So, at least the Russell I actually liked won his season this year. But while I can’t say I liked Evil Russell on Survivor, I sure think he deserved to win it. Surely more than Natalie. (Because if you’re using the argument that any game that gets you to the end is a valid game….why no votes for Mick? Just askin.) And Russell surely didn’t handle losing well, but then, the jury didn’t handle themselves well, either. (Jaison? Wow, for a guy who has so much going for him, are you ever not miserable about something?) So, there you have it, yet another interesting, but ultimately anticlimactic season of Survivor. And next season? Heroes vs Villains, another All Star program. Oh. Yippee. On the surface, these always sound like they’ll be loads of fun, but if past attempts are any indication….yeah. I’ll just wait for the next season of Amazing Race instead, thanks. Sigh. My show is broken.

But on to a far more important and fun subject! I want to take a moment and thank all the Blog Babes out there everywhere for making this forum fun and entertaining for yet another year. I’ve appreciated all of your comments and insight, and most definitely your support with every one of my releases. It means a great deal to hear from you all when you enjoy a book. No matter how many books I’ve written, I worry about every baby that gets put out there on the shelves, hoping you all love it as much as I did while writing it. I appreciate all of your notes, and even more that you run around and tell everyone you know! Blog Babes rock! And those of you who go the extra mile and take the time to post reviews publicly on sites like Amazon or Barnes & Noble earn a special place in my heart, as getting the word out there like that, especially in forums that seem to encourage the negative, is what helps to keep more books coming. So thank you all from the bottom of my happily-ever-after heart for your generosity of spirit and your never-ending love of reading!

I can’t wait to hear what Santa stuffed into your stockings this year, and what new books you are reading or looking forward to picking up in the new year. I am currently reading Lisa Scottoline’s Why My Next Husband Will Be A Dog. I love her suspenses, but this foray into non-fiction is hilarious!

Have a wonderful holiday season, wherever you are in the world, and a joyous new year!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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The finale finale of SYTYCD was actually pretty good. Right up until Russell sprained his ankle anyway. (And for those who were upset he was jumping around when he won later, adrenaline is a funny thing. He could have probably towed a car with that ankle in that moment…but I bet he paid for it later.) He said in interviews post-win that he was upset when he first came out not so much because of the pain, but because he realized he wouldn’t be able to dance and thought, momentarily, he’d ruined the rest of the finale.

Fortunately they were able to use the filmed original footage of the dances chosen for the highlight night, but I know he felt bad not to dance himself (his family had come to watch him) and keeping the other dancers from having their moments on stage who’d have danced with him. I thought it was a shame, too, only because, with just a few exceptions (that tap trio dance - ugh) I enjoyed all the dances they plucked out of the season for an encore. (We really didn’t need the singing guests, though I’m never going to turn down an Adam Lambert performance. I know, you’d think I’d be sick of the guy by now, after the past few weeks. Um….nope.) What was that Lopez song anyway? Yikes. I was more interested in trying to figure out which girls from previous seasons were playing the Rockettes with her.

I thought the countdown to the winner went pretty much the way I expected, with the husband/wife team out first, then Ellenore, then Kathryn, leaving it between Jakob and Russell, who represented the best and the most improved. At that point I was happy either way with whoever won.

I’m already looking forward to next season!

Then, over on Survivor, the Other Russell is still going strong, manages to keep his hidden immunity idol (number three, I believe) all the way until he now can’t use it anymore. Nice souvenir, Troll Boy. End of the day, Shambo goes home and delivers a surprisingly nice exit interview, totally getting, despite how close she and Russell had become, that Foa Foa stuck together in the end and booted her. If anyone has watched the Ponderosa footage of Sham’s arrival and still doubts that the jury members of Galu are all ridiculously full of themselves (not to mention a bunch of hatred) then…well, I don’t understand what else you could see in them. What a spiteful, hateful bunch they are. It’s a game, people. And freak show or not, she played it better than you. Deal with it.

Finale is this Sunday night. I can’t even bet at this point who will make it to the final three. I’m just hoping it’s not Brett. I know. Yes, there is a guy named Brett on the show this season. Didn’t you notice him either? That would just be wrong, wrong, wrong. Of the other remaining Foa, any have a shot, though I’d have to place Mick in fourth place. After that, between Natalie, Russell, and Jaison, it’s anybody’s game. Surely, of the three, Russell actually deserves the win, troll or not. I guess if I finish digging myself out of the massive amounts of snow they are predicting is supposed to start falling here outside DC tonight, then I’ll find out and you’ll have some more Russell Finale MAC on Monday!

