The Tribe Spoke, and the Buckeyes Win

This 11th season of Survivor (10th if you don't count the All-Star season, which I don't) has gotten off to a slow start. If I were producing the show, I would make the first episode two hours in length, so you get hooked on the characters. It's all about the characters and having someone to root for. This lot of men and women haven't done much for me.

Steph's tribe, the Yaxha, were played up last night to be the tribe that likes each other, one big happy family, it will hurt bad to have to vote someone off. The Nakum tribe (Bobby Jon), as described by Yaxha, "don't look like they're having any fun." They aren't! Lots of shots of Yaxha members still throwing up, having muscle cramps, etc. Doesn't look like they're eating anything more than corn (and ants). Not exactly a day at the beach.

Gary "Hawkins" Hogeboom was exposed last night by a member of the opposite tribe. During the reward challenge, which was a tug-o-war match in a mudpit, a Nakum gal whispered in the ear of a Yaxha gal that Hogeboom was, in fact, an ex-NFL QB, and not "Gary Hawkins the landscape designer." When confronted back at camp, Hogeboom denied the fact by saying "That's funny, how would anyone come up with that?" Looks like his tribemates have accepted his word at face value, because the matter weak dropped without confrontation.

The reward challenge was won by Nakum, and they took back to camp a bunch of fishing gear, including worms for bait. Usually when food or tool challenges are won, we start to see the tribe use the booty immediately. Nakum went back to the camp and lazed around (and threw up some more).

The immunity challenge involved each tribe climbing across a hanging spider web, untying color coded bags that dropped into the water, and swimming the bags back to shore. A physical task, but not particularly interesting. Yaxha won by just a second, and went to tribal. The buildup wanted us to believe that Steph was in trouble, because her tribemates see her as strong and experienced. Steph shot back in interview, "I'm not going home yet. I just won't let it happen!" Well, she didn't. The tribe spends the next three minutes (on air minutes, probably several hours in real life) dissing Molly for not working hard enough, and Lydia (the fishmonger) for being too small to help during physical challenges (she looked fine to me during the one last night).

In the end, Molly received every vote. That usually means the decision was an easy one and the show producers just wanted to send viewers into no-man's land. Molly, upon exiting, said she was "completely shocked. I didn't see that one coming." Neither did we, since we never got to know Molly.

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The Hawks square off against Ohio State tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., on ABC. Another nationally televised game for the black and gold (so was the Iowa State debacle).

I had this game circled on my calendar as a loss before the season started. I haven't seen anything from Iowa that has changed my mind. Ohio State was shellacked by Iowa last year at Kinnick. That game featured Drew Tate throwing the ball for 330 yards. This year, OSU knows Tate, and in the horseshoe, will dominate the line of scrimmage. I see Iowa's defense as having problems containing the OSU running game, and passing game. Iowa may score some points of its own, but I don't see them putting up enough to get the win.

Prediction: OSU 27 Iowa 21

I'd love to be wrong. This will put Iowa at 2-2 (thought they would be 3-1) and needing to win out to be a top 10 team at the end of the year. But they will lose again down the road. This team is 8-3 at best, and could be 7-4. Unless, of course, the defense grows up. Anything can happen.

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Our home inspection began eight minutes ago. Unless our buyer is shocked by what he sees (I don't think there's anything shocking TO see), our home buying and selling should be all wrapped up. Then, it's packing time. I'll update as soon as we get word that everything is groovy (or we have sinking money pit).