It's back!

I admit it freely - I am a total Survivor junkie. In the past 5 seasons, it is the only thing that automatically makes me put down the law books and watch television every Thursday night, at least for the hour.

So the new season started last night, and I am thinking that the cast might actually be pretty interesting this time. The last couple of seasons, with the exception of the All-Stars, have not been all that dynamic. The players just weren't as fascinating as they had been in the past. This season seems more promising, even after the first episode, although I usually am optimistic at the beginning. At any rate, even if the players turn out to be dull, uninteresting, typical reality TV cast members, the location - Palau - is absolutely breathtaking. I'll keep watching just for the scenery.

A few thoughts from episode one:
* Willard is my favorite so far, and not just because he's an old attorney. I also like the dolphin trainer, Ian.
* I'm not surprised Jolanda got the boot. She deserved it, with the bossy attitude that basically lost the challenge for her team. I kind of like that leadership style, but I didn't think it would go over very well with the younger members of her tribe.
* The guy with the really awful southern accent - James - is annoying as hell. And I usually find southern accents charming.
* The younger tribe - Ulong - is going to have problems. They couldn't even paddle their canoe in the right direction! Of course, Jolanda must not have known how to paddle it, either; otherwise, I'm sure she would have been right up there telling everyone how to do it.
* Tom, the NYC firefighter was kicking everyone's ass at the challenege. Not surprisingly, he is currently leading the popularity polls.
* Fire, folks, is all you really need at the beginning. You don't have to be all that bright to realize that fire is the most important thing to acquire as soon as possible.
* Jeff was much more pointed with his criticisms at tribal council than I've noticed in the past. I hope he keeps them on edge like that all season.
* Poor Wanda. She couldn've been so interesting.
* Lex's little sister - not as fun or smart as Lex himself. And I just don't get that whole stretching of the earlobes. I'm just sayin'.