In the meantime, let’s give away some stocking stuffers! We have three winning blog babes this week, each of you qualify for an advance copy of my February release, Here Comes Trouble (although you’re certainly welcome to pick any past title you’d like.) Winning blog babes are? Dorinne, Patty L, and Nancy C!! Woo hoo and ho ho ho!! Just send me your addresses and alternate title ideas if you’re opting out of the advance copy. If I hear from you all early enough, I’ll try and get the books out today in advance of the storm, (along with last week’s winner prize!) but if not, they will go out with the rest of my holiday shipping on Monday, post snow dig out!

Have a wonderful Final Shopping Weekend everyone! Stay safe out there in the Big Storm, all my east coast Blog Babes!!

But right now? DISH! What did you think of the SYTYCD finale results show? Happy Russell won, bummed Jakob lost? Neither? Both? And who are you rooting for at this point on Survivor? Plus, are you watching Sing Off? I’m still rooting for Nota all the way, but kinda think SoCal got themselves a little robbed from the finale. I expected it to be them, along with the Bubs and Nota. But Voices of Lee? Not so much.

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….and not in a good way. So, what was the thinking behind making the season finale, featuring six dancers, rather than the usual four, a crammed full, overly rushed one hour program….while tonight’s results show, which frankly could be handled in five minutes, a full out two hour spectacle? Backwards, much?

I liked the dances last night, but felt they were rushed on, rushed off, rushed through judging, with no rehearsal backstory, nada zip zero. So it was hard to really dive in and feel connected to any of the performances when we were rushed right into the next one.

That said, I did enjoy seeing the various pairings. All of them had strengths. I think Nigel was a total ass tonight in his Kathryn pimping (weeks she’s been your favorite, Uncle Nigel? Wasn’t that you just two weeks ago stating how she deserved her bottom two placement?) And wow, lets just shove Ashleigh under that bus. So that left me really cold tonight.

Yes, I thought the Jakob/Kathryn lyrical jazz was beautiful, but I challenge anyone out there to have watched Ryan and Ashleigh dance together and not be equally as moved. I loved watching them get the chance to dance together. I was moved, and more important, they were clearly moved. Then Nigel just wise cracks his assy way through his rebuttal and on top of that tells Ashleigh she had more chemistry with Jakob. Wow, Nigel. Couldn’t you have given them their moment? Was that too much to ask? Truly wrong. I was glad Adam rescued it a little bit by asking them how it felt and Mary telling them they had their moment on a national stage, giving them a chance to enjoy it at least for a few seconds. (Apparently in the live show Nigel said more things about the marriage - we actually got the edited version. Wow. Ass.)

So, while I enjoyed the performances, in general, a whole lot of the night left me with a sour taste in my mouth. And unkind thoughts in my head. Nigel.

I think Russell owns the title this go around, agree or not. I was tired of the Nigel tongue bathing he was getting the past few weeks, but he is a joy to watch. Where Jakob is a marvel because of his amazing skills, he’s not riveting to me the way Russell is, nor did he really seem to have to stretch much or grow in the season, meaning he seemed the same to me beginning to end. Because he was already brilliant to begin with. So I enjoyed Russell more. I thought Ryan also stretched and was a good partner throughout the season, but I don’t think it’s his competition to win. Or lose. Ashleigh’s either. Which was why I was happy to see them get the chance to dance together as they did, and thank you Travis Wall for making it a joyous dance. That leaves Kathryn and Ellenore and both are supremely talented young women. I just don’t think either one of them has the charisma factor needed to win this thing. So…Russell, it’s all you baby.

I’ll be interested to watch tonight, but wish we’d gotten the comfort of the longer format last night. (Where were the same-gender dances? The solos? This was the FINALE for goodness sake!)

What about you? Did you love it? Hate it? Which was your favorite pairing? Who wins? And is anyone watching Sing Off? Go Nota, is all I have to say about that. Those guys are ridiculous.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s Christmas Stocking Stuffer Free Stuff Friday. See Monday’s post for details. And right after you do that…come right back over here and DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, this week’s Free Stuff Friday will be the Santa Stocking Stuffer version of the game. All you have to do is send an email with “Santa, I’ve been good! No, really!” in the subject line to donna@donnakauffman.com. I’ll draw three winners this Friday, and the lucky blog babes will win one of the brand, spanking new advance copies I just received of my end-of-January release, Here Comes Trouble. (Yep, the very one that will be the March Red Hot Read in Cosmopolitan magazine!) Scroll down to last week’s posts to see the cover and read the back cover copy.

