The Bad, The Good, and the Good

Posted on October 12, 2022 by AverageAndy

What a roller coaster of a ride last weekend with the NY Mets and the NY Giants. The Mets (who had a great regular season), went into a funk at the wrong time, and lost to the San Diego Padres in the NL Wildcard Round of the play-offs. Seemed every player (and even the manager) kind of ran out of steam and they were never able to get things back on track. Starting with losing games against teams like Pittsburgh, Miami, an Chicago cost them the opportunity to put away the division. That was followed by them getting outplayed and out pitched by the Atlanta Braves the last weekend of the season and ended up losing the division on a tiebreaker. Not sure what to do when you build your team and your strategy on having dominate pitching (Scherzer and DeGrom) and then they don’t come through as expected. Kind of deflated the entire team. In the past I would be mad for weeks and complain about everything they did wrong. But this year is different. It was a great and exiting year, and while they came up a bit short, I thinks things look good going forward (The do need to sign DeGrom and Diaz) and looking forward to spring training 2023

On the opposite side of the table was the NY Football Giants. They outplayed Aaron Rogers and the Green Bay Packers at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and came away with a 27-22 win. Was a big win for a team that was projected to be at the bottom of the league. But with new head coach Brian Daboll getting rid of the negativity of the past years (Awful coaches Ben Macadoo, Pat Shurmer, Joe Judge) and bringing in lots of positivity and enthusiasm, the Giants are off to a 4 – 1 start and look like they will be playing some meaningful football throughout the season. Its a bit strange, trying to be positive, and enjoying the winning after being so used to losing games (usually on a last second touchdown or field goal) tin the past. Hopefully they can keep things rolling this week against Baltimore at home

As a side note – The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are showing they work to do if they want to get back to the FCS play-offs. Hopefully they can get a win this week against Cornell. Here is some history on the Lehigh Football Team. Lehigh has won a Division II National Championship (1977) and has been national runner up in the I-AA tournament in 1979.

Looking forward to the Philly Non-Sport Card show this weekend at The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA – Hall E. Always fun to see fellow collectors and try and pick up some missing promos and other cards I am looking for. While the non-sports card collecting scene is not as big an is not thriving as much as sports cards, there are still some high value cards floating around as well as some new sets that look interesting. Should be a great show, with pictures of the show and cards to follow next week

Hard to believe its already the 4th week of Survivor and Amazing Race. Both shows are off to great starts and I am really looking forward to tonight. It does get a little easier to follow as contestants / teams are eliminated and there are less people to focus on. Will try to write a recap of tonight shows tomorrow (been having trouble writing lately, so hopefully promising to write will get me motivated

And lastly, a little plug for my daughter. She recently graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn NY with a degree in Filmmaking. She’s very creative, and currently looking for employment in the film / video industry, focusing on editing. Check out here website at www.katherinerupprecht.com

I will leave you with a classic cartoon video of Michigan J Frog. That’s all folks

Posted in Amazing Race, Baseball, Card Collecting, Card Collecting Videos, Football, Fun and Games, Jeff Probst, Lehigh, Lehigh University, Non-Sports Cards, NY Giants, NY Mets, Phil Keoghan, Philly Non Sports Card Show, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Amazing Race / Big Brother / Survivor

Posted on October 7, 2022 by AverageAndy

Could there be a better group of Reality TV Shows then The Amazing Race / Big Brother / Survivor. CBS really hit it out of the ball park back in 2000 when it took a chance and changed the world of reality Television forever. There were some reality shows before this and a lot after this, but none of them (other than American Idol) has had the impact on Television as the Big 3

Big Brother Season 24 wrapped up on September 25th, 2022 with Taylor Hale walking away with the $750,00.00 Grand Prize. It was another great season (although I was rooting for Turner to win). For all the stupidity and misfires year after year, it keeps me coming back so the people at CBS must be doing something right. While I am most likely to old to be a contestant, and don’t think I could last being stuck in the Big Brother House for 82 days, some of the things they do look like fun and it would be interesting to spend a few days in the Big Brother House with a bunch of strangers and see what its like.

