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Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins': episode 4
"Iron sharpens iron." Now that is a great line. Tell me...tell me! Where else on television can you find that kind of writing? Nowhere, I say. Nowhere. Only on Survivor: Tocantins...starring Coach!
Coach is not gold. Coach is platinum. Remember when you were a kid and you'd wake up irritated that you had to go to school, and then you realized...wait a minute, it's Saturday, I don't have to go anywhere. It was such a satisfying feeling. Well, that's the feeling I get every time I see or hear Coach on our show.
On any other season Tyson would be the guy I was raving about, but I just can't say enough about Coach. It's like being any other great golfer when Tiger Woods is playing.
I know you guys like insight, so here's a little Insight: Right now every other contestant on this season is reading this blog and they are sooooo mad at me for continuing to talk about Coach, the least liked person on the show. They want me to talk about them. Erinn wants me to talk about her incredible sex appeal. Brendan wants me to talk about how smart he was for creating "Bare Naked Granola" and making millions (yep he did). Taj wants me to talk about how good she looks...for her age...(ha, sorry Taj). Stephen wishes I would comment on his enormous brain. And Sierra – oh well, you get my point. All I can say to that is, sorry. Not my problem. As an audience member I just think Coach is hilarious.
Further evidence to support my point: "When you look at me and you look at Brendan, who looks stronger? I do." I mean, come on! In the words of Vince Vaughn, "Coach, you're so money."
I'm telling you right now that if they hadn't already signed their rights away to be on Survivor, I'd march Coach, Tyson and Sierra into CBS and sell the first hybrid sitcom/reality show...and you would all watch.
Taj is growing on me. Wasn't so sure about her the first few days but she's growing on me. Don't get me wrong, she can still be a pain in the ass, but I like her. I also want to stay on the good side of Eddie George.
"I might have just stumbled backwards into a huge alliance." Oh yes, you did, Stephen. A huge alliance. Keep an eye on that one. Stephen is great at playing the "one step behind bumbling goofball." Dude is wicked smart.
The reward challenge is one of my all time favorites. We haven't done this in a while. We did it in season 2 in Australia with Colby and Michael. We did it in Pearl Islands with Rupert and Andrew Savage (who got robbed when we did the Outcasts). This season J.T. was a workhorse, tying the record that Rupert set at 220 lbs. But ultimately it came down Debbie and Taj who were very impressive. In the end, Taj put those beautiful broad shoulders to work and pulled it out for Jalapao.
Insight: Mark Burnett absolutely hates it when contestants from opposite tribes congratulate each other after a challenge. Typically I do my best to make sure this doesn't happen but when Taj went over to hug Debbie at the end of the reward challenge it just felt right to let them do it. Fortunately Mark wasn't on location so he couldn't get mad at me, and he probably won't read this blog so he can't get mad that I'm sharing one of his pet peeves. And let's be honest, when you have a house in Malibu you really aren't entitled to any pet peeves anymore anyway.
J.T. is a major threat to win this game. Way too likable, way too smart, way too physical.
Tyson: "It felt a little weird having...those two... guys from the other tribe come over...in the back of your mind you're thinking...I wanna punch these guys in the head." Okay, Tyson, you have earned your way into the full on Gold category. If we do an all-stars, you definitely get my vote. 100%.
Sandy: (referring to Sydney) "If they're gonna be voting you off, you better be pulling off more than a bra. You better be pulling off some panties or somethun."
You have got to be kidding me. Who says that? Sandy, step on up, you too are now part of the Gold family and we are so happy to have you!
While we're at it, it's time to give Sierra some well-deserved credit. Not only is she still in the game, but she is now locked into an alliance that has the potential to go all the way.
It's also time to give our challenge department some props. The immunity challenge was pretty damn ingenious. A three-sided puzzle with multiple possibilities to confuse the tribes but only one correct phrase. You try coming up with something like that. Our guys are really good.
Tribal Council was so fun! I love it when we get into some good juicy stuff! Let's address the elephant in the room: Sydney is absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure that it comes across on screen like it does in person but.... INSIGHT: The crew referred to her as Helen of Troy because literally everybody would stop their work when she walked into a challenge or tribal council. It's true. Now, Taj is a beautiful woman as well, but she's married and she's older so she's not going to get the same attention as Sydney. That definitely caused some friction. How could it not? Taj sees that someone like Sydney could go deep in the game simply by giving backrubs and staying out of the way. And as for flirting – I wouldn't say Sydney was that big of a flirt. The truth about men and women is that all it takes for a man to think a woman is interested in him is for her to say "hi." I don't know if Sydney has a boyfriend back home or not, but if so, he needn't worry. She wasn't "pulling down some panties or somethun."
Okay. Finally, we must lay to rest...crazy ole Sandy. I gotta say, I don't know that I agree with Sandy's logic but for a kooky lady she's not as dumb as she sounds. She is annoying though. Let's be clear. She was annoying. What makes her likable is she can't help that she's annoying. She doesn't mean to be. She's just being herself.
Sandy, I'm sooooooo sorry you are gone. Man, oh man. Such a loss. You were a delight to have on the show and I know I called you annoying but it doesn't mean I don't have mad love for you.
Last words — U2 has been on Letterman all week and they are tearing it up. Talk to ya next week.
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"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill
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