Good luck, and ho ho ho!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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I realize this could apply to SYTYCD, but I’m talking about Survivor in this case. Monica was stirring the pot (and boy didn’t you just want to smack the street right off of her in Tribal?) Last night we got two episodes in one, when they skipped reward challenge and did two immunity challenges in a row. As expected, when Dave lost immunity to Jaison, Dave went home. Brett was out the door next, but he did win immunity, so Monica knew she was buh-bye and stirred up all kinds of crap in camp. And by crap, I mean Russell. Wow, he was not happy. So he just took his idol out at Tribal and wore it, daring anyone to vote him out. Not that he needed to worry. Sure, Mick and Jaison are starting to think about it, but they want Galu gone first. So buh bye annoying Monica.

This leaves 6 to go, with two shows left. Next Thursday, then the three hour finale a week from this Sunday. I’m guessing if Brett doesn’t win immunity, he’s gone, leaving the Foa Foa Four….and Shambo. I like that ending. A lot. From there, Russell better be happy he has the idol, but once that’s either played or too close to the end to be eligible, I hope he has something good planned, because they all realize now that he could take the jury vote.

Of course, Jaison went and spilled to Galu that Russell happens to already be a millionaire, and you know Monica is going to trot that information right on over to the jury with her. So that could make the final vote a bit more interesting. But then…who gets it? Mick? Natalie? I don’t know that either of them, strong players both, has been dynamic enough to win. Jaison possibly, just because he’s been controversial in the game. Shambo? Doubtful in the end. Which leaves Russell. Should be good, regardless of how it goes.

Right now, we can give away free stuff! The winner of a free book this week, is? Blog Babe Elizabeth (Ebeth)! Congratulations! Send me a few title ideas of what you’d like (in case I’m out of your first choice) and an address and your prize will be on its way! Tune in next week for another round and some Russell finale MAC. Both of them!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. My youngest is trekking home from college in Colorado with his adorable girlfriend in tow and will be home this weekend to begin semester break, so I am off to stock up a very sparse refrigerator. I love him…but how quickly I forget what it’s like to feed him!

Ho Ho Ho! And, oh, right, DISH! Who do you want to see win Survivor? Who deserves the cool million? Tough call this go around, isn’t it? But fun to watch!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, first, on SYTYCD, the bottom two guys were Ryan and Legacy. No surprise there, but I was happy it was Legacy going home. I never warmed to him, though he did work hard. On the women’s side, a bit more of a surprise. I thought Ellenore and Kathryn were going to be possibly in trouble. The latter for having the only bad dance of the night (and a weariness for the whole alien speak babble thing) and Kathryn for general lack of support season wide. Instead, it was Ashleigh and Mollee in the bottom. Ash was obvious given she was on IR performance night (but I thought fan support might lift her over Kathryn.) I wasn’t unhappy with this and felt, overall, it was warranted. I was more surprised to see Mollee there, only because she was definitely peaking. And I thought she had a bigger base than, say, Kathryn. Even more shocking? Mollee’s the one who went home.

So that means that husband and wife will dance together in the finale, so that’s kind of cool. Even more interesting will be them dancing outside their style, if they don’t pick ballroom. The show didn’t bother to explain why they went to a six dancer finale rather than four, or how, exactly, it will be handled. All I know is next week is supposedly it! So I guess we’ll learn then.

Over on Top Chef…wow, so it was already pissing me off five minutes in. I think, in a finale situation, with all the marbles up for grabs, the only knives that should be drawn for sous chef support is to find out which finalist chooses first. At least, that way, they’re guaranteed, no matter what order they have to choose in, in getting at least one decent supporter. Instead, they drew knives with actual names on them, from the contestants throughout the whole season. The brothers scored pretty well. Our lovely garden gnome? Not even. He was pissed off and, I think, rightfully so. I’d have felt that way no matter who got short sticked. It was luck of the draw, but that much, in this case, should not be left to luck. So…just wow. Already.

Kevin rebounds from Preeti’s incredibly slow first day with Ash helping him on the second day and things look good going into the actual serving, with all three chefs on top of things. Definitely the strongest finale field the show has had. First round is mom inspired and the mom’s are there as part of the table. I’m not all that thrilled with that. It’s especially weird given two of the remaining three are brothers. I could have done without that element all together. Sigh. I am very glad it was for the first course only. It went more mildly than expected, but still, sheesh, show. Kevin seems to be the winner of this round, with Bryan right behind.

