Category Archives: People

Books, Nonfiction, People

‘John Adams’: A Beautiful Historical Nonfiction

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I am a fan of books, mostly fiction. One day several months ago I started reading this book, John Adams, which was written by the Pulitzer Prize author, David McCullough. Within the first few pages, I was riveted. This was unlike any nonfictional book I had ever read. David McCullough brought a sort of fictional feel to this real story that happened centuries ago.

The Amazing Pictures in John Adams

One thing that made this book so fun to read were the pictures. There are three sections that show you some amazing pictures pertaining to that part of the book. There are paintings of historical figures like King George III, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and many other people. There are also letters you can read written by John Adams himself as well as drawings of some of the places he visited. These fabulous drawings and paintings were a quarter of the reason why I loved this book so much.

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The People in John Adams

Not only did I learn a great deal about John Adams but I also got an in depth look at the people around him. One of my favorite bits about this book is his relationship with his best friend, Thomas Jefferson. It was fascinating reading about them taking trips through rural England, which from David McCullough’s descriptive storytelling, allowed me to envision the gorgeous places they visited. His love for his wife, Abigail Adams, was just as palpable. There were many love letters John Adams wrote that gave me a personal insight into their relationship. The growth of his children was another wonderful thing to read. It felt like by the end of the book I knew the children as well as I had gotten to know John Adams himself. David McCullough also gave a fascinating a detailed look into the people around him who founded Congress as well as the french leaders who he negotiated with as an American diplomat during the turbulent times of the American Revolution.

The Story of John Adams

It was amazing following John Adam’s journey throughout his ninety-one years of his life. From when he was but a young man traipsing after girls at Harvard to when he was a wise elder residing with his family after years of hard work for his country. It was enthralling reading about his diplomatic journey throughout Europe. My favorite part of John Adam’s story was when he was running to become president. It was exciting, riveting, and very interesting to learn of how he became the second president of the United States. Throughout all of these fantastic achievements, he obtained he never stopped loving his past and where he came from. He always dreamed of returning back to his hometown of Braintree, Massachusetts, and living a simple farmer’s life. His love of his humble beginnings never swayed and allowed him to never be corrupted by the fancy living he had during his diplomatic years in Europe. After I finished this beautifully written book I felt like I got to truly know John Adams as a person and his ideals as one of our founding fathers.

My Overview of John Adams

In the end I did grow emotional. Some things that happened near the end of his life were sad and unfortunate. It, however, was such a beautifully written nonfiction book that I am definitely going to read it once more. There were so many things that I missed that I would understand a lot more if I read it again. Another reason why this book is so good is it has made me curious to know a little more about the American Revolution, George Washington, the French Revolution, and Thomas Jefferson. Even though these events and these people were in John Adam’s life they were only on the periphery of his story.

This book is very thick and consists of 634 pages telling John Adam’s story. The rest of the pages are for the acknowledgments, the source notes, index, bibliography, and just the beginning of the book which contains a family tree and so forth.

It’s priced perfectly at less than twenty dollars and is well worth the buy. David McCullough’s work is one to admire and I will definitely read some more of his books.

Candy, Food, Food Reviews, People

Chocolate Is Delicious, Especially When It Helps the World

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 Tony’s Chocolonely 

I love all kinds of chocolate. I love dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate with caramel, chocolate with nuts, you make it and I’ll eat it. This company, Tony’s Chocolonely, however has decided to make the delicious desert the right way. Until yesterday I had no idea there was still slavery in the world, and I definitely didn’t know slaves harvested cocoa beans in Ghana and the Ivory Coast to provide me with the sweet treat that I love so much. And to make it worse the slaves harvesting these cocoa beans are children! Can you believe that? It is 2017 and there are still people in the world who are treated like dirt so we can enjoy a small bar of chocolate that only provides a short period of happiness.

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Six Flavors of Delectable Chocolate

That’s why this new chocolate company I’ve discovered is so important. Teun van de Keuken, a Dutch journalist, discovered that large companies in the chocolate industry were buying cocoa from plantations that had child slavery which is unacceptable! He ate twelve chocolate bars and then decided to turn his back on the tainted sweets and created his own chocolate company to combat the cocoa slave industry. So Tony’s Chocolonely was born.

