scores a 4 and has been eliminated,  Ramsey gets a 7 and also gets eliminated, and then Kelsey shoots a  4 and is also eliminated. Time for Tim who dethrones Cassandra with 14, while Maddy gets eliminated with 6. Joel's turn and he knocks out Tim with a 15, as Nikki takes a shot but takes herself out with a 10. Nick gets a shot and dethrones Joel with his 16, and Dallas gets a 6 so he's out. Christine moves up to the end and off she goes with a 7, and then it's Mitch who didn't get a high enough point. Loveita could still take home the crown as she steps up to the rink and rolls . . . 18. Let the drama begin again.

That's it for the week but I'll be back here again to see how it plays out on Sunday. Then you can read my next Survivor review next week along with more on Big Brother Canada as we wait three weeks for the return of the Amazing Race. I guess I'll see everyone back here for my point of view on Sunday. Later, houseguests.

After the recap of last week's episode we open episode five with everyone getting into their pre-assigned winter gear as set out by production and again it begs the question . . . What the heck are people packing in those huge backpacks if production is lugging around bedding and winter gear?

With Brittany and Jessica's unfortunate elimination last week due to some bad advice in Geneva, we join all the other teams leaving the mat in Chamonix pretty much en masse. Kurt & Brodie are the first to open their clue at 10:46am and everyone starts searching the streets of Chamonix for a particular car based on the licence plate number so that they can make their way to Les Grands Montets Gondola Station. 

Kurt & Brodie know that Tyler & Korey are only one minute behind them but they're still the first to find one of the cars and are now one their way to the gondola station and the next clue. Dana & Matt are out at 10:48am and let's assume everyone is a minute behind the last. Kurt & Brodie arrive at Les Grands Montets Gondola Station and get their next clue. They're about to make their way up Mont Blanc, the 15, 771 feet high White Mountain, so called because it is always covered in snow, and they need to get to Les Grands Montets Summit to find their next clue. Fortunately Kurt & Brodie only need to ascend 11,000 feet where they'll find their next clue somewhere near the edge.

Yep, everyone is right behind them. Each team grabs their gear and their guide and heads to the gondola. With each team also including a camera and sound guy there's only room for two teams at a time inside the gondola so Kurt & Brodie and Tyler & Korey are the first two teams to ascend. Looks like Burnie & Ashley will need to wait to go up with Dana & Matt.

Sheri & Cole arrive and grab their gear, followed closely by Zach & Rachel who forgot to grab a guide. As Scott & Blair drive to the gondola, Blair thinks it'd be a great place to get married and Scott tells her she just needs to get her boyfriends all squared up. Cut to Brodie. Erin & Joslyn are the last team to make their way to the gondola and that's never a good place to be, but the day is young and the air is clean.

That's one hell of a view from the gondola as Kurt & Brodie and Tyler & Korey reach the top, hike up the stairs and discover they'll have to zip line across to the clue. This one requires a lot of upper body strength as both Kurt and Korey are about to find out, but the return back down from the clue is pretty easy. Kurt grabs his clue just before Korey gets to one as Tyler hollers out not to drop the clue. That's kind of a given isn't it?

Kurt & Brodie maintain their lead and open the clue, this leg's Detour; Dynamite or Campsite. In Dynamite they need to deliver a baguette lunch and some dynamite to a ski patrol safety crew to receive their next clue; while in Campsite they need to set up a winter survival camp based on a nearby example to earn their next clue. Kurt & Brodie choose Dynamite, as do Tyler & Corey. 

As the boys move on Burnie & Ashley and Dana & Matt hit the stairs and get ready to make the zip line across to get the Detour clue. Matt just realized that his life may rest in Dana's hands and I'm not sure he's feeling all that secure at the moment. Meanwhile Kurt & Brodie and Tyler & Korey are grabbing their dynamite and ready to blow stuff up.

Matt makes quick work of the zipline and grabs his clue, as does Ashley, but when Ashley gets back the clue slips out of pocket and slides down the mountainside. Burnie figures that can't be good, but fortunately she only had to go back across and get another one. While Dana & Matt choose Dynamite,Burnie and Ashley decide to take a chance and try their hand at Campsite. 

