cowboys | Courtney C: The Next Sole Survivor

best rebus puzzle yet imo – challenging, yet solvable/makes sense 👍🏻

Favorite Quote (of this episode):

“In NFL terms, it would’ve been the equivalent of knocking down the old Tom Brady dynasty + for some reason, we decided to play kickball instead.” – Danny 👏🏻 (talking about how he wished they had voted Ricard out last tribal > Lianna.)

Least Favorite Quote:

“…and it just turned into this very fruitful fruit..” – DeShawn (talking about how he was trying to “plant a seed” in Erika’s mind about going/not going to the end w/ Heather.) k.

Reward Challenge:

knew yellow would win right away b/c DeShawn is good at making baskets + blue was bound to get held back by Heather (sorry, just being honest!)… my favorite part of all this btw was 100% Jeff commenting “confusing strategy by blue” LOL when they only had Danny retrieving the ball in the water since Heather was pretty exhausted.

they also were able to choose between chicken + veggies or cake + cookies. v smart to choose the protein option 💯 lol Xander called the chicken + veggies “Xander candy” 😂

“There was just something about his vibe that shifted and that scares me.” – Ricard once again being observant af. Danny had walked off looking for an idol + didn’t even think to carry sticks or something useful when he returned as a cover… and Heather definitely announced at camp her observation of him missing.

Immunity Challenge:

Wasn’t surprised when Ricard is way out in front w/ the word puzzle portion of the challenge, but did get nervous that DeShawn might execute more quickly after glancing over at Ricard’s puzzle several times. aaand Ricard pulls through first! He is just so, sooo intelligent – really impressive. It’s even more amazing when you remember he didn’t even win the food reward that day. His mind is just IN IT TO MF WIN IT BAYBEEEEE!

Strategy:

Xander says to Heather they should keep Danny around to try to beat Ricard in an upcoming immunity challenge + Heather says DeShawn would beat him before Danny…. have to agree w/ Heather on this one, although not for the same reason. Her reasoning was that DeShawn was only a few letters off from winning the immunity puzzle, but he was cheating off of Ricard on that. My reasoning would link back to the reward challenge (and many other similar challenges this season) – DeShawn’s strength is shooting baskets/really any kind of throwing/aiming challenge.

Tribal Council:

Deshawn says something like “this is where the rubber meets the road and see where all your coins land” and now he gets the same comment I previously made about Erika – can he ONLY talk in clichés??!? Sheesh…and just spits cliches in order to attack Erika at tribal + basically just blow up his entire game… i mean, he thinks was most likely going home anyway, but… #weirdflexbutok 🤨

Xander (to the voting booth cam/holding up a ‘DeShawn’ vote) – “your truth bomb was a little more of a truth kamikaze, my friend.” WORDDD. that’s my boi. always quotable. 😂

side note: thought it was really cute how Danny + Ricard were giggling at each other right after Jeff asks if anyone wants to play an idol + before votes were read. loved just this v pure, v Survivor moment ♥️✨

also thought it was smart they chose to split votes between Danny + DeShawn just in case Danny did find an idol, but to not let that fear of an idol change their strategy.

*Final Twist:

Now the final 5 players in the game are being sent to a new island to “start over” + in the next few days will have 2 immunity challenges, 2 tribals + 1 fire-making tiebreaker = 1 winner.

(*as far as we know, final…..👀)

BTW….. yes, Danny…. GO COWBOYS!!!!!! #myteam 🤠⭐️

The Cowboys – humble AF, cuties, w/ an adorable backstory to show how close their relationship is consisting of one of them getting kicked in the head by a bull + the other stayed in the hospital the entire time w/ him ❤️ – they’re also hilarious, underestimated AF (esp. their 1st season). i’m even guilty of underestimating them when they returned for All Stars + then they won the very first leg (including that season’s prized Express Pass)!!! 😍 while their downfall is 100% navigation-related, their reputation stands that once they get to a challenge, consider it DONE. they figure their sh*t out. you absolutely love to see it. (i will never get tired of seeing them play – here’s to hoping they get brought back AGAIN🤞🏻) 🥇

The Afghanimals (Leo + Jamal) – they play TAR like Survivor (Boston Rob-style, sneaky, manipulative, etc.), yet remain incredibly likable because of the pure joy they experience along the way. these two genuinely really enjoy themselves during every part of the race experience, it’s just nonstop joking around + laughing – also USC represent ! (update: JK H8 THEM NOW for U-turning the Cowboys. An unforgivable sin in my eyes. F*** U!!!) 😤💔 (jk…but also not….😬😅)

Rob + Amber – obviously. (so obvious i didn’t bother moving them to the top of the list 😂 ), it’s wild how good they are at absolutely f***ing everything (!) – also, the second time they played, i really loved seeing Amber partake in some of Rob’s tactics + be a little shady toward a team w/ a damn good coverup for later on when confronted #impressive – i also liked seeing her call him out a little bit toward the beginning. they really are such a complementary pair + power couple goals AF. 💪🏻👩‍❤️‍👨