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Chocolate Made 100% Slave Free

Chocolonely has become the largest Dutch chocolate company in less than ten years, showing that you don’t need child slavery to have a profitable company. And let me tell you, the chocolate is delicious.

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When You Open It Up It’s In A Golden Wrapper

First of all the wrapper encasing the sweet treats is golden which is very reminiscent of the golden wrapper in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Secondly the inside of the paper contains a message explaining about the story of the brand and their duty to help children around the world.

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There’s a message inside the wrapper  

The inventive uneven squares in each bar show the inequality in the chocolate industry. And last but not least I have tried two of the seven flavors and they are amazing.

The first one I ate was dark chocolate almond sea salt and it was delectable. There were plenty of almonds and the sea salt was a nice surprise that only enhanced the taste of the chocolate bar. The second flavor was dark chocolate coffee crunch and it was incredible! There was literally a crunch of coffee in every semi-sweet bite. This is the perfect bar to eat with coffee. There are four other flavors that I haven’t tried yet but I know they’re all going to be delicious.

Chocolonely is not only a fantastic Dutch company but last fall they entered the U.S. via Portland. Now you can obtain the delicious chocolate throughout this wonderful country and I am ecstatic. The sweets are so important to the world and so magnificently tasty that they have definitely found a new customer.

And the extra special thing about Chocolonely is their incredibly affordable prices. Their large bars which are six ounces of delicious chocolate are only $4.99 and their small 1.8 ounce bars are $1.99. Yes, the chocolate is very inexpensive. It’s nine days until Mother’s Day and if you would love to give your mother some tasty chocolate get her these amazing chocolate bars in their largest size. She will first of all love the taste plus she’ll love the story behind the wonderful brand.

I’m so pleased to discover a new brand that not only is very, very delicious but is also great for the world. If you see this chocolate at a store you have to try it. This delectable sweet will put a smile on your face for two reasons, it’s delicious and it’s good for the world.

Thank you for reading my post and I hope you’ll try this chocolate. It’s truly worth getting. Have a beautiful day!

Entertainment, People, TV

Survivor Game Changers Delivers Yet Again

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Last week’s episode contained a historic tribal council that sent an unsuspecting Malcolm home way before he deserved to. The preview for this week’s episode of Survivor consisted of an exploding Debbie but boy was there so much more to this hour-long episode. Let’s get to it.

The Traitorous JT Finds An Idol

After what happened to Malcolm last week I was really upset with JT. Not only did he perform one of the most ridiculous moves in Survivor history during Season 20: Heroes vs. Villains by giving Russel his idol after that covert letter but now he had gotten rid of Malcolm by spilling Nuku’s plan. When they got back to camp I was slightly angry at JT. He tried to act like he didn’t tell Culpepper about their plan to vote off Sierra (which he did) but everyone knew he was the rat. Sandra was especially upset and vowed that she was going to get him back but I didn’t take her words too literally. If I only knew how the episode would end.

So the next day JT knows that he’s on the chopping block so what does he do? He goes and finds the idol! All I could do was shake my head in annoyance. The last person I wanted to find an idol was JT. And is it just me or does it seem like the players are finding these idols a little too easily? Either because they’re all alumni and know what to look for or the idols are being placed in easier to find locations. Whatever the case JT found the idol and I was bummed out.

Debbie Goes Bonkers

There of course was a reward challenge and the reward was mouth-watering. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, cookies and milk! Yummy. The challenge was difficult enough and consisted of a few simple but challenging steps. They don’t usually show the tribes designate who’s going to do what in the challenge but it was central to an upcoming moment later in the episode so they showed it. Debbie on the Mana tribe insisted that she should be the second person to cross the balance beam because according to her she’s taken gymnastics for ten years.

So the reward challenge begins. Tavua flies through the balancing portion of the challenge due to Ozzy and Andrea. Mickaela digs like a gopher through the sand to get those bags because she refuses to lose the challenge. Everything seems to be going smoothly for the Mana tribe. They’re even in the lead at one point. And then Debbie had to cross the balance beam and their chances to win the challenge fell away like a comet. They ended up losing the challenge but that was the least of Mana’s troubles.