Big shout out to CBS and host Julie Chen Moonves for continuing to put out a great show

The Amazing Race returned a a few weeks back, and again shows why it is one of the best Realty Shows. Starting this time in Munich Germany, they changed things up a bit by having the teams complete the challenges in any order. This added some excitement to the game as the team had no idea what the other teams were doing and what place they were in. And in a welcomed change, Phil told the teams that there would be no non-elimination legs on the race, so if your last, your out (no second chances). As for the contestants, was funny to see ex NY Jets head coach Rex Ryan as one of the racers. I always prefer having one or two recognizable people / teams per race, rather than a full celebrity season (When my daughter and I went to Washington Square Park in NYC a few years back to watch the start of The Amazing Race 30, live, one of the racers was Joey Chestnut, and it was kind of neat seeing him and his partner start the race. Looking forward to watching this season to see where they go and the challenges they need to preform. Unlike Big Brother, age is not a factor, and I would love to be a contestant on the Amazing Race (Have applied with my Sister, and recently with my daughter) Always hoping for the call and ready to see the world.

Another big shout out to CBS and host Phil Keoghan for continuing to put out another great show

And then there is the granddaddy of them all – Survivor, which premiered on September 20th with a 2 hour episode. Right off the bat, there seemed to be a different vibe from both the contestants, and from CBS and the way the episode was produced. Much more attention was on the way the contestants interacted, and dynamic of each tribe. I really enjoyed it as it gave you a great feel of what the contestants were feeling and thinking instead of focusing more on the challenges.

We are now three episodes in and I like the direction this season is taking. People are now familiar with the Journey Rock the Vote Challenge as well as understanding the the beware advantages comes with a challenge / disadvantage. In a strange, but good way, having most contestants aware of these things makes it more interesting. I am all for mixing things up and throwing the contestants a curveball now and then, but when they have at least some idea of what they are up against, it makes them have to think and use there brains as much as there physicallity.

Just like The Amazing Race, and even more, I would love love love to be a contestant on Survivor. I have applied numerous times over the past 20 year in all different ways (Sending in VHS Tapes / CDs, Uploading Videos, and I even went to an Open Casting Call a few years ago). I have followed and watched previous contestants such as Parvati Shallow, Adam Klein, Boston Rob, and Rob Cesternino, to try and pick up tips on how to put together an audition video. I have filmed some by myself, and on others I had my daughter (Who recently graduated from Pratt Institute with a degree in Film Making) help me film / edit some others).

I have also followed past players like Season 1 winner Richard Hatch, and fan favorites Ruppert, Coach Wade, and Tyson Apostol on social media as I find it interesting the things they have been doing after Survivor. I actually have a few connections to some former players (Former runner-up Chrissie Hofbeck is from the same town as me, and Former winner Ethan Zohn is friends with one of my cousins)

Survivor has become a big part of my life, and hopefully one day I will be able to officially join the Survivor family

It took me a few days to write this, so it may be a little disjointed. I’m sure I will be writing more about Survivor and The Amazing Race as the seasons progress

So finally Super Sized Shout Out to CBS and host Jeff Probst for continuing to put out one of the greats shows (reality or regular) of all time

A few things before I go

The NY Mets open their wild card play-off series against the San Diego Padres tonight at Citi Field. Should be a fun couple of days as the Mets try to move on to the next round.

The NY Giants play the Green Bay Packers in London on Sunday. Going to be different experience watching the game at 9:30 AM EST. The Giants have played in London two previous times, but both times the games really didn’t matter that much. This is a big game as the Giants are of to a 3-1 start and need to keep the momentum going.