Second course was Chopped-inspired as all of the chefs had to create something using all the ingredients in a mystery box (all chefs had the same ingredients.) Kevin and Michael seem to do well with that one. Third course is anything the chefs want to make. Bryan seems the winner this round, with Michael right behind, and Kevin last. The final course had to be a dessert. Bryan seems to take this round, with Michael in second.

All in all, no failures with the food in this finale. Usually someone crashes and burns, but this time it was all pretty high end and appears to be anyone’s game going into judge’s table. I think Kevin appears to be the third place finisher, leaving it between the brothers for the win. And, to be honest, based on the food served, it could be either one of them. I like Bryan more as a person, and his food seemed technically difficult, but safer, while Michael, the jerkface (even as a kid, it seems, according to Mom!) did reach for it. And he goes and gets all kind of sappy in the end and maybe pulls my heartstrings a little. Even Kevin is predicting a win for him as they wait judgment.

In the end? Me and the Garden Gnome are correct. It’s Michael for the win. Sigh. Deserved, sure, but this is not a man who needs an ego boost, deserved win or not. I realize some of his jerkiness comes from that vulnerable place, but he’s a grown man. Get over it. No excuses for some of his behavior. And yet? Winner. Of course he says he’s just happy he and his brother made it all the way to the end, and yet, you know, you know if he’d come in second to his brother, it would have eaten him alive. He’d have been civil about it. Maybe. But still… Who knows, maybe it will actually humble him a little (that and now having viewed himself all season and how others have reacted to that.) I’m not holding out tons of hope there. I think he is who he is.

So that makes two seasons in a row where I sigh over the final result, and not in a good way. Still, an interesting season with very accomplished chefs. I’ll be back for the next round.

What did you think? Who would you have liked to see as the winner? And who is your favorite going into the final week of SYTYCD? (Also, don’t forget to enter this week’s contest. Winner announced right here tomorrow, along with Russell MAC from Survivor.) But now? DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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…not like these guys anyway. Wow, another good night of performances on SYTYCD with all new pairings. Well, seven of the eight remaining, anyway. Ashleigh dislocated her shoulder the morning of the broadcast, but if voted to stay will be in the finale next week despite not being able to perform last night. A shame, too. I’d have enjoyed her in that funky, retro Shane Sparks hip hop routine with Russell. A lot.

So, we had four pairs. Ryan/Kathryn, Russell/Ashleigh, Mollee/Jakob, and Ellenoe/Legacy. The latter was the true revelation for me, because that Travis Wall contemporary routine? Was viciously good. Vicious. Ly. Wow-and-Za.

First Round;
In addition to the hip hop and contemporary, we also had Ryan/Kathryn in a cute/fun Doriana disco, and Jakob/Mollee (I know, but trust me, it was good) a beautiful, lovely-hearted Viennese Waltz. Usually those are death to watch for me, but this was truly lovely and delightful. Way to go Gilkison!

Solos: None of the solos really grabbed me this week, not as much as last week. Ok, except for Russell, who was the cuteness.

Second Round:
Ryan/Kathryn get a Gilkison cha cha and yowza, house-afire, dayum! Kathryn really sizzled, which, not hard with Ryan as a partner in ballroom of any kind, but new for her, at least for me. It’s a shame these two aren’t the “hot pair” of the remaining dancers, and the double misfortune of going first this week, because that? Might be the thing to keep them on the show. I still think they are the pair in trouble this week (even with Ash not dancing) just from “favorites voting” not for skill, but if they stay, that right there earned it. (I mean, come on, the song was called Put Your Hands On Me, Baby. And Ryan? Anytime. Pass the umbrella drink. Fanning self…)

Jakob/Mollee get Broadway with Joey Dowling (aka NotTyce.) Started off a teeny bit slow, but got cute. Not my fave Broadway routine, but most impressive was seeing Mollee actually physically keep up with Jakob. So, not bad, kids, not bad.