When they got back to camp Debbie was furious. Hali and Sierra tried to console her and figure out what was wrong but Debbie is mad, and I don’t mean the angry definition of that word. She convinced herself that Hali took too long to get across that beam whereas she zoomed across it in “thirty seconds” which is false. And she blamed Culpepper for being disrespectful and forcing her to be the one to cross the balance beam even though she was the who stepped up to take the responsibility. Now maybe Culpepper is slightly disrespectful to her around camp but in terms of this situation she was obviously in the wrong. She’s already a little odd but I think after they lost those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches something in her brain snapped. I’ll tell you this, I wouldn’t be able to handle being on a tribe with Debbie because she can be very infuriating at times.

Sandra Concocts A Sugar Trap

So we go back to Nuku. It’s the day after the reward challenge and Mickaela wants seven drips of coffee and a scoop of sugar. JT’s upset about the request and Sandra sees that this is her chance to get JT voted off. So what does the queen of Survivor do? She eats the rest of the sugar. Wow, she was titled as a villain for a reason. And it worked. No one in the tribe is looking to get Sandra if they lose the immunity challenge because she diverted all of the attention to this suddenly realized feud between JT and Mickaela. It was a brilliant move that leads to an incredible tribal council later in the show but I’ll get to that in a little bit.

The Immunity Challenge

This challenge was full of suspense at the end. I’m sorry to say this but I was hoping for Nuku to lose. I really wanted to see what would happen after Sandra did that mind-boggling move with the sugar. I also didn’t want a scenario where Tavua would lose and Ozzy or Cirie get voted off because of some outrageous plan Troyzan and Sarah have concocted. When Tavua barely won in that nail-biting conclusion of the challenge I was so relieved. Yes, the showdown between JT and Mickaela would come to fruition and I was excited.

JT Gets Some Instant Karma

So Nuku lost the challenge and when they went back to camp JT just knew everyone was on board to vote the “sugar stealing” Mickaela off of Survivor Game Changers. He had no inkling that Sandra was concocting a plan to vote him off instead. She got Mickaela on board to vote JT off but Jeff Varner was the swing vote. Which path would he choose? Would he stick with Mickaela who is a strong player but can sometimes rub people the wrong way or would he go with JT who is also a tough contestant during the challenges but is truly a pain in the rear end at times? I was so anxious to see.

This was an ugly tribal council with a gorgeous conclusion. JT was so confident that Mickaela was going home. He treated her with so much disrespect I was livid. I’m so glad Sandra helped speak up for her because Mickaela is not a lazy person, I can tell that just through the television. And did he forget how she performs at the challenges? She’ll outwork most of the men. Just because she’s not smiling all the time and treating JT like a king doesn’t mean she’s a deadbeat. And yes, maybe her request with the seven drips of coffee and one scoop of coffee was a little too much for JT to handle. If I was as hungry as they are and slightly cranky it might’ve rubbed me the wrong way too but still, come on JT.

When they had to go vote I was so nervous. Would JT play his idol? Would Jeff choose JT over Mickaela? What was going to happen?! When Jeff Probst was about to read the votes I could barely breath. Was JT about to pull his idol out of his bag? When he didn’t I was beyond excited. Yes, if Sandra’s plan worked JT would be going home. Jeff read the votes and as always in these situations it came to a tie between JT and Mickaela. It was time to see what Varner’s decision would be. When Jeff turned that slip of paper around and it said: JT I went running and screaming with complete and absolute joy.

Not only was that a spectacular turn of events but Mickaela taking that cup out of her satchel and drinking her water like as if she was sipping tea was brilliant. If she had gotten kicked off it would’ve been an embarrassing move but I loved her confidence. She knew JT was going home and that’s all there was to it. With that tribal council JT has officially become the dumbest player to be on Survivor. Not only did he give Russel his own idol, get Malcolm kicked off for running his mouth, but he also got sent home even though he had an idol. Can you believe that? I think JT is the least deserving winner of Survivor because I mean come on. How can you make three ridiculous moves in Survivor and have two of them happen in one season? Wow.