After a break, I am catching up on Cobra Kai on NetFlix – Very enjoyable

Started reading Heat 2 – A follow up to the classic movie Heat which stared Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Its interesting reading a book where I have a reference to most of the characters

That’s all for now

More to come next week

AverageAndy

Posted in Amazing Race, American Idol, Baseball, Big Brother, Christine Hofbeck, Football, Jeff Probst, Mark Burnett, NY Giants, NY Mets, Phil Keoghan, Reality Shows, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One Week until Survivor / The Amazing Race Return

Posted on September 14, 2022 by AverageAndy

One week from today (Wednesday, September 21st) both Survivor and The Amazing Race both return with new seasons. Really looking forward to both of these. I am old school so have been trying to avoid any spoilers or even information about the casts. I like to be surprised and not know much about the season until it premiers. Hopefully we get some good contestants and another great season of both shows. I am also looking forward to reading Dalton Ross’s weekly recap on Entertainment Weekly. Its a fun read, and he always gives some great insight. And hears hoping that they bring back the Ponderosa Videos of the jury members. Just like Daltons column, It was great to see things from a different perspective and I really enjoyed hearing how the game effected each individual

Also, Big Brother is coming to an end and will crown the winner on Sunday, September 25th. I got sucked in again and will be watching until the end. Really don’t have a favorite, but of the remaining 5 players, I would like to see Turner win

Was a great week for Average Andy’s Football Teams. The NY Football Giants trailed 0 -13 at half but somehow managed to come back and beat Tennessee by a score of 21-20. They did get a little lucky, but I will take a win any way they can get it after all the unlucky breaks they seemed to have the past couple of years. I know its only 1 win, but it’s such a different feeling after the previous years of always starting 0-1 and 0-2 and 0-3 and 0-…. and feeling like the season is over before we even get to October. Hopefully they can keep the winning vibe going this week at home against Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Pantheres.

And the Lehigh Mountain Hawks we able to pull out a 21-19 Patriot League win over Georgetown. Much like the NY Giants, the Mountain Hawks seem to have started every season 0-1, 02, … and it is great to get a win under their belt. They open their home season this Saturday against Richmond. Let see if they also can keep the winning vibe going this weekend.

The NY Mets are not playing their best baseball, but are still having a fantastic year and are still leading the National League East with 19 games to play. Hopefully they can get some things straightened out and hold on and win the division and get a 1st round bye. Its going to be a could of crazy weeks but looking forward to post season baseball at CITI Field

Still been getting out on walks and listening to lots of different music. Following up from my previous post, here are some more bands that I have listened to the past few weeks

Manfred Man’s Earth Band, The Firm, The Steve Miller Band, The Who, Boston, Billy Joel, Kansas, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, Heart, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Fish, The Outfield, Michael Shenker Group, Iron Maiden

Lots of good music and hopefully lots more to come

More to come

AverageAndy

Posted in Amazing Race, Baseball, Big Brother, Boston, Fish, Football, Iron Maiden, Jeff Probst, Kansas, Lehigh, Lehigh University, Mark Burnett, Music, NY Giants, NY Mets, Ponderosa, Reality Shows, Rolling Stones, Sports, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Labor Day Weekend 2022

Posted on September 2, 2022 by AverageAndy

Hard to believe its already Labor Day Weekend. We are now 2/3 of the way through the year. Looking back, its been a good year for AverageAndy – Got a new job in last 2021, so have been employed all year, The Mets are doing good and playing exciting baseball. I saw lots of good movies / TV Shows, and read some good books. I was also able to get out and walk a lot – combination of my current work schedule (7:00 AM – 4:00 PM), and the great weather (its been sunny and warm almost every day for the past 3 months).

During my walks, I have been listening to a lot of music (taking a break from pod-casts). I am mixing things up a lot, usually playing 2 to 3 songs from whatever song or artist comes to mind, and then choosing another one. Its made me realize that there are a lot of bands and songs from lots of different genres that I really enjoy, and there are plenty more out there that are not on my radar or my style

Here is a partial list of the artists I have played over the past few weeks: (Mostly on Apple Music)