Zach & Rachel and Scott & Blair are almost at the top and Blair tries to give Zach a little pep talk to calm his nerves but it didn't help.  Meanwhile, trying to make their way to the ski patrol was harder than the guys thought it would be. As they hike up the trail behind their guide, all tied together along a rope, Kurt & Brodie almost go over the side. ​

While the frisbee players trudge through the snow Dana & Matt have gone the wrong way in search of dynamite and Dana starts having a panic attack due to the thinner air. She feels like she can't breath and Matt has to loosen her gear and calm her down. Once she's a little more relaxed they head back down and meet Tyler & Korey who tell them where to find the dynamite. This would have been easily remedied had they . . . read the clue.

While Tyler & Korey make their way along the thin trail through thinner air they figure it still has to be faster than building . . . which takes us to Burnie & Ashley who are checking out the example and get to work on their survival campsite. They needed to set up their tent and build about a meter of snow around the outside to shield it from the wind. Time to get started.

Zach and Scott get locked into their gear to zipline across while Erin & Joslyn and Sheri & Cole bring up the rear. We get more great shots of the French Alps and it feels very familiar, but then again we live only a few hours from the Canadian Rockies and have hiked up and down many a peak. Not so often in the winter unless we're going skiing but I've done a lot of hiking through the mountains in the summer. 

After exchanging dynamite and a baguette for the clue Kurt & Brodie are now on their way back down the mountain and need to travel to the Planpraz Gondola Station to find their next clue. They watch as the ski patrol tosses the dynamite over the side and then, with a mighty big ka-boom, there goes all the snow that would otherwise accumulate into an avalanche. I wonder if the dynamite they took up was actually real dynamite though, I mean just imagine the mess if one of those went off . . . and the legal issues.

While they make their way back down, Burnie & Ashley have broken a tentpole and also realize they need more room for their tent . . . now what? Tyler & Korey finally make their way up the trail to trade the dynamite for the clue while Dana is starting to freak out again as they climb higher up the mountain and her fear increases slowing them down even more. 

While Dana freezes in place, Zach and Scott retrieve their clues and make their way back. Both teams choose Dynamite and begin making their way down. Up come Sheri & Cole, who wonders how they're going to get the clue, and Erin & Joslyn. Joslyn is pumped and ready to rock. She zips over while Sheri is still getting ready and starts to have a panic attack. Joslyn zips back across as Cole keeps hollering encouragement to his mom and she gets it done. One thing about the Amazing Race is you learn to battle your fears, sometimes fears you don't even know you have. Cole figures that if he had to be the one going across they'd be out so he's probably even more proud of his mom. They choose Dynamite.

Despite having set up thousands of tents, Burnie & Ashley are still having difficulty with this one . . . probably because they can barely feel their fingers. Burnie's starting to think they may have made the wrong choice and that's always a risk. Wayne and I probably would have chosen Dynamite to avoid trying to set up a tent in the cold, although I've set up enough of them in the rain.

Dana & Matt make it to the top and Dana can't wait for this part to be over while Zach & Rachel begin their ascent.  Scott & Blair grab some dynamite and Scott says the clue tells them to deliver lunch but Blair assumes that means the baguette, which it does.  That said, as they head up they tell Erin & Joslyn not to forget the lunch and the girls start looking which worries the mountain guide they have with them. 

As Scott & Blair make their way up the trail to the summit Blair slips on the snow and slides over the edge. Good thing they're all connected and Scott helps her back up. That's probably not the easiest thing on dear old dad's heart. While they continue on their delivery, Kurt & Brodie arrive at the Planpraz Gondola Station and the Roadblock; Throwing Caution To The Wind. One team member is about to go paragliding with a guide and when they land they'll need to answer their guide's question correctly about the yeti to get their next clue. Brodie is going paragliding.

Sheri & Cole debate on setting up a campsite or delivering dynamite but in the end they decide to do Dynamite as Erin & Joslyn are still searching for lunch and Burnie & Ashley realize they're the only ones setting up camp. This could be a great decision on their part, or their biggest mistake., and they know it.

Upon arrival at Planpraz, Tyler figures his glasses would fog up and he wouldn't see everything to answer the question so Korey gets to paraglide. Erin & Joslyn try to copy Blair's misstep and almost go over the edge but they don't and now it's time for Cole to have a panic attack as he realizes they have to go even higher.

At the Planpraz summit Brodie is ready to jump, as is Korey who says he once dated a yeti. Alrighty then.   In order to launch the paraglider Brodie and his guide need to run down the snow covered mountain until the parachute fills with enough air to lift them off the ground, unfortunately Brodie and his guide are unsuccessful at launch, and that allows Korey a chance to take the lead. Korey's launch is successful and Korey spots the yeti with a French flag while Brodie gets ready to try again . . . and he's off. Spotting that  yeti is pretty easy and this view is even better than the last one.