That episode of Survivor last night became an instant classic, it was that outrageously entertaining. Now they’re saying next week someone’s going to be headed to Exile Island and a former Survivor will be returning. That is mind-blowing! First of all if they bring a player into the game in the middle of a season that’ll be a twist that’s never happened before. Secondly, who could the mystery person be? Is it Boston Rob, Coach, Russel, Joe, Parvati, who is it?! This is going to be the longest week ever. Whoever it is I hope it’s somebody who’s worthy of making an appearance on Survivor: Game Changers.

Well this was so much fun. I am a big fan of Survivor and so episodes like these are really special. A lot of times seasons of Survivor are hyped up but really aren’t that great but this season is turning out to be everything I knew it had the potential to be. I hope you enjoyed that episode of Survivor last night just as much as I did. As always I will be writing a summary next week as well about the new Survivor episode so you definitely won’t want to miss it. Thank you for reading my post and have a beautiful day.

Entertainment, People, TV

The Game Changing In Survivor Continues

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Last week on Survivor the big twist that I’ve been waiting to see is the double elimination. Who would get voted off? Which alliances would crumble and who would be on the hot seat? Well, the conclusion of this groundbreaking episode was something I would’ve never guessed would happen in a million years and so, on that note, let me begin my summary of this week’s episode of Survivor.

The Reward Challenge

I was glad to see the first reward challenge of the season. I love the reward challenges in Survivor and the prize for this episode was well worth it. The first team to win would get coffee and chocolate chip cookies while the second team to finish would get iced coffee. I love iced coffee so that would be perfect to have on the blistering island of Fiji.

It was an exciting challenge to watch. I liked that they raised the stakes of the challenge with only two people on each tribe being able to participate. On the dominant tribe Nuku they chose J.T and Malcolm to partake in the challenge, Tauvau had Ozzy and Troyzan, and Mana had Tai and Brad Culpepper. Of course Ozzy was the first person to get through the front half of the challenge even after he dropped his ball because he’s a beast at challenges. Then it was up to Troyzan to finish the job. J.T, due to Ozzy’s mistake, was close behind and so Malcolm easily overtook him in the second half of the challenge. That wasn’t what was surprising. Culpepper, when it was his time to do the challenge, went through it like a mad man. He was throwing those bags at the sand filled sticks with such determination and focus that it was kind of amazing. Troyzan had only two sticks left but he grew flustered under the pressure and Malcolm ended up coming in first place and Culpepper in second.

Troyzan already has a huge target on his back but after his blunder on the reward challenge the bullseye is even larger. The hilarious but frightening thing about this situation is the fact that he has an idol. If everyone goes after him, which they will when they lose, he’s got a defense mechanism they’ll never see coming. I predict Ozzy taking the punishment for this and getting voted off simply by a tricky move Troyzan will make.

When they went back with Tauvau to their camp and they started to focus on Ozzy I was nervous. This was a double elimination episode. Would Tauvau be one of the tribes that lost and Ozzy be a victim to this new twist in Survivor: Game Changers?

The Historic Tribal Council

So of course there was the immunity challenge. As advertised throughout the week two teams were going to lose and would have to go tribal council to vote some people off. Because the stakes were high the challenge was suspenseful as expected. Even though I like everyone on Nuku I was pulling for Tauvau throughout the entire challenge because I really didn’t want to see Ozzy go home. At first it seemed like Nuku was going to win the challenge with flying colors. They got through the blindfolded section of the challenge far before anyone else did. J.T and Malcolm are good at challenges and their participation on that last part of the challenge was stellar. Ozzy and Sandra managed to close the gap and so it came down to the third and final ball in the maze. When Jeff Garner decided to be the one to finish off the challenge I knew they were going to lose. And they did, just barely, and I was so relieved.

This was of course when the game changing twist happened. Yes both tribes lost but they wouldn’t have to individually vote off a tribe member. Both tribes would have to go to tribal council and vote off only one person. That was a mind-blowing twist that I knew was going to result in an epic, exciting, historic tribal council. And did it ever.