Neil Young, Foreigner, 38 Special, Queen, Joe Walsh, Boston, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, John Cougar Melencamp, Fleetwood Mac, Buffalo Springfield, The Doors, Free, Electric Light Orchestra, Aerosmith, Stevie Nicks, The Who, Bad Company, Bog Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Yes, Dire Straits, George Harrison, The Kinks, Def Leppard, The Animals, Journey, Saga, Fastway, April Whine, Belinda Carlisle, Heart, Night Ranger, Steve Winwood, Chris de Burgh, Donnie Iris, John Par, Slade, Marillion, Post Malone, Elton John & Britney Spears, Rainbow, Ratt, Twister Sister, Peter Schilling, Cher, The Bacon Brothers, U2, Dio, Hothouse Flowers, The Tubes, The Police

Even after typing in all these bands, I think of all the bands and songs that I have not listened to and it is overwhelming. Hopefully there are a few more nice weeks before it starts getting chilly (which I can handle) and then dark (Which is depressing even thinking about). At some point, I will list the next set of artists as I continue my musical journey. Any suggestions would always be appreciated (I really like most every type of music, so nothing is off-limits)

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks kick of there 2022 season tonight against a tough Villanova squad. Its crazy that college football has started already. I watched a little of the Penn State / Iowa game last night, but could not get to the end – game was still in the 3rd quarter when I when to bed around 11:00 PM. Its getting harder for me to stay up super late for mostly meaningless games. One NFL Football starts, and college football has started to fall into place, I will probably end up staying up later then I should. (Going to have to get my sleep in now, to be able to watch Mets Playoff games starting at 8:10 PM and going to midnight)

Had a few Fantasy Football drafts – I enjoy playing, but usually don’t do to well, since I like to draft players I like from teams that I like. No matter how much I try, I can never root against the NY Giants because I have a fantasy player on an opposing team. I have actually benched players rather than have to root for them to do well against the Giants. One of these years, I’m going to get lucky and win a championship while actually enjoying watching Giants and my teams win

So have yourself a great Labor Day Weekend Join me in taking some time to go for a walk and listen to music, and catch a college football game of your alma mater or your favorite team. Also take some time to relax before returning to work next week for the home stretch of 2022

More to come, as I seem to be over my writers block and am back to enjoying writing this blog

Thanks for reading

P.S. – Here is on of the best sudoku solve videos on the Cracking the Cryptic You Tube page

Peace
AverageAndy

Posted in Baseball, Books, Boston, Clive Cussler - Dirk Pitt, Cracking The Cryptic, Football, Foreigner, Holiday Weekend, Journey, Lehigh University, Marillion, Music, NY Giants, NY Mets, Sudoku, The Kinks, U2 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hope all is well

Posted on August 29, 2022 by AverageAndy

Everything is going good in AverageAndys’ world. Mets continue to play solid baseball and for the 1st time in a while will be playing meaningful games into September and hopefully beyond. Big Brother continues to keep me entertained and both Survivor and The Amazing Race return soon

Need to catch up on a few shows I have saved on my DVR (Bridge & Tunnel, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Challenge USA). Also started watching “Bear” and am enjoying it

Wish I could read faster as there are several books I want to read. Currently about 3/4 of the way through “The Devils Sea”, the 26th Dirk Pitt Adventure. Always fun to revisit Dirk Pitt and his friends. I will try to update this site to show not just the books I’m reading but also the books I want to read and have queued up

List of all Dirk Pitt Novels

A Dirk Pitt Novel (#26)

Short and sweet today – Will be back soon

AverageAndy

Posted in Amazing Race, Bear, Big Brother, Books, Bridge & Tunnel, Clive Cussler - Dirk Pitt, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Challenge USA | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A little catching up

Posted on August 19, 2022 by AverageAndy

Took a couple of days off of work to try and get some things done around the house. Been tough getting stuff done because the weather has been so nice this summer. I know its weird, but I would like just one day of crappy weather / rain to break things up and allow me to stay inside and do some cleaning without felling guilty. One the plus side, I have been able to go for some nice walks after work before doing some meditation and eating dinner.

