Day 37 and the second to the last immunity challenge has the players digging under a wall, walking over planks set up as an elevated maze, running through a maze and solving a puzzle shaped as hut.  For the third time in a row Bob wins!  Staying true to her strategy Sugar moves to vote Kenny out and he joins the jury.

The final immunity challenge and each player has 200 tiles to build a “house of cards” 10 feet tall.  Winner is guaranteed a spot in the final three.  Susie shocks us all, including herself, and wins immunity.  At tribal Sugar and Bob vote Matty, Matty and Susie vote Bob.  Matty and Bob go to the fire buiding tie breaker.  Bob has been practicing all day and easily wins - Matty joins the jury.

After the honor walk the threesome get food and get ready for the final tribal.  Susie continues to push “I deserve it because I tried”, Bob feels he played hard and his personality and survivor skills made life better for everyone so he should win, and Sugar states honestly that she had to lie, had to sacrifice innocents but she palyed the game.  The questions from the jury ranged from the obvious, why should you get my vote, to Corrine calling Sugar out questioning her tears over her father’s death - ouch.

Back in L.A. the votes are counted and Susie gets 3 votes but Bob gets 4 - Bob is the ultimate Survivor!

Thank you all for joining us this season and your great contributions on the chat and blog.  Doing this show has been so great for us because of you.  Sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of you!

Happy holidays and may the new year bring you all you wish for and deserve.

Be at peace, Marji & Mike

Podcast:  AS20081215Finale.mp3

We might be gone now but Christine, Mike’s sister, is still on Jeopardy.  We’ll open the chat one last time (or more if she wins) to talk to anyone who is watching with us (7:00-8:00ish Eastern Time).  Go Chrstine — good luck!

Last week’s tribal council brought a lot of hurt feelings - Matty wants to know why Ken voted for him, Crystal wishes she would have voted out Matty while they could and Bob feels bad for tricking Kenny and told him he and Corrine didn’t use the idol because it was FAKE.

The reward challenge requires each player to run through a swamp, through nets and bring a ball back and make a basket with it.  Matty has a quick lead but Kenny and Bob are close behind and in the end all three are trying to make the last basket and it is Bob who is victorious.  Bob wins a helicopter ride through Africa to a gorilla sanctuary.  He picks Crystal and Kenny as his guests and sends Mrs. Q (Susie Q) to Exile.

Back at camp Matty is trying to persuade Sugar that it is better to align with him then Crystal and Kenny.  Sugar isn’t convinced until…. Crystal starts in on Matty yelling at him, then Kenny does the same…. Sugar doesn’t like it.

Immunity challenge - each player studies a mask and it’s features then carries a bag of puzzle pieces through a maze and recreates the mask - all this blindfolded.  Bob, Matty and Kenny again are close while Crystal keeps going off course and Susie wanders in the backfield.  Bob wins again!

Kenny’s plan is to have Bob give him the immunity idol, then they all vote Bob off.  Sugar instead tells Bob of their plan and tells Matty to not worry.

At tribal everyone keeps their cool and Bob keeps his necklace and Sugar gives her to Matty.  In the end Crystal is out.

Topic:

• Does one bring their conscience to Survivor?

Our picks - in the order of who goes next to the winner:

Mike - Kenny, Matty, Susie, Bob and Winner = Sugar

Marji - Kenny, Susie, Matty, Bob and Winner = Sugar

Please join us Sunday for the chat during the finale show and then for the live show after, www.armchairsurvivor.com/liveshow.  Also, the chat will be open tomorrow during Jeopardy (starting at 7:00 EST) as we cheer on Mike’s sister, Christine Carrino-Gorowara - she won Thursday night, what will happen Friday?

Thank you everyone.  You are the best!

Break Music
Brother Love’s “Family Thang” from his “Turn It Up” album.
Buy the whole song and album here.

Podcast: AS20081211.mp3

Mike has to go solo tonight since Marji was not feeling well — but the show must go on.  To fill in for Marji, the live show chat folks helped out with their “Thousand Points of Marji”.

Show hightlights:

• Bob and Peggy get a conjugal visit
• Does Susie cease to exist when the camera is not on her?
• Kenny’s sister is fat compared to Kenny — but she actually cute and normal sized.
• Bob is spacial
• Sugar is the first survivor to get a visit from two different family members

At the break we play another from our friends at Her and Kings County (the band for which Brolo is the drummer).

Check out their concert schdule here

Album: City Country

Song: Dirty

Buy “City Country” at CD baby

Also, at the end of the show, the lovely Xmas music is from our buddy Tim Henson at the Distorted View.

Podcast: AS20081204.mpg

Before you watch Survivor on Thursday, December 11, 2008, check out Jeopardy!  Mike’s sister, Christine Carrino-Gorowara, will be on Jeopardy to see how long she can survive with world famous Alex Trebek.  Hopefully she’s smarter than Mike … or that she found a really cheap airline ticket.

We may be turning on the chat early and watching it with anyone who is out there.

Good luck to Christine!  If you get voted off, make sure you mark your ballot in the form of a question.