Nuku, with their first loss, had to figure out who they would go after on the Mana tribe. They all decided to go after Sierra because she was the strongest female on Mana and they figured she would not have an immunity idol. J.T and Malcolm, however, had other more devious plans. They wanted to get Sandra off because who doesn’t? She’s a two-time winner. She’s like a disguised assassin who sits in the midst of a crowd waiting for their prey and J.T and Malcolm knew this. They figured Mana would be going after Sandra as well which they were. They were outnumbered six to five and yes they could hope J.T would flip over to their side but how could they be certain he would?

So what did Tai do? He went and found an idol in the nick of time. Now Mana had the advantage going into this tribal council because if they could figure out whom Nuku was going after they could save that person and vote off whoever they wanted.

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Well the tribal council was at first like any other tribal council. Then Hali spoke about getting rid of physical threats and it turned into a tornado of whispered discussions, plan changes, secrets revealed, and just a lot of confusion. I didn’t know what was going on. I was just watching in utter bafflement. In Survivor: Game Changers I hoped there would be moments like this that have never happened before. This was definitely one of those moments. There have been whispered discussions during tribal council but never like this. There were people from opposing tribes making plans, the two tribes changing plans of their own, it was bonkers.

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When they went to go vote after that frenzy of last-minute conversation I figured, from the way they edited the episode that Sandra was finally going home. There was no way she was going to escape getting voted out again, especially with her overconfident behavior even at the tribal council. When they finished voting Tai wisely gave his idol to Sierra and sure enough everyone on Nuku voted for her. So, it was the moment of truth. Who did Mana vote for? I figured it was Sandra because there was no way they wouldn’t vote for her. She was at her most vulnerable and it was the perfect chance to finally rid the queen of Survivor her throne. When Jeff Probst held up that slip of paper and slowly opened it I wasn’t even anxious. I just knew he was going to say Sandra’s name. Yet he didn’t. He instead said Malcolm’s name and I’m still stunned.

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What happened? When, in the midst of all that frenzied whispering, did Mana decide to get rid of Malcolm of all people? It was terrible and yet amazing at the same time. Think of it. There have been four people to get voted off so far and three of the four contestants have been strong males. First it was Tony, then Caleb, and now Malcolm. This is definitely a different season of Survivor. These players don’t care about strength. They’re being a lot more strategic and instead are getting rid of these physical threats long before they can get to the merge. That means people such as Ozzy, Mickayla, Culpepper, and J.T will have to watch their backs because this group of contestants does not care about strong players at all. Ozzy has to worry the most because he’s the strongest male left and obviously that leaves a huge target on his back. When Tauvau sees Nuku at the next challenge they are going to be just as stunned as I was. Poor, poor Malcolm, I really didn’t see him going home any time soon. The hashtag for that tribal council was #Wow and it was the perfect description of that historic moment in Survivor.

This week it looks Debbie is going to be very angry at everybody. What about, I have no idea, but it looks like it’s going to be a mess. I’ll of course share my summary of that episode this Thursday. Thank you for reading my post and have a beautiful Monday!

Entertainment, People, TV

The Second Episode of Survivor Did Not Dissapoint

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Last night Survivor aired and even though it was only a one hour episode it was packed with all sorts of plotlines and a first time moment in Survivor history. So on that note let me write my summary of this “Game Changing” episode.

The Tribe Swaps

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It was exciting to see the episode start immediately with the tribes having to swap. They split into three tribes of six and the most shocking change-up was the fact that Caleb and Tai ended up on the same tribe, Mana. It was a fateful occurrence that I knew couldn’t be a coincidence because nothing happens in Survivor by coincidence. Unfortunately for Caleb we know how this ended up but I’ll get to later in the post.

Ozzy and Cirie were placed on the new tribe, Tauvau which is another team-up I’ll be watching carefully. After last week’s two-hour episode it seemed like Ozzy was still sore at Cirie for her helping to vote him off in Season 16. Will them being on the same team be a detriment to each other or will they put their differences aside and become a force to reckoned with? I can’t wait to see.

The dominant tribe, Nuku, has three people from the old Mana tribe, Sandra, Malcolm, and Mickayla. It’ll be interesting to see if they’ll stay together or if they’ll start going after Sandra because she is a legitimate threat that, if not voted off early, will definitely have the chance to get to the final tribal council.