Between watching the Mets each night and fitting in Big Brother and The Challenge USA, my nights are pretty much covered. Then is back to work and we do it all again. Not that his is such a bad thing, but I do need to work on mixing up my routine a bit. I am going camping this weekend with some long time friends, and will work on finishing up my Survivor Fall 2022 Application (have a rough copy but want to make a few changes before submitting it). Hopefully I am able to peak the producers interests enough to at least get a reply. Been trying sine the beginning and refuse to give up

Funny watching Big Brother and seeing everybody say that they are the true super fam, and talking about how they have been watching since they were little and know everything about the game. Makes me feel a bit old as I was already older than most of the last few seasons contestants when I started watching Big Brother Season 1 on July 5th, 2000. Same goes for Survivor. I was 32 years old when I saw the following post on October 8th, 1999. From that day on, I have been obsessed with Survivor and dreaming of being a contestant

https://news.slashdot.org/story/99/10/08/0924222/cbs-to-pay-one-million-to-desert-island-survivor

Flash forward 23 years and I am still obsesses after watching 609 episodes over 42 Seasons. I still find the show fascinating on all levels from mental to physical to phycological and still dream of one day being a contestant. I know my odds are fading (I would be 56+ by the time I made it, with only 23 former players being older), but what is age anyway. I would use my age and all the knowledge of Survivor and life in general that I have gathered to help me navigate through all that the game and the contestants could throw at me). There are plenty of people who followed their passion / calling at an older age and went for it with huge success, so why not me

Colonel Sanders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken at the age of 65

Wally Blume, at age 62, mortgages his home and other assets to buy out his two partners. In October, Denali Flavors®, Inc., is formed.

I would also love to add another winner / runner-up to the great state of New Jersey. We have 3 winners (Michele Fitzgerald, Natalie Anderson, and Tony Vlachos(x2)), and 3 runners-up (Natalie Anderson, Mike Turner, and Chrissy Hofbeck (who happens to be from my home town). Would be great to add my name to this list.

Pivoting to a few things I missed writing about the past few months

Sad to see the passing of Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek). She was a pioneer in many ways, and influenced thousands of women over the years to stand up for what they believe in. Sadly there are only 3 original Star Trek members left, (Captain James T. Kirk – William Shatner, Helmsman Hikaru Sulu – George Takei, and Ensign Pavel Chekov – Walter Koenig).

To all those associated with the Original Star Trek as well as the countless series that followed: Thanks for all the memories and Live Long and Prosper

Star Trek – Rittenhouse Archives – Autographs

During my daily walks, I have been listening to lots of different music. I decided I needed to mix things up a bit, so I think of a band, bring them up in ITunes and play a few songs (some I actually choose, some I just hit shuffle and see what I get). After 2 or 3 songs, I repeat this with another band. No band / songs are of-limits. I try to choose bands / singers from all time frames and genres. Last night I was on a sort of old school southern rock kick and listened to “Green Grass and High Tides” by The Outlaws, “I’m your Captain / Closer to Home” by Grand Funk Railroad, and “Ride Captain Ride” by Blues Image.

The Mets start a big 4 game series with the Philadelphia Phillies tonight at Citizens Bank Park. I would settle for 2 and 2, but hoping for 3-1 or 4-0 to get the ship straightened out before heading to Yankee Stadium next Monday / Tuesday

The NY Football Giants play their 2nd pre-season game on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Crazy how we are just 3 weeks away from the start of the NFL (and College) Football Season. Here’s hoping the Giants at least get off to a decent start for new head coach Brian Daboll. Cant handle another miserable start like the last few seasons under Macadoo, Shermer, and Judge.

Well, thats all for now – More to come soon as my writers block seems to be fading and I am getting the urge to write again

Stay Safe

AverageAndy (The one and only)

Posted in Baseball, Card Collecting, Christine Hofbeck, Football, Fun and Games, Jeff Probst, Lehigh, Mark Burnett, Music, Non-Sports Cards, NY Giants, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Star Trek, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Writers Block Sucks

Posted on August 11, 2022 by AverageAndy

For whatever reason, I have not been up to writing anything lately. Lots of stuff has been happening. Big Brother is back – still watching after all these years. The Mets are playing their best baseball in years (sweeping a two-game set with the Yankees and putting the hurt in the Braves. I saw the movie “Nope” in the theater (In my opinion “Nope” was a nope). I also watched a bunch of movies on Netflix as well as the classic “Better off Dead” which finally showed up on Showtime.

