pimblr.com

Survivor - noun. 1. A person or thing that survives. 2. The one of two or more designated persons having a joint interest, who outlives the other or others. 3. A person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship or setbacks.
Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites: A reality-TV show that continues to prosper in spite of opposition, hardships or setbacks, such as constant bad weather on the Pacific island of Palau; the return of Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy after a 101-day writers’ strike; the early elimination of fan favourites Yau-Man Chan and Jon “Jonny Fairplay” Dalton; and a game-ending injury to frontrunner - and fan favourite - James Clement.
When Survivor’s producers first chose an epic battle between former contestants and die-hard followers of the show over a second straight all-star edition, they had no idea it would play out so - deliciously.
With an average 13 million viewers on CBS in the U.S. - good enough for 12th in the weekly Nielsen table - and another two million on Global TV here in Canada, Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites has defied TV’s Darwinian odds that says every well runs dry after a while. After 16 seasons, Survivor is still going strong.
It helps, of course, that, as desert-island tales go, this edition of Survivor has played out in recent weeks like Lost on steroids. As host Jeff Probst solemnly intoned at the end of last week’s tribal council - featuring the third shock dismissal in a row - “You guys are perfecting the art of the blind side. That is the good news, and that is the bad news.”
Survivor’s penultimate episode airs Thursday, May 8. Five contestants are left; four will survive to lie/cheat/steal and backstab their way to the two- hour live reveal and reunion program on Sunday, May 11. At stake: a US $1 million and bragging rights for the next six months.

canada.com

Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes was online Friday, May 9 at 1 p.m. ET to say a tearful goodbye to Syesha … wait, no, Nanny Brooke. Sorry, the notes are a little mixed up. (Nothing to see here, move along.) So … are you back to watching all your pre-strike shows?
The transcript follows.
Lisa Watches So You Don’t Have To: "American Idol"
On TV discussion transcripts
De Moraes has written "The TV Column" for The Post since 1998. She served as the TV editor for the entertainment industry trade publication the "Hollywood Reporter" for almost a decade.
"How I Met Your Mother": What are the chances they ditch the premise and stop focusing on Ted, by far the most boring character on the show? More Barney and Lily, please.
Lisa de Moraes: Hi. I agree, and it’s a shame they haven’t. There’s that famous story — and, who knows, it may even be true — that the focus of "Family Ties" originally was supposed to be very much on the former-hippie Keaton parents and how they coped with having a conservative son and idiot daughter … only Michael J. Fox so clearly stole every scene, it quickly became his show and the parents became more supporting roles — kind of his straight men. That might be harder to do with this show because, sadly, it’s not called "Friends," it’s called "How I Met Your Mother," and the gimmick is that the show starts every week with the guy — supposed to be Ted — talking to his bored children about how he met their mother. Of course, they always could employ the cable network school of name changing and start calling the show "HIMYM" only, like the Discovery company does with TLC. I mean, does anyone still think that’s The Learning Channel? Ditto A&E — surely no one there still pretends it’s about Arts & Entertainment.

washingtonpost.com

In an episode that saw the women (dubbed the “Black Widow Brigade”) band together again, Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs Favorites stepped up a notch tonight, with a medical emergency and an idol play that saw one of the women sent home.
James has a gash on his finger, which he has the medical team look at. He is informed that it is infected and could become serious. James becomes worried, saying, “I work with my hands so it’s very important I get this thing fixed as soon as possible because I need my hands when I get back home.” He is told that they will check it out again in the morning, but if there is no improvement then he will require surgery. When the medical team arrive in the morning, it is quickly decided that James’ finger is getting worse and requires surgery. While disappointed that he has to end his game, James decides his finger is important to him, and willingly leaves the island.
Alexis is hobbling around, after falling over in the dark, and there is some concern about whether she will remain on the island. However, the concern is not from Cirie, who gets excited about the injuries, stating: “Alexis takes a tumble in the dark; James, he has his finger infected. I know this is bad because I am a nurse, but that’s two less people I have to fight against for a million dollars.”
At the reward challenge, Alexis wins, after Cirie deals a blow to Amanda. Alexis sends Amanda to Exile Island, giving her the chance to find the new immunity idol hidden after the last two went unplayed. Amanda finds a clue on Exile Island, stating that the idol is not in fact on the island, rather it is back at the tribe’s camp, buried under the flag.

nzrealitytv.com