Legacy/Ellenore get a NappyTabs hip hop routine. Yeah, not overly excited. It was definitely quirky (aliens do hip hop) and reverse masks aside, the costuming was of no help. And, surprisingly, Ellenore wasn’t really attacking like she usually does. Outside her style, sure, but she always attacks. If there was a weak routine tonight, this was definitely it. It had a few interesting moments, mostly the opening, but as a whole, it didn’t do them any favors. A shame they didn’t get that wild Travis routine second. Ah well. This could make things interesting…

Russell & NotAshleigh go last with….Bollywood. Man, of all the weeks for him not to have Ashleigh actually perform with him, it bites both times. I thought he did great on the Shane number (danced with Shane’s assistant) and I hope this will be more of the same (w another assistant.) But I think both would have been that much more dynamic with her partnering him. Whatcanyado? On the surface, it would seem that having a pro partner would help, but in this case, it is a distraction and the lack of connection/chemistry (both between the am/pro and between the contestant and the audience) is a hindrance. But Russell, speaking purely of his own performance, really attacked this full out. I thought he did a great job. Yes, it got a little hip hoppy in there, and the hand gestures were all over the place, but he was so dang exuberant as the style demands and it was so pure and real, ya had to love him. (The bare chest didn’t hurt him either.) Great end to the show. (And if I haven’t said it, I adore his little gentlemanly bow he does after each performance.)

I’m glad during the rehash they showed Ash in rehearsal footage for the two dances tonight to at least give her a fighting chance at such a critical juncture. And just those few blips alone definitely proved my point, to me anyway, how much more dynamic it would have been for the two of them. Which is saying alot considering how dynamic both routines were anyway. Wtg, Russell, dancing with three partners in less than three days and performing with two.

So, while the solos other than Russell’s weren’t the highlight of the night, I could sit and watch almost every single one of those routines again. Such a great prelude to the finals. I have no idea, zero, on who is going home. I know Ryan/Kathryn seem the easy pick just from being in the bottom before, and Ashleigh given she didn’t perform. But…I dunno, Blog Babes, I dunno. This week is ripe for the upset. There were no misses. What did you think? Who do you want to win? (I’m kinda torn! Russell for pure joy, Jakob for pure talent.) Who should go? Legacy please for the guys. But I fear Ryan. With the girls… Ellenore had a weak routine, paired with a ridiculously hard one. Ash wasn’t there. Mollee ain’t going anywhere and I agree And Kathryn was lovely last night, but I fear no crowd support in comparison to the other three. So, while I’d send Legacy home all by himself, I think it might be Ryan/Kathryn. What say you?

DISH!

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So, I was downtown this past weekend for the lighting of the National Christmas tree. Check it out!

A chilly, but very beautiful day!

Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest. See Monday’s post for details. Tune in tomorrow for some SYYCD MAC!

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First the Fun News!

My next single title, HERE COMES TROUBLE, will hit the stands the end of January. And I just found out that Santa is going to be very good to me this year as an excerpt from the book is going to be the Red Hot Read in the March issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. Yes, it’s true, I will officially be a Cosmo Girl. (Hey, I’ll take that any way I can get it. ) Woo hoo!

Here’s a sneak peek at the cover and the back copy!

GET LUCKY

A child of Vegas, Brett Hennessey knows about luck–especially the bad kind. But when this poker superstar hops on his Harley to outrun Lady Misfortune and ends up at a pretty B&B run by an even prettier proprietor, he can’t help thinking he’s stumbled onto a winning streak…

Sure, Kirby Farrell’s new B&B ski lodge opened to the warmest winter in Vermont history, but fate brought her a bad boy on a hot bike and settled him into her best room. She’s still broke, but the view across the breakfast table has definitely improved…

Only now Brett’s past has finally caught up to him. He has two choices: run again–and lose the best hand fortune’s dealt him yet. Or stay and risk everything for something he never thought would come his way…

February 2010
Brava Trade Paperback
ISBN 0758231334

And for any of you Cosmo Girls out there, check out the Red Hot Read in the December issue (which just left the stands for the January issue - already!) My anthology, Kissing Santa Claus, was the Red Hot Read in that issue, with HelenKay Dimon’s novella excerpted. Pretty sweet!

Okay, on to Free Stuff! Just send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with Is it my turn yet? in the subject line. I’ll draw one name from all the entries and announce it here in Friday’s blog. Winner gets a free book from my website bookshelf. Good luck!

Now, on with the Morning After Commentary (MAC) for the finale of The Amazing Race. We had Team Shut Up, Team Cheyne! Cheyne! and Team Calm Down Erika in the final three. I was okay with anyone winning but the Shut Up brothers. And it all worked out okay for me in that regard, though I wish Brian/Erika hadn’t melted down during the Cirque challenge as I’d have wanted it to be closer with them. But, to the surprise of absolutely no one, Team Shut Up had no idea who Wayne Newton was as they raced to the finish in Vegas, and though Team Cheyne! Cheyne! had no idea that Monte Carlo was the famous casino in Monaco, they did managed, as they’ve done so many times before, to cross the mat first. Not my favorite team ever, but certainly a deserving one. I saw a blurb in the Post about them today and didn’t realize they are only 23 years old. Given that, my tolerance for Megan does go up a little. Anyway - another season in the can. Lovely countries, some fun couples. Looking forward to next season!