I went to see Elton John on the “End of the Yellow Brick Road” tour with my wife and daughter (and her boyfriend). It was hot, but there was a nice breeze in the stadium (plus our seats were up in the third deck). Great show and glad I went

We had a backyard screening of my daughter’s senior thesis film she made for Pratt Institute with several friends and neighbors. It was a lot of fun, and we are going to schedule another one soon for the local actors and crew who could not make the first one

Went to Las Vegas for work (HPE Discovery Conference). I had an enjoyable time but was inside for over 90% of the time between keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and corporate sponsored parties. I did go for a walk one day and it felt good to be outside. Next time I go to Vegas, I will spend more time out exploring different hotels and attractions.

Returned from Vegas to a crisis as work, which had everybody working overtime and weekends to get things resolved. It was an interesting but fun 2 weeks of work, but everybody worked together and did their parts.

This is way more than I thought I was going to write. It felt good to sit down and write and hopefully this gets me back into a rhythm

Lastly, Its Survivor Audition Time again. I hope to submit my audition soon, and will write some stuff about the process and how hopefully this is the year that Average Andy makes Survivor

Peace Out

Average Andy

Posted in Baseball, Concerts, Jeff Probst, Mark Burnett, Movies, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Philip Baker Hall’s One-Time Guest Spot on ‘Seinfeld’ is Arguably Series’ Greatest

Posted on June 14, 2022 by AverageAndy

Just a reminder on how great a show Seinfeld was

Posted in Books, Seinfeld | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

June 2022 Update

Posted on June 10, 2022 by AverageAndy

Been sort of a crazy last few weeks so haven’t really had the time, or the desire to write anything for a while. But now things have calmed down, I’m feeling good and motivated to write on this blog

One the top of the list is a big congratulations to my daughter who put in a lot of time and effort the last 4 years and graduated from Pratt University in Brooklyn NY with a BA in Filmmaking. For here finale thesis project, she had to make a short film. At a showing on campus, it was a big hit with family, friends, students and faculty. She did a great job as one of the few women and held her own during the post viewing Q&A. Now she’s ready to face the world and use what she learned to become a world class film editor. Looking forward to see what she can do.

I took a trip down to The Philly Non-Sports Card Show at to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks on May 22. One of the premier Non-Sports shown in the country, it was a lot of fun, and I got to see some of my fellow dealers and collector. The new location (this was the 2nd show here after years at the Merchant Square Mall in Allentown) is much nicer, with more room to walk around. Was able to pick up a bunch of promo and insert cards that I needed. Right now the trading card industry is booming which is both good and bad. Good because card values are going up and up which is good if you want to sell, especially sealed boxes of older sets but bad because it is becoming harder to afford things that I used to be able to pick up for fun. Will be interesting to see where the Non-Sport Hobby goes over the next few years. All in all it was a good time, I got some cool cards, and I am already looking forward to the next show in October 2022

Really liked how one of my favorite shows, “The Black List“, ended the season and I am happy it will be retuning for its 10 season in the fall. Was actually shocked that they killed off Marvin Gerard (Fisher Stevens) at the end. But thinking about it, this is one of the things that makes the show so good. By continuing to move forward and bringing in new characters and letting old characters go, it keeps the show fresh and exciting

I watched all episodes of Strange Things Season 4 / Part 1 and really enjoyed it. While it was a little disjointed (multiple story lines going on), it did end on a high note and I am looking forward to Part 2 in July. The show is very well done, with just enough pop-culture references to remind you that it takes place in the 80s, while making it feel new and relevant. Following up on card collecting, TOPPS did release card sets for Seasons 1 and 2. I have some cool cards (autographs / relics) and wish they had continues with Season 3 and 4. Was looking to pick up a box of these, but the going rate is around $250.00 for a sealed box ,compared to $75 – $100 a few years back during the pandemic.