The Globetrotters (Big Easy + Flight Time) – (Professional Basketball Players for the Harlem Globetrotters) these guys are so funny to watch + like the Afghanimals, are always enjoying every second of the race + completely unafraid to laugh at themselves – esp. when Big Easy’s physical size makes certain challenges extra difficult for them. they also give back – by generally keeping the mood light + being super friendly w/ all fellow teams, but even give back to the world too – one of my favorite moments of theirs on All Stars is when Big Easy is struggling to finish sewing a shirt + Flight Time decides to entertain the Sri Lankan clothing workers all around them w/ basketball tricks, bc he’s just sweet like that. 🏀

Mark + Bopper – OK, not gonna lie…at first was like WTF CBS casting… thought these two were just real weirdos, really out there… lol, but then you get to know them along the way + i got SO emotional over these two! 🥺 these best friends from Kentucky really, really need the $ for their families, esp. Bopper whose young daughter has health issues. (he even shaves his head to get a Fast Forward pass in their first season!). these two are some of the funniest + nicest guys around + again are a team truly enjoying themselves along the way + express such raw gratitude for the experience, explaining that they would never have been able to see the world like this any other way ––a gift + a true once-in-a-lifetime experience for 2 of the most beautiful, kind, deserving souls. love, love, love. ❤️🥰

Dave + Connor – a father/son team who both previously had cancer AND the last time they were on the race was cut short due to Dave pulling his Achilles tendon. Their second time around in All Stars was so adorable – it’s clear to see how strong of a team they make + how much they really love each other. Dave even reminisces seeing Connor receiving chemotherapy just a few years prior + not knowing if he would make it + here they are getting to see the world together. They’ve truly come full circle. Survivors AF. 🏆(also Connor looks so much like one of my ex boyfriends, it’s REALLY FREAKY lolol but they’re both sweetie pies 🥧 so if anything it worked in his favor + just made me root for him a little more*, if even possible… 😂)

Tyler + Laura – ok, i just finished season 26, where the theme was real-life couples vs. blind-date couples, which i thought was a really interesting theme, especially seeing the results of the top 3 teams consisting of 100% blind-date couples! 😳 anyway, Tyler + Laura were the strongest, most consistent team throughout the race for sure – they were completely unstoppable, nothing could get in their way. they learned how to deal w/ one another remaining friendly, encouraging + maintaining positive attitudes even during distress (like when they misplaced their fanny pack! other teams would’ve lost their mf minds, but Tyler + Laura were cool as cucumbers and still managed to place near the top of that leg!) they really balance each other out + work together extremely well, while having fun along the way. they are totally #GOALS 😍 (hope they became a real couple after the race… will have to google later) ❣️

**side note: season 27, episode 3 of the Amazing Race uses the same song/music from Survivor season 3 (Africa) – air dates ~14 years apart ❕

TEAM FUN – i don’t even know what to say about them!! best vibes ever. they’re hilarious + love watching them genuinely enjoy every min. of the race. dream team. 🤗

Colin + Christie – wow… the first time they played, wasn’t a fan, but seeing them play again 15 years later, it’s incredibly clear just how much they’ve grown together in that time 😍 just like Colin says – that they came back “with wisdom on their side” (vs. youth) – they really made me feel a lot more positive about getting older b/c they are incredibly fit, their minds are sharp, they’re able to have fun + be playful/goofy, and in addition, can manage their emotions + stay calm, cool & collected + make logical decisions under pressure (what the race is all about!). they are absolute couple goals b/c they worked so well together, always maintained kindness toward the other, + most importantly, each held their own – for example, Colin’s strength was great in some of the super physical challenges + his consistent reminders to stay positive/present improved overall team morale, while Christie’s strength seemed to lie more in the ability to really focus in on the main priorities each leg + her laser attention to detail is what really pulled out the win for them in the end during the final drum set challenge. (& had she not noticed they needed to grab a basket + the fish while in the round boats challenge, they would’ve lost time + possibly been out of the race in an earlier leg). they’re inspiring AF! anything is possible!!! 🌎✨

The Green Team 💚 – absolutely love Justin for pretty similar reasons as Team Fun – he definitely seems like a child at heart (and i mean that in the best way!) w/ his big smile + fun-loving spirit! 🤸🏼‍♀️ At the same time, what I really love most about Justin is his passion for the Amazing Race. He was a Superfan before coming on the show (like The Amazing Race’s “Cochran”) + was crying when he made a mistake that almost lost him the race in the very first leg. Fortunately, he survived that round + went on to do extremely well, putting his knowledge of the game to use. I believe he would’ve gone on to win too, however, he makes an absolutely FATAL mistake in the final leg to the finish line when he doesn’t keep his taxi + therefore, comes in 2nd. One of the saddest (albeit most preventable😬) losses in all seasons of the show. 😭 love ya Green Team! xo 💚

Courtney C: The Next Sole Survivor

Tag Archives: cowboys

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