Back we go to see how Burnie & Ashley are doing but when they call the judge over he tells them they  need more snow. Not a problem for Erin & Joslyn who have made it to the top to be greeted by a handsome ski patrol guy who Erin asks if he'd like to date Joslyn. Unfortunately for Joslyn he's married but isn't nice for her to have a friend that'll set her up. As the girls stop flirting Cole faces his biggest fear slowly making his way across the trail as his mom talks him through it.

Look, up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's . . . while Kurt is hoping it's Brodie, he's going to be in for a big surprise as Korey hits the ground running hollering that they're number one. Tyler & Korey have moved into first place as they tear open their next clue and they're now in search of Phil and the Pit Stop at the Dr. Paccard Statue. When Brodie finally lands Kurt asks how he got passed and he tells him he'll tell him later and apologizes.

Burnie & Ashley get the all clear on their survival camp and head back to the gondola as Sheri & Cole deliver the last of the dynamite. Both teams meet at the gondola assuming they're in last place only to realize that they're racing for last place. Unless somebody else messes up ahead of them, and that could happen, one of these teams could be at the end of their race.

Tyler & Korey are Team Number 1 and also win 5 nights in the Phillipines. Right behind them come Kurt & Brodie as Team Number 2 and they're proud of Tyler & Korey's win. Not happy with it, but they realize that Tyler & Korey deserve the win. These are the teams to keep an eye on.

Matt gets to soar over the yeti, and gets a brief respite from Dana's complaints, while Rachel gets strapped in. Unfortunately Rachel failed to launch and that opens up a spot for Blair. As blair gets ready to soar, Erin & Joslyn open the clue and Erin is heading into the sky. That'd be such a blast but I have a feeling that Wayne would really want to do this one, and the fact that I'd likely stumble in the snow a few times almost guarantees our decision.

As Matt comes in for a landing Dana is already yelling at him to just come down as they have stuff to do. That is one driven girl, but it seems to work for them as Dana & Matt are Team Number 3. Matt grew up in the mountains and this has been a great leg for him.

Blair managed to move ahead when Rachel failed to launch and everyone figures it's Rachel coming in for a landing because they can't hear Blair's screaming, until she can see her dad and then everyone is surprised. Except her dad, Scott is so proud and they finally pull ahead in the pack. Zach shouldn't be too concerned though because Rachel was pretty close behind Blair.

While Erin is getting ready to fly she sees Ashley coming in and then they see Sheri. Their guide tells them the first rule is . . . don't fall down, and the second rule is . . . wait for the wind. Ashley and her guide make the first attempt but there's not enough wind. So much for the second rule. Erin and Sheri are still waiting for the right wind and then Sheri's pilot nudges her to run and Sheri is airborne,  much to Erin's chagrin who must be a little ticked since she was there first. When Erin finally gets her chance she forgets rule number one and that gives Ashley another shot but then the wind died.

Scott & Blair are Team Number 4 and Phil asks Blair if she has a favourite team on the race. Blair blushes a little and then, without answering, turns the question around on Phil who says he loves all of them. Nice save Phil. Zachary & Rachel have flown right in to be Team Number 5.

Burnie, Cole and Joslyn are waiting patiently on the ground wondering who is coming in next for a landing and Burnie figures it could be Ashley or Erin but Joslyn says it could be Sheri. When Sheri lands she surprises everyone and she's just blowing Cole's mind with her ability this leg. Then Ashley flies in and Joslyn is left wondering what went wrong as she's the only one left waiting for her teammate.

Burnie asks Ashley what happened and how she got ahead of Erin and Ashley tells him about the wind and falling and how she felt terrible about it but in the end not that terrible as Burnie & Ashley are Team Number 6. Finally Erin hits the sky and she's filled with tears of both joy and sorrow because she knows that they're in last place. Sheri & Cole are Team Number 7 and Cole is so proud of his mom.

Erin enjoys the view and wishes that Joslyn could be up there with her. When she lands she's all apologetic but they are the last team to arrive and have unfortunately been eliminated from the race. I wasn't expecting that, but then again I wasn't expecting Brittany & Jessica to go out last week. However, I'm really proud of how Scott & Blair have moved into the middle of the pack this leg. 

With some ridiculousness called March Madness in the US and, of course, Easter coming up it looks like the Amazing Race is taking a few weeks off but come April 1st seven teams will be heading to warmer climes. No joke. Seriously. Until that time.