There was something spectacular with Survivor: Samoa last week.  Did you notice how the episode‘s entire mood changed when the blindside got underway, when names got tossed around, and when the vote finally came in, the editors decided to use different music just to highlight the shift?  I still feel chills thinking about it, yes.  But Erik‘s gone and it‘s another few days for the newly-merged Aiga tribe, where frontrunners get pushed to the back, and the most unlikely people get to jump the line.  In other words, I don‘t know what‘s happening now.

Nothing beats watching Survivor and seeing a magnificent blindside take place, step by step, from the first seeds being sown until it grown into a huge beanstalk taking an unwitting castaway hostage.  But the one last week was better: seeing Erik‘s face as he virtually shot Foa Foa down, and then seeing it change when the votes started rolling in, one after another, Erik, Erik, Erik, "the seventh person voted out is Erik."

We rank the eleven remaining castaways on Survivor: Samoa.

This morning the People‘s Choice Award nominations were revealed, andas always, it‘s populism at its best.  On the TV side, the nomineesoften look like the top of the Nielsen ratings list, with a few notableand surprising exceptions.  Shows like

Erik Cardona was one of the most charismatic contestants on Survivor:Samoa, but we only got a taste of what he had to offer on the show.Erik, as much as anyone, was a victim of the editing‘s strong Foa Foafocus this season. Because the 28 year old writer from Ontario, Canada,is more than the brash and cocky guy who got clotheslined first by anactual clothesline and then by the right arm of his own tribe. Erikalso provided one of our most compelling

This episode seemed well-timed to coincide with the World Series, andthankfully there wasn‘t another washout. Instead, there were twowalk-off blasts to win the immunity challenge; Kelly and Monica debutedtheir new line of baseball uniform fashion-wear inspired by HonusWagner‘s knee high stockings; and John Fincher coming out as JohnnyBaseball. But the episode could have just as easily aired aroundValentine‘s Day.

Once you realize what will happen on Survivor: Samoa tonight, you‘ll probably think that everything that‘s been said and done over the past couple of weeks have been useless.  So much for Russell vowing that Foa Foa will come out stronger in the next few challenges.  So much for the Galu guys recruiting Shambo as tribal leader that will best serve their interests.

We rank the twelve remaining castaways on Survivor: Samoa.

Last night on Survivor: Samoa, 33-year-old Liz Kim, an urban plannerfor the Bloomberg administration, finally ran out of luck. Foa Foa‘swheeling, dealing Michael Chiklis look-alike, Russell Hantz, did nottrust her to present a welcoming united front to the other tribe aftershe grew impatient with Galu‘s visiting auditor, Laura. The decisionmade some sense. So far

The past few episodes may have seemed humorless and soggy on thesurface, but they were actually full of funny moments. In case you‘rehaving more trouble spotting real joy in these episodes than Shambo ona chicken hunt, let me point out a few moments that really made melaugh.