The swaps are thrilling to witness and I can’t wait to see throughout the weeks how it plays out.

JT and Malcolm Catch Some Goats

This was an interesting sequence in the second episode of Survivor. Now, on old seasons people have tried to catch an animal that’ll provide much more food than the occasional fish they get but they usually can’t. Well, for the first time in Survivor history JT and Malcolm actually managed to catch two goats but one was a baby and one was the baby’s mother. It was an intense moment because Sandra really wanted to eat those goats no matter the fact that it was a family. They kept going back and forth on whether they would eat the goats or not and I was watching it with so much anxiety. I was so relieved when they let the goats go. When they showed the baby goat walking off calling for its mother it slightly made me tear up, that’s how sweet it was.

Troyzan Finds An Idol

This was an entertaining portion of the episode. The survivors on the new tribe Tauvau had to start creating a camp. Troyzan was clearly on the bottom and so what did he do? He went and found the idol. It, however, was only a clue and the only way he could obtain it was by getting it during the immunity challenge. I watched that entire challenge with an excited smile upon my face. It was interesting to see Nuku win again even with different people on the tribe but when the new tribe was doing the puzzle at the end I was watching Troyzan the entire time. What was he going to do? Was he going to be able to get that idol? When they barely beat the still losing Mana tribe and he went over to the side of the table where the idol I was so anxious. He got the idol though and now that’s an interesting development in the season because let’s say they lose next week and have to vote somebody off. Everyone’s going to be going after Troyzan not knowing that he has an idol. I suspect next week there’s going to be a lot of exciting, jaw dropping moments with big consequences for the rest of the season.

Caleb’s Fate Is Sealed Again

I feel really sorry for Caleb but before I get to that let me talk about his road to being the third person kicked off of Survivor: Game Changers. So when Mana’s tribe was swapped and there were three people from Season 32 on it, Caleb, Tai, and Debbie it undoubtedly showed that they could become a powerful threesome. Culpepper was not going to have that happen. Hali seemed to clearly be on the outs because she didn’t have any alliances but Culpepper decided that they should get rid of Caleb. When they lost the immunity challenge they had to make a decision. Did they want to keep the team strong and save Caleb or did they want to get rid of that physical threat and keep Hali? Tai was the deciding factor and even though he felt bad about it he slyly gave the order at Tribal Council to vote off his friend. I couldn’t believe it. Caleb was off of Survivor on the ninth day again. This shows that no matter how nice and sweet Tai pretends to be he’s really about as ruthless in this season as someone like Sandra. This season is going to be full of surprises.

Next week there’s going to be a double elimination and I can’t wait to see all of the things that are going to happen. I will of course write about the turn of events that will happen in that episode and you definitely won’t want to miss it. Thank you for reading my post and have a beautiful day.

Entertainment, People, TV

The 34th Season of Survivor Is Back With A Bang

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I am a huge fan of Survivor. The first season that I ever watched was Season 19 and that was the first season with the legendary trickster Russel Hantz on it. Ever since then I’ve been hooked on this incredible reality show. In fact I have watched every season and the extraordinary thing is the show is still getting better. Now Season 33 of Survivor was Millenials vs. Gen X and it was very, very underwhelming. Nearly all of the women were voted off before the Jury which was very ridiculous and no one, besides Mickayla, was very exciting to me on that season.

Now this season is Survivor: Game Changers and I have been waiting for this first episode since halfway through Millenials vs. Gen X. Well the time is here and I’m going to write my summary of the epic first episode of this fantastic season.

The First Hour

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When this season started I was beyond excited. This season has so many legendary players there is no doubt this season will be one to place in the history books for Survivor. The way the teams were created is already exciting. I mean Sandra and Tony on the same team, that’s mind boggling. We know how that went down but I’ll talk about that later.

So at the very beginning there was a giant tool kit that either of the teams could get if they managed to untie their team’s rope connected to the tool kit first. The tool kit was in the ocean and of course who immediately went after it, the swimming goliath Ozzy. Even after ten years he still is the master of the ocean. It’s so amazing watching him swim still to this day. There is no one on either tribe that can compete with him in that category on Survivor.