After some time off, I got back to posting a random song of the day from my ITunes Library. Hopefully I will be able keep it going forward. Its funny how something that takes a minute or two to do, becomes a huge task if you have to do it day after day.

Saw “Top Gun: Maverick” and really enjoyed it

Enjoying “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”

Fell behind on “Fear the Walking Dead” – Hope to catch up and finish it this weekend

Same with 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star

Need to start Obi-Wan Kenobi

I have been going for a run / walk after work as much as possible

Reading “Ready Player Two” by Ernest Cline – Enjoying it so far

Enjoy watching “Food Theory” on You Tube – Never knew coffee was a fruit seed soup

Mets are playing some good baseball. – Hope they don’t falter in June / July like the past few years

Think the new LIV Golf league is a fad and feels like an exhibition (Which nobody will care about)

Looking forward to seeing Sir Elton John at Met Life Stadium in July

Sad to see “Dear Evan Hansen” will be closing in September – Really liked the show

Check out my daily Survivor Tweets

Getting ready to submit an addition video for “The Amazing Race” followed by one for “Survivor”

Have a great weekend

Average Andy

Posted in 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Lone Star, Amazing Race, Baseball, Books, Broadway, Card Collecting, Concerts, Dear Evan Hansen, Fear the Walking Dead, Food Theory, Fun and Games, Jeff Probst, Mark Burnett, Movies, Music, Non-Sports Cards, NY Mets, Phil Keoghan, Philly Non Sports Card Show, Reality Shows, Sports, Star Trek, Stranger Things, Survivor, Television, The Blacklist | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts on the Survivor 42 Finale

Posted on May 27, 2022 by AverageAndy

Survivor 42 came to end last Wednesday, with 24 year old Maryanne Oketch from Ajax,
Ontario who Outwit, Outplayed, and Outlasted 17 other contestants to become the latest Sole Survivor. Looking back and thinking about this season, I really enjoyed it, but felt it was missing a real interesting / charismatic / likable contestant who will be remembered. Even Mayanne, (who I liked and was glad she won), does not make it into my all time favorites. There are players who I will never forget going all the way back to season 1, and players that I do not remember or would not recognize if they were standing next to me. Not sure I will really remember any of this seasons contestants. Nobody who I would really want to come back in a future season.

As far as the show and game play goes, The show is still the best of all reality shows and has the best host and production crew making it a joy to watch. And for Season 42, it was really neat to watch especially how we the viewers were aware of certain things due to having been able to watch Season 41 while the contestants were on the island filming Season 42. This gave a great insight and made it feel like I was right there along for the ride.

I do like how Jeff Probst read the Final Votes immediately after the votes. Thinks it really shows the true emotion of the winner and runners-up instead of if they had 6+ months to think about things. The live after show was neat, but wished they could have had all the early eliminated contestants come out and join the party. I believe this was due to COVID so hopefully going forward things can be tweaked a bit.

I also miss the Ponderosa Videos of the jury members. Not sure why they didn’t do them this season. Always like to see how the players react to who gets voted out, and how they get to reflect on their journey. Again, maybe there were restrictions due to COVID and they will bring them back next season.

I will be submitting my next audition video in the next month or so (read they will be looking at new applications in August for upcoming seasons. It was really cool to see 57 year old Mike Turner talk about how he had been waiting and dreaming for 21 years for his adventure. That really hit me hard as I am 55 years old and have also have been waiting, dreaming, and imagining being a contestant on Survivor since It premiered in 2020. I cannot remember a day that goes by when I don’t somehow think about Survivor. It has been my companion for the past 22 years and continues to make me excited about each new season. I have seen and learned so much about different people and places over the years and am looking forward to many more

Have a Happy and Safe Memorial Day Weekend as we kick off summer 20022

AverageAndy

Posted in Jeff Probst, Mark Burnett, Ponderosa, Reality Shows, Survivor, Television | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment