Survivor, Ep. 33.14: Finale

Sorry, this is so late. I was without my laptop for a couple of days. So, because there are already so many recaps out there, I'm not going to go into as much detail as I normally do, but I will just give the basics of what took place in this most epic finale to a truly awesome finale!

6 players left - 3 Gen-Xers and 3 Millennials

Vinaka Camp
Bret can't believe the "losahs" he's playing with, who continue to keep David in the game, while getting out people who aren't threats.

David decides to stir the pot - he has been collecting beads and trinkets from treemail, water bottles, etc. all season, and he grabs some of their paint, and he fashions the most realistic looking fake idol to date. He paints an emblem on a coconut and puts the idol inside it. He mixed red and white paint together to make pink - which isn't a color they had, so someone wouldn't think that it was made by someone at camp. Genius! He is hoping to go fishing and catch a fish - Jay. At first, I didn't see the point in making someone else find the idol, because really, what could it do other than make them think they are safe. But then, it dawned on me. By doing that, the person will think they found the idol...and STOP LOOKING for a real idol. Genius! Normally, when someone makes a fake idol, they do it to convince others that they have it to avoid votes being cast for them. This was a different way to approach it. Well, his plan worked flawlessly. Jay finds the idol and is ecstatic, because now, no matter what...he's safe (except he isn't). Oh, poor Jay. I hate to see this happening to him! Seeing how happy he was just kills me, because I know this isn't going to end well. He was so shocked to find it that it probably clouded his judgment a little. He didn't question the authenticity of it at all. He didn't even notice that there wasn't a paper with any instructions on it, proving that it was real.

Immunity Challenge #1

The Voice, Ep. 11.22 & 11.23: Finale

The Final 4

Billy (Team Adam)

"My Way" by Frank Sinatra
OK, the first song I don't agree with for him. Don't like this choice at all. That said, he can make anything sound good. I liked the a capella at the beginning. He had some really nice vibratos. Sounded great, but not my favorite performance just because of the song. You could tell the song really meant something to him and he got quite emotional at the end.
My Grade: A-

"Bye Bye Love" by The Everly Brothers (duet with Adam)
Adam always picks the most interesting songs to do with his singers. Their voices sound really good together. Perfect pitches and they just melded together so beautifully. Not my favorite song, but they really had fun with it and it was pretty entertaining.
My Grade: A

"Because of Me" (iTunes Recording)
How cool that this was going to be a Maroon 5 song and Adam thought it would be better for him. No competition - this is my favorite original song of anyone (big surprise). Great song, and he sounded amazing.
My Grade: A

Josh (Team Adam)

"Pick Any Small Town" (iTunes Recording)
Not much to say about this. Stereotypical country song, sung by a stereotypical country singer. Nothing great or exciting...just "meh".
My Grade: B

"Smooth" by Santana & Rob Thomas (duet with Adam)
OK, now THIS is an awesome choice! Thank you for not doing a country song, Adam! I love seeing Josh do something different for a change, and this was perfect!!!! Now, THAT was a great performance! ...even if it's something that Josh would never release on an album, ever.
My Grade: A+


"Jack & Diane" by John Mellencamp
Another deviation from country. This is the version of Josh that I can get behind. Definitely Adam's influence there. He would not be doing this song, or "Smooth" with Blake. I wasn't blown away by the vocals or the arrangement, but it was a lot more fun to listen to than his cookie cutter country.
My Grade: A-

Wé (Team Alicia)

"Ave Maria" by Stevie Wonder (duet with Alicia)
Sorry Alicia, but I think you were pretty off on your opening part. This whole performance seemed really disjointed for some reason. The changes from high notes to low notes were so clunky. Their harmonies weren't even that great. It was a cool idea to have the 2 pianos facing each other, but beyond that, it just wasn't that great. I think it's a little weird that they always wear their hair the same way as each other.
My Grade: C-

"Wishes" (iTunes Recording)
I wanted to like this original song, but it wasn't that great. She sounded OK, but I just wasn't that impressed. It was so repetitive and kind of annoying.
My Grade: B

"Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbara Streisand
Oh no, no, no, no, no! Oh, this is just horrible. I cannot stand this stupid song! Yuck! I don't even know if I'm going to be able to listen to the whole song without fast forwarding. OK, positives: she showed a different, more fun side of herself; vocals were OK. Besides that...painful, just painful.
My Grade: C

Sundance (Team Blake)

"Darlin' Don't Go" (iTunes Recording)
At least he has some originality going for him, as compared to Josh. He's not my favorite, but that voice is undeniable. The passion that pours out of him on every performance is another area that Josh is kind of lacking.
My Grade: A

"Treat Her Right" by Roy Head and the Traits (duet with Blake)
That's kind of cool that he is doing one of his dad's songs. That was a fun performance! His dad was in tears!
My Grade: A

"At Last" by Etta James
Interesting song choice, but I kind of like what he did with it. This song seemed like it was 10 minutes long, didn't it? I was kind of falling asleep with it. It was good vocally, but not one of his better ones.
My Grade: A

Results

4th Place: Josh (Team Adam)

3rd Place: We (Team Alicia)

2nd Place: Billy (Team Adam)

WINNER: Sundance (Team Blake)

Wow, I guessed each one correctly! Vastly different than my guesses in the battles and knockouts. I really wish Billy had won :(

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Survivor, Ep. 33.13

We're in for a full episode tonight! 2 Immunity Challenges and 2 Tribals! And only 1 hour to do it all! This is going to feel very fast, I have a feeling.

Here we go!

Vinaka Camp
Will thinks he left Tribal as a man. He thinks he can flip-flop back and forth til the end and come out the winner.

Bret thinks they are all insane for taking out Zeke before David.

Bret tells Adam and Sunday that Jay is a huge threat, as well as David and Will, and they need to go. Bret thinks the 3 of them can go far to the end. They shake on it that Jay, David, and Will will be the next 3 to go.

Immunity Challenge #1
Challenge: David - "This looks involved." race to discs and stack them on a pole and balance them while going through obstacles to transport all of them. Drop a disc and you start over. And you can carry as many discs at a time as you want. Then all 10 discs will be rolled into a narrow slot.

David is over first, followed by Bret, Ken, and Jay. Will drops and has to go back. Hannah and Sunday are barely moving. David is flying over the balance beam. Bret drops.

2nd phase: David and Ken are neck and neck. This time, the bar is horizontal instead of vertical.

Will again with problems on a balance beam and he is in last.

Bret is the first through with 4 discs. Jay has 6! David and Ken are back with their stacks. And Will is still in the first part! Come on, man!

Jay is first to finish phase 2. He can start rolling the discs. Jay, Bret and David all rolling.

Jay is on a roll with 4 and now 6. Bret and David have 2. Jay hits 7, 8, 9, and 10 all in a row! Woohoo! Will is in trouble :(

Vinaka Camp

The Voice, Ep. 11.20 & 11.21

Live Playoffs: Top 8

Team Adam

Brendan - "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan
He had an amazing week last week. This could be a great follow-up to that. I'm glad he's sticking with this lane rather than the week he tried to go back to his rocker roots (didn't love that). He started out a little unsure sounding. Something seemed a little disjointed between the music and his singing. Not sure what it was. He just didn't seem to be owning it. He looked a little uncomfortable. He did finally start getting into it at the chorus.
My Grade: B+

Josh - "Danny's Song" by Loggins and Messina
This is quite different from what we usually see from Josh. I actually kind of liked it. It was a nice change of pace. I think his voice really sounded good.
My Grade: A-

Billy - "I Surrender" by Celine Dion
Love this song. I just love what Adam has been able to do with him. He just gets better every week - which doesn't even seem possible. So beautiful, kind of haunting, tons of power, and spot-on pitch. He closed out the show with such an epic production. Can we say 'winner'? I hope so!
My Grade: A++

Team Alicia

Christian - "To Worship You I Live" by Israel and New Breed
I'm not sure what to say about this performance. It was good, but it wasn't my favorite. I love his message and passion, though. Vocally, it was a bit too strained and over-the-top.
My Grade: B

Wé - "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara
I love this song and I think it's perfect for her. Another very strong performance that makes her seem way beyond her years. She was rocking the song as if it were her own.
My Grade: A

Team Blake

Sundance - "Love Can Build a Bridge" by The Judds
Very nice and tender performance. A complete opposite to his performance last week, but a nice change of pace. He really knocked it out of the park at the end. Wow, such a huge voice. This might be my favorite performance of his.
My Grade: A+

Team Miley

Ali - "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton (and Whitney Houston)
Beautiful performance. Her voice really sounded amazing. She just floated through the notes. This is one of my favorite performances from her. Such a perfect song for her. She had the strength of Whitney, but she made subtle differences that made it her own. She totally nailed the big chorus that everyone knows this song for. It was a huge moment for her.
My Grade: A+

Aaron - "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams
Love this song. I hope he can have a nice moment with it. And maybe, just maybe, he won't be in the bottom for the 4th week in a row. I don't know why, but this song always brings tears to my eyes. I love how he started the song. I think this might be the most comfortable he's looked on a song in awhile. He was actually showing some emotion that seemed really genuine. I like that he dialed back the gravelly sound - it really suited the song just the way he did it. This is one of my favorite performances of his, by far! Totally getting some goosebumps as the music ramps up. His voice wavered a little on the really big note towards the end, but I think he was just really in the emotion, so it's excusable. He kind of had a weird shaking moment at the end, but overall, this was pretty great.
My Grade: A-

Duets

Aaron & Wé - "Four Five Seconds" by Rihanna
Interesting pairing. Their voices couldn't be more different. Their voices kind of competed with each other rather than complimenting each other. It was OK, but not my favorite.
My Grade: B+

Sundance & Josh - "Feeling Alright" by Joe Cocker
This seems like a pretty obvious pairing. Sundance is just in a different league than Josh. Josh is a pretty typical country guy. Sundance at least brings something different to the table. I do think that by singing together, it did up Josh's game a little bit. I still think that Sundance kind of wiped the floor with him.
My Grade: B+

Billy & Christian - "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors
Yes! Awesome song choice! Love it! Oh, the harmonizing at the beginning! Goosebumps! And the goosebumps just aren't stopping! Oh Billy, that voice! Duets like this are why I love the Battle Round the most of all the rounds in the competition. They always bring out the best performances. This was so good!
My Grade: A+

Ali & Brendan - "It's Only Love" by Bryan Adams and Tina Turner
Wow, this was amazing! I love them together! They're very different, but they fit together very nicely. Great song choice that complimented them both.
My Grade: A+

Results