Once he easily got the tool kit for his team the game of Survivor started. I was so nervous throughout that entire first half. The way the producers made it look I really thought that the wonderful, legendary Cirie would be the first one to go home. Ozzy still has a chip on his shoulder for what she did to him in Season 16 and everyone knows she’s an incredible strategic player. Thankfully her team, Nuku, won the first challenge and she was able to survive the first vote.

Now here is the astonishing surprise. Ciera, the player of Survivor who is so ruthless she literally voted off her own mother on the first season she was ever on, was on the chopping block and she didn’t even know it. Because she’s Ciera she just knew she was going to get everyone to vote Mickayla off first. She had no idea the rest of the group were gunning for her because she was playing the game a little too hard too fast. That was lovely.

Mickayla’s reaction to knowing she was also the one on the chopping block was a little too much. The way the producers set it up again I really thought she had messed up and was going to be the first one to be voted off of Survivor: Game Changers which would’ve been upsetting considering she was my favorite player in Millenials vs. Gen X. Thankfully and wonderfully Ciera was the first one to get voted off which was a huge surprise. I would’ve never in a million years have thought she would be the first one to go. That shows how tough these players are this season. If Ciera couldn’t sway anyone then that’s very impressive. I’m pleased to say the first hour of Survivor did not dissapoint in the slightest.

The Second Hour

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The second half of this wonderful 500th episode was even more exciting and suspenseful than the first half. Now Tony is one of the most entertaining players to be on Survivor and he truly deserved to be on this season as a Game Changer. He of course is most famous for his tremendous Spy Shack. So what does Tony do in the middle of the night while everyone’s asleep? He leaves camp to go make a new version of his infamous Spy Shack. Ha! Tony is the best! Unfortunately before he can make it who’s coming up the road? The two time winner Sandra and Troyzan (what did Troyzan do that was so game changing, I have no idea.) Tony hides to listen to their hushed conversation and then rolls up on them right in the middle of their chat. I would’ve never thought that moment right there would be the beginning of the end for Tony.

After that Sandra decides she doesn’t like Tony anymore even though she supposedly created an alliance with him and the epic shootout between two of the best players of Survivor commenced. It was astounding to watch. Sandra was scrambling like she always does when she’s trying to get rid of somebody. I could see Tony’s brain working through the TV screen, that’s how much he was calculating his next move to vote off Sandra.

When it got to the brutal immunity challenge I thought it was going to be a blowout at first. And it was. Team Mana (that’s the team with Sandra and Tony) were terrible at the challenge. Until of course Malcolm who’s known for his incredible skill at challenges got into the mix. I watched that challenge with so much anxiety. When Malcolm literally tied JT (another former winner of Survivor) with the paddles I couldn’t believe it. Team Nuku eventually ended up winning and that meant the grand showdown between Sandra and Tony was actually going to take place.

That tribal council was phenomenal. I really, really thought that after Tony started to work his magic on some of the other people in the tribe Sandra would be going home. I should’ve never bet against the queen of Survivor. How Tony got kicked off was so astonishing. Even though it seemed like Caleb and Malcolm were on his side they even voted for him. Now of course because Sandra made such a big move so early in the game she has a huge target on her back but her getting the legendary Tony to be voted off is beyond impressive.

After this exceptional two-hour premiere this is who I think will make it to the final three. I can’t predict who’ll win but I can predict the people I think have a chance to make it to that final tribal council. I definitely do not think any of the stronger, more known players will make it. They’ve got too much of a target on their backs. People like Ozzy, Malcolm, Mickayla, or Caleb will be around for a little while but as soon as it starts getting towards the jury they’ll definitely be on the chopping block. I think the quieter, weaker players are the ones to watch out for. No one’s looking at them and that’s what makes them so dangerous.

I think the final three people will be Andrea, Aubrey, and maybe Hali. I might be very wrong about my predictions and then again I might be very correct. I can’t wait to find out.

So that’s my summary of the first episode of Survivor: Game Changers. Come back every week to see what I have to say about each episode throughout this excellent season. And if you’re interested in the ACC Tournament I will be posting about all of the games playing today. You won’t want to miss it.