This week we have more Dance, the finale of Top Chef (go Garden Gnome!) and we find out if it ever occurs to anyone on the old Foa Foa that maybe, just maybe, at some point, somebody ought to discuss voting out Russell. Just sayin.

I hope you all have a fabulous Monday! Now it’s time to DISH!

Tags: Uncategorized by Donna
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On Top Chef, the final four are whittled down to the final three, and much as I’d have dearly loved to see Michael V have to pack his knives, in the end, it was Jennifer. Not entirely undeservedly, but I can’t help but feel it was close enough call that the producers would rather have the brothers duking it out to the end. Me? Not so much. Mike is an ass. A helluva chef, too, absolutely. But I hate thinking the assy guy might win. So I’m pulling for Bryan or Our Lovely Garden Gnome Kevin. I was thrilled, frankly, when Collichio praised Kevin’s simple cooking and the skill it took to work with basic ingredients and make them come out with such brilliant flavors, right in Michael “I cook Kevin’s food on my off days” Voltaggio’s face. Loved. It. So, I’m good with anyone but him winning at this point.

On Survivor…this has gone from such a ho hum season to such a fun one. Even Probst is enjoying the heck out of Tribal Councils. I know I am! Loved how this one went as well, with John stupidly thinking he was bullet proof. The Evil Troll actually had me laughing when he was giggling about his unfortunate screw up in telling John about the idol made him have to kick John off the show. lol And then he did! I do worry about what that’s going to do to Shambo, because Jaison did have a very valid point in that by letting her believe they were still voting for Dave when, in fact, they’d all changed over to John, will make her feel exactly as Galu did when they pulled the same stunt. However, Russell was actually very right in his belief that there was no way to clue her in (same correct reasoning Galu used) because she’d have been completely incapable of not running to John and blabbing. For God’s sake, she had to tell the chickens they were going to lose their heads. She’s just like that. So they had to keep her in the dark.

I think Russell’s big hope is that she’s also somewhat gullible if talked to in the right way, so he can probably make her believe it was to her best advantage to have not put her on the spot like that. He can tell her he has the idol and why he had to do what he did and I think she’ll still believe sticking with them is better than flipping. However, my bigger worry, if I were Russell, has been alluded to in the previews - which is that Mick and Jaison are going to start to question now where in Russell’s final three line up they’re going to fall. And we already know that they’re right to worry about this. So that’s where I think the drama is ultimately headed…and why Russell better shore up Shambo right quick. He’s gonna need her help if Mick and Jaison turn against him. Also interesting is that all of Galu, if you noticed in the credits, also voted for John. Which leads Erik and John and the jury to think this was Galu being shortsighted yet again (which, also true) and not seeing it was a Foa Foa blindside. I have no idea how Russell got them all to flip. But at evil a little troll man as he is? Wow, is he playing this game. At least it’s entertaining to watch. Who do I want to win? Haven’t a clue really.

Oh, and if you get the chance, check out Probst’s blog and, mostly, this week’s deleted scene at the end of his blog. It paints such a more cohesive picture of Dave Ball. He’s actually, like, really lucid. Hunh. Click Here to check that out.

What about you? Who is your Final Chef pick? Who do you want to see win Survivor? Who needs to go home next? I’d say Russell, except what fun for us would that be? I want to keep him and Sham around just for the pure entertainment factor. Dave can go home, that would be fine with me. And Kevin for the win on Top Chef! Both because he’s adorable and to rub Mike V’s face just a little deeper into it.

Don’t forget to enter the contest - see Monday’s post for details - winner announced here tomorrow morning! Edited!! Duh, it’s Friday. I swear, this week has been nuts. So I’m announcing the winner Right This Very Second. Sorry, brain fade! The winner of this week’s Free Stuff Friday is? Michelle Z!! Woo hoo! Congrats, Michelle. Drop me a note with a few title suggestions (in case I’m out of your first one) and your address and I’ll get your winning book in the mail. Tune in next week for another Free Stuff Friday giveaway (on Friday!) and some fun news about my February release, Here Comes Trouble!